Chapter Text
A meta-cycle passed. Bluestreak was a happy, bright, curious, affectionate juvenile – everything Prowl had hoped he would be. Having seen how much the youths he'd monitored had enjoyed their playgroup, Prowl had enrolled Bluestreak in one, and he made friends quickly. The shelves in Prowl's room gathered a collection of crafts and artwork Bluestreak made and presented to him. Prowl treasured every one of them. Bluestreak was the bright joy in Prowl's life.
Time had been less kind to Barricade. Prowl's uncle had gotten caught up – justly or unjustly, Prowl was never sure – in an illegal gambling scandal and to avoid jail time had agreed to a hefty fine to be paid in instalments over several meta-cycles. Despite Barricade's disgrace, he did get the occasional bit of work, and he did sometimes bring in income. It would have helped, when it happened, except that he spent it almost entirely on high-grade and, Prowl suspected, more illegal gambling. Prowl would have been more willing to look past that last one if it had ever wound up benefitting the household in any way. Fortunately, Prowl's projections had included a scenario where Barricade no longer had income, and so he was able to keep the family financially solvent.
Barricade watched what he said and how he acted around Bluestreak, thankfully. Prowl didn't know what he would have done if anything Barricade said or did anything to hurt or upset his juvenile. His uncle was not always so careful around Prowl. Not anymore. Prowl sometimes had the bad feeling that his own position as the primary income earner was the only thing keeping his uncle's temper in check around him. Prowl had tried to suggest his uncle move out, but Barricade had complained that he couldn't afford it and Prowl certainly couldn't physically force him.
Prowl generally avoided his uncle these days, but sometimes he couldn't manage it. The house was a decent size, but it wasn't so big that two mecha could avoid each other forever. For instance, it only had one kitchen.
Prowl was concerned over his uncle's increasingly unstable behaviour and worried about the effect it was having on Bluestreak. An encounter in the kitchen one morning with his uncle, who had either gotten overcharged first thing that morning or was still experiencing the overcharge from the night before, solidified that feeling.
"Prowl," Barricade said, his words slightly slurred and edged with static. "Hey, Prowl. Lend me some shan'x, will ya? I got some stuff I gotta get."
"Put it on the shopping list," Prowl said calmly, gauging the distance between Barricade and the door, relieved that Bluestreak was playing outside before breakfast. "If it's a necessity, I'll make sure to acquire it."
"Yeah, see, what you call a necessity and what I call a necessity are different," Barricade argued. "C'mon, s'not much. Sixty. Could even make do with fifty if you're skint this week."
Prowl forbore from pointing out that it wasn't that he was short of money, or 'skint,' it was that he didn't trust his uncle. Sixty shanix was certainly more than he was willing to lend Barricade, even if he could trust his uncle to really purchase necessities. Prowl knew it was far, far more likely to be spent on high-grade and gambling.
"I can't, Uncle," Prowl said firmly, getting two cubes out of the cupboard. Bluestreak's was smaller since he didn't have an adult superstructure or upgrades to power yet and so needed less fuel.
"But it's necessary," Barricade insisted. "Don'cha trust me?"
No. "If it's a necessity, tell me what it is, and I'll include it when I place the order for the household week." Prowl tamped down his annoyance, knowing that showing it would only goad his uncle. He didn't want to risk Bluestreak overhearing a fight.
"Listen, kid," Barricade tried again, "if you lend it to me, it could help the budget. Y'know what I'm saying?"
Yes, Prowl knew. Gambling, which Barricade was not good enough to do professionally, and which was absolutely not helping Barricade's financial situation. Prowl wouldn't have loaned him the money in that case even if he had had it.
"The answer is still no," Prowl told him and tried to get around him to the energon dispenser.
Barricade got belligerent, both rows of optics narrowing. "Hey! I took care of you. I gave up my life in Petrex to do it!"
"Yes, and that's the only reason you're not homeless now," Prowl shot back, unable to help himself, as he filled Bluestreak's cube. He rarely showed it, but Prowl possessed the family temper in no lesser degree than Barricade. "The deposits from my trust and the income I bring in support this household. Everything you get goes straight to high-grade and gambling losses."
"Gotta do something for fun," Barricade sneered. "Not that you'd know anything about that. You just got work and that kid of yours. Fragging – fragging drone."
"I'm done here," Prowl said, voice clipped. "I am not giving you shanix, and I am not continuing this conversation." He had Bluestreak's energon, he could get his own later, say he wasn't hungry now.
