Work Text:
"Star star star star star!!!"
He didn't remove his optics from the data pad in an attempt to look busy; maybe if he ignored him long enough, he would get the hint and leave him to work.
Surely whatever new wonder Skywarp has discovered can wait till later.
Unfortunately, it seems that either Skywarp didn't get the hint or ignored it—really, when has ignoring ever worked for Warp...—because he only got closer and closer till Warp was right above his helm.
"Sttaaaaarrrrrrr," Warp continued.
He was buzzing with pent-up energy; Starscream almost considered letting him keep that energy—maybe he'd explode, and he would finally be able to have a moment's rest.
Or at least until Skywarp would somehow put himself together so he can continue pestering him about silly things.
"Yesssss," Starscream gives in and looks up to look him in the optic by tilting his helm backwards. The first thing he notices is the splotches of paint on his face. He fully turns around and realizes that most of Warp's body is in the same condition, especially his servos.
Not a good sign.
"Why are you covered in paint?" Starscream asks with a raised brow.
"Get up, I'll show you!!!" Skywarp says excitedly.
He glances at the data pad in his servos; it's nothing that important, just a report about supplies that have been delivered.
He was only checking it to make sure no one got anything they weren't allowed to into the ship; he didn't want another glitter prank (which was caused by none other than his dear Skywarp, of course).
he supposes It can wait, "lead the way" Starscream answers after a moment of hesitation.
"Oh, but you have to cover your optics; it's a surprise!!" Warp moves to cover Starscream's optics with his servos, but Star is quick to stop him.
"I am NOT getting paint on my face! I'll just close my eyes."
"Yeah, but who's going to lead you?"
"I can just follow the sound of your voice."
"Buuuuttttt—" "No." "Aaughhhh fineee, you're no fun," Skywarp mumbles the last part.
The purple seeker vwops to the door of his lab and waits for him to get up.
Starscream sighs before getting up; he hears a few pops from his joints. How long was he sitting in his lab for?? Maybe Thundercracker was right about him overworking himself...
Once he reaches Skywarp, he shutters his optics right as he hears the clicking of Warp's thrusters; he follows after that sound.
"Ohh, you're gonna love this!!"
"Please tell me it's not another prank..." he says as he starts immediately regretting his decision to follow blindly after Warp of all mechs; wingmate or not, no one was safe from Skywarp's pranks.
"No, not this time, I swear, Scouts honor! Even TC thought it was cool." Warp answers; he doesn't quite know what this 'scout's honor' is supposed to be, but he doesn't trust it.
"TC is too soft to tell you when something you make is bad, Warp," Star rebuts.
That gains him a slap to the wing by the sharp tip of Skywarp's wing.
Starscream recognizes the directions taken to their berthroom...what the frag has his idiot done here???
"Ok, ok, you can stop now!" And so he does; he stands there waiting a few nanokliks as he hears shufflingand the clank of what he suspects are paint cans, again, not a good sign.
"Do I open my eyes now?" He impatiently asks after a kilk or two of just standing there.
"No, wait, I have to do something." Warp rushes to answer, "TC, where did you put the blankets?"
"On the left side of the berth with all the others?? I always put them there, Warp," he hears Thundercracker answer.
"Oh right, help me lay them out pleaaaseeee."
TC chuckles but seemingly helps.
Lay the blankets out?? What was this about...if it's going to be another prank, Star is going to hide all of his paint and paintbrushes and make him sleep on the couch for an entire stellar cycle! The last prank including blankets ended with Starscream swaddled and completely unable to move.
Before he can properly plan out his revenge—if it really does end up being a prank—he hears Warp bouncing and squealing from excitement; his wing sensors then inform him that Warp has now moved near him.
"Ok, slightly turn to the right real quick," he obliges. "No wait, not your right, my right," Skywarp corrects. "Warp so you're both facing the same direction," Thundercracker corrects his correction.
"Oh yeah, uhm, turn to your other right." It seems Skywarp will truly never be able to know his right from his left...
He sighs and does as told before he feels two servos grab his shoulders. "Warp, I said no touching!"
"Don't worry, it's just me, star." Thundercracker reassured him; he hears Skywarp snicker for some reason.
He's moved to the berth and then laid facing the ceiling; he feels TC does the same to his left.
"Wait, let me do one more thing!" He hears a switch being flipped, and with the sound of a vwop, he feels another familiar frame lie next to him.
"Now open your eyes!" Skywarp excitedly says.
Starscream takes in a deep breath—mentally preparing himself for whatever new problem he's about to face—before opening his optics. But once he unshuttered his optics, any worry about being pranked disappeared as he stared wide-eyed at the painting adorning the ceiling.
It was a painting of his favorite constellations—the Phoenix, the Volans, and the Corvus—that he's liked ever since he first saw them; it was even prettier than the real thing because of the colors Skywarp had added.
Skywarp had switched off the lights, which made the stars glow and glitter in the dark beautifully.
It was like seeing them for the first time when he looked through that telescope at the academy; memories of that day were now flooding in.
