Yeager Chronicles: After Extinction

6: Cade

Tessa would be coming home soon. Hopefully. It was Wednesday and neither of the three have made any contact with Cade or the other mecha that still were on the property. It was eerily quiet, especially since Hound and Drift had not been sparring again for a few weeks. Not the best idea, since they were still in the midst of a war. You must keep not only your mind sharp, but also your fighting style. It's all muscle memory.

Crosshairs had been staying on property more often as well. It was almost a shock for Cade when he left the barn – because he hadn't really been sleeping in the house since Tessa left for university – and found Crosshairs just leaning against a tree talking quietly with Drift. It was almost odd for the him to see such things now. Even storms have to calm down some time, sometimes, in stranger ways than others.

But all that – unique – paraphernalia aside, Cade was ready to see his daughter and Bumblebee... And Luckycharms. He still wasn't too keen on allowing Tessa to have him as a boyfriend, this was still a non-dating household. But, It's not like she would listen to him anyway, it's been about seven years since the two have been together. He still didn't like it.

And now and then, Cade would think of that day when he realized – or rather found out – that they were dating was the day that Lucas had called for the money. The money they would get for Optimus. How that would ever be a good idea to call the government, no one could ever know really.

Even though Cade never made the call himself, he still felt guilty that his family – though small – was put in danger. He hasn't trusted anyone outside of his family, close family, for years. The last person? That one Cybertronian.

Where is now? Somewhere passed far across this galaxy? Another planet with other aliens like himself? Cade was drawn back and forth from between missing him, to being disdainful towards his absence. He had to remind himself often that Optimus was leader of the Autobots, from a whole other world. Optimus had bigger and more pressing things to worry about than just one, little human. It's not like the old lug would ever reciprocate any kind of emotional feelings towards Cade... could he? Even though Cade wanted to entertain the idea of that possibility, he knew wasn't a good idea. It would only hurt him more.

Avoiding now anything that may have included Optimus was what he did now some days. It was kind of okay knowing that the Autobots there didn't really speak of Optimus unless they were speaking of passed missions and other parts of the war effort. He'd try to listen in, but then other memories from that one day came flooding back to him – then he'd go and hide in the barn.

It hurt him too much to think.

Still, some part of him was confussed as to why he would have those kinds of emotions come to him just by mentioning the big mech. One side of his brain said it was the traumatic aspect of the situation back then. And the other side of him yelled, screamed, and chanted that he missed him more than he wanted to admit... and that Optimus was a bigger chunk of his life that he was missing –

– like his wife and his daughter. Cade didn't want to have to say goodbye to either. But, even now, he knew that one day that Tessa would get married... maybe not even to Shane but one day, she'll be gone and may not come back. Why would she want to come back to a broken man's home? She'd probably deny him as her father, wouldn't she?

"Cade, you got that look in your eye." A dry, crackly voice rumbled from Cade's side. He looked at the large gray mecha with a kind of delirious confusion. He stepped as lightly – as a mecha his size – could. "What look?" Cade tried to sound like he was fine. Hound look at him with a titled head, "The look." He'd said, like the vagueness of the responses would allow Cade to understand. "Somethin's hurtin' ya." He added. Cade sighed out. Should he say that he was missing Optimus or just play it off?

"I'm just missin' Tess. Nothing drastic." He decided that 'playing it off' would be the better of the two solutions. Hound noticed something in the human and let it slide for a moment before returning to the original question. "Ya jus' seem like something's bothering you." Hound leaned down and ultimately sat down with a load thump, his frame moving up and down from the flash of movement. Cade leaned his head back, lolling it back and forth. Hound never left.

Cade started to find that he wasn't going to leave this alone until something came out of him. At that thought he frowned. "I – I guess it's not that simple then." His breath slowed, his eyes glazed over and dull. He felt ultimately, really confused about the whole situation that was plaguing his mind. "I just need some time to think a few things through. Believe me, I'm... okay."

Hound turned his head, his beard scarped against the top part of his chassis. His optics had a slight green twinge to them, like he'd had something in his systems that perhaps he shouldn't have. It wouldn't be the first time that he had some crude oil, but it was far from being the best thing for their Cybertronian hardware and tanks.

There was a carried silence for a few minutes. Not awkward, not for Hound in the least, for Cade, it was troubling. It almost made him want to just say what was crawling through his brain and making him twitchy. "Cade," His voice cut through the silence, enough to pull Cade only mostly from his timorous thoughts. "Take it easy. Don't keep it all inside." He stayed quiet.

"We – even Crosshairs – want you to okay, Cade." Hound had said his name again, hoping to emphasizing that he was being serious. But what he said took him aback. He had to admit that he was flattered, but he hated that he had to be told that they wanted him to be okay. He was better than this, he thought. His light brown eyes made contact with the slightly green optics of the former wrecker. Cade had to force himself to smile. "Okay. Alright. Thanks Hound. But really, I'm just missing Tess." The optics narrowed but Hound resigned, but digressed. The threw himself to the ground all the way, his gut jiggling with his sudden movement.

Cade stayed in the chair, and his head leaned back again.

"What's the plan?" Hound asked from laying horizontally beside the porch. "What's the plan for what?"

"When you're stuck, what are you going to do?" Again, Cade was taken aback by Hound. Why was Hound being so... relaxed and asking if he was alright? He's fine! Or that was what Cade sorely wanted to be able to believe, that he wasn't lying to one of his Autobot friends.

His tongue clicked with roof of his mouth and actually bit the tip when he closed his jaw. He sighed. "I don't know." He knew that he should talk, but at the same near painful moment, he never wanted to talk about it. Hound's optics looked at him and he tilted his head to the side, "Well, if you ever wantta, you can talk to us. We do know everyone pretty well."

"Thanks Hound." His voice became quiet, and then he pushed himself up. "I'm gonna go and check a few things inside the house." No other words were – politely – shared between the two. Cade disappeared into the house, and Hound was not too pleased that Cade was holding it all in. That big bot knew that Cade was lying, that he wasn't really fine. But, Hound has his own thought on the matter... that sometimes when you need help, you skip it in hopes that it will go away by itself.