#silverstreak

Now calmed enough to peek out from where he'd nearly buried his face into Jazz's proto-form, Bluestreak's addressed his three oldest siblings standing in the wash-racks doorway.

"Did you three come in 'cus you were scared if the storm too?" The sparkling sniffled.

The three bots shared a look before nodding along.

"You're not going to tell us to go away are you?" Bluestreak asked with wide blue optics that Jazz could have never said no to.

"Of course not." He told them, wrapping his arms around them even tighter, wanting to shelter them from everything, not just the storm. "Now we've just gotta wait for the femmes."

"They won't come. Femmes are brave." Bluestreak said. Jazz felt Springer nod against him in agreement.

The crash of thunder hid the thud of the door slamming open as Silverstreak and Strongarm scrambled inside.

"Oh really?" Jazz kept his smile to himself as he nudged the youngest's helms to look at the door.

"We just came in to check that the boys were alright." Silverstreak said, not quite meeting his optics.

Smokescreen snorted. Before Silverstreak could pull a Barricade and elbow her brother, Jazz spoke up.

"Alright everyone! Jump up on the bed!"

"But we're not allowed." Strongarm protested.

"Well since I'm your Governor, I'm allowed to make it allowed!" Jazz argued as he scooped the two sparklings sprawled on top of him.

Thankfully that was a good enough answer for the wannabe enforcer. And soon all seven sparklings piled on the berth that still had room to spare.

And just in time, as another roar of thunder sent most of the sparklings hiding under the coverers. Jazz could feel the berth shake as they trembled. He held as many as he could close till it stopped.

"Why does it do that?" Silverstreak asked, pearing out from under the blanket, ever curious even when scared.

"Well the lightning says something to the thunder and the thunder answers back."

"But why does it have to sound so angry all the time?" Bluestreak wined from his side. "It makes me want to cry!"

"Yeah getting angry ain't the healthiest response to feeling unhappy. That's why when I'm feeling blue, I try to think of things that make me happy!"

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Barricade folded his arms.

Jazz's smile slipped into a smirk.

"Oh I don't know, things like

Acid rain on crystals,

And cyber-cat kittens,

Bright copper rust-sticks,

And tarp knitted mittens,

Data-pad packages,

Waiting for me to read,

These are a few of my favourite things!"

The sparkling's optics, audials and mouth were all wide open as he started to sing. It was as though the concept of song was a foreign idea to them. Well now he'd just have to keep singing in case it was!

"Capes of white meshes and blue satin sashes.

Rain drops that tickle my nose and eye ridges.

Nuclear Winters that melt into Spring,

These are a few of my favourite things!"

Jazz flung up the blanket, sending everyone tumbling into a pile of screeches and giggles that sung louder than the cries of thunder.

"When the cyber-dog bites,

When little Bee stings,

Or when I'm feeling sad,

I simply remember my favourite things,

And then I don't feel so bad!"

"Does it really work?" Stronggarm asked, folding her arms across her chest from where she was now sat cross legged on the floor.

"Why don't'cha give it a try and find out?"

She tilted her helm, thinking about it for a moment before confidently declaring.

"Schedules."

"No schedules." Silverstreak rolled her optics.

"Hugs!" Bluestreak cried, wrapping his arms around Jazz, Spinger copying from Jazz's other side. Jazz couldn't have been happier to hug them back.

"Well I love pillow fights!" Smokescreen said, grabbing a nearby pillow to smash into Barricade's face.

"Iced-energon caf." Said Skids, once again trying to stop his brothers from trying to kill each other.

"Long range coms." Barricade added from where he'd gotten Smokescreen in a choke hold.

Soon they all joined in, putting their sneakiness to the test. Skids, remembering where everyone's weak spots teamed up with Bluestreak's terrifyingly accurate aim. The femmes teamed up, Strongarm's military like battle strategies balancing Silverstreak's more creative strikes. And Springer managed to bypass everyone with his small size to deliver the final blows whilst Jazz switched between all of them, keeping things fair and making sure the little scraplets didn't actually kill each other. It didn't take long for the bangs of thunder and lightning lost under the cheers of laughter and thuds of pillows hitting their target. Neither did it take long for Jazz's once meticulously decorated room to look a mess of ripped tarp and organic feathers.

