Centuries || Transformers (Re-write)

20.

"A couple times a day these guys are moving in vehicle shipments into KSI for something called 'scanning', major security all over "Cade explained to the Autobots, looking up at each of them individually. "...So our best shot at getting in is a classified research entrance, I'm gonna drive in with Bee tomorrow morning" he finished, earning a small approving nod from Optimus. I looked around at the other bots and saw that they too approved of the plan "Y/n, what do you plan on doing?" Cade asked, now with everyone's attention on me. I shrugged my shoulders "I'm going to sneak in and see if I can find out anything about the others" I explained, looking over at Optimus who wore a shocked expression "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand how do you plan on doing that exactly?" Cade asked, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. I gave him a knowing look, "I'll go with you and Bee tomorrow and once we get inside I'll go my own way-" "That's too dangerous..." Optimus finally spoke, standing up straight and looking down at me. With a small shake of my head, I turned to face him with a confident stance "I know it's dangerous, but I want to help. I know you want to know what's happened to the other Autobots Optimus, there's no shame in hiding it. They do too, and I'm not going to sit around and do nothing" I told him, gesturing around to the other bots and my voice probably sounded more authoritative than I probably meant it to be. 

An awkward silence fell across the church, as both Optimus and I stared up at each other in somewhat of a staring contest. Neither of us would back down. I know he was trying to keep me safe, but in a situation like this, being around giant alien robots 24/7, it was a bit difficult.  A small sigh left him in defeat as he turned his gaze away, before his optics eventually wandered back to my form. "Very well, but I want you to be in contact with either one of the other bots or myself at all times" he ordered, pointing a digit in my direction to emphasise his point. With a nod of my head I agreed, and the slight tension in the air had now dissipated. Optimus rolled his optics at my triumphant win, and turned to walk only a short distance away to lean against a large stone pylon. An amused chuckle escaped my lips as I watch the Prime pout, with his arms folded over his chestplate in annoyance.

Behind me, I heard Hound chuckle breathlessly "Yep, just like Ratchet" he mumbled, before dismissing himself and walking over to the other side of the church, with Drift and Bumblebee following. Crosshairs shook his head in disbelief "Remind me to never get on her bad side" he whispered to Cade, who in return responded with "Don't worry, I will".

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That night, I sat beside Cade as he made himself a drink with the protein powder that Shane and Tessa had stolen. He offered me one, and I gladly took one, since I hadn't had much to each or drink all day. With a small smile in thanks, I took a long gulp of the substance and sighed happily, feeling a little less thirstier than before. "Agh hum, excuse me, no smooching in front of me okay?" Cade suddenly snapped, causing my gaze to drift over to Tessa and Shane who were cuddling each other on the lounge. Shane threw his hands up in the air in annoyance, whilst Tessa sat up and glared angrily towards her father. "You're so square, who even says smooching?" she snapped back, rolling her eyes in the process. I took another sip of my drink, trying to stay out of this small family feud as best as I could. "See, no respect. It's just impossible sometimes" Cade whined silently, fiddling with the glass in his hands "Yeah, I went through that with Bumblebee" Optimus chimed in, almost making me spit out my drink as small giggles escaped my lips. 

"What? What's so funny?" Cade asked me, looking over at me with an amused grin. I laughed softly and shook my head "Out of all the Autbots here, Bumblebee is the youngest, so I'd say right about now he's either in his late teens or early adulthood. Would I be right in saying so?" I asked, looking up at Optimus with a small awkward wince. He nodded in confirmation and let out a low hum "Indeed, closer to early adulthood though..." he responded with a small shrug of his shoulders. I turned to look at Cade, who's expression fell at the thought of looking after another kid. I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder "Don't worry, these guys have looked out for him his whole life, it's not going to stop now" I told him, which eased his stress slightly. I heard Optimus chuckle from behind me in amusement, and turned to face him, shaking my head at him with a playful glare. 

"Hey Prime! Come here for a sec would ya!?" Crosshairs called, waving his servo as a gesture for the said bot to follow. With a shake of his helm, Optimus gave us a kurt nod, excusing himself quickly before walking over to join the rest of the Autobots. Once he was out of earshot, Cade tapped his glass awkwardly before placing it beside him with a small clink. "So...you and Optimus huh?" He teased, nudging me gently with his elbow. My eyes widened in shock and a bright blush crept onto my cheeks as I turned to face him "W-What are you talking about?" "You know what I'm talking about. The two of you have been getting really close lately, and not just in a friend way" Cade stated, whispering just to make sure he wasn't heard. I buried my head in my hands, trying to hide my embarrassment "Cade, nothing's going on between us" I mumbled into my hand, only causing him to scoff. "Seriously? From what I saw this afternoon there's no way Prime would let someone win an argument like that, and there's no way he would stand down so easily..." he trailed off, looking over at me with a disbelieving look. With a defeated sigh, I removed my hands from my face and casted my gaze downwards, ignoring my best friend beside me. A shocked gasp left him as he punched my shoulder "You like him don't you?" he questioned, chuckling in amusement as I pushed him away "Would you shut up? You're annoying me" I snapped at him, now crossing my arms over my chest as I began to pout.

"I'm not stopping until I get an answer".

"Well, looks like you're in for a long night then huh?".

Cade sighed in defeat and shook his head disappointingly "Alright, you win this time. But I'll figure it out eventually" he teased, hitting me on the shoulder once more before standing up and walking over to his still-fuming daughter. I sighed in relief and slumped forward, running a stressed hand through my (hair/colour) locks. Maybe Cade was right, there was a weird feeling of attraction towards the Autobot Leader, one that often made me quite nervous at times to talk to him. But in all seriousness, it couldn't work...could it? He's a giant robot after all, and I'm just a small human. A sad sigh escaped me as I sat back upright, thinking over the conversation that I just had. With a shake of my head, I pushed those thoughts aside and tried to think of something else, like how would I get the information I needed from KSI tomorrow.