Orpheus

by the-spoon-of-doom

Sequel to Faust. Starscream's not going to let Megatron go without a fight. Perhaps the road to Hell really was paved with good intentions.

White wings were painted purple from battle-soiled servos, but Starscream didn't push his lover away. Energon tracked down the side of his leader's face from a deep cut in his brow. It would need to be welded. Would probably scar. It would suit him though, Starscream thought, and wiped the trickle of energon away with his thumb. Megatron wore wounds better than the high caste wore jewels.

How it was possible for anyone to get so grubby in battle, Starscream would never know. He suspected Megatron enjoyed it. The splatter of energon, the scraps and scuffs, rolling in the dirt. He got some sort of perverse, savage satisfaction out of using his bare servos that he couldn't with a gun.

Starscream could understand that, having sunk his own claws into countless enemies himself.

The thought drew him to barely-there scars across Megatron's shoulder, and he wondered when he'd stopped thinking of his leader as an enemy too.

"You're filthy," he reproached, dragging digits through the grime on Megatron's chest. They came away black, sooty.

"You're gorgeous," Megatron countered with typical swagger, stepping into him, helm tipping down and knocking against Starscream's, uncoordinated and slow, limps loose and free from the fight. From victory.

Starscream let him kiss him, tasting tangy energon. The air was still rank with ash, from fire and blasters, from the rubble of homes and the dust of torn rock. Flames flickered, half veiled by the post-battle smog, and somewhere far away there was cheering, or screaming. Starscream couldn't tell.

They had survived though, hadn't they? That's all that mattered. Together. Alive.

Megatron drew away, just as it was beginning to feel real. His optics dimming, brow creasing, he said, "I have to go."

Starscream held on to him, fingers curling around the edges of his armour. "No. Don't."

"This won't last." Megatron uncurled his digits, tried to push him away.

But as long as Starscream held on he couldn't leave. As long as he never woke up, he could stay.

He looked up and Megatron's crimson optics were now dark, empty. His frame a dull, shine-less grey, rusting and dripping with thick, nightmarishly dark lifefluid-

The shock stole his breath. He let go.

And woke up.

He onlined his optics slowly, stretching across the wide berth, fingers brushing the empty right side, the phantom warmth of the mech who'd once occupied it.

He sat up, glancing around the darkened quarters. He had kept everything as Megatron had left it, which was regrettably rather messy. But Starscream could look upon the empty cubes, the datapads gathering dust, and pretend that their owner had only just stepped out.

He was drawn from his pathetic musing when something heavy banged against the door.

"Oi, Screamer!" The loud obnoxious voice of his trine-mate carried through the heavy metal. "Open up! TC wants to check you're still alive in there!"

Starscream was reluctant to move at first. The eerie silence of the crypt-like quarters was a far gentler environment than the hustle and bustle of the bridge. He didn't particularly feel like conflict today.

"I'll just warp in if you don't answer the door!" His visitor sang.

Starscream scrubbed a servo across his face and got up, moving across the room lethargically. Before he could reach the door there was a flash and crack as Skywarp appeared before him.

"Oh good, you're up," he smiled, wide and toothy, and took him by the arm. "You look like scrap. Let's fly."

Before he could argue, the familiarly unpleasant sensation of being teleported overtook his senses. They reappeared outside the Nemesis, hovering above the fuselage. The stars swayed and wobbled.

Starscream swallowed down nausea, shaking his helm and shrugging Skywarp off. "I don't want to fly."

Skywarp's grin faltered for a moment. "Of course you do. Come on. You've been cooped up in there over a months, Star. You're gonna go crazy."

Starscream turned away. He had found it far easier to simply ignore his fretting trine than attempt to argue with them. They'd held little regard for his rank as Air Commander and even less now that he ruled.

To prove this point, Skywarp flew overhead and dropped down before him, blocking his escape. "C'mon, just a couple minutes!"

"I don't have time for this."

Skywarp pouted, "What, spending time with me is gonna cut into your twenty-four-seven sulking session? You gotta get over it, Screamer."

Starscream's optic twitched in annoyance, "There's nothing to 'get over'," he snapped. "I won remember! I am your leader now, so you'd better start showing me some Primus-damned respect Skywarp or I'll-"

His trine-mate did the exact opposite by interrupting him with a loud snort, "Primus, TC was right. You do need to talk to someone." He waved a servo in front of Starscream's face. "You're in denial, crazy!"

Starscream snarled, "Don't you dare-!"

"Can you drop the power-hungry-maniac act for a couple minutes? Your mate died, Star." Skywarp's optics softened as he finally showed some tact. Starscream preferred the callous shouting.

He started towards the ship again, "I never had a mate."

"Yeah right!" Skywarp caught him by the wrist, grip tight enough to haul him back.

"Unhand me before I-"

"You were gonna bond with him," Skywarp blurted out, "but sure, whatever you say. He wasn't your mate."

Surprise at Skywarp knowing about his arrangement with Megatron caused him to pause. "How-?"

"Soundwave told TC," Skywarp shrugged, completely unrepentant. "And TC told me, and I'm gonna tell everyone else so you might as well-"

Starscream decided then that he didn't care what his trine and Soundwave or anyone else did with the information. They certainly couldn't use it to hurt him, what with Megatron... currently absent. "Get off of me," he slapped Skywarp off, again. "I'm done indulging your idiocy, I have an empire to run-"

"You mean Soundwave has an empire to run!" Skywarp called after him, following. "You can't rule your 'empire' from your dead boyfriend's berth-"

Starscream whirled, "You know the best thing about ruling you bunch of morons is that I won't be court-martialled for shooting any of you in the face!"

Skywarp threw his arms up in exasperation, "Fine! Shoot me if that's what I get for trying to help! Go crazy with depression for all I care-"

"I'm happy!" Starscream screeched, shaking with rage. The sharp noise might have damaged Skywarp's audials had it been able to travel through the vacuum of space. "I am in my rightful place as leader and I am happy!" He fixed Skywarp with an intense look. "What more could I possibly want?!"

Skywarp looked like he could think of a whole lot of things, but didn't dare say them. In the end he just shrugged. "Whatever, my lord." He muttered sarcastically.

Starscream didn't think he could stay out here a second longer without murdering the purple freak, or worse. With a burst of his thrusters he fled back inside.

---

"-reserves at thirty two percent." Starscream's self-appointed Second, Soundwave, droned on. "Conclusion; insufficient fuel to power hyperdrive. Requests for supply runs increasing-"

"I'll come up with something," Starscream waved his servo, only half listening, gaze focused out a small viewport. "Till then they can ration. They won't starve..."

"Negative. Rations inadequate." Soundwave didn't bother hesitating, disrespectful tool he was. "Morale decreasing below forty percent. Potential shortages-"

"That's ridiculous," Starscream interrupted with a sneer, "You can't measure morale."

"Soundwave; Superior." His Second intoned loudly, like that statement alone won any and all arguments. "Low morale; sufficient threat to Decepticon cause. Increasing risk of defection by seventeen percent-"

"Oh, is that all..."

"-risk of revolt. Increasing. Twenty eight percent."

Starscream glared at him.

"Conclusion," Soundwave summed up, "Crew functionality; counterproductive. Command structure; ineffective. Decepticons; disloyal."

Starscream rolled his optics, "To who?"

He couldn't tell if it was real hatred or just exhausted frustration in Soundwave's tone when he answered, "Starscream."

Well, he was hardly surprised. It was pretty much a given when half the crew believed him responsible for Megatron's absence in the first place.

"Negative," Soundwave interrupted his self-pitying train of thought. "Megatron is responsible for his own absence."

Starscream stood abruptly, unwilling to have this conversation. Certainly not with Soundwave buzzing around the edges of his mind, prowling for vulnerable thoughts to sink his manipulative claws into. He stormed out.

"Report incomplete." Despite his huffy exit, Soundwave trailed after him dutifully as he slammed his way out of the war room and onto the bridge.

The commotion drew the attention of the most of it's occupants. Starscream didn't spare any of them much of a glance. Their attitudes towards him spilt somewhere between pity and loathing, and not a single ounce of respect. Starscream bristled at the thought, shoving between two grunts that didn't have the sense to stand aside for their leader.

"Further instructions necessary," Soundwave was still behind him. Starscream glanced back to see one blue servo poised over his wing, like his Second thought of reaching to stop him but hadn't dared... He lowered it slowly. "Awaiting your orders, Lord Starscream."

"Do whatever you damn well please," he snapped, and shot a glare at Thundercracker when he saw his trine mate start to approach, expression wrought with concern. "Organise your stupid supply run or let them starve, what do I care? I'm returning to my quarters."

---

Starscream had always wondered how someone who had been so invested in philosophy and liberation and peace and romance and so many other ridiculous things could have gone on to orchestrate a war- sorry, a revolution that resulted in the deaths of millions of innocent lifeforms.

Perhaps, beneath all the armour, the war paint, that ridiculous cannon -beat the spark of a sentimental poet. Just a mech with a skill for rhetoric and a dream of building something better found himself caught up in something so fast and violent that he'd had to become someone harsh on the outside so they couldn't touch what lay just beneath the surface.

It was a wonder Unicron had valued Megatron's life above his own. He must have a preference for the soft sparked.

Starscream glanced over the thousands of datafiles Megatron had kept, all sat neatly on their shelf, arranged by subject, alphabetised. The only thing in the room his leader had bothered to keep organised.

An entire shelf dedicated to ancient mythology sat at Starscream's optic level. It had been Megatron's favourite subject. More than historical politics, even more than romantic poetry. Starscream knew because the old fool would never shut up about it. He'd lost count of all the times his late-leader had gotten smashed and started blabbing about some made up tragic affair, some epic hero, a legendary beauty or

'-give it a few billion years and you'll be one of these imaginary characters,' Megatron lifted his cube to him, optics crinkling at the corners as his smile broadened. ''Such a shame your unparalleled beauty will overshadow your brilliant mind, but I've told you before. No one likes a know-it-all-"

"At least they'll remember me." Starscream had snorted.

