[G1] Simple Things

[dracoqueen22]

Title: Simple Things
Universe: G1, sequel to Misconstruction
Characters: Skyfire/Sunstreaker/Sideswipe, Ratchet
Rated: M
Enticements: Sticky Sexual Interfacing
Description: Their relationship wasn’t perfect, but it was perfect for Skyfire, and he hoped, for Sunstreaker and Sideswipe as well. Taking the next step is a matter of inevitability.

Commission For Fuzipenguin.

It was a beautiful day, which was quite the change to the weather recently, which had been gray and wet and disappointing, causing many an Autobot to go stir crazy within the confines of the Ark.

Skyfire's twins were no exception.

He grinned as he watched them whoop and holler their way around the track, engines roaring, the sun glinting off their freshly waxed armor, tires eating up the distance. Skyfire suspected that if they'd been trapped one more day indoors -- rainy patrols did not count apparently -- Sideswipe was going to get up to Mischief. Skyfire had done his best to serve as a distraction.

Things were going well. As well as could be expected for three such disparate personalities to find a balance and connection. It had only been half a year or so, which was barely a blink in the lifetime of the Cybertronian, but like most who'd come to live on Earth, they'd adapted by acknowledging the passage of Earth-time.

Six months to a human started to feel like six months to a Cybertronian. Relatively speaking.

Their relationship wasn't perfect. But it was perfect for Skyfire. Arguments and disagreements and every move made with tentative respect, all of it was perfect.

Except for one thing.

Skyfire shifted his weight, rapping his fingers along the edge of the datapad he'd brought for entertainment. While his wings soaked up the sun, and his twins soaked up the freedom, he knew there was only so much watching he could do. Should the mood strike, he had a datapad on hand to capture the inspiration.

Compromises. Every relationship was full of compromises.

The twins wanted to spend the day in the sun, blowing off steam, and Skyfire compromised by asking for a quiet night in, curled on the berth with a new release popped into the vidsystem. He might have had a secondary, ulterior motive. If either Sunstreaker or Sideswipe were aware of it, he didn't know. He would have thought, given their reputation, such a thing would be obvious.

Then again. As Ratchet liked to remind him, nothing was simple when it came to the twins.

"Do I strike you as the type who's uncertain?" Skyfire asked him one day when they were holed up in a corner of Perceptor's laboratory, collaborating on a personal project.

"Is that a serious question?" Ratchet grunted.

"Yes."

Ratchet sighed, the kind of sigh of a mech who's had to deal with too much irritation lately. "This is about Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, isn't it?"

"Am I that transparent?"

"I've resigned myself to the fact I'm in the middle of this now." Ratchet gave him a crooked smile and raised his orbital ridges. "Though I still say the only thing you three need is communication."

"We talk all the time," Skyfire protested as he peered at a circuit board.

"But I'm guessing not about the things that are actually on your mind," Ratchet replied. He put a hand over the circuit board, blocking Skyfire's view. "Let me guess, this is about interfacing."

Skyfire sighed. "You are very blunt."

"It's part of my charm." Ratchet snorted and gave Skyfire a sidelong look. "Look, we both know there are things the twins do well, and things they don't. Real relationships are more of the latter. They don't know how to do what they do well when it's mixed up with things they don't."

Skyfire nodded slowly. That much he did know. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, especially, were careful around him given all of their other misconceptions and confusions. But was it wrong for him to think they should be a little more assertive?

"So. Communication." Ratchet tapped the side of his nose, then Skyfire's shoulder. "Try it."

"You're saying I should just tell them," Skyfire guessed.

"It is the only logical solution." Ratchet bent over the table and tapped the circuit board with the cool tip of his solder. "I think we need some fresh circuits."

"I think you're just trying to change the subject."

Ratchet gave him an innocent look. "Well, maybe that's because I'm a doctor, not the ship therapist. Use your words, Skyfire."

Use his words.

Ratchet had the right idea in theory. Not so good in practice. Skyfire's glossa tied itself in knots around the twins when it came to this subject. Not that he was so suave to begin with.

Skyfire still wasn't sure why they liked him.

He watched as they chased each other around the track, occasionally transforming mid-race to tackle one another or dive through the obstacle course. Sunstreaker was more precise, careful of his paint job, while Sideswipe barreled forward with whoops of delight.

The track was a new addition for the Autobots to enjoy. They’d found the abandoned strips of tarmac a few months back, and when the humans declared it public property, the Autobots claimed it, restored it, and turned it into a recreational space for their own use. No one protested. Especially when the Autobots started allowing humans to watch.

For a small fee, of course. It was a great source of revenue.

“Sorry you can’t get out here and join us, ‘Fire,” Sideswipe’s voice crackled through the comm, warm in Skyfire’s audials.

Skyfire followed their circuit around the track and pulsed a smile over the comm, knowing Sideswipe would pass it along to Sunstreaker. “I’m entertained by watching you two.” He would also benefit from their giddiness.

Sideswipe was snuggly by nature, but Sunstreaker was twice as cuddly when he’d had a chance to show off on the track.

“We’re almost done,” Sunstreaker said. “Then we can watch that movie you want, okay?”

His concern warmed Skyfire to the core. Everyone thought Sunstreaker had no empathy, but clearly, they hadn’t taken the time to get to know him. Sunstreaker loved fiercely and deeply, and that was plainly obvious in the way he looked at Sideswipe. He was simply slow to let others into his spark.

“Take your time,” Skyfire said as he leaned forward, giving their antics his full attention. It was hardly a trial to watch them.

They were beautiful.

He traced the sunlight glinting off their curves. He soaked up the sound of their engines. They were too far away for him to get a taste of their fields, but he could imagine the joy in them, the pleasure.

Skyfire rumbled where he sat, quietly however. He wanted them, to the depths of his struts, and the simmering fire in his belly. He wanted to trace their armor with his fingertips, stroke their seams, and taste their lips.

He wondered what they saw in him: large, lumbering, more brain than brawn, little skill as a warrior, and fumbling through life as he did, with a tentative association with Starscream to mark him as Other. They could have had anyone. But they chose him.

It baffled Skyfire at times.

On the other side of the track, Sideswipe screeched to a halt and transformed mid-slide, rolling to his feet in a motion that seemed effortless.

“Nah,” Sideswipe transmitted as Sunstreaker copied him, though with a flip that prevented his armor from ever touching the ground.

Some of the watching humans cheered and shouted encouragement at the twins, not that either of them noticed. Sideswipe was too busy poking his brother in the abdomen while Sunstreaker batted his hands away, a scowl twisting his lips. Anyone would think Sunstreaker genuinely annoyed but Skyfire could tell the difference now.

It was a common enough game with them.

“That’s the last lap,” Sideswipe announced.

“Yeah,” Sunstreaker agreed.

