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Prowl trudged through the densely packed greenery more out of a sense of duty than any desire to be making the post battle sweep that was supposed to be the job of one of their scouts. Everyone else was too damaged, too exhausted or simply not present on the battlefield, however, so the task fell to him.
He sincerely hoped there were no Decepticons still lingering in this stretch of jungle. He was upright because he had to be, not because the fighting had been any easier on him than the others.
He paused in a small clearing to rest for a moment. He knew that he couldn't take long, or he wouldn't move again any time soon, but he needed the break desperately. The tactician rested against the trunk of a sturdy tree and off lined his optics, giving himself a bit of a break before continuing the patrol. If there were Decepticons laying in wait, they would still be there whether he rested or not.
Prowl cycled the humid air into and out of his cooling system, using the rhythm to regain his focus and energy. He would need to be as aware as possible, especially if he encountered any Decepticons. The Insecticons, in particular, would have an advantage in this terrain if any of them had lingered.
The snapping of a branch alerted the tactician to another mech's presence, just before he could fall into a truly medatative state. Prowl ducked into a defensive stance immediately, re-activated his optics and swept his sensors over the clearing.
Red Alert's identity ping hit his comm as his optics lit up and took in the security director's face. Red spread his hands non-threateningly and froze in place. "It's me, Prowl."
The Autobot second in command relaxed his stance slowly. "You are supposed to be in Rome."
"Jazz commed us and said the forces here required reinforcements." The red and white mech lowered his hands to his sides. "From your exhausted state, I would say he was correct."
Prowl nodded. "They brought Insecticons. More of them than any of our intelligence indicated were on Earth. It was... a brutal battle."
"But you survived and you were victorious." Red Alert stepped forward and took the black and white mech's hands. "And my team is large enough to complete the post battle checks and round up any Decepticon strays."
"I'm glad you're here." The tactician tugged his hands out of the security director's. Then he wrapped the other mech in a tight hug.
Red Alert returned the embrace, holding the other mech just as tightly. "You don't have to do everything yourself, you know. You can always call me for help."
They both knew that Red wasn't just referring to the battle.
"I know," Prowl replied. "But the mission in Rome was important, too. If Megatron had decided to sow chaos and fear among our allies by assassinating the heads of state at the conference..."
"Once you knew the Decepticons were here, you should have called us in. A more paranoid mech," the security director paused to chuckled softly, "Might think you were trying to protect him by keeping him away from anything remotely dangerous."
"I will keep that in mind in the future." The black and white mech rested his head against his lover's. "You do know that I'm not just tucking you away safely or implying that you aren't capable?"
"Of course I do." Red Alert tilted his head slightly so that he could press a kiss to the other mech's lip components. "You're just too tired to realize I'm teasing."
"You do it so infrequently," Prowl murmured, smiling softly.
"Now come on." The security director pulled away from the tactician slightly and gestured toward the far side of the clearing. "Let's finish this sweep and head in. Then you can rest and I'll handle the post-battle paperwork for a change."
"What about the security checks at home?" Prowl allowed himself to be pulled back into the jungle.
"I think I can trust Inferno with them, this once. There's no one else I'd trust to take care of you, though."