[TF] Uncharted Territory 02/28
Jul. 4th, 2019 06:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dracoqueen22Title: Uncharted Territory
Universe: Transformers AR, Flights of Fancy AU
Characters: Blurr/Starscream, Original Human Character(s), Sari Sumdac, Miko Nakadai, Ratchet, Megatron, Rodimus, Red Alert, Others
Rated: M
Enticements: Sexual Content, Harpy/Human Sexual Content
Summary: There were a lot of things Blurr knew with great certainty: his path, his future, his happiness. Then Starscream swooped into his life and turned everything upside down in the best possible way.
Uncharted Territory
Chapter Two
The first time they met, Starscream nearly cost Blurr a spot on the team for the Spring Invitationals. He’d been in the midst of the qualifiers, on his last heat of the day, and for once, Blurr was actually trying to heed the advice of his coach.
He lagged, comfortably in third, enough to qualify, but not enough to outshine his fellow runners. It went against every fiber of his being, but it was important to make a statement. Blurr would win, he would always win, but it wouldn’t be because he was going all out. He always had to save a little something. Just in case.
When he ran, Blurr blocked out everything else. He focused on the rhythm of his feet, the rhythm of his breathing, the sun on his face and the top of his head, the sweat trickling down and pooling in the small of his back. He blocked out the sounds of the cheering crowd, Coach Sylvester yelling instructions. He even ignored the weird shadow overhead.
He had one focus, one goal, and it was the finish line.
By the time he realized the colorful mass planted squarely in the middle of his lane was real and not a heat mirage, it was too late to stop. Blurr barreled right into a feathery wall that smelled like blackberries. It bounced him back and knocked the breath out of him. Something grabbed his shoulders, keeping him from falling.
Dazed, Blurr looked up into a pretty face. Smiling. Framed by feathers and stained pink and was that a beaked nose?
“Hi!” It chirped, and its eyes were a very bright red. Like cherries. But very human, too.
Blurr blinked, his mind spinning. He was still in compete mode, and a part of him felt very much he was supposed to be running. “Hi…?”
Whistles shrieked, and Blurr winced. People yelled. Shoes stomped across the ground, while the world spun dizzily around Blurr. But the weight on his shoulders was warm, and the pretty bird kept smiling at him.
Someone shouted his name. It was probably Coach. She had a bellow that could sound for miles.
A crowd surrounded Blurr. Too many people pressed in on his personal space, and he instinctively shied away from them, but also closer to the birdman. Why? He wasn’t sure.
He was snatched away, whirled into his coach’s clutches. Ms. Sylvester grabbed his bare shoulders with cold hands, her pale blue eyes inches from his own.
“Blurr! Are. You. All. Right?” She gave him a little shake, like she was trying to rattle some sense into him.
Blurr blinked out of his daze, sound and sensation rushing in on the tail end of a dull roar. “What? Yeah. I’m fine.” Why wouldn’t he be? He rubbed at his nose, the lingering scent of berries clinging to him. “What happened?”
“You ran into an overgrown bird, that’s what!” Coach Sylvester gave him another shake, her face flushed with anger.
“Oh.” He crinkled his brow and tried to look around, but there was a sea of people crowding them, and more whistles added to the din. “Did I win?”
Coach Sylvester gave an allmighty sigh. “You didn’t finish, Blurr.”
“Oh. That’s not good.” He felt disconnected from it all. There were jitters in his legs, in his knees, and he knew what the problem was. He hadn’t come down from his runner’s high properly.
“No, it’s not.” Coach squeezed his shoulders and slid her hands free. “But lucky for you, they called interference. So the last heat isn’t going to count. That means you’re in.”
“I am?” Blurr craned his neck.
Interference. The colorful wall. Feathers. A harpy. Blurr had heard of the harpies. He knew the university was right next to an aerie. But he’d never actually seen one. He didn’t know they could be so big.
Or so pretty.
Feathers stuck out above the crowd. The harpy was surrounded by people, too, and they seemed to be shooing it away, further from where Blurr stood. Or swayed rather. Primus, he needed to sit down. Or get a drink of water. Or do his cool down stretches.
A cold hand pressed to the back of Blurr’s forehead. “You sure you’re okay, speed racer?”
