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Megatron sat in the far corner of the hideout, keeping his distance from his pacing second in command. It had been a fun rainy day up until the thunder and lightning began. The Terrans and kids had been ushered into the barn by Dot and Alex, and in turn, the visiting former Decepticons as well.
The Malto’s tried to keep the two busy, but as Starscream became fidgety from the enclosed space, let alone one shared with his former master-. The air of the room quickly became uncomfortable.
In the middle of pacing, the jet-former paused, reaching down to his knee and holding it tightly with a silenced grunt. Megatron couldn’t resist his own growing sense of morals.
“Starscream, are you okay? I’ve been told you’ve been having some joint pains-“ Megatron started as he began to rise from his seat on the floor. Starscream whipped his helm in his direction. He stood up straight, snapped his leg back in place with a kick to the air and glared at Megatron so harshly, the silver Cybertronian fell back onto his aft again.
“Really?! I thought you, of all mechs, would know all about my never ending suffering. Alas, it seems you still haven’t learned.” Starscream snapped.
Megatron was at a loss for words. He stared, intake agape at his former second-in-command as the latter began pacing again. This time, he was a little further away.
The others watched the monitor screen as the rain began to pick up in earnest. Starscream whimpered slightly when he took a peek over Nightshade’s shoulder. Unfortunately, the only one that had heard it just had to be the one he was trying to actively avoid.
“Starscream. Perhaps if you-.” Megatron tried. Starscream groaned.
“What? What should I do, perhaps? Because if you haven’t noticed, there isn’t anything to do at this point! We’re stuck in this hole until the rain is over, so please,” He turned to Megatron, squinting his optics at him and leaning forward challengingly with a smirk. “Do tell.”
The former warlord shut his intake with a click of his dentae. He took a vent and leaned back, allowing himself to calm down and forcing his expression to relax. He knew how irritating Starscream could be, and it only ever amplified when it came to being stuck in small spaces. Apparently, trying to get the seeker to try breathing exercises were out the window now. No matter. He had a few more things to suggest.
“Very well. What about-?” Megatron didn’t get to finish. Starscream scoffed at him and straightened back up, offended as if he’d been slapped.
“That wasn’t an invitation! I’m fully capable of taking care of myself, thank you not at all! Now excuse you, but I’m busy.” The seeker turned to preening himself in the opposite corner from Megatron, keeping a watchful optic on the mech as he did so.
The Malto family watched the interactions like a particularly riveting tennis match. Megatron pinched the bridge off his nose and sighed heavily. He dragged his servo down to cover his intake and watched the jet-former as he flicked minuscule dust particles from himself.
Starscream’s optics slid over to the former warlord as smooth as ice on a warm surface. He looked him over and smirked.
“You look like slag, by the way. Who does your detailing? Have you looked in any reflective surfaces recently?” Starscream’s words were like honey as he spit his venom at the old mech. When Megatron didn’t respond, a little giddy shiver tickled up his spinal-strut. He couldn’t help but chuckle in the wake of it.
“I’m serious. You look like you used linseed oil instead of a proper waxing. Is that your attempt at ‘looking nice?’ Or are you just that pathetic?” Starscream felt like he was on a roll, and he didn’t want to stop. The added fact that Megatron just sat there staring at him with half-lidded optics saying nothing felt like a dream come true!
“And what’s with that stupid symbol you’re still wearing? It looks disgusting, by the way. I’m surprised you still haven’t removed it. Or is that too hard for you? Oh, I know! Perhaps you could enlist the Prime to help you! Oh, wait! My bad, I forgot you both aren’t speaking with each other at the moment.” Starscream relished the look on Megatron’s face as he closed his optics and sighed with irritation, his servos on his knees and digits squeezing them slightly.
The seeker caught himself before he could laugh out loud. If Starscream hadn’t caught sight of the little human, Dot, shifting out of the corner of his optic with a warning frown on her squishy dermas, he may have said something he might have truly regretted later.
Insult after insult flew through his processor at lightning speeds. He so desperately wanted to tear into Megatron’s plating until the mech was nothing but nuts and bolts on the floor, but there were children in the room. A threatening snicker slipped from his intake instead, his wings flicking behind him playfully against his wishes.
“You know, maybe this storm wasn’t such a waste after all. Wouldn’t you agree, My Lord?” Starscream purred, spitting the old title at the former warlord’s pedes with acid dripping from every syllable.
Megatron’s frame locked up in an instant, his optics blown wide and glaring at him with disbelief and disgust. That alone made the gross feeling in Starscream’s spark slightly less painful at the despised moniker.
A hushed cough behind the seeker made him flinch from the staring match that he and Megatron held. Hashtag poked his wing when he couldn’t see her, ducking when he jerked around to look at her under his arm to avoid being smacked with it.
“Um, Starscream…?” Instead of saying anything else, the Terran pointed toward the screen. He turned to look at it better and found that the rain had finally cleared.
He felt something within himself become lighter along with the sun that glittered over the puddles on the ground. The slight pinch of guilt from having his favorite Malto witness his attitude toward Megatron was instantly forgotten and replaced with relief. He stormed out of the entryway as soon as it was wide enough to fit him.
He flashed Hashtag a slightly apologetic smirk, which turned to a sneer as Megatron slowly lumbered out into the yard as well. He didn’t wait, or even say goodbye as he jumped up, transformed and took off.
When the barn was out of view, he allowed himself a few corkscrews and a single loop. He would later deny anyone that said they heard him laughing as he made his way home.