Starscream did not like the brutal matings that were custom to the Decepticons. Knock out had a reputation as being sadistic, overly so. Barricade preferred pain over pleasure, and Megatron...he shuddered at the thought. He would literally frag anything that was sentient, even the young ones. He was the worst of them all. On Cybertron, he'd've had access to more variety. Femmes, flyers, sub mergers. He had even been with Sentinel Prime before the war had begun. But now, he was on Earth. Though his reputation still followed him, lingering over his wings like a low cloud, he had little to choose from here. All he had here was grounders. Grounders with ego issues.

As he flew higher into the blue of the sky, he thought of the one other flyer on Earth that wasn't in his trine, under his command, or plainly, too young. Skyfire. Back on Cybertron, they were set to be bonded. They worked together, lived together, were quite essentially one and so close to being one, physically when the war started. Everyone had to chose a side. Starscream chose the side with the most brutes, the most gladiators; in short, the most likely to win. Skyfire chose the Autobots. In hindsight, he should have seen it coming. After all, he was too much of a pacifist to do well with warriors. He couldn't handle pain or suffering at all.

Starscream had to admit that he missed him. Missed his company. Missed his conversation. Missed his...touch. He might have been a traitorous retro-rat….but he also had some nice angles and curves.

He started to rise higher, about to break the atmosphere when he suddenly saw him flying below him, close to the ocean's surface. This was luck, he thought as he dove towards him. Skyfire did not reply to his hailings. Maybe he should go, Starscream thought. Maybe he should settle. Starscream pushed the thought away. He was the mighty Starscream, prince of Helix. He would not settle. He would ask nicely and if he did not agree… he would take. Starscream leveled out beside Skyfire, being cautious to appear friendly. Even though they were in truce, years of war couldn't be forgotten.

"It's been awhile since I've seen you last." Skyfire said, referring to when he first arrived on Earth. Ever since then he had been hidden away on base, away from the fighting and Starscream's optics. Starscream's wings shivered from the ocean's spray and was grateful to see Skyfire fly a bit higher in response. He hated the feel of the briny water running across his wings. All the organic things in it and the salt….he shuddered slightly at the thought of it's affect on metal.

He looked over the Autobot's outline. "It has."

"And it's going to a while longer before we meet again." Skyfire replied, taking a sharp left. Starscream followed as closely as he could, without crashing into him.

"Why? What have I done to repel you from me? I want to-"

Suddenly, Skyfire stopped, transforming in mid air. Starscream had no choice but to do the same, or else he'd run him over. They floated there for a moment, glaring at each other with feigned anger as the water boiled furiously beneath them.

"What have you done? You're a fraggin' Decepticon. You've killed thousands, if not millions and furthermore,"

Starscream did not allow another syllable to pass. He pressed his lips to Skyfire's, his vents whirring as his processor realized that Skyfire wasn't fighting. He was kissing back. They broke away with a sigh, Starscream reculent to release his prey.

The silence was broken. "Are you in heat too? Is that why you suddenly came for me?" Skyfire asked softly.

"I was thinking about you. I think about you a lot." Skyfire looked away, a blush tinting the edges of his wings. Starscream flew closer and with one servo pulled his faceplate up to his. Before their lips could meet again, Skyfire moaned.

The sound was so sudden and unexpected that Starscream laughed out loud before kissing him again.

Their mouths connected in a passionate blur in a way that was ultimately familiar. As their glossas tangled with each other, Starscream savored the sweet taste of the mech whom was now a familiar stranger. With gentle digits, he massaged his wing tips, taunting him with a taste of the passion he could offer.

Skyfire shivered as he tried to separate. "I've got to go. You're not good for me." One servo slid down between them, groping the place between Skyfire's legs. He shivered but didn't resist. Starscream took this as a confirmation; he wanted this too..

Their kisses were electric. Each touch hauntingly gentle. As Starscream unlatched the hidden latch that released Sky's spike from it's holder. As far as he knew, he was the only one who knew about this switch. Starscream revealed his valve with the gentle touch of the Autobot's servo on his release. He smirked. Skyfire hadn't forgotten about his either. Neither stopped to think before allowing themselves to meet. Starscream was a carrier, a male with the reproductive capabilities of a femme and Skyfire was a creator, a male with a spike. It was rare to find one like himself, Starscream knew, and he would make sure that Sky knew it too.

The wind caressed them as softly as they did themselves. As they moved, Starscream allowed him to touch freely. Skyfire couldn't keep his servos off of his aft, couldn't separate his wings from his wings got stuck and their frames crashed and they made love.

Starscream considered pulling away as his neared overloading; if they both did at the same time, they'd fall beneath the waves. He decided against it, not knowing when they'd meet like this again. He rode the wave of pleasure until his processor went blank. When his optics onlined, he was in the inky depths of the Pacific, a familiar weight holding him down. Carefully, he maneuvered from beneath him and wrapped his arms around Sky's frame. WIth a single thrust, they were above water again and dripping wet.

