From the Shadow Into the Light

by Gatekat

Continuity Mashup. Jazz/Prowl, Bluestreak/Idarassi Following the life of the naga-mech Idarassi from when he is found by a young Bluestreak before the war, many of the family's trials during the war and a look at the post-war events in an AU where Prowl's a scary bugger with too much power. A lot of Jazz/Prowl too.

21. The Hazards of Youth

Into the Light 12: The Hazards of Youth
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"They are so adorable," Bluestreak giggled as he watched all three sparklings, their armor barely a thin coating on their protoforms, climbed over Idarassi.

"They are." Jazz agreed, voice full of deep contentment and warm affection as he watched his creations play. "Thank you for coming over for a while. With Prowl already working again they can be a handful."

There was no doubt that Jazz loved all three sparklings with all of his spark, but a single creation could be a challenge. Having to watch three high energy little ones alone was a feat worthy of Primus some orns. That they were all highly intelligent, curious, tenacious problem solvers like Prowl made it all the more straining.

Idarassi was almost flat to the floor, his long frame stretching most of the way across the room in sinuous loops. All of his scales were flat to his frame so no little fingers would get caught under them, and he had both hands folded under his chest to keep his sharp claws out of the way.

"Definitely a handful," the serpent-mech agreed, watching as he was thoroughly crawled over and explored. The tips of his glossa poked out, but whipped back in before emerging any farther. The sparkling with ice blue optics and a smoky visor - Overdrive, he'd been informed, the one Prowl had carried - apparently thought it was great fun to try and catch the sensitive appendage every time it flicked out. The little one with hints of bright red would come over any time that Idarassi forgot and let it come out fully more than a couple times.

"I can't wait until the war is over and we can have some of our own," Bluestreak purred at his lover and very soon to be bonded. "Prowl thinks it'll be when these three are just old enough to really help out watching them."

The golden yellow one of the three had settled himself on the serpent's back, studying the arrangement of the scales with a startling intensity for one of his age, and currently causing the least amount of trouble.

"He's looking forward to rebuilding." Jazz said with a smile of his own, knowing his bonded's wishes and visions for the future and looking forward to them himself. It wasn't going to be easy, but the world they wanted to create would give their creations a better functioning than the current generation had experienced.

Warm yellow optics lifted to meet Bluestreak's. "I very much look forward to it... They might be a handful, but they're an adorable handful." His glossa poked out, and then the half-serpent squawked as a small hand grabbed hold of it. Scales rippled and fluffed along his frame as he carefully pried the hand loose, pulling his abused glossa back into his mouth while the sparkling giggled and patted his neck.

"Don't worry, ours won't be quite that clever," Bluestreak snickered. "Probably only one at a time too, since I can't pull off the trick Prowl did to make three. I hope when they rebuild Praxus it'll be with all the current laws, not the old ways the nobles use. It's just too weird to favor one creation over another because of who carried it or such nonsense."

"Considering the complexity of my processors combined with Praxian processors, they'll still be very smart little scamps," Idarassi replied with a purring rumble that vibrated all the way down his frame. "And if they're of my frametype... They're going to be very sneaky, too!" Lifting one hand, he very, very carefully used his clawtip to tickle Overdrive, causing the youngster to giggle and grin brightly at him as he tried to grab and examine.

"What nonsense?" Jazz asked, halfway curious as he rose from his seat and went to move Sideswipe away before he could attempt to grab Idarassi's glossa as his brother had, bouncing the sparkling to ease the pouting look directed his way and sitting him with his twin.

"Oh, the nonsense about creation order mattering and such," Bluestreak shrugged his wingtips. "The nobles take more stock in who separated first and how much influence each creator had than in ability. If they have their way, Overdrive would be the only one even eligible to inherit, and only if he grows up looking Praxian, and any creations I have with Ida would only could as full citizens if I carried them. Stupid nonsense. It was written out of the laws when my creators were younglings, but not everyone got the memo."

Jazz frowned as he steadied Sideswipe for a moment, the bright red twin slipping a little as Ida's frame vibrated. "So because I was the one who carried Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, they wouldn't have citizenship?"

"Under the old laws," Bluestreak nodded. "Well, they'd be citizens of the city of Praxus, but not Praxian." He scowled. "It never made any sense to me. Apparently Vos still has laws like that. To be a Seeker you have to be carried by one, but the strictest laws say everyone involved has to be a Seeker, or the creation is only kin. Praxus was like that, before more reasonable processors took over."

A hiss escaped the serpent-mech. "Stupid. I'm also hoping that old nonsense stays gone. What does it matter who the carrier was?" Keeping a careful optic on Overdrive, he poked out his glossa, flicking it so fast it was a blur before whipping it back in ahead of grabbing fingers.

