Chapter Text
The world was full of rules. Those rules interacted, creating systems. Each system was intricate, held up by countless rules both said and unsaid. At the far end of the room sat the center point of many unsaid rules, lounging on his throne.
The plans laid before them were nonsensical.
"This arrangement is foolish," Starscream said. "Do you know nothing of flight formations, Megatron?"
Megatron shifted in his seat. "Enlighten me, Starscream."
"Well—"
Starscream launched into an explanation, dismantling the plan thoroughly. At least, he began to. He wasn't anywhere close to finished when something gave him pause.
A slight shift of weight. A small curve to his lips. A minuscule squint of his bright, burning optics.
Megatron pounced on the silence. "Thank you, Starscream."
Starscream preened internally despite the tone setting him on edge.
"We will continue as planned."
"What?" Starscream squawked.
"Do you need your auditory receptors repaired?"
"No, Lord Megatron, but—"
"Then be quiet."
☆☆☆
It wasn't just once, nor was it merely a couple of times. It took Starscream too long to realize it was a concerted effort. One of the new unspoken rules, it seemed, was not to listen to Starscream.
But he could make them listen.
"That attack may have succeeded," Starscream said. "If it weren't for your shoddy planning skills."
The hulking brute ahead of him turned, eyes burning brightly. "How so?"
Starscream explained, yet again. And again, Megatron stared.
And kept staring.
"What?" Starscream said. "Too stunned by—"
"You should talk less. Your voice is grating."
Megatron turned away. The other Decepticons—a crowd which Starscream had ignored up until now—watched silently.
This was fine. He'd just have to try harder.
☆☆☆
"Lord Megatron, this plan is ridiculous! What is the point of—"
☆☆☆
"Lord Megatron, you can't possibly—"
☆☆☆
"Lord Megatron, there's no—"
☆☆☆
"Lord Megatron—"
☆☆☆
"Megatron—"
☆☆☆
They wanted to play that game? Then, fine. Starscream could manage that, though the fists at his sides said otherwise. He paced his room, growling to himself. That oaf wouldn't know what was coming, and he surely wouldn't dare to do this again!
His comms pinged. A summon to the command room. He ignored it. If Megatron wanted to ignore his input, he would get no input at all. Then, that blind fool would see how valuable he was!
He paced the room again. Another ping. He paced more. Another ping. How many pings were they going to send? With a roll of his eyes, Starscream pulled out a datapad and began reading. If they were going to keep sending them, he needed something to ignore them with.
The datapad held a story—a romance oozing stupidity narrated with the worst purple prose imaginable. If it weren't for the sheer horridness of it, Starscream would've put it back. It was a crash in narrative form, and his morbid curiosity got the better of him.
How had it gotten into his room, anyway? Perhaps Thundercracker or some other soft-spark had accidentally mixed their belongings with his, and soon he'd find something crucial missing. Or maybe someone just wanted to play a prank on him. Though it wouldn't be ideal, tracking down his swapped datapad would certainly be something to do other than asserting himself to the rest of command.
A shadow fell over the datapad. Starscream paused in the middle of a passage detailing the variety of decals the story's love interest had. How hadn't he noticed the door open?
"Starscream."
Megatron's voice held a calm, simmering fury.
Starscream looked up. "Yes, Lord Megatron?"
"Why aren't you at the command center?"
Starscream hummed, glancing between the datapad and Megatron. "Oh, that's what that was about? I didn't realize I'd been pinged."
Megatron scowled.
"Can't you give me the notes? I'm quite busy."
Megatron stepped closer, lips curled into a snarl. "The notes?"
Perfect, perfect—a little irritation for all the annoyance the brute had caused, and all the plans gone to slag because he wouldn't take advice if it came from Starscream. But he could push it further!
"Well, yes," Starscream said. "You see, I've got plenty to do, and since you never take my brilliant advice, I figured attending meetings wasn't worth the time."
Megatron closed the gap between them, leaning over Starscream.
"And what are you so busy with?"
"Oh, just—"
The datapad was taken from Starscream's hands with a forceful swipe.
"Hey!"
It dangled, pinched between two of Megatron's fingers. Megatron glared at him. Starscream stood.
"Give that back!" He hissed, reaching for it.
