Fandom: Transformers G1
Author: gatekat and starshield on LJ
Pairing: Jazz(Sirenis)/Prowl
Rating: PG-13 mech/mech
Codes: Slash
Summary:
Disclaimer: The authors are only playing with their own twisted muses. Transformers belong to Hasbro. Fandom-side, check the inspirations page (anhrefn-hyfryd .livejournal .com/22919 .html) We draw from a ton of amazing stories and authors you should read.
Notes: klik = 1 minute; breem = 8.3 minutes; joor = 1.2 hours; orn = day/32 joor; metacycle = 6 (5.9285) years; vorn = 83 years/14 metacycles
~text~ bond/hardline talk
::text:: comm chatter

All or Nothing 7: Parting Ways

Prowl was torn as he walked next to Jazz to the landing pad of the royal palace of Protihex. He was very eager to return home, to return to what he understood, to the safety of knowing every mech he came in contact with. Yet he was also reluctant to leave Jazz and the processor-blowing, perception-expanding time ... and interfacing. Oh, he would miss interfacing with that voice caressing his spark.

::Ya'll let me know when I can visit?:: The Protihexian royal asked quietly, matching the mech beside him step for step. As much as he wanted a return to normal for a while, he wasn't entirely sure what normal was anymore. Not when he had grown so used to the Praxian being constantly at his side.

::Of course,:: Prowl actually purred. ::I look forward to it. I expect things will be settled enough within the decaorn.::

::I look forward to it. And that tour of the Gardens ya promised me. ::

::There is nothing in the empire like it,:: Prowl promised as Jazz stopped by his family and Prowl took the few additional steps to join his. ::Just as there is nothing in the empire like you,:: he purred, twitching his doorwings before flaring them, then sliding the three normally locked panels apart to splay them. As Jazz stared at something he didn't even know could happen, Prowl fanned them, undulating the three sections a total of four times in rhythm before locking them together once more.

It took a poke to his side to make Jazz drag his attention back from the doorwings to the ice blue optics of the mech they belonged to, not even bothering to look at the red brother who he was certain was silently enjoying a laugh at his expense. ::I hope so.::

::Ooo, he likes you, little bro,:: Sideswipe's teasing comm pinged him. ::Praxians don't do that for just any lover. He really is publicly courting you.::

Jazz stood a little straighter, surprised and very pleased with that little bit of information. He was defiantly going to have to corner his brother later and drag everything the mech knew about Praxians and winged frame types in general from him. But for now Prowl was still here, for at least as long as it took the rulers to finish exchanging formalities.

And he couldn't actually say a word to the mech.

But now that he knew what that little display meant, a glance at Prowl's siblings showed varying levels of approval; from the nearly giddy look the twins had to the thoughtful private smile Impact wore to the guarded consideration on Springer's features.

Then the leaders were done and the Praxian contingent turned to board their shuttle and were gone.

Only when the shuttle was out of sight did Jazz feel a tension drain from him he hadn't even noticed was there. He turned to address Sideswipe and just caught himself before he opened a comm line, looking away in sudden embarrassment.

"That's going to take some getting used to," Sideswipe said in the moment, surprisingly non-snarky.

"Yeah." Jazz agreed, still a little thrown at the sound of his own voice. "It is. And the funny thing is, I'm not sure I wanna get used to it again."

"Why not? You've always loved your voice," Sideswipe focused on him as the family drifted apart.

Jazz's looked in the direction the shuttle had taken for a moment, sighing. Because when he could talk it meant Prowl wasn't nearby.

"You'll see him soon. He was only here for three orns," Sideswipe pointed out and patted Jazz on the shoulder. "Anything else gnawing at ya?"

Jazz twitched at the touch, trying to sort through the mostly foreign feelings. "I just don' like him being so far away."

"Come on," Sideswipe moved his hand to the center of Jazz's back. "I've got some good homebrew with our designations on it. We have some talking to do." Despite the seriousness of his tone, the EM field that brushed against Jazz's was full of sibling affection and concern.

Jazz finally allowed himself to be led away from the landing pad. What Sideswipe was proposing would hopefully go a long way in easing his processor, and Jazz knew from past experience that enough of the mech's homebrew promised, if not a good recharge, at least one he wouldn't remember.

"Don't be so glum," Sideswipe patted his shoulder. "It's not like you're going to be separated for long."

"You're right." In fact, he was going to be seeing Prowl sooner than the mech probably realized. That was something it might be worth picking his brothers processor for ideas on how to handle the situation as well.

Nearly a full klik passed, about halfway to Sideswipe's quarters, and the red mech sighed. "Do you have any idea how creepy you are this quiet? It's not natural."

