[TF] Haven
Mar. 7th, 2019 06:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dracoqueen22Title: Haven
Universe: All This and Heaven Too, IDW AU
Characters: Sunstreaker, Rodimus, Starscream, Sideswipe
Rated: M
Enticements: Snuggling, Cuddling, Fluff, Foreplay, Fade to Black
Summary: Weekly relaxation sessions with his best friends and his new crush are the highlights of Rodimus’ new life now.
Reward fic for my Patreons for the month of November.
“Primus, I’m exhausted.” Rodimus groaned and flopped facefirst into the luxurious pile of pillows and mats in the center of the massive tranquility room. It was his favorite room in his favorite building of the entire estate, and that was saying a lot considering there had to be over a hundred rooms spread out over half a dozen buildings, including a whole floor that was entirely his own.
“It’s been a long week,” Starscream agreed as he joined Rodimus on the mound of comfort, though with far more grace than the belly flop Rodimus had used. He moved stiffly, sorely, like he was in desperate need of a massage, which was probably true.
Rodimus didn’t know how Starscream did it, but somehow, he was working harder and longer than he did at Blue Sun. He worked like he still desperately needed the creds to support himself, despite the fact they would all never have to work again if they didn’t want to.
Sideswipe was loaded.
Rodimus grinned and shimmied over closer to Starscream, trying to nudge himself into a cuddle. “I know a few things that could make it better.”
Starscream rolled his optics, but he started petting the back of Rodimus’ spoiler anyway. Rodimus pulled a pillow under his head and tucked his arms around it, spoiler arching up into Starscream’s touches. Starscream had the best pets, he was sure of it.
“You’re spoiled,” Starscream murmured.
“Because you spoil him,” Sunstreaker announced from the doorway. He was probably trying to sound cross, but Rodimus could hear the affection in his tone. “I could have used some help you two.”
He grunted as he dropped an armload of whatever he’d brought this time around on one of the tables. Rodimus heard the clatter of bottles and the soft whump of cloths. Sunny probably had another polishing session in mind. Then again, didn’t he always?
“I deserve to be spoiled,” Rodimus said, muffled against the pillow. “I work hard.”
“We all do.” Starscream leaned over, pressing a kiss to the side of Rodimus’ head. “Stay. I’m going to help Sunny.”
“You always abandon me for Sunstreaker,” Rodimus complained, but Starscream was immune to his pouts by now.
He withdrew and took his talented fingers with him, leaving Rodimus to watch through slitted optics as Starscream slid out of the pillow mound. He sidled up next to Sunstreaker, gently nudging him with a shoulder, and all of the tension in Sunstreaker’s frame instantly melted. Primus, those two were simultaneously adorable and sickening.
Starscream murmured something, and Sunstreaker’s expression softened. Especially when Starscream leaned in to brush his lips over Sunstreaker’s cheek with a soft laugh.
Ugh.
Totally unfair.
Rodimus flopped over so he didn’t have to look at them and tried to ignore the twisting jealousy in his tanks. It wasn’t so much that he wanted Starscream or Sunstreaker to be his – he loved them both in his own way, just not that way. Honestly, Rodimus should know better, too. After that debacle with Deadlock, love wasn’t in the cards for him. That should be obvious.
Didn’t stop him from wanting it though.
He stretched out, burying his limbs into the pillows. At least he’d have this, he thought. He’d have a night of cuddles and sweet treats and some dumb movie, and maybe Starscream or Sunstreaker would feel frisky and invite him in, and then he’d have a night of absolute pleasure. It was enough, he told himself. It was enough to be out of Blue Sun, out of debt, away from Turmoil, away from his past, and well on his way to a bright and shining future.
It was enough.
A few quiet kisses, murmured conversation he pretended not to hear, and what Rodimus was sure were several pointed gropes, Starscream returned to the pillow mound, Sunstreaker trailing behind him, looking as exhausted as Starscream did.
"Your paint looks atrocious," Sunstreaker said.
Rodimus snorted. "Love you, too," he muttered into the pillow.
"If I didn't love you, I wouldn't offer to fix it." Sunstreaker’s field swept out, lightly stroking Rodimus' with a burst of warm affection. "You're mine after the movie, hot shot."
"Promises, promises."
The pillows dipped as Starscream scooted closer, and Rodimus turned his head to look at the Seeker just as he planted a light swat across Rodimus' aft.
"Hey! What did I do?"
"He's right, you know." Starscream gave him a Look, one of his patented 'I am your mentor and you're supposed to listen to what I say' Looks. "Just because we aren't at Blue Sun doesn't mean you should let your appearance slide."
"I don't see why it matters," Rodimus said.
His optics lit up, however, as Sunstreaker’s arrival heralded a bowl filled with brightly-colored and familiar goodies. Rodimus pushed up, climbing over Starscream's lap, much to the Seeker's amusement.
"Is Sideswipe coming?" he asked as he buried his hand in the bowl, managing to get a good fistful before Sunstreaker twisted it out of reach, muttering "There are days I wonder about you."
Rude.
He was so selfish when it came to the jellied gushers.
“If he finishes his work in time.” Sunstreaker set his bowl well out of reach and handed the remote to Starscream.
