Happy Birthday to my good friend Darkness_Rising. I know this is your prompt, but I hope you like it :)
Prompt: Sunny/Sides- masks and armour is merely smoke and mirrors
No beta, grammar abuse ahead.
()()()
Sunstreaker crept into his shared quarters and heaved a sigh when darkness met him. He slipped into the room, the door shutting quietly behind him, encasing the gold frontliner in darkness. There was no light in the quiet room, with the exception of glowing cobalt optics.
No matter how hard their armour. No matter how tough their exterior. Inside, they were broken, soft. Longing for more, for what they assumed they would never have. They were children that were forced to grow too fast in a world too cruel for the weak to survive.
They grew up fast. They grew up hard. But deep inside, behind the swagger, the confidence and armour they were longing for more.
The glow of his optics lit up part of his face, the soft light exposing the slope of his nose, the arch of his optical structure. The darkness did not hide the concern.
Gliding through the dark, the frontliner slipped to his twin's berth, crawling over the hard metal and soft padding, crawling over the prone body that lay still. Settling partially sprawled over his twin, long, gold legs thrown over black hips, Sunstreaker pressed his spine into the hard wall behind him.
A servo reached out to touch whatever plating the gold mech could grasp, and squeezed hard.
No matter how tough they were, they were vulnerable. They cared too much, too deep for so few. When those few were damaged, they were reminded how vulnerable they were.
"He's going to live." Sunstreaker said quietly into the dark, and a poorly stifled sob reached his audios.
Heaving a sigh, Sunstreaker lay next to the ball of grief and despair that was his twin; it was not often that Sideswipe let his walls crumble so thoroughly, so deeply. It was very rare that the king of pranks would allow himself to fall into a pit of desolation so deep that he couldn't pull himself out.
The golden twin stretched for a moment before he settled around his twin's curled frame, a lean leg hooking over a black pelvic span as arms circled the crimson mech's body.
Heaving a sob, vents hitching, Sideswipe uncurled from his tight ball, determined to bury himself into his twins body as much a physically possible. Trembling servos clung desperately to the edges of Sunstreaker's chest.
"It's my fault!" came the gasping sob, and Sunstreaker felt his chest grow wet.
"Your right. It is your fault." And it was. It had been Sideswipe's foolishness that had nearly gotten Prowl killed, had landed the Praxian in the medbay, his spark on the very edge of guttering out, and Sunstreaker would not lie to his twin.
He would get that enough from the crew, their pity. Some would maliciously point out what Sideswipe had done. Mock and belittle him. Sunstreaker would do neither; he would not coddle his twin for his mistake, but he would not rip him apart for it either.
He would simply be Sideswipe's support, until things were okay again and Prowl walked out of med bay.
Grasping his twin tighter, Sunstreaker pulsed support and love through the twin bond, letting his other half know that, no matter what, Sunstreaker will always love him.
Sideswipe sobbed harder into golden plates, his vents hitching and catching. "Don't deserve…"
Sunstreaker hushed him, his lips finding the top of Sideswipe's helm. "Of course you deserve this. You made a mistake. A major one yes, but it was just a mistake. There is no reason why you have to be crucified."
The sobbing didn't slow, so Sunstreaker continued, voice growing softer. "Everyone needs support Swipe. Everyone needs love in their time of need."
The sobbing slowed, if just a little, but the crimson mech's grip did not lessen on his twins. "Will he really survive?"
"With Ratchet? Yeah, I'd say the odds are good."
Sideswipe nodded, vents hitching again.
Sunstreaker pressed his lips to his twin's helm again in a soft kiss. "Get some recharge Swipe. We'll go visit Prowl in the morning."
Sideswipe nodded against a golden chest. "You'll stay?"
The voice sounded so soft, so brittle, as though Sideswipe would break without his other half to support him. That was fine, Sideswipe was always there for him, always had his back. No questions asked, regardless of the situation. Even if he started it, Sideswipe always had his back.
This wasn't about repayment, this was about being the support the most important mech in his life needed.
"Of course." Sunstreaker whispered back. Tomorrow they'd face the crew, and their pity, their scrutiny, their hate and fear of them. They'd do it together, just like they did everything. They'd walk, helms held high, shoulders back, down to see the closest thing to a creator they had and ensure he was fine.
Prowl was theirs first and foremost, part of their family, and the Autobot's would not soon forget that; and they'd do it together.
Almost instantly Sideswipe's systems lulled down, off lining all at once as exhaustion hit and he crashed with one last deep sob. Sunstreaker held him tight, his frame wrapped tightly around Sideswipe's limp one.
"Love you Swipe." Sunstreaker muttered softly as his own optics off lined, and he followed his twin into recharge.
No matter how strong their armour, they were vulnerable inside, more so when they were alone. So long as they were together, they were strong, and their vulnerability was less of a liability. It didn't matter how strong their armour was, their sparks drew them together, and they drew strength from each other; and no amount of shielding or weapons could compare to that.