Disclaimer: Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 reboot) and everything related belongs to the rightful company Hasbro. I am in no way shape or form making money off this.

Author's Notes: Bumblebee felt hurt being lied to, especially when the one who lied to him is Ultra Magnus. Now it's his turn to apologize for the hateful words said, but does the former commander want to hear him out?

Title: More Than a Crush

Pairing: Ultra MagnusxBumblebee (RID)

Request: 01bumblebeefan (AO3)

Another successful capture meant another Decepticon prisoner safely locked away in a stasis pod (more than one this time) and he got to reunite with his friends Bulkhead and Arcee, but he was still upset over the fact that they had lied to him about being here to begin with. Did they think he couldn't help them out? That he forgot how well they worked together before Cybertron's revival? No, not them. It was Ultra Magnus' fault.

"Now I understand why Wheeljack doesn't like him," Bumblebee muttered to himself, closing his optics in order to focus before continuing what he was doing. Taking stock of inventory was boring and could be easily left to somebot else, but it kept him busy and he didn't want to talk to anybot least he say something he knew he would later regret. And Bee learned from past experience to never have Sideswipe do it, even as punishment detail. But even as he tried to focus on the task before him, he kept thinking about this last mission. Growling he lowered the data pad down and rubbed at his optics when he realized he had been miscounting their supply of energon cubes. The defacto leader knew he should take a break, maybe watch an episode of Bin Battles, but he knew the sooner he finished the better. However, it wasn't long before he was interrupted by the last bot he wanted to talk to.

"Bumblebee, are you busy?" Ultra Magnus asked quietly.

"Does it look like I'm busy?" Bee snapped without turning to look at him. After a few astroseconds he stopped but didn't turn to face him. "I'm going over our supplies."

"I was under the impression you had left that duty to the one called Sideswipe."

"Not if I want it done correctly." Sideswipe was always looking for the easy way out of anything and everything he did, but he was still part of his team so when he heard the Autobot commander invent he whirled on him and cut him off before he could say something. "What do you want?"

"… I came to personally thank you for your assistance with our mission. We never would have figured out that Overhead was the true leader of the Cybercomrade Sect," he said calmly, making no mention of the harsh tone.

"It wasn't just me, it was a team effort," Bee said tensely. 'Never mind the fact that two of my teammates are "criminals" that I trust with my spark.' But he chose to keep that part to himself. "Is that all?"

"Arcee and Bulkhead tell me you refuse to speak with them," Magnus said after a few moments of tense silence, taking a few steps closer but he stopped when he noticed the yellow and black bot tensed, plating clamping down tightly on his frame. "If there is anyone you should be upset at, it would be me. I gave them the order not to make contact with you or your team-"

"Right, my team. The team that I trust to watch my backplates during our battles. The team that had never once fought against a Decepticon before arriving to Earth but we still managed to catch several of them. The team that may not be ideal and may not work so great together but at least we don't keep secrets from each other. MY team that without their help, wouldn't have solved YOUR secret mission!" he snapped, advancing on the much larger bot, stopping short of jabbing him in the chassis with a digit.

The commander frowned deeply, optics narrowed, his frame tense but his engine was rumbling loudly, as though warning the other Autobot to watch himself. "I explained myself before, I was unsure whether your team could be trusted. Clearly I was mistaken."

"Clearly isn't good enough. You…!" Bee hesitated, wanting to say so much more but instead he turned his back on the other Autobot and took a few steps away from him, trying to reign in his emotions. "Just… Just go, I'm sure you have to get ready to head back to Cybertron."

"Scout—Bumblebee, I never meant to mislead you but we were so close to dismantling the most powerful criminal network on Cybertron… it was never my intention to put anybot in danger."

"… Optimus once said that only thing stronger than a team, was a family. Seems like you never bothered to learn what it's like to be part of either." The moment the words were let out, Bumblebee regretted it. He heard the sharp intake of air, the abrupt cut off of the engine, but he didn't dare turn around.

Ultra Magnus, who had been reaching for him, froze with his servo still in the air before slowly pulling it back. Nothing was said even as he slowly turned, but he stopped and said over his pauldron, "I came to once more thank you for your assistance with this mission. And to let you know that we will be leaving back to Cybertron with Overhead and the others following this planet's solar cycle." It looked like he wanted to say more, but instead he walked off, his steps heavy and slow.

