Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Click clack click click clack.

”Bumblebee?”

Click click click clack click.

”Bumblebee?”

Click clack clack clack click.

”Bumblebee?”

Clack click clack clack click.

”BUMBLEBEE?”

Bumblebee snapped out of it, raising his helm with a gasp, tumbling over at the opportune time and at the same time knocking over his mug of now cold manganese coffee. He looked around frantically for a moment, shuddering his optics as he finally came to note of the fact that Optimus was standing across his table, arms crossed over his chassis and a disappointed look on his face plates that typically meant Bumblebee had done something terribly wrong.

Bumblebee also took note of the fact that he could feel Cliffjumper rummaging around his apartment like any supportive older twin would in a normal situation.

Optimus sighed, a sound that made Bumblebee almost physically recoil as he scrambled to stand up and make himself look semi presentable, which was hard considering he had a few scratches in his paint and had a small area where he had scratched and worn down the paint until it was nothing but smooth grey plating.

”You have been working yourself much too harshly.” Optimus told him simply, and Bumblebee blinked at him with a bit do surprise. He was always the one that said they should strive to be great, to go above and beyond and do everything they must. And this was what Bumblebee had to do to pay the rent since had had insisted on doing it himself, making his own name for the world instead of just being the newest Prime’s sparkling.

”I—“ Optimus raised a servo before Bumblebee could even speak, effectively shutting him down as Cliffjumper entered with a giant stack of data-pads in his arms that Bumblebee easily recognized as his work terms and services. A hefty piece of slag that took him three days to read without any breaks in between…

Working at Decepticon co. was not the entry level job that Bumblebee had been expecting when he applied, and they did not pay well at all.

Cliffjumper huffed as he sat the data-pads on the table, patting them with his servo as he gave Bumblebee a grin that could only be described as slag-eating as he took a few steps back to let Optimus examine the data-pad.

It took a few moments of his optics roaming before Optimus closed them and in-vented.

”I’ve called in sick for you today,” Bumblebee would’ve argued if it didn’t look like Optimus had more to say, “I’m giving you a decision.” Bumblebee straightened up a bit, biting on his glossa as he watched Optimus produce a data-pad, look it over for a few nano-kliks with fondness before handing the data-pad across the table to Bumblebee.

Bumblebee took it gingerly into his servos, treating it as though it were the most valuable piece of Cybertronian history. He began scrolling quickly through the text, taking in as much information as needed and everything that would be important.

It then took a few moments for it to sink in.

”You signed over the farm to me?!” Bumblebee exclaimed, setting the data-pad down so that he didn’t accidentally crush it in his surprise.

Optimus nodded, a warm and soft smile as he picked up the data-pad, “You’ve been far too stressed and tired lately. Even if you go for only a week, it’d do wonders for you I’m sure.” Optimus insisted. Bumblebee in-vented as he waved his servos.

”Look, I’m fine—“ Bumblebee didn’t notice as Cliffjumper picked up a cube from his desk, throwing it up into the air for a second before aiming it directly at Bumblebee, “—I don’t need to go all the way to Agria.” Bumblebee tried to finish simply.

Then a cube hit him directly in the helm, sending him to the ground as Cliffjumper snorted in the background.

Just minor damage, hardly even a scratch in his paint job where the cube had hit him. He pushed himself back up to his pedes.

On a good day, he may have managed to catch that cube and throw it right back at Cliffjumper with equal, if not more, force.

”I will not force you, but consider the offer.” Optimus told him as he turned around to leave, Cliffjumper not far behind as he ducked out of the door to Bumblebee’s somewhat dingy apartment. Bumblebee watched, then looked down at the data-pad that sat right next to the pile that Cliffjumper had scrounged up of his.

He picked it up, scrolling through it all over again as he considered his options.

Maybe he could put in his deca-cycle and be done with it all. But he’d also be giving up a whole lot that he had spent entire meta-cycles working towards. Could he just throw that all away and then go play farmer on a pretty much desolate colony planet?

Bumblebee was waiting at the space bridge to Agria.

The spacebridge had apparently not been used in a few orbital cycles. So the technicians had to restart it all over again, which was a tedious looking process. So Bumblebee sat and read over the handover that Optimus had signed to give him the rights to the farm.

Bumblebee hadn’t even been a vorn old when they had left the house and when Optimus had become the next Prime. Bumblebee could remember some things, like the smell of baking energon goodies, Arcee and Hot Rod playing with fire fruits and trying to get him and Cliff to eat them, the fact that even after getting his own bed, he’d crawl into Optimus’s.

He also remembered one or two things about the town that was near the town, Ferrum Valley if he was correct. The only settlement on all of Agria.

They were mostly blurry, so he could hardly make out what they could possibly be, so he just left them be so that he’d be able to make new memories with the town, even if they weren’t exactly the best of memories.

Bumblebee read through it three more times before the space bridge was good, and after given the go ahead, he walked to the other side.

The first thing that hit him was how much clearer the air felt. It was like his vents were given a cleansing after the many vorns he had spent in Iacon and on Cybertron in general. It felt amazing.

The second thing he noticed was what sounded like organic creatures, as well as the sound of creatures that he knew were Cybertronian in origin.

And the third thing he noticed, was when his vision came back to him and he noticed that he was standing in a well decorated cavern. It was neatly carved with intricate drawings and images traced into the stone and lined with glowing gemstones that Bumblebee didn’t quite know the origin of.

There were also a few pots with dirt in them which may have once had plants that bloomed and blossomed in them, making the wonderful feeling of the cave even more majestic than it already was.

Bumblebee cleared his optics, letting the light from the entrance of the cavern adjust so that he could make out the silhouette of a few Cybertronians standing just in the mouth of the cave.

One was a massive femme, her plating pink and yellow as she stood with an aura of confidence. Bumblebee easily recognized boat engines on either of her shoulders and quickly came to the conclusion that she was a water type frame.

The next two were bickering a bit. One had green plating and wore a mask and visor. The other had yellow plating. Bumblebee couldn’t quite discern their alt-modes, though the yellow one was certainly a construction type alt-mode.

The final bot stood, a femme that was also quite tall, though not quite as tall as the first one. An obvious flier frame, and what stood out to Bumblebee instantly was the cityspeaker markings that she had painted on her face plates, all fine lines and curved shapes that seemed natural on her face plates.

Bumblebee blinked for a minute before resetting his voice box.

”Hi?” He called, his voice echoing a bit in the cavern. The femme turned to look at him, a smile already on her face plates. The two mechs stopped bickering instantly.

”Bumblebee, right?” Bumblebee nodded slowly as he readjusted the bag he had taken with him into a mor comfortable position on his shoulders, then he found his voice to respond, “Yep.”

“I’m Elita One,” the femme introduced, “I’m the mayor of Ferrum Valley, it’s a pleasure to have you here.” She welcomed, and Bumblebee nodded as he looked between the three others.

”These two beside me are Hoist and Grapple.” Elita introduced, waving a hand towards the two of them. Bumblebee glanced at them before his attention turned towards the cityspeaker again.

”And I’m Windblade.” Windblade smiled, and Bumblebee had some form of epiphany in that moment.

”Your Strongarm’s partner!” He exclaimed, and Windblade blinked in surprise before a bright smile crossed her face plates and she chuckled, “You know her?” She asked.

Bumblebee nodded quickly, “She arrested me one time and we kinda became friends after that.” Windblade snorted a bit as she laughed. Elita chuckled as well as Hoist and Grapple stood off to the side a bit awkwardly.

Windblade cleared her voice box, straightening up again, letting a few more chuckles out before she regained her composure. Elita nodded at Windblade as she clapped her servos together.

”Me and Grapple have been trying to fix up the old farmhouse since we heard you’d be coming.” Elita explained to him, and Grapple nodded.

”And I’d say we’ve done a mighty fine job, if you asked me.” Grapple said, and Bumblebee couldn’t hardly deny that look of pride and joy on his face plates, and also quickly noticed that fact that Grapple had a fine layer of stone dust on his servos. Hoist patted Grapple’s shoulder.