Sideswipe turned to where Skyfire was up in the stands, and though it wasn't necessary, waved up at him. "We'll come to you." They were already starting to cut through the various pieces of recreational equipment in the middle of the track -- what better resembled a child's playground.

Skyfire smiled even if they couldn't see it. "I'll be waiting."

He started to climb down from the stands. He hadn't needed to sit in the risers to watch them, but it made him feel part of the crowd to do so. He stowed his datapad and descended the two mid-rise levels, his feet hitting dead grass with a crunch.

He passed a group of mechs waiting in queue for use of the track, and while Skyfire wasn't one to eavesdrop, he had highly attuned audial sensors, as most scientists did.

"They'll let anything be an Autobot these days."

"What d’you mean?"

Skyfire didn't have to look to know who the gossiping clump of mechs were griping about. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had been the only ones on the track, and as such, had attracted all the attention.

"Those two," said the first mech, one whose name Skyfire didn't immediately know, only because he was a new transfer in from their recently discovered forces on Cybertron. "The twins. I've heard about them. They're violent. Might as well be Deceptions."

His friend replied, "Don't know why Prime keeps them around except to be disposable."

Skyfire knew he should ignore them, but his pace slowed, and he turned up the gain on his audials, hearing every word even clearer than before. He wasn't unaware that most mechs' opinions of the twins was low, and he'd heard such comments on other occasions. Usually, he could dismiss them as the thoughts of others who didn't matter.

Today, however, he couldn't shake it. He couldn't rationalize his emotions away. Anger bubbled inside of him like rising magma.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had confided in him only once, unwilling to admit their weakness even to someone they were romantically involved with. They knew they weren't well-liked, and for the most part, they tried not to care. They had each other. They knew where their loyalties lay. The opinions of others meant little.

It didn't bother them. Or if it did, they would never let it show. They were far too proud.

Right now, it bothered Skyfire. It gnawed on something inside of him, an internal rage about fairness and justice and respect. Maybe he was old-fashioned, maybe it was because he hadn't been as deep in this war as everyone else.

Or maybe some things just weren't acceptable no matter the times.

"You hear they're dating some scientist? Talk about a bad match."

"Maybe it's about the berth, you know? I hear it's the one thing they're good at."

The braying laughter rang in Skyfire's audials. It vibrated down his spinal strut and into the pit of anger brewing in his belly.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe could be abrasive, yes. They were at times rude and aggressive and insular, but they were good mechs. They worked hard, they put their sparks on the frontline in every battle, and they’d pulled more than their share of Autobots from the line of fire. They risked their most precious treasure in the war against the Decepticons every fragging day, and they deserved, at the very least, some respect.

Skyfire spun on a heelstrut and altered his course, moving to intercept the group of new arrivals. They already thought they were better than everyone else because they served under Ultra Magnus and fought the good fight against Shockwave and his ilk for centuries. They didn't show respect for any of the Earth-based Autobots, save for a few, and mostly those who out-ranked them.

This wasn't just about Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, but it would damn sure start with them.

"--probably make an exception," Skyfire caught as soon as he stood over their group, easily looming as he was a shuttle and they were all some form of four-wheeled vehicle, much like the twins.

"If you have enough time to stand around and rudely gossip about your fellow Autobots, perhaps your duties are too lenient," Skyfire said, careful to keep his tone mild, but if he happened to come across as intimidating due to his size and timbre, all the better. "I should inform Prowl of your laziness."

They whirled toward him, outrage wrote in the tense lines of their armor and the bristling of their fields. But not an ounce of damn shame among them.

The first speaker, probably their leader, puffed up like the self-important aft he probably was. "What are you-"-

Skyfire stood straighter. "All of you are rude and classless, and none of you deserve to look at Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, much less be the dirt in their treads," he declared, refusing to let them get in a word until he'd said his piece. "They have more dignity and courage in their little finger than you have in your entire frame."

Speaker number two, he of the braying laugh, revved his engine. "Just who do you--"

"I'm not finished," Skyfire snapped, his own engine growling, a deep, rumbling bass far louder and angrier than their pitiful production. "I'm not going to ask you to apologize, because I know it's pointless, and none of you have the bearings to do what's right. But I am going to tell you that if I catch you disparaging either Sideswipe or Sunstreaker again, you won't like what happens next."

His wings twitched, and if they happened to make him appear larger, all the better.

"Is--is that a threat?" the idiot leader of the trio asked.

"Yes." He was not at all worried about telling the truth. He didn't care if they reported him. "And you're more than welcome to cry to your superiors about it. I'll be sure to let them know how innocent you are."

Skyfire glared.

The three of them said nothing. They gave him silence, but they drew closer together as if putting up a united front.

"It costs you nothing to respect your fellow Autobots," Skyfire finished. "Try it."

Skyfire spun around without giving them a chance to retort, with an intention to find Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, but they were only a few paces away, well within hearing range. They stared at him, and it was Sideswipe who had a curious look, as if he’d never seen Skyfire before, or the sun had cast a weird light on his armor.

Skyfire flushed. Embarrassment twitched his ailerons. "You enjoy the races?" he asked, trying to deflect. He didn't often get visibly angry. He hadn't wanted the twins to see that side of him either.

They exchanged a glance, that odd way of communicating they often used. "Yeah. Always," Sideswipe said with a lazy grin that made Skyfire's spark flutter. It was a crooked smile, Sunstreaker claimed, but such a detail only made Sideswipe all the more charming.

"Good." Skyfire stepped between them, putting a hand on their shoulders with a fairly chaste squeeze, urging them away from the muttering mechs behind Skyfire. "How about that movie?" Because that was the plan, wasn't it? Dinner and a movie afterward, all in the comfort and privacy of Skyfire's room.

He might have had ulterior motives.

"Sure." Sunstreaker’s field reached out, tapping warmly against Skyfire’s in a tentative advance of affection. It was always tentative, coming from Sunstreaker, but all the more worthwhile. "It sounds good."

The twins exchanged another glance.

Skyfire let it slide. Sometimes, Sunstreaker needed an explanation Sideswipe could provide. Skyfire knew that their social protocols left much to be desired. It had been many centuries of learning by trial and error.

They headed back to the Ark without another glance spared for the gossiping mechs, still waiting their turn on the track. Skyfire felt his point had been made, and besides, why waste time thinking about them when he could be turning his focus to Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, both of whom were sporting happy, pleased fields which kept butting up against Skyfire’s own and sliding away before he could catch them.

A quick stop in the commissary got them energon, and a box of treats Sideswipe picked up from Smokescreen -- his payment for some kind of bet apparently.

“If your both really nice, I’ll even share,” Sideswipe promised as he tucked the box under his arm and patted it appreciatively.

Sunstreaker rolled his optics. “You’ll share whether you like it or not.”

Sideswipe mock-gasped. “Sunny! Are you going to steal my candy? You’re a monster!” His grin belied his anger, however. “You’d never do such a thing, would you, Skyfire?” He sidled up to Skyfire with falsely innocent optics.

