A/N:

Reminder: Pulsar is a bike. As a natural consequence of this, she has a big mouth, which often runs away from her and gets her into trouble.

As a natural consequence of Skywarp being Skywarp, this is a good thing; winding her up until she blurts out something embarrassing and/or incriminating is the usual end game.

Today, the trouble is associated with an interesting revelation.

Second little reminder: Pulsar is a little femme (like, just a smidge over half Skywarp's height). ((What can I say; I like a bit of size difference.)) (((She is also unrepentant)))

Set a few dozen orns after "How Long". Nothing explicit, fade-to-black etc., but some element of mature discussion (plus lots of manufactured melodrama and authorial fiat, WOO).


Night had already secured a foothold in Deixar, dressing the house in deepening shades of indigo. Everyone else had already retired to their private suites, leaving just two residents to monopolise the furniture in the atrium.

Pulsar had been dozing comfortably on the couch, sprawled out with her head on Skywarp's shoulder. Initially reading, while he watched something she'd seen a dozen times before, until her attention began to wane and the wafer slid from her fingers, disappearing out of reach… and she decided fetching it back was too much effort and she was just too comfortable, right now. She'd let her optics go dim, all her senses softening into idle mode, and a handful of dormancy protocols had begun to come online when-

A sharp sensation inthe tip of one aerial startled her bolt awake.

"Stop that!"

Skywarp huffed but obediently took his lips off her antennae. "What did I do wrong this time?"

She noticed the entertainment system had all gone offline already, and wondered how long he'd been watching her snooze and waiting for her to wake up on her own. "There's other ways to wake me up that don't involve biting me-"

"Yeah, but they're not so much fun."

"-and I was comfortable!"

"You were offline."

"That was the point!" She brushed a hand up over her antennae, checking for new kinks; finding none, she settled, trying but failing to find that cosy position again. "I was actually enjoying just snuggling up with you, for once."

"Enjoying it so much, you couldn't stay awake." He raised his voice over her protests. "It's fine, I get it. I'm boring, now." He was quiet for several loaded seconds before asking, in a deceptively offhand tone; "was he better than me?"

It was Pulsar's turn to be quiet for a second. "What?" She glanced up at him.

"Thundercracker. You've been in a funny mood since you two finally fessed up about fragging each other." He was staring up at the stars, sprinkling the sky above the huge glass roof. "Got me wondering if you were just trying to save my feelings, by saying it was a fling and you didn't think about it any more."

"…the slag did that come from, Skywarp?" She propped herself on an elbow. "I was enjoying your company! How did you get from that to, oh, I bet she's thinking about my best friend, now."

Lips pursed, Skywarp let his gaze drift down to meet hers. He didn't look particularly serious about it, though – no doubt his usual flavour of insincere windup – which succeeded in rankling her temper.

She squirmed out from under his arm. "It's not a funny mood if I just want to be able to enjoy your company without slag like you biting my aerials. It wouldn't kill you to be tender, every now and then."

"Like Thundercracker would be, you mean."

"Oh, shove off, Skywarp." She stood to face him, bad-tempered. "He's got nothing to do with it."

He sat up as well. "Musta been a good frag if it was twenty vorns ago and you're still thinking about him."

"Primus, what is your malfunction, this evening?" Pulsar threw up her hands. "I'm not thinking about him! And I'm not comparing you against him, either! Let alone based on how good a frag you think you are." She glared, and added; "or think you aren't, apparently."

"Not denying that you do think he's better than me, then." Skywarp vented a melodramatic sigh. "Anyone else would wanna take the chance to prove me wrong."

"Mercy!" She covered her face with one hand and growled something incoherently obscene. "You're both gorgeous and I'd have the pair of you at once in a heartbeat if I didn't think I'd lose both of you just by suggesting it-!"

She visibly stiffened at realising what she'd blurted out full volume, optics brightening to such a humiliated cyan-white it was a wonder they didn't short out altogether.

They just stared at each other for several long seconds, with the words just… hanging there, between them.

Skywarp's brows had come up in a very steep arch, but his expression otherwise remained inscrutable.

Pulsar let her head hang. "Guess I'll go make myself comfy in dorms."

"Hey. No." Skywarp caught her arm before she could disappear. "Just… run that past me again."

