Chapter Text
Starscream twitched his wing, trying to shake off the lingering feeling of warmth that stayed where Thundercracker touched him.
Of course he knew the feeling was entirely psychosomatic, but he couldn't help the twitches.
Why did Thundercracker have to go and fondle his wings, anyway? It was fine so long as only the cloth was touching him.
And really, there had been no reason to touch Starscream with bare plating!
His Spark was feeling funny. Warm, tingling, but with occasional pangs of pain and longing.
Guh. He thought he was over that.
He'd gradually stepped back from shared maintenance, doing all of it himself no matter how difficult it could be at time to reach for certain parts. He'd made the right tools to allow himself to do his own maintenance. And Skywarp and Thundercracker had let him slip out of their notice as he gradually increased their distance.
It helped that Skywarp was so dumb, and that Thundercracker invested so much time in helping Skywarp out where his limited intellectual capacities handicapped him.
Stupid worn out armor edges!
Now his Spark had decided to go and be all full of longing again, like when he'd first distanced himself from the Trine.
At least Thundercracker had left quickly enough when Starscream screamed at him. Maybe he would drop the matter and forget it.
And Starscream's stupid Spark would calm down and stop panging in a vorn° or so.
The prototype Starscream was working on escaped from his grasp and clattered to the floor.
A look down revealed the culprits to be his own shaking hands.
Frag!
Damn it!
Why?
Starscream gave into the urge to hunch and hug himself, wings trying to tuck in as close as they could.
He hated this!
Hate hate hate!
He hated how small and fragile and vulnerable and needy his Trine always managed to make him feel without even trying to.
He hated that from the moment Thundercracker's hand swooped over his plating to check for damage he'd been longing to just curl up and soak up the attention. He hated how protected and cared for he always felt between his Trinemates' arms.
Starscream was strong! He didn't need to feel protected and cared for. He didn't need to feel small and needy.
Starscream was going to become the Leader of the Decepticons after he finally managed to kill Megatron! He was going to win the war and become the Emperor of the whole universe!
What was the affection of a pair of barely special Seekers when he should have the loyalty of every single Cybertronian! Every single sentient being, even!
Everything. His spark whispered. They're Trine
Starscream leaned down to retrieve the fallen prototype, only to see a drop of liquid fall down from his face and onto the floor.
What in the name of Primus?!
His fingers came up to his face in his surprise. No. It couldn't be.
No way he was crying pathetically! He must be glitching. That was the only reason he would be leaking optical fluid!
A sob shook his frame.