TRIGGER WARNING: More mentions of SA. But less prominent here.

Mention of "pregnant" character demise as well.

CHAPTER 8

Dylan was so confused.

What had that been a couple of nights ago? Optimus was a series of confusions he was learning. First he didn't think he should be there, now, he was comforting him during night terrors? Dylan had kept a distance from him after that, both embarrassed and unsure what to make of the whole situation. He spent most of the time with Mirage and Bee, and Optimus didn't seem to mind so long as he didn't leave with them again.

Mirage had his own things to say on the matter. "It sounds like Optimus has started to really care about you, if anything," He told him while they were hanging out in his room. "What do you have night terrors about anyway?"

Dylan shook his head, and Mirage was quick to understand he wasn't going to talk about it. Dylan hadn't talked about the sexual abuse his dad put him through to anyone. Not until Optimus. And he didn't want the entire Autobot ranks to know and fret about it. "But why me? What did I do that made him becomes so... I don't know," Dylan fell back on his bed. "He's like a helicopter parent."

Mirage raised an optic ridge. "Oh, yeah, Prime can be like that with younglings," he explained after he'd looked up the meaning. "I think it has something to do with his kid. He was supposed to have one, y'know?"

Dylan paused - he was supposed to have one? The teen frowned, he wondered if he wanted to know what happened... But on the other hand, he of all people knew not to pry. "So wait, Optimus has a kid?"

Mirage waggled his finger to correct him. "No, Optimus was going to have one. It's... I don't think it's my place to talk about what happened," Mirage felt awkard, that was new. He rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke next. "Actually, if I did my math right... Probably didn't, kid would probably be your age by now."

Suddenly, it made a lot of sense to Dylan. While he hadn't been loved by his father by any measure of the word, most parents seemed to love their kids. And to lose one before you got to know them? At his young age, Dylan wouldn't even pretend to figure out how that felt to say the least. "I guess that makes sense. Is that how you and Bee ended up with the 'Bots?" He surmised, after all Mirage and Bumblebee didn't feel that much older than him. "Are you like his adopted kids or something?"

That made Mirage choke out in laughter. "Hardly! Bee and I were young, but we were adults by the time we joined the Autobots. Even if we were sparked during the war. Barely, but still adults! I've got a good ten mental years over you, buddy," That was a scary thought. Did that make Dylan the mature one? "Bee's a little closer to you. He hit about twenty-one vorns when he landed on Earth."

Dylan scratched his chin. "So if you guys count your ages in vorns, you're what? Twenty-one and Twenty-four?"

"See! You're getting the idea!"

Something hit Dylan then... "How long is a vorn?"

Mirage saw what he did there, side-eyeing him. "Oh no, I'm not playing that game," Mirage explained. "I'm twenty-four as far as you're concerned, got it?"

"So older than dirt."

"You know kid, you're a pain in the aft," Mirage replied. "I'm going on patrol."

Dylan laughed, was Mirage actually offended? The smirk on his face definitely said he wasn't but still - the Porschebot mocked hurt really well. He hopped off the bed again, and started to say. "Hey, can I come -?"

Mirage however, shook his head. "Absolutely not. Do you know how badly I got chewed out last time? Plus, you're still on house arrest," Dylan felt mildly offended now himself. "Don't give me that look, OK? We thought that it was just a few Decepticons bugging ye. But you literally have Megatron's lapdog on your tail."

Fair enough. Dylan just let the mech go at that point, but seemed a bit annoyed as he stepped out of the room. That left him with... Arcee. The only one he hadn't actually gotten to know all that well yet. "Welp, guess you're my babysitter now," Dylan joked as he approached her at some sort of computer. "What're you doing on there anyway?"

Arcee turned to him with a smirk, and a look of "not a babysitter". But still, she did humor him... "Tracking flight paths of inbound Autobots," Dylan's eyes bugged. "We got about four incoming within the next Earth month."

More Autobots? Dylan was eager to meet more, oddly enough. After all, now that he knew they weren't giant deth machines they seemed pretty cool. "So more than the four of you are gonna be here?"

Arcee laughed for a minute, but Dylan wasn't sure what was so funny. "We aren't the only ones, Dylan. We're just one crew, Team Prime," She explained - Dylan's eyes widened in surprise. "There are about ten of us stationed around the world. Overseas you got Wheeljack and Stratosphere. Then there's the twins, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, up the coast, real party animals. Then there's a couple stationed with the JOE's. Mostly old Wreckers..." Dylan looked confused. "Special forces. Springer and Bulkhead are among are best."

