September 2012:When formatting this story to post on LiveJournal, I spotted mistakes that I could not leave so I have reposted chapters 1 – 3 with minor tweaks. Chapter 4 is in slowly being written

A/N: Okay, So my single chapter spin-off developed a second chapter after being asked a couple of times if there would be any more to this story, and then having my arm twisted from across the ocean, and various time zones, by Acidgreenflames…yes AGF, you know who you are!...I eventually found myself unable to concentrate on the next chapter of another fic and I started playing around with this one instead.

This chapter picks up from where the original story 'All That You Are' ended, so for those who are only just picking up with this, you may want to read that first to understand one or two references.

There are lyrics used at the end of the story and I apologise for those who don't particularly like song fics but as the story that this originated from was inspired by a song, I thought I would use one here. The song that immediately jumped to mind when planning this chapter was Adele's version of 'Make You Feel My Love' (also sung by other artists) and it does a far better task of describing the emotions than I could ever write.

Warnings: Mech pairings (nothing heavy). As for how far the relationship between the twins actually goes, that is for you to decide, depending on your preference.

Disclaimer:This is a piece of fiction. No harm was intended in the creation of this work. All rights belong to the original creators.

Twin Bond ~ text~
Comm Link :- text -: Lyrics
Joor – Hour
Solar-cycle - day
Deca-cycle - week
Stellar-cycle - year

Completely oblivious to the azure optics watching through the med bay window, Sunstreaker let the song he had played over the bond to his twin come to an end. As it did, he continued to send love and encouragement to him while all the time, stroking the newly repaired spark chamber and willing the small flicker of light within the optics below him to become more static.

Although the optics continued to faintly flicker, the front liners patience was rewarded with a pulse returned back through the bond followed by, ~ So Sunny found a song then!~

Sunstreaker resisted the urge to cuff the older of the two around the helm in fear of damaging him further and while he kept up with the pulses of his love, he held back the fear he felt as Sideswipe told him, ~ It hurts Sunny, it hurts so much! ~

Pulling the prone frame tighter into his clutch, Sunstreaker whispered, ~ I know Sides, I can feel it ~ And although he had desperately wanted Sideswipe to come back on-line, he did not want him to feel the pain.

~ You need to recharge now Sides, that way you won't feel anything. ~ Sunstreaker had no idea if this would be true but he felt he had to tell him something.

Sideswipe did not need to be told twice as he slipped into recharge and once Sunstreaker was happy that this was all it was, that he had not gone back off-line, retaining his position he finally allowed himself to shutter his optics and join his twin.

As Ratchet turned at the end of the corridor that led from the med bay, and after the thoughts of what havoc the twins would live to wreak on them all had settled in his processor, the smirk on his lips faded as the relief that flooded through his frame left him overwhelmed.

The Autobot Medic had lived through many atrocities over several millennia on Cybertron before crashing down on Earth, saving and loosing countless mechs along the way and although nothing could detract from the dark moments that only the sparkless would not have experienced during those times, he had never before felt such an ache in his own spark as he had over the last solar-cycle. He honestly thought his spark would break.

To see the two hellions halted in their tracks by the explosions, to then watch life almost ebb out of Sideswipe knowing that Sunstreaker would shortly follow was too much for him to bear. Although he had protocols in place that would take over when required, should emotions get the better of him, as after all how could he heal another if he were falling apart, he had struggled to remain detached and almost broke down in the middle of it all.

Now he found himself in a deserted corridor, his back against a wall which held his frame upright while he over ventilated in order to quell the rising urge to purge his tanks. Eventually no longer able to hold his own weight, he slid down the wall and did nothing to supress the sob that left his vocaliser. He did not care how long he had sat there as the sobs wracked through his frame, for the time had finally arrived for his breakdown. For millennia he had been strong, never faltering in what he did, but every mech had a breaking point and now he had met his helm on!

So absorbed as he was with the emotions he had not known were there, he did not hear a door slide open opposite where he sat. Neither was he aware of the mech that walked towards him, crouch down to his level and place a servo on his shoulder.

"Primus Ratchet, what the pit has happened?"

