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Night patrols had to be one of the worst chores Prime assigned to the team. It was completely boring; Optimus insisted no one chatted over commlinks or listened to music to focus and “be completely alert for signs of suspicious activity.” Yeah, right, like some tunes were going to distract him if some criminal was up to no good.
The entire time he was out was just obsessively looking for signs of crime that he probably wouldn't even see. Any self-respecting criminal knows to take cover if a car passes by. Especially if that car has a big Autobot symbol right on the door .
It was more dull than normal that night. Driving by a small park, a warm breeze gently rocked the trees and bushes in an almost hypnotic rhythm. The perpetual noise of the deep city was too far away to offer something to listen to. Not to mention the only interesting thing that had happened so far was one of the late-working city cleaning robots from Sumdac Systems knocked over a trashcan on the street, nearly scaring the plating off Bee (not that he'd let anyone know that, of course).
“Hey Bossbot, I don't know what you expected, but I'm not seeing anything out here. I'm just gonna go ahead and call it quits.” he said into the commlink. He wasn't sure why he even tried, because almost immediately Prime responded with a disappointed tone.
“Bumblebee, we can't run the risk of letting a dangerous criminal get away with anything. The city's police force lets us do these patrols because they can't be as alert as we are at this time of night. If we're not patrolling, then there's a much higher probability that-”
Bee immediately tuned him out. Sure, no one expects a firetruck to suddenly stop and catch you, so he's actually good at this. He thought. Doesn't help that I look exactly like Captain Fanzone's car...
“Okay, okay, I'll see you back at base in like, an hour.” he grumbled back to Prime, and shut off the commlink. Back to doing nothing.
Or...maybe not. A low sound buzzed in his audio receptor. What was that? He briefly wondered if there was a leaf caught under his hood or something.
The sound continued as he kept on driving. Okay, that's kind of weird. He hit the brakes and slowed to a stop, cutting off his engine to listen closely. His tanks flipped when he recognized it.
The scream of a jet engine cut through the peaceful silence, getting louder with every second.
There was only one possibility: Decepticons, closing in fast .
A burst of excitement set his spark in motion, and he transformed out of alt mode. Finally, some sort of action around here! He thought, scanning the inky night sky for the oncoming 'Con. A few stars winked out from the darkness, but he couldn't see anything else. Wait- a small shape was inching closer in the sky. Not just drawing closer, but descending too.
Bee quickly transformed his servos to his stinger weapons. It'd been awhile since any of the Autobots had taken on a 'Con; they'd all gone into hiding or something, leaving Prime to grow increasingly paranoid at the possibility of an attack. Taking on a fighting machine three times his size would be a fun distraction.
Oh. Wait.
He was about to face a ferocious, war-bred bot that was three times his size and packing enough firepower to blow him and the park to smithereens. Without backup.
He couldn't have activated his commlink soon enough.
“Prime! There's a Decepticon flying around!” he hollered, watching as the figure got close enough to make out the wings of its alt mode.
A sharp yell made him wince and lower the commlink volume. “What?! Bumblebee, what's your position? Are you okay? What's going on?” Optimus asked.
“Uh, I'm at that park on the corner of New Clark Avenue, I think?” Bee said. “Just bring backup!” he yelled as he watched the jet get lower and lower to the ground, headed towards him.
A cold rush of fear hit him. What if Bossbot didn't get there in time? There were two possibilities for which Decepticon he was facing: the fanboy, Lugnut, and the crazy one, Blitzwing. ( No, scratch that. They're both crazy. Bee thought.) He could probably talk his way out of fighting Lugnut with a good conversation about the greatness of the “glorious one true leader of all Decepticons.” But Blitzwing? Who knows what could happen.
“Okay, Bumblebee, stay right where you are so we can assist you.” Prowl's smooth, collected voice sounded over the commlink. “Try and stay out of sight.”
Bee looked around for something to hide behind. The trees could work, though he was about the same height as them. Plus their leaves were falling off...
I'm gonna look so dumb doing this. He grumbled internally as he imagined ducking down behind a row of bushes.
He took a step forward-
BOOM
The pavement beneath him suddenly vanished as it froze under a layer of rapidly spreading ice. Bumblebee instantly slipped and fell backwards. His processor spun, but he still held enough sense to feel embarrassed as he scrambled to push himself up.
There was only one Decepticon who could manipulate ice like that. Oh, scrap.
He managed to stand back up, arms out for balance, and throw a glance over his shoulder.
Blitzwing, currently showing his Random face, strolled leisurely toward him, chuckling to himself. The twin cannons on his back were smoking slightly; he must have set off a freezing bomb while in the air to turn the pavement around them into a makeshift ice skating rink.
Bumblebee transformed his servos back to stingers, which he had disengaged to activate the commlink. Blitzwing could have just nailed him with a bomb while he was flying around; why did he transform out of his alt mode and walk over to him?
He was about to call out a witty insult to the approching 'Con- maybe something like “What're you doing here, you walking refrigerator?”- but Blitzwing interrupted him with a full on laughing fit.
“You should have seen the look on your faceplate as you slipped!” he managed to choke out before going back to laughing. Bumblebee lowered his stingers and clenched his jaw. So that was why Blitzwing landed: to come and make fun of him.
Bee stumbled for some sort of comeback. “Well, uh, I probably looked better than your ugly Decepticon face looks all the time!” he yelled back. That was lame. He cringed and repositioned his stingers in case Blitzwing made a move. His arms started to shake from holding his weapon out for so long.
Blitzwing only switched to his blue face, the Icy one, and smirked. “Is that the best you can do? I've heard better insults from you.” he mocked, continuing to walk towards Bee.
Bumblebee glared. “It's easy to come up with them around you. I've got at least two paragraphs of material I could say for just that one face.”
He felt a spark of triumph when Blitzwing switched to his red, angry face, but it quickly died out when the 'Con clenched his fists and growled.
Maybe that was too much... Bee thought as Blitzwing took another step forward, more menacing this time.
However, Blitzwing stopped and switched back to his Icy face, looking like he was almost trying to force himself to stay calm.
“I doubt that.” he said. Both bots lapsed into awkward silence.
Bumblebee shuffled his pedes, trying to inconspicuously back up. Scrap, he's just...standing there. Blitzwing wasn't moving, only watching Bumblebee with disinterest, almost like he were some mildly irritating pet. Bee half expected him to pounce or shoot if he looked away for just a split second. But nothing happened.
The cold from the ice beneath them was starting to make Bumblebee's pedes ache. He wanted to move, or at least just to blink, but he couldn't risk taking his optics off Blitzwing. The suspense and apprehension built up until he couldn't take it anymore.
“Just go ahead and attack, or shoot a bomb at me, or whatever!” he yelled. Where are Prime and the others?! He thought, panicked. It shouldn't take this long to get here!
Blitzwing shook his helm ever so slightly like he was being snapped out of a daydream, refocusing his optics on Bumblebee. “Oh. You think I'm here to fight you.” he drawled.
Bumblebee's mouth dropped a little. “Well-Duh! Isn't that, like, your guys thing? Why else would you try and hit me with all this slagging ice?” He gestured to the ground, disbelief coursing through him.
Blitzwing abruptly switched to his Random face. “I wasn't trying to bomb you! Just make you trip!” He cackled, leering down at Bee. “And it worked! Ooh, why don't we slide around like ice skaters? I could catch you if you fall!” The Decepticon did a little twirl on the ice, spraying Bee with crystals of frozen water.
Bee resisted the urge to shoot a beam of electricity right in Blitzwing's dumb face. He'd forgotten how obnoxious the 'Con was. “If you don't want to fight, then what're you doing?” he asked.
Blitzwing looked away, switching back to his Icy face and ignoring the question. “I suspect you called in reinforcements from the rest of your Autobot friends?” He said 'Autobot' with a slight tone of disgust.
“Maybe, maybe not.”
“Hmm, I knew it.” he said nonchalantly, like he didn't even consider the rest of the Autobots a threat. “How predictable of you.”
Bee stared at him, confused. He could feel himself letting his guard down. It didn't even seem like Blitzwing was going to hurt him.
“I do have something I'm curious about.” Blitzwing lifted his chin authoritatively. Bumblebee almost got a nervous vibe from him; despite how tall and straight he stood, he was looking around like he was afraid something was watching.
