Sharing a Moment

Sharing a Moment

They may have been annoying to most of the members of the Ark, but there was no denying that Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were a very unique pair of Autobots.
The obvious reason was due to the fact that they were twin brothers; a rarity amongst Cybertronians…so rare in fact, that it’s rumored only one pair of twins exist in every generation.
The other reason, albeit known only by inner circles and close friends, was that the two Lamborghinis shared everything.
They shared the same occupation.
They shared the same shifts.
They shared the same room.
They shared the same tastes in pranks (much to the chargin of their comrades).
They shared the same type of alternate vehicle mode.
They shared their battle scars.

And due to the split that needs to occur in order to create twins, they even shared the same spark.

All things said, one begins to wonder if they tire of sharing EVERYthing…
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All was hushed in the Twins’ quarters, save for the sounds of writings being scribbled and a mech’s gentle snoring.  By Earth hours, it was nearly two in the morning, and all the Ark’s residents had long since gone to recharge.  Only Sideswipe was still awake, and dutifully writing his annual reports, surprisingly.  He normally turned a blind optic to such boring matters, but too many times of procrastinating now landed both he and his brother long past the due date.  So here he was; a stack of books and data pads next to him; filling out forgotten and over due reports for tomorrow, lest he and his twin be sent to the brig again by an over-frustrated Prowl.
Speaking of his brother, Sunstreaker had been sharing the work load with him…emphasis on the word “HAD”.  But too many hours past his recharge cycle, coupled with boring subject matter, had the yellow Lambo asleep for the past half hour.  He was now settled against his red counterpart, using him as a makeshift pillow; snoring away during his trip through the land of nod.  His only evidence of any work being done was a report lying on the desk; his log turning into flower and sun doodles as a product of sheer boredom.
But Sides didn’t mind in the least, even if he was left to do the work himself.  He just liked having his brother around so he wouldn’t feel so alone in the quiet.  Stiffening a yawn, the prankster cast a glance at his brother; smiling as he watched him shift and mumble something in his sleep…it was so rare to be able to share in the tender moments…
A tremendous amount of pain suddenly ran through his body, and pierced his back like a bolt!  So instantaneous was the shock, that Sideswipe barely had time to gasp, much less figure out what was happening.  His hands shot out by sheer instinct, griping anything there was on the desk, but although he could feel the books and data pads still, an entirely different image flashed across his optics-laser fire, and a frightening bolt of lightning.
It was over before he could comprehend that he’d sprung up in a panic…which caused him to trip over his chair and also startle Sunstreaker rather roughly awake.  But it wasn’t until he felt a hand behind his head that he finally opened his optics, only to find himself lying on the floor of his room, being cradled in the arms of his brother.  And any pain he had felt had left him as quickly as it came.  The Twins stared at each other for a long, uneasy moment…until…
“Are you okay, bro?” asked Sunny; worry all over his face.
The red Lambo gazed off into space, searching for words, but coming up short.  So, instead, his twin continued onward, “What the frag happened to you?”
At that point, the yellow mech was helping his counterpart to his feet, albeit rather shakily, for the prankster was still calculating if he had all his wits about him.  The first thing Sides started to reach for was the desk chair he so graciously fell out of, but his brother silently pushed him toward his berth; eyeing the wall clock that blared 2:45 a.m.  With no strength to argue, the red Lambo promptly plopped down in his berth; optics practically burning through the floor as he tried to catch his panicked breath.
Sunstreaker was quick to take a seat next to him; eyeing him up and down all the while.  Another tense silence was shared between the two, with Sideswipe appearing as if he’d seen a ghost.  But finally, the yellow Lambo leaned in a tad with an inquiring look, “Sides…?”
The prankster’s frightened optics slowly shifted toward his brother…staring almost INTO him rather than AT him.  With a shaky breath, he practically whispered, “…I feel like I just got shot…”
His twin could only blink in confusion, “W-what…?!”
“…in the back…” the red mech finished.
