Summary: Bumblebee was never a mech of many words. Typically, due to force. But his new human partner had a way of drawing the things he needed to say right out of him. One way or another. Though he never minded. How did it come to this?

Characters: Bumblebee x OC, Ratchet, Optimus

Rating: M for adult themes, language, and possible violence

WARNING: possible triggers or subjects not subtly mentioned. READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.

Author's Note: I own nothing. All credit goes to the respective owners. I was a planning on making this a two-parter. Please feel free to check out my other stories and to fav, review and follow. No rudeness will be tolerated. Please enjoy. Thank you.

Sweet Golden Honey

"Promise me, Bee. Promise one day, you'll come back for me and take me there. You will be with me in that place, under the stars playing our song on your stereo. Please Bumblebee…promise."

Looking back now it seemed so long ago. Bumblebee could remember her face so clearly even when he hadn't seen her for so long. He remembered the sound of her voice. The way she would shake her hips when she swayed to their song. The long, thick dark hair that would fly around her when she spun. The way her body curved in that sweet nifty fifties style yellow and black dress she wore. But he could never forget the way her face looked with that sad expression on her face. It was so unfair how different the two of them were. How far apart their worlds were.

It didn't take him long to realize that she was the one he wanted the most. Deep in his spark he knew he would pay for it later, but he made the decision anyway. Cybertronian lives were greatly longer than a humans'. But even though the memory had become just that, he wouldn't change a thing. He couldn't help but smile when he thought about how she worded it. In that moment when she finally came to the same conclusion in her own heart.

"Even if I had a million chances to do it all over again. I would still choose you every single time. Without a second of hesitation. I want you to know that much if nothing else."

It had started back when he first arrived to Earth. Before he had any chance to meet up with Optimus Prime and Ratchet after splitting up to look for more followers, he was attacked by a group of Vehicons. Bumblebee had always been a skilled fighter, but experience still had a few years of a head start on him. He managed to win despite the fact that they had outnumbered him 8 to 1. The unfortunate part was that he had walked away with more than a couple scratches. Eventually Bumblebee found himself sitting in a junkyard after dark trying to hang on until he could get a hold of his friends to come get him. At this point it had been such a long day the teenager part of him just wanted to power down, but the scout in him knew better. So, he stayed awake and waited. And waited. And waited.

According to his new clock, it was around 3:50 in the morning but he could suddenly hear voices talking. They were getting closer. Suddenly a girl had jumped down from on top a high pile of trash and scrap metal he had been leaning against. It didn't take her long to get her bearings. For some reason she started to look around until finally she turned around- right in Bumblebee's direction. She stared at him with such a curious expression. Her face was long but rounded with thin curved lips. She had almond shaped green eyes. Around her eyes was a dark glittered eyeshadow that shimmered under the dull light of the full moon. Even under these circumstances, Bumblebee's optics could make her out perfectly.

"Well, what do we have here", she questioned in a curious tone.

It was at this time, that two young men jumped down from where she had originally come from, landing on either side of her. One was tall with a heavy muscular build to him. He had short clean-cut hair that he combed back slick. He wore a muscle shirt with black jeans and heavy steal toed work boots. The other wore a dark red hoodie that said, 'Drop Dead Dangerous' with black jeans and red sneaker shoes.

"Woah, check it out! It's a Pacific Rim reject", the hooded one shouted before he received an elbow to the gut by the girl.

"Shut up, asshole." She focused on his face once more. With his vocal processor still replaced by a temporary noise maker of a voice box he wasn't sure if he could communicate with her. He tried anyway. He wanted to try more than anything. Through the beeps and boops he spoke to her. Can you help me? I'm lost and injured.

"Oh no, you poor thing. Your hurt", she reached out with her hand as she walked over to him. Putting her hand on his leg she waited for him to respond. Another couple of sounds managed to escape him that she understood to be, It's just a minor thing I'm sure. But I need to get a hold of my friends. I have this message that's says they are here on Earth. But I haven't been able to get a hold of anyone yet.

