Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Starscream chewed on his bottom lip plate as Skyfire and he packed up for their expedition. There was a gnawing feeling in his fuel tank, like something was going to go wrong. Like the trip would be ripped away from them in the last click, or that when they did return, their findings would be dismissed. Maybe they would be deemed failures over some minor issue. 

“Isn’t this exciting, Star!” Skyfire said as he loaded energon rations into a crate, “they’re finally taking us seriously as scientists and explorers! The stars are ours to explore!” 

“Maybe,” Starscream muttered as he carefully sorted test tubes into a different crate. “Maybe they’re going to set us up for failure.”

“Star, we worked hard for this,” Skyfire said, pausing his work. Starscream looked up at him. 

“We worked hard for this, and they fought us the entire time,” the seeker said, lowering his gaze, “how do we know that they’re not going to take it away at the last minute?” The seeker felt a gentle servo on his wing, and Skyfire’s soft gaze on him. 

“I thought that too,” Skyfire admitted softly, “but even they wouldn’t have put themselves through that much paperwork just to pull one over on us.” 

Starscream laughed, seeing where the shuttle was coming from. No one was petty enough to do the mountain of paperwork for an exploration just to turn around and do a mountain more just to spite two hopeful flyers. 

“I just have a feeling that something is going to go wrong.” Starscream admitted, “I don’t want them to destroy our futures just because of one little thing they don’t like.”

“That’s why we are going to do this the correct way,” Skyfire said, “we are already doing everything by their rules. As long as we follow everything perfectly, then they can’t find that one little thing to write us off.”

“Those rules are outdated loads of slag,” Starscream said, a smile gracing his faceplates. His spark fluttered, Skyfire always made him feel better. He could clear the worrying fog from Starscream’s processor.

“I know they are,” Skyfire said, “but we need to follow them until we are the ones in charge, maybe after we prove ourselves they will change the rules.” 

“If they change the rules,” the seeker muttered, “they might call us exceptions, not the rule.” 

“But if others see us, then they’ll challenge what the rules are,” Skyfire said, “We could be the start of something wonderful!” 

“It could be,” Starscream said softly, “we could spark something amazing, something that could change Cybertron forever.” The seeker looked up into the shuttle’s optics, the optimism radiating from them. It was infectious, and overriding the negative things swirling around his processor. Maybe these negative feelings were all just there, and this trip would be fine. Or, that’s what Starscream would tell himself when that bad feeling came back when Skyfire wasn’t there.

Chapter Text

Starscream felt his wings sag as he left class. With a brutal test finished, all the seeker wanted to do was relax. To take it easy for a moment before going back into the fray of studying and experiments. If only he could, when he got back to his and Skyfire’s dorm room, there would be a mountain of assignments and extra credit projects that needed to get done. It wasn’t like he and Skyfire needed the extra credit, but it was nice to have just in case someone wanted to sabotage their projects, or to prove to the professors that they deserved to be there just as much as anyone else. 

“Hey, wait up!” Skyfire yelled as he walked behind Starscream. The shuttle’s wings were held high. How Skyfire had that much energy after such an exhausting test was beyond the seeker’s understanding. Starscream let out a noncommittal noise, but slowed down for the shuttle to catch up. 

“The weather is really nice right now,” Skyfire started to say, “I was thinking we could go on a quick flight around campus before going back to work on the other assignments.” 

“Sounds nice,” Starscream muttered, wings somehow sagging lower than before, “but we have a lot to do. That extra credit project is due tonight. And we still have to write up our hypothesis for Xenobiology.”

”That’s why we need to take a break!” Skyfire said as he grabbed Starscream’s arm. “We’ll suffer from burnout if we don’t!” The shuttle started to pull the seeker in the opposite direction from their shared dorm. Starscream let out a whine, but allowed himself to be pulled along. Maybe it was okay for a quick flight, to clear the mind. Though, getting their work done would also give them time to take a break later. Starscream mulled each option while Skyfire pulled him outside. 

There was a nice breeze when the two finally were out. It wasn’t too strong, but it wasn’t too weak either. Starscream let out a little chirp as his wings fluttered. 

“I knew a flight was a great idea!” Skyfire said with the biggest smile on his faceplates. Warmth filled the seeker’s spark, the shuttle’s optimism was always infectious.

“You’re right,” Starscream said, “a flight would do us good.” 

“Come on!” Skyfire said as he let go of the seeker’s arm, “look how clear the skies are!” Starscream watched as the shuttle transformed and flew off into the sky. Starscream smiled, before running after his partner. Transforming with a leap, Starscream activated his thrusters and followed the shuttle. The exhaustion in his frame seemed to disappear with each loop and spin. 

A flight through clear skies was exactly what he needed, and Starscream was glad that Skyfire was there with him.

Chapter Text

Skyfire smiled as he and Starscream entered the lab. Their experiment was going well, and they were getting all of the data they needed for the assignment. Starscream was busy going through their notes, making sure that they had done everything correctly. The seeker was thorough, and followed lab procedures to a tee. The shuttle used to tease the seeker about it, and still did from time to time. The way the seeker’s wings flicked when he said that he wanted everything to be orderly was adorable. Skyfire wanted to laugh when Starscream scrunched up his nasal plating when the shuttle told him that science could be chaotic at times. The two balanced each other out, and it showed in their work. 

