This is a fic that I've had in the works for as long as I've been planning on What's the Worst that Could Happen! It's near and dear to my heart, and I finally got around to posting it! This will chronical one mech's search to find the one thing that even his twin can't give him! Fast paced Sunny/OC, and eventual Sides/OC/Sunny! Hang on for the ride! This story will have very dark content later so for young readers you have been warned! I DO NOT OWN TRANSFORMERS

(Sunny's POV)

I stood outside the doors to the berthroom I shared with Sides, audios already ringing from the shrill shrieks of a femme writhing in pleasure, mixing with Sides' pleased grunts. This was the fourth femme in just as many solar cycles!

With a growl I turned and made my way out of our housing unit, desparate to get away from the sounds. It wasn't that I wasn't interested in the carnal pleasures. I was a mech after all. It was just that the femmes Sides had been bringing in lately were beyond annoying.

Their cries of pleasure grated on my audios, and not one had an interest in anything I liked. They were only good for warming our berth.

Even then, I had just lost all interest lately.

When Sides asked I had no explanation for it, other than I couldn't get my coolant flowing. When faced with any one of the femmes he brought home, there just seemed to be no inherent need to frag them anymore.

I sighed as I walked into the center of downtown New Iacon, towards the shopping district.

There was an art store that I really liked not too far from where Sides and I lived. It was a place called Canvas Paradise, and it was a quaint little store. Not too big or popular, but it had quality supplies for anybot that enjoyed art.

The doors slid opened with a beep when I walked in, moving past the store owner. An old dark purple femme, with light red optics, designated Lithium. She waved at me kindly when I stopped beside the counter. "Oh Sunstreaker! It's good to see you again!"

I grunted at her. "Did my order come in yet?"

"Not yet. Shipments are running slow this deca-cycle I'm afraid."

Could my day get any worse? "Any idea when it'll actually be in?"

"I can't say for sure, sometime within the next four orns or so." She smiled at me apologetically.

"Alright." With that I turned and walked into the aisles to look over what she had. I needed to get some canvases since I was running low... Now what sizes to get? Did I feel like working on some complex landscapes? Maybe some portraits?

I dismissed that idea with a snort. "Who would I even want to paint?" Certainly no femmes that I knew...

Maybe something abstract? I could do that on almost any size of canvas really... What about something symbolic? Emotive? So many choices... and so much time to do it all unfortunately.

With a sigh, I grabbed an armful of canvases and turned to make my way back to the counter, only to run into something that knocked them from my arms.

A soft voice squeaked something, followed by the sound of a frame hitting the floor.

Luckily I didn't fall, but thanks to whatever had run into me I now had a small scratch on my lower arm. I scowled at it, then my optics drifted down to a small Praxian femme sitting on the floor. Obviously she was the one that had run into me.

She looked up with a gasp, bright almost crystal blue optics locking with mine. "I-I'm so sorry! I d-didn't mean to run into you!"

I grunted as she scrambled to pick up the canvases I had dropped, allowing me to get a better look at her.

Her bright white paint gleamed in the light, shadows being cast upon it periodically from the two sets of door wings on her back. One broad pair that sat atop her shoulders, and a smaller pair that rested at her petite hips. A light gold chevron decorated the front of her helm, which was sleek and rounded.

She had delicate, yet very refined and pretty facial features. I found myself paying extra attention to the soft sweep of her optic ridges, all the way down to her tiny olfactory passage, then down to her soft gold lip plates. Soft, pretty, gentle... not one part of her screamed anything other than petite and gentle.

I knew from spending a lot of time reading bots based on looks alone.

At that moment she held my canvases out to me. "I'm really sorry! Sometimes I just get so absorbed in picking out which canvases to use that I space out a bit!" She babbled in a light, lyrical voice.

The words caught me more though...

A femme... who painted?

I snatched the items from her. "You paint?"

A deep blush came to her cheeks, helm ducking down in obvious embarrassment. "I do actually... b-but I'm not really g-ood at it."

The move drew my attention down to the Autobot symbol that sat on her left breast plate, which I hadn't even noticed before. "Hmm. You're an Autobot?"

She looked up at me again. "Y-Yes I am... I work as a medic now, b-but I was a sharpshooter during the war." Her optics locked on my own Autobot symbol. "You're one too."

"Yeah."

