Airachnophobia (Airachnid X Male Reader)

18. Intervention

     "What could be so important that you called us here in the middle of the day?" Y/N asked, annoyed, as he and Airachnid stepped through the Ground Bridge. Looking around the room, all the bots seemed nervous except for Arcee. She was seething, although that wasn't particularly out of the ordinary.

     "Y/N, I must talk to you alone." Optimus intercepted him before any of the Autobots could say anything. He put his hand on the ground, signaling for the man to join him. He hopped on, and the Prime walked him to one of the rooms in the back of the base. The giant mech set him down on a platform more or less at chest level to the Autobot leader. The mech took one last look down the hallway to make sure none of the others had followed, and then he turned to Y/N, venting as he composed his thoughts.

     "I'm sure you know why we have recalled you and Airachnid back to base. I must apologize for interrupting your date, but it had to be done. There are too many concerns." Y/N stared up at the red and blue mech as he spoke, a look of absolute confusion and a lack of understanding written on his face.

     "Actually, I don't know why I'm here. Did something happen to you guys?" Y/N asked. "Also, that was not a date." He clarified. Optimus stared off for a moment, optics spinning, clearly thinking. After a short moment, he responded.

     "It is in fact due to your own actions, young Y/N." The mech stared down at him. "You have caused a great confusion among the rest of the Autobots, and Arcee was angry enough to kill you." Y/N's jaw slackened in surprise, but he responded immediately.

     "What on Earth did I do?" The man shouted. "I haven't even been around you guys-" He was cut off by a hologram, which appeared to come from the Prime. It was an image of himself and Airachnid, both sleeping on the now-iconic bench in the back of the mall. Y/N was confused. Was Arcee mad about him getting along with Airachnid, or was there something else? It didn't seem like a big enough deal to warrant a Ground Bridge, but he could imagine the femme being frustrated.

     "Care to explain?" Rather than being angry, the bot seemed curious about Y/N's intentions. There wasn't anything suspicious going on, even if Arcee was pissed. He also figured Optimus would be interested to hear about Airachnid's apology, so he decided to tell the bot the whole story. 

     "Sure thing," Y/N began, preparing himself for the long explanation ahead, "everything started the first night, after we went to laser tag the first time. She came into my room, telling me something was bothering her and that it was hard to sleep. She told me she kept thinking about how she treated me in the forest, saying that it was on her conscience. She apologized, so I forgave her. Now we're on equal terms. She treats me like her friend."

     The leader of the Autobots just sat and listened silently. Y/N took it as his queue to continue.

     "What happened today that got Arcee so out of line is that Airachnid asked me about why I saved her. I told her it was part curiosity and part jealousy. To elaborate, I was jealous of her confidence and power. She explained that she was only that way because she was alone, and that she was jealous of my ability to see the best in others, specifically her." The Prime nodded in understanding, seeming to put the pieces together in his processor. "I just told her it wasn't hard to see the best in her, which resulted in a hug. What you were not witnessing was a romantic display."

     The partial lie bothered Y/N, but it had to be done. He knew his stupid feelings for the femme needed to be kept in check and removed in the near future.

     "So, what I'm to interpret is that Airachnid is making progress towards proper behavior?" The mech questioned. Y/N shook his head.

     "Even if that's the case, it wasn't my intention. I don't want to forcibly change how she acts. I just want to show her how I act, and then if she decides to change, it will be welcome. Would you mind explaining all of that to Arcee for me?" Y/N requested. Optimus nodded in assurance. The man hopped back onto the bot's hand as the two returned to the main room. The mech set him down and motioned for Arcee to speak with him alone, presumably to relay all of Y/N's information to her. As the man looked around the room, he noticed Airachnid was still in her holoform talking to the human children.

     "Why were you guys cuddling? Did you kiss? Do you love him?" Y/N groaned as he heard Miko's foolishness from across the room. He quickly made his way over to the rogue girl, putting his hand on her shoulder and glaring. She stepped back with a sheepish smile.

     "I don't know how long they're going to hold us here," Y/N turned his attention to Airachnid, "but Prime knows what's going on, and hopefully he can pacify the two-wheeler." He rolled his eyes, earning a slight giggle from the femme. He thought it was cute, but he wasn't going to say that in front of the bots and their charges. Instead, he just sat down next to her. As she stopped laughing, she let her head sag just a bit. Clearly, Miko's questions had bothered her. It was impossible for Y/N to tell, but she was also hiding the blush on her cheeks.

     "What's the deal with you?" Jack, the tallest of the three children, spoke up. Y/N turned to look at him, confusion and wariness on his face.

     "What do you mean?" He asked the boy. Rafael and Miko shifted their gazes between Y/N and Jack, slightly worried about what would happen. Jack glared at the man.

     "I'm just curious why you were getting so intimate with a psychopath." He prodded at Y/N, testing to see how much he could insult Airachnid without retaliation. Instead, Y/N smiled, realizing Jack truly didn't understand the situation.

     "What you fail to realize, dear Jack, is that I don't mind that she's a psychopath. As a matter of fact, it makes all of our endeavors and interactions far more entertaining, and it does wonders for her personality. Now, if you don't mind me asking, why do you get so intimate with a helicopter parent who has anger issues?" Y/N spat with a smirk, taking a shot at his guardian bot, Arcee. Jack ignored the insult and pressed further into trying to degrade Airachnid.

     "You know she killed one of Arcee's partners in cold blood." He reminded Y/N. The man scoffed in response.

    "Yeah, and if he was anything like you, I don't blame her." Y/N and Jack glared at each other for a moment before the boy took a step forward as if he was going to start a fight. Before Y/N could do anything in defense, Airachnid was already standing between them, a cold stare focused on Jack. She didn't say anything to him, but he got the idea and stepped back.

     "You're a disgrace of a human." He spat at Y/N as he walked away, dragging Miko and Raf with him. The man just huffed, not bothering to argue or get up from his seat. He did, however, look at Airachnid in awe. He hadn't expected her to be so frustrated by the boy. Sure, Jack had insulted her, but she hadn't acted then. She only moved once he became a threat to Y/N.

     "Those three drive me nuts." He admitted to the femme in front of him. She turned to face him and nodded in agreement, a scowl plastered across her face. "You've got fast reflexes." Y/N noted. Airachnid just smiled confidently, holding her head a little higher.

     "I'm going to need them if you plan to continue starting fights." She chastised him, poking him in the nose with her forefinger. It made Y/N smile, reminding him how she could be adorable even if she wasn't trying to be. "I can't do much in this form, though. I lose energy too quickly." Airachnid admitted. She sat back down in her spot on the couch next to Y/N, closing her eyes right away. He put an arm around her out of instinct, regretting it immediately. He was afraid she would be startled, but she seemed to be expecting his unexpected action, leaning into it and resting her head on his shoulder, which put Y/N back into the state of euphoria he felt every time she touched him.

     This time, he was just as exhausted as her, so he used the opportunity to get some sleep himself.