Star/Roddy, either 13 or 18? (If you want to!)
I went with 13! (and... kinda fudged it but IT WORKS)
“What does this mean to you?” Rodimus asked, his voice on the verge of breaking.
Starscream kept his helm down, his optics dimmed nearly black.
Rodimus grabbed his hands a little too roughly. “Why can’t you just tell me what you’re feeling?”
“Why?” Starscream snapped. “So you can just leave like everyone else?” In stark contrast, his optics now flared a bright, almost blinding, red.
“What?”
“Forget it.” Starscream yanked his hands back, turning his back on Rodimus. “Just go.”
Rodimus growled in frustration. “Don’t you get it? I want you to come with me!”
Starscream scoffed. “I can’t just leave.”
“Okay, maybe not right now, but you said so yourself that you didn’t think you’d be leader for much longer.” Rodimus spark twisted as he watched Starscream deflate that much more. “I know this is hard. I know what it’s like to lose everything you have. Everything you’re living for. I get it. But Starscream, if this is going to happen no matter what you do, then you need to consider what you’re going to do next. Why not join our quest? Why not join me?”
Starscream scoffed again. “You just want a replacement.”
“No.” Rodimus closed the space between them, reaching for his hand. He took it gently this time, his thumb making calming circles. “I don’t want a replacement. I’m not asking you to be my co-captain. What you need right now is a long vacation, and you can get it on the Lost Light.”
“Isn’t your crew’s survival rate a bit... dismal?”
“Isn’t yours even worse in general?” Rodimus teased.
As Rodimus leaned in to press a kiss on Starscream’s cheek, the seeker said, “I... I don’t know.”
“You don’t have to decide right now,” Rodimus assured him. “But I lo--I care about you.” A hint of blush tinted his cheeks. “I want to see you happy, and... I thought maybe you felt the same way.”
Starscream didn’t smile. Not really. But it was close. “I’ll think about it. But you need to get back. The Lost Light can’t leave without its captain.”
Rodimus stole a quick kiss, then held Starscream’s gaze for a moment longer. “Next time, you’re coming with me.”