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The clang of chains echoed harshly against the metallic walls, each rattle a discordant, grating sound that reverberated down the long, narrow corridor. The heavy, dragging noise punctuated by sharp, impatient growls reverberated off the steel walls like the strike of a hammer, each impact rattling loose flecks of rust from the ceiling. The air was thick with the scent of stale coolant and the acrid tang of scorched circuitry, creating a stifling, suffocating atmosphere.
Dim, flickering lights cast angular shadows down the corridor, their sickly yellow glow cutting uneven swathes of light across the grated floor. The shadows stretched and twisted as they moved, dancing like restless wraiths along the walls, slicing across Starscream’s wings as he stood rigid behind reinforced bars.
His wings flared slightly, the edges twitching with tension as his optics narrowed, following the distant sound of dragging chains. The noise grew louder, the heavy clank of shackles echoing closer, accompanied by the sharp, barking growls of a Decepticon guard.
Starscream’s talons clenched around the bars, the cool metal creaking beneath his grip. The lights above flickered, a brief, stuttering flash that illuminated the advancing figures in fractured, staccato bursts.
The jailer marched forward, a hulking, broad-shouldered mech with angular plating and a cruel, self-satisfied smirk. His claws dug into the chains, yanking them sharply, forcing the stumbling figure behind him to lurch forward.
Bumblebee.
Starscream’s optics widened, the sight punching through his chest like a physical blow. His spark seized painfully, a cold, electric pulse that sent a tremor through his frame. Bumblebee’s once-vibrant yellow armor was dulled by a grimy layer of dirt and smeared coolant, the bright plating mottled with dark, sluggish streaks of energon.
His helm lolled forward, optics half-shuttered and dim, struggling to stay online. Every step he took was a shaky, unsteady lurch, knees nearly buckling as the guard yanked him forward again with a cruel, impatient jerk. Fresh dents marred Bumblebee’s cheek, a deep gash tracing from the corner of his optic to his jawline, seeping thin, dark rivulets of energon.
“Bumblebee?” he muttered, disbelief coloring his voice before he could hide it.
The Autobot scout’s helm jerked upward, the motion weak and disjointed, as if his systems struggled to keep up with the command. His optics flickered fitfully, blue irises dim and hazy, barely managing to focus. He blinked once, twice, trying to clear the blur clouding his vision. It took a moment longer than it should have for his optics to find the source of the familiar voice—the low, sharp rasp edged with fury that cut through the oppressive silence like a blade.
Bumblebee’s helm listed to the side, a pained shudder wracking through his frame. His faceplate was a mess of scrapes and shallow gouges, each one carving angry red lines through the once-bright yellow plating. A dark, jagged dent marred his left cheek, the metal buckled inward as though it had been struck repeatedly. Fresh energon oozed from a deep crack in his jawline, the viscous fluid trailing down his neck in slow, uneven rivulets. It dripped to the floor in a rhythmic, sickening patter that echoed in the narrow corridor.
Despite the tremors wracking his frame, despite the way his servos shook as he struggled to keep his helm up, Bumblebee managed a glare. His optics narrowed, brightening just enough to cast a defiant, stubborn gleam. There was anger there—burning and unyielding—but beneath it, beneath the bravado, was a flicker of fear. The kind that only came from being dragged through a battle he hadn’t expected to lose.
Starscream’s wings snapped outward, the sharp, jagged motion echoing through the hallway like the crack of a whip. His talons flexed against the bars, scraping thin, silver lines into the metal. A furious, feral hiss escaped through clenched denta, the sound low and dangerous. His optics burned a vivid, violent red, locking onto Bumblebee’s injuries as if each mark, each bruise, was a personal insult.
“What did you do to him?” Starscream’s voice was tight, razor-edged, his entire frame coiled and tense like a predator poised to strike. His wings quivered with barely restrained fury, the metal plating rippling as his servos gripped the bars hard enough to make the reinforced metal creak.
The Decepticon holding Bumblebee paused, sneering openly as he met Starscream’s heated gaze. “Caught him nosing around the supply bay. Bet the little spy was looking for a way to bust you out, Starscream.” He tightened his grip, causing Bumblebee to wince in pain.
Starscream’s optics blazed fiercely. “Let him go. Now.”
The jailer scoffed, deliberately twisting Bumblebee’s wrists harder, pulling a pained gasp from the Autobot. “Why do you care? Thought you'd be happy to see an Autobot brought low.”