"What? No!" She jerked backwards on her arm but couldn't quite get enough co-ordination together to extract it from his grip. "Are you telling me you didn't immediately commit every word to your long-term memory? I am not repeating myself." Her field felt scorching hot. "Certainly not for your amusement. Now let me go."

"Aw, but I thought you liked it when I embarrass you," he teased, pulling her into the circle of his arms.

"That's different."

"Howso?"

She closed her fingers into fists against his armour. "I'm trying to be serious here."

"Uh-huh, me too." He strummed a thumb down over her antennae.

She sighed, frustrated, and let her helm bonk down on his chassis. "You're an infuriating glitch, sometimes. Being annoyed with myself and not in the mood to play with you doesn't mean it's because I suddenly want to get intimate with your wingmate instead."

"…again."

"Will you just stop." She gave him a thump. "That's not fair. I know we hurt you and I'm sorry, but you were dead, when it happened. Please stop making me feel like you want me to choose between you."

He gave her a look with the most theatrically hangdog expression she had ever seen. "You do love him still, then."

"Of course I do. We went through a lot together. I'd have never got out of Egypt in one piece, without him. He's one of my best friends. But it's not the same sort of love that we have." She huffed hot air in a frustrated snort. "For one, he doesn't send me obscene images of what he wants to do to me, or find the most inappropriate time of day to do it."

Skywarp didn't quite manage to successfully swallow the little triumphant ha! that leaped unbidden to his vocaliser. He made an abortive attempt to cover it with a cough of static.

"And that wasn't what I meant, anyway, you obnoxious fraghead. You know you're the one who wriggled his way under my armour, for reasons I absolutely cannot fragging understand, right now. You know how important you are in my life. You changed my life in a million amazing ways and I wouldn't change you for the universe, but Primus if you aren't the most frustrating aft I have ever met at times as well." She stepped back half a pace, leaning into his laced fingers. "Now are you going to get off me, or do I have to sock you properly."

He offered an exaggeratedly woeful little sigh and let his arms drop to dangle at his sides. "Fine. You wanna go be melodramatic, don't let me stop you."

She stepped free of his grasp, and resumed her flounce to the door.

He called after her; "What you said before. About the… both at once part… Do you ever actually… you know. Imagine doing it?"

She hesitated near the doorway. The silence clung on for long enough that it gave all the answer anyone could have needed, but she finally spoke. "…occasionally." She flashed him a glare, optics like icy chips of temper. "But it doesn't mean anything. It's just a stupid fantasy. All right? It's stupid. I'm stupid." She barged the door open with her shoulder. "See you tomorrow."

Disappointed, he watched her go; the streetlights glittered against her neon chequers and turned her into an abstract little ghost in the gloom.

Clearly this was not the good sort of embarrassed. He'd have to fix that.

o0o0o0o

Night had fully sunk its teeth into the district when the boring square outline of Central station finally loomed up in front of her. Pulsar stomped past the front desk and ignored the desk sergeant's attemptat a friendly greeting, and ducked into the dormitory block, going straight to the registry to see what options were available.

…aaaand it looked like home for the night was going to be whichever spare chair she could find.

Again.

She sighed, turned away and trundled wearily down the empty corridor. Had this stupid fragup happened earlier, she could have stood a chance at one of the spare berths in dorms. Mid-shift, though, and everywhere was already occupied.

Next time, she'd just… deactivate her vocaliser altogether, she figured. Rather than get needled into losing her temper and letting her big mouth run away from her. Again.

The couch in the corner of the officer's mess was thankfully empty. (She wasn't sure where else she'd have gone, if not. She was absolutely not going to camp out behind the intake desk in custody. Or in an empty cell.)

She let her motors unwind, plopping heavily down on the reinforced foam with a low whoomph of air. As couches went, it was… well, comfortable enough. So long as you weren't hoping for too much. Someone considerably senior to her (and evidently never having been forced to recharge here) had 'generously' got it reupholstered, as well, so the cushions were annoyingly harder than she remembered. Not beaten to yielding softness by vorns of abuse from her friends and colleagues.

She scrunched a foil around her shoulders and tucked up into the corner, setting up a proximity alert so if anyone sat on her she'd have proof it was intentional; then shut off her optics, and initiated the first of her recharge protocols.

The last thought that flashed through her awareness before she successfully managed to switch off was of two pairs of wings, turning away from both her and from each other, and of being completely incapable of working out which set she should follow.

o0o0o0o

Thundercracker was first to rouse, when morning finally rolled around. Skywarp followed him down not long after – unexpectedly alone.