Megatron pulled the datapad back and threw it behind him. It crashed into the other datapads on the shelf, sending them to the floor. No, no—he couldn't just—not like—
Something snapped in the back of Starscream's processor. With a roar, he leaped at Megatron. The terrible brute caught him with ease and threw him against the wall. Reeling from the impact, Starscream scrambled upward, the split second it took to rise all the time Megatron needed to reach him again.
Starscream leaped with another yell, but it caught as he was slammed into the wall again. He clawed at his neck, attempting to pry the giant hand pinning it off.
"Let me go!" He spat. "Let me go! I'll tear you apart!"
Megatron stared at him. Was in it in disbelief? Disappointment? Starscream couldn't tell. What did the fragger expect? That he'd just let him desecrate his property like that? Destroy his treasured possessions with his carelessness?
Megatron stared. Starscream squirmed and hissed and spat and clawed.
Megatron stared. Starscream squirmed and hissed and spat.
Megatron stared. Starscream squirmed and hissed.
Megatron stared. Starscream—
His hands fell at his sides. Megatron's grip loosened. The brute leaned closer.
"You will go to that meeting," Megatron said. "And every meeting after it. You will come when you are summoned or we will have this conversation again."
A new rule, or perhaps an amended one: Starscream's thoughts didn't matter as long as Megatron had any say.
☆☆☆
"You can't place them that close together!" Starscream said with a huff. "At that point, you might as well just consider them a single unit."
If Starscream didn't know any better, he would assume Megatron did this on purpose to antagonize him. But Megatron was just a fool.
Megatron glared at him. "And where would you place them?"
Starscream pointed at two spots on the map. "There and there. That way, if the first doesn't succeed, the other will be close enough to clean up the mess, but not so close that they're part of it."
Megatron grunted. He looked between Starscream and the map, then leaned back in his seat.
"I prefer them closer. This plan is final."
Starscream let a frustrated groan escape him, stomping a pede on the floor. "If you won't listen to me, then why do you bother to summon me?"
Megatron raised his brows. "You are a valuable member of command, Starscream. If our air commander doesn't know what we're planning, how are we supposed to get anything done?"
"Well—" Starscream slammed his hands on the table. "Yes! I am valuable. That's why you should listen to me!"
"I do listen to you."
"Then why don't you—" Starscream slammed a hand against the table again. "You never take my advice!"
"Have you considered that it's not worth taking?"
Starscream froze, hands gripping the edge of the table.
"Not worth—what?"
He scowled.
"My advice is always worth taking!"
Megatron sighed. "When you stop acting like a petulant newly forged mech, maybe it will be."
"You—!" Starscream screeched, launching himself across the table.
Megatron caught him with a single hand and threw him back across the table. Tangled in the seats as he fell, Starscream bit back a pained yelp. Already, Megatron was upon him again, ripping him from the pile of seats by the wrist. Starscream kicked at him, activating his thrusters, but Megatron just stared.
"Let go of me!" Starscream yelled.
Megatron lifted Starscream's wrist in the air, forcing him closer to the other mech. Unbalanced by his thrusters, Starscream deactivated them.
"This is how the Air Commander of the Decepticons takes criticism?" Megatron said. "I'm disappointed, Starscream."
"Let go."
Megatron sighed and tossed him to the ground. Starscream wasted no time scrambling to his pedes. The world faded back into focus, embarrassment flooding through Starscream as the rest of command stared at him from the edges of the room. How did he forget they were there?
"This meeting is over," Megatron said to the group. He turned his head to Starscream, optics burning as the pedesteps of the rest of command grew softer. "Behave yourself next time. I don't want this happening again."
Megatron stepped past Starscream before he could even think of a response.
☆☆☆
Time passed. Mecha were recruited. Battles were won and lost. Megatron was Megatron.
After yet another embarrassing altercation, a shy hand was offered to Starscream. He squinted at the mech on the end of it, eventually recognizing the Seeker in front of him. Pointedly glaring at the hand, he rose to his pedes. Thundercracker followed him, pedes clinking against the floor. The other mech slowly moved to his side.
"You need to stop antagonizing him," Thundercracker said quietly, nearly under his breath—no doubt so the others in the hall couldn't hear.
"He's antagonizing me!" Starscream hissed.
