s-o-starscream - Tumblr blog

s-o-starscream · 2 years

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Familiar Faces

CONTENT WARNING: Abuse mention, Starvation, Alcoholism, Dissociation, Blood

This was it. The bastard had finally lost his mind.

As the tiny rowboat bobbed over the thankfully calm waves, Knockout looked back at the Nemesis, the ship that had once upon a time swept him away from his miserable life of poverty, the ship that had, once upon a time, represented hope, and a new beginning for him and Breakdown.

Now, all it represented were shattered dreams and cold, bitter resentment. Whatever had brought its Captain back from Davy Jones' locker had done naught but drive him insane. Though perhaps he was always like that.

What kind of Captain would be so cruel as to accept the aid of a monstrous creature of the deep, only to say nothing of the beast attempting to snuff out the life of one of his own?

Starscream wouldn't, that's for sure.

The red-haired doctor almost winced at the pang of grief that struck his heart. Starscream had been a much better Captain than Megatron. He always kept his head held high, even through the ridicule and doubt of his crew, even though Knockout could see him shrink the moment he was out of the sun. Hell he'd even agreed to officiate his and Breakdown's wedding. He'd been strong, and most importantly, he'd been fair.

And now he was gone.

The look of utter hopelessness on his face as Megatron had forced the two to toss their friend into the ocean...it would surely haunt Knockout until the day he died.

He hesitated to pity the man, as Starscream would no doubt admonish him for it, but he couldn't shake the guilt that threatened to crush him.

But what could he have done? If he disobeyed Megatron's orders, he would have been a goner as well, and so would Breakdown. He'd been given no choice.

"KO?"

His husband's voice pulled Knockout from deep within his thoughts, and he turned to look at him with tired eyes, dark circles he usually kept hidden under his makeup fully apparent.

"Hm? What is it Breakdown? Is your eye bothering you?" he asked, "or are you getting tired of rowing?"

The former Wrecker shook his head, adjusting his eyepatch over the empty socket. The sight still made Knockout's stomach twist with rage.

"You were spacing out, I wanted to make sure you're okay."

Knockout sighed, leaning forward to plant a kiss over Breakdown's brow.

"I'm fine, Breaky," he said softly, "just...reminiscing."

After what felt like too long, the little boat slid up onto the shore, parting the sand as it made landfall.

"We made it," Breakdown muttered, heaving a sigh of relief, "we should probably make a shelter or something for the night."

"Right you are." Knockout stretched out with a soft groan, stepping out into the wet sand and slinging his sack over his shoulder. What a pity he could only rescue a couple of his outfits. How it had pained him to leave his beloveds aboard that horrid vessel, but he had to pack light, as they needed space for food and water and other nonsense.

"Hmm, on second thought, maybe we should give this place a sweep."

"What, with a broom?"

Knockout chuckled at the puzzled look on his spouse's face. Even with one eye, he was still the most adorable man he'd ever seen.

"Not literally, pumpkin," he clarified, "I mean we explore a bit, see if we can find any supplies. It's best we stay out of sight of that." He jerked his head back at the silhouette of the Nemesis on the horizon.

"Oh, oh yeah, let's go then," Breakdown agreed, climbing out of the boat and hauling the other two sacks onto his shoulders. Knockout grinned, sauntering over to feel his bicep.

"I do love it when you flex your muscles like that pumpkin," he purred, "you're so hot~"

Breakdown let out a nervous chuckle, a soft blush darkening his face.

"Ugh, there's so many BUGS!" Knockout whined, slapping yet another mosquito that had landed on his arm, "I swear if one of these pricks is carrying yellow fever-"

"This was your idea KO," Breakdown grumbled, a little put off at Knockout's constant complaining.

"Yeah but I didn't think there'd be THIS MANY mosquitoes on a tiny island! It's practically all sand!"

Breakdown opened his mouth to argue, but then a small rustling in the bushes caught his ear. He immediately dropped both bags and pulled Knockout behind him, balling his hands into fists.

