.
Warning: Contains mild spoilers from Bumblebee (2018).
Note: This oneshot includes small references to Blessing In Disguise and Lost and Found, but can easily be read on its own. It isn't set at a specific point in the movie's timeline and doesn't affect its major elements in any way.
Disclaimer: I do not own this movie, nor any other adaptation or character from the Transformers franchise.
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I can finally see
that you're right there beside me
I am not my own
for I have been made new
Please don't let me go
I desperately need you. - Owl City
-o-
Charlie breathed in deeply, taking in the fresh air with bliss.
Dry leaves and twigs crunched under her boots as she made her way at random over a fallen tree, then across a trench. Around her, branches rustled in the wind as the thinner stems swayed, casting undulating shadows at her feet. The intermittent rattles of a woodpecker could be heard echoing faintly down a nearby trail, and she sighed contentedly.
Even though she had lived by the sea her whole life, the forest remained her favorite place. It was where she went whenever she needed to think, or simply wanted to go for a walk. She had always loved the outdoors in general, but to her, there was just something incredibly relaxing and nice about this type of environment in particular. The sounds, the smells... she could literally get lost in it for hours and still be in no hurry to find a way out.
A few steps behind, Bumblebee walked at a leisurely pace, easily keeping up with her.
It was a rather dull and cloudy day, and for lack of anything better to do, Charlie had suggested going back to the woods for another quiet stroll.
There were only so many activities that she could think of where her friend was directly included. Keeping him hidden was one thing, but finding ways to spend time with him in his bipedal form was another entirely, and she feared that someone as energetic and hyper as him might grow bored out of his mind if forced to stay inanimately still for too long.
He needed to move around and have something to occupy himself with, at least once in a while. The town was not an option, and her garage had proven risky at best. This only left her with the beach, woods and surrounding vacant fields to work with.
...In other words, she had had no choice but to improvise.
She had understood, after a bit of guessing, that this was already somewhat familiar to him. Discovering that he could communicate through the radio had brought her much joy, and she had soon taken to engaging in full conversations with him as often as she could. It was during one such exchange that he had mentioned, through an elaborate string of broadcasted lyrics, that he remembered being in a similar setting when he had first arrived on Earth. Although, there unfortunately wasn't much else he had been able to tell her.
From there, the rest was history.
A slender silhouette soared at high speed above their heads and Bumblebee went still. He was riveted, and when Charlie followed his gaze, she halted her steps as well. Instinctively, she crouched behind a bush and he quickly did the same, forcing himself to be as discreet as possible.
"That's a swallow!" She informed him in a hushed tone. "It's the first time I ever see one this close."
The small bird glided with seamless grace through the air before perching itself on a pine tree, easily identifiable from its pointy tail and burnt-orange throat. Turning its head from side to side, it sang its melodious tune as it skipped from one bough to the next, appearing undisturbed by their presence.
"Growing up, I was always interested in animals and sports more than people," Charlie continued with a breathy chuckle. "You wouldn't believe how much I used to pester my parents with questions whenever we watched the California Wildlife program."
Bumblebee briefly interrupted his observation to glance down at her, and it was obvious from the way his eyes gleamed that he was beaming.
Ruffling its feathers, the swallow hopped around and trilled a few more times, then opened its wings and leapt. It promptly took flight, resuming its aerial acrobatics before disappearing among the trees once more.
They stared after it admiringly for a short while, until Charlie leaned back and looked up at him with a lopsided smile.
"You don't see things like that in the city," she said ruefully.
Just then, an ominous rumble resounded in the sky and a water drop landed with a light spatter on a nearby fern. Bumblebee's eyes snapped towards it and he paused, his features alert and set with a sharp focus. Another one soon followed, and his attention swiftly jumped over to it. He was trying to pinpoint what the disturbance was, and it suddenly occurred to Charlie that he had most likely never experienced this natural phenomenon before.
Struck by a sudden idea, she quickly stood and retrieved her bag before throwing it unceremoniously around her shoulders, grinning.