"Oh, they'll remember me," Megatron swirled his energon. "What's a love story without conflict?"

Starscream refocused on the files. Some of them looked worn. Either very old or very loved.

He pulled one out, turning it over in his servos. 'Spero and Amissa' it read.

He pulled a face. Sounded like one of Megatron's predictably sappy romantic tragedies. His leader's favourite kind of story always ended in death.

He slotted it into a datapad anyway. It was sentimental drivel, but it was likely the closest he was ever going to get to understanding the sacrifice Megatron had made for him. Maybe his leader's motive lay amongst the text written here.

Unsurprisingly, the story did involve death. But it didn't end that way.

It didn't get Starscream any closer to understanding Megatron, but it might have just offered him inspiration for getting him back.

---

Thundercracker stared at him for a very long time.

"Told you he was crazy," Skywarp muttered from the sidelines.

Starscream found the patience to ignore him. "I'm doing it," he told them firmly, "Whether you help me or not."

"Starscream," Thundercracker began in a slow, pacifying tone, servos held palms up, like he was approaching a dangerous, wounded animal. "You're a scientist. You know-"

"It is possible," Starscream glared. "I have my theories. One of them is bound to work."

Skywarp's optics were as wide as satellite dishes, "Primus, you seriously wanna do this? Isn't it like, necromancy or something? Raising the dead." He scrunched his nose, "I mean, if you wanna screw around with a zombie-Megatron that's your business but-"

"It's not raising the dead and it's not necromancy," Starscream argued impatiently. "Megatron isn't dead. He didn't die. He was taken. We are simply... retrieving him." He said carefully.

Thundercracker lifted the file containing 'Spero and Amissa', flicking through it again. "So because this fairytale-"

"Mythology." Starscream corrected.

"Right... Mythology," his trine mate muttered, "So, because you read this made up story about someone entering the Well of AllSparks to bring back their dead girlfriend you think you can find a way to descend into the Pit to save Megatron?"

Starscream nodded. "Yes."

His trine shared a glance.

"Well it's a better solution than letting you rust away in that room," Thundercracker submitted with a shrug, tossing the datapad down. "How are we going to do this?"

"We need a Matrix," Starscream announced, as if that was the easiest thing in the world to get hold of. "Preferably with the Prime still attached."

"Oh Primus," Thundercracker muttered, realising what a mistake he'd made by agreeing to this. "I retract my previous statement."

But Starscream was already strutting from the room, conveniently ignoring him.

---

Starscream never should have trusted those lying, cheating, two-faced, sell outs to do anything but run straight to Soundwave and blab everything.

"Lord Starscream," Soundwave loomed over him with as much misplaced superiority as he'd possessed in those early days when Megatron had enjoyed playing them off against each other. "Actions; inadvisable."

Starscream ducked away from his suffocating aura. "I follow my own advice, Soundwave." He snarled, "You have your own drones to fret over. Leave me alone."

"Your safety is my primary responsibility," Soundwave droned, trailing behind him like a monotonous, overbearing shadow. "Soundwave; cannot allow Lord Starscream to take unnecessary risks."

Starscream bristled at the idea of being 'managed'. Soundwave barely let him out of his sight most days, and had been rather twitchy ever since Megatron's disappearance. Starscream knew embarking on a covert mission into enemy territory would send him glitching up the wall, but that hardly gave Soundwave the right to try and stop him.

"I lead the Decepticons now, Soundwave, not you!" Starscream snatched up a pile of Autobot surveillance files he had previously ignored and allowed to build up and clumsily attempted to dodge past his officious second with. "You just try to sabotage my mission and I'll have Skywarp change the filter on your visor to florescent pink!"

Soundwave was about as intimidated by him as he would have been by one of his tantruming offspring refusing bedtime. He effortlessly caught half the datapads as they slipped out of Starscream's arms before they could hit the floor. "Negative. Intention; accompany Lord Starscream on-"

Starscream dropped the rest of his datapads out of sheer annoyance. "No!" He shouted over the clatter.

"I insist."

Starscream hadn't thought monotone could have come out sounding so stubborn.

"I'll have you thrown in the brig for disobeying my orders," he threatened with a snarl.

Soundwave took a step towards him. "Lord Starscream; welcome to try."

Starscream set his jaw and puffed out his chest, narrowing his optics at the challenge. Soundwave simply crossed his arms.

"Well thanks a lot, Thundercracker," Starscream sneered sarcastically as he entered his laboratory, followed closely by his now stalker-bodyguard-second-in-command. "Couldn't keep your fat mouth shut..."

"Soundwave is head saboteur," Thundercracker defended himself -like telling Soundwave hadn't been the dirty underhanded trick it was. "If we want to get within a hundred miles of Prime we're going to need his skills."

Starscream gestured angrily at Skywarp, who was balancing a dangerous piece of equipment on his head on the other side of the lab. "That's why I invited this idiot. He can teleport us in-!"

"In where?! We don't know where the Autobots even are! That's why..." Thundercracker waved at Soundwave, letting his point go unsaid. And then paused, glancing at the second-in-command. "You... do know where they are, don't you?"

"Affirmative."

"Affirmative," Starscream mimicked, pulling a disgusted face.

"Is this really going to work?" Skywarp finally joined in the conversation, letting the beaker he'd been playing with crash behind him, where whatever was in it began to smoke and melt through the floor. "Kidnapping Prime and then asking him to help us? Won't he just shoot at us a lot and try to escape?" He shrugged, "Maybe we should just ask him nicely, then he might-"

Starscream made a frustrated noise. "Because then he'll know we're coming, moron!"

"Maybe Skywarp's got a point," Thundercracker raised a servo. "Maybe we can negotiate the Autobot's cooperation instead of trying to take their Prime by force. We'll be less likely to get slagged by him and all his crazy friends."

"No, that'll never work," Starscream dismissed, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Autobots are too fussy. They'd never cooperate. Not unless there was a ceasefire or- or..."

He grinned nastily.

"They'll never believe you," Thundercracker shot him down before he'd even voiced the undoubtably terrible idea.

"They will if it's a genuine offer," Starscream smirked, unsubspacing a datapad and tapping at it hurriedly.

"You're really going to make peace?!" Skywarp sounded horrified.

Starscream looked up from the datapad to roll his optics, "Only for as long as it is necessary. We won't have any use for Prime or his lackey's once Megatron has been safely retrieved..."

"Oh," understanding dawned on Skywarp's face, "We're gonna double cross them."

Thundercracker sighed heavily, "They'll see it coming. Especially from you."

"Most likely," Starscream shrugged. "But you are severely overestimating Prime. When have you ever known that fool to pass up an opportunity to save a life?"

"An Autobot life? An organic life? Sure," Thundercracker shook his helm. "But Megatron? He'll declare the day an Autobot holiday."

Starscream frowned, less sure of himself now. "Megatron and Prime have a past. He'll agree..."

"I hope so," Thundercracker said quietly. "...Do you have a backup plan? In case he doesn't-"

"We don't need a backup," Starscream cut him off briskly. "I won't take no for an answer."

---

At some point there had been secret conspiring between his so-called loyal trine-mates and second-in-command that Starscream had not authorised. Nor been invited too. In his convenient absence it had been agreed upon -by vote- that his 'unique style' of diplomacy would only be counterproductive in the negotiations of such a sensitive nature.

However, Starscream, by virtue of being Starscream, had overruled their three-to-one vote and gone with them anyway.

Soundwave didn't contact the Autobot channels until they were well away from the fleet, just in case one of Prime's slippery little spies decided to trace the communication back and set up an ambush.

The frequency Soundwave had 'obtained' put them through to some insignificant security outpost floating on the edge of nowhere. Though the sight of two Decepticon Commanders had the poor Autobot rookie who'd answered patching them through to High Command before he could even squeak his way to the end of a nonsensical sentence.

Whomever was sat an the communications console abroad the Ark must have received prior warning as to who was calling as Starscream was left tapping his com impatiently for a full five minutes before it connected and Prime's masked visage finally filled the screen.

"Starscream," he rumbled in that intimidating baritone of his -that Skywarp had once drunkenly admitted to being aroused by and now Starscream could think of nothing but. He glared at his purple trine-mate stood off to the side.

"What do you want?" Prime didn't seem keen to converse with him any longer than necessary.

Starscream cleared his throat, stepping sideways when Soundwave leant too close to the visual pickup. "An audience. Leader to leader. We have much to discuss, Prime."

He could tell Prime was frowning beneath his battle-mask, could tell he was almost curious enough to ask...

"As much as I enjoy all the thought you put into your elaborate traps, Starscream, I'm going to have to decline-"

"It's not a trap," Starscream tried to arrange his expression into something genuine. "A meeting. In neutral territory. To discuss a ceasefire."

Prime stared back silently, and for a moment Starscream didn't think he was going to take the bait. Until-

"I will not be coming alone," Prime warned, fixing Starscream with a stern glare to imply there would be much trouble if this did turn out to be a trap.

Starscream suppressed a grin. "Excellent. I'll send you the coordinates."

---

"I hope this doesn't backfire." Skywarp kicked at a sand bank as they waited for the Autobots to arrive.

Starscream frowned, "Why would it backfire?"

Skywarp shrugged, "What if they ambush us?"

He hadn't thought of that. He glanced over at Soundwave, stood stock-still and staring up at the sky.

"Aggression; undetected."

Starscream squashed the paranoid thought that just because Soundwave hadn't detected it, didn't mean it wasn't there. Soundwave had kept Megatron alive for millennia with his supernatural instincts, had helped their leader conquer a planet with them. Megatron had trusted him, so Starscream supposed he was going to have to too.

