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Grasping a Chance 12: A Surprise Date
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"Last one of the orn." Jazz announced cheerfully to Demeter as he transformed and waited for her to settle back in his cab. "Thanks for trading off duties with Wing. It's easier on him to not have to fly all over the city keeping track of me whenever I am working."
"No problem," she grinned at him from the front seat. "I'll take chaperoning you around over cleaning duty any orn. I did always wonder a little about that, assigning two high-strung jets to a couple grounders."
"From what I understand they volunteered. Though why I've never asked." Jazz said as he started off, then slowed as his comm went off and he identified the caller. ::Wing?::
::Done for the day?:: The Knight inquired cheerfully over the connection.
::Yup. Was just on my way back.::
::Good. I have two tickets to a concert and dinner reservations at the Crystal Gallery. One of the tickets is for you.:: Wing informed him, sounding smug and very pleased with himself.
For a nanoklik Jazz was actually speechless. ::Thank you?:: he finally managed.
::Oh, it was fun. See you later.:: Wing chirped before ending the comm signal.
Still a little surprised, Jazz relayed the short conversation to Demeter as he started off again.
"They volunteered because they were the ones who found what was left of the shuttle, but Wing really argued for it too. Most of that was behind closed doors though," she shrugged. "Wow, Crystal Gallery. That's a really nice place. You're going to want to be really well polished, maybe even a full touch up. There is time."
"Is that an offer of help?" Jazz asked, actually a little intimidated by the prospect.
"Absolutely. I can wrangle a couple others to help too," she yipped, excited by the prospect. "You'll look perfect for the evening," she promised eagerly.
"Good, because I certainly have no idea where to start for something like this." Jazz sighed.
"It's just a good wash, a mirror polish and touching up your colors so they're vibrant," she told him with a soothing caress of his field. "Surely you've made a formal presentation to the brass?"
"Not for up close inspection, and my old frame was much simpler." Jazz said, relaxing some. "And never for something like this, a nice meal."
"It's not much different, and you'll have helping hands," she assured him. "No one is going to think you out of place. We'll make sure of it. Maybe one of the smaller washracks? So you don't have to be on display for so many, if you don't want to be."
Jazz pulled up in front of the Citadel and paused while Demeter jumped out before transforming smoothly. "More worried about being out in public than here. Though I don't supposed Wing would let me make too much of a fool of myself."
"You'll be fine," she assured him smoothly. "Really, your manners are good. You won't have any problems. The Crystal Gallery is really nice, but it's not anywhere that requires special behaviors."
"Oh good." Jazz said, mood lightening and his natural good humor resurfacing as they made their way inside. "And now I follow your lead, oh wise one."
Demeter giggled and padded ahead of him towards the primary washrack of the Citadel.
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Despite Demeter's reassurance when she left him to be seated, Jazz was sure this was the most upscale public place that he had ever visited. Not that surprising, considering his background, but it was still enough to make him a bit uncomfortable. He sat quietly at the small table, picking apart the soft music playing the in the background as he sipped at the light energon the server had left with him and studied his surroundings.
The Crystal Gallery was aptly named, the entire place made up of multiple pieces of crystal that somehow were all arranged to seem as one. Subtle lighting was strategically placed so that it was picked up and reflected to artfully light the entire dining area. Each sculpture, wall, angle and decoration was placed to provide the perfect acoustic environment for the live music being performed.
It was all a little overwhelming, and Jazz was glad when his dinner guest arrived, only to be surprised once more when it was not Wing that was shown to the seat across from him. It was an equally startled looking and polished Prowl.
"It seems our keepers are not satisfied with our courting efforts," Prowl actually sounded amused when he was settled.
"Is that what we're doing? Courting?" Jazz asked, equally amused but also pleased with the appearance of his dining companion.
"It's what they believe we should be doing," Prowl countered. "They are far more fixated on processes than we are."
That had Jazz laughing softly, the sound full of amusement as he pulled up the menu and looked it over. "Well, who are we argue? I'm certainly not if I get to spend the evening with you."
"Agreed," Prowl's smile was small but warm as he skimmed the menu. "Even better when they are paying. The acoustics here are amazing."
"They are." Jazz agreed, the music sending a small shiver through his frame as the musicians moved on to a new arrangement. He hadn't been able to dance near as much with their punishment restrictions, and with a small start he realized how much he had actually missed it.
"Perhaps Demeter will humor us with a joor or two at the nearest dance club," Prowl suggested as he selected his meal, one that drew heavily on Praxian cuisine but was also more acidic than most from the region.
