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Chapter Text

 “Is that Starscream and Bumblebee?”

Shocked, stunned and more than a little amazed Prowl’s usual disinterested tone had taken on a flavour of disbelief.

“No.” was Ratchet’s curt response. It brokered no argument, no further discussion and most definitely didn’t offer an opportunity for explanation. In the silence that followed the mechs in question had unclasped their servos and gone separate ways, but the image of the newly minted Cybertronian Councilmech and the decorated scout so casually linked hovered in the distance where they’d been standing, unaware of the widened optics that had been locked upon them.

“Don’t you have a patrol to be on?” Ratchet said, not turning from his work.

“Uh yes,” Prowl said, taking the opportunity to scamper off.

As he followed the unfamiliar path through the newly built Embassy, Prowl found himself being less and less surprised. It was painfully obvious now that he thought about it. The reserved Mech found himself stifling a small laugh as he looked back on the night’s his fellow Autobot had shown up late…he presumed he’d been racing again…but now…Oh dear Primus. Prowl stopped dead, unable to move forward until his circuits either dispatched or came to terms with his sudden revelations. Unfortunately for Prowl, that patrol was with Bumblebee…or it would have been, if he’d managed to restart his circuits in time. Mega-cycles passed until Prowl was shaken lightly but another bot.

“Are you okay?” The voice didn’t sound concerned so much as it was perplexed and annoyed that Prowl was blocking the Embassy hallway.

“Oh, no- yes. I’m fine.” Prowl managed to get out. He turned to face the ‘concerned’ bot behind him and froze.

“Aren’t you one of Bumblebee’s friends?” Starscream asked. Prowl could only nod. “Are you sure you’re okay?” The Decepticon’s optics narrowed in suspicious confusion. 

“Y-yes.”

“Right, try not to clog up anymore hallways.”

With that Starscream was gone, striding down the corridor as if his he owned the place, which he technically did, without a backward glance at the bot who was still just standing there. Luckily that hallway only lead towards the common barracks so only bots returning from patrols would be passing him by for the next couple hours. Weird, didn’t Starscream have private rooms in the opposite direction?

---

The Present

The casual declaration lingered in the air. Bulkhead had meant it as a joke, he’d never expected an affirmative answer. He should have known. They all should have seen it but why would they when it made no sense to look in the first place.

“How-how long?” Prowl stuttered out, not as shocked as he would have been if he hadn’t had the image of them linked servos flashing behind his optics every time he saw either Bumblebee or Starscream.

“A while, I’d expected that someone would ask sooner,” Bumblebee said with a warm smile.

It appeared only Ratchet wasn’t suffering some degree of shellshock.

“Keep your servos off each other in my lab kid.”

A laughing Bumblebee at a table of silent and mildly mortified Autobots was the sight that greeted Starscream as we walked into the common room.

“Can I presume they know?” Was all he asked. Bumblebee nodded optics dancing. Starscream held out a servo and the smaller mech weaved his way through his friends to take it.

“So what news from Cybertron?” Bumblebee asked, taking in the trademark glint Starscream got in his optic after he’d won something. A smirk stretched across his face. 

“The Council has finally decided what commendations to give you. There will be a ceremony on Cybertron to welcome in the founding members of the Elite Guard’s Earth Battalion.”

As the Autobot’s celebrated, the bearer of good news and his yellow counterpart slipped away to the calm isolation of the Embassy’s penthouse.

Chapter Text

Thirty Years Earlier

When Starscream clawed his way out of all the filth that had been strewn on top of him -was that a scratch? - it’s safe to say that revenge was the sole thing on his mind. How dare Megatron try to kill him! Starscream was the one who did the killing thank you very much.

Now, Starscream will be the last to admit that what happened next wasn’t his finest planning, getting killed by Megatron not once, but numerous times was painful to say the least. However, on the umpteenth time he found himself carelessly tossed into that ravine it dawned on him that not only was this not getting him anywhere, it was more than a touch humiliating.

It was time for a new plan. He needed allies, evidently not Decepticon allies, so that left only one option. Cutting back a sign, Starscream wondered if the smallest Autobot would remember fondly how he hadn’t dropped him from that tower. Although how could he forget such a benevolent act of mercy from the all-powerful Starscream? Exactly. He’d offer his assistance and those puny Autobots would welcome him with open arms, so what if they’re obnoxious and self-righteous slagheaps, Starscream had spent millennia with Megatron and it wasn’t like the Autobots could be worse.

That assumption was of course one of Starscream’s many mistakes that day.

It turns out when you land innocently (if the definition of innocent has swapped with menacing) in front of a group of Autobots and their humans pets, they shoot first and ask questions later.

