Tiny hands reached for him, bright red optics so big in his tiny face filled with fluid when he wasn't immediately scooped up. "Hush, my love," Starscream murmured. Careful of the sparkling's fragile winglets he picked him up and cradled him against his chest. Glancing out the window of the tiny flat he watched the last rays of the sunset paint Vos gold and purple. The sparkling settled once he could hear his creator's spark.
Running his claws down his sparkling's arm he nuzzled his head and breathed in his warm scent. He looked out the window again. Things looked so peaceful so far from the city center but somewhere in the maze of twinkling lights protests were roaring into their third night. He'd had to take detours on most of his courier routes that afternoon. Some blocks looked just like the war zones they showed from Ahnkmor and Gygax on the evening news.
The war had seemed so distant when he was sequestered in his lecture halls or lab. And then Thundercracker had gotten a draft notice. Vos had pledged to stay neutral during the last election but everything had turned into a mess when Simfur reached out to them for help. The tangle of treaties and trade agreements had forced them to send at least a token force to try and help. Despite his flight skill, he'd been exempt as a professor at the university and a new creator. Thundercracker didn't have those protections.
His sparkling made a soft sound and wriggled in his arms. "Are you hungry?" The flat he'd moved into after Thundercracker left was only one room with a small area sectioned off as the washrack. The heating pad rattled as it warmed up. Shadows stretched deep and dark in the corners but he only turned on a small lamp. The wiring in the building was…old, probably as old as the city. He didn't trust having more than two things running at once.
Shifting his sparkling to one arm he reached into the cupboard for sparkling formula. His courier job paid him by the orn for which he was thankful. Since the university had shutdown after protestors set fire to the science wing it had been rough. His quick wings kept them afloat, but even the courier jobs were starting to slow. Unrest rocked the city orn to night, businesses left and right were shutting down or relocating.
Pouring the formula into a small pot he stirred as the worry mounted. His spark ached for Thundercracker, so far away now he was only a faint pulse on the edge of his awareness. The Decepticons were still looking for volunteers and they promised good pay to anyone who signed up. He didn't have to go on the frontlines, he had a sparkling to take care of. His background in science and engineering would be useful in other areas away from the frontlines. And maybe they could put him with Thundercracker.
He shut off the heating pad before the formula reached boiling point and let it cool for a few breems before pouring it in a bottle. The sparkling fussed more, crimson optics looking more tired but his tanks were keeping him awake. Starscream's tanks also rumbled but he ignored them for now. He needed more formula first. Giving his sparkling his bottle he paced around the small room. The neighbors had been nice enough to watch the spark while he was out this orn but they were busy tomorrow. He needed to find someone, just for a couple joors. If he made another two or three runs he'd have enough for the formula and then he could stay with the mechling for a few orns.
Glancing at the flyer he'd discreetly picked up on his last run he read over it once more. The Decepticons seemed to have their act together, more than could be said about the Autobots. Megatron seemed intense, but pit, if the check cleared the bank…Looking down at the sparkling in his arms he turned away again. War was not a place for a sparkling. But the more the orns went on it looked like nowhere in the world was going to be safe for sparklings.
The sparkling finished the bottle and Starscream lifted him up to rub his back. The sparkling hiccuped a couple times and his winglets fluttered. Tiny hands fisted against his shoulder as his sparkling squeaked and nuzzled close ready for recharge.
Outside the stars emerged mirroring the lights of the skyscrapers. Somewhere, he knew Thundercracker was still alive. That thread of warmth so tiny but there coiled tight around his spark. Cradling his sparkling again he glanced at the recruitment flyer.
oOo
A/N: So I just heard that Rockabye song by Clean Bandit and Sean Paul and I've been a liiiiitttttle obsessive in listening to it. About the 415th time I listened to it I thought it would be a good soundtrack to a Decepticon story.