Warning: angst, drama, slight violence, and spark bonding
Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers Prime, it belongs to Hasbro.
This is tied into my "Three Little Words" universe, though it take place before the whole mess and it's about Barricade and Bumblebee and what I think would happen if Barricade found out Bumblebee killed Skyquake.
...
Betrayed
...
Lighting cracked across the ominous and dark purple thunderheads above the desert canyon.
Bumblebee drove through the canyon in his vehicle mode, as the thunder boomed through the rocky walls. It kept a less likely chance of the Cons finding him, but to be honest, he really didn't care.
He just...needed to get out of the base, and go see someone.
Well...what was left of them.
The gold mech screeched to a stop and then transformed to his bi-pedal mode, when he saw the familiar grave he and Optimus had created for a Decepticon warrior he had killed months ago. And had only found out a week ago, that the mech he had killed was his bond-mate's father.
He found out when Barricade had come to him, crying his optics out about his father Skyquake being killed, and it had broken Bumblebee's spark to see his mate like that. So much pain and anger...all directed unintentionally at him, the one who killed him.
None of the Decepticons knew this, except for two, Soundwave and Starscream.
Bumblebee felt...guilty. In fact, he never really intended to kill Skyquake, he had only wanted to ground him, to put him on equal level with him and Optimus, so they could keep him at bay until he retreated. But he had killed him.
He had killed his mate's father, and had hurt him. It had been the last thing he had ever wanted to do. In fact, he never wanted Barricade to be in pain.
But what could he do? He couldn't take back what he had done. He would, if he could, but it was impossible.
He stood in front of the burial, twiddling his fingers nervously.
Unbeknownst to him, Bumblebee wasn't alone and was being watched.
...
One of the Decepticons was in hiding. The Nemesis had traced a faint Autobot signal and the cons had sent one of their own out to investigate.
Barricade was down there somewhere, watching. He slowly crept down, curious as to what his mate was doing, and hoping to surprise him a little. It was rare that he was sent on a mission alone without back-up and he was happy to have this chance.
...
Bumblebee finally took a deep intake.
"Ah, hey there Skyquake," he whistled, "H-how've ya been? Good?"
No answer. But that should be expected. He was talking to a dead mech after all.
"Yeah, me too. Um, listen, eh...just so you know, your family really misses you right now. They...they need you here, but unfortunately you're not..." Bumblebee rubbed the back of his helm.
It felt...wrong talking to the mech he had killed about his family. It was his fault to begin with, slaggit! And here he was making a mockery of it, by talking to a dead mech he had killed.
"Uh...listen, I promise to take good care of Barri. He's in pain right now, and I just hope I can help him get through this. But Breakdown, I noticed how depressed he's been. He doesn't try to pick fights with Bulkhead as much as he used to. Dirge is just gloomy now, like he's very deeply depressed. I can see it a lot when he fights. Starscream flips out a lot because of it. And Obsidian...Ratchet tells me he's still in shock, and is trying hard to cope..." Bumblebee looked away, off-lining his optics.
Primus, what was wrong with him? It was one thing to talk with a comrade who died, but to talk to the enemy...it was just...he couldn't describe it. He reached up and held his arm to his side.
He buzzed, "I'm...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry about all this. I didn't...I didn't know you had a family Skyquake. Otherwise I...No, no I don't deserve your forgiveness. I don't deserve your family's forgiveness! But...if you're out there somewhere...listening..."
He didn't hear the mech coming up behind him, smiling and happy to see him, ready to surprise him and hug him close.
"I'm sorry I killed you."
The entire world went still. Bumblebee let his wings droop and his head was bowed, as he felt rain drops begin to fall from the sky and on to his armor. The sky lit up, engulfing the landscape.
"...Bee..."
Bumblebee stiffened when he heard his name spoken. He shook, as he turned to face the owner of that voice, and his blue optics widened.
"...'Cade," he whirred, "H-how much did you...?"
The small tremble of Barricade's lips silence him, as blue energon tears leaked from his beautiful, violet optics.
"You..." he backed away when Bee tried to reach up and caress his arm, "You...killed Daddy..."
Bumblebee gave his mate a sad look, "I...let me explain..."
"YOU MONSTER!" Barricade suddenly shrieked, his energon blades out, "YOU COLD SPARKLESS MONSTER!"
His beautiful silver face plates twisted in anger, vengeance and pain.
"How dare you deceive me in such a manner! You killed my father, you killed my mother's love, and now, you destroy my spark within its casing, you murderer!" he wailed all these things, as his swiped his blades at his opponent. Bumblebee dodged, and blocked.
He knew all of Barricade's moves from their old battles, and their spark merges. He understood how his mate worked, and he defended himself, without actually laying a hand on him.
