Chapter Text
All characters belong to their original creators. Only the writing itself is mine.
“Blah” = Spoken dialogue
::Blah:: = Comm lines
“Blah” = Telepathy
Blah = Private thoughts
~Blah~ = Bonded talk
//Blah// = Sign Language
ASYLUM C24
Sleep was elusive. Optimus’s frame was tired and heavy with painkillers, and every cable ached from overuse. He doubted he would be able to lift his helm even if he wanted to.
But his processor wouldn’t wind down. The phantom feeling of fingers tearing through his leg played on repeat. He reached down and touched the patch, just to remind himself it was fixed.
It had been some time since he had so nearly been killed. He had let it lull him into a false security. He needed to change, or next time the Humans might not be quick enough on the draw to drive off Megatron. Optimus was the only mech who could reliably go toeplate to toeplate against the Warlord; he needed to stay in fighting shape.
Optimus turned his helm, careful of his patched audial. Starscream’s wings rested in the center of his back. One of Soundwave’s arms draped over the Seeker to hold him close. Their pedes were tangled in a manner Optimus was sure they would never be caught in awake.
Both of them had been hurt again, and this time it was irrefutably on Optimus’s shoulders. The Ark -especially the Medbay- was supposed to be a safe place. The refugees were supposed to be here to recover and rebuild.
Starscream kicked himself over, his sparse plating rippling. His helm tossed with a quick huff of air. Soundwave was awake in a sparkbeat, muddled and trying to dock Starscream like a cassette.
The Seeker let out a muffled squawk as he onlined. “Wh’t ‘re -” He broke into a coughing fit that left him venting hard. ::’M’fine,:: he mumbled on a close range but open comm. ::Just want some air.:: Starscream struggled upright and sat on the edge of the medberth. Behind him, Soundwave bunched up the blanket and stared with wide yellow optics.
Pressing a hand to the fresh welds on his abdomen, Starscream slipped off the medberth. It was clearly painful, but he limped to the door. To his obvious surprise, it snick ed open.
“You are not a prisoner.” Optimus propped himself up on his elbows. It dawned on him that Starscream had barely been outside the ICU since arriving here.
::I know that!:: Starscream snapped. He sniffed disapprovingly at the Medbay before withdrawing. ::What are you doing awake?:: He limped closer, halting just out of arm’s reach.
“I couldn’t sleep.” Leg twinging, Optimus scooted back until he could lean against the wall.
Starscream raised an optic ridge. ::And what could possibly keep the mighty Optimus Prime up at night?::
“Megatron has integrated weapons.”
“No shit, Sherlock,” said Rumble.
Both mechs turned to Soundwave. The Host covered his face, embarrassment flooding his EM. His docked cassettes didn’t so much as twitch a plate.
::I know your little hellions are recharging. Don’t try to pin that on them,:: warned Starscream, grinning toothily. The smirk only faded a little as he shifted his attention back to Optimus. ::What he said, Prime. You’re not up contemplating how you’ve missed the giant fusion canon all these years.::
“No.” Optimus paused to pull his thoughts into order. “Starscream, what do you know about installing integrated weaponry?” There. It was out in the open now.
Surprise graced the Seeker’s faceplates. ::What happened to the pacifist who helps old ladies carry their groceries?::
Optimus hadn’t expected Starscream to know that saying. “Megatron slipped past me tonight, and… you two paid the price.” He looked away, his good audial tipping down. “I fear my mecha’s recent successes has made me complacent.”
::Go on,:: prompted Starscream.
“I was nearly killed tonight because I was disarmed. There is no one else who can fight Megatron like I can. If I die, I do not know what will happen to my mecha.” It felt odd to be confessing this to Starscream. But the Seeker had every reason to want to keep Optimus between himself and Megatron. And to Optimus, all the refugees fell under the umbrella of ‘his mecha’.
Starscream narrowed his optics consideringly. ::Let me see your arm,:: he ordered, limping over.
Optimus held one out obligingly. The Flier turned it over to inspect the cabling visible on the underside. With his good hand, he tested the plates’ mobility.
::I could put in some subspace generators here and attach a blaster or a sword there. You think your spark can handle it?:: Starscream looked up from prodding seemingly random areas.
“We have been at war this long,” Optimus answered. Anyone who couldn’t adapt either died or fled with the Neutrals. They had been few in number, even before Cybertron fell.
Starscream grunted, his EM flickering with agreement. ::Get me in a lab and I’ll see what I can do.
