Brothers Chapter 3
I totally meant to post this last week... but i've been trying to get art stuff ready for anime banzai and that's been monopolizing my computer time....
Oh, I decided to try centering this chap, let me know if you think it's easier to read. :3
Disclaimer: not ours
Just want to let you reviewers know that you're amazing and the reviews make an author's day! = )
Chapter 3: In Which Sideswipe Gets Help (not of the mental variety...)
Starscream stared hungrily through the treat shop window on his way home from work. It brought to the front of his processer just how long it had been since lunch, if he could even call a fourth of a cube lunch.
"Fragging morons, why do they have to taunt us like that? It should be illegal to have a display that looks that good…"
"Well, that's kind of the point, isn't it?"
Starscream jumped. He hadn't even noticed the other mech walk up behind him. Primus, he must've really been distracted, he'd tried to be more careful since the last…incident with Driftblade.
Turning around swiftly, Starscream came face to face with the same red mech who had swiped his data pad at lunch a few solar cycles back.
"What's the point?" he asked guardedly.
Sideswipe gave him a funny look. "You know, make it look really good, mechs come in and buy their stuff." He pointed at the display to ensure the seeker could not be confused.
Starscream glared. "I'm not stupid…just don't know why they've gotta have so many flavors…" he finished in a mutter.
The red ground pounder smiled cheekily. "Cause they're just that good. And so are the treats."
Starscream snorted. "Yeah, maybe if you're rich." He regretted saying that the instant it left his vocalizer.
Sideswipe raised an optic ridge. "You telling me you've never had one of those before? You're joking, right?"
"Hmph." was all Starscream replied as he turned and started walking off.
"Hey, wait up! I'm sorry, was it something I said?"
Starscream turned to glare at the mech who was now following him. "No, it was something the guy across the street said!"
"But there isn't anybody across the- oh. Well, I did say I was sorry. My name's Sideswipe, by the way, we never did introduce ourselves properly did we? We're in a few of the same classes, math which I'm sure you remember, and history."
Sideswipe held out his hand to Starscream. Starscream glared at the offending hand, seriously considered biting it, and sped up.
No point mentioning that he already knew everything Sideswipe had just told him. The stupid data pad stealing groundpounder acted like he was totally unobservant or something. Starscream hadn't stayed alive this long by being that dense.
Sideswipe was undeterred by the brush off and matched his pace.
"Would you fragging well stop following me?" Starscream snarled. He was getting thoroughly annoyed with the overly cheerful red mech.
"Who said I was following you? I've gotta go this way to get home. I was at this awesome party-" Sideswipe grinned.
Starscream interrupted him with a rather loud sigh. He did not even want to know what one of the 'rich brats' was doing on this side of town.
Finally they got to the alleyway the seekers currently called home and Starscream smiled in relief. He could finally get rid of the annoying ground pounder who hadn't shut up the entire walk. He looked behind him. Sidewipe or whatever he'd said his name was still following him!
"I know for a fact that your house is not this direction! This is a dead end. Now quit following me and go home." With that, Starscream walked into the alleyway.
"But I had one more question."
Sideswipe doggedly followed Starscream into what was a rather dark and gloomy alleyway, wondering what the pit the seeker was doing here of all places. He didn't have long to wait to find out, a smaller light blue seeker emerged from what could only properly be called a box.
"Starscream, you're back early! How'd work go?" The youngling walked up and gave Starscream a hug.
"It was okay. The usual: whiney customers being a pain in the aft. They let me off early since it was pay day."
TC's optics lit up, knowing that pay day meant a slightly larger amount of energon that night.
Question forgotten, Sideswipe could not believe his optics. "You… live in a tinfoil box?"
Thundercracker glared disapprovingly at the strange mech. "Do not. It's corrugated sheet metal, thank you very much."
Starscream also was glaring heatedly at Sideswipe. "I told you to frag off and go home." Turning back to his younger brother and pushing him inside, he asked, "How was Warp?"
Aforementioned sparkling chirred happily at the sight of his oldest brother and demanded to be picked up. "Up! Up!"
Starscream was just pulling out that night's cube of energon when Sideswipe's unwelcome head poked through the opening and into view.