"Come with me," she said happily, taking his hand.
He docilely complied, letting her guide him along multiple winding paths and towards a new location. The drops' rate was steadily increasing, and by the time she stopped in her tracks, it had turned into a full downpour.
They were standing at the edge of a field enclosed within the forest's border. It was about two hundred feet wide, clear of vegetation and almost perfectly level. It was hard to distinguish anything through the torrential precipitation, but the dark outline of a massive transmission tower could be seen extending high above the landscape a few miles away.
Letting go of Bumblebee's hand, Charlie marched out of the trees' cover and onto the expanse of grass. She was soaked from head to toe within less than a minute, but her trek through the woods had been more exhausting than she had anticipated, and the water was wonderfully refreshing against the late summer air.
She closed her eyes with a sigh, enjoying the feeling of the clear droplets on her face. She couldn't remember the last time she had stayed out to play in this weather. Probably back when she was only a child, innocent and carefree.
She had to admit, though...
This was fun.
The sound of an inquiring bleep resonated across to her and she smiled, spreading her arms at her sides with enthusiasm.
"It's called rain!" She exclaimed with a twirl. "It happens when the dampness gathered in the clouds gets too heavy. Pretty neat, huh?"
Bumblebee observed the thick layers of grayish condensation overhead, taking in the new piece of information with interest. When he resumed movement and started walking towards her, Charlie was pleased to see the raindrops hammering down on his helmet and shoulders like the gush of a hose.
She had intended to give his car mode a wash at first, but after discovering that he was a living creature with her level of intellect, she had quickly shelved the idea at the back of her mind. She didn't think she could have kept a straight face while suggesting it; simply picturing herself giving him the equivalent of a bubble bath nearly had her in stitches.
Also, she preferred not to entertain the thought too much for the sake of his dignity. She couldn't guess his exact age -if there even was a way to measure it-, but she could tell by his overall maturity that he at the very least had the mental ability of a very skilled teenager. Considering that he could be quite dexterous and adept when he wanted to, she feared that he might have taken the offer as belittling or demeaning.
Not to mention that she also felt as though she would have been invading his privacy by doing so.
Her brow furrowed in thought as she squinted at the roaring sky.
She was, of course, perpetually curious about anything that was directly linked to him and was always eager to learn more about every aspect of his being, but she also tried her best not to overstep any boundaries. She didn't want to come off as rude or intrusive, especially to him.
Although, she couldn't help inwardly wonder... Was Bumblebee even a he?
Of this, she had felt oddly certain from the start, despite the fact that she had little to nothing to base this on. He was an extraterrestrial lifeform, and yet... in her opinion at least, he projected a distinctly masculine aura. It was in the way he carried himself and treated her, mostly. This constant, harmonious balance between combative vigor and support, fierce protectiveness and gentle regard...
What he couldn't adequately put into words, he always managed to communicate through his gaze and gestures alone, and she had more than once glimpsed a recurring look on his features. One that said:
I won't let anything happen to you.
...Clearly, principles such as honor and loyalty were sacred to him, and the diligence with which he continually applied them was nothing short of admirable. This was further accentuated by the fact that he always behaved in a very courteous manner when they interacted; something that she found immensely endearing.
Charlie bowed her head shyly, her cheeks warm.
Never before had she met anyone who could simultaneously make her feel so safe and special. To be this important to someone... It was still hard getting used to. The most mind-boggling aspect in all this was that he didn't even seem to be aware of his own worth. He did everything with absolute selflessness, yet always pushed himself to do better still. And out of all that he was, the extent of his humility and goodness was the one thing that she regarded as the most extraordinary.
A sinuous line flashed near the horizon, shaking her out of her reverie. It was accompanied by a low thunderclap that rolled in the distance, although notably fainter than before.
The storm was drifting away.
Charlie stared at the dark void, striding backwards to better see the next lightning strike. She wasn't looking where she was going, however, and was startled when her back encountered a solid surface. Automatically, she reached out to steady herself as she wobbled to a stop, glancing behind her shoulder in surprise.