“Not completely finished yet.” Hoist seemed to remind him, making Grapple nod, “Unfortunately, we had to tear down most of the farm buildings because of a pest infestation.” Grapple seemed mournful of that fact alone. Bumblebee mused that he may have made the buildings many years prior when Optimus had owned the farm.

”If you have anything that you want to build on your farm, Hoist and Grapple don’t live too far away.” Elita informed him. Grapple nodded with some enthusiasm, “Yes yes. It’s a bit of a walk but I’m always willing to help make those works of art on your farm.”

Elita cleared her throat, then turned to Windblade, “Windblade has documented the areas outside of town, so if you wish to know more, you can go to her.” Windblade bowed with a small smirk.

”Yesterday I managed to scrounge up some of these.” Windblade pulled something from her subspace, a finely made ouch that jostled with the sound of seeds as she handed it over to Bumblebee, “Might be useful for if you want to restart the farm.” Bumblebee brought the seeds up to his audial and shook them, then looked over the pouch.

Red silk with yellow stitching, as well as an image of a plant that Bumblebee had never seen in his life.

”Tinberry. They’re quite common and easy to grow, plus they don’t take that long.“ Windblade informed him, pointing to the brightly coloured purple berry that was stitched into the side.

”Thanks, I appreciate it.” Bumblebee pocketed the seeds into his subspace for later use.

Elita looked around, “Alright, then let’s get moving. Your home is a walk and a half away from here, through the town.” Elita informed him as she began walking out of the cave. Windblade, Hoist, and Grapple followed quickly, and Bumblebee took a few seconds looking around the cave for a final time before he followed.

And as much as he knew that he had landed on a colony planet, one much different than Cybertron, he was still amazed with what he saw when he walked outside.

Organic trees that stretched high in the distance, but also metallic trees that had crystalline leaves that made a fine clinking noise that satisfied his audial receptors as a pleasant breeze passed by them. Bumblebee had to hurry to catch up with the small group.

Everything was so peaceful and pleasant about the walk. The way the old stone pathway beneath his feet clacked with every step he took, how the breeze felt so clean and fresh, how the sounds of everything just made him feel good and like he had just crawled out of a prison.

Which was how some undoubtedly saw his life, but he digresses.

Windblade came to a smaller path going off the main path, waving a goodbye to the other three as they passed, “Good luck on the farm. I live just up here if you ever want to visit.” Windblade waved goodbye as she began walking up the path, easily disappearing into the foliage.

Bumblebee watched, almost mesmerized for a second before he realized he had fallen behind and rushed to catch up.

It took a few more kliks of walking before the trees and brush gave way into a clearing. Bumblebee looked around. The clearing was decorated a small bit, several lampposts that were intricately carved and placed around the square. The square itself was made of what seemed to be a fine limestone that was littering with carvings that Bumblebee had to get really close to see.

”This is the market square. A travelling market comes around every blooming season to sell their goods, so we thought we’d make it a small bit more pleasant.” Elita sighed as she rubbed her helm, “They haven’t shown up in a few seasons though.“ She muttered before she shook her head and continued on.

Grapple was looking around the square, careful not to step directly on any of the carvings, and Hoist followed behind with that same pattern. Bumblebee almost felt guilty as he just traversed it to follow Elita.

Right after the square was a dirt path. It was easy to get down, and was it worth it in the end.

The dirt path ended and came to an opening. Beside the opening was a somewhat worn structure that was made of wood and metal alike. Bumblebee observed it for a few moments, taking in a few weathering holes and plants growing all over the building that 2as painted a fine royal blue with the shingles of the roof being a warm brown colour.

”This is the community centre. It may look old, but it’s safe.” Elita assured him, and Bumblebee watched as three bots walked out of the centre. One had bright yellow plating, one had bright red, and the final had red and white playing that was a bit more muted.

Elita motioned for Bumblebee to stay still as she walked over to the three. As Bumblebee stood, Grapple and Hoist caught up with him.

”The terror twins and Red Alert.” Hoist said, pointing at the three as Elita talked to them. The red and white one was giving him sideways glances constantly, a wary and almost suspicious expression that made Bumblebee almost unnerved.

Hoist patted his shoulder, “Red Alert isn’t bad, it’s his brothers you have to look out for.” Hoist pointed at the other two. The red one had finally turned his attention to Bumblebee, a raised optic ridge. The yellow one just seemed plain annoyed by the disruption.

The yellow one finally rolled his optics as he walked off, leaving the other two. The red one shook his helm as he began walking towards Bumblebee, while the last of the three remained standing with Elita, not talking but watching the interaction like a turbo-hawk.

“You’re the new guy?” The red one asked, crossing his arms over his chassis. Bumblebee nodded, a bit nervously as he craned his helm up to look at the obvious speedster.

”Sideswipe. Nice to have someone new in town.” Sideswipe looked back at Elita, and Elita gave him a thumbs up as he straightened, “And that over there is my brother, Red Alert.” Sideswipe introduced for his brother.

Bumblebee could see as Red Alert seemed to visibly relax a small bit, but still seemed closed off and nervous about something.

”The one that walked off was Sunstreaker, don’t take anything from him personally.” Sideswipe looked annoyed, maybe even pissed off as he turned to look away from Bumblebee and towards where Sunstreaker had walked off.

Sideswipe didn’t offer a goodbye as he walked away, leaving Bumblebee at a bit of an unknown for what to do as he watched Sideswipe walk beside Red Alert and then the two walked away.

Elita shook her helm as she turned on her pede and returned to the small group, “At least they were better than last time.” She murmured, then cleared her voice box as she continue walking.

Going down a small thing of stairs led onto a terrace with a few buildings. About three terraces in total, and at the bottom, there was a river, then a small stretch of forest before a large body of liquid that was glaring the sun directly back at them.

”Just right there is the local doctors clinic.” Hoist pointed out a somewhat small building with white bricks making up its walls, and a board posted just on the front that Bumblebee couldn’t read.

“Ratchet and First Aid are probably in there now,” A figure moved along the window of the building, then disappeared, “The one beside it is the rescue headquarters, as everyone calls it.” Hoist make a coughing noise into his servo.

”That’s where you can find the protectobots and Inferno.” Hoist explained as the door to the clinic opened, a red and white bot with a bright blue visor peering out.

”Is that him?” The bot called, and Bumblebee could hear the sound of someone shouting from inside. The bot didn’t wait for an answer before he trotted over, holding a servo out for Bumblebee to shake. Bumblebee took it with a small smile as the bot shook it enthusiastically.

”I’m First Aid. Nurse.” First Aid seemed giddy, taking a few extra moments before he let go of Bumblebee’s hand and then turned to Hoist, “Also, there’s been a Dinobot and Wheeljack adjacent incident.” Hoist stared First Aid dead in the optics, then inhaled deeply and shook his head.

Hoist began walking towards the clinic with First Aid, “Well, this is my departure, good luck.” He waved goodbye to the group that remained, that being Bumblebee, Elita, and Grapple.

Bumblebee turned to the other two for some kind of explanation for what ‘Dinobot and Wheeljack adjacent incident’ was and why it seemed like something that happened to often.

Grapple shrugged and Elita whistled a bit as she took a few steps along the terrace, walking along the fence that separated it from the lengthy tumble below, “The other two buildings are the homes of Wheeljack and Ratchet, and the Dinobots.” Notably, one of the houses had smoke coming out of it, of which three bots stood outside, pouring water on the situation.

Bumblebee watched with somewhat astonishment.

First day in the town and he was getting the full experience.

“Let’s…ignore that.” Elita coughed as she pushed Bumblebee towards the next set of stairs as Grapple seemed to mourn a perfectly good house behind them.

The next set of stairs was a bit longer and steeper, and a small bridge that Bumblebee couldn’t see previously was at the bottom, going over a river. He stopped, looking down at a few glinting fish that passed underneath, staying in his shadow for a few moments more before continuing on down the river.

The next terrace below was large than the one above it, with what seemed like a town square in the centre. The largest building was two stories, but seemed rather homely rather than the industrial buildings Bumblebee had found himself used to.

