Sound Advice

The door clicked behind him as the lock ingaged and he threw himself onto the bed, face plate down, trying to choke down the sobs that wanted free.

Why!

Why, oh why…

Why could his family not just act like a family for once? All he asked from them was a little civility! A little acceptance of his ability to choose someone fitting, him and the family name. He wasn’t a three vorn old sparkling anymore!

And his Intended certainly did not deserve the treatment they were giving him. His poor lover… not enough seeker coding to understand the subtler insults and the wing speak. A relief and an acute embarrassment all at once. He could not get himself to tell his gentle, loving Intended how awful his family were being…

“Why not, youngling?” a cool, feathery touch stroked down his back struts, between his wings, and he lost control of the sobs.

Why not? So many, many reasons… Gentle giant Skyfire was such an innocent, not at all suited for the intrigues of the royal family. If he had not removed himself from the inheritance line he would not even have been allowed to court the shuttle. But he had, and no one should have cared in the least that he was seeking a mate outside of wing- and windkin!

“Have you considered that you might not be giving him as much credit as you should?” the touch continued, a gentle soothing stroke. The touch of someone who knew him, loved him and wanted him happy. “I have watched him, you know, he is stronger than you think. And not as innocent, or as unaware, as you think.”

There was no point in lifting his helmet to gaze questioningly at his grandsire, but Starscream did so anyway. Optics found only empty air, but the touch to his back grew in pressure.

“Relax, my Grandcreation, I approve of him. Or you know well he would not be here anymore, now,” a pause, heavy with meaning, “you should go talk to him, not lock yourself in here with me!”

Starscream huffed and nodded, obediently getting up from the berth and walking over to unlock his door.

Despite his dragging his pedes a bit he was… happy, his spark warm and pulsing slow. Of all his family his grandsire was the mech he loved the most, and felt closest to. Even now after he had been offline for forty vorn…

It hardly stopped Stormeye from giving him sound advice!