Startled at the sound of a vocaliser so close to him, Ratchet jerked his helm back, smacking it against the wall. Focusing his optics on the face in front of his, he found Wheeljack staring back at him.

"Have the twins taken a turn for the worse?"

Ratchet, slowly regaining control, shook his helm in response.

Wheeljack was worried at seeing the no-nonsense medic subdued like this. He had seen him face some tough periods in the time he had known him but this had clearly knocked the air out of his vents.

The CMO did not want to look at the Engineer so turning away, he spoke to the empty corridor. "My actions could have caused them to deactivate 'Jacks. If you had not been there…" he trailed off.

At this, Wheeljack tightened his grip on the large white shoulder and firmly told Ratchet "but I was there, they did not deactivate and you would not have let them do so, whatever the circumstances!"

Ratchet turned his helm back and looked into the friendly optics in front of him but he said nothing further.

"Come into my lab, unless you want to someone to see you like this?" Wheeljack attempted to help raise Ratchet to his pedes.

Deciding that it probably was not a good idea for any of the crew to see him in this weakened state, Ratchet composed himself and pulled his frame from his seated position with Wheeljack's aid.

Once the door of the lab slid into place behind them, Wheeljack turned and said, "I'm guessing that this really has less to do with what happened in the med bay and more to do with your feelings towards the twins." Remembering that Ratchet had threatened him with a talk some joors ago, when he had revealed his secret in front of First Aid, the Engineer tentatively asked, "Are you going to confess to them how you feel?"

Ratchet shrugged his shoulders. "As I sat watching the sunrise earlier I resolved that I would not waste any further time and tell them, but now, now I wonder if it is the right thing to do."

His azure optics faltered slightly but before Wheeljack could respond he added, "It's one thing that that they vie for attention through their pranks, who can blame them for the constant search of affirmation that someone cares enough to take notice, but for me to reveal my…my feelings towards them, if they are unreciprocated, then to be rejected by them will be a blow but to cause them any further distress, well that would be the heaviest burden to bear!"

Wheeljack could almost feel the desolation in Ratchet's words and he fought the urge to shake the mech in front of him so instead he suggested, 'Why don't you stay here and try and recharge, then when you've cleared your processor you may feel differently.'

Ratchet shook his helm. "I've left the med bay unattended for too long."

Knowing he was not going to succeed in talking the medic out of his duty, Wheeljack decided not to push things any further, for now. "Then we will speak later." But Ratchet was already out of the door.

Back outside the med bay, Ratchet found himself looking through the window again and he saw that the twins were unmoved from the position he last saw them in. Sideswipe was laid on the berth with his helm cradled in Sunstreaker's arms, optics still devoid of light, while the latter sat with his helm bowed looking over his injured twin. Sunstreaker's other servo was resting on the newly repaired spark chamber below him but the stroking had stopped and his optics were now also dark.

"Frag!" The medic muttered. "He had better be in recharge and not unconscious again!" Flying through the doors into the room, Ratchet took a scanner out of sub-space as he ran over to the berth.

Running the scanner over the once pristine golden frame, he detected various processors idly running in recharge and relief flooded his own frame once again. Glancing at the monitor still attached to Sideswipe, he noticed that his stats had improved further but the spark beat was erratic so he reached for the data pad on the trolley beside the berth to record the readings. Keeping his optics on the monitor and not watching what he was doing, he knocked the pad to the floor and in the silence of the early Earth morning, the clatter echoed around the med bay.

As Ratchet's movements froze he saw Sunstreaker's frame twitch and he slowly came out of recharge, weakly growling, "Can't a mech slagging recharge in peace!?" The front liner un-shuttered his optics and as they settled back on the frame he held onto, he failed to stop the cry of shock. It was almost as though he had forgotten what had happened and was seeing Sideswipe for the first time again.

The spark contained in the white chest pulsated wildly and the ache Ratchet felt increased. Seeing the twins in this state was torture and despite his misgivings about telling them how he felt, he wasn't sure how much longer he could stop himself from reaching out to them.

