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ante_luceTitle: Of Bindings – A Discussion and a Development
'Verse: 2007 Transformers.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Cussing.
Prowl lay on his side, doorwings folded neatly along his back, out of the way, chassis curled slightly around his middle. Maggie had to smother her giggles, not wanting to disturb the silver mech currently tucked in that middle, also in recharge. She wasn’t successful, because Jazz’s visor onlined, and the saboteur was now looking her way with a sheepish expression.
“Well, this is a little embarrassing.”
She giggled again, then came to stand by the Solstice. “Aren’t you two cute.”
“I’ll never live this down if it leaks, so, pretty please with sprinkles on top?”
“I’ll keep mum. If you tell me why you saw fit to do that just now.”
“Do what?”
“Embarrass Prowl in front of the bots who just landed.”
= = =
“Jazz, how did you survive?”
“Yeah, from what I hear, Megatron fragged you up into two bits.”
“Oh, Prowl ‘faced me in front of the others, and voila! Jazz-mech is back in action!”
“… He what!?”
“What can I say? Mech’s good.”
The suggestive leer and stretch that Jazz gave to his audience had them all speechless. Snickering, the ops mech spread his hands in a persuading manner, sounding completely reasonable.
“Come on. He’s a tactician, who else would know alla the sensitive points in another bot’s frame and ten different ways to exploit every one of them? Apart from me, that is.”
The only sound in the room was that of rapidly locking up processors and the groan of a mortified SIC before Prowl joined them in shutdown.
= = =
Jazz rebooted his optics, recalling the incident. “Oh, that… S’not embarrassing him, just talking up his rep a little.”
“Why?! He doesn’t seem to seek the attention.” Maggie waved at the still offline tactician, and Jazz nodded.
“Exactly.”
“… You’ve lost me.”
“Prowler’s a loner, and the only way someone’s gonna get with him is if he’s got a good enough reputation to draw their interest.”
“So, you’re trying to hook him up with someone? Aren’t you bonded?”
“Well, yeah, but it wasn’t his choice and I… I don’t want him stuck with me. Prowl deserves better, a mate he actually wanted, someone special instead of a mech whose only chance at survival at the time was his spark.”
“He doesn’t seem to mind. If you want to be with someone else or want out of the bond…”
“I don’t. Not yet anyway. I know he’d sever the bond in a sparkbeat if I really asked, now that we're sure I can survive without it, but that leaves him with a broken connection, and everyone I know says it’s not pleasant. So I won’t even think of it until I know he’s going to have someone to take my place.”
“That’s…”
“What?”
“… Nothing. Only, if things were a little different, I’d almost say he's found his someone already.” The computer expert sighed when Jazz glanced away, and tried another tack.
“Anyway, don’t you have separate berths?”
“S’the bond. After all we put it through, even if we start on our own berths, one of us usually ends up with the other. It’ll get better after it’s had time to settle again.”
“Wow. Being separated must’ve been tough.” Maggie had heard things from the other mechs about spark bonds, and while the thought intrigued her, being connected so intimately to another, to be that reliant on them and have them just as dependant on you, made her shiver with some indescribable emotion. Jazz chirred softly in amused agreement.
“Let’s just say I’m glad Prowler’s here, and not just ‘cos he put my spark and chassis back together. Being apart from a bondmate is… well, it’s not fun.”
The Solstice gently traced a digit over the arm Prowl had lying across the saboteur’s frame, continuing. “Now, I don’t have to wonder if he’s off in some Pit of a battlefield, risking aft and plating trying to keep mechs alive.”
“… But, you can save him, like he did for you.”
“Well, yeah. But I had my duty to Prime. Can’t go charging off across the cosmos on my own to find him while the All Spark was missing. If he got slagged, all I could do would be to pray the bots with him didn’t scrap his chassis ‘til they caught up with Optimus and the rest of us.”
The woman fell silent, leaning against the berth and staring at the SIC’s offlined optics. “I bet he worried about you too.”
“It’s the spark bond. He can’t help it.”
She glanced at the saboteur in surprise. “All that time with each other and you don’t think he’d care for you at all without it? Harsh.”
“Well, we didn’t know each other before we had to bond to save me. Now… we’re friends and I know him better than anyone, and I know that he’d give a damn for me without it, but…”
“It’s hard when you don’t have anything else to compare it to.” Maggie continued for him, sympathy in her tone. Jazz vented air quietly.
