How To Lie and Mean Every Word

by DecepticonApologist

Summary:

Actions have repercussions. It took until now for Starscream to figure that out. Now he's in too deep and has to find a way out.

Why couldn't he just get knocked up by the right mech?

Chapter 1: Fear

A calm flowed through Starscream, something almost like peace. He knew it wasn’t. This feeling would drop down on him suddenly, overwhelm him with a complete lack of sensation, and not leave him for joor. He would simply lie down in it. His vision would blur and fade but he would not sleep. He couldn’t. Not with the warlord haunting his recharge. It was already late but rest had become impossible in the recent cycles.

 

This is how he felt all the time now.

 

All the fake smiles, distant laughs, unemotional touches. They were draining. He spent most days like that. He wondered if this was what it meant to break. If all of this was a punishment. He didn’t care for Megatron, not at all. Not the way he was supposed to care for the ‘sire’ of his sparklings. Most days he could barely stomach being around the mech. His tanks would roll at the sight of the warlord and every nanoklik he spent in his presence was sickening and getting worse with every cycle that passed. But still, he remained. Pretending to be a happy carrier. Obeying Megatron.

 

What torture.

 

Sometimes he would get lost in a few particular fantasies. They were his favorite. He would smile at the daydreams while in Megatron’s presence. It made him feel calmer. Imagining sinking a blade through Megatron in various places. His optics, he hated the look in them, he wanted to cut them out. His derma, he wanted to carve out his glossa, leaving him to choke on his own Energon. His servos, those terrible digits that have violated him in countless ways, he’d break them all off until he ran out.

 

He wished he still had the energy to try those things. But he felt like he was wasting away, all his drive and motivation were completely gone. All that was keeping him going anymore was fear. For himself and his creations. They were still so young. That was a risk. Everything about their existence was a risk.

 

It was all his fault of course. He let this happen. He’s the one who, in a moment of weakness, swooned over an Autobot and ended up sparked. Now every moment he felt like he was fighting for his life.

 

All his fault… and maybe also Wheeljack’s. Although he never got the chance to tell him. That was a shame, he sired an entire gestalt of seekers, any mech would be proud. But Starscream hasn’t seen the Autobot since their tryst. A few of them had disappeared from the frequent battles. Strange.

 

Starscream drew a servo over his face. Rubbing the stressed metal around his optics. The lack of recharge was killing him. There must be a remedy for that. Perhaps he’d visit Knockout before the cycle was over. It would keep his mind off the dizzying torment. If he was going to go then he should do so now before he spent too long alone with his thoughts.

 

Sitting up, he gingerly placed his pedes on the floor, steadying himself before slowly putting one pede in front of the other. Perhaps he was more drained than he realized. It wasn’t often he had to make a conscious effort to do something as simple as walking, he could tell he was wobbling with every step. He was even manually venting.

 

He might as well of blinked and found himself at the door to the medbay, which opened effortlessly at his presence. He entered.

 

“Commander?” Starscream looked up to see Breakdown, carrying a few containers. “You look terrible.” He said matter-of-factly.

 

“Thank you, I appreciate the unflattering comment.” Star massaged his temple, trying to alleviate a processor ache he didn’t realize he had until someone had spoken to him. “Where is Knockout?”

 

“Back room, I’ll get him. You should sit down.” Breakdown set the containers on a shelf with a surprising amount of care before disappearing into the room behind them.

 

Starscream practically fell onto the medical slab and instantly lost the strength to stay on his pedes. He slouched inelegantly and shuttered his optics so he wouldn’t be bothered by the lighting, taking a few deep vents. He didn’t have to wait long before the door opened again and Knockout emerged, datapad in hand. His optics only came to Starscream’s form when he was within speaking distance.

 

“My, you do look terrible.” Knockout’s voice was far more soothing than Starscream would ever give him credit for. Not that he deserved credit for something like that.

 

“Popular opinion.” Starscream yawned and straightened his posture in an attempt to look more refined.

 

“Kids giving you a run for your shanix?” Knockout noticed the unamused look on Starscream’s face. “No? Something else then?” He brought a light up to look into Star’s optics who blinked at the brightness.

 

“I cannot recharge and when I do it isn’t what I would call restful.” Star swatted him away. “It’s giving me processor aches and trouble focusing.”

 

“Hmm. Any idea why this might be happening? Bad recharge flux? Have you been getting enough Energon?” The doctor pried.

 

Star felt another twinge of pain behind his optics. “No, no, and yes.” What else was he going to say? That he was having nightmares like a newspark? That all of them centered around his supposed lover hurting his children? He would never admit that.

 

“Alright, let me plug into your medical port and run a diagnostic to ensure it’s nothing serious.”

 

“Fine.” Star didn’t have anything to add. His medical port popped open he began to zone out, not concerned with its findings. Knockout continued to speak but he heard none of it. He only came back to himself when the datapad pinged back with nothing of note.

 

“Huh.” The doctor shrugged. “Well, everything is clear including your spark, so must be nothing but recharge issues. Happens to the best of us. I’ll give you a pain chip and some recharge-inducing medication. Stir it into some Energon before you retire for the dark cycle. Don’t stay up after taking it!” Knockout shoved the items into Star’s servos. “You look like a dead mech walking so I’ll have Breakdown escort you back to your quarters. No arguing.”

 

He wasn’t about to.

 

Starscream wasn’t completely sure what Knockout gave him, but it worked. He regained some energy after recharging better for a night. It was still limited energy but it was enough to keep up with his creations. It was early in the solar cycle and he already had to break up a fight between Dirge and Thrust and calm Sunstorm who had begun crying at the altercation. After that, they were all sent to be watched by Soundwave and by extension, Vortex. But he wasn’t stumbling as much, or at least he thought he wasn’t until he bounced off of Megatron’s chassis while trying to exit the bridge, which was enough to gain a furrowed brow from the warlord. Megatron’s best attempt to look concerned.

 

“You’re shambling like a corpse.” Megatron rasped, harshly gripping the seeker between his neck and shoulder.

 

Starscream softly gasped. “Apologies, master.” He tried to sound genuine but it came out far too panicked. Star inwardly cursed himself.

 

Megatron smoothly glided his servo over Starscream’s pauldron and down his arm until it found its destination, intertwining their digits. Starscream fought the need to purge. “What troubles you?”

 

Starscream stepped away from Megatron and out of his grasp, giving a dismissive flick of his wrist. “Just problems recharging. Not important. I should go collect the younglings from Soundwave now.”

 

He hurried through the door and around the corner where he stopped to take a deep vent before continuing with his duties. The less Megatron paid attention to him, the better.

 

It was rare these days that Starscream was so eager to get away from him. There must be something wrong, something worse than not getting enough recharge. Megatron decided it may be a good time to ask Knockout what he knows. Those two became very close while Starscream was carrying. If anyone knew how the seeker was feeling, it would be him.

