Challenge day 3
Title: It's More than a Feeling - Reel Around the Sun (03/30)
Day: Sept 03
Prompt:"More than friends, less than lovers."
Verse: G1
Rating: PG
Words: 2398
Other Characters: Mention of Blaster.
Warnings: None I can think of.
Summary: He knew he was not the submissive others thought he was.
Notes: For the Sexy September challenge @ prowlxjazz. Happy Anniversary to all in the pxj community, here's to many more to come. This piece is not beta-read so feel free to correct me. It's also a little pick me up for purajo and it's the sequel of Only Time my first response for this prompt back in April. Several concepts of this are based in events created by purajo and used with permission. Kudos if you get the reference at the end. :P
Things had changed and so far Jazz could tell they changed for the better. From the point of view of their crew mates, nothing had changed between Jazz and Prowl. Everything was exactly as it was as far as any onlookers could see, their closeness was expected and the time they spent together, even if it had increased, was hardly something new or surprising for other mechs. Even Blaster had no idea of the kind of relationship his best friend shared with Prowl now.
There were a handful of hints that were hardly noticeable unless attention to details was paid by anyone looking from the outside. When they sat together they hung a little closer than usual and more often than not they'd lock glances with each other, and perhaps the most telling thing about the chance of nature in their relationship was that they had become increasingly touchy with each other. Sometimes Prowl would brush his fingers against Jazz's or touch his arm. Jazz was a little bolder, often stroking Prowl's chevron or brushing a finger along a door wing.
Their relationship was discrete because they were still getting used to the new nature of their feelings. Slowly transitioning from best of friends to something more, it was chaste and innocent as neither felt ready to take the step into intimacy, and they were not in a hurry for it. They hadn't even shared a kiss just yet, allowing the relationship to take its course on its own.
Contrary to popular belief, Jazz was not the easy mech that could get anyone he wanted on his berth and was quite liberal of who he shared his berth with, or at least it was such the fame the preceded him since no mech in the Ark's crew ever enjoyed the chance of first hand experience of Jazz's rumored prowess. Not a small amount of mechs would have been shocked and no doubt disbelieving if they were to find out jazz was pretty much an untouched mech considering the rather flirty nature of the Special Ops. agent.
But for Jazz -and Prowl was aware and understanding of this better than anyone- having an easy and flirty nature didn't equal to being easy on the berth, or that all his flirtation was meant to end with interfacing. Prowl saw it for what it was, simply the kind of charming and easy going attitude Jazz had, his way to break the ice and be friendly with everyone but also because he knew his flirting was also another way to keep morale up. If Jazz was up to being flirty, things weren't dire enough to bring his bubbling personality down. Or so they thought.
Prowl knew that even when things weren't so bad even Jazz needed a moment to just be sad and cry, and Prowl's shoulder was the one Jazz would cry on. Now more than ever, when their relationship was taking a turn something even deeper, Prowl and Jazz bared themselves to each other often, whenever they needed it. Sometimes they needed no words, all they needed was their mutual companionship and the knowledge they were there for each other. Only a mere few weeks ago Jazz had come to Prowl in the middle of his recharge cycle, tired after a particularly rough shift and seeking solace.
Prowl felt when Jazz came to his berth and merely laid next to him, curling up against his frame without speaking a word. Prowl, having being awoken by Jazz's presence at the unusual time, only wrapped an arm around the saboteur and remained in silence lending comfort through his presence alone. He knew that if Jazz wanted to speak he would do so when he felt ready.
"I miss 'im." Jazz said finally after a lengthy silence.
By now Prowl knew exactly who the other mech was talking about. "I know." He squeezed Jazz a little tighter to soothe and comfort him.
