Skywarp snickered to himself as he watched his Trine-mates amble down one of the skybridges that connected Seekerling quarters to the training platforms. They were obviously deep into some boring conversation and were paying their black and purple brother little to no mind.
He could hear voices climbing up into the atmosphere from the grounders that mingled in the world below. He wondered if they ever got to have as much fun as he did.
Skywarp's thin struts dangled over the parapet, swinging happily as he waited in anticipation.
Almost there.
The Teleporter tried to compose himself.
Starscream and Thundercracker's voices reached his audials.
"It wouldn't be the first time a Seeker has attended one," Starscream said.
Thundercracker rolled his optics. "But it'd be our first time, Scream. And I don't think I want to even have a first time there."
Starscream was silent.
Thundercracker blinked. "Wait. You've already been to one?"
"Two."
"Unbelievable!" the blue Seeker gasped. "You of all bots! It's a pit fight, for spark's sake! No self-respecting Seeker should ever be seen at a-"
He was cut off by Starscream's hand slapping him in the chest and stopping him midstride.
"What are you doing?"
Starscream looked down and arched an optic ridge at the shiny, wet substance that covered the floor before them.
"What's that?" Thundercracker asked.
Starscream looked up, gaze landing on the third member of his Trine whose armor glistened under the rays of the sun as though he had just recently buffed himself.
Why would he need to buff his armor?
The Trine leader scowled. "I don't know," he answered. "But I can't help thinking it has everything to do with a certain teleporter I know."
The blue Seeker rolled his optics. "It's just a puddle of some random goo, Starscream. Just walk around it and leave it alone."
Starscream huffed. "As if I would leave anything having to do with Skywarp alone."
Skywarp's wings perked slightly at the mention of his name, though he showed no other sign of interest in his brothers' conversation or the miscellaneous fluid left on the usually pristine walkway.
"Do we really have to get into this now, Starscream?" the blue one groaned.
"You know how Skywarp is," Starscream hissed.
"Yeah, and I know how you are," Thundercracker mumbled. He winced at the venomous glare he received from his wingmate and stepped around the mess, picking up his pace to put distance between himself and the overly sensitive Starscream.
"Hey, T.C." Skywarp greeted from his perch on the parapet. "Why's Screamer glaring angrily at the ground?"
He sounded innocent enough, but the slight curve at the corner of his mouth marked him guilty enough for the smelting pits as far as Thundercracker was concerned. "You should know."
"Should I?"
"What's wrong with you, Warp?" Thundercracker groaned. "Y'know Starscream still wants to kill you for what you did to Skyfire. Can't you just lay off the pranks for a little while?"
"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about, T.C." the teleporter huffed. "I haven't pulled a single prank on anyone in a whole orn."
The thunderer rolled his optics for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "Warp, you're sitting quietly on the skybridge you know me and Starscream always use to go for training—training you missed, by the way—and there's some weird pile of goo sitting in the middle of the bridge that you most probably put there, plus you're all prettied up like maybe said goo did some damage to your finish. You have never in your life looked more suspicious of tomfoolery."
"Tomfoolery?"
"Pranking."
"Ah."
"So?"
"So what?"
Thundercracker ex-vented, willing his nerves to settle as his brother continued in this frustrating charade. "What's in the goo? Acid?"
"Why would we have acidic goo?"
"So is it electrical or something?"
"Now you're just being ridiculous, T.C."
Thundercracker watched him carefully. "So it's just goo?"
Skywarp grinned.
They looked back at Starscream. He was pacing furiously, completely oblivious to his Trine as his mind was solely focused on determining the nature of the odd substance and what possible purpose or function it might have in ruining his day.
Skywarp let out a small chuckle.
Thundercracker glanced between his two wingmates, confused. Slowly he began to put the pieces together and his optics widened. "You really haven't pulled a prank in an orn?" he asked.
Skywarp's grin widened.
"So what do you call that?"
Skywarp thought a moment then smiled. "The prank that was not." With that, he leapt off his perch, transformed and blasted through the atmosphere.
Thundercracker glanced back at Starscream, shaking his helm. "Hey, Scream," he called. He started to let his Trine leader know that he had been duped, that the goo had been placed there simply to make Starscream angry and Skywarp's gleaming finish had been added simply to cause suspicion, but then he realized that with Starscream being so busy with his obsession to outwit Skywarp and Skywarp off who knew where laughing himself silly, he actually had some time to himself. "The prank that was not," Thundercracker mumbled.
He smiled. "Good luck with the goo thing, Starscream. I'm going to get some energon."
Starscream didn't react and Thundercracker jumped off the bridge and flew away. He couldn't help the laugh that escaped him as he thought of just how ridiculous his Trine could be.
