This one is set in the very early days of Katea-Nui and I's L&S 'verse. This was mentioned in one of the chapters, but not elaborated upon.
Warnings for M/SS consensual nongraphic 'facing and more than a little angst.
~11~ Excitement ~ "Be careful what you wish for, what you dream of. You just might get it."
He really had never thought this would happen to him. He, Starscream, had abruptly risen all the way from aerial combatant to Air Commander of the entire Decepticon faction. Admittedly, the previous Air Commander had been deactivated in a particularly messy manner, but still, he was one of the newer recruits, and as such he hadn't thought he'd caught Lord Megatron's optic /that/ thoroughly.
The ceremony was scheduled to occur at the end of on-cycle, and Starscream felt almost terrified. He could feel the reassuring presence of his trinemates, closer than brothers. He was still young for such an important position, yet within him lie an almost indefatigable drive to succeed, to be the best...and he'd put himself /out there/ in front of their Lord in an attempt to make him /see/ that his trine was the best slagging Seeker trine in the faction. When Starscream was raised in rank, so too would his trinemates, though not as high- one step below, as was customary.
The excitement that Skywarp felt was contagious, and spread by Starscream's own. His spark whirled in his chest, and he tried to think of some way to commemorate this, some physical /something/ that he could have for later to signify this momentous occasion. He glanced around the cramped quarters that they'd soon be vacating to no avail, and he kicked the too-small recharge berth in aggravation.
Maybe he didn't /need/ a physical symbol; perhaps the symbolism of the event would be enough. It was almost off-cycle, and frag it, he /wasn't/ going to be late for this.
The ceremony was all that Starscream could have hoped for. Lord Megatron had made a speech, praising Starscream's, and by association his trine's, accomplishments in battle, and then Starscream's own accomplishments in the labs, creating more energy-efficient weaponry that they could use in their struggles against the Autobots. Toward the end of the celebration, Soundwave had approached the young Seeker with a request from Lord Megatron to attend him in his quarters in a half-joor.
Starscream knew that that was not really a request; however, he could see no reason why he /wouldn't/ do so, not with the high of his promotion rippling through his systems. Not with the four cubes of high grade that had been given to him. Not with his absolute trust in his commanding officer, Starscream's firm belief that he thought Starscream was someone to be respected, listened to; perhaps even considered close to an equal.
The young flier was full of dreams as he made the walk to Lord Megatron's quarters, though his trinemates were suitably concerned for their trineleader's welfare. They'd tried to tell him to be careful, to not let the excitement of the day get to him; to not allow his overcharged state to cloud an admittedly superior processor.
Starscream told them both that they worried too much. There was nowhere more safe than the quarters of the Decepticon Supreme Commander, after all. Even Thundercracker was forced to agree with that logic, and it was with that thought that they released their trinemate at the beginning of the hallway to finish the trip alone.
He made the trip back alone as well. He was glad of it, too, that his trinemates had gotten overcharged themselves and were far too depply in recharge to check on their trineleader. Physically, he was mostly okay...all right, so /that/ was a lie because his left wing was wrenched out of position just a bit, and his valve was more than a little sore, but Starscream told himself that he'd /wanted/ it. Wanted to be taken by their leader. He had consented freely, though Megatron had gotten more than a little rough toward the end, hence the wing injury. That would heal, though not by the next cycle or even the one afterward.
He devoutly hoped that Lord Megatron didn't display the same sort of coldness about his injured status that he'd just shown Starscream when he'd asked, respectfully, if he could recharge there with his leader. Megatron had laughed in Starscream's face and ordered him to get the frag out of his quarters before he was /thrown/ out, and Starscream had left in shock...and more than a bit of stunned hurt. Not that he'd admit to the latter emotion- the Air Commander didn't feel things like that.
He idly thought that perhaps he had the physical symbol that he'd searched for earlier that cycle, though it certainly wasn't of the type he'd wanted. His excitement had twisted into a form of hero-worshipping desire that had rapidly been turned against him.
Starscream knew that he'd steel himself against the emotion in the future.
He walked very slowly back to his new quarters where his trinemates lay entwined, recharging peacefully, and he stared at them, his lips twisting into an odd sort of pained smile. His emotions were chaotic, ranging from a bitter anger that he knew his trine didn't deserve right down to self-loathing for allowing it to happen in the first place, but he also knew that he /deserved/ the position. Starscream knew he was the fastest flier on Cybertron. He'd earned it. And by his submission he'd cemented his position, and thereby took care of his trine.
Their excitement about this mattered to Starscream as well, and so he kept that thought in mind instead of the rejection. Instead of the feeling of being used. After all, it was the Seeker was to put their trine first. He gingerly slid next to Thundercracker, wincing when his wing brushed the berth in just the wrong way. The larger blue flier reached out to Starscream, his hand brushing his arm. Thundercracker had a rare smile on his face, as did Skywarp.
Trine first.
