Half of Something Whole
Twins, an anomaly, a one in a million chance. Most 'bots will go through their whole lives without ever meeting a pair, or giving them a second thought. I am not one of those mechs. I pity them, and envy them, they cannot know the simple pleasure of never being alone, or understand the pain of it.
From the moment we were sparked Sunstreaker and I have shared almost everything, but we're not the same. If we were then any emotion, any reflex could bounce between us until it spun out of control and left us helpless, and in a moment like this when the battle is raging that is simply something we cannot afford to be, so we are a balance to each other, counterweights, and while we are capable of functioning independently, most of the time we'll be by side by side, where we belong.
A flash of golden yellow is all the warning I get, but then it's more than I've ever needed. I catch Sunstreaker by the arms, activate my jet-pack and we're airborne before Prowl can say, "Get your afts down here!". Watch out Decepti-clowns here we come and you don't stand a chance against us.
I'm not arrogant, well... not very, I'll leave that to Sunny, he's so much better at it than I am, but I also know that we're pretty much unstoppable on the battlefield because unlike every other 'bot here we work in perfect unison.
There are other bonded mechs on the field, but Prowl and Jazz each have their own responsibilities, Gestalts are a different ball-game, and Rumble and Frenzy have a lot to learn. I wonder if anyone else has noticed that Sunny and I rarely fight them. We didn't plan it that way, I happen to know for a fact that Frenzy couldn't plan his way out of a storage locker, but we tend to leave them be, call it a twin thing.
Sunstreaker's emotions are like a laser-knife in the back of my processor; defined, cold and razor-sharp. I tend to just let my feelings and thoughts wash over me, but he's more intense and it's his focus that brings me back to the battle.
Frag, Screamer's really got one on him today, but it's no big deal, the worst thing that can happen is Sunny falling off, which does happen from time to time, but he's got a parachute if I can't get to him, and so long as he doesn't land on anyone he'll be fine. He's only done that once, but the look on Ironhides faceplates' was a picture, and I for one won't let either of them forget it any time soon. I'm a mech of simple pleasures.
As we finally manoeuvre Starscream and Thundercracker into a collision course a bolt of laser-fire passes between us, it seems that it's Skywarps turn to scream today, and by the sounds of it calling him unhappy would be the understatement of the vorn. He thought he had us, but he forgot one thing, Bluestreak.
Blue's nearly as close to us as we are to each other, he loves us both, just in very different ways. Sunny is the love of his life and I'm the mech that does his best to keep both of them sane, which isn't always easy, and while he's made it quite clear that he loathes violence he won't hesitate to protect either of us.
We weren't created to be warriors, we both had lives before the war, but eventually we found that we couldn't hide from it and were forced to choose a side. I'm glad we chose this one, within the Autobots we found friendship and trust, things we had never really had before, and while we will always be dependent on each other it's in our friends and lovers that we find our strength.
We jump at the last moment, and make it back down safely. Prowl gives us a withering look as we land, I guess our move wasn't part of his battle-plan. Sunny flashes me a smile, and for what is probably the millionth time I can't help thinking that nothing so beautiful should be so deadly. We can't pick up on individual thoughts like some bonded mechs can (that comes from vorns of renewing the connection and while we have occasionally done that and our link is stronger than it was, we're happy with how things are,) but I still know what he's thinking; we're both firm believers in the idea that in a fight all plans go to the Pit when the first shot is fired, not that we'd ever tell Prowl that.
There's an impressive explosion off to our left, sounds like Jazz has taken care of Megatrons latest 'super-weapon', which leaves us with just one last thing to deal with, unfortunately it's Devastator. Now Sunny and I are not cowards but even we know that fragging off Gestalts on our own is a bad idea, but we're not alone, Jazz, Prowl, Blue and Ratchet are with us, and now we are invincible.
Prowl takes command with Jazz on his flank, we go in hard while Blue and Ratchet cover us, and a few dents and scrapes later it's all over. Megatron calls the retreat, Starscream calls him a coward, we all know the drill by now.
Once they're gone I head over to see if I can help Ratchet with anything. I'm not a medic, never will be, but this is where his work really begins and I'll help all I can, just for an instant he smiles at me and I know that everything is going to be alright, then he points to Hound who needs help getting into Primes trailer for a ride home.
We got off lightly this time, no one's badly hurt, and while I know we won't always be so lucky I also know that it's right to be thankful for what we have.
Sunny's still tense after the fight, he can't just switch off, and he's still ready to slag anything that he might think of as a threat, but so long as I keep calm he'll be fine, just as his emotions fuelled me while we were fighting mine will help him feel safe again now it's over.
The drive home is a cheerful one. Ratchet is driving at my side, Blue and Sunny are racing playfully just ahead of me, and Jazz has got his stereo on so loud that I don't know how he stands it, or more to the point how Prowl stands it, but he does and always will. Life is good.
Back at the Ark we slip back into our routines, we've been doing this for a long time and a little skirmish isn't about to phase us. Sunny and I are on a high after the fight,
(which might sound wrong but we are warriors,) and we let our cheerful moods rebound off each other. It's kinda like being able to share a smile when we're at opposite ends of the Ark.
I don't get to see much of the others until evening draws in and we meet up again in the rec room. Sunny and Blue are already there when I walk in, and almost as if he planned it Jazz breezes in just in time for a round of high-grade. I'm not fooled, Jazz doesn't plan much of anything, but he does have impeccable timing.
After a while Jazz looks up with that goofy grin on his face-plates that reminds all of us that if it wasn't for the war he and Prowl would be up to their optics in sparklings by now, and we don't need to look round to know that Prowl has joined us. He doesn't come to the rec room often, it's too noisy and chaotic for him, but it seems that he's decided to tonight.
It doesn't take me long to figure out why though, Jazz has spent most of the last three days doing the groundwork for today's mission, and I don't think Jazz knows how to recharge when he's anywhere but in Prowls arms. He soon proves me right and sprawls out on the bench with his head in Prowls lap, he's not quite in recharge and throws the occasional comment into our conversation, but he's not far off.
Ratchet finally arrives not long after Jazz makes himself comfortable, I wish I knew when he was coming the same Jazz and Prowl do, but it's still nice to feel those wonderful hands of his on my shoulders as he greets us all. I know that we make an odd match, but I really couldn't care less. Ratchet is the mech who reminded me why I fight, and my life would be flat-out boring without him.
We talk and joke and laugh, it's nothing special, but at the same time it is. The humans have a word, family, and although Sunny and I are the only ones who are actually related, it seems to fit us quite nicely.
Blue has felt like a brother to me pretty much since we first met him, Prowl and Jazz are the closest things to creators Blue has ever known, and I know better than anyone that he's not the only one they're fiercely protective of, but that goes both ways, there's nothing we wouldn't do for them, and while Ratchet maybe the most recent addition to our little group I for one wouldn't be without him.
A.n; You know I never thought of Sideswipe as being scatter-brained until I started writing this, but he really does seem to bounce around a lot. There will be at least one more part to this but it could be a while before it gets updated as there are other things I want to do first. Thanks for reading, FB.