Decided I didn't feel like waiting a full week. Also, this way, I get to put the last part up on my birthday. Yeah, only three chapters... ^^ I hope you all enjoy, though. Transformers still doesn't belong to us!
Starscream wasn't entirely sure how long the merge had knocked him out. The wash of energy had taken nearly all of his restored vision, again, but small not-really-sensations let the Seeker know that Ratchet was working again. He felt... calm, so very calm... calmer than he had felt since... since when? Starscream didn't really want to work on remembering, not now... he had the feeling it would shatter his calm, and he was enjoying it FAR too much. "Thank... thank-you..." Oh, that was a horrible thing to say, especially after such a nice interface... Starscream didn't feel like explaining everything which caused him to say that.
Startled, he paused in his work, continuing to dispatch data wires that led to the thrusters so that he could exchange them. What could he reply to that? Not that it had been his pleasure, because that was literally the truth. "You're welcome," was what he settled for instead. Continuing to strip the Seeker of the ability to control his thrusters, Ratchet busied himself with his main task, repairing the hurt mech. He worked slowly and carefully, not intending to let the Air Commander feel any more pain than he had to.
More time passed, during which Starscream realized he was loosing information about his thrusters. Made sense, they were needing to be replaced. "You didn't have to. You only... didn't object." He could provide no real explanation for his... concern, it was unlike him. Maybe... just some sense of fairness, Ratchet was caring for him, and so he needed to care for Ratchet in return. Maybe that was it. Say it was, then the Seeker wouldn't have to spend time and energy wondering about it. Anyway, he didn't want Ratchet angry with him... He knew from experience just how bad life could be when a medic was angry with him, and that was ignoring the fact that Ratchet was his only protector in the enemy's base.
"I..." Slag, but this really wasn't his orn. First the twins acted irrational beyond belief, then he had to drag their enemy's Air Commander out of a cave and into his med bay, receiving one of the most processor blowing mergings he could recall and then Starscream actually thanked him? Not even to mention that it sounded right now that his patient was overthinking things, wondering if he had pushed him into it somehow. But fact was that Ratchet had no regrets, far from it, he would have welcomed it if the Air Commander offered to experience such delight again with him one day. Yet they were in the middle of a war, they were on the opposing sides of that war and the medic knew that the Decepticon wouldn't want to remain in their base once he would get back into his own right mindset.
"There wasn't anything to object to... your touches felt good... you didn't do anything wrong... so why object?" Ratchet asked, more for his own clarification than to actually listen to the Seeker's answer. Primus, he had fragged this up royally this time.
That was unexpected. With a Decepticon, the simple fact of not objecting was usually a sign they DID want it... Starscream wasn't sure how such things went with Autobots. He had thought they cared more about hearing, saying, making clear that something was wanted, instead of simply not objected too. Starscream held his glossa, not elucidating on that point any further. "Don't know... Autobots are confusing." Well, it was good to hear Ratchet had... it seemed he had enjoyed it. And he didn't seem angry... So Starscream didn't have to care about it any more... he didn't... "Depending on how long I'm here, it might... I mean... It really does help."
"What else did you expect us to be? If we were anything but confusing I don't think this war would be dating back as far as it does," he replied without truly thinking about it. Ratchet averted his optics this time, he had not meant to snap at the Seeker like that, it had been quite uncalled for indeed. "I'm sorry, that came out the wrong way. What I meant was that it's only natural for us to be different, have different ideals and general perspectives. Even our perceptions are different from one another, that's mainly why I'll have to recalibrate your sight from scratch instead of simply fixing it with a download. I'll have to adjust the entire data-stream to fit your make-up."
Explaining their differences away like this was far easier than he would have guessed, and it left him feeling slightly melancholic, for it reminded him of the lectures he had gotten at the academy when he had been trained there himself. Lastly, Starscream's last sentence registered within his processor and he cocked his cranial unit at him in surprise. "What helps...?"
The explanation was all well and good, and Starscream thought he would be fascinated in different circumstances... ones that didn't involve him being half-fragged. As it was, he smiled a little and mostly ignored the babble, only rousing to respond to the final question. Seemed Ratchet had understood the not-really-said half-offer. "The... pleasure. The burn and tingle through my systems, even when they're numbed I can feel the energy echoing in them. It lets me know they're still there, not like the yearning emptiness I feel when the charge hits a wing connection... and the wing's not there. And... and your spark is very caring, did you know that?" The Seeker hadn't meant to say the last sentence, he was saying a lot of things he hadn't meant to, and it came out rushed, YOUNG. Yes, it made him sound young...
Surprise momentarily clouded his processor before his data banks caught up with him and he realized that it wasn't truly the Seeker speaking there, but his condition. The long absence of sensor stimulation from the outside he had had to endure during the time he had been locked up in that cave had caused a side effect now that he'd been released from those confines. His processor knew he was on the outside again, that everything was real and not just a dreamed up imagination of his mind while his chassis was still in the cave. Yet his spark didn't, and that made it so hard for him to truly believe in reality once again. If he had been found and cared for by one of the Decepticons, Ratchet was certain that this would not have been an issue. But fact was that Starscream didn't know the day-to-day workings of the Autobot army, neither did he really know their characters, so it did make sense to question a reality that was real but still not recognized by his processor.
"I... thank you. But I'm inclined to believe that it's not truly what you want but a post traumatic manifestation of your loneliness. This is not supposed to sound callous, Starscream, but I am certain that if anyone else within this base was in my position right now... you'd still feel the same. It's not me, it's you. Your processor, due to the traumatic experience of being shut in the dark, worse even, under the ground for such an extended period of time... has made your spark hesitant to trust your processor. Your spark needs reassurance that your processor truly is reporting valuable data, no more ghost imaginations like it did in the cave. Are you getting my point?" Ratchet asked, fixed upon explaining to the Seeker just why he thought the way he did, why he thought he would like to merge with him again. Carefully, he kept his explanation neutral enough so that Starscream wouldn't think that he did not want him, pit, not even Ratchet himself knew if he would like to repeat what they'd just done, but somehow he had to make the Air Commander aware of the fact that his spark and processor were not synchronized with each other anymore.
The familiar sneer fell back into place at Ratchet's words. "I KNOW that, Ratchet. I've BEEN in this situation before. One time is usually enough to clear it, the need, I mean. I understand this was... worse..." the Seeker's arrogant voice faltered, and the last word was almost a whimper. It took a couple moments before Starscream could speak again, "I am taking that into account to the best of my capabilities. That doesn't change that your spark is still caring, not overwhelming or painful, not trying to shre-" The Decepticon cut off, turning his head away, near-blinded optics turned towards the ground. He was trying to reassure the medic, not drag him into affairs that were truly none of the Autobot's concern, no matter his rank or function.
"Frankly, you're trying to tell me that you think that your spark and processor will figure out how to synchronize themselves towards each other on their own after...well, after another merge gave them a little push?" Ratchet asked without faltering, Primus but was he ever glad that Decepticon hadn't noticed his slightly stalling fuel pump. It would have been embarrassing beyond believe if the Seeker managed to let Ratchet view this situation as anything but a hurt patient in need of his assistance. Because otherwise it would make the medic think and he didn't want to even consider any other reasons for the Seeker's behavior. But then Starscream did just that. How was he supposed to react now? He had no idea what went on behind the front lines, not about the other faction at least. They turned up for battle, tore the place apart and vanished back to their headquarters afterwards. From Starscream's words, or rather the words he had not said, Ratchet gathered that they lacked a lot of social skills it appeared.
