Title: Heavy in Your Arms- Truth and Consequences

Author: pl2363

Series: Transformers AU/G1

Rating: T+ (for this chapter) for violence.

"I was a heavy heart to carry
But he never let me down
When he had me in his arms
My feet never touched the ground." … 'Heavy in Your Arms' by Florence + the Machine

Stepping off Skyfire's ramp, Jazz transformed into his vehicle mode. Sideswipe followed suit, transforming and revving his engine. They had been dropped off at Prowl and Sunstreaker's last known location in the mountain range.

::Skyfire, with the spotty comms out here, I want ya to keep a visual on us at all times, :: Jazz ordered.

::Yes, sir,:: Skyfire replied before taking off into the air over them.

Sideswipe pulled past Jazz, starting up the mountain road. Jazz quickly hitched his engine into gear, passing Sideswipe.

:: I'm in charge. We move when I say, got it? :: Jazz said in an unusually stern tone.

:: Got it. Just really worried. I wanna find them, :: Sideswipe replied as he fell back behind Jazz.

:: I do, too... :: More than you even know, Jazz thought.

They drove less than half a mile when Sideswipe suddenly hit his brakes, swerving to a stop. :: Jazz!::

Jazz backed up to where Sideswipe had stopped. ::See somethin'? ::

:: Drying cloth in the trees over there. That's Sunny's. I know it is... :: Sideswipe answered.

They were certainly on the right track. :: All right, proceed up the road, keep your sensors sweepin' wide."

…

"His optics are losing focus," Thundercracker said.

Starscream hovered into Prowl's narrow field of vision. "Oh yes, the nanites are almost done with the sequence."

Prowl knew his firewalls weren't enough to block the tiny nanites that were scripting over his programming. Control over his own body was being stripped away by the tiny invaders. He tried to curl his hands into fists, but even that simple command didn't work. This was far worse than he'd imagined. He needed to stay calm, not let his rising panic at losing control compromise things any further.

"When I get my hands on you, I'm gonna make you pay you fragger!" Sunstreaker shouted from the cage.

"Oh, I don't think so," Starscream replied smugly. He then turned to his fellow seeker. "Let's have a test run."

In his peripheral, Prowl saw Starscream pick up a small device. "Thundercracker, you may untie our subject."

Doing as directed, Thundercracker undid the bindings. Prowl wanted desperately to get up and fight. To move. But he was frozen, unable to get a single part of his own body to respond. He could only grimace and control his optics. Not even his vocalizer was his to use anymore.

"The nanites are tiny computers that I control. They've overwritten most of your vital systems' programming, with a little programming of my own," Starscream said with a sinister smile.

Starscream tapped on the device in his hands and suddenly, Prowl moved. He sat up and swung his legs off the berth. He looked over, seeing worry and confusion on Sunstreaker's face. He hadn't initiated this movement. Starscream had moved him with the device in his grasp. This was bad. Very bad.

"Thundercracker, stand over there," Starscream said, his dark smile widening.

Thundercracker gave his superior a dubious look.

"Just do it!" Starscream yelled.

Taking his ordered place, Thundercracker heaved a sigh.

"Fight back as you see fit, Thundercracker." Starscream tapped the device controls again.

Prowl slid off the berth and stood, his body moving according to whatever Starscream had just transmitted to the nanites now in control. A set of memory file pieces flitted through his processor. Memories of various battles and training exercises. Suddenly, without his consent, he moved again. He ran at the larger seeker, ducking the large arms that flung out at him, and dropped down so he could swing his lower leg outward in a sweeping motion, knocking Thundercracker on his aft with a loud clang.

Starscream snorted and laughed at the spectacle.

"Fragger," Thundercracker snarled as he rolled toward Prowl and reached for his arm.

Jerking back, Prowl avoided the larger hand's grasp. Then he moved swiftly, pinning Thundercracker's hand under the weight of one knee. These were all moves Prowl had made in the past during various hand-to-hand combat situations. The nanites were accessing his processor's vast experience and moving him accordingly.

