Starscream onlines his optics, taking a moment to comprehend his surroundings. He's in an unfamiliar room, with chains on his wrists and ankles and his wings…
Are not there.
Suddenly the memory comes flooding back and he crumples into himself, sobbing loudly and calling for solace in his native language.
The door opens slowly, just enough for a familiar red form to slip inside the small room, a sympathetic expression across their faceplate. "Starscream…" Knockout may not be the most caring mech, but even he hates to see the Seeker in such a state.
"No…" Starscream backs away, an almost watery fluid filling his optics as he looks everywhere but at the medic. "Don't touch me.."
Knockout winces, crouching down to the fragile mech's level and holding out an Energon cube. "I won't. Can you drink this for me?"
The broken Seeker shakes his helm. "No. I'm not hungry."
The medic sighs sadly. "Starscream… I know you're hurting. I can't imagine what you are going through right now." He's the only one who knows of the Seeker's habits, having discovered the cuts in a medical scan when he first came on the Nemesis. "But I need you to drink this. You lost a lot of Energon, and you need to build that back up."
Starscream hisses quietly, not really feeling threatening, but wanting to portray himself as dangerous. "I don't need anything but to die! Leave me alone…" He bursts into sobs again, his body spasming in time with the loud sounds.
The medic leaves the Energon where it can be easily reached before slipping out silently, knowing the mech will need more time to adjust. Truth be told, Knockout is more than a little disturbed at his new position as Seeker-sitter, even more so since the wings of the Seeker are gone.
Megatron hadn't left them in Starscream's quarters, even. The medic can only assume that the warlord had stashed them somewhere to use to taunt the poor mech in the hidden room behind the medbay later.
Knockout cleans off his servos, barely able to distinguish the muffled sounds of a scared Seeker behind the thick soundproofed walls separating them. He understands a few words in the language, having researched the sub-species intensively over his life cycle.
He hears many cries for help or love, each making him wince as if in pain. He never really cared for Starscream, the mech being a conniving little glitch most of the time, but seeing him without his wings…
Wings are a huge part of Seeker culture. They tell others everything about you. Your mood, your status, your family background, your desire to mate, and so on. Without wings, a Seeker is lost as to how to explain themselves, or how to describe their feelings.
Hence why the normally gruff Starscream is cowering in a ball, pressed into a corner sobbing. He will most likely have to learn to walk all over again, too, and Knockout sighs. He just has to give the ex commander time, he supposes. Starscream won't get over losing his wings in only twenty four Earth hours.
I cried. I'll be honest, this book makes me cry all the time.