It was, after all, his turn to choose, and Rodimus knew they were in for another long, boring, historically based romance of some kind. Starscream could be so predictable sometimes. Maybe they’d get lucky, and Sunstreaker would distract him away from the movie, and he wouldn’t protest when it was inevitably turned off in favor of more pleasurable pursuits.
Like kissing. Fondling. Groping. Sucking and touching and everything in between.
Rodimus’ engine gave a quiet rev before he could rein it in, his field touching Starscream’s with a light caress of heat. Crimson optics softened at him, a smirk curving Starscream’s lips.
“Behave,” Starscream said.
“I am.” Rodimus stuffed another pillow behind his back, but it wasn’t enough to get comfortable, so he wriggled down and around and pillowed his head on Starscream’s thigh.
He waited to be pushed aside, but Starscream’s hand landed gently on his head, fingers softly stroking around his spurs. Rodimus’ engine purred, some of the tension easing from his aching struts and cables.
Rodimus never thought he’d miss Blue Sun, but sometimes, he missed how much easier it was to make creds, even if he did end up giving most of it to creditors in the end. He missed some of his old clients, too. He wasn’t banned from taking clients if he wanted to, now that they lived in the towers, but it felt like the wrong thing to do.
“Lights to forty percent,” Sunstreaker said as Starscream started flicking through the digital movie selection with his usual half-sparked interest.
Rodimus knew exactly what he’d do. Go through the whole list of New Arrivals and Popular Now, and then hem and haw before eventually settling on something they’d seen before but Starscream loved. He was getting predictable in his domesticity.
It was adorable.
Rodimus was glad he and Sunstreaker finally got their slag together – mostly – but still, maybe a teensy bit jealous.
The opposite door slid open with a quiet chime just as Starscream selected a movie. Rodimus lifted his head, but he wasn’t sure who else he expected it to be, unless it was Racket coming to tell them Sideswipe wasn’t going to be able to make it this time.
Again.
He worked too much. Rodimus told him that often, but Sideswipe didn’t really listen to anyone but Sunstreaker. Starscream, sometimes, when he got that tone. But he liked to pretend Rodimus didn’t exist a lot.
It was frustrating.
It wasn’t Racket. It was Sideswipe who slipped inside, paint gleaming and impeccable as always, but a dim to his optics that spoke of his fatigue. He had a box tucked under one arm, and Rodimus’ mouth watered.
Sideswipe always brought the best treats. It was like he was constantly trying to make up for what happened to Sunstreaker, even though it wasn’t his fault, and he couldn’t be blamed. He spoiled Sunstreaker, and Starscream by proxy.
Meanwhile, Rodimus was kind of like the rusty bolt you couldn’t get off so you just left on because it was easier that way.
“I’m not too late, am I?” Sideswipe asked as he approached the decadent pile of blankets and pillows they all preferred to share during their weekly get-togethers.
Sunstreaker snorted. “Not unless you care about missing the opening credits to a movie we’ve seen a dozen times.”
“It doesn’t matter how many times we’ve seen it, we can always learn something new,” Starscream said with an offended huff and a visible twitch of his ailerons. “Get on the pillows, Sideswipe. There better be oil cakes in there.”
Sideswipe climbed up to join them, settling in beside Rodimus rather than circling around to take the empty spot beside Sunstreaker. That might have had something to do with the talons-extended grip Starscream had on Sunstreaker’s thigh. He wavered, Starscream did, between being perfectly content with their arrangement, and having random moments of completely irrational fear that Sunstreaker would leave him.
Honestly, it was a good thing they’d brought Rodimus with them. There was enough drama between the two twins and Starscream to fill a whole vid series of bad romantic plays. Someone around here had to be the level spark.
Oh, the sacrifices Rodimus had given to stay on this plush estate with all the best waxes and berth covers and services. Truly, it was a terrible life to not have to wake every morning, hoping he’d get enough customers to make a dent in his debt. Very, very awful it was.
Rodimus snorted to himself.
“What?” Sideswipe asked, pausing mid-scoot.
“Nothing. Are those oil cakes?” Rodimus leaned up, looking in the direction of the tin hopefully.
“You are adorable,” Starscream said.
“Thank you,” Sideswipe said.
Rodimus nudged him with a knee. “He was talking about me. And you didn’t answer my question.” He sat up, pulling himself between Starscream and Sideswipe, leaning over into Sideswipe’s space, trying to get a peek at the box.
Starscream’s fingers hooked around the back of his collar fairing and tugged him away. “Easy, greedy. He’s going to share eventually.”
Sideswipe chuckled and popped open the box, revealing a colorful array of oil cakes dressed with metallic shavings in a variety of colors. Rodimus hummed with want, all but vibrating where he sat.
“Well, Starscream’s not wrong,” Sideswipe said as he plucked one of the cakes out. It was drizzled with fire-orange shavings, and he held it out to Rodimus’ lips. “First try?”
“Really?” Rodimus’ spoiler twitched before he could stop himself. Usually Sunstreaker got first pick. Everyone knew he was Sideswipe’s favorite.
