Y/N'S POV

"YOU FAILED AGAIN STARSCREAM!? At this point, I shouldn't even be surprised."
Megatron's angry voice sends shivers down your wings as you
walk past the bridge.

'Wait Starscream? Oh no..'

"Wait, master please have mercy! Let me try again! One more chance master!" His shrill voice of panic sends a jolt of pity through you, and you slowly turn to enter the bridge. Staying to the shadows, you note that there are around two dozen flying Vehicons here as well.

'They must have all just got back from the search for the phase shifter.'
Narrowing your optics, you focus not on the kneeling vehicons, but on the red and gray seeker.

'Come on Starscream. Just agree with Megatron and don't argue maybe he'll let you go if-'

CLANG

Your thoughts are interrupted as Megatron swats Starscream to the floor.

"STARSCREAM!" You gasp as you shoot forwards in front of him in time to take Megatron's next hit. You're sent flying across the room and hitting the glass hard, you leave a crack. Your cry muffled by the sounds of surprise from the vehicons.

Slowly rising back to your peds, you look down to Starscream who is still on the floor, with an expression of confusion and gratefulness.

"Y/N!" You drop your helm as Megatron starts towards you in anger. "Why would you defend that pathetic piece of scrap metal?" He lashes out and you're shoved against the glass once again. A tiny piece breaks as he punches you in the stomach harshly.

With a groan, you cough up some energon onto his chassis. But refuse to say a word.
He grabs you by the neck guard and throws you in the general direction of Starscream.

Hitting the floor harshly, you spit out more energon and brace yourself for another hit.

"Leave Starscream. I'll deal with you later."
Raising your helm, you watch as Starscream looks hesitantly to you before fleeing the room.

"See? He won't even try to protect you. I don't understand why a respectable femme like you would even attempt to protect a failure like him. You're a disgrace!" Megatron kicks you across the bridge and you hit the far wall.

'What have I done...'

Starscream's POV
'Why would Y/n help me? We've only spoken a couple times..yet she's taking a beating for me? Confusing femme.. maybe I should go back for her?'

With a sigh, I turn around to head back towards the bridge. Standing outside, I listen in on the conversation.

"- won't even try to protect you. I don't understand why a respectable femme like you would even attempt to protect a failure like him. You're a disgrace!"
I watch in pity as Y/n is kicked across the room once more and she hits the back wall.

Megatron stops and turns back towards the throne.

"You!" He points to a vehicon who immediately snaps to attention.

"Take her to her berth room then leave her."

The vehicon slowly moves towards Y/n and crouches to wrap one of her arms around his shoulder plates. Lifting her, he makes his way towards the entrance to the bridge and I quickly back into a doorway to remain hidden from sight as they pass by. Y/n limping and leaning almost all of her weight on the vehicon seeker.

Her once white, gray and black chassy dripping energon onto the floors of the Nemesis.

'But Megatron, of course, will send someone to clean that up.. because of course, he cares more about his precious Nemesis than one of his seekers..'

A growl leaves my dermas as I strut towards the pair.

"I'll take her to her berthroom. You clean the mess." I address the vehicon as I slide Y/n's other arm over my own shoulder plates.

"Go."

The vehicon hurries away and I hesitantly look down at the femme as I guide her towards her berthroom.

"You foolish femme.. why would you do that?"

"Hmm? Well, I suppose I couldn't just watch it happen.." Her words are whispered and I can hear the pain in them as she moves her other servo to open the door to her berthroom.

"Well, it was very reckless of you. You could have gotten killed!"

'Unbelievable. Does she not understand what she did?'

Y/N'S POV
'He's insane. Why would he wait for me? Much less help me to my berthroom.. did Megatron hit his head too hard?'

But as the gray and red seeker slid under your other arm and ordered the vehicon away, you feel a slight heat in your faceplates as he holds you close to his side to keep you steady. Lowering your head, you wait for his sarcastic or annoyed comments.

"You foolish femme.. why would you do that?" You can hear the bewilderment in his voice as he speaks.

"Hmm? Well, I suppose I couldn't just watch it happen.." You manage to speak somehow through the pain. As you reach your berthroom, you half expect Starscream to leave you alone. But instead, he stands at your side holding you up as you use yur other servo to type in the password to your berthroom.

"Well, it was very reckless of you. You could have gotten killed!" His disbelieving voice seems to be getting quieter and quieter as you step forward into the room. Wasp isn't here yet so I assume that she's still out in the mine keeping watch.

Dimming your optics, you stagger towards your berth, Starscream holding you upright until you're sitting down on it and leaning against the wall.

"You should go and get fixed by Knockout. Unless of course, you're planning on draining all the energon in your chassy that is."

The gray seeker paces in circles in front of your berth as he speaks. Every once and a while looking towards you.

"No way.. I can do this myself!" Twisting your chassis to the side, you reach to grab a welder and buffer from your desk.

"Stop."
Just as you was about to turn on the welder, Starscream grabs your servo that's holding the welder.

"Lay down and let me do it." Your optics widen slightly in surprise but you do as you're told and turn to lay back on your berth.

"Ok. Just try not to offline me please." You joke as he takes the welder from you. Offlining your optics, you relax your chassy to allow him to work. After a couple earth minutes, you bring your optics back online to watch Starscream as he works on the wound on your side plating.

"Why are you helping me Starscream? Why didn't you just ignore it and forget about me..?"
Starscream looks to your optics for a sparkbeat before turning his focus back to welding your wound shut.

"Because I don't want to be in your debt. I would rather not owe anyone anything." He speaks hesitantly.

A lie.

"Right." You sigh and lean back again.

"Are you sure you don't require Knockout's assistance?" Starscream finishes and sets the welder back on your desk.

"I'm positive. Thanks." You sit up with a wince.

"Well thank you for your assistance earlier. But don't expect any special treatment for that!" The stuck up gray seeker turns and walks away towards the doorway.
Debating for a moment, you jump up and grab Starscream's shoulder plate. Spinning him around, you lean up to press your dermas softly to his faceplate.

"Starscream. Thank you, ok? Just accept it for once. I'm not expecting anything back from you. I'm not Megatron, I won't manipulate you." Backing away, you smile at the flustered seeker and turn towards your berth and a smile spreads across your faceplates as you hear him bump into the doorframe on the way. out.

'Damn right it was reckless. But sooo worth it'

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Word count- 1316
Up next- Why So Serious (Knockout)