"I remembered my question."
Starscream had to exercise all his self control to not beat the slag out of the groundpounder, partly because of the impressionable young minds present and partly because he'd probably pass out from lack of energy half way through beating said annoyance, and wouldn't that be embarrassing?
"What is it? I thought the inquiry about my living space was your question. "
"Well, you know how we've got this math test tomorrow…? And I know you're really good at that kind of stuff, so I was kind of wondering-"
Starscream cut him off. "Either get to the point or leave."
"Would you come over to my house and help me study?" Sideswipe said in a rush.
Starscream's optic twitched. "You followed me all the way here to ask me that?"
Sideswipe gave Starscream his best angelic smile. "In essence, yes."
Starscream sighed. "And pray tell; why would I do this?"
"I'll feed you."
Starscream just glared again. "I don't take charity."
Sideswipe gave his best affronted look. "It's not charity, its payment. The teacher said I'm gonna fail his class if I don't pass this test...and then I'll be grounded for life…if my mom doesn't murder me first… You can bring the two of them."
The red mech gave his best bumble puppy optics, the ones that almost never failed to get him his way.
Starscream gave Sideswipe a calculating look, wondering if the other mech's creator would truly follow through like that or if he was exaggerating.
"Fine. Just this once. But if the administration gets any word of my, ah, living conditions, I will beat the slag out of you."
Sideswipe nodded at the pissy seeker. "Understood! Let's go, my homework awaits!"
With that the four headed up out of the slums into the middle class housing.
"Wow."
Starscream looked around the spacious interior of Sideswipe's home, managing to mostly hide his awe.
"Holy Primus, you live in a mansion?" Thundercracker wasn't doing quite as good a job at that.
Sideswipe laughed at Thundercracker's face. "If you think this is a mansion, you should see the houses further up the hill! Now those are big." Sideswipe left the three seekers in the front entryway and found his femme creator. "Mom, I've brought some friends over for studying tonight."
This done, Sideswipe went back to the seekers and led them up the stairs to his room.
When the four of them got to Sideswipe's room a yellow groundpounder looked up from where he was sketching in the corner. "Did I hear you correctly? You're going to study? Should I take a picture to commemorate such an astonishing event?"
Sideswipe picked up the object nearest to him and lobbed it at the yellow mech. "Shut it Sunny." He then turned to the three seekers. "This is my ever so loving twin brother Sunstreaker. Anyway enough introductions, text book's awaiting!"
As Sideswipe walked to the other side of the room, a rather large paint can made contact with his helm.
"You gunna tell me your friends names or do I have to sit here and wonder as to the identity of the mechs that could actually inspire my brother to study? Though I'm not sure where you picked up the sparkling… going for friends more on your mental level?" Sunstreaker smirked at his brother.
Sideswipe picked up the empty paint can and put it on a shelf, and stuck his glossa out at his brother. "Come on, you're not completely oblivious are you? Not only does Starscream win every math and science award the school has, but he's the only mech in the entire school that's always toting around a sparkling." He looked at Starscream. "Er, what are the other two's names?"
Sunstreaker just rolled his optics. "Yes, because you're the all knowing gossip guru. I shall bow before your infinite knowledge." Sunstreaker caught the object Sideswipe threw at his head.
"Fragger. Go back to your doodling."
Just then they heard the sounds of a sparkling beginning to throw a tantrum and remembered they weren't alone in the room.
Starscream shifted a squalling Skywarp in his arms, trying to quiet him. "This is all very fascinating, but I have a paper to write and a million other things I could be doing. I didn't get off work early for your entertainment, you know."
Sideswipe looked down. "Sorry about that. So what were your brother's names again?"
Starscream's optic twitched, but as he'd gotten the seekerlet calmed, he deigned to answer. "I never said… The older one's Thundercracker and the sparkling is Skywarp." Handing Skywarp to Thundercracker, Starscream then proceeded to move to where Sideswipe had sat down with his text books. "Let's get this over with."
Just as they were about to commence studying, there was a knock on the door and the twins' femme creator poked her head in. "Did you boys want some energon goodies? They're fresh."
Sideswipe and Sunstreaker perked up at that. "Definitely!"
