Everybody learns from *somebody*

[lordmegatron]

Passing the doors into the library, Megatron was pleased he had gotten the schedule correct as he saw who was sitting at the desk. If it had been completely necessary due to his own schedule, he'd have come here when he could. But since he didn't have to...

Ignoring the faint itch interfacing hadn't properly gotten rid off, Megatron approached the librarian at a lazy, casual walk. It was a pity he hadn't seen any signs at all that the surprisingly fine-lined truck-alted mech had the inclination he was looking for. Things would have been a lot easier (and, really, pleasing) if he had.

As it was, since there was no one left in the current arena circuit that he trusted with what he had to hand over, perhaps he would have to avail himself of one of the clubs. It made an irritable twitch slither down the treads on his shoulders, the thought that he'd have to do that.

It was ages since he'd had to go to an open venue like that to simply get his needs properly taken care of.

And he really would have preferred the librarian. Orion Pax - it hadn't taken anything to find out the designation when to found the schedule - was witty, somehow diplomatically argumentative and didn't give in if he knew he was right or wanted to stand for his opinion, actually had some smarts to go with said use of words and Megatron wanted to know more.

More, and more personally (most of the earlier he'd simply learned over the few times he'd been in the library when the mech was, but hadn't actually approached him). So this time, he decided to actually use the librarian's assistance in what he was looking for... and perhaps get something more out of it.

"Excuse me?"

Comments

[lordmegatron]

"Perhaps not, but a warning might not have been misplaced." Another dryly amused smile and a shrug; at least Orion wasn't too upset.

He had to admit to being (amused and) impressed, however, that Orion had been able to say that without getting embarrassed again, considering how he'd reacted during this topic so far.

"As long as you think of yourself as well." He gave Orion a once-over, the setting briefly taking a back-seat to Megatron's more usual insistency of trying to push Orion to think of himself as well, and not being quite so accomodating as he was.

Of course, given the hints of steel he'd seen, at least he didn't need to start from nothing; it was more about teasing up what was there, just hidden.

"And the range is quite wide, yes, and no one would expect anyone to actually be involved in all of it, but no matter what it looks like, if it's done correctly, everyone has agreed to it and is enjoying it." The rest of the cookie disappeared and Megatron picked up his small cube but didn't drink from it.

"If you were worried about that."

[ichooseboth]

Orion sighed in relief.

"That is certainly good to have confirmed, though I am aware enough now to realize that there seems to be an entire...range of various rules and habits involved in this. But yes, so long as everyone involved agrees to the...various additions, it's much more reassuring."

Think of himself? Orion snorted softly, assuming a mock-snooty air.

"Myself? While this entire situation is new to me, I normally try to make sure everyone involved is well 'cared for' in the berth, thank you very much. Myself included," he claimed with a chuckle. He even managed to keep the mildly embarrassed heat flush contained that time.

[lordmegatron]

Even if Megatron might have noticed the flush if Orion hadn't kept it conatined, he was a little busy trying to keep his own reaction contained. Normally someone claiming to be respecting of their partners (and themselves) in the berth wasn't something that would cause of much any reaction, but the situation and the location...

Megatron had to shift in his seat and exert some manual control to keep his vent cycle steady and normal as a little rush of charge snapped through him, because Orion's comment brought a few images to mind.

He really should have found a better place.

"Good to know." Finally, he managed a dry chuckle and a tilt of his helm. His optics might be a little paler than usual, though, but Megatron wouldn't be in the position to know. "And yes, there's quite a few variations... Sometimes it might take a while to find out what one likes and don't, and how far one's ready to go."

Megatron paused, considering... yes, he'd need to ask, at least before they left here. Soon, then.

[ichooseboth]

Orion blinked, resetting his optics in amused surprise at Megatron's unexpected and rather telling shift.

Well. The larger mech had been forgiving of his own embarrassment so far. Muffling a chuckle on the side of his cube, he dropped his gaze down to the food as he took a sip.

