A/N: Standard disclaimers apply. Reviews are coveted and treasured.

1. Dancing

If there was one thing Starscream hated more than idiocy and socialising, it was socialising with idiots. Unfortunately, social gatherings organised by his creators (Starscream's attendance mandatory) fell into that exact category. At least this one was held in the garden. The mere thought of being surrounded by all these sycophants in an enclosed space made him nauseous. Holding back a suffering sigh, he asked Primus for a miracle as he pretended to listen to lord Whatshisname and whatever nonsense he was currently babbling on about. The night was young and it was still too soon for him to claim tiredness as an excuse to flee.
Several times he had tried concentrating on his research instead but the guests would immediately notice he'd stopped nodding and making appropriate noises to indicate that he was listening (which he wasn't) and disturb him with stupid questions to recapture his attention (not that he'd been paying any). It was only when the white Seeker asked: "What do you think, lord Starscream?" that he realized he had forgotten to turn on recording and had absolutely no idea what was being discussed.
Fortunately, he was saved from having to answer by a commotion near the dining tables.

Two of his guards dragged an unresisting black and purple Seeker before him.

"Sir, we caught him trying to steal energon."

Oh. And here he was, hoping for something at least remotely interesting... "Give him a cube or three and let him go," he ordered, dismissing them with a wave.

The guards looked surprised (so did the thief, for that matter) but knew better than to question Starscream's orders.

"How benevolent of you," a green Seeker lord to his left commented, frowning in thinly veiled disapproval. He wasn't the only one.

Starscream shrugged. "He must be hungry." Why else would somebot steal fuel? Half-wits. All of them. "It's not like we don't have enough," he indicated the tables overflowing with food.

"Actually, my lord," the thief spoke up, "I'm not hungry. I let myself get caught because I was hoping to speak with you." He even had the cheek to smile.

Really now? "You know, if it were captain Skylight who caught you, he would have dragged your thieving wings straight to the brig without bothering me."

"I would have escaped him," the thief declared with utter confidence.

"Oh? You think you're that fast?"

"Nope," the dark Seeker grinned and disappeared. "I'm actually faster," a voice whispered into his audio receptor. Starscream was on his peds with a blaster pointed into the mech's faceplate before he even finished that sentence.

The intruder's red optics brightened in amazement. "What-? How did you-? No way..."

The guards were still staring on the place their uninvited guest had been standing clicks ago. Finally one of them looked Starscream's way and cried out, aiming his rifle at the disappearing thief. Almost immediately the mech had every single weapon levelled at him.

He didn't seem to notice. "Seriously, how did you do that?"

"Perks of being the fastest Seeker ever created," Starscream answered with a smug smile, dismissing the guards that moved to grab the teleporter. They looked like they wanted to protest but eventually they settled for hovering nearby, ready to interfere if things got out of servo. Starscream ignored them. "You have a warp field generator, don't you?" he wondered.

Black wings with purple highlights rose in surprise. "How the frag did you know?"

"Scientist. Alright, you have my attention. What do you want?"

"I'd like to dance with you," the intruder declared.

Starscream didn't quite know what he'd been expecting - but definitely not this. "You... want to dance with me," he repeated slowly. The thief nodded eagerly. "Why?"

"Partly because my friends dared me to," the dark Seeker answered honestly, "but mostly because... Well, I've seen you fly. I mean, everybot's seen you fly, I know, but that's not my point. You're, like, the most graceful Seeker ever created and I'd love to see you dance?" He smiled, both nervous and hopeful.

The young lord considered him, strangely flattered by the compliment. It was a well known fact among the nobility that Starscream didn't dance. Privately he admitted to himself that sometimes he would like to - but certainly not with aft-kissers trying to use him to slither their way into his creators' good graces. The stranger claimed that he wanted to dance for the sake of dancing – and for some unfathomable reason a part of Starscream actually believed him.
Well, he had been praying for a distraction, and if this was his answer...

"Alright," he agreed, finally lowering his weapon. The mech's face lit up with delight, a nice contrast to the gaping faces of insulted guests. Serves them right.

"Sir," one of the guards stepped forward, clearly about to protest that it was not safe.

"Aileron, if he wanted to kidnap or murder me, he could have done it without devising this half-afted plan to get caught. Stand down."

::But Sir, he can teleport!:: Aileron argued over the comms., willing to risk Starscream's displeasure for the sake of his safety.

::He can't compete with my reaction time. I know how to disable a warp field generator and I can take care of myself. Now stand down. I'm not going to repeat myself.::

Airelon did, although not without obvious reluctance, and let Starscream lead his partner to the dance floor.

"Oh, I'm Skywarp, by the way," the thief introduced himself.

Starscream inclined his head, not bothering with his own designation. There was hardly a Seeker in Vos who didn't know him. It took a pointed, expectant glare for the dumbfounded musicians to start playing. They chose a popular tune, one even a commoner like Skywarp would be familiar with. The music started slow. After a formal bow Starscream danced a slow circle around Skywarp. He stopped abruptly as the beat changed and let the thief dance a circle around him. To Starscream's surprise, the intruder was actually pretty good at this. Gradually relaxing, he eventually started to enjoy himself. It's been a long time since he last danced, let alone with a capable partner. As the song got faster and faster, so did they. At one point they rose in the air, their dance gaining a completely new dimension. The world faded away, there was only music echoing in their sparks. Skywarp grinned, and Starscream found himself grinning back. They chased each other, mirrored each other's moves, moved exactly the opposite way, showed off, fooled around, tried to impress... Never in his life had Starscream felt so in sync with somebot. This had to be what having trinemates felt like. Perfection.

All too soon it was over. They drifted close, joined their right servos and one last time moved together in a circle. They bowed to each other, smiling. Something nagged at Starscream's processor, and it took him embarrassing 1.7 clicks to figure out what. The sky was several shades lighter than it had any right to be at this time of night. Or any time of night. He checked his chronometer and felt his wings rise in shock. Unable to believe it, he looked down at the garden. It was deserted, the guests and musicians long gone, tables empty, only Airelon was dutifully waiting for him, along with the morning shift of his guards. It was almost dawn. They had literally danced the night away - but how? It felt like breems! He looked at Skywarp and saw his own astonishment reflected in his dance partner's face.

Skywarp smiled, a bit sadly, and bowed once more. "Thank you for the dance, my lord. I will treasure this memory for the rest of my life."

"Your trinemates are going to be jealous," Starscream remarked, his attempt at light humour failing miserably.

The teleporter looked away, embarrassed. "I don't have trinemates," he confessed in a whisper.

Starscream's servos moved without asking his processor for input. They caught Skywarp's wings in a grip known as the trineleader's hold.

After a moment of silence purple servos clutched at his own, not pulling, just holding them in place. "You mean that?" Skywarp asked in a small voice.

"I do," Starscream assured him without a trace of doubt.

Skywarp bowed his head in acceptance. Yes, Starscream thought, this is what perfection feels like.