IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE! PLEASE READ!
Due to the recent uproar concerning sexually explicit material on the site, this story has been edited from it's original state to conform to FFnet's ToS. I hate doing this, but I likekeeping my stories here. The full, unedited version of this story, as well as those I cannot post here at all, will be available shortly on my Y-Gallery account (Takashidaimao, same as on here). Those who do not have a Y-Gallery account or do not have access to the site, feel free to drop me a PM and I'll see what I can do for you. I will fix this up a little better later, so please forgive the sloppy chop job for now. If by some miracle the petitions change the site owner's mind, I will put all the good bits back in. But, until then, this is what you get for now so I don't get banned.
Also, those who have read/favorited/reviewed my oneshot "I Wanna Hear You Scream" I greatly appreciate your support, but I will be taking the story down shortly as there is no way to edit it to conform to the ToS and still have a viable story. A copy has already been posted to my Y-Gallery.
Knock Out cringed at the sound of someone purging their tanks in the next room. Great. He'd barely been out of recharge for an hour and already he had a patient making a mess of his floor. Primus, he was so glad he became a doctor… Venting in a deep intake of air he made his way through the door to the main examination room, making sure to keep his usual cool composure even as the stink of hot, regurgitated energon hit his olfactory sensors. He raised a brow plate as the door slid shut behind him, studying the scene before him. Starscream knelt hunched over on the ground, lurching forward as more glowing blue liquid spilled from his mouth onto the floor. Breakdown was crouched next to him, rubbing the Seeker's back and trying his best to hide the disgusted look on his face. He glanced up briefly, his single yellow optic catching sight of the medic.
"Oh, Knock Out!" he called out, using his partner as an excuse to interrupt the awkwardness that had descended upon him about the same time Starscream started puking his tanks dry. "He came in a couple minutes ago and, well…" he explained, gesturing to the sizable puddle on the ground as he stood up. Knock Out vented a sigh, pinching his thumb and forefinger between his optics as he shook his head. Honestly, what was the point of having an assistant if he couldn't even get a nauseous patient a bucket to puke in? Luckily, the Seeker seemed to be done and was now trying to pull himself up to his pedes, intake cycling heavily as he tried to catch his breath.
"So, I'm guessing it's safe for me to put 'nausea' on the symptom list?" Knock Out teased lightly as he and Breakdown helped their Second in Command up to the medberth. Starscream growled in response to the medic's sarcasm. He didn't respond verbally, clenching his jaw tightly as if afraid he'd start puking again. The doctor didn't seem to have much sympathy, as he immediately began firing off questions. "How long have you been purging like this? And are there any other symptoms I should know about?" he asked half-caringly as he picked up the nearest datapad and began recording his data. Starscream vented a frustrated sigh, throwing his arms across his chestplate in a huff as he laid back on the berth. "I don't know! A week, maybe? Other than that, I've just been a little tired. Not surprising, seeing as how I've been purging my morning rations on a daily basis… Honestly, this isn't anything to get worked up over! I wouldn't have even come here if it wasn't for Lord Megatron's insistence!"
Knock Out raised his brow plates at that last part. The Seeker would be right about it not being anything he'd be too concerned with. Normally he'd just tell a patient with those symptoms to suck it up and try not to lose his lunch all over a superior officer. This, however, was an entirely different matter. Megatron wouldn't have sent someone to medbay if he wasn't sure something was wrong, least of all Starscream. The doctor was well aware of the rather intimate relationship that had developed between the Decepticon Warlord and his Second in Command recently. Of course, the two of them still tried their best to hide it from the rest of the crew, but… Well, there was a reason they called him 'Screamer'…
Now then… All he had to do was figure out what Megatron could possibly be so worried about that he'd send Starscream to him just for feeling a little… Knock Out's optics widened suddenly. No… Anything but that… Please, for the love of Primus, anything but that! The doctor tossed the datapad to the side, scrambling back to the medberth and causing his patient to jump in surprise. "Open your chestplates." he ordered hastily, which only served to deepen the confusion on Starscream's face. "I beg your pardon?" he replied slowly, cocking a single brow ridge. "You heard me! I need to see your spark!" Knock Out demanded a little firmer this time. The Seeker hesitated, but eventually allowed his chestplates to split open, exposing his spark. He watched as Knock Out covered his mouth with his servo, cursing under his breath. Breakdown's optic widened as he stared down into the slender mech's chest, muttering a soft "Whoah…" to himself.