“Like what?” Bee asked, suspicion edging into his voice. “Let me guess, you want to know where Earth's greatest weapons are or something?”
His jaw completely dropped when Blitzwing shook his helm and said “No, I was actually wondering if there was anything fun to do in this miserable city.”
It took a few moments for the words to fully register in his processor. Bee's stingers automatically disengaged from being deployed for so long, and he didn't even notice.
“Wait...you're serious? You're not joking, or trying to trick me...?” he asked. Bumblebee felt like he was made of pure confusion, processor racing for answers. But honestly, he wasn't that surprised. Leave it to Blitzwing to say something weird.
Blitzwing chuckled, shaking his helm and walking forward. Bumblebee stared, but didn't back up or edge away until the Decepticon was standing right in front of him. He hadn't been this close to a 'Con unless they were fighting. Seeing all the details up close, like scratches in Blitzwing's plating and the soft glow of his monocle-like optic, was strange.
“Do you have any idea how boring it gets waiting around at our base? As soon as I'm done doing paperwork, or organizing files, or anything Lord Megatron needs me to do, I just have to wait around.” Blitzwing said.
Bumblebee found himself nodding slowly, thinking back to how bored he was on regular old night patrol. “Um, I guess I can relate.” he muttered. What else could he say?
Blitzwing smirked. “I didn't plan on contacting you, but I got the brightest idea when I saw you out driving around.” He suddenly switched to his Random face, causing Bumblebee to flinch. “Why bother wasting my time looking for something fun around here, when I could get someone who already knows where to find it take me there! And who can't say no to me asking because I can just crush them if they do!”
“So you want me to show you around?” Bee asked. He rolled his optics. “I’m not a tour guide.”
Maybe this is karma for wanting something interesting to happen tonight. His subconscious whispered.
“Oh, why not? Think about it!” Random Blitzwing cackled. “Doesn't a night out on the town sound fun? I bet none of your other Autobot friends like to get crazy every once and awhile!”
Bee held up his servos. “You do realize it's the middle of the night, and humans on this planet don't do anything at this time?” Only silence from Blitzwing. “That means there's nothing fun to do around here, unless you like nightclubs or whatever, and neither of us can even fit into one!”
Icy Blitzwing reappeared. “So you'd rather go back to wandering around in the dark and doing nothing for whatever reason?” He raised an optic ridge skeptically.
Bumblebee grimaced and stared at the icy pavement. The warm breeze in the air was starting to make it kind of slushy.
Blitzwing did have a point...Bee was bored out of his processor and spending another minute out here sounded awful. There were all sorts of things he wanted to do but either didn't have time for, or Prime wouldn't let him do. On the other hand, hanging out with a bot who'd tried to kill him multiple times wasn't very appealing. But Blitwing had said he'd crush him if he refused...
An idea blinked into his helm: what if he tricked Blitzwing into being captured by the Autobots? Or he could somehow just incapacitate him long enough to escape back to base?
The tantalizing possibility of having bragging rights for defeating a Decepticon by himself was too good.
And so what if he hung out with the enemy for a while? They'd hit a few things Bee had been wanting to do, and then he'd take out Blitzwing. No harm done.
“If I agree, promise you're not going to kill me.” he said hesitantly. He felt like his processor was buzzing; from excitement or nervousness, he didn't know.
Blitzwing smirked. “Cross my spark and swear to die, honeybee.” he purred.
“It's Bumblebee.” Bee muttered, and turned around. He activated his commlink and took a deep breath.
“Uh, hey Bossbot? I hate to say this, but false alarm on that Decepticon warning. It was actually just...a regular plane! Haha, yeah, not sure what I was thinking. Shame on me!” He laughed nervously into the commlink.
He heard Blitzwing snicker behind him. “Ooh, you're not such a good little Autobot, are you?”
Shut up. Bee thought as his commlink crackled to life, Ratchet's voice yelling into his audio receptor.
“We're almost at your position and now you tell us?” The old bot was furious.
“Ratchet's right. This was an inconvenience. Please be more careful from now on.” Optimus' voice both berated Bee and soothed Ratchet. Disappointment was clear in his voice. “We'll just head back to base. Make sure you complete your patrol!”
“Okay. Sorry.” Bumblebee muttered, deactivating his commlink. If he had any doubts about hanging out with Blitzwing, it was too late to turn back now.
Where to go first? He had been right, there wasn't much to do in the middle of the night. He was hyper aware of Blitzwing standing behind him. He'd still have to keep an optic on him.
This better be slagging worth it. He thought.
An idea suddenly hit him, and he felt a grin involuntarily sneak onto his faceplate.
He looked over his shoulder at Blitzwing and smirked. In a moment of boldness, he reached out and took the Decepticon's servo in his. It felt cold, but not unpleasant. Despite the chill, he felt his internal systems heat up.
Blitzwing didn't protest. His one optic widened momentarily before slipping back to the usual neutral expression.
“Okay,” Bumblebee managed to choke out. “First stop is Five Banners Roller Coaster Kingdom.” He started walking forwards, pulling Blitzwing along behind him.
---------
“This is just pathetic.” Blitzwing stared down at Bumblebee in distaste. “Is this what all Autobots think is fun?”
Bee glared back. “Believe me, you couldn't get Ratchet anywhere near this place, especially with a bunch of human kids running around in the daytime.”
The unlikely duo stood in front of a huge assembly of twisted metal behind a high, barbed wire fence: a roller coaster. It looked like a mess to anyone who didn't recognize it for what it was, but the ride looked absolutely thrilling to Bumblebee. The path showed a steep, exhilarating drop, numerous twists and loops, and even a pool at the end that the roller coaster cart would rocket through, soaking all the riders and bystanders. Too bad he had been too big to even fit his pede in the cart when he had went with Sari.
Bumblebee could barely comprehend the surrealness of the situation. He should be running away or calling for help, but nope. He’d just taken a simple night stroll with one of the most notorious and unstable Decepticons. At least it was good story material.
The short trip had been painfully uncomfortable. Neither of them talked at all; plus, Random Blitzwing made a reappearance and insisted on not letting go of Bee’s servo the whole time, just to be extra obnoxious.
It should have felt more like a hostage situation, but everything was just too weird. Maybe if he was forcing Bee to direct him to the city’s nuclear reactor, or to the Autobot base itself, then he’d be freaking out. As long as he kept Blitz distracted, nothing bad could happen. Plus, he’d get the drop on him eventually. Right.
He momentarily wondered if he was trying to reassure himself, but shook the thought away just as fast.
Blitzwing switched his gaze back to the view of the amusement park. “What is this place, exactly? It looks like some sort of abandoned warzone. How did that structure become so damaged?”
Bumblebee almost laughed out loud at Blitzwing's confusion. “It's called a roller coaster! They're totally cool. You get into a cart on the tracks and it gets pulled around in the path the tracks create.” Blitzwing didn't look impressed. “I've never been in one, cause I'm too big to fit, but I watched Sari-my human friend- ride it.”
He launched into talking about all the cool features the ride had, like a tunnel full of strobe lights, a part of the track that turned the cart upside down, and something called an “animatronic” that would pop up and scare the riders.
“Well, at least Sari told me what it was like.” he grumbled.
Blitzwing nodded. “I'm intrigued.” he said, scanning the structure.
Bumblebee felt a tiny spark of delight. Other bots didn’t usually take an interest in, well, his interests. His friend Bulkhead might have liked roller coasters from an artistic perspective, but the perpetual chaos of the park in the daytime made sure the shy bot kept far away from it.
“But it doesn't appear operational.” Blitzwing muttered. “What’s the point?”
“The park closed a few hours ago, so they turned off all the rides and lights.” Bee replied. He felt kind of dejected; it would have been cool to see all the bright lights and neon at full glow, especially on the ferris wheel.
Blitzwing turned towards him. “This place isn't even working. Why'd you want to come here?” he asked, irritated.
Nervousness creeped up on Bumblebee at Blitzwing's apparent annoyance. “I thought it'd be cool to see it looking all abandoned. Everything will look really creepy, but that’s kind of fun in its own way. There's gotta be something still working in there.”
They both lapsed into silence. Bumblebee was almost afraid he'd have to transform and book it in his alt mode, but Blitzwing just sighed.
