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 20: Praxus
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"You certainly look different," said the sleek Praxian femme who was looking Prowl up and down. "Though the last time I actually saw you, you looked more like them," she pointed at the sparklings in their arms.
They were here for the records they'd need to pass off as Praxian citizens who had each carried one of the twins, who were not to even be officialy related if everything worked out correctly. This favor was a risky one for Prowl, tracking down a very old friend of his carrier's who he knew worked in medical records to help him officiate everything, and they were trusting that she cared enough about her long-deactivated friend's creation to help them, because she owed Prowl nothing and he had nothing to offer her compared to the risk she was taking.
"I just knew it all had to be nonsense when I heard about it," Delta was continuing. "There was no way a seneschal from your carrier's line could have acted so outrageously. Top quality." She smiled faintly, the first expression she'd shown since they'd gotten here. "I was very fond of your carrier, I was saddened to hear what happened. It is a pity there was not suitable work to be found to delay that end."
"Yes, though I understood his choice well," Prowl inclined his helm. "I miss them both. You wished to meet our sparklings before agreeing to filing. This is Sunstreaker, his brother is Sideswipe."
Delta nodded in affirmative as Jazz stepped forward, shifting her focus over to the twins who looked back at her with bright, wide optics. "Incredible," she said, looking between the two. "It is really a shame your carry was not studied, they are remarkable. You must be very proud."
"We are," Jazz said, smiling. He was in Praxian form as well, having regained his shape without incident or complication after the separation.
"They are amazing," Prowl said with all the sappy, delirious pride of a new creator. He may have carried three new lives, but he'd never been a creator before, and he was loving it. "Very smart, already very active and fearless."
"They would be smart," Delta said, purring deeply in her chassis as she held her arms out. "May I?" she asked, directing her question at Sideswipe, who nodded agreeably, but Sunstreaker immediately growled at her. She raised a single optic ridge at him, completely unintimidated.
"Sunstreaker," Jazz murmured, smiling faintly. "She won't drop him. Go ahead, Sideswipe."
Sideswipe chirped cheerfully as he climbed over into Delta's arms and crawled upward, touching her face curiously. "We have never seen a femme," he said. "Why are you femme and carrier and sire are mech?"
"Femme is a frametype, like a Seeker, Aerial, convoy or tank. We are built lighter than a mech, but faster and more agile," she smiled at the curious sparkling she was half holding and half being clung to. He was less than half a decaorn old in her estimation, and not only of fine construction as suited his carrier, but in fine shape, a testament to how well cared for his carrier had been and how well cared for he had been since emerging. It warmed her to know that despite having to hide and the separation occurring in a small hotel room, Prowl had taken such exceptional care of his charges.
"Oh," Sideswipe said, peering at her mouth as it moved. He squirmed, looked back at his twin who was watching with intense focus, then held his arms back out towards Jazz. Delta let him crawl back to his carrier, then turned sharply towards her desk, gesturing with her hand for Prowl to follow.
"Here are the records I've filled out for you," she said, lifting two datapads. "Their information goes in your files, as their carriers and because of their age. These are your copies, I will file the originals with the state later this orn."
"Thank you," Prowl said as he skimmed them, Sunstreaker following with bright optics, even if he didn't understand the bulk of what he was trying to read. Prowl didn't read every line out of lack of trust, but to lock in his processors all the details.
Officially, Sideswipe was three orns older than Sunstreaker, and had been carried by Saxo, while Sunstreaker was Pantera's creation. They'd both emerged here at the main hospital, been deemed healthy, and released. Nothing unusual, nothing to draw attention. Both were citizens of Praxus now, and it meant that Jazz, as Sideswipe's carrier and Pantera's mate, had a very good claim at the fast track for citizenship. Pantera didn't need the help, having emerged in Praxus himself.
It was only in reading the details and the thoughts they lead to that Prowl realized that he had every intention of staying in Praxus if he could. It was strange to think of a city he'd never lived in as home, but it resonated true. He was home, and he was not going to let that monster take it from him or his family.
"Everything matches up with the other records I have," he said gratefully before handing Jazz Sideswipe's file. "How can I thank you?"
Delta smiled at him as Jazz read, watching the way Sideswipe was trying to reach for the datapad that was nearly as big as he was. "I'm repaying an old debt to your carrier," she said, shrugging. "Though if you ever feel the need, I would not say no to a purge and organization of my records systems," she added with a grimace, glancing over her shoulder at the uneven stacks of datapads that may or may not have been hiding furniture beneath them.
"Sideswipe," Jazz admonished quietly as the sparkling covered his view of the screen completely, then gave Prowl a pleading look as he shifted his creation to one arm and held him out towards him. Prowl smoothly and happily took him, shifting a bit so the twins could be in contact with each other.
"I would enjoy that," Prowl actually purred a bit, his doorwings perking up at the prospect of putting the system to rights. "Though it would have to be done around my search for work. Keeping these three comfortable and well-fed must remain my priority."
Delta nodded understandingly and gave a thoughtful hum. "Who would have guessed that after being bred as a carrier you would make such a devoted sire," she mused. "My congratulations on the beautiful pair of sparklings, to both of you, and don't worry, this mess isn't going anywhere," she shook her head at herself.
"I'll come by when I can to work on it," Prowl promised, his doorwings fluttering happily at the complements as he turned to leave with his lover, who subspaced the datapad and took Sideswipe back, nuzzling his creation and then his mate as they left the office.
SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS
After the third sweep of their small but clean apartment Prowl sat down with his mate and creations on the floor in the sparsely furnished living room.
"All right. Remember to keep your voices low," Prowl spoke calmly, meeting the optics of each sparkling in turn, then settled on Sunstreaker. "If you are asked, what is my relationship to you?"
