A/N: Happy Valentine's Day...? XD Heh heh... I hope you find this to your liking. I sure did...

Edit: oops, fixed the little third-person/first-person issue. (I blame Rise! It's Nova's fault!)

It was pathetic. It was disgusting. It was humiliating, that anyone he had once called a friend had turned out to be such a pitifully noble and selfless mech. It was almost sickening, the conflicted look on his white-plated, blue-opticked face. If only he would come to his senses! Couldn't he see that the Autobot way was the only way?

"Skyfire, I don't want to fight you!" Ugh, and his voice was trembling. Trembling. Skyfire's mouthplates twisted into a disgusted sneer. What a waste of potential! Starscream would have made such an excellent Autobot, if only he had accepted Prime's offer. But Megatron had made him soft.

"I know you," Starscream continued plaintively. "How can you follow him? He destroyed our home! Don't you remember the Crystal City? Please, Skyfire! See reason!"

Skyfire pounced, taking his old friend by surprise with his new boosters. Starscream jerked back, but not fast enough. Skyfire's massive black hand seized his arm with crushing strength, wrenching a pained cry from his vocalizer as he yanked the smaller jet forward. He relished the sudden fear in the blue optics.

"See reason?" He laughed harshly. "Toughen up, Starscream. Megatron is a fool—Optimus Prime knows how to respect science. He gave me everything I ever wanted… knowledge, and the power to attain it! Think, Starscream! We could be everything that we ever wanted to be! Exploring the galaxy, studying strange creatures…"

"By enslaving and killing them?" Starscream gasped, face and voice tight with pain as the struts of his arm creaked.

"Prime will give you all that you want," Skyfire coaxed, pulling his old partner flush up against him, reveling in the agonized moan as something shattered under his fingers. "Anything you want, if you'll join him… join us."

"I want you back," Starscream murmured. "The way you once were."

"I was always this way," Skyfire answered. "You just never saw it." He lowered his voice to its most tempting. "Come with me, Starscream… we'll be just like we once were."

Starscream showed some bearings at last, his face hardening. "I will destroy Prime," he vowed. "I'll pay him back for what he's done to you."

Skyfire scoffed. Tired of this game, he shoved the much smaller jet away, sending him clattering to the ground. Starscream yelped, nursing his ruined arm.

"You'll come crawling back to me," Skyfire snarled, looming threateningly over the white Seeker. "You always have and you always will."

Starscream activated his thrusters and fled. Frustrated and angry—Starscream always put him in such a bad mood, slag him—Skyfire flew in the opposite direction.

Slag him! It was unreasonable, ridiculous to imagine that Starscream would turn to the Autobots. He had always been stubborn, and once he had made up his mind not even Skyfire could change it. It was a disappointment. Prime would be displeased that he had once again failed to bring Starscream over to them, but even Optimus Prime balked before facing down Skyfire. Well, the Pit could take Starscream and his stubbornness for all he cared!

If only Starscream had been more like him. The Seeker was brilliant, yes, fast—the fastest!—strong-willed, certainly, but that one central flaw, that slagging decency! That sickening nobility! Traits that would get him nowhere in the world. If only Starscream had been more ambitious, more arrogant, had less of a conscience… the perfect Autobot!

So absorbed was Skyfire in his furiously roiling thoughts that he almost missed the mysterious light in the sky nearby. He came up short, staring. It was some sort of strange atmospheric anomaly, a ripple in the dark sky shimmering with a rainbow of color. He had seen it on other planets, but never on Cybertron. Curious, he drew closer. It seemed almost a tangible thing in the air… light made solid? He reached out towards it to find out. The moment he touched it, the light flared, the intensity causing him to shut off his optics. He had a sudden sense of disorientation, as though he'd suddenly flipped over in midair.

He onlined his optics to find himself still airborne, still right-side up, still hovering over the planet's surface… but what was this planet?

Skyfire ran a quick scan of all his systems. Nothing was amiss, with him at least, but the planet he was flying over was certainly not Cybertron. He activated his night-vision, peering down at the terrain. An organic planet covered in green. How in the Pit had he gotten here?

Something appeared on his external sensors, coming in fast. A Seeker? Skyfire powered up his blaster, searching the sky… there. A brightly-colored dot, gradually turning into a slim winged bot. And… purple on the wings? But there were no Autobot Seekers! It must be a weak trick. He took aim and fired. The Seeker dodged expertly and Skyfire couldn't help a twinge of envy—as huge as he was, he could never hope to be that agile—before firing up his engines and diving to avoid a volley of laser fire. This mech had unusually good aim. The Seeker followed him, still firing. This was far too aggressive for a Decepticon!

The other mech scored a hit. Skyfire wasn't worried… he was strong enough to withstand a single shot.

Then his systems stalled. Skyfire recognized the effects of a null-ray blast and had a moment to be grateful that he'd personally fortified himself against many of the symptoms before logic kicked in. Only one mech was armed so. But Skyfire had sent Starscream packing only a few cycles ago… and the peace-loving jet would never fire on him if he had a choice, wouldn't choose to confront him and give chase. He wasn't that bold.

