Title: Chains
Fandom: Transformers
Warnings: slash, dub-con, plug-and-play (in other words, the M-rating is there for a damned good reason)
Summary: The practice had been outlawed for a reason... but not the reason everyone thought.
For once, they were in perfect agreement.
"You can't possibly be serious, Megatron!"
"Proposal: not acceptable."
Megatron wasn't certain whether he should be glad his top commanders were of one mind on the issue or to be annoyed that they were questioning his decision. "And what," he asked tersely, "gave either of you the impression that my orders were open to debate?"
Starscream was literally shaking in his anger. "When your orders border on madness—"
"Enough." The gray mech leveled a glare at his least-trusted and most-loyal soldiers. "My decision is final, and my orders are that neither of you even dares return to your normal duties until it is done. Have I made myself clear?"
The Seeker continued to glare in barely suppressed rage for another moment before turning on his heel and storming out of the command center, ignoring the stares of the rest of the Decepticon army. For once, none of them taunted the second in command, too stunned by their leader's orders. Megatron turned the focus of his glare from the retreating figure to Soundwave, waiting for the mech's reply.
After a long moment of silence, he was rewarded with a slight nod. "As you command."
Starscream was still trying to calm his angry twitching as he stalked towards his living quarters, intent on locking himself inside for the next several dozen days. Hopefully by that point, Megatron would have given up on his insane (and not a little frightening) notion of forcing an unwanted sparkbond on two of his highest-ranking officers.
The idea in itself was troubling, an archaic practice that had died out long ago, even before Alpha Trion himself was created. Forced sparkbonds had been used in the early ages to ensure peace between warring cities, although more than a few had been forced upon captives from conquered nations to keep them from rebelling against their new masters; their sparks were inextricably tied together, and should one of the bondmates die the other would quickly follow. The practice had been so frowned upon in the modern age of Cybertron that the only sparkbonds currently existing were those decided upon by both the bondmates.
And now Megatron had taken the notion to bring the practice screaming back into being within his own army.
No, I won't dwell on this a moment longer, Starscream decided, holding his wings high and setting his jaw. Megatron has finally gone mad, and I refuse to participate in this insanity.
He had just reached his quarters and punched in the access code when he sensed someone behind him. Before he had a chance to snap at whomever it was to go away, the Seeker found himself being pushed inside hard enough that he stumbled. By the time he'd regained his footing, Soundwave had followed him into the room and locked the door behind him.
Starscream straightened and leveled a hard look at the other mech, managing to reign in his initial instinct to try fleeing. It would be a futile effort, given that his only options were back out the locked door located behind Soundwave or the two corners opposite said door. The latter options would only serve to move him closer to his recharge berth, and that was the last place he wanted to be at the moment. If the other mech was here, it could only mean that he was planning to comply with Megatron's insane plan.
Starscream was not about to go down without a fight.
"Get out," he snapped, not even risking turning away from the larger mech. Had they still been in the hall, Starscream would have had the advantage of maneuverability; however, there was no space in his quarters to get off the ground. If Soundwave took it into his processors to use force... well, Starscream had always been a stronger fighter in the air than on the ground.
"Our orders are clear," Soundwave responded in his usual tone, no inflection of either distaste or anticipation of what said orders embodied. "Recommendation: do not make this difficult."
"Over my deactivated body," Starscream hissed before raising his arm and firing one of his null rays. Soundwave dodged the shot, leaving the door unblocked and presenting the Seeker with an opportunity for escape that he'd be foolish to pass on. Unfortunately the communications officer moved quicker than anticipated; Starscream managed to get within an arm's length of the door before Soundwave lunged after him. The blue mech forced his shoulder into the slighter one's midsection and slammed him against the wall, momentarily stunning him.
"Starscream," he said, a hint of sharp annoyance creeping into his voice. "You are not the only one with misgivings." When the Seeker moved to shove him away, Soundwave grabbed both his wrists and forced them over Starscream's head.
"And yet here you are," Starscream hissed at him, glaring and trying to yank his hands free from the tape deck's grasp. Soundwave growled and transferred both wrists to a one-handed grip, moving his now free hand to catch the Seeker's chin and force his head to one side. "I don't care what Megatron's orders are, release me at once!"
Soundwave didn't answer, instead retracting his mask and leaning forward to bite one of the wires of Starscream's neck. The pinned mech hissed and tried to jerk away, but Soundwave simply tightened his grasp and repeated the action. He noted that Starscream's struggles had subsided yet didn't release his hold; there was still a chance that the Seeker was pretending to submit in order to attempt another escape. This time he followed the bite with an experimental lick; Starscream made a faint sound akin to a whimper and tried to pull his hands free once more.
Pushing aside the last of his initial misgivings regarding Megatron's orders, Soundwave released the Seeker's chin and moved the hand to one wing, blindly exploring the appendage even as he continued to bite and lap at the other mech's neck. Only when Starscream's struggles shifted from those of one trying to escape to those of one trying to reciprocate did he release his one-handed grip on the mech's wrists. Almost immediately they were pressed back against Soundwave's chest plate again, only this time rather than shoving him away Starscream was searching for pleasure points.
