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Post by Nicholas Bee on Dec 25, 2022 2:15:40 GMT
Characters Appearing: Nicholas Bee, Bumblebee Location (s): Weyland Farm Timeline: December 15th Plot Summary: Nick finally ends up in the home of Bumblebee - in a move he never once saw coming.
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Post by Nicholas Bee on Dec 25, 2022 2:33:14 GMT
Nick was having a very bad day.
Someone had the nerve to call CPS on his uncle, now of all times. Which meant he had to lie, which was never something he was especially good at. The social worker that had shown up had not liked his explanation of a long working vacation either. Nick was flustered as he followed her outside, trying to keep himself calm but honestly? A bundle of anxiety right now. “Listen Patricia, I know how this looks. But c‘mon, I promise he’s coming back!” He explained. “Just in time for Christmas!”
Patricia pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Not amused or buying it, as she pointedly turned back to the boy she’d known practically since birth by now. ”Nick I know you love your uncle. But he’s never been stable enough,” she replied. ”He has four days, Nick, then I’m sorry. But I’ll be here to pick you up. We’ll find a nice home, I promise.”
She climbed into her car and looked him dead in the eyes. Nick’s shoulders slumped as he looked at her in desperation. “My friends are here. And I made a really good friend! He’s been checking in on me. Talk to him, his name’s Ben,” he explained. Debating on if he should go further than that but ultimately stopping himself. “I…”
”I’m sorry Nicky, really, I am,” she replied. ”I gotta go, OK? Four days… You call him.”
Nick watched as she pulled out of the driveway and immediately kicked the ground, hard. He couldn’t leave Witwicky! Or at least not here… This was his home. No one would understand him. He’d be leaving his school, Bumblebee, heck, everyone behind. He couldn’t do that! He was fourteen. He should be able to decide where he lived and how he lived. “What am I gonna do?” He sighed in defeat as he sat himself down on the front porch. “Here I was worried Bee was going to nope out. Turns out I’m the flake. Great one, Weyland. You’re always such a screw up.”
As he heard the unmistakable sound of large footsteps. A new horror dawned on Nick, it could only belong to one person who came out this way after all. “How much of that did you hear?” Was all he managed. Not even looking up at Bumblebee.
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Post by Bumblebee on Dec 27, 2022 3:45:11 GMT
Bumblebee had a little bit of free time before he needed to get back to the Malto residence. Just a few hours to stretch his legs and explore a bit, and what better way than to surprise Nick at his house? He’d been invited over before a few times, so it wasn’t like he didn’t know where to go. Plus it was getting to be close to Christmas, and he didn’t want Nick to be on his own for too long this time of year. The kid already felt alone enough as it was, and it was made even worse considering the whole situation with the vanishing uncle. Talking to Wheeljack had helped him make that decision to talk with his friend about the whole reunification thing, but ultimately that was Nick’s decision and not his. Bee accepted that maybe it was a good idea, but if Nick didn’t want any part of it then what else could he do?
He pulled up near the house, and he spotted a woman talking to Nick himself. He listened in close to hear what they were talking about, and it definitely did not sound good. This woman, Patricia if he heard right, wanted to know about the uncle and demanded he reappear within four days time or she’d be forced to take action. If he was going to ask Nick, today was going to have to be it. There was no more time to waste putzing around trying to make a decision.
The scout waited for the woman to pull out of the driveway and drive out of line of sight before he transformed, approaching the house. He dreaded the conversation as he knew this would not be an easy one, but there was no putting it off anymore. Bee listened as Nick addressed him, but took notice to the fact that he wasn’t looking his way.
“I heard enough. Nick..” Bumblebee sighed, looking to the boy remorsefully. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that. Is there anything I can do to help?”
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Post by Nicholas Bee on Dec 27, 2022 4:00:29 GMT
Nick finally have a glance upward. “I don’t know if there’s anything anyone can do to help.”
He guessed he should have been happy that somehow, the Autobots had gotten wind of this and wanted him in the reunification program. But he was scared. What if the kids in Autobot City didn’t like him? What if he got Autobots who saw him as weird too? It was all a little nerve wracking. “It’s just a lot to take in right now, y’know? I don’t know who called CPS,” he replied as he finally stood up to address him. “I don’t know if I’m relieved or scared… But apparently she’d been wanting to talk to me anyway.”
