Note: Oh Lordy. What have I done?
I've...got a slight confession to make. I...kinda like tickle fluff. It's adorable. Yet I'll admit that I don't see a lot of it in the Transformers section. Sure, there are stories out there, yet I'm sort of wanting some with characters other than the good guys.
Which led to me wanting to do more crimes to Starscream, as really, he's the perfect target. And who better to give him a tickle than his wingmates?
Also, this is kinda a sort of light, sort of serious peek into some highs and lows in the relationship between the three Seekers, as they are some of my favorite characters in all of Transformers (I'll admit, Starscream has won me over with his devious ways, but Dinobot will always be no.1 husbando). This sort of ties into a headcanon universe I've constructed since grade school, but have steadily been adjusting and changing it over the years. That'll be seen more in actual works written in that universe, so please check it out when it's ready!
For now, this'll remain a one-shot, yet maybe, just maybe, I could add more to it in the future. Again, not sure, so don't take my word for it.
Sensitive Seeker
To think, it all started with just a simple gesture.
Thundercracker mused in how he had gotten to the scene he stood in now: Starscream shooting off blast after blast at Skywarp, yet the purple and black Seeker just treated the entire thing as some sort of game.
And, perhaps in some weird way, it was a game. As "'playful" as a "self-respecting" Decepticon could be, he supposed. Yet still, he'd known he would need to separate the two (as always) eventually. Yet when to jump in was the question, as he was in no mood to have a shot of raw, stinging energy or a null ray being delivered to his facial region, should he intervene at the wrong time.
'How did I get here, dealing with this?' He questioned, inwardly groaning. It was a useless question, having already known the answer.
It had begun but a few short Earth minutes ago, at least, it had for him and Skywarp, yet for their Commander, it had begun but a few solar cycles ago (at least that measurement of time was fairly close to those used in this planet). Once again, Starscream noticed a, in his own words, "massive flaw" in one of Megatron's bids to acquire more energy, and thus, just HAD to point it out and make sure everyone around him could hear it. This then led into the regular bickering, which led to the Seeker (once again) proclaiming he'd make a more suitable leader for the Decepticons, which led to Megatron "reminding" him of his place (once again), which resulted in a trip to the infirmary (once again).
And, while Thundercracker felt Starscream deserved to be told to keep his mouth shut, the blue Seeker found himself dreading what Megatron had planned for the Air Commander, as while it was Starscream's punishment, somehow, in some way, it would affect his wingmates. Once again. Thankfully, it wasn't overly extreme, mainly because Megatron had two locations of interest in mind, and probably declared that more worthy of his time than looking over his shoulder for his 2nd in Command's potential assassination attempts. The Decepticon Leader had assigned Starscream and his wingmates to keep watch over the Space Bridge until the operation to seize control over the locations was completed or disregarded.
"And knowing our 'glorious leader', he'll probably fail at this plan too." Starscream grumbled to himself, arms folded over his chassis.
Thundercracker only sighed. Ever since he had come here, slag, back when was alerted of his duties, the Seeker had done nothing but complain over his leader's orders. Of course, with a little "encouragement" from Soundwave (as in, alert Starscream he would be relieved of his wings for a good while if he didn't do as he was told), their Air Commander (begrudgingly) accepted the assignment. Of course, now that they were here, Starscream had seen it as the perfect time to go ahead and start his tirade against Megatron again.
And suffice to say, it was beginning to get on his trine-mate's nerves.
"Guard duty," Starscream growled. "Of ALL the humiliating tasks he could've thrust on me...guard duty?!"
Skywarp began to shake, fists trembling until finally, he had finally reached his breaking point. "Is it possible for you to shut the frag up for at least a FEW cycles?! Is that too hard to ask?!"
Thundercracker was quite taken aback by the violet Seeker's outburst. If anyone was being told to shut up, it was usually him. 'Primus, he must be REALLY mad.'
"I'll say whatever is slagging well please, thank you very much!" Starscream retorted, clenching his fists.
"Well go off and do it somewhere else away from me!" Skywarp argued back. "I'm getting sick of hearing that shrill dog whistle of a voice you've got!"
"Then get used to it, because I have no intention of stopping until I'm done!"
While he had no appreciation, let alone any sense of respect for it, since their arrival to this primitive world, some Decepticons had taken to using Earth expressions and terms in comparison to some more traditional, archaic language. The Casseticons were the worst out of these bots, outright using terms such as 'dude' and 'man', as well as copying much human cursing (a good portion of which humans based on their own bodily functions, to Thundercracker's confusion). Skywarp, whether he had just decided that their regular curses weren't enough, or he had been hanging out with Rumble and Frenzy on one too many assignments, decided to unleash everything that had been, as humans say, getting under his skin.
"Oh boo-hoo! You think YOU'RE the only one that doesn't want to be here?!" the Seeker shouted, approaching Starscream. "This entire damn thing is your fault anyhow! You just HAD to go and run your mouth about how much Megatron's plans suck and how YOU obviously had the better idea!"
"Because I do!" the Seeker Commander countered. "He wished to attack both locations at the same time, yet didn't wish to better separate his forces into equal groups! Even if one was easier to access than the other, did he not think those blasted Autobots would just LET themselves be overtaken?!" he fumed, releasing a frustrated cry. "Bah! He had NO good reason to NOT send the Constructicons! There would've been no way that any of those slagging Auto-dorks would've stood a chance against Devastator! But NOOOOO! Apparently, they were needed elsewhere!"
