Starcrossed

by Gatekat

G1 AU, Jazz/Prowl, Jazz/Vortex Jazz is the second creation of a Noble House that's fallen on hard times. He's promised as the subordinate mate to a wealthy commoner in exchange for a great deal of credits. It's only when he meets his future mate that things get bad.

19. Iacon

Okay, so everybody should know the drill by now. Chapters with explicit content aren't really posted here. Just up to when the smut gets going.
If you want to read the story, it's over on Ao3. Replace the - with .
Archiveofourown-org/works/637909/chapters/1155977

Starcrossed 19: Iacon
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For once, getting caught up in the slow crawl of traffic wasn't actually annoying. The low speeds meant they could safely look around them as they drove and it gave them a long, leisurely roll into Iacon, the great capital of their planet and empire. It was a sight worth savoring, even for them, and they had long ago stopped actively caring about having luxuries like sightseeing in their lives.

It was hard to deny that the city was beautiful, though. Built to be a fortress for their history and culture, it was every bit imposing and impressive as its reputation. Appropriate to them, in a way, because this city was going to be the end of one life and the beginning of yet another. Prowl had said farewell to Engineer and Drift for what he knew was likely the last time and Jazz had accepted the well wishes of his friends and made plans to visit as soon as he got back for them all to meet his sparkling, who, if all went well, they should all believe deactivated with its creators in just another metacycle.

Until then, though, they were going to treat this as every bit the vacation that it was pretending to be, and once they'd relaxed and recovered from the road in their luxurious hotel room (an early separation gift from Engineer), purchased tickets for a ballet that Jazz was begging to see, and enjoyed their private hot oil pool, Prowl couldn't wait to go exploring in the city's renowned archives to kill the joors until the ballet started.

Jazz was less thrilled with the idea of archive exploring, but he had a datapad full of puzzles and games, not to mention the twins, to keep him entertained. Just how excited Prowl was made him sad, though, a reminder of just how much Prowl had given up to be with him.

~Carrier,~ Sideswipe prodded at him as Jazz watched his mate, reflecting on that and the life Prowl could have had without him. The twins had both apparently started paying attention again after resting previously. ~You feel sad.~

~I'm just thinking,~ Jazz said.

~About Sire?~ Sunstreaker prodded a bit more. ~Why would Sire make you sad?~

~He doesn't,~ Jazz said. ~He makes me very, very happy. But he gave up a life he loved for me, and I know he misses it. That makes me sad.~

~He loves you a lot then,~ Sideswipe said firmly.

~He'd better,~ Sunstreaker added.

~He does. And both of you,~ Jazz said, smiling as he trailed behind his mate, who was doing nothing to hide how much he was enjoying himself in the vast libraries. The twins both settled quietly after that, much more content now that Jazz's focus had shifted away from the melancholic.

When he started to get bored, they perked immediately back up, wanting to know why.

~Prowl and I are very different in some ways,~ Jazz explained. ~He enjoys this, and I can't say I do, much. I prefer to see and do.~

~Why does Sire like it, then?~ Sideswipe asked.

Jazz chuckled and pinged his mate. ::Love, our creation would like to know why you enjoy this, and I can't say I have an answer.::

::Core coding,:: Prowl chuckled. ::I am a manager by function. Information is the foundation of management. I crave knowing and learning at a very base level.::

Jazz relayed the transmission through to the twins, who discussed it over their bond for a while, something Jazz could feel more than he could hear.

~What is your function?~ Sunstreaker finally asked.

Jazz had to think about that for a few kliks. He'd known with absolute certainty what his function had been, once, but he was less sure now. ~To entertain,~ he finally decided.

~Entertain Sire?~

Jazz couldn't keep his quiet laugh down, earning him a few glances in the otherwise silent area they were in. ~Yes.~

~What is our function?~ the twins asked in unison.

~Something you will discover,~ Jazz answered with a bit of a shrug. ~You were created because we wanted you, and love you, not to fill a specialized role as the two of us were.~

~So we can be anything?~ Sideswipe nudged, curious at the idea.

~But how will we discover what we're to do?~ Sunstreaker asked.

That question left Jazz at a loss for an immediate answer. He and Prowl had both been bred, raised and trained for a specific purpose, with an intended role to play, and he could remember how much comfort he'd taken in knowing what that role was. He knew how much comfort his mate still took in knowing what his function was, even if he had been stripped of his title and original role in life. There was no way that kind of craving for a function wasn't going to get passed down to the twins from their coding, two sets that had never been intended to create together.

~We will help you, Prowl and I,~ Jazz finally said. ~We will find what you most enjoy doing, and do everything in our power to help you find a part to play in our world doing it. Anything you can imagine. But you don't need to worry about that for a very long time.~

~We like to go fast!~ the pair replied in cheerful unison.

~Then you will go fast,~ Jazz promised them. ~But only as fast as is safe,~ he quickly modified.

