Father's Day--Echo ficlet

Title: Father's Day
Characters: Prowl/Bumblebee, Echo (OC sparkling)
Summary: The family takes part in an Earth tradition.
Warnings: mild slash

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"Echo, what are you doing?" The little femme tilted her helm up to stare at her mother standing over her, looking down at her with one optic ridge raised. Beside her, Scratch was chewing on the pipe he'd found buried under some rubble in the corner of the main room. They'd tried for weeks to hide it from him, but the turbofox pup was too persistent to let it go, and they eventually gave up, letting him keep it.

In front of the yellow sparkling was a scattered mess of canvas and Bulkhead's paints. Already, her arms and servos were splattered with different colors, red, green, orange, blue, brown, and pink and a purple smudge decorated her cheek just under her optic. Unaware of the paints staining her armour, she flashed her mother a wide smile.

"Hi, mommy."

"Echo, you're a mess! I hope that comes off with a safe solvent," Bumblebee sighed, picking up his daughter who refused to let go of the project she'd been working on in her room. Curious, the yellow mech gingerly grabbed one corner of the canvas while Echo sat on his hip and lifted it so that he could look at it. His optics widened when he saw what she had been working on. Hearing her proud giggle, he looked at her with a smile, "This wouldn't be for your daddy now would it?"

Echo nodded eargerly, her big oval optics shining. Bumblebee laughed and set the project aside, pressing his forehead to hers, "Well, before you give it to him, let's get you washed up, 'kay?" Echo nodded, and Bumblebee headed out the door towards the washracks, Scratch on his heels with his tail wagging.

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Stillness...Silence...

Prowl repeated the mantra over and over as he meditated under his tree, legs crossed, arms resting on his arms. He hadn't meditated in awhile, and it was beginning to show. The cyberninja was starting to snap for even the tiniest wrong comment or look. If he didn't do this now, he'd really lose his temper without meaning to. He managed at least a breem of meditation before the slight creaking of his door told him he had company.

A quiet laugh that was unmistakeably Bumblebee's broke the silence as he was coming out of his tranquil state. He felt someone standing in front of him and before he could see who it was, Echo's sweet chirpy voice filled his audios.

"Happy Father's Day!"

The blue visor flickered online to see, at first, only bright colors right in front of him. Blinking in surprise, he really focused on the image in front of him, recognizing the shapes painted on the small canvas by his sparkling.

Trees, lots of them, their individual shapes outlined with thin black, scribbly lines. The sky was colored as it would be at sunset, the dark purple starting at the top and gradually turning to a messy blend of pink, orange, and yellow while a red sun set over the horizon of a sprawling body of water. It took him a moment to recognize the spot as the side of Dinobot Island that didn't show Detriot. They'd taken her there a few weeks ago to meet the Dinobots, and he remembered showing her the spot, telling her it was his favorite place to be on the island.

Remembering that the sparkling was waiting eagerly for his comment, Prowl smiled warmly and took the painting from her in one servo, drawing her into a loving hug with the other. Echo giggled with joy and nuzzled her faceplate into his chassis.

"Thank you, Echo. I love it," The yellow femme beamed at him, sky-blue optics shining.

"Really, daddy?" Prowl nodded, setting the present aside and wrapping his other arm around her.

"Yes, I do," The black and gold mech nuzzled the top of her helm. He really did enjoy the 'Father's Day' present from his little femme. She had worked hard on it, and it deserved a reward, "Echo, do you want to go to the park later?"

"Uh-huh. Can we bring Skatch?" Chuckling at her way of pronouncing her pet's name, Prowl looked over at the turbofox standing just a few feet from them. Wherever Echo went, he went. He just never got too close to Prowl unless the ninja ordered him. Even for a pup, he was well behaved.

"Yes, we can bring Scratch." Echo cheered and leapt out of her father's lap, running towards the door with Scratch on her heels. Together, the two headed for the main room, likely to play with Jazz. Bumblebee laughed at his daughter, stepping into the room and closing the door. Prowl had stood, grabbing his gift, and walked to his desk to set it somewhere safe for now.

"Remind me to get something to hang this up." He heard movement behind him on the other side of the room but didn't pay it much mind, looking for something to put the painting in to protect it. When he finally found an envelope to store it in, he laid on top of the desk and turned around. Behind his visor, Prowl's optics widened.

Bumblebee had stetched himself over the berth, chassis removed to show his bare protoform and sparkchamber. His arms were laying above his helm, and one leg was drawn up into a slight arch. Blue optics fixed Prowl with a seductive stare, and his mouth had curled into a small, aroused smile.

"Ready for your other present?" Bumblebee's tone matched his expression. Smiling at his bondmate, Prowl walked over and crawled onto the berth, hovering over the scout.

"Always, my little Bee," Replied the cyberninja, leaning down to capture the yellow mech's lips with his own.