Chapter 23: Here's the Plan!

Lennox P.O.V

It had been about a week since my fateful conversation with OC and her earth-shattering revelation that she was indeed in love – with Optimus Prime! During that week I had done my best to stave off a questioning and extremely dubious Prime who was growing increasingly suspicious of my behaviour. I was running out of excuses, and we were running out of time before Prime demanded to know what was going on. /Which is why we were meeting today/.

I shook my head as I approached the training hanger. I had arranged to meet OC in here as I had come up with a plan, of sorts, to try and help her win the spark of the Autobot Leader, or at least determine if he had feelings of that nature. Reaching the door, I punched in the code and walked in.

Standing in the middle of the room on the massive training mat stood OC, hands in the pockets of her torn and faded denim shorts and black tank top, looking around nonchalantly. At the sound of the door opening, she whipped around to face me. ''Hey Lennox!'' She held up her hands and looked pleased with herself. '''Look. I'm early.''

I smiled at her as I closed the distance. ''Well wonders never cease OC.''

She laughed as I came to a stop before her. ''I'll let that one go to the keeper seeing as you have been kind enough to help me with my, not so little problem.'' She dipped her head for a moment as she scuffed her joggers on the floor. ''So ah, how has Prime been this week?''

I rolled my eyes. ''I swear he thinks whatever you have is contagious and now I have it!'' I shook my head as I crossed my arms. ''I am running out of excuses and topics to move the discussion to when he starts to ask about you.''

OC blushed slightly as she tucked a strand of her long black and red streaked hair behind her ear. ''He's been asking about me?''

I snorted. ''Only everyday OC!'' She beamed at me. ''You seem to be his favourite topic.'' I looked thoughtful for a moment. ''You know, Prime could be a closet sadist. Maybe he keeps asking me about you because he knows it makes me uncomfortable and he is deriving some sort of pleasure from watching me squirm.''

OC was looking at me with a raised eyebrow. ''Lennox, this is Prime we are talking about. Not even remotely a chance of that.'' She shook her head, a pensive expression on her face. ''No, it's just that he feels out of control. He's the ''Prime'' afterall. It's in his nature, not to mention his duty, to have the pulse on everything, on everyone in his command.''

I watched her closely as she spoke. She had a distant yet knowing look in her eyes as she spoke about him. ''He likes to know why something is happening or why something has happened.'' A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. ''He likes to know as much as he can so he can be as prepared as possible to make the right decisions for everyone when, or if, he must act.''

OC sighed out loud as she shrugged her shoulders and looked up at me. ''Prime does not truly understand why I am acting the way I am, and now you for that matter,'' she gestured to me. ''We are a puzzle to him that needs to be solved Lennox so he can understand. So he can regain control of the situation.'' She smirked. ''So, he can be prepared to act accordingly.'' She laughed. ''The questions will keep coming until he gets the answers he needs.''

I snorted in disbelief. ''Fuck OC!'' A look of amazement descended on my face. ''You really do know Prime, don't you?''

She blushed again and shrugged her shoulders. ''I like to think I do Lennox. Part of loving someone isn't it? Learning what makes them tick.'' She laughed in amusement. ''But someone like Prime isn't easy to get to know and I reckon I have barely scratched the surface with him.''

I sighed as I grasped her shoulders. ''Yeah, guess you're right. On all counts OC.'' I removed my hands and clapped them together in eager anticipation. ''Either way, we need to get started right away with my plan!''

OC eyed me curiously. ''You have a plan?''

I nodded, a mischievous grin on my face. ''I do indeed OC.'' I began to pace about her. ''You see, the problem is, you know you are in love with Prime, but Prime himself is an unknown quantity.'' I continued circling. ''From what you have told me about a few interactions with him, he seems to act in a manner that indicates, at least if he were a human male,'' OC snorted and dipped her head again, muttering to herself, and while I eyed her in mild annoyance, I continued, ''if he were a human male, he enjoys your company and is not opposed to physical displays of affection with you. Which in turn might lead to,'' I coughed, ''other.. things.''

OC shrugged her shoulders and put her hands in her pockets. ''So. How do you propose we go about ascertaining if Prime might possibly have mutual feelings towards me?''

I stopped my circling and rubbed my hands together in anticipation. ''By commencing ''Operation Green Eyed Monster!''

''We fucking what?'' OC sputtered as she turned to face me. ''We're, going to try and make Prime jealous?'' She shook her head, ''No way mate. Uh ah. First of all, I don't even know how you intend to do that.''

I placed my hands on my hips as a very calculating look settled on my features. ''I intend to do that OC, with some help.'' I brought my fingers to my mouth and gave a loud whistle. ''Yo, you can come out now!''

OC's eyes darted wildly about the room, her whole body was tense and on edge. Almost at once a silver figure appeared from behind the various boxes of equipment piled off to the side of the room. OC gasped out loud and turned to face me. Her eyes shot daggers at me, and her lips were curled back aggressively as she growled at me. ''You didn't Lennox?''

''He did lil' lady,'' Jazz replied, a smile on his visored face as he approached.

