[TF] Family Found 06/10
Apr. 20th, 2020 06:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dracoqueen22Universe: Transformers, Escort AU, All This and Heaven Too
Characters: Sunstreaker/Starscream, Rodimus, Sideswipe, Wrench
Rated: M
Warnings: lost siblings, reunited family, hard choices, angst, bdsm themes, humiliation kink slightly
Description: Sunstreaker didn’t understand why he felt so drawn to Sideswipe, until a mistake revealed the link between them, provoking a turn of events which will change everything.
Family Found
Part Six
Despite Sideswipe’s joke, the tension in the room was too much to be so easily alleviated. Starscream couldn’t bear to look at Sunstreaker or Sideswipe. Couldn’t acknowledge Wrench or Sideswipe’s medic Sprocket. Didn’t look at Sideswipe’s usual guard – Starscream couldn’t recall his designation at the moment. He assumed the third, unnamed mech was Sideswipe’s lawyer.
He was the smallest of Sideswipe’s three companions. He sat on the couch, one leg folded over the other, a datapad in his hand, completely absorbed in it. If he noticed the tension, there was no sign of it.
Starscream envied him.
He stared hard at the floor, traced a smear in the polishing where someone hadn’t cleaned properly. He couldn’t get his wings to stop twitching. He was hyper-focused on the sound of the scanner whirring in Wrench’s hands as he hid Sunstreaker in a corner of the room so he could scan Sunstreaker’s open spark without everyone seeing it.
Sideswipe bounced on his heels, hands behind his back again, watching Wrench and Sunstreaker. His field was chaotic, even when Sprocket walked up beside him, murmuring something out of Starscream’s audial range.
“I’m open to suggestions,” Sideswipe said. “But it’s my choice in the end. You know that.”
It was weird, to hear Sideswipe so firm and commanding. In the few times Starscream had him as a client, he’d been beautifully submissive.
“Of course, milord,” Sprocket replied.
He wore command easily. He wore nobility in much the same manner. He cast it aside while in Blue Sun, and picked it up once more, as if it were a mantle he could remove.
Fascinating.
Wrench's scanner beeped a three-tone chime, signaling it had completed the scan. Sunstreaker hastily snapped his chestplate shut, his face colored with heat. Wrench patted him on the shoulder and turned back toward the waiting group, peering intently at the readings.
"Well?" Sideswipe prompted.
Wrench's orbital ridges lifted. "I need somethin' to compare it to, don't I?" he asked as he crooked a finger at Sprocket. "Bring me your readings."
"They're already on the scanner," Sprocket answered as he rose up on the tip of his feet, and tapped his fingers across the screen. "See?"
"Yeah."
Both medics peered at the screen. Starscream's wings twitched out of impatience. He snuck a glance at Sunstreaker, and as long as they had been roommates, Starscream couldn't read his expression. He had no idea what Sunstreaker was thinking.
"That settles it," Wrench said.
"Beyond a fraction of a doubt," Sprocket confirmed and took the scanner from Wrench's hand. He looked over at Sideswipe. "You're twins."
It felt like all of the air had been sucked out of the room. Like Starscream had been punched in the gut. All of the color drained from Sunstreaker's face. Sideswipe's optics widened, and his lips started to curve into a smile.
"Split-spark twins, to be accurate," Wrench grunted. He folded his arms over his chestplate. "Dunno how you ended up separated but... I guess these things happen."
Sprocket sniffed. "Not in properly trained facilities. Somebody must have failed at their job." He tucked the scanner into his subspace. "With your permission, sir, I'll begin investigating this at once. I have a few friends in the harvesting department."
Sideswipe lifted a hand. "Whoa. Hold on. Before you start demanding answers, let's face the repercussions of the here and now." He glanced past both medics, to Sunstreaker, who hadn't moved. "Sunstreaker?"
Sunstreaker finally stirred, his gaze shifting to Sideswipe with something like wonder. "I have a brother?"
"We both do." Sideswipe's grin was so bright, it could have stood against the sun. "We're twins."
He crossed the space between them swiftly, taking Sunstreaker's dangling hands and squeezing them. Sunstreaker.
"I knew I felt something weird when our sparks touched but I never imagined..." A soft laugh spilled out of Sideswipe's mouth. "Primus, this is amazing. What are the chances?"
"Astronomical," Starscream muttered.
