Fic: G1 AU - Yesterday's Ashes - Part 3
Title: Yesterday's Ashes
Rating: M
Universe: G1 AU
Pairings: Starscream/Perceptor, past Skyfire/Starscream and past Skyfire/Perceptor; implied others
Warnings: Slash, sticky, rape, mpreg, slavery, death, torture, trauma, miscarriages, sparklings, dystopia
Word Count: 13 592
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“You… You…” Perceptor sputtered.
Starscream gave him a look. “Don’t make me repeat, Autobot.”
Perceptor went quiet. He glanced at his daughter’s body again, quickly. Just to assure himself she was still here. That she was really dead. Stupid thinking. He had felt the creation bond snap and dissipate, though it hadn’t hurt him nearly as much as he had thought it would. It certainly hurt him far much than Optimus or First Aid, with whom he had been at the time.
Starscream was back to contemplating the sparkling’s body.
“We’ll need to organize funerals,” he said finally. “Suppose Megatron’s already deciding on what he’s going to do about Nemesis… the others, too.”
Perceptor didn’t say anything more. Starscream continued to talk.
“An open casket… I’ll have someone repaint her a bit, just so they could see how pretty she was when she was… alive,” his voice almost broke. “An honor guard and a procession to accompany the casket to the crypt. Here, under the palace, with the old Primes and Senators. My daughter merits it, at the very least. Can’t have her taken to Vos, it hasn’t been sufficiently rebuild yet. Not enough Seekers left to have a classical Vosian rite, anyway. Had to make do with the grounders policies. But since her Carrier was a grounder, that can work anyway,” he rambled.
Perceptor listened to him, nibbling his lip. It almost sounded like Starscream wanted his input. Except, Starscream never wanted to hear his thoughts on anything. He was supposed to obey without a qualm and praise him for his deeds. Not propose they do things differently.
Starscream continued to talk about ribbons, colors, mourning songs, Seeker’s cant and guests. From time to time, he glanced at Perceptor, who nodded in agreement to whatever the Decepticon said, but never said a word.
He didn’t feel like he had the right, anyway. Sunglitter was more Starscream’s daughter than his, for all that he had raised her up so far. And for all his flaws, for all his cruelty and pettiness and violent temper, Starscream had truly loved her, just as, Perceptor had no doubt, he would have cherished Skyfire’s offspring. Just as he would probably love any child of his that he sired on his slave…
He observed Starscream as he spoke, detachedly, of what he would do for the sparkling’s funerals. His face had become sadder with each word. He wasn’t crying, not quite, but there was so much emotion in his voice…
Starscream was his own personal nightmare, but for once, he sounded… He sounded like someone who really cared.
“My only daughter… my only child,” the Seeker moaned softly.
“Starscream…” Perceptor started. “She… she could have had a sibling,” he fumbled.
Oh Primus… he thought to himself. I said it…
“What?” the Seeker said, his optics widening as they drifted away from Sunglitter’s frame.
“I’m… I’m carrying again,” the microscope said simply, trying to keep his voice steady, and failing to do so.
He hadn’t wanted to tell, but it had come out anyway. Probably because he was feeling sorry for Starscream… and sorry for his now dead daughter. She would have enjoyed a sibling, he knew. As much as he hated the thought, she had told him as much. But of course, she had no idea how trying and spark wrenching it was for her Carrier to even consider the idea. She had been unaware… innocent of the ways her Sire’s world worked.
“You’re sparked. Again.” Starscream said flatly, taking a good look at his slave.
Perceptor nodded once and dropped his gaze to the floor once more, awaiting Starscream’s reaction. It could be anything at this point. Given the recent circumstances - and he had a hard time not to stare at Sunglitter’s grey frame once more - it could be anything, really, from a rant to a beating to hysterical crying. He mentally braced himself, almost certain to be hit at least once. It would, at the very least, fit Starscream’s usual M.O.
“How long?” the Seeker asked blankly.
“Three… About three orns,” the microscope answered warily.
“And you were planning on telling me… when?” Starscream asked, voice becoming raspy. “When you had lost it? Again?” Perceptor shifted uneasily on his pedes, having no answer to give.
Honestly, he had not really thought about bringing the news to Starscream. Carrying another of his offspring had been a… unwelcome surprise, one that he had a lot of problem wrapping his mind around. Not only because of the unpleasantness of bearing the child of your rapist, but also because carrying was… hazardous. Starscream abused him and molested him more or less regularly, and Perceptor had ended up sparked several times. But Sunglitter had been the only one he had delivered safely. For Starscream, his slave had miscarried twice… that he knew of, because he had been here when it happened.
In truth… Perceptor had miscarried much more than that. He had just… never informed the Seeker of his state. He had simply waited for him to pick the clues, so to speak. But to his consternation and relief, Starscream never did. Which probably was for the best. He had been displeased enough the two times… well, three times it had already happened.
“Three orns… the newspark hasn’t left your chamber yet, then?” the Seeker asked him, and he shook his head. The frame was still in construction in his gestational chamber, and the newspark was still in his spark chamber, waiting for the right time to migrate.