Something was very wrong here.

Skyfire stabilized just before reaching the ground, righting himself and softening the blow with his thrusters as he landed on his pedes, shaking off the null-ray's dampened effects. The mystery Seeker landed in front of him, arm cannons aimed at Skyfire's face, undisturbed by the blaster pointing at him.

"Lower the weapon, Deceptiscum," Skyfire growled.

"Drop it, Autoscum," his assailant said at the same time. Skyfire did a mental double-take… Starscream's voice, Starscream's weapons, something vaguely resembling Starscream's frame, and yet…

His foe seemed equally confused. "Who are you?" he snapped.

"Skyfire, Autobot warrior. State your designation and affiliation."

"What?" the Seeker hissed, narrowing his optics. He sneered. "If you were really Skyfire, you'd know who I am."

Skyfire took his best guess. "Starscream, Decepticon scientist."

A harsh laugh. "Make that second-in-command. Who are you really?"

"I am who I said I am."

Starscream, or whoever it was, looked him over. "If you had an accident with a few gallons of paint and got your circuits fried," he guessed. "Because you're not a thing like the Skyfire I know."

"Then you aren't Starscream, or you're the one whose circuits are glitching. Because the only Starscream I know is a cowardly pacifist who wouldn't dare raise a servo against me."

Not-Starscream stared at him. "That isn't me. That's you."

Skyfire stared back, unable to picture himself like… like that. The image was horrifying. What was the good of having incredible size and strength if one was too weak to use them?

Not-Starscream continued, a smirk curving his faceplates, "If you won't tell me the truth, then I'll just have to take you back to headquarters and persuade you."

"Do your worst," Skyfire laughed. "You Decepticons couldn't torture a sparkling into taking energon candies."

The Seeker's optics—brilliant red, like Skyfire's—glowed in anticipation. "I don't know what galaxy you're from, but we Decepticons can be quite… creative when it comes to causing pain."

This was certainly unexpected. It was against all of Megatron's principles to torture a prisoner… further evidence that something was very wrong. Skyfire paused to line everything up in his processor. A Megatron who tortured. A Decepticon talking like an Autobot. A "Skyfire" who acted like Starscream. A "Starscream" who acted… well, if not completely like Skyfire himself, then close to it. And the more he thought about it, the more he liked it… at least, he liked this Starscream, this bold, smirking, pain-loving Seeker who stared at him with glowing red optics and didn't whine about the past.

"Tell me about Prime," he said. Starscream gave him an odd look.

"Prime? That sentimental glitching human-lover?"

That was all he needed to hear. Ugh, the thought alone disgusted him. Prime, friend of organics?

As a scientist, he'd been fascinated by the possibility of parallel universes, infinite alternate realities splitting off of each choice made. Somehow he'd ended up in a universe where Autobots were self-sacrificing and soft and Decepticons were vicious and powerful… a universe where Starscream was everything Skyfire could possibly have wanted him to be… a Starscream who had fulfilled the potential of the one in Skyfire's world.

"Why?"

Skyfire smirked. "Things are a bit different where I come from."

Starscream looked intrigued. Every expression he made was more alive with such mischief behind it. "And where is that?"

"Did you study Vertigo's theory of diverging possibilities?"

"The reverse dimension? Of course I did, what sort of self-respecting…" he trailed off, gazing intently at Skyfire. Suddenly delight spread across his features. "You mean—"

"I do."

"Fascinating," Starscream said, hunger blatant in his optics. "Tell me more."

It was indeed fascinating. Skyfire told Starscream about his world and heard with varying amounts of horror the tale of this universe. It was truly astonishing… one of the most controversial theories in scientific history, and it was true. Clearly, nobody would ever believe this when… if?… Skyfire returned to his proper dimension. It became more and more tempting to stay here; the Decepticons of this world were all that the Autobots of his were… with the added bonus of Starscream. Skyfire had no friends among the Autobots of his world… such ideas as camaraderie and trust were foreign to them… and he would not miss them. He wasn't sure that, given the opportunity to return, he would.

His desire to learn more was mutating alarmingly... he hung onto Starscream's every word, but it wasn't just what the Seeker was saying that he wanted. From the way Starscream was looking at him—oh, he knew that look well!—the smaller jet was experiencing the same. Perhaps he, too, had longed for a more satisfactory Skyfire than that of this world, and now it was within his grasp!

"Where does the difference lie, I wonder?" Starscream mused quietly. "The planets themselves seem to be no different, the basic structure is nearly identical. Only the mechs are changed. Maybe it is within each Spark."

"How would one compare that?" Skyfire asked, seizing the chance. Starscream seemed to recognize the opportunity as well, for his smirk broadened. Primus and the Unmaker, but that expression looked perfect on his faceplates!

"The chance to make the comparison is slim," he purred, drawing closer. Though the action was aggressive in itself, caution was etched into every movement. This was as much a dangerous, enticing new angle for him as it was for Skyfire. "But if the circumstances are just fortuitous enough… scientifically speaking…"

Skyfire drew him in by a wing, deliberately squeezing just a bit too hard with his powerful fingers. "How fortunate for us, then," he said. "Scientifically speaking."

