Chapter Text
His entire frame was shaking.
Starscream tried to curl his claws further into the berth beneath him, hoping that the action would relieve some of the pain, but nothing worked.
Now was one of those rare moments where he had to admit that he couldn't do everything on his own. He desperately wished that his trinemates were with him, he needed them more than he ever had before.
The pain was paralyzing and he was too weak to comm the med center, so he was stuck in his large and empty apartment all on his own.
What he wouldn't do to reach out to Skywarp and Thundercracker to apologize, but they had blocked him from their shared bond and were far away in Vos with their families, keeping him as far as possible.
Yes, he had been cruel to them, it really has been unfair of him to hog the berth and not share his Energon, and yes, he had been acting strangely aggressive. There was no excuse and he really couldn't understand why he had acted the way he did.
And now they weren't here as he writhed in pain, crying into his pillows while yearning for any kind of release.
It has begun in an unsteady rhythm, a wave of pain down in his abdomen, coming and going every now and then. But now it was a near constant sensation of pressing pain.
Starscream let out a shriek as he finally managed to concentrate enough to pull up his HUD, running an analysis of his systems. “What for the love of primus are EM protocols?” He hissed as he saw the unfamiliar notification.
He didn't have much time to contemplate the meaning of the strange new protocol that was apparently almost completed even though he hadn't activated it since another wave of pain rolled over him. It was as if his insides were being torn out of him one ripple at a time.
Well, if something was trying to get out of him he should probably just let it.
Resigning himself to his fate he no longer stopped his system override from keeping his panel shut, another strange side effect of whatever was ailing him. Starscream lifted himself up into a more comfortable position, shifting his legs to see just what exactly was going on.
To sum it up; it was a mess.
The urge to push took over, making him into nothing more than a mindless machine as his protocols started to act without his input.
It took a long time for him to finally feel a change as a sudden pressure was released from his valve and something wet and solid began to slide out of him. On instinct he extended his servos, catching the thing in his gentle grasp.
As Starscream looked at the tiny black sparkling he realised that the unfamiliar EM protocols stood for Emergence. Numbly he also noted that his internals suggested that this wasn't over yet.
He sent the strongest wave of panic over his bond he had ever experienced, hoping that despite the block being up his mates would still hear him.
They were having sparklings for crying out loud, at least now his mood swings made sense! And the pain as well, as did the cravings. Oh he would claw out their optics if they dared to hold all of this against him now!
The pressure was building again and the sparkling already out of him was starting to squirm, opening its tiny red optics to look at him in confusion. Poor thing took after Skywarp already. “I know, I know, this is a strange situation for me as well my little one.” Starscream tried to sooth his sparkling, but it came out rather strangled.
There was a sudden change in the air and Starscream knew what was happening before they appeared.
Skywarp and Thundercracker warped into the berth room looking rather frazzled, their wings hiked up and their optics wide. “Star, what- oh dear Primus!” Thundercracker yelped as he took in the scene before him.
Starscream hissed at them as another contraction hit, making the sparkling start to wail. “Take him you idiots! I can't concentrate on him while his siblings are trying to tear their way out of me!”
Skywarp, somehow, was the first to move forward, gently grabbing the fat little protoform and cradling him in his arms. “You were sparked?” The purple mech asked in awe, a bit of hurt shimmering through.
“I'm just as surprised as you two are.” Starscream snapped, another push straining him. “Thundercracker, please catch this one. I need to hold on to something.”
As if in a trance his mate moved to cup his servos where the next sparkling was already crowning, catching it effortlessly as it emerged.
The little mech was dark blue, closer to Thundercracker in coloring than his siblings had been, but just like his brother he immediately started wiggling around. “Hello little one.” He said moving to show him to Starscream, Skywarp and the larger sparkling. The little ones cooed at each other as soon as they saw each other, chirping and fluttering their wings nubs.
Carefully Starscream rolled his hips trying to figure out if there really was another sparkling still in him. Sure enough, another contraction hit him as some cruel answer.
“One more,” he wailed, “there is one more.” His wings fluttered as he pushed, both of his mates now rushing to his side. Somehow they had managed to open their cockpits as they moved, securing their young within the protective glass.
At least this one came out quicker, practically slipping out with only a few pushes. The mech was tiny in comparison to his two brothers and still, unbelievably still.
“Give him to me.” Starscream demanded, extending his servos towards Skywarp who was trying to shield the newspark from him.
Thundercracker and Skywarp exchanged concerned glances before finally giving him the tiny red sparkling. The small thing wasn't venting and was limp in his arms. Tears leaked from his optics as he stroked a digit over the mechling's cheek.
He cradled the small form in the crook of his neck, trying to warm it up while gently stroking the red little wings on its back.
For a long time the only sound in the apartment was the black sparkling kicking against the glass of Skywarp's cockpit, and Starscream was starting to lose hope.
That was until a little sneeze caused fire to erupt all over Starscream's chassis.
The nearly dead sparkling had chosen to make its grand entrance by activating its thrusters through a sneeze, immediately following that up with the tiniest giggle either of its creators had ever heard.
Starscream lifted the mech from his neck and looked at its tiny face, now lively and grinning up at him. “You will be a troublemaker.” He chirped in delight. “Come look at him.” Starscream beckoned.
Skywarp pulled out the first newspark, holding the two brothers next to each other and Thundercracker soon did so too. It was a perfect picture and Starscream was sure that nothing could ever compare to it.
“I'm so sorry that we weren't with you, Star. If we had known that you were sparked…” The blue seeker trailed off, unsure how to finish his sentence.
Starscream tilted his helm, pressing a kiss to his mate's cheek. “It's alright, you'll just have to put in double the effort with the next litter.”
Skywarp wrinkled his olfactory. “Will those have normal heads?”
If it weren't for the sparkling, Ramjet, in his arm, Starscream would have pushed him off the berth.