“Alright. How do we get in?” he asked.
“How do we-? Oh.” The huge doors to the amusement park, covered in cartoony advertisements, were locked. A huge padlock gave off a clear message: no one gets in.
Bumblebee's spark sank. The walls were too high to step over, and climbing was not an option because of the barbed wire. Even giant robots couldn't get into the park. That was pretty humbling; Bee expected he could just walk right in.
“I don't know! I didn't think I'd get this far.” He admitted. Breaking into (okay, maybe not “breaking”) and wandering around an amusement park at night seemed relatively simple. What if there was security, or what if Optimus somehow came back to check on him-
“No problem. I'll just fly you over.”
A burst of adrenaline shot through Bumblebee. “Wait-” he said. He suddenly felt his pedes being whisked off the ground, and then the feeling of being disconnected from gravity. A sound like a small explosion came from below him, and then everything around him was in motion.
It took him a moment to fight through the disorientation to realize Blitzwing had picked him up bridal style and was flying above the ground with the rocket boosters in his pedes.
It didn't last long; before he knew it Blitzwing had landed on the ground and Bumblebee was able to think clearly again. He glared at Blitzwing when he switched to his Random face and giggled.
“Thank you for riding Air Blitzwing! Safe travels on the rest of your trip!” He mimicked an overly perky flight attendant. It sounded so weird in Random Blitzwing's garbled, metallic voice that Bumblbee broke out laughing. Pretty soon both bots were struggling to stop giggling and push air through their vents again.
He suddenly choked back his laugh when he realized Blitzwing was still holding him, both their faceplates close. Way too close.
“C-Could you put me down?” Bumblebee wheezed.
Blitzwing switched back to his Icy face. Bee could clearly see every scratch in the blue faceplate, including a small scar on Blitzwing's lips that he'd never been close enough to notice.
Bee felt the support under him give out, and-Wham! He was dropped on the ground like a rock.
He quickly jumped back up, worried Blitzwing would be able to hear his spark beating hard in his chassis.
“Um.” He murmured. “Thanks. For the lift.”
He broke optic contact to look around where they had landed. Fairy lights hung above them from poles. A debilitated structure advertised as a haunted house, complete with gravestones and chains hanging off an iron fence, stood to the left. On the right was some sort of food stand for “Deep Fried Twinkies.”
“Hey, what do you think deep fried energon would taste like?” Bee asked, pointing to the stand. Blitzwing's face switched to Hothead.
“That's literally disgusting.” he snapped. “Why are humans so gross?”
Bumblebee shrugged. “I dunno. It can't be as bad as medical grade energon, though.”
“True enough.”
Bumblebee couldn't shake the awkwardness of the weird moment they'd just had. He clenched his jaw, trying to put it in the back of his processor, and walked deeper into the amusement park.
He’d been right, the place was pretty eerie in the dark. The eyes of the horses on a carousel glinted in the moonlight and seemed to track their every move. Speakers were attached to the poles and buildings; he almost expected them to jump to life and start screeching an alarm. Bumblebee mindlessly inched closer to Blitzwing.
The most prominent attractions across the park were the roller coasters. The biggest had been at the entrance, but more complex, oddly themed rides were scattered as the duo kept walking.
“Check this out!” he said, pointing over to a ride. A huge, painted statue of a deep blue planet with multiple chrome rings, and orbiting moons attached with metal poles, stood in the middle of a winding, tangled roller coaster tracktrack. Other statues and decorations of cartoon aliens, stars, and comets were set up around it.
Blitzwing stopped in front of the attraction. “Seems kind of silly, if you want my opinion.” he said. He eyed one of the childish alien designs disdainfully.
Bumblebee rolled his optics. “That’s not the point! As long as it’s fast and loud, it’s fun!”
“As if you can actually ride it.”
“Shut up.” Bee grumbled. He focused his attention back on the big blue planet. Tiny LED lights dotted the surface of the rings, so if the ride had been turned on, they would have glowed.
“Last time I came here with Sari, this thing kind of reminded me of Cybertron. See?” He pointed out a splotch of paint on the surface. “I swear, I can even see the Sea of Rust on it.” he joked. “What do you think?”
Blitzwing rolled his optics. “How would I know?” he said sharply.
Bumblebee paused for a moment, trying to figure out what he meant. Everyone knew what Cybertron looked like. It was the Cybertronian homeworld, except for the Decept- Oh . Oops.
“That’s right ,” Bee said. “I forgot you’ve never been there.” He looked up, trying to meet the other bot’s optics. “Haven’t you seen pictures or something?”
“I’ve been on the planet to fight.” Blitzwing answered. “And yes, we have pictures.” The curt tone in his voice signified he wanted to shut the topic down. Curiosity nagged at Bee anyways, like an itch under his plating that couldn’t be scratched.
They walked by a large, multicolored platform, like a turntable. Bright colored teacup-shaped vehicles sat dormant on top.
“They’re teacups.” Bumblebee pointed out as Blitzwing looked them over. The Decepticon reached over the fence of the ride and spun one around. It gave an eerie creak in response.
“So…” Bumblebee hesitated, unsure of what to say. Curiosity won over in the end. “Why do you want to take over Cybertron anyways?”
A blast of ice burst out of Blitzwing’s cannons froze the leaves of a decorative tree above them. Bumblebee jumped.
“Chill out, Blitz. That tree never did anything to you.” he said.
Blitzwing shot him a frigid glare. “We’re not taking over Cybertron. We’re taking back what was ours.”
Nervousness creeped up on him, but he pressed on. “Oh, okay. So, where do all you Decepticreeps live?” He leaned on the fence, trying to look casual.
Blitzwing met his optics and looked away. “New Kaon.” He idly turned one of the teacups in a full rotation. The screech of the metal as it resisted the movement was enough to make Bee cover his audio receptors.
“Never heard of it!” he shouted above the sound.
“Trust me, you wouldn’t want to even be in it’s atmosphere.” Blitzwing said bitterly. His expression had changed like he’d bitten into something sour.
Now that was interesting. Why wouldn’t a Decepticon like a Decepticon Utopia?
“What’s so bad about it? Bumblebee asked. He inched a little closer. How often would he get a chance to hear real Decepticon secrets? The prospect of taking down a Decepticon (he’d get to it eventually) and dishing out the details of the Decepticon fortress was so good.
Blitzwing tapped a finger to his chin and looked up in thought. “Think about it. What’s Cybertron’s main export?” he asked.
Bumblebee had heard enough from Bulkhead about growing up on the energon farms to give a confident answer. “Energon.” he said.
Blitzwing nodded. “Right. Cybertron is the only planet rich in energon. All others either have extremely low amounts, or none at all.”
A realization hit Bee. “So does New Kaon not have any energon?” Talk about tough. Energon was the fuel Cybertronians needed to survive. With low amounts, and lots of Decepticons needing access to it...no wonder they wanted control over Cybertron so bad.
Blitzwing nodded. “Our forces have mined almost all of it. Lord Megatron has multiple operations running looking for new, unpolluted sources, but…” He trailed off..
A weird feeling creeped up on Bumblebee, making his plating itch. No way was he feeling... sympathy for Blitzwing. That just wasn’t possible.
He was at loss for words. “So I, uh, guess you guys don’t really have energon candy, do you?” he blurted out, immediately regretting it. He resisted the urge to smack his faceplate against the fence.
To his surprise, Blitzwing chuckled. “Unless you count shipments from Cybertron’s black market, no.” He turned his attention from the teacups to Bumblebee. “New Kaon probably doesn’t have anything that’d interest you.” he said.
Bee shuffled his pedes. “Probably not. Earth’s got it all, though.”
Blitzwing tilted his helm. “So you like this planet more than your home?” he asked.
Bumblebee faltered, stumbling for words. Cybertron was...nice, and it was his home. But Earth had a more carefree atmosphere. He couldn’t deny the amount of stress taken off him after being immersed in its culture. Cybertron was strict, full of Autobot rules and regulations. Plus Earth was full of people who actually appreciated the ragtag spacebridge repair crew.
Okay, so maybe he did like Earth better. Big deal.
“It’s just...Earth has a ton of cool stuff that you’d never even imagine being on Cybertron. Like this!” He gestured to the towering rides surrounding them.