Prowl nudged the bond as Jazz's stress spiked.

~It's...talk, love. Things I'd never realized. Blue and Ida are over helping.~ Jazz murmured across the bond as he worked through all of the implications of what Bluestreak had told him.

~Talk of what?~ Prowl focused more attention on his bonded.

~Praxian tradition...old law? Things I didn't quite understand.~ Jazz continued. Or things he realized, as sheltered as he had been by Prowl's accepting family, he might never have known. Prowl wanted him, he had wanted Prowl and clearly loved his bonded, and that had been enough for everyone that mattered once upon a time.

The way Prowl flinched across the bond was unmistakable this time. ~We came from Vos, and we weren't a revolt or discontent citizens. Praxus had always been proud of where we came from, but that meant we brought the bigoted and elitist ideals with us too. Our original laws came almost completely from Vos, and other than downplaying the importance of flight, they didn't really begin to change until after my creators were functioning. Not that long ago our bonding would have been grounds for breaking my wings and banishing us both, assuming we survived long enough for the legal system to deal with it.~

A physical shudder ran through Jazz, Sideswipe back in his arms and cradled against his spark without Jazz entirely realizing what he was doing at the mere mental image of his mate disfigured so and the reason. ~So I am...a blemish on your sparkline. And Sunstreaker, Sideswipe...~

~Not to anyone I care about,~ Prowl growled, the full ferocity he was capable of rushing to the defense of his bonded and creations. ~Those are old laws, abandoned before I was kindled. I will not allow such laws to matter to us.~

"Sire?" Overdrive forgot about Idarassi as he focused on his creator's distress.

Jazz relaxed, deep and warm affection slipping across the bond as he reached out for Overdrive as well and leaned against Idarassi so that Sunstreaker could settle on his shoulders. "It's nothing little one." He promised as he nuzzled Overdrive's helm, the creator bond flaring with truth for his creations to feel as he spoke. "I just learned something I did not know before. And that doesn't matter any more."

"Hasn't mattered for vorns," Bluestreak agreed. "They're stupid old laws. No one is going to care about them, especially after what Vos did to us."

"I'm glad to hear that." Jazz smiled, handing Sideswipe off to Bluestreak and taking Sunstreaker into his arms as well. The golden yellow sparkling trilled and cooed at his carrier while Overdrive patiently waited his turn, leaning against Idarassi. The serpent-mech distracted him with his flicking glossa and fingers.

"It wouldn't have mattered even without the war," Bluestreak went on as he cradled Sideswipe. "Sire and Carrier were head of the family, and Prowl was next up. He'd have crushed anyone who tried to make trouble for his creations."

~He will crush anyone who makes trouble for my sparklings, any of them,~ Prowl added, firmly including those Jazz carried, and whether they looked Praxian or not.

~I know love.~ Jazz murmured, shifting Overdrive and Sunstreaker in his arms. "Ready to refuel?"

"Yes!" Sideswipe cheered, followed by his twin and brother.

"How do you manage to keep up with them every orn?" Bluestreak laughed in delight at the sparklings' exuberance.

"Help." Jazz answered with a smile as he settled them on the floor, a routine they were used to, and went to retrieve the small cubes of sparkling grade energon and the small treat that each would get after they were done fueling and before they went down for their nap. "Prowl is here as much as he can be, and between you and Smokescreen I manage. Most of the time."

"And we're good when he needs to hide in the pool," Sideswipe giggled.

"Jazz hardly ever hides in the pool," Overdrive snickered. "He's usually with Prowl, and not being quiet at all."

Idarassi chuckled at the statements while Bluestreak tried to keep from doubling over in laughter.

"And you three are supposed to be recharging." Jazz said, reaching out to tickle his creations as he handed each their energon and reached out to his bonded. ~Love.~

A hum of affection replied from Prowl.

"After we refuel," Overdrive countered.

"Yes, brightspark." Jazz said with a laugh. ~I think we are going to have be careful when they start moving around on their own more.~

~Beyond the obvious, why?~ Prowl asked with open curiosity.

~Overdrive is already commenting on our activities in the pool. I think your brother is about to short circuit himself from trying to not laugh.~ Jazz informed his bonded.

There was a pause as Prowl went blank while his processors made the radical lateral shift in focus. ~Is he now?~ came across with a trickle of amusement, pride and embarrassment all mixed in. ~Let's hope that none of them take after Bluestreak's lockpicking talent.~

~Then you might want to say something to Bluestreak. I could see him teaching them just for his own amusement.~ Jazz pointed out.

