Chapter Text
WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR CHAPTERS 4 and 5
WARNING 2: SLIGHTLY SUGGESTIVE
“I’m… fine,” Prowl whispered, his voice strained and broken. He clutched his chest, feeling the lingering burn in his spark. “It’s… already finished.”
Jazz’s grip tightened on Prowl’s arm, disbelief and relief warring on his faceplate. “Finished?” he repeated, his voice thick with emotion. He cast a glance over the edge of the flipped table, seeing the chaos finally beginning to subside, the threat neutralized. His spark raced, struggling to process everything.
“Primus,” Jazz murmured, his worry not fully easing as he turned back to Prowl. “You scared the frag out of me.” His hands stayed on Prowl’s shoulders, steadying him, even though the danger seemed to be over.
Prowl leaned his head back, exhaustion washing over his features. “Had to… take the chance,” he muttered, his optics dimming but still focused, even in his weakened state.
Prowl’s frame sagged with exhaustion, the weight of his actions finally catching up with him.
“There’s a…small bag in my pocket,” Prowl said, the words slow and deliberate. “Could you hand it to me?”
“Wait, what? Jazz blinked in confusion, still reeling from the chaos they’d just survived.
“You want me to grab... a bag? Right now?” he said, his voice a little uncertain. Prowl nodded and shifted slightly so Jazz had better access to the utility belt around his waist.
Jazz carefully reached into Prowl’s pocket, until he found the small bag. He pulled it out, then placed it in Prowl’s outstretched hand.
“Thanks,” Prowl muttered, his voice now less strained.
He gave Jazz a brief, appreciative look before opening the bag. The inside revealed an assortment of brightly coloured energon candies, their hues nearly neon despite the dim lighting that surrounded them. Prowl popped the first candy into his mouth without hesitation, providing small relief. He let out a soft, contented sigh before reaching for another. The sweet energon seemed to have an almost miraculous effect, revitalising him enough to sit upright.
By the third candy, Prowl’s optics flickered toward Jazz, who was watching him with a raised brow, still clearly processing the earlier events. Prowl’s voice was almost casual as he asked, “You want one?”
“You almost died, and now you’re eating candy?” Jazz snorted, shaking his head, but couldn’t help the small, amused chuckle that followed. “You’re something else, Prowl.”
Prowl took two pieces of candy from the bag and handed them to Jazz. Jazz accepted them, his optics flickering briefly to Prowl as he popped another piece into his mouth. The candy was a small but comforting relief, the energon providing a steady, satisfying hum of energy that slowly began to return to his frame.
Jazz held the pieces in his hand for a moment, but instead of eating them, he hesitated. His gaze lingered on the bright neon hues of the candies, a thoughtful look crossing his face as he slipped them into his pocket instead.
"Saving this for later," he muttered, the faintest smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
Still sitting on the ground, Prowl shifted slightly. The lingering weight of the energy drain weighed heavily on him. Noticing his struggle, Jazz moved quickly to help. He placed a steadying hand on Prowl’s shoulder, supporting him gently as he helped lift him to his feet.
“Be careful, sweet spark,” Jazz murmured, his voice low and smooth as he assisted.
The soft, almost affectionate term brushed against Prowl’s audio receptors, causing a brief flutter in his spark. The gentleness felt almost too personal, too close for comfort. Prowl stiffened slightly, caught off guard by the unexpected warmth in Jazz's tone.
As he straightened, a hint of mischief sneaked into his optics. “I’ll be arresting you now.”
Jazz’s grin faltered for a fraction of a second before returning, now tinged with surprise. “Wait—hold on. You’re actually an officer? In the Iacon police force? Here I thought you were just weird!”
He let out a laugh that bounced off the wreckage, echoing through the library.
Prowl’s expression remained steady, but the faintest trace of discomfort crossed his features at Jazz’s words.
Jazz thought that he was weird .
The sentence lodged itself in his mind. Twisting painfully as he smoothed his face back into its usual neutral mask. When Jazz’s guard is down. Prowl grabbed Jazz’s arm, yanking him toward a nearby desk.
Jazz didn’t have time to react before Prowl slammed him onto the surface. Jazz’s optics widened in surprise. He hadn’t expected Prowl to use that much force. A strange, almost electric spark of something pulsed through his frame.
No…it wasn't just a shock. It was something else entirely. The roughness of the push, the sudden power in Prowl’s grip, sent a rush of excitement through his frame.
Primus, was the weird one now, wasn’t he? What kind of bot got flustered being pinned like this?
The realization almost made Jazz laugh at himself, though he quickly buried that thought, masking his face behind his usual easy grin. As Prowl tugged on his wrists to check if the cuffs were secure. Jazz swallowed down his reaction, hiding away the flicker of intrigue that had ignited inside him. Jazz forced his usual teasing tone. Though, more strained than usual.
“Seriously, officer? What’s the charge?” He rolled slightly to his side to get a better look at Prowl, his smirk hiding the turmoil beneath. “Did me being too helpful, make your spark skip a beat?~”
Even as he spoke, Jazz couldn’t shake the thought that twisted through his mind: Maybe I’m the weird one.
The thrill of being overpowered clung to him. An unexpected rush he couldn’t shake.
“You sure you don’t wanna just let me off with a warning, officer?” Jazz teased, though the edge in his voice betrayed that something in him still reeled from their earlier interaction. “You know…Considering the circumstances.”
Prowl didn’t respond to that, but his silence spoke volumes. He led Jazz through the shattered front doors, where the cold Iacon air hit them. The streets were still humming with distant activity. The city loomed around them, its neon lights casting long, shifting shadows as the first few officers rolled into their surroundings. Jazz tried not to dwell on how close Prowl was. The way the Enforcer’s frame radiated a controlled energy that Jazz found... distracting.
“So, we’re doing this, huh?” Jazz said, his tone playful but with an undercurrent of seriousness. “Going straight to the station, no stops, no chats about the finer points of library destruction?”
“Destruction aside, your actions still have consequences.” Prowl pulls Jazz off the table and shove him towards the exit. Prowl’s optics flicked to him, a stern edge in their blue depths.
“Anything you say will be used against you.”
Jazz’s grin widened, excited at the thought of how the following events would proceed from this very moment.
“Fair enough,” he replied, his voice dropping to a whisper, almost as if sharing a secret. “But if this is a real arrest, I expect it to be memorable.”