Shout
By Sinead

Author’s Note: I’ve gotten so much feedback about Hush, but until this point, I had never been able to really figure out how to do another story that was tied into the same universe where Transformers and our current universe somehow are combined. I don’t know the details, I’m not going to try to explain it away. Use your imagination. Thank you for your patience, for those who have been waiting two years for this story. I hope that I don’t disappoint.

.o.O.o.

Being in California with Sam was at times odd and peaceful.

They weren’t doing anything other than simply being around each other on this particular, peculiar day. The innocent and brave little human was soothing to the warrior’s Spark. The little fleshling had a unique sense about him that really tied into the way that a mechanical mind seemed to work. It was very odd, disconcerting, unsettling.

They were watching the clouds together.

Life had become very interesting.

Interesting upon the level that had caused Bumblebee to change his alt mode frequently to avoid detection. Interesting enough to cause Sam to grow his hair out, often wearing contacts so that he was only dubbed as a lookalike to a certain actor. Interesting upon the level that had them not staying close to home, yet traveling only when necessary.

Interesting on a level that had the United States in a frenzy, no pun intended, about the second movie of a particular fandom.

Interesting on the level that had them curious, and yet very under the radar about everything that was piquing their mutual interest.

The yellow mech’s face couldn’t smile, but his optics could. They were warm as his mind rolled over the events of a day where he had finally persuaded Sam to enter him into a custom car show that was specializing in famous TV and movie car lookalikes. And once the prize money had been mentioned for the top three contestants, Sam had been all for it. Mikaela had been a genius as far as makeup and creating the effect that they were trying very hard to look like their movie impersonations, coming with them to take in and judge their competition.

They had ended up beside a Saleen Mustang who had whirling and flashing police lights, sporting a silver boombox sitting “innocently” on the hood. That had been unnerving, especially since it wasn’t Barricade. There had been no energy signatures coming from the black and white Mustang, which helped convince Bee to relax and enjoy the attention given to him. All scans came back negative, that this was just any other human vehicle.

But it had been dually reassuring and amusing to find Ironhide actually sneaking into the car show as well, Lennox needing a bit of makeup, which got Mikaela to help him. Thankfully, Lennox had been directed to park Ironhide beside Bumblebee, which drew a fair amount of people to view the three Transformers vehicles.

There came a moment in the middle of the day that judges came around, watching, enjoying the realism, enjoying the fact that Sam was saying how he had actually compiled clips of the movie’s sound effects, as well as many others that he had figured would fit, and then put them on a MP3 disk . . . yadda yadda, impressed the judges, and they came in second. Bee was proud of Sam for just pulling it all outta his back pocket, running his mouth and coming up with some inventive ways of how he achieved a lot of the effects that were purely natural to the Autobot.

Bumblebee then went to the winner’s circle for photographs not just with Sam and Kaela, but with anyone who wanted a picture with him. The third place contestant had been a very convincing Ford Mustang GT 500KR with a smooth red double-scanner over the grille, charcoal racing stripes, voice effects, you name it. After scanning the internet, Bumblebee came to the realization that it was another intelligent car after the famous Kitt from the recent Knight Rider show.

First place had been the older version of the same character, catching the judges because of its classic, perfect nature. After a deep scan . . . Bumblebee sent both other cars a greeting, which was quickly and happily replied in kind, starting a conversation between them.

He wasn’t the only “intelligent car” that was having fun entering in car shows.

“Bumblebee, why don’t you talk?”

Chirping, coming back to the present, Bumblebee looked upwards, where his charge was laying in the grass. Their heads had been together, feet pointing away from each other. He didn’t answer for a long time, just looking at the boy before he actually got eye-contact in return. Shrugging, he held his hands up over his head, studying them. He didn’t answer.

He didn’t like to talk anymore.

“C’mon, man, we’ve been around each other for three years, right? I mean, it’s not like you and I don’t know each other by now. I mean, if you don’t want to talk, that’s cool, but I really would just like to know why you don’t even answer a simple question verbally. It’s not annoying, but, you know, it’s just a little tough on the rest of us. We really want to know what you’re thinking, what’s going on in your mind.”

Lowering his hands and looking up at his little human, Bee blinked once, then hefted what Sam called one of his “monster sighs,” ones that really refreshed all the air through his system, cooling himself before he launched into speech.

He got a triumphant smile from the Witwicky boy.

Bumblebee thought about his words carefully and spoke softly. “Oft times, there is no need to speak.”

“But you’re suffering the worst when you’re not talking. C’mon, man, don’t deny it.”

That just put a bee into his metaphorical bonnet. “And how you would know this, Witwicky?”

The young man who had faced down a murderous Decepticon wasn’t even fazed by his Guardian’s irritation. He rolled over to sit up cross-legged in front of Bee’s face. “I don’t know. But I know it. It’s just something that I notice. Mikaela doesn’t always have to be the one who has intuition all the time. I get it too, you know? Besides. I spend most of the day with you, and love knowing more about your culture and how you got to be who you are and why and I just . . . I just realized lately that I don’t know any more about you than any random Transformers fan out there.”

I don’t know any more about you than any random Transformers fan out there.

Bumblebee sat up swiftly, looking down at the boy. His boy, his charge, his responsibility to keep safe and educate. And he had been failing at educating the kid.

So he began without any preamble.

“The word ‘education’ always has had the same connotation and the same root words in my language as the word ‘shout.’ Teachers always had to out-shout, out-talk their often very loud and talkative students.” Bumblebee’s optics warmed up again, and he leaned in to rest one finger upon his charge’s shoulder. “But I believe that other than myself, you have to be one of the most verbose of students that I have ever met.”

“Good. So that means that you’re going to have to out-talk me. Which means I get to hear you talk more. By the way, why haven’t you gotten to talk with Ratchet about giving you a mouth? I mean, it’s not like it’s weird or anything, but it’s still a bit hard to catch what you’re saying at times, since you’re—”

Bumblebee lost all patience and roared, “Primus, Sam! Shut the slag up and let me speak!”

Samuel James Witwicky blinked up at his Guardian, but his brown eyes were bright and smiling. “So I guess that Ratchet was right in saying that you had been raised by Ironhide.”

The first sirens were heard, causing both to look towards the road with dual curses. Didn’t matter what the sirens were about, they had to move on anyway.

Laughing as he was scooped up, carried up to the road as his Guardian rolled into his newest alt mode, opening the driver’s side door. Jumping into the seat, feeling the door close after his butt, Sam grinned and let a whoop loose as they sped off clearly over the speed limit. “Hey, so why the Pontiac alt mode?”

Keeping to his promise to be more windy and louder that his charge, Bumblebee replied, “Because Jazz had been a Pontiac, albeit the smallest one to accommodate his small stature. I find the Firebird to be quite sleek, and it suits me. I’ll change it back once that blasted movie is done and through with. Now shut up and look like you’re driving. I’ve got a lot more to tell you.”