Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers
It was nighttime when Bumblebee finally raised himself up from the cool desert sand and began to stumble forward. Optimus wouldn't have wanted him to give up so easily; he had to keep fighting for the Autobot cause.
A dull ache formed in his spark as he dragged himself through the desert; he had to try and regroup with the other Autobots. But he had no idea where he was, or where anyone else was for that matter. He decided to just walk until he found something, trusting his spark to lead the way.
Bee had been wandering for quite a while when he tripped over something metal suddenly and crashed to the sand. Turning to look inquisitively behind him, he gasped.
It was Magnia he had tripped over. Her form lay half buried in the sand, her optics offline. Energon was crusted along one of her crumpled wings, and her left leg twisted at an unnatural angle. Her intake was shallow and uneasy.
Why should I care?, Bumblebee fumed, turning his back to her, Optimus is offline because of the Decepticons, because of her! But, try as he might, he couldn't hate her. He cared more about her, about saving her, than his hatred for the Decepticons.
"Stupid…glitch," Bee muttered as he scooped her into his arms. "Come on…better find…medical." He began stumbling forward again, and his jarring steps began to awaken Magnia.
"Bumblebee…what the frag?" she grumbled, her optics onlining. "Why are you carrying me? Where are we?" she paused and frowned. "Did you just call me a glitch?"
Bee wisely ignored her last question, "Found you…offline…here…your leg…broken…can't walk."
She winced, feeling the pain radiating over her form and Bee narrowed his optics, "What…happened?"
"I'd rather not talk about it," Magnia cast her optics down. Bee nodded and they continued walking in silence for a while until Bee cleared his throat.
"Magnia..." he shifted her in his arms. "I have to…gotta…tell you…something."
She glanced suspiciously up at him, noticing his blue blush, and her optics hardened. "Put me down right now," she ordered, and surprised, Bumblebee obeyed.
"What…doing?" Bee stared at her in disbelief as she began to limp away from him on her good leg.
"I know exactly what you were going to say," she said grimly.
Bee stared at her, "So let me…say it…then!"
"No, you can't!" she shouted and then sighed. "You just-you can't, Bumblebee."
"...What?!" Bee's optics glowed angrily. "So you're…just not…gonna let me…talk now? Magnia…I…"
Magnia interrupted him by sticking her digits in her audio receptors and yelling, "Can't hear you!"
He grabbed her by the arm and whirled her around, "I…"
"Just stop talking Bumblebee! Shut up!" she yelled and he released her suddenly, making her stumble back.
"...FINE!" he exploded, optics blazing with anger. He stormed away from her angrily, muttering, "Tell me…to stop…talking…can't even…fragging…talk anyways!" He thumped down angrily on the sand and folded his arms over his legs.
Magnia stared at him, wondering what had ticked him off so suddenly. A wave of guilt hit her quickly when she realized what she had done wrong. His voice.
"Oh, Primus," her optics widened and she hurried after him and sat beside him in the sand. "Bee I'm so sorry. I forgot."
Bee refused to even look at her and said nothing in response.
Magnia felt horrible now, "Please Bumblebee you can talk, I'm sorry." After another moment of silence she pleaded, "Say something!"
Bumblebee set his jaw firmly and ignored her, his optics still dark and angry.
"I know what'll make you talk; I'll tell you what happened to me. It'll probably make you mad." she paused, waiting for a response, and when there was none she sighed and continued. "Megatron crushed my wing and then threw me into this dessert, which broke my leg. He says I can't rejoin the Decepticons until I make some use of myself."
She sighed and looked at Bee, "Please, Bee? I know this is making you mad; you always get mad when he hurts me."
What she was saying was true, Bumblebee was enraged hearing what that horrible brute had done to her, the only bot he cared about anymore. But he still remained angrily silent. How could she do that to him? Didn't she know how frustrating it was, that nobody could ever understand him? And then to have someone sit there and purposely not listen or ignore him angered him so much he couldn't stand it.
Magnia gave up and muttered, "Well anyways, he did that to me because I failed another mission. I was supposed to find all of the forms of the offlined Autobots in the wreckage of your base, but I couldn't find any. Not a single damn one!" she growled.
Bumblebee's helm shot up and he stared at her, his spark skipping a few beats, "What did you…just say?"
Magnia perked up, "Hey, you're talking to me!"
"Magnia..." Bee's tone was urgent. "Not…one…form…none?"
"No, none," she shook her helm. "We searched for hours. Why?"
Bee's processors raced as he breathed, "Optimus...". He must have made it out somehow! A happy grin stretched across his faceplates, and he grabbed Magnia by her servo and twirled her around.
"Ow, frag, Bee my leg," she grumbled and he stopped twirling her. "What got into you?"
"Optimus…is alive," Bee's optics shone with happiness. "Thought…he was…offline."
"Well, I suppose that's good news," Magnia sighed. "Look, Bee I'm sorry I wouldn't let you talk before. I just didn't want you to say…that, because then I would be forced to respond and I don't exactly know how I would…"
"Well…how do you…feel?"