It had been Skyfire who had convinced their professor to let them borrow the fancy telescope; he said there would be comets and that he just had to see them.
He remembers how he'd told him that it was going to be a complete waste of time and that he'd rather spend his time sleeping or studying; his attempts were futile, as getting dragged by a mech 2-3 times your size meant that they'd been granted a ridiculous amount of strength that no amount of biting or scratching can overcome.
That day had only been mentioned to them once or twice; how did Warp remember? But he had mentioned the constellations more than once, yet he still didn't actually think Warp was listening that keenly; it made his spark feel slightly warm and fuzzy knowing Warp had actually been listening to his rambling.
He felt a warm frame hug his waist. "Well? Do you like it?" Warp asks. Starscream was at a loss for words; he didn't even pry his optics away from the painting as he laid one of his hands on Skywarp's arm, and after a long moment of just taking in the painting, he finally answered, "It's breathtaking," he said as his wings slightly fluttered. It wasn't just that, but he couldn't think of any other word to describe it.
He heard as Warp's wings fluttered, showing how pleased he was with his surprise being liked so much. After a bit, he felt Thundercracker lay an arm on them both as he curled around him; Warp had also scooted closer to him.
They stayed like that for a long while before Starscream remembered something.
Skywarp. Is. Covered. In. PAINT.
His helm immediately snaps to his now partly glow-in-the-dark trinemate. "Warp! What did I say about covering me in paint!?!" He practically screeches.
"Uhhhhhh, that it's a perfectly fine and even an encouraged thing to do?" Skywarp answers smugly; he hears Thundercracker giggle next to him.
He twists his head to look at Thundercracker. "It is not fu—!" pausing mid-sentence as he takes in the sight before him, as it seems that he too was covered in paint. Even more, it seems that it had been used as some sort of face paint, as there was the design of one of those organic creatures drawn on him, no doubt painted with Skywarp's help.
"You—" Before he can continue, he remembers that not two kilks ago TC had been holding his shoulders; he perked his head to look at his shoulder—yup, there's paint.
One of his optics twitched; his trine mate's reassurance was a lie! "I've been betrayed," he says without removing his optics from his shoulder; the two seekers that had sandwiched him started laughing.
He lays his head down and sighs; eventually the laughter subsides. "I hate you both," Starscream states with no real bite to it.
"Love you too, star," Warp says as he nuzzles into his neck cables.
"Go kill yourself," Starscream replies with a huff.
"Aww, but who will be there to cover you in paint?" Warp reasons.
"It seems Thundercracker has no problem filling in that role," he says as he rolls his eyes.
"But they do say a job that can be done well by one person can be done even better by two!"
"Literally who says that, Warp?" Star replies flatly.
"Me, and I'm always correct, right TC?"
"Oh yes, very much so!" Thundercracker encourages.
"I have a meeting in 3 joors, you know that, right?" Starscream says while trying to sound irritated but failing.
"Oh nooo, it seems we'll have to go to the washracks together, what a shaammeee," TC says dramatically while hugging Starscream more tightly. Skywarp giggles.
"Was this planned???" He asks while slightly lifting his helm to stare at Skywarp with a raised eyebrow.
"Covering you in paint? Oh, absolutely! getting TC in on it? No, but it's amazing it happened," Skywarp answers whilst grinning.
"Aughhhh, both of you are worse than the other." Dropping his helm back to the berth.
But none of them made a move to the washracks; it was too comfortable, and the meeting wasn't that soon...
"Isn't the blanket going to be covered in paint?" Starscream asks Thundercracker, moving his helm to the left.
"I'll just knit another," TC shrugs. "I'll make it space themed."
"Oh my god, yes!! That would soo fit the aesthetic!" Skywarp adds enthusiastically.
"Also, Skywarp, I have a question," he states while tilting his head to the right.
"Mm?" Skywarp lazily replies, as it seems that he's getting quite comfortable. "Is...is that glitter??" Starscream questions.
"Uhhhhhhhh, well, you know, it's, uhm, well…" That snaps Skywarp back to awareness; his wings rise up ever so slightly as he tries to think of a good excuse as to how he got his servos on something that he himself was able to get banned from every Decepticon ship and outpost.
"For frags sake, how???" Starscream just wants to know how he even snuck that stuff in with him; he's taken every precaution to prevent this. Swindle hasn't been anywhere near the ship, so no way he got that stuff for him!
"A fairy godmother brought it to me?" Skywarp attempts to reason.
"Really? A fairy godmother?"
"Welll uhmm"
Starscream would pinch his nose bridge if it weren't for the position he's in. "For the sake of my mental health, I'm going to pretend I don't notice the glittering on my ceiling," he says before laying his head back down onto the berth. He feels as Skywarp relaxes and goes back to snuggling him.
He sighs, feeling exhausted; maybe he is working too much. Thank Primus for his trinemates who always find a way to drag him out of it, as annoying as it may be sometimes.
...He really doesn't deserve these two buffoons.
☆Bonus☆
Skywarp getting punished for breaking rules for the millionth time (his ass is gonna do it again just you wait)
Also the stars without the ceiling in the background