“…Yeah.”
“But… when you first bonded, did he start caring immediately?”
“It’s instinctive. Bond and wham! You know what the other’s doing, what they’re thinking, feeling... Who wouldn't be driven to care about someone who's become practically part of them?”
“Is any different from when you first bonded and now?”
“… I…”
“Is your own worry over him is based off your bond alone?”
The Ops mech was silent, and Maggie patted him on the arm before she left. “Think about it Jazz. I have to get back to Ratchet and tell him you’re both resting like good mechs. See you around.”
= = =
“Have you seen Jazz?”
“He’s off somewhere, probably annoying Prowl.”
“Again? Frag, the two of them sure can act like sparklings around each other.”
“Heh, I know. Entertaining as the Pit.”
“Ssh, here they come. I don’t want to miss anything.”
Two mechs walked by, the doorwinged one looking at a datapad the silver one was holding, going over some plan.
“If you take this route, your team should be able to carry out the run with minimal losses.”
“There’s that thing over there that I don’t like the looks of though. Did you miss it?”
“I was about to say that that can be avoided if you make the following adjustments to your course. Be patient, Jazz.”
“Quit being so slow, Prowl. Any recommendations for the bots?”
“Quickstep, Blurr, Lightstrike and Bluestreak. They’re our fastest, and my calculations indicate that they will be the most adept at avoiding enemy fire and getting the supplies to the camp should the Decepticons come across them.”
“Gee. Thanks. And I suppose I’m slow as slag and likely to end up as mesh from all the shots riddling my chassis.”
“I never said such a thing.”
“Then why am I not on that list? I’m leading the run, after all.”
“Your specifications aren’t up to theirs in terms of landspeed, but I’m expecting you to not draw enemy notice in the first place, and be able to down any Decepticon that your team encounters. Unless you have cause to doubt your abilities?”
“Feh, this is me you’re talking about. I’m the best at what I do and you know it.”
“You’re certainly adept at causing trouble.” The chevroned mech replied, tone neutral. There was a chuckle from the Ops mech and Prowl pulled out a datapad of his own.
“The supplies are ready to go. I’ve called the four bots to briefing room 2-Beta; you can meet them there to go over the mission specs once more before leaving.”
“Gotcha. Hey, get this file over to security, will you? I won’t have time before the run. Look it over too, please. You’ll need it for your own mission in a couple of cycles.”
“Of course. Thank you.”
As both drew further away from the eavesdropping mechs, one of the listeners chuckled to the other.
“They do work well together though. Even if they do bicker through it all.”
“And don’t that fry every processor that pauses to contemplate it.”
Unknown to their watchers, tactician and ops mech had a secondary conversation going on.
::Be careful.::
::Always.::
::I’m serious.::
::Again, always. It’s okay, Prowl. You don’t have to fry a circuit fretting ‘bout me. I know the bond makes you-::
::Jazz. Every bot on this base will be restless until you and your team are safe inside once more. That includes me, bond or no bond. I may actually worry less, since I have a means of monitoring your well being.::
::Heh. Take care on your own little jaunt outside, ‘kay? And I’m not saying that just ‘cos of the bond. We’re friends, and friends do this for each other. I know. I should listen to myself.::
Jazz could feel Prowl’s amusement curling around him, and he snickered as they parted ways, he to the briefing room, and Prowl to security.
= = =
::Prowl! Prowl, you fragger, answer me!::
Nothing. Jazz threw all he had at their connection, cursing his weaker half of the link. Finding the tactician usually wasn’t an issue, Prowl blazed bright and obvious across the bond, but now, with the mech captured by ‘Cons and being put through only Primus knew what, his bondmate had shut down the link to the barest trickle. Jazz could tell that Prowl still lived, but not much else.
::Jazz… ::
The saboteur could have cried in relief at the faint voice across the spark bond, and staggered at the pain he could feel coming from the other.
::Prowler, we’re looking for you. Don’t cut me off.::
::Hurt… you. How… you explain…::
::I can deal with pain. Gonna say I have a source that owes me. Where are you?::
::Don’t… know. Bad shape… No optics…::
He could feel Prowl fading again, and quickly nudged the tactician mentally once more.
