Another chapter. Disclaimer: I don't own movie or cartoon
When Raf woke up, he got dressed and quickly ate breakfast. He ran outside to see Bumblebee parked on the side of his house. "Hey, Bee." Raf greeted.
"Hey hey hey…" Bee greeted.
"You sure do like using your radio now, don't you buddy?"
"Yes I do."
"That's great! I'm happy for you, and I thought today we can have a day of fun. Just the two of us to celebrate." Raf didn't want to mention the true purpose in case Bee would refuse.
"Let's get it started, hah!/Let's get it started in here."
"Okay!" Raf said excitedly. Bumblebee opened the car door, and Raf climbed right in.
"What should we do first, partner?" Bee asked excitedly.
"Well, since it's Saturday morning. I say we watch Saturday morning cartoons, and then decide on from there. Maybe play video games or go racing."
"Okay." Bumblebee opened his side door, and Raf crawled in. Then Bumblebee started up his engine and drove to the Autobot Outbase Omega One. It reminded him of the days when he and Bumblebee and sometimes Mikaela and later Miles and Leo would visit the other Autobots at Edwards Air Force Base, NEST's secret base in California. Bumblebee missed his human friends who fought alongside him and the Autobots against Decepticons and human terroristic organizations like al-Qaida. He hated that when he and the Autobots returned to Earth, they had to work in strict secrecy in an old missile silo with only Agent Fowler and members of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Not even Major Lennox or retired USAF Master Sergeant Epps or the rest of the NEST team were allowed to know of the Autobots' presence. Perhaps, it was to prevent the whole world from finding out like last time.
But most of all, Bee thought of Sam and how they would drive together for hours either going nowhere or going somewhere mostly to the overlook, or how he and Sam would lounge around in the garage and watch a movie or just talk. He remembered when Sam and Bumblebee went on their first road trip together, just him and Sam. They bonded so much over that road trip. Both of them needed it. He even remembered when Sam first told Bumblebee that Sam loved him like a brother. It was Bumblebee's most precious memory of Sam. That same day Bumblebee confessed his love for Sam, and it was that day that they were more than just friends but brothers in arms to the bitter end and beyond.
"Bee?" Raf interrupted Bee's trip to memory lane. "Is something wrong? You're usually hyper, talking to me all the way, but now you're so quiet."
"I tell you it's alright."
"Okay then," Raf said skeptically.
To ease Raf's suspicions, Bumblebee talked to him. He wasn't ready to talk about Sam. "So how was school yesterday?"
"It was okay."
"Top of the class as usual, making straight A's…on an honor roll?" Bumblebee teased.
Raf laughed. "You know me, Bumblebee. If I weren't around, all the school computers would crash into obliteration."
"It's a good thing they got you, and Ratchet, too."
"You bet!"
Five minutes later, they arrived at Autobot Outpost Omega One. Bumblebee opened the door for Raf. As soon as Raf climbed out, Bumblebee transformed into his bipedal mode. The Raf climbed the stairs and turned the TV on to a kids show, and up until noon, Raf and Bumblebee monopolized the TV, watching Saturday cartoons. As much as Bumblebee loved watching cartoons, especially with Raf, his mind was not in it. All he could think about was Sam, probably because in less than three days was the fifth anniversary of Sam's death. I should really ask Optimus for temporary leave soon, Bumblebee thought, so that way he can be prepared without me around just in case.
To keep his charge from suspicion, Bumblebee did his best to keep his mind focused into the cartoons. Perhaps, they could cheer him up if for only a minute. Bumblebee needed a laugh, a break from this agonizing grief and gnawing guilt, and besides, it was nice to spend time with Raf.
When noon rolled in and the Saturday morning cartoons ended, Raf was hungry, and Bee could go for some energon. "I know!" Raf said, "Maybe you could bring some of your energon, and we could pick up some fast food, and then we could go out to the desert and eat out. Maybe even play videogames and race around the desert."
Bumblebee was excited for the prospect of a picnic, racing, and videogames so he said, "Good idea! Bring your remote controlled monster truck, too!"
"Okay! But we have to stop at my house first."
Bumblebee went to his room and grabbed his reserved share of energon. Then he transformed into his Camaro mode and Raf climbed right in. Bumblebee sped through the large door that Ms. Darby enters through with her car without so much as a goodbye to Ratchet. Bumblebee drove to Raf's house first where Raf rushed to his room to grab his remote controlled monster truck and a twenty dollar bill. Then they drove to KO Burger. Normally, Bumblebee would park in the parking lot, and Raf would walk inside to order rather than use the drive-thru and raise suspicion on why is there a twelve-year-old in the car with no driver, but luckily, Jack was working at the drive-thru that day so Raf and Bumblebee used the drive-thru.
"Hey Jack!" Raf greeted.
"Hey ya! Hey ya!...Jack…" Bumblebee greeted.
"Hey, Bumblebee. Man! It feels nice to be able to actually understand you rather than relying on Raf for a translation. Anyway, what are you guys doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Raf asked, "I'm here for lunch."
"Sure. What it'll be?"
"I'll have the number one and a diet Coke please," Raf ordered.
"Okay then." Then to Bumblebee, Jack joked, "Sorry, Bee. We only carry human food."
Bumblebee played a clip of human laughter.
Jack smiled. "Your total amount is $13.20 plus tax."
Raf handled Jack the twenty dollar bill, and Jack gave Raf $6.80 back. "I'll make sure I'm the one who gives you your meal so no one will think that a twelve- year-old boy is driving a car."