 

Knockout was organizing the medical supplies as Megatron entered, only stopping for a moment to address the warlord. “Hello, Lord Megatron. Interesting to see you in the medbay. Is something the matter?”

 

“Starscream seems… off.”

 

“Oh you know how carriers get, it’s always-” Megatron rolled his optics, not bothering to listen to the doctor ramble. It was already obvious he didn’t know anything. He began to wonder what could put his SIC so on edge. He had only been avoidant and nervous in the recent cycles. Before that, he seemed content, happy even.

 

“-considering how your spark is anomalous.”

 

“What?” Megatron wasn’t sure if he heard that right.

 

“That is, it doesn’t change frequency when merging. That’s why you had such a hard time sparking the Commander.”

 

“This is the first I’m hearing of this.” His optics narrowed.

 

“Ah, I see. I had assumed he told you. It must have taken a lot out of his spark to match your frequency. He’s been quite low on energy these days.”

 

“So I’ve noticed.” Megatron thought for a moment. “Could that be a lingering effect of merging with an anomalous spark?”

 

“No, I already saw him about it. There wasn’t even a trace of your spark signature in his.” Knockout stopped moving as soon as he said that. It didn’t quite make sense and Megatron noticed it too. If Starscream was sparked by Megatron then they should both be carrying remnants of each other’s spark signature. It hadn’t even occurred to either of them that this was peculiar until now.

 

“What are you saying, doctor?”

 

Knockout reset his voice box. “Forgive me, but…” He turned to Megatron. “I have reason to believe that it was not you that sparked Starscream.”

 

Megatron did not hesitate to stride up to the doctor, to speak mere inches from his face. “You dare insult me? Starscream has been with no other since our agreement.”

 

Ah, yes. The agreement. Knockout remembered that clearly. Megatron and Starscream had practically made documents and signed waivers when they discussed having sparklings. All the check-ups and tests were horribly stressful for the seeker. All parties involved were both glad to be done with those.

 

“How would you know?” Knockout’s snideness had the warlord taken aback. “Although I cannot think of anyone aboard the Nemesis that would slight you, in that way at least.”

 

Megatron clenched his fists. Of course, Starscream would slight him in such a serious and unforgivable way. It made sense. He had always wanted to insult him. Having sparklings that weren’t his would reveal itself as Megatron's greatest embarrassment.

 

It seemed like he should have some words with the seeker instead.

Chapter 2: Resentment

Starscream knew something was wrong when Megatron summoned him. His frame trembled with every step toward Megatron’s quarters.

 

He would never call like this unless he knows.

He knows.

He knows.

He knows.

 

It repeated in his processor like a terrible mantra. It was time to make a plan. He could no longer keep up his lie. Everything was falling apart. He had to escape the Nemesis, that was his only hope. He would speak with Megatron then take the younglings and run.

 

Where would he go? When would he make his escape? Would the younglings even understand why they needed to leave? How would he get them off the ship? Those were the real problems. There weren’t a lot of places to hide on Earth where it was guaranteed he wouldn’t be found, let alone where he could stay for an extended time. Along with the fact they would need Energon.

 

It felt like several joor and no time at all had passed when he found himself at his destination. The last barrier between him and his promised demise. Steeling his nerves, he lightly knocked on the door to Megatron’s habsuite. It opened before he could even tap on it a third time, to reveal Megatron alone in the dark room, the only light being the dark red glow of their optics.

 

“Where are they, the younglings?” He asked, not even bothering with pleasantries, or even looking in Starscream’s general direction.

 

Starscream reset his voice box. “Recharging peacefully. In their room.”

 

“I see.” Megatron walked around the berth to the desk where his cannon rested, detached from his arm.

 

“S-something wrong, Lord Megatron?” He knew exactly what this was. A threat. An intimidation. Megatron was trying to scare him.

 

“Who?” Megatron side-eyed him.

 

“I beg your pardon?” Keep pretending. Keep it up until you can’t anymore. Play into his wants until you have nothing left.

 

“Who is it?”

 

“Please, I… I don’t understand.” But he did.

 

Megatron slammed his fist into the desk making Starscream flinch. The sharp noise echoed in the room, surrounding Starscream with more than just dread. The cannon shook from the force and rattled against the desk.

 

“WHO IS THEIR SIRE?” Megatron roared.

 

Starscream shrank in on himself. “Y-you are!” Beg. Reiterate. Maybe he could make it out of this. Maybe everything could be normal in the morning, and he wouldn’t have to run.

 

“Do not lie to me.” Megatron slowly encroached on Starscream. “You are a terrible liar. Knockout showed me evidence of your unchanged spark signature.” He loomed over, seemingly much more enraged than Starscream had originally thought.

 

Starscream tried to take a step back from out of Megatron’s grasp but became caught by something, falling to the ground. He didn’t know what to do. There was no convincing Megatron anymore. His lie had come crashing down. He was in danger.

 

His sparklings were in danger.

 

This was it.

 

Starscream curled up to the best of his ability. “Please…” He begged tearfully. “They need me.”

 

“Yes.” Megatron huffed. “Lucky you.” He started to back off, walking in the opposite direction.

 

“Wh-” Starscream swallowed the oral fluids that had begun drying in his mouth. “What are you going to do?”

 

“Give you an order, of course,” Megatron said plainly, not that Starscream had any idea what the hell that meant. “All of them will submit to a spark-type test. You as well. This will prove if they are mine like you claim. If they are not…” He trailed off but Starscream could fill in the blank.

 

He would dispose of Starscream and the younglings would soon follow.

 

That solidified all of Starscream’s fears. He was going to kill them, all of them. He should have disappeared before they emerged. He should have just nullified their agreement when it was clear they weren’t getting anywhere. He should have never popped his panel for an Autobot. He just kept making mistakes, one after another, and it would end in losing everything.

 

Unless he could escape, that is. He would have to go tonight.

 

“I… I will wake them early tomorrow to have it done.” Starscream shook weakly on the floor, not looking at Megatron in case that might upset him further. He scrambled up to his pedes and stumbled to the door. “Apologies for angering you, Master.” Perhaps the title would alleviate some of his rages. Megatron only growled in response.

Starscream fled through the hallway, as quickly as his pedes could carry him, not stopping until he was back inside his quarters where he gasped in a few vents and sank against the closed door.

 

He needed a plan. A proper one.

 

Determination carried him around his quarters, collecting his things in preparation. He could only take what he could carry. When that was done he went to his console, pulling up several maps. He needed to find a place to hide, somewhere safe and remote. He looked at Energon locations that were too small for full-scale mining. He looked at places they had found Cybertronian technology. He looked for anything and everything until he found somewhere adequate. A small, broken-down ship that had crashed near an Energon deposit. It was half embedded in the ground and covered in dirt and plants but it would do. It was his only chance.