"Then don't fall for it."
Of course Thundercracker, of all mecha, would say that. How he managed to function in battle when he was so unconfrontational outside of it was a mystery.
"But really," Thundercracker said. "All any of us hear is you losing it on him. Are you really sure you're not just blowing something out of proportion?"
Starscream paused, tapping a pede against the floor. Thundercracker took a step back.
"Yes, I'm sure!" Starscream spat, forcing his face close to Thundercracker's. "I deal with his slag all day. Don't try to make me put up with yours."
Thundercracker raised his hands in surrender. Starscream grumbled and turned away. They may be wingmates, but Starscream had limits—especially when that massive oaf was already throwing him around on a regular basis. Though…
Starscream was the first one to attack, wasn't he? Megatron's voice was sharp, but he never yelled until Starscream started to. Megatron, to Starscream's knowledge, never handled other mecha in the way he handled Starscream. Was it really just him?
The air around the two mecha grew charged. It was displaced as Skywarp appeared, sending a quiet noise through the area. She stared at Thundercracker and Starscream for a moment before gathering herself. She strode between them with a smile on her face.
"Hey, mecha," She said, leaning toward Thundercracker, then Starscream. "Heard some stuff when I got back from my flight. What'd you cause a disruption for this time, Screamer?"
"Another stupid plan of Megatron's, like always," Starscream said.
Skywarp's optics roamed over his frame. He pretended to ignore it. When she was satisfied with whatever assessment she was conducting, she slung an arm around Starscream's shoulders and patted him on the back. He grit his dentae at the contact.
"'Course!" Skywarp said. "Wish I could see you tell that old jerk off sometime. It's a shame they won't let us join you during meetings."
Thundercracker glared at Skywarp. She didn't even glance at him. Starscream laughed.
"Welp," Skywarp said, stretching her arms. One of her joints clicked, and Starscream made a mental note to force her to get that checked. "We should head back to our room. Gotta get ready for Megatron's terrible plans."
☆☆☆
As Starscream paced in front of his Seekers, explaining the battle plan, the echo of an opening door silenced him. The room grew heavy with Megatron's footsteps.
"Starscream!"
"Yes, Lord Megatron?"
Megatron's brows were furrowed, a scowl on his face. "There's been a change of plans. Soundwave's cassettes have learned of something much more valuable than the mine. I want you to retrieve it."
Of course, of course! Why wouldn't Megatron change the mission at the last possible moment? It wasn't as if they'd spent so much time and effort preparing for this!
"Just me?"
"Just you," Megatron said. "If we send a larger party, the Autobots will be drawn to it."
Starscream fought back a sigh and flexed his fingers. "And what is this oh-so-important item I'm searching for?"
Megatron's optics burned. "An asteroid. It has metals not typically found on this planet, which will be invaluable for Shockwave's projects."
Starscream turned back to his Seekers.
"Thundercracker."
The mentioned mech flinched.
"Lead the force while I search for this asteroid."
Thundercracker nodded.
The matter was settled. The Seekers took off in one direction while Starscream set off in the other. The coordinates, while a decent distance away, were much quicker to reach while flying. It wasn't odd for Megatron to send a Seeker to accomplish this task, but to send Starscream specifically was strange. Wouldn't the enemy notice he wasn't present during the attack?
Starscream landed in front of the asteroid and kicked at the dirt. The asteroid itself was visually unremarkable and barely fit in his palm. He didn't doubt its importance, but the irritation at the back of his processor still nagged at him. Was it really so necessary to retrieve this right now?
He paced around the crater, absentmindedly running his fingers across the uneven surface of the asteroid. If he returned to find his Seekers in shambles, it would be on Megatron's helm. Thundercracker could handle leading a mission, but Thundercracker wasn't him! He was supposed to be the one out there!
Pain exploded in the back of Starscream's helm, his optics fuzzing and glitching. When his vision cleared, he was cockpit-first on the ground, the asteroid just out of reach. As he crawled closer to it, it was snatched away.
Starscream threw himself to his pedes, aiming his weapons at his attacker. They rolled out of the way, so with a frustrated hiss, Starscream tackled them. In a struggle much less graceful than he'd ever admit that may have involved throwing leaf litter into his enemy's optics, Starscream managed to recapture the asteroid. To avoid losing it again, Starscream immediately launched himself into the air.