~How can fun be not safe?~ Sideswipe asked curiously.

Jazz almost groaned. That question was so much better suited for Prowl, though he'd gotten more than a few lectures on the subject as a youngling. ~Because you can get hurt if you are not careful, especially if you are having fun and not paying attention to your own safety.~

He could feel the pair exchange looks, their twin bond alive with a debate.

~Nothing is going to hurt Sides.~ Sunstreaker growled. ~I won't let it.~

~Neither will we,~ Jazz said. ~We won't let anything hurt either of you.~

The twins settled down for another rest, still easily tired by talking, leaving Jazz to his games and watching his mate's joy fondly until it was time to get detailed for the ballet. Though openly reluctant to leave, Prowl guided them to the entrance before Jazz's alarm went off that it was time to leave, though it was by less than a klik.

"We'll come back," Jazz promised his mate, linking their arms together as they walked. "Maybe even our creation will enjoy going with you, and you can show him everything."

"I can hope," Prowl smiled, more warmed by the thought, as slim as the possibility was, than he dared admit. It would hurt too much when neither did, and he was sure neither would. Not between Jazz and Vortex's influence. "It would be nice to have a thinker for a creation."

Jazz nuzzled him, sensing the unspoken. "When you carry, I'm sure we will have a thinker." He shifted, lowered his arm to grab Prowl's hand, and pulled him to a stop, bringing their helms together. "You will carry."

"Yes, I will," Prowl replied far more firmly than he felt. He knew the odds. He knew the timetable. He knew just how low the probability really was that they'd still be together, much less able to bond and kindle by the time it was over. He kept all of that carefully away from his lover. Jazz did not need to know any of it. "When this one is mature, I will carry our next."

Jazz gave him an odd look as they continued walking, but didn't say anything until they had gotten back to the hotel, and then they both carefully kept to the lighter, casual conversation of the evening's plans, and Jazz's excitement about the ballet quickly made him forget everything else. The light talk continued through their detailing, though it was nothing like what a noble would call detailing, and the pleasant drive to the theater where the performance was.

"Hey! Look at that," Jazz said as they drove past a vid-sign advertising a performance in a smaller theater, showing slender mecha painted in bright, provocative colors. Prowl gave a noncommittal hum in response.

When they reached the theater, Prowl produced the tickets and they were let in, Prowl slipping a hand silently onto Jazz's back, a statement of his ownership of this carrier, a warning for others to stay away that here was enough to keep interest in Jazz to a few looks that lasted a bit too long, but not even a verbal approach.

"I haven't been to one of these in so long," Jazz said, practically quivering with excitement as they sat down. Decent seats in the center of the house, nothing extravagant but still with a good view.

"I hope you enjoy it as much as you recall," Prowl's voice was rich with genuine warmth as they settled side by side, the armrest between them lifted so Jazz could lean into his mate.

"I'm sure I will," Jazz said, relaxing happily.

Less than a groon in, though, Jazz was not quite as confident. The performers were elegant, to be sure, and their movements graceful, the dance beautiful, but... Jazz frowned. There was no life in this. It was perfect, there was no suffering or pain or struggle. All it reminded him of was a life he'd lived and had torn from him, mecha who had never known hardship.

And, more than that, it was boring. It was the visual equivalent of listening to Duet drone, only there were dozens of them.

::Sharp...:: he sighed. ::I...think I'm bored.::

::Can you sit through the first quarter, until an intermission?:: Prowl asked quietly. He still had enough social protocols to call on to know, without question, that it was not acceptable to get up in the middle of a scene.

Jazz groaned to himself while nodding. He thought about pointing out that they were going to be deactivated in a few orns and no one would be remembering them for their social skills, but he already felt bad for not enjoying the ballet that Prowl had brought him to. ::I'm sorry...I used to love this, I thought I still would.::

::It shows how much you've changed in less than two vorns,:: Prowl said gently. ::You can take a nap instead of watching. Still rude, but no one will grumble.::

::Nah, I can make it. Plenty of them are very attractive, anyway,:: Jazz said with a smile. ::I'll just focus on that instead.::

::Good,:: Prowl leaned over and kissed his cheek before settling in to finish watching the first quarter of the ballet.

The nanoklik the first quarter ended, Jazz was on his pedes, practically dragging Prowl with him. ::Come on, we might still be able to catch that other show I saw on the way in!::

::You are insufferable,:: Prowl actually laughed, willingly being dragged along. ::The current show does have a few tickets let, though they are not good seats and we will have to wait until intermission to go in.::

Jazz grabbed him in a spinning kiss the moment they were outside, grinning hugely. "You are wonderful, did you know that?" he asked.

"It's coding to indulge one's carrier," Prowl chuckled, his field expressing just how little he needed that excuse. "I worked hard to get you. I'll work hard to keep you."

