So for all the people who have followed and favorited me, I want you all to know that I've discontinued the majority of my work. I took down most of my stories and discontinued Shrouded Origins permanently. I have no plans of rewriting it, however I was thinking that I could redo Clare's character and maybe write a new story for her. I'm going to put a poll up asking for ideas on how you all want her to change, and some basic plots that I have. Please check them out. I DO NOT OWN TRASNFORMERS! Some fluffy smut in this one.

(Athena's POV)

A few quartexes had gone by since Sunny had scared me senseless that day in the living room, and things had gone back to normal. Well as normal as could be when my intendeds had taken to subtly probing me for information on what I expected on our bonding night. I think they thought they were being sneaky about what they were doing, but I wasn't stupid enough not to know that they were taking notes and they would most likely set up something special for the occasion. I wasn't complaining, it was nice to think that they were at least putting some planning into our special night.

I was actually really excited for it, but nervous at the same time. Bonding meant that we'd all literally become one spark, sharing memories, emotions, and thoughts through an unbreakable link between us. The very idea of a bond used to make me nervous because of the simple fact that I was afraid to share my memories, but from what I'd heard the bonding itself was normally so intense that it took up all of a bot's concentration, so most of the time the bonded couldn't really remember the initial surge of memories. I was hoping that the twins wouldn't catch onto my memories, and if that was the case I could simply repress and lock them all away like I did with my creators. They would hopefully remain blissfully ignorant to all of it.

But then again some bots were known to recall every memory with perfect clarity after the initial merge to become mates… and that made me nervous. If that happened and they saw everything… would they be disgusted with me?

I didn't know for sure.

I was scared of what they would think…

Maybe that nervousness was why I'd been smacked in the helm one too many times with a wrench today…?

"Athena!"

I stumbled and tripped over my own peds, sending the stack of boxes I was carrying flying into the wall as I toppled onto the floor with a yelp.

"Primus Athena! Where has your processor been lately?" Uncle grumbled at me as he knelt and helped me up from the floor.

I smiled sheepishly. "Er… on things…"

"By things I'm assuming that you mean your bonding night?"

"Yes."

He grunted. "Well you need to focus on work in here femme! If you had been you would know that your shift ended over a breem ago, and you've been working extra on your free time. Now get out of here and go enjoy your days off!"

"Ok. I'll see you in two days Uncle!" With that I turned and made my way out of the med bay, into the hall which was empty. The twins weren't off shift for another breem or so, so I had to go to the rec room and wait for them.

It was a short jaunt to get there, and it was mostly empty when I arrived, save for First Aid and Relix, the latter of which was on her way out the door. "Oh, hey Athena." She greeted me as she came to a stop next to me.

"Hi Relix. Are you settling in well on base?" I asked politely.

She shrugged. "Eh, it's alright. Some of the mechs I've run into are total aftholes but it could be worse I guess."

"Hmm… mechs do tend to be afts from time to time."

"Yup. There's one called Tracks that's especially annoying, always throwing a fit about his paint and scrap. I walked into the rec room the other day and he was all dented up and crying about it, looked like somebot had put him through a trash compactor or something. I guess some gold mech beat him up right before I got there or something. I'd thank the mech if I saw him."

Well there was no way she was talking about anybot but my intended… And I'd been wondering why he'd come home in such a good mood the other day… "Ah, I can tell him for you."

"You know him?"

"Yeah. He's my intended mate actually, and he has a horrible temper. He also has a habit of beating the scrap out of anybot that so much as scratches his paint."

She smirked. "He's another pretty mech?"

I sighed. "Yes, yes he is. But unlike Tracks he can actually pull it off, and he can handle his own aft when it comes down to it. That doesn't mean that it's always easy to deal with him when he gets into one of his moods though. He can be a real pain when he's so inclined."

"Most mechs can be…" She trailed off as she raised herself up and stared at something over my shoulder.

I turned to look in time to see Jazz walking passed the doorway, and then I turned to raise an optic ridge at Relix, who was staring at him with wide optics. "Um, Relix?"

