Okay, new chapter! I've already finished it sometime earlier but never really got around posting it. Though I must say that this would be the last update until November, since I have to take my SAT two months later. Have to study like mad now, not to mention handling the frustration of registering for the test. I had been trying since June and then discovered a week ago that the only test center in my region has been crossed off the list! So hello hours long car trip and waking up at the break of the dawn on test day!
Anyways, M/SS slash puts me in a good mood for now. So enjoy this chapter until the next time!
Thanks to Guest, supergirl95, fan girl 666, zrexheartz, heretherebemonsters and whiteshadow for reviewing!
Starscream onlined slowly as his system rebooted one by one. When he was at least able to sense the familiar surroundings of his quarters, his mind immediately went back to the night before. He had gone to his favorite spot to think after a disturbing dream, met Megatron, got intimate with him, and then his leader had offered to make him second…
The Seeker groaned. He was regretting his rash agreement. Who knows what his leader would do to him now that he was Megatron's closest advisor. Had he been thinking at all, to allow a mere lip lock and some heated touches to weaken his will?
He would have continued to ponder upon his poorly-made decision more, but somehow without opening his optics he could sense there was something not quite right with his surroundings. There was a muffled sound behind him, though he didn't give it much thought. Instead Starscream wondered why his own berth had suddenly grown so small, squishing him against the wall until he barely had enough space to move.
Hang on. How did he get into his berth the first place? The last thing Starscream remembered was falling asleep against his leader on the ledge…
His rising Seeker claustrophobia vanished in a nanoklik when he twisted around.
There with both of his arms wrapped tightly around his waist was the source of all his troubles, Megatron. Somehow the still-recharging warlord had curled himself around Starscream's frame in the berth, enveloping him with his warmth. An utterly content smile graced his relaxed faceplates.
After Starscream had spent several cycles staring horrified at his sleeping leader, he tried to wriggle his way out without waking the other. But Megatron's optics immediately onlined at the movement as he tightened his grip.
"It's still early. Go back to recharge." He rumbled sleepily.
Starscream finally snapped. How could Megatron act as if nothing had happened?! And who was he to intrude upon the privacy of his quarters like this?!
He braced one pede against Megatron's side and shoved as hard as he could. This action had the desired effect, for the larger mech rolled off the berth and landed with a heavy crash of armor. Starscream didn't bother to gloat over this victory; the next thing he did was to bolt out of his quarters as fast as he could.
Megatron groaned and sat up, rubbing his helm where it struck the ground. Talk about a rude awakening. There he was being kind to the Seeker by carrying his recharging frame back to his room and after some thinking, joined him in the berth only to get kicked off rudely first thing in the morning.
But at least Megatron got the scientist to say yes to his offer. Today would be Starscream's first day as the SIC of the Decepticons. He also had the advisors to deal with, and somehow must convince them why had he promoted the Seeker even though the majority of them disagreed.
Slag it. Megatron stood up, all drowsiness forgotten, and strode off briskly towards the command center. He sent a message to the wayward Seeker.
- I need you in the command center, Starscream, to start off your duties as my second. Please report there after you are done with your theatrics.
A cycle later, a reply:
- I hate you.
- I love you too. Now hurry up.
- Frag you.
Megatron chuckled mildly. Now Starscream was just being immature.
He thought back to the events the night before as he booted up the base's computer system and set about doing a maintenance check. After obtaining Blitzwing's information, he had lurked hidden in Starscream's ledge until the Seeker came. Spending some time in simply observing his future second, many things had passed through Megatron's mind.
Starscream was clearly distressed, from the way his wings twitched and his frame fidgeted. He kept burying his helm into his hands and once even gave a cry of frustration.
So that was the extent of his suffering, Megatron realized. Starscream was conflicted in how he felt towards his leader. Which meant that he hadn't discarded this entire thing as ridiculous and actually cared about how he got along with Megatron. Clearly he was extremely unsettled over the attack in the tunnels and would like to distance himself from danger.
