Chapter Text
Starscream was acting strangely.
This itself wasn't that rare of an occurrence, seeing as the air Commander usually lacked any kind of self control, but his recent actions have confused Megatron beyond reason.
As it turns out, it had been Starscream who had stolen all loose metal plates strewn about the ship, storing the materials away somewhere even Soundwave had yet to find.
It wasn't like they needed them for repairs anymore, they had stolen far newer metals from the organics inhabiting their crash site, but it was strange.
And then there was the chirping.
His traitorous second usually shouted and sneered whenever he got the chance, but now? Now he chirped and clicked whenever he was displeased.
Which was often.
He also fluttered his wings more often and paid even less attention in briefings than he had before. Starscream had even once fallen into recharge when Soundwave had explained some of his findings.
It was an annoyance Megatron couldn't deal with any longer, seeing as many solar cycles had passed and Starscream's behavior had only worsened.
It was clear that something was going on and he would put a stop to it.
But first he had to find out what it was.
Megatron had taken it upon himself to observe the other members of his airforce, hoping to find at least some answers. Starscream and his trine now exclusively communicated in vosian, shrill chirps always ringing out when they were around each other.
Thundercracker practically hovered around his commander, needing to be reminded that he was not allowed to attend certain meetings since he would just walk after Starscream until being forced to stop.
Skywarp also acted stranger than usual. The purple mech often hissed at some of the larger seekers whenever they came near his trine leader, reprimanding them with taps from his wings and flics of his claws.
So both members of Starscream's trine were acting oddly protective of him, but what of the others?
Slipstream and Starscream often argued with each other, but ever since his weird behavior started their arguments stopped. The femme now sat near the elite trine when they were in the mess hall, simply watching them when they had their Energon.
Actually, that was what most of the seekers did.
Whenever Starscream was near they watched him.
Creepily so.
They followed him with their gazes and followed his commands with unusual compliance.
Only Ramjet, Thrust and Dirge seemed to continue on normally. They were also the only ones constantly being scolded by Skywarp.
Megatron realized, after watching them for a few cycles, that they would probably be the only ones he could get some answers out of.
So he did the rational thing and cornered them.
Soundwave, who had also grown annoyed by Starscream's behavior, had informed Megatron of each of their movements and he had taken the first chance that had presented itself.
Ramjet and his trine had been walking into the empty hangar, only to immediately walk into Megatron. Much to their surprise and subsequent horror.
“Lord Megatron! I apologize, we-” The black jet stopped at the lifted servo, falling silent at the gesture.
“Do not grovel. I wish to speak to the three of you.” The large silver mech's voice carried through the large room, echoing off of the walls. “It has come to my attention that your Commander has taken up some rather unusual habits and I hope that you, as loyal decepticons, will enlighten me on the cause of that development.”
It wasn't a request and the seekers knew it. Dirge, the smallest of the three, tilted his pointed head to the side, as if he were a confused sparkling. “Starscreams behavior isn't all that odd, he's always like this.”
“Chirping and stealing the metal out of our walls?” Megatron raised his optical ridge and sneered, apparently these seekers were too stupid to notice that anything had changed.
Ramjet snickered before another glare silenced his laugh. “Well, yeah, he's always like that when carrying. It's normal.”
What?
“What?!” Megatron practically wheezed. “What do you mean?”
“He's had so many sparklings by now it's really obvious. Always the same procedure, even when he had a few litters back to back. Only vosian and always new metal for his nest. It's how seekerlings learn our language, you know?” The black mech rambled, ignoring the Incredulous looks from his leader.
“You know this for a fact? You have witnessed him, Starscream of all mechs, have enough sparklings to be sure he's sparked right now?”
Ramjet shifted uncomfortably as Megatron took in the three of them. Thrust and Dirge blinked a couple of times before Thrust continued.
“Well, yeah. Of course we've seen him like this often, we were his first litter.”
The following silence stretched on uncomfortably long as Megatron contemplated every action he had taken in his life that had led him to this moment.
“Acidstorm and Novastorm were sparked a bit after us and the rest of the others emerged quite quickly after that.” Ramjet added on, not as helpfully as he probably believed. “Slipstream is his favourite though. She's so spoiled it's very obvious, they try to hide it from the rest of us with their arguments but it's not working.”
“You are all related. Each and every one of you.” The Decepticon leader sighed, utterly defeated.
Dirge, who had somehow managed to hide himself behind Thrust, his spark sibling by primus they were spark siblings, piped up again: “At least the triple changers are only our distant cousins!”
Megatron stormed away then, desperately ignoring that last sentence, in search of his second in command. Soundwave stood outside the hangar doors, somehow looking confused despite his entire face being covered up. Megatron didn't acknowledge him as he ran past him.
First he would congratulate Starscream and his trinemates on the sparkling and then he would lock all three of them in the med bay for daring to take part in active combat while expecting new offspring.
And after that?
He'll ask Shockwave to erase some things from his memories…