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

[ichooseboth]

Orion made no move to remove Megatron's hand' indeed, he rumbled faintly at the contact, quietly pleased despite the words.

"I'm sure I'll think of something."

The librarian grinned as he painted the final details with a florish, pulling away to let the shoulder dry.

"After all, you could always go to you match and return to find no one here. I'm actually capable of taking care of charge on my own, after all."

As was Megatron, of course, but it wouldn't be the same for either of them. As he pointed out silently, throbbing out his field against Megatron's as he spoke.

"Ready for your chest now, at least."

[lordmegatron]

"But where would the fun be in that?" Megatron said blandly, with a quirk to the upper edge of an optic and his field pulsing against Orion's in response to the heavy throb.

Megatron turned around in his seat then, facing Orion and laid his free hand on Orion's knee. With a quick little grin, he leaned down to drop a kiss on Orion's chin guard and then skate over his lips before he straightened back up, optics glowing rather unrepentantly.

[ichooseboth]

"My fun would be in your frustration, of course." Orion snickered, absolutely no intentions of actually following through on the 'threat'. His field pulsed, gentle but solid as Megatron stole his kiss. He snorted.

"Are you a gladiator or a sneak-thief?" He asked cheerfully, shaking his helm as he pushed at Megatron's frame, trying to better position him for the painting.

"Lean back a bit?"

[lordmegatron]

"I have many skills, Orion," Megatron said as he leaned back on his hands, following the push even as Orion asked and with an easy grin on his lips.

"One doesn't preclude the other... in fact, they can be useful for each other. It's quite useful to at least attempt sneaking around once in a while." Despite the light tone, Megatron was serious. Not only did he literally mean in a combat situation (which he intended to teach Orion about), but also to get around to where you weren't "supposed to".

He might be a tall, broad mech, but he could move surprisingly quietly when it was required of him.

[ichooseboth]

"I've learned so after being around you, true," Orion admitted, unable to hide a smile.

"You'd just think such a huge mech shouldn't be able to move as quietly as you do."

He gave Megatron a pointed poke, before settling in, moving arms and limbs further out of the way so he had full access to the gladiator's chest plating. Rubbing a hand across broad lines in the guise of polishing away an imperfections that might hinder things, Orion got to work with the airbrush.

[lordmegatron]

"I'll show you later. It might come in handy," Megatron said with a grin, said smile deepening at the not-really-necessary hand smoothing down the flat plane of his chestplates. "If nothing else, you could use it to unsettle unpleasant... patrons at the library." His tone implied he actually meant a far less complimentary word instead of 'patrons'.

Either way, the thought of Orion sneaking around the shelves was quite amusing actually, because he could easily imagine their looks of surprise - and then, depending on their size, their shame for having been scared at all.

"And it'll be useful for our excursion down into the lower levels when it happens, since even if there are very few actual guards around, there are some." Huffing, Megatron resisted the urge to twitch his shoulders in a shrug, since if he did that while Orion was working on his chestplates, it'd ruin the work.

"And while I have a reasonable overview of their patrol and times they do so, it's not as exact as I'd wish, and they can and have changed it before."

[ichooseboth]

"Implying that I don't already unsettle the unpleasant ones. One of the few things I have used by field for, in the past. A few of them ran out of there fast enough to leave tread-marks." Orion mock-chastised with a low laugh, shaking his head.

"It would certainly come in handy, though."

He paused in his painting as soon as Megatron mentioned guards, grimacing.

"...That doesn't exactly ease my sudden concerns. I don't recall you mentioning guards before, when you mentioned your trips to the lower levels."

[lordmegatron]

Optics flickering out again as he tilted his helm back, Megatron laughed quietly himself.

"I like that you do know when to apply your strenght." Then his optics turned on at a faint glow when Orion paused. Angling his helm slightly to look at the mech, Megatron then shook his helm and let it tilt backwards again.

"Simple patrols to assure the safety of anyone who might wander unawares into unsafe and unstable areas, as it were." There couldn't be more sarcasm in those words if he'd tried.

[ichooseboth]

"...right. Of course they are," Orion muttered, tone matching Megatron's exactly. He shook his head at the gladiator anyway, disapproving, before returning to his painting, spraying wide swathes of paint to finish the base.

"You still should have mentioned it before. I thought it was more abandoned than that, when you right it up..."

He sounds rather disappointed; now that he's been excited about the idea for a while, Orion is loath to give up the idea of the trip, despite the suddenly increased risk factor. Which irritates him a bit.

