(Please see all previous disclaimers)
After having left Optimus and Predaking behind at the house, Lancex roared into Hammerhead upon his motorcycle and once there headed for the garage. Inside the garage were many of his friends – Cor, Cid, Gladiolus, and a Cindy. Happy to see familiar faces, Lancex headed over to the group. The four were pleased yet surprised to see the Prince. They wondered what he could possibly want. "Forgive us, Prince, but why do you seek out us?" Cid asked.
Lancex sighed as he did and did not want to tell them, but Cor encouraged Lancex to do so. "I… I think I am in love" Lancex shyly replied, obviously not wanting to say what he said.
"Well, I think congratulations are in order, but who is or are the lucky beings?" Gladiolus asked, a bit suspicious about all of this.
Lancex tried not to, but ended up blushing something fierce when he admitted, "Optimus and Predaking." While Cid and Cindy seemed happy for the prince, Cor and Gladiolus were shocked. "Why them?" Cor asked a bit incredulously.
Lancex responded, "they are kind bots and I can feel the love they have for me. I feel happier when they are around." Cid nodded, as he could understand as did Cindy, who nodded as well.
"If they help make you happy, who are we to stop you?" Cindy said. Cid agreed with the sentiment as well. Cor and Gladiolus were happy but not completely satisfied and it showed in their faces. Lancex grew a bit concerned.
"We want you to be happy, Prince. We just want to make sure your love isn't misplaced. We want them to prove themselves to us, and to seek our approval to court you. You haven't always had the best judgement at times, and so we want to make sure you will be safe and well taken care of, as well as let those two know what will happen if they ever mistreat you" Gladiolus mentioned. It wasn't that he wanted to upset Lancex, but to protect the prince.
After listening to what his friends had to say, Lancex nodded. He knew his friends were right, as he didn't always choose wisely at times, especially in highly emotional situations. "I guess that makes sense. Just don't hurt them too bad or cause any issues that can't be fixed" Lancex finally replied, hoping that Optimus and Predaking could win over Cor and Gladiolus. Only time would tell if the two could pull it off.
Meanwhile, back at the house, Optimus and Predaking woke and were surprised that Lancex was no longer laying between them. "Where could he have gone?" Predaking asked.
Optimus didn't have to think hard for the answer. "We are seeking him. He has friends here. He likely went to them for support about being in a relationship with us, which means he likely went to Hammerhead. Let's eat something and then head out, as we want to be strong as possible when we meet his friends again."
"Why?" Predaking asked.
"If a bot who was a close friend of mine and another bot wanted to date him or her, I would want to be sure that my friend would be safe and taken care of and not harmed by the bot seeking the relationship. I see things as no different with Lancex's friends here" Optimus answered. The answer made sense to Predaking and so they are and headed out, unaware of just what was waiting for them or the history behind the bot they both were seeking.