Chapter Four – What We Haven't Noticed

12:46pm

Outside the Adonis III.

Darren lay on his back in the cool grass, taking in its sharp, clean smell through his nose and letting out in deep breaths through his mouth. The blades hit the sides of his face as they blew gently in the breezes, softly twisting against locks of his blonde hair, flowing smoothly in the wind. He heard Bumblebee shift in the grass beside him and whirr lowly. His giant finger prodded into his now full stomach, and Darren grinned, closing his eyes at the soothing sensation that sent a comforting chill up his spine.

"Haha, Bee, that feels good," he said in a quiet chuckle. The mech's finger dug a little deeper into his skin, stroking slower back and forth against him. "Mmm…, 'n thanks for the food. It was delicious." His lips curled into a soft smile.

Bumblebee eased his finger even deeper with a smile in return, nodding his head once. He traced small circles into Darren's stomach.

"You're very welcome, Darren," Bumblebee replied to him smoothly. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

The human smiled wider. He thrusted his stomach inward with a playful gasp as Bumblebee's finger wiggled against its skin, tickling lightly in brisk motions. He leaned his head back and laughed, and Bumblebee laughed with him. The robot's optics flashed a happy lightning blue.

"Darren, I wouldn't trade you for the universe…," Bumblebee's voice spoke in a volume just above a whisper. Bumblebee leaned down and planted a gentle kiss against Darren's chest, looking into the human's eyes. Darren chuckled, leaning up to return the kiss with a tiny kiss alongside Bumblebee's mouth.

"Same 'ere, Bee..."

Smiling, the mech trailed his finger up to the center of Darren's front, tapping it gently twice against his chest. He drew little circles into it, looking down to smile at him. His blue optics upturned slowly as his cheekplates rose. "I don't think you understand how much you mean to me..."

Darren opened his eyes to look at the robot. He leaned his head back as Bumblebee's finger trailed up against his neck, then against his collar bone, toying with it curiously. The mech chuckled and slid his finger against Darren's exposed throat, stroking him with two fingers in a cautious, yet tender gesture. Darren smiled, looking deeply into Bumblebee's imploring blue optics. They both laughed at each other.

"I'm just a normal guy, Bee," Darren said softly. "Really." A gentle wind blew his golden blonde bangs into his face, and he let them sit there, tickling across his forehead as they danced in the breeze.

Bumblebee shook his head, chuckling as he nudged away the wisps of hair from Darren's forehead with his finger. "No, not to me. You're one in a million."

"Just like everyone else," muttered Darren, twisting his lip. His smile faded slowly. "And, of course...to my mom, I'm not anything close to that."

"Your mother is wrong," Bumblebee said a bit too quickly. "You remember what I told you."

"Everyone has a purpose in life, yeah I know," the boy sighed. "It's just hard to believe it when you're parents don't exactly…promote it. They make me feel like I'm imaginary."

"You're definitely not imaginary through my optics," cooed Bumblebee. "Anything, but that."

Darren shrugged indifferently. He wanted to get off the subject now.

Bumblebee paused, blinking once. "You have something I don't see in many humans. Something in your personality, perhaps. Or maybe it's something else…" His voice trailed away and his optics adverted momentarily. "I can't place my processor on it."

Darren tilted his head against the grass. Bumblebee looked away and leaned back.

"I have something? Like what?"

"That's what I don't know…," Bumblebee whispered. His finger slid away from Darren's chest. "It's just whenever you're around, my spark's extremely… happy."

Darren stared at Bumblebee even though the mech had turned away.

"How can it feel happy?"

It seemed like minutes before Bumblebee spoke again.

"The pulses it receives…It's a hard concept to explain," Bumblebee said, lifting his optics to the sky. He sighed, his shoulders dropping. "An awkward sensation…"

Darren furrowed his brow.

"….Bumblebee, I think you're mistaking this for just... plain love," he said in voice close to a mumble. "Maybe you've never felt real love for anyone before…Is that it?"

Bumblebee dropped his gaze suddenly, and his frame noticeably. His wings stiffened and rotated downward against his back with a small creak.

"Maybe you've never felt real love for anyone before…"

"B-Bumblebee?" Darren said in a small voice. The boy sat up on his elbows, staring at the robot. He swallowed. "B-Bee?"

The mech just sat there, completely still. He didn't react the slightest to Darren's words.

Bumblebee didn't know his parents, so he couldn't love them, could he? He'd convinced himself that they had abandoned him into a military lifestyle. Into this war, into all the centuries combat…

Right into harm's way.