At some point during her reflections, Bumblebee had opted to kneel on the ground and was now sitting back on his haunches, hands resting on his thighs. What she had collided with was the bumper that formed his broad chest.
"Sorry," she gasped sheepishly. "Didn't see you there."
It was unclear whether the small impact had registered for him or not, but he was visibly unbothered. He tilted his head to the side in his typical fashion as he looked at her amusedly, his gaze as kind and open as always.
The downpour had meanwhile diminished to a sparse and quiet rain. It resounded with a light echo on his metallic surface, forming small rivulets that streamed down along the contours of his design. His yellow exterior, usually dusty and mat, had a glistening sheen that reflected the fading dusk and his eyes were like guiding beacons in the falling night. Bathed in their cerulean glow, every detail seemed more pronounced, and raindrops resembled falling shards of glass that glittered as they passed swiftly between them.
This, added to the dim fog surrounding them, almost gave him the appearance of an ethereal being. He was like a vision out of a dream, a sight that consciousness alone wouldn't have been able to evoke. Everything about him -from his mechanical body to his deeply humane soul- was a poetic contradiction; His very existence an endless enigma, the mystery of which continued to elude her.
Charlie blinked, lost in contemplation as her eyes traveled along the intricate joints of his neck and back to his face again.
...He truly was a spectacle to behold.
She turned to him fully, but made no effort to correct her balance, feeling strangely disinclined to withdraw her hand. There was a familiar hum beneath her palm, most noticeable on the central part of his torso that she was currently touching, and she found herself unwilling to pull away from it.
She remembered the first time she had noticed it. For a reason unknown, she had been instinctively drawn to it; seeking its proximity like one would a comforting warmth. The fluctuations that she perceived felt fragile and mighty all at once. It was the kind of power that seemed to hold secrets of the universe itself.
"Bee?" She asked softly, breaking the silence. "Do you know what a heart is?"
...Heart...
He seemed to be testing the word in his mind, like someone would when met with a foreign concept. He adjusted his posture minutely, setting his jaw as he tried to establish a visual reference for it.
Answering his unspoken query, Charlie motioned to the area below her collarbone with a slight beat. "This, right here. All humans have one. It's the only part of us that we can hear and feel all the time. Some say it's directly linked to our emotions, and..."
She paused, gliding her hand across the curve of his plating with an enchanted smile.
"...I think you have one, too."
Bumblebee stalled for a moment, his bright irises rotating in their sockets like camera lens. He seemed taken aback by her words, and when he glanced down to where she still leaned, his antennas rose upwards with a quiver. Meekly, he tried to vocalize an answer, but all he managed was a muffled whir.
He was being uncharacteristically shy all of a sudden, and Charlie would have laughed at the lovable sight if she wasn't so wildly intrigued by his response.
Was it a hidden weakness of his? Some confidential matter he didn't want her to know about? Had she said something he found embarrassing?
...Or, could it be that she had stumbled upon a sensitive subject by accident?
It certainly wouldn't be the first time.
She frowned wistfully as she pondered this, reconsidering the appropriateness of outwardly expressing her curiosity again.
She had grown considerably more cautious since their last interaction. Although it had ultimately revealed helpful, her questioning had also fed Bumblebee's distress and she realized with no little amount of guilt how clumsy her approach had been then. After witnessing the repercussions that this kind of thoughtlessness could have on him, she had ultimately resolved to avoid insisting like this again in the future, no matter how pertinent the reason for it would seem.
"...It's okay," she amended soothingly. "You don't have to answer that."
Just as she finally retracted her hand to take a respectful step back, however, a clunking noise was heard from within and her eyes widened as the components of his chest began to shift. They moved like an automated jigsaw puzzle, rearranging themselves and aligning perfectly to allow for a gaping hole. The pieces, once in their new positions, fastened themselves into place and stilled.