"Done when I say so!" Barricade grabbed his arm and yanked as Prowl tried to turn away. Prowl jerked back instinctively, and Barricade let go at the same time. Prowl fell back against the counter, the adult-sized cube falling from his hand and cracking when it hit the floor.
Shocked still and silent, they both just stared at each other for a moment. It had been building, but neither mech had really expected it to happen. Prowl recovered first, pushing himself upright.
"If you ever touch Bluestreak," Prowl said flatly, a terrible calm in his voice, "I will kill you."
Barricade seemed to have sobered, possibly a result of hearing the pure cold rage in Prowl's voice. "Prowl, I – "
"Get out." Prowl's voice dropped into a growl. "Now."
Barricade went, though Prowl was under no illusions that that was the last time something like that would happen if he permitted his uncle to stay. They'd gone over that extensively in the dryly named Interpersonal Relations classes he'd attended throughout school: abuse didn't stop on its own, it only got worse. Prowl had been able to convince himself that Barricade's neglect of him didn't really count, but he couldn't deny the problem in the face of what had just happened.
Prowl heard Bluestreak enter the house and come toward the kitchen.
"Creator?" Bluestreak called. "Do you have breakfast yet? I'm hungry."
"I'm getting it now, Bluestreak," Prowl answered, setting Bluestreak's cube on the kitchen table and crouching to pick up the one he'd dropped. It was too damaged to repair, and he was putting it into the disposal when Bluestreak walked in.
"What happened?" Bluestreak asked, frowning.
"I dropped the cube, and it cracked," Prowl told him, mostly truthfully. "That's all."
"Was it because of Great-Uncle Barricade?" Bluestreak asked, far too perceptively.
Prowl managed not to flinch. "It was an accident, brightspark." He rose and went back to the cupboard for a new adult-sized cube, filled it. "Nothing to worry about. Do you want to have breakfast outside today?"
Bluestreak brightened. "Yeah!"
Prowl finished filling his cube and followed his creation out to the terrace. Hopefully, he'd distracted Bluestreak sufficiently for now, but the fact that Bluestreak had even thought to ask the question…
Prowl had to do something, and soon.
Barricade didn't come home for his evening fuel, which wasn't surprising and was, Prowl felt, for the best. Perhaps his uncle was doing some long-overdue hard thinking. Either way, knowing such behaviour only escalated, Prowl was going to have to evict his uncle. Maybe Barricade would even be reasonable and leave on request. Prowl didn't get his hopes up though.
Bluestreak didn't ask where Barricade was that night, which only served to make Prowl worry about what else he was failing to hide from his creation. As a distraction, Prowl played a game designed to foster spatial relations ability with Bluestreak after refuelling. Once Bluestreak was in bed, Prowl sat down at his desk to get as much work done as he could before he had to recharge as well.
His work had been going well, and Prowl had just become confident that he would exceed the daily quota he had set for himself when a call came in via the house's comm suite. The ident showed it was from the local Enforcer's precinct.
Prowl nearly swore out loud, something he seldom did. It had to be about Barricade and, whatever this was, it was the last thing he needed. He answered the call anyway.
The call was from an Enforcer, ID ping: Nightstalker of Praxus, constable, they/them pronouns. Nightstalker managed to look both professional and vaguely apologetic. Prowl thought he recognized them from meta-cycles back. One of Hunter's former partners? Barricade's?
"Prowl of Praxus?" Nightstalker asked.
"Yes, Constable," Prowl answered politely, with an ID ping of his own. "How may I help you?" What has my uncle done now?
"You're listed as the emergency contact for one Barricade of Petrex," Nightstalker said. "You're his nibling, correct?"
May Unicron take you, Barricade! Prowl thought furiously. He did not need this. He didn't need to deal with it, and he didn't need or want to explain it to Bluestreak in the morning. Your great-uncle's been arrested. Don't mention it at playgroup.
"Yes, that's right," Prowl replied, hiding his frustration and anger.
"We've arrested him for causing a disturbance," Nightstalker told him. "Are you willing or able to cover the cost of recognizance?"
Prowl looked at the link included with the comm that would permit him to pay the five hundred shanix recognizance fee. He didn't have five hundred shanix to pull out of the household emergency budget, not after having to have the energon dispenser repaired a few mega-cycles ago. There were certain sacrifices he could have made, but after that morning, leaving Barricade in jail was the best option for Prowl.
"I am not able to cover the cost." Nor willing, truth be told, but that was another matter entirely.
Nightstalker didn't look unsympathetic but stayed professional. "Do you have assets valued at a collective minimum of five hundred shanix that you would be willing to let stand surety in their place?"
