
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/2918999.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Transformers_-_All_Media_Types, Transformers:_Prime
  Relationship:
      Bumblebee/Optimus_Prime, Bumblebee/Smokescreen
  Character:
      Bumblebee_(Transformers), Optimus_Prime, Ratchet_(Transformers), Rafael
      "Raf"_Esquivel
  Additional Tags:
      Post-Traumatic_Stress_Disorder_-_PTSD, Implied/Referenced_Torture, Other
      Additional_Tags_to_Be_Added, Age_Regression/De-Aging, Slow_To_Update
  Series:
      Part 2 of Multiverses_and_other_disasters.
  Stats:
      Published: 2014-12-29 Completed: 2016-04-01 Chapters: 6/6 Words: 2977
****** Coming back home ******
by pain_and_panic
Summary
     When finally Bee gets his bearings, he looks apologetic and dejected.
     / Smokey, I know that wasn't you but him, but you looks like him and
     I'm sorry, I cannot let you come closer, I'm sorry.../
     "What the other me did to you?"
     /You don't wanna know/
Notes
     As usual, I own nothing, transformers belong to Hasbro
     /Bla/ Bee speak
     "Bla" everyone else speak
     (Bla) Thought
***** Chapter 1 *****
They didn't expect the status of the other Bumblebee, their Bumblebee, when he
stepped from the bridge, the scars and the older optics. "Why it's take so
long?"
"Bee, it was just 37 days"
"On this side, maybe, there was 37 years for me."
_____
All Arcee wants is hug Bumblebee and never lets him go... But she understands
that now she can just scared him more, so she just waits... Bee was there when
she grieved for Cliffjumper, she will be there when he will grieves for
himself.
__________
Smokescreens is too impulsive to analyse the situation, the only thing in his
processor is how he miss his friend. He just jumps in and hugs the yellow mech.
__________
When Smokscreen touches him, Bee's mind ends up again in the dungeon under
Iacon City, and he cannot restrains the cry /no, please, stop, not again....
No, no, please, please, no/
__________
That isn't the first soldier with PTSD he'd ever seen, so Ratchet is ready and
injects Bee with a light sedative
__________
When finally Bee gets his bearings, he looks apologetic and dejected.
/ Smokey, I know that wasn't you but him, but you looks like him and I'm sorry,
I cannot let you come closer, I'm sorry.../
"What the other me did to you?"
/You don't wanna know/
___________
"Bumblebee..."
/Optimus, please leave, I understand you were doing your best, but you left me
in that dimension YEARS when you had promised me that it was going to take only
a month... And you was with the other me, and he got your love, and you always
said that we cannot be lovers because of the war, and Megatron and my age and
now you accept HIS love, so maybe the problem was me, my paint job, my
voicebox, and I should hate you for abandon me, for love him, but I still love
you, and for this I hate myself and.../
"Hush, my little scout, breath... Yes, this way, in ... And out.... shh,
everything will be fine, you are at home now... I'm sorry, Bumblebee, so sorry
for leave you behind"
__________
Ratchet watch Optimus hugs Bee, their little yellow Bee. Ratchet's spark
cringes, he can see the scars on the scout's plates, he recognise those as
tortures signs.
They couldn't save Bee in Tyger Pax, and they just fail him again, how they can
aspire to his forgiveness?
__________
***** Chapter 2 *****
Smokescreen is sure he is going to end up mad. His best friend, his little,
heroic Bee is having another nightmare. His Bee is screaming and crying , and
even if his spark cringes for running to him, now he understands that his sight
will only get thing worst for the yellow, broken bot.
He would like to switch off his audio receptor, or at least covers them with
his hands, but that doesn’t seems fair in respect of Bee. Smokescreen sighs and
waits for someone to nurse Bee down.
______
Ratchet is the only one Bee is accepting during his night terrors. The old mech
hugs the bot he consider a son, and, even if he hasn't done anything like that
in ages, he prays Primus to help Bee in this moment.
It’s like he remembers: most of the prayers still unheard.
