Silence never really boded well, especially where Starscream was concerned. His silence always meant he was thinking about something, brooding on it, which was fine with Carrion… unless what he was brooding about was him. And in this case, it most definitely was.

"Your slagging mouth." Starscream growled, glowering at the younger jet as he finished repairing the last little bit of damage done to his Commander's helm.

Carrion shifted guiltily, keeping his hands carefully in place as he maneuvered the welder over the final remnants of his Commander's latest beating. He had been blamed for all manner of failures that he'd been uninvolved in and called any number of names, berated as incompetent and foolhardy and childish; these things came with the territory of spending any amount of time around the Air Commander. Generally, the older seeker could say whatever he liked and Carrion could let it roll off him, at the very worst snarking back and goading his superior into a verbal battle.

Today, however, he could only accept his role in today's mishap. His slagging mouth, indeed. The beating Starscream had been subjected to had been mercifully brief, the quick-thinking mech able to utter just the right words in just the right moments to defuse their Lord's wrath. But still, if Carrion could keep his mouth closed every once and a while, it would never have happened in the first place.

"Sorry," he mumbled after a moment's pause, finally pulling away from his work. There was a bare spot in the paint, and a larger area was entirely devoid of finish, but though Carrion was becoming more and more competent with the more cosmetic end of this job, he had the feeling Starscream was going to go to Knock Out for those 'repairs'.

The single syllable he'd uttered was enough to earn him a derisive little laugh, the sound every bit as dangerous as the silence had been. Carrion impulsively took a step back, wary that his Commander might seek retribution even now, after his wounds were sealed and his aches removed. The larger jet had yet to ever actually hurt Carrion, but he couldn't help feeling wary. Especially when the other mech's optics were still locked on him, pinning him in place.

He was a little surprised by his Commander's tone when he spoke, already more lecturing than venomous. Still, the predatory way he rolled his shoulders as he strode toward him made Carrion nervous. "When you're dealing with Soundwave," Starscream said, "you'd do best to keep your mouth shut."

A likely happenstance, Carrion thought. He never could keep himself from talking for very long; it was an irreparable defect that he'd been afflicted with since he could string words together. Evidently Starscream understood that as well; his mouth was quirked with a malicious sneer as his claws landed on Carrion's shoulders. The touch was firm but not painful, just present enough for the larger jet to steer him backwards, cornering him.

"But," the Commander said, voice low and conspiratorial, "since we both know you can't manage that, you ought to be at least capable of keeping your banter to the nonsensical."

A combination of those soft tones and the remembrance of being trapped in a confined space with that creeper, Soundwave, gave Carrion an allover shudder. "I thought I was," he said, trying to keep himself from sounding as if he were whining.

"And yet," Starscream murmured, keeping his voice even and empty of the anger Carrion knew had to be lurking somewhere, "somehow Soundwave went back to Megatron with recorded proof of my imminent betrayal."

Carrion felt his wings meet the wall and his optics widened slightly. In spite of the lack of rage his Commander was exhibiting – or perhaps because of it – he felt very accused. "I said I'm sorry. I just… Primus, he was staring at me and I really, really tried to be quiet but he wouldn't stop. I didn't think I said anything important, anything he could piece together."

There was an audible whir as Starscream's vents tried to cool the air heated by his ire, a sure sign that under this veil of patience, the other was very, very annoyed. "Anything you say about anything honestly happening on this ship, he can piece together. He spies on everyone, sees everything, and reports it all back to Megatron. There is a chance that he is still watching."

"Okay, well that's really creepy."

Annoyance flashed in the Commander's eyes, making Carrion once again regret his insuppressible need to voice nearly every thought that passed through his head. The larger jet leaned against him slightly, voice barely a hiss when he spoke again. "Are you defective? Is this not making sense to you?"

Honestly, he wasn't exactly grasping what Starscream was trying to get him to see, but such was often the case when the other seeker tried to be vague. He took the moment of silence afforded to him to try to think. "You… want me to lie whenever I'm around Soundwave?"

Another huff of annoyance, Starscream's optics flicking over his face. Something writ there made him smile again, the expression twisted between malicious and amused. "Such a pretty face," he purred, startling the younger jet when a pair of claws lightly traced his jaw line. "Do you know what it would look like if Megatron decided to take his wrath out on you for what you said?"

Probably like nothing at all. Megatron wouldn't beat him into scrap, he'd destroy him. And it would be casual, cold, and probably done before Carrion even knew he was in trouble. He didn't matter enough for Megatron to waste his energy explaining himself.

His knowledge must have reflected in his expression, because the sneer on his Commander's face widened fractionally. "Do you think you can lie well enough to survive when I'm not in the mood to cover for your stupidity?"

The answer to that was obvious to both of them; Carrion wasn't deluded enough to think he could lie as casually or convincingly as the older seeker. And yet, he found himself unwilling to take the question, clearly intended to impress how vulnerable he was, and just let it be as it was. "You could teach me."