She blinked, and a perverted smirk spread across her features. "Sorry Athena… I gotta go catch up to that hot mech optic candy! Don't wanna miss out on staring at dat aft!" With that she practically sprinted around me and out the door, leaving me to turn and stare at her as she chased after him before disappearing around the corner…

I shook my helm and turned to face First Aid, who was also staring at me with a somber expression. He hadn't really spoken to me much since I'd announced that the twins and I were sparkbonding, and it was this lack of communication that really solidified what the twins said about him liking me. He was probably hurting over the fact that I was mating to them… and not him…

Even so, I didn't want to lose Aid as a friend. He was important to me…

I slowly moved to sit across from him, even though he didn't gesture me over like he normally would have. "Hi Aid."

He looked down at the cube he was clutching at, refusing to look at me. "Hi Athena."

"Um, how have you been?"

"Fine. I've just been busy…"

"I see…" I trailed off awkwardly.

We hadn't been awkward around one another since we were younglings and I was still terrified of everything that moved… This almost felt like those days again and I didn't like it. But I also didn't really know what to say to him either. We'd always been able to talk to one another comfortably… but now… that had changed…

"So…"

I looked up at him when he murmured that barely audible word. "Yes?"

He looked up at me with apparent sadness. "You're really going to bond to the twins?"

"Yes I am. We're meant to be together." I answered without hesitation.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Absolutely."

"Why do you feel that way?"

"Because I can feel it in my spark Aid. Danni always told me that when the right mech came along I would know it, that I'd be able to feel my spark wanting to join his. That's what I feel for them, and I know that I'll never want another mech the way I want them."

He vented harshly, helm bowing forward so that he was almost slumped over the table.

I reached out and gently laid my servo over the back of his. "I'm sorry Aid… I'm sorry that I fell in love with them, without ever realizing that you were in love with me. But… there's nothing I can do about it now, and you have to know that."

"I know… it's just that I never got the chance to actually tell you that I love you, and now that I have the chance to do it without being afraid of one of us dying in the war… your spark's already been taken. I've lost my chance to ask you to be my femme when I should've asked you a long time ago. If I hadn't been so shy and afraid that you would reject me… maybe you'd be my mate now."

My cheeks slowly started to simmer and burn with embarrassment, because let's face it… I wasn't used to mechs proclaiming their love for me. The first ones that ever had were my twins, and I fully returned that. Aid was just a friend… Oh Primus… what was I supposed to say?

It's not like there was any hope for him and I to be together. I didn't see him like that and I never had, and I'd found my sparkmates already. While it was possible to choose another over your true sparkmate, it would be considered foolish to do so when your true mate was literally designed to love you, and you them.

Finding him, or in this case them, shouldn't mean that I had to let all my friends go though. I wanted to preserve my friendship with Aid…

I squeezed his servo to get him to look up at me again. "Aid you're one of my best friends and I care about you a lot, but please stop chasing after me like this. There's no hope for us to be anything more than friends, and if you keep pining for me you'll miss it when you do meet the one that's meant for you. We'll always remain friends, and I'll always be here for you, but you have to move on. If not for yourself, then please do it for me. I hate seeing you so upset."

"I don't think I can…" He admitted quietly.

"Why?"

"Because I've… loved you since I first met you. Besides the war, treating bots, and fighting… that's all I know how to do. You were the one thing that acted as my light in the darkness of the war, and you gave me hope every time I saw you… I just don't think I can let you go."

"You don't have to let me go Aid, but you do have to stop pining for me. I love you as a friend and I want to see you happy, but I can't give you that the way you want me to. My spark is already set on my intendeds, and I can't turn away from them now. Please don't force me to have to let you go so I can be with them… because if that happens… I'll have to say goodbye to you. And I don't want to do that." By the time I was finished speaking coolant was starting to pool in my optics as I stared him in his, servo wrapped around his larger one in a death grip.