“I’m fine.” Blurr frowned and nudged the hand away. “I’m just… I didn’t come out of the zone properly.”
“Right. Your zone,” Coach Sylvester drawled and then sighed, dramatically pressing the back of her hand to her own forehead. “You’ll be the death of me some day, kid. I think you should see a doctor. Just in case.”
In case of what? He’d collided with a harpy. He hadn’t hit the ground. He hadn’t tripped.
“I’m fine,” Blurr insisted, only to shiver when a gust of wind caught the sweat drying on his body. His legs ached. Everything ached.
Coach Sylvester frowned. Her eyes narrowed. “Let me just make sure,” she said. “I can’t have my gold medal favorite suffering. Otherwise, one giant chicken is about to get plucked.” She twisted her head, glaring over her shoulder in the direction of the vanishing crown of red and blue feathers.
Blurr scrunched his forehead. “Huh?” Sometimes, he swore his coach didn’t make sense.
“Never mind. Let’s go.” Coach grabbed his elbow and started marching him off the track, her grip as unyielding as iron. “Becky! Keep an eye on the rest for me, will you? I gotta take Mr. Third Place here to the doc!”
“Got it, Coach!”
Becky, the assistant coach, tossed two thumbs up in their direction, grinning all the while. She whirled and started barking at the other runners. The relay race was going to start soon, and luckily, Blurr wasn’t a participant. He could, he just didn’t want to. He’d never been much of a team player.
“And call me if anything happens!” Coach added over her shoulder, her grip more bruising than whatever colliding with the harpy had caused.
“I know!” Becky rolled her eyes and brandished her clipboard at Mickey, who had a bad habit of getting lazy with her stretches and as a result, whining about sore muscles later.
Coach pulled Blurr across the grass, the other half of the track, and under the bleachers into the locker rooms. She marched Blurr all the way through and out the other side without a moment’s pause. He barely had enough time to snag his jacket off the coat rack, one sleeve catching the hook and sending it clattering to the floor behind them.
Coach didn’t pause.
“I’m fine!” Blurr insisted.
He didn’t dig in his heels. It was pointless. Coach was taller, stronger, and she held his life in her hands. Literally. She could make or break him, take away his scholarship or wheedle the sports board to give him more money.
“What? You afraid of doctors or something?”
“No. But--”
“No buts.” Coach squeezed his wrist and gave him a high-browed look. “It’s my ass on the line if you’re broken.”
Blurr sighed.
At least he’d qualified.
~
If that had been the end of it, they wouldn’t be where they were now. Blurr would have never seen Starscream again and vice versa. It would have just been a weird interaction he could pass off as a weird story to tell to his friends.
But it wasn’t. The end of it, he meant.
Blurr left the clinic with a clean bill of health and an updated tetanus vaccine. Coach Sylvester had insisted, after the doctor found two small punctures, one on each shoulder. They’d barely bled, and didn’t hurt, but the sight of them had Coach screeching about diseases and rabies and tetanus.
Doctor Sykes had slapped a smiley band-aid over each puncture. He’d drawn the line at a rabies shot, thank Primus, but had bent in the face of Coach’s wrath when it came down to the tetanus booster.
“There are absolutely zero recorded instances of a harpy carrying, displaying, or infecting any creature with rabies, much less a human,” he’d said. “Absolutely not.”
Coach had all but breathed fire from her nose, and had put her foot down. She bristled like a woman who knew how to wield power.
For a second, Blurr wondered if there was going to be a rumble, with him caught in the middle.
In the end, Blurr walked out with a tetanus booster and discharge orders to rest, though Doctor Sykes had whispered the latter weren’t really necessary, but to please spare him the drama. Blurr nodded sagely and clasped the doctor’s hand.
He narrowly escaped getting dropped off at his front door. Coach had worried her lower lip into almost bleeding. She’d probably had visions of gold medals rusting into silver, or worse, bronze. Thank Primus Blurr lived on campus and a five minute walk – downhill at that – from the clinic.
It was late afternoon, and there was a slight chill in the air. The sky was heavy and darkening quickly, hinting to a rainstorm. Blurr shoved his hands in his jacket pocket and mourned the joggers he’d left in his locker. His bare legs prickled.
