
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/12397350.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Choose_Not_To_Use_Archive_Warnings, Underage
  Fandom:
      Transformers_-_All_Media_Types, Transformers:_Prime, Transformers_(Bay
      Movies), Transformers:_Robots_in_Disguise_(2015), Transformers:_Rescue
      Bots
  Relationship:
      Bumblebee/Grimlock, Sideswipe/Strongarm, Sideswipe/Strongarm/Sunstreaker,
      Ironhide/Optimus_Prime/Ratchet, Jazz/Prowl, Chase/Heatwave, Blades/
      Boulder
  Character:
      Bumblebee_(Transformers), Grimlock_(Transformers), Sideswipe_
      (Transformers), Strongarm_(Transformers), Sunstreaker_(Transformers),
      Fixit_(Transformers), Drift_|_Deadlock, Jetstorm_(Transformers),
      Slipstream_(Transformers), William_Lennox, Sam_Witwicky, Mikaela_Banes,
      Judy_Witwicky, Ron_Witwicky, Rafael_"Raf"_Esquivel, Miko_Nakadai,
      Ironhide_(Transformers), Ratchet_(Transformers), Optimus_Prime, Jazz_
      (Transformers), Prowl_(Transformers), OCs, Heatwave_(Transformers), Chase
      (Transformers), Blades_(Transformers), Boulder_(Transformers), Charlie
      Burns, Kade_Burns, Cody_Burns, Graham_Burns, Dani_Burns, Doc_Greene_
      (Rescue_Bots), Francine_Greene, Anna_Baranova
  Additional Tags:
      Age_Difference, Developing_Relationship, Relationship_Disapproval,
      opinionated_characters, Betrayal
  Series:
      Part 1 of Universal_Understanding, Part 2 of Universal_Constant
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-10-18 Updated: 2018-03-16 Chapters: 12/? Words: 57305
****** Universal Understanding ******
by BumbleBooty
Summary
     With the problems of the past behind the bots of the "Bee Team", new
     problems arise- with both the government, AND with a relationship.
Notes
     THIS SERIES WILL FOCUS ON THE BOUNDARIES OF BEE AND GRIMLOCK'S
     RELATIONSHIP.
     This being said, there WILL be mentions of Bee '''technically'''
     being barely underage by human standards through comparison, and
     underage for Cybertronian standards. Bumblebee is intended to be
     around 16, which is the lowest age of consent I felt comfortable
     writing for America. HOWEVER, he does NOT engage in sexual activity
     until he well past the age of consent for CYBERTRONAINS. His
     relationship is platonic ONLY at this point. Please read with
     caution.
     DISCLAIMER:
     This fanfic is not to condone the act of pedophilia in any way,
     shape, or form.
     Bumblebee and Grimlock are intended to represent the 'ideal'
     relationship in regards to an AGE GAP. Bumblebee is a fully informed
     Cybertronian that KNOWS his personal limits and boundaries and is
     able to communicate them to Grimlock. Grimlock fully understands
     these boundaries and RESPECTS them unwaveringly. THERE IS *ABSOLUTELY
     NO* SEXUAL ABUSE IN THIS FIC.
     Because it has been requested several times:
     MY PERSONAL view on pedophiles is that they are disgusting beings
     that should be severely hurt then killed painfully for taking
     advantage of someone who is not capable of protecting themselves and
     giving informed consent.
     MY PERSONAL view on *Age Gaps* is that if you are above the age of
     consent and can make fully informed decisions, what you do in your
     life is none of my concern. If you are close to the age of consent,
     and you fully understand your boundaries/limitations and ARE NOT AT
     RISK FOR BEING ABUSED, you should be very explicit with your
     boundaries and take extra measures to ensure your safety. Tell close
     friends and families, and I personally recommend that you do NOT have
     sex until you are past the age of consent, for your safety legally
     and physically.
     This view comes from the age of consent in my state being 17, and I
     don't feel it's my business telling a 17-year-old what to do with
     their body.
     Disclaimers and rant over. Please stop sending me messages regarding
     this issue. I apologize for the length.
     Will are Raf are such a sassy shits in this and I love it.
***** Betrayal *****
Chapter Summary
     The official finds out Will was lying, and honestly thinks scare
     tactics will stop him.
Chapter Notes
     Got the first chap up before bed, I'll work on the second tomorrow
     during my lunch. I should have it up within the next two days.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The official sneered at the various screens, growing more and more pissed at
what he saw. Images of the Autobots he had sent that bastard Lennox to survey.
He snorted a disgruntled laugh, shaking his head. " 'No trace' huh? Bullshit." 
On the screen to his left, a paused video- Bumblebee lounging on his stomach
with ankles crossed in the air, giving a laughing Will a flirtatious look.
Scraps of metal were strewn all around, signifying some form of repair. 
On the middle screen, a still image- 'Grimlock' protectively curled around
Bumblebee in this massive nest of cloth and rubber.
On the right, another paused video-Bumblebee's faceplates stained blue, turned
away from a grinning Grimlock...that was standing much too close for 'friendly
conversation.'
He did not appreciate it when his operatives lied to him, especially when the
lie was to cover the ass of an alien invader. He had already recalled all the
affected humans for quarantine, no longer trusting them to stay neutral- as
they promised their government they would. Shutting down the monitors, he
pulled the flash drive out of the computers. Giving the stick a disgusted look,
he headed off to the lecture hall to prep for the arrival of the conspirators. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the last person was drug in- a spirited woman in her mid-thirties, cursing
and spitting at the soldiers that hauled her in the room- the door was locked
behind the group. Everyone in that room was livid, and the official refused to
even look at the group while they had attempted to question him. He just kept
staring at the monitor, paused at the end of the second video, trying to bite
back the bile that threatened to rise in his throat.
With the sound of the locks engaging, he looked up to address the furious crowd
before him. "As you all are obviously figuring out, there has been a protective
quarantine placed on you all. You can thank William Lennox for that." Will gave
the official a half-confused, half-enraged look. "The fuck are you talking
about sir. I haven't done shit!" 
"Really? Explain this then." With a quick keystroke, a screen capture of Will's
banter with Bumblebee appeared on screen. Silence rang through the room like a
gunshot before poison slipped from William's tongue. "That was a personal cell
phone. You have no rights to download those images!" The official just tilted
his head, giving the colonel a dangerous grin. "Oh, really? Cause your rights
to privacy were revoked the minute you sided with the aliens over your
own government. So, legally speaking, I have every right to every picture
you've ever taken, traitor. And every video."
The video of their goodbye flashed onto the screen: A smiling Bee stooping down
to set Will onto the Earth, before Grimlock made a move on the fluttering
appendages- of Will cheering them on as the well-known Camaro was pulled into a
tight hug. A grin flashed to the holder of the phone, with the words 'send that
to me' mouthed silently. The fatherly look he gave Grimlock just before the
camera shut off was more damning than the video itself. 
The first video they recorded came up next, kicking off with Bee flirtatiously
crooning to a laughing William, before Grimlock came to steal the former
scout's attention back. The half-squeal Will made when Grimlock offered to
fight the human for his attention certainly didn't help to maintain his
innocence, and the blinding smile the younger mech gave the Dino after the
embarrassment had faded drew another grunt of disgust from the official. 
Will sat dead silent, seething with rage. The stunned faces all around told the
officer everything he needed to know in terms of involvement, but he didn't
feel like stopping. He wanted to hear it. 
"So. Let's try this again. Tell me what you know of the Autobots on earth. Who
exactly is here, and what is the obvious relationship between the scout and
that green menace." 
Judy reached forward after a long moment, patting Will's shoulder. "Just tell
the bastard. You'd much rather live to see Bee smack the grin off of his face
than die for information he obviously already knows."  Will took a deep breath,
reaching up to pat Judy's withered hand. 
"Bee is now a Lieutenant in the Enforcers- it’s pretty much the Cybertronian
police. The blue femme is Strongarm, a cadet under his command. Sideswipe-red
bouncy guy- is a minor felon that was in the process of being arrested when
they all got warped here, and decided to take the offer Bee gave him instead of
being locked in a stasis pod to be shipped back to Cybertron. Drift- Orange and
Silent guy- didn't talk much-go figure. From what I gathered he was a bounty
hunter that owes something to Bee."
A shrug dismissed the major details, as Will had never really got them. "My
understanding is Bee saved his students once, then Drift decided he was
indebted to Bee for it. His two students are Jetstorm and Slipstream, and they
don't really leave Drift's side- which is why he travels 'alone'. Fixit is a
security guard aboard the Alchemor, which is a prison ship that crashed near
Crown City- He's a minibot with a severe verbal glitch, but a good spark. He
just runs comms, and never goes on missions. Never met any humans, so I can't
tell anything on who they're working with if they have any cohorts."
"All of the prisoners aboard the Alchemor have escaped- Ranging from petty
criminals to ranking Decepticons- and they have been rounding them up before
the Government decided to get involved. Save everyone some trouble." Will
smirked at the frown growing on the official’s face. "And the Dinosaur?"
Will outright laughed, leaning back to give Raf and Sam a grin. "You two will
enjoy this." The curious look was balanced with a half fearful one, and Will
turned back to the official to finish his descriptions. "Grimlock is a former
Decepticon frontliner." The horrified face of the official brought a merry
smile to Will's face, and a surprised noise from Mikaela. "He got arrested for
property damage, because he's a big goof that has next to no spacial awareness.
Dumb as a box of rocks though, I gotta admit that. Bee made another call there,
releasing him on Parole after he broke out of his stasis pod- which he
completed with flying colors and only a few thrown punches. He's now Bee's
boyfriend, and will probably kill you if you try to hurt our little Beepy." 
Raf squealed and clapped his hands together, and Miko outright 'whoop'ed with a
fist pump. Ron just hummed a pleased note, nudging Judy- who was on the verge
of tears. "If you can't really read body language, Cybertronian 'dating' isn’t
really similar to human dating. I personally would call it more of a..." Will
took a moment to pause, reclining in his chair. Miko gave him a look, smacking
his shoulder to spur him on. Will laughed, twirling a finger in the air.
"Well, it's more of an engagement. They take intended couples very seriously,
considering they don't have a divorce. Tell me Chad, do you know what that
means? To be faithful to your partner? Probably not, considering you've been
divorced four times." Will grinned as the official’s eyes widened slightly,
savoring the look of a man that had been beaten at his own game. The Official
glared at William, looking him up and down- but remained silent.
Mikaela snorted and stole the words from Will's mouth. "Aww, what’s wrong?
Pissed because a bot's first relationship is more stable than your entire
life?" Raf covered his mouth to hide his sudden giggles, but everyone had
rallied together against the prick at the front of the room. 
Seeing how he had lost the advantage, Chad stood and fixed his suit. "You all
are under arrest for violating the Ban on Cybertronian Life. If you cooperate,
we might waive the death sentence. Consider yourselves detained."
Miko called out 'Bitch!' as he left the room, but all eyes turned to Lennox.
Will just grinned, holding up a single finger until the locks sounded. He
opened his hand, turning it to display what he held. In his palm was a tiny
little disc, glowing an unnatural blue- Energon Powered Blue.
"Didja get all that baby bee?" Will grinned, and smiles broke out all across
the room as a surprisingly deep voice filtered through the speaker.
"Every word. Do what you need to do to stay alive, I'll see what I can do from
my end." 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     Got the first chap up before bed, I'll work on the second tomorrow
     during my lunch. I should have it up within the next two days.
***** One Week Prior *****
Chapter Summary
     As everyone settles back into their day-to-day life, Sideswipe pulls
     Bee aside for a talk.
Chapter Notes
     This is the setup for the fic, and takes place about a week after
     everyone get's back and a week before Lennox gets called out on his
     lies. The government is still hacking the phones, so everything is
     still 'good'.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Bumblebee stretched as his plating settled, making a quiet noise as
his backstrut popped back into place. Grimlock grinned beside him, a toothy
reminder that everything was okay for about ten minutes. 
Honestly, things had been amazing since everyone had returned- Denny and
Russell were more prone to giving the lieutenant some personal space, Grimlock
had been embarrassingly affectionate...not that he really minded of course, and
Sideswipe and Strongarm seemed to have settled their differences while they
were stranded. Not a single fight since they returned, and their teamwork was
better than it had ever been!
Bee felt as though a weight had been lifted from his pauldrons. He was finally
starting to see the cohesion that made Team Prime so effective. A glimpse of
red caught his attention, and Bee directed his attention to Sideswipe- who was
trying his best to act casual. Needless to say, stress drowned his field as he
waved with the most forced grin Bee had ever seen in his entire existence. "Hey
there Bee! Mind if I steal ya a bit? I wanna talk to you about something..." 
Bee pretended not to notice the quick glace to Strongarm, who gave the
speedster a rather sly thumbs-up in the form of a stretch. Bee just grinned,
gesturing for Sideswipe to follow him to the back corner of the scrapyard.  The
bouncy speedster easily caught up to the younger, and Bee could see how he was
shaking. How he could feel the spark-clenching fear tucked oh-so-close to his
field.  They stepped into the portion that used to be Bumblebee's area, but was
now used strictly for private usage.  
They sat across from each other, and Bee used his years of training to keep his
field inviting and his body language completely welcoming. "So, what’s up
Sideswipe?" The red mech opened his mouth, closing it again before taking a
moment of silence to collect what he wanted to say. "I...I haven't really been
honest with you." He looked towards the ground, finding it hard to look at the
other. He did however, look up in surprise when Bee laughed lightheartedly. 'Oh
Primus, you say that like I haven't noticed that you've been lying about
various stuff. Is it related to the sneaking out at four am, or the strange
fascination with high-scale wax that I'm not gonna ask how you're getting?"   
Sideswipe gave the yellow mech an absolutely shell-shocked stare, swallowing
before nodding slightly. "Kind of...? Geez bee, how long have...?" Bumblebee
shook his helm, smiling at the mech. "I noticed right away- it was kind of my
job to keep watch for weird behavior. As long as you weren’t getting hurt or
acting like you were scared, I didn't see any reason to intervene." Sideswipe
stared at his servos for a long moment, before shuddering his optics and
resting his helm in his servos. Bee crossed his legs, staying silent so the
racer could collect himself. 
"I'm just gonna come right out with it. I have a brother."  Sideswipe looked
up, almost surprised himself that Bee's face was only mildly surprised.
"...Well, I recommend you bring him here then. He's gonna be safer here than
wherever he's hiding, and I'm certain I can look into his crime just like I did
with Grimlock's." Sideswipe shook his helm, ringing out a laugh devoid of all
emotion. "He may be a criminal, but he wasn't aboard the Alchemor...He's in the
Main Iaconian." That made Bee wince. "Frag...What did he do?"
Sideswipe shifted, his shoulders sagging further. "It’s...probably better If I
give you a quick rundown of everything else first..." Sideswipe leaned back in
his servos, taking another deep breath before starting in. "My brother and I
aren't...I mean, We're kinda....Ugh....We're split-spark twins." The quiet
surprise turned to genuine shock and interest, but Bee remained quiet. "Our
Sire abandoned our carrier before we were born- actually, it was immediately
after he was told we split during the third quartex. Our carrier brought us
to term, because she thought we might develop into 'Full Mecha' once we
actually separated. Obviously, that didn't happen. So she...kind of...she gave
us to Shockwave. Sunny and I were his lab rats until we were about Sixty
Thousand, then we escaped onto the streets. We sure as frag didn't know
anything about polite society, so we wandered for about twenty thousand vorns."
"Eventually, I guess life caught up with us. Somehow, someone recognized us as
Shockwave's projects, and Sunny...He killed the mech to protect us. That mech
happened to know some mech, and it wound up with us being arrested. They could
tell we were split spark, but Sunny's not..." A long pause, then Sideswipe
continued. "He's not what I would call mentally stable. He managed to get an
insanity charge, and he got a life sentence and all the blame for it. They let
me see him up until about two vorns before I met you, because that’s when he
got transferred to Main. They put him in solitary after that, and I haven't
seen him since- 'For my own protection' they said. Apparently he attacked a
guard, and that made them re-open the case. When I met you and Strongarm, I
legitimately thought you were coming to drag me off for that..." 
Sideswipe was shaking by now, but Bee didn't move, in case he was finished.
After he didn't speak for a while, Bee nodded slowly. "Do you happen to
remember his case number?" Sideswipe chuckled sadly, but recited it instantly.
"CK-SP-56872-9591." Bee nodded again, before shifting to sit beside Sideswipe.
The mech tensed, but Bee just pulled him into a tight hug. There was several
long seconds before Sideswipe broke down, clutching Bee tight for quite some
time. 
As the shaking subsided, he realized Bee had set his helm on Sideswipe's own.
"I'll have a friend of mine look into it. He's a pretty high ranking enforcer,
and if there's any possible loophole for you to see him, he'll find it."
Sideswipe just nodded silently, unable to get the words out of his mouth as he
sobbed more. Bee didn't mind however, and just held him close. 
After the tears subsided completely, Sideswipe slowly pushed himself back up to
wipe at his optics. Bee smiled at him sadly, his wings fluttering softly behind
him. "Need me to cover the evening shift so you can recollect yourself?"
Sideswipe shook his helm, inventing deeply. "N-nah. Driving helps me calm down
more than anything. I was the physical tester, so moving's my way to cope. I
actually think I'm gonna head out a little early, if you don't mind?" 
Bee shook his helm, and helped Sideswipe to his pedes. "Can I ask one question?
Why the polish?" Sideswipe laughed, giving the best grin he could. "Cause-
Sunny would flay my plating if I let myself get in bad condition. He's got a
complex over it." Bee laughed, nodding. He patted Sideswipe's back making sure
to retract the contact before any others could see- no need to embarrass the
mech. Sideswipe gave Bee a grin that said more than words ever could, and
transformed to start his patrol. 
Bee however, headed towards the control panel- tapping Fixit on the shoulder to
get his attention. The mini looked up to Bumblebee with wide optics, and
returned the smile. "Everything alright Lieutenant?" Bee nodded once, keeping
that friendly smile on his faceplates. "Yup! Sideswipe asked me to look into
something, so I need the command center for a private call, if this is a good
time."
Fixit nodded happily, beaming up at Bee. "Of course, I don't mind." There was a
slight pause as Bee slowly grew more amused, before he snickered and said
"Private call Fixit." The minibot gave him a confused look, before his optics
lit up in realization. "Oh. OH! Right!" Bee laughed as the orange security-bot
fled from the console, giggling to himself. Bee pressed the security lock,
sitting on the floor before the Communication console. After a quick input, the
screen flashed a recognizable blue, and a ping sounded every nanosecond until
a familiar face flashed onto the screen. Jazz grinned at the younger, giving
him a half-suspicious look. "Nah I know ya ain't full yet." 
Bumblebee laughed, shaking his helm. "Nope, not yet. Actually, something’s come
to my attention, and I actually need to speak to Prowl today." Jazz let his jaw
drop with an 'offended' gasp, placing a servo on his chest. "Ugh! Ditchin me!
Here Ah though' ya liked meh!" Bumblebee snorted, rolling his optics.
"Assumptions!" Jazz actually let out a horrified laugh this time, shaking his
helm. "Hold up smartaft, I'll go get '‘em."
Jazz quickly disappeared from view, only to yell 'PROWLER. 'MERE.' from just
off-screen. Bee laughed again, leaning his helm on a servo. Jazz leaned back
in, poking his glossa out slightly in a Blep. After a few seconds of silence,
Jazz again leaned off the screen to yell once more. From some distance away Bee
was fairly certain Jazz was called a heathen. After a few more seconds, the
sound of approaching pedes reached the mic. "What do you want you insufferable
rouge." Jazz barely appeared on screen, obviously swooning for Prowl. "To see
yer beautiful face~ Alllso, Bee wants ya." 
Prowl rolled his optics as he appeared on screen, sitting beside his lover-
expertly ignoring the way he was immediately ensnared in a cuddle. Bee smiled
at the Praxian, giving a polite 'Hello' in wing-speak. It was promptly
answered, and Prowl poked Jazz' audial as the other monochrome nuzzled the
enforcer's bumper. "What is it you need little bee?" 
Bee grinned, drumming his digits against his knee. "Well, I have a job for you-
if you're willing to help." Prowl's polite smile turning playfully dangerous in
a second flat. "Now. Why would I possibly be interested in that little bee?"
Bee hummed, shrugging innocently. "Oh, because Iacon Main has been barring
Split-Sparks from their legally- required meetings, and the incarcerated twin
might be the victim of a circumstantial murder-" The rev broke the innocent
grin into a familiar one, and Prowl practically purred on his end, leaning
forward onto his own palm. "Oh do tell~". 
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Soon enough, Bee stepped out of the command center. Grimlock was waiting
patiently in the empty courtyard. Bee glanced around, before stepping up and
sliding his arms around the Dino's neck to steal a kiss. Forehelms pressed
together as they parted, and Bee found himself half-melting into the arms that
slid around his waist. "Sideswipe tell ya?" Bee nodded, kissing Grimlock's jaw.
"Yeah. I'm having a friend check through his case file for loopholes to see if
we can get him a meeting. Should we retire for the night cycle?" 
Bee tilted his helm playfully, laughing as Grimlock simply locked his arms and
lifted the smaller, hauling him off physically. Bee rested his helm against
Grimlock's chest, bending his knees to make it easier for Grim to walk- 
Squealing quietly as the larger spun to flop backward into the nest, taking the
opportunity to tickle the larger into submission. If he just so happened to
wind up on his back by the end of it, no one would ever know. 
Chapter End Notes
     As another point of reference, it's about 3 days before the side fic
     'Building Trust', so you can now guess what Bee was working on.
***** Hard Work *****
Chapter Summary
     Bumblebee gets to play the bad cop, Sideswipe has to come clean, and
     Drift is /so/ done with today.
Chapter Notes
     With setup done, everything /should/ continue in chronological order.
     This takes place on the same day of chap 1, just later that evening.
     I am trying to write longer chapters this time around to work on my
     bridging and multi-character dynamic. That being said, I am SO sorry
     this took so long. Holy fuck this was so difficult! (I actually had
     to cut about half of the chap off, because SWEET JESUS LENGTH.)
     Please give me commentary if you think of a way I can improve, or if
     you find any errors! You can comment below, or message me on my
     Tumblr: https://bumble-booty.tumblr.com My inbox should always be
     open!
     Holoform explanations are at the bottom.
     Warning: Bee isn't a powerpuff in this one. He does get mean/creepy/
     kind of demented.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Bumblebee shifted on his pedes as he typed, easily ignoring the others as they
prattled around the scrapyard. Grimlock let out an excited war cry, hefting one
of the larger stasis pods up with relative ease. Naturally, he began grinning
widely as an enthusiastic round of applause came from Russell. Drift had
apparently wandered off into the surrounding forest to train with Slipstream
and Jetstorm. Strongarm was still out on Patrol, and both Fixit and Sideswipe
had taken the opportunity to sneak off for recharge. Bee had taken advantage
the rare moment of privacy at the console to send some e-mails to Prowl, as
well as reply to the various few unread ones that had appeared in his inbox
overnight. 
With the distractions that kept appearing on the console, Bumblebee hadn't
noticed when the older human had wandered his way over. He also hadn't noticed
the elder sitting himself on the generator, crossing his legs at the ankles.
This lack of attention caused Denny to accidently startle Bee when he suddenly
laughed aloud in amusement.  The wide-eyed lieutenant turned quickly,
fluttering his wings in reflexive annoyance when he processed Denny's sudden
scare. "Sorry Bee...You were wiggling those wings pretty rapidly with that
last...uh....meeeessage? Maybe Email?" The elder gave the screen a puzzled look
for a few seconds before shrugging it off. "Whatever it was. I just found it
cute is all." 
Bee relaxed quickly with the explanation, his doorwings settling to a more
neutral pose. Bee grinned slightly, glancing back to the screen for a second.
"Yeah. I've been getting some pretty good news concerning Sideswipe's problem,
so I'll be getting a little more leeway than I thought I would." Denny grinned
back in response, kicking his feet slightly. "That's good! Do you know if he's
talked to Fixit or Drift and the boys yet?"
Bee shook his helm, giving the other a patient smile. "He said he was gonna
talk to Fixit before they went to recharge, but I'm uncertain if he did or not.
I do know he wanted to tell Slipstream and Jetstorm before he told Drift. He
wants them to make their own opinion, and Sides is assuming he's gonna have to
do more explaining with the two of them. I think he wants to tell Drift
last because he asked me to sit in on that one."
Bee glanced toward the wooded area where the trio trained, and Denny sighed-
fatherhood had given him a good radar for incoming trouble. "Yeah...Drift is
probably going to take it the worst, because he has the strongest convictions.
I can understand why Sideswipe would want to procrastinate on him... But on
a happier note!" Denny clapped his hands together, giving the smaller a
slightly forced smile to try to bring the conversation to something less
depressing. "What exactly are you working on to get Sideswipe a visit? Anything
I can help with, or is it all super-secret spy stuff?" 
Bumblebee gave Denny an exasperated look, but his amusement was given away by
his fluttering doorwings. "I appreciate the sentiment, but there's not really
anything you can do Denny. I've pretty much guaranteed a visit with
Sunstreaker, but there was some stuff that was more concerning to me. So, I've
been talking with Jazz' intended to get a full investigation of Sunstreaker's
case underway. To get information for that, it's been lot of throwing weight,
name dropping, and playing some politics. I don't do it very often- mostly
cause it's so damn boring-" Denny bit back snickers at the obvious frustration
and annoyance in the mech's voice. 
"For real though. I can't ever imagine why someone would enjoy this to the
point they seek it out as a career! Pit, if I want to insult someone, I'll just
do it..." The Urbana straight up pouted against the console, sighing
dramatically when another email pinged to his server. He turned to read it,
humming as Denny moved to sit beside him. "Actuuuuually, I've been meaning to
talk to you about some of this stuff..."
Denny straightened up, giving the Lieutenant his full attention. He didn't mind
that Bee didn't give the same attention- he knew the younger had enough
processor to truly multi-task. "Grim and I have been talking, and he mentioned
that he beat me to telling you about that treaty." Bee sent the letter off in
record time, turning to give the human his full attention until the next
politician demanded their moment in the spotlight.
"What this treaty means is if investigators prove you knew of the treaty, but
ignored it in favor of working with us, both you and Russell can be tried for
treason against the United States. From what my informants tell me, the
government still doesn’t know who you are, and they only suspect I've got a
human working with me. If you choose, we can disappear and you can have no
repercussions from your help so far. My question is: do you want us to leave
for your safety? You don't need to be the 'bigger man' here- it won't hurt our
feelings." 
Denny didn't bother to hesitate to answer. "We want you to stay. Russell and I
have already talked about this...back when we were still trapped in the past.
There wasn't much else we had to do while 'baby-you' was in surgery. If they
decide to kill us, I suppose we'll die. If they kill me, I know-with every
ounce of my heart-you'll make sure Russell is taken care of. If they just put
us on watch..." Denny shrugged." Oh well. They can help me sort the fridges!"
Bumblebee chuckled, shaking his helm. "Do you need help with the fridges? I can
always-" Denny shook his head, laughing as he gripped his ankles for balance.
"No Bee, it was a joke! The fridges are fine where they are."
Bee gave him a playfully suspicious grin, but dismissed it with a wing-waggle.
Bee hummed quietly as yet another email pinged, and Denny snorted in sympathy.
"So what exactly did you guys find that requires this many emails? Uh, you
don't have to tell me if you don't want to-" Bee shook his helm, typing his
response as he muttered some familiar (curse-like) clicks. "I don't mind
telling you. I accessed Sunstreaker's personnel file, and there's
been documented abuse. Seriously, I have no idea why these idiots would
document-" Bee sighed heavily, taking a deep breath as he obviously tried to
reign in his temper.
"Anyway. Based on the grounds of the denial of life-sustaining necessities-
this being visits with his twin, various slurs and records of his 'violent
temperament', everything he has done has been either provoked or fully
warranted based on the situation. Because of the rank of some of the officers
involved, I can throw my rank and call for an investigation. At worst, I can
probably get Sunstreaker transferred. At best..." Bumblebee chuckled, typing
another email. "Well, at best, we might be getting a new member to our little
troupe." Denny's jaw dropped, and an ecstatic grin bloomed over his face. 
"Holy shit Bee! That's amazing! Do you think we'll need to clear an extra room,
or do you think he'd sleep with Sideswipe?" Bee grinned down at Denny, shaking
his head. "I said best case." Denny just gave him the flattest look the mech
had ever seen. "For real. It's not guaranteed by any means. It mostly just
depends on how bad I can push the mech in charge when I get there for that
meeting. Prowl is the one that's doing the formal investigation, and he's going
to come with. Hopefully the SIC and Successor to the Matrix breathing down his
cables will be enough to turn him over. Either way, I'm almost certain Sunny
and Sides would want to share a room."
Denny burst out laughing, clapping his hands together and throwing his head
back to cackle while Bee finished another response. Grimlock immediately became
concerned when he chose that particular moment to return to the main part of
the scrapyard. He was more worried about the grin on his love's faceplate, and
froze where he stood. "Uhhh...should I... give ya a bit?
Bee glanced through the overlay before shaking his helm dismissively. "You're
good Hun, we're done anyway. Just getting some talk in." Grimlock gave the
innocent grin a suspicious look, and he looked down as Russell bounced in
without a care in the world. Denny laid back against Bumblebee while Russell
just gave him an odd look, shifting his glance to a smug Bumblebee and a
suspicious Grimlock. Denny just patted the spot beside him on the ground.
"So, what'd you two talk about?" The boy asked, sitting beside his father and
kicking his feet out before him. "Ohhhh, nothin..." Bee didn't even bother to
smother the smug grin, causing Denny to snicker in agreement. Grimlock and
Russell just traded a look, both recognizing the mischievous glint in those
bright blue eyes. Grimlock sighed, shaking his helm. "You know what. I dun
wanna know." The dino turned to retreat, but tilted his helm as he caught sight
of Fixit running straight into a rack across from the exit to his 'room.' He
approached the mini, who was locked up while repeating 'Fine...Fine...Fine...'
like a broken record. The dino sighed, scooping the rigid minibot up into his
arms to deliver him to Bumblebee for repair. In his concern for Fixit, the dino
didn't hear Sideswipe's heavy-hearted sigh.
The red mech leaned his helm against the fence, regretting telling the
minibot after recharging- he could have really used that nap now. He stayed
where he was seated for several minutes, listening to the sound of Bee and Grim
breaking the orange mini from his loop. A soft shuffle caught his attention,
and he reactivated his optics to see Strongarm giving him a concerned
look. "Are you okay Sideswipe?"
Sideswipe nodded, pushing himself upright. "Yeah...I told Fixit about Sunny..."
Strongarm nodded, glancing back. "Didn't go well?" "He glitched pretty bad.
Grim came around the corner right when it started though, so I just let him
take Fixit to Bee." Strongarm nodded, moving to sit beside the red speedster.
He gave her a saddened grin, and Strongarm gave her own sheepish one in reply.
Strongarm hesitated for a moment, before she quietly set her servo over
Sideswipe's own while resetting her vocalizer nervously. "W-well, I'm certain
it will be alright. Fixit is a pretty accepting mech... You probably just took
him by surprise. I mean, that's kind of loaded." 
Sideswipe stared at the servo in shock, his jaw slack as he stared dumbly.
Strongarm's faceplate flushed, and Sideswipe gave a nervous yet surprised laugh
as he slipped his digits between Strongarm's own. "Yeah...you're probably
right." They sat in silence for a long moment, before Sideswipe found his words
once more. "Uh..How was patrol?" Strongarm's face lit up with the chance for a
familiar topic and she launched into the details of her- actually rather
boring- patrol. Sideswipe listened to her half-report, trying his best not to
direct her attention to her servo- which was still twined with Sideswipe's own,
and was wonderfully warm.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Bee watched Fixit reboot, the mini resetting his optics several times before
bolting upright to half yell at Bumblebee. "S- SIR! Sideswipe told key-lee-me-
" Bee thumped him on the back, shaking his helm. "It's alright Fixit. I already
know about Sunstreaker. He's been telling us all as he can get us alone."
"Oh... Well... Alright then. When is he arriving?" The minicon beamed up at the
lieutenant, causing him to laugh quietly. "I'm still working on that. Don't
tell Sideswipe, it's a surprise." Bee winked at the orange mini, snickering as
the smaller mech winked back. 
Everyone saw the moment a thought ruined the excitement,  and Bumblebee waited
about a minute before chuckling. "It's alright Fixit. Go ahead and ask." The
minicon looked down right ashamed, but spit it out in the end. "I...are the
stories true?" Bee shook his helm, and Fixit visibly relaxed.  "If the stories
aren't true, pie-try-" Denny thumped him this time, and patted the bot on the
back to soothe him. "Why didn't he tell us earlier?" 
Sideswipe shifted his pedes, cutting in. "Cause even though they're stories,
mecha still want us dead. Superstition is a powerful thing..." Fixit frowned,
his armor flattening once more. Sideswipe shook his head, coming to sit down
with the others. Strongarm followed soon after, crossing her legs and grinning
as she saw Grimlock preparing to pounce his yellow mate. With the dino now
clinging to a startled Bumblebee, everyone settled to talk. Russell kicked off
the conversation.
"So, what's on the agenda today?" Strongarm hummed, shrugging a shoulder. "I've
been on patrol- nothing to report by the way. I'll send you an email in
a...bit." Denny burst out laughing as Bee's grin dropped, and the Lieutenant
groaned and buried his face into his hands. Denny patted the mech's thigh,
snickering as he was glared at. "Not funny Denny. Don't worry about it
Strongarm. I'm gonna ask you send it as a priority though, I've been responding
to emails all day."  Strongarm covered her mouth, holding back a giggle at the
absolute annoyance the mechlet was shooting the human. The conversation was
quickly steered back on topic by a smirking Russell. 
"Okay, okay. Strongarm went on patrol, Drift is training, Sideswipe broke
Fixit..." Sideswipe grinned shyly, only flushing dark when Fixit gave the mech
a forgiving smile. Grimlock put more weight between Bee's doorwings, squeezing
his waist a little harder. "I cleaned up some pods! And I didn't make a mess!"
Bee put his weight against Grim, nuzzling him slightly. "Good work Grimmy." The
dino purred, snuggling close. Denny ruffled Russell’s hair, glancing up to Bee
to get confirmation. With an approved nod, Denny gave his piece. "I watched Bee
pull some politics- which apparently he hates, cause he would rather tell
someone to 'fuck off' in person." 
The entire group burst out laughing, and Bee covered his face as he hid in
Grimlock's shoulder. "Fuck ooooooff!" "Atta boy!" The group laughed harder, and
Grimlock covered Bee's helm with a massive servo. From his position, Bee could
see Sideswipe shift slightly. He lifted his head- expertly sneaking a kiss to
Grimlock's neck on the way up- before leaning back and sitting with far better
posture. He smiled softly as Grim nuzzled his helm, but kept his attention on
Sideswipe.
"That reminds me. You need to be ready to bounce with me whenever we get a call
sometime within the next few days." Sideswipe's optics widened, and he gave the
mech a confused and slowly more horrified look. Before the horror truly took
hold, Bumblebee continued. "I've gotten you a meeting with Sunstreaker. Jazz'
beau is working on some last-minute things, so when he calls and says he's
heading over there we need to go before they find a loophole and lock us out."
Sideswipe's jaw dropped, and the smile that broke across his faceplate before
he launched himself to hug the yellow mech made all those damn emails worth it.
Strongarm's servos covered her mouth as Bumblebee was knocked onto his back.
Bee let the hug happen for a long moment, rubbing the other's back
affectionately as he was squeezed. After a minute the red mech pulled back,
shaking slightly as he tried to collect himself. Grimlock asked 'you good?'
quietly, giving him a toothy grin when Sideswipe nodded an affirmation. The red
mech leaned back, spinning his wheels subconsciously with a growing need to
burn off some energy.  Bee sat back up, sitting cross-legged beside the purring
Dinobot. 
"I have a question for everyone while we're grouped up here. If you feel
comfortable, I would like your opinions on something..." The group settled once
more, giving their attention to their lead. "So, Will and some other humans I
once rolled with have been detained by the government because I'm back on
earth. I've been trying to think of a way to get them out or to get the
attention off of them, but I can't think of anything without risking our safety
here." Eyes and Optics alike widened, and everyone did their best to think of
ideas. Sideswipe clapped his hands together. "What about like, doin some sneaky
data play and sending them files proving they didn't interact with you?" 
Bee shook his helm. "No, cause they could trace the data, and they would just
take the data as proof that they were working with me since I'm trying to break
them out." Strongarm frowned. "What about deleting the data then? If they don't
have evidence, they can't prosecute." "This is true, but then it becomes a
matter of perceived terrorism. I would be hacking a government facility and
willingly destroying information- which would be sent to Cybertron..." The
femme winced, but nodded knowingly. Grimlock just sustained a widening grin,
and Bee refused to look back. Denny chipped in next, pulling apart a blade of
grass with his fingers. "What about talking to Jazz? Maybe he could get them
out."
Bee sighed heavily, his faceplates flushing a light blue. "That's kind of a
matter of personal pride and respect for Jazz. I don't want him to bother him
with a problem I technically caused. Especially since he's kind of got a small
phobia of Earth." Every helm turned, showing various levels of confusion and
surprise. "Yeah. He does what he needs to- because he's used to doing that kind
of stuff, but yeah. That's one of the reasons why he never hangs out. Last time
he was on Earth, he was stranded with no contact to Prowl, and he nearly died.
Mech's got some weighty reasons to not like the planet- even if he does adore
the music." Denny and Russell grimaced, and the bot's plating flared. 
"I could understand that. Those really are some strong reasons..." Denny
muttered, shuddering again reflexively. "... and being torn in half is a pretty
strong deterrent." Bee added with a horrified exhale, shuddering his own
plating. "Yeah... With that kind of track record, even I  wouldn't come
back..." Russell stared at Bumblebee for a second before deciding to ask.
"What's the other reasons?" Bee nodded to Russell. "That's a good question I
was hoping you wouldn't ask. This stay's here, okay?"  The Autobot love of
gossip reared its ugly head, and everyone nodded excitedly.
"His biggest thing is he doesn't want to be separated from Prowl. He's recently
gotten past the point where he could transform, so leaving him alone just
drives Jazz' anxiety through the roof." Strongarm's grin faded the fastest, and
her plating fluffed. "Is he okay?" Bee bit back a chuckle, nodding. "Oh, that
depends on who you ask. That Third Quartex is pretty rough." Strongarm outright
squealed, damn near jumping up as she clapped. The excitement spread like
wildfire, and Bumblebee leaned down to clarify over the noise. "He's pregnant.
It would be just about 7-8 months along in people-terms." Russell let out a
quiet 'ohhhhh' as Denny joined Strongarm in an excited squeal. Bumblebee
clapped his hands, pulling attention back from the mass of excitement the group
had become. When this didn't work, Drift proceeded to scare the absolute shit
out of everyone with a sudden appearance.  
Sideswipe screamed with a pitch that outmatched Strongarm, and Bee's wings went
vertical as he suddenly wheeled towards the loud noise right behind him-
winding up in a back-breaking half-sprawl that had Grimlock falling to his side
in laughter. Denny's laughter turned half-horrified when he realized
how flexible Bumblebee was, and Jetstorm and Slipstream laughed at the
reactions all around. They joined the group looking around for explanations-
which Russell helpfully supplied in the bluntest of ways. "Jazz' lover is
having his baby." The two minicons squealed, and Drift nodded to Bee and gave
him a silent ping to congratulate the couple. 
"What was the conversation that brought us to this?" Drift's voice was an
island of calm in the chaos of the scrapyard, and Russell answered once more.
"Will and some others are in trouble because the government is being evil. We
were brainstorming ideas on how to help." Drift quirked a brow, tilting his
head slightly. "Have you considered just confronting them?" 
Drift shook his helm as Bumblebee's eyes widened slightly, watching him turn to
retort... only to shut his mouth and purse his lips, nodding in a mildly
annoyed acceptance. "You truly must stop overthinking Bumblebee. Not everything
requires an elaborate plan."  Bee nodded to himself, before thinking. "This is
true. It might be a problem with my alt being larger than it was though...I
should probably go in holoform." The Lieutenant stood, crossing over to the
console to enter the coordinates. 
Strongarm saw the blank look Denny was giving the younger mech, and explained
with a very....very technical definition. Sideswipe watched with a growing
grin, before laughing as the blank face didn't change. "In English, it's an
avatar made of solid light. It can look and feel very human if a Cybertronian
puts enough effort into it. However, lots of mech find it extremely hard to
control, so it's not very common for a full hologram to be cast- usually it's
what you would think when I say hologram. All flicker and 2-D. Personally, I
can’t get mine to stay solid if I try to hold it longer than 10 minutes." Denny
strained to hear the angry mutter beneath the speedster's breath. "...bet Bee's
is solid..."
That mutter wasn't quiet enough however, and Bee flashed the racer a dazzling
smile. Russell just got excited. "Why didn't you guys tell us of these things
earlier?! This is so cool! I wanna see what all of your guys' holoforms look
like!" Denny smiled at his son, before nodding in agreement. "I would too,
actually. I'm curious if the faces you've made match what I've been
imagining!" 
Strongarm eagerly volunteered to go first. She transformed, backing up against
the wall so her Alt wouldn't get in the way of the day-to-day life of the
scrapyard. After a long moment of silence, Grimlock laughed. "Can you find the
code?" "I'm working on it!" Bee gave Sideswipe a look when the speedster
snorted a laugh of his own, shaking his helm as he reclaimed his place beside
Grimlock. "Look in your transformation code cadet. Sometimes the label shifts
there if it's been used recently." After another five seconds of idling,
Strongarm's engine cut- and half a second later her driver's side door popped
open. 
A gorgeous younger woman stepped out, long hair pulled up into a painful
looking ponytail. She looked down, straightening the blue button up over her
larger chest before shifting her balance to inspect her black cargo pants. She
suddenly frowned, twisting her heel to look at the standard-issue steel toe
boots. "I thought I fixed those..." Denny was giving her a half-shocked look,
and Sideswipe took no time to call him out.
"What's wrong Denny? Not what you expected?" The human flushed lightly, shaking
his head. "If I'm going to be honest, I was half-expecting bright blue themed
makeup and full on swat gear... Not business casual and a fresh face..." The
woman glared at Bumblebee, who had burst out laughing. He tried to wave it off,
hiding behind Grimlock while he tried to get his giggles under control.
Sideswipe was no better, clapping his servos together as he bounded up with a
shout of 'Me next!" 
The speedster had transformed in seconds, whipping into reverse to park beside
Strongarm. It only took a few seconds before another (attractive, yet
stylistically bland) human appeared. Sideswipe had flaming red hair- with
blonde eyebrows, amusingly enough-, a red muscle shirt, and black slacks. He
was still very lean, but was barely 2 inches taller than the femme beside him.
Sharp features aside, it was still an utterly underwhelming experience. He
bounced back, jumping to sit on the hood of his alt with a flirtatious grin. "I
know, don't swoon too hard!" 
Strongarm rolled her eyes, but attention drew to the middle-aged man suddenly
stepping out of Drift. Denny just nodded, gesturing to the tallest person as of
yet. Drift wore an orange undershirt, with a classy black button-up over it,
and his minicons cheered as Drift politely sat on his own hood. Sideswipe was
gawking at the old-timey pointed shoes though, and couldn't resist trading a
glance to the youngest human. He gestured to the shoes, with his helm,
muttering 'what are thoooose!'- Which promptly sent both himself and Russell
into a fit of giggles. This was easily waved off by Drift as his students
teamed up to hug their master for 'them-sized-hugs'.
Grimlock went next, and Bee transformed quietly as well to prep his form.
Grimlock's chest plates split obscenely, and Denny put a hand to his chest in
empathetic pain. An utter wall of a man stepped out. Looking to be in his mid-
thirties to early forties, he towered over the others with a dark complexion
and a pearly white grin. His hair was buzzed short, and his face and arms had
visible scars scattered over the whatever skin showed. Russell gave a surprised
laugh, bounding forward to be engulfed in a hug from the barefoot man in the
green tank top and well-worn jeans. The youngest kicked his feet, squeaking as
he was half-crushed in the Grimlock's arms. 
Bee slipped out of his alt with years of sneak under his belt, but Denny saw
the ghost of a teen hiding out beside the expensive-looking Urbana. Those
paternal instincts of his kicked up in full force as unnaturally blue eyes met
his own, and the shyest of smiles broke out over scarred lips. Russell was
eventually dropped, and the boy spun around to return to his father- stopping
dead when he found someone slightly older than Hank staring at him.  "Holy shit
Bee!" Sideswipe immediately looked over, his jaw dropping when he realized
Bumblebee was out of his alt. 
What they didn't account for was Drift, Slipstream, Jetstorm, and Fixit's
reactions. Bee shifted nervously, glancing down at his 'casual' outfit- tight
knee-high boots with thick soles, a pair of black shorts. The right leg
sporting an empty gun holster mid-thigh, and a black tank top covered by an
oversized yellow zip-jacket. He kept his head tilted down slightly, giving the
group a nervous smile. "U-uh...Everything alright?"
Russell was the first to snap out of it, bounding forwards to hug the blonde
with an overjoyed squeal. Bee barely managed to catch the other teen,
scrambling last second and keeping them both from falling on their asses.
Grimlock was the next to shake out of his surprised state, following the
shorter's lead and encompassing his lieutenant and the younger boy in a tight
hug. Bee kicked his feet, half-squealing as he was effortlessly hefted up.
Russell managed to wiggle free, dropping onto his butt with a huff. Grim pouted
comically, setting Bee on the ground. Bee stepped back to lean against his alt
and bury his face in his sleeve-covered hands, trying to fight back the blood
that rushed to his cheeks as his boyfriend excitedly followed, to croon about
how 'cute he was!'. Denny's eyes were drawn to the large scar that ran
horizontally across Bumblebee's mid-thigh, jagged and crooked enough to
convinced the father that Bumblebee had obviously gotten his leg reattached at
some point. Denny noticed the faint vertical scar that began below his shorts
to disappear into the knee-cap of the boot, and he shuddered slightly as he
remembered the broken body in Jazz' arms.  
As a more positive note, Denny and Russell were at prime position to enjoy the
way the way Grimlock and Bumblebee smiled at each other, with Grimlock gently
pressing a kiss to Bee's forehead and chuckling as he pulled the lean teen
closer. Bumblebee playfully shoved him, but rested his head on Grimlock's
shoulder after only a few seconds of the half-hearted struggle. Twin hair
sticks  held sunflower strands in a tight knot, glittering in the light as a
single gem dangled from the end each stick. The fragile beads sent a prism of
color from within, casting a rainbow onto the slim chain bridging the two
sticks. Denny couldn't help a small repressed laugh as he thought of the
hairpieces he had seen on old TV shows. The two cuddled for a few seconds,
before processors in the group caught back up. Drift began to speak, but Fixit
had to take a little extra time to work through a bad feedback loop. 
"Bumblebee...How old are you?" Bee lifted his head from its place on Grimlock's
shoulder, gently pressing on the other's stomach to get him to allow Bee to
stand fully. "I'm Fifteen thousand and forty-six vorns old." A half-amused grin
broke free as he watched the elder's eyes widen further, and the Lieutenant
broke into quiet, nervous giggles. "How old did you think I was?"
For once, it was Drift that almost glitched. Slipstream and Jetstorm reset
their optics before the latter blurted out "I'm older than you!?" Bumblebee
snorted, rolling his eyes. "I'm pretty certain everyone is older than me."
Slipstream chimed in next, trying to reign in his horrified expression. "How in
the name of the pits of Kaon did you get enlisted?!" Bee looked mildly sheepish
there, scuffing a boot into the dirt. "Didn't exactly have a choice there. That
was because of how I was raised, not because of anything I personally tried to
do."  Grimlock grinned down at Bumblebee, who shifted his balance to his other
foot. 
After another gaping moment of silent shock by the others, Bee tried to steer
the conversation back on track. "Anyway...Denny, did we all live up to
expectation?" Denny sighed in exasperation, shaking his head. "You and grim,
absolutely. Drift, yeah. Strong and Sides? No. I was expecting way more flair!"
Sideswipe booed him, pouting playfully. Strongarm gave the elder a half-grin,
cocking a hip with an amused look. "Well, not every bot is a holoform expert
right away!" The console pinged a successful upload, and Bee clapped his hands
once as he moved towards the bridge- honestly, he was just excited for an
opportunity to escape. "Alrighty, we've had our holoform fun. I'm going to-
" Sideswipe cut him off, rolling his eyes. "Bail as fast as your legs can carry
you?" 
Bumblebee huffed a laugh. "Oh yeah. I don't like being stared at- it's usually
worse with the holoform,- so I would like to get this over with." Bee pushed
the activation button, prompting the bridge to light up with
a whiiirrrr. Bumblebee clasped his hands behind his back and took a deep
breath, exhaling slowly as he made his way over to the portal. The light from
the bridge didn't help to hide all the scars littering Bee's limbs, and Drift
wondered how many more Bumblebee had hidden beneath that baggy jacket. When the
blonde was gone and the bridge sealed, the bots deactivated their Holoforms...
except Grimlock, who had decided that Denny needed hugs. Drift slowly turned to
the seemingly unfazed group that had traveled back in time. "You all
seem...unsurprised about his apparent age." 
Sideswipe gently shoved Strongarm towards the obviously unsettled samurai.
"You're better with words. You tell him!" The femme gave the speedster a
betrayed look, shaking her helm before Drift halted her once more. "Also, you
and Sideswipe have been getting along rather well. Perhaps we should have a
group chat while Bumblebee isn't here to help divert attention." That made both
sets of jaws snap shut, and a surprised look was exchanged. "Ah...that actually
works... rather well?" Sideswipe shifted nervously, and he glanced around at
the others. The bots and humans moved to sit in a circle, and Sideswipe
nervously picked at his plating "Okay, I was originally gonna explain when I
could get you alone... I've been working my way around the scrapyard since we
got back."
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
It was pathetically easy for Bee to walk right into the main computer room. He
thought it would be harder- maybe a guard? Or a camera? But, he waltzed his way
in, completely unnoticed by the government agents in the room. Thankfully
though, it appeared someone had some sense of self-preservation- one member of
the group of pissed-off humans had noticed the new arrival rather quickly.
Raf's eyes widened before his face lit up in a beaming smile. The teen slid
into the back row beside the brunette, cuddling into his shoulder with an
ecstatic grin of his own. Raf kicked the back of Will's chair, who glanced back
with a flair of annoyance before doing a double-take. Upon spotting the blonde,
his frown broke into a wide grin as well. He quickly nudged Miko, who poked
Judy- soon enough, all the former friends had given a smile or a wave to the
young lieutenant. Sam had given him a particularly shy one, and the teen just
smiled at him with a slight look of sadness. Bee mouthed 'Talk later' to the
middle-aged man, who nodded solemnly before forcing himself to turn away. Raf
squeezed the younger, giving him a reassuring grin. 
While this happened, the oblivious official below continued his tirade at the
front of the circular lecture hall. He droned on about 'The importance of
national security' as the various administrators dotted throughout the hall
continued their work- probably ignoring the blowhard. There was upwards of
thirty specialists on computers, frantically typing to crank away at some form
of coding that Bee hadn't quite gotten around to figuring out yet. Bumblebee
could practically feel Jazz' appalled dramatics from here.
With his head resting on a familiar shoulder, Bumblebee took to snooping. The
younger woman a few rows ahead of him was working on seismic patterns around...
Crown City- which meant everyone in this room was probably working on finding
him and his team. Bee rolled his head back-half annoyed at the persistence of
this department, half impressed they thought to check this thoroughly.
He spent the next few minutes enjoying the warmth of Raf's arm wrapping around
his shoulders, trying to wiggle away from the dangling hand that was in prime
tickle position near his waist. Will turned his chair around completely,
initiating a staring contest with a Grinch-like grin. Bee obviously won,
causing Judy to laugh quietly as the colonel sulked to Miko. Attentions were
drawn back to the front as the tirade stopped suddenly- an administrator's hand
had shot up with a cry of. “Hit!" The redhead half-jogged, half brisk walked
over to the man's computer. 
"Five minutes? Slightly longer? Decoding coordinates now." The official loomed
over the young twenty-something’s shoulder like he was searching for Satan
himself, and Bee barely managed to bite back his giggle as the color bled from
the man's face. He bolted towards the eastern wall, slamming his fist against
the lockdown button-going rigid as nothing happened. Slowly, he turned to scan
the unwilling audience. 
Bumblebee full on snickered then, sliding out of his chair and outright
flouncing down the tall stairway that led to the platform in the center of the
room. He heard some surprised cursing from the various analysts, as he silently
walked passed then, but chose to ignore it as he made eye contact with
the absolutely pissed official. "Breaking and entering now, Autobot scum?" Bee
feigned hurt, holding a thin hand over his heart. With a broken huff, he
answered in a sickly-sweet tone. "Autobot scum? Oh, come now! After all we've
done to help protect your precious planet from the Decepticons
too...such disrespect! Here I thought humans were all about manners..." 
The man met the blonde’s tone with a disgusted look, sneering at the teen as he
finally stepped onto the platform and into the full view of the overhead
lights. Bee made his way over to the desk in the center of the room to sit with
grace worthy of Cleopatra herself. His head tilted slightly to the left,
reflexively covering the majority of the scar on his throat from view. The man
a few paces away was far less composed- he was probably going to melt if
anymore venom dripped from his words. "Yes. Scum. You caused the death of so
many American citizens, and now you... you terrorists don't even have
the decency to leave us alone?" Bee waved him off with a dismissive hand,
inspecting his manicure-black with gold tips, slightly sharpened into a pointed
almond shape. 
"Hi Pot! I'm kettle." An encoder in the front row covered his mouth, trying not
to snicker. Thankfully it was ignored by the ginger, as angry eyes were trained
on Bumblebee. "And what do you mean by that." "Oh, 'not leaving you alone'? I
haven't bothered anyone since I got here, yet everywhere I turn you and your
department are right there...almost like you're stalking me. Isn't it a crime
to prey on a minor?" He bristled, and the young man in the front row did laugh
this time. Bee blew him a kiss, crossing his ankles with a playful kick. The
official leveled the encoder a look, but turned back to the teen. "I
wouldn't have to chase you around if you had a visa-" "If I wanted Cybertron to
know where I was , I would have applied for one." Bee's nails clicked against
the table as his fingers curled around the edges.
The official's look of distain twisted to a sneer, and he straightened his
jacket with a haughty air about him. "I believe I have the upper hand here
then, If you're on the run from your government. If you don’t want me to turn
over this information to my superiors, you will follow the following demands:
 One, you must tell me who your human confidants are. Two, you will tell me any
information about your team that I desire, and I will hold the rights to
contact you at any time for further information. Three, You must select someone
from your precious team to remain on base with me, as a token of your loyalty-
" 
Bumblebee's outburst of laughter interrupted him here, and the lieutenant
covered his mouth with a sleeve. "Oh Primus that’s cute, you're really trying
to blackmail me!" Lennox laughed obnoxiously, and he slid down to sit on the
floor while ushering the others to 'take coooverrrrrrr!'. Bee on the other
hand, let more of the 'harmless' demeanor slide as he pressed the edge of fear
that was opened to him.
"Do you really think that someone as unthreatening as you
could ever possibly scare me?" The official seemed to have caught onto his
mistake just then, his smirk falling into a mildly horrified look. Bee's grin,
however, became far more malicious by the second. "Do you really think you have
enough push to make me bend to your will like I’m some fresh new build? Puh.
Lease. Attitude check honey. Bulkhead is scarier than you during a hissy-fit."
Bee snapped his fingers, startling everyone when all the screens in the room
suddenly went blue. A second later, an image of a metallic bumblebee appeared
on the screens. That smirk quickly became devious, and the official whipped his
head around in shock. His horrified gaze returned to the lieutenant on the desk
as streams of code flooded the screens, and the frantic typing by various
specialists was followed by someone shouting 'He's hacking the mainframe!'.
"Now that we've finished our little cock-fight here, let's take a step back and
talk like adults. Agreed?" Bee tilted his head, giving the redhead a genuinely
soft smile. The enraged man ignored this attempt at civility though, quickly
reached behind him to pull a gun that was concealed in his waistband. Cables
instantly snapped away from the various TV screens on the walls, coiling around
the man and all those that made any move to rescue him. They were yanked
several feet off the floor, dangling even with Bee's line of sight. Bee gently
placed each foot back onto the floor, ignoring the terrified faces around him
as he met the official’s frozen surprise with that same sickly-sweet smile.
Will and Sam could be heard laughing and cursing respectively.
"Orrrrr not. I can do things the hard way too, Chad Arkton." Bee ran his
pointer nail under Chad's chin as he began to squirm in his bindings. The room
was dead silent, all breaths held in the silent fear of being ensnared by the
Cybertronian before them. " Oh, how did you say it... Riiight. One:
 My name isn't scum. It's Bumblebee. But, because I don't really like you, you
will call me with the formalities-Lieutenant Bumblebee. Second: I will be
confiscating all information you have on my team. You will not attempt to
recover this information or create any new data. Yes, I will know if you try,
and you will not like it if I have to come back to delete it again. Third: you
will not inform Cybertron I am here. Those nosy fraggers from the Senate will
only cause more problems than they are worth... So, this is gonna be our little
secret."
Bee playfully rapped the top of Chad's nose, leaning in so he was a hair's
breath away from the utterly terrified human. "Fourth and finally: If
you ever threaten my team again, I'll show you why Megatron wanted me dead
since I was conceived. You've already done more than enough to piss me off by
stalking me like Soundwave did, and  kidnapping every human I have ever cared
about here on earth, and I'm not about to lose what family I have left because
of some silly grudge. Am I clear, or do I need to rephrase?" Blue eyes pierced
into green ones, and Chad swallowed hard before nodding once. Bee kept his gaze
leveled. "Use your words Chad. Am I clear?" It took a second for the redhead to
recover, choking out a soft 'yes'.
He screamed as he suddenly plummeted towards the floor- wires curling last
second to gently roll him onto the concrete with no injuries outside of his
pride and some slight soiling in his pants. Bee turned on his heel, boots
clicking quietly with the three steps it took to reach the main computer.  He
raised his right hand, sliding it across the air to bring up a transparent
screen littered with Cybertronian glyphs. He made short work of the database,
deleting everything after making a copy for his own review later. Others
shuddered a gasp as they were gently lowered to the floor, the cables
supporting those whose legs wouldn't until they were safely on the floor.  The
wires slowly retracted, slithering up the walls like an eerie horror film,
before reattaching to where they were previously located. Teensy flashes of
light flashed, welding the joints that reconnected the cables to their proper
places. The room was bathed in a soft white light as the screens rebooted, and
Will playfully poked his head over the chair, pillowing his chin on his arms-
effectively scaring the piss out of those around him. "Done being creepy yet
Beepy?"
Bee turned to give the brunette a heart-stoppingly cute grin, ruining the image
with "Fuck no, it’s far too fun!" Chad watched in horror as the blonde hummed
some kind of happy, cartoonish tune as he typed- far faster than a human ever
could. His attention was drawn to the glaring scar that was visible from where
he lay sprawled on the ground in shock. The mark began just about even with
Bumblebee's left ear, before shredding down the pale cheek and through his jaw.
His expectation of a smooth throat was greatly misplaced, as the entire expanse
of skin was nothing more than scarring and raised welts-, obviously grafted
several times in an attempt to build up the protective skin around the throat.
The mark separated into four distinct points near Bee's spinal cord, before
joining into a singular mark about 90 degrees later. The thinnest line delved
down into his chest, clearly needing to have snapped or sliced the collarbone
to create that severe of a scar. Chad doubted the right side of Bumblebee's
throat looked any better.
Chad shakily pushed himself to his knees, looking over the thin teen before him
closer than before. His sleeves had slid down towards his elbow as his hands
were raised to type, revealing a perfectly straight set of scars down his
forearms, stopping two inches below the wrist to circle around to the unseen
inner wrist. Chad could see similar marks were on Bee's thighs, thicker rings
resting four inches above the bend of his knee. A quick glance down showed a
slight heel on his boots, but also showed the deep treads in the soles,- ones
that would no doubt give great traction when running or climbing. Paired with
the lean, muscular physique, Chad would safely guess Bumblebee was some form of
assault team- and that one of his missions had gone very, very badly. 
The lieutenant finished his typing in record time, releasing the screens back
to the care of the various administrators before glancing down at Chad. A
playful grin bloomed across Bee's face. "Ohh,  well there's an intense look..."
Chad gave Bee a mildly horrified look as he was winked at. "Sorry sir, I'm
spoken for." Bee giggled as Miko wolf-whistled obnoxiously from the back of the
room to be cut off mid-way with an 'oof!'...only to start smacking at Lennox.
Bee resumed his previous spot on the table with a weightless twirl. Chad took a
shaky breath to collect himself, but found himself in a staring contest with
the blonde before him. It was Chad who lost the contest, but it was Bee that
broke the silence.
"Done with your hissy-fit, or do you still have a little more to get out of
your system?" The man glared at Bee, but shook his head. "I-...I'm done." Bee
nodded once, kicking his feet playfully once more. "Let's try talking
like professionals then, now that we both realize threats won't get us
anywhere...Well, get you anywhere." Chad bit back the nasty comment he wanted
to spit back, deciding to choose his battles from then on out. "Why are you on
Earth?"
Bee hummed lowly, tilting his helm from side to side as he thought of how to
answer. "Let's just say I was given a mission by someone special. I originally
planned to come alone, but my team wound up developing around me. Our current
goal is to collect the prisoners that were aboard a prison ship named the
Alchemor that crashed near Crown City, and send them back to Cybertron through
a planet side confidant. After they're all captured, we all currently plan on
returning to Cybertron." 
Chad nodded, looking the younger over once more. "You joked that you were
'spoken for a second ago'...what did you mean? Does this have anything to do
with your apparent favoritism for the green mech?" Bee 's cheeks flushed
lightly as he crossed his legs at the knees. "And here I thought I was being
sly...Yes, it does. I'm currently being courted by Grimlock- the big green T-
Rex. For humans, it's similar to a tentative engagement, or a very serious
relationship."  He flashed a happy grin to the surprisingly laid-back captives-
and in particular Judy, who was trying to contain both Miko and Anna's crooning
about how 'cute' that was, along with other ...inappropriate things.
The teen rolled his eyes, before half-yelling the embarrassed retort of "Not
yet you pervert! I'm not old enough for that!"- which caused Miko and several
others to dissolve into a fit laughter. The official glanced to the group, but
did his best to hold his composure among the ruckus.
"Who is helping you with blending in? You always have human help." Bee tilted
his helm, and took several seconds to answer. "I happened across someone who
wasn't aware of your law against us- he is fairly distrustful of the
government, and lives rather off the grid. No Internet, only a few satellite
channels on the TV... the works for your usual recluse. After saving him from
one of the escaped Decepticons, he offered to help us recapture the others due
to the fear of the cons... the crash site was relatively close to his
residence, and he decided he was safer with us there to protect him than he was
on his own." 
The official narrowed his eyes, pressing further. "He has a child too, I would
bet." Bumblebee snorted a laugh, but nodded. "Yeah. Cute kid too- reminds me of
myself a little bit." Chad sighed heavily, giving him a tired glare. "Why do
you Autobots always get children involved?!" Bee gave him a surprised look,
leaning forward on his elbows in the most sarcastic display he had ever seen.
"I know right! We honestly try to avoid your entire species like the plague-
but there’s always some kid that gets in the way then BAM! We suddenly have a
whole pack of you to look after!" One of the students failed to hold back a
quick bark of laughter, but covered her face in her hands when Chad's glare
turned on her. 
The red-headed man rubbed his face in his hands, groaning quietly. "Okay. Let's
just...let's just damage control this. How about you bring your team- the WHOLE
team- over here so we can document you. My brother-in-law is in charge of the
outgoing visas, and I'm certain he can get it worked out where you won’t ping
in the systems, but my boss will be happy with the knowledge of what you all
are doing. If you do that, we can talk about the others being released."
Bee quirked a brow, but nodded in agreement. "As long as you cooperate with me,
I can guarantee there won't be any intentional problems..." Bee muttered the
next part, but Chad heard enough to get the point. "...though it seems to
follow me nowadays..." Bee slid off the desk once more, and surprised noises
were made across the room. "The files I just uploaded are the extreme basics.
I'm reserving the rights to keep some things confidential, but to be honest
this mission has already gone on far longer than I expected it to go on for...
So, like I said. Cooperation. I'll talk to my team, and I'll be in touch." Chad
pushed himself onto his feet, looking over the teen. He held out his hand in a
sign of resigned civility- one that Bee gleefully took.
Bee's grip tightened as he yanked the elder close, his grin sliding into
something dangerous again. The blonde gripped the other's chin between his
thumb and pointer fingers. "And do remember Chad. While I prefer to be nice,
but I can be very, very mean- I didn't survive a war by playing nice each and
every second.  I would advise that you do not test me to see where my
boundaries lie. You will not like the results." Chad felt his mouth run dry as
Bee's nails slid from his face, and the teen disappeared with a wispy
distortion and a ghostly giggle. 
From up in the balcony, Sam asked "When the fuck did Bee get creepy?!" in the
most horrified voice- causing the entire group to burst into laughter, and the
official covered his face with his hands. He was not paid enough for this shit.
 
