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Sword was on an important mission. A very, extremely, incredibly important mission, one that was vital to his livelihood. Yes, it was that important.
He wanted to get Bee to like him.
…Okay, maybe it didn’t sound important, but it was! Sword liked being liked. He liked being around inphernals, and he liked having friends. Though he hadn’t been with the Redcliff Wranglers for any decent period of time, he was already getting along with quite a few inphernals. With the exception of a select few, of course.
Bee was one of them.
He didn’t know why she hated him so much. Sure he was friends with Medkit, but that was all! He wasn’t involved with all that church stuff Hook mentioned. He didn’t even know about it until he was told! Still, Bee disliked him, and it didn’t seem like that was going to change anytime soon. Not unless he did something about it.
Luckily, the perfect opportunity came up. Yesterday, Sword had overheard Hook talking about some supplies that needed to be moved the next day. Bee had volunteered to do it, and after she’d left, Sword had casually strolled in and asked if they had any work to give him. Just as he’d hoped, Hook had told him to move the supplies alongside Bee, which was why he was currently camped outside her tent, watching the sun rise as he waited for her to wake up.
What better way to show his dependability than by popping up early? Surely Bee would be impressed!
As he waits, Sword gets restless. He stands up, pacing back and forth in front of the entrance to the tent. Where was she? He knew she woke up earlier than most others, so she should be awake by now-
WHAM!
Suddenly, Sword walks face-first into something, or someone, and falls back onto the ground.
“Oof!” he grunts. He rubs his head, and quickly looks up to see a very annoyed looking Bee, who was rubbing her own forehead.
Oh.
“Tch!” she snorts. “What the hell are you doing outside my tent? Are you crazy?”
“Sorry, sorry!” Sword says, laughing nervously. He stands up quickly. “Hook uh, they told me to come help you with moving some stuff! So, here I am!”
Bee squints at him like she doesn’t believe what he’s saying.
“It’s 7 AM,” she says.
Sword wilts. “…Early bird gets the worm?”
“And even if I was doing it at this hour,” Bee continues, “I don’t need any help. Certainly not yours.”
“Hey, I’m great at picking things up!” Sword protests. “Please, I promise I won’t get in the way! You just gotta tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”
Bee looks hard at him, glare seemingly etched onto her face. Then, after a moment, she sighs.
“I suppose you can’t possibly mess up moving stuff around,” she says. “Fine. Come with me. It’ll be easier in the morning when it’s cooler, you’re right about that.”
Sword grins and pumps his fist in the air, causing Bee to roll her eyes. She stomps off, and he eagerly follows.
The supplies are near the edge of the camp. There aren’t too many crates, but they’re pretty big, and Sword wonders why they didn’t just put them down somewhere closer.
Bee bends down to lift a crate, and Sword does the same. They’re not as heavy as he thought, so he lifts two of them onto his shoulders.
“Be careful with them,” Bee says. Her back is turned, but Sword can hear the grunt of effort she makes to lift one up. “The contents are fragile, so-”
She cuts herself off when she notices Sword carrying two crates, eyes opened wide in surprise. For some reason, she seems to be staring at his arms, and Sword swears there’s a tinge of red on her cheeks.
It’s... cute. Which is a word he didn’t expect himself to use when describing Bee.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, confused.
Bee shakes her head. “Nothin’,” she quickly says. “You’re stronger than you look. Now get a move on.”
Sword wasn’t sure whether that was a compliment or an insult, but he shrugs and obeys anyways.
For the next half hour, he and Bee go back and forth carrying the crates into the camp. He’s a little concerned at the looks he receives from the rest of the Wranglers, though. Was carrying two at once too reckless? Maybe.
Once they’re done moving everything, Sword lets out a satisfied sigh. He wipes the sweat off his forehead, stretches out his sore muscles, but when he turns around, he once again finds Bee staring at him.
Before he can say anything though, she abruptly clears her throat and looks away.
“Nice work,” she says. “You didn’t drop anything, which is more than I expected.”
“Thanks!” Sword says. “Woo, that was some hard work. You need help with anything else?”
