A quick response to a challenge
Prowl and Jazz conspired with the overactive angst muse to make this quick and short response for the prowlxjazz January challenge:
Title: Black and White?
Setting: G1
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Prowl,Jazz friendship with a hint of Jazz/Mirage
Summary: A mission gone wrong leaves Jazz brooding
The biscuit crumbled between his fingers and joined the pile that was all that was left of the other three. A pile of black and white dust, more black than white and even the white was flecked with black, how fitting he thought staring at the ruin before him just like me, more black than white. However hard he tried, how ever much he projected the image of a friendly, happy go luck, carefree mech he was really a dweller in the dark, his hands were stained with the energon of the innocent as well as the guilty of friend and foe alike. His spark was shrouded in the dark, every mech he meet he automatically assessed for weaknesses and threat, every room he walked into was swept for hidden bombs and snipers, he looked at a building and his thoughts turned to ways to bringing it down.
He stirred the pile tracing idle patterns in it, almost as if seeking some divine revelation in the remains. Some sign that perhaps he wasn’t completely damned, his thoughts turned to those he had dragged down this dark path. There was a haunted look in Bee’s optics when no one else was looking, and the sniper could often be found in the company of humans surrounding himself with life and laughter almost like a shield against the memories of the deaths he had caused. Mirage, a sigh escaped him, ‘Raj was better at hiding his pain, noble training came in handy sometimes he supposed. ‘Raj was the reason he was sat here brooding over events and slowly destroying a helpless packet of biscuits, the latest mission had gone SNAFU in the most spectacular style and he’d been forced to choose between abandoning his part of the plan to rescue ‘Raj or carrying on. A hard bitter smile crossed his face, proof if anyone ever needed it of how far the dark had infected him, he’d abandoned a very close friend to the scant mercies of Hook and Scrapper and carried on as planned. And just what had it achieved? What was left of Mirage when he’d come back was still on systems support in the repair bay, alive but only just and need of a full rebuild and the outcome of the mission? He came up blank, he’d tossed a clinical report on Prowl’s desk and not bothered to find out anything more.
He reached for another biscuit when a white hand dropped a data pad down in front of him scattering his pile of crumbs across the desk and swept the packet up out of reach.
“Since you won’t come to the mountain, I’ve brought the mountain to you.” Prowl said as he dropped into the other seat, pulling a biscuit out of the package and neatly biting it in half.
Jazz looked at the pad and then up at Prowl, and pushed it away smearing the heavier flecks of filling across the table, “Not interested.”
Prowl waived another biscuit at him and said a bit indistinctly “You’re not interested in the face that the Decepticons are going to have supply issues for at least another human year?”
“Nope.” Jazz reached for the packet and glared in annoyance when Prowl held it out of his reach.
“Why?”
Jazz rested his head in his hands and fixed his optics on the smears of black and white on the table “Does it matter? Really? I’m trapped in a never ending spiral Prowl, I damage them, they hit us back, I put ma spark on the line for only temporary gains and every time I damn ma self a bit more.” He shook his head “An’ ya know what’s worse Prowl? I’ve dragged some damn fine mechs into the dark with me.”
Prowl raised an optic ridge and waited silently for Jazz to continue.
Jazz rose to his feet suddenly and began to pace throwing his arms around agitatedly as he spoke “I had such high ideals when I joined up, universal freedom, reconciliation and peace to all.” A snort of bitter laughter escaped “Now look at me, I automatically weight up if another mech is gonna betray me, you, ‘Hide, Prime for frags sake! In the twisted pit of ma brain I have plans fer taking ya all out if ya prove ta be false, I left ‘Raj ta be taken apart. I’ve been slitting throats in the dark fer so long now I can’t remember a time when I didn’t do it, or when I was picky about how much collateral damage I did.”
Jazz threw himself down in his chair and stared into Prowl’s optics “I’m goin’ ta the pit one day Prowl, and I’m draggin’ Bee and ‘Raj down the same path. So no I don’t care that fer one solar cycle the ‘cons are gonna be having problems ‘cause in the scheme of things it ain’t that long ‘afore I get ta go and do it all again.”
Prowl considered Jazz’s rant and smiled “I don’t think you’re quiet as damned as you think.”
Jazz looked at him sceptically.
Prowl tossed a biscuit across the table at him and said placidly “You care enough about principles and morals to get upset about your actions, if you were truly the sparkless ice glitch you paint yourself as you wouldn’t give a frag about it.”
Jazz caught the offering and staring at the pattern embossed on it whispered “I nearly sacrificed a friends life Prowl, and I didn’t even think too much about it. ‘Raj is still on support ‘cause I left him.”
“And I don’t do exactly the same thing every time I work out a new battle plan?” Prowl asked “Mirage is still alive Jazz, you should ask him if the outcome was worth the price, and you should eat that not play with it like a sparkling.”
“Ya determined not ta let me wallow aren’t ya?” Jazz muttered as he bit into the biscuit he held in his fingers, the rich taste of the treat worked its magic on his mood lifting the cloud that hovered over him.
Prowl looked up at the door and a smirk settled on his face and said softly “Well someone has to,” Rising to his feet he said much louder “Good to see you up and about Mirage.”
Jazz spun in his seat to see the noble, still looking a bit battered and patched leaning against the door frame.
Prowl walked towards the door dropping the packet of Oreos into Jazz’s lap whispering “Ratchet said he needs all the energy he can get.”
He gave the shocked saboteur a wink and sauntered out whistling the tune to a truly filthy space shanty, both special ops mechs stared after him.
“Who was that and what has he done with the real Prowl?” Mirage wanted to know.