"I imagine so. I'd hate to think of how much guesswork is involved with figuring that out the first go-around, though." A brief pause as he raised a single energon goodie up to his lips.

"Well, you mentioned they were good," he said with a smile, before taking a bite. Optics lighting up at the pleasant taste, Orion's engine rumbled with pleasure.

"Very nice."

[lordmegatron]

Resolutely ignoring his own, ah... reaction and Orion noticing it, Megatron chuckled, pleased that Orion had found it to his liking. He hadn't really doubted that the smaller mech would, but tastes did vary, even in the face of well-made food.

"There's a reason this place is well-liked, besides the tolerant atmosphere." Optics flicking down over Orion, he didn't really pretend not to be interested in Orion's reaction as it played out over his faceplates and that engine rumble - whatever else happened, he was, after all, interested in Orion himself.

No reason not to show that.

"And yes, some guesswork, but mostly talking. A lot of talking, if you're doing things correctly. Communication is important." Megatron shrugged, taking a sip from his cube and thoughtfully letting the mouthful linger for a moment, then waited until he could catch Orion's optics.

"And talking of talking," Megatron said with a twist to his lips, not quite a smile. He had to work harder than he should to keep his optics on Orion's, but it wasn't too hard. "Would you be interested in getting... involved? Setting aside the question of how, beyond normal, for the moment."

This place or not, Megatron didn't wait around or work with careful tiptoeing; straightforward questions or demands were best in his opinion, and being used to talking about what he liked or didn't (even when it was hard and he would rather not) this was among the simplest thing to ask.

[ichooseboth]

"Communication is very important," Orion agreed readily enough, crunching into another snack as Megatron asked his question.

He nearly choked.

Though he had rather expected the conversation to veer in this direction, he had not anticipated it to be so soon. Orion used a mouth full of energon goodie to delay his reply, crunching thoughtfully; the librarian was not one to rush into things...not even things that had been floating around on the edge of his processor for since he had walked in on Megatron and Maul. Thankfully, Megatron wasn't asking him about that aspect, and Orion was able to shunt that idea to the side and think more objectively.

Without the concerns of this...strange new lifestyle holding him back, would he want a relationship with Megatron?

After a long moment, he swallowed the goodie and smiled. "Yes."

Given the joy Orion had long-taken in their friendship - and long-hidden admiration of the large mech's processor and frame both, the answer was fairly clear.

"No matter what else may happen, I would want to preserve our friendship over all else. But yes, Megatron. I am interested."

Feeling suddenly emboldened by the declaration, he carefully reached across the table to lay a hand on Megatron's massive forearm.

[lordmegatron]

The wait was frustrating, but it wasn't as if Megatron wasn't used to waiting, and so he actually let the sense of the place and his usual place in it, settle around him.

He could've drawn on another method of being patient for waiting, but even he could admit that he might have trouble doing that here, as the precense of mind needed was one of battle-readiness, waiting for the moment to strike - and here he was too far from that.

And a café in the middle of the city wasn't the right place to drag up that, anyway.

So Megatron sat, optics softening and the stiff position of his shoulders relaxing as the moment went on and Orion's response suddenly seemed very sudden, and he lifted his helm up again.

"I don't think that will be an issue. You're too amusing to argue with over various topics." Smirking, Megatron leaned forward slightly, more pleased than he would admit.

Especially when Orion reached out first, and after a moment he carefully turned his arm to be able to grasp the underside of Orion's forearm himself.

Some small part twisted in frustration over having to wait, probably indefinitely or uselessly for that particular itch to be scratched, but he closed it away firmly.

Orion had, after all, expressed some interest, even if he was hesitant.

[ichooseboth]

"Good to know." Orion beamed, relaxing enough for his engine purring to become audible - and for his field to flicker pleasantly, expanding loosely from his usual, tightly held control.

"You're just not used to people arguing back," Orion laughed, teasing. He gave Megatron's arm a squeeze, casually leaving his hand on his arm while returning to his food with the other. He took a bite of his oil cake, optics flickering in pleasure at the taste, before he shrugged.