Blitzwing nodded slowly. “What else do you like here?” he asked.
Well. That was unexpected. Bee’s faceplate flushed at the attention the ‘Con was paying to him.
He didn’t know what to say. “Um...videogames?” he said. There had to be something else, but he was drawing a blank.
Blitzwing tilted his helm. “Tell me about it.”
Bumblebee involuntarily grinned. Videogames were definitely one of his favorite things.
He launched into explaining everything from the best new games, ferocious console wars, and to the fun times he’d had with Sari and the other Autobots. The two walked and talked, with Blitzwing only interjecting to ask questions (or laugh like a maniac about something).
“And then there was the time we tried to get Prime to try out Immortal Combat II . Ratchet wouldn’t even touch the controller, so we got Prime to at least sit down for one game.” Bee rambled on, looking up at Blitzwing. The Decepticon was hanging onto his every word. The idea of videogames had completely captured his attention.
“We didn’t even explain how to play, but you should have seen it! He took my player out before I could even press any buttons!” Bee gushed. “Sari was screaming, I was just sitting there with the controller in my servos like my circuits got fried. Bulkhead even made Prime a little trophy thing ‘cause he was so impressed.”
Blitzwing blinked. Bee noticed he looked a little spaced out. Maybe like he was in awe, almost?
“Are you Autobots always like this?” he asked hesitantly. “You seem more...appealing than I thought.”
Bee was a little taken aback. “Was that a compliment?” he asked. A smirk creeped across his faceplate, and an excited feeling bubbled up when he realized what the question meant.
“Ohhh, you’re jealous! You’re jealous of us!” He said boldly, not even worried about getting smacked for it.
Blitzwing’s wings twitched in annoyance. “As if.” He looked away. Bee couldn’t see the expression on his faceplate anymore.
Bumblebee stepped around him. “No, I get it. You want to be part of the cool group.” he boasted. He nudged Blitzwing’s side. “Who knows, maybe one day I’ll decide you’re cool enough to play videogames with me.”
Blitzwing nodded. “Okay. Sounds good to me.” he said continuing to walk through the park.
Bee froze to a halt, a chilly feeling creeping over him. He’d meant that as a joke, and Blitz had taken it seriously. Should he tell him he’d been kidding?
The imagery of them sitting on the couch on the base popped into his processor before he could stop it. The couch was already too small for just Autobots, so they were pressed against each other. Lazy afternoon sunshine poured from the windows.
Bee shook his helm hard, pushing the daydream out. He’d just been kidding...right?
He forced himself to put a pede forward and follow Blitzwing.
They walked and talked about seemingly random topics, jumping from videogames, back to energon, favorite types of fuel - “You need to try the oil on Earth, it’s the best.” Bee said - flying, weird things about Earth, and even the Autobot academy.
“Did you know we studied you in the Great War history class?” Bumblebee said, the memory popping back up into his processor.
Blitzwing made a disgusted face, looking vaguely uneasy. “And just what did your Autobot professors have to say about me?” he asked.
Bee tapped his chin in thought. “Well, it was just an introductory class...I didn’t get to take the more complicated stuff cause I got kicked out…”
Blitzwing’s face switched to Random. “Kicked out!” he hollered. “I didn’t know you had a wild side!” He got right up in Bee’s faceplate. “What’d you do? ”
Bumblebee put a servo on the Decepticon’s faceplate and pushed him away. It felt weird to touch the jagged edges of that specific face’s mouth.
“It was dumb.” Bee replied. No way was he talking about that mess. He shook his helm. “Yeah. Anyways, we had these datapads with sections on famous Decepticons. Megatron was in there for sure, along with Starscream and this ugly one named Blackout.” He looked up at Blitzwing, straining to remember what he’d read. It had to have been a few thousand stellar cycles since he’d even been in Autobot Academy…
“I think your section said you were Megatron’s youngest lieutenant during the war. There was something else about you taking down some important ship…” he didn’t mention the “Wanted: Dead or Alive” that had been placed at the bottom of the article.
The cobblestone pavement changed to plain concrete. Advertisements went from games and rides to water-themed attractions. The first thing Bumblebee noticed was a huge pool stretching before them. Palm trees hung over the edges, and an impossible amount of pool chairs and umbrellas were crammed up against the sides of the water. For some reason, water still occupied the huge space.
“That’s a ‘Wave Pool’.” he heard Blitzwing say behind him. He turned and noticed Blitzwing reading off a sign with the park map. “I don’t see any waves.”
Bumblebee rolled his optics. “It’s not on.” He stepped closer to the edge of the water, resting his servos on the iron fence that closed it off. A band aid floated lazily across the surface. Gross.
“Yeah, how about we not get in that water.” Bee said.
He shouldn’t have said that, because next thing he knew he falling face first towards the surface.
His faceplate smacked against the rough concrete of the pool bottom. The pool wasn’t deep at all for him- maybe 5 feet at most- and he was barely even submerged. The only thing he could register was the pain and flicker of bubbles from the impact.
“Dammit, Blitzbrain, why’d you push me!?” he roared. The ‘Con was cackling in that stupid inky face again like he was having an asthmatic fit.
The energon in Bee’s tubes seemed to turn into liquid rage. “You wanna go? Then take this-!” He smacked his servo in the pool, splashing the other bot with a spray of lukewarm water.
Blitzwing jumped back as the liquid hit. Bee distinctly noticed the band aid now clinging to the metal plating of the ‘Con’s legs.
It was petty revenge, but he felt a surge of triumph as Blitzwing gaped back at him. It soon faded when Blitzwing switched to his Hothead face and smirked. Uh Oh.
Next thing he knew, Blitzwing had stepped over the fence into the pool and drenched him in a huge wave.
Bee coughed and sputtered. “H-hey, no fair!” He fell back another assault of splashes. Trying to fight back was useless, but he managed to get a few good sprays of water right in Blitzwing’s face.
Both bots were laughing uncontrollably. Adrenaline coursed through Bee, and his smile made his faceplate ache. Soon, both of them sat down in the pool and chuckled until their sides hurt. Small, insistent waves lapped against their metal plating in a soothing rhythm. Bee could hear both their vents working at high speeds to cool down overworked and waterlogged systems.
“I think we both know I won that one.” Blitzwing said, smirking.
“No way, you cheated! You’ve got, like, 15 feet on me.” Bumblebee protested. He sent a halfhearted splash Blitzwing’s way.
The water rippled against Blitzwing’s chassis, and his metal plating all but shimmered. A genuine smile was spread on Blitzwing’s Icy face. It kind of took Bee’s breath away, and he pushed down some unidentifiable fluttering feeling. Weird.
The Decepticon symbol glinted at him in the moonlight as Blitzwing shifted, and a chill ran through Bumblebee. The insignia managed to break through the haze the water fight planted in his processor. They were supposed to be enemies, not messing around like this. What if Blitzwing had met his “fun” quota for the night and decided to dispose of Bumblebee? The very thought put his spark in motion.
A nasty thought popped into his mind: maybe he could take Blitzwing down and make his getaway by electrocuting him.
It’d be simple: blast a bolt of electricity in the water and stand back as the ‘Con’s circuits fried. Then he’d rush back to base before Blitz could come to his senses, assuming he didn’t wind up killing him.
Okay, that was disturbing . Bumblebee shook his helm. A sharp feeling of regret at the dark thoughts clawed at him. Maybe hanging around a Decepticon so long was making him think like one. No, he’d just have to find some other way.
“Hey, check that out!” Random’s voice called out. Bee shifted his optics to the side of the pool where Blitzwing was pointing to another attraction in the distance. It looked like a huge...cave? A river of water entered the gaping entrance. Boats shaped like swans were poised outside.
Bumblebee immediately recognized it from some of the romcoms Sari liked to watch: the Tunnel of Love. His spark sank all the way to his tanks.
Holy Primus, don’t let him suggest going in there. He pleaded to some invisible force.
“We should go over there!”
Scrap.
He was about to suggest something else, anything else, but Blitzwing was already dead set on investigating this new human thing. He’d switched back to his default blue face and was looking the place over, water sliding off and pooling onto the concrete below him.
Bumblebee hesitantly walked over to his side, too afraid to protest. The memory of Blitzwing holding him, which seemed so distant now, was resurfacing for some reason. A shiver ran up his spine.
