It happened again. . .
It happened fast. . .
Too fast. . .
All he could see was a mere blur of motion, feeling his frame get punched over and over again by his Silver-clad leader.
Energon splattered, small pieces of his body were crushed, and the pain he could never forget had came back, like an bitter old friend, who kept showing up despite being unwanted.
★*★*★*★
Starscream encountered himself on the medbay of the Nemesis ship. It was silent, quiet if not by the external sounds. He was patching himself up after another one of Megatron's beatings, with some tools placed on a table in front of him.
"It happened again, and it wouldn't be the last time I would feel my frame get 'crumpled like paper' like humans would say."
He winced every few nano-clicks or so while tending to his wounds. He was getting better at fixing up after every single beating he took. He felt weary, tired, overstimulated, everything at once, something his processor wasn't taking lightly. It wasn't ideal, but he would rather do this alone than to bother the already overworked shining medic 'con.
- Starscream?
Talk about the devil. Knockout, the slightly Narcissist Decepticon medic, returned to the medbay after what the seeker could only presume as a "field mission", Not that he cared for that matter. He didn't turn to face them, but acknowledged his presence with a simple short nod.
- . . . What?
Knockout sighed. Starscream didn't need to vocalize himself for him to understand what had happened. Instead, he grew closer to the seeker, subconsciously analysing the damage as he did so.
- You know. . . You could've comm me, right? That's my job, screamer.
He said in his usual "matter of fact" tone, but he meant it to be a more lighthearted note for the Seeker. Starscream, on the other hand, didn't respond, as he kept up with his repairs. Knockout found it rather off character for the seeker to not be screaming a piece of his mind to him about their "Lord" and how he would overthrow them. Instead, he was met with this silent, barely responding 'con in front of him.
- Maybe I should-
The 'con medic tried to reach out a servo to help them with the repairs, but the seeker held it firmly, a grasp he didn't feel from them before. It didn't hurt, but was enough to surprise him.
- No. You shouldn't.
Starscream's wings tensed, his usual loud and sore tone, which mostly sounded like he was in constant choking, was replaced with this. . . normal vocal? Of course it was still sore and all, but it didn't sound as "forced". It made Knockout's optic widen slightly. Something was off, but he didn't know what.
A sigh escaped his fans as he stepped back, giving some space for the seemingly distressed seeker. At least, he wanted to think that he was in distress to be acting like that.
- Fine, but could you at least tell me what happened? I mean, what triggered Megatron this time?
There was a moment of silence that stretched out too much between the two 'cons, occasionally being interrupted by the sounds of machinery or other background noises that seemingly blended in with everything else. The seeker took a deep vent, before awnsering:
- Honestly, I don't even know anymore. Maybe he hit my helm too much to the point I can't remember. His beatings have been growing more relentless, careless. . .
He mumbled out the last sentence, more to himself than to Knockout. He finished patching himself up at this point, placing his servos on the edges on the table. The medic, however, did hear Starscream's mumbles, but decided to not pry into it.
- I may have noticed that too. But, maybe you have caught him in a rather. . . moody cycle.
The fact Starscream kept acting and speaking more composed was ringing some alarm bells in his processor. Did Megatron got too out of hand? Did something worse happen this time? He couldn't tell, and it was corroding him inside.
- However. . . At least you're lucky he hadn't turned you into a metal pile of mess. Some vehicons don't exactly have that same fate. . .
A groan of annoyance came from the seeker's vocalizer as those words left the medic's mouth. Of course he would say that.
- You don't need to remind me of that.
He finally turned to face Knockout, taking in the vision of the medic standing in front of him. That kind smile he always wore, that Primus forsaken paint job he never forgets about, and that look of worry he always received when he would step into the medbay after a beating. He knew that all too well, and it annoyed him.
- Listen, my systems are fine, you don't need to bother about those. About the rest? I can take care of it, ok?
- Are you sure?. . .
The medic inquired, a small worried tone creeping up his vocalizer.
- I am.
Starscream didn't even let the other 'con question him any further, as he left the medbay as soon as he finished his phrase. Knockout wanted to object, but knew better than that.
- . . . Sigh.
The medic sighed, before his focus shifted to the tasks he had came to do in the first place.
As he walked down the nemesis corridors, his processor kept replaying the conversation he just had with Knockout. The fact that they confirmed to have noticed Megatron's growing instability reassured him that he wasn't going haywire. He took a deep vent, before striding up like he used to. That cocky smile, and an instance like he never even got demolished a few breems ago appeared on his face.
This is the screamer they know
And will keep being the one they know.
★*★*★*★
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hello Hello! I am Kosmik, thank you for choosing this small fic as your way of entertainment tonight!
I've had the idea for this fic for a great while, and I thought it would finally be the time to do so! Hope you enjoy the next chapters that are coming. See you soon!