"Not gonna have to work hard to keep me, lover," Jazz purred. "Just you try to lose me."

Prowl smiled at him and they transformed together to make the short drive to the much smaller theater. It was less glamorous than the one they'd just been in, and frequented by a lower income bracket, but still clean and respectable, run and owned by mecha who cared about their work.

As soon as intermission ended they were allowed in and found their seats and settled in, talking quietly while they waited.

Once the show began again, Jazz's optics lit brightly and he knew he'd made the right decision. These mecha were more than dancers, they were acrobats, there was feeling and passion and energy in everything they did. This was a performance Jazz would never have been allowed to see as a mechling, as provocative and sensual as it was. It felt so much more real, with the abstract colors, themes, and movements that all spoke to the chaos of life.

Jazz was enthralled.

Prowl was watching, more bewildered than enjoying, but the delight radiating off Jazz was more than enough to make him smile and enjoy the show. It felt impossibly good to make Jazz that happy, and he reveled in it.

::Look at them!:: Jazz said, watching one of the performers seem to dance up a sheer metal wall with nothing to hold onto while two others leapt to the top on a series of nothing more than thin cables, pulled taut. ::What I wouldn't give to move like that,:: he said.

Prowl paused to consider the dancers. ::You could, with practice and some minor upgrades.::

Jazz looked down at himself. ::And a decent frame,:: he said. ::Maybe once I have my frame back, if I can find anyone to teach me that.:: The performer who had seemingly walked straight up the wall flipped from his pedes to his hands, and then held so still he could have been a statue while the other two froze in a pose around him.

On the stage, three of the others had pulled energon blades and were moving in a graceful dance-or what would have been, if it was being performed any slower. The blades were moving so quickly they registered as smears across their optic sensors. ::A lot of practice,:: Jazz said, awed.

::Yes, a lot of practice,:: Prowl agreed. ::This level of performance likely takes decades, if not centuries to attain, and constant practice to maintain. It requires great dedication..::

Jazz hummed thoughtfully. ::A goal, then. I'm sure that kind of skill will come in very useful,:: he said, voice dark.

::Knowing how to move one's frame quickly and easily is always useful,:: Prowl agreed just as seriously. ::We are headed to Praxus next. Have you thought about what frame to have?::

::Praxian?:: Jazz said with a shrug. ::There are a couple designs I've found that I like, haven't picked one yet. Do you think I'll still look like I've just gone through a separation?::

::No, we'll wait long enough that we can pass off that we've each carried one,:: Prowl nuzzled him affectionately. ::Besides, it's better if we allow the mini factory inside you to be broken down naturally.::

Jazz nodded. ::I don't even really want to shift at this point. I'd feel better if Mucit was close by,:: he sighed. ::Just in case. I hadn't thought about what a shift might do to them.::

::Mucit and Wheeljack are certain it will be fine,:: Prowl nuzzled him. ::I asked extensive questions about shifting while carrying.::

Jazz smiled and hummed. ::Is there anything you don't think of?:: he asked, undertones of love, gratitude, and relief beneath the glyphs.

::Only when I do not have enough information to predict possible needs,:: Prowl teased in reply.

Jazz pulsed affection in his field and leaned against his lover, his frame warm and vibrating with the contented purring of his engines and the work being done on the protoforms. He could feel the twins rousing with interest at the surges of delight they were feeling as the performers executed perfect, spark-stopping moves, and shifted his focus forward for them to experience the show with him.

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

Jazz tossed his helm back and keened, back arching away from the berth, frame rigid with tension and the ties around his wrists pulled taut as Prowl moved over him, the mix of having his lover's spike buried in him and having the interfacing hardline connected making every part of him hum with ecstasy.

~Prowl!~ he cried while his vocalizer moaned senselessly. ~Close, so close, lover please, don't stop!~

"Never," Prowl moaned the promise he meant with all his spark, his voice rolling over his lover in an intentional play to Jazz's love of his voice. "Your pleasure is everything. So addictive."

"Nn-" The answering groan cut off sharply as Jazz's vocalizer shorted in a wash of static. He'd held out as long as he could, wanting to feel every surge of energy and transfluid that Prowl could give him as nothing short of bliss, and even though this wasn't going to be his first overload of the evening, it was definitely going to be the most intense once it hit. ~Just a little-a little-right, oh, there, right there right there!~ he cried as his hips bucked up onto Prowl's spike in a sudden counter-rhythm, the jolt and subsequent energy feedback rebooting his vocalizer in time for him to scream as he thrashed, caught in the grip of a cascading energy overload while his valve clenched down in its own surge of ecstasy.

Prowl howled with him, pumping nanite-rich transfluid deep into his lover in an overload that was as much relief to stop holding back as it was ecstasy. Time, reality blanked out for them as the energy tore through their frames, only finally expending itself and allowing their frames to sink to the luxurious berth in a sated exhaustion.

