Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Is the camera really necessary?" Agent Schloder asked, pointing at the small human device in Hashtag's servos. She managed to get Optimus Prime of all people to get her this camera, something about feeling bad about the brainwashed attack. She personally doesn’t mind it but hey, a free camera! Maybe this time she'll finally achieve her dream project without any accidents.

"I mean in order to get clips for my psychological film debut, I kinda have to," she adjusted the view, zooming in on the human's face, eyes hidden behind his usual dark-tinted sunglasses. Most would imagine that he only wears them to look cool but that was something Hashtag needed in this film; the cool, serious guy having a heart-to-heart. Well, not too heavy on the coolness.

"I do not give permission for you to air out my problems!" He coughed out the crack in his voice, returning to his usual tone, “Seriously. Not cool.”

"Aw, c'mon! It’ll just be a private film for my own entertainment, please!" she pleaded.

Agent Schloder pondered on her offer for a bit, shifting uncomfortably on the haystack, before he shrugged it off, “Ok so, what do you need to know about me?”

“Anything you’d want to tell me, the point of this is to give reassurance to people after our little fight there with Mandroid.”

“Fascinating, so I can just talk about anything?”

“Well, Mom said that this kind of stuff is where you voice out your grievances to let it all out. Your problems, your insecurities.” She paused for a while. “The loss you’ve experienced… if that's ok."

“...Yeah. Understood.”

Hashtag focused her attention on the camera, making sure the sunlight hit everything right and that the cows weren’t mooing so loudly that her potential viewers can’t listen to the audio.

"First question, were you two close?" She asked.

"Not as you Maltos are with each other but we were doing alright,” he replied. “Karen was, as my father puts it, the better half of us. She was smarter, more cunning, more confident in her strategies. I hated being compared to her, y’know, I really did. But at least I wasn’t the one ripping Witwicky in half, right?” He wanted to make the last part sound like a joke but it ended up being so half-hearted that Hashtag felt like he was saying it for his own sake. Different question then.

“What was she like?” She asked quickly.

“Mean,” Agent Schloder chuckled at his own answer, shaking his head at whatever thought he had. “I guess you’d know that much too, huh? Karen wasn't exactly the nicest person, especially for you guys.”

“I’d argue that she was worse than just mean,” Hashtag commented, earning a small laugh from him. Her own laughter followed shortly after.

“Y’know, I am really, really sorry about her. I just… I don't know what happened to her." He looked down at his hands twiddling with each other, "We used to be kids together, doing siblings things together, all that stuff. But then she's suddenly so consumed by work and her end goal that she had to complete it no matter the cost, and it felt like I was losing someone who was still alive."

He laughed again though this time, Hashtag felt like it came out of a feeling of something agonizing rather than actual humor. “That’s silly, right? You probably wouldn’t understand.”

“I don’t,” Hashtag confessed, “but I’d also feel horrible if my family suddenly acted distant towards me as time went on. It’s not weird to feel like you lost your sister beforehand.”

“Right, and she’s actually gone now. Thanks to Mandroid ,” he spat the name out like it was venom. "Anyone else would feel this... crushing grief upon themselves, I mean just look at those seekers trine. I once read up that Starscream blew up an Autobots base because they were holding one of his trine mates hostage."

"Woah…" was all she could reply with. Had she been more coherent with her thoughts, Hashtag would've replied that she understood that feeling quite well, if G.H.O.S.T had done the same to any of her siblings, she'd tear them apart alone with her bare hands until she knew they were safe.

"Cool, right? But I don't feel any of that, I just feel empty."

"Grief can be empty."

"I know that but this is a different kind of empty, the type that's like 'oh, ok. I guess that happened but what about me?'."

"Could you describe that?" She asked, holding a thumbs up off camera at him.

"A part of me knew that she's never going to be a good big sister ever again, you can't exactly come back on top after throwing your brother in jail and hope he stays there and rots away…"

"But?" She caught herself, "Sorry, it just feels like there's a but in your statement. Go on."

"You're pretty observant, do you know that? It's a good thing!" Agent Schloder told her, suddenly energetic. His shades fell to the tip of his nose so that his eyes were visible on camera, "You could be very good in interrogations, call people's bluff out, and—"

"Now, I'm sensing some serious deflections.”

Agent Schloder looked confused as if Hashtag was speaking a language he didn’t understand. “Deflections? Whatever do you mean?”

“Agent Schloder.”

“Please, call me Jon.”

“Jon,” she corrected, “you were saying that Agent Croft wasn’t a good big sister but…?”

He smiled and nodded at her, perhaps hoping that she'd take that as an answer but when Hashtag didn't say a word, continuing to record even in the silence, Jon relented. "But a part of me—stupid, I know—kept hoping that she would come back to me. Not as Agent Croft but as Karen, my sister.”

He took off his glasses, holding them in his hands as he inspected them carefully, as though he had never seen them before. His eyebrows were all crooked like an actor during a particular harrowing scene, only this time it was real and no rehearsals were needed. "We were supposed to look out for one another, she was supposed to be there for me. But she had failed her duties, and I just wasn't that important to her."

"You are important, Jon," she said, moving to crouch in front of him. She can simply edit the shaky graphics out later. For now, she has to focus more on the supporting part. "How Agent Croft viewed you doesn't affect your self-worth, don't tie yourself into knots for the wrong person. There'll be others who'll value your as you are."

Jon's face softened at her words before clearing his throat and putting his shades back on. Maybe he was too 'cool' to admit it but Hashtag and her camera definitely got that on tape. "Why, erm, yes. I know that, I'm a well-trained agent… I just wonder why she can't be that person who'll love me regardless."

