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1.
Look, it’s not that Bumblebee didn’t like Hound, okay?
It’s just that Hound’s job isn’t that exciting. He deals with maps and surveying mostly, maybe a bit of information procurement here and there. It’s important, sure. It’s not cool, though. Maybe Bumblebee was being a bit hypocritical as he’s a scout himself, but he usually tagged along with Jazz for training, and Jazz was quite possibly the most exciting and fun and cool member of the special operations team.
So getting paired up with Hound was a bit of a bummer. He was dragging his pedes on his way to meet up with the green mech, processor full of thoughts of a boring few hours sitting and doodling on a data pad. When he finally reached his destination, the first thing he saw was Hound’s gentle smile.
“Mornin’, Bee. Ready to get some map training in?” Hound asked.
Bumblebee held in a sigh. “Yeah. Bet it’s not going to be fun for you, showing me the old-fashioned way.”
“Aw, I actually love doing it manually. Holograms are great ‘n all, but sometimes you just want to do it with your servos.”
“I kind of have to do it with my servos, Hound. I don’t have holograms at all.”
Hound smiled sympathetically. “It’s not so bad, I promise. Tell you what…”
The bigger mech looked around. He motioned for Bumblebee to follow him outside, putting a finger to his lip components. Bumblebee’s optical ridge rose in confusion. With no other choice, he followed. Might as well see what Hound was playing at. Hound transformed and sped off before Bumblebee was even fully out of the door.
Not to be outrun, Bumblebee transformed and raced off after him. As they drove, he took in the sights. He was not quite the explorer Hound was; outside of missions, he liked to stay out of the deserts and jungles, preferring the hustle and bustle of the city. He’d never noticed all of the strange plants, or the land formations, or the creatures. He made a note to come out and look around when he had some time in the future. However, it was then that Bumblebee realized.
They were supposed to be stopping.
Hound had said yesterday that deserts were good for learning the ropes of mapping. But they were blowing right past everything!
“Uh, Hound? Where are we going?” Bumblebee asked.
Hound didn’t respond. He just went faster. He made a sharp turn off the path and into the sand. Bumblebee hesitated for a moment before following. He did his best to keep up as Hound continued to pick up speed, headed for a large dune. Bumblebee’s horn beeped with excitement.
He saw Hound’s game now.
So, he put metal to the pedal and caught up Hound as they launched over the dune. Bumblebee laughed as he transformed and tumbled through the air. Hound whipped around to catch him in his bed before heading off to another dune.
“Not so bad being stuck with the square, yeah?” Hound asked.
“I never said you were a square! Just that maps are boring!” Bumblebee corrected.
“Only when you’re making them with the wrong people, Bumblebee! Hold on, this dune’s a big one!”
Bumblebee grinned, his servos gripping Hound’s seats tightly as he flew over the dune. Maybe Hound’s more exciting than he thought.
Hound’s job. Bumblebee meant his job.
2.
Bumblebee just didn’t have anyone else to ask.
All the usual suspects that would enjoy it were out or busy with other things. He supposed he could have gone by himself, but where was the fun in a scary movie without someone to watch it with? And really, he owed it to Hound to go somewhere fun after the trip to the dunes.
So, Bumblebee took a breath and knocked on the door of the habsuite. A few moments passed without response. Bumblebee felt his spark dim. Was Hound really not here? He’d been looking forward to him gripping his arm during the horror movie!
So he could tease the bigger bot for being a scaredy cybercat, of course.
Before Bumblebee could get too deep in his disappointment, though, the door opened. Hound smiled at him.
“Well, hey there! What brings you to this neck cable of the woods?” Hound asked.
“Oh, I just…” Bumblebee’s processor felt blank all of a sudden, “wanted to come see if you wanted to…do a thing with me?”
“A thing?”
“Yeah. A thing.”
Hound cocked his helm. “What kind of thing?”
“Uh…”
Sweet Primus, what’s wrong with me?! Bumblebee thought. Just say “wanna see a movie with me?” It’s not rocket science!
Hound waited patiently for Bumblebee to continue. The poor bot seemed pretty frazzled; maybe he was upset about something? Anxious? Hound put a gentle servo on Bumblebee’s shoulder.
“Take your time, Bee. Good, deep intake.” Hound said, modeling taking a deep breath and blowing it out.
Bumblebee copied Hound and closed his optics. Maybe he was just flustered because he was excited for the movie. Because he’d already asked so many people and was worried he’d get another rejection from the person he really wanted to go with.
Go with now, since no one else was available.
“Wanna go see a movie with me at the park?” Bumblebee finally asked.
Hound blinked. “Oh. That would be nice, I would like that very much.”
“Let’s go.”
“Now?”
“Yep. C’mon, we’ll be late.”
Hound quickly stepped out and shut the habsuite door. He supposed he could always do with a little spontaneity!
*****
“Ah! No, no, no, don’t open the door!” Hound exclaimed, hiding his face in his servos. “He’s out there!”
Bumblebee chuckled. “You good, big guy?”
“Sorry, scary movies always get my circuits all wonky…NO NO HE’S IN THE HOUSE NOW!”
