Danny sat on Starscream's chest plate with his knees pulled up to his chest as he focused on the beating spark beneath him. As long as he could hear that, he would know Starscream was alive. It's all Danny ever did. Listen. Check his vitals. Listen again. He groaned, rubbing his palms into his eyes.
Ratchet glanced over at him but didn't make a comment before he went back to his work. Ratchet had come back to the medbay a little after Bumblebee had left from his and Danny's fun catch-up session. The medic had gone straight back to work, occasionally rumbling over something or other or angrily tossing a tool to the side.
Ratchet's no-nonsense, no-conversational nature was welcome to Danny, at least right now. It was like sitting with Soundwave, just with some added Cybertronian curses in the mix. But It was the voices outside the medbay that were getting to Danny.
The Autobots were complaining to Optimus about Starscream. And with his enhanced hearing, Danny couldn't help but hear every word. He tried to tune it out, but the words cut through like knives. He glanced over at Ratchet again. Maybe the medic was put here to ensure Danny wasn't overhearing the meeting. He didn't know.
"Why is he even here?" A deeper voice said, probably Bulkhead. "Starscream, of all mechs? You know the problems he's caused. What's the point of saving him? We should have just let him rust in that forest."
Another voice, Arcee. "How could the human defend someone with as much energon on their servos as Starscream? What could he possibly owe to that conniving seeker?"
"I mean, maybe he doesn't know what Starscream's done," a softer voice chimed in, probably Raf.
"Either way, it's weird," Miko interjected. "He's still sticking his neck out for him. And he snapped at me for no reason earlier!"
Optimus's voice joined in, sounding almost exasperated. "It is not our place to judge Danny's choices. However unusual they may seem."
"The human shouldn't even be in there with him!" Arcee snapped. "He doesn't know what Starscream's capable of. We should take him out of there before Starscream wakes up and someone gets hurt."
Danny's jaw clenched as the conversation continued. They didn't know Starscream the way he did. Anger was filling his field as he listened, festering as he sat there. Ratchet glanced over again, raising an optic ridge.
Optimus spoke up again. "Danny wishes to stay by Starscream's side until the Decepticon wakes up. That is his choice. However, we will take him out of harm's way as soon as it is necessary."
"Danny seems to trust Starscream. Maybe he has a reason to," Bumblebee added.
"How can anyone trust Starscream!" Arcee exclaimed. "Not even the Decepticons trust him. It's probably how he got in this mess in the first place." She scoffed.
Danny's patience finally snapped.
He jumped off of Starscream's chest plate and landed on the floor in a barrel roll. Ratchet startled and turned towards Danny as he stormed over to the medbay door, fury crackling around him. "What are you doing?" Ratchet asked. Danny ignored him.
The Autobots and humans all turned as Danny marched into the room.
"Seriously?" Danny snapped. "You think I can't hear you?" The group froze, exchanging uneasy glances.
"Look, I get it," Danny continued, his tone sharp. "You don't like Starscream. He's done some bad stuff. But newsflash—so have most of you." He pointed at Arcee, then Bulkhead, his glare sweeping across the room. "How about you stop pretending you're all perfect and cut him some slack?"
"It's not that simple—" Arcee started, but Danny cut her off.
"—How can any of them defend you ?" He jabbed a finger in the direction of the human kids standing on the catwalk. "How can they trust you ?"
Bulkhead was the first to respond. "That's not the same thing."
Danny crossed his arms, his glare intensifying. "Oh, really? Kids," he looked up at the three humans. "Why do you trust the Autobots?" Venom laced his words. "Why do you spend time with them, care about them?"
Arcee opened her intake, her optics flashing in irritation. "There's no need for—"
Danny held up a hand, cutting her off mid-sentence. Arcee's optics narrowed dangerously, and for a moment, Danny thought she might deck him. But he ignored her, his focus now entirely on the three kids. "Seriously, why? Give me one reason."
Miko, predictably, was the first to speak. "Bulkhead's awesome! He is always there to protect me and even put himself on the line! He is also ready to go heavy metal on some Con scum if I'm in danger." She called out, fist-pumping the air.
Jack stepped forward, nodding. "Arcee's got my back. No matter what. She's there for me. Even when we don't always agree. She looks out for me like no one else can."
Raf hesitated before speaking, a small smile spreading across his face. "Bumblebee's my best friend," he said softly. "I love hanging out with him, especially when he takes me to go out for RC car races. He really cares, and I can always talk to him." He got more excited as he explained.
Danny nodded, letting their words sink in. He saw the way the Autobots' optics softened at the words. It was hard not to see the mutual care. He let out a breath. "Those are perfect reasons to care about someone. To defend them. And those are the same reasons I care about him ." He pointed back at the medbay where Starscream lay still unconscious on the med berth.
Arcee's optics narrowed, still skeptical. "I don't see how—"
Danny didn't flinch. "Starscream cares about me, in his own way." He stepped forward, his voice steady. "One time, we were in a cave, and it started collapsing around us. He could've left me there—would've been easy. But he didn't. He threw himself over me, took the hit, got buried under rubble to keep me safe. It almost killed him."
The Autobots looked at one another, some of their expressions betraying surprise. "He doesn't say it. Hell, I don't think he'd ever admit it." Danny continued throwing his hand out to the side. "But he would do it again."
Ratchet stepped out of the medbay and into the conversation with crossed arms. "You're talking about one instance. One act of self-sacrifice doesn't make him trustworthy."
Danny's eyes snapped back to Ratchet, growing more intense. "It's not just that. He hid me from Megatron, he lied to Megatron, and it nearly got him fragging killed. And when I'm hurt or sick, Starscream notices, when I was hurt a few months ago he wouldn't even let my feet touch the ground till I was healed. Which, while very annoying at the time, showed he cares."
