Baby Mine
For Starscream and Knock Out, life as Autobots was interesting. They had escaped the Decepticons together. It was not just Starscream and arachnid who'd been sent on the mission to retrieve the immobilizer. Knock Out was there, and when Starscream decided to join the autobots, Knock Out happily followed him.
They had to spend two months in a prison cell in order to gain the trust of the autobots. It was a long and hard battle to gain their trust, and they could not at all say that they were comfortable. Yes, they were far more safe than they had been with Megatron, but at what cost. They spent The entirety of their new life feeling as though if they took one step wrong, it would result in them being kicked off the team, stranded and alone, with nowhere to go, and no energon and resources. It was for this reason, that they desperately tryed to keep themselves together. They would do everything that the auto bots asked of them without question. When they were finally allowed out of prison so that Starscream could fly to prevent flight deprivation, it was a relief for both of them. Knock Out had been worried about Starscream being in such a cramped cell, and he was glad to see that his former commander looked so happy.
Perhaps the biggest Day for them, was when they were allowed to go on their first mission. This was their chance to prove their loyalty. This was their chance to prove that they were no longer the cruel Decepticons everyone thought they were. However, the mission went wrong. As usual, it was Miko's fault. It should have been simple. One of the Iacon relics was in need of capture, and they were going to do their best to capture it. However, when Miko got in the way of the fire, Starscream got in front of her so that he could blast one of the troops, and accidentally stepped on her toe with his pointy heels. She squeaked in pain, and of course the Autobots thought that Starscream had done this on purpose, out of hatred for the young human girl. The mission ended with the relic nowhere in sight for the autobots. The only thing they could do now, was return to base, and wait for their punishment. The mood was solemn as everyone walked back in the base. Everyone was silent. Knock Out whispered to Starscream, trying to reassure him that it wasn't his fault. Starscream looked terrified, his wings slightly shaking. Surprisingly, Optimus was not the first to speak.
"What were you thinking?" Arcee demanded. "I told you you had to watch your step around the humans. You could've seriously hurt Miko. Don't say it was her fault for going on the mission. I know that. If you're going to be a part of this team, which I'm still surprised Optimus is even allowing, you need to realize that our humans are important. They aren't just little bugs you can squish. They are living sentient beings, who deserve our respect. If you can't even give them a single shadow of respect, then you do not, and Will not have a place on this team. If you ever do anything to another human, I will personally see to it that you Will no longer be with us."
"That is enough Arcee." Optimus said commandingly. "Starscream needs time to adjust. It is important that we allow him that time."
Arcee walked away in a huff. She was tired of the fact that Optimus was so soft as to not see the evil lying right in front of him. However, she was surprised when none of the autobots' sympathy was with her. When she turned back, she noticed that all the autobots we're looking at something, and it was Starscream who had curled tightly in a ball, his body entirely shivering. His wings were shaking so much that you could hear them bang against each other. He looked so small, even to the humans that were standing on the platform, watching the whole thing. He was uttering such soft and high squeaks that one might've mistaken them for a mouse beneath him.
"Is he OK?" Miko asked.
"No, at least not mentally." Knock Out responded.
"Well what's wrong with him?" Bulkhead asked sounding annoyed that Starscream was acting like such a baby.
"It's post traumatic eight regression." Knock Out said , his voice nearly filled with tears as he bent down to cuddle the silver seeker lovingly. "This has happened before. It's never happened in front of anyone other than me before though. When Starscream experience is something that brings him an immense amount of fear, and he cannot run away, he responds in a different manner. This is actually a seeker defense mechanism. When seekers have been physically or mentally hurt, and then they experience it again, they cannot cope, and thus they turn back into the mental state of a sparkling."
"How is it that you know so much about seekers?" Ratchet asked. Before the war, the only thing he knew about seekers, was that they kept everything secret from the rest of the world. He knew they were flyers, and he knew they lived in a rather closed off capital, but that was it.Even though Knock Out had been working with Starscream for years, that didn't make him a master of all seeker medical knowledge, did it? After all, no medic should generalize a condition, especially one such as a forced age regression, to anyone species, unless they have proof of others experiencing that same condition.,. It was at that moment Ratchet came to another conclusion. The only way Knock Out could've known that this particular mental coping mechanism existed among all seekers is if he studied from the inside, which was virtually impossible for any grounder to do. In the 2 months the Decepticons had been with the autobots, he had noticed that Knock Out was different then on the battlefield. He wasn't as vain or touchy as everyone thought he was. He actually was very gentle, as gentle as some people used to describe how seekers behaved. In that moment, ratchet posed a question to the other medic. "did you study among them?"