Sunstreaker's hands twitched, and then they squeezed Sideswipe's back, and Starscream couldn’t stop the stab of jealousy in his spark. "But what does it mean?"
"It means you’re brothers. Family," Sprocket said.
Sideswipe rolled his optics at his medic. "That's not the question he's asking, Sprocket. He's wondering what it means for him." He scoffed. "As if I'd leave my brother in a place like this. Unless, of course, you'd rather stay here...?"
"You want me to come with you?" Sunstreaker asked, voice faint, and he swayed a little where he stood, his optics flickering.
Starscream's spark shrank into a tiny ball.
"Yes!" Sideswipe bounced a little in place. "I didn't know I had a brother much less a twin! I didn't know I still had family.” His field spun through the room, radiant with his delight, and Starscream closed himself off from it before he got purged. “Now that I do, I want to get to know you, I want you to see what should be yours, too. I want us to be a family. I mean, if you want that, too."
Sunstreaker's mouth opened and closed. He glanced over at Starscream, but Starscream couldn't read the look in his optics.
He looked away. This wasn’t his choice to make.
"I don't know," Sunstreaker said, and his engine gave a weak, high-pitched whine. "I just… I don't..."
"Sir, if I might interject." Sideswipe's lawyer stood up, his dour voice at complete odds with the brightness of his paint. "This must come as a shock to Sunstreaker. He had a life before this moment. What he needs right now, I should think, is time to absorb."
Sideswipe huffed. "I know that," he said with a scowl. "But he can have a better life. With me. I just want him to know that. I don't expect him to walk out the door with me right now." He looked at Sunstreaker again. "You get that right? Whatever happens, it's up to you. I'm not going to drag you out. I promise."
Sunstreaker jerked his head in a nod. "I get that. I just need time to think. There's a lot to think about. I never imagined..." He let go of Sideswipe’s hand and rubbed his central seam, though it didn’t look to be a conscious action. "I need time."
"I understand." Sideswipe nodded as if to himself. He dug around in an arm compartment and produced a datachip. "Here. This is my direct line. I don't want to harass you, so when you're ready to talk, whether it's to tell me you want to come home with me or you never want to see me again, you can contact me." He nibbled on his bottom lip and grabbed Sunstreaker's hand, gently pressing the chip to his palm. "I mean, I know what my vote is."
Sunstreaker's fingers curled around the chip. "A week," he murmured. "I won't make you wait any longer than a week."
"It's okay if you do." Sideswipe smiled, tilting forward as though he wanted to embrace Sunstreaker or even kiss him, only to spin away at the last moment as he decided otherwise. "Sprocket, Chamber, let's go."
"Are you sure?" asked the one Starscream was rather certain was both the lawyer and designated Chamber. "Was this not our whole purpose in coming here? To rescue him?"
"This wasn’t about rescue," Sideswipe retorted, and he shot Chamber a sharp look of reprimand. "And, no. I wanted confirmation. After that, well, we've got all the time in the world."
Starscream supposed that was true. Sideswipe could afford to wait as long as he wanted.
He watched Sideswipe all but push his medic and lawyer out the door, the one guard he had on duty following after. The door shut behind them with a quiet click, as if in deference to the tense atmosphere left in their wake.
Sunstreaker sighed, knees wobbling, and nearly sank to the ground if not for Wrench appearing behind him, gripping an elbow.
"You're all right, bitlet. You're all right," Wrench said.
"I'm not sure I am," Sunstreaker rasped, but he stayed on his feet. His gaze found Starscream's, and something flickered in his optics. "Star..."
He didn't know how, but he managed a smile. It might have even been convincing. "Look at you," he said, "with a brother, a twin, no less. That's great news, isn't it?"
“I don’t know,” Sunstreaker said. He tilted, and Wrench caught him, his hand still clutching at his chestplate. “This is a lot.”
“Not everyday you find out you still have family. Come on, kiddo. Sit down before you fall down.” Wrench mechhandled Sunstreaker to one of the couches and lowered him into it. “There you go. Starscream, get over here.”
Starscream, however, didn’t move. He was frozen in place, feet metaphorically nailed to the ground.
Sideswipe was everything he wasn’t. He was beautiful and rich; he could take care of Sunstreaker without any trouble. He had an actual connection to Sunstreaker, while Starscream was a roommate who squirmed his way into Sunstreaker’s berth. He couldn’t compete with that.
