[TF] Family Found 08/10
May. 4th, 2020 06:00 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 Eight
Starscream sat in silence for a long time after Sunstreaker left.
It was the first time Sunstreaker had ever been the one to leave. It was always Starscream who stormed out in some huff or another, seeking refuge elsewhere, leaving Sunstreaker to stew in the room he so rarely shared until Starscream came along.
No, it wasn't silence. There was music playing. Sunstreaker had been listening to the radio, to Starscream's favorite station.
His spark gave a sharp pang.
It was for the best, wasn't it? Sunstreaker could leave with his brother. He'd be healthy and whole. He'd have his family. Starscream didn't need to be a part of that.
He just wanted to be.
Why couldn't Sunstreaker see that? Of course Starscream wouldn't ask him to stay. This place wasn't good for Sunstreaker. He'd get much better care elsewhere. Starscream wanted him to go because he cared, not because he didn't.
Starscream's engine growled. His head ached. His spark hurt.
He couldn’t stay in this room right now. He was supposed to be the one allowed to storm off and seek privacy, not Sunstreaker. It felt wrong to be the one stuck here now.
Starscream left. He didn’t know where to go. He didn’t want to seek out Rodimus; he already knew what his protege would say.
The hallway was empty and deserted. It was late. Late enough all the patrons had gone, save for those paying for an overnight in one of the upper, elite rooms. Most of the escorts were tucked away in their berths.
Starscream took the lift downstairs for lack of a better option. Perhaps he could soak away the anxiety in the oil bath which would be deserted right now. But when the door opened on the bottom floor, he nearly ran into another mech on his way inside.
Drift and Starscream blinked at each other, Drift’s arms laden with various supplies no doubt pilfered from the energon pantry and Wrench’s repair cabinet. How he’d gotten those items past Wrench was a mystery. Or maybe he’d charmed Wrench into being given them, and if he had, Starscream wanted to know his secret.
“What are you doing?” Starscream asked at the same time Drift said, “Why aren’t you recharging?”
Starscream stepped off the lift so the door could close, preventing Drift from getting on it. “I asked you first.” He folded his arms, arching an orbital ridge. “Thinking of taking off in the middle of the night?”
Drift scowled. “This is for Roddy.”
Starscream stared at the supplies again. Numbing agents, paint fillers, Rodimus’ favorite energon and candies. There was a mixture of healing and spoiling in here.
His engine revved. “What did you do, Drift?”
“It wasn’t me.” Drift took a step backward, then seemed to decide he wasn’t afraid before he straightened his shoulders and stared right back at Starscream. “Rodimus’ last client got a little rowdy. I took care of the fragger, but Roddy still got a little banged up.”
Starscream whirled and slammed his hand on the lift buttons, summoning it once more. “And he didn’t ping me? Why?”
“He said you and Sunstreaker were in the middle of something, and I shouldn’t disturb you. Believe me, I wanted to.” Drift’s armor flickered in a quiet clatter. “He insisted, and I owe him too much to ignore his wishes.”
The lift dinged and Starscream stepped inside, dragging Drift and his armful of supplies with him. “This is one of those times where you shouldn’t have listened to him, stupid rookie.” Starscream jabbed the button for Rodimus’ floor. “Or at least you should’ve taken him to Wrench.”
Drift stepped up and selected the basement instead – he must have taken Rodimus back to his room instead. “I’ll remember that for next time.”
Next time.
Starscream’s insides went a little cold. It was an unfortunate reality of their employment here at Blue Sun. Yes, they had protections, but they were always after the fact, rarely were they preventatives. An escort faced injury or serious harm everyday. Some might argue they were well-compensated.
Starscream knew otherwise.
Guilt crept its way into his spark. He’d considered Nightshade’s offer as it pertained to Sunstreaker, but he hadn’t thought about Rodimus. Could he really leave his protege alone? Without any protections? If Starscream wasn’t here, Nightshade would be unlikely to visit, and Streamline wouldn’t feel the heavy optic of the law on him.
He might decide to punish Rodimus for his loss of revenue in regards to Turmoil.
Starscream couldn’t leave him to deal with that alone. Not with a clear conscience.
He followed Drift to the room the guard shared with another mech who was mysteriously absent – either out for a night on the city or on patrol outside the building. The room was tidier than Starscream would have expected, save for what was obviously Drift’s berth, where Rodimus swaddled himself into a nest.
He perked up when Drift came inside, but scowled when he spotted Starscream. “I told you not to comm him,” Rodimus said.
“He didn’t. We ran into each other,” Starscream said, placing a hand on Drift’s shoulder to stop him from retorting. “Who was it and what did they do?”
“I’m fine.” Rodimus rolled his optics. “You’re supposed to be with Sunstreaker, figuring out whatever it is that’s going on between you.”
Starscream ignored him and grabbed a corner of the mesh blanket. “Let me see.”
“No.” Rodimus tugged the blanket back around him.
“Don’t be a sparkling,” Starscream growled. He tugged again.
“Go back to Sunstreaker,” Rodimus snapped.
“You both are acting like sparklings,” Drift said as he deposited his armful on a table and moved between them, shoving a box of treats at Rodimus. “Show him, Roddy.”
