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Brilliant sun beams beat down on the house that Prowl had begun to call ‘home’. It was the height of summer, the flowers outside were in full bloom, there was birdsong in the air, and thus Prowl had forgone the housework in favor of playing with his baby outside in the garden. The Dinobots had come to the garden too for some water and shade where they could rest and enjoy the sun on their plates in the more open areas.
Sludge sat upright, his tail curled upwards as Prowl set Springer up on the dinobot’s hindquarters “Ready Springer?” he asked, to which the bitlet squealed in delight and anticipation. Prowl let him go with a small push to his backside, Springer laid back a little as he slid down Sludge’s tail, cheering happily as it suddenly flicked up, launching him into the air and right back into Prowl’s arms. The sparkling’s laugh was infectious, and Prowl couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit too, nuzzling his baby as little fingers curled around his chevron.
Using his long neck to peer around, Sludge asked "Again?" Raising his tail as an offering. Prowl was about to say yes, until he caught a whiff of his sparkling. They had been in the sun all day long, being active, getting dirty, and it had taken its toll on Springer even if the infant didn't know it.
Shaking his helm in refusal, Prowl answered "No, thank you, Sludge, I believe somebody is in dire need of a bath."
With a nod, Sludge turned back around and walked off as Prowl did the same, heading back towards the house in the opposite direction. Prowl thought about heading upstairs and using the bathtub, but given how much it hurt his struts to stay hunched over for so long, instead he settled on using the kitchen sink. He wiped it down, sprayed it off, then placed the plug in the drain before turning on the water. Springer was already trying to reach for the stream of water when Scavenger came into the kitchen.
"H-hey Mama," he greeted with a shy smile "I-is somebody getting a bath?" He asked, coming up to the Praxian and the green sparkling still trying to lean forwards to touch the water.
Grunting, Prowl had to rearrange himself before his tactical unit pinged him. The sink, while the best option at the time for its nearness to the garden, the better option now was clearly to enlist Scavenger’s help and use the bath tub upstairs where all the Sparkling-grade oils and solvents were kept anyway. “Do you mind helping me, Scavenger? I’d be grateful for a hand.”
Perking up at the request, Scavenger stuttered “N-Not at all! What do you need me to do?”
“Start running a bath upstairs in the tub, make sure the water isn’t too hot, the water level must be shallow, can you do that?” Prowl asked, pulling the plug from the sink and stopping the flow of the tap.
“O-Of course!” With that, Scavenger took off running upstairs as Prowl finished up with the sink.
It wasn’t too long after that Prowl found himself ascending the stairs up to the second floor bathroom. The main tub was located there, which Prowl had a feeling was most likely a custom job. Sure they made basins big enough to fit convoys and shuttles back in Praxus and Iacon, although none that he’d ever seen in the hardware stores could compare to the ornate detailing or tiling around the frosted marble it had been carved out from.
Using his fingers to brush open the door as he held Springer in the other arm, Prowl was greeted to the sight of Scavenger attentively testing the water with his hand, sitting on his knees. Springer squealed at the sight of the Constructicon, making Scavenger turn around to smile at the sparkling and creator. The air had a slight sweet smell to it along with the wave of mild heat that warmed Prowl's plating as he came into the room. "I hope you don't mind Mama," Scavenger withdrew his arm from the tub, and Prowl noticed for the first time that there were large clusters of frothy bubbles floating on the water's surface and clinging to Scavenger by proxy "I added some bubble bath, I-I thought Springer might like it."
Prowl actually didn't know whether Springer would like it or not, but looking at his baby, he seemed interested in the water. Which Prowl supposed he preferred him to be intrigued rather than afraid. He might not have looked too strong, but Springer had a mean grip when he didn't want to let go. A thankful, soft smile graced Prowl’s lips as he nodded gratefully at Scavenger “He’s never had bubble bath before, so we’ll see how this goes, it will keep the water warm at the very least,” he said before holding Springer out in front of him “Alright Springer, here we go.” He gently lowered his sparkling into the water, the little green mech’s optic’s brightening considerably as his peds touched the water, then sank into it a little. His arms were raised and bent at his elbows, as though he were afraid to touch it or unsure of what to do.
“Beep?” Springer sat and Prowl, reluctantly, let go “Beep?”
“I-It’s okay little mech,” Scavenger smiled, getting onto his knees outside the tub “You can put your hands in there, see?” he placed his own hands into the water, wiggling his fingers. Prowl did the same thing, crouching down and placing his hands into the water too.
“BEEP!”