Sunstreaker, loathed to take his optics off his twin, moved his gaze to the medic stood watching him. "Ratchet…" The medic's designation was spoken in a little more than a hushed tone. "Why is he still in so much pain?"

Hearing the crack in his vocaliser as it fought against the full extent of the emotion threatening to break free from the front liner, Ratchet took air into his vents in order to steady his own vocaliser, telling him, "That is the spark healing Sunny."

"But it hurts so much!" Sideswipe's pain was evident on Sunstreakers face. "You have to stop his pain!"

The CMO wanted to reach out and touch the mech, offer him comfort but he remained where he was.

"I told him if he recharged he wouldn't feel the pain but I can still feel it, he can still feel it!" Now his voice was full of pleading. "He needs to be in stasis Ratchet!"

"I cannot do that Sunstreaker, he needs the bond between you both to remain open, he's dependant your strength!"

Ratchet knew of the fear that both twins had of being in stasis as it meant that they no longer had control, so for Sunstreaker to all but beg him to shut his twin down, meant Sideswipe must have been in a pit full of pain. "I would prefer not to do this as his feeling pain can help guide us to damaged areas, but I can shut off his pain receptors, yours too."

Sunstreaker considered this carefully and deciding he could not bear to think of his twin in any further pain, but also taking in what the medic told him of the spark healing, he told the medic, "Shut the pain off for Sides but leave me, I want to feel his pain as I need to know he's healing!"

"Then you will need to lay his helm back on the berth so I can access the circuits there." Unsure if front liner would do as he was asked, Ratchet waited patiently.

Hesitant to let go of his twin, Sunstreaker gently shifted his frame and laid Sideswipe back on the berth. Ratchet opened a panel on the side of his helm and slipped his digits inside, nan-kliks later he pulled them out and slid the panel shut again. Sunstreaker felt a slight dull in the pain but he still felt it none the less.

"Now it will be better if you go back into recharge, it will keep you calm and help Sides in the process." In response, Sunstreaker slid his frame alongside Sideswipe. "In your own berth" Ratchet added "I need to carry out further repairs and you will be in the way."

Ratchet received a growl as he lifted the arm that was now draped across Sideswipe's chest so with a raised vocaliser he commanded, "You are not helping Sunstreaker, now move to your own berth before I have to slagging carry you there myself!" The surly Ratchet resurfaced when being disobeyed in his own med bay.

Sunstreaker glared at the CMO but obeyed and unsteadily climbed off the berth. Ratchet, seeing that he was not still strong enough on his own pedes, made his way around to where the mech stood and as he reached out to help steady him, Sunstreaker dropped to his knee-joints, his servos gripping onto Ratchets waist for support.

Momentarily shocked at the contact, Ratchet relaxed his frame and pulled the fallen mech into him, burying the dark helm into his chest in order to absorb the sounds that tumbled out of the vocaliser. Not a word was said as there really was nothing he could say.

Eventually only the sounds of the monitor echoing Sideswipe's spark beat could be heard again and Ratchet silently pulled Sunstreaker back onto to his pedes, leading him to the empty berth before urging him to lie down. As he turned to walk away from the younger twin, a servo reached out and grabbed his, the gold in contrast to the cherry red. Turning back to Sunstreaker, he looked at the optics still dark with the pain that they felt and they pleaded with him not to go.

It was an extremely rare occasion that the golden front liner needed comforting and now the opportunity for Ratchet to let at least one of the twins know how much he cared had presented itself. Believing that his actions would not be rejected, he climbed onto the berth next to Sunstreaker and wrapped himself around his frame in a comforting embrace.

He was not met with any resistance but was surprised when Sunstreaker curled into his embrace, the younger mech relaxing into him as he quickly slipped into recharge. After savouring the feeling of the frame beside him, and content that the mech was fully recharging, Ratchet shuttered his own optics and allowed himself to rest.

Wheeljack, being concerned for his friend, made his way to the med bay to check on him and looking through the window, he spied the recharging mechs. A smile formed behind his face mask as he took in the white frame wrapped around the blackened gold frame and he mused on how right they looked, the only thing missing was Sideswipe by their side.

