#not dissing the inferno and red alert ship

[fourphoenixfeathers]

Tags from @hotmothsummer

ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE. I'm still very much cooking but I'll write down what I'm thinking so far.

I love these two so much. It's absolutely insane how the two bots least likely to trust anyone became partners, and while the show wouldn't upset the status quo so majorly, I really wanted to see Auto Berserk go a different way.

So Starscream is sick of Megatron's scrap, and getting abandoned on the battlefield was the last straw. Red Alert is on a hair trigger and thinks the autobots are going to take him apart for scraps. Starscream spots an opportunity!

He pulls Red Alert aside to hide him from the autobots and start his plotting and scheming. It's them two against the world now, and if they can get the negavator, no one will be able to stop them anymore. Starscream wants to finally be on top (but secretly he just wants to finally be safe) and Red Alert wants the security (even though his personality will always find something to be paranoid about). They need therapy your honor.

Starscream is in a pretty good place here! Red Alert isn't hard to manipulate, all Starscream has to do is play into his fears. It's free partner (but watch out)!

I have this vivid image in my head of Red Alert jumping at the slightest of sounds, interpreting anything and everything as a threat to him and his new partner. On one hand, it's kind of annoying to keep talking him down from a false alarm, but on the other... Starscream never had anyone by his side before who was so genuinely concerned for his safety. He's always had to look out for number one because no one else would. Skyfire was the only one who would, but even after he was found in the ice, that didn't last long. Uh oh, he's getting attached.

On Red Alert 's end, he's getting to see a completely different side of Starscream. The flaky SIC gets so much scrap for his cowardice and general gremlin behavior (not to mention how the autobots literally joke about the Megatron domestic abuse), but without the autobots or the decepticons around, Starscream is surprisingly competent. It'll definitely give him something to think about when his logic circuits aren't buzzing like bees on crack.

Then they capture the negavator. All the factions and the two defectors are in one high stakes fight. Red Alert's not doing too hot, Starscream wants to make sure he doesn't leave him for rejoin the autobots without stressing him out so much he explodes, and then Megatron chooses this moment to come in like the kool aid man.

It comes down to this: claim he was getting the weapon for Megatron... Or stick with Red Alert. The answer is obvious isn't it? Megatron will kill him if he doesn't get into his good graces immediately. But Starscream hesitates. The reason he got into this mess was that Megatron left him for dead even when he wasn't being actively traitorous. He's alive as long as he is useful, and even that isn't a guarantee. But for all his paranoia, Red never threatened Starscream's life.

Red Alert sees Starscream's hesitation, and for a moment he fears Starscream will betray him. He should have known not to trust the Decepticon notorious for his treachery. But Starscream instead calls for a tactical retreat for the defectors.

I'm a bit fuzzy on what happens next, but the gist of it is Starscream chose Red Alert over Megatron, and Red returns the favor. They are besties, do not separate. On one hand, I want Screamy to have more defector vacation bc there's no way he'd drop everything and join the autobots so easily. But at the same time, using his null ray to calm down Red Alert's overactive circuits is a temporary measure, and Red will have to get medical attention sooner or later, and when he does he will return to his own faction.

They are so star crossed. They worked so well together when they both acted as neutrals (ignoring the gaslighting. Shhhh it's my sandbox now I do what I want) but that can't last and it's 😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺. Unless Starscream gets his head out of his tailpipe. Hence, I'm grabbing him by the throat and shoving him in the redemption bin. Somehow.