“Fine.” Rodimus took the treats and tore open the box, immediately shoving a handful in his mouth. “It’s just a few scratches. I was going to see if Sunstreaker was up to fixing them in the morning, but if you’re here, I’m guessing he won’t be. What happened?”
Starscream didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled away the blankets, threw them aside, and took a look at Rodimus for himself. Scrapes. Dents. A swollen lip.
Anger broiled in Starscream’s tanks, but he swallowed it down. There were dents on Rodimus’ hips, too, and the placement was familiar. It had to have been Perforate, banned time and time again, but too rich to stay banned for long. Mechs like Rodimus were his favorite: loud, flashy, pretty.
Perforate also favored new faces, and Rodimus would still be new to someone like him, who must have recently returned from his ban. Fragger. If this was Starscream’s business, Perforate would have never stepped foot in here again.
How could he even think of leaving Rodimus alone with this?
“Give me the repair kit.” Starscream sank onto the berth next to Rodimus, pulling a dented arm into his lap with guilt suffocating his spark.
Perforate had squeezed hard enough to leave a mark, but not so hard to limit Rodimus’ motion or break an ulnar strut. He always knew how to toe the line and billed his more egregious harms as “accidents”.
“Sure.” Drift handed it over and loitered in the background unobtrusively.
Rodimus sighed. “Great. You’re making me a project again so you can ignore this thing between you and Sunny.” He shoved another handful of candies into his mouth and spoke around them. “And you think I’m the one who needs looking after.”
“There’s nothing going on,” Starscream lied.
Drift snorted and dropped into a nearby chair with a comfortable slouch. “I know I haven’t been around as long, but your field is a chaotic mess, and the only one who inspires that much in you is Sunstreaker.”
“Don’t you trust me?” Rodimus asked. And it’s unfair how he made his voice small and hurt, his optics big and round and guileless, his hand gentle where it touched Starscream’s arm.
Manipulative brat.
Starscream vented and concentrated on Rodimus’ injuries so as not to look at either of the two mechs. “It’s complicated.”
“It’s always complicated when it comes to you two. So what is it this time?” Rodimus asked with a tap to Starscream’s wrist. “Did one of you finally confess?”
“In a way.” Starscream smoothed over the worst of the dent and reached for the filler. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“It probably has to do with Sideswipe, huh?”
Starscream looked up at Rodimus and blinked. “You know about that?”
“Kind of?” Rodimus shrugged and shoved another handful of candies into his mouth. “You know how this place is. The only thing that travels faster than rumor is the clap. I heard Sideswipe tried to buy Sunstreaker.”
Starscream frowned. “I can see how it might have been interpreted in that manner, but no. Sideswipe did not try to buy Sunstreaker. He’s Sunstreaker’s long lost twin.”
Rodimus cycled his optics. “Come again?”
“You heard me.” Starscream gave him a wry look. “And yes, I know. It sounds like a lurid romance novel the likes of which you both are fond of reading, but two medics confirm it -- including Wrench. They are split-spark twins.”
Rodimus whistled. “And Sideswipe is rich, too. Like stupid rich. I’ll bet he wants Sunstreaker to come home, right?”
“Wouldn’t you?” Drift asked.
“Well, yeah. But what does Sunny think about it?” Rodimus asked.
“He hasn’t decided.” Starscream finished the filler, setting it aside. Sunstreaker would have to fix Rodimus’ paint. He settled for idly massaging Rodimus’ cables, which had to be sore. “I told him he should go.”
“Of course you did.” Rodimus groaned and gently banged his head on the wall. He covered his optics with his free hand. “Primus, I just want to knock your heads together.”
Starscream glared. “I’m not going to ask him to stay here. That’s stupid. He needs to be with his twin, where he can be taken care of.”
“You know, nothing’s stopping you from going with him,” Drift pointed out.
Starscream flicked his wings. “I’m not going to invite myself where I’m not wanted.”
“You’re an idiot if you think you’re not wanted.” Rodimus poked him in the forehead and scampered out of the way before Starscream could retaliate. Clearly, he was feeling much better. “Did you think you were going to tell him to leave and he’d do it with a smile knowing you’re still here?”
Starscream sat back, folding his legs beneath him. “I wasn’t going to stay either,” he said quietly and dragged his palm down his face. “Nightshade offered a Contract. I was going to take it but now… I can’t.”
“Why not?” Drift asked.
“Obviously because I can’t leave Rodimus by himself,” Starscream snapped, gesturing to Rodimus and his injuries with a sharp flick of his wrist. “If I leave, and I take Nightshade’s patronage, what little protection Rodimus has from Turmoil’s wrath goes with me.”
Rodimus tiptoed back into reach, settling down with a faint wince. “Don’t I get a say in what I want?”
“Of course you do,” Drift was quick to say, and he shot Starscream a look before he continued, “I think Starscream is just worried about you.”
Rodimus snorted. “Well, he doesn’t have to be. Neither of you do,” he added with a point to each of them. “I can take care of myself. I have patrons now. I have income and since you’re still determined to give me half your pay, I’m making strides in what I owe.”