"Normally, I wouldn't tell just anyone this, but given that I'm not in a position where someone can use me for power, I think I better tell you everything about myself." Knock Out said. At that very same moment, knockout began a transformation, but it was not into his alt mode. His back tires folded into his side, becoming nearly invisible. His overly round shoulder caps extended to form long red wings. His body made some other Shifts as well. He began to grow taller, and quite a bit slimmer.
"You are not any ordinary Cybertronian, are you?" Ratchet asked, astounded.
"No," knock Out said. "I am an air lander."
"Is that like a Skylander from that video game series?" Miko asked.
"No Miko." Ratchet said. "It means that even though Knock Out was born a seeker, he can transform into a grounder at will. He can be both a ground vehicle and a flight vehicle at the same time."
"Thank you ratchet, but maybe next time you explain something to Miko, Jack, or Rafael, you should try and be a bit more gentle. I admire you as a medic, but your temper and your bedside manner really need some work." Knock Out said. "I hope you understand that until Starscream comes back to himself, I will need to spend most of my time tending to him. He's going to need a lot of gentle love and care, and if you let me, I can give it to him. Although, it might be best if we all do it together. I know gentle isn't exactly everyone's thing right now, given that we are in a war, but Starscream needs love and attention right now. He doesn't need harsh words. Perhaps if we all care for him in this time, he will become fond of all of you, as he has me.I know it will be difficult for a lot of you, given your past with him, but can you at least try? If we all comfort Starscream together, he will be far less afraid of you."
"Knock Out, we are fortunate to have you with us. Your knowledge of seeker medical techniques, which far surpassed hours before the war, will bring us great help in many endeavors." Optimus said, great relief in his voice.
"Knock Out, one medic to another, I always believed I knew everything there was to know. I never knew about anything like mental age regression. Perhaps there are even more things I don't know about, or better yet, more feets of scientific engineering I haven't discovered yet. Perhaps I can learn something from you." Ratchet said, surprisingly humbly.
"Thank you ratchet. Let's work together." Knock Out said cheerfully.
"So what do we do with Starscream now?" Miko asked. "Do we need to call him Starsqueak now? That's all he appears to be doing is squeaking."
"Right now, all we can do, is give Starscream as much love and cuddles as he needs." Knock Out said.
With his newly enlarged flight form, he picked up the squeaking Seeker, and proceeded to rock him back-and-forth. He went to one of the back corners of the main area, and sat down, allowing Starscream to rest on his lap. The other autobots watched in amazement as knock out was so gentle with Starscream. Two months ago, they thought no Deceptacon was capable of gentleness, but now, here was Knock Out, so lovingly holding the former commander of the Decepticons. Of all of the autobots, Optimus was the one who was most powerfully taken by this.
"Perhaps we can all take an example from Knock Out's gentleness." Optimus said, knowing that he had not been so gentle throughout the years of war. In times of war, he had forgotten how important softness and gentleness was. He had forgotten that off the battlefield, one didn't always have to be on their guard. Seeing Knock out acting so much like a sire to Starscream, nearly brought a tear to Optimus's eyes.
Indeed, it had been his dream to have a sparkling for a long time. He felt that now, he could gain some first-hand experience with having one for himself. Slowly and gently, he walked towards Starscream. He sat on the other side of Knock Out, and began to gently stroke the squeaking seeker's head. Knock Out looked to Optimus, with something a kin to pride in his eyes. He was happy to see that at least one of the autobots was taking an effort to be gentle, and he knew Optimus would be the first one to do so. After about 15 minutes, Knock Out was permitted to take Starscream back to their shared quarters. He laid down with the squeaking little one and tried to get him to sleep. In the end, it worked, and it was only when Starscream was in a peaceful recharge, did Knock Out finally allow himself to sleep.