“Thank you.” Optimus chose to ignore how Starscream’s wings twitched in surprise at being thanked. The Seeker covered the lapse with a brusque ‘good night’ and retreated to his shared medberth. Soundwave helped him up, promptly throwing the blanket over them and holding on.
Optimus considered his own blanket, folded at the end of the medberth. Normally, he didn’t need one; his frame was large enough to retain heat well.
His leg throbbed through the painkillers.
Optimus pulled the blanket up to his chin.
~~~
Starscream was halfway out of a particularly vicious and jumbled dream when the Prime’s voice startled him the rest of the way. His vocalizer made a painful blat of static as he sat up.
::What’d you want?:: he snapped, scrubbing at his optics. The dream was gone from his memory now. He wasn’t sure if he was glad or not.
“I apologize for waking you. You seemed… distressed.” Optimus’s blue optics cast a dim glow around the room. It seemed even smaller now that most of the monitor lights were off.
::Have you been awake this whole time?:: Starscream shunted his attention away from the sensor ghosts left by the dream. Instead, he stretched his wings and checked that Soundwave was still asleep. He was, all curled up with his optics squeezed shut.
“Yes, as a matter of fact,” answered Optimus. It didn’t look like he’d moved either. His long frame was stretched out under a too-small blanket, exactly like Starscream remembered.
::I have another question,:: said the Prime. Then he just lay there and stared at the ceiling.
Starscream side-opticked him. ::Well?::
The Convoy fidgeted, lacing his fingers tightly. ::Are you aware…:: He stopped and tried again. ::Do you know…::
Primus below, his pedes were doing that thing where they hid behind each other. The only other time Starscream had seen the Prime do that was earlier tonight. Or rather, last night, because it was nearing dawn.
::Just spit it out!:: barked Starscream.
::Are you aware if Megatron wants to do -do things to me?:: Optimus asked quickly. His powerful EM field contracted with discomfort.
Oh.
Well.
It was a little late to be having this conversation, and not just because of the time of day. Starscream bit his lip and gave the Convoy a once over. He was tense and awaiting a response.
::Well, I’m not a psychology major, but it seems to be what he does to mecha he thinks are a threat. Have you only just noticed?:: Starscream rubbed at his sore wing
::It was more obvious this time.::
::And here I was hoping your pet Human had permanently damaged him. Or at least taught him a lesson.:: Starscream flopped onto the medberth.
::It appears not,:: Optimus agreed heavily. ::In retrospect, he has made previous attempts to separate me from my troops.::
Starscream clenched his jaw. ::Don’t let him. Tell your Weapons Master, or your third. He never went after me unless I was alone.:: His legs tensed, priming his thrusters to fire. Optimus was right about being the only Autobot who could face off against Megatron.
::I see,:: said Optimus.
::So you’ll tell someone?:: Starscream pressed. ::Preferably several someones who have large weapons attached?:: Primus damn it, if the Prime went and got himself killed -or -or disabled because he was too embarrassed to talk to them…
::I understand you concerns, yes,:: said Optimus, stoically.
If the Prime thought that was enough to satisfy Starscream, he had a steep learning curve in his future. The Seeker propped himself up, a determined half snarl on his faceplates.
::Tomorrow when your medic comes in, if you don’t tell him, I will.:: He pointed sternly at the now-displeased looking Optimus. ::And don’t mistake me for bluffing.::
Storm clouds passed through the Prime’s EM field, stirring a cold flicker of fear in Starscream. Common sense told him Optimus was a moral and just mech, but torment-honed instinct could see only the similarities between him and Megatron. He was a renowned leader with charisma and physical strength on his side. In an enclosed space like this, Starscream wouldn’t stand a chance, even if he were at full health.
Forcing a swallow past his aching vocalizer, Starscream rolled over and shoved his face into Soundwave’s chest. ::Don’t think I won’t,:: he spat as a final warning before terminating the comm.
Optimus made an unhappy sound deep in his engine as he too rolled away. Starscream breathed in Soundwave’s smell, fighting to quell the anxiety boiling in his tank. The cyberhawk cassette -Buzzsaw- whose wings he was holding, stirred in his sleep
The Prime’s gurney creaked alarmingly as the big mech moved around again. Starscream flinched and twisted around, meeting Optimus’s optics in alarm. “Sorry,” Optimus mumbled. “I don’t sleep well on my side.” He pulled his EM field in close and didn’t speak again.
~~~
END OF CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR