Everyone has someone to look up to.

For Smokescreen, that someone is you.

He had heard about you—your missions, your choices, the ways others looked up to you for guidance. You were not just another bot. To him, you were the bot.

Then he met you.

When he arrived on Earth and joined Team Prime, it was nothing like he expected—yet, somehow, it was even more than he could have imagine. And despite the awe he felt, there was something more—he wanted to prove himself to you.

But, of course, Smokescreen being Smokescreen, he had his moments of nervousness around you. He wanted to impress you, to prove he was worthy of your respect. He tried to show off here and there, but every time, he could not shake the feeling that, maybe, he was just trying too hard.

One evening, after a particularly challenging mission, he was lingering outside the base, the others already inside. He was sitting on the ground, trying to catch his breath, when you approached him. And he noticed your prescence.

"I'm sorry. .I thought I had it all figured out, but then—"

He trailed off, looking at his servos.

Then he looked up to you again, guilt present in his optics.

". . .I messed up."