Before long the distant whoosh of a ship coming out of hyperspace sounded. Starscream turned and was relieved to see a small shuttle, capable of transporting no more than a handful of small to average sized Cybertronians, rather than a warship filled with thousands.

The shuttle landed on the desert moon just a short distance from them. Out of the corner of his optic Starscream saw Soundwave move to flank him. A position he had watched him take up with Megatron in battle hundreds of times before.

The ramp to the shuttle extended and out strode Prime, followed by a familiar gaggle of mismatched, ugly little Autobots.

Prime came to a stop courageously close and loomed before them, as did the shorter, less intimidating Autobots behind him. Starscream had to tilt his helm back to meet the Autobot leader's gaze. Prime was as tall as Megatron had been.

He pushed a smirk to his lips, "Prime," he greeted, "Nice of you to show up."

"What do you want, Starscream?" Prime repeatedwith just as much suspicion as he had through the com. "You are in no position to be offering ceasefires."

"I think you'll find I am," Starscream corrected him smugly, puffing out his chest. "I lead the Decepticons now."

Prime raised an optical ridge disbelievingly, "Really?" He murmured. "I'm surprised I wasn't invited to the latest coop."

"There wasn't a coop!" Skywarp cut in from behind, sounding rather defensive.

Starscream hissed at him to be silent, but the Autobot was already distracted.

"And where is Megatron?" Prime asked, sounding weary. He looked over their helms as if the warlord was going to be lingering on the horizon, ready to pounce as soon as they sprung their imaginary trap.

"He-" Starscream lifted his helm to force composure as his vocaliser stalled. Prime stared down at him, waiting for an answer. "He's not..."

Thundercracker very subtly touched his back, stroking down the hinges of his wings, but it brought little comfort.

"Lord Megatron is offline." Soundwave stepped forward, taking Prime and the Autobot's attention off Starscream, if only momentarily.

One of the Autobots, a red one, looked around in shock, "...Offline?"

Starscream dropped his gaze, fists flexing as he struggled to decide what to do with them.

Prime looked aside, optics hardening. The empty silence of space had never felt so eerie.

"My condolences." The Prime said finally, and so sincerely. "Megatron was-"

"You can keep your condolences," Starscream snapped before the Autobot could spout anything sentimental. "He won't be offline for long. That's where you come in. In exchange for a ceasefire you're going to help us bring him back."

His announcement was met with stony silence. Five sets of icy blue optics stared back at him, some suspicious, most pitying.

"That's the biggest load of slag I've heard yet," the large red one with the grating accent, whom Starscream finally remembered was called Ironhide, exclaimed. There was a quiet murmur of agreement from some of his comrades, but Prime had yet to speak.

"He's right," the Autobot medic spoke up, "If Megatron's dead, he's dead. Nothing we or anyone else can do is going to bring him back-"

"Just because the possibility is beyond your limited comprehension doesn't mean it can't be done," Starscream sneered at Prime's lackeys, quickly growing annoyed. "I'm offering you peace, you fools. Take it!"

Ironhide took a threatening step forward, extending a fist, "Watch it Screamer-"

The click and whir of Soundwave's onlining weapons meet Starscream's audials before he could even think to raise his own. His second's defensive intentions were unnecessary though. Prime was already cooly gesturing for Ironhide to fall back in line.

"Explain it to me," Prime said, who unlike his troops hadn't written the idea off as impossible. "How would we be helping you?"

Starscream felt some of the tension leave his frame now that he was at least being given a chance. Prime's patience and tolerance far surpassed anyone's Starscream had ever met before. "The matrix is a conduit for the power of Primus. Through it you have access to the Allspark, correct?"

"Yes..." Prime looked more than a little uncomfortable with the mention of his precious artefact. Most likely due to the countless battles the damned thing had caused between the two factions in the past. "You wish to ...communicate with Primus?"

Starscream couldn't imagine any good could come of him speaking with the divine creator-god of their race. He hadn't had much luck with divine-beings recently.

"Don't be ridiculous." He disregarded Prime's assumption. "I don't want it for communication. I want it for transport. To the Pit."

Prime was beginning to look a little grey around the edges of his armour, "I..." he hesitated. "The Pit? I'm not sure-"

"Of course you're not sure," Starscream rolled his optics. "All of the unexplored possibilities... The matrix is one the most powerful artefacts known to Cybertron and you just let it rust away inside your chest."

"It's hardly rusting, Starscream," Prime looked offended. "And as much as I wish for the end of this war I cannot accept your terms. The realms of the afterlife are separate from us for a reason. The dead should be left to rest in peace."

Starscream's servos curled into fists, "He shouldn't be there in the first place!" he hissed.

"He said no, Screamer," One of the Autobot called back, already retreating towards their shuttle. Prime left them with one last solemn look before following.

Starscream glared after the Autobot's until his optics stung, tension tightening in his tank. He was more than a little tempted to shoot at their backs. The matrix would still work after he'd clawed it out of Prime's spark chamber, wouldn't it?

"So I guess this means we go to plan B?" Skywarp nudged him in the side playfully, trying to get him to crack a smile, "Kidnapping? We can knock him around a little too if you like?"

Thundercracker had other ideas it seemed. "No plan B." He growled, looking more determined than he had that day on Earth when he'd rescued a violent organic feline from a tree and gotten nothing but severed wires and scratched paint for his efforts.

"Wait here," he said, moving past them and rushing after the Autobots.

Skywarp stared after him suspiciously, "I hope he's not defecting."

"Negative," Soundwave's intoned loudly, causing them both to jump. "Thundercracker is appealing to Prime's sentimentalism. Likelihood of success; high."

Starscream looked over to where Thundercracker had stopped Prime and was gesturing angrily, desperately. He wondered what his trine mate could possibly say to convince the Prime that Megatron's spark was worth the effort. He bit the meshy inside of his cheek and turned away.

When he looked up, Thundercracker was leading the Autobots back their way.

---

"He's lying."

Optimus onlined his optics to meet Ratchet's cold gaze. "What makes you say that?"

"It's Starscream."

There was little Optimus had in way of argument against that. He sighed deeply, unfolding his legs out from beneath him. Gears creaked, and he winced at how telling that was. He was getting old.

Some ways behind them lingered the small band of Decepticons. Even at such a distance Optimus could tell Soundwave was meeting his gaze. Skywarp was sat up against a rock, apparently bored as he watched Starscream pace back and forth furiously, kicking up clouds of orange dust. Thundercracker followed behind his trine leader diligently, failing his attempts to sooth his leader's mounting anxiety.

"Do you think Thundercracker is lying?" He asked, turning back to Ratchet.

"He's a 'Con too."

"Prejudice is what started this war in the first place, Ratchet," Optimus reminded his friend tiredly, climbing heavily to his pedes. "This is an opportunity to mend bridges, and I don't see any harm in trying."

"That cease-fire slag won't last five minutes! You don't think he's gonna turn around and shoot you in the back as soon as he has what he wants?" Ratchet crossed his arms and cast him a look only a long suffering medic could. "And then who's going to have to put you back together again?"

But Optimus smiled, amused. "I don't doubt that Starscream will attempt to deactivate me at least once during this rescue mission. I would be worried if he didn't."

At Ratchet's rapidly souring expression he added, "Starscream may not have a sense of honour but Megatron certainly does."

"You're going to risk your life on the honour of a dead mech." Ratchet was far from convinced. "It's a lost cause."

"Faith, Ratchet." Optimus looked away and laid a servo over the matrix resting in his chest, where Primus's presence had never felt so strong. "Something tells me their cause isn't quite so lost."

---

Starscream was somewhat insulted at how easily the Autobot's had left their precious leader alone with him. The ancient medic had waved a fist at him and thrown a few threats, and there had been no shortage of hateful glares, but they had left without a fight. Prime had refused any of their offers to accompany him, citing the mission as too unpredictable for him to risk any of their lives.

"Are they gonna come back with reinforcements to ambush us?" Skywarp demanded of Prime the second the Autobot shuttle shot into hyperspace, knowing nothing of subtlety.

Prime's optics brightened, as if he was smiling behind that battle-mask. "No," his voice was surprisingly gentle. "I gave you my word. As you did yours. If this mission, and subsequently this ceasefire, is to work, we must learn to trust each other."

Starscream couldn't help but snort. Easier said than done. He didn't trust half the mechs in his own faction, let alone the enemy's.

"He's right," Thundercracker cut through the tension. "You said it yourself, Starscream, Prime may be the only Cybertronian left in existence capable of helping us. Might as well try to get along." He glanced back at the Prime, wings drooping a little bit as he turned to address him. "You wouldn't happen to know where Unicron keeps stolen sparks, would you?"

"I can't say I do," Prime sounded apologetic. "Though I know of a place we could start looking."

Starscream snarled in frustration. "Can't you just ask that piece of scrap in your spark chamber where we need to go?"

"It wants us to return to Cybertron," Soundwave interrupted before Prime could answer, apparently stealing the thoughts straight from the Autobot's processor. "Logical. A dead planet to hold the dead."

The image of Megatron's spark trapped miles beneath Cybertron's rusting steel surface rose in Starscream's mind. He shook his helm quickly.

"Let's get going then." He snapped impatiently. Cybertron was many thousands of light years from here. "Before I offline from old age."

---

No self-respecting Decepticon would ever befriend an Autobot. A ceasefire was no excuse. And yet Skywarp, embarrassment that he was, had done exactly that. In the twenty or so minutes since they had boarded a shuttle and set course for Cybertron, Skywarp and Optimus Prime had apparently become best friends.

"So you can't teleport over long distances?" Prime was asking Skywarp.

And 'best friends' meant sharing military secrets.