"Thank you I guess. I've... never received such an assessment about myself, so thank you." It was all the medic dared to offer, not trusting himself to say more and voice what he thought, that maybe, just maybe, even their sparks had been affected by the splitting of factions. On one hand it was ludicrous and arrogant to assume that only the Autobots had discovered the positive turn life could have, yet the Decepticons did appear especially bitter most of the time, which could only be due to lost battles...
"Synch... sure, I guess... I mean, they'd have to be synched for me to get through life, wouldn't they?" Cycling his vents a moment later, Starscream realized how very bitter that has sounded, and, again, WEAK. "It takes a little while, but I can fly again, fight again..." Again belatedly, the Seeker remembered he was talking to one of the mechs he was supposed to be fighting. So he made a deliberate, and likely obvious, attempt at changing the conversation. "By the way, the energy basically shorted my optics again. So when you have to recalibrate... Anyway, thought I should tell you."
The Seeker sounded so... afraid, unsure of himself and his own worth. Ratchet couldn't help himself, his spark had clenched at that sentence and he wouldn't ignore it. "Starscream... it's not like you have to. You have more to offer than your flight skills or an added number in a front line formation." He didn't get any further, seeing as the Seeker ruthlessly interrupted him with a tone that was by far too chipper for his situation. Being essentially blind was, after all, not everyone's favorite past time.
"I have dislodged most of your thruster's data input, so I surmise that I could do just that right now. If you'll lie down on your back I'll take you offline for a breem to reconnect and reconfigure the most important part of your optics and then I can rouse you from recharge for the fine-tuning." It was a purely medical process, but the thought of the Seeker, splayed out on top of the recharge berth, did make his spark tingle already.
Of course he had to. What other options did he have? "Being able to see... would be nice." Turning was a little more difficult with half his foot numb, and required fully sitting up. Ratchet backed up to give him room without prompting, and Starscream lay back down, stealing a moment to stretch slightly. "You can leave me offline longer if you want, or put me back into recharge when you're done with my optics," Starscream offered as Ratchet approached. Yes, it would leave him helpless in his enemy's grasp, and he would still be a little... okay, a lot, unbalanced mentally when he went back to his side, but they were more or less used to that by now.
"That would only unsettle your processor further." He rejected the obviously well meant offer instantly and put the mech offline with a quick jab to a connection between spark and processor at just the right spot. It had taken him almost a vorn to learn how to do that painlessly, but by now he was an expert in his art. Starscream offlined soundlessly, his optics dimming slowly, body relaxing gradually, yet awareness had fled him instantly. It was one of the few painless ways to put a mech offline that would also make certain that the onlining process would be painless as well. Bending over the Air Commander he carefully turned his cranial unit to the side to unlatch most of the helmet so that he could reach into the inner circuitry and check the optical lenses and fragile data wires leading away from them. He noted how much care the Seeker had been crafted with instantly, as well as the sign of eons old abuse that littered his internals. Primus, but it was no wonder his spark refused to synchronize with his processor judging by the damage he could see, the pain reports must have counted so many that the spark had shut itself off at the first opportunity, not inclined to be subjected to more abuse.
Diligently he discarded the burned out wires, replacing most of the connections as well. What kind of monster was violent enough to not only make a mech's systems burn themselves out but also frag the connections? If he ever found out that Megatron had done this to his 2IC he would royally frag him offline... personally! Picking splinters of fiber-wire and fiber-glass out of Starscream's helmet, he checked the optical lenses once more, noting that they were cracked at the connection points. It wasn't an easily detected damage and he wondered for how long Starscream had been using his optical lenses this way.
This would take by far longer than he had guessed at first. He scrapped the mech's internal systems of most connections, cleaning the plating of dust, pieces of slagged up circuitry and plating that had managed to worm it's way there, Primus only knew where it came from and cleared out all connections he could find, whether they were burned through or not. Essentially he was rebuilding the mech's entire cranial unit, but only on the inside and that needed time and materials. After the fifth run he had subjected Ironhide and Wheeljack to they complained and he let his anger out on them. As pissed off as he was about the Decepticon's medical conditions and apparent lack of general care and maintenance and mental instability, Ratchet didn't notice their leader overhearing everything.
His outburst had calmed him down immensely, but the simmering anger was still there, shimmering just beneath the surface, ready to flare up again should he so much as lay optics onto a Decepticon that didn't go by the name of Starscream. Wheeljack was wise enough to send Ironhide onto the shooting range to take care of his own anger before he disappeared into his repair bay, carefully offering Ratchet any assistance he might need before he left. Such a sweet friend he had and he treated him like slag. Apologizing over a tight comm line he earned only his friend's laughter and understanding. Apparently his tirade had wormed it's way through the other's processor and he even cared enough to inquire about the Seeker's status. By now most of the connections had been replaced with new ones, he had installed new optical lenses and only had the work left he had told Starscream he would have to do. It really did take only a breem now to fix what he'd intended to from the start. Primus, but the Seeker would be confused to find he had been offline for two joors longer than Ratchet had predicted... Checking the efficiency of the data input with a medical link up to the connection port, he made a few adjustments already, such as activating the depth perception he knew the Seeker would have missed upon onlining, the brightness of his perception so that light wouldn't blind him anymore after the orns of darkness, and lastly a sharpness that would at least give him the chance to depict outlines clearly if he could not see most details of the shapes, which were still a bit blurry. Retreating his medical connection he reattached most of the Seeker's helmet plating, leaving just a latch open through which he could link up with the Seeker's optics directly to calibrate them, before he rubbed over the back of Starscream's neck joint, stimulating the spark and processor connection once more to rouse him. Slowly the red optics glowed to life and the Decepticon came online, cranial unit still supported by his hold.
If he hadn't felt quite so GOOD upon onlining, Starscream might well have panicked at finding his head held. As it was, he felt good enough to stay mostly calm and try to remember just how he had come to here... oh. Right. Autobots, med bay, Ratchet, optics... "I'm not sure if our time measures have diverged that much, but by Decepticon count that was a couple of joors, not less than a breem." He did need further calibrations, though the low-grade, persistent 'headache' which had been plaguing him for vorns upon vorns seemed to have finally receded. Again, Starscream wasn't completely sure he wanted to think about that. If it had receded after Ratchet had looked at him, it likely meant that it had been caused by damage, and... yeah, he really DIDN'T want to think about that.
"That time discrepancy is due to the fact that you were offline for two joors and one point six breems. I'm sorry but I had to keep you offline for so long to repair all the damage you had in your cranial unit. How many times have you broken your optics already Starscream? I found one piece of an optical lens frighteningly close to your CPU, any further jingling of that piece could have had disastrous effects." He went off like he had been waiting to say that the whole time, yet he really only wanted to make the Decepticon aware of the danger he had been. Primus, he had worried over the mech continuously while he had been offline. Being wrist deep inside of his patients internals to repair damage was regular for Ratchet, but not when the damage counted back more than a vorn! Actually some of the connections had been fried for longer than that...
