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"Haven't I told you you're insufferable?" Bumblebee said with a smile plain on his face, playfully smacking Starscream's arm.
"Once or twice I'm sure. You're just jealous of my genius and the only way you can think to show that is through petty insults." Starscream was smiling just as much, his tone mirthful and light. He turned back to his work to try and hide his smile.
"Yeah you caught me," Bumblebee laughed, "I'm very jealous of being within blast range of Wheeljack's latest invention."
"He's… getting better."
"But are you?"
Starscream looked back to Bumblebee, feeling a giddy lightness in his chassis he knew without a doubt was brought on by the yellow mech sitting next to him. "Maybe I am."
⟡ ⟡ ⟡
The sun was beginning to sink below the horizon, painting the sky in watercolor pinks and oranges. It was Bumblebee's favorite thing about Earth, that and getting to know Starscream. He leaned back where he sat, looking over to sneak a glance at the seeker sitting next to him. The evening light wrapped Starscream in an orange glow, the sunlight making his plating sparkle in a way that made Bumblebee's vents hitch.
"Have I ever told you how pretty you look when the fading sunlight catches on your frame?" Bumblebee asked, feeling like he'd stumbled into a dream.
He heard Starscream take a sharp in-vent, sputtering before he'd even began to respond. "I— what? Where— where did this come from?"
"I just thought you deserved to know. We watch sunsets together a lot but I don't think I've ever said that out loud."
Starscream looked off to the distance, silent except for the soft whirring of his fans.
"This isn't something I'm saying just to fill the silence or as shallow flattery. I mean it. You're always beautiful but this kind of light just makes it all the more obvious." Bumblebee wasn't one to lie without reason and he hoped Starscream knew that too.
"I—" Starscream shrank in on himself just barely, but it was enough for Bumblebee to notice. "Thank you."
⟡ ⟡ ⟡
Starscream transformed midair, touching down in the soft dirt in front of where Bumblebee laid in a crumpled mess of bent plating streaked pink with spilled energon. He rushed to the yellow mech's side, uncaring of the way energon had mixed with dirt to create a gruesomely pink mud now clung to his usually clean plating.
"Have I ever told you how much of a reckless idiot you are? Ratchet's on his way, don't— don't move." Starscream's spark felt too cramped in its chamber, everything felt too tight as he slipped his servo into Bumblebee's less injured one.
Bumblebee groaned, weakly squeezing Starscream's servo. "I think I can agree with you on that."
"And another thing: have I ever told you that I love you? Apparently I need to say it now just in case you decide to do another reckless thing before I have the chance."
"We're doing this now?" Bumblebee chuckled.
"I could've been more romantic about it if you weren't such an idiot. You deserve to know even if your foolish heroic tendencies made me act sooner than I would've liked…" He felt a little silly with such a confession but that was just another effect of falling for someone such as Bumblebee.
Bumblebee hissed in pain as he tried to move before giving up, grumbling to himself. "After Ratchet patches me up you owe me a kiss and a dramatic reenactment of this very confession."
"Deal, just don't be an idiot again until we can do that." Starscream scowled. "I don't know why I had to go and fall for an idiot but I'm glad it's you."
"It's just part of my charm. Then again, I did fall for an insufferable genius but I'm glad it was you too."