“You deserve more than half,” Drift muttered.
“We already had this talk, shut up,” Rodimus shot back before he looked at Starscream. “Stop worrying about me. What do you want to do? Be with Sunstreaker, right?”
“It’s not that--”
“Don’t give me that pitslag,” Rodimus interrupted with such a strong tone, Starscream was taken aback.
Rodimus set his jaw, drawing himself straight, every inch the Dom-in-training Sunstreaker was making him. “You love Sunstreaker. Don’t lie and tell me you don’t because that’s a waste of a good vent. You love him; he loves you. So fragging tell him already.”
“You miss every chance you don’t take,” Drift added, and pain flickered into his face before he smoothed it out. “Don’t do something you’re going to regret for the rest of your functioning. We live too long for that.”
He knew Rodimus was right.
He wanted Sunstreaker to go only because it would mean happiness and health for Sunstreaker. He wanted both for Sunstreaker more than anything. Even if that meant he couldn’t be in Sunstreaker’s life.
“Come on. Let me see at least one happy ending, please?” Rodimus said. “You two have done so much for me. I want to see you finally get together.”
Starscream rubbed his forehead. “I know you’re right,” he admitted, albeit grudgingly.
“Of course I am.” Rodimus held himself up straight, luxuriating in his earned cockiness. “So get out of here. I’m fine. I’ve got Drift. You need to find Sunny and set things straight.” He even had the audacity to flick his hands at Starscream. “Shoo.”
“Fine.” Starscream stood and leaned in toward Rodimus, planting a kiss on his forehead. “Call me if you need me.”
“I won’t,” Rodimus said, but that didn’t stop him from snagging the back of Starscream’s head and tugging him back close enough for a real kiss, the naughty tease. “Go get him, Star. Make him yours.”
“I will,” Starscream murmured. “I promise.”
Rodimus grinned and patted his cheek. “Good boy.”
~
In the end, Sunstreaker returned to his suite. He had nowhere else to go, and Sideswipe’s reassurances had gone far to calm him. Whatever else happened with Starscream, he had a brother now, and a home.
Sideswipe was right. He couldn’t leave until he was sure, otherwise he’d spend the rest of his life wondering ‘what if’.
Sunstreaker paused outside his own door and hesitated. He didn’t know what awaited him on the other side. He wasn’t a coward, however. He could face whatever lay in store for he and Starscream.
Sunstreaker sucked in a slow, steadying vent and keyed open the door. The soft whiff of incense floated to his nose, and his forehead furrowed. Was Rodimus here with Drift? It wouldn’t be the first time.
He stepped inside, to a room gently lit from various lamps rather than the overhead. Soft music played from Starscream’s stereo as though he’d never turned it off.
This was not quite what Sunstreaker expected.
Starscream was curled in the window nook, but he looked up as Sunstreaker entered, setting aside the datapad which had held his focus.
“Welcome back,” he said. There was no trace of anger in his face, in the jut of his wings, just a sort of wariness, which Sunstreaker could understand. He held it, too.
“We need to talk,” Sunstreaker said, and then flinched, because that came out harsher than he meant. “I mean actually talk. About the things we need to say.”
Starscream pressed his lips together and nodded before he shifted, making room for Sunstreaker to join him in the windowseat. “We’re not good at that, but we should try.”
Sunstreaker sat down, glancing briefly out the window at the dark of simulated night, streets emptier than the day cycle but the occasional wanderer still visible. Distant roils on the horizon suggested they were in for an acid storm. Business would be down, which meant Streamline would have everyone cleaning.
A boring day. No one would miss either he or Starscream if they decided to take a rest.
“How’s Rodimus?” Sunstreaker asked.
Starscream chuckled. “You know me so well.” His optics looked a little haunted, his lips easing out of the smile. “Streamline let Perforate come back.”
Sunstreaker flinched. “How bad?”
“Security stepped in, probably because Drift keeps such a close optic on Roddy. Superficial damage on the outside but…” Starscream lifted a helpless shoulder. “That’s the life we lead.”
“It doesn’t have to be. Not anymore,” Sunstreaker said, his spark starting to throb hard as the enormity of what he was about to do sent pulses of anxiety through his lines. “We can leave. Both of us.”
Starscream gave him a wry look. “Haven’t we had that conversation before?”
“No, we never actually talked about it. Besides, circumstances have changed.”
“Yeah, you have a rich twin now.” Starscream shifted, his hand inching close, like he wanted to bridge the distance but didn’t dare.
Touching each other used to be a matter of course. Now it felt like a tentative thing neither of them were sure of. Sunstreaker hated that, hated they’d come to this.
Sideswipe was right. He had to be sure. He couldn’t be left wondering if there was anything to salvage or not.
“And I have creds of my own. Or will anyway. Soon as the paperwork comes through.” Sunstreaker shrugged, trying to play off the enormity of what Sideswipe was doing for him. “You’re right. I should go.”
Starscream’s mouth lifted in a half-smile, his wings drooping. “Glad you see things my way, though I think it’s the first time I’ve ever heard you say I was right.”
