Set in: Transformers Animated
Characters: Bumblebee, Prowl, Optimus, Ratchet, Bulkhead, Starscream, and some OC's.
Pairings: Possible ProwlXBumblebee, and StarscreamXBumblebee
Genre: hurt/comfort, drama, family
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: I do not own transoformers animated, prime, movie-verse, or any other thing. They all belong to their respective creators.

Without Laughter

The point, Bumblebee thought, the only point I'm around is to make the others laugh. That's the only reason they let me stay. If I wasn't here to be yelled at and to play pranks, was instead 'just another bot', would I have ever mattered? Do I matter now? If that's my whole point in life, to mock my former life, should I just quit? What would happen if I went a day without laughter... a week, a month, a year? Would they care? Or would they just be worried about their 'precious Bumblebee'? Their 'always cheery, never failing Bee'. The Bee I am not. Maybe I should try it... Or maybe I should keep the walls up. They don't need to know how they effect me. Do they?

Bumblebee shook his head, his teammates would grow worried if he was quiet for too long, let alone solitary. He was Bumblebee, never failing, always cheerful, mood lightener, not a care in the world. That's what he was, and since they were his friends, he had to keep that up. They were his friends... right? He wasn't so sure. What were friends, really? Did they know how you felt? Or were they there just to keep you in line? Stop these self-pitying thoughts! He yelled in his mind. The thoughts were useless, really they were.

Angry at himself for even thinking like that, he jumped off the roof of the building and zoomed off into the city.

There was something wrong. Prowl didn't know what, but there was definitely something wrong. He could feel it in the air, see it in the way his friends acted, hear it in the choing silence- wait. That's what it was. The silence. Why was it so silent? Shouldn't Bumblebee be off playing pranks? Prowl tensed, waiting for Bee to jump out of somewhere to annoy the slag out of him.

He waited. And waited. And waited... and continued waiting. There was no Bee. There was no surprise. There was something wrong.

Prowl stood from his meditative position on the floor. All he'd ever wanted was silence, a free time where Bumblebee wasn't jumping out at him, painting his tree purple, or stealing his shurikens. And now that he had the once thought 'Blessed peace', he was too worried to be able to meditate.

Sighing in defeat, Prowl got up and headed out. He needed to find Bumblebee, needed to make sure he was alright.

They looked down. Finally they had tracked him to the correct world. He had traveled far since he left them. "Ready to enter the planetary orbital cycle?" A green-ish bot questioned.

A red one looked at him, his optic ridges drew together in thought. "Affirmed. Prepare proper procedure to enter planetary orbital cycle. Remember to block all interfering RADAR signals, and tracking devices. The NDR's we have on us, drop as we begin entrance."

"Right away." The green-ish bot turned away and began typing away on a large set of plasmo screens.

"Third." A pink femme turned his way.

"Yes Fourth?" Cliffjumper turned his attention to her.

"My bond with our brother is strengthening. He is definitely on this planet. I also... I also feel our brother's twin... And through my feeling, Elder is feeling down. He misses us. I believe Elder has been phrasing himself different than he is... Also. Elder and Second... they seemed to have switched."

Third stood there, thinking the events over, and the information Fourth had just given him. So Their Elder was missing them? Even after abandoning them? "Remember. No matter how he feels now. Elder abandoned us. We will take our revenge, then we will forgive and forget."

"I don't think I'll ever forget the pangs of pain from the loss of Elder..." Trailed of the green-ish bot.

Third looked over, "But think how much pain Elder felt. We only lost one, he lost us all. The pain he felt would have been many times worse. Seventh, we must forget, if not for ourselves, then for Elder."

Seventh sighed and looked down. He was about to speak when he had an 'Alert!' appear on the screen before him. He began typing away furiously. Then looked up, surprise on his face. "The Decepticons are back. They are also on the planet with Elder." His face-plate was worried.

