Chapter 1: i swear i only fell for you on accident
Chapter Text
'Insignificant' was a word with many meanings.
As Starscream stood, gazing up at the blanket of stars in the night sky, he wondered about Cybertron. It was common knowledge that there was life out there, though further studies showed that most of it consisted of unintelligent, single-celled organisms. Was it possible that something existed that was more powerful, more intelligent, more advanced than they could even begin to imagine? Was Cybertron nothing but a mere speck in the vast expanse of reality? When their planet reached its final stages, would it die invisible or would it impact the rest of the galaxy?
Was it as insignificant as he felt?
Vos was a large kingdom. Every building stretched towards the sky like millions of servos reaching for the stars. Bright lights danced along concrete, illuminating the land with every colour of the rainbow. Luxury seeped from building and bot alike in dripping gold, as if blessed by the AllSpark personally. All of it was under the rule of the King of Vos — a seeker larger than most, with sleek wings and a glimmer in his optics that never quite died. He was a kind, just ruler, although mildly incompetent when it came to family matters.
Starscream knew that fact better than most. He sat sullenly at a table deep within the palace he'd grown up in, stirring his energon with a single digit. His wings drooped. Across the room stood the King, arms folded across his chassis and a stern frown painting his face plates in a grotesque manner. His own wings stood tall and flared outwards in an open hostility that Starscream couldn't quite bear to match even as his spark swirled and his fuel tanks lurched.
"What did I tell you about picking fights, Starscream?" The cold disappointment in the king's voice was sickening. Starscream would rather have been yelled at.
His servos twitched. "They grabbed my wings! Do you expect me to simply sit around as those wretched grounders treat a prince like a plaything?"
The king exhaled slowly through shuttered vents. "You have a lot to learn about the world."
Starscream grunted, annoyed, and slid the container his energon sat in across the table. Some of it sloshed over the edge and painted the deep bronze a vibrant blue. He pointedly ignored the way the king turned his nose up at the gesture, as if the mere sight of a small mess was something to be ashamed of. Perhaps if it was his table, he would have done the same, but he couldn't quite bring himself to care. He was tired of being lectured for standing up for himself.
"If you want to try and appease Iacon by suppressing everything that makes a seeker, then you are sorely mistaken," Starscream sneered, optics flashing. "And I will not be scolded into obeying like some kind of stray sparkling!"
As he turned his back and flicked his wings in a fluid gesture, the king snorted. "Stop acting like one, then."
Starscream didn't grace that with a response. He stormed out, wings fluttering furiously and servos clenched tightly. The blatant disrespect dug beneath his exoskeleton in a way that little else did. He deserved to be listened to as much as any other bot, and he was tired of the rest of the world thinking otherwise! How many times must he have the same argument over and over again until the king realized? How long would he have to live with the constant belittling and assumption that he was incompetent solely because he was smaller, more lithe and therefore fragile than the rest of them?
It was exhausting. He was as capable as all of them. In fact, he was better!
He made his way through the palace, stewing furiously the entire time, until his pedes crossed into shelter. Almost as if upon instinct, Starscream entered the palace library — the one place that had felt like home to him after long, miserable days like the one he'd just suffered through. With the recent technological rise, there were very few physical copies of knowledge left on the planet that weren't stored in some archivalist's basement. Vos' palace library was one of the few locations large enough to hold almost every physical book that Starscream could snag from stores before it was too late.
He was rather proud of his collection. Proud enough to raise his chin as he stalked through his territory, delegating a moment to preen over himself to make up for the hit to his pride earlier.
Proud enough to immediately notice a stranger sifting through a pile of books.
Immediately, Starscream snapped to attention. He strode over in a few brief seconds and glowered up at a deep blue frame with flashing optics and flared wings. The general public was only allowed in the palace for special occasions, and the library was never included in that. His territory was being invaded; he was already in a terrible mood, and the stubborn alerts in the back of his processor that his fuel tanks were low only soured it.
The stranger didn't seem to notice him. He was a solid amount taller than Starscream, though that wasn't saying much. Starscream was short, even for a seeker. He often had to look up at other bots, much to his chagrin. The stranger's optics were as deep of a blue as the paint he donned, and they narrowed with focus as he flipped through one of the books. At the very least, he did treat the book with care, as if he expected it to fall apart in his servos.
"Who do you think you are?" Starscream hissed, scowling furiously.
To his credit, the stranger didn't even flinch. He raised those optics and trained them steadily on the fuming Starscream for a few moments. Then, right as Starscream was about to demand an answer, they rounded in a pleasantly humoured way. One servo lifted while the other waited to follow suite until the book had been placed tenderly into its spot. His dermas curved into an easygoing smile.
"Starscream, Prince of Vos," the stranger said smoothly, as if he'd been expecting Starscream to show up. "Its a pleasure to finally meet you."
Starscream's wings flicked. The stranger seemed to think that he could get out of the situation by adhering to his ego, and he was ashamed to admit that it did work. Some of the tension slipped from his slender frame, but not all of it. There were far too many questions that he had before he could truly slip, boosted pride and all.
"Answer my question."