On the sidewalk, he turned to the left. Behind him, the giant oak tree rustled. It was not a wind-related rustle, despite the wind picking up in speed and intensity. It was too deliberate for that.
Blurr paused. He narrowed a look over his shoulder. A single, dark-blue feather fluttered to the ground.
He hesitated for all of a moment before he turned and retrieved the feather. He picked it up, holding it by the base, spinning it around and around in his fingers.
Leaves rustled again. Branches creaked. A large shape dropped out of the tree right in front of him. Fully feathered with bright red eyes and at least two heads taller than Blurr. It was a very familiar, very pretty face, especially if you ignored the beaked nose.
It stared at Blurr. It was the same harpy from earlier.
Blurr stared back. He shoved the feather into his pocket. “Are you stalking me?” he asked.
“Kind of?” The harpy had a scratchy voice, like he’d smoked one too many cartons of cigarettes. “But only because I wanted to apologize. I’m sorry I messed up your race.”
“The one you should really apologize to is my coach. She’s furious.” Blurr shoved his hands back in his pockets, hunching his shoulders to burrow into his coat. “Why’d you do that anyway?”
The harpy ducked his head. “I was curious. I wanted to talk to you. And you weren’t winning anyway.”
Blurr snorted. “Yeah. That was kind of the point.” He shifted his weight. Goosebumps rose on his bare legs.
The harpy blinked. “What?”
“It’s strategy.” Blurr put emphasis on the last word. He leaned forward. “Normally, I’m faster than everyone out there, but Coach says we shouldn’t let them know that yet. It makes the newbies more confident, and the slaggers overconfident.”
“Mmm.” The harpy held his hands together, fingers tangled. “Complicated.”
“Not really.” Blurr rocked on his heels. He wasn’t much for standing still, especially with that cutting breeze. “So what are you anyway?”
The harpy reared back, head feathers tilted forward. “I’m a harpy.” He quirked a feathery eyebrow and gestured to his entire body.
Blurr rolled his eyes. “Duh. I meant, you know. Who are you? Most people call me Blurr.”
“Because you run fast?” The harpy laughed, and it was a surprisingly human sound. Maybe even charming. “I’m Starscream.”
Blurr smirked. “Oh, do you scream at the night sky then?”
Starscream grinned, showing off pointed canines. Not as sharp as a dog’s but more than a human’s for sure. “No. It’s a rough translation. It’s more like ‘one who looks to the stars and dreams.’”
“Ohhh. Poetic.”
“Sometimes.”
Blurr chewed on his bottom lip. He shifted his weight again, rubbing his now chilled legs together. The wind whipped his hair into his face, and the sky grew even more ominous.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you and all that.” He took a small step backward. “Though maybe next time we do, it’s not in the middle of a race?”
The sky rumbled, loud enough to rattle Blurr’s bones. He glanced up, saw flashes in the distance, and it was dark enough now it felt more dusk than late afternoon. Great.
A fat raindrop chose that moment to splash on his forehead, sliding cold across his face. He needed to get home before he caught a cold. Or Coach might just kill him. He’d never hear the end of it.
Starscream looked up as well. “Damn,” he muttered, and his head feathers flattened. He seemed to pull into himself, making him look smaller.
“Can’t harpies fly in the rain?” Blurr asked.
“We can. It’s just not fun or easy.” He flinched as the sky lit up with a jagged burst of lightning, too far to be outright dangerous, but close enough Blurr was uneasy, too. “And we make for an easy target up there.”
Blurr chewed harder on his lip.
“It looks like a fast-moving storm,” he said as he considered the way the clouds chased each other across the sky. “Probably only be a few hours long.”
Starscream crossed his arms, and his feathers fell in a colorful curtain around him. “Yes, but an oak tree offers little protection.”
Blurr scrubbed his fingers over his head, catching his nails against the tangle the wind made of his hair. “I meant, you know, harpies are allowed wherever they want here. Within reason. You could come into the Union and have some coffee or tea or cocoa or whatever harpies drink.” They could probably make sugar water. Hummingbirds liked that, right? So harpies probably did, too.
Starscream cocked his head. “I’ve no way to pay. And while I don’t know much about humans, I’m rather sure they require some kind of currency.”
