Hello Dear Readers! I'm sorry for another long wait. For a few weeks I was only able to get out a few words a day when I suddenly had a burst of inspiration. This is my longest chapter yet and I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you so much to all my wonderful reviewers out there; THE Ellie, SkyehaMarisa, The story Teller Sentinel, KEZZ 1, Quickening, SoulousPrimeLightblast, guadadominguez4, Tom RiddlesRwin, Cinematronix, (Guestx6), Kitkaboo, KayleeChiara, WendyLeaf, Dina Sana, mary123ciel, CamaroLady, and .Princess. I love you all!

Enjoy!

Chapter 29

Mirage tried not to show his discomfort. Ever since he left Diego Garcia, regret had been at the forefront of his every thought. He wanted the war to end and, more than anything, he wanted to escape this disgusting planet. It was only the promise of ending the war that led him to betray his comrades. N.E.S.T would have the decepticons completely destroyed and the humans would take any remaining technology their enemy possessed. If Cybertronians were going to rebuild their civilization peacefully, they needed as many resources as possible. Since Division wanted this same peace, they would share the resources they obtain, it only made sense. Even more, they didn't want to offline all decepticons, just defeat them so the war can be over. It was the best possible outcome.

However, that did not stop the mech's inklings of fear. The autobots had more resources, between an organized team headed by a Prime and the human military. He had to guarantee that the humans of Division could offer what he needed to survive and fight. It was Ratchet who monitored the creation of energon and repaired all autobots. Que built the weapons they needed. The leadership formed combat strategies. And the others fought so there was always backup. Protection. He couldn't depend on these humans. Perhaps he could convince them his role should be limited to advisory. That way he wouldn't have to participate in any battles, ones that would certainly occur if the decepticons were to be defeated. That is, if they accepted him.

56 had seemed unsure when they last spoke. The Jackhammer's power core was meant to be an offering. It was shameful, having to stoop so low to appease an inferior race. But after betraying the autobots, his only other alternative were the decepticons. And on this planet, they were at the disadvantage.

Mirage was following a convoy of unimpressive SUVs which had been waiting from the moment the plane he was hiding on landed. The six hour drive bothered Mirage. At least 56 showed some semblance of the respect he deserved. Here, the only greeting was a quick, "Follow us." Before he was led on. He wasn't told how long the trip would be and they did not even warn him of the terribly dirty tack he'd have to follow. And the mech doubted Division had acceptable wash racks. This must have been his lowest point.


A terrible electric laughter bounced off the walls around Starscream. He didn't know whether to cringe with discomfort, or feel mildly impressed by Shockwave's gruesome accomplishment. Of course he would never admit that to the scientist. The mech was cocky enough as it was, though be it hidden behind his expressionless faceplates and monotone vocalization pattern.

He inspected the contents of the containment pod, tightly sealed, though the chattering of the subject could clearly be heard.

"I move all funny… Ha ha! Wait, what is that? Oh! Is that me? Oh ho! Weird."

Skyquake appeared nothing like his old self, neither in demeanor, nor physical appearance. Whatever Shockwave had done to him, cause the mech to lose most of his bulk… and his mind. It was a tragic loss of a powerful decepticon warrior, but the result was most intriguing.

The mad mech laid in the cramped pod, his frame phasing in and out of existence. All the while the wide smile on his faceplates, as he rambled nonsensically, didn't waver.

"So," Starscream addressed the party responsible, "just what did you do to poor, formerly stoic, Skyquake?" he asked in mock shame.

Shockwave's reverberating voice echoed through the pitiful buried ship they called a base, "The stabilization system seems to have reacted with the spark shock he was experiencing. Somehow, this phasing effect was the result."

The seeker huffed at the half answer, "And exactly how is this possible?"

"Unclear."

"And what use to be is a soldier who can't stay solid?" Starscream screeched, "I lost two good decepticons to your little experiment!" It was one thing to lose the brute Skyquake, but his brother Dreadwing would have made a loyal and efficiently intelligent Second In Command. When they volunteered for the Decepticons, Shockwave decided to experiment on them, since they were split-spark, and Megatron had allowed it. He wanted to explore what made up their connection. Dreadwing ended up off lining in the process and Shockwave managed to save Skyquake through experiments that were meant to stabilize his spark, before he followed his twin to the Well. It was either the result of the loss of his other half, or the experiments, that made the mech go insane.

Shockwave continued as if his commander's outburst had never occurred, "My next goal is to fully stabilize his form so that he can use this warping ability."

"Warp! I… I warp!"

Starscream heaved a heavy sigh at the pitiful sounds of the mech, "And what use is he in this state?"

"The degradation of his processor has brought him to a more primal state, like a berserker." Shockwave supplied somewhat helpfully, "He should still be able to follow orders."

"We'll see." Starscream turned to the experimental subject, "Skyquake, do you remember me?" he questioned with all the authority he could muster.

"Skyquake? No… no. Me warp! Skywarp!"

"Very well, Skywarp," the seeker grumbled, deciding to appeal to the mech, "who is your master?"

"Who is my master?" he echoed back.

Easy to anger, Starscream smashed his fist on the pod and seethed to the mech inside, "Sear my words in your very spark, I, Lord Starscream, Emperor of Destruction, am your supreme ruler."

"Yeah, you look like a Screamer!" Skywarp chirped casually.

"Who is your master?" he screeched indignantly.

"Lord Starscream!"

That would have to be enough to satisfy him, for the moment. "Very well. Now, you have fun in your little pod while the good scientist and I talk." He turned back to his chief, and only, scientist. "I have been in contact with Mech, once again. They propose an official alliance." Admiring the sharpness of his digits, he added, "I'm not surprised, after all, I was the one who taught them how to dispatch an autobot."

Not paying attention to Starscream's jest, Shockwave questioned, "Where is the logic in working with humans?"

Dropping his servo in frustration, the decepticon stated, "The autobots have more surveillance resources, and more firepower, for the moment. We can't collect the resources we need without being hunted down like cyber foxes, unless we acquire outside assistance."

There was a long pause as the one optic'd mech thought over the information. Then, he leaned down and reported, "Your reasoning is logical, but it is logical to assume they would be working against us."

"That's why Hardshell is currently scoping the nuclear plant they informed me of. If it's a trap, he'll be sure to punish them. If it's not, we won't be at risk." He stated with a devious smile, "Their leader informed me the plant would be open to attack in seven human days. And I know just what to test at this facility."


Erin could hear laughter, distant and happy. It sounded like children were playing. She felt grass poke against her back, making her skin itch. Sitting up, the soldier could feel the warmth of sunlight on her face. Caught in the distant laughter was a call, Erin had to strain to hear it. "Sis! Sis!" Her eyes shot open, bright light shining around her. Only inches away, a smiling face continued its call, "Sis, come on, let's play a game."

"Cora?" Erin started at the sound of her high pitch voice, still years from puberty.