"Maybe she has bad taste," Hashtag offered lightheartedly.

He laughed loudly at that, as though she had said the funniest thing on Earth. "Oh, you have no idea. Would you like to know what her favorite piece of clothing was back in highschool?"

Chapter Text

"Hashtag, I don't want to appear in your film," Twitch argued, "I just came by to check because your emotions were all over the place. One minute you were confused, then… sympathy? And now you're—"

"Twitch, this is exactly why I want you in on this one, you worry too much and I don't think that's good even for Terrans."

Twitch's face turned into a frown as Hashtag zoomed on it, "Well, duh! I'm your sister. It's my job to worry about you."

"You've been worrying about everyone since the battle, you need rest!" She argued back, zooming the camera out, and thought about what kind of composition she wanted for this shot. The barn's basement had a much more grey appearance than the ambient light outside did, this was going to be tricky to film. "You’re always too busy to hang with us nowadays.”

"No, I'm not," she scoffed in disbelief. "We're hanging out right now."

"Only because I'm forcing you, and even then, it's not like you actually wanted to..."

Twitch's frame slumped, looking straight at the camera and Hashtag herself. The feeling of guilt circled within Hashtag's chest as it must be with her sister."How about this: you can interview me and I'll give you an honest answer but only until Mom calls me back," Twitch offered. "The town still needs help from all the damage and I need to do my part, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't spare at least a minute with my sister."

A delighted glee exited Hashtag as she placed down the tripod stand she had been holding onto, getting ready to film Twitch’s smiling face that shared her younger sister’s happiness.  "I promise it’ll be quick! You won’t regret it, thank you, thank you!”

“Um, my sister’s a genius filmmaker. So if anything, I should be the one flattered you want me in,” said Twitch, grinning back in satisfaction when Hashtag looked at her with a flattered smile. “Hit me with everything you’ve got.”

“Ok, question number one, when was the last time you had a proper rest?”

Twitch opened her mouth, seemingly confident to answer for a second, but no words fell out, only the wind answering Hashtag's question.

"Twitch?" Hashtag asked again, "When was the last time you got a decent break?"

Again, no answer. A few seconds of silence went by before Twitch asked, “Can I skip to the next question?”

“I’m telling Mom.”

“You can’t do that! She’ll tell me to stay behind, how am I going to help the others if I stay behind?”

“By getting rest! You’re not gonna help anyone if you suddenly lose energy from the lack of sleep. Sooner or later you're gonna start hallucinating about your worst fears like this ballet movie I watched where—"

Twitch held out a servo, stopping Hashtag mid-rant. “We’re Terrans, I hardly doubt we’d tumble over because of that, we don't even need sleep! I don't know why we're even talking like I'm a human."

“Ok, you might not literally collapse but I'm still worried about you. We all are."

"Next question, Hashtag," Twitch waved her off, attempting to play it cool, but there was really no use with pretending, not when Hashtag could feel her true emotions. 

"Can I tell you something?" Hashtag asked and only continued when Twitch nodded at her, "Technically, this documentary isn't an interview, it's more of you rambling about your feelings and what's bothering you. Dad says it's like this human thing called 'therapy', but he told me you need a certificate for that apparently."

"Therapy sounds scary…"

She shrugged, "I guess so, if you're ashamed of feeling vulnerable."

"I do feel vulnerable," Twitch mumbled so softly the camera barely picked it up. "I do and I hate it, I can't afford to feel this way just yet."

"But it's over, Twitch," Hashtag comforted her, deciding to abandon post and step into frame to stand beside her sister, a servo placed on Twitch's shoulder. "You don't have to worry anymore, we're all ok now."

"What if he comes back?" Twitch's voice broke, "What if… we're not as lucky as last time?"

"Oh, come on," Hashtag kneeled beside her when Twitch looked down to the floor, ashamed of her doubts pouring out like there's been a leakage. "You can't possibly believe that your hard work was just pure dumb luck. Twitch, you're the strongest Terran I know."

"Don't let Thrash hear that," she joked, her voice still fragile.

"You did good, and we all can't thank you enough for that. It hurts to see you struggling with doubt and fear of that ugly worm guy."

At that, Twitch genuinely laughed, finally looking at Hashtag straight in her optics. "I never want to lose you guys ever again. I would never forgive myself if I failed to protect you."

"And we'd have your back too," Hashtag said before hugging the other. Her sister's frame was much smaller than she was so it always felt a little daunting to hug her without accidentally crushing her. "Maltos protect one another, and we'd never let you carry that burden alone, Twitch."

"Honestly," Twitch said, "what did I do to deserve you guys?"

"You're the best sister anyone could ever ask for, Twitch. Don't let you tell yourself anything different."

"Thanks, Hashtag." Twitch let go of the hug, shyly looking at her, "So would you hate me if I still want to go help Mom—"

"Just take a nap first, won't you?"

Chapter Text

Bumblebee sighed, sitting with his arms crossed as Breakdown sat beside him, trying to get into the shot with Hashtag's direction. "No offense, Hashtag but I don't think this is necessary at all. I mean from what you've told us, your documentary sounds like it's aimed for struggling people. We're fine."

"That's the point," said Hashtag, "this is like a filler episode when the writers have no idea how to stretch the plot out before the dramatic finale."

"A filler what now?"

"I'm more curious about who's got the biggest issue that's worthy of being crowned 'dramatic finale'," Breakdown mused. 

"Starscream and Megatron, of course. Besides, I promised Starscream that we'll talk about it soon, I'll just be bringing my camera into it," Hashtag replied, zooming in on Breakdown's face that was a mix of being offended that he lost, and not surprised whatsoever. 