"My creator. My carrier if pressed. Pantera if asked what my carrier's designation is," Sunstreaker spoke quietly and seriously. He didn't understand why the false designations and relationships were important, but he knew they were. "My other creator is Saxo, but he's not my sire, he's your mate."
"Very good," Prowl praised him warmly and honestly. "Sideswipe?" he focused on the elder twin.
Sideswipe perked. "You are Pantera and Carrier is Saxo and you are my carrier's mate and not my sire," he said, equally serious. "I do not have a sire that I know." He paused, hesitated. "Is this because of the mech who wants to hurt us?" he asked quietly, reaching out almost subconsciously for Sunstreaker's hand and the comfort there.
"Yes," Prowl nodded, pleased at the connection made.
Jazz smiled softly at them. "What is the other thing you must always, always remember?" he asked.
"We are not twins," the pair recited in unison, and very begrudgingly. They disliked that part of the lie far more than any other.
"But you said that makes us special!" Sideswipe protested, and when Jazz motioned with his hand for him to speak softer, ducked his head a little and lowered his voice. "Sunny is my twin, I don't want to say he isn't."
"It is because twins are so special that we must conceal that truth as well. You are the only twins to emerge in metacycles. That there was a second twin carry in the same century is unusual enough. If anyone learned you are twins, your age would give us away," Prowl explained gently but firmly.
Sideswipe sighed and Sunstreaker frowned in concern, looking at him. Sideswipe turned his head and they looked at each other in silence, obviously discussing the matter over their bond.
Jazz exchanged an uneasy glance with Prowl. That behavior would get them noticed just as much as anything else they were concealing, if not more. A misspoken reference to a "twin" at this age could be covered for by a carrier's gentle reminder that not all brothers were twins, but the evidence of a bond between them could not be explained.
"Sunny, Sides," he said, getting their attention. "You can't let others know when you talk to each other like that."
"How do we hide that?" Sunstreaker huffed with a scowl marring his delicate, beautifully strong features that one orn would make him one of the more attractive mecha wherever he went.
"Don't look at each other when you bond-talk," Prowl suggested. "No more than a quick glance. What you need to do is learn to talk verbally while you bond-talk, so your actions do not seem to come out of nowhere."
"That sounds hard," Sideswipe said, very seriously. "We will practice."
"We will help," Jazz assured him. "It is not as difficult as you think it's going to be."
Sideswipe nodded and leaned against his twin. "Why does the bad mech want to hurt us?"
"Because he believes he owns us," Prowl said quietly. "He intends to kill one of you for entertainment."
The sparklings' optics got huge as they stared at their creators. Sunstreaker wrapped his arms around Sideswipe and his little engines growled fiercely. "He will not," he said firmly.
"No, he will not," Jazz said, and reached over to scoop them both up, bringing them over to settle in his lap while Prowl moved in closer, his doorwings flaring out wide and overlapping with Jazz's to form a shield around their creations. "Pantera and I will never let him hurt you," Jazz said, stroking each of their heads in turn as Prowl rubbed their backs. The sparklings purred into the contact, nuzzling their creators.
"That is why we must be so careful of designations, and little details like who your carrier is and what our relationships are," Prowl added gently, his field extended and full of protective, supportive warmth for all three mecha with him. "So long as the bad mech can not find us, he cannot hurt us."
"We understand," Sideswipe hummed while Sunstreaker nodded very seriously.
Jazz smiled and tilted his helm to rest against Prowl's, pulsing love and gratitude back. They sat quietly, watching and petting their sparklings until Sunstreaker looked up at Prowl with a chirped request for energon while Sideswipe's optics dimmed in an indication that he needed to recharge. They still couldn't be online for long periods of time and recharged frequently, giving their creators plenty of time to indulge in each other and make up for the time lost to the sire coding.
Once the pair was fueled and settled comfortably in recharge in the tiny makeshift berth set up near the window that Sideswipe loved to look out of, Jazz stood fully, taking a step back, and felt one of his doorwings hit his mate. "Sorry!" he whispered, cringing with a small, guilty grin as he spun around.
"You'll get used to it," Prowl assured him as he met his mate for a kiss. "Now, how shall we enjoy their nap?"
"I have a few ideas," Jazz hummed, running his fingers down Prowl's arm to twine their fingers together, curling the other hand around the back of his neck to bring him in for another tender brush of his mouth against his mate's, a touch that quickly deepened. "I love you so," Jazz moaned quietly as they drew apart, gripping Prowl tightly, the hand on his neck coming down to press against his chest, x-venting harshly and shaking his head sharply before he led Prowl to their own berth and guided him down onto it. He stretched out against his lover, doorwings folding back as he slid his leg between Prowl's and pulled him into a hungry, aching kiss.
Prowl's valve cover snapped open eagerly, his lubricant already showing to make his valve slick for the spike he adored so much. "It is mutual," he promised between heated kisses, his internal temperature rising quickly. His hands moved along Jazz's frame, caressing and pulling soft moans from him while Prowl rocked his hips against his lover's leg.
Jazz groaned, his hand coming down over Prowl's chest again as he pressed back, his spike starting to pressurize between them. "Never going to get tired of being with you," he said, grinding against Prowl's hip. "Knowing every part of you."
"I want to know everything that makes you feel good, every touch that draws a moan or shiver from you," Prowl purred deeply, pressing into every contact point. He left a lubricant trail on Jazz's thigh as his hand found that ruffled spike he was so enamored of and stroked it lightly. "I've missed this so much. Missed feeling you inside me, riding my valve hard like it belongs to you."
"Because it does belong to me," Jazz said, voice lowering and optics darkening as he lifted himself up and over Prowl, rocking against the teasing fingers that never stopped their touching. He reached back, sliding his hand down Prowl's side to his hip, dipping into the joint for a moment to play with the wires and watch his lover gasp beneath him before sliding down to grip beneath Prowl's leg.