"I-sorry?" The thing was, Jazz had no idea that he was doing something that was disturbing his brother. He was distracted, and it seemed so natural now to just not speak.

The red mech just shook his head. "It's okay. I guess three orns really can change your perspective a lot, hu?"

Jazz considered. Three orns in with almost non stop contact with Prowl had definitely changed his perspective on a great many things. Things that he had been sure about now seemed inside out and backwards, and with a few notable exceptions, he was confused on just about everything.

"Is it that strange? Is there somethin' wrong with me?" He looked to his brother, seeking comfort, answers, something that would make the world at least a little more right.

"For who's in it, nah," Sideswipe shook his head. "It's kinda weird for the rest of us though. It's a lot of change to take in when you didn't live it."

"They don't approve?" Far more bothered by this idea then he liked to let on. While Jazz didn't necessarily require his family's approval, but he was close enough to his creators and his siblings that it was something he valued.

"Hay, little bro, no making weird leaps on me, okay?" Sideswipe's voice was chiding, but his field brushed against Jazz's with real concern. "No such thing. But you did go from chatting freely to barely speaking overnight. Concerned, a little. But I haven't heard anything against you and Prowl other than concern at how fast it seems to be going. I don't want you hurt, Jazz," he said quietly before palming open the door to his suite.

"It's not like we're gettin' a lot of choice in the matter." Jazz said, flinching away and on the defensive. From where he was standing he had more choice in the matter than Prowl did, but still.

"Whoa, relax," Sideswipe held his hands up, open and spread. "No need to be defensive here. I'm on your side, and so's the family. I just never expected all this to happen when I pushed you towards him." He looked down a bit. "I'm kinda responsible, you know. You'd have never fragged him if not for me."

"Might of, eventually." Jazz replied, accepting the apology and offering one of his own. There was no reason to treat the mech, his own brother who was just trying to help, like this. "Glad you did."

"Come on, let's get that homebrew, get comfortable and talk," Sideswipe smiled and motioned Jazz to follow him into what would normally be a library, but was now definitely an entertainment room. "I'm sure you want some info before we get too overcharge to remember much."

"That would probably be a good idea. Not that I don't like the sound of the other at the moment." He flopped into a chair and watched as Sideswipe gathered two cubes and a large decanter of swirling green-white high grade.

The red mech brought it over, sat down and poured two cubes, handing the first to Jazz in silence before seeing to his own.

"So, what can I tell you first?" Sideswipe offered.

Jazz studied the high grade, taking a sip to settle his systems and his thoughts into something manageable. "That thing he did with his wings, before he left ... what was that?"

Because Jazz could still see it clear as though the mech was still standing before him.

Sideswipe hummed, putting together the best explanation he could before speaking. "It's a courting display. Separating the segments is the equivalent of 'look at me, this is important' to everyone in range. The sound would have caught the attention of every Praxian, whether or not they turned to look. The fanning motion," he still had to pause to think of a good explanation. "Praxians are a very visual frametype. Like fliers, they are very keyed into frame language, far more than we are. That fanning motion is kind of equivalent of a deep, passionate kiss with groping, but without the interfacing links. It's a claim, a challenge, a dare to anyone to contest that you are his to court. A display that he's willing to fight for you. Like I said, it's serious."

Jazz shivered and took another drink of the high grade. "So he is serious then."

"Very," Sideswipe nodded. "Here's the thing about Praxian courting, at least for nobles and royals. Culturally, they're pretty big on arranged bondings even if it's not practiced all that much anymore other than with second creations. What they call courting, we'd call making friends and getting to know a mech. It's not binding. Either side can break it off with no social ill will. Well, no more than normal when you break up with somebody who has hopes for you."

A thoughtful hum was the response as Jazz considered this. So even though Prowl was serious now, he could pretty much walk away any time he wanted and consider it normal. Fine. Jazz could deal with that.

"You've spent quality time with winged frame types..."

"Definitely," Sideswipe purred deeply, his engine revving. "And so have you now. What caught your attention?"

"Do they really have different interfacing preferences?"

A low hum and smile greeted the question. "To an extent, yes. Most prefer positions where the sensor-side of their wings is facing their lover, if they have different levels of sensors. Prowl does. The side facing back has a good ten times the sensor load of the side facing front. It'll vary though, depending on personal kinks. Some are more attached to wing stimulation than others, some really want to see their lover more, or kiss."

That bit of information was run against what Jazz had observed himself, confirmed, and filed away for later use. "Anything else useful I should know?"

"Other than that, it's a fairly normal frame. He'll have hot spots unique to him. The chevron is a likely one; it's usually a comm system. It's really a matter of exploring, something you'll have plenty of time to do, I think," Sideswipe grinned cheekily.