For a few, quiet seconds, all was dark in the created cavity.
"I-," Charlie began dazedly, but didn't get a chance to continue.
Before she could say anything else, one last panel unexpectedly slid away and the space was flooded in an incandescent radiance. Its brightness was nothing short of blinding against the ambient obscurity, but the thought to blink never even once occurred to her. Instead, her expression morphed into one of awe as she stared, rendered utterly speechless by what she was seeing.
She had been about to say something, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember what. Her mind had screeched to a complete halt, unable to process anything other than what had just captured her gaze and she couldn't look away.
It was... a sphere made of solid, living light.
Blue like his eyes, it shimmered in an organic pattern as it levitated in place, safely tucked inside a transparent casing. The core was a twirling mass of pure energy that rippled like a radar, the generated rays expanding outside its circumference and into the air. Tendrils of electricity occasionally formed around it before dissolving into tiny floating particles as they branched out and escaped its range.
"That's..."
Charlie marked a pause, weakly grasping for words.
...It was as if a star had been removed from the firmament and presented before her as an offering.
"Can I?" She whispered, lifting a careful hand in front of it.
She was probably asking for a lot more than was reasonable, but she couldn't help herself. This was a whole new dimension of him that she had never even known existed, and the desire to be acquainted with it was so strong that it felt almost like a tangible force.
With a nod, he granted her permission, and it was with barely contained trepidation that she delicately touched the glassy surface.
Its content immediately surged with a fiery burst of light and the compartment intricately unlocked itself. Suddenly, there was no barrier left and Charlie held her breath as the tip of her fingers inadvertently grazed the palpitating orb.
A spark of current coursed through her and she twitched, but to her surprise, it didn't burn.
Bumblebee tensed sharply at the contact, briefly shutting his eyes. There was a dissonant warble as his radio went haywire before cutting to static and going mute again.
He was trembling.
"I-is this hurting you?" Charlie stammered, casting him a worried glance.
With the hollow groan of straining gears, he sank lower on his knees and spared a moment to look at the glowing sphere in his chest. He seemed utterly baffled, but otherwise fine. Eventually, he relaxed and the shudders abated somewhat.
"- It's just a silly phase I'm going through -," A fragmented voice resounded across to her, glitching and half-smothered with noise. "- don't tell your friends -"
His sense of humor was contagious, and Charlie let out a derisive snort as it effectively eased the tension away.
"Seriously?" She quipped, however still a bit doubtful.
As if to reassure her, the sphere momentarily brightened again, humming healthily through the layered hull that protected it. Vibrant streaks of blue then extended to curl around her fingers like vines and she let out a breath of wonder, her countenance one of unmasked delight. The sensation was vaguely similar to that of holding onto a live wire or high voltage battery; a little frightening, but thrilling at the same time.
It was bustling with liveliness, and if Bumblebee's previous astonishment was any indication, it also seemed to have a mind of its own. She saw the fact that he didn't have a full control over it as noteworthy, but she also knew that she wasn't in any danger.
The thought alone had her shaking her head reproachfully at herself.
Of course not.
How could anything that was a part of him ever harm her?...
Brushing a thumb against its outer edge, she focused on its deep tremors and the regularity with which it fluctuated, lost in thought.
There were many events in her life that she had realized were important to her only much later. Typically, she would recall one such element out of the blue and stop to think dearly of it, somewhat saddened to have let it escape her mind in the first place. Quite often, they were simple things that she didn't think twice about as they happened, but which revealed incredibly precious as time went by. Details that she kept with her, seemingly at random and without knowing it herself until they emerged back into her consciousness like a sprouting garden. Things like...
The dress that she wore at her seventh birthday party. A delicious sundae eaten on a park bench during her first month of high school. That one time where they were traveling to Atlanta and had stopped on the side of the road to replace a flat tire. Playing countless rounds of Battleship with Otis to help him pass the time when he had become sick and bed-bound one particular winter. The sizzling sound made by the old iron stove at her grandma's house. Her first dive.