Blurr’s face heated, which was a weird sensation considering the cold wind slapping at his skin. “I’ll pay,” he offered, with a twinge of annoyance. “Primus, you’re dense. I’m making an offer here.”
“Why?” Starscream blinked.
“Because I’m curious.” Another drop of rain landed on Blurr’s head, followed by a second and a third. The soft patter of those thick drops hitting the pavement were like marching orders. They needed to get their asses moving.
“And you must be, too,” Blurr added. “Since I crashed right into you.”
Starscream rubbed at his nose with a knuckle. He looked away, something embarrassed and guilty in the motion. “I’m sorry about that.”
“So you’ve said. And I forgive you.” Blurr grinned and bobbed on his heels, stamping his feet to warm up his poor, unprotected legs. Running shorts were great for running, but not much else. “So. You want to get inside before we both get soaked?”
Starscream grinned. “Sure. Only… what is coffee?”
“Just the best stuff in the world, that’s all. Come on. I’ll show you.” Blurr turned and started walking, without waiting for Starscream to agree. He needed to get moving.
More fat droplets landed on his head and shoulders. The pale grey of the sidewalk turned a darker, damp grey.
Starscream joined him, falling into step beside Blurr with little problem. “Thank you,” he said. “I’m glad I picked you.”
Blurr chuckled. “I’m glad you picked me, too.”
~
They spent hours talking. Until it was too late for Starscream to fly home, and Blurr offered to share his dorm room. The storm didn’t pass quickly, and Blurr didn’t have the heart to send Starscream out into it.
He slept on the floor; Starscream curled into a feathery lump on the bed, burrowed under Blurr’s blankets. In the morning, he devoured every piece of sad-looking fruit in Blurr’s bowl, and he left.
Not because he wanted to, he claimed, but because he had to. Apparently, he hadn’t told anyone he was leaving, and they might worry about him. Or, worse, he’d find himself in trouble.
He’d said the last with a little tremble to his lip, an uneasy flick of his feathers that made Blurr’s hackles raise. He bit down the urge to ask if someone was hurting Starscream, because that’s what it seemed like.
He watched the harpy fly away into the damp morning, a blue and red blotch against a gray sky. Then he trudged back inside and got ready for a Monday of classes.
It was during his midday break when Blurr got ambushed again, though this time the perpetrators were human, not feathery. They interrupted his lunch – a plate of pasta primavera topped with grilled steak, about the only pasta the cafeteria couldn’t mess up – by plopping down at his table, taking up the three empty seats.
Two women and a man, the latter of whom Blurr recognized by reputation alone.
“Hi!” greeted one of the women. She had jet-black hair done up in a pair of paintbrush pigtails, with streaks of pink running through them. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Miko!” She brandished a hand and smacked her gum.
Her female companion dropped into the seat beside her, tilting over to knock against Miko’s side before she righted herself. “And I’m Sari,” she chimed in, her skin a smooth buttery brown and her hair in pigtails to match Miko’s, only without the color stripe
“This is Richard.” Miko tossed a thumb at the red-haired man looming over the empty chair next to her.
Richard didn’t smile. Which was a shame, because he’d be a handsome man, what with those pale freckles and his curly afro and his skin a few shades lighter than Sari’s. Sure he was tall, and a bit too gangly for Blurr’s taste, but he’d always had a thing for freckles.
“Mostly we call him Red,” Sari said as she leaned against the table’s edge, elbows propped up against her body. “And not just on account of his hair.”
All three peered at Blurr expectantly.
He licked his lips to free them of sauce splatters.
“Nice to meet you,” he said, because he’d been raised to be polite, even when he was bewildered. “Can I help you?”
“Yeah, actually. You can.” Sari leaned further forward, her earrings jangling noisily. “Word on campus is--”
“Where is the harpy?” Richard demanded, droll enough to completely barrel right over Sari’s voice and cut through the conversation.
Miko whapped the back of her hand against Richard’s shoulder, making an audible thump. “Red! That’s rude!” she scolded.
Red didn’t flinch. He gave Miko a baleful look.
Blurr blinked and poked at his pasta. “Back home, I assume,” he answered. He shouldn’t be so surprised that Starscream had quickly become something of a celebrity.