A war raged inside, his true mind against the controlling force. He trembled as he fought against the nanites' programming. In that astro-second long moment, Thundercracker gained the upper hand, throwing his entire weight into Prowl. Tumbling to his side, Prowl's body scrambled to get back to his feet, but Thundercracker was faster, getting up and grabbing hold of Prowl's doorwing. The seeker hauled Prowl to stand by the sensitive appendage. The treatment so rough, the hinges squeaked under the pressure and one snapped entirely. Pain flared over his sensory net and the nanites reacted to stop the pain, blocking the sensors.

"Prowl!" Sunstreaker called out and railed against the bars of the cage.

Haze began to fog Prowl's processor. The nanites attempting to control the pain to allow him to continue fighting. Prowl staggered back a couple steps, slipping on something slick. He looked down to see a splatter of energon beneath his pedes.

Thundercracker growled, and swung at Prowl again. His body turned sideways, mitigating the blow that did land with enough force to dent the side of his chestplate. Prowl winced in pain.

"That's enough," Starscream said, tapping his controller.

Thundercracker glanced at his superior.

"A very good test, I'd say." Starscream said.

Prowl's pain flickered through him. Nanites turned off sensory net areas where he was injured. He could feel a ruptured energon line from his damaged doorwing leaking heated liquid down his back, but he was helpless to do anything about it.

"Prowl?" Sunstreaker's voice sliced through Prowl's foggy processor. He could do nothing more than look in his partner's direction.

"Silence!" Starscream hissed at Sunstreaker. "Thundercracker, put our test subject back on the berth and I'll get him patched up for a second test run."

…

Jazz came to a stop on the mountain road and transformed. He knelt down and ran his fingers over the edge of a large scorched area in the road's pavement.

Just behind him, Sideswipe transformed and walked over. "What's that from?"

"Dunno, but I have a bad feelin'." Jazz stood back up and surveyed the area around them for any other evidence of where Prowl and Sunstreaker might be.

Rubbing his chest, Sideswipe huffed air from his intakes. "Sunny is really upset."

"You can feel that?" Jazz asked.

Sideswipe nodded.

"Can ya get him to tell us where they're at?" Jazz asked, he was only half serious given what he knew about bonds but also secretly hoped it was possible.

"I wish. Doesn't really work like that," Sideswipe replied.

Jazz frowned and resumed scanning the area. Suddenly, he heard an out of place noise. Tuning his audios sharply, Jazz recognized the sound. "Jet engine..." He quickly shifted his attention skyward.

"Skyfire?" Sideswipe asked.

"Higher pitched. Way further away," Jazz replied. He opened his comm line. :: Skyfire, you see a 'Con jet near you? :: The line was filled with static, but still worked. They must be near mineral deposits, preventing them from transmitting a clear signal.

:: No... Wait- :: Skyfire made a wide circle in the air. ::I'm picking up another aircraft on my radar.::

"There!" Sideswipe pointed.

A smaller black jet appeared out of nowhere and sped toward Skyfire. "Fraggit!" Jazz opened his general comm line to teletraan. :: Jazz here, we've got at least one 'Con here in the air. There could be more! ::

A garbled reply came back from Red Alert. Fraggin' mineral deposits.

"What should we do?" Sideswipe asked. "We can't let Skyfire get slagged."

"Got yer jetpack?" Jazz asked.

Sideswipe's optics brightened then narrowed. "Got your permission to do whatever it takes to ground that 'Con?"

Jazz frowned. "We need him in talkin' condition to tell us where they're at."

"One skewered jet in talking condition, coming right up!" Sideswipe took a few running steps before his jetpack powered on and he took off.

Jazz felt utterly helpless as he watched from the ground. Sideswipe shot up into the air then landed on Skywarp's back, using his weight to push the jet downward. Skyfire swung around behind in an arc, shooting out Skywarp's right engine. Smoke trailed behind the airborne melee as Sideswipe rode the plummeting jet's back. Jazz started backing up when he noticed they were heading his direction.