"I don't yet know where else I might be entirely comfortable taking this, but I am certainly willing to communicate about it." He smiled, pointedly mirroring the previous conversation.

[lordmegatron]

Megatron's smile wasn't just out of pleasure at having had his question answered positively, but also for the hints of Orion relaxing, especially his field. It wasn't just that Megatron thought it crude he'd been metaphorically smacked into keeping such a tight control on it, as others had similar strengths and didn't quite hold theirs as tight as Orion.

No, it was also that he genuinely enjoyed the feel of it... Which was why he'd sometimes ended up eschewing polite personal space distance in his library visits and he had been able to get Orion's company, before and after they became closer friends.

"Plenty of people argue with me, Orion. I'm just right most of the time." Megatron chuckled, easily self-assured about said rightness... and a little bit teasing right back.

His fingers curling slightly against the metal of Orion's arm, Megatron kept careful control of the strength of his optics' glow, as a pathetically extatic flare wanted to escape.

Orion could, after all, have ignored that. Put it aside and denied that some parts might... affect him. Megatron would even have understood.

"I can hardly ask for more than that." He tilted his helm, optics sliding to focus somewhere around Orion's nose, reflexivelly. He let his gaze stay there. "A suggestion would to try something short and simple... at some later point."

[ichooseboth]

Orion would never have thought of his own field-restraint in the same terms, but it was essentially the truth. Being shamed and pressured into keeping his strong field close rather than naturally extended and unfettered had made the smaller mech seem cold and aloof to those that did not know him, and did not help with socialization at all.

It was a testament to how easygoing and friendly the mech really was that anyone bothered making acquaintances with him at all.

The librarian chuckled teasingly. "Well, maybe you need to argue with more people with the wits to prove you wrong once in a while."

Fingers curling gently over Megatron's arm plating as he finished off his oil cake, Orion nodded.

"I would prefer to start slowly no matter what, even without the additional...stipulations."

Another pause, and Orion seemed to consider if he truly wished to continue speaking. Eventually, his courage won out.

"Perhaps, you can make some recommendations at some point? Based on what you...prefer. And I can see if any. Ah, ping my processor, so to speak."

He couldn't meet Megatron's optics and his engine hot, but he said it nonetheless.

[lordmegatron]

"Oh, you're saying all the mechs I've argued with so far hasn't been as clever as you? For shame, Orion..." Laughing, Megatron felt an intense flare of pride and pleasure at what Orion had said, and he'd mostly teased him to lighten the probable embarrassment that kept Orion's optics locked on the table.

"And I don't think that would be difficult to accomplish, either. And as for you... Well, we have some time to figure that out, don't we?" And while he wasn't a teacher, or rather, probably not a good one, Megatron couldn't say he wasn't looking forward to bringing Orion in.

See how he grew, and helping him get there - the idea was, in fact, surprisingly attractive, but maybe that was just because Megatron could be a very possessive mech who had particular ideas of things.

"But that can wait, I believe... your engine might thank me, either way." The little grin he gave Orion was teasing, yes, but not cruel.

[ichooseboth]

"No. Not all of them, I'm sure," Orion objected, chuckling ruefully as he finally raised his optics to meet Megatron's own. His engine rumbled as he attempted to cool his circuits with jokes, but his core temperature was still tellingly high.

"Perhaps they just didn't know the right argument."

He was well aware that his statement could be taken in multiple directions, but if he was...going to be involved with Megatron, his sense of humor wasn't going to be hidden away.

"But yes. My engine will appreciate the break." He gave Megatron's arm another squeeze, subsiding in his teasing to finish off the last of his energon goodies.

[lordmegatron]

"Mmm, that might be true. You do have a way with words, sometimes." If Orion had actually decided to curtail his humour, Megatron wouldn't have been pleased. As it was, he was amused - and certainly didn't mind the potential double entendre, mere words or not.