______
Raf have to recognize that Miko idea could works, even if he is a little bit
jealous that this idea didn’t come from him. He spent all his time since Bee
came back studying Psychoanalysis textbooks and PTSD manuals, and answer came
from Miko. Doesn’t matter, although, because if it works, Bee his going to
start to getting better.
______
Smokescreen loves Miko idea, and the two of them rush out as soon as possible
to get everything done.
______
Unlike Miko, Raf is pretty aware that healing will take a very long time.
Sometimes he wonder if he will take longer than an human life.
______
When Smokescreen comes back, he rushes in the com. room and waits patiently (or
as patiently as you can if you are Smokescreen) for Bee to notice him.
______
Smokescreen learnt this weeks that he cannot surprise Bee, unless he wanna give
him a panic attack, or a full flashback.
______
He don’t wanna give Bee a panic attack, or a full flashback, last time he
thought his spark was going to implode for the whimpering, whining sounds that
came from Bee damaged voice box.
______
Bee perceives Smokescreen approach, and he braces himself. When he turns to
front the other mech, to understand if he can keeps his feeling under control
or if he have to run away to avoid a panic attack (or something more
embarrassing), he cannot believe at his optics.
He takes couple of insecure steps, and rise one arm to touch Smokescreen
faceplate. /you… you change your paint job/ he manages to whisper /do you did
it for me?/
______
Smokescreen should be upset with the yellow mech, of course he did it for him!
But again, the big baby blu optics are almost teary, and all Smokescreen can do
is take Bee hand, the one that still hovering on his cheek without really
touching him, in his own, and turn his head to lies a kiss on the palm “Of
course, I will do everything to help you”
______
For a moment Bee feels like he can at least trusts his friend to be there for
him. a moment after, an unexpected sound, like an explosion, send him back into
the arms of the other Smokescreen, the cruel, crazy dictator of the other
universe. Bee screams till the darkness wraps him in a safe bundle.
______
Ratchet looks at the yellow, fainted mech in Smokescreen’s arms, and at Miko,
who provoked that noise setting her guitar and that now looks really guilty for
startling Bee, and back to the newbie new paint job. He sighs, takes the
younger mech from Smokescreen's arms and brings him on a berth in the medbay.
Tomorrow he will yell to the other two, but by now he would just guarantee Bee
as much rest as he can.
***** Chapter 3 *****
Chapter Notes
     I'm still alive, and apparently I find again the muse for this
     fiction (you can hide little one, but my mind is not so big!)
     I cannot guarantee regular updates, but I will do my best to keep
     going.
/Sometimes my dreams are so vivid that I’m not sure what’s real and what’s
dream
I mean, sometimes, it feels like this is the dream, like this, you, Arcee,
Optimus, all this base, is all in my mind and my body, my body is still chained
under Velum Prime's dungeon.
Sometimes, i cannot tell if I trust myself… Raf, I’m scared, Am I loosing my
mind?/
____
Sometime Raf wishes to be taller than the Autobot - maybe not taller than
Optimus, but at least as tall as Smokescreen - just to be able to hug Bee, and
hold him safe, and protect him from his own fears.
“Bee… I… We will help you, you're safe now… I swear, we are real, and you are
safe”
____
Smokescreen knows he shouldn’t snoop around, but to be honest he was trying to
localize Bee to avoid to bump on him and surprise him. Or scare him. Apparently
is the only thing he’s able to do nowadays.
He wishes he could go in the other dimension and kick his own ass. Well, the
ass of his alter ego, the crazy Prime. But again, that will not help Bee, it
will not undo what the other one did.
He wishes he could go back in time and save Bee, but they haven’t a time
machine.
He wishes he could erase or wipe Bee memories, or at least make them less
terrifying. But they haven’t a cortical psychic patch equipment.
He wishes he could develop a time machine… Hey wait a minute, for sure find the
equipments is easier than develop a time machine!
___
He wishes Ratchet would be here, but he and Optimus crossed the ground bridge
early this morning, the only indication was “Arcee is in charge”, and no
indication on how long they will be away.
____
He wishes he would be patient enough to wait for them to come back, but this
could help Bumblebee!
He tries to be patient, to wait, but he could fix Bee!
____
Miko is not really patient in herself, and so cannot deal with a fidgety
Smokescreen.