“I want you to come with me,” Sunstreaker said, and he swore he could hear his spark pulsing in his audials, so fast was it spinning. “I want to go, but I don’t want to go without you.”
Starscream sighed where Sunstreaker expected a flicker of anger. “That’s kind of you, but I really can take care of myself. You don’t have to take pity on me.”
“It’s not pity, you idiot.”
Sunstreaker grabbed his hand, Starscream’s hesitation bedamned, and Starscream’s optics widened by fractals, his true reaction betrayed by the upwards flick of his wings, the flare of his armor.
“I love you,” Sunstreaker said, and it was the scariest thing he’d ever done, admitting this truth he’d been harboring so deep in his spark. “I love you, and I want to be with you. If you don’t want that, fine, but I’m saying it now.”
Starscream’s vents hitched. “If I don’t want that?” he repeated faintly. His hand squeezed Sunstreaker’s tightly, enough for metal to creak. “Who’s the idiot now? Has all that polish damaged your processor? I love you, too!”
“You’re the one trying your damndest to push me away, how was I supposed to know?” Sunstreaker demanded.
“For your own sake, not because I didn’t want you!” Starscream snapped as he tugged Sunstreaker closer, curling his free hand around the back of Sunstreaker’s neck. “I’d have gone with Nightshade the moment he asked if I didn’t love you so much!”
“You should have gone!” Sunstreaker spluttered, emotions zipping within him too fact for him to nail down a single one. “You deserve so much more than this place.”
“So do you!”
“Then why the frag are we even arguing!?”
Starscream growled, his fingers digging into the back of Sunstreaker’s neck. “Because you’re too damn stubborn,” he snarled and dragged Sunstreaker in for a kiss, their mouths smacking together without any grace.
Sunstreaker grabbed Starscream’s face, cradling it in both hands, keeping him close as he deepened the kiss, pouring all of his emotions and frustrations and relief into the press of their mouths, the clash of their energy fields.
“I’m leaving, and you’re coming with me,” Sunstreaker said as he pressed his forehead to Starscream’s, leaving no room for argument. “You’ve worked hard. Let me help you now.”
Indecision wavered in Starscream’s field – pride and guilt warring – before relief won out. “Fine,” he said, though it was grudging. “If you think Sideswipe won’t mind.”
“It’s not up to him. It’s up to me.” Sunstreaker held Starscream’s face, thumb sweeping over his cheeks. “We can live on our own, if you want but…”
“But you want to get to know your brother,” Starscream finished, and it was with a fond smile this time. “Fine. We’ll leave with him as long as we have the option to leave, it works for me.”
Relief flooded Sunstreaker’s frame. He sagged a little and rested his forehead on Starscream’s clavicular strut. “I didn’t want to go without you.”
“I didn’t want you to go either, but that was the selfishness in me.” Starscream stroked the nape of his neck, his shoulders, tracing familiar transformation seams. “I’m worried though.”
Sunstreaker sat back, cocking his head. “About what?”
“Rodimus.”
Sunstreaker frowned.
To be fair, he worried about the brat, too. He’d grown attached to Rodimus, and if he and Starscream were both gone, there’d be no one to look after him. Drift didn’t count. He had no sway with Streamline, who owned Rodimus’ debt and could use that to his advantage. It was no secret he held little fondness for Rodimus.
“He told me not to worry about him. He wants me to leave with you, but…” Starscream gnawed on his bottom lip, wings drifting back down again. “I feel responsible for him now. I don’t want to leave him here.”
The answer was so obvious Sunstreaker didn’t know why it hadn’t occurred to him before.
“Then we take him with us,” he said with a shrug. Besides, wouldn’t it be the best vengeance against Streamline? All three of them leaving at once?
Primus, Sunstreaker couldn’t wait to see the look on his face.
Starscream cycled his optics. “What? Are you serious?”
“Do you have any idea how rich Sideswipe is?” Sunstreaker asked, because just thinking about it gave himself spark palpitations. Sideswipe was obscenely wealthy. “And half of it is mine now. I could pay off Rodimus’ debt.”
“He’d be all right with that?”
Sunstreaker settled into the window and pulled Starscream into his arms. It felt like it’d been too long since he’d held his Seeker, and he wanted Starscream right here, within reach.
“If he isn’t, we can go live elsewhere.” Sunstreaker, however, had the feeling Sideswipe wouldn’t mind one bit. The more the merrier, he suspected his newfound brother would say. And he’d sent pictures of the estate earlier.
There was more than enough room for Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Starscream and Rodimus to live there. Frag, it was so large, they could all four live there and probably never see one another if they didn’t want to.
“You have an answer for everything, don’t you?” Starscream asked, but he sounded more amused than petulant. “I love that about you as much as I hate it.”
Sunstreaker snorted a laugh and nuzzled his Seeker. “Is that a yes?”
“It’s a yes.” Starscream’s field settled over his, warm and affectionate and relieved. “I want to be with you. We can figure out the rest as we go.”
And there was a lot to figure out. Discussions to have. Things to arrange.
Right now, Sunstreaker didn’t worry about any of it. He only wanted to hold his Seeker and marvel at a world which finally allowed them to be together.