~As if asking him not to would help,~ Prowl actually laughed across the bond. ~We are discussing the mech who takes a locked door as an invitation more than an unlocked one.~

~This is true. You might have to resort to threats.~ Jazz said with a laugh as he looked over to where Bluestreak was cuddling with his mate.

~Bribery works better,~ Prowl replied, almost deadpan but for the background laughter. ~Fortunately they won't understand what they see until their mechling upgrades, and then they'll be doing it themselves.~

~This is true. Still might lead to awkward questions that you will get to answer.~ Jazz promised, then offered an image of the three starting to drowse off after their energon to his mate.

~Given the alternative is to not interface unless they are in someone else's quarters, I accept your terms,~ Prowl agreed, his serious tone completely thwarted by the way he melted. Jazz even caught a hint that the internal smile had made its way to the outside as Prowl's attention was drawn towards startled reactions.

~We will be here when you got off work, love.~ Jazz promised over the bond, spark warm with love and eagerness.

::Help me move them to bed?:: Jazz asked, opening a comm to Bluestreak for assistance without cluing in the sparklings.

::Of course,:: Bluestreak agreed warmly as he scooped up Sideswipe and stood while Jazz handled Sunstreaker and Overdrive.

SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS

Idarassi lounged on the berth he shared with his lover and mate, coils draped in casual loops over the berth, tip curled around Bluestreak's ankle. One hand was gently stroking the smaller mech's back, gliding the tips of his claws over smooth armor.

"Do you really want sparklings, with me?" Bluestreak glanced over his shoulder as his two panel sensor wings flapped gently.

"I do," the half-serpent murmured in response. "Once Cybertron is safe for sparklings again, I would dearly love sparklings of our own." One clawtip gently traced Bluestreak's jawline. He smiled at the way his lover leaned into the contact.

"It'll be a better Cybertron, now that Prowl's got a say in it. He's too sensible to let it go right back to the mess that created this," Bluestreak murmured. "He and Jazz make very good looking sparklings too. I'm glad Jazz lets us help."

"They're adorable little things," his larger mate agreed. "A bit too eager to grab wiggling things for my taste - literally - but adorable nonetheless. I look forward to watching them grow, and I look forward to having our own underpede."

"They'll get past grabbing at will soon," Bluestreak promised as he turned his helm for a kiss. "Really, they know better now, but they're young enough they aren't being disciplined much yet. The first creation usually gets away with a lot more than later ones. Enamored creators and all that."

"I'll be glad when they have enough armor that I don't have to be so worried about hurting them by accident," Idarassi admitted, returning the kiss. His glossa tips tickled against Bluestreak's lower lip. "I've got so many sharp and pointy edges."

"Another couple metacycles and they'll have the armor and experience that you'll be able to relax around them," he giggled and shivered at the touch as he opened his lips to deepen the kiss. His hands began to caress familiar armor as his field flared with desire.

That agile glossa slid over Bluestreak's lip, teasing along his denta, fluttering against the smaller mech's glossa. Idarassi's field wrapped around and melded with Bluestreak's as his armor flared, allowing nimble fingers to slip underneath. The tip of his tail teased and explored the gray mech's ankle joint, weaving and curling around Bluestreak's leg.

The Praxian moaned, one hand moving to caress Idarassi's chest seam while the reached down to caress the large scale covering Idarassi's spike and valve opening.

Silver-gray chestplates unlocked audibly, parting enough for Bluestreak to slip his fingers into. Idarassi's pelvic scale was hot against his hand before it split and folded back, revealing the half-serpent's equipment, eager and ready for whatever the smaller mech had in mind.

Claws ran feather-light up Bluestreak's back, teasing at the bases of his sensor wings, then running slowly up along their lengths, finding and stroking every sensor Idarassi had ever been able to find. His tail shifted, another loop curling around Bluestreak's leg as the tip teasingly poked at the knee joint.

"Your tail in me, my spike in you?" Bluestreak quivered with a growing desire. "Take the edge off before our sparks."

Idarassi purred as he applied lips and agile glossa to his mate's throat cables. "I like the sound of that," he crooned against the cables, his tail sliding up higher. Bluestreak's panels slid open, his spike sliding free and pressurizing quickly while his valve eagerly anticipated the unique penetration that was his lover's tail.

The tip of the half-serpent's tail slid up Bluestreak's inner thigh, following an armor seam up to his hip joint before sliding over to tickle and tease the platelets surrounding his valve entrance. Idarassi's own valve cover slid back, platelets glistening with lubricants, as the serpent-mech squirmed slightly to apply lips and fluttering glossa to the nearest sensor wing.