::Frag. Hold on, mech, I’m coming.::
::Jazz. Break… You… have time… find another-::
::NO!::
::Don’t want to… pull you down…::
::Damn it, Prowl! Don’t you dare.::
::Not going… make it.::
::I swear, Prowl, you stay alive or I will follow you to the Matrix to drag you by the chevron back to the realm of the living. Now stay with me!::
::Shockwave… here.::
Prowl’s words chilled him to the core, as did the fear he could sense coming from the chevroned mech before the tactician slammed the bond almost shut once more. The only consolation he had was that Prowl hadn’t broken their connection, whether it was because the mech hadn’t the strength to do it or still unconsciously harboured some hope of rescue, no matter what he said, Jazz couldn’t tell. But it was enough to send him running to Smokescreen. The Ops network tracked the movements of Megatron’s top bots. If Prowl said Shockwave was present, then they now had a lead to follow.
= = =
“I never liked tacticians. Think they’re glorified statistics programs, the lot of them. But one who slots himself into the mission with the least odds of survival, in the hopes of making those odds a little better for the bots carrying it out? Well, that’s a stupid tactician, but also a mech I’d follow willingly, to the Pit and back.”
“Yeah. Command’s not going to like us heading out like this, but Prowl’s got friends. Even if the glitch doesn’t realise it half the time.”
Jazz stuck his head into the room, calling out to its occupants (there were quite a few, something that pleased him immensely). “Bots, we have to hurry. Shockwave really hates Prowl. As much as that defective counting program can hate, at least.”
“Jazz? You’re coming?”
“Why not?”
“But, you don’t like Prowl that much.”
“ ‘Hide. He saved my life. We’re not bestest buds ever, but I don’t want him dead,” the Ops mech said, expression and tone solemn, before he smirked at the black mech. "Besides, you’ll need me to get your afts in and out without you or our misplaced tactics mech buying it. We’ve got enough losses on our plate, Prowl’d be really fragged off with me if I let that happen. Now, let’s move it.”
= = =
Jazz sighed, closing the memory files and tilting his helm up to look at Prowl’s recharging face. Whatever they had, he could ponder over it later. Right now, he was alive, Prowl was here, and he really needed to go back to recharge before Ratchet had his plating, newly resurrected or no.
Exhaling again, he dimmed his visor and wiggled to settle himself a little more comfortably against Prowl, quickly falling offline once more. In the quiet of their quarters, no one noticed the doorwinged tactician briefly tighten his hold on the silver mech.
'Verse: 2007 Transformers.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Cussing.
Prowl lay on his side, doorwings folded neatly along his back, out of the way, chassis curled slightly around his middle. Maggie had to smother her giggles, not wanting to disturb the silver mech currently tucked in that middle, also in recharge. She wasn’t successful, because Jazz’s visor onlined, and the saboteur was now looking her way with a sheepish expression.
“Well, this is a little embarrassing.”
She giggled again, then came to stand by the Solstice. “Aren’t you two cute.”
“I’ll never live this down if it leaks, so, pretty please with sprinkles on top?”
“I’ll keep mum. If you tell me why you saw fit to do that just now.”
“Do what?”
“Embarrass Prowl in front of the bots who just landed.”
= = =
“Jazz, how did you survive?”
“Yeah, from what I hear, Megatron fragged you up into two bits.”
“Oh, Prowl ‘faced me in front of the others, and voila! Jazz-mech is back in action!”
“… He what!?”
“What can I say? Mech’s good.”
The suggestive leer and stretch that Jazz gave to his audience had them all speechless. Snickering, the ops mech spread his hands in a persuading manner, sounding completely reasonable.
“Come on. He’s a tactician, who else would know alla the sensitive points in another bot’s frame and ten different ways to exploit every one of them? Apart from me, that is.”
The only sound in the room was that of rapidly locking up processors and the groan of a mortified SIC before Prowl joined them in shutdown.
= = =
Jazz rebooted his optics, recalling the incident. “Oh, that… S’not embarrassing him, just talking up his rep a little.”
“Why?! He doesn’t seem to seek the attention.” Maggie waved at the still offline tactician, and Jazz nodded.
“Exactly.”
“… You’ve lost me.”
“Prowler’s a loner, and the only way someone’s gonna get with him is if he’s got a good enough reputation to draw their interest.”
“So, you’re trying to hook him up with someone? Aren’t you bonded?”
“Well, yeah, but it wasn’t his choice and I… I don’t want him stuck with me. Prowl deserves better, a mate he actually wanted, someone special instead of a mech whose only chance at survival at the time was his spark.”