"Okay. Thanks Jack!"
Bumblebee drove up to the next window and sure enough there was Jack. He handed the meal to Raf. "Here you go. Enjoy!"
"Thanks. I'll see you later at Base," Raf said.
"You, too. Bye bee."
"Na na na na, na na na na/Hey hey hey/Goodbye"
The two friends drove off to a secluded spot in the desert not too far from Base. Raf climbed out with his meal, his remote controlled monster truck, and Bee's energon. Then Bee transformed into his alternate form. He sat down on a large boulder, and offered his hand for Raf to climb on. Raf did and Bee placed him gently on his shoulder. Raf then gave Bumblebee his energon. The two began to eat (or in Bee's case drink) their meal.
"This is nice, isn't it?" Just two of us guys hanging out together alone," Raf said between bites of French fries.
"You've said it, partner!"
"What did you do for fun in Cybertron?" Raf asked.
Bee thought for moment and said, "Because of the war, I wasn't able to do much, but any chance I got, I raced a lot. I was really good. So good in fact I was nicknamed Speed Metal. I could have gone for pros if the civil war didn't exist. Racing, whether on land or in the skies, is the number one past time and entertainment. It's like America and baseball." Although Bumblebee could communicate this with his radio, he preferred to his old way of communication for Raf. It was there thing, proof that their bond goes beyond words. The radio was reserved for Sam.
"Is that why you wanted to go with Jack to race against Vince?"
"What can I say? I love the energon rush! It was the first time I raced since leaving Cybertron."
"Maybe if you scanned a go-cart, we could go racing together."
Bee played a clip of human laughter. "Go-carts aren't advanced enough for us to scan."
"I can't drive, but when I do get my license, maybe we can enter a race or something. There's got to be some kind of racecar competition for amateurs out there."
"That would be awesome!"
"But for now, let's see how fast you can really go!"
"You're on!"
Bumblebee took Raf off of him and then transformed. Raf climbed in the back seat, and in the blink of an eye, Bumblebee took off like lightening. They were going over a 120 mph across the desert sand. The whole terrain was there's to conquer, to show who's the fastest one to travel across the Great Basin. As the adrenaline pumped in and Raf's gleeful shouts as if he were on a rollercoaster, Bumblebee felt free the dark clouds that plagued him for five years. He felt invincible like nothing could touch him! He could feel his optics narrow in on the horizon and his mind focus in on the speed. To focus it even more, he pretended he was racing against his rival Hot Rod who's so overconfident that he thinks he could beat Speed Metal. You'll never beat me, Hot Rod!
Bee took a sharp turn around a pile of boulders, and for a moment, Raf thought they were gonna flip over, but Bee was an expert and knew the maximum amount of speed to use for turning without flipping over. He kept going, imagining that he's nose to nose with Hot Rod and the finish line – where Bee and Raf had lunch – was in the distance. He pushed harder and harder until the finish line could be seen clearer. The energon was burning until finally, Bee crossed it, and slowly braked until he came to a full stop. Then he drove at ten miles per hour as a cool down.
"Wow! You really are fast!"
"You bet I'm am!" The feeling of freedom and invincibility slowly left, and the black clouds returned.
"You should definitely race some time." Then Raf quickly added, "Legally."
"When you're old enough, we'll race together, but for now, we'll race virtually like on Super Mario Kart. What do you say, partner? Wanna race?"
"You're so on, Bee!" Raf climbed up to the passenger seat, and Bumblebee (as Mario) and Raf (as Luigi) raced each other in various rounds with Bumblebee beating them all.
"Even in the virtual world, I'm still considered Speed Metal!" Bee taunted.
"Only because you've been driving longer than me," Raf reminded him.
"I still won, didn't I?"
"Yeah, yeah."
Then for the next half hour, Raf and Bumblebee played with Raf's new remote controlled monster truck, pretending it was at an actual monster truck rally. Bee used his radio to provide clips of monster truck rallies broadcasted on the radio to enhance the effect, and Raf pretended he was the actual driver, amazing audiences and smashing any car he can.
"You're starting to sound like Miko," Bumblebee commented.
"And if Ratchet were here, he would be looking down at you for reenacting a 'blood sport'."
"True."
It started to get late, and it was time to head home. Bumblebee dropped off Raf at his house and remained there to protect him in case any Decepticons tried to kidnap or kill Raf.
Before Raf left Bumblebee, Bee said, "Thanks for the celebration. I had fun."
"You're welcome, Bee. We should do it more often. Just us buds. Goodnight."
"So long and goodnight."
Raf left and went inside the house, leaving Bumblebee to dwell on another time when he would spend time with another human who's life disappeared as the sun set in the Western horizon.
Songs used
"Hey hey hey…" – Low by: Cracker
"Yes I do." - Yes I Do by: Rascal Flatts
"Let's get it started, hah!/Let's get it started in here." – Let's Get It Started by: The Black Eyed Peas
"I tell you it's alright." – It's Alright by: 311
"…making straight A's… on an honor roll…" School of Rock (music from movie, School of Rock)
"Hey ya! Hey ya!..." – Hey Ya by: OutKast
"…Jack…" – Footloose by: Kenny Loggins
"Na na na na, na na na na/Hey hey hey/Goodbye" – Goodbye by: Kristina DeBarge
"So long and goodnight." – Helena by: My Chemical Romance