”This is Chromia and Ironhide’s. A few Stellar cycles back they opened it up.” Elita walked towards the general store, opening the door and ducking to step inside. Bumblebee closely followed behind her, looking around. Several of the shelves were just that height where they were too tall for him to reach the product on the last few shelves, instantly making him frown.

At the counter was a larger red mech, seeming bored out of his processor before his eyes scanned over whoever had entered the establishment before his optics widened and he made a move to almost vault over the counter, but Elita gave him a straightforward stare, making him moved around the counter to approach instead.

”Yer Optimus’s right? Bumblebee?” Bumblebee nodded, and the mech chuckled as he patted Bumblebee’s helm, “Yer a lot bigger than ya were when I last saw ya.” He commented.

Bumblebee blinked in surprise, making the older mech chuckle, “Ironhide,” He -Ironhide introduced, “I grew up with yer sire.” Ironhide explained, standing up straight before cringing as he rubbed his back struts.

”How ‘bout we get you a seat. All the doctors in town are currently too busy to help.” Elita guided Ironhide back to the counter as the mech grumbled and mumbled about his situation.

”Ironhide thinks he can still do a lot of things.” Grapple told Bumblebee, making Bumblebee turn and look at him, “Him and Chromia used to be great fighters, but they’ve been getting older.” Grapple explained, and Bumblebee nodded wryly as he watched Ironhide rest himself against the counter with a visible ex-vent.

Elita patted his back before she came back over, “There’s still a lot, let’s keep going.” Elita urged them out the door. It didn’t take a lot from Grapple, but Bumblebee quickly waved a goodbye before he was pushed out the door.

The breeze picked up a bit as they walked outside.

”Seems like a storms rolling in.“ Grapple commented as he brought a servo to shade his eyes as he watched a few rolling clouds just over the horizon of the ocean. Bumblebee blinked, processing that before he began looking around at the wooden and stone structures that would no doubt not hold up during a storm.

”Ah, right. Acid rain doesn’t happen on Agria. It’s very similar to Eukaris in that sense.” Grapple clarified, making Bumblebee relax as the thought of all the houses melting upon everyone was quickly stamped out.

Elita nodded, “Then we best finish this tour and get you home.” Elita walked past the general store, “These are all homes of residents. Here we have Mirage,” a finely crafted home made of white stone and painted with a few blue accents, “Trailbreaker,” the house was a bit of a mess, a somewhat overgrown garden in the front that was growing up onto the wooden home made of a dark wood of some kind, “This is where Sideswipe and his brothers live.” The bigger of the four houses, though still not the side of building Bumblebee was used to. The garden in the front was almost bare, with a few weeds growing in it, the base was made of stone and then built up to a blue painted wood. There was a ladder on one side of the house leading up to the roof.

”And that’s where me and Hoist live, the one right next to the path.” Grapple pointed out. The house was made of stone and wood, all finely crafted and made, obviously well taken care off and a comfortable size for the two.

Bumblebee nodded as he remembered each name for the house, then turned to the one unnamed building as Elita walked towards the massive doors. She pushed them open, not having to duck as she entered the doors.

“Elita! Good to see you, brought the new guy along I assume.” A minibot stood at the counter, passing a glass of what seemed like filtered energon to a bot that looked mostly passed out.

”Yes, I-“

”That’s great, I would’ve though you would keep the bar for last and all, but I can make up a drink for him if the time so declares, besides—“ Bumblebee had wondered initially why Grapple hadn’t entered, and in fact was standing outside the doors and not even hanging in the doorframe, but he was starting to understand that the bartender was most likely a bit chatty.

Elita cleared her throat, making Bumblebee come back to attention.

”This is Swerve and…Trailbreaker.” Elita brought a servo to her face as the drunken bot mumbled something. That’s when Grapple entered, hoisting him up and over his shoulders, “I’ll bring him back home.” Grapple said as he began to drag Trailbreaker out of the bar and towards the slightly worn house.

Swerve waited a bit before he began talking a bit, “Want a drink?” He asked, and Bumblebee looked at the small menu that was tapped to the counter. He wasn’t quite in the mood to drink, even if a few of the options seemed rather tasty, as did a few of the food options on the menu.

”No thanks.” Bumblebee answered, waving a servo to make his point even more clear. Swerve nodded as he picked up the glass that was left behind and began cleaning it.

”Feel free to visit whenever. Mirage is the one working in the day though, that’s when I’m running the old smithy just off this level.” Swerve explained, mindlessly cleaning the glass and putting it back as he did.

”Will do.” Bumblebee saluted Swerve as he left, Elita following close behind and closing the doors.

Elita made sure the doors were closed tight, “If you ever want conversation,” She began walking towards the next set of stairs, “Swerve is the one you want to talk with.”

The next set of stairs was a lot longer, not as steep, but more of a path than anything.

At the bottom was the terrace, then a small set of stairs leading to a bridge crossing a river, then to a path leading out to the ocean. There were two singular dwellings. One was larger than most of the buildings, made of metal rather than stone and wood like all the other buildings, and much newer looking than the other ones. The other was small, made of wood and with a small area outside that looked like a terrarium.

“Hound lives in the cottage. The other house is where Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker live.” Elita ex-vented as she turned on her pede quickly, rubbing the sides of her helm before she travelled on towards the bridge. Bumblebee was moving to too when the clacking on metal on rock caught his attention and he turned.

”So, the new Mech comes to town.” A brilliant red and blue seeker stood a few feet behind him, arms crossed over his cockpit as he raised an optical ridge, a small scowl on his face plates.

”Uh..yeah? I’m Bumblebee.” The seeker shrugged, “ Don’t care.” He walked away, and two other seekers came down the stairs from above. The purple one followed, seeming to be chatting the first seekers audial off. The blue seeker gave Bumblebee a sideways glance before walking past, walking past the house and Hound’s cottage and straight into the woods.

Bumblebee somewhat questioned why he wasn’t just flying around, but found it better not to ask directly.

Bumblebee shook his helm as he ran to catch up with Elita, who waited just on the path across the bridge, staring at where the seekers had gone.

Elita didn’t say anything as she walked towards the ocean, not even glancing back at where they had come from. Bumblebee did the same, crossing the bridge and then walking along the…fine dirt that replaced the dirt he had grown used to walking on already.

The walk was short, and it brought them out to the edge of the ocean. There was a bridge leading to a house, one that seemed to fit Elita’s size.

”This is where I live.” Elita pointed out, looking out at the clouds rolling in over the horizon.

”I can give you a map of the town and its outskirts that Windblade made so you can get used to the town and those that live outside of it.” Elita offered as she turned again.

”Now, as much as the rains not acid, the dust that can come of it is a pain in the aft.”

The walk to the house was a bit tedious, going uphill on uneven ground that was filled with roots, rocks, and everything that could be a tripping hazard. It was made a bit easier by the very old railing that was beside the path, but not much easier because it broke three times as Bumblebee tried to grip it.

But he made it up there, and looking out at the farm seemed to be worth it.

Though most of the land was overgrown with just about everything, the area around the house and a shed that was beside it was cleared and looked to have been cleaned recently. Bumblebee could see a few old foundations on the lot, where the other farm buildings must’ve been.

”Me and Grapple cleaned it up as much as we could.” Elita told him, looking out at the farmland with her servos on her hips. Bumblebee nodded.

”It looks amazing. Thank you.” He thanked, making the mayor smile.

”There are tools in the shed, and a functioning recharge slab in the house.” Elita told him as she wiped her hands, “The kitchen isn’t quite working, but you can use the fireplace if you need to.” Elita explained to him, and he nodded along as he imagined himself, Cliffjumper, Arcee, and Hot Rod playing around with flaming fruit as some bot desperately tried to stop them.

Elita patted his shoulder, jolting him back to existence, “I’ll give you some time to settle in.” Elita gave his shoulder one last pat before she turned and began back down the pathway. Bumblebee watched, then turned back to the land when Elita had disappeared.

He began moving down, swearing at himself before he made it to the farm level.