He’d barely gotten out half a greeting before the yellow one was shooting at him and then that hulking fool was hanging off his leg as he tried to shoot back into the air. It was a perfectly dignified screech that made its way out of Starscream as the sudden weight pulled him down.

“I’m here to help, you Autobot fools!” He got out as the green one hanging off him was flung off his leg, landing with a ‘Thump’ that fitted his exceptional size. The Autobots paused their assault.

“You’re what?” The smallish yellow one…beeboop? Boople? Whatever his name was, said.

“I’m here to offer my help little Autobot,” It was less sultry and more flustered than Starscream had intended but that was beside the point.

“And why should we believe you?” Challenged the red and white one, Starscream didn’t even want to try to guess this crumbling old timer’s name. He might keel over offline before he could figure it out.

“What’s there not to believe? You saw what Megatron did, I hold grudges and you want him offline as badly as I do.” Starscream brushed off the disgusting green paint that had scrapped off onto his servo with distaste as he spoke. His ‘charming’ smile was met with only blank stares and disbelief. Well this was off to a good start.

---

“No,” said Prime. It was final, unyielding and left Starscream in shock. No? NO?

Yet with that the so called ‘medic’ had slapped a pair of stasis cuffs on him and he was being dragged onto the Elite Guard ship. This was not a day that would make it unedited into his autobiography; Rise of Starscream the First, to be fair that was if he lived long enough to write it.  

---

“You want to kill Megatron.”

Starscream looked up, outside of the shimmering blue door to his cell stood the yellow bot and that extra small human.

“It’s been a dream of mine since I was a protoform.”

The human’s faceplate thingy stretched. Is this some kind of organic threat?

“Where’s Megatron?”

Starscream laughed, a mocking cackle that bounced off the walls of his cell.  The little Autobot was so adorable when he tried to be stern.

“You think I’ll just give that information to you for free? Ha, Autobots are as stupid as they are ostentatious.” That and Starscream couldn’t have answered if he’d wanted to, being a rouge didn’t incline your betrayed companions to keep you updated on their whereabouts and dastardly schemes.

“Hey! You take that back!” The organic spat, it’s expression shifting into something Starscream was almost sure was meant to be a threat this time.  

“Or what?” 

“Sari go get Bulkhead,” The Autobot said fixing Starscream with a dangerous stare. But the rouge Decepticon wasn’t some freshly formed bot, he was older than the young bot in front of him and had spent most of his life playing the game his counterpart had stumbled into. Starscream saw through the hard glint in the Autobot’s optics and to the uncertainty and shame underneath. He was intrigued to see what would happen once the organic was gone.

The doors slid shut as the Autobot clenched and unclenched his servos, drawing in a long breath. He stalked towards the control panel and levelled his optics at Starscream once more. The Deception unfolded his limbs and made his way to the segment of cell wall the yellow Autobot stood behind.

“Willing to make a deal little Autobot?”

“It’s Bumblebee,” He said. Then seemingly without any more thought he unsheathed his stinger and overloaded the control panel. The cell wall flickered, then went offline and just like that Starscream was free.

He could have left then and there, blasted a hole and escaped without a second thought. But he didn’t. Starscream stayed, and he listened. He took the commlink the Autobot -Bumblebee, offered him and did as he was told. Escaped. He must say, the shock on the face of that exceedingly insufferable Autobot (Seminar Prim?)  made the discomfort of the cell more bearable. And to think, just moments ago he’d been lamenting a plan gone awry, now it seems he’d gained himself an ally after all. Better still, one who was balanced on a blade’s edge. If worst came to worst blackmail was always an exceptional insurance policy.  

Chapter Text

A Month Later

“Back for more, little Autobot?” Starscream practically purred. Bumblebee spun around, only to come face to face, or well face to lower torso with the former Decepticon second-in-command. Starscream loomed over the Autobot, his height a welcome advantage.

“You commed that you had intel Starscream, now spill it before I start broadcasting your location, I’m helping you remember.”

The power dynamics between the two were heavily skewed, but despite what their relative positions and height portrayed, it was the Autobot scout who held all the cards now.

“Oh? Are you threatening me little one?” Starscream said, unperturbed.

“No. It’s a promise.”

Neither Mech had noticed but as they spoke Starscream had loomed further and further down until very little space separated their helms. An unconscious power play on the disgraced Decepticon’s part, his hand of proverbial cards wasn’t nearly as empty as it appeared but millennia amongst Decepticons gave one some uncrackable habits.

“How adorable.”

Bumblebee bristled at the mockery. Annoyed but not so naive as to not know what Starscream was trying to do, Bee reached for his com. Before he could flick it up and activate the connection to the Autobot base, Starscream’s servo lashed out and his clawed digits bit into the metal of Bee’s plating. “I suggest you remember the agreement we came to.”