 

He had to cover his tracks. He wiped the memory from the computer and pulled out the hard drive. He stomped on it until it shattered then collected the pieces so he could dispose of it where it couldn’t be found before destroying the rest of the computer. No memory, no hard drive, no functional console. Soundwave can’t hack into what’s missing and broken.

 

Now he had to collect the sparklings and their things, then leave. Easy. This was going to be easy. He could do this. He just had to wait until Soundwave was in recharge so he could be sure no one would know he left until it was too late and he was long gone. The vehicons patrolling wouldn’t bat an optic at him if they saw him out this late.

 

He sat shivering for what felt like several joor and it probably was, going over the plan and thinking of what he would do when he got there. There were a lot of things he would need to get done. Reinforcing the structure of the derelict ship, there was likely a decent amount of scrap metal that could serve as patches. Gathering Energon and refining it, he would probably find a refiner on board since every ship came with one which he could fix up if it was broken. He was a scientist after all.

 

Other than those, there were smaller tasks, but he could worry about those as they come. Shelter and Energon were an absolute necessity and now that those were covered, he was set. It was now far into the dark cycle and it was time to act out his plan.

 

He started to hear something creaking and looked down to see his digits had cut through the plating of his thighs and the wounds were leaking Energon in tiny dots. Damnit, another thing to deal with. He grabbed a cloth and wiped off the glowing liquid, his self-repair could fix them, but he had more important things to do. He checked his chronometer one more time to find it later than he realized. Now was as good a time as any.

 

He crept out of his quarters silently, a small feat considering he was running on no recharge, and made his way toward Soundwave’s console room. He silently opened to door and his optic shot around the room to find it void of activity. Turning around and quickly closing the door, he missed the flicker of a magenta visor coming online.

 

He went toward the sparklings’ quarters, entering the code to the room he rushed in and turned on the lights. His creations were easily stirred from recharge and began to question him.

 

“Carrier?” Sunstorm rubbed his face sleepily.

 

“Wake up, all of you. We have to leave.” Starscream did his best to sound calm.

 

“What’s going on?” Thrust asked.

 

“It’s not safe here anymore.” Star answered honestly, packing their things into small containers.

 

“Why?” Slipstream pulled on Starscream’s arm to slow him down. “What about Sire?”

 

“He isn’t coming.” Star took a deep vent. “Hurry, we have to leave now.”

 

“But-!” Ramjet started, only to be cut off.

 

“Just-!” Starscream was trying very hard not to yell. “Listen to me, alright. It’s too dangerous to stay here so we are leaving and that’s final. Gather your things.”

 

Confused, the children looked at each other for answers and found none. They hesitantly got off their berths and grabbed all that they could carry. In less than a few moments, they were done, their most important possessions either stashed in their subspace compartments or haphazardly tossed into a container that Starscream himself could carry.

 

With all they could do already done, they emerged from the quarters into a dark and empty hallway. Starscream had to hush the younglings several times before they understood they had to not only become quiet but remain that way as they stalked through the labyrinthian hallways of the warship. They were nearing the cargo bay where they would make their escape when Starscream heard a noise, a small clink coming from where they were headed. He stalled, motioning for his children to stay completely silent, then trudged forward to investigate.

 

He looked around, straining his optics to peer into the darkness only to find nothing. Then he heard another clink, this time from above him, the sound of a t-cog activating, and the whoosh of something or someone falling. To his surprise he tripped to the ground, needing to look up to see who was now in front of him.

 

Vortex.

 

“What are-” Starscream spoke frantically in a hushed tone.

 

: Vortex - knows: He pinged. : Starscream - fleeing:

 

“Y-you know. Please don’t-” Starscream was prepared to start begging. Vortex could ruin everything, could kill him before he even got a chance to ask for mercy, could turn him in to Megatron right now and be rewarded for it. He was moments away from panicking before Vortex interrupted again.

 

: Megatron, Starscream - not in love: He crossed his arms woefully as if he pitied Starscream’s circumstance. : Vortex - help Starscream escape. Vortex - didn’t see you until it was too late:

 

Starscream nearly began crying, futilely willing his optic to stay dry. “Thank you.” He gave the younger bot a tight but short hug. Vortex did not reciprocate it and stood completely still until Starscream pulled away.

 

Vortex slowly nodded in acknowledgment before walking toward the cargo bay’s door controls, opening it for Starscream and the younglings. : Be safe:

 

Starscream counted his children to make sure they were all present then ushered them toward the now open bay door. The wind whistled loudly at the opening and he felt the rush of air push at him. This was it. He was leaving. He might never see the Nemesis again.

 

He looked at Sunstorm.

 

This was worth it.

Notes:

Me, writing everyone ooc, through clenched teeth: It's for the plot. I swear it's for the plot. It just needs to be convenient. I swear they'll be more in-character later.

It physically hurts me.

Chapter 3: Anxiety

Notes:

I'll admit, this chapter took longer than intended because I wasn't happy with it and wound up rewriting it 4 times. Still not happy with it but I think this is as good as it's gonna get.

“You cannot hide from me.” Megatron’s overwhelmingly large frame emerged from the shadows but his face remained obscured by darkness. “I will always find you, Starscream.”

 

Starscream onlined his optics and shot up into a sitting position. Great, the nightmares were back and he no longer had the means to rid himself of them. It had been four solar cycles since they had fled the Nemesis and so far there was no sign that Megatron had found them, not that it helped with the fear he could come at any moment. He glanced over at the comfortably piled seekers, all still in recharge.

 

It must still be quite early. Good, he had some time to recuperate before he had to manage five fussy younglings. He shuffled unceremoniously off the berth and quietly stepped out of the room he had designated as the recharge quarters. There were only three usable rooms in the entire ship, the rest of it had been crushed or filled with rubble, one he turned into a security room, and the other was storage.

 

He walked slowly to the security room. It was technically the bridge of the ship but had been repurposed due to recent events. It was the only room that still had usable monitors and consoles, and the captain's chair was still standing, making it perfect for watching the exterior feeds from some cameras he salvaged.

 

After sitting there long enough in perfect silence, watching nothing happen on the screens in front of him, Starscream must have fallen into recharge again. He realized this when he was jolted awake by a beeping.

 

The proximity alert. Cybertronian life signals were nearby.

 

He cycled through the cameras, watching for movement and fearing the worst. There was a buzzing in his audials while he waited to see anything.

 

Megatron found us.

 

He found us and he’s going to kill us.

 

His spark spun faster and faster until he saw who was approaching.

 

He let out a vent he didn’t realize he was holding. It was two of the Autobots. Prime and that smaller femme, Arcee. He probably wouldn’t die today, Autobots don’t like to kill on sight after all. What a relief.

 

This he could handle. Probably. He’d just threaten them and send them on their way. That should keep them away from the ship. Quick and easy. His sparklings were still asleep, they wouldn’t even know he was gone.