The Praxian moaned and wiggled enticingly before he shifted to slide his spike into his lover, his mate, in a smooth, familiar roll of his hips. The moan was echoed as Bluestreak's spike slid into Idarassi's valve, the half-serpent's glossa curling around the gray mech's sensor wing, poking teasingly at a seam between the plates. The tip of his tail began to slide through the platelets, wiggling and rubbing against every sensor node in reach.

"Oh yeah," Bluestreak pressed into the contact, pulling his spike halfway out before he thrust back in. "You make me feel like no one ever has."

"I've never loved anyone the way I love you," Idarassi murmured against a trembling wing, running his hands up Bluestreak's back. His tailtip slid in deeper, the scales ruffling and flaring, the very tip wiggling against the ceiling nodes. His own valve rippled and flexed around Bluestreak's spike, drawing it in deeper. In the familiar dance Bluestreak willingly surrendered control of the pace and movement to his more coordinated mate, though he did his best to use his hands to draw a few more moans.

"Sparks tell the truth," Bluestreak shuddered in building pleasure. "I know, my love. I know more than words can express."

Deep gray, spotted armor and scales flared, allowing Bluestreak's hands access to the sensitive machinery behind it. Idarassi moaned softly in his mate's audial as clever fingers found one of the many sensor nodes that lay below his plating, sending shivers through his frame. The half-serpent slid a loop of tail around Bluestreak's leg, his scales rubbing lightly over the smaller mech's armor as tail and upper frame settled into a steady rhythm.

"Ohhh Idaaa," Bluestreak moaned into a keen. His frame shuddered and gripped his lover as the waves of pleasure were intensified by the undulated of the unique frame under and inside him. "So good."

A vibrating purr ran all the way through Idarassi's frame, helm to tailtip. He pressed his lips against Bluestreak's wing, right over a sensor cluster, upping the intensity of his purr. The fine scales on the end of his tail rippled in complex patterns against the walls of Bluestreak's valve, his own valve calipers rippling along the length of the smaller mech's spike. Clawed fingers slid into a transformation seam, teasing along the wiring.

"Idaaaa!" Bluestreak howled as electricity crackled across his armor, his entire frame on fire in pleasure he tried to share before he lost himself completely to the lovers' embrace.

A hissing keen of the gray mech's designation burst from Idarassi's throat as his mate's overload triggered his own. His tailtip wiggled once more against the smaller mech's ceiling nodes, his own valve tightening around Bluestreak's spike as bursts of highly charged and conductive transfluid rushed against sensor nodes. Hot air vented from under every piece of armor and every scale, brushing over his mate's armor as his own charge leaped and danced across his frame.

Slowly, gradually, they both settled, still buried deep in the other.

"Love you, Ida," Bluestreak purred lazily. "I want to bond. I'm ready to bond to you, if you're ready."

In answer, the half-serpent's chestplates parted, his spark pulsing in its casing, pressed against the side of its crystalline prison closest to Bluestreak. Feelers of purple-blue light were prodding at the casing seams, trying to find a crack through which to reach out.

"I am ready," the big mech murmured, tilting his helm to brush his lips against Bluestreak's. His lover moaned deeply and opened his chest plates as he squirmed a bit, reluctant to pull out but having to for the merge to be an easy one with how they were sprawled. Every move rubbed the tail inside him against his valve walls and drew another shivering moan.

Idarassi shifted his coils around Bluestreak, lifting the smaller mech slightly. Craning his neck, the half-serpent lowered his helm and flicked out his glossa, curling it around Bluestreak's spark casing and fluttering the tips against the sensitive crystal. Playful yellow optics gleamed up into soft blue before they disappeared from sight as Bluestreak's frame arched with a scream of ecstasy. His crackling blue spark, so alive with energy, reached out as the crystal spiraled open.

Threads of blue energy danced over Idarassi's face and along the length of his glossa before the serpent-mech shifted, his own chamber irising open. His spark reached out, twining with blue leaders, pulling both sparks together. This part of the dance was familiar, welcome, full of pleasure and good memories as it quickly deepened. Driven by Bluestreak's desire and Idarassi's willingness, the merge for pleasure soon eased that distraction as memories began to flood the other. At first they were good memories, centered on each other, their love and attraction.

The big mech's love wrapped around Bluestreak, as strong and unyielding as Idarassi's own coils. It seeped into every inch of the younger mech, warm and bright. The memories that drifted across were just as warm, snippets of the vorns spent with Bluestreak, after that first sight of him at the freak show.