“I haven’t forgotten” Bee spat, his optics narrowed in response to Starscream’s underlining threat.

So here they were, in a dark warehouse, Starscream’s choice of meeting place tonight, mere centimetres apart, alone and filled with utter derision towards each other.

“You Autobots, always so self-involved, never a thought for the rest of us,” Starscream said, before letting go of Bumblebee and pushing the smaller Mech away. The Autobot stumbled but regained his footing with ease as his companion straightened up to his full height. “Black Arachnia has your human.”

“Sari!” The name was out of Bee’s lips before he could stop it, she’d been missing for almost a full day now.

“You give them names how quaint.”

“Where is she?” Bee demanded advancing the few steps that separated the former enemies turned tentative allies.

“Ah ah ah,” Starscream tutted, “your end of the bargain first, Autobots are noble not trustworthy.” With a growl Bumblebee took out a data chip and held it out to the larger Mech. Starscream was almost dainty as he plucked the offered information out of Bee’s servo before depositing a similar chip in its place. “It’s a pleasure doing business with you little Autobot.” With that the fugitive Decepticon transformed and shot through a hole in the decaying roof of the warehouse.

Bee departed without a glace upwards or back. Now all he had to do was explain how he’d come across the address. Oh yeah you know how Starscream escaped? Uh well it’s because I struck a deal with him and now we trade information on Decepticon movements. As if that wouldn’t end with a full mental scan from Ratchet, although Bee thought that he probably needed it. No Bot in their right mind cuts a deal with Starscream. He puts the ‘deception’ in Decepticon for Primus sake! And yet here he was, not only cutting a deal with Starscream but actively lying to and betraying his friends to do it. Bee hoped Starscream’s lead on Sari would pan out, for all their sakes.

---

Luckily for our plucky heroes Sari was safely rescued from the clutches of the venomous Decepticon while the night was still young. After what felt like a full stellar cycle of non-stop movement, thinking and subterfuge Bee finally had a chance to breathe.  However his respite was neither long nor very relaxing and  it was only the pure insanity of the truth that prevented his half-baked but ultimately worth it scheme from unravelling right there and then.

“Come here and let me look at your servo,” Ratchet said, his trademarked ‘no nonsense medic’ voice in full power. Remembering the deep but painless gouges Starscream had left in his plating Bee felt his circuitry start to fire in alarm. Obliging the old medic Bee outstretched his arm. “How you young bots manage to get injured on a simple patrol astounds me.”

Right. Ratchet mentioned Bee’s plating before he’d burst out that he’d seen Black Arachnia in the industrial district and they’d all rolled out, cosmetic injury falling by the wayside in pursuit of the young Autobot’s ‘hunch’. A nervous laugh bubbled out of Bee, “Yeah all those trees…they really come outta nowhere…”

It was perhaps the lamest excuse Bee had ever uttered- which, considering his past, was quite a feat.

Ratchet’s brow raised in what can only be described as; You expect me to believe that kid? personified into a single expression. “Lay off the races.”

Bee hoped he looked abashed and not utterly relieved as he gave a quick nod and looked away. That was a close call.

---

Six Months Later

“You gotta stop digging your claws into me every time you wanna make a point, Docbot is getting suspicious,” Bumblebee deadpanned, his optics trained on the way, once more, Starscream’s hooked digits were sunk into his plating, just above his shoulder this time, his longest overlapping the seams and lying just above a line of Bee’s circuitry -any deeper and well that didn’t warrant thinking about. This was an information exchange. Plain and simple. So what, if when emergency didn’t have him racing away Bumblebee has spent more time than was strictly necessary with the Decepticon? It was a solid investment to cultivate amicable relations with one’s informants. Or at least he thought so…he was new to this ‘spy’ thing.

“Force of habit.” There was something in Starscream’s optics then, something deep and buried and so very sad. In a flash it was gone, claws unfurling and as they went brushing ever so slightly against the Autobot’s wiring in a way that was almost intentional. There were no long gashes this time, four thin but defined lines of bare metal trailed down his shoulder. Bumblebee’s faceplate warmed at the action. God they almost looked like- No. Not something to be thinking about when chest plate to chest plate with slagging Starscream. “Your friends are making quite the headway with tracking down all those All Spark fragments.”

Small talk. Right. That was a thing they did now. But Bumblebee was genuine in his answering smile, “Thanks to you.”

“What can I say, I just adore scouring this cursed planet and then depositing them at your doorstep,” Starscream said, his tone facetious to the core.

“Just as much as I enjoy misleading my team to keep them off your back,” Bee retorted. The momentary warmth between them stilted to a simmering frost. Starscream opened his mouth, but before he could say anything Bee’s commlink pinged and the voice of Optimus Prime cut him off.