“No,” she says. “Now scram.”
Okay then. Sword waves goodbye, and walks away. Time to find something else to do.
The next morning, after Sword wakes up, the first thing he does is find Bee. If he kept helping her with things, surely she would like him, right?
After a bit of searching, Sword spots her tending to her bees. When she sees him approaching, she scoffs and rolls her eyes, unseen by Sword.
“Hi!” he greets.
“What do you want?” Bee replies, quite rudely.
“Uh,” Sword rubs his head. “I was wondering if you needed help with anything else?”
Once again, she squints hard at him. “Did Hook put you up to this?”
“No! Of course not. I just wanted to help you out.”
Bee scoffs. “Well, there ain’t any more crates for you to lift, so no, I don’t need any.”
“Oh.”
Sword stands there awkwardly for a moment, before recalling something. “Hey,” he says. “I think I remember someone saying you wanted a special red flower or something like that?”
Bee swivels her head towards him, alarmed. “Don’t,” she says. “You’ll get yourself killed looking for it.”
“But-”
“Get lost, kid. Find someone else to bother.” Bee’s tone was final.
Sword pouts, but walks away.
He did hear the flower was hard to get, but surely it couldn’t be that hard, right? He’d just slip away from the camp, find it, and come back before anyone noticed. He’d give it to Bee, and then she would stop hating his guts! It was a perfect plan.
Several hours of trekking, a run-in with some vultures, and pricked hands later, Sword returned to the camp exhausted and in pain.
Maybe Bee had been right. Finding the flower had been extremely difficult, and dangerous as well. Hey, he found them though! And managed to get back in one piece.
Judging from the looks he receives when he finally arrived back, however, maybe he wouldn’t stay in one piece for long.
“WHERE WERE YOU?!” Hook shouts. Though there’s clear anger in their expression, there’s underlying concern, too.
“Just… on a walk!” Sword lies, flashing an anxious smile.
“For four hours.”
“It was a long walk.”
Hook stomps up to him, and leans in. Sword shrinks away.
“Ain’t much to see around here, kid. Nothing but sand. You could’ve died out there. Easily.”
“Well, I-”
“You are not leaving the camp again without my permission, you hear me? If I ever catch you trying to sneak out, I’ll tie you to the damn water tower!”
Sword swallows. “Right.”
Hook glares down at him for a moment longer, then finally stands up straight and walks away. The crowd that had gathered parts for them. As Sword takes a deep breath, he’s approached by
Tarantula.
“Thank goodness you’re alright!” she says, fussing over him. “Hook was about to send out a search party for you!”
Sword chuckles. “I appreciate the concern, at least.”
“C’mon,” Tara beckons him along. “Your hands are bleeding. I’ll bring you over to the supports.”
“Oh, I'm fine, really. But thanks anyway!” Sword says. “Besides, I have something I need to do first.”
Tara puts her hands on her hips. “Not a chance. You’re coming with me, mister.”
Sword pouts. “Okay, fine! Just let me do something first, please?”
Tara narrows her eyes sternly. “Fine. But you better be back here soon!”
“I will!”
Sword waves goodbye, and leaves. He jogs with purpose as he heads to his new destination: Bee‘s tent.
Fortunately, she’s in her tent when he arrives. When he enters, Bee’s face hardens into a glare.
“Are you outta your mind?” she exclaims. “I know you weren’t the brightest, but venturing out alone in the desert? What’s the matter with you?”
Sword was expecting this, but he still chuckles nervously. “I… I was-”
“Hook wanted to send out a search party for you!” Bee continues. “We’d have had to waste time looking around, and with all the danger in the desert, we would have been at risk too! Really, I can’t understand what you were-”
“I got this for you!”
Sword interrupts Bee’s rant, holding out the flower he’d been hiding away. Luckily, it isn’t too crumpled.
Bee freezes. “…Huh?”
“I went into the desert to get this for you,” Sword repeats. “I know you said not to get it when I asked, but I…”
Bee’s face still looks like it’s about to short circuit.
“You got it… for me?” she says slowly.
