"Strange, but it's true; I can't get over the way you love me like you do; but I have to be sure,
when I walk out that door…oh how I want to be free…." I Want To Break Free –Queen


With the Autobots separated and fleeing for their lives, Earth would be an easy first conquest. But there was one not so easy conquest Megatron still had to address. He gazed over his newly conquered dominion for a moment longer, then he turned to Starscream.

"Come, it's time for us to talk."

Back in his chambers, he loomed over Starscream who looked both arrogant and subservient in the way only he could manage. After all these years, Megatron still couldn't tell which attitude, if either, was real. And, after all these years, it still aggravated him to no end.

"Trying to kill me was kind of an extreme reaction to a lover's quarrel," he began.

Starscream's eyes narrowed. "There was no quarrel. It would have been better if there had been."

Megatron bared his teeth. "It still amazes me how immature you really are. Killing me over not giving you enough attention!"

Starscream flinched, but held his ground. "You gave me plenty of attention—you certainly spat enough degradation and put downs to fill up eternity with my humiliation!"

Megatron waved his hand, "we insulted each other! And it's not as if it's anything new for us."

"Yeah but I can't hit you when you go too far and I get angry. And even more futile than fighting you is trying to talk to you! How could I tell you that I wanted to hear what I was doing right—not just what I was doing wrong?"

"Listen, I allowed this relationship to form solely because I thought you would not do this. You said you didn't need to be cuddled and adored. Now I see that that was yet another lie. If you're going to insist on acting like a juvenile every time your feelings get hurt, we should put a stop to this right now—it's an inappropriate relationship anyway."

Starscream squawked in indignation. "That insightful revelation has come a couple millennia late wouldn't you say?"

"Is it possible for you to keep a stable mood for five minutes while we're having an important discussion?"

Starscream put his hands up. "What? You said I should stop whining about my feelings—so I have."

"I said stop acting like an adolescent—and you're doing exactly the—" Megatron cut himself off and sighed. "This is going nowhere as usual."

He thought for a moment, then continued, "I don't know why I bother with you; you don't bother trying to hide that you only care about yourself. Then you want me to feel guilty for not being compassionate. You have a lot of nerve, Starscream, and you're not half the victim you make yourself out to be."

Starscream's face lost all trace of smugness; Megatron's unexpected insights always left him reaching blindly for a new angle of control. Predictably, it fell to old reliable—groveling with a dose of honesty—to help him backtrack into safer territory.

He stared at Megatron's chest, and spoke quietly. "I really am sorry this time. My time alone was a miserable disaster. I realized after my many failures that I am nothing without you."

To Starscream this was empty platitude, but in reality it was the truth—and Megatron was aware of both facts. For the time being, victory quelled his anger.

He smiled, "I'm not exactly all I can be either, when you aren't around."

"Now who's the liar…." For someone who relentlessly sought attention, he usually received praise with disdain and disbelief. It made Megatron feel tired.

He reached over to stroke Starscream's handsome face. "Planning on an all-night pity party my dear?"

Starscream jerked his head away and Megatron retracted his arm. "No, but you could at least save me your pity by admitting that I need you and you don't need me—that I'm worthless."

This didn't give Megatron any satisfaction at all. It troubled him how easily Starscream could be laid so low. There is such a thing as obedient and strong—why can't he understand that? What glitch did he have that made him so…alone?

"Sulking will accomplish nothing. Besides, you know I never say what I don't mean. If I say I'm less without you than I am less without you."

"But...I fail you over and over again. Every time you trust me with something I screw it up." He could tell by the focus in Starscream's eye that he was being tested—a most annoying habit among lovers.

"All true. But believe me, Dreadwing did not earn himself a better track record—no Decepticon officer has for a very long time." Megatron hesitated. It was no use; he was going to have to say it. "In any case, I wasn't referring to military accomplishments. You're 'supremely' intelligent, figure it out."

A touch of slyness returned to Starscream's face, "compliments, my lord?"

That conversation may have been ridiculous for two bots so old to have, but the glint in Starscream's optics promised a worthwhile compensation.

Still, he looked so self-satisfied; Megatron wondered if he'd somehow fallen for one of Starscream's tricks again. "You're even more unbearable when you're smug—it shouldn't be possible."

"Oh but me doing impossible things is what attracts you strongly." He said teasingly, every trace of his self-pity gone. He walked over to Megatron's bed and stretched out like he owned it.

Megatron rolled his eyes, "you're so fickle."

"Are you planning on talking me to sleep?"

Megatron stifled a smile and walked over. "Insufferable," he mumbled as he settled on top.

In a pleasant way, he stopped Starscream from saying something annoying again. Judging by the little noises he made, he didn't mind being interrupted.

It was a nice frag; 'conventional' and quiet, the way they knew no one would believe they liked it. But the gentleness was especially preferable after what they both had believed would be a permanent separation.

Starscream wanted to feel secure after nearly starving or bleeding to death so many times and Megatron wanted to be with someone who saw him as a regular bot who could be loved as an equal—just don't ever ask him to admit that.

Afterward, it was Starscream who was on top, so he could power down lying on his front like he liked. He shifted on the bigger chest like a snuggling beast.

With his mate's body trapped securely under his arm, Megatron remembered all the lonely nights he'd spent wandering if he'd ever again fall asleep gazing at those wings rising over his chest. He wrapped his other arm around Starscream.

He looked down, and Starscream looked up at him tiredly. "If you ever try leaving again, when you come crawling back I'm going to keep you as a pet, not my first lieutenant."

Starscream blinked lazily, and tucked his head back down. "Promises, promises."

Megatron squeezed his arms. "Careful what you suggest dear."

Starscream twitched at the squeeze but seemed too tired to care. "Besides, that might be kind of fun—for a while."

"Not for me, I'm sure the whining would be excruciating. Maybe I ought to task Knock Out with making a muzzle for you; that would be excellent to have on hand—just in case."

Starscream yawned. "You're hilarious my lord, really. You should consider abandoning the whole warlord thing and become a comedian, you might be better at it—not that that would be saying much."

Megatron really tried to be angry at that, but he gave in and snickered. "I couldn't possibly hate you anymore than I do."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Alright I can see where this is going, I'll stop keeping you from power down—I suppose we have all day tomorrow to harass each other."

"Don't be so cynical. We'll torture each other until you die of old age if all goes well."

Megatron fell into recharge with tears of mirth in his eyes.