Author: gatekat and starshield on LJ
Pairing: Prowl/Soundwave
Rating: PG-13
Codes: Crossover, Slash
Summary:
Disclaimer: The authors are only playing with their own twisted muses. Transformers belong to Hasbro. Fandom-side, check the inspirations page ( gatekat-fics .livejournal .com/290 .html ) We draw from a ton of amazing stories and authors you should read.
Notes: klik = 1 minute; breem = 8.3 minutes; joor = 6.3 hours; orn = day/32 joor; metacycle = 6 (5.9285) years; vorn = 83 years/14 metacycles
~text~ bond/hardline talk
::text:: comm chatter
At All Costs 07: Speaking of Possibilities
Prowl's internal alarm went off, but there since there was nothing urgent attached to the orn notice the Praxian allowed himself to cycle up slowly, booting up each system individually and taking the luxury of running a complete personal diagnostic as he did so.
Reading from external plating sensors was the first indication that things were not completely normal. His processor was registering heat and pressure, and soon after the sounds of another's systems operating quietly in close proximity to his own.
With no other indication of the need to be concerned Prowl mentally frowned and accessed his memories from the orn before, seeking a cause. It was vaguely reminiscent of waking up after a recharge cycle spent with Jazz, though the pleasurebot had chosen to function as the Praxian's alarm the two times they had shared a berth. He was also not scheduled to come for a while yet.
Chaos was smoothed into order as his processor came fully online. Repairs from Hook because he had been training with Smokescreen who had possessed the audacity to kiss him in front of -
Soundwave. Optics came online to confirm the rest of what Prowl recalled. A thorough scrubbing, stress, relaxing under a kind of care and attention that had never been directed at himself and he had never expected to be, and little else before he had apparently slipped into recharge, to wake here.
In the communications officers berth and arms, tucked protectively inside the empty rib-struts where Soundwave's symbiots could dock.
"Prowl: less overwhelmed?" Soundwave's deep, smooth voice rumbled over and through him at this range.
"Much." Prowl confessed, then asked quietly. "Let me up?"
There was no urgency in the request, but his sensor panels were stiff and Prowl wanted to stretch before they did start to seize up on him.
Instead of speaking, Soundwave's rib struts rotated backwards, opening in front of Prowl, and the arm that had rested along his side moved casually away, though Soundwave did take the opportunity to stroke the entire side of Prowl's frame, from shoulder where the fingers had rested to halfway past his knee joints where Soundwave's reach ended.
"Prowl: recharge well?" Soundwave asked, his EM field close enough to Prowl's for the Praxian to catch that there was honest interest in the answer.
"I did." Prowl said, giving an honest answer, allowing Soundwave to finish the touch before moving away carefully. Once he was sure he had enough space the Praxian stretched, sensor panels spread to the point just before they would stress still recent repairs before falling back.
Stiffness mostly alleviated Prowl allowed himself a moment of reflection. It had been a little disconcerting, once he realized exactly how the large mech had been holding him, giving Prowl a brief moment of panic at the feeling of 'trapped'. Not so bad that he felt the need to mention it.
Only then did he realize something was different about Soundwave. Very different. Prowl had to cycle his optics a couple times before his processor accepted what it was being fed by his optics.
Soundwave had retracted both battle mask and visor, revealing a strong, well-formed mouth and nose, and bright white optics. Pure white. The color only higher-ranking Priests of Primus were allowed.
The ability to process was momentarily lost as all Prowl could do was focus on those optics. Sensor panels went from relaxed to clamped low to his back in submission, confusion.
Whether or not he believed in their deity was irrelevant at the moment as he tried to reconcile what he finally accepted he was seeing with what he knew of Soundwave and the relationship between the two of them.
"Soundwave: shown this truth to none since becoming a Decepticon," he brushed the insignia of their faction, branded just below the hollow of his throat with long, slender fingers. "Megatron and Prowl: only mechs who know Soundwave's prior function."
"Why?" Prowl asked, staring, shaking where he was. Why had Soundwave joined the Decepticons? Why did he have an interest in Prowl, someone who should have been so far beneath his notice? Why would he lower himself to do everything he had done for Prowl?
"Primus: teaches that all sparks are equal," Soundwave began, sitting up and giving a glance towards the glowing crystal statue of their god. "Soundwave: believes. Prowl: no less worthy for the frame Soundwave placed Prowl in."
"You...?" Prowl stared, processor flying at full speed in two different directions, understanding what Soundwave was saying even as it did battle with his core conditioning.
"Soundwave: called a spark from the Allspark. Soundwave: placed that in Prowl's frame," the large mech nodded, his white optics and exposed features imploring Prowl to understand. "Prime: only calls sparks for politically powerful mechs. High Priests: call most sparks."