He shifted a bit. “Apparently my file somehow ended up on the Reunification program’s desk. So they wanted to inquire about me. They were able to either way since Dave never actually adopted me,” he said as his stomach twisted in knots. “Which means I’d get to go to Autobot City, and that’s so cool… But like…”
How did he explain himself? After all, as an Autobot fan it was a dream come true right? But at the same time it meant leaving everyone and everything behind. “It means I have to leave Witwicky. And we probably won’t even be able to see each other while you’re in hiding,” Nick replied honestly. “And even if I go there, who says anybody’s gonna want me? I could go there and fall flat on my face. Someone sees all my Autobot stuff and freaks out… I don’t know.”
He crossed his arms as he stared up at the mech. Probably one of the few people he even trusted these days. “Unless I meet someone like you… Y’know? I think you’re the first person who doesn’t mind me being… Me.” Not that there was anything wrong with being him. He just acknowledged his level of energy.
Had he just said that out loud? Tact, Nick. Of course he felt very safe and kinship with Bumblebee but saying that? It put Bee in a bad position, not to mention sounded so desperate. He felt himself blush at the thought.
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Post by Bumblebee on Dec 30, 2022 3:08:28 GMT
To be honest, Bumblebee wasn't sure what to say either with this whole situation. It had spiraled out of control so fast that neither of them had any time to process what the heck was even happening. Bumblebee may not have completely known what CPS was outside of a child protective service of sorts, the situation had only been made worse. Nick either needed to find what happened with his uncle in four days time or be placed in a home of the Earth government's choosing. It wasn't fair and it wasn't right, but there wasn't a whole lot that Bee could do. Well.. that wasn't entirely correct. There was still something the scout could do.
But at the mention of the Reunification program, Bee's optics widened. He'd already known about that?! Either way that was good news for Nick, but it seemed like he wasn't entirely sold on that idea. He'd be stuck with a bot he didn't know, and that could either be a good thing or a bad thing. Best case he'd get someone responsible like Optimus Prime, and at worst.. the twins. However, there was still another option left available to Bumblebee; something that he'd already known thanks to his encounter with Wheeljack.
"That may be true, but what if I told you that maybe there was another option? I can't promise anything definite, but I talked to Wheeljack not too long ago and he said that it might be possible for.. me to take you in. It wouldn't be easy because I can't let G.H.O.S.T. know I'm alive, but he said something about there being a loophole that could be used and it'd still be legally binding. I dunno much about the specifics, but.. if that's something you wanted we could try it." He knew it wouldn't just be that simple though. There was still the matter of what to do about his uncle. "Like I said we'll figure this all out, and even if you don't wanna be with me I can give you some recommendations if that'd help any."
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Post by Nicholas Bee on Dec 30, 2022 3:23:51 GMT
Nick watched Bumblebee take it all in.
What was going through the mech’s brain? On one hand, Nick had a feeling he’d overwhelmed him, but on the other hand. He also could feel like he was missing something. Bee was never this quiet, it seemed like he had just as much on his mind - but why was that? This wasn’t his problem. It was…
Then Bumblebee hit him with the punchline.
Nick… Needed to sit down again. So he did. Had Bumblebee just said what he thought he had? Bumblebee, hero of Earth, and Autobot legend had just asked him to go live with him and be his kid essentially. He felt the world spin a little, as the words just seemed to echo in his head. He’d had daydreams of meeting his heroes, hell… Bee had already felt a bit like a dad to him. But… Him? The son of an Autobot legend.
It was several minutes before Nick could form a coherent thought.
And he cried. It was probably a little sappy. But he didn’t care. For the first time in his life, someone had expressed they wanted him. Someone who could have any damn kid in the world honestly, had wanted him. He took a deep breath, and tried to get control of himself.
“I…. I just… You’d take me?” He asked after he’d finally found his voice. “You have no idea how much I’d love that. But… Are you sure? I mean… I just. Me? Really?”
After he’d finally calmed himself down he brushed his tears off with his sleeve and looked up at the Autobot scout. “I mean… I’d do whatever they need me to do. Especially to be with you. I even thought of saying something, but I didn’t think you’d ever…” he explained. “I just don’t want to be a burden to you either. I’m…. I’m just some farm kid from Witwicky. Bee, you’re a literal legend. If people find out what are they going to think?”
He then explained a third time. Worried he’d change his mind. “But the answer is yes, I’d love to live with you I just… I wasn’t expecting that.” He finally managed.
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Post by Bumblebee on Jan 14, 2023 2:50:36 GMT
Oh boy this was not the reaction Bumblebee was quite expecting. He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing aside with his optics for a moment to refocus. Nick was pouring his heart and soul out here and frankly was a blubbery mess. He honestly didn't know how to handle this situation, but then again he did have practice with Spike and Carly.. and Chip.
Good ol' Chip.