He had planned to present his offer again before Starscream, plain and simple, and leave peaceably if he refused it. But Megatron's spark softened when he heard from the Seeker himself his personal struggles, and had reached out to him in one of his infrequent displays of concern. He had allowed an unusual amount of remorse and sincerity to lace his words in the hope that Starscream actually listen to him. He hadn't expected a make-out session to follow, even though he was the one who initiated it. Megatron could no longer help himself when he continued to observe Starscream while they spoke. The next thing he knew he had locked lips with the Seeker, and then he had the smaller mech pinned beneath him in a sensual round of caressing. Megatron found that he greatly enjoyed the sweet heady taste of Starscream's mouth and the feel of the slender mech's frame draped on his. The look Starscream had given him did not help at all, that pleading gaze in his optics that begged Megatron to just ravish him senseless. The warlord was only too glad to oblige until he remembered why exactly he sought out Starscream in the first place.
Right, the Seeker was going to be his new second-in-command.
Megatron felt a slight stab of guilt when he realized that part of the reason why Starscream had agreed was because the warlord had taken advantage of his disoriented state. It was not how he pictured the other's promotion at all, and he hoped that this wouldn't cause more complexities between them. No doubt his new second would give him a chewing-out he would never forget if he found out.
When Starscream finally came sulking into the command center, Megatron gave him the duty of fortifying Decepticon defenses at Kalis by assigning troops there. He still placed his duties ahead though, no matter how much he wanted to speak with his new second.
"What?! Straight to work and no initiation ceremony?" Starscream had glared at him.
"You don't need one, and neither did Shockwave. Unless you would like to have a private initiation…"
At this the Seeker shot back a forceful "No thank you" and shot out of the command center.
Megatron chuckled when he recalled this incident. When would Starscream stop denying that he wanted to get intimate with his commander? His body language plainly told him that he wanted to get fragged by Megatron until he couldn't stand. Why was he still denying it, and what was so bad about sharing a berth with the leader of the Decepticons? Most mechs would have seized this chance without hesitation had Megatron continued to be free in his interfacing life. But Starscream hadn't.
He should ask the Seeker about this matter some time, except he had to put it in an extremely subtle way. Megatron was becoming somewhat tired of this beating-around-the-bush, and he wished to take things the next step. Considering Starscream's reactions last night, it seemed that this would happen very soon.
Starscream, however, was content in leaving his leader hanging in the air as he proceeded to summon the legion of Decepticons he had chosen to set out for Kalis. Again, he angrily wondered how Megatron was able to keep a war and a supposed relationship going on at the same time. If that slagger continued in this, he was going to let it affect his performance in the war, and then cause the Decepticons to lose.
It was job as the new second-in-command, Starscream decided, to keep his leader in line and make sure he doesn't do anything remotely stupid. If he could get past unscathed those who envied him though.
Starscream's chosen Decepticons arrived promptly on time at the hanger. However, when they saw the Seeker standing there, they started to grumble.
"We were tryin' to get some rest. What authority do you have to call us here?" One complained.
"In case you didn't notice my signature at the bottom of my message," Starscream said icily, "I, Starscream, am the new second-in-command of the Decepticons. I have every right to give you orders to obey."
"Lies! Lord Megatron would never choose you! You are not worthy!" A bellowing voice the Seeker immediately recognized as Lugnut's shouted. He gritted his dentas and fought the urge not to shoot that blockhead. It seemed like his expectations of being second was way too high. Starscream hadn't realized he would be facing the problem of the Decepticons' acceptance of his new position.
"Yet Megatron chose me over you, Lugnut. Clearly he thought I was more... capable, thank you very much." Still, he couldn't resist the temptation of rubbing into the loyalist's faceplates.
"Why you pompous scrapheap...!" Lugnut lunged forward at the Seeker, only to be promptly tripped by the resident chemist, Oil Slick. The behemoth went sprawling flat on his front with a thunderous clang, but soon sprang up furiously to tackle the culprit. Before Starscream could even utter another word, the hanger became the battleground for a full-on brawl as the other Decepticons gladly threw themselves into the fight.
"Oh for spark's sake..." The Seeker slapped a hand to his faceplates in exasperation. Were Decepticons always this fight-needy?
"Well slag, never expected a fight to erupt over such a miniscule event," A medium-sized flier he recognized as Skystalker, a member of the S Team, said nonchalantly as he went to stand beside Starscream, "You better stay clear from Lugnut from now on."
"I don't need you to tell me that! Now CEASE YOUR UTTERLY POINTLESS BRAWL AND STAND TO ATTENTION!" Starscream hollered at the mass of punching, kicking and rolling mechs, trying to make his voice heard above the hearty battle cries and enraged yells.
No one listened. In the end thanks the Seeker's null-rays and Skystalker's reasonable imitation of Megatron's displeased voice, the Decepticons managed to calm down enough to stop attacking each other. By then every mech had suffered from a few good dents and scorch marks, and Lugnut was surprisingly unconscious.