In the middle of it all, getting hit by the harmless feathers instead of stinging words, Jazz could almost convince himself that he was living the sparklinghood that he never got to have. Following his own advice, Jazz continued singing before his processor could retreat that dark path.

"Cream coloured sparklings and crisp energon strudel,

Doorbells and sleigh bells and energon with noodles,

Cassettes that fly with a moon on their wings,

These are a few of my favourite things!

"When the hound bites-"

The berth=room door slammed open.

In the door way, the protruding point of Prowl's bumper glinted in the moonlight like a dagger.

"Evenin' Captain!" Jazz greeted as though he hadn't been pillow fighting a horde of sparklings that were now doing their best interpretation of living statues.

"Governor," Prowl said, looking down the sharp edge of his olfactory to where Jazz was sprawled on the floor with a pillow hanging from his audial. "I know that I told you that berth times were to be strictly observed. Do you or do you not have difficultly remembering such simple instructions?"

"Only during thunderstorms sir." Jazz grinned back.

He heard a gasp of giggles behind him.

Suddenly Prowl's ice cold optics were on the sparklings.

"Barricade." The Captain stated. "I do not recall you returned to dinner after hounding Hound for the energon gel you were so eager for."

Slag. It appeared Prowl was more attentive to his creations than Jazz had given him credit for.

"Errr..." Barricade replied eloquently from where his arm was still wrapped around an increasingly pale Smokescreen's neck. Evidently the mechling was not as skilled as making up excuses as he was sneaking out.

"Afraid that's my fault Captain." Jazz said through his most innocent smile, getting to his pedes with a casual stretch to stand between Prowl and his creation. "I bumped into him on my way to the little mech room's earlier. Barricade said his intake were a bit unsettled. Probably too much of that gel! So I told him to rest his helm for a while."

"Then Barricade should have followed these instructions. Something they should all be doing right now."

"Alright you lot, you heard your sire. Off to berth with the lot of ya!"

The sparklings scrambled out the room like the little scraplets they were, eager to leave Jazz alone to face their Sire's fury. Jazz couldn't blame them. And as someone who'd always been on the wrong end of his creator's temper, he would gladly take the blame.

So he stood to attention like the good little governor he was, submitting himself to the blaze of Prowl's optics.

"Governor, you have managed to remember that I am leaving in the morning." The Captain asked.

"Sir yes sir."

"Then it should also be possible for you to remember that the first rule in this house is discipline. Therefore I trust that before I return, you will have acquired some."

Jazz wanted to say that he hoped that by his return this Mirage was able to frag some manners into him. But he decided to keep that to himself.

"Well then before you go, I just wanted to check the schedule you sent me 'cus you forgot to include when the sparklings have time to play."

"To better prepare them for the future, it is more beneficial to spend their time studying than playing."

"Okay well to better prepare them for the future maybe I could show them how Praxus works by taking them into the city-"

"They are not to go to the city!"

Up until now, Prowl had been an emotionless drone. This was the first time Jazz had felt such a sharp edge to his voice. He wasn't sure if it was anger or fear. And frankly, Jazz didn't care.

"You can't keep them locked up! They're sparklings!"

"Yes. And I am their Sire." Prowl stated, his steeled composure once again straight. "Good night."

Just as Jazz opened his mouth, the door was slammed in his face.

"Fragging afthole!" Jazz kicked the pillow across the room, partially fulfilling the urge of following the Captain out the door to kick him down the stairs.

Unfortunately, the pillow crashed into one of the windows.

Slag! The last thing he needed to tip Prowl over the edge was to break one of his precious windows. Thankfully, it wasn't smashed, only smudged slightly from the feathers. Jazz wiped it away, looking through the window to the distant twinkling lights of the city that blended into the starry sky.