“Why is everyone standing outside of the lab?” Starscream muttered as he looked up from their notes. Skyfire stopped, there were an abnormal amount of mechs and fems standing outside. Skyfire could see tape around the door. 

“I think there was an accident,” Skyfire said, “I see tape blocking the door.” 

“What?” Starscream screeched, “our work is in there! It could get compromised!” 

“What about that blast proof bin you put it in?” Skyfire said, “You said it would keep everything sterile if anything happened.” 

“In theory! That’s just a prototype that handled explosions in a controlled environment!" Starscream exclaimed, “I have no data for acid or a chemical fire, or…” The seeker started to trail off, listing off different disasters. 

“We need to find out what happened,” Skyfire said once Starscream was done listing off every possible thing that could have gone wrong.

”What do you think?” a classmate said loudly, “another one of Wheeljack screw ups?”

“I wasn’t even in the labs today!” Wheeljack yelled from the other end of the hall, “and none of my inventions were active here!” Skyfire tuned out the yelling as others, letting his own thoughts wander, Who was behind this? Would class be cancelled? Would they get an extension on the assignment? Maybe Starscream’s box was good enough where they wouldn’t have to do everything by scratch, so there could be some hope for turning it in on time. 

“Sky, the professor,” Starscream said, grabbing the shuttle’s servo. The grip was crushing, and the way the seeker’s wings fluttered gave away his own worries. Skyfire tried to have an uplifting field, but even he couldn’t see the bright side of this. 

“Ahem!” The professor said, causing the mass of students to go silent, “earlier today there was a break in, most if not all projects had been destroyed. The enforcers are reviewing the footage of the sabotage, to find anyone who was involved and bring them to justice. Please stay here to answer any questions that they may have. They’ll be out shortly.” There was a murmur of displeasure going through the group of students. It was one thing to have an accident, it was a different one to have work purposely destroyed. 

“Star,” Skyfire said softly, “I don’t like this. I feel like something’s wrong here.”

”I don’t like this either,” Starscream said, “but let's work with them for now. They’re the closest thing to a lead that we’ll get in this case.” 

“Who would do such a thing as to destroy everyone’s work?” Skyfire asked. 

“Maybe someone who’s jealous of everyone else’s success,” Starscream muttered. Skyfire squeezed the seeker’s servo as he watched the enforcers walk out of the destroyed lab. There was a sinking feeling in his spark, and the shuttle couldn’t shake it off. 

Chapter Text

As the ice wall broke, Starscream gasped. Preserved in the ice was Skyfire, just as he was all those eons ago. If it wasn’t for the ice, it almost looked like he was recharging. 

“Who is that?” Skywarp muttered. The tri-colored seeker ignored him. No one else mattered in the moment. Only Skyfire mattered, getting him out of the ice mattered. Starscream felt his spark flutter, like it had when he and Skyfire were happy. When they were scientists, when they had hopes and dreams that weren’t taken away by the war. 

“Why is a shuttle frozen in here?” Megatron growled, pulling Starscream back into reality. The seeker hissed under his breath. The old fool always had to ruin everything for him. A dark thought popped into his helm, what if Megatron tried to hurt Skyfire? What if the warlord saw the shuttle as a threat?

”He was my science partner,” Starscream said, feeling all optics on him. The seeker gulped, it was the last thing he wanted to admit to mechs who would use any weakness against him. “We were sent to explore an ice giant, and there was a storm. He was lost, and once the storm subsided, I circled half the globe for him. When I couldn’t find him, I went back to Cybertron to get a rescue team together and come back for him.” The seeker felt a gentle servo rest on his shoulder plating. Thundercracker was sending calming messages through the bond, like he was afraid that his trine leader would break.

“It’s hard to believe,” Megatron said, “that you cared so much about another mech.” 

“He’s a great scientist,” Starscream blurted, “and my-“ Starscream cut himself off when Thundercracker squeezed his shoulder. There were some things that Megatron just didn’t need to know. 

“It’s rare for you to give out such compliments Starscream,” Megatron said, “But is he truly as great as you say he is?” 

“Lord Megatron: Decepticons would greatly benefit from another scientist," Soundwave said.

“You're right Soundwave,” Megatron said, causing Starscream to roll his optics. Of course if Soundwave thought it was good, then Megatron thought it would be good. No matter what Starscream said or did, Megatron would never listen. At least with Skyfire back, someone would finally listen. The seeker looked up at the shuttle once more as the other Decepticons were slowly chipping the ice away. Everything would be better, now that Skyfire was at his side. 

Starscream looked up at Skyfire, snow falling softly around his frame. His optics were soft, just like they were during the exploration. But it wasn’t the exploration, there was a war going on around them. He could hear Megatron barking orders in the background. Though, the only thing that the seeker could focus on was the shuttle. 

“Starscream, come with me,” Skyfire said, “We can be scientists again.” 

“Where would we go?” Starscream asked softly. It was a foolish idea to entertain, the Autobots and Decepticons would constantly hunt them down. 

“Come with me to the Autobots,” Skyfire said, “we won’t have to worry about the war.”

