Chapter Text
It was common knowledge that all Cybertronians, regardless of frame type, would meet their sparkmate before they could reach a million cycles old. How it worked was simple; one's sparkmate name was ingrained upon one's code, and a hail message would automatically be sent when they came into contact.
The fact that the name happened to be a hidden file was problematic, to say the least. Due to the hectic nature of the war, Starscream wasn't even sure when it was that his hail message had gone out to someone, and whomever received it certainly had not hailed back.
That was not normal. The return hail wasn't something someone could prevent themselves from doing, because it was all automatic. Starscream eventually had to accept that either his sparkmate was dead on a battlefield somewhere, or something was really wrong with himself.
When the war dragged on and Megatron started taking frustration out on him, Starscream felt his hope for an escape die bit by bit. If his sparkmate was out there somewhere with a method of suppressing their hail, then they clearly didn't care about him.
Starscream grew to be jaded. All his suffering needed to be worth it, so he couldn't leave the Decepticons without having achieved anything. He focused on ambition, to keep himself motivated.
Reasons had been explained as to why it was always him Megatron hit; he questioned authority too much, his opinions hadn't been wanted, his voice was annoying, he was too cowardly, weak, dishonorable, unworthy. Every time he tried to point out the unreasonable severity of the punishments, it was made clear nobody cared.
At some point, his desire to dethrone Megatron morphed into a need to kill him.
Not that it mattered, now that Starscream was locked away in a G.H.O.S.T. containment cell, unable to defend himself against the occasional experiment performed upon his frame. In a particular violent event he resolutely decided never to recount the details of, they'd permanently altered the color of his optics to Autobot blue. The invasion, the complete removal of his autonomy during that procedure would haunt him in every silent moment.
Never again would he get to change what his optics looked like. It was a basic right for every Transformer to be able to choose, and it had been taken away from him.
Megatron was to blame for all this, as far as Starscream was concerned. Megatron lead the Decepticons to this miserable planet, and despite Starscream's best efforts to kill him, Megatron found himself free while Starscream could barely fit in his cage.
That was always how it was going to end. Starscream would lose every part of himself in sacrifice for his ideals and his personal goals, and when he failed there was only himself to blame. Such thoughts built up in his circuitry for every moment he was in his cell, coming up with ways to escape. A low-grade constant murmur of reminders that any plan he made would never succeed, only ending in further punishment and humiliation.
The thoughts had been going haywire when Optimus Prime showed up to visit.
Quite an unusual event. For the most part, the only visits any of the remaining Decepticons received were G.H.O.S.T. employees and more inmates arriving to be locked up.
Before Optimus could say anything, Starscream gritted his dentae in preparation for the Autobot leader to begin some kind of speech about moral righteousness. "You know, at some point you're going to have to face the fact that no true Decepticon will ever switch sides. No amount of torture can break the will of those who had to deal with Megatron's infamous leadership style first-hand."
Optimus looked down at him with that same sad expression Starscream theorized was permanently glued on. "Megatron warned you might be unwilling to reconsider your stance. All the same, I want you to have the same opportunity for change that he received. Every mech deserves a second chance to be free."
Starscream sneered, "Ugh. You are so predictable. Do you not understand that in order to get a second chance, I would need to have a first chance? Tell me, when did I get that first chance? Was it when the Autobots announced they didn't care about the rights of seekers? When the most ruthless and cruel mech in the entire galaxy joined your side, was I meant to follow him off the cliff? Or perhaps my first chance was when I was handed over to G.H.O.S.T. and used as a lab glitch-mouse before they even bothered to interrogate me?"
Without giving enough room for response, Starscream continued, "You're fooling yourself, Optimus Prime."
Despite having said all this, Starscream didn't get satisfaction from seeing how crushed Optimus was that his proposal had been thoroughly stamped out before it could gain traction. He was not aware that the reason his words hit Optimus so hard had been because it shone a bright light on the concerns Optimus already had about G.H.O.S.T.'s intentions and methods, making them difficult not to face.
Optimus would have to be very careful about his phrasing. They were being watched. "Would you have taken it? If the right offer had been made, would you have joined the Autobots?"
The idea was found to not be worth entertaining. Instead of engaging in hindsight and theoretical, Starsceam rolled his optics and redirected to more important things. "You can play good mech all you want. It won't change what happens when you leave the room. I will never again submit to Megatron, no matter what side he's on."
With one servo, Starscream made a shooing gesture in expectation that Optimus would leave.
"Starscream," Optimus began, making himself comfortable by sitting on the floor. "I was informed your optic settings were altered without express permission. It seems the humans were not made aware the gravity of such a procedure. For that, I am truly sorry. However, the proof that your sparkmate is an Autobot has made them tentatively agree to free you as long as you are escorted by your sparkmate."
To discover that his settings had specifically been changed to match his sparkmate's optics, and that was why Starscream was stuck with Autobot blue was devastating. The humans didn't just choose blue, they thought it perfectly acceptable to out his sparkmate to any who chose to look.
Starscream hit his fist against the barrier, accepting the painful shock that ran through him in consequence. "They did what?! No! Is there no low the humans won't stoop to?!"
Optimus winced in sympathy.
After a few curses and frustrated sounds, Starscream began to mellow out. The horrific truth gradually becoming clear. In an attempt to keep Optimus from seeing his faceplate while he spoke, Starscream turned around and crossed his arms protectively. "Oh, what does it matter. My sparkmate cannot escort me, even if they wanted to. They were dead before I could know them."