This was how it had to be…

I had no other choice…

And I knew that when he turned his servo and twined his digits with mine he realized that he didn't have any other choice either. His optics became glassy, coolant pooling in the edges and a few drops slipping free to slide down his cheek…

"Ok… We'll just be friends." He murmured in resignation.

"Yes… just friends."

We continued staring at each other for close to a breem, lost in what could've been but was never supposed to be, and having to face the cruel reality of it. For me it wasn't as sparkbreaking as it obviously was for him, but I still felt horrible for hurting him this way.

After another klik or so he gently caressed my servo, bringing it up to press a kiss to the back of it. "For all the times I wanted to kiss you… but never could. And now I can't even do it the way I wanted to in the first place." He explained at my wide opticked gaze.

I nodded wordlessly at him.

Then he stood up, "I'll see you in the med bay sometimes? And maybe we can still get together as friends once in a while?"

"Of course."

He nodded and turned to leave, only to freeze in his place and draw my attention over to the door way, where my intendeds were standing.

I stood up and made my way over to them. "You're late."

Neither of them responded to me right away. They just kept scowling at Aid, then Sunny grabbed onto me and pulled me into his side with an aggravated grunt. He didn't seem inclined to speak or even look at the other mech present besides him and Sides.

Leaving Sides to shock the ever loving scrap of me in between one astrosecond and the next. "As long as you promise not to put the moves on our intended you can hang out with her sometimes. But if you try anything…"

"We'll kill you." Sunny finished in a low snarl.

I blinked… "Um, did you just… give me permission to hang out with Aid, without being all crazy because he's a mech?"

"Yes, but only because we realized that we weren't being fair to you by being able to talk to other femmes, our ex's included, while we made a big deal out of you talking to any mechs besides Prime and Ratchet. And we trust you not to do anything with him. So as long as he respects the fact that you're our intended, and doesn't try to kiss you or touch you inappropriately, then we'll let you two spend time together without maiming him."

Aid and I were left gaping at the two…

Were they really… being this agreeable for once?!

"I… really?" Aid muttered in disbelief.

Sunny grunted. "You heard what I just said!" He snapped irritably. "Just don't try anything sneaky otherwise you'll regret it!" He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me flush against him as if to further stake a claim over me.

Aid didn't look like he knew what to think of that… "Ok… well… I'll get back to her soon if I want to do something… But for now I need to get going. Shift is starting soon." He muttered awkwardly, before he edged passed Sides and left the rec room.

Leaving me to stare up at my intendeds in awe, until they looked down at me and raised identical optic ridges. "What?" Sides asked curiously.

"You just… said that I could…" I trailed off without being able to finish my sentence.

"Hang out with First Aid sometimes. Yeah we said that. We realized that it wasn't right to try dictating everything you do, and who you hang out with. So as long as the mechs you hang out with are respectful of you, and of the fact that we're your intended mates, we'll try being cool about it."

I lunged up with an excited squeal before the thought to do so had even fully registered, wrapping my arms around their necks and squeezing the life out of them. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

One of them awkwardly rubbed my back. "We're glad that you're happy but can we go home now? I really need to polish my armor again."

I only hugged my lovable afthole tighter in response. "Sure…"

"Alright c'mon. We've gotta take you home and then we need to go to the market to get some things." With that they looped their arms through mine and led me out from the base.

(Sides' POV)

"I just don't understand why I can't put a red accent on the crown somewhere!" I growled as Sunny and I walked down a sidewalk in the relatively busy marketplace. "She's going to be my mate too! Some of my colors should be present on her mating gift!"

"We could add something if you'd choose something small! If you add a giant ruby to the crown it's going to look gawdy Sides! Why not just litter small rubies across the surface instead?"

I pouted. "The entire crown is made of gold! There's hardly going to be any of my color on our mate's gift!"

My twin rolled his optics. "You are such a pain in my aft! What do you want to do? Make the crown itself half gold and half ruby? Why can't the periodic ruby engraving be good enough for you?"

"Easy for you to say! Your color is everywhere!"

He rubbed his temporal region tiredly. "Look Sides… Athena will love it as long as we put effort into making it! So just calm down!"

