Worth It

Jetstorm followed quietly behind Drift, his sensei and father leading him to the room that had been prepared for them on the remains of the Alchemor. The young mech shivered with apprehension, knowing that each step they took only brought him closer to his punishment... He should never have run away...

Slipstream followed quietly at his brother's side, sending him a gentle, soothing pulse through their sibling bond. But Jetstorm's spark only responded with sorrow, throbbing shamefully. Slipstream pouted sympathetically for his brother, wishing there was something he could do to comfort him or even lessen his punishment. Turning his blue gaze up to the orange and black plating of their father, he spoke up ever so carefully, "S-Sensei... Would you be willing to reconsider? It was only a misunderstanding... Perhaps you could simply assign Jetstorm extra training?"

"No. I have decided his punishment and that is final. I will not discuss the matter further." Drift said firmly as he slowed to a stop outside their quarter doors. Turning, he focused his gaze on the red twin. "Slipstream, go wait in the command center with Fixit. I will inform you when you may return to our quarters." he ordered stiffly, though his irritation was not directed at Slipstream.

He drooped softly from his father's tone, optics dimming. "Yes, sensei..." he said quietly, casting a soft glance to his brother before turning to walk away, leaving Jetstorm alone with Drift.

The older mech watched as Slipstream left, optics dimming... before narrowing as he returned his gaze to Jetstorm. "Inside. Now." he ordered curtly after opening their quarter doors, standing aside to let the young mech in first.

Jetstorm quivered, giving his father a pathetic expression before lowering his gaze to the floor once more and shuffling inside. Why was Drift making him enter first? Did he not trust him to follow him inside? Jetstorm grit his denta softly, withholding bitter tears as he came to stand in the center of the room.

Had it been under better circumstances, he would have taken a moment to appreciate their new quarters. It was a comfortable size for the three of them, but it could only house two berths. With both of them pressed to opposite walls it kept the room spacious. It seemed Jetstorm and Slipstream would be sharing the second berth.

Drift allowed the door to slide shut behind him, a metalic 'click' sounding as it locked. "Come." he ordered as he walked past his son, stepping up to the berth he had already claimed as his own and sitting down.

The young mech approached slowly with a shiver of apprehension. He knew this would not be pleasant. Drift was really upset with him... His optics flickered softly as he turned his gaze up to look at Drift. "S-sensei, I'm sorry," he said quietly, his wings drooped low on his back.

"Do not stall. I do not want to hear apologies or excuses. Just accept your punishment," scolded the samurai as he reached down and hooked his hands under Jetstorm's arms, lifting the youngling up and setting him across his knees with his aft up.

"I-It wasn't my intention to stall, Sensei..." he whimpered, clutching his father's thigh and trying to prepair for the pain he knew was coming.

The first swat came without warning, leaving a sharp sting over his backside that made the little mech yelp. A second swat fell across his aft, then a third and a fourth. Jetstorm lost count after the seventh, finding that trying to count the sharp swats wasn't helping much at all. Each time Drift's hand paddled him it was harder than the last, making hot pain blossom over his skidplate.

Jetstorm grit his denta, trying not to cry - Drift didn't like it when they cried during their punishment... But he couldn't silence his yelps and cries of pain, tears welling thickly in his optics and beginning to drip down his flushed cheeks.

Drift didn't say a word, his optics narrowed as he counted the number of swats in his helm. He was upset with Jetstorm, but he would not step over the boundary between punishment and abuse.

The little mech was trembling in his father's lap, resisting the urge to try and get away from the punishment. Struggling would only get him more swats, and that was the last thing he wanted... Drift didn't like it when they begged for the punishment to stop either. He expected them to remain silent and accept their punishment like warriors. But Jetstorm couldn't, yelping and sobbing with each swat as shame and sorrow weighed heavy on his spark. No matter what he did he always seemed to disappoint his father...

The samurai gave three more hard swats before finally ending the punishment. He halted his hand and gently laid it over Jetstorm's back, feeling him trembling and how his frame shook with the force of his sobs. Shifting, he gently cupped his hands beneath the young mech's arms to lift him up into a sitting position in his lap, letting him cry.

Jetstorm's optics were firmly offline, helm hung low as he cried quietly. Or at least as quietly as he could. "I-I'm sorry s-sensei... I'm sorry I c-can't be more like Slipstream..." he whimpered brokenly, sobbing - before his wet optics flared online in surprise when he felt strong arms wrapping around his frame in a loving embrace.

Drift held the black and white bot tight to his chest, optics dimming. "I was so worried about you..." he said quietly, shivering. "I awoke and you were gone..."

The little mech quivered, tears falling thickly down his cheeks as he gave a choked sob. He was so surprised that it took him a moment to form a coherent response. "I-I... just... didn't want to continue t-to be a disappointment to you..."

"You are not a disappointment." said Drift firmly, the older mech hugging Jetstorm tight. "I know I am hard on you and your brother... But I love you both." he said softly as he pulled back to look into Jetstorm's wet optics, cupping his cheeks and wiping the tears away with his thumbs. "I am proud of the progress you and Slipstream have made. You have come a long way from the thieves you were when I found you."

The little bot sniffled and trembled as he felt the tears being wiped away, spark pulsing out softly as he started to relax. "R-really..? You're... proud of us?" he asked quietly, a tiny smile starting to spread across his features. His aft still throbbed with pain, but Drift saying that he loved them and was proud of them... somehow made the pain more bearable.

The samurai nodded gently, his optics dimming. "Jetstorm... I do not know how to be a father. I never wanted to be a father... I was always too focused on my mission, on bringing criminals to justice. But then I found you and Slipstream. You were young, alone, and without guidance. You needed me." he explained gently, hugging Jetstorm close to his chest. "I have been trying to balance being a father and being a teacher, and it appears that I have not done a very good job of that. ...I am sorry..." he finished quietly.

Jetstorm's optics widened to hear the apology from Drift, looking up into saddened blue optics. "S-sensei-... Father, you don't have to apologize..." he said quietly, shivering as he leaned up to wrap his arms around Drift's neck in a loving embrace, feeling his adoptive father's arms wrapping tighter around him in response.

"I do... But I promise to do better for both of you. I will learn from Bumblebee's example." he said softly.

The young mech shivered, sniffling as he gave a little smile. "Thank you... I love you, Father." he whispered as he nuzzled into the crook of Drift's neck.

Drift smiled faintly, gently holding the little bot close as he whispered in return, "I love you too, my son." He wasn't used to being so loving and allowing such closeness. Of course he had hugged his sons before and told them he loved them, but it was so rare that he almost couldn't remember the last time he had shown them this kind of affection. He had been too caught up on being a strict teacher, on trying to toughen them up and turn them into warriors, that he had forgotten to be their father... He was thankful to Bumblebee for showing him that. He could learn much from their young leader.

The samurai sighed before gently pulling back from Jetstorm to look into his still wet optics with a little smile. "Let us call Slipstream back now and we can all rest together." he said softly before opening a comm. link and doing just that.

As they waited for Slipstream to return, Drift and Jetstorm sat in comfortable silence. Jetstorm rested his helm against his father's chest and listened to his powerful sparkbeat, relaxing as Drift's hand rubbed over his back soothingly... and a warm smile crept into his features.

Running away had been a mistake, and he felt awful for worrying his family... but he couldn't say he regretted it. Because of that decision, Drift had realized that there was a time for being a teacher and a time for being a father. If it helped them all come closer as a family and build bonds as father and sons rather than teacher and students... everything had been worth it.

Even the spanking.