Ch. 181
Megatron glared deeply at the tended wounds on Starscream's side as the seeker lay quietly on the med berth. Shockwave had wordlessly dressed and sealed the gashes before he arrived. What the warlord had been told he wasn't really able to believe.
"Attempted suicide?" he growled, not even bothering to glance at C.Y.L.A.S. who stood behind him, "You dare to tell me he attempted such a thing?!"
Starscream kept his optics away from Megatron and allowed the disfigured mech to speak for him; after all, he did just attempt a serious and mentally disturbed action, "The... stress must have been too much, my lord," C.Y.L.A.S. tried to explain, "He may not have thought he could complete the task with you nearby. But as you can see, I didn't let him succeed."
Megatron huffed and openly invaded his treasure's personal space, gently opening his servo to set it delicately over the treated wound. Starscream flinched, though he couldn't read if it was in pain or... The warlord glared harder as he continued his inspection. There had indeed been enough damage to sever many important fuel lines under the metal, but his seeker daring to take himself away from him?
Megatron let go of his treasure's side and took hold of his chin, forcing Starscream to look up at him, "You dared? After everything, you still thought you could do this to me?!"
The seeker winced and trembled but said nothing.
The warlord growled, letting him go so he could lift the smaller mech up and help him to his peds, "You are to be watched constantly, my dear Starscream. This will not happen again. I will never allow-"
"Yeah, yeah," the smaller mech grumbled, "you've told me before..."
As Starscream pulled away to stand on his own he wavered and cursed internally when Megatron took hold of him again. His blue optics glanced at C.Y.L.A.S., who still hadn't moved, and glared one single thought into the look he gave with every bit of passion he could muster: if you turn on me, you will die.
The black mech didn't need a translation, he understood. So when the two passed by him to leave the med bay, he did little more than a simple bow instead of saying anything else. The time wasn't right to do anything anyhow, not in the condition Starscream was in. Not with how Megatron would now monitor his every living moment.
"How could you?" the warlord said first, "Everything was moving so well in the right direction."
Starscream wanted distance from the larger mech but he knew that even if he struggled he wouldn't be given such a thing, "It's never that easy. You've done too much for me to just dive back in. They were my friends, all that I had, and you killed them like they meant nothing to me. Like..."
Megatron gently stroked his claws along the seeker's shoulder, humming deeply, "Perhaps I am trying to rush you... but I have missed you. Is my eagerness not something to be admired?"
"Now? After everything? No. You want things to move too quickly. I don't. I would rather have died alongside them than be here a moment more, so don't think that pretending everything is fine negates my feelings..."
The warlord's red optics glared down at him but Starscream didn't return the favor. He felt the gaze, knew it was there, but refused to meet it. After a few seconds he felt the seething anger pass into something else, something not quite calm but in a more positive light, and a small chuckle came from Megatron's throat.
"So aggressive, my dear Starscream. But to hurt yourself? Fine. It has worked. You have my attention..."
The seeker grumbled, "Do I really? How lucky am I..."
"Luck has nothing to do with it," Megatron led his second into the lifts, a smile on his faceplates, "You have very loudly expressed your need for my full attentions. And now you have it. What must I do? What must I give you? What must I ensure for you to trust that I know where your destiny lies?"
Lies.
The word stuck out like a sore digit. What Starscream had done was a lie. He had simply needed to prove to C.Y.L.A.S. that the Insecticons were his own army, even if he didn't know how to use them yet. This 'near-second-attempt-at-suicide' was just a quick cover to keep his new 'not-so-much-an-ally' close. If the disfigured mech squealed, he was a goner. But now Megatron was being more gently attentive. Something that was just a bigger hinderance than it was before. Why could nothing ever go right?
"My dear Starscream?" Megatron whispered softly.
Starscream flinched and finally looked up. He had been quiet for some time.
The warlord carefully touched his faceplate, "Are you not feeling well? Should I take you back to the med b-"
"No!" the seeker yelped, covering his mouth before he could calm himself accordingly; with a deep intake, he shook his helm, "No... I'm just... thinking."