Lifting up his cube as Orion finished off his energon goodies, Megatron turned his thoughts to the possibility of showing Orion further into this, ah, lifestyle. It was what he wanted, and now, but patience would have to be the key here.

No matter how much he wanted, needed, an outlet. That wasn't Orion's problem. It was just the little thing of Orion's hand on his arm, bringing other thoughts with it. Orion's hands were surprisingly large and his grip firm...

Helm tilting, Megatron smiled faintly.

"Anything else you can think of to ask?"

[ichooseboth]

"I do try," Orion agreed with a grin, finishing off the last of his meal. His engine may have still been overtly hot, but his fuel tanks were well sated.

"No other questions for while we're here, at least." He tilted his head, expression wry. Accepting setting or not, Orion didn't think it was the best places for either hashing out the 'rules' they might come up with...or for experimenting with the start of their fledgling relationship.

Namely, Orion had no intentions of attempting to get closer to Megatron in a restaurant.

[lordmegatron]

"Might be for the best," Megatron agreed with a tilt of his helm and knew he'd had to put Maul in his place soon, outside of a situation that made him easier to affect.

Make sure he got what was coming to him, perhaps, considering the way he flouted rules they were all supposed to hold inviolable.

He snorted softly into his energon and finished it off, optics briefly dimming slightly as the sweetness hit him before he straightened and put the empty cube down. He had a little weakness for sweet things, but that wasn't something he indulged in often.

"You're done then?" Not we. Oh well, that was one of his smaller slips, and he should probably apologise at some point for the way he'd put Orion in a spot he hadn't completely agreed on to take yet during their stay here.

[ichooseboth]

"I am, and ready to go when you are." Orion set his plates aside, already reaching for his credit voucher to pay for his meal. He wasn't sure if Megatron had already paid, but he wasn't going to assume.

"Would you like to go to my apartment? I believe we could continue the conversation there," he asked quietly, finally brave enough to hazard the potentially loaded question.

[lordmegatron]

In most situations Megatron would have said yes immediately, assumed it, or said that's what would happen. Here and now, however, considering everything so far, he paused long enough to eye Orion for a moment before he nodded.

"If you have the time, I certainly would. I have nothing planned today." Mostly because regardless of what happened, he hadn't wanted to do any thing under some sort of pressure that a time constraint would bring to bear.

Disengaging the privacy barrier, Megatron stood up and gave Orion an easy smile and almost asked how far he was comfortable to go in public regarding normal displays of affection - he had the sudden urge to kiss him.

But... didn't. Both because of the place and the fact it didn't seem right for him to act out of turn (no matter that they hadn't established anything like it, and might not at all), and even Megatron realised that question might be better saved for when they weren't about to leave.

It was a bit annoying, however.

[ichooseboth]

"Ah, good. I'm off for the rest of the day, so we have plenty of time."

Orion stood after Megatron, smiling with his own relief. Oblivious to Megatron's own inner dilemma, Orion simply stepped up beside him and offered larger mech his arm.

"Shall we?" He asked, grinning disarmingly. Clearly, he had no issue with the 'usual' forms of public affection.

[lordmegatron]

Megatron stared, the offered arm quite unexpected. If it had been (almost) anyone other than Orion, he'd have taken offense. As it was, Megatron was surprised and maybe charmed. Only a little, and only by it being an insight into Orion's personality.

"I believe so, yes." Pretending there had been no lapse, Megatron smirked, looped his arm with the one offered and it was probably an amusing thing, for those paying attention, the difference between Megatron's behaviour in that particular space and outside of it, as a few steps away from the door, his field bloomed effortlessly outwards and his expression subtly... firmed as well.

[ichooseboth]

Beaming when Megatron took his arm, Orion led him down the street and back in the direction of his apartment with a contently purring engine. Possible 'additions' in their fledgling relationship or not, it certainly felt wonderful to be so comfortably close to the impressive mech.