The rustling was getting louder, and louder, and LOUDER AND-

A little shrew scurried out from the bush, wiggling its nose a little before scampering off.

Knockout looked at the rodent, then up at Breakdown.

"Heh, you were scared of a shrew," he teased with a sly grin. Breakdown sputtered, and averted his eye.

"Was not!" he pouted.

"Was too!"

"I wasn't!"

"Yeah you were you big scaredy-cat!"

"Was not!"

"Was too-"

"Wasn't-"

"Was-"

Another sudden rustling made the two nearly jump out of their skins, screaming and clinging to each other with fright.

Out of the bush sprung a shambling skeletal figure, with paper-like skin stretched over nothing but bones, barely held together at the seams, wispy white hair, a gaunt face and sunken in eyes. And yet...he'd recognize those facial markings and that one red hair strand anywhere...

"Starscream?" Knockout gasped. Was he seeing a ghost? Was this Starscream's spirit come to haunt him? Was he just losing his mind?

Starscream turned his piercing gaze on Knockout, seeming to struggle with focusing his eyes. A look of recognition slowly spread across his face, and the voice that came out of that thin mouth was barely above a strained whisper.

"...help..."

The frail facsimile of the former Captain took barely more than a single step, before crumpling in on himself and collapsing into the underbrush, the half-empty bottle of moonshine he had cradled in his spindly hands rolling out among the leaves.

Knockout and Breakdown stood rooted to the spot, staring down at their barely recognizable friend.

"Is...that really him...? He got out?" Breakdown asked, his voice wavering and uncertain.

Knockout swallowed thickly, kneeling down to place a hand on the bony shoulder and turn Starscream over onto his back. His dove white hair fell over his face in thin wisps, considerably longer and more unkempt than it had ever been before. His eyes were closed, eyelids protruding out from the sunken in sockets all around them, and his cheeks were so hollow they appeared nonexistent.

"It's definitely him," he confirmed, looking up at a visibly shaken Breakdown. He too was wondering what possibly could have happened to reduce the once proud Starscream to such a state.

The doctor pressed an ear to the unmoving chest, searching for a heartbeat, or breathing, or any sign of life.

Nothing.

Wait, no. There was something.

The faintest little wheezing sound, even some gurgling, like he had fluid in his lungs or his stomach was rumbling from hunger. Given his appearance it didn't surprise Knockout one bit that he was starving. His body had probably been digesting itself for weeks.

"He's alive," he said decisively, scooping up the former Captain into his arms. It was far too easy, while he was light even at the best of times now he weighed less than the bag of clothes. He also smelled strongly of alcohol.

Breakdown's eye widened hopefully.

"He is?"

"Barely. I can't find his heartbeat but he seems to be breathing. We need to find a good place for shelter."

Knockout sat by his patient while Breakdown stoked the small campfire they had going. They'd set up shop on the beach nearby, with Starscream bundled up in a blanket.

Knockout had been examining him as best he could, trying to figure out how the hell he was still alive. He was glad, but he couldn't help but wonder what had happened during that month since he'd been thrown overboard. Closer examination had shown some fresh scars that bore no resemblance to wounds left by Megatron, and couldn't have been from animal attacks. No wild animal left such meticulous cuts across the belly, or around the arm.

One thing was eating away at him however, and that was the question of that missing heartbeat. Starscream was cold as death, had no pulse nor breathing, and yet Knockout still remained convinced he was somehow alive. There was a puzzle piece he was missing. He could feel it.

A wheezing cough interrupted Knockout's musing, and he scrambled over to see that the Seeker was heaving weakly, spewing up what smelled like seawater mixed with that moonshine he had.

"Hey, shh shh shh," he hushed, placing a gentle hand over Starscream's chest, "it's okay, we're here. It's me, Knockout."

"K...kn....ock...out...?" he whispered, slowly fluttering his eyes open and staring up at him with a haunted look that made the medic shiver.

"Yeah, yeah it's me, and Breakdown's here too, don't speak too much, you're too weak right now."

At that, the already round eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, the cracked lips parting slightly to reveal reddened teeth and bleeding gums.