“I have a feeling this is something I don’t want to get in the middle of,” Skyfire said.

“Sideswipe’s just being ridiculous. Per the usual.” Sunstreaker scowled, but it didn’t bear any heat.

Skyfire admitted a certain burst of pride in himself for starting to recognize the various types of Sunstreaker scowls. Sunstreaker was very handsome, but occasionally, that attractiveness was lost in a scowl. A defense mechanism, Skyfire suspected. As much as Sideswipe’s overt friendliness and joker-like persona built a safe shell around his spark.

“I am not ridiculous,” Sideswipe argued, and he tucked his arm around Skyfire’s, pressing more firmly against his side. “I am entertaining. There’s a difference.”

“You entertain me,” Skyfire agreed.

Sideswipe preened.

Sunstreaker gave him a sour look. “You’ve got to stop encouraging him. It’s only going to make things worse.”

Skyfire chuckled. Their banter warmed his spark, not only because it was adorable, but because it was proof they were more comfortable around him now. More willing to be themselves. He felt like he’d been let in on a precious secret.

They attracted some attention, but their relationship was nothing new to the gathered Autobots. There was no one present who’d make an ill-advised comment, though Skyfire did catch Hound shooting them an indulgent smile.

He’d mentioned to Skyfire once before that he was glad the three of them seemed to be happy. The war being what it was, people ought to grab any chance at happiness they could.

Skyfire tugged Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker by proxy, out of the common room and toward his own quarters, tucked away in a quieter section of the Ark. It was closer to the interior of the volcano, and his room was a bit larger by virtue of the fact it was near the crash site. It was converted cargo storage, and part of his ceiling was reinforced rock.

Thank you, Wheeljack.

Skyfire keyed in his code and gestured the twins ahead of him before following them inside. By the time he turned around, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe hadn’t moved, instead crowding him against the door which locked behind him.

Skyfire cycled his optics. “Um.”

Sideswipe grinned up at him, his optics sparkling. He tapped on Skyfire’s chestplate and crooked a finger. “Come here.”

“Here?” Skyfire furrowed his orbital ridges.

“Down here, I mean,” Sideswipe said, gesturing.

Oh.

Skyfire’s face heated. He obediently bent down, and Sideswipe’s hand hooked around the back of his neck, pulling him into range for a kiss. A buzz of warmth danced up Skyfire’s backstrut, the press of Sideswipe’s fingers sending a thrill in their wake.

“Thank you,” Skyfire murmured against his lips, a special pleasure brewing in his spark, as it always did when either twin took the initiative.

Sideswipe grinned and pressed their foreheads together. “Nah. Thank you, wings.”

“For what?” Skyfire asked.

Sideswipe’s grin could have brightened a dark room. “For being you,” he said as he kissed Skyfire again, soft and sweet, his glossa flicking Skyfire’s lips as if tasting them.

“Hey, hey, save some for me,” Sunstreaker said as Sideswipe was abruptly jostled aside, and Sunstreaker’s handsome face overtook Skyfire’s field of vision.

Skyfire smiled, and Sunstreaker’s intense look greeted him, his fingers hooking in Skyfire’s armor to keep him in place.

“My turn,” Sunstreaker said, pulling their mouths together, his kiss hungrier, more intent, his glossa plunging into Skyfire’s mouth immediately.

Skyfire hummed into the kiss, shifting to catch his balance, his field buzzing where theirs touched his with warmth and affection and appreciation. He wasn’t sure what they were thanking him for, but he’d accept it nonetheless.

“So,” Sideswipe said as Sunstreaker pulled back, and Skyfire was left the sole recipient of their attention. His gaze slid to the side, orbital ridges climbing. “You have a pretty big berth.”

“Big enough for three,” Sunstreaker agreed. He licked his lips. His fingers were still hooked in Skyfire’s chassis like he thought Skyfire might dart fearfully out the door.

He had no intentions of doing so.

Skyfire swallowed, tasting Sunstreaker and Sideswipe on his lips. He reminded himself to tread carefully. “Don’t you want to watch the movie?”

The twins looked at one another. Sideswipe bobbed one shoulder in a shrug. Sunstreaker snorted, and a curled finger stroked the underside of Skyfire’s armor, sending a shiver through his sensornet.

“We could if you really want to,” Sideswipe murmured.

“Or we could do it later,” Sunstreaker said, finger gliding along Skyfire’s armor, causing little curls of static to rise up. “If you have something else in mind.”

Skyfire’s glossa flicked over his lips. “If you feel you’re ready.” A flutter of excitement danced in his abdomen, pooling southward toward his array.

“Pfft. We’ve interfaced before,” Sunstreaker said, rolling his optics. His armor puffed out, but Skyfire had been with them long enough to know that the amount of arrogance Sunstreaker displayed was directly proportional to how uncertain he felt.

Sideswipe rose on the tips of his feet, and Skyfire obediently leaned closer for the brush of his lips. “How about we start by getting on the berth?” he suggested, playing the middle ground. He slid a hand up Skyfire’s arm, his field bursting with intent. “See what the rest of the night brings us?”

“I say that’s a good idea.” Skyfire leaned down, brushing his cheek over Sideswipe’s, but he turned his head to catch Sunstreaker’s gaze at the same time, shivering when he caught the heat burning behind Sunstreaker’s optics.

“Good.” Sideswipe grabbed his hand and leaned back, tugging with all his might, not that he could move Skyfire if Skyfire didn’t want to be moved. He was taller and heavier than his lovers, and he subbed enough mass that he was larger than he looked.

There were only a handful of mechs on this base who could toss Skyfire around if they tried hard enough, and none of them were currently in this room.

Skyfire let Sideswipe tug him anyway. He was leaning in the direction of the berth, and that was where Skyfire wanted to be, so he grabbed Sunstreaker’s hand to bring him along.

If he’d been paying close enough attention, he might have caught the knowing look Sideswipe and Sunstreaker gave each other. But Skyfire was too preoccupied with mapping the size of his berth, realizing it might actually be a bit too small, so when the twins worked in tandem, he wasn’t ready for the trip and subsequent tackling.

He hit the berth with a loud thump and groan, the brackets creaking warningly and a few books toppling from a nearby shelf. He had an armful of red and gold armor a second later, Sideswipe’s mouth falling over his in a searing kiss while Sunstreaker straddled one of his thighs, scrubbing a hot panel over his armor.

Skyfire groaned, gently cupping the back of Sideswipe’s neck to deepen the kiss. He licked into Sideswipe’s mouth, felt Sideswipe shiver against him, and reached blindly for Sunstreaker. His first few grabs missed, but then Sideswipe pulled back, and Sunstreaker leaned in, his mouth claiming Skyfire’s in exchange.

He was in over his head with these two.