He didn’t give Sideswipe a chance to change his mind. He nipped the cake from Sideswipe’s fingers, humming to himself as the sweet-savory flavor slid over his glossa and the oil painted his lips.
Primus, rich mechs had it the best.
“You’re going to share those, right?” Starscream asked, leaning over Rodimus’ shoulder with a pointed look.
Sideswipe offered the box immediately. “Of course. I made sure they only packed our favorites.” He settled into place, his legs lined up next to Rodimus’, their elbows occasionally brushing.
“You have the best gifts,” Rodimus said, leaning back over against Sideswipe because of everyone in the pillow-berth, Sideswipe was the warmest. Well, no. Technically Sunstreaker was the warmest, but he preferred cuddling Starscream and had to be in a mood to be willing to cuddle Rodimus.
He was too exhausted right now for that Mood.
Sideswipe chuckled and slid an arm over Rodimus’ shoulder, inviting him into the snuggle. That was a good sign. Rodimus wasn’t relegated to the rusty bolt today! “I have more credits than I could possibly use. That’s all.”
“Well, you’re using them in the right way,” Rodimus replied.
Starscream flicked the back of his spoiler. “Shhh. It’s starting,” he said, and pinched the back of Rodimus’ arm tire, making him startle.
Rodimus rolled his optics. “Like we haven’t seen this before. He’s so ridiculous.”
“I heard that,” Starscream said in a dire tone.
“Hush.”
Rodimus glanced over his shoulder and grinned. Sunstreaker had pulled Starscream against him, practically over his lap, and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. Starscream looked disgruntled, but didn’t put up a fight.
Starscream liked to pretend he was annoyed by Sunstreaker's affection, but Rodimus knew better. Knew how to read the pleased twitches of Starscream's ailerons, and the way he went soft in Sunstreaker's arms. To be fair, Sunstreaker did the same, liking to pretend he was all hard edges and sharp glossa, when a single look from Starscream made him melt.
Gross.
And also completely, enviably, wonderful.
Honestly, though, Rodimus didn't know what was worse. Sunstreaker and Starscream being snuggly together and finally admitting they were in love. Or Sideswipe staring longingly in Sunstreaker's direction, probably wishing he could snuggle up to his brother, too. It didn't seem like Starscream was in much of a mood to share today.
Time for a distraction.
It was what Rodimus was here for. A pretty, flame-painted buffer between two oceans of angst and snark and twisted, tangled emotions. If someone had told him that one day he'd be the mature, responsible one, he'd have laughed in their face.
Oh, how the tables had turned.
"How was your day?" Rodimus asked, looking up at Sideswipe.
Blue optics, the exact same shade as Sunstreaker's and honestly that should have been clue one there, blinked at him. "What?"
Rodimus grinned and nudged him with an elbow. It was easier to relax around Sideswipe now that Rodimus had gotten over how devastatingly handsome he was. It wasn't that he stopped, you know, fantasizing about Sideswipe every night. It just meant he wasn't an idiot around Sideswipe anymore.
Okay.
He wasn't entirely an idiot, and it was only most of the time he managed to come across as cute and charming and utterly desirable.
"How was your day?" Rodimus repeated with a little laugh. "Or your week, I guess. I don't know. I'm trying to make conversation so I don't have to listen to the sweet nothings being murmured behind me."
Genuine amusement flickered over Sideswipe's face, rather than the careful mask he tended to put on when they were all together.
"It was a day," Sideswipe murmured. His hand started to stroke Rodimus' opposite shoulder, where his arm left a comfortable weight. "Thank you for asking. And you?"
Rodimus shrugged. "Busy. Lots of posing and sitting very still and staring bored while I waited for the cameras to get the perfect angle and the perfect light and the perfect everything." He rolled his optics. "It's not unlike Sunstreaker when he's giving a repaint, now that I think about it."
Sideswipe's optics lit up, as they always did, when he got some tidbit of personal information about the brother he still barely knew.
"Shhhhh," Starscream hissed in their direction, tucked up under Sunstreaker's chin as he was, with clever artist's fingers painting lines over his armor.
Rodimus jutted his lower lip in a pout.
"My brother is not doing a good job of distracting him," Sideswipe murmured, head turned to whisper in Rodimus' audial.
Hnnngh.
A low curl of arousal zinged up Rodimus' spinal strut. There was something intoxicatingly intimate about the low light, the sweet smell of treats, the warmth of four frames cuddled together among pillows, and Sideswipe's low tenor murmuring to him. It wasn’t unusual for their movie nights to take a turn for the erotic.
They didn't really have to pay attention to the movie after all.
Rodimus nibbled his bottom lip and took a risk, lifting one hand and placing it lightly on Sideswipe's nearest thigh. "I'll bet if we put on a good enough show, we can distract them both," he said, careful to keep his tone light and playful and swallow down the hope so it wasn't audible.
"Go on," Sideswipe murmured, and Rodimus swore he felt the brush of Sideswipe's lips over his audial.
Rodimus stifled an incredibly absurd giggle. He slid his palm up Sideswipe's thigh, seeking out the warmth at the apex of them. "Further?" he asked.
Sideswipe's finger traced the seam of his shoulder, sliding inside to tease the cables beneath. "As far as you want."