Deciding to leave them in peace, he turned away to find Optimus Prime walking down the corridor towards him.

"How are the patients doing?" The Prime asked.

"They are making a slow recovery but a recovery all the same." The Engineer replied.

The Autobot Commander heaved a vent of relief. "That is good news."

He now peered through the window himself, his optics taking in the sight of Ratchet and Sunstreaker. With a smile that was also hidden by his mask, but evident in his optics, he turned to Wheeljack and stated. "It is about time too!"

Both mechs chuckled at that comment before walking away.

A deca-cycle had now passed since the explosion and Ratchet had discharged Sideswipe from his care. He was relieved to able to do so but deep down, he knew he would miss the twins company and as they would not enter the med bay of their own free will, unless setting him up for their next prank, the next visit would more than likely be through injury.

Venting to himself he cleaned the empty berths down, it was so quiet. Normally the medic would relish this silence as it meant all mechs were safe and well but after the whirlwind of the twins, and even in Sideswipe's weakened state he could make his presence known, the silence was deafening.

As he cleaned, he allowed his processor to wander and he thought of the events of the deca-cycle. Almost losing the twins, comforting Sunstreaker, repainting Sunstreaker's armour and rebuilding Sideswipe's and somehow, still managing to get pranked by the injured front liner. There was an involuntary smile as he recalled that memory.

Flashback…

"Okay Sides, it's time to fit your new armour." The medic walked towards the armourless frame with a freshly painted chest plate in his servos. "We'll start with this and then we will replace the pieces on your arms and legs."

"'bout time too Hatchet, I was beginning to feel you were enjoying keeping me exposed there!" Sideswipe failed to supress his mirth.

"Do not think that you are too sick to not have a wrench to the helm" Ratchet grumbled. "Now sit up!"

Sideswipe did has he was told and Ratchet fitted the chest piece into place. Satisfied that it was secure he started working on replacing the parts that had remained after the explosion but were far beyond repair. The only sound in the med bay was the clicking of plates and whilst working on Sideswipe's lower legs, Ratchet took a moment to glance up at the face above him.

He thought how unusually quiet the mech was but he was just greeted with a wide grin, now Ratchet just knew that he was up to something.

Fitting the final piece into place, the CMO stepped back and instructed Sideswipe to stand so he could inspect the new armour. Slowly walking around Sideswipe's frame, Ratchet asked, "How does it feel?"

"It's too small!" The newly armoured mech answered.

This stopped Ratchet in his tracks. "What do you mean it's too small?" And he walked back around to face Sideswipe.

"It's too small, too tight…" Then more slowly, as if explaining to a youngling, Sideswipe continued. "As in…it…does…not…fit!"

Ratchet studied the face in front of him and he narrowed his optics. "That is impossible!' He retorted.

"I'm only telling you how it feels." Came back the deadpan response.

"It's the same size as your last one you glitch!" Ratchet was adamant that there was nothing wrong with the armour.

Sides shrugged. "Well I guess there lays the problem!" The front liner's face remained blank throughout the conversation, too blank for Ratchet's liking.

The medic looked over at Sunstreaker; the golden mech was laid on a berth with his back to them, seemingly ignoring the conversation. "Sunstreaker, tell your twin to stop being such a glitch!" The CMO commanded.

Sunstreaker remained in his position but shouted over, "Sides, stop being a glitch!"

Ratchet's patience was now wearing thin. "Well it's the only armour that you are getting, so however it feels you had better get used to it!"

The gruffness in his vocaliser belied the concern inside. He did not understand how the armour could be too small but the last thing he wanted was for Sideswipe to feel uncomfortable.

"It's not my fault." Sideswipe was now whining at him. "Clearly all this inactivity has caused me to…now how do the humans put it…oh yes, to put on weight!" There was not even a twitch on the poker face looking at the medic.

Ratchet processed what had been said and completely aware that he was about to sound like Prowl, he said, "But that is completely illogical, you cannot… put on weight!"