"My name is Sentinel, one of the many advisors of the Primes," he confessed without batting an optic. "I'm to be attending a meeting with the King soon. In the meantime, I was given free reign of the palace."
Of course he was. Starscream sighed; a long, miserable noise, and allowed his wings to drop. Somewhere in the back of his processor, he wondered how easy it would be for him to get away with tearing the king's spark straight from his chassis. Allowing a complete stranger, whether or not they worked for the Primes, access to the entire palace unsupervised, was quite possibly the worst decision that he could've made. He could have stolen access to incredibly valuable documents before anyone even realized that he was present!
"How welcoming," Starscream muttered, not even bothering to conceal his disdain.
Sentinel either didn't notice, or he didn't care. The blue of his optics glimmered in the warm lighting. Starscream gazed at him and realized, with no contentment, that he was a beautiful mech. He had always held a fondness for the colour blue on others — the deeper, the better. His own vibrant red contrasted it in a pleasing way. Starscream's wings flicked back as his thoughts wandered down a very different path than he wanted them to.
Sentinel had large servos, yet his treatment of the book earlier had proven that he could be gentle with them. Starscream pictured those digits trailing over the sensitive plating of his wings and digging beneath to prod at wires and cables. Mortified, he banished the thought before it could go any further, and held his chin high to conceal the spinning of his spark. He was typically shameless with his desire — after all, he was a prince and a seeker, the object of many fantasies, and he could use that to get with whoever he wanted.
But Sentinel was closely associated with the Primes.
"Would you feel better if I requested a tour of you?" Sentinel questioned, amused.
Starscream sniffed. "Unnecessary. You've made yourself quite at home here already."
"Not quite. I've spent most of my time here."
Starscream's optics slitted suspiciously. He didn't want to spend even more time around Sentinel, lest he get carried away with himself. Yet, he couldn't deny the way his chassis warmed when he trained his gaze on Sentinel's friendly smile. He'd never been the master of self-restraint, ever the selfish seeker. For the most part, it worked in his favour. Most people thought seekers too incapable to do something self-serving.
"Fine," he caved with a sigh, already turning on his heel. "But don't you dare let yourself out of my sight."
Sentinel hummed. "Are you always this paranoid?"
"Are you always this annoying?"
Sentinel's resulting chuckle had Starscream's spark spinning harder. He simply ignored it, steeled himself, and left the room without checking to make sure that he was being followed. The sound of Sentinel's heel struts on the floor confirmed that well enough, and he didn't feel like initiating more contact than he had to. With his wings high and his form alert, he guided Sentinel down the first hallway that he spotted.
For the most part, Sentinel was decent company. He didn't talk so much that it grated on every nerve, but he wasn't awkwardly quiet, either. He knew when and what to say to raise the faintest amusement in Starscream, and always treated a laugh or smile as if it was treasure. Before long, they wound up in the main dining room, sitting across one another with energon cubes in front of them.
Sentinel was telling a story about one of the Primes — Zeta, possibly — that Starscream had stopped paying attention to in favour of watching the way his servos moved when he talked. It was fascinating.
But there was something wrong. It lingered in the back of Starscream's processor, a sense of dread that mingled with the warmth in his chassis. At first, he brushed it off as the fact that he'd been so caught off-guard by the sudden intrusion but as time passed and it still didn't fade, he was forced to look a little closer. Perhaps it was the lilt of his voice, the carelessly elegant way that he carried himself. As if he were at the top of the world.
Or perhaps it was the ambition poorly concealed behind his optics as he questioned Starscream about Vos' trophy room only mere hours before. Perhaps it was the way that his digits twitched when Starscream declined to talk further about it, as if there was something in the room that he wanted to get his servos on. It could've been the way his smile never quite reached his optics all the way. There was too much wrong, and it sent Starscream's instincts snarling.
Starscream cleared his intake roughly and drained the last of his energon in one fell swoop. "The King will be expecting you by now," he said, leaning on the centre of his servo and casting Sentinel a lazy grin. "I expect to hear the end of your story, though."
Sentinel paused, the smile on his face flickering for a brief second before he corrected himself. "Of course. Farewell, my Prince."
He rose to his pedes and followed his statement with a deep bow. Satisfaction sparked in his chassis, but he merely grunted his pleasure and waved his free servo to send Sentinel on his way. He watched closely as he walked out, observing the stiffness in his frame. Whatever the meeting was about, there likely was not an outcome possible that Starscream would enjoy. He leaned back in his chair until he could stare at the ceiling and prepare himself for a long night.
Chapter 2: baby, tonight, we're beautiful now
Notes:
they fuck! clearly these two have never heard of slow burn before.
Chapter Text
If Starscream spent the next hours lurking outside of the throne room, nobody had to know. He kept his audials alert in an attempt to listen in on what was surely a very private conversation, but the voices were too muffled for him to pick up on. Irritated, his wings rode high on his back and his facial plates pinched into a tight scowl. Sentinel reeked too foul to not be planning something, and he was determined to find out what.