"Riskier," Skywarp nodded, "and takes up more energy. I also kinda need to know where I'm going."

Starscream glanced towards them. Skywarp was veering dangerously close to giving Prime too much information. The less the Autobots knew about Skywarp's valuable warping abilities, the better.

Prime smiled behind his mask, "So you couldn't just teleport inside say... an enemy base?"

"Nah," Skywarp grinned. "Not without getting stuck inside one of their walls-"

"Skywarp!" Starscream snapped, "Change the subject!"

Skywarp rolled his optics and shared a look with Prime, one that seemed to say, 'We'll continue this conversation later'. Starscream ground his denta together so hard it could almost be heard.

"Perhaps we should be more discreet," Prime relented, laying a servo on Skywarp's shoulder. His playful optics then turned serious when they met with Starscream's. "Would you give us a moment, Skywarp? There is something I wish to ask Starscream."

Skywarp looked somewhat surprised, and not a little bit curious, but followed Prime's request with more obedience than he'd ever shown Starscream. Or even Megatron. The purple seeker wandered on over to the consoles, where Thundercracker and Soundwave were holding a passive-aggressive war over the controls, and subsequently kept re-altering the shuttle's course between them. Starscream sighed deeply when he felt the ship change trajectory again.

He tried not to let Prime's piercing optics see through him. "There's plenty I want to ask you too."

Prime's helm dipped in consent. "By all means..."

"What changed your mind?" Starscream asked, raising an optical ridge. He was pleased that the Prime had eventually agreed to help, but couldn't help his suspicions over the Autobot's sudden change in conviction.

"Your trine mate explained the circumstances to me." Prime gestured at Thundercracker's back as he settled in his seat.

Starscream glared, his cheek plates warming just enough to colour slightly, "And what circumstances would those be?"

Prime watched him for a long time. "I have to admit," he began eventually, "I hadn't thought Megatron still capable of such a selfless act of love. I thought he was beyond that. It's reassuring to know that there is still something of the mech he once was in him."

Starscream sneered, an unpleasantness rising in his fuel tanks at Prime's words. "Oh please, Megatron wouldn't know 'love' if it shot him in the face with his own cannon."

"He loved you, didn't he?"

Starscream's nostrils flared, "Where in the Pit'd you get a ridiculous idea like that?" He demanded furiously. "Did Thundercracker tell you? Skywarp?"

But Prime just looked amused, "Mech's don't tend to offer away their for those they don't care for deeply."

Starscream shoved the emotions Prime's words tried to stir in him deep, deep down so they couldn't distract him.

"That's just your sappy Autobot way of thinking. No wonder so many of you have died. Distracting yourselves with sentimental rubbish like falling in love with each other."

"Well, this leads me onto the question I had for you," Prime continued unaffected, leaning forward in his seat. "Why are you going to such lengths to bring Megatron back? I had thought your ambition was to succeed him as leader?"

"It is!" Starscream insisted, "I simply..." He bit his lip. "Now is not the time."

"So you're not ready?"

"Of course I'm ready!" Starscream snapped again, standing up and glaring down at Prime. "I just-"

This conversation was going nowhere Starscream wanted it heading. He mustered an angry scowl and left Prime in a huff. At the front of the shuttle he shoved Soundwave out of the co-pilots seat and re-adjusted their zigzagging course yet again, subconsciously hoping that if he gripped the controls tightly enough they would reach Cybertron all the faster.

---

Coming into home from orbit had once been a beautiful sight. One of Starscream's favourites. It was all of the lights, the glistening life on the planet that allowed the surface to shine almost as bright as the stars. Iacon, the beacon in the north, the dull orange of Kaon in the south, and the vibrant neon of the chasms between city states that stood out so starkly against dark wastelands.

Now it all looked like that. The surface dim and lifeless. The landmarks Starscream could once have picked out even at this distance now little more than rubble...

"Coordinates for landing?" Soundwave intoned at Prime, breaking Starscream's train of thought.

Prime leant forward to gaze out at the planet through the viewport, a frown marring what was visible of his face. "It was once widely believed the Well of AllSparks lay beneath the surface of Protihex," he nodded to the ruins of said city.

Skywarp snorted, "We won't find Megatron there."

Starscream resisted the urge to smack him.

"No," Prime agreed gently, "but I was close with many of the temple priests at Protihex. I was given the honour of being taken to see the Well, a long time ago." He turned away from the view to look at Starscream. "There were similar rumours about a dark presence beneath the Rust Sea, towards the border at Tyrest."

"You think that's where Megatron will be?" Starscream tried not to sound too hopeful. "Where the Pit is?"

Prime had a distant look in his optics, "Something tells me it is."

That was good enough for Starscream, even with Soundwave pointedly try to stare him down. "You heard Prime." He growled at his Second. "Hurry up and land us."

They left the shuttle at the dusty remains of what was once the planet's busiest space port. The Rust Sea itself hadn't changed much, little life to lose in the first place. Starscream sneered at the stench of the gasses that made this place unliveable rising into the air.

Prime towered over all four of them, servos planted on his hips as his optics scanned the dark horizon, searching for something. Skywarp had sidled up to him, and seemed to be mimicking his stance.

Thankfully not everyone was so enamoured with the Autobot.

"Are you sure about this, Star?" Thundercracker drew close to murmur into his audial, narrowed gaze on Prime's back.

"You're the one who said I should trust him." Starscream muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

Thundercracker turned sad optics on him, "Not about trusting him." He brushed the edge of Starscream's wing. "About... this working-"

Starscream shrugged him off, stepping forward. "You can sightsee on your own time Prime. Where now?"

"Further south," The Autobot leader turned to face Starscream. "Tyger Pax."

A lump formed in Starscream's throat. He swallowed thickly and nodded. "Of course it is," he said stiffly, igniting his thrusters to warm them up before the flight. "Where else would it fragging be."

---

The seekers didn't wait for Optimus to catch up, wings fanning wide before great bursts from their thrusters launched them into the sky and off into the horizon. Soundwave hitched a ride with him rather than Skywarp, who had so lewdly offered him a ticket aboard 'The Hot Wings Express'.

Optimus half expected an interrogation from the promoted Second once they got going. Soundwave seemed rather protective of Starscream, something Optimus hadn't anticipated given the rumours of their mutual dislike.

But then there had been rumours of Megatron and Starscream's animosity as well. And look how accurate those had been.

No interrogation came. Soundwave sat in his cab, resting on the seat in his tape-player alt mode, completely silent.

Optimus had grown used to noise, to listening to the stream of nonsense his younger Autobots would spout through the radios and coms on long trips like this one. He was used to reprimanding racing Lamborghini's and refereeing petty arguments. Not peace and quiet.

"I was surprised to see you with Starscream," he engaged Soundwave when he found himself unable to bear the silence. "Your relationship is known for being... strained at best."

Soundwave was silent for so long Optimus began to think he was being ignored. But eventually-

"Starscream is difficult to work with."

"Maybe. But you seem very loyal to him."

"I am loyal to Lord Megatron."

Had Optimus been bipedal he would have raised an optical ridge. Suddenly Soundwave's protectiveness made a lot of sense.

"Megatron asked you to watch over Starscream for him, didn't he?"

"Affirmative." There was another pause. "Lord Megatron would not approve of this mission. Or your involvement."

"Probably not," Optimus agreed. "But we can let him be the one to tell Starscream when we find him."

---

"I hate this place." Starscream sneered the moment his pedes touched the battle scarred ground of Tyger Pax.

Thundercracker and Skywarp dropped down moments after him, taking in the familiar sights. The skeleton remains of the former Autobot base loomed before them. It's framework still scorched by fire. Starscream glanced over piles of torn metal and bent beams and wondered which of them had been the one Megatron pulled him out of after an Autobot had collapsed the structure with a grenade a thousand or so years ago. Wings crippled, he'd been grounded for the rest of the battle. Fighting at Megatron's side...

He viscously suppressed the feelings those memories brought out before they could make him burst.

"You okay, Star?" Skywarp chirped curiously. "Blocking the bond."

"Because you're a distraction," Starscream snapped, surveying the surrounding landscape. "Where is Prime? I've seen glaciers move faster than that ground pounder."

At his words two headlights appeared in the distance, gradually growing brighter as they approached. Starscream huffed, setting a glower on his face ready for when Prime reached them.

"What took you so long?" He snarled as Prime began to transform, Soundwave dropping out of his cab and doing the same.

"Not all of us have the luxury of wings," Prime answered lightly, optics skimming over the former Autobot base, some sort of Primus-given sense directing him. He frowned, "In there."

Starscream glanced again at the haunted looking structure. It creaked ominously in the light breeze. One wrong move and it could all come collapsing down on top of them, and Megatron wasn't here to pull him out this time.

He steeled himself, "Tread lightly," he ordered, turning to the mismatched group. "That means you, ground pounders."

The roof had been blasted off, but what was left of the walls cast long shadows. The third time Skywarp tripped and sent spark-stopping shudders through the base, Starscream relented and allowed Prime to lead with his brighter headlights. He seemed to know where he was going anyway.

They were somewhere near the centre of the base when Prime came to a stop before a wide, circular chasm. Too perfect to have been made during the battle.

Skywarp bounced around Prime and leant precariously over it's edge. "Hellooooo?!" He called, grinning in delight at the sound of his own voice echoing back at him.

"Careful," Prime reached out to push him back. "We have no way of knowing how far down it goes."

"Sure we do," Skywarp picked up a random lump of jagged metal and casually tossed it over the edge. Starscream leant forward to hear it hit the bottom.

And waited. And waited.

"...I don't think it has a bottom," Thundercracker said quietly.

"Is this it?" Starscream demanded, wings already fanning out as he stepped closer to the edge. "The entrance to the Pit?"

Prime quickly caught his arm, preventing him before he could free fall. "You don't know what's down there."

