I hadn't seen the 12th episode when I wrote this. I have a thing for SS/R so idk sue me lol. I just enjoyed the mini plot for the episode. It was neat. Sorry I haven't been doing much. I've been super unmotivated. But thank you guys for all the faves and things I see. 3
"Ohhh… caught in a bind aren't we?"
The electricity from the binds was tingly. Borderline irritating yet he almost yearned for it. But now was not the time to explore things of such kinky, childish nature. This was an interrogation.
Starscream didn't yield. "Oh medic, come now; who do you think entertained an idea such as this for the longest period?"
Perhaps it wasn't. Ratchet steeled his features, looking to the lower right of the room.
The broken lighting strained his optics, forcing them to squint to notice Starscream, his favorite Decepticon, approach his vulnerable figure. Ratchet still lay against the metal berth, blue energy strands holding him in place.
"Hmmhmm, certainly not our very own medic. He despises you, save for the reason you are here before me: the… synthetic Energon fiasco. Perhaps he is jealous…" he said in a low manner.
Ratchet's helm lifted lightly at the seeker's trailed-off sentence.
"I like to think so."
"Hmph. I bet you do. But what I'd like to think of is-"
"Yes, Autobot?"
"… You interrupt often."
"I'm letting you know I am listening." Ratchet could see his denta glinting under the light as he came forward.
Ratchet chose to humor him. Not the first choice, but he required servos for that. "Does your master know I've been near you on more than one occasion before?"
"…" Starscream's demeanor changed drastically. Those… infant canine optics he heard about from Miko became apparent in the seeker. But Starscream was not begging, not begging for that information to remain concealed, but begging for more… affections?
"I feel he does not need to know of the account."
"Several accounts," Ratchet objected, his helm craning up to see the other mech. Starscream's full facial construct was visible, as was his frame from his pelvic armor up. He seemed thinner, to the red mech's recollection.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Say something."
"O…o-oh? Like what?"
"Anything," Ratchet vented as his helm thudded against the metal berth. Starscream's characteristic need to converse with everybot, and he meant enemies to criminals to allies, everyone regardless of previous incidents and so on, benefitted Ratchet at this very moment. Having something familiar, albeit catty and skittish beside him was enough of a distraction to not be an unpleasant annoyance, but to be an almost comforting escape from the silence. And, reassuring to boot.
Chances are, if Starscream was to speak to a prisoner, more often than not, they'd end up being set free. Starscream had a pathetic habit of it. Save for Cliffjumper. But he didn't even make it to the interrogation room to begin with. Arcee was almost wrong in a sense; Starscream had proven a point, although detrimental to his façade and drawn out of a series of fearful thoughts. Cliffjumper's injuries killed him. The larger part of which came from the Vehicons using an impressive and unusual amount of brute, unforgiving force. Starscream's claws didn't penetrate the spark, merely its secondary casing. The Energon that reportedly came from that particular wound was insufficient to be the cause of death. Cliffjumper's Energon had almost entirely leaked out before he was dragged to Starscream's heels. The final blow just left him to offline slowly on the catwalk of the Nemesis. Left to bleed out entirely.
Cliff was already at Death's door, and he probably knew it. He knew it and that is why he shot off his mouth, besides his usually tendency to do so. He was a goner and stayed true to his character till the end. He was a good kid. Made Arcee quite happy. Happier than Wheeljack now does on occasion. Smokescreen looks as if he's attempting to take that place as well. Hmph good luck, kid.
Ratchet fidgeted on the platform he was bound to. He could swear the cuffs decreased in size by the Earth hour.
Ratchet didn't enjoy prying in his team mates' lives… but Arcee tended to show her emotions like a second coat of paint. She didn't' have to speak, the femme just… Ratchet knew what she felt about the seeker. What she felt about knowing Cliffjumper was gone. Why she felt more intensely involved and brutally agressive about the Decepticon agenda. More than once the medic felt he should have intervened when Optimus allowed her to go to the mines. But Optimus knew what he was doing when he condoned it. After all, that's what he told the orange and white mech. Closure comes in many forms. Ratchet was not trained in the field of psychoanalysis like… what's that orange bot's designation… Rang? Ring? Wait no no that's not it…
Hmph whatever.
Starscream's heels tapped as he walked around to the berth, towards Ratchet's upper body. The medical officer's optics were dulled in thought. Only his audials perked at the noise.
"Starscr-"
"Shh."
"… Excuse me? You have me, caught up in this mess, and I never got one single worthwhile thank you for my damn handiwork. I-"
The aerial commander looked at the lightly enraged mech. His rant continued for a while, but he showed no signs of fault in his tone; he'd been awaiting a chance to say all this. Might as well sit… stand through it. Ratchet was barking more tiredly than usual. This was his fourth day in captivity. His Energon portions were being sanctioned. He only refueled twice a day. Like some sort of… turbofox or something rather, which to Starscream for once it was indecent to give that stature to such an Autobot. He'd seen Ratchet able to hold his ground before and hold it for several others at a time at the war's prelude. Then later on several occasions when he accompanied Megatron to battles. The medic aged rather gracefully since then. Certainly not by much.
He could hear Ratchet's complaints start to reach their conclusion. His huffing became louder and more apparent to Starscream's audials. The seeker came up to his helm and looked down at him, into his piercing turquoise optics. Their design was impeccable, beautiful at that. That wasn't a compliment the Second in Command just… threw around.
The orange mech glared at the looming figure, his chest rising and falling at uneven increments from malnutrition. "Take a holoscan, it lasts longer."
"Glossa sharp as usual, medic. You do always amuse me so."
"Says the mewling piece of half a mech I see right now."
"And to think I was about to repay you for your invaluable assistance…"
The cranky mech was silenced. "Right now. Really," he said after a pause, incredulously.
Nodding, Starscream' fiddled with his claws, looking them over as to pretend he truly wouldn't repay the medic for his unmistakable need to care for such an "incompetent patient."
Ratchet grimaced but he did not speak. All that happened was that the pain from his various wounds became more noticeable. And obvious.
"Oh medic, please. I did not wish for them to inflict such painful means upon you. I was unable to persuade them not to, as I have seen how you react to physical torment. But as you know they are the ones… in charge around these parts as of late. And besides… I did not expect you to resist with such passion. I underestimated your loyalty to your beloved Prime."
"How… have you seen my work? I haven't left the confines of our base in-"
"Several weeks. Over an Earth month."
The imprisoned mech nodded slowly. This had to be some sort of break in war code. Monitoring someone without any intention of utilizing said information towards either faction? Simply stalking is what that was. But he certainly would have different feelings if this were another mech. This was Starscream; being "admired" by him from a distance wasn't something to be taken lightly. There was a biased feeling happening here… Ratchet did not like it one bit.