Hound grabbed Bumblebee’s servo and squeezed it, his other servo covering his optics. Oh, he should have asked what kind of movie it was before agreeing! Now he looked silly! Bumblebee looked up and squeezed Hound’s servo back.
“It’s all okay, Hound. I’ll protect you from any machete wielding weirdos.” Bumblebee promised.
Hound nodded and uncovered his optics. He could feel his facial lights warming, tinging his faceplate pink. Bumblebee couldn’t help but smile a little. Maybe, just maybe, Hound’s kind of cute.
3.
Hound had waited all day to play the board game Raoul had left in the common area. He’d sat, board ready, hoping anyone would walk in and see and ask to join. Alas, it seemed everyone else had other plans. He had considered maybe putting out a message to see who would respond, but he hated to be a bother.
At least, that was what Bumblebee figured from the intel he’s gathered by watching from the doorway. He’s been planning the exact moment to stroll in and be the hero that answered Hound’s hopes and prayers for an opponent! Because he likes the idea of being a hero, of course.
Maybe even for Hound specifically.
Bumblebee walked in and plopped down in the seat across from Hound. The green mech looked up and smiled, so bright and hopeful that Bumblebee swore it made his spark jump.
“Need someone to play?” Bumblebee asked, ignoring the weird bit of static in his vocalizer.
“Yes!” Hound rubbed the back of his helm shyly, “I-I mean, if you’re not too busy. I’ve just been excited to try it out.”
“I’ve got nothing but time for you.”
Huh, that was actually pretty smooth! Bumblebee thought. Bet that gave Hound some byterflies in the tanks!
Hound’s facial lights flickered, pink then red. He handed a cup with five dice and a score sheet to Bumblebee. It was polite to let him go first, after all!
“It’s real easy. You get to roll the dice three times, and each time, you can pick ones you need and just roll what’s left over. This top part of the score sheet is single numbers, so if you rolled, say, four ones, you can write it there. The bottom is special things, like a full house, which is three of one number and two of another. But the big goal is to get a yacht!” Hound explained, his optics growing brighter with each word.
Bumblebee laughed. “A yacht? Like the big boats?”
“It’s when you get five of one number! And that’s worth fifty points!”
“Gotcha. You sure you don’t want to go first?”
“No, you’re being so kind as to play with me. I want you to go first.”
Bumblebee nodded. He sent a little prayer to Primus. Please let me roll something good so I can impress him. He shook the cup a few times and tipped it over, letting the dice spill out on the table. Hound let out a little gasp, and Bumblebee finally looked at the dice.
“Huh. That’s a yacht, right?” He asked.
“It is! How lucky!” Hound cheered.
“You must be lucky, the dice knew you were watching and wanted me to have something good.”
Hound giggles. “I think the dice just like you.”
Bumblebee jotted his score on the card before scooping the dice back into the cup. He held it out, and Hound reached for it, his digits brushing against Bumblebee’s. The yellow mech quickly grabbed it again, his servo resting over Hound’s.
“Let’s roll together. Make sure we keep it fair since I’m so lucky.” Bumblebee said.
But maybe it was more about how warm Hound’s servo was. He bet it would be nice to hold without a cup in the way.
4.
“Want to do a thing with me?”
Bumblebee had said it with a little smirk. It’s become kind of a…thing between him and Hound. Bumblebee only asks Hound to accompany him, no elaboration, and Hound giggles and agrees, excited by the promise of an adventure. It’s cute, in Bumblebee’s opinion.
Said thing he was pulling Hound to today was the local botanical garden. Hound’s been a bit cooped up lately due to a healing injury, and he had just been cleared to go back into the field, but there was nothing that had come up just yet for him. So, Bumblebee figured it’d be nice for him to get out and enjoy some nature in a way that wasn’t too dangerous.
Spike had come along with them, but as soon as they had arrived, he’d winked at Bumblebee and ran off, claiming he’d seen a group of friends. That left the two mechs alone to carefully navigate the garden, looking at all of the flowers and trees. Hound was enamored by all of it. He had the most gentle touch, too, as he let the top of his digit trace petals and leaves. The sun’s on the green mech, giving him a beautiful glow.
He’s pretty. I want to press my lip components to his, like humans do.
Bumblebee blinked. Oh, jeez. It’s worse than he thought. He had to admit it now.
He likes Hound. And he must be pretty obvious, because Spike pulled his little stunt thinking this was a date for them.
Wait. Was this a date?
He should ask Hound if he thought it was. He opened his intake to ask, even.
“We should do this again. If you want?” Bumblebee asked.
Hound smiled, looking up from the sunflowers he’d been focused on. “I’d like that. It’s a date.”
A date. Bumblebee couldn’t wait.
5.
Hound had been busy lately with scouting a new location, and Bumblebee found himself moping. He hadn’t received so much as a message from the green mech while he’d been out. He knew they weren’t really a thing - at least, he didn’t think they were yet - but they’ve been getting close. Just a little picture or something would do.
