Work Text:
My weak engine sputtered quietly as I slowly rolled into the scrapyard. Rocks and small scrap pieces crunched under my tires.
It was hard to see where I was going since it was night time and I didn’t want to show myself by turning on my headlights.
I parked right next to another car and turned off. And I just sat there, listening to the silent Earth.
The sounds of crickets and other cars driving past.
At this moment, I felt truly alone.
My friends were somewhere far among the stars.
AndI had no way of knowing when they would make it to Earth.
My arm emerged from the side of the car and grabbed a nearby tarp.
I threw the cover over my vehicle body, shielding myself.
My engine hummed as I tried to make one more attempt to say a single word.
Still no luck.
I caught myself staring at the stars longer than I should have.
I need you guys here right now.
I then made a sigh-like sound before deactivating for now.
I knew that he would get the help I needed soon.
It was another one of those lonely mornings.
I stared at the changing clouds.
I admired the way the sun glowed bright orange in contrast to the color of the sky.
And I began to have hope again.
That maybe, just maybe.
Today would be different.
Optimus would find me sooner or later.
I was sure of it.
Cybertron was so close yet so far.
That was until the afternoon rolled around.
There was a girl.
A human girl.
I had always seen her roaming around the scrapyard for parts.
And she was usually denied those parts that she requested.
But, today was different.
She was practically glowing and beaming with excitement.
Today must be special.
The girl slowly walked towards me and examined the car.
She grabbed my cover and tossed it to the side.
Her smile only grew wider.
The human opened the car door and started the car.
As soon as she started the car, I took a big gulp of air.
I had been off for quite a while.
My radio hummed, a few different pitches playing here and there.
The girl sat there, holding the wheel gently.
Her smile softened before turning me off.
She finally got out of the car and practically skipped away.
I knew something was up. She was too cheery today.
A couple minutes later, she came running out of the garage with tools.
This human was definitely a kid in a candy store.
She started to clean the bees, dust, and grime off of me.
The human got stung one time.
It didn’t really seem to bother her all too much.
Finally, she was done tinkering and fixing me.
Honestly, I couldn’t help but admire her persistence in helping me.
She turned the key to start me back up again.
My engine trilled softly before starting.
Her smile was wider than the sun.
I knew that deep in my heart, this human wouldn’t hurt me.
It was just an instinctual feeling.
The human pressed the gas pedal and drove out of the scrapyard, giving one of the other humans a small little wave.
Feeling a living, breathing presence inside of my core was a little strange to me.
I was always the small one, so no transformer brother or sister could fit inside of my vehicle form.
But this,
This was different.
It wasn’t a cold metal surface touching me.
This human was warm and soft.
Very different from the cold, hard surface of Cybertron
The human soon pulled into her garage.
She parked me inside and closed the garage door.
As she looked around the garage, a piece fell out from under me.
Sure, the human repaired me enough to help me drive.
But it wasn’t enough to keep some of my parts attached.
The human laid down on a rolly-like thing to slide under the car.
She was looking right at my face.
I sure felt exposed.
My optics turned on, the blue light reflecting on the human’s face.
I slowly transformed above the human, getting farther away from her.
Her eyes were wide.
Wide with fear, yes.
But there was some wonder in them too.
This human was already growing on me.
My optics darted to the metal tool in the human’s hands.
She looked at the tool in her hands and looked back up at me. I immediately backed into a corner.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” she said to me.
My antennas drooped downward as I looked at her, my optics opened more.
“Do you talk?” The human asked.
My hand moved to my throat, my optics dimming.
She seemed to get the idea of what I was trying to say.
“You kind of sound like a bumblebee…” she said.
My optics shone brighter than before.
“Yeah…Bumblebee, that’s what I’ll call you.”
I buzzed with excitement.
The name that this human gave me felt special than any other word in the universe.
I haven’t interacted with humans until now, but this human is already special to me.
My finger moved and pointed at her chest with a slight nod.
“My necklace…?” The human asked, uncertainty in her voice.
I pointed at her again.
“Wait, me? You want to know who I am?” She exclaimed with a wide smile.
I nodded with an eager expression.
She placed a palm on her chest, “I’m Charlie.”
Charlie…
It suits her well.
She could tell I liked her name.
I hope she can see that.
“I’m going to help you get your voice back, don’t worry,” Charlie said.
Charlie inched close and placed her hand on my faceplate.
Her hand is warm.
It’s nice compared to the cold of my body.
I lean into Charlie’s touch, my optics closing softly.
“You sweet thing…” she whispered under her breath.
My optics open back up after she speaks.
I feel like I owe my life to Charlie.
I suddenly woke up by the sound of a rattling cage and something…barking?
Another human approaches me with a small creature in a cage.
This human is Charlie’s guardian of some kind.
She places the caged creature in the back and starts me up.
I don’t know where we’re going.
As long as I stay like this, I won’t get detected.
At least 10 minutes in, I see Charlie coming up beside me.
I’ve never been more eager to see someone.
My hand comes out from the trunk to give Charlie a little wave.
She didn’t seem very happy about it.
“Bee! Put it away!” Charlie gritted before I put my arm back into the trunk.
Charlie is speaking to her guardian in a way that sounded out of character for her.
Was she lying to her guardian?
Whatever Charlie said, it worked because Charlie drove instead of her guardian.
“We have to be careful, Bee.” Charlie said as she held the wheel.
I made the broken radio make a chirp-like sound.
She just sighed softly.
“I’m not mad at you, Bee,” she muttered.
The last thing I wanted to do was make Charlie upset.
She matters a lot to me.