"Love you," Prowl mumbled, only barely coherent. ~Let loose?~

Jazz twitched his wrists weakly, testing against the bindings, then nodded, no more coherent than Prowl was. ~Ah, love you, Prowl, lover, lover, Prowler,~ he murmured, combining the two glyphs together, then gave a silly, dazed half-grin. ~Prowler...I like that. Prowler,~ he purred as Prowl reached up to fumble at the ties with fingers that were still trembling as bad as his own.

~That is not my designation, Jazz,~ Prowl replied, though here across the hardline it was impossible for him to hide that he didn't really mind. His hand fell away once the binding was loose, soon followed by his frame sliding to the side to put less pressure and heat on Jazz's. ~Just a couple more decaorn and they'll be running on their own,~ he purred, stroking Jazz's abdominal armor.

Jazz hummed, covering Prowl's hand with his own. ~I can't wait to really meet them,~ he said, turning his head to look at his lover. ~Any changes now that you've seen the city? Same location that we chose earlier?~ he asked, switching over to their faked deactivation.

~I've found a better place, but the basics are the same,~ Prowl said as he settled against his sparkling-heavy mate. ~We were driving towards a small racetrack, one the concierge recommended for a good time to watch, but not too exciting for you and a hyper-vigilant first time sire.~ He chuckled at that description of himself. ~A section of the roadway collapsed under us, sending us falling several levels to our destruction. Enough to make the news, but not enough to cause much more than a basic investigation. A tragic accident, but nothing more.~

Jazz nodded and let his optics go offline as he relaxed fully. He wasn't going to be much use helping in the set-up, his frame as burdened as it was working on the creation of two protoforms (not to mention what would be involved in convincing Prowl to let him help in anything that carried any kind of risk, such as this did). ~When?~

~I've found the frames and made the modifications needed,~ Prowl murmured, intentionally shielding Jazz from exactly how he'd managed it. ~I'd like to do this in two orns. I'll miss this luxury after we change.~

~It isn't too late to back out,~ Jazz said. ~I know you liked Engineer's employ, she can still help us, even if it would be tricky.~

~Too many mecha know that if we have two sparklings, you must have been carrying twins,~ Prowl sighed, stroking Jazz's frame gently. ~Far too many we can not trust. The odds it will go badly are simply too high.~

Jazz nodded, optics flickering back on for him to stare at the ceiling. ~You keep giving up things you love because of me,~ he whispered. ~I still don't understand why.~

~I love you,~ Prowl responded simply.

Jazz turned to look at him and managed a smile. ~That's the part I don't understand,~ he said, only half joking, and the smile faded as his hand slid down to his abdomen. ~Not just because...I had ready creation potential?~

~You are a noble, Jazz. I am a commoner. It was always to be my place as your berthwarmer, not the other way around. If I was very, very lucky, you might just agree to allow me to carry your creation, though you could never admit it was yours.~ Prowl's reminder of the world they'd come from was gentle but pointed.

Jazz made a soft, thoughtful sound. ~That all changed the moment we stepped through those gates,~ he said. ~Sooner if you count what no one knew. You betrayed your House and I my family and Intended the moment we kissed.~ His hand came up to stroke Prowl's helm. ~I want you to carry my creation, and I want to tell the entire world, and I want to carry yours.~

~You are carrying mine,~ Prowl murmured, thoughts full of how much he loved the twins he had contributed so much material to. ~Yes, and you left behind all that you had been created to be when you walked away as well. Remember that.~

Jazz's optics flickered in momentary surprise, then gratitude surged over the hardline. ~I so love you,~ he said, sighing in relaxation as his spark settled, the words having been exactly what he'd needed to be reminded of.

~Carrier?~ Sideswipe nudged along with his twin, having been silent until now, roused long ago by the intense emotions Jazz had been feeling and now feeling it was okay to speak. ~You were sad again. Sire helped you?~

~I hope so,~ Prowl cooed at them. ~Your carrier sometimes forgets his worth and needs to be reminded that I love him as more than a carrier.~

~Carrier knows that you love him,~ Sunstreaker said firmly. ~He told us so.~

Jazz smiled at Prowl. ~Your sire has an incredible, amazing spark, and sometimes I wonder what I ever did to deserve him,~ he explained as best he could.

~So do you,~ Sideswipe said, flaring warmly. ~We can feel so.~

~Listen to our sparklings,~ Prowl chuckled softly as he settled for some recharge. ~All three of us agree that you have an amazing spark.~

Jazz purred. ~You deserve nothing less,~ he said, pressing as close to his mate as he could. ~Everything I am is for you.~

~You are always so warm and bright after moving with Sire,~ Sideswipe hummed, curling his awareness with Jazz's spark.

~Can't wait to move,~ Sunstreaker rumbled.