“I’ll tell Streamline you’re off shift tonight, and that you won’t be seeing any clients,” Starscream said, retreating back a pace, his spark hammering in his chassis, too big and loud for him to hear anything but a buzz in his audials.
Wrench frowned. “I can handle that.”
“No, you take care of Sunstreaker. He needs a medic, I think,” Starscream said, as Sunstreaker stared at the table, pale, shaky, vents coming in shorter, sharper gasps. “He trusts you.”
Starscream offered a thin, wan smile. “I’ll be right back,” he said, and he escaped, while the burn of Wrench’s disappointment in him scorched his spinal strut and seared his wings.
He did go find Streamline, his boss pacing around the ready-room, taking his irritation on all of the escorts preparing for the day, barking orders and the like. No one’s paying him much mind save for their newest hire, a pretty purple Seeker name of Misfire who kept trying to befriend Starscream, much to his annoyance.
He sensed Misfire wasn’t going to be here long. He was flighty and prone to wandering off if he wasn’t carefully guided. As much as Streamline wanted another Seeker for his ranks, Misfire couldn’t hold a candle to Starscream.
“Starscream!” Streamline barked the moment Starscream stepped into view, storming his way with irritation writ over his features. “Where is your roommate? I know he doesn’t have a client today so I want him on the sales floor.”
Starscream lifted his chin and folded his arms. “Sunstreaker will not be working today or tomorrow,” he said, careful to keep his tone even and his emotions concealed. “If you have a problem with it, I’m sure his patron’s lawyers will clear it up for you.”
Streamline drew up short, visibly twitching. “Did they at least vacate my selling floor?”
“You’ll have to ask Wrench. They were still there, last I saw,” Starscream said, trying to effect a nonchalance he didn’t feel. His armor threatened to rattle, and his spark spiraled into a tighter ball.
“What the frag is going on?”
Starscream shook his head. “That’s not my story to tell, boss. You’ll have to ask them.” His lip curled into a smirk. “Though I guess you’re going to have to watch what you say from now on.”
Streamline growled, violence wrote across the flicker of his armor, but he whirled away from Starscream with a roar of his engine. “Get cleaned up. I want you on the floor with the rest of them.”
“Yes, sir,” Starscream gritted out. His smile showed too much denta, not that Streamline could see it.
Starscream would show his face, but that didn’t mean he would be an appealing one. He was in no mood to entertain. Right now, he didn’t care about the lost revenue.
Besides, if he took up Nightshade’s offer, that wouldn’t matter, would it? Sunstreaker would leave with his twin, Starscream would leave with Nightshade, and that was the best outcome for everyone.
Wasn’t it?
“Star?”
Rodimus bounced up to him, face creased in concern. “What’s going on? What’s up with Sunstreaker?”
“Nothing serious,” Starscream lied, and gave Rodimus a quick once-over. His protege had much improved since Starscream had taken him under a wing, but he still had a lot to learn. There was a smear of polish on his spoiler.
Starscream clicked his glossa. “Rodimus, you’re smeared. Come on. I’ll fix it.” He took Rodimus by the shoulder and steered him to a vanity in the corner, away from the prying optics of the curious escorts, especially those ignoring Streamline’s continued bluster.
“You’re lying.” Rodimus dropped into the stool and held still while Starscream gripped his spoiler. “What’s going on? Your field’s a mess. You and Sunny get into it again?”
“No.”
Rodimus turned, his spoiler flicking away as he caught Starscream’s hand. “Let me help. Please?”
It was hard to resist Rodimus’ genuine concern. Starscream sighed, his shoulders slumping, and pressed Rodimus’ hand back into his lap.
“Not now,” he murmured as he grabbed a cloth to gently work the polish into Rodimus’ armor, making him sleek and shiny once more. “Later. Once we close.”
Rodimus caught his gaze in the mirror. “If you say so,” he said. “But you’re telling me why it looks like your spark is broken.”
Starscream gnawed on his bottom lip. He stepped back and offered the polishing cloth. “Help me with my wings? I didn’t get a chance to tend them earlier.”
“You don’t even gotta ask.”
They swapped places. Starscream didn’t look in the mirror. He stared blankly at the assembled polishing and painting and decorating supplies on the vanity. Some of them, he knew, had been hand-picked by Sunstreaker to ensure the Blue Sun’s merchandise exhibited only the highest standards of beauty.
His spark clenched.