The meeting lasted longer than expected and, by the end of it, Starscream was no less lost than he was before. He inched backwards as he heard two sets of pedesteps approach the grand double doors and tucked his wings into a submissive position with great effort. The fact that Sentinel must see him in such a place burnt at his chassis, but his and the King's argument was still fresh in his processor and he'd rather not worsen his situation further. Pride be damned. He could assert himself over Sentinel later.
The King didn't spare him a glance as he opened the door with broad arms. He smiled at Sentinel and pat the mech on his shoulder. For them to be so friendly already… Starscream's optics narrowed.
"I appreciate you finding time to come all the way out here," the King was saying. "I do hope to see you sometime soon to continue our, ah, discussion."
Sentinel chuckled lowly. The dangerous edge of it didn't seem to register in the King's processor as it did for Starscream. His denta, sharp and the richest white Starscream had ever seen, glinted under the bright ceiling lights. The sight sent the smallest of thrills through Starscream's core, and he did his very best to keep his expression neutral. He wanted those denta at his throat, tearing at cables until he spilled energon. He wanted those derma at his voice box, feeling the rumble of his whimpering.
He wanted to slam Sentinel against the nearest wall and frag him so well that he spilled all of his secrets.
"Of course, Your Majesty," Sentinel hummed, mimicking the deep bow he'd given Starscream earlier. "Now, if you don't mind, Prince Starscream here offered to escort me out himself."
The King smiled thinly at Starscream, whose wings twitched. "How kind of you. Try not to cause too much trouble."
Starscream scoffed and turned around so quickly that his gyroscope off-set for a split-second. He didn't wait for them to readjust, nor did he wait for Sentinel to depart before he was walking away with his chin in the air and his hips swinging. His heel struts clicked against the floor, the sound enhanced by the effort with which he put each pes down. Annoyance streamed through his veins, mingled with the suspicious anxiety and heady arousal already there.
Sentinel stuck close to his side and, for the most part, kept quiet. The occasional, subtle glance that Starscream shot him showed an expression of deep thought. Some unrecognizable emotion smouldered deep in his optics, darkening the already deep blue colour. It was as unnerving as it was attractive. Air caught in Starscream's vents. There was something deeply wrong with him, if he had to suppress his body's cooling fans simply because of a bit of fear.
Then again, he'd always been messed up.
Only when they neared the entrance did Sentinel speak up. His voice rumbled in his throat, silky smooth and rich with charisma that flowed like the finest energon. "You never completed your tour, my prince."
Starscream halted in his tracks. "No?"
"No," he hummed, "you didn't show me your berthroom."
Oh.
Starscream's vents hitched and shuddered. His wings rose slightly, fluttering alongside his spark. He took a moment to collect himself before turning around and meeting those dangerous optics with his own stubborn gaze. If Sentinel wanted to flirt with him like that, he wasn't going to make it easy for him. He never did — that was half of the fun, to be able to push at somebody's nerves until they snapped. To toe the line between desire and hatred and see when and where he crossed it.
"When did I promise that was included in the tour?" He snapped, optics flashing.
Sentinel's smile curled wildly. "Would it not be well-mannered of you? I will be returning eventually, you know."
He set his jaw and flared his wings. "There are plenty of guest berths."
"Oh, you misunderstand, my prince. I do not intend to share a berth with you. I'm merely curious."
Sentinel raised both servos as he spoke and dropped his smile in favour of a concerned frown, as if he mistook Starscream's defiance as discomfort. Yet, there was still something in the way he held himself. Something that Starscream couldn't quite place. He stared for a moment before ultimately lowering his wings and loosening his scowl. It never quite faded, but then again, it never had. He seemed to be permanently scowling lately.
"Curiosity," he muttered wryly, before speaking up, "Fine. I will entertain your curiosity. Follow me."
Starscream opened the door to his room, spark swirling with anticipation. At some point during their walk, Sentinel had pushed his luck and hovered a little too close to Starscream's slender form for someone with pure intent. His servos remained at his sides, but Starscream knew the sensation of being watched, of having his body examined, from experience. In most cases, it was uncomfortable and humiliating.
That time, his chassis only burnt hotter.
Starscream self-consciously scanned his room in sync with Sentinel's curiosity. Red paint draped all walls but one, as floor-to-ceiling windows spanned the wall and allowed blinding amounts of sunlight to enter the room. It wasn't a large room by any means, mostly because Vosian architecture exchanged width for height. Half of the windows had been left open when Starscream left that morning, purely to keep fresh air circulating. He would've completely left that wall open to the world if he weren't concerned about the weather ruining his things.
His berth was large enough for three seekers to stretch out on and still have room. The plush lining it and the padding on the walls of it were both soft and velvety. In contrast to the red on his walls, the material was a striking gold and pearly white. Beneath the berth, spanning across a good portion of the room, was a deep red-and-golden rug. The colours swirled together and mixed with his berth well.
Sentinel seemingly approved. He rested one servo on his hip as his gaze trailed over hanging shelves overflowing with plants of every colour and the strips of light embedded into the far wall. It certainly screamed out its owner's name with pride.
"Well?" Starscream prodded, "Impressed?"
"Very."
