Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't claim. Don't want trouble. Don't hurt me!
Part two of Oh, Brother! This tells a little more of the story from another angle. Let's see how ya like this one. It'll be a little bit longer, I think, but I'm typing this before I type the story, so…I have no clue. Just read already!
When Bumble Bee found Alan's e-mail address by chance on his blog, she was very excited. She hadn't seen him since she first sprouted her wings, when she was just thirteen. She was now seventeen and Bumble Bee wanted to see him so bad.
In the e-mail, she told Alan to meet her at the mall, even though she couldn't stand the stupid places. He sometimes turned into a possessive jerk, and she didn't want him to meet Cyborg before she explained things to him. Her boyfriend made her feel so – special, and she didn't want anyone or anything to change their relationship. She would deal with the information Alan had given her over e-mails, then take him back to the Tower and introduce him to everyone. Yes, that was the plan.
On the way to the mall, she got this intense feeling that someone was following her. She had that strange little 'buzz' feeling that told her where her enemies and friends were during a battle, even though there was no battle. When Bumble Bee would look, no one was there.
Finally, she found the appointed spot and waited for him. He was only a minute or so late. Bee nearly gasped when she saw him. He was so tall now! The last time they'd been together, he was half a foot shorter and his hair was cropped shorter. Alan smiled when he saw her. They talked for a few minutes, and then Bumble Bee dragged him into Designz.
She had been waiting for this for four years.
At the counter was her favorite outfitter, Chanel, who'd done the original design of Bumble Bee's suit. "Bee!" she squealed, running out from behind the counter to pull her friend into a tight squeeze.
"Hey, Chay," Bumble Bee said, hugging the shorter girl back. "It's great to see you!" She examined the badge on the girl's chest. "Whoa, what's that?"
Chanel grinned. "Well, since you moved over to Steel City, the manager quit because my designs were requested way more than his. Now I'm the manager of Designz!"
"No way," she said softly. The other girl nodded. "Well, I have a favor to ask you."
She gave her a questioning look. "Anything for my favorite customer."
When Cyborg finally got up the guts to enter Designz, he found Bumble Bee sitting alone on a round blue chair, occasionally looking up from Today's Teen Girl to gaze at the dressing room.
The store creeped Cy out. Along one wall was a huge shelf, holding bolts and rolls of Spandex fabric in hundreds of different colors, a million shades of blue, thousands of reds, a multitude of stretchy fabric! Along the other wall were the dressing rooms and a pair of what seemed to be offices. At the back of the store was a tall glass case, showcasing mannequins that wore duplicates of the Titans' uniforms: a pale Beast Boy grinned out at nothing, a colorless Robin raised a fake arm in greeting. They weren't alone, either. Batman and Superman stared out from one corner as well. In between the walls, racks of original-design suits hung on racks. Shelves held unique crests and badges. Men and boys' boots were stacked on a shelving unit. Heels and boots for girls were on the other side. From a metal frame hung belts and bags. Boxes held hundreds of pairs of gloves. A set of books by the freestanding cash register held order forms and sets.
He shivered. He was glad his uniform came with his body.
Remembering what he had to do, Cyborg approached Bumble Bee sadly. "Hey, Bee," he said quietly.
The girl had been reading, and she jumped about half a foot in the air. She looked to see who it was, and dropped the magazine. "Cyborg!" Bumble Bee squeaked. "What – what are you doing here?"
"I – followed you from the Tower," he explained. A look of comprehension spread across her face. "And I – uh – I saw everything."
Her face dropped. "You saw Alan," she guessed quietly.
The boy nodded. "And I understand, Bee."
She shot him an odd look. "You do?"
"Yeah, I do," Cy replied, nodding. He sunk down before her, balancing on one knee. "You really care about him. And don't let me stand in your way.
Now, Bumble Bee looked really confused.
"I know you need things from your old life," he continued, almost regretting the words he was about to say. But Cyborg really loved Bumble Bee, and he wanted nothing more than for her to be happy. Even if it meant he was miserable. "You should always remember that part of your time on Earth. So, Bee, I know you want to stay with the – with Alan. He'll – I'm sure he'll make you happy. It'll be good for you, to have someone like him in your life."
His voice nearly cracked. Cy got it under control and continued. "I know you're about to break up with me, and I just wanted to, you know, tell you this. That I understand, and I know why. Because you loved him then, and you still do. I'll never be good enough for you, anyways. I'm not human, Bee, and you deserve someone whole."
She was shaking her head. "No," she said. "You're wrong."
"You know it's true," he told her. "You do. You deserve better. You're wonderful and perfect, and I'm just not enough. I'm not. So, I just wanted to say, before we split, that – that I loved you, Bumble Bee." He gazed at her, straight in the eye. "I loved you for a long time. Loved you then, I love you now, and I'll love you until I die." He straightened, blinking rapidly. I will not cry, he told himself sternly. "That's all I wanted to tell you. I'll just go now, and you can forget all about me."
Alan chose that precise moment to step out of the dressing room. Chanel was pushing him. "I'm telling you, it won't work," he said, then froze at the sight of the scene before him.
Cyborg froze, too. The other guy was wearing a sleeveless, black-and-yellow shirt that stretched across his chest. His black shorts were loose and stretchy, and black boots went to his calf. A pair of black gloves with yellow fingertips covered his arms up to just below his elbow. But the most shocking thing was the pair of shining, vaguely diamond-shaped insect wings that spread from his back, the top two reaching over his head and the bottom two descending to his knees. Now, Cyborg remembered what it was that was familiar about this guy…
Bumble Bee smiled up at her confused boyfriend. She kissed him softly on the cheek. "Cyborg," she said gently, walking over to the other boy. "Let me introduce my brother, Alan. Brother, dear," she said, turning to him, "This is Cyborg. The guy I'm in love with."
Rory: MWAHAHAHAHAHA!
So, what did you think? I'm sure you didn't expect him to be her brother…
This was a really fun chapter to write, and the story was as well. Cyborg's little weaknesses and insecurities when it came to his girlfriend, and his long confession of love to Bee. They were such FUN to write!
So, if you want to hear more about Alan, go on and get up to date with Thicker Than Water. If you want more Bee and Cy, just tell me so! Writing this made me a MUCH bigger Cy/Bee fan. I'll have to write a LOT more about these two…