"So anything spike or valve related would be a personal preference?" Jazz inquired, obviously hesitant.

"As far as I know," Sideswipe was suddenly very focused and a bit tense. "Why?"

"Remember when I said I thought someone had hurt him? Sideswipe ... he thought that valve interface always hurt. He was convinced it was supposed to be painful." The words came out in a rush, Jazz desperate to have it in the open.

The tight-jawed, grim look on Sideswipe face was something of a relief. "I heard rumors last orn when I was digging, but of an entirely different take. He thought it should hurt him?" He asked, needing to be sure.

"He thought it would hurt whoever was being spiked." Jazz clarified. "He was sure I was going to hurt him, and he was afraid he was going to hurt me."

"Makes me wish Crisp Wing hadn't extinguished in that crash," Sideswipe grumbled. "No wonder his clade's so protective of him. Impact and Springer make me look like a wuss when it came to vetting you the last three orns. I doubt they're done either."

"What?" Jazz was thoroughly confused now, though in his defense he had been rather distracted.

"Crisp Wing was Prowl's first lover, the one who taught him that," Sideswipe tried not to growl. "His clade didn't find out he'd hurt Prowl until it was well over with, but I don't think they actually know the full extent of it."

"I don't think they did." Jazz still didn't think that he did, Prowl's emotions and reactions still clear in his processor. "What...what else did you find out?"

Sideswipe sighed and slumped in his chair, taking a long swig from his cube. "Among the pleasurebots, he's known for being aggressive and a mild sadist. He likes a nearly dry valve, though he's not known for anything more violent than shoving them against a wall to frag'm. Now I'm pretty sure it's just because that's what he was taught, but it's unsettling to hear."

Jazz depleted his own supply of high grade rather severely before speaking again as Sideswipe refilled his cube. "I don' think he really knew anything else." He offered a small smile, "And Impact and Springer thought...?"

"They know his tastes, but I don't think they really know the cause. They definitely know that Crisp Wing hurt him, though," Sideswipe sighed. "The two lovers he had since, not that either lasted long, were normal, but Prowl flat out refused to do penetrative with them. They wanted to make sure you weren't the kind who would encourage his 'bad habits' as they phrased it. You're the first that's gotten anywhere close to Prowl without metacycles worth of investigation first. Pretty much the same thing I do for you, but a lot more pointed. They're pretty aggressive about making 'bad choices' go away too. So far they like you."

The high grade was starting to set in, Jazz decided, since he had to fight down a laugh as his brother finally admitted something that everyone had known but never openly acknowledged - that all of his lovers had been carefully screened by one, if not both, of the twins.

"I don't think I'm encouragin' the old ones. Might be teachin' him some new ones though."

"Knowing you, that's a good thing," Sideswipe smiled. "So how'd he take it? Getting spiked, spiking you."

Jazz finished off the second round of high grade, setting the empty cube aside before answering. "Getting spiked, once I could convince him to relax and that it was a good thing if he was wet, well, I'm not usually late to breakfast."

"Good," Sideswipe smiled. "Probably did him a lot of good, and I'm not talking about the overload I know you made sure he got."

Jazz shivered. That had been a very pleasant morning indeed, and very educational.

"And when you laid yourself out for him?" Sideswipe prodded.

"It was...intense." It was certainly the first time Jazz could recall loosing consciousness during interfacing. Without thinking he his hand reached up to rub the place on his neck where Prowl had bitten him, frowning a little.

"Intense is good, usually," Sideswipe's optics followed Jazz's hand. "What went wrong?"

"Nothin' went wrong."

"Your faceplates and hand say otherwise, little bro," Sideswipe pointed out. "Something didn't go well at any rate. What did he do?"

"Not wrong." Or at least Jazz wasn't convinced it was necessarily wrong. "Just different. Not used to biting." He admitted.

A frown crossed Sideswipe's features now. "Did he draw energon?"

"No." Jazz moved his hand away, turning his head so his brother could see. Knowing fingers slid along the nearly-healed injury before Sideswipe nodded and retreated to his chair.

"It sounds, and feels, like he wasn't trying to hurt you," the red mech said quietly, evenly. "It's surprisingly common for mechs to bite when they're close to overload, or there. If you don't like it, you need to tell him. It might not be something he can control, you both just have to be careful where his mouth is when he gets close. It might be something he enjoys though. Pleasurebots wouldn't even think to mention something like that, not with the dry valve thing going on."

Jazz nodded, understanding even as he rubbed at the spot again. In Prowl's defense he had been pushing the mech rather hard, deliberately setting him off with his voice. A thinking Prowl might be very different.

