The autobot younglings looked excited at the threatening tone towards their least favorite tour guide. Prowl's optics narrowed beneath his visor as a smirk grew on Crosshatch's face when he didn't see Prowl's "bodyguard" aka Firebolt. "I don't need a bodyguard, Crosshatch," Prowl replied cautiously, trying to judge what his rival was planning.
The emerald and gold colored youngling paused in his steps toward Prowl, obviously confused on the response. Typically, Prowl would be running from the room, not standing his ground. "You don't," Crosshatch questioned almost cynically.
"Well, you wouldn't want to disappoint our guests, would you," Prowl asked, motioning to the younglings gathered on the couch. Crosshatch hardly glanced at the younglings before giving an exhalation of air that humans would identify as a snort. Prowl became a bit unsettled at the sound and Crosshatch detected that, realizing that this little audience was Prowl's support.
Prowl stepped back only a little bit before Crosshatch's servo found its place around his neck. With the plating still being too big for Prowl, his neck cables were much more exposed. Out of instinct, Prowl's servos quickly landed on the servo. Fear struck Prowl's spark as he realized that Crosshatch's careless digits were close to one of his major wires. With a pull of that wire, Prowl could be in the medbay for a metacycle at best and that was only if someone found him in time.
The younglings nearby looked at each other uncertainly. They had only wanted to see Prowl roughed up a bit, not severely injured or killed. "Let him go," growled Starbreaker, surprising the other younglings next to her and the two fighting ones.
"Relax, femme. I'm just playing with the little glitch," Crosshatch revved, his optics remaining on Prowl. Prowl gave a whine as he felt the digits tighten slightly, scraping lightly against some of the wires but not enough to snap any.
The younglings looked unsure of the language used by the youngling and watched uncertainly as Starbreaker climbed down from the couch. "I think you're the one with the glitch since you obviously didn't hear me," she explained, gaining a glare from Crosshatch. "Let. Him. Go," she repeated, her voice getting harsher every word.
Seeing no way out of this without the group tattling or ganging up on him, Crosshatch released Prowl, who quickly backed up, servos covering his neck to prevent a second attack. "Maybe one day you'll actually fight me without having someone to protect you, glitch." At the sound of several pedes coming down one of the hallways, Crosshatch quickly left through the hallway nearest Prowl. Trembling, Prowl sat down in front of the couch, staring in shock at Starbreaker. She only glanced at him once, likely checking for damage, before ignoring him completely and climbing onto the couch and awaiting the incoming younglings.
Word had spread from one youngling to another and the majority of Prowl's music class filed in excitedly. They separated into organized groups that confused the autobots on the couch. Some stood with their "alliance" and some didn't. Some of the autobots in the singing group hardly looked at each other, some seemed like best friends, but many autobots seemed to hold the same relationships with the decepticons around them: friends or didn't bother to know them.
Mixtape, in front as usual in her soprano section, looked over at Prowl who was shaking a bit. As the younglings readied themselves to sing by singing scales or doing singing exercises, she bent down towards Prowl quickly. "You okay?"
"Yeah. I'll tell you about it later," he said quickly, trying toshoo her away before she could draw attention. She nodded quickly, seeing he didn't want to be bothered and returned to the group.
"Count us off, Mixtape," a bass announced from the back of the group.
Mixtape smiled a bit. "One two three!"
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag,
Drifting through the wind
Wanting to start again?
The autobots on the couch adjusted themselves a bit, interested in the music. Prowl glanced up at them and smiled a little. He remembered when he stood on his chair across the table from Riffraff to try and see the singer on the bottom floor. Of course, the voices filling the room right now were less experienced but that didn't lessen their love for music and it showed in their expressions and body language.
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards,
One blow from caving in?
Do you ever feel already buried deep?
6 feet under screams but no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you
'Cause there's a spark in you
The younglings boosted their volume and soon became focused on their audience. Instead of turning to their friends to sing with them, they focused on the stunned younglings on the couch. Prowl smiled a bit as the younglings broke into parts, revealing the variety in their voices and the overall sound of the group.
