TFP Starscream is a fussy needy little!!!
I'm not gonna make this a big post, just don't have the mental capacity right now, but I LOVE fussy Starscream (edit: this ended up being wrong, but I find it funny so I'm keeping it in lol)
I'm making this about my "Megatron isn't that bad TFP au," sorry if you wanted literally anyone else as Starscream's caregiver
I hc that without a caregiver, Star gets whiny/bratty when he needs to regress. So one of my main daydreams is Megatron telling Starscream, "If you're going to act like a brat, I'll treat you like a brat!" and ends up accidentally being a good caregiver lol
Megatron is carrying Star around, mockingly shushing him, asking him questions, only to go "oh right, You're a child! You can't answer that!", all in a bid to embarrass Starscream.
Which, to be fair, it IS working, but it's because Starscream's embarrassed that Megatron's mocking is making him regress. He's being sarcastic when he asks if you need a bottle! Don't almost say yes!?!
At one point, Megatron tells Soundwave to watch Starscream while he goes to get something. The whole time Soundwave's watching Star, Sounders is just staring at him; Soundwave has realized Megatron's making Star regress (telepathy) and is feeling a bit of pity.
When Megatron comes back, Soundwave suggests that Starscream is more useful as a soldier! Only for Megatron to say that a child can't be a soldier... whelp, Soundwave tried; good luck, Starscream!
It only takes a couple of days after this for Megatron to realize that Starscream is a little. It's lunchtime, and what usually happens is that Megatron brings Star to his room and asks if Star needs a bottle. When Star says no, Megatron gets him a sippy instead and forces him to drink from it, only... that doesn't happen this time?
Starscream slips a little younger than usual, and doesn't really answer him, that's fine! A little weird for Megatron's second-in-command, but Megatron's sure he's just trying to end the punishment early by ignoring him; he'll just give him the bottle today. That'll show him to ignore Megatron!
Only instead of fighting Megatron, Star just.. grabs the bottle and drinks from it? This makes Megatron pause; he looks at Starscream for the first time, notices how tired he looks, how fuzzy his eyes are, how he's not fighting Megatron's hold...
He mindlessly grabs hold of the bottle when Star starts to struggle to feed himself. When he realizes that Starscream definitely regressed, not only that, he's clearly mentally VERY young.
Megatron, feeling a bit bad, tries to set Star down so he can nap while Megatron gets someone who would be a better caregiver. Only... uhh... Star won't let himself be set down?
Megatron is now panicking because whining quickly turns to crying if Star isn't being coddled.
Whelp, if it ain't the consequences of your actions, Soundwave has no pity; he TRIED to tell you. Guess you have to wait until Star's big again; good luck!
It takes several hours of holding, playing, feeding, and an eventual nap for Starscream to be big again.
Good news, Megatron now knows when Star's being whiny, he needs to regress
Megatron does not consider this good news because apparently Star only likes Megatron when little