Nightstalker's phrasing let Prowl answer the question honestly. Prowl had a few assets, mostly his Sator's racing memorabilia, that would reach that value, but he wasn't willing to risk them for Barricade.
"No, I do not," Prowl answered.
Nightstalker nodded. "The final option is for your uncle to agree to an Undertaking to an Officer in Charge. He would have to abstain from intoxication and any further criminal activity and agree to appear in court on a date to be specified at a later time. Do you believe Barricade would abide by those terms?"
Prowl didn't like the way his uncle had been acting recently, didn't want him back in the house, but even so, the words scorched like acid as they queued for his vocalizer. Hunter and Breakneck would not have had to abandon a family member like this. They also would have made their creation's safety their primary concern.
"No. I do not," Prowl said, genuinely regretful. Perhaps the Barricade he'd met after his creators died would have, but not the Barricade of the past meta-cycle.
"In that event, Barricade will be held in jail until a hearing can be convened," Nightstalker informed him. "Do you plan to attend the hearing?"
Not if I don't have to. "I'm unsure," Prowl said out loud. "It will depend on the date and time of the hearing, and my ability to find someone to care for my juvenile for the duration of it."
Nightstalker nodded. "It might help your uncle's standing if he has family present at the hearing, but of course, your juvenile comes first."
"I'll see what I can do," Prowl lied evenly.
At least with Barricade in lockup Prowl would have some time to plan. Perhaps that same time would help his uncle with his growing alcohol dependency, but Prowl didn't intend to pin his hopes on that. Unless Barricade was convicted his stay in jail would not be long enough to really dry him out. It almost certainly would not be long enough for him to change his behaviour. Prowl was still going to have to fix the problem of living with Barricade.
After some thought, Prowl decided to ask Codicil, the lawyer managing his creator's estate, for advice and possibly assistance removing Barricade from the house. Barricade was not going to move out on his own.
"I'm sorry to hear about your uncle," Codicil said once they had exchanged greetings and Prowl had explained the change in his circumstances. "I can recommend a good criminal attorney if you need one."
"I wouldn't do that for my uncle as it stands," Prowl said bluntly. "Barricade can take some of the money he spends on high-grade and hire his own attorney." Or use one appointed by the Court. Prowl hesitated, if only briefly. "Codicil, Barricade grabbed me violently yesterday. Not hard enough to damage me, and not in sight of Bluestreak, but you must know that behaviour only escalates. I need a way to remove him from the family home and keep him out. I fully expect Barricade to be convicted, which gives me thirty days to change our living situation." Prowl let his cooling system cycle. "I greatly appreciate anything you can do."
"I can file for a restraining order on your behalf, forcing him to move, and, as the house and estate are still held in trust, have the trustees remove your uncle as guardian. If you're worried about future violence in the home," Codicil continued, "I strongly urge you to file a report with the proper authorities."
"Thank you," Prowl said, and meant it. It solved the problem of Bluestreak's safety. Barricade could take care of his own problems from now on. "Please keep me apprised."
"Of course."
Explaining what had happened to Barricade to Bluestreak had been hard, though not in terms of getting his point across. Bluestreak was a bright creation and had seemed to understand all too well why Barricade might have done something wrong enough to garner the attention of the police. Prowl was forced to wonder what else Bluestreak had picked up on, what else Prowl had failed to protect him from. That part of it had hurt. That wasn't Barricade's failure, that was Prowl's.
Bluestreak, a very empathetic child, picked up on Prowl's emotions and hugged his creator, trying to comfort.
"It'll be okay," Bluestreak had said, arms around him, cuddling down on Prowl's shoulder. "I know it will, Creator."
Prowl had hugged Bluestreak back, and kissed the younger mech's helm, and buried his own worry deep, deep within his spark, wishing he shared his creation's innocent certainty. He wished he had as much faith in himself as Bluestreak did.
Prowl spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with Bluestreak, playing with him and giving him basic lessons on a variety of topics. He ran more work than he usually did on background processing threads to help cover any of Codicil's expenses that weren't covered by the estate. Plus, removing one adult from the residence hadn't lowered the utility bills too much and, as little as it had been, Barricade had occasionally contributed financially to the household. They could use the buffer, especially if not all of Codicil's fees were covered by the retainer from Prowl's creators' estate. But Prowl could worry about that later. For now, sitting in the sunlight and watching his creation beam with pride as he got lesson after lesson right, with the promise of safety around the corner, Prowl was content.