Third jumped up, "Quick! Enter now! Elder? Why must you be constantly attracted to danger?"

"Because Elder has the Gringe." Fourth stated.

"Enough chatter, we must get to Elder! And fast!"

Starscream cackled. Down there, an Autobot. Better yet, the youngest, most reckless, stupidest, and weakest Autobot. Oh what fun this would be! Hee swooped down and confronted said Autobot. "Oh looky here!" He screeched. "A pathetic Autobot brat! What ever shall I do?" He smiled evilly, "I think I know just the right thing!"

He opened fire. Bumblebee transformed and began ducking and dodging the shots thrown at him. He swore severely. "Get back you 'con!" He shouted angrily, his cool was about to blow, "I'm not in the mood for this right now! So get lost!"

"Oh! I'm so scared." Starscream replied sarcastically. Then grinning he turned on his plasmo cannon and shot Bumblebee directly in the chest, completely and utterly blowing the little bugs cool. "Frag slagging fragger! You pit-spawned fragging slag!" He cursed out, grabbing at his chest dramatically. "You ruined my paintjob!" He shrieked out, voice full of promised hurt.

Starscream, to be honest, was a bit taken-aback by the scouts reaction. Who knew such a small bot could have such a colorful vocabulary. And bitter hatred. Sheesh. "Ooh, what are you going to do now?" He cackled.

Bumblebee simply growled and began marching away. I won't let him get to me. I won't let him get to me. I won't let him get to me. He repeated over and over again, trying and almost failing to keep his cool. To reassert his trained dominance over his naturally bad temper.

"Scared are we? I guess the little minibot can't hold up his threats. Oh well, I was wondering what something as pitiful as you could do. I guess it's what I originally thought, and what all your friends think, nothing."

Now that hurt. They didn't think like that about him, did they?

No. They didn't.

But... they might.

How about we just resolve this whole problem and kill the slagging speaker where he stands, erm, hovers?

Sounds like a plan. Both of Bumblebee's 'consciences' having agreed on that, started to break through all the firewalls he had connstructed to prevent this from happening. NO! He shouted at them. We do not want to do this! What will my friends think?

They'll call you the coward you are. They'll shake their heads and lecture you. They'll ignore and punish you. That's all you are to them, useless.

Shut up! Bumblebee shouted at these voices. Just stop it. Please?

They quietened, but didn't stop. Useleless... worthless... nothing of use... punching bag... anger management piece... etc. Finally, Bumblebee broke. With a roar, he launched himself at Starscream and latched on. He then began pummeling said speaker, and performing his own version of 'Jet Judo'.

::Optimus. The monitors are sensing Decepticon activity in the city.:: Ratchet commed Optimus.

::What's the location?::

::Near the northern side, not very populated.::

::Understood, get Prowl and the others and report in the Rec. Room.::

::Roger that. Ratchet out.::

Prowl was stopped from his searching by Ratchet comming him and telling him to join them in the Rec. Room. Evidently Decpeticons were the cause, go figure. He entered the rec. room and saw Bulkhead chatting with Sari, Ratchet mumbling to himself, and Optimus pacing back-and-forth. When Prowl enetered, Optimus looked up. When whatever it was didn't please him, he sigehd and looked back down and returned to his pacing. "Where is Bumblebee?" Ratchet asked.

Prowl glanced at Ratchet, Optumus' worried pacing, and then overheard a bit of Sari and Bulkhead's conversation. "I don't know..." He began slowly, "You don't know his location?"

"Well it's fragging obvious!" Ratchet shouted, throwing his servos in the air. "Why would ya think I'd ask ya a question like that, if I knew the answer?"

Optimus stopped and placed a servo on Ratchet's shoulder, "Yelling will not help us in any way. If Bumblebee does not show up within the next minute, we leave without him, and it is his own loss. Added to that, extra monitor duty, with all the plugs dismantled from the gaming devices." Optimus soothed Ratchet.