Starscream then looked down, tired of being out of the loop. His breath caught in his intake, optics widening. Hidden away just below his spark was a pale blue orb of light barely larger than a marble. He was carrying a sparkling. "Gyaah! N-no no no no… Th-this can't happen! I-I didn't… We haven't…" the Seeker stammered out shrilly, clamping a shaking servo against his helm, his optics darting about the room as if searching for a way out of his situation. Knock Out couldn't help but scoff. "Starscream, my quarters are right next to yours. I have to listen to your shrieking every night while Lord Megatron grinds you into the berth. Trust me; you have."
"No, that's not what I meant, you idiot!" Starscream screeched, his face flushing in embarrassment. "We've interfaced plenty of times, but… But we've never spark merged and this is precisely why!" he added, gesturing towards his still open spark chamber. Knock Out leaned over him further, examining the tiny spark a little closer. "Well, according to this little guy, you spark merged with someone about two weeks ago." He commented with a slight smirk, watching as Starscream immediately wracked his processor trying to remember what he'd done two weeks ago. Unfortunately, that point in time was hazy at best. He could vaguely recall Megatron inviting him to his quarters, there was definitely a good amount of vintage high grade involved, then… The Seeker slapped a servo over his optics, shaking his helm in disbelief. The rest of the night consisted of nothing but sloppy drunk interfacing… Primus knows what they were thinking in that state! For all he knew they could have done this on purpose in their drunken stupor!
"Okay! Okay! So we might have gotten a little… inebriated… And done things we normally wouldn't…" Starscream admitted, trying his best to avoid optic-contact with the other two. Breakdown and Knock Out glanced up at each other, a nervous look on their faces. They couldn't remember how many times they'd been in that same situation. In fact, they were lucky it wasn't one of them stuck with a sparkling on the way. Knock Out made a mental note to take certain precautions to ensure it stayed that way just as soon as Starscream was gone…
"Yes, well… That happens, I suppose…" the doctor commented in little more than a mumble, tapping a digit against his patient's chestplate to let him know he could close it. As the thin gray plates snapped shut, Starscream unconsciously placed a servo over the spot where the young spark resided below his own. How in the Pit was he supposed to tell Megatron about this? Would he even want a sparkling? Oh, who was he kidding, of course he wouldn't want it! They'd already agreed having a child around would be nothing more than an unnecessary distraction. Not that he wouldn't have liked one… Eventually…
Starscream was pulled from his thoughts when an energon cube was shoved into his servo. He raised a brow plate, noting the odd magenta hue of the liquid. "Hurry up and drink it. It'll help with the sparkling. I'll have one sent to your quarters every morning to be taken with your regular rations, which should be double your current amount, in case you weren't already aware. I'd also advise you stay close to Megatron throughout your entire term. Trust me, you'll only be making it harder on yourself if you don't. Not that I expect that to be a problem, judging from how often you two keep me up at night…"
Starscream was only half paying attention as Knock Out lectured him, as he was too busy trying to choke down the energon he'd been given. The first sip was enough to make him want to purge again. It tasted absolutely rancid! How did that quack of a doctor expect him to drink this scrap every morning? A single stern look from the cherry red Aston Martin was all it took to make the Seeker suck it up and chug the rest of the cube as fast as he could. He shuddered at the taste, glaring at the back of the sports car's helm as he continued to ramble on about what he could and couldn't do. Breakdown had to snatch the empty cube away from him when he heard the part about no flying after a certain amount of time, afraid he'd chuck the thing at his partner.
"Well, that's about it. Unless something happens between now and then, I'll see you back in here in a month. By then we should be able to get a good idea how many you'll be having." Knock Out couldn't hide the smirk on his face as he looked back at his patient. Starscream's eyes widened instantly, his mouth hanging open slightly. "'H-how many'? What do you mean how many?" he shrieked out frantically, earning an amused chuckle from the doctor. "Oh? Didn't you know? Seekerlings are typically born in groups."