It was… unusual, to have an empty seat at the table, but perhaps Pulsar had been called in early. Thundercracker didn't pay it much attention; wouldn't be the first time. The quiet made a nice change of pace, anyway. He called up the news on his wafer and got comfortable to read.

He got halfway through the headlines before the silence grew a little too heavy. Skywarp was never normally this quiet unless something was on his mind.

Thundercracker glanced up, and found his wingmate watching him, unexpectedly; optics subtly narrowed, head propped on one hand, twiddling a cube on one of its points with the other. Said cube was still almost full so he was obviously preoccupied.

"Is everything all right?" Thundercracker prompted, warily. "What's with the intense scrutiny, this morning."

"Had a lot to think about, before I managed to get offline last night. Still working through it at the moment."

Thundercracker put the news to one side. "Did you want to talk about it? Maybe I can help."

"Depends. Maybe."

It was apparently one of those mornings. "Well you obviously do, or you wouldn't be looking at me like that."

"Fine." Skywarp let his cube drop flat against the tablet again. "I was just wondering, if I look at you long enough… I might be able to spot what it is that Squeaky sees in you."

"What?" It took an instant to parse the words, but Thundercracker visibly drooped. "Aw, come on, Warp. I thought we were done talking about this? We told you, we separated long before you came back. We're not interested in pursuing anything intimate."

"That's why she said she wanted to interface with you again, huh." The challenge in Skywarp's voice had grown more overt.

"Uh." Thundercracker licked his lips, uneasily. "…she said that?"

"Last night. Uh-huh."

Well, that would explain the empty chair, at least.

And yet in spite of being his usual belligerent self, Skywarp didn't seem angry. Just sharp, and challenging, in that way he got when he was determined to get an answer out of someone.

That someone wasn't usually Thundercracker, though.

"I don't know what to say to you, Warp. I can't speak for her, but it's never come up in conversation since you first found out. There's been no reason for it to? We were being honest when we said we hadn't continued anything." But the longer the teleport stared silently into him, with those pursed lips and narrowed optics, the more off-balance (and slightly cross) he felt. "This is ridiculous, Skywarp. It was vorns ago! You know we wouldn't suddenly choose to go behind your wings now."

"Not denying that you'd like to though, huh. Interesting."

"What? Primus. How did you get there from what I just said?" Thundercracker put his hands up. "You know what, this conversation is over. I can't speak for Pulsar, and I don't know why she said that, or if you've just… misinterpreted her, again. But I'm not playing along and letting you box me into a corner about something I haven't done. Or said. Or thought. All right? Now if you'll excuse me," he turned his attention back on his flask, "I'd like to finish this? Because some of us have work to go to."

"Sure, sure." Skywarp watched as he picked up the wafer and glared thoroughly at the headlines, just to make it clear how extra done he was with this conversation. "Okay, anyway, fine. Confession time." The teleport leaned forwards onto his elbows, features softening just a tiny bit. "I might not have been completely honest with you."

Thundercracker paused with his flask midway to his mouth. "…go on?"

"I was trying to get her a bit fired up, right? I guess I thought I was just teasing, and she'd be all, right, time to prove him wrong! And she kinda… came out with something I wasn't expecting."

"I will never understand your idea of foreplay, but fine. Situation normal. What turned that into… whatever this big drama is?"

"So, what she actually said. Was." Skywarp studied his interlaced fingers, where they rested on the table. "I'd have both of you at once, if the option was there."

Thundercracker promptly choked on his energon.

"And yeah so ok, she didn't really say it, as much as just…" Skywarp wafted his hands. "Vomit the words out and instantly look like she wanted the planet to swallow her."

"So why are you telling me?" Thundercracker finally wheezed, once he'd managed to cough the last few drops out of his air intakes.

"Beeecause… I guess…" Skywarp offered a see-sawing sort of shrug. "I wanted to see if you wanted to?"

Thundercracker stared at him for a very long time.

Eventually he came up with a very inadequate: "What?"

"I thought it was a pretty straightforward question."

Thundercracker made sure he'd put his flask down, just in case of any other bombshells. "After that time we spilled our sparks to you, and absolutely put ourselves through the mill in the process… You're asking me if I want to interface with her. With your permission?"

"Not my permission, mech. With me. Together."

In spite of it being physiologically impossible, it still looked like Thundercracker had paled. "…what?"