His spark warmed, and he made a small, satisfied noise — only to be interrupted by movement in the corner of his optics. Starscream's head snapped over, mouth already open to make some snide remark. He stopped before he could come up with anything to say. Sentinel pressed his form close to Starscream's, close enough that his audials picked up on his cooling fans whirring. They did nothing to ease the heat that radiated from Sentinel.
Starscream cleared his intake before he could think to mask his nervousness. He had to tilt his head up to meet Sentinel's inspection. He didn't have to hold it there for long. A large, silver servo reached up and cradled his cheek in it tenderly. His opposable digit brushed beneath Starscream's optic, soft and warm and endearing. Without even thinking, he leaned into the touch — and didn't even notice his fans beginning to scream.
"I'm more impressed with you, though," Sentinel murmured, leaning in close so that Starscream could feel his breath on his audials. "I hear a lot about how beautiful the Prince of Seekers is, but.. to see that with my own optics is a privilege I never thought I was worthy of."
Starscream scoffed. "You should become a poet."
Sentinel was deliberately stroking his ego, and he knew it. He leaned eagerly into the strokes nonetheless, preening like some kind of cyberbird. Whatever Sentinel's plan was, surely it wouldn't hurt to fall under those servos for a night and succumb to mindless pleasure?
"Maybe. I would much rather become yours for a night."
Starscream watched with slitted optics — not out of suspicion or annoyance that time, but rather with heated arousal — as Sentinel leaned in further, until their dermas brushed together. They offlined the moment that their mouths connected in a passionate kiss. It was gentler than any other time Starscream had been kissed, though it's not like it was a common occurrence. Most of his berth-mates had little interest in such intimacy, merely seeking a quick frag and power grab before retreating to their homes for the night.
It was wonderful.
He groaned into Sentinel's mouth as that other servo reached out to grasp him by the waist and pulled their forms flush to one another. Starscream practically had to stand on the very edges of his pedes to push his groin against Sentinel's, but he was desperate enough to ignore the awkwardness in favour of proximity. The servo on his waist held tighter, two digits hooking beneath plating in order to brush against tender wires. His hips jumped and his intake caught.
"Beautiful," Sentinel whispered against his dermas, breaking the kiss to watch a little closer as Starscream wriggled in a way that he hoped was enticing.
"Careful," Starscream warned breathlessly, "praise me too much, and I might overload on the spot."
Sentinel's optics twinkled. "Is that so? Best get you on the berth, then. Lean over, on your knees."
Starscream huffed, even as energon sent straight downwards and his valve pulsed in tandem with his spark. He spread his wings enticingly as he crawled onto the bed. Sentinel stalked closer and watched him until he rested his helm against one arm and arched his back just enough to show off his already-dripping intimacy panels. His legs spread and he bit back a groan as Sentinel hurried to take his place between them.
"How long were you thinking about me like this?" Sentinel questioned — no, commanded.
A warm servo ran up his spine, trailed along the edges of his wings and pushed his head a little further down until a whimper broke from his voice box. He rocked his hips backwards, pushing their panels together with a desperate determination. There was no reason to waste time and effort talking about his thoughts when they were both already so worked up. He contemplated begging Sentinel to hurry up and frag him already, but decided that he wasn't far enough gone to resort to that quite yet.
"Does it matter?" He snarked, curling sharp digits into the padding.
"Amuse me."
His servo stilled in the centre of Starscream's wing pack. The warmth of it felt good to his oversensitive body, but the lack of sensation had him rocking a second time. Sentinel's spare servo immediately dug into his waist to keep him still, ignorant to the agonized whimper he received as a result.
"Too long," Starscream managed, turning his head to bury his face in the crook of his elbow. "From the moment I looked at you."
Sentinel must have been pleased to hear that, as his words were swiftly heeded by the soft clicks of an interface panel sliding open. Hurriedly, Starscream's own followed suit, and he gasped softly at the cold air against his dripping valve. Thick lubricant had begun pooling against the panel and, now that it was open, slipped down one of Starscream's slender thighs. Sentinel's already stiff spike caught it on the tip as he thrusted his hips forwards, dragging it between his valve's folds.
"I must be luckier than I thought," he was saying, though Starscream could scarcely pay attention. "The Prince of Vos so desperate for me already, and I've barely touched him!"
Of course Sentinel was the power-trip type. Starscream resisted the urge to sigh, both unsurprised and unamused. There were plenty of people who dreamed about getting a royal to bend over for them, and Sentinel was apparently no exception. Frustration wallowed in his chassis, only to be drowned out by mind-numbing pleasure when Sentinel stopped preening for long enough to slip into his valve.
His mouth hung open at the feeling of being stretched. Sentinel was no small mech, and it showed. Callipers squeezed around the intrusion, sucking him in greedily with little regard for the sting. If anything, it only served to make Starscream run hotter than before. He shifted enough to spread his legs further, inviting Sentinel to take all of him in stride. It felt so good, better than he'd felt in a long time.