"I set myself up with that question. Carry on, kid."

She nodded, camera ready on hand. Fluffy Ears and the rest of the herd were in the background, setting the cozy tone. "Ok, since you two are just the minor characters—"

"Rude but continue," Bee interjected.

"—I thought that maybe you guys could explain to us something easy and simple," she set the camera to put the two bots at the center of the frame, "so what's going on with you two?"

"Nothing, we're fine," Bee replied.

"So I take it winking and smirking at each other used to be a friendly, platonic greeting back on Cybertron?" 

"Whatever it is that you think, it's better than what Screamers and the Big Bad M had during the war," Breakdown spoke up, earning a look from Bee.

"Breakdown," he said in a warning tone.

"But it's the facts. Hey, you said it yourself that those two should just have—"

"Not in front of Hashtag!" He gritted through his teeth and at this point in her life, Hashtag has seen too many TV series to know that she definitely doesn't want to know what they meant by that. Sometimes it's better to stay curious. "Besides, I said that when I was… not in the best state of mind."

Breakdown looked away from Bee and stared straight at the camera, "He was intoxicated."

"Not as badly as you were," he shot back, not bothering to disprove Breakdown's statement.

He shrugged, "I will not admit nor deny that."

"Ok then!" Hashtag cut in, "Next question: did you have anyone romantic in the past?"

Bee glared at Hashtag, as if she had hit a particularly sore spot for him. "Had to rub it in, didn't you? Yes, let's ask the chronically single mech if he has had any relationship in the past. None? Well, too bad, pal. Better luck next time!"

"Sheesh, I'm sorry your life isn't a romcom. Have you tried buying a new personality?"

"I really dislike you hanging out with Starscream."

"Lay off the kid," Breakdown chuckled. "It's not her fault you're a loser."

As Bee let out a dramatic and hurt gasp, Hashtag commented, "Oooo, you just got burned, son!"

"Like you had any too!" Bee retorted, "if memory serves, you had the same luck as me in that department. Worse, in fact. Remember that red mech you drenched with energon by accident?"

"Actually," Breakdown said while laughing heartily, preparing himself for a good twist, "he was very willing to give me a second chance, so willing that he was my conjux."

"You what?!" Bee and Hashtag both cried at him. Seconds later, both following it up with a question of their own.

"What's a conjux again?" Hashtag asked.

"And you didn't even tell me?!" He scoffed, standing up and looking at the ground with his servos on his hips, utterly in disbelief, "You didn't even invite me!" 

"Lifelong, romantic partner," Breakdown answered Hashtag's question proudly, huffing and puffing as though his chassis was actually filled with it. He turned to the still angry Bee, "And for the record, I wanted it to be a surprise for you but then the war happened and we got hitched during the war. Kinda hard to invite the enemy to the event, pal."

"...Fair enough."

"We need to focus back to the main question because—" Hashtag gasped, focusing on capturing Breakdown's face on camera, "You had a meet-cute moment? And you were married?! Wait, you used past tense, what happened? Were you two separated because of the weight of the war? Did someone steal him from you?!"

Bee scoffed, "Probably drove the poor guy away by being a reckless bot."

Breakdown laughed at Hashtag's answer, ignoring Bee's salty remarks, "Boring answer actually. He died during the war."

She felt her expression fall at the information and from the corner of her optics, she saw Bee doing the same thing. Hashtag didn't say anything, letting the camera pick up all of Breakdown's dialog.

"My Knockout was a medic, he didn't necessarily pick it up to help people. It was just something he was a natural at, and I loved his confidence, his smart little thoughts." He chuckled as his gaze fell to his servos, "He was a bit of a diva, the only Con who could rival Screamer in that department."

Bee chuckled at that, "Hard to see that seeker tolerating anyone who isn't his own reflection."

"He tolerates me quite well, actually," Hashtag boasted defended him.

"Hah! You should've seen him when KO tried to get him to watch human horror movies, he was practically clinging to us." Breakdown turned to Hashtag, "He'd like you a lot, he was fond of those films, tried to get me and the commander in on it as well."

"Honestly," Bee shook his helm, "I still can't believe you got a conjux from that kind of first meeting, and from the sound of it, someone who's like the opposite of you."

"We're an eccentric pair that completed each other, what can I say? I got a thing for flashy racers," Breakdown smiled and winked at him though the melancholy feeling appeared back in his optics.

"The site he was visiting to attend wounded soldiers got bombed. He probably spent his last moments excited to get back and annoy Screamers about an idea he had, wouldn't tell me what." A soft murmur escaped him, "Stupid mech, he was practically mumbling about it the entire morning."

"I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"Don't be, I like when I get the chance to talk about him. Cons didn't like sentimentality, if someone died in battle then you move on, get revenge or whatever. The only person I did have was Screams and... he prefers not to talk about it. You know between you and me, I didn't think the commander would grieve him as much as I did."

"Breakdown, that's not true at all," Bee sat back down right beside him, placing a servo on top of Breakdown's. Maybe Hashtag should stop recording. "I'm here now, you can always count on me."

He turned to meet Bee's blue optics, smiling softly, "I really don't want to annoy you with my rambles."

"They're not annoying," he said, just as gentle as Hashtag had been to Twitch earlier. "It's genuinely so sweet to hear you talk about him so fondly. The war has taken so many people away from us, the least we can get is to freely talk about them."

Breakdown didn't say a word for a moment, optics still glued to Bee's. "He would've really loved Witwicky," he finally uttered. "Would feel right at home even."

"Oh, crap," Hashtag sighed when she realized she had accidentally turned on the camera, pointing at the dirt below her. "Why couldn't those Cybertronians develop some big video camera?"