I huffed moodily, but let it drop when we stopped in front of a stand to get our quartex supply of energon. This argument wasn't getting me very far anyways, but that didn't mean that I was giving up! My color would be prominent on that fragging crown even if Sunny didn't like it!

While I was brooding Sunny paid for our supplies and shoved them into his subspace, then we went to turn and make our way back home when a familiar… and unexpected voice called out.

"Sideswipe!"

From my peripheral vision I saw my twin stiffen as we both turned to face the bright gold and pink Iaconian femme walking up to us. She had what would be considered a bombshell frame, curves in all the right places, and her bright blue optics were sparkling, and the sun reflected off of her armor and made it shine vibrantly under the light. Despite the fact that I was very much in love with my intended… I felt my spark skip a beat when she stopped in front of me. I hadn't seen her in so long… and when we split up it wasn't exactly on the best of terms…

"Hey Solaris." I greeted her as calmly as possible when I was somewhat torn over seeing her again.

She smiled brightly at me. "It's been a while since I saw you last! When I saw you I figured I'd come say hello!"

"It has been a while. What have you been up to Sol?"

(Sides… Should we really be wasting time with your old flame? Or should we head home to our intended? I'd personally prefer the latter option. So let's go!)

(Just calm down bro! Sol and I are still friends and it won't hurt us to waste a few kliks catching up with her will it?)

He just grumbled like a sour grump.

Sol turned to look at him upon hearing the sound. "Oh, hello Sunstreaker. How are you?"

"Fine."

She didn't look put off by his terse response, mostly because he always treated her like that. Instead she just turned away from him dismissively. "Well Sides, would you like to get some energon and catch up a bit? There's a nice café nearby."

My mouth was moving before I could even think over the ramifications of my response. "Sure, I have a few kliks."

Sunny glared at me harshly. (What are you doing idiot?! We don't need to waste our time with her!)

(Sunny we're still friends! If Athena can hang out with her mech friends, then we should be able to hang out with our femme friends! I don't see why talking to Sol for a breem or two will hurt anything!)

(Whatever! You waste your time! I'm going home to my intended, who I love! Let me know when you would rather spend time with her than with your old femmefriend! And for the record she's not my friend!)

With that he turned and stormed off without a backwards glance, leaving Sol and I staring after him. "What's gotten into him?" She murmured once he was out of audio range.

I sighed. "Eh, he just wants to go home and be with our femme."

We started walking towards the nearby café. "Femme? You mean a femmefriend? Or…?"

"Femmefriend." I answered as we entered the more upscale café located only a few streets off from the main marketplace. We quickly found a booth and sat down on opposite sides, waiting for a waitress to come take our orders before I clarified further. "Intended mate to be exact."

Her optics widened in surprise. "Oh? And here I was thinking that I would snag you again!" She giggled.

I smirked. "Well I'm officially off the market femme. Sorry!"

After she quieted down she leaned forward on her elbows. "So…? Tell me about her! What does she look like? What's her designation?"

"How about I just show you a holo-image of her?"

"Sure! Oh I'm so happy for you Swipe!"

I quickly activated my holo-projector and projected an image of Athena for her, one where Sunny had been holding her by the waist while she was baking a mercury cake a few days ago. She was looking up at him with a pretty smile, while my twin was smirking down at her while he tweaked her chevron lovingly.

"That's our intended mate Athena… Isn't she beautiful?" I murmured adoringly. My intended was absolutely perfect… I was so lost in my thoughts over that fact, that I didn't notice the look on Sol's face until I snapped out of it and looked up at her again.

Her expression… it was one of shock. I couldn't tell what she was thinking, her optics were wide, and her jaw was set in a hard line.

"Sol?"

Her helm jerked up, gaze hardening before she leapt up from the booth we were sitting at, turning on her heel and sprinting out the door.

"Sol!" I jumped up and raced out onto the street, but all I had the time to see was the back end of her alt mode as it tore off around a corner with a squeal of tires.

What the frag was that all about?!

