Starscream whimpered as shadows danced around the room, threatening to consume him. He curled into a tighter ball, thin arms wrapping around his pointed knee joints. It was night on the Nemeses and most everyone had gone to their rooms to recharge. Nary a Vehicon wandered the halls at this hour, all of them trapped at a counsel working or slumbering as they should be. Soundwave might have been up, manning the helm, or even decoding Autobot or earthen government codes. It didn't really matter, the mute mech would not offer Starscream the company he desired.
It had been a fairly regular day; he'd been given a mission, failed out of unconscious need to spite Megatron, and been punished. Normally such trivial motions of his odd life didn't bother Starscream, but now, in the smothering silence of night, his spark ached with loneliness. No one cared about him; no one would care if he was gone. His already breaking spark flared with fresh pain. If he went AWOL not a single 'bot would notice his absence. They hadn't the first time.
The uncharacteristically depressed mech removed a piece of metal plating from his forearm, reviling his protoform. The thick cables and wires were scarred beyond recognition, the tubes pulsing as though they knew what was to come. Starscream smirked mirthlessly, none of his usual malice or cunning filling it. He stood on wobbly peds and carefully trekked to the desk across the room. The seeker typed in the code to a draw and yanked it open impatiently, dark, shining talons grasping the large shard of pure energon housed inside. Starscream made his way back to the soft berth, barley able to because of the lack of fuel in his systems. Megatron had cut his energon rations after he'd returned, the war lord intending to make sure he had no extra energy to fly.
He was trapped, banished to this windowless room when not by his master's side. Unable to fly or contribute, even when he tried to help the Decepticon cause Megatron just shot his ideas down. What was the point of it all? The blazing fire that was once his spark and confidence had been suffocated; reduced to a sputtering flame that threatened to give out any moment. Starscream plopped onto his berth with an exhausted grunt, optics flickering offline. He lay there for several minutes before forcing his frame to sit up. The seeker gripped the sharp fragment and edged it into his energon lines, slowly dragging it up to the crook of his arm.
His lips parted in a soundless gasp of pleasure and his dull red optics fell shut again. The self inflicted pain sent tingles of bliss up his spinal strut. Starscream repeated the motion, tearing deeper into helpless cables. This was the one thing that made life bearable, the one thing that made him feel in control. Coolant leaked from the pinpricks of light that were his eyes, streaking down flawless cheeks. As he was about to cut his other arm thunderous footsteps echoed through the hall, stopping outside his room. Starscream stalled, his frame overheating in panic. An override code was put into his locked door and Megatron himself entered, mouth open to demand an answer for a newly failed mission. He stopped dead in his tracks, optics wide at the sight before him.
Starscream, his second in command, was sitting on his berth with tears running down his faceplates, his protoform wires cut open and oozing translucent, purple energon. Megatron found himself stunned into silence, peds unconsciously carrying him closer to the seeker. Starscream misconstrued Megatron's curiosity as aggression and a shriek pushed out of his vocalizer in warbling, audio grating notes. The tyrant winced away from the piercing noise, but stepped closer anyway, crouching in front of the breaking mech. The jet scrambled back, blindly thrusting his instrument of self abuse out to protect himself. Megatron rolled his optics and slapped the dagger out of the smaller servo, swiftly capturing thin wrists.
Starscream whimpered and looked away in shame as his lord inspected his wounds. Megatron glanced up at the frail mech and reached out, cradling him to his chest. The seeker became hysterical, shrilly demanding to be released, weakly pushing against Megatron. He ignored the crying flier and retrieved a cube of medicinal energon from his subspace, nudging against Starscream now clamped lips. He refused to drink, but all it took was a growl to make him take it. He drank the unpleasant tasting liquid, grimacing. When it was all gone Megatron nuzzled his neck affectionately.
"I'm sorry," he murmured against his audio. Starscream choked and more coolant spilled from his optics. As Megatron whispered comforts his seeker fell into a much needed recharge, the rumble of his master's chassis lulling him to sleep. The higher ranking Decepticon watched Starscream sleep, a peaceful expression on his tear stained face. Despite himself, a small smile played across Megatron's scarred lips and he lay back onto the berth, never letting Starscream go.