The blue mech fought back a shudder as the slighter one's fingers pressed against his buttons; Starscream noted the reaction and focused his attention there, alternating pressure between hard enough to almost hurt and so light it was barely a tickling sensation. Soundwave retaliated with a harsh bite to his partner's shoulder and a raking of fingers down a sensitive wing. The Seeker let out a whine and pulled back as much as possible while remaining trapped between the larger mech and the wall. Soundwave followed, capturing his mouth in a hard kiss that quickly turned into a battle for dominance.
Starscream surrendered first, leaning his weight on the wall and dragging one leg up so that his heel turbine rested against the back of Soundwave's leg. His thought process was somewhat fuzzy at the moment, but he could almost swear that that particular spot was the location of several sensitive wires when the other was in his alt mode; his suspicion was confirmed when he cut on the turbine and was rewarded with a low groan of pleasure and far-too-talented fingers pressing just so against the spot where his wings met his back. Soundwave's other hand moved between them, searching almost clumsily for the clamps to open up his partner's chest compartment and expose his spark chamber.
The Seeker tensed slightly when the clamps were released, one hand moving to grab the tape deck's wrist as a bit of clarity returned; Soundwave softened the kiss into something approaching reassuring even as his other hand moved to expose his own spark chamber. Once that was accomplished, the blue mech wrapped his arm securely around Starscream and pulled him away from the wall. He maneuvered them to the berth he'd noticed when he arrived earlier, breaking their kiss only after lowering the Seeker carefully onto his back.
Starscream shuttered his optics, still uncertain about following the insane command of his leader but more unwilling to look at Soundwave after the mech had at least tried to make this process less terrifying. Not trusting himself to not lash out verbally, he gripped Soundwave's arms tightly for moment. The other took this for as much consent as the Seeker was willing to give, gently raking his fingers along Starscream's wings before wrapping an arm around his waist.
As their sparks merged, their minds were fully open to one another; every thought and memory was shared between them along with the amplified echoes of the pleasure they had been giving and receiving from the other. It was impossible to tell where one began and the other ended, thoughts meshing and merging just as tightly as their sparks. Dreams of a place to call home, somewhere safe to perform experiments without fear of repercussions and to care for younglings, of someone that would always be by his side drifted from one to the other and it was difficult to tell just who was wishing for what—
Starscream found his arms looped securely around Soundwave's neck and realized that the larger mech's arms were wrapped just as tightly around his waist, clinging to one another as they slowly came down from what the Seeker was beginning to realize was a near-simultaneous overload. He realized that he'd unshuttered his optics at some point as the ceiling of his living quarters slowly came into focus and his vents began to slow to their usual pace; Soundwave's were still running hot but it sounded as if they were likewise returning to the norm for the telepath.
He had worried that the bond would feel restrictive, a chain to hold him in place and destroy a part of him, and yet...
Dark amusement filled him and a slow smirk appeared on his face. Starscream could feel the bond, both of them could, but it felt less like a chain and more like a lifeline. There would, indeed, always be someone by his side, and a part of him wondered if Megatron should be thanked instead of hated.
Soundwave gave a deep laugh through the bond and returned his outer attentions to his new mate's neck once again. There was still an entire day ahead of them, and no one really expected Starscream to surrender easily. That left plenty of time to explore one another more thoroughly...
When the two officers returned to duty the next morning, Starscream barely spared Megatron much more than a glare that promised much suffering for the foreseeable future before heading to his console. Soundwave gave his leader a brief nod as he entered yet didn't seem any worse for wear.
"I take it that my orders were carried out?" Megatron asked, a tone in his voice that brooked no argument.
"Affirmative," Soundwave replied; at the console Starscream stiffened and began hitting the keys hard in annoyance. The blue mech moved across the room and rested one hand on the back of the Seeker's neck. Almost instantly the tension seemed to bleed out of the second-in-command and he resumed his work as if nothing had occurred.
"Excellent," the Decepticon leader said, pleased that his loyal third was now able to keep a tight reign on his treacherous second.
Unbeknownst to Megatron, a silent conversation was taking place that would have left him doubting his decision.
/Calm yourself, my star,/ Soundwave whispered through their bond, rubbing his mate's neck in a soothing motion. /He will realize his mistake soon enough./
The ghost of a smile crossed Starscream's lips. /Megatron truly doesn't realize that I wasn't the only Decepticon with doubts?/
/Negative. All our dreams, both as individuals and as one, will only be realized when this war is over./
/And that will only happen one way, dear mate./
Soundwave smirked behind his mask and brushed his fingers across Starscream's wing as he moved away to head towards his own station. He probably should have informed Megatron that forced sparkbonding had been outlawed so long ago due to the participants oftentimes forming a united front against the authority that had ordered it done, but he had an image to maintain.
Besides, his new bondmate had a deliciously devious mind. With any luck, Megatron would never see their betrayal coming.
After all, they had been betrayed first.
end
End note: For the record, there is probably going to be a sequel. I'm not sure when, but it will be written.