Through the Looking Glass

Hi everyone! I'm really sorry I haven't updated in forever, my brother managed to break our computer and we've only just had it fixed...but I come bearing a oneshot, set in the "Shattered Glass" continuity!

The porcelain face in the mirror stared back at him blankly, and Starscream sighed.

Ever since Cliffjumper had arrived from that dimensional portal there'd been that little, nagging voice at the back of his processor. The scientist in him was fascinated, of course - the possibility of different dimensions, different realities was something he'd only dreamed of during the more boring lectures back at the academy. The moral Decepticon in him was not thrilled at all.

The porcelain face in the mirror stared back at him blankly, and Starscream wondered if the "evil" him Cliffjumper had talked about kept his face quite so polished and white. Then he remembered that the "good" Cliffjumper was red - the old one had a completely different paintjob. Perhaps the Starscream in another dimension was black, grey and blue - the complete opposite of his current paintjob.

He raised a digit to his optics experimentally, examining the blue lights peering back at him in the looking glass. If the Autobots had red eyes here, maybe the Decepticons had red eyes over there...

"Starscream…"

The white mech jumped, twisting around to find Megatron standing behind him. The grey and silver leader of the Decepticons looked down at him with a curious, concerned expression.

"I - …sorry, sir. I didn't see you there," Starscream stuttered.

"Starscream, are you alright?" the larger mech asked, worry filling his optics. "I called for you on the comm.-link three times."

"Didn't hear," mumbled the flier apologetically. He turned away again and looked into his reflection, now joined by Megatron's - how had he not seen him standing there before? From the corner of his optics, he could see Megatron staring at him with a gentle expression.

"Something's bothering you," he said to Starscream, voice inviting him to confide in the Decepticon commander. Megatron pulled a crate closer and sat down next to the seeker. Starscream frowned, still staring at himself in the mirror.

"It's not important, sir. Don't trouble yourself please," replied the lieutenant quietly. "I'm sure there are plans you need to go over, or strategies you need to approve, or - "

"Starscream," Megatron interrupted him, voice firm. "My dear second in command. You've been staring at yourself in that mirror for hours now. I have never known you to be a narcissist, so there must be something on your processor."

The air commander turned to face Megatron. Narcissistic? Perhaps a little - he liked to keep his paintjob as white and clean as he could, after all. Something inside his CPU told him that there was a high chance of his evil reflection being equally narcissistic, if not more so. Then he remembered how scared Cliffjumper had been to see Megatron when he'd first arrived - the little Autobot was full of awful stories about the evil, tyrannical Decepticon he had known on the other side of the mirror. It was hard to wrap his processor around the fact, when Megatron was staring at him with so much care and kindness, so much concern for one of his own, as a true leader should.

He looked at his reflection again. The porcelain face in the mirror stared back at him blankly, and Starscream sighed.

"Am I…," he began, scratchy voice unusually soft, "really as evil as Cliffjumper said I was? On the other side of this mirror?"

Megatron smiled gently, and cycled a burst of warm air out of his vents. "Am I really so cruel to you on the other side of the mirror, like Cliffjumper said? Do you really try to kill me every day? Is it possible for Optimus Prime to be a heroic leader? Really, Starscream," he chuckled, "is that all it is?"

"It doesn't bother you?" Starscream retorted defensively, baby blue optics narrowing.

"Hum," Megatron looked pensive for a moment. "No."

Without warning, the Decepticon leader suddenly pulled in the air commander close to his chest, arms wrapped around Starscream's snow white wings. The seeker squeaked in surprise. "It doesn't bother me, Starscream. Right here, in this reality, you are an intelligent, good-sparked mech," he pushed the flier away a little to look him in the optics. "You're a talented, well-respected flier and scientist, and your wing-mates look up to you. I look to you, when I can't be as strong a leader as I would hope to be. And besides…I think we both have enough to worry about in our own dimension, than worrying about other mech's dimensions."

Starscream considered this for a moment, then smiled up at his leader. "You're right." He returned the embrace hesitantly, cautious not to overstep boundaries, then leant his head back against the silver chest. "Even if you beat me over there, I know that this Megatron is…is…"

"Is what?" Megatron murmured quietly, optics glinting.

Slowly, shyly, Starscream leant forward and kissed Megatron on the nose. "…is lovely," he breathed. The Decepticon leader laughed, a deep and pleasant rumble, and then leant down to kiss his lieutenant on the lips.