“I wish it were that easy,” Starscream said with a sad laugh, “but they would never let me into their ranks. Too many sins from the past.” The seeker shut off his optics as the shuttle rubbed his cheek like he did before this whole mess started. Even if the Autobots let him in, there was still Megatron and the rest of the Decepticons. They would be hunted down and made examples of, proof of what happens to defectors.

“I think it will be easier than you think. If we stay stubborn and refuse to change, then this war will go on until everyone is gone. With hope and acceptance, we can make the future better. We can make sure no one else has to go through what we went through. If the Autobots are too dense to see that, then we’ll chase our dreams on our own.” Starscream let himself smile, and hope. 

To live in a universe where no one was starving for meager rations. Where there was enough energon for everyone. No more beatings from an irate warlord. He and Skyfire were doing science, and planning an exploration instead of an air raid. Frame types meant nothing, just a mech’s processor and determination. A universe he housed to believe in.

Starscream online his optics, Skyfire was staring directly at him. They were bright, like they were back at the academy and he wanted Starscream to do something with him. The soft smile, and the hope in his optics. There was no way the seeker could ever tell the shuttle no like this. For all the consequences, he would do anything for Skyfire. 

“Okay,” Starscream said softly, “I’ll go with you.” The shuttle picked the seeker up, and swept him into a passionate kiss. The shuttle’s lip plates were just as soft as they were back then, and Starscream melted. Maybe everything would be okay; the future they dreamed of will become a reality.

“Starscream! What are you doing!” Megatron yelled, his voice breaking the wonderful moment. Of course the old fool had to ruin this. 

“Skyfire,” Starscream said softly as Skyfire set him down, “grab the humans and I’ll meet up with you. I’ll deal with Megatron.”

“Star,” Skyfire said, “I don’t-“

“I’ll be fine, I doubt that he’ll do anything worse to me than he already has,” Starscream said, “now go, we both shouldn’t have to face his wrath.” Skyfire frowned, and gave the seeker a look of doubt. “Go on, shoo, I’ll handle this!” Starscream gave the shuttle his most reassuring smile.

“Okay,” Skyfire said, "Promise that you’ll meet me soon.”

“I promise to meet you as soon as I can,” Starscream said. With one last look, Skyfire ran off to find the two humans that were close to the Autobots. 

“Starscream! What are you doing!” Megatron yelled again, this time sounding closer.

“It’s called a loving embrace!” Starscream shrieked as he turned around, “Some of us have-“ the seeker was cut off as a fist hit his faceplates. 

Skyfire fidgeted as he waited for Starscream, the humans safely in his cockpit. None of the other Decepticons seemed to suspect a thing. Most of them gave him odd looks when he placed the two humans in his cockpit, but otherwise ignored him. 

“Hey! Let us out!” The smaller of the two humans yelled as he banged against the glass. Skyfire’s wings sagged, poor things were probably terrified. His size wouldn't help the situation, maybe some calm words would. 

“Shh,” Skyfire said softly, “we’ll get you back to the Autobots, we have to wait a moment.” 

“Who are we waiting for?” The bigger human said suspiciously. Skyfire didn’t blame him, he should be suspicious. They were the enemies after all.

“Sky, we have to go now,” Starscream’s voice was heard before the shuttle could see him. Skyfire relaxed, and walked towards the voice. When the shuttle saw the seeker, he could only gasp in horror. The glass from his left optic was broken and the surrounding area was dented, his wing was bent in an unnatural manner, and it looked like his right servo was crushed. 

“Star, what happened?” Skyfire said, panic filling his voice. They needed to get the seeker to a medic, and fast. Did Megatron find out that they were planning to defect? Was he going to send forces after them, preventing them from getting to the Autobots? 

“Old Bucket head was slagged, wasn't happy we were just standing around and talking.” Starscream said, “it's not as bad as it looks.” 

“Star, we need to get you to a medic!” Skyfire exclaimed. How was Starscream still standing? Was this a common occurrence? How was Starscream used to this treatment?

“I can wait, Sky, let’s just get out of here,” Starscream said. Skyfire couldn’t help the tears coming out of his optics. The seeker looked at him softly, “Don’t cry Sky, it’ll all be fine.” The shuttle nodded as Starscream took his servo. Quickly, they made their way to where the Autobots were hiding.

Optimus watched as Starscream and the mysterious shuttle stood before him. He could hear the other Autobots mutter and whisper behind him. Next to him, Bumblebee was looking over Spike and Sparkplug to make sure they were unharmed. 

When the two showed up claiming to defect together, it was a bit of a shock. The shuttle looked uncomfortable, while Starscream looked like he was going into stasis. 

“Prime, what should we do?” Ironhide asked, breaking the prime out of his thoughts “Can we really trust two cons?”

“Ironhide, I don’t believe that we’re looking at two Decepticons,” Optimus said, “just two mechs in need of help.”

“But what about everything old screamer has done?” Ironhide argued. 

“Look at him, Ironhide,” Optimus said, “that’s not the terrifying air commander of the Decepticons, that is a mech who has been badly hurt.” 

“You really think that he’ll become an Autobot?” The red mech asked, now gaining the attention of the other Autobots. 

“I do,” Optimus said before raising his voice, “Starscream. We will give you a chance to redeem yourself. If you truly want to do better, then we will give you that chance.”

”Prime!” 

“You can’t be serious!” 