Cora did not seem to take notice. "Come on sleepy head," she giggled while helping Erin to her feet, "let's go find the others, we can come up with a game to play!"

Cora pulled Erin by her sleeve toward a small hill where the other kids were running around. Erin struggled to keep up, not quite able to keep her balance. "Wait!" she shouted right as her foot slipped.

Before she could hit the ground, Cora turned on her heels and caught her twin under the armpits, quickly hauling her back up. "Sorry." She chirped.

An annoyed sigh caught Erin's attention. In tandem, the twin sisters glanced over to the source. A group of big kids, staring down the children who had apparently invaded their hang out space.

Erin felt a sense of apprehension. They were so much bigger than she was.

Cora, dropped her arms from her sister's sides and straightened up. She glared menacingly at the three who had, apparently, offended her in some way. She crossed her arms in a gesture that made her appear five times her size, at least in Erin's eyes.

The teenagers blanched at the malice she sent them and scurried off, making Erin giggle.

Cora muttered under her breath, "Nosy fraggers. Those pit-spawn ought to mind their own fraggin' business."

Erin smiled at her brave sister, "You know what, Cora?"

"What?" she asked curiously.

"You remind me of someone!" Erin announced, proud of her little discovery.

Cora cocked a brow, smiling nonetheless, "Shouldn't it be the other way around? You knew me first, right?"

"Oh, right." Erin giggled good-naturedly.

"Where are they anyway?" Cora asked, looking around the sky.

"Who?" Erin replied.

"Your friends, of course." She stated plainly

"My friends?" Cora was the only friend she needed.

"Sunstreaker and Sideswipe." Her sister reminded her.

"Oh, right." She'd forgotten about them, "I don't know, I guess they're already at the playground."

"Well, let's not keep them waiting." She turned to the way they had been originally heading when Erin noticed a scarlet drop fall to the ground.

Alarmed, Erin grabbed her twin's wrist, "Cora, did you hit your head?"

"What," she felt her forehead, where the drop of blood was sourced. She checked her fingers to see the small scarlet patch. "I guess I did." She added to her sister, "Does it look bad?"

Erin looked closely, another dropped flowed out, followed by a small stream. It came from a large hole in her skull. "Cora!" she shouted, lost for all other words.

"Oh, right." Cora said in realization, "I'm dead."

"No!" Erin shook her head. "We have at least eight more years together!" Hot tears started to run down her face. "It's too soon!" she sobbed.

Cora placed a gentle hand on Erin's shoulder. With no heartbeat, blood could no longer be pooled through the wound in her head, leaving an open bloodied hole. "It's too late, sis."

Erin's eyes shot open as she flung herself from the bed, landing awkwardly on her side. The only light in the room was the red glow from her alarm clock and the moonlight that filtered through the blinds of her window. She quickly fought off the memories of the dream as she steadied her breathing.

As a chill hit her, Erin forced herself back into her bed and wrapped a sheet around her shoulders. She could not will herself back to sleep. The waking thoughts that greeted her were no more kind, though.

Cora's words rang in her head again, "Your friends… Sunstreaker and Sideswipe." Erin had dreams of Cora, but those two had never invaded them before.

Ever since Sunstreaker had offered his apologies, the soldier had been stuck on how to proceed. At least when he hated her, things were simple. Even Sideswipe had learned to follow suit.

It hadn't even been her intention to get caught between them in their fight. She was returning from her Ironhide-sanctioned run when she saw them tearing into each other. It was a horrifying sight.

Over the past year, she had seen them spar many times, and had often been in the thick of it, but she rarely witnessed them go as savage as they had become. Worst still, it seemed Sideswipe was farther gone than his volatile brother. His optics were an eerie white and filled with unrestrained anger. It wasn't the same protective response Sunstreaker used when his gladiator programming activated, as Erin had witnessed whenever Sideswipe was seriously injured. This had a feel of vengeance to it. Erin did not know what had started the fight, though she would assume some theories afterwards, her mind went blank as she jumped into action to break them apart.

She didn't have a set plan, instead various scenarios ran through her mind in a flash. Call to them, shoot them, run between them. Each situation was dangerous. There was a wide perimeter of danger as they tossed each other around. Her verbal hails were unheard as the clash of metal drowned her out. Their pedes stomped the earth, making the ground shake under her feet. And their shouting was in an odd form of cybertronian. It wasn't the smooth mechanical Tarnian that Ironhide had been teaching her. It was both guttural and sharp. Shooting them for attention was a hazardous option. For the moment, Sunstreaker seemed to be somewhat under control, but a paintball to the armor might have set him off. And something stronger could have created an unpredictable reaction. Getting in the middle of their fight was suicidal, but once her other options were weeded out, she stopped thinking and just acted.

Careful to dodge their pedes and trying to predict their next movements, Erin skidded between Sideswipe's legs and shouted to catch their attention. To her luck, their reactions were instant. They froze, fists still poised for a strike. What she hadn't expected, was Sunstreaker's next action. It wasn't until Sideswipe wheeled away that Erin realized how foolish her actions were. But she stood her ground. And Sunstreaker apologized.

It was so unexpected, she thought she'd fall on her ass in surprise, but she didn't want to seem fazed.

The gambit of emotions to follow were nearly unprecedented for Erin. She was weary, first and foremost. But there was also surprise, anticipation, relief, and even some sense of joy. She shouldn't care, but she did anyway. Still, that wouldn't decide how she would respond. The soldier had bought some time, but Sunstreaker would be expecting a reply.

It was certainly simpler when they left each other alone. And since he didn't seem to hate her anymore, there wouldn't be that same sense of danger. Simple was good. She was up for review to become a corporal- even though it was soon; as usual her experience and recommendations waved certain requirements- and fewer distractions would be helpful. But she couldn't help but reminisce on their times together, off field. Being beaten at video games by both mechs, explaining movies to Sideswipe and then doing a prank inspired by said movie, and talking about art with Sunstreaker. Those were all things she looked forward to.

Erin pulled out her data pad and opened her sketch pad. She hadn't drawn anything in the past week. Mindlessly, she ran her fingers over the surface, creating an outline. She changed the color to yellow and filled it in, then a hint of orange, some shadows, and finally, a sky blue. Lost in her work, she drew until her alarm went off, then kept drawing after shutting the offending device off.

After she was finished, she stared at the picture. It made her feel happy. Sunstreaker would probably hate it. An image of him, not nearly as handsome as the real thing, or at least as he would claim, with slightly upturned lip plates, and surrounded by a swath of sunflowers. It was so cute, he'd probably burn the data pad. But Erin smiled. Maybe there was something to art after all.

Erin glanced at the time on her data pad. She missed breakfast, but could still be on time to training. It was just humans today, no autobots. She looked forward to the hand on hand combat, needing to let out some pent up energy. Maybe she would sleep better afterwards.

Quickly, Erin got dressed and made a quick pit stop to the bathroom before heading out of the barracks and jogging to the training grounds.

