Soooo, I was rereading GaGS, and it really bothered me that I was shipping this awful relationship between an emotionally and sometimes physically abusive mech with my main OC, so I fixed it, and I will be fixing it in my main GaGS fic moving forward. Megatron's treatment of Novashine in GaGS raises some huge red flags, and ladies, if a guy ever treats you like that, even if you think he's your "soul mate," please dump his ass and escape while you can. (Hashtag: lesson learned)

"This is a bad idea," Sunstreaker grumbled, not for the first time that evening. This time, the response was an aggravated growl from the femme seated on their shared berth beside him and a muted feeling of concern and humor from his twin across their bond.

"I know, Sunstreaker," the gold and white femme snapped as she waxed her plating a little more aggressively than she had been earlier. A snort of amusement rose from the across the room where Sideswipe was leaning against a vanity. His bright blue optics were locked on the two bots currently seated side-by-side in identical positions: right leg crossed over the left knee at the ankle, bent over with a waxing cloth. The pot of wax was currently resting in between the two of them, precariously close to the edge.

"I'm just saying, if anybot says something—" Sunstreaker started again, only to be cut off by an irritated, "You can fraggin' stab them! Just stop whining for at least a breem!"

As much as it amused him, Sideswipe couldn't agree more with the irate upper-caste femme. The morning had gone fairly well, in his humble opinion. This was probably due to a combination of happenstances, the foremost of which being that Novashine had nothing planned for the morning, so Sideswipe was treated to a snuggle session, which always made his day. Sunstreaker had even gotten in on it, cradling the femme as close to his chest as he could. Warm fuzzies flitted back and forth through the bond, though he knew Sunstreaker would deny it. On top of all that joy, Novashine's aft of a mech creator had left earlier in the cycle to take care of some sort of senatorial business that Sideswipe cared nothing about. However, with the mech gone before they rose, they were free to intake their energon together with Novashine's femme creator, Gemstone, whom Sideswipe was really starting to like.

Novashine hadn't particularly felt like getting out that solar cycle, citing her last encounter outside with the twins as her reasoning. That was A-okay with Sideswipe! He talked her into a horror holovid and was treated to – yep, you guessed it! – another cuddle session. Sunstreaker was not as fluffy with that one, far to busy tearing the plot apart to hold the less-than-enthused femme. Once again, that was perfectly fine with Sideswipe. He ignored the amused glances that she sent his way just as much as Sunny ignored her glares anytime he opened his mouth. Instead, the red twin simply wrapped his arm around her, pressing her firmly into his side. If she laid her helm on his shoulder, he didn't comment, just as she stayed quiet when he pressed his lips momentarily to her helm.

Yep, it had been a pretty fraggin' awesome cycle.

Of course, as the solar cycle progressed toward the first lunar cycle, Sunstreaker's anxiety began to leak through the bond. At first, Sideswipe had paid little attention to it. As the night went on, though…

The wash and wax was Nova's idea. A night like tonight, the first night where Sunstreaker would be formally introduced to the members of the elite Circle, called for the best wax Iacon could offer. Sideswipe had turned down the offer graciously, opting instead to stand off to the side and watch the two most important bots in his life primp for the coming party.

"So what exactly are we expected to do at this thing?" the red bodyguard asked, honestly curious. Novashine hadn't really revealed much aside from the fact that Sunstreaker would meet some fairly important bots that could move his career along a little easier. The femme grinned at Sideswipe mischievously.

"Stand there and look mysterious," she responded, her voice purposefully airy. Sunstreaker snorted, gaining the femme's delighted attention.

"We're fraggin' gladiators. How the frag am I supposed to be mysterious?" he growled as he finished up his leg. Golden armor shined brilliantly, buffed to perfection and waxed until Sunny could see his own reflection in it, and Sideswipe felt foreign pride mix with his own in his spark. His brother was a magnificent being, and moments like this always reminded him of that fact. Other moments like watching Sunny tear off a mech's arm and beat the mech senseless with it also brought up this feeling. It was a very complex and versatile emotion.

"You just be you, and I think you'll be fine," Novashine responded sardonically, her grin fading into a smirk. Sunstreaker gave her a sideways glance, but didn't deign to answer. Instead, he stalked across the room to glare at himself in the mirror, turning his frame this way and that like a vain femme getting ready for her first ball.

'Frag you,' Sunstreaker hissed to his brother over their twin link, no doubt catching his previous thoughts. It wasn't like Sideswipe was putting extra effort into shielding them. Instead, the red twin simply grinned at his brother and responded with chipper, 'No, thanks! I'm saving myself for bonding.'

'Cuz you've been so chaste the last few vorns,' Sunny snorted, meeting his brother's gaze in the mirror. Sideswipe's grin morphed into a smirk.

'Well, now that we've got someone to save ourselves for…' the mech purred, turning his pale blue optics sideways toward the femme still working at the plating on her leg. Sideswipe had no doubts that Sunstreaker caught the craving thoughts that flitted through his processor at the sight of the femme seated on the berth, her back curving deliciously as she finished up on her plating and started cleaning up the waxing supplies. Sunstreaker's gaze moved to the femme in the mirror, and a sense of protective possessiveness leaked through the bond.

The femme didn't even know what she was doing to them as she hopped off the berth and lifted her arms above her frame in a deep stretch. Her plating flexed with her movements, revealing tantalizing peaks at the gray cables and silver wiring hidden beneath that white painted metal. The golden accents on her frame made Sunstreaker's spark thrum a little faster, the ball of energy telling his processor that she wore the color for him. Of course, his logic core beat that notion back, retorting that she had worn that color long before she had met him.

Sideswipe, for his part, worked pretty well at controlling his response to the femme's movements. He could sense when Sunstreaker's cooling vents flicked on to combat his heating internal systems as they rose with his arousal. Primus, and they were supposed to recharge with this femme. The gladiator-turned-bodyguard suddenly shook the thoughts from his processor as he shifted his weight off the vanity and fully onto his wheeled pedes. Focusing on things like that would just make his job harder, and after everything he'd been through with this femme, he didn't want to chance losing his new position over something as trivial as him not being able to keep his hands to himself.

'Easy enough said,' Sunstreaker grumbled sardonically. 'Let's see how you do tonight.'*

"You ready to head out, Nove?" Sideswipe questioned, pointedly ignoring his brother's taunt. The femme dropped her arms back to her sides, onlining her optics as she beamed at the red mech. Sideswipe had to shove away the sudden urge to kiss her as she responded with an excited, "Yeah!"

'Primus, we're doomed,' Sideswipe breathed as the femme moved out of the room in front of him. Sunstreaker's laughter echoed off the empty hall, and despite Novashine's demands, he refused to tell her what made him laugh.

So yeah... i kinda really, really ship Sunny/Nova/Sides now. Hope y'all do too! :D

*Sides has already recharged with her, but at this point, he's really starting to realize his emotions and, um, carnal feelings for her, so recharging with her is getting more difficult.