Once it was obvious Sideswipe planned on landing Skywarp in the middle of the road, Jazz quickly transformed and floored it get out of the way. Moments later, Skywarp hit the pavement, skidding forward with Sideswipe on his back, riding him like a giant hoverboard. Smoke and dirt swirled in the air around where they eventually came to a stop.

Jazz transformed and pulled his pistol from subspace, running back toward the point of impact. Approaching, he found Skywarp had transformed and was lying on the ground with Sideswipe straddling him. Energon was smeared across the pavement along with pieces of Skywarp's armor.

"Where are they?" Sideswipe shouted as he swung, punching Skywarp in the face.

"Whoa! I said talkin' condition!" Jazz ran up grabbing Sideswipe's arm. "Not a pulverized mess!"

Sideswipe glanced up, his optics were overly bright. Clearly he was letting his emotions cloud his judgment and their mission. While Jazz understood it, he couldn't let Sideswipe spiral out of control. Jazz dropped down beside the injured seeker and pushed on Sideswipe to get off him.

Skywarp groaned, his optics flickering.

"Where did ya'll take Prowl and Sunstreaker?" Jazz asked.

"Why should I tell you?" Skywarp replied, his vocalizer crackling.

"Because otherwise I sic my giant, angry red comrade back on you," Jazz replied. "Where are they?"

"Get fragged," Skywarp spat back.

Sideswipe loomed closer, a menacing look on his face. "I'll rip you apart plate by plate until you tell us!"

Jazz cast a glare at Sideswipe, then focused back on Skywarp. "Tell us where they are."

Skywarp shook his head. "What's in it for me?"

"When I see your fellow 'Cons, I can tell 'em where we left yer carcass," Jazz replied, his patience running short.

Sideswipe stepped on Skywarp's wing, digging his heel into it. "Answer! Where are they?"

Skywarp yelped and writhed on the ground. "Frag you!"

Just as Jazz opened his mouth to yell at Sideswipe, Skyfire pinged them.

:: I've got a visual on an usual-looking cave entrance just south of your current location. If the metallic doors are any indication, :: Skyfire said over the static-filled comm line. :: Coming around to pick you two up now. ::

"Sides, step back. We don't need 'im." Jazz stood back up.

Sideswipe obeyed, but snarled at the seeker.

Jazz could feel it in his spark. Their time was running short. They needed to hurry, but at the same time, they needed to be cautious. They had no idea how many more 'Cons were in the area. Skyfire came around and landed, opening his ramp. Just hang on Prowl, we're comin'... Jazz thought.

…

"What's with you?" Starscream asked in a snippy tone.

Prowl lay on his side utterly helpless as Starscream patched his leaking energon line. From his position he could only see Thundercracker, pacing around the entrance to the lab.

"It's been too long. Skywarp should have shown up by now," Thundercracker replied.

Starscream snorted. "When that moron does show up, he's going to regret it. I've had enough of his disobedient behavior. I specifically told him not to leave the base."

Prowl watched Thundercracker come to a stop and turn his attention to the doorway. His wings suddenly perked up on his back. If seeker wing behavior was anything like Praxian, then something had caught his attention.

A loud crashing sound echoed from the hallway.

"What the frag was that?" Starscream asked.

Thundercracker waved a hand as he walked out of the lab. "I'll go look."

"If Skywarp broke something else, I'm going to hand him his aft on a platter!" Starscream huffed air from his intakes. "The line is clamped off." Starscream pulled Prowl up into a seated position. He stared into his face and darkly smiled. "Ready for round two?"

"Stop messing with Prowl! Use me instead!" Sunstreaker slammed himself against the bars of his cage.

No.Prowl much rather it was him than his younger partner. But he couldn't respond, his vocalizer locked up by the overriding programming. Losing control like this was excruciating for Prowl in more ways than he could even fully wrap his mind around.

"You bring up a good point," Starscream replied as he glanced at his second captive. "Perhaps round two will consist of Autobot versus Autobot. Seeing as Thundercracker is occupied, why not?" Starscream grabbed his controller off the nearby table.