Ah, so it HAD been caused by damage... and there was the temper Ratchet was always said to have... "Frankly, I lost track after the first few dozen. Megatron seems to enjoy watching me try to find Hook." Starscream shrugged a little, looking around. Things were slightly fuzzy... Still, the Seeker enjoyed the sight and vision, the fuzziness would work itself out. Or, no, Ratchet was going to work it out for him. He wasn't as casual about the optic shard... it was never nice realizing just how close one had been to major consequences, but on the other hand, he fought. He was ALWAYS close to in some way or the other becoming useless and therefore being offlined, by someone.
"Next time I get that reject of a petro-rabbit bitten retardant of a glitch into my hands..." He grumbled angrily, yet left the threat hanging, nothing would come of it if he told the opposing faction's Air Commander just what he intended to do to their patch-mech. Because that was what he was, he may have the ability to build, all Constructicons could do that after all, but he certainly didn't have the patience nor the knowledge to call himself a medic!
"Which one?" Starscream curiously. "I mean, one I've tried to kill on a regular basis. The other keeps us mostly working..." There was just nothing to talk about, not really... And frankly, the Seeker would rather talk about revenge fantasies on ANY of his faction than have to discuss any of Ratchet's faction. He didn't want to know anything more about the ones he HAD to fight, had to... Even if Ratchet said he didn't, even if he'd suggested that Starscream might be allowed to stay, might not have to fight. He had to fight, that was why Megatron suffered his ineptitude, the only other use he had.
"Glitch-head," he griped without much spite behind the word, reaching out a hand to help Starscream up into a sitting position. "Now let's see about calibrating those optics of yours. You should be able to access the settings yourself, regulating brightness and sharpness. If there's any trouble let me know. Don't force anything should you encounter a problem, it could have multiple sources." Ratchet went on in a professional tone, explaining what he expected his patient to do and what he wanted to keep informed of and what Starscream should do if he got stuck.
Starscream found he didn't really mind taking orders from Ratchet. He had kind of noticed that before, but it really came to his attention as he calmly did what the medic told him to do. Perhaps it was because the Autobot actually explained WHY he was giving the orders he did. Understanding did a lot for Starscream's willingness to comply. He poked at his settings, changing things one at a time so it would be easier to track a problem should one arise. The Seeker had noticed how Ratchet had avoided answering his question, but he couldn't feel more that admiration for how smoothly it was done.
Supervising the Seeker's processes of recollecting of his lost sight settings was a lot easier than he had anticipated. Starscream managed to recalibrate most of his everyday sight on his own, yet the shapes he could make out in the med bay were still blurry for abut nine astroseconds before they cleared up into a sharp picture. Not something that would do in battle, when he needed to ascertain if his opponent was drawing a weapon and so becoming a serious threat or if he was just raising his hand to signal his surrender.
"I'll take care of that," Ratchet decided after the Air Commander had relayed the problem as detailed as he could. Deploying a direct link up wire with an appropriate connection from his right wrist, he carefully put it into the Seeker's optical sensor array control port, where it settled and achieved a connection with a small click. Sorting through the connected data, he directed Starscream to look at different things in the med bay, like the repair table next to theirs, or his office at the far end of the spacious room Adjusting the sharpness and algorithm with which the Seeker processed his sight, he got the adjustment time down to three astroseconds successfully.
"Not as well as I'd like, but I guess we'll have to calibrate most of your other optical settings before we can fine tune your optics down to an astrosecond or less." He informed his patient after carefully studying the read outs of his medical scanners which had sorted through the reported optical data immediately and without prompting.
"Good enough for now. I've had a short lag for most of the war, actually, Megatron seems to think it serves his purposes if I'm slowed... Well, it probably does, it has critically slowed me in some of our fights..." Maybe this time he wouldn't be repaired back into battle parameters... maybe then he wouldn't have to go back, no reason to go back if he wouldn't be accepted... No, more likely Ratchet would repair him better than he had been in eons. Well, that wouldn't be so bad, maybe he'd be able to actually beat Megatron... not likely.
He probably shouldn't adjust Starscream's algorithms to fit an astrosecond then, for it would make him into an even more remarkable opponent than before, yet his spark instantly outvoted his processor on that account. Ratchet was a medic, he was there to repair damage and help patients back into top shape and nothing would change that. "It won't do so again," he assured the Seeker.
Red optics searched out Ratchet's face, and Starscream shook his head slowly. "I can't beat him. Even in top shape. And after my first 'failure' I'll be right back in the same situation, and all your work will be..." To say nothing of why Ratchet was helping his enemy into optimal shape. "That... doesn't mean I don't appreciate it, though." Because he did, it was good to feel... to feel like he was SUPPOSED to, even for a little while.
"No wonder he has all of you under his control, no soldier would ever dare speak up against him if that's the way he treats his officers. I despise such incompetence," Ratchet snarled, glaring at the far wall. What good of a warlord was Megatron if he didn't let his troops fight in top condition out of fear that one of his soldiers could one day overthrow him! It made no sense at all. Not if he really wanted to win this war. What would be left on Cybertron after they won anyway? Would he just assume command and reduce everyone to such a half-life? Because it was nothing but only the half of a real life if one wasn't functioning within optimal parameters.
"Incompetence... He has what he wants. How can that be called incompetence?" With a slight shrug of dismissal, Starscream turned his head away, at least as much as he could without detaching anything. "Could you focus on getting me flight capable? I... I won't LEAVE until you release me, but it's going to take a long time either way, and even if I'm up for less than a breem, it will help quite a lot." Ratchet finally seemed to have caught on, when Starscream said something would help, it was from experience, quite a lot of it.
"Oh, but it is. It is incompetence if he lacks the assurance that his orders will be obeyed. He only gets that assurance by partially incapacitating his soldiers, which shows a lack of self confidence and that leads to incompetent decisions." Ratchet explained what he had meant, yet as Starscream merely turned his cranial unit away, obviously ignoring him, he decided to drop the subject. It wouldn't do any good it appeared.
"I'll see what I can do in regards to long range so that you'll at least be able to rise to a low altitude while retaining your sight fully." He fell back into professionalism easily as the Seeker requested his flight. Carefully shifting through the parameters, he sorted the data ways so that the input would be processed and displayed in an ordered fashion. It would cause a flight statistic to pop up in the mech's field of vision once he rose above ten feet from the ground, so that he could control the settings of his flight visually as well as readjust on instinctual programmed subroutines.
Ha, assurance his orders would be obeyed... Even with most... all, of Megatron's soldiers partially incapacitated, Megatron still couldn't be sure his orders would be... Things Starscream had known for most of his life shifted a little, the picture changing under the light Ratchet shed on the situation. "Who among us would you even accept, welcome?" It wasn't an idle question, thought Starscream took no pains to be certain he was heard.