"Because there was a crack in the hull," Thundercracker interjected himself. True, he had little intention of getting involved, yet Starscream was forgetting one vital factor in Megatron's decision. "The lower sections would've been at risk of getting worse and potentially breaking open. Then the entire Nemesis would've been flooded."
"The pressure at the depths the ship's at is far from enough to cause a breakage in such short a time!" Starscream argued. "We are situated in what the under evolved primates of this floating rock called the mesopelagic zone. True, we are away from the primary star of this current solar system, yet a majority of sea life in that area are perfectly capable of withstanding the water pressure. And they're also organic, mind you!"
Skywarp scoffed. "You saying all that fancy mumbo-jumbo to make yourself sound smarter or something?"
"Hey, I WAS an accomplished scientist back in the Golden Era of Cybertron!"
"Of which you quit!" the purple and black Seeker countered. "And accomplished? That's a fat load of shit, and you know it! I bet you only got a passing grade on whatever research logs you presented to those old farts running the academy!"
"Why you slagging piece of-"
"All right, both of you! That's enough!" Thundercracker had decided that now was the time to step in, lest things start getting violent. Violence was an accepted part of Decepticon culture, seeing as many of their members had been forced to engage in it just to scrape by and survive via gladiatorial matches and other low ranking jobs (which didn't house the most respectable of bots), yet the blue and black Seeker wasn't in the mood in having to bring both of his wingmates into the infirmary because they decided to behave like a couple of Sparklings and duke it out.
That's when the discovery had been made.
Thundercracker had pushed back against Skywarp's chassis, yet he must've misjudged the distance between him and his oh-so-mature Commander (seriously, and he said Skywarp was the one who behaved like a sparkling). His servos made contact with the red and blue Seeker's waistline, and that was when he and Skywarp heard it. It was a cross between a frightened gasp and an attempt to choke back laughter. Any anger between them had died that instant, replaced with curiosity and bewilderment. Their Commanding Officer was looking quite frazzled and on edge.
"Whoa, time out for a nano-second," Skywarp said, lightly shoving Thundercracker off him. Nevertheless, he turned to him for confirmation. "You hear that too?" He then turned his attention to Starscream. "Hey, Screamer, what was that noise you made just now? And don't say it's nothing, I've got a witness right here!" Skywarp gestured to Thundercracker.
Starscream paled (even if there was no change of color) and stood there with wide, red optics. Nonetheless, he quickly straightened himself out and appeared to be cool and collected. "I was merely taken aback by Thundercracker's sudden movements was all." He explained, all the while trying to choose his next words very carefully. "You should be grateful he stepped in, lest I fire my null ray right in your face." He glowered at the black and purple Seeker, hoping that his display would get his subordinate to back down.
But, as the humans said, no dice.
"Uh, correct me if I'm wrong-" Skywarp began, taking a few steps toward, noticing how Starscream took a few steps back.
"And you are." Starscream interrupted.
"But you seem a little nervous there." The Seeker's grinned. "All I'm asking is why you made that noise."
Slag, Starscream thought. He wasn't buying it. Ok, don't panic. Just come up with another excuse. One that he surely couldn't refute. "Well...it seems that my inner components are still a little sore from my last...disagreement with our all-wise and all-powerful leader." He snarled that last part. Even if he were trying to get Skywarp off his back, it wasn't all a lie. Hook had told him to take it slow for a few solar cycles for his internal repairs to mend the rest of him back together.
"Oh dear, are you ok?" Skywarp asked, an uncomfortable amount of mischievousness in his voice.
Slag. "Yes, I'm fine," Starscream assured. "But...you shouldn't touch me. In fact, I outright forbid it."
Thundercracker analyzed the situation, looking back and forth between Skywarp and Starscream. He was puzzled at first regarding what had happened when he separated the two, yet given one Seeker's predatory grin and the other's excuses, it slowly dawned on him what was going on, as well as what Skywarp intended to do.
"Why?" He asked, taking a step towards Starscream while Starscream himself took a few steps back. "You took quite a bruising not too long ago. Maybe something is out of place or broken."
"No! No, nothing is out of place or broken!" The SIC shook his head wildly.
"Are you sure? Because last time, you said Hook was a piss poor excuse for a medic." Skywarp chuckled, raising his hands and spreading his servos out.
"Well, I think maybe he's improved his craft these last few human weeks!" Starscream said, beginning to look around for any escape routes. "But...just in case, you shouldn't touch anything! You could only make it worse!"
It was then that a familiar, magenta hue began to overtake the purple Seeker, Starscream's optics widening in horror. "Why Starscream, I'm hurt! Do you think I'd actually hurt you?" He said coyly, optics fittingly red and devilish. "You're my Commander, my trine-mate. It's mine and Cracker's job here to tend to your needs."
Thundercracker gave a low growl, Skywarp knowing well how he hated being referred to by that name. Despite that though, he kept quiet.
"C'mon," Skywarp cooed. Then, the magenta hue overtook his entire form, and in a flash, the Seeker was gone from sight.
"N-No! Stay away from me-" Starscream shouted, yet was cut off when he felt digits traveling along his waistline.
"No need to be so tense."
The reaction was immediate. Skywarp's servos lightly stroked and scratched at the other Seeker's ivory midsection, Starscream seizing up and doubling over, trying to get his "comrade" to release him.