Suddenly the Medic could hear stifled laughter coming from the berth and looking over, he could see Sunstreaker's frame shaking. He had clearly been aware of the entire conversation, which was probably why he had turned his back on them but these last comments had obviously been too much for him.

Looking back at Sideswipe, Ratchet was met with wide innocent optics.

"What!?"

Knowing that he could not throw the front liner out of the med bay, and with the urge to throw a wrench growing, he simply walked out himself.

Peals of laughter where shut off as the door slid shut behind him and although the medic was cursing them out, he stopped to look through the window back at the mirth being shared by the twins. As he watched he could not help but smile himself, it was good to see the twins back to themselves, despite what it meant for the Ark.

End of flashback

Even the med bay seemed to miss the twins, although everything was in its usual pristine order, the room looked dull. Still cleaning a berth, Ratchet had his back to the door as it slid open and for once he welcomed the intrusion.

Turning to greet his visitor, one of the last mechs he expected to see stood there was Sideswipe, looking resplendent in his new armour the medic noted.

Ratchet's vocaliser failed him so Sideswipe was the first to speak. "Hey Hatch…um Ratchet." The younger mech sounded nervous. "I was thinking, you spent a lot of time working on me, nursing me back to health…and you built me all this new armour…"

Ratchet finally found his vocaliser. "As is my duty Sideswipe."

"But still, you did all that for me, for us, and it's not the first time you've done it yet we never thank you."

Ratchet remained silent.

"So anyway," The front liner continued. "I was wondering if you would join me, and Sunny, after sun fall? Hound says that if tonight is clear we can see the meteor shower that'll pass just above here."

Ratchet's spark jumped in his chest at the prospect of spending some alone time with them, not repairing them, but he was wary of the twins and their pranks. "You want me to join you, tonight?"

"Yes!"

Sideswipe's face showed faint signs of worry which brought a small flutter to Ratchets spark. "Okay, I will join you." The response was greeted with a vent of relief. "But if this is some kind of joke Sideswipe, I swear to that you will be wearing trash for armour!"

With his custom grin now growing on Sideswipe's face, and failing to hide his excitement, he vocalised, "That's great Hatch…Ratchet. As the humans say…it's a date!"

As Sideswipe left the med bay, Ratchet sat on the edge of a berth, his spark was beating so wildly now that it made him giddy and silently he prayed that this was not a set up.

The time had arrived for Ratchet to meet the twins and as instructed via a comm-link, he made his way along the well-trodden pathway that led up the side of the volcano to a hidden ledge. As he rounded a few rocks he found Sideswipe stood waiting for his arrival, nervousness evident on his face. He then clocked Sunstreaker who was sat further away on the ground, his arms wrapped around his knee joints and he turned his helm only slightly in acknowledgment.

The red mech was now beside Ratchet grabbing a servo. "Come." He urged. "Sit. We'll have a great view from here."

As Ratchet sat, Sunstreaker gave a small snort.

"What's up with him?" the medic asked.

"Ah, you know Sunny, he has no passion for the planet's beauty."

Ratchet stared at the mech in front of him and wondered if he had inadvertently messed with his programming. Although crazed when out on the battle field, the place where he and his twin thrived when they were not being blown up, Sideswipe had always had a zest for life but had been indifferent to the planet that they were stranded on and now he was babbling on about the planet's beauty. Hound would be proud of him.

Sideswipe was now sat next to Ratchet and both lent back on their servos to steady themselves, the CMO sensing the dark digits near his own.

"So Sideswipe, why did you really ask me here?"

There was a nano-klik of silence before he received a response. "Like I said, to thank you."

"But all you had to say was thank you." The medic stated.

"Where would the fun be in that?" Sideswipe was now grinning at him and Ratchet's spark started dancing at this sight.

The white and red mech wondered if this night-cycle should be the time that he admitted his feelings to them but as he glanced at the closed off stance of the golden mech sat a short distance away, he felt that the news may not be welcome.

An awkward silence had now fallen over them and Ratchet turned his attention back to Sideswipe. He could see the younger mech was lost in thought and he realised that he must be communicating with his twin through their bond. He studied Sideswipe's face to see if it would give anything away.

