A/N: Here's another drabble for you all. R&R. Enjoy!
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Strength
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Optimus had been alive for many, many long years. His optics had bear witness to a variety of things. He had seen weakness and he had seen strength. The strength of his enemies and of his comrades and friends, all of whom demonstrated various kinds of strengths.
Physical strength.
Emotional strength.
Mental strength.
Strength of the spark.
Strength of survival.
Life strength.
Strength, Optimus knew, came in various ways, some hidden, some obvious, but they were all strengths nonetheless. However, he had never seen strength like the one Cade often demonstrated.
Cade was not a typical human being. He was special, even among those deemed unique and extraordinary. Optimus had been drawn to him from the very start of their journey together and he had remained that way for the past four years. Leaving Cade behind had been one of the hardest things he had ever had to do – and that was saying a lot, all things considered – and it had greatly pained Optimus to do so. But he had to do it, he had to, because Earth was where he lived and Cade was his home. Of that, he was positive.
During their battles against Lockdown and the CIA agents helping him, Optimus had seen Cade's unique strength. He had seen Cade lift and haul things that a mere human would not be able to on the first attempt – yet Cade had been able to do so from the start. He had seen Cade force Tessa and Shane away from each other, then begrudgingly watch them together, and finally accepting Shane as a part of his family. He had watched Cade lose his only friend, his home, and his entire life. He had watched Cade volunteer to help Optimus and his Autobots and had fought bravely beside them. He had watched Cade run, jump, fall, scream, cry, laugh, fight, lose, win, live. And he had watched Cade's numerous close encounters with death.
After his return, Optimus had remained with Cade on his farm along with his Autobots. His relationship with Cade had advanced and progressed, much their delight and the enhancement of happiness for the both of them. As his time with Cade progressed, he began to learn more and more about the man who was now his spark mate, his human. He learned of Cade's early life – how his childhood had been full of love and encouragement even though his family had been relatively poor – and how he had undergone changed in order to successfully court Tessa's mother, who in turn gave birth to Tessa, Cade's greatest invention to date – and those were Cade's words, not his own. Optimus had learned of the numerous odd jobs Cade had had during his life, how he had worked on his inventions in between jobs or when he was home from work.
And, of course, Optimus had learned of Emily's death. Watching Cade's face as he talked about it, seeing the past pain that used to haunt him, had brought to mind the fate of Elita One and her demise on Cybertron. They shared a similar pain, Optimus then realized, but also a similar strength. What they had gone through separately had made them both strong; the only difference was that Cade was human and was far more fragile than Optimus was. Even so, he had managed to overcome so much in his short life – all humans lived short lives compared to him and his Autobots – and had become so strong.
Bumblebee had told Optimus after he had returned about how Cade had managed without him. Although it wasn't until months later that Cade became his spark mate, looking back on it, Optimus realized how much pain Cade had to have endured due to his absence and how he had refused to buckle and collapse underneath it.
Yes, Cade had been strong all of his life and his strengths showed as bright as day in Optimus' optics. He had made the best choice for a spark mate when he had asked Cade to be his and his human's strength only increased his own. They were stronger together than they were apart and Optimus had never before been so grateful for it.