“After everything he’s done!” 

“That is enough!” Prime yelled, quieting everyone, “If we stay too stuck in the past, then how can any of us expect to have a peaceful future!” The rest of the Autobots looked away, knowing what he said was right. Though he did not blame any of them for not trusting the seeker. He wouldn’t lie, even he doubted Starscream’s words. 

“Sir, I don’t mean to interrupt,” the shuttle next to the seeker said, “but can we please see a medic? Star’s in pretty bad shape.” 

“I’ve had worse,” Starscream muttered. The shuttle seemed to scold the seeker while keeping him upright. 

“Of course,” Optimus said, “I’ll comm Ratchet and let him know you’re coming. Prowl, go with them to make sure no one gives them trouble.”

”Of course sir,” Prowl said in a stoic manner. Starscream leaned on the shuttle and his optics fluttered off and on. 

“Starscream?” Skyfire asked, but received no response. 

“Make that an emergency comm to Ratchet,” Prime said, “Get to the Ark now!” Prowl ran over to take Starscream’s unconscious frame while the shuttle transformed. As the third in command loaded up the seeker and himself. Prime could only watch when the shuttle flew off, there was still a battle ahead of him. 

Chapter Text

Starscream sighed as he looked over his latest lab readings from the recent ice samples. They were starting to get harder to get, with the advancement of human technology. One wrong move from him or Skyfire could destroy years of research. They spent millions of years on Earth, and were a few more away from finishing their research. It would be glorious, going back to Cybertron with Skyfire, presenting their research, and getting a nice oil bath. There would be no doubt in anyone’s processor that a seeker and a shuttle could be scientists. 

“Star, it’s starting!” Skyfire yelled from the other room. The seeker’s wings gave an excited flutter. The good thing that came with the increase of human technology, was the entertainment that came with it. Before when it came to plays or opera’s, they were always observed from afar, or from a holoform. Television and radio allowed them to enjoy the culture from their safe little cave turned lab and housing quarters. 

“I’ll be there in a minute!” The seeker yelled as he set down the data pad. Maybe the readings would make some sense after a short break. As the seeker entered the living quarters of the cave, the familiar tune of As The Kitchen Sinks started to play. Starscream smiled, he remembered when this show had started out as a radio play, then in black and white, and now full color. It was a testament to how fast humans could develop new technology in a short span. 

“I wonder what’s going to happen next,” Skyfire said, “I hope Jack doesn’t get hurt.” 

“At this point I don’t know why they aren’t all dating each other.” Starscream muttered. With how much Donna goes between Gordon and Jack, one would have assumed they’re a trine having a spat.”

”A lot of the plot points would be resolved if all three talked it out,” Skyfire said as he placed a kiss on top of Starscream’s helm. The seeker smiled, he would miss this when they went back to Cybertron. Maybe he and Wheeljack could work on a device that could receive broadcast transmissions from light years away. Sure they would behind on the episodes, but they would still be able to get them. 

Just as the opening theme ended, a breaking news alert emerged. Starscream scowled and narrowed his optics. These emergency broadcasts always came up at the worst time ever. 

“I wonder what’s going on?” Skyfire asked softly. As the newscaster spoke, colorful frames filled their screen. Cybertronians were attacking an oil rig. Turning the oil into energon. Whether or not it was stable, that was a different problem. Starscream looked at the screen, his energon starting to boil. Who were these fools? Were they sent to ruin their research?

”What are they doing?” Skyfire asked in shock.

”Why weren’t we contacted?” Starscream shrieked as he leapt to his peds, “our research is almost finished! But now it’s ruined!” 

“There has to be some explanation,” Skyfire said calmly, “There has to be some logical explanation.”

”I know the logical explanation,” Starscream spat, “the functionalists at the academy wanted to make sure we never succeeded!" 

“Star, I’m sure that if they wanted to sabotage us, they would have done it a lot sooner,” Skyfire said, “there had to be a communication mix up.” 

“It looks like more strange robots have arrived, and are starting to fight the first group.” The newscaster said, causing both fliers to look at the television. 

“What the frag is going on?” Starscream yelled, none of this made any sense. The fighting out in the open and lack of contact were all strange. 

“Maybe we should talk to them,” Skyfire said softly, “find the logical reasoning behind their actions.”

“Or we could yell at them for being idiots!” Starscream said.

”Let’s wait on that one,” Skyfire said with a sigh, “just until we know all of the facts.”

Starscream huffed as he made his way over to one of the groups that had landed on Earth, their ship crashed into the side of a mountain. Skyfire and himself thought that it would be best to split up and get both sides of the story. It was the most efficient way of gathering information. Later, they would meet up, and piece all of the information together. Though, Starscream still wanted to yell at whoever was in charge, and not contacting the local research team.   

“This is so stupid,” Starscream muttered as he looked inside of the ship. Bright orange, a horrible color of a ship. 

“Entering enemy territory without back up generally is,” A gruff voice said. Starscream felt his wings go stiff. Why would this mech assume he was a combatant, an enemy one that is? Sure, there were some frame type elitists, but even they weren’t that blunt. 

“Don’t seeker’s come in threes?” A younger voice said.

“Skywarp and Thundercracker don’t,” a different one said, “but this one could have some back up somewhere in the mountains.”