“He doesn’t seem to mind. If you want to be with someone else or want out of the bond…”
“I don’t. Not yet anyway. I know he’d sever the bond in a sparkbeat if I really asked, now that we're sure I can survive without it, but that leaves him with a broken connection, and everyone I know says it’s not pleasant. So I won’t even think of it until I know he’s going to have someone to take my place.”
“That’s…”
“What?”
“… Nothing. Only, if things were a little different, I’d almost say he's found his someone already.” The computer expert sighed when Jazz glanced away, and tried another tack.
“Anyway, don’t you have separate berths?”
“S’the bond. After all we put it through, even if we start on our own berths, one of us usually ends up with the other. It’ll get better after it’s had time to settle again.”
“Wow. Being separated must’ve been tough.” Maggie had heard things from the other mechs about spark bonds, and while the thought intrigued her, being connected so intimately to another, to be that reliant on them and have them just as dependant on you, made her shiver with some indescribable emotion. Jazz chirred softly in amused agreement.
“Let’s just say I’m glad Prowler’s here, and not just ‘cos he put my spark and chassis back together. Being apart from a bondmate is… well, it’s not fun.”
The Solstice gently traced a digit over the arm Prowl had lying across the saboteur’s frame, continuing. “Now, I don’t have to wonder if he’s off in some Pit of a battlefield, risking aft and plating trying to keep mechs alive.”
“… But, you can save him, like he did for you.”
“Well, yeah. But I had my duty to Prime. Can’t go charging off across the cosmos on my own to find him while the All Spark was missing. If he got slagged, all I could do would be to pray the bots with him didn’t scrap his chassis ‘til they caught up with Optimus and the rest of us.”
The woman fell silent, leaning against the berth and staring at the SIC’s offlined optics. “I bet he worried about you too.”
“It’s the spark bond. He can’t help it.”
She glanced at the saboteur in surprise. “All that time with each other and you don’t think he’d care for you at all without it? Harsh.”
“Well, we didn’t know each other before we had to bond to save me. Now… we’re friends and I know him better than anyone, and I know that he’d give a damn for me without it, but…”
“It’s hard when you don’t have anything else to compare it to.” Maggie continued for him, sympathy in her tone. Jazz vented air quietly.
“…Yeah.”
“But… when you first bonded, did he start caring immediately?”
“It’s instinctive. Bond and wham! You know what the other’s doing, what they’re thinking, feeling... Who wouldn't be driven to care about someone who's become practically part of them?”
“Is any different from when you first bonded and now?”
“… I…”
“Is your own worry over him is based off your bond alone?”
The Ops mech was silent, and Maggie patted him on the arm before she left. “Think about it Jazz. I have to get back to Ratchet and tell him you’re both resting like good mechs. See you around.”
= = =
“Have you seen Jazz?”
“He’s off somewhere, probably annoying Prowl.”
“Again? Frag, the two of them sure can act like sparklings around each other.”
“Heh, I know. Entertaining as the Pit.”
“Ssh, here they come. I don’t want to miss anything.”
Two mechs walked by, the doorwinged one looking at a datapad the silver one was holding, going over some plan.
“If you take this route, your team should be able to carry out the run with minimal losses.”
“There’s that thing over there that I don’t like the looks of though. Did you miss it?”
“I was about to say that that can be avoided if you make the following adjustments to your course. Be patient, Jazz.”
“Quit being so slow, Prowl. Any recommendations for the bots?”
“Quickstep, Blurr, Lightstrike and Bluestreak. They’re our fastest, and my calculations indicate that they will be the most adept at avoiding enemy fire and getting the supplies to the camp should the Decepticons come across them.”
“Gee. Thanks. And I suppose I’m slow as slag and likely to end up as mesh from all the shots riddling my chassis.”
“I never said such a thing.”
“Then why am I not on that list? I’m leading the run, after all.”
“Your specifications aren’t up to theirs in terms of landspeed, but I’m expecting you to not draw enemy notice in the first place, and be able to down any Decepticon that your team encounters. Unless you have cause to doubt your abilities?”
“Feh, this is me you’re talking about. I’m the best at what I do and you know it.”
“You’re certainly adept at causing trouble.” The chevroned mech replied, tone neutral. There was a chuckle from the Ops mech and Prowl pulled out a datapad of his own.
“The supplies are ready to go. I’ve called the four bots to briefing room 2-Beta; you can meet them there to go over the mission specs once more before leaving.”
