Work Text:
Orion shouldn’t have entered the forest this late at night. He wanted to explore this world as much as possible before the Autobots and Cons destroy it. Just like the last four worlds that Orion had followed them to. It was foolish thinking that they’d stop fighting and speak about the matter with one another.
Foolish to believe that Orion can make any kind of difference.
Alpha Trion had spoken so highly of Orion – well, Optimus Prime. No matter where Orion goes, everyone will always know how much the council talks about him. It got so bad that Orion almost lost his job as a mechanic but he barely managed to convince his boss not to do that. (It’s his main source of income and Orion very much like living compared to starving to death).
When Orion turns his back on Cybertron, Alpha Trion plans on tearing him down just to be rebuilt.
Optimus Prime was the one that Alpha Trion wanted but Orion refused to become something that he wasn’t just because someone told him to. It caused Orion to be outcast from not only the Autobots but also the Decepticons. (Megatron had taken to speaking in private but Orion can hear the hidden madness in his voice and drop communication after that).
Being alone wasn’t all that bad but Orion had started the habit of talking to himself.
He stops; there’s only darkness and trees for as far as the eye can see. Going into the woods in the dead of night was a terrible idea. Why does he have to be so stupid? Optimus wouldn’t have done this.
Orion snaps his head towards the sound of a twig snapping; freezing when he sees blue optics staring back for only a moment before disappearing.
Though there was nobody to those optics.
That’s the funny thing about fear, they make you do things you never thought you would.
Like turning around and walking straight back out of those haunted woods.
…
The fire isn’t that great and Orion almost forgets what the kind creatures had taught him a while back. It’s slobby and there’s more heat rolling off than there’s fuel but Orion was only focusing so much on it because of the bot sitting across from him.
A tiny thing that barely comes up to his hip; yellow and black but has already shown off that he can use any colour, and even turn invisible if he wants to. B-127 is what he calls himself. A series of bots similar to himself were on a test drive in the same forest that Orion was in before being wiped out by the Cons.
Orion had handed the kid his share of Energon when he noticed the signs of starvation.
“I’ll take you to an Autobot camp that’s not far from here.”
“Okay.” B-127 doesn’t complain and never speaks out of turn. The perfect solider. “Sir.”
…
Orion was only fooling himself as the two travel to the camp. Things had become a lot more peaceful since B-127 had joined. Neither one had much to talk about but when the kid started seeing the world for the first time, it opened something within B-127 and suddenly their walk was a lot louder than before.
There wasn’t much that Orion knew about this planet but he did his best to explain.
The two stop in a valley with rolling hills in every direction. Orion didn’t bother with making a fire since it was warm enough; moving away from the chilly winds had improved all things.
B-127 has been taking a look around and collecting different plants, being as careful as he could be. Until the kid got startled, Orion felt the sounds of alert over his comm. He drops everything and comes straight over to the kid but stops when there is no danger.
Instead, it was a tiny insect that ended up flying away.
“I wonder what that was?” the kid ask, still watching it fly away.
Orion is barely able to scan it but he got his answer; quietly thanking the humans that have been kind to him. “It’s called a bumblebee, they help the planet.” He kneels and places a hand on B-127’s shoulder. “What are you thinking about?” He didn’t get an answer but that’s okay, they have all the time in the world for that.
…
They continue to travel – forgoing the Autobot camp – and Orion believes he knows more about this planet than anyone else on either side does. Grimlock had agreed with that when he started travelling with the duo; though still very much an Autobot. Orion made sure B-127 understood not to give Grimlock too much information just in case.
It’s a quiet night and Orion is staring up at the stars above – each one so different from the stars that Orion had grown up on. He attempted to teach B-127 but gave up and switched to teaching the stars that the humans have come up with. It felt like he was losing a piece of himself when he was unable to teach the kid.
“Orion?”
He looks off to the side where B-127 had sat up.
“Can you call me Bumblebee?”
It’s the hesitation that he hasn’t heard before. B-127 had gained quite a bit of nickname since teaming up with Orion: Chameleon, Goldbug, and Cheshire. However, B-127 never really answers to the names and half-heartily does it anyway. Even B-127 isn’t a name that the kid likes very much.
Not that Orion blames him for it, it treats him more like a number, a survivor, than a person.
“Forget it, it’s stupid anyways.”
The kid flops back down and faces away from Orion, never giving him a chance to say anything.
…
The two have stopped in a human-Cybertronian base to stock up on a few supplies. No one bats an eye at them but Orion still kept his hood up and made sure Bee was close by, wanting nothing bad to happen to the kid.
He is speaking to a Cybertronian merchant, who is getting on Orion’s nerves when he looks out where Bee is playing around with a few human children in the snow. The Earth’s weather was something that everyone had to get used to but snow seemed to become a favourite of Bee’s quite quickly when they came up north.
“Is that all?” the merchant questioned.
Orion hands over the credits before heading over to Bee and the children. They all seem to lying on the ground and moving their arms and legs for some reason. The children jump to their feet and put out what they made in the snow; gesturing for Bee to follow them.
Bee said something back while nodding.
Orion should be translating but has found himself too tired to do that right now.
“You should try, sir?” Bee suggests, his Cybertronian is a mess and sometimes doesn’t make any sense. However, the kid is trying and that’s what is important. “It’s fun.”
Orion switches his translator back on before going off to the side – handing his bag to Bee – before following one of the kid’s examples. When he stood up, Bee had set the bag off to the side to gather up the children so they could see what Orion made.
They laughed and Orion knew that his image didn’t look anything like the children.
Bee had set the kids back down and waved them off as they ran back home.
“I don’t think that’s how snow angels work,” Bee nods at the image. “You didn’t even move your arms or anything!”
“What’s the point of them?”
“Because it’s fun that’s the point.”
Bee gives Orion his bag back before leading the way out of the base.
Orion never really got the chance to have fun back on Cybertron. He was subjected to work from the very beginning and never found the time to do anything. Even when he got his second job as an archivist, his first paycheck paid for the rent and the second one was barely enough to survive. Maybe, Orion should learn more about having fun.
“Did the children teach you anything else?” Orion asks, coming to walk next to the kid.
Bee thought about it before nodding. “Yeah, a few things like how to make a snowman or these tiny creatures out of paper.” Bee continues to talk about how those things work while Orion chooses to both listen and keep an eye on the area around them.
...
“Can you put the fire out, Bumblebee?”
Orion frowned while staring down at the map; a few new bases had been added to it over the last few months of travelling and Orion wasn’t sure where to go. There’s talk of Alpha Trion coming to Earth and Metalhawk setting up base just south of their location. It seems like nowhere is safe these days and Orion doesn’t have a way off the planet.
“I’m thinking we head up to the Medical Center.” Orion turns out to face Bee. “What do you think?”
When he looks up from the map, he notices that Bumblebee hasn’t moved from his spot. Still kneeling in front of the dying fire in shock. This doesn’t make a whole lot of sense because nothing has been going on unless the scout is hurt somehow.
Orion pockets the map in his coat before kneeling and trying to do a quick scan on the kid however he stops when the kid looks up at him; still surprise and unsure.
Instead of answering, Bumblebee pushes him away and states that he doesn’t need Orion hovering over him.
Orion chuckles and stands back up, though still confused about what had happened.
Though he has a feeling what it could be about.
They have a long way to go still but Orion thinks things are going to work out…hopefully.