Their mother put the plate on the floor and left with an admonition not to have too much fun.
Thundercracker just stared at the plate like he'd never seen anything like it as Skywarp crawled over to it and started helping himself.
"Are those really energon treats?" TC asked uncertainly.
Sunstreaker rasied an optic ridge. "What do they look like? They sure as pit aren't turbo rat slag."
Sideswipe agreed with his brother the best he could with a mouthful of the delicious goodies.
"Whan sum?" He offered one to Starscream.
Starscream was also eyeing them suspiciously, as if they might bite him.
"They're not poisoned." Sunstreaker offered as he took one. "You act like you've never seen energon goodies before."
At that, Thundercracker tentatively took one of the treats. As he bit into it his optics lit up. "This is really good! Didn't think you could get energon to taste like this."
Starscream finally broke down and snagged one for himself, not acknowledging Sunstreaker's comment, then after regaining Sideswipe's attention he began their study session.
It was late. Thundercracker and Skywarp had fallen asleep against Sunstreaker, who surprisingly hadn't minded.
"Well, that's the last of it. Do you think you understand it now?" Starscream asked Sideswipe.
Sideswipe groaned he closed his textbook. "I think I overloaded my processor… how can you possibly enjoy this stuff?"
The seeker grinned. "Overloaded huh? I didn't realize you liked math that much."
The red mech rolled his optics and groaned realizing there were indeed two ways to take that comment…
"Think of it as a puzzle." Starscream suggested.
"I'd rather not thanks…"
"Anyway, it's late and I should get those two home, preferably sometime before we have to wake up." Starscream stood up and went over to his brothers. "Hey, get up, we've got to go home now."
Thundercracker slowly came out of recharge as Starscream gently took Skywarp out of his arms.
"Star?" Starscream smiled down at his groggy brother.
"Time to go. We do have school tomorrow."
"ummm hmmmm…" Thundercracker mumbled, as he got unsteadily to his feet.
"Ratchet?"
"Hmm?"
Starscream was in the med center again having had yet another 'talk' with Driftblade.
The tri-colored seeker nervously bit his lip. He really didn't want to have this conversation, but he had to make sure the medic wouldn't rat him out. "About what I told you the other day…about where I work?"
The white medic didn't even look up from fixing the seeker's arm. "What about it?"
Starscream took a deep breath and went on, "You won't tell anyone will you? I can't lose that job… You can't possibly understand how much I need the money…"
"Tell who what?"
Starscream grinned. "Thanks."
As the seeker left, Ratchet sighed. He hoped he was making the right decision.
Over the next few weeks helping Sideswipe with his homework became a routine. The red groundpounder would show up during lunch or corner him after school in the library or, most obnoxiously, follow him home.
"Screamer, Screamer… hey! Hey whatcha doin?"
A black hand waved itself in front of Starscream's face as he tried in vain to concentrate on the text he was reading.
'Deep breaths Starscream,' he told himself. 'Count to ten. Backwords. Punching him in the library will only get you kicked out which will not help you write your report.'
The seeker gave up after a few breems deciding that whoever thought that counting to ten made you not want to punch someone had never truly had the urge to do so. Stupid anger management counseling… That slag hadn't even worked when he was in gradeschool.
"What. Do. You. Want. Sideswipe?" Starscream hissed out through gritted dentia. "I. Am. Trying. To. Write. My. History. Paper."
Starscream's rather uncharitable mood had finally penetrated Sideswipe's thick helm.
"Ummm…. Bad time to ask for help?"
Sideswipe scurried off as the seeker growled at him.
"I don't get this at all! Math is the epitome of all evil! Evil I say!" Sideswipe banged his helm on the table.
Starscream just smirked.
Kittara: Ha! Cliffhanger!
Kittona: Um, no.
Kittara: Okay, maybe not… but still! You don't know where they are going next right?
Kittona: *raises eyebrow* um home, right? There're only so many places one goes after studying.
Kittara: *pouts* Ruin all my fun… here I am trying to be all mysterious…
Kittona: And failing.
Kittara: *sticks out tongue* Anyway, see all of you in the next chapter! *Waves*