"Hey, kid," Breakdown called out, standing in front of her calmly. Instinctively, she filmed his face. In the background, she could see Thrash bickering with Bee. "So you're seriously going to go all doctor on the those two cons?"

"That's the plan," Hashtag replied, wanting it to sound more confident yet the tone Breakdown was using deterred her from it. "Why do you ask?"

"Just wishing you luck, you'll need a lot of it."

"I think I'm doing great so far. Yeah, I didn't help you at all just then but usually I do and—"

"I'm not saying you're not a great listener."

"Then what are you implying?"

"It'll take more than a good and kind listener," he laughed, looking straight at the camera but it felt like his gaze was piercing her spark. "I seriously doubt that even an expert could untangle all of that damage."

Chapter Text

"Alright," Hashtag turned the camera to her face, "this is definitely the highlight of the film so in preparation, I drew up some questions for everyone to answer, now we ask away!"

────

"How long have you known Starscream and what was he like before joining the Decepticons?" 

"Since forever. He's what you would call my brother, I guess," Skywarp answered. Her frame glowed under the sunlight, how was it possible to be that good-looking?? "He's always been a slag- I mean someone who struggles with basic kindness. The only time he's ever sorta nice was with this scientist, Skyfire I think, back on Cybertron because Screamers…" she laughed. "Because Screamers had a huge crush on him, it was so funny seeing him turn himself inside out for that bot!"

"Have they kept in touch after the war?"

Skywarp's smile disappeared immediately, looking away from the camera. "Um, no. Skyfire's been presumed dead for a long, long time now."

"Oh."

"...Could you not show anyone this?"

────

"Have you seen how Megatron treated his soldiers firsthand?"

"Well," Optimus began, "he wasn't the kind soul he is today. He used to be very angry, very bitter, and he was indeed a violent mech. His second-in-command suffered very much during the war. I do not know how severe it was, all I know is that Starscream's hostility towards him might be well justified."

"That's awful."

"Such is the way things were before peace. It takes a lot of violence to get here, do not throw it away so easily."

────

"Tell me all about big M! I want to hear all about it, from A to Z! Go!"

Jawbreaker looked at her, nervous to even form a sentence. "Huh?"

────

"So with all of those character studies, I think I've got this dynamic down to a T," Hashtag said, pulling up a tab in her vision despite the two older bots not being able to see her proof. "I've watched Nothing Nowhere All Different Times, like, at least a million! You two act like the main mother-daughter duo, which means serious issues that involve a bagel and time and space—err, no, ignore that. Note to self, cut that out of the final product."

"...What's a bagel?" The seeker asked apprehensively before squinting his optics, "Actually, no. Don't answer, I don't care."

She waved him off, "Point is that I'm more than capable of giving a… diagnosis of some kind for your problems. You can talk to me."

He rolled his optics, "Might as well pack it up now. Clearly, the overgrown lughead is the one in the wrong."

"Must you be on the offense so quickly already?" Megatron asked, exasperated. "We can discuss our issues together with Hashtag's assistance in a civilized manner."

"When I'm fifty feet under this planet's soil!" Starscream's wings hiked up high as he talked back.

Megatron looked at him, "You were, we were. During the fight with the Dweller." 

"Oh, you mean when you tried to kill me for no good reason? I didn't realize that was you offering help."

"No, I- I thought that—" he didn't continue his sentence, maybe afraid it'll snowball from there. Instead, he looked at Hashtag for guidance.

"Hey, Screamers," Hashtag took over. "Actually, can I call you that? Or maybe I can call you Dad #2, because you see, Twitch—"

"No." The answer was swift and cold though his wings visibly relaxed when she spoke to him. One day, she thought to herself.

"Ok then… um, maybe you can start by telling us about the beginning of the situation. If you want, no pressure, I'm all ears."

Grumbling to himself for a few seconds, he relented, arms crossed. "Fine, picture this if you will: I was a young seeker from a small city named Vos—"

"It was hardly small," Megatron interjected. "The city just keeps going higher and higher."

Starscream rolled his optics as he continued his tale, "Life was great. I was an upper-caste citizen because of my political career, I had a side hobby in science with a good friend, and everything was peaceful. But I had ambitions, ones that would not prosper in such a small-minded era where alt-modes dictated your entire life's worth. I won't stand there and just be a decorative item; I want to create, to explore, and to study. I wanted a legacy that'll outlive me."

He continued, "So when I heard that someone was rallying the masses to abolish this useless dirt of a rule, I was full on board. I went to his protests, I listened, and I agreed. Eventually, I aided the movement."

"Wait," Megatron looked at him softly, brows furrowing as though he had his spark touched. "You went to my rallies and actually listened to me?"

"What? Did you think I was some sort of monster who didn't care for my own people just because I was from a better caste?" Again, he merely scoffed and rolled his optics. His wings were hiked up again, flapping every now and then. "Little did I know that me supporting him would result in getting kicked out as a political face and, hah, wouldn't you know it, Vos was destroyed, most Decepticon seekers were killed that day, and I'm stuck with this slaghead for centuries."

Megatron snapped his helm at the word that Starscream enunciated and was met with a cold and unrelenting gaze.

"...Right," Hashtag coughed. "Um, how about you, Megatron? Anything you want to add to the table first?"

"Quite a lot," he said. "When he first became my second, it didn't take long for me to realize that he was only using me as a stepping stool."

Starscream groaned, "Oh, great. Here we go again with the 'if you didn't want it to happen, you should've been a better bot' shtick."

Though he groaned at the interjection, he continued his tale, "I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't the most… tactical. I was more of a 'fight first, think later' for a good while." He paused, as though suddenly speaking had become a chore.  "And I wasn't... the most graceful in accepting criticism."

