Their first interaction was when Hotshot saw her helping a baby skunk trying to cross the road. Olivia had bravely stood between the traffic and the animal with a confident small smile on her face, ignoring the yells and honking from the angry human drivers. her smile had spread into a grin as the skunk finally made its way into the brush on the other side before turning to race her way back to the friends who were trying to hurry her along.

He couldn't help the smile that crossed his own face as he watched her friends shoved her. Olivia's laugh carried over to where he was parked and he wondered how often she did that. A honk behind him took him by surprise and he realized that everyone else had already started driving. He slowly pulled forward, wondering why the human girl wouldn't leave his mind.

The next few times weren't anything remarkable. she'd just been walking by him on the sidewalks or crossing the streets. More than a few times, on a phone call. Although it was just a few seconds, Hotshot felt a weirdly happy just by seeing her and hearing her laugh.

The last time, they'd both run into each other was when he was doing his day patrol. He was parked for his break in the park when a human male threw his garbage over his shoulder without so much of a glance at the flame decaled sports car. Hotshot didn't say anything, but felt a mild sense of irritation swell up inside as the sticky feeling from the soda slid down his door. He started running through the list of his duties.

He'd done his share in the cleaning of the base, the spychangers finished their training in record time this morning, and he was finishing up his patrol. After this he needed to check the base's security, have quick chat with the rest of the spychangers, and do a run through of their reports.

His attention shifted when he sensed someone coming up beside him. It was her again! She sighed in frustration. How hard could it be to throw away your trash and not get it on such a perfect car?

You didn't know much about cars, but you had noticed it around town and just felt like there was something special about this one. She wiped off the door, the best she could with her cashmere scarf.

"I'm sorry," Olivia had muttered. At no point did it bother her about the glances she received for talking to the car. "People are just so... ugh." Hotshot didn't respond when the girl walked away.

He didn't even notice how much he talked about her to the other spychangers. R.E.V. stared with concerned optics as his leader rambled through a story about Olivia helping a small child finding his mother. Insisting that she stayed with him until his mother arrived, never minding at all that the train had been missed. Hotshot had never rambled through anything before.

The rest of the spychangers watched in shock as they saw their once reserved leader change right before their optics. The mech who didn't speak without something to say, suddenly spoke more often. It was even more shocking to them that now most of his discussions were surrounding a human woman that he hasn't even spoke to.

Koji had convinced Olivia to join him for a walk that afternoon. Olivia didn't mind; it was a nice enough day, and it wasn't as hot now summer was coming to an end. It was the kind of day that made her want to get out of the house. Koji was a good kid though. So, she didn't mind hanging out with him once in a while. Olivia had been telling him about this car that she thought was absolutely fascinating. While she wasn't quite sure what drew her to it, she hoped they'd see it today.

Leaves crunched under their feet, while Koji offhandedly talked about how one of his friends would be joining them. After walking for a bit, a decision was made to just sit and watch clouds. The clouds were rolling by. It reminded Olivia of when she was in High school and her group of friends would cloud watch all through her study hall period.

"Hotshot!"

Koji shot to his feet and charged towards the black mech that was walking towards the duo. His grace was admirable for someone so large. He was also very careful to keep his optics on the children playing nearby in case any of them wandered too close. As much as her gaze was stuck on the flame decaled mech in front of them, she couldn't help the concern that bubbled inside of her as Koji got a bit closer than the girl would have liked.

Hotshot sat on the ground close by. She could see Koji chatting up a storm.

'Wow. Koji can talk.' You thought. With a sigh, you decided to make your way over.

"-and Dad said that we'd get to go-" Hotshot had tuned the poor boy out. His optic band was locked on you as you moved closer. He felt his lips quirk under his mask as she attempted to kick a soccer ball back to kids. The kids laughed when it went the completely opposite way, and she retrieved it while yelling apologies.

Olivia felt her face flush when as she turned to see him watching her. Finally, realizing Hotshot was the car had been infatuated by for the past few weeks. She'd only seen him from afar a few times, and even helped him out with the garbage incident at the park, but it was a question on her mind if perhaps he remembered her. He was quiet, almost shy in the way he seemed to observe the world.

For a moment, it was like there was no one else around. No one but Olivia and him, and the shared understanding that had been quietly building between the two adults.

"Hey," she said, a little too casually, during her approach.

Hotshot's voice was even, smooth, in such a way that would catch anyone's attention. You couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as Olivia realized that they Autobot recognized her too. "Hello again. I see you're out for a walk."

She nodded, suddenly aware of her surroundings. The park had gone quiet, or at least, it felt that way. "Yeah. Just needed to get some air," she said, glancing at the surrounding trees and benches, trying to ignore the fluttering in your stomach.

Hotshot tilted his frame slightly, as if considering you. "It's a nice day for it. Do you come here often?"

The question was simple, but it caught her off guard. She hadn't really expected a conversation like this. Maybe Olivia thought he'd be more distant. Instead, it felt… almost natural. "Sometimes. It's one of our favorite spots in the city."

"I see Carl over there," Koji interrupted. "I'll see you guys later!" Then, he took off. Leaving the adults staring after him and the other boy.

Olivia was about to say something more when a couple of kids on bikes swerved around, narrowly missing Hotshot's polished frame. The sound of their laughter filled the air, but they didn't even seem to notice him. That was until one of them skidded to a stop and pointed at the decal on his chest.

"Whoa, is that an Autobot?" one of them asked, his eyes wide.

Hotshot's voice—light and laced with something playful—spoke up. "Not exactly."

She blinked, surprised by how alive he sounded. He wasn't just a car; he had a presence, a character that was slowly becoming clearer to her. The kids giggled and rode off, leaving her both in a brief silence. It was comfortable, but there was still that subtle tension—the kind that builds up when she felt like something could change, but you're not sure how yet.

"You've got a way with kids," she said, a bit awkwardly, still trying to process this whole interaction.

Hotshot's response came almost immediately. "I don't mind them. They're curious." He paused, his optics scanning the park again. "Curiosity's a good thing."

Olivia chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose so. It keeps life interesting. 'Curiosity killed the cat-'"

"'-But satisfaction brought it back." They both laughed out loud when the saying was finished in unison.

Without thinking, the girl had muttered, "You've got a nice laugh."

For a moment, both stood there, side by side in the fading light of the afternoon. It felt strange to think that a few days ago, they wouldn't have even considered speaking to each other.

"I should probably get going," Olivia said after a beat, though the thought of leaving felt a little more reluctant than you expected. "Can you give Koji a ride home?"

Hotshot didn't respond immediately, and when he did, it was with a hint of warmth in his voice. "I'll be here. If you want to talk again. Koji knows how to reach us."

She gave him a small smile, the corners of her lips curving upwards. "I might. You never know."

With that, Olivia turned away, but this time she didn't feel the same hurry to leave. She felt like they were leaving with a little more than just the fading echoes of footsteps. There was something in the air, something that told them that they hadn't seen the last of each other yet. And whatever that meant, it felt like the beginning of something new.

Ending note: I feel like I did a bit better on this one. A HUGE shoutout to two of my friends, who took a break from their own stories to help edit mine. I hope you all enjoy this one, especially since it's my first one-shot. I wasn't able to decide on a name, so I went with "you" for the time being. Please let me know if you prefer Olivia or Rachel because I want to change it to the name as soon as possible.