A quick analysis of the Breakdown/Bumblebee escape sequence from Earthspark
Quick context: the way I read them is more of the “we’re calling them brothers like how spop had to call catradora sisters to explain the levels of affection they have for each other and to throw off the scent of the homophobes so therefore they are gay” way. That being said.
1) Breakdown could have put his hand anywhere. ANYWHERE on Bee to push him out of the way. Instead, he puts his hand in the softest way possible on Bee’s chest - where his insignia is - where the symbol that drove them apart is stamped in a red that sets itself apart from the yellow and black of Bee’s paint job. People literally talked about this, had conversations, and approved the boards and final animations. He could have shoved him at the shoulder, or anywhere else but no. They chose his chest for a REASON.
2) The diversion scene - Breakdown is not only taking all of those stupid laser blasts, including Croft’s supercharged blasts - while being faster than Bumblebee. And we see Bee accelerating as Breakdown pulls further and further ahead. This tells me two things. One. Bee knew he would lose, but agreed to the bet with Breakdown in the trailer anyways because he would rather see him safe since he doesn’t have the same support system Bee has, and two, Bee’s entire goal of finding and racing Breakdown was to make sure he was safe and he was willing to give up ever seeing him again if it meant he would be able to evade GHOST.
3) The way Breakdown sounded when he first revealed himself, as mentioned by another post on here, was that he sounded afraid. Breakdown was terrified of being taken in, but didn’t want that to happen to Bee because he knew what GHOST had in store was both inhumane and awful. So he took the fall and dove straight into the line of fire. And you can hear the desperation in his voice as he reaches out because he knows it’s a last-ditch effort for one of them to escape to safety.
4) Bee’s look of shock and terror as Breakdown disappears under the bridge, injured, unable to transform, and surrounded by agents is heartbreaking. He just lost one of the parts of home closest to him - a friend from BEFORE the war. Remember, this isn’t someone he befriended during the war, they were torn apart by it. And they were able to keep up their little game of drag racing together until now, when the war took them apart again - potentially forever.
Also i just want to add yes I am subscribed to the headcanon that knockout is still here and that yes all three of them have two hands. Bee can have some boyfriends. As a treat. He’s been through a lot and needs love.