“Bee we need you back at the base pronto.”

“Got it boss bot, on my way!”

Despite his words, Bee hadn’t moved. Starscream had hooked a single digit under the same plate and was slowly, absentmindedly, moving it back and forth. He appeared unaware of just what he was doing to the smaller mech.

“I have to go,” Bee said after he overcame the sudden shock of a sharpened appendage tugging on his wiring. A warm flush went through his inner casing straight to somewhere he’s truly rather never be thinking about around a Decepticon, the former second-in-command no less.

“Yes, I suppose you do.” Neither made a move to actually leave, optics locked on one another. “Goodbye Bumblebee.” And then Starscream stepped away and transformed, streaking upwards into the sky before Bee could say his own farewells.

Chapter Text

Three weeks, two days and twenty-two hours later…

“CLONES?” The Autobot exclaimed, “YOU MADE CLONES OF YOURSELF?”’

Starscream realised he probably should have seen this coming. The Autobot had screeched to a halt, leaving skid marks through the abandoned warehouse, before transforming in a flurry of anger and immediately advancing on the Decepticon.

“Uh, yes?” Was all the former scientist could think of in reply.

“How did you even get your body back? Bulkhead and I were scouring that rubble for pieces of the space bridge and I didn’t find a trace of you! You haven’t commed in a week! I thought you were offline!”

There was a scathing laugh from behind Bumblebee. In his haste to berate Starscream, he’d completely missed the sight of the femme-bot leaning against the wall. “You need to work on your allies, an uppity Autobot doesn’t inspire confidence” Slipstream’s words dripped with venom.

Starscream let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his olfactory sensor, “Did I ask you?”

“Who-?” Bumblebee said before Starscream cut him off,

“Slipstream meet Bumblebee, Bumblebee meet my most loyal clone, Slipstream.”

“Loyal?”

“She’s the one that came back.”

“I’m beginning to regret that. So, your big plan is an Autobot? Pathetic.” At this point Starscream was surprised her remarks weren’t leaving physical dents in his plating.

“Go and guard the base, your endless stream of criticism is getting on my circuits.” Starscream managed to grind out. With a roll of her optics, the blue and purple bot walked through the open warehouse doors. The sound of a Harriet Jet firing and fading into the distance told the remaining bots they were alone.

Silence stretched between them -broken only by the night time sounds of a city, vastly softer than the bustle of the daylight hours, but far removed from true quiet. Despite the noise from far off traffic and organic habitation, a pocket of heavy but fragile quiet had established itself.

“I’m sorry.” Starscream’s words had not broken the silence, simply stretched it in the way that time lengthens at turning points. “I should have told you, I just- I didn’t want to force you to lie more than you already have, and I-“

“I’m glad you’re online.”

Starscream clicked his mouth closed from the surprise ‘O’ it had formed after his rambling apology was cut short by the unexpected declaration. Their optics found one another. Lowered, shameful glances disregarded for a silent wager. A challenge and a promise reflected back at the Decepticon in the Autobot’s optics, the question was whether or not Starscream was bold enough, brave enough and stupid enough to accept it.

It was a knife edge. Falling on one side led back the way they’d come, allies and nothing more. Plummeting off the other side was an unexplored minefield, risk for an uncertain reward. But was it so uncertain? Did it matter if it was? Had he not already spent millions of stellar-cycles in pain and fear. Fighting. Dying. Running. Risking it all to be free, he had a taste of freedom now, but the threat of Megatron still hung over his head like an unwavering shadow, visiting in the middle of his stasis to inflict remembered and imagined terror over and over. Was it time to live for something other than the absence of fear? So long spent trying to escape, Starscream had forgotten what he was trying to escape to. Looking into Bumblebee’s optics, Starscream thought, that in time maybe -just maybe- he might be able to remember.

Slowly, conviction increasing with every inch, Starscream lowered his helm to be level with that of the Autobot’s. In response Bumblebee raised his accordingly, their lips brushed together delicacy, as if everything they’d both seen -the damage and the horror- could be only be written over with the very opposite. Gentle kisses tumbled on and on. Servos hesitant and soft in their caressing.

Unused to a gentle connection that wasn’t beguiling or a touch that wasn’t violent Starscream was at a loss. It felt right and good and yet there was something unfamiliar and terrifying at something given without expectation. This wasn’t a punishment or a transaction, it was a gift freely given. Bumblebee didn’t wish for anything Starscream wasn’t ready to give, the Autobot’s willingness to let Starscream set the pace was evidence of that. In another bot his actions could be misconstrued as inexperience. But this wasn’t hesitant, it was deliberate. It was a soft touch asking permission before placing his servo down. It was the restrained eagerness that the smaller mech vibrated with, satiating himself with this slow and soft exploration and not powering through as was his nature.