Uncharacteristically, Starscream just came to him and hugged him, making Perceptor make a sound of surprise and distress. He thought he was going to get hit, but Starscream just held him close and tightly, one hand pressing against Perceptor’s chest, feeling the heat emanating from the smaller mech’s frame.
“Another sparkling…” he murmured. He sounded… neutral. Not unhappy, but not glad either.
Of course, the circumstances for such news weren’t the best. It was like they were already replaced their first offspring with an intruder.
“I’m sorry,” Perceptor whispered, feeling silly for saying it aloud. “I didn’t want to announce it like that…”
Starscream chuckled mirthlessly. “That’s a habit with you.”
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“On. Your. Hands. And. Knees.” Starscream said again, detaching each word so they were perfectly audible. Perceptor shook his head.
“Please, please Starscream, I don’t…!”
He was hit in retaliation. Starscream wasn’t in a patient or good mood, and had little intention of putting up with his slave’s reluctant disposition. He wanted to frag, now! So what if the Autobot felt under the weather? That wasn’t his problem! Weakling had no stamina… And always forgot his place. Well, he would correct that. Again.
Perceptor cried and shook with fear as he saw Starscream readying his fist, intent on correcting his ‘disobedient slave’ on his ‘deplorable behavior’.
“Starscream, no! I’m sparked!” he yelled out in despair, shuttering his optics and waiting for the impact. It never came. Precautionary, he onlined his optics again, and his gaze met Starscream’s frozen face, his fist an inch away from the microscope’s abdomen.
“You’re…” the Seeker said in disbelief. His grip on Perceptor’s wrist eased slightly as he forced the Seeker to get closer to him. Perceptor went limp as Starscream’s free hand roamed over him, trying to get a feel of something.
“Are you sure?” he asked, and the microscope nodded faintly, terrified.
“Y…yeah,” Perceptor whispered.
Starscream stared at him in disbelief. Clearly, he had never thought his romps with his slave would end up this way. “Mine?”
Perceptor nodded. As if any doubt was possible; he was forbidden from going out of the estate, and they never received visitors. And when he was allowed outside with Starscream for a meeting or some kind of party, his Master had made it very clear the one he found molesting his slave would end up in pieces.
“How long?” the Seeker asked again.
“I… I don’t know,” the Autobot answered. Starscream’s optics narrowed in suspicion. “I… I recognized the symptoms, but couldn’t get a medic to confirm or to make a health check!” he blurted out quickly, afraid that Starscream didn’t believe him.
The suspicion in Starscream’s optics decreased. It was replaced, however, by irritation and what Perceptor thought could be panic. Which was very strange, since Starscream claimed to despise him, seemingly uncaring of becoming a Sire. Or so he had said once. “Idiot mech! You should have told me and commed a medic as soon as you thought you could be sparked!” he backhanded Perceptor, but lightly, as if he was afraid of really hurting him, but wanted to prove a point anyway. “Well, come on! I’ll get Knock Out to examine you, and be aware that if you have lied, or if anything has happened to this sparkling because of your incompetence and restlessness…” He left the threat hanging as he dragged the Autobot after him to the nearby berth and forced him to lay down while he commed the renowned Decepticon medic.
Wisely, Perceptor refrained from commenting that if he still had some comm., he could have done so himself far sooner, and that he was hardly restless. Starscream, on the other hand…
The Autobot pressed a hand to his spark chamber and sighed. Carrying was supposed to be a wonderful thing. He had enjoyed knowing he was going to have a child with Skyfire. He had loved it. But really, what he felt presently for this newly developing spark was… nothing.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“You need to rest,” Starscream said out of the blue, startling Perceptor out of his memories. “Go back to our quarters, lay down and recharge. I’ll have Knock Out check on you later on… That’s it, if we don’t need him to sedate Megatron. Primus knows we will not have this issue with the lot of you,” he laughed mirthlessly.
“Yes, Master,” Perceptor answered automatically, slipping out of Starscream’s embrace and bowing down as he knew was proper toward the Seeker. It was an ingrained reflex nowadays. The Air Commander had always been strict about what he considered proper respect. It often changed with his mood, but the bow was a constant.
Hesitantly, he glanced once more at Sunglitter’s frame. Starscream followed his gaze and his mouth thinned.
“Out, now. She’s not your problem anymore. Concentrate on the living, will you?” he added, not unkindly.
Perceptor nodded. That was… very strange. Starscream was rarely gentle when he spoke to him. But the day in itself was a strange one anyway, so what was one more oddity?
Bowing again, he took his leave. He felt exhausted. Some recharge, and perhaps a later chat with Fireflight if Skywarp let him out and Starscream allowed it, would help him recuperate. His thoughts turned toward Starscream’s once more. For once, he really felt pity for his ‘Master’.
Other Autobots, he knew would have scolded him for getting soft and forgiving toward their enemies and abusers. However, Perceptor didn’t have it in him to truly hate someone. Not even Starscream. And perhaps, that was his biggest flaw…
Alone in the impromptu mortuary chamber, the Seeker started singing a sad tune in Seeker’s cant. He was, however, soon disrupted by a call from the Palace’s Communication Center. There was an incoming call for him, from Vos.
Starscream straightened upon hearing the news.
Vos… It could only mean one mech: Thundercracker.