Something pulled inside Optimus, saying wrong, wrong, wrong. There was always a chance that Starscream was lying, but he didn't want to think like that. "I know how you feel."
In a furious whirl, Starscream turned to yell back in his short temper, kicking the barrier for good measure. "How could you possibly know how I feel?! You're the Prime. You don't even have a sparkmate."
Optimus kept his optics facing the ground. "I had a sparkmate, before this. I was told the signal from the matrix of leadership would block sparkmate transmissions and ensure the only influence I could receive would be previous Primes. Unbiased leadership. Like you, I'll never know my sparkmate."
Making to stand and lowering his voice to avoid the chance of being overheard by G.H.O.S.T., Optimus added conspiratorially, "The humans don't fully understand how it works. They will believe me, if we say you are my sparkmate. I don't trust G.H.O.S.T.."
Now, that was a good pitch. Starscream took a moment to consider the options. He already had a few plans in motion to escape, so he had to believe more in Optimus' plan than his own if he were to choose to go with him. However, new plans could always be made. Escaping from Optimus would be tough, but not as tough as getting out of this place. Certainly, going with Optimus broadened the future.
And oh, how it would absolutely piss Megatron off.
With a smirk, Starscream held up his hand to the barrier despite the sting, hamming it up. "My spark! I knew you would not leave me here to rot! Now, get me out of here."
So, perhaps Optimus had not fully thought this through. It shouldn't have been a surprise that Starscream would actually take the deal, but it really was. Never mind that his faceplate was burning up, Optimus nodded, mirroring Starscream's hand on this opposite side of the barrier. It would look good on the security cameras.
"I'll get you out as soon as I can." Optimus promised.
As soon as he could, ended up being a week.
Paperwork needed to be filed and arrangements to be made for Starscream's release to be approved, but with Optimus' insistence and personal vow to ensure this did not cause undue chaos upon the humans, G.H.O.S.T. finally allowed it.
They were led outside the facility by an entourage of human-shaped soldiers after Starscream was attached with the G.H.O.S.T. badge so they could track his movements and keep him in check. Once they were certain they were no longer being followed, Optimus guided them to a nearby quarry and sent a message out.
Not much time had a chance to pass before Optimus and Starscream were greeted by the arrival of a small group of bots who called themselves Terrans and introduced themselves one at a time.
They were overwhelming. The amount of questions being flung at Starscream alone were too much. Optimus gently made the Maltos give space to Starscream, "Your questions will be answered later. I hope you can understand."
The family parted for Hashtag to approach the elder bots. "Hi! Yes, I think I can do it. Where's the-..?"
Starscream gestured toward his wings, where the new badges covered up his Decepticon symbols. "They won't be coming off any time soon," Starscream complained, glaring at Optimus as if this were directly his fault. "-not for lack of trying."
Optimus exvented, already too tired for this kind of pettiness. As far as he was concerned, Starscream should not have been trying to take them off so soon after leaving the facility, anyway. Optimus was taking a risk for him. If G.H.O.S.T. knew what they were doing, Optimus could lose his chance to help other mechs escape. Their position was delicate. "I was preventing you from being recaptured."
As if very suddenly remembering their cover and the chaos it could cause, Starscream reached out for Optimus' hand, holding it while Hashtag worked to hack his badges. "Oh, Optimus. Thoughtful as ever. I should have known you were looking out for me, you old sap."
This prompted Optimus to roll his optics, trying to keep a smile off his faceplate. "Starscream, this is unnecessary. The Maltos are not-" Interrupting his intended explanation about the situation, Optimus received a call marked urgent from Megatron. Letting go of Starscream's hand and patting him on the shoulder to indicate his support, he nodded back toward everyone. "Excuse me. I must take this call."
Everyone was quick to move on, still quite excited about meeting Starscream and bombarding him with questions. Meanwhile, Optimus opened the line. "Megatron. Is everything alright?"
"G.H.O.S.T. has just informed me that Starscream has been released into your personal custody. Surely, this all must be some mistake; Starscream has no sparkmate, and Primes as young as you never have them either. Whatever scheme he's pulled you into, you're not going to come out of it unscathed." The incredulity practically radiated out of Megatron's voice through every word spoken.
It took a moment for Optimus to consider whether or not to be honest with Megatron, but ultimately the decision was made for him as he heard telltale chatter of G.H.O.S.T. agents in the background of Megatron's line. "I am sorry to have kept this secret from you for so long, my old friend. Until recent developments, Starscream insisted we not pursue one another, and I agreed that it would have been irresponsible."
In a complete rejection of the premise, Megatron's volume raised, absolutely baffled. "You can't trust Starscream, Optimus! He's never going to change, he'll shoot you the moment your back is turned!"
As if the universe had a sense of humor, Optimus' back happened to be turned right at that very moment, and was unfortunately too wrapped up in his conversation with Megatron to pay attention to the interactions happening behind him, only catching the end of a proud and bold statement made by Starscream.
"-of course he's my type! Look at him! He was chosen to be a Prime because, unlike Megatron, he has integrity and honor. You sparklings couldn't understand what it's like to have your sparkmate." Internally, Starscream added that he wouldn't know what it was like, either. That was why he couldn't explain it properly to them.
Optimus grimaced. This wasn't going to end well.