"Oh, I see. Well we can't just leave you here alone. Don't you worry big guy. We'll get you all patched up. I promise, I'll take care of you. Somehow…" Bee watched as her face seemed to become stiff as her eyes became endless in thought. I felt he could become lost in them.

"Seriously? You can understand that series of noise?" The dark haired one asked.

"What? Can't you Logan", she asked him back.

"No, I fucking can't. What exactly is your plan?"

"I think she's gonna keep it! Like a pet or slave or something. Totally kick ass", the hooded one exclaimed eagerly with a slight hint of sarcasm. Bumblebee didn't like this one - he talked too much.

"HIM,Will. Our new friend is a male. I would tell you to look down for an example but there's nothing on you to examine for reference", she snapped back with her fists on her hips. Obviously trying her damnedest not to hit him again like before. Bumblebee watched them as he came to the conclusion that this was a regular thing for them.

The guy name 'Will' proceeded to exchange looks with Logan. He opened his mouth as though he was going to speak again before Logan interrupted him.

"Forget it, she'll just make you regret it. You have never been able to win against her so just cut your losses now dude." Logan ended the conversation with a more irritated look on his face on his face than she had.

Bumblebee watched as the three exchanged small quirks and glances. Most of the time the girl kept her eyes on Bumblebee. When the guys got tired of being dissed or nagged at they turned and hopped into some cars that were still in one piece with the back seats intact. She demanded to know what they thought they were doing but the men only argued that they were tired. Logan being the only one to claim he would help do his best to fix bee after the sun came up. Logan made the point that it was dark, and Bumblebee had nowhere else to go.

She sat with Bumblebee as she turned on a small compact device with a light up screen. Bumblebee pointed to it. What is that?

"It's a music player. You put songs on it and you can listen to them as long as the battery lasts…and if you have headphones. She brought her hand up with the device as she plugged the small cord things that Bumblebee could only assume were the 'headphones' into her ears. He watched as she began to nod her head as she started moving her mouth. Is there a way for me to hear too?

"Maybe when I'm able to get a connecter and a speaker." She responded without looking up at him. "Don't worry, I'll make it happen sooner or later. But I'm not promising you'll like the result." Sooner rather than later Bumblebee discovered that this was one of her catchphrases. Although to this day, he doubted very much that she ever knew how often she said it up to the very end.

Before they could continue their conversation, Logan yelled to her from across the yard about rest being necessary. After this, she looked up at him with a smirk as she brought her index finer up over her lips in a hushing motion. Signifying that she wanted to be fair to her teammate. At least Bumblebee found himself hoping Logan was just a teammate.

The next morning, Logan had spent a large amount of time looking at Bumblebee from head to toe. It was a new experience for Bumblebee considering he had never had his health left to the hands of someone who had so little experience with cybertronian biology. Although he did feel a little better since she had been there to tell Logan when he had been in pain or uncomfortable. However, it didn't stop him from getting on his com and trying to get ahold of his friends. Eventually, Logan was able to cover Bumblebee's wounds to keep the energon fluid from leaking out. Luckily it had been a minor leak, but Bee felt bad he had not caught it the night before. After everything was said and done, Bumblebee needed a way to cheer up. He had remembered Optimus mentioning that an earth vehicle form was going to be a high priority to blend in on the planet. Just when he was about to inform her of his mission she had showed him a pile of canned wax and a buffer.

"You've been through a lot in one weekend baby, so I thought I would give this a shot. Figured it would be the closest to giving you a massage", she held up a can as she gave an embarrassed smile along with her explaintion. She was just so sweet, Bumblebee couldn't say no.

It was silent except for the sound of the buffer on his body. She had one earphone in her left ear with the music on real low as she hummed to the song playing. He never had to ask what the song was since she sang the actual title; Build Me Up, Buttercup. It hadn't taken long for her to express her love for oldies music. 'Classics never die', she had exclaimed as she had browsed through the songs. Bumblebee was sitting down as she started with his left leg. He watched with focused eyes as she moved the buffer, taking the time to glance up at him to see his face. He wanted to say something to her but settled for letting her concentrate. Mainly because he couldn't think of anything to say. Even so, he was so curious about her. He wanted to know her since she seemed to understand him so well. Bee had been snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed she was starting to move closer to his pelvic platting. Only Primus knows why, but he opened his legs wide to her. This made her turn a deep shade of red and turn her back to him as she turned off the buffer.