“I should have electrocuted you when I had the chance…” he muttered.
“What was that?” Blitzwing asked.
“Nothing, nothing!” He put his servos up and smiled innocently. “So, um, are you going in there?” He hoped the entrance would be too small for Blitzwing to fit.
No such luck. Blitzwing just barely made it, only having to stoop a little. He stepped into the muggy water of the ride. “Why not? It’s something to do.” he said, disappearing into the darkness of the tunnel. Only the red glare of his optics remained.
Bumblebee gulped. Blitzwing was just standing and waiting for him to follow. There wasn’t any possibility for Bee to casually slip away. Only two options presented themselves: follow him, or suggest an alternative.
“Wait! Maybe we could…” He was drawing a complete blank. Think! Think of something else! He thought. Looking around the amusement park, his optics were drawn to an unidentifiable tower ride in the distance.
“We should go check that out instead!” he exclaimed, pointing. Blitzwing peered out of the tunnel momentarily, looking unimpressed.
“Okay. That’s the next stop-” Bumblebee breathed a sigh of relief. “-after this.”
“No!” he cried out, but the Decepticon apparently chose to ignore him.
Bumblebee was torn between risking running away, or sacrificing the rest of his dignity. Humiliation and frustration mixed together and he kicked at the ground.
Mentally giving up, he lowered himself into the tunnel’s water. He resisted the urge to groan at the slimy bottom of the canal, before trudging after the crazy Decepticon.
He couldn’t get an impression of the place because everything was completely enveloped in darkness. Putting his arms out, he felt a wall covered in a thin layer of some sort of slime. He quickly pulled his servo back.
“Can you even see anything in here?” he called out.
“Of course. Aren’t your optics capable of night vision?” Blitzwing asked. His voice was right in front of Bumblebee.
“Um, no? Why would I have those installed?” His pede hit a hard object under the water. Pain prickled up his leg and his squeezed his optics shut. This is a good reason why. He thought miserably.
He gasped slightly when he felt Blitzwing’s servo reach out and interlock with his own. The sudden ghost of touch in the darkness nearly scared the plating off him. His faceplates heated up because, well, they were holding servos in the Tunnel of Love. How disgusting was that?
“I’ll just lead you down the corridor.” Blitzwing said with confidence, pulling Bumblebee along with him. Bee wanted to reach out and strangle the Decepticon for dragging him further into this mess.
They sloshed down the hall for an unidentifiable amount of time. At one point, Blitzwing knocked into a wall by accident, scaring both of them. Bee felt him squeeze his servo hard.
Bumblebee put a servo back on the icky wall to help steady himself. He could feel patterns etched into it- maybe some sort of sign or message? Probably something dumb and overly mushy.
His fingers suddenly caught hold of some sort of switch, and he accidentally pulled it to the side.
Immediately, soft pink lights activated on the ceiling of the tunnel. The dim glow added a relaxing haziness to the tunnel. The water shone slightly under the illumination.
Blitzwing glanced up at the glowing bulbs. “What’s the purpose of this tunnel, anyways?” he questioned. He eyed the cramped surroundings with underlying unease.
“Nothing!” Bumblebee hissed. The situation was becoming more humiliating by the second. His entire body felt hot with embarrassment.
The corridor opened up right in front of them into a wide chamber. Bumblebee shoved past Blitzwing into it.
The room opened up into a dome shaped area. Roman columns and intricate patterns of hearts and swirls lined the walls. The underwater tracks of the ride curved around a marble platform. Vases filled with roses of deep crimson and pastel pink sat upon it. Despite them appearing to be fake, an intoxicatingly sweet, perfume-like scent filled the cavern.
Bumblebee’s plating crawled. He felt like he’d been given an electric shock. “Ew…” he wheezed. Humiliation flooded him to his very core, even though there was no one around to see.
He sloshed back to the entrance of the chamber. “Okay Blitzbrain, we’re getting out of here.” he said. He turned and scowled when Blitzwing didn’t move from the room. “Hey! Let’s go!” he shouted.
Blitzwing narrowed his optic and surveyed the room. “What...is the meaning of this imagery?” he asked, confusion evident in his tone. “So far, the games here have been for thrills and excitement, but this one seems to break the pattern. Why is that?” He looked at Bumblebee for an explanation.
No. Way. Bumblebee thought. He could only stare with wide optics back at the clueless Decepticon.
Blitzwing tilted his helm. “So you don’t know?”
“I know, I know what it means!” Bee sputtered. Slag , what could he say to shut down the whole topic?
“It’s a ride for people who... like-like each other.” he said. He drew in a shaky breath to cool his systems down. There, maybe that would satisfy him from asking anything else.
“What do people who-” Blitzwing narrowed his optic. “‘-like-like’ each other do here?” he asked.
Bumblebee rolled his optics. How annoying could he get? Maybe if I answer as vague as possible, I can get this over with? He wondered. Seems like the only option at this point.
A deep, sinking feeling of regret tugged at him as he steeled himself to face Blitzwing’s question. What did people do in this ride anyways? He remembered watching lots of teen movies with Sari. There’d been one with a Tunnel of Love in one of them.
There: he’d just describe the scene from the movie! It didn’t matter that the specific movie he was thinking of was about the zombie apocalypse; it was probably accurate enough.
“Okay. Well,” He took in a deep breath and met the ‘Con’s optics. “First of all, two people get in those boats out there - the swan ones - and the boats go in here…” What had happened after that?
“...And then the ride moves and it gets really dark, so they get really close together. Then they, I dunno, look deep into each other's eyes.” Bumblebee almost chuckled imagining it. “Weird, huh?”
Blitzwing nodded slowly. “Weird.” he said in agreement.
The embarrassment was starting to wear off as Bee kept going. “Yeah! Then the guy or girl - or maybe it’s two guys or two girls, doesn’t really matter which - says something really nice and sappy.”
Blitzwing narrowed his optic. “Like what?” he asked.
Bumblebee tapped his chin in thought. “Maybe something like - ” He made an exaggeratedly lovesick face. “‘Your eyes shine like the stars.’” he sang in a high pitched voice. He looked over at Blitzwing and cleared his vocalizer. “Or something else dumb like that.” he said.
“And then their faces get really really close, and - ” Wait. After being surrounded by Earth culture so long, Bee would normally just say ‘They kissed’ and it would have made sense. But kissing (just thinking of the word made him want to gag) wasn’t even a thing on Cybertron, or in Cybertronian culture.
“...and they press their mouths together?” That made no sense out of context, but no way was he explaining it was the Tunnel of Love to the Decepticon.
“Mouths?” Blitzwing said. He looked a little surprised. Not grossed out like Bee was.
Bee nodded. “Yep. Mouths .” He shook his helm. “Humans are kind of gross sometimes, don’t you think?”
Whew. At least he got that out of the way. Blitzwing was standing around, not asking anymore awkward questions. It felt like a heavy weight was being lifted off him. Who knew watching all those movies, the ones Ratchet called a “waste of time,” would pay off?
Bumblebee took a better look around the room. It had a really calming atmosphere, he had to admit. His processor felt sort of hazy looking at the lovey-dovey stuff everywhere.
He took a closer look at the concrete walls. A message was drawn in sharpie: it looked like some couple must’ve leaned out of their boats to write, because it said “TB + GM 4ever,” with a crude heart drawn around it.
He heard Blitzwing slosh through the water to stand beside him. Out of the corner of his optic, he saw him kneel down to his height. He half expected the Decepticon to ask what the writing meant, but he just stayed quiet.
Bee glanced over at the other bot. The lighting made Blitzwing’s plating give off a soft glow. His optics also gleamed out of the murkiness, the strong red contrasting with the gentle pink. His expression was content, almost contemplative.
Something was wrong. He felt strange; not sick, but like he could float away at any moment. His spark tap danced an irregular rhythm, and he felt hot all over.
Don’t. He thought to himself, vaguely recognizing what it meant. Don’t do this. Don’t be an idiot. Hopefully it was just the perfumey smell getting to him.
“You know, besides worrying about you killing me every once and awhile, this whole thing hasn’t been that bad.” Bumblebee said. He didn’t know where the words were coming from, but there they were. Blitzwing met his optics, and his spark beat harder in his chassis.