”Okay, first investment. A frame upgrade.” He muttered, looking over his sleek body meant for fast travel in the cities of Cybertron, which was no pretty redundant thanks to the change in environment.

He moved towards the house. It was longer rather than taller, with a few windows and a sliding door. Bumblebee stepped onto the deck, looking up at the cover before he opened the door and took a step in.

It was almost the same as he remembered it. A fire place in the corner of the main room, and a kitchen that seemed worse for wear. One of the three doors was opened, the other two being blocked off. Bumblebee moved towards that door, opening it up and peering inside. A berth much too large for him sat in one corner, as well as a desk, a chair, and a shelf.

Just like home.

Bumblebee walked over to the desk, unloading all the stuff he had packed. 
A thing of wax and a rag, a long-distance communicator, a few data-pads he had picked up before he had come, a few cubes of energon, and a few pictures.

As he set out the pictures, a few raindrops began pouring down onto the house, and Bumblebee looked up to the comforting sound. Back on Cybertron, the rain meant that there would be collateral damage the next day, and that no one would be able to go outside during that time unless they wanted to end up in a clinic with a few injuries.

But here, if he were to believe what Elita and Grapple had told him about the rain.

He set up the photographs. One of was him when he had graduated, one of him and Cliffjumper as Sparklings, the day he and Cliffjumper had swapped paint jobs and managed to fake being each other for a few days before Bumblebee had slipped up, one of Hot Rod and him holding a flaming fruit as a fire raged on in the background, and then one of the entire family, caught in motion when Optimus had become Prime.

Bumblebee looked at each fondly before he gave them a place, stepping back and jumping onto the berth as he looked at them.

He swung his pedes, caught in the monotonous sound of the rain as it fell, making his optics droop.

Before long, he was laying down and falling into recharge.

Chapter Text

When Bumblebee woke up, it was still raining. The pitter patter on the roof almost sent him straight back to sleep before he slapped himself away and ran a seven down his face in an attempt to wake himself up.

He grabbed a cube and drank it over the course of about a cycle as he organized the house a bit more. The other two doors were still blocked off, and he didn’t bother trying to open the doors in case the ceiling decided to collapse in on itself. The kitchen was a bit grimy, and all the appliances were broken, but Bumblebee could live without it for a bit, especially since he knew where he could get some cubes of he needed them.

Either way, he wiped down the kitchen for a good chunk of the morning.

Then, he moved to the fireplace, considering he didn’t have a table or chairs. The fireplace looked brand new, the stone still somewhat covered in fresh stone dust that rubbed off onto his digits. The fireplace was cleaned of any ash, and there were a few logs beside it that could be lit on a cold day.

Bumblebee wiped his hands off, then looked around as he considered his next move. He didn’t have any insulation meant to keep water out of his seams, so he’d quickly rust unless he found a solution or a better fitted alt-mode for himself.

If he was going to go the route he was thinking, he’d need a more off-road alt-mode. Bumblebee pulled the tinberry pouch that Windblade had given him the day before, jostling the seeds and looking out at the weather.

He…admittedly didn’t know a lot about farming, but tinberries would be easy.

So he opened up the door, shivering as he stepped out into the rain, and let the water wash over him for a solid few seconds before he closed the door and walked out into the mud. He lifted a pede as the mud stained his bright yellow plating, groaning a bit before he turned ti look at the shed that sat right beside his humble abode.

Elita had said the day prior that there were tools in the shed, ones that he’d most likely need to farm anything. Bumblebee sub-spaced the seeds as he walked over to the shed.

He gripped onto the handles, feeling slightly rough metal beneath his servos as he heaved.

Nothing.

He tried again, just digging his feet into the mud as he tried pulling the door open in several ways, splattering himself with more and more mud as he just tried to get the damn thing open!

He stopped at one point, checking to see if there was any deadbolt or lock that was on top or at the bottom of the door, feeling as the mud began to seep into his seams and into his joints and underneath his playing making him feel almost like he was crawling as he tried to shake it out.

Paired with the rain was running down his plating just making it all feel terrible as he began prying at the door again. The metal had become slippery in this time, and he feel back right into the mud, sinking in it a bit and engulfing himself in mud as he blinked and wiped his optics of the foul substance.

He stared at the door, considering it, inspecting it for a few klik’s, trying to pry it open, leaning his helm against it and muttering a prayer to Primus.

Then he tried looking for a window, finding one that would just be big enough for it to fit into. He climbed up the wooden wall, taking note of the paint chips that begun clinging to his paint as he tried unlatching the window.

Only to find the window didn’t open at all.

Bumblebee then entered the house, mourning the once clean floors as he looked for any instructions. He spent a cycle going up and over the house looking for a key or a passcode or a code of any kind that could get him into the shed and make it just a small bit more worth it.

He considered the tinberry seeds in his servo as he entered the rain again.

This time he pushed, falling face first into the mud and in-venting enough mud to make him keel over and hack as he tried to get all the mud and sticks and rocks out of his intake all while he cursed that door with the life of him.

”Need help?” Bumblebee didn’t scream, nor did he shout, but the squeak that emitted from his voice box may or may not have just completely changed the trajectory of his life and weather or not he was going to walk right into the ocean without half a care in the world.

When Bumblebee lifted his head, there he saw a rather large mech, maybe not as tall as Elita was, but he made up for it in pure width alone. Green, yellow, and black plating almost allowed the mech to completely blend in with his surroundings and made Bumblebee feel really rather small compared to the mech.

”uh…” Bumblebee took a second to reset his voice box, feeling the scratchiness of a stick as he hacked it out, “…yeah.” He finished as he pulled the stick from his intake with a shudder.

”Heh.” The red visor of the mech suddenly shifted to look somewhat like optics, looking happy as he approached the door. For a single nano-klik, Bumblebee was almost scared that he would tear the door off its hinges, but instead the mech placed his large servos on the door and pushed as he slid the door to the side, then slid it the other way, opening the door up completely.

Bumblebee blinked, dumbfounded as the mech proudly put his serves on his hips, “Special doors to keep the animals out!” He exclaimed, and Bumblebee nodded as he pushed himself up to his feet, careful to take a good footing on the unstable ground as he took a step into the shed.

There, he found what he needed. A hoe.

Bumblebee picked the hoe off the wall, looking to the stranger that stood outside the door, “Thanks. I probably never would’ve figured that out.” Bumblebee thanked as he stepped back outside into the rain and began looking for a good spot to plant the seeds.

”Do you need any more help?” The mech asked, and Bumblebee thought for a moment as he looked between the tinberries and the hoe, which he was now figuring was much too big for himself as it was a hoe meant for a Cybertronian that was as big as Optimus and not as small as he was.

”Do you mind filling the ground? I’ll plant the seeds.” The mech took the hoe gingerly, digging the hoe into the ground as he began filling at the dirt with a familiarity that Bumblebee was almost jealous of. Bumblebee let the mech go a small bit before he got into his servos and knee struts and began digging small holes to put the seeds into.

They plunked into the small amount of water that gathered in the holes, and Bumblebee covered them with a small amount of mud before he moved onto the next. It took not that long, considering he didn’t have all that many seeds, but either way, it was a fruitful effort that left him caked with even more mud than before.

The larger mech had put the hoe away as Bumblebee buried the last of the seeds, closing the door behind him.

That’s when Bumblebee flushed with embarrassment, “Ah! I don’t think I asked, what’s your name? I’m Bumblebee.” Bumblebee introduced, holding out his servo for a friendly shake.

The mech’s visor made those happy little optics as his servo spring out and shook Bumblebee, full on. Bumblebee felt himself vibrating as the mech shook his servo, “Grimlock! I’m Grimlock!” Gridlocked cheered as he finally stopped shaking Bumblebee and let him regain his footing on solid ground.

”Streetwise told me to come out here for ‘community service’.” Grimlock made air quotes with his servos, “But I’m glad I came out here, it was pretty funny watching ya try with the door.” Bumblebee flushed with even more embarrassment as he realized that Grimlock had most likely just been watching him for a bit as he struggled, slipped, and failed miserably at the door.