Chapter End Notes
     Props to those who realized SCP bee was my trial run for holoform
     descriptions.
     The song Bumblebee was humming is the opening to this, because its
     soooooo goooooddd! (I've been listening to it on repeat for like a
     week. ... s Polly why this chap got creepy. Chanel the bendy bee.
     chaaannel itttt!)
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNdIvPb196s
      
     Holoforms:
     These are all the general base, but I'm obviously tweaking and making
     them my own. I just tried to think of similar things/people that some
     could use as a reference in case my descriptions weren't enough. I
     highly recommend all these artists, and sweet Jesus I wish I was half
     as talented as them!
     Bee is totally Len Kagamine. Just with Darker Blue Eyes™ (to help
     with that puppy dog look) and more Scars. Like, lots more. http://
     www.fanpop.com/clubs/len-kagamine/images/39270023/title/kagamine-len-
     photo
     For Grimlock, I always circle back to my outright favorite artist's
     style. However, I see him as less BIG BOI BEAR and more huggable
     teddy bear (Kinda like their Bee). I also view him as having green
     eyes, and wearing a straight up A-top (tank top, whatever you call
     it). I personally think if he had strings on his sleeves from it
     being torn, it would annoy him because SOMETHINGS THERE GOTTA PUNCH
     IT. nothing. nothing was there. no punch today.
     http://milagrosen.tumblr.com/post/155649933505/hi-i-really-love-your-
     art-and-you-make-me-ship (God still amazing art though. I physically
     can’t even.)
     Strongarm I always think of Hanaji-W4's outstanding art on Tumblr.
     https://hanaji-w4.tumblr.com/post/165760079856/ストロングアーム
     Their Sideswipe is also fairly close to my own, but I think he would
     look sharper, with slightly longer hair. if that makes any sense.
     https://hanaji-w4.tumblr.com/post/165722209826/
     %E3%81%96%E3%81%A3%E3%81%8F%E3%82%8A%E6%93%AC%E4%BA%BA%E5%8C%96%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E3%81%BF%E3%81%9F-
     %E3%83%93%E3%83%BC%E3%81%AE%E3%83%BC%E3%81%8C%E6%B6%88%E3%81%88%E3%81%A6%E3%81%9F
     Several of my characters are taking inspiration from this drop-dead
     gorgeous art style be Autumn123Charlotte! https://
     autumn123charlotte.deviantart.com/gallery/58435338/ORIENT-TF. have a
     look around their Da, cause the folders have stuff too! (My
     inspiration is that the influence of the Matrix is obvious to mecha,
     so it would need to be obvious for humans as well. I'm currently
     looking into different hair pieces that would focus around two prism-
     like gems, but can be changed to suit the wearer's preference.)
     In the case of my beloved TIC and SIC: I imagine Jazz’ holoform to
     look a lot like Lucio, but I will be using elements from Autumn123's
     design. Prowl is in a similar boat. I think his holoform looks like
     Symmetra, but with less distinction on the oriental/Hindu edge.
     (Because Jazz and Prowl are beautiful, and Lucio and Symmetra are
     beautiful and I love them both. Bouncy music man and confident
     goddess go well together. I JUST REALLY LOVE THEM OKAY)
     I really wish I could find pictures to match my headcannons that
     better match for Sideswipe/Sunstreaker and Grimlock and all of the
     others, but Yall will just have to deal with my shitty descriptions
     found in the fic and these amazing references.
     Finally, these descriptions were meant to be vague for strong, sides
     and drift. They don’t use holoforms very often, so they obviously
     wouldn't have them as stylized as Bee's. (Grim is a simply boi, and
     He Dun Do Frills.)
***** Understanding and Bonding Time *****
Chapter Summary
     Drift tries to learn, and Russel and Denny have some father-son time
     before school.
Chapter Notes
     This is supposed to be part of the last chap, but I didn't want it to
     drag on forever. So, short chappy that got cleaved in half. I tried
     to fill it out, but i'm honestly tired of reworking it again and
     again to force the chap along. So, I'll just cut my losses and pick
     it up next chap.
     So, enjoy some fluffyness and a promise to be a good boy.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Upon returning to the scrapyard, Bee encountered an absolute mess. Strongarm
was between a livid Drift and a terrified Sideswipe, and Grimlock's arms were
circled around the orange mech’s waist to hold the samurai back. Bee looked
around quickly, spotting the terrified trio of Fixit, Denny, and Russell hiding
out behind the console. Slipstream and Jetstorm sitting silently beside where
Drift was once parked- huddled together and shaking. Bee transformed, causing
the two minicons nearest him to jump. With a mental note to apologize later, he
swiftly stepped between the conflicted mech. He snarled his own engine just as
he stepped into Drift’s view, hoping it would assist in the surprise factor he
already had. 
Grimlock visibly jumped as Bee appeared, but managed to keep his grip on the
other. Strongarm outright squeaked, stepping backward and falling onto
Sideswipe- who flailed and fell to the ground, catching Strongarm against his
chest with a quiet ‘oof!’. "What in the name of Unicron is going on here?"
Bumblebee growled out, leveling a glare right back at the angered samurai. "Why
did you not tell me he was pit spawn?!" He barked back, and Bee almost blared
his horn in frustration.
Instead, Bumblebee hiked his wings up, and Grimlock wisely let go of the orange
mech to step back. “I’m more concerned with where your ‘honor and respect’
went. I leave for one hour and come back to you being physically held back and
ready to start a fight!" Drift's armor shifted as he prepared to strike out at
the smaller mech, and Denny pulled Russell close to shelter him from the view.
Bee reacted quickly, grabbing the other's wrist. He quickly twisted it,
throwing all his weight into Drift's opposite shoulder- giving him the leverage
to fling Drift in a graceful arc. Everyone winced as the elder smashed into the
ground face-first. Bee quickly followed him the extra steps, reaching down to
grip Drift’s shoulder and haul the elder to his feet. He effortlessly drug the
stunned mech towards the back part of the scrapyard for a talk. 
Drift's stunned students looked at each other from where they sat, before
scrambling to their feet to chase after their master and the livid lieutenant.
Grimlock moved into action, scooping them up and shaking his helm when they
turned to give him a pleading look. Sideswipe finally untangled himself from
Strongarm, pushing himself vertical before helping the femme to her pedes. The
two students struggled for a moment longer, before Grim’s low timbre
indistinctly muttered a reply. Slipstream made a muffled noise of despair,
curling into the larger as Jetstorm continued to struggle. Sideswipe shook his
helm before looking over to check on the trio behind the console. "Well, that
went well..." He muttered sarcastically, and Strongarm gave a bitter laugh.  
"I think a scraplet infestation would have gone better than that..." She
retorted, giving a sad glance to the two upset students. Grimlock seemed to
have calmed Jetstorm, as both of them were now curled into his shoulders as
Grim quietly reassured them. "Don't worry guys, Bee'll talk to him. Drift’s
just… scared. And upset. He’ll understand." Sideswipe sighed, and reassuringly
patted their backs. "That’s actually not the worst reaction I've ever gotten to
the news, so I’m certain he’ll be better off once he processes everything. It
is a lot to take in all at once."
Russell gave the red mech a horrified look, half screaming as he shook. "How
does it get worse than that!?' Sideswipe shifted his weight, glancing back to
the two humans and petrified Fixit. "Well... I’ve had mech immediately try to
kill me, I’ve had vow to hunt me down, I’ve had one tear part of my shoulder
off-“ He shifted awkwardly as the looks grew more horrified. “-others have
called the enforcers to say I was stealing or threatening them…you get the
point. Being yelled at is definitely the better end of the spectrum."
 Denny was the one to give him the panicked reply this time. "For fuck's sake
Sideswipe, I thought you were joking! He almost-!” Sideswipe cut him off,
holding up a hand. “Guys, this is what I expected from everyone here. That’s
how most mech react to me being split-spark… I wasn’t kidding when I said most
people want us dead on sight.”
The red mech signed deeply, pinging Bee to call him back to the corner if he
could help at all. “Either way, I'm sorry you guys had to see that. I was gonna
do it in private with Bee later. Ya know, so he could help with any fallout.”
Denny gave the speedster brokenhearted look, shaking his head. “It’s still not
right Sideswipe. You didn’t do anything!”
Fixit wordlessly wheeled out from behind the console, holding up his arms with
a sorrowful frown on his faceplate. Sideswipe gave him a mildly
surprised look, before his face softened and he knelt down to hug the mini
close. Grey clamps gently thumped against the red backplate, and Sideswipe
squeezed him a little closer as the minicon spoke. "It’ll be alright Sideswipe.
Like Grimlock said...Bee will fix it. Drift is just upset. He’ll understand."
Sideswipe smiled hefting the smaller bot up.
Grimlock sat down in the center of the yard, allowing the two minicons to rest
on his lap. Over the next few minutes, the circle reconvened for the third time
that day- with spirits lower than the setting sun. 
"But…” Jetstorm started, grasping for words. “Why was Master Drift so upset
with you Sideswipe? Wouldn't the presence of a brother be a joyous thing?  Even
if he is a criminal, it’s another life!” Jetstorm seemed to still be on the
brink of tears, trying his best to come to terms with what he had seen.
Sideswipe shook his helm, and rested his elbows on his caves.
 "Some mech are very spiritual- like Drift is. Some long ago, it was decided
that one particular type of sibling was...not good. Split-spark twins are
regarded as tainted sparks, or mech that were 'once whole mecha that gave
themselves over to Unicron'... It’s mostly because of the unusual circumstances
around our separation.” The two gave him a confused look, and Sideswipe
continued. 
“Split spark twins weren’t originally supposed to be twins- Sunny and I
were supposed to be one single mech. However, something went wrong when we were
being developed. We became two different sparks that rely on one another for
survival." 
The two minicons listened intently, and Slipstream raised his hand to ask a
question. Sideswipe hesitated, nodding to him after realizing what he was
doing. "Why wouldn't that be even more joyous? The carrier has been blessed
with two lives instead of one…that seems like it should be celebrated!"
Sideswipe laughed, but there was no joy in it. "Pit I wish more mecha thought
like you...It's got to do with the stories that surround split-spark twins.
They all go along the lines of ‘A pure mech tainted their spark, and therefore
deserves to be punished in this life.’ That punishment is being cleaved in two,
and never feeling whole again. Lots of mech see it as a punishment rather than
a celebration."
The three minis all tilted their helms, settling in. Sideswipe chuckled,
popping his backstrut and following suit.  As Sideswipe began to share the
stories, the argument in Bee’s former room in the back of the scrapyard heated
up.
"If you wish to damn this team to eternity than that is your own judgment, but
he should have informed us so we could-" "I swear to the pits Drift, if you
finish that statement with 'limit the taint in our sparks' I will slap you."
Drift gave Bee a half-shocked look, and the younger took advantage of the
stunned silence to continue.
"For Primus’ sake Drift, I was raised with a pair of split sparks. If they
truly were inherently evil, do you really think Optimus would ever let his
charge near them? Fuck no! He would have had them so far from me even Unicron
himself couldn't bridge that gap!" Bumblebee watched Drift scramble for a
retort, the gradual whittling of his defenses finally showing the cracks in his
armor.
Bee allowed his field to expand, that sorrow and disappointment threatening to
drown the elder mech- absolutely thankful he had gotten his carrier’s talent
for field work. "I truly expected better from you Drift- I can understand about
you being upset. I was too when I was told...but he told you because his life
is in danger from how he's been separated from Sunstreaker- He told us so if
he dies, we would know why. Sideswipe decided to tell us about a part of his
life that frequently puts him in danger..." The samurai gaped at the younger
mech, obviously trying his best to find something to retort. However, from what
the Lieutenant could teek, Bee had finally broken through that shell of fear
that had been clouding his reason.
“If...If split-sparks were good, why wouldn’t they remain whole?” Drift fired
back, fluffing his armor reflexively. Bee shot it down quickly enough, sitting
before the samurai. Drift slowly sat as well, hesitance and contempt bleeding
through his field like an open wound. “If they were irredeemably evil, why
would Primus allow them to return to Cybertron?” Drift’s plating slammed shut,
and he gritted his dentae. He started to speak several times, before taking a
deep invent and pulling his field as close as possible.
“If these stories were not true, why do they continue to perpetuate? Wouldn’t
they have been cut off?” Bee chuckled, shaking his helm. “Well, let’s debunk
that this way. When you were a con, did you ever hear the stories of ‘The
Hatchet’?” Drift nodded, seemingly uncertain how this applied to their
conversation. “Do you really think Ratch had a lab beneath the engines of the
arc that he would experiment on mecha in? Really?” Drift’s optics widened, and
Bumblebee continued. “I’m certain you’ve seen Soundwave being lovey to his
cassettes as well- does that live up to the stories that all Decepticons are
heartless? They’re stories Drift. They’re spread as nightmare fuel, and Split-
Sparks got the worst of it because no one knows why they don’t just die like
most other sparks.”
Drift studied the ground hard, and Bumblebee watched what was left of that
fearful anger give way to the shame of his actions.  "I'll watch Slipstream and
Jetstorm while you collect yourself. Go for a drive, meditate, whatever you do
to bring yourself back to a reasonable state. Then, I want you to consider-
Truly consider which is more important: A story, or a friend.” Bee leaned in,
bumping helms with the taller. “If you choose the latter, I know you’ll need to
speak to Sideswipe privately. Ping me and I'll send him on patrol, and you two
can talk it out. However, I will send Strongarm as well. She'll give you the
privacy you need, but keep any nearby cons off your backs. After you speak to
Sides, you need to talk to your students about your reaction. They
were terrified behind you Drift."  The mech nodded, pressing into Bumblebee’s
helm a little more. Bee raised his servos, patting the elder’s cheeks.
"You're not a bad mech Drift. You just need to learn, as all of us have at one
point. This fault isn’t fatal, but it won't be an easy fix either. It never
is." Drift took a deep breath, sitting in silence for a long moment. Bumblebee
waited patiently, unable to keep the hopeful perk out of his doorwings as the
range mech stood. Drift nodded once, silently transforming to speed off into
the creeping darkness.  With a quiet smile, Bee stood. He stretched his arms
above his helm, releasing the pent-up tension from his spine as he relaxed. He
met the half-worried looks with a grin, and sat beside Grimlock. Slipstream
didn’t seem to mind the shift of Grim’s arm as it slid around Bee’s waist, and
no one bothered to mention it if they saw Bee’s helm lazily flop onto a green
shoulder.
 
