[The voice is painful to hear. It always has been. And he wishes there were some way to really fix it -- the brief words he'd heard in Bumblebee's real voice were a good memory, one the old warrior liked to hold onto. He watches Bumblebee in silence, his good optic flicking over the yellow 'bot's face.]

[He had no illusions that he'd been in bad shape. But he hadn't really thought that it would affect the others. He'd thought they were used to seeing him like this. As much as they were used to seeing Optimus at the head of the procession, or Ratchet taking soil samples.]

[He'd been wrong, apparently, if Bumblebee's reaction was anything to go off of.]

Not going anywhere. No reason to be worried.

[He lets his hand drop onto one of 'Bee's shoulders, absently patting yellow armor in awkward comfort.]