Further Complications.
Chapter Four.
Starscream threw the games console control from himself in a huff. Playing flying games on the PS2 Lennox had rigged up for Sam before he'd gone back to Qatar wasn't even close to what Starscream was used to doing for real. Stupid lightning storm! Stupid inadequate human bodies! He couldn't even go and talk to Optimus to wind him up for fun any more, as Optimus had gotten wise to Starscream's requests 'for a chat' and had told the other Autobots to find out what he wanted before opening the door for him, which he needed them to do for him now he couldn't comm the door to request entry any more. He didn't dare try to hang around Mikaela any more, not after the kneeing and her warning the other day.
"Bored." He muttered, getting up and striding out of the room. He almost walked into Miles, who grabbed his arm and said "Hey, Sam, come out and see my new wheels!"
Any other time, Starscream might have shaken Miles off, but he was bored and, he realised, lonely, so he played along and let Miles lead him out of the Base to the car park.
The Autobots had a collection of cars for the purposes of scanning them if they fancied a change of alt, and Starscream was at first hard-pressed to see Miles' car amongst the others. It took Miles walking up to the battered blue junker for Starscream to realise that was his car.
"Well, what do you think?" Miles asked with a proud grin. Starscream thought, quite frankly, that the car looked a mess, especially amongst the Autobots well looked-after vehicles, but had learned a little about the value of discretion if he wanted to stay on friendly terms, and it seemed nobody had yet told Sam's friend who he really was. Starscream decided to see how long he could get away with pretending to be Sam. After all, he thought, Sam was pretending to be him to his friends, so it was only fair Starscream himself should have some fun doing likewise!
"Yeah, it's cool." Starscream said, having picked up some expressions from Sam before he'd practiced going into character as Starscream, and Mikaela. It must have been something that Sam would have said because Miles grinned in agreement.
"Yeah. Wanna ride to town and back?"
"Okay." said Starscream, seeing a chance to do something different to break the boredom of the day. He pulled open the passenger seat door and rather awkwardly got in.
Miles glanced over, and seemed to notice the Band-aids for the first time.
"Hey, what happened to you, man, you look worse than when you came back from that mysterious visit to Mission City!"
"I fell over." Starscream said, sharper than he meant to.
"Hey, man, why so touchy?" Miles said. "Look, it's no big deal!" Starscream realised he might alienate Miles, so worked to ameliorate the situation.
"Sorry Miles…it's been a bad week." He said, hoping that Miles would be mollified. He didn't want to risk Miles pitching him out of the car while they were out at the town.
"Okay, man, let's hit town." Miles said, starting the car. He waved at Ironhide as the big mech opened the gate and lowered the force-field to let him out.
As Miles' car pulled away, Ironhide noticed that Miles had a passenger, and it didn't look like Mikaela. He beeped Optimus.
"Hey, Prime, what time did Miles say he'd bring Starscream back, and where's he taking him, anyway? Just so I know when to expect them?"
"What do you mean?" Optimus answered.
"Miles came in earlier, didn't he talk to you? He's just driven out of here with Starscream in the front seat. You did give him permission to go out of the Base with Miles, didn't you?"
"No, I didn't." Optimus said. "I'll call Bumblebee and ask him to go after and find them." He sighed. "Trust Starscream to be awkward and leave without checking it's OK first."
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It took Bumblebee one and a half hours to find Miles and Starscream, he lucked out, seeing them in a burger bar drinking Cokes that Miles had bought. He parked, and activated his younger-form holoform – a lanky blonde boy with two black stripes dyed into his hair. It was the holoform that Miles was used to, and Starscream would realise who he was, but it wouldn't alarm everyone else. After checking to make sure his sudden change of appearance from brown-haired, mustached thirtysomething to blonde teen in the car had not been noticed, grabbed some of the change Sam kept in the glove box, then stepped out and walked over to their table.
"Hi Sam, hi Miles." He said, sitting down at the table, and looking directly at Starscream. Still unused to his human body, Starscream's blush gave away the fact he knew he hadn't been meant to go out unannounced.
"Hey, Bee, good to see ya." Miles said, missing the blush and the resentful look Starscream gave Bumblebee entirely. "Sorry, I guess we shoulda invited you to come with us."
"Well, I'm here now, so no harm done. We can hang round town a bit, but then we should all go back to the Base." Bumblebee said. He sent a databurst to Prime: 'Starscream located. Will stay with him and bring him back later.' Bumblebee knew how stressed Sam could get if he was kept inside, and figured Starscream just wanted a change of scenery. As he was with him, Bumblebee could see no harm in it. He received an affirmative databurst from Prime, which pleased him. At least that was settled.
He turned to Miles, handing him some of the money he'd brought in. "Hey, Miles, get Sam and yourself another drink, huh?" he said. As Miles turned and went to buy the other drinks, Bumblebee leaned in towards Starscream.
"You do know he'll have to be told?" he said.
"Why?" asked Starscream. "I'm doing a pretty good job of being Sam, and Sam is imitating me."