It was an interesting experience, allowing another to freely shift parameters and sort his data. Actually allowing it, not simply endure it or, like a few cases, actively fighting it. "You have no flight... so how can you understand what you're doing?" Starscream asked suddenly, the remains of his scientific curiosity.
"Accept? Accept as what? As leader? I doubt I could picture any of you in command... yet Soundwave appears the most stable processor, he would probably be more considerate about your functionality than Megatron would ever even consider," Ratchet offered. He really had no idea how the Seeker could ask such a question, but then again, his processor was still in disarray from the orns spent in captivity. Yet having his medical competence questioned wasn't something the CMO would tolerate, from no one! "I suppose it escaped your notice, but who do you think actually programmed the Aerialbots? A mech is more than a chassis constructed after some schematics that vaguely resemble a plane, as you should know. Readjusting a learning flier's parameters is an almost daily occurrence, to use a human term. Yet I've found it to be quite accurate regarding that specific task. Of course your mass is different from theirs, so you have different variables and other parameters regarding your take of, flight pattern and so on, but flying itself follows the same rules. After all, wind is still wind no matter if you fly through it as a shuttle or with a jet-pack," he groused.
It was unnerving to have his ability and knowledge questioned and quite frankly doubted so abusively. He felt attacked by the Air Commander's question in a way he couldn't explain to his own processor. Ratchet shouldn't be hurt by his arrogance and ignorance, he should have been used to it by now, yet the implied suggestion that he wasn't taking proper care of the latest sparklings he had helped to online filled him with a burning rage he could barely contain.
Starscream flinched as Ratchet began scolding him. "I... I didn't mean that! I... I wasn't doubting, I was just curious, just wondering! I didn't... Please don't be angry." His vents cycled high for a moment before the Seeker could wrestle his body back under control. Ratchet wasn't going to hurt him, he wasn't LIKE the others... "S... Soundwave is busy with his... I didn't mean in command. I meant as... I mean... Ugh, I'm making no sense... And you'd better stop those T... from doing any more of that jet judo stuff, at least for a long while..." No, he really wasn't making any sense. The brief brush of fear had reduced him, again, to something only questionably sane.
Sighing deeply, Ratchet tried to clear his processor of the negative perspective he had had on things. He did not want to be more pessimistic than he had to after all. Noting the flinch, he felt bad for snapping at the Air Commander already, but he had felt provoked and criticized in a manner he wasn't accustomed to and anger was his predominant reaction to any unknown, for most of the time an unknown meant trouble and for a medic trouble meant danger to his patients.
"It's alright... I'm sorry I got carried away. I am not angry, at least not at you," he clarified in the end, wanting to reassure the Seeker that he meant him no harm. "Busy with his... what? And as... what? You're right, some of your sentences truly are lacking a vital point. And I'm not certain if it wouldn't just be worse if I forbade the twins anything. In the end they'd just increase their activities just to spite me." Ratchet grumbled lightly at the end, intending to try and steer the Seeker clear from them.
"Oh. Then they're just evil," Starscream stated, biting off the whimper. Right, he just... shouldn't really think about them right now, then. "His... his cassettes, his family... And if you use that information to hurt them or him, he will first kill YOU and then kill ME... so don't?" The stern warning turned into a whimpered plea. An angry Soundwave was not something the Air Commander wanted to consider. "And as... as... r... refuge... refugees..." And there his vents went higher again, ready to cool him during the heat of a fight.
"Most certainly annoying, but I wouldn't per sé dub them as evil. I like to associate them with unruly younglings, it just fits the pattern of their regular behavior best. But you are right... they would appear cruel to an enemy on the battlefield..." Musing over the twins really wasn't helping his processor any. Instead of dispelling the anger he still felt inside, it solidified it.
"Hurt the- How dare you?! I'm a medic! I don't hurt others out of petty issues such as personal revenge. If you think that you can just get lost!" Ratchet snarled with ill temper and was about to cut off the data link up just as the Seeker trembled, mumbling the last answer to his questions. He went stock still at the word refugees. All anger was swiped from his processor, his spark almost missed a pulse he was so surprised. A twinge of pain shot through his systems at the irregular frequency of his sparks energy output and he groaned lightly in reaction, bowing his cranial unit and shuttering his optics, both things he had found to help most efficiently in such situations. But truly thinking about it, really considering it in detail, he came to only one conclusion.
"We're Autobots. We'd accept any and all refugees seeking us out. As for welcoming them... it would certainly take time and a lot of compromises on both sides, but I'm certain that with time and a little consideration and care about the way we interact with each other... trust could be built and upon that trust as a secure base liking might be a possibility, which would lead to welcome. Personally... I'd welcome any and every spark tired of war." Ratchet admitted with a far off look in his optics. Primus but it was such a wonderful thought... imagining an end of all this fighting.
Once again he was trying to hide, trying to avoid the results of the temper he had roused. It wasn't HIS fault he kept thinking of Ratchet as a fellow Decepticon... it was actually rather a compliment to the medic, coming from Starscream's admittedly twisted world-view. He was so busy trying to avoid the anger that he missed the first part of Ratchet's answer, tuning in somewhere around 'compromise' and 'trust'. "I see," Starscream said, a neutral and flat answer, belying the sharp hope he felt. Falling back to silence, he watched as Ratchet resumed his work.
Gradually he worked through the Seeker's perceptions, as far as he could on their first session. He would have to readjust each and every setting for every 'sight' variable the Seeker had. Infra red, night vision, it would all need to be recalibrated one by one. Once he finished with Starscream's day to day perception, he cut the optical data link up and carefully retreated the cable out of the Decepticon Air Commander's cranial unit. "That's all I can do right now. We'll have to continue in a joor or two to let your systems rest. The changes need to settle before I can do anything else," Ratchet told the Seeker.
"Before you can do... anymore repairs then, you mean...? Or... before you can do... anything...?" His hand trembled as he again lifted it to the medic's face, an offer... Starscream actually wanted it this time, well, he had wanted it before, but this time it was just want, not thoughts of how it would help. That caring spark... Another thought made him glance away and drop his hand, "Or... You probably need to rest yourself, refuel... You've been devot... working on me for a long time now... I don't mean to make you... Keep you from your friends and relaxation. I'll... probably be able to go to recharge if you want to go for a joor... or more." A light waver in Starscream's voice gave lie to his estimation of recharge, and he hoped Ratchet hadn't heard it.
Starscream actually reached up his hand to caress his sensitive faceplates once more. Ratchet went stock still for an astrosecond, barely believing that the Seeker would want to. It wasn't exactly the response he would have expected. He had put the merge down to need, a vicious need of the Seeker to know that this was real, that he wasn't just imagining things, that his processor wasn't torturing his spark with a vision of somewhere, anywhere outside of that cave. Ratchet didn't know what to take the Seeker for, one second he was offering him another merge, the next he was suggesting that he had better things to do, that he had to refuel, spend some time with his friends, relax... it was almost as if the Air Commander didn't consider himself worthy of being cared for.
