silberstreif | Clouds are the spark of the sky

Beta: none
Continuity: Could be any; pre-war
Characters: Starscream, Skyfire
Rating: PG
Prompt: Prompt #1 - Clouds
Warnings: none
Summary: Clouds are the spark of the sky... so, what if there aren't any?

The spark of the sky

Of course he knew everything about them. What they were, the many many variants they came in, how wind, gravity, density or even the different kinds of dust and pollution affected them. He had studied them for nearly a vorn, always amazed that they were seemingly so very different from planet to planet. If they existed on said planet.

Some harboured life, some were a central part to their planet's system, be it organic or not, some simply were. Some came in only one colour, most common white or yellow, but that was by no means a rule as some showed every colour that existed and some were invisible but to the most sophisticated scanners.

Some floated high, so very high, in the sky that they touched the cold space and were always raining and creating their own always changing system. Some were hugging the dirt like a grounder, too dense to leave it and hiding whole worlds behind their veil.

Yes, he had studied them, he knew them.

So, he really should know better that to stare like a besotted sparkling at the white, fluffy, floating cloud in front of him. But she (and the cloud was a she, no question about it) was beautiful, ethereal, and a part of his spark lost himself to the miracle of such a simple, and though so very very complex thing.

A chuckle from Skyfire across the commlines woke him. "Starscream? Have you finished your very very thorough scans of the cloud?"

"Those scans are necessary! We have to document everything."

"But you're finished, right? Then we can finally start the fun part – flying through it!"

The shuttle sped into the white cloud with surprising speed and delighted laughter. Starscream blinked, than snorted and followed him.

And as the cloud softly caressed his wings with lovingly cool touches, he felt himself relax and starting to smile. This was what he was made for, this dance with the wind and cloud and the rain. How had he missed this during all his studies? How come that he hadn't even longed for this feeling of joy and peace before?

He felt a pang of sadness as he remembered the cold cloudless sky on Cybertron that hadn't seen a change in many hundred vorns, since long before of Starscream's creation. He had loved the freedom of flying in it, but now... he suddenly understood that Cybertron's sky was missing its living, ever changing spark and had become empty.

He wondered, what system and cycle had vanished with the clouds or if they simply had been. He wondered if they had been white or red or green. He wondered, if turning the sky's essence into the energon that fuelled the Golden Age, had been worth it.

Then he turned, twisted around and started to play with the cloud and the wind and Skyfire, forgetting everything else and just being free in the gentle embrace of the sky.

(As he flew again through the lifeless and bleak sky on Cybertron, he mourned. The emptiness that once promised freedom now only held the whispers of a dying planet.)

~silber

Note: Not exactly happy, but for... 30minutes? Not too bad.