A week had passed since that incident, and Starscream had not yet fully returned to his adult self. The autobots were slowly starting to come around to their new sparkling recruit. Though Starscream had not changed in size, or even voice, the cute little things he did melted the hearts of those around him. Surprisingly, Knock Out had a plethora of soft sparkling care items in his sub space, obviously gathered before the war had started. One of these things was a little Matt that Starscream could rest on. He would lie on his stomach and Paw at the mat as if he were a playful cat. This made bumblebee laugh, and eventually, Knock Out trusted the black and yellow musclecar enough to give him a toy to use to play with Starscream. This particular toy, was a small high-pitched squeaking pink ball. It was so soft, that bumblebee was afraid he would pop it. However, Knock Out told the young scout that all he had to do was squeak it for Starscream, and it would bring the silver seeker endless hours of delight. Whenever bumblebee squeaked the soft pink ball, Starscream shrunk away at first.
"I think he's afraid of it deflating." Bumblebee beeped at knockout.
"Here, let me show you." Knock Out said. "Starscream, see, it's not supposed to go flat." At this point he proceeded to squeak the soft pink ball. "It's supposed to do that."
When Starscream understood The Ball would not be permanently deflated, he returned to his usual joyful little demeanor. Another incident with Little sparkling Starscream happens that very same day between he and bulkhead. When bulkhead walked into the auto bot base, after a mission, Starscream saw him and because of his roundness, thought that bulkhead was yet another squeaking Ball. Bulkhead unexpectedly had a silver Seeker wrapped around his middle trying to squeeze the dear life out of him.
"Am I his new daddy now?" Bulkhead asked, a little unsure what to do. Normally, he would have just thrown the seeker off of him, but given that Dr. protective sire Knock Out was around, he wasn't going to take any chances.
"No bulkhead." Knock Out said. "He just thinks you're one big Squicky toy."
"Don't you mean squeaky toy?" Bulkhead asked a little confused.
"No, I meant Squicky toy. Squicky is what Squeaky meant on Voss."
"You know, that's actually kind of cute."Bulkhead chuckled. For the next 10 minutes, he allowed little Starscream to pretend as though he was a squeaky toy. He actually liked being hugged so tightly. No one had done this to him for a very long time. It was in this moment that he had the same revelation as Optimus. There could be softness in the war. In the darkness, Starscream could be their little light. Even though it was very selfish of him, he almost wished that Starscream could stay like this forever. He liked having a lighthearted little sparkling around the base.
Arcee and ratchet were the hardest to convince of the softness that Starscream brought to the autobots. However, ratchet slowly became like an old grandpa to him. Knock Out gave each and every Autobot the opportunity to hold Starscream. Ratchet was at first astounded at the fact that he was treating a grown mech as if he were a sparkling. However, the day finally came and Knock Out practically forced him to hold Starscream, so that he could see the gentleness the little one brought. Ratchet took Starscream in his arms, and was a little embarrassed at the absurdity of it all. However, once Starscream uttered his first squeak into ratchet's ear, and clung on to him tightly, he didn't want to show it, but his spark felt as if it doubled in size. He became like a grandsire to Starscream instantly. There was no doubt in his mind now that Starscream was one of the cutest things in their base.
The hardest autobot of all to convince was Arcee. She flat out ignored Starscream, and refused to acknowledge his existence as a little sparkling. She even tried to tell the others to just get over it, as Starscream would come out of it eventually. One particular night, Knock Out heard something from Arcee's quarters. He opened up the door, and noticed her crying. She was sitting with the data pad in front of her. It was showing three pictures at the moment. Two of them, Knock Out recognized as being loved ones of her's. Tailgate and Cliff jumper. However, when he saw the third picture, he couldn't believe it. Staring back at him where the red optics of Dreadwing. In that moment, he began to notice all the similarities between Dreadwing and Arcee. They both had an extreme dedication to those they love, and they both had a high honor system. It didn't take long for Knock Out to put everything together. Especially when he accounted for the small wings on Arcee's back that didn't really need to be there as she was apparently a two wheeler.
"You're one too, aren't you?" Knock Out asked in a gentle voice, but it still startled Arcee. She turned around, about to snap at Knock Out, but then he pulled her into his arms. She burst into tears right there on his shoulder. "I know. It's hard having to only be one thing. Sometimes, I wish I could tell Starscream so much sooner that I was also a seeker. You've had to hold that back for so long."
"What would my carrier think of me?" Arcee asked. "I can't believe my own carrier is a Decepticon. I've been holding onto this for so long. I lost both of my partners to the Decepticons, only to find out that one of my beloved family members was one. To think, I lost my sire to my own kind. I thought I could never tell the autobots I was a seeker. I was always so afraid that they would think I was a Decepticon all this time. I want to be a seeker again. It's so hard for me Knock Out. I want to be like a carrier to Starscream so badly, but the grudge I keep on holding won't let me forget who he really is."