”Ah.” Bumblebee simply said as he hung his helm.

”Hey! Don’t be upset about it!” Grimlock was loud, that was something Bumblebee could easily tell as he looked up at the taller Mech, “Anyways, I am going! Ratchet will lose it when he finds out I snuck out.” Bumblebee blanched.

Then he shook his helm as Grimlock began walking away, “How about I come as well? I’ve been wanting to get to know everyone in town.” Bumblebee hurried his pace to keep up with Grimlock. Grimlock looked down at him, that cheery look across his visor.

”Alright! Just try to keep up.” Grimlock began what could only be described as sprinting as he began down the mountain that lead up to the farm.

Bumblebee, as his racer instincts kicked in, immediately lost all sense of self-preservation as he began sprinting as well, not taking into account that he was very much not built for this as he immediately lost his footing and began slipping down the muddy and rocky side of the hill.

Bumblebee could feel every small impact, and watched as he went soaring past Grimlock, who as he passed shifted from his bot-mode to his alt-mode, catching Bumblebee in what seemed to be a maw.

Honestly, Bumblebee could care less as he groaned as let the rain begin pooling in his optics.

”Uh? Bumblebee?!” Grimlock’s voice was muffled a bit as he held Bumblebee in his mouth, but Bumblebee felt the shifting and he was held in a pair of arms rather than a whole bunch of teeth.

”How many digits am I holding up?” Bumblebee tried to focus, blinking the water out of his optics as he stared at a pair of fuzzy digits. He didn’t offer a reply, instead groaning in pain as Grimlock looked around in a panic.

”Oh, Ratchet, Wheeljack, and Elita are gonna melt me down.”

Bumblebee came to general consciousness with the realization that there wasn’t any rain pooling down on him anymore. He also couldn’t feel all that much mud beneath his plating. He sat up, rubbing his helm as he looked around.

Yup, he was sitting in a hospital bed, the white walls around him covered with a separating layer. He could hear the sounds of not so quite voices that weren’t audible with how much they were layering over each other, making his helm ache even more as he groaned.

All went silent for a second before the curtain, by all means, slammed open. There stood Grimlock, and behind him Bumblebee could see two other bots. One was First Aid, looking generally confused, and the other was a red and white bot with a white chevron, looking generally pissed.

”BUMBLEBEE I’M SO SORRY I DIDN’T—“ Grimlock was loud, echoing in Bumblebee’s helm before the white chevron bot physically pushed Grimlock away, making him shut his mouth as he took a few steps away. There’s where Bumblebee could see a few other beds filled with other bots.

The doctor (or at least Bumblebee assumed) sighed, rubbing the bridge of his olfactory sensors, “I take it you’re not quite used to the terrain?” Bumblebee slowly shook his head, making the Doctor sigh even further.

”Well, no substantial damage. Just a few dents and some scratches where Grimlock accidentally bit you.” The doctor told him, and Bumblebee nodded along as he reconsidered everything he had done to get to this moment.

Somehow, on his second day, he had ended up sitting in a doctors office with a few injuries, like that made him feel great.

”Good news, you’re free to go.” The doctor said casually, all while still looking grim.

”Bad news?” Bumblebee questioned as he moved to stand up off the bed.

”Bad news is that I had to book an appointment to get you a more suitable alt-mode for your occupation.” Bumblebee raised an optical ridge, standing up and stretching as he listened to his joints pop.

”And that’s bad why?” Bumblebee asked, making the doctor shudder.

”Sunstreaker is the one that does that.” The doctor said, like Bumblebee would know the weight behind it.

The doctor cleared his intake, “Either way, introductions are in order. You already know Grimlock and First Aid.” Each waved as their names were said.

”And I’m Ratchet.” The doctor looked to the four other beds that were pushed tightly together, “And these are; Swoop, Slag, Snarl, and Sludge.” Bumblebee watched as each poked their head up out of their beds. Bumblebee easily saw a few broken pieces and spot marks that covered their plating.

Each had very similar plating to Grimlock, the on exception being one colour. Swoop was blue, Slag was red, Snarl was yellow, and Sludge was orange. And due to what seemed like somewhat similar beastmodes, it almost seemed obvious that they were related in some kind of way.

”Either way, you can wait here until Sunstreaker shows up, or you can go and meet him yourself.” Ratchet offered, and Bumblebee shrugged.

”I’ll go meet him.” Bumblebee stretched out his arms one last time as he looked around.

”You know where to find them?” Bumblebee nodded as he moved towards the door, “Second terrace, the larger house.” Ratchet nodded as Bumblebee opened the door and took a step outside. The clouds were still grey, but the rain seemed to has ceased a small time before. A few puddles lay strewn about, and Bumblebee was careful to avoid them as he walked.

Making his way to the stairs was a careful task, but he made it down the stairs and took that extra moment to peer over the edge of the railing and into the river beneath. He could see some form of amphibious creature, one with two front legs and a tail, staring up at him with large and beady eyes.

It was a rather large creature, one he could fit in both of his hands, but cute nonetheless.

Bumblebee continued on. He walked past the general store and the few houses, still careful to avoid the puddles that gathered in the stone as he moved. He still had some mud, even if it had been mostly cleaned off. He could still feel it moving in his joints and seemed with every movement that he took.

Bumblebee came to the house quickly. Up close, he could see a few security cameras on the outside of the house, and he looked at a few of them, tilting his helm from side to side as he began his approach to the door.

He didn’t even need to knock before the door swung open, and Bumblebee was face to face with the yellow mech from the day before.

Sunstreaker looked him up and down, raised an optic ridge and made a face so that it was clear that he was judging Bumblebee. Bumblebee stared, knowing he looking kinda like he had just been thrown through the grinder and had come out the other side.

”You look horrendous, it’s a shame such a pretty shade and optic colour got lost on you.” Bumblebee scrunched up his face and was about to make a rebuttal when Sunstreaker spoke up again, “It’s even more of a shame that you have to get rid of an alt-mode like that, but then again they are rather tacky.”

Okay, this mech was just pointing out everything about his alt-mode, and Bumblebee hadn’t had half a clue on how to respond as Sunstreaker dragged him inside.

The house was pleasant on the inside, just warm enough to be comfortable. Bumblebee was dragged through the house, looking around and taking it all in. On one side, he saw a dining room table where Red Alert sat, a tablet before him with a remote right beside it. He didn’t get enough a glance to tell what was going on before he was dragged into a side room and thrown onto a cushion.

Sunstreaker was already browsing some form of catalogue, “Racer frames here on Agria are half a death wish.” Which Bumblebee found ironic to say considering Sunstreaker most obviously had a racer frame.

But looking closer, Bumblebee could see that the bottom of his pedes were spiked for better grip, his tires had traction in mind, and Bumblebee could see the shine of some sort of sealer. Sunstreaker had fortified his alt-mode for Agria.

”A farmer. Really it’s obvious you need…something less…flashy.” Sunstreaker had an expression Bumblebee couldn’t quite read. Sunstreaker pulled a datapad from the shelf and then grabbed three more before handing them to Bumblebee.

”Feel free to browse, I gave things to prepare.” Sunstreaker walked off, leaving Bumblebee to look at the datapds that had suddenly just been shoved into his servos.

The first one was slightly bigger than his current alt-mode, a bit bulkier as well with good grip and high power. But Bumblebee thought ahead, finding the lack of someplace to store items outside of his subspace to be a bit of a hinderance, and so he picked up the next three datapads and skimmed through them.

He eliminated one other option before turning to the other two.

Both were smaller than his current alt-mode, but not by much. Most of their mass was made up of a back that had someplace to carry loads that he’d possibly have in the future.

One had better traction and power, the other was better for off-road and had a bigger back. It was obvious to Bumblebee, and he took up the one with odd-road.

It had a rounded front, two wheels in the front and two in the back, simple. The front of the vehicle made up most of its mass, while the back was mostly taken up by the metal that made up the back of the vehicle.

The door opened up, and Sunstreaker stepped back in with a few items in servo. Some pede attachments that looked much like the bright yellow racer, two buckets of what looked like paint and then some kind of sealer, and a few spray brushes, wax, and a buffer.