Eventually, almost reluctantly, Bluestreak's spark nudged him for older memories. They knew they were of pain, hunger and humiliation, but they had to be shared.

A quiver ran through the half-serpent's spark and through his frame, but yielded up older memories. His cage at the freak show, the smell of death in the air, watching the Praxian exhibit's sparkless frame being taken away. Hunger clawing at his tanks from the meager amount of fuel the ringmaster let him have. Behind that, older memories, right back to Firewire's lab, memories soaked in pain.

Before Firewire was... nothing. Just flickers, feelings, the remnants of who or what the serpent-mech had been before his spark had been harvested for Firewire's experiments. Vague feelings of fear and hunger, but nothing concrete. Nothing to indicate who Idarassi had been before.

Bluestreak keened in pain for him, anger that he could not have been there to stop it even as he accepted that it was his love's past and part of what made the serpent-mech who he was. In reply came Bluestreak's earlier memories, knowing the trauma wasn't there, yet he was the one with separation and loss issues.

Idarassi wrapped his thoughts around Bluestreak's, radiating reassurance and warmth. He ached for what the younger mech had gone through, though Bluestreak was stronger for having gone through it.

~So are you,~ Bluestreak managed through the swirling memories neither really wanted to relive or share but their sparks insisted on. ~Love you.~

~Love you, so very much.~ The half-serpent's mind curled around Bluestreak's, radiating pure love. They both latched onto the other's love, devotion and desire to hold them steady while they focused on completing a bond that had been growing easier to form each time they merged.

Their awareness of each other began to grow, becoming sharper and sharper. The connection between their sparks deepened, the two orbs of light merging all the way to the core. Charge built between them, nipping and sizzling along their circuits as the bond wove itself together, growing stronger and stronger until the cores fused. The overload that tore through them caused both mecha to white out and soft boot back to awareness well after their chest plates had closed and their frames cooled.

~Ida?~ Bluestreak poked at the new part of his spark curiously, though the bond echoed more of how he thought, a combination of abbreviated glyph and images that allowed him to think much faster than most and was the core of his need for intelligent noise. Without the input, his processors started to go into loops than ran from painful to insane.

~I'm here, love.~ The half-serpent's hissing accent was present even thought-to-thought. His thoughts curled up to meet his mate's, twining around Bluestreak's, carrying an echo of his own powerful processors.

~Wow,~ was about all Bluestreak managed for a moment as he simply felt, and felt the input qualify as enough to keep his processors from running in circles on him. Slowly, cautiously, he booted up one of the secondary processors he had long ago put in standby to preserve his sanity. He'd never quite gotten the hang of using them, unlike his brother, who seemed to come by it naturally.

The half-serpent flowed more into the bond, watching with interest. All three of his processors were hard at work, and what came through the bond expressed just how hyperaware of his mate he was. There was input from the sensors under his scales, auditory and visual, and when his glossa flicked out an almost dizzying array of scents flowed through. Behind that were the billions of precise calculations needed to regulate his own strength and movement. ~You're just as amazing, beloved.~

~I ... I knew this would help the loneliness, the need to be with someone all the time, but I never realized ... I might actually be able to function fully in a few vorns,~ he whispered in absolute awe at the idea he'd abandoned as a youngling. ~Prowl tried, he tried so many times to teach me to use the extra processing power, but I never got the hang of it. I think ... I think I might just manage to, seeing how you operate.~

~Just regulating my sensory input and moving requires every scrap of processing power I have. I'll help you in every way I possibly can.~ Thoughts brushed against Bluestreak's in the non-physical version of a kiss, while Idarassi's glossa fluttered against Bluestreak's cheek in the physical version. ~You'll never be alone again. I promise you.~

~I know,~ Bluestreak shivered in pleasure at the truth that meant more to him than anything. ~I never realized it would feel this good,~ he quivered in delight, the bond flooded with all the tangent thoughts and data that Bluestreak dealt with every moment. ~So calming. So reassuring. So perfect.~

~It's the most incredible thing I've ever experienced.~ The serpent-mech kissed him again, his tail stirring slightly inside the gray mech's valve. Their merged sparks pulsed as one, the charge slowly rising.

~Agreed,~ Bluestreak moaned softly and kissed his mate, his bonded, in returned desire. ~Want your spike. Want to feel you overload inside me.~

The purr that ran through the big mech's frame was felt even through the bond. Slowly, Idarassi withdrew his tailtip from Bluestreak's valve, the very tip teasing the platelets before withdrawing. Strong coils shifted the smaller mech as the half-serpent's intricately-patterned spike pressurized out of its housing. ~Whatever you desire, beloved.~