"You sure you should be downstairs yet, mech?" Skywarp waved a hand in front of his wingmate's face. "Not really woken up yet, by my reckoning."

Thundercracker grabbed the distracting hand and pinned it against the table. "With me. I did hear you right, right? With me. As in, both of us. At the same time."

Skywarp smiled disarmingly. "Right. Humans call it a threesome."

"A three-…" Thundercracker opened and closed his mouth a few times but nothing adequate seemed to want to come out. He quietly sagged against the chair's backrest. "We've been trine for millennia. Is-is this something you've thought about before? Like, are you only just now telling me… you've wanted to do this… all that time? And I've just… what. Missed it? Never spotted it? Not even a hint?"

"Naw." Skywarp's features creased in that silly smile that crinkled his nose (and Thundercracker knew usually got Pulsar swooning. It… was kinda attractive). "I'd have told you long before now if I had. I guess she just got me curious?"

"Curious."

"Yeah? I mean, why not? I know we're both gorgeous." Skywarp flattened his hand against his cockpit, fingers splayed, and Thundercracker couldn't help the little snort of laughter. "You've never been interested to see what it'd be like?"

"Well-… no, honestly? You're trine, Warp. The idea of interfacing with you has not once ever crossed my processor."

One brow came up in an arch as if to say oh really. Skywarp sipped (intentionally causally) at his cube.

"I mean it!" Why did he suddenly feel so flustered. "A-aside from maybe… once. Thousands of vorns ago. We weren't trine then. And then a war got in the way. Remember that part?"

"Pssh. Plenty of romantic trines out there, even if we never did." Skywarp paused for effect. "…yet."

Thundercracker rested his head against his folded hands. "I can't believe you're actually genuinely trying to talk me into this."

"Why not?" Skywarp shuffled his chair closer around the table, and claimed one of his wingmate's hands with his own. "It'd be fun!"

Thundercracker gave him a flat look. "'Fun'."

"Yeah. You know. That thing neither you nor Screamer know how to do any more."

Thundercracker gave him a shove.

"Seriously." Skywarp scooted back, and closer, this time. "So what if we're wingbros. This is a thing we like doing, and you're our friend. Pulse might not have suggested it on purpose, but friends share nice things with each other, and I thought: yeah, okay." They were almost nose-to-nose, by now. He dropped his voice an octave or so. "…and you really are pretty attractive, into the bargain."

Thundercracker snorted a laugh. "Colours aside, we're identical, you vain glitch."

Skywarp snickered. "Yeah but I never normally see me from this angle."

"Are you sure Pulsar is all right with it?"

This time Skywarp did look a little sheepish. "Well I, uh, kinda haven't seen her since she got mad at me and stomped off last night. I think she stayed in dorms. I haven't actually told her I was gonna talk to you, yet."

"Only because she'd have told you not to," Thundercracker growled. "And you better not be using me as a way to apologise to her, either." He sighed and let his forehead come to rest against his wingmate's. "…can I think about it?"

"Sure." Skywarp kissed his nose, playfully. "I can wait."

o0o0o0o

When Pulsar was uncharacteristically late to the daily pre-shift briefing, their boss dispatched one of her siblings to go looking for her.

Following her private signal, the eternally-elegant Longbeam tracked her down in the canteen. Pulsar looked somewhat frazzled; antennae askew, optics not quite at full brightness, and still covered in yesterday's scuffs, contemplating her energon as though hoping to glean the meaning of life from the depths of the flask.

Longbeam slid into the chair opposite. "What happened to you."

"No spare dorms. Stayed on the couch."

"And there was me thinking you had a massive house – and a bunch of pretty seekers to go with it – out in the nice part of the city."

Pulsar glared up from under hooded brows. "Those 'pretty seekers' are why I ended up sleeping on the couch. Not that it's any of your business."

"Oh-ho." Longbeam's optics twinkled. "Say no more, sister. I wondered why you still looked so tired."

"And what exactly do you mean by that."

"Nothin'." The tall bike gestured airily with her long, slim hand. "Crash with me and Vecks, next time. If nothing else, our couch is infinitely superior. You can fantasise all you like and no-one will interrupt."

Pulsar swatted her hand away, and her sister snickered. "Why are you even here, Beemer."

"Because you're late to work?"

Well done. Go draw a bit more attention to yourself, why don't you. Idiot. Pulsar vented a long sigh and let her head clonk down against the table.