Neither of us said anything after that, just staring at each other awkwardly... Well I was staring down at her since she only came up to my lower chassis, while she stared at me until her blush intensified and she looked away finally.

Only to gasp for some reason. "I scratched your paint!"

Before I could react she snatched my forearm up to examine the small scratch. I tensed, preparing to rip my arm away from her when she pulled a tube of turtle wax from her subspace, and proceeded to buff the scratch out.

A femme who painted and carried detailing items in her subspace? This was two unheard of things happening in one solar cycle! I'd never met a femme who cared about her looks, and shared a common interest with me!

Next she pulled out a tube of gold touch up paint and a small paintbrush, then proceeded to paint over the damaged area. Each small stroke was the result of a delicate flick of her tiny wrist, every movement precise and practiced.

In no time at all she had repaired the paint as well as I would have, and I couldn't stop staring at the back of her helm.

"T-There." She pulled away and placed her materials back in her subspace. "All fixed."

I inspected the area with a critical optic... it was like it was never there. "Thanks..." I trailed off when I looked back up and she was holding my canvases out to me.

Her optics avoided mine. "C-Could I pay for your supplies to make up for the trouble I caused you?"

She wanted to pay for my things? "That's ok..."

Small peds shifted uncomfortably while she looked down at the floor. "Ok..." With that she skirted passed me, towards the back of the aisle I was in.

I watched her go, before shrugging and continuing on my way to the front of the store to check out.

Lithium greeted me with a bright smile. "Did you find everything you were looking for Sunstreaker?"

"Yeah."

It only took her a klik to bag up all my things. "That's good. Your total is two hundred and fifty credits."

I handed her my bank chip, which was run through her register, then handed back to me.

"I will comm you as soon as your order comes in Sunstreaker."

"Alright." With that I turned to leave, almost bowling the little praxian femme over in the process.

She squeaked and scrambled to get out of the way, dropping the various art supplies in her arms all over the floor.

"Oh Athena! Let me help you dear!"

Athena huh?

Before Lithium could make it around the counter I crouched down and helped her grab her things. I wasn't normally polite, but the femme had helped me repair my armor without asking for anything in return. "Sorry."

"I-It's ok... I'm always in s-somebot's way..." She whispered quietly.

It only took a klik to grab all her things, with me cataloguing evrything she had in her basket. Canvases, a sketchbook, oil drawing sticks, charcoal sticks, different kinds of paint, and a new package of paintbrushes.

I stood up and handed them back to her. "Here."

She cradled them against the swell of her chassis. "Thank you."

There was no sense in lingering so I grabbed my bag and walked out without another word. I contemplated where to go as I walked down the sidewalk. Go back home? No. Sides was probably going to be entertaining the femme until nightfall... or knowing my luck even longer...

My HUD flashed with a low fuel warning. Well I guess that my next stop was the energon cafe around the corner. It was another haven of mine when I needed to get out of my housing unit. The place was small, and most of the time it wasn't overly busy, meaning it was also quiet. Now if only some of the femmes that worked there weren't so well acquainted with Sides and I...

I found my usual corner booth and sat down.

One of the waitresses came over to me, a stormy blue colored, femme, with a moderate shade of blue optics, designated Stormstream. At one time she had been one of Sides' favorite femme lovers, and still came around from time to time. She also seemed to have a thing for me too.

An interest that I in no way returned.

"Sunstreaker..." She practically purred as she came to a stop next to my booth. "What can I do for you today?" Innueno practically oozed from the words she spoke.

"Spiced energon." I responded curtly. "And that's it."

She pouted, before turning and making her way back towards the fuel room.

I'd never see what Sides saw in that femme outside of her looks. I mean sure I'd fragged her a few times too, but the luster died down after a few times. All we had in common was an active frag drive. She had no interest in my art, and didn't even know how to hold a decent conversation with anything other than a mech's spike. To top it all off she was too screechy in the berth and it detracted from the overall experience. I liked my audios not to be ringing the day afterwards...

After a few kliks she came back with my energon, and lingered near me. "Are you sure that I can't interest you in a little get together tonight Sunstreaker? I thought you liked my frame?"

I watched her run a digit down over her well endowed chassis languidly, as if it would make me jump her where she stood. "Not interested. Sides might be if you ask him."

She pouted and stomped away to go do something else.

Good riddance!

Nobot bothered me again after that, allowing me to calmly sip at my cube and contemplate everything that had been going on lately. The war was finally over, we were back on Cybertron, the cities were being rebuilt, bots were wandering in abundance... Yet I still couldn't seem to find anything that made me truly happy.

