Feeling Blue

Blue Wing stood in the shadows of a lonely alley watching the humans going about their usual Friday night routines, not bothered in the least about the rain – being safely sheltered by their umbrellas and raincoats, or in the warm interiors of their vehicles. He, on the other hand, didn't mind it, letting the water roll off his hot wings, taking away the heat of flying and helping to cool his systems down. Up until the sun went down and the rain-clouds had come in with occassional thunder and lightning, he had been flying around the desert for hours, after which he'd headed into the city to while away a few more hours till he felt tired enough to go back and recharge.

At least that way he could avoid talking for a while and sort himself out without getting into a pointless argument. After all., it was not like he WANTED to be out here getting rained on, but he knew he needed some time to himself, and she did too. There was no point in letting angry words become spiteful words, because the last thing he wanted to do was say something hurtful to her. Whatever differences they had, deep down he still loved her completely, and knew she loved him too.

It was why he couldn't go back to the Ark just yet.

He leaned back against the wall of the building behind him – careful not to put his full weight on it – and sighed. Inspite of it all, he missed her. He shut his optics for a moment and let the rain run down his wings, trying to imagine they were her fingers and failing. The rain, though it cooled him, could not relax him like the touch of her warm hands could. The patter of the rain, though calming, could not soothe him like the sound of her voice could.

Opening his optics again to the sound of music he heard coming from the building he was leaning against, he looked towards the entrance of the alley where a young couple had just exited what he guessed was a club or bar inside. The young man drew his girlfriend to him and kissed her soundly. Wing looked away swiftly, his spark sending a pang of longing through him. He could feel it flaring and pulsing within him, wanting to be in contact with her spark again. He ruthlessly ignored it.

Deciding to change his location, Blue Wing dislodged himself from the shadows and wall, and headed towards the street. The couple broke from their kiss and looked up at him in awe and fear. He merely nodded at them, and turned to his left to walk past the club and head down the street, when something caught his optic. The club was, infact, a lounge, and the guest singer for the night was a name very familiar to him – Autobot Jazz.

Curiosity got the better of him and he decided to check it out for himself. He pushed open the door and ducked to get past the frame. The interior was designed to fit both humans and Transformers and thus had a very high ceiling. There were also tables to sit both species quite comfortably. The walls were padded to keep the music within, and the lighting, though slightly dim, was not uncomfortable. The cheery black and white stood on a wide stage in front of a live band, belting out the last few lines of a song Blue Wing had heard him humming to himself on several occassions.

"Blue eyes laughing in the sun

Laughing in the rain…

Baby's got blue eyes…

And I'm home again…"

Jazz ended the song to an enthusiastic round of applause and took a bow. As he straightened again, he caught sight of the blue mech at the door. Immediately he placed his mic back in its stand

"Well folks, the Jazz-man's gonna take a break for a little while, but in the meantime, sip those drinks, soak in the atmosphere and enjoy the sounds of The Cruisers." He gestured to the band behind him. "Take it away, Tommy."

As the band struck up again, Jazz left the stage and wove his way between the tables to where Blue Wing stood at the doorway, looking just the slightest bit uncomfortable. Yet, he stretched out his hand to shake Jazz's as the other mech reached him.

"Wasn't expectin' ta see you tonight Wing," he said. "What with the rain and everythin', I'd 'ave guessed you'd be back at the Ark getting' close with yer pretty lady-friend." He looked around. "Where is she anyways?"

Blue Wing shifted uncomfortably. "At the Ark."

Jazz nodded sagely. "Right. Well, go take a seat an' I'll be with ya in a moment a'ight?"

"That's alright Jazz, really, I was- ."

"Nonsense man, c'mon. Been a while since one of the others saw my act. Stick around, please."

As Jazz spoke, he subtly led Wing over to one of the Autobot-sized tables where the larger mech had no choice but to sit down.

"I'd have thought Prowl would have been here," Wing said.

"Oh he comes in now and then, but show-biz ain't exactly his thing, if ya know what I mean," Jazz replied. "Now you stay right here and I'll be right back."