(Sunny's POV)

What the frag was Sides thinking?! Why would he even bother wasting his time on Solaris of all femmes? Sure he used to love her, and she returned those feelings, but I hated the femme. When she'd been around I'd only used her as a frag toy and nothing more! There was just something about her that I never liked and I could never figure out why I felt that way.

And now my twin was hanging out with her when we had a femme waiting for us at home! Why would he want to spend time with an old flame over our intended? Idiot! Sometimes I just didn't get him and his need to be so overly friendly! It was the main reason that femmes flocked to him, but it was also why they stuck to him like glue even when we sent them packing! He just… he was never as mean or indifferent as he should be! It was a part of my twin and I accepted it, but sometimes it just plain annoyed me!

I just hoped that Athena didn't find out about it!

When I finally made it home my intended was nowhere in sight. "Athena?" I called out as I made my way into the prep room to take care of the energon reserves I'd bought.

She didn't respond.

"Athena? Sweetspark?"

Nothing.

I thought that she might be in the shower so maybe she couldn't hear me, but I couldn't hear the shower running in the wash racks… So obviously that wasn't it. Maybe she was taking a nap?

I quickly finished putting the energon into the cabinet, before I turned and made my way into our berthroom. Upon entering it my optics landed on the berth that was nicely made up like it normally was now that Athena lived with us, femme had an obsession with carefully, and painstakingly making it every morning. Why? I had no idea, but that wasn't important. She wasn't in the room.

Maybe she was in the studio? I made my way to the door, pausing outside of it when a soft glow being cast on the hallway floor, peeking out from under the door, caught my attention. "Athena?"

When I opened the door the room was only lit by a dozen or so candles placed about on the desk, and a few were on the floor, but other than that it was pretty dark. I walked a little further in, and the first thing I saw was an easel sitting in the far corner with a blank canvas on it.

I looked around the room, and finally found what I was looking for sitting on the couch. "Athena?"

She stood up, allowing me to see that she was wearing a black… lace… robe? "Took you long enough to get back."

I stared at her bare legs peeking out from under her robe. "We got… a little sidetracked… What are you wearing sweetspark?"

Her lips split in a coy smile, then she spun and gave me a good look at her through the see through lace, which had me instantly and painfully pressurizing. "Oh this? Flareup got it for me a long time ago and I've never had a reason to use it before. But now I have you and Sides, so I thought maybe I could use it? It's pretty."

"Oh… Well what's with the setup in here then? Last time I checked we don't normally use the studio for interfacing."

"We're not going to interface you silly mech!"

My spike throbbed painfully, as if crying desperately for what she was apparently not giving me. "Well then…"

She suddenly slid the robe off of her shoulders and stepped back to sit on the couch. "You wanted to paint me again didn't you?"

My mouth suddenly went dry. "Yes…"

Her smile turned seductive as she leaned back over the length of the couch, using an arm to cushion her helm as she turned to face me in her laying position. "Well then, paint me like one of your Iaconian femmes."

Every trace of energon in my frame was pumping straight into my interface array, which was straining agonizingly against my sodpiece. I was feeling light in the helm, but I quickly made my way over to the easel she'd set up for the occasion anyways.

"Is this pose ok?"

I nodded as I started sketching the outline of her frame. "Yes, you look gorgeous."

Too gorgeous…

All supple yet defined curves…

A supple and full chassis, and a perfect curve to her wonderfully toned aft…

I grew more and more aroused with each line I made… and that little knowing smile popping up on her face periodically let me know that she was aware of what she was doing to me…

(Yo bro! What's going on with you? I can hardly walk because of the arousal coursing through the bond!)

(I'm painting Athena naked…)

(WHAT?!)

I licked my lips, pausing to peer around the easel more fully so that I could get another good look at her. (She asked me to paint her naked… and she's laying down… in a sexy pose…)

(I'll be right there!)

I didn't even acknowledge him as I continued sketching the outline of her frame line by painstaking line. My servos moved fluidly across the white surface, tediously etching every single detail of her beauty across my canvas.