The training was nothing out of the ordinary. They reviewed standard drills and pushed their physical abilities, some more than others. Erin found that she needed the workout. It was a good way to get her mind off things.

After she was dismissed, she showered and headed to the mess hall for lunch, feeling starved. No one could maintain that much physical activity on an empty stomach for long. The walk to the mess hall was far lonelier than Erin had ever recalled. Ever since her falling out with the twins, she had refused to be chauffeured, avidly avoiding Sideswipe. That afternoon, however, the young woman found herself looking around for him, knowing he had already given up. At times, though, she would still catch him sneaking about. He was, of course, a terrible spy and she usually noticed his alt hiding behind a building, the sun casting his shadow past the corner. It only took a few weeks on base before she grew accustomed to him following her. This time, however, there was no sign of him.

When she arrived at the mess hall, it was later than usual. Most of the men were already filtering out. At least there would be no line. She went straight for a cold turkey sandwich and some tossed salad. She passed by the decepticon insignia on the coffee machine. It had since been given a paper mustache and Santa hat by various soldiers.

A quick glance around showed Erin that Adam and Franky were still eating. The later seemed to be engaged in a monologue while Adam listened from across the table, as usual.

Wordlessly, Erin approached and took a seat next to Franky. Whatever rant the man had been on abruptly stopped as he turned to the woman. "Brook!" he bellowed in a deep voice, "How's it going, girl?"

"Fine." She answered out of social politeness, "And you?" she directed the question at both men, noting that their trays were practically empty, aside from a few scraps. They both liked to linger after a meal.

"Same, no better, no worse." Franky practically sang in his usual jovial and confident manner. He leaned forward so that only Adam and Erin could hear, "So, what's the latest news?" he whispered.

Erin leaned back, staring at him critically. "Of what?" she asked.

"You know," he prompted, "Miss Team Prime must know something about what's going on with Mirage bailing and all." He added, "So, did he turn tail and run, or join the 'cons?"

"I don't know, that's out of my security clearance." She muttered.

"You know, Brook,," he sharply turned the conversation, "you look different today." He leaned in, scrutinizing her face. Erin willed herself not to shiver as his gaze stroked down her skin. It wasn't a good feeling, nor a bad one, just a feeling. "You make up with the yellow demon?"

It took Erin less than a blink to realize whom he was referring to. Yet, she played dumb, after all, she had never told the guys what was going on between her and the twins to begin with, "What are you talking about?" she questioned.

"You seem… brighter today."

Her eyes narrowed. "And how does this compare to any other time?"

"Ever since you and the twins got into whatever it was, you've been miserable, don't deny it." He added, "You've been stalking around, shooting death glares at anyone who comes close. And the silver one hasn't been toting you around base. Now, you actually seem… approachable."

"Fine, I had a falling out with Sunstreaker, but he apologized last night." She added emphasis to his name, something Franky never seemed to use.

"He apologized! I thought that bot could only be angry and pissed, Jesus! Well, that explains why you look tired." Erin needed a moment to process what he was insinuating. Apparently, Franky could depict the realization dawning on her face, as his own grin grew. He added cheekily, "Don't tell me there's nothing going on there, Brook!"

Adam stared intently at Erin, seeming fully invested in this valuable gossip.

"You know what Franky? Fuck you and your sick imagination." Erin muttered, visibly disgusted. She kept her expression otherwise neutral, trying not to react as strongly. She stood, ignoring the rest of her mostly untouched meal, she wasn't hungry anymore. Instead, waving off to the two men, "I'll see you guys when you grow up." she dismissed herself, wasting her meal as it fell into the garbage before she quickly retreated out of the mess hall.

Her anxiety rose, leading her to head towards the tree line where she could freely jog. What Franky hadn't known was that he had voiced something very similar to her own suspicions. She wasn't sure what had led Sunstreaker to verbally attack her the way he did, but she couldn't believe that she was targeted at random. It was personal, between her, him, and Sideswipe. Of course the suspicion had occurred before, when she wondered why Sideswipe drove off before her fateful encounter with his twin. He had been talking about the way Franky was flirting with her. At the time, it was easier for Erin to believe that his reaction was out of friendship, rather than jealousy. The same reasoning was given to the mech's own attitude towards her, the nickname, casually inserted innuendos, and even occasionally being called 'sweetspark'. She had seen Sunstreaker's face whenever Sideswipe acted too familiar with her, she knew he disapproved.

That would explain his wanting her to stay away from Sideswipe. He was trying to protect his brother. But the gravity of his words were greater than that. Erin hadn't fully considered this, until she realized her closeness with the twins was observable by others, like Franky. Even if he was only joking, Erin knew there was some level of truth to it. What if Sideswipe really did have intimate feelings for her? The more Erin thought about it, the less improbable it seemed.

But what about Sunstreaker? If he knew about Sideswipe's feelings, and that was why he had the outburst, why would he apologize later. Unless…

Erin's eyes widened as she stopped to lean against a short tree for balance. It was almost incomprehensible, the thought. But it would clearly explain both mech's behaviors. Could Sunstreaker really have feelings for her? After all, she knew they shared everything.

Sideswipe was difficult enough, she hadn't even begun to consider what she would do about him, should her suspicions be confirmed. Normally, she would turn a guy away or ignore him until he got the hint. But both of these seemed wrong when it came to Sideswipe. Sunstreaker was another monster entirely.

Of course, she could just be over analyzing things. Sunstreaker was more likely to marry his own reflection than think anything positive about a human. But, she still needed to find out for herself. So, she turned on her heels and started the run to the other side of the base, unsure whether she should message the twins, or arrive unannounced. At that point, her mind was practically mush.


Sunstreaker sat at the edge of his berth, one leg bouncing nervously. He hadn't left that spot since waking. He tried to apply wax, but lost interest part way through, rubbing it off with a clay bar to try and minimize the uneven sheen that had formed. He wasn't interested in refueling either. Sides had quietly offered to get him some energon, but Sunstreaker only shook his helm in response. The brothers had hardly spoken since their last encounter with the squishy, although they returned to their berthing together.

In the silence of the evening, each mech cleaned his own armor, not daring to look at the other. Sunstreaker didn't sense the same hostility that had led his brother to attack him, instead there was just an undying sense of exhaustion. The two of them spent a recharge-less night in silence. The only sign that each was still online was the blinking lights as they occasionally shuttered their optics. Sunstreaker distracted himself by focusing on the aching in his healing wounds. None of them were too serious. The worst was the one where Sides had managed to jam his digits under Sunstreaker's shoulder plating and pierced it from underneath. It was painfully noticeable. But the yellow gladiator didn't have the energy to feel angry.

Ever since he convinced himself to sit up on the berth, once Sides turned on the lights, his mind wondered to more worrisome thoughts. What was she thinking? Should he seek her out or leave her be? Why was he so panicked about this? Would he ever be able to fix things?

It was agonizing, but he didn't have the spark to do anything else.

