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Post by Hot Rod on Nov 14, 2023 14:49:32 GMT
Characters Appearing: Hot Rod Bumblebee Location (s): Malto Farm. Timeline: November 2 Plot Summary: Hot Rod's found out about Nick. How will this affect his relationship with Bumblebee?
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Post by Hot Rod on Nov 14, 2023 14:52:30 GMT
Hot Rod strolled up to the Malto Farm and looked around. He would have really liked to race Thrash or go internet browsing with Hashtag but he had a more important thing to do on this visit.
He looked around the place and found Bumblebee putting some racing training in.
"Hey, Bee!" Hot Rod called
"Um..." he said awkwardly. "Can we talk?"
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Post by Bumblebee on Nov 16, 2023 2:46:30 GMT
Just another rare moment of peace at the Malto residence, and Bumblebee was planning on enjoying it for as long as he could. He didn't know how long it would last before one of the Terrans or even one of the humans came barreling in with questions and demands, but it was nice to have the quiet. Bumblebee had already done his morning stretches and so he figured why not spend a little time practicing his basketball skills. Alex had shown him that secret to nailing the perfect three point shot, but he still needed to do a little work to perfect that skill. It was a little harder when he was dealing with a human sized ball and hoop, but maybe one day he'd get to play at that nice basketball court he spotted in Autobot City on Halloween when he disguised himself as Cliffjumper.
Going for the free throw, the scout took aim but just as he began the process of shooting the ball that's when the familiar sound of Hot Rod filled the air. The basketball flew through the air, straight over the barn.
"Darn it. Gonna have to get that later." Bumblebee turned around, grinning as he saw his friend approach him. He was quite happy to see Hot Rod, but his grin faded into a warm smile as the other asked his question. "Of course you can. What's up, Hot Rod? What's on your processor?" It seemed weird for Hot Rod to be awkward like this. Was something bothering him?
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Post by Hot Rod on Nov 16, 2023 2:50:16 GMT
Hot Rod paused. He was unsure how to ask the question he wanted to without sounding rude.
"I..." Hot Rod stammered.
Screw it. Time to be direct he thought.
"...Why didn't you tell me you adopted a kid? A human kid?" Hot Rod asked hurt in his voice.
He wasn't a bigot. Hot Rod liked humans and human culture just fine.
But the idea of Cybertronians adopting humans to him felt weird. He wasn't sure it was something he could just get used to.
And maybe part of it was the fact his friend was changing and maturing without him.
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Post by Bumblebee on Nov 16, 2023 3:00:43 GMT
Oh..
Bumblebee glanced aside awkwardly, not really sure how to respond at first. Truthfully.. he didn't have a good reason. When they'd met back up several months ago there were things Bee wanted to keep secret at least for the time being. He didn't wanna throw all his life changes at his friend right off the bat, but yeah. He should've said something.
"Hot Rod, I.. didn't think that would bother you as much as it clearly has." He sighed, closing his optics for a second. "Technically.. it isn't entirely official. Not yet anyway, but I didn't mean to hurt you by not telling you. I guess I've been off the grid for so long with this secret mission Optimus tasked me with that it's thrown me a bit. It's like everyone else has carried on with their lives and I'm not really even a part of it anymore. With training the Terrans, running secret missions for Optimus and now Nick.. it's been busy not gonna lie, but that doesn't mean I can't make time to race when I can. I still gotta find Breakdown after all."
He still felt like he needed to explain at least some things to Hot Rod. If nothing else he owed him that. "The thing with Nick is.. it just happened so fast. I meet some kid that recognized me on the road, and then we become friends and I find out he's gonna be out of a home with no one on his side. I couldn't just do nothing, and it didn't feel right to just send him off to the whole Reunification thing just to end up with some bot he doesn't know or feel anywhere near as comfortable around. It just sorta happened, and then Soundwave kidnapped him earlier this year."
