#combat goggles

Smokescreen's no stranger to change, or rolling with life's punches when a sucker punch comes his way. After all, he'd gone from the thieves' den that was the Mithril Sea to the hardcore Elite Guard enlistment service without batting an optic. Moving to Iacon afterwards was a bit of a shock, but that was mostly because Smokescreen had only briefly seen the city before being overwhelmed by the sheer number of data-scrolls within the Hall of Records, which would have captivated his long-buried interest in reading if he weren't so impatient to play his part in the War. Landing on Earth was less of an event to process and more of a joyous delight, as not only did he get to meet his hero Optimus Prime and his team, but he also got to be on the planet that brimmed with light and color that Alpha Trion had spoiled him rotten with on stories from their time in the Hall.

Although his zeal was greater than his rationality at the time, Smokescreen absorbed everything he could about the planet and his new team. He learned human anatomy and fragility from a hovering Ratchet (who's ever-present wrench may have inspired his good retention on the subjects), the Earth's fauna and flora from Bumblebee, cycles and events from Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, an update of the war efforts from Ironhide, and Earth culture from Miko. To be quite honest, Smokescreen trailed after Optimus like a lost cyber-pup, soaking up his words and wisdom while memorizing his fighting techniques. Wheeljack, upon their first meeting, made quite the impression, even though he'd read every article and battle strategy of the Wreckers the moment Smokescreen had enlisted. Desperate to prove himself to Wheeljack (and impress "dad", as Miko had later referred to Optimus), Smokescreen emulated the Wrecker-scientist's tactics and guile while shadowing him at the base and on missions.

That ended preemptively after Smokescreen had tailed Wheeljack during the Wrecker's vendetta against the Constructicons, which resulted in Smokescreen narrowly avoiding death, Wheeljack's isolation to base after a HEAVY reprimanding from both Ratchet and Optimus, while Ironhide had taken him to the side while dragging the twins along with him. To his surprise, Smokescreen had only gotten a mild scolding from Ironhide (a noisy scolding - it WAS Ironhide, after all); once the bodyguard had finished, he'd told him to focus less on proving himself to others and more on bettering himself for himself. To that end, Ironhide tasked Sideswipe and Sunstreaker with his training and integration to both the team and Earth. Smokescreen was grateful for that, as it helped ground him and allowed him to shake off his starry-eyed imaginings that he'd brought with him to Earth - and in the process, gave him older brothers, something he never realized he'd wanted.

So those past experiences, coupled with downtime spent with Miko and her various manga, anime, and comic reading sessions, made adjusting to Remnant and the mutant-like humans a walk in the park for Smokescreen.

It surprised no one that Smokescreen could adapt as well as he did, and it was quite easy for him to do so himself. Smokescreen just heard one briefing on Aura, Semblances, Dust, Faunus, and the kingdoms before quickly categorizing it as, "a world populated by Marvel Comics' mutants, with a third of normal humans, mixed with a half-animal offshoot species, and stuffed into medieval fiefdoms spruced up with Ancient Cybertronian tech and all purpose rocks of concentrated element juice."

Although their new friends at the Xiao Long cabin gave him varying looks of utter bafflement, Miko's thumbs up, combined with Optimus' smile, Sideswipe's grin, Irohide's facepalm, and the rare image of Wheeljack's "I don't know how, but that made sense" expression (matched by his even rarer head scratching motion), satisfied Smokescreen's suspicions that he'd summed up the world in one sentence.

Hanging around the cabin, while uneventful, was a pleasant experience for Smokescreen. He got to know Tai, a retired Huntsman who gives him advice on improving his fighting style. The man is rather laid-back, and took his enthusiasm in stride. Although he can't yet see it, Yang is apparently a hard-hitting party girl, though from what he does see as she spends time with Ironhide and Sideswipe, Smokescreen could believe it. Neptune is like the best of both Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, if you asked him. The guy had Sunstreaker's knowledge of his good looks and versatility, but Sideswipe's easygoing personality and grit when the chips were down. Smokescreen liked hanging out with him, Yang, and Sideswipe when they had the time, though he often feels like a third wheel, and thus began checking in with the others more often.

Mercury is quiet and lax, though having grown up seeing 'Bots with that attitude, Smokescreen knew the older boy was an experienced fighter, and watching for the slightest hint of a threat. He respected that, though recalling what that type of hypervigiliance had done to the processors of his old contemporaries in the Mithril Sea, Smokescreen attempted to bond with him to help him "chill out" as Miko was fond of saying. However, whenever he reads his vitals and sees his heart rate picking up and a flash of annoyance hidden in his eyes, Smokescreen backs off and sees fit to distract Miko when she's eager for socializing once out of Ironhide's sight.