"Kn...Knockout...I- I- M-Meg...atr- on...h-he...I-" Starscream whimpered, his chest rising and falling rapidly as his shallow breathing sped up, and he began coughing more and more intensely.

"No no no no calm down!" Knockout urged, reaching beneath the blanket to squeeze his frigid hand, "you're fine, there's no Megatron here, you're safe."

He reached beside him for his waterskin.

"Here, can you drink a little for me?" he asked, raising the neck of the bottle to Starscream's mouth and lifting the back of his head slightly. He struggled to get his lips closed around it, but managed a few small sips.

"Good. You're severely dehydrated, not to mention starving, so we need to get some food in you soon. Your body's literally eating itself to keep you alive, it's a miracle you're even here."

Starscream blinked slowly, staring up at him with those same haunted eyes. They looked like eyes that had seen horrors beyond human comprehension.

"A miracle, huh...?" he croaked, gazing up at the sky with a sort of melancholy Knockout couldn't quite place. Like he was burdened with knowledge nobody else had.

Knockout couldn't stop himself from reaching out to touch Starscream's forehead, feeling just how cold he was. Surprisingly, the Seeker didn't protest, simply closing his eyes and letting out a gurgling sigh from fluid-filled lungs.

"What...happened to you?" Knockout asked, finally breaking the heavy silence. Breakdown also approached with a bowl of soup, sitting down on Starscream's other side.

His eyes instantly shot open, pupils dilating and contracting wildly as he heaved out a distressed whimper, bringing up more reddish fluid from his throat.

Breakdown placed down the bowl and scooped Starscream up into his arms to hug him tightly. But not too tightly, he might snap in half at the slightest gust of wind.

"It's okay Star," he murmured, softly combing through the matted white hair, "you don't have to tell us, what matters is you're alive."

Knockout frowned, picking up the bowl. He was far too curious to let this go, even if it was difficult for Starscream to talk about. He mixed the soup around while their newly not dead friend sobbed quietly into Breakdown's shoulder.

Knockout gently tapped the spoon against a sunken cheek, getting Starscream's attention. He turned to look at him with a hollow stare, which the medic responded to with a comforting smile.

"Eat up, you need it. This should be light enough that you can keep it down."

Starscream blinked, his gaze dropping to the spoon held under his nose, but he didn’t accept it. Knockout tilted his head, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Soup, Starscream it’s soup,” he clarified, “I’m not, like, trying to poison you or anything.”

Still, Starscream did not move. Knockout shot Breakdown a concerned look, who shrugged uncertainly. The Seeker looked like he was a thousand miles away, staring off into the middle distance while he shivered.

Knockout frowned. It seemed he had no choice then. He reached over to cup Starscream’s chin, pausing as the touch made him flinch, and gently pried open his mouth, sliding in the spoon. After a long pause, his cracked lips closed around the utensil and he swallowed the soup. Not a word of protest, not even a jab at Breakdown’s lackluster cooking skills. Just that blank stare.

“Is…he broken?” Breakdown asked, seemingly having the same thought as his husband. Knockout said nothing, only continuing to feed Starscream until the bowl was empty.

Once more, the silence lay thick upon the group. Knockout stood to clear up the bowl, but Breakdown reached out to hold his wrist, looking up at him hopefully. The medic sighed, and sat down in his lap, beside Starscream, and wrapped his arms around the frail body. Once again, the lack of a heartbeat became fully apparent. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t felt Starscream’s heartbeat in years, despite having been close enough plenty of times…

“…you two…” a small voice piped up. Knockout and Breakdown looked at the Seeker, noticing how his eyes were no longer staring off into space.

“Yeah, Star?” Knockout asked, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear.

“You…you’re here…you’re….real?”

“Of course we are,” Breakdown murmured, shifting his hold to accommodate both people in his arms.

The corners of Starscream’s lips quirked up just the slightest bit, letting out a long sigh of relief.

“Hey Star…I have a question,” Knockout interjected, “why don’t you have a heartbeat?”

