Optimus Prime x Reader

|| Chapter 4 ||

Cade was looking at his machinery, attempting to get it to paint something for him, and it seemed to be working rather well so far.

"Come on, come on." Cade said, looking at the unpainted material in front of him and the robot

The robot began to paint slowly, optics shifting up and down to see the wall.

"Yes. Yes. Yes! Oh, there you go. No, hold it-" Cade said as he watched the robot shake.

The robot shook rather violently.

"Stop shaking! Why are you shaking? You have the job!" Cade yelled at the robot, looking at the robots face with a sigh.

"You forgot to eat dinner! You see why I worry?" Tessa asked, setting down some dinner for Cade on a different table as she walked towards Cade from within the barn.

"Look, sorry, sweetie, I... I almost got it working right." Cade sighed, not giving eye contact to his daughter, still looking at the unpainted material.

"So, listen, I'm done with homework and set with finals, so I was just gonna take a little drive with some friends. If that was okay with you." Tessa said.

Cade sighed.

"No boys, I know. Graduate first." Tessa deadpanned.

"Exactly." Cade responded.

"You do know no one else has this rule, right?" Tessa asked, crossing her arms before bringing them back down again.

"Rule? Don't make it sound harsh, okay. It's wisdom. I don't think we need to be driving around in the middle of the night. It's already like a quarter to eight. It's almost dark. Spud, will you stop it?" Cade asked, walking away, 'Spud' being a robot who was shooting something.

He stopped in front of a small picture wall, which was actually a post, with Tessa's mom, Cade's wife, in it.

"You know where I was for my graduation?" Cade questioned.

"Yes, with me, the mistake." Tessa sighed.

"The surprise, Tess. And the best thing that ever happened. Do we look unhappy? Huh? No. It's the greatest day of my life. I made your mother a promise before she passed. Our baby's gonna be at her graduation. that's it. High school boys know nothing. It's only later they turn into men." Cade explained.

"So if you were older and wiser, I wouldn't exist." Tessa said, switching his words around into what it actually sounded like.

"That's not what I meant. You know, this is a non-dating household, okay? You don't date, I don't date. That's it." Cade deadpanned.

"Well, Maybe you should." Tessa replied, beginning to walk out, Cade quickly beginning to follow  behind.

The two walked out, the sun beginning to set.

"Tessa wait. Tessa? I know I've been on you, okay? But I have to be. Twelve to seventeen is the official teenage danger window. It's my job to get you through it. So you can be pissed off all you want. And yes, you can take a ride with your friends." Cade sighed.

"Okay." Tessa smiled, hugging and kissing her dad. "Don't work all night. And eat."

And it was that.

She left.

Cade walked to his porch and looked up at the sky, now being completely alone as the sun began to set.

"Best thing that ever happened, Emily. She's the best thing that ever happened. You'd be proud." Cade said, but stopped when he heard sizzling.