Sword fiddles with his helmet. “Yeah.”
Gingerly, she takes the flower. “You are an idiot,” she states. “Why? Why would you do this?”
Sword opens his mouth, then closes it. Saying the real reason would be too embarrassing. Sword doubts Bee would be happy to learn he risked his life because he wanted to get her to like him.
“Because you wanted it,” he says instead. It was close enough to the truth anyways.
There’s a strange look in Bee’s eyes as she analyzes him with a new understanding.
“Thank you,” she whispers. “But don’t ever do something stupid like that again, you hear me?”
Sword nods. “Yes ma’am.”
Bee sets the flower down on a table, then turns back around.
“Your hands,” she notes. “They’re hurt.”
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Sword reassures. “I promised Tara I’d let her take me to the supports actually, so I should probably go now.”
Bee nods. “Right.”
Sword slowly backs away. “I’ll… see you later?”
“Don’t get your hopes up, kid,” she replies, though there’s the tiniest hint of a smile on her face.
He leaves the tent very satisfied. Yes! He’d done it! Well, maybe not quite yet, but Bee didn’t hate him anymore! That was progress. Now, all he had to do was keep this up.
During the next few days, Sword continues hanging around Bee and helping her out. He even asked Chuck for any advice on how to get her to like him.
Sword had received a weird look, but thankfully Chuck answered regardless. Apparently, tiny compliments were the way. Especially when it concerned her bees. Nothing direct, but the occasional remark about her organization, acknowledging her hard work, that was the key.
Sword didn’t find that too surprising. Bee usually huffed whenever he tried to compliment her appearance.
Soon enough, he noticed Bee warming up to him. It was subtle, but he could tell from the way she smiled more, the way she was more open to mundane conversation, and in general, more comfortable around him.
Sword also sometimes noticed her staring at him, but she always turned away when he looked back. He figured it was best not to question it, lest he undo any progress.
The process reminded Sword of when he first befriended Rocket, though Rocket had been far more difficult.
One night, after helping Bee with some tasks, she invites him back to her tent to rest. Sword thinks nothing of it, she probably just wanted to talk, right?
“You know kid,” she starts. They’re both sitting next to each other on the edge of her bed. “You’re not as bad as I thought.”
Sword grins wide. “Wow, that’s a real compliment coming from you!”
Bee rolls her eyes, but there’s a small smile of her own on her face.
“To be honest, I still don’t understand how you can be friends with someone like Medkit… but you’re a good kid. That’s for sure.”
She looks down at her lap, idly playing with her hands. “You’ve helped me a lot these past days. Not just by doing things for me, but talking to me as well. I don’t like spilling my guts about my emotions like Tara, but I gotta admit, you’ve made me realize I prefer having someone by my side. So… thanks.”
Sword stays silent for a moment, shocked and unsure of what to say.
“Bee,” he begins. “I… I’m flattered, really. I don’t think anyone’s ever said something like that to me before!”
Bee chuckles. “That’s a shocker. Maybe I should do it more often. You look adorable with your cheeks red.”
“What!” Sword blushes even harder. “I’m not adorable!”
Now, Bee laughs for real. “You definitely are. And not just adorable. You’re a real catch, Sword. Good-looking, strong, honest, sweet; you’re the whole package. A little naive, but that’s okay.”
Sword covers his face. “Stop!”
Bee continues laughing, and he feels her leaning against him. In any other scenario, he would have realized the significance of that, but right now he was too embarrassed to do so. When he eventually uncovers his face, he finds Bee looking right at him, a strange expression on her face. It was almost… loving? Then, it shifts to trepidation, briefly, before finally morphing into determination.
Before Sword can ask why, Bee suddenly leans forward and presses a kiss to his cheek.
What the hell.
Sword didn’t know how long he froze for, but it was long enough for Bee’s face to shift into nervousness, regret, and then humiliation.
“That was a mistake. I apologize.” Bee’s voice is clipped as she stands up. Her face is blank now, clearly forced, and she moves to leave the tent. “I’ll just go now.”
“Wait!” Finally, Sword finds the ability to speak. “Bee! Wait!”