Danny let the silence sit for a moment before looking at Jack and gesturing to Arcee. "Jack, you said that when it comes down to it, you trust Arcee to have your back. To be there for you no matter what. And that's how I feel about Starscream. He's there for me. Every time."
He pointed to Miko. "Starscream defends me, protects me, even if I say I don't need it." He then pointed to Raf and Bumblebee. "And I talk to him about anything, we hang out, he teaches me parts of his language and culture."
"And the truth is, I like being around him!" He continued, everyone stunned into silence. "Yeah, he's stubborn and has a massive ego, but I like annoying him. I like following him around, trying to be his conscience when no one else will." Danny's voice grew sharper, his frustration spilling over. "I don't get how none of you understand that, when you claim to feel the same things."
Danny's fists clenched at his sides, his tone turning bitter. "Yes, he's done terrible things. He's killed Autobots. But let's not pretend you're innocent. How many Decepticons have you killed in this war?"
Arcee's expression darkened, and even Optimus remained silent. "You claim to be the 'good guys '. The ones who help people, care about life? Well, guess what—Starscream's a person. He's hurt. He needs help. And I'm not just gonna sit here and listen to you tear him down while he's lying in a medbay fighting to stay alive."
Danny sighed."I'm not asking you to like him. But stop ripping into him before he's even had a chance to explain himself. And stop judging me for trying to defend him, just like how you would defend your human partners."
The Autobots exchanged uneasy glances, but none of them interrupted. "And right now," Danny's voice softened. "I'm going to wait for my friend to wake up from his life-threatening injuries. So, if you'll excuse me, leave us alone. "
With that, Danny turned on his heel, storming back toward the medbay and pushing past Ratchet. The Autobots left in stunned silence as he went.
x
Ratchet watched as the human stormed past. The room he left behind filled with confusion, anger, and guilt. He sighed, looking over them all. Ratchet locked optics with Optimus, who looked at him with an implication that Ratchet, unfortunately, knew the meaning of. Great, now Ratchet had to talk to the kid.
He turned into the medbay, closing the door behind him. The human was sitting on Starscream's chest plate again. Ratchet knew he was listening to his sparkbeat. Danny's eyes snapped up to Ratchet as the medic got closer. He then shrugged and looked away. "What, here to tell me that this is another effect of Stockholm syndrome? Or that I'm delusional for caring about a murderer." He didn't look back at him.
"It's my medbay. Am I not allowed to be in here?" Ratchet asked thoughtfully. The human shrugged. Ratchet noted the human placing a hand on Starscream's chest plate, brushing his fingers against the metal. The silence stretched for a long moment, before…
"He almost died for me," Danny said quietly, and Ratchet waited. "Your 'most selfish con,'" he held up air quotes, "almost died for a pathetic human. And that means nothing to you guys?" He was sure he saw a tear run down the human's cheek. Great, Ratchet was not equipped to deal with crying humans.
"Sure, maybe the cave in thing was a quick decision, he didn't know it would hurt him. But this…" He gestured to Starscream's body. "It happened because of me. You haven't seen how he's changed. Not like I have."
"Then explain it to me," Ratchet said, sitting down on a stool next to the berth. His helm was now almost at the same level as the human.
Danny shuffled around to face Ratchet. "When we first met, he definitely hated humans. He would talk about how much of a 'pathetic fleshy' I was." He laughed mirthlessly. "You know, the first thing he ever did when he saw me was push me off a roof." Ratchet's field flickered with concern, and an upset expression spread across his faceplate. But the human continued.
"He thought I was an annoying pest. And he told me so. Tried to blow me up and kill me multiple times." Danny gestured to himself. "Didn't work, obviously." He sighed deeply. "I thought he was interesting and fun to annoy. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get rid of me."
"Starscream… he pushes everyone away. He snaps at them, insults them, tries to kill them or throws them under the bus. That's just how he works, because he doesn't want connection. In his mind, in the Decepticons' minds, the connection is a weakness, and emotion is a weakness. But when he gets confronted with someone he can't get rid of, a relationship he can't mess up no matter how hard he tries because I'm not willing to leave, it starts to change him."
Ratchet nodded. "So you think, you meeting Starscream has changed him somehow? Made him, what… a better mech?"
"I certainly think it has…" Danny looked down at the seeker. "I certainly hope it has. I know he cares. He's lost a lot. Just like I'm sure you guys have over this war. But all the Decepticons —Save for Megatron— Care about me."
"Maybe that is true," Ratchet said. "But do you really think you changed the ideals of all the Decepticons? One human?"
"Sometimes, one is all it takes," Danny said softly.
Ratchet's optics shuttered as he leaned back. "You know… I never thought I would meet someone with more optimism than Optimus himself." Silence settled over them as Ratchet sat. The Autobots haven't had many encounters with Starscream recently, nor many of the other Cons, for that matter, just the drones in the mines during shootouts. Maybe a couple of instances between Bulkhead and Breakdown.
Ratchet would need to wait and see how Starscream reacts when he wakes up. Maybe this human had changed the Decepticons, or maybe he was just delusional. But the way he talks about them… Ratchet wants to see this for himself.
"How did you find us, anyway?" Danny asked thoughtfully, looking up at Ratchet. "You groundbridged right to us. Right before Starscream bled out."
"We received your distress signal. And your coordinates." Ratchet answered.
"Distress signal?" Danny questioned. "We didn't send a distress signal." The human sat up straighter.
"Well, we received one." Ratchet leaned over, typing in a few buttons on his monitor, pulling up the signal message.
Danny stared up at it. "How? Starscream was practically unconscious when we fell. I don't think he could have sent something like that."
Ratchet looked over the message again as well. The wording was peculiar. "Well, if Starscream didn't send it… Who did?"
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