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Starscream slowly stumbled around Earth looking for energon scraps. He recently escaped Megatron torture. He didn’t get away unscathed though, he’s injured, and pretty badly too. He is unable to transform, so slowly he must walk the Earth. He may not be a medic but he knows just enough to get by. Perhaps hanging around Knockout was a good decision after all. Starscream had to get some energon to properly heal his wounds, but without having a whole team to help him he must find old energon veins and see if there are any leftovers. Unfortunately, he was left in the colder parts of this dreaded Earth. ~I swear it's either blazing hot or freezing cold on this Earth. The humans should be thankful that the Decepticons will rule over it.~ He thought to himself.
Starscream hated the cold. His gears could never keep up with it like the other mechs. Although it would take freezing cold to actually kill him the average human winter was enough to slow him down. He was already injured too so his pace was as slow as a turtle. Normally when the Decepticons would go on cold missions he would stand close to someone to steal some of their body heat. Obviously Starscream tried to hide the fact that a powerful seeker like him was cold, but even with his terrible lying abilities, he was able to trick a few Vehicons to stand close.
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Optimus Prime roamed the cold peninsula on his own. It was going to be an easy mission and he didn't want any of his bots to go into the cold. Since he was a bigger bot he naturally ran hotter. The team had discovered an artifact buried among the snow, and he needed to find it. While walking through the blinding snow he saw something in the distance. It looked like a grey pole with a little red... it was... Starscream? ~What was Starscream doing in the cold alone? Surely not looking for the same artifact I am.~ Prime thought to himself. He decided to call it into his base. "Ratchet, do you have any record of Starscream being out here?" He asked his friend.
"No I do not Optimus. The Decepticons shouldn't know the location of this artifact. Besides Starscream hates the cold, unless Megatron wanted him to fail he would've sent some other con." Ratchet explained. He was right after all, it was famously known that Starscream didn't do well in the cold. Ever since they had that battle in the arctic when they first landed on Earth, it was clear that Starscream didn't do well in freezing temperatures.
"He looks injured, perhaps Megatron has thrown Starscream off the Nemesis once again." Optimus said while pulling out his radar, "It seems like he is in the same direction that I am heading. He shouldn't be a danger to me." Optimus assured his friend before he had a chance to speak out.
"Under these cold conditions I would be shocked if he could even get your name out. But please be careful, Starscream may be wounded and frigid but he is still Megatron's second in command." Ratchet told Prime
"Understood." Optimus responded. He started to walk closer to the injured Decepticon. "Starscream." He called out to let him know of himself.
Starscream stood straighter and made a squeak from being startled. "Prime?! Ugh, it's always a Decepticon or an Autobot that's creeping around. What do you want? Can't you see that I'm busy?!" Starscream shouted. He wasn't expecting the leader of the Autobots to show up in this arctic wasteland, and a little thought in his mind was telling him to snuggle close to him for his body heat.
"Busy doing what? You've been standing here for minutes." Optimus said to the seeker while starting to walk past him, "I will not bother you if you do not bother me."
Starscream started to watch Prime walk away ~That's your ticket out of here walking away!~ He thought and quickly said, "Wait, Prime!" He started to catch up to him, "Perhaps I could help you?" He asked.
Prime couldn't help but notice how close the seeker was walking next to him. ~He is just looking for a way out of this cold.~ Prime reminded himself. "I am not in need of help." He told him.
Starscream grumbled, "Why not?! I am more than just a puppet you know!" He huffed out. A cold wind blew across him as he wrapped his arms closer to himself. He noticed how Optimus didn't react to the chilly wind. "How are you not freezing your aft off? It's like 0 degrees out here?" He blurted out.
"It is barely cold enough to cause any harm to our kind." Optimus told the frozen seeker. "You are more than welcome to fly away." He reminded him.
"Do you think I'd still be here if I could?! Don't ask such idiotic questions Prime." Starscream said without thinking. It surely wasn't his brightest idea to let Prime know he was grounded at the moment. He needed to say something else, "Well," He started; getting in front of Optimus, "What are you looking for, certainly a flyer would be able to help you search."
Optimus stopped in his tracks and looked at Starscream. He wasn't going to argue with this seeker, "I will not go back and forth with you, what do you want?" He questioned.
"What makes you think I need your help?" Starscream started, but before he got the rest of his sentence out Optimus started to walk around him. Starscream held up his arms to stop Prime. The warmth that radiated off of him was intoxicating, he lost his train of thought.
Optimus stood there with Starscream's hands placed on his chest. He was incredibly cold, maybe Starscream wasn't lying about the pain of the freezing temperatures on Earth. "You're freezing." Optimus said, breaking the silence.
Starscream thought about what to tell the Prime. He really wanted to lay in his arms and soak up his warmth, but instead he lowered his arms back by his sides and said, "Good job Captain obvious." He rolled his optics at Prime's stupid sentence.
Prime sighed and grabbed Starscream shoulders, "Why do you have to be so difficult Starscream?" He breathed out.
Starscream couldn't take the torture of the warm Prime anymore, he lunged himself into the Prime in an tight embrace with his head resting just above Prime's windshield. He could stay here all day.
"Starscream, I have busier tasks at hand than to give you a little warmth." He said to the mech that was clench tight around him. Optimus found it nice that Starscream trusted him enough to hug him, he was freezing, but there are more things Optimus needed to do than to snuggle up to a Decepticon. He thought about it for a minute or two, finally asking, "You are not going to move anytime soon, are you?"
"No, I've been freezing my aft out here for hours." Starscream mumbled on Prime's chest.
"Fine." Prime responded before picking Starscream up and holding him against his frame. Optimus decided that if Starscream wasn't going to leave, he would just take him with him. Optimus started walking farther with Starscream's delicate frame wrapped against his.
~This is nice.~ Starscream thought to himself, clearly drunk on Optimus's body heat. He felt his frame start to heat up, and his engine began purring loudly. "You should carry me around the arctic more often, Prime." Starscream chirped out while moving his head under Prime's chin.
Optimus could feel Starscream engine rumble against his own frame. It was clear that Starscream wasn't thinking straight. "This is nothing but strict business, Starscream." He reminded him.
"Oh if you say so." Starscream sat up so now he was looking at Prime in his stunning blue optics. ~Goodness he's handsome up close.~ Starscream thought. "Has anyone told you your optics sparkle like sapphires?" He flirted.
Optimus stopped walking and sighed, "Do you want to walk again?" He asked the seeker while looking into his red optics.
Starscream's face flushed up as he apologized and laid back down on Prime shoulder.
Optimus continued to walk while Starscream engine quietly rumbled. He had his arms loosely wrapped around Optimus shoulders along with his head laying sideways. His wings were low so they wouldn't obscure Optimus's view and his legs were crossed behind Optimus's back. Optimus had one arm holding the scanner while the other was holding Starscream in place. Optimus continued to roam like this until he heard the cutest little snore next to his head. ~He's fallen asleep.~ Optimus thought. He wasn't too excited about this, but as he thought more he wondered what happened to him. What has Megatron done to him for him to fall asleep on the enemy shoulder? It was sweet that Starscream trusted Prime though, in a fucked up way he liked it. He liked having Megatron second in command over his shoulder, it made him feel more powerful. Maybe Starscream was right; he should carry him around the arctic more often.