"You must be really smug, dating Optimus Prime!" Wheeljack paused in his work, glancing over his shoulder incredulously at the rookie. Smokescreen beamed, not a hint of sarcasm present in his expression or tone. And that's what rubbed Jackie the wrong way. "And you should be! Cuz... Wow!"

"Yeah, he's a hoot," the Wrecker grunted, turning back to the console moodily. "Wrench."

The Praxian handed him the tool immediately, squatting behind him on the balls of his feet while Wheeljack sat sideways on the floor.

"What's he like?," the kid persisted. "I mean really like. You gotta get to see sides of him no one else does."

The Wrecker paused once again, slowly turning an irritated glare at him. "'Scuse me?"

Smokescreen snorted, then laughed and curled up against his own knees, burying his face in his hands bashfully.

"Not like that, Wheeljack!," he giggled, peeping back up at the Wrecker with tears of laughter in his optics. Jackie gave him a deadpan look, but Smokescreen's seemingly endless positivity apparently made him immune to his deathly look. He grinned, tilting his head. "I've never seen him smile. Like, really smile. Does he ever do that?"

The white and grey mech stared at the kid, expression betraying nothing. He wasn't obligated to tell the rookie anything, even though he was perfectly open about his relationship with Prime with the rest of the team. There was just something unsettling about Smokescreen to him. There was the hero worship, the glowing optics, just like everyone else. But this was different somehow, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it. So instead, he went back to work. He didn't see the disappointed and confused look on Smokescreen's face. But he hoped it was there.

Silence stretched out between them, and Jackie thought perhaps the rookie had taken the hint. Turned out, he was just thinking of another angle to go from.

"Y'know, back home, Alpha Trion was the closest thing I ever had to a father figure."

Wheeljack closed his optics, frustration running through his circuits, then he persisted in the maintenance check.

"He was real patient and mellow. Pretty good since... well, I guess you've noticed by now I get on people's nerves sometimes." He heard the nervous chuckle in his voice. Smokescreen knew full well he was getting on Wheeljack's last nerve, but he kept talking. About personal information no less.

Wheeljack sighed heavily, letting his arms rest against the console. He didn't look back at the kid, but he'd let him finish. Unseen to him, Smokescreen's face lit up.

"He always made sure to let me know when I did something right or wrong, and that I understood why. And, heh, call me soppy, but I got real attached to the old coot. Followed him around like a lost puppy, always wanting his approval."

Sounded familiar. Like how he trailed after Prime.

"But I wasn't his focus. He praised me, but not as often as he praised Optimus." Wheeljack raised an optic ridge, staring at the ground as he toyed with the wrench in his hands. "He was the closest to a father I ever had... But I think Optimus was the closest he ever had to a son."

He blinked. The big lug occasionally talked about Trion. There was always that hint of affection, dulled by that bloody protocol, but it was there. He thought the same way Smokescreen did.

Wheeljack winced.

"I was kinda jealous at first. Like, what could be so great about this Prime guy?," Smokescreen chuckled. "What made him so special?" The Wrecker had to admit, that made him sniggered. He shook his head slightly. "Then... I guess, if you hear something enough, you start to believe it. Understand it. I started to actually appreciate hearing about him. I asked about him, and the answers I got... well, they just amazed me. I wanted Alpha Trion's attention and praise... so..."

Wheeljack glanced over his shoulder to see Smokescreen nervously picking at his own fingers, staring down into his hands.

"... I guess I wanted to be just like Optimus."

The Wrecker stared again, but his expression was softer and he knew it. The kid wasn't just hero worshipping because Optimus was a Prime. He was amazed and excited to meet him because he had Alpha Trion's attention. He believed that their father figure must have been right in saying Prime was incredible. It was the determination to be close to Optimus, to learn from him, to make Alpha Trion as proud of Smokescreen as he was of Prime.

It wasn't just hero worshipping, it was the admiration of a younger sibling.

Wheeljack took a deep intake, closing his optics. His anxiety ebbed away, and when he looked back at the rookie, he knew Smokescreen could tell. The Praxian was beaming warmly at him, knowing full well he'd gotten through. So Jackie rewarded him for cracking through the ice.

"He does smile," he said lowly. "It's always heavy, like it's been smashed to pieces, and he's had to sew the bits back together himself." Smokescreen blinked in suprise, listening intently. Wheeljack turned back to console, calmly tugging at the wires. "His smile's like a beautiful scar."