--------------------
 
It was just past sunrise before Drift returned, and the samurai gave an
uncharacteristic grin at the pile up of bots and humans in the front of the
scrapyard. He gently rubbed each of his student’s helms as he passed, before
silently tapping on Bumblebee’s shoulder. The lieutenant’s optic lit up a split
second before the servo made contact, and Drift pushed down the feeling of
eeriness that followed. Bee gracefully slipped from under Grimlock’s arm, and
they both went to wake Sideswipe.
This took several minutes, as Sideswipe was always the deepest sleeper on base.
After several hard shoves- and one small kick on Bee’s part- the speedster
booted up with blurry optics. After half a minute of confused explanation,
Sideswipe stood and followed the others to the back of the yard. This was far
more casual than the meeting a sunset, with Drift's posture mostly back to its
replaced position. Bee quietly leaned against the wall, acting as moral support
for his teammates.  Sideswipe jumped up onto the spare deep freeze, kicking his
pedes out before him as Drift choose to remain upright.
Both were surprised when the old-fashioned mech bowed deeply. “You have my
humblest apologies for my previous actions Sideswipe. I should have held far
more self-control than what was required to not lash out at you.” Sideswipe
shifted nervously, pushing Drift’s shoulder until he stood upright once more.
“It’s okay Drift, I ain’t mad. Honestly, you were the one I was prepared for
the most- like I said earlier, that’s how most mech react. I mean, it's not
like you'll ever have to deal with us together. Sunny’s been locked up for
life, and I’ll always try to stay near him. Whenever we get done here, I’m
gonna try to get a place near his prison.”  
Drift kept his stance, and his field slowly unfurled around him. “I…am aware of
this. That is why I should have had even more control over my reactions. I
pride myself on being above reproach, and that kind of…" Drift sighed heavily,
shaking his helm. "I know I have much to work through if I wish to be a better
mech. I cannot guarantee that my reactions will instantaneously improve, but I
do give my word that I will try to do my best.” Sideswipe grinned, jumping up
and hugging the elder close- Drift tensed, but allowed the hug. “Like I said,
it’s okay. You didn’t immediately try to jam that blade of yours through my
spark, so I know there’s hope for you yet.” Sideswipe let go, leaning back to
relax on the deep freeze once more. “Honestly, I’m kind of sad. I really feel
like you and Sunstreaker would get along well- he’s not really a mecha-mech
either, and as long as you don’t scratch his paint or something, he’d probably
be a great meditation partner.” Sideswipe sighed deeply, shaking his helm.
“Well…guess that’s life.”
From Sideswipe’s place, he couldn’t see Bee’s devious look behind him. Drift
hesitantly pinged the yellow Urbana, but received a helm shake in return and a
digit tapping against lips in a sign for silence.
-Jazz’ mate and I are working on getting Sunstreaker released. That death he
caused wasn’t malicious- it was self-defense. He was only arrested because the
mech had connections. Don’t tell Sides though, it’s a surprise.
Drift’s gaze stayed on Bumblebee for a long moment, but the samurai eventually
sat on a broken chassis. “…Tell me about him. Your Brother.” Both mech swore
they had never seen the speedster happier than he was in that moment.
Sideswipe leant in eagerly, his smile growing as settled in. “Well, there was
this one time, back in Tyger Pax…”
 
-----------------------------------------------
 
Strongarm slightly panicked when she woke to find Sideswipe missing, but
quickly calmed into curiosity as she heard laughter towards the back of the
scrapyard. She got up as quietly as she could, sneaking back towards the
lieutenant's former room to find the three desperately trying to stifle their
laughter. "No no no no no! That's not even the best part! After he said that,
Sunny just looked him up and down and said 'If I can out-polish you, I can
certainly outsmart you!' " 
The group dissolved into laughter once more- even Drift, which surprised
Strongarm immensely. The samurai was much calmer than the two youngsters he
held company with- the complete opposite of Bumblebee, who was curled up
slightly in the corner, shaking with laughter. The femme gracefully stepped
back, allowing the boys time to talk things out. When she re-entered the
scrapyard, she was met with a sleepy Grimlock's questioning gaze. She sat
beside the dino, gently skirtching the top of his alt's helm "It's alright.
They're back there telling jokes or something, and even Drift is letting a few
chuckles out. You were right, he just needed some time." 
Grimlock purred in approval, allowing his massive helm to rest on Strongarm's
thigh. It didn't take too long for him to fall back asleep, with the minis
still curled up beside his warm frame. It was about two hours later when
the minicons began to wake. Slipstream was the first, whimpering when he was
met with a green breastplate. With a quick check of his messages, he relaxed
for a moment before pushing himself up quietly, nodding politely to Strongarm
in greeting. He then sat cross-legged on the ground on the other side of the
femme, taking a deep breath to begin his morning meditation. Fixit woke next
with an adorable start twenty minutes later. The mini looked around to
take stock, but smiled when he caught sight of Strongarm reading a report while
Slipstream meditated. 
He quietly rolled away to check the console, and silence reigned until
Russell's school alarm went off. Denny and Russell both groaned, and the teen
gave his father a pleading look- which was quickly dismissed, and the teen was
extracted from Grimlock's limp grip to get ready for school. Just before the
teen was seen off, the trio returned from the back. Bee gave Denny an approving
look, and Sideswipe half-bounced over to Russell to chat. Slipstream
immediately bounded over to Drift, who gently patted his helm with a promise to
talk later- after they woke Jetstorm.
As they began that task, Russell started laughing at something Sideswipe had
said. Bee moved to talk to Denny, who was waiting by the truck while he watched
his son. Bee knelt down beside him, chuckling when Denny patted his forearm.
"Good work on getting those two to get along." 
"It really wasn't hard. Drift didn't hold any real spite against Sideswipe in
the first place, so once he had a chance to clear his head he calmed down a
lot." Denny nodded,  watching the orange mech carefully tug the darker-plated
student from under the limp dino. "Did you have to talk him through anything?"
"Yeah, but it was the usual weak responses.  A few good examples and he popped
like a balloon." Denny patted his arm again in silent approval, looking up when
Sideswipe called the father's name. "Hey Denny! Can I-" Denny cut the question
off with a flat look. “Absolutely not. Last time you 'took him to school' he
didn't actually make it there." 
Both Russell and Sideswipe groaned, and Denny moved to chase his son to the
tuck. Bee bumped Russell's fist as he passed, and the lieutenant moved to wake
his snoozing boyfriend. 
Just before the two humans drove off, they both burst out laughing as they were
graced with the view of Bumblebee gently shaking Grimlock's shoulder- only for
the arm to fling around his waist, yanking him over into a flailing cuddle. By
the flush on Strongarm's face and the way Bumblebee's feet kicked, it was safe
to assume Grimlock got his good-morning kiss. 
They snickered as Denny backed out, turning onto the main road that led to
Russell's grade school. The brunette looked up to his father, clicking his
seatbelt into place. "So, what did Bumblebee say about Drift?" "He'll be
alright. Just got freaked out, and he got a chance to collect himself before
working things out. He's just found a spot he needs to grow." The father
flicked on his turning signal, merging onto a side road.
"I'm still surprised Bee's just a little older than me. Did you see how he
flipped Drift? It was like he weighted nothing!" The young teen half-bounced in
his seat, trying his best to imitate the flip. "Well, I would assume he learned
that back when he was fighting in that war. All sorts of cool self-defense
stuff can be learned in those kinds of times." Russell nodded, turning his gaze
out of the window for a minute. "Do you think he would teach me a few of those
moves?" 
Denny gave Russell a sidelong look, grinning as he stopped for a stoplight.
"Perhaps. You'll have to ask him. If he says no, that means-" "No means no dad,
I know."  He leaned over to flick his father's shoulder, snickering as Denny
feigned massive pain. They relaxed once more, and Denny struck up a more
mundane conversation. "Are you going to football practice after school?" 
"Not that I know of. Last I checked, it was still canceled because of the
Coach's family reunion. I'll ask Hank when I see her and text you." Denny
nodded leaning forwards to check the curve ahead. "Alright. I'm gonna ask Bee
how that meeting with the government went, and I'll let you know what he
said if I pick you up. For now, I'll plan on right after school in the usual
spot."  They pulled up in front of a small school, several students grouped in
the playground off to the side to enjoy the nice day. 
"Alright. If it's important, send me a small text. I'll try to sneak off to
call you instead if texting." Russell unbuckled, leaning over to give his dad a
quick hug. "Don't get eaten by Underbite!"  Denny laughed lightheartedly,
squeezing him back. "Don't get kidnapped by Steeljaw-  and remember-~" The two 
counted to three, throwing their helms back and cheering 'ayooooo~'- as they
did each morning. The laughing teen opened the door, pulling his lunchbox out
from under the seat. "Have fun buddy. Be safe!" Denny said, ginning as the boy
put on his backpack. Russell replied with a quick "I will!", closing the door
and waving before jogging over to Hank and the rest of the football team. Denny
waited until Russell joined his friends before putting the car in gear and
driving off, turning on the radio and humming along to an oldies tune. 
 He had a message flashing on his phone when he reached the scrapyard, and the
elder human found himself smiling as he watched Grimlock's antics- still
holding Bumblebee hostage, but getting a dog pile on top of him at some point
during their absence. Denny muttered 'a dad's work is never done' to himself as
he popped the door to his truck, set on freeing the young lieutenant.
 
Chapter End Notes
     Sunstreaker's quoted snark is a reference to Sly 3: Band of Thieves.
     The actual quote is from Dimitri in the 'Flight of Fancy' episode. It
     goes "If I can /outdress/ him I can certainly /outsmart/ him! All is
     told through clothes."
     It's a beautiful line. Here's a video with it, and the line is at 7:
     12. Be careful of super lowkey spoilers I guess if you haven't
     played?
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1Mv4J5t9Jk
     Ayoooooooooo~!
***** Quality *****
Chapter Notes
     Shout out to the show Mom used to watch. Stargate Sg1.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Denny left a little early to pick Russell up from school- the house was running
low on groceries again- so Bee and Grim had decided to relax and catch up in
their room. This led to Bumblebee curled up in their nest, his helm
pressed against Grimlock's own as the larger shielded him from the light breeze
drifting through the scrapyard. Grimlock trailed his servo down Bee's side,
leaning in to kiss the top of his nose. Bumblebee smiled, caressing Grim's
cheek lovingly and snuggling closer to the warm frame beside him.  
"You're really beautiful Bee." Grim grinned as a sight shimmer of blue spread
across Bumblebee's faceplate, and the younger fought the urge to cover his face
with his hands. "You are too Grim." Grimlock beamed in response, pressing even
closer to the increasingly embarrassed lieutenant. "You really really are
though. You're so pretty and colorful- even your holoform. It's obvious how
much effort you've put into it. It really is a good form for you." Bumblebee
stared at him for a long moment, grinning like the love-struck fool he knew he
was.
Bumblebee decided not to respond with words, leaning the extra inches to claim
a soft kiss from the mech beside him. Grimlock purred, returning the kiss
happily as he curled further into Bumblebee. Sharpened servos rubbed tiny
transformation seams with a gentleness no one would match with the lumbering
mech, causing Bumblebee's wings to flutter with the slight tickle. It was
willfully ignored in exchange for pressing even closer to his chosen mate. Bee
snickered when Grim's fans eventually kicked on, and the kiss reluctantly broke
with a dreamlike sigh. Grimlock kept the purr in his chest rumbling as he
lovingly nuzzled his way up to Bumblebee's ear.
"An I wouldn't worry 'bout your scars that you were trying to hide either. They
look like they've been healin' up nice. I doubt they'll still be very big in a
few vorn." Bee felt his face heat further, and he just curled deeper into
Grimlock's embrace. "Sometimes, I wonder what I did to deserve you Grimlock..."
Bee muttered, his field flaring with a nervously happy flitter around the two
of them. Grimlock purred in response, stroking a servo between Bee's wings
before a playful flux shimmered through his own field. "If I had to guess, it'
probably good karma from shiving Megatron." 
Bumblebee burst out into horrified laughter, trying to shove Grimlock away and
cover his face at the same time. His comparable lack of physique lead to
Grimlock easily yanking him close, curling closer to Bee and snickering when
smaller servos carefully slipped into stationary vents. Grimlock plating
fluffed slightly at the slight tickle, but his free servo playfully stroked up
a fluttery doorwing as they settled to further enjoy the quiet.
Bee closed his optics for a long moment, savoring the feeling of Grimlock so
close before he pulled back slightly. He met Grimlock's pout with a
hesitant grin, and softly stroked over Grim's chestplate. "Why..." Grimlock
stayed quiet as Bee struggled with his words, soothingly stroking his shoulder.
"Why don't my scars bother you Grim?" Grimlock shrugged, but did his best to
come up with an actual answer for Bumblebee. "They just don't...I mean, I got a
buncha scars too. You saw those on my holoform, and I can show you them on my
protoform too if you want." Bee remained quiet, thumbing along the vent just
below Grimlock's left pectoral. "I guess it doesn't bother me as much because I
know how war is. Mech get hurt and it don't matter how old you are. Blaster
fire doesn't really have a moral code." Bumblebee hummed quietly, shuddering
when Grim's talons caught a ticklish seam in his upper back. 
"Honestly, It kinda freaks me out to see someone that isn't littered with scars
anymore. They might be because of somethin' bad, but they just mean you
survived it and got better because of it." The Dino thought for another minute
before continuing with a pretty good summary. "I guess I'm just not lookin' at
the injury, but the fact you got better after. And you've done a lot of getting
better Bee... Prolly why you're so amazing." Bumblebee pressed his face into
the crook of Grim's neck, and the Dino was more than mildly concerned when he
felt a dampness a few seconds later- until he realized Bumblebee was shaking.
He wrapped his arms around his smaller mate, squeezing him close.
"It's aiite Bee. Like I said: you're the most beautiful mech I've ever seen-
and your scars just make you even more beautiful. You don't gotta hold up to a
standard for anyone...Besides. Anybot who only judges based on the un-bumpy-
ness of a protoform prolly isn't someone you wanna be around anyway." 
Sideswipe kept his servo over his mouth as he slowly backed up, trying his best
to not interrupt the couple before him. Once he was at a safe distance,
he exvented hard, shaking his head. It took him a few seconds to force back on
his usual grin, but he did. He re-entered the scrapyard, nonchalantly shrugging
to the others in attendance. "Bee's talkin' to Grim bout some personal stuff.
Should be done fairly soon though...If he's not out here in ten I'll ping him."
Denny and Russell nodded, each grabbing an armful of groceries that needed to
be put up. Russell continued to tell his father the stories of the playground-
mostly an animated retelling of how Hank had sat on an eighth-grader. Once the
humans disappeared inside, Sideswipe's look must have fell slightly-
Strongarm's optics had narrowed and she gave Sideswipe a once-over. "Is Bee
alright?"
The speedster gave her a surprised look. "What do you-" "Sideswipe." The
staring contest brought everyone's attention to him, and Sideswipe
caved embarrassingly quickly. "Bee's...upset about something. When I went back
there to get them, Grim was holding him pretty close while muttering something
about scars, and how if people are judging him by his scars they're 'not the
kind of mech he should be around anyway'. I... think Bee's a little more
bothered by the ones he's got than he likes to admit. I don't think the fact
his holoform reflects all of the scars helped that insecurity either.
Just...give them a little bit, okay?" 
Drift was quiet for a long moment, before his usual smooth tone echoed in a
thinly-veiled disturbance. "Perhaps we should refrain from asking him about his
wartime activities- and the injuries that occured within that period. It might
bring up bad memories or unwanted emotions, and Bumblebee should not be forced
to cope with them. That is something that should occur when he is ready, not
when we are." With silent nods all around, the mecha around the scrapyard set
about to carry on with their days. Sideswipe sent Bee a very, very low-level
ping to tell him Denny and Russell had returned, and Strongarm stepped over to
offer up some training. 
 
===============================================================================
 
 
 