It was a kindness Starscream couldn’t understand.

The overwhelming surge of Starscream’s emotions broke against the rock that was Bumblebee’s gentle regard and their kiss deepened, both bots pulling the other closer yet still maintaining their softness. Digits dipped between plates and brushed against wires, sending shockwaves through them both. Stuttering exhalations and gasps filled the space where silence had grown heavy and thick beforehand.

They say fortune favours the brave, but it seems that starting a thus undefined budding relationship with your factional enemy was not brave enough for fortune.

Bumblebee’s commlink shattered the sphere of separation that had engulfed the pair. Just like that they were pulling apart, ventilation units working overtime to cool them. The loud whirling filled the air, replacing the delicious moans Starscream had managed to pull from the Autobot. The sound of Bumblebee’s returned arousal was a poor replacement for the sounds he’d been making before but there was one thing worse to hear at a time like this; the voice of Optimus Prime exploding with frantic urgency from a commlink.

“Bee report to base, it’s Sari, she’s- She’s gone haywire.”

“Sari…” Bumblebee whispered his optics widening from half-lidded abandon to concerned fear in moments. “I have to…-” Words failed the Autobot.

“Go,” Starscream finished for him, and order and permission in one.

“I-” Bumblebee began, half turning towards the exit and looking like a bot torn in half. Starscream smiled, of course the Autobot would be having a morality crisis about leaving him here with so much left unsaid. It was in his smaller counterpart’s programming.

“I’m not one to leave things unfinished. Save your organic friend, I’ll be waiting little Autobot.” Perhaps it was the purr as he said ‘unfinished’, or the reprisal of the old nickname that motivated Bumblebee to leave. If Slipstream -who’d been watching this all in abject horror, not very trusting of her template- had been a betting bot, she would have said it was the softness to Starscream’s optics, the unguarded trust that sent the Autobot off with the assertion that he wasn’t throwing away whatever had just begun by leaving. But then again, she knew Starscream better than he knew himself so it wasn’t a particularly great idea to bet against her. Slipstream was after all the embodiment of his -oh sorry, that’s classified.

---

The Next Day

He’s kissed Starscream. He should be surprised. When you make out with your enemies you should be surprised…but Bumblebee wasn’t. This had been building for months, colouring the soft smiles they’d drawn from each other, the fear Bee had felt when the larger mech had disappeared. They hadn’t acknowledged it but these past few cycles, they’d been slowly and surely spiralling towards this. It felt inevitable. It felt good. It was as if a weight had been pushing the bot down, only lifting when he realised that the Decepticon’s spark mirrored his. It had been so freeing to finally give in, to bridge the physical and metaphorical space between them. Until Optimus had commed. Sari.

Regret panged in the bot’s spark, he should have been with her, should have stopped her from using the key…instead he’d been kissing a Decepticon. It wasn’t the act itself but the timing that was less than ideal, still part of Bee still blamed himself. Sari was laying prone in stasis. Offline to the world. Bee looked away and tried to focus on whatever Ratchet was trying to tell him. Something about Bulkhead going on a trans-warp adventure after he’d left the rubble of the spacebridge to ‘scout’. Ha, is that was he was calling fraternising with Decepticons now?

Bee shut that line of thought off, this wasn’t about Starscream, it was about him. He’d made a mistake, he’d let his concern for Starscream overtake his obligation to his team mates. Bulkhead wouldn’t have been thrown across the galaxy or attacked by a rock monster if he’d been there to stop him…and then Sari wouldn’t have done this. He should have been here.

“Uh what’s going on?”

It didn’t take long to discern that residual transwarp energy was at work in frying all the human electronics. Mostly because Omega Supreme appeared in the Detroit sky.

---

Starscream’s commlink pinged as his destroyed ship’s sensors began to go haywire. What?

“Starscream! Omega Supreme returned, Megatron is piloting him, we need all the backup we can get!” Came the frantic voice of Bumblebee.

“I can see that; how do you propose I assist without your lovely friends trying to kill me?” Starscream said, calm in the face of his counterpart’s frenetic energy.

“Uh-,” Bumblebee started but the sounds of explosions covered anything he would have said.

“Slipstream and I will be there shortly, and Bee?”

“Yeah?” Bumblebee’s voice crackled with background noise.

“Stay online.”

The comm-connection severed before Bumblebee could voice his reply, but as he fired upon the legs of Omega Supreme there was a smile on his face.

Chapter Text

The action died down as quickly as it started, the aerial barrage from the two seekers distracting Megatron enough for Prowl to worm his way into the mind of Omega Supreme. It wasn’t a permeant solution, Megatron managing to wrestle control back from the cyber ninja and just like that the fighting was renewed.

