Truths

[niyazi-a.livejournal.com]

PG-13
Bayverse
Barricade, Starscream
no warnings
written for 10_orders prompt 6 "tell me the truth"

Set somewhen hemi-Ghosts of Yesterday, after Blackout's failed insurrection.

“Stop squirming,” Barricade said, ducking a swinging arm. “Got to get to that leak before I can patch it.”

“I am not ‘squirming,” Starscream muttered.  “I am multitasking.”  They were in the command cube, Starscream frantically calling up data, even as the motions exacerbated his injuries.  He’d taken a beating. Won, but not easily. 

“Multitask less, then,” Barricade snapped.  He wormed his talons behind the ribstrut, tugging the damaged fuel line into position. 

“Time is of the essence, Barricade.  If the others perceive me as weak…,” Starscream fretted, wincing as the smaller mech applied the hose mesh. 

“No one wants the job,” Barricade retorted. “Even Blackout didn’t.”

“He has an interesting way of demonstrating that,” Starscream said.  Whatever he was going to say next got lost in a mewl of pain as Barricade yanked a piece of shrapnel from his thigh’s control cable.  Barricade knew it was meant to be a demonstration of trust that Starscream allowed himself to show pain. Damn Seeker pride.  Sometimes it seemed there was no end to it. 

Barricade knelt by the damaged control cable.  The bit of metal had frayed the line, and sliced through an actuator wire’s insulation.  He turned to reach for the insulation gum.  “Do not,” he cautioned, “move your fraggin’ leg.” 

Starscream huffed. “I am not stupid, Barricade.”  He froze entirely, only his red optics following as Barricade drew a line on the end of one talon with the gum before stroking it against the damaged wire, wiping it to seal around the cut completely.  “You are quite competent,” he said, finally.

“Lots of experience in self-repair,” Barricade said, his chin tipped down, resolutely concentrating on capping the tube of gum. 

“Oh,” Starscream said, quietly. Rebuked.  “I did not mean to remind you of those ti—“

“Over and done with,” Barricade said, a little too sharply.  He realized, with a wincing blinking of his optic shutters, how harsh it sounded, and tried to soften it. “Here now,” he said. “That’s what matters.”  

Starscream hesitated. “You did not…support me.”

Another blink of the optics, longer, slower. As if Barricade were the one in pain. “I know.”  Starscream could feel the smaller mech’s EM field waver in mute apology.

“You had your reasons, I am certain.”

“Self-preservation,” Barricade said.  He turned, briskly, to grab the replacement line and splicing torch. 

“Is that all?”  Starscream’s voice was gentle, masking the hurt. 

“That’s all,” Barricade said, flicking protective filters over his optics and firing up the torch.  It hissed like an angry serpent between them.  

“I do not believe you,” Starscream said. 

The upper set of optics flicked up, the second set remaining focused on the task of slicing away the damaged cable cleanly.  Starscream gritted his mouthplates against each other as the damaged segment, white hot at both ends, dropped to the floor.  Sparks scattered like fleeing stars over the bronze thigh armor. 

“Believe what you want.”  One shoulder shrugged, the movement swinging his pauldron tire in an arc.  The harshness of the words was belied by a soothing, worried stroking of the jet’s thigh armor, ostensibly, of course, to brush away an ember.

“I wish to know the truth.” 

“You know the truth: I look after myself.”  Their optics locked.  Barricade’s facial spires bristled in warning. Do not push further.

“Tell me the truth,” Starscream pushed. He placed one large hand over the wound Barricade was trying to repair.

“Move your hand so I can do my work.”

“Tell the truth, Barricade. It is not so difficult.”

“Hand.”

“Truth.”

Barricade sighed, aggrieved. “Fraggin’ childish.” He slammed the torch down onto the tool-table.  It hissed against the insulated metal tray.

“So be the more mature,” Starscream said, nonchalant. “Tell me the truth. I should hate to have to threaten it out of you.”

Barricade’s hands flung to his sides, curling into obstinate fists. “Threaten, then.”  He coiled, as if awaiting a blow.

Starscream sighed, moving his hand, stroking one talon down the contours of one silver-taloned fist.  “Tell me, please?” 

Barricade twitched, uncoiled, picking up the tools again, unsteadily, as if by force of will, disarmed by the jet's request. So unlike his usual, arrogant demands. He concentrated on laying the cable into the gap.

“The truth, huh?”  This time, the optics did not move, fixed to the delicate act of welding in the new span of cable.  “The truth is that if you had lost, you would have needed an ally even more.”

“And you would be that ally. For me?”

Barricade snapped the torch off abruptly.  Silence sucked into the room.  He tilted his head up, four optics hard and resolute, scouring the jet’s face for any trace of mockery. He found none.  Instead, open curiosity.  A hint, of course, (it would not be Starscream if there was not at least a hint of this) of self-serving.  “Yes,” he said, his voice quiet, but somehow managing to fill the room with a trembling, hopeful promise. 

“And you did not wish to tell me…why?”

The electrum mouth plates worked, as though Barricade were chewing on his pride. “Didn’t want you to think I doubted the outcome.”  Or that I worried. Or that I cared. 

“Oh,” Starscream blinked, stunned for once into silence at the enormity of the truth he had asked for. 

Comments

[katsuko]

...holy hell, I just melted all over the damned place due to this one. I blame you 100% if I can't find all the bits of me in time for work tomorrow morning *mock glare that dissolves into happy purring*

[anontfwriter.livejournal.com]

Brilliantly written!