____
Smokescreen is not patient, so when Miko asks what put his metallic panties in
torsion, and after she explains him what that means, he spill the legumes, or
let the feline out of the bag (he still working on understanding and using
those ridiculous expressions, but Bee laughed every time he got something
wrong, so cannot bother to fix his mistakes).
Before he realize what’s happening, he is on the Nemesis with Miko, in an high
secret, high Ratch-will-disassemble-him-if-he-finds-out mission.
___
Arcee knew she shouldn’t had left those idiots by themselves, even if only for
a short patrol. She should know better. She just hope that what she’s looking
at is not a cortical psychic patch between Bee and Smokescreen.
Because if Smokescreen is thinking he will screws with her little brother mind,
he should ponder over it better.
***** Chapter 4 *****
He really believed that "that" was a good idea, even if the older human, Jack,
had suggested to wait for an adult, like ratchet, to come back, before they
started the procedure.
_____
He really believed that "that" was a good idea, even if the younger human, Raf,
said that the machine looked different from the other one Megatron used to
bring himself back.
_____
He really believed that "that" was a good idea, and he also got the support
from the female human, Miko.
Mmm, ok, maybe that was supposed to put him in alert, but she'd been right
about the new paint job!
_____
He really believed that "that" was a good idea, but now Arcee is yelling at
him. A very angry, very tall Arcee. When did she became taller than him?
_____
So, apparently Raf was right, the machine wasn't a cortex apparatus, and he got
himself de-aged. Not such a good idea, if you ask him about "that" now.
_____
He looks young, not at his third frame yet, and he has more protoform than
proper armor on all his body.
He has to suppress a shiver to the idea of how vulnerable he is by now.
_____
He is upset now, and deceived, because "that" was suppose to be a good idea to
help Bee, and instead now Smokescreen is too young to help anyone, including
himself.
And suddenly a little black, mechanical hand appear on his forearm, and huge,
innocent blue optics look at him: "Smokey, what happened to us?"
______
The looks on the young Bee when realise that he just used his real voice, even
if it sounds younger than how he remember it, instead of the chirp and twit
that he uses nowadays, changes again Smokescreen mind : maybe "that" was a good
idea, after all...
______
Bee is amazed, he got is voice back, HE GOT IS VOICE BACK!
And his body is not aching anymore. He cannot feel the pain that had became a
constant reminder of what happened in the other universe. The thought of being
so small, so tiny, with so much protoform exposed, should scare him, but for
the first time in ages he feels like himself.
_____
Bee looks around himself... Arcee looks like she cannot decide if strangle
Smokescreen now or wait and hugs Bee before that.
The three young humans look scared from the new development, but also curious
about Bee and Smokey new forms. And Smokescreen... He looks confused, barely
older than Bee but still couple of feet taller than him, and also scared and
sad, if the drop of his shoulder is any indication... And Bee for the first
time since he step in the ground bridge last time, Bee sees his friend, and not
only the ghost of the tyrant he'd gotten tortured by... And for the first time
since the last time the came back, he voluntary hugs his friend, his Smokey.
_____
 
Now Smokescreen his sure: that" was definitely a good idea!
***** Chapter 5 *****
Chapter Notes
     Yes! I'm still alive! And this fiction still alive!
Bee still having his nightmares, but now that Smokescreen is not scaring
anymore, they share the same berth and more often than not the presence of his
friend is enough to chase away the bad memories.
_____
Somedays that's not enough, and Bee spend the day laying on the bed, lost in
his memories.
_____
Somedays he is fine, and Smokescreen and Bee play video games with the human
children all day long.
_____
Some days Bulkhead takes all the younglings, human and cybertronian out in the
desert, or on the seaside, and Bee believes he can be fine again. They cannot
transform yet, and that means no races, but some days that's bearable.
_____
Somedays a veicon interrupt their escape, and that send back Bee in his
memories, and usually takes Raf hours to coax him out of his shell.
_____
Somedays Miko convinces Bee to sing, and Smokescreen believes he is in the Well
because hearing Bee is too beautiful to be real.
_____
Somedays Smokescreen manage to make Bee smile, and the day that for the first
time he find the courage of kissing the yellow bot is the best day of his life.