“It’s gonna be okay, Star,” Rodimus squeezed his shoulder, his field touching Starscream’s with warmth and comfort and affection.
Starscream wished he could believe him.
~
“I’m going to kill Starscream,” Wrench muttered as he bustled around the space of his medical office, bringing Sunstreaker energon and coolant and thermal blankets as if he was building a protective nest, or maybe, just needed something to do with his hands.
Sunstreaker stared at the floor. “It’s not his fault.”
“It damn sure is. He should be here with you, not running away like a fragging coward.” Wrench huffed, his engine rumbling an agitated anger.
Sunstreaker rubbed his fingers on the energon cube, watching the liquid shimmer in the overhead light. “We’re roommates. I’m not his responsibility.”
“Don’t give me that slag, bitlet. I ain’t stupid and neither are you.” Wrench stomped closer, dragging a chair with him, which he dropped into. It creaked its displeasure, but held his weight. “Now, I’m sure you got a lot of questions. Ask ‘em.”
“I don’t know where to begin.” Sunstreaker rubbed his forehead, feeling scraped raw and bleeding, for all he hadn’t suffered a physical wound.
Wrench leaned over and snagged a datapad off the table, swiping rapidly across the screen until he found something, which he then shoved under Sunstreaker’s nose. “See this?”
“A bunch of squiggles?” There were two matching lines of jagged arches, one in a pale pink and the other in a pale yellow.
“Spark frequencies,” Wrench corrected. He pointed to the yellow, and then the pink. “This is you. This is Sideswipe.” He tapped the screen and the lines superimposed on each other. They flashed as they lined up perfectly. “You’ve got the same spark harmonics. Do you know the likelihood of that happening if you two ain’t twins?”
Sunstreaker took the datapad, staring at the proof. “Low.”
“Damn straight it’s low. It’s impossible.” Wrench sat back, his hands scrubbing down his thighs. “He’s your brother, and he’s the reason your spark is stabilizing.”
Sunstreaker gnawed on the inside of his cheek. “Can he fix me?”
Wrench shook his head. “There’s no fixing you, bitlet. Merging with him will stabilize you longer, keep you at a more normal energy level, but it’s not a cure.” He scratched his chin, a few flakes of rust drifting away. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m not an expert in spark mechanics, but I’m sure of this.”
“But I won’t need the spark batteries if I’m with him.”
“Nope.”
“And I’ll have normal energy levels? I’ll live longer?”
Wrench nodded.
The datapad shook in Sunstreaker’s fingers. With Sideswipe, he wouldn’t be a burden. He would have a family. He could leave Blue Sun; he could think about the future. He could live.
He could be with Starscream. If Starscream wanted him. If Sideswipe would let him. So many ifs.
It was too much.
What did he really know about Sideswipe? He knew the mech was rich, powerful because of his wealth, as kind as a patron could be, and had a possibly unhealthy humiliation kink. He had a wonderful sense of humor, and a strong sense of justice. He was beautiful.
He was the other half of Sunstreaker’s spark. Even now, it yearned for Sideswipe. It spun and danced a beat that sang for his twin, and it was a relief as much as it was an agony.
Sunstreaker trusted Sideswipe, against all odds, and that had to be because of the nature of their sparks. Logically, he shouldn’t otherwise. He barely knew the mech.
He didn’t want to leave Starscream.
But did Starscream want to leave him?
“I can practically hear those gears grinding, bitlet,” Wrench said, gentler this time, as he took the datapad from Sunstreaker’s hand. “You don’t have to go with him. He can’t make you.”
Sunstreaker shook his head. “He wouldn’t force it.”
“You’re sure?”
“I can’t explain it, but yeah, I’m sure. If I wanted to stay, he’d understand.” Except that Sunstreaker didn’t want to.
If he was stable. If he was healthy. He wouldn’t need Blue Sun. He wouldn’t need this work.
Wrench rested a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently, and Sunstreaker looked up at him.
“Bit, you need to talk to your Seeker,” he said. “You can’t make this decision without him.”
"I know," Sunstreaker said and swallowed a sigh. Conversation? He and Starscream had never been good about honesty with each other. "He's on the floor now. I'll talk to him later."
"Do." Wrench patted his shoulder again and stood, setting the datapad on a nearby table. "Things have a way of working themselves out. You'll see."
Sunstreaker wanted to believe him, but it was all a bit too much right now. His world had tilted on its axis in the span of a few hours, and he'd yet to find his equilibrium.