"Maybe." Jazz agreed, still studying the menu and finally settling one something from the description that he thought sounded appealing. Savory, and from the additives something that should lean a little more to the sweet than the acidic that Prowl seemed to prefer. "If not, a word to Wing might mean I can get out for a little without you having to come along, if you don't want to."
He looked up, focusing on Prowl with a small, teasing smile. "You're still my favorite dance partner."
"I'm a safe dance partner," Prowl smiled back with understanding harmonics. "I do not generally mind indulging you for a while."
"My favorite anyway." Jazz insisted, field reaching out to subtly caress Prowl's, well aware of the public nature of their currently location.
Prowl's wings gave a faint flutter as his field caressed back, and Jazz realized he'd managed to embarrass Prowl, in a good way.
"Have you looked up what they're expecting of us?" Prowl asked softly, relaxing in the warmth of Jazz's field.
"Who?" Jazz asked, nodding slightly in thanks as the light energon at his elbow was smoothly refilled and the server moved on to the next table.
"Wing and Thorn," Prowl explained easily. "They are the ones who arranged this. Likely because we were not going on enough dates."
Jazz sighed, the sound one of exasperated affection for their keepers. "I honestly haven't. Care to enlighten me?"
"It seems that it is important to make regular public appearances as a couple in settings where we can get to know each other and the general population can watch," he was only half successful in hiding his displeasure at the expectation. "Gifts are part of this process as well. Some publicly, some can be in private. I'm still trying to phase the difference."
His optics abruptly darkened several shades as they partially powered down. One hand went to the center of his chevron as his helm lowered and his wings tucked in. Not yet to the extent of drawing the attention of everything that could read wings, but still a clear marker of distress.
Almost as quickly as it happened it seemed to pass.
"I am all right," Prowl said very quietly once his optics returned to their typical bright yellow.
Another gentle caress of Jazz's field against his, checking, questioning, full of deep concern. Smooth reassurance caressed back.
"I am much more susceptible to overheating and a minor crash when I can not understand something," Prowl murmured, just loud enough for Jazz to hear. He paused when their meals were delivered and waited until the server had moved away. "It seems my tac-net has greater difficulty than before breaking the loop."
"Have you told Redline this?" Jazz asked, arranging his meal before him to a setting that was more comfortable to him before taking the first bite and almost melting. He had thought he had been exposed to good fuel here in the city. But most of that paled in comparison to the flavors sliding over his glossa.
"Yes, he's aware," Prowl nodded as he collected a bit of gel and syrup in his spoon. The moan was silent, but Jazz teeked it clearly, the pleasure Prowl felt at the sharp flavors flowed freely across their entwined fields.
Jazz allowed himself to be content with that answer, knowing that there was little he could do if Redline hadn't come up with anything yet. "Have to come up with a way to thank them for this." Jazz commented softly after a few more bites, each one sending small spike of pleasure across the connection.
"I am reasonably confident that enjoying the evening and playing the courting game they expect will be sufficient." Prowl gave his lover a tiny teasing smile. "But if you really want to make Wing happy, say 'thank you' when you see him next."
Jazz chuckled. The words that had been so hard for him when he first arrived in the city came far easier now, and with much greater sincerity. "I have the feeling that Thorn deserves some thanks too. How are things with your work and him in tow when you have to go in?"
"I intend to thank him," Prowl said with complete sincerity. "They are settling, surprisingly enough. It seems that Knights can meditate and do their introspective duties anywhere that they can achieve the needed state. So he kneels in the corner beside the decorative plant and meditates while I deal with irate civilians. So long as things don't become threatening, almost no one even realizes he's there." A flicker of bright amusement danced across their fields. "It seems that our activities are not common knowledge outside the Citadel."
"Our activities? The extra recreational ones?" Jazz repeated and got a flicker of confirmation across their fields. Then he focused on the rest of what Prowl had said. "There are mecha who actually threaten you?"
"Not often, and not violently, but a couple have assumed that I could be intimidated," a slightly cruel smile flickered across Prowl's features before it was gone, replaced by something more acceptable.
Jazz chuckled softly again. "What could they want so badly they would try to intimidate you?"
"Even paradise has greed," Prowl gave a small, elegant shrug of one wing. "I was a new mech. They deemed that reason enough to test me. I deemed the test reason enough to mire them in bureaucracy for most of a vorn."
The small snicker that escaped Jazz had a distinctly evil tone to it, clearly amused before he too schooled himself back to acceptable public appearances. "They will learn soon enough. Have they given you anything new to do?"
"Yes," Prowl hummed, still somewhat bemused. "I've been asked to plan the conversion of this world into a new Cybertron. It is quite entertaining. Are you still enjoying courier work?"
