“You couldn’t possibly even imagine the kind of stress I’m under,” said Starscream. He was pacing, which Knock Out knew was generally a bad sign. He watched the seeker strut back and forth while he leant against one of the medical cots with his arms folded and enjoyed the view. Starscream’s arrogance cut no deeper than it usually did, although his dismissive attitude did skirt the border to insulting more often than not. He had the patience to listen to so much of Starscream’s squawking, but if he insisted in going on, Knock Out would have to do something about it.
He let him prattle on a bit longer, until it looked like Starscream was working himself up into a state. Then he sighed, pushed off from the bench he was leaning against, and caught Starscream’s wrist.
“It seems you’re experiencing a lot of tension,” he said, enjoying Starscream’s startled, somewhat offended look. “As your physician I would advise you to relax.”
Starscream made a face and pulled his hand free. “And what would you suggest to help with that?” he said, vocals dripping with scorn.
Knock Out’s optics darkened as he raked them up and down Starscream’s frame. He could think of a whole score of things that could help the highly-strung seeker wind down, and all of them were equally delicious.
“Do you,” he started to drawl, then purposely hesitated. He liked seeing Starscream hang on his every word. “Well… I mean…” He made a show of thinking about it, making a casual twirling gesture with his hand, sure to draw Starscream’s attention to his fingers.
“Do spit it out,” Starscream said.
Knock Out gave him an innocent smile and said, “I could give you a massage?”
Starscream blinked, and then his faceplates turned a distinctly warm shade of red. “You’ll do no such thing,” he spluttered, but Knock Out saw the spark of interest in his optics and it made him smirk.
“Come now, Starscream, it might be just what you need. You’re carrying all your stress in your frame, I can see from the way you hold your wings.”
“My… wings?” Starscream twisted, trying to see what Knock Out was talking about. “What’s wrong with my wings?”
“Nothing,” Knock Out said smoothly, bringing a hand to Starscream’s lower back and guiding him over to a stool. “Have a seat.”
“This doesn’t seem very appropriate,” Starscream grumbled. He sat anyway. Knock Out moved behind him and stroked his fingertips over the seeker’s shoulder guards, eliciting a lovely little shiver. Starscream was tense—he was always tense—and Knock Out would consider it a great achievement to render him a strutless, satisfied mess if he was at all able.
“Nonsense,” he said, keeping his smooth vocals dialed low. “I’m a doctor.”
He brought his hands to the juncture between Starscream’s neck and shoulders, and began to knead, gently at first to warm up the area before he started to dig in. Starscream sat motionless for a while, but Knock Out wasn’t deterred. Eventually he got the reward he had been trying for—he found a particularly tight area a little way down Starscream’s back, between his wings, and as he pressed his thumbs into just the right spot, Starscream let out an involuntary little moan. He smacked his hand over his mouth at once, but it was too late, Knock Out had heard him.
He continued on as though nothing had happened, but returned more and more to that area, and found others, working over the seeker’s back and shoulders with expert touches that soon had Starscream making all sorts of interesting sounds, despite the seeker’s attempts to keep quiet. He had to bite his glossa to keep from teasing him. If Starscream got too embarrassed or felt like Knock Out was making fun of him he would get angry, probably storm out, and never allow Knock Out the privilege of touching him like this again. Bit by bit he felt the tension bleed out of Starscream’s frame. Knock Out was proud of himself.
When one of Knock Out’s knuckles brushed the base of a wing, Starscream awoke from the pleased daze he’d been sitting in with a sharp intake of breath, but Knock Out carried on as though it had been an accident, like he hadn’t even noticed. He didn’t push his luck, not this time, but worked his hands back up to the back of Starscream’s neck and kneaded firmly.
“There,” he purred. His hands stilled, fingertips very close to the seeker’s throat. He felt the pulse of fuel in Starscream’s lines beneath his hands. “Doesn’t that feel better?”
“I…” Starscream had forgotten to keep his EM field as tightly reined as usual, and Knock Out could taste a delicious cocktail of pleasure, anxiety, and arousal. Starscream cleared his throat. “Yes. That was… adequate. Now take your clumsy hands off me.”
“Clumsy?” Knock Out stood a little closer, letting his own field press gently into Starscream’s, let him read his enjoyment, amusement, pride. He slid one hand up the slim column of Starscream’s throat, touched his fingertips to Starscream’s jaw, and tilted his head so the seeker had no choice but to look up at him. “I assure you they’re anything but.” Starscream’s optics were big and bright, staring up at him like a petrorabbit in headlights. Knock Out just couldn’t resist pressing a light, teasing kiss to the Air Commander’s lips. To his surprise, just as he was about to pull back, he felt Starscream respond.
When Knock Out stepped back, Starscream remained where he was as though his processor had stalled. Then he surged up from the stool, knocking it over, and rounded on Knock Out.
“What- What the slag was that?”
Knock Out spread his hands and smiled. “I thought it would help,” he said.
Starscream scowled, but the high tilt of his wings betrayed his very obvious interest. “You fool! You absolute- How dare you? Now I’m just as tense as when you started!”
Knock Out hid his smirk behind his hand. He hadn’t expected a simple kiss to bother Starscream that much… or maybe he had. Maybe he had been counting on it. “Well then,” he said without missing a beat. “Perhaps I’ll just have to start again.”
Starscream glared at him, and despite his angry posture Knock Out saw indecision in his optics. “I think not,” he said. He was trying so hard to show only disdain and disapproval, even though he still hadn’t pulled in his energy field, which was a crackling storm of mixed emotions, chief among them want. “I think we’re done.” Starscream dusted himself off, pulled himself into stiff, upright posture, and then at the last minute got his EM field under control. Knock Out missed the taste of it already.
“If you say so,” Knock Out said. “Commander.”
Starscream huffed once more, and then pushed past Knock Out to stride stiffly out of the medical bay. The doctor watched him go with a smile. He would be back.