The next statement only made the yellow mech even more baffled, “W-wha-? No, you didn’t!  I was laying right next to you!”  He motioned toward the desk for emphasis, “No one’s been in here.”  When the red mech shook his head, he added, “It’s just you and me.”
Disbelieving, Sides tiredly put his head in his hands and sighed, “Am I hurt?”
One of Sunny’s optics widened; the equivalent to raising an eyebrow, and he promptly leaned back in his seat to have a look at his brother’s back…and found nothing.
“Nope”, he answered, “Not a scratch…wish I could say the same for me.” He then glanced at a dink in his armor, “I’m overdue for a new paint job.”
The red twin groaned in annoyance, “Can we please get back to the issue here?”
“Well, what happened?!” Sunny snapped.
“I don’t know!” Sideswipe yelled.  But he was quick to lower his voice, remembering his recharging comrades, “I-I don’t know…”  A sigh and pause as he searched for an explanation, “I was working…on the reports…and…all of a sudden…there was just this…pain…”
“Down your back?” his twin stated; more as a clarification than an actual question.
The red Lambo didn’t turn, but still nodded his head, as if he were assuring himself, “Y-yeah; down my back…”
The yellow mech blinked a few times before leaning in a little more; his full interest now perked, “Well…did you SEE anything?”
There was another long pause as Sideswipe rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to think.  Granted, the image was still fresh in his mind…but he needed time to consider if it was real or not.  It sure as heck felt real…and yet, he wasn’t hurt…and for some odd reason, he just couldn’t quite place the event of ever happening to him.  Now, he was a part of more than a hundred battles in his lifetime, and naturally, he couldn’t remember every single one…but he’d definitely be able to remember an injury like that.  But how could he see something so clearly, and yet know somewhere in his spark that the image wasn’t necessarily a specific memory…more like a feeling…
“…laser fire and a lightening bolt…” he finally replied; tiredly rubbing his optics.
When a long moment went by without any answer from his brother, Sides finally turned to face him, only to find that Sunstreaker was now staring at him…rather eerily.
The red Lambo’s optics darted about, “W-what? Did I say the secret word?”
Sunny blinked once more; drawing in a sharp intake of air, before starting, “…Sides…how long was I recharging?”
The red mech stared in confusion, “Um…by Earth time, ‘bout a half hour…why?”
The yellow Lambo’s gaze shifted to the floor as he tried to make words, “I…um…h-had a dream…was dreaming…”
Not seeing the point, his brother just shrugged, “Okaay…but…”
“-of a battle I was in.” Sunny suddenly spit out; his head and optics snapping up to full attention, “…it was a long time ago, but…”
The sentence was never finished, and it didn’t have to be, for Sideswipe’s optics widened as large as saucers as a rather scary realization dawned.  The two brothers starred at each other seemingly for forever as they tried to fathom the event that just occurred.  The red mech tried to look anywhere but at his brother…but his optics just couldn’t look away from the hint of fear in his face-a rarity for the yellow twin…and it made him all the more frightened.  The dreaming, their sparks…it all made sense…
Sides started to shakily raise his hand to point, “…I-I think w-we just...”
“…should go to recharge and leave all this slaggin’ work for tomorrow”, Sunny finished for him; rather hastily.
The red twin blinked a few times at the change in subject matter…and this time, it was for the better.  With a quick breath of, “Y-yeah, yeah; leave it for tomorrow”, both he and his counterpart sprung up, rather unnaturally, and made haste in packing up all the books, data pads, and reports.  With a swift hand, and a flick of the lights, Sides was back on his recharge birth in an instant; lying on his stomach and face buried in his arms, attempting to shut out the remaining images from his mind.
There was a long, uneasy silence…and then the red mech could slowly feel the gentle caress of a hand on his head.  Smirking a tad, he knew it was only his brother, in one of his rare moments of concern and tenderness.  Within the inky blackness, Sunny also smiled when his twin leaned into his embrace; a sign of a strong bond that could never be broken…or seen by the others…
His voice slurred from being lulled to sleep, Sideswipe muttered, “…hey bro?”
“Yeah?” his twin inquired; not ceasing his calming motions.
There was a pause, and then, “Do ya’ ever get tired of sharing everything?”

Although he gave it a lot of thought, Sunstreaker never formed an answer…only continued to lull his brother as he starred off into the darkness…the darkness of the room they always shared.