A/N: This was written as another gift for hoppersnail; it was originally intended to be a one-shot explanation of the off-handed mention of Twins/Bluestreak in Unexpectedly Blue, and I have decided to continue it due to popular demand over on livejournal. So, I present to you yet another fic that has snowballed into something far bigger than I had originally planned. I should have the next chapter up after I have the next part of Lapsus Memoriae finished.
Disclaimer: I never have, and never will, own Transformers, unfortunately for me.
Sideswipe wandered into the rec. room with his audios still ringing from the force of Ratchet's parting lecture, determined to get himself a cube of energon before he followed the medic's instructions and collapsed into his berth for some much-needed recharge. The battle earlier in the day had been particularly brutal, and though they had not lost anyone, it had been a very near thing for some. Ratchet had been in a bigger snit than usual as a consequence, and Sideswipe was glad that his own injuries, as well as Sunstreaker's, were relatively minor. He had taken advantage of the earliest possible opportunity to escape the medic's clutches; he really was too tired to listen to Ratchet bitch.
Primus, but that mech was scary enough that he could probably make the fragging Cons toe the line.
Sideswipe snorted to himself in amusement at the mental image of Ratchet haranguing Megatron and Starscream into submission as he meandered over to the energon dispenser. He didn't know what prompted him to glance up after he had gotten his cube, but when he did, he couldn't help but catch sight of Bluestreak, huddled up by himself on a couch in the corner of the room. He frowned.
"Hey, Blue, you okay?" he asked, turning toward the young gunner. The grey mech's expression, usually so cheerful, was dull and listless, and the sight troubled the red warrior.
The only response Bluestreak made was to tuck his knees up under his chin, wrap his arms around them defensively, and look away from Sideswipe's gaze. Sideswipe gave him a puzzled look and made his way over to the younger mech; it was obvious to anyone with a set of optics that something was bothering him badly.
He gingerly sat down next to the grey gunner, setting his energon cube on a nearby table. "C'mon, Blue, you alright?" he asked insistently, placing a careful hand on the other mech's shoulder.
Bluestreak shrugged him off. "'M fine," he muttered, hiding his face in his knees.
"I doubt that," Sideswipe replied dryly. "You're not babbling my audios off—you can't be fine." The Lamborghini almost snickered when Bluestreak shot him an evil look, but managed to rein in his first impulse in light of how miserable Blue seemed to be.
"I wish you'd go away," Bluestreak said in a low voice.
"Not until you tell me what's bothering you," Sideswipe replied lightly, though there was a hint of steel in his voice—he meant it. He wouldn't leave until Blue was feeling better, no matter what he had to do to make it happen. It worried him to see the normally happy-go-lucky chatterbox so depressed.
"It's really nothing," the gunner insisted, fidgeting a bit. "Honest," he added, when Sideswipe looked unconvinced.
The red Lamborghini arched an optic ridge at him dubiously, and then reached for his energon cube, downing it in one long swallow. He sighed as he carefully set the empty cube down, and then stood up, tugging on Bluestreak's arm to pull him along. "C'mon, Blue, let's go play some video games. Maybe that'll cheer you up," he said, not relenting in his efforts until the gunner was on his feet.
"I don't know, Sides…" Blue said hesitantly. "I really don't want to be a bother to you and Sunny…"
"Nonsense!" Sideswipe airily waved away the younger mech's concern. "I want someone to play against, and if my glitch of a brother won't do it, then he deserves to be bothered when I find someone who will." He chuckled at Bluestreak's alarmed look. "Oh, don't worry, Blue, Sunny won't say anything," he said reassuringly. The gunner still seemed doubtful, but he followed Sideswipe without much urging.
By the time that the red Lamborghini had gotten him safely ensconced in his room (Sunstreaker had just given them a disgusted look and then proceeded to ignore them) and handed him a controller, Blue even appeared to have cheered up somewhat—at least, he didn't quite look so pathetic. Sideswipe was feeling rather pleased with himself after a few rounds of his newest video game, when he glanced at his companion and saw the brightened optics and the small smile playing about the gunner's lips.
"Pretty fun, huh, Blue?" he asked cheerfully, slinging a casual arm around Bluestreak's shoulders and drawing him close without really thinking about what he was doing. The Datsun stiffened at the contact; Sideswipe stared at him in surprise, game forgotten. "Blue?" he asked cautiously, uncertain as to why the younger mech would react so to a simple friendly gesture. Bluestreak just shook his head, and the red twin could feel him trembling ever so slightly.
Suddenly Sideswipe was hyperaware of the shaking body pressed against his own, and he watched as Bluestreak became conscious of that awareness. He supposed the lack of recharge was beginning to affect his CPU, making him think of Bluestreak like this, but he decided not to fight it.
Not what I had in mind, he thought to himself in bemusement, meeting Bluestreak's optics with his own, but this could be… fun. Deciding to experiment a little, he leaned in and kissed the gunner.
The other mech's response was wholly gratifying, once he stopped trying to pull away.
Sideswipe could feel his twin's mind focus sharply on the pair of them, and acknowledged the yellow mech's wordless inquiry with an amused invitation to help without ever ceasing his attentions to Bluestreak. The gunner squeaked when Sunstreaker slipped onto the couch beside him and quite calmly ran a finger along the edge of one doorwing. Arching one optic ridge appraisingly, the yellow warrior applied both hands to the appendages, grinning a feral grin when Bluestreak's back bowed and he broke from Sideswipe's kiss long enough to groan.
"W-what are you doing?" Bluestreak demanded breathlessly, pulling back enough to look at the red twin, though it meant leaning further into Sunstreaker's caresses.
Sideswipe gave him an enigmatic smile. "Making you feel better. Is it working?" His fingers traced down the grey chest to circle the headlights, and Bluestreak gasped, dropping his head down to rest weakly on the red shoulder. Sideswipe chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes," he said huskily, right into the younger mech's audio.
Nothing more was said after that, for Bluestreak had finally decided to retaliate in kind. Following the twins' leads, his hands roamed over both of their forms, though he seemed more willing to interact with Sideswipe than Sunstreaker—probably because Sideswipe had initiated the encounter, and Bluestreak was more comfortable with the red twin than his more dangerous brother.
By that point, however, it didn't matter which of them he touched more often; they had opened the bond between them fully, and their minds had become so fully enmeshed that they were as one person with two independently functioning bodies. A caress had just as much effect on the one as the other, regardless of the actual recipient of the touch. Vaguely they were aware that Bluestreak had been reduced to helpless whimpers between them; it would not take much to get him to overload.
Creating the hardline connection to proved to be the gunner's breaking point. Their systems had barely synchronized when he toppled sobbing over the edge, and he dragged the twins with him as he went. The three of them sagged together on the couch, cooling fans whining from the stress of keeping them from overheating.
Sideswipe found that he simply did not have the energy to stay online, despite the cube of energon he'd consumed just a short time ago. He could tell that Bluestreak was already out from the limp way that the gunner was draped across his chestplate. Sunstreaker watched them both through half-shuttered optics; Sideswipe could feel both his curiosity and the fact that his brother was too well-sated to ask questions at the moment.
Grateful that Sunny had chosen not to press the issue for the time being, Sideswipe heaved a satisfied sigh and let himself slip into recharge.