He started at the sound of the door being wretched open. The mech turned his helm just enough to see Sides step through, his optics staring down. Following his line of sight, Sunstreaker saw a small form walking in front of his brother. The mech bolted up to his pedes and turned to see the squishy standing a few feet from the threshold.

He glanced to Sides, who stared accusingly at Sunstreaker. "She was waiting outside." He said, mistrust dripping from his vocalizer. Sunstreaker wanted to snap at his brother, but he refrained, barely. It seemed that the squishy wasn't the only one he needed to work things out with.

Speaking of her, Sides sidestepped the human and walked past Sunstreaker to his own berth where he stiffly flopped down and instantly started tapping away at his data pad. The yellow mech guessed that was as much privacy as he was going to get.

Bracing himself, Sunstreaker turned back to the femme, choosing not to hide as much of his concern. Things would never be fixed if he acted cold towards her. Her face mirrored the disappointed gaze that 'Hide had given him the day before. Sunstreaker felt his defenses rise instinctively, although he told himself anything but anger was a good sign.

Not daring to speak, he waited for her to say something.

After a long pause, during which she seemed to search his faceplates for something, she looked down and asked, "What happened?"

Sunstreaker knew he couldn't tell the whole truth, but if he were to win her trust back, he'd at least have to be genuine. "There's no excuse," he started, searching for words, "for the way I treated you. But," he added quickly, "I want you to know that it wasn't your fault. I'm really sorry. And- and I'll make it up to you, if you'll let me."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" she asked seriously.

Primus. Sunstreaker froze. Was there something he was supposed to do? He didn't take the time to look up the human customs for this sort of thing. Was there a special way that they apologized? He half considered quickly searching for a solution, but he knew the squishy would catch him. Rather than risk offending her, he practically sputtered, "Anything you want!" Sunstreaker internally cringed at his own vocalizations. Across the bond, he could feel some of Sides' own amusement. At least he was opening up to him.

His answer seemed to satisfy the femme, she cocked her head to the side and almost quirked her lips to a grin. "Alright," she said with authority, "then prove you have nothing against me. We are going to hang out, without Sideswipe's help." She turned and headed out the still-open door. Before disappearing past the corner she added, "Pick me up at eighteen hundred hours." Then, she was gone.

Sunstreaker stared at the space she once occupied, slack-jawed. It wasn't until after several moments when Sides finally broke the silence, "Did she just ask you out on a date?"


Sunstreaker had no idea what he was doing. Ever since the squishy had left he'd been moving on autopilot. Sides may have said a few things to him, but he only remembered some of it. All he knew was that it was late afternoon and he was parked outside the femme's barracks. The sun was starting its descent from the sky and his chromometer said he was very early, giving him plenty of time to wonder what the frag he was doing and why he was so nervous.

He shifted uncomfortably at the feeling of the warm, organic fuel in his glovebox. He'd rather put it in his subspace, so it could be out of his mind, but two cardinal rules for subspacing were to not introduce oxygen or organic matter. It was Sides who had noted that the femme had set their meeting time for before her evening refueling and it would likely last after the mess hall closed. Perhaps that was a part of whatever test she seemed to be putting him through. Normally, the mech would be indignant at the thought of jumping through hoops for a squishy, but a small part of his processor told him that she was worth it. He ignored that part and decided just to numbly go through whatever he had to without overthinking it.

Thus, he had driven off to the human fuel preparation area and caught a cook outside. The human had no clue what was going on until he was already cornered by the most feared mech on base. If Sunstreaker knew anything, it was that fear worked. He growled at the unsuspecting man, "The squishy needs fuel, you have one hour. And it better be more than that pathetic slop I've seen her consume. Make it good." The fleshy nodded and darted inside, not bothering to ask who the mech was referring to. He probably knew; there were only a few humans on base brave enough to associate with the gladiator.

As he waited for the femme, every possible scenario played through his processor. Perhaps she didn't want to see him after all, or maybe this whole meeting thing was a joke? The thought make Sunstreaker's spark burn.

At least he had some privacy. No human who saw his alt dared to step within a squishing radius. The only thing the mech had to worry about was the dust picked up by the wind. Sides had told him to clean up before seeing the squishy. Of course, Sunstreaker was pissed at the implication that he wasn't pristine as always, but he relented to go to the wash racks and put extra work into his frame. He also took the liberty to bang out some of the more minor dents in his frame. He left the larger ones to their devices; as much as he abhorred the idea of how he'd look with a single imperfection, he knew that messing with dents could create longer lasting, worse results. Unless it was Ratchet doing the work, of course. After all the effort he put in to this particular evening, he would curse Primus himself to the pit if the dust so much as clung to his undercarriage.

After what seemed like an eternity, a small shape emerged from the single door leading to the barracks. Although she looked different, Sunstreaker could instantly recognize her. His spark spasmed in its casing when his optical sensors brushed over her altered form. She wasn't wearing the standard uniform she enjoyed, nor her more casual workout clothes which she dawned during personal runs or especially intense self-enforced exercises. Sunstreaker would have never guessed she had such clothing. Grey pants that faded to a lighter shade around her knees complimented a white shirt that dipped low on her chest and adorned those small round fasteners which Sunstreaker could not remember the name of. Her shoulders were covered with a black jacket-like thing that only went halfway down her back. Though he could have said a few things about how monochromatic she was, he secretly admitted to himself that everything fit her very well. Besides, she had never been the 'colorful' type. Perhaps with some nudges in the right direction, he could convince her to add some kind of color to her wardrobe. When she turned her head to face him, the hair on her head bounced off her shoulders. He had never realized how long it was, or how it appeared to be thick and wavy. In fact, he'd never seen her wear it down before. It had always been tightly tied, though neat and well groomed. Suddenly, the mech felt awkward over how much he was scrutinizing her appearance. It didn't matter. Though, he had to wonder, did she 'dress up' for him? The idea made his spark curl and flip oddly.

He waited for her to meet him where he was parked before popping his passenger side door open. She paused and, for a moment, Sunstreaker feared that he had already done something wrong. Sideswipe had insisted that he drive her, as a show of trust. He also said that he needed to open the door for her because that's what human males did for females. In hindsight, Erin had never been one to ask males for special treatment. Did he just insult her? At first the mech felt like a rusted servo had just patted his bumper and he was about to lay out how he couldn't be expected to understand all her confusing customs. Then he instantly bit back the thought and was about to apologize when the femme stepped towards his open door, smiling.

As she stepped inside, she was careful not to touch anything with her hands and seated herself neatly. Sunstreaker took the initiative to gently close his door behind her. "A ride from Sunstreaker," she stated with a knowing grin, "you know how to make a girl feel special."

Sunstreaker had no idea whether the femme was aware of what her statement did to him, and he sincerely hoped she didn't. He was actually glad she couldn't see his faceplates as he internally sputtered for a response. "Well," he answered far more calmly than he felt, "you're different from other squishies."

The mech could swear that a playful glint in her grey eyes. "And how am I different?" she asked, leaning in towards his steering wheel, where she had apparently chosen to speak to.