"Oh, you might not want to promise me so much. I can be pretty greedy," Rodimus teased as he walked his fingers up the inside of Sideswipe's thigh, pausing within an inch of his interface array.
He was gifted with Sideswipe shifting on the pillows, thighs spreading in obvious invitation, enough that Rodimus’ fingers slid right to his hot array. A shiver ran visibly over Sideswipe’s armor, and his field licked at Rodimus’ with growing need.
“I’m good at giving mechs what they want,” Sideswipe murmured, and a hitch in his ventilation and a subtle roll of his hips, pushed his array against Rodimus’ fingers. “I’m all yours.”
Oh, Primus.
Rodimus stroked around his panel, tracing the seam, his fingertips tasting the ever-growing heat. Sideswipe trembled, though barely perceptible, and the hand not on Rodimus’ shoulder twisted around a pillow.
He turned into Sideswipe, tucked himself against Sideswipe’s side, throwing a leg over Sideswipe’s so he could grind hot and slow against him. His fingers kept stroking, more tease than fulfillment. He wanted to see if Sideswipe would break.
“Is that a promise?” Rodimus asked. He pressed his mouth against Sideswipe’s intake, smelling his expensive polish, and gave his cables a nibble.
Sideswipe sucked in a sharp intake, and his fingers spasmed where they rested on Rodimus’ shoulder. “Primus, keep doing that.”
Rodimus chuckled and vented warm and wet over Sideswipe’s intake, rolling his hips in a slow rock against Sideswipe’s thigh. “That sounded like a demand. Pretty sure you’re supposed to be begging me, right now.”
It was a heady sensation, to have Sideswipe trembling beneath him, while all Rodimus had done was tease him a little. Stroke his panel, give him the promise of something in the future, if only he’d behave. His submission was beautiful and seamless, and Rodimus wanted so badly to press him down and test the limits of what Sideswipe would offer.
Sideswipe groaned, low and deep in his chassis, the sound of it resonating around them. “You’re so much better at this than you look.”
“That’s because he learned from the best,” Starscream said from what seemed like far away, his tone somehow both wry and indignant.
Rodimus peeled his mouth away from Sideswipe’s intake to peer with one optic over his shoulder. “Are you judging me?” he asked and he’d have raised an orbital ridge if he could, because given their current entanglement, there was no way Sunstreaker and Starscream were watching the movie either.
“Just making a statement,” Starscream said, lips curved in a prideful smirk. His optics glittered at them, and his field tasted of lustful appreciation.
Mission accomplished. Distraction achieved.
Rodimus gave in to a languid stretch and dragged his fingers up Sideswipe’s groin, away from his array, to splay them over Sideswipe’s abdomen. “Hey, you play with your twin. This one’s mine.”
It took all of two seconds for the smug look to dissolve into a snort of laughter. “Aren’t you the one always lecturing me about the virtues of sharing?” Starscream asked with a raised orbital ridge.
“We are actually sitting right here,” Sideswipe pointed out, jostling his leg beneath Rodimus and making his array tingle with the brief stimulation.
“We’re supposed to be watching a movie,” Sunstreaker added.
Rodimus grinned, a laugh burbling up from inside, not enough to chase away the arousal, but leave it simmering. “We could put on a better show,” he suggested with a wriggle of his spoiler.
"I'm not sure that counts as relaxation," Starscream said, but his protest wasn't convincing, considering the way Sunstreaker's hands wandered over his wings, stroking and pinching them. Lust radiated from both of them in slow, warm waves.
It was always hard not to fall under their spell.
"I don't know," Rodimus purred. He slid his hand back down to Sideswipe's groin, stroking his array, to a pleased rumble of Sideswipe's engine. "I've always found myself very relaxed after a few good overloads."
Sideswipe's hips rolled up to meet his fingers. "We can leave them to their rerun and have fun of our own," he murmured, and his panel slid aside, slickness dampening the tips of Rodimus' fingers in blatant invitation.
Rodimus shivered, tucking his mouth back into Sideswipe's intake to give him a nibble. "That's fine with me."
A hand closed around the back of his collar fairing, giving it a tug. "You aren't having any fun without me," Starscream said as a warm frame abruptly pressed to Rodimus' back, an arm slinging across his waist and a hand creeping up to join Rodimus' where his fingers caressed Sideswipe's rim.
Sideswipe groaned, the vibrations teasing Rodimus' lips. He rocked up toward their fingers, head tipping back. "If either of you stop, I'm going to be very put out."
"Don't worry. I won't let them." Sunstreaker's dark voice, heavy with arousal, seemed to wash over all three of them.
Rodimus wasn't the only one who shivered, who rocked a little harder against Sideswipe's thigh, even as he plunged two fingers into Sideswipe's valve, curving them to stroke over a cluster of internal nodes. Lubricant seeped out around his fingers, the scent of it tangy in the air.
Primus.
So much for watching the movie.
Rodimus didn't care one whit, not with Starscream's mouth closing around the top edge of his spoiler, lips and denta applying the perfect pressure. Or with Sideswipe squirming beneath him, delightfully pliant and eager to obey, or Sunstreaker watching over all three of them, optics dark and his field full of possessive, dominant hunger.
