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"I don't think it's very respectful," said Sideswipe. "Treating Screamer like he's made of glass."
Wheeljack's coaching a youth Grand Prix, while Starscream is in a completely different venue coaching a senior event. Everyone talks to Wheeljack about Starscream anyway. Everyone.
(Part four of the Transformers Fencing AU.)
Series
- Part 4 of Attaque Composée
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Seeing all the ugly parts of his friends that they used to keep for their enemies.
"I don't think it's very respectful," said Sideswipe. "Treating Screamer like he's made of glass."
Wheeljack looked across the venue, to where Megatron was looming over the Lost Light fencer who was probably going to win lower youth division tomorrow, and had a good shot at winning upper youth division today. The kid was hardly paying attention to Megatron. Unlike every single coach or referee around them, every one of whom had their optics glued to Megatron's back.
If Wheeljack was talking to someone he'd trusted, he'd say:
Look, maybe it is respect. Not respect like you mean it, not respect from one mech to another. But respect for something that could be dangerous. Megatron's afraid of what will happen if he gets too close to Starscream, pushes him too far again.
All Turmoil did was be a rude fragger and accuse Starscream of some nasty slag while Starscream was trying to work, and Starscream had a meltdown that ruined his season but also ruined Turmoil's career. Of course Megatron's going to treat Starscream like glass. Glass cuts you when it breaks.
But Wheeljack didn't trust Sideswipe like that anymore. He didn't really trust anyone enough to say all of that to them. Maybe Windblade, if he thought Windblade would understand. Maybe Starscream, if he thought Starscream was in a good enough place to talk about it. Hadn’t happened yet.
“You’re off in orbit again.” Sideswipe chuckled. “You can’t spend your whole life thinking, Jackie. What happened to that explosive attack? The unpredictable defense?”
“Taught it to the kids.” Wheeljack rolled his shoulders back and got up. There was finally a tableau notification flashing in the corner of Wheeljack’s HUD, telling him to get his processor back in the present. "Bracket's posted. Come on, let's go to work."
...
Starscream: I saw the tableau. Did you tell her to flunge?
Wheeljack: i'm not telling stageflight to flunge
Starscream: It's the right action!
Wheeljack: ever since you taught her to flunge it's her favorite action
Wheeljack i don't need to tell her to flunge
Wheeljack: the problem is getting her to stop
Starscream: "Problem."
Wheeljack: ok why don't you leave us alone and go do YOUR job
Starscream: Knock Out's in between pool bouts and he won't stop talking about how much he wishes Breakdown was here.
Starscream: I can't listen to another word about Breakdown's broad blue chest or his warm yellow optics or his homemade rust sticks.
Wheeljack: aw that's sweet. be nice to ko
Starscream: I'm being very nice by allowing him to prattle unchecked while I give you my invaluable insights.
Starscream: They'll never expect the flunge from a fencer Stageflight's size.
Wheeljack: they'll expect it after she flunges five times in a row
"Oh! Oh!" Stageflight waved her hands to regain Wheeljack's attention. "Maybe I should—"
"Every time you flunge, you have to try three new actions before you're allowed to flunge again," said Wheeljack.
Stageflight beamed. "So I can flunge."
Wheeljack just looked at her. Eventually Stageflight ducked her helm in a clearly false show of compliance and started warming up her footwork.
Wheeljack: stageflight used to be real easy to work with before you started giving her ideas
Starscream: I'm interested in your theory that ideas are bad. Please tell me more.
Wheeljack: sorry i'm busy coaching ttyl