Jack herded Starscream's Seeker trine outside, fanning their wings and smiling when they squealed and ran around him. Starscream knelt behind him and pressed his face between Jack's shoulder blades.

"Thank you for watching them for me," he said gently. Jack looked back at him and stroked his helm gently, then he smiled.

"My pleasure. You take a drive with Ratchet now. You've earned it."

Starscream stood and he walked back into the base, stepping around Optimus, who was carrying a tiny day-old sparkling.

Jack groaned. "Oh no..."

He flashed a sympathetic smile. "Megatron and I want to take a drive, too..."

Jack slowly took the little sparkling. Little Megamus didn't like Jack. At all. Optimus rubbed his creation's helm tenderly and then he walked off, taking Megatron's waiting servo.

He gently set the sparkling down beside the Seekers, stopping when he heard a small cough. "Oh, Wheeljack, thank Primus you've come to-"

Wheeljack was holding out his own sparkling, grinning as he set it down.

"-abandon me with a bunch of grabby sparklings," Jack finished. He glared up at the bot, smirking. "Can't take care of him yourself?"

"Nah. I heard tell this was the sparkling dump, and since Bulkhead wants to take a nap, I can't disagree."

Jack sat down with Wreckingball, setting the large mechling down on his pedes so he could tear off after Megamus. "Fine, fine. Just tell everyone to leave their sparklings here. I'll come up with something."

Airachnid and Arcee were still expecting, and Knock Out had just finished being sparked by Breakdown, so the last sparkling to be set in the sand was Soundwave's daughter, Heatwave, who put her spindly digits on the ground and leaned forward until her visor was in Jack's face. A smiley face lit up the screen and Jack smiled back, stroking her golden helm. Bumblebee whistled and pulled his mate gently away.

Jack set each sparkling down in front of him. The sun was setting, and so the sand was cooling. Heatwave was drawing in the sand, but she pinged her distress when Wreckingball stirred up the sand. She then raised her thin arms and wailed for Jack, who lifted her tenderly and set her in his lap as he settled in front of them.

He told them Cybertronian stories, like the story of the Thirteen Primes, and he told them Earth bedtime stories, fairytales, and legends. When the moon was above them, Starscream padded up and collected his trine.

"Thank you," he whispered. His yellow optics glowed in the dark, his lips tugging into a smile and he tipped his helm to the right. "I know it was a very involving task."

Jack yawned and shrugged. Heatwave was clinging to his back and the remaining sparklings were nestled in his lap. "Could have been worse."

He sighed gently and he stroked his trine's helms, his wings lowering. "Should I have had these sparklings?"

Jack got up. "Hey, having second thoughts?"

The Seeker whined and nodded, lowering to his knees and gently pressing his helm against the human's head. "Ratchet doesn't like them," he pouted.

"I'm sure he does," Jack said as he patted the mech's arm. The Seekerlings were starting to wail. "Shhh..."

"He doesn't hold them, he doesn't play with them, he doesn't like them..." Starscream sat down, his optics dim and tears rolled down his face and made the sand damp.

Jack sighed gently and he patted the Seeker's knee, coaxing him to his pedes. "Let's get you inside." He grabbed the remaining sparklings, planning to lay them in their creators' quarters.

Starscream recovered, but padded weakly and tearfully behind Jack, his Seekerlings cuddling against his chest. He walked into his quarters and laid down, letting Jack take the Seekerlings and lay them on the inflatable matress in the corner. Starscream mumbled a thank you and rolled over. Jack smiled and left the room, taking the other sparklings with him.

Heatwave was laid by Soundwave, who twitched once and pulled his daughter closer. Megamus was laid on Optimus' pillow, and Wreckingball was placed on Wheeljack's back between his winglets. The Wrecker twitched and snored loudly once, making the sparkling fidget and squirm before falling limp.

Jack collected a rag, soap, and a bucket of hot water. He carried it back to Starscream's quarters and climbed up onto his berth. The Seeker twitched once and his wings fanned gently in nervousness that was soothed when Jack stroked his wings. He dipped the rag into the hot water and he scrubbed his wings. Starscream cooed and arched, mumbling nonsense.

When Jack ran out of water, he let the Seeker's wings air dry, which had to feel good since it was nearly ninety outside and he was sweating from just cleaning the Seeker's wings. Just the wings, not his whole body. He might as well have been running the marathon for all the sweat dripping off him.

Starscream rolled over slowly and blinked at the human, reaching out to touch under his chin. Then his servo was placed under his helm and his optics closed, his wings dropping against his back. He sighed, and then he was snoring lightly.

Jack carried his supplies out of the room, looking up at Optimus as he walked by. "Take a shower," he said in a scolding way, thumping the bucket on the mech's muddy pede.

"Megatron is already there, waiting for me," Optimus purred back at him and he walked around the corner to the wash racks.

Jack climbed up the catwalk and laid on the couch. When he laid his helm down, something squeaked, and he reached under the pillow to find the Megatron plushy. "Aww, frag..." He slowly stood up and walked to the Prime's room, stopping when he saw Megatron and Optimus looking as though they were trying to become one being.

Optimus was gripping the warlord, pulling him close while Megatron's servos searched for a new hold to guide his mate against him. Muddy water dripped off them and pooled on the floor.

Jack leaned in the doorway, chuckling at the sight of the two mechs kissing and cuddling. "That was the shortest shower in all of history. Get back in there and clean up this mess, mm?"

Optimus looked at Jack in surprise, then blinked soft blue optics. Megatron chuckled and walked out first. Jack stopped the Prime and he held up the toy.

"Missing something?"

Optimus blinked and grabbed it gently. "I thought I lost it."

"You left it on the catwalk when you were little or something," Jack said as he yawned and stretched. "Take better care of it. It's falling apart."

Optimus smiled and tucked the toy into his spark chamber, and then he padded off after his waiting mate.

"And actually take a shower this time! My goodness," Jack muttered and he walked back to the catwalk to sleep.