"So preoccupied that you flat out forgot why they make us come to this dump on the regular, huh," Longbeam drawled. "Need me to go make some excuses to Nightsun for you?"

"No." Pulsar's words came out muffled by the tabletop. "Pass me a lid for my flask…"

In reality, nobody paid the two bikes the slightest bit of attention as they navigated the busy corridors, but Pulsar's imagination was already in overdrive, (un)happily assuming everyone was talking about her. Why's she still so scruffy / didn't take a bath / stayed here overnight / have they separated / what did she do to upset him / really hope I don't miss out on the juicy gossip. She kept her shoulders round and avoided eye contact.

Nightsun pinged a quick greeting as Pulsar slunk in and found a seat at the back of the meeting area, but otherwise didn't break his flow, assigning cases and talking through the orn's operations. She appreciated the discretion.

When Thundercracker drifted past on the way to his office, looking… distant, and distracted, for reasons she strongly suspected she knew… she slumped all the way down on her chair until she could hide behind Longbeam, and quietly took her beacon right off the grid. Just while he was in the vicinity. Just to avoid any awkward conversations in public. Just until she'd squared things up in her own mind.

This is such a screwup.

Eventually Pulsar's shift ended and she'd run out of data to upload and reports to write and there came a point where she couldn't justify loitering purposelessly at work any longer. And Longbeam kept giving her funny, knowing looks, so it would only be a matter of time before Pulsar ended up giving her an incriminating punch in the head. She left the building the most circuitous way she could find and skulked home with her tail between her legs, rehearsing over and over in her head what she was going to say to Skywarp. She'd not heard from him all day and didn't really know what that meant.

I love you and can we forget I said anything.

You spent all day thinking about it and that was the best you could come up with?

She settled uncomfortably in their lounge, on the edge of the couch under the house-maple, trying to concentrate on her datapad. She'd never really been that bothered that her feet didn't reach the floor until now, when it felt like it might impinge on her ability to make a quick exit.

Across the room, the news unexpectedly clicked on, making her jump. Footsteps approached.

…and it wasn't Skywarp. She swallowed the curse before it could escape.

Thundercracker settled intentionally nearby. She tried to ignore his proximity – and the way he was watching her read – but there was something off about his manner that was making the back of her helm prickle with a sort of anxious anticipation.

It was when he shifted slightly to artfully prop his head against one hand, still watching her, that she realised the game was indeed up.

She looked up and met his gaze, and immediately deflated. "…he told you," she said, flatly.

At least he was smiling – and not in a mocking way, but a small, affectionate smile. "He did."

She muttered something quiet that Thundercracker didn't manage to parse, but sensed was probably pretty vulgar. "I might kill him."

"I might hold him down for you!" He chuckled. "After I figure out which bit of this ridiculousness surprises me more – the fact you thought he might not, or the fact you're surprised he did."

His fingers drifted down over her antennae, trailing imaginary sparks all the way, and her fans hitched. She jerked her head away, frustrated. "This wasn't fun to start with but it's definitely not fun now you're both sucking my sump." She slid off the chair and made a break for the exit. "I thought better of you."

He put out a hand and blocked her way as she went to pass him. "Didn't you only just get home?"

"Yeah." She looked down and watched as his fingers came up to softly encircle her wrist. "If I go now, there might still be some spare berths left. I'm not spending the night on that nasty hard couch again. And definitely not going to crash with Beemer, who can't wait to rub it in-"

He kept his grip gentle – made sure she knew she could have stepped away any second she wanted, if she genuinely wanted out – but didn't let go. "Why?"

"Really?" She gave him a tired glare. "Come on. Warp gets me to blurt out stupid, embarrassing garbage, shares the worst of it with you, and you wonder why I feel like I can't face you right now. The last I need is for you to join in with mocking me."

"I'm not teasing. I promise." His smile widened, just a touch. He gave her hand a very gentle tug and she sagged into his lap.

"Well this isn't fair," she said, flatly.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm trying to apologise." Her fans had already picked up speed. Her antennae prickled, like someone had connected them to a lightning rod and a thunderstorm was brewing outside. "I get it! I have a big mouth and no filter and I shouldn't have said it."

"Maybe." Thundercracker lowered his voice to a particularly pleasant rumble. "But I'm glad you did."

It felt like someone had stolen all the air from the room. "…what?"

