Author's Note: This is the revised version of chapter 6.


Chapter 6

"Sam!" A voice that maturity seemed to have skipped over called for him, slightly startling the scout and his charge. They both watched as Sam's childhood friend Miles, a boy with long, shaggy, dirty blond hair and deep blue eyes, rushed through the crowd towards the stairs to get on the catwalk. He tripped several times over his own feet, mumbling excuse me as he charged up to the catwalk.

"Miles, man! What's up?" Sam greeted, a smile bright on his face. He really had missed Miles, and regretted not keeping in better contact with him.

"Not much on my end, but apparently a shit ton on yours! Seriously, dude, keep a bro updated! Facebook, Twitter, something," Miles complained, smiling all the while as he hugged his friend tightly. Sam knew that the other was immediately going to bring that up. "I was left in the dark for a while there! I mean, you were in college a full year before I heard anything! A year, man! Not cool!"

Sam laughed softly as he and Miles separated, his smile easing away slightly. "Well, a lot happened that first year. There was the Fallen, and then exams and-"

"Mikaela." Mile inserted, intending to help out but having the opposite affect entirely. "And I guess Carly, too, now."

Sam winced at the mention of both names, and gladly welcomed Bumblebee's holoform's comforting hug from behind. "Yeah. There's that. And now all of this." Sam says, his voice sobering with each word. "But, hey, I'm a survivor." He shrugged slightly, ignoring how Miles gawked at Bumblebee's arms wrapped around his waist. "So, anything new on your end? Still going to TCC?"

Miles pushed his confusion at the new man and his old friend's closeness aside, returning to his typical state of mind and beginning to chatter away. He went into several separate tales of odd teachers, and run-ins with Trent, the school bully-turned-fry cook. Overall, his life had been interesting, just not as interesting as Sam's.

:You okay, Sam?: Bumblebee inquired over their personal comm. link, nuzzling his head against Sam's.

:Course, 'Bee. Just not really comfortable talking about... What happened.: He leaned back into the warm embrace slightly, not even minding that this was indeed his car, who was a male in his eyes, like he did a week ago. He had quickly gotten over that fact. :You don't need to worry about me all the time, okay, 'Bee? I can take care of myself.:

Bumblebee smirked, placing his mouth mere centimeters from Sam's ear and giving a husky whisper of, "You sure about that?" He could barely keep from laughing as Sam jerked slightly in his grasp, having thoroughly startled the male.

"-You two need a room or something?" Miles asked suddenly, scaring both Sam and Bee, who had forgotten he was there.

"Well-" Bee burst into laughter as Sam elbowed him, the techno-organic's face going a deep shade of crimson. "Just kidding, Miles."

Miles blinked at the recognition, slightly confused. Did he know this guy? And why did he sound like Bumblebee? And how did he appear out of thin air? Sam immediately noticed his friend's confusion. He swatted at the arms around his waist, brows furrowing slightly as his guardian pulled away with a laugh. "'Bee, that's creepy when it's just us; it's even creepier when you do that in front of my friend. Hands- and servos, not leaving any loopholes this time- to yourself, okay?" Sam warned as his mechfriend's holo-form vanished and his bipedal form pouted. "Don't even try it with that look, I'm not as weak as I used to be."

Miles watched the interaction, and gears slowly began to turn in his mind as Sam easily went from talking to the mystery man to Bumblebee. He also referred to the man as "Bee", so, if Miles put two and two together... "Wait. You're dating Bee?" He asked, his eyes going wide. The blush that quickly graced his childhood friend's face was answer enough for Miles who felt thoroughly weirded out for a moment. "How does that work?"

It was Sam and Bee's turn to go wide-eyed now. Was Miles seriously asking what they thought he was? Sam prayed he wasn't, because he didn't really know himself; not yet at least, and maybe not ever. He was not rushing into anything here. "W-what?" He asked in reply, trying to keep his balance as his mind wandered down a path that forced a blush on his face.

"Um, Miles-" Bumblebee began to answer, stumbling over his own thoughts pertaining to how that might occur between him and Sam.

"Ew! Not THAT!" Miles cried out, shielding his eyes from his still blushing and slightly relieved friend. "I meant dates, you perverts! Gross! I don't want to know how that works, okay? No thank you! But thanks for the thoughts. Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew…" Miles trailed off as he scurried away to locate some other familiar faces, anything to distract him.

Bumblebee's holoform appeared beside Sam once more, chuckling as he chanced a glance at his boyfriend. Their eyes met and Sam glares at the devious smile the blond holo-form was throwing at him. The brunet shoved at the laughing boy, before prowling away in search of his other friend, Leonardo Ponce de Léon Spitz. Though, Sam simply called him Leo, finding all that to be too much.

. . .

Leo was sure of three things right then:

1. Skids was a dumbass.

2. Mudflap was annoying.

3. He hated the twins.

"Okay, do you retards- no wait, calling you two that is offensive to mentally disabled people everywhere- you brainless assholes, mind if I go to the party now? I kinda want to check on my roommate!" He hissed, skulking away from the two annoying mechs. He cast a single good bye glare at them before rushing to the rec room, ignoring their complaints from down the hall.

"Damn idiots," Leo grumbled as he nears the entrance. "Those two need to be leashed, or just killed all together!" He throwed his hands up in exasperation before rounding the corner and finding the rec room. "Hey!" Leo called out, drawing the attention of most nearby him. "The party king is here people! Now, where is my right hand man, Sammy boy?" Most of the Autobots near just rolled their optics, and the humans groaned. Mikaela, still a good friend of Sam's, motioned towards the catwalks. Leo smiled at her and winks, "Thanks, warrior goddess." He tacked on the nickname Wheelie gave her, smirking as she flipped him off.

"Leo!" The Hispanic male's head darted around, looking for the source of the voice. Finally, he looked up, spotting Sam waving down at him. "Get your ass up here!"

"Don't be so impatient, Samuel! I'll kick your ass when I feel like it, you don't have to beg." Leo yelled up, rushing to stairs much like Miles had before him, tripping every few steps as well.

Sam rolled his eyes as Bumblebee came up to the other side of walkway, where the male stood against the railing. "Bumblebee, why are all my friends so..."

"Weird?" Bumblebee suggested through his holo-form as it appeared beside him, watching Sam's college roommate come up the stairs with his partner. Sam simply nodded in reply, awaiting Bumblebee's continuance of what he was saying. "Maybe they just get along with you best. I mean, you do have a pretty weird life, Sam."

"Shut up," Sam grumbled playfully, his eyes twinkling as Bee grabbed his hand, a small, public display of affection. That was abruptly interrupted by none other than Leonardo Ponce de Léon Spitz.

"Whoa, man! Ew! No! I shared a room- no, a dorm room- it's smaller, trust me! Ew! I thought you were straight! You always had the hottest girls and now... Ew! No. Did you touch me in my slee-"

"Leo. Shut up. I'm not gay, because this technically isn't a guy." Sam stated, releasing Bumblebee's hand.

"Some tranny who's pre-op, then? Sorry to say it, Sam, but your 'chick' still has a dick right now." Leo pointed out, his voice still full of distaste. He had nothing against gay people or transgendered people, really. He just had an issue with the guy he lived with suddenly being gay. He knew Sam dating Mikaela was too good to be true. She was one hell of a beard, really.

Then Bumblebee's holo-form vanished into thin air. And Leo promptly toppled backwards, eyes rolling back into his skull. Yup, Leo just fainted. And Sam would enjoy getting revenge by teasing him for it later. Sweet, sweet revenge.