Sari sat back in her chair, lower lip jutting out. “Awww. We’re too late.” There was a noise beneath the table, like she’d scuffed her feet against the floor.
Blurr promptly forked a mouthful of pasta. He was hungry, darn it. And he only had so much time before he had to hoof it across campus for his math class.
“Is he coming back?” Miko asked.
I’ll be back soon. Or as soon as I can anyway. I promise.
Blurr didn’t know why, but the promise meant a lot to him. Part of him thought he’d never see Starscream again.
“Yeah,” Blurr said.
Sari’s eyes lit up. They were an amber brown – just a few shades lighter than Starscream’s red actually. “Did he say when?”
“No.”
It was Miko’s turn to pout. “You know, you’re not a lot of help.”
Blurr made a noncommittal noise. It wasn’t like he’d offered to help. They’d bum-rushed him. He slanted a gaze at Red, who Blurr swore hadn’t blinked yet. He kept staring at Blurr, like a robot or something equally unnerving.
“What?” Blurr asked around a mouthful of seared steak.
Red finally blinked. “What interest does the harpy have in you?” he asked, each word carefully selected like an AI had to do it for him.
Blurr shrugged. “No clue.” He flicked a pea out of the pasta. It went skittering across the table, toward Sari, who made a face and nudged it away from her. It tumbled over the edge of the table and onto the floor.
“Do you think he’d talk to us?” Miko asked.
“Probably. He likes attention.” Or at least it seemed that way. Starscream didn’t appear to mind all the stares he attracted or the people who came up to him wanting a picture.
Everything fascinated him.
It was pretty adorable.
“Yes!” Miko and Sari high-fived each other in unison. Earrings jangled.
Red continued to look unamused. Blurr wasn’t sure he’d blinked again. There was something distinctly unsettling about him. Not in a “he’s going to kill me in my sleep way” but in a “he can peer right into my soul and find out my secrets” way.
“See, we’re members of H.A.R.P,” Miko said as she leaned forward again, almost sprawled out over the table in her eagerness. Her teeth were very white. “And we’ve got the accounts from the other students, but no one’s interviewed a harpy directly since Perceptor and Drift and Shockwave moved out to the aerie. This could be a huge opportunity for us.”
‘Huge’ was accompanied by her throwing her arms up into the air and falling dramatically back into her chair. Rickety legs creaked beneath her, screeching as they skidded across the floor.
Sari laughed and poked her companion in the cheek. “So,” she said, dragging out the vowel as she looked at Blurr. “It would really help us out if you asked him.”
Blurr licked sauce off his fork. “I’ll try. But I mean, it’s not like I have any control over him. We literally just met.”
“Trying is all we ask for,” Sari said with a sage nod. She stood and whipped a business card out of nowhere, handing it over to him between two fingers. “Call us and let us know. If he shows up, if he’ll do the interview, anything. Or even if you feel like being interviewed, too, Mr. Fastest Man on Campus.”
She grinned. Her teeth were really bright, too.
Blurr took the card.
Miko stood up, too. She held out a camera, which explained the thick strap around her neck. “Can I have a picture? You know, for archival sake?” She winked.
Blurr arched an eyebrow. “Uh. Sure. I guess.” He was used to getting his picture taken at least.
He wiped the back of his hand over his mouth, ran his tongue over his teeth to make sure there weren’t any unsightly parsley flakes, and grinned. He made a peace sign with his fingers, because he was a dork and people liked that kind of thing.
The camera clicked, light blinded him, and then Sari and Miko scampered off, giggling to each other. They looked over their shoulders at him before they started whispering again.
Blurr had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last time he’d see them.
He went back to his lunch. He forked two spoonfuls of pasta into his mouth before he realized he wasn’t alone. They’d left Richard, Red, whoever behind.
He slid into the seat Miko abandoned and stared at Blurr. And stared. Seriously, did the kid blink?
“Yes?” Blurr made a point of looking around. “Did you forget something?”
Richard noisily cleared his throat. “I want you to know that you can come to me,” he said in a grave tone. “If anything should happen. If you should feel threatened. If this harpy makes you uncomfortable--”
“Starscream,” Blurr corrected around a mouthful of pasta. He was hungry, damn it.
Richard blinked. “What?”
“His name’s Starscream.” Blurr chewed and swallowed.