It took several minutes before Bee sighed, pushing himself upright and rubbing
his optics with the heels of his palms. Grimlock was quick to follow, leaning
forwards to nuzzle him affectionately. "Feel a bit better?" The deep rumble
made Bee's wings twitch, but he nodded in agreement. "Y-yeah. Sorry, I just-
" "Don't apologize for that Bumblebee. You might need to be a bunch of stuff,
but invincible ain't one of them. Not with me." Bumblebee gave him a tired
smile, leaning forwards and pressing a gentle kiss to Grim's lips, breaking it
by slowly sliding down until he could press his face into Grim's neck.
"Thank you Grimlock. I...I know it's not always the easiest being with me, but
I love you even more for giving me a chance." 
Grimlock beamed a smile, stroking the back of Bee's helm. "I'm just surprised
someone hasn't given you a chance way sooner." Grim stood first, easily holding
Bee's hand within his own as he helped the lieutenant to his feet. Bee's wings
fluttered as he took a deep breath, giving Grimlock a shaky grin. "So, do I
look like I just bawled my optics out, or am I presentable?" Grimlock hummed,
framing his chin with his pointer and his thumb as he 'thought' about it.
"Weelll... you might have a little bit of sign. Riiiight ...here!" Grimlock
lunged forwards sliding his arms around Bee's waist and bending
him backwards slightly as he stole yet another kiss, half-snickering against
Bee's lips as the younger flailed before giving in. Bee didn't feel
like monitoring how long that kiss lasted, and casually ignored how his arms
drifted up around Grimlock's neck sometime after his optics fizzled offline. 
When he reactivated them, he pressed his fore helm to Grimlock's and smiled.
"Love you Grimlock." The toothy smile he got in return could reignite a nova.
"Love you too Bumblebee." Grim didn't bother masking the pout when Bumblebee
stepped back, trailing his nails along Grim's chin in a soft scratch as his
wings fluttered with renewed happiness. "C'mon. Everyone's waiting for us." 
Grim followed Bee out, grinning slightly as the younger obviously held more
bounce in his step- in a much better mood after finally getting some of that
weight off his pauldrons. Oddly enough, no one else seemed to point it out as
they re-entered the main part of the scrapyard. Bee headed over to the console,
where Fixit helpfully pulled up a sub screen so the lieutenant could do his
usual check-in. All was quiet until Denny and Russell exited the house, waving
enthusiastically at the two that had been missing when they originally got
home. Russell bounded over to Bee, happily climbing into the Urbana's lap. 
Bee shifted his legs, grinning slightly as the teen effortlessly hoisted
himself into a comfortable spot. Then the usual barrage of daily questions
started. "So, What'cha doin?" "Replying to Emails." Bee grinned at the
playfully put-upon groan, the teen going limp against the mech's hand. "You
answer too many emails." Bee exhaled through his nose while pursing his lips.
"You're telling me. How was school?" Bee knew he hit the mark when the teen lit
up. "Preeeeetty good." Russell readjusted 'casually', pillowing his head with
an arm as he watched Bee type. "One of the eighth graders stole our football-
again. Hank got it back though. She sat on one of the eighth graders until he
gave up. It was so cool to watch!"
The teen readjusted, and Bumblebee settled in for a story as he sent off the
first email. "He was all 'I'm older so I'll do what I want!' He turned away to
walk off with all his friends, and I knew something funny was gonna happen when
Hank just grinned. Then she was all 'alright then. You couldda just asked if
you wanted to play.' Then she blew the whistle and tackled him before he
realized what was up! Then she just sat on his back till he gave it up! His
friends didnt even help cause they were laughing too hard!" Bee grinned,
shaking his helm. "Did she get in trouble?" "Nope! She told the teacher she
thought he wanted to play, so she just started the game back up. The worst she
got was a warning."
Bee laughed, nodding approvingly. "Sounds like something Bulkhead did once. If
I remember right, Smokescreen was trying to steal one of Ratchet's wrenches
again- At that point it was a running joke in Team Prime to see how many times
we could get Ratchet to say 'I needed that!' in one day." Russell burst out
laughing at the poor immatation of the grumpy medic, and Bee's wings fluttered
happily. "Buuut Smokescreen was taking it too far. Bulkhead just kind of leaned
back as Smokescreen ran past and gripped him by the ankle- yanked him flat on
his back. Then sat on him for an hour. Even Optimus was holding back laughter
by the end of it. I think Arcee took pictures at some point." 
Russell laughed, kicking his feet. "What were you doing during all of that?
Laughing from a distance?" The sudden flush on his faceplate made Russell sit
up, expecting a round of hilarious antics. “I was...uh...well..." Bee's wing's
dipped slightly, and the mech gave in. "if I'm gonna be honest, I was kind
of throwing a fit. My t-cog- the thing that lets me transform into my alt mode-
was stolen. I was antsy and...really testy. I couldn't even go
on patrol without being a liability because I almost got myself killed."
Russell's jaw dropped- along with half the scrapyard's. 
"How did you do that?!" The embarrassment on Bee's face was more than
priceless. "...mighta done a stupid and accidentally drove off a cliff..."
Russell's mouth snapped closed as he fought to suppress his laughter, but
failed miserably. He wound up curled into Bee's side, as Denny assumed the Dad
Pose™. "Are you going to go into more detail than that?" Bumblebee's wings
fluttered lightly, and he shrunk behind the console. "Wasn't currently planning
on it..." 
The Dad Look™ followed, and Bee shrank further behind the console. "Begone foul
scrap demon!" Bee muttered quietly, carefully flicking a small toaster a good
four feet to Denny's left. The half-hearted tension popped as Denny doubled
over laughing, shaking his head and muttering 'scrap demon!' as he walked over
to pick up the small appliance. Russell turned his gaze upwards, ginning at the
amused mech. "Seriously though. How did you drive off a cliff if you couldn't
transform?"
Bumblebee groaned, rolling his shoulders to loosen the strained cables.
"Well...you see...Since I couldn't transform, I couldn't catch Knockout- who
was still a con at the time- by foot. So, I happened to see this old beat-up
truck...it obviously hadn't moved in a long while, so I... borrowed it. Tried
to use it as like, a really shitty kart. Turns out trucks can NOT bank a curve
very well..." The teen dissolved into laughter once more, and Denny
tried very hard to not join him. Sensing the topic wasn't going to drop, Bee
closed out of his console, carefully scooping up the smaller. He crossed the
scrapyard in a few steps, sitting in the spot he usually claimed during the
daily briefings.
Denny joined him, originally planning to sit on the ground beside Bumblebee.
However, when Bee scooped him up onto his lap as well, Denny didn't fight it.
The elder human patted the yellow hand supporting his back, humming quietly
before indulging in his own questioning. "Which was worse? Not being able to
transform, or not being able to talk?" Sideswipe's helm immediately turned, and
he traded a panicked glance to Strongarm. The rest of the scrapyard realized in
unison that they had forgotten to tell Denny about the discussion less than
half an hour prior. Bee shifted uncomfortably for a minute as he thought, but
didn't seem to be horribly upset by the question.  To the other mecha's
surprise, he answered rather frankly. 
"Honestly, It depends on my position and what I'm doing. Like, at this point in
my life, I would rather be mute again than to lose my ability to transform. I
would become a complete liability if I couldn't assist in the captures, and
It's fairly difficult to lead a capture team with that kind of handicap. If I
lost my voice, I would not only have a coping mechanism already in place, but I
also still know Earth's standard Sign Language. It wouldn't impact me as much."
Denny nodded, but didn't interrupt as the lieutenant continued on. "However, if
I was in a position where I don't travel as much...like a senator or something,
I would much rather be immobile than mute. It still would suck a lot though." 
Denny nodded, leaning back. Russell chimed in with his own version. "Oooh!
Would you rather lose your t-cog or fight a thousand angry Decepticons?!"  
That made Bumblebee laugh. "Definitely fight. I'd still probably win if they
didn't try to dog pile me. Either way, it wouldn't compare to the time Megatron
summoned a bunch of terrorcons. Optimus and Ratchet had to fight them off by
themselves- that was fuckin' awesome to watch!" The excitement in Bee's tone
made the temptation of joining the circle too much for Sideswipe and Strongarm
to resist. Russell bounced excitedly, clasping his hands together and mustering
up his best puppy-dog beg as the two newbies took their usual places. "Tell me
you have footage of that!" The playfully thoughtful pose made Russell up the
ante, quivering his lower lip to press the look further. Bumblebee sighed,
looking to Denny. "It's not pretty footage...is it okay if he sees it?"
The wide blue eyes spun to focus on his father, and Denny made a show of
considering it as well. "C'mon dad, pleeeaassseee?! I watched that zombie movie
with no problems!" Sideswipe shifted, adding in as devil's advocate. "Yeah! And
he didn't even scream when we went to the past and all that scrap went down. A
little video of Optimus being badass shouldn't matter!" Denny gave them another
surveying look, before nodding- and earning cheers from the other two, and a
half-embarrassed eye roll from the resident femme. Bee pulled up
a holoscreen while Drift, Fixit, and Grimlock finally joined the group. 
When the screen onlined, the view was from above- and it was an
absolute mess of a battlefield.  Optimus and Ratchet stood alone, optics wide
in shock as hordes of terrorcons crawled from the depths of the earth. Optimus
obviously said something to his smaller companion as his blasters charged, and
the look the medic gave left no question of the delivery of a flippant refusal.
The group was mildly sad that the yowling of the undead drowned out the
commentary of the bonded mech. Russell's eyes widened as the familiar medic
unsheathed sharp looking blades, before diving headfirst into the throng.
Optimus was quick to follow, shooting through the decaying frames with
a precision that had everyone leaning in to watch intently. A booming voice was
clear above the camera, and the view zoomed out slightly to reveal Megatron. He
was standing on a peak above, throwing taunts from a safe distance. 
The glare Optimus gave the other mech made half the group shrink away from the
scene uncomfortably- until Sideswipe let out a 'whoop!' as the Prime's blasters
were replaced with blades of his own. Everyone cheered in some form as Optimus
surged forwards, tearing through the deceased mecha with a ferocity that had
Denny's brows becoming one with his hairline. It was both comical and
terrifying how the body parts flew into the air, the herd thinning until only
Optimus and Ratchet remained. The video cut, and Russell spun his head to Bee.
"Do you have anything where you're fighting?"
Bumblebee's face lit up with a blush, and he shook his helm. "I am not showing
you those. I kinda like my team not being scared of me." Russell started up the
pout machine once more, but Bee was the only one in perfect position to see the
mischievous grin spread across a toothy maw. Rumbling laughter started at the
same time Bee cried out "Don't you dare!"- Before the screen lit up once more
with another video. Bee groaned, hiding his face in his hands with
an embarrassed keen.
The walls were a dark purple, and the lighting was dim. From the angle, it
seemed to be security footage. Footsteps echoed down the hall seconds before
Vehicons charged down the hallway from off screen, barreling down the hall and
towards the corner- only for the first con's helm to be shattered with blaster
fire. The walls pulsed an angry purple, and suddenly a familiar yellow frame
outright jumped onto the helm of another Vehicons. He died rather quickly from
the blade sinking into his cranial case. Bumblebee groaned loudly, muttering
'not this one!' Russell's grin grew as the younger Bee landed on the ground,
easily balancing the blade and the blaster to clear through the hallway with
ease. He began to run once more, spinning back when a familiar grey mech lunged
from the corner. The mech roared with anger, but the smaller scout just raised
his middle finger and transformed, spinning out and bolting down the hall as
the fusion cannon fired round after round after him. 
The screen cut to different halls several times, following the gorily acrobatic
kills and subsequent chase from the view of the cameras strung above. It ended
with one final scene, in some large storage looking room. A familiar red and
white ambulance was frantically typing on the keyboard, and a positively tiny
human-seeming to be younger than Russell- helped to type on a different
keyboard. Bee barreled through the door, beeping desperately enough for Ratchet
to look up- before his optics widened in fear and he quickly grabbed the human,
safely tucking him into his chest. He returned to frantically typing, and Bee
slowly stepped back as he fired multiple rounds at his pursuer. Megatron
stepped out of the shadows with a dark laugh, charging his fusion cannon.
Bee glanced back, whirring angrily before springing at the massive mech- from
this angle, the size difference between the two was painfully clear, and the
members of the scrapyard were sent into horrified silence as Bee was gripped by
the waist. Any damage his blade did seemed to have no effect, and he was flung
across the room like a ragdoll. The crack that followed had almost everyone
wincing, and Bumblebee just hid his face in his servos more. Maybe if he
pressed hard enough he could actually disappear.
In the time it took Megatron to turn to the ambulance, Bee was back on his
feet- using a box to springboard onto Megatron's shoulder and helm like a feral
cat. The bridge flashed and Ratchet called out, turning and fleeing from the
livid warlord. Bee planted his foot firmly against Megatron's face, pushing off
and transforming to race to the closing bridge. A few shots later, the video
cut off with Megatron's deep growl. 
Grimlock cackled a laugh, using a jokingly passive voice. "Ohhh, big scary
Megatron. Lemmee use your face as a springboard." Bee groaned again, throwing
a handful of dirt at the dino. "Shut uppp! It's not my fault it's like, the
perfect size for my foot!" Grimlock laughed more, and Russell just slowly
turned his head to face Bee. "Bro." Bee peeked between the fingers of his
remaining hand, regarding the smaller. "You have got to teach me how to do
stuff like that!" Drift started to deny him, shaking his head as the human grew
more and more excited. "I do not believe a child should learn such-" "And then
you flipped and pow! Then you turned and pew pew!" Bumblebee just started
laughing with an embarrassed keen of his engine, reburying his face in his
palms. He didn't even bother to look up as he answered.
"If it's okay with Denny, I might show you some little stuff. It's always good
to have some amount of self-defense training." Russell jumped up with a
'whoop!' and Strongarm's processor seemed to catch up with her. "S-...Sir?" Bee
looked up, finally removing his face from his hands- thankfully, the full
faceplate flush had finally contained itself. "Wasn’t...that Megatron? The mech
who tore your throat out?" Bumblebee nodded, flicking his wings. "Yeah, it
was." Sideswipe burst out with the next part, but it was similar to Strongarm's
thoughts anyway. "You kicked the mech who tore your throat out in the
face?! Are you insane?!" Both Bee and Grim chuckled, sharing a glance.
"Sideswipe, If you think that's insane, maybe you shouldn't hear stories of
the crazier stuff I've done." 
Sideswipe and Strongarm's horrified faces were overshadowed by a deep chuckle
behind them, and everyone's helm spun to see Optimus lingering near the far
entrance to the scrapyard. “I must agree. Kicking Megatron in the face is one
of the saner pastimes Bumblebee has taken up over the vorn." Instantaneously
the mood shifted, and the ever-patient prime waited for the greetings to settle
before joining the group. Bee wiggled his wings happily as the mech sat beside
him, and the larger mech playfully bumped the fist Russell offered to the now
largest mech in the circle. "I have apparently missed something amusing."
Russell beamed at the larger, summing it up nicely.  "Bee showed us a video of
you cutting through some zombies, then Grimmy embarrassed Bee with a video of
him kicking Megatron in the face, and Bee said he's gonna teach me cool
fighting moves!" 
Optimus raised a brow at Bee, but grinned very slightly at the 'innocent' grin
the lieutenant beamed towards him. Optimus suppressed a chuckle as he said
"No Zrills." Bumblebee immediately gasped, leaning back with a hand over his
spark. "But those are the best weapons!" Grimlock burst out laughing, doubling
over in laughter as Drift just pursed his lips with slightly widened eyes.
Sideswipe, Jetstorm, and Slipstream all had a different idea, as the excitement
that lit up their faces and the begging began. Bee just shook his head, and
Russell jumped up, pulling on Bee's finger. "C'mon, show me! It'll be
awesome!" 
Bee playfully contemplated and Optimus held out his hand for Denny, who
helpfully scooted into the Prime's palm. Bee grinned as he set Russell on the
ground, then transformed and backed away from the group to park at a safe 'no-
tripping' distance. The entire group scooted back a bit to give the younger
pair some working room, and the minicons grouped near Drift- in the perfect
range to pester him with private questions on form and use. Bee popped his door
to reveal his holoform once more, this time clad in a completely different
outfit.
The decorative hairpiece was gone, as his hair was pulled up in a tight
ponytail. Judging from the usual knowledge Russell had from girls at school, he
could easily guess that Bee's hair would be slightly longer than shoulder
length. The jacket was gone now, and Bee wore a simple black tee-shirt that
read 'I <3 Chicago'. His pants were just regular black sweatpants, carelessly
draped over black hiking boots- again maintaining the thick sole Russell was
now just assuming Bee liked in his footwear.  For the most part his arms were
bare, and most of the mecha were more than mildly disturbed by the amount of
scarring littering the lean muscle. Black fingerless gloves covered his palms
though, obviously made for fashion rather than actual stability or warmpth.
Russell beamed at the other teen, and eagerly bounced his weight from foot to
foot. "Where do we start?"
Bee chuckled, rolling his shoulders. "Well, let's start here. Try to hit me as
hard as you can. Don't worry about hurting me, I guarantee I've been hit
harder." Russell hesitated, but did his best to give a solid swing- Bee easily
caught the blow, and nodded appreciatively. "Not bad!" Russell beamed,
playfully punching the air like a boxer. "You hit me next! That’s how it works,
right?" Bee gave him a mildly horrified look, chuckling. "Oh hell no. I'm here
to teach, not give you a broken bone! Now, give me a good kick." The elder
clapped his hands together, just in front of his chest to give Russell a
target.
Russell thought for a second, before going for the kick he usually uses in
football. The kick went lower than the center of Bee's chest, aiming more
towards his mid-waist. Bee easily blocked it by shifting his
weight backwards, and lifting his leg at an angle to allow his shin to take the
impact. Russell grunted as the kick connected, hopping slightly and rolling his
ankle to help alleviate the sting. Bee hummed, shaking his head softly.
"That one could use some work. It's a good kick for football, but not so good
if you're trying to defend yourself." Russell frowned, and Bumblebee moved to
stand beside Russell, giving the younger a better vantage point as Bee sorted
some things out. "If you swing straight forward like you're kicking a ball,
you're putting your foot at risk. You could break your bones up through here
super easy." Bee pointed to the places just above and below his ankles,
expertly balancing on one foot. "Usually if you swing at an angle- kind of like
you're trying to curve a soccer ball into the net- you're far more likely to
save yourself from an injury. That's because the Tibia is the biggest bone, and
it's easier to distribute the force of impact. Next, always follow through with
a kick. Don't ever try to stop the kick after connection. Like this." Bee stood
beside Russell, balancing on one foot and showing the proper way to kick
someone. 
"It's kind of the same with punches. But with fists, you actually want to aim a
little straighter. Like this." Bee demonstrated a good throw. Russell tried his
best to copy it, and Bee tapped the inside of his elbow. "Just a little bit
straighter. You need to preserve some of the force
with arms, because there’s only so much pain you can give with a single blow.
Kicks have more force, but less speed. Punches are the opposite, focusing on
quick hits rather than hard hits." Russell nodded, playfully trying to punch
Bee in the chest. It was caught in a split second, and Bee held the smaller's
hand as he leaned in with a mischievous grin." This being said, go for the
throat if you want someone unconscious. Don't aim at the nose unless you just
want to piss someone off. You also shouldn't really aim for the chest, because
there's more mass to absorb the pain." Russell laughed as his hand was
released, and Bumblebee danced back a step. 
"Gimme a good one and I'll show you what happens when you get it wrong!"
Optimus suppressed a snicker as Russell threw a fairly decent punch- Only for
Bee to quickly block it with his forearm and quickly smack the smaller upside
the head. "Oww!" With a betrayed pout, Russell tried again- throwing another
punch, only to pull it last second and put all of his weight into a kick.
Bumblebee was quick to counter the change, shifting his own balance and
catching the leg against his side and his elbow. His hand grasped Russell's
calf, and the teen squeaked as his balance was forcibly knocked out of
proportion- almost sending the teen to the ground. Russell tried to pull his
leg free, but Bee smirked and gave it a solid yank. With his balance officially
gone, Russell crashed to the ground with a yelp. Bee put his hands on his hips
and smirked, leaning over the other slightly. "Like the taste of dirt,
smartass?" 
Russell snickered, nodding. "Tastes like your salty attitude!" Bee lunged for
the smaller's foot, but Russell was already pushing himself upwards. The
brunette bounded forwards, squealing as the Blonde gave chase. Strongarm and
Drift leaned to opposite sides to expand the escape route, and Denny cupped his
hands together to yell 'Run Russell Run!' Sideswipe just burst out laughing as
Grimlock bellowed 'Tear him up Bee!'. Optimus silently shook his helm, faintly
hearing a sharp squeal somewhere towards the human's residence. Strongarm
kicked off the conversation with a happy wing-waggle. "So, what brings you here
sir?" 
Optimus grinned softly, giving his attention to the young cadet. "Nothing in
particular, Strongarm. I was just checking in on everyone. Bumblebee has
mentioned that some of you have had an interesting journey as of late. If
memory serves, you may have some lasting questions." There were a few nods, but
for the most part there was an underwhelming blank stare. Denny tapped his
fingers against the semi's wrist to get his attention. "I've got one
that's...well... not really my business. You don't have to answer if you don't
want to." Optimus nodded quietly, waiting for the man to continue. "Did Bee's
spark chamber ever heal up, or is he still working on that?" Optimus broke into
a mildly saddened grin, but shook his helm in denial. "I'm afraid he is still
healing. He still has his artificial chamber though, so there's no risk of him
expiring on you."
Drift's dilated optics earned a soft pat on the knee from Strongarm, and a
quiet ping to remind her to tell them later. Sideswipe took the next question,
aiming to inject some humor into the situation. "Did you ever get fast enough
to catch him?" Grimlock chuckled, giving Optimus a pointed look. The
semi did chuckle then, once more shaking his helm. "Pit no. He's got his sire's
transmission." Laughter bubbled up all around, and Strongarm chimed in through
the laughter. "That reminds me, when are we going to get to see Ironhide? He
did survive the war, right?" Optimus nodded, humming quietly. "If you would
like, I could call him and Ratchet here now. Bumblebee could always use a
physical... He's always ditching them. Is that alright with you Denny, or do
you all have plans this evening?" Denny quickly denied the question, grinning.
"unless Bee has a plan, I don't know of anything. No one tells Bee though! I
wanna see him get surprised!" 
Fixit tilted his helm, but quickly piped in. "Wait...Is Ironhide Bumblebee's
sire?" Optimus gave the mini a patient smile shaking his helm once more. "No.
Ratchet is his sire, and I am his carrier. Ironhide is our third, but has
helped us raise Bumblebee since his conception." Those who had traveled back in
time got a good chuckle at the wide-eyed shock. It was fairly difficult to tell
who was the most surprised...but from the way Slipstream hit the ground, they
could make a plausible guess. Thankfully it didn't take too horribly long to
reawaken the minicon, and Bumblebee gave the group a mildly confused look as he
and Russell- both fairly dirty from the chase- finally returned. With a
chuckle, Bee's holoform dissipated, and the sounds of transformation filled the
air. 
Russell happily trotted over to Optimus as the Lieutenant reclaimed his spot,
but glanced at his creator when slack-jaws were all that met him. "What?
Something on my plating?" The yellow mechlet looked down at his chest, trying
to find the apparent spot. Fixit once more broke the silence with a question.
"Are...Were you going to tell us you're Optimus' creation?" Bee gave the
minicon a surprised look, before a slight glance over to Optimus- who quirked a
brow with a smirk. Bee gave him a flatly amused look, before shaking his helm.
"That isn't really information I pass out willingly, no. I've told Grim, but
that's only because we're-" His doorwings shot upright, and the embarrassment
of their leader quickly sent the group into stifled snickers. Optimus just
gave his creation a patient smile, finishing the sentence. "Because you are
courting. Congratulations, by the way." 
Bee's 'thank you' sounded more like breaks failing, and Sideswipe doubled over
in laughter. Bee's faceplate was bright blue at this point, and Optimus'
shoulders shook with restrained laughter. "As Fixit asked- Were you going to
tell us, or did you intend to try to keep it a secret?" The
mechling slowly fluttered his wings, but the amused look was enough to garner
that he as not in actual trouble. Grimlock rumbled a laugh, leaning in to
instigate. "Yeah Bee~ Were ya gonna teeeellll~?" Bumblebee groaned and shoved
the yellow faceplate away, and Optimus chuckled as the offending hand was
caught and kissed. "I was going to tell you- after a Vorn or so. That way, if
it didn't...work out, it wouldn't effect everyone so much." Optimus softly
patted Bee's helm, shaking his helm. The snickers of the group guaranteed at
least a week's worth of teasing. 
The sound of the spacebridge firing up sent Bee's wings into a tizzy, and the
Lietunant quickly unsheathed his blaster and took up stance before the glowing
portal. He gave a quick glance at his team- who weren't getting up?- before a
red pede appeared with a stargate-esque shimmer. "Now youngin, I know yeh ain't
aimin' that blaster at me.' Bee's wings froze solid, and Strongarm made sure to
get good captures of the shock on Bumblebee's face- and how it shifted to sheer
happiness as he rushed forwards to give the weapon sspecialist a hug.
Ironhide chuckled, patting Bee's back. "Hey there Kiddo. Been a lil' bit." 
Chapter End Notes
     The terrorcon fight is from TFP S1E4 Darkness Rising Part 4. You can
     watch it here http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3b8c4u timestamp 0:
     45.
     The second fight is loosely based on TFP S1E14 Out Of His Head. Watch
     it here!http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3bnbhh timestamp 16:44
     I'm pretty much making Raf and Ratch run ahead, and Bee distracts the
     cons while they get the bridge set up. Megs chases Bee for a bit
     before his Starscream senses tingle.
     Bee's fighting advice is advice I was given throughout my childhood.
     Therefore, take this with a grain of salt!
***** Bee Has Some Esplanin' To Do ™ *****
Chapter Summary
     With everyone assembled, the Bee team goes to talk to the government.
Chapter Notes
     Sorry for the serious delay on this chapter. I had to deal with
     exams, and rewatch a good part of Prime and all of RID 2015. It took
     far, FAR longer than I had anticipated, and I greatly apologize for
     the wait. Hopefully It'll never get that bad again.
Ironhide effortlessly lifted Bumblebee off the ground, smirking as he
approached the group with the dangling lieutenant in his arms. "Y'all lost
yerselves a trigger-happy mechlet. Have 'em back." Bee was promptly dropped on
his aft beside Grimlock, and the medic shook his helm quietly as he sat beside
Optimus. Ironhide lingered a bit to mess with Bumblebee- in self-defense, of
course. If Bee didn't want his pedes grabbed, he shouldn't try to kick mecha!
Denny didn't bother holding back his laughter when Bee was yanked onto his
back, expecting Ironhide to stop. When bee's frame slowly began sliding
backward though, Grimlock playfully batted the cracked servos off Bee's pedes
with a snicker of his own. Ironhide let him go with a devious grin, and
Sideswipe beamed at the newest members. "So, you're Ironhide, huh?" The older
mech flashed a grin and flopped on Ratchet's unoccupied side. Everyone outside
the small family became concerned when Ironhide's knees and hips creaked
ominously as he settled. Bumblebee readjusted his position, sitting cross-
legged beside Grimlock and giving Ironhide some serious side-eye. "What's wrong
old mech, need a hip replacement?"
Ironhide whipped his helm around to snarl at the younger mech. "Mechlet I
swear, I'll-" "Yeah, he fraggin' does. Won't let me touch him though." Ratchet
cut him off, leveling Ironhide with his own glare. Ironhide moved to bump his
forehelm against Ratchet's, holding the glare perfectly. "If you start that
slag again Ratch-."
"Oh, nag nag nag. I'll get ya when your hip gives out and I have to drag your
sorry aft-"
"I will not just give out, I ain't that close to the smelter and you know it!" 
"Oh, I beg to differ-" 
At this point, Optimus shook his helm and chuckled. "You two argue like old
mech." Ratchet and Ironhide both whipped their helms to Optimus, bitching back
in unison. "Shut it, youngin'!" As amused glances were traded, almost everyone
broke out into laughter. Strongarm prided herself on remaining as presentable
as she could, and Drift just sat patiently with a small grin as the laughter
began to simmer down.
It was Ratchet that pulled the conversation back to point once the snickering
had calmed. "Alright then Bumblebee. What's the big plan for today?" Bee
wiggled his wings, humming with a shrug. "Nothing too big. I just wanted to do
some questions since everyone's together for once." The quiet easily settled
over the scrapyard as everyone gave the youngest bot their attention, and Bee
continued with a happy wing-flutter.
"Ok. As everyone knows, I recently had to go deal with the lovely human
government." The sudden look of surprise from Optimus quickly got Bee's
attention. "Well...almost everyone. They've noticed bridge activity, and were
getting very close to finding our base. Thankfully, they sent Will and his new
crew to interrogate us." Ironhide bore a toothy grin at the mention of the old
friend, and Bumblebee shook his helm. "Well, while they were here, they took
some videos and pictures on their personal phones and all that. However, the
government decided that they would go through the footage anyway, and pretty
much every human we've ever been in contact with is in hot water. I recently
went to...clarify some things." 
Ratchet burst out laughing, and Ironhide was quick to follow. Optimus just gave
Bumblebee a disappointed look. "What have I told you about threatening humans."
The young lieutenant effortlessly returned the look. "What have I told you
about hostile humans." The look continued until Optimus cracked with an amused
chuckle. "I'll chew. Why were they hostile?" Bee grinned widely, patting
Optimus' cheek. "It's supposed to be 'I'll bite' Pupu, not 'I'll chew'. But
anyway, the main guy got all pissy cause I crashed the party. I didn't hurt
anyone. Just...scared them a bit. Deleted some files." Bee's wings waggled
playfully, and Optimus just heaved a burdened sigh. 
Fixit made a horrified noise, and Ironhide rolled his optics. "Didja step on
one? That's the real question." Bee leaned to the left to give Ironhide a
passively annoyed look. "I was in holoform, thank you." Ironhide leant over as
well, returning the sassy look. "Didja though." Bee shook his helm, giving
Ironhide an outright childish glare. Grimlock grinned, before puffing out his
cheeks and plopping his helm on top of Bee's. Optimus slowly slid a servo
between the participants of the staring contest with a suppressed grin.
Ironhide and Bumblebee reached out in unison, both pushing Optimus' hand down
and out of their line of sight. 
At this point, both were trying to hide back laughter, but still determined to
win the staring contest. Sideswipe glanced between the two before redirecting
his stare to an unfazed Optimus. The semi sighed heavily, rolling his optic
before quietly muttering what suspiciously sounded like 'pancake.' Both
Ironhide and Bumblebee instantly burst into laughter, and Ratchet sighed
heavily while giving Optimus a glance. "You know we don't say that word,
Optimus."
Grimlock purred in amusement, slyly sliding an arm underneath Bee's own and
gently pulling him back against his chest. Bee easily adjusted his wings, far
more relaxed than the Bee Team had ever seen their leader. "Anyway. As I was
saying. I gave the smartass a good scare after he tried to play big boy, and
eventually, we had a rather adult discussion about him keeping his yap shut. In
exchange for omitting some info, he wants to give us all a local register.
Cybertron won't pick it up, ‘cause it won't be formal. That being said, he
still needs to meet all of us and get the works done so they know how many
Cybertronians are on Earth." 
Optimus nodded, smiling softly when Bee's helm lulled back to grin at Grimlock.
"Miko's excited to meet you, Grim. Spent like, ten minutes teasing me thanks to
Will's videos." Grimlock rolled his optics, setting his helm atop Bee's once
more. "I think I'll like her from what ya've told me." Strongarm cleared her
throat in a failed attempt to both bite back her grin and redirect Bee's
attention, but only succeeded in getting the Lieutenant to lull his helm
towards her lazily. "So, when were you wanting to go to meet them?" 
Once more met with an act of laziness, Bee shrugged one shoulder. "Whenever
it's best for you all. I'll just message Will when we figure out a day, and
have him see if it's good." Drift glanced around, pursing his lips quietly as
he watched Denny and Russell exchanged shrugs before adding into the
conversation. "Why not today? As you said, we have nothing on our current
agenda. We should prioritize it before another Decepticon fills our time."  Bee
glanced around at all the approving nods, before thumping his helm against
Grimlock's shoulder and shuttering his optics. 
Denny shifted for a second, looking up at Bumblebee. "Uh...do I need to text
him?" "Nah. He has my comm from way back when, so I just pinged his phone from
that. We should have an answer pretty quickly, cause the only one that ever
responded faster than Will was Sam." Confused looks passed all around, but the
comment wasn't elaborated on as they silently waited for Will's response.
Optimus posed the first question, startling Fixit slightly with the suddenness.
"Have you all been fairly busy, or has it been rather slow as of late?"
Sideswipe shook his helm, instantly chiming back a response. "Been slow. Ever
since we got those triplets at the bank, I think they've been regrouping. I,
Personally, am enjoying the mini-vaycay." Optimus hummed knowingly, and Russell
grinned at the semi. "What about you three? Haven't had a chance to talk to you
since your big comeback!" This was met with a snort from Ironhide, and Ratchet
slammed an elbow into Ironhide's side with lightning fast precision. "He's been
fine. Mostly dealing with the Senate and all their slag." The groan from both
Optimus and Bumblebee earned another round of snickers, and the semi
reflexively adjusted the humans in his servos.
"They have been a true pain lately. They are reluctant to return the matrix due
to the risk of another quick passing, but they are also aware that I know of
your whereabouts, Bee. They are growing very nervous with your increased
absence, and become less agreeable with each passing cycle." Grimlock tightened
his arm around Bumblebee's waist as the yellow mech huffed. "Yeah, I bet they
are. Nosy fraggers need to stop worrying about what I'm up to and worry about
getting Cybertron put back together." Optimus met the disgruntled muttering
with a parental stare, shaking his helm. "You know as well as I that they do
not view your solace as a priority." 
Bee hummed in annoyed agreement, sagging further against Grimlock. His wings
perked slightly as his attention was drawn inward, but it only took seconds to
respond to the message he had received. "Will's heading to talk to big bad boss
now.” Pushing himself upright, Bee noticed the slightly confused look on the
faceplates of Drift, Fixit, and the two minis flanking the security mech. Bee's
wings fluttered as Grim patted his back gently, and Bee re-crossed his legs to
lean his elbows comfortably on his knees- giving him somewhere to rest his
chin. "Those faces remind me...You are all really out of the loop now compared
to Denny, Russell, Strong, and Sides. Let's fix that. What all do
you know about me?" 
Glances were exchanged between the mecha that remained at the scrapyard during
the time-travel fiasco, and Slipstream quietly kicked off the interview. "Well,
we know you were a soldier in the war, and that you became an enforcer because
of that." Jetstorm interjected next, seamlessly transitioning into his own
sentences. "We also know that we are older than you! And that Optimus is your
carrier!" Fixit shifted anxiously, fidgeting with his servos. "From what I've
gathered from your emailing, you have some form of political sway- my guess is
it is bike-pike-psych-" Sideswipe whapped Fixit on the back as Ratchet got the
'Medic Look™'. "Like! ...uh...Likely due to your creator’s positions." 
Drift was painfully blunt, but his expression showed no anger towards the lack
of information. "To speak truthfully, I believe that is all we really know
about you, Bumblebee. You have proven to have many secrets, and the assumptions
we have allowed are failing quickly." Bee gave him a saddened grin, nodding in
agreement. "It was kind of necessary. But, because of all the slag that's
happened lately, everyone else that's here knows. I do still have some things I
need to keep in my hand though, so I'm going to reserve my right to not answer
some questions. That being said, do you want it straight, or do you want it
sugarcoated and dressed to impress?"
With a low chuckle, Drift before any of the others could. "Straight, if you
would. I have honestly had enough manipulations and surprises in the last few
weeks to last me a lifetime." Grimlock snorted his amusement and thumped his
palm against Bumblebee's back-nearly knocking him over in the process. "Well,
you ain't gonna have fun then." Bee just exvented with an amused grin, shaking
his helm. "I think the best course of action is to just let you all ask
questions and I can explain each from there." 
With everyone settled in, Drift started once more. "What was your actual role
in the military? From what I've read and heard through word, you've ranged from
frontliner to bomb squad...but the rumors are not the most reliable of
sources." Bee laughed at that, nodding with a knowing smile. "Ain't that the
truth. My role in the war was on-call Xops." The amused looks slid off faces
all around the group, and Bee ignored it to press on. "I personally made the
choice to get involved after Shockwave kidnapped me and nearly killed me-That
is also the reason I do not have a natural spark chamber." Ratchet cut him off
there, due to Fixit's Increasingly dilated optics. "His natural crystal is re-
growing though, and it's unlikely that Bumblebee will suffer any long-term
damage to his spark at this particular point." 
Slipstream hummed a horrified note, but nodded. "You really have come close to
death several times, haven't you?" Bee simply nodded. "If you'd like all the
gory details, we can go over those at a later date. That topic still... takes a
little bit of mental preparing." With that conversation dropped like a rock,
silence reigned for a moment as the others digested the information they had
been given. Fixit blurted out the nest starter, but it wasn't really a
question. "You answer a lot of emails..." Bumblebee fluffed his plating as he
sighed heavily. "You're tellin' me. It's part of getting what I want done." 
Jetstorm's hand shot up, and he waited with puffed plating for several seconds.
Drift gently tapped his back with his servo. "You do not need to raise your
hand in this particular setting, Jetstorm. Ask your question." Jetstorm nodded
to his master, whipping his helm back around to face Bumblebee. "On that topic!
I've never seen anyone able to get anything done through emails alone. Is your
ability to resolve...uh...conflicts through email due to the rank of those that
helped raise you, or from your own political rank?"
From the way Bumblebee sighed, everyone knew this was the question he had been
dreading. With a sympathetic look from Optimus, Bumblebee shifted into a more
comfortable position. "It is due to both. Mech like Jazz- who was actually my
Xops commander, and Third in Command of the Autobot Forces-, and Prowl, the
Second in Command and our leading Tactician, make it substantially easier to
get what I want accomplished by themselves. If they aren't enough, I can also
pull Red Alert, Ironhide, Ratchet, Optimus, Kup, First Aid- pretty much anyone
I want to help put pressure on someone or give me info until I can get what I
need to get. But, if push comes to shove, my own rank is more than enough. I
really don't like throwing it though, cause it usually gives me more attention
that I would really like to have." 
Russell whipped out his notepad, scribbling some of the unfamiliar names down
quickly as Slipstream gave a confused look. Bee grinned, but continued on
nonetheless. "Since I know it's coming, Yes. I hold a very, very high rank.
Thanks again, Pupu." The half-annoyed glance was met with a rather amused semi,
sitting with his best Primely grace. "With common knowledge, I'm just a
lieutenant. I would appreciate it if you tried to keep any other titles as
close to your sparks as possible. With actual Military experience, I'm 1.5 in
the official ranking. Optimus is obviously the one higher than
me. Formally speaking, I'm...uh..." 
Grimlock supportively rubbed between Bumblebee's doorwings, which fluttered
with the nervous energy bundling up within him. " Formally speaking, I rank
higher than Optimus. If he never got the matrix back after he kinda...repoofed
into existence, legally speaking that means the Primal Designate holds a higher
position than a matrixless prime." 
Denny was fairly certain he heard the moment when processors screeched to a
halt, and did his best not to snicker.  
Drift's jaw clenched in shock, but Ratchet's attention was drawn to the
strangely still minibot parked before him. It only took about ten seconds to
confirm that Fixit had stalled. With a heavy sigh, Ratchet pushed himself to
his knees to slowly creep towards the mini- only to roughly yank him into his
lap and bury his servos into the back of the smaller's helm. 
Slipstream looked between his shell-shocked master and the other astounded mini
as his brows slowly furrowed. "How...how is that possible? It is required that
all attempts to verify primehood must be witnessed and reported. I've never
heard of your account." Bumblebee just smiled. "That's because I never needed
it. As Jetstorm mentioned earlier, Optimus isn't my sire. He's my carrier. I
spent an entire vorn snuggled up to the matrix, and even longer pressed against
Optimus' chest plates as a sparkling. If that wasn't enough proof of the
matrixes approval- I'm also able to handle artifacts without any negative
effects, and a few other things I prefer to keep to myself at this particular
moment. The technical classification I hold is the same as Optimus- A
matrixless prime. But formally, I haven't had my verification ceremony yet, so
I'm not legally a prime." 
Drift clenched and unclenched his fists, his optics locked onto the rather calm
Grimlock. "Were you aware of this...information, Grimlock?" The Dinobot perked
up, but smiled brightly. "Yup! Bee and I had a big sit down real soon after I
actually asked for courtship. That talk took a while..." Grimlock visibly
pouted, and Bumblebee affectionately bumped his helm against Grim's shoulder.
"You signed yourself up for it. It's probably not the last time we'll have to
have a big talk in our lives."  
When Grimlock groaned loudly, Ironhide burst out laughing. Ratchet patted
Fixit's back soothingly as he brought the minibot back online, and Russell
added in with the next question. "Okay. I've got a question, and I'm sorry in
advance if it's rude or something." Attention shifted to the mildly nervous
human, but he pressed on nonetheless. "I know you guys are all chill...but
won't the fact you're dating an Ex-Con cause some problems back on Cybertron?
I'm assuming everyone's not all that accepting..."
The knowing press of Bee's lips quickly dissolved the group into horrified
laughter, and Grim gently pulled Bumblebee closer by the waist. The quiet grin
he received in return was all that really mattered, and Bumblebee quietly
threaded his digits between Grimlock's own as he rested his full weight against
the other. "Yeah, I can only guess what the grand reaction to us will
be...Either way, we have a very long time to figure out if we're a good fit
before I take the Matrix- and even longer before I mature fully. If we're not
right for each other, it won't matter that much. If we are, mecha will
understand eventually." Grimlock purred his agreement, gently stroking a thumb
over Bee's stomach. "Yeh. There's no rush onnit." Bee purred quietly, letting
his optics offline while he waited for the information to sink in enough for
another question to be formed.
Ironhide rested his chin on his palm, leering at Bumblebee for several seconds
before breaking the silence. "So, ya asked 'em bout the thing yet." Bumblebee
didn't even open his eyes before delivering his clapback. "Keep your nose out
of it Ironhide, or I'll ping Kup." Ratchet burst out into laughter while he
threw in his own snide agreement, and a confused Fixit glanced around.
Ironhide's grin slipped off his face, and he gave Bumblebee a flat look. "Don't
even bitlet, or I'll give ya a noogie that ya-." Russell jumped the
conversation mid-threat. "Who's Cup?" 
Optimus was the one to answer this time, with a patient tone that settled the
energy of the scrapyard in an instant. "It's pronounced Kup, Russell, with a K.
But Kup is Ironhide's Sire- Bumblebee's step-grandsire. He's quite the
entertaining mech, and has many stories due to his long life. I'm certain he
would be overjoyed to...'visit' his creation. However, I do recommend we
save that for a much less eventful day... and one where we are not about to go
to a building. Kup is a very heavy smoker."
Denny laughed, clapping his hands. "I'm always down to talk to another dad. And
baby-Ironhide stories seem fun!" The weapon specialist slowly swung his helm
towards the grinning human, but Ratchet cut off any comment before it was
started. "Don't even give him that look 'hide." Ironhide swung the look to
Ratchet, quirking the corner of his lip into a smirk. "Aiite party ambulance."
Ratchet leant forwards and braced his elbows on his knees. "Yeah. I also know
where you sleep." Optimus cast both his bonded a pitiful look. "Please don't, I
sleep there too." 
Sideswipe lost all composure at that one- as did everyone but the three bonded.
Bee buried his face into a trembling Grimlock, Drift's students hid their faces
in their servos, Strongarm snapped her battle mask shut to muffle her giggles,
and both Denny and Russell curled into Optimus' arms to sob with laughter.
Fixit just remained confused, looking around until Ratchet began to fill him in
over comms. 
Russell squeezed Optimus' thumb tightly, hugging it close. "Just lock them out
of the room!" Ratchet turned to give Russell a betrayed look, huffing his
vents. "Oh, betrayal! I see how it is."  The tiny human stuck out his tongue,
and Ratchet playfully tried to pinch the miniscule organ. Optimus gently hid
Russell behind his servo with an amused huff. "Now children." 
Drift shook his helm, pulling the conversation back to a point. "Alright, so
you were Xops, you're a Prime, and you're far younger than you pretend to be. I
would like to revisit something miniscule that was glossed over a few moments
ago... Who is 'Sam'?" Bee nodded in understanding, but his optics took a
saddened gleam. "Sam was a human that I used to roll with. He was actually my
first human driver. We...didn't part on good terms. Being an ally of the
Autobots was too much stress for him." Denny's brows shot to his hairline, and
Russel's jaw dropped.  
Russell's jaw snapped closed quickly, and he gave Bee a long look. "Is that why
you don't really like people in your cab?" Bee's faceplate flushed a dark blue.
"I... was really hoping you hadn't noticed that...Y-yeah, it's part of it. It's
just an odd feeling that brings back memories, combined with the fact no one's
really been my driver since Raf- and even then, he was partial to Ratch too, so
I wasn't always his main." Nods went around the group, and Grim affectionately
bumped Bee's helm.  "I'm sorry if it's upset you two." 
Denny immediately waved it off, shaking his head. "You're fine Bumblebee. We
just figured it was an uncomfortable feeling for you, and you never let us get
hurt due to it. Your preference isn't something to be sorry for- Especially if
it's for a reason like that." Denny was too busy looking at Bee's soft grin to
see Optimus' approving smile looming over him before the semi added in. "Your
thought process wasn't incorrect. Some mecha- including myself- don't
particularly enjoy the feeling of another in their cab. It is usually very
stressful for the bot, because there is always a concern of accidently harming
you. This is more common with larger mecha, as we have more kibble to worry
about than a sleeker model." The two nodded, and Sideswipe shrugged. 
"It worked out then, cause I actually like having you guys in my cab. You're
all lively and warm. and you usually go to me or Strongarm anyway. Out of
curiosity though, is there anyone you enjoy having in your cab Boss Bot?" Bee
grinned, and nodded. "Raf, Will, Mickey, and Cade. Haven't seen Cade in forever
though, and he's usually partial to Optimus. Even though it's not returned, I
still enjoy the idea of driving Sam." Russell scribbled down more names, and
this time Bee called it out. "Whatcha writing Russell?"
"Names of people I don't know. So far, I have First Aid, Red Alert, Micky,
Cade, and Raf." Ratchet cut in with a grin. "First Aid is the new CMO- Chief
Medical Officer. He was my apprentice, and a damn good medic. Red Alert was our
security director during the war. He was so paranoid, nothing slipped past him-
Speaking of which, you need to message him Bee. He and Inferno finally bonded."
The yellow Urbana purred with excitement. "Finally!"
Ironhide clarified the others. "Micky is Mikaela, Sam's ex-girlfriend. She ran
wit' our crew when she was with Sam, and became an understudy of Ratch's. She
still works with Earth-based bot's as a tide-over medic. Cade is a dude that
got mixed up with us after Sam left, and he repaired Optimus by accident when
he was knocked offline due to damage. Thought he was just an old beat up semi.
After that whole fiasco, he just decided to stick around. He helps with
'munitions, so we never really get ta see 'em. Raf is Rafael Esquivel, and he-
" Denny cut in with wide eyes. "You guys know Rafael Esquivel?!?! Like, the
mathematics genius that works for Homeland-freakin-Security?!" Bumblebee
grinned.
"That's my boi. He's a sassy lil' shit, you'll like him Russell. He was about
your age when he went rounds with us...maybe a bit younger. He was gifted back
then, too." Denny was still trying to recover when Bee got Will's response.
"Lennox says we can come over whenever, they're pretty much ready. Apparently,
they have an unused aircraft hangar that's large enough to deal with all of
us." Various approvals went around the group, and Bee laid his helm on Grim's
shoulder. "Any more questions?" 
Jetstorm's hand shot up once more, but he wavered before lowering it. "I have
one. What is the general schedule for you getting the matrix? Are you to wait
until your adult frame?" Bee gave him a soft grin. "That would be best, but it
certainly won't be reality. Cybertron needs a prime. If I can, I'm hoping to
push it back until I'm at least 25,000. That would mean I could take a full
rule around 50,000, and my final upgrade will happen sometime between 80,000
and 100,000 vorns old. After that, If I haven't bonded to my Lord Protectorate
yet, I will be looking at settling and possibly a family. I know that's young
for a bot, but I'm honestly just ready to have all this fighting over. The
mundane looks strangely appealing." Grimlock purred quietly, nuzzling Bee's
helm. 
Russell lulled his head back over Optimus's wrist, lounging comfortably.
"What's a Lord Protectorate?" Ironhide took that question with a puff of pride.
"The Lord Protectorate is the defender of a Prime. It's their personal
bodyguard, trusted advisor, and 'f they're worth a shit, their closest friend.
It's rare for a Prime and his Protectorate not to bond, because if they aren't
extremely close or extremely professional, it won't work. I've been
protectorate for two primes- Nova Prime and Optimus. Nova was kind of a dick,
so we didn't click enough to bond, but I was assigned to Optimus after his
passing. 'bviously we worked out a lot better." The soft smile that Ironhide
cast Optimus didn't go unnoticed, but no one commented on it. "Lord
Protectorates can also lead the military under a Prime, and are tasked with
training the next Protectorate if possible- this role is hit-and-miss, because
bonded mecha usually die together. If the Protectorate passes with the Prime,
they are taught by a committee chosen by the Prime before their passing." 
Everyone but Grimlock caught the pointed look that Ironhide was giving the
green mech- who was far too busy snuggling Bumblebee to notice he was being
stared at. "That bein' said, Lord Protectorate is a very important title, and
is the formal second. If the Prime and Protectorate are bonded, their word is
taken as the Prime's in emergencies." Russell nodded, and Denny let a slow grin
bloom across his face. "So, it's a BIG thing for a mech to be asked to be Lord
Protectorate." There were nods all around, and Optimus took the conversation to
defend his sparkling from the pointed sire. 
"A Prime's Lord Protectorate is a very influential position- therefore, it
requires much contemplation before it is even considered to be offered. As an
example, look at what happened with mine. I chose to title Ironhide and wound
up sparking a four million vorn war." Bumblebee gently patted Optimus' upper
arm, before a teasing tone struck his voice. "We all make mistakes Pupu."
Optimus turned to give Bumblebee a passive stare, snarking him right back. "If
I would have chosen Megatron, you wouldn't be here youngling."  
All optics widened, but the small family ignored it in favor of snickering.
Grimlock huffed a laugh, before dissolving into chuckles. "You...you fought
a four million vorn against an angry ex. That's how you have a breakup feud!"
Bumblebee burst out laughing, and Optimus' face flushed. "I suppose... Either
way, It still saddens me to see what my old friend has become." Bee looked
around the group, but it seemed as if the questions had finally run dry. "Looks
like we're done here then. If you guys think of any more questions, feel free
to ask me when it's appropriate. If you want, we can also make a small portion
of the daily talks for questions as well." 
With the dismissal, Sideswipe jumped up to stretch leisurely. "So, are we
heading to mess with some uptight humans?" Bee nodded, and Grimlock got a
mischievous grin. "Yeh Bee, let's play with the squishies!" Bee immediately
groaned, shoving back against Grimlock as he stood. "Not squishies! Bad con!"
Grimlock burst out laughing, yanking Bumblebee to his feet and into a tight
hug. Optimus carefully set Russell and Denny on the ground, giving his most
patient grin as he stood. 
Everyone else followed suit, stretching and letting muscles and tension wires
relax. Fixit poked Ratchet's leg, gazing up with a confused look. "What did you
do to my helm? It doesn't feel fuzzy." Ratchet gave him a small grin. "Fixed a
few weakly grounded wires you had back there. Your visual feed should stop
fritzing, and you shouldn't glitch as much. If it's still a hindrance, comm me.
It's probably something that needs replaced." Fixit nodded, and quickly hugged
the other's leg in thanks before speeding off to man the groundbridge
controls. 
 Optimus gave his bonded a soft smile before quietly stepping away to monitor
Ironhide and Sideswipe's discussion. Fixit had the coordinates up in minutes,
and he turned to Bee. "You all are set! Just let me know when you're ready to
get back, I'll keep the coordinates on the sidebar." Bumblebee gave him a
confused stare for a solid ten seconds before realization struck. "Ohh...That's
not necessary Fixit. You're coming with us. They want to meet everyone." 
The minibot immediately lit up, squealing out 'Really!?' and damn near
upturning himself when his tires spun in excitement. Bee's fast reflexes saved
him, and the lieutenant set the minibot back on his tires. "Of course. You
rarely get to leave the scrapyard, of course I'm gonna let you go on a non-
combat house call!" Slipstream and Jetstorm transformed and resituated onto
Drift's arms, and the group all gathered as Sideswipe quietly finished his
conversation with Ironhide.
"-Gave us permission to share their names after they saved us, since we didn't
have names of our own. Thought the reputation would give us that nanokilk of
doubt to protect ourselves. But it's still really cool you knew the original
Sunny and Sides!"  Ironhide chuckled, nodding. "They were good kids. I could
see how they'd enjoy you two having their names. Deep down, they were saps and
they knew it. Primus knows they're raising the smelter's temperature with their
antics." Sideswipe laughed, nodding his agreement. "It is a shame they're dead
though... I know Sunny wouldda loved talking to Sunstreaker after so long. Last
I checked, he was starting to get inspired by his art."  Ironhide hummed a
note, patting the speedster's back. "If my sunshine's watchin’ over him at all,
he'll be a great artist." 
Bee smiled at the look of humbled shock on Sideswipe's faceplate, and quickly
clapped to pull the half-afted attention off the approaching pair before the
moment was ruined. "Alright everyone. Basic rules are: One-Don't threaten the
humans unless they really deserve it... or if it's Miko. She's a wrecker, and I
guarantee she'll give you a throw down.  Two- Try to keep what you've learned
on the down-low. I would still prefer people with direct access to the senate
to know as little as possible about me. And three-" Bee turned to give Grimlock
a long, mildly sad look. "-No excessive PDA. They know we're courting because
of the videos, but I would still like to keep all the little signs they could
pass along to Cybertron as 'harmless' as possible. If push comes to shove, tell
people I wouldn't accept a lower relationship due to Ops paranoia."
Grimlock's pout probably cooled Earth by at least three degrees. Bee gave him a
soft smile, and quickly bumped their helms together. "When we get back, we'll
go to the meadow and spar. Sound good?" Grimlock grinned widely, yanking Bee
into a crushing hug. The group laughed, watching in amusement as Bee's back got
a good alignment.
 