Jazz began to pour his sorrow and nostalgia and Prowl listened patiently, all his attention devoted to the bundle of saboteur in his arms. It turned out that during his patrol drive through the nearby city Jazz casually passed by an open concert of sorts in a public park, and for some reason a Blues musician reminded Jazz of his creator. Nobody knew just how close Jazz had been to his creator and how much his passing, which was pretty soon after Jazz's first steps into existence, affected the saboteur even now. Jazz never felt he could share this with anyone, always putting on his brave and carefree face for the good of others. Until Prowl became part of the picture.
It were things like those that brought them closer together, a kind of intimate and very personal moment that they trusted the other to witness and that interwove their lives together even further. Bit by bit, small action by small action, all began to shape up their relationship further.
Certain activities they shared together before were still the main focus of so much in their relationship. Playing together had become one of their favorite activities and they found in their playing a common passion and a different way to grow closer to each other, something that had also become very intimate and personal for they shared it with no one but each other.
Jazz owned to items he considered his most priced possessions: A splinter of crystal from the remnants of the Helix Gardens that Prowl gave to him earlier when they began to grow close, and the Pipa that Prowl commissioned for him. Jazz joked once, while he played the pipa by himself in the recreation room and curious mechs asked if they could 'check it out', that if anyone so much as scratched the varnish of his beloved instrument, Prime would have a hard time finding all the pieces. Except Jazz wasn't joking entirely, he was extremely protective of the item and was known as the only thing Jazz would not freely share with others or allow them to play with.
Nobody knew of the, in Jazz's words, Pipa's mate. Its mate being Prowl's Erhu. Prowl was not in a hurry to allow others to see him take his baby-steps into learning to play the instrument, and although Jazz insisted Prowl was becoming a better player, the tactician remained unconvinced thus far. Jazz issued a little challenge for his...he didn't know what to call each other, for they were not lovers just yet - Jazz would allow Prowl to kiss him proper if he could play a melody in particular without the aid of music sheets.
Prowl retorted that he wasn't in a hurry for that first kiss between them as something more than just friends, but suspecting Jazz wanted both the kiss and to prove that Prowl's playing skill had improved he agreed that they would do it when Prowl was capable of playing that particular piece, which involved faster movements that he had ever attempted before. They practiced for several days, enjoying the time they spent together playing with each other. Jazz's Pipa's upbeat and usually cheerful tones complemented the almost melancholy tones of Prowl's Erhu most of the time.
The melody Jazz picked for Prowl to learn was not easy by any standards, the first half of the melody was slow enough that Prowl could handle it with relative ease although it was still faster than anything he had played before and needed far more finger placement. The real challenge was in the second half of the melody where Prowl had to 'fiddle' and the playing speed increased significantly. Their first few practicing sessions had been disastrous and if Prowl hadn't been comfortable with Jazz seeing him actually fail the saboteur was certain Prowl would have abandoned the instrument in embarrassment.
Thankfully Prowl was over that when it came to playing with Jazz and rather than feel embarrassment, Prowl would patiently try and try again. Eventually he found his speed and his fingers grew sufficiently nimble to play the melody if he could read the music sheet. Playing it all without it was another mater. After several days of practice in which they often joked, or talked about the ups or downs of their day, Prowl felt he was ready to attempt the melody without the sheet and they agreed to try later that day after Jazz's shift.
Prowl's shift ended earlier than Jazz in that day's rotation, so he prepared his room for the activity that had become almost a ritual between them. He had energon laying on little tables one at the side of his chair and the other next to the arm of the couch Jazz favored. He tuned the strings of his Erhu as he waited, smiling to himself when the door slid open and Jazz sauntered in with a characteristic sway to his hips. The tactician noticed in the past that when Jazz had that cant or sway in his step it usually meant he was very happy or very excited.
"Hey, lover." Jazz greeted as he sat on the couch, wriggling to make himself comfortable.
"I don't think we've got to that part yet, Jazz." Prowl chuckled.
Jazz waved a hand as he extracted his Pipa from his subspace. "Details. Ya ready?"
