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Bumblebee had an idea. A great idea. All his life, he’d been told about the importance of recharge. Ratchet certainly loved to talk about its importance. “Bumblebee, stop disturbing me!” and “Bumblebee, don’t stay up all night playing those stupid games.” Whatever. Bumblebee could do whatever he wanted. Technically, Optimus was only in charge of him during the day. Unfortunately for Sari, Optimus was in charge of her all the time. As of late, she had been staying with them because her dad was missing. Optimus made her go to bed at 8. Bumblebee made sure she was appropriately teased about this. (Anyways, back to his idea.)
One night, long after Sari went to bed, Bumblebee had started playing a new video game. This one had so many levels and an interesting story plot. So interesting in fact, that he had played all night without realizing it! He only stopped when he heard Prowl ask him a question. “Bumblebee? What are you doing up so early?” Bumblebee jumped and rubbed the back of his helm. “Oh, haha! Good morning, Prowl! I just woke up and decided I’d have a bit of fun before Bossbot put us to work!” Prowl gave him a suspicious look before deciding that he didn’t care and transformed for his morning drive. Bumblebee yawned, feeling a bit tired, but otherwise ok. Huh. So I guess Ratchet was wrong. I didn’t get a single hour of recharge, but I feel fine. Bumblebee’s optics light up with realization. Oh man! This great! I can stay up however long I want to! Bumblebee was celebrating when he heard Ratchet enter the main room on his way to the kitchen. Ratchet, being the medic, was in charge of food since they needed to be sure they were getting the proper minerals. He also had to learn to cook for Sari, much to his dismay. Earth didn’t have cybertronian foods, but they did have similar metals that could be mixed with energon into pretty decent replicas. Bulkhead liked steel, but Bumblebee had preferred Mercury so far. Ratchet loved adding titanium to their meals, citing its health importance. Bumblebee hated titanium and always picked it out, much to Ratchet's annoyance. “ Kid? What are you doing up?” Jeez, is everyone going to ask me that? Bumblebee shrugged, and Ratchet squinted at him. “ Look, kid, you can get up however early you want to, but just make sure you’re getting proper recharge. Bots such as yourself need about 6 hrs every 2 cycles, but you should really be getting 7 every cycle. You see, during the war, they changed a lot of health regulations so we could have the upper hand. It came at the cost of our well-being. At your age-” Bumblebee rolled his optics. “ Whatever! I’m not a sparkling anymore, so it doesn’t matter how much recharge I get!” Ratchet gave him an unimpressed look. “ Well, since you’re so grown and clearly don’t need the advice of an old mech such as myself, I’ll leave you alone. But don’t come to me when your processor explodes due to a lack of recharge.” Bumblebee’s optics widened in shock. “ Wait, that can happen!?!” Ratchet turned away and started heading to the kitchen once more, smirking. “ You’d know if you ever bothered to read.”
After breakfast, Sari’s key detected an all spark fragment, and they went to retrieve it. After that, they went home, had dinner, and dispersed around the plant. Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Sari were all hanging out until it was time to go to bed. Bulkhead got tired at 10 and went to bed. Bumblebee put on his game and didn’t bother with recharge.
Rinse. Repeat
Rinse. Repeat.
Bumblebee had been doing the method for a couple of cycles now, and the only consequence so far had been being increasingly tired. That and being strangely achey. Ok, maybe his intakes and fans were a bit congested, but that’s where the consequences ended! The Sentinels’ team was coming to Earth to do a check-in in a couple of days. That meant two things. A. They were finally gonna get to eat Cybertronian food, and B.Bumblebee and Bulkhead were gonna get to hang out with the Jet twins, which was always a lot of fun. But before that could happen, Bumblebee had to get through this team meeting first. Optimus was yapping about protical, when Bumblebee’s intakes started to itch. “Hii-shcew!” he sneezed, accidentally interrupting Optimus. Ratchet, who had also not been paying attention, looked up, suddenly alert. “ Who. Just. Sneezed.” Ratchet had always taken illness very seriously and would likely not let this go. Everyone knew this, so he really shouldn’t have been surprised when all servos pointed to him. Shoot. “ I’m fine, Ratchet, honest! It was just one-HLITT_SCEW!” he cut himself off with another loud sneeze. Ratchet just glared and lifted him into the air with his EMP. “ Looks like someone’s due for an inspection.” Bumblbee hated medbay, but he knew it was pointless to try and argue with Ratchet about this.