Jazz chuckled, feeling his fatigued mate slip off into recharge over the hardline. ~I am, and you will,~ he answered. ~I must rest now. I love you both.~

Their echoing agreement was the last thing Jazz registered before his processors slipped offline, surrounded by his lover's field and feeling his peripheral systems over the deep intimacy of the interfacing hardline.

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

::The next time you tick off dispatch, I am going to disavow you as my partner,:: an Iacon enforcer grumbled to his partner as they wove their way down to where reports of a roadway collapse had originated.

::What!:: Chaser protested indignantly. ::This isn't that bad...it might even be a real report for once,:: he added brightly. ::You never...whoa.:: He stopped as they came around a corner that give them a view of the collapsed section of road and the drop that it would have led to.

"If anybody was on that section when it went down, this isn't going to be much of an investigation," Tapper murmured as he transformed and walked to the edge to study the collapse.

Chaser transformed behind him, very uneasy with how close his partner was getting to the wreckage. "Would you please wait until an Aerial unit gets here to look at the structure from below?" he said, peering down over the side from where he was. "Slag, I see frames in that mess, we have to get down there."

Tapper nodded and stood to join his partner at the side of the road to look down. "At least the scavengers don't seem to have done too much damage yet." He stepped away and transformed. "Let's go."

Chaser revved his engines as he followed down the complicated path of switchturns that led them down to where the debris had all settled, using the old maintenance framework that didn't look like it had been driven on in metacycles, or updated in vorns. Tapper transformed in front of him and Chaser stood with a flip to the ground, both of them running over to the crushed piles that were very obviously deactivated frames, even from a distance, each of them kneeling in front of one.

"Yeah, this one's gone, chamber's in pieces," Chaser said.

"Oh Primus," Tapper breathed a small prayer. "Rest in the Well, little one." He looked over at his partner. "Carrier, final stage."

"Ah, slag," Chaser said, then cringed from the disapproving look Tapper shot him and walked over, bowing his head and murmuring another prayer for the lost sparkling. Finished, he lowered his hand and looked up, peering at the roadway. "Intentional?"

"Always possible, but unlikely," Tapper sighed as he plugged into the carrier to run an ID scan. "There have been complaints about that spot for vorns. Carrier is Strata. Sparkling is Tango." He pinged the datanet for them. "Listed as visiting from Simfur for the separation. Go see if that one's Sharp from Simfur. The sire is supposed to be with them."

"Man, nothing exciting ever happens on our shifts," Chaser said, kneeling down in front of the other and confirming his partner's guess. "Yeah, Sharp from Simfur. Damn." He looked at the two frames, then back up at the collapsed section of roadway. "What were they doing way out here? Says they were staying at Iacon Heights, that's nowhere near here."

"Probably got lost," Tapper x-vented as he stood and called the data in. "Doesn't matter how good the datanet is, you get a few every vorn that end up where they don't belong."

Chaser rumbled with displeasure as he looked at the carrier. "We should go to the hotel and talk with the staff anyway," he said. "Boss'll stripe us to bolts if we leave any loose ends with a carrier involved."

"I'll strip you to bolts if that happens," Tapper pointed out firmly. "We wait for the M.E. and frame pickup. If something is hinky, the last thing we need is evidence disappearing in what is legally our custody."

"Pain in the aft," Chaser grumbled. "A dozen reports to fill out for bad road maintenance." He looked the pair over once more, back up at the fall they'd taken, winced, and settled in to wait.

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

"Why doesn't anyone tell you about this part?" Jazz complained from where he was sitting by the window of the small hotel room, helm resting against the mostly-opaque material as he looked outside, pressed up against the cooler material as much as possible. His frame felt like it was going to start melting through on itself. "All those classes on the carrying process and not one of them mentioned how hot it is."

"Because it was assumed that you would be in a place where coolant and temperature control would be readily available, and many servants to see to your every need," Prowl answered smoothly as he stretched his new frame, a heavy, low-flying design. "You'll remain that hot until the construction chambers have been completely disassembled and absorbed."

Jazz sighed, slumped, and watched his beautiful mate jealously. His own frame was closer to what the original rebuilds had looked like, boxy and utilitarian, with plenty of wide surface area for the construction chambers to grow into. They were taking absolutely no chances with the twins, and as such, Jazz's frame was about as large as the sorcelling tech would permit. For someone who had delighted in his original slender frame and how he'd been able to move it to attract Prowl's attention with natural, easy grace, the cumbersome boxyness was aggravating. "Can't believe you still enjoy 'facing me like this," he grumbled, more to have something to complain about to suit his mood than actual disbelief.

Prowl chuckled and walked over to rub his hands along Jazz's back. "Just be grateful that we have the credits to keep you in coolant and a soft berth." He kissed his lover's neck. "It could be much worse."