Qrow is an interesting fellow. He's got the same swagger and presence as Wheeljack, who he tends to hang around, and that makes it easy for Smokescreen to bond with him. Wheeljack gets a kick out of their interactions, and although the man's Semblance is apparently bad luck, he couldn't care any less, even if it causes a tree to fall on his foot. That seems to endear himself to Qrow, and judging by the looks he sometimes shoots the other humans, Smokescreen's willing to bet that the Huntsman is lonelier than he lets on.

It's Ruby he feels a connection with the most, though.

The girl wakes up and about draws a blank when she gets told about Beacon Academy's destruction and her powers, never mind learning about "alien robots". She's confused and scared, and that primarily drives her into the arms of Tai and Mercury (not necessarily in that order, he muses.) However, Smokescreen wants to know her more, and for that, he appoints himself as her liaison to the Autobots, telling her about the War and the factions, while also listening to her gush about weapons and explain some of the Dust she uses. Even though he knows when to leave her alone with Mercury, who he's become certain is her boyfriend, Smokescreen feels happy. She's a sweet kid, and they're so similar, it's no real difficulty for them to get along, especially given her father gets along with Wheeljack so much.

He's just as shocked as Wheeljack to learn that she was unaware of this familial fact.

Maybe he just wasn't around at the right times, but Smokescreen could have sworn on the All-Spark that every time she said "Dad", she'd meant Qrow. The deathly silence and betrayed look on her face broke his Spark, and somehow, he understood that she needed a friend. A friend who understood what it was like to have your identity crash and burn in front of you.

Although she took off at Warp Factor Ten, Smokescreen wasted no time transforming and driving after her. About a quarter of a mile away he realized he'd left Mercury in the dust, and though he felt bad about doing that to him, he knew he had to follow Ruby before she completely broke down.

He followed her trail to a cliff edge, where there also seemed to be a grave. Smokescreen rolled to a stop a short distance away, transformed, and gave her a few minutes to collect herself. When she had, Ruby still burst into tears. She ranted about it all - her Silver Eyes, the loss of her school, that her family had lied to her, and that now aliens were on her planet - it wasn't fair, they both knew that, but she still needed to release the thoughts and pain, and Smokescreen let her do that.

Once she finished and tried to get her sobbing under control, Smokescreen felt his optics drawn to the water. It wasn't the water that drew his attention, or the numerous other pieces of foliage and space he stared at that garnered his direction since events from a year ago. It was that they could be a fixed point of his thoughts and fears, and a location to let his mind wander into both the past and the future.

And so, he told her about how Optimus almost died that day.

As Ruby stared at him, listening in what he could only guess was morbid curiosity and shock, he told her how Optimus nearly died, and how the Matrix had chosen Smokescreen to be his successor. It didn't matter that he lived, or that Smokescreen, in all his years of daydreaming, had never once entertained the thought of Primacy, he was forever marked as a candidate. Even now, the raw terror that that had instilled in him - both Optimus' close call and being chosen as a future Prime - was a visceral feeling etched into his chassis. But even though Ruby was the first soul he ever told about the experience, Smokescreen felt a weight being lifted from his shoulders. And once he was done, he knew how to finish his speech:

"Just because you're destined for something bigger than you ever anticipated, doesn't mean you have to shoulder it alone. It doesn't mean you're alone anymore than when your family is someone you didn't expect. Qrow is your father, Optimus is my uncle, and we didn't expect that. And regardless of our heritage, we're chosen for something bigger than ourselves. But that doesn't have to define us, or drive us to walk alone. Sharing a burden, or a fear, or a dream - that's what's important. And who we share it with gives us strength, not isolation."

The silence after is heavy, but hopeful. And when she embraces him, Smokescreen knows he did the right thing.

Smokescreen and Ruby develop a bond much like the split-Spark Lambo brothers. They're always on the same wavelength, tuned into each other's emotional needs, and can warn the other of danger moments before disaster. They have differing fighting styles, but enough similarity that Smokescreen learns from her sharpshooting skills while Ruby picks up his adaptive close combat techniques. When not spending time with their friends and family, they can be found driving around together, killing Grimm, or chatting by the shoreline. Ruby only wants two specific people to be with her on the cliff edge where her mother is buried after their first heart-to-heart, and although it takes a while for Qrow to work up the courage to visit and spend time with his daughter and late wife, Smokescreen respects her wishes and has no problem letting Mercury and Qrow keep her company.

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Oh boy, I swear, I thought I'd have this out sooner. Man, when life kicks you in the teeth, it kicks hard!

Anyway, these two were a pair I had in mind ages ago. I love Smokescreen, and he's the only one who would understand how she'd feel (Hot Rod fans, do not interact; it will be a bloody fight we get into.) As for their team name, while I do hate that Arcee used it to pick on Smokescreen, "Destiny's Children" does fit them. They're both young, both destined for greatness that overwhelms them, but still push on in spite of those fears.

Well, that's all for now. Just pray I can keep this up, peeps. I didn't expect to be this far behind!