"Barri! Barri listen to me! Please, I...I didn't..." Bumblebee let out a high pitched whistle and ducked.
"Liar! Deceiver! Murderer!" Barricade wailed out, "Did you bond with me, just for fun? Did you enjoy seeing me and my family suffer when we lost my father?"
"NO! How could I enjoy seeing another mech off-lined?"
"BECAUSE YOU'RE AN AUTOBOT!" Barricade shrieked, aiming for Bee's face. Bumblebee yelled, and ducked, "You all think Decepticons are murderers who think hurting and killing others is fun!" He aimed to punch, "And that the only good Decepticon is a dead one!"
Bumblebee had never seen his bond-mate so angry. He had never seen so much animosity, anger and agony before within those purple optics. And it only made Bumblebee want to hold him, kiss him, and tell him everything was all right. He just wanted to show Barricade he loved him.
Wanted desperately to be the one to hold him and comfort him, from the pain. But how was it possible to comfort the pain that you caused to someone you loved?
Bumblebee buzzed in frustration, before changing his hands to blasters, and aiming them straight at Barricade.
Barricade froze, glaring into the gun.
"Don't make me do this," he whispered softly, "I...I don't want to hurt you Barricade."
"You've already hurt me!"
"I didn't mean to! Skyquake attacked us first!"
"Bullshit!" Barricade spat, using a human term he had picked up on the internet.
Bumblebee buzzed angrily, "I'm not lying."
Barricade stared at Bumblebee a moment. The atmosphere was tense between the two mechs. Then, the black, purple and silver con lowered his blades, still giving Bumblebee a dirty look, as he did so.
"How do I know you're not lying to me, Bumblebee?" he whispered, hoarsely, "How the slag do I know that this isn't a trick to get me deactivated?"
"You're my bond-mate, slaggit," Bumblebee snapped back.
"The bond's only done halfway, idiot, remember?" Barricade hissed, venom lacing itself into every word, "We spark merge, yes, but our sparks aren't connected, because you insisted it would be safer that way, due to the war!"
Bumblebee stood there shaking a moment. He'd always thought of Barricade as his mate, despite the incomplete bond, but being reminded of that...it hurt.
He lowered his blaster.
"Kill me..." Bee whispered softly.
Barricade froze.
"...what?"
"Kill me. If you hate me so much, then kill me Barri. I deserve it, for taking your father from you," he buzzed softly, transforming his blasters back into hands.
The Decepticon stood there, staring at Bumblebee with wide, shocked purple optics. His father's murderer was asking for death, asking to be deactivated by him and have his deactivated body buried somewhere?
Barricade stared at Bumblebee further, before he shook his helm.
"Do it. It's what you want, isn't it?" Bumblebee softly whistled.
Barricade backed a step, shaking his helm in disbelief.
Bumblebee looked up, before he took a step forwards, "Why? Why are you rejecting the chance to take out your revenge on me, hmm? Why are you only prolonging it, hmm? Sooner or later your older brothers or your mother will kill me if they find out! So why not just take it now, and save us all the trouble of hunting me down?"
"B-because...because..." the young Decepticon gulped, feeling the anger clearing slowly from his processor, and he was thinking a bit more clearly now. And it slowly seeped into Bumblebee.
"Because what? Because you want to kill me in battle the honorable way? That right there is slag in itself, I know that if your mother had the chance like you do now, he'd take it! As would Dirge and Obsidian or anyone else who was related to Skyquake! You know it, so why stall it? I'm right here, willingly offering it!"
As he buzzed, beeped and whistled angrily, Bumblebee kept walking towards Barricade, causing the mech to back away until his back hit the rock wall of the canyon. Bumblebee slammed his hands on either side of Barricade's helm, optics narrowed, and keeping his from looking away.
Barricade stood there frozen, and they were so close, he could feel Bee's intakes against his face plates. He had never, in all his existence, seen the yellow camaro so angry before. In fact, it almost scared him.
He looked straight at his lover in uncertainty and sadness, "I...can't..." he whispered, wishing the rock wall would swallow him up and get him away from this mech.
"Why?" the reply was sharp and angry.
Barricade looked away, turning his helm to the other direction, "...b-because...I...I just can't..."
Bumblebee snorted, "Avenge your father Barricade! COME ON!" he slammed his shoulders back into the harsh surface in emphasis, "YOU WON'T GET ANOTHER CHANCE LIKE THIS! SO WHY PROLONG THE INEVITABLE?"
"Please...don't make me..." Barricade yelled, as Bumblebee kept his firm grip on the Decepticon's shoulders and giving him a hard shake. .
