A/N: Crap ending is crap. DX Well, I needed a little break from all the angst, and the night I wrote this, I ended up staying up till 2:30 in the morning to finish it. I had school the next morning, and I commute. Oh, well. My fault. Enjoy the fluff. (They need a category just for fluff. Grr.)
Title: According To You
Characters: Sentinel, Prowl/Bumblebee, Optimus, Jazz, Ratchet, Bulkhead, Sari, Jetfire, Jetstorm
Summary: Even if Sentinel thinks he is worthless, Bumblebee knows he's loved.
Warnings: None other than good ol slash! 8D
---------
But according to him
I'm beautiful, incredible
He can't get me out of his head
According to him
I'm funny,irresistible
Everything he ever wanted
Everything is opposite
I don't feel like stopping it
So baby tell me what I got to lose
He's into me for everything I'm not
According to you
According To You--Orianthi
----
Bumblebee always hated it when Sentinel Prime came to check on the Earthbound Autobots. The pompous would-be Prime would spend the better part of his time questioning Optimus' leadership skills and bringing up a past he obviously didn't want to be reminded of. The other part would be spent insulting the rest of the team. Ratchet, the washed-up has-been medic; Bulkhead, the lumbering destruction bot loser; Prowl, a stiff, uptight cyberninja dropout; and Sari, the little organic germ infesting them with her contamination. At least when he visited, he also brought Jazz who was a lot more understanding about their choice to stay on the 'organic mudball', as Sentinel put it.
The former drill sergent also liked to take command of the Earth bots when he was around, ordering them around as if they were new cadets in boot camp. Whenever a mission, even a simple one, seemed to go wrong, he always blamed Optimus for his incomptence as a leader. What he didn't realize, and probably never would, was that every mistake made was almost always his own. If he did realize it, he just refused to admit it. The main reason Bumblebee hated when Sentinel came to Earth was because the majority of his insults were always thrown the beetle's way. He'd finally remembered him from his days in boot camp and made sure the scout didn't forget it. Currently, Sentinel had cornered him and was busy doing what he did best: running his mouth.
"You really are nothing but a useless, little bumbler. If you had just listened to orders, we would've had that Decepticon offline!" Bumblebee had already begun tuning out anything that left Sentinel's mouth. The mission had been simple: stop a bank robber. It was a job the Earh Autobots did on a daily basis along with putting out fires, fixing buildings and roads, and fighting the occasional Decepticon. Simple went to complicated fairly quick when Starscream began terrorizing from the skies, firing his null-rays at random vehicles and buildings. Sentinel once again tried to play hero, ordering all the Autobots to fall back and let him take care of it. While the two egomaniacs argued and fought, Optimus had ordered the team into position over their comm. links so as not to be heard.
Things would've worked out better if Sentinel hadn't spotted Bumblebee sneaking around behind Starscream and started yelling at him, throwing around his usual threat of a court martial for disobidience. The seeker, knowing he was surrounded, took to the air, shifted to his alt. mode, and was gone within the space of a astrosecond. Since they'd returned to base, Sentinel had done nothing else but blame Bumblebee for the near complete failure of the mission. At least, they had slowed the thief down long enough for the cops to catch up to them. Sighing, Bumblebee looked past Sentinel to the rest of the gathered Autobots.
Jazz, Prowl, and the Twins were working over some attack and defense strategies. Optimus was sitting at the monitors, though he spared Bumblebee a sympathetic glance. No one could stop Sentinel when he got going except for the Magnus himself. He just wasn't here this time. Bulkhead and Sari were working on an art project. Ratchet was sitting in the tire chair, fiddling with his old war wound again. He wished the blue Prime would shut up soon so he could play some games. So lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice when Sentinel had stopped ranting long enough to realize Bumblebee wasn't paying attention. The resounding CLANG caught the attention of every mech in the room and Sari as well. Prowl's visor darkened in absolute rage.
"Listen when your superior is talking to you!" Sentinel roared as Bumblebee rubbed the side of his helm where his servo had made contact. The gray blunt digits of the Prime had struck his horn a little too hard, and it throbbed with a dull ache. "This is why you could never make it in the Elite Guard. You don't listen to orders or reprimands, you're completely useless, and..."
"That is enough, Sentinel." Surprisingly, it wasn't Optimus who stopped Sentinel's tirade, but Prowl who looked for all the world ready to kill the Elite Guard. The Prime sneered, blue optics narrowing to glare at the dark mech.
"And who are you to question me, ninja-bot?" Prowl walked over to the two, standing beside Bumblebee as he defended him.
"I'm his friend and teammate, and I have known him far longer than you. Just because he did not make it into the Elite Guard does not make him any less valuable." Bumblebee did his best to hide the light blush adorning his faceplates. He appreciated that at least Prowl was willing to try and stop Sentinel from chewing him out and making him feel worthless all over again. The smack to his helm must've certainly pushed the usually reserved mech over the edge.