Jazz hummed and arched against the cooler metal of Prowl's hands. "It could be," he admitted, optics unfocusing for a moment as he imagined the dozens of ways of just how it could be worse. He shuddered, shook himself, and focused back on his mate's touches, groaning as his fingers worked their way lower on his back and slipped under the loosened plating to stroke beneath. "Thank you," he murmured. "I think I'm just nervous."

"Understandably so," Prowl said softly as he continued to relax his mate, getting heavy armor plating to loosen and vent heat. "I remember my first carry. It wasn't that long ago. It's natural to be nervous."

"Does it hurt?" Jazz asked, optics dimming in contentment. "I think that's the kind of detail they would leave out."

"If all goes well, it does not hurt, though it is very unsettling and uncomfortable," Prowl told him. "Would you like to view my memories of it?"

"You wouldn't mind me seeing those?" Jazz asked, well aware that there were parts of his lover's past he did not enjoy reliving, unsure if the memories of the creations he'd never known were part of that. "I don't think anything could be worse than... But I'd feel better knowing what it will be like. I know what's going to happen but that doesn't really help."

"I know," Prow kissed him lightly. "The entire carrying process asks our frames and processors to do things that are just not natural. I will share." He nudged Jazz over to the berth where they could enjoy the contact and plugged in. ~You have a small advantage in knowing their designations and sharing the bond, but it should be similar enough to give you a good sense of what to expect.~

Jazz nodded and looked where Prowl showed him to, quickly skimming the datafile attached to this segment of memory and realizing it was Prowl's first separation. The experience of an uncomfortable shifting and the alarm as part of his frame simply moved and lifted away without being commanded to do so came across strongly, but overall, the majority of the details were of an average memory file, nothing intended for later viewing. Prowl hadn't anticipated needing to-or, more likely, Jazz decided, wanting to-look back on this event. His first sight of Jazz in his mechling upgrades had been in stunningly high resolution compared to this.

The physical sensations that Prowl remembered felt a little like shifting his frame, uncomfortable stretching and plating that felt disturbingly out of place, with the vulnerability of being exposed in a very dangerous way, but this experience lasted much longer. ~What was it like...not talking to them?~ Jazz asked quietly as he watched. ~How were you able to keep the bond shut off like that?~

~It was normal,~ Prowl wasn't sure what else to say. ~I knew before I even met the sires that I would not raise them, that forming emotional ties would cause more harm to both of us than good. The block is part software and part simple desire not to acknowledge it. A newspark goes quiet fairly quickly if you do not respond to it.~

Jazz's spark ached at the thought of not answering to their twins and he nuzzled his mate, as much as he knew Prowl had accepted and come to terms with his situation long ago. He was glad the twins were both recharging deeply, they became very insistent whenever they felt Jazz's mood shifting towards the melancholy like it was now. Even though Jazz couldn't remember any specifics or details about being carried, there was a warmth there and a feeling of connection that he had treasured as a mechling, long after the carrier bond had faded on its own. ~I can't wait to meet our twins,~ he said when the memory cut. ~Thank you, that helped, I don't need to see the others.~

~All right,~ Prowl stroked Jazz's boxy abdominal plating with genuine affection. ~I'm looking forward to finally holding them.~

~I'm looking forward to them carrying their own weight around,~ Jazz said, a gentle tease at himself for how irritable he'd been recently. ~Though I suppose holding them will be nice, as well.~

~You're just looking forward to having that optic-catching shape of yours again,~ Prowl teased him with a kiss while his hand slid lower. ~Feel up to a little pleasure to help settle in this frame?~

~Mmm, yes, I think that would greatly increase my satisfaction with this frame,~ Jazz purred in response. ~And what can I say?~ he added with a huge grin. ~I'm a gorgeous mech and you know it.~

~You know it too,~ Prowl laughed as he stroked Jazz's valve cover. ~You've always knows just how optic catching you are.~

~Yes I have,~ Jazz agreed cheerfully, humming into the touch and sliding the cover away. ~Mm, any chance of a coolant rub when you're done?~

~I'd be happy to,~ Prowl purred as he scooted down to settle between his lover's legs and licked at the fluffed out platelets already glistening with lubricant. ~And now that construction is almost finished, I can even stand to play around a little. You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to feeling you pump liquid heat into me again.~

~I'm going to make your gyros spin,~ Jazz moaned, lifting his hips into Prowl's mouth, his frame aching for his mate's transfluid. ~I can't wait to really enjoy spiking you again. And swallowing your spike and tasting your valve and bending you over and...ohh.~ He shivered, his fingers gripping Prowl's helm.

~And dancing for me, rousing me until I can't take it any more and plead for you to finish so you can spread my legs and take me,~ Prowl panted across the hardline, lapping at his lover until Jazz was shivering and moaning shamelessly above him. It felt good just to have this much variance, even though he couldn't even hold back enough to fully enjoy Jazz's first overload before driving his spike deep into that pulsing valve and thrusting until he roared, the pleasure bouncing back and forth across the hardline in a blissful maelstrom of movement and energy that only broke when Prowl's reserves dipped too low and forced him to remain still after his final overload.