Of course, the sudden change in Megatron was enough for Orion to notice, given how close he was. Though he made no move to disengage from Megatron's arm, Orion did glance up to give the gladiator a confused glance, his own field relaxing from some of his tight hold.

"Alright?" He eventually asked, raising an optic ridge in question.

[lordmegatron]

Despite being out of the café and nowhere private, Megatron was content to let Orion lead them - in fact, it wasn't bad at all, since it let him concentrate more fully on the surroundings and possible threats.

Not that there were any, and of course he could have led the way himself and be alert at the same time, but Megatron's nature (so fitting his position as a gladiator) and being used to the ring made it impossible not to.

His own engine went a half-pitch deeper when he felt Orion let his field loosen up some, even if, this close, he could feel it nonetheless. The question was at first met with a helmtilt and a blank look.

What was he even...

Oh.

"Ah, yes. Perfectly fine." Despite clearing his vocaliser in what could be called a cough, Megatron chuckled. "That's perfectly normal. It simply depends on the situation and location and what frame of mind I need to be in." Optics sweeping around them as he spoke, Megatron shrugged, amusement tugging on his lips.

"I should probably have chosen another place for us to talk, but it was nearby, the food on offer is very good, and it's as safe as a public space can be."

[ichooseboth]

"Oh. I think I understand. Somewhat." Orion chuckled softly. He led them at a rather brisk pace; normally he would transform to make the trip more swift, but he found himself loathe to pull away from the larger mech unless he suggested it first. It was...nice. And his apartments were not that far away at all. He'd chosen them for their proximity to the library, after all.

"I think I can see the need, at least. It seems like it could be inconvenient at best to be in the wrong mindset at the wrong time."

[lordmegatron]

If Orion actually had made motions and a suggestion they transform, Megatron would probably have said they could walk - maybe it was merely the newness of not having to impose closely on Orion's personal space, but he enjoyed feeling the mech and his EM field close.

"Precisely. Some have an easier time of it, but I've always preferred a private setting. Beside a few exceptions." One of which was the café they'd just been in, the others... some other places.

Not that it had been easy for his doms to introduce him to those beyond-private settings at first, but patience and showing he could trust them there had led to those exceptions being founded.

Then Megatron glanced down at Orion, tightening his hand a little where it rested on the red arm to call Orion's attention; there was one more thing, far more simpler than any possible... extra additions to their beginning relationship, to take up.

"I hope you wouldn't mind continuing whatever this leads to even after I might need to go back to Kaon. My term doesn't end for a while yet, but it will happen." And Megatron didn't exactly feel like giving Orion up for a bit of distance.

[ichooseboth]

"Hmm?"

They were almost back to Orion's apartment, but the mech paused questioningly when Megatron's grip changed on his arm.

"Oh... Right. I had forgotten." Orion's audial nubs visibly drooped, field wobbling briefly with disappointment. Orion shifted his grip, dislodging Megatron's hand - only to catch massive, scar-platted fingers with his own. Despite the vast difference in strength between them, the more finely articulated artisan digits could still manage a tight, reassuring squeeze. Orion stared up, optics going bright with stubborn challenge.

"But of course. I'd regret the distance, but I'm perfectly capable with tolerating a wait and some travel-time. I'd hardly let that stop me."

[lordmegatron]

"There's a vorn left, yet." The comment was both amused and reassuring - while a vorn wasn't an exceedingly long time, a lot could still happen during it, so who knew..? But he preferred not to think like that, not when he didn't need to.

He could plan forward for the long term, but relationships wasn't something you did that to.

Curling his hand around Orion's grip, Megatron's pleasure at the response thrummed through his field and in the tiny smile curling about the edges of his lips. No hesitation there, merely disappointment at the (potential) eventual distance.

He wouldn't say anything about how there was a slight, warm curl not just from the strength of Orion's grip, but also because that said strength came from someone whose hand was smaller than his.

"That's all I needed to know," Megatron murmured as he raised their joined hands, turning them over to drop a brief brush of a kiss against the back of Orion's hand before he lowered them again. "Shall we continue?"