I think I ruined a childhood favorite...
Title: Gingerbread Man
Prompt: Week 2 - #1: Can’t hide from love.
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Prowl, Jazz, mentions of others
Verse: Bayverse (only '07 movie though)
Warnings: bit of slash, mentions of death and dying, mentions of torture
Summary: No one can hide forever, but if you run long enough the chase ends.
Notes: For the prowlxjazz anniversary challenge additional week. I tried something that’s a bit different from how I usually write, so it was a bit harder to write, but if I wrote it differently, I’m not sure it would have the same effect. And I’m not so sure the last part was done all that well either. Also, the parallels between this and the actual children's story were unintentional at first.
“Run, run as fast as you can.
You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man.”
- The Gingerbread Man
“Run away with me.”
“What?”
“I said, run away with me.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
“Yes, you can. You just won’t.”
“Either way, it doesn’t matter. We can’t just leave.”
====
“You know you don’t have to do this right? No one would blame you for not going.”
“You’re wrong.”
“That’s funny, because our beloved CMO actually agrees with me for once that it would be better if you didn’t go on this run.”
“I don’t doubt that, but you are wrong. If I don’t do this, no one else would be mad at me except for myself, so you see, I really don’t have a choice.”
“Those are harsh words.”
“Many Decepticons would say that I’m a harsh mech.”
“I’m not going to argue with them.”
“…Run away with me?”
"This again? I thought you would’ve given up by now, besides you’re going to be busy for the next few decaorns.”
“I meant after, I will not abandon those I can save. Once my team finishes, it will be easy for us to get away.”
“Not ‘if’?”
“I thought you knew me better than that. I’m too good at my job to die from something like this. So will you?”
“You have a one track processor don’t you? No, so give up asking.”
“I won’t.”
“Why do you bother to keep trying?”
“The same reason I’m going on this run. You can’t hide forever.”
“I’m not hiding.”
===
“I thought you said you were too good at your job to die from something like this?!”
“Well, if you took a better look, you’d realize that I’m still alive, so I am too good at my job to die from this.”
“Too good to die, but three quarters dead is something to be proud of? Hold still, I’ll get you down.”
“It’s not as if I can really move.”
“Quiet or I’ll cut off your servos instead of the chains holding you up.”
“If either of us didn’t have to deal with Ratchet after this, I’d say go ahead, it would at least quiet the pain sensors in my hands.”
“I think you’ve spent too long in the cell.”
“Anytime spent in a cell is too long. How’s my team?”
“Barricade wasn’t found, he’s probably dead, the others are being pulled out right now.”
“Barricade’s alive, he was a sleeper.”
“The reason you’re in a cell?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t wait to hear the report, it’s not easy to take you by surprise.”
“It won’t be all that interesting, I was the first one taken out… That’s better.”
“I would hope so. Anything else that hurts?”
“There’s nothing that can’t wait until we’re out of here.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Run away with me now?”
“Not even.”
“You’re still hiding then.”
“I told you, I’m not hiding, I’m going to be running to get even with Barricade.”
“How sweet.”
===
“Sit down, pacing isn’t going to do anything.”
“Maybe not, but right now it’s more appealing than sitting.”
“It won’t change that a whole city’s been raised to the ground and that there weren’t that many survivors.”
“You would see it like that, wouldn’t you?”
“Angry won’t compare to what I’m feeling right now, but just being it won’t do much.”
“Sometimes I envy your control.”
“That’s ironic, you seem to do just fine most of the time.”
“I don’t feel it.”
“Others see it.”
“Will you run away with me now?”
“Are you sure you don’t have a serious glitch? No, I won’t run away with you! If you haven’t noticed we’re in the middle of a war with responsibilities to others. Running away would be the same as throwing them all to the Pit.”
“Alright, but we’ve been friends for so long, so at least answer me this: If we weren’t at war, would you still give the same answer.”
“I’m leaving.”
“…You can’t run and hide forever.”
===
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to talk to you.”
“I told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times, I won’t run away with you, and I’m not going to start something, not here, not now.”
“But not never?”
“When will you give up?”
“Relax, I only came here to talk. After this, there won’t be time for talking.”
“Then talk.”
“I want you to understand, that I’m not angry. I understand why you continue to refuse me, and why you don’t ever want to compromise. I understand why you want to hide.”
“I told you, I’m not hiding.”
“Running then, but I think you should hear what I’ve been trying to say for all these vorns, why I’ve been asking you to run away with me, because I think you’re going to need to hear the actual words in order for it to get through your thick processor.”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
“But I’m going to say it. I love you.”
“Why? Why now? Why me?”
“Because this will be my only chance for a long time, and because it’s always been you.”
===
“I heard a story today, a children’s one that Lennox was reading to his daughter. It was called ‘The Gingerbread Man’, it reminded me a lot of you, and how you would keep running from what I had to say. Running and hiding, that’s all you ever did when it came to what I had to say. Running and running, and just like the very end of the story, you didn’t accomplish anything, you just died. You couldn’t hide forever, but nor could you run fast or long enough. I knew, even back then when I first asked you, that both of us would not survive this war, that’s why I asked you. But, we have always been too good at our jobs, haven’t we? And now, the war is over, you’re dead, I’m alive, and everything that we could have been is nothing but a fantasy. So tell me, was it worth it, Jazz?”