The purring, sated carrier beneath him nuzzled him as he tucked his face against the exposed neck. "Coolant rub after we recharge," he murmured, snuggling up against him as they both slipped offline.

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

"Taris," Jazz looked up at his aerial-framed mate from where he was lounging, watching Iacon pass by below and around him at the window seat. "It's time."

Prowl both tensed and relaxed, relieved that the wait was finally over. Without a sound he stood and helped Jazz to his pedes, then to the berth. They were going to leave a horrible mess for the cleaning drones, but neither cared. These names and frames would be dead within an orn if all went well.

"Hardline," Prowl said firmly when he had Jazz on his back. "I've done this before."

Jazz nodded, gripping Prowl's hand as he x-vented carefully and tried to steady himself and his rapidly pulsing spark, letting the dataport spiral open for his lover.

"And now that it's happening, suddenly less calm," he said with a short, nervous laugh, then made a face as his plating shifted without his direction. "Nn, weird."

~Yes, it is,~ Prowl agreed once he was plugged in. He smoothly guided Jazz to watch the most important protocols and relevant data streams on his systems as well as of the sparklings. ~The most dangerous point for all involved is the first klik as they separate the final cable. That is when their systems must sustain them, and your systems must recalibrate very quickly to the lower drain. If anything will go terribly wrong, that is when it is most likely.~

~Okay,~ Jazz said, nodding, then again, steadier, ~Okay.~ He watched the data streams that were scrolling by almost too quickly to read, telling him of all the rapid changes that were being made to the internal structure of his frame. ~Are you ready, little ones?~

~Get to move!~ Sunstreaker said, the connection swelling with excitement.

~And go fast!~ his twin said, and Jazz grimaced in a way that looked like the sparkling had just stretched out a bit too far.

~Soon, just hang on,~ Jazz said, gripping Prowl almost painfully tight.

~Relax, little ones,~ Prowl focused on the restless pair. ~It will be easier if you wait until everything is ready to release you.~

They settled, only slightly, and more than a little grudgingly, but at least they were holding still. ~Thank you,~ Prowl said to them as his mate's ventilations sped up and armor shifted and clicked, preparing to open once Jazz's frame had released the twins from the multitude of connections keeping them wired in with his systems. He could already see the plating start to shift and loosen over Jazz's abdomen.

~Prowl!~ Jazz said, tensing predictably as one of the larger plates shifted, reaching out over the hardline.

~It's gong well,~ Prowl assured him. ~All your abdominal armor will shift aside, moving in all directions to clear the chambers as quickly as possible. You are doing well, as are the twins.~

~Right, okay, normal, good,~ Jazz said, and managed to settle back on the berth as Prowl soothed him over the hardline, keeping a close watch on all three systems. Even as quickly as everything was going, it still seemed an intolerably long wait before everything was really set to begin and changes started happening more quickly.

By that point, Jazz was panting from the heat and strain. The soft snkt of multiple wires and connections releasing was barely audible over the whirring of his cooling systems that were drawing in external air at a rate that was already beginning to affect the overall temperature of the small room, and Prowl could only hope at this point that it stayed low enough for none of them to overheat. By rights, Jazz's first separation should have been in a room with an open balcony, surrounded by his family, his bonded, at least one specialist medic with assistants, the House medic, and servants to bring anything he could want. Instead, he was in a small, featureless hotel room on a berth with thinner padding than they'd slept on in metacycles.

~You know I would rather be here,~ Jazz panted, looking at his lover with bright optics, having caught most of that line of thought.

~I know,~ Prowl swirled his love and devotion across the connection. ~It does not mean I cannot want better for you, them, us.~

Movement inside Jazz's armor brought Prowl's full focus to the twins and three thin, protoform arms squirming, pushing and pulling to help their owners get out first.

~Sideswipe, Sunstreaker. Settle.~ Prowl ordered sharply. ~You'll damage your carrier.~

~We're sorry,~ Sideswipe said quickly as they both froze, and Sunstreaker's hardline throbbed with impatience.

Jazz huffed a short laugh. ~Oh, if either of them is anything like I was as a sparkling, this is going to be fun.~ He made an odd, strangled sound that was quickly followed by the creak of plating rapidly rearranging itself, drawing back fully in a matter of nanokliks to show the sparklings' creation chamber.

~Me first!~ the twins cried in unison, and both of them struggled up, reaching and gripping onto whatever they could find and pulling.

~Ow-ow!~ Jazz cried, yelping and wincing, and the alarm that there was any kind of pain came immediately after.