A hand skated hot over his abdomen and further down, cupping his groin with intent. Skyfire groaned into Sunstreaker’s kiss, his hips bucking against the firm touch. His spike throbbed within his sheath, arousal pooling heavy and hot in his lower half.

Sideswipe’s chuckle echoed from below. “You’re hot for us,” he said, though there was nothing mocking in his tone. “How long have you been holding back?”

Sunstreaker leaned back from the kiss, and Skyfire tried to reel him closer, but he deftly dodged the grab.

“Long enough,” Skyfire admitted, heat touching his cheeks.

Sideswipe straddled his other leg, the heat of his groin planted on Skyfire’s thigh, his hips working in little rocks of friction. It was Sideswipe who had the flirtatious touch on Skyfire’s panel, tracing the seam, applying a delicate pressure to the cover of Skyfire’s spike sheath.

He restrained, but only just.

Sunstreaker shimmied out of reach, his panel scrubbing Skyfire’s plating. He cocked his head, hand sliding up, fingers skimming lower, toward Skyfire’s concealed valve array.

“Us, too,” he said as he sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and let it free again, lubricant-slick and kiss-bitten.

Primus, Skyfire wanted to kiss them both.

He sat up, elbows bracing him, and the two mischievous twins scurried out of reach, but only so Sideswipe could scuttle to his knees. He bent over Skyfire’s spike array and looked up at him with a salacious wink.

“Open for us, yeah?” Sideswipe asked with a teasing lick.

Skyfire jerked, fingers fisting the berth cover, pleasure shooting fast and sharp through his sensornet. His spike throbbed harder, demanding to be freed. Skyfire resisted.

“Or you could come back up here and kiss me,” Skyfire suggested with a smile.

“We’re gonna do that, too. Eventually.” Sideswipe licked his cover again, and the hot, wet swipe made Skyfire groan. “Open up, please?”

Skyfire shivered, gripping the sheets tighter. “But--”

His protest died on a groan as Sideswipe dragged the flat of his glossa over Skyfire’s cover. His fingers tickled up the inside of Skyfire’s thigh and snap, Skyfire’s spike surged free before he could hold himself back.

“Whoa.” Sideswipe’s optics went wide, and Sunstreaker leaned in close, until both of them were peering at Skyfire’s spike. “How much mass are you subbing?”

“I guess things really are proportional,” Sunstreaker commented.

Skyfire groaned, heat flooding his face until it felt as if it would burn him up. “I enjoy being spiked,” he said, having anticipated their reaction. “I don’t expect you to--”

“What? Ride this glorious thing until I overload?” Sideswipe asked with raised orbital ridges and hunger spiking his field. “Seriously. You’re telling me I can’t have this?” He curled his fingers around Skyfire’s spike, though the tips barely touched, and gave him a squeeze.

Skyfire’s hips bucked of their own accord. “It would hurt you,” he protested, though pre-fluid dribbled out of the tip, his spike throbbing needily.

It had been so long since he’d had anything more than his own hands on his spike. He was content to be spiked, as most mechs took one look at a shuttle’s spike and decided they weren’t that adventurous. It was just another downside to being so much larger than most of the mechs around him.

“Nah. That’s impossible,” Sideswipe said.

He winked at Skyfire and then he bent down, glossa sweeping over his lips before he lapped the tip of Skyfire’s spike, licking up several drops of transfluid. Oh, sweet Primus. Skyfire’s engine roared, a shudder running through his entire frame.

“Anyone who told you that was just a coward,” Sunstreaker agreed, and he exchanged a look with his twin.

“Share?” Sideswipe suggested.

“Always,” Sunstreaker agreed.

Wait.

Were they going to--

Sunstreaker’s hand joined his twin’s on Skyfire’s spike, gripping him a bit lower. He bent down and lapped at the head of Skyfire’s spike as well, glossa swirling around the head of it, teasing the sensitive crown.

Skyfire tossed his head back, denta gritting, as his substructure spilled static in a blue wave over his armor. His hips jerked, trying to thrust upward, his spike suddenly the sole attention of two very hot, very willing mouths.

Lightning darted up Skyfire’s spinal strut. Protests died at the back of his intake. He watched, wide-opticked and hungry, as Sideswipe and Sunstreaker licked and sucked his spike in tandem. It was a sort of synchronous pleasure that only twins could pull off, and Skyfire was as fascinated as he was aroused.

He tightened his grip on the berthcover to keep from grabbing either of their heads. His legs trembled, thighs quivering, spike throbbing harder and faster. More pre-fluid dribbled freely, and it was all he could do not to thrust against their faces.

It would be rude.

“You’re going to make me overload,” Skyfire gasped as Sunstreaker wrapped his lips around the head of Skyfire’s spike and sucked, while Sideswipe licked long and savoring up the length of him.

Sideswipe chuckled, the vibrations sending a wave of pleasure through Skyfire’s spike. “Well, we can’t have that just yet. I have plans for this.”

His glossa dragged up, up, up, until he met Sunstreaker’s lips where they wrapped hot and wet around Skyfire’s crown. They kissed, and Skyfire moaned as they trapped his spike between their mouths, a sensation dangerously unique and seductive.

His spike slipped free of them, until they were kissing each other, a sight which never failed to rev Skyfire’s engines. Not for the typical reason as many assumed. They were beautiful, no doubt about that, and it was natural to find two beautiful mechs kissing as attractive. But it was more than that.

It was the way they looked at each other. Skyfire had to admit, there were times he worried there was no place for him in the middle of the devotion they had for one another. He envied it.

“Mm. You taste like Skyfire,” Sideswipe said as he nuzzled his twin.

“Tch. So do you. That’s the point,” Sunstreaker retorted.

Sideswipe snorted. “True.” He looked at Skyfire, and the curve of his lips was mischievous and volcanic. He rose up and threw a leg over Skyfire’s hips, straddling him, his fingers dragging up the length of Skyfire’s spike. “I can have this, right?”

“You shouldn’t,” Skyfire said. He nibbled on his bottom lip, mentally comparing their relative sizes to what he thought the average valve of someone of Sideswipe’s size might be able to accommodate. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

"You won't." Sideswipe slid his free hand down his frame, and he cupped his array, two fingers sliding into his own valve. A shiver danced visibly across his armor. "Promise."

Skyfire licked his lips, heat running a fierce path through his sensor net. Especially when Sideswipe drew his fingers free and wriggled them, lubricant glistening wet and sticky on the tips. He grinned, like the devil he was.

He leaned forward, braced both hands on Skyfire's abdomen and pushed. "Lay back. Enjoy the show."

Skyfire let himself be pushed, falling with a thump back onto the berth, his wings cradled by the plush surface.

"He puts on a good one," Sunstreaker agreed as he moved behind Sideswipe, curving his arms around his twin, nuzzling into Sideswipe's intake. One hand slid down, ignoring the rigid curve of Sideswipe's spike, to brush over the swollen glow of Sideswipe's anterior node.