He had a choice to make, and he wasn't sure where the spinner would land.
***
Characters: Sunstreaker/Starscream, Rodimus, Sideswipe, Wrench
Rated: M
Warnings: lost siblings, reunited family, hard choices, angst, bdsm themes, humiliation kink slightly
Description: Sunstreaker didn’t understand why he felt so drawn to Sideswipe, until a mistake revealed the link between them, provoking a turn of events which will change everything.
Part Six
Despite Sideswipe’s joke, the tension in the room was too much to be so easily alleviated. Starscream couldn’t bear to look at Sunstreaker or Sideswipe. Couldn’t acknowledge Wrench or Sideswipe’s medic Sprocket. Didn’t look at Sideswipe’s usual guard – Starscream couldn’t recall his designation at the moment. He assumed the third, unnamed mech was Sideswipe’s lawyer.
He was the smallest of Sideswipe’s three companions. He sat on the couch, one leg folded over the other, a datapad in his hand, completely absorbed in it. If he noticed the tension, there was no sign of it.
Starscream envied him.
He stared hard at the floor, traced a smear in the polishing where someone hadn’t cleaned properly. He couldn’t get his wings to stop twitching. He was hyper-focused on the sound of the scanner whirring in Wrench’s hands as he hid Sunstreaker in a corner of the room so he could scan Sunstreaker’s open spark without everyone seeing it.
Sideswipe bounced on his heels, hands behind his back again, watching Wrench and Sunstreaker. His field was chaotic, even when Sprocket walked up beside him, murmuring something out of Starscream’s audial range.
“I’m open to suggestions,” Sideswipe said. “But it’s my choice in the end. You know that.”
It was weird, to hear Sideswipe so firm and commanding. In the few times Starscream had him as a client, he’d been beautifully submissive.
“Of course, milord,” Sprocket replied.
He wore command easily. He wore nobility in much the same manner. He cast it aside while in Blue Sun, and picked it up once more, as if it were a mantle he could remove.
Fascinating.
Wrench's scanner beeped a three-tone chime, signaling it had completed the scan. Sunstreaker hastily snapped his chestplate shut, his face colored with heat. Wrench patted him on the shoulder and turned back toward the waiting group, peering intently at the readings.
"Well?" Sideswipe prompted.
Wrench's orbital ridges lifted. "I need somethin' to compare it to, don't I?" he asked as he crooked a finger at Sprocket. "Bring me your readings."
"They're already on the scanner," Sprocket answered as he rose up on the tip of his feet, and tapped his fingers across the screen. "See?"
"Yeah."
Both medics peered at the screen. Starscream's wings twitched out of impatience. He snuck a glance at Sunstreaker, and as long as they had been roommates, Starscream couldn't read his expression. He had no idea what Sunstreaker was thinking.
"That settles it," Wrench said.
"Beyond a fraction of a doubt," Sprocket confirmed and took the scanner from Wrench's hand. He looked over at Sideswipe. "You're twins."
It felt like all of the air had been sucked out of the room. Like Starscream had been punched in the gut. All of the color drained from Sunstreaker's face. Sideswipe's optics widened, and his lips started to curve into a smile.
"Split-spark twins, to be accurate," Wrench grunted. He folded his arms over his chestplate. "Dunno how you ended up separated but... I guess these things happen."
Sprocket sniffed. "Not in properly trained facilities. Somebody must have failed at their job." He tucked the scanner into his subspace. "With your permission, sir, I'll begin investigating this at once. I have a few friends in the harvesting department."
Sideswipe lifted a hand. "Whoa. Hold on. Before you start demanding answers, let's face the repercussions of the here and now." He glanced past both medics, to Sunstreaker, who hadn't moved. "Sunstreaker?"
Sunstreaker finally stirred, his gaze shifting to Sideswipe with something like wonder. "I have a brother?"
"We both do." Sideswipe's grin was so bright, it could have stood against the sun. "We're twins."
He crossed the space between them swiftly, taking Sunstreaker's dangling hands and squeezing them. Sunstreaker.
"I knew I felt something weird when our sparks touched but I never imagined..." A soft laugh spilled out of Sideswipe's mouth. "Primus, this is amazing. What are the chances?"
"Astronomical," Starscream muttered.
Sunstreaker's hands twitched, and then they squeezed Sideswipe's back, and Starscream couldn’t stop the stab of jealousy in his spark. "But what does it mean?"
