Veiled Intent

Chapter 4: Reliance


Starscream entered his quarters slowly he looked around the lounge was dark, he moved into the berth-room. Prowl was seated on the berth laying back with a data-pad reading. The Autobot looked up at him and then shifted to get off the berth.

The seeker held up a hand "You're fine…" he said quietly, and the autobot slid back down into the position he'd been in before. "Is there anything particular you would like to read next?" he asked.

Prowl looked up at him and thought quietly. "Pre war Cybertronian law?" He wasn't sure if the decepticons would have such a book.

"I will find it…" he nodded; he would have to ask Soundwave or Shockwave if it was on one of their shelves. He turned to the Autobot and motioned him up a bit. He looked him directly in the optics "Tell me I can trust you." Prowl nodded at the seeker. "This chain has been in my way during recharge…I would like to think you could do without it." Starscream explained and reached down to the digital collar. He pressed a few buttons and the chain released. "You must stay in my room, if you leave I will know about it and you will receive a shock from this collar that will be much worse than any plasma fence you may have touched." He explained. "You need to be respectful, and do as I ask."

Prowl nodded "Yes Starscream…Thank you Starscream." In his mind he kept repeating the thought 'be gracious.' Starscream nodded and stood tall beside his prize.

"Wash racks…you're filthy." He ordered and turned toward his living area.

"Yes Starscream." Prowl put the data pad down and stood moving over toward the door to Starscream's small wash rack. He still had a slight limp in his leg, but it didn't hurt anymore. He reached into the rack slowly and turned on the water.

Starscream waited for him in the lounge hearing the water he knew the cruiser was cleaning. Starscream had gathered a few more books for him to read. The two data-pads contained Cybertronian politics, and a Cybertronian medical journal. They seemed clean enough for reading. Starscream read everything he gave the Cruiser to make sure it was all generalized and not of any use to the captive bot. He didn't want to get the bot's hopes up of escape or upheaval. The water shut off.

The seeker looked up at the door after a few long minutes of sitting in his chair; the cruiser stood looking at him, almost scared to cross the threshold out of the room. He was clean parts of him, his door-wings, dripped slightly. Prowl waited silently for permission to enter the room. Starscream snapped a finger near where he sat. The cruiser didn't skip a beat and came up beside him to lay down beside the chair. His back up so Starscream could stroke along his back-strut. "I have a few more books for you here, medical journal, and some politics…" he smirked "Politics written by Optimus…" he said affectionately as he continued to pet.

"Thank you Starscream." The cruiser looked up quietly at his captor who smiled down with dark red optics.

Silence for a moment and then something that surprised the cruiser "You're welcome..." Came starscream's reply, there was nothing else said between them for a while.

Starscream didn't leave his room the entire day, he spent it reading and keeping close to Prowl. Showing him the lengths of his digital collar, Prowl could move about Starscreams quarters unimpeded. The moment he thought about passing through the seeker's front door he would regret it.

He listened intently to the new rules and memorized them. He sat on his knees hands cupped behind his back in front of Starscream's chair. He sat as upright as he could for the seeker, to show he was listening. "And if anyone Buzzes that door and I am not here you do NOT…answer." Starscream sat looking down at him holding the Autobot's head in his clawed hand.

"Of course not Starscream." Prowl shook his head in understanding of the rule. He would never openly let ANYONE in.

"If anyone comes here while I'm gone you tell them they must go to my lab. If anyone enters into this room by force…" he pointed to the controller on the wall by the door "Green button… you call me ….even if it's Megatron you push that button…there is a similar button in our…" The seeker stopped "My room…" Prowl didn't flinch as the seeker tripped over his words. "If someone comes in here you lock yourself in there and call me."

"Yes Starscream." Prowl nodded again. The warning was repeated and he feared it would not be long before something would happen. There was fear in the seekers eyes, even if he did not express it.

"I won't have you harmed again…you are Mine…anyone who tries to show force against you who is not myself…you must promise me that you will tell me…you are mine." Starscream was fond of repeating it to the Cruiser. Prowl smiled at him, and the selfish seeker smirked back and leaned forward his thumb coming over the jaw line of the Cruiser and running it across Prowl's lips. "Mine…" he repeated once more.

"Yours…" Prowl nodded as he spoke, and kept optic contact with the seeker's dark red optics. This was the final rule; that he belonged to Starscream.