"What are you talking about, Starscream?" he asked in, for him, an unusually calm and gentle vocalization. Few mechs heard him speak like this, not out of choice, but out of necessity. "It's not as if the troop's moral will drop any deeper if I'm not there for one day. I seldom join them in the rec room anyway. They know not to expect me there by now. Yet if it is recharge that you want, I will not disagree with you, for your systems really would benefit from a sound recharge. But if I consider that you have just spent three joors in recharge before the recalibration... I'd say you will find yourself unable to sink into recharge all that easily." Ratchet wasn't certain himself if his offer carried through. It wasn't right to offer a merge concealed as a medical treatment or kindness such as helping the Seeker to relax, or rather, exhaust him enough so that he might find recharge, but it would be a quite nice way to exhaust Starscream, or so he admitted to his own processor.
"Want... want recharge... No, not really. Just don't want to keep you from your friends. But I need to be in recharge to... stand being alone..." It was nice of Ratchet to put things onto a professional level... kind of surprising that the medic was able to stay professional while discussing such things. Starscream did wish that the Autobot would... acknowledge he was worth the pleasure the Seeker would cause in him, though. And as much as the cloak of professionalism helped... Starscream wished he knew if Ratchet WANTED him... or if he was just putting up with it for the sake of... of what? His medical reputation?
"My friends know where to find me and if they don't want to drag their lazy afts down here they can just comm me," Ratchet assured the Air Commander. It puzzled him why the Seeker wouldn't want to be alone, but then it hit him. Of course he wouldn't want to be alone in an enemy's base. He was surrounded by mechs he only knew as violent towards his person, no wonder he wouldn't want to cause them any problems. "It's alright Starscream. You don't have to go into recharge if you don't want to. It's not as if anyone can just come in here and start harassing you, that is my privilege as the CMO," he smirked at the end, trying to show the flier that it was really alright, that they wouldn't hurt him in any way, shape or form.
Oh, well, good... he wasn't exactly keeping his savior from his friends, then. And... wow. For being the one who rescued him, Ratchet still didn't really understand things, did he. "Leave me online, alone, and trapped, and I don't know how much of your work will be undone, Ratchet. Even the Twins would be better than that." THAT should be something the medic understood. "Though the prospect is not one I relish..." Starscream cocked his head, another thought occurring to him... "I would not mind... if your friends wanted to visit. Don't... you don't have to decline them for my... Well, but you know that, I'm sure."
"We might be Autobots, but we're still not clingy," Ratchet snorted. But he thought he understood at least a little now. It was the situation the Seeker was afraid of, the feeling of being trapped had to be messing with his processor pretty badly indeed. All he could hope of doing would be to reassure the Seeker somehow... but how? "You're not alone by the way, I'm still here." Primus, that had sounded so watery he was sure one of his platings was going to rust from it.
"Well, I'm not alone NOW," Starscream snarked softly, finding himself reaching for Ratchet again. He wasn't Autobot, but apparently he was clingy, at least now... "Did you need energon then? I will be well enough for a short while, if you need to get some." Ratchet had to have better things to do than indulge one frightened enemy Seeker's desires... He didn't say anything about it, but that was what Starscream would expect of Autobots, well, most of them... And he didn't really want Ratchet to leave him, but on the other hand he couldn't have the medic neglecting himself... oh. "I probably need energon myself..."
The Seeker did stress the difference, which was time and almost hesitantly reached for his faceplates. Starscream was offering and asking at the same time, his optics slightly unfocused on purpose, probably transfixed onto his shoulder joint out of sheer embarrassment. After all, the Decepticon's proud Air Commander couldn't be known as a mech who needed anything, would ever ask for anything. Consciously, Ratchet made his decision, and purposefully let his head dip forward, willingly holding the surprised gaze that met his steadily, challenging the Seeker. A quick scan told him that both his patient and his own systems required some energon, but that could be helped in one go.
"Follow me then," Ratchet told the Seeker, whose digits had begun rubbing along the edge of his faceplates, creeping up to his audio receptors already. Stepping back from repair berth and patient at once, he made sure not to walk so fast that the Seeker didn't know where he was, but fast enough to reach his office before him so that he could grab a few cubes from his private stack without the flier knowing of its whereabouts, before he led him on into the adjoining rooms.
He hadn't even noticed that feeling had been restored in his lower body when he woke... just what did that say about him? Standing, Starscream took a moment to adjust before obeying the Autobot. The stopover in Ratchet's office was so fast that the medic was already on his way out before the Seeker reached the door, which lead to a slight moment of awkwardness, the two mechs having to shift a little to let Ratchet lead again. Walking into a new room was... nice... Walking anywhere was nice, it let him move, another layer of reassurance, he was safe, he at least wasn't grounded. And... was he going to feel Ratchet's care again?
Stepping into his quarters he felt more at ease with himself and his own decision. He knew that the Seeker needed this, needed the assurance it gave him. On one hand it would ultimately prove to Starscream's spark that his processor wasn't just playing tricks on him, that this wasn't just an imagination or calculation, but reality, and on the other hand... well, the Seeker wasn't unattractive himself, he actually was a quite handsome mech if one had the optics to look for it. Leaving the lights dimmed so as not to startle the flier too badly, for his quarters bore quite the difference to the med bay, what with the mostly red and black furniture, Ratchet turned, waiting for the Air Commander to catch up with him.
Never had he let a patient into his quarters, he realized as the Seeker almost hesitantly made his way over to him, gaining speed with every step he took until he almost crushed into him, clinging to his chassis with both arms, digits bent almost clawlike to hold on to his plates as if he was afraid he'd leave him at the last moment, mumbling incoherently.
"It's alright...I promise." It wasn't much of a reassurance, but it appeared to be all Starscream had needed for his digits unfurled, turning his hands into sliding surfaces that began caressing his frame hesitantly. They weren't in any particular hurry, so Ratchet decided to return the favor by slowly sliding his hands up the Seeker's arms to his shoulder joints, tracing the supportive wiring from there towards his cranial unit and map out his face with just the tip of his digits, all the while never leaving his optics with his own.
He hadn't meant to do that, hadn't meant to show his fear yet again. But going from a bright room into a darker... it had shaken him a little. But Ratchet was patient, that helped... Starscream didn't bother to look around, what was around them was unimportant. What mattered was Ratchet, softly stroking and exploring him... The medic was likely to know his body inside and out before the Decepticon left, Starscream realized. He wasn't going to know Ratchet's that well... he wasn't the one working on systems almost any time they weren't... interfacing. Oh dear, this was likely to make him quiet the reputation in Autobot ranks... something else Starscream decided was unimportant. This was only his second time really touching this frame, and he wanted to enjoy it, to remember it...
Gradually he leaned his frame closer towards the Seeker, who was now taller than him. It was a little unnerving if Ratchet was honest with himself. Sitting it hadn't been a problem, Ratchet was marginally taller than Starscream, at least when he was standing while the flier was sitting down. Now though they were both standing and all Ratchet could do without stressing his joints was touching. He paid it only little mind though as the Air Commander's digits slid over his sides and onto his back. Almost arching at the touch due to the fact that those sensors definitely weren't stimulated regularly, he turned surprised optics onto Starscream's as the Seeker became bolder, almost slamming his cockpit against Ratchet's chestplates and dragging his frame upwards with a hand on the back of his neck joint simply to lick over his faceplate edges.