"It means you’re brothers. Family," Sprocket said.
Sideswipe rolled his optics at his medic. "That's not the question he's asking, Sprocket. He's wondering what it means for him." He scoffed. "As if I'd leave my brother in a place like this. Unless, of course, you'd rather stay here...?"
"You want me to come with you?" Sunstreaker asked, voice faint, and he swayed a little where he stood, his optics flickering.
Starscream's spark shrank into a tiny ball.
"Yes!" Sideswipe bounced a little in place. "I didn't know I had a brother much less a twin! I didn't know I still had family.” His field spun through the room, radiant with his delight, and Starscream closed himself off from it before he got purged. “Now that I do, I want to get to know you, I want you to see what should be yours, too. I want us to be a family. I mean, if you want that, too."
Sunstreaker's mouth opened and closed. He glanced over at Starscream, but Starscream couldn't read the look in his optics.
He looked away. This wasn’t his choice to make.
"I don't know," Sunstreaker said, and his engine gave a weak, high-pitched whine. "I just… I don't..."
"Sir, if I might interject." Sideswipe's lawyer stood up, his dour voice at complete odds with the brightness of his paint. "This must come as a shock to Sunstreaker. He had a life before this moment. What he needs right now, I should think, is time to absorb."
Sideswipe huffed. "I know that," he said with a scowl. "But he can have a better life. With me. I just want him to know that. I don't expect him to walk out the door with me right now." He looked at Sunstreaker again. "You get that right? Whatever happens, it's up to you. I'm not going to drag you out. I promise."
Sunstreaker jerked his head in a nod. "I get that. I just need time to think. There's a lot to think about. I never imagined..." He let go of Sideswipe’s hand and rubbed his central seam, though it didn’t look to be a conscious action. "I need time."
"I understand." Sideswipe nodded as if to himself. He dug around in an arm compartment and produced a datachip. "Here. This is my direct line. I don't want to harass you, so when you're ready to talk, whether it's to tell me you want to come home with me or you never want to see me again, you can contact me." He nibbled on his bottom lip and grabbed Sunstreaker's hand, gently pressing the chip to his palm. "I mean, I know what my vote is."
Sunstreaker's fingers curled around the chip. "A week," he murmured. "I won't make you wait any longer than a week."
"It's okay if you do." Sideswipe smiled, tilting forward as though he wanted to embrace Sunstreaker or even kiss him, only to spin away at the last moment as he decided otherwise. "Sprocket, Chamber, let's go."
"Are you sure?" asked the one Starscream was rather certain was both the lawyer and designated Chamber. "Was this not our whole purpose in coming here? To rescue him?"
"This wasn’t about rescue," Sideswipe retorted, and he shot Chamber a sharp look of reprimand. "And, no. I wanted confirmation. After that, well, we've got all the time in the world."
Starscream supposed that was true. Sideswipe could afford to wait as long as he wanted.
He watched Sideswipe all but push his medic and lawyer out the door, the one guard he had on duty following after. The door shut behind them with a quiet click, as if in deference to the tense atmosphere left in their wake.
Sunstreaker sighed, knees wobbling, and nearly sank to the ground if not for Wrench appearing behind him, gripping an elbow.
"You're all right, bitlet. You're all right," Wrench said.
"I'm not sure I am," Sunstreaker rasped, but he stayed on his feet. His gaze found Starscream's, and something flickered in his optics. "Star..."
He didn't know how, but he managed a smile. It might have even been convincing. "Look at you," he said, "with a brother, a twin, no less. That's great news, isn't it?"
“I don’t know,” Sunstreaker said. He tilted, and Wrench caught him, his hand still clutching at his chestplate. “This is a lot.”
“Not everyday you find out you still have family. Come on, kiddo. Sit down before you fall down.” Wrench mechhandled Sunstreaker to one of the couches and lowered him into it. “There you go. Starscream, get over here.”
Starscream, however, didn’t move. He was frozen in place, feet metaphorically nailed to the ground.
Sideswipe was everything he wasn’t. He was beautiful and rich; he could take care of Sunstreaker without any trouble. He had an actual connection to Sunstreaker, while Starscream was a roommate who squirmed his way into Sunstreaker’s berth. He couldn’t compete with that.
“I’ll tell Streamline you’re off shift tonight, and that you won’t be seeing any clients,” Starscream said, retreating back a pace, his spark hammering in his chassis, too big and loud for him to hear anything but a buzz in his audials.