"He'd beat me to a pulp when I told him that his plans were horrible," Starscream explained in an almost comedic tune, Hashtag had to wonder how well his knowledge of sarcasm was. Did they have a class on that back on Cybertron?

"They're not terrible. Mostly. They were plenty salvageable! As far as I remember…"

"Don't give me that rubbish! You could have ten plans but only one decent enough to not get us humiliated on the battlefield!"

"What I’m trying to say," Megatron raised his voice and Hashtag saw Starscream flinch before desperately trying to shake the reaction off afterward, "I was a bad person who lashed out at you. You lashed out at me as well as a result, then we were just stuck in this cycle of trying to out hurt the other, and I am sorry." He offered a servo to the seeker, "If you do extend your trust towards me, I will no doubt do my best to find a place for you and your trine members. They will thrive from this."

Hashtag nodded and hummed to herself, "And what would your verdict be, Starscream?" 

Starscream looked at Megatron’s face plate first with a look of genuine disbelief, then his gaze fell to the extended servo and finally, a look of ire was cast up at his optics. "So you think I'm unable to be of any help to my own trine? Is that it?"

"What?" Hashtag found herself stepping out of the role of a quiet observer, "No, that's not what he—"

Megatron beat her to it, “I'm saying that I can help you, all you need to do is cast your pride aside for safety. I understand that you are hesitant to do so but please consider it, if not for you then for Skywarp, Novastorm. For Thundercracker—”

“You don’t get to mention him so easily. Not when you’re the reason we lost him when I’ve specifically told you not to send him into harm’s way.”

Hashtag whipped her helm at Megatron, gauging his reaction. She was starting to understand more and more why Starscream is how he is with him. If one of the Maltos had… It scared her to think that she might’ve acted worse than him. Maybe not as vicious as him but maybe just as irrational. 

“The war took him as it did with many others,” Megatron responded softly, though guilt was present in his optics. “You cannot let your anger distract you from reason, you know that. You’re a logical bot, Starscream. I am going to keep you all safe, you have my word.”

A mocking laugh came out of Starscream as he folded his arms, staring straight at his former leader while shifting his weight from one leg to the other in an indecisive manner. “Oh, like you did with Twitch? She seemed a whole lot of safe with you around.” The end of his sentence faded out abruptly as his face plate shifted into a frown, but not the kind he threw around earlier, this one felt more like it was for himself.

“What does…” Hashtag steeled herself to ask the question she and Megatron seemed to share but didn’t really want an honest answer to it. “What does Twitch have to do with this?”

“You really don’t know, do you?” Starscream asked rhetorically, his tone haughty as usual but it didn’t reach his optics. Instead, they glanced around everywhere; from his pedes to the far-off trees, anywhere but the camera or the two bots surrounding him. “Figured, she didn’t seem the type to speak her mind.” 

“Stop deflecting already, what did my sister tell you about Megatron?” There was a slight snarl to Hashtag’s voice, one that made Starscream give her a look of some kind.

“Let's just say,” he replied, “after the battle with that deformed-looking human, little Twitch finally understands what I've been experiencing, and she sent her regards.”

“You're lying,” Megatron said, shaking his helm as if rejecting the idea itself, “You have got to be. I would never- Hashtag, you know that. I am not like that anymore.”

“Why don’t you ask her yourself then, hm?” Starscream smirked, walking around Megatron in a manner that reminded Hashtag of one of those mean teenage human girls in films. It was a lot more cold and cruel when it came from someone her own size rather than a small fleshy thing. “Are you perhaps scared of the realization that deep down, nothing has changed? That you're still the same old and angry gladiator deep down?” 

“You have a right to think that way,” Megatron responded weakly. “But you also need to accept that I’ve changed—”

“Spare yourself from the grand delusions, you fool. You're still no better than back before! Twitch sees it as well! You’re just some lower-caste mech who had nothing better to do than be a problem to everyone in the universe. If you had just stuck to your station then we wouldn’t be trapped in this miserable rock of a planet with so many of our own lost!”

“That’s too far!” Hashtag cut in, dropping the camera to her sides, no longer interested in catching the moment. “Cut that out, Starscream. That’s not cool.”

He let out a ‘tsk’ sound, “You wanted a dramatic climax. Why are you complaining about getting one?”

“Because you're getting nowhere with this! I get that you have your own problems, problems that are so so valid and need to be addressed on your own terms but do not bring up my sister for your petty insults. Leave her out of this and maybe try sticking to the actual problem rather than trying to win points over who’s being the bigger jerk!”

He stayed silent, moving his focus from her to Megatron who also remained silent, seemingly expecting some kind of angry explosion from Megatron. He stepped back a bit but snarled when Megatron looked at him like a wounded dog. “What? What are you looking at me for?”

“Why?” was all Megatron said at first. He continued, “I do understand your reasons, I really do but even Soundwave isn’t so… insistent with it. Why must you be so vengeful and jaded when all I've extended to you is apologies after apologies?”

"Why?" Starscream laughed bitterly. " Why?! You're so—you've always been daft so let me spell it out for you: why is it that every other Cybertronian is treated with more pity? Every other human with more kindness? Soundwave, now that you’ve mentioned, was treated a whole lot more kindly than a servo to the face plate!”

“You are dangerous!” Megatron retorted, “If I didn’t act quickly then who knows what would happen. It was a misunderstanding.”

“Funny because during the war, you kept boasting to every Decepticon in sight how useless I was, how easy it’d be for an Autobot or anyone to crush me into dust, and now I’m dangerous?” He shook his helm when Megatron couldn’t counter his remarks. “You've changed because of Prime, because of that human friend of yours, and ever since then, you’ve gone on this whole spree of forgiving every Decepticon you’ve led to ruins."