"I'm not disputing that," Skyfire said, gently resting his hands on Sideswipe's hips, cradling them.

"Too much talking," Sideswipe said, with a grin that everyone had learned to be wary of.

Before Skyfire could muster another protest, Sideswipe rolled his hips, caught the head of Skyfire's spike, and sank down, swallowing him in the hot clutch of Sideswipe's valve. Skyfire groaned, every inch of his frame going rigid to avoid thrusting, as clamping heat enveloped him, halfway down the length of his spike.

Sideswipe made a noise Skyfire couldn't identify, but the flicker of pain on his face was impossible not to recognize. His valve spasmed, his frame went taut, and he sucked air through his denta.

"... Ow," he said, and fell a bit forward, hands bracing on Skyfire's abdomen, knees trembling where they held him half-pierced on Skyfire's spike. "Maybe I was a little hasty."

"You think?" Sunstreaker growled, but at least his anger didn't seem to be directed at Skyfire, it was more of an aggravation at his twin. The kiss he pressed to the side of Sideswipe's intake was gentle, as were the sweeps of his hands over Sideswipe's abdomen.

Skyfire carefully held Sideswipe's hips. "Here. Rise up. We can--"

"No, I just need a minute to adjust." Sideswipe cycled a ventilation and offered a shaky smile. He pushed himself back upright, back onto his knees, his valve rippling tightly around Skyfire's spike.

Skyfire concentrated on being very still, resisting the urge to thrust, to pull Sideswipe further on his spike, to start moving. His entire frame trembled from the effort, as arousal roared and raged in his frame, reminding him how long it had been since he'd spiked anyone.

Millennia trapped in the ice at the very least.

He rubbed Sideswipe's thighs gently, soothingly, sweeping his thumbs across the more sensitive inner plating and the join of hip and thigh. He pulsed his field, sensing the discomfort and determination in Sideswipe's, and cycled his own ventilations to center himself.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe kissed, Sunstreaker's hands roaming over his twin from behind, tracing seams, stroking erogenous places that made Sideswipe shudder, and his valve flex around Skyfire's spike. Especially when Sunstreaker's fingers made tiny circles over his interior node, delicate touches causing more lubricant so bead up around Skyfire's spike.

It was hard not to feel guilty. He only swallowed his apologies because he had the feeling they'd tell him they weren't needed.

"Okay," Sideswipe said, and he gave Skyfire a shaky smile. "Let's give this a try, yeah?" He licked his lips and pushed up a little with his knee, tearing a groan from Skyfire's intake.

"Slow," Sunstreaker hissed.

"I know! Nannybot. Sheesh." Sideswipe rolled his optics, rising until only the head of Skyfire's spike remained, and then he sank down, slowly, achingly slowly, his valve swallowing Skyfire's spike inch by volcanic inch.

Skyfire groaned, long and low, fingers flexing around Sideswipe's hips to prevent himself from yanking Sideswipe down and fully bottoming out.

Sideswipe moaned, his field bursting with arousal, curls of charge dancing out from his substructure. "You feel amazing."

"So do you," Skyfire admitted. His spike throbbed.

Sideswipe huffed a laugh, looking at Skyfire with optics hazy from pleasure. "Thanks." He licked his lips, sucked in a deep ventilation, and as he vented out, Skyfire felt the head of his spike nudge the roof of Sideswipe's valve.

Sideswipe shivered, filled of Skyfire's spike, and his valve rippled and clamped down, feeding tiny bursts of charge into Skyfire's receptors. He groaned, hips giving a little jerk of a thrust before he could stop himself.

"That's better," Sideswipe said, and there was something lazy, almost overcharged, about the way he grinned at Skyfire and licked his lips. "Now I can move."

"Carefully," Sunstreaker warned.

Sideswipe laughed and patted his brother on the cheek, though sloppily. "You're adorable." He tipped his head toward Skyfire. "Why don't you make yourself useful and kiss him, huh? Skyfire's looking a bit lonely down there."

“You just want him to shut up,” Sunstreaker said, but he obeyed, sliding free of his brother and creeping up the berth toward Skyfire.

Skyfire chuckled at the almost grumpy-look on Sunstreaker’s face, while Sideswipe tried to be innocent and failed.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Sideswipe said, and swiveled his hips in a way that should have been illegal, stirring Skyfire’s spike within him.

Skyfire gasped and almost bucked up, were it not for Sunstreaker’s palm suddenly on his abdomen, pushing down. Sunstreaker leaned over him, a small smile at the corner of his lips, his optics bright with hunger.

“Only a little bit, okay?” Sunstreaker said as he kissed the corner of Skyfire’s mouth. “I wouldn’t want you to miss the show.”

“I won’t,” Skyfire promised.

He cupped a hand around the back of Sunstreaker’s head, pulling him in for another kiss, tasting himself and Sideswipe on Sunstreaker’s glossa. His other hand rested on Sideswipe’s hip, more to support than to guide, as Sideswipe seemed quite content to follow his own rhythm.

Skyfire deepened the kiss, his insides twisting with arousal as Sideswipe moved to a perfect rhythm, and Sunstreaker hummed against his lips. Sunstreaker's field twined around his, hot with need, and he draped himself along Skyfire's side, rolling rhythmically against him.

They were going to be the death of him, Skyfire was sure of it.

"Hey, you're distracting him," Sideswipe complained. "I'm putting on a show here. I'm feeling a little unappreciated."

Sunstreaker chuckled against Skyfire's lips. "He's such a drama queen," he murmured before he ended the kiss and looked up at his brother. "Who's the vain one now?"

Sideswipe licked his lips and winked at them, one hand sliding down his frame to curl around his spike, giving it a squeeze. He shuddered, and his valve clenched around Skyfire's spike, spilling out a wave of charge.

Skyfire groaned, a ripple dancing over his armor. He tightened his grip on Sideswipe's hip, jutting upward in a stunted thrust. His insides coiled into a knot of want, as Sideswipe gasped and rode him harder, knees pressed into the berth, his hips making twisting, dancing motions.

"Primus, I love when he does that," Sunstreaker moaned, pressing harder against Skyfire's side, his spike emerging to rut against Skyfire's armor, leaving streaks of pre-fluid behind. "Feels so good."

"Yes," Skyfire agreed, breathless, his optics wide, and his focus splintering as Sideswipe rode him, and Sunstreaker thrust against him, and their fields crashed against his, hot and hungry and wanting.

"Gah." Sideswipe panted as he squeezed pre-fluid from his spike, only to abruptly let it go. He fell forward, planting his hands on Skyfire's hips, his own grinding down and down, rutting Skyfire's spike against his ceiling node again and again.

Lubricant squelched between them, the smell of it thick in the air. Skyfire breathed out a moan, braced his feet on the berth to thrust up into Sideswipe, bouncing him by all accounts, and Sideswipe shuddered from head to foot. His valve clenched down, spitting out more charge, and Sideswipe's optics flared bright.