Bumblebee never moved from his spot, never finished going over the inventory or even realize the data pad in his servo was broken from where he dug his digits into it. He seemed to move on autopilot as he tucked the ruined pad into his subspace and left the area. He wasn't sure where he was going, but his peds took him through the scrapyard, past his teams—both old and new, past the command center until he found himself in the section of the yard he had claimed for his own use. It wasn't much, just a place where he could recharge or have some time to himself as he sat down on his make-shift berth he realized that the downside of being alone was there was nothing to distract him from his processor and the data running through.

He never intentionally hurt anyone before, not physically and not with his words, and while his patience could use some improving, he never snapped at anyone as badly as he had done to Ultra Magnus, so why did he do that? Why did he go out and hurt someone that he almost respected as Optimus? Venting deeply, he leans forward with his elbows on his knees, interlocking his digits together and braces his forehelm again them, as though he was about to say a prayer to Primus. Closing his optics, he let his processor wonder, going over the events that pretty much led to his current situation. He knew that chasing down the escaped Decepticon prisoners from the crashed Alchemor wouldn't be easy, and being on Earth did not help. He didn't have his old team with him, didn't have Optimus' guidance to rely on as much as he would have liked, Primus he didn't have Agent Fowler to help cover up any accidental discoveries! But so far, they had done remarkedly well for themselves and had gained some new allies along the way. But then it started with chasing down fire-breathing menace Flamefeather, then the paranoid Spinhead which led to Bee discovering that not only were bulkhead and Arcee ion Earth, but they were on a secret mission and were not to be seen by him. Going over everything including the capture of Overhead seemed to make everything fall into place, and for a while he had pushed his hurt to the side but now with everything settled all the hurt had come back and instead seemed to have multiplied. And he still wasn't sure why that was.

"Bee? You doing alright there?"

A sudden voice broke the former scout from his musings and he opened his optics, shuddering them several times as he realized it was bordering on dusk and Denny Clay was looking at him in concern. "Denny? I-I'm sorry, I didn't hear you," he said as he slowly sat up.

"Yeah, I kinda guessed, been calling your name but you looked like you were deep in thought," the human said with an easy smile but there was obvious concern in his eyes as he slowly approached him. "You look like you have a lot on your mind… wanna talk about it?"

Bumblebee was ready to say that nothing was wrong, but despite the fact that the scrapyard owner had several larger-than-life alien robots living in his "backyard" he had been nothing but helpful when he had needed help, both he and his son. "I'm still trying to come to terms about everything that's happened in the past several days," he finally admitted, optics diming slightly as he looked away. Bee ended up telling the human everything, recalling events during his first time on Earth with his old team, feeling some of the tension lessen but as he continued, he found himself getting worked up once more and had begun pacing the small area, his emotions slowly getting the better of him. "… so how does he expect me to act? Like everything's okay?" Bee snapped tensely, the hurt from the betrayal suddenly fresh and still as painful as before. "By not saying anything shows he doesn't trust me or my judgment! I have proved myself more times than I can count, and if Optimus can trust me to come back to Earth and stop whatever is gonna happen then Ultra Magnus should as well!"

Denny, having found a spot to sit and out of the Autobot's aggravated pacing, took in everything said but he also made mental notes on the things the Autobot was not saying. "You're hurt, I get that, but he also explained what was going on. From what you told me, he's been fighting a really long time, and sometimes old habits are hard to break. I don't think he meant it personally by not telling you about his mission."

"It certainly feels that way," the yellow mech muttered, servos crossed over his chassis, door wings held in tightly.

"But, I also think you actually wanted to hurt him when you said what you said." Denny knew he struck a nerve when Bumblebee whirled to face him, eyes-er, optics blown wide open but before he could no doubt argue that he didn't, he held his hands up. "Just listen for a sec, please?" The massive bot froze but gave a tense nod. "Maybe you didn't mean it, but the fact is you still said it. We may be from different planets, but I've noticed that you Cybertroniums tend to behave a lot like us humans. For one thing we lash out at others when we're hurt. Emotional, mental, physical, pain is pain but hurting the one behind it isn't the way to go about it. Ultra Magnus never intended to hurt you and yet you turned it around and not only hurt him, but your friends as well."