No amount of random interface partners satisfied my needs fully.

Work didn't fulfill me at all. What part of chasing down petty thieves would? I was a fragging War Hero for Primus sake!

Nothing challenged me outside of my art! Nothing gave me the sense of accomplishment anymore!

How could Sides just be happy doing whatever? He had no qualms about being an enforcer, or fragging anything that moved.

When had I changed so much that I did have an issue with living an easy, carefree life? When did it stop being at least somewhat satisfying?

A tired sigh escaped me at the same moment I heard the doors to the cafe open and close. Then a familiar white frame was walking passed where I was sitting, without even glancing at me.

Was it really a coincidence that she was in the same cafe as me, less than half a groon after we had run into each other? Had she followed me?

"Oh Athena!" The owner waved the snow white femme over to the counter. "I wanted to thank you for doing that portrait my mate asked you to do of me! It was absolutely wonderful!"

"You're welcome..." The femme responded back meekly.

"How about I offer you a free slice of spiced rust cake and your pick of my best spiced energon, as payment? Since I know that you won't sell your artwork for credits. Which I still don't understand mind you."

"You don't have to do that!" She stammered. "I can pay for it!"

"Nonsense! Go on and sit down! I'll have Stormstream bring your meal over quick as a nitrous leopard pouncing on a glitch mouse!"

With that the stunned femme was pushed over towards the line of booths, only to freeze when our optics met again.

I put my elbow on the table and leaned my chin on my servo, gesturing with a wave to the seat opposite of me. "Might as well sit here since we keep ending up in the same places today."

She looked around uncertainly, before she pointed at herself shyly. "M-Me? Y-You're talking t-to m-me?"

I grunted. "Is there anybot else standing there?"

Her helm fell as her features morphed into those of embarrassment. "S-Sorry..."

"Just sit down already!"

My sharp command had her scurrying over to sit across from me.

"Primus femme! It doesn't take all day to sit down!"

Bright crystal blue optics drifted down to the tabletop shamefully. "I-I'm sorry..."

"Stop saying that." I groaned.

She opened her mouth a few times, only to close it with a snap when the beginning of another apology started slipping out.

"You apologize too much."

She just stared at me without speaking.

Did she not know how to hold a conversation? I admit, I wasn't the best conversationalist myself. Then again I only spoke to Sides for the most part, or one of the Commanding Officers when work required it. I'd never really had a decent conversation with a femme.

But I couldn't if said femme wouldn't talk without apologizing nonstop. Where to start a decent conversation though?

My optics landed on her bag of art supplies again. As good a pace to start as any. "So, uh, what kind of things do you draw and paint?"

She ducked her helm shyly. "W-ell I, um, do anything really... Lately I've been having some t-trouble with lack of inspiration though..."

I leaned back against the booth seat tiredly. "It happens."

"Yes."

"So what's your designation?" I asked, even though I knew already.

"Athena."

"I'm Sunstreaker."

A faint coating of light blue stained her cheek plates as her optics drifted down to the side. "I-It's nice to meet you Sunstreaker... Even if I did s-cratch your p-paint earlier... Which I'm still sorry about."

For once I wasn't too mad about it since she did take the time to fix it for me, instead of running off without caring about it. "Normally I'd knock somebot's helm off for scratching my paint."

She squeaked and ducked down in her seat.

I raised an optic ridge at her in question. "But you fixed it for me, so I won't do that."

"Oh... that's a relief."

"Yeah. So you can stop hiding."

At that moment Stormstream came over with a tray containing a plate with a slice of bronze rust stick cake, with blue energon flakes, and a cube of spiced energon. She scowled at Athena before sitting her things down on the table. "On a date Sunstreaker? Awww! She's so adorable! I didn't know you were into younglings!" She purred sweetly.

Athena stammered something unintelligibly, obviously not understanding that she was being insulted.

"Don't you have things to do Stormstream?" I snapped at her.

She scowled at me before stomping off towards the other side of the restaurant. "Whatever!"

When I looked back at Athena she was packing up her things. "Where are you going?"

"I'm causing you trouble..."

"No you're not."

She clutched her bag to her chassis and stepped into the aisle. "I should go."

I sighed. "You're really not causing me any trouble Athena. Storm is just being a glitch. Sit down."