"Oh, he's close," Sunstreaker moaned, ex-venting hot and wet over Skyfire's intake, his hand creeping over Skyfire's chassis, to trace his seams.

So was Skyfire. As much as he wanted to resist, the clutch of Sideswipe's valve, the blush of arousal in his field, his beautiful face twisted up in ecstasy -- Skyfire was only mortal, and he'd had far too many fantasies about this very moment.

Sideswipe rocked forward and back. He moved his hips in little twists, figure-eight motions to stir Skyfire inside of him. His sensors spat charge, and it spilled out over his armor in brighter and brighter waves. His fingers hooked on armor seams, his ex-vents blasting heat down against Skyfire.

He laughed a little raspily, backstrut arched, hips tilting forward, spike head occasionally catching on Skyfire's armor as his nub rubbed against a rise in Skyfire's pelvic array. He shivered, armor fluttering, and his valve clamped down oh so tight as he slammed down.

Again. Again. Again.

Skyfire sucked in a vent, mastered his grip, and groaned, long and low, as Sideswipe shattered around him, head bowed in overload, spinal strut forming a beautiful curve. His valve squeezed impossibly tight, but calipers rhythmically clenching in a wave, as if determined to milk Skyfire for his overload.

Sunstreaker moaned, right against his audial, rutting hard against his hip, and Skyfire yanked Sideswipe down, thrusting up at the same time. His spike spurted, overload spilling a flood of transfluid into Sideswipe, the charged fluids carrying the ecstasy between their arrays.

Skyfire's processor whited out with pleasure for a long, blissful moment, and he gasped in several ventilations as he tumbled back into his frame, his spike still half-pressurized within Sideswipe, now draped against Skyfire's lower half.

"Oh, Primus," Sideswipe moaned, his hips twitching in little rocks, his spike a rigid presence trapped between them. "Oh, that's so good," he slurred. "Sunny, you gotta take a turn."

"That's the idea," Sunstreaker said, his vocals thick and filled with a staticky hunger.

Skyfire managed a laugh, grip easing from Sideswipe's hip to slide up his back, feeling the tremble in Sideswipe's frame. "Glad I could satisfy."

Sideswipe lifted his head and offered a lazy grin. "More than." He licked his lips, optics hazy and warm. "Can tell you did, too." He reached back, where they were still connected, and his fingers came back sticky with fluids. "See?"

Skyfire's face burned. They had no shame.

Sunstreaker groaned and pushed himself upright, his spike bobbing proudly at the apex of his thighs, and a glisten of fluids peeking from between them. His arousal was hot and heavy, completely weighing down the fields in the room.

"Stop teasing me," Sunstreaker said as he scooted down the berth. "Get out of the way."

"Nnn. Give me a kiss first," Sideswipe countered as he pushed himself upright, only to paw at his brother with an uncoordinated hand.

Sunstreaker rolled his optics, but pulled Sideswipe into a kiss, a sloppy one. Arousal bubbled up in Skyfire's belly.

"Now. Move. It's my turn," Sunstreaker said, giving his brother a tug.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Sideswipe tossed another Skyfire another wink and slowly, ever so slowly, moved away, pulling himself off Skyfire's spike, fluids immediately welling free to trickle down his thighs.

"Heh. My knees are wobbly," Sideswipe said as he slid off to the side.

The wrong direction.

His optics widened. He flailed. And Skyfire sat upright, snagging Sideswipe's arm before he completely tumbled off the berth. Sideswipe squeaked, quite adorably, and he looked up at Skyfire with surprise.

"Whoa. Good reflexes," he said.

"The berth is much smaller than you think," Skyfire replied with a chuckle. He pulled Sideswipe closer then lifted him, moving him to the other side, where a wall would keep him from tumbling down.

A heavy weight dropped down in Skyfire's lap as Sunstreaker's engine revved. He rutted against Skyfire's semi-pressurized spike, his field a burst of volcanic need against Skyfire's.

"You're spoiling him," Sunstreaker said as he all but elbowed Sideswipe aside. "Should've let him fall."

"But then I would've been dented, and we all know you hate that," Sideswipe retorted with a laugh. "Have a spark, brother."

Sunstreaker shifted his attention to Skyfire and lifted an orbital ridge. "I'd rather have a spike." He gave a pointed look.

"I can do that." Skyfire curved a hand around Sunstreaker's back, sliding up to tease along his backstrut before slipping back down again to cup his aft. "But we're going to do it my way this time."

"What's that mean?" Sunstreaker asked.

Skyfire kissed him, slow and gentle, reassuring. Because there'd been a spike of wariness in Sunstreaker's tone, and Skyfire supposed he'd sounded somewhat ominous.But Sideswipe did it his way, and Skyfire hurt him. This time, Skyfire would insist on patience. More experienced in the berth they might be, but maybe they were forgetting (or didn't know) they didn't have to work at seducing Skyfire.

He already wanted them, and not just for this.

"That's a good start," Sunstreaker murmured as Skyfire ended the kiss. "What's next?"

Skyfire slid his other arm around Sunstreaker. "You'll see."

It was Skyfire's berth. He was more accustomed to maneuvering around it, even with two other frames occupying space. He held Sunstreaker against him, rose up, twisted, and laid Sunstreaker out beneath him, notching between gold thighs in an instant.

Sunstreaker looked up at him, optics wide, lips parted on a gasp.

"This okay?" Skyfire asked as he slid a hand up Sunstreaker's thigh.

Sunstreaker made an unintelligible noise. He licked his lips, engine revving, and his field slammed against Skyfire's arousal.

"Oh, it's perfect," Sideswipe said as he nuzzled his brother and licked at his helm vent, making a visible shudder race across Sunstreaker's frame.

"Good." Skyfire bent over Sunstreaker, bracing his weight on the berth, so he could kiss Sunstreaker again, slow and gentle and savoring. "You have more patience than Sideswipe, don't you?" he asked.

Sunstreaker pressed his thighs in against Skyfire's legs. "Always."

"Hey!"

Skyfire chuckled and slid back, scooping Sunstreaker's hips up as he sat back on his heels. Sunstreaker's legs splayed, his valve on full display, biolights blinking fitfully, and his nodes swollen with arousal. Fluids glistened in the depths of his valve.

"No pain this time," Skyfire said before he bent down, applying lips and glossa to the beautiful array before him, licking long and deep into Sunstreaker, provoking a throaty groan from the gold twin.

A good reaction.

Skyfire hummed and licked his way to Sunstreaker's anterior node cluster, drawing it between his lips and suckling it. Sunstreaker keened, arching up against his mouth, head tossing back. He grabbed at the blankets, tangling them in his fingers. More lubricant spilled out, coating Skyfire’s glossa, sweet and hot.

Sunstreaker was beautiful any day of the week, but caught in the grips of pleasure, he was stunning.