"That's—! That's—not completely true." He really didn't mean to hurt anyone, but he also wanted them to know what it felt like when he had been ignored and left out, to be hurt. He vented deeply, suddenly feeling ashamed of himself. "I should really apologize to them."

"Does that include Ultra Magnus?"

"…"

The scrapyard owner sighed softly to himself, but gave the yellow bot an encouraging smile as he slowly got to his feet. "I can't tell you what to do, no one can. But as your friend, I can give you some advice and you decide if you wanna take it or not."

"… what is it?"

"Talk with him. Tell him how you really feel and go from there." With that said, he bided him a good night along with a good luck and left. Bumblebee didn't know what to say, but he knew that Denny did make a very good point. And he also knew he had to do it tonight, or he would not only lose his resolve, he would also lose his chance.

All was quiet, the prisoners loaded up securely, and everything was ready for departure tomorrow, but Ultra Magnus was still uneasy. Venting deeply, he walked to his quarters of his ship, hoping he could find something else to occupy his processor; a sudden ping via his comm link had him pausing as he answered it.

::Ultra Magnus.::

::Ultra Magnus, it's Bumblebee. I-I was hoping we could talk.::

::… I was under the impression that we were done talking.:: There was a tense moment of silence but before the other mech could take it back he continued walking, but this time towards the exit. ::I can meet you at your location if you wish.:: Arriving at the door he gave the command for them to open only to stare in surprise at the yellow and black mech standing just outside.

"I think there's some more things we need to talk about," Bumblebee answered with a slight nod of his helm. "Sorry, I should have called ahead."

"No, it is not a problem." Stepping back, he allowed the mech inside and led him through the ship and into his quarters. Larger than the others, it was actually two rooms separated by a door with some seating and data pads neatly stacked on a small table. "Please, make yourself comfortable," he offered. "Would you care for some energon?"

"Yeah, thanks." Bumblebee gave the room a passing glance, noticing the lack of personal effects and yet he could still see traces of the commander everywhere. Sitting down, he went over what he was going to say and hoped that he could keep his emotions in check but he accepted the cube but didn't start drinking right away. Looking into the fuel, he inventing deeply before letting it out slowly.

"… I never should have said what I said, it was uncalled for but I was so mad and hurt and…!" Bee stopped himself, digits tapping the outside of his cube as he took a sip. "When I brought in Clipshade—I mean Spectrosynth, I felt like I was a hero again… but to find out that had been planned, a set up…" His words trailed off, unable to speak anymore.

"… Optimus spoke highly of his team, of you especially. I never meant to lie to you, but the Cybercomrade Syndicate had stronger and tighter loyalties that Megatron himself wished he had. But that doesn't mean I didn't think less of your skills or your abilities," the large blue and white mech explained, leaning back in his seat and took a slow sip from his own cube. "The war is over, but despite the sacrifices made we are still divided. And here on Earth, I see that it is possible for Autobots and Decepticons to work together." A small smile graced his derma plating. "Til all are one."

"Optimus always believed in that, and so do I. But no one said being a hero would be easy." Bumblebee could feel himself relaxing, the tension easing from his frame as he took another sip from his cube.

"You are a hero, no one can ever take that away from you. You are loyal, dedicated, determined, and you are on your way to be a great leader."

"Is that why you didn't let me in on your mission in the first place?" Bee asked, trying to ignore the rise in temperature from the praise.

"Partly. Hard to focus on anything when you are working with the very mech you develop an attraction to," Ultra Magnus muttered, raising his cube to take a sip but he pausing when he heard vents sputtering and looked in time to see the former lieutenant roughly setting his cube on the table, desperately trying to clear his airways. "Are you alright?"

"F-Fine! I'm fine!" he coughed, waving him off but Bumblebee looked at him with optics cycled wide open. "What did you say?"

The former commander frowned but replaying what he had just said he abruptly looked away. "I-forgive me, that was unprofessional." He stood and made to escort the other mech out but froze when he felt a servo on his upper stabilizer.

"Wait. I-I'm not mad, just—surprised," Bumblebee said quietly and slowly let his servo drop. "… did you mean it? About being attracted to me?" The silence was so thick, even Optimus' Star Saber wouldn't be able to cut through it but he had to know. "Please, no more secrets, no more lies."

"… yes."

"Why?"

Now it was his turn to face him, confusion evident on his faceplates. "What do you mean?"

