Music of Silence for Succubii

There’s a certain language that one becomes accustomed to after Cyber-Ninja training- silence. Even when he was still training under Yoketron, Prowl could sense what the silences that settled on the dojo meant. There was the one that was rather enjoyable, usually after Yoketron had finished preparing the afternoon’s tea and training had ceased, at least for a little while. The one that had met him when he’d dashed through the doors that day was the one he never wanted to experience again, and thankfully hadn’t, so far.

But despite the constant noise of their base on Earth, Prowl still found the silences, although different than the ones on Cybertron. His favorite was when Bumblebee and Sari would leave to do something, Bulkhead would paint in the common room, Prime would be off somewhere doing something he figured a leader would be doing, and Ratchet would usually be locked up in the medbay. He could sit in his room for hours, listening to the birds and the wind and anything else that happened to make a sound- so it wasn’t exactly silence, but it was pretty close.

Those silences came a lot less often once the Elite Guard arrived on Earth.

The twins and Bumblebee seemed to get along and become even more annoying than Bumblebee had ever been before, and it seemed as if Sentinel and Optimus were endlessly deadlocked in their macho-mech competition. Ultra Magnus, for the brief time he’d been on Earth, had made about as much noise as Ratchet normally would. Being Magnus, he was always pestered with constant communications, but Prowl had recognized that the Magnus spoke the same language of silence as he did, a bond that the Cyber-Ninjas shared commonly.

But Jazz was different. Prowl had met Jazz a few times while he was still in training, but the white mech had already gone into Elite Guard training by the time Prowl had entered the dojo. Now, Jazz was part of Sentinel’s team, and their paths had crossed numerous times since the Guard had touched down.

Prowl wasn’t sure what to think of Jazz at first. The ninjabot was enamoured of Earth’s culture, and he was always asking them about what things were like on Earth. The day Jazz asked Sari for a music player was the day Prowl knew they wouldn’t be close. What he knew of music was Bumblebee and Sari blasting something with an obnoxious beat that made the birds scatter and the walls shake. Music was not something that Prowl really trusted.

So why was he following this strange sound now? It didn’t sound like the noise that Bumblebee and Sari blasted at full volume. It was much quieter, calmer, more tolerable than that.

“Hey, Prowl, nice to see ya. Are you a fan of Rachmaninov too?” Prowl glanced up, startled. He’d wandered into the room Jazz had asked for, mostly to use for meditation or practice, without even realizing it. Now that he was here, however, he realized that the music was quite low and incredibly calming.

“Sorry for disturbing you. I’ll be going-“

“Hey, y’don’t have to leave. Stay here and chill awhile.” Prowl nodded, slowly, then leapt up to where Jazz had lofted a few seats near the ceiling. “I know I already said it, but ya look real nice in Yoketron’s armor.” Prowl suddenly felt his systems heat up. What was this feeling? This was Jazz. The same mech who yesterday had asked Bulkhead how the humans grew plants.

“Thank you…” Prowl settled himself in the customary position Yoketron had taught him to sit in, then he noticed the little music player on the ground. It was the same one Sari had gotten for him, a dapper little device in white and sky-blue. “If you don’t mind my asking, why do you listen to music? All I’ve known of it is annoying.” Jazz gave a chuckle.

“Now that’s the wrong impression to have of music. There’s so much of it on this planet. Some of it will annoy ya, sure, but there are other types that make ya feel. That’s what makes this planet so amazin’. Humans can feel, and they can create these things that make ya feel.” Prowl nodded, deeply considering his words. Jazz smiled. “I know Yoketron taught us to value silence. But I think he really meant to value the peace and stillness of a situation.” Jazz’s hands were suddenly on his shoulders, and Prowl realized that he’d been so deep in thought that he hadn’t noticed Jazz move. “Just relax, Prowl. Y’don’t have to be all stiff here. I’m not gonna judge you.” Prowl shuddered as Jazz’s fingers suddenly found a very sensitive wire in his shoulder joint, and he felt his body sink back into Jazz’s. “That’s a little better, don’t ya think?”

“J-Jazz, what are you-“ Another shudder as another wire was gently stroked.

“I’m not tryin’ to seduce ya. It’s just affection.” Prowl gave in, letting his struts ease, and Jazz moved away from the sensitive spot, pressing his fingers into other tight spots. The music had changed, from the first gentle tone to one that was even slower. Before Prowl knew it, Jazz had settled them both on the floor, and Prowl found himself huddling tighter into the ninjabot’s frame. “I know ya like to keep to yourself, but I couldn’t help it. You’re somethin’ else, Prowl. Somethin’ real special.” Jazz’s fingers had found a spot on Prowl’s back to stroke, and Prowl let his guard down the rest of the way and slipped into recharge.