Work Text:
Sari never liked Mother’s Day in the past. She grew up with just her father. The closest she had to a female role model was on television. But now, Sari HAS a mother figure! After all, what’s a mom beside someone who is there for you even at your worst, who picks you up when you fall and kisses away your tears?
Anyway, Sari is in the middle of making a considerably large card (so her Mother’s Day mom can actually read it without struggling) when Bullhead walks in, “Oh hey, Sari, are you making a card?” He pauses as he reads over her shoulder,
“What's a ‘Mother’s Day’?”
“Mother’s Day is a human celebration. You know, where you celebrate the person in your life who loves you unconditionally and supports you and stuff.”
“That’s cool, but I thought you said you didn't have a mom?”
“Bulkhead! Don't be rude, according to my research humans tend to be sensitive about family situations” chastised Prowl, who was there the whole time, ‘He didn't even say hi or anything’ Sari thought to herself.
“It’s alright, Prowl. Bulkie’s right, I didn't have a mom before, but I have one this year! Can you hand me that mop?” Sari reached out for the mop currently in a blue paint canister, which Bulkhead dutifully handed to her.
It took a good 30 minutes and several scrapped cards before Sari was satisfied with her creation, it took another 20 for it to dry. Once it did, however, Sari was rushing it out to Optimus, nearly bumping into him, “Optimus! Where's Bumblebee?” Sari asked after catching her breath.
“Oh, hey Sari, I think he is in the med bay.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing much Sari; just Bumblebee trying to escape our regular checkups again.” Sari felt for Bumblebee. She hates shots. With the information being provided to her Sari ran off to the med bay, getting a glare from Ratchet that screamed “Don't touch anything” which she ignored.
“Hey, Bee! I have something for you! It’s important!” Sari yelled up at the medical berth.
“Oh! You heard that Ratch! It's important. Let's do that checkup after ok?” Bumblebee said climbing off the berth and picking up Sari, completely unaware of the comically large card in her hands. Before Ratchet could protest or engage his magnets, Bumblebee ran out yelling a hasty goodbye and escaping to his room.
“Good save Sari! Now, what did you want to show me?” Bumblebee asked after he caught his weird robot equivalent of a breath and set Sari down where he could comfortably see her without having to crouch super low.
“I made you a card!” Sari exclaimed a bright smile on her face that made Bumblebee’s spark throb. He gently grabbed the card from Sari,
“Wow! It's sized perfectly for me Sari!” he studied the cover of the card. It was a crude drawing of him, roller-skating down a road with Sari on his back. It was rather cute and Bumblebee took many pictures to save to his matrix forever.
“Open it!” Sari said impatiently.
“Ok, ok! Jeez.” Bumblebee opened the card, his processor automatically translating the English scrawl to Cybertronian.
‘To my best friend and surrogate *undefined term*
With Love, Sari’
“What’s that word Sari?” Bee asked pointing to the scrawl in question he has definitely seen it before and has been referred to as such, but he has been too embarrassed or just didn't care enough to really ask. As Sari peered down she chuckled a little, “That says mom, don’t Cybertronians have moms Bee?”
“No, I don’t think so… Let’s ask Ratchet, he’d know.” The duo walked off to the med bay dead set on getting answers to their extremely important question.
“We don’t do that ‘mom’ stuff anymore, but we used to, kind of. On Cybertron, we called them Carriers.” Ratchet said dismissively with his back turned fiddling with something they couldn’t see.
“Carrier?!? Aw, Sari!” Bee gushed, “You are too sweet!” If Bee was honest it felt a little weird to be called a carrier, but seeing as Sari didn’t have one like most other humans apparently did, Bee didn’t mind taking care of and loving a youngling. Thank Primus Professor Sumdac did all the sparkling stuff. The more he repeated it, the more he liked being viewed as Sari’s caretaker. If he was honest, he was always a little protective of Sari and he did go to all of Sari’s school plays and PTA meetings.
Before he could leave, however, Ratchet caught him in his magnets, “Now about that check-up...” The ominous tone made Bumblebee’s frame rattle in fear.
Bumblebee hung up the card on his bedroom wall at the plant, looking at it made his spark swell with pride. After Sari told him what a mother is, a lot of things made sense.
Like why he got emails about “mommy-daughter dances”, why the principal said he was listed as the mother for Sari, or why the group of women was asking him to join their “mom squad” (Bumblebee, of course, said yes, they have lunch sometimes).
Once the rest of the gang found out about the whole situation, some light teasing occurred which usually would make Bumblebee feel insecure and upset but, for some reason, Bumblebee couldn’t find it in himself to be upset about it. When they would mention it, his processor would supply him with photos of the card and all he could feel was pride