"I do believe I am." Prowl rested the Erhu's body on his thigh while Jazz went through a ritual of his own, extracting several small finger picks, carefully fitting each brass accessory on the fingers of one hand. The finger picks had been yet another gift from Prowl, though these originally obeyed a necessity. The melody Jazz chose for them to play wasn't fast only for Prowl, but also exceptionally fast for the part to be played by Jazz's instrument, and the constant plucking of several strings at such speed eventually led to some minor wear on Jazz's finger tips.
Ratchet had been none too happy about that and after the plating was tended to, Prowl looked up ways to prevent it, finding that many professional Pipa players wore finger picks to pluck the strings, and set himself to procure some for his not-quite-lover-yet. Jazz had been thankful for the little gesture and along with the picks, he dipped the fingers of his other hand in some kind of oil to ease the friction.
"Ready when you are." Jazz adjusted the Pipa to his thigh and waited for Prowl's signal. They had recorded a back up melody previously -Jazz recruited Blaster's help to add the back up of a couple of Guzheng zithers, a Xiao flute and twin Dizi flutes, though he never revealed who was the player of the back up Erhu.
"Go ahead." Prowl awaited for the pre-recorded melody to work as his cue. The melody began with a long introduction with the Xiao, and his cue would come from his own pre-recorded background accords that were different from the main accords he would play.
"Jus' let th'music flow, Prowl. Don't worry 'bout anythin'." Jazz murmured. Prowl smiled at him and dimmed his optics, focusing on the music, on cue he began to play his part and so did Jazz. The first half of the melody had always been the easier part for him and soon he grew comfortable and lost himself to the music along with Jazz.
Jazz smiled at him, playing his part in perfect synchronization. For an individual so driven by music, and Jazz would admit that he was created mainly for the purpose of sharing it with the universe, having the mech he knew he loved share it with him meant so much to Jazz. It was like making love without even touching, the sound and rhythm were the hands and lips that caressed their bodies, and Jazz could only hope that if he and Prowl ever 'faced it would be half as sublime as playing together was.
Prowl looked into Jazz's optics through the visor, his smile widening a little as he no longer paid conscious attention to what he was doing, allowing the music to guide his hands on its own, watching Jazz's hands as the melody drew to its second half. Jazz's fingers picked up on speed and all but danced over the strings, plucking at a fast but perfectly rhythmic pace. It didn't come as a surprise to Jazz, as he smiled to Prowl that while the tactician watched him his own fingers danced along the neck of the Erhu while the bow moved at an equally fast pace.
Soon, the melody drew to its end and the not-quite-lovers set the instruments aside. "Ya did it. I toldja." Jazz murmured as if he didn't want the sound of his voice to break the magic of the moment.
"That you did." Prowl replied equally softly. "I believe I am entitled to a reward now, aren't I?"
"Yes, you are." Jazz felt his spark pulse a little faster, whether it was excitement or anxiety, he didn't know. "Gonna claim it now?"
"I think I should." Prowl left his chair, cradling the Erhu to his body gently. "If that's all right with you."
"Yeah..." Jazz found he couldn't tear his gaze away as Prowl took slow steps towards him until their faces were just inches from each other.
Prowl hesitated only for a moment before he closed the gap between them and pressed his lips to Jazz's. The kiss was soft and Jazz let out a soft sound Prowl couldn't quite classify but he decided he rather liked it. The visored mech responded to the kiss softly, moving his lips briefly against Prowl's and relishing on the sensation when Prowl responded in kind. It was a chaste kiss, but Jazz decided he definitely enjoyed it too much and wouldn't object to an encore.
Finally, Prowl pulled away smiling with amusement at Jazz's somewhat dreamy expression, one he was sure he matched in his own way.
After a moment to come back to the present, Jazz touched Prowl's cheek "...Guess it's official, now?"
"I suppose it is." For some reason Prowl didn't care to find out, he was reminded of a music video Jazz sat him through once. After a brief pause he asked. "Does this mean I have to get you a ring and become a were mech?"
