A/N: My kind of significant other is planning a trip to Oklahoma to look for work and I plan on us spending as much time together as possible before that, which means less time writing. However, once the trip is happening, I'm sure I'll be full of angst and sadness and stuff which means my writing will increase! Gotta love double-edged swords. R&R. Enjoy!
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Old
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"I'm getting old," Cade said suddenly and rather out of the blue. Optimus looked down at him and blinked his blue optics.
Sitting at his work bench, which was surprisingly devoid of anything that needed to be worked on, Cade did not look old to Optimus. Worn out and tired, perhaps, but not old. Then again, Optimus really did not have any right calling Cade or any other human old or agreeing with them that they appeared old. He and his Autobots were all far older than the oldest human alive today, even Bumblebee. So while Cade did appear as though he needed a nap, he did not look old. Not to Optimus at least.
"Cade, we both know that you are not old," Optimus reminded him. "If I am correct, you were eighteen when Tessa was born."
"Yeah, that's right," Cade said and ran a hand tiredly over his face. He hadn't been sleeping well for the past couple of weeks. Something plagued his dreams at night and all Cade would say was that it was nothing. However, the bags underneath his eyes told Optimus otherwise.
"Seeing as how Tessa is now twenty-one, that would only make you thirty-nine, which is not old by human standards," Optimus reassured him. "It is definitely not old by mine. You still have many, many long years ahead of you."
'If I can help it.'
It was not said, but it was implied and they both knew and understood that.
"I guess you're right, Optimus," Cade said, tilting his head back and staring up at Optimus' large robotic form. "Maybe I've just been stressed out and tired and it's causing too many wrinkles."
"You are beginning to sound a lot like Tessa," Optimus observed. "I now see where she gets it from."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Cade pretended to be insulted but the smile on his face nullified the effect.
"I am merely stating that, as father and daughter, the two of you are very similar. Perhaps more so than you both believe," Optimus said gently, holding his robotics hands up in defense.
Shaking his head, Cade slid off of his work stool and stretched. Optimus could not keep his eyes off of him. Stretching like that caused Cade to look incredibly feline and such a thing appealed to him greatly.
"Let's call it a night, big guy," Cade said. Quickly scanning his holoform into the air beside Cade, Optimus walked with him out of the barn, turning the lights off and closing the door behind them.
"Oh, and just in case you're wondering, you're not old either," Cade said, flashing Optimus a loving smile.
The thought had never even crossed Optimus' mind, yet he appreciated Cade verifying it nonetheless. They were both young at heart and in spirit and that was all that counted in the end anyway.