Starscream felt something deep in his spark ignite, protective instincts overwhelming whatever animosity he once harbored. Before he could even think clearly, he slammed his servo against the bars, voice shaking dangerously.
“You have no right to hurt him. Do you have any idea what you've done?”
Surprise flickered across the jailer’s faceplate. “What does it matter to you? It’s just an Autobot.”
With a sharp snarl, Starscream forced his claws through the gaps in the bars, talons flexing dangerously close to the Decepticon’s faceplate. “It matters,” he spat fiercely, optics bright with fury, “because I won’t let you hurt him again.”
Bumblebee’s optics widened slightly, surprise briefly eclipsing the pain as he stared openly at Starscream, as if seeing him clearly for the very first time.
With an irritated grunt, the Decepticon jailer shoved Bumblebee roughly to the ground in front of the cell. The Autobot collapsed, knees buckling, chains rattling loudly as he tried to steady himself. Starscream glared at the jailer until the mech stepped back uneasily, clearly sensing the dangerous edge in Starscream’s gaze.
“Leave,” Starscream hissed. “Before I make you regret it.”
The jailer hesitated, casting one more wary glance at Starscream’s narrowed optics and trembling wings, before retreating down the corridor, muttering dark curses under his breath.
Silence stretched between them for a moment, broken only by Bumblebee’s shaky venting. Starscream knelt close to the bars, optics scanning Bumblebee’s battered frame, his voice softer but still edged with a barely contained anger.
“Who did this to you?”
Bumblebee hesitated, glancing up through dimmed optics. “Does it matter?”
Starscream’s talons clenched around the bars, his voice quiet, determined, and fiercely protective.
“It does to me.”
It was a lie. It had to be. Starscream was many things—manipulative, ruthless, self-serving. But protective? Bumblebee didn’t buy it. Still, he swallowed thickly, the taste of energon bitter in his mouth. If Starscream wanted to play the role of concerned savior, then fine. Bumblebee would push him, just to see how far he’d go.
“It was…” Bumblebee hesitated, optics darting away, feigning guilt. “It was Skywarp,” he murmured, forcing a slight tremor into his voice. “He said I was in his way. That I shouldn’t be sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong.”
Starscream went deathly still.
Every line of his frame locked into place, a tense, rigid silhouette against the dim, flickering light. His wings, previously twitching with barely-contained fury, snapped back tight against his shoulders, the sharp edges cutting angular shadows against the walls. The air seemed to press down, heavy and thick, the silence hanging like a guillotine poised to drop.
Bumblebee forced himself to keep his gaze downcast, optics fixed on the floor beneath his pedes. The cold, grated metal bit into his knees, each harsh line pressing uncomfortable dents into his plating. But through the corner of his optics, he watched the shift.
Starscream’s servos gripped the bars, talons splayed wide, each digit trembling against the reinforced steel. The muscles in his arms tensed beneath the armor, cables straining beneath the plating as if coiling for a strike. His optics had gone dark, the intense crimson swallowed by a seething, barely-contained fury that vibrated through his entire frame.
Bumblebee expected the usual—expected a snarl, a biting insult, a barbed remark to make him feel small and stupid for even speaking. He expected Starscream to throw his head back and laugh, to sneer down at him, optics alight with mockery.
What he didn’t expect was the sickening crunch of metal as Starscream’s talons sank into the reinforced bars, claws digging in deep enough to leave gouges in the alloy. The shriek of metal warping under Starscream’s grip echoed down the corridor, a sound too loud, too visceral. Bumblebee’s spark skipped a beat, his optics widening as he watched Starscream’s frame tremble.
Starscream’s optics burned with a feral intensity, his lips peeling back to bare his denta in a snarl that was more a grimace of raw, unfiltered rage. His wings trembled against his back, struts flexing as his servos twisted, forcing the bars to bend beneath his grip. The metal creaked and groaned, resisting for a brief moment before caving under the relentless, furious strength of the seeker.
Bumblebee’s vents hitched, the sound catching painfully in his throat. He had seen Starscream furious before—seen him lash out, scream, rail against the universe with all the fury of a scorned god. But this… this was different. There was no theatrical ranting, no self-righteous posturing. Just the raw, terrifying sound of metal buckling beneath Starscream’s talons.