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Post by Hot Rod on Nov 16, 2023 3:12:04 GMT
"Of course it bothers me!" Hot Rod said angrily. "I come back after years, I finally get to race with you again, I think it's gonna be like old times and now I find out you're a dad!? And months later no less!?"
Bumblebee's mention that it wasn't official yet didn't matter in Hot Rod's processor. From the way Nick had talked about Bee it clearly didn't.
"Just because you can still race with me doesn't mean everything's gonna be the same. You're a dad now! You're not supposed to be a dad! We're Hot Rod and Bumblebee! The punks, the racers, the troublemakers! We save the day by doing reckless stunts and then depending on how it goes we're either praised or yelled at!"
"And now you're...a DAD!"Hot Rod said.
He hated this. he knew he shouldn't be mad at Bee for doing what his heart said. But Hot Rod also hated how it felt like his friend had moved on without him.
His mental state didn't help when Bumblebee mentioned a certain someone.
"You're still friends with that Decepticon?" Hot Rod asked in disbelief and slight anger.
Still, he could sympathize on one front.
"Yeah, I...I get how you meet with someone and there's almost instantly a connection. Same thing happened to me and Clem." Hot Rod said understandingly.
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Post by Bumblebee on Nov 20, 2023 2:39:02 GMT
Bee got it. He was somewhat annoyed by Hot Rod's frustrations, but he understood why his friend was angry.
He had no intention of dismissing his feelings at all. Hot Rod had every reason to be mad, but Bumblebee had his reasons for keeping secrets too. He couldn't afford to spend as much time with others as he would've liked because he was incredibly busy with his tasks from Optimus as well as training the Terrans and now Nick. It ate into his schedule, and needing to stay off the grid hadn't helped at all. If anything it was damaging some of the relationships he did have with the Autobots save for his regular communications with Optimus and Elita, but he did try to make an effort to just get out every once in awhile, even if just for an hour, to have time and space for himself. Bumblebee didn't quite know what to say to make things any better.
But Hot Rod's anger about his friendship with Breakdown did make him mad.
"He's not just some Decepticon. Breakdown and I are like brothers, and while I'm not gonna just stand here and say he's made he's made the greatest decisions in his life, I wanna help steer him back in the right direction. To get him to stop putting himself at risk because he's gonna get caught by G.H.O.S.T. in the races one of these days. The only thing keeping me off their radar when I race are the energon suppressors I had installed so they couldn't detect my energy signature."
At least Hot Rod found some positives in all this, mentioning how he understood the instant connection one could have because he'd had that happen with Clematis. "Oh yeah? How's that going for you? Not driving Clematis up a wall are you?"
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Post by Hot Rod on Nov 20, 2023 3:05:14 GMT
Hot Rod couldn't believe what Bee was saying.
"I thought I was like a brother to you! Oh, wait. Apparently, I'm not. Apparently I didn't deserve to know you adopted a human kid!!" Hot Rod yelled.
"I wonder how Breakdown feels about that by the way? Would you keep it from him too?! He's not innocent you know! He still helped the guys who murdered innocent people. How do you think he'd feel about you adopting a member of the species that's hunting him down!?"
"And he punched me in the face! Twice!!"
"At least Bots like Thundercracker admit they did wrong and are willing to try and make up for it. Even Megatron understands that. If Breakdown truly wanted to make up for what he did in the war he'd come out of hiding and surrender!"
This is what happened whenever Hot Rod got worked up. He got tunnel vision. Bad tunnel vision.
He noticed Bee didn't really have a rebuttal to what he said earlier. About how things are different now no matter how much they could try to pretend otherwise...
Talking about Clematis made him feel a bit better though.
"As matter of fact we're engaged actually." Hot Rod explained "You know me. Never take things slow."
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Post by Bumblebee on Nov 22, 2023 2:34:31 GMT
Yeah Bee could definitely feel a processor-ache coming on.