Now it was Bee's turn to be embarrassed. He closed his legs as he spoke trying to sooth her. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend. The beeps and boops were slightly higher pitched. It was how she knew he was being sincere. She turned back to face him slowly. He watched her hand come up to push a lock of hair behind her ear. He waited as she bit her bottom lip. Bee would later come to know this as something she did when she wanted something but was afraid to ask. Even then, it was one of the cutest things he had seen her do.

"It was my fault, I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have reacted that way. Aliens being male doesn't mean that human culture holds the same value in that aspect. I can do that spot if you're comfortable with me." She looked up into his eyes through her lashes, her face still a tinged red.

Primus, she was so adorable. He thought for a moment before answering. I don't mind. He mentally had to slap himself for being a perv. But honestly, he didn't know anything about human culture. And Cybertonian or not, what man would turn down the opportunity to receive a touch from a pretty female that was willing?

He watched as her hand came up to remove the earphone before she finally responded, "Fine but you have to tell me as soon as you want me to stop."

The look on her face had suddenly became so serious and her eyes stared deep into his optics looking for something. Without even thinking about it, he nodded his head in understanding. Her personality, her voice, even her touch was so intense after that exchange. At least, the thought coming over him was that it had been because of what happened. In the back of his mind he did wonder- for a moment. As she came up with the buffer on his platting, he subconsciously lowered himself to lay on his back. He shut off his optics to bask in the feel of the intensity. Allowing it to overcome his sensors. Not knowing that at some point Will had came and given her a cable. She had stopped her ministrations long enough to connect her player into a nearby speaker that Logan had repaired for kicks. Bumblebee didn't know the song. But he came to know the instrument used for the intro- a saxophone. It had so much soul. At least that was something he always used to hear her confess as she just sat and listened to the piece every time. Daydreaming to its alluring vibration. After she had finished buffing him, somehow, he felt so dirty. So why did he feel so satisfied? Why?

It was just under a week before Bumblebee was finally able to talk to Optimus and Ratchet. He had just gotten back from picking a vehicle mode for his mission only to find that his friends had been waiting for him at the junk yard. It was a short conversation. He was ordered to return to the secret base of Jasper, Nevada- without her. Bee was normally such a good scout and soldier. But leaving her behind was hard. The whole time he had been stuck here, she was the one who was with him at all times. She even took to matching her outfits to his paint job just for fun. For Primus sake, she even picked his vehicle mode. Luckily her taste ranges a long way, or he might have chosen something he would have liked but that wouldn't have made her notice him. It surprised him how much that meant to him. What surprised him more was how in that time, he had come to know her story. She was alone in the world apart from Will and Logan. They had become a mercenary squad who took any and every job they could get their hands on, with her being the one who kept the two from killing each other. The night they met, being because the group had been looking for a place to sleep until they got their next job.

Optimus couldn't know that about her. It was against their code to harm humans; that much having already been decided in Bee's absence. Never the less, Bumblebee questioned the decision to leave her behind. It resulted in a lecture from Ratchet. A harsh one. Unfortunately, there was one thing Bumblebee had overlooked. Aside from the mission, from the fact they were now a government secret, or even from the fact that he had no real reason to take her with them. Bumblebee had never asked her if she even wanted to go with him. Rookie mistake. One that costed him another lecture and a couple dents to his leg from Logan. He was always so protective of her, Bee couldn't be mad at her reaction. Even if it was a tad over the top.

"I want to go! No matter what, I want to go!" She had yelled.