Blitzwing gave him a small smile. “Me too.” he murmured. “You’re not so bad, Autobot. I like your company.”
Bee quickly looked away. “I’m sort of disappointed I couldn’t try out any rides, though. Maybe I could have fit in one of the teacups.” he joked, trying to distract himself.
He looked down at the water of the room. It rippled from them walking through it. He noticed the candy wrappers, cigarettes, and other bits of trash moving along the bottom of the pool. Ew.
He was about to suggest they leave when he heard Blitzwing say “We could try out this one,” beside him.
His plating immediately stood on end when he felt Blitzwing lay a servo on his shoulder plate. The ‘Con spun him around so they were facing each other. He felt him place his servo on Bee’s back.
Bumblebee froze as he pulled them closer together, moving his servo to the back of his helm. He couldn’t think straight; his processor felt like it was buzzing with static. He opened and closed his mouth in an attempt to talk.
Blitzwing’s servo moved to his cheek, the other one resting innocently on his waist. The Decepticon smirked at him, and he met Bee’s optics. The confident expression on his faceplate weakened to something more open. Hesitantly, he leaned down and drew their faceplates closer together.
The realization that Blitzwing was copying the steps of the ride that Bee had described dawned on him.
He leaned back and put his servos on Blitzwing’s chestplate to steady himself. He could feel the other bot’s spark beating equally as hard as his.
“Blitz.” he heard himself say. His voice sounded far away. He felt weak, like he was about to fall over.
Blitzwing’s faceplate was right against his. He felt the Decepticon’s lips brush against his.
The sensation felt like an electric shock. “Wait.” he said, pushing his arms out to separate them.
Blitzwing immediately backed up. A look of...hurt was on his faceplate? Bee jumped when he switched to his Hothead face.
“Why’d you do that?” he snapped. A small wisp of steam escaped his cannons.
Bumblebee stared at him in confusion. “What do you mean?” he asked. The smell of ozone wafted in the air. Why?
He suddenly realized that he’d accidentally zapped Blitzwing. The fuzzy feeling faded away and he felt grounded again.
“Oh, slag.” he whispered. He didn’t know what else to say. He put out his servos, but drew them back. His subconscious buzzed at him with things to say: I’m sorry, it was an accident, let’s just try again, I want to try again -
Blitzwing glared, seething with anger. “What’d I do wrong? That hurt, you dumb Autobot!” he snarled.
Hot, ferocious anger suddenly boiled in Bee’s energon lines.
“What do you think? You fucking abducted me for no good reason, for starters!” he snarled, stepping away from the Decepticon. Using human curse words felt good. Much stronger than Cybertronian ones.
Blitzwing gritted his teeth. The band of red that was this face’s optics glowed brighter. “You said this wasn’t so bad.”
Bumblebee forced out a laugh: a fake, haughty laugh. It did the trick, because it made Blitzwing even more agitated. “I’d rather be at my home with my friends, not running around out here with a Decepticon. ” His voice spat venom with each word.
Blitzwing’s face switched to the blue one. To Bee’s surprise, he looked more heartbroken than mad. “I thought-” He cut of his sentence, clenching his fists.
Bumblebee felt a stab of sadness - I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it - but he pressed on. “Thought what? Did you think we were friends? ” He smirked when Blitzwing looked away from him.
“I bet you’d be really embarrassed if you knew what you just did.” Bee mocked, letting out the meanest side of him.
Blitzwing glanced at him and glared hard. “And what’s that?” he asked sharply. Malice dripped from his voice.
Bumblebee could hear his spark beating in his audio receptors. He almost didn’t want to say it; he couldn’t figure out why he cared about a Decepticon’s feelings. His mouth started moving before he could stop himself.
“You just tried to kiss me,” he said, “in the ride called the Tunnel of Love.”
A spark of triumph made him smirk when a look of horror and utter embarrassment crossed over Icy Blitzwing’s faceplate. Customs and culture were different, but humans and Cybertronians both knew very well what “love” was.
Bee gestured around the room. “The whole point of the ride - the Tunnel of Love - is for couples to get all comfy in the dark where no one can see them and kiss! And kissing - ” He paused for dramatic effect. “- is how humans show affection for each other!”
Blitzwing narrowed his optic. “So you’re saying humans...who are in love...kiss?” he said slowly, his tone rising with realization.
Blitzwing glanced around, shifted and looking comically embarrassed. The full realization of where they were together had hit him too.
Apparently it wasn’t that embarrassing, because Random Blitzwing soon reappeared after a moment of silence and began laughing harder than ever. The obnoxious sound reverberated off the walls into a crescendo Bumblebee couldn’t take anymore.
Without looking back, he stomped back into the corridor and stumbled all the way back outside. His entire plating felt hot with embarrassment. That’s it: he was done with Blitzwing and his crazy, unpredictable antics.
He took off, following the signs back to the entry gate. Posted advertisements for attractions flashed in the moonlight like they were trying to stop him. The park seemed even more haunted by himself, the only sound being his pedes on the pathway.
He’d almost made it before he heard jet engines behind him. Looking up, he watched as Blitzwing deactivated the rocket boosters in his pedes and dropped down in front of him, shaking the pavement.
“Did you forget that you need me to get back over the gate?” The Decepticon smirked.
Red hot anger made his energon boil. “Shut up, Blitzbrain. You’re so annoying.” Bee snapped. “Can you just let me go home already?”
Blitzwing’s smirk drooped in a mock-pout. “Aww, but I thought we were having so much fun,” he said, the sly grin returning. “Especially in the Tunnel of Love -”
He was forced to a stop when Bee engaged his stingers and pointed them at him. He’d done it without thinking, but the surge of triumph at the dismay on Blitzwing’s face was worth it.
Blitzwing put his servos up, serious now. “Bumblebee.” he said firmly. Bee shivered at the ‘Con’s voice saying his name. “You know you don’t want to shoot at me.” he insisted.
“Oh yeah?” Bee shot back. “Watch me.”
In a moment of rage-fueled impulse, he blasted an arc of electricity at him.
Blitzwing expertly sidestepped the blast. Unfortunately, the beam rocketed onwards and slammed into a gift shop, shattering the glass and charring the side of the building.
The two stared at the destruction in complete silence. Pieces of glass littered the pavement. Everything stood completely still.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
Red lights suddenly illuminated the park as the speakers screeched to life. Bumblebee jumped and, against his will, yelled unintelligibly. Shame at the outburst poured over him.
Blitzwing looked around lazily, almost like he was used to this. “Great job.” he said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
Bee stomped his pede on the ground. “Shut up! This is your fault!” he shouted over the shrill alarm. He found himself automatically moving to stand with the other bot, and forcefully stopped himself.
“My fault? Who’s the one who shot that blast?” Blitzwing said, smirking at him.
Bumblebee was about to snap back but paused. A wailing noise was coming from the distance. Was that?-Oh no.
Police Sirens. That would soon mean Autobots would be at the scene.
If Prime found out about this, he wouldn’t even be let out of the base. It’d be monitor duty for months.
He turned to Blitzwing, optics wide. The red lights cast odd shadows on the other bot. “Um.” He tapped his fingers awkwardly. “Can you...get me out of here?” he asked. White hot embarrassment made him feel like he was burning up.
The Decepticon tilted his helm and rolled his optic. He crossed his arms and switched to his Hothead face. “I don’t know. After what you just pulled, maybe I should just leave you here…” he said bitterly, but with a hint of mocking.
Bumblebee grabbed onto the Decepticon’s arm. “Blitzbrain, c’mon.” he hissed through gritted teeth.
Blitzwing looked away from Bee, showing no sign of changing his mind.
“ Blitzwing -”
Blitzwing’s face whirled to Random. “Just kidding!” he cackled. He bent down to pick Bee up. “I’m not just going to strand you here.
Bee squeezed his optics shut as Blitzwing carelessly picked him up and rocketed far above the ground to dizzying heights.
---------
Bumblebee’s pedes landed softly on the pavement as Blitzwing lowered him to the ground, not dropping him this time. Looking around, they were back by the small park. The pavement was wet with the now-melted ice.
Blitzwing had flown him far away from the amusement park, well above the clouds. The cold night air felt more chilly up there. He’d focused on the racing dark clouds below them to keep his processor from thinking too hard about anything that’d just happened.