"Listen, Nick.. I've already told you before. You're not a burden by any means. I may be a great hero, but I'm still just Bumblebee at the end of the day. I never got to experience life outside of the war until, well.. the war ended so I missed out on a lot of what a normal life was like. You shouldn't have to deal with that, and either way you need a quick solution to your problems. I know you and I know that you'd rather stay with me than going with a bot you don't know and that's if you're lucky. You already told me you knew what the system was like, and you didn't wanna go through with that again." Geez now he was the one rambling. Sighing, Bee closed his optics for a second. "The point is.. I've got your back, and I don't plan on letting you down when you need help the most. I'm a busy bot myself, but that doesn't mean I can't make some time for you. I've already been doing that haven't I?"
Crouching down to get a little bit closer to Nick's level, the Autobot scout reached out with a hand with a smile as the boy agreed to live with him. "And I'm glad. I'll have to talk with Wheeljack since he's the one who put this all into motion, but I gotta ask how did you find out about the Reunification program? I didn't know anything about it until I talked to Wheeljack the other day, and I didn't expect you to just randomly mention it like that."
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Post by Nicholas Bee on Jan 14, 2023 5:52:23 GMT
Nick listened to Bumblebee.
Gradually, he got a hold of himself - though it wasn't easy. There were a lot of emotions that went into this: one of his childhood heroes had just asked to take him in after all. In doing that, he'd made Nick face the reality of abandonment, but he'd also saved him from the uncertainty he'd spent his whole childhood living on. He just couldn't believe that this was him they were talking about, some little farm kid from Pennsylvania who ran an Eblog on the Autobots was now going to live with one of the biggest legends of them all.
"I guess you're right I just... Sorry, I don't know what came over me," He finally admitted when he'd gotten a hold of himself and gained his composure again. "I guess I've been holding a lot of emotions in the last few weeks and it's just sort of hitting me now. But at least I'm not scared anymore."
After all, if he had Bumblebee with him then he knew he'd get through this easy. The mech already had a calming, and friendly effect on him after all. As Bumblebee crouched to his level and offered his hand, he carefully and maybe a little nervously got on. Wait, the Wheeljack? "Wow, like big explosion. Glowing fins, Wheeljack?" He asked in awe. "That's soooo cool! Dude is like a legend... But at least we have someone to call my social worker that isn't me. I don't even know where to begin to explain."
Oh! The Reunification program? Nick was a little surprised that Bee was actually. "I knew a few kids who went into it back in the day. I guess someone from there called Joanna asking about me. I was as surprised as you are," He explained honestly. Though he did wonder honestly who would have called - and why - he didn't really dwell on it too hard. "I mean, I technically was never adopted by Dave. So maybe they were just looking through foster records."
Of course, he'd never tell Bee that he'd also been in care before... Even for a short time. That was a story for when they knew each other better since that came with some baggage. He'd spent almost his whole life with Dave as it was, that was the part of it that mattered. "I don't know a ton about it. Just that they pair kids who need homes with Autobots who want kids usually," He shrugged. "I have a friend named Dylan who lives in Autobot City because he's in it. Haven't talked to him in ages."
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Post by Bumblebee on Jan 20, 2023 0:05:19 GMT
Nick wasn’t afraid anymore, and honestly that was the best that Bumblebee could ask for at that moment. Emotions were running on high, and if he could help ease that tension even just a little bit then he knew that he’d done his job well. Of course, Bee had his own share of worries but that would work itself out over time. It was more the worry of what could happen while they got things squared away with the Reunification program, but once it was all over with then Bee knew he wouldn’t need to worry as much.
Maybe still a little.
He watched as Nick climbed into his hand, letting the kid get comfortable as they continued to talk. “Yeah that’d be him alright. Apparently he’s the processor behind this would program. Never would’ve guessed him in a thousand stellar cycles but shows what I know. I’ve been pretty out of the loop for awhile now since going into hiding. Didn’t even know this sort of program existed.” Granted it was a heck of a coincidence that Nick had been approached when he had. Like destiny or something. Maybe it was a bit much to say it was still all coincidental but the scout had to admit that the timing had been perfect.
“Huh. Maybe one day we can go meet that friend of yours. I can’t exactly go there myself, but we’ll see what we can make happen. Wanna go for a drive or something?”
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Post by Nicholas Bee on Jan 20, 2023 3:25:27 GMT
Huh, Wheeljack of all people was behind this?