Next thing Prowl knew, he moved to stand and walked over to the cage. Sunstreaker stared at him, shaking his head. "Prowl. Stop. It's me. I don't wanna fight you. Stop letting Starscream control you!"

"Ha! You're as dumb as you look. You think he's got any say in his actions?" Starscream tapped the controller, and Prowl reached up, waving his hand over the locking mechanism. The door remained locked, though.

"Now who's dumb? Prowl can't unlock it. Only you can," Sunstreaker said, taunting.

Starscream growled as he stalked over and waved his hand over the lock, causing the door to pop open. Sunstreaker grabbed hold of the bars and swung it outward, stepping out and making a b-line for the seeker. Starscream laughed as he backed up and used his controller.

Prowl moved, grabbing hold of Sunstreaker's arm and twisting it at backward angle. The large warrior yelped and dropped to his knees. Prowl shoved Sunstreaker to topple forward by stepping on his back. "Prowl! Let go!" Sunstreaker said with his face smooshed against the floor.

The last thing Prowl wanted to do was physically assault Sunstreaker. He stood there with Sunstreaker's arm twisted backward in his grasp, while his processor waged war against every fiber of his entire being, causing him to tremble.

"Prowl, fight it! Don't let him control you!" Sunstreaker pleaded.

"Do what I command!" Starscream shouted as he punched the buttons of his controller harder.

Suddenly, laser fire pinged into the room, and Starscream snarled as he raised one of his arm mounted weapons. "What the frag is going on?"

Thundercracker's limp, offlined frame was shoved into the open doorway.

Jazz? Prowl's spark started pulsing fast and hard in his chest. Please let it be him...

"I maybe a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of 'em. I know you got yer arm cannons pointed this way," Jazz's voice called out from somewhere unseen beyond the doorway. "Send out my comrades now."

Thank Primus, it is Jazz...Prowl thought, relief washing through him.

Starscream's mouth twitched into a sinister smile. "But of course," he shouted as he tapped the controls, and Prowl's hope was instantly shattered as he was forced by the nanites let go of Sunstreaker, and turn toward the doorway.

"Wait!" Sunstreaker yelled as he tried to get to his feet.

"I don't think so," Starscream said as he fired a short-burst blast at Sunstreaker.

The null ray knocked Sunstreaker to the ground. He groaned as his optics flickered from the effects of the specialized weapon fire. Prowl froze, wanting to stop and help him. He fought the nanites that were pushing him forward, straining against his body's desire to move.

"That's it! I'm gonna count to three! If I don't see 'em walkin' through this doorway, I'm comin' in. And trust me, yer not gonna be happy if it comes to that," Jazz yelled.

If only there was a way to neutralize the nanites. A way to stop them from controlling Prowl's body movements and vital systems. Staring down at Sunstreaker, he realized there was a way. Starscream's null ray.

"Three..."

Starscream continued to jab at his controller and mutter. "I should have injected more of the nanite serum into him."

"Two..."

Sunstreaker opened his mouth wanting to protest, but he couldn't seem to speak. The concentrated, close-range blast had done extensive damage to his already compromised systems.

"One!"

Jazz and Sideswipe came into the lab, weapons drawn. Sideswipe shot first, his laser fire pinging the wall behind Starscream as the seeker moved to duck behind the berth.

"Fragging coward!" Sideswipe shouted.

Prowl stood, still fighting the nantites control and losing. He moved, walking toward Sideswipe.

"Prowl? You okay, man?" Jazz asked.

"No," Sunstreaker said, his vocalizer straining to get out the one word.

Confusion twisted Sideswipe's expression as Prowl approached.

A series of memories from different fighting scenarios flickered through Prowl's processor just like before his match against Thundercracker. He didn't want to harm Sideswipe, but his body overrode his desire and moved on it's own.

Before anyone could react, Prowl swung around, his leg flying up and making hard contact with Sideswipe's hip. The warrior was knocked backward, but he didn't lose his balance.

"What the frag?" Sideswipe shouted.

