No Different
Starscream sighed as he looked out the window of the nemeses, watching the clouds roll by lazily. The day was generally a quiet one, mostly persisting of said bot preparing his daily status report for Lord Megatron, the same report he was done with hours ago of course, but being who he was, he couldn't just go and find someone to spend his time with. That would mean that Starscream had friends and loved ones, and he had neither. However seeing as that wasn't new, Starscream had no ill feelings about being left alone with his thoughts... Or at least, he didn't show it. He looked away from the window at the nearby timekeeper on the wall. He groaned in annoyance at the current time given to him.
"I don't wanna get back to work..." He immediately regretted whining, and immediately looked around to see if anyone heard. At the sight of the still empty hall, he gave a breath of relief.
He had a hard enough time on the warship without the help of some bot using his whining as blackmail or fuel for taunts.
It wasn't that Starscream hated his job as second in command, quiet the opposite if he were honest with himself. But when one is second in command, that means that one has to meet with the first in command often. And for Starscream, that meant Lord Megatron. To say that Starscream spites Megatron was an understatement. Starscream hated the older bot with every bit of his spark, and if anyone actually stopped and listened to his side of the story, they'd all admit that he had good reason to. But their hasn't been anyone willing to listen to the younger bot in a very long time, and because of this, Starscream was forced to remember a past he would rather hide away from. The part of his past that started all of this, the part that started... The making of who he was.
*Flashback*
Run. That was the only thing Starscream could think to do. While the young boy usually prided himself for being extremely intelligent for his age, this day was the day for stupid decisions on the sparkling's part. First stupid mistake of the day, believe that the stupid con mech would keep his word and share the profits if he helped him. Where did that lead him? Tired from being chased by angry grown mechs and femmes, sore from the the things that were thrown at him that actually made its target, and hungry because when he went back to where he met the con he was gone and so was the stollen energon. Starscream didn't like being outsmarted by the best of them, but to be outsmarted by an inferior con bot who'd most likely go offline next week was almost unbearable. And because of the previous mistake, the little bot was experiencing the outcome of his second stupid mistake; never take something in plain sight, especially in sight of large grown bots who could crush little sparklings within nanoseconds without a second thought. Of course to be fair, hunger usually prevents a bot from thinking correctly. And to be frank, Starscream did not want to be like the other nameless sparklings... Dead somewhere. Of course, Starscream thought as he brought the cube of energon closer to his chest, this was not a way to prevent death either.
Starscream took a sharp turn, looking back at the three large mechs... Which led to mistake number three; never look back when trying to run away.
Starscream let out a cry when he hit the wall and dropped the energon cube. The young bot barely had time to get on his knees before he was surrounded by the large bots. One of them, a dark green brown and gray bot, picked up the cube of energon before grinning down at the sparkling.
"Was this really worth dying for, eh ScrapFood?"
Starscream growled, and while he would later deny this act of childish violence and desperation, he leaped onto the bot's leg and bit down, hard. This caused the bot to make a noise of hurt, drop the energon cube and kick the sparkling off his leg. Starscream, by pure luck alone, landed on his hands and feet and growled challengingly at them, before scurrying towards the cube of energon.
Well, he certainly wouldn't go offline without a fight.
"Oh no you don't!"
A midnight blue bot lifted him up by the leg and flung the sparkling to the wall. Starscream ignored his spinning head and sore body, and snarled spitefully at the three bot's before charging at them. He was getting that energon cube... Even if it killed him.
To make a short battle shorter, Starscream managed to claw at brick red bot, kick the blue one and bite the green one before being thrown into the wall once again. This time however, he had the breath knocked from him and had blaster aimed at his head before he could even get it back.
"I'm getting really tired of you!"
All Starscream could do was glare into the bots red optics, not at all willing to show the three just how scared he truly was.
"What's going on here?"
Immediately, the three bots looked behind them and Starscream looked over them to see a purple, black and gray bot that towered over every single one of them. His red optics glowed brightly and a deep scowl was sketched on the older bot's face, a scowl that seemed to bring fear to the young bot's three attackers.
"L-Lord Megatron!"
Starscream, being a smart little bot, took this as the miracle it was and scurried through his attackers legs, grabbed the energon cube and started to run as fast as his little legs could.
Of course, he didn't go far before a large hand grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and lifted him off the ground. Out of the surprise of this, the little bot dropped the cube of energon, to which he made every attempted to reach for the cube. If he was going to go offline, he should at least go with his prize in hand.
Before the older bot could say anything, the three bot swiftly bowed to the older mech before,
"It was the bots fault!"
"He stole some of the decepticons energon!"
"He's insane!"
"Enough of this foolishness!" The larger bot growled, silencing the three almost immediately.
Starscream had stopped trying to reach for the energon, and just kept his head down, almost expecting the large bot to crack him open like an energon cube.
"Give me this energon that forced three decepticons to go after a sparkling."
The green mech rushed to the cube, before handing it to Megatron and going back in between the other two bots.