Starscream was knocked from the sky as Megatron gave a stirring monologue about betrayal and Bee felt his spark seize. If that black smoke pouring from the Decepticon’s wings was any indication then- no. Don’t think about that, just get to him.

Bumblebee was peeling away from the main fight within moments of seeing Starscream fall. It wasn’t a decision so much as it was his coding forcing him to move before he could even remember they were supposed to be enemies. The particulars of their circumstance didn’t even register to the Autobot until much later.  His only saving grace was that he didn’t call out the falling Decepticon’s name. The utter panic and concern in his voice would have been hard to explain.

“Starscream…” Bee whispered. Optics wide the Autobot was able to take in every detail. The cracks running through his plating, the gaping hole in his side, the crumpled wings and the utter stillness. He was offline. Bee had called him here and now he was offline. What have I done?  Apologies tumbled from the Autobot, interspersed with attempts to awaken the Decepticon. It felt like a million stellar-cycles between the moment Bumblebee realised Starscream was offline, and to moment the glowing started.

Originating from the middle of his helm, the glow started out soft before it pulsated with more and more energy. Soon Starscream was engulfed in a bright flash of light, the calming colour of the All-Spark surrounding the two Cybertronians.

As soon as it had appeared the blue light was gone, leaving in its wake a newly healed and online Starscream.

“Starscream…” There was hesitance in the Autobot’s voice. When the Decepticon opened his mouth to say something it was cut short by Bumblebee surging forward and latching himself onto the larger mech. “You were offline, I thought I’d lost you, I’m so sorry-”

His rambling ended by Starscream pressing a chaste kiss on the other bot’s helm, shushing him. They held each other. Relief like a tsunami as it surged through them.

 “You two are disgusting, the Autobots have noticed you’re gone.” Slipstream said abruptly, as always, the bearer of good news.

Locking optics for the barest of seconds the pair shared an unspoken promise. They would win this battle together, and face the rest together as well. Then they transformed and entered the fray once more.

---

When it was over, Megatron sent randomly warping around the universe, every mech breathed a sigh of relief. It was short lived however as when Starscream and Slipstream landed in front of the Autobots after planting the plasma dynamic thruster on Omega Supreme the tension in the air was palpable.

“Don’t you wished you hadn’t tried to ship me off back to Cybertron now?” Starscream said. Perhaps not the best seg but it sliced through the awkward silence well enough.

“What do you want Starscream?” Optimus asked.

“Nothing much, not to be killed by Megatron for the hundredth time, a bot to warm my berth, a clone who isn’t such a pain, intergalactic peace, the usual.” Bumblebee found himself smiling at Starscream’s nonchalant list. Optimus however did not. Pouting at the cold reception Starscream continued, “I want Megatron dead.” His change in tone was stark, all notes of playfulness dropped.

“I can’t let you do that,” Optimus began.

“Yes, you made that quite clear, I’m willing to compromise. I help you capture him and in return, we forget all that nasty stuff Megatron ordered me to do.” Seeing Starscream’s grin as his laid down his terms allowed Bumblebee to reconcile the Decepticon’s calculating reputation with bot he’d come to care for. It was little wonder why in the cycles Megatron had been gone Starscream had become the Autobot’s number one target. Ruthless and conniving, yet not as harsh as he once would have been.

A warm flush spread through Bumblebee’s spark chamber and downwards, pride turning into concern as he spotted and drying energon splattering Starscream’s plating. Starscream’s optics found Bee’s and his grin lost it’s wicked edge.

Slipstream was watching them with disgust. “Stop it, I’m about to gouge my optics out.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about dear Slipstream,” Starscream purred.

---

 “We couldn’t have done it without them,” Prowl said as they deliberated with the Autobot Supreme council via “Robot-Skype” as Sari had dubbed it.

“Oh come on, it’s Starscream,” said Sentinel.

Bumblebee kept quiet, unsure of what he could say and not trusting his voice to be level.

“Indeed. It is Starscream. Accept his assistance, he is easily disposed of,” Ultra Magnus answered. Bumblebee went stiff.

“As you wish.” Optimus said, a frown in his voice.

---

Bee expected to be the one telling Starscream of the Autobot’s ultimate plans. Optimus beat him to it. Starscream wasn’t surprised.

“I doubt your Magnus has forgiven me for that unfortunate incident with his paint nanites,” Starscream sighed wistfully.

“His what?” Bumblebee demanded, his well cultivated comfort with Starscream letting the words lose before the fact they weren’t alone could stop them.