~Calm,~ Prowl focused that order on Jazz even as he reached into Jazz's abdomen and forcefully stopped one of the twins from crawling forward. ~One at a time,~ he hissed at the pair. ~There is only room for one at a time.~

~But!~ came the protest, simultaneous with the other twin's, ~Yes!~ as the protoform that wasn't being forcefully restrained squirmed upwards, the final cables connecting him to Jazz's systems snapping as he drew himself up and out.

"Sideswipe," Jazz said, smiling as the chirping, clicking, completely unarmored sparkling protoform crawled up to nuzzle against his neck. Sideswipe settled, curled inside his carrier's cradling arm.

~Me!~ Sunstreaker demanded, wriggling under Prowl's hand.

~Yes, you,~ Prowl smiled and helped the squirming, oil and lubricant covered protoform, utterly identical to his brother, out of the creation chamber and tucked him in Jazz's other arm. "Can you read your fuel level?"

The protoforms looked up at him, then at each other, quickly conferring with each other before they looked back at Prowl and chirped in affirmative. Jazz sagged in relief, then shivered suddenly as his systems were faced with a dramatic fuel redirection without the twin protoform construction to sustain.

"Redirecting," Jazz said, voice tight. "But steady." His armor started closing back up again, the movements smoothed by the lubricant and oil spilled from the open construction chambers.

~Good,~ Prowl stroked Jazz's helm. ~Recharge, my love. I'll watch your systems and see the twins are fed.~

~But...~ Jazz whispered, looking at the pair of identical faces that was peering up at him, each one of them looking so impossibly tiny in his hands. But he was drained and his systems were demanding immediate recharge in order to engage the deeper self-repair routines needed to help reconstruct his frame. "Love you, all three of you," he murmured, before his optics flickered off and his systems powered down.

Prowl drew a deep breath of too-hot air, judged it acceptable and turned his focus to monitoring his mate while the climate control for the room did its work.

"So, my little ones," he reached over to caress each of their tiny heads, not yet covered by a helm, or any protection at all. "Try to initialize your vocalizer so you can communicate more easily."

The basic, experimental chirping continued for another klik or so as the twins debated and confirmed the correct protocols to execute, and with a series of testing whistles and clicks at each other, brought their vocalizers online.

"Sideswipe," Sunstreaker said, and his field flared with pleasure at the correctly-pronounced glyph, even if it was a little staticky.

"Sunstreaker," his twin said, sounding much the same, before they both looked up at Prowl. "Sire!" the exclaimed proudly.

"Yes," he smiled warmly at the pair. "What are your fuel levels?"

"They are...sixty," Sideswipe said slowly, getting a feel for speaking. He crawled over to his twin on the side of the berth Prowl was on and reached out, touching his plating curiously. Sunstreaker nuzzled him, moving his hand over Sideswipe's outstretched arm, optics following and focusing as the vision systems executed their own initializing tests.

Prowl nodded, watching them explore, but content to let them so long as they weren't in danger. Jazz's systems were repairing nicely, just as he'd expected given the quality of the noble's protoform.

After a few kliks he pulled two small cubes from his subspace. "It is time to fuel."

They turned their faces up, regarding the cubes. "Like you and carrier do," Sideswipe said, while Sunstreaker held his hands out.

"Yes," Prowl smiled warmly in approval and handed each a cube, making sure it was stable in their grip before letting go. "Drink slowly, and watch your levels. You don't want to go above 90% yet."

They obeyed without question or hesitation, survival programming dictating that Sire was to be obeyed guiding them to tip their heads back in order to drink. They stayed silent and still while they focused on their readings, and stopped at the same time, cubes most of the way gone, and held their arms out, handing them back.

"Very good," Prowl's engine purred in approval while his field and voice carried the same. He put the cubes away. "Now it would be best to recharge and allow your systems to settle." He reached out and gently stroked each of their bare heads. "You are both so perfect. You did well this orn."

Sideswipe beamed at him. "Will you recharge with us?" he asked.

"I need to maintain a watch on your carrier's systems," Prowl said gently as he moved to bring a chair over. "I'll be right here where you can teek my field."

"All right," Sunstreaker said as he looked down at himself before Sideswipe tugged his hand, pulling him along up towards Jazz's collar. "Will we always be so slimy?" he asked dubiously.

"No," Prowl chuckled gently. "I'll clean you up when you are recharging."

"Good," Sunstreaker said firmly before giving in to his twins' insistent prodding and curling up with him, giving a tiny, pleased rumble at the warmth and familiarity of Jazz's armor and Sideswipe's proximity.

"It is very nice to move," Sideswipe said quietly, happily. "We will go fast later."

"Yes," Sunstreaker agreed, then their optics powered down in unison and they were soon in their own deep recharge, pressed close together and cuddled into Jazz's frame.

Prowl watched the pair and Jazz recharge peacefully for several long kliks before reaching into his subspace for several cloths. It wasn't a washrack, but he could at least get the worst of it off all three of them before they booted up again.