[lordmegatron]

"If I'd mentioned it before, it'd been far harder to convince you," Megatron said blandly, shaking his helm. "And they're hardly crawling all over the place, the issue is merely avoiding them when you do end up in the same location as one." There was a careful twitch of Megatron's shoulders, so as to not disturb Orion's painting and still be able to shrug.

"I've never been caught, and while you will undoubtedly be less familiar with sneaking around with illicit intent, I don't doubt you'll show yourself to be most capable." He flashed a wide, quick grin down at Orion, giving a little wink.

If nothing else, Orion's curiosity would probably be enough to lend enough care that if they stumbled upon a guard, they'd be able to avoid them.

[ichooseboth]

Orion paused in his work, going completely still.

Slowly, he pulled away, airbrush falling to his side as he gave Megatron an icy stare. His previously relaxed field went stiff and jagged at the edges, bristling along with the diminutive librarian.

"...For future reference, I would prefer it if you did not purposely leave out important details when trying to 'convince' me of something. I like knowing what I am getting into before agreeing to something - and frankly, if there is to be proper trust between us, honesty is rather required."

He vented hotly, engine grumbling on the sharp knife-edge between irritation and true anger.

[lordmegatron]

He should probably have chosen a better time to confess about that, but he had, honestly, not thought about it, and the words had simply slid out. Something within flickered and twisted at the sudden bloom of Orion's field and the change in attitude.

Something very much wanted to kneel down and ask for forgiveness, but Megatron calmly and expertly put it aside. This wasn't a situation where that would be useful, or helpful.

Another time, another place, maybe, but not right now.

So instead he met Orion's steely glare with a slightly narrowed one of his own, and dipped his helm in a nod.

"I apologise, you're right." And Orion was right, as much as it ranked to admit it. Megatron's optics held Orion's for a few moments longer, and then dropped. "It's hardly an excuse of it, but I did want to share what I'd found, and you were reluctant. I got... overeager."

He lifted his optics again, which was embarrassingly enough harder than it should be after trying very hard to not listen to the parts that wanted to do this differently. His gaze dropped again, and Megatron felt annoyance at himself curls along his circuits.

"Sorry, Orion."

[ichooseboth]

For a long moment, Orion stared with narrow optics, as though testing Megatron's sincerity. His engine was reluctant to calm, but with another deep ventilation, the librarian regained control. Slowly, Orion nodded, field loosing some of the rough edges echoing through it.

"...You are forgiven."

Most of his remaining tension slipped away with the words.

"Just try to avoid it in the future? Really, the idea of the exploration coupled with your excitement would likely have been enough to sway me. Eventually."

[lordmegatron]

Megatron kept still as that moment drew out, quiet and without cajoling. Normally, of course, he might not take it this way; there'd hardly been any harm in his lie, and he was fully confident of his ability to keep them both out of the hands of any guards.

But, that was "normally". Orion was of course right that he should have been upfront, no matter what Megatron's own thoughts on the matter was, and more importantly, it could undermine trust.

Which would definitely be a very particular component in their relationship if things ended that way.

So he stayed still, and dipped his helm down and sideways at the proclamation, optics flickering dimmer for a moment. A silent acceptance of what was, this time, acceptance of his apology.

"I'll try to yes." Despite the possibility of sarcasm, there was none in the words. "And probably yes. I eagerness might have gotten the better of me." The smile was somewhat lopsided.

[ichooseboth]

He gained a strong since of satisfaction from Megatron's posture - submission - not that Orion realized it was anything more than pleasure for correction to an owed wrong.

His field gave a satisfied pulse, before resettling back down to pre-irritation levels.

"That's all I can ask. Thank you," Orion said, relaxing as relief broke the hard mask of his face.

[lordmegatron]

Orion might not have noticed, but Megatron did. Not before he picked up on the pulse from Orion's fiel, which was basically as much pleased reaction as a reward, but he did. Especially as his engine dropped into a pleased little purr and his shoulders relaxed.

"Indeed it is." Except it wasn't, because Orion could ask so much more, but Megatron kept that firmly inside and merely straightened a little again. "Feel up to continuing?" An arch glance was flickered from Orion's faceplate down to the airbrush in his hand.

[ichooseboth]

Orion nodded gladly, pleased that the little confrontation was over and so quickly resolved.

"Of course."

He gestured with the airbrush pointedly, leaning back over Megatron to continue where he left off.

"I wouldn't want to make you late for your match over a simple disagreement, after all."

[lordmegatron]

"Only a small part remains, so even if you'd wish to not finish, I would most probably be done in time." Since Orion was on the chest, and that area was smaller than the others and the symbol slightly more complicated, even with having to twist around for his lower legs, he'd have made it in time.