 

Starscream quickly made his way through the ship and out the door. He had to make sure he encountered the Autobots before they got too close. They were coming from an angle behind the ship so he waited, hidden until he heard the pedefall of his nearing adversaries, and confidently spun around the corner with his null ray armed.

 

The Autobots were quick to engage.

 

“Starscream.” The Prime said lowly, raising his weapon in case the seeker went on the attack.

 

“We didn’t pick up any Decepticon signals.” Arcee was clearly speaking to Optimus but Starscream was within earshot and responded instead.

 

“Yes, it’s almost as if that was my intention.” Starscream scoffed.

 

“So this is, what, an ambush?” The femme was trying to make sense of the situation.

 

“More like an occupation. Leave.” Starscream’s brow furrowed as he spoke and his voice dropped an octave to give it a more threatening tone.

 

“Carrier?” A small, soft voice called from around the ship. Starscream gasped and turned to see Sunstorm peering meekly around the corner. He must have woken up and gotten nervous when he saw Starscream wasn’t present and went to look for him.

 

“A sparkling.” Arcee said in surprise. Sunstorm heard the other voice and upon seeing the strangers, ducked away out of sight.

 

Optimus immediately sheathed his weapon and Arcee hesitantly followed suit. “There are children here? Why?”

 

“None of your damn business!” Star snapped. “Just frag off before I shoot!”

 

“You’re alone with your child aren’t you? Are you running from Megatron?”

 

“Stop questioning me as if I owe you an answer!” He was visibly shaking. If he had to fire on them, his aim would be off. “I don’t want your pity or your help.”

 

The Prime looked at his cohort and they both gave a knowing nod to each other. “Then we will leave you be. Arcee, let Ratchet know we are returning to base.”

 

“On it.” The femme walked away and out of speaking distance to activate her comm.

 

Optimus watched as she left and then turned back to Starscream. “How many sparklings?”

 

“Do you really think I’m going to answer that?”

 

“More than one, then.” Of course, he’d be insightful enough to pick up on that, Star cursed. “Goodbye, Starscream.” He began to leave.

 

See, easy. That was perfectly easy. It wasn’t an issue if the Autobots knew where he was. It wasn’t like they were going to run and tell Megatron. They couldn’t even if they wanted to, they had no way to contact the Decepticons or vice versa. He knew that from experience. Starscream walked around the corner to see his youngest huddled up and shaking in fear.

 

“Are they gone?” Sunstorm whispered.

 

Starscream picked him up and cradled him soothingly. “Yes, we’ll be alright. Hush now, let’s go back inside.”

 

“Who was that?” Sunstorm’s shaking was easing now.

 

“No one important. Don’t worry about all that. Everything is going to be fine.” Maybe if he said it aloud then he would start to believe it.

Once they were back inside, Starscream checked on his other creations only to find them all still recharging, this time with a little empty spot where Sunstorm was before. He carried him back into the room and set him down before handing him a datapad preloaded with reading material.

 

“Spend some time reading this and come get me when everyone wakes up, then we’ll all fuel together.”

 

“Okay.” Sunstorm obeyed.

 

Starscream returned to watching his monitors in silence. He wasn’t waiting long before he heard the pitter-patter of little seeker pedes rushing for the security room in a horde. In a way, it was actually nice getting to spend more time with them. They fueled together and they would ask questions about everything they could think of the way younglings did. He would give them things to study and instead they would play together and not even glance at the math problems Starscream wrote out for them. At least they were having fun.

 

He spent the rest of the solar cycle staring at the screens like he had every cycle before and remained there well into the dark cycle. Only ceasing his watch to make sure his creations went to recharge on time. When they had finally drifted off, it once again became deathly quiet. Starscream knew he would get any rest so he didn’t bother, opting to continue surveillance. It was boring and exhausting all at the same time. He wondered how Soundwave did this all cycle without blowing his processor out.

 

The mech really was a mystery.

 

Starscream shuttered his optics to let them rest from straining them for so long and began to doze. His vents ran a bit louder as he succumbed to his fatigue.

Suddenly, the console beeped with an incoming message. When it finally loaded in, it looked like it had been chewed and spit out by several layers of encryption, but it was clear enough to read.

 

SENDeR: DeS.VORTeX[aLT-HEL.08.665.1]

ReCeIVeR: DeS.STARSCReAM[aLT-JeT.84.615.9]

He IS COMiNG FOR YOu

Chapter 4: Anticipation

Wheeljack wasn’t sure what to make of the report that Optimus gave. He had only just returned to Earth and he wasn’t planning on staying long but the Prime claimed he and Arcee happened upon Starscream. He was just out in the middle of the woods. Not doing much other than occupying a downed ship he didn’t own.

 

Wheeljack only got more confused when Optimus mentioned there was a sparkling present and possibly more. What more was that the sparkling called Starscream their carrier. He was almost certain Starscream told him he couldn’t carry sparklings. He might be misremembering things but that was how their affair had ended, with that exact conversation.

 

He contemplated, perhaps too quietly because, after enough silence Ratchet got suspicious.

 

“Alright, what’s wrong?” The medic asked, not even looking at him, and instead gestured in his direction with the tool he was using.

 

Wheeljack jolted out of his thoughts. “What?”

 

“You know what. Nothing makes you shut your trap for this long unless it’s serious. So fess up.”

 

“I dunno. Worried.” He murmured.

 

“You don’t usually do that.” Ratchet turned around from his work to cross his arms.

 

“Yeah...”

 

Ratchet studied Wheeljack’s face, which was taut and gazing into the middle distance. For a moment, Ratchet did his own thinking and wondered what could make the wrecker so distracted. It didn’t take long for him to figure it out.

 

“Oh no! No way. You are not going to see Starscream!”

 

Wheeljack put his hands up defensively. “Who said I was gonna do that?”

 

“I can see it on your face! I really don’t wanna know what’s going on between you two but I am not letting it happen. So let it go.”

 

“C’mon! He’s out there probably hiding from Megatron, clearly, something’s up.”

 

“Whatever marital spats happen between those two is none of our damn business!”

 

“There’s sparklings involved!”

 

“Not. Our. Concern.” Ratchet emphasized every word with a poke to Wheeljack’s chest. “It’s not gonna end well. Don’t go see him.”

 

“Fine,” Wheeljack grumbled. “I’m going to recharge, G‘night, Doc.”

 

“Don’t call me Doc!”

 

“G’night, darlin’.” Wheeljack remarked, which earned a groan from Ratchet.

 

He was going. That was for sure. He just wouldn’t be able to use the groundbridge. But, a few hours driving never killed anymech, right?

 

—

 

With stress eating away at him and everything to lose, he weighed his options. At this point, there wasn’t a good move to make. Maybe a lesser evil or a slightly better one, but not a good one. The circumstances were too dire and there wasn’t a way out. He felt trapped and afraid. He paced around the security room and vented shallowly, staring at the metal surrounding him until he couldn’t take the sight of the walls anymore.