Ratchet looked at the scan he had just taken from Bumblebee. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The kid had a virus, which was expected due to the symptoms, but what was shocking was that, according to his scans, Bumblebee hadn’t recharged into 8 cycles. “ Congratulations, Kid. You’re sick.” Optimus walked in at that exact moment. “ Bumblebee’s sick? What happened?”
“ His Immunoprogram stopped functioning due to a lack of recharge.”
“What!?! Bumblebee, I thought I made the importance of proper recharge very clear!” Bumblebee looked at Ratchet for help to escape the incoming lecture. Ratchet looked away, clearly also unhappy about Bumblebee’s latest method of getting himself into trouble. “ I don’t know what possessed you to not recharge for EIGHT cycles, but you got yourself a nice shiny virus now. Luckily for you, it’s nothing dangerous if you receive proper care.” Bee smiled at that.” So you’ll just give me an antivirus, and I’ll be on my way?” he questioned hopefully. “ HA! You wish, kid! The only cure to this virus is the rest you’ve been cleverly avoiding. If you rest properly, your immunoprogram will boot back up and fight it off.” “ But that’s boring! I’m not even tired!” Optimus and Ratchet raised an upper optic. Bumblebee must not know how tired he looked. His optics were drooping, and the metal underneath was dark.” Well that’s just too bad! Until you're better, you’re not leaving the plant unless it's an emergency!” “WHAT! You can’t do that!”
Bulkhead and Sari walked into the room “Are you done with Bumblebee yet? Sari wants to go see the fireworks tonight!” Bumblebee sneezed once more and then coughed. “ yeah I’m-” “ Not going anywhere.” Optimus cut him off. “ What did we just talk about? You’re not going anywhere until you’re healthy!” “ I’m not even that sick! Besides, Senteniel’s coming soon! What then?” Optimus gave him a sympathetic look. “ I’m sorry Bee, but until you’re better, you need to rest.” Bee’s heart sank. Optimus had basically said that he wouldn’t be able to hang Jet twins or have any fun until he felt better. This is so unfair! “Bee’s sick?” questioned Sari. “Yep” Ratchet answered. “ Bee here, got the bright idea to not what you humans call sleep for 8 cycles and now he’s sick.” Bumblebee looked down disappointed and a bit ashamed.Ratchet put a servo on his shoulder. “ Cheer up kid. If you take this seriously and rest, you’ll be better in no time!”
Bumblebee was not in fact better in no time. It had been ONE. WHOLE. DAY.and he still felt like scrap. In fact he felt even worse, not that he would admit it to anyone. He woke up from recharge late. Very unfulfilling recharge he might add. His coughing and sneezing had kept waking him up. He felt so cold, even with his heaters on. No matter! Even though Bee felt worse, he had decided he would pretend to feel better so Optimus would get off his back. He wrapped the blanket Sari gave him around his shoulders and headed to breakfast. He showed up at the table, still quite tired. Everyone gave him a worried look before returning to their food. Instead of a plate, Ratchet handed him a bowl. It was energon porridge. “ Don’t even try to pick out the Titanium, Kid, I melted it in. That and some nickel.” Bumblebee made a face. Great, two things I hate. “ Jokes on you, old man! I’m not hungry!” Ratchet gave him a concerned look. “ Do your tanks hurt?” he asked. “ What? No!” he said, very much lying. His tanks did hurt but there was no way he was going to tell Ratchet that. He looked at Optimus hopefully, and then Sari and Bulkhead. “ I'm feeling much better! Lets go have-” Bumblebee coughed again. Ratchet shook his head.“ Let me get you something for that cough and take your temperature” “ Come on that’s not necessary! I feel better already!”