This was Rodimus' favorite day of the week.
***
Universe: All This and Heaven Too, IDW AU
Characters: Sunstreaker, Rodimus, Starscream, Sideswipe
Rated: M
Enticements: Snuggling, Cuddling, Fluff, Foreplay, Fade to Black
Summary: Weekly relaxation sessions with his best friends and his new crush are the highlights of Rodimus’ new life now.
Reward fic for my Patreons for the month of November.
“Primus, I’m exhausted.” Rodimus groaned and flopped facefirst into the luxurious pile of pillows and mats in the center of the massive tranquility room. It was his favorite room in his favorite building of the entire estate, and that was saying a lot considering there had to be over a hundred rooms spread out over half a dozen buildings, including a whole floor that was entirely his own.
“It’s been a long week,” Starscream agreed as he joined Rodimus on the mound of comfort, though with far more grace than the belly flop Rodimus had used. He moved stiffly, sorely, like he was in desperate need of a massage, which was probably true.
Rodimus didn’t know how Starscream did it, but somehow, he was working harder and longer than he did at Blue Sun. He worked like he still desperately needed the creds to support himself, despite the fact they would all never have to work again if they didn’t want to.
Sideswipe was loaded.
Rodimus grinned and shimmied over closer to Starscream, trying to nudge himself into a cuddle. “I know a few things that could make it better.”
Starscream rolled his optics, but he started petting the back of Rodimus’ spoiler anyway. Rodimus pulled a pillow under his head and tucked his arms around it, spoiler arching up into Starscream’s touches. Starscream had the best pets, he was sure of it.
“You’re spoiled,” Starscream murmured.
“Because you spoil him,” Sunstreaker announced from the doorway. He was probably trying to sound cross, but Rodimus could hear the affection in his tone. “I could have used some help you two.”
He grunted as he dropped an armload of whatever he’d brought this time around on one of the tables. Rodimus heard the clatter of bottles and the soft whump of cloths. Sunny probably had another polishing session in mind. Then again, didn’t he always?
“I deserve to be spoiled,” Rodimus said, muffled against the pillow. “I work hard.”
“We all do.” Starscream leaned over, pressing a kiss to the side of Rodimus’ head. “Stay. I’m going to help Sunny.”
“You always abandon me for Sunstreaker,” Rodimus complained, but Starscream was immune to his pouts by now.
He withdrew and took his talented fingers with him, leaving Rodimus to watch through slitted optics as Starscream slid out of the pillow mound. He sidled up next to Sunstreaker, gently nudging him with a shoulder, and all of the tension in Sunstreaker’s frame instantly melted. Primus, those two were simultaneously adorable and sickening.
Starscream murmured something, and Sunstreaker’s expression softened. Especially when Starscream leaned in to brush his lips over Sunstreaker’s cheek with a soft laugh.
Ugh.
Totally unfair.
Rodimus flopped over so he didn’t have to look at them and tried to ignore the twisting jealousy in his tanks. It wasn’t so much that he wanted Starscream or Sunstreaker to be his – he loved them both in his own way, just not that way. Honestly, Rodimus should know better, too. After that debacle with Deadlock, love wasn’t in the cards for him. That should be obvious.
Didn’t stop him from wanting it though.
He stretched out, burying his limbs into the pillows. At least he’d have this, he thought. He’d have a night of cuddles and sweet treats and some dumb movie, and maybe Starscream or Sunstreaker would feel frisky and invite him in, and then he’d have a night of absolute pleasure. It was enough, he told himself. It was enough to be out of Blue Sun, out of debt, away from Turmoil, away from his past, and well on his way to a bright and shining future.
It was enough.
A few quiet kisses, murmured conversation he pretended not to hear, and what Rodimus was sure were several pointed gropes, Starscream returned to the pillow mound, Sunstreaker trailing behind him, looking as exhausted as Starscream did.
"Your paint looks atrocious," Sunstreaker said.
Rodimus snorted. "Love you, too," he muttered into the pillow.
"If I didn't love you, I wouldn't offer to fix it." Sunstreaker’s field swept out, lightly stroking Rodimus' with a burst of warm affection. "You're mine after the movie, hot shot."
"Promises, promises."
The pillows dipped as Starscream scooted closer, and Rodimus turned his head to look at the Seeker just as he planted a light swat across Rodimus' aft.
"Hey! What did I do?"
"He's right, you know." Starscream gave him a Look, one of his patented 'I am your mentor and you're supposed to listen to what I say' Looks. "Just because we aren't at Blue Sun doesn't mean you should let your appearance slide."
"I don't see why it matters," Rodimus said.
His optics lit up, however, as Sunstreaker’s arrival heralded a bowl filled with brightly-colored and familiar goodies. Rodimus pushed up, climbing over Starscream's lap, much to the Seeker's amusement.
"Is Sideswipe coming?" he asked as he buried his hand in the bowl, managing to get a good fistful before Sunstreaker twisted it out of reach, muttering "There are days I wonder about you."
Rude.
He was so selfish when it came to the jellied gushers.
“If he finishes his work in time.” Sunstreaker set his bowl well out of reach and handed the remote to Starscream.
