Shattered Glass
Chapter 2: The Kids
As the oldest (Rad had been five when it happened) he was the only one who remembered the fact that their parents had been flesh and blood people, not a giant alien robot that happened to turn into a jet. That wasn't to say that he didn't love Starscream because he did but he could still remember (albeit very faintly now and only as flashes in a dream) that a long time ago robots had killed their parents. He wasn't sure why they had all been at the same house but decided that it was probably a play date of some sort. His vague recollections included the sound of his parents screaming as giant robots, led by a blue and red one that towered over the rest, paraded down the streets, shooting randomly at houses and stepping on cars. Then more robots showed up but they seemed different. Their leader had started attacking the bad robots while his warriors took to the air. The battle had raged fiercely for several hours until, finally, the first robots fled, leaving only the newer arrivals.
Rad had done his best to protect Alexis and Carlos; crouching in front of them and waving his padded whiffle bat at the red and white robot who simply laughed as he pulled the splintered remains of the ceiling off. Three miniature robots had entered the house then, saying nothing as they picked up the three toddlers and carried them outside where they presented their burdens to the red and white one.
"What do you have there, Starscream?" the leader asked in amusement.
"Organic younglings," Starscream replied, his raspy voice surprisingly gentle as he knelt down to take a better look at them.
"Where are their parental units?"
Starscream didn't answer but his orange eyes swept over the ruined wreck of the house before turning back to his leader.
"I see," the bigger robot frowned in consternation.
"Can I keep them, Lord Megatron?" Starscream asked eagerly, one giant finger poking cautiously at Rad's belly.
"And what exactly do you plan on doing with them?" Megatron asked.
"I'm not scared of you," Rad declared defiantly as he hit Starscream with his whiffle bat.
"Why raise them of course," Starscream blinked as he pulled his hand back.
"Very well," Megatron sighed heavily. "You may keep them."
That had happened almost eight years ago and the humans had stayed with the Decepticons ever since then. Rad had to give Starscream credit; the jet really had done his best to raise the three of them despite his knowing next to nothing about humans. The mini-Cons had done a lot too; mainly helping the kids get dressed, going down to Earth to retrieve human food for them and even learning how to tie shoelaces. Starscream sang Seeker lullabies to them at night and even taught them how to speak his native Seeker-cant which was similar enough to the mini-Cons language that the kids could communicate much better with their guardians. He told them stories about Cybertron and of times before the war had started and, when the kids had gotten older, answered their questions truthfully about their true parentage.
Rad did his best to be difficult; he made sure that Starscream knew he wasn't Rad's 'Creator' and that Rad would never consider him to be such. The jet took it all in stride though and continued smiling and kept his voice low and gentle so as not to scare the young boy. There's no telling how long they would have played that game if the Autobots hadn't intervened; again. Starscream was captured while on a mission and for several long days they anxiously awaited news of their adopted Creator before Cyclonus finally returned from a scouting mission with news that they had finally located him. The relief that swept through the kids was short-lived when the Decepticons returned, Megatron carrying a battered red and white frame in his arms as they went straight to the Med-Bay. It was another two days before they were allowed to see him and even then Rad wished that they hadn't. Starscream was covered in an assortment of welds and bandages as he shook ever so slightly although he smiled when he saw them.
"Are you okay, Creator?" Rad asked fearfully even as he belatedly realized what he had just said.
Starscream smiled broadly at them and said, "I am now."
Things weren't perfect between them and they never would be but that was okay because that was how families worked.
A/N: So what did you think? Please read and review and throw in suggestions! Also I'm sorry if this chapter seemed a little…childish but it was written from a child's POV.