"Oh? And just how is this walking pile of scrap metal worth anything?" Prowl had to grit his denta to keep from lashing out and saying something he'd regret. Bumblebee took a moment to look over at the rest of the Autobots. Optimus had adopted almost the exact same expression as Prowl, simply for the fact he never liked it when Sentinel put down his team but smacking the young bot had gone over the line. He knew Boss-bot would make sure Sentinel would get a proper chewing out of his own. Jazz had a disapproving scowl while the Jettwins were looking between themselves and the scene before them. Ratchet's optics were as narrowed as the rest of them, but he stayed right where he was. Bulkhead was trying to keep Sari from running over and threatening the Prime with her 'organic infestation'.
"For starters, he cares for his team-mates, unlike some bots I know," Prowl smirked as Sentinel's faceplates darkned in anger, "He's also useful to us in his own way."
"As what? A distraction? Bait?" Bumblebee hated to admit how much that particular comment had stung because it was true. He usually was the distraction, the one who lured the Decepticons into the traps. Maybe Sentinel was right. Maybe that's all he was good for. Prowl sighed, obviously trying not to slag the other bot.
"That, and his speed and size allow him to get to most places other bots can't. Swift and flexible in other words."
"Of course, you'd know about that, ninja-bot." Sentiful huffed, arms crossed over his chassis. Prowl did his best to keep a straight face but a small scowl still managed to cross his faceplates, confusion evident in his visor.
"What are you talking about?" Sentinel made a show of rolling his optics before a slightly evil smirk made its way onto his face. It was unsettling to both Prowl and Bumblebee.
"Oh, come on. The entire base knows the only reason you stick up for the little glitch is because he's your personal interace toy." Every Autobot in the room gasped in shock save for Sari who was absolutely cluelss to the meaning of the word. Bumblebee's faceplates flared a bright, cherry red as he looked away but not before he saw the deep murderous rage written on Prowl's own faceplate. Thinking he had won the arguement, Sentinel let his smirk grow wider, one optic ridge raised. For a moment, silence reigned in the room.
It was broken by another loud CLANG as Prowl shot his leg out, connecting with the Elite Guard's mid-driff. Sentinel doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach. He didn't have time to recover as a black fisted servo slammed into the side of his face, sending him flying into the wall. Sinking down to the floor, he looked back over to Prowl. The cyberninja was still glaring at him with all the fury of Primus himself. His engine revved hard as he panted in a way that displayed his anger at Sentinel. Still disoriented from the impact of hitting the wall, Sentinel looked to others to see that they all wore similar masks of shock and bewilderment. Though in Optimus's case, amusement.
"He is not a toy, and our personal lives are none of your business. Come on, Bumblebee." Wrapping his arm around the yellow bot's shoulders, Prowl led him from the room and down the hall. Once out of sight, Bumblebee turned to the other.
"Thank you." Prowl smiled at him, giving a light peck on the forehead.
"I couldn't just stand there and let him insult you. It wasn't right. And hitting you was just too much. You know you're worth more than that." Bumblebee smiled then brough his servo up to rub his still aching horn. Prowl frowned and grabbed his servo, gently bringing it back down with his own. "It hurts?"
"A little." Bumblebee murmured. A startled gasp left his vocalizer that quickly turned into a delighted mewl when realized what was going on. Prowl had taken the little appendage into his mouth and was now running his glossa over the sensitive metal. It did ease the slight pain. After a klik of Prowl's impromptu remedy, he pulled away and smiled back down at the flushed beetle.
"Feel better?" Bumblebee gave a small nod, dark blue optics hazy as he muttered, 'uh-huh'. Prowl smirked, leading the yellow bot into their room. "Good."
Back in the main room, the others came to gather around Sentinel and offer up their own comments as to how the fight had turned out. It was easy to tell Optimus had quite enjoyed seeing Sentinel be put in his place for once.
"Well, Sentinel, I can't say you didn't deserve it after hitting Bumblebee," Optimus started, smile broadening at the sour expression on Sentinel's face, "And you really shouldn't have brought that into the arguement." Sentinel looked to Jazz for support.
"Aren't you gonna say something?"
"Sorry, SP, but I agree with OP on this one." The blue Prime growled at his commrade's response. He should've known that Jazz would stick up for his cyberninja friend. He quickly turned to his only other support left. The two blue and orange twins standing nearby, waiting for orders.
"Oh, just help me up already."
"Yes, sir, Sentinel Prime sir!" The twins answered in unison, going to their superior's side. They lifted him up with ease, both completely eager to serve their mentor no matter how infruiating or annoying he really was. None of them were prepared for what happened next.
"What's 'interface'?" Sari asked, eyebrow raised in puzzlement. Ratchet, Optimus, Jazz, and Bulkhead all nearly crashed their CPU's at the eight-year old's question. Her confusion increased at the dark blush that decorated all faceplates including Ratchet's. There was no way in the Pit they were ready to explain that particular subject to a sparkling. Optimus turned on the other, optics blazing at the bot he had once considered his friend.
"SENTINEL!!!"
