**spoilers for "The Iron Giant" movie ahead**
_____
Your father was furious when you returned home that night. Furious that you managed to land in the hospital again, setting him back on bills and money, but also for going missing for three days. It wasn't out of parental concern or anything of the like, but more out of the fact you weren't there for him to lash out on. You were just a tool to him.
What drove him even crazier was the fact that you got sick the day after that. The house was filthy and was in desperate need of cleaning. Thanks to all of the dust and bugs that lived within the house, you came down with a pretty high fever over the development of a few days. You didn't go to school or visit anyone at base, which concerned the Autobots immensely. Optimus was the first to volunteer to check up on you, but Ratchet quickly dismissed the idea; it would be much easier to have one of the humans do it, since it'd look much less inconspicuous rather than having a six foot tall adult man looking for a teenage girl who's gone missing for the second time.
You were enveloped in the thin, dirty sheets of your bed trying to keep your shivering frame warm. Everything was freezing cold. You were definite that Antarctica's sub-zero temperatures would be warmer than whatever you were living in. Both of your parents were off to work: your mother in an office, and your father, well, you had no idea where he worked. He would disappear for days at a time and come back home for the day before leaving again. Maybe he was having an affair with some woman, living a second life with someone else. You wondered if their life was more stable than yours.
The pounding of the front door resonated throughout the quiet house, leaving you groaning as you rolled out of bed. You kept the sheets around you as you shuffled down the hallway and to the living room, where you looked through the peep-hole of the front door wondering who was at your lonely doorstep. Seeing a familiar black shirt with grey sleeves, you mustered up a weak smile as you opened the door to Jack Darby.
Jack turned to you with concern etched across his face. It quickly dissipated as he saw you at the door, your cheeks flushed with dark circles running around your eyes.
"You're sick?"
You nodded.
"Ah, geez. Everyone at base was freaking out. They thought you got kidnapped again," Jack sighed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. You muttered out a sorry, feeling ashamed for your lack of communication to the team.
"Is Arcee with you?" You croaked, rubbing your eyes. Jack let out a brief chuckle, shaking his head slowly. "Yeah. I told her she could've waited back in my garage, and that I could've taken a bike to see you, but she refused. She really wants to see you,"
You couldn't help but wonder why. You barely knew Arcee, and though she seemed like a nice Cybertronian, you couldn't help but feel intimidated by everything she did. You decided it was best to stay away from her since she gave off the aura of 'please don't talk to me, I don't have time for you.'
Half expecting Arcee to show up, you began to close the door. You weren't up to actually deal with her saucy attitude, as you lacked the patience and strength for it. You muttered a goodbye to Jack, telling him he could relay your message of thanks to Arcee before fully closing the door. You rubbed your eyes as you began to trail back to your room, only to let out a screech at Arcee's sudden voice.
"He's really worried about you, y'know,"
You turned, only to see her leaning against the kitchen counter with her arms crossed. She approached you, her emotionless face smooth as she did. You pulled your sheet tighter as you suddenly felt threatened by her intimidating aura. "How so?" You stuttered. Arcee shifted her weight, a habit you found she developed. "He is your guardian, you know," she said as if it were obvious, "plus he has to keep an eye on you. Why're you cooped up in here? You could make his job just that more easier if you were around."
