Skyfire was like a dog who obediently followed its master wherever they went, except make said dog about fifty times its usual size. He stuck close to Starscream's side, able to keep up without much trouble at all despite the prince's best attempts at trying to lose him.

"The palace is very beautiful." He commented as they walked down one of the main corridors, admiring the elegant architecture and lavish decorations.

"You won't think that after walking back and forth through it a thousand times per day." Starscream grumbled under his breath. His wings hung low against his back—a sign of his continued displeasure with the situation.

They passed an extravagant arch that led into what looked to be a garden. Skyfire's attention was drawn to the gleaming silver fountain and he slowed his pace for a brief moment.

Seeing that his would-be bodyguard was distracted by a fountain, of all things, Starscream smirked and took the chance to run further down the corridor. By the time Skyfire noticed, he was already ducking into one of the many rooms that lined the corridor.

"Prince Starscream!" Skyfire called as he raced after him, only able to catch a glimpse of his flashy paint before he disappeared into the room.

Upon entering the room, Skyfire saw no sign of Starscream. Great. His first day on the job and he'd already lost the prince.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that he was standing in a massive library. Datapads of all shapes and sizes lined the shelves that seemed to stretch all the way to the ceiling. He could easily spend an entire day reading in there if he wasn't supposed to be looking for a certain prince.

Right. Focus, Skyfire. He thought, shaking his head as he made his way deeper into the room.

Aside from the small pockets set out for lounge areas, the entire room was filled with shelves of datapads. It essentially created a maze that one could easily get lost in if they weren't paying attention. Luckily for Skyfire, most of the shelves towards the center were lower than the ones on the outskirts, meaning he could use his height to peer over the tops of them to see if Starscream was hiding on the other side.

After aimlessly wandering around for several minutes, Skyfire wasn't having much luck. There weren't any real places to hide unless you could fit behind a chair or under a table, so where could Starscream be hiding?

Skyfire was making his way back down an aisle when he noticed something that he'd missed before. One datapad at knee-level appeared to stick out just a bit further than the rest—a detail that could easily be missed by others. His keen optics and attention to detail, however, allowed him to spot it.

He knelt down to inspect the datapad, then curiously pulled on it to see what would happen. To his surprise, a section of the wall pulled inward and slid to the side, revealing a hidden pathway. Skyfire smiled to himself and ducked inside.

As he crept through the dark passage with his shoulders hunched together so they wouldn't scrape the walls, he heard a distinct voice echo off the walls.

Found you.

"What a neat little cubbyhole." Skyfire said upon entering the chamber at the end of the passage. His voice startled Starscream, who hadn't been aware of his presence until he spoke.

Starscream spun around in his chair and the smile disappeared from his face. "How did you find me?!" He demanded, slamming his hands down on the table.

"I'll admit, it was a bit tricky." Skyfire chuckled. "The idea of using a random datapad in a library to open a secret passageway is fascinating! Who's idea was it, your sire's?"

Starscream released an exasperated growl and angrily got out of his chair. "It was mine, actually." He grumbled, pressing a panel on the wall to open a second secret door that led into one of the palace's smaller hallways. "I can't believe you figured it out so quickly! You've never even been here before!"

"Maybe I just got lucky." Skyfire said as he followed Starscream out of the room, still smiling. "It's still an amazing feat of engineering. I would've never thought of that on my own."

"Don't flatter me." Starscream scoffed. "Of course it's amazing! You don't possess the brainpower to create something of such magnificence."

"Good thing I'm more of an explorer then, huh?"

Starscream clenched his denta together in frustration. Why was Skyfire acting so passive? Even with an insult thrown at him, he continued to be polite! Couldn't he catch the hint that he wasn't wanted?

Something must be wrong with him. Starscream thought to himself with a huff. He'll come to his senses sooner or later. I just have to try harder.

"My sire is waiting for you. Come on, we've already wasted enough time." Starscream grumbled, flattening his wings against his back as he led Skyfire down the hallway.

Why must you make this so difficult?

•
•
•

"So what's this I hear of a 'personal guard'?"

Starscream rolled his optics and sighed heavily. He focused on his reflection in the mirror, as he was currently applying paint-like makeup in intricate designs around his optics. A small, circular device sat on the vanity next to him, projecting a colored hologram of the femme he was talking to.

"My sire finally went through with his plan to assign me a bodyguard." He muttered, steadily finishing a curled design. "He claims it's to keep me safe, but I know he just wants to watch me 24/7. I'm not a sparkling anymore, for Primus' sake!"

Spectra smirked and put one hand on her hip. "Did he at least get you a hot bodyguard?"

"No!" Starscream exclaimed in disappointment, though it was a partial lie. There was no denying that he found Skyfire somewhat attractive, if not more. "He's big, clumsy, and he's not even a seeker—he's a shuttle! Apparently he was captain of the Guard or something, but I'm not sure how because he doesn't have an aggressive circuit in his body!"

"Wow. He sounds like a total pushover. Not the kinda guy you want watchin' your back."

"Exactly, and I don't need him to watch my back. I want him gone!"

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. He'll get sick of you in no time."

Starscream set down the brush he'd been using and stared at his reflection for a moment. Something about what she said rubbed him the wrong way, but he wasn't sure what.

"Yeah... right." He murmured, his wings twitching. Then, a knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts. "Ugh, hang on. Someone's at the door."

"Probably that stupid bodyguard." Spectra said with an amused snort. "I'm gonna go. We can talk more at the party."

"Okay. See you there."

Starscream quickly ended the transmission and got up from the vanity to go open the door. He was hoping that it wasn't Skyfire at the door, but deep down he knew it most likely was.

Slag, I need to make something up so he doesn't suspect anything...

The door opened with a soft whoosh, revealing Skyfire's stark white frame. He was so tall that he had to stand back in order to fully see Starscream.

"What do you want? I'm busy!" Starscream snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I apologize for bothering you. I was just checking in since it's getting late." Skyfire replied while dipping his head. Looking up, his gaze naturally gravitated towards the bright designs painted on Starscream's face. "Those look beautiful. Are you going somewhere, my prince?"

"I— Stop calling me that!" Starscream hissed. "I'm not going anywhere! I'm practicing for the events we must attend as royals, not that you would know anything about that."

"I've attended my fair share of royal events with the Guard, so I understand." Skyfire chuckled. The prince's alluring red optics were greatly enhanced by the designs painted around them. He bashfully looked down, a bit of a dopey smile on his face.

"What? Why are you smiling like that?" Starscream demanded as he stepped into Skyfire's personal space. "Stop it!"

Skyfire stifled a chuckle, finding the prince's anger amusing. "I'm sorry, I can't help it." He admitted, still smiling. "Everything seems to be alright here. Have a good night, prince Starscream. I'll be across the hall if you need anything."

Starscream's annoyance continued to boil away within him as he watched Skyfire turn and walk away. There was definitely something wrong with him. With a dignified huff, he closed the door and went back to preparing for the party.

Skyfire must be as stupid as he looks if he thought I was just practicing. He thought to himself as he checked his reflection one last time.

With everything as perfect as it could be, Starscream went over to the window and opened it. He then leapt through it, allowing himself to fall several feet before igniting his thrusters to bring himself back up. After carefully closing the window to make it look like it hadn't been tampered with, the prince took off into the night.

Little did he know, he was being followed.