"Prowl…" The seeker smirked and pulled him closer to within inches of his mouth. He could feel the Autobot tense and he laughed softly releasing the face. "Stupid Autobot." He snapped a finger pointing beside the chair. Prowl crawled down and sat quietly but Starscream didn't pet him. He worried for a moment looking up but then closed his optics.


Starscream would take five minutes then out of habit reach down to pet Prowl's back strut. He stood "Come…" he commanded and turned to the berth room. Prowl moved slowly after Starscream. The seeker motioned to the berth, and the Autobot crawled up. Starscream moved to his side of the berth and lay down motioning the autobot to his side. Prowl crawled slowly forward pressing himself to the warm body, there was no shame in the closeness.

Prowl grabbed his data-pad from across starscream and began to finish his reading. The seeker was also reading his data pad and seemed a bit furious at his own calculations. He would shift his arm around Prowl to recalculate and just seemed stuck. Prowl turned his head and looked up at the physics engine that Starscream was using to do his calculations.

Prowl bit his lip and turned away from the seeker. "Where are you going?" Starscream released him. Prowl didn't speak but grabbed a Data pad off his bedside table. Prowl sat on the edge of the berth and thumbed through the pad slowly. He turned it over in his hands and handed it back to the seeker. "What's this?" the seeker read it thoughtfully and turned looking back at his work. "Ah yes…I see…" Prowl leaned back into the berth and slid over to the seeker's side. "Thank you…" He slid one data-pad behind the other and started to adjust his calculations. Prowl merely watched silently. "I think that will do…yes…Thank you." He repeated to his pet and reached up a hand petting the back of his helm. "Are you ready to recharge?"

"Yes…" Prowl smiled as he shifted allowing the seeker to turn to set his work down beside the berth. Prowl looked at Starscreams data-pad, it was different than the basic readers he was given, he could use that to get a signal out, he just had to find a way to get some personal alone time with it. He shifted slightly in the seeker's arms and lay against his chest, listening to the beat of the seeker's spark.

Starscream pet his head, the cruiser looked up at the decepticon thoughtfully. Starscream smiled at him and put his other hand under the Autobot's chin. "You've been very good."

"Thank you Starscream." Prowl lowered his eyes submissively.

"Closer." The seeker ordered. Prowl shifted forward against the seeker. He was as close as he could get without crawling into the larger mech's lap. "Good." Starscream smirked and leaned forward kissing the Autobot softly. The kiss lasted a moment, a very short moment, until Starscream pulled back. "Very good." He repeated as he allowed Prowl to slink back down to his side.

Prowl swallowed, the kiss was soft, he hadn't moved during it but it certainly caught him off guard. It wasn't uncommon for Mech/Mech relationships, with the amount of Femmes becoming so small it was only natural that the populace would allow for new relationship dynamics. This would never be a true relationship, it would be a relationship based on power. Starscream purred slightly pulling the autobot closer. Prowl didn't mind he was constantly cold, and the seeker radiated warmth.

"Starscream?" Prowl questioned.

"Yes my pet?" The seeker, contentedly, pet his back-strut reassuringly. As he looked down into the blue optics.

"Thank you…" Prowl bowed his head against the warm chassis. Gracious, ever gracious the Autobot had to be. The more submissive and agreeable he was with the seeker, the more the con trusted him. The more sway he would have. The less trouble he would get in should something go wrong.

"You're welcome…" The seeker smirked quietly, it was a pleased vocalization, and it was honest. The seeker, ever selfish and proud, was surprising the Autobot immensely. Prowl would drift into recharge before the other's optics.

Starscream watched prowl intently for a few hours petting his helm, stroking his hands down his back. He reached his hand toward the chassis of the other running his long digits over the autobot logo. This would be the first thing to go tomorrow, he would not put a decepticon logo on the mech, but he would remove that badge of honor.

Prowl shifted to roll away. "No..no.." Starscream said quietly pulling him back to his body. The Cruiser awoke and groaned.

"My neck…" he uttered. Starscream could see the uncomfortable angle at which the cruiser was laying. He nodded and allowed the Autobot to turn over on the berth. Starscream rolled with him and pulled him back against his body. Spooning prowl close he closed his optics maybe he could get some recharge. Prowl didn't look back merely closed his optics. Tomorrow he would test his own mental endurance of this game, this game of give and take. He wondered how much he could give without giving the seeker the wrong idea. It wouldn't matter, if it came down to interfacing with the larger mech he would have to mean it, the seeker would be privy to his emotions, he would have to absolutely mean it if he had to interface with the seeker.