It was, after all, his turn to choose, and Rodimus knew they were in for another long, boring, historically based romance of some kind. Starscream could be so predictable sometimes. Maybe they’d get lucky, and Sunstreaker would distract him away from the movie, and he wouldn’t protest when it was inevitably turned off in favor of more pleasurable pursuits.
Like kissing. Fondling. Groping. Sucking and touching and everything in between.
Rodimus’ engine gave a quiet rev before he could rein it in, his field touching Starscream’s with a light caress of heat. Crimson optics softened at him, a smirk curving Starscream’s lips.
“Behave,” Starscream said.
“I am.” Rodimus stuffed another pillow behind his back, but it wasn’t enough to get comfortable, so he wriggled down and around and pillowed his head on Starscream’s thigh.
He waited to be pushed aside, but Starscream’s hand landed gently on his head, fingers softly stroking around his spurs. Rodimus’ engine purred, some of the tension easing from his aching struts and cables.
Rodimus never thought he’d miss Blue Sun, but sometimes, he missed how much easier it was to make creds, even if he did end up giving most of it to creditors in the end. He missed some of his old clients, too. He wasn’t banned from taking clients if he wanted to, now that they lived in the towers, but it felt like the wrong thing to do.
“Lights to forty percent,” Sunstreaker said as Starscream started flicking through the digital movie selection with his usual half-sparked interest.
Rodimus knew exactly what he’d do. Go through the whole list of New Arrivals and Popular Now, and then hem and haw before eventually settling on something they’d seen before but Starscream loved. He was getting predictable in his domesticity.
It was adorable.
Rodimus was glad he and Sunstreaker finally got their slag together – mostly – but still, maybe a teensy bit jealous.
The opposite door slid open with a quiet chime just as Starscream selected a movie. Rodimus lifted his head, but he wasn’t sure who else he expected it to be, unless it was Racket coming to tell them Sideswipe wasn’t going to be able to make it this time.
Again.
He worked too much. Rodimus told him that often, but Sideswipe didn’t really listen to anyone but Sunstreaker. Starscream, sometimes, when he got that tone. But he liked to pretend Rodimus didn’t exist a lot.
It was frustrating.
It wasn’t Racket. It was Sideswipe who slipped inside, paint gleaming and impeccable as always, but a dim to his optics that spoke of his fatigue. He had a box tucked under one arm, and Rodimus’ mouth watered.
Sideswipe always brought the best treats. It was like he was constantly trying to make up for what happened to Sunstreaker, even though it wasn’t his fault, and he couldn’t be blamed. He spoiled Sunstreaker, and Starscream by proxy.
Meanwhile, Rodimus was kind of like the rusty bolt you couldn’t get off so you just left on because it was easier that way.
“I’m not too late, am I?” Sideswipe asked as he approached the decadent pile of blankets and pillows they all preferred to share during their weekly get-togethers.
Sunstreaker snorted. “Not unless you care about missing the opening credits to a movie we’ve seen a dozen times.”
“It doesn’t matter how many times we’ve seen it, we can always learn something new,” Starscream said with an offended huff and a visible twitch of his ailerons. “Get on the pillows, Sideswipe. There better be oil cakes in there.”
Sideswipe climbed up to join them, settling in beside Rodimus rather than circling around to take the empty spot beside Sunstreaker. That might have had something to do with the talons-extended grip Starscream had on Sunstreaker’s thigh. He wavered, Starscream did, between being perfectly content with their arrangement, and having random moments of completely irrational fear that Sunstreaker would leave him.
Honestly, it was a good thing they’d brought Rodimus with them. There was enough drama between the two twins and Starscream to fill a whole vid series of bad romantic plays. Someone around here had to be the level spark.
Oh, the sacrifices Rodimus had given to stay on this plush estate with all the best waxes and berth covers and services. Truly, it was a terrible life to not have to wake every morning, hoping he’d get enough customers to make a dent in his debt. Very, very awful it was.
Rodimus snorted to himself.
“What?” Sideswipe asked, pausing mid-scoot.
“Nothing. Are those oil cakes?” Rodimus leaned up, looking in the direction of the tin hopefully.
“You are adorable,” Starscream said.
“Thank you,” Sideswipe said.
Rodimus nudged him with a knee. “He was talking about me. And you didn’t answer my question.” He sat up, pulling himself between Starscream and Sideswipe, leaning over into Sideswipe’s space, trying to get a peek at the box.
Starscream’s fingers hooked around the back of his collar fairing and tugged him away. “Easy, greedy. He’s going to share eventually.”
Sideswipe chuckled and popped open the box, revealing a colorful array of oil cakes dressed with metallic shavings in a variety of colors. Rodimus hummed with want, all but vibrating where he sat.
“Well, Starscream’s not wrong,” Sideswipe said as he plucked one of the cakes out. It was drizzled with fire-orange shavings, and he held it out to Rodimus’ lips. “First try?”
“Really?” Rodimus’ spoiler twitched before he could stop himself. Usually Sunstreaker got first pick. Everyone knew he was Sideswipe’s favorite.
He didn’t give Sideswipe a chance to change his mind. He nipped the cake from Sideswipe’s fingers, humming to himself as the sweet-savory flavor slid over his glossa and the oil painted his lips.