Bee stops momentarily, but continues on right after. Sword chases after her, and just before she reaches the tent flaps, he manages to catch up and wrap his arms around her.
“Wha- Sword!”
“Please listen to me!” Sword cries. “I’m sorry, I should have said something.”
It’s a miracle that Bee doesn’t push him off, but he takes it.
“Why are you apologizing?” Bee says. “I’m the one who-”
“I didn’t mind it!” Sword blurts out. “I was just shocked, that’s all. That’s why I froze.”
Bee noticeably holds her breath. “You serious?”
“Yeah, I am.” Sword loosens his grip. “Can we talk?”
Bee nods. “Right. Yeah kid, of course.”
They move back to the bed. Carefully, she sits down, as if any sudden movement will ruin the moment.
“So, uh,” Sword says. “What was… what was that?”
“I don’t know,” Bee answers. “It was an impulse. Your face was so red, and I thought it was adorable, so I… I just felt the urge to kiss you.”
Sword crosses his arms. “But why?”
Bee stares at him blankly. “Because I like you?”
“Oh. That makes sense.” Sword chuckles nervously, feeling a little embarrassed.
“You thought I gave you a peck on the cheek for fun?” Bee raises her eyebrows.
“Well, I- I didn’t think you liked me like that!” Sword says. “I thought you would just want to be friends.”
“Yeah, I get it,” Bee says. “I haven’t exactly demonstrated my interest.”
She opens her mouth, closes it, then opens it again. “So. What about you?”
“Me?” Sword asks.
“If you just wanna stay friends, that’s okay with me.”
“I-” Sword hesitates, looking down at his lap.
“I don’t know,” he finally says. “I mean, I just said I thought you just wanted to be friends, right? I wasn’t really considering anything more.”
Bee nods, though there’s a pained expression on her face.
“But I wouldn’t be opposed to it!” Sword quickly adds. “I like talking with you. I like being around you. I think... I think I could learn to love you too, eventually.”
“You mean it?” Bee’s voice is hopeful.
Sword tries to smile reassuringly. “I do.”
At that, Bee’s shoulders droop subtly as she relaxes, the tension leaving them. “Guess that's better than nothing.”
“Yeah.”
A brief moment of silence passes.
“It’s late,” Bee suddenly says. Sword notes her voice sounds a little nervous. “My tent has room for two. You wanna stay for the night?”
Sword smiles. “Of course!”
Bee smiles back.
“Getting chummy with the outsider, aren’t ya?”
Bee rolls her eyes at TNT’s remark.
“Shut up,” she says.
“I think it’s cute!” Tara says. “You two balance each other out perfectly!”
“Yeah, maybe now Bee won’t be so uptight all the ti- HEY!”
TNT yelps as she’s mildly pricked by one of Bee’s bees, glaring back.
“I am not uptight,” Bee denies.
“You’re quite the serious gal,” Tara says diplomatically. “But I think Sword’s youth will be good for you!”
Bee huffs. “Sword’s not that young. And I’m not old, so don’t say it like that.”
“Still, I’m happy for you two. Really!”
Bee shoots a small smile. “Thanks.”
TNT sighs dramatically. “I wonder when my knight in shining armour will come for me.”
“Knight’s usually go after damsels,” Bee smirks. “And you ain’t one for sure.”
Before another squabble can break out, Sword chooses that moment to show up.
“Hi Bee! Hi Tara! Hi TNT!” he greets, a big grin on his face. He looks so adorable, Bee has to resist the urge to squish his cheeks.
“Howdy!” Tara says. TNT merely tilts her head in acknowledgement.
“Hey,” Bee greets back. “What’s up?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to see you!”
A warm feeling blooms within Bee. “Here I am.” She takes a step closer. “I got some free time for now. Wanna go for a walk together?”
Sword looks overjoyed. Typically, it was him who suggested outings. “Of course!”
Bee ignores TNT’s snickers as they walk away. She waves goodbye to her and Tara, and leans in close to Sword.
Yeah, having someone by her side was definitely better than being alone.