His attacker disappeared behind him, and Starscream dared to smirk. As a flier, he was much faster than any grounder. There was no possible way the Autobot could catch up!
A boom made his audials ring. The world blurred around him as he was sent spinning. His body grew cold, weighed down by a strange force. As his wings scraped painfully across the ground, the situation revealed itself to him: that slagging Autobot had planted a bomb on his wing!
He dragged himself out of the water, the world was still blurry. The heaviness slowly faded from his joints as the water drained from them, forming tiny streams on the rocks below. His hands were empty, and that seemed important, but he couldn't remember why.
He rubbed at his optics, attempting to clear them. They remained blurry, the world swimming around him. Bracing himself, he stood, then shot into the air and transformed. Immediately, he remembered one of his wings was damaged. He crashed to the ground a short distance away from where he started.
Why did he do that?
Starscream tapped his fingers against the ground and put the facts together. He was injured and his hands were empty. Whatever he was meant to be doing, he couldn't do it anymore. He also couldn't return to base without help. So, with a sigh, he pinged Skywarp. She responded immediately.
[Screamer! How's it going?]
The ping was easy, but replying made his helm hurt. He needed to… what did he need to say…
[Encountered an Autobot. Wing is damaged. Don't know what else. Can't travel. Tried. Need pickup.]
[Send me your coordinates. I'll be there.]
Starscream sent her the coordinates, fighting a whine as his helm throbbed. The air grew charged and soon, a servo was on his shoulder. Skywarp's form was fuzzy, but he recognized her colors immediately.
Her other hand drifted to the back of his helm. Starscream cringed away. She made a displeased click.
"That's not great," she muttered. "Are you being followed?"
"Don't know. They haven't gotten here yet."
Skywarp sighed and pulled him to her chest. "C'mere. This is gonna suck for you."
The world swirled around him, pain hammering into his helm. He attempted to curl into himself, but Skywarp's hands held him back. When he pushed harder, she wrenched him apart.
"Stop it," she whispered. "I know you'll throw a fit later if I don't let you walk yourself in there."
Why was everything so bright? And why wasn't Skywarp letting him hide? He just wanted to hide. He buried himself in her chest. She jolted at the contact, then placed a hand on his shoulder. The other drifted to his wing, stroking it.
"Come on," she muttered. "Come on…"
The stroking, though it didn't change in speed or strength, quickly became overwhelming. Starscream wanted to pull his wing away, but it wouldn't move.
The door slid open. A mech entered and settled beside them.
"Oh, Star," Thundercracker said quietly.
"He's having another one of… those episodes," Skywarp said quietly.
Right. That's what they called this. A shameful little secret that the three of them kept.
Thundercracker hummed, a note of concern in his voice. "Megatron will want a mission report. And…. he should really see a medic."
Skywarp's hand against his wings was unbearable. Starscream still couldn't pull away. He whined and Skywarp withdrew.
"Can't that wait until after we recharge?"
Thundercracker clicked nervously. "It'll have to."
Skywarp nudged Starscream. He still couldn't move, so he whined again. Embarrassment flooded the back of his processor, kept at bay by the pain and numbness. Skywarp pulled him up.
"C'mon, Screamer."
☆☆☆
Starscream's helm hurt. He cringed as the light hit his optics. Why was everything still so bright?
As Thundercracker and Skywarp stirred beside him, Starscream froze. The mission! He hadn't reported to Megatron, and he hadn't recovered the asteroid! And…
Starscream threw himself off of the berth and stomped across the room. Behind him, Thundercracker and Skywarp scrambled off the berth. He didn't wait for them as he entered the hall, but they managed to catch up.
"Woah," Skywarp said. "Where are you going?"
"Megatron," Starscream spat.
"Are you sure the report can't wait until after you visit the medbay?" Thundercracker asked.
"Yes."
The command center was closer than Starscream remembered. Or maybe he had just lost track of time. Megatron stared at him from atop his throne.
"Starscream," Megatron said. "I see you did not retrieve the asteroid."
"I was ambushed."
Megatron leaned forward. "I can tell."