"Hot Rod that's not what I meant and you know that. Better than anyone! I get it. You're mad and have every right to be, but it's not like I've told Breakdown either. It's not like I've told many bots because I have to keep secrets, and not cause I want to. If word got out to G.H.O.S.T. that I'm still around, what do you think that's gonna do for him and the Maltos? This was supposed to be a hush hush thing that Wheeljack was doing, and the only reason I told Optimus is because he's the one pulling the strings so I stay off G.H.O.S.T.'s radar." Bumblebee groaned, feeling frustrated despite his best efforts. "I get why you don't like the Cons, and I can't say I'm a fan of them either, but I've come to realize especially with the Terrans that even the worst Decepticons can change under the right circumstances. I'm not saying they shouldn't pay for what they did, but if the Terrans can knock some sense into them maybe we're all going about this the wrong way."
Nightshade made friends with Tarantulas and Hashtag had somehow made friends with Starscream of all bots. The Terrans had a unique view on things being as young as they were and born into a world after the war. Maybe all Cybertronians could learn a few things from them.
If nothing else dragging Clematis into the conversation did seem to relax Hot Rod a little. Maybe Bee could focus on that and get his brother in arms to chill, but it was the scout himself that was thrown for a loop when Hot Rod announced that they were engaged. "What, already?!" Bee was shocked, but he did chuckle a bit. "Yeah you are one to take things fast, but if she's willing to keep up then I'm not gonna complain. I think she's good for you. Not exactly what I had in mind when I said you should visit the pharmacy in Autobot City, but I guess that tracks. So I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and guess that she's one of the reasons you're sticking around for as long as you are?"
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Post by Hot Rod on Nov 22, 2023 6:56:36 GMT
Bumblebee had said a mouthful.
Hot Rod had only one thing to say to that wall of text Bee had shot out.
"...I'm not with G.H.O.S.T. Bee. You can't pull that excuse with me."
He started to calm down. "Look I'm sorry I got mad I just..." Hot Rod sat down. "...You're a dad now. To a human. A human. Cybertronians are adopting-" Hot Rod stopped. "Primus I'm sounding like a bigot aren't I?" he put his head in his hands.
Talking about Clematis did make him feel better though.
"Yeah. That's one reason," he said. "The other is..." he trailed off. He stood up determined and firey. "Optimus has a job for me. He's putting a task force together. To hunt down those escaped cons. He's getting a brand new prison built and everything. Away from G.H.O.S.T.'s prying eyes.".
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Post by Bumblebee on Nov 24, 2023 14:05:41 GMT
Bumblebee reached out and put a servo on Hot Rod's shoulder. He could see where the other was coming from with this whole human and Autobot family thing. "Listen. You're not the only one who feels that way, Hot Rod. I only found out about this whole program thing almost a year ago myself. I've been so detached from everyone being away for fifteen years while I was in hiding, and it seemed really weird to me too. Humans live much shorter life spans and they aren't easy to care for at all. I didn't think I was going to get roped into it either, and then it just sorta.. happened. I still to this day don't think of myself as a dad. It's too weird to me, but I know technically that's what I'm supposed to be. I feel like a big brother more than anything."
And that's why he struggled to find that baseline with Nick. Nick saw him as his dad, but Bee still didn't know the first thing about actually being a dad and it still felt weird to him to this day. Maybe one day it'd feel more natural.
At least Hot Rod was starting to calm down, but as the red mech began to speak of what Optimus had tasked him with.. Bee couldn't help but feel frustrated. Dejected. Completely overlooked. He didn't blame Hot Rod at all for getting a mission like this, but Bumblebee wished that Optimus would've at least come to him about it. Maybe Optimus just wanted him to focus on training the Terrans, but Bumblebee really wanted to get back into action. "He did, did he? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous. Wonder what convinced Optimus to pull away from G.H.O.S.T."