Starscream shrugged him off, sneer twisting his mouth at the authoritative tone Prime was attempting to use on him. "And I suppose you do?!"

Prime didn't answer that. "You're not going alone. It's too dangerous."

"Affirmative," Soundwave announced loudly, taking a menacing step towards him, like he was fully prepared to sit on Starscream should he attempt to do something stupid.

"No problem," Skywarp smiled. "Me an' TC can carry Prime down," he grinned lewdly at the Autobot. "Star you can take Soundwave."

Starscream glared, but agreed, having made plans to drop Soundwave anyway. He awkwardly circled his arms around his Second's waist. Beside him Skywarp and Thundercracker slung one of Prime's arms around each of their shoulders.

"See you at the bottom!" Skywarp shouted before jumping, dragging Prime and Thundercracker with him. Prime's alarmed shout echoing back up through the chasm at least made Starscream snicker before following.

---

"Skywarp get off my foot!" Starscream's voice screeched somewhere to the left. Optimus heard snickering and then a scuffle behind him.

It was so dark and hazy at the bottom of the tunnel they couldn't even see each other's optics.

"Easy," Optimus murmured, turning on his high beams. The darkness before him transmuted into swirling grey fog. He could barely see his own servo in front of his face. Hardly any better than the pitch darkness.

"Alright," he turned back towards the Decepticons, "Everyone stay togeth-"

He stopped when he was greeted with nothing but smog.

Gone. They were gone. Had vanished without a trace.

"Starscream?!" He called, high-beams scanning the thick mist as he searched for a flash of red, or purple, or blue. But there was only grey. "Thundercracker?"

Nothing.

Optimus sighed heavily. He suspected a certain someone's teleporting abilities to be the culprit.

He should have known. How on Cybertron was he to get back? The narrow chasm they had flown down had opened out into some sort of cave structure. He had no way of climbing back up. Unless he could somehow find his way through this fog and find a wall to scale...

He took a step forward and almost tripped on a piece of metal he had not seen.

Then something worrisome clicked into place in his processor.

How could Skywarp have teleported without knowing where he was going in the first place?

The matrix stirred in his chest. Something was very wrong.

He onlined his weapons, leaving them warm and ready to use. The Decepticons may not have abandoned him on their free will, and whatever had taken them may very well come back for him.

The sound of metal skimming against metal caught his audials. He swung in the direction of the noise, headlights focusing on the patch of mist it had emitted from. The light glimmered off something. Something red.

Optimus never thought he would have felt such relief at seeing Starscream.

His weapons whirred as they came offline. "Starscream," he smiled under his mask. "There you-"

The mist began to clear, as if the nonexistent wind was washing it away. And a familiar smile almost as bright as the beautiful optics above them appeared, shining out against the darkness.

"...Elita?"

"Optimus." She sounded just as he remembered, as if her voice had been stolen from the audial files inside his own processor. Her lips drew back to flash a mischievous grin. "Took you long enough..."

His spark soared in recognition at the impossible figure before him. She was closer now. Armour pristine, frame small and compact and just as dangerous-looking as the last time he'd seen her. The very last time.

Her small servo slipped into his, and in the back of Optimus's processor a little voice told him she shouldn't feel this cold.

"Elita," he murmured again, hardly able to believe she was in front of him. That he was seeing her again in this life. But she shouldn't be here. "You're here?"

"I've been waiting for you," she nodded, her voice a breathless airy echo. "Waiting for you to save me."

He hadn't last time, he remembered. He hadn't reached her in time. Hadn't even said goodbye. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she shook her helm. "You can save me. We can still be together. I only need a little help."

Optimus couldn't deny the hope he felt at those words. Couldn't deny that he didn't want her back, that he'd give anything for it. But- but...

"Please Optimus," her pretty face twisted in desperation. Her servos were on his chest now, beneath them the matrix whispered a warning. Whispered that something was not right. "Your spark. That's all it takes..."

She leant in, arms circling his shoulders, lips parting as If to kiss him.

The armour around Optimus's chassis heckled. The matrix flared a protest.

He drew back, "Wait-"

And within seconds Elita was gone. Bright pinks and reds died to a lifeless grey and black with a sudden flicker, like a dying hologram. Elita's open expressive face shifted into the visage of a snarling monster, optics empty blank sockets. Optimus reared back in shock but Elita's claws were already digging in, her sharp denta heading for his throat cables.

"Give it to me!" Elita's once soft voice mangled into a hoarse howl.

Optimus swung his arm up to defend himself, but knew he wouldn't be quick enough before those needle-like denta were tearing out his throat.

There was sharp 'pew' of a blaster firing, and Elita screeched in agony, claws retracting from Optimus's armour, giving him just enough time to shove her away. He lifted his own weapon, online and humming ominously. Elita gave one last shriek of fury before vanishing back into the darkness.

"Suggestion." Soundwave came forward, blaster still smoking. "Weapons remain online."

Optimus nodded, intakes still working hard from what he'd just seen.

"That was- "

"Negative." Soundwave intoned darkly, "That was no one you knew."

Optimus nodded, as hard as it was to accept. Soundwave seemed tense, and Optimus knew the Decepticon must have suffered a similar experience. This war hadn't given anyone a shortage of beloved dead.

They were interrupted by hysterical shouting. Optimus focused his headlamps just in time to see Thundercracker and Skywarp leap out at them, null-rays swinging.

"Die monster!" Skywarp yelled, aiming the nozzle directly at Optimus's face.

"No Skywarp!" Optimus threw his servos out, "it's us!"

"Oh yeah?" Skywarp glared, nudging Thundercracker when his trine mate went to lower his own weapon. "Prove it?"

Having really only known Skywarp on a personal level for about a day, Optimus struggled for convincing material. "Your favourite colour is purple?"

Skywarp immediately lowered his null-rays. Optimus breathed a sigh of relief. Good guess.

"Sorry. We ran into a few familiar faces," Thundercracker spoke up, looking a little shaken.

"Likewise." Optimus murmured, "Where's Starscream?"

The colour drained from the seeker's faces. "He's not with you...?" Thundercracker murmured quietly.

A horrible sinking sensation began to settle in Optimus's tanks.

Thundercracker was shaking his helm. "He wouldn't..."

"No." Soundwave denied sharply, but Skywarp had already taken off at a run, wings parting the thick fog in swirling patterns.

"Starscream!" Optimus could hear him shout as he rushed to follow. "Starscream don't do it! It's a trap Star, don't-"

Optimus reached the scene moments after Skywarp, spark dropping like a stone. Megatron stood before Starscream, looking taller and far fiercer than Optimus ever remembered him looking in life. One large black servo was reaching for the spark Starscream had willingly bared.

"No!"

Starscream was either ignoring Optimus or too enamoured with the apparition of Megatron to hear anything but it's whispered lies. Desperation written over every feature of Starscream's face, he shuttered his optics, leaning into the embrace of the creature he thought was his leader.

"Get the Pit away from him!" Skywarp shrieked, jumping into action, null-rays firing on full charge. The first few shots went wide, but the forth caught it in the arm. It snarled in pain, disguise flickering demonically as empty optics focused on them.

"No!" Starscream finally noticed them. His optics widened despairingly as Skywarp continued to drive the monster away from him. "Stop it! Stop-"

Soundwave and Thundercracker finally caught up, and didn't hesitate before taking aim. Soundwave's blaster hit it square in the chest. It roared in agony, Megatron's face twisting nightmarishly. Outnumbered and wounded it had no choice but to abandon it's prey and flee.

"No, come back!" Starscream cried weakly, staring through the fog. "Please..."

"Starscream," Thundercracker went to him, optics dim with sympathy. "Star, that wasn't-"

"How could you?!" Starscream whirled on him, hysterical, "Didn't you see who that was?!"

"It wasn't Megatron, you nut case!" Skywarp quickly lost his temper. "That monster was gonna eat your spark if we hadn't saved you!"

"No!" Starscream snapped, looking to Soundwave, even Optimus, for support. "No, you saw him! He-"

"I saw a creature that somehow looked into the deepest parts of our sparks and turned the memories of our own loved ones against us." Optimus said gently. "Megatron gave his spark to save yours Starscream. He wouldn't want to take it back from you now."

He let it sink in, watching as the seeker seemed to slump, all the fight and fury leaving him. For a moment, optics bright and watery, wings low, Starscream looked truly distraught, like all the grief and sadness he had bottled up was finally coming to surface.

And then it was gone, shoved back to where it'd been hidden. Starscream straightened into a proud stance, faceplates schooled back into a determined scowl.

"Megatron was an idiot," He hissed at Optimus resentfully. "He didn't know what he wanted."

Despite his underlying concern about Starscream's emotional state -one he clearly shared with the Decepticons if their expressions were anything to go by- Optimus didn't argue the point.

"We should move," Thundercracker broke the tense moment, glancing around warily. "There could be more of those things. They could lure us away again."

Soundwave nodded, "Close contact should prevent further separation."

Starscream's mouth curved down into the most unhappy frown Optimus had ever seen. "Are you suggesting we hold hands?!"

"Affirmative."

Optimus jumped as he suddenly found his servo clasped in two of Skywarp's. "Buddy system!" The purple seeker declared excitedly. "I call Prime!"

Thundercracker huffed and snatched one of his servos away. "We all have to stay together Warp." He grabbed Starscream's wrist and dragged him over too. "Especially you."

Optimus hadn't thought it possible but the corners of Starscream's mouth dropped even lower.

Soundwave then moved to take Starscream's free servo and almost lost his limb in the process. "Get off!"

"Here," Optimus laid his servo on Soundwave's shoulder. "Now we move together as one. No one gets left behind."

"Where are we going?" Skywarp nudged him curiously as he started pulling the Decepticons along.

