#i'll probably get these out faster now bc i dont like how seldom i post these

[deadlysoupy]

tfe starbee but starscream has been having chronic nightmares and is purposely avoiding sleep

HI HELLO i didn't know you back when you sent me this and its so nice to answer this now that i do hehehe so here you go!!!! hug attack from behind

(again, unclear timeline, this one actually jumps between some time when star was imprisoned and some happy not-so-distant future. again, don't worry about it <3)

(Read here on AO3)

The gun attached to his frame burns. Starscream's plating heats with it as it powers up, setting up the shot. Starscream's optics follow it's trajectory, and he sees yellow and purple colours, all mushed together in a cacophony of chaos.

The weapon fires all on itself. He didn't order it to attack, he never wanted to hurt them.

One devastating shot after another, the colours are greyed out. Unmoving.

Pulsating white lights obscure his vision. To silence them, Starscream fires again, until he's sure nothing is blinding him anymore.

Only when he makes his way to the throne does it outline so clearly, behind the now dull colours. Starscream never has to look back to know the cold bodies belong to his Seekers.

His family. Skywarp and Nova Storm. Their spark extinguished by his own hand.

The frame he's trapped in doesn't hesitate for a second. It sits itself on the Decepticon throne.

When he casts his gaze outward, he sees countless frames, all bowing to him. If he wanted to glance around, he knew there'd be no one else beyond the throne. He'd be alone, surrounded by bots pledging their loyalty to him. It's everything he's ever wanted, and nothing at all at the same time. 

His body shudders and jolts his optics open.

He clenches his servos hard, with intention, to know if it hurts. His claws dig into the planting. A quick warning of energon leak is ignored — but his pain receptors know pain.

It was a dream. Starscream accidentally fell into recharge.

He doesn't know if it's a good idea to be online in a cell like this, but it's better than going back to a dream like that one.

Not that it's anything new. Which was precisely the reason he didn't recharge as much. Perhaps it's the space he's forced to reside in, or it's his own processor fighting him, he doesn't know. The… nightmares, humans call them, have been frequent, and less than pleasant.

Starscream sets himself up to sit on the cold, hard floor of his singular occupied cell, prompting to lean on the wall instead of laying.

He keeps prodding his planting. Pain is a good stimuli for not falling into recharge. He finds it… comforting, after experiencing it so often.

His optics don't shut for a nanoklik. He won't allow himself a recharge that might cost him.

So he waits.

~~

Megatron looms over him. Red, devastating optics follow his every move. The canon on his servo always loaded, and ready to make Starscream remember what failure feels like.

He doesn't know how he got here, but his frame is broken beyond repair. The raw energon leaking out of him smells of rot and mistakes.

His spark is exposed. Frame beyond recognition, cockpit destroyed, laid bare in front of the person he thought was supposed to support him. Was supposed to make things better.

Megatron made it all worse, instead.

His spark aches, so very fragile a single touch would surely shatter it, and he would cease to exist. Life easily snuffed out.

The canon's fizzle gets stronger. Starscream doesn't feel the impact, but he knows his servo is disconnected. Its' joints, wires and pipes disintegrated.

It's not long before he gets to his spark, as well.

He can only helplessly follow Megatron's weapon as it destroys everything Starscream is.

Piercing, hateful optics land on his life. Megatron doesn't use his weapons for this.

He simply raises his pede and smashes it on Starscream's spark.

"Starscream!"

He comes online with a flinch. Who—

"Star", the voice echoes, sounding familiar, but not close enough. He shouldn't be here, this is his own mind, or he'll be hurt too—

"Stop thinking so loudly and just look at me, you aft."

Starscream blinks. Once, twice. It's dark, the room submerged in shadows, except for a yellow frame above him. And light, blue optics.

His body keeps Starscream trapped, but not in a way he finds intimidating. Bee's servos lean on either side of his shoulders, soft, yet firm contact grounding Starscream to reality. He feels Bumblebee's lower body descended on him, sitting on his midriff, pedes on the sides of his frame.

Bumblebee is staring at him, expression a mix of puzzled, worried, on the edge of sadness and anger. Optic ridges knotted together, mouth in a frown. Doorwings so stressed they're out of view.

Starscream takes a deep vent. Bumblebee does, too. Whether for his own sake or for Starscream's, he can't tell.

Bee's helm falls down on Starscream's cockpit. "You scared me. You were fidgeting so much in your recharge it woke me up."

Starscream is having trouble finding his voice, so he lets the silence linger for a moment. "It was nothing. You should go back to recharge."

"No way. You're telling me what that nightmare was about or I'm not leaving your side for a week," Bumblebee looks at him, now so sure of himself and full of commitment and confidence, as if he wasn't shaking from worry just kliks ago.

Starscream easily smirks. "Is that supposed to be a fitting punishment?"

Bee returns the smile. "You know I can be annoying. Do you really want to listen to me plan the Maltos training or do you actually like me?"

"It depends," he shrugs.

Bumblebee furrows his ridges again. "No, seriously, was it bad? You don't have to talk about it, but you know it's better if you do."

They did have a talk about that last cycle. Starscream isn't sure how they ended up having to discuss it, but Bumblebee found out about his "unhealthy" recharge patterns and sat him down for a heated conversation.

Since they were both having trouble falling into recharge, Bumblebee made a deal to go to one berth together. If it worked, they'd make it a habit to recharge at the same time.

It set things into motion for a time. Starscream had hoped the nightmares wouldn't come back with Bumblebee's frame — and spark — being so close, and yet…

After a klik, Starscream shakes his helm. "Nothing you don't already know."

"It's still good to talk about. I'm not going to judge. You thrashed a lot in there."

He does want to talk about it. Always does. The hypocrite in him screams to bottle it down, but it doesn't do either of them good.

So Starscream relents. He scooches a little to allow Bee room, and the bot ends up fully hugging his servo, while Starscream faces him.

"Megatron extinguished my spark. He tore into me with purpose, and eventually I didn't have anything but my core. In the end, he simply… put me out of my misery. And that's when your shouting woke me up."

Bumblebee's optics are pleading. This is why Starscream doesn't often wish to talk about his dreams — he gets pity, like he needs to be ridiculed.

Bee sighs. "Not one of your top five dreams ever, huh?"

"No."

"I'm sorry," he nuzzles into Starscream's servo even more, curling in on himself. "I know it's hard to deal with those, but they are just dreams, in the end."

Starscream's vents whirr. "They're a constant reminder of what could have happened. They're as close to reality as anything else. Your optimism is unrealistic, I'm afraid."

"Still, Megatron isn't like that anymore."

"You never know."

Silence stretches for some time, before Bumblebee raises himself up on his servo and stares into Starscream's optics, conviction burning through him.

"If it helps, I'm doing to defend you no matter what. If Megatron even tries to touch you, or sabotage you, I'll be here to make him stop. You aren't getting me out of the picture, no matter how much you want me to stay out. You have me now, in every possible way."

And, for the better or worse, Starscream believes him. He's a fool, but if the yellow Autobot can be a fool, so can he. For just a moment.

Despite it all, he lets what warmth there could be engulf his spark.

Starscream smiles. "Of course you will. There's no stopping you once you get that look in your optics."

"Hey, I don't have a look. My face is always like that."

"Sure it is, little Bee."

The rest of their recharge goes smoothly, without interruptions. Except for a call Bumblebee gets near the end of their session from the Maltos, but that could hardly count.

He isn't sure his nightmares will ever end, but Bumblebee's presence helps. Bumblebee will make sure Starscream remembers he's not alone.