 

Groaning in discontent, he stormed outside and leaned against the side of the ship. Sighing in the fresh air of the outdoors. He quieted his mind and focused on the sounds of Earth’s organic life. The rustling of trees in wind, those avian creatures that sing, before all of this he found it irritating but now he thought it was soothing. It silenced his processor allowing more clear thoughts to form.

 

“Maybe this planet isn’t so bad.” Starscream lamented.

 

“You’re telling me.” A voice from the woods around him startled him into activating his weaponry, pointing his null ray firmly and ready to show off his deadly accuracy. “Not that those scare me but could’ja put them away?” Wheeljack sauntered out from the trees with his hands in the air.

 

Starscream lowered his gun but didn’t put it away, not yet. “Again? Can’t you Autobots understand Neocybex? I said I don’t want you here.”

 

“Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that I’m not great at taking orders.”

 

“Clearly.” Starscream muttered.

 

“I just wanted to talk to you.”

 

“Does your little team know you’re here?”

 

“Nope!” Wheeljack proudly placed his servos on his hips. “Snuck out, which is also disobeying orders. C’mon, just a chat between old enemies. That’s all I ask.”

 

Starscream sighed dramatically in defeat. Really he had no reason to turn away the Autobot and it’s not like his company was terrible either. Somewhere along the line, he had grown fond of him and even missed him in the time between then and now, but he’d rather die than admit it.

 

Rolling his optics, Starscream lowered himself to the ground and motioned for Wheeljack to sit next to him against the ship. Wheeljack jogged over and plopped down in a charmingly clunky display. He then pulled something and then another out of his subspace. One was some sort of lighter, the other clearly a cygar. It had been a while since Starscream had even seen one let alone smelled it. When Wheeljack lit it the smoke wafted beautifully in the air.

 

“Want some?” He offered the cygar between two digits.

 

Starscream sniffed the smoke before concluding that this wasn’t a typical cygar, it had dross in it. “Where did- actually no, I don’t care where you got it. Give it.”

 

“Bossy.” Wheeljack chuckled, handing it over to Starscream who took a small puff. “That all you got? C’mon, really breathe it in, you seem like you need it more than me.”

 

Releasing the smoke through his vents, Starscream went in for another puff, a more significant pull this time. It must have been a decently powerful strain because he could already feel it kicking in, relaxing the plating that was abnormally tense and calming his nerves into a warm haze of vagueness. He was actually feeling a bit better now.

 

“So,” Wheeljack reset his voice box and took the cygar back. “Why are you on the run? You never answered earlier.”

 

“How do you know that?”

 

“Optimus might’ve mentioned it.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

 

Star was quiet for a moment. “Megatron and his volatile temper. I was given a message just after your Autobots left. He’s… trying to kill me.” He admitted.

 

“Damn,” Wheeljack looked away solemnly like he didn’t want to know the answer to his next question. “Your kids too?”

 

“Yes.” Starscream’s voice was only a whisper.

 

Wheeljack made a disgusted noise, something halfway between a growl and a gag. “I always knew there was something wrong with him but I never thought he was enough of a monster to kill his own sparklings.”

 

“They-” Starscream hesitated, wondering if he should say it. He might not get another chance to tell him. “They aren’t his sparklings.” Better late than never.

 

“Really?” Wheeljack raised an eyebrow. Star nodded. “So if not Megatron then-”

 

“Does it matter?” He really couldn’t tell the truth to save his life, could he?

 

“Uh...” He shrugged. “Guess not.” He dropped his helm into his servo and groaned at his own discomfort then took another long drag from the cygar.

 

“It… this is all my fault anyway. All of this is a prison of my own creation.” Starscream threw his servos in the air for emphasis. Great, now he ruined the whole conversation by making things awkward. “Primus is trying to break my will, I’m sure of it.”

 

“He works in mysterious ways, I guess.”

 

Starscream gave a strained laugh. It was obvious his spark wasn’t in the humor of the situation.

 

“You’ve got sparklings, a bad relationship with Megatron, and Primus is punishing you. I guess a lot has happened since I left.”

 

“Left?” Starscream made optic contact for the first time since the conversation started.

 

“Ended up in a fight because of you. Didn’t want to deal with it. I might’ve dropped everything and gone off-planet for a while.”

 

“Oh.” That’s why they hadn’t met in so long. And here Star was, worried he drove him away. “Was it… fun being off-planet?” How do you have a casual conversation again?

 

“Fun?” Wheeljack gave a curious look.

 

“I’m trying my best here!”

 

Wheeljack just laughed instead of answering him and nudged him with his shoulder, jostling Starscream’s entire frame. It was then that Starscream realized how close they were, sitting here in each other’s presence. He felt safe. Safer than he felt with anyone else. The energy in the conversation died down and Wheeljack was leaning even closer. He brought up a servo to cup Starscream’s face.

 

Before he could process what was happening, their lips met. Pressing in just enough to make Starscream melt into it. It was perfect. Wheeljack was so warm and inviting. It felt like nothing else existed and there was only this moment. But it didn’t last.

 

Wheeljack pulled back. “You’re in danger.”

 

“I know.” Starscream’s posture wilted. “I don’t know what to do.”

 

“I have an idea that you might not completely hate, that is if you’re willing to hear it.”

 

It had to be better than sitting around, waiting to be killed by a scorned ex-lover.

Notes:

Chapter 5 has been giving me some... trouble. It might take a while. Kill me.

Chapter 5: Confidence

Turns out Starscream didn’t hate the plan entirely. It just wasn’t a perfect one. He didn’t want help at all but Megatron knew where he was hiding and if he left he knew he would just be found again.

 

Everything was just… crumbling apart while he watched mourning what had not yet been destroyed. He was desperate. He had to latch onto something. Unfortunately, that something was Wheeljack, whether either of them liked it or not. If he was going to be within grabbing distance then he should’ve expected to be grabbed.

 

So the kids had to go somewhere safe. Safe like the Autobot’s base, Outpost Omega One. It was the only place on Earth that Megatron has never been able to find. They were truly hidden for the first time. Starscream could almost relax.

 

Almost.

 

He sat, fidgeting. After Wheeljack vouched for him they let him and the sparklings enter the base, although he wasn’t allowed to know where it was, which was fine with him. Right now, he had more important things to worry about. Like how perpetually low the Autobots were on Energon rations and how to solve that so his creations wouldn’t go hungry while they stayed here. He tried to not think about how this meant he was helping the Autobots.

 

Although, they seem to be getting on well with his children. Slipstream wasn’t too happy about being around them, after being raised with Decepticon ideals it only made sense she wouldn’t like it. Starscream wasn’t the biggest fan either but they’d both survive. She liked bossing around her brothers and bullying First Aid but since she was just a youngling, she was not very threatening to him.