The silence in the room was broken by Jazz's unbridled laughter.
Day: Sept 03
Prompt:"More than friends, less than lovers."
Verse: G1
Rating: PG
Words: 2398
Other Characters: Mention of Blaster.
Warnings: None I can think of.
Summary: He knew he was not the submissive others thought he was.
Notes: For the Sexy September challenge @ prowlxjazz. Happy Anniversary to all in the pxj community, here's to many more to come. This piece is not beta-read so feel free to correct me. It's also a little pick me up for purajo and it's the sequel of Only Time my first response for this prompt back in April. Several concepts of this are based in events created by purajo and used with permission. Kudos if you get the reference at the end. :P
Things had changed and so far Jazz could tell they changed for the better. From the point of view of their crew mates, nothing had changed between Jazz and Prowl. Everything was exactly as it was as far as any onlookers could see, their closeness was expected and the time they spent together, even if it had increased, was hardly something new or surprising for other mechs. Even Blaster had no idea of the kind of relationship his best friend shared with Prowl now.
There were a handful of hints that were hardly noticeable unless attention to details was paid by anyone looking from the outside. When they sat together they hung a little closer than usual and more often than not they'd lock glances with each other, and perhaps the most telling thing about the chance of nature in their relationship was that they had become increasingly touchy with each other. Sometimes Prowl would brush his fingers against Jazz's or touch his arm. Jazz was a little bolder, often stroking Prowl's chevron or brushing a finger along a door wing.
Their relationship was discrete because they were still getting used to the new nature of their feelings. Slowly transitioning from best of friends to something more, it was chaste and innocent as neither felt ready to take the step into intimacy, and they were not in a hurry for it. They hadn't even shared a kiss just yet, allowing the relationship to take its course on its own.
Contrary to popular belief, Jazz was not the easy mech that could get anyone he wanted on his berth and was quite liberal of who he shared his berth with, or at least it was such the fame the preceded him since no mech in the Ark's crew ever enjoyed the chance of first hand experience of Jazz's rumored prowess. Not a small amount of mechs would have been shocked and no doubt disbelieving if they were to find out jazz was pretty much an untouched mech considering the rather flirty nature of the Special Ops. agent.
But for Jazz -and Prowl was aware and understanding of this better than anyone- having an easy and flirty nature didn't equal to being easy on the berth, or that all his flirtation was meant to end with interfacing. Prowl saw it for what it was, simply the kind of charming and easy going attitude Jazz had, his way to break the ice and be friendly with everyone but also because he knew his flirting was also another way to keep morale up. If Jazz was up to being flirty, things weren't dire enough to bring his bubbling personality down. Or so they thought.
Prowl knew that even when things weren't so bad even Jazz needed a moment to just be sad and cry, and Prowl's shoulder was the one Jazz would cry on. Now more than ever, when their relationship was taking a turn something even deeper, Prowl and Jazz bared themselves to each other often, whenever they needed it. Sometimes they needed no words, all they needed was their mutual companionship and the knowledge they were there for each other. Only a mere few weeks ago Jazz had come to Prowl in the middle of his recharge cycle, tired after a particularly rough shift and seeking solace.
Prowl felt when Jazz came to his berth and merely laid next to him, curling up against his frame without speaking a word. Prowl, having being awoken by Jazz's presence at the unusual time, only wrapped an arm around the saboteur and remained in silence lending comfort through his presence alone. He knew that if Jazz wanted to speak he would do so when he felt ready.
"I miss 'im." Jazz said finally after a lengthy silence.
By now Prowl knew exactly who the other mech was talking about. "I know." He squeezed Jazz a little tighter to soothe and comfort him.
Jazz began to pour his sorrow and nostalgia and Prowl listened patiently, all his attention devoted to the bundle of saboteur in his arms. It turned out that during his patrol drive through the nearby city Jazz casually passed by an open concert of sorts in a public park, and for some reason a Blues musician reminded Jazz of his creator. Nobody knew just how close Jazz had been to his creator and how much his passing, which was pretty soon after Jazz's first steps into existence, affected the saboteur even now. Jazz never felt he could share this with anyone, always putting on his brave and carefree face for the good of others. Until Prowl became part of the picture.