Wrench frowned. “I can handle that.”
“No, you take care of Sunstreaker. He needs a medic, I think,” Starscream said, as Sunstreaker stared at the table, pale, shaky, vents coming in shorter, sharper gasps. “He trusts you.”
Starscream offered a thin, wan smile. “I’ll be right back,” he said, and he escaped, while the burn of Wrench’s disappointment in him scorched his spinal strut and seared his wings.
He did go find Streamline, his boss pacing around the ready-room, taking his irritation on all of the escorts preparing for the day, barking orders and the like. No one’s paying him much mind save for their newest hire, a pretty purple Seeker name of Misfire who kept trying to befriend Starscream, much to his annoyance.
He sensed Misfire wasn’t going to be here long. He was flighty and prone to wandering off if he wasn’t carefully guided. As much as Streamline wanted another Seeker for his ranks, Misfire couldn’t hold a candle to Starscream.
“Starscream!” Streamline barked the moment Starscream stepped into view, storming his way with irritation writ over his features. “Where is your roommate? I know he doesn’t have a client today so I want him on the sales floor.”
Starscream lifted his chin and folded his arms. “Sunstreaker will not be working today or tomorrow,” he said, careful to keep his tone even and his emotions concealed. “If you have a problem with it, I’m sure his patron’s lawyers will clear it up for you.”
Streamline drew up short, visibly twitching. “Did they at least vacate my selling floor?”
“You’ll have to ask Wrench. They were still there, last I saw,” Starscream said, trying to effect a nonchalance he didn’t feel. His armor threatened to rattle, and his spark spiraled into a tighter ball.
“What the frag is going on?”
Starscream shook his head. “That’s not my story to tell, boss. You’ll have to ask them.” His lip curled into a smirk. “Though I guess you’re going to have to watch what you say from now on.”
Streamline growled, violence wrote across the flicker of his armor, but he whirled away from Starscream with a roar of his engine. “Get cleaned up. I want you on the floor with the rest of them.”
“Yes, sir,” Starscream gritted out. His smile showed too much denta, not that Streamline could see it.
Starscream would show his face, but that didn’t mean he would be an appealing one. He was in no mood to entertain. Right now, he didn’t care about the lost revenue.
Besides, if he took up Nightshade’s offer, that wouldn’t matter, would it? Sunstreaker would leave with his twin, Starscream would leave with Nightshade, and that was the best outcome for everyone.
Wasn’t it?
“Star?”
Rodimus bounced up to him, face creased in concern. “What’s going on? What’s up with Sunstreaker?”
“Nothing serious,” Starscream lied, and gave Rodimus a quick once-over. His protege had much improved since Starscream had taken him under a wing, but he still had a lot to learn. There was a smear of polish on his spoiler.
Starscream clicked his glossa. “Rodimus, you’re smeared. Come on. I’ll fix it.” He took Rodimus by the shoulder and steered him to a vanity in the corner, away from the prying optics of the curious escorts, especially those ignoring Streamline’s continued bluster.
“You’re lying.” Rodimus dropped into the stool and held still while Starscream gripped his spoiler. “What’s going on? Your field’s a mess. You and Sunny get into it again?”
“No.”
Rodimus turned, his spoiler flicking away as he caught Starscream’s hand. “Let me help. Please?”
It was hard to resist Rodimus’ genuine concern. Starscream sighed, his shoulders slumping, and pressed Rodimus’ hand back into his lap.
“Not now,” he murmured as he grabbed a cloth to gently work the polish into Rodimus’ armor, making him sleek and shiny once more. “Later. Once we close.”
Rodimus caught his gaze in the mirror. “If you say so,” he said. “But you’re telling me why it looks like your spark is broken.”
Starscream gnawed on his bottom lip. He stepped back and offered the polishing cloth. “Help me with my wings? I didn’t get a chance to tend them earlier.”
“You don’t even gotta ask.”
They swapped places. Starscream didn’t look in the mirror. He stared blankly at the assembled polishing and painting and decorating supplies on the vanity. Some of them, he knew, had been hand-picked by Sunstreaker to ensure the Blue Sun’s merchandise exhibited only the highest standards of beauty.
His spark clenched.
“It’s gonna be okay, Star,” Rodimus squeezed his shoulder, his field touching Starscream’s with warmth and comfort and affection.