They’d worry about the rest tomorrow.
Together.
***
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 Eight
Starscream sat in silence for a long time after Sunstreaker left.
It was the first time Sunstreaker had ever been the one to leave. It was always Starscream who stormed out in some huff or another, seeking refuge elsewhere, leaving Sunstreaker to stew in the room he so rarely shared until Starscream came along.
No, it wasn't silence. There was music playing. Sunstreaker had been listening to the radio, to Starscream's favorite station.
His spark gave a sharp pang.
It was for the best, wasn't it? Sunstreaker could leave with his brother. He'd be healthy and whole. He'd have his family. Starscream didn't need to be a part of that.
He just wanted to be.
Why couldn't Sunstreaker see that? Of course Starscream wouldn't ask him to stay. This place wasn't good for Sunstreaker. He'd get much better care elsewhere. Starscream wanted him to go because he cared, not because he didn't.
Starscream's engine growled. His head ached. His spark hurt.
He couldn’t stay in this room right now. He was supposed to be the one allowed to storm off and seek privacy, not Sunstreaker. It felt wrong to be the one stuck here now.
Starscream left. He didn’t know where to go. He didn’t want to seek out Rodimus; he already knew what his protege would say.
The hallway was empty and deserted. It was late. Late enough all the patrons had gone, save for those paying for an overnight in one of the upper, elite rooms. Most of the escorts were tucked away in their berths.
Starscream took the lift downstairs for lack of a better option. Perhaps he could soak away the anxiety in the oil bath which would be deserted right now. But when the door opened on the bottom floor, he nearly ran into another mech on his way inside.
Drift and Starscream blinked at each other, Drift’s arms laden with various supplies no doubt pilfered from the energon pantry and Wrench’s repair cabinet. How he’d gotten those items past Wrench was a mystery. Or maybe he’d charmed Wrench into being given them, and if he had, Starscream wanted to know his secret.
“What are you doing?” Starscream asked at the same time Drift said, “Why aren’t you recharging?”
Starscream stepped off the lift so the door could close, preventing Drift from getting on it. “I asked you first.” He folded his arms, arching an orbital ridge. “Thinking of taking off in the middle of the night?”
Drift scowled. “This is for Roddy.”
Starscream stared at the supplies again. Numbing agents, paint fillers, Rodimus’ favorite energon and candies. There was a mixture of healing and spoiling in here.
His engine revved. “What did you do, Drift?”
“It wasn’t me.” Drift took a step backward, then seemed to decide he wasn’t afraid before he straightened his shoulders and stared right back at Starscream. “Rodimus’ last client got a little rowdy. I took care of the fragger, but Roddy still got a little banged up.”
Starscream whirled and slammed his hand on the lift buttons, summoning it once more. “And he didn’t ping me? Why?”
“He said you and Sunstreaker were in the middle of something, and I shouldn’t disturb you. Believe me, I wanted to.” Drift’s armor flickered in a quiet clatter. “He insisted, and I owe him too much to ignore his wishes.”
The lift dinged and Starscream stepped inside, dragging Drift and his armful of supplies with him. “This is one of those times where you shouldn’t have listened to him, stupid rookie.” Starscream jabbed the button for Rodimus’ floor. “Or at least you should’ve taken him to Wrench.”
Drift stepped up and selected the basement instead – he must have taken Rodimus back to his room instead. “I’ll remember that for next time.”
Next time.
Starscream’s insides went a little cold. It was an unfortunate reality of their employment here at Blue Sun. Yes, they had protections, but they were always after the fact, rarely were they preventatives. An escort faced injury or serious harm everyday. Some might argue they were well-compensated.
Starscream knew otherwise.
Guilt crept its way into his spark. He’d considered Nightshade’s offer as it pertained to Sunstreaker, but he hadn’t thought about Rodimus. Could he really leave his protege alone? Without any protections? If Starscream wasn’t here, Nightshade would be unlikely to visit, and Streamline wouldn’t feel the heavy optic of the law on him.
He might decide to punish Rodimus for his loss of revenue in regards to Turmoil.
Starscream couldn’t leave him to deal with that alone. Not with a clear conscience.
He followed Drift to the room the guard shared with another mech who was mysteriously absent – either out for a night on the city or on patrol outside the building. The room was tidier than Starscream would have expected, save for what was obviously Drift’s berth, where Rodimus swaddled himself into a nest.
He perked up when Drift came inside, but scowled when he spotted Starscream. “I told you not to comm him,” Rodimus said.
“He didn’t. We ran into each other,” Starscream said, placing a hand on Drift’s shoulder to stop him from retorting. “Who was it and what did they do?”
“I’m fine.” Rodimus rolled his optics. “You’re supposed to be with Sunstreaker, figuring out whatever it is that’s going on between you.”
Starscream ignored him and grabbed a corner of the mesh blanket. “Let me see.”
“No.” Rodimus tugged the blanket back around him.
“Don’t be a sparkling,” Starscream growled. He tugged again.
“Go back to Sunstreaker,” Rodimus snapped.
“You both are acting like sparklings,” Drift said as he deposited his armful on a table and moved between them, shoving a box of treats at Rodimus. “Show him, Roddy.”