He shut his optics tights, servos balled into fists but then he looked up at Megatron, and Hashtag knew his spark was filled with nothing but pain. "But not me, never me. Am I not someone worth changing for?"

Even when Megatron opened his mouth to say something, the seeker assumed his alt form and flew off to the sky. 

A similar swirling noise emerged from behind Hashtag, followed by a transforming sound. Even if she was foolish enough to think so, Hashtag knows Starscream couldn’t have both flown off in front of them and appear behind her at the same time. "Hey, nerd! I found out from Skywarp you were gonna annoy Starscream about himself and—" Novastorm halted, actually scanning to see the situation she had just entered. "Oh, no. He's sulking, isn't he?"

Hashtag was the first to reply to her. "I think he's doing a lot more than just sulking."

Chapter Text

"So that's the end of it," Hashtag concluded her little synopsis for her mom about why a whole Cybertronian assumed alt-mode and jetted out of their home like he was about to get grounded.

Dot sighed, putting her hands on her hips. Her mom-stance as Mo put it. "I'm going to level with you. Both of you," she turned to Hashtag first. "Hashtag baby, you mean well. That's very kind of you to do but sometimes personal problems run so deep that they can't just be solved by talking it out lightly with someone who isn't a professional at it. That's why we humans have therapists but that's a special job, not one you can just assume out of nowhere."

Hashtag felt herself shrinking. "So I shouldn't have done all of that, huh?"

Dot gestured for her to come closer, stroking her servos in a comforting manner. "You did a good thing, hon. It was very sweet of you to think about them but ultimately, you just lack the experience for this specific problem, and that is not a fault of yours, just something to consider in the long run. Sometimes problems aren't a 'forgive and forget' kind of situation, they can be more complex." She turned to Megatron next, "And Megs, as your friend, of course, I want him to understand just how good you are now, that people can indeed change."

He sighed, "I'm sensing a second statement that won't sound just as nice."

"But you don't get to decide what you did or didn't do to him. When someone feels like you've hurt them, that's final, you don't get to make another call. You need to wake up and see that."

The old mech groaned at Dot’s words. Eventually, he looked at the ground, servos laid by his sides. "I know I'm not a saint, Primus knows that," he said. "But it's not like he was one either, you know how cruel he can be. Countless Autobots were held captive and tortured by him, after all.”

Perhaps Megatron caught a glance at Hashtag's shocked expression because he stopped and looked towards her, waiting for her to speak her mind or until she let him continue. She did the former. "I know that," she picked her words carefully, "he isn't the nicest person but… I don't know, I've always assumed that he's the way he is because of, well, you."

"I'm afraid I cannot take credit for that as well. That personality of his was his own creation, even before I met him," he sighed, shoulders slumping. "Yet the one who is on the worse side of history is me. Something about it feels ironic to me."

"He can be both a terrible person and a victim, two things can be true at once," said Dot. "It sucks to be in the wrong, I know. But you have to understand, Megs, you hurt him. Badly. What you can do now is accept it, apologize, and move on."

"And you believe that Starscream is capable of forgiveness?" 

"It's not about being forgiven," Hashtag found herself speaking, the two adults looked in her direction when she did. "Thinking like that would just mean making the situation about yourself, um, no offense. It's about the person that you've hurt getting closure… Am I right on that, Mom?"

A warm smile appeared on Dot's face and Hashtag knew immediately that she had done well. "My baby is so smart."

Megatron groaned, "I wish he could just forgive me but I suppose it isn't my second if he isn't a pain in the spark." Then he turned to Hashtag, "I would like to have a private talk with Twitch first before we set off but once I do, get your gadget ready, I believe I'm ready to try an approach that is appropriate for our little seeker."

Finding a seeker, however, was a challenge in itself. Hashtag practically begged Skywarp to assist them in the search since Hashtag could only look so far by ground and Megatron was already frustrated enough after a pigeon hit his windows. 

“No way,” Skywarp shook her helm. “Rule number one of the trine; when Screamers flies off, you ignore him until he comes back, unless you want someone screaming at you like you just broke something super vital.”

“But this is way more important!” Hashtag said, her servos now free to express her dialog now that she has ditched filming altogether (at least for now, seeming that it'd be seen as insensitive). She needed to address this with Starscream one-on-one on a very personal level. 

She scoffed, "Says the mech who wasn't there when I got berated for a whole cycle just for having the audacity to touch his servos when he was in a terrible mood."

"He could be in trouble!" Hashtag spat out the first idea in her mind.

"Screamers can handle himself, he's not a sparkling. I'll take my chances."

"What if he… hit the back of his helm while walking, offlined, lost his memory afterward, and now forgets whatever sense of identity he has?"

There was a certain betrayal that Hashtag felt when Skywarp looked at her straight in the face plate, confused by what trope she was referencing. In fact, Hashtag was sure Skywarp thought she was being completely serious, judging by the eyebrow lift and actual pause. “Wha..?” was the only response she had.

Megatron stepped in, “Perhaps it’s best to give her a less fantastical approach.”

“Of course, you’re the reason,” Skywarp huffed. “That makes things worse for me, full offense.”

“Skywarp, I know your trine mate and I have a few… differences.” He paused for a second, shaking his helm. “No, Dot’s right. Let’s not sugarcoat it, we were terrible, terrible to each other; a heavier cost on him. I understand that very clearly but what I didn’t understand is that if someone as terrible as me could change, then someone like him could’ve changed as well. I let my prejudice cloud my judgment, and I let my pride force him to accept my apology.”