"N-No! Stop it!" Starscream hollered, trying to grab at Skywarp's hands. "I command you to-" then out it came. "St-Sto-hoho-p!" A chortle caught in the middle of a demand (or was it a plea) to cease the infernal movements. Starscream had managed to wrench himself away from his assailant, but the damage was already done.
His terrible secret had been uncovered.
"No. Way." Skywarp said. True, he suspected it, but to actually have confirmed blew his processor. "No. Fragging. Way!" He then pointed to his superior. "You're ticklish!"
Now it was Thundercracker's turn to be surprised, he looked at Starscream with bewilderment and shock. While it wasn't a topic relatively discussed among themselves, he and the rest of the Decepticons would be fools if they didn't acknowledge that their "hosts' ' shared more than a few qualities with the ones that had crashed landed on their planet millions of years ago. They were the only species to have similar civilizations to their own, same general body shape, they had an internal, skeletal structure that greatly resembled their own, lived as the dominant species on the planet (well, they were until the Decepticons and Autobots awoke), and fought and warred amongst themselves over the centuries. Yet when it came to the way their organic structure was put together, no one had an exact idea of how the human body functioned. Soundwave suggested gathering a few "lab rats'' and transporting them to Shockwave, yet so far, nothing else had come from that suggestion. Good thing too, Thundercracker felt such a thing was both unnecessary and, while he would never say it aloud, savage. But from what he had seen from Skywarp's experiment, it seemed that they now were the ones to share the trait of ticklishness with the humans.
Starscream stood there, completely at a loss at what to say or do, processor scrambling to try and find something, anything, to keep the inevitable from happening. "I-I am not-AH!" He protested, only for Skywarp to teleport behind him and deliver a servo right in the crease where his hips met his waist. "Stop it!" He then aimed the weapon situated on his left shoulder in the other Seeker's direction. "Try that again, and this null ray is going to blast you right in the face!"
Skywarp wasn't the least bit intimidated. In fact, this just seemed to make him even more eager to go through with his plan. "Primus, you're acting like I'm going to kill you!"
"I'll kill YOU if you get any closer! I mean it!" Starscream shouted, still aimed right at Skywarp's head.
"Fine. Do it." Skywarp laughed. "In fact, I doubt you'd be fast enough to hit me before I just warp out of the way." He drew closer. "Well? I'm waiting."
Thundercracker stood by, ready to jump in if things got too ugly. Starscream was cornered, he knew it, yet he seemed to be leaning much more into flight than fight. He looked to the blue Seeker as if trying to gain some support (or maybe a shield to use in case Skywarp made the first move), yet his optics mainly stayed on the third Seeker, trying to gauge what the next plan in his strategy was.
And it was then that Starscream made a critical decision. Frag it.
Immediately taking flight, Starscream transformed into his jet mode and zoomed off, leaving a long, cloudy trail as he departed.
"Oh no!" Skywarp declared, also transforming and chasing after his superior. "You're not getting away that easily!"
"The slag do you think you're going?! Get back here!" Thundercracker bellowed, yet either Skywarp didn't hear or just outright disregarded his command, because he and Starscream flew off, leaving him alone.
Why did he always have to be the one to reign those two in?
…
"Aw, c'mon! I'll go easy on you if that'll get you to slow down!"
"NO!"
"I'm not going to hurt ya!"
"That makes it worse!"
"Don't be such a baby!"
"Frag you!"
Back and forth the two Seekers went, Skywarp going back between promising to be 'gentle' with his Commander to outright declaring that resistance was futile, and Starscream shot back with threats of murder and dismemberment. All of which didn't deter Skywarp a bit.
Seeing that the other jet was gaining on him, the Decepticon SIC went as fast as he could to where he was certain he would blow out his thrusters, yet he had to veer over to the side when Skywarp appeared before him via teleportation. He dove upwards, yet found his route blocked by the purple and black Seeker cutting him off via a barrel roll. Starscream went in the opposite direction, yet found himself cut off there as well, Skywarp just barely colliding into him.
"Hey, watch it!" he hollered. "You could've clipped my vertical stabilizer!"
"Then stop flying off and I won't have to get drastic!" Skywarp shot back, yet inside his alt-mode, he was grinning ear to ear. Or at least he would be if he had any. "Try all you want, I'm not letting up anytime soon!"
"Then you're going to be doing this for a long time because I have no intention of stop-" Starscream was interrupted by the horrific sight of Skywarp's body being engulfed with magenta before disappearing from sight.
Oh, Primus. Oh Primus, no! Transforming into his root mode, Starscream looked around, panicking as he found himself surrounded by clear, blue skies, the sun shining high and bright. The intensity of the solar rays blinded him momentarily when he turned in that direction to look for any trace of his pursuer, yet this proved to be a fatal mistake. From beneath, the Seeker was rammed, his subordinate having decided to stay out of his line of sight long enough, and by the time Starscream realized his error, it was too late.
"Aha!"Skywarp seized him by the waist and immediately went to work. His servos went in and scrambled along the area he had attacked before, Starscream immediately seizing up and trying to contain the chortles that threatened to spill out of his vocals.