Skyfire pulled away slowly as he online, watching Starscream with a wary optic. They said nothing to each other as they turned their separate ways. Skyfire pinged him with a short message.

I'll see you next time.

Starscream smiled to himself as he flew into the blue. He was looking forward to it.

OoOoO

There were only a few Cybertronians with natural abilities like his. Abilities that controlled them, rather than the bot controlling their 'gifts'. He snorted. Invisibility was not a gift. It was a curse that he had managed to control almost every day, with few mess-ups. While he was in heat, he had no control over his visibilities and that made it hard for him to mate with normal bots. He only had a few choices honestly. Hound's holograms were going haywire, showing his own fantasies in front of him. Skywarp was teleporting randomly, at no control of his own; and Mirage was turning invisible. His first choice was with Hound. He had known him since Cybertron's castes were still in place, when they had to sneak around to see each other. They had been consorts for almost as long as they knew each other. Mirage was even planning to ask him to be his sparkmate. But then, the old argument came up again.

Oh, those stupid fights about Before the war. It always started with Hound feeling inadequate, his self esteem tanking due to some strange insult only he recognized. Half the time it was nothing, and it could be brushed away. This time it was something. It was something big.

"Mirage, if we were ready to be sparkmates before the war, would you have taken me?" Hound had asked, sitting on the berth.

Mirage had scooted closer and wrapped one arm around his shoulders. Hound didn't resist as he pulled him closer. "Yes, with my whole spark, yes. You know I love you."

A hologram had appeared across the room, a small scene playing out. It showed Mirage by himself, talking to his Sire's and Carrier's chosen mates. The angle was weird, but Mirage knew the scene well. He hated that night. He hated what he had been forced to do. He hated that he had never told Hound about it.

"Are you sure?" Hound had said, a sting of hurt audible in his voice.

"I-I'm sorry, but my Sire forced me to choose. You know how the upper castes were; You were to keep sparklines clean, or be put to an honorable death. They would have killed you too." Mirage had said, getting down on his knees to beg, like he had seen Hound beg in the gutters so many times.

"So I'm dirty, is that it? I wasn't worthy to be with you." Mirage didn't know what to say as the confrontation left Hound's frame. "I wouldn't have been mad if you had've told me yourself." Hound said as he left, leaving the room so empty when it had been so full of life.

Mirage twitched, turning invisible once more. That memory was so recent it stung. The worst part was that he didn't know where Hound was, so he couldn't apologize. He wondered if Hound had found someone else. He wondered if it would hurt more if it were an Autobot or a Decepticon. He knew for a fact that Skywarp had been finding Autobot consorts. He had teleported into the Autobot wash racks earlier that solar cycle and found a willing consort in Cliffjumper.

Someone knocked on the door, jolting him from his thoughts. He sat up, unlocking the door before calling out ,"It's open, and I'm here, though not exactly visible." The door slid open, revealing a mech he had not expected to see: Wheeljack. His head fins were brightly lit, optics wide at what appeared to be an empty room.

"Hello." Wheeljack scanned the room, not noticing that he was still on the berth.

"Hi." He said as became visible again. They immediately met optics. Mirage could see the want in his optics, in the red hue of his head fins that were only glowing redder as he approached.

"You're glitching too, eh?"

"Yes. Are you planning to come in, or would you rather stay in the hall?" Mirage moved away from the berth to the couch; the berth was still too sacred, had too many memories of him and Hound. He offered Wheeljack a seat, watching as the lit up mech sat down clumsily. They sat there for a moment, unsure of what to say.

"So...you found anyone yet?" Wheeljack asked, already knowing the answer. Somehow it had already spread through the troops like wildfire.

"No. My usual is coupling with someone else." Mirage held in a sigh. He did not want to say it again, did not want to be with anybot else. But his Hound was gone. His Hound was perfect. Funny, kind, selfless. Too selfless.

Wheeljack met his optics with a sad look. "I'm kinda alone too. And I can't find anyone who's not fragging… except you." As he finished talking, Mirage disappeared again. Wheeljack tried to hide his surprise. This was another reason why he couldn't couple with anyone else. No one else knew how to find him when he was unseeable, how to bring him back when he couldn't do it himself.

"So you're asking me?" Mirage could feel his faceplates heat up, in both embarrassment and flattery. Wheeljack nodded. His fins darkened to dull red. Mirage wished he could be cruel, could make him go away and never come back, but he couldn't. Wheeljack had obviously had a liking to him for a while. It would have been easy to say no had his Hound been there. But he wasn't, and he was likely going to spend the Heat cycle by himself. The saboteur tasted the words in his mouth; Yes, touch me all you want. They tasted bitter. They tasted like defeat and betrayal.

"I'm sorry for leading you on, but…" He flickered out of visibility. "I don't want to...with you." Mirage was grateful for his curse now. Wheeljack couldn't see him in all of his shame.