 

Thrust and Ramjet just followed Slipstream around to do her bidding. They weren’t getting into much trouble except for Thrust challenging Hot Rod to a race. It ended with a massive dent in the wall and Ratchet yelling at them. Starscream had no idea what actually happened but Ratchet was sure to put an end to it. They haven’t raced again but it’s only been a few joor and it seems like both of them don’t have a strong grasp on consequences.

 

Dirge would run around threatening to fight anyone who crossed his path, despite him being about half the size of any of his perceived foes. He didn’t take kindly to Bulkhead describing him as cute. He threw a tantrum about not getting his way that ended quickly when Arcee asked what all the racket was. Star wasn’t sure if Dirge was becoming afraid of femmes or interested in them.

 

Sunstorm mostly sat quietly and read or watched everyone do things. Starscream had to wave him off a few times to focus on the Energon problem and he wound up talking to Wheeljack. Sunstorm had a few… communication issues but Wheeljack was doing great with him. Starscream had caught Wheeljack telling a story, his ’Space Cowboy Adventures’ seemed to greatly interest Star’s youngest. A week ago he didn’t even know what a cowboy was.

 

It was nice to see them getting along. It filled him with regret too. He wished he escaped when he found out he was carrying, found Wheeljack again, and told him the truth. Wheeljack would have been an amazing sire… maybe. Starscream would’ve done exactly that if he could figure out how Wheeljack felt about him. A lot was up in the air and the kiss didn’t clear anything up.

 

It was all very confusing.

 

And now his children were suffering for it.

 

Starscream wondered if this meant he failed them as their creator. Perhaps he wasn’t fit to be a carrier from the beginning.

 

It was probably true. He just wanted sparklings for selfish reasons anyway.

 

He deserved this.

 

He deserved to have his children taken from him.

 

He deserved to die for failing them.

 

Wheeljack flicked him in the back of the helm.

 

"Ow," Starscream said flatly. "What was that for?"

 

"Stop thinking that."

 

"Oh? How would you know what I'm thinking?" Starscream teased.

 

"I don't. But you're making a face."

 

"So now there's something wrong with my face?"

 

"I didn't say that."

 

"Yes, you did."

 

"No, I didn't!"

 

"Can it!" Ratchet yelled from the other side of the room. "Before I embed this so deep in your cranial structure that it would take surgery to remove!” He waved a wrench menacingly in their direction.

 

The two quieted down. Starscream wondered if Ratchet had misread the exchange as real bickering instead of playful or if he was just fed up with the chatter.

 

It didn’t matter. Starscream was done, anyway. He compiled a list of every Energon deposit that was either too small or too depleted to mine and handed it off to Optimus.

 

“Do not make me regret trusting you, Starscream.” The Prime gently took the datapad into his servo.

 

“I already regret this, catch up.” Starscream stood up and stretched his neck cables. “As much as I cherish your hospitality, I’m going back to the ship.”

 

“Wait, what? Why are you going back?” Wheeljack butt in.

 

“I refuse to hide forever, no matter how appealing that sounds. I’ll face Megatron alone.”

 

Ratchet turned to them. “Are you suicidal? If Megatron is on a warpath, he’ll tear you to shreds!”

 

“Ratchet-” Optimus interjected.

 

“And if you go offline, we’re kicking out all five of your little demons.”

 

“Ratchet.” Optimus sounded stern that time.

 

“You can’t seriously want to keep five seekers.”

 

“I fully intend to come back for them.” Starscream wearily stepped over to the spacebridge to enter the coordinates of the pile of rubble he was squatting in before. “Don’t follow me.”

 

He disappeared into the swirl of energy.

 

—

 

“Sire’s gonna kill carrier,” Slipstream said emotionlessly and crossed her arms. “He’s gonna make him dead forever. Then we can go home with sire and get away from Autobots.”

 

She sounded like she just knew what would happen. As if she could see the future. Her brothers couldn’t tell if she was sad about it or not. She loved her carrier, of course, but she loved sire more. They traded worried looks.

 

“No.” Sunstorm whimpered. “No no no no no no.” He grabbed his nearest brother.

 

Dirge pushed Sunstorm away. “Sire’s stronger. Strong bots can kill anyone.” Thrust and Ramjet nodded in agreement.

 

“No!” Sunstorm, for the first time in his life, yelled. He ran away from his siblings with tears already forming in his optics. He ran up to the larger white mech and buried his face in the plating of the warm stabilizer.

 

“Whoa, hey. What’s wrong?” Wheeljack knelt down.

 

“Carrier-” sob “gonna-” sob “die!”

 

“Who told you that?” Wheeljack pet the yellow mechling along his crest and helmfins… They almost look like… No, it couldn’t be. He was just thinking about it too much.

 

“Slipstream-” sob “and Dirge.” Sunstorm’s violent weeping slowed and quieted as he remembered what Star always told him when he got upset. Vent and speak slowly, dear. I can’t understand you. “They said sire was too strong.” He sniffled.

 

“Megatron is strong.”

 

Sunstorm hiccuped tearfully.

 

“Uh- But Star won’t die! He’s strong, too. He can stand up to sire- er- Megatron.”

 

Poor thing was absolutely panicking. Wheeljack was surprised that Star hadn’t said anything to them when he left. Maybe he didn’t want them to get the wrong idea about what was going on, or to keep them from knowing too much and worrying. Lots of good that did. Now they must think their sire is just going to kill their carrier and be done with it all.

 

But Megatron wasn’t their sire. Starscream told him so.

 

He also refused to admit who it was.

 

But Star trusted Wheeljack with them.

 

Their bright colors.

 

And Sunstorm’s helmfins.

 

Oh no.

 

Oh no.

 

That liar.

 

He should’ve expected as much.

 

“Everything’s gonna be alright, Sunny.” He picked up the little sparkling. His sparkling. One of five incredible sparklings. “Y’know why?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Because I’m gonna go save him.”

 

If Starscream wasn’t going to come clean on his own, then he would just force it.

 

What could go wrong?

 

—

 

Starscream did his best work when he had the right tools.

 

He did not have those currently.

 

The gun he made from literal trash really lived up to its name. It looked like it would fall apart after one shot but a few fires proved it stable enough to keep. He’d take anything at this point. He just needed to live through this. Megatron was coming to kill him and could show up at any moment so he needed to be ready.

 

Perhaps he could just injure the warlord enough to convince him to not come back. The best-case scenario was that Megatron would die instead. What a dream that would be, triumphantly returning to the Nemesis with his sparklings to announce the defeat, finally taking control of the Decepticons.

 

But daydreaming never solved anything.

 

He was already outside when he heard the rumbling of an engine getting closer.

 

Starscream steeled his nerves and gripped the gun tensely to keep from shaking. This moment would either be his greatest victory or a monumental screw-up. A few seconds felt like an eternity and the world went silent.