"I should have you lot punished for this uncalled fight if time isn't in such a great demand!" Starscream spoke sharply as he squared his shoulders in an unconscious attempt to make himself appear more intimidating, "Kalis requires defending if we are to keep the city state from falling back into the hands of the Autobots. You will set out in a megacycle and station guards at all gates of Kalis, including the waste grating at the nuclear reactor. The Autobots knew we used it to invade the city-states, and they might try the same strategy for themselves. And what exactly happened to Lugnut? I don't have time to select his replacement!"
"Sedative," Oil Slick answered, spinning an empty syringe in one hand, "They work more effectively than my fists, especially on a mech his size."
Starscream snarled in irritation, firing to shatter the object in mid-spin, "Then you will be responsible for waking that unconscious blockhead. Now get moving!"
"We got a real work-oriented second here, Decepticons. Impressive, considering that you were once head-scientist. Mind sharing how you received your promotion?" Skystalker chimed in.
"Isn't it obvious?" Oil Slick snorted, aiming a careless kick at the immobile Lugnut, "I'm surprised that you're still walking straight, Starscream."
"Why you...!" The Seeker sputtered indignantly. How dare anyone suggest such a thing, that he received his promotion through such degrading means?!
He steeled himself quickly with some difficulty. Already he had spent too much time in getting the Kalis defense team mobilized. If he continued to react to their snide comments, perhaps they would still be arguing as the Autobots regained the city-state.
"Alright, no more of your fooling around," Starscream said firmly, "When you get to Kalis, I want a report every solar cycle. There will be consequences if you fail at such a simple task."
There were dissatisfied murmurs among the Decepticons as one by one they transformed and flew out of the hanger. Oil Slick had to stay behind to drain the sedative out of Lugnut, and promptly received a punch in the faceplates for his troubles as the behemoth awoke violently.
The Seeker sighed, feeling strangely depleted after this task. He recalled how Megatron gave his orders and the way all Decepticons immediately sprang into action. In contrast, Starscream's audience had expressed hesitance and then even dared to question his orders! A full-on brawl even broke out among them! How did Megatron inspire such obedience when he acted so irresponsible at almost all times? Starscream took his duties much more seriously, and yet he couldn't get the Decepticons to follow his commands without question. What was he still missing?
The solar cycle passed eventfully as Megatron gave Starscream more duties to carry out. He was sent to do a troop inspection, go over some important paperwork and to deploy another group of Decepticons to defend Altihex. In the tasks in which he was to speak to the Decepticons, he endured more disbelief, mocking and the questioning of his authority. They followed the orders eventually, but Starscream was almost ready to shoot everyone he saw out of frustration by the end of the solar cycle, along with a dangerous urge to yell at Megatron for getting him into this. The warlord had just sent him a message notifying the Seeker that he had no more duties, and that he should stop at the command center to file in his reports.
He had expected total authority over the army as the second-in-command and obedience to his orders. Instead Starscream had gotten something totally opposite, proving that being second was more difficult than he thought. He had underestimated the cons that came with the position and was already somewhat regretting his eagerness in his promotion.
"That fragging afthead," Starscream muttered under his breath as he studied the main display without taking in anything, "Said he made me second just for my protection. More like he wanted me to get slagged by the others. Why did I even agree to that? I can take care of myself just fine..."
He unconsciously rubbed at a certain area on his neck and scowled. The place Megatron had bit him last night had left a rather nasty discoloration in the protoform. In fact, Starscream didn't even notice it until he spotted the Stunticons staring at him strangely. He then ran back to his room and managed to buff out the spot, cursing Megatron all the while for embarrassing him like this.
"Hello, Staaaarscream." A deep voice suddenly purred behind him, its owner wrapping both arms around the Seeker's thin waist as a warm frame pressed tightly against his back.
Speaking of that fragging afthead...
"If you want to speak to me, then do it properly, you glitch!" Starscream shot back heatedly, trying to wriggle out of his leader's tight grip.
"No." Megatron said simply.
Starscream struggled in futile for a few more nanokliks, and finally settled down with a petulant pout. He inwardly steeled himself whatever annoying antics the warlord had prepared.
Megatron was pleasantly surprised, however, for he didn't expect the Seeker to submit so quickly without a long fight. He had dropped by the command center on the way to his quarters to pick up a datapad when he saw his new second. The warlord had been waiting all day to speak to him, but Starscream's duties came first, which coincidentally all had him working away from his commander.