...Singing a funny song with her father by a campfire.
The stunned nostalgia that she felt whenever she remembered one of these things was only equaled by her bitter disappointment when there was something that she on the contrary had desperately wanted to memorize, but didn't. It seemed like she could never successfully predict what her brain would choose to retain next, and this had more than once left her feeling quite dismayed.
But as she stood there in the rain, literally holding Bumblebee's heart in her palm... There wasn't a shadow of doubt in her mind that this was the most wondrous thing she had ever experienced, and she knew... for absolute certain, that she would never forget this moment.
She sighed shakily as her eyes continued to absorb the splendor in front of her. Some time later, they drifted up to his face again, and she found what she had been meaning to say before in a single breath.
"I've never seen anything so beautiful in my life."
Bumblebee slowly lifted his gaze to hers.
The silence that followed lasted anywhere between a second and an hour. She honestly couldn't tell.
He had never worn this expression before. He was always earnest; always genuine and full of an open candor... but the raw emotion that she saw now, directed back at her... She lacked the words to properly describe it. It was then that the magnitude of it all caught up to her in a rush and she stirred, lips parting as goosebumps crept over her skin.
...He had accepted to let her see his most vulnerable self, had laid out his very soul before her, and the sheer faith he had demonstrated in the process was enough to make her head spin.
How did a being who had endured the chaos of war, struggled through torture and agony, fought for his life and walked through raging fire somehow find the resilience to be so trusting and considerate?
As softly as she could, she backed away and gulped, gradually letting go of the pulsating core. It was steadily held back by a magnetic field, but left a trail of vanishing wisps that followed in her wake.
She felt unworthy of his generosity and selflessness, felt too mediocre and flawed to merit having something so precious all for herself. The fact that this was real and not a product of her imagination was in itself already quite staggering, but nothing even remotely compared to realizing day after day how truly devoted he was to her. There was no way she could possibly hope to return the favor. He was a living gem, and she was...
Well. She was just Charlie Watson.
"What have I done to deserve a friend like you?" She wondered out loud, her voice frail and small.
Reaching forward, he gently pushed her wet bangs away from her eyes, letting his hand hover for a short while before circling her temple and cupping the side of her jaw. It was reminiscent of the way she often touched his face, but done with a tender hesitation that somehow made it immensely more significant and profound.
"- You give my life direction, you make everything so clear... -"
His eyes never strayed, never once drifted as he tuned into yet another frequency.
"- Oh girl, you stand by me. I'm forever yours... faithfully. -"
Her features abruptly scrunched up and she looked away, quite overwhelmed. She was trying to smile, but it was distorted by an affection so great that it outwardly could have been described as anguish.
What could she answer to that?
He had changed her life forever. Single-handedly, he had restored her broken heart and brought happiness back to her life, showing her what real commitment was like. How could she even begin to imagine the rest of her existence without him, now that she had felt something so strong and encompassing? No matter what happened from this point on, a part of her would always need him. The feeling had taken complete hold of her, and she surrendered to the fact that nothing would ever be able to alter or hinder it.
...She couldn't physically open up her chest and bare her soul to him like he had done for her, but she would gladly to do so in every other way.
Making up her mind, she took a slight step forward and pressed both her hands to his temples. Then, she rose on her tiptoes and planted a light kiss on his forehead, right below his insignia.
No other word was exchanged between them as he ever so carefully lifted her up in his arms and carried her back across the woods. It was only after he had driven them all the way back to her house and into the garage that Charlie finally spoke again.
Stopping at the door, she blinked and turned towards him one last time, a fond and serene look on her face.
"Thank you... for being you," she murmured.
-o-
Bumblebee watched as she wished him goodnight and inclined her head in parting before quietly closing the door behind her.
His spark was still buzzing vehemently inside his chest. With a dazed sway, he sat in the far corner and pressed his back to the wall, venting heavily through his mouth piece.