OC ignored Prime's second in command and rounded on me, stepping menacingly towards me. ''YOU BACKSTABBING ARSEHOLE LENNOX!'' I'll kill you!''

I held my hands up in supplication, waving them about. ''OC! Wait it's not like that, will you hear me out… please!''

''Why should I'', she stalked towards me, ''You betrayed my confidence by telling Jazz, his right-hand bot of all mechs!'' A dangerous look fell across her features again as she roughly shoved me.

Jazz, thankfully, stepped in front of me to diffuse the situation. ''Hey lil' lady! Easy there!'' He ushered her back away from me as gently as he could. ''I can see why you'd be pissed at Lennox here, an' he no doubt deserves ta have his arse whopped…''

''What, hey Jazz! NOT helping!'' I yelled in annoyance as I sent Jazz a filthy look.

Jazz merely smiled at me, his visor flashing. ''Hey Lennox. Hear me out bruther,'' It seemed as though he sent me a wink.

OC seemed to snort contemptuously at Jazz's words as a crimson blush burned on her cheeks. ''There better be a damn good reason why you betrayed my confidence to him,'' OC nodded in Jazz's direction. ''One of you better get talking.''

''Sure lil' lady. When Lennox first approached me an' told me there was somethin' important he had ta tell me about you an' he needed ma help, I was jus glad there was somethin' I could do ta help ya.'' Jazz shook his helm. ''I knew there was somethin' up with you OC for tha last few months, an' it was weird not seein' ya around. Even more so seein' you an' Prime spendin' so much time apart.'' Jazz ex-vented softly and shrugged his shoulders. ''An' then when Lennox told me why ya had been actin' so odd like, well it kinda made sense an' ta be honest, I was down with helpin' out both ma friends.''

My eyes darted between Jazz and OC, and I watched her like a hawk. At Jazz's explanation, OC's frame seemed to relax somewhat as she sent the silver saboteur an interrogative look. ''That's all well and good Jazz, and I appreciate it. But why?'' She placed her hands on her hips as she stared almost right through him. ''Why would you be happy to help me, a human woman, win Prime's spark? Don't you think it is weird and just plain wrong for a human to have such feelings towards one of your kind?''

I found myself leaning in eager to hear what Jazz had to say on the matter as up until this point, it had been a very one-sided issue.

Jazz simply smiled and shrugged his shoulders. ''Well, I'd be lyin' if I didn't do a double take at first OC. I mean, I'd never heard a such a thing before.'' OC began to lower her head. ''But then it occurred ta me. Love is love lil' lady. Unlike most beings, it doesn't discriminate.''

OC's head snapped up again, a huge grin plastered on her face. ''Besides, I have seen how you two get along with each other.'' Jazz managed to look almost contrite, ''An' after hearin' what you had ta say about Prime jus now, tha way you said it,'' Jazz shook his helm and chuckled, ''it's plain as plain ta me you do indeed care about him deeply an' know him. Better an jus' about anyone has in millions of years.''

OC seemed to release a breath she had been unknowingly holding as she grinned up at Jazz and then to me. I returned her infectious smile, relieved to hear from Jazz that he seemed to support the notion of a human and a Transformer being able to build upon friendship and develop romantic feelings for each other.

Jazz fixed OC with a very serious stare as he continued. ''Ya know OC, while Prime enjoys ya company immensely, perhaps over an' above anyone else, human or bot.'' He paused a moment to allow the gravity of what he was about to say, sink in. ''There is a very good chance that Prime, as much as he cares deeply for ya, may not see ya tha way ya want him to. Are ya prepared for that?''

OC blushed, as she closed her eyes tightly and nodded her head. ''Jazz, I am very much aware that may be the case.'' She snorted in self-deprecation as she looked between both Jazz and I. ''Why do you think I have wrestled with this for so long?'' OC sighed as she shifted on her feet and stood tall. ''But I can't go on like this anymore. I have tried to stop my feelings towards him. I have tried to stay away from him, but I can no longer do either of those things.'' Her eyes seemed to glisten with tears as she looked imploringly to us both. ''I know this could go horribly wrong, but I have to take a chance.'' She smiled at us both, a look of hope shone in her eyes. ''Sometimes you just gotta jump and hope you fly, and Prime,'' she shrugged her shoulder, ''He's worth the risk.''

''And if instead of flying, you crash and burn OC? What then?'' the words were out of my mouth before I realised it was me speaking.

She smiled weakly at me as she set her gaze directly on me. ''Well, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it Lennox. If I get to it.''

''Thas' all I neeed ta hear lil' lady,'' Jazz winked down at her. ''Let's do this!''

For a brief moment, as my friend grinned deliriously up at Jazz, her laughter echoing around the room, the old OC seemed to be back. While a small part of me was still a bit weirded out by this, I was mainly happy to see OC so happy. She saved my life back in Mission City and I kind of owed her, at least that is how I felt. Besides, I cared about her as a friend, and I wanted her to be happy. If helping her win the affections of Optimus Prime achieved that, so be it. /Who was I to question if loving a giant alien robot was wrong or not?/.

''Alright! We're good to go now.'' I clapped my hands together in nervous anticipation. ''Listen up, here's the plan!''