Ratchet was shorter... And he was hungry, wanted that frame against him, the medic's derma... Starscream pulled Ratchet up, moaning, the hand that wasn't holding the Autobot up wandering down and tracing that well-formed aft. Suddenly realizing what he was doing, the Seeker managed to set Ratchet back to the ground before removing his hands and stepping back. "I was rough. I... I'm sorry. I..." Starscream looked away from Ratchet, shaking slightly, he didn't want to stop... So he knelt, watching the medic... there, now he seemed smaller than the medic, now maybe it would be okay....
A hand on his aft was both startling and deeply satisfying. Yet it was taken back far too soon as Starscream lowered him back down and even went so far as to step back from him and apologizing. Why the pit was he apologizing anyway? It made no sense to Ratchet's processor, seeing as he had enjoyed the Seeker's touch quite a lot. Then the Air Commander even knelt down before him and his spark gave a lurch. "No! It's alright, you didn't do anything wrong! Actually... I quite enjoyed it," he admitted honestly, reaching for Starscream's cranial unit to caress over his facial plating once more. The Seeker moaned at the touch, arching against him and reaching for his hips to stabilize himself.
It was a bit awkward to have the Air Commander on his knees before him, sure it gave him an advantage in height seeing as Starscream's cranial unit only came up to about the middle of his front window, but that was the main problem as well, for they still couldn't kiss each other that way. Maybe he should suggest for them to move this to the berth...yet he was nervous about suggesting too much to the Seeker. After all, they were still enemies and any move could be taken wrong. If he invited Starscream to his berth, the Decepticon might become suspicious of him and refuse any further treatment... but what if that happened because he didn't invite him to his berth? Confusion was a nasty feeling his CPU decided and he wholesparkedly agreed with it.
He had grown accustom to letting grounders take the lead... "I shouldn't have done... I should have at least warned you!" Okay, if they kept on like this, the growing mood would be completely shattered, and he didn't want that... especially not when he was slowly encircling Ratchet in his arms, resting his face against the glass... "Ah... we seemed... to get along better when I was... sitting..." He was hesitant to voice that, as it was as much a request as it was an observation. But then, what other point WAS there to being in the medic's room? "Do you want to see me on your berth...? Sprawled out, hungry and waiting for you?" He'd been in that position before, though rarely from his own choice... hopefully Ratchet wouldn't think he was being too forward, wouldn't be angry!
His processor started at the proposition and a shiver went through his chassis. Primus, what the Seeker was suggesting was so... carnal... yet it sounded so inviting... so tempting... "...Yes..." Ratchet barely managed to articulate, fisting the flier's neck joint lightly, trailing his hands over his shoulder joints to caress the wings. He wanted him to have a reason to writhe in pleasure after all, no?
Ratchet would feel bad if he crawled... so he would have to loom again, tower over him... but Ratchet hadn't really seemed to mind that. Standing required care, he didn't want to loose those hands any sooner than he had too, after all... Starscream bent down and stole a kiss before backing up, moving towards where he thought the berth was while never looking away from the medic. Feeling the berth against his legs, he simply sat and scooted up, one hand tracing up his canopy and pulling a moan from him. The berth felt nice, and the Seeker slowly relaxed, touching himself enough to build hunger, keep himself writhing, while always keeping his optics on the medic's face. He wanted to SEE Ratchet's desire...
Letting the Seeker go was a hard thing to do, but he managed. He wanted nothing more than to chase after him instantly, but those ruby optics kept him pinned, not allowing any movement. Watching transfixed as the Air Commander caressed his own frame, which drew a moan of apparent desire from him, he tried to remember what the Seeker was doing so that he could repeat it once he could move again. Starscream was leaning back on his berth now, writhing in a way that was almost obscene, but it all added to the picture of need the flier was drawing of himself, displaying his chassis for Ratchet to see and yearn for.
It was apparent that he wanted to entice him, wanted to be... what? Taken? Comforted? Pleased? Ratchet would do all three if he only knew the Seeker truly wanted it. Slowly he took a step forward, carefully placing his feet before one another with barely an inch between the platings, creeping along the way like a predator, yet at the same time he took care to be slow enough to that the Air Commander would be warned of his approach so that he could defy him if he grew scared. He still didn't know how to take the Decepticon. One moment he was stable, the next scared and then he was needy... a strange combination of character cravings that he couldn't figure out the cause of.
His vents stuttered as Ratchet began to move towards him... stalk towards him. Yes, stalk towards him, he could almost hear the low rumbling growl which normally accompanied such actions. But the look of want on the medic's face was clouded with care, concern... Starscream mewled, reaching for the Autobot and crying out as digits passed over his clasps... it was just a sensitive place to fondle, though if Ratchet wanted to watch him open, play... he'd even overload himself if Ratchet wanted, though he'd far rather feel the caring spark. "Do you like what you see? Do you want me...? What do you want me to do, name it..."
Seeing a hand reaching for him, he stepped in closer, not intending the Seeker to start feeling pain instead of pleasure. He was no sadist, he would not enjoy watching another in despair, so the sudden cry startled him slightly, but then he saw just where Starscream's hand had scratched over his own plating, right at the clasps that would open his canopy and allow him to reveal his spark, no wonder he had reacted strongly to such stimulation. The question caught him off balance, but after a little bit of thinking, he replied with the only true answer he knew he could give the Air Commander.
"Be yourself," he simply asked, and saw the surprise in his optics. Ratchet wouldn't ever ask another for something he was not, so if Starscream wanted to overload on his own, simply being watched by his burning gaze... he would let him.
"I don't know how," Starscream admitted, still reaching for the medic, beckoning him closer. He didn't know how to be himself, he wasn't even completely sure what 'himself' was... but he did know he wanted Ratchet to join him. As much as he liked being watched, and oh, did he like it, he wanted Ratchet's hands on him. "I haven't for ages..." His hand reached Ratchet, and the Seeker moaned, feeling the armor with his one hand while continuing to trace his own body with his other. He liked the way Ratchet looked at him, slightly embarrassed but so wanting... It was the hint of something that might almost be called innocence which enticed him so, Starscream knew.
The honest reply was surprising enough, yet the hand that continued to reach for him was even more so and he could not resist. Not that Ratchet would have wanted to, but he wasn't certain if he could have denied the Seeker any request he could've made right then. Letting himself be dragged closer, onto the berth, he was guided on top of the flier's body. A hand was trailed down his chestplates, over his abdomen and over his right thigh while Starscream arched into his own touch. "Just let go then and I'll show you how to..." he promised, beginning to knead over the Air Commander's wing joints, drawing ecstatic cries of desire from him.
Let go... let go. He'd never dared do that, his trine wouldn't be able to stand him doing that, and it wouldn't be SAFE to do that with anyone else. But Ratchet had already seen him at his weakest, his most unguarded... he hadn't offered hurt then, so it had to be safe now. Didn't it? The Seeker found himself entranced by the joints of Ratchet's hips, removing his hands from his own body to explore the Autobot's again. "So different... so very... no weaponry. Armor's thinner..." He might have sounded calm and detached, but his body arched up, begging for contact, touch, pleasure.