Sentinel had no mercy. He pushed and pushed, groaning and mumbling something about how tight Starscream's valve was. He'd moved his hand from the centre of fluttering wings to rest on the other hip, and now his digits prodded against exposed wires as they mercilessly dug into Starscream's bared joints. Starscream moaned and canted his hips, silently begging for more and more.
"Greedy seeker," Sentinel huffed, already so breathless. "Desperate little thing."
Starscream had only a whine to offer in return.
The moment Sentinel could fit himself without resistance, he adjusted his grip on slender hips, drew back and then thrusted in so hard that a cry punched itself from Starscream's voice box. His head raised for long enough to blink blearily at the wall before falling back against his arm. He rocked with every thrust, thoroughly engaged in a dance of molten pleasure that bubbled around them and threatened to drown him. There were no more thoughts about Sentinel's ambitions, no more suspicion and paranoia and irritation.
Only the best euphoria that he'd ever felt.
It didn't take long for them to near overload. Starscream whimpered and pleaded senselessly. His callipers squeezed around Sentinel's twitching spike, every ounce of his body begging for release. His wings raised tight along his spine and he clutched at the berth so hard that his digits creaked. Everything was burning, and he couldn't see, and it was so good, so mindless. Sentinel was as affected as he was — and he wasn't afraid to show it.
Gasps and moans fell from Sentinel as they did with Starscream, such a pleasant contrast to past experience. Sentinel's grip on him tightened and tightened until his fragile metallic exoskeleton began to dent, and only then did he loosen up. But just enough to prevent further damage. It had his spark whirling in his chest. When he left his berth, everybody would look at him and know exactly what he'd been up to.
"Sentinel," Starscream moaned, "please— please, don't stop— I need-.."
"Tell me, my prince," Sentinel leaned forwards to murmur those words into his audial.
Starscream cried at that. Tears pooled in the corners of his optics. He was so close, he just needed a bit more time— “Don’t stop. I need– need you to–”
Sharp pain pierced Starscream before he could even realize what was happening. It stabbed into his wing, into his shoulder and then sent lightning through his spine. He overloaded with a shout of Sentinel's name, sobbing and writhing all the way. If Sentinel overloaded at the same time, he was far too engrossed in his own pleasure to realize. He choked on a sob. His optics offlined.
When the world returned to Starscream, the first thing that he noticed was the dull aching all over his body. One wing was sore, his pelvis felt like it was on fire, and his voice box crackled with static. He groaned and rolled onto his side, lifting his wing and twisting his head awkwardly to assess the damage. Checking whether he was alone in his berth could wait — he needed to make sure that Sentinel hadn't damaged anything important.
An ugly, energon-stained dent in the curved shape of vicious denta greeted his optics. The sight should have irked him. Anybody else messing with his wings like that would have had him shrieking and sprinting straight for a medic to buff him back up, but somehow the thought of Sentinel's malice showing itself with bared denta only had his cooling fans kicking on. He rumbled in complaint to himself anyway, but didn't bother trying to stand up. His hips ached too much for that.
Instead, he lifted his head to examine the room. He was alone. Disappointment flickered in his chassis, only to immediately fade when his gaze landed on a piece of paper hastily thrown onto the edge of his berth. He sat up, wings twitching, and raised the paper to his optics.
'Dearest Prince, duty calls. I will see you soon, if you please.'
With a smile far too soft to have come from Starscream, he crumbled the paper and tossed it across the room to be cleaned up at a later date. He needed to recharge for an hour or so longer, and then take the nicest shower of his life before he got his injury checked out. Hopefully, that would be enough time to come up with a reason why he disappeared with Sentinel for a few hours and returned with a large bite-mark in his wing.
Chapter 3: i want to recognize your beauty is not just a mask
Chapter Text
Easily the best part about a good frag was the bath that Starscream got to take afterwards. He sat, half-submerged in warm oil and bubbling solvent, rubbing at scuffs in his plating absently. His hips were sore, and his wing stung every time he brushed his digits over the dented plating. Luckily, the spilled energon was easily scrubbed off of him, but it left the wound open to the cold air. He shivered and twitched his wings, as if it would ease some of the sting. He would have to visit a medic soon.
For the moment, however, Starscream was free to enjoy his bath in peace. He stretched his chassis out, sliding downwards until his chin brushed the surface and disturbed the bubbles resting there. Oil slid smoothly around him and over exposed joints, cleansing even more debris from him. He allowed his helm to rest against the edge of the tub and stared at the ceiling.
Sentinel had done a number on him. His spark whirled in his chest as memory files resurfaced, playing that voice into his processor as if taunting him. He had the kind of voice that Starscream wouldn't mind listening to for hours on end. The kind of voice that strung webs across his chassis, catching his spark in its dangerous trap. It was a terrible idea to allow himself to feel the way he did and, yet, he didn't quite mind stumbling blindly into such a pit.
Sure, he had no real proof that Sentinel was a scheming, devious maniac, but he'd spent enough of his lifetime around scheming, devious maniacs to know when somebody was one. He was good at hiding it behind cheerful smiles and light-hearted words, but Starscream could sense the ill-intent beneath it all.
Or, perhaps, he was being paranoid. Perhaps it was all in his mind.