 

Primus, save me.

 

The ruler of the Decepticons, the warlord, the tyrant, and the slagmaker himself, Megatron, dropped out of the sky to create a cloud of dust at his landing. It whirled around them and mucked up Starscream’s vents.

 

“You.” Megatron stepped out of the veil and cleared it with a swipe of his servo.

 

“Me.” Starscream stood proudly.

 

“Where are they?” Loud, purposeful strides brought Megatron not only closer but around to Starscream’s side and nearly to his back.

 

Intimidation. He expected this.

 

“You wouldn’t find them.” Starscream preened his claws in insult.

 

“Are you so sure?” Megatron stopped circling and adjusted his weight, leaning forward. “You lied to me.”

 

“I didn’t think that would surprise you.” Starscream mocked.

 

“I have given you too many chances. Time and time again I let you walk away, only for me to be the one that fixes your mistakes, of which you’ve made many. This was too far, Starscream. To mislead me for so long, to let us both live in these falsehoods, to give away what rightfully belongs to me.”

 

“My frame is not yours to control!” He clenched his jaw painfully, trying to control his anger.

 

“You think you can stand against me? You are far too weak.” Megatron was now fully behind Starscream. “It’s unfortunate I was the only one who could control you. A thorn in my side is all you became.”

 

Starscream felt digits at the base of his spinal strut. Megatron was touching him. The gall, the audacity this mech had. Starscream went rigid as the digit dragged slowly up to the place in between his wings. He felt a hot vent against his audial.

 

“I will give you one opportunity…” He paused. “Surrender.”

 

Starscream’s vents hitched and stuttered. “No.”

 

“Wrong answer.” That was the only response he got before Megatron grabbed his left wing…

 

…and began to crush it.

 

The pain was so shocking that Starscream couldn’t react. When Megatron was happy with his work, he pushed Star to the ground, where he caught himself and twisted around to aim the gun at Megatron.

 

He fired once.

 

And again.

 

The first shot missed entirely. The second caught Megatron’s shoulder and made him groan in discomfort. He saw the rage on Megatron’s face as he threw a punch.

 

Star rolled out of the way, scraping his injured wing on the hard earth beneath him, it made him wince. How Megatron could so easily hurt him, he would never know. It was his own fault for letting the warlord get behind him. He won’t make that mistake again.

 

Megatron’s fist hit the ground with a loud thud. He growled and took another swing at the seeker only to hit the dirt again.

 

Another shot, another stagger, but no damage. Megatron’s armor was too thick and durable to be affected by such a makeshift gun. Even Starscream’s null rays had no effect other than irritating the tyrant.

 

Starscream wobbled back to his pedes to begin a different approach. Get closer but don’t get caught. If he could find a crack in Megatron’s armor, a way to get his weapon beneath the plating, he could dispatch the mech easily. He took to swiping his claws, catching on Megatron’s faceplates to leave hideous gashes around one of his optics. He hissed in pain.

 

Megatron blinked away the energon that had obscured his vision. The fluorescent blue was a stark contrast to the fiery glow that brightened in fury.

 

Starscream returned that fury with another attempted slash but instead, his wrist was caught and tossed away with one servo while the other wrapped around his throat.

 

He choked.

 

Megatron tightened his grip and lifted Starscream off his pedes. Star, using only one servo, dug his claws into Megatron’s forearm leaving scratches and dents.

 

But the fragger only laughed. Maddening.

 

Megatron drew a claw along his face and smoothly, almost painlessly, it sliced through the delicate protoform to leave a perfect exit for Energon to escape.

 

“Nothing will be left of you when I’m done.” Megatron threatened.

 

“I was about to say the same.” He rasped.

 

Starscream lifted the gun and slotted it into the crook between Megatron’s throat cables and helm.

 

Click

Chapter 6: Satisfaction

Notes:

Just need everyone to know that I don't remember writing 90% of this chapter bc it was written in one day while running on 3 hours of sleep and 5 cups of coffee, babysitting a one-year-old, listening to an advanced chem lecture, all while hungover.

Freakin' enjoy the last chapter, babes. God knows I didn't.

Fzzt click

 

No.

 

No no no.

 

Megatron’s hideous laughter filled his audials as Starscream met the righteous glare. The hand around his throat tightened.

 

The gun jammed.

 

No hope.

 

He froze in Megatron’s grip and his vents stalled. Limp in the warlord’s servo, he just stared, expecting to be killed then and there.

 

“Such a miserable display.” To his surprise, Megatron threw him to the ground and took place over his prone form to push his face into the dirt. Starscream grunted and hissed as he felt the filth enter the wound on his face and he tasted it getting between his denta.

 

Loosely, Starscream pawed at Megatron’s forearm once again, in a meek attempt to fight the tyrant off.

 

“I…” Starscream coughed.

 

“Oh? You have something to say now?”

 

“I…

 

was never…

 

yours.”

 

“That was your mistake.” Megatron goaded proudly as he applied more pressure to the back of Starscream’s helm, trying to crush it.

 

It hurt terribly, but Megatron’s smugness was an easy distraction. Starscream hooked a pede around one of Megatron’s stabilizers. He used every ounce of strength he could muster to sweep him down.

 

And he stumbled, allowing Star to roll far enough away to escape his reach.

 

Megatron roared angrily and transformed his servo into a blade. He swung once, and again, Starscream was too quick even in his injured state. An especially close thrust had Starscream pulling his stabilizers behind him in a half-circle, sliding across the earth, narrowly avoiding being cleaved in half.

 

He was back on his pedes, gun in servo.

 

It only jammed, he could fix it. He just needed a few kliks.

 

His only option was inside the ship, although, it left little means of egress. With a broken wing steadily leaking Energon, it wasn’t like he was going anywhere else.

 

The benefits of having a lithe frame were agility and speed. Starscream dug his heels into the earth and sprinted toward the ship, flattening his wings against his frame for better headway but agitating his injury. No matter, if he broke line of sight for long enough to recuperate, then it would be plenty worth it.

 

The door easily slid open at his presence and he locked it from the inside, turning just in time to see Megatron tailing him closely behind.

 

BOOM

 

He was already down the hallway when he heard Megatron’s fist find its way through the metal. Starscream shut the door to the room he previously used for storage, the only blast-proof door in the ship still standing.

 

He quickly dismantled the gun, looking for the source of the misfire.

 

Nimble digits dug into the metal. He pressed the catch to release the power source and fiddled with the extractor. Fine and fine. The barrel was clear and the slide was smooth. He popped off the frame.

 

And there was his fatal flaw.

 

The recoil spring had gotten caught on the frame piece.

 

He realigned the spring into the guide rod and filed away the deformation.

 

“I WILL END YOU!” Megatron’s clawed digits worked into the seams of the door, crinkling the metal with a grating sound. “I WILL DRINK THE ENERGON FROM YOUR GRAYING FRAME!” He pulled the door out of its frame and crushed the metal in his servos only to throw it to the side, uselessly.