Starscream could only stare in stunned silence for a long moment. Now on top of all this, he wasn't having just one sparkling? Suddenly, the Seeker jumped off the medberth. "Alright, that's it! That's it! I'm done! I don't want to hear any more of this!" he growled, clamping his servos firmly over his audio sensors as he made his way towards the door. He already had more than enough to tell Megatron. Or try to, at least…
Starscream stood frozen in front of the door leading to the command deck of the Nemesis. How in the Pit was he going to do this? He already knew what would happen. Megatron would immediately blame him for being careless, despite the fact that neither of them were sober enough to form a coherent sentence until the morning after it happened. He would probably have him march right back to Knock Out and have the sparkling(s) terminated. He immediately wrapped his arms over his midsection protectively. No, he wouldn't… Would he?
"STARSCREAM!"
The Seeker let out shriek as his name was roared over the com. He immediately rushed onto the bridge in a panic, fearing what his master would do if he delayed. Airachnid and Dreadwing were already there, staring back at him as he entered. Megatron glared past the two, and Starscream felt like he was staring right through him. "What took you so long? Knock Out reported you left medbay almost an hour ago!" the warlord growled, folding his arms over his massive chest. The Seeker flinched at his master's tone. He was furious already. "Err... Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that..." he replied weakly, lowering his head as he shuffled forward.
"Later. I have something I need the three of you to retrieve for me." Megatron replied, satisfied that his Second in Command was well enough for the mission he had planned for him. As Soundwave pulled up a map of the area they'd be sent to Starscream crept up to his master's side, trying to be as discrete as possible. "Lord Megatron, I really think we should talk before I go out on any missions..." he whispered, peeking back over his shoulder to make sure the other two weren't listening in. Megatron merely shrugged him off. "It can wait, Starscream." he hissed, quickly growing annoyed.
"No, it can't!" Starscream shouted, grabbing the attention of everyone on the bridge. Megatron glared down at his Second, baring jagged denta in warning. The Seeker held his ground firmly, though he was terrified on the inside. "Please... It's important..." he pleaded as softly as he could. Megatron narrowed his optics, looking the slender mech over. After a moment, he vented a sigh of defeat. "Fine! If it'll get you to shut up..." he replied, grabbing the Seeker by the arm and dragging him out to the hall.
"Alright, what's so fragging important that you feel the need to delay my plans?" Megatron roared the second they were through the door. Starscream seemed to have gone back to his previous meek demeanor, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. Actually, he was really looking for an escape route. He was still terrified of how the Decepticon warlord would react. Apparently he was taking too long to decide what to do for said warlord's liking. "Well? Hurry it up! The longer you waste my time with this nonsense, the better chance the Autobots have of getting to the artifact before us!" Megatron growled, growing impatient. Starscream vented in a deep intake of air, steeling himself.
"I'm... I'm with spark, master..." he admitted sheepishly, resting a servo over his spark chamber. He could already feel the coolant welling up in the corners of his optics. He averted his gaze downward, trying to fight back his tears. The last thing he needed was to be seen crying on top of everything else. And he didn't even know why! Was he really that scared? Suddenly, he felt a strong servo press against his cheek, tilting his helm to look back up into Megatron's optics. Starscream was amazed. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen his master look so… Calm.
"Knock Out confirmed this?" he asked softly, gently swiping a digit across the Seeker's cheek to wipe away the stream of coolant that had run down the side of his face. Starscream didn't answer right away, he merely stared up at Megatron in stunned silence. He wasn't angry. In fact, this was the first time he'd ever shown him what could pass for true tenderness. He placed a slender servo over the one still holding his cheek, nodding slowly. In an instant, Megatron wrapped his free arm around his Second's waist and pulled him close, taking his lips up into a deep kiss.
