A/N: I apologize if this is kind of crappy. I'm running off of two hours sleep. R&R. Enjoy!
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Holo
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The first time Cade saw Optimus' holoform, he was in shock. There was no other word to describe it; he was just shocked. Yes, he knew that Optimus had a holoform. All of the Autobots had them, to help them blend in with the humans, Drift had explained to him (which made perfect sense). And all of the Autobots had told him that Optimus had one. He was their leader and a transformer; of course he had one. But imagining it with his mind's eye and seeing it right in front of him for real were two entirely different things.
Cade had pictured a strong looking man littered with scars, muscled, fit, a warrior, ready for anything. Hell, he wasn't even sure what he had pictured inside of his head; the basic shape of him was easy, but his face….his hair…his clothes…his mind had formed nothing on all of them. Optimus' holoform had always just been…well…there.
And now, here he was, right before Cade's very eyes, and it was unlike anything his mind could have imagined.
First, Optimus' eyes were bright blue, just like his optics, except they were a bit dimmer, not a luminous and breathtaking. Not that that was a bad thing; if he looked too out of the ordinary, that would arouse suspicion and would defeat the purpose of the holoform to begin with. Second, his hair was jet black and when the light hit it just right, it looked as though it had blue highlights in it. And his hair looked soft and silky too; Cade was dying to run his fingers through it, but also afraid to just in case his fingers went clean through it. It was a holoform after all. Third, this clothes, although not what Cade had pictured, suited Optimus perfectly; camouflage cargo pants that were red and blue, a plain black shirt, black, scuffed boots, and a dark blue jacket with dark red flames on the bottom.
It was official: Optimus was smokin' hot.
Forth, although Optimus looked fit and muscular, he didn't look anything like what Cade had pictured. It was obvious he was strong and had trained himself, but his holoform wasn't beefy like a lot of body builders' bodies are. Granted, his clothing covered most of his body up, so Cade couldn't' see everything, but he didn't need to see anything to know that Optimus' strength wasn't one that was reflected in his muscle mass. And fifth, Optimus' face was clean shaven, with perfectly defined cheek bones and a straight edged nose and his skin was lightly tanned. Scars poked out from Optimus' shirt and covered his hands, which looked rough and weathered, and were scattered on his neck.
All in all, Optimus' holoform was nothing like what Cade had imagined, and he was more than happy with that. Because Optimus was fine.
"Can I…Can I…touch you?" Cade asked and then mentally kicked himself. That had sounded both perverted and childish. It was like he was a kid asking to touch Santa's beard.
"I mean…are you solid?" Cade asked and then mentally slapped himself. He really just needed to shut his damn mouth. Everything that came out of it at the moment sounded stupid and idiotic. But Optimus just smiled at him and all of Cade's anxiety melted away.
"Yes, Cade, I am solid. And you may touch me whenever you wish," Optimus said and Cade didn't miss the underlying meaning to his words.
Hesitantly, cautiously, as though he were afraid Optimus would disappear into thin air, Cade stretched forth a hand and every so slowly, placed it on Optimus' chest. He released a breath he hadn't known he had been holding when his hand didn't go through Optimus' chest. Instead, it rested gently on solid flesh that was warm and alive and his hand rose and fell as Optimus' holoform heart beat. All he could do was watch his hand rise and fall, mesmerized and in awe.
"Wow," Cade whispered softly. "You're…you're real."
"Yes, I am," Optimus said, his voice gentle, reassuring. Here. So close.
"So…you're basically human while in this form, right?" Cade asked, hoping he had understood Drift and the rest of the Autobots correctly.
"That would be correct," Optimus answered, giving him a small smile.
"This…is incredible," Cade said.
"Do you…like it?" Optimus asked him. "My holoform?"
"Like it? Hell, Optimus, you're hot!" Cade exclaimed and then promptly turned beet red. Shit.
"I am glad you like my holoform, Cade," Optimus said.
Yeah, Cade was glad he liked it too. Very glad.