Jazz shook his head mutely “I have no idea.” He looked at the box and gestured to the other seat “Want to help me finish these?
Title: Black and White?
Setting: G1
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Prowl,Jazz friendship with a hint of Jazz/Mirage
Summary: A mission gone wrong leaves Jazz brooding
The biscuit crumbled between his fingers and joined the pile that was all that was left of the other three. A pile of black and white dust, more black than white and even the white was flecked with black, how fitting he thought staring at the ruin before him just like me, more black than white. However hard he tried, how ever much he projected the image of a friendly, happy go luck, carefree mech he was really a dweller in the dark, his hands were stained with the energon of the innocent as well as the guilty of friend and foe alike. His spark was shrouded in the dark, every mech he meet he automatically assessed for weaknesses and threat, every room he walked into was swept for hidden bombs and snipers, he looked at a building and his thoughts turned to ways to bringing it down.
He stirred the pile tracing idle patterns in it, almost as if seeking some divine revelation in the remains. Some sign that perhaps he wasn’t completely damned, his thoughts turned to those he had dragged down this dark path. There was a haunted look in Bee’s optics when no one else was looking, and the sniper could often be found in the company of humans surrounding himself with life and laughter almost like a shield against the memories of the deaths he had caused. Mirage, a sigh escaped him, ‘Raj was better at hiding his pain, noble training came in handy sometimes he supposed. ‘Raj was the reason he was sat here brooding over events and slowly destroying a helpless packet of biscuits, the latest mission had gone SNAFU in the most spectacular style and he’d been forced to choose between abandoning his part of the plan to rescue ‘Raj or carrying on. A hard bitter smile crossed his face, proof if anyone ever needed it of how far the dark had infected him, he’d abandoned a very close friend to the scant mercies of Hook and Scrapper and carried on as planned. And just what had it achieved? What was left of Mirage when he’d come back was still on systems support in the repair bay, alive but only just and need of a full rebuild and the outcome of the mission? He came up blank, he’d tossed a clinical report on Prowl’s desk and not bothered to find out anything more.
He reached for another biscuit when a white hand dropped a data pad down in front of him scattering his pile of crumbs across the desk and swept the packet up out of reach.
“Since you won’t come to the mountain, I’ve brought the mountain to you.” Prowl said as he dropped into the other seat, pulling a biscuit out of the package and neatly biting it in half.
Jazz looked at the pad and then up at Prowl, and pushed it away smearing the heavier flecks of filling across the table, “Not interested.”
Prowl waived another biscuit at him and said a bit indistinctly “You’re not interested in the face that the Decepticons are going to have supply issues for at least another human year?”
“Nope.” Jazz reached for the packet and glared in annoyance when Prowl held it out of his reach.
“Why?”
Jazz rested his head in his hands and fixed his optics on the smears of black and white on the table “Does it matter? Really? I’m trapped in a never ending spiral Prowl, I damage them, they hit us back, I put ma spark on the line for only temporary gains and every time I damn ma self a bit more.” He shook his head “An’ ya know what’s worse Prowl? I’ve dragged some damn fine mechs into the dark with me.”
Prowl raised an optic ridge and waited silently for Jazz to continue.
Jazz rose to his feet suddenly and began to pace throwing his arms around agitatedly as he spoke “I had such high ideals when I joined up, universal freedom, reconciliation and peace to all.” A snort of bitter laughter escaped “Now look at me, I automatically weight up if another mech is gonna betray me, you, ‘Hide, Prime for frags sake! In the twisted pit of ma brain I have plans fer taking ya all out if ya prove ta be false, I left ‘Raj ta be taken apart. I’ve been slitting throats in the dark fer so long now I can’t remember a time when I didn’t do it, or when I was picky about how much collateral damage I did.”
Jazz threw himself down in his chair and stared into Prowl’s optics “I’m goin’ ta the pit one day Prowl, and I’m draggin’ Bee and ‘Raj down the same path. So no I don’t care that fer one solar cycle the ‘cons are gonna be having problems ‘cause in the scheme of things it ain’t that long ‘afore I get ta go and do it all again.”
Prowl considered Jazz’s rant and smiled “I don’t think you’re quiet as damned as you think.”
Jazz looked at him sceptically.
Prowl tossed a biscuit across the table at him and said placidly “You care enough about principles and morals to get upset about your actions, if you were truly the sparkless ice glitch you paint yourself as you wouldn’t give a frag about it.”
Jazz caught the offering and staring at the pattern embossed on it whispered “I nearly sacrificed a friends life Prowl, and I didn’t even think too much about it. ‘Raj is still on support ‘cause I left him.”
“And I don’t do exactly the same thing every time I work out a new battle plan?” Prowl asked “Mirage is still alive Jazz, you should ask him if the outcome was worth the price, and you should eat that not play with it like a sparkling.”
“Ya determined not ta let me wallow aren’t ya?” Jazz muttered as he bit into the biscuit he held in his fingers, the rich taste of the treat worked its magic on his mood lifting the cloud that hovered over him.
Prowl looked up at the door and a smirk settled on his face and said softly “Well someone has to,” Rising to his feet he said much louder “Good to see you up and about Mirage.”
Jazz spun in his seat to see the noble, still looking a bit battered and patched leaning against the door frame.
Prowl walked towards the door dropping the packet of Oreos into Jazz’s lap whispering “Ratchet said he needs all the energy he can get.”
He gave the shocked saboteur a wink and sauntered out whistling the tune to a truly filthy space shanty, both special ops mechs stared after him.
“Who was that and what has he done with the real Prowl?” Mirage wanted to know.
Jazz shook his head mutely “I have no idea.” He looked at the box and gestured to the other seat “Want to help me finish these?