"...Real love for anyone…"

Bumblebee felt energon tears welling into his optics, threatening to fall. His infrared vision blurred. He tensed, choking back the urge to cry with a soft grunt.

"W-Why don't they love me….?" He whispered to himself under a vented breath. His spark dropped inside him, and its color became a softer blue, emitting a faint glow.

Darren clenched fists at his sides. What have I done?, he thought, biting his lower lip gently.

"Bumblebee…?" He tried again.

Nothing.

My creators certainly have to know that they sent me into this danger, Bumblebee thought. They have to know that I could be dead. They might even think that I'm dead. What if they convinced themselves that I am? What if they're dead? My creators…Gone?

His CPU transmitters pulsed rapidly and scattered his thoughts in a jubilee of confusion, making his coolant ran warm through his system. His spark thudded a little quicker inside its holding chamber, its hum becoming louder. The platelets of his faceplate sagged, giving him a look of wrenching anguish that boggled his mind.

"...Real love…"

"B-Bumblebee?" Darren called his name for the third time, tapping the mech's stomach plating. "B-Bee, hey…are you alright?"

The mech only looked in other direction, and blinked his optic lids once.

Darren blinked too, worried at what he had caused.

"Bumblebee," he called again, but softer. "M'sorry."

Bumblebee didn't respond until a few seconds later. Making a choked whirr, he dropped his head. Tears splashed onto his curved cheekplate ridges, wetting his faceplate. He didn't bother to wipe them away.

Darren stumbled back, surprised.

"Bee, I didn't – "

"No," the mech said in a firm tone, regardless of the sorrow that rose in his throat. "This isn't your fault."

Darren uttered a small sound, then nothing more. He shut his mouth.

"…I-I should've known this….all along," Bumblebee said lowly, his voice drenched in sorrow. "And you're right, Darren. I've never felt what it's like to be loved or feel love. Not even with my own comrades…They didn't grant me life."

Darren's eyes narrowed slightly as he felt tears rising. "This is about…your parents, right?" He grimaced. He hated to bring up the subject, but he had to. Bumblebee had to overcome this spark-wrenching topic. Darren had to help his friend get this off his chest.

Bumblebee balled a hand into a fist with another choked whirr, his wings twitching as his entire circuitry systems received an unpleasant jolt. He nodded, more tears falling. He made a low sound from his throat, finally turning his glistening blue optics to the human.

"Th-They never loved me…," Bumblebee's voice quivered. "…B-But, I can't mimic their ways, can I? I won't be like them."

His hand lifted and cupped around Darren, using his thumb to lightly pet the human's soft blonde hair.

"I won't be like them…" He repeated in a whisper. His optics warmed in hue, drooping quickly at their corners. "You're like a sparkling to me, Darren. And I see myself…as your protector."

Darren nodded his head slowly, moving his head in time slowly with an elegant crane of his neck as Bumblebee ran his thumb down to his cheek. "F-Father and son," The human said in a voice that made Bumblebee's audio receptors strain.

Bumblebee smiled, his spark warming. "Yes, Darren. Like father and son." The mech let tears trickle onto his faceplate, their light blue color picking up rays of the sun as they sat on his cheekplates. Bumblebee turned his head away. Darren grimaced, shaking his head quickly.

"N-No, Bumblebee, it's okay," Darren's voice trembled as tears began to fall. "Don't cry anymore." He brushed his fingers along Bumblebee's stomach.

A moment later, Bumblebee looked down at the human with droopy blue optics. A tear fell to his lap.

"Love is wonderful," he said quietly. He stroked Darren's head softly with his thumb, and the human whimpered, more tears wetting his cheeks. "Never have I felt this way towards anyone else."

"Neither have I," Darren spoke softly. "And I don't think I ever will feel like this again..." He sniffled. "You're amazing, Bee."

Bumblebee didn't smile, but furrowed his brow. "Darren, I-I...You must understand," he voice uttered lowly. "Love for your parents is much more important than love for me."

"B-But, Bumblebee, you're the greatest friend I've ever h-had," the human whined in a voice that was almost a groan. "My parents..."

"Your father loves you, so you said."

"I know, but it's my mother..."

"You have to love her, even though she might not love you." Bumblebee shook his head. "I didn't give you life, Darren...They did."

"I-I know...," Darren frowned, looking away.

"How do you think they feel right now...?"

Darren's eyes shot up to the mech, staring unblinkingly. He'd never considered the question, until now. He bowed his head at an angle.

"I've never...thought of that." He winced.

"They probably miss you, Darren..."