Despite his best efforts, it systematically refused to settle down, sending wave after wave of distressed signals into the night. Every parcel was calling out frantically, almost pulling straight out of his chest in desperation and pleading to be heard again.
He had the vague impression that this was nothing to be alarmed by, but then again... It had never behaved like this before, and the ache it generated was relentless.
Absently, he ghosted a hand over his chest, trying to make sense of the frenzied agitation.
What's wrong with me?...
He wished he knew, or at least had a hint as to what had possessed him earlier. It was as if someone had flipped a switch, and the resulting confusion would surely have registered as quite worrisome if he didn't feel so strangely elated at the same time.
As his eyes helplessly roved around the room, they caught sight of a small picture pinned on the opposite wall. It was a photograph of Charlie, smiling proudly and giving a thumbs up, eyes narrowed against the sun.
I've never seen anything so beautiful in my life.
His spark surged yet again, causing his frame to rattle with another shiver.
Her words were echoing in his mind like the tide, constant and ever flowing, and he closed his eyes with a deep longing as he recalled the loving gesture she had graced him with shortly after.
Charlie.
...There were many things he missed about his voice, but what chagrined him the most -by far- about losing it was that he would never be able to say her name. So many times, he had wanted to verbally get her attention or reassure her in his own way... but all he had at his disposal were the rare appropriate songs and speeches that he happened to stumble upon.
It was disheartening, having to rely on other people's words instead of his own to lift her spirits, but he knew that she appreciated it nonetheless. She always looked at him with genuine gratefulness afterwards, as though he was doing her a favor with each sentence he uttered.
Him, doing her a favor?
He was but a mere soldier who had been fatally wounded, but miraculously rescued. Instead of joining the Allspark, he had somehow been given another chance, then awakened by the most fascinating creature he had ever had the chance to meet.
So small, and so soft... But inhabited by a blazing spirit that rivaled even the most tenacious and courageous of Wreckers.
And she cared. Enough to give him a name and shelter. Enough to be mindful of his well-being and teach him new things everyday.
Enough to call him her friend.
He had meant every word he had sampled in response to her comment, with the utmost sincerity. Somewhere along the way, his protocols had rerouted themselves without his notice, and war or not... he now valued her life more than anything else. And although he could never have ever envisioned it, this somehow still made perfect sense to him.
She was the center of his universe. He didn't see it any other way, nor did he wish to. It wasn't a conscious decision on his part; his spark had simply made that choice for him.
He stretched his legs in front of him and laid his head back, reclining a bit more comfortably against the wall. Then, staring at nothing in particular, he selected a song in his repertory and played it quietly to himself.
"- I'll never let you go. You're always on my mind. You're the only one for me, you're all I need, and I'll never, never let you go... -"
Even while absorbed in his own swirling thoughts, he felt her presence as vividly as if she was still in the room. The directive to protect Charlie at all cost continued to resonate within him like a ringing bell, incessant and ardent in its determination, and he firmly intended to spend the rest of his life obeying it to its full extent.
...He was hers entirely, and always would be.
-o-
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A while back, I told my sister that I would try to write something other than fluff as my next installment, to vary a bit from what I normally do.
...This is me failing miserably, lol.
I might as well admit it at this point: the fangirl in me really wants to ship these two. I find that on an emotional level, they're quite the accurate portrayal of soulmates, and wanted to see where I could take this concept while keeping the innocence that makes their relationship so touching and wonderful in the movie. But just to let you all know, this is probably as romantic as it's going to get for me. I honestly love their friendship as it already is, and quite like ambiguity.
With that being said, I take full responsibility of what my sleep-deprived and frazzled brain came up with in-between classes, but I will also say for all to hear that 80's ballads are ridiculously catchy and can be surprisingly inspiring! xD
Speaking of which, here is the very short list of songs used for this story, in case anyone's interested. :)
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10cc - I'm Not In Love
REO Speedwagon - Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore
Journey - Faithfully
Steelheart - I'll Never Let You Go
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...And last but not least: thank you all so much for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think!^^
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