Megatron looked from the cube, to three decepticons to the little sparkling, then back at the decepticons and then finally back at the sparkling. He grumbled something in old cybertronian that no one could understand before holding the energon cube in front of the sparkling's face, which caused Starscream to look up.
"Identify yourself immediately." The large bot commanded in a booming voice.
Fighting back the urge to tell the older bot to mind his own business, Starscream scowled.
"Starscream... What's it to you?"
The older bot seemed to have ignored the latter question, but nodded.
"Well then, Starscream."
"I don't know whether or not you were trying to be brave or stupid stealing from me."
Despite the deepness in his tone, Starscream could of swore of hearing a hint of amusement in Megatron. Starscream's face softened, though it still looked weary.
"You wouldn't of missed it."
The sparkling could help but mumble this, but this comment was also ignored. Tentatively, the sparkling reached out and gently took the cube of energon from the older mech's hands. Megatron didn't make any move to take it back.
Instead he looked at his three decepticons.
"As for the three of you,"
The older mech's scowl came back at full force.
"You embarrass me. How are we suppose to defeat those Autobots if you three can't even beat a young sparkling at the prime of it's youth disgraceful. Back to the ship!Perhaps more time in the training room will teach you three how to actually fight. "
"But my lord-"
"And any resistance and or disobedience will lead the three of you training; with me."
The mechs wisely didn't say anything else, looking away from their leader's fiery red optics as though they would truly burn them to the ground if they looked anymore.
"Go. NOW."
Was all Megatron said before the three mechs scurried away as though they were sparklings themselves. Megatron looked down at the cause of it all and could help but snort in amusement at the sight of Starscream with an empty cube in hand, sticking out his tongue at the retreating mechs.
"Are you always going to be this much trouble?"
Starscream looked up at the mech, but didn't say anything. What could he say? Seeming to understand the silence Megatron nodded as though agreeing with something.
"Would you like more?"
At this question Starscream's optics grew ten times wider. More meant that he wouldn't starve. Who cares about the stupid stuff that happened, especially if they led to more energon!
The thought of there being a catch entered into his mind, but quickly left as a feeling he rarely ever feels entered into his spark. And it was because of this hope, Starscream nodded rapidly.
Grunting in affirmation, Megatron set the sparkling on the ground before walking in the same direction as the decepticons. He stopped a few steps later, looking back at the sparkling who was still standing their with a confused look on his face. Megatron rolled his optics in annoyance.
"This planet is dying and I do not have all day, Starscream. Let's go."
At these words the sparkling's whole face seem to brighten before scampering to Megatron's side. The two only walked a few more steps when a small hand tentatively took hold of the larger one. Though utterly shocked by this action, Megatron didn't show it, and though would definitely deny it later, gently closed his hand around the smaller one, squeezing it gently though still looking forward as though this was a normal occurrence. And the two walked like that all the way back to the ship.
*Flashback end*
It was the sudden sharp pain in his spark, and the wetness running down his optics and onto his metallic cheeks, that stirred Starscream out of his thoughts. He growled, wiping at his face at great speeds, taking great pains in making sure that there were no signs of him ever crying.
If whining gave a decepticon a bad rep with everybody else, then one could imagine how much worse crying could be seen as.
Besides... Crying never done anything for him anyway.
He took a long breath, trying to have his facial feature look stoic, but wore a petulant glare instead. There was nothing to be done about this however, and the bot walked through the metallic halls, trying to push away thoughts and the tears that were threatening to spill over. He had not willing cried since he was a sparkling some vorns ago, and why would he? Crying was a sign of weakness, and it never fixed anything anyways.
Crying never fixed the feeling of ever present loneliness. The loneliness caused by the bots who taunted him, and isolated him from their group of comrades; just because... Because Megatron showed favor to him, favor that was so rarely given. The bots who either avoided him like the rotting plaque or bullied him like he was an Autobot, just because he was who he was and they felt like he deserved the treatment.
Crying never fixed the ultimate feeling of helplessness. The helplessness he couldn't control because no matter what he did, everyone was always stronger than him. And it's not as though he could say just anything he wants, they'd make him pay. And pay dearly. What else could he do, other than grovel and lie, especially since groveling and lying helped prevent injuries for another day?
And crying definitely never healed the bitter pain of betrayal, the betrayal that broke his spark when Megatron denied him the one thing he had always wanted, something more than energon and a large title. Something more than the want of victory against the Autobots... Was it so wrong to want someone to care about him?! Someone, anyone, that would actually be upset if something happened to him? If... If he went somewhere and never came back?
Starscream, took a deep breath, trying to gain back his composure has he walked along the metal halls, towards the large door, before stopping in front of it.
Megatron took the hopes of a lonely sparkling in a time when he was most vulnerable, and treated that hope, as if it were useless scraps... And he would pay dearly for it. He'd make him regret manipulating him in his youth, he'd surprise him, he'd surprise them all... When he takes over.
He pressed in a code in the keypad near by, and watched the door open before he scurried inside to give Megatron his report.