The Special Operations Agent then quickly made his way to the bar counter where he spoke casually to the man there. The man nodded, then produced two large cubes of energon before turning back to mix a drink for a human. Jazz picked up the cubes and came back to the table Wing was seated at, placing the cubes on it before taking a seat as well. Blue Wing glanced at the energon and grimaced slightly.

"Jazz, I really don't- ," he began.

"It ain't high-grade, if that's what you're thinkin'," Jazz replied. "Just your regular mix Wing, I ain't that silly ta dope ya up on high-grade."

Blue Wing took a cautious sip of his drink, then relaxed. "You're right, I'm sorry Jazz."

"Don't worry about it man, pays ta be a li'l careful, you got a family ta think of now." Jazz took a swallow of his own drink. "Speakin' o' which, why ain't yer femme with ya tonight?"

The flier shifted a bit uncomfortably and sipped his energon, emerald optics a bit downcast.

"We had a bit of a disagreement," he said at last. "So we thought it'd be better if we gave each other some space to think and cool down a bit."

"Is it workin'?"

Wing shrugged. "I don't know."

"Ya miss her doncha? Wish she could be here right now?"

A nod this time. "I want to be with her right now, but I don't want to put any pressure on her, or force her to deny her own emotions because of me." He took another swallow. "I love her, Jazz."

The black and white patted the blue mech's shoulder comfortingly.

"'Course ya do Wing. Ya wouldn't be sittin' here pinin' for her if ya didn't, and the fact that you care enough about her to give her the space she needs says a lot about that love."

"I'll always love her." Wing's hand tightened around the cube. "I'm just afraid that one day she might stop loving me. That I'll do something to push her away completely."

Jazz shook his head. "Millions of years you two have been together, even longer than myself and Prowl, and when we hit a rough patch we always look at the two o' you and see how you've remained strong despite all kinds o' slag – we'd like ta last as long as you both have…. Yer love is strong Wing, don't give up on it just yet."

A small ember of hope glowed within Blue Wing's emerald optics. "Thank you Jazz. I guess… I guess I was just scared that she might want to leave me for someone more exciting."

"No worries m'man. If she's anything like Prowl – and I'm guessin' she is – the last thing she's gonna want in excitin'. She loves ya Wing, trust that."

Jazz finished the rest of his drink, then pushed back his chair and stood up.

"Well I gotta get back up there and do ma thang. Stick around an' enjoy the music a'ight. Y'never know, it could make you feel better."

Blue Wing nodded. "Thanks, I think I will."

The black and white grinned, patted him on the back and made his way back to the stage where he spoke to his band members. They nodded and began to flip through their sheets of music, looking for the song Jazz wanted. The lead guitarist then gave him a thumbs-up and tuned his guitar to the right pitch, while the man behind the keyboards began to play the lead-in refrain. Jazz nodded, grinned, then turned to the microphone and leaned in to speak.

"G'evenin' t'all you ladies, gents and Autobots, an' welcome back to the second half of the show. M'name's Autobot Jazz an' I'll be yer entertainer fer the rest o' the night. So feel free ta relax, soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the music. I'd like ta kick off this segment from where I left off, with another li'l number by Sir Elton John, and I'd like ta dedicate it to a certain big, blue friend o' mine. I hope ya like it. Hit it Tommy."

Blue Wing felt his faceplate warm at Jazz's last mention, as the sound of the piano kicked in at full volume and Jazz grasped the mic-stand with one hand, his other hand swept out in an extravagant flourish. He tapped his foot in time with the beat of the drummer. Then he sang.

Don't wish it away
Don't look at it like it's forever
Between you and me
I could honestly say
That things can only get better

As Blue Wing listened to the lyrics, he fell back into the brooding state he had been in while outside the lounge, missing his bondmate more than ever.

And while I'm away
Dust out the demons inside
And it won't be long
Before you and me run
To the place in our hearts
Where we hide

He could feel his spark dancing within him, wanting, needing to be with her. It called, almost cried out to her to come to him so he could say he was sorry – even if it was not his fault – and make everything alright between them again.

On the stage in front of him Jazz leaned forward slightly, tilting the stand, as a few couples stood up and went over to the dancefloor. Blue Wing winced – she loved to dance. Jazz hit the chorus.