“Fine.” Rodimus took the treats and tore open the box, immediately shoving a handful in his mouth. “It’s just a few scratches. I was going to see if Sunstreaker was up to fixing them in the morning, but if you’re here, I’m guessing he won’t be. What happened?”
Starscream didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled away the blankets, threw them aside, and took a look at Rodimus for himself. Scrapes. Dents. A swollen lip.
Anger broiled in Starscream’s tanks, but he swallowed it down. There were dents on Rodimus’ hips, too, and the placement was familiar. It had to have been Perforate, banned time and time again, but too rich to stay banned for long. Mechs like Rodimus were his favorite: loud, flashy, pretty.
Perforate also favored new faces, and Rodimus would still be new to someone like him, who must have recently returned from his ban. Fragger. If this was Starscream’s business, Perforate would have never stepped foot in here again.
How could he even think of leaving Rodimus alone with this?
“Give me the repair kit.” Starscream sank onto the berth next to Rodimus, pulling a dented arm into his lap with guilt suffocating his spark.
Perforate had squeezed hard enough to leave a mark, but not so hard to limit Rodimus’ motion or break an ulnar strut. He always knew how to toe the line and billed his more egregious harms as “accidents”.
“Sure.” Drift handed it over and loitered in the background unobtrusively.
Rodimus sighed. “Great. You’re making me a project again so you can ignore this thing between you and Sunny.” He shoved another handful of candies into his mouth and spoke around them. “And you think I’m the one who needs looking after.”
“There’s nothing going on,” Starscream lied.
Drift snorted and dropped into a nearby chair with a comfortable slouch. “I know I haven’t been around as long, but your field is a chaotic mess, and the only one who inspires that much in you is Sunstreaker.”
“Don’t you trust me?” Rodimus asked. And it’s unfair how he made his voice small and hurt, his optics big and round and guileless, his hand gentle where it touched Starscream’s arm.
Manipulative brat.
Starscream vented and concentrated on Rodimus’ injuries so as not to look at either of the two mechs. “It’s complicated.”
“It’s always complicated when it comes to you two. So what is it this time?” Rodimus asked with a tap to Starscream’s wrist. “Did one of you finally confess?”
“In a way.” Starscream smoothed over the worst of the dent and reached for the filler. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“It probably has to do with Sideswipe, huh?”
Starscream looked up at Rodimus and blinked. “You know about that?”
“Kind of?” Rodimus shrugged and shoved another handful of candies into his mouth. “You know how this place is. The only thing that travels faster than rumor is the clap. I heard Sideswipe tried to buy Sunstreaker.”
Starscream frowned. “I can see how it might have been interpreted in that manner, but no. Sideswipe did not try to buy Sunstreaker. He’s Sunstreaker’s long lost twin.”
Rodimus cycled his optics. “Come again?”
“You heard me.” Starscream gave him a wry look. “And yes, I know. It sounds like a lurid romance novel the likes of which you both are fond of reading, but two medics confirm it -- including Wrench. They are split-spark twins.”
Rodimus whistled. “And Sideswipe is rich, too. Like stupid rich. I’ll bet he wants Sunstreaker to come home, right?”
“Wouldn’t you?” Drift asked.
“Well, yeah. But what does Sunny think about it?” Rodimus asked.
“He hasn’t decided.” Starscream finished the filler, setting it aside. Sunstreaker would have to fix Rodimus’ paint. He settled for idly massaging Rodimus’ cables, which had to be sore. “I told him he should go.”
“Of course you did.” Rodimus groaned and gently banged his head on the wall. He covered his optics with his free hand. “Primus, I just want to knock your heads together.”
Starscream glared. “I’m not going to ask him to stay here. That’s stupid. He needs to be with his twin, where he can be taken care of.”
“You know, nothing’s stopping you from going with him,” Drift pointed out.
Starscream flicked his wings. “I’m not going to invite myself where I’m not wanted.”
“You’re an idiot if you think you’re not wanted.” Rodimus poked him in the forehead and scampered out of the way before Starscream could retaliate. Clearly, he was feeling much better. “Did you think you were going to tell him to leave and he’d do it with a smile knowing you’re still here?”
Starscream sat back, folding his legs beneath him. “I wasn’t going to stay either,” he said quietly and dragged his palm down his face. “Nightshade offered a Contract. I was going to take it but now… I can’t.”
“Why not?” Drift asked.
“Obviously because I can’t leave Rodimus by himself,” Starscream snapped, gesturing to Rodimus and his injuries with a sharp flick of his wrist. “If I leave, and I take Nightshade’s patronage, what little protection Rodimus has from Turmoil’s wrath goes with me.”
Rodimus tiptoed back into reach, settling down with a faint wince. “Don’t I get a say in what I want?”
“Of course you do,” Drift was quick to say, and he shot Starscream a look before he continued, “I think Starscream is just worried about you.”
Rodimus snorted. “Well, he doesn’t have to be. Neither of you do,” he added with a point to each of them. “I can take care of myself. I have patrons now. I have income and since you’re still determined to give me half your pay, I’m making strides in what I owe.”