Laughter from behind the berth made Prowl's tanks churn with guilt.

Prowl moved again, this time ramming his entire body, shoulder first into Sideswipe, toppling him to the ground. The loud clang of his head slamming into the metallic floor from the fall echoed in the metallic lab. Sprawled out on his back on the ground, Sideswipe groaned. Just as Prowl moved to kick him in the side, Jazz grabbed him from behind, arms hugging Prowl from behind as he was pulled back. Prowl struggled against the arms encompassing him.

"Prowl! Have you lost it? Why are ya attackin' us?" Jazz asked as he did his best to restrain Prowl.

In his peripheral, Prowl saw Starscream peek over the berth, lifting his arm cannon and aiming at Jazz.

No! Prowl thought.

"Stop strugglin' with me!" Jazz said, his grip tightening.

Starscream's hand balled into a fist and he fired.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were both injured. Prowl refused to let Starscream harm Jazz, too. Battling the nanite control had been nearly impossible, but Prowl found renewed strength surge inside him. He shifted his weight, swinging them around in the nick of time. The null ray blast slammed into Prowl's body, frying his entire body's systems which were already severely compromised, but also frying those insidious nanites. Pain flared over his sensory net as he went limp in Jazz's grip.

"Yer gonna pay, you piece of scrap!" Jazz shouted.

Prowl's optics flickered as the neutralizing effects of the ray ravaged his body. He only saw choppy segments of what was happening. Jazz didn't let go of Prowl, one arm wrapped tightly around him as he fired on Starscream with the other. Sideswipe moved past them also firing. Thank Primus, Prowl must have only stunned him. Jazz shouted at Sideswipe to offline Starscream and bind him.

The whole time, through the haze of pain and damages Prowl's damaged processor could only focus on one thing: how much he truly cared for the mech holding him. How sorry he was for fragging everything up between them.

Prowl's limp body was carefully lifted up into Jazz's arms. His optics worked to focus on Jazz staring down at him. He parted his lips, wanting to speak, but his vocalizer only spat out static.

"We got it handled, Prowl. No worries, 'kay?" Jazz said, managing a small smile, despite the worried look on his face.

"I got Sunny," Sideswipe said. "Let's get the get the frag out of here!"

Prowl weakly grasped at Jazz's chest with a hand. Jazz's visor dimmed as stared down at him, shaking his head.

"Relax, Prowl. Skyfire called fer back up an' another team is en-route. They'll clean up the seeker splatter," Jazz said. "We're gettin' you two back to see the doc, asap."

"I-" Prowl's vocalizer hissed. He needed to say this in case his injuries were too extensive... In case he didn't online again. "L-love you."

Jazz's expression instantly shifted. His visor brightened and his lips parted with his apparent surprise. "Love you, too, Prowl... Eh, we'll talk 'bout stuff when yer better, though. 'Kay?"

Prowl managed a small nod before he relaxed in Jazz's warm hold and offlined his optics. He floated on the edge of consciousness as long as he could, enjoying the feeling of being held against his warm frame. Finally, his body's need to offline overrode his personal wants, and the world slipped away.

…

An achy feeling ran through Prowl's entire body as he woke. He lit his optics, but the light in the room was bright, causing him to wince and narrow them. Once they began to adjust, he looked around. He was in a medbay room, and he was not alone.

In the corner, propped up in a chair sat Jazz. His legs were kicked out in front of him, arms crossed over his chest, and he was slumped with his head bowed and visor darkened, apparently recharging.

Prowl watched Jazz for a long moment. If not for his best friend's head-strong and often rash choices, Prowl knew he'd not have survived. He was incredibly grateful. As his spark surged in his chest at the feelings his thoughts stirred up, he knew it ran much deeper than just gratitude. He did truly love him. How in the world could he ever reconcile things between them, though? No matter what he chose to do, he feared hurting Jazz.

The door to the room whooshed open and Ratchet walked in. "Ah, so you are up. Explains the spike in your vitals on my monitor out there."

A murmured groan from Jazz caught both their attentions.