Prompt: Week 2 - #1: Can’t hide from love.
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Prowl, Jazz, mentions of others
Verse: Bayverse (only '07 movie though)
Warnings: bit of slash, mentions of death and dying, mentions of torture
Summary: No one can hide forever, but if you run long enough the chase ends.
Notes: For the prowlxjazz anniversary challenge additional week. I tried something that’s a bit different from how I usually write, so it was a bit harder to write, but if I wrote it differently, I’m not sure it would have the same effect. And I’m not so sure the last part was done all that well either. Also, the parallels between this and the actual children's story were unintentional at first.
“Run, run as fast as you can.
You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man.”
- The Gingerbread Man
“Run away with me.”
“What?”
“I said, run away with me.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
“Yes, you can. You just won’t.”
“Either way, it doesn’t matter. We can’t just leave.”
====
“You know you don’t have to do this right? No one would blame you for not going.”
“You’re wrong.”
“That’s funny, because our beloved CMO actually agrees with me for once that it would be better if you didn’t go on this run.”
“I don’t doubt that, but you are wrong. If I don’t do this, no one else would be mad at me except for myself, so you see, I really don’t have a choice.”
“Those are harsh words.”
“Many Decepticons would say that I’m a harsh mech.”
“I’m not going to argue with them.”
“…Run away with me?”
"This again? I thought you would’ve given up by now, besides you’re going to be busy for the next few decaorns.”
“I meant after, I will not abandon those I can save. Once my team finishes, it will be easy for us to get away.”
“Not ‘if’?”
“I thought you knew me better than that. I’m too good at my job to die from something like this. So will you?”
“You have a one track processor don’t you? No, so give up asking.”
“I won’t.”
“Why do you bother to keep trying?”
“The same reason I’m going on this run. You can’t hide forever.”
“I’m not hiding.”
===
“I thought you said you were too good at your job to die from something like this?!”
“Well, if you took a better look, you’d realize that I’m still alive, so I am too good at my job to die from this.”
“Too good to die, but three quarters dead is something to be proud of? Hold still, I’ll get you down.”
“It’s not as if I can really move.”
“Quiet or I’ll cut off your servos instead of the chains holding you up.”
“If either of us didn’t have to deal with Ratchet after this, I’d say go ahead, it would at least quiet the pain sensors in my hands.”
“I think you’ve spent too long in the cell.”
“Anytime spent in a cell is too long. How’s my team?”
“Barricade wasn’t found, he’s probably dead, the others are being pulled out right now.”
“Barricade’s alive, he was a sleeper.”
“The reason you’re in a cell?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t wait to hear the report, it’s not easy to take you by surprise.”
“It won’t be all that interesting, I was the first one taken out… That’s better.”
“I would hope so. Anything else that hurts?”
“There’s nothing that can’t wait until we’re out of here.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Run away with me now?”
“Not even.”
“You’re still hiding then.”
“I told you, I’m not hiding, I’m going to be running to get even with Barricade.”
“How sweet.”
===
“Sit down, pacing isn’t going to do anything.”
“Maybe not, but right now it’s more appealing than sitting.”
“It won’t change that a whole city’s been raised to the ground and that there weren’t that many survivors.”
“You would see it like that, wouldn’t you?”
“Angry won’t compare to what I’m feeling right now, but just being it won’t do much.”
“Sometimes I envy your control.”
“That’s ironic, you seem to do just fine most of the time.”
“I don’t feel it.”
“Others see it.”
“Will you run away with me now?”
“Are you sure you don’t have a serious glitch? No, I won’t run away with you! If you haven’t noticed we’re in the middle of a war with responsibilities to others. Running away would be the same as throwing them all to the Pit.”
“Alright, but we’ve been friends for so long, so at least answer me this: If we weren’t at war, would you still give the same answer.”
“I’m leaving.”
“…You can’t run and hide forever.”
===
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to talk to you.”
“I told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times, I won’t run away with you, and I’m not going to start something, not here, not now.”
“But not never?”
“When will you give up?”
“Relax, I only came here to talk. After this, there won’t be time for talking.”
“Then talk.”
“I want you to understand, that I’m not angry. I understand why you continue to refuse me, and why you don’t ever want to compromise. I understand why you want to hide.”
“I told you, I’m not hiding.”
“Running then, but I think you should hear what I’ve been trying to say for all these vorns, why I’ve been asking you to run away with me, because I think you’re going to need to hear the actual words in order for it to get through your thick processor.”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
“But I’m going to say it. I love you.”
“Why? Why now? Why me?”
“Because this will be my only chance for a long time, and because it’s always been you.”
===
“I heard a story today, a children’s one that Lennox was reading to his daughter. It was called ‘The Gingerbread Man’, it reminded me a lot of you, and how you would keep running from what I had to say. Running and hiding, that’s all you ever did when it came to what I had to say. Running and running, and just like the very end of the story, you didn’t accomplish anything, you just died. You couldn’t hide forever, but nor could you run fast or long enough. I knew, even back then when I first asked you, that both of us would not survive this war, that’s why I asked you. But, we have always been too good at our jobs, haven’t we? And now, the war is over, you’re dead, I’m alive, and everything that we could have been is nothing but a fantasy. So tell me, was it worth it, Jazz?”