"Do you honestly think that's who he really is? The Starscream you know, and the Starscream I know, are two completely different Starscreams. It's a façade Arcee. He has to behave as if he is a boastful arrogant commander to win the respect of the other Decepticons. In truth, he is actually quite gentle. The thing is, he hasn't been shown love in so long, that when he is showm love, he can't remember what it feels like. He has only been given pain and suffering. It's only because of me he even knows what love is anymore. You have no idea all the things I've seen Megatron do to him. He has physically beaten him so much that there were times even I thought I couldn't save him. I know it's hard, because when you see him you only think of the partners you lost, but your carrier protocols tell you to go and cuddles the little spark that needs your love. Don't listen to the evil in you. Listen to the good in you. Cuddle him like I know you want to. I know your carrier would say the same."
Arcee burst into another round of tears. When she could finally compose herself, she looked up straight into Knock Out's eyes and asked, "where is he?"
They entered Knock Out and Starscream's shared quarters to find Starscream sleeping on the berth they both occupied. Arcee was timidly shivering behind Knock Out, but after a few words of encouragement, she slowly approached the little age regressed seeker. She knelt down beside him, and began to stroke his head. He opened his eyes, and squeaked out of fear. Even though he was Age regressed, Starscream clearly remembered everything about RC.
"Hush Starscream. It's OK. I won't hurt you. I know I've hurt you in the past, but I won't hurt you now. I promise." Arcee said, tears coming to her eyes once again. She began to stroke Starscream's little wings, and he delighted in her touch. He smiled at her with kind and loving eyes. "That's right Starscream. I won't hurt you Not now, not ever."
Perhaps the softest incident with Starscream wasn't one that came from the auto bots at all, but from one of the humans. Surprisingly, it was Miko. One day, about two weeks after Starscream's age regression, ratchet needed Knock Out to look at something for his synthetic energon formula. Normally, Knock Out would not have felt comfortable leaving Starscream at all, but given the fact that he was napping, he figured it would be all right just for a few minutes. He was wrong. The second Starscream sensed that Knock Out left the room, he began to cry and such a squeaky high voice, very mournfully. As Miko was the only one in the room at the time, she felt as though she had to do something. For the first time in A long time, she unhooked her guitar from its amplifier, and walked over to*screams side, right next to his head.
She stroked it softly with her tiny hand and said, "don't worry baby Starscream, everything is going to be OK. Knock Out's going to come back. It's all right. Here, why don't I play you a song. I can even sing it too. It's one of the softer songs I know. Are used to listen to it every night when my parents were being a little too hard on me. I think it might help you."
Close your eyes leay your head down.
Now it's time to sleep.
May you find great adventures
As you lye and dream
If your scared of the darkness
I will calm your fears
There's a light in the hallway
So you know I'm here
So count your blessings every day
It makes the monsters go away
And everything will be OK
You are not alone
You are right at home
Good night
You won't need me forever
But I'll still be here
For we all have our nightmares
Even me my dear
From now on if you need me
You can sing this song
There's a light in the hallway
Burning all night long
So count your blessings every day
It makes the monsters go away
And everything will be OK
You are not alone
You are right at home
Good night
When Mika was finished, she looked up to see Knock Out with tears streaming down his face. "That was beautiful." Knock Out said, his voice choked up.
"Thanks. Are used to listen to it all the time back in Japan. I listen to it when my parents were particularly hard on me about something." Miko said.
"What were they hard on you about? Did you use to break the law?" Knock O ut asked, concern leasing his voice.
"If you consider getting less than an A, or not studying enough, or not playing piano enough, or not doing anything enough breaking a law." Miko had no idea of it, but she started crying. Before she knew it, Knock Out picked her up and held her to his chest.
"Miko, your parents have no right to be so hard on you. You are a wonderful person. You are gentle and soft, and you have the right morals. That's all any parent should care about. If you'd been raised by a seeker, you would've been raised in the softest lifestyle imaginable. We love our sparklings and give them care. We give them all the love in the world. Things like grades in school, or how much you do with certain activity shouldn't matter. As long as you're well fed and well emotionally cared for, that should be the only thing your parents think about when they consider you. Have you ever felt unloved or unwanted?" Miko nodded trying not to burst into tears. "Well trust me when I say, you will always have a place with me. I know I'm not your guardian, bulkhead is. However, I want to be your sire. In whatever way I can."