The purple seeker rolled her optics, just as haughty as her brother but in a way, she was less cruel with it. “I literally don’t know why you’re telling me this.”

“I am telling you this because I am sorry, to him as well as to you.” Skywarp turned to look at Megatron seriously at that last word, optics widened and her stance had become less rigid. “It couldn’t have been easy going through a war, losing a trine mate, as well as seeing the other become someone unrecognizable. That is one of my worst destruction, ruining a loved one."

She scoffed, "Screamers has always been a wingnut even before you. You can't earn pity points like that."

"But he would've never done the things he did, the insults he spouted at you before I was in the picture," Megatron said and it seemed it hit the bullseye as Skywarp immediately froze when he reiterated his sentences. "I should’ve told you this long ago, you are a strong bot to endure those things up until now."

Skywarp didn't say a word for a few seconds but then her wings drooped as she said, "Thundercracker would've found him much faster but I can still get you to him."

“Great!” Hashtag whooped before covering her mouth when the two startled bots looked her way. She cleared her throat, “Do we need to help you with something or do you need space to do it?”

“Just one request,” Skywarp said, linking her servos with Hashtag and Megatron’s arms, “do not get sick all over me.”

Teleportation, as Hashtag soon found out, was definitely not her thing. She much preferred a fast drive on the road than appearing in different locations every time she blinked. Luckily she scanned a GHOST van as her alt mode instead of… whatever earth vehicle can do this. Actually, was it just a Cybertronian thing? How come none of the Autobots do that? 

“You good there?” Skywarp asked, pushing off a fallen tree trunk away to allow Hashtag to move forward. How can someone be that pretty and chivalrous?  Do I want to be her or —

“I’m good!” Hashtag quickened her steps, "But yikes, who'd known he had such a temper.”

"Please," Skywarp replied, "this is nothing. You should’ve seen the Decepticon’s med-bay.”

“We do not talk about the med-bay,” Megatron said coldly.

Skywarp let out a mischievous chuckle, “Still embarrassed?” 

“Shh, Look!” Hashtag cut their convo short, pointing at a figure that was groaning and stomping around in circles. “So who wants to talk to him?”

Megatron was the first to open his mouth but was beaten by Skywarp. “I’ll do it,” she said before looking at Megatron. His mouth still hanging open, as if he wants to argue about her choices. “This is my trine mate we’re talking about. I’ll beat some sense in him for you so be grateful.”

Stepping closer to Starscream, Skywarp called out, “Didn’t realize there was a wrecking festival for annoying seekers.”

He whipped his helm at her and although there was a momentary relief, it quickly fled once he spotted Hashtag and Megatron behind her. “Skywarp, you oaf! Why would you lead them here?!”

“Because you’re hurt, that’s why!” She replied with the same defensive tone, wings also hiked up but not as tall as his were.

“You are being ridiculous, I am—”

“Level with me, Screamers. When was the last time you told me anything? The last time you sat down and vented your frustrations out?”

Starscream stayed quiet, an angry expression on display. His mouth slightly opened but no words ever came out. “Go away,” he said after a while. “I won't have this conversation with any of you at all.”

“Your helm's all junked up!” Skywarp continued stubbornly, marching towards him, looking him in the optics as Starscream looked away, wings tucked behind him, “And I know I'm not Skyfire, I could never be him but for Primus sake, please just hear me out, ok?”

“Warp, seriously, this isn't your business.”

“It is my whole business, you complete utter MORON!” she screeched, her servos balled into fists by her side as her stance widened. As Starscream stared at her, surprised by her outburst and unsure what to do, she continued, “You're hurt, your spark is, and you refuse to take care of it. It just- it hurts to see you lash out at us because of it, it feels like you think it's our fault that you're in this situation in the first place!”

“C'mon, Warp,” his voice was softer now as if trying to soothe her and cease the dramatic scene she’s put up in front of Megatron and Hashtag. “You know I'd never- I had never blamed you or Novastorm- well, that's unfair, she wasn't a part of us then, huh? But I didn't blame... I didn't blame Thundercracker either.”

“You don't have to, it's all over your face plate. I see it when you're angry at him,” she said and from the corner of her optics, Hashtag could see Megatron visibly shifting uncomfortably with guilt. “It’s like you want me to suffer in his place or something- I mean us—” she groaned, “Frag it all.”

“I…” he stopped, looking down at his pedes before back up at her again. “You don’t mean that,” he said.

“Whatever, it’s not like I expected you to do anything about it,” Skywarp spat, tearing her gaze away from him. A servo was planted on the right side of her hip while the other sat idly by near her mouth, “I’m not the one who wanted to talk to you about this anyway. Come back when you’re less of a glitch or whatever.”

Red lights appeared and disappeared from the place she was standing, and just like that, it was the three of them again. Starscream looked at them, brows furrowed at Skywarp’s words. “I’m…” he never finished his words.

Hashtag stepped towards him, holding her camera in hand. “Round two?” She asked softly, pointing it at him, “But it’s super ok if you’re not cool with it! I had a talk with my mom- you know her as Dot, and she said that I should be more considerate when it comes to these problems and I’m so sorry for forcing you in the first place, and—”

“Sure,” he replied unexpectedly. “It can’t get any worse than this.”

At his words, Megatron emerged from his former place to stand beside Starscream though he gave the seeker a clear distance that Hashtag had to step back to get both of them in frame. “Ready when you are, Hashtag.”

“A director is always on standby,” she proudly exclaimed before focusing back on her camera.

Starscream folded his servos, glaring at him before softening his stance a bit, “Was I… y’know, a bad person? To my trine mates?”