“I see.” Richard rested a single, well-manicured hand on the table. Four fingers rapped a rhythm on the surface. “As I was saying, should you have need of assistance, you can find me in the observatory.”
“Like… all the time?” Blurr furrowed his brow. “Don’t you ever sleep?”
Red’s eyebrow twitched. It was kind of funny. “I do, and yes, all the time. That is where I sleep.”
The rumors were true then. Richard Argus was like the Hunchback of Kaon University. He was always around, hanging in the attics and the ceilings. And he was probably never going to leave.
“Oh.” Blurr focused on his pasta. He’d already eaten his garlic bread and that was just a tragedy. “But uh, thanks, I guess. I’ll keep that in mind if I need a knight in shining armor.”
Though honestly, after meeting Starscream, Blurr no longer believed in those terrible rumors a single bit. He was pretty sure Harpies didn’t eat children or try to swipe them from their parents. Starscream had been a little odd, sure, but he was friendly and polite and curious. Nothing to worry about.
Blurr had worse human friends.
“You are welcome.” Red rapped his fingers again and then pushed to his feet with stiff movements, like a robot who wasn’t used to being human. “I sincerely hope you don’t have reason to find me.”
Blurr squinted. Was that because Richard hoped Starscream was nice and not a threat? Or was it because he found Blurr irritating? It was so difficult to tell.
“Yeah,” he said, aiming for neutral. “Me, too.”
Richard slow-blinked and then he was gone, striding through the cafeteria with quick, purposeful steps. Other students scuttled out of his way, some of them giggling and whispering to each other.
It wasn’t the weirdest conversation Blurr ever had. That award went to yesterday’s marathon with Starscream.
But it was pretty damn close.
Blurr went back to his lunch, time ticking down toward his next class. This was the last time he’d get to have cafeteria food for the rest of the month. He intended to savor every last bite.
~
Starscream did come back.
Less than a week later, he waylaid Blurr on his morning run, intercepting him before he could make the ninety-degree turn to the outer ring of his route around campus.
Blurr skidded to a halt, heart thudding in his chest, all so he wouldn’t collide again with the feathery wall in front of him.
He bent over, heaving for breath, hands on his thighs. “Primus!” he gasped. “Where did you even come from?”
“The aerie,” Starscream said. “Where else?”
“That’s not what I meant.” Blurr groaned and straightened, dragging his hands through his sweat-soaked hair. “Welcome back, I guess. Did you get into trouble?” He still remembered Starscream’s face, drawn with fear.
“Only a little.” Starscream grinned and tucked his hands behind his back. He leaned close, nose twitching, the scent of berries and peaches almost overwhelming. “Were you worried about me?”
Blurr rolled his eyes. “Your little fan club has been pestering me. That’s all.”
“Fan club?” Starscream cocked his head.
“You know. H.A.R.P.”
Starscream blinked. “I don’t know who you speak.”
Blurr sighed and wiped sweat from his forehead. “They’re a group of students who are fascinated by the harpies. Not all of them are in Avian Studies though.” A car whooshed past them, the only one on the road this early in the morning. Blurr flinched and moved to the inner edge of the sidewalk.
“Anyway, two – or maybe three, still not sure if Red is part of them – sort of accosted me in the cafeteria this week, begging me to score them an interview.”
Starscream’s eyes widened with utter delight. “An interview with me?”
“I’m not a harpy, am I?”
“You’d make a gorgeous one, if you were,” Starscream purred as he cocked his head to the side. His gaze seemed to sweep over Blurr from head to toe.
Heat sank into Blurr’s cheeks. He was pretty sure it wasn’t entirely from the exertion. He pushed his arms over his head, stretching as he rose up on his toes, easing the cramp that he knew was going to develop in his calves from the sudden stop.
“Thanks.” Blurr swung his arms left to right. Starscream watched him with a stare not unlike Red’s for its intensity, though it was a lot friendlier. “So are you going to do it?”
“Do what?” Starscream’s eyes jerked up to meet his.
“The interview.”
“Oh.” Starscream’s feathers ruffled. He looked up at the sky, nose twitching. “I suppose I can spare a few minutes if they really want to talk.”
“Good. I’ll let them know.” And as soon as possible, too. So they’d stop pestering him.