Starscream’s shoulders hunched as he wrenched the bars apart, the motion jerky and forceful. Sparks shot from the point of impact, scattering in bright, violent arcs as Starscream twisted and pulled, his talons leaving deep, bleeding gouges in the metal. The creak of bending steel echoed like a scream, vibrating through the floor and up Bumblebee’s knees.
Bumblebee’s optics darted to the guard, who took a half-step back, optics wide and uncertain. But Starscream wasn’t looking at him. Bumblebee swallowed thickly, spark hammering as the bars finally gave way, splintering under Starscream’s relentless grip with a final, brutal snap. The two halves swung outward, leaving a jagged, gaping maw where the cell door used to be.
“Starscream?” Bumblebee’s voice wavered, a spark of genuine fear piercing through his forced act. “What are you—?”
The bars shrieked, metal warping and tearing under Starscream’s furious strength. He spread them wide, a space just large enough for his frame to slip through, and then he was on the guard in an instant.
The Decepticon barely had time to cry out before Starscream’s talons closed around his throat, hauling him up off his pedes. The guard’s optics bulged, his claws scrabbling against Starscream’s grip.
“Skywarp did this to him?” Starscream snarled, his voice dripping with venom. The guard gurgled, energon bubbling up between his lips as he tried to speak.
“Answer me!”
Bumblebee pushed himself upright, spark hammering wildly against his chassis. “Starscream! Wait! Don’t—”
Starscream’s optics blazed. With a roar, he slammed the guard down, pinning him to the floor. Metal crumpled beneath them, the sound echoing like a gunshot.
“You let Skywarp hurt him?” Starscream hissed, his optics inches from the guard’s terrified face. “You stood by and watched?”
The guard’s mouth opened, a strangled whimper escaping as Starscream’s talons sank deeper, denting metal and splintering cables.
“Please!” the guard gasped, voice cracking. “I didn’t—”
The rest was cut off by a sickening crunch. The guard’s helm snapped to the side, optics dimming as energon pooled beneath him, seeping across the floor in thin, dark rivulets.
Bumblebee staggered to his pedes, staring in shock. This wasn’t what he’d intended. Starscream was shaking, vents heaving as he rose, optics wild and unseeing. And then, without a word, he turned, storming down the corridor, each step heavy with purpose.
Bumblebee stumbled after him, his chains clinking. “Starscream!” he shouted, desperation bleeding through his voice. “Wait! Where are you going?”
Starscream didn’t look back. “To find Skywarp,” he said, voice a low, furious rasp. “And make him pay.”
Bumblebee’s spark sank, realization crashing down over him like a tidal wave. He hadn’t expected Starscream to believe him. He hadn’t expected him to care.
And now he’d sent the one mech who could level an entire base in a rage after the wrong target.
“Primus,” Bumblebee whispered, pushing himself to run, stumbling after Starscream’s receding figure. “What have I done?”
Bumblebee stumbled through the corridor, his legs barely holding him up as he raced after Starscream. The seeker’s wings cut sharp lines through the dim light, his frame radiating a barely-contained fury. Each step echoed with the force of his stride, heavy and relentless.
“Starscream!” Bumblebee gasped, his vents heaving. The corridor blurred, his optics struggling to focus as his spark flickered weakly behind his chest plating. “Wait—”
Starscream didn’t slow. He moved with singular purpose, a predator on the hunt. Bumblebee forced his pedes to move faster, nearly tripping over his own chains as he caught up, reaching out to snag Starscream’s arm.
“Wait!” Bumblebee’s grip tightened, pulling hard.
Starscream whirled, his optics blazing. “What?”
The sharpness of the word cut through Bumblebee like a blade, and for a moment, he lost his nerve. But then his spark fluttered violently in his chassis, the ache radiating outwards in sharp, stinging pulses. Bumblebee sucked in a gasp, knees buckling.
Starscream’s optics widened. His claws shot out, grabbing Bumblebee by the shoulders and holding him upright. “Bumblebee,” he snapped, the anger in his voice giving way to something tight and urgent. “You need medical attention.”
Bumblebee shook his helm, gritting his denta as the pain ebbed and flowed beneath his plating. “No—Starscream, listen to me. Skywarp didn’t do it. He didn’t do anything!”
Starscream’s optics narrowed. “You said—”
“I misspoke!” Bumblebee blurted, desperation bleeding through his voice. “I was trying to test you—I didn’t think you’d actually—” He swallowed thickly, energon dripping down his jaw. “It wasn’t Skywarp. It was the guard. The one you… you already offlined.”