Starscream wished he could believe him.
“I’m going to kill Starscream,” Wrench muttered as he bustled around the space of his medical office, bringing Sunstreaker energon and coolant and thermal blankets as if he was building a protective nest, or maybe, just needed something to do with his hands.
Sunstreaker stared at the floor. “It’s not his fault.”
“It damn sure is. He should be here with you, not running away like a fragging coward.” Wrench huffed, his engine rumbling an agitated anger.
Sunstreaker rubbed his fingers on the energon cube, watching the liquid shimmer in the overhead light. “We’re roommates. I’m not his responsibility.”
“Don’t give me that slag, bitlet. I ain’t stupid and neither are you.” Wrench stomped closer, dragging a chair with him, which he dropped into. It creaked its displeasure, but held his weight. “Now, I’m sure you got a lot of questions. Ask ‘em.”
“I don’t know where to begin.” Sunstreaker rubbed his forehead, feeling scraped raw and bleeding, for all he hadn’t suffered a physical wound.
Wrench leaned over and snagged a datapad off the table, swiping rapidly across the screen until he found something, which he then shoved under Sunstreaker’s nose. “See this?”
“A bunch of squiggles?” There were two matching lines of jagged arches, one in a pale pink and the other in a pale yellow.
“Spark frequencies,” Wrench corrected. He pointed to the yellow, and then the pink. “This is you. This is Sideswipe.” He tapped the screen and the lines superimposed on each other. They flashed as they lined up perfectly. “You’ve got the same spark harmonics. Do you know the likelihood of that happening if you two ain’t twins?”
Sunstreaker took the datapad, staring at the proof. “Low.”
“Damn straight it’s low. It’s impossible.” Wrench sat back, his hands scrubbing down his thighs. “He’s your brother, and he’s the reason your spark is stabilizing.”
Sunstreaker gnawed on the inside of his cheek. “Can he fix me?”
Wrench shook his head. “There’s no fixing you, bitlet. Merging with him will stabilize you longer, keep you at a more normal energy level, but it’s not a cure.” He scratched his chin, a few flakes of rust drifting away. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m not an expert in spark mechanics, but I’m sure of this.”
“But I won’t need the spark batteries if I’m with him.”
“Nope.”
“And I’ll have normal energy levels? I’ll live longer?”
Wrench nodded.
The datapad shook in Sunstreaker’s fingers. With Sideswipe, he wouldn’t be a burden. He would have a family. He could leave Blue Sun; he could think about the future. He could live.
He could be with Starscream. If Starscream wanted him. If Sideswipe would let him. So many ifs.
It was too much.
What did he really know about Sideswipe? He knew the mech was rich, powerful because of his wealth, as kind as a patron could be, and had a possibly unhealthy humiliation kink. He had a wonderful sense of humor, and a strong sense of justice. He was beautiful.
He was the other half of Sunstreaker’s spark. Even now, it yearned for Sideswipe. It spun and danced a beat that sang for his twin, and it was a relief as much as it was an agony.
Sunstreaker trusted Sideswipe, against all odds, and that had to be because of the nature of their sparks. Logically, he shouldn’t otherwise. He barely knew the mech.
He didn’t want to leave Starscream.
But did Starscream want to leave him?
“I can practically hear those gears grinding, bitlet,” Wrench said, gentler this time, as he took the datapad from Sunstreaker’s hand. “You don’t have to go with him. He can’t make you.”
Sunstreaker shook his head. “He wouldn’t force it.”
“You’re sure?”
“I can’t explain it, but yeah, I’m sure. If I wanted to stay, he’d understand.” Except that Sunstreaker didn’t want to.
If he was stable. If he was healthy. He wouldn’t need Blue Sun. He wouldn’t need this work.
Wrench rested a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently, and Sunstreaker looked up at him.
“Bit, you need to talk to your Seeker,” he said. “You can’t make this decision without him.”
"I know," Sunstreaker said and swallowed a sigh. Conversation? He and Starscream had never been good about honesty with each other. "He's on the floor now. I'll talk to him later."
"Do." Wrench patted his shoulder again and stood, setting the datapad on a nearby table. "Things have a way of working themselves out. You'll see."
Sunstreaker wanted to believe him, but it was all a bit too much right now. His world had tilted on its axis in the span of a few hours, and he'd yet to find his equilibrium.
He had a choice to make, and he wasn't sure where the spinner would land.