Starscream’s eyes turned predatory with glee. “My trinemate was a teleporter little Autobot, a rampant prankster given diplomatic immunity during the armistice agreements with a penchant for the colour purple. I leave it to your imagination what happened.”

Sari’s snickering was the only thing to break the silence. Bumblebee wanted to laugh but two things stopped him. The startled looks from his team, and the ‘was’ in the middle of Starscream’s story.

“I understand if this changes your willingness to work with us-“

“Noble as always, you Autobots are so refreshing,” Starscream said, cutting Optimus short.

“We will work with you on the provision that I remain here and oversee all communications with the Autobot council.” Slipstream said.

“Done.”  

---

Slipstream liked the medbay. It was quiet. The soft whir of monitors and circuitry was familiar. Ratchet was angry and gruff. He didn’t talk to her. He was her favourite.

He found her elbow deep in the wall one afternoon and after the requisite spluttering, let her be at Teletran-1’s request.

“Slipstream is a good friend Ratchet.” It gave in way of explanation.

Slipstream felt an odd kinship with the docile giant. She told it this in the dead of night as she haunted the halls, ever vigilant for betrayal. Teletran didn’t have the words or the capacity to understand her fully, yet…

“We were made for someone else.” It agreed. Slipstream smiled.

Bumblebee tried to speak to her often. Sometimes she let him ramble at her from across the table while she drank her cube in silence. She could almost understand why her template had fallen so far for the yellow minibot.

Ratchet would bring her energon when she lingered in the medbay, studying but not touching the tools that lined every surface.

Without a word, he strode up to her one day and pushed a stack of datapads into her arms.

“Comm me if you have any questions, or if you need more. Stop crowding my medbay!” He said shutting her out.

Slipstream returned after only one day cycle.

“Teach me to be a medic.”

“Alright.”

Chapter Text

Three Weeks before The Present…

Dust. There was dust everywhere. Ratchet’s permanent frown deepened. Not only did he have to file and collect all the documentation from their stay on earth, he’d have to spend several hours air blasting dust from his crevices before stasis now.

The former Autobot base had lain unused since the final battle and Megatron’s death at the hands of the Starscream-controlled Omega Supreme knockoffs. The biggest surprise of that day hadn’t been Starscream’s resurgence, flanked by that abrasive femme-bot but instead Bumblebee’s empathic defence of him.

It was all irrelevant now, the old bot thought, Starscream was a newly minted member of the Cybertronian council, a hero in the eyes of his home planet. The Decepticon that fought to free his mislead brethren from the yolk of the tyrannic Megatron, that ushered of a new brand of peace and unity.

What a load of political slag. The opportunistic deviant just held all the right cards in the wake of his successful revenge quest.

Ratchet couldn’t understand how some bots were so blind to the reality of the universe, painting a badge red didn’t make it any less a Decepticon badge. Starscream had played the inhabitants of both Earth and Cybertron so astutely that none of them had even heard the music.

A laborious sigh came from the grizzled medic as he shook his helm in resignation, it could be worse he supposed. Starscream seemed to be doing a fair enough job of coercing the council into actually doing something. He may be a backstabbing liar, but it only made him a better politician. Ratchet was at loathe to admit it, but Starscream’s proposals involving earth had been not only worthy of doing but downright insightful. It was like he had a link to the common bot.

The base was eerie in its emptiness. Unsettling in a way that made even the isolation-loving medic wish for the soft murmur of the newly built Cybertronian Embassy. However, the quiet of the building meant that all noise that did occur was filtered straight to the medic’s sensors.

At first, Ratchet thought that the soft voice that sounded remarkably like Bumblebee was simply another of the echoes he’d been hearing. Ghost of the past swirling around the empty air. Then he heard the cause of his previous musing -Starscream.

“This is a terrible idea.”

“It’s not like anyone is here, the base has been empty since we shipped back to Cybertron. Don’t worry!”

Was that a whine in the Autobot’s voice? What in the name of Primus is going on? To his eternal regret, Ratchet stayed quiet then, shock and curiosity keeping him still. If he had of spoken, this day would have ended very differently.

A heavy sigh echoed around the base. “Fine, but I suggest you keep…” the rest of Starscream’s words were lost as they moved further away. Shaking off his surprise, Ratchet set down the crates of data files he’d been carrying and followed the sound. It trailed off too sharply for the old medic to follow, so instead he wandered the rooms that had been his home not too long ago.

It was almost an earth hour before Ratchet checked the basement level, and immediately wished he hadn’t. His optics widened, getting a better view before they shut off in an attempt at maintaining his sanity.

There on the tables where Soundwave had once tried to processor-wash them was Starscream. Propped up with one servo he was leaning upwards, no, Dear Primus, thrusting upwards. His other servo was wrapped around a yellow bot who in Ratchet’s medical opinion should never have been in a position anything like the one he was in now.