That at least was only logical, something easily understood and filed in the midst of everything else that was assaulting his processor at the moment. Soundwave insisted that he considered Prowl an equal, yet so much of Prowl's programming was insisting that he should be on knees before the larger mech. That he should be ashamed for even looking at him without invitation. That this same mech had brought him into functioning.
Prowl whimpered, seeking some sort of peace, some sort of balance within himself.
"Prowl: come." Soundwave's voice was imploring, his arms open as he reached out with his telepathy to ease some of Prowl's distress without thinking.
Instant, unquestioning obedience had Prowl in his arms, compliant with whatever Soundwave wished of him. Later, later Prowl might regret it, but for now obeying brought him peace.
It brought a little peace to Soundwave as well as their fields meshed and harmonized. Prowl was far too submissive, but that was expected so soon after this revelation. For the moment all Soundwave focused on was humming a soothing tune as he held the mech he wanted as an equal lover, a second creator for his symbiots. A calm, coherent Prowl was the immediate goal. Until then nothing more could be discussed.
So Soundwave watched the upper level of Prowl's mind without interfering and gave the mech all the time he needed to processes the information he'd been given.
It was quickly apparent that processing was the easy part. It was reconciling what he was being told with base programming and conditioning that the Praxian was having difficulty with.
Prowl believed what Soundwave was telling him, and that part wanted the equality that was being offered. Offers, not orders.
But a deeper part of him argued that the communications officer was his superior. Above him and to be treated as such. The mech was a High Priest of Primus, his superior, and to be respected as such. Orders as old as the mech bound by them.
"Orders?" He begged softly, the only solution he could find that would let this continue. Orders that he go. Orders to continue in submission. Orders that he fix his programming to comply, at least as much as possible. He had done so before- it could be done again.
Anything.
Soundwave x-vented softly, resigned.
"Prowl: Soundwave's equal." The big mech said firmly. "Prowl: without protocols demanding compliance. Soundwave: only a small rank above Prowl. Only Decepticon rank matters outside these quarters. There is no rank between Prowl and Soundwave within these quarters."
With a small nod and a fair amount of care Prowl went through and created equalities, changing small bits here and there within what Soundwave had given him and what Prowl's programming would allow as appropriate.
This time when the Praxian leaned into the larger mech it was personal, Prowl's desire to be held and comforted and not the submissive demands of his programming to obey the instructions he had been given.
Pleasure, relief, gratitude all flowed freely from Soundwave. Gradually, they both relaxed.
"Prowl: can tell Soundwave no now?"
Prowl looked over the alterations again and nodded. Direct orders given in a true command mode would still overpower any of his personal wishes, but if he was lucky those would be few and far between in private, if ever. The rest of the changes should please Soundwave, or so he hoped. "Against direct orders I will still have some problems. But other expressions- requests, desires- yes, I should be able to refuse. If I wish."
"Soundwave: pleased." He murmured, lightly stroking Prowl's backstrut. "Prowl: Something does not desire?"
Prowl tipped his head, looking up into the stunning optics, the captivating face, contemplating, and fluttered his sensor panels lightly, trusting. "Pain. Humiliation. Interfacing."
Soundwave shied away from the first two, but the third ... he could work with that. With little effort he shifted them both, laying Prowl on his back and looming over him. Skilled fingers ran along Prowl's chassis as Soundwave nudged Prowl's chin up to nip his throat.
Prowl squirmed underneath him, freezing for a moment at the touch to his throat. It wasn't bad, just ... uncomfortable. Something he wasn't ready for quite yet with this mech.
"Prowl: reciprocate." Soundwave demanded with a kiss to his throat.
A direct order. A visible struggle as the Praxian processed the order, weighing it against his need to obey, and the blanket directive from Soundwave. In conjunction with his own desires, with the orders to treat them as equal to Soundwave's, he was able to push at the larger mech's chest. "No."
Intense emotional pleasure rippled into Prowl's field from Soundwave as the larger mech smoothly and quickly lifted himself off of Prowl to sit on the berth. "Soundwave: pleased. Prowl: succeeded."
Without words, Soundwave shifted and opened his arms in a request/question if Prowl would be held once more.
Prowl came willingly, and clearly of his own choice to the other mech. "So I did." He murmured, and leaning in he kissed Soundwave.
It was light, chaste. But it was a voluntary action on Prowl's part as he settled into Soundwave's arms, content to be held, enveloped in the field and frame of a mech who wanted him, but wanted him on Prowl's terms enough to order it and make sure Prowl was in charge of his own reactions and on the road to controlling his own future.