"Well," he quickly thought of a reasonable answer, "you're cleaner than other squishies."

"Cleaner?" she queried back.

"Yes," he added somewhat more defensively, "you're species is organic and oily." He added quickly, "But you're fine." Good save.

"Well," she glanced around, "are we just going to sit here or…"

With a start, Sunstreaker realized that his wheels were still plastered to the ground. In a flash, he shot out from his parked spot and headed away from the barracks. The squishy was pushed hard against his seat by the force. Fearlessly, she grabbed his seatbelt and wrapped it around herself. She had none of the fear of apprehension that he had been expecting. It helped him relax somewhat.

He split his focus between his passenger, sitting comfortably in his cab, and the path before him. As he sped, he thought be might of seen a tiny, almost wild, smile come across the femme's lips. It only took a few ticks to reach the edge of the beach. He raced along, just outside the perimeter of gritty sand. The sun was about to touch the far horizon and the sky was beginning to turn in shade. Eventually, Sunstreaker found the rocky outcropping he had been aiming for. The ground before it was hard-packed earth and wouldn't get stuck in any of his joints. He slowed, mindful of his cargo, at a far more subdued pace than he would normally go, rolling up to his destination before making a gentle stop.

Undoing the femme's seatbelt himself, he retracted it while opening the door for her. Again, she was mindful of not touching him with her hands. At that point, he wasn't sure whether it was out of respect or caution. Once she was clear, he transformed and stepped onto the large, smooth, stone surface. The formation of rocks hung over the ocean with waves only a few meters underneath.

He watched as the femme surveyed the area, her eyes finally landing on the falling sun. "This is looks like a beautiful place to watch the sunset." She commented.

Sunstreaker released a vent he hadn't realized he had been holding. Gesturing for her to follow him, he stepped to the edge of the large stone ground and sat himself down, his legs hanging over the edge with the water half a length beneath him. Though the femme followed, she stayed away from the edge, appearing calm and collected as always. Instead, she sat on a stone to his left, the solid ground there had curved further over the water, giving her space from the edge.

Instead of commenting on her obvious seating choice, he looked towards the sun as it kissed the ocean. "I come here to watch the sunset every once in a while. This may be a mudball of a planet, but at least earth has one thing going for it." He explained, glancing up at the sky which was casting a rainbow of yellow, red, blue, purple, and navy. The moon was already visible behind them.

"What were sunsets like on Cybertron?" the femme asked curiously.

It hurt a bit, remembering his home. "We didn't really have sunsets or 'rises." He explained, "We had two very distant suns that the planet spun between, but most of our light and heat came from within the planet or structures we built. During 'night' the sky would turn navy, and we could see a few stars, but it was nothing like this." He nodded to the darkening purple sky and the reddish glow hanging over the ocean.

"I guess us humans are lucky to have this then." She replied, taking a moment to follow his gaze.

They sat there for a while, appreciating in the sight before them, and absorbing the last warm rays of sunlight. The air would remain hot throughout the night. The temperature wouldn't dip below 26 Celsius before morning came.

Sunstreaker started wondering wildly what he would say to the femme when he received an alert, reminding him to refuel. Just then, he felt hunger claw at his tanks. Remembering his 'guest', he reached for the organic slop that he had stored, happy to finally remove it. Quickly, he inspected the offending bag, ensuring that nothing had leaked out and ruined his storage unit. Then, seeing that it was clear, he offered it to the femme. "I thought you might want to refuel, if you hadn't already."

She took it and thanked him politely before opening the contents. As Sunstreaker pulled out his own cube, he glanced over to what the femme held, not sure whether she would find the meal acceptable. If it wasn't, there would be a reckoning.

He saw her flinch as she opened one of the boxes inside the bag. Cautiously, he asked, "Is it alright?"

She turned to face him, expression calm as usual, if not a little surprised, "Where the hell did you get a steak?" her smile grew with each word, a hungry look appearing on her face, which had an odd effect on his spark, among other places. The feeling was so shocking and unwelcomed, it took Sunstreaker a moment to regain composure. Before he answered, she gave him a questioning look, "You don't mind if I'm eating meat?"

Honestly, he did mind, and he hadn't known that the fleshy had put that among her meal. Not wanting to ruin her apparently good mood, he shook his helm. Adding truthfully, "Hatchet said you humans naturally consume that stuff, so I guess I can't complain." If the squishy needed this to survive and stay healthy, he could deal with it. Though, he didn't think he could actually watch her consume what had once been a living, sentient creature.

She smiled and looked down at her nourishment, "Well, I guess you've got Sideswipe beat on that," she commented, "I swear, the last time he saw me eat bacon, I thought he was going to cry."

That was something Sunstreaker could easily imagine. He glanced down at the 'steak' and had trouble hiding his disgust. "Do you actually enjoy that?" he asked.

She was already cutting into it, using the utensils she had found in the bag. "Yes," she answered, "some humans avoid meat, but others really like it. Besides," she added, "like you said, it's natural." She pointed at her mouth, a digit just under one of her white teeth. It was so small, but Sunstreaker could see a sharp point to it. "We even have teeth made for tearing flesh."

The phrase made Sunstreaker involuntarily shiver. Rather than looking at the femme as she took the first bite, which was alarmingly reddish, rather than the dark outside he had expected, he focused his attention on the cube in his servo, forcing down a hard gulp. At least the femme seemed happy.

As they enjoyed their meal, conversation eventually began to flow at a more natural pace. Awkwardness began to fade and Sunstreaker was feeling less worried. It was nice, being able to speak freely with her. In that moment, as the light of day still glowed over them, Sunstreaker forgot he was talking to an organic. It was just Erin.

"You're sitting pretty close to the edge." He teased her, noticing how she would glance to the cliff every so often throughout their conversation. Her eyes instantly flashed over to the end of the rocky base, involuntarily leaning away, ever so slightly. It was perplexing, how she could be so fearful of such little heights. She wasn't even ten feet up. But, he knew her history, and could sympathize with the trauma she had experienced when, during a training session, she jumped from a plane, only for her parachute to fail. If it hadn't been for her twin sister, Cora, she wouldn't have survived. Silently, Sunstreaker thanked Primus his human hadn't met a worse fate. Still, he didn't like how fearful she acted. Sure, she could put her issues aside in a battle scenario, where focus was the key to survival, but it wasn't healthy for her in any other situation. "You know, squishy, you really should do something about that phobia of yours." He commented, trying not to sound too serious or mocking.

She glanced sidelong at him, "I'm doing just fine." she lied. "I climbed that gutter when you threw my fuckin' blade." She patted the side where her favorite weapon was once holstered. Sunstreaker made a mental note to track down Que later. The femme had waited long enough and was going to need everything she could if she was going to continue to fight alongside him and Sides.

"You did fine then," he admitted, "but have you done anything else?" he queried, already knowing the answer.