It took him aback how she had not hesitated to give an answer before Bee could correct his mistake. Or how quick Logan was to protest. A huge fight erupted between the two friends. Just when Logan seamed to be losing his temper, he grabbed her by her blouse. It was only a second, but it almost looked as though Logan had planned to hit her. Bee rushed to intervene. He knew nothing could take back such an action. He knew, the inability to make up after a fight would devastate her. However, Bee had been wrong. Logan never struck her. Not physically. Instead, he gave her a kiss. A sweet, long kiss. Bumblebee had witnessed something shimmering in the sun as he watched with wide optics. Logan had been so hasty to do something that he had kissed her just to keep her from seeing his tears of regret and pain.

Naturally Will had to kiss her goodbye as well. The last words between them being soft 'I love you's. Logan hadn't said a word before running from her grasp and jumping on a motorbike he had rebuilt to almost perfect condition. It still looked kinda crappy, but only because it hadn't been painted. Luckily, Logan had also replaced an engine in a junk car under the same circumstances. It had gone faster since he had asked Bee to do all the lifting for him. Bee had felt appreciated with the little time they had together. Bumblebee had seen him sleep almost a total of ten hours the whole damn week and drinking the times he wasn't working. It was unfortunate they couldn't become friends. At least that was what he thought as he watched Will drive off behind him. Even if they were weird, they had been good to him. And he had seen them be extra good to her. In the end, Optimus had no choice but to let Bumblebee take her with them. And while he never dared mention it, Bee had realized that they outburst Logan expressed was on purpose. Deep down, Bee knew that she was aware of it too. She never would have really left them, if their goodbye had been quiet. Her heart wouldn't have let her. And if given the choice, Bee doubted he would have let her if that had been the case.

One thing Bumblebee had to give her credit for was the way she hid her worries from the world. As they drove back from New Mexico to Nevada, she blasted his radio with her music. All of them had been jumpy, optimistic songs. The one she kept hitting the replay button on had been Cool Rider from the soundtrack of some movie she kept referencing when she wanted to sound cool. Although even Bee had to admit that it was kind of fun. He even found himself driving faster to the beat of the song as she sang her heart out to the lyrics. Feeling the song deep in his spark and shaking his interior at the seams. For her sake, he ignored the problem with her. He would let her cry her eyes out as soon as she settled into her new home. While they were alone on the road.

Cliffjumper was the first one to take an immediate liking to her as soon as Bee had brought her around. They often went for high speed drives in the middle of nowhere just to have something to do while blasting some of his new favorite Earth songs. For some reason his type of music had become rock n roll. Arcee was not impressed. Especially when they came into base blasting AC/DC's Highway to Hell. Arcee claimed it was going to jinx the team. Bumblebee waved her off as he took his new partner to get settled. Optimus took the time to brief everyone on the changes that would happen and the conditions of living on Earth. As Bumblebee listened he felt that his world would never be the same. Part of him even felt scared. Luckily, he had her sitting on his lap, rubbing her hand along the metal exterior as they listened together. Because of this, he remembered he wasn't alone.

It took some time, but eventually the new duo became extremely compatible. The way they synced together was so natural, it made Bee love every second he spent with her. The only thing that had made it difficult for their new relationship was her willingness to kill. Optimus had made it very clear that Autobots don't harm humans. But she insisted that she had no obligation to helping (or sparing) those who greatly endanger the innocent. While it caused some conflict of interest on the team, Optimus did try to teach her instead of forcing her out. After all, as the wisest of them all, Optimus had the most influence on her; even if she didn't care to admit it aloud. Bee wanted to think that Prime also understood that she wasn't a bad person, just an ex-mercenary. That being said- Bumblebee truly believed she saw him as a father figure as well as a leader. It was almost the same when it came to Rachet. Due to the good doctor's crude stature she had taken to learning Cybertronian biology under him. They were like fire and oil. Totally wrong for each other but it was still a combination. It didn't matter how many times Ratchet tried to get rid of her, she remained. Day in and day out she focused on her goal. She learned fast; almost desperately. The memory of those days when she would force herself to fight the need for sleep made Bee realize how much she must have loved him even back then.