 

The gun was nearly complete again.

 

The cold words crawled under his plating. He knew Megatron meant them, that’s what got to him the most. How quickly he flipped from uncomfortably loving to pure wretchedness. One day he was nothing but a proud sire and all he became was a monster. Starscream’s servos shook as he fumbled with the plasma core, clicking it haphazardly back into place.

 

It lit up and whirred with power.

 

Starscream fired on Megatron. Each shot fizzled off his armor as he drew closer.

 

He could feel every step Megatron took shaking the room under his pedes. The force nearly made him lose balance.

 

“Stay away from me!” Starscream shouted, but Megatron has never listened to him before, why would he now?

 

The warlord forced himself into Starscream’s personal space and grabbed one of his arms away from the gun he held.

 

Insulted, Starscream used his free servo to hit Megatron in the face with the butt of the gun. Megatron snarled like a mechanimal and grabbed his other arm as well. He twisted until Starscream lost grip on the gun and it fell to the floor.

 

Megatron then used his overwhelming strength to throw Starscream against the nearest wall and trap him there, pressing a servo to his chest.

 

Megatron slammed him into the wall and pain rang throughout Starscream’s weakening frame. His wings twitched uncomfortably and fresh Energon dripped on the floor. The warlord reeled back and balled his servo into a fist.

 

“I gave you everything!” Megatron’s fist made contact with Starscream’s chest, cracking the metal that lay above his spark.

 

“You pathetic,” Again.

 

“Conniving,” Again.

 

“Betraying,” Again.

 

“Coward!” Red light shone across his face and it took Starscream far too long to realize the light was coming from his own spark, now exposed from the beating Megatron was giving him.

 

With a disgustingly wet creak, Megatron peeled back the metal to reveal Starscream’s spark chamber. Tears formed in Starscream’s optics as he felt the pain of it all throughout his frame.

 

He hiccuped and sputtered from the Energon pooling in his fuel line. Coming up it felt like acid. He looked down at his frame, to his servos that he found he could no longer move. The protoform of his torso was torn and concave in a way he didn’t think possible.

 

“I will take pleasure in snuffing out your light.” His clawed digit moved dangerously close to the spinning, shining orb. “You have inconvenienced me for the last time, Starscream.”

 

Starscream reset his optics several times and vented deeply. He was sure that this would be his last moment. He was dizzy, beaten, and shaking anxiously as he accepted his fate.

 

His vision was fading.

 

He almost missed the green swirl of light that lit up the room as he lost consciousness.

 

—

 

Starscream vented sharply as he awoke. His servos immediately go toward his chest expecting to touch his spark, only to find solid metal with a fresh coat of paint.

 

“Uhp, uhp, uhp! No touching!” A gruff voice chastised him. Starscream knew that voice, the Autobot medic, Ratchet.

 

“At least seeing you means I’m not dead.” Starscream coughed as he gave his best insult.

 

“Yes, lucky you.” Ratchet sarcastically cheered. “You certainly gave your best attempt, though.”

 

“Someone saved me?”

 

“Wheeljack.”

 

“Great, now I owe him my life, too,” Starscream whined. “Are all Autobots that stupidly altruist?”

 

“Oh, you have no idea.”

 

“How…” Starscream shifted to sit up more. He was in surprisingly little pain. “How did Wheeljack manage to save me, anyway?”

 

“Well, it wasn’t just him. Optimus and everyone went as well after Wheeljack’s speech.”

 

“Speech?”

 

“He can be convincing when he wants to be. I wasn’t happy to hear about how he fragged you, but those kids of yours were proof enough.”

 

“Oh, Primus kill me. He figured it out?”

 

“Yup, and now everyone knows. Congratulations on the half-Autobot sparklings, by the way.” He mocked.

 

Starscream groaned loudly into his servos.

 

“It’s been a pain in the aft keeping them all out of here. So, if you’re feeling up to it?”

 

“Yes, yes, let them in. I need to see them.”

 

Ratchet went to open the door while Starscream sighed despondently. He knew there wasn’t much he could say. How could he possibly phrase it for his young children?

 

“Sire isn’t going to be around anymore.” Too vague. They would just complain.

 

“Megatron is not your sire.” Too forward. They would ask why. Starscream did not have the energy to tell them that long of a story. It would also be difficult to edit out all the painful details.

 

“Carrier!” They tumbled into the room one by one and crowded the seeker. Dirge, Sunstorm, and Thrust climbed up the medical berth. Ramjet leaned over the foot of the berth while Slipstream went straight to Starscream’s side.

 

“Did sire hurt you?” Slipstream picked at her claws anxiously. It was the smallest Starscream had ever heard her voice get. All her confidence and pride melted away.

 

Starscream brought a servo to her faceplates and gently stroked along the outer edge of her helm. “Only a little.” A white lie was better for them right now.

 

She leaned into his touch and looked at the ground. “He isn’t our sire, is he? That’s what the Autobot said.”

 

Star gazed into the middle distance, thinking deeply about his next words.

 

“What Wheeljack said was right.”

 

“Can I get that in writing?” Wheeljack walked into the medbay and gave Ratchet a quick nod. Ratchet left and closed the door. His presence made Starscream relax. “How are you holding up?”

 

“Miserably, thank you for asking.” Starscream rolled his optics but when he resettled on Wheeljack’s face, he was smiling. Star smiled back. “Don’t expect me to thank you for saving me. It was the least you could do after making me carry five sparklings.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Wheeljack laughed.

 

“I love you all.” Starscream held his sparklings close and met Wheeljack’s optics. “So much.” Wheeljack gave a sweet smile, one of awe, relief, and comfort. He said nothing but Starscream already knew he felt the same. In all his actions, his concern and support, he meant ‘I love you, too’.

 

“Sweetsparks,” Starscream continued. “I need to speak with Wheeljack alone.”

 

They looked amongst themselves and nodded. Slipstream herded her brothers out with a few short commands. Once they were all behind the closed door, Wheeljack pulled up a chair to sit next to the medical berth and sighed.

 

“I guess I’m stuck with you from now on.” He joked.

 

“No. No, you aren’t. I’m not doing that to you. I…” Starscream picked at his paint. “I know what it’s like. I doubt I’ll be sticking around your base much, anyhow.”

 

“Oh.” Wheeljack shifted uncomfortably. “Alright. That’s fine. Do you… uh- How ‘bout I just drop by sometimes then?”

 

“You aren’t obligated to.”

 

“Star, at least try to work with me here.”

 

“I think,” Starscream pinched his olfactory ridge. “this is going to be a long road… for both of us.”

 

“I can live with that.”

 

Wheeljack’s servo found Starscream’s.

 

This was going to get easier.

 

Starscream laced his digits between Wheeljack’s.