Pulsar realised she'd wound her field so tightly around herself, she almost missed it when the third person joined the room. A bolt of electric alarm shot right up her back and she froze.

Skywarp sat down on his knees in front of the couch, caging Pulsar at the centre of a circle of arms. "So are we doing this, or what."

She refused to meet either of their stares, shocked and stiff. "Doing what."

"Well someone said something about having us both at once."

Oh mercy. Pulsar covered her face with both hands; felt like her field was on fire. "You're a teasing pair of glitches." Her words came out strangled and staticky. "You shouldn't say things like that unless you mean it."

Thundercracker leaned down; let his helm bump gently against hers. "Who says we don't?" he said, softly. "We know you want to."

"Just because I want-… I-" She let her head turn subtly to the side, until she could just meet the muted garnet of his optics. "I don't want to hurt you. It was a stupid, unguarded comment-"

"We've all said something stupid and unguarded at some point. But now it's in the open, and we can do something about it."

Skywarp was leaning in, as well, now. "You left me plenty of thinking time when you flounced last night. Me and TC discussed it…"

"…and that made for an interesting orn…" Thundercracker added, dryly.

"…and we decided, yeah. We're both up for it. Let's see what it would be like." Skywarp pressed in closer "I think it'll be fun."

"But you can say no. That's fine too."

They were both so intoxicatingly close she could barely think straight. There was no way this could be real. Perhaps she was still offline, scrunched up and uncomfortable and stress-dreaming in the canteen. She scrambled for something that might bring back reality. "This can't-.. I-I don't want to hurt you. What if it makes things… awkward, or you fall out, or-… I would never forgive-"

"It won't." Thundercracker dipped his helm, until his lips were microns from hers, easily close enough to steal a kiss. "After forgiving all the slag we've done to each other during the war… why would an expression of love hurt us like that?"

She could feel the subtle movement of the air as he spoke. So close.

So close.

"But, if you really don't-"

"Yes." She dimmed her optics, and breathed the words against him. "I do. Please, Primus; yes."

Skywarp snrk-ed, then leaned all the way in and tightened his grip on them both.

A sensation of cold and freefall and of being in two places at once-

-and suddenly the lounge was empty.

o0o0o0o

The first subtle blues of early dawn streamed in through the crack in the blind, slicing the room into a collection of shadows. Pulsar was first to stir, nudged awake by an internal alarm, and the reluctant knowledge that she had a shift coming up. She allowed herself an indulgent few seconds of stillness, to figure out exactly where she was – and more importantly, with whom.

It hadn't been a dream, then.

Sensation slowly came back to her tired processors, as each individual module booted reluctantly back up. She felt sore, and stiff, and… weirdly stretched… and completely powerless to move, sandwiched between two large, heavy, affectionate bodies.

And… she found she really didn't care, actually? It was a good sore. It came with quiet and calm and contentment, all folded up in a soft nimbus of protection and affection.

Would be nice to stay like this forever, actually.

She called up her memory record, just soaking in the remembered pleasure, for a little while. Thinking about those careful, cautious little experimental touches, working out each other's boundaries and individual hotspots… Of trying really hard to give as good as she got, but also of being trapped at the epicentre of a tornado, swept along, ultimately able to do nothing except surrender control and enjoy the ride.

Then, when she was too sore and exhausted to do anything more, just… laying to watch, and purr contentedly, enjoying vicariously as they explored each other, in ways that were simultaneously completely alien (those wings, oh Primus those wings), and also so unbelievably familiar she could almost feel it.

Yeah; mmh, that had been good, too. Particularly good. She shivered at the memory, filing it carefully away, wondering if she'd ever be able to get Warp making those same soft little noises of pleasure and need that he'd wrung from Thundercracker.

She turned her attention quietly to her berthmates.

Skywarp was an untidy sprawl, of course, because when wasn't he. Limbs and wings at all angles, as though he'd just been dropped there from a great height. His cheek pressed heavily against the top of her helm, though, and the arm on which she lay was bent around just enough for his fingers to rest on her hip.

The smudge of blue on the other side, in the periphery of her vision, was a less familiar sight to wake up to, but… welcome. It also revealed the source of the weight resting on her shoulder. One big wing protruded into her field of view, like a shield against the world. Thundercracker's free arm stretched all the way across both of them; possessive, protective.

She managed to wriggle one arm free, and stroked the pale cheek pressed against her shoulder.

