Forsaken

★ Chapter 8 ★

Alone once more, Starscream made himself comfortable on the edge of a lake. He had been running so fast and far that he had absolutely no idea of his location. What did it matter? his life was meaningless, and he had lost all hope of ever becoming the leader of the Decepticons like he always wanted. His ideas were brilliant, but they still failed. His selfish greed and ambition to take control of backfired, and now he was getting what he deserved. He was once A lieutenant, and now he was nothing—the lowest of the low, An Outcast. But at least his little girl was safe. Letting out a depressed sigh of grief, he dragged his heel like peds from underneath his body and dipped them in the water.

The moon above moving in sync with the ripples of the water as he peered in at his reflection. He looked awful, Dirty, scratched, unbuffed and worst of all his optics were stained with fluids. A sudden bounce of rage sent his fist into the water, causing his body to Jerk forwards abruptly. The sudden loss of balance caused the unstable land on near the edge crumbles sending him headfirst into the lake. Thank Primus nobody saw that how embarrassing. The water level came just above his waist. Usually, he would have avoided water at all costs because it would have damaged his beautiful finish. What did it matter? Despite not having skin, he could still feel the coolness of the water against his frame. It was gentle on his body and oddly relaxing. The brief moment distracted him from his troubles, but of course, his mind was quick to remind him of why he was in a foul mood.

Starscream:" I wonder if she would like the water?"

A brief smile came onto his faceplate as he began to think about his little girl splashing in the water and giggling. Could a Sparkling even swim? Guess he would never know...human babies did float in the water but since Cybertronians don't breathe it probably didn't matter if she sunk. He took the small opportunity to wash his body, he couldn't correctly see what Starscream was doing, but he did feel slightly better. Maybe now that she was gone, he could focus on his leadership? But of course, as he previously thought, there was not much point. His plans always failed. Gently, he cupped the water into his servos and splashed it over his optics. He had stopped sobbing by now, but his body was still shaking. It was so unusual for him to be this upset about anything. He was unsure of what to do with himself or how even to handle it. So many different emotions he was unfamiliar with, this little sparkling truly had changed him.

Was it for the better, or was it for the worse? Having found himself so deep in thought, he failed to notice the heavy footsteps approaching. When he finally realised somebody was watching him, panic set in but yet secretly hoped that it was Megatron himself here to put him out of his misery. Letting out a groan of defeat, he turned to meet his fate. It was dark, but the natural light revealed the body shape and size. Why was he here? What could he have possibly wanted? Why can't everyone just leave him alone?! Growing slightly, Starscream barked a little more aggressively than he intended.

Starscream:" What do you want, Prime?"

Yet again, not a shred of emotion on his face. He noticed the land that had crumbled before Looking back at Starscream with his gentle blue optics. The Prime was talented, and he knew he had fallen in. Upon realising this, the seeker's wings lowered in embarrassment, hoping he did not see it happen.

Optimus: "I have come to talk."

Letting out a huff, Starscream was quick to dismiss him. He wanted to be left alone to evaluate his horrible life choices. Emotionally drained, he was not in the mood for a talk.

Starscream:" I do not wish to talk."

Sensing the seeker's angry mood, the prime as calm as ever extended a servo to him to help him out of the lake. The simple gesture was meaningful to Starscream. Nobody has ever helped him before, but did he deserve it? His pride would not allow him to take the welcoming servo, however, looking around it did seem like the best option for now. He was too weak to climb out of the water himself without getting hurt and most likely, Optimus would not leave until he had convinced him to talk. Besides, They had helped him when he had asked the haps just once, and he could return the favour. Rolling his optics at his conclusion, he reached up and took the primes larger servo. The water drained off his body, leaving a large puddle below his peds as he stood back on dry land. Bits of water trickled down his wings and landed on the floor. With his wings the most sensitive part of his body, it tickled slightly causing him to shiver. His body felt a bit better now than it was cleaner, but his spark was still pounding. There was a brief moment of silence between the pair before the Prime attempted to make small talk.

Optimus:" how are you, feeling?"

Starscream:" oh, I am fan-fragging-tastic Prime! What do you think?!"

He did not intend to get so angry, but honestly, the question angered him quite a lot. How was he? Seriously. The Prime was unsure of how to start the conversation, so the seeker just let out a huff of displeasure before brushing it off. Realising that Starscream was in a foul mood, he decided to get to the point.

Optimus:" my apologies, I wanted to ask you something important... However, you fled before I could ask"

Starscream New precisely what he was going to ask. That's why he ran, and he was too upset to think about the consequences of his choice possibly. It was such a difficult decision to make Given his past. Could he do it?

Optimus:" Starscream, I am impressed by your kind gesture. Would you like to join us?"

Starscream:" wait, what?!"

That was not what he thought he was going to ask. The second was so sure that he was going to ask him for some codes to the nemesis database, not to join the team! Was he serious? Incomprehension fogged his mind as his wings shivered in confusion. Never in his life, after all of the horrible things that he had done did he expect this question. Was it foolish, or was it clever? Why? Why did you want him on his team? Surely this was a joke?

Starscream:" H-hilarious, Prime. Now, what do you want?"

when the primes the face remains the same, he felt his body stiffen. He was serious about this, and this was a huge moment. All at once, ideas began to flood to his head. He could not possibly join them, and his reputation extinguished. But wait, his reputation was already ruined, so what did it matter? But he would be safe with them, he would see his little girl again, but all of his dreams were going to de demolished if you could not lead the Decepticons. What was he going to do, should he join them? For the first time in his life, shattered in two. Join the Autobots and be with his little girl, or forever give up on his dreams.