A/N: This fic shows how Mirage and Hound first met in in my Jazzprowl fic Iridescent but you don't have to read any of that to understand this fic! Hope you guys enjoy! Xxxxxxx

Mirage hated parties.

He'd hated them in the Towers. And that hadn't changed since joining the Autobots.

But for some reason Jazz was insistent on dragging him along to this one.

Mirage had no idea why it was so important for him to show his face at the high-grade fuelled debauchery that the Autobots called a party. Especially since Jazz hadn't even made a fuss when Mirage had told him he'd only come if he could spend the entire time standing invisible in the corner.

But Jazz was the only bot he could class as a friend in the entire army. And Mirage didn't want to scare him off like he had with every other Autobot on base. He couldn't blame the others for not trusting him, what with his outlier ability and low-level aristocracy. Those traits hadn't made him very popular in the Towers. So it shouldn't bother him that mechs still didn't like him now.

"Hey!"

Mirage startled at the sound, turning to his right to see a mech staring straight at him, despite his invisibility.

He was even more surprised when the mech then placed his hand over his spark and bowed his head in an awkward attempt at a traditional Towers greeting.

Now Mirage hadn't known every bot in the Towers personally but he'd known of most of them. And he did not recognise the dark green grounder in front of him. With his broader frame type and the way he didn't seem bothered by the layer of grime covering his prominent chassis, he didn't look like a traditional Towers mech either.

But someone on this base had to uphold a standard of manners so Mirage didn't say any of that aloud and instead turned off his invisibility to return the greeting.

"Was worried I got that wrong." The green mech said with a low chuckle. Unlike the snickers Mirage sometimes heard behind his back or when the others thought he wasn't in the room, the sound of laughter felt warm to his audials.

"You did not." It has not been perfect but again, Mirage decided not to mention that. It had been so long since he had been on the receiving end of such a greeting. And whilst his feelings on his former home grew more complicated with every cycle that passed since their destruction, he felt a sense of comfort at the sight.

"I used to be a groundskeeper before... well y'know.. for the Towers gardens." The mech said, answering Mirage's earlier unspoken question.

That would also explain why Mirage didn't recognise him, even if the revelation couldn't help but make Mirage feel guilty. He hadn't known the names of many of the servants that had worked in his old home. Not that he had been permitted to talk to any of them. And the older he got, the fewer his house had hired as his sire's poor financial decisions caught up to them. Mirage hoped this mech had not once been a groundskeeper for his house. He knew his sire would not have treated him well. Not that many of the other houses would have treated the mech much better.

"You must have been very skilled." Mirage stated politely.

The mech shrugged.

"Ah the crystals did all the hard work! I just gave 'em a little nudge."

Mirage had spent enough time around liars to know when someone was hiding behind politeness. And this mech with how he blushed and rubbed his neck definitely was not. He truly was that humble.

"Still, the gardens always looked so beautifully crafted."

It was true. With the crystals soft glow and slight chime, the gardens had been the one place in that pit-hole that Mirage had actually felt at peace.

Apparently not knowing what to do with the compliment, the mech changed the subject.

"Here, brought yer another cube."

Mirage glanced down at the empty cube of energon in his hands, which as a physical object, wouldn't have been affected by his outlier ability. It must have been how the mech had spotted him. A detail like that would be difficult to see in such a crowd. The mech was sharper than he looked.

"Thank you, that was very kind." Mirage told him, taking the cube.

Again, the mech seemed surprised at the praise.

"Ah it's nothin'!" He waved his now empty. "Besides, I was lookin' for an excuse to come talk to yer for a while now."

"Oh?" Mirage inquired, wondering if now would be the time the mech finally dropped his act and revealed their deserved hatred against his aristocracy.

"Yeah I hate to see anyone lookin' loney! And sometimes it was hard to see you at all. So Jazz said I should come say hello."

"Did he?" Mirage turned his attention to the crowd were Jazz was predictably in the middle of. The dance that was currently unfolding looked far too intricate and intimate to be happening in the middle of the rec-room. From the centre of the over-charged circle, the blue of Jazz's visor flashed in a wink. Despite the fact Jazz wasn't obviously looking in his direction, Mirage knew that it was meant for him.

"Well, us Spec Ops gotta look out for each other eh?" The green mech shrugged.

Ah, that would explain the mech's observation skills. Or at least would explain the reason why he had been selected to join Spec-Ops in the first place. It would also Jazz felt he had the right to meddle into both of their affairs.

"Sorry, realised I forgot to introduce myself." The mech said, with a self deprecating smack to his helm. "Name's Hound."

"Mirage." The noble replied, the drop his former title starting to feel lighter upon his lips.

The corners of the green mech's mouth turned into a grin. It would have been unbecoming on an old Towers mech but Mirage thought the sight complimented the sun kissed crinkles in the corner of the mech's optics.

"Lookin' forward to working with yer." Hound smiled.

Mirage found his usual emptily polite candor give way to a rare genuine smile.

"Likewise."

A/N: I've really gotten invested in Mirage x Hound and Mirage as a character recently! So there may or may not be more fics about them coming soon in the future! (Although I promise I haven't abandoned Iridescent or my Sunnyblue fic!) Xxxxxx