You just gotta ignite the light, and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July
A femme that Prowl had only seen in passing stood at the front of the soprano group and belted the chorus. The choir quickly backed her up and they continued singing to a certain point where Mixtape conducted them to a close.
'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colours burst
Make 'em go "Oh, Oh, Oh"
You're gonna leave 'em all in "awe, awe, awe"
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through-ough-ough
'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, Oh, Oh"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colours burst
Make 'em go "Oh, Oh, Oh"
You're gonna leave 'em all in "awe, awe, awe"
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
The younglings gave various vents and whispers as they looked to their small audience. One of the little mechs on the couch finally worked up the courage to mutter a single, "Wow." With that, the entbots giggled and began conversations with each other while two or three went to the couch to talk to the autobot younglings. Most of them were willing to talk with the entbot autobots. The entbot decepticons had a bit of a rough time talking to them, especially Starbreaker and the feisty femme from earlier.
Prowl began to notice the attention the autobot younglings now received and got up to leave. Since they were now socializing with the others, his job was done. Besides, he was their age and was not meant to sparklingsit. He felt he was being watched as he began to walk towards the hallway. He turned around, but whoever was watching had probably turned by this point since he didn't notice anyone looking at him specifically. Shrugging, he went to go see if his brother was done in the medbay.
"What were you staring at him for," Arrowheart muttered to Starbreaker.
The little youngling quickly took her optics off of Prowl and to the feisty little femme who seemed to be calm for now. Her smirk proved to be taunting her friend. "I… don't know what you mean," Starbreaker replied, crossing her arms. She casted a quick glance to see what Prowl was doing and found him to be gone.
Her little pout didn't escape her ever-observant friend, however. "You like him, don't you?"
Starbreaker raised an optic ridge. "I don't mind him." Arrowheart gave a small snort and ignored Starbreaker, deciding to watch the others speak to the entbots.
Prowl gave a small smirk as he tried to stop himself from fully laughing as his brother stumbled around awkwardly in his oversized shell. "Shut up, Prowler! You got the easiest shell in the universe," Firebolt huffed, climbing up on a couch and laying down.
Prowl smiled now, climbing onto the armrest with ease. "Not the easiest shell in the universe, but much better than yours," Prowl agreed, laughing a bit as Firebolt gave him a hateful glare. "Anyway, I'm thinking of trying to take a look at the intelligence sector."
Firebolt frowned. "You're already thinking of jobs? How about you enjoy being young for five breems?"
Prowl gave a shrug. "Yeah, I guess." The two drifted into a silence, both looking around for something else to talk about. "Have you thought about flying yet," Prowl asked, knowing that would get his brother in a better mood.
Firebolt beamed a grin. "Of course! Hothead said he'd take me flying in a few more orns or whenever I get used to my new chassis."
"Hothead? He wouldn't exactly be my first choice," Prowl mumbled, looking worried for his sibling. With Prowl's anxious mind, he found a way to think that Hothead would just let Firebolt drift into space or he would set him on fire or something.
"He's not really my first choice either but he's not all bad. I think he just puts on a tough guy act. He really likes younglings… At least, I hope so," Firebolt cringed.
The two brothers resolved to make casual conversation for a few megacycles before heading over to the observatory where the lights had been shut off in preparation for the show. Prowl looked around at the buzz of excitement. His classmates were pointing to each other's paintjobs and exclaiming with their new voices their opinions. Prowl and Firebolt were just two little mechs in a large room filled with them, some their age, some in the age group above them.
After his rather lengthy scan, Prowl turned to see his brother thinking with a smirk straight from the pit on his face. "Primus, what are you thinking," Prowl muttered with a vent.
Firebolt looked over at his brother, his head still tilted in thought. "How about we try out my first real takeoff," Firebolt asked innocently.
"Here," Prowl asked with a deadpanned face. "Quick question, 'Bolt. Should we get your processor checked? Only saying this because I think you're malfunctioning if you think you can just practice takeoffs in the middle of a crowded room."
Firebolt frowned, throwing his arms to his sides. "Oh, come on, Prowl! It would just be to there," Firebolt exclaimed, pointing to where some of their fellow entbot 'cons were sitting on a ledge that they flew up to. "See? They're in our class and they can fly up there!"