“You deserve more than half,” Drift muttered.
“We already had this talk, shut up,” Rodimus shot back before he looked at Starscream. “Stop worrying about me. What do you want to do? Be with Sunstreaker, right?”
“It’s not that--”
“Don’t give me that pitslag,” Rodimus interrupted with such a strong tone, Starscream was taken aback.
Rodimus set his jaw, drawing himself straight, every inch the Dom-in-training Sunstreaker was making him. “You love Sunstreaker. Don’t lie and tell me you don’t because that’s a waste of a good vent. You love him; he loves you. So fragging tell him already.”
“You miss every chance you don’t take,” Drift added, and pain flickered into his face before he smoothed it out. “Don’t do something you’re going to regret for the rest of your functioning. We live too long for that.”
He knew Rodimus was right.
He wanted Sunstreaker to go only because it would mean happiness and health for Sunstreaker. He wanted both for Sunstreaker more than anything. Even if that meant he couldn’t be in Sunstreaker’s life.
“Come on. Let me see at least one happy ending, please?” Rodimus said. “You two have done so much for me. I want to see you finally get together.”
Starscream rubbed his forehead. “I know you’re right,” he admitted, albeit grudgingly.
“Of course I am.” Rodimus held himself up straight, luxuriating in his earned cockiness. “So get out of here. I’m fine. I’ve got Drift. You need to find Sunny and set things straight.” He even had the audacity to flick his hands at Starscream. “Shoo.”
“Fine.” Starscream stood and leaned in toward Rodimus, planting a kiss on his forehead. “Call me if you need me.”
“I won’t,” Rodimus said, but that didn’t stop him from snagging the back of Starscream’s head and tugging him back close enough for a real kiss, the naughty tease. “Go get him, Star. Make him yours.”
“I will,” Starscream murmured. “I promise.”
Rodimus grinned and patted his cheek. “Good boy.”
In the end, Sunstreaker returned to his suite. He had nowhere else to go, and Sideswipe’s reassurances had gone far to calm him. Whatever else happened with Starscream, he had a brother now, and a home.
Sideswipe was right. He couldn’t leave until he was sure, otherwise he’d spend the rest of his life wondering ‘what if’.
Sunstreaker paused outside his own door and hesitated. He didn’t know what awaited him on the other side. He wasn’t a coward, however. He could face whatever lay in store for he and Starscream.
Sunstreaker sucked in a slow, steadying vent and keyed open the door. The soft whiff of incense floated to his nose, and his forehead furrowed. Was Rodimus here with Drift? It wouldn’t be the first time.
He stepped inside, to a room gently lit from various lamps rather than the overhead. Soft music played from Starscream’s stereo as though he’d never turned it off.
This was not quite what Sunstreaker expected.
Starscream was curled in the window nook, but he looked up as Sunstreaker entered, setting aside the datapad which had held his focus.
“Welcome back,” he said. There was no trace of anger in his face, in the jut of his wings, just a sort of wariness, which Sunstreaker could understand. He held it, too.
“We need to talk,” Sunstreaker said, and then flinched, because that came out harsher than he meant. “I mean actually talk. About the things we need to say.”
Starscream pressed his lips together and nodded before he shifted, making room for Sunstreaker to join him in the windowseat. “We’re not good at that, but we should try.”
Sunstreaker sat down, glancing briefly out the window at the dark of simulated night, streets emptier than the day cycle but the occasional wanderer still visible. Distant roils on the horizon suggested they were in for an acid storm. Business would be down, which meant Streamline would have everyone cleaning.
A boring day. No one would miss either he or Starscream if they decided to take a rest.
“How’s Rodimus?” Sunstreaker asked.
Starscream chuckled. “You know me so well.” His optics looked a little haunted, his lips easing out of the smile. “Streamline let Perforate come back.”
Sunstreaker flinched. “How bad?”
“Security stepped in, probably because Drift keeps such a close optic on Roddy. Superficial damage on the outside but…” Starscream lifted a helpless shoulder. “That’s the life we lead.”
“It doesn’t have to be. Not anymore,” Sunstreaker said, his spark starting to throb hard as the enormity of what he was about to do sent pulses of anxiety through his lines. “We can leave. Both of us.”
Starscream gave him a wry look. “Haven’t we had that conversation before?”
“No, we never actually talked about it. Besides, circumstances have changed.”
“Yeah, you have a rich twin now.” Starscream shifted, his hand inching close, like he wanted to bridge the distance but didn’t dare.
Touching each other used to be a matter of course. Now it felt like a tentative thing neither of them were sure of. Sunstreaker hated that, hated they’d come to this.
Sideswipe was right. He had to be sure. He couldn’t be left wondering if there was anything to salvage or not.
“And I have creds of my own. Or will anyway. Soon as the paperwork comes through.” Sunstreaker shrugged, trying to play off the enormity of what Sideswipe was doing for him. “You’re right. I should go.”
Starscream’s mouth lifted in a half-smile, his wings drooping. “Glad you see things my way, though I think it’s the first time I’ve ever heard you say I was right.”
“I want you to come with me,” Sunstreaker said, and he swore he could hear his spark pulsing in his audials, so fast was it spinning. “I want to go, but I don’t want to go without you.”