Skyfire licked deeper, tasting every inch his glossa could reach. He paid loving attention to Sunstreaker’s plump rim, and the swollen node blinking fitfully at him. Sunstreaker made the sweetest sounds beneath him, hips rolling up against Skyfire’s mouth, his field wrapping around Skyfire with obvious need.

“You’re so good at that,” Sideswipe breathed.

Skyfire looked up, caught Sideswipe watching him with hungry optics, his fingers wrapped around his own spike in a lazy stroke. His gaze was hazy, like he was buried in the bond and experiencing the same sensations as his twin.

Skyfire shifted his grip, freeing up one hand, and while holding Sideswipe’s gaze, he slid one finger into Sunstreaker’s valve, which opened to him quite easily. Sunstreaker moaned, his thighs trembling, and Sideswipe’s optics flickered.

“Not fair,” he groaned. He flopped over against his brother’s side, pressing a sloppy kiss to Sunstreaker’s cheek. “He’s going to do you so good, Sunny.”

“Shut up,” Sunstreaker panted, but there was no heat behind it. He licked his lips. “Give me another, Sky. I can take it.”

He certainly could, if the slick, hot clenching around Skyfire’s finger was any indication. He flicked his glossa over Sunstreaker’s anterior node and added a second finger, curling both to rub firmly against that bundle of sensors behind the top of Sunstreaker’s rim.

Sunstreaker keened and arched his back, grinding hard against Skyfire’s mouth, his valve clenching down on Skyfire’s fingers. Sideswipe groaned and covered Sunstreaker’s mouth with his own as Sunstreaker grabbed his brother by the back of the neck and held him in place.

Primus, they were beautiful.

Skyfire hummed against Sunstreaker’s array, went back to mouthing his anterior node, so swollen it throbbed against his lips, and added a third finger. If Sunstreaker could take three comfortably, he should take Skyfire’s spike with nothing more than a little discomfort.

It was smooth sailing.

Skyfire’s spike throbbed. He worked Sunstreaker gently, twisting and curving and rubbing Sunstreaker’s valve lining until lubricant dribbled freely, coating his fingers, his knuckles, slicking out of Sunstreaker’s valve to trickle down his aft.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe moaned in tandem with Sideswipe breaking away from the kiss, still furiously stripping his spike.

“He’s ready,” Sideswipe said, dragging himself up to his knees, optics hazy, mouth wet from kissing. “Come on, Sky. He’s more than ready.”

Skyfire would bow to their expertise this time. Though he couldn’t resist a parting lick and suckle, Sunstreaker’s hips rolling against his mouth eagerly.

“You’re sure?” Skyfire asked as he lowered Sunstreaker back to the berth and positioned himself, bracing one hand near Sunstreaker’s shoulder as the other cupped Sunstreaker’s hip. The head of his spike rubbed over Sunstreaker’s rim, smearing lubricant around.

Sunstreaker groaned and tightened his thighs as best he could around Skyfire’s waist, though he was so broad he forced Sunstreaker into a wide splay. “Just get in me,” he said.

“So tactful,” Sideswipe teased. He pressed a kiss to the corner of Sunstreaker’s jaw and shifted, leaning in toward Skyfire. “Kiss?”

An easy request.

Sideswipe licked over Skyfire’s lips first, as if wanting to taste his brother on them, before they kissed, Sideswipe hot and wet against his lips. Arousal tightened in Skyfire’s belly, his spike throbbing, and he ground a little harder against Sunstreaker’s valve.

Sunstreaker moaned. His heel drummed against the back of Skyfire’s thigh. “Don’t forget about me!” he said, near a petulant whine that had no business being so adorable.

“I haven’t,” Skyfire promised as he broke away from the kiss. He looked down at Sunstreaker, his face flushed, his optics bright with hunger, his armor glistening.

Skyfire leaned down for a nuzzle, hoping Sunstreaker didn’t feel trapped with Skyfire looming over him. He held Sunstreaker’s hip as he carefully eased into Sunstreaker’s valve, a rumbling groan building in the base of his intake.

Sunstreaker opened up to him, valve hot and yielding, taking him with much greater ease than Sideswipe’s too-eager plunge. His valve rippled rhythmically, dragging Skyfire deeper, and he vented a hot burst against Sunstreaker.

Sunstreaker clutched at him, groaning long and low and hungry. His field smacked into Skyfire’s, radiating hunger and pleasure without so much as a blip of pain. By the time Skyfire rested snug against Sunstreaker’s ceiling node, the gold twin was trembling in bliss beneath him. Sunstreaker panted, fingers hooked in Skyfire’s armor seams, his hips making little rocks and rolls up against him.

“He’s already so close,” Sideswipe moaned. He pressed himself against Skyfire’s side, planting sloppy kisses on Skyfire’s shoulder and the side of his neck, one hand skimming over Skyfire’s wings.

Once upon a time, the twins must have taken a flier for a lover, because Sideswipe seemed to know all the best places to touch to rev Skyfire’s engine. He caressed Skyfire’s hinges, his mounts, his ailerons. He teased the leading edges, and palmed the pivoting seams.

Skyfire shivered. Sideswipe’s touches were testing his already strained restraint. Charge licked up and down his backstrut as his spike throbbed in the welcome embrace of Sunstreaker’s valve. He moved, slow and careful, retreating before sliding back into Sunstreaker, filling him with each thrust.

Sunstreaker moaned and rose up to meet him, thighs tensing, head tilted back to bare his intake. Skyfire took advantage, pressing a kiss to it before claiming Sunstreaker’s mouth in a fleeting kiss. He upped the rhythm, devouring the pleasure on Sunstreaker’s face, the way his optics darkened with heat, and his hands swept distracted patterns over Skyfire’s armor.

Sideswipe pressed harder against him, rutting into Skyfire’s side, spike leaving streaks of transfluid while one hand stroked himself eagerly, chasing his pleasure.

“Come on. A little harder,” Sideswipe urged, the slick sound of his stroking echoing in Skyfire’s audials. “He can take it.”

“Please,” Sunstreaker murmured.

Skyfire obeyed, thrusting a bit harder, a bit faster, each forward push bearing Sunstreaker down into the berth, grinding against his ceiling node. The reaction was stunning, Sunstreaker groaning deep and low, his valve clamping down hard, his frame rising up to meet Skyfire’s thrusts. Charge crackled out from his substructure in a wave of blue fire.

“Close,” Sunstreaker moaned.

“Yeah, he is,” Sideswipe agreed and planted a sloppy kiss to the corner of Skyfire’s mouth, a press of his glossa and wet lips, damp ex-vents teasing Skyfire’s intake cables. “Just a little more. Give him a little more. He’s gonna be so pretty, aren’t you, baby? Gonna make you feel so good.”

Primus. Sideswipe’s mouth ought to be illegal.