***** Teddy Bear with the Long Hair ™ *****
Chapter Summary
     Optimus is Cuddle Central™
Chapter Notes
     This is a shorter chap because I had to work on some requests before
     getting to this, and I just wanted to get something up before January
     ended. So, setup chap.
Will happily thumped the toe of his boot against the floor of the walkway,
biting his lip in a half-assed attempt to hold back his grin. Chad was beside
him, running a hand through his hair and muttering 'Eleven bots...' to himself
over and over with various tones of despair. Miko was on his other side,
looking like she was about to jump the railing in excitement. Raf was beside
her- far calmer on the outside, but equally as excited. Sam and his parents
were towards the back with Mikaela, and the rest of Will's team lingered by the
railing. 
Miko rubbed her hands together as the light of the bridge flashed, and Optimus
slid through first. Will cheered as he was acknowledged with a grin.  The mecha
filtered in and Miko outright screeched when Bumblebee walked through- followed
by her immediately vaulting the railing. Bumblebee and Strongarm both scrambled
to catch her, and Bee huffed as he cradled the squealing woman in his servos.
"For Primus' sake Miko! You're gonna get yourself killed!" 
Sam couldn't help but smile at the nervous flutter of the yellow doorwings, and
everyone's eyes widened when a massive green mech stepped through just before
the portal closed. The tiny orange mech wheeled back and forth as the green one
set two humans onto the ground, and Chad straightened up. When the green one
broke into a wide grin, Miko demanded to be passed. 
Bumblebee just rolled his optics as he set the human into the clawed servos.
Grimlock immediately leant forward to initiate a toothy staring contest. Bee
straightened up, before turning and giving Chad a half smile. "Well, you asked
for it. Here's the crew." From the look on Chad's face, he was not amused. 
Bumblebee started with Optimus, going around the room. "This is Optimus,
Ironhide-" Will whooped obnoxiously, earning a look from Bumblebee."- Ratchet,
Drift, Sideswipe, Grimlock, and Strongarm. The orange mini here is Fixit, and
this is Denny Clay, and his son Russell Clay."  Each bot nodded politely as
they were introduced- except Sideswipe, who naturally gave a pearly smile- and
Bee was pleased with the lack of interruptions. 
Denny and Russell watched as humans began to trickle down the stairs, and Raf
grinned widely as he made a beeline to Bumblebee. The lieutenant was quick to
notice his approach, reaching down to the young man could step into his palm-
only to be set on Bee's shoulder as the Urbana shifted his weight to one pede,
crossing his arms. Will held his arms open as he approached Ironhide, who
playfully nudged him away with his pede- only for Will to grab on, laughing as
he was hoisted into the air. He was quickly gathered, and the colonel relaxed
in Ironhide's servos as the two began catching up. Sam remained lingering
towards the back of the room with his parents, but Mikaela shook her head in
disapproval after a hushed exchange. She happily left the small group, stepping
forwards and greeting Ratchet- who quickly scooped her up before she got
underfoot.
Chad turned his head to Drift, looking at him with confusion. "I thought there
were two more minibots?"  Drift nodded, answering with his usual efficiency.
"They are asleep at the moment, and will detach from my Alt mode when they are
sufficiently rested." Chad muttered 'Ah...I see.' very quietly, releasing a
breath as a prolonged stream from his cheek.
A snort of loud laughter brought attention back to Grimlock- who was trying not
to crush a quickly climbing Miko, who currently had her hands and feet in
various transformation seams as she made her own way up to Grim's shoulder.
Sideswipe shrugged, lifting Russell up as Denny came face-to-face with Chad for
the first time. "You are aware I could arrest you for reason?"
Denny shrugged, starring Chad right in the eyes. "You won't."  The narrowed
eyes could have melted steel, but Denny remained cool. "Not only was I unaware
of this rule until recently, I've got a strange feeling I'd be broken out
pretty quickly anyway." Chad's eyes flickered up to Bumblebee- who
was pointedly not smiling- before sighing heavily. 
 "That's probably true. Would you mind answering a few questions?" Denny
nodded, and a small grin overtook his face. Chad just pulled out a
small book, and went down the list. "How did you become involved with the
Autobots?"
"The long story short is the Alchemor crashed near my scrapyard. Bee and his
gang tried to avoid me, but saved me when a con started destroying my
scrapyard. After that, I decided to stick with the bots that didn't try to kill
me."  Denny just shrugged, but Raf laughed from his place on Bumblebee's
shoulder. 
Chad ignored him and continued. "What do you contribute to this 'team' that has
assembled?" Denny hummed, but answered truthfully. "I usually do diversions for
crowded places. Get all the other humans out, and make sure the bots can do
what they need to do. Other than that, I do my job- I sell scrap and antiques."
Chad nodded, scratching out several questions. "Do you ever engage in combat
with Decepticons?" Denny answered without hesitation. "Nope. Bee keeps me and
Russell out of it. It's not our fight."
Chad stared at the other man for a long moment, but nodded and wrote it down.
"You say 'Bee' keeps you out of trouble- I take it as your confirmation that
Bumblebee is the one in charge of this operation, not Optimus Prime?" Denny
shook his head, looking the younger man up and down. "Bee has always been in
charge. At least of our team. Optimus, Ratchet, and Ironhide are just
visiting." They both became distracted when Miko squealed, and both looked up
just in time to see Grimlock toss her into the air- only to transform and catch
her on the massive snoot of his alt mode. 
The humans were eerily quiet- except for an excited Miko- but the bots just
grinned and laughed. Grimlock's tail flicked behind him, thumping happily as
the young woman tried her best to fit her arms all the way around Grim's nose.
Grimlock just lolled his tongue out to try to lick her. After several seconds
of Tongue boxing, Bee rolled his optics and scooped the feisty woman off the
green maw. 
Grimlock immediately pouted, shuffling closer to plop his helm on Bee's
shoulder and whine. Bumblebee just held the stare, biting back a grin as
Grimlock's tail slowly thumped faster and faster. Eventually Grim licked a
stripe up Bee's cheek, prompting the yellow mech to step back and laugh as he
tried to wipe off the sheen of drool. Raf and Miko reflexively tightened their
grips so they didn't fall off as they burst out laughing.  Grimlock transformed
back to his root mode, beaming a smile as he bumped his helm against the
younger mech's helm. 
Sam's horrified face didn't go unnoticed, but no one commented- after all,
there were several other faces to match. They managed to wipe the look off
their faces by the time Bumblebee looked back towards them, that same small
smile on his faceplates. "Anyway, would holoforms be easier here? Or are our
bot forms preferable?" Chad thought for a second, but Bumblebee's wings
twitched as he turned his helm to give Optimus a mischievous grin. Will
immediately dropped a long 'whooooooo!' before he and Miko both started 'pu-
pu, pu-pu!' in time with their spontaneous clapping. 
Optimus gave them both a betrayed look, but his eyes shimmered with amusement.
Chad cleared his throat, drawing Bee's attention back to him. "Holoforms would
be preferable. It's far better than looking up all day." Optimus sighed heavily
as humans were placed back on the floor, and Ratchet snickered as they gave the
mecha room to transform. Said transformations happened all around them, and
slowly holoforms began to emerge. Russell was mildly upset that almost everyone
looked the same. 
The only noteworthy change was that Grimlock had adopted a pair of tan
Timberland boots that were barely concealed by his jeans. Grimlock beamed a
happy smile, but Sam's eyes were already wide as the muscular man effortlessly
hefted Russell up onto his shoulder. The teen laughed, immediately trying to
escape the other's embrace. The others filtered out around them, alts backed
against the wall for safety's sake as everyone gathered in the middle of the
room. Miko whistled when a pair of heels clicked against the floor, and
Sideswipe did a double take when Bumblebee debuted his latest outfit. 
His hair was down for the first time, fluffing slightly with the volume of the
natural curls that were currently released from their elastic prison. His
makeup was rather alluring as well, with shimmering gold eyeshadow and pointed
cat-eye pairing well with a deep burgundy lipstick. The baggy blue drop-
shoulder sweater hung off his left shoulder, and sharp stiletto nails curled
around his elbows. The sweater hid his waistline effortlessly, but the classy
black slacks dropped past his ankle to partly obscure the black shank on the
blue bottom heels.
Strongarm visibly gawked at their team leader, but the overall bombshell was
overshadowed slightly by the introduction of his creator's holoforms. Ratchet
forced himself from his cabin with only a small grunt. Sturdy black dress shoes
hit the ground first, followed by simple white cargo pants. Ratchet closed the
door to reveal an older man, probably in his late fifties. His blood red shirt
offset the simple white tie that almost matched the fading curls. The color was
obviously a bright natural red at one point, but over time the color had begun
to become sprinkled with a snow white. Tired hazel eyes flickered around the
room with a soft smile when a humanized Ironhide happily hefted Will into the
air. 
Ironhide was obviously younger than Ratchet by a decade or so. The man was
aging, but was probably just into his golden years. Short brown hair was buzzed
to about a quarter of an inch, but gunmetal grey eyes zapped with life as he
effortlessly flung the flailing colonel around in a circle. Will burst out
laughing, kicking at the other as best he could and causing an absolute scene
until he was placed back on his feet. Bee giggled quietly at the two, and
Russell happened to be the first to glance back. 
Ratchet and Optimus were quietly standing beside Bumblebee, and Russell found
it mildly amazing how similar they looked when standing side by side. Bee
obviously got his curls from Ratchet, but the lean frame was inherited from the
former Prime. Optimus towered over Bee- even with his heels. Optimus' hands
clasped neatly before him to complete the regal grace he seemed to hold at all
times. He wore a simple blue tee-shirt with a red button-down, a pair of jeans,
and a pair of blue sneakers.  His hair was jet black, pulled up several times
to form a mock-ponytail that was held together with a butterfly clasp- with a
familiar pair of prisms inlaid into the handles. 
Sideswipe whistled, looking Optimus up and down before looking to Bumblebee.
"Well...I could see the resemblance." Bee shot him a look, but Optimus just
smiled politely with a nod. Ratchet snorted, bumping Bee with his hip. "Yeah,
he's a momma's boy all right. All he got from me was his teeth and his hair." A
playful servo swiped at the golden locks, and Bumblebee quickly fled to
Optimus' other side with a pout.  Ironhide just laughed, quickly releasing will
in favor of kidnapping Bee for a noogie. "Don't forget - he got that nasty
temper too!" 
Ratchet and Bumblebee both denied it with various insults, but eventually Bee
just let himself drop to his knees to escape the knuckles. With a frown, the
blonde quickly escaped to his alt mode to fix his hair and grumble. Optimus
just continued to smile, watching the antics unfold until Denny's wide smile
got his attention. The taller man tipped his head to the side, his hair
swooping delicately behind him. "Is something wrong, Denny Clay?" 
Denny just shook his head, ruffling Russell's hair. "It's just good to see
Bumblebee's still got a family to fall back on. I know war isn't usually so
kind." Optimus nodded solemnly. "We are all very lucky to have both survived
the war, and survived it together." With a quiet glance back, Ironhide slowly
grinned. "Yeah. Even with all the close calls, there's still a chance for
normal life later." Ratchet turned away to try to hide the embarrassed flush as
he gently patted Optimus' back. 
Will hummed, but the seriousness was once broken when Raf slowly shuffled
closer with a mischievous half-smile. Shifting from heel to toe, he crept
closer and began happily bouncing his hips from side to side like an excited
dog. He slowly raised his arms out, his grin becoming more and more pronounced
until he slipped his arms around Optimus' middle. Optimus bit back a laugh as
he gently slipped his arms around Raf's shoulders. The young man absolutely
beamed with the acceptance of his hug, and the humanized mech just patted Raf's
head. Bee quietly snuck behind the elder, reaching up to steal the clasp and
quickly dart behind Ironhide. 
With the sudden shift in the weight on his head made Optimus quickly, reaching
back to where his clip used to be. He frowned at the grinning blonde, but
rolled his eyes when Raf happily floofed his hair out behind him. Strongarm's
brows raised to her hairline as she tried her best not to get jealous of the
waist-length locks. Bee happily pulled his own hair back up, twirling it
tightly around two fingers before securing it with the clip. 
Ratchet snorted a laugh when Grimlock happily pulled Bumblebee close. Optimus
waved it off, turning back to Chad. "Amusement aside, is there anything I can
assist you with to hasten your work?" The official shook his head, gesturing to
the Bee Team. "Mostly I just needed pictures of these mech and their alts, but
the paint on Bumblebee doesn't match what's on record. The new pictures and
information will be updated in our server, but casually 'forgotten' in later
reports. If we get called out on it, I'm claiming pressure from Bumblebee."
Optimus nodded, but his response was lost when Miko rather forcefully joined
the hug. 
Bumblebee beamed a cheery smile, throwing a peace sign near his eye and
sticking out his tongue. Ratchet immediately tried to pinch his tongue, and Bee
hid his face behind Grimlock's arm. Will grinned as Sam and his parents finally
joined them on the ground floor, and Judy smiled sweetly when she realized
Optimus was in holoform. It was slow progress to reach the pinned man, but soon
enough the elderly woman was giving hugs as well. Bee grinned and tugged
Grimlock's arm, sliding from his grasp to join in the growing dogpile. Grimlock
bounded over and nearly toppled them all by hugging him from behind. 
When Sideswipe and Lennox started to approach, Optimus huffed playfully. "Why
am I a suddenly a Teddy Bear?” Sideswipe pressed in beside Raf, trying
to suppress his snickers. "Shhhh OP. Just accept your fate." Optimus rolled his
optics, casting a pitiful look to Ironhide- who quickly joined the hug pile,
squishing Will against the cuddle victim. Sam shifted his weight, but remained
back with his amused father. Bee noticed the movement, turning his helm to
stare at the aging man for a long moment. From behind Optimus, no one noticed
Grimlock's servo shift to gently stroke between Bee's shoulder blades.
Bumblebee took a big breath as his eyes flicked over to Chad- who was watching
the pile with poorly-hidden disgust. "Anyway." Bee quietly slipped from the
pile, straightening his sweater and hair. "Is there anywhere we're not allowed
to go? I need to talk to Sam... Privately." Chad glanced between the two,
opening his mouth immediately to question the blonde. With another glance back
to the unnatural blue eyes, he sighed and rubbed his face with his left hand.
"This is a surveillance camp. Just... don't leave the boundaries of the camp.”
Bee nodded, and his holoform disappeared with a quick flicker. Sam
hesitated slightly, but kept his mouth shut as he climbed into the passenger
side of the Urbana. 
Sideswipe watched Bee pull out of the hangar, but wasted no time turning his
head to Optimus. "So... They have history, and I'm assuming it's not very
good." Optimus shook his head sadly, but it was Ron that answered the question.
"He treated Bee like shit because he was a scared teen in a grown-up's world. I
know Bee doesn't hold a grudge, but Sam still holds his own feet to the fire.
It'll be good for them to talk." Judy nodded her agreement, patting Optimus on
the arm before pulling back. "He didn't mean to hurt Buzzy Bee, but like Ron
said- he was young. He was scared. He did what he felt was best for him, and he
regrets it." Ironhide carefully squeezed the elderly woman's shoulder as he
removed himself from the group. 
"It's good, we all understood why. Life smacked him across the face pretty
hard, and pretty fast. None of the bots held a grudge for wanting something
sane.” Sideswipe nodded, mentally crossing off several pranks from the
'payback' list. Strongarm just watched from her place beside Drift and Fixit,
shaking her head as everyone but Miko slowly released the former prime. Miko
just lifted her head to beam at the holoform, and squeezed tighter.
"Imma leeeeeeeech and Imma be here forrreeeevveerrrrrr~!" Optimus just sighed
with a patient smile. "Yes, Miko. Yes, you are." 
 
***** Dearly Beloved *****
Chapter Summary
     Sam and Bee finally settle their past, and Jazzy and Prowl get some
     limelight.
Chapter Notes
     Sorry in advance for the long ass notes. Im getting salty over some
     particularly nasty comments, and I feel I should address them.
     I can't remember if I ever described Chad's hair color, but it's
     strawberry blonde now. Why? Cause I forgot to write it in my notes
     and I don't want to delay the fic to actually reread all of it and
     double check (finder has failed meeee) . If it changed, he bought a
     box of dye.
     I also don't know what kind of car RID sideswipe is, but his design
     looks similar to g1 sides. So I went with lamborghini countach.
     I also tried to clarify some relationship stuff since I keep getting
     nasty comments about it.
     These are questions such as why some humans - like Chad- don't like
     Bee and Grim's relationships, and some concerns surrounding them. If
     you need to skip that part, here's the TLDR: I do not intend what I
     am writing as a pedophilic relationship. Bumblebee is a teen that is
     at the age of human concent, and he has the full understanding and
     maturity to reason what he's doing. However, they are not having any
     form of sex (as I have stressed multiple times) because HE feels he
     is too young.
     In my fic, Grimlock is respecting this boundary. I do not intend for
     this fic to be abusive in any way shape or form, I intend this to be
     a fic about age gaps and respecting your partner's boundaries. (It is
     causing problems because I see bumblebee as younger, and I recognize
     this. Hence the explanations in the fic below.)
     If this kind of talk is problematic for you, PLEASE feel free to skip
     this chap and see the notes at the end of the fic. I will post a
     summary of this chapter there.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Sam absently stroked over the soft leather of the door, watching the scenery
roll by as he struggled with his words. Bumblebee was equally as quiet, his
radio absently playing a random station at a level that was almost too quiet to
hear. Sam took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching his hand on his pants.
"Bee... I..." He fell silent in time with the radio as he sighed. "I'm sorry I
left you like that Bee. I was being selfish, and I just couldn't cope with the
meager responsibility-"
Bumblebee cut him off with a slight tightening of his seatbelt. "It's fine Sam.
I was never upset with you over that. It may not have seemed it, but it was a
lot of responsibility to ask of a teenager who didn't know of our existence two
years prior. I just... What was the final straw? Was it Mickey?" Sam rested his
head against the headrest, stroking absently over the center console. "I
honestly don't know. I think it was a mix of the new Technopathy and general
stress of trying to figure who I was back then. Even I don't know for sure
though." Bumblebee hummed knowingly, turning down a side road aimlessly.  
"I can understand that. Even though it's far too late now, I want you to know
you were never alone with that stress." Sam's gaze shifted to the dash console,
but he remained quiet for the mech to continue through the awkwardness Sam
could feel swirling in the back of his mind. "I've always had
responsibilities that related to yours. I've had worries that were similar to
yours. I just... I was scared to tell you, Sam. Some of my earliest memories
are of Prowl teaching me to never speak of my future, of my responsibilities...
but now, I can feel something creeping closer. Something's going to change, and
I don't want that fear to hold me back anymore." Sam nodded, hesitantly
reaching into his pocket.
Pulling his hand out, he revealed a tiny Autobot insignia- small enough to be a
pendant. Bee almost stalled. "You- You kept that?" Sam half-laughed, shaking
his head. "Of course I did Bee. It was part of your spark chamber. You-" Sam
gripped the little sliver of metal, taking a deep breath. "You gave this to me
as a friend. It had meaning, and I took that meaning for granted. I... I
never deserv-" He almost dropped it when Bee slammed his breaks.
"You always deserved it Sam. Making an insignia for another isn't a matter of
understanding the weight behind it, it's a symbol." Sam shifted in his seat to
face the driver's side when he felt the familiar tickle of a loading holoform.
Bee's hair was down once more, but those deep blue eyes pierced his own from
beneath simple eyeliner. Ruby-Red lips were set into a frown, and the unadorned
black pullover faded to a matching red ruffle around the wrists and waist.
Paired with a plain black skirt and his favorite black heavy-tread boots, he
looked as flawless as ever. Sam barely caught a glimpse of the red French
manicure before his chin was caught between a thumb and a forefinger. "Sam, I
know you feel bad about what happened between us, but it still doesn't change
how close we were. When I made you that, I wanted to show you what that bond
meant to me. I knew it wouldn't last forever, simply because of our biology."
Sam nodded, and Bee gently patted the aging face.
"You're forty-eight years old now Sam, and in those thirty-something years
since we last saw each other, I've barely aged. I probably won't change that
much in the next vorn, let alone the earth years you have left." Sam nodded
sadly, reaching up to squeeze Bumblebee's hand. "Bee, you're not gonna change
that much for quite a few vorn." Bumblebee giggled, folding his hands in his
lap. "Technically speaking, I'm going to change the most in the next few vorn.
I've already gone from what? Twelve to sixteen in thirty earth years? I'll
start slowing down again around eighteen in the next twenty years or so, and
I'll probably keep that age for the next few centuries. Just look at Optimus!
He's like, seven million and his holoform looks like he's barely into his
thirties!" Sam nodded with an amused grin, shifting into a more comfortable
position as Bee tried to choose the words that would come next.
"But to circle back, I understand the stress really well. Being Optimus'
sparkling comes with a bunch of responsibility, especially since he was my
carrier." Sam nodded along as Bee gave him a shy grin. "That reminds me,
where's your gem? You're always hiding it somewhere." Bee laughed, stroking
just below his throat just before an elegant collar necklace shimmered to life.
Sam lightly stroked over the prism inlaid in the center before grinning. "Still
a fashionista." Bee grinned back, winking playfully. "Of course! So many styles
to choose from!"
Sam watched Bee's beaming smile light up his face as the younger shifted his
transmission back into gear. Sam quirked a brow, resting his elbow against the
sill of the passenger window and resting his head on his palm. Bee shifted
through his gears naturally, glancing over at Sam with a vibrant smile. Sam
grinned back, unable to resist the temptation. "So, tell me about all the times
you and Grim snuck off to make out." 
Sam was very happy the handle grip was nearby, or else he would have hit his
head on the dash when Bee stalled out. The dark flush on Bee's face as he
whipped his head toward Sam was well worth it though. After about five seconds
of mortified sputtering, the teen hid his face in his hands and keened into his
steering wheel as he rolled to a stop once more. Sam burst out laughing,
leaning forward to pat him on the back. "It's alright Bee. Remember all the
times Mickey and I made out in your back seat?" 
Bumblebee pushed himself back against the seat, giving Sam some serious side-
eye through his fingers. "Sam, I swear to Primus, you're going to kill me." 
Sam shrugged, biting back a grin. "Well, me or Megatron." Bumblebee immediately
turned to give him a smack on the shoulder, but missed due to how hard he was
now laughing. Sam just grinned at his smaller companion, shoving his shoulder
lightly. "But for real though! Give me the scoop here! How'd you and Grimlock
get together?" 
Bee relaxed into the driver's seat, his face still flushed while his fingers
played with the hem of his skirt. "Well...When we first got to earth, a mech
named Underbite was causing a real mess. Strongarm, Sideswipe and I were trying
to capture him when Grimlock realized what was happening. His stasis pod was
still intact, but it's actual stasis function had been damaged. He got
Underbite to get pissed and launch the pod, and the impact broke the lock. I
don’t exactly know why Grimlock wanted to make Underbite taste dirt, but it
worked out for us in the end. He wanted to join our team, and I could see the
benefit in having some muscle on the team. While he was serving his probation,
we got close..."  
Sam had his head resting on his chin, grinning widely as Bee got embarrassed
once more. Sam hummed an interested note, drumming his fingers against his
chin. "Think it's the mech from that dream you used to have? The one with the
cave?" Bumblebee shrugged, resting his head on the shoulder of the seat. "I
dunno. I never got a good look at him in my dream, but I have a weird feeling
about that one. I've been having it more recently." Sam hummed again, a frown
slowly overtaking the smile as Bumblebee continued. "I mean, he's got the same
optic color and helm shape, but it could have been Jazz or anyone else with
audial horns." Sam pursed his lips, giving him a one-shouldered shrug.
Bee stretched quietly, crossing his legs at the ankles. "I'm not horribly
concerned anyway. The dreams usually happen like, every night when they're
about to pass. I only have this one every other night. It could be vorn before
I become Prime still, so I don't think I need to freak him out by asking him
about the protectorate stuff yet..." Bee stiffened slightly, but rolled his
shoulders to quickly relieve the stress. "That reminds me... I need to clarify
that still." 
Sam looked up with honest interest, and Bumblebee found himself materializing
a titanite ring to spin on his finger nervously. "Well... I kinda hinted it
earlier, but you would never have had to worry about being a Matrix bearing
Prime." Sam straightened up then, his eyes boring into the side of Bee's head.
"That role's kinda mine." Sam's eyes widened, but after twenty seconds of
shocked silence, he nodded slowly. "That...makes sense, actually. Since your
Optimus' bitlet and all." Bee nodded, and Sam sunk lower into the passenger
seat with a quiet curse.
Bumblebee just gave him a small smile, patting his hand. "It's okay. Like I
said... I had to keep it secret. Most of the mecha know, but there were a lot
of new 'cons around in Chicago. I couldn't risk making that target on my head
any bigger." Sam nodded as he rubbed his face with his hands. “It’s okay, I
understand. So it's not just a protectorate, it's a lord protectorate you're
looking out for." Bumblebee nodded quietly. 
The silence hung in Bumblebee's cab for a long moment as Sam and Bee stared at
each other. Eventually, Sam sat upright, reaching over to ruffle Bumblebee's
hair. "If it means anything, I think Grim would be a good protectorate for you.
I mean, the age difference makes me worry, but I know you, Bee. If he ever
tries to hurt you, I know you'll tear off some important bits." Bee laughed,
catching the hand and pulling it from his head. "Yeah. I've heard that from
like, six different people now. Why does everyone keep mentioning age?" 
Sam gave him a surprised look, but the bright blue eyes were enough to convince
him that Bee didn't know. "Well... uh. Ya see." Bee gave him a half-amused
look, resting his back against his door and pulling a leg up to his chest to
rest his head on. "Humans get really protective of children. And some people
get really fucked up and start wanting to have like... actual sex with
children. It's called Pedophilia." Bee tilted his head, but the grin was gone.
"It's really abusive and the kids can't protect themselves from the person that
wants to hurt them. It's a pretty big issue, and the age gap between you and
Grimlock would be pretty grey for a lot of people."
Bee nodded, but tilted his head. "What's the cut-off? Is it just cause my
comparable age is sixteen, or is it just the difference in years itself?" Sam
shifted nervously, but answered honestly. "It depends. Usually it's if the
younger is below the age of consent, and the age difference is like... I think
it's four years?" Bumblebee hummed, but Sam could see the confusion working its
way through. 
"As an example. If you were my kid, I'd have a gun under Grimlock's chin and
God himself couldn't stop me. For me personally, you're too young to be dating
someone that old. If you were like, eighteen or something we would be having
a serious talk... but at the same time, I know you. You're mature enough to
make an informed decision, and I've seen you take a mech's head off. I
know you can defend yourself. But you're not human. I can't hold you to a human
standard." Bumblebee reached out to pat the back of Sam's hand. "If it makes
you feel any better, I'm underage by Cybertronian standards too. But, I've got
several people that care for me- that will protect me if I need them to, or
give me a place to go if I need to get away." 
Sam frowned, looking Bee over. "It does, but it doesn't. How do I know he's not
just gonna force you into sex or other shit that could mess you up?" Bumblebee
gave him a patient look that reminded Sam of Optimus far too much. "What I'm
surprised you're not asking is how do you know I won’t hurt him? " Sam did a
small double take, looking Bumblebee up and down. "I'm hearing that a lot from
humans. They're all worried about Grim hurting me. No human- other than Will-
has thought of me hurting him. Even I must admit that Grim isn't smart, and I
could easily manipulate him to do whatever I wanted. If I had fewer morals, I
probably would. Do humans ever take the reverse into account?" 
Sam gaped silently. He absently stroked over the leather of Bee's seat with his
thumb, shaking his head in denial. "I-..." Bumblebee watched him for a long
moment, but giggled quietly in the end. Sam just gave him a concerned look.
"Why do you guys always make me question my life and morals." Bumblebee flashed
him a dazzling grin, tapping the tip of his nose. "Cause I'm older than you,
silly! It's like, my job!" 
Sam rolled his eyes, using his hand to turn Bee's head back to the road. The
teen giggled and put his transmission back in gear. "If it does help to settle
your worry though, I have coding that helps protect me from sexual assault. The
code puts off certain EM signals that help to block arousal when you're too
close to me. Also, this frame doesn't even have a tactile array- I probably
won't even get one till my adult frame, or the one before." Sam gave him a
half-sarcastic look. "Oral is still a thing Bumblebee." 
The younger just gave him a wicked grin, and Sam's soul went through the
floorboard of Bee's alt when he playfully snapped his teeth at the human.
"Uh... Point taken." Bee's laughter rang out through his cab when Sam crossed
his legs.
===============================================================================
 
 When they returned, it was minor chaos. Two new bots stood proudly beside the
others- who were now back in alt modes- and Chad was nearly foaming in anger.
"You damn machines can't just waltz in whenever you please! For fuck's sake,
you're almost worse than the yellow one and greeny here!" Grimlock frowned at
the pissed human, but Bee quietly transformed as Prowl's wings flicked back. 
"Technically speaking, I can. I hold an active visa that permits any travel I
require for official purposes- and speaking to our incoming Prime seems to be
official enough to warrant this visit. Also, to use your earlier phrase,
'You do realize we are not human'? By your own standards, we are barely
credible as sentient beings. Perhaps you should take that into account before
holding us to the standards of your own people." Chad bristled, but Jazz cut
him off with a shake of his head. "Ya know mech, Bee an Grim ain't doin'
nothin' wrong by our standards. An if  Grim tries to hurt Lil' Bee, he'll be
put to death fer assultin' a minor. If ya wanna bitch 'bout us bein’ less
than Y’all, least we fix our problems."
Optimus immediately shot Jazz a stern look. "Jazz, you are a ranking officer.
Behave like one." Jazz' wings flicked back, and apparently even the former
Prime was not free from his ire. "I ain' no officer. I got stripped when Xops
got dissolved. I'm a civvie and I can tell him 'xactly where 'e c'n st'ff 't!"
The low growl brought Prowl's wings back, and the SIC lightly stroked a servo
down his arm to bring his attention back. "Jazz, Collect yourself. You'll upset
Ricochet. And either way, they are an admittedly young species. We cannot
judge... well. We can’t overjudge for their preferred upbringing of their
children." 
Chad bristled. "What would robots know about raising children?! You all just
come off a damn assembly line!" Bee scooped up Sam in unison with Optimus
gathering the humans into his hands, and both retreated several steps with an
exchange of amused looks. Prowl's optics narrowed, and he effortlessly plucked
the human off the ground by his jacket to dangle the surprised man before his
optics. "Youngling, you wear my patience. Cybertronian frames are constructed,
not our sparks. Our sparks come from Primus, or from the merging of two active
sparks. As for your asinine remarks, I have carried Fifty-Seven children, and
am currently carrying my Fifty-Eighth. I dare you to judge my ability to rear a
youngling." Chad was silent where he dangled, trying his best to lean as far
away from the now-pissed carrier as possible.
Jazz rolled his optics as he took the human from the growling Praxian,
protectively sheltering him from the burning glare. A few long moments of
staring and obviously foul wing-fluttering later, Jazz grinned and set the
human on the ground. Prowl took a deep breath, flicking his wings several more
times as he tried to bring himself back under control. Jazz tapped his forehelm
against the crest of Prowl's chevron, nuzzling him happily. "Yer too far
along fer alla that anger babe. An' when yer mad, I get mad, an' poor Prime
hasta deal wit' us." Prowl's wings flickered again, and he nodded curtly. 
Ratchet chuckled, tossing a look at Optimus. "Honestly, I'd take anger over the
waterworks Optimus put us through any day." The former Prime cast his mate a
mildly annoyed look, but the laughter around the room assured him that his
opinion didn't matter. Strongarm tried her best not to be obnoxious when she
tried to pry for information. "You were a crier? " 
The Prime sighed with the patience of a god when his third leant forwards
eagerly to tell stories. Thankfully, he was spared from embarrassment as
Bumblebee lightly smacked the back of his head. This brought everyone's
attention to the young scout, and Jazz' wings fluttered happily as he the mood
in the room did a complete 180. "Beeeee~!" 
Bumblebee barely had time to set Sam down before he was encased in a hug.
Another affectionate nuzzle later, plating started to settle, and Bee was able
to question the pair. "So, what brings you two here? I thought Prowl would be
buried in his office till everything was set up."  Prowl's tiny smirk was
enough of an answer.
"The warrant is getting a rush approval from a judge I am in favorable standing
with. I suspect we will have our meeting in less than an earth hour. I assumed
it would be best to discuss the finer details with you and Sideswipe in
person." Sideswipe perked up, quietly approaching the circle at the sound of
his name. Before they could continue though, the sound of a small scuffle
in Strongarm’s hands earned a few raised brows. The femme barely had time to
lean over before Russell broke free of her servos and jumped onto the floor to
beam excitedly. "Can I see your holoforms?!" The femme cursed under her breath
with an eye-roll, but Jazz just laughed a chime and cocked his hip as he
regarded his mate. "Think you got a 'lil transformation in ya?" 
Prowl rolled his optics in amusement, transforming as efficiently as ever- and
possibly playfully flashing his lights for the small human's amusement. Jazz,
Bee and Sideswipe followed suit, but the others opted to conserve their energy
and stay in root mode. Jazz was out of his alt first, and Russell immediately
bounded to the musically inclined man for a hug. With chocolate skin and pearly
teeth, Jazz was already a man of beauty. The retro-wrapped shades helped add to
the mystery appeal, but the fun was brought back with slick dreads. Black and
white beads dotted the long locks intermittently, easily hanging halfway down
his back and secured with a thick red band. 
Russell happily smooshed his face against the casual white suit jacket, but
still looked him up and down to get the full effect. The black tank top
underneath seemed comfortable enough, as was the red Autobot pendant resting on
a simple chain. Black jeans and converse finished the look, leaving an
impressive overall style. When Prowl's door popped, he was quickly abandoned in
favor of hugging Prowl. 
Even Chad was taken back by the slim-built woman that stepped out of Prowl's
cab. She was dressed in a business-casual black pantsuit, with a white tank top
barely managing to cover her ample breasts. The dark clay skin and waist-length
black hair helped crank the overall attractiveness, but the finishing touches
were the red-bottomed stilettos and the matching chevron hairpiece that dangled
just above melted gold eyes. Unable to help himself, Chad scoffed. "I thought
you were pregnant, ma’am." 
He immediately regretted his decision when Prowl looked him up and down. "Once
more- I am not a member of your race. I do not need to hold myself to your
standards- And I would prefer if you called me Sir." Hair was flicked away from
his face, and Russell tried his best to steal a hug without making Prowl
uncomfortable. When he tried to pull away, he squeaked as he was squeezed
closer to the Praxian. When a slim hand softly stroked through his hair, he
gave up and enjoyed the cuddles. Sideswipe just whistled and held out his hand
for a high-five that Jazz happily accepted. 
Ignoring the exchange, Prowl continued his previous explanation. "Bumblebee,
you will accompany Sideswipe to his meeting with Sunstreaker. I assume the
staff will try everything they can to shorten their meeting, so it will be your
duty to keep them together until I can find enough evidence to activate the
arrest warrants." Sideswipe's nervous glance to Strongarm didn't go unnoticed.
"From what I have been able to obtain already, I doubt this will take long at
all. Once I can activate those warrants, you can sign off on the release papers
and you three will be free to go. I will remain behind with the task force to
do the arrests and transfers." 
That last part had Sideswipe's head tilting as glanced between the two.
"Uh...how are you supposed to come with us and stay at the same time?" Sharp
optics shifted to the confused speedster, looking him up and down once before
giving Bumblebee a particularly blank look. Bee pointedly inspected his
manicure, barely suppressing his smile. "You ruined the surprise, you tell
him." Russell snickered, releasing Prowl's waist and returning to his father's
side to watch the oncoming meltdown. 
"Your brother has been severely abused by our legal system, and there are
measures in place to correct wrongs exactly like this. HE should not have been
prosecuted by that court due to the bias of the prosecution, and no one
informed him that this would be considered a mistrial. By that standard alone-
If I can also document evidence of the current guards and the sustained abuse
that could have furthered his aggressive tendencies, I can submit a waiver form
for an exclusive post-trial. The paperwork for which I have already filled out
in preparation. What this means is that your brother's case will be re-opened,
and referred to the highest power in the Cybertronian legislature...which
happens to be Bumblebee. He can then use his political titles to clear
Sunstreaker of all his crimes, and yours by extension. By you three, I meant
Bumblebee, yourself, and your brother- as free mecha." 
Sideswipe's face made the long nights of emails and arguments all worth it in
the end. He slowly turned his head to Bumblebee, who just smiled brightly in
return- right up until Sideswipe's engine screeched and the holoform flickered
away. Ratchet laughed, immediately approaching the offline Countach to pull him
from his processor crash. Russell laughed as he jumped up and down, clapping
his hands together in sheer excitement. Ratchet grumbled as he set to work, and
the rest of the room dissolved into small chaos once more. 
Drift remained silent as he stood by the wall, his students staring at him
hopefully until he nodded a quiet answer to whatever they were comming him. The
two cheered between themselves, immediately encasing Fixit in a hug. Strongarm
beamed over to Anna and Marie, who were cheering 'new arrival!' alongside Will
and Raf. The other humans ranged from surprised to joy to side-eying Bumblebee,
but overall the mood remained ecstatic. Sideswipe slowly transformed with
Ratchet's encouragement, one servo clutching his helm as he leaned against the
wall for support. When three minis crowded him, he accepted the hugs with
trembling arms. "Geez Fixit, if this is what a crash feels like..."
The minibot shrugged, spinning his wheels teasingly. "You get used to the
headache!" 
Denny joined the dogpile as Russell returned to Prowl's arms. "When...How long
have you guys been planning this?" Bumblebee tucked a curl behind his ear as he
shifted his weight to the other pede. "Immediately after you told me it had
been two vorn since you'd last seen Sunstreaker. If he already had
sociopathic tendencies before your separation, it's no wonder he's gotten worse
without you." Sideswipe nodded, subconsciously squeezing the growing number of
minis and humans piling in for affection. 
Bee could see him struggling with his processor, but Prowl just gave him a
small smile. "The Senate has always been a source of controversy. It seems to
be increasingly difficult to find a mech that won't sell his morals to the
highest bidder. The justice system is supposed to protect people like you, but
this corruption is obviously still prevalent." Bumblebee scoffed from where he
stood. "Prowl, I thought you would have figured that out long ago. No one
monitors bots as close as they monitor me without some kinda agenda." Prowl
hummed quietly, stroking Russell's hair once more. 
"You are also our Primal Designate. It may be millions of vorn before we find
another to take your place should something happen." Jazz scoffed this time,
crossing his arms. "Prowler. Babe. They keep trying to get him to accept
courtship from senators. The only thing they focusin' on is tryin' to keep the
power they got." Bee held his fist out for Jazz to bump. Ironhide joined in
with a roll of his optics. "Xops conspiracies!" Jazz just lit up, putting his
hands on his hips with a wide smile. "Don' make meh call Raj an' Hound!" 
Optimus just gave the pair a pleading look when they both started to snicker.
"No ops parties, and you know full well we won't let the senate touch you Bee."
Ironhide gave him a flat look as Bee's holoform dissipated, and his alt
transformed back to his root mode. "Ah'd feel better if ya gave more priority
ta yer Lord Protectorate. Bumblebee cast him a frustrated look, looking to
Optimus for support- who tactfully found something very interesting on his
pedes. Drawing the attention from the youngling once more, Grimlock approached
to slip his arms around Bumblebee's waist as Bee threw some shade towards his
creators. "You guys just like to be nosy!" Grimlock scoffed, unable to keep the
mischievous grin off his face. "Of course they're nosy! They're Autobots!" 
The obvious reference to a certain tri-polar triple changer sent all the
battle-hardened mecha into fits of laughter, and Bumblebee hid his face into
Grimlock's neck as Jazz gave a theatrical gasp. "Ex-squeeze me! I'm
not nosy! I prefer teh term forcefully curious ya silly 'con!" Prowl just
stared up at his lover's root form with the most put-upon face. "Jazz, if there
are any nosy mech in this room, you and Bumblebee top the list." With the
betrayed gasp, antics resumed in full. No one bothered to look up when a livid
Chad went to his office to sulk. 
 
Chapter End Notes
     If you know someone in a dangerous relationship, please make sure you
     help those who need it, not just play to stereotypes.
     SUMMARY: Sam talks with Bumblebee about his concerns surrounding the
     severe age gap between him and Grimlock. Bumblebee points out humans
     rarely consider the younger the dangerous in the relationship, using
     the gap in their mental capabilities as an example. (based on a
     friend of mine, I will not elaborate further. Please dont ask, but
     stay safe everyone.)
     Returning to base, Prowl gives a chad a small dressing down about how
     judging how others raise their children (prowl is about to have his
     58th child), and jazz reveals he holds no official title after xops
     dissolved.
     Sideswipe finds out Sunstreaker will 'probably' be released from jail
     based on a mistrial.
     Senate is full of power-hungry assholes.
     Ironhide wont stop hinting about Grim being Bee's lord protectorate
     because DAD WORRY (TM)
     Chad sulks because he cant win his battle to tell others how to live
     their lives.
      
     For another clarification's sake, because I have gotten multiple
     comments questioning me about it: MY PERSONAL stance on pedophiles is
     that they should be lit on fire. Multiple times. With something that
     doesn't burn out quickly.
***** Lightyears Apart *****
Chapter Summary
     Sunstreaker and Grimlock get brought up to speed
Chapter Notes
     To get an idea of what I was trying to describe for Main Iacon, see
     the notes at the bottom for a few links!
     I was thinking the layout of Pentonville Prison with the sheer size
     of Alcatraz. They're the most intimidating prisons I can think of,
     and I felt those that particular combination would both convey the
     awful conditions and the air of hopelessness that the prisoners held.
     I also support the idea of a preggo prowl being an absolute cuddle
     monster. No one escapes his snuggle!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Sideswipe had eventually collected himself enough to rejoin the amused mecha in
the middle of the room, carefully relocating the various humans that had
climbed atop him for shock-induced cuddles. At some point, Prowl had situated
himself onto the floor and pulled Russell into his arms. The teen was happily
curled up, basking in the attention that he rarely received to this degree.
Jazz sprawled happily to their right, doorwings fluttering slowly with a glazed
pleasure that was reminiscent of an overfed turbohound. Bumblebee just sat
cross-legged before the mates and the willfully captured human, watching
Grimlock ask Strongarm questions about something on a datapad against the far
wall, much to the amusement of the Primal Trine. Drift and his students ignored
all of them in favor of trying to teach Fixit a new meditation technique.
With Sideswipe settling beside Bumblebee, Prowl restarted their conversation.
"Feeling better?" Sideswipe nodded, giving him a nervous half-grin. "Yeah.
Sorry about that, I didn't...I..." Prowl waved it off with a patient smile. "As
Bumblebee said- it was a surprise. But you need to understand your brother will
not be a gleaming model prisoner." Sideswipe nodded. "I never imagined he would
be. Prison isn't fun for split sparks, even if they're non-violent." Prowl
hummed, running his fingers through Russell's hair. "On that note, Bumblebee
has mentioned that Sunstreaker is particular about his finish. Bumblebee will
bridge you two to Jazz and I's apartment, and you're more than welcome to get
him back up to snuff. It will probably be a good step between prison and
meeting your team. I would, however, prefer if the introductions we're made at
our apartment. The air is sustainable for humans, and it gives him something
relatively constant to lessen the likelyhood of a meltdown." Bee grinned as
Sideswipe sputtered. His rejection was cut off with a luxurious stretch from
Jazz, lazily flapping a servo in his general direction. 