Jazz's visor flashed, surprised, and he filed that away for later consideration. "A great undertaking." He commented quietly. "Yes. It keeps me out and about. Though if you do every seriously move forward in making those changes, I wouldn't mind expanding my roaming area. They won't have to worry about me leaving or anything." He added with a small smile.
"Not so long as I remain," Prowl purred, the harmonics that of it being something he was proud of, rather than something to exploit to control Jazz with. "We will have freedom of movement in time. It is only a question of how much time," he said with complete conviction before savoring another bite of his meal. "How are you enjoying Demeter's company?"
"I think I might actually miss her when it's over." Jazz admitted with a laugh, conversation halting for a moment as he bit into a crystallized solid that had come with his meal and melted again, taking a few moments to analyze it.
With a bout of strong self-control he reached out, offering the other half to Prowl. "Were you thinking about moving out again once we do?"
"I have no more reason to, however we will have no right to living in the Citadel once we are citizens," Prowl murmured, then leaned forward to take a small nibble of the treat. He left most of it for Jazz, and slid his glossa lightly along Jazz's fingertips in a blatant display of his intentions towards the other mech.
The act sent a visible shiver through Jazz and earned Prowl a soft purr of the other mech's engines as Jazz finishing off the rest of the solid. "I trust you've already made plans for in case we do?"
There was no question that they would be together when they did. Not for either of them.
"Such as I can with so little data." His field licked along Jazz's in a promise of what he had planned for that night. "I do not anticipate it will be significantly different from our last effort to live on our own. We did prove we are capable of balancing our budget and holding a paying job. The question now is more of when we will be trusted enough for the supervision to end."
"A very good question." Jazz said, struggling as little to not rush through his meal with so much promise rolling off Prowl. Suddenly that promise dimmed, buried and shielded rather than cooled.
"We should enjoy what is on offer," Prowl said gently. "That promise will hold."
"Going to hold you to that." Jazz threatened, his tone full of teasing as he picked up his liquid energon and sipped, taking a few nanokliks to compose himself.
"I know you will," Prowl's smile was warm and unusually open, though it didn't last. "It was very nice of them to arrange for this. I would say we should be extra cooperative, but I do not believe that is possible."
"I think we might scare them if we were to try something like that." Jazz said with a smile.
Prowl actually chuckled. "Quite possibly. So I say we enjoy the rest of our meal, enjoy the concert and do our best to cooperate with this whole dating concept that they have for us to follow. I'm sure they'd both be delighted if we occasionally asked questions about it or what to do."
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Dinner had been lovely, the concert far more pleasant than Prowl had expected between relatively gentle music and Jazz snuggled against him the entire time and dancing afterwards had been all but maddening.
Thorn had been waiting when they got back, and smiled indulgently when they had not so much as paused in their journey from the main hall to Prowl's room. "Had a good time, and planning a better one now?" He had called after them, only to laugh at the possessive growls directed his way from the distracted couple.
Now back in Prowl's room the Praxian didn't wait for the door to close to turn Jazz around and pin him against the wall with his frame and kissed him almost senseless.
"And they called you cold." Jazz gasped when the kiss finally broke, just before his hand caught the back of Prowl's helm to pull the other down for another round. Hands moved, stroking, teasing, slipping under armor and against sensitive panels as the second kiss progressed to a third and a fourth.
"Want your spark, your valve," Prowl growled in a break. "Taste your overload."
"Primus." Jazz groaned, slightly stunned at what was being offered but doing nothing to hide the desire and hunger in his field. "Yes, please. Oh please."
With a pleased and very possessive grin, Prowl kissed and nipped his way down Jazz's chassis, flaring his field deep into his lover with each contact. "Mine," he growled just above the spark that did so much for him. "No matter who touches, no matter how long, mine."
A whine of agreement escaped Jazz, frame already trembling at the attention that played to his every need, touches that sent waves of sensation through his neural nets and the possessive declarations that spoke of being wanted and needed on so many levels.
Prowl rumbled in approval and flared his field deep, caressing Jazz's very spark before he continued down. "My beautiful lover. Mine."
"Yours." Jazz said, focusing on that word for a moment, then pleased wave of joy pushed back at Prowl. "You won't replace me."
"No," Prowl paused and looked up. "I have no desire to replace you. I want to keep you. Want to have you. So long as you want me to have you."
"Don't want anyone else." Jazz assured him, field flaring through to Prowl with conviction and trust.
To read the rest, go to Ao3
archiveofourown dot org/works/631313/chapters/1260419