It were things like those that brought them closer together, a kind of intimate and very personal moment that they trusted the other to witness and that interwove their lives together even further. Bit by bit, small action by small action, all began to shape up their relationship further.
Certain activities they shared together before were still the main focus of so much in their relationship. Playing together had become one of their favorite activities and they found in their playing a common passion and a different way to grow closer to each other, something that had also become very intimate and personal for they shared it with no one but each other.
Jazz owned to items he considered his most priced possessions: A splinter of crystal from the remnants of the Helix Gardens that Prowl gave to him earlier when they began to grow close, and the Pipa that Prowl commissioned for him. Jazz joked once, while he played the pipa by himself in the recreation room and curious mechs asked if they could 'check it out', that if anyone so much as scratched the varnish of his beloved instrument, Prime would have a hard time finding all the pieces. Except Jazz wasn't joking entirely, he was extremely protective of the item and was known as the only thing Jazz would not freely share with others or allow them to play with.
Nobody knew of the, in Jazz's words, Pipa's mate. Its mate being Prowl's Erhu. Prowl was not in a hurry to allow others to see him take his baby-steps into learning to play the instrument, and although Jazz insisted Prowl was becoming a better player, the tactician remained unconvinced thus far. Jazz issued a little challenge for his...he didn't know what to call each other, for they were not lovers just yet - Jazz would allow Prowl to kiss him proper if he could play a melody in particular without the aid of music sheets.
Prowl retorted that he wasn't in a hurry for that first kiss between them as something more than just friends, but suspecting Jazz wanted both the kiss and to prove that Prowl's playing skill had improved he agreed that they would do it when Prowl was capable of playing that particular piece, which involved faster movements that he had ever attempted before. They practiced for several days, enjoying the time they spent together playing with each other. Jazz's Pipa's upbeat and usually cheerful tones complemented the almost melancholy tones of Prowl's Erhu most of the time.
The melody Jazz picked for Prowl to learn was not easy by any standards, the first half of the melody was slow enough that Prowl could handle it with relative ease although it was still faster than anything he had played before and needed far more finger placement. The real challenge was in the second half of the melody where Prowl had to 'fiddle' and the playing speed increased significantly. Their first few practicing sessions had been disastrous and if Prowl hadn't been comfortable with Jazz seeing him actually fail the saboteur was certain Prowl would have abandoned the instrument in embarrassment.
Thankfully Prowl was over that when it came to playing with Jazz and rather than feel embarrassment, Prowl would patiently try and try again. Eventually he found his speed and his fingers grew sufficiently nimble to play the melody if he could read the music sheet. Playing it all without it was another mater. After several days of practice in which they often joked, or talked about the ups or downs of their day, Prowl felt he was ready to attempt the melody without the sheet and they agreed to try later that day after Jazz's shift.
Prowl's shift ended earlier than Jazz in that day's rotation, so he prepared his room for the activity that had become almost a ritual between them. He had energon laying on little tables one at the side of his chair and the other next to the arm of the couch Jazz favored. He tuned the strings of his Erhu as he waited, smiling to himself when the door slid open and Jazz sauntered in with a characteristic sway to his hips. The tactician noticed in the past that when Jazz had that cant or sway in his step it usually meant he was very happy or very excited.
"Hey, lover." Jazz greeted as he sat on the couch, wriggling to make himself comfortable.
"I don't think we've got to that part yet, Jazz." Prowl chuckled.
Jazz waved a hand as he extracted his Pipa from his subspace. "Details. Ya ready?"