But, well...

"But I'm hardly going to say no to continued assistance, as it makes things far easier." A mischeveous little grin as Megatron let his optics go offline again, perfectly shameless in the enjoyment of Orion's hands on his frame and being able to put the care over doing this himself aside.

It was probably just as well the thing about the wandering guards around the edges of the forbidden zones had come up now and not when they were about to venture in and down. Despite the time-presure of his impending match, this was still a more low pressure situation than having an argument right before they were about to attempt to go underground.

[ichooseboth]

"Hn. I should imagine not." Orion snorted, amused once more, and he continued on.

He rarely carried a grudge, after all. There was no reason to stay angry.

Gracefully ignoring Megatron's smirky enjoyment, Orion quickly wrapping up the chest paintjob, finishing off the decal in only a few minutes.

"There. That should look alright. Anywhere else, while it dries?"

[lordmegatron]

It didn't just make it easier; it felt far nicer too, to relax, and it took a moment for Orion's question to register.

"Lower legs, otherwise same place as my upper arms," Megatron said with a shrug, the motion indicating where the symbols had been painted to the sides of his shoulders, where the treads were. "Beyond that, merely the one I usually have on the front of my helm. I believe you've seen that."

Two simple, slightly oval and angled arches broken by the front edge of Megatron's helm, neatly imitating the distance the glyph had between its two parts. Unbroken. Whole. That glyph was both a challenge, a taunt and a goal, for his opponents and for himself.

It wasn't that Megatron had never been defeated, because he had, but that was all the more a reason to use it.

[ichooseboth]

Glancing over Megatron's frame - and noting the helm - he nodded.

"Right. Legs first, I think. Then the helm. I remember that one."

Remembered it, but didn't understand - or notice - the implications of the glyph. It probably didn't help that it was usually scratched or otherwise damaged from the matches, but that sort of taunt escaped even Orion's skills.

Stepping back, Orion tapped the berth, gesturing at Megatron's legs danging off the side.

"Here." He grabbed blindly behind himself and pulled himself up a chair, setting down beside the berth- before reaching for a thickly-armored ankle and pulling the entire thing up into his lap to get at the target painting area.

[lordmegatron]

He'd be lying if he claimed not to be... ah, affected by Orion's simple, natural manhandling when he lifted up his leg into his lap. Besides that, it was nice to see Orion feel no hesitation in doing that, too.

They might have gotten far enough to have interfaced, but really, that didn't necessarily mean one was relaxed enough to move their partner around as they wanted.

(Especially given their physical personality differences.)

"I was thinking..." Optics offline again as he let himself fall into the enjoyment of not having to do this himself, Orion nearby and the sure hands, Megatron spoke slowly but with strength thrumming underneath the quiet rumble. "That if you feel up to it, we could attempt a few tests later of how we'd fit together taking this further. Not immediately, of course."

[ichooseboth]

Giving Megatron's leg a teasing pat, Orion quickly resumed painting. They had delayed a great deal, and he truly didn't want to make him late.

He didn't stop painting at Megatron's words, but he did briefly side-eye the larger mech from his position, stooped over the gladiator's huge shin plates.

"...Oh? And what sort of 'tests' do you propose?"

[lordmegatron]

"Merely what I've mentioned before," Megatron said as he shifted his weight to lean back on one hand instead of two as he gestured with the other. "I'd say to skip the part where you'll be in my position, but it's probably far safer to do it properly than skipping steps, regardless of if you actually need it or not."

He didn't believe Orion needed it from a standpoint of seeing if he liked it or not, because he probably wouldn't, and Megatron was pretty sure it'd take more than just that to make Orion understand the responsibility. Considering his actual misgivings when they'd first discussed it, Megatron was tempted to skip it, but Orion might hopefully be able to use it later if not immediately, to compare and contrast and pick up what was needed from it.

"And then just to see how you feel about a scene being in the position you'd actually be in if we'd go further than that." He quirked a slight smile at that. Orion would probably like it perfectly well, but he'd probably need reassuring... Which might be more of an issue - Megatron wasn't used to reassuring, but he'd do his best.

And, hopefully Orion would be able to lend his care if - when - Megatron might need it after a scene or two. He didn't often need the after care, but sometimes...

[ichooseboth]

"That...might be workable."

Orion frowned slightly; he certainly hadn't been looking forward to the scenes involving himself in the position 'other' than what he was coming to realize he preferred, but 'skipping steps' didn't seem terribly wise.

But Megatron was the expert in all of this, after all.

"I can't exactly say I'll be any good either way, but sure? What sort of- ah - scene did you have in mind?"