Coalescence

“Ravage, I said…”
“What…” Ravage yanked his focus from the digital screen on his left foreleg, his eyes
wide in surprise. He then shut them and butted his head against Starscream’s chest. “Oh.
Hai.”
“Don’t give me that. I know you weren’t listening. Again.” Starscream stuck his lower
lip out in a pout. “You’re supposed to be my assistant.”
Ravage’s attention had already drifted back to the glowing green screen on his foreleg.
“Oh. Sure #MyBad. But this @MegaPapytonLuvr0147725331 is totes wrong. Edgelord
levels off the charts wrong. He says the Upside Down would be better if the monster was
scary and goopy. But, like, imma be serious here… Mirrorverse. Right? ‘Course I have
to send it in so many Yats cuz his handle eats all my character count.”
“If only you could be my speechwriter. I could say so much without saying anything at
all.” Starscream scratched Ravage’s back. The feline robot arched its rump, and an expression
of sheer bliss appeared on his face.
“You could signal to Soundwave on Cybertron and see what he could come up with.
#ScoreThoseBossPoints.”
Starscream thought for a moment. “Oh. That would be… interesting.”
An urgent voice from outside Starscream’s office called out. “Starscream! He’s here!”
“Good. A distraction…” Starscream placed Ravage on the floor and stood. The Recordicon
objected by swatting at Starscream’s ankle, which he missed. To cover his gaff, however,
he stretched his paw out and pretended to groom himself with his iron tongue.
Blitzwing popped his head through the doorway. “Should I send them in?”
“‘Them?’” Starscream raised a brow.
“You don’t think I’d let this traitor out of my sight, do you? What kind of Autobot would
I be then?” The grating voice abraded Starscream’s audio receptors already. The voice
was soon joined by a scowling Autobot prodding his head between Blitzwing and the
door frame. His horned red helmet was all too familiar.
“Ah, Cliffjumper.” Starscream pinched the bridge of his nose, a gesture he learned to
mimic from Earth television. “Why don’t you both come in.”
Cliffjumper spun around to the Decepticon behind himself and Blitzwing. “You first. I’ve
already had my back to you long enough to make my servos itch. It’s a wonder I don’t
have an energo-blade lodged in me somewhere by now.”
The Decepticon didn’t bother to reply. He simply strode past the other two robots and
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