"Hey doc-Prowl!" Jazz shot up in his seat and Prowl warmly smiled at him.

Looking relieved, Jazz returned the smile. "How you-"

"Well, you're still a fragged up mess," Ratchet interrupted, ignoring Jazz as he tapped the monitor's screen next to Prowl's berth, checking various readings. "Even more than your lunk-head partner."

Prowl glanced at Ratchet. "How is Sunstreaker?"

"He's fine. Released him yesterday. He didn't have added the complications to his repairs that you did, well, do," Ratchet replied.

Yesterday? Just how long had Prowl been here? He tried to check the time and date but found his chronometer was frozen at the moment the null ray hit him. "How many days since our rescue?" Prowl asked, turning his attention to Ratchet.

"Four Earth days," Ratchet replied.

"What?" Prowl bolted to a sitting position in the berth. "Ultra Magnus' crew arrives in a day. I need to be-"

"You need to calm down." Ratchet turned to face Prowl, and pushed on him to lie back down. "Message we just got said they're going to arrive the day after tomorrow at 1600 hours our time."

Two days? They would be here so soon. There was so much to do. And he needed time to mentally prepare himself for seeing Magnus again after all this time. "You must release me at once," Prowl replied.

"No worries, Prowl. I've been doing yer duties. Everythin' is all set for them to arrive," Jazz said.

"You aren't going anywhere. You have any idea the extent of damage your body took? Those nanites were fortunately fried beyond functioning by the null ray blast, but I had to do a systems flush to remove them and have Wheeljack restore your vital programming. Then, I had to repair some kind of extensive burning to most of your systems in addition to resetting your entire electrical net because of that slagging null ray. Don't even get me started on the dents and ripped doorwing hin-"

"I appreciate your hard work, but I cannot shirk my own duties," Prowl interrupted, not allowing Ratchet to continue on his tirade.

"I said, I got it all covered, Prowl," Jazz replied, with a thread of annoyance and disappointment in his voice.

Prowl turned his attention back to Jazz and dimmed his optics. "I didn't mean to imply you're incapable."

Jazz frowned at Prowl, then glanced at Ratchet. "Hey doc, you mind givin' me and him a moment? We kinda need to talk 'bout somethin'."

Ratchet grumbled, but nodded. "Five minutes."

Prowl's fuel tank suddenly fluttered with his nervousness as he watched Jazz get up and move to sit on the edge of the berth as Ratchet stalked out of the room.

"The ship landin' site is secured just south of here. All the duty rosters are updated, and we got a full crew report from 'Ol Magnus when he commed in yesterday. I partnered them all up with our guys to show 'em around and whatnot." Jazz reached out, placing his hand on Prowl's leg. "I got it all covered. I promise."

"I'm sorry, Jazz. I didn't mean to sound as if I don't have trust in your abilities." Prowl sadly smiled. "I'm not used to being out of the loop like this." He then pressed his fingers together over his middle. "So, Magnus commed instead of sending a video message?"

Jazz nodded. "Yep."

Prowl's spark made a strange vibration in his chest, and he reached up rubbing the surface of the plating. Maybe it wasn't such a terrible thing he was in medbay for such a conference call. He really wasn't sure he had the strength at the moment to deal with seeing Ultra Magnus and with what happened between him and Jazz.

"Ya look even more upset," Jazz said, confusion lacing his voice. "I was tryin' to make ya feel better."

Prowl looked up at Jazz and smiled a little. "You did. Something else is bothering me."

"Oh?" Jazz replied. "'Bout us, maybe?"

About them. About Magnus. About this entire mess Prowl had tried to avoid, but now found himself coiled in. "Yes."

Heaving a sigh, Jazz uncharacteristically frowned. "I meant what I wrote. Every word of it," Jazz said as he gave Prowl's leg a small squeeze. "Bonded or not, I'm in love with you. But, I wish you'd told me. Said somethin'."