And I guess that's why
They call it the blues
Time on my hands
Could be time spent with you

A hand tapped him on the shoulder from behind and a low, female voice spoke out.

"May I have this dance?"

But Wing was so deep in his brooding and misery that he didn't even bother turning around to see who it was, or see Jazz grinning widely – audio to audio.

Laughing like children
Living like lovers
Rolling like thunder under the covers

"I'm sorry," Wing said absently. "I'm waiting for someone. And I don't dance."

"Sure you do," the voice replied. "At least with me you do." A familiar touch on his wings, the light, gentle voice. "Dance with me."

Blue Wing lept to his feet so fast he nearly sent the chair he was sitting on crashing to the ground. She caught the back of it before it hit the floor, then straightened. Glowing emerald optics met shining turquoise and he felt his spark flare.

"Pura," he whispered, voice a little tense. "What… what are you doing here?"

He looked at Jazz and the Special Operations Agent winked back at him before launching into a little dance, as the band played on. Then he looked back at his bonded.

"You called for me didn't you?" she asked.

"I… well yes." He took her in his arms. "Pura…"

"Wing…"

"I'm sorry," they said together.

And I guess that's why
They call it the blues

"So about that dance?" she asked, smiling.

"Gladly, my love," Wing replied.

He took her black hand in his white one and led her to the dancefloor, where he pulled her close, wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder, letting her guide him through the motions. Pura nuzzled him, then looked over at Jazz. The black and white was working the stage like a pro.

Just stare into space
Picture my face in your hands
Live for each second
Without hesitation
And never forget I'm your man

She caught his optics and mouthed a 'thank you' with a smile. Jazz nodded back in acknowledgement and winked at her. Pura winked back, then lightly rubbed her mate's wings. Wing moaned softly into her neck and raised his head, brushing her forehead with a gentle kiss.


Wait on me girl
Cry in the night if it helps
But more than ever I simply love you
More than I love life itself

Blue Wing leaned closer again and nuzzled her near her right audio receptor, pressing himself as close to her as was decently possible in a public place. Pura smiled to herself, sighing happily as he placed a light kiss on her neck. Then he pulled back slightly and looked into her optics again.

"We should at least wait till we get back to our quarters before sparking," she whispered to him, placing a finger on his spark-chamber and pushing him back slightly, a cheeky expression on her face.

Blue Wing felt his face-plate warm again. "We should at least wait for Jazz to finish his song first," he replied.

He took her hand and gave it a light squeeze, brushing her own spark-chamber with his other hand.

And I guess that's why
They call it the blues
Time on my hands
Could be time spent with you
Laughing like children
Living like lovers
Rolling like thunder under the covers
And I guess that's why
They call it the blues

Jazz watched as Blue Wing and Pura danced close together, occassionally giving each other a kiss on the cheek or forehead. He smiled fondly at them, chuckling to himself at how Wing, in the presence of his femme, surrendered completely to her, to the point where she was guiding both of them around the dancefloor, subtly leading him to empty areas where they wouldn't bump into any humans. Mic in hand, he moved across the stage and air-guitared with the lead guitarist, feeling quite pleased with himself for another mission accomplished. Then he spun around with a flamboyant sweep of his arm and leaned forward to sing again.

Wait on me girl
Cry in the night if it helps
But more than ever I simply love you
More than I love life itself

Straightening suddenly, Blue Wing pulled away from her, leaving enough room for him to raise his arm and gently twirl her around once, before drawing her closer to him again, wrapping his free arm around her.

And I guess that's why
They call it the blues
Time on my hands
Could be time spent with you

Locking optics, he released her hand to touch her cheek in a soft caress. Whispering a quiet 'I love you', he leaned down and pressed his mouth to hers, giving her the most tenderest and loving of kisses. All movement ceased, except for the movement of their lips as they kissed, oblivious to all else around them.


Laughing like children
Living like lovers
Rolling like thunder under the covers
And I guess that's why
They call it the blues

Wing broke off the kiss after a few moments and gazed into the bright turquoise optics of his bondmate. She smiled up at him warmly.

"I love you too," she said softly.

She leaned and kissed him again as Jazz brought the song to a close.

Laughing like children, living like lovers…

And I guess that's why they call it the blues…

END.