Sideswipe pleaded.~ Sunny, please join us.~

~ I don't see the point.~ Sunstreaker replied.

~ But I thought you wanted this as much as I do. ~ Sideswipe was starting to feel distressed that his twin did not seem to want to be here.

Sunstreaker felt Sideswipe's distress bleed through their bond ~ Sides it's not that I don't want to be here, with him, I'm just not sure this is the right time. Anyway, how do you know he won't reject us!~

Sideswipe could feel his brother's uncertainty. ~ He won't reject us, I know he won't ~

~ How can you be so sure Sides? What has he ever done for you to believe that he'd ever want to be anything more than our medic? ~

Sideswipe thought it was incredulous that Sunstreaker should question this ~ Hasn't he repaired us time and time again? ~

~ Yes and each time he threatens to leave us to rust in Unicron next time we injure ourselves ~

~ But he doesn't! ~

~ 'Cause it's his duty to repair us! ~

Sunsteaker seemed to have an answer for everything Sideswipe threw at him but not one to be deterred, Sideswipe tried one more avenue. ~ What he did in the med bay, after I was…well you know, what he did was more than his duty. ~

Sunstreaker was now looking over his shoulder at his twin, trying to figure out what he meant. ~ Enlighten me then brother. ~

Hesitating before answering, the older twin looked the younger one deep in his optics. ~ I came back out of recharge after Ratchet moved you from my berth that solar-cycle, I was worried about you and I watched as you collapsed to your knee-joints and allowed Ratchet to hold you. ~

Both twins continued to silently stare at each other and Ratchet could feel the tension in the air.

~ I also watched him climb onto the berth beside you to comfort you. It gave me a sense of security knowing that you were being taken care of.

Now tell me that that's in his line of duty! ~

The aggression slowly drained from Sunstreaker. ~ I didn't realise that you'd seen that ~

Sunstreaker was now at a loss for words. After Sideswipe had almost deactivated, his twin had been worried for the welfare of him and now here he was denying something Sideswipe wanted, and if he admitted, he wanted too.

Casting his processor back to the moments he sat cradling Sideswipe in his arms, playing that song to him to try and let him know how he felt, he had promised that he would give his twin more, yet here he was, being his usual difficult self. Sunstreaker frowned at his thoughts. He was not being purposefully difficult, in the past he had always wanted the medic as much as his twin had. Pit, they spent stellar-cycles trying to get his attention but right now, he felt it was too soon.

Although he and Sideswipe had always shared a relationship that ran much deeper than sibling love, he had never expressed himself wholly to his twin in the past. Sideswipe had done most of the giving and now Sunstreaker needed the time to make up for that before he could bring another into the relationship, but how could he deny the face that now looked at him full of love and hope. Maybe this was the way he thought, if he did this for Sideswipe, and for himself, maybe it could somehow prove he was worthy of his twins' love.

Getting up, Sunstreaker joined Sideswipe and the medic, sitting down at Ratchet's free side and as the meteor shower passed above them, three faces watched up at the sky in silence.

As the twins sat with their faces turned up to the sky, Ratchet allowed himself to glance over at the golden mech to his left and he studied his face, it was closed to whatever he was thinking or feeling. He then glanced at the red mech on his right and his face looked full of hope. 'Hope for what?' he pondered.

He was right where he wanted to be, with the two mechs he had slowly grown to love and he wondered if, and how, to tell them. He believed that Sideswipe would be easy enough but Sunny, well he was a different story.

Although both had been let down countless times in their lives before ending up in the gladiator rings, Sunstreaker seemed to carry the burden of those times and even though the two different personalities seemed to be a perfect blend, he wished that there was something he could do to stop Sunstreaker carrying the hurt.

As the meteor shower continued above them, Ratchet pulled up old memories of the time back on Cybertron, when Optimus Prime first brought the twins into his med bay. Ratchet had not been able to believe his optics when he saw the state of the one he later discovered was Sunstreaker and after being told by his Prime that Megatron had all but beaten the life out of him for refusing to allow his twin to fight alone, he had struggled to quell the anger inside of him. It was during this time that the Medic learnt of the split spark and what this meant, he also learnt of the nature of these twins. Back then he knew that they would be a handful for the Autobots but he also knew deep down inside, that they were something special.