"S-Stop it!" Starscream shouted, twisting as much as he could to dislodge himself from the other jet's hold, yet it seemed that whenever he made a movement, Skywarp just focused on another part of his midsection, the continuous switching of locations making Starscream's processor be torn between staying still or continuing to writhe around. It was all so confusing and torturous! He was at a loss at what to do! "Stop! I-I comma-ha-nd you!"
"Hmm...nah." Skywarp responded, continuing to scramble over the bends and angles of Commander's midsection.
"I-I'll kill you! Do you hear!? I'll kill-" Starscream's voice, unfortunately, chose that time to not cooperate with him. "G-Gah! N-No-hohoho! STOP!"
"Ah, there you go!" Skywarp congratulated. "Now, was that so hard?"
"Get off!" Starscream practically shrieked, both from frustration (and panic), yet also from the sensations that were plaguing his cerebral chamber, sensors lit a fire with horrid tingles and shocks. He only wished that they were of pain. "I-I can't-'' he then nearly fell out of Skywarp's arms before he was, unfortunately, caught, the torment continuing. "I can't stay alo-ha-ft!"
"No problem!" Skywarp said, shutting off his thrusters. The two Seekers then began to plummet downwards.
"What in Primus' name are you doing?! We'll cra-ah-sh!" Starscream hollered, all the while trying to contain himself as Skywarp's servos still continued to torment him.
As the ground continued to come closer and closer, Starscream braced himself for impact, yet found that it never came, magenta filling his vision before everything around him froze. He wasn't a stranger to this phenomenon, yet it still perplexed and bewildered him that such an impulsive oaf had such an ability bestowed on him. The times were far and in between, yet whenever it happened, Starscream had gone into the strange dimension between planes of existence with Skywarp when the Seeker teleported both of them. The world looked the same as it had before, yet everything was still and silent. No movement, no sound, nothing. Nothing but their own, as if they were the only things that existed in this small pocket universe.
Then, as quickly as it began, it ended, both Seekers landing on the ground, yet far from at the velocity they were previously traveling at. The landing didn't mean that Starscream was free, however, the lack of the need to look out below allowed Skywarp to fully focus now on the movements of his servos, which quickly went back to work.
"Stop it, stop it, STOP IT!" Starscream commanded, yet he was quickly shut up as giggles threatened to pour out from his vocal processor. He then lifted up his arm in an attempt to, out of desperation, fire his null ray in the other Seeker's direction, this proved to be yet another fatal error.
Once Skywarp shot his hand underneath to scrape at the cables and joint that linked Starscream's shoulder and upper arm, he could hold it in no longer.
"Gah! Gah-hahahahaha!" Starscream released loud and slightly hoarse laughter from his vocals, using his other arm to push back against the other Seeker tickling at his underarm. "S-Stop! Stop it! Sto-hahahaha-p!"
"Ha! Gotcha!" Skywarp shouted in triumph, spidering along the red area that rested above his white waist just below the arm joint, this forcing Starscream to retreat into himself and cease his attempts in getting the purple and black Seeker off him. "You've got no chance now! Surrender!"
"Hahaha, n-never!" Starscream shouted back, trying to turn the opposite way to keep Skywarp away from his side. "Ge-hehehe-t off! Get-ah!" Skywarp swiped a digit just underneath the area where Starscream's chest protruded outwards, running the servo along the rim. "Don't touch me there-AHH!"
Skywarp smirked. "Why? Does it tickle?~" he asked oh-so-sweetly. "So you admit you're ticklish."
"I admit nothing!" Starscream choked in between bouts of involuntary laughter. "I'm not tick-" he tried to finish but was cut off by more chortles forcing themselves out.
"Then what do you call this? Just a WEE bit of sensitivity?" The purple and black Seeker asked. He stroked and pinched along the SIC's upper chest region, dipping his hands in the small, square-shaped hollows that rested by his white shoulders, this causing said SIC to try and make another grab at his hands to stop the attack. Unfortunately, Skywarp used this opportunity to dive in under Starscream's arms and begin scribbling at the joints and cables and whatever other components he could reach. Starscream howled with laughter the moment he felt the wildly moving digits, his arms hugging around himself and clamping themselves down."Oh great, I'm stuck. Now, what are you gonna do?"
"Wh-Wha-hahaha-t?! You ge-hehe-t them out!"
"Can't exactly do that with you holding my hands down, can I?" Skywarp asked, not letting up in the slightest. "Lift your arms up and I can get free."
"N-No! You're just gonna-hahaha! STOP!"
"Hmm...nope."
Starscream was in, as the humans would say, stitches, his body torn between twisting around and curling up into a ball in a vain attempt to lessen the sensations plaguing him. He knew well that Skywarp would go for the same areas and perhaps others if he lifted up his arms, yet, as he found out, the seams of his underarms were deathly sensitive. It was the equivalent of either having Megatron rip off his limbs versus his fusion cannon blasting him right in the chest. Neither of them was exactly pleasant options. And he didn't care if he would be called dramatic for making such a comparison! This was torture! He needed this to stop! He HAD to make it stop!
Yet he wouldn't beg. Not to Skywarp of all mechs. That fool would never get the satisfaction of hearing him grovel for mercy!
And speaking of members of his trine, where in Primus' name was Thundercracker?! Useless piece of scrap-
"All right, that's enough!" a voice called out from high above, a blue jet zooming down and transforming, landing a short distance away from his fellow wingmate and Commander. "C'mon, Skywarp, you're going to kill him."