"Aren't you everyone's sire at this point? Seriously, I don't even think Optimus is this fatherly."
"Thank you Miko. I've always wanted to be a sire to virtually everyone I've ever met. If you ever feel unloved, or in need of just a cuddle, you come to bulkhead or me, OK?"
"OK. It's a deal." Miko said.
Together, they simply watched Starscream sleep away. Indeed, the song Miko saying worked. Starscream was now fast asleep. At this point, every Autubot entered the room from whatever direction they came from. Bumblebee, Arcee, Jack, and Raph, came from the entrance, but not so loudly as to disturb the sleeping seeker. Optimus came from the back somewhere, and ratchet suddenly felt the need to turn from his medical analysis. They all silently and happily stared at the sleeping seeker on their floor. It was at this moment, Starscream opened his eyes. However, instead of squeaking as he normally would, he uttered a low grown. No one was sure what would happen. Everyone in the room summarized that this meant that Starscream was coming out of age regression. Knock Out knew this to be true. Starscream closely examined everyone in the room. His eyes shifted from Optimus to bumblebee to bulkhead to ratchet to Arcee to Miko and finally to Knock Out. Drawing a breath with a small smile on his face he said, "thank you."
Even though every autobot in the room knew what Starscream meant, they were surprised at the gentleness of it. He was thanking them for taking care of him. He was happy to be in their company. He sounded so soft and gentle. Optimus was the first to speak to him. "Are you all right Starscream?"
"I feel happier and lighter than I have in a long time. For the first time since I was a young spark, I finally feel safe."
"Starscream, if you don't mind me asking, how old were you when the war started?" Arcee asked.
"I was only a year old. I watched my entire family be ripped from me that day. I knew I had to be strong, for them. I can finally be soft again. I can finally let my guard down again. It's because of you all surprisingly. Thank you all so much." Starscream said with such a soft gentle voice that the autobots could barely believe it was him. "Before I forget, Miko, I'm so sorry about your toe. Is it healing well?"
"It's fine little skeenny, don't worry about it." Miko said.She was surprised when Starscream near about birst into tears. "Wow, did I say something wrong?"
"No little darling, it's just that that was something my carrier used to call me when I was little. It's a nickname I hold very close to me. I'm happy to hear it again."All of the autobots smiled down at Starscream as he pulled himself up off of the soft rubber mat and went to Knock Out's side. It was then that he noticed a big change. "Knock Out, you have wings?"
Knock Out explained everything to Starscream. He talked about it so openly that it also gave Arcee the courage to show the autobots her secret. She allowed her wings to extend even further and became the beautiful seeker she had been when she was born. Everyone, especially Jack, looked at her with aww. She was the most beautiful femme any of the autobots had ever seen.
She was so happy that she had their approval, that she chose to keep that form most of the time. Indeed, she still kept her two wheeler form so that she could transport Jack to and from school, but on the battlefield she gave the autobots advantage assisting with air support. Along with Starscream and Knock Out, they became known as the autobot flight trio. Together, they were able to fight battles and win them on the battlefield, and be soft and gentle off the battlefield.
A few months later, Optimus along with bulkhead and wheel jack who had finally decided to join the team and had to get used to the new team members, managed to capture and imprison Dreadwing. He and Arcee had a long heartfelt talk, and it was at this point all was settled in both of their sparks. Because his sparkling was an autobot, Dreadwing was honorbound to become one as well. Now the autobots had even more air support and a greater advantage considering Dreadwing could provide them with current Deceptikon knowledge.
In the end, the new arrivals brought the autobots even closer than they had been before. They were able to defeat Megatron and win the war. Surprisingly, the two gentlest autobots were Starscream and Knock Out, Who became a couple once the war was over. There were even some points that Optimus consulted Knock Out on what to do in certain situations. When cybertron was finally restored, life began a new physically and emotionally for everyone. If Starscream had not age regressed, the autobots and Decepticons could not have been brought together as they are now.
A. N. huge shout out to Knock Out1998 for helping me come up with this story while we were both really sleepy. I forgot to mention in the last chapter of daughter of deception that air lenders are a concept that she and I came up with. thank you everyone for reading this story.
if speaking the truth is deception, I am gladly guilty.