Starscream's dental plating flashed in a grin at that as his delicate hands slid up to Skyfire's chestplate. He already had the larger mech's body mapped out from long-ago experience, as Skyfire had his. But as clever as his fingers were at the seams of Skyfire's chest, the Autobot refrained from exposing his Spark just yet. Years of distrust had armored him against revealing his life force so easily.

When he perceived that he would have to work for it, Starscream laughed, pressing himself against Skyfire. "What's the matter?" he teased. "Don't you trust me?"

"Not here," Skyfire answered, smirking as he ran his fingers roughly up the backs of Starscream's wings. The Seeker gasped and offlined his optics for a klik before taking the challenge, working with wonderful firmness at Skyfire's chestplate while grinding up against him in a most enticing way. Primus and the Unmaker, but that mech could do some amazing things with his energy field…

Skyfire leaned down to make up for some of the size difference; Starscream stretched up to make up for the rest, attacking the shuttle's neck cabling with sharp fangs. Though the cables were too strong to be damaged, his actions sent warnings pinging in the larger mech's processor. Determined to have the upper hand, Skyfire crushed the Seeker to him, claws scraping at his fragile wings. Starscream hissed, writhing.

"Careful!" One of his cannons pressed warningly up under Skyfire's plating.

"That won't work on me," the black mech responded, but the other was unimpressed.

"They're still weapons," he growled, "and they're powerful enough to fry your circuitry at point-blank range."

Skyfire shivered. The Starscream of his world would never have threatened him… he much preferred this one. He showed his appreciation by stroking the leading edges of Starscream's wings, coaxing little moans from his vocalizer.

As determined as Skyfire was to expose the Seeker's Spark first, this Starscream seemed equally as stubborn as the other. His touches soon had the Autobot at an embarrassing state of enjoyment and desire, and despite Skyfire's best efforts, his chestplate was all too eager to slide apart to reveal his Spark casing. Starscream leapt at the opportunity with a vicious vigor, and oh Primus, those hands…! Skyfire bit back a groan and took his revenge by stepping up his efforts. The Seeker shivered, but would not submit. His fingers teased and tormented until Skyfire's casing opened reluctantly, exposing the furiously pulsing Spark to the Decepticon's far-too-clever touch. The huge mech was unable to contain a shout as Starscream's careful fingers immersed themselves in his essence. He felt the smaller jet's razor-sharp grin against his chest.

"Well, fair's fair," he breathed, and Skyfire's black plating was bathed in the blue glow of Starscream's Spark. The excuse of scientific exploration was long gone—good thing, since he really had no idea how this would have taught him anything besides how much more fun this Starscream was—and he was quick to imitate the Seeker, cautiously sliding a hand between them to explore inside his Spark chamber. One could never be too careful when a mech's life force was involved, so Skyfire was uncharacteristically gentle as he bathed his hand in the warmth of Starscream's Spark. He let his energy field surge around his fingers, making the red jet cry out loudly… Primus, it had been a long time since he'd made his Seeker scream in pleasure rather than in pain (though he had a feeling that this Starscream wouldn't mind pain in the least).

It seemed he had little interest in bonding at this time, which Skyfire appreciated. He was loath to allow any other mech into his deepest thoughts and feelings; Starscream obviously felt likewise. Instead they played with their energy fields and fingers, and it became a contest to see who would overload first. Skyfire would not lose this time.

Indeed, Starscream was the first to lose control, energy field bursting into random spikes as his Spark flared wildly. The sudden surge of his energy field threw Skyfire's Spark into shudders as well. The larger mech discovered later that he had accidentally cracked some of Starscream's armor as they overloaded, holding him as tightly as he was, but Starscream didn't seem to mind. Instead, Skyfire rebooted his optics to see him smiling smugly down at him, perched on his broad chest and practically humming with satisfaction. His energy field lapped playfully at Skyfire's; everything in his manner radiated enjoyment.

"Well," he said.

"Well."

"I gathered no conclusive evidence," he said, raising an optic ridge. "You?"

"None whatsoever."

"Well. There's only one obvious solution." He spread out on top of his makeshift berth, stretching languidly. "We must try that again sometime."

Skyfire laughed. So straightforward, so wickedly obscene! Truly a vast improvement over the pitiful mech he'd left behind. "Agreed."

Starscream purred in anticipation, resting his chin on Skyfire's chestplate. "I suppose I will have to bring you back to headquarters. Hm. We can think of a story on the way there… you will join us." It wasn't a question. "I'm sure you'll find this Megatron to your tastes…" His optics glowed as though a thought had suddenly occurred to him, and a smirk played about his mouthplates. "I'd like to see him order me about now," he murmured, half to himself. "I wonder how my wingmates will react."

Skyfire reached up to press him more firmly against his chest, digging his claws slightly into the Seeker's wings, not hard enough to puncture the metal. Starscream squirmed delightfully against him. "I won't share you."

Starscream's fangs showed in another grin. "I won't ask you to." His agile fingers slid under Skyfire's plating. "I want to keep you all to myself…"

A/N: Mmmmm, the possibilities...