"Am not!" Skywarp protested. "I'm just trying to lighten Screamer's mood here! And from what I've seen, my method's working!
Starscream tried to protest, yet had taken to tightening his lips as much as he could, strained whines coming from in between gritted, grinding dentals. Still, he managed to make out some words (though it was NOT a plea!). "G-Get him off! GET HIM OFF!"
Thundercracker sighed, crossing his arms. "You heard him. Get off."
"Aww, do I have to?" Skywarp whined.
"Unless you want a report regarding your insubordination, I'd suggest you do so."
The purple and black Seeker huffed and begrudgingly stopped moving his hands, Starscream immediately seizing the chance to scramble away, standing up and dusting himself off. Skywarp began to rise as well, yet Starscream pointed one of his cannons in his direction, eyeing his every movement.
"He isn't going to bother you anymore." Thundercracker assured.
"I should blast you in the face JUST for what you put me through alone!" the Decepticon SIC snarled.
"Hey, I was just trying to get something out of you that wasn't complaining!" Skywarp countered. "You think you're the only one that wants to be here on guard duty?"
"I'd much rather be in the company of Megatron at the moment rather than you two!"
"Hey, c'mon, that's enough." Thundercracker began, trying to cool things down, yet his Commander wasn't having it.
"I've done nothing wrong to even be here! I was made Second in Command by Megatron himself! And, like it or not, that means I have the full right to question and propose any sort of adjustment or improvement to whatever backward, ridiculous, and foolhardy mission he's got in mind!" Starscream shouted, clenching his blue fists. "And if that's not enough, he had to stick me with YOU TWO of all bots!"
"Hey, c'mon!" Skywarp shot back. "We're the only ones that can fly besides those damn cone-heads! And Primus knows they won't put up with your bullshit."
"I've had it up to here with yours!" Starscream retorted. "I don't know why I even continue to allow myself to work with you two!" he then pointed to Skywarp. "You are an immature, idiotic thug that has been graced with a power that you clearly do not deserve!" he then pointed to Thundercracker. "And you…" Starscream paused. "You...you...well...you didn't get here fast enough! I was under attack by one of my own wingmates, and here you were, lollygagging and taking your sweet time!"
Thundercracker was somewhat taken aback. True, this was typical of Starscream, ranting and raving about all the unfairness of the world and how he was slighted by whomever he decided had insulted him, yet the blue Seeker felt a twinge of anger flare up in his spark. "I was TRYING to keep back to make sure you wouldn't clip a wing or something. You were behaving quite...erratically."
"That's no excuse!" Starscream countered. "I am your superior, and thus, am your utmost concern!"
"I was-"
"No, I'm not done!" the other Seeker interrupted. "You know what? You're just as useless as Skywarp here! Only you've got no discernable skills or anything spectacular in your arsenal. I lack Skywarp's little 'talent', but I come packed with null rays that can disable and render any machine, Earth or Cybertronian, useless. But you? What, the typical blaster? And such an outdated model too! Perhaps even one of the cone-heads would be better suited to be here in comparison to-"
Starscream got out no more before he found himself tackled to the ground. Thundercracker was on top of him and, at a blinding speed, as if in response to the SIC's remarks regarding his skill and prowess.
"What do you think you're-" Starscream shouted, yet soon felt his shoulder cannons being removed from his arms. "H-Hey! Put those back!"
Thundercracker didn't answer him, continuing his work until his Commander was relieved of his weapons. Then, the blue Seeker delivered a blow to Starscream's face when the other Decepticon tried to rise. He was disoriented long enough for him to be seized from behind, Thundercracker having ducked his arms underneath Starscream's own and lifted them up, holding them together with one hand clasping around his wrists, effectively keeping the SIC in place.
"Skywarp," the blue Seeker began, voice low and emotionless, yet the other members of the trine knew well what such a tone meant when it came to Thundercracker. "He's all yours."
Skywarp beamed and made a motion of 'cracking' his knuckles (even if he had none). The grin on his face filled Starscream with the utmost dread and fear. "Y-You can't do this!" he protested. "I'm your superior!"
"Yes," Thundercracker responded. "A superior asshole."
"A superior asshole that's been getting on my and Cracker's nerves," Skywarp said, grinning. Thundercracker despised the nickname the other Seeker had given him, yet at the moment, what was at the forefront of his mind was his Commander's "disciplinary" session. "And since we're both done hearing you bitch and moan," Skywarp raised his servos up, wiggling and making clawing motions with them. "We're gonna hear you laugh it up instead!"
And then, he went in and continued where he had left off.
Starscream had no chance to brace himself, his focus torn between trying to get Thundercracker off of him and Skywarp's advances. The purple and black Seeker dove down and traced his servo-tips all over the red and blue Seeker's chassis, running along the curves and bends, dipping his digits in the vents situated on his chest, and down the midsection where his cockpit was located.
"N-No! No-hahahahaha! St-Sto-hahaha-p! Stop! I or-hoho-der you to STOP!"
"Not happening." Skywarp responded, now skittering along the white waist.
"You-hoohoo dare defy an or-hoho-der from your Comma-hahaha-nder!?"
"If said Commander is being a little bitch, then yes."
"Th-This is ahahaha-assult on a supe-hehhehe-rior officer!"
"Fine then. Stop me."