"There's no need." Bumblebee said. "Miles will understand and he'll be cool with it. You are in an unfamiliar world in an unfamiliar body. You could end up endangering Sam's body and your own life, simply by being ignorant of things Sam would know."
Starscream sat and thought about it.
"I see your point." He said slowly. "You're sure Sam's squishy friend won't mind much?"
"Miles is very easy going. When Sam introduced him to Optimus, after his initial fear, he was okay with it. He'll be fine." Bumblebee leaned forwards.
"Also, if you get Miles talking about military aircraft, you'll be hard-pressed to shut him up. He's an enthusiast. What's more, his very favourite military jet is one you are intimately acquainted with – the F-22 Raptor."
Starscream grinned.
"Well, for a human, he has impeccable taste." Starscream said as Miles came back over with two more Cokes.
"Who has impeccable taste?" Miles asked as he sat down, pushing one coke over to Starscream.
"You do." Starscream said.
"I do?" Miles asked, confused.
"Look, Miles, there is something we need to tell you." Bumblebee said. "The first thing is, although you should still call him Sam, and treat him like Sam, that isn't Sam."
Bumblebee held up a hand to forestall Miles' questions, and quietly began to explain.
Once Bumblebee had finished Miles was staring at Starscream. Starscream looked back at Miles almost challengingly.
"Well?" Starscream said. "Any questions?
"You're really an F-22 in vehicle form?" Miles asked.
Starscream blinked. He'd expected awkward questions about why he had done this or that, not a question about his alt mode.
"Yes, I am. It was the most advanced plane on this planet at the time, well armed and stealthy." He said.
"Cool!" was Miles' reply.
They made a brief stop at Miles' house to pick up some aircraft books, and then headed back to the Base, and went to speak to Optimus.
Miles had been totally freaked the first time Sam had introduced him to Optimus and the others, but by now he was used to him. Optimus sat and listened patiently while Miles suggested that he come around and take Starscream out every other day of the holidays, as much as to get him used to being human as to keep him from getting bored and pulling a similar stunt.
"After all, if he is with me, he is still supervised, right, and I can help him learn those little things he needs to know." Miles said.
Optimus nodded in agreement. "I agree, it is a good idea." He said. "Okay, Miles, thank you." He said. "I will give Starscream some money so that he is not a drain on your finances." He said. He opened his desk drawer, and took out a thick wad of bills, handing it to Starscream, who showed it to Miles. His eyes opened as he saw it was a thick wad of hundred-dollar bills.
"Will that be enough?" Optimus asked.
"Uhh…yeah, I'll say so!" Miles said. "I'll be back tomorrow to pick you up, Starscream, OK?" he said.
"Sam, remember, you still got to call him Sam." Bumblebee cautioned.
"Oh, okay." Said Miles. "See you tomorrow, Sam?
"Yes." said Starscream, who then headed back to his room without even a slight moan.
If Bumblebee had had a mouth, he would have smiled.
It seemed that the life of a human teenager suited Starscream just fine.
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It seemed Miles and Starscream got on well enough, neither of them complained in the intervening week. Each day, Miles picked Starscream up in his junker, and they went to Miles' house, or out round the town. All seemed trouble free on the Friday, when Miles and Starscream walked in to report to Bumblebee on the day's activities.
"Hiya, Bumblebee, guess what Sam and I did today?" he said. Bumblebee noticed that Starscream was hanging back a bit
"What's that?" asked Bumblebee.
"We used some of the money Optimus gave Starscream to get some tattoos." said Miles. He pulled up his sleeve to show an F-22 jet, and below it the Cybertronian glyphs that represented Starscream's name.
Bumblebee was speechless, his optics widening. Starscream had put a claim on Miles? He had his doubts that Starscream had asked Miles, or explained the significance of the tattoo. Before he could make any reply, Starscream, sensing Bumblebee's disapproval, moved forward to pull up his own sleeve.
"I got one for Sam, too, it's you, he'll like that." Starscream said, showing the tattoo of a yellow Camaro with black racing stripes. The glyphs of Bumblebee's name curved beneath it. Bumblebee had to admit it was a good likeness, and looked very cool, but that was not the point.
"You did that to Sam's body without his permission?" he said.
"He'll love it, Bumblebee, you know he will." Starscream said.
"Very likely, but you still did it without his consent." Bumblebee said. "What if Sam doesn't like tattooing?"
"Well, it's a bit late if he doesn't." said Starscream. He turned and pulled up his other sleeve, to reveal an Autobot tattoo on the other arm, as red as the one on Bumblebee's own head. "I even chose the symbol I know he'd prefer, so don't be so outraged." Starscream said.
"You should see mine." Said Miles. "It's dead cool, it was Starscream who suggested it. Ain't it neat?" He pulled up his other sleeve, and Bumblebee found himself looking at an intricately tattooed purple Decepticon symbol, which once again had Starscream's name in Cybertronian glyphs along the bottom edge.
Bumblebee's optics travelled from the bright tattoo up to Miles' grinning face, then further back to where Starscream stood.
"Please excuse me, Miles." said Bumblebee, glaring at Starscream. "I need to have a few words with Starscream in private."