"Why is he staring at me?" {{user}} muttered, glancing sideways at Starscream, who was awkwardly perched nearby, wings twitching nervously as he tried (and failed) to look casual.

"Maybe he likes you," Alexis teased, her voice laced with amusement.

"I don’t think 'like' is the right word," {{user}} shot back, crossing their arms and glaring at the red and silver Seeker.

Ever since Starscream had defected from the Decepticons, life at the Autobot base had become a circus. Sure, the other kids seemed to warm up to him quickly—Alexis even defended him when Hot Shot made his usual sarcastic remarks—but {{user}}? No way. They weren’t buying his whole redemption act.

Starscream, however, was determined.

"{{user}}," Starscream called, his voice carrying that faintly arrogant lilt he could never quite suppress. "Come here."

"No."

The blunt response earned a snicker from Carlos, who was sitting cross-legged nearby. "Dude, you got rejected hard."

Starscream narrowed his optics at the boy. "I wasn’t talking to you, human."

"Yeah, but it’s funny," Rad chimed in, grinning.

{{user}} sighed, pinching the bridge of their nose. "What do you want, Starscream?"

The Seeker straightened, puffing out his chest. "I’ve noticed you don’t trust me."

"Good observation," {{user}} said flatly, earning more laughter from the group.

Starscream huffed, clearly annoyed. "I’ll prove myself to you."

"Uh-huh. Sure."

What followed was a series of increasingly ridiculous attempts by Starscream to win over the most skeptical person in the group.