Skyfire fisted the berth near Sunstreaker’s head, hips snapping forward, burying himself deep and grinding hard. Sunstreaker’s hands scrabbled at his chassis, like he couldn’t find a seam, and then he was overloading, head tossed back, valve clamping tight, spike spurting. The sound he made was absolute sin, and the clutch of his valve seemed to pull the pleasure straight from the depths of Skyfire’s array.

He managed a handful of thrusts before he painted Sunstreaker’s valve in his spill, his wings snapping taut with a wave of charge.

“Primusssssss,” Sideswipe hissed and jerked, hot pants puffing against Skyfire’s intake as the hot splash of transfluid painted his side, a spurt trickling right into a seam.

Skyfire dragged his mouth to Sunstreaker’s, pulling him in for a gentle, savoring kiss. His frame shuddered through the last pulses of overload, his fans roaring desperately.

Sometimes, he missed the cold, vacuum of space. He had to work three times as hard to stabilize his frame temperature while on a planet with an atmosphere.

“That was amazing,” Sideswipe moaned as he slumped against Skyfire’s side, one hand still cupping Skyfire’s wing while the other wrapped transfluid-sticky around Skyfire’s nearest elbow.

“Nnnn.” Sunstreaker made a cute, satisfied noise.

Skyfire eased back onto his heels, staring at the mess of fluids among them. “We need to clean up.”

“Can’t it wait?” Sideswipe whined as he tilted over and crashed onto the berth next to his brother, a lazy sprawl of sticky, satisfied red armor.

“No, it can’t.” Sunstreaker pushed at Sideswipe’s shoulder with an uncoordinated hand before he gave up. “Or maybe it can.”

Skyfire chuckled. He looked down, where his slowly depressurizing spike was slipping out of Sunstreaker, a mess of fluids staining their frames and the berth beneath.

“I didn’t hurt you?” he asked as he traced a gentle finger around Sunstreaker’s rim, aware that the gold twin might be sensitive yet.

Sunstreaker shivered, but his thighs seemed to part even further, allowing for Skyfire’s explorations. “Not even a little.”

“I’m going to be sore, but I’ll get over it,” Sideswipe mumbled, where his face was smashed into Sunstreaker’s shoulder. “S’my fault. Got too eager.” He turned his head a little, so Skyfire could see the edge of a smirk. “Been fantasizing about what you’d feel like.”

Skyfire flushed.

He busied himself with easing the rest of the way from Sunstreaker, and scooting off the berth. Though his knees wobbled, and the languorous seep of a couple good overloads kept tugging him back toward it. He pulled some pre-dampened wipes out of a storage cabinet and returned victorious to the berth.

“This is all I have unless you two want to head to the washracks,” he offered.

“No. I want to cuddle right now,” Sideswipe said as he accepted the damp wipes and made a cursory, hasty pass over his frame.

Sunstreaker took two and was far more diligent. Skyfire perched on the edge of the berth and sopped up the worst of the lubricant. He’d worry about the rest later, after a trip to the washracks.

Sideswipe’s dirtied cloth went sailing through the air in front of him, landing with a plop on the floor nowhere near the wastebasket.

“Clean!” he declared and made a clumsy grab for Skyfire, over his brother’s bulk. “Come on. Time for a post-face snuggle and that movie you promised us.”

Sunstreaker elbowed Sideswipe aside. “At least pretend you have manners,” he said and held his own dirtied cloths with a contemplative look on his face.

Skyfire chuckled, rescued the trash, and deposited it all in the wastebasket, including plucking Sideswipe’s from the floor. He retrieved the vidscreen remote from his desk and returned to the berth, contemplating where he’d fit upon it.

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker must have sensed his hesitation because they scooted apart, freeing up space between them. It wasn’t large enough at all, but the invitation wasn’t one Skyfire would ignore either.

He got one knee on the berth before the twins grabbed him and pulled him down, wrestling him into their preferred snuggling position. Skyfire let himself be manipulated, smiling as they planted him on his back and tucked themselves each against a side, with Sideswipe closer to the wall.

“Because he’s so clumsy,” Sunstreaker said.

Sideswipe rolled his optics. “Shut up.” He liberated the remote from Skyfire and turned on the vidscreen. “Can you lower the lights, Wings? We need to set a proper mood.”

The lights dropped to thirty percent, casting the room in intimate shadows while Sideswipe clicked through the movie catalogue.

“What are we in the mood for?” Sideswipe asked.

“Sleep,” Sunstreaker muttered into the crook of Skyfire’s neck and shoulder, face buried against his cables to account for his helm vents.

Sideswipe huffed. “You’re no fun.”

“You pick, Sideswipe,” Skyfire said as he patted the red twin on the hip. He felt drowsy himself, and had no doubt he’d end up napping like Sunstreaker was well on his way to doing.

“It’s going to be loud and obnoxious,” Sunstreaker muttered.

Skyfire chuckled and pressed a kiss to the crown of his head. “That’s quite all right. I’ve gotten used to it.”

“This is not pick on Sideswipe night,” Sideswipe complained as he selected something that sounded like it would have lots of explosions, cursing, and action scenes.

Sunstreaker snorted, and his optical shutters drifted shut. Definitely intending on a nap. “Next time, we can go somewhere you want to go,” he said as the movie started up far too loud, and Sideswipe politely lowered the volume.

“You were probably bored today,” Sideswipe said. “So you should pick.”

“I wasn’t bored,” Skyfire protested.

“Yellowstone,” Sunstreaker said.

Skyfire blinked.

Sideswipe pushed up on his elbow and peered at his twin with a big grin. “You’re right, Sunny. That’s perfect.” He looked down at Skyfire. “You’d love Yellowstone. Lots of sciency stuff to explore and sample. You can fly us.”

Sunstreaker coughed.

“If you want to, I mean,” Sideswipe amended.

“Of course I do.” Skyfire tugged Sideswipe back into the crook of his frame. “I’ve heard of Yellowstone. I would enjoy seeing it.”

“Picnic,” Sunstreaker murmured.

Sideswipe chuckled. “You reduced him to one-word sentences, Sky. That’s a good sign.” He reached over Skyfire and stroked his brother’s arm. “He’s gonna be out in a minute.”

Skyfire’s spark squeezed. He rested his hand on Sunstreaker’s hip. There was a certain trust in the act of napping on him, Skyfire knew this. He was honored by it.

“We’ll go to Yellowstone,” Skyfire murmured. “We’ll have a picnic. I’ll fly you both. It will be a good date.”

“Mm,” Sunstreaker agreed.

“Sounds good,” Sideswipe said. “Now shhhh. I don’t want to miss the movie.” He cuddled closer to Skyfire, the heat of his frame as welcome as the warm press of his field.

“Bossy,” said Sunstreaker.

“Shhhh,” Sideswipe replied.

Skyfire’s lips twitched with a smile.

Ratchet was right. It really was this simple.

***