To make one's way through the streets of Kaon was a slow task. And with a slagging Decepticon jet fighter on his tailpipe, 'slow' was the very last thing Bumblebee needed.

The little Autobot frantically pushed his way through the crushing crowd, spark fluttering and hydraulics pumping. He needed to get to the Kaon city square - it was considerably less crowded there. He would have enough room to transform and maybe, just maybe he would be able to get enough distance between himself and Starscream in order to escape. This, combined with the familiar sound of wings cutting through the air above him, was enough incentive for Bumblebee to push himself harder than he had ever thought possible.

What Bumblebee didn't realize, however, was that the crushing crowds were the very reason that Starscream hadn't already gotten his servos on him. The streets were too jam packed for the Decepticon to even consider landing. Bringing the chase to Kaon City square was much more a break for Starscream than it was for Bumblebee, and Starscream knew it. He transformed and landed moments before Bumblebee emerged from the crowd, just in time to see the panic in the Autobot's optics as he realized what a grave mistake he had made.

Though the little bot did attempt a frantic retreat, it took Starscream little effort to seize him by the back struts and lift him into the air.

Cackling in his captive's face, Starscream gloated, "You can't run, Auto–!"

"No!" A single word, but punctuated by a well-aimed kick to Starscream's faceplates.

The Decepticon seeker dropped Bumblebee with a shout, reacting more out of surprise than pain. Surprise was replaced quickly by fury, and Starscream seized Bumblebee by the stabilizing servo, once again thwarting the little bot's attempt at escape.

"Enough, you insolent little–!"

"No! Get off me! Slaggit, get off'a me!"

The surrounding bots were starting to take notice of the commotion (thanks in no small part to Bumblebee's nonstop shouting). Most of them passed by the spectacle with nothing more than a glance and a smirk. Many more stopped by to spectate. These bots nudged and whispered to each other, some regarding the struggle with sad optics, most laughing and making snide comments between themselves. Not one of them attempted to intervene.

Starscream grit his denta, holding the wriggling little Autobot at arm's length. "This is getting tiresome, Autobot!" he snapped.

"Let go of me, you slagging Decepticon!" the Autobot screamed in response. "Let me go, let me go, let me go!"

Starscream shook him in an effort to shut him up. "We've been through this an innumerable amount of times, you infuriating bug! You cannot escape me!"

"I can too! Let me go!"

"Yield!" Starscream shook him again. "Yield!"

"No!"

A scream of frustration escaped Starscream's vocal processor, and he threw the Autobot to the ground, effectively cutting off the constant screaming and swearing. As Starscream glared at the stunned Autobot, vents whirring harshly, he started to notice the crowd. The spectating bots were continuing to mutter amongst themselves, and while some were shooting glances at Bumblebee, most were pointing both digits and optics at Starscream. Feeling his faceplates heat up slightly, the Decepticon seeker grit his denta, composed himself in the most dignified manner possible, and stalked towards his Autobot victim.

Bumblebee was just starting to regain his wits. Groaning, he pushed himself up, and that's when he saw Starscream coming down on him again. Bumblebee's vents hitched and gasped. Frantically, the little Autobot pushed himself back, but Starscream's long stride looked to catch up to him within seconds.

Then, a white-chassised mech stepped out from the crowd, right between Starscream and his target, halting the seeker in his tracks.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" the mech said cooly, looking up at Starscream through a blank blue visor.

Starscream stared back down at the mech uncomprehendingly, until his optics caught the insignia on the mech's red-and-blue-striped chestplates. Faceplates morphing, the seeker spat, "Step aside, Autobot. This doesn't concern you."

"What, you beatin' on a youngling less than half your size?" The mech crossed his servos with a scoff. "I know this town's been slated for crashville, but somebot's gonna get bent outta shape over that."

"That bot belongs to me, and I will not let you get in my way!" Starscream thrust a servo at the mech's face, intending to shove him aside, only for the mech to catch it in his own servo. "What on Cybertron–?"

The mech shoved Starscream's servo away. "Well, if he 'belongs' t' you, I'd say that's all the more reason t' get bent outta shape, you dig?"

Starscream swung his claws at the mech with a snarl, an attack the mech easily dodged. Growling, Starscream turned his null ray on the mech. "Do you have any idea who I am, Autobot?!" he screamed, powering up his weapon.

"Hey, what's going on here!?" A few Kaon Police officers shoved their way through the crowd and into the scene.

Powering down the null ray, Starscream was quick to point an accusing digit at the white mech. "This Autobot assaulted me unprovoked!"

