In My Head (TFP Bumblebee x Femme Reader)

12

"Race me?" Miko held out a remote to Raf, but the young boy shook his head, leaning closer to his laptop screen. "Oh, come on, Raf! You've been staring at that thing for three hours straight!"

"I'm helping Ratchet," he mumbled, eyes flicking back and forth across the screen. "We have to find her."

"Perhaps you should take a break," Ratchet suddenly piped in, turning away from the monitors briefly. "Do some...human things." Jack placed his hand on Raf's shoulder, finally pulling his attention away from his laptop.

"Let's get some air," the oldest of the three said gently. "We can, um, talk about it." Raf looked down at his computer, then sighed and reluctantly closed it, standing and following Jack down the stairs. Miko scampered after them.

They walked in silence, exiting their base and walking a little ways away from the road. Of course, Miko was the first to break it, running up in front of the two males and turning to walk backwards in front of them.

"So," she said, nodding at Raf, "what's up?"

"What do you mean?"

"Worried?" Jack put in. The young hacker looked up him, blinking. "We are too."

"Yeah," Miko chirped. "She's our friend, too! But there's no point in working yourself to the breaking point; Ratchet's the best of the best and he'll find her!" Raf looked down at the ground.

"But...," Jack added, "there's something else, isn't there?"

"I want to help Bumblebee," he finally said. "You see how they act around each other; they can hardly stand each other! And I just can't see someone like Bumblebee treating someone, much less his partner, like that unless he's...I don't know, trying to save face."

"That's a good point," Jack said, placing a hand thoughtfully on his chin.

"Save face?" Miko said, lifting an eyebrow and placing her hands on her hips. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means he, well, is trying to show that he's...not interested. Or that he doesn't care when he really does," Raf said. "It's kind of hard to explain. He may have said or done something and it was taken the wrong way, so he, uh, is covering up for it."

"Do you think (Y/n)'s doing the same thing?" Jack suggested. Raf shrugged.

"It's kind of hard to tell with her. She may really think Bumblebee hates her for what happened on Cybertron, because I remember I mentioned this to her and she genuinely seemed like she thought the idea wasn't possible." Raf sighed and looked up at the sky. "I...I just don't like seeing Bumblebee like this. I think that he thinks he wasted time and now it's too late." The young boy turned to his friends. "I have to find her."

"Okay, okay, I understand that, but slow down," Jack said, catching Raf as he tried to start walking back to the silo. "We will find her, and we will help her and Bumblebee. But it's also okay to breathe." He gestured to the desert beyond. "Let's take a walk, clear your head, and then we can get back to it. How does that sound?"

Raf hesitated, then sighed and turned, looking over the plain. "Okay," he said, glancing back at Jack and Miko. "Just for a few minutes."

"That works," the older boy said, and they started off, Miko easily making conversation and distracting them.

It'll be okay.

~

"Wake up, filth." (Y/n) cracked her optics open, awake long before Starscream entered the room.

"What's today?" she asked, curling and uncurling her servos as they hung suspended above her, her pedes a foot off the ground. "Prod? No, claws. Wait. That was yesterday. Or was it? Honestly can't remember. It's always dark in here."

"You never stop talking, do you?" the commander grumbled, circling her. She gave a low chuckle.

"Not really. Remind you of someone?" She kicked a pede back, successfully drawing a yelp and a clang from Starscream when it collided with his knee plate.

"Watch it, Autobot." He grabbed her shoulder, his claws digging into the plating. She ignored the sting, rolling her optics.

"I know you know my name. Use it. You're smart, right?" She paused for dramatic effect. "Oh wait, no. You're not." By this time, Starscream had completed his circle and lashed his claws across her battered face plate. He sneered as she shook her helm, Energon scattering from the fresh wounds with the motion.

"Come on," she scoffed. "You can hit me harder than that. Go on. Take your best shot. Can't really go anywhere." She swung her pedes expectantly. Starscream merely smirked. "That's new."

"How excellent. Your spirit is returning. You've been awfully quiet the past few cycles."

"Yeah, well, I'm beyond bored. The Nemesis is a huge letdown as I'm just hanging in here getting beat up and patched up day after day..." She feigned a yawn. "Still waiting on, uh, Bumblebee, was it? Your grand plan sure is taking a long time to unfurl."

"Can't make it easy on either of you, can we?" She sighed.

"Or...you're stupid?" She clenched her jaw slightly at the strain on her arms, attempting to alleviate it to no avail. Starscream smirked. "Look. Just kill me and be done with it. Everyone's getting bored around here-" She gasped at the sudden pain in her side, her knees jerking up before falling. She coughed. "Okay, that was interesting for about five seconds."

"I must agree," Starscream murmured, flicking his digits to rid them of her Energon. "Fortunately for you, I happen to be here for more purposes."

"Took your time getting to that part."

Ignoring her, Starscream tilted his helm. "We are, in fact, making it easier for the Autobots by taking you to a mining division and having you...recuperate there. Naturally. Knowing your associates, they will inevitably show up to commandeer the Energon, and you will be there. We'll see how much we have to squeeze before they crack."

"That...is...so dumb." She burst out laughing, though it tapered off to coughing due to the wound in her side. "And I'll die before they even find it." Starscream's intake pulled upwards.

"Rest assured, (Y/n), this has been thought out. It will work." He reached up and unlocked her bindings, letting her fall to the floor, rubbing her side and looking up at him. He let a malicious grin decorate his features. "So we better get going, hmm? No time to waste!"

A/n: 'S short, but I'm doin' stuff!