Optimus felt the matrix shift in his spark chamber, inclining him to walk a little more to the left, to keep moving in that direction. "The right way."

---

They had been walking forever. Starscream's pedes were beginning to ache. He wasn't used to spending this much time on them. Long distance is what flying was made for.

Prime was being rather cryptic about his sense of direction as well. Starscream hoped it was Primus guiding him and not some second-rate Iaconian compass he'd been installed with a thousand millennia ago. The only thing stopping Starscream from matching up front and taking the lead from Prime was the gradually improving visibility.

Looking over Thundercracker's wing Starscream could see light, a tiny faded speck in the distance, like the end of the tunnel. Prime seemed drawn to it like an Insecticon hoard to the neon lights of downtown Kaon.

"Starscream," Prime called him softly, slowing to a halt. "We're here."

Starscream wriggled free of Thundercracker's grasp, frowning at the fuzzy light as he strode up besides Prime. "What is it?"

Prime nudged him forward, "Look closely."

The distant light wasn't just a light at all, but thousands of tiny little glowing orbs, trapped together in a suspended transparent cube. They were sparks.

Without waiting to question it, Starscream ran the distance. The cube-like prison holding the sparks was huge but all the life inside was still cramped together. Most of the sparks were faded lethargic dimming spirals of light now. Starscream wondered how long they had been there, how much longer they had until they simply extinguished. The brighter sparks still danced around, some bouncing against the invisible walls of their prison, trying to escape.

How was he going to find Megatron amongst all these?

He reached to touch the barrier, thinking his presence may draw Megatron to him, when the translucent wall gave way with a rippling shimmer. He reached in amongst the sparks, stretching as far as he could without overbalancing and falling in.

A spark, brighter and larger than the rest appeared amongst the others. Starscream opened his palm and watched as it slowly drifted down, familiar tendrils of warmth brushing against his finger tips.

"Megatron," he breathed as it settled into his palm, pulsing contently, warming Starscream to the core.

Slowly, carefully, as if Megatron's spark was made of glass, Starscream drew his servo back. The barrier rippled, put up more resistance this time, but eventually gave. Starscream pulled Megatron free, cupping him in both servos as he held him up to his chest.

"Primus," Thundercracker murmured, peering down at the spark in Starscream's servos.

Skywarp was watching him nervously, "Don't drop him, Star."

Starscream glared at him, drawing Megatron closer. The spark felt delicate against his servos, like the tiniest squeeze could shatter it, spilling light through his fingers and extinguishing Megatron forever. It was strange to associate such an unstoppable, unbreakable warrior like his leader with something so fragile and small.

"What am I supposed to do with him?" He looked to Prime, "Where's his frame?"

The alcove the sparks had been hidden in didn't seem to have any sort of storage for the frames of the stolen sparks. Starscream's digits flexed against the spark as he chewed his lip. What if it had already been thrown into the smelters?

It would be a trial to transport Megatron back to the Nemesis without a frame to protect him. Even more of one to wait for a new body to be built. And sparks couldn't retain memory like a processor could. A new Megatron wouldn't even remember him...

"Don't just stand there!" Starscream snapped at the solemn looking group. "Look for it!"

Prime hesitated, "Starscream, I don't think we'll find it. You know what Unicron does to-"

"No," Starscream shook his helm, because Megatron was different. Why would the Chaosbringer have gone to such lengths just to toss Megatron's spark and frame away? Why had he mattered so much? "There's another reason. There has to be."

It was then that Prime's helm snapped up, optics distant, like he had heard something they hadn't. Starscream turned, hoping there had been a corner they'd missed, a holding place for all the frames, that there would be Megatron's empty frame, whole and safe.

And there it was. Standing, and staring straight at him with purple optics.

Starscream nearly dropped the spark in shock.

"No one has ever dared trespass this far before," Megatron growled, unnatural optics narrowing. "Perhaps I underestimated you."

"Megatron?" Thundercracker asked uncertainly. Beside him Skywarp was gawping in confusion, looking between what seemed to be Megatron and the spark Starscream held.

"Almost." Megatron purred, and grinned, wide and eccentric.

Starscream knew then that it wasn't him. Not even one of the creatures trying to impersonate his leader. This was something far more sinister.

"Unicron," Prime rumbled darkly, right arm transforming into an aggressive looking blaster. He cocked it menacingly. "You have no claim to that body."

Unicron shifted and Megatron's fusion cannon came into view. It seemed altered, emitting a lilac hue. "I think you'll find I do, Optimus Prime. This frame was offered-"

"Like slag it was!" Starscream finally found his voice. He shielded Megatron's spark against his chest as he stood up to Unicron. "Get out of that body before I blast you out!"

Unicron looked amused, "You'd damage this frame just to spite me, would you?" He smirked condescendingly. "No I don't think you will. You're far too sentimental."

Starscream hesitated. Attacking Unicron would risk Megatron's frame, the mind that still resided inside it.

"What do you want with Megatron?" Prime wasn't bound by the same hesitation. His blaster hummed ominously at his side. "Why go to such lengths to take him?"

"Power," Unicron shrugged carelessly, and it was a weird gesture to see Megatron's normally stiff, controlled frame do. His gaze drifted over Starscream. "Better to take the warrior than his flimsy little pet."

It took considerable effort for Starscream not to squeeze the delicate life he held. "I'll show you flimsy," he hissed.

Unicron laughed, "I'm sure you will."

Starscream thrust Megatron's spark at Soundwave, "Take him!"

"Wait Starscream!" Prime tried to caution him.

Starscream didn't care. He took a running leap and flew into the air, thrusters launching him up over Unicron's head, null-rays sending a volley shots at the Chaosbringer. Unicron dodged with impossible ease, manipulating Megatron's frame into ambitious manoeuvres, before lifting his cannon. Starscream's breath caught as it began to glow.

He landed ungracefully on Unicron's other side, scrambling to move before the shot came-

He heard a snarl of pain and turned in time to see Prime's fist slamming into Unicron's face, the force of the blow denting plating and snapping the ridge of Megatron's once perfectly straight nose.

"Prime!" Starscream cried out despite himself. "Not his face!"

He caught Prime rolling his optics just as Unicron recovered and went for him again. Before the metal could clash there was a purple flash and snap as Prime suddenly disappeared. Unicron went crashing to the ground.

Prime reappeared behind Unicron, a grinning Skywarp clutching his arm. "Too slow!"

Unicron snarled, lifting the fusion cannon again. But this time swung it away from them, aiming instead for Soundwave on the sidelines, still carefully cradling Megatron's spark.

"No!" Starscream flew at the cannon, throwing off Unicron's aim just before the shot fired. The blast left a crater in the ground and for a moment Starscream couldn't see for all the dust in the air.

Out of nowhere a black fist reached for him. Starscream gasped just as it curled around his throat and lifted him, the grip tight enough restrict his intakes. Unicron grinned, Megatron's face twisting with malicious glee as he squeezed and squeezed. Starscream optics began to blur, turning dark at the edges-

Air rushed back to his intakes as the grip vanished. Starscream was sent sprawling to the ground, Unicron falling beside him. He caught a flash of navy blue. Thundercracker? And heard a bellow of frustration. Venting hard he rolled into his front, trying to shake the disorientation.

In front of him was Unicron, trapped between Prime and his trine, leg bent at an unnatural angle. He snarled in utter fury. "Do it," he baited Prime. "Shoot me. Destroy this body. That's the only way I'll ever leave it."

Prime's back was to Starscream, so he couldn't see his optics. But the Autobot's stance was unrelenting. Starscream tried to push himself up. "Don't," he rasped, coughing when his vocaliser failed to amplify. "Don't Prime-"

"Megatron's strong," Prime rumbled, "You said so yourself."

"Wait!" Starscream gasped.

Unicron sneered, moving into the offensive again. But this time Prime was prepared. Starscream watched in terror as Prime sidestepped the attack and kicked out at Unicron's damaged right leg. Knocking him to the ground, blaster ready-

"No!" Unicron howled.

Prime opened his chest plates and the light from the matrix flooded out, washing over Unicron and destroying the unnatural shadows he cast across Megatron's face. Unicron fought it at first, clawing at the invisible presence he couldn't stand, snarling in revulsion at the mere conduit of Primus, before finally becoming limp.

Prime resealed his chest plates, hard gaze softening as he looked down at the lifeless, battered frame. "He's gone."

Starscream pushed himself from the ground, hardly bothering to brush off the dust and filth marring his armour. He dropped down beside Megatron's frame, turning the limp helm to face him. It was cold. The empty optics sent chills up his backstrut.

He didn't notice Soundwave on Megatron's other side until his Second held his servos out, offering the fragile little spark he held. Starscream swallowed, reaching to take it back, his own spark jumping in its casing as the glowing orb pulsed at his familiar presence.

Soundwave set about opening Megatron's chest plates with mechanical precision, tricking manual reflexes into retracting the thick armoured plating. Starscream didn't dare even breathe as he carefully let the spark roll out of his servos and back into it's chamber.

And for the longest time nothing happened.

Skywarp started to fidget nervously and Thundercracker was looking anywhere but at him.

"Come on," Starscream hissed under his breath, staring at Megatron's slack face. "Wake up..."

Behind him he heard Prime sigh deeply. He felt his optics begin to sting.

He shoved at Megatron's shoulder in frustration, "Wake up!"

There was a servo on his wing, a gentle voice speaking, "-gonna be okay, Star-"

He shrugged them off, dragging Megatron into his lap. Unsupported, his leader's helm hung limp. The spark in his chest did nothing but linger there, making no effort to re-bind itself to it's frame. Why wouldn't it just take!?

"Please," Starscream whispered, tentatively stroking the twinkling orb. He dropped his helm to Megatron's, watery optics shuttering. "Please, I love you..."

Something twitched.