It was nearly a full minute before either of them were willing to break away from each other, and only then because Starscream needed to cycle his intake to keep his internal systems from overheating. He looked up at Megatron, who gave him the first genuine smile he'd seen in centuries. "Y-you're not mad?" he asked hesitantly, to which the Decepticon Lord could only laugh. "Mad? How could I be mad? I've always wanted to sire a sparkling. I just didn't think you wanted one…" he replied, unable to hide his joy even under the deep rumble of his vocalizer. "You thought I wouldn't? B-but… I thought you…!" Starscream began, a dumbfounded look on his face. Well, it seemed they'd both agreed they didn't want a sparkling because they'd each assumed the other didn't want one. Primus forbid they ever actually sit down and talk about something…
Megatron loosened his grip around the Seeker's waist, wiping away the remainder of his tears. "Go back to your quarters. I'll join you just as soon as I'm done here." he ordered, placing another soft kiss on the slender mech's lips before turning back towards the bridge. Starscream could still feel the relief washing over him even as his master disappeared from view. He then immediately turned on his heel, making his way back to his living quarters with what had to be the biggest grin he'd ever had plastered across his face.
Starscream was already curled up on his berth deep in recharge by the time Megatron made his way back to his quarters. He'd had to get Breakdown to cover for the Air Commander, which didn't exactly bode well for the mission. He'd have much preferred to send a squad of all fliers, but under the circumstances that wasn't possible. At this point, all he could do was hope those three could bring him back his artifact without first killing each other. For now, there were other things that demanded his immediate attention.
Megatron stepped as lightly as he could as he made his way over to the berth, trying not to wake the recharging Seeker. He sat carefully on the edge, causing Starscream to shift around slightly. He reached out a servo intending to try to wake him, but hesitated, unsure if he should. He was never good at showing any kind of real affection. He'd half hoped it would all just come as naturally as it had earlier when he was first told his Second in Command was to have a sparkling. Now he was at a complete loss for words. The warlord vented a sigh. His speeches had motivated millions to fight for him, he could bring entire nations to their knees with a single word, yet he couldn't think of a single thing to say to the mech carrying his heir?
"Lord Megatron…?" Starscream whispered out groggily, placing a servo against his master's arm. Megatron glanced down, forcing a small smile. The Seeker slowly sat up next to him, pulling his knees up to his chestplate and folding his arms over them. He vented out a heavy sigh, burying his face in his arms. At first Megatron was afraid he was about to start crying again, something he knew he was going to have to get used to, but no. He managed to keep it together this time. "Are you alright?" Megatron asked after a long moment of silence, placing a servo on the slender mech's pauldron. Starscream's optics peeked over his arm up at him. No tears yet. So far, so good. He vented another sigh. "By all rights, I should be furious right now… This was an accident. A mistake. It's an unnecessary waste of our resources to have me lying around doing nothing, taking more energon than everyone else… I shouldn't be happy about this."
Megatron let out a small chuckle, shaking his helm. Honestly, Starscream could complain about anything, couldn't he? He could even whine about being happy about something. The Seeker glared up at his master, letting out a huff. "Don't you laugh at me! I'm serious!" he whined, jabbing the larger mech in the side with his elbow. He then let out a shriek, suddenly being thrown back on the berth. He immediately tried to sit back up, only to slam his helm against Megatron's broad chest. "Wh-what are you doing?" Starscream screeched, trying in vain to push the warlord from on top of him. Megatron didn't budge.
"I'm going to get you sparked up." He replied rather bluntly before running his glossa up the side of the Seeker's neck. Starscream scoffed, rolling his optics at the statement. "Don't you ever listen to me? I'm already carrying, you idiot!" he growled, though that didn't stop him from wrapping his arms around his master's neck. "I heard you. I just chose not to acknowledge the statement."
-Steamy bits used to go here *sadpanda* Big black censor bar o' doom...-
Starscream took a moment to cool down before he turned over on his side, curling up close against his master's chest. Megatron smirked, hooking a massive arm around the Seeker's waist. "Now I expect you to be carrying my heir by tomorrow morning. That's an order." he rumbled out teasingly. Starscream let out a scoff, shaking his helm. "You're impossible..." he retorted, though he couldn't hide the smile on his face. He closed his optics, nuzzling against the warlord's chestplates. He could get used to Megatron treating him like this.