A/N: Once again, moved this from my DA account onto here. I don't know actually when this takes place... It's just obviously after Episode 20: Partners. I've been wanting to write this for a long time and well... here it is. Enjoy. ^^

Starscream pressed himself against the far rock wall as the larger mech approached him, shaking his helm frantically. "M-Master…" he stuttered, shaking in fear at the dark look the other gave him. "H-How di-did you find me?"

The great warlord merely stalked over to him, glaring at him like a murderer. He trembled harder and could only press into the wall, even though his wings were screaming in protest as the sharp edges were denting the sensitive metal.

At that moment though, his fear drowned out everything else.

Megatron sneered at his former SIC. "Easily, my dear seeker… Soundwave had gotten a fix on your location quite some tight ago." He stepped in front of him, glaring mercilessly at him. "So, you ran away… Like the coward you are."

"Master, please, I–"

"Silence!" he shouted, smacking him hard across the face with a clenched fist and sending him to the floor, causing him to cry out in pain as he hit the floor. "You dare run away from me, Starscream? I am your master! You are to never run from me!"

Starscream squealed in fear as he was grabbed by the neck cables and yanked off the floor so that he was optic-level with the tyrant. The grip was tight, but not so much that he couldn't regulate his intakes. Though of course, he was too afraid to regulate them as he was looking at death straight in the face.

"You abandoned the Decepticons… You abandoned your soldiers…" The grip suddenly became tighter and caused Starscream to choke out for his intakes.

"M-My Lord…!" he choked out. "I-I can't…!" He gasped as he found himself unable to breathe correctly.

Megatron slammed him up against the hard surface behind him, dent and damaging his wings, causing the seeker to squealing out in pain. "M-Master…! Please…!"

"Enough!" he shouted. "You pathetic fool! You thought you could run away and abandon me? You belong to me and only me! I will be damned as Unicron's servant before I let you run away from me!" He released his neck, but then grabbed his thin, weak wrists, pinning them up against the wall and snarling at him, "Tell me! What pathetic excuse do you have this time?"

"Lord Megatron, please!" he begged, shaking harder than ever before. "You-you don't need me anymore! You already have Airachnid! I've already been replaced! I'm useless to you now!"

Suddenly, everything became silent as Megatron just stared at him, a genuinely confused expression forming across his faceplates. Starscream stared back, waiting for an answer, a violent reaction that would result in him losing a limb or a wing.

Yet, he didn't get one.

Instead, the larger mech just looked at the soldier and growled, "Replaced? Who has replaced you, Starscream?"

"Airachnid…" he said carefully. "She… told me I was basically useless and… a bother."

"So that's why you abandoned me?" he snarled. "All because of what that femme said to you?"

"But My Lord! You didn't even bother with me after all my failures! You were friendly to her and to me…! You just…! Ignored and hated…!"

The seeker found that he was beginning to break down, anguish and jealousy swarming through his spark as he remembered. He left because he knew he was no longer needed, even though he wanted Megatron to praise him again. He just wanted to be important, but after so many failures, he had been replaced with that femme. He was no important, no longer someone who could even stand by his master's side.

He was nothing and the thought destroyed him.

Megatron released his wrists and watched as Starscream looked away from him, trying his best not to look weak, though it was a pathetic attempt. The smaller mech shook and inhaled heavy and shaky intakes, doing his best to calm down, but it didn't work.

Finally, the warlord spoke.

"Starscream–" his gentle tone made the flier flinch, as he was unused to such treatment "–I do not hate you." He trailed his servo up and down his neck cables, which made Starscream flinch again and tremble. "You are my Second-In-Command and you will always be. True. You are incompetent and just completely useless at time, but…" He stroked the cheek which he had struck earlier. "I cannot replace you. Ever."

He blinked. "Lo-Lord Megatron– Mmf?"

Starscream found himself being cut off as the tyrant has titled his chin up, pinned both of his servos against the rock wall, and kissed him hard. He moaned and his legs shook. Yet, he didn't reject it, even when the tyrant's glossa snuck its way into his mouth, the rough appendage probing inside and intertwining with his.

When Megatron's lips moved to his neck cable, nipping at them with his sharp dentals, he whimpered out, "Me-Megatr-tron… Pl-please…"

The tyrant pulled back and smirked at his SIC, holding out his servo to him. "Come back to the base, Starscream. Come back to my side."

Starscream looked at the outstretched servo and then back at his master. In a sense, they were going to start over again. He wasn't sure what the Decepticon would think of his return, but at the moment, he honestly didn't care. He just wanted to go back to Megatron side, as that was where he needed to be.

He took the servo and nodded. "Yes, Megatron."