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"It's just not how things are done, Lonestar. Trining is a Vosnian rite. I know you're… fond of Hot Rod and Drift, but there's far more to it than you seem to realize. It's a storied tradition, not a game."
Starscream observes Lonestar through his mirror as he touches up the paint around his optics. The way she lays on his recharge slab, cockpit down with her wings bobbing in agitation, bothers him as much as her choice in trinemates. Too open. Too trusting. He should be flattered that she doesn't guard her emotions around him, that her winglets speak so loudly despite their small size, but all he sees is naïvety.
Lonestar, conversely, seems to see no issues. Not with the exposure of her wings or the implicit trust in putting herself in a prone position. She's almost as bad in public, where her wings seem weightless as they nearly always stay splayed in an invitation greeting. Was Starscream ever so trusting?
"If there's more, then tell me. I'm serious, Starscream. I want this."
Of course she does. Of course she thinks she does.
With a sigh, Starscream sets down his brush. As if she'll listen to what he's saying to her. He knows how she is all too well. Stubborn, in a word. He sees so much of his young self in her that it's painful, sometimes. At least she has her little friends. Starscream was far too proud to find community at her age.
Nonetheless, he turns to face her, crossing one elegant leg over the other. "Trining. It's an ancient bond, practiced exclusively by aerial Cybertronians. Almost all trines nowadays are Seeker teams, which is a vastly different process than what you're trying to do. What you want requires a lengthy courtship. It's practically a conjunxing ceremony. A platonic marriage of the sparks.
"How is it different from what Seekers do? You're trined to Thundercracker and Skywarp, so didn't you do all of that?"
Starscream makes a face. "No. Cold constructed Seekers came online with a trine bond. Their sparks were thawed together in close proximity, exposed to one another before they even gain awareness of the closeness."
Lonestar frowns, tilting her head. "But you were forged, right?"
"Yes. I tested the process with their sparks before they came online. We were the first official Seeker unit, and our success paved the way for other teams like the Rainmakers and Sky Raiders. It's different from choosing your trine. You come online with the only Cybertronians you can fully trust rather than the alternative of finding them and hoping that it works out."
Lonestar lowers her helm, suddenly very concerned with something on the floor. Starscream lets out a long exvent. He gets up, crossing the room and setting a hand on her back between her primary wings.
"What about… you know. The other kind of trining."
"It involves courting, first and foremost. Usually two individuals pursuing a third, though sometimes one pursues a pair. Like with conjunxing, there are certain rites that are performed. They involve trust, unity, and care and are followed by a merging of spark coronas. Traditionally, they're all performed mid flight, save for the merging. So you must understand when I tell you that trining two grounders is simply impossible. They can't complete the rites."
Lonestar's wings droop, and she lays her head in her arms. The way her optics dim with disappointment could be her trying to make Starscream feel bad, but his tempted to see it as genuine. Lonestar doesn't lie to him. He can see right through her. And, as much as he hates to admit it, he hates to disappoint her.
"I suppose, though, that the rites don't technically have to be done in flight. It's just how things used to be done. It's not what Seekers do, after all."
That gets Lonestar's wings to perk up so quickly that they smack into Starscream's, making them both yelp. Lonestar rolls onto her side before sitting up, her digits brushing the black metal feathers of his wings.
"Sorry. But… you wouldn't get my hopes up, right? You really mean it?"
Starscream smiles softly, leaning in to press a kiss to her helm crest. "I don't lie to you, Starlet. Though I am worried for you. I just want to keep you safe."
Lonestar laughs a bit, shaking her helm. "They wouldn't hurt me. I know they would never."
"Not intentionally, I'm sure. Spark bonds are different for fliers. Deeper. Stronger. Breaking them, intentionally or otherwise, can be agony. Grounders don't feel it the way we do. Our bonds are meant to last a lifetime and remind us of our loss when our mates leave us, platonic or otherwise. So if you're going to do this, you need to be sure they're as committed to you as you are to them. They have to stand by you forever."
She nods, but Starscream isn't sure she wholly understands. There's time, at least, for her to change her mind. She'll need to decide how to change the rites for them, and perhaps that will be enough of a deterrent. Only time will tell if this ends up being a mistake. And, if it inevitably breaks her, then Starscream, at the least. will be there to help pick up the pieces.
Lonestar sits up, leaning over to press a soft kiss to Starscream's derma. He hums, lifting a servo to stroke her cheek. When she pulls away, he slips her arms around her to drag her back against him and earns a soft giggle.
"I don't see why you want them so badly when you have me, my selfish little Starlet. Is my love not enough?"
Sliding her servos over Starscream's shoulders, Lonestar gives him an adoring smile. She gives him another soft kiss before whispering softly against his derma.
"Your love with always be enough for me, Starscream. I promise, I've got plenty to share. Maybe you're the selfish one."
To his merit, Starscream does chuckle at the accusation before tightening his hold around her and stealing more soft, tender kisses. Yes, he is the selfish one. Selfish Starscream, ever since the day he came online. But he would let his lover have her fun, would let her learn the consequences. Because when all is said and done, he has more claim to her than anyone. And she'll always come running back.