You Are My Knight - Optimus Prime x OC

- 2 -

 "Where are you goin, man," Chris calls out as Kaede heads for the garage, motorcycle helmet in his hands. Kaede pauses for a moment.

"Out," Kaede replies.

"It's almost midnight, dude," he says.

"So?"

"Cade, you've been acting weird ever since the mountain pass," Chris says, getting up from the couch. He approaches Kaede and puts a hand on his shoulder. "You shouldn't be going out looking for them."

"I know." Kaede doesn't turn to face him. Chris frowns.

"Just stay safe, man," he sighs, taking his hand off his shoulder. Kaede moves, entering the garage and pressing the button for the door to start rolling up. He straps his helmet on, getting on his red 2006 Yamaha supersport and revs the engine before shooting off into the distance. As he zooms down the empty road, engine roaring, wind sweeping past him, Kaede makes his way to the mountain pass once again.

He passes the spot where he met Sideswipe and goes down the road, eventually to the highway to San Francisco. Kaede's been trying to frantically remember the route that Sideswipe went, hoping he can somehow catch a glimpse of him. It's the same as always, Kaede returning to the house and going to bed exhausted after taking a hot shower.

Morning comes, his phone rings and he gets up, his hair messy and sticking up. Kaede fixes it, brushes his teeth, eats his breakfast of bacon and eggs with orange juice and gets on his motorcycle to make his way down to the repair shop. It's a local repair shop owned by a woman from Brighton Falls, named HIVE Auto Repair. The building is tall and has a catwalk, surrounding the repair shop is a junkyard that Kaede keeps his pet project, a beat up 1980 BMW M3 evolution he'd been itching to drive again.

He gets there early like he always does, opening up the shop as he pushes up the garage door. Since he's the first one there, he always sets up the radio, snatching a cassette tape and clicking it in. 'The Smiths' begins to blast through the speakers and Kaede flips the lights on as he sweeps the floor clean.

A loud engine rumbles from behind as a cherry red 1959 Chevrolet Corvette drives into the garage. In it is a 38 y/o woman in a black tank, thick short brown hair that's been cut in an undercut and shaved on the side, a silver eyebrow piercing on her right side. She waves, as the car passes by.

"Morning, Cade!" the woman's voice calls out from the car.

"Morning, Charlie," he replies, turning the music down a touch. The car clicks off as Charlie parks it in the back and briskly walks into the garage.

"You look worse for wear, you been sleeping well?"

"I'm fine, Charlie," Kaede replies, giving her a playful roll of the eyes. He throws the broom back into its corner once he's finished sweeping.

"You haven't been out street racing again, have you?"

"If I had, my Mazda would be in here right now for a tune up," Kaede says. "I don't have the money to race another one right now."

"Mhmm," she says. "Well, if you say you're fine, you don't mind covering for Mikaela tonight, do you?"

"Whatttt," Kaede groans out.

"She can't make it tonight, she's got a project to work on."

"Fine, I don't have much else later today anyway," Kaede says.

"Thanks, Cade," Charlie replies. "You're the best!" she announces as she goes into her office.

"That's why I'm employee of the month!" Kaede calls after snarkily. He smiles and chuckles instead. Charlie to him was like an auntie, the two having been friends originally when Kaede entered into the street racing scene when he was 17 with his first car, a 2000 Mazda RX7 his aunties and uncles from Maui shipped over. He used it as an escape from feeling isolated in his high school when he first moved to the mainland from Hawai'i.