He offlined his optics and let out a long, suffering sigh. There was only one solution to ease his troubles at the moment, however much he did not want to deal with it. Starscream pushed himself back up into a sitting position and hurriedly washed the rest of himself off before draining the tub. He was in for a long, miserable day with miserable company and miserable conversations. At the end of the day, curiosity drove him more than little else did, and he was a victim to his own overworked processor.
Optics laid on him the moment that he opened that wretched door. Starscream stiffened his spine and jutted his chin. He kept his wings carefully still, though there wasn't any point in hiding that portion of his body language. The four bots in the room knew him well enough to read his body as a whole, rather than relying solely on his wings like some did. A conversation between the four had clearly been interrupted, but Starscream didn't care. It was likely of little importance anyway, given the annoyance shining in certain optics.
"Starscream," Thundercracker's voice, as steady as ever, was somewhat laced with surprise. "You're here."
"I'm here," Starscream echoed.
Beside Thundercracker lay Skywarp, sprawled out on a cot with a dramatic flair. His deep purple plating was covered in hundreds of little scratches and dents. On the opposite side of the cot was Shockwave — Starscream's medic, although he certainly acted more like some kind of mad scientist than a medic — who was the source of the annoyance. His singular optic held little expression, but Starscream had spent enough time on the field with him to understand the way his shoulders tightened and his servos curled.
Skywarp wriggled on his cot, but a firm blue servo to his chassis kept him still. "He can't repair you if you keep wiggling," chastised Thundercracker softly.
Starscream huffed and walked closer until he could drag a spare stool over and plop himself down onto it. "What have you two even been doing?"
"My idea," Skywarp giggled, though he did make an effort to remain still. "We raced through a bunch of trees. I lost."
Shockwave exhaled; a long, tortured noise, and resumed his buffing of Skywarp's exoskeleton. He looked like he would've much preferred to take him apart and observe whatever went wrong in his processor when he was created. Amused, Starscream shot a glance at Thundercracker which was swiftly shut down by a soft shake of his head. Skywarp was in constant trouble with nothing to do — much like Starscream himself — and he was sure that, had he been able to be reached, he would be in the exact same spot.
"So," Skywarp blinked over Shockwave at Starscream, "where have you been?"
Starscream groaned and shoved his face into his servos. "Grounded, like some kind of misbehaved sparkling. Kind of. I technically could've left, but.. I,"
He paused and flicked his wings. His trine, ever so attuned to his emotions, realized immediately what that meant. Thundercracker snorted and shook his head, though his dermas curved at the edges enough to show that his disapproval was mere teasing fondness. Skywarp, on the other hand, had begun to jitter excitedly, as if he was about to begin teleporting all over the place. That didn't seem to phase Shockwave very much, because he quietly kept on about his work with nothing other than the occasional curious glance at the trio.
"There is a small pause in the war," Thundercracker mused. "Who was it with?"
"That's the problem. It was one of the Primes' advisors."
Silence. Starscream twitched anxiously and kept his gaze averted so he didn't have to see the shock on his trine's faces.
"Which one?" Skywarp asked before Thundercracker could scold him.
"Sentinel. He's new. He came to a meeting with the King, and, well.. stayed longer."
"Does he even know you're High Guard?"
Starscream scoffed. "Does anybody, outside of you three and Soundwave?"
"Fair point," Skywarp grinned easily. "I want to see the look on his face when he realizes he fragged a prince and a High Guard."
Starscream shuffled and averted his optics, wings fluttering. He didn't want to imagine how Sentinel would react. He did seem interested in continuing their relationship, but there was no saying how he would feel if he was made aware of the danger Starscream was constantly part of. It wouldn't be much of an issue if he were certain that they were solely a one-night stand. When it came to Starscream, though, his personal affairs were very much a gamble.
Perhaps he'd come to hate Sentinel as he learnt more about him and cast him to the side officially, where they wouldn't have to worry about one another. He had also thought that about Skywarp and Thundercracker, however, and then they wound up trined. He'd thought that about Shockwave and Soundwave, then they wound up on the High Guard together. There truly wasn't much predictability.
"It was just a frag," Starscream huffed, more to convince himself than his trine. "Its not like we're a thing. I don't even know anything about him."
A mischievous glimmer in Skywarp's optics had Starscream narrowing his own. He knew exactly what was going on in that processor and, though it was the same plan he had, he itched to stop it before it could come to fruition. Thundercracker shuttered his vents to suppress an exasperated exhale, and that only made Skywarp grin harder.
"I know who can help with that!"
"Skywarp, we are not asking Soundwave to spy on Starscream's newest situationship—"
"Hey!" Starscream's indignant shout went ignored.
"Especially not one so close to the Primes."
Starscream's wings hiked up his spine. "Listen, me not knowing anything about him aside, there's something not right with him."
The two of them paused their bickering and turned to look at Starscream once more. Shockwave lowered his helm, as if he was attempting to pretend that he was working on anybody else. It would have been an amusing sight, if anything else were happening.
"He's planning something. I know he is."
Thundercracker didn't get to suppress his exhale that time. "Screamer, you think that about everybody."