In a single, smooth motion he angled his hips down, away from the touch, and pushed forward, sheathing himself completely as he pulled Prowl's leg up with him, looking right into his lover's optics as he did.
Ice blue brightened with the rush of pleasure and Prowl moaned, shuddering as he reached up to run his hands along Jazz's bumper. His valve cycled tight, catching every ruffle on the inward stroke.
"Beautiful," Jazz whispered, stopping when they arrays came flush and holding there, looking his mate's frame up and down as their equipment shivered and crackled together, warming instantly to the welcomed contact. Very slowly, he rocked his hips back and then in again, intakes catching as Prowl's fingers caressed and explored over him. He put his weight down on his elbow, using the hold he had on Prowl's leg to help him drive forward.
He moved slowly, carefully, rocking over his lover and watching the way his expressions shifted in time with his motion, pushing him slowly, taking his time, relearning every part of his frame and this touch until Prowl was panting and loose, gripping Jazz's shoulders and bucking back against him. Jazz shivered. "Beautiful," he repeated, loving every contour of his lover's bliss-washed face.
"Addicting, enchanting, so very wonderful," Prowl gasped out as he worked the ruffled contours of the spike pulling out of him. "So very beautiful."
Jazz shook and lowered himself down and pressed his face against Prowl's neck, letting go of his leg to reach up and wrap around his lover's shoulder, gripping tightly as he lost himself into that warm, beloved frame. "All I ever wanted," he moaned. "For you to think I'm beautiful. Primus."
"I have always thought you are beautiful," Prowl moaned, reveling in the length of their interface already and how far they were from overloading. "So enchanting," he whispered into a kiss as he rolled his hips into each smooth thrust and cycled his valve to squeeze around the intensely pleasurable spike. The gentle rocking from above him stayed slow, even, steady, stretching on and building their charge gradually, giving them the time to fully enjoy each other.
Slowly, so very slowly, their shivers and gasps turned into full-framed shudders and deep moans, panted exclamations of love and devotion that grew more and more senseless as the breems went by.
"Pantera," Jazz gasped suddenly, and his rhythm faltered, then broke, and he gave a sharp whine as the charge of overload broke over him, leaving him sobbing against Prowl's neck as he spilled into his lover and felt the answering wave of energy crackling over the frame beneath him. It was incredible, like the first time in that grotto so many lifetimes ago when Prowl had coaxed him to overload, told him to let go, and held him as he was lost in his lover's arms. Prowl was holding him tightly, their bliss mutual and drawn out, everything they both wanted.
It was only after they were collapsed and panting together, vents struggling to cool them, that Jazz's processors caught up with a noise he wasn't used to hearing. Armor latches unlocking.
His intakes caught, stuttered, and he lifted his head to look at his lover, optics bright and focused on the face that was more like Prowl's than any he'd seen since his original had been melted away. Beautiful, strong Praxian features with ice blue optics, and beneath that the incredible processors that were powered by the spark he'd so long ago given himself to.
Jazz shifted to the side, drawing his spike away, and slid his hand down to the center of Prowl's chest, directly over his spark, fingertips trailing over the unlatched and loosened plating. "Love?" he whispered, fingers trembling, spark pulsing wildly in his chest.
"We ... do not have to merge to enjoy a spark overload," Prowl murmured, only now realizing that his armor had unlocked. "We do ... you don't have to do anything."
Jazz took a slow intake and cycled it through, steadying himself. "Let me see," he said softly as he stroked up and down the seam, though words carried the undertone of a request instead of a command. "Even if we can't... I'd... I'd still like... that is, if you would like..."
"Yes," Prowl smiled warmly up at him and reached to caress Jazz's cheek. He sent the command to expose his chamber and the thick plating slid back in a complex sequence to expose a nearly white light that pulsed and shimmered with the life force of the mech it powered.
Jazz shivered in awe as he looked at it, his fingers tracing around the exposed armor edges for a moment before he reached in and pressed them to the side of the crystal chamber, feeling the warmth and gentle resonance.
"Gently," Prowl gasped, his field a riot with pleasure. "Chambers are delicate."
Jazz nodded and brushed his fingers over the lattice, putting no pressure behind the movements, watching Prowl's face as if shifted through expressions of bliss. "It kills me that he's merged with you and I haven't," Jazz murmured, then flared with want as he imagined merging with his lover, and felt his own armor unlocking.
"I can still touch," Prowl panted, his fingers moving down to caress the seam.
Jazz looked up at him, tracing along the patterns of the crystal, and his own plating shifted and parted, revealing the black crystal cage that surrounded his spark chamber. He centered his fingers over the delicate iris in the middle of Prowl's chamber and held there, his entire frame quivering with longing. "May I touch you?" he whispered.
Prowl nodded, his vocalizer past the ability to make words consistently. The iris split and slowly spiraled open, allowing the leaders to escape and dance along Jazz's fingers, twisting around them and trying to draw them forward.
"Oh," Jazz breathed, stunned by the amount of energy he could feel even in those wisps. He turned his hand over, watching the way the light spilled and flowed through his fingers, wrapping and dancing. Jazz followed them, dipping his hand into the chamber, sinking into the welcoming light, feeling the charge and lifeforce race up along his armor, sinking into even his protoform. He gasped, overwhelmed by how stunning the sight was.
He'd touched sparks before, wrapped his hand around them as they guttered, their mecha tortured to the brink of death, weakened and flickering by the time he got to them. Felt the dying energy of a spark as it gave out rushing over him, full of all the lost potential of a life never to be lived.
Nothing like this. Even just touching this spark he could feel power. "Primus alive," he whispered reverentially, turning his hand over, caressing the light. "Primus inside you."