Back on the ground, there were too many emotions buzzing in him; the resulting effect was that he just felt numb to it all. He couldn’t decide what to focus on.
He was faintly aware of Blitzwing approaching him from behind. Was he going try to say something? Half of Bee wanted him to not bother him. The other half wanted to go back to the amusement park and keep talking about anything and everything-
“Ugh.” he said out loud. He put a servo over his mouth and sighed. He couldn’t push down what happened in the Tunnel of Love, no matter that he knew he wasn’t supposed to feel like that about a Decepticon. It should have been disgusting. He should have tried to ran away, or fought.
He couldn’t come to terms with the fact he’d wanted to kiss the Decepticon. That he actually liked talking with the Decepticon.
Decepticons and Autobots weren’t supposed to even interact. He felt guilty. It was wrong.
“Well, that was interesting.” Icy Blitzwing said from beside him. The Decepticon looked down at his faceplate and frowned. “You look freaked out. Was it the alarm?”
Bumblebee shook his helm slowly. His processor was drawing a complete blank. He’d completely forgotten about being mad at the other bot.
“Sorry I shot at you.” he blurted out.
Blitzwing shifted uncomfortably. “Oh.” he said quietly. He shrugged. “I’ve seen worse.”
Awkward silence. Bumblebee crossed his arms and looked away.
“It’s okay? I forgive you?” Blitzwing said. He sounded unsure of himself. Bee heard him clear his vocalizer and shift a little closer.
His optics involuntarily widened when he heard Blitzwing start to say “I’m sorry-”
Bee’s commlink crackled to life, surprising both of them.
“Bumblebee,” Prime’s exasperated voice said. “It’s been well over an hour since we asked you to come back.”
He stared at the ground with a sinking feeling. He’d completely forgotten to even try to return to base.
“Where are you?”
Scrap. Should he just say it? Would Prime get mad at him? He pressed his servo to the side of his helm to answer. “I-um-well, you see, funny story!” he stammered.
“Tell me now, Bumblebee.” Optimus’ voice sounded frustrated. Bee grit his teeth and mentally cursed. Scrap!
The comm message was loud enough for Blitzwing to hear. The ‘Con looked at Bee’s face and to the servo activating his commlink.
Bumblebee swallowed nervously. Maybe he could try fake static and deal with it later-
He faltered when Blitzwing kneeled down to his level. “Tell him you’re getting a surprise for your human friend.” he whispered.
Bee narrowed his optics, confused. “What?” he whispered back. Is he trying to help me?
“What was that?” Optimus said over the commlink. Bee could hear Ratchet vaguely talking in the background, and he didn’t sound happy.
“Nothing! I said nothing.” He smacked his servo to his forehelm. He glanced at Blitzwing and took a deep breath. “I’m just. Well, I’m actually getting something for Sari.” He rolled his optics at how lame it sounded.
“Really?” Prime asked. He sounded skeptical.
“Yeah! She’s been down about her dad lately, so I thought I could cheer her up with a present.” Bumblebee grinned like Prime was actually there, his natural ability to lie shining. Blitzwing smirked at him, and he instinctively smiled back.
He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Just don’t let her know! It’s a secret.”
Silence over the commlink. He faintly heard Optimus talking to someone. Probably telling Ratchet what he’d just said. No way is Bossbot going to believe that. He thought, mentally preparing for a full interrogation.
The commlink crackled with a bit of static. “Well, I’m proud of you for thinking of Sari’s wellbeing.” said Optimus. His voice sounded pleased.
Bumblebee’s spark felt tight. He wish he’d thought of Sari in the first place. It wasn’t a lie that she missed her lost dad.
“But I need you to hurry up. We’ve been worried you ran into trouble. In fact -” Bumblebee cringed at what was coming. “ - there was just a break in at…”
He heard Prime ask “What was it again?” to someone in the background.
“...Five Banners Roller Coaster Kingdom. Do you want me to send Prowl out to help you with anything?” Prime asked, the authoritative tone returning.
He automatically shook his helm, even though Prime wasn’t there. “I’m good. See ya.” he said. He ended the call and shut his optics, drawing cool air into his vents. That was a close one.
He turned to Blitzwing and raised an optic ridge. “What was that for?” he asked.
He must have sounded suspicious, because Blitzwing raised his servos defensively. “You looked like you were struggling. It was a simple fix.” he protested.
Bumblebee smiled slightly. “Decepticons, masters of deception.” he murmured. He wasn’t sure how Bossbot didn’t make the connection that he couldn’t be getting anything for Sari because all the stores were closed. Or that he wouldn’t even fit in a human store.
Now I actually have to get something for Sari… He thought. He was digging a hole of white lies. Scrap.
He looked around the park. The sky was pitch black. Wind rustled the trees. There was an odd tension in the atmosphere like it was going to rain.
Blitzwing stood back up to his full height. Bumblebee met his optics and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. He didn’t know what to say next. Blitzwing sounded like he was going to apologize to him. Was it for dragging him on the crazy trip? He hoped so.
The Decepticon stretched, taking in a deep breath of air. “Now what?” He looked at Bumblebee expectantly.
Bee blinked. Did the ‘Con really want to keep going, after getting busted?
He mindlessly tapped his fingers together in thought. I should just go back to the base… he thought. It was what he needed to do. It was what Prime wanted him to do. Probably Ratchet as well.
He looked back at the Decepticon. He needed to go back to base...but he didn’t want to leave any loose ends. At least, that’s what he told himself, trying to ignore that he wanted to stay with the Decepticon.
“Are you gonna finish what you said? What was it...oh yeah!” He crossed his arms. “It was something like ‘I’m sorry?’”
He felt a spark of triumph when Blitzwing grimaced. His wings twitched uncomfortably.
“What’s wrong, Blitzy? Scared to admit you were wrong about dragging me on this weird hostage situation?” he asked with a sickly sweet voice. No matter how he felt that night, it was still fun seeing the Decepticon caught off guard.
“Mmm. You got me.” Blitzwing said sarcastically. He shrugged. “That was originally directed towards calling you ‘dumb Autobot,’” he muttered. “Just so you know.”
“Oh. Cool.” Bee said. He felt strangely flattered Blitzwing would remember to apologize for a little detail like that. Especially since it had made him so mad.
The breeze picked up around them, throwing leaves and bits of trash to skitter against the pavement. Bee didn’t know how to feel. Again. It was a lame connection, but he felt like his feelings and thoughts were being tossed around like the debris in the wind. (That sounded like something out of Prowl’s stupid poetry stuff.)
Maybe if he ignored it and went home, he’d just forget about the whole ordeal, and they’d go back to being vicious enemies. The idea gave him a small scrap of hope to cling to. If he just recharged and spent all of next day with his friends, keeping his processor busy, he’d forget about Blitzwing in a sparkbeat.
Subconsciously, he knew he was trying to reassure himself. The situation was already out of control. He had to try something, though.
“Well,” he said awkwardly. He couldn’t make optic contact with the other bot. “You’re not gonna stop me if I leave...right?” he asked. It sounded like a joke, but he still had the fear the ‘Con might try and take him out.
He wasn’t sure whether to be surprised or not when Blitzwing looked downright upset.
“Leave? But- there has to be somewhere else in this city we can go.” he protested.
Bumblebee felt a stab of annoyance. He was making this way harder than it needed to be. He narrowed his optics at him. “Prime just said I needed to be back. Why do you want me to stick around so bad?” he asked.
Blitzwing shrugged. “What else would I do?” he replied. He shifted in place and crossed his arms, drawing his shoulders up. He raised an optic ridge at Bumblebee. “I’m not looking forward to returning to my base. It’s not like there’s anyone else I like there.”
Bumblebee felt like he’d been drenched in ice water. Had he heard that right?
He put out his servos. “Wait, back up.” He shot an incredulous look at the Decepticon. “Does that mean…” He began talking, but stopped himself. His tanks flipped thinking about what Blitzwing might say. What if he couldn’t forget it?
Too late. He was already opening his mouth to speak.
“Does that mean that you like me? ” he asked, voice synthesizer squeaking on the last word.
Both bots eyed each other warily. The rain was starting to come down harder. Bee watched the drops slide down his plating. Puddles were going to start forming and make it harder to drive.