"I know it!" Starscream glowered, standing up and flaring his wings to prove how serious he was. "He's all smiles and— and polite honorifics and its scrap!"
Thundercracker and Skywarp exchanged a glance, and Starscream knew them well enough to understand what it meant. They were both questioning his taste in berth-partners, though they also knew by then that he'd always had questionable tastes — hence why it remained a quiet glance and not a judging remark. It didn't matter much. They would be there to patch him back up when Sentinel inevitably broke him. There was not much that Starscream couldn't survive, after all.
"Fine," Thundercracker caved easily, much to everyone's surprise. "Let's go talk to Soundwave."
Soundwave, to his credit, didn't even react when Starscream told him their request. He sat at his desk in the main office of Iacon, shuffling through datapad upon datapad of information. The only sign that he'd even heard Starscream was the twitch of his digits — small, nearly impossible to notice for anyone that wasn't as hypervigilant as Starscream was. He paused his shuffling after a long moment and looked up at Starscream. His expression was, as always, completely concealed behind both visor and faceplate.
"Affirmative. Expect results by tomorrow."
Pleased, Starscream flicked his wings. "Keep a constant eye on him. I do not want to miss anything crucial."
Soundwave stared at him for a beat, then continued his shuffling. His chestplate clicked open and revealed Laserbeak, who must have been comfortably recharging because his wings flapped indignantly and he squawked up at Soundwave. Suddenly attentive, Soundwave spared a servo to pat his helm and settle his complaints until he was content to fly from his chest. Starscream watched the event closely, curious.
He had always had a fascination for Soundwave. Much like Shockwave, he seemed like he was both in a separate plane of existence and aware of everything that happened all the time. He was unafraid to state the truth, even where most would have cowered beneath Starscream's egotistical fury. And, despite how he tended to stay behind on the field and observe crucial information from afar — or even infiltrate known enemy bases to leech from them — he could easily hold his own in a fight. They'd been fighting together for a long time. After all, the war with the Quintessons raged on and on for many millennia, and Starscream had been sworn under the King's rule as an honorary soldier of Vos. Regardless of how it had irked him at first, he'd long since grown used to being called to the field and demanded to throw his life on the line alongside bots that he cared far too much about for his own well-being.
Soundwave's silence was a clear dismissal. Skywarp wrenched Starscream from his thoughts by clapping a servo onto his shoulder, far too close to his injured wing for his comfort. Despite the instinct to shrug that servo off and turn to yell at Skywarp, he allowed it to remain where it rested. There was a lot that his trine could get away with that anybody else would've gotten their sparks ripped out for.
"Let's go, Screamer," Skywarp chirped. "I'm so low on fuel that it hurts, and the one restaurant down the street has some sales."
Starscream rumbled, but ultimately caved. "Fine, but we're flying there."
"I expected nothing less! Race ya!"
A week passed before Starscream heard from Sentinel again. Soundwave reported to him at his daily request, informing him that Sentinel was terribly busy with work that Laserbeak couldn't reliably get close enough to learn about. It was of little surprise — after all, the Primes' palace remained heavily guarded even against their own, and it wouldn't exactly be easy to explain why a member of the High Guard was spying on them. Still, it left an itch in the back of Starscream's processor.
Vos' palace was quiet. The sun had set hours ago, and the only source of light in Starscream's room was from a lamp on his berthside table. He curled up into a tight ball beneath thin sheets and stared out the windows across the room. Fortunately, the altitude of his room was much higher than most of Vos, and the neon lights that cast the city in a blinding glow at nighttime would not disturb him much. He could keep his windows open without concern of disrupting his recharge time.
A knock at the door had him shooting out of his berth, wings flared. He stared at his door like it had personally attacked him for a moment before crossing the distance with a racing spark. It opened before he could lay his servo on it, and there stood Sentinel with a proud grin and a flick of mischief in his optics. Surprised, Starscream halted in his tracks, before scoffing his immediate irritation.
"I never should have shown you where my berth was," he remarked.
Sentinel laughed, unfazed by the sourness of his voice. "Please let me in, Prince, I don't have all night."
Starscream backed away from the door and watched as Sentinel sauntered in like he owned the place. He shut the door behind him and, after a split-second of contemplation, twisted the lock. It was very unlikely that somebody would disturb the two of them at such an hour, but it never hurt to be safe. For all he knew, Soundwave was in the hallway and actively watching their interaction. Or the King would wake and come to be an annoying menace once again.
Sentinel sat on his berth and leaned back on his servos. "Missed me?"
"As if," Starscream hissed, flicking his wings back. "Don't flatter yourself."
"Mm, you're a terrible liar. Come here."
Starscream stared at the extended servo for a moment before approaching. Anticipation tightened his chassis and sent his spark flipping through its chamber as Sentinel's dermas curled into a seductive smirk and he spread his legs just enough that Starscream could fit between them. He wanted to make a snide comment on how eager Sentinel was, but all of his words died in his voice box when Sentinel grabbed him by the waist and practically shoved him down onto his knees.
He shrieked angrily to mask how it had heat shooting straight south. "What do you think you're doing?!"