Primus, rich mechs had it the best.
“You’re going to share those, right?” Starscream asked, leaning over Rodimus’ shoulder with a pointed look.
Sideswipe offered the box immediately. “Of course. I made sure they only packed our favorites.” He settled into place, his legs lined up next to Rodimus’, their elbows occasionally brushing.
“You have the best gifts,” Rodimus said, leaning back over against Sideswipe because of everyone in the pillow-berth, Sideswipe was the warmest. Well, no. Technically Sunstreaker was the warmest, but he preferred cuddling Starscream and had to be in a mood to be willing to cuddle Rodimus.
He was too exhausted right now for that Mood.
Sideswipe chuckled and slid an arm over Rodimus’ shoulder, inviting him into the snuggle. That was a good sign. Rodimus wasn’t relegated to the rusty bolt today! “I have more credits than I could possibly use. That’s all.”
“Well, you’re using them in the right way,” Rodimus replied.
Starscream flicked the back of his spoiler. “Shhh. It’s starting,” he said, and pinched the back of Rodimus’ arm tire, making him startle.
Rodimus rolled his optics. “Like we haven’t seen this before. He’s so ridiculous.”
“I heard that,” Starscream said in a dire tone.
“Hush.”
Rodimus glanced over his shoulder and grinned. Sunstreaker had pulled Starscream against him, practically over his lap, and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. Starscream looked disgruntled, but didn’t put up a fight.
Starscream liked to pretend he was annoyed by Sunstreaker's affection, but Rodimus knew better. Knew how to read the pleased twitches of Starscream's ailerons, and the way he went soft in Sunstreaker's arms. To be fair, Sunstreaker did the same, liking to pretend he was all hard edges and sharp glossa, when a single look from Starscream made him melt.
Gross.
And also completely, enviably, wonderful.
Honestly, though, Rodimus didn't know what was worse. Sunstreaker and Starscream being snuggly together and finally admitting they were in love. Or Sideswipe staring longingly in Sunstreaker's direction, probably wishing he could snuggle up to his brother, too. It didn't seem like Starscream was in much of a mood to share today.
Time for a distraction.
It was what Rodimus was here for. A pretty, flame-painted buffer between two oceans of angst and snark and twisted, tangled emotions. If someone had told him that one day he'd be the mature, responsible one, he'd have laughed in their face.
Oh, how the tables had turned.
"How was your day?" Rodimus asked, looking up at Sideswipe.
Blue optics, the exact same shade as Sunstreaker's and honestly that should have been clue one there, blinked at him. "What?"
Rodimus grinned and nudged him with an elbow. It was easier to relax around Sideswipe now that Rodimus had gotten over how devastatingly handsome he was. It wasn't that he stopped, you know, fantasizing about Sideswipe every night. It just meant he wasn't an idiot around Sideswipe anymore.
Okay.
He wasn't entirely an idiot, and it was only most of the time he managed to come across as cute and charming and utterly desirable.
"How was your day?" Rodimus repeated with a little laugh. "Or your week, I guess. I don't know. I'm trying to make conversation so I don't have to listen to the sweet nothings being murmured behind me."
Genuine amusement flickered over Sideswipe's face, rather than the careful mask he tended to put on when they were all together.
"It was a day," Sideswipe murmured. His hand started to stroke Rodimus' opposite shoulder, where his arm left a comfortable weight. "Thank you for asking. And you?"
Rodimus shrugged. "Busy. Lots of posing and sitting very still and staring bored while I waited for the cameras to get the perfect angle and the perfect light and the perfect everything." He rolled his optics. "It's not unlike Sunstreaker when he's giving a repaint, now that I think about it."
Sideswipe's optics lit up, as they always did, when he got some tidbit of personal information about the brother he still barely knew.
"Shhhhh," Starscream hissed in their direction, tucked up under Sunstreaker's chin as he was, with clever artist's fingers painting lines over his armor.
Rodimus jutted his lower lip in a pout.
"My brother is not doing a good job of distracting him," Sideswipe murmured, head turned to whisper in Rodimus' audial.
Hnnngh.
A low curl of arousal zinged up Rodimus' spinal strut. There was something intoxicatingly intimate about the low light, the sweet smell of treats, the warmth of four frames cuddled together among pillows, and Sideswipe's low tenor murmuring to him. It wasn’t unusual for their movie nights to take a turn for the erotic.
They didn't really have to pay attention to the movie after all.
Rodimus nibbled his bottom lip and took a risk, lifting one hand and placing it lightly on Sideswipe's nearest thigh. "I'll bet if we put on a good enough show, we can distract them both," he said, careful to keep his tone light and playful and swallow down the hope so it wasn't audible.
"Go on," Sideswipe murmured, and Rodimus swore he felt the brush of Sideswipe's lips over his audial.
Rodimus stifled an incredibly absurd giggle. He slid his palm up Sideswipe's thigh, seeking out the warmth at the apex of them. "Further?" he asked.
Sideswipe's finger traced the seam of his shoulder, sliding inside to tease the cables beneath. "As far as you want."
