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Prowl knew as soon as the words left his mouth this was a horrible idea. In a bid to sound at least somewhat interesting to his new partner, when asked what he’d like to do for their date, he’d tried doing what said partner would do – be impulsive. Where he was concerned, that was never a good idea. The officer liked plans, well thought out ideas where all eventualities were taken into account.
And seriously, ice skating?! He’d never even been ice skating in his life, and frankly, he’d never wanted to. It was a dangerous, reckless activity with little to no real benefit. He’d be cold, surrounded by strangers and undoubtedly embarrass himself. Still, maybe there was a chance Rodimus would say no, suggest something more sane, like a meal, or a drink at their favourite bar, or literally anything other than this.
Looking down at his phone as it vibrated in his hand, he scrolled down to find the reply, hoping…
[Sounds great! I’ll meet you at Jubilee Gardens at 7?]
Fantastic. Prowl thought sourly as he hastily typed his response. Of course the commander liked the idea of ice skating, he’d probably been before, maybe with Drift when he’d been around. But he shock off that train of thought. Thinking about his partner’s exes never made him feel better about anything, and the last thing he wanted was to ruin Rodimus’ day. He’d just have to endure his own stupid idea.
[That sounds fine. I shall book us into a slot now.]
That done, he pocketed his phone and walked over to the open laptop on his desk, the Metropolitan police logo set as his lock screen. All he could do now was book them in and prepare himself as much as possible for this. Yes, preparation, that would make him feel better.
Once he’d looked into the local weather, selected the appropriate attire for tonight based on that, then tidied his already immaculate flat just in case they decided to head here for the evening afterward, he settled down on his sofa to proof read his reports, something that usually helped him to relax. Tonight however, he found his mind drifting away from the neatly typed text in front of him to his hot headed lover.
This would be the first time he’d seen his boyfriend in just over a week, and despite his dislike for the situation they’d be meeting under, he still couldn’t wait to see him again. See him smile, hear him laugh, feel his lips covering his own, surrounding him in that possessive warmth that was Rodimus. Between his busy schedule, over time and Rodimus’ own unpredictable work hours, it seemed they barely had a moment together sometimes, something he sorely longed to change. The commander may be home for now, but how long would it be before he was called back out to active duty? Would he be gone for six months, twelve, years even?
And of course, there was always the possibility that he’d never come back at all, that he’d leave one day and the next time Prowl would get to see him would be in a box in the ground.
The pencil in his hand snapped under his tight grip. Unthinkable. A life without Rodimus was something he could no longer picture, and just the thought that something as vital as his partner could disappear completely left an empty feeling in his chest.
Shaking those thoughts away, he put the reports to the side, moving to his desk to deal with his now broken pencil. It wouldn’t do to dwell on such possibilities. Rodimus was safe for now, and he’d be expecting him in a few hours.
Sighing, he returned to his reports. Seven o’clock couldn’t come soon enough.
*~*~*~*
When Prowl arrived at their meeting place, five minutes early as always, Rodimus was already there. Wrapped in his favourite red coat and flame colour scarf, he looked the very picture of warmth. The complete opposite to how the officer felt. Even bundled up in his thick white jacket, the chill in the air was hard to get away from.
“Hello, Rodimus,” said mech turned towards his voice when he spoke, giving him a bright smile that sent a whole different kind of chill down Prowl’s spine.
“Hey Prowler,” the older man leaned in, giving him a quick kiss before pulling away again, “You feel cold, you Okay?”
“I’m fine,” returning the smile; he resisted the urge to move closer. Two minutes in his partner’s arms and he’d undoubtedly be warmed through, “I should probably confess however that I’ve never actually been ice skating before.”
“Ah, I wondered when you suggested it,” the red-head smile turned into a smirk of delight. As Rodimus spoke, the white haired man felt a warm hand reach tentatively for his own, and he took it gratefully, “Don’t worry, I’ve only been a few times myself, but its good fun.”
He didn’t have the heart to tell him how much he doubted that, letting out a non-committed hum of agreement as they started to walk. Still smirking, the commander added mischievously, “Besides, I can kiss any cuts and scrapes all better for you if you need me to.”