Wow. And now more were coming? Who knew so many of them had come to Earth already. How cool! And honestly, he couldn't help but admit... "So I'm gonna get to meet them all eventually, right? Because I do love a good party," Another smirk came on her part. "What? I'm bored in here! I've been grounded for like four days... And I have to go to school on Monday!"

Dylan already hated the idea of that. "Eh, school isn't that bad kid. I was a teacher back on our planet," That one didn't surprise Dylan, after all, she seemed to be an information hub. "What you kids learn in school is way more rudimentary here, no offense."

Actually, that they could agree on. "Yeah, it kind of sucks. I get bored easily in class," He admitted. "Not that I'm like... Super smart about anything."

Of course, if he were being honest half the reason came from his high GPA in school. Dylan always considered it a mistake, but if he brought up being smart? Well, they'd probably give him tests here too - being new to the human thing. And he wasn't about to start doing that. "Eh, either way... It can't be all bad. It could be worse. If I were teaching you? I'd be making you do advanced physics!"

OK. Arcee sounded like a special kind of torture as a teacher. So at least he could be thankful for that.

When Optimus returned later that day, Dylan tried to avoid him a little less.

Maybe it was the fact he now knew more to the story, but he couldn't help but feel bad for avoiding him in the first place. So when he brought him out to grab food, Dylan decided to spark up conversation. Or at least clear the tension. "I'm sorry about pulling away from you," He finally managed. "The other day just... Scared me."

The comment seemed to confuse the Prime. "What did I do to frighten you?"

What? No. "No. No. You didn't do anything. It was me, Prime," Fine they were doing this. "When I was ten, I met a family that wanted to adopt me. They are cool people, I really liked them... Then we had a night like that."

Optimus rumbled his engine. "I take it they didn't respond well?"

Dylan was silent, thinking of how to talk about it without opening up his old wounds. "They said I'd never be normal. They had two kids and they were afraid for them," He admitted. "I was too little to understand what my dad did to me. So that's pretty much when I found out... My social worker had to sit down and expain it to me..."

He leaned against the seats. "Now I do everything to make sure anyone I know doesn't find out," He explained. "Because people get different. They get scared... Or they get overbearing. No in-between."

Optimus was silent, seemingly unsure what to say. But after they'd driven a little more, he did find the words. "You were taken from your father when you were so young. Anyone with a processor should know you wouldn't understand," Optimus' voice seemed to shake with anger. "Just because your father was a monster does not mean you will become one. Their thinking is backwards and despicable."

Dylan hadn't even thought of it that way, but he guessed it seemed... Strange to Optimus. "He's supposed to get out this year too, so I guess that doesn't really help," Dylan admitted. "That's one of the reasons I don't want to go back..."

Optimus immediately replied. "We would never let you be taken back by your father, Dylan. No court on your planet would let that man near a child. Especially not as a registered sex offender," Dylan wanted to believe that was true, but the legal system had done him dirty before. Hell, his dad was a COP. "Our friends in the JOE's are high enough to prevent it. I can promise you that."

Dylan leaned back. "I'll believe it when I'm adopted, and he can't fight for custody."

Dylan noticed how Optimus seemed to tense at that sentence. What had gotten into the mech? Maybe he shouldn't have talked about this at all. Optimus pulled to the side of the road and stalled. What had he said exactly? Dylan shifted uncomfortably. "Dylan... Perhaps I should not be broaching any such subject. But did you mean it when you said you would be... Open to a parental figure not of your world?" He asked.

Dylan was silent for a moment, what was he getting at? "I... I don't know. I guess I never thought about it? I was just saying that foster kids aren't picky..."

Optimus was silent for a moment but drove along again until they'd found somewhere secluded. Dylan instinctively knew to hop out of the cab when Optimus opened the door. But he couldn't help but be a little worried by Optimus. The mech didn't say anything, he didn't even look at him... Instead, he peered across the small bay in front of them for several minutes before venting out and turning back to him. "When I was younger... I had a mate you know, a female of my species known as Elita-One. She was a strong, and wonderful femme. One I miss very much," He explained. "Before we knew the war would last... She became sparked with a child of our own..."

Dylan guessed he was getting the story then, huh? "When one of our largest city-states, Praxus, fell. I sent Elita to the Youth Sectors to have our son in secret. Where she would be safe. And I would join her for his on lining day," Optimus' voice was tense. Depressed. "She was there, when the Youth Sectors were bombed... Destroyed so much I could not bring myself to see her body. She expired, along with my child."