Sunstreaker set them all on the desk across from the cushion in an order Bumblebee didn’t quite recognize, but that seemed to satisfy Sunstreaker.

”No way am I letting such a shade go to waste.” Sunstreaker snatched the data-pad out of Bumblebee’s hand, inspecting it.

”You sure? This?” Bumblebee nodded slowly as Sunstreaker sighed, “Can’t win them all.” He muttered as he pulled Bumblebee up swiftly and kicked the cushion into the wall.

”Scan it.” Bumblebee nodded, quickly scanning the data-pad and then handing the empty information packet back to Sunstreaker as the mech placed it back on the shelf in a different place before turning to Bumblebee.

”Well? Go on then, there’s enough room in here.” Bumblebee blinked as he tried to catch up with himself as Sunstreaker seemed to grow a bit irritated, “Transform.”

Bumblebee made a ‘o’ with his mouth as he felt his plating shift and change, all while he shrunk down and accommodated for his alt-mode. It felt…strange, considering he was more bulky than he had been previously. So he just was getting used to the feeling before he transformed again.

Small baskets that would’ve made up his trailer came to his hips, and while he had previously almost been as tall as Sunstreaker, he now reached the racers chassis. But his shorter stature made him a bit bulkier, wider.

”So?” Bumblebee picked at the seatbelts that ran across his windshield, pulling them out before they snapped back, “Feels amazing!” Bumblebee cheered as he pumped his fist.

All that before he was pushed up straight, “Wonderful,” Sunstreaker held a spray brush up to his face plates, “Now hold still.”

Needless to say, he was there for the better part of four cycles, because apparently Sunstreaker found it necessary to not ‘send out damaged goods’, which was a strange way to refer to it at best.

A few times, the door would freak open and Bumblebee would watch an optic come into motion for a second before the door closed again, and that hall ended regularly.

Sunstreaker had just finished with whatever wax he was using when the door slammed open, Sideswipe standing there and looking between the two.

”Really?” Sideswipe questioned, and Sunstreaker didn’t stop, “Can’t rush art.” Sunstreaker scowled as he grabbed for something.

”Bumblebee looks great, but I think it’s time we let him run free. Try out the tires.” Sideswioe suggested, and Sunstreaker’s scowl deepened as he pushed himself up, collecting his stuff and leaving the room without another word said to his twin.

Sideswioe watched him, then looked to Bumblebee as he coughed into his servo, “You can leave.” Bumblebee nodded as he shot up and hurried away. He felt ready to just get going.

”Out in the forest. There’s an old track if you want something stable to try it on.” Sideswipe suggested, and Bumblebee gave him a friendly wave as he quickly left. Bumblebee was still as antsy as a racer to get going, and now with new lines of code running through his processor, he couldn’t help but want to try it out.

Bumblebee was quick ti moved, watching as a few of the townsfolk flitted around. He got a few names as he moved. Hot Spot, Inferno, Groove, and he crossed paths with Hoist again, coming out of the forest. Bumblebee ran right past him, offering him a quick greeting before he was gone again.

Bumblebee rushed through the forest. He transformed quickly, feeling how he was nit quite as swift, but he could easily move a Ross the rough terrain as he swished and swerved through the trees. His slightly smaller form also made it easier to avoid the tree branches as he moved.

He could laugh, and least he was certain he’d be able to throw his helm back and laugh. He wasn’t sure why he was so happy about this, but it was almost like a new part of himself was unlocked as he raced along the trees.

Then he stopped. He transformed, and he kneeled down.

An organic plant of some kind. He leaned in close to it, almost falling back when a image appeared in his optics with some information.

A fungi called a glowshroom. Toxic after the Bloom, but used in many traditional dishes of Agria and Eukaris.

How his processor knew this he didn’t know, he gingerly picked the mushroom and set it into one of the two baskets that hung at his hips, watching it settle as he continued on pede.

He stopped a few more times, picking up more glowshrooms and other native fauna like nuts and berries that he could scan were non-toxic to both organics and edible to Cybertronians. He didn’t know where this ability had come from, but he could possibly chalk it up to a feature that came with the alt-mode.

There were various kinds like it, like how when Strongarm upgraded her alt-mode, she suddenly got an upgrade that could scan the information of any bot she saw, or how Arcee’s upgrade allowed her access to nearby security cameras.

Perhaps it was something similar to that, something that came with the alt-mode.

Either way, Bumblebee was kneeling down, pulling a root from the ground to add to his collection when he heard whirring above him and looked up.

Above him, almost blinding him from where the sun had begun to peer through the clouds, he could see orange and white.

He had a few seconds of time, rushing for cover as the helicopter crash landed right in front of him. Bumblebee watched the mech transform, fighting with a massive avian that had attached itself to his face and was relentlessly pecking at him as he swatted and tried to get it off.

Bumblebee rushed forward without hesitation as he grabbed the avian and pulled, watching as the bird tore free from the bot, attempting to turn its hostilities on Bumblebee as Bumblebee held it an arms length away.

The bot rubbed his helm, running a servo down a cracked visor that covered his optics.

”Eh…sorry about that.”

Chapter Text

The bot that had fallen from the sky was quick to scramble up and off of Bumblebee, taking a few steps back as he looked around and up.

"Say, have you seen a blue seeker around?" The bot asked, scratching at the plating of his arm a small bit. Bumblebee shook his head slightly, "Yesterday, but not today at all." Bumblebee informed him, making the bot hum as he brought a servo to his chin and looked around.

Th bot wandered around the clearing a bit, then turned to look at Bumblebee, "Where did you see him?" He asked.

"Uh...beach level...near....Hound's cottage?" Bumblebee wracked his processor just to come up with that answer. The bot blinked for a second then nodded, "We're quite a bit away from that." The bot brought up a servo to scratch the back of his helm as he looked around.

Bumblebee did a double take, "But that's where I entered the forest!" Bumblebee exclaimed. surely he hadn't gone so far off course as to end up in a completely different part of the forest or town. Maybe when his processor had suddenly decided to focus on the goods of the forest rather than the direction that Sideswipe had vaguely  pointed him in. Feeling the weight of the baskets at his side had him thinking as he pulled a few berries from his baskets and groaned.

Of course, he had so much collected now that it would make sense that he had just wandered so far off course. It most likely didn't help that he had no idea where the race track Sideswipe described was even located, Sideswipe had just said that it was in the forest and pointed in a general direction.

The bot watched with a cringe as Bumblebee thought out his own embarrassment before he reset his voice box, "I can...uh...bring you back to town." He offered, and Bumblebee watched as the blades hanging just off his back twitched almost anxiously.

"Thanks..." Bumblebee sighed as he looked at the surroundings again, his processor lining up several dialogues of information regarding each species that was large enough for him to scan and taking it all in. There was probably a way to shut it off so that he wasn't constantly bombarded with information and made to take it all in even as bots were talking to him.

Much like at the moment as he blinked back to reality to the bot softly calling out, "Hey? You there? Should I call First Aid." Bumblebee turned to the bot, cycling the information out of his line of sight as he shook his head, maybe a bit too quickly.

"I should be fine, thanks though." The bot nodded before a brightness filled his optics, "I'm Blades, First Aid already told me that you're Bumblebee." Bumblebee nodded with a small smile as Blades took a few small steps back, looking up before transforming.

It was fluid, unlike many blockier transformations that Bumblebee was used to. It wasn't even a second before a helicopter was lifting into the air, spinning a small bit before focusing on a set distance.

"Follow me!" Blades called down, and Bumblebee nodded as he transformed as well, following as Blades flew overhead.

Blades wasn't relatively fast, moving steadily above the treetops. Bumblebee found him quite easy to follow, especially considering the trees in this area were more spread out and open then he remembered his original passage being, so it was easier for him to swerve around the trunks and keep up with the helicopter.