Prowl's contentment lasted until the deca-cycle Bluestreak's playgroup went on hiatus and Prowl found himself without another adult to talk to. True, he didn't have a lot in common with the parents of the other juveniles, but he had enough to maintain a conversation while their children played. His work assignments came through text and, while Bluestreak was intelligent and talkative, his creation was still very young. Prowl was surprised to find that he missed adult companionship. He did reach out to some of Bluestreak's friends' creators, began to meet with some regularly for energon or to take their creations on playdates in the park. That was pleasant but, as much as he liked the casual friendships, he felt he wanted something else. Prowl began to think about starting to date again, with the intent of finding a permanent relationship.
Prowl approached the idea as logically as he could: a romantic partner would provide him with adult companionship, and they would also contribute to the household finances. It would give Prowl someone he could trust to look after Bluestreak. When Prowl returned to school and later worked outside the home, a second caretaker would be useful and help save on juvenile-care fees.
If he were fortunate, he would even find the kind of partnership his creators had enjoyed. He could remember Hunter and Breakneck kissing and telling each other how lucky they were.
Prowl had several physically appealing mecha in his immediate circle, but either they were already involved, or he didn't feel an attraction to them, or at least not one strong enough for a long-term relationship. Besides, if things didn't work out, it might become awkward and might adversely affect Bluestreak, as many of the mecha in question were the creators of his friends. Prowl decided it would be best to look outside the group of mecha he knew, and so he turned to one of the numerous dating applications available through the DataNet.
Perusing the various profiles, Prowl realized he neither knew enough to create one of his own that would be sufficiently appealing, nor to determine which offers were valid and which were not. An attempt that failed to attract a potential candidate was an attempt that had been wasted. He would be best served by using the services of a matchmaker, and so he sent a message to the highest-rated matchmakers who worked on a commission that he could find.
Prowl disregarded the matchmakers who used automatically generated responses and chose the one who had bothered to write a unique reply. The matchmaker's name was Accord, which Prowl rather suspected was not the name he had been sparked with but was amazingly on-point if he had. They scheduled a meeting so Accord could get the best sense of Prowl and how to match him. Prowl was relieved that the matchmaker was kind enough to set it up during a time Bluestreak was at his playgroup. Prowl wouldn't have to use that much more fuel or worry about finding someone to care for Bluestreak.
"Are you going on a date?" Bluestreak asked at breakfast the day of the meeting when Prowl told him that he wouldn't be in the parent's room while Bluestreak played with his friends.
"It's a meeting, not a date," Prowl corrected, setting Bluestreak's energon down in front of him. "Sit up straight, please. Why do you ask if I'm going on a date?"
"Smokescreen's creator goes on dates." Bluestreak drank from his cube, looking Prowl over the edge of it. "How come you don't?"
"I just haven't felt like dating," Prowl said, sitting down across from Bluestreak with his own cube. "Sometimes people don't, or don't ever feel like dating at all, and that's alright."
"Oh. Okay."
Bluestreak seemed satisfied with that answer, but Prowl felt he should be honest with his creation.
"I plan to date in the future," Prowl said carefully. "Would you be alright with that?"
Bluestreak nodded. "Uh-huh. But," he advised gravely, "if you date someone, you have to be sure they're cool. You have to, Creator."
Prowl had swiftly discovered that the ability to hide one's reaction to something one's juvenile said or did was an essential part of raising them. He wasn't sure Bluestreak had even been a full mega-cycle old before he'd had to figure that out.
"That's important, is it?" Prowl asked, hiding his expression behind his breakfast cube.
Bluestreak nodded again. "Uh-huh. Smokescreen said it's important anyone your creator dates is cool, and they like you, and they'll maybe let you get away with stuff."
Prowl briefly debated the wisdom of pointing out that he would not date anyone that would let Bluestreak 'get away with stuff' then decided it wasn't a battle to be fought right now. 'Pick your battles' was another lesson Prowl had learned early in Bluestreak's life. Bluestreak was a reasonably easy-going juvenile, but he was a juvenile and sometimes acted out when Prowl wouldn't let him do as he wanted.
"I wouldn't date anyone who didn't like you, Bluestreak," Prowl promised. "You come first."
"I know," Bluestreak said confidently. "'Cause we love each other more than anything, right?"
Prowl's spark never failed to warm when Bluestreak said he loved Prowl or acknowledged Prowl's love for him.
"That's right, we do," Prowl said gently, reaching out to lay a hand over Bluestreak's. "More than anything, my brightspark."