"There's plenty of wind power," Skyfire murmured. His fingers gently pressed the mended component of the energon converter back into place, seating it with a faint "click" that Starscream could hardly hear over the howling winds.
"Yes, I noticed," he grumbled. Lying on his front always hurt, and being forced into that position for hours - days on end was wearing at him. "In fact, you might call it endless and incessant."
Skyfire smiled a little, just a quirk of his mouth that he tried to hide. "I could call several things on this planet endless and incessant."
"Shut up." Starscream didn't even have the energy to properly respond to the obvious slight. He knew that staring at Skyfire's hands wouldn't make the energon flow any faster, but he couldn't seem to stop. Skyfire glanced up at him, worried, before urgently returning to his task.
Starscream stared a moment longer before he realized what that look was about. He blamed his lack on mental acuity on desperately trying to ignore the fact that he - well. He was trying to ignore a thing which was difficult to ignore. It was draining.
"Skyfire," he said slowly, "my level of vitriol is not an appropriate measure of my health."
"Appropriate, no," Skyfire agreed without pausing in his work. "Accurate, yes. Ah, there we go." The little device began to hum comfortingly, the only mechanical sound other than themselves in this forsaken place. Skyfire quickly hooked it up to the power line from outside their cozy little cave and the hum increased - slowly but surely, the little cube began to fill. Starscream couldn't take his eyes off it.
"You know I'm going to kill you once you stop being useful," Starscream said, low and serious.
Skyfire watched the cube fill, then unhooked it when it was only half full. "Can you drink without sitting up?" he asked as he came to Starscream's side. The smaller mech just stared up at him balefully. Skyfire sighed, a stupidly human habit, and set the cube down. "Alright. Just don't purge it all afterward."
"Just shut up and - ah-" Starscream couldn't help letting the noise slip out, no matter how carefully Skyfire slipped his arms around Starscream. There just wasn't any avoiding the damage.
Starscream blacked out a little as Skyfire turned him over. It was only an instant of weightless relief from the pain - he rebooted hard to the sound of his own voice shrieking, and Skyfire whispering desperate, soothing things. As if that would help.
"Quickly," Skyfire said in a shaking voice, holding the cube to his mouth, "quickly, and then I can offline you, the pain will subside, there you go..."
"I hate you," Starscream gasped, clutching at whatever he could reach, digging his fingers into Skyfire's knee, into the rock. He gulped at the energon desperately, nearly choking for his urgency. He wasn't even able to drink what little the cube contained - he shoved it away when he couldn't drink any more, his throat clicking shut in self-defense. "Enough," he tried to say, but the only noise he could make was a terrible wail.
Skyfire didn't waste any more time on words, at least. His fingers dug into Starscream's neck, seeking out his medical ports, and Starscream sank into the welcome bliss of a forced shutdown.
Well, it's a start.
"Yes, I noticed," he grumbled. Lying on his front always hurt, and being forced into that position for hours - days on end was wearing at him. "In fact, you might call it endless and incessant."
Skyfire smiled a little, just a quirk of his mouth that he tried to hide. "I could call several things on this planet endless and incessant."
"Shut up." Starscream didn't even have the energy to properly respond to the obvious slight. He knew that staring at Skyfire's hands wouldn't make the energon flow any faster, but he couldn't seem to stop. Skyfire glanced up at him, worried, before urgently returning to his task.
Starscream stared a moment longer before he realized what that look was about. He blamed his lack on mental acuity on desperately trying to ignore the fact that he - well. He was trying to ignore a thing which was difficult to ignore. It was draining.
"Skyfire," he said slowly, "my level of vitriol is not an appropriate measure of my health."
"Appropriate, no," Skyfire agreed without pausing in his work. "Accurate, yes. Ah, there we go." The little device began to hum comfortingly, the only mechanical sound other than themselves in this forsaken place. Skyfire quickly hooked it up to the power line from outside their cozy little cave and the hum increased - slowly but surely, the little cube began to fill. Starscream couldn't take his eyes off it.
"You know I'm going to kill you once you stop being useful," Starscream said, low and serious.
Skyfire watched the cube fill, then unhooked it when it was only half full. "Can you drink without sitting up?" he asked as he came to Starscream's side. The smaller mech just stared up at him balefully. Skyfire sighed, a stupidly human habit, and set the cube down. "Alright. Just don't purge it all afterward."
"Just shut up and - ah-" Starscream couldn't help letting the noise slip out, no matter how carefully Skyfire slipped his arms around Starscream. There just wasn't any avoiding the damage.
Starscream blacked out a little as Skyfire turned him over. It was only an instant of weightless relief from the pain - he rebooted hard to the sound of his own voice shrieking, and Skyfire whispering desperate, soothing things. As if that would help.
"Quickly," Skyfire said in a shaking voice, holding the cube to his mouth, "quickly, and then I can offline you, the pain will subside, there you go..."
"I hate you," Starscream gasped, clutching at whatever he could reach, digging his fingers into Skyfire's knee, into the rock. He gulped at the energon desperately, nearly choking for his urgency. He wasn't even able to drink what little the cube contained - he shoved it away when he couldn't drink any more, his throat clicking shut in self-defense. "Enough," he tried to say, but the only noise he could make was a terrible wail.
Skyfire didn't waste any more time on words, at least. His fingers dug into Starscream's neck, seeking out his medical ports, and Starscream sank into the welcome bliss of a forced shutdown.