He was grateful. He loved her too after all. Although to describe that love took a bit more practice with every language there ever was… just to find the words. It was deep their love. It was like having a best friend, a companion, a lover, and another irreplaceable half all in one form. Someone you could live without but who made you want to live for them instead. Someone who gave you more strength but who never let you forget your failures. Someone who made you vulnerable. It was unlike anything Bumblebee had ever heard in stories back home. It was also frustrating since there was such a large physical barrier between the two. If Bee was honest with himself, it rarely ever stopped them. He missed her so much now. He missed being the foolish scout that held a tiny dancer in the palm of his hand who in turn held every bolt to his spark.

What had it meant to feel that love? How far did they intend it to go? Why hadn't he left her when he had the chance? Why did she have to be the one to say it first?

"Baby Bee, I love you so."

No hesitation. No denial. Then she kissed him. Granted he was in his vehicle form at the time, but he still felt the jolt of energy rush his system entirely. Even in his robotic form, he kept his mask up. Unable to bring himself to kiss her back directly. It just didn't feel right at the time. Something about the way she would say it seemed playful, almost, with a child like innocence. He questioned if she knew what she was saying to him. Or if she even cared how it affected him. Part of him didn't care, he just wanted to be the same size as her, so he could hold her in his arms. Without fear of harming her. He promised himself over and over hat if he ever got the chance he would never let her go.

They sat on the cliff on cold Nevada night. Bumblebee blasted their song on the radio. A song of devotion and sweetness. Bring It on Home to Me by Sam Cooke. She would sing every word as loud and focused as she could. She sang for him. Oh, those days he wished to sing back to her. He wanted to tell her everything. His new voice box aloud him to speak; just not the way he wanted. Somehow it was more painful than the moment Megatron had taken his voice from him. And although she would never say it aloud, it hurt her too. Although she tried to hide it from him with all her strength, it was seen most whenever she got sick. When her throat was sore, and she could barley speak above a whisper. She tried to hide. Primus, she tried so hard to stay away from Bee. But he would always come to her bedside anyway. And late at night when she thought he had shut down to recharge, he would hear her. Hear her crying quietly into her pillow while she dreamed through the night. She would whisper apologies to him, hoping she would still be useful to him as a translator- as a friend- hoping he would still be there in the morning. Th next day despite her puffy eyes, she denied dreaming anything at all. Eventually Bumblebee knew better than to pry. It didn't take long for Bumblebee to get an idea of the kinds of things she had been through. If he could have, he would have cried with her. But she almost never did in front of him. The few times she did, they were usually tears of rage. But every once and a while she would cry out of sadness.

Then there were the missions. Some missions were simple scouting ones. Others were much darker. Once they had been asked to help in a search of kidnappings that may have involved Cybertronian tech. No tech was found but the victims had been barely alive. What few were alive anyway. Some were left hanging from the ceiling to bleed out after being skinned or beaten. Some were poisoned and given the antidote as many times as their bodies would allow- the effects of which were logged in a journal. A group had been tied arm in arm as the guilty party forced them to watch each other preform certain acts against their will. As for the children, Bumblebee did not have the misfortune of seeing what became of them. But she had. After getting away from him, she had dealt with the group. After an intense investigation, it was discovered to be massive event with no true motive. All the victims had been of a certain racial, religious or mindset (harmless civil rights activists and cultural idealists). The members of the group had all been accounted for- every one of them in body bags. Neither she nor Bumblebee ever told Agent Fowler or Optimus what had happened. And based on what Bee knew, he hoped he never had to see that side of her. The side that was even darker than what she had shown on that day. She never told him anything and he never asked.

Despite all that, he accepted her. The only ones to do this, at least from what she eventually told Bee, was Will and Logan. It was a large responsibility. Such a fucking mess it was almost impossible to believe it worked both ways. Everything they did was either a test of character or a little thing made special by all the peace o the moment. Between fighting the Decepticons, training to be stronger, being a scout, or trying to make do with the hand fate dealt the team, their relationship would only get more complicated once a secret government organization learned of the Autobots. As if there wasn't already a hard life. It was the one other time Bee had seen her cry. When they tried to take him away from her. He would never forget that moment for another reason; it was the first time.