The mech, of course, pleaded his innocence, but no bot in the crowd dared to back him up and the officers were naturally skeptical. As it became clear that he was not going to win, the mech's cool finally started to crack slightly, allowing Starscream a smirk as the mech was lead away, throwing out every insult imaginable.

Then, Starscream he caught a flash of yellow out of the corner of his optic. His smirk disappeared. In the blink of an optic, Starscream had yanked Bumblebee out from the crowd, servo easily circling the little bot's neck.

"Thought you could escape that time, did you?" Starscream snapped, a hint of smugness added to his biting tone.

Once again though, the seeker found himself at the centre of attention. He turned on the crowd, scowling. "Don't you bots have anything else to do?"

The crowd continued to glance and mutter amongst themselves. Slowly though, they began to disperse and go about their daily lives.

Bumblebee's spark shrank. Venting harshly, he struggled against Starscream's freakishly large servo. "Get off'a me...!"

"Oh, no, you don't!" Starscream tightened his servo and once again slammed Bumblebee into the ground. Getting onto one knee joint, the brutal Decepticon then pulled the small, battered Autobot upright onto his own knee joints, and hissed into his audial receptor.

"Look around you. Everyone is gone. Decepticons. Autobots." Starscream swept open his free arm, indicating to the surrounding city. "Cybertron is a Decepticon home world now. Whatever camaraderie you might think exist between you Autobots is gone.

"Look at them all." The seeker sneered at the crowd, a mixture of Decepticons and Autobots going about their day. "Just attempting to live those lives the ever great Megatron so generously granted them. They aren't willing to risk giving that up. No one will help you - you belong to me!"

Bumblebee flinched as the last word was screamed into his audial receptor. He tried to break free, but the attempt was half-sparked. He tried to block out Starsceams words, but he couldn't. So many 'if onlys' were spinning through his processor - if only Starscream had never spotted him; if only he hadn't run into Kaon city square; if only he had pulled himself together sooner, while Jazz had been distracting Starscream; if only someone else had helped him... Starscream was only putting into words something that Bumblebee had been suspecting for a long time.

If he had been human, Bumblebee was pretty sure he would have been doing that crying thing right about now.

"No," he mumbled. "I don't belong to you. I don't belong to anyone."

Starscream smirked. "You keep telling yourself that, Autobot."

Standing up, Starscream pulled Bumblebee to his stabilizing servos. Bumblebee writhed uncomfortably. The seeker's hold had been transferred to the little bot's back struts, and though it was still firm and unyielding, it was significantly gentler compared to anything else Bumblebee had felt under Starscream's servos.

"But whatever you tell yourself," Starscream continued amiably. "You do realize how much easier it would be to just stop resisting, don't you? I doubt your friends have caused this much trouble."

Every part of Bumblebee's chassis tensed. He tried not to think too much about his friends, especially since he wasn't too sure where most of them were. The most he could guess was that Prime was stuck under Megatron, but everyone else... Again, Bumblebee tried not to think about it. His imagination did tend to come up with some of the worst scenarios that could be conceived.

"I'm a resister," Bumblebee replied simply, pushing those troubling thoughts aside. "I have a reputation to keep."

Once again, his chassis tensed as he waited for Starscream's inevitable freak-out. Instead, Starscream's hold simply tightened slightly and the seeker himself let out a low chuckle.

"Don't we all? I have a reputation to keep myself, Autobot. That's why I can't have you running around, causing a scene." Starscream flicked at one of his captive's little horns, earning himself a wince and a grumble of displeasure. "Besides, didn't I warn you that another little escapade like this would result in you being locked up in solitary... indefinitely?"

"No!" Bumblebee yanked himself free of Starscream's grasp, but instead of bolting, he turned on the significantly larger bot, looking up at him with optics full of panic. "Please, don't! I won't- I-I promise I won't do it again! I promise I'll be good! I'll- I'll do anything! I promise! Just... please... don't... Please..."

Faltering, Bumblebee dropped to his knee joints, faceplates in servo.

Starscream stared down at the little bot, optics wide. He knew how much the Autobot hated isolation, but he hadn't quite expected this reaction. Perhaps one too many solitary sessions had finally broken the irritating little bug.

That was fine by Starscream.

"Get up," he ordered.

Bumblebee obeyed, helm hanging low. Starscream placed a guiding servo at the little bot's back, and the two bots proceeded to walk back towards Starscream's apartment.

Starscream's apartment was at the very top of one of the highest complexes of the city, and it was more of a suite than anything. It took up the entire top floor. One could see the entire city from up their. Starscream liked it. Sometimes, he would jump off and enjoy the feeling of a free-fall, before transforming and activating his engines at the last possible moment. It made him feel more powerful than he actually was.