"Yours ... just ... strong," Prowl managed to gasp through thick static, his processors and frame flooded by a pleasure like no other. Core coding held him still, the desire to arch into that touch and feel more brilliant in his field where it was meshed with Jazz's.
Jazz hummed and very carefully pushed himself up, swinging into a straddle over Prowl's hips and leaning forward, settling down over his lover. "Tell me how this feels," he murmured, and dipped his head down into Prowl's chest to run his glossa along the side of the chamber.
The answer was immediate and nonverbal, because as soon as his glossa touched the crystal, every joint in Prowl's frame locked and he could only scream, his field flaring brightly as he fell into an overload he hadn't seen coming in the least.
Jazz shook as the energy rushed out, over, and through him, as equally unprepared for it as his lover had been and panted when it faded, lifting his head. "Good, apparently," he said with a soft laugh, twirling his fingers in the light as it reseeded, sated, but still curious enough to play with the offered fingers.
"Very," Prowl gasped as his systems settled. He shivered again. "Move ... hand?" he half-asked, intending to say more before a moan welled up inside him.
"Say please," Jazz purred back at him, delighting in the sound of the moan.
"Please, want... touch yours," Prowl shuddered, panting in pleasure.
Jazz raised an optic ridge at him, impressed, and kept playing for a few more moments until a soft keen rose out of Prowl's throat. "Mm, all right," he hummed, and withdrew his hand with no small amount of regret, wanting to keep exploring the pleasure of the offered spark that he loved so deeply, watching the way the tendrils clung to his fingertips, extending as far as they possibly could to follow him out before they finally broke and faded. Only then did the iris cycle closed. He watched in fascination as the chamber withdrew deeper into Prowl's frame before the armor closed.
It took Prowl several dizzying moments to collect himself, then he smiled up at his mate, armor still loose and venting. "That felt amazing," he purred, his fingers sliding along Jazz's armor to reach the edge where he played feather-light touches along a couple heavy leads to the spark chamber and the intricate, large-grid black cage around it.
"I couldn't tell," Jazz purred back with a grin before his intakes caught from the soft pleasure. "Hate this thing," he whispered as he shivered from the gentle stroking, optics half-shuttered and dimmed. "Can't feel the carrier bond. Can't have you."
"It keeps us safe," Prowl countered gently. "We must be stronger before we challenge him directly."
"I know," Jazz moaned, arms shaking. "Don't mean I don't hate it." His right elbow buckled slightly as the touches continued to move inward, exploring every connection surrounding the blocker.
With a tender kiss, Prowl removed his hands and guided Jazz to his back. "It's safer if there's no chance of you falling into something," he instructed softly before returning his attention to exploring all the myriad of connections to Jazz's spark chamber.
"Feels good," Jazz whispered, arching up into the touch, gripping the berth tightly to keep his hands still. "Can you-deeper?" he asked, not even quite sure what he was asking for, just knowing that he wanted his lover's touch inside him in a way that made him ache.
"Yes," Prowl purred. His fingers moved in, stroking the chamber's crystal through the holes in the cage to circle the center of the iris gentle. "Open for me, love. Let me feel your spark."
Jazz made a strangled noise and nodded, spiraling open after a barely-noticeable hesitation, looking right into Prowl's optics as the delicate covering moved away, gasping softly at the way the light shone and reflected off his lover's face. He reached up and touched Prowl's chest. "Love you," he whispered, caressing. "No one-aah," he gasped at the next slow circle around the opening. "No one else will ever have this part of me," he finally managed.
"I treasure it, always," Prowl purred, leaning in to kiss his mate while his fingers played along the crystal they could reach. Only when he had explored the entire surface did he dip a finger into Jazz's chamber, giving the spark he adored a part of him to touch for the first time.
Jazz whined against Prowl's mouth, his entire frame giving a hard shudder at the new, euphoric sensation. His internal charge skyrocketed in an instant and sent an all-consuming wash of static over his sensornet, making his optics flare white and unseeing. The sound came again, this time fuzzy and strained, as Prowl reached a second finger in and swirled through the light that was reaching and clinging to him, beyond ready to take this lover in.
"So beautiful, so perfect, so very perfect," Prowl's voice rolled over Jazz, adding to the bliss that was already beyond comprehending. He continued to rumble praise so Jazz could hear him, even knowing his lover was past understanding the actual words.
The tip into overload took only moments after that as the spark danced and flared out, the energy trying to rush up along Prowl's arm, stopped by the blocker and swirling there beneath the black crystal, crackling and sparking as Jazz's optics flickered out and his mouth opened in a silent scream.
Then the energy started to fade, and as Jazz's vents hiccupped with the end of the overload, Prowl reluctantly withdrew his fingers. He watched, fascinated, as the leaders still clinging to him were forced to let go at the blocker's crystal and resettle back in with the spark, the iris spiraling shut behind them.
Color gradually returned to Jazz's optics as fluffed out armor panted and tried to cool his core temperature back down in the wake of the intense surge that had rushed through them. It took him a few tries to reboot his vocalizer, and his voice was still thick with electrical interference. "Why haven't we been doing that this entire time?"
"Because you were carrying, love," Prowl leaned down to kiss him softly and moved his fingers out of the way of closing armor. "Protocols marked it as dangerous to the sparklings."
"Right," Jazz said, staring past Prowl at the ceiling, dazed. After a moment he pulled his lover down with him, moving awkwardly to lay on his side, needing to take a moment to figure out how to lay his doorwings to even make the motion possible. "Primus that's amazing."
"It was pretty light," a small voice chirped, and the couple turned to see the twins peering around the doorway at them.
"Yes, that was your carrier's spark," Prowl responded with a gentle smile. "You should be recharging."