She couldn't look at him, she knew his optics would make her say things she didn't want to, she wasn't ready for. Finally she sighed and said softly, "I care about you, Bumblebee. But I can't; I'm trying to force myself not to at the same time."
"...Why?" Bee tried to take her servo in his but she pulled away.
"I can't betray Megatron; I can't betray the Decepticons," Magnia said quietly.
"But…you don't…care about…them…do you?"
Magnia thought about Roulette and smiled fondly, "They are my family, Bee. I can't just leave them, especially not after how much I owe Megatron."
"How do you…owe that…slagging…brute…anything?" Bumblebee said furiously.
"Watch it," Magnia said, her optics narrowed, and Bee exhaled, trying to calm himself.
"Sorry…just can't…stand how he…hurts you."
"He's been like a father to me, ever since I was a sparkling, before I even met you," Magnia began to explain her story. "My father and mother were bonded before the war started, but once it did start they were on opposite sides. My mother, whose name was Crossblade, was the medic for the Decepticons before Knockout and my father became an Autobot. I never knew his name or what he did, and I've never met him. My parents met on a battlefield and my father offlined my mother."
Her servos curled in anger, "I will never forgive him for that; and I swear if I ever meet him I will offline him. Anyways, Crossblade left me in Decepticon care and Megatron practically raised me."
"...Wow," Bee was silent. "Never…would have…guessed…you're…half…Autobot."
"Yeah, I guess," Magnia sighed. "Haven't you ever wondered why my optics are purple instead of red?"
"Explains why…you're…so much...kinder…than the other…Decepticons…Not so…gloom and doom," Bee blushed.
"Believe me, I am not proud to be half Autobot," Magnia growled. "After what my father did…"
"Not all…Autobots…are like that…you know."
Magnia smiled at the shy mech, "I know, Bee."
"We should…keep moving," Bee gestured. "Need to find you…medical."
"Right," Magnia began limping and Bumblebee grinned and scooped her up from behind, making her shriek.
"Like I'm...gonna let you…walk…on that," Bee teased.
Magnia groaned. "Fine. But this," she gestured to his arms around her, "doesn't mean anything."
Bumblebee smiled and began walking.
After a while he asked, "So…is one of…the reasons…you won't…be with me…because of…what your…father did…? Afraid I might…do to you?"
"No," Magnia blushed, realizing how incredibly stupid that sounded.
"Magnia..." he tilted her faceplates up to look at him. "I would…never…hurt you…never."
"What if Prime told you to?"
"He…wouldn't," Bee said firmly.
"But if he did?"
"I wouldn't…listen," Bee smiled at her. "What if…Megatron…asked you…same?"
Magnia bit her lip, "Bee, I-"
"Never mind…don't have to…answer," Bee sighed. "Think about…this…If…Megatron…really…cared for…you like a…father would he…hurt you?"
"He had to!" Magnia protested. "I failed too many times!"
"Not…judging," Bee stared at her levelly. "But…Optimus…would never…hurt me…no matter…what I did…because he…cares about me."
Magnia bit her lip. "Let's talk about something else, ok?" Bee nodded and Magnia smiled. "Remember what I used to call you when we were little?"
Bee chuckled, "...Bumble."
Magnia laughed, "But I couldn't pronounce my 'm's very well yet, so it always came out Bubble. Bubblebee!"
Bumblebee almost dropped her he laughed so hard. He had to stop and struggle to catch his breath while Magnia laughed at him.
Finally, wiping tears from his optics, he choked out, "You were…the cutest little…sparkling…I have…ever seen."
Magnia blushed, "Was not." They went on laughing and talking for a while until their throats became too dry for lack of energon. Magnia noticed Bumblebee starting to stumble more often, how his peds dragged across the ground.
"Bumblebee," she said softly. "Put me down, I can walk." Bee shook his helm and she huffed, "You stubborn mech; you're gonna overload your systems and offline yourself!"
"I won't…" Bee's helm drooped tiredly. "I would…carry you…'till the end…of the world."
Her spark warmed with happiness at his words, but her optics shone with worry. She kissed him quickly on the cheek and murmured, "You're sweet."
Bumblebee blushed a deep blue and grinned happily. His step lightened for a little while, but soon he grew tired again. He was dangerously low on energon, and was worried he wouldn't be able to get Magnia help before he gave out.
Suddenly, a roaring noise echoed across the desert. Bumblebee and Magnia shaded their optics and looked up at the sky to see an unfamiliar ship lowering itself down to land right in front of them.
The hatch hissed open and a tall red and blue mech stepped down. Bee stared at him, mouth open as Magnia asked, "Bumblebee? Who is that?"
"Is this how you greet your former commander?" the new bot said in a gruff voice.
Bee stared at him incredulously, "Ultra…Magnus?"
Ultra Magnus frowned in the familiar way he always had, "That's Ultra Magnus, sir."