Her legs were laying entwined with one another, arm laying across the length of her side, servo dangling in front of her apex, with one digit curved up to press against the surface of her protoform teasingly. The way she was laying had her chassis on full display, the deliciously enticing mounds jutting out enough that they were prominent. The expression on her face could only be described as calm, yet her optics were like smoldering liquid pools.

I felt myself literally drooling… and I had to quickly wipe a trail of fluid from my chin with the back of my servo.

At the same time that I did that the sound of peds racing towards my studio echoed from outside the door, which was practically thrust open so that Sides could come barreling into the room. He almost tripped over himself, but a quick grab at the corner of the wall saved him from sprawling out on his face.

His frantic venting instantly died off when he saw what had me so enraptured, optics widening to the size of saucers. "Oh my Primus…"

Athena giggled at his stupefied look, but didn't speak because she needed to stay completely still so that I could work.

"You… Princess…" He licked his lips and leaned back against the wall to continue staring at her.

While he did that I continued working on sketching her frame, and the room lapsed into total silence while I worked. Breems, then a groon passing by in which there was absolutely no sound save for the scratching of my pencil creating her likeness on my canvas.

I finally finished her outline after what felt like forever, much to my relief because it was one step done. With that finished I quickly got my brushes and paint in order and started painting her.

I became immersed in what I was doing quickly, losing track of time with each stroke of my brush. Her form sprung to life on my canvas. Every detail caught absolutely perfectly.

I wanted this painting to be flawless…

I paid special attention to every detail, making each stroke with exaggerated slowness…

Did groons pass? Joors? I wasn't sure, but I didn't bother to keep track of it.

All I knew was that when I started the sun was still up, and when I finally put the last stroke on my masterpiece the sky was pitch black. Normally I would've admired my work for a few kliks, but I was so bothered that I shoved my easel aside and stood up to approach her.

She propped her chin up on her servo as I closed in on her. "Do I get to see?"

I froze, cursing quietly before turning and moving back to my previous spot so that I could turn the canvas so she could clearly see it. When I turned back around she was sitting up so that her aft was on the couch, with her legs spread out behind her on either side, one arm pressed against the couch between her knees to prop herself up on, while the other servo was cupping her cheek as she observed my work.

Sides was openly ogling the assets that she had accentuated with her position and drooling over it.

Athena didn't seem to notice as she crossed the room to observe the painting I'd just finished. She leaned forward, aft jutting out just slightly due to the angle, door wings sitting perked up on her shoulders and hips, the curve of the latter becoming much more visible because of it.

I licked my lips, wanting nothing more than to bend her over and… but I knew that I couldn't.

(Easy bro… I want her too, but we have to be careful with how we take her remember?)

(Yeah… I remember…)

"Do you like it sweetspark?" I asked when she said nothing after a few kliks, partly to give myself something else to focus on.

"Yes of course!" She turned towards us with a coy smile. "But what I want to know if you enjoyed painting me?"

My optics were drawn to the way her hips swayed as she slid forward and pressed herself against me. "I fragging loved painting you."

She giggled quietly. "Good, because it was my way of saying thank you for earlier today. I really appreciate you two letting me have a little more freedom to see my friends."

(Ah… so that's what this was all about!)

(Frag… I'll give her more freedom as often as she wants if she'll do this for me every time!)

(Definitely.)

"Well Athe, if you do stuff like this for us more often we might be more inclined to give you anything you want."

She purred up at me, servo sliding up to dip into the seams of my chassis gently. "Maybe I'll take you up on that offer… but for now there's another part to your gift…" Her servo trailed back down to my sodpiece. "So where do you want it?"

In a flash I had spun and pinned her to the floor. "Here's as good as anywhere."

Sides came over and knelt above her helm. "But we might move it to the berthroom after a few rounds…"

She arched and pressed her chassis against mine. "Well then... enjoy part two of your present…"

Oh we did…

As much as she enjoyed her present…

R&R! I decided to cut it off there because there's going to be a chapter coming up, either the next one or the one after that, where there's going to be multiple lemons!