Blurr swung his arms down. He made a point to look around. There wasn’t much here. This sidewalk rimmed the entirety of campus, just like the road it ran parallel to. It was mostly next to trees and parking lots, and if Blurr had a car and felt like driving, he could take that road right out of the university and into the small town surrounding it.
Plainly put, there was nothing out here that would interest a harpy.
“So, uh, what are you doing here?”
Starscream’s eyes brightened, from cherry red to strawberry pink. “Looking for you. To see you, of course. I told you I’d be back.”
Blurr lifted his left leg, grasped his ankle behind his back, stretching it toward his ass. “Okay, but… why me?”
“You’re interesting.” Starscream bounced on his heels. Well, it was a little hop really, but it was fascinating to watch.
Blurr dropped his left leg and switched to his right leg. “You decided that just by watching me run?” He hadn’t even been winning at the time.
Starscream pressed his lips together and suddenly found the asphalt very fascinating. “Yes.”
Was he embarrassed? It was kind of cute. Then again, Blurr supposed he couldn’t blame Starscream. If he’d never seen a human before, maybe he’d have found himself interesting, too. Maybe it was the blue in his hair? Coach was always getting onto him for being too flamboyant.
“Oh.” Blurr scratched at his jaw. “I have to be at class in a bit so I can’t really hang out today. But if you want, I can give Miko and Sari a call and see if they want to do that interview.”
“I suppose.” Starscream looked disappointed. Or at least, that’s what Blurr assumed the droopy feathers meant. “Maybe you can point me toward the library, too. What about later?”
Blurr blinked. “Huh?”
“After your classes. Are you busy then?”
Blurr’s cheeks heated. “I, uh, have practice.” Coach Sylvester wanted to do short drills today, checking his actual speed since he was so lackadaisical for his meets.
Her words, not his.
Starscream leaned forward, his eyes brightening, his head feathers visibly fluffing up like a crown. “Can I watch?”
Blurr thought about Coach’s reaction and winced. “Maybe not yet,” he said. Starscream’s feathers immediately started to flatten, and disappointment wafted off of him. Blurr hastily added, “But I’ll talk to my coach and make sure it’s okay for next time.”
Starscream bounced on his feet, feathers swaying in the wind. “Fair enough. Are you free after practice?”
Tenacious, wasn’t he? Then again, it wasn’t like there was anyone else out there vying for his time or attention. If he spent the evening alone, it would be in front of his TV with an old romantic comedy and a bowl of ramen.
“It’ll be late,” he said. “Don’t you have a curfew?”
Starscream snorted and folded his arms, nose tilted upward in disgust. “Of course not. That was the one time and just because I’m new to Kaon. I know the rules now, and I told someone I’d be here.”
“Then sure. We can hang out after practice.” Blurr looked around. Starscream seemed to be getting around on his own well enough. “Meet me outside my dorm about seven?” he suggested and then cringed. “Wait. Do you know how to tell time?”
Starscream rolled his eyes. “I do. And while I don’t wear a time-keeping device, there is a giant clock tower. I think I can manage.”
Blurr shifted his weight, the morning breeze snatching at his bare legs. “Well, how am I supposed to know what you do and don’t know?” He huffed to hide his embarrassment and shifted around Starscream, forcing the harpy to turn and face him. “Anyway, I have to get going, or I’m gonna be late.”
Starscream turned with him, his eyes following Blurr. “The library?”
“Oh, right.” Blurr smirked. “Just find the clock tower. It’s the same building.” And with over four stories of books, videos, music and microfiche, there was plenty to keep Starscream entertained. As well as plenty of other humans who were no doubt eager to meet him. “I’ll let Sari and Miko know they can find you there.”
“I appreciate it.” Starscream’s smile was soft, mostly hiding his sharp teeth.
Blurr jogged in place a little. “Anytime,” he said, and he meant it, too.
He gave Starscream a little wave and loped off, rerouting his path in his head so he’d be able to get back to his dorm in enough time to shower and change.
Life, for Blurr, was never quite the same after that.