Wheeljack nodded and left, his steps heavy. Those few words probably stung Wheeljack more than he knew, but he couldn't take them back. He wouldn't. He wanted Hound, and damn if he'd have anyone else. He knew this was his last chance, but said nothing as Wheeljack left.

OoOo

Jazz had loved no one but Prowl in cycles. He was the only bot who knew him as well as he knew himself, who could predict what he would do before he did it. He had also fragged no one but Prowl in cycles. This was a show of loyalty few bots would bother to make, even if they wanted to sparkmate with somebot. Cybertronians were a polyamorous species; rarely would they settle down with a single other. Jazz had never broken his vow to Prowl. He had never pressured him into bonding. He could respect his decision. But at this point, it was getting ridiculous. They had been together since before the war, and knew each other inside and out. And yet, he still refused to bond. Jazz had no idea if it was commitment issues (unlikely since he never did anything with anyone else), or something his battle computer prescribed against (also unlikely because he had wrestled control from it centuries ago); It was mostly annoying since he could only speculate. Prowl wouldn't give a reason.

It was his luck that only Prowl was in heat this time. This was a mass heat, but Jazz was never really in line with the others. Normally this was very inconvenient, but this time it was perfect; his logic processors were off, overridden by his most primal processes.

Prowl was on the berth, in a small shaking ball. His door wings were covering his face as he hid his expression from Jazz. Jazz smirked at his unguarded state; he was adorable. As he sat back down again, Prowl uncurled to try and cuddle again. Jazz backed up, some of the energon spilling on the ground as he moved. Prowl growled and tried to pull him closer. Jazz shook his helm. "No, Prowl. Not until you answer me."

Prowl mewled and were some of the more Praxian behaviors that showed up when his battle computers were down. He was so cute, pouting on berth in a youngling-like ball.

"Not until you tell me why." He placed his cube on the berth, careful not to let them touch.

Prowl pouted and blushed, his white door wings turned a pale blue. "I love you too much to do that ."

Jazz drew closer, sitting beside him. Prowl took this as encouragement, unfolding and scooting until he was in Jazz's lap. He leaned his helm on Jazz's shoulder and slipped his servo into his.

"You're not seeing some working femme or mech, are you?" Jazz asked with a smile; He knew he had done no such thing. Prowl shook his head. "Then why are you afraid to prove that you love me?"

"I have proven it. I don't want to bond because I don't want to hurt you when I die." And then it clicked. His logic made sense, but still. Prowl was afraid of hurting Jazz when he died. Because of course, it would happen someday. They were living in a war and death was always hovering there, waiting to grab someone. Still, it was unlikely that one of them would offline, as they were excellent warriors and had survived so far.

"That's why I want to bond. I love you too much to wait for this war to end. I love you too much to love anyone else. At least if we do, I'll always have part of you. Even if you...die." The last word caught in his vocalizer. He couldn't imagine life without him, but if the unthinkable happened, at least then he'd still have part of his spark with his own.

Prowl pushed through the chaos in his processor, and his optics cleared. With the clarity of a battle-day, he replied. "I'll do it. For you."

The brief frostiness of the previous solar cycle disappeared as Jazz wrapped his arms around him, pushing to the berth. He nibbled on Prowl's chevron as Prowl suckled his neck cables. Prowl purred as Jazz shifted lower to kiss his neck. He loved that sound. It was so simple, conveying all that he couldn't say in a way easily understood. The SIC tried to reach for his plating, but Jazz wouldn't let him. He wrestled his arms above his head, holding them there with one servo. The other held him close as Jazz nibbled his door wings.

Prowl's back struts arched as the sensitive sensors relayed the pleasure back. Jazz doubted the disappearance of his plating was on purpose; Praxians were more primitive during intimate moments than others and had less control. He figured he'd taunted him long enough; He allowed his plating to slip away also. Jazz released his arms, instead choosing to wrap his own around his mate as they moved.

Their rhythm was erratic, untimed and wild.

Jazz loved it.

As they moved, Jazz opened his chassis. His spark had been banging against its covering, aching to reach Prowl's the entire time he had been ignoring him. It only got worse when he started to touch him again. His spark tickled as it grazed against Prowl's chest. Where it touched, a dull red streak of color remained, claiming Prowl as his. He waited as it coaxed out his mate's spark. His light blue spark was beautiful, a storm of swirling light that shied away from the touch. Prowl looked into Jazz's optics. "I love you."

The tentacles of light merged with Prowl's and they both froze as the sensations overcame them. Jazz could see through Prowl all of the times he had been empty, the days when he had to choose to sacrifice one bot for the life of another. He could see the day that they first met. How he had followed him until he found where he lived. How he came back every solar cycle after bringing a gift. He saw the day that he fell in love, the first time they mated, and then, now.

This was a true overload. An overload of emotion. It was impossible to know how they felt for each other without this. It was impossible for Jazz to feel the restraints of logic he was bound by. It was impossible, but now it wasn't.

As they parted, Jazz could feel Prowl lingering in his helm. It was a soft feeling, but enough to feel wonderful. It felt Right.