EmeraldMoonGreen, who owns Jay, asked for this one. Here you go, Amiga! Enjoy! :)

Transformers Prime belongs to Hasbro. I own nothing.

Being A Father Figure For You

A scream startled the Autobots as they quickly scanned the base, wondering who screamed, running about the base until they made it to the main room where they found Jay laying on the couch, but he was screaming. "What's wrong with him?" Arcee asked.

"It looks like he's having a nightmare," said Optimus.

"What should we do, Optimus?" Bulkhead asked.

The leader of the Autobots was thoughtful. "I'll take care of him," he said.

"You sure, Optimus?" Ratchet asked.

Optimus nodded and the others left to allow Optimus to comfort the boy.

The Autobot leader headed over to the boy and gently shook his shoulder with one finger. "Jay," he said softly.

Jay continued to struggle and scream for a moment longer until he suddenly sat up sharply, breathing hard as he felt someone rubbing his back. "Daddy?" The boy asked before seeing it was Optimus in front of him. Flinching away from him, Jay curled up on the couch.

Optimus recognized that as a sign that Jay was still scared from his nightmare and a bit embarrassed. "Jay? Are you alright?" He asked the boy, resuming rubbing the boy's back gently.

"I'm…I'm fine," Jay said suddenly before jumping off the couch and running off down one of the hallways to hide.

Optimus silently chuckled to himself. "He acts so much like a small sparkling sometimes," he said quietly as he searched for Jay. "Then again, with his past, he is so afraid of everything."

The leader of the Autobots didn't like that some humans were so abusive towards the young ones. It reminded him too much of how some Decepticons used to do the same when the war broke out. Megatron had thankfully made sure those abusive 'Cons were put in prison because he didn't believe in abusing little ones.

Optimus then spotted Jay in the hallway and saw the boy hide in a small cubby hole by one of the doors in the hallway. "Jay, why are you hiding?" He asked him gently.

"I…I don't want to go back to…them," the boy said.

"Your parents?" Optimus asked.

"Y-Yeah," Jay stammered. "I…I didn't mean to…you know…uh."

Optimus figured out what the boy was afraid of. "Jay, I would never make you go back to your parents if you didn't want to," he said. "I wouldn't make you go back to them for anything."

Jay was quiet and then peeked out. "You wouldn't?" He asked, unsure.

Optimus shook his head. "Why would I send you back to two people I know are abusive towards you?" He said. "That wouldn't be right."

That made Jay feel a bit better. "I know you wouldn't," he said, calming down. "I guess I was just embarrassed by calling you…Dad."

Optimus sat down in the hallway and motioned Jay to come out from his hiding spot. The boy did so and Optimus picked him up. "Jay, do you see me as a father to you?" He asked.

The boy nodded. "Yeah," he said. "You've…never done or said anything to hurt me, unlike my dad. I guess I just…like that you care."

"We all care about you, Jay," said Optimus as he saw the boy sit down comfortably in his hand. "And I don't mind that you think of me as a father."

Jay looked up at him hopefully. "For real?" He asked.

Optimus nodded and then smiled. "I'll prove it to you," he said.

The next thing Jay knew, a large finger was tickling his stomach and he laughed as he squirmed about until Optimus suddenly, but gently turned the boy over onto his stomach, making Jay wonder what Optimus had in mind until he felt metal lips gently press into his shoulder blades as Optimus then gently blew raspberries into the boy's very ticklish shoulder blades.

Jay squealed and laughed. "DADDY! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THAT TICKLES! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed out.

Optimus chuckled. "It certainly seems to, son," he said teasingly as he kept it up for a bit before allowing the boy to breathe. Jay curled up in the Autobot's hand as Optimus stood up, carrying the boy back to the main room, rubbing his back again gently.

Jay let out a yawn. "Optimus?" He said.

"Yes?" The bot asked.

Jay yawned again. "Thanks, Daddy," he said softly.

Optimus chuckled. "No problem, little one," he said as he gently set the boy back on the couch, still rubbing the boy's back. "Sleep well."

Jay fell asleep again and the other Autobots came in, being quiet when they saw Jay was sleeping. "Is he alright?" Arcee asked. "Why did he scream?"

"A bad dream," Optimus said quietly. "But he's doing better now."

They smiled and nodded as they headed away while Optimus headed for his own office, pride filling him that he could be a father figure for Jay.

And he'd be one that the boy could always depend upon.

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GoldGuardian2418