"Go clean yourself up, and meet me in the berth room," Starscream said as soon as the two of them entered the suite. He smirked as the little bot obeyed without so much as a remark.

As he himself walked towards the berth room, the glint of one of the many cameras caught Starscream's optic. He glanced at it, glaring, and quickly entered his berth room. Of course, another camera was waiting for him there, but he tried to ignore it. As much as Starscream liked the suite and its powerful viewpoint, those cameras always succeeded in spoiling the enjoyment for him.

Bumblebee, meanwhile, got himself clean. The scratches and dents couldn't really be helped -Starscream would never care to let him fix anything cosmetic, and the dents usually required some kind of paltry medical attention. As he left the washroom, Bumblebee avoided optic-contact with the mirror.

His recharge berth was in the same room as Starscream's recharge berth. The room certainly beat that old cell Bumblebee had been forced into during his first several cycles under Starscream's stabilizing servo, but something about it almost made Bumblebee prefer the cell. After all, there were plenty of other rooms in the suite, and yet Starscream made him recharge there.

Speaking of Starscream, the larger bot was looking out over the city, nursing an exotic oil blend, when Bumblebee entered the berth room. Bumblebee hung back, but Starscream, without turning, crooked a digit in his direction.

"Come closer."

Bumblebee obliged. He stopped alongside the towering Decepticon, helm low and optics on the grooves in the floor.

"You don't want to undergo a solitary session."

It wasn't a question.

Bumblebee's servos clenched. "N-no... No, I don't."

Starscream took a sip from his oil blend. "But you did run away again."

Bumblebee yelped as Starscream's servo caught the top of his helm.

"So, tell me, Autobot," the seeker continued, optics still aimed out the window and vocal processor dangerously low. "What exactly is keeping me from throwing you into solitary right now?"

Bumblebee's own vocal processor seemed to be uncharacteristically non-functional as he grasped at the servo attached to his helm. The most the formerly chatty bot could get out was a tight, "Please... Don't..."

"Or what, Autobot?" Starscream hissed. "You haven't given me much incentive to the contrary."

"Please," Bumblebee gasped, finally finding his vocal processor. "I promise I won't be bad again."

Starscream cackled. "Your reputation doesn't make your promises very valid, Autobot."

"I really promise!" Bumblebee exclaimed, vocals hiking up a pitch, if that were possible. "I'll never try to escape again, I swear! I'll- I'll do whatever you want!"

This gave Starscream a pause. "Including acknowledge me as your sole lord and master?"

"Yes! Yes! Anything! Just–"

"Do it."

"What?"

"Do it!" Starscream snapped, looking down at the little bot for the first time since he had entered the room. "Acknowledge me as your sole lord and master! Prove that your promises are valid!"

Bumblebee looked up at Starscream as best he could with the heavy servo still attached to his helm, optics betraying hesitancy.

"Do it!"

The next few moments seemed to be an eternity as Starscream glared downward and Bumblebee stared upward. Then, Bumblebee's servos dropped to his sides. His helm drooped. His vocals were quiet and tired as he spoke.

"I acknowledge you as my sole lord and master..."

A triumphant smirk appeared on Starscream's face. He tossed the Autobot aside. "Go recharge."

Bumblebee stumbled as he landed, but managed to keep himself stabilized. Without a word, he walked over to his berth in the far corner and lay down. Ordinarily, he would have been back in the cell or stuck in solitary after an escapade like this. But not this time. And yet, it felt as though he had lost some long-standing battle, and that feeling ate at Bumblebee's spark. It continued to eat at his spark as he drifted into a fitful recharge.

As Bumblebee drifted off, Starscream couldn't help but shoot a smug look at the berth room camera. He finished his oil blend and cast a look towards his little prize. The recharging bot shuddered slightly. Starscream smirked, and left the room. Finally, after so much time spent locked in figurative battle, he had beaten the stubborn little Autobot and erased that irritating rebellious streak. Starscream would gladly accept the victory.

Meanwhile, somehow deep in his restless recharge, Bumblebee saw himself finally winning against Starscream. Never again was he going to lose to that slagging Decepticon. In real life, Bumblebee smiled as, in his dreams, he placed triumphant stabilizing servo atop the screechy bot.

That streak was still there. Neither Starscream, nor even Bumblebee knew this, but the streak was still there. A rebellious streak never to be broken.

A/N HardyGal: And it's DONE! Thank you to those who have been around since the original incarnation of this fic and have been so patient in waiting for me to rewrite it for ALMOST A YEAR.

Will I continue with this? Well, I do have a few plans tucked up my sleeve, but for now, I'm perfectly satisfied to leave this where it is :3 Hope you enjoyed the angst!