Starscream didn't answer that, knowing well that, despite himself, he was effectively rendered helpless. Thundercracker wasn't letting him go any time soon, and Skywarp was more than content to keep tickling the ever-living shit out of his Commander. He was completely at their mercy. But he would not surrender. He couldn't! Not to them! They wouldn't get one word out of him that was begging for mercy!
At least, that's what he tried to keep in mind, all the while fighting against said pleas that were forming in his processor.
Skywarp continued to let his servos dance all over Starscream's upper half, Thundercracker keeping him immobile. The other Seeker's added weight made struggling difficult and sometimes near impossible, and the maddening sensations made his futile attempts to escape no better. Skywarp had gone for the SIC's underarms, Starscream's laughter raising in volume and his struggles increasing, yet Thundercracker held him firm. Skywarp spidered down Starscream's sides and chest, even tackling the red sections that stood upward on his shoulders. The red and blue Seeker howled with laughter, Thundercracker keeping up his efforts to hold him tight. Despite his current predicament, Starscream could at least take comfort in that the three were clearly alone out here. The only downside to that was that it was Skywarp of all bots doing the torturing! That mech left no inch of his upper body untouched, making sure to give each and every portion of it equal attention. Odd that he would be so precise given how impatient and foolhardy he was.
Having decided that he had explored all he could in that area, the purple and black Seeker shifted his attention to Starscream's hips, dragging servos along where it connected to his waist and squeezing the sides. The Decepticon SIC continued to release mad cackles from his vocal processor, Skywarp's servos traveling down to his inner thighs, teasing the joints and cables he could reach. The purple and black Seeker went down the other jet's legs and reached his knees, swiping servos behind the blocky sections that essentially served as 'kneecaps'. He even dipped his digits in the vents that rested there.
Starscream was being driven mad, his frantic struggles weakening, though whether it was due to him losing strength or some part of him simply accepting his fate, he was unsure. Regardless, he was reaching his limit and frankly, beginning to lose his mind. "W-Wait!" the Seeker got out. "O-hoho-k! OK! You-hoohoo-'ve had your fun! Stop!"
"Not yet," Skywarp said. "I've still got a little more of you to tend to." he then turned to the blue Seeker. "Hold him tight. I gotta feeling this is going to send him over the edge."
"What do you mean…" Starscream asked, yet trailed off when he saw Skywarp secure his ankles, the undersides of his peds and thrusters completely exposed. Oh no. Oh Primus, no! "W-Wait! WAIT!" Skywarp and Thundercracker were quite shocked at how loud their captive had gotten, both looking at him with wide, red optics.
Skywarp then smirked. "Oh my," he glanced at one ped he had in his grasp. "This a particularly sensitive area?" as if to demonstrate, he ran one servo down the length of the side of it, Starscream trembling and straining to keep noises from exiting his throat. "Oh hot damn!" the purple and black Seeker looked to his comrade. "Look at this Cracker! Screamer here's got sensitive tootsies!"
Tootsies? Was that a human word? Well, whatever. Thundercracker had to strengthen his hold on Starscream, the other Seeker growing even more erratic than before.
"Not there!" Starscream finally threw all pride and dignity aside and went to one of his desperate fail-safes: begging. "Please, not there! Anywhere but there!"
"Why?" Skywarp coyly asked. "Does it tiiiickle~?"
"All right fine! Fine, I admit it! I'm ticklish, ok!? There, I said it!"
Skywarp stopped his teasing, yet still held Starscream's ped in his hold. "And?"
"And…" the SIC couldn't believe he was doing this. Megatron was one thing, but these two? He would NEVER live this down. "And…" he felt a servo place itself on the underside of the ped. "And I'm sorry! I'm sorry for everything I said! You're not useless or idiots!" Starscream sighed, having gained both of the other jet's attention. "It's just...it's just so frustrating." He said, lessening his struggles. "Your position means nothing, and whatever contribution you have to give is treated little better than the ramblings of a fool. How nothing you could ever say matters…"
Starscream looked away from both of them for a second, his wingmates quite baffled and confused by what they just heard. True, complaining was one of the hallmarks of their Commander's personality, yet it was quite a rarity to hear him display such raw honesty with them. It wasn't a completely alien event, the two having heard these supposedly heartfelt (or in their case, sparkfelt) confessions before, but they were far and in between. Yet whenever they happened, despite their probable better judgment, they listened. And Starscream, even if he didn't say it outright, acknowledged that they were indeed listening. These moments were always awkward and generally uncomfortable for all three of them, the mood not exactly being positive but oddly calm. And neither Skywarp nor Thundercracker could tell whether these were genuine or not. Their Commander was very much what the humans called a social chameleon. Oh sure, he had his distinguishing traits, yet it seemed that whenever he had to play a certain role (aside from a duplicitous usurper), he usually took it and made it his own. He could have solid strategies and plans, he could be deadly in combat and made use of his airborne advantage well, and when, rarely, Megatron's plans aligned with his own, he would follow it to a tee. But whether all these were just an act to get what he wanted or a rare display of inner, truthful self (even if partway), neither of the Seekers knew. And in a way, Starscream would probably have it no other way.
Skywarp looked at his partner in crime, then to his victim. "You believe him, Cracker?"
Thundercracker was silent for a moment, Starscream looking up at him with wide, pleading optics. "I don't know. You know Starscream."
"Oh, you think so little of me, dear Thundercracker?" The SIC asked, seemingly hurt. "I merely let my own grievances with Megatron affect my sense of professionalism."