The squishy glanced away, suddenly finding the ground at her feet very interesting. Sunstreaker hummed, knowing that his point had been made. Then, in a sudden burst of movement, the femme shot to her feet and marched to the edge of the stone ground, staring daringly into the black churning water. The last wisps of sunlight disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving the night sky to glow over the mech and human. "Fine then." She stated with determination.

Her next action caught Sunstreaker completely off guard. Without so much as a second thought, she started to strip away her clothing. As her shirt came off, it revealed her skin, marred by many, barely visible scars. As she started to remove her pants, Sunstreaker turned his helm away, knowing at least enough human culture to realize staring at her in this state would likely get his optic shot out. Though, curiosity won out, and he glanced at her to see only two small pieces of clothing remained over her body. One covered her breasts- which Sunstreaker thought were the weirdest things he had ever seen on any kind of animal- and, luckily, her interface panel. He was so busy gawking, that he hadn't realized just what she was about to do.

She stepped up to the lowest part of the ledge, which dipped slightly before dropping to a sandy slope. Just as her feet left the ground, Sunstreaker lunged forward, scraping his armor on the rough ground, servo outstretched to catch the femme before she descended into the black abyss below. He brought her back to solid earth, still holding her.

She crossed her arms and stared and stared accusingly at the mech. "What was that for?".

"What do you think you were doing?" he seethed, "I didn't mean you should scrap yourself! Primus." He muttered.

Her face morphed from confusion to a humorous grin. "Sunstreaker, did you forget humans can swim?"

Sunstreaker jolted at the comment. He shuttered his optics in embarrassment. "No." he lied, setting her down.

"Sure." She giggled adorably. "Now, if I have your approval," she added with a wink, "I'd like to go for a swim."

This time, the mech didn't try to stop her. Instead, he watched as she stepped up to the ledge, noting how she shuttered while looking down. She had already attempted the jump once, but he had just forced her to do it once again. With one last glance back towards him, so quick the warrior was unable to read her expression, she leapt and disappeared into the water with a small splash. He waited for her to reemerge, forcing himself not to point any scanners towards the waves. It was only a moment later, though, when her head popped up through the water, a wide grin on her face.

She glared challengingly at the mech. "Come on, it's your turn!" she called, stroking through the water, practically floating on her back. "It's not that deep." She called in a taunting voice.

"Squishy," he replied coolly, "there is no way in the name of Primus that I would ever go into that disgusting, organic infested rust-trap." Instead, he pulled out a cloth and tried to even out the smudges in his waxed finish.

"Pussy." She muttered playfully. Sunstreaker had to look up the word and he jolted at his findings. They were not what he expected, and he could only hope she meant 'coward' rather than the other options. The squishy must have realized what he found, because she burst into laughter at the look on his faceplates. He was not amused.

She continued to swim, not minding the lack of light, though she still held conversation with him as he watched her. He noticed how happy she looked in the water, and when he commented, she said that many humans found water to be therapeutic, even commenting she missed taking baths. He filed the information away for later.

Once she was satisfied, she climbed out of the water, onto the sandy shore several meters away. The mech met her where the rock ended and she climbed back up beside him. He handed her a microfiber rag, making sure there was not any traces of wax or other materials that would irritate her fleshy skin, and she wiped herself mostly dry. Sunstreaker decided to walk her back, refusing to let her sit in his seat until she was clean again. The femme didn't seem to have any issues his this, and she wrapped his cloth around her, tying it into a kind of 'dress' that hung below her knees. He didn't mind. He picked up her clothes, which he had folded while she was enjoying swim, and walked alongside her.

As she started to head over to the barracks, he quickly veered her away toward his side of base, insisting that it was closer and she could use the wash racks there. He left little room for argument as he strode away, alerting his brother that they were arriving.


Sideswipe rocked back and forth on his wheels. He was beyond happy that Rin had finally agreed to give them another chance. And, by the emotions streaming through the bond, he had a feeling the night had gone well. Sunny told him they were walking back from the beach so Sideswipe waited just inside the building's hallway. A small part of him was envious of his twin. It was Sideswipe who had put in most of the effort for their relationship. But Rin had chosen to go out with Sunny instead. That was hard to get past. However, he knew the two of them needed time to sort things out. Besides, Sunny would never leave him out of things. And Rin knew they were a package deal. Still, it wasn't easy being left behind.

As Sideswipe felt his brother approaching, he shook the thought away. Sunny was bringing her back with him, so Sideswipe would have plenty of time with her. As they came through the threshold, there were a few noticeable elements between the two. For one, Sunny was nearly smiling. He wasn't there yet, but Sideswipe couldn't see any hint of his trademark scowl. Rin also looked pleased. Even more conspicuous though, was the fact that she was wrapped in one of Sunny's cloths. Her hair was wet and hung flat over her shoulders. But, she was smiling nonetheless. That at least told Sideswipe that Sunny hadn't heinously thrown her into the ocean.

He rolled forward to greet them. "Hey Rin, how was your night?" he held a vent, waiting for her answer.

She glanced up to Sunny before directing her attention back to Sideswipe. "It went really well." She replied with a calm tone.

It wasn't bubbly excitement, but with Rin, Sideswipe could take that response as a win. He smiled widely at both the femme and his brother, whom he was proud of. "Great!"

Sunny chipped in, "We'll wait while you use the wash racks."

Sideswipe's olfactory sensors could pick up the refreshing scent of ocean water coming from her. He wondered what Sunny had said to convince the femme to use the autobot wash racks instead of the ones in her barracks. "Don't worry," he added with a wink, "we won't let anyone else inside."

She sighed irritably, in her trademark 'I'll never win with you guys' way. He just smiled and walked with her to the wash racks. Sunny opened the door for her and she quietly thanked him while she happened to find her feet very interesting at that moment. The yellow mech also offered her what Sideswipe realized must have been her clothes. He sent Sunny a quick nudge over the bond. Said 'bot retaliated with a mental punch, making Sideswipe wince.

Immediately after Sunny closed the door behind Rin, they heard a knock from the other side. Sideswipe reopened it to see Rin staring up at them, a flicker of embarrassment in her eyes. "I can't reach the dial." She muttered so quietly, Sideswipe had to strain to hear her.

Holding back a burst of laughter, he entered the room. "Don't worry, sweetspark, I'll help you." He turned on the water and felt the temperature. A quick search told him that the ideal temperature was 44 degrees Celsius. As steam started to rise, he stepped back and gave one last final glance at the femme. "You need anything else?" he couldn't help but goad on, "I could help wash your back."

She swiftly shot him a hard glare that left no need for any further response.

Sideswipe chuckled and moved to leave her in peace. Before he could step out, though, Rin called his attention once again, "Sideswipe," he turned to her, a witty remark on his glossa, "I'm sorry." He paused, not expecting that. "I shouldn't have treated you the way I have."

Sideswipe search her expression. She seemed genuine and he honestly never anticipated she would bring this up. Softening his smile, he said, "All's forgiven. Thank you, Rin." Stepping out, he closed the door and sighed contently.