Starscream sat up so fast it was like he'd been shocked. The spark in Megatron's chest had begun to spin, the components around it started lighting up, spluttering and stalling, but coming back online.

He looked into his leader's optics and the tiniest speck of crimson light had begun to glow at their centre, gradually brightening as the systems of Megatron's frame all started synchronising together until finally-

A low groan met Starscream's audials. The helm in his lap rolled.

"Star, you did it!" Skywarp exclaimed, bouncing on the spot. "He heard you!"

"That was a coincidence!" Starscream denied angrily, scrubbing at his faceplates before Megatron became anymore coherent. He shifted his leader into a more comfortable position, leaning over him protectively.

Megatron blinked slowly, optics unfocused and still dim. He groaned again at the sight of Starscream. "Not...you..."

Starscream smirked nastily, "I saved your life."

"Saved... yours first..." Megatron managed to half slur, optics dimming. "Couldn't let... Unicron..."

Starscream knew what excuses he was going to make up and didn't want to hear them. He had decided at the very start of this quest that as soon as Megatron onlined his optics again he was going to slap him around the face for being so stupid. The idea wasn't nearly so satisfying now though. Megatron was being rather pathetic.

"Fuel reserves are low," Soundwave informed him quietly. "Lord Megatron may revert to stasis."

Starscream nodded, having already suspected as much. They were going to have to carry him back to the surface, but Megatron was far too heavy for any single seeker to lift.

"I'll help you carry him," Thundercracker seemed to read his processor. "Then we can come back for Prime."

Starscream scowled, gaze fixed on his leader, "You and Skywarp can return for Prime. He's not leaving my sight."

Thundercracker's mouth twitched.

"What?!" Starscream snapped, arms circling Megatron possessively.

"Nothing," Thundercracker smiled, glancing between him and Megatron. "He's just lucky to have you."

Before Starscream could respond, the seemingly unconscious leader in his lap snorted loudly. Starscream barely restrained himself from shoving him to the floor. The novelty of him being alive again wasn't going to last very long.

---

Megatron couldn't remember having ever felt so terrible before. He couldn't have felt worse had he been thrown out of Astrotrain traveling at hyperspeed.

"- could kill Prime," Megatron's muffled audials recognised Starscream's voice beside him, filled with pure vitriol. "His nose was the only symmetrical part of his face. If this turns out to be permanent I'm going to give that jumped up Autobot a real reason to wear that stupid battle mask-"

Megatron's mind was too fuzzy to pick up on anything other than that Starscream was ranting. Which wasn't out of the ordinary. His first instinct was to tell him to shut up, but he barely managed an incoherent mumble.

"-waking up again," another voice spoke quietly.

"-not going to get excited." Starscream responded. "Fuel deprivation has given him the functionality of a rock."

Megatron was awake enough to understand that insult. He scowled. And then immediately stopped upon discovering how painful doing so was. Felt like someone had mercilessly driven a warship across his face.

"-will get Hook," the other voice said before a loud crack sounded.

A servo almost gentle enough not to hurt touched his cheek. Annoyed, Megatron summoned the motivation to online at least one optic, just to discover the culprit.

And Starscream's intimidatingly sharp optics were staring right back at him.

"Well, well, well," the Seeker murmured smartly, smooth lips curving into one of his nasty little smirks. "Look who's back amongst the living."

"Starscream..." Megatron forced the word from his exhausted frame, it came out sounding breathless, needy. He scowled again.

And again it hurt.

"Will you stop that!" Starscream snapped, annoyed. His fingers began touching his face, poking and prodding at his left cheek and nasal plating. "You're making it worse-"

"What happened?" Megatron groaned. He barely had the energy to turn his helm let alone bat Starscream's invasive servos away. The more alert he became, the more extensive his damage appeared to be. The immobility of his right leg seemed to be less a result of his system reboot and everything to do with all the dislocated gears. Someone hadn't taken very good care of his frame in his consciousness's absence.

"Prime happened," Starscream sounded resentful. "He broke your nose."

Megatron didn't think it was possible to be anymore confused than he already was. "Optimus Prime?"

Starscream's impatience wasn't exactly latent. "No. Sentinel. He kicked the slag out of you in the afterlife."

Megatron knew sarcasm when he heard it, and he didn't particularly believe it was called for. How on Cybertron did Prime get involved in all this? Whatever this was. Whatever had happened. What had happened?

Starscream's servo was lingering on his shoulder, caressing his armour almost comfortingly, if the seeker was even capable of comforting someone...

"Did you save me?" He whispered, suddenly stunned.

Starscream's face scrunched up, like it always did when he was hiding something, when things were personal. "Somebody had too."

"Your spark..." Megatron tried to lift his helm as concern bubbled up. His optics focused on Starscream's chest. "Is it-"

"It's there."

He'd lied about that before though.

"Believe that when I see it," Megatron growled, anxious to know for sure, but sadly lacking the energy to simply drag Starscream over.

The seeker knew him well enough to lay a servo over his chest self-consciously. "I'm not exposing myself to you in public!" he had the audacity to sound scandalised.

Megatron snorted. "Seen it all before."

The reminder was enough to colour Starscream's cheeks a pretty lilac.

"This is the first conversation you're going to have after I brought you back from the dead?!" Starscream hissed, becoming increasingly flustered. "Where's my thank you, you ungrateful cave dweller?! Do you think I risked my own life out of mindless loyalty?! I'm not Soundwave for sparks sake!"

"No," Megatron smirked slyly. "I think you did it because you love me."

"That's a lie!" Starscream panicked. Megatron watched with a raised brow as he stormed away, as if it leave, but then seemed to change his mind at last minute and stomp back to glare down at him hatefully, clearly embarrassed.

"I love you too," Megatron reassured him tiredly, gazing up at him fondly, though it only seemed to add to Starscream's mortification.

"Oh, stop it!" Starscream waved his servos around in disgust, as if he could flap away the sentimentalism Megatron was spouting. "You're starting to sound like Prime."

"Why do you keep mentioning Prime?" Megatron was beginning to feel like he was missing something.

"He's in the next room," Starscream stated flippantly, casually inspecting his null rays. "I promised him a ceasefire in exchange for his help." He glanced at him, optics glowing playfully. "Thought you might like to... negotiate further, once you regained your strength."

Megatron shuttered his optics, exhaling heavily. As detestable as it was to be indebted to Prime, a ceasefire could actually prove useful. "Bring him in."

Starscream blinked, "...what?"

"Prime," Megatron began the painstaking process of sitting himself upright. He wouldn't allow Prime to see any weakness. "He wants a ceasefire, he can have a damn ceasefire."

"You're not serious?" Starscream looked horrified. "You can't just end the war. We were winning!"

Megatron was fairly sure that at this point no one was winning anymore. He had more important things to be concentrating on now anyway. He had been given a second chance. "Why did you offer him one in the first place?"

"I was lying," Starscream sneered. "Obviously."

"Well," Megatron shrugged and rolled his helm back, working out some of the kinks in stiff struts. He shifted to let his legs hang over the edge of the med-berth. "If that's what you want we can take him captive and spend the entire evening working on countermeasures for the inevitable Autobot rescue missions..."

Starscream's lips pressed together firmly.

"Or..." Megatron gestured for him to come closer, spreading his thighs so the seeker could fit between them. The corners of Starscream's mouth began to twitch back to life again as Megatron drew him in, pressing their cheeks together as he murmured into his audial. "We forget this ridiculous war, and I can utilise my new found spare time showing you just how much I appreciate your valiant rescue."

He felt Starscream shiver under his servos as he ran them up the seeker's back. He pushed his mouth to the seeker's flushed plating, "A far better way to spend the night, wouldn't you say?"

Starscream huffed, apparently amused, "And how's a crippled old mech like you going to 'appreciate' me at all?"

Megatron pulled back to look the seeker in his smug little face, "Oh use your imagination, Starscream. You always do like being on top."

Starscream's grin split his face. Still, cheekily he drew away, "But you wanted to see Prime first, didn't you-"

Megatron pulled him back with such force the momentum sent the seeker spinning into his chest with a surprised squawk. Their lips locked and Starscream kissed him hard enough to stall his intakes. He moaned, and then hissed as the seeker bumped his tender nasal plating. Starscream murmured apologies between breaths, kissing him like a starving mech drank fuel.

They were interrupted by the medbay doors opening to emit someone. Starscream tore himself away long enough to rasp a hoarse, "Out!" at the culprit before going straight back to his assault on Megatron's already abused face.

Hook just stared at them dismally, "I was going to suggest no strenuous activity for Lord Megatron until his fuel levels returned to normal." He was predictably ignored. "...I was also going to suggest you allow Lord Megatron to breathe before you suffocate him, Starscream!"

Reluctantly, Starscream drew back. Megatron appreciated the relief it gave his struggling intakes.

"Optimus Prime has expressed a desire to speak with you as soon as possible, my Lord," Hook informed him, glancing at the murderous seeker nervously.

Megatron ran his knuckles down Starscream's beautiful, white wings. The seeker stared back at him hungrily, digits hooked into claws like he just couldn't wait to tear into him and feast.

"Prime can wait," he rumbled, "This can't."

Poor Hook barely had time to flee his own medical bay in disgust before Starscream was on him again, ready to inflict yet more wounds to be welded later.

---

There were dents running the length of Starscream's throat cables, almost as if something had crushed them. Megatron only noticed them as he traced a digit across the seeker's delicate features, mapping all the differences between now and what had seemed like yesterday.

"A month," Starscream's mouth pressed into a hard line, his optics flitting to the side. Megatron watched him swallow heavily, heard the well hidden catch to his voice that betrayed how deeply affected he was attempting not to be.