Starscream’s grip tightened, talons pressing just shy of puncturing Bumblebee’s armor. His optics darkened, and his lips pulled back into a snarl. “You’re telling me I already killed him?”
Bumblebee nodded, vents shuddering as the pain flared again, his spark skipping a beat. “Yeah. His name was Skywire. I just—”
“Skywire,” Starscream repeated, his tone venomous. His wings twitched violently, a sharp, jerking motion. “Skywarp. Skywire. Convenient.”
Bumblebee winced as Starscream’s claws flexed against his shoulders. “Starscream, you need to calm down. I’m fine—”
“No, you’re not,” Starscream snapped, his wings spreading wide. “You’re leaking energon. You’re shaking. You can barely stand.” He gritted his denta, optic ridges pinching tight. “I should have torn Skywire apart more slowly.”
Bumblebee swallowed, his spark thrumming in rapid, uneven bursts. “You… you really would’ve?”
Starscream’s optics bore into him, intense and unwavering. “Yes,” he said, voice low and dangerous. “For hurting you? Yes.”
Something in Bumblebee’s spark trembled, but before he could say anything, Starscream shifted, hooking an arm under Bumblebee’s shoulder and pulling him closer. “You’re going to the medbay,” Starscream said firmly. “You’re no use to me offline.”
Bumblebee’s optics fluttered as the pain worsened, the world growing hazy at the edges. Starscream’s grip tightened, his arm secure and steady against Bumblebee’s frame.
Bumblebee lay on the medbay berth, optics half-lidded as he stared up at the ceiling. The overhead lights flickered, casting sharp, sterile beams that felt too bright against his aching optics. His helm pounded in time with his spark, the pain a steady, relentless rhythm.
And yet, it wasn’t the pain that bothered him the most.
Starscream.
Starscream, who had torn apart the cell bars like they were nothing. Starscream, who had taken down a Decepticon guard with ruthless efficiency. Starscream, who had stormed through the corridors with Bumblebee in his arms, optics blazing, wings flared wide like a vengeful, furious stormcloud.
Bumblebee grimaced, a twinge of discomfort flickering across his face. Why? Why did Starscream care so much? They weren’t friends. They weren’t allies. They were barely even on the same side of this fractured truce.
Bumblebee had been nothing but a pain in Starscream’s tailfin since the start. He made it a personal mission to get under the seeker’s plating whenever possible—mocking his ego, undermining his authority, poking at every insecurity. Starscream should have been first in line to gloat over Bumblebee’s battered frame.
So why was he here now? Why was he pacing the medbay floor, wings twitching violently with barely contained rage?
Bumblebee’s optics slid to the side, watching Starscream as he loomed over Knockout. The medic was trembling, optic ridges pinched, his hands trembling as he adjusted the diagnostic scanner.
“I said,” Starscream’s voice was a low, venomous hiss, “patch him up. Now.”
Knockout swallowed, glancing nervously at the energon-streaked claws resting far too close to his helm. “I-I’m trying. But he’s in pretty bad shape and—”
“Try harder,” Starscream snapped, wings flaring. The overhead lights caught the sharp edges of his armor, casting jagged shadows that made him look even more dangerous. “Or do I need to remind you what happened to Skywire?”
Knockout’s optics widened, his plating clattering as he hastily grabbed the weld torch. “Okay! Okay! I get it!”
Starscream didn’t move, standing far too close, his optics never leaving Knockout’s hands. The medic’s tools shook, the scanner clattering against Bumblebee’s plating as he worked, vents puffing with anxious, erratic breaths.
Bumblebee swallowed, his mouth dry. Was this the new arrangement? Was this what he had now? A seeker guard-dog willing to rip apart anyone who so much as looked at him the wrong way?
And all because… why? Because Bumblebee had been hurt?
His optics slipped shut, spark thrumming beneath his battered chassis. Maybe he was still in shock. Maybe he was imagining the way Starscream’s wings flared whenever Knockout’s tools so much as grazed the wrong wire. Maybe he was just delusional from energon loss.
Because otherwise, he’d have to accept that Starscream was serious. That Starscream was hovering over him, claws stained with Skywire’s energon, optics dark and angry, all because Bumblebee got hurt.
What did I do to deserve this? Bumblebee thought, throat tightening. I was nothing but a thorn in his side.
And yet, every time he peeked through his optics, there was Starscream, towering like a dark sentinel, wings trembling and optics fixed on Bumblebee like he was the only thing in the room that mattered.