"You are Ultra Magnus, you fought against Megatron himself! You helped in reviving Cybertron! You could have any bot out there, mech and femme! So why me?" Bee was expecting a speech, more praise, encouraging words. He wasn't expecting a servo to reach out, digits lightly nudging him under his chin, tilting his helm up until he felt lip plates pressed against his. Blue optics shuddered even wider but he didn't pull away from the kiss; instead, he leaned into it, servos grasping at the plating before him, ignoring the whirl of his cooling fans starting up. The kiss didn't last for more than a few kliks, but even as he felt the other mech pull back he wanted to follow, to allow the warmth to continue building.

"… does that answer your question?" the veteran asked softly, longing to lean down and taste him once more.

"Yeah," he said, after clearing his vocalizer a few times to clear the static. He wanted to ask him some more, to ask where they went from here, but he wanted to just live for the moment however long it lasted. Leaning up, Bee allowed the moan to escape as he was kissed once more, servos pulling at one another until their frames were flushed tightly together. It was as though the confession, however small and accidental it happened, broke down the walls between them. Servos, tentative at first, grow bolder in their caressing, trying to memorize every transformation seam, slipping beneath flared plating to touch the sensitive wiring underneath, cooling fans increasing their speed to dispel the sudden rise in their temperatures. Both stumbled, refusing to break away from the other until the yellow mech was pinned again the door leading to the other room, moaning even louder as digits dragged their way down his sides to his pelvic plating, causing his sensory network to nearly overwhelm his processor.

The blue and white plated mech reluctantly pulled back, venting deeply he murmured into his soon-to-be-lover's audio sensor, "I leave for Cybertron tomorrow."

Bee couldn't help but tremble at the deep tone, the way it seemed to send vibrations through his systems as he clung even tighter. "We shouldn't waste any more time then." He flushed when he felt more than heard the chuckle and managed not to yelp as the door he had been pinned to suddenly slid open, but he did gasp in surprise when servos not only kept him from falling back, they also grasped him by his lower stabilizers, having them wrap around the thick waist. "Some warning woulda been nice."

"I'll remember that for next time," came the deep chuckle. The lights immediately came on when the door opened, but they were at a low enough setting so the two mechs could still see one another. Ultra Magnus didn't stop as he carried Bumblebee to the berth, laying him down he longed to continue his exploration but forced himself to stop and pulled away. He took the moment to look Bee over, plating flared open, inviting him to continue their explorations, vents dispelling heated air, optics beginning to darken to a midnight blue. Everything about him was perfect, he almost didn't register his servos once more reaching out to touch the sensual frame, digits once more slipping into seams to caress the normally hidden wires and cables, but he didn't stop there.

The lieutenant knew his kind didn't need air to breathe, but he couldn't help but pant as his sensors flooded his processor with so much data. He gave up trying to understand where the touches were coming from, he just knew it felt really good and he didn't want any of it to stop. His plating flared as wide as they could, moaning as the digits managed to slip inside, he leaned up into the kiss with more eagerness than before, curling his digits around the back of Magnus' neck cabling. Bee trembled at the questioning lick against his lip plates and answered it with his own, deepening the kiss as they tasted one another but all too soon the larger bot pulled away.

"M-Mag-!" He tried to pull him back, not wanting the pleasure to end but his faceplates heated up he could almost swear his circuits were burning as he felt his neck cables being kissed, even licked, making him groan louder as he tilted his helm back. His digits tightened, the tips stroking the cables in appreciation.

The former commander had never done anything like this, there had been no time for such things but thankfully his systems seemed to know what to do. He focused on the sounds Bumblebee made, stroking areas that made the yellow mech relax even more, being mindful to not overstimulate certain sensors when he twitched away, and increasing the pressure when he pushed up into him. His own sensors were sending him mixed messages, demanding more attention as those nimble digits stroked his highly sensitive wires in his neck.

The pleasure between them was unlike either of them had felt before. Everything felt so good, too good, systems threatening to reset in order to properly process everything that was happened but it seemed to be over in a loud cry of pleasure. "Bumblebee," Ultra Magnus growled and once more took his lip plates in a deep kiss, swallowing his whimpering moans.