The beginning of the story was hers. Bee could replay it in his head clearly. She was a child taken from her home in a nameless village. Forced into a government funded project to create the ultimate bio-weapon. Once marked as a survivor, she was then forced to fight her own kind in death matches. Including her younger brother. That was also where she met Will and Logan. One was another survivor and the other was a rogue soldier. The three became a deadly team. Mixing speed, stealth, and explosives with power, the team had taken down one big name after another in a long line of bounty hunting and mercenary kills. Sometimes bad for money. Sometimes good. But never again to be prisoners either way.

When the organization found out about how she had teamed up with giant alien robots that could transform into vehicles, it was no question if they were going to target them. In a strange way, it was something Bumblebee had been grateful for. They had found out what they meant to each other that way. When they did come for her, she ran away into the Nevada night leaving nothing but a note behind. She had written that her battle was not Bumblebee's or anyone else's but her own and that she hoped they would see each other again sooner or later. Sooner came before later when Bee drove from the base after her. She had managed to get further than he expected considering she started off on foot. By the time he reached her, she was almost to the boarder to Arizona. Even when Bee caught up to her she tried to make a run for it. He got so frustrated he just lost it and the two of them wound up in a shouting match.

"Just what do you think you're trying to do?! Taking off in the middle of the night like that!"

"There's a sale at Hottopic- buy one get three free. What do you think?! I'm trying to keep those freaks from finding you guys!"

"And just what exactly was your plan? Just leave and not even bother to ask for help."

"I don't want help; can't you understand that?!"

"So, you're just going to leave without so much as a goodbye or explanation?!"

"I did explain what needed to be in my letter. Don't pretend you didn't see it."

"Just because I saw it doesn't mean shit. If you really wanted to leave you would have done it with everyone watching your backside go out the door."

"Don't talk to me about what I want! You have no idea what I want! If you did, you never would have come after me!"

"How was I going to stay there knowing you were doing something stupid that could get you killed?"

"That's the pot calling the kettle black! Fuck you."

"Fuck you too."

They went back and forth like that for about an hour. It was a miracle they hadn't resorted to name calling. It was always ugly when they got to that point. By this time Bee was driving back to base with his windows down while she sat in the driver's seat. The only reason their shout-off ended with Bumblebee as the winner was because he had thrown her in his front seat and strapped her down with the seatbelt as he stormed back on foot to cool off. He finally transformed into his vehicle mode when storm clouds started to roll in. She struggled for most of the drive back but fell asleep by the time dawn rolled around. The harsh claps of thunder mixed with the flash of lightning having lulled her to sleep. The rain never came. Once they were at the base, Bumblebee was the one who spoke to Optimus about what was going on. The team didn't know what could be done. However, Optimus did assure her that they would handle it together. She continued to shut down their help refusing to take any support. She didn't even look at Bee once. Optimus decided to speak with her in private. Once they talked for a good three hours, they returned. She no longer had a desire to handle it alone. Bumblebee never pressed her to find out what happened, he was just glad that she would finally stop shutting everyone out.

While she and Bumblebee tried to move on from it, he could tell she wasn't feeling much better. He started taking her on longer drives. Eventually they started finding secret spots overlooking the Nevada canyons. They would go there and just sit while Bumblebee would blast some of her favorite songs on his radio. She would relax with a blanket and pizza on his hood as she hummed or sang along. It seemed to be the only time they could pretend there was nothing else in the world but each other. Then, suddenly, the decepticons just stopped everything. No more random ambushes, no more raids on mines, just silence everywhere. Despite that, team Prime had no time to rest. Per Optimus's orders, they kicked their training in to high gear.

Of course, they should have realized there would be unforeseen consequences. One of them being the day Bumblebee almost lost her forever. He lost her anyway. But thinking about it now, it was okay the way it happened. He still kept his promise. He still loved her. Even now.