Sometimes the things he said were strange or stupid enough to shock an honest wheeze of amusement from his Commander, and evidently this was one of those times. Optics locked on his superior's, Carrion managed to suppress a shudder as claws trailed from his jawline, down his neck, to brush against the sensitive seam of his chest plates. "So you want me to teach you something." The larger seeker murmured thoughtfully.

The words felt like they meant something else, especially combined with that strange lingering touch, but Carrion decided that the weird undertones could only be his imagination. Starscream was toying with him, probably, and that was because he was angry with him. Hence his attempt at flattery: there was no one in existence better at subterfuge than Starscream, and they both knew it.

So he tried his very best to sound as sincere as he could when he leaned forward and said, "Yes."

It felt very strange to have Starscream's claws on him this way, he was used to punishing flicks or playful shoves, not this… gentleness. He couldn't keep himself from shivering slightly when the light touch stroked against the seam of his armor, producing a sensation he hadn't been aware existed. It made him involuntarily arch his back into the other mech's hand, the suddenness of the motion leaving him feeling inexplicably vulnerable.

Which, honestly, was understandable. Starscream was playing with the armor that protected his spark chamber. And while it felt pretty nice, he couldn't help but expect that pain was soon to follow. His own claws came up to graze Starscream's forearm, the touch light in spite of the way he wanted to clutch.

But, thankfully, the caress moved from the frighteningly vulnerable chest armor to his neck; still fragile but less immediately threatening. "Can you do as I tell you?" Starscream purred, leaning close enough that their foreheads touched. Somehow the question made Carrion's engine rev a little faster, once again the words trying to morph into something that they couldn't possibly mean.

Feeling as if he might fall otherwise, he let his claws curl around his Commander's shoulder, tips absently brushing against the place where the larger jet's wings met his back. "I always try to," he said softly, voice tinged with confusion and anxiety, still waiting for pain, still trying to understand how this was helping him not die when Megatron decided he needed killing.

He felt Starscream chuckle more than heard him, his head tilting away and bowing, so suddenly the other mech's face was against his neck, denta grazing the delicate plating in a way that made Carrion's processor blank for a moment, claws clutching at the other's armor. Without thinking, he felt the plating fold away under Starscream's touch, revealing the more sensitive infrastructure.

Nuzzling against the vulnerable cords, the Commander seemed to enjoy the way the smaller seeker shook and clung to him, despite such closeness being something he generally would have frowned on. "Tilt your head back," he instructed, rewarding compliance with another frazzling brush of denta against the exposed wiring. His claws trailed carefully up Carrion's sides, tips slipping easily between the plates to tease the more sensitive areas that were meant to be sheltered.

Trapped against the wall, Carrion felt a strange surge of energy through his spark, the sensation pulling a little gasping whine from his vocals. Just as the plating on his neck had folded away without his bidding, the protective armor on his chest started to retract, splitting open just a hairsbreadth. A palm swept over the shuddering plates, comforting and threatening all at once.

When a claw hitched under the seam and dipped into the sensitive metals beneath, the young jet arched his back even as his engine revved again in panic. "I don't understand," he panted, trying not to feel disappointed when Starscream's face pulled away from his neck. Trying not to regret opening his mouth, even in the face of the displeased narrowing of Starscream's optics.

Yet when he spoke, it was clear that his Commander was for some reason still playing at patience, which was all the more confusing. The claw toying with the still-split seam in his armor continued its taunting touch as the older seeker rasped, "Don't understand what?"

Everything about this situation seemed weird and wrong, from the rhythm of his engine to the proximity in which they were standing. His whole body was abuzz with energy and he felt much too good for having just finished patching the larger jet up, after legitimately displaying his incompetence. And he didn't understand how their conversation had wound up in just a few kliks going from lying and Carrion's inability to do it effectively to… whatever this was.

"How is this helping me lie to Megatron?"

To him, the question seemed entirely reasonable. That was what they had been speaking of before now and so, he assumed, they were still on the subject.

Obviously, judging from the look on Starscream's face, they did not agree on that point. The expression was an odd mixture of annoyance, anger, and honest confusion. "What?"

Finally that distracting claw left his chest, Starscream withdrawing a half step. That was a good thing, Carrion told himself, smoothing a hand over his armor to press it back closed, forcibly ignoring the part of his processor that insisted the opposite. "You, you said-"

"You honestly thought this had anything to do with that."

A statement, not a question. Carrion didn't understand the sinking feeling in his over-excited spark, the clashing of hope and disappointment. He did, however, understand immediately that Starscream was very, very offended.

Before he could try to recover from whatever stupidity he was displaying now, the older jet turned away. "You really are naïve, sparkling," The Commander spat, turning the last word into a curse as he stalked toward the doors.

Left alone in the empty room, the young seeker brought claws to his temple, trying to force them not to rattle and shake. He felt strangely dissatisfied, and his sensory arrays seemed to be permanently stuck on the memories of Starscream's claws and denta on him.

The larger mech was only gone for a moment before it finally clicked, what his mouth had cost him this time.

A/N: Yes, I did just write about the awkward first-time groping of a young mech. Stop looking at me like that, I told you it was coming.