"And?" Skywarp asked. "You sorry for being the King of the Assholes today?"
"King of the...what!?" Starscream began to protest, yet the sensation of Skywarp's servo kept him in his place. "Yes! Yes. Yes, I'm sorry. I apologize. I apologize for everything that's come from my vocal components."
The purple and black Seeker looked and Thundercracker and nodded his head. "You know what? I believe him. How about you?" Thundercracker remained silent, yet when his hold was loosening, he noticed Skywarp look at him with a coy, calculating smile. "I think Cracker here forgives you too, Screamer."
Starscream sighed in relief. "Yes, well...I suppose, as the humans say, to err is, well, human. But to forgive is divine." He tried to get up, but still, found himself being held tight.
"Hold on there! Let's not get too ahead of ourselves." Skywarp said. "I said I forgive you." He then placed a servo on the underside of Starscream's ped and dragged it down, noticing how his Commander's face tensed up. "I didn't say anything about letting you go. And neither did Cracker."
Starscream's red optics widened in terror, his fate had not been changed. "But...but you said that you forgave me! You have to release me!"
"And we will," Thundercracker spoke up. "But, it would be bad form to leave Skywarp's job unfinished, right?"
"Was that an actual joke from you?" Skywarp asked, genuinely surprised. It was just as, perhaps even rarer than Starscream's "honest" moments, yet once in a while, the blue Seeker showed he was capable of humor, albeit mostly dry, but still, humor. "And yeah. I've only got one more place to cover. So I'd suggest you buck up and take the rest of it like a mech!"
Shit, Starscream thought, a part of him surprised that he had used a human curse. Still, the sentence had been delivered. He was doomed. "N-No, wait! You don't understand! I can't take it there! It's too much! You'll drive me crazy!
"Hmm...those are all rather bold claims. But you shouldn't have told me that." Skywarp said, eager to start his tickling torment up again. "Because now I'm going to have to see it for myself!"
And thus, Skywarp wasted no time in getting started, Starscream having no chance to maintain any semblance of self-control the moment he felt a servo quickly swipe itself back and forth on his ped. The reaction was immediate, Starscream having no chance to try and even contain himself. Skywarp traced down the entire length of the ped, the red and blue Seeker released loud and slightly hoarse laughter from his vocals, he desperately trying to twist his way out of Thundercracker's grip.
"Skwarp!" Starscream hollered. "Ple-heeheehee-se! STOP!"
"Oh no, Mr. General Dickweed!" the Seeker answered back. "Forgiveness or no, you've been in dire need of an attitude adjustment all day today!"
"I sa-hahaha-id I was so-hohoho-rry!"
"And you lied to us about being ticklish. Shame on you!" Skywarp teased, continuing to scribble around on the underside of his Commander's ped.
Starscream was in absolute hysterics, trying with all his remaining power to break free and escape his torment, yet it seemed that his fate was sealed. He was going to have to stay here and endure the continuous, soft, agonizingly light yet maddening sensations Skywarp's servos created. Eventually, his struggles ceased, no longer having the energy to fight back. Or maybe, somewhere in his processor, he knew that he was fighting a losing battle and simply relented to those that currently had power over him. Skywarp then ceased tickling the peds, yet Starscream had no time to rest. Despite his hopes, pleas, and prayers (he hadn't really considered himself a religious bot, yet he was singing praises to Primus at that moment in his head), Skywarp had discovered his Commander's Achilles Heel. Literally.
"PRIMUS, STOP!" the SIC shrieked, living up to his name. Out of all the spots that could've been at the mercy (or lack thereof) of Skywarp's servos, he knew well that one would be enough to make him go crazy. "YOU'RE KI-HIHIHIHI-LLING ME! I'M DY-HIHIHIHI-ING!"
Skywarp scoffed, yet he found this whole thing hilarious, his servos dancing along the lining of and inside Starscream's thrusters. "Oh please. If anything, this is a spa treatment compared to what you usually get hit with from Megatron."
"I'D RA-HAHAHAHA-THER TAKE THAT! OH PLEASE! PLE-HEEHEEHEE-ASE! I CAN'T TAKE ANYMORE!"
Thundercracker glanced down at his captive, taking a look at the Seeker's ever-present smile he had plastered on his features, yet also of how hot he was beginning to feel how warm he was becoming. His internal systems had steadily been heating up from all the exertion of energy, yet the fact Thundercracker could now feel the heat himself signaled to him that Starscream was truly reaching his breaking point.
"Ok, I think that's enough."
Skywarp looked up. "Aw, why?"
"Is your processor malfunctioning? Feel how warm he is!" Hmm, now that he thought about it, Starscream DID feel like he was heating up the further along he went. Still...did he have to? "Skywarp!"
"Ok, ok! Fine!" the purple and black Seeker groaned.
Begrudgingly, he ceased the movement of his servos and raised his hands away from Starscream, who was still caught in the throughs of laughter. Yet after a few moments, said laughter began to soften and decrease, the Seeker resting in Thundercracker's arms mainly because he couldn't do much else. Despite there being no need to take in oxygen, Starscream was quite appreciative of its abundance, his vents taking it in and filtering out the heat that had been building up.