Honestly, that one perplexed even him. Nick, being an Autobot fanatic was obviously aware of Wheeljack's son and philanthropic work. But the fact that he had actually founded something like the Reunification program was also a really jarring thought. Dangling his legs over Bee's hand, he titled his head as he thought. "Huh, that's actually pretty cool. Even cooler that he agreed to help you," He replied after a few moments of thought. "I'll have to thank him if I ever get the chance."
He then added. "But yeah, the Reunification program has been around since like a couple of years after the war? I know that there was a big relief effort after. Lots of kids were displaced and orphaned," He explained honestly. "I guess you guys just wanted to help with that."
Oh! Visiting Dylan could definitely be fun. If not a little crazy - he imagined that Dylan would be pretty high energy for Bee. But he imagined they'd get along well too. "I wouldn't mind. It's been a while since Dylan and I talked. I think his thirteenth birthday is coming up too," He explained as he tapped his chin. "Sure! I wouldn't mind a drive - I gotta take care of some stuff at my job too. Especially if you're going to be taking care of me."
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Post by Bumblebee on Jan 23, 2023 2:23:16 GMT
Bumblebee had to laugh nervously as Nick commented on how cool Wheeljack was for helping Bee to take part in this whole Reunification Program. "Yeah, I guess that's one way of looking at it. He really pushed hard for me to join and I sorta felt obligated in the end. Not so much because of what he had to say, but knowing you were in a bad situation.. especially now. You already told me that you know what the whole foster care system's like and that you clearly didn't want to go there, and I'm not going to let that happen. Not on my watch if I can help it."
Still, that all depended on if this Reunification thing worked out in the end or not. Something could always go wrong and the plan could backfire. There were just so many unknown variables and it wasn't something that Bee enjoyed in the least.
He listened as Nick explained the program in some details that he had already been aware of. So it'd started sometime after the war ended, though not too much longer after the war, and the whole point was helping displaced kids. "Huh. To be honest I'm a bit surprised that this whole thing exists. Not saying it's a bad idea, but raising a human when you're at least five times taller than them can't be easy especially when they're younger than you. I mean.. Wheeljack I guess raised a kid from the baby stage and I'm very curious how in the name of Solus Prime he managed that one. I guess you miss a whole lot when you're away for so long." Bumblebee sighed to himself, frowning a bit. It wasn't by choice that he was away for as long as he had been, but coming back to find all of these new things that had happened since the war's end was just a little bit jarring. Yes he knew about the big things like Megatron officially joining the Autobots, but even that had begun by the war's end.
"Yeah of course I'd love to take you to see your friend, especially if he had a birthday coming up. I can't promise that I can join you for that, but the least I can do is drop you off. I'm not going to lie.. I really don't know how this is going to work out, so I wouldn't play all your cards at this moment, but I promise that I'm going to try my hardest for you. You don't even have to call me dad if you don't wanna, and honestly that's something that I'll need to get used to so please don't rush on my account. Just.. whatever's natural I guess."
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Post by Nicholas Bee on Jan 27, 2023 3:41:13 GMT
Nick smiled softly at Bumblebee's response.
It was more true than he wanted Bumblebee to know. After all, he'd been in the foster care system before, he'd experienced it for a short time. And the thought of going back made his stomach churn. It was a story for another time though, when the two of them knew each other well enough that he wouldn't get scared off. "Well it means a lot to me, Bee. Like really, you have no idea," Nick was being honest here. "I've been thinking of you like a guardian for a while now. I just was too scared to say anything... I thought you'd freak out and pull away from me."
It was the truth, he'd looked to Bee for guidance for most of the time. It made it hard for him to keep his mouth shut, but still. As Bumblebee continued on about the program, he chuckled. But refrained from saying anything more as he explained the rest of the situation. When he explained to him his own nerves though? It made him feel a lot better. It was the "dad" that caught him off-guard the most though. "Dad". That name had just been a word for a long time.
But he guessed when they did this he kind of... Was his "dad" now, huh? It was almost a bizarre feeling. And it took him a few moments to comprehend it. But finally, he replied. "Don't worry so much, Bee. You've already done a great job - you're perfect just being you, OK? I understand you're in hiding, and I get it's gonna take some, adjusting," He ran a hand along his arm plating slowly. Reassuringly. "You've already shown more interest in me and what I needed than most people. Just keep doing what you're doing. The rest will work itself out."
At least, he hoped so.
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Post by Bumblebee on Feb 12, 2023 2:29:56 GMT
Nick had really thought of Bee as a guardian this entire time? He wished that he would've said something sooner, but there was no point in arguing about it now. Bumblebee understood why Nick hadn't said anything given that he was already trying to hide his current living situation as it was, but now everything was out in the open. There was no turning back from it now. They could only continue to move on ahead and hopefully learn from the situation, though admittedly he had hoped that the kid had already learned from that experience when things came out during the race.