"Then please, voice your concerns out loud."
"Ah... well, I'm not entirely sure what you could do for me to fix all this," Starscream shrugged; the lift doors opened and Megatron ushered him in as he spoke, "You've already made it clear that I'll not leave, you've killed my faction off and you insist on keeping me under the watchful stare of any mech-"
"That will happen no longer. Until Predaking has been fully retrained, I will be your guard. I'll not risk an incident like this again."
The seeker held in a gag and clenched his servos tightly, "Yes. Of course. Why couldn't I have seen that coming. Who else but you?"
Megatron smiled, "I have always dealt with the most important things myself, my dear Starscream."
"Oh don't I just love being an important thing."
"Shouldn't you?" the warlord purred, "A most powerful source of energy and untapped potential. How could I have thought to leave you in the servos of C.Y.L.A.S.?"
"Because I had insisted."
Megatron tsked, "I will need to become more mindful of the suggestions you make. You are still fragile. I may enjoy having you near and the feel of your spark beats, but I have forgotten to handle you gently."
Starscream rolled his optics, shuddering when the lift finally stopped, "I'm tired. I don't want to do this anymore. Just put me in the brig, I'll manage..."
The warlord shook his helm, "That will not be possible, my dear Starscream. Accommodations in the brig will hardly be comfortable for us."
'Us'? The seeker's optics glared then widened then glared again. He had to be hearing things.
Megatron carefully led Starscream out of the lift and down the hall as the smaller mech frowned, "'Us'? As in me and- no, nooooo, no, I'm not-" his optics caught sight of the warlord's door, his quarters, just ahead, "No, no, I didn't sign an agreement, I'm not doing this, I said 'no' and the last time," he was beginning to get angry, "the last time you invited me in there, you got me-what's the human word, that drywall- plastered! You got me plastered! Rudely so! I am not-"
"Starscream," the larger mech purred, "last time I had a lesser understanding of your unique situation. No tricks, no manipulation. I simply wish to ensure you come to no more harm..."
The seeker growled and glared. Since when did Megatron decide to handle things on a more quiet note?
Starscream hissed, "I'm going to wake up mutilated, aren't I?"
"Not at all."
"Experimented on?"
"Never."
"Cortically psychic patched in the night?"
"I wouldn't."
His blue optics leered, "I swear, if I find you even touching my berth-"
"I will be working while you rest, my dear second. This is about your health, not turning you against yourself," Megatron finally managed to bring his treasure to the door, opening it, "Besides, there is only-"
"Only one berth!" Starscream squealed as he peeked in, "You couldn't even bother to move in another?! Forget it! I'll recharge in the hallway! I don't need you trying to 'feel' my spark beat while I'm unconscious! Put me in Predaking's kennel! Shockwave's lab! This is too much, I won't do it!"
A small twitch developed in the warlord's optic, quickly silencing the screeching seeker when he noticed it.
Megatron calmly leaned down and settled a heavy servo on Starscream's back as he smiled, "You have only two options in this moment, my dear Starscream. You will recharge while I work at my desk or I will have the utmost delight in ensuring you stay on that berth and recharge. I am allowing you the choice, my second."
The seeker felt his tank quiver with a sick feeling. Whether or not the larger mech was going to hold himself to his word was questionable... but he knew for certain if he refused either option, he would be horribly confined to that berth in whatever way was seen fit.
He grumbled and scowled angrily, "Fine, fine. I said 'fine'!" he flinched back when Megatron reached down towards him, "I'll recharge on my own. But you don't dare touch me or that berth and I want these cuffs unlocked."
Starscream held up his arms, almost surprised when the warlord unlocked his bindings without hesitation.
"Better, my dea-"
"Yes, now do me a favor and don't talk to me. I don't even want to feel you looking at me," the smaller mech stomped into the berthroom as he snarled, "And I swear, if you try to make me drink anything, I'll gouge your optics out."