"But we're all done recharging," Sunstreaker explained while Sideswipe nodded next to him. "Now we want to move."
Jazz nuzzled his mate and laughed softly. "How about cuddling instead?" he asked. "Your creators are tired."
The pair mused the suggestion over, looking at each other while they did before remembering not to and looking away.
"All right," Sideswipe said. "But only for a little while. Then moving."
"Come up here then," Prowl shifted to reach for them when they approached the berth. "I will play with you after your carrier is recharging."
They clamored happily up with Prowl's assistance and climbed over him to settle between their creators, curling happily up between them in the safety and warmth offered by the two adult frames. Jazz leaned over them and kissed his mate. "Thank you," he murmured, before laying his head down and smiling at his sparklings, watching Prowl stroke their heads as he drifted into recharge.
SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS
Prowl's doorwings were twitching faintly as he waited outside the precinct building for his mate to arrive with their creations for their first real outing into the world. Their armor was on, though it was only thin sparkling armor, and the colors were beginning to develop. It made Prowl reluctant to go to work each morning and eager to return home, though he enjoyed his work with a passion that many in the precinct found amusing.
He'd managed to find work in the local Enforcers precinct by making a connection through Delta after her recommendation to a friend on his organizational skills, and had their records ever needing organizing. They'd just lost their chief archivist of nearly six centuries, and while he'd been able to understand the outdated record keeping systems, the new chief archivist had been having a fair amount of trouble with them, and the ensuing attempts to reformat had been comically disastrous.
He spotted Jazz's alt form and waved as he pulled off the road next to the building, letting Sideswipe and Sunstreaker climb out before he transformed and greeted his mate with a kiss. "We're very curious today," he purred, looking down at the sparklings that were both holding their hands up at Prowl to be lifted.
"No doubt," Prowl chuckled and knelt to pick up the twins, happy to hold them, especially with Jazz so close. "Are they ready to eat, or will it be treats?"
"Treats!" Sideswipe chirped, then looked at Jazz for conformation, who smiled and nodded, stroking the sparkling's back as Sunstreaker nuzzled up against Prowl's neck and tucked himself against his creator's collar.
"They had their energon before we came," Jazz said. "Not far from here?"
"Not far," Prowl promised as he showed them in. They stopped for a quick conversation with the front desk and Jazz had to listen to a short list of special rules that amounted to "stay close to your mate." He nodded and promised to behave and keep his sparklings under control and then they all had their visitor tags and were off into the employee-only portion of the precinct. Three turns later and they entered the cafeteria, each with a sparkling in hand.
"Have you eaten?" Prowl glanced at his mate.
"Not yet," Jazz said as he adjusted a squirming Sideswipe in his arms. "Got kind of busy."
"We played hide and seek!" Sideswipe told Prowl cheerfully, to which Jazz rolled his optics and shook his head, looking strained.
"You have to tell your creators before you play hide and seek," Jazz said, in a tone that said this was not the first time he'd said those words.
"You enjoyed flustering him, didn't you?" Prowl hide his amusement well. He slid his ID card into a dispenser and drew two cubes.
There was a pause as the twins searched for the new glyph, integrated it, and then nodded at their sire with matching grins. Sunstreaker reached for the card as Prowl moved to put it in subspace. "I wanna try!"
Jazz watched as Prowl let him put the card back into the slot and pull it out, grinning at the way the screen lit back up. "I think fluster is a kind word," he said as Prowl handed him one of the cubes and then cancelled the order screen Sunstreaker had called up. They headed for an empty table that had enough seats for Prowl's colleagues who were planning to join them.
"I'm sorry they're being difficult for you," Prowl said softly, earning something of an agreeing noise from Sunstreaker, though it wasn't much. The second to emerge was the less social but more emotional of the pair even at their young age.
"It isn't too bad," Jazz said, watching with a smile as his creations took in everything around them with wide, interested optics before looking back up at Prowl. "At least they recharge some of the time."
Sideswipe tugged at his armor, pointing very obviously at a minibot who was heading their way, looking smaller than normal in a room full of adult Praxians. "What's he?" he asked in a very loud whisper.
"That is a minibot frame," Prowl answered smoothly. "His designation is Windcharger. He's on search and rescue, but he often spends down time in the archives where I work."
Windcharger raised a hand in greeting as he reached the table, smiling brightly at them. "Finally got the crew in, huh?" he asked Prowl, waving his fingers at Sunstreaker, who watched him silently, clinging to Prowl's neck, while Jazz tried unsuccessfully to stop the squirming Sideswipe from jumping onto the table and peering up at him.
"My carrier is bigger," Sunstreaker finally announced with a note of finality to his voice after he was done looking the minibot over, and nuzzled his face against Prowl.
"An optic for the obvious, I see," the minibot teased him in reply. "I bet your carrier can't do this, though," he raised his hand and focused, lifting Sideswipe off the table by a hand's span.
Sideswipe squeaked in surprise, all of his limbs flailing for a moment before he steadied himself and grinned hugely. Sunstreaker shot upright, optics wide and body quivering with tension, but Prowl's curled hand around him and a murmur of reassurance kept him still, and after a moment, when nothing bad happened, he settled back down.
"Look!" Sideswipe said, waving at Jazz, who smiled back at him, before he looked up at Windcharger. "Go higher!"
"Only if your carrier agrees," the minibot looked directly at Jazz for permission.
An uncertain look flickered over Jazz's face for a moment as he was faced with the pleading look of his creation before he relaxed and nodded. "Just keep him above the table," he said, motioning a vertical line with his hand, and Windcharger nodded in agreement.
"Yes!" Sideswipe said, looking back at Windcharger eagerly. "Higher!"