Darren shook his head. "No, I doubt it. They probably don't even notice that I'm gone."

Bumblebee stoked the human's cheek slower. "I don't believe that," he whispered. "They'd know when their own son is gone."

Darren shrugged. A tear trickled down his cheek, then dropped off the human's trembling chin. He whimpered.

Bumblebee made a soothing purr in his throat. "Darren, look at me," he cooed to the human softly.

Darren turned his head away, shutting his eyes. He shook his head quickly.

"Darren...," Bumblebee lifted the boy's chin with his finger. His pale blue eyes opened and stared into Bumblebee's large optics. The mech smiled.

"Your parents love you, Darren," he told him. "They love you."

The human shook his head. "You don't know that..." He slitted his eyes slightly, making a face.

"Darren, if they didn't love you, would they give you clothes on your back? Food to eat? A bed to sleep in?" Bumblebee squinted his optics, smiling wider.

The human only blinked his eyes in other direction.

"Would they even allow you to get an education?" He added in a softer voice.

Darren stared up at Bumblebee. He was right...

"N-No, they wouldn't," he confessed, adverting his eyes.

"That's right," Bumblebee whispered, dropping his finger from Darren's cheek. "Reconsider your thoughts..."

Darren nodded obidiently. A solid frown was still fixed on his lips. Bumblebee chuckled, making the human look up at him. Lifting a finger to pat Darren's head, Bumblebee smiled. The boy slowly grinned back, sniffling.

"Forgive your parents, Darren," the mech soothed. "They're human, just like you. They make mistakes."

The boy nodded slowly, smiling wider. "I will, Bee."

"Good..." The mech's finger rubbed the back of Darren's neck. More tears returned to his creamy white cheeks.

The mech gently wiped them away with a finger, shaking his head.

"Don't cry, little one," Bumblebee whispered. "We'll get through this together." He pat Darren's back. "S'okay...Shhh."

Darren nodded quickly and hugged Bumblebee's hand tightly, closing his eyes.

"M'hm," he uttered. "T-Together." He sobbed, jolting forward. "E-End this all…"

Curling his fingers around Darren, Bumblebee eased the human upward and against his spark, his other hand placed on top of the other. Bumblebee swayed Darren gently to quiet his cries, but as the human's sobs grew, Bumblebee felt more of his own tears trickling down his cheekplates.

"Shhh, shhh," cooed Bumblebee. "No more, no more, Darren. Don't think about it anymore," He fondled with Darren's spine, rubbing little shapes into the skin covering it. Darren let out strangled sobs, nuzzling against the mech's giant heart. "You're alright, Darren. No more crying…."

"Ohh, Bee," Darren said in a groan. "Bumblebee…"

"I'm right here, Darren…"

"I love you…more than you'll ever know. I swear to God, Bee. I fuckin' love you, man."

The mech's spark fluttered and he smiled, turning his watery optics down at the human. He closed his optics for a moment, moving the human against his jawline.

"And I love you too, Darren," he whispered into the human's ear. "I'll love you now and forever until the end of it all. The very end." He pressed the boy against his spark. "And don't you forget that. Ever."

Darren smiled, looking up in Bumblebee's optics. "I won't. Don't you forget mine, either."

"You know I won't." He uttered in a gentle voice.

Bumblebee smiled wider. He leaned down and planted a soft kiss from his metal mouth against the top of Darren's head, against the neat mass of soft blonde hair. The human chuckled and wriggled up under Bumblebee's hands, placing a gentle kiss against the metal next to Bumblebee's mouth. They both smiled adoringly at each other.

"Don't let this get to you, Darren," Bumblebee whispered in a smile, closing his optics. He eased a finger between the armor plating, petting Darren's head. "You know I'm here, always, anytime…forever, whenever you need me, I'll stop and listen."

Darren's heart swelled and he nodded, closing his eyes. "You're the greatest," spoke Darren delicately. "I love you…s-so much, Bee. I don't ever want to lose you..."

"You won't, Darren," Bumblebee said, bowing his head slightly. "I promise you, I'll be here for as long as you need me…"

He let his words linger in a breeze. He was faintly aware that he could lose Darren to his parents at any time. And, Darren could lose Bumblebee if the Decepticons were to attack. The possibilities were never ending. Bumblebee sighed lightly, patting Darren's back.

"Even if you lose me," his voice was quiet beside the boy's ear. "I'll always be right here..." He tapped Darren's chest.

"In my heart," Darren finished for him. Chuckling, he tapped Bumblebee's mighty chest with both of his small palms. "A-And, I'll always be right here..."

"In my spark."