"Actually, that does sound like a good punishment. Fragging kid." Ratchet grumbled.

A minute passed, no Bee. Optimus shrugged and said, "Autobots! Transform and roll out!" They did so, and left.

Bumblebee tore into Starscream. "Take that you slagger! I'm gonna offline your slagging body, revive its spark, then offline you again!" He yelled into Starscream's audio receptors, making the seeker wince.

"Fragging slagger!" Starscream screeched back, flying high in the air, and everywhere, trying to make the slagging autobrat to let go already! Which he didn't. "Get off of me you freager! You're a dijing freager ya hear? Slag slag slag slag frag!" He continued shrieking.

::Prime. Do you hear that?:: Ratchet asked through their comm. links. ::It sounds like Starscream.::

::Yes, I hear. Doesn't he sound like he is in a bad mood?::

::Yes. A terrible one.::

Prowl ignored the two and went ahead. He transformed in the area the shrieks were coming from. Looking around for the seeker, he glanced up, and found him... doing strange flips and turns in the air. It almost looked like...

"Is there someone riding him?" Bulkhead asked, coming up behind him. "Because it really looks like some-bot is on him."

"Yes... it does seem that way, doesn't it." Ratchet agreed, also popping up.

Optimus then showed up. He stopped beside the others and also transformed, a look of confusion on his face-plate. "What in the name of Primus?" He asked, for once lost for words.

Starscream glancing down while doing one of his random twirls, spotted the stinking mini-bots friends staring at them, dental-plates agape. Without a thought, he sped towards the ground, and then transformed, hovering above the Autobots. "Please!" He shouted, voice strained. "Get your friend off of me! I promise I won't bother him again! But please..."

Prowl stared in shock, the bot riding Starscream was Bumblebee.

Bee wasn't paying attention to his surroundings, he was too busy beating the fragging seeker up. So when Starscream descended and transformed, Bumblebee was too busy too notice. Then, the transformation showed more delicate areas of the seeker for him to tear into, which he did, cackling gleefully. Once he got a really good handful of wires out, he started ranting again. "Thought you could come along and taunt me like that, huh seeker? Didn't think I was an expert in the ways of your kind? You're a slagging pit-spawned neijer*. I'm glad I don't belong to your fragging hstight* trine. Even if I did belong, I'd kill myself the first time the bond sprung to life. You and your kind, all of you, hijut guri gasklyt firn, girk din fey baru sheet*!" He hissed, loud enough for the others to hear.

Starscream stopped speaking to the others, his optics wide in disbelief. "I-I... I-I..." He stuttered, a click released itself. And then his shoulders began to shake. "I... why?" he asked, utter betrayal appearing.

Suddenly, Bumblebee's optics and expression softened. He released his grip on the seeker's wires and crawled into his arms. The seeker just hovered there, his arms loose. Bumblebee, by now, looked completely sorry, and as if he wanted to make it up to the seeker. Which, by his actions, he probably did.

"Star...?" He asked, his voice-processor crackling. "Star...? You okay?"

Starscream looked at the minibot who was holding onto him, lest he fall to the ground. Bee's optics were shimmering an azul blue, his face-plate worried. Then, Starscream's face-plate cracked an evil smile, "Why of course I am." He sneered, "I got you to stop bashing me to pieces, and now..." He injected something into Bee's neck, forcing Bumblebee to jerk involuntarily. Then Bee's head lolled to the side, still aware, just unable to move. "I have a prisoner." Starscream cackled and flew away, dodging the surprised and badly aimed blasts sent from Bee's friends below.

This kind of, sort of, goes along with 'And You Are?', but it's different.

Remember to review. That is something everyone enjoys, myself included. Rviews inspire me, and who knows, maybe they'll give me some clue on what I'm supposed to do in 'Past, Present, and Future' next. *hint hint*

Thanks for reading, and tell me your opinions now!