She hesitated for a moment, looking at me warily. "You're sure?"

"Sit."

After another klik of fidgeting she sat back down and proceeded to eat her rust cake.

And she didn't seem inclined to do anything else, not even look at me for more than an astrosecond. Every time she did she would look away immediately. To say that she was shy was an understatement. I'd never seen a femme that was so timid before.

What to say? Well she was an Autobot that I had never met before who served in the war, and was now in New Iacon. It was reasonable to believe that she was going to be working in the Autobot headquarters here.

Was that a good place to start? "So... where did you come here from?"

Her optics shot up to mine. "I-I came from New Polyhex."

"New Polyhex? Why were you there?"

She looked down at her plate evasively. "Work... I-they needed medics... in the Autobot headquarters there..."

"Why'd you come here then?"

"W-Well I, um, I-I was helping train some of the new medics there. Since that's d-done, I-I decided to come back here."

"That mean you're gonna be working with Ratchet now?"

"Yes."

"Worried about getting hit with a wrench?"

A soft, barely audible giggle drifted over my audios. "No. I've worked with him before. He's not too bad."

That was a first... "Never been hit before?"

"I-I have... He just normally d-doesn't hit me, because he says I'm not i-idiotic enough to deserve it."

"You don't seem the type to slag him off." I admitted.

She blushed. "N-No... I'm not."

All of a sudden Sides' voice was booming across our twin bond. (Yo Sunny! Where are you at?)

I groaned. (At the cafe Sides. Why?)

(Well because you stormed out of here without saying anything.)

(To get away from the sound of that femme screaming.) I pointed out irritably.

He didn't feel remotely apologetic. (Sorry bro! You know how Moonstreak can be! I was giving it to her pretty good today.)

(I could tell...) I muttered dryly.

(Well she had to go home early so it's safe to come back now.)

(I'll be back in a bit.)

(You busy or something? Cuz we do have energon at home you know?)

(I know that. I'll be back in a while, and when I do I expect the smell of interface to be gone from our berthroom.)

(Fine.)

When I looked across the table Athena had finished her rust cake, and was now sipping at her spiced energon. "Is that rust cake stuff even good?"

She looked at me in surprise. "You've never had it?"

"Obviously not if I asked that."

"Right... well I like it a lot. It's made with grinded rust sticks and mercury, and then drizzled with spiced energon flakes. You could... try it...?"

"Couldn't hurt I guess." And my energon levels were still not topped out.

Before I could raise my arm to call a waitress, Athena had already done so. "Could we have another slice of the spiced rust cake please?"

Luckily it wasn't Stormstream that had come over this time, but some pale pink femme that I had never seen before. Even better was the fact that she just took the order and brought it back to the table without speaking a single word.

I stared down at the bronze hunk of crushed rust sticks, mercury, with spiced energon flakes topping it. After growing up in the pits of Kaon, then living through a war where energon was scarce, I hadn't really tried many different things. Spiced energon was something that I was still getting used to.

Athena stared at me over her own cube of energon. "Umm... is something wrong?"

My lips tilted down into a scowl. "No."

"Well... it's best to eat that when it's warm... I-If you wait too long it'll get cold."

"I know that."

She looked down at the table. "Sorry. I-I'll shut up now."

I stopped poking at the cake and looked up at her sullen expression. For some reason the thought that I had upset her bothered me. "I wasn't... well I didn't mean..."

"It's ok."

Well if she said so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Instead I cut off a small piece of the bronze hunk and brought it to my mouth. As I chewed the piece, the best way to describe the initial taste was to compare it to the one time that Sides had made me do something called the Cinnamon Challenge when we were in our holoforms.

Only this wasn't nearly as strong as that, and it had a strong hint of something sweet, probably from the mercury. It actually wasn't bad.

"D-Do you like it?"

"It's not bad."

"It took me some time to get used to it too..."

Conversation died down mostly after that, only an occasional comment here or there. Most femmes needed to run their mouths nonstop, but this one only spoke when I asked her a question. She was very quiet. It was actually refreshing compared to the shriekers Sides brought around.

Eventually the sun started setting, and Athena stood to leave. "It's getting late, I should go."

Yeah me too... before Sides came to track me down. "Me too."

With that she turned to leave, without looking back at me again even once.

I stood and paid my portion of the bill, before making my way out as well.

Maybe I'd see her again on base?

R&R! Please let me know if you like it!