"Sparklet, you ain't gonna run up the bill higher than the time Prowler an' I
flooded teh bath cause Prowler gotta transfluid cravin'." Prowl's face flushed
slightly, and he gave his mate an annoyed look.  Bumblebee just laughed,
rolling his shoulders to stretch the cables in his upper back. Shifting to
better look at the trio of mecha, Russell jumped into the conversation. "Is
Sunstreaker someone Dad and I need to avoid for a bit? Or is he ok as long as
he doesn't get stressed?" Sideswipe immediately shook his head, resting his
chin on his palm. "Nah. Sunny's got good boundaries, but he's problematic when
he snaps. I think there'll be more than enough room for him to be a wallflower
back at base. Even then, If he gets pissy I'll just take him on patrol with me
and he can bitch it out there. That trigger will loosen a bunch when he
realizes just how available paint and wax are." 
Bumblebee hummed his approval. "Yeah. And there's always the extra room. He is
more than welcome to take that over as a room of his own- even if he doesn't
sleep in there." Sideswipe just gave him a grin, flicking a thankful flare
through his field. the conversation lulled for a few moments, and Sideswipe
found himself absently gazing towards Prowl's chest. When Prowl waved a hand
before his chest, Bumblebee had to stifle his giggles. With a sheepish blush,
Sideswipe cleared his throat. "Sorry I was just... What's it like to carry?"
The question seemed to surprise the small group, and Jazz grinned from where he
lay as Prowl answered. "It's an experience, for certain. I've had unremarkable
carries all the way to Bluestreak’s- He had me in a medical facility from about
a quartex in." Jazz snickered at that one, carefully stroking a digit up a
curious Russell's back. "Why did you have to go to the hospital?" 
"Bluestreak has a high chance of being a Creatrix- a mech predispositioned to
carry. The reason we know this is because Creatrixes are notoriously hard to
carry. They draw an abnormal amount of energy off their carrier's spark and
require far more nanites than their Suma- or neutral- siblings. It would be the
human equivalent of a single fetus requiring the same nourishment as a set of
quadruplets. I was hospitalized after I fainted trying to ascend a staircase."
Russell winced in sympathy. "Is he okay?" 
With Jazz' sudden laughter, Prowl rolled his eyes. "Yes, Bluestreak is alive
and well into his adult vorn. He actually became a sniper for the Autobot
forces and holds remarkable records." The air of a proud carrier was evident to
all those around, but Jazz' Cheshire grin guaranteed an approaching laugh. "Oh
yeah! Sharpshooting, Assembly and Cleaning, Longest Sentence Without A Breath-
" Prowl's glare cut him off then, and the surrounding mecha either snickered or
grinned at the long-running joke.  Strongarm approached the circle, taking a
place beside Sideswipe. "Is he a talker?"  Prowl nodded, but the smile took a
sad turn. 
"When Praxius fell, he was just before his third upgrade. Just old enough to
remember his comms going silent with the deaths of our family. The silence over
our bond has never failed to bother him, and he tends to chatter to try to work
through it. Too much silence makes him nervous." Strongarm flicked her wings in
sympathy, and Sideswipe let his field show his own. "Speaking of children, up
little one. I should transform back into my root mode." Russell pouted,
squeezing the lithe holoform one last time before bouncing over to his amused
father. Prowl's holoform disintegrated in a mildly mesmerizing shimmer as Jazz
pushed himself up to sit properly. 
With Prowl rejoining the circle as a mecha once more, the haze of the mundane
thickened to a pleasant buzz. "So, I thought I heard a name! I like it!"
Bumblebee cheered, clapping his hands together with a beaming smile. Jazz
returned it, using his acrobatic nature to curl around his lover protectively.
"Yeh! He's always bouncin' round Prowler's spark, so we though' Ricochet was
fittin'- Rico for short!" Optimus bit back a chuckle, kneeling beside his third
and his sparkling. "I assume Smokescreen and Bluestreak are rearing to help
care for a bitlet." 
Prowl's look was more than enough of an answer as Will approached to flop
beside Bee. "So, what's that thing you were talkin' about? Create-tricks and
Sumo? Are they another class of spark type?" Prowl nodded. "It's Creatrix and
Suma. They are two of the three main spark types in terms of reproduction.
Since I'm certain you all have the clearance to hear, I won't bother
simplifying." Optimus nodded at the statement, confirming enough for Prowl.
"The three spark types are greatly skewed in appearance, with Suma being the
most common- around 95% of the pre-war population, and 99% of the remaining
known mecha. These mecha can sire and carry, but it is difficult for them to
conceive. Most mecha in this room are Suma- Such as Optimus, Ratchet, Ironhide,
and so on. Attar are the second class, making up 4% of the pre-war population.
These mecha are prone to siring due to an abnormally
active spark, and usually develop very aggressive coding. I personally know
about 17 Attar that survived the war, Including Jazz and Smokescreen.
Creatrixes are the final type, making up less than 1% of the pre-war
population. We are carrying mecha, and it is nearly impossible for us to sire.
Our sparks are extremely calm and tend to take spark effortlessly. The only
Creatrixes I know to have survived the war are a pair of femmes by the names
Elita One and Chromia, Bluestreak, and myself." 
Denny frowned at the idea of such losses, but continued on. "You've had one of
each?" Prowl's wings flicked back in immediate pride. "I have. It is a rare
blessing to have one, but I have had the pleasure to carry all three spark
types." Jazz nuzzled into Prowl's neck, purring happily. Sam hesitated to ask
his question, but Judy lightly tapped him with her walker. "Is-Is that why Jazz
is so...uh... hovery?" Jazz flashed the slightly-sharpened teeth with a mix of
hostility and amusement. "Yep! He's mine, an' noone else’s." The obvious
challenge vibrated in his undertones, but he was quickly quelled by Prowl's
servo lightly stroking between his audials. Bumblebee just grinned, taking over
for the clingy Attar. "Yeah. It's even worse since Prowl's currently carrying.
Anytime they're separated or in a room with multiple mecha, their coding will
start to act up and make them both more violent- Prowl's just better at not
baring his teeth." 
His playful shot was ignored with a wing flutter, and Denny took the next
question. "Do you think the new one- Ricochet- will be an Attar or Creatrix?"
Prowl answered instantaneously. "I would assume Attar. Medics say it is too
early to tell, but he is quite active." A servo drifted up to lightly rest just
above his spark. "The only other sparkling I have carried that was
even remotely this rambunctious was Smokescreen- and even he was calmer."
Mikaela giggled, taking the next question. "Who was the most difficult carry
you've ever seen?" 
All optics immediately fell on Bumblebee. The lieutenant grinned, fluttering
his wings in mild embarrassment. "That one right there. He had Optimus on an
emotional Rollercoaster when he wasn't making him reset mid-stride." Ratchet
laughed, lightly squeezing Optimus' shoulder. "The only thing that was worse
than the carry itself was the time after he was born. Primus he never stopped!"
Bumblebee leaned back to beam at his sire, who shoved his face away playfully. 
"Remember the time I got in the vents?" Ironhide scoffed from his place against
the wall. "Rememb'r tha time ya glu'd tha surgical stuff ta' tha ceilin'?" Will
laughed at that one, but Optimus had one of his own. "I remember the time you
snuck into an unconscious Soundwave's chest to play with Ravage." 
The room exploded with laugher, and Ratchet just put his faceplate into his
servos. "That wasn't funny! It took a week to get Soundwave to give him back!"
Optimus snickered, looking back towards his mate. "It wasn't even us that got
him back. Soundwave got so protective he threw Megatron through a wall.
Megatron arranged it after that!" Strongarm was covering her mouth with a poor
attempt to cover her laughter. Prowl's helm tilted as he went quiet for a
moment, a wicked smile crossing his lips as he snapped and stood. It only took
a few more seconds before he looked up, opening the control panel on his arm.
"We have our warrant boys. Let's go." Jazz grinned as he joined his lover,
snickering as Sideswipe nearly fell over his pedes trying to get beside the
mated pair.
Bee designated Optimus in charge during his absence and found himself proud
when Strongarm didn't pout over his choice. The recognition was quickly
forgot when Grimlock quickly stole a kiss. Taking a few steps to the side, the
two exchanged something about Ironhide and a question, but were far enough from
the group no one heard exactly what it was. Bumblebee smiled as he gently
patted Grim's cheek, bumping their helms together before stepping over to the
opening bridge. After a quick confirmation glance, the four stepped through and
left the group to their own devices. 
Grimlock grinned as the bridge closed, turning to Ironhide. "So, I wasn't
payin' attention that first time. Whas' that Lord Protector-ite thingie again?"
Will was mildly concerned about the grin that cracked across Ironhide's face. 
===============================================================================
 
The guards on duty jumped when the quartet stepped through the uncalled bridge,
but Prowl just shoved a Datapad with their warrant into his hands. "We need to
speak to your director."
Sideswipe didn't ask why Bumblebee hung back behind Jazz, but the speedster
himself followed the silent command to stay close to the Lieutenant without
question and instead used the time to look around. Main Iacon was
utterly massive. They had bridged into the guard room just outside of the lunch
room, and Sideswipe silently marveled at the looming four-story structure. The
bottom level was the lunchroom itself, housing seven rows of massive tables for
even the largest of prisoners. A flight of stairs rested just next to the
guard's door- another mirroring its position across the room- leading to cell
upon cell of prisoners, creating an indistinguishable murmur of activity. The
wall-mounted lights didn't help the ominous glow, and Sideswipe huddled
slightly closer as the ominous chill threatened to seep into his very spark. 
It took less than an Earth minute for a commotion to happen upstairs, a
bewildered mech appearing and looking over the railing with shock plastered
over his faceplate. He shuffled his plating as he collected himself as best he
could, and even Jazz had to appreciate the theatrics of the 'welcome'. 
"If today isn't blessed by Primus! High Enforcer Prowl and his mate! What could
possibly bring you to my cozy little-" Prowl cut him off as the guard passed
him the datapad. "You have been violating statures, Captain Sparkjump. In your
hands is a warrant for the mandatory meeting with prisoner 56872-9591." The
captain froze like a frightened Petrorabbit but recovered quickly enough. "E-
Enforcer Prowl-" 
The ice that dripped from Prowl's tongue almost had Sideswipe wishing the
bridge was back. "If I wanted a chat, I would have called you Captain
Sparkjump. Pull him from his cell." Sparkjump's servos trembled slightly as he
scrolled through the datapad, his plating immediately floofing as he grinned.
"I'm sorry, Enforcer Prowl! This warrant isn't valid! It needs to be officiated
by-" His optics when wide when Bumblebee leaned to the side with the
most innocent hum. "Oh, did I forget to sign? Here, let me see it." 
Jazz barely bit back a snicker as the Captain stumbled back, making Bumblebee
snatch the datapad before looking through it himself. His wings were held at a
formal cant as he scribbled somewhere on the bottom. Handing it back with the
fakest smile Sideswipe had ever seen, Bumblebee damn near purred. "Now, I'm a
busy mech. Can we make this quick?" The poorly hidden disdain wasn't commented
on as the captain turned to leave- but his spark chilled when Prowl stepped
closer. "Article 7, subsection 15 says I have the right to go through
some paperwork as well. Care to join me-" Prowl's voice dropped as he and Jazz
stepped to trap the intimidated mech between them. "-Captain?"
Bumblebee gave the guard beside he and Sideswipe a sweet smile. "Care to show
us to the visiting cell?" The frightened guard glanced between the amused
youngling and his horrified Captain, but quickly deemed his job wasn't worth
this scrap. "T-This way, Primal Designate Sir." The Captain's glare could have
melted plating as the stern Praxian took point and started up the stairs.
Bumblebee and Sideswipe were led through countless twists and turns, ascending
and descending stairs, all while trying to ignore rambunctious inmates banging
against their cells. It took three different mecha to unlock the doors to
solitary confinement, and Sideswipe tried not to whimper when the pale blue
walls faded to a gunmetal grey. It was almost like a horror movie watching the
lights space further and further apart, the screams and cheers of the other
inmates cutting off with a sharp squeal as the door locked them inside. The
sudden silence was almost deafening. 
In here, none of the inmate moved as they passed. None looked up. None uttered
a single sound. Sideswipe couldn't help his plating standing on end as he
passed the rows of broken mecha, his spark clenching in fear and utter despair
for his brother. They were led up three flights of stairs next, each flight
requiring a special pin from each of the guards standing post. Trying to ignore
the gleaming rifles in their hand, Sideswipe stayed close until they reached a
single door at the top of the armored staircase. The room inside was a dead
grey, and there were simply four chairs and a rickety table in the room. 
From the clamps on the arms and legs of the sturdiest chair, it wasn't hard to
figure out which one the prisoners were supposed to sit in. Bumblebee guided
Sideswipe behind his frame, honestly not wanting him to see his brother in
chains when they brought him through the door moments later. 
At first glance, Bumblebee wouldn't have guessed that the speedster tucked
between his doorwings and the broken mech before him were even related-let
alone twins. Helm fins adorned the sides of a dull helm, the yellow cracked and
faded to the point of serious malrepair. His lips were cracked, his digits on
his left servo wrapped in an obviously unsterile cloth, and his vents rattled
with each labored intake. 
Sunstreaker was pushed- rather roughly- towards the chair with the clamps, and
Bumblebee held up his servo. "That isn't necessary." The burliest guard turned
to snap at Bumblebee but seemed to collect himself just before he said
something stupid. "Primal Designate, Sir. It is Protocol-" Bumblebee just gave
him a flat look, ignoring Sunstreaker's surprised look for the time being. "I
don't believe my vocalizer malfunctioned. I highly doubt this single prisoner
will ever compare to Devastator or Megatron- He will behave." 
Sunstreaker looked the mech up and down with hesitantly defiant optics, tilting
his head quickly when he realized someone was behind him. His audial fins were
quietly cranked to high alert, and he slowly grew more rigid as he zeroed in on
the quieted breathing of a frightened mech.  "Unchain him and Leave. That is
a direct order." The two guards gritted their teeth as they unlocked the
chains, and Sunstreaker nearly crumbled to the floor without the crushing
weight he had come to know. The guard closest leaned in, whispering quiet
enough for Bumblebee's audials to 'miss' the signal as he unlocked the
handcuffs. "If you even think of hurting this mech, your life will be a living
pi-" 
Sunstreaker didn't bother biting back the smirk when Bee's voice cut him off.
"Finish that sentence and you will be the one living in the pit." The guard
looked up in absolute shock, but the burning gaze of the lieutenant convinced
him to keep his trap shut and leave the room. With the thick reinforced door
thudding shut behind the two, Sunstreaker took a moment to push himself upright
and stretch his struts with worrying creaks and pops. 
Bumblebee could see the patterns in Sunstreaker's paint- was dull and chipped
from obvious beatings, but his eyes still held a spark that Bumblebee had come
to know well from Sideswipe. Sunstreaker was a little more built than
Sideswipe, but it was obvious he could have some serious speed tucked away as
well- that is, if that cough in his engine wasn't permeant. Otherwise, he was
just dissimilar enough to pass as a fraternal brother in a crowd. "So."
Bumblebee's optics met Sunstreaker's own when the slightly rasped voice rang
out. He didn't mention anything about Sideswipe's servos digging into his back
at the sound, but grinned slightly when Sunstreaker reset his vocalizer. "What
brings you to see a 'violent criminal' like me?" 
"Him." Bumblebee broke into a full smile then, stepping aside to reveal a
stunned Sideswipe. It was a solid nanosecond before either moved, but the next
optical reset found Sideswipe flinging himself into his brother's shocked arms,
tumbling both to the floor in a pile of keening kibble. Bumblebee just took a
seat in one of the sturdier chairs, pulling out a datapad to answer some
emails. 
===============================================================================
Back at the hangar, the humans and mecha had settled in for a real lesson.
Ironhide was specifically talking to Grimlock, but he would never deny the
curious optics that crowded around the pair. Optimus and Ratchet sat back,
watching over their mate with growing amusement.
Grimlock was listening with mild amazement, sitting cross-legged towards the
front of the group as Ironhide continued his glorified sermon. "After yeh get
through all the scrap tha' goes wit' bondin’, then yer actual duty starts. If
ya took on as Bee', ya would be incharga makin' sure he grew up good n' proper.
Since he's still a bitlet an' all. Make sure he eats on tha' regular, make sure
he goes to medical checks, does any schoolin', all while keepin' an eye out fer
someone tryin' to hurt 'em or makin' sure any suitors don try to get too
friendly." Grimlock nodded absently as he listened to the list, and Denny
raised his hand to ask a question. "How much did you have to do for Optimus?
Since he was fully grown when he became Prime." 
Ironhide scoffed, looking back with an amused look. "I hadta keep 'em from
runnin' off to try ta talk sense inta Megs- this was befor' 'e went all cray-
cray. Tha, and I helped 'em wit' policies an' stuff. I had a bitta experience
since I had served as protectorate 'fore. Along wit’ makin' sure he ate an'
makin sure he didn't reject the Matrix." Russell tapped his feet against the
floor absently. "Did anyone ever try to kill Optimus?" 
All three mates scoffed before the old medic answered. "Oh yeah. Young Prime
taking over during an uprising? Yeah. He was poisoned twice in the first data
cycle alone- before Ironhide was reassigned to him. Then it was the usual
shootings and break-ins." Will made a slightly horrified noise, but the
conversation rolled back on point when Grimlock asked a question of his own.
"So, how do ya know when someone's tryin' ta kill a Prime? Is it experience?"
Ironhide shrugged non-commitably. "Ta be honest, they're usually bad at hidin'
it. But tha' don' mean ya should slack. Primes put their life in their
protectorate's servos an' it's our duty ta protect em." Grimlock nodded as
Ironhide continued. 
"I honestly don' expect too many actual attempts on Bee. He's already got a rep
fer bein’ resilient, an' Op's attempts dropped after tha first few failed.
Hasn't had one outside of the usual wartime slag since his first big return."
Optimus rolled his optics as he cut Ironhide's teasing off. "The honest answer
is that the needs of each Prime are different. As I'm certain you already know,
Bumblebee doesn't sleep very well- that would be a duty of his Protectorate. As
Ironhide said, making sure he eats would be another. Helping him work through
any psychological effects of the war we have been fighting would be another. He
might ask for help designing his intermediate and adult frames, for help
editing a public document, or even more mundane things like helping him with
his polish. Exacts are learned overtime through the time a Prime spends with
their Protectorate. That's only if they don't bond- if they do, it's a whole
other set of responsibilities." 
Grimlock hummed, frowning slightly as Strongarm asked another question about
assassination attempts. Grimlock let his brows furrow further, making a mental
note to talk to Bumblebee in private about other questions he might think of.
His attention was drawn back when Ironhide smirked. "So. Wanna see how a Lord
Protectorate fights? " With a toothy grin, Grimlock pushed himself to his pedes
to slightly tower over Ironhide. "Ehehehe. This is the part I'm good at!"  
===============================================================================
 
Prowl smirked as yet another box was dropped onto the lunchroom table. It could
easily fit thirty mecha twice his size and was quickly filling with any report
that could be seen as 'questionable' by the reinforcements that had arrived
about a joor ago. Enforcers from around the city had been pulled in, easily
making this one of the biggest raids in Iaconian history. Several arrests had
already been finished, including Captain Sparkjump and all of the upper
officers, and they were quickly being replaced with upright officers that Prowl
knew had been waiting for a well-deserved promotion. The inmates were strangely
complacent for such a massive upheaval, but the shouted insults and jeers as
the 'Captain' had been ushered out in cuffs had answered more than enough
questions for the mated pair. 
One of the new officers- a longtime associate of Prowl's by the name of
Subsonic- glided down the left-hand staircase with a glimmering cube of sealed
high-grade in his servos. He was met with a nod but seemed confused when the
concentrated fuel was refused. "Come now Prowl. This is the biggest bust of
your career! Surely that deserves a drink!"
Prowl gave him a soft smile as he sat in the open seat beside the Praxian, but
the smile was calming enough. "You know as well as I that carrying mecha
shouldn't partake in high-grade. However, after the separation, I would be
overjoyed if you could join Jazz and I for a drink- Bring your lovely mate as
well! It has been so long since I have seen Refrain!" Subsonic cooed happily,
passing the cube to Jazz and pulling out a simple cube of midgrade to press
into Prowl's servos. "This then. And I gleefully accept! I was beginning to
grow concerned with your absence at the precinct! How far along are you?"
"Just over three quartex. I have been recommended not to transform or stress
myself, but I am not at risk of an early separation. All is well." With a servo
lightly rubbing his chest, Prowl allowed his wings to flutter happily as the
first inmate was brought out for their statement. "Jazz, would you be so kind
as to go tell Bee he can take the boys home? I want to see them all shined up,
or else I might lose my badge." With a musical laugh and a quick kiss, the Xops
mech bounded away with a grace that had several catcalls echoing from
the boisterous inmates. 
It was easy to find his way through the halls, even if it was a long walk. The
stairs were unguarded and wide open, and Bumblebee glanced up lazily when Jazz
waltzed in unannounced. Sunstreaker bristled from the corner, Sideswipe tangled
in his arms and sprawled against his chest like the happiest of housecats. The
lazy wave from the red twin did a lot to calm the battered mech, but the binary
clicks and chirps as the twins continued their conversation were easy enough to
ignore. "Prowler's gotcha all set up! I'm supposed ta take ya back ta our
place, then I'mma double back to help wit interroatin' erryone. Sunstreaker, ya
and Sides are more than welcome ta run up our cleanser bill. We jus' ask ya
stay inside until we can get Sun's formal statement."
The confused look had Jazz canting his head, and Jazz rolled his head to
Bumblebee. They stared blankly for a few seconds before Bumblebee held up a
servo, looking down for a second as he onlined his audials before looking back
up with a soft 'hmmm?' Jazz laughed and hung his head, flicking Bumblebee in
the forehelm. "Twerp! Take em back to mah place, get em cleaned up."
Sunstreaker glanced at Sideswipe's wide smile, squeezing him closer. "I'm a
prisoner...Sir. I can't leave." Bumblebee waved off the confusion, tucking the
datapad back into his subspace. "Not anymore. I pulled some weight and called a
formal investigation. The idiots that ran this place previously
actually documented the abuse they put you through, and alongside your obvious
mistrial, it's enough for me to overrule your sentence. You're coming home with
us." 
The mech stared up at Bumblebee from his place against the wall for several
nanokilks, before slowly looking down to Sideswipe. The speedster grinned in
return, busting out laughing when Sunstreaker quietly muttered 'the fuck do you
know these mech.' Barely managing to pull apart from his twin long enough to
get them vertical, Sunstreaker stood on shaky stabilizers. It was easier to
stand with his twin against his chest though, using his own weight to center
Sunstreaker after so many cycles of kneeling in one place. 
Sunstreaker couldn't help but feel cautious, probing his brother's spark in
question before regarding the Xops mecha with a hesitant look. "Why?"
Bumblebee's optics settled on him. "Why is the... Why is the Primal
Designate pardoning me, of all mecha?" Bumblebee grinned, standing to his full
(unthreatening, since he was the shortest in the room) height. "Because.
Sideswipe brought my attention to your case, and I know what happened to you
isn't right. I can’t give you back all the years you've spent in these walls,
and I can't give you any sanity that was lost as a result. What I can give, is
peace of mind. If you should choose, after passing an exam by Ratchet, you can
join my team and help us capture Decepticons that wish to harm Earth and its
inhabitants. If you should choose not to, I will release you to Prowl's care
for intensive resocialization- he will help you settle into a life that the
poor excuse of a Senate has had no problem denying you both." 
Sunstreaker stared in shock, subconsciously squeezing Sideswipe closer. "For
now, though, your only duty is to get clean and repaired. I know Sideswipe has
obtained some paint and wax, and I think you'll enjoy getting the dust and
grime out of your joints." Jazz popped a panel in his forearm, quickly
activating a personal bridge. With a theatrical bow, he winked at the two
twins. "After you~!" Bumblebee just rolled his optics, stepping through the
portal. Using Sideswipe as a half-crutch, the two quickly followed. 
Needless to say, the abnormally clean apartment suite was unnerving for
Sunstreaker. Everything- from pictures to the fraggin' styluses- were dust-free
and placed perfectly straight. Sensing the awkwardness, Jazz waved them along.
"Prowler's got some weird habits. Freaks out if things aren't in their 'proper'
place. I like to move stuff on occasion jus' ta mess wit em!" Snickering, the
black and white drug a digit across the desk to knock the lined, color-coded
writing utensils askew. "Shouldn't you like...not mess with his stuff then?"
Sideswipe asked, giving Jazz a mildly amused look. "Well, if it was somethin'
like OCD or somethin, I wouldn't do it. S jus his preference, an I gotta set
the boundaries of tha box someweres!"
Moving on, he opened a door to a massive cleaning room. Jazz offered the two a
comforting smile, stepping back to lock the door on the far end of the hall.
"Anythin' in this apartment is free game ta ya'll. Make yerselves at home, an
don' worry about cost or nothin. Ain't nothin in here Prowler an I can't walk
down to tha store an buy outta pocket. Tha only off-limits room is thisun-
" Jazz paused to knock on the freshly-locked door. "- Cause this is Prowler an'
I's room. We got our bitlet's frame half-made an' hidden away in there, so
I'mma keep it locked so nothin' accidently happens ta it." 
The twins nodded, huddled close and seemingly scared to touch the pristine
walls. "Tha's only cause tryin' ta restart when he's this close ta seperatin'
is too much hassle. Other than that, like Ah said. Everythin’ is open to ya-
fix yer paint, have a cube of high-grade, an at least three cubes 'a
midgrade. Each." Turning his look to Bumblebee, he poked him between the
optics. "Includin’ you youngin. An you need to get some recharge." Bumblebee
sighed, pulling Jazz' servo from his face. "Yeesh Jazzy, I thought Ratchet was
my sire!" Jazz rolled his optics, cocking a hip at his former subordinate.
"Puh-lease. I ain't yer daddy, but I'm still yer Xops commander. That's an
order." Bumblebee just blew a puff of air into Jazz' face, prompting the
monochrome beauty to laugh and straighten up. 
Ushering the twins towards the cleansing room, he squeezed their shoulders.
"Take yer time. I know ya missed each other, an nothin's better fer gettin'
reacquainted than a long oil soaks an' a steamy cleansing to loosen yer paint
for a re-do. Prowler an' I will be home when we finish up tha' interviews."
With a wave, he was gone as fast as he arrived. Bumblebee leaned against the
wall in amusement, shaking his head when Sunstreaker turned the bewildered look
to him once more. 
"That's Jazz. He was the TIC during the war- head of Special Operations and
mated to Prowl. Prowl was the SIC for the war, and the Autobot's leading
Tactician. Both are really sweet mech, but Prowl's got a specialty processor
that makes him a little too logical. But, that's a conversation for later. I'm
going to take Jazz' advice and get some recharge. You two get clean and
refueled. I assume we have a few joors at minimum before they return."
Sunstreaker nodded numbly as Sideswipe gave a cheerful half-salute. Slinking
into one of the guest bedrooms, he locked the door behind him. With the
deadbolt in place, Sideswipe drug Sunstreaker into the bathroom. 
The yellow mech stumbled slightly, but his balance was improving with each
step. This single cleansing station was larger than the communal racks at the
prison! Sideswipe shifted slightly as he eyed the oil bath in the far corner,
tugging Sunstreaker to it with a trembling servo. "He did say we could run up
the cleanser bill..." Sideswipe grinned as he started the bath, turning it till
the heat was just below unbearable. Just how Sunstreaker liked it. Sunstreaker,
however stared at his brother for several seconds. "How the frag did you meet
these mecha Sides? The head of fuckin' Spec-Ops?! The Primal Designate?! " 
At that point, Sideswipe chuckled nervously. Sunstreaker's temper flared and he
put his servos on dull hips. "You did something stupid." Sideswipe just
grinned, sliding his arms around Sunstreaker's waist. "Naturally. I'll give ya
the rough gist, cause you'll get all the dirty deets when we merge later. I met
Bee and Strongarm- a femme that's back at base- cause I was going half-crazy
without you. I took to doing minor violations, just for the feeling
of something in my spark again. They were trying to arrest me when Bee got
all Primey and tried to slip away to Earth. Strongarm followed him, and I was
kinda handcuffed to her. Once there and settled, Bee gave me a choice- be part
of his team or go into stasis for trial when they got a chance to get me back
to Cybertron." Sunstreaker conceded with a forgiving grimace. He knew he hadn't
kept the sappy look of his face when Sideswipe led him into the encompassing
warmth of the oil tub with a happy sigh. Snuggled up close to each other once
more, Sunstreaker continued.   
"So how did the Primal Designate get to chase you around?" Sideswipe shifted,
pulling Sunstreaker to rest against his chest. "Stop callin' him that. It's
supposed to be on the hush-hush. But his official title for civilians like us
is Lieutenant in the enforcers. Prime comes later, especially since Optimus has
come back to life." Sunstreaker sat up straight, giving him a half-horrified
look. "He apparently doesn't like to stay dead. But yeah, to give you the
rundown. Bee is Optimus and Ratchet's sparking, and he is NOT as old as he
seems. He's like, a legit sparkling. He's just over 15k." Sunstreaker's optics
went wide, but Sideswipe continued.
"Ironhide is OP and Ratch's third, and it's super cute when they're all
together because Bee chills the frag out for twenty whole minutes. The other
way to cool him off when he gets stressed is to sick Grimlock on him. They're
courting, but before you ask they're not facing. Don't tell Bee, but Grim had
his facing hardware offlined when he got his medical exam by Ratchet a while
back. Peace of mind and all that." Sunstreaker nodded quietly, trying to keep
up. "The other bots on our team are Drift- a samurai kinda mech with
two minicon students named Slipstream and Jetstorm, Fixit- our official office-
bot and minicon maintenance bot for the Alchemor, and Strongarm. She's like
Prowl, but with more hissy-fits." Sunstreaker immediately tilted his head at
the mild flush on Sideswipe's face. With a mischievous smile blooming
afterwards, Sunstreaker trapped a suddenly clean Sideswipe against the ledge so
he couldn't climb out. "Ohhh?" 
Sideswipe immediately shoved Sunstreaker's face against the side of the tub.
"She's...kinda cute, to be honest. But she's super into rules and all that, so
she can get pretty unbearable." Sunstreaker nodded with a knowing chuckle,
curling into the warmth of the tub. "So, Optimus, Ratchet, and Ironhide are
visiting?" Sideswipe nodded. "Yeah. There's also a whole mess of humans at the
moment, cause the government found out we were hanging out and collecting the
escaped cons. The only ones you should really know are Denny Clay, Russell
Clay, and William Lennox. Will's close to the big bots, and Denny and Russell
are our hosts. I'm certain you'll like them once you get used to them. They're
really understanding about personal space." 
Sunstreaker nodded, and Sideswipe allowed his helm to lull against the back of
the tub. "So, is Grimlock older than Bumblebee?" Sideswipe nodded. "Yeah. He's
a lot older, but the relationship is balanced out by the fact that Bee's a LOT
smarter than Grim, and that Bumblebee's the one that killed Megatron. It's not
really a concern for Grimlock to hurt Bumblebee. Overall, Grim's more of a
fourth Caretaker at this point. But, they are still tech ically dating, so once
they retire for the night we try to leave them alone. Let 'em cuddle and talk
over what they need to. He usually just hovers and makes sure he takes care of
himself anyway, so it's good for them to have some time to be themselves."
Sunstreaker hummed but shrugged it off. "As long as Bumblebee understands all
the risks and keeps himself safe, it sounds like it's not my business to tell
him what to do." Sideswipe hummed his agreement. 
"So, tell me about prison. Was it as bad as I felt in my spark, or was it just
the separation anxiety?" Sunstreaker scoffed, trying to sink lower into the
cooling oil. "The separation was the worst of it. Other than that, it's nothing
like what Shockwave put us through. The beatings weren’t as severe as his. All
I had to do was whimper and pretend like it hurt, and they would just stop to
laugh. Other than that, everything got better once I was put in solitary. Act a
little pissy or volatile whenever someone entered, and it guaranteed me my
alone time." Sideswipe chuckled, stoking a servo down the back of Sunstreaker's
helm. "Guess we did learn somethin' useful from that scrapheap." 
Sunstreaker snorted his amusement just before he sighed, standing from the
cooling oil. "Shower?" Sideswipe held his hands out for help up, and the two
grinned at the noticeable difference in Sunstreaker's joints. No longer
unstable and lock-worthy, the two stumbled to the adjacent shower that was only
a few steps towards the door. Drowning themselves in hot solvent once more,
Sideswipe tried to continue the conversation. "Prison food gross?"
Sunstreaker's face said it all, and Sideswipe laughed as he pulled his twin
under the steaming rain of solvent from the waterfall tap. After a
few nanokilks of savoring the heated cleanser, Sunstreaker fluffed his plating
and shook his helm. "I wonder why Prowl and Jazz have such fancy wash racks."
Sideswipe shrugged as he followed Sunstreaker's example. "My guess is cause
they both have doorwings. The fancy bath and this shower probably help with
trying to get all the kibble." 
The conversation lulled as they set to work on their frames with brushes
and liquid solvent. It was an efficient process with each twin helping the
other with the more difficult parts, affectionately nuzzling whenever helms
were close enough for contact. Once plating was pristine once more, the tap was
shut off and they walked another handful of steps over to the next section of
the massive bathroom- the dryer. A silent pact was made to never tell anyone
that the massive blow dryer had scared both of them when they were blasted with
air from all directions, not just the front. Giggling like younglings, they
fluffed their plating until they were dry. Looking over his twin, Sideswipe
sighed. "You look awful." Sunstreaker gave him a flat look, but Sideswipe just
turned to pull the paint stripper off the shelf. "Let's fix that."
===============================================================================
After about 5 joors in the washroom, the twins finally emerged with
sparkling paintjobs. Having scanned his brother's alt, the relation between the
two was painfully obvious now. Filling a cube, they relaxed in the common room
to fully investigate from the couch. The walls were high- tall enough to
comfortably fit Optimus. The room itself was sparse, having a handful of holos
on the wall of a trio of Praxians- Sunstreaker assumed the monochrome one was
Prowl. The blue one and the grey one, he had no idea. They were in all of the
pictures though, with the others consisting of the two unknown mecha together
with the grey posing with an impressively large rifle. The other was of the two
and Jazz playing some kind of game, and the blue one looked rather upset from a
probable loss. The fourth was the four together, reclining from the view of an
unknown mech in a room with garish orange walls. 
The main attraction was the MASSIVE holoscreen on the wall, easily taking up
two-thirds of the accent wall- the rest covered in a wide variety of holos and
games, along their respective consoles and players. The large speakers at the
top of the room promised some quality entertainment. The adjacent wall was a
full window, spanning the entire wall and in prime position to look over the
skyline as Luna 1 made its ornly cycle.  The third wall- directly behind them-
held the doors to the berthrooms, and the fourth had the Energon preparation
stations and dispenser, stocked with enough additives to make even the most
devoted foodie's mouth lubricate with digestive nanites. Two cubes of
investigation later, the two found themselves growing tired. 
A quick check confirmed a third bedroom just across the hall to the one
Bumblebee had claimed, and Sunstreaker was pulled into the room with a welcome
ease. Investigation was ignored for the moment, and they quickly curled up onto
the heated recharge slab. The haze of sleep started to settle, and the two
stared for a long second before a silent consensus was reached. Pressing
themselves flush, chestplates parted to allow their sparks to merge for the
first time in vorn, and lead them into the most peaceful recharge they've had
in their entire existence.
With systems quietly buzzing with a synchronized recharge, neither saw the
musical mech quietly crack the door open to peek inside. He closed it with a
smile, turning back to his tired mate. Pulling him close, the two dimmed the
lights to disappear into their own room. Prowl sat on the berth with his wings
at a proud tilt, watching his lover take a moment to look over the growing
skyline. "I am glad they're getting some recharge. Ratchet said he would be by
in the morning for repairs and a basic checkup." Jazz grinned widely, nodding
his approval. "Good. Poor bitlets need come TLC." Prowl hummed his agreement as
both watched a flight frame cut through the sky.
"I truly dislike that the senate will allow mecha to go through that. They
treat Prisoners worse than Decepticons." Jazz scoffed, shaking his helm. "True.
That bad feelin' jus grows erryday Prowler... Hopefully with Optimus back, he
can reel em' back in." Prowl shook his helm, silently watching over the sky
from his place on the berth. "I wouldn't even push that. I would settle for the
Senate giving Bumblebee the Matrix- like they should have when Optimus died."
Jazz bit back a bitter laugh. "Yeah. I don' think that'll be happnin' soon."
Prowl fluttered his wings once more as Jazz closed the curtain, smiling softly
at his lover when he turned to face him.
Roaming his optics over the ever-so-proper Praxian on the berth, Jazz felt
his Energon start to heat deep in his stomach. "Mhm. Yanno..." Prowl tilted his
helm, knowingly crossing one leg over the other with a familiar smile.
"Yer real hot when ya get ta cuss some mecha out." Prowl quirked a brow,
aimlessly flicking his wings. "Surprising- My temperature readings are
responding within normal parameters." Investigating his manicure, blue optics
didn't look up until Jazz was standing just before him. With a digit tilting
his chin up, Jazz bent down to kiss Prowl's nasal ridge. "Ah can fix tha'."
Prowl just snickered, purring his engine as he slipped his arms around Jazz'
neck. "Please do."
 
