Tragic Changes

[techbilt]

Lockdown x Prowl - Humanformers AU, Prowl, Bluestreak, and Smokescreen are all siblings. Prowls the eldest, Blues the middle child and Smokes is the youngest. Prowl got a call one morning to to the news that their parents had perished in car crash. Prowl was already a Police officer with a stable job, an adult - Bluestreak was going to school to become an engineer but their 9 year old brother still needed to be taken care of. Prowl took in the youngest Praxian but no one knows about Prowls lover - a Bounty Hunter who sometimes comes to visit - if only it hadn’t been this close to christmas. Gift for screechingtires

“Prowl, get up your phones going off,” mumbled Lockdown. Prowl could feel his lover return to the original position he was in - it was cold, even with the heat of the apartment winter had still settled in their area, Prowls programmable thermostat kept the apartment at a lower temperature to conserve energy as well as keep his bill a little bit lower.

Prowl only hummed, he snaked his arm through the blankets, Lockdowns arms wrapped around Prowls waist making it almost impossible for him to move too much without feeling bad. It wasn’t often that Lockdown came to visit, he had a job on the road and Prowl was a cop, even when they were in the same town or close to one another there was no guarantee that they would be able to see one another.

Eventually Prowl was able to put his hands on his phone gently recharging on the nightstand. In Prowls sleepy haze he was able to click the green answer button with only two extra tries. He wasn’t sure what time it was but who ever was calling it better be important. Prowl took a deep breath before putting the phone to his ear. “This is Prowl.”

Lockdown nuzzled into Prowls bare back. He wasn’t sure why he was getting a call this late but a call this late in the night usually meant that someone had died. The only way to find out if that was true was to listen to the phone call.

“Uh-huh. Yeah I'm sitting down.”

That didn’t bode well at all, horrible news was coming. Lockdown placed a kiss on the smaller mans shoulder blade. This wasn’t going to end well.

“Oh, uh thank you - no I’ll be right there. No don’t tell him. Don’t call Bluestreak either. I will take care of it, thank you.”

“Everything alright?” asked Lockdown.

Prowl sat up, blankets draping down his side, falling to the mattress, pooled around Prowl porcelain form. Prowl took a deep breath and started searching for his boxers, then pants, then a shirt. He really didn’t care if they were his or Lockdowns he just needed clothes. “No,” answered Prowl, his voice cracking. “My Father got into an accident, he’s missing. His car is all mangled up - my youngest Brother is at home, with the babysitter. I need to go be with him. I need to tell him.”

Lockdown was silent for a while. The lanky bad boy wasn’t sure what to say - there was nothing he could say to help make the situation better, that much was something Lockdown was well aware of. He had lost not only both his parents in a car accident but his right hand as well. He knew that telling Prowls 9 year old brother wasn’t going to be an easy task. “Want me to drive you there? I don’t think you should be driving on your own.”

“I… I don’t know Locks.” He really didn’t know. He wasn’t in any condition to drive, he was in shock and he probably would be for a while. He would be distracted but he couldn’t wait to go and see his 9 year old brother either. He needed an adult to be there for him, one he trusted, one Smokescreen knew.

“Prowl I’m not giving you a choice. I’m taking you to your brother. I just need directions or an address. The last thing your brothers need is another death in the family. We’ll take my car.”

“Yeah but-they don’t know I’m dating you.”

“That's fine Prowler, I can just be a friend of yours, nothing more nothing less at least for right now. We can figure out the Smokescreen thing as we go right now lets just get you to home.” Lockdown sat up and grabbed his jeans, a green t-shirt and his spiked leather jacket. “Just pack a few things of cloths I’ll grab the phone chargers, and you grab the tooth brushes. Then we’ll go. Pack the muscle car, we’ll be there in no time.”

Prowl nodded, finding a bag and stuffing clothes into the bag, then disappearing from the bed room and going about the rest of his business, Lockdown continued on doing what he assigned himself to do. Prowl was outside his element right now, in shock in a way, Lockdown was willing to take control and help it might be a while before Prowl was ready to divulge who they were to each other but he was okay with that. He would always be okay with it.

Lockdown stood in the hallway, the duffel bag Prowl had packed hanging off his bad arm. His good arm searching for the keys to Prowls apartment, locking the deadbolt before he maneuvered the keys skillfully in his hand to find the key to his muscle car. “Prowler lets go babe. We’ll be there in about an hour.”

Lockdown popped the trunk of the souped up muscle car and threw their luggage into the back. It’d be safe back there. He slammed the trunk shut and watched Prowl open the passenger side door of the car. The look of grief written on his face was hard to look at. Lockdown saw the long sigh of air leave Prowls body with his cold it was Lockdown wasn’t surprised. He could see his own breath as well. He hoped his car would heat up quickly.

Lockdown got into the car, closed the door and started her up, quickly he turned down the radio, though at this point in the night it was mostly talk radio on. He turned on the defrosters and started making his way on down the road. Prowl in the passenger seat next to him, silent. Prowl was usually quiet in the car, but this was a different silent, not comfortable in the least. Lockdown could tell Prowl felt the uncomfortable silence as well as he flipped through radio stations, rather aggressively.

Half an hour passed of Prowl flipping through the same stations. “Babe just stick in one of our phones ‘kay? You can flip through one of our playlists.” It had probably come out much more harsh than he had meant it to sound.

“Sorry,” stated Prowl digging through the glove box for an aux cord to plug into the aftermarket radio that Lockdown installed.

“Nothing to be sorry for Prowler, just trying to save my seek button. Smokeys 8 right? What’s going to happen to him?” It had been something Lockdown was curious about. Lockdown didn’t have any siblings when his parents were killed in the car accident. He had become a ward of the state. Smokescreen has two 18+ brothers, one was in college the other was beat cop in Iacon.

“9 actually his birthdays in August,” clarified Prowl. “I’m not sure what will happen to him. Moms gone, been gone since Smokey was 3. Now Dad. Our parents don't have any siblings so I don’t know. Maybe I’ll end up Smokescreens Guardian? Bluestreak's going to college for engineering so I doubt he’ll have time to raise Smokescreen.”

“Is that something you want?”

“What Guardianship of Smokescreen?”

“Yeah.”

Prowl shrugged, “I don’t know. Yeah. I was hoping I would never have to have this conversation, or even think about this conversation.” Prowl rested his elbow on the door, the lip between the glass and the interior of the vehicle, He propped his head up with his right hand and sighed fogging up the window in a small area for a second before the defrosters wiped it away.

Lockdown was quite a few moments longer, He wasn’t sure what to say. He wasn’t sure anyone would know what to say. Things like this, there wasn’t anything that could soothe somebody. “Everything’s gonna be okay Prowl. We’ll figure this out.”

Prowl was quiet for a moment, taking in everything he could see from the passenger side window, he glanced to Lockdown. Prowl wanted to scream and tell Lockdown, that no, things weren’t going to be okay. But Lockdown had been through something similar, been put through the foster care system, lost his parents and his right hand. Lockdown turned out alright. A little off but alright. Lockdown seemed to have a way of making things turn out okay.

Prowl smiled to Lockdown as he placed his hand on Lockdowns Right arm. Their version of holding hands. “Yeah,” said Prowl smiling to Lockdown. Lockdown turned for the entrance ramp onto the expressway and they would soon be at Prowls childhood home and Dojo. Hopefully by the time they make it to the house Prowl will have come up with what he was going to tell Smokescreen.

THe ride was mostly quiet except for the sounds of Lockdown attempting to keep a conversation. One Prowl was too tired and too preoccupied to deal with.