He and Sunstreaker stood on either side of the door, ensuring no other mech would disturb her. While they waited, Sideswipe took the opportunity to grill his brother on all the details. :So,: he started, :exactly how much did she take off?:

Sunny crossed his arms and answered out loud, "Frag off." He then added :Pervert.:

Sideswipe, thoroughly entertained, pushed on, :Come on! Don't keep it all to yourself. One day she won't even look at us, the next you two go on a date and show up with her wearing a cloth! What happened?:

His brother vented deeply, knowing Sideswipe wouldn't give in. :It wasn't a date. I took her to the outcropping by the beach. I had gotten food from one of the fleshies and she claimed she liked it, especially since it was mostly animal flesh.: Both mechs shivered at the thought. The 'omnivore thing' was something that they would have to work out. :We talked for a while, it was nothing big. Then, she decided to swim.: He concluded as if that was all Sideswipe would need to hear.

He was wrong. :That's it?:

:Yes.:

:Really?:

Grumbling, he added, :And she took off most of her clothes to swim.:

:Sunny!: Sideswipe had to suppress himself from shouting out loud. :If that's not flirting, I don't know what is.:

:Don't call me that and don't assume too much: Sunny intervened. :We're a different species after all, I doubt she thought much of it.: He paused before adding, :And will you drop it already, you sound like a creep.:

Sideswipe snorted in a human gesture, :You know I have nothing but respect for Rin, but if she's sending us signals, we should at least acknowledge it.: After all, a creep would ask for an image, he just wanted to know how recent events affect their chances with her. Although he did envy his brother's luck.

:We don't know what she wants.: Sunny stated firmly. :And I only used this night to get back in her good graces. Nothing else.:

Sideswipe wasn't convinced. Sunny was just as far gone as he was.

When Rin knocked on the door once again, they let her out of the wash racks. Sideswipe was finally able to see her in civilian clothes and she looked amazing. He asked if she wanted to watch a movie with them in their room and, after a moment of thought, she agreed. When they arrived, she even allowed him to pick her up and set her on his own berth. In front of her, he pulled Sunny's berth in so he could set a data pad on top it. With a brother sitting on each side of the femme, the trio watched a movie of Sideswipe's choice. As he was still trying to get Rin into comics, he chose the first Spiderman, must to Sunny's disappointment.

After the movie, Erin commented on how old the human actors were. Sunny replied by saying all humans looked alike and it was much easier to tell with their own species.

"So, what do younglings look like?" she asked.

"Like young Cybertronians." Sunny deadpanned.

Sideswipe gave his brother an amused glance before elaborating for the femme, "I guess it would be hard for a human to tell." He started. "Cybertronians are smaller with their younger frames, but we also have smaller sized Cybertronians. We can just tell. For you though, sparklings and younglings have fewer defining features. But," he added sadly, "I doubt you'll ever see one."

Rin remained respectfully silent for a moment. Eventually, though, she asked, "Do you have an image I could look at?"

That was a wonderful idea. Sideswipe grinned madly and plucked the data pad. Sunny had apparently caught on to what his intentions were, and tried to lunge for the object. Rin jumped back as the gladiators wrestled over the data pad, only for Sideswipe to jump up and wrap one arm around Rin, having the pad's screen face her. Sunny, not wanting to harm the femme, stopped his assault. Instead, he stood and stepped away, crossing his arms and grumbling. Sideswipe quickly scrolled through his image history; which he had downloaded directly from his own memory file- one of the few ways he had managed to save data from home.

Eventually, he found the exact picture he was looking for. It had been taken by their own sire. Sideswipe's spark hummed happily when he saw the bar in the background. Sire always maintained it with pride. He showed Rin the picture. He was far smaller, with only tiny protrusions from his helm, which would eventually be two spikes, the edges of his frame were rounded, showing no transformation seems. It was difficult to see from that aspect, but he also had his miniature winglets. His frame was a bright red and his servos and faceplates were black. This was long before he had started using wheels, so his pedes were more like rectangles. And he had a wide smile on his faceplates, just for his sire. Sunny also looked cute, but he was far shyer then. He half-hid under the shadow of a support beam. His frame was a reddish orange- something he had always been ashamed of- and a thick, bowl-like visor, covered the top half of his downturned faceplates. The most noticeable marker were his audio receptors, which were far too large for his small helm back then. They also protruded like two rectangles, rather than the stylish ones he sported in his final frame.

Rin studied the image for a while, focusing on Sunny. Eventually, she pointed directly at it, realization dawning on her, "Is that Sunstreaker?" she asked, sounding shocked.

"Bingo!' Sideswipe chirped.

"And that must be you?" she moved her hand to his own image.

"Yup!" he agreed, "Aren't we cute?"

Sunny took another step away, not even facing the pair anymore. Sideswipe could feel tension from his side of the bond.

"Yes, you're cute." She giggled. "Alright, I see what you were talking about. Wow, you do look young." She studied to pad closer. "How big were you guys?"

Sideswipe's own helm had barley reached over the counter at that point. In fact, whenever he was cleaning the stools, he would accidently knock his helm on the ledge. "Well, I guess we were about eight feet tall at that point." He added, already guessing what Rin may ask next, "And I we were around four vorns, which would be about three hundred or so years."

Erin smiled at the image. Her head cocked curiously to the side. Slowly, she reached out and ran a finger over Sunny's visage. "The great Sunstreaker covered his beautiful faceplates?" she muttered, probably just to Sideswipe. However, Sunny had heard her and his shoulders slumped. But, before he could say anything, the femme added, "I don't see why he would, he looks adorable." Out of the corner of his optic, Sideswipe could see his brother turn ever so slightly to look at Rin.

At that moment, Sideswipe had an idea. One that may just help solidify the trust between the two. "Sunny," he called his brother, ignoring the standard 'Don't call me that.', "you should tell her."

The yellow warrior did not have to ask what he was talking about. He turned sharply at took a threatening step towards his twin. "Don't bring that up!" he snapped.

Sideswipe didn't flinch and looked pleadingly at his brother. "She's human, it won't mean anything to her." He tried to reason, "She's probably the one person you can openly tell."

All the while Rin glanced curiously between the pair. Sideswipe got up from his position around the femme to give her some more space to speak with Sunny.

Said mech looked angry but when he glanced to the femme, Sideswipe could feel his sense of apprehension. He added a quick :Come on, bro!: over their bond. At this point, Sunny's optics were glued straight to Rin, and he looked as if he was mentally preparing himself. He stepped forward and kneeled on the ground, eventually seating himself so he was closer to optic range with their femme. He cycled a long vent before finally setting a look of determination on his faceplates.

"Back when we were sparklings," he paused, considering his words carefully, "I wore a visor to hide by yellow optics." Sunny's anxiety was flooding over the bond, making Sideswipe wince.

Rin just stared back blankly before glancing worriedly between the two mechs. "Do yellow optics mean something?"