Sentinel huffed a laugh. "Putting that mouth of yours to work. I missed you, and am perfectly content to state that."
That offending servo rested on his helm, right above his neck. He pulled Starscream closer until he shuffled his knees and brushed his cheek against Sentinel's heated modesty plate. Coolant pooled in his mouth. His processor whirled. His chassis burnt, and he was pretty sure that lubricant was beginning to settle in his own plating. It was as uncomfortable as it was addictive. He decided to waste no time on half-hearted complaints and get himself to work.
He licked a smooth stripe over that plate, soaking in the warmth that radiated from it. Sentinel groaned softly in the back of his throat and, with a few clicks, it slid to the side and his spike hit Starscream's dermas. His optics slitted as he stared up at Sentinel, leaning back and digging his digits into the padding of his berth. He must have been worked up for a long time before arriving — he was practically squirming atop Starscream.
It was more attractive than anything. He wondered before he could stop himself if Sentinel had thought about him as much as he'd thought of him. The thought only made him more wild. He shut it down before it could stray further and swallowed his pride for long enough to part his dermas. Humiliation tightened its claws around his spark as he took Sentinel into his mouth, offlining his gag reflex for the time being.
Sentinel hummed, pleased yet mildly amused. "You're embarrassed and sloppy."
Starscream glowered up at him and raised his wings along his spine but didn't bother pulling back to retort. He took Sentinel deeper and deliberately ignored his continued taunts about how a prince like him surely had never given oral before, yet he was so eager to try. He was wrong, of course. Starscream did not do it often, but he had always enjoyed the thick arousal that being humiliated in such a way gave him. It muddled his processor and soothed the constant racing of his thoughts.
He pressed the tip of his glossa against the underside of Sentinel's spike, interrupting his rant for a long, low moan. Starscream offlined his optics and allowed his cooling fans to kick on full notch. If there was one thing he liked about Sentinel, it was how loud he was. That certainly didn't make up for how annoying he was the rest of the time, and it definitely didn't raise a whimper from deep in Starscream's throat.
"There you go," Sentinel breathed as Starscream made it all the way down, "there's a good seeker."
Starscream contemplated biting down then and there, but was swiftly interrupted. Sentinel's other servo shot up to clutch at his helm and forcefully hold him still. His optics abruptly onlined just in time to see how his hips bucked, thrusting himself deeper into Starscream's mouth. His digits curled into his thighs and he braced himself without much fight. Something about being used…
Sentinel lowly muttered nonsense; softly uttered mixtures of praise and degradation that curled intoxicatingly in his audials. He whimpered for more, his hips canting embarrassingly as he attempted to find a satisfying friction for himself. Growing increasingly agitated as he wound up with nothing, he let out a long, drawn out whine that was only somewhat muffled by the intrusion in his mouth.
Another amused huff escaped Sentinel, and he paused his own rhythm to selflessly nudge Starscream's knees apart and rest his pes between them. Starscream offlined his optics and accepted the offering with a resigned whimper before grinding down against the top of his boot. His modesty plate had retracted at some point during their encounter, and bare, dripping mesh deliciously rubbed against hot metal. Sentinel pressed his other servo against Starscream's helm and thrust into him rougher than before.
It didn't take long for their crest to be reached in perfect, beautiful unison. Sentinel groaned from deep in his throat, "so good" and "so beautiful like this" spilling from his strained voice box like a broken record. He overloaded with a guttural moan, spilling down Starscream's throat and in turn sending him straight over the edge. Charge zipped between them, released by their synced system crash and blinding their optics with ecstasy.
Starscream slumped against Sentinel's leg, pulling his head back only to let it lay limply on his thighs. His fans screamed and his intake heaved, drawing in cool air in a desperate attempt to soothe his overheating systems. Fog swarmed and wrapped around them, casting a soft blanket over their forms. Starscream basked in it, even as he felt a wandering servo trail down his spine and between his wings. With great effort, he shoved aside his instinct to flinch and instead spread them, welcoming the comfort with slight reluctance.
Their recovery was swift after that. Sentinel stirred after a moment and reached down to grab Starscream by the chin, tilting his head up until their optics met. Malice flickered in Sentinel's, though it was lilted and high and attractive. Starscream wriggled to get into a better position, allowing himself to be guided by that servo. He had a lot of work ahead of him, and he absently hoped that he would not be called to duty before he could fully recharge overnight.
QuincyQuills on Chapter 1 Fri 10 Oct 2025 06:06AM UTC
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naofaun on Chapter 1 Fri 10 Oct 2025 09:06PM UTC
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Iforgotmypass (Guest) on Chapter 1 Fri 10 Oct 2025 06:13AM UTC
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naofaun on Chapter 1 Fri 10 Oct 2025 09:06PM UTC
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JustAGayAssReader♡ (Guest) on Chapter 2 Mon 13 Oct 2025 03:46AM UTC
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QuincyQuills on Chapter 2 Mon 13 Oct 2025 04:12PM UTC
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naofaun on Chapter 2 Mon 13 Oct 2025 04:37PM UTC
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