"Now, What else did you learn about him?" Sideswipe grinned and sipped his energon. "I know you did some talking in the last three orns."

"He's smart. Very smart." Jazz grinned back, catching the lighter mood and teasing his brother a bit. "He actually has a working position at home, and plans for the future."

"Well now, that is different for a royal, even a younger one," Sideswipe smiled and relaxed. "What does he do, and want to do with his functioning?"

"Stats. And he has ambitions to be a detective." Jazz contemplated for a moment. "I'm not sure the mech can go without somethin' to keep him busy."

"Not a bad thing," Sideswipe purred. "Especially with your hobby. He can't exactly travel with Sirenis, not if you intend to keep your cover ... unless Sirenis is going to be his concubine while Jazz is his Intended."

Jazz frowned, a lot of his relaxed good mood evaporating with the resurfacing of that problem. "I don' know. A lot...a lot depends on what he does when he finds out."

He could see it going a number of different ways. He had seen many aspects of Prowl over the last few orns, but reliably predicting how the mech would react to something like this would take vorns of learning, if it ever happened at all.

Sideswipe hummed and sipped his energon. "Want a refill?"

"Please." Jazz shoved the cube at him, sighing. "That would not be my first choice."

"What would be?" Sideswipe asked as he handed the full cube back. "Your best case scenario?"

From the way he felt right now? Anything that ended with him being with Prowl. Instead he took the cube and helped himself to a long drink as he thought.

"I'm not sure me keepin' Sirenis is an option. I'll have to be a lot more careful if I do. And if the idea is going to upset Prowl it's not worth it. I can give it up..." Jazz sighed thoughtfully.

"Back up, little bro," Sideswipe locked optics with him. "Start with a plan to tell him. Whatever happens, do not let him find out from anyone but you. He's got some very good mechs doing some hard looking at you right now. They'll find out."

Jazz waved a hand. "I was going to tell him when Sirenis went to see him. As soon as we were alone. I won't torture him like that."

Much of the tension melted from Sideswipe's frame. "Good. Since you aren't much for recharging in random berths as Sirenis or yourself and you're careful about having those chits since Crystal City, he'll probably be reasonable about it. But that's a conversation to have with him."

"He may, he may not. I'll just have to see. And see what he does once he finds out that there aren't two mech's having the same effect on him. That's sure to have some impact on all those tests that they put him through."

"Probably help his stress level too, not thinking that every mech he meets might do that do him," Sideswipe nodded. "I can't imagine how stressful that is, to be afraid that everyone you don't know could have that kind of power over you. And face it, most wouldn't be at all hesitant to use it to get in his berth."

Jazz flinched, not having considered it in that light before. "Least he won't have to worry long. Sirenis leaves next orn."

"Yeah, it'll be an interesting meeting," Sideswipe nodded thoughtfully. "It'll tell you a lot about him. Especially if Sirenis comes on to him."

"Ya think he should?" Jazz asked quietly, since that had not been in his plans.

"As amusing as I'd find it and informative it might be for you, I'm not sure it's a good idea," he admitted. "Prowl could take it the wrong way easily, like you're playing with him and abusing the power you have. Though if you kept quiet, never used your voice and just offered to 'face him now that it wasn't going to be by force, it'd tell you a lot and not come across too badly."

"Ya think I should test him?" Jazz concluded, not sure how comfortable he was with that idea.

"I'm saying you could," Sideswipe countered. "It depends on how much you trust him, how much you trust whoever you have that's going to watch him and how important it is to you to be sure he's faithful."

Jazz groaned, reaching for his highgrade. Who was he going to have watch Prowl? Was it even worth that? "We talked 'bout that, a little. I'd like him to be true, and he told me he'd try, but no promises." He looked at his brother squarely. "And I didn't ask for any."

"Then don't test him, don't tempt him," Sideswipe said seriously. "If you don't need to know, don't bring in potential hurt."

"It'd hurt either way." Jazz pointed out, a bit of logic in his growing fuzziness.

"But not as much as using Sirenis to see how far he can be pushed just before he finds out Sirenis is you," Sideswipe shook his head. "Seriously, go, listen to whatever he wants to tell Sirenis, then show him who Sirenis is."

He finished off the last of the highgrade, studying the empty cube for a minute. "Thanks Sides."

"Want to get overcharged here, or in your quarters?" Sideswipe offered as he lifted the decanter of homebrew.

"Here?" Request and answer. If Sideswipe was serious Jazz would rather not be alone for the recharge cycle.

The red mech just nodded and topped off Jazz's cube. "Then drink up. I'll see you in a berth here when you pass out."