Springer threw his hands into the water so hard Prowl lunged forward to catch his Sparkling before he could topple himself over and completely submerge himself. Water splashed on both him and Scavenger, and while his spark surged momentarily in fear, Scavenger’s amused laugh soothed it. Prowl supposed he would rather have Springer be enthusiastic about bath time than have him hate it, and possibly have to find another way to make sure the little bot got clean. The Praxian’s door wings relaxed a little watching his baby happily splash about in the water, and eventually reached for the gentle soap. Scavenger took over holding Springer upright, albeit a little looser in his grip than Prowl perhaps would have liked. He was able to reassure himself a little when he started spreading the soap over Springer’s plating, for he knew if either he or Scavenger let go, then the other would stop Springer from potentially going below the water again.
Gently, he rubbed circles over the sparkling’s green paneling, taking care to get the soap spread into his seams before Scavenger brought the shower head down to wash Springer off. Some of the bubble bath. The bitlet squealed in delight at the bubbles accumulating on his plating into soft, moldable shapes that gave way beneath his tiny servos. Prowl couldn’t help but smile at seeing him so happy, taking his own private capture of Springer’s big, nearly dentaeless smile with a big bouffant of bubbles styled atop his helm. His hand brushed against Scavanger’s, the two recoiling a little in surprise when they bumped into each other, only to break the tension with a shared laugh that tapered off when their foreheads touched.
Scavenger’s engine purred against Prowl’s own as the Constructacon smiled, only this time, Prowl knew it was directed at him instead of their situation. It made his spark stutter, if only for the fact there was only one mech who had looked at him in such a way before he had fled. “You’re so… so lovely, and so good, Mama,” Scavenger murmured, and Prowl wanted to believe it. He could hear the emotion in Scavenger’s voice, he knew that emotion all too well. He wasn’t exactly sure if he was ready to feel such a thing again, yet Scavenger- no, all the Constructicons made it seem all too easy.
Prowl cleared his voice modulator, turning his one good optic away from Scavenger “I- well, yes, I suppose I wouldn’t exactly be an optimal creator if I didn’t know how to bathe my own sparkli-” Scavenger didn’t give him the chance to finish his defense before he’d seen right past it. A green hand tilted his head to look back at him, and plant a kiss directly on his lips.
His door wings perked up in surprise, then relaxed into the contact. The kiss wasn’t heated, although that didn’t make it any less passionate. In fact, the sweetness of Scavenger’s innocent kiss for a job well done reminded Prowl of the Energon Candies that he and Barricade had once been given from an older femme after they’d found and returned her cybercat. The cybercat had led them on a rather anticlimactic chase, though it had scratched up their paint quite a bit. Still, it hadn’t been anything the Enforcers couldn’t handle, and when the old femme had seen their precious cybercat still in one piece in his arms- she’d insisted they take some energon candies for the road. A reward that Prowl didn’t feel like he’d exactly earned, yet found himself grateful for all the same.
“Beep?” Springer chirped “Beep?”
Scavenger pulled away from a slightly dazed Prowl to haul Springer out of the water “C-C’mon little guy, let’s get you dry- hey that rhymed!” The Constructicon said as he stood back up, Prowl was quick to follow, grabbing the towel and wrapping it around Springer. He bounced the bitlet in his arms slightly as he rubbed at his helm to make sure no water or solvent remained. However Prowl didn’t know if it was the heat from the water that was making his face flush, or the moment they had just shared.
“Thank you for helping me, Scavenger, I- uh, appreciate it.” Prowl said after some silence. Springer yawned, no doubt tired from the day’s activities and the relaxation from his bath.
“N-No worries, Mama, i-if you need help again, don’t be afraid to ask for it, I can clean up if you wanna put him down for a nap.” Scavenger smiled politely, and Prowl nodded a thank you, albeit only to flee as quickly as he could to the safety of his room.
He and Scavenger had kissed before, but Prowl wasn’t sure if he was entirely ready to go down that emotional path again. It had already led him astray once, and only after some heavy course correction did he feel remotely safe to even ponder the intricacies in starting a relationship like the Constructicons seemingly were open to. Granted, polyamerous relationships weren’t unheard of, in fact, he knew in some kingdoms such as the cloud Kingdom of Vos it was openly encouraged.
Springer yawned again, and Prowl felt his little helm come to rest on his shoulder, venting softly as he slipped into recharge. The creator put him down in the crib that had been specially made for him, and gently set off the rocking motion with his hand to soothe his baby even further.
A smile slowly graced Prowl’s lips as he watched Springer, and thought back to his kiss. He thought about the Constructicons, of the way they so gently handled Springer like he sas their own, and the way they treated him too - like he was some precious thing to be held and admired.
Prowl still did not know if he was worthy of such a look after all he had done and been through, but what he did know was each time he thought of them - his spark pulsed a little, before a gentle warmth blossomed in his chest.
Just as it was doing now.