Sunny's rush of relief was so palpable, Sideswipe wondered whether Rin would be able to feel it. :Told you so.: he said over the bond. Of course she wouldn't know the significance of this, but that was something that Sunstreaker needed. She wouldn't judge him. Sideswipe just hoped his brother would be able to continue.

Sunny glanced up to Sideswipe, a silent communication passed between them. The silver mech nodded. If Rin was going to receive a full explanation it would have to involve both of their histories. Sideswipe didn't mind Rin knowing.

Sunny looked intensely at Rin and asked, "Do you promise not to tell anyone else about this?"

The femme blinked in surprise, seeming to realize the gravity of this conversation. She nodded solemnly.

Sunny sighed, resigned to continue to narrative. "Cybertronians are not supposed to have yellow optics, at least not anymore. They were inherited only by mechs and femmes from a colonized planet called Velocitron. It was known as The Speed Planet, a desert terrain where Velocitronians would compete in grand races. It was originally colonized because of its deposits of energon, but the long distance from Cybertron allowed the habitants to evolve a bit differently, mostly in optic color, speed, and culture." So far, the explanation seemed clear, and Rin nodded along to show she was understanding. "When the Decepticons first formed, before the war, they started heavy recruitment campaigns in colonized planets like Velocitron. However, the citizens outright refused to join their cause and eventually, fighting broke out. At the time, the Cybertronian counsel did nothing to stop the killing. Soon, the planet was destroyed, and the 'cons swore to offline any survivor. They even got the rest of Cybertron to disown them, claiming that they were all rust-stricken." Sunny had to pause, recalling the stories their sire had told them. "Our carrier, mother," he added for Rin's benefit, "was a Velocitronian. She managed to hide as a neutral Cybertronian in Kaon and our sire helped protect her. I inherited the trait of her optics. But, in order to stay safe, I had to hide them." He paused again, as if searching for any negative response from the femme. Upon receiving none, he continued, "The operation to change optic color was costly, but not nearly as expensive as the bribe the surgeon would require, in order to keep quiet. It wasn't until we made enough credits as gladiators that I was able to change my optics, paint job, and name."

There was a heavy silence as Rin absorbed all this new information. Then, she leaned forward and reached for Sunny. Her hand rested on the tip of his audio receptor, the one thing she could reach. The yellow mech remained still. "I'm sorry about your optics." She said. "But I'm happy you don't have to wear the visor, that's not a face you want to hide." She finished with a cheeky smile.

Sunny's optics widened comically and Sideswipe could feel each half of their shared spark spasm in their chest plates.

But the femme wasn't done. "Though," she added, "what do you mean optics, paint job, and name?"

Sunny started, realizing his slip. Not even Sideswipe caught what he had admitted. But before the yellow 'bot could say or do anything brash, Sideswipe sent calming waves through the bond. :Remember, this doesn't have the same significance to her. She couldn't care any less that we're half Velocitronian, she won't mind this either.:

Sunny look less than convinced and, for a moment, Sideswipe was worried he would leave, potentially undoing all they had accomplished. However, he only adjusted his legs beneath him into a more comfortable position. And, once again, he carefully cycled air. "To start," he said, "our creators didn't have much time to choose my frame color after they found out we were split spark. Sides' frame was one they had worked hard to form, but mine was… a rush job." He admitted painfully. "The first frame is important because it decides the base of everything we eventually form into with our third frames. It's nearly impossible to change some the original elements." There were a few things in Sunny's frame that he wished he could change. Sideswipe always felt bad for that and how he was given the well-thought-out frame. "Even changing color can be difficult. The wealthy could purchase nanites that would bond with their own, allowing them to change color instantly. We, however, couldn't afford that. In order to change color, our nanites have to be trained over time. Sideswipe had to make his nanites turn black before going silver, and that took a few vorns. It's easier to go black than to a lighter color, though. So after a while, I only had a much darker yellow than I have now. When we got more credits, though, I was able to pay for an upgrade." That was an easier explanation than what Sunny had before him. Even Rin could understand his wish to change from the off-rust color he sported to his sleek yellow. Sideswipe liked being red, but he just changed his frame because he felt like it, as many Cybertronians did.

"Any your name?" Rin probed cautiously.

Sunny nodded, showing that he had not given up. He would be open with her. "It's hard for a mech to change his name. Mostly because its, again, expensive. Our carrier had named me after the Velocitronian sun, and a symbol for wisdom among her people, but it didn't mean the same thing on Cybertron. She had named me… Ruststreaker." Sideswipe winced with sympathy. He knew how much just the taste of that word offended Sunny's glossa.

He had been humiliated as a youngling. Sideswipe, however, had decided to do something about it. When they were young, their sire tried to explain the origins of Sunstreaker's name, in an attempt to comfort him. On Velocitron, the color of rust was a sign of elder wisdom. The colonials had even named their sun Rustfeho. It was Sideswipe who decided that, instead of being 'Rust'streaker, he would just call his twin 'Sun'streaker, still in honor of their creators' wishes. Sunstreaker quickly got attached to the name and even their sire decided to use it. It wasn't until long after their remaining creator offlined that Sunny officially had his name changed.

Rin stared deeply into Sunny's optics, taking in everything he said and each minute change in expression she witnessed. Silently, she slid forward so that her legs were hanging over the edge of the berth. With no regard for the height, she jumped down, landing on Sunny's knee. He stayed skill and she scrambled up his lap, only to lean herself against his lower chest plates and a wide-armed hug.

Sunny paused for a moment, leaving Sideswipe unsure how his twin would react to being touched by a human, but a deep sense of trust kept him seated. Carefully, the yellow mech brought a servo up to cup around Rin's shoulders, returning what he could of the embrace. She whispered kind things to him, about how she was sorry, she knew how important a name was to a person, and how, no matter what happened before, he was beautiful. It made Sideswipe's spark skip. A part of him wanted to join in, but he knew that Sunny needed this, someone besides his brother whom he could rely on. They stayed like that for a while. Eventually, Rin slid down to lie down against Sunny's abdominal plates. And soon, she began drifting off. Sideswipe had laid out on the berth and stretched a servo forward to stroke the femme's back with a digit.

When he was sure the femme had fully fallen into recharge, he sat up and pulled Rin's blanket from his subspace. "Let's get you two into the berth." He never even suggested taking her back to her own berthing. It was late, he was tired, and he didn't want to let her go quite yet.

Carefully, Sideswipe grabbed hold of the limp form, who hardly stirred as he wrapped her up and laid her on the berth, directly in the middle. It would be tight, but there would be enough room for all three of them to share Sideswipe's berth for the night.

Sunny stood and looked down on the femme, who looked peaceful as she laid there. :Sides,: Sunny asked in uncharacteristic weakness, :what are we going to do with this?:

Sideswipe knew what he was referring to. It was undeniable at that point. They had both fallen for the human. This was new, uncharted territory. But there was one thing he was sure of. :I don't know, but she's stuck with us now.: