Thundercracker was less than pleased.

Megatron had assigned him, Skywarp, and Starscream to infiltrate the Autobot base and catch them off guard. Of course, once again, Starscream decided to do what he felt was right because, apparently, Megatron was always wrong and had no idea as to what he was doing. He didn't know how many times he had heard that before, but never said anything because he knew Starscream wouldn't listen.

That was the problem with that mech. He was so damn full of himself that he could never understand or judge that he was causing an error. Not even a minor mistake or something of the sort. It was usually a major blunder that ended in disasters. That, of course, came with a very furious and very violent Megatron.

Nothing was more frightening than a pissed off Megatron. Starscream knew this, or at least Thundercracker thought he did, yet he kept doing this to anger him. And he always seemed so horrified when the tyrant basically beat the hell out of him for his failures. He could understand Megatron's frustrations – Starscream was a moron – but he never liked it when the other beat up on his trine leader.

Not that he would stand against him though. He liked his wings being attached him and he liked living. He didn't want what he liked to end slowly and painfully.

But, in the situation they were now, he felt that what he didn't want would happen in the near future if and when they got back to base.

Damn Starscream. Megatron had given them specific orders and the seeker had decided to do his own thing, as always. The reward for that incompetence? An Autobot had spotted them, leading Thundercracker and Starscream to get stuck in a cave while they had been separated from Skywarp. Thundercracker didn't know if the Autobot had called for backup, but he had, Starscream and he were screwed.

He could only pray to Primus that Skywarp went off to get help. For one thing, he did not want to be an Autobot prisoner. The other reason was that if Starscream continued to lecture him for this failure – which wasn't even his fault – he would either kill himself or rip the vocalizer right out of his body.

That was another thing he hated about the trine leader. Never admitting to his own mistakes. He was always pushing the blame onto someone else. In terms of his mission with the trine, he would normally blame Skywarp, considering his hyperactivity and his tendency to be too loud and give themselves away to the enemy. It was easy to push the blame on him, but in his absence, Starscream decided to push it onto Thundercracker.

Thundercracker kept himself in check as he leaned back against the wall, ignoring the other's useless lecture. He paced around in the cave, pointing and growling at him, blaming him for getting stuck in this cave. Even though it wasn't his fault and was actually the SIC. But he remained silent, knowing that it would just piss the other off and send him into another lecture about respecting him as the SIC and how dare he talk back to him and whatever other useless jargon he could spew out.

Of course, when he started to compliment himself, Thundercracker could only pray that Skywarp was getting help. He couldn't stay quiet forever.

"Starscream," he said. "Just. Be. Quiet."

The Starscream looked over at him, optics widening in anger. How dare he talk back to him?! He was his superior! And he would show him the proper respect as leader of the trine and SIC of the Decepticons. Unless he wanted to pay with his life.

"Don't you give me any attitude," he growled. "Thundercracker, I'm your commanding officer – you will show me proper respect!"

The blue seeker couldn't help but to roll his optics. "Long before you were my commanding officer, you were just a leader of this trine, one that I could have walked away from."

"That doesn't change the fact that you will respect me, just as you did when I was just your trine leader."

Thundercracker had to suppress the urge to roll his optics. Starscream didn't deserve respect because he did not earn it. He had it for him once, but that was before his ego went to his head. When he became to the Decepticon Second-in-Command, his respect for him drop as Starscream's ego grew. Tremendously.

He knew Starscream was strong, was dangerous. But that did not make him a strong leader. He could lead the team, but his ideas were weak. They could be easily foiled. On the surface, they seemed great, ideal. But below, they were easily destroyed.

"I'll respect you when you stop acting like you're above me."

"I am above you."

"In rank? Yes. Outside of that, you are the same as me."

The slightly taller seeker glared at him, folding his arms across his chassis. "That is the problem with you, Thundercracker. You have little to no respect for me, even though I am your superior. That it how we got into this mess in the first place."

"If I recall correctly – which I'm certain I do – it was your brilliant idea that got us trapped down here," he growled, backing away from the wall to step up to the SIC. "Had you just have followed Megatron's orders, then–"

"Megatron has no idea on how to formulate a good plan, let alone with my own trine," he snarled, glaring hard at the other. "He shouldn't even be leader!"

"But he is and when he finds out that fucked up yet again, he'll–"

"I did nothing!" the other screeched, shoving the light blue seeker up against the wall. "He has never commanded my trine and he never will! I am the one who gives orders to both you and Skywarp! Do you not have any loyalty to me?!"

"I also have loyalty to the cause!" Thundercracker growled, pushing back at the other. "Unlike you, I do what I can to make sure that the Decepticons win this war! All you do is try to undermine everything for your own egotistical gain!"

Starscream back-handed him, Thundercracker losing his balancing and falling against the wall. He swung his fist to retaliate, but Starscream shoved him back down against the wall, making the blue seeker hiss.

Shit, he had forgotten. Yes, Starscream was incompetent as a leader. Yes, he was egoistical and selfish and sometimes just plain idiotic.

But that didn't make him weak. Starscream wasn't second in command just because. Yes, it was to keep an optic on him, but Starscream was strong. He was a warrior and possessed the ability of the best, especially among the seekers. He was dangerous when he wanted to be.

Thundercracker may have not have respected Starscream as a person, but he knew that he had to respect him as a warrior.

The slightly taller mech slammed him back against the wall, holding him by the neck. "Would you like to repeat that?" the other growled. "Come on, Thundercracker… Let's hear it."

But the other remained silent.

"Come on… I can't hear you."

"Get out of my face."

The two just glared at each other for a few long and hard moments. Thundercracker didn't think the other would try to kill him, considering what they had been through together. But if Starscream would try, then he would sure as hell fight back. He was not about to die at the hands of his incompetent SIC. He would rather be raped by a group of pathetic Autobots.

But Starscream just looked at him and smirked. Then he pressed his lips on the other, Thundercracker stiffening in shock at the suddenness of the kiss. His servos immediately grabbed at the other's shoulders and started to push, but Starscream grabbed his wrists and pinned him up against the wall.

Shit. This wasn't the first time this had happened and he doubted it would be the last. Starscream always did this. It was how he maintained his dominance over him, because he knew Thundercracker would not reject these advances. Not because he liked them. But because he knew the other would try to kill him. Or worse – tell people about what he did with Thundercracker. He would die of humiliation and Starscream knew it too. That was why he did things like this, lusted after him.

Starscream's glossa snaked into his mouth, Thundercracker growling as he tried to push the other's glossa out, though unsuccessfully. He growled and groaned at the kiss, hissing when the other bit down on his lip, drawing blood.

Starscream pulled back and looked at the other, smirking. The blue seeker just glared at him, wiping his mouth of the kiss, as if it had disgusted him, which it had.

"Now, want to repeat what you said before?"

Thundercracker looked off to the side and growled, "I have nothing to say."

"And you say I'm a coward…" the other chuckled, pulling away from him. "When we get out of this, I'll have Megatron know that you're responsible for this."

The other Decepticon said nothing, balling his servos up into fists. Though Megatron wouldn't believe the SIC considering he was a liar and known to mess up plenty, this only dragged him down. And the seeker knew it too. How he loathed it.

At least he would have a bit of revenge when they were found. No doubt that Megatron would beat the hell out of when they returned to base.

And like Starscream did when he would sexually harass him, he would enjoy every single second of it.