Starscream fanned out his wings to make himself larger, hiding a wince when his damaged wing pulsed with pain.
"Go back out and find it."
Starscream stamped a pede against the ground. "What?"
Megatron stared.
"Are you not capable of such a simple task?"
"I'm perfectly capable!" Starscream said, stamping his pede again. "I just don't understand why you need this rock retrieved so urgently!"
Megatron stepped off his throne. "If you're perfectly capable, then I don't see why this is such an issue."
"Because I don't see the point! Are you even listening?"
"Retrieve the asteroid, Starscream."
Starscream tensed and untensed his fingers. "No. Get someone else."
Megatron stepped closer, his optics burning into Starscream's. "You should fix your own mistake."
"No," Starscream said.
Megatron leaned toward Starscream, nearly nose to nose. "You will—"
Before he could rethink it, Starscream sent a fist toward Megatron's face. Megatron caught it immediately, wrenching the Seeker's body forward, which only increased the ache in his helm. The brute's giant fingers sank into his injured wing, its metal creaking under the pressure.
"Stop!" Starscream hissed, pedes flailing. "Stop!"
Megatron glared at Starscream. "You will retrieve that asteroid immediately."
Starscream's protests were cut off as Megatron's grip tightened.
A new rule: Don't fail Megatron.
"Okay," Starscream said. "I will."
Megatron released him. Starscream scrambled out the door, forgetting that Thundercracker and Skywarp were there until they were already by his side. Embarrassment flooded his processor. They had seen everything!
"That fragger," Starscream growled.
"You did try to hit him first," Thundercracker said quietly.
Starscream glared at him, but found he couldn't hold it. He turned his gaze to the floor.
"Did you enjoy the show, Skywarp?" Starscream muttered.
"We're coming with you," Skywarp said.
Both Thundercracker and Starscream stared at her.
"I'm serious. If the old jerk wants that rock so badly, we should go get it together."
Starscream untensed plating he didn't know he had tensed. "Alright."
☆☆☆
The trip to the lake he lost the asteroid in was quicker than the one to its original site. The asteroid was easy to find once he looked, leading him to question how he'd even returned without it in the first place. Its presentation was also uneventful, since Starscream successfully resisted the urge to punch Megatron in the optic that time.
As he turned down the hall to head back to his room, Thundercracker put a hand on his shoulder. Starscream glared at him.
"You're overdue for a trip to the medbay," Thundercracker said.
Starscream sighed and rolled his eyes. They walked to the medbay. As they entered, Knock Out glanced at them.
"Oh, you," Knock Out said. "Sit down."
Starscream took his place on one of the examination berths. Knock Out put his buffer away and tutted.
"And to think I was almost done maintenance. What do we have here, other than the obvious?"
Starscream rolled his eyes. The medic had joined the Decepticons recently and was already getting on Starscream's nerves. But trained medics unlikely to turn treatment into a horrible experiment were few and far between. Most were with the Autobots, and a significant amount of the few who weren't had defected after watching their colleagues' ethical violations go unchecked.
At the very least, Starscream could trust that Knock Out's repairs would be aesthetically sound.
Knock Out examined Starscream from helm to pede, paying extra attention to his wings and helm. Normally, Starscream enjoyed being the center of attention, but this wasn't a normal circumstance. It took everything in him to stay on the berth.
"I can fix this," Knock Out said.
Starscream would certainly hope so.
As Knock Out worked on his wing, the medic asked him the typical questions one would receive after being examined for a helm injury.
"Any blurriness of vision? Light sensitivity?"
"Some."
"I can see you squinting. Don't lie."
Starscream huffed. His name, the date—he answered the rest just fine. Eventually, Knock Out finished with his wings. He did some work on his helm, but—
"Not much I can do about your processor. Just wait a few days and make sure you don't hit your head again."
Starscream sighed.
"If that's all–" Knock Out started.
"One of the joints in her arms is clicking," Starscream said, pointing to Skywarp.
Skywarp glared at him. He grinned. If he was forced to endure this, so was she.
Knock Out made his way to her. He tested her range of motion—flex, extend, flex, extend—and found the issue. After a quick fix, he waved the three Seekers off.
Skywarp was still glaring at Starscream.
"You didn't have to do that," she said.
Starscream shrugged. "We were already there."