He tightened his hold around the other, and Starscream made a soft sound at the movement. Megatron couldn't help but notice how well the Seeker's frame fit against his as he leant down to brush his lips gently against the warm metal of the other's helm.
"How was your first solar cycle as my second-in-command?" He asked the question that had been lingering in his mind all day. In truth Megatron was worried how the promotion will work out among the others.
"Fragging great," Starscream said crossly, "The Decepticons I sent to Kalis had a full-on brawl before I managed to kick them out."
"Yes, I've heard of it," Megatron replied amusedly, "A fight on your first solar cycle… not bad at all. I must say that I look forward to the rest of the time while we work together."
"And that's not the worst of it! You do know that the Decepticons are under the impression that I gained my rank through interfacing." The Seeker flung back.
Well, that was frank. Megatron already had an idea of what rumors were flying around behind his back, but this was going a little too far.
Although that sliver of guilt assaulted him again when he knew that he had, in part, made Starscream agree while his defenses were lowered, namely last night on that ledge.
"Technically speaking, that's not too far from the truth."
The warlord realized his slip-up too late as Starscream's faceplates contorted into a mask of anger. He had triggered another one of his violent outbursts.
"Are you implying last night that…?! How dare you!" Starscream suddenly shrieked as he renewed his struggle, "You were the one who wanted me in your berth by courting me, and now you made me second so you can keep a closer optic on me. It's not for my protection at all, you selfish glitch! Only Primus knows why you said that in the first place. Fine! I'll tell you what's been on my mind the past few megacycles. I regret ever asking to be made second and sending that message to you. Clearly I underestimated the trials that come with that rank, which far outweighs the so-called power."
Megatron wasn't prepared for a sudden outburst from the Seeker, for he unconsciously loosened his grip, which Starscream leapt out of angrily and continued to rant.
"What are you even trying to do? You offer the Decepticons a chance to court you and allow them to fight among themselves in the middle of a war! Are you trying to allow the Autobots to triumph over us?! So is this how you want to go down in history, always remembered as the leader who got so caught up in his personal affairs until he let the enemy overrun his faction?!"
Slag. So Starscream thought he had been the one voluntarily opening the courting offer. Why choose to bring this up again? What had exactly happened during Starscream's first day as second-in-command?
Megatron inwardly groaned. The Seeker was harder to read than a triple-encrypted database.
"Look Starscream, I never—" He started to defend.
"I don't want to hear your explanations!" Starscream screeched, "If I am going to be your second, then expect me to put my duties before all personal affairs. Courting me is out of the question. I don't consider you worthy of me, so stop trying to seduce me like you did last night. It won't work anymore!"
With that, Starscream stormed out the command center in a huff. It was several cycles before Megatron recovered from his shock and sighed forlornly, allowing his helm to droop into one hand.
There was some truth in Starscream's outburst, he realized. Perhaps he had been trying too hard to court the Seeker, causing him to feel pressured and react immediately in rejection. He had been too impatient for the extremely satisfying results.
And the war...
Megatron sighed again. He, like many others, wished to end it as soon as possible by triumphing over the Autobots. And in order to do that, he had to place even more effort into his battles and strategy planning, allowing nothing to sidetrack him. Megatron had been somewhat distracted lately since he started courting the Seeker. It was time to put that effort aside. Now it seemed that getting the Seeker into his berth would have to wait longer. No matter, Megatron could wait.
Starscream would continue to serve him as second, like he said earlier. There were plenty of chances to get acquainted with him as they worked together. Previously they were on good terms when they spoke of the strategies for taking Kalis. Megatron could already tell he and Starscream would make a good team in the battlefield.
Perhaps that was the key. He should treat the Seeker properly as his second-in-command, not as a mech he wanted in his berth. This was easier said than done though. When Megatron had gotten intimate with him last night, it took all of his willpower to not get carried away completely.
But Starscream seemed to tolerate him more when they were speaking of practical matters than when Megatron was trying to court him. With that observation in mind, he decided to do just what he realized earlier... provided if Starscream faced him peaceably tomorrow.
He allowed his helm to fall into one hand frustratedly. Why was associating with that Seeker so fragging difficult?
Even after writing that I still laugh at the mental scene of Starscream kicking Megatron off his berth. Now feedback please for the busy author?