"Medics are built light but sturdy so that we can move great distances in short time in order to get to a patient swiftly. Usually a medic has no need for weapons, seeing as we're normally not required to join battles, but, well... it's not as if that ever counted before." Ratchet grimaced at the end. Few knew how much he disliked joining the battle formations against the Decepticons. Always running through his CPU whenever Optimus called out names of the battle's strike force was the prayer that, please Primus, his name shouldn't be amongst them. Most of the time his trouble was for naught anyway, but one could hope no? But he didn't want to think about their war, not now, not right before interfacing. He didn't want their merge to be tainted by his troubled stand in these times, so he used another rhythm in which he could shift the pressure on Starscream's wing joints so that it wasn't symmetrical anymore, causing the Air Commander to gasp while arching against him, obviously approving of the change.
"No Decepticon is so... un-battle... ready." It was getting progressively harder to speak under Ratchet's ministrations... "I... like that you are..." Ratchet's lack of weapons and real armor just helped to ensure Starscream wouldn't forget that this was an Autobot he was with... someone SAFE. At least... safe for now... He arched up, scraped their glass together. Starscream wanted to feel, not to think... and the Autobot seemed of a like mind, changing his caresses and making the Seeker almost dizzy with sensation.
Ratchet had never before received such a complimentary response on this subject, so he was quite surprised Starscream appeared not to have a problem with his lack of weapons. More even, he liked that he had no apparent weapons and that told Ratchet volumes. He didn't take it as an insult, like others could have done, but for the honest truth he heard in the flier's voice. Slowly he felt the Air Commander's digits seeping beneath his plating, exploring the wiring of his hip joint on both sides. It made his legs tremble occasionally when the Seeker caressed just the right wires, but most of all, it forced them closer together, which Starscream used to rub his canopy against his chestplates and front window. "And what else do you like?" Ratchet practically purred, trailing his digits over the mech's wings and leaning his cranial unit down to lick over the uppermost glass panel of the Seeker's cockpit.
"I like that..." Starscream answered, sounding almost timid. He did, the continuous waves of sensation feeling very good and proving that he was out of that cave. The Seeker also rather enjoyed the way Ratchet's legs would tremble when he'd stroke the right thing... it was fun to go through and find out just what got a strong reaction. "I like you being... gentle... I... Ilikethatyoutrustme." He did, it made him feel like he was worth the effort Ratchet was putting into him.
He had no intention to stop any of his movements if the Seeker proved to enjoy them, so the confirmation had him smiling slightly. He had worried greatly if he could make Starscream like anything he did, seeing that their first merge had been more out of need and quite too rushed to be considered anything but by far too quick, Ratchet had felt his processor go blank at the prospect of having to entice the flier. Not that it was something he was good at anyway, quite the contrary, so he had briefly faltered in his decision to do anything his patient might ask of him, if it just helped him... Now though, the medic himself was trembling, his legs trembling or jerking occasionally depending on the talented Seeker's digits playing with his internal wiring.
"I wouldn't know how to be anything but gentle, so I take it's a good thing that you like it. And I dare say... you have earned that trust with your compliance," he told the Air Commander sincerely. Never would he trust a Decepticon of course, but this was Starscream, he was hurt, confused and most of all...not the cruel Decepticon second in command they had known for eons now. At least he wasn't acting like it.
Moaning, Starscream nuzzled the top of Ratchet's head, resisting the urge to coo. "With my compliance... I think that must be a first." The medic's glossa felt... very good against his canopy. So very good... "Let... me feel you inside, Ratchet? Please?" He wanted to feel more... but he wanted things to go slower this time, wanted time to ENJOY this, enjoy the medic, be enjoyed... "Or give me something to suck," the Seeker added in a blatantly suggestive tone.
"You remember what I like, I take it." Ratchet practically gave the Seeker a free ticked to do whatever he wanted. It wasn't as if Starscream would abuse his lenience he knew, so he offered it naturally, completely aware of the fact that he would be thoroughly subjected to the Air Commander's whims within the near future.
Carefully he slipped his digits underneath the canopy's side paneling, stroking along the underside and downwards where he ended at the sensitive Seeker nose. Playing his digits around the delicate sensors located there, he tapped over the plating lightly, moving his digits in a creeping way back up to the clasps that held the canopy in place. "Well...open up then," he reminded the Seeker, how else was he supposed to get inside the Decepticon's chassis if the Air Commander kept himself locked up like this?
Open up... right... Mewling and arching up, Starscream pulled one of his hands from Ratchet's seam, tracing up to his canopy and unlatching it. And then he was stuck slightly, he wanted to suck on Ratchet's fingers... but at the same time, the Seeker noticed that his chevron was very close... Making his decision, Starscream sucked the red metal into his mouth, twining his fingers with Ratchet's and guiding the medic over his instrumentation. One thing more he needed to know... "Sss... safe to scream? I want... to..."
In all his pleasure, he had become lax in his control over himself, but Starscream had to have known what he would be doing to him, otherwise he probably never would have intertwined their digits so that he could prevent his caresses from becoming hurtful. "Scream... all you want... if you need to," Ratchet allowed quickly so that he could get the words out while his vocalizer was still functional. Who was he to deny the flier the simple way in which he sought to release some of his pent up desire?
Good to know... so good to know... but of course he couldn't scream with the chevron in his mouth. Well, he probably COULD, but he didn't know how it would feel, and he didn't want to risk anything, and he was in no way ready to STOP sucking on the sensitive metal. He LIKED how Ratchet's vocalizer hitched, static lacing through his words, he liked how the medic pressed against him. And there was just something decadent in guiding the caresses, focusing to read the small signs Ratchet gave when he wanted to stay on some particular instrument, or when he wanted to move on faster...
He barely noticed which system it was but as his digit tip brushed over it Starscream arched against him so violently, moaning so strongly that it made his chevron vibrate, and so he did it again. The Seeker's frame trembled beneath his as he assaulted the apparent sweet spot he had found. Never had he expected to find such a delicate patch of plating on the Air Commander, but now that he knew about it, he would see to it that the knowledge was used! "Move... your glossa!" Ratchet whined in both sympathy and need as the Decepticon froze his movements, apparently too lost in bliss to care much anymore just what was happening around him.
Starscream whimpered, WHAT had Ratchet found...? He didn't care, it felt GOOD, oh, good. Move his... move... oh. With another whimpering moan, Starscream sucked and licked the not-really-sharp point in his mouth. He felt good... and there was just enough coherency left to want to make Ratchet feel good, make Ratchet glad he had done this, know that it was worth helping him because he could be so grateful, so very... "Ratchet... mm, Ratchet!"
It was probably the worst cliché ever that had come true during the Seeker's construction. Who ever would have guessed that one of STARSCREAM'S sweet spots would be the system connected to the equivalent of a joystick inside his cockpit while transformed? Ratchet surely hadn't guessed it, but in retrospect it made more sense than necessary. The joystick was a delicate instrument in most aircraft, seeing as it adjusted the entire frame of the flier to its guidance, it was small and hard to reach, and most of all it was total control one had over the Seeker if one knew how to manipulate it correctly. Yes, Ratchet was quite satisfied with his discovery.