"In retrospect, I probably should have. But knowing your desires and my inability to fulfill them, it seemed more prudent to hide my feelings from you." Reaching out, Prowl put his hand on Jazz's knee. "Considering how much you mean to me, the last thing I want to do is hurt you."

Jazz's worried look melted into a tiny smile. "I know you thought you were doing right by me, but now it's gotten complicated when it could have been simple."

"Being with an already bonded mech is complicated. There is no way around that. And it's about more than the inability to bond or have a family." Prowl dimmed his optics. "Statistically, the odds are stacked-"

"I'm not a statistic! Neither are you." Jazz's expression sobered. "I'm not a sparkling, Prowl. I can decide what I want. Who I want. So stop trying to make choices fer me. Let me get hurt if that's what I choose. It's all well and good to try and look out fer me, but at some point you gotta concede that you can't control every little thing, let alone a big thing, like me."

"I just-" Prowl paused, realizing that Jazz was right. He'd been trying to control everything. After letting his tight control go for Magnus, and making such a huge mistake, he'd gotten more and more rigid in his actions. Being a tactician not only on the battlefield, but in every aspect of his life. "I was trying to protect you. That was unfair of me. I should have been truthful with you."

Jazz shook his head. "What's the human sayin'? 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions'? Seems a fittin' description if you ask me."

"I'm so sorry," Prowl replied, his voice softening. "Will you forgive me?"

"Maybe." Jazz half-smiled. "Guess it depends on what yer gonna decide. If yer gonna tell me what I want to hear right now. That you wanna be with me. That you wanna do this." Jazz's fear of rejection bled into his otherwise confident-sounding voice. "And for the record, relationship or not, we're gonna be best friends. I refuse to let anythin' ruin that."

"I want to be with you, Jazz. In a monogamous relationship," Prowl replied.

Jazz snorted a laugh. "Only you'd say it like that!"

Prowl smiled. Despite his reservations about what kind of future they'd truly have or how he was going to handle telling Jazz about Magnus, for the moment, this felt...amazing. To be loved just as he was. To have Jazz look at him this way. He'd longed for this moment for eons, and finally, it had arrived.

Jazz scooted closer and leaned forward, his face hovering close. "May I, uh, kiss ya again?"

Nodding, Prowl's smile grew wider.

Closing the remaining space, Jazz tipped his head and their lips met. Warmth spread over the surface of Prowl's lips as his spark danced in his chest. Jazz parted his lips, and Prowl responded in kind. Their glossae twinned between their linked mouths. Their second kiss was hot, sweet, perfect.

"Hey! You two mind?" Ratchet said, bringing their kiss to a halt.

Prowl sheepishly smiled as heat flashed over his face, embarrassed at being caught in such a personal moment.

Jazz on the other hand, grinned. "Yer the one interruptin', so I should be the one that minds." He had no shame.

"Get your aft out of my medbay. You two can make out all you want once I release Prowl tomorrow morning." Ratchet pointed to the door and narrowed his optics at Jazz.

"All right. Don't get yer wires in a twist." Jazz glanced at Prowl and then leaned down, stealing one last small kiss. "I'll be here in the morning to git ya."

Prowl reached up and cupped his face with one hand. "It's a date. And we have a lot more to discuss, too."

Worry briefly flashed across Jazz's face, but he quickly covered it up with a smile and a nod.

"Get out before I purge my tank," Ratchet said.

Jazz reluctantly pulled away, and got to his feet. He crossed the entrance and paused in the doorway, giving Prowl one last smile before he disappeared out of the room.

Ratchet shook his head as he walked over Prowl's berth and began typing in commands to the control panel. Prowl felt warmth and a soft vibration emit from beneath him. "Gonna have to knock you out for a bit to finish your repairs."

Dimming his optics, Prowl nodded.

"By the way, about fragging time you two figured that one out." Ratchet then smiled down at Prowl. "Been waiting on that since you first dragged him into my medbay."

Prowl might have replied, relaying his surprise at Ratchet's comment, but the world suddenly became fluid around him, and he offlined yet again.

A/N- This is not the final act, by any means. With the ship's arrival, complications. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and faves!