"I know you've hesitated telling me things before, but if there's something on your mind you gotta speak up. Otherwise I'm never gonna know. It just happened to work out this time, but don't forget that. I'm here for you, but you gotta be here for me too." Bee had his secrets too, some of which he knew he could not tell Nick, but he wanted to tell him all that he could. The scout just needed to make sure that Nick was serious about all this and wanted to make that little effort to meet him half way first.
Though at least he agreed that this whole situation was going to be an adjustment period. Bumblebee would need to talk with the Maltos to make sure everything was alright, but also needed to deal with that whole paperwork situation and trust that Wheeljack was going to have it handled as promised. "I hope so.. Truthfully I honestly have no idea what I'm doing. I didn't exactly get a 'childhood' or anything growing up on Cybertron, so the downtime here on Earth has been the closest I've ever had to that and even then I've grown since then. Wheeljack gave me some texts to read through so hopefully that'll help? Still, I'm gonna need you to clue me in on things as we go so I know I'm doing things right."
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Post by Nicholas Bee on Feb 12, 2023 4:19:40 GMT
Nick hadn’t thought of it that way.
Honestly, he’d spent so much time taking care of himself he guessed maybe he’d spent way too much time on it. Still, he knew that Bumblebee needed to at least know the more important things now. Maybe not all at once, as far as things in his past. But if opening up would help? He could at least work on that. At least Bee seemed to listen to him. “Right, I promise no more major secrets. I wouldn’t want to break your trust or anything anyway,” he explained honestly. “I know that this is a big deal. And besides; it’ll be nice to finally have someone in my corner who’s actually stable.”
Oh, right. He couldn’t imagine growing up in the middle of a war - but he definitely understood what he had to say.
Texts. That was helpful, after all. Nick knew there were plenty of books on foster care, adoption, and the like. Some had been suggested to Dave over the years after all. But still. “Right, I can do that. I’m sure it’s not easy being a first time guardian or parent,” he said as he crossed his arms. Thinking on what he needed to know immediately. “Well I can start you off on a few things you’ll need to know.”
Deciding to keep it simple. “You’ll probably have to come to my school once in a while. Kids with disabilities like mine have meetings about boring stuff like education plans and stuff. It’s dull as hell, but it gets the job done,” he then used his fingers as he counted out other things. “I also got asthma. But I’m pretty good about keeping up with that. I have two spare inhalers. Only other major thing is that I can’t touch peanuts. I have a really bad allergy, like throat closing up, can’t breathe type of thing.”
Other things like phobias he was sure he could bring up when they were relevant. No reason to overwhelm Bee after all. “I’m also going to have to introduce you to my boss. Whether it’s as Ben or you. Because he would not let me live with anyone without meeting them,” he explained. “He’s an old man, but he is superrr protective.”
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Post by Bumblebee on Feb 26, 2023 3:01:34 GMT
Good. No more major secrets, but Bumblebee wasn't entirely happy with that answer. He'd settle for now, but he'd prefer Nick didn't keep any sort of secrets from him save for the good kind like not telling you what your Christmas present was. Something simple like that, but no more of this hiding extremely important things that would inevitably cause either of them problems down the road. Then again, Bumblebee was keeping his own secrets as well and ones that he planned to tell Nick within time. They weren't so much dangerous as difficult to talk about, but he already knew the biggest ones as it was: the 'don't let GHOST know I'm alive' secret.
Bee listened as Nick informed him of all the things he would need to do as the teen's to-be guardian. He'd need to go to the human school once in awhile which.. was going to be interesting. Sure he could just use the holoform, but he didn't know what all kids learned in school these days outside of what Spike had once shown him. He didn't know much of Robbie and Mo's schoolwork, and he was pretty certain that Nick was a little bit older than the Malto children. He'd need to remember look up the asthma thing, or to ask Ratchet if he knew anything of it, and an allergy to peanuts so he'd need to make sure Alex knew before he did any cooking at home. "Right. You're gonna have to tell me more about this school thing, but you don't have to right now unless you wanna. Back when I hung out with Spike he'd tell me all about his homework and different studies he was doing but I don't know if things are the same as they were back then." Did they still learn cursive? Why was it even called that anyway if it didn't involve vulgar human language?
But Nick had more it seemed. He wanted Bumblebee to meet his boss of all people. A strange request, but if Nick insisted maybe doing so wasn't such a bad idea? "Well it'd have to be as Ben, but really? Your boss is that protective of you?"
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