Looking back at Sunstreaker, the CMO deliberated on how he would find the words to tell him how he could trust him not to let him down, either of them and he recalled a song he once heard the humans on the Ark playing. It had made him think of the twins at the time so he had stored it in his memory banks, where it had remained un-accessed since and now he felt it would express himself in a way that his own words never could.

Not knowing how Sunstreaker would react to what he was about to do, he opened a comm-link between him and the twins. Sideswipe opened his link without hesitation but Sunstreaker frowned as he received the request. Ratchet expected to be rejected by the mech but Sunstreaker looked at him and suddenly the link opened.

Not wasting any further time, Ratchet downloaded the words he wanted to share across the connection.

:-When the rain is blowing in your face, and the whole world is on your case, I could offer you a warm embrace, to make you feel my love-:

Sunstreaker shifted his frame as the words came through and he intently watched the medic watching him, both trying to gauge each other.

:-When the evening shadows and the stars appear, and there is no one there to dry your tears, I could hold you for a million years, To make you feel my love-:

Sideswipe now also watched his twin, sharing his thoughts through their bond. He was a little unsure himself of what Ratchet was doing, what he was telling them but he reassured Sunstreaker that it was okay.

:-I know you haven't made your mind up yet, but I would never do you wrong, I've known it from the moment that we met, no doubt in my mind where you belong-:

Ratchet's optics, wavering with his own uncertainty of what he was doing, remained on the younger twin but as he felt Sideswipe settle his helm on his shoulder, he moved a servo across the ground until it came into contact with Sideswipe's own. This was his little way of reassuring the older twin that his feelings ran deeply for the both of them.

:-I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue, I'd go crawling down the avenue, no there's nothing that I wouldn't do, to make you feel my love-:

Sunstreaker's spark stirred as he listened to the words, words that filled the craving he always had inside of him to know that someone else out there could possibly love him nearly as much as Sideswipe did.

:-Though storms are raging on the rolling sea, and on the highway of regrets, though winds of change are throwing wild and free, You ain't seen nothing like me yet-:

This sentiment led the twins to tentatively believe that as cantankerous as the old medic was, with the love and care he was offering, nothing could touch them again that maybe, they could finally feel safe in his arms.

Ratchet needed the twins to know that he did not fear loving them. Yes he was nervous of their rejection but he fully embraced all that they were.

:-I could make you happy, make your dreams come true, nothing that I wouldn't do, go to the ends of the Earth for you, to make you feel my love-:

Sideswipe lifted his helm to look at Sunstreaker as he felt his brother's feelings slowly unravel over the bond. He knew Sunstreaker was hesitantly accepting what Ratchet was trying to tell them but he was a long way from letting go and in response Sideswipe unleashed the full extent of his love for his twin at the same time, letting him know that it was okay to be hesitant.

Knowing that now he had fully exposed his feelings, there was no going back for the medic and he warily looked at first Sunstreaker and then Sideswipe and hoped that that the fully understood what they were being told. Either his feelings would be reciprocated or what strange trust the medic had with these two, would be shattered. Holding the air in his vents, he waited for some sort of response from either of them

It touched the twin's sparks to discover that Ratchet felt this way about them. They had both spent so many stellar-cycles hoping that he would at least notice them, never daring to think he could love them. Stretching an arm across the white frame between them, a black servo reached for a golden one and as they clasped tightly onto each other, both mechs laid a helm on each of Ratchet's shoulders.

This contact was a small gesture by most mechs standards but Ratchet understood the enormity of it. When Sunstreaker had broken down in the med bay, he had not had any control over what he was doing but now he had full control and he had not rejected the medics feelings, neither of them had and his spark swelled with the love he harboured for them.

As the last of the meteor shower passed over them, the three sat in silence and three sparks beat deep inside each frame. Each spark had suffered damage in their own way but now this was a chance for them to heal as they fought to express the feelings held within.