“They caught you during a particularly bad period in your life,” Megatron said. “It’s not your fault.”

“That doesn’t answer the question."

A sigh. “You weren’t what most would call a good person, and still aren’t. You have your concerns for them but you weren’t exactly—”

“Good,” Starscream finished his sentence for him, shoulders sagging. “I wasn’t a good trine mate to them.”

He sat down, wings now touching the ground. He sunk his helm behind the protection of his folded-up arms, resting on his knees. He grumbled, “So I’m just like you in the end.”

“Give yourself credit,” Megatron spoke softly though his optics darted around as he tried to come up with something cheerful, “you didn’t start a war.”

“I aided one as a second-in-command, same difference.” His helm emerged as he sighed, "Look, I get you're trying to be better, that you got your scrap all together now but…" He looked up at Megatron, "I am exhausted; from trying to regulate my emotions around you, from attempting to stabilize myself because I fear you might... I just can't do all those things and be expected to act civil around you, it's just too much to ask for."

For a moment, Megatron didn't say anything. Slowly, he signaled to the seeker, asking if he could sit beside him. He nodded and only then did Megatron sit down. "I never meant to force you to act that way around me," he spoke calmly, delicately picking and choosing his words. "It is my fault to have burdened you so much and for that, I am sorry."

"I don't want any more of your half-forged apologies."

"Then don't take it," he replied, making Starscream look in his direction. "Just know that right now, it was handed to you without requiring anything else. You deserve to choose your own peace."

He paused for a moment. "You are aware that I might never forgive you, yes? That somewhere, deep down in my cold and cruel spark, I would always wish the worst upon you."

"That is a chance I'm aware of," said Megatron. "I learned that it is not within my right to force you to do anything, even if it's to show you how much I've changed."

"Primus, you're like another Optimus now," he chuckled. "You've gotten naive, I think. You do not sound like the gladiator I once knew."

"I take that's a good thing?" Megatron smiled.

He cackled, "Oh, it's more than a good thing. Rest in pieces, I will never, ever miss that mech ever again!"

"That we can both agree on."

"...I suppose that, since we're on the subject, I would also like to say that—" he winced, "that I am not proud of the things I've said to you as well. You did not deserve to be looked down upon by some seeker from a higher caste, and certainly didn't need him to call you a no-good bottom feeder, and… I'm sorry. I'm sorry, ok?! So just take it or leave it and—"

"Thank you, Starscream," Megatron smiled at him. "That means a lot to me."

The seeker looked stunned for a moment before he turned away with an embarrassed huff, wings fluttering. "Whatever, you old rust bucket."

"Do you think it's saddening that the only reason we can give you closure is through a sparkling's project?" Megatron asked.

"I think it's saddening to me that you're still speaking when you should shut up."

He shook his head, sighing to himself but a smile was clearly visible on Megatron's face, "Never change, Starscream. Never change."

“What?” Skywarp asked again, servos on her hips.

“Just trust me,” Hashtag said, turning her camera’s focal length. “Stand there and be pretty, your surprise is coming.”

“I’m starting to think you Maltos are just weirdos who toy with human devices and capture weird things.”

“Nah, this is just a Hashtag exclusive thing,” she replied. “But yes, we’re a bunch of weirdos.”

“Yeah, well…” Skywarp paused, squinting her optics. “Why is Glitchface McSlag here?”

Starscream stepped into the frame from behind Hashtag, “Come now, Warp. That is not very nice of you to say in front of a sparkling.”

“Hah! Starscream himself is chastising me about the use of foul language. Both TC and Skyfire are rolling in their graves right now. What do you want anyway?” She turned to look at the camera, “You in this?”

“I came to finish what I’ve started, of course.”

“And that is?”

Starscream looked away for a second, shoulders up right before he looked back at Skywarp. “You’re right,” he said. “I have not been the best trine mate to be with all this time. I should’ve never taken it out at you. You deserve more than that, it’s not like I was the only one grieving.”

“...Starscream, are you dying?”

He frowned, “No? Wh- why would you think that?!”

"Listen, Screamers, if you're dying, I can always go and threaten the Autobots to help treat you."

"I am perfectly healthy, you fool!" He stomped his pedes in irritation, "I am expressing my guilt to you like a good 'sibling'. Hashtag, help me out here!"

"No can do, bud," Hashtag replied quickly. "You're doing great."

Skywarp scoffed, "You feel guilty or something?"

He didn't say anything for a few seconds. "Suppose so..."

"Oh."

The two looked at each other, an awkward air had taken place that made Hashtag want to step in and save them all from the embarrassment. Fortunately, Novastorm seems to have a talent for appearing at ill-timed moments.

"What are you two doing?" Novastorm asked from behind Hashtag.

"Nothing!" The two shouted at the same time.

"Ew, were you guys going to hug or something? Why are you just standing there like a pair of idiots?"

"Novastorm, there's nothing wrong with a hug between siblings..." Hashtag tried to cool her off.

"You know what," Skywarp said. "Yeah! We're gonna hug right now and not invite you! Come here, Screamers."

"Excuse you! I did not consent to this!" Starscream tried to escape her grasp but failed to make a break for it, falling into Skywarp's trap. "Hashtag, help me!"

Hashtag merely laughed at the scene, "Aw, but you guys look so cute here."

"Assist me before I unleash the worst agony upon you!"

"Yeah, sure." Hashtag turned to Novastorm, "You heard him, go help and make him feel loved."

Novastorm eyed the other two, "A chance to annoy Starscream with zero consequence? I am loving it here!"

What Starscream did not see was, from where Hashtag was standing, his optics completely betrayed the groaning and the complaints he was doing. In fact, it seemed like he was filled with glee.