“What the frag are you talking about?” Starscream said as he turned around. He needed to assess what he was dealing with. The three mechs were all grounders, two of them had red plating, the third was a brightly shined yellow. 

“Don’t play stupid Con,” The younger red one said, “We know you’re plotting something evil!” Starscream had to stop himself from rolling his optics. Of course they would assume he was plotting something. Probably thought he was some mad seeker. 

“I hope you know that your frame type elitism is wrongly placed, and I will file a complaint when we all get back to Cybertron! I am a scientist with the Iacon academy and I will not be mistaken for some lowly criminal!” Starscream yelled, causing the three mechs to flinch. Good, it was what they deserved for accusing him for being a criminal.

“Who’s filing a complaint?" A mech in a visor said as he appeared next to the older red mech, “let’s resolve this before any unnecessary paperwork gets involved.

“I am!” Starscream said, “these three accused me of being a criminal!” The four of them continued to stare like he didn’t belong there. He was used to it, but that didn’t help his anger. “Why are you all staring at me?”

“We called him a Con,” The gruff red one said. The mech with the visor nodded, before looking the seeker over.

“Well Ironhide, I think you’re wrong there. This mech has no insignia,” The mech in the visor said, “He’s neutral.” Starscream narrowed his optics, something was going on and he didn’t have all the information. 

“What are you talking about?” The seeker asked, “when he said I’m a Con, he’s obviously talking about be being a convict! What other thing would he accuse me of?” 

“Decepticon,” the four mechs said in unison, like it was the most natural thing in the world. Starscream glared, were they expecting him to know what that meant?

“Starscream? Is that really you?” A familiar voice asked. Looking over the visored mech’s shoulder, Wheeljack’s familiar helm fins came into view.

“Of course it is!” Starscream snapped, “You knew that Skyfire and I were out here doing our long term research project!” The seeker’s wings flared, anger about the project coming back to him. The other mechs looked at each other, like they didn’t believe what the seeker was saying.

“The science committy said you two were dead!” Wheeljack said as he ran over to the seeker, pulling him into a crushing hug, “they said you two were caught up in an ice storm, and the rescue team couldn’t find you guys! Then the science academy got destroyed, and all of the information about your exploration was lost!-" Starscream went still as the other scientist rambled on. An accident? The academy destroyed? The seeker felt so lost. 

“Jackie, you know this seeker?” The gruff red one, Ironhide as the other one mentioned before, asked. 

“Yes! We went to the academy together!” Wheeljack said as he let Starscream go, “he and Skyfire were some of the greatest minds at the academy! They wanted to be explorers.” 

“We are explorers,” Starscream said, “and the academy can’t be destroyed. We’ve been sending our notes to the exploration leader, he’s been sending us messages back.” 

“Mech, have you been saying that you’ve been here this entire time?” The visored mech said.

”Skyfire and I,” Starscream corrected, “he went to go to talk to that other group.”

”Skyfire’s going to talk to the Decepticons?” Wheeljack said in a panic, “they’re going to tear him apart!” Fear gripped Starscream’s spark. He had no idea what he would do without Skyfire.

“We have to go rescue him!” The seeker shouted, “before they have a chance to hurt him!” 

“We’ll go rescue him,” the mech in a visor said, “but you’re going to stay here and get a look over by our medic.” 

“What? Why?” Starscream demanded before feeling a servo on his shoulder.

“You have been in the elements without a proper medical check up,” A gruff voice said, “it would have been procedure for when you and your partner returned from your exploration.” 

“But what if-“ Starscream started to say before Wheeljack cut him off. 

“I’ll be there Star, I won’t let anyone hurt him.” Starscream huffed, he should go too. Wheeljack spoke again, “Starscream, you don’t have a weapon. The Decepticons will shoot you on sight. We’ll get Skyfire back, and I’ll tell you everything that you two have missed.”

“Just, don’t let him get hurt,” Starscream said as the medic started to pull deeper into the ship, and to the med bay. 

“I promise Starscream!” Wheeljack yelled, the sounds of transformations and care engines filled the tunnel. The seeker huffed, silently hoping that everything would be alright. 

Skyfire had his brightest smile on when he approached the new group of cybertronians. He would get this group's side of the story, he would go back to Starscream with the logical answer, and Starscream would tell him the other group’s side. Then they would piece together all of the missing information, and then this big misunderstanding would be resolved. Hopefully these other mechs would understand that this exploration was meant to study the species without interference and they would respect the science team’s findings. Everything would be okay, the research would be finished, and everyone could go back to Cybertron. 

“Hello!” Skyfire said in his most friendly voice as he got closer to the group, “My designation is Sky-“ the shuttle started to say as the mechs turned around and pointed blasters at him. The shuttle gulped, this was not what he was expecting. 

“It was foolish of you to try and sneak up on us,” the silver one said, “state your purpose.”

“My name is Skyfire, and I’m a part of the local research team here, I come in peace! I was just wondering why you didn’t contact us when you landed.” The mechs looked in between each other, judging if they believed what the shuttle said. Skyfire wished that he and Starscream hadn’t split up, that they went to talk to one group together. 

“You expect us to believe that?” A blue seeker said, “that a shuttle became a scientist under functionalist rule?” 