Bumblebee couldn't stop trembling but he wasn't trying that hard; his frame was still on a charge high. He onlined his optics as he felt his lover pull back, shuddering his optics slowly. He wanted to tell him amazing he was, how he had blown away his expectations, how he wouldn't mind another round but the alert on his HUD alerted him to his low reserves. He struggled to fight it, to stay online for a just a bit longer but the last thing Bee saw was Magnus looking down at him—with affection.

Bumblebee came to his surroundings slowly, his energy levels reading low but enough for his systems to start up so he could grab some energon. For a klik, he wondered what had happen until he pulled up the last recording he had and denied the command for his cooling fans to kick on.

'I lost my seal. To Ultra Magnus. And… I liked it.' No, he didn't like it; he loved it. Slag, he'd be up for another round if his systems didn't feel like slag. But he was surprised that he couldn't feel any residue from their fluids or hear the hum of another bot next to him. Slowly, he onlined his optics, waiting for them to adjust to realize not only was he alone, he had been wiped clean. Bumblebee vented softly, reaching out to feel the side of the berth but it cool. 'Did… does he regret what happened?' No, Ultra Magnus was an honorable mech, and sure he had kept secrets from him but he had no choice. 'I-I'm just overprocessing things!' But what if he was wrong? Bee tried not to let the data linger but luckily the door to the room opened. Ultra Magnus walked in with two cubes of energon, trying to be silent but he froze as the door hissed closed behind him, staring at the mech in his berth.

"… I trust you are hungry," he said with a nod, gesturing to the cubes he held. When he received no answer, he slowly moved towards the small table, refusing to look at the yellow-plated bot. "I will leave this here for you. The wash racks are through there, take as long as you need."

"Wait!" He hadn't meant to shout but at least he wasn't leaving. Bee knew he should rest, even his systems advised him not to move, but he ignored it as he slowly moved to the side of the berth and stood. He choked back the hiss of discomfort as pain flared from his valve and walked towards the former military bot, nodding his thanks as he accepted the cube. "Thank you. Not just for this but for, um, the cleanup." Yeah, that was smooth Bee told himself as he quickly took a sip from the cube.

"I felt it was only right that I clean up," Ultra Magnus said simply, sipping at his own cube. He wanted to ask how he was doing, if he was in pain, if he regretted last night. But once more words failed him. His servos tightened around the cube, ready to shatter it when Bumblebee spoke up.

"You're leaving for Cybertron today," the scout said quietly, staring into the glowing blue liquid.

"… yes. But, you and your team are welcome to come back with us." He watched as the yellow helm lifted and this time, he didn't think about his actions as he took the mostly full cube from his servos, set them both down on the table and took both servos into his own. "The High Council has charged you with several crimes, but I know they are wrong and I will do anything to clear your name."

"Magnus…" It wasn't the answer he was looking for, but despite not knowing the larger mech very well, he knew that what happened last night was not some random frag, and he didn't regret it anymore than he did. "I, would really like that. But, I can't… I'm sorry."

"May I ask why?" Bumblebee looked at him before dropping his gaze, doorwings drooping. Ultra Magnus was confused until realization hit. The ex-scout was on a secret mission of his own. He vented deeply, giving the servos a tight squeeze but lifting his servo he tilted the younger bot's faceplates up and kissed him. Bee went tense, optics wide but before he could kiss back Magnus pulled away but didn't remove his servo. "I trust you and your team to successfully complete your mission."

"Ultra Magnus… thank you." Bumblebee felt silly thanking him again, but he meant it. He also knew he had to see how his team was doing, but he also wanted to spend some more time with the former leader of the wreckers. "Do you have to leave right now?"

The ex-soldier checked his chronometer and shook his helm. "Not for several cycles."

"Good." It didn't take much to push the large mech down onto the berth only to immediately straddle his lap, engine purring as servos immediately curled around his hips, pulling him close. "I can think of one way to pass the time before you have to leave."

Author's Notes: FINALLY DONE! (throws hands in air) I'm sorry but for some reason this was the fragging hardest chapter I have written! I have been sitting on this idea for too slagging long, but it done and I hope you readers enjoy it.

01bumblebeefan, I hope this is what you wanted and again I am so sorry for being so late.

I have the ideas and notes for the next chapter up so here's hoping my muse will cooperate and help me put it all together (tired wave) Until next time!

Next chapter: Rodimus PrimexBumblebee (Animated)