It took several seconds for Thundercracker's optics to respond, and they remained dim, but his features softened into a smile. "Good morning." His voice was thick, and distorted, but comfortable – as though he'd quite happily let his mind slip back into idle and stay that way for the whole orn.

"Very good morning, from my perspective." She kept her fingers against his cheek and purred quietly as he leaned into the touch. "I was worried I just dreamed it."

He harmonised his purr with hers. "I'm glad you didn't. Thanks for including me."

"Thank you, for agreeing to come."

Thundercracker gave an involuntary little snrk, and they shared a tired giggle.

"Those were some interesting noises he got you making last night," Pulsar added.

A little flicker of mixed amusement and embarrassment danced through the blue seeker's field. "All that practice he's had with you probably helped." He stretched his shoulders, subtly, looking for a slightly more comfortable position. "…and I guess I needed it. It's been a while."

She pressed a little kiss to his brow. "I'd like to think maybe this doesn't need to have been a one-off," she suggested, carefully. "If you'd be interested."

He brought his own hand up, and coaxed her closer for a proper kiss; her fingers threaded between his, pulling tighter against him.

"Definitely interested," he murmured, letting his lips linger close to hers when they finally parted. "And flattered that you'd like to share."

Her words came out underlaid with a subtle static. "You're absolutely worth it."

He chuckled. "And how long have you been fantasising about Warp and me together?"

Pulsar smiled and glanced away, optics brightening. "I stand by my assessment. You look so good," she husked, drawing little wispy fingertip lines against his helm. "But who wants to just watch. Being involved with the two people I love most in the universe is better."

He hummed his amusement, and let his head come back down onto her shoulder, at just the right angle to encourage those pleasant little doodles to continue.

All too soon, a reflected beam of strengthening sunlight had found its way through the nearby buildings, and lanced straight into his optics. Thundercracker grimaced and flinched his face subtly out of its line of fire, then sighed. "This is probably fate's way of saying I should be starting to think of going to work, about now."

"Call in sick," Skywarp said, muffled and distorted; Pulsar hadn't even realised he was awake, and if his volume were anything to go by, he was only just.

"Thank you for the tip, but some of us are meant to be setting an example." Thundercracker pushed himself partially upright, and grunted softly. "Oof. Even if they'd rather stay here all orn. Until all their cable tensions rebalance." But he soon succumbed to gravity, sagging back to his elbows. "Primus, ow. I am amazed you two can ever walk, if this is what the two of you get up to on a regular basis."

Pulsar felt her optics brighten, and audibly rebooted her vocaliser to cover the embarrassed giggle. "Practice, remember?"

"They'll survive without you for half an orn, TC," Skywarp added, sleepily. "You're the boss. You write the rules."

Thundercracker dithered for several very long seconds, under the expectant weight of his friends' combined stare.

"Maybe just another couple of breems won't hurt," he accepted, tiredly reorganising his bulk so he wasn't pinning them quite so completely – but keeping that possessive arm around them.

…by the end of the first breem, he was clearly dozing contentedly again, growing heavier as systems went dormant, and by breem two was completely offline again, fans cycling with a low, quiet purr of satisfaction.

"So much for setting an example," Skywarp observed, quietly, voice still muzzy. "I guess he never said what sort of example."

"Aw, leave him in peace. He deserves at least one morning off for once in his life." Pulsar gave his nose a little flick. "What about us?"

"Stay here as well, I guess." Skywarp grunted and after a little ineffectual squirming managed to fold her a little deeper into his arms. "Seeing as we can't get up anyway, looks like we have the boss's permission for a lay in."

"Probably imprudent to go to work with paintstrikes in his colours, as well." Pulsar examined a little azure scuff on the teleport's obsidian enamel. "Would you take a bath with me?"

"Guess I can indulge you, this once." Skywarp remained silent for several loaded seconds before speaking again. "And fine. You were right."

"…What?"

"…He is a better frag than me."

Pulsar tried unsuccessfully to smother him with a pillow.


(Yeah this is as explicit as it's going to get, guys, haha. Fair play to those who can write it, but I don't think I'm confident enough to, right now. I've seen enough badly-written porn to have no desire to add to it. XD)

If you need a soundtrack to this, I guess it'd be "Górecki", by Lamb. (One of my absolute favourites of all time. I'd include a link but we know how ff dot net gets about those.)