"I do believe I am." Prowl rested the Erhu's body on his thigh while Jazz went through a ritual of his own, extracting several small finger picks, carefully fitting each brass accessory on the fingers of one hand. The finger picks had been yet another gift from Prowl, though these originally obeyed a necessity. The melody Jazz chose for them to play wasn't fast only for Prowl, but also exceptionally fast for the part to be played by Jazz's instrument, and the constant plucking of several strings at such speed eventually led to some minor wear on Jazz's finger tips.
Ratchet had been none too happy about that and after the plating was tended to, Prowl looked up ways to prevent it, finding that many professional Pipa players wore finger picks to pluck the strings, and set himself to procure some for his not-quite-lover-yet. Jazz had been thankful for the little gesture and along with the picks, he dipped the fingers of his other hand in some kind of oil to ease the friction.
"Ready when you are." Jazz adjusted the Pipa to his thigh and waited for Prowl's signal. They had recorded a back up melody previously -Jazz recruited Blaster's help to add the back up of a couple of Guzheng zithers, a Xiao flute and twin Dizi flutes, though he never revealed who was the player of the back up Erhu.
"Go ahead." Prowl awaited for the pre-recorded melody to work as his cue. The melody began with a long introduction with the Xiao, and his cue would come from his own pre-recorded background accords that were different from the main accords he would play.
"Jus' let th'music flow, Prowl. Don't worry 'bout anythin'." Jazz murmured. Prowl smiled at him and dimmed his optics, focusing on the music, on cue he began to play his part and so did Jazz. The first half of the melody had always been the easier part for him and soon he grew comfortable and lost himself to the music along with Jazz.
Jazz smiled at him, playing his part in perfect synchronization. For an individual so driven by music, and Jazz would admit that he was created mainly for the purpose of sharing it with the universe, having the mech he knew he loved share it with him meant so much to Jazz. It was like making love without even touching, the sound and rhythm were the hands and lips that caressed their bodies, and Jazz could only hope that if he and Prowl ever 'faced it would be half as sublime as playing together was.
Prowl looked into Jazz's optics through the visor, his smile widening a little as he no longer paid conscious attention to what he was doing, allowing the music to guide his hands on its own, watching Jazz's hands as the melody drew to its second half. Jazz's fingers picked up on speed and all but danced over the strings, plucking at a fast but perfectly rhythmic pace. It didn't come as a surprise to Jazz, as he smiled to Prowl that while the tactician watched him his own fingers danced along the neck of the Erhu while the bow moved at an equally fast pace.
Soon, the melody drew to its end and the not-quite-lovers set the instruments aside. "Ya did it. I toldja." Jazz murmured as if he didn't want the sound of his voice to break the magic of the moment.
"That you did." Prowl replied equally softly. "I believe I am entitled to a reward now, aren't I?"
"Yes, you are." Jazz felt his spark pulse a little faster, whether it was excitement or anxiety, he didn't know. "Gonna claim it now?"
"I think I should." Prowl left his chair, cradling the Erhu to his body gently. "If that's all right with you."
"Yeah..." Jazz found he couldn't tear his gaze away as Prowl took slow steps towards him until their faces were just inches from each other.
Prowl hesitated only for a moment before he closed the gap between them and pressed his lips to Jazz's. The kiss was soft and Jazz let out a soft sound Prowl couldn't quite classify but he decided he rather liked it. The visored mech responded to the kiss softly, moving his lips briefly against Prowl's and relishing on the sensation when Prowl responded in kind. It was a chaste kiss, but Jazz decided he definitely enjoyed it too much and wouldn't object to an encore.
Finally, Prowl pulled away smiling with amusement at Jazz's somewhat dreamy expression, one he was sure he matched in his own way.
After a moment to come back to the present, Jazz touched Prowl's cheek "...Guess it's official, now?"
"I suppose it is." For some reason Prowl didn't care to find out, he was reminded of a music video Jazz sat him through once. After a brief pause he asked. "Does this mean I have to get you a ring and become a were mech?"
The silence in the room was broken by Jazz's unbridled laughter.