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Breakdown considered himself to be an okay soldier. He wasn’t all that good at strategy, and his bedside manner was decent. But above all, he was an excellent supervisor. Or sparkling-sitter, in the case of his lovely conjunx and the high-strung SIC.
Breakdown knew that Knockout was smart, Starscream was clever but questionable,; but Knockout and Starscream together had no impulse control and only had bad ideas. Starscream had a few screws loose and Knockout kept enabling him.
Megatron no longer sent him out on long excursions, not after what happened last time. The last time Breakdown left the two troublemakers alone on the Nemesis for a week they somehow made a scraplet-pigeon hybrid, which was just a scaplet on steroids. It seemed that the duo were determined to make Primus weep with their actions.
Shockwave had already expressed that “Knockout and Starscream have committed multiple crimes against science and their embarrassments must be wiped from the memory of the universe.”
Breakdown agreed slightly, none of them had any precursor thought for lab safety or believed that their actions had consequences. And so, Megatron made sure to keep him close enough to keep Knockout and Starscream in line. Thankfully when they weren’t making bad decisions they merely gossipped heavily about other decepticons and the occasional autobot.
“And then he told me that I looked like a walking pile of knives-”
“-He didn’t!”
Starscream nodded indignantly as Knockout continued to file his claws.
“So I skewered him right then and there.”
“Honestly I would have done the same.”
Breakdown felt awkward hanging out with the both of them, because he would usually try to seem inconspicuous. Knockout and the commander had a weird dynamic that wasn’t common in decepticon factions. Getting involved would just disrupt the relationship that they had.
“Hey Starscream, I want to try something different with your digits.”
Starscream looked at him suspiciously, “What is it?”
Knockout grinned and held up a small bottle of blue paint.
“I see it all the time in human films. The humans paint their little keratin claws the colour of their blood to seem more dangerous.”
“You think that I need to be perceived even more threateningly. And why are you taking fashion advice from the human media of all things!” Starscream glowered at the medic who seemed largely unfazed.
“What can I say, they have nice taste. And besides you can’t critique their films until you’ve seen them.”
“Bullshit.”
Knockout’s smile became devious.
“Oh, would you care to dispute your claim.”
“What are you talking about.”
“I’m saying that you should come down to our habsuite and watch a human film and then cast judgement.”
“Hmph, fine. My opinion won’t change.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Breakdown watched the exchange with wide optic. In a span of a few seconds, Knockout had invited the SIC into their quarters for a movie night. He looked over at Knockout helplessly, who only flashed him a charming smile. He sighed, it looks like Starscream was coming over for a visit.
The next day as the sun set Knockout was searching through his data slugs for the perfect movie. Breakdown recognized the one he held up in triumph. His spark sank, it was Bloody Gorey Gruesome Murder Camp Third Times The Charm!.
It was different from the first two slasher movies, which were just filled with baseless gore. The third installment had deep psychological elements at play, in which the main character was Jessica, who was the cheerleader from the first movie, who had survived the serial killer’s attempt on her life.
But her face and body were horribly mangled and when she returned to the same camp years later Jessica was besotted with trauma induced hallucinations and in the course of the movie began to push away the few friends that remained. And at the end, she became the murderer antagonist of the next movie. It was a bitter film that shook Breakdown to his core.
There was a knock at the door as Knockout hurried jammed the data slug into the console receptacle. Breakdown opened the door and an impatient Starscream stood outside.
“Well, we haven’t got all night,” he snarled as he pushed past Breakdown.
Starscream slumped down angrily on the middle of the couch.
“I can’t believe you convinced me to watch this garbage,” he said unhappily while Knockout and Breakdown took their seats on either side of him.
Knockout grinned artfully, “Oh I think after you watch this movie, you won’t think so lowly of human media. They have quite the imagination.”
Starscream just continued to sulk as the opening credits flashed across the screen.
When Jessica had her flashback where the Madman of Sunshine Camp cut up her body and face Starscream feigned a yawn.
“Where is the imagination that you spoke of Doctor.”
Knockout said nothing, fully absorbed in the movie, chomping down on energon bits. Starscream huffed and turned his attention back to the screen
Breakdown tried to relax and enjoy the movie, but it was difficult when the indifferent SIC sat next to him.
And then, while Jessica was having a meltdown in the camp washroom, screaming about how her parents couldn’t stand to look at her anymore; and that she no longer had any redeemable qualities about her, so the universe tossed her aside, Breakdown felt Starscream shiver. It was slight, almost like it hadn’t happened, yet he knew that he had felt the reaction.
Starscream, however, looked unfazed as ever. Despite that, Breakdown decided to keep his optic on him for the rest of the movie. The last thing he wanted was for Starscream to become distraught.