“You may have a talented mouth, but it’s not magical,” Prowl shot right back, a smirk pulling at his own lips despite his earlier gloom.
“Oh you under estimate me, do I need to give you another demonstration of just how magical my mouth is later?” Now he really was just being a tease. So it was only logical to respond in kind.
“It couldn’t hurt,” he responded thoughtfully, biting his tongue to stop himself laughing at the look of surprise that crossed the other’s face.
“C’mon you, before I forget about this little date and drag you back to my bedroom.”
*~*~*~*
After fitting on their skates, Prowl watched as Rodimus did exactly as he expected and glided perfectly into the center of the ice rink, his coat billowing out a little behind him as he moved around alone, waiting for the officer to gain enough courage to join him.
Observing the scene with careful eyes, said officer tried to formulate a plan. Rodimus was in the middle of the rink, but that appeared to be where the experienced skaters were. No good. Around the outside however, there was plenty of safety railing for him to hold onto while he gained some semblance of balance and worked on technique. So that’s where he’d begin.
Tentatively, he stepped onto the frozen surface, hands instantly seeking out the railing to keep him upright. Hyper-aware of people waiting behind him, he took another step, effectively moving out of the way of the entrance to the rink, still gripping for dear life onto the railing. So far, it wasn’t that bad. He felt stable (well, stable’ish’), and he still had all his limbs attached to him.
Keeping that in mind, he slowly made his way around the outside of the rink. Step, slide, cling to railing. Step, slide, cling to railing. Step, slide, cling to railing. He repeated the steps over and over in his head, slowly gaining confidence as he went.
Once he was about half way around, he paused to look around for his boyfriend. At first, he couldn’t spot him in the flurry of people, and he felt a momentary stab of panic. Had something happened to him while he hadn’t been paying attention? With only one eye, it wouldn’t be too difficult to sneak up on him or crash into him and knock him over.
His fears were quickly put to rest however when his bright red clad lover appeared out of the swirling mass of bodies, doing a quick spin just for the fun of it.
Prowl’s breath caught in his throat as he stared at the other man. With the blue glow of the overhead lights giving him an almost soft glow, Rodimus looked absolutely radiant. He moved with the confidence of a God, but the playfulness of a child, for all the world looking like the happiest person in the area. Once more he felt the same rush of disbelief that this man was his. Here he was, stumbling around the outside of an ice rink like a fish out of water, while the other moved with enough grace and agility to send all kinds of inappropriate thoughts through Prowl’s mind. Maybe next time he’d just stand and watch.
*~*~*~*
Rodimus was nearly certain Prowl was totally unaware he was being watched. As he skated around in large circles, he kept a close eye on his partner, just in case he needed help. He’d left the officer to learn the basics on his own, after all Prowl was more than clever enough to figure it out, and he…well he was a horrible teacher. All he’d likely manage to do is put the other man off. He was used to drills and exercises, not gentle persuasion and what not.
Still, he couldn’t take his eyes – well, eye – off him. Wrapped up in his thickest coat and scarf proudly displaying the word ‘police’, his lover looked more adorable than he’d ever thought possible. But it was the intense look of concentration that he couldn’t take his eye off of.
If he was ever asked what his favourite sights in the world were, at least three of them included Prowl. First, Prowl’s smile, which, in his not so humble opinion, could make any man or woman weak at the knees. Second, waking up to see Prowl lying next to him in the morning, a sight he reserved purely and selfishly for himself. And this, this look of utter devoted concentration was third. It was the same look he pulled when working through a particularly difficult case, or when he was trying to figure out the best word to make at scrabble (and no, he still wasn’t ever going to play that ridiculous game again). It was what had attracted Rodimus to him in the first place.
Such intensity and passion made him look incredibly handsome, and he could feel his mouth going dry as he continued to watch. Licking his lips, he resisted the urge to skate over to him. To do so would ruin that concentration and the red-head wanted to do a little more staring.
After fifteen minutes of mindless skating and staring, Rodimus let his gaze drift away from Prowl momentarily. Moving like this, feeling the cold wind move around him was exhilarating.