“A seeker and a shuttle actually,” Skyfire corrected, but regretted it as the blasters started to charge up. “We were sent here by the academy eons ago to research the development of organic civilization without outside interference! We were scheduled to go back home in a few more cycles! Contact the academy if you don’t believe me!”

“The academies were the first to go during the war,” the silver one said.

“The academy can’t be gone,” Skyfire said as he took a step back, “we’ve… we’ve been sending our research back- there has to be someone- A war?” All of this was overwhelming. He needed to get back to Starscream, see if the other group told him the same thing. 

“Lord Megatron: Shuttle is telling the truth,” A blue cassette carrying mech said, “Shuttle: has no idea about the war.”

“Are you saying that this shuttle has no clue about what has happened?” The silver mech yelled. The other mechs lowered their weapons and looked over at the two. 

“Afirmitve,” the cassette player said, “Shuttle: has been stranded here.”

“We were not,” Skyfire said, “we just wanted to finish our research!”

“Well I’m sorry to say that there’s nothing to go back to,” the silver mech said. Skyfire felt his wings flutter with nervousness. That had to be a mistake, no Cybertron to go back to? But there was a signal, and it was receiving their notes. Someone had to still be there. “Now shuttle, that leaves you with two options, join us or perish.” 

“I need to consult my partner before making any major decisions,” Skyfire said, not like it would help the situation, but it may give him a chance to get away. 

“Megatron!” A different voice yelled, causing the other mechs with blasters to aim away from the shuttle. Silently Skyfire turned around and started running. Getting out before it turned into an all out fight was the only way he was going to get out unscathed. 

“Prime! Come to surrender?” The silver mech yelled. Skyfire scrunched his brow, that didn’t sound like Sentinel or Alpha Trion. Was there a new prime? Hopefully Skyfire got some answers. 

“Skyfire! Over here!” A familiar voice yelled. The shuttle looked over and say a familiar flashing pair of head fins. 

“Wheeljack!” Skyfire said, “we need to get out of here!” 

“I know,” the smaller mech said, “come on, I’ll explain everything to you and Starscream once we get back to base!” Skyfire sighed in relief. At least they were going to get some answers from someone they knew. 

“Lead the way,” Skyfire said as he transformed. Wheeljack nodded and transformed himself, driving away from the fight. Everything was going to be alright, at least that was what Skyfire hopped. Something wasn’t setting right in his tanks, if the silver mech was really telling the truth, then who was getting all of Skyfire and Starscream’s research and field notes? 

Chapter Text

Starscream’s wing twitched as he watched the primes enter the cave. Allegedly, Sentinel had found something that could change the tide of war. The seeker didn’t buy it. After all of this time!  How long had he had this information? Was he telling the truth? Was this just some power grab?

“Star, what’s going on in that processor?" Thundercracker asked, placing a servo on the seeker’s wing. 

“He’s probably thinking about Skyfire~” Skywarp said as he wrapped his arms around his trine leader, body resting on the tri-colored seeker’s wings. “Thinking about what they’re going to do after the war is over.”

“Skywarp! Shut up!” Starscream hissed.

“Starscream loves Skyfire~ Screamer loves him so much! Are you two going to get conjuxed after the war?” Skywarp teased.

“Warp,” Thundercracker chided, “leave Starscream alone. You know he dosn’t like when you bring up personal things while on the battlefield.”

”And I am still your commanding officer! When we get back to Iacon, I will assign you to Archive protection duty.” Skywarp let go of his trine leader with a dramatic gasp.

“You wouldn’t! That duty is like, the worst! TC! Tell him that he can’t do that!” 

“Skywarp, he can and I will back him up if you keep provoking him,” Thundercracker said, “now Star, please tell us what’s wrong.” 

“There’s something suspicious about this,” Starscream muttered, “I don’t trust Sentinel. He’s planning something.” 

“You really think he’s going to do a power grab?” Skywarp asked, giving his trine leader a look. This wasn’t the first time Starscream had thought that Sentinel was aiming for more power. 

“Do you really think that he would do this during the war? When we finally have a chance to end it and have peace?”

“So he could gain something for himself?,” Starscream spat, “I wouldn't put it past him. This whole situation feels wrong. Why are we meeting in some random cave and not in Iacon. What is so special about this place?”

“I found that odd as well,” Thundercracker said, “I just assumed that he has some Quint spy.” 

“A spy, I doubt that,” Starscream said, “most likely false information fed to a fool!” 

“Hey, before Starscream goes on one of his famous rants, does that look like a Quint war ship with soldiers coming right at us?” Skywarp asked as he pointed in the air. Starscream squinted. It did look like a squadron of Quints coming at them. Which meant he was right about Sentinel!

“Let’s stop this coup before it even starts!” Starscream shouted, “High guard! Battle formation!”

Starscream huffed as the High guard had to retreat back to the cave. The Quintessions were too much for them. The seeker hoped that Megatronus Prime had some sort of battle plan. There was no way he was dying on the surface, leaving Skyfire alone. Even if he had to crawl back, he would make it to Iacon to see his spark mate again.

“How are there so many of them?” Prima’s voice as the sound of blaster fire filled the cave. The seeker inwardly cursed, he thought that they had gotten a lot of them. In the end, they had barely made a dent. 