Chapter End Notes
     I don't revisit Main Iacon later, but the prisoners are much happier
     after this chapter concludes.
     Interior of Pentonville: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/08/19/
     article-2396947-045FEAD5000005DC-324_634x415.jpg
     https://amp.businessinsider.com/images/5820992add0895ca548b476c-750-
     563.jpg
     Interior of Alcatraz: https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/
     artworkimages/mediumlarge/1/building-64-interior-alcatraz-island-
     jennifer-rondinelli-reilly.jpg
***** Eagle and Scout *****
Chapter Summary
     Sunstreaker meets the crew, Will senses something bad on the horizon.
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Bumblebee had to admit, he was surprised when he woke to find Grimlock curled
protectively around his frame. A rumbling purr kicked up as soon as the Dinobot
realized Bumblebee was awake, but the customary good morning kiss kept him from
asking anything for a few minutes. Eventually they broke for air, and Bee
shifted to slip his arms around Grimlock's neck. "And how'd you get in here
without waking me up?" 
"Weeell, Jazz unlocked the door, and you were dead to the world. I told ya that
you needed sleep!" Playfully shoving his chosen mate's helm, Bumblebee huffed.
"Well, I was busy." Grimlock just purred, curling closer for cuddles. "So,
how'd Sunstreaker go?" The growl was enough of a response on its own. "I'm glad
he's out of there. I haven't seen them since they went to get clean, but I'm
assuming they're lightyears better off than they were a week ago." 
"That's good at least. Think they'll get along with everyone else now that
they're together again?" 
Bumblebee groaned and hit Grimlock in the face with a pillow. Rumbling his
laughter, Grimlock went directly for the ticklish seams in Bumblebee's sides.
The squealing laughter and venomous swears were enough to prompt a grinning
Jazz to pull open the door and throw a pillow at Grimlock. Laughter could be
heard from the main room when Grimlock fell with a yelp, and Bee quickly bolted
from the bed to hide behind Jazz. It didn't take too long for Grimlock to get
back onto his pedes, and at that moment Jazz and Bee bolted towards the main
room. 
Sunstreaker was notably startled when the pair fled to Prowl on the loveseat
and Optimus on the couch, poorly hiding behind the furniture when Grimlock
pouted his way to the main room. Sideswipe nudged his twin, trying to help
jostle through the surprise of Grim's massive frame and sharpened nails. The
Dino easily pulled an '''''unwilling''''' Bumblebee in for a crushing hug and
immediately dropped onto his aft, but the lack of true struggle had Sunstreaker
glancing to his twin for a confused confirmation. Nothing but amusement echoed
through their re-established bond, and Sunstreaker dismissed it as the
'relaxed' Bumblebee that they had spoken about. The knowledge that had come
from his twin's spark reassured him that this was a side of Bumblebee he wanted
to see more often. 
Strongarm rolled her optics playfully, but after the room had settled a bit
Bumblebee took the floor. "Alright then." Straightening up slightly in Grim's
arms, he made sure everyone was within easy conversation range. "I'm fairly
certain you've had your basic introductions, and I apologize for oversleeping.
In case you missed his, this big goof behind me-" Grimlock beamed a toothy
smile, rocking Bee side-to-side slightly. "- is Grimlock." Sunstreaker shifted
slightly as Bee continued. "Yes, he was a Decepticon. But he's finished his
parole and has chosen to become an Autobot instead. That aside, do you have any
questions or anything, or did I powernap through that part?"
Optimus chuckled quietly from his place on the largest sofa, crammed between
his lover's protective frames as Sunstreaker shook his helm no. Ratchet rested
his own helm against Optimus' shoulder while an aged thumb stroked over the
back of Optimus' hand. "He's on his way to being healthy as a metrohorse too.
He's got a cough in his engine from disuse, but I had the two of them up with
Luna 1's setting to give them an overhaul. The more he drives, the better it'll
get. No long patrols for at least a week." Nodding, Bumblebee didn't even
hesitate. "So, no mandatory patrols at all until Ratch clears you." Immediately
sensing Sideswipe's argument, he continued. " Mandatory, Sideswipe. He's still
welcome to accompany you on yours- he just won't have anything he has to do
until he's back on his pedes." 
Sunstreaker gave him a mildly distrustful look. "I appreciate it, but why?"
Judging from the sudden jump by half the mecha, Sunstreaker hadn't taken
the opportunity to talk for himself yet. Strongarm found herself staring in
shock as Bumblebee explained. "Well, judging from your frame when we first met.
The wear on your knees and the top of your pedes, coupled with the scratches on
your back, hood, and neck implied they had you kneeling with weights."
Optics widened as all non-military personnel went dead quiet. "The way your
elbows and shoulders creaked imply you've had your hands bound behind your back
for a span of time, and the natural hunch I saw could mean a stressed spinal
support disk." Sunstreaker was leaning back now, and Sideswipe couldn't hold
back his own taste of fear at how quickly Bee had dissected what had happened. 
Grimlock chuckled his amusement, poking the yellow plating on his side. "Which
one this time? WWII? Unicron? Chicago?" Bee gasped and patted Grim's haunch.
"Close! Hoover Dam!" Grimlock purred as Optimus gave them a sidelong look, but
it was ignored in favor of another jest. "Aw, here I was gonna bet on back in
Tyger Pax-" Optimus turned the full brunt of the motherly glare on the Dino,
but Bumblebee just covered his face with his hands as a muffled "Nooooo!"
echoed from between laughs. Drift's face was horrified as he cleared his
throat. "Moving on!" 
Russell happily dismissed the attempt at shifting topics as he suddenly popped
out from behind Drift- Sunstreaker startled as the minicons and Denny tried to
pull him back. "Did you get hurt in all of those battles?" Bee nodded, holding
out his hand for the tiny human to climb onto. "Yep. Those are some of the
well-known ones where I was forced onto my knees. I could probably tell you
stories for days if I had to recount every time." Russell settled in with a
quiet 'woah’, kicking his feet off the side of Bee's palm playfully. 
Moving on himself, Russell waved to Sunstreaker. "Hi, Sunstreaker! I'm
Russell!" Sunstreaker didn't respond, just nodded with a dumbfounded look.
Denny stepped out, shaking his head. "That's my son. I'm Denny Clay- I own the
scrapyard that our team uses as a base." Sunstreaker nodded again, studying the
two with a carefully guarded expression. Optimus held out his servo for Denny,
seeing as Bee was having a spontaneous staring contest with Russell. Climbing
onto the offered hand, He turned his attention to Sunstreaker. "I'm glad Bee
was able to get you out of there. Prison isn't fun for humans, I don't even
want to imagine what it will be like for Cybertronians." Feeling nervous in the
spotlight, Sunstreaker shrugged. "It's nothing compared to Shockwave's slag,
so..." Falling quiet once more, Sunstreaker could easily see who understood and
who didn't. 
Jazz hummed, rolling his shoulders as he finally sat on the couch beside his
mate. "Speaking of ka-vr-krt-vrr-ka-thhrchkt-" Ironhide burst out laughing as
most of the mecha's faces went red. "- Bee!" Laughter upscaled for a solid
minute, and Bee just gave Jazz a flat look until he continued. "Didja ever get
the Senate to tell ya where the Matrix is?" Sighing heavily, Bee sank back
against Grim's chest. "If they did, I would have called you to get it back. I'm
half tempted to just go in there and call a stop until they do." The eyes in
the room were full of wary understanding. Ratchet lightly patted his helm in
return. "I still don't want you anywhere near a senator. I wouldn't put it
passed this cabinet to try to manipulate you somehow." 
"I know. I don't trust them either. Hell, I'd trust Starscream over Senator
Blackwing anyday." Scoffing, Ironhide grumbled something distinctly
Cybertronian under his breath. Optimus bumped his helm against his mate's
purring a reassuring tone. "Somethin' just ain't right bout that mech."
Bumblebee snorted a laugh. "Yeah, it's probably the fact he switches
personalities faster than Russel can change the channels on TV." Russell
grinned proudly, posing as if he was playing a game on his console. 
Optimus hummed quietly. "I'm certain it will find its way back to us. Even with
meddling, Primus finds his own way." With nods all around, Prowl's urge to be a
mother-hen took over and he found himself strolling over to the kitchen area to
prepare goodies. Jazz just turned on the massive holo-screen, holding up an
obviously custom copy of Mario Kart. Wanna get rekt-Cybertronian
style?" Russell's grin was more than enough of an answer. 
===============================================================================
 
The more William Lennox was around Chad Arkton, the less he trusted the
weaselly man- and thankfully, he wasn't alone. Raf stood beside him casually,
sipping from the flask he always carried on his waistband. Will knew better
than to judge, because no Alcohol he ever came across smelled quite like home-
quite like the bots. "Never got over the dependency?" 
Raf shot him a beaming smile, capping the flask. "Never tried. Ratch and I
agreed when I first got the Dark Energon purged- when we realized I now needed
Energon to survive- we decided it was a once in a lifetime chance to test
extended Energon side-effects on humans." Humming his understanding, Will
patted the young man's back. "For Science, huh?" Raf laughed, toasting Will
before tossing back what was left. Turning to face the elder, Raf hefted
himself up to sit on the railing. "It's super interesting so far. I know I'm
currently aging at a normal rate, but my body itself is still like my early
twenties! I'm assuming it's due to the supercharged energy it's feeding into my
cells." 
"Do you think it's because of the radiation?" 
"I'm not entirely certain. I stopped hurting when I was about sixteen, so I'm
assuming I've either adapted to the Energon or the nanites Ratchet has me add
have been reinforcing the cells themselves. Very fascinating either way!" Will
shook his head, watching over the troops as they began their morning regimen.
"Is it strange that I don't like not having the bots around?" Raf gently
stroked a hand across Will's shoulders. "Nah. I miss 'em more every day, but I
know it's too dangerous for us to all be together. Take Bee and Grim whenever
Chad's around- Yeah, they hover and cuddle, but I can see that they're usually
way closer. Even around his Team, Bee doesn't really relax unless he's got his
entire creation unit and probably a few extra officers around. Having someone
small and crushable around... it could become a hinderance extremely quickly." 
Will hummed, and they both fell silent as the soldiers ran the circumference of
the room- the rains had left it useless to do any kind of speed testing
outside. "Yeah. It's just that we got the rare chance to get close to 'em. I
still remember the nights in Egypt when 'Hide would tell me stories of Megs
before he lost it, or how he trained Baby Bee to the soldier he is today.
They're more than machines to us." Both fell quiet again as Chad stepped out of
his office, looking rather smug. The man didn't notice the pair on the
railing, instead trotting down the stairs with an unusual pep in his step. 
They remained quiet until he had left the main hangar through the side door
that led to the weapons hangar, but quietly shared a look. Will tapped the
railing with his fist twice, straightening up. "I trust that man about as far
as I can throw him." Raf snorted, kicking his feet absently. "Yeah. I must
admit though, it is funny watching that sexist xenophobic get owned by
Bumblebee every time he tries to push his shitty views around." That made Will
laugh, and he squeezed Raf's knee as he turned away. "Yeah, It is pretty great.
I'm just gonna keep my eyes on him, make sure he doesn't do something stupid to
try to 'one up' the bots." 
Raf nodded, slipping off the railing. "Yeah. I should still be good for lunch,
but if the experiment goes longer than expected I wouldn't wait for me. I'd say
a grace of 10?" Will nodded, holding out his fist. Bumping it happily, Raf slid
a keycard into the laboratory door. Will watched the young genious
disappear inside, whistling quietly he pulled out his phone to text his
favorite cannon-wielding pickup. 
- Hey, careful when ya comeback. The Official Duchebag™ is abnormally happy
today. 
- Hn. Noted. Anything strange, or just a good mood?
- Nothing in particular- just a feeling. He came out of his office and seemed
like he had his guard down. I just didn't like it. How's the newbie?
- I'll tell the others. We'll keep it in mind. Sunstreaker's real quiet, but
it's obvious he's overwhelmed by it all. Seems to be adapting quick though. 
Humming happily, Will resisted the urge to call and hear his partner's voice.
- Good. I'd bet my salary this year Sideswipe is keeping him calm through
a spark bond.
Some looked up when Ironhide snorted, and the Mech easily explained while he
responded to Will's message. "Will says the greaseball is pretty happy toda'.
Nothin’ in particular, but we shoul' use abitta caution when comin' back." 
- Yeah, twin bonds can be stronger than a long-mated pair. Overall though, he's
way more stable than I was expecting. Keep me posted, Scout.
-Will do, Eagle.
As soon as he got the confirmation from Lennox, he sent the virus to delete
their conversation. Sunstreaker tilted his head slightly, but Sideswipe already
was on it. "There's a guy back at the military base that's an utter ass. He
likes to push his opinions around." Sunstreaker barely managed to bite back the
annoyed growl. "Yeah, I knew a guard like that." Bumblebee hummed as Grimlock
lightly nuzzled his helm. "Yeah, I know far too many for my own good. Most of
them are Senators." 
That made Jazz laugh as he tossed both Bumblebee and Grimlock a sealed cube.
"Yer not wrong!"  Prowl rolled his optics as Jazz slid back into his seat,
pressing his helm against Prowl's and curling his legs over Prowl's own-
accidently kicking the empty goodie tray onto the floor. Lulling his head
lazily, the lieutenant looked over to the enforcer. "Did you get your
statements done?" Prowl nodded, and Bee nodded. "Good. We probably shouldn't
stay too much longer then, especially if Chad's being a creep." 
The Bee Team casually began to collect themselves-Except Bee, who just sat with
his optics off and his back against Grim's chest. Optimus watched them for
several Nanokilks before he quietly chuckled. "Are you planning
on joining us, Chirr-Wic-Click?" Russell grinned as Bee said something back
with a strange syllabatic rhythm, but quickly grew confused when half the mecha
in the room whipped their helms around in shock. 
Optimus just rolled his optics, responding in the same lyrical tones. A quick
back and forth occurred before Bee cracked open an optic with an amused smile
and a put-upon "Fiiiine."  Ratchet sighed heavily, shaking his helm as Ironhide
lightly jabbed him with his elbow. "Ey now, give 'em some credit- least he
didn' inherit yer work ethic!" Immediately wheeling with a wrench, laughter
broke out when the weapons specialist now had to parry an angry medic.
Sunstreaker was notably horrified by the time Bee had helped Grimlock to his
pedes. 
Giving him a disarming grin, Bumblebee scooped up the humans. Drift
just leant in- still outside of Sunstreaker's personal space though- and
muttered quietly. "It is how they show affection. Years of war has left them
with their own quirks." Nodding as he pressed against his brother slightly,
Sunstreaker nodded. When the goodbyes were said and the Bridge was loaded,
Sideswipe squeezed his brother's servo... only to receive a teasing prod
through their bond when Strongarm stepped through the bridge before the twins,
leaving Sideswipe noticeably distracted to his twin.  
Ironhide grinned at the quiet antics of Sunny and Sides before stepping through
the bridge, immediately scanning the area for his human partner. Spotting the
man barking orders at some recruits, Ironhide quietly stepped over and scooped
the Colonel into his hands. Colonel William Lennox did not miss a single beat,
readjusting to lean back against Ironhide's thumb, propping his feet up on
Ironhide's calf once the mech had settled into a cross-legged sitting position.
Optimus chuckled and lightly brushed his servo against Ratchet's waist, nodding
toward their third. Ratchet grinned in response, patting the larger mech's
upper arm.
Bumblebee stepped through next, closely followed by Grimlock, and Ratchet was
rather surprised they managed to keep from looming too much when Sideswipe
brought Sunstreaker through. All the humans in the room turned to look at the
newest mech, and Sunstreaker felt his plating ruffle in response. Sideswipe
gave him a soothing grin, using his field to calm his brother- it was always
more effective anyway. Chad glared from the balcony, leveling his glare at
Bumblebee. "Well well, what a surprise. You brought another back with you."
Bee felt his face might permanently damage if he gave Chad a flatter look. "If
you hadn't run off to your office, you would have known that." Huffing like an
insulted child, Chad rolled his eyes. "I'll get the camera after I make a few
phone calls." Bee didn't respond as the obviously angry man turned and slammed
the door to his office. Will just rolled his eyes from his pace in Ironhide's
servos before turning his head back to bark orders. The soldiers scrambled, and
Sunstreaker visibly relaxed with the attention off him. Bumblebee quietly took
an unoccupied corner, pulling out his ever-present datapad while Will enlisted
Grimlock to give the soldiers some... incentive. 
Amused chuckles broke out with the Jurassic Park re-enactment, and the air
settled with the horrified laughter of the fleeing soldiers and thundering
pedefalls of Grimlock's alt. After the sixth lap, the twins silently drifted to
sit near Bumblebee. After an acknowledgment grin, they watched him work. Within
minutes he had four screens up on his holoprojector, and Sideswipe tilted his
helm. "Are you doing inventory?"
Bee's digits hovered for a nanokilk, but he continued fast enough. "Half-way. I
keep a grand list of supplies, and once a month I double check the actual stock
against what's there. Every two weeks, I make sure my lists match up with the
logs on base. I'm doing the latter right now, and the security cameras are
helpful for doing it remotely." Sunstreaker nodded, mildly impressed. "Why do
it so much? Shouldn't the monthly check be enough?" 
That's when they got the sheepish grin. "Honestly, I could do it once
every two months and be perfectly fine considering how small our team is. I'm
just bored." That made both burst out into laughter, startling a nearby
Strongarm. Bumblebee just smiled. "Yeah. I'm so used to having so much to do-
on the field, Scouts will die if we decide to take a breather. That's been such
a big part of my life so long, I just get anxious when I don't have anything to
put my mind on." Sideswipe snorted. "Oh yeah, we've noticed. At least you keep
things running." Bee hummed his agreement. 
Sideswipe fell silent for a long while, but eventually Sunstreaker sighed and
rolled his optics. "What do you think is a good option for us once we're
don here on Earth? Would that pardon help get a job?" Glancing back up when
Sideswipe whipped his helm towards his twin, Bumblebee gave them a small grin
that reminded Sideswipe of a certain semi across the room. "Well, I've reviewed
the videos of the fight you got into with the guards... I would always be
interested in having a bodyguard for special events that can throw down when
it's required. Sideswipe is very good at inventory- even if he doesn't like it-
so I was thinking of something more business management. If you both work under
me, it's guaranteed you won't be separated again, and it's more than plausible
to live on that kind of wage and have ample for any hobbies you may want to
take up." 
Optics widened, and Bumblebee glanced between them with that same smile still
in place. "Even more incentive is the fact that if Sunstreaker is part of my
retainer guard, you're both technically high-ranking officials due to the
nature of your sparks. Which means if someone happens to harass you about your
sparks, they could get in severe trouble for threatening an official of the
Prime. This would also extend to anyone either of you choose to bond with, as
they would undoubtedly find their way into the administrative district with
Sideswipe." The stylus twirled around Bumblebee's pointer and middle digit.
"It's an option that is open to you if you should choose to take it. Otherwise,
Prowl would take over as your official mentor, and you would be free
to pursue any careers you choose. Your records will be dropped as soon as the
case with Main Iacon is settled."  The twins were utterly speechless.
Sideswipe's jaw hung slightly slack, and Sunstreaker obviously fumbled with the
words tumbling around his helm before settling on a single, emotion-filled
syllable-"Why?" 
Bumblebee's smile turned to one of knowing, and it left Sunstreaker mildly
frightened. "Because. I've got a feeling."
Sideswipe was quiet for a long moment, before realization lit up his optics.
"...Ohhhhh." Sunstreaker looked over at his twin as slowly as the syllable was
let out, before groaning and putting his face into his servos. Bumblebee just
returned to his work, and Sideswipe thumped his shoulder against Sunstreaker's.
"It's good." Sunstreaker didn't even raise his helm. "He's got
a feeling Sideswipe." The red twin dropped his chin onto his Brother's
shoulder. "I'll explain it when we get time." 
 
Chapter End Notes
     I dropped a reference to the song Echo by Crusher-P on youtube in
     this chap! I've been listening to it on repeat to get the feel for
     what's coming, and I highly recommend!
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQKGUgOfD8U
     Also, Sunstreaker has no clue what he's been signed up for. Poor
     sunny.
     I also have no clue why I decided Will and Ironhide would have
     nicknames for each other, but Eagle and Scout seemed cute. Ironhide
     likes to hover, and Will is just as whiley as all the other Scouts
     he's trained, so it seemed right for the two of them.
***** Sirens Blazing *****
Chapter Summary
     Senator Blackwing makes an appearance, and Bee has to go into hiding.
Chapter Notes
     Felt like I was lagging again, so have the actual plot for once! I'm
     not entirely happy with how much I crammed into this chap, but my
     original plans had this strung out for like another 7 chapters. So,
     lesser of two evils, and we get some Rescue Bots shenanigans.
     Win-Win right?
See the end of the chapter for more notes
It had taken a while for Chad to finish his calls. Will had taken the down time
to tell them all about the unusually chipper morning, and Raf and eventually
appeared from the lower levels for 'lunch'- even though it was closer to 7 am
than noon. The other humans were still sleeping due to the ungodly early hours,
so it gave the group closest to the bots time to catch up without so many
others distracting them. Russell had nearly jumped from his skin for the chance
to talk to someone who knew what he was going through- Denny jumped at the
chance to meet one of the most prominent minds of the modern era. Either way,
Russell's homework was finished in record time, and Russell found himself
wondering why teachers had to explain it in an hour in a half when Raf did it
in ten. All was well until the third time the Nevada native sipped from his
flask in a half hour period- That’s when a soldier decided to toss an insult to
the young man. 
This lead to Will and Ironhide barking at him in unison, forcing the entire
platoon to run alongside the smartass to 'teach him some teamwork'. Judging
from the faces of his platoonmates, the soldier was going to learn the lesson
well. Once the soldiers left the room, Denny couldn't resist his dad urges.
"I'm sorry if this isn't my place, but in case it’s something you've been
tryin’ to stop- My dad got off his addiction by slowly mixing more and more
water in. It was hard as hell for him, but he was too stubborn to actually get
help. He got clean after a year or so." Raf laughed, patting Denny's hand.
Russell was proud his dad didn't squeal on the spot from the physical
acknowledgment. "It's not alcohol, we just let the soldiers think that. It's
actually Energon." Both Clay’s brows went to their hairline, and Russell's
confused look was enough to prompt an explanation. 
"Bee was one of the bots I used to ride with. One day, Megatron got into it
with Bumblebee when I was in his cab. Bee got hit with Megs’ cannon, and the
resulting shock left me infected with Dark Energon. We managed to get my body
clean of all the toxins, but my cells were damaged severely by the accident."
Rolling up one of his sleeves, Russell felt his blood run cold. Raf just raced
over the dark lightning bolt-esque burns permanently engraved into his skin as
he continued. "I wasn't getting better, even with Ratchet's medical knowledge.
By accident, Ratch accidentally cut his finger when he was cleaning one of the
scalpels he had recently used on Bulkhead- a teensy bit of Energon got on my
leg, and later that day I was showing significant improvement. I tried a small
sip of the stuff the bot's drink for the science of it all, and after the pain
faded it helped more than any medication ever had. I've been on it ever since,
and I take one of these flasks slowly over two hours. Just before bed, I drink
a flask of undiluted Energon and it gets me through the night without any
serious repercussions or relapses.”
Russell couldn't decide if he was horrified or amazed, but Denny certainly
could. The father frowned slightly, but took advantage of the rare opportunity
to question someone more experienced in this situation. "Do you regret it?" Raf
looked up, pushing his glasses up his nose reflexively. "Regret what?" Denny
shifted, glancing at Russell. Understanding flashed through Raf's eyes, and he
smiled as he pulled down his sleeves. "Never. Even if I knew everything I know
now- If I knew my friends would be silenced legally, if I knew I would be
forced into this stupid government job.” He paused for a moment, debating on if
he wanted to continue.  “If I knew Jack and Arcee would die because they became
too close- I would still do it. The things I've learned, the bots I've
met...I'd always choose them." 
Russell grinned, gripping his ankles to keep his balance when Raf shot him a
grin of his own as he continued. "The only thing I've ever regretted about the
bots, was not going with when they offered me a place on Cybertron." Bee
laughed from his place beside Optimus. "That offer never expired, Little
Einstein." Raf grinned widely, but conversations stopped as Chad came down the
main staircase with the camera in hand. Sunstreaker growled quietly, but
Sideswipe encouraged him to take his alt and get this over with. Will
straightened his back as Chad hit the main floor, tapping his servos against
Ironhide's wrist in a code they both knew by heart. Within seconds, every mech
in the room was watching the shady official with close optics.
The camera was dutifully uncapped, but Grimlock noticed a stall when he saw
one. He stepped closer to Bumblebee as Chad took his sweet time documenting
Sunstreaker's alt. The steps he took around the nervous Cybertronian were
precise and measured, and he was unusually picky about each flash of the
camera. Bumblebee could feel the growing apprehension from hics away. The
others in the room seemed to sense it as well, as Grimlock had moved to hover
protectively behind Bumblebee while Optimus and his mates stood on the other
side of Sunstreaker. Sideswipe stood nervously before his twin, beside an
equally nervous Strongarm and a casually stoic Drift. The second Chad put the
lens cap on, a smug grin crossed his face. Clapping his servos, Bee gestured
for everyone to gather up for the bridge home. Without a word to Chad, Bee
turned to give Grimlock a half-worried-half-comforting grin as he started to
set the coordinates in his personal bridge control.
Just before he pressed the button, his spark froze as he registered the flash
of an activating ground bridge behind him. His digits froze, and he cursed
every deity he could think of while wrestling with the urge to commit some
rather un-autobotly behavior.
The mech that stepped through was tall- obviously a flight frame- and
purposefully ignored all others in favor of training the rich purple optics on
the runaway Primal Designate. "Bumblebee! It's so good to see you're safe!"
Strongarm had never seen Bumblebee have to fix a grin from a scowl, but she
sincerely hoped she would never have to ever again. The young mech turned with
the fakest smile she had ever seen, but she had to shift her attention to the
newcomer. The light purple and yellow mech was admittedly a looker, with dark
shadows highlighting the impressive wingspan. Capped digits extended to
Bumblebee in an offer of a formal greeting, but Bee's hands remained clasped
behind his back as he continued to hold his empty smile. "Senator Blackwing.
It's been a while." Ratchet had to bite back the laugh at what was probably the
world's flattest greeting. 
"That it has, little one." The words rolled off Blackwing's tongue, and
everyone in the room felt their fight or flight response start to kick in. "I
would prefer if you didn't call me that, Senator. To you, I am neither
'little', nor subordinate enough to deem that particular brand of disrespect."
Blackwing hummed a trilling noise, allowing his optics to glance around the
room. "That is true... except the fact that you are not a bearing Prime- You
are not as high above the Senate as you would like to believeyou are." He
barely finished the sentence before that grin on Bee's face turned mildly
malicious. "I'm high enough. And we could fix that problem if you all would be
so kind as to return the Matrix like you're supposed to when Optimus passed.
Let's skip the pleasantries- what do you want."  
Blackwing gave Bumblebee a theatrically disappointed look. "So hostile! Can you
blame me for wanting to make sure that the very future of Cybertron itself was
safe and sound?" Bumblebee barely managed to keep the 'formal' smile on his
face. "Please, Senator. I'm quite capable of taking care of myself." Blackwing
took a step forward, and Ironhide sat Will down as charged his arm cannon.
"That is something I agree with, Bumblebee. You've managed to elude our
scanners for quite some time- that time as a scout served you well. But it's
time for you to grow up, little one. The time for hide-and-seek has passed, and
you have duties to tend to." 
Optimus stepped forward then, putting himself between Bee and Blackwing.
"You have no basis on what he does." Blackwing looked the Prime up and down
dismissively. "Neither do you, Primal Quondam. He needs to be
where Cybertron knows he is safe- not with a group of criminals who don't
understand the gravity of his role!" Grimlock growled darkly as he shifted Bee
to stand closely behind him. "You ain't goin' near Bee." Blackwing seemed
surprised when Grimlock started to growl. 
Optics flickered over him once with a firm dismissal, before his optics
widened. Looking Grimlock over far more thoroughly, the Senator felt his
turbines pick up with his growing outrage. "You've selected him as your
Protectorate!? Bumblebee, come now! There are a multitude of qualified mecha
that can protect you! You don't need to scrape the muck to-" Bumblebee growled
his own engine, lightly placing a servo between Grimlock's shoulder blades. "I
would rather die with a mech that actually cares for my wellbeing than engage
in a failed bond with a mech who would willingly sell me off to the highest
bidder." Humans winced around the room at the implication, and Blackwing's
wings flicked into an imposing position. "Bumblebee, I am a busy mech. Cut
this... this scrap and return to Cybertron."
Bee just growled as bridges opened behind each little cluster of his team, and
Bumblebee pulled Grimlock's shoulder as he fled through the bridge. Strongarm
grabbed Will and Raf before fleeing through her own, as Ironhide grabbed Denny
and Russell to follow suit. The senator lunged for Bumblebee just in time to
get Optimus' fist to his face, and the semi made it through the second
bridge just before it sealed shut.
Blackwing snarled as the last bridge closed, knowing it was futile to try to
track them through the bridges- he was a senator, not Soundwave. Pushing
himself to his pedes, he didn't notice the startled man suddenly duck behind a
pillar as he turned to Chad. "Marvelous. This is turning into a vat of organic-
tainted sludge." Chad sighed, looking over the Cybertronian. "I can damn well
guarantee they won't return to the scrapyard. The pulled William Lennox through
the bridge with them, but he's got so many assets and friends willing to risk
their lives for the bots that it's pointless to track them. I'll put an order
through to track their bank cards, and I'll call you when we get a lead."
Blackwing huffed, opening a bridge. "I certainly hope this goes quickly- for
your planet's sake. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee what the masses back on
Cybertron will do." 
Chad shuddered, barely managing to hold back his spite. "Yeah, well, trust me.
We don't want them upset either. You'd think someone that's as old as Bumblebee
would understand his situation and not be so damn childish!" Blackwing rolled
his optics. "Fifty-thousand is young for a Cybertronian, but it is
roughly comparable to an Eighteen-year-old for you humans. If he's legally old
enough to make his own legal decisions, he should take his place as a Prime and
allow us to choose his protectorate through the capable mecha in the queue.
But, one way or another, he is not a member of your culture- therefore, what he
does and who he bonds with is ultimately none of your concern. In the end, he
will learn." Blackwing growled the next part, stalking towards the swirling
spacebridge. "Be it his way... or our way." Chad scoffed quietly, muttering his
own retort. "That's why you don't put all your fucking importance on an
underage brat. Even if they've got military experience." 
Sam swallowed from his place behind the pillar, using the fop of the bridge's
closing to cover the sound of his retreat. Pushing his body against the door to
the barracks Miko immediately looked up, slowly freezing her current process of
tying her shoe. The humans that still lingered in the bunker knew they were
fucked before Sam even opened his mouth.
===============================================================================
Plating immediately flattened as bitter cold rushed through Optimus' system,
and a series of bridges opened before the Prime. Opening his comm, he sent a
quick message to one of his most trustworthy humans- Charlie Burns. The message
was brief, and encrypted as a automated status check. Optimus stepped through
one of the bridges at random, knowing the aging Policeman would understand he
plea behind the message. Each bridge led him briefly through a desert,
rainforest, another blizzard, and even something underwater before arriving at
the scrapyard. The yard itself was a flurry of movement. Denny helped the bots
tear down all but the spacebridge and store it in nearby locations. A quick
scan of the yard found Grimlock hovering over a notably shaky Bumblebee, but
they both diligently disabled the command bridge in silence. Optimus grabbed
one of the larger beams, quickly moving it to the 'weight scrap'.
Strongarm and the others arrived in regular intervals, and by the time the
group had reconvened Chief Burns had answered the Prime's pleading message. The
group looked through the 'normal' scrapyard, and the air of slight despair
didn't go unnoticed. Optimus took the start of the conversation. "I believe it
is obvious that Chad Arkton is not to be trusted." Will's scoff earned a quiet
chuckle around the group, and Grimlock pulled Bee close by the waist to give
him an excuse to lean against something. "This means that, for the time being,
we will need to be split up. Bumblebee, I have gotten confirmation on a place
for you and Grimlock to hide. William-" Will held up a hand, shaking his helm.
"I still have my 'ranch' in North Dakota. It's more than large enough to
hide everyone." 
Ironhide leant down to bump his helm against Will's affectionately, and Raf
couldn't hide the gleam in his eye. "Road trip?" Ratchet groaned, poking the
scientist in the chest. "You are not listing to 'Despacito' and 'Reggaetón
Lento' on repeat for the next twenty hours!" Raf huffed, slinking back against
Will and casually muttering 'Tú chupas los huevos!' Ratchet immediately pushed
a squealing Raf onto his back with a menacing growl. Optimus shook his helm,
stepping over to place a servo onto Bumblebee's shoulder. "Do what you need to
do to take care of yourselves." Bee nodded, and Grimlock's servo twitched as
the younger mech quickly bounded over to claim hugs from his two other creators
as everyone else discussed travel plans. 
Ratchet squeezed Bumblebee close to his side as he offered his opinion. "We
should drive there. It gives them the insight that we're splitting up, but we
can scan new alts and hide far better than leaving a bridge trail all over the
fraggin' country. Bee and Grim, you two should be fine considering where you’re
going." The two nodded as Grimlock pulled the former scout close once more,
allowing his plating to settle once his unofficial charge was back in arm's
reach. Optimus booted his private bridge once more, nodding to the others.
"Drive with the upmost caution, everyone. Scan frequently, and obey the local
traffic laws. I will arrive when it is safe for me to do so."
Hesitant goodbyes were said as they took the various bridges for a head start,
and soon Bumblebee was left alone with his carrier and his suitor. Optimus
seemed to be at a loss for words, settling instead for pulling them both in for
a tight hug. Grimlock squirmed awkwardly at first, but settled into the
warmth without too much struggle. "You two will go with team Sigma-17. They
have agreed to hide you as best they can, and will inform me if either of you
have disappeared." Bee seemed mildly excited, squeezing Grimlock's hand with
his own as he stepped back from Optimus' embrace. The semi bumped
their forehelms together. "I am so sorry I cannot protect you as I
should, Chirr-wic-click." Bumblebee shook his helm, purring something back in
the lyrical tones that Grimlock didn't understand. 
Straightening up, Optimus opened their bridge. They stepped through to another
hangar- the lights were off, and none of the mecha bothered to turn them back
on. Using their headlights for illumination, Bee flumped his helm against
Grimlock's shoulder. Grim's quiet voice startled Bee slightly- Was Grimlock
always able to sound so quiet? - and his processor barely managed to process
the question before an amused Optimus answered. "That would be an early version
of Primal Vernacular. It is a subtype of Old Cybertronian, but reserved in
teaching for only the Primes and their closest cabinets. If you choose to be
Bumblebee's Lord Protectorate, you will inevitably learn it." 
Grimlock hummed, thinking for a long moment before he met Optimus' optics with
determination that was unusual for the playful mech. "Now's as good as later."
Optimus reset his optics in surprise, but settled in with a grin. Bumblebee
snuggled into the arm around his waist to listen to Optimus give his
Protectorate-to-be the general rundown.
===============================================================================
In the hours it took Chief Burns to reach the mainland, Grimlock had gotten
thoroughly confused. Bee was giggling when the lights booted up from the
outside, and helms turned when the doors pinged a correct passcode. The aging
policeman smiled as he closed the door behind him, approaching the trio and
receiving equally warm smiles. Optimus held out his servo for the Chief to
stand on, and was met with a gentle bump to the forehead from Optimus.
Confusion met the semi at first, but the human quickly figured out the meaning
behind the gesture once Optimus began to speak. "I am forever in your debt,
Charlie Burns. I know the risk you take to keep my sparkling safe is grave, yet
you still choose to protect him." 
Charlie patted the blue servo he stood upon. "If you’re the type for level
fields, consider us even for protecting Cody and Frankie when the time travel
shenanigans happened. If not- That's what friends do. That's what families do.
It's my honor to help keep yours safe." Bumblebee grinned as Charlie directed
his attention to the snuggling couple. "And it would seem your family has
gotten slightly bigger since we last met!" Bee glanced up at Grimlock, grinning
as he hid himself slightly in the closest arm. "Yeah, I don't think it's going
to be easy to live with Blades when he finally gets to meet Grimlock here."
Charlie burst out laughing at the thought, jumping the few feet back to the
earth.
"Yeah, between him and Dani, you two are about to have a fun time. Let's get
you two back to Griffin Rock- where you'll be safe. The Island knows about the
bots now, so you'll be free to roam around. The Government stopped looking
around when Doc Greene 'accidently' blew up that ice machine a few years
back..." Another chuckle between Bee and Charlie prompted Grimlock to decide
not to ask. Putting his hands on his hips, Chief Burns gestured to the cargo
bay. "Boulder is waiting with a flat to transport you on, Grimlock. Until we
get to the island, pose as a new attraction for the museum. After the ferry
leaves, you're safe to drop your cover. The captain will know, and I'll inform
any that are on the ship about your predicament- but, I can't guarantee the
government won't nose around until we're back on the island. So, it’s best to
just enjoy the ride." Grimlock nodded, transforming and wagging his tail a few
times for the suddenly awestruck human before disappearing through the bay to
get secured. Bumblebee smiled as he heard the loud clang of an enthusiastic hug
and a quiet yelp, shaking his helm and transforming after another helm-bump to
his carrier. Charlie stroked his hand along Bee's hood before quietly popping
the door, giving Optimus a nod before sliding inside and buckling his seatbelt.
"The kids were calling an immediate town hall meeting when I left- we decided
to leave out the majority of why, but the whole town knows that you're in
danger. I know they'll be as eager as we were to help keep you safe. In the
meantime, you and Grimlock will be assisting my team on rescues and repairs
that you can safely help with- otherwise, the firehouse is yours to enjoy. I
believe Chase is going to bunk with Heatwave to give you two a room of your
own." Charlie stroked Bee's wheel supportively as they pulled onto the ferry.
"That isn't necessary. Grim and I-" 
"Won't argue on that. You're our guests. Also, I think Chase and Heatwave will
enjoy the opportunity to not have to sneak off for their 'team building
exercises'... if you know what I mean. Boulder and Blades already teamed up to
give Blurr and Salvage a room, but never remembered to separate once they moved
here to the mainland station." Bumblebee tried to keep his engine from stalling
in embarrassment as Charlie laughed, stepping out to help direct Boulder and
Grimlock safely onto the boat. Minutes later, they were safely sailing towards
the unmonitored Griffin Rock- and Bee felt his creator bond sing with praise
and well-wishes as a familiar Semi fled the coast.
Bumblebee was tempted to comm Grimlock, but he knew the signal would be found
quickly here on the open ocean. Settling on his tires, he watched the evening
ocean view drift by. Some mildly familiar faces- probably Griffin Rock natives
returning from holiday- wandered around his alt every so often, 'ohh'ing and
'ahh'ing with affectionate strokes to his hood. Eventually, Chief Burns
collected them all into a group in the captain's cabin. When the humans emerged
once more, the pair were met with smiles and respectful distances. When they
reached the island, Grimlock held pose until the captain winked, pulling his
ferry away to carry the next load off to the mainland. 
Blades immediately sprung forwards, squealing and barely holding back long
enough for Bumblebee to transform before squeezing the life out of the younger
mech. The stray townsfolk around the dock laughed and stepped back, giving
Grimlock ample room to transform and meet the others with his signature toothy
grin. Blades' jaw dropped, and he slowly turned his helm back to his closest
bestie to mutter quietly in his audial in basic Neocybex. "You said you found
a snack, not a full-course meal!" The mortified warble from the former scout
sent Heatwave into gut-busting laughter. The humans in the area were
all confused, but quickly dismissed it as the resident aliens being...well.
Aliens.  Grimlock looked around in confusion, tilting his head at Bumblebee for
clarification on the human-esque comment. Groaning and hiding his faceplate in
his hands, Bee just huffed out 'you're strong and cute.' Grimlock immediately
beamed, fluffing like the proud Dinobot he was. 
Blades squealed quietly, squeezing the Urbana even closer and squealing. "This
is gonna be the best! Slumber party! EVER!" Heatwave took that moment to roll
his optics, stepping forward to pry the overjoyed helicopter off the smaller
mech. Chase turned to Grimlock, greeting him with his usual monotone and
politeness. Grimlock returned it with a grin, pulling the police bot in for a
hug- easily lifting his pedes off the ground and earning a startled 'o-oh my!'
from the now-flustered enforcer. Blurr laughed at the unfortunate capture of
the police mech, but stifled it when Salvage leant down to ask him a question
quietly. Heatwave chuckled and shook his helm as Chase received an up-close and
personal view of that grin before being set down. Grimlock made his way to
hover near Bee once more, and the group started to walk up the shoreline
towards Professor Baranova's lab.  
Boulder eagerly pointed out various parts of the island as they passed, telling
the stories behind them and introducing the pair to various people they
happened to pass by. A minor detour occurred when Mr. Pettypaws ran across the
road and up a nearby tree. Mrs. Neederlander didn't seem too pleased with more
mecha on the island- especially not one who shrieked at the sight of her
precious cat, and was now hiding behind a startled Heatwave. But, she dismissed
them with her usual huff when Bumblebee got the ever-troubled fur ball out of
the tree in record time. Blades contained his squealing with no small amount of
overexcited prancing as Bee calmed the larger mech with quiet, soothing tones,
leading him further up the shoreline. 
Once the group was moving once more (and Grimlock was effectively glued to
Bumblebee's side to 'protect' Bee from any more feline attackers, of course),
they finished their trek quickly. Doc Greene and Professor Baranova greeted
them with waves, while Frankie happily sprinted to meet the newest mecha. The
young woman was eagerly followed by Cody, and Bumblebee scooped them both into
his servos with an affectionate wing flutter. Chief Burns made his way up to
the Midgard to greet his longtime friend and the two members of his family
beside him, grinning at Professor Baranova's mildly awed look. 
"The green one is certainly... large, isn't he?" She muttered, half to herself.
Ezra hummed his agreement, but shrugged. "High Tide and Optimus are both rather
large- it's probably just a frame type." Charlie hummed his agreement, watching
as the Dinobot carefully cradled the kids in his sharpened servos. Even though
Grimlock was at the wrong angle to see the softened grin he was getting from
Bumblebee, the trio on the balcony was not. Ezra nudged Charlie, who grinned in
return. "They're dating. Still in the sappy phase too. Blades is having a field
day." The inventor burst out laughing, clapping his hands together as Anna
giggled behind a hand and carefully rocked CeCe’s hover stroller. "Well, at
least we know they won't be causing any trouble. Young loves tend to
be... preoccupied." Ezra went slightly red, but Charlie chose not to address
it. "'Fraid not, Anna. Bumblebee's physically too young to be doing any
physical intimacy. They do seem to get very cuddly and protective though, so
I'm certain we'll get some good pictures of the two dozing or being a little
too absorbed in each other for the bot’s surprise scrapbook." 
Anna laughed, giving an overdramatic sigh and pretending to be bored with it
all. Charlie shook his head, lightly bumping Ezra with his hip- who in turn,
bumped Anna with a musical 'cha cha cha!'. "I wouldn't worry too much about
that. If you're ever short of poorly-hidden affection, just watch Heatwave and
Chase when they think they’re alone." Leaning up with a grin, Charlie nodded to
his friend and descended the stairs. It took about ten seconds for the joke to
register, and both scientists traded shocked glances before breaking down into
shocked giggles. The group moved on then, intent on meeting the rest of the
Burns family back at the Firehouse. Heatwave broke off from the group, seeing
as he was the remaining trio's ride home from the town hall.
Blades took the initiative, disappearing into the bunker to collect movies for
the oncoming movie night. Frankie kicked her feet, having already planned a
sleepover at Cody's and brought her stuff over earlier in the day. The young
teens settled down on the couch closest to Grimlock and Bumblebee, instantly
turning to get stories of takedowns and captures from the mainland team. Two
stories in, Heatwave returned to the base with the rest of the Burnses. The
three humans renewed the spirit of enthusiastic greetings and lowkey amazement
over the hulking mech curled behind Bumblebee, but overall the consensus was
happy wishes to the couple. Chief Burns was right though- Dani and Blades were
having a field day. Blurr was jolted slightly by Heatwave, and the racer gave a
sheepish look as he finally introduced Salvage with a fist-bump to
the Dinobot and a smile from the lieutenant.
Ten minutes of embarrassing squealing with Dani later, Cody pointedly asked for
another story. Bumblebee gave him a thankful look, humming quietly as he
shifted more of his weight against Grimlock. The Dinobot purred, snickering as
he got an idea. "How about the time Strongarm got all detective-y!" Bumblebee
groaned at the memory, but Blades just laid on his stomach to kick his pedes in
the air with anticipation. Halfway through recounting the time Strongarm got a
little too into her detective role, Frankie got The Look™.
She patiently waited till the story was over, but Bumblebee could see the
question in her eyes. The bots and humans that had joined them hadn't quite
caught on, but the room went curiously quiet when Frankie asked. "So, how
did you two meet?" Grimlock grinned, looking to Bee. "Want me to tell this'un,
or do you wanna?"  Bumblebee laughed just as Chief Burns came down the lift,
joining the group with a comically large bowl of Popcorn.  "Well, we actually
met right after I returned to Earth. Some slag went down on Cybertron that I
don't have the mental energy to try to translate right now, so I'll skip ahead.
There was a mech named Underbite tearing up a nearby campsite, but he escaped
before we could arrest him. After tracking him down to a local scrapyard- yes,
the same one we wound up making our base- this goof-" Bumblebee lightly rapped
his knuckles against Grim's chest with a grin. 
"-Had managed to halfway break his own pod open and was antagonizing Underbite.
He upset him enough to goad him into a fight, which gave our group time to get
everything figured out on how we could catch him... Why did you want to punch
him so bad anyway?" Grimlock gave Bumblebee an amused look. "You'd wanna punch
him too after listnin' to 'em brag for a few vorn on end. We were in the same
jail before being put on the Alchemor, so I'd wanted to deck him for
a loooong time." Conceding with a knowing look, Bumblebee rested his helm
against Grim's shoulder once more. "Anyway. After he helped us catch Underbite,
I offered Grimlock parole or the pod." Grim beamed a smile, hugging Bee close. 
Blades' lips tugged into a frown as he tilted his helm. "Wait. I thought
only prisoners were on the Alchemor?" Chase looked up with alarm when the
pieces clicked into place, and Bumblebee chuckled. "Grimlock was originally a
Decepticon. He switched sides after he finished his parole." A round of
'ohhhh's went around the humans in the room, and Bee quietly counted on his
servos before Blades' helm whipped back around with a screech of 'WHAT?!' The
mecha seemed suddenly concerned- except Blurr- as they eyed the Dinobot with
varying degrees of caution.
Grimlock just laughed quietly, purring with a toothy grin on Bumblebee's
shoulder. Bumblebee rolled his optics but thumped his helm against Grimlock's
playfully. Slowly the group began to relax, but Cody stared for a moment longer
than everyone else. "Did you choose to be a Decepticon, or was there not really
an option to be an Autobot?" Grimlock blinked in surprise, but quickly
recovered and reached a clawed servo out to ruffle Cody's hair. "Keep this'un
Bee! He's smart! I didn't get ta choose, cause of where I grew up. Stereo-types
an' all." Grimlock accented the slightly mispronounced word with air quotes,
and Chief Burns grinned at his youngest son before clearing his throat.
"Perhaps that's enough stories for now- I'm certain those two would enjoy some
relaxation after the day they've had." The TV flicked on, effectively capturing
everyone's attention with the old-school werewolf movie that the Burnses had
purchased many years ago. 
About three hours in, Charlie glanced back at the oddly quiet couple. He half
expected to see them sneaking a kiss while everyone was distracted or asleep,
but instead was met with the heartwarming sight of Bumblebee- out cold and
curled against Grimlock's side. The Dinobot was gently stroking down Bee's open
side, muttering something far too quietly for human ears to register.
Occasionally the green helm dipped to nuzzle against the yellow one, purring
and cooing quietly to soothe any overactive dreams the youngling might be
having. Looking down to his own children, Charlie pulled the VHS from the tape
deck, retrieving blankets and draping them over the various unconscious humans.
Grimlock grinned as Bumblebee's optics flickered online in response to the
movement, looking around sleepily and clicking with confusion. 
The responding purr was a deep rumble, and Bumblebee willingly dropped his helm
back onto Grim's shoulder as he curled in a lazy half-stretch. Chase stood as
quietly as he could, gesturing for Grimlock to follow. Bumblebee made a move to
stand, but Grimlock quickly scooped Bee up as if he was weightless. Heatwave
found himself grinning alongside Boulder, who pinged his comm. 
-It's good to see Bumblebee so relaxed. He’s always so stressed when he visited
before!
-Yeah. I can tell they'll be good for each other in the long run... Every other
time's hes been here, Bumblebee didn't seem like a cuddling type. If he can
stand to fall alseep around the big goof, It's obvious they have something that
we don't see.
The leader of Sigma 17 nodded, gesturing to the lightly snoring Blades.
-Now, if only that one could be calm for a hot minute.
Boulder chuckled, gripping the unconscious (and definitively dead to the world)
helicopter by the pedes. "C'mon. Let's get him in his room." Chase and Heatwave
stepped over as quietly as they could, half-carrying, half-dragging the Heli to
his and Boulder's shared room. Heatwave rolled his shoulders as the
muttering flybot was dropped unceremoniously onto his berth, and he grinned at
the sleepy lieutenant and his beefcake of a boyfriend. "C'mon. I'll show you
two your room."
The room was just across the hall, but Heatwave helpfully opened the door for
Grimlock- seeing as his hands were full and all.  Bumblebee was carefully
placed onto the berth, and when Grimlock turned Heatwave
had unsubspaced two sealed cubes. "Here. Bumblebee always gets Energon before
bed when he visits, so you two can have these. I'll refill my subspace
tomorrow, so you don't have to worry about accidentally waking someone up
tonight."  Grimlock took the cubes, nodding his appreciation. "Thanks. Bee dun
like people aroun' 'em when he first wakes up, so it gives him time to chill
out before he has to be a bot."
Heatwave hummed with surprise. "Never pegged him as an antisocial type."
Grimlock gave a half-shrug. "He's got a buncha stuff he's gotta do. 'F I were
him, I'd treasure any alone time I coul' get." The playful jab at Bee made
Heatwave chuckle, and he stepped back when he noticed Chase leaning against the
door to their berthroom. Grimlock glanced between the two, with a mischievous
grin slowly crossing his face. "Have fun tonight." Heatwave cleared his throat,
tapping his fist against Grimlock's shoulder before stalking his way over to
the blue mech- only to have Chase slide into the room last second, grasping the
slight opening in the armor below Heatwave's throat and pulling him in just
before the door clicked closed. 
Grimlock chuckled as he shut and locked his own door, turning back to the
sleepy mech on the berth. Grimlock happily laid down beside Bumblebee, pulling
him close and sighing happily when he received a half-afted nuzzle in response.
A smaller servo stroked his arm, sliding down to stroke a thumb over the
cover to his cable housing. Grimlock took the servo in his own, bringing it up
to kiss his knuckle and place it back around his neck. The confused hum
substituted an actual question, and Grim nuzzled their helms together once
more. "Not tonight Bee. Yer tired."
Bumblebee's wings flicked once with mild disapproval, but he relented quickly
by pressing close to his chosen mate. Mere seconds later, his invents
stabilized as his processor went into primary shutdown for recharge and
defragmentation. Grimlock purred, smoothing a servo between
Bumblebee's doorwings. "Told ya you was tired." The next few mintues seemed
painfully quiet in contrast to the rest of the day, and Grimlock found it
slightly hard to follow Bumblebee into recharge. After thirty minutes of the
soft hum of the electric and occasional chrrr from the sleeping Prime, Grim
eventually drifted off as well. That is, until the first emergency alarm sent
them both scrambling into defensive stances. 
Chapter End Notes
     1) I'm using Crown City, Ohio as my guess for RID2015's Crown City.
     A) it's on the ohio river, and crown city has a river. and
     B) I just needed an estimate for time, and that's as much effort as
     I'm putting into that lil detail. *thumbs up*
     2) The ranch is a reference to another fic that i absolutely adore!
     It's called "Things We Don't Tell Humans" by SineadRivka here on AO3.
     I recommend on so many levels if you haven't read it! It's long asf
     (77 chaps) and still rolling, but it's so worth it!
     http://archiveofourown.org/works/431107/chapters/728818
     3) Yes. Chad is purposefully an asshole. He's meant to represent the
     bad stereotypes that are prevalent around teens/young adults. I do
     not approve or condone anyone treating anyone like Chad does, and I
     personally intend him to be used as an example of bad thought
     processes that NEED to be abolished. Don't be Chad guys.
     4) I tried to Spanish with Raf. Thank you to my lovely swerve, who
     has helped with translation!
     'tú chupas los huevos' is intended to mean 'you suck eggs'
***** Sweetsauce *****
Chapter Summary
     Bumblebee gets some time to truly relax with the rescue bots- and
     indulge in one of his favorite holoform past times!
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Cody laughed as he doubled over the command console, with Bumblebee leaning
over the back of his chair and playfully tapping one of the screens. "Look at
that face! If Kade gets any angrier, Heatwave's gonna have some competition
over his name!" Cody squealed even louder, grabbing Bee's hand and pulling it
away from the screen as Kade's irritated voice crackled over the comms. "Cody!
What's next? I wanna get this over with!" 
Dani's laughter flickered to life as Blade's activated his comm. "We're done
over the park! Out of foam and heading back for a refill." Bee lent over the
giggling teen, pushing the call button in his stead. "Heatwave, Kade, there's a
secondary fire at 17th and Minden. Boulder, Graham, there's an integrity breach
on the southbound bridge when you're done at the bank. Blades, Dani, head to
the bridge and divert traffic. Heat and Kade can take over firewatch at
this point, because they'll have both out long before you get back." A cheer of
affirmatives met him as Chief Burns' chuckle rang out. "I guess Chase and I
will head towards home then to relieve you." 
"Roger that. Cody and I will head back downstairs and wait for you in the
meantime." The youngest Burns quickly shoved out of his chair, immediately
bounding down towards the main landing. Grimlock looked up when the door
opened, immediately jumping down from Heatwave's training post to catch the two
teens in his servos when they vaulted the railing. Rolling safely into
Grimlock's palm, the Dino snickered as the older blonde nearly skidded off the
edge of his palm. Purposefully shifting his hand around to keep Bee from
getting a grip, Grimlock quickly tossed the two into the air, catching them and
rolling them off onto the ground. Both were weak with laughter when they forced
themselves to their feet, barely having enough time to straighten their clothes
before a familiar copbot rolled back into the firehouse. 
Bumblebee smiled and put a hand on his hip as Chief Burns stepped out, allowing
Chase to transform and stretch while Cody bounded forwards for a hug. "Did you
two have fun?" "Yeah! Bee was telling me about Russell, and how he and
Sideswipe managed to paint Strongarm's lightbar pink once!" Chase frowned from
above, leveling a pointed stare at the holoform. "That is a form of
harassment." Bumblebee laughed, patting Chase's pede. "You should have seen
what she did to them!" 
Charlie seemed honestly surprised at the presence of an unknown teen, and it
took several seconds to connect the mystery teen and the idling Urbana in the
corner. The soft smile and familiar color scheme was a bit of a giveaway.
Charlie chuckled as he held open an arm for a hug, dismissing it as tech that
had simply not come up yet. Cody laughed, holding one of his own out and
wiggling his fingers until Bumblebee conceded with a small grin of his own.
Chase smiled softly, shuddering as his backplates instinctually shifted to
accommodate doorwings that no longer existed. Flattening the plating into its
proper place, Chase tilted his helm slightly as Blades confirmed his route home
over private comms.
After the hug was finished, Charlie prompted the newest blonde to step back as
Chase leant down. "Blades is on route to return. I believe your place in the
command console is no longer necessary." Charlie nodded, grinning up at his
partner before turning back to Bee. "Alright, give me a turn. Let me take a
look at you." 
He found himself impressed at just how human Bumblebee's holoform was. His hair
was pulled back into the usual ponytail, no makeup, and an overall simplistic
style. He turned slowly, showing off his black long sleeve and yellow waistcoat
that rested snuggly over a pair of black marching pants with a color-matched
yellow stripe. His boots were simply his favorite thick-soled knee-highs.
Charlie nodded his approval, watching the happy teen clasp his hands together
politely. He grinned as he noticed the yellow manicure, glancing down to the
matching shade on his own son's fingers. 
Not noticing the amused look, the two immediately started talking again.
Charlie opted to go upstairs to get his coffee and wait for the next emergency.
Bumblebee grinned as Cody tugged his arm excitedly. "Since Dad's back, wanna go
see Frankie? She'll be so excited to see your holoform!" Bumblebee nodded,
sending Cody into a quiet cheer of 'Noble!' as he turned on his heel. He pushed
the call button of the lift with an excited grin, disappearing in mere seconds
get his hoverboard and ask for permission to leave. Watching him go up the
lift, Bumblebee found himself looking up at a yawning Grimlock. "Gonna take a
nap?"  The Dinobot nodded, scooping the tiny human avatar back into his palm.
"Yeh. Comm me when you get there?" 
Bumblebee nodded, leaning forward to bump his head against Grim's chin.
"Always. I'll let you know when we're leaving too. I don't think Cody's
planning a sleepover with that book report due Monday." Chase grinned as Blades
came down the lift, and Dani greeted the two bots as she jumped off the lift
before it fully stopped. "Good work today Cody!" Grimlock gave her a confused
look, but Bumblebee just leant forward to give her a clear view. "I'll let him
know you said that!" Blades and Dani both froze mid-step, whipping their heads
back towards Bee and Grimlock with surprised looks.
===============================================================================
 