Windcharger chuckled and obliged the excited sparkling, moving him straight up until he was hanging midair higher than any of the mecha in the room would have been able to reach without climbing on the table. Sideswipe squirmed as he tried to look all around, and after a few moments, discovered that motions he made could direct his motion, and after a few failed tries, managed to flip around the static center that Windcharger was holding up. "Look!" he exclaimed, flipped again, and waved at Jazz.
By then every mecha in the room was watching, and at the next flip, a portion of them broke out in applause that made the sparkling beam.
"You are a showoff," Jazz teased his creation as Windcharger lowered him back down into his carrier's arms.
"My turn," Sunstreaker demanded from Prowl's arms.
"He will not give up," Prowl said with soft humor and allowed Sunstreaker to climb onto the table. With and easy motion Windcharger lifted the sparkling up as he had his brother, giving the younger one the same time before delivering him to his creator.
"They're adorable, and smart too," a Praxian in Enforcer black and white commented as he sat down. "I'm Longsight, chief archivist for the precinct," he offered a hand to Jazz. "Your mate has been a blessing from Primus. He's saved me vorns already."
Jazz accepted the hand, glancing at Prowl with a smile. "He tends to be a blessing from Primus wherever he goes," he said, and chuckled. "Primus knows he was for me."
"I enjoy organizing," Prowl said with a shy duck of his doorwings. "And making Saxo happy."
"And you seem to be very good at both of those," Windcharger said as he nabbed a chair better suited to his height from several tables over and jumped up into it. "Those are very beautiful sparklings you two have, by the way," he said as he pulled a cube out from subspace.
Sunstreaker perked at the compliment and preened for a moment to the indulgent chuckles of the watching adults.
"He is good at both of those," Jazz agreed once the laughter died down.
"You must be glad to be getting out again," Longsight said, settling down next to Windcharger. "Now that they're old enough."
"I've been getting out," Jazz said. "Pantera watches them in the evenings so I can stretch my legs and get some peace."
"From organizing files all day to sparkling sitting," Windcharger said, shaking his head. "No thank you."
"It's not for everyone," Prowl agreed readily. "I enjoy it immensely. I would spend more time with them, but we need an income and I have more employable skills."
"Oh?" Longsight said, looking at Jazz. "What do you do? You never know, sometimes there are some pretty odd jobs with the Enforcers you'd never think of."
"I dance," Jazz said smoothly, moving easily as Sideswipe climbed around on him, not even really needing to think anymore about shifting his arms for the sparkling. "I was quite good before my frame went. Most places don't operate at decent joors, though, and it isn't a good choice anymore. Not with these two and Pantera to think about now."
Longsight hummed. "No, can't think of a position for that," he finally said with a laugh. "Unless you want to take up in the break rooms, the patrolling officers get pretty restless if they don't have crime to solve."
"I think we will stick with Pantera working in your archives," Jazz said, noting with a bit of warmth the unhappy look his mate gave at the suggestion.
"When they're older the joors at a good club won't be as straining," Prowl added, mostly to Jazz. "By then I can probably shift my joors a bit to come in a little later so you can recharge enough." He glanced at Longsight.
"If you remain this good, I have no doubt such arrangements will be easy to make," the chief archivist agreed with a warm smile. "Just don't keep where he's dancing a secret. He'll never lack for an appreciative audience, or Enforcer protection."
Jazz bowed at the waist, practicing a pleased flutter of his doorwings as he did. "Thank you," he said, grinning. "Never danced anywhere with Enforcer protection, wouldn't that be novel? The last place had black market weapons deals practically on stage, doesn't attract the nicest clients." He hummed. "That would be nice though, I do miss it, and Pantera could spend more time with the hellions that way."
Prowl leaned against his mate in a remarkably affectionate public display as their doorwings overlapped and touched. "I'd enjoy watching you dance again as well, when the sparklings are old enough to stay at a friend's place for a few joors," his low tone was rich with desire. "You were so lovely on stage before your frame filled out for construction. I've missed that as well."
"You two are utterly adorable," a warm voice came from behind. "I never thought Pantera had so much emotion in him."
Jazz looked over his shoulder to see another Enforcer with patrol markings. He looked Praxian, but he was the biggest Praxian Jazz had ever seen. He guessed there was some kind of convoy or tank frame mixed in with that.
"Sir!" the other Enforcers all said immediately, all of them making to stand before the mech gestured with his hands for them to settle down. Even Prowl reacted, though it was a bit slower than those who had markings.
"We're in the mess hall," he said, grimacing a little out of embarrassment. "I swear. I need to be able to walk somewhere without everyone popping up all around me." He smiled at Jazz. "I'm Mortar, or, Captain Mortar, which is why these fools all insist on getting up. I heard there were sparklings down in my mess and I had to come see for myself. Hello," he rumbled as Sideswipe climbed up to peer at him over Jazz.
"Hello," Sideswipe replied brightly.
"You are the mech in charge," Sunstreaker considered the biggest mecha he'd ever seen. "Does size always equate to rank?"
Mortar gave him a startled look, them laughed from deep in his chassis. "Well I can certainly tell who your carrier was," he said. "No, it does not always equate, though it happens frequently. Organizations that have rank are often battle trained, and the best fighters get to be in charge," he explained, sounding like he was trying to judge the complexity of his answer based on both the age and apparent intelligence of his tiny, rapt audience.
"So you weren't created to lead. You earned it." Sunstreaker said, trilling at the pride he felt in Prowl's field. Though it was a statement, it was a question too.
"Yes, I did," Mortar chuckled, sitting carefully next to Prowl, his knees too tall to fit under the table, leaving him to perch on the chair next to it. "Though it was nothing nearly as heroic or glorious as I'm sure you're imagining," he added.