"Are you liking Agria so far?" Blades asked, and Bumblebee hummed as he thought about it. He was enjoying his time, even if he had already been coated in mud, fell down the edge of a mountain, got saved by the maw of a beast, sat still for four cycles, and then got lost. Yeah, it was a lot, but it was more excitement than he's had in the past vorn.

It was better than it had been previously, at least.

"I'm loving it here." Bumblebee answered, his spark fluttering a bit.

"It is quite charming, isn't it? My brother convinced me to come out here with him and his group, and I guess I just...never had the will to leave." Blades called back, a certain fondness to his tone that Bumblebee could easily tell was made in a bot that had found himself a home that he loved.

Bumblebee hoped he would be able to hold that sort of fondness as well once he got his balance straight.

"What was Cybertron like? I haven't been there in half-a-vorn, and news doesn't really reach here." Blades asked, his voice carrying down from above the canopy.

Bumblebee tried to recount as much as he could, "A new senator joined the council, Shockwave. Uh...A new planet was listed as a potential colony." Bumblebee recounted the only two events that had made his head slightly turn to look instead of being engrossed in the work that he had been piled in previously.

Blades made a sound of interest, "That's neat." Blades hurried up a small bit, then came to a stop a small bit ahead of Bumblebee. Bumblebee came to a stop as well, watching as another helicopter came into his line of sight.

This one was red and white instead of white and orange, and a somewhat different frame than Blades, but very similar nonetheless.

The conversation overhead must've been over comms, because Bumblebee watched the helicopters each hover over top of him before the red and white one zoomed off again, much faster than Blades was.

Blades cleared his voice box, "That was my brother, Graze." Blades informed him, "Everyone's been found, and town's just over here!" Blades began flying again, and Bumblebee quickly followed.

It took less than a klik before Bumblebee was rolling back out onto the comforting stone-tiled ground of the town square, the lights turned on with a flickering flame despite the fact that the darkness was just starting to fall over the valley. Bumblebee returned to his root-mode, looking around as Blades came in for a landing right beside him, transforming and taking a nano-klik to steady himself as he shook like a flag in a sandstorm.

Bumblebee placed a hand on Blades shoulder, keeping him steady as the helicopter shook a few more times and took in a few deep invents before a warm smile crossed his face plates and he straightened up his posture.

“Ehehe…sorry ‘bout that. Not too fond of heights.” Blades apologized, and Bumblebee briefly mused on the fact that a bot with a helicopter alt-mode was scared of heights, then he shut up when he remembered he used to know someone who had a sea-based alt-mode that was deathly terrified of water and refused to go near it.

Fears have a fun way of worming themselves into every bot.

“It’s alright. Thanks for the help!” Bumblebee gave Blades a thumbs-up, and Blades shuddered his optics before a bright smile replaced the warm one before it, “No problem! It’s my duty after all!” Blades cheered as he looked towards the dirt path that led to the town, then paused for a second.

”Ah, I have to go. Me and my friends have something planned.” Blades said, and Bumblebee nodded, “I won’t keep you.” Blades nodded as he calmly walked away from the square and down the path. Bumblebee stayed for a moment, watching as subtle darkness began to overtake the square as the fire in the lampposts lit up further, each post a different colour.

It was mesmerizing for a moment, how the fire made shadows in the carvings that changes when Bumblebee walked to different places of the square.

”Grapple worked for a long time on those.” Bumblebee looked up, seeing Windblade above him as she hovered, looking around the square.

”I can tell.” Bumblebee murmured, still looking in at the carvings. Windblade came to a landing beside him, looking over his new alt-mode with a small smile.

”Sunstreaker give you a new paint job?” Windblade questioned, and Bumblebee sighed as he remembered the four cycle long venture and nodded, chuckling a bit as Windblade brought a servo to her intake to stifle a laugh. Windblade then looked to the baskets at his hips, tilting her head.

Windblade picked out one of the berries, inspecting it with a smile, “Are these ironwillows?” She asked as she inspected it. Bumblebee took a look at the berry, the sudden information returning.

”Yeah.” Windblade smiled as she cradled the berry, “Is it alright if I have it? I haven’t been able to go ironwillow picking yet this season.” Windblade asked.

Bumblebee shrugged, then he nodded with a smile, “Feel free.” Windblade stashed the berry away into a compartment at her side before she looked back at Bumblebee.

”Want to come to Swerve’s with me? My treat.” Windblade asked, making Bumblebee shake his head quickly as he raised his servos to deny the ask, “It’s alright. I have enough credits to pay.”

Windblade smiled wryly, “I insist. Besides, the ironwillow can be payment.” Windblade smiled, her voice cherry. It made Bumblebee feel almost guilty if he didn’t accept.

”Alright. Lead the way.” Windblade chuckled at his resignation as she walked towards the dirt path, Bumblebee quickly following as they made their way through town. As they passed onto the first terrace, Bumblebee saw Ratchet locking up the clinic, and a small fire set up just behind the Dinobots residence, the sound of loud and carrying voices followed.

The lights in the rescue headquarters were pretty much all on, and Bumblebee saw inside an open garage door where Inferno was talking with Red Alert as they worked on something on the desk, their voices so hushed that Bumblebe couldn’t hear them before he and Windblade travelled down the steps onto the next terrace.

Windblade stopped him at the bridge, pointing down. Bumblebee peered over the edge, looking down at a bunch of small glowing tadpoles that we’re staying still in the water, flickering with different lights and changing from a wondrous blue to a vibrant pink in the span of a nano-klik. Bumblebee noticed as that small information packet crossed his vision.

Cosmafrog tadpoles, known to glow to distract predators.

Bumblebee leaned over a bit further, unaware of his pedes leaving the ground before Windblade yanked him back to his pedes and snapped him back to reality.

”Last thing you need is another trip to the doctors.” Windblade chuckled as she patted his shoulder. Bumblebee flushed with embarrassment at the fact that Windblade and most likely others were very much aware of his injury earlier in the morning, which was something he was already keen to forget.

Bumblebee nodded as the two continued along, the sky darker now as the lampposts on the terraces lit up, the sun in the distance giving that slightest sliver of light before it vanished beneath the water. Bumblebee looked out, frozen by the sight as the sun, seeming so small yet so large in the distance, created variety of colours and the clouds almost seemed to be reaching for the sun, either to push it down or to pull it back up.

Bumblebee didn’t get to witness this the night before, and sunsets of Cybertron were nothing monumental, especially since the only really good place to see them was the outskirts of the city or the woods of Cybertron, both places where Bumblebee had never been later in the day.

Even then, nothing would compare to when Windblade tapped his helm and pointed upwards towards the thousands of stars that would begin to peer down at them, and almost at the centre of everything, two moons in separate corners of the sky.

Millions of stars stood between them, but still they seemed so connected. One perfectly spherical while the other appeared to be more weathered. One with many craters that Bumblebee could see, the other with fewer. Both glowed with the light of the sun that had just vanished at his back, making the darkness the true sight of the night.

The moons of Cybertron were inhabited, they had shone with their own light for millennia, metallic and man-made rather than the rock that Agria’s moons were made of. The natural world that the moons had to surround.

Windblade was silent beside him as he took it in, and when he in-vented, then looked down to level his gaze at Windblade as she smiled softly.

”You’ll love it when the Bloom occurs, or when the Eclipsa Metallia occurs.“ Windblade told him softly, and he nodded as he finally caught himself and shook his helm to bring himself back to reality.

Windblade smiled as she walked towards Swerve’s. Bumblebee watched the horizon again before he followed, quick on his pedes as he caught up. Windblade kept the door open for him as he entered.

A few of the other townsfolk were in the bar, some he recognized and others he was unfamiliar with. Swerve was behind the counter, mixing a drink for a bot with glowing finials, Trailbreaker beside him with his helm resting on the bar and a half-drunken cup of coolant before him.

Windblade walked towards a booth, and Bumblebee followed. They both sat at the table, Bumblebee dwarfed a bit by its size. Windblade giggled before motioning to a button on the wall, “Wheeljack helped make these to accommodate for larger and smaller bots.” The bot with the finials helm perked up and looked around.