Upstairs, Cody stopped quietly at the kitchen table with his hoverboard in
hand. Charlie immediately stopped pouring when he heard footsteps but was still
proud his youngest son had the patience to wait until after he had put down the
hot coffee pot before asking his question. "Can Bumblebee and I go to
Frankie's?" Charlie immediately nodded, blowing on the steaming cup. "Of
course, son. Please be home before dark though, there's supposed to be a storm
tonight and I don't want you out in it." Cody nodded, shifting his grip on his
hoverboard in consideration. "Should I ask Bumblebee to drive us then?" 
Charlie hummed, pulling out a chair at the table to sit at. "The rain isn't
supposed to come until late tonight, but it depends on what Bumblebee wants to
do in the end. Prescott said on the news it's about an eighty percent chance at
about seven tonight." Cody hummed, twirling the board in his hands. "I'll ask
him if he can drive us. Seven a little too late to be on this. If we do go in
his cab, I'll leave my hoverboard on the open shelf by Heatwave's door."
Charlie nodded, setting his coffee down with knowledge of the impending hug.
True to form, Cody immediately bounded forward, and Charlie took the chance to
investigate Cody's nails with the teen's arms trapped around his neck. "I like
that shade you have on. It was actually your mother's favorite color." 
Cody seemed mildly embarrassed about it, offering up a sheepish smile. "I saw
Bumblebee doing his holoform's nails earlier, and I liked the color too. He was
pretty excited to paint someone else's nails for once." Charlie grinned at
Cody, ruffling his hair. "On that note, thank you for going out of your way to
include Bumblebee like you have been. I'm certain he appreciates it more than
words could ever say " Cody beamed under the praise.
"It's okay- Bee's actually a ton of fun to hang around with! He does get a
little...uh... cautious at times, but overall, he's actually really exciting. I
guess it's because he's had to grow up too fast." The grin settled into an
understanding one, and he gave a half-shrug. "I don't mind it either way, and
Frankie loves having a bot to talk science with that doesn't get bored or have
to bolt for an emergency."
"From what I know from Optimus, he definitely had to grow up too fast- which
means giving him the chance to experience it is a precious gift. One that only
you and Frankie can give him. Now, go have fun, and call me before you leave
the lab to head home." Cody squeezed his father again, bounding off with an 'I
will!'. Charlie shook his head when he heard Dani and Blades squealing in
unison through the briefly open door, and judging from Cody's huff the pair
were harassing the former scout's 'holoform'. Cody disappeared with an amused
shout of 'Hey! Put him down!', and Charlie found himself rubbing the rim of his
cup with his thumb with a smile. 
He took a long sip, looking over to the small picture on top of the breadbox.
The picture was of the Burns family- plus a cheery young woman with long, red
hair. Charlie finished his cup, putting it in the sink and knocking on the
countertop before the picture with a smile. "We've done good work raising
them." Hearing an engine turn over, Charlie assumed Cody was riding with Bee.
Glancing at the clock, Charlie decided he had enough time for a shower before
he needed to start dinner. A brief sound of a scuffle and yelling cued Kade and
Heatwave's return, followed by his eldest son bursting through the kitchen door
and giving his father a grin with all his usual bravado. 
===============================================================================
Bumblebee took the curves up to Doc Greene's slowly, laughing and stamping one
foot against his floorboard. " Get this- After that happened, Frankie just made
direct eye contact with the teacher and just poured in the baking soda! It
went everywhere!" 
Cody could barely finish the story because he was laughing so hard. It
certainly made the trip go faster, and Bumblebee pulled into the lab's garage
in time with the dying laughter. "Oh geez. Miko would love that story! Knowing
her, she'd find a way to make a giant stink bomb or something out of it
though."  Cody laughed again as he opened the passenger door, cheering as the
young woman immediately waved from the upper landing. She quickly jogged down
the stairs with a wide smile on her face as Cody stepped out.
Wearing her favorite pink dress, she eagerly patted Bumblebee's hood in
greeting. "Hey Frankie! Wanna see the most Noble thing?!" Her interest
immediately peaked, and she cocked her hip to give her hand somewhere to rest.
"Uh, did Nikola Tesla have a fear of germs?" The question threw Cody off for a
minute, but Bumblebee popped the door and hoisted himself out with a laugh. 
With one foot on the ground and his forearms resting on his door, the blonde
shot the two a dazzling smile. "The answer would be yes."  Frankie's surprise
quickly turned to a squeal that dissolved them both into laughter, and Bee
closed the door just in time to get a glomping hug that forced his back against
his alt. "This is so cool! You're solid! How?!" 
Easily hugging her back, he barely dialed back the jargon. "Holomatter
generator. It refracts light in a way that increases the density, and I can
boost the solidity with my internal nanites due to some cool military stuff. I
can control this bad boy for about 400 miles, regardless of walls or ocean."
Frankie's eyes gleamed with a look he knew from Perceptor. 
"That. Is. So. Cool. Come on, we have to show Daddy!" Bumblebee grinned at Cody
as he was shamelessly drug up the stairs, but the blonde shrugged off his
favorite coat to place it safely in Bee's cab. He remembered to pull the
commlink to attach to the collar of his green tee, but quickly followed the
excited teen upstairs. 
When he jogged into the lab, Frankie had already introduced Bumblebee to her
father and Anna- who were absolutely mystified by the technology. Anna seemed
mildly upset over something but forced a smile to her face when Cody gave her
one first. With Ezra thoroughly distracted, she moved to greet the youngest
Burns. 
"Hello Cody. Will you be staying for dinner?" Cody happily hugged the aging
woman, earning a soft laugh in return. "If you don't mind." Anna hummed,
absently patting the mess of blonde before her. "We're just having spaghetti
tonight, so I'll be sure to have plenty made. It's good to see you out of the
firehouse for once." 
Cody grinned as he straightened up. "Yeah. It's been busy since Spring Break is
next week- everyone has been rushing to prepare for the spring festival, so
accidents have been on the rise. It should start slowing down now though." Anna
nodded, stifling a laugh as Ezra eagerly tested the flexibility in Bee's hand
and ask him questions. "Can you eat? Or do you require Energon?"
"I can eat. I have specialized nanites that can process anything into usable
energy- mecha like heatwave won't be able to though. Not without an upgrade."
Anna giggled, tilting her head. "Do you have a favorite food?" Bumblebee
grinned. "I'm particularly fond of coffee- Will took me to a place called
Starbucks once. I got something called an Iced Mocha, and it was super good! In
terms of actual food, I enjoy trying things. So far, anything with complex
carbohydrates are the best for processing into Energy... I am a little fond of
sweets though." 
Everyone laughed at the slightly embarassed look. Doc Greene shamelessly
continued with his investigation, and the two in the corner watched quietly for
a few moments. When he looked up next, Cody found himself frowning at the
worried look that had returned to Professor Baranova's face.
"Is it okay if I ask what's wrong? You look upset." Anna seemed surprised, but
the look faded to a soft smile seconds later. "You may always ask. I just..."
She struggled with words for a few seconds, watching as Frankie joined her
father on drilling the teen with questions. "He has so many scars, and I know
he can't be that much older than you or Frankie. It just makes a mother
worry." 
Cody nodded knowingly, having had the same reaction when Bumblebee had
first showed him the Holoavatar. "Yeah. I don't know where most of them
came from, because Bumblebee said they're not stories for anyone my age. I
guess they're from the war he had to fight in, and I just left it at that."
After a few seconds, Cody squeezed Anna's hand with his own. "He did tell me
that they don't hurt anymore though, so don't worry too much. He's here to have
fun."
The surprised look was back, stronger than ever. Professor Baranova's had no
idea what to say for several seconds, but settled on a nod and squeezing Cody's
hand in return. "I suppose if I have any questions, I'll just have to ask him
like an adult. But for now, it seems like he might need saved from an adult and
his daughter." Both grinned as they stepped forward, shooing the excitable
scientists away from the flushed teen in question. 
Doc Greene straightened in his chair with a quiet mutter of 'fascinating!' and
Bee shyly his face in his hands. From this angle the small Bumblebee pin in
his ponytail glimmered in the light, capturing the attention of the resident
scientists. "What a beautiful Prisma! Where did you model that?" 
The darkening blush had everyone interested, and Bee shifted his weight as he
considered something. "I can't really- I mean..." He fell silent for a second,
biting a lip as he considered his words. "Well, you are helping me hide. I
suppose I owe you honesty on it."
The humans in the room seemed surprised, but Bee removed the pin so they could
see it better. "It's not something I molded- it's more of something I've
inherited. Like my scars, it's just how it appears on my holoform. You guys
know about the Matrix of Leadership, right?" Cody nodded, but the others all
seemed lost. 
"Well, to put it simply, the Matrix of Leadership is an artifact. Kinda like
the one that tried to liquify Griffon Rock a few months ago." That earned some
nods, and Bee took to nervously twirling the hairpin. "Well, this artifact is
special. It can only be carried by certain mecha who have been chosen by Primus
to lead our people. Those Mecha are called Primes. To be a Prime, a mecha's
spark must be accepted by the matrix through merging it with our own Sparks."
Cody's eyes brightened as the information clicked. "Optimus is a Prime!" 
"Exactly. If you see Optimus' holoform, he'll have the same Prism somewhere on
his person. He might not have it visible though, he's a little less extra than
I am." Frankie giggled at that, but Ezra tilted his head with a hum. "So, if
you have one of those... You're a Prime too." 
Bumblebee gave a shy smile, nodding. "In reality, yes. I've been a Prime since
before I was separated. In logistical terms, I'm not. I haven't had any of the
official acceptance ceremonies, and it's one of the best kept secrets of
the Autobots." Anna filled the silence with a hum. 
"So, you need to hide from the Senate because they are trying to influence you
before you take your role as Prime." When Bumblebee shifted again, she knew she
wouldn't like the answer she was about to get. "In short, yes. The easiest way
to make sure a Prime will act in a way you want them to, is to make sure their
spark is in alignment with your wishes. This can be done through our
bodyguards- called ''Lord Protectorates'. These Mecha have a bond with their
chosen Primes, and if they have a favorable opinion of something, it's bound to
be transmitted subconsciously."
Bee carefully put the pin back into his ponytail. "The Senate wants to assign
me a protectorate. They want to influence me to pass what they want passed, and
they know damn well I don't agree with any of it. And now they know I've chosen
who I want as my protectorate. I've had to hide because we all know they will
take drastic measures to keep their hand. What they don't know is that I'm not
as old as they think I am. If I try to take the matrix right now, it'll
probably kill me. I'm just...I'm too young." Frankie gave him a sad smile as
she crossed her arms. "I bet they don't want to hear that though."
"I'm not even going to tell them. If Mecha found out how old I actually was, it
would cause far more problems that Pupu and I feel like dealing with." The head
tilting around the room cued Bumblebee to remember his slang. "Ah... Pupu is a
nickname for Optimus." 
Cody grinned at that, shifting his weight. "You really are close to Optimus.
Does he know you're a prime?" The grin erased all doubt, but Bumblebee
answered. "I did imply the Matrix had to merge with my spark at some point."
When the room became awkward, Bumblebee burst out laughing. "Optimus isn't my
lover guys."
Frankie gave him a confused look. "You just said that you needed to merge to-
Ohhhh." The grin that split her face made her father even more confused. When
Cody's eyes widened as well, Anna stopped beating around the bush. "How did you
become a Prime?"
"I was born this way. I got to access the matrix because I literally developed
inside of it- because that's where Optimus' spark was. When I was carried to
term, I could already feel the influence within me- that's why I couldn't stay
out of the war. Megatron didn't know exactly who's bitlet I was, but I was
close to Optimus and that's all he needed to put a bounty on my spark." The shy
grin did nothing to ease the confusion on Ezra's face." I thought Optimus was a
male?" 
"Technically speaking, Cybertronians have no gender. We have spark types, but
mechs and femmes both have the same physical anatomy." Anna hummed, clicking
her heel to the toe of her shoe absently. "Absolutely fascinating. So, Optimus
Prime is your mother... Who is your father?" 
"Ratchet. He's Optimus' Chief Medical Officer, and an official advisor to him.
He does have a third- Ironhide, the Autobot's Weapons Specialist and Optimus'
Lord Protectorate. He's like my Step-Dad." Another mutter of 'fascinating' came
from Doc Greene, and Frankie pouted. "You get three dads?! Lucky!"
"Yeah. I am. But if you could keep this between all of us, I would appreciate
it. If it got out that I was Optimus' heir, it would do nothing but enlarge the
target on my helm." Supportive nods went around the room, and Frankie and Cody
shared a look. Seconds later, the two teens grinned and bounded forward to grab
Bee's hands. They immediately yanked him forwards, yelling something about
''hover ball tournament". With the trio stumbling out towards the gymnasium,
Doc Greene shared a smile with his love. 
Anna smiled back, moving to lightly rub Ezra's shoulders. "Well. If his whole
family is involved with the war, I can't even imagine when the last time he had
a homecooked meal was. What do you say we put a little more effort into
tonight's Italian masterpiece? He did say he enjoyed sweets..." Doc
Greene smiled, and nodded in affirmation. "Grandmother Greene's sweet sauce it
is then! Should we hand-make the spaghetti too?" Anna laughed. "If we have the
flour, I say yes."
===============================================================================
The dinner was quickly prepped, and Anna hefted CeCe into her highchair as Ezra
pulled the last of the noodles off the stove to finish cooking. Bending to kiss
his youngest's forehead, he squeezed Anna's hand. "I'll get the other three.
Set the table please?" The nod was exchanged with a smile, and the scientist
found the teens quickly. The two humans had Bee on the ground, but the vest was
nowhere to be seen- actually, the young scout was in a completely different
outfit. 
His boots had changed into thick-soled black timberlands, and the long pants
had changed to a pair of simple shorts. With the long shirt now a yellow tank
top, Bee had no problems trying to duck and weave around the hands trying to
capture him. Cody and Frankie followed closely, and Ezra laughed at the sight
of the lighthearted antics. 
"Come now little ones, time for dinner!" Bee gave them a grin, pushing them
towards the door- only for the loving doc to yell once more "You too,
Bumblebee! We made something special tonight, just for you to try!"
The utter shock on his face made Frankie laugh, and she and Cody both quickly
yanked the teen forward. Once they had all climbed the stairs, Doc Greene found
his smile dimming slightly with the newly revealed scars littering the slim
body. The utterly sweet flush on Bumblebee's face was enough to bring his
attention back though. "You really didn't need to waste your food like that. I
had a cube this morning." 
Waving it off, Ezra gripped his shoulders and guided Bumblebee toward the
dining room. "And Milton S. Hershey didn't have to dedicate his life to
chocolate! But, it all turned out delicious, didn't it?" 
The skin on Doc Greene's arms immediately rose when a strange ticking sensation
enveloped his hands. Suddenly, a jacket appeared underneath his hands- thick
and warm, crafted of a resilient cotton and dyed black. The front had
highlights of yellow, and each arm had an embroidered Autobot symbol on
the shoulders- but Doc Greene noticed the distinct lack of the familiar rimming
that all rescue bots carried. 
The simple Autobot symbol was more than enough to give both Ezra and Anna
chills, but the way the eldest was forced into a chair by his peers lightened
the mood considerably. Anna made sure to put a heaping portion onto each plate,
drowning it in the family's homemade sauce and topping each with a healthy
mound of parmesan cheese. A thick slice of homemade Texas toast was placed
beside the mound of pasta, liberally spread with a garlic butter sauce. 
Doc Greene helped serve the plates, and cans of soda were passed out alongside
tall cups of ice. Everyone took their places, and quickly dug in. The first
bite made Bumblebee hum in approval, and the young woman beside him grinned.
"Try putting it in the toast- like this!" Using her fork to clear out a pouch
in the thick bread, she carefully stuffed some spaghetti inside. 
Bumblebee watched with interest, quickly following her example. The next bite
had him dropping his head to the table beside his plate, and everyone laughed
as he chewed. "Looks like great grandma wins again!"  Frankie cheered before
stuffing another bite into her mouth. 
===============================================================================
On the mainland, Optimus watched the sky from the cover of the underground
Bunker's only 'window'. It was a tiny vent that William had taught him how to
open, but it was enough for the Prime's daydreaming. He could feel the utter
delight of his youngling echoing through his bond with the setting sun and knew
in his spark he had found a new food to try- it was one of the few things to
draw such a potent reaction from the usually calm spark he had helped to
create. 
Ratchet appeared beside him, lovingly leaning his head against Optimus'
shoulder. "Everyone made it ok. Miko was the last one we were waiting to
evacuate, and Bulkhead just confirmed her on Cybertron. Prowl and Jazz are
keeping them safe." Optimus' plating immediately settled, knowing the group
would find their way here soon enough. Investigations on Cybertron had been
going wonderfully, but Optimus still feared reaching out to his sparkling-
still feared compromising his hiding spot.
His worries did not go unnoticed by his lovers, but at least they understood
his concern. This was not the first night he stood before this tiny window, his
optics towards Griffin Rock and his spark towards their creation bond for
support and confirmation. 
The downtrodden reverie was broken when the comm system rang. Humans and bots
went quiet in surprise, but Optimus hesitantly moved to answer. Plating settled
when a grey-haired human smiled back, greeting Optimus with a nod. "Charlie
Burns. It is good to hear from you." 
"It's good to see you made it back alright, Optimus. I'm just calling in for
the usual status check, alongside some extra information." The aging policeman
grinned when Will shamelessly leant off the balcony and into view, waving his
hello. "All has been well here on Griffin Rock. Bumblebee's been a great help
on rescues, and I’m positive Grimlock has been enjoying his lessons with
Heatwave. Usually I'd allow Bee to the comm to say hi, but he's over at Doc
Greene's with Cody and Frankie."
"That is fine, Charlie. I appreciate you taking the time to comm. It is good to
know they have been helping your team." Charlie smiled, and the bots could see
the question in his eyes. "Oh yeah. With preparations for the festival, it's
bound to be busy- but, that's why I waited to report until they were gone. I
was wondering if you would like to help me surprise Bumblebee."
Optimus quirked a brow, and Charlie nodded politely to Ratchet as the aging
medic appeared at Optimus' side. "If you're looking to get a good scare as the
surprise, just show Bee a clown. He watched that 'IT' movie too many times, and
you can get a good shriek out of him if he's not paying attention." Ironhide
burst into laughter off screen, and Charlie had to hide his laughter behind his
hand. 
"I'll make sure to keep that information from Kade, but I was thinking of
something a little more heartwarming. This coming Friday, we need to run
repairs on the train tunnel under the town- it runs all the way to the
mainland, but hasn't been used since the train malfunctioned late last year.
Seeing how Bumblebee and Grimlock will undoubtedly be at the commencement for
the festival, I think it'd be a good time to sneak you, Ratchet, and Ironhide
over to say hi. After all, that'd be just about a month without seeing your
son. I'm certain you and your mates miss him."
Sharing a look with his bonded, Optimus nodded. "That would be greatly
appreciated. With the crowds, we can leave our alt modes in the tunnel and tour
the streets with holoform. It should be adequate cover to allow us a few
hours." Charlie nodded, giving a salute to the Prime. "I'll talk to Cody and
have him convince those two to be in their holoforms as well. I have nothing
else to report, so I'll you all at the mainland bunker Friday at 6 AM then. I
should arrive around the same time to begin repairs with Graham, Boulder, and
Chase." 
Optimus returned the salute and gave the human a rare smile. "We shall be
there. I look forward to helping you with your work on the tunnels." The tone
left no room for argument, and Charlie nodded. The face flickered to
nothingness once more, and Ironhide sacrificed the comfort of some of the
humans to steal a kiss from Optimus. "Will you stop moping now?" The surprised
look was cast towards Ratchet, who rolled his optics. "Please do. You're like
the world's most pitiful puppy."
The Prime let his field answer him, hugging them close before returning to his
window- but even those without advanced scanners could feel the joy and
excitement in his EM field.
Chapter End Notes
     I love the idea of Bee being a foodie. He just seems like the type to
     have his favorite Starbucks order memorized (with hella
     customizations, ofc) and have his favorite burger joint prepping a
     call-in order.
     Pair that with him being cute with some teens his age?
     Jesus the fluff will kill me.
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