"Time, effort and following the rules," Prowl supplied. "He worked hard to learn what was expected of him, and he performed those duties well. When leadership was needed, he displayed the ability to lead. Those are the leaders that should be respected. They have earned their rank."
"Oh," Sunstreaker said, still looking at Mortar, who smiled indulgently back at him. "But you are the best fighter too?"
"Well, we do not have a way to determine the best fighter," Mortar said. "Different mecha are talent at different forms of battle."
"Oh, come on, Cap," said a new voice, and they looked up to see a lithe, sauntering mech with a dark face and golden visor stroll up to the gathering. "Pretty sure you could scrap anyone here."
"Your team excluded," Motor regarded the newcomer steadily.
The visored mech chuckled. "I'm Radiance, chief of SWAT." He offered a hand to Jazz. "Your sparklings are beautiful, and very bright. They'll be sparkbreakers when they mature."
"Thank you," Jazz said, accepting the hand and the openly flirtatious look the mech gave him with a smile. Radiance grinned back and then turned the same look on Prowl.
"News of sparklings will just bring everyone out of hiding," he explained his presence, then shifted his focus to Sideswipe, who was climbing his way over Jazz's chest to get closer. "Hello, aren't you just adorable. You know, I bet you could get into plenty of tiny places."
"I can," Sideswipe said, nodding proudly at the interesting new mech, then pointed at his twin. "So can Sunny."
"Well, then," Radiance said, with an obvious wink at Jazz. "Perhaps I will comm the two of you the next time I need someone small to help me on an important mission. How does that sound?"
"Awesome!" Sideswipe said, jumping off of Jazz onto the table. "What can we do?"
"Oh, lots of things," Radiance said, very seriously. "You can get into tiny places and listen without anyone seeing you. But only if it is safe."
"We are good at listening," Sideswipe said, then notice the look that Jazz gave him and modified, "Sometimes."
"Excellent," Radiance said, and grinned brilliantly before looking up at Prowl. "Pantera, right? Sorry, I don't make it upstairs very often, and I'm not sure I even know were the archives are!"
Mortar grunted in obvious, exasperated agreement with that statement.
"Yes," Prowl smiled at SWAT's CO. "You do send me the most interesting of reports, however. It often feels like I know much of your unit, though I do not believe I have actually met any of them."
"I like to keep it that way," Radiance said with a small shrug, sitting down next to Jazz and holding his hand obligingly out for Sideswipe to examine as he greeted the others at the table. "Not taking anyone's seat, am I?"
"No, you are welcome," Prowl said, backed up by the others. It was a pattern that continued as Prowl's lunch break continued. Mecha came by, drawn by the rumor that sparklings were visiting, or that Pantera's much-loved mate had finally showed his face. Some remained, others passed by, all of them cooed at the two metacycle old sparklings and said something nice to them, and often to their creators.
When Longsight got up, he told Prowl to take an extended break, that meeting the sparklings was too good for moral to cut short, and that he'd see Prowl in a couple joors.
By then all Prowl had to do was keep Sunstreaker from wandering too far and lean contentedly against Jazz's side while officers from all levels and divisions in the precinct came and went, every one of them leaving just a little more content, their step a little lighter for the interaction.
SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS
When Prowl got home after work a few metacycles after the lunch with his colleagues, he walked in to find Jazz sitting on the lounge they had finally gotten for their living room, watching the twins playing in the window seat that was still serving as their berth, frowning. He greeted Prowl with a lift of his fingers, not moving his gaze away from his creations.
::Love?:: Prowl opened a comm line to talk privately as he sat down next to Jazz and leaned against him to be close.
Jazz hummed quietly as he reached back for his love, grateful to have him home. ::Yes?::
::What's wrong?::
::Nothing is wrong,:: Jazz said, still watching the sparklings with the same frown. ::They're playing, I'm finally resting... Sideswipe is pretending like he can fly,:: he said, voice sounding odd as he pointed at the older twin, who was jumping with his arms out as Sunstreaker tried to tackle him.
Prowl hummed and nuzzled him. ::You teek more unsettled than that.::
Jazz shifted uncomfortably. ::Probably tired. It was a long day, I took them down near the market to walk around. Have you ever...:: He trailed off, distracted by the spinning jump Sideswipe had just made that took him too close to the edge that left Sunstreaker grabbing for him and pulling him back.
::They watch out for each other,:: Prowl nuzzled him, his processor having calculated that Sideswipe wasn't actually in danger. ::Have I ever ...?::
::Have you ever noticed how protective Sunstreaker is,:: Jazz said, then shook himself. ::You're right, he's just looking after his brother.::
"Creator, creator!" Sideswipe called, jumping for Prowl's attention. "Look, we saw a mech who could fly today but he stayed in place and didn't fall and he did like this!" He repeated the spinning, arms-out motion, landing better this time.
"I've seen them do so," Prowl smiled at the red twin. "Many flight-frames can hover."
"Will I get a flight frame?" Sideswipe asked, creeping for the edge and carefully lowering himself down and running over. "I liked when that minibot made me float."
"No, Sideswipe," Prowl said firmly as he lifted the sparkling up to the lounge. "You are a grounder as we are."
"But I want to fly!" Sideswipe said, reaching up for Prowl's neck as Jazz lifted Sunstreaker up and nuzzled him, optics dimmed.
"I'm sorry, but you won't have a flight frame," Prowl said firmly. It hurt to crush the sparkling's hopes, but better now than later.
Sideswipe drooped, looking at Prowl with huge optics, then sighed and curled against his sire's collar. "But I feel like I'm s'posed to," he pouted, then perked. "Maybe I can make friends with a flight frame and go with them," he said cheerfully.
"Yes, that is always a possibility." Prowl nuzzled him. "You might also be gifted as a pilot. It is something grounders with an instinctive knowledge of the air are often very good at."