"Oh, you might not want to promise me so much. I can be pretty greedy," Rodimus teased as he walked his fingers up the inside of Sideswipe's thigh, pausing within an inch of his interface array.
He was gifted with Sideswipe shifting on the pillows, thighs spreading in obvious invitation, enough that Rodimus’ fingers slid right to his hot array. A shiver ran visibly over Sideswipe’s armor, and his field licked at Rodimus’ with growing need.
“I’m good at giving mechs what they want,” Sideswipe murmured, and a hitch in his ventilation and a subtle roll of his hips, pushed his array against Rodimus’ fingers. “I’m all yours.”
Oh, Primus.
Rodimus stroked around his panel, tracing the seam, his fingertips tasting the ever-growing heat. Sideswipe trembled, though barely perceptible, and the hand not on Rodimus’ shoulder twisted around a pillow.
He turned into Sideswipe, tucked himself against Sideswipe’s side, throwing a leg over Sideswipe’s so he could grind hot and slow against him. His fingers kept stroking, more tease than fulfillment. He wanted to see if Sideswipe would break.
“Is that a promise?” Rodimus asked. He pressed his mouth against Sideswipe’s intake, smelling his expensive polish, and gave his cables a nibble.
Sideswipe sucked in a sharp intake, and his fingers spasmed where they rested on Rodimus’ shoulder. “Primus, keep doing that.”
Rodimus chuckled and vented warm and wet over Sideswipe’s intake, rolling his hips in a slow rock against Sideswipe’s thigh. “That sounded like a demand. Pretty sure you’re supposed to be begging me, right now.”
It was a heady sensation, to have Sideswipe trembling beneath him, while all Rodimus had done was tease him a little. Stroke his panel, give him the promise of something in the future, if only he’d behave. His submission was beautiful and seamless, and Rodimus wanted so badly to press him down and test the limits of what Sideswipe would offer.
Sideswipe groaned, low and deep in his chassis, the sound of it resonating around them. “You’re so much better at this than you look.”
“That’s because he learned from the best,” Starscream said from what seemed like far away, his tone somehow both wry and indignant.
Rodimus peeled his mouth away from Sideswipe’s intake to peer with one optic over his shoulder. “Are you judging me?” he asked and he’d have raised an orbital ridge if he could, because given their current entanglement, there was no way Sunstreaker and Starscream were watching the movie either.
“Just making a statement,” Starscream said, lips curved in a prideful smirk. His optics glittered at them, and his field tasted of lustful appreciation.
Mission accomplished. Distraction achieved.
Rodimus gave in to a languid stretch and dragged his fingers up Sideswipe’s groin, away from his array, to splay them over Sideswipe’s abdomen. “Hey, you play with your twin. This one’s mine.”
It took all of two seconds for the smug look to dissolve into a snort of laughter. “Aren’t you the one always lecturing me about the virtues of sharing?” Starscream asked with a raised orbital ridge.
“We are actually sitting right here,” Sideswipe pointed out, jostling his leg beneath Rodimus and making his array tingle with the brief stimulation.
“We’re supposed to be watching a movie,” Sunstreaker added.
Rodimus grinned, a laugh burbling up from inside, not enough to chase away the arousal, but leave it simmering. “We could put on a better show,” he suggested with a wriggle of his spoiler.
"I'm not sure that counts as relaxation," Starscream said, but his protest wasn't convincing, considering the way Sunstreaker's hands wandered over his wings, stroking and pinching them. Lust radiated from both of them in slow, warm waves.
It was always hard not to fall under their spell.
"I don't know," Rodimus purred. He slid his hand back down to Sideswipe's groin, stroking his array, to a pleased rumble of Sideswipe's engine. "I've always found myself very relaxed after a few good overloads."
Sideswipe's hips rolled up to meet his fingers. "We can leave them to their rerun and have fun of our own," he murmured, and his panel slid aside, slickness dampening the tips of Rodimus' fingers in blatant invitation.
Rodimus shivered, tucking his mouth back into Sideswipe's intake to give him a nibble. "That's fine with me."
A hand closed around the back of his collar fairing, giving it a tug. "You aren't having any fun without me," Starscream said as a warm frame abruptly pressed to Rodimus' back, an arm slinging across his waist and a hand creeping up to join Rodimus' where his fingers caressed Sideswipe's rim.
Sideswipe groaned, the vibrations teasing Rodimus' lips. He rocked up toward their fingers, head tipping back. "If either of you stop, I'm going to be very put out."
"Don't worry. I won't let them." Sunstreaker's dark voice, heavy with arousal, seemed to wash over all three of them.
Rodimus wasn't the only one who shivered, who rocked a little harder against Sideswipe's thigh, even as he plunged two fingers into Sideswipe's valve, curving them to stroke over a cluster of internal nodes. Lubricant seeped out around his fingers, the scent of it tangy in the air.
Primus.
So much for watching the movie.
Rodimus didn't care one whit, not with Starscream's mouth closing around the top edge of his spoiler, lips and denta applying the perfect pressure. Or with Sideswipe squirming beneath him, delightfully pliant and eager to obey, or Sunstreaker watching over all three of them, optics dark and his field full of possessive, dominant hunger.
This was Rodimus' favorite day of the week.