Jessica had her first hallucination in the showers, in which the Madman appeared and tried to kill her. Starscream remained unmoved throughout the whole scene. However, in the following scene in which she screamed at her only friend Paige and slapped her, Starscream jumped and grabbed hold of Breakdown’s arm.
Surprised, Breakdown glanced down at Starscream, but the seeker was trying not to meet his optic out of clear embarrassment. However Starscream didn’t let go of his arm. Breakdown looked over him at Knockout, who thankfully was still absorbed in the film. Breakdown loved his conjux dearly, but he lacked the necessary tact for this situation.
Breakdown gently rubbed Starscream’s servo with his thumb, and the commander blushed, but understood that the ex-wrecker would keep quiet. For the rest of the movie, Starscream kept his grip on Breakdown’s arm.
Angelica sneered at Jessica and laughed.
“You dumb bitch! Remember when you were still beautiful and you told me I’d never make the cheer squad?”
Jessica sank to her knees and said nothing, but tears fell from her heavily scarred face onto the dirt.
“Guess who’s replacing you as head cheerleader. Spoiler, it’s me!”
She was crying more heavily now on all fours, the tears landing on the crumpled leaves between her hands. Angelica crouched down and took her chin roughly in her perfectly manicured fingers.
“You used to be something, but now you’re just a pathetic pile of mangled parts. Now it’s you who’s begging at my feet!”
She let go and stood up, relishing in Jessica’s wails.
Starscream tightened his grip, claws peeling away bits of blue paint.
Jessica looked up, suddenly stopping her sobs, as a shadow was casted over Angelica. The same Madman who had chased her in the shower, who had mutilated her, was standing there with that bloodied axe in his hand. He dropped it on the ground with a weighty thud. And suddenly, everything became clear.
“Jessica, why do you have an axe?”
Angelica sounded frightened.
Jessica didn’t respond, but turned to the cowering girl, a sort of mad clarity in her one good eye. She held up the axe, and soon the screams echoed among the trees.
Starscream relaxed, and seemed to genuinely enjoy the rest of the movie as Jessica enacted vengeance on her tormentors. Until the end.
Jessica stood in the forest, panting, surrounded by the bits of her latest victim.
“Jessica!”
It was Paige, the one who had stood beside her all this time. She was crying.
“Why, why would you do this?”
Jessica stumbled back, axe shaking in her grip.
“Please Jessica, I can help you,” Paige pleaded.
The Madman stood over Paige, saying nothing, but it was clear to Jessica what he wanted. There was no sanity left in her, and her axe cut poor unfortunate Paige to ribbons. The Madman looked at Jessica, pleased, and handed her something. It was a mask, much like his. The one he wore when he maimed her.
Jessica grinned madly and put it on. And the Madwoman of Sunshine Camp was born.
Starscream had left dents in Breakdown’s arm from clenching so hard. It seemed that the protagonist’s betrayal had shaken him somewhat. Knockout turned to them grinning widely. Starscream quickly let go of Breakdown and somehow managed to put up an air of aloofness. Any tension he had seemed to vanish.
“So Starscream, thoughts?”
“Inane and somewhat banal, I find it bizarre how humans can enjoy watching each other get torn apart,” there was only a slight shake in his voice, Breakdown could barely notice it.
Knockout pouted, “And here I thought that you would have a bit more appreciation for the arts.”
Starscream rolled his optics, “I suppose for a crude underdeveloped species, it wasn’t that bad.”
“Tch, I guess that’s the best I’ll get out of you.” Knockout began to pick up the energon bits that he had scattered in his excitement.
Breakdown ushered Starscream to the door. Starscream stood pensively outside their quarters, arms crossed and wings twitching anxiously. He was waiting for something, Breakdown realized.
“You okay boss?”
Starscream tightened his arms defensively.
“I… trust that you will keep this a secret.”
“Of course boss, no one needs to know,” Breakdown felt a bit sad that he would interpret vulnerability as weakness. Starscream’s wings lowered in relief, and he turned to leave.
And was swiftly pulled into a massive hug. Breakdown’s arms encompassed him, Starscream was pressed against his chest and he swore he could feel the other’s spark beating gently. Starscream had often been manhandled by mechs bigger than him, but none had held him with such benign strength. Breakdown ran hot compared to seekers, who were often cold because their slim frames couldn’t retain heat well.
Starscream felt as though he could remain in the embrace forever. Until he remembered he had a reputation to uphold. He squirmed out of Breakdown’s hold and composed himself.
Starscream reset his vocaliser, feeling embarrassed.
“Try that again and I’ll report you for insubordination.”
Starscream left quickly before Breakdown could respond, feeling quite awkward. How was he supposed to look Breakdown in the optic after this? Starscream finally had an inkling of why Knockout conjuxed such a clunky mech.
Frag, he thought, both of them are hot.