Title: Riot

Universe: Bayverse, post-2007

Characters: implied BumblebeexBarricade

Rated: T

Description: They meet again after the battle in Tranquility, and old pains bring new agony.

Warnings: language, mild violence, implied mechslash


He's driving innocently down the street, a casual ride meant to help him relax, let his thoughts wander. Music is playing on the radio; he's tapped into the local rock station. Sam will be indisposed for another few hours so Bumblebee has time to kill. He's only halfway listening in on the chatter across the main Autobot line. Right now, Ratchet's being relentlessly teased by Sideswipe for some reason.

It's a Sunday according to the human calendar, which means the streets are, for the most part, nice and deserted. There's something about the pavement beneath his tires, the subtle crackling of bits of rock, the smell of tar and asphalt, that is soothing. Along with the warm sun on his frame and the light breeze coursing over him.

The peace is abruptly shuttered when Bumblebee's sensors scream into alarm, throwing him out of his meditative state and nearly making him swerve. A Decepticon signature is near, too near, getting closer –

Crash!

Impact. Bumblebee's tires screech on the pavement, his entire frame rattling from the force of the collision. His attacker is black, ferocious – Barricade – slamming into him again and trying to shove him off the road. Bumblebee is forced into a spin, but halfway through he quickly transforms, halting his momentum by slamming his pedes into the ground.

Barricade transforms just as quickly, weapons snapping out in utter threat, his four optics gleaming Decepticon-red at Bumblebee. With a whine of full charge, Bumblebee's cannon comes into play, and they stare at each other from opposite sides of the single-laned street.

"Where's your pet human?" Barricade snarls, but he doesn't immediately attack.

Bumblebee hunches down, sliding carefully to the right, matching Barricade's careful prowl to the left. Circling one another. "Not here," he says, glad that Ratchet's finally fixed his vocalizer. "No revenge for you."

"Maybe I don't care about the fleshie. Maybe I just want to pound on you," Barricade growls, full of threat, but still not making a move.

"Last time, that didn't go so well for you," Bumblebee retorts, something like a sneer in his tone, though he can't approximate the human expression on his faceplates.

"Maybe I let you win."

"That's a lot of possibility. What? Not sure about anything anymore?" Bumblebee revs his engines. "Did I rattle your processors last time?"

"I wish you had," Barricade snarls, more vicious this time, his optics flashing blood at Bumblebee, his tone so savage that the yellow mech is momentarily taken aback.

He startles, pauses, and reconsiders. Old vid-files remind him of their presence until Bumblebee carefully locks them back away. The past is the past. But perhaps... not for Barricade.

Bumblebee snaps his battlemask closed. "You chose your side."

"I never had a choice," Barricade retorts and lunges at Bumblebee, all pretense of waiting gone, though his attack is not unexpected.

They clash with a resounding echo and screech of metal on metal, energy fields charged with anger and distrust, and underneath it all, so buried it is impossible to name for sure, lingering traces of regret.


a/n: Plenty more ficcage to come. I just have to get off my aft and post it.

Feedback is welcome and appreciated.