Still don't own anything )

Huzzah! I'm so happy people like these fic cause I can't get enough of them!! This idea just kinda popped up one day in class whereupon I squealed like a little kid and decided to write it. Hope you all like it!!

Normally, a flat tire wasn't the end of the world. Sure, it was a pain in the ass and took some time to repair but in reality it wasn't the worst thing that could happen to a car. One flat tire was bad enough, two was worse, three or more was just overkill. Still, to a human, fixing a car's tires was just an annoyance, not a reason to send them off to a junk yard. Bumblebee seemed to think differently.

The little yellow Camero's engine whined and grumbled worriedly as Sam scruffed around in the garage to look for the tools he needed. The day before, someone in the parking lot (Trent more than likely) decided to show their admiration of the car. By slashing all of the tires. Seeing as how it was daylight and in a rather public place, Bumblebee couldn't do much of anything other than sit there and let it happen but not before he let out a deafening alarm that sent the boy flailing backwards and landing on the hood of another car that proceeded to do the same. Eventually, nearly every car in the lot was crying out in shrill irritation as their alarms were activated one after the other. It had caused quite a commotion but the culprit wasn't caught.

When Sam had come out that afternoon, his eyes widened dramatically as he caught sight of his car. "Oh my God! Bee! What happened?!"

His car didn't answer but the radio switched on, Aretha Franklin singing loud and clear over the airwaves.

"And it hurts like hell. That's the way it feels…" way it f

Sam ran his hands over the ruined tires gently, being careful not to disrupt anything else. Bumblebee's engine groaned and whined under his touch but let his human work on him. In the end it had taken a tow truck to get him back to the house and the whole time Bee kept up with his worried grumbles.

He'd never had a flat before, let alone four at one time. Even when he'd lost his legs in the battle against Megatron, it hadn't been so bad because Ratchet was there and was able to fix him. But Ratchet was several thousand miles away now, currently being used as an ambulance in a city on the West coast.(1) Without him there, it was up to Sam to fix him and by the way the boy had been stomping around the day before, he figured he was mad at him.

That night, as Sam pushed him into the garage, Luther Vandross switched on.

"It makes me wonder. Are you mad at me?"

The boy looked confused for a second before answering. "Mad at you? Of course not. Why would I be mad at you?"

"Cause I'm broken, when I'm open, and I don't feel right…"

Sam smiled and brushed his hands over the sleek exterior of the car. "No Bee, I'm not mad at you. Whoever did this to you, yeah, but not you. And you're not broken, we just need to change the tires is all. It's really not a big deal." He smiled as a low sigh escaped from the engine. "I'll get you all fixed up in the morning, I promise."

So, bright and early the next morning, Sam was in the garage with a stack of tires sitting behind him. He gently went to work on the first one, loosening the bolts and removing it from the axel. As he slid the new tire into place, the radio switched over to another station.

"Can you help me I'm bent. I'm so scared that I'll never get put back together."

Sam chuckled and tightened the last bolt. "Drama queen. It's just a few tires." He wiped sweat from his eyes, effectively gaining a dirty smudge across his forehead. Pushing the ruined tire out of the way, he walked to the back and started on the next one.

"You know," he began. "It would probably be a lot easier to take you to a mechanic. I'm not sure I'm even doing this right. I mean, I've only changed a tire…once? I think?"
But Bumblebee let out an indignant grunt which quickly dissolved that idea.

Sam smirked a little. "What's wrong, Bee? Don't want anyone touching you but me?"
Applause erupted from the speakers. "You're the winner!!"

The boy was flattered but pressed on. "Why? You're an awesome car and I'd hate to screw something up just because I have no idea what I'm doing."
"Cause I don't want the world to see me. Cause I don't think that they'd understand…"

"Okay, okay. No big deal. But if I mess you up, we're going to a mechanic."
Sam worked hard, taking care of each shredded tire and replacing it with a new one. By the time he got to the last one, he was covered in dirt, sweat and grease.

"You've got that sexy thang goin' on"

Sam laughed quietly as he pushed the last tire into place. "Pervert."
The radio let out a wolf whistle causing Sam to blush beneath the dirt that covered his face. He tightened the last bolt and walked around to the front of the car, running his hand lazily across the hood. Soft rumbles of the engine told him that Bee was enjoying the attention.

Smiling, Sam popped the hood and went to work checking the oil and coolant and anything else that may have needed fixing while he was at it. Mikaela had taught him at least a few things about his car that had come in handy in the long run.

Bumblebee revved the engine softly and Sam poked and prodded around under his hood gently. It was always better to have Sam work on him because Sam was actually careful and thought about whether he was hurting the autobot or not. When he and Mikaela were still together, she had given him a tune up almost weekly but she treated him like a normal car, pulling and tugging on things that really had no business being messed with. A few times he had to honk at her to get her to stop when things became too uncomfortable. Now that she was gone, the only person he let work on him was Sam and Sam alone. That was fine by him.

The boy in question, closed the hood and brushed himself off. "How's that?"

"You're incognito, Superman in plain clothes. Superhero"

Sam laughed and wiped his hand on his jeans. "Glad to hear it. Wanna try 'em out?"
The engine revved excitedly and the yellow door popped open happily. "Time to saddle up partner." John Wayne drawled from inside.

His human laughed again and Bumblebee rumbled contently. Maybe getting a flat every once in a while really wasn't the end of the world.

Thanks again for all of your comments!!