Starscream sighed where Sunstreaker expected a flicker of anger. “That’s kind of you, but I really can take care of myself. You don’t have to take pity on me.”
“It’s not pity, you idiot.”
Sunstreaker grabbed his hand, Starscream’s hesitation bedamned, and Starscream’s optics widened by fractals, his true reaction betrayed by the upwards flick of his wings, the flare of his armor.
“I love you,” Sunstreaker said, and it was the scariest thing he’d ever done, admitting this truth he’d been harboring so deep in his spark. “I love you, and I want to be with you. If you don’t want that, fine, but I’m saying it now.”
Starscream’s vents hitched. “If I don’t want that?” he repeated faintly. His hand squeezed Sunstreaker’s tightly, enough for metal to creak. “Who’s the idiot now? Has all that polish damaged your processor? I love you, too!”
“You’re the one trying your damndest to push me away, how was I supposed to know?” Sunstreaker demanded.
“For your own sake, not because I didn’t want you!” Starscream snapped as he tugged Sunstreaker closer, curling his free hand around the back of Sunstreaker’s neck. “I’d have gone with Nightshade the moment he asked if I didn’t love you so much!”
“You should have gone!” Sunstreaker spluttered, emotions zipping within him too fact for him to nail down a single one. “You deserve so much more than this place.”
“So do you!”
“Then why the frag are we even arguing!?”
Starscream growled, his fingers digging into the back of Sunstreaker’s neck. “Because you’re too damn stubborn,” he snarled and dragged Sunstreaker in for a kiss, their mouths smacking together without any grace.
Sunstreaker grabbed Starscream’s face, cradling it in both hands, keeping him close as he deepened the kiss, pouring all of his emotions and frustrations and relief into the press of their mouths, the clash of their energy fields.
“I’m leaving, and you’re coming with me,” Sunstreaker said as he pressed his forehead to Starscream’s, leaving no room for argument. “You’ve worked hard. Let me help you now.”
Indecision wavered in Starscream’s field – pride and guilt warring – before relief won out. “Fine,” he said, though it was grudging. “If you think Sideswipe won’t mind.”
“It’s not up to him. It’s up to me.” Sunstreaker held Starscream’s face, thumb sweeping over his cheeks. “We can live on our own, if you want but…”
“But you want to get to know your brother,” Starscream finished, and it was with a fond smile this time. “Fine. We’ll leave with him as long as we have the option to leave, it works for me.”
Relief flooded Sunstreaker’s frame. He sagged a little and rested his forehead on Starscream’s clavicular strut. “I didn’t want to go without you.”
“I didn’t want you to go either, but that was the selfishness in me.” Starscream stroked the nape of his neck, his shoulders, tracing familiar transformation seams. “I’m worried though.”
Sunstreaker sat back, cocking his head. “About what?”
“Rodimus.”
Sunstreaker frowned.
To be fair, he worried about the brat, too. He’d grown attached to Rodimus, and if he and Starscream were both gone, there’d be no one to look after him. Drift didn’t count. He had no sway with Streamline, who owned Rodimus’ debt and could use that to his advantage. It was no secret he held little fondness for Rodimus.
“He told me not to worry about him. He wants me to leave with you, but…” Starscream gnawed on his bottom lip, wings drifting back down again. “I feel responsible for him now. I don’t want to leave him here.”
The answer was so obvious Sunstreaker didn’t know why it hadn’t occurred to him before.
“Then we take him with us,” he said with a shrug. Besides, wouldn’t it be the best vengeance against Streamline? All three of them leaving at once?
Primus, Sunstreaker couldn’t wait to see the look on his face.
Starscream cycled his optics. “What? Are you serious?”
“Do you have any idea how rich Sideswipe is?” Sunstreaker asked, because just thinking about it gave himself spark palpitations. Sideswipe was obscenely wealthy. “And half of it is mine now. I could pay off Rodimus’ debt.”
“He’d be all right with that?”
Sunstreaker settled into the window and pulled Starscream into his arms. It felt like it’d been too long since he’d held his Seeker, and he wanted Starscream right here, within reach.
“If he isn’t, we can go live elsewhere.” Sunstreaker, however, had the feeling Sideswipe wouldn’t mind one bit. The more the merrier, he suspected his newfound brother would say. And he’d sent pictures of the estate earlier.
There was more than enough room for Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Starscream and Rodimus to live there. Frag, it was so large, they could all four live there and probably never see one another if they didn’t want to.
“You have an answer for everything, don’t you?” Starscream asked, but he sounded more amused than petulant. “I love that about you as much as I hate it.”
Sunstreaker snorted a laugh and nuzzled his Seeker. “Is that a yes?”
“It’s a yes.” Starscream’s field settled over his, warm and affectionate and relieved. “I want to be with you. We can figure out the rest as we go.”
And there was a lot to figure out. Discussions to have. Things to arrange.
Right now, Sunstreaker didn’t worry about any of it. He only wanted to hold his Seeker and marvel at a world which finally allowed them to be together.
They’d worry about the rest tomorrow.
Together.