Bumblebee pressed one of the buttons a bit wearily, surprising him as he was lifted up to a height much more suitable for him. Now he was optic level with Windblade.

Windblade pulled some paper menus off a slot in the wall and handed them to Bumblebee. Bumblebee looked over the menu, feeling the somewhat faded paper as he scanned over the options on the menu.

A range of foods Bumblebee had never heard of, and quite a few drinks on the back that made his intake water. He hadn’t had anything to eat or drink in a while, the exception being the cube of energon he had had earlier in the morning. He looked for anything interesting, his optics landing on a food item called a ‘Flyfall Cocktail’.

He set the menu down, looking around at the decor. It somehow seemed different than it had the day before. When he had entered it previously, none of the lights were on, the natural light from the windows being what lit the place. The wood had seemed almost cool in the night, and there had been a large door on the other side of the building that was now open.

The bar had varying sizes and levels, as well as different sized chairs for different bots. The smallest of which was smaller than Bumblebee sized, and Bumblebee mused on who would use the singular chair of that height. Behind the bar were a few shelves stocked with food items and drinks, as well as glasses and plates.

Bumblebee watched as Swerve handed another glass of coolant to Trailbreaker before he hustled over, a bright smile on his face as his visor gleamed in the artificial lights of the bar.

”So, what can I get’cha two?” He asked, and Windblade looked at Bumblebee. Bumblebee was silent before he realized he should order, “Can I try a Flyfall Cocktail?” He asked, and Swerve nodded.

”And I’ll have just some chrome-alloy cake, today.” Windblade ordered as Swerve nodded and then hustled off again, moving faster than Bumblebee would think a mini-boy of his caliber would. Not that Swerve was really short compared to Bumblebee, considering he was almost as tall as Bumblebee was, it was just that he was bulkier than Bumblebee was.

Windblade settled herself with a smile, “It’s usually busier when the work days end and the rest days begin.” Windblade told him as she peered around her booth seat and into the opened room. Bumblebee looked as well, seeing a room with a table and a few old games sitting around that Bumblebee was certain were older than Optimus himself.

The two lapses into comfortable silence, waiting for their food and drink as everyone else around them left and came into the bar. In the time they sat, Ratchet entered and sat beside Wheeljack, having a simple drink of energon. Some of the seekers, of which Bumblebee hadn’t seen earlier, left. The red and the purple one, leaving the blue one with a stack of papers and a pencil beside him.

”So, you said that you know Strongarm because she arrested you, what’s the story behind that?” Windblade asked suddenly, making Bumblebee jolt as his processor raced with how to tell the story in an easy and simple manner.

”Well, it was a minor charge. I was racing home and went over the speed limit by……………” Bumblebee grit his denta as he remembered how much he was going over, “About 80.” Windblade chuckled and shook her helm.

”Wouldn’t have taken you for the type to speed.” Bumblebee shrugged, shrinking in on himself almost as he reached back a servo to scratch the back of his neck, “I uh…had plans with a friend and was already late.” Bumblebee admitted, recalling that he had just gotten the job and hadn’t quite gotten used to the horrible schedule that he was given to work with, especially all the overtime that he had to work.

Windblade nodded, “Strongarm said you looked like you just kicked a turbo-hound puppy.” She chuckled, making Bumblebee flush with embarrassment as he nodded with some embarrassment, then chuckled as he recalled it.

”I…uh…haven’t really gone speeding since, except on a racetrack.” Bumblebee tapped the table, watching as Swerve picked up a small plate and a cup and began moving over to their table again.

Windblade straighten up when Swerve came over. Swerve slid the plate in front of Windblade, and then the glass on front of Bumblebee, “Hope you like it. The Flyfall Cocktail has been everyone (but Starscream’s) favourite since I concurred it.” Swerve made digit guns as he backed away back to the bar.

Windblade grabbed the fork on her plate and dug onto the cake. Bumblebee inspected his drink. It was a red colour, mixed with a few hints of yellow and grey at the top of the drink, all topped with a fire shaped decoration that left much up to the imagination.

Bumblebee chuckled as he took a sip, instantly feeling the flavours bursting in his intake, and some form of candy popping and crackling as he held it in his intake. It made him blink with surprised before he giggled at the feeling, taking another sip of the sweet drink.

Windblade smiled across from him, working away at her cake as Bumblebee continued drinking the drink like a sparkling given an energon goodie for the first time.

And that’s somewhat what Bumblebee felt like, having that drink that was sweeter than anything he had eaten in meta-cycles, and Bumblebee missed how much he used to love sweet things as he previously limited himself to small snacks and energon rations rather than extravagant foods and drinks that would take more out of his wallet than he could afford without taking from any of the offers his family always dished out for him.

That was just the top layer, when he reached the red layer, a small hint of a sour sweetness covering his glossa. The popping candy of the top layer turned into a sour powder mixed into the drink, making his face plates scrunch up a bit. Now he could taste the underlying engex base, making him just want to drink it even more.

“Pretty good, huh?” Bumblebee nodded quickly as he smiled dopily, scrunching his face as he got a clump of the sour powder added to the drink. Windblade chuckled as she pushed her small plate off to the side and crossed her digits together, looking around at a bar that had emptied out a small bit. It left them, the blue seeker, and Trailbreaker as the only patrons of the bar.

Bumblebee finished his drink quickly, blinking as his vision spun a bit. He did feel a small bit tipsy, especially considering he hadn’t had the pleasure because of his old job.

Windblade looked to the bar, then to Trailbreaker as she sighed. She got up, pulling a card from her subspace as she made her way towards the bar. Bumblebee watched as she talked with Swerve.

Bumblebee sat, looking around before he noticed that the seeker was staring at him, yellow optics meeting his before they turned back to the paper as the seeker furiously scribbled something down before slamming the book shut and standing up, grabbing everything as he made his way outside, passing Bumblebee in the booth with a sideways glance before disappearing.

Windblade returned to the booth, “Well, I’ll be going. Feel free to stay.” Windblade told him, walking back to the bar, hoisting Trailbreaker onto her shoulders with ease before carefully carting him out. Bumblebee watched the spot, noticing a cane sitting where Trailbreaker had been. Bumblebee stood up and wandered over, picking it up.

Swerve looked over, making a face, “Must’ve forgotten this.” Swerve pointed out as he sighed, “Mind taking it back to him? Last thing he needs to worry about is it.” Bumblebee nodded slowly as he waved a goodbye to the bartender as he left, closing the door behind him.

He looked around, spotting Windblade and Trailbreaker moving and listening to the slight mumbles from the two of them Ashe quickly took a few steps to catch up.

”Hey, this is yours, right?” Bumblebee asked as he walked up beside the two, holding the cane out. Trailbreaker looked up at him, his optics tired and distant as he looked at the cane before sighing, taking the cane with a shaking servo as he nodded.

”Thanks…sorry ‘bout that.” He slurred slightly, leaning into Windblade. Windblade muttered a few unfamiliar familiar words to Trailbreaker, of which Buumbleebe recognized as miner speech, a specialized speech miners used that was based on Old Iaconian.

Bumblebee watched as Windblade carried him back towards his house before Bumblebee began moving himself, walking into the woods and back towards his house.

As he walked, he stopped a few times, picking up some things that he could forage. He also was careful of his pedes, making sure he didn’t step on anything that had decided to make itself a bed on the path. 
He was just being careful, especially going up the side of the mountain. But with his new pedes, Bumblebee found it easier to climb up the crumbling dirt, and also dug his servos into the ground to pull himself up instead of using the rotting railing that was already torn to shreds and holding on through a dream and a prayer to Solus Prime.

Bumblebee scaled the mountain, then descended into the valley that was his home, walking towards the house, looking out at the tilled land with a smile before him slid open the door and entered the house, closing the door before him. The floor was covered in dried mud, making him sigh as he emptied the contents of his baskets onto the now clean counters of the kitchen. He had quite the variety of foraged items that he had set out, a few being edible while others would be better off cooked.

Bumblebee returned to his room, checking his long distance comm, answered the messages his had, and then sat down on his berth, laying down as he stared up at the ceiling of his home and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text