The Seeker’s face immediately fell, and his eyes widened in seeming panic. His pupils flitted around slightly, and he rapidly blinked, pulling the blanket more tightly around himself.

“You won’t believe me,” he said stiffly, casting his gaze at the sand.

“Try us,” Breakdown challenged, “you might lie about a lotta things but…well you’re honest when it counts.”

Starscream huffed a small laugh, which led into a coughing fit.

“…as always, Breakdown, your faith in me is remarkable…” he uttered fondly. He took a few moments to close his eyes and take some breaths, as deep as he could manage.

"Alright...here goes...I...am...immortal."

A stunned silence fell over the group, while Starscream seemed to flinch, or brace himself for something, waiting for a response with bated breath.

"See I told you you wouldn't-"

"Wait really? You...you can't die?" Breakdown piped up, utterly flabbergasted.

"That...explains a lot," Knockout hummed, scratching his chin.

"Wait you...actually believe me?" Starscream asked, his eyes widening in shock.

"Well yeah," Knockout shrugged as if it was obvious, "in hindsight I'm pretty sure I remember you getting blown up, and there was that time I had to dig shrapnel out of your gut and you stopped breathing for a while, and I definitely remember having to amputate your leg but then you just had a new one, and-"

"Okay, KO, I think he gets it," Breakdown interrupted.

"Right right. So that also explains the missing pulse." He placed a hand to Starscream's chest, confirming that the heartbeat just wasn't there. Not to mention he was as cold as a corpse, and he could feel every single rib under his fingers. The Seeker shuddered, and hesitantly leaned into the touch.

"Yes...I, Starscream, cannot die. But I can most certainly be killed," he croaked in a smaller voice than he'd hoped for. Even speaking made his throat burn like it was on fire.

"You die and come back?" Breakdown muttered pensively, and Starscream gave a curt nod and a sniffle.

"Megatron too by the looks of things," Knockout added bitterly, "only an immortal would be crazy enough to invite...that abomination aboard his ship. Damn bitch took out Breakdown's eye and nearly killed him."

At that, Starscream seemed to stiffen, his gaze fixed on a point far in the distance nobody else could see.

"Hey- Star, stay with us c'mon," Knockout urged, cupping his friend's gaunt face and lightly slapping his cheek. He blinked, and glanced at the medic, his already frail body shrinking even further in on itself.

"So, we're all stuck here and you're...not in the best condition. This is quite the pickle we're in huh?"

Starscream nodded timidly, something Knockout was not at all used to seeing. It was almost unnerving to witness.

"D'you know a way off this rock?"

"Th-there's an old...shipwreck a little ways up the beach...I've been looting it for...stuff."

Booze, Knockout guessed. Starscream had probably been drinking himself to death since he got here.

"Well that's great. Breakdown and I'll have that old girl back on open waters in no time, right Breaky?"

Breakdown nodded enthusiastically.

"KO's the best carpenter this side of Kaon."

Knockout chuckled in faux modesty.

"And Breaky can handle the heavy lifting. You just relax, get your strength back up."

"I- I want to help too!" Starscream insisted, coughing up a thin web of blood.

Knockout tutted, wiping Starscream's mouth clean with the corner of the blanket, and tucked his long hair behind his ears.

"Ah ah ah, Doctor's orders. No hard work for you until you're back on your feet. Maybe if there's an engine you can tinker with it and see if you can get it up and running."

Starscream pouted, pulling his hair back in front of his face.

"I'm glad we didn't lose you," the medic added in a softer tone, "and sorry about that whole...throwing you overboard thing."

The Seeker puffed and slapped Knockout's hand away.

"You were following orders. Trying to defy Megatron would have gotten you killed, and unlike me, you only have one life."

Knockout smiled warmly, scooting forward to wrap Starscream in a gentle hug.

"Love ya Star," he murmured, and Breakdown echoed the sentiment, hugging them both.

Starscream only let out a soft gasp, blinking back tears as he buried his face in Knockout's neck.

"We're a team now, the three of us. We'll keep you safe."

#self reblog #q tlass

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