"Enjoying yourself?" he asked gently as he managed to pinch the stick with his thumb and forefinger, rubbing his digits up and down as much as he could in the tightly enclosed space of Starscream's cockpit, twirling them around the tip as the opportunity to do so arose. Hearing his name tumbling from the Air Commander's shoutbox in a staccato that was accompanied by wave after wave of spark flares, he knew that he was driving him insane with lust, which was exactly what he intended with his actions. The glossa licking his chevron moved erratically, sometimes firm, sometimes light, sometimes fast, then slow again, Starscream was unpredictable and the medic enjoyed it immensely, after all his chevron was one of his sweet spots as well, not the most sensitive, but definitely not ignorant to such touches either.
"Enjoy... enjoy, enjoying... Mm, ye... yes. Not fair..." Starscream would like to make Ratchet feel this way, devoured by want... The only reason the Air Commander wasn't throwing the medic down and taking him was because it felt so good to let Ratchet continue. But next time... oh, next time he was NOT letting Ratchet off, next time HE would be the one on top of a moaning and incoherent Ratchet, next time... There might not be a next time. Starscream whimpered and screamed, he wasn't going to think about that, he was very good at not thinking about unhappy things he couldn't change, after all. As far as he was concerned, there would be a next time, and he would have Ratchet screaming under him, and it was all as simple as that.
"What's not fair?" he asked, looking up at the Seeker startled by the accusation. Retreating slightly he took his hands off of the Seeker, sitting up, straddling his hips to give him the room he appeared to need. What had he done wrong that the Air Commander felt the need to mention that he felt somehow mistreated by him? Wasn't... Hadn't his chassis been quivering from desire... but fear instead?
Starscream keened and looked at Ratchet in confusion, feeling a flash of anger. "Why did you STOP? Ratchet...!" He reached out, wanted to pull the medic back down, get him to FINISH... He had been asked a question. A question... "YOU'RE not! You... you can control me... make me scream and need, loose all... care, all propriety, but you... you DON'T! You, you stay... stay controlled... Am I even affecting you? Do you want me, or are you just... HUMORING me... And why are you asking me now, slaggit, what do you WANT from me?"
Immediately Starscream barked at him with apparent confusion and anger, reaching up to tug him back down and demand answers of him. Confused, he reacted with anger himself out of habit. "What do you mean? What should I want from you? It wasn't me who started this, if I gotta remind ya! It's not me who doesn't know how to-" yet he wisely stopped himself right there, right before he could have said something very stupid indeed. Lowering his cranial unit, not daring to look the Air Commander in his ruby optics, Ratchet felt quite ashamed of himself.
"I'm sorry. I did not mean for you to feel like that. It's usually not like me to take another's control away from them." What could he do? He'd made feel Starscream not only angry, but hurt as well and that stung. "I wasn't humoring you... still aren't... and well... let's just keep it at the fact that I haven't been 'affected' like this in quite a long time. Probably not since..." cutting himself off once again, Ratchet straightened his back. "I was trying to make you feel good, enjoy yourself at least a little and make you forget that you're not supposed to be here at all... make you forget that you're amongst enemies here... make you forget that you're in danger... I swear I only wanted you not to be so jittery and afraid of everything. Guess you're not afraid if you can snap at me like that huh?" Ratchet gave him a crooked grin, not really certain if the Decepticon had understood what he'd meant to say.
He flinched at Ratchet's anger, arousal and sudden fear warring in his processor. A quiet apology soothed him almost instantly, and he went back to stroking the medic. "I don't MIND you taking control! It just... didn't seem fair, I felt so good and you... didn't seem to feel at all. I... I'm not afraid, not of you," not most of the time, because most of the time Ratchet wasn't angry, was so very gentle. "I... Even with THEM, I'm probably sa... Can we stop talking, can we please... I would like to feel your spark again, but if you don't want me too, can I at least overload?" His systems really were overheating, and while Starscream could work them down in time, well, he would much prefer the pleasure of an overload!
Startled, he dumbly stared at the Seeker for a few astroseconds longer than necessary. He wanted to continue? Just like that? "Well, yes... of course." Ratchet reminded himself firmly that it was neither time nor place nor appropriate to throw a hissy fit right now. It wouldn't do at all, but none the less, he wanted to. He wanted to scream and rage at the Air Commander how he could just go back from an argument like this and sink into pleasure almost instantly. It made no sense at all! Then again, Starscream didn't need to make sense now did he? He was the mentally instable mech in his care right now and Ratchet would just have to deal with it. Nodding to the Seeker in silent permission and acceptance he leaned down, nudging the cockpit aside with his olfactory sensor, slowly tracing the plating seams around the interior and stroking the pilot seat with one of his digits while he busied his other hand upon the sleek surface of Starscream's right wing.
Starscream shrank into himself a little as Ratchet's initial reaction to his plea was a simple stare. A moment later, the Decepticon thought maybe he had only imagined it as pleasure was added into the mix again. He relaxed, threading his digits carefully into one of the medic's seams. Had Ratchet agreed to another merge, or only to the Air Commander's own overload? Starscream wasn't sure, was quickly surrendering the ability to think again, and just wanted to enjoy this. They could argue afterwards! "Am I going to feel you, or should I just enjoy this...?" Starscream asked weakly, already arching up again.
"Enjoy it for now," was his evasive answer as he latched onto the control panel in the Air Commander's cockpit, stroking it with his glossa. Pit but he didn't want to do it like this. He didn't want his spark and processor to be like this, didn't want them to disagree. His spark told him that he was being ridiculous by refusing the Seeker and his processor told him that it was the only possible way of action, even going so far as to demand of him to just leave Starscream to his own devices in his current condition. True they were enemies, but he was still a medic, he would not deny a patient of his if he could help it. The Decepticon's systems were cooperating nicely however, they had barely managed to cool down from the previous stimuli so it didn't take long for Ratchet to have the Seeker underneath him thrashing and screaming from desire once more.
Mewling unhappily, Starscream didn't really have a choice. He was in no real position to protest, didn't really want to, for all he hated that Ratchet had apparently decided not to take his own enjoyment from this encounter. And it was every so much easier to give in and scream, drown his thoughts and worries and fears in pleasure, such lovely pure pleasure. "Ratchet... Oh, Ratch', please... So good, please, more, just a little...!"
Complying with the Seeker immediately, he sought out the joystick once more, rubbing it with his glossa while gripping onto the mech so that his violent movements wouldn't throw him off. Starscream's overload tapered off only slowly, probably due to the fact that Ratchet hadn't relinquished the stimulation to his sweet spot just yet. He knew if he continued for just another astrosecond the Air Commander would seamlessly fall into recharge from his spark's contentment and so he wasn't worried in the least as one system after the other shut down within the Seeker and his frame grew still. "Recharge for now," Ratchet murmured lowly and sneaked off of his berth and back into the office within his med bay to regain a clear processor and think things through calmly. This couldn't go on the way it was right now...
Starscream tried to stay awake, whimpering a little as Ratchet skillfully worked him towards recharge. They had things to talk about, an argument to resume! And... he felt so good. So safe. He whimpered again, but the Seeker couldn't fight off recharge any longer.
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