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Post by Hot Rod on Nov 24, 2023 20:44:48 GMT
Hot Rod didn't know what to say. He wanted to tell Bee maybe he should tell Nick that. That he didn't feel like a dad to him. But was that genuine advice or did he want to get Bee to ditch the human? Hot Rod wasn't sure so he kept quiet.
He just looked down.
"Look Bee..." he pushed Bee's servo off his shoulder.
"I just...I need some time okay?" he said. "You're still my friend. Don't worry. But this is something I need time to get used to..."
He was surprised when Bumblebee didn't seem to know why Optimus was pulling away from G.H.O.S.T.
"You didn't know? Soundwave shared some evidence after he and the other cons broke out." Hot Rod explained. "Apparently G.H.O.S.T. had been torturing their Cybertronian prisoners."
"Anyway he hasn't pulled away yet. He's just laying the groundwork in secret. Until he has a good excuse to cut ties with them without rocking the boat with the governments of Earth."
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Post by Bumblebee on Dec 23, 2023 17:06:41 GMT
If nothing else at least Hot Rod was calming down. Bumblebee found it was easy to get the guy all fired up, but it was much harder to get him to calm back down. Now that he was more levelheaded it'd be easier to talk to him.. provided Bee didn't accidentally set his friend and brother in arms off again.
"Of course G.H.O.S.T. is torturing the Cons." Bumblebee scoffed, shaking his helm. "I knew that they couldn't be trusted, though kinda surprised it's taken this long for us to find a reason to cut ties with them. I hadn't heard about information so thanks for filling me in, Hot Rod." The scout put his servos on his hip, listening as Hot Rod further explained what Optimus was planning. "I might have to reach out to Optimus and see if I can get in on this. I could keep tabs on G.H.O.S.T. or help you guys track down the missing Cons. I know Optimus needs me to look out for the Terrans and help train them, but I kinda miss the action sometimes."
He'd only been in hiding for fifteen years after all.
"I'm sure Optimus probably has his reasons for picking you guys for this task force, though. If you don't mind me asking, who all's on the task force?"
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Post by Hot Rod on Dec 28, 2023 18:53:59 GMT
Hot Rod looked annoyed. "I'm not sure on the exact roster yet. I know Ironhide and Jazz are gonna be on it." he said "I think the new girl Airazor is being considered... good thing to because we need a flier."
Hot Rod looked a bit sheepish after that. "...Hey Bee... are we still cool?" he asked putting his hand behind his head. "I don't know if I'm gonna get used to this whole Cybertronian's adopting humans thing but... If it's important to you I'll go along with it."
"If you want me to make it up to you I can ask Optimus to put you on the force..."
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Post by Bumblebee on Jan 6, 2024 12:29:17 GMT
Airazor? That wasn't a name that Bumblebee was familiar, but he did smile a bit hearing that Jazz and Ironhide would get to be part of the task force as well. There was still that hint of envy in his optics as he smiled, but he did his best not to let that show too much. "Dunno who this Airazor bot is, but glad to hear Ironhide and Jazz are getting some work as well. Been awhile since I've seen those guys."
His train of thought was distracted as Hot Rod changed the subject back to why he had originally come to visit to begin with, asking if they were still good after that heated discussion. The scout chuckled a bit, shaking his helm. "Of course we're cool, Hot Rod. When are we not?" He reached out, placing a servo on the other mech's shoulder. "Look I get that you're not used to things, and I'm not asking you to be. I'm still adjusting too. Right now things are just as they've always been and I plan to keep it that way. Nick's able to take care of himself, and I just gotta make sure he's doing what he's supposed to be doing. You're still my brother and that's not changing anytime soon. Besides, you're busier now between your relationship with Clematis and this new task force. I'm not judging you at all, and I think that kinda makes us even."
Still, he hadn't quite expected Hot Rod's response. Bee looked to the red mech in surprise before grinning. "Yeah. I think I'd like that. That or I can ask in my next report, but since this is supposed to be a hush hush kinda thing I'm cool with you asking him."
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