“High guard! Protect the primes!” Starscream yelled as panic filled his processer. If they lost the primes then they would lose the war. The seeker watched as Soundwave hit a group of quintession soldiers with his sonic blast. Skywarp teleporting ahead to help the primes. Thundercracker sending out a sonic boom blasting some Quints back. 

“Sentinel!” How could you!” Megatronus’s voice rang out. Starscream knew it, and he should have spoken up sooner. That glorified secretary was trading all of their lives and freedom for power. He knew it, but didn’t speak up. 

“Commander Starscream! There are too many of them!” Shockwave yelled. 

“Keep blasting! We need to protect the primes! And if you can hit that traitor Sentinel, do it!” Starscream shouted as he blasted a quintession soldier.  

“Yes sir!” Filled the cave. Starscream continued to fight on, eventually getting to the larger part of the cave. Aiming his blaster, Starscream blasted Sentinel back before he could land a hit on Zeta prime. 

“Sentinel you traitor!” Starscream yelled, as he ignited his thrusters. Before Sentinel could recover, the seeker was slamming him into the wall. 

“Starscream,” the blue mech muttered, “How unfortunate to see you.” 

“Why? Why would you do this?” Starscream growled, “we have friends and loved ones that the Quintessons will destroy! Why side with them?”

“Power,” Sentanel said as he kicked the seeker. Starscream grunted as he let go of the traitor and clucked his side. It was a foolish to do, as Sentinel recovered, “you may have been content with your station Starscream, but I was destined for more!” The blue and gold mech unsheathed his second sword and stalked towards the seeker. 

“I wanted to be a scientist and an explorer,” Starscream spat, “and I will become one once the Quintessions threat is extinguished.” The seeker started to charge up his blaster and aimed. The energy blast sent the traitor flying through the wall. 

:: Soundwave, Shockwave, activate the seismic- ::

:: Starscream: will get injured as a result. ::

:: Think logically commander, even if we escape, you will be crushed. ::

:: Just do it! Get away from here, and I’ll take out Sentinel. He betrayed us to the Quintessions, so its best if we have them think we perished. Just get the primes out of here! :: 

The familiar rumble of ground shooting up filled the seeker’s audials. Igniting his thrusters, Starscream launched himself towards Sentinel. Tears pricked the sides of the seeker’s optics. He had promised Skyfire that he would come back, that they could explore the stars together. Now, it looked like a power hungry fool was taking that all away. Now, at the very least he could take the one thing that Sentinel wanted as well. 

“For Cybertron!” Starscream yelled as he grabbed Sentinel as the ground shot up around them. As the ground was beginning to crush them, Starscream allowed himself to look at something positive, at least Skyfire was going to be free. 

Skyfire scowled as he and Ratchet searched the cave that the primes were supposed to be meeting at. No one had heard from the primes, the high guard, or the principal aid since the meeting. All had disappeared, and a pit was growing in Skyfire’s tanks. Starscream always found some way to contact him, to send out a message that he was okay. The rest of Iacon was panicking, The city’s defenses were the only thing keeping the Quintessions out. But without the highguard, who knew how long they would be safe. 

“Primus,” Ratchet said, causing Skyfire to look up. Around them were the deactivated frames of friends and foes alike. 

“Alpha Trion!” Skyfire shouted, but the mech made no indication that he heard him.

“Alchemist, Onyx, and Quintus are also here,” Ratchet said, “all deactivated.” 

“What happened?” Skyfire asked. 

“When we find someone, we’ll ask. But it doesn't look good,” Ratchet muttered. Skyfire shut his optics. If anyone would be truthful about this, it would be Starscream. Opening the bond, Skyfire tried to reach out to the seeker. A faint pulse came back, with a mix of sorrow and happiness. 

“Starscream’s over there, he’s still alive!” Skyfire said as he ran towards a secondary opening in the cave. As he exited, Skyfire saw a familiar wing sticking out of the ground. 

“Skyfire! Don’t go too far!” Ratchet yelled, following the shuttle. 

“Starscream!” Skyfire yelled as he made his way down the mountain side. The white and red wing was covered in dirt, but the color was still there. That was good, Starscream was still alive, and could explain what happened. They could find the rest of the primes and high guard, and figure out an end to the war. Reaching the seeker, Skyfire brushed some of the dirt off of his faceplates. His optics were offline.

”Skyfire,” Ratchet said as he came up next to the shuttle, “we need to get him back to Iacon.” 

“Of course,” Skyfire said as he transformed. The shuttle felt the medic load the seeker into his cargo bay. Over the bond Skyfire sent over a supporting feeling. Starscream was safe, and he deserved to know that. 

Chapter Text

Starscream watched as the young upstart stood against Sentinel at the Prime’s plaza. The back of his processer knew that the silver mech wouldn’t stand a chance by himself. He and the high guard should do something! They should be helping take down this tyrant that had enslaved Iacon to repay his debt. The seeker scowled, they should be attacking the traitor as well!

“Starscream!” A familiar voice yelled from the crowd. The seeker turned around and saw a pair of white wings coming towards him.

”Skyfire!” The seeker yelled, cringing at how his voice sounded. Maybe he shouldn't have provoked D-16, Sky didn’t deserve such a shrill noise. 

