iseedeadbees | thisavrou IC inbox

I didn't have any reason to think that any of you would believe me. I'm fully aware of my reputation and of the fact that I'm not exactly well liked by most of the Cybertronians who ended up here, not to mention the fact that you have Megatron on your side. I wasn't about to make myself a target.

Starscream, you expect trust but you offer none in return. If you openly confess, you take away all of the power the other Starscream has over you. He can't blackmail you if you have no secrets.

In fact, it's literally the last thing the other you would expect. What better way to gain the upper hand?

Ratchet himself hasn't made an issue over this, presumably because he understands you had no malicious intent.

And with no intent, you cannot be charged for a crime. That's just the basics of criminal justice: A conviction cannot be handed down unless intent can be proven.

[buddy 90% of Starscream is just a miserable little pile of secrets ~~but enough talk have at you~~, telling him he shouldn't have any secrets is like telling him to tear himself apart and completely rebuild himself from scratch. He rubs at his face like he's having a really hard time deciding what the hell he should do. Because he is.]

Okay, I... okay. You're right.

I'm not saying you have to divulge everything.

But, if it helps, I'm prepared to stand with you in solidarity.

Provided you properly apologize to Ratchet.

I've already talked to Ratchet. That was the first thing I did. When he came back, that is. He didn't seem too upset about it, Hell, he forgave me for it.

[Starscream still seems a little blown away by the whole thing.]

Then what have you got to lose by coming clean and being honest with the rest of us?

Ratchet forgave you.

Even I can recognize the lack of intent. You're so hellbent on not giving an inch, that you're actually playing to the other Starscream's tune. The tune you originally wrote.

[The irony of this whole situation is just MIND BLOWING isn't it. Starscream looks like he's about to complain, make some kind or witty retort or something, but in the end, he just sighs and slouches in his seat looking exhausted. Super exhausted.

Actually that's all he's going to do for a moment. He isn't sure how he's supposed to reply to any of this and he doesn't have a good argument.]

Starscream, whether I like it or not, you are still the elected leader of Cybertron. Whether that matters here or not is a moot point. As long as I see that you are doing right by our people, I will stand with you.

So, I will be blunt.

Get your house in order. We need solidarity now, more than ever. Kowtowing to a duplicate of yourself for witnessing an accident is something beneath you. You're Starscream. You don't get mad. You get better. And then you get even. And then you lord it all in our faces with a comically over-sized crown.

I get it, the crown was overkill!

[Fuck you Magnus the crown was amazing and it looked incredible on him. He stops himself before he gets too huffy, though, because the rest of what Magnus had said was actually important.]

You're right, though. I need to get this matter settled and put it behind me. I don't think it would be a good move to make a public spectacle of myself again so soon, especially since half the ship is in chaos right now.

[He pauses for a moment, considering A Thing]

Did you mean what you said? About standing with me.

I did. Frankly, I see no reason not to.

[He crosses his arms.]

Megatron can change, and I've given him more than a fair chance to prove his intentions. I don't see why I shouldn't extend the same chance to others.

You're really something else.

[All these Autobots willing to give Starscream a chance (okay like 3 autobots) lately are really throwing off his game, so don't take it too personally if he kind of sounds skeptical]

Not to change the subject, but what is Megatron really like these days? Given our extensive history, I really can't help but be curious.

[And hey as far as Starscream is concerned, Magnus is a far more credible source of information than Megatron himself is, SO.]

...To sum it up in a single word?

'Lost.'

I think he knows what he wants. I think he even knows how to attain it. But I don't think he believes himself deserving of the right to earn it.

Lost. That doesn't sound like Megatron at all. If there's one positive thing that I can say about him, it's that he's always prepared, for anything. He has contingency plans for his contingency plans. He's never been lost.

What does he want?

I'm sure he has many plans. The question he's stuck on is whether he deserves that those plans will bring him.

I would imagine he wants peace.

And he doesn't think he deserves it.

I don't think he deserves it. I imagine most people wouldn't.

...You seem to have your head on pretty straight. What do you think?

I think our race has a tendency to overcomplicate things.

[Magnus is literally the king of overcomplication, but he's straight forward about it. And he says this simply enough.]

That's... probably an understatement, but I have to agree.

Also, I appreciate you noticing that my head is perfectly parallel to the outermost ridge of my chestplate.

Not many notice that level of detail. I've worn my armor like this for centuries and not a single person has complimented me on the fact that it's perfectly level.

[You know what, Starscream could give Magnus a weird look. He could be annoyed. But he's not going to do that. He's just going to roll with it because thats what Starscream DO.]

Oh, think nothing of it. I've always had an eye for detail, and I must admit, I've always been a fan of symmetry. Comes with being a flier, really. Perfect balance is very important when you're in the air.

[BUT then he kind of pauses and looks Magnus over real quick]

Wait, which part's the armor?

Finally, someone who has a discerning optic for aesthetics! I can't tell you how many people disregard something as basic as symmetry when it comes to--

[Wait, what.]

I beg your pardon?

You said something about armor.

Oh.

You don't...

Ah.

Nevermind.

Uh huh, that's not suspicious sounding at all.

There is nothing suspicious about my armor!

What armor!?

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