“ If you really feel better you’ll let him take your temperature.” Optimus’s faceplate softened “ It’s ok to not be better yet, somethings take time.”
“ Yeah, well I’m fine so it doesn’t matter-” Ratchet stuck the thermometer in his intake and it gave him an instant reading. “ Huh, just as I thought. A fever. Looks like you’re staying here today.” Bumblebee groaned. “Now, eat. You can’t take this without sustenance.” Bumblebee groaned again and Sari chuckled at his misfortune. “Hii-schew!”
Bumblebee had been doing his bumble-best to rest and feel better in time for the Jet twins visit. So far so good. It was shocking what recharge and medicine could do for a bot. Ratchet had no idea why he was surprised as he had told him this from the start. (It's almost as if he never listens) Anyways, Bumblebee was feeling much better. Aside from still feeling a bit weak and still having stuffy vents, he felt fine. Just in time for the Jet twins! Bumblebee was so excited as the Jet twins had told them about a new air routine they learned. The best part was Bumblebee was going to be the main attraction! Kinda! So you can imagine his disappointment when he was trying to sneak out to meet them and everyone was in the main room. Great. He had figured that it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission but it looks like he wasn't gonna get the opportunity to do either.
“ Bumblebee?”
Bee jumped, surprised, and slowly turned around. “ Oh hey bossbot!”
“You weren't thinking of going out,were you?”
“ Of course, not! But even if I was it wouldn't matter because I'm all better!” While he was talking,Ratchet shoved the thermometer in his intake. “Hmm. Still a fever, low grade albeit.” Optimus gave him a sympathetic look and Bumblebee already knew what he was about to say. “ I know about the stunt show the twins had planned tonight.” Prowl glanced away. Stupid Prowl and his even Stupider boyfriend. “ I'm sorry Bumblebee but you can’t go…”
“WHAT!” Bumblebee just thought he would have to sit out not that he couldn't go entirely.
“ But I feel so much better!!!”
“ I'm sorry kid, it's just too cold out. With your vents all clogged you wouldn’t be able to properly thermoregulate.” Bumblebee understood but it was still unfair. He opened his mouth to argue but then coughed. All the fight left him and he sulked off to his room.
Bulkhead and Sari stood outside Bumblebee's room. “ He seemed really bummed out”
“Yeah, I hate to see my little buddy like this,”
They milled over what they could do to cheer their sick friend up. Suddenly, Sari’s eyes light up. “ I have an idea!”
“ What is it, Sari?”
“ If Bumblebee can't go to the show, we will bring the show to him!”
“ That's a great idea, Sari!”
“ I know!” She beemed.
The two friends got to work, setting up their own indoor show enlisting the help of everyone. Finally, they finished in the afternoon and went to knock on Bumblebee’s door. “Knock, Knock, anybody home?” Sari questioned. She got a groan in response. “We have a surprise for you!” That got Bumblebee up right away. “ Count to 20 and then come out” giggled Sari as she ran off. Bumblebee did what he was told.
When he finally came out, he saw the living room decorated in an odd manor. Bulkhead, Prowl, and Sari were all dressed up in weird costumes. So were the Jet twins. Bumblebee raised an optic to which Prowl shrugged. “ Ja, let the show begin!” announced Jetfire.
It was a wonderful experience, watching his friends do silly tricks and Sari have the time of her little life doing aerials with the twins, much to most of team prime's dismay. Bumblebee laughed until his tanks hurt. So did everyone else. Once Sari ended the show with a “Tada!” they all collapsed in a tired but satisfied heap. Ratchet, Prime, and Bumblebee all gave thunderous applause. After it all, they put on a movie. A movie of which he was hardly paying attention to. It’s not that it wasn’t interesting but he was just so tired… (and still a bit sick, whether he wanted to admit it or not) He fell asleep, surrounded by friends family, a small smile on his faceplate.