A Bet

Loco the Exclaimer

X.x.X.x.X

“Hah! Get ready to lose, Bumblebee!”

“In your dreams!”

Sari and Bumblebee sat side by side, staring intently at the screen before them, each holding a controller. The word “go” flashed across the screen in bright green, and the game began. Each was mashing buttons like there was no tomorrow; it looked like they were about to break their controllers to Prowl, who was watching with interest.

He’d only caught the tail end of their conversation, but apparently they’d made some kind of a bet. He’d only been able to pry what Bumblebee would get should he win – Sari would clean his room and do all his chores for a week. When asked what she would get should she win (and he couldn’t begin to imagine what would be worth offering to clean Bumblebee’s filthy mess of a room), Sari started snickering.

“Hey! You’re cheating!”

“I can’t cheat, it’s a video game.”

Prowl chuckled to himself. Out loud, he told Bumblebee to slow down before taking hard turns. Secretly, he half-hoped Sari would win, if only to find out what her half of the bet was.

“Hah! Beat that!”

“You haven’t won yet!”

Who was winning, he could hardly tell – they were switching places faster than he could keep up.

“Almost!”

“But not quite!”

Finally, the race was over. The places popped up onscreen, and Prowl looked over with curiosity. He was about to ask who had won, when Sari leapt out of her seat and pumped her fist. “Yes!”

He chuckled, glancing at Bumblebee, who was staring at the screen with mouth agape. “B-but- no, no, that’s not possible!”

“What did you win?” Prowl asked, turning to Sari. She grinned at Bumblebee.

“Care to tell him?” She asked, a bit more smug than was absolutely necessary.

He gave her a pitiful look, optics wide. “Aw, c’mon Sari… you aren’t serious, are you?”

“Just as much so as you.” She said pointedly. “Go on.”

He frowned, offering a silent plea for pity. When his puppy-dog eyes failed to work, he let out a resigned sigh and turned to Prowl. “Ah, yeah…”

“What?” Prowl asked, raising an optic ridge. “What, exactly, are you supposed to do?” His faceplate is turning red… is that a bad sign? He wondered warily.

“Hurry up, Bumblebee!” Sari prompted.

Faceplate still bright red, Bumblebee leaned forward until his lips touched Prowl’s, causing the ninja to jump slightly, his optics widening behind his sunglasses. “B-Bumblebee?” In the background, he could hear Sari laughing.

Still blushing, Bumblebee tried to pull away, but Prowl put his servos on the younger bot’s shoulders, pulling him closer to return the kiss. This time it was Bumblebee’s turn to look surprised, stiffening in Prowl’s grip. But before a moment had past, he had melted into the kiss, leaning into it.

When they finally pulled away, Prowl let his servos drop to his sides, his expression unreadable until a small grin formed on his faceplate. “All things considered,” He said, looking down at Bumblebee. “Not a bad loss.”