There was a feeling of sorrow for the Prime in the pit of his gut. "Optimus... I'm so sorry."

Optimus shuttered his optics and held a hand up. Seemingly unsure whether he could say what he had to say if Dylan interrupted. "I don't... Know why I feel so drawn to you. But I do know my son would be your age," Optimus explained, voice tight. Uncertain. "The way that you were treated has shaken me. I do not understand... How or why humans squander the gift of life as they do..."

He crouched down to Dylan then and moved a bang away from his face. Dylan was so confused, and nervous all at once. "It is this reason, I am petitioning the government to take you. Not for a short time, but on a permanent basis," Dylan's stomach dropped again. "If you will put your faith in believing I can be the proper father you were deprived of."

The world seemed to stall around him. Had Optimus just offered to ADOPT him? Could he even adopt him? Dylan felt his voice hitch in his throat. "I... What? You don't even... Know me, barely known me a week," Dylan explained. Trying to figure out if Optimus was playing a game with him. "Don't play with me like that, Prime. It's not funny..."

He had started to walk away when Optimus reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "No games, Dylan. When this is over we both know it will be near impossible to go back to a normal life. But I can give you as close to one as possible," Dylan was silent as Optimus spoke. "Your human leaders are open to the idea, according to General Hawk, as of our last meeting. But they want us to have more time together and make sure it's what you want."

Dylan felt tears rolling down his eyes, what game was this? "... I don't know what to say. I haven't had an adoption offer since I was ten," He managed. He finally spoke up. "You'd really adopt me? But aren't you like... The ruler of an entire planet? What would people think of that? Say to you?"

Optimus chuckled. "Even if I were still a planetary ruler, you say that as if I would allow it. It may not seem it, but we were cut from a similar cloth. As humans say. But that is something we can speak on later," Optimus explained. "But I will not move forward in letting General Hawk speak to his superiors without your consent."

Dylan looked at Optimus and felt confused. He'd barely known this alien a week, but he was ready to take him in... To raise him as his own even after what he'd learned. It almost made him wonder if the human race was really that judgmental or maybe the Cybertronians just... Had lost more. But as he looked at Optimus, he wondered if it was worth a try... After all, Optimus seemed as though he needed it just as much as him. The Prime had wanted to be a dad, that was clear.

"... I don't see why we can't give it a try," Dylan replied. "What if it doesn't work though?"

"If you decide we are incapable of the relationship, you need only tell me," Optimus explained as he held his hand out again. "But until then, you could consider me your foster father. And I will be there for you as if you were my own spark and Energon. Of that, I pledge to you."

Dylan was silent, he went in for a handshake, but instead was pushed to Prime's chest in a hug. His face going red as he leaned into it... This was going to be interesting.

Hawk couldn't believe he was doing this.

When he'd gone to his superiors about Optimus' request, he'd expected months of debate. But they'd instead decided to allow it - as long as the kid was OK with it. The general figured it must have been because of the still teetering alliance they'd formed and wanting to keep good relations with the Autobots. But he couldn't help but feel nervous about what would happen if things went at all sideways as he met the two that Sunday with paperwork.

He shifted a little as Dylan looked over the paperwork that would give official guardianship to Optimus. And for a moment, Hawk wondered if the kid was really OK with it. "Listen, kid. I don't blame you for being nervous. And I don't think the big guy will either," Dylan stared at him with a look of uncertainty. "This is about your future, remember that. Not his. Not ours. Yours."

Dylan took a deep breath, then turned to Optimus. The Prime looked just as nervous - but after thinking about it another minute, Dylan took the pen and signed the papers carefully. "Alright, then. This arrangement sure got interesting fast," Hawk managed - taking a deep breath as he checked it over. "Just be careful, you two. The big wigs are gonna be watching this real closely."

The teen gave a small salute. "You got it, boss man." He said in a mildly sarcastic manner.

Prime gently nudged him with his foot. "Dylan, manners."

Well, Prime was certainly wasting no time, was he? Hawk only chuckled, signaling his group to move out. On the way out, he was almost sure that he noticed something perched in the distance, watching. But a second later, it was gone... He frowned, this had been a long week, hadn't it? Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he left as Optimus and Dylan watched from the doorway.

And in the distance, now better hidden. Laserbeak recorded. Observed. And upon reporting things to his master, got only one response. "Megatron... Will find this most pleasing."