"That sounds fun," Sideswipe chirped, then turned to his quiet, frowning twin, angled, and leapt, pouncing on him and pulling him off Jazz's lap and tumbling them both to the floor. "Come play pilot with me!" he demanded, tugging Sunstreaker's arm, leading him back to the window seat.
Jazz watched them, an odd look on his face, then relaxed and smiled as Prowl reached up to rub the back of his neck. "I don't think I was ever as much of a handful as these two are," he chuckled, watching them run around.
"Oh, you very much were," Prowl chuckled. "Your spark has always been bright and full of life. You were quite the delightful terror."
Jazz grinned, leaning against his mate. "Name one time I was a terror," he teased.
"The first time you found the cybercat's den and hid," Prowl suggested. "You had the entire estate in an absolute panic for joors before I realized the cats were acting strange. Or the time you slid the grand stairwell banister and got all scuffed up. It was your worst injury as a sparkling."
Jazz was quiet for a moment, then sat up and frowned at Prowl. "When did I hide in the cybercat's den? I don't remember that at all."
"You were sixteen and a half vorns old," Prowl offered, already cueing what he had of the event in his memory to share, suspecting that Vortex had removed it.
Jazz searched for another klik or so before he shook his head and leaned back against him. "Must have been in the group that got shredded," he sighed. "Which means you were an important part of it."
"I found you and coaxed you out," Prowl said, surprised that he was central to the memory on Jazz's part.
Jazz tried to bring anything up from the incident, couldn't, and shook his head, then growled softly. "Fragging glitch," he hissed, not noticing the way the twins both stopped playing immediately and froze, staring at him from across the room. "That makes two dozen and who knows how many more."
"He didn't take you," Prowl caught his lover's far cheek with the palm of his hand and drew him into a kiss. "You saved what was most important," he reminded them both with his forehelm against Jazz's. "Moments come and go. We survive."
Jazz sighed and nodded, fingers brushing over Prowl's dataport. "Show me your version?" he asked, then looked down when he felt hands tugging at his leg.
"Carrier?" Sideswipe asked, while Sunstreaker lifted his arms up. "You sounded scary."
"You scared us," Sunstreaker said as Jazz helped them both up.
"I'm sorry," Jazz said, nuzzling the both of them. "I didn't mean to."
"You can make him feel better right?" Sunstreaker asked Prowl, crawling over to him.
"I can do some to help. The rest will take time to heal," Prowl explained as gently as he could to the rich yellow sparkling in his lap even as he plugged into his mate and offered the ready-queued memory. "Some hurts, emotional hurts, can take a long time to recover from."
"Oh," Sunstreaker said quietly, and looked back at Jazz, whose optics dimmed as he watched Prowl's version of the memory. The sparklings sat still and silent, sensing that interruptions or questions would not be welcomed right now.
~You were so worried,~ Jazz said, watching through Prowl's optics as the seneschal went through every corner of the estate, calling upon security systems, the entire network of servants, and physically opening and looking into every storage cupboard himself, even if it had already been searched.
~I was terrified you had been taken,~ Prowl murmured, and here, with the hardline, it was clear that the terror was not at failing to protect Jazz as his duty, though that was strong, but that he had failed to protect the spark he already cared far too deeply for. ~Or lost somewhere where you could not escape and would starve. You'd never hidden from us before.~
~I wonder why I did,~ Jazz hummed, then smiled when Prowl finally found the small, white sparkling curled up in the cybercat's den, who was huddled in the back, not wanting to come out because he was afraid of getting in trouble. Prowl coaxed and promised that he wouldn't, and as soon as he said that, Jazz immediately crawled out and jumped into his arms, chattering happily about his adventure before he stopped, teeked, and looked at Prowl with wide, confused optics.
~You were so young, I'm sure you didn't realize how we'd take it,~ Prowl nuzzled him gently. ~As I said, it was the first time we couldn't find you within a few kliks. Just how you greeted me said that you weren't trying to hide from us.~
While Jazz's memory may have ended shortly after Prowl had found him, Prowl's memory of the event stretched on, including the beating and restricted rations he received and how he'd pleaded Jazz's case anyway, reminding the Lords of the sparkling's youth and reaction to being found.
~Oh, Prowl,~ Jazz whispered, nuzzling his lover. ~I'm so sorry. I don't remember being punished for that, they must have listened to you.~
~You weren't,~ Prowl murmured. ~What I was punished for was not knowing where you were, not my word in your defense. The security of the estate increased significantly after that. You could hide, but not from me.~
Jazz drew his mate into a deep kiss. ~And here I always thought I was being very sneaky and clever when I was trying to get away from you and my carrier.~
Prowl laughed into the kiss before he finally pulled away, optics glittering in good humor. ~Oh, you were good, my little pit demon, you still are. I am simply better at keeping track than you are at hiding.~
Jazz purred. ~I will have to see if I can fix that,~ he said. ~I've gotten plenty good at other things in the meantime.~
The twins started squirming, teeking their creators' lightened moods, looking up at them with bright, eager optics. "Play with us?" Sideswipe asked, while Sunstreaker nodded eagerly.
Prowl grinned down at them and unplugged from his lover. "What would you like to play?"
"Memory!" Sunstreaker chirped.
"All right," Jazz said with a smile, lifting Sideswipe as he stood, carrying the sparkling with him as he went to retrieve the game while Prowl settled behind the excitedly trilling Sunstreaker on the floor.
They were already showing a love of processor games, something that made it impossible for Prowl to hide his pride in the pair, not that he ever tried to. Jazz brought the game back, set it up, then cuddled next to his mate as they watched their creations play together, turning and matching the tiles, chattering to each other and their carriers, and enjoying the time together.