It was then that Ratchet heard the noises they were making. There wasn’t an EMP blast powerful enough to every wipe away the horror Ratchet felt as he heard those breathy pants, the moans of pure abandon and oh Primus, his friend shouting the name of a bot who tried to kill them more than once.

To say that this was seared into Ratchet’s memory was an understatement. He marched himself right out of there faster than during any wartime retreat and hoped to Primus and Unicron both that neither of them saw him. He wasn’t going to say a word. Not even to that prying orange bot they brought in to ‘talk about your feelings with’. Pfft. He’d burry this deep, deep down and pretend it didn’t happen. No therapy bot necessary. It wasn’t like this method had been continually failing him or something like that.

---

The Present

“So Ratchet, where would you like to start?” Rung asked, his bespectacled face cheerful and welcoming. Ratchet cursed Starscream’s name. Mandatory psyche evaluations? What fragging nonsense.

Little did Ratchet know, this was the first of many visits with Rung. He wouldn’t admit that ‘gossiping’ with the warm professional left him feeling lighter, but the bots stationed on the Earthen Embassy found their primary medic’s bedside manner improving, even if only by a fraction, old habits die hard after all.

---

The Embassy penthouse was in truth no larger than one of the particularly spacious habsuite on the lower eighty-nine levels by nature of the tower’s asymmetrical pointed design. Twisting and open to the sky the Embassy was based on the towering spires of Starscream’s former home. Vos, Starscream had told Bee when the architects had submitted the first drafts, was a city like no other.

“…metal wrapped around metal, grounded too far down to fathom. In the moonlight everything glinted like the stars and when the sun rose the city was set ablaze.”

“It sounds beautiful”

“It was.”

Bumblebee covered Starscream’s hand with his own, as he always did when the seeker got that far away look in his optics.

“It will be.”

In the quiet of his new council rooms Starscream mourned what was lost and Bee grieved with him.

Starscream didn’t have to bear the memory alone however. Shockwave -or as he preferred- Longarm, came forward mere hours after Starscream was properly sworn into his new mantle with a list of off the record prisons. Decepticon and Autobot.

---

Nine Months earlier

Skywarp had been overjoyed to see him- as expected his youngest trine member had a naïve ability to forgive. Thundercrack had required Shoc-Longarm’s testimony to believe Starscream’s explanation.

“I told you Megatron was bad news Star,” Thundercracker finally grumbled as the medics bandaged his bleeding knuckles.

“Yes, well I didn’t think him smart enough to hide you both from me for so long,” Starscream offered through the blood pooling at the back of his throat. A broken nose was a small price to pay for ten thousand years of thinking your trine were dead.

“I personally, am disappointed that the Autobots helped you take him down, while we languished in stasis,” Skywarp added. The teleporter swung his legs absentmindedly, sparkling-like in a way that made Starscream’s spark ache with fondness. He’s missed them.

---

The Present

Bumble bee was in a contemplative mood. Memories of the past handful of decades flittered gently through his mind, the first time he’d met Starscream’s trine, brought a smile to his face.

“Hey Star, why’s there a minibot sized lump in your berth?” An obnoxious voice had said, startling Bee from his recharge.

“Because he’s mine go away Skywarp.” Starscream sounded as disgruntled as Bee felt, and the pair snuggled closer under their comforter. Too addled to bother thinking of anything but the warmth pouring from his lover’s frame, Bee took several moments to realise there was a stranger in their berthroom.

“Star-“ He began to ask, but a soft pair of “Thwomp”s interrupted him.

“TC look, he’s so little!”

“Warp,” A new voice, lower and tired sounding, “The sun has barely risen. I don’t care yet.”

Not the most flattering of meetings -Skywarp was still fond of calling him “Mini-lump”- but better than some. Bee grinned, it was better than his and Starscream’s meeting after all.

“When are your trine due back?” Bee called, knowing his voice would carry into the kitchen where his lover fixed their evening energon.

“I’m not sure, Skywarp tells me it’s never, TC expects him to be tired of Iacon by next week.” Starscream walked into the room as he answered, passing the chilled cube to Bee as he settled beside him on the Decepticon-sized couch that had dwarfed Bee. He smiled as they shared a moment to sip their cubes. After a moment of contemplation Starscream continued, “I think if they manage to avoid both Slipstream’s med-bay and those jet-twins we won’t see them for the next millennia.”

Bee had a vivid recollection of how eagerly the newly forged aerials had dogged Starscream. Apparently Slipstream had tired of them hunting her through the med-bay she'd taken over and sent them to her template's door.

Bumblebee snorted. “They’ll be here tomorrow then?”

“Undoubtedly.”

---

End.