Blitzwing looked away, an expression of cool indifference on his faceplate. “I suppose . You Autobots are completely different from what I thought. At least, if they’re all like you, that is.” He muttered the last sentence, almost like it was to himself. His optics flicked back too Bee, and he fidgeted. For a master of deception, he was a bad actor.
A warm feeling washed over Bee, combating the cold rush of apprehension before Blitzwing had spoken. “So you do like me.” he said. He covered his mouth with his servo to hide his involuntary smile.
That couldn’t be good. He tried to make himself feel disgusted - C’mon Bee, don’t do this. He urged himself - but he only felt light.
He shook his helm. “Yeah, well, you have good taste,” he bragged. “But we can’t.” He put his servos down and shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. Like he didn’t care.
“Can’t what?”
“Can’t...y’know!” Bee gestured wildly between them. “We can’t be friends! We can’t like each other!” he said, raising his voice. His spark was beating harder with every word.
Blitzwing smirked. “Oh, are you you implying you like me too?” he hummed, voice sickly sweet. Bumblebee’s vents hitched. Scrap, he felt like he was burning up.
“A-anyways, think about it.” He forced out. “Autobots and Decepticons can’t mix. At all.” He pointed an accusing finger at Blitzwing. “You had to pretty much kidnap me for us to even talk without fighting.”
The Decepticon waved his servo dismissively. “That wasn’t a big deal.” he scoffed.
Bumblebee must have made a face, because Blitzwing blinked hard in surprise.
“I thought you were gonna kill me, Blitzbrain.” Bee snapped, surprised at the other bot’s obliviousness.
Blitzwing shook his helm. “I wasn’t. I would never.” he blurted out.
Well. That was unexpected. Bumblebee could only stare with wide optics at Blitzwing, who looked just as shocked as he felt. The Decepticon clamped his servo over his mouth in uncharacteristic bewilderment.
The rain was falling harder around them, wind whipping the branches of the trees into a frenzy. Thunder rumbled, making the pavement vibrate. The noises served as the soundtrack to the intense staredown between the duo.
Bumblebee was the first to break the silence. “You’ve tried it before.” he muttered, clenching his fists. Blitzwing sounded like a hypocrite after all the fights between the Decepticons and the Earth Autobots.
Blitzwing screwed up his face in a pained, embarrassed expression. He didn’t say anything.
More awkward silence resulted. It was weird seeing the normally confident bot, no matter what face he was expressing, reduced to this.
The tension was too much. Bee backed up, ready to return to base -
He didn’t know why he stopped when Blitzwing held out his servos and hissed “Wait!” They stared at each other with wide optics.
“I don’t want to fight you anymore. I like talking with you. You’re interesting and funny and different.” Blitzwing suddenly sputtered out.
Bumblebee immediately felt his faceplate heat up. His fans ran at high speed, pushing to cool down his frame. He buried his face in his servos.
“Dammit, Blitzbrain.” he muttered. Bee could see through his fingers Blitzwing awkwardly pulling his servos back, like he was trying to decide whether to touch him or not.
He hadn’t even imagined a Decepticon could say anything like that, much less feel anything like that. They weren’t supposed to be like this. Only Autobots could be good. It made no sense . But damn, didn’t it feel good to hear.
“I’ve been a jerk to you. I want to try again. I don’t want you to leave.” The ‘Con insisted. The emotion in his voice was unclear, but with the desperation a person begging for their life. Before he could process it, Blitzwing had reached out and clasped both of Bee’s servos in his own, kneeling down to his height.
“But - “ His vocalizer glitched, cutting him off. He felt hyperaware of his servos in Blitzwing’s. “But Decepticons are evil.” he choked out. It sounded moronic, not to mention downright mean, in his audio receptors. Blitzwing blinked hard.
“You don’t think I’m evil, right?” he asked. His grip on Bee’s servos tightened.
For some reason, that simple gesture broke down Bee’s defenses. Before he could stop himself, he started talking.
“No! I like hanging out with you too! I was scared and mad at you, but I also really like you and I don’t know why!” he gushed. It sounded completely moronic in his own audio receptors, but he kept going, slipping one of his servos free to hold onto Blitzwing’s arm.
The Decepticon just stared back in stunned silence.
“I feel weird around you, like I’m about to burn up, but in a good way.” Primus , that sounded like some bad poetry crap, but Bee had said it anyways. “It’s stupid, cause you’re a jerk and you do dumb things, but I liked being at the amusement park. Like with the water fight. I didn’t think a Decepticon could be cool or fun.” he kept blubbering.
Blitzwing’s optics shone. “We aren’t so bad, are we?” he asked.
Bumblebee couldn’t tear away from the Decepticon, his gaze, scanning over his optics, his lips, the little scratches in the metal plating. His mouth felt dry. His spark was out of control.
He leaned closer, closer, like a magnet was pulling them together. Blitzwing closed his optic, mouth opened slightly.
Bee knew what was going to happen. It was inevitable. With a surge of adrenaline, he closed the gap between their faceplates.
The initial feeling was a dizzying headrush that traveled through his frame in a powerful shockwave. A rising, fluttery feeling in his chest bubbled up like a fizzy soda. Everything was overwhelmingly warm and intense but amazing at the same time. He felt Blitzwing tug him closer through the haze.
His processor felt like it was slowing down, like time itself was coming to a stop. It was the best thing he’d ever felt, like everything sweet in life wrapped into one simple gesture, like the whole world was frozen in intoxicating bliss.
Bee was surprised that it only lasted a few moments. He pulled away, blinking hard. That...had been a lot shorter than what he’d seen in movies. He refocused his optics on Blitzwing -
He did a double take when he noticed a coolant tear streaking down the ‘Con’s faceplate. Blitzwing’s expression was of complete shock.
“Damn, Blitz.” he murmured, processor struggling to break through the dreaminess. He rested a servo on Blitzwing’s cheek, wiping away the tear with his thumb. His senses were starting to work again: he could feel the rain slowing down to a light mist. His plating felt cold from the water on it. He could feel his servos - one was wrapped around Blitzwing in a hug, he wasn’t sure when that had happened - shaking slightly.
He grinned. “Guess we’re more than just friends, huh-” he started to say, before being cut off when Blitzwing dove forward for another kiss, but missed and mashed his lips on the ridge between his optics.
“Whoa.” Bumblebee pulled his helm back, stunned. “Slow down, Blitzbrain.” he teased.
The Decepticon grit his teeth, looking embarrassed. He sighed heavily, mist exhaling from his vents, and pulled him closer instead.
They lapsed back into silence. Bee didn’t know what he was supposed to feel. Kissing was a human thing, but it felt right. What if they weren’t doing it correctly? How was he supposed to know? Maybe he’d ask Sari later on...
“You said kissing is a thing...humans do when they love each other, right?’ he heard Blitzwing ask. He wasn’t meeting Bee’s optics.
Bumblebee shifted, readjusting himself to a more comfortable position in Blitzwing’s tight hug. “Yeah.” he murmured. He felt very tired all of a sudden. He leaned against the larger bot’s frame.
Blitzwing sighed. “I think I might be in love with you.” he whispered, an edge of unexpected fear in his voice.
Bumblebee rolled his optics. “No you don’t. It doesn’t work like that.” he groaned. The words left a warm, content feeling in his spark, though. He wrapped his arms around Blitzwing in a tight hug.
The two held onto each other until the rain came to a complete stop. Mist floated above the pavement. Bee closed his optics and concentrated on the sound of Blitz’s vents cycling air through his systems. He could hear his sparkbeat, back to normal rhythm, in his audio receptors.
The Decepticon was the one to break the hug. They both stared at each other, completely unsure of what to say or do.
“Now what?” Bee blurted out.
Blitzwing stared at him in thought. “We could...kiss again?” he suggested, optic shining hopefully.
“Ew, gross.” Bumblebee teased, putting his servos on the sides of Blitzwing’s faceplate and pulling them closer again. The Decepticon leaned into the contact, jet engines rumbling with happiness.
“You know we can do this more later, right?” Bee muttered, putting their forehelms together. He stroked his thumb against the other bot’s cheek. Blitzwing eyed him and grinned.
“True, but why wait?” He purred back, closing the distance between them again as the sun started to come up.