“Gotcha. Hey, get this file over to security, will you? I won’t have time before the run. Look it over too, please. You’ll need it for your own mission in a couple of cycles.”
“Of course. Thank you.”
As both drew further away from the eavesdropping mechs, one of the listeners chuckled to the other.
“They do work well together though. Even if they do bicker through it all.”
“And don’t that fry every processor that pauses to contemplate it.”
Unknown to their watchers, tactician and ops mech had a secondary conversation going on.
::Be careful.::
::Always.::
::I’m serious.::
::Again, always. It’s okay, Prowl. You don’t have to fry a circuit fretting ‘bout me. I know the bond makes you-::
::Jazz. Every bot on this base will be restless until you and your team are safe inside once more. That includes me, bond or no bond. I may actually worry less, since I have a means of monitoring your well being.::
::Heh. Take care on your own little jaunt outside, ‘kay? And I’m not saying that just ‘cos of the bond. We’re friends, and friends do this for each other. I know. I should listen to myself.::
Jazz could feel Prowl’s amusement curling around him, and he snickered as they parted ways, he to the briefing room, and Prowl to security.
= = =
::Prowl! Prowl, you fragger, answer me!::
Nothing. Jazz threw all he had at their connection, cursing his weaker half of the link. Finding the tactician usually wasn’t an issue, Prowl blazed bright and obvious across the bond, but now, with the mech captured by ‘Cons and being put through only Primus knew what, his bondmate had shut down the link to the barest trickle. Jazz could tell that Prowl still lived, but not much else.
::Jazz… ::
The saboteur could have cried in relief at the faint voice across the spark bond, and staggered at the pain he could feel coming from the other.
::Prowler, we’re looking for you. Don’t cut me off.::
::Hurt… you. How… you explain…::
::I can deal with pain. Gonna say I have a source that owes me. Where are you?::
::Don’t… know. Bad shape… No optics…::
He could feel Prowl fading again, and quickly nudged the tactician mentally once more.
::Frag. Hold on, mech, I’m coming.::
::Jazz. Break… You… have time… find another-::
::NO!::
::Don’t want to… pull you down…::
::Damn it, Prowl! Don’t you dare.::
::Not going… make it.::
::I swear, Prowl, you stay alive or I will follow you to the Matrix to drag you by the chevron back to the realm of the living. Now stay with me!::
::Shockwave… here.::
Prowl’s words chilled him to the core, as did the fear he could sense coming from the chevroned mech before the tactician slammed the bond almost shut once more. The only consolation he had was that Prowl hadn’t broken their connection, whether it was because the mech hadn’t the strength to do it or still unconsciously harboured some hope of rescue, no matter what he said, Jazz couldn’t tell. But it was enough to send him running to Smokescreen. The Ops network tracked the movements of Megatron’s top bots. If Prowl said Shockwave was present, then they now had a lead to follow.
= = =
“I never liked tacticians. Think they’re glorified statistics programs, the lot of them. But one who slots himself into the mission with the least odds of survival, in the hopes of making those odds a little better for the bots carrying it out? Well, that’s a stupid tactician, but also a mech I’d follow willingly, to the Pit and back.”
“Yeah. Command’s not going to like us heading out like this, but Prowl’s got friends. Even if the glitch doesn’t realise it half the time.”
Jazz stuck his head into the room, calling out to its occupants (there were quite a few, something that pleased him immensely). “Bots, we have to hurry. Shockwave really hates Prowl. As much as that defective counting program can hate, at least.”
“Jazz? You’re coming?”
“Why not?”
“But, you don’t like Prowl that much.”
“ ‘Hide. He saved my life. We’re not bestest buds ever, but I don’t want him dead,” the Ops mech said, expression and tone solemn, before he smirked at the black mech. "Besides, you’ll need me to get your afts in and out without you or our misplaced tactics mech buying it. We’ve got enough losses on our plate, Prowl’d be really fragged off with me if I let that happen. Now, let’s move it.”
= = =
Jazz sighed, closing the memory files and tilting his helm up to look at Prowl’s recharging face. Whatever they had, he could ponder over it later. Right now, he was alive, Prowl was here, and he really needed to go back to recharge before Ratchet had his plating, newly resurrected or no.
Exhaling again, he dimmed his visor and wiggled to settle himself a little more comfortably against Prowl, quickly falling offline once more. In the quiet of their quarters, no one noticed the doorwinged tactician briefly tighten his hold on the silver mech.
