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Bumblebee never expected to be a teacher. Heck, when he was young...well younger...Bumblebee didn't really have dreams of the future. He was kind of what the humans called a screw up as a new-spark, being a no-cog who was constantly shunted around the different sublevels for...reasons. He totally didn't cause total chaos and destruction wherever he went. No. No way. Eventually the higher ups just got tired of him causing trouble, which was not his fault, and sent him to sub-level 50. Where he so eloquently did the much needed task of watching garbage burn. Bumblebee wasn't sure how long he spent down here, more then enough that he did go a little loopy, looking back. He could admit it. So, even if it all went down in flames in the end, he was glad that Optimus and Megatron crawled up that trash shoot with him.
The war gave Bumblebee more of an outlet, in less gruesome terms. For once his ability to cause chaos was more of a gift then a problem. At first it was kind of fun, learning to transform, getting his knife-hands, having real actual friends. But it didn't last. Megatron left, and bloody combat began. The war gave him a purpose, but it also humbled him big time. Like most no-cogs, Bumblebee didn't have much knowledge of how the world actually worked, and just how horrible it could be. When Blitzwing ripped out his voice box...Bee still had nightmares. His voice had been his only comfort through out all the dark times he spent in sub-level 50, and he had to learn to get on with out it. Even after getting it back, he was still scared to take it for granted.
The point was, that Bee never thought about the future. He always adapted to the present, went with the flow. When Prime asked him to be a teacher, he said yes, because well he didn't really have anything else to do. Being "dead" was actually pretty boring. Who knew? So, when the Terrons came around Bee adapted, learned how to teach, learned how be apart of the Maltos. A mission that was both oddly as frustrating as it was rewarding. Cause goodness gracious, New-Sparks were a mess chaotic, seriously both the Terrons and the humans gave him a run for his money in terms of youthful chaos.
Today had been one of frustration.
Bumblebee wasn't sure when the day's lesson plan had gone so far off course, but by the end of it, he, along with both Optimus and Megatron were covered in soot and being hosed off by Alex, with the kids frolicking in the yard front of them. He was tired, and frankly done with everything. Of course, being a teacher meant he could never be done with everything, and Twitch just had to walk up to ask a history related question.
"Mister Optimus? Uncle Megatron I have a question?" Twitch said, and didn't wait for either bot to respond, "How did the civil war really start?"
And in a moment of complete lack of filter he had been slowly building up over the years, Bumblebee blurted, "Optimus killed Steve."
The reaction was instantaneous. Megatron spat out the energon he was drinking, and starting to howl with laughter. Optimus slowly turned his helm to Bumblebee with a wide horrified optics. The kids stopped chasing each other and exchanged confused looks. Alex dropped the hose after stumbling and got completely soaked. While Dot had to save the human lunch on the outdoor picnic table from her conjunx's hose stumble.
For a good solid two minutes the only sound to echo through the yard was Megatron's laughter.
"Okay," Dot eventually spoke up, "Clearly where missing something, who's Steve?"
"A friend of mine that Optimus decapitated," Bumblebee said with a blank expression.
Optimus choked, and Megatron laughed harder.
"You decapitated someone?!" Thrash exclaimed.
"But I thought the war, began due to political tension between the castes in the cog/no-cog system?" Nightshade said tilting their helm in confusion.
Bumblebee shook his head sagely, "Nope, Prime killed Steve."
"Mr. Optimus why did you kill Bumblebee's friend?" Mo spoke up.
"I didn't-" Optimus tried to say, "He wasn't-Megatron stop laughing!"
"I-I never put it together!" Megatron sputtered, "T-to think! It w-wasn't my execution of Sentinel that started the war! I-it was really you taking off S-steve's helm!"
"He was a pile of scrap!" Optimus tried to say.
"And now you mock the mech you killed, where's y-your honor now! Prime!" Megatron cackled.
"Coming from the mech that shot off my arm not two solar-cycles later," Optimus huffed.
Megatron scoffed through his cackling, wiping oil from his optics, "That's low hanging fruit and you know it. You were the one who jumped in front of my shot, and I have apologized for that on multiple occasions."
Optimus actually looked guilty at that. Bumblebee decided to to make him feel even worse.
"Unlike you who didn't apologize to me for killing Steve," Bumblebee said.
Megatron's cackling started up again, and Optimus groaned in exasperation, helm falling into servos.
Bumblebee smiled to himself. Steve would be so proud of the chaos he just created.