“You’re alive!” Skyfire yelled as he reached the seeker and pulled him into a hug. Starscream relaxed, feeling the warm embrace of the shuttle. It had been so long since he had seen his mate, the last thing he wanted to do was let go. When he had left, he promised to come back. To return to his mate, and they could be free to do what they wanted. They could be the explorers, as they dreamed when they were sparklings. 

“You’re okay!” Starscream said softly. Looking up at Skyfire optics, the only thing he could see was love. No spite, not looks of betrayal, just love. The seeker angled himself up, pressing a kiss against the shuttle’s lip plates. It felt amazing, like it had felt at their bonding ceremony. It was like fireworks and the crowd was cheering for them. Everyone celebrating love instead of the never ending violence. Then all went quiet for a moment. Skyfire was still kissing the seeker, and Starscream leaned in more. Now it felt like the reunion he imagined.

He'd help D-16 in a minute.

Coming home to Skyfire after taking out the quintessions, the shuttle getting two cubes together. Starscream, with his wings held high, walking through the door. Skyfire would have set the two cubes down, and swept him into a similar hug and kiss. Then, once Starscream was set down, the two would grab the cubes, and Starscream would tell Skyfire about how he, the primes, and the high guard defeated the quintessions. Skyfire would smile at him, just like he did in the academy. Skyfire would tell him about his day, and his latest experiment. The shuttle would be excited as he spoke, happily explaining everything so Starscream would be caught up. The next day, the two would return as lab partners, just like they were before the war.

”Ahem!” A voice called out, pulling Starscream out of his thoughts. The seeker could feel Skyfire growling, unhappy that the kiss ended. A shiver went through the seeker, he had never heard the shuttle growl before. 

“What do you want? We’re in the middle of a reunion!” Starscream snapped, looking over Skyfire’s shoulder. Behind the shuttle, the smoking remains of the Prime’s plaza laid in ruin. The grey one’s friends were looking at him as if he had done something wrong. The seeker huffed, did Sentinel make public displays of affection illegal or something. “Who ruined the plaza?”

”The high guard,” The pink one yelled.

”Why would those idiots do that?” Starscream yelled back; Skyfire gripped the seeker harder, as if letting go meant losing the seeker again. 

“Did you miss everything that happened?” The yellow one yelled back. “Orion became a prime!”

“We were busy,” Skyfire and Starscream yelled at the same time. The seeker scowled, what had happened while he reunited with Skyfire? In what span of time did the red and blue one claim himself as a prime?

The blue and red one started to speak, his face lighting up all of the screens in Iacon, “Uh, an amendment to the previous announcement. Starscream of the High guard can stay, as he did not participate in the death of Sentinel Prime or the destruction of Iacon.” Starscream started to look around, had the high guard really decided to follow the silver mech over him? Were they really going to destroy the city they swore to protect? 

The screens turned off, and the three younger mechs walked towards the couple. Skyfire now had a death grip on the seeker’s armor. “Skyfire, you’re denting my armor.” Starscream whispered.

“I am not losing you,” Skyfire said, “not again.” The seeker chirped softly, letting the shuttle know he wasn’t going anywhere. There was no way he was going to leave without Skyfire. He was home, and he didn’t plan on leaving anytime soon. Not of his own will anyway. 

“Starscream,” The red and blue one said as the three got closer to the shuttle and the seeker, “we are going to need some help rebuilding Iacon, to make it a city for all.”

“He’s not going anywhere,” Skyfire said before Starscream could speak. The seeker looked up at the shuttle, and could feel the fear coming off of him. Who knew the lies that Sentinel had fed him, privately and publicly. 

“No, of course not!” The blue and red one said, “but he’s the only one with military knowledge and the true history of Cybertron.”

“I’ll think about it,” Starscream said, “later. Right now, I just want my mate and an oil bath.” 

“What’s an oil bath?” The yellow asked, “can we join?” 

“No,” Skyfire and Starscream said at the same time. 

“We can talk about it at a later time,” the red and blue one said, “go with the great racer Skyfire. I’m sure you two have a lot to catch up on.” 

“Racer?” Starscream asked, “when did you become a racer? Were you not allowed to do science?” The seeker felt the energon in his frame boil with rage. How dare Sentinel take away Skyfire’s rights. If the traitor was still alive, he would make him pay!

“I was still a scientist Star,” Skyfire said as he turned around and started walking, “doing well in the races was how a lot of mechs got funding for their projects.” 

“That’s stupid,” Starscream grumbled, “why should funding be set to a race?” 

“Where are you going?” The yellow one yelled as he started to follow the two fliers. “We gotta set up the new government!” 

“Tomorrow!” Skyfire and Starscream yelled at the same time. The last thing that the seeker wanted was bureaucratic nonsense. A good cube, an oil bath, and Skyfire was all he wanted to do for the next few cycles. 

“We’ll see you tomorrow!” The red and blue bot yelled. Starscream groaned, why couldn’t theses younglings leave him alone for a few moments. 

“They may have you tomorrow,” Skyfire whispered into the seeker’s audials, “but for the rest of today and tonight, you are my conjunx. You are going to get that reward I’ve been saving for fifty cycles.” Starscream felt his wings shiver. Tonight, all he had to worry about was spending a quiet night with his mate. Something he had been dreaming of for the past fifty cycles.