Prowl gave a vent and turned to his brother. "Firebolt, I don't think you understand. You can fly yourself into a wall for all I care, but I would never allow you to carry me anywhere. Trained or not," Prowl explained, frowning now.
Firebolt shrugged with a smirk. "Fine, suit yourself." Prowl backed up as his sibling shot up, nearly hitting the glass above them. He tried to ease himself slowly down from the ceiling, shakily finding the ledge where the others sat. Firebolt was greeted with laughs and some minor applause on making it to the ledge without smashing into the glass.
Prowl shook his head and walked around, trying to find a comfortable place to sit. "Hey, Prowl." Prowl looked over to where his name was being whispered. Mixtape leaned against a wall near the entrance to the room. "Come on," she whispered with a small smile, running the opposite direction. Curious and with nowhere else to go, Prowl followed. Finally catching up to her down a foreign hallway, he looked up. She sat on the ledge of a window that was very high up, nearly an entire floor.
Noticing her friend finally reaching her, Mixtape flew down. Her flying skills certainly surpassed Firebolt's especially with her grace. She reached out a servo. "We're going to miss it! Come on," she laughed, grabbing Prowl's arm and turning him around. Hugging him from behind, she flew up to the window and set him down. Wobbling with the height, Prowl dug his digits into the ground. Giggling a little, Mixtape sat down and helped Prowl to sit down. "Relax. I won't let you fall," she said, looking out the window.
A small meteoroid shot across the sky. Prowl could hear the muffled response of the other mechs and femmes a room or two down. Mixtape remained silent, however, her large ruby optics staring at the vast array of colors shooting across the sky. The buzz of excitement from their fellows never died down but the response to the meteoroids from the two staring out the window remained an unchanged stunned silence. About twenty breems into the show, Mixtape finally spoke quietly. "It's very beautiful."
Prowl gave a nod of agreement but, noticing she was not looking at him, Prowl replied, "Yes, it is."
They paused in their words briefly before Mixtape broke the silence again. "What happened with you and the autobots?" Prowl looked over at her in confusion but she didn't meet his optics as she continued. "I mean, you were trembling on the ground when we came in to sing. You said you'd tell me later."
Prowl frowned and looked back to the meteoroids. A silence fell between them again as Mixtape waited patiently for the reply. "Crosshatch tried to rough me up but , with the new plating, him grabbing around my neck was a bit scarier than before," Prowl explained. He felt more comfortable telling Mixtape this than anyone else. She was too quiet to tell anyone else and she would never start a fight with anyone let alone Crosshatch. "I'm fine though. Just a bit of a scare, ya know?" Mixtape's mouth tightened for a klick and she nodded. They remained in silence for the rest of the time and they finally began to relax again.
Mixtape turned from the window when the stars outside were the only lights there. "Let's go. Firebolt is probably wondering where you went," Mixtape said with a grin. Prowl nodded and, holding onto Mixtape for dear life, descended from the window.
"How did you find that window, anyway? It's not really easy to find," Prowl asked, casting a last look to the window.
"Well, my creator showed it to me. A lot of the older entbots know it exists; they just don't bother to come in here since there is nothing to do here. It's a good place to just have a quiet time, though. So, I like it," she explained, guiding them through the quiet hallways to the fifth level's main floor. Prowl saw Firebolt looking around in a panic. "Maybe I should let you go," Mixtape giggled, obviously noticing Prowl's brother as well. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Prowl nodded and said his quick goodbye before running over to Firebolt. "Did you miss the show? I didn't see you at all," Firebolt asked, obviously a bit troubled that his brother didn't see the show.
"I was with Mixtape. We saw it. We actually had the best seats for it," Prowl said with a small smirk. This quickly led to an interrogation all the way to their quarters. Prowl never said a word about the secret place where he saw the lights and Firebolt eventually gave up with his questions.
A/N: A bit of fluff for you all. I just realized the other day how long this story is XD Think about it, Prowl still has to meet the Yoketron and the autobots x.x Well, hopefully you guys liked this chapter! Let me know if you liked it or didn't like it in a review =)