_____
If only Bee could stop to call Optimus name when he's asleep...
_____
Somedays Smokescreen is happy with this disaster of the deaging thing, then the
veicons show up and he cannot protect his Bee, and he wonder is the effect of
the machine could be inverted. They agreed they are waiting for Ratchet before
trying anything.
_____
Somedays Bee believes that Primus gave him a second possibility for a childhood
and for love.
_____
Then, after a month of absence, Ratchet and Optimus Prime come back.
***** Chapter 6 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
After a month of absence, Ratchet and Optimus Prime come back, and Smokescreen
knows that this way he will never finish to make Bee forgive him.
______
Bumblebee is both enthusiastic and confused from the suddenly return of his
first love, he missed him but now he is falling for the young Smokescreen.
______
Then a ground bridge opens just between Bee and his family, and all Bee can
feel is the terror, as the Older Smokescreen, Velum Prime, steps out of the
bridge and, grabbing his arm, he drags the yellow bot back in the other reality
and back to the nightmares.
_____
Then the younger Smokescreen jumps in the bridge just before it close.
_____
And then Smokey run between the long legs of his older self, and wraps himself
tightly around his yellow, terrified friend.
_____
To Bee big surprise, and apparently for pure force of willing, the younger
Smokescreen grow back to his previous, real age.
_____
To Smokescreen big confusion, he still hold in his arms a younger, scared
Bumblebee. He kisses his forehead, then he turns to face and fight his older
self.
_____
To both their dismay, Smokey older self apparently his stronger and better
trained than him.
_____
He's going to succumb, but the worst part is knowing that when he will, the
little, whimpering bot behind him will have to face this monster again.
_____
Smokescreen would like to say that what saved them were his abilities, but
actually to save his sorry aft is the ground bridge that opened and let Optimus
and Ratchet on the scene.
_____
And even with them here, it took them long enough to defeat him, long enough
that Bee, now grow up as well, shake off his fear, and actively partakes the
fight, landing the final blow on his own personal nightmare.
____
Seems like that move drains all Bee residual energy, and Smokey has to grab him
when the yellow one's legs give up.
_____
"You saved me" Bee whisper reverently.
_____
Smokescreen would like to answer that Bee saved himself, or maybe just to kiss
him, but Optimus reset his vocalizer.
"Are you ready to go home now, my scout?" He asks softly.
_____
At the nod from Bee, the ground bridge opens. They step in, and ...
_____
And they woke up, on the medbay berths.
_____
/what happened?/ Bumblebee asks, only to shiver when he realize that his voice
is gone, again.
_____
"You and Smokey slept for a week" Raf is fast to explain, "you were stuck on
the cortical patch and we couldn't wake you up, Optimus and Ratchet have to
come and rescue you!"
____
Rafael cringes when his guardian looks up, optics filled with defeat and
sadness /but... How? ... Why? nothing of that was true?/
_____
"We believes that your mind made Smokescreen looks less threatening as
possible, and Smokescreen's mind reaction was to make you the same to be able
to keep you close and protect you" Ratchet explain as a matter of fact.
_____
Bulkhead cringes at the matter of fact tone, he knows Ratchet cares, but he
sounded so harsh with the little scout!
_____
Arcee cringes as well, but she also speak up before Ratchet could make more
damage "it was real, you create new, good memories, you should be glad for
them"
____
Raf scoffs, how is this any better?
____
Raf is going to say just that, when the distressed beeps of his guardian
interrupt him
/who creates the other Smokescreen? Was it mine or one of you?/
_____
"We don't know, we are just glad you fought your demons and come back to us"
Optimus says.
____
Jack is not usually able to understand Bee, but he is pretty sure that the
scout answer to the last Prime statement wasn't something nice.
____
But then again, maybe Prime is right, because after all this, the nightmares
tames and for the next couple of months Bee sleeps better.
_____
At least until the next disaster.
Chapter End Notes
     Wow, I didn't believe I was going to finish it!
     Well, at least till the next chapter for the series, that I could
     maybe decide to write...
     I guess writing "when in another world..." inspired me more than I
     thought!
     Thank you all for following!
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