When he turned back to look for Prowl again, the white haired man had stopped and was staring at him with a look he knew all too well. Clearly, he liked what he saw. Chuckling lightly, he looped around again to meet up with him, stopping a little way in front of Prowl, but still making sure he wasn’t in anyone else’s way.
“You ready to come off the rail yet, love?” he asked, holding his hands out to him with his best alluring smile.
“I don’t know, I haven’t practiced without it yet,” he hesitated, looking between the railing at had become a symbol of safety, and Rodimus’ warm, talented hands.
“It’s alright, in at the deep end right?” Rodimus prompted, clearly doing his best to sound reassuring and positive at the same time. “I promise, I won’t let you hit the ice.”
Those words were all the encouragement the officer needed. If there was one person in the whole word he trusted, it was Rodimus, and if he said he’d catch him, then he’d catch him.
Pushing forward, and rather enthusiastically at that, he tried to copy his movements from before. Step, slide…, step, slide…ah, no cling. That thought process pulled the pale man out his concentration, and he felt himself starting to slip forward. Desperate to keep upright, he tried to move faster and catch himself before he actual fell, but all he managed to do was speed himself up, falling straight into the commander with a yell of alarm.
Rodimus had been prepared for a lot, but Prowl charging at him full speed he hadn’t counted on. Caught by surprise, he didn’t have time to react before the officer slammed into him, sending them both toppling onto the ice. Or rather, Rodimus did. Prowl landed securely on top of him, much to the tanned man’s delight.
“My apologies, Rodimus,” Prowl scrambled to get off him, eyes full of concern for the man he’d just crushed underneath him, “Are you hurt?” Much to his partner’s surprise, the red-head was already laughing, trying and failing to sit up on the slippery surface.
“Nah, I’m fine. Just a few little cuts on my hand I think,” Rodimus explained through the giggles, somehow still managing to look teasing even with a goofy grin plastered over his face, “Maybe you could still kiss it better though.”
Letting out a ‘hmph’ that didn’t sound nearly as annoyed as he tried to make it, the white haired man reached inside his pocket, pulling out the small first aid kit he carried everywhere with him. It wasn’t much, just a bandage, a few plasters and wipes, but it was often useful for cleaning up small injuries, like now for instance. Taking the warm hand of his partner, he turned it over to inspect the damage. Like he’d said, it wasn’t bad, but it was bleeding a fair bit.
Working with a gentle precision, he cleaned the blood away before wrapping the bandage neatly around the damaged areas, oblivious to the green eye watching his expression keenly. A little extreme perhaps for such a minor injury, but he could seek more appropriate medical treatment when he returned home.
Only when he’d tied the bandage securely to ensure it wouldn’t slip off did he indulge his lover. Pulling his hand closer to him, he leaned down, kissing the bandage. He felt the shudder of delight travel from Rodimus’ hand through his arm at the contact, smirking despite himself.
“Better?” he inquired, giving the other a quizzical look.
“Almost,” Prowl felt warm hands move to gently grasp his head, pulling him forward slightly as his lover covered his lips with his own. The pale man blushed bright red, ice blue eyes widening in surprise.
Okay, that look could go on Rodimus’ list of favourites too. He looked irresistibly cute when he was flustered. Pulling back after a few moments, he smirked, letting out an airy chuckle at the pout that crossed the officer face, not that he would ever admit to doing so, “Hmm, yeah, much better now.”
“You are incorrigible, Rodimus Prime,” he accused softly, using his partners full name as said partner managed to pull himself onto his feet.
“Guilty as charged, sir,” Rodimus chuckled, holding out a hand to the other man to help him up. When he felt a soft hand wrap around his own, he pulled him close, his other hand snatching the one Prowl had used to stabilize himself.
“Rodimus?” staring at the other man, he gave the red head a questioning look, hands automatically tightening around his to keep himself stable.
“And who said I was finished with you yet, Chief Superintendent Prowl?” he purred, a devious smirk plastered over his face. Prowl recognized the emotion behind that look though as Rodimus’ usual mix of adoration and lust.
Chuckling quietly, he let the older man guide him towards the centre of the rink. Maybe ice skating wasn’t so bad after all.