"Why don't you just kill me? You and your family will be able to move on, once I'm gone! So why the hesitation?" He buzzed angrily.
Barricade's lower lip trembled, before he whimpered, "Be-because...I...I..." he gulped, and for moment, looked up at the sky, as if trying to pluck a thought from up there, before he bowed his helm.
Bumblebee shuttered his optics, trying to clear his head, all rage from earlier disappearing. And as he watched Barricade, the black, silver and purple mech trembled, as energon tears slid further down his cheeks. He covered his optics, and tried to hide his pain from Bumblebee.
But there was no use to cover up the pain, if the one before you already saw it.
And when Bee did see it, the raw emotional dismay in Barricade's purple optics, he had the same feeling of wanting to make it all go away return through his angry haze.
He smoothed his hands up Barricade's arms and took his slightly smaller hands in his, and pulled them away from his face. The Decepticon didn't look up at him.
At least, not until he heard a familiar click and small hiss of air. He looked up slowly, and gasped when Bumblebee kissed him.
The grip on his hands tightened slightly, keeping him from reaching up to push him away.
Barricade whimpered, but he surprised himself by returning the kiss being bestowed on him. When he started to weakly pull away, Bumblebee released one of his hands and then used the free one to grab the back of his helm and hold him in place. Despite his arm being free, Barricade did not push him away.
He used his free arm to pull Bumblebee closer. A glossa pressed to his bottom lip, asking for entry. He gave it slowly, and shyly, like their first kiss, all those years ago. Tracing the pallid white cheek, Bumblebee nuzzled him, and purred softly.
The rain fell harder against their metal armor, as Bumblebee caressed Barricade's face plates. He silent begged for forgiveness from his lover. He wanted Barricade to understand that he regretted the murder of his father, Skyquake, how much guilt weighed down on his spark every time he remembered the death and wanted to go back and redo it if he could. How much he loved the mech and would do anything for him and how sorry he was that he had hurt Barricade, the love of his life.
He started peppering kisses along Barricade's face plates, when their lips separated. He placed his black servo over the younger mech's chest plating. He felt the soft pulsing of the Decepticon's spark beneath the plating. A sudden need surged through him as he looked at the mech beneath him. Maybe he could make his lover understand by fully bonding with him.
The black, purple and white groundling mech stared at Bumblebee numbly, like he was lost somewhere within his own body. He looked at the golden and black mech, as the rain began to mix with the light blue tears from his optics. They looked at each other, the yellow mech silently asking the mech beneath him permission.
Barricade gave a nod of confirmation. At this point, he was beyond caring. He just wanted to get lost and forget everything in favor of being with the mech holding him close.
Bumblebee's own chest plates shifted and opened, revealing a spark of pure white, like a lovely star surrounded in a casing of midnight black. The con soon followed, revealing a blue spark that looked like the daytime sky, and glittering softly.
The golden mech leaned forwards, bringing their sparklings together. Barricade tensed, and his entire body made an angry arch, as every emotion in Bumblebee's soul flooded through his being like a tidal wave. He trembled against the golden mech, as their sparks merged together.
But before he could even form the detachment to keep the bond from becoming permanent, the mech above him immediately obliterated them, and saw everything: from the time he was a sparkling to his adulthood and he was on Earth. He gasped, as Bumblebee showed all his remorse and sadness from the face he had killed his father-in-law, Barricade's father, Skyquake and much worse it had become as he saw the pain he was in.
And then, something warm, soft, gentle, sad yet happy and calming swirled around, stronger than the negative emotions: love.
His spark began beating in tune with the one merged with it. It felt like they were entirely united, like they were completely one when merged together. A hand cupped the back of Barricade's helm, and kisses caressed his neck and cheek.
Above him, Bumblebee trembled, as a connection began to form between them. One that indicated a spark bond forming.
The darker mech moved his hands from the yellow mech's shoulders and moved them to the silver face plates and looked into the large blue optics that looked at him, the raindrops forming small patterns in the light of their sparks.
Caressing the silver face plates, Barricade sighed and shuddered, as they completed the bond between their sparks. Then he gave a small smile and pulled his lover down for a kiss. They both laid there together looking at each other. It seemed like all emotions before had disappeared.
"Forgive me….forgive me Barri…I love you, a soft voice whispered over their spark connection.
There was a moment of silence, save for the rapid beating of their merged sparks.
"…I forgive you Bumblebee…"
A kiss from two sets of trembling lips led to the two mechs overloading from the energy feedback of their sparks together and the words spoken over their bond became engraved in their souls.
The stayed there, wrapped in each other's arms for hours and in that time the world around them was gone and all they had were each other.
If they could get through this, they could get through anything. Nothing else mattered now.
...
Review please.