He supposed maybe it was rude to expect Hound to be messaging and calling while he was busy. Bumblebee sighed, resting his chin in his servo. It’s just so boring without Hound! Without him here, there's no one to drag along on adventures, or bake energon goodies with, or play games with. Hound made those things extra enjoyable.
Maybe Bumblebee should welcome Hound back with something, as a thank you. Hound always did that for him. Forcing himself up, Bumblebee began to pace. Something special for Hound…the green mech was always so sweet about presents, Bumblebee could probably get him anything and he’d love it. Bumblebee didn’t want just anything, though. He wanted Hound’s face to light up the way it did when they played board games together or went to the gardens when he saw it.
Something romantic, even… Bumblebee thought. Something to tell him “hey, I like it when we’re together, let’s be together.”
He went down the list of things Hound liked. Nature, games, making other people happy, sweets, sentimental stuff. Hound went wild for a sappy movie with lots of romance or a focus on the power of friendship. Maybe he should try something like that.
*****
Flowers, check. New nature documentary, check. Box of misshapen but homemade energon goodies, check. Bumblebee thought, checking off his list for the fifth time. Hound was supposed to come in soon, in just a few minutes, and he wanted it to be perfect. Now he just had to wait for Teletraan 1 to tell him it was time.
It felt like hours before the alert came. Bumblebee rushed to gather the gifts and made his way to the door. His spark hummed with excitement as it opened up.
But in seconds, he was pushed out of the way by Ratchet, who began barking orders at everyone. Someone was being rushed to the medbay. A trap, someone - maybe Trailbreaker? - said. Got him right in the leg. He’s hurtin’, Doc.
And then Ratchet.
Hound’s a fighter. I’ve got him.
Bumblebee rushed to keep up with Ratchet. Hound was hurt. He should have gone on the mission, too. He should have been there to help! He was stopped by Wheeljack at the door of the medbay.
“I know, Bee, I do, but I gotta make you stay out here. I’ll let you know as soon as, I swear.”
The door shut in his face. So, he sat in front of it, all the presents still clutched in his servos, and waited. Once again, he waited for what felt like forever, the churning of his tanks growing worse with every moment. He just wanted to know something. Anything.
He didn’t want him and Hound to end before they even began. They had so many…things to do together.
Finally, Ratchet stepped out of the medbay and nodded at Bumblebee.
“He’s online and not too bad off, considering. It’ll be a minute before he can be in the field again, but at least he’s going to be okay.” Ratchet said.
“Can I see him?” Bumblebee asked.
“Of course. He’s been asking for you.”
Bumblebee hurried inside, right to the side of Hound’s berth. Hound smiled at him.
“Hope you weren’t waiting on me for long.” He said.
“Nah. Just happened to see Wheeljack come out and figured I’d stop in.” Bumblebee said, a bit of static in his vocalizer giving him away.
“Nice of you. Especially when it looks like you were on your way to do something important.”
Bumblebee followed Hound’s optics as they looked down. He still had the gifts. He wasn’t sure they’d feel the same under the circumstances, but they’d definitely cheer Hound up. Bumblebee held out the flowers and energon goodies.
“They were a surprise for you. Thought you’d like them.” Bumblebee said.
Hound’s face lit up. “Oh, they’re beautiful! Thank you! You didn’t have to get me anything.”
Bumblebee just smiled and watched Hound sniff the flowers. He would get Hound anything to see him so happy.
+1
Hound believed the best way to show thanks for a beautiful gift was to give one in return.
He’s still not cleared for the field, but the moment Ratchet said he was able to transform and take some easy drives, he went to Bumblebee’s habsuite and knocked on the door. The yellow mech answered, looking up at him with a raised optic ridge.
“Want to do a thing with me?” Hound asked.
The grin that spread across Bumblebee’s face said it all. They headed out the back to avoid prying optics and took off. It was a short drive, though a bit rough once they hit the forest. Hound hoped Ratchet would forgive him for defying doctor’s orders.
This was important.
When they finally reached their destination, Hound transformed. He grandly gestured to the field.
“Woah…” Bumblebee said. “It’s…beautiful, Hound.”
And it was. The meadow was full of flowers, their bright colors even more rich under the sunlight filtering in through the trees. There’s butterflies everywhere. One landed on his nasal ridge and he chuckled.
“Humans say that’s them giving kisses.” Hound said.
“Oh yeah?” Bumblebee asked.
“It’s also a sign of good luck if one lands on you!”
“Guess I’ll have extra luck when we play games then.”
Hound leaned down and pressed his lip components to Bumblebee’s briefly. As he tried to pull away, Bumblebee grabbed his face to hold him still. They remained like that for a while, until Bumblebee finally pulled away.
“I’m sorry I didn’t respond to your gift at the time.” Hound said, holding Bumblebee’s servos.
“Well, you were kind of occupied with a torn up leg. I forgive you.” Bumblebee teased.
“I like you, Bee.”
“I liked you first.”
Hound giggles. “Okay, you win, then.”
“Of course I do. But I guess you beat the butterfly for best kisses.”
“What a relief! I’ve never done it before.”
“We’ll get lots of practice. Promise.”
Hound smiled and kissed Bumblebee again.