"Oh, and here you actually had me...going," Skywarp said, gesturing to Starscream. "See? He's fine!" The word 'concerned' was about to exit from his lips, yet the Seeker kept them back. Like the Pit he was going to say that. Starscream then glared in Skywarp's direction. "See? Totally fine. He's already back to his bitchy self."
"You…" Starscream huffed, sounding as if he were short of breath despite not needing to breathe. "You think you're VERY clever, don't you?"
Skywarp shrugged. "On occasion, I like to think so."
Starscream only narrowed his optics. "The moment I get my strength back up, your termination will be slow and painful."
Despite this threat, the Seeker wasn't intimidated in the slightest. "Yeah right. I stopped believing you after the...what was it, the millionth-and-first time you said that?"
"Well...who's to say I don't mean it the millionth-and-second time?" Starscream questioned, beginning to reach for his null rays, yet ultimately, had tired himself out too much to even move from where he was. As the human said, screw it.
"Are you all right?"
The Decepticon SIC looked up at Thundercracker. "Oh, so NOW you care about my wellbeing?"
"I stopped him, didn't I?" The blue Seeker asked, pointing to Skywarp.
"And you're also the one that restrained and let him torture me."
"...touche." he then began to rise. "Come on. On your feet." he slowly hoisted his Commander up. "You're still cooling down, so it'd probably be good to wait for a klik or two before you take to the air."
Starscream didn't argue with that, yet he went over to retrieve his arm cannons. Skywarp soon found the Commander's eyes looking straight at him. Yet still, his cannons didn't fire, though whether because he was too tired to do anything or he actually didn't have it in him (at least at the moment), to shoot Skywarp was unknown. Yet the result was the same.
"So...now what?" the purple and black Seeker asked.
"What do you mean, now what?" Thundercracker asked. "We go back to our posts! Slag, we shouldn't even be out here anyway!"
Starscream dusted himself off, trying to straighten out his appearance. "As soon as this is over, I'm punishing both of you."
Skywarp mockingly gasped. "Aw, why?"
"Why?! You know slagging good why!" Starscream responded. "And by the time I'm done with you, a session with Megatron himself will sound exceptionally pleasant in comparison!"
"Oooh, that's pretty big talk, Screamer." Skywarp chuckled. "And just how are you going to do it?"
Starscream didn't exactly care for how close the other Seeker was. "I...I'll find a way. I'll find several."
"Of course, you do realize you're not the only one with an advantage, you know?" And before Starscream could ask, he felt a poke in his side, the red and blue Seeker recoiling from the touch. "Y'know, I can't help but wonder how the guys would react to this when I tell them."
Both Starscream and Thundercracker were taken aback by what Skywarp had just said. "Why would you tell anybody?" Starscream asked.
"Because it's adorably precious and funny." The Seeker answered.
"You had better not!" Starscream ordered. "Or I'll make your punishment even worse than Thundercracker's! I'll…" he then went over and fell at Skywarp's feet. "Please don't tell anyone. Please. I'm begging you."
"Relax, he's not going to tell," Thundercracker assured his Commander. "Right, Skywarp?"
Skywarp folded his arms. "Only if Screamer takes back his punishment threats."
Starscream relented. "Ok, yes. Fine. No discipline. Ok?"
The Seeker smiled. "And since you're feeling so cooperative, I've been meaning to ask you some...stuff."
Starscream did NOT like the sound of that. "What kind of...stuff?"
"Well, c'mon." Before he knew it, the Air Commander found his trine-mate's arm slung around his shoulder as if he were a long-time friend. "We can discuss it on the way back to the space bridge."
Starscream groaned, not liking where this was going at all.
Thundercracker only looked on, still trying to swallow everything that had happened. Suffice to say, he found himself feeling rather...odd about it. And he could tell Starscream held this sentiment as well. Truly, it sounded unreal: he had just held down their superior while his wingmate tickled him into near insanity. Had he not seen it himself, let alone participated in it, he wouldn't have believed it. Frankly, he was beginning to feel quite embarrassed about how he had sunk so low to be involved in something so childish, but…
"Oh, come on! It wasn't that bad!" The blue Seeker heard Skywarp say. "You were smiling the whole time!"
"Yes, against my will!" Starscream retorted, folding his arms and, for lack of a better word, pouting.
"But don't you feel just a little bit better?"
Starscream's red optics widened. "No! It-" had he been human, he would've been red as a tomato. Odd how the meatbag's skin changed at just the slightest amount of extreme emotion. "Hmph! Well...I'm not talking to you right now! Or in the next few Earth hours. Or tomorrow. Or the day after that. Or-" he was interrupted by a poke, unprepared to contain the giggle that slipped out. "Do that again, and I WILL blast you this time." He threatened.
"That makes a millionth-and-three." Skywarp answered, unfazed.
Thundercracker continued to watch the two Seekers argue and banter with each other, noticing that, even if he would swear to Primus Himself that it wasn't the case, since his tickling session, Starscream seemed...less irritable?
"Well, maybe that'll be the lucky number. What's that human saying again? Third time's the charm?"
"I don't think they have plus a million in there though." Skywarp chuckled, Starscream huffing.
"Shut up."
Thundercracker could only speculate. One could never tell with Starscream. But from watching him, he had a vague idea of what was going in his processor. And that he'd keep it a secret from everyone.
Note: Again, don't take it as gospel, but I may, MAY add more to this if people want it. Might be a bit before any updates are made, if any, yet again, if interested in seeing some revenge, just say so.