"A month," Megatron repeated. And he wouldn't have believed it. But there were dark smudges under Starscream's too dim optics, a light layer of dust yellowing once crystal white armour. Laid so close on the berth beside him Megatron could smell ozone and jet fuel, rather than the expensive polishes he'd never known Starscream to go a day without smothering himself in.

Time certainly had passed, but Starscream hadn't lived a single one of those thirty days.

"What happened?" His knuckles knocked Starscream's chin as he brushed the crushed cables. He'd seen this sort of damage before on Starscream, many times. The tell-tale pattern of dents shaped by a large fist...

He'd apologise, but-

"Leave it," Starscream pushed his servo away, grumpy scowl in place. He moved like he was going to get up. "Only thing that wasn't your fault."

Didn't take a detective to work out what that was supposed to mean. Megatron didn't have the patience to suppress his sigh.

"And how long are you going to be resenting me this time?"

He had intended to ease the tension, to throw in a lighthearted quip, at his own expense maybe, just to see Starscream smile again. But it had been entirely the wrong thing to say.

"How long do you think?" Starscream hissed, voice catching again, "You died."

Oh.

Megatron felt his expression soften. "Star," he began, trying to be gentle.

"Don't. Don't you dare call me that." Starscream's optics were watery, his face pinched and flushed. He shook his helm and tears spilt loose. "You can't just- You asked me to- And then you-"

"I'm here now," he offered lamely, not sure what else to say. Starscream stared down at the berth, hiding his face. Megatron could still see the tears dripping, see the little jolt Starscream's frame gave as his breath hitched.

He moved instinctively closer, and Starscream latched onto him, face pushing against his chest. Megatron held him back, arms tightening around the seeker protectively, fiercely.

He decided not to indignantly tell Starscream he'd do it all again tomorrow if he had too. In a sparkbeat, he'd do it. Would never not forfeit himself to keep Starscream safe.

He just waited, as long as Starscream needed him to.

---

It had been over a day since Optimus had last seen Megatron, when he had helped Soundwave lift his stasis locked frame onto a medical berth in the Nemesis. It had been a day, but Optimus had been sure Megatron had not been so... scratched when he'd last seen him. Not to mention the reopened welds. What on Primus had he been doing?

Megatron greeted him gruffly, unaffected by the minor damage, and Optimus decided to simply put it down to the lack of self-preservation all Decepticons seemed to share.

Though he hadn't enjoyed the wait, the day he had spent aboard the Nemesis had been surprisingly pleasant. Starscream had left Soundwave as his security detail, presumably to ensure he didn't go sneaking around collecting confidential data, but also, he assumed, to protect him from any rouge Decepticons.

They needn't have bothered. He was treated as a novelty rather than a threat when an overzealous Skywarp had given him a tour of the warship. Perhaps rumours of his soft-sparked nature really had gotten out of hand.

"Where is Starscream?" Optimus was surprised at the usually overbearing seeker's absence.

"My quarters If you must know," Megatron sounded rather proud of himself as he took a seat opposite Optimus. "Sleeping off last night."

"Oh," Optimus said dumbly. That explained the scratches then. He cleared his vocaliser, "Well, I'm happy for you-"

"Shut up, Prime," Megatron interrupted rudely. "Do you want to turn this ceasefire into peace or not? I haven't got all day. There's a seeker in my berth."

Optimus supposed that would motivate him into doing things quickly too. "Very well." He straightened. "I trust I am free to return to the Ark to begin preparations then?"

Megatron nodded curtly, "You are."

Optimus released a breath he hadn't released he'd been holding. He stood, offering his servo to Megatron. "To peace."

Megatron pulled himself to his full height, grasping Optimus's servo and shaking it once. "Peace."

---

There was hardly any point in being bonded to one of the most powerful leader's of New Cybertron if one didn't take full advantage of all the privileges they were granted. At least in Starscream's opinion there wasn't.

His apartment in the three topmost floors of New Iacon's tallest building had originally been designed with a certain Prime in mind, but considering the space, the views, the opulence... Starscream didn't settle for second best.

The private balcony at the very top floor offered spectacular views of the developing city. Starscream stood on it's edge and could just make out the flat, circular construction that was soon to be the new senate building towards the centre of the city. It was closer than Megatron would have liked to their new home, but Starscream had reminded him of the benefits to keeping one's enemies close.

Well, friends now, he supposed.

Besides, Starscream found it rather fitting, looming over the Autobot's newborn society the way they did. He sighed contentedly.

"Is this how you plan to spend your day?" A disembodied voice called through the open doorway. Megatron appeared around it's side and propped himself up against it's frame. "You've become awfully lazy since we came here."

"Well I'm a seeker of leisure now," Starscream said easily, taking one last look at the growing skyline before moving to join Megatron. "I've done my share of the work."

Megatron huffed disbelievingly, taking his servo and leading him through their spacious berthroom.

"I instigated the ceasefire that led to this in the first place." Starscream reminded him, gesturing to their extravagantly decorated interior. "If it hadn't been for me we'd all still be shooting at each other and living in tiny tin cells..."

"I'm sure," Megatron rolled his optics.

Starscream glared at him.

"Vos is still looking for a senator you know," Megatron said casually, as if he hadn't spent the last three months blatantly hinting for him to take the posting. "Prime was asking after you-"

"Skywarp didn't meet his standards then," Starscream snorted. "You can tell Prime to shove it up his exhaust. I hate politics."

Megatron quirked an optical ridge, "What were all those centuries you spent trying to usurp me about then?"

"That," Starscream levelled a finger at him. "Was an imperial dictatorship. The senate is a diplomacy," he pulled a face. "It's not fun if everyone gets an opinion."

He glanced at the smile pulling on Megatron's lips and felt himself return it, "You're enjoying yourself though, aren't you? My Lord High Protector." He knocked their shoulders together playfully, "What does that make me? Lord Starscream?"

"Lord Consort," Megatron corrected. "Which reminds me..."

Starscream groaned. He knew what was coming, "Oh, not another gala-"

"Yes, another gala," Megatron interwove their digits to stop Starscream from running back and throwing himself off the balcony. Though he looked about as pleased with their invitation as Starscream felt. "My presence is required to help strengthen relations. And if I have to go-"

"You know what we could do instead?" Starscream smiled sweetly, glancing not to subtly towards their berth as brushed up against Megatron, "Stay right here in this room..."

Megatron watched him seductively trace patterns across his chest, their frames pressed flush together. "And how many nights in a row would that be?"

Starscream grinned, slipping his arms around Megatron's neck and drawing him down. "Alright. I'll come to your gala," he relented, "So long as you take me flying tomorrow."

Megatron tipped his helm forward, kissing him gently. "You hate my flying."

"You'll be with me. I can make anyone look good," Starscream kissed him back deeply. And again. And again.

"The gala," Megatron breathed, even as he steered Starscream back towards the berth by his hips. "We'll be late..."

"You're Lord Protector," Starscream hissed, angling his helm back as Megatron began mouthing at his throat. "Parties start when you say they start."

They fell backwards against the berth. Starscream wasted no time before scrapping his claws across Megatron's back, leaving enough vibrant blue marks to be sure to shock Prime's guests later in the evening. Maybe then he'd stop inviting them.

"Starscream," Megatron groaned, big servos on his wings, pinning him to the berth. Their hips knocked together as Megatron fell against him.

Starscream slipped his servos between two broad grey thighs, feeling the heat there as he began to stroke carefully. "Sure you want to rush this?" He whispered, nibbling on the edge of Megatron's clenched jaw. "When you can have me all, night, long..."

Megatron purred his agreement, helm turning to catch his mouth in a wet kiss, servos running down his frame to dip into far more intimate seams. Starscream grinned and then gasped into Megatron's mouth as thick digits stroked damp mesh and began to push-

A sudden sharp beeping shattered the moment. The fingers on Starscream's valve froze.

Megatron glanced at his com.

"Don't you dare," Starscream threatened against his shoulder, components throbbing with need. "Don't you dare answer that-"

Too late, Megatron was already reaching for the buzzing device.

"Yes," he answered smoothly, despite the shriek of frustration Starscream let out right next to the receiver.

The caller on the other end noticeably hesitated. "Megatron," Prime's baritone rumbled through the speaker, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

"What is it Prime?" Megatron asked as Starscream glared at the com-link hatefully.

"I wanted to offer you my congratulations," Prime began, and Starscream's spark leapt in his chest. He tried to reach for the com as Megatron frowned in confusion.

"Congratulations?" He asked slowly, easily pinning Starscream when he scrambled to snatch the device off him.

"Yes," Starscream could practically hear Prime's grin. "I just heard from Ratchet. You and Starscream must be very proud-"

Starscream seethed, that's what he got for using an Autobot medic. Was there no such thing as doctor-patient confidentiality anymore? He fought again to steal the com-link, but he needn't have bothered. Megatron cut Prime off mid gushing sentence, dark optics hardening as they stared down at him.

"You're with spark," he immediately guessed.

Starscream forced an awkward smile, "Surprise?"

Megatron's expression did not change.

"I was literally about to tell you," Starscream quickly amended, reaching to frame Megatron's face between his servos, "You just distracted me-"

"You're easily distracted," Megatron growled, but Starscream could see his optics softening as he glanced at his chest. "I suppose this is why you held off on the senatorial posting."

Starscream shrugged noncommittally, pulling him close. He threw a leg over Megatron's hip, "Do we still have to attend the gala?" He asked, smile pulling at his lips because he already knew the answer.

"No," Megatron's fingers were distractedly tracing the seams of his chest plate. He leant in, mouth brushing Starscream's cheek, "You're not going anywhere tonight."

Starscream hummed as they shared an open mouth kiss, Megatron moving against him with no less passion than before. The com on the berth beside them lit up again. Megatron groped for it blindly, but this time, instead of answering, launched it through the balcony doors and out to the city below.

Starscream's laughter rang through the apartment until it was silenced by yet another kiss.