**
Universe: Transformers AR, Flights of Fancy AU
Characters: Blurr/Starscream, Original Human Character(s), Sari Sumdac, Miko Nakadai, Ratchet, Megatron, Rodimus, Red Alert, Others
Rated: M
Enticements: Sexual Content, Harpy/Human Sexual Content
Summary: There were a lot of things Blurr knew with great certainty: his path, his future, his happiness. Then Starscream swooped into his life and turned everything upside down in the best possible way.
Chapter Two
The first time they met, Starscream nearly cost Blurr a spot on the team for the Spring Invitationals. He’d been in the midst of the qualifiers, on his last heat of the day, and for once, Blurr was actually trying to heed the advice of his coach.
He lagged, comfortably in third, enough to qualify, but not enough to outshine his fellow runners. It went against every fiber of his being, but it was important to make a statement. Blurr would win, he would always win, but it wouldn’t be because he was going all out. He always had to save a little something. Just in case.
When he ran, Blurr blocked out everything else. He focused on the rhythm of his feet, the rhythm of his breathing, the sun on his face and the top of his head, the sweat trickling down and pooling in the small of his back. He blocked out the sounds of the cheering crowd, Coach Sylvester yelling instructions. He even ignored the weird shadow overhead.
He had one focus, one goal, and it was the finish line.
By the time he realized the colorful mass planted squarely in the middle of his lane was real and not a heat mirage, it was too late to stop. Blurr barreled right into a feathery wall that smelled like blackberries. It bounced him back and knocked the breath out of him. Something grabbed his shoulders, keeping him from falling.
Dazed, Blurr looked up into a pretty face. Smiling. Framed by feathers and stained pink and was that a beaked nose?
“Hi!” It chirped, and its eyes were a very bright red. Like cherries. But very human, too.
Blurr blinked, his mind spinning. He was still in compete mode, and a part of him felt very much he was supposed to be running. “Hi…?”
Whistles shrieked, and Blurr winced. People yelled. Shoes stomped across the ground, while the world spun dizzily around Blurr. But the weight on his shoulders was warm, and the pretty bird kept smiling at him.
Someone shouted his name. It was probably Coach. She had a bellow that could sound for miles.
A crowd surrounded Blurr. Too many people pressed in on his personal space, and he instinctively shied away from them, but also closer to the birdman. Why? He wasn’t sure.
He was snatched away, whirled into his coach’s clutches. Ms. Sylvester grabbed his bare shoulders with cold hands, her pale blue eyes inches from his own.
“Blurr! Are. You. All. Right?” She gave him a little shake, like she was trying to rattle some sense into him.
Blurr blinked out of his daze, sound and sensation rushing in on the tail end of a dull roar. “What? Yeah. I’m fine.” Why wouldn’t he be? He rubbed at his nose, the lingering scent of berries clinging to him. “What happened?”
“You ran into an overgrown bird, that’s what!” Coach Sylvester gave him another shake, her face flushed with anger.
“Oh.” He crinkled his brow and tried to look around, but there was a sea of people crowding them, and more whistles added to the din. “Did I win?”
Coach Sylvester gave an allmighty sigh. “You didn’t finish, Blurr.”
“Oh. That’s not good.” He felt disconnected from it all. There were jitters in his legs, in his knees, and he knew what the problem was. He hadn’t come down from his runner’s high properly.
“No, it’s not.” Coach squeezed his shoulders and slid her hands free. “But lucky for you, they called interference. So the last heat isn’t going to count. That means you’re in.”
“I am?” Blurr craned his neck.
Interference. The colorful wall. Feathers. A harpy. Blurr had heard of the harpies. He knew the university was right next to an aerie. But he’d never actually seen one. He didn’t know they could be so big.
Or so pretty.
Feathers stuck out above the crowd. The harpy was surrounded by people, too, and they seemed to be shooing it away, further from where Blurr stood. Or swayed rather. Primus, he needed to sit down. Or get a drink of water. Or do his cool down stretches.
A cold hand pressed to the back of Blurr’s forehead. “You sure you’re okay, speed racer?”
“I’m fine.” Blurr frowned and nudged the hand away. “I’m just… I didn’t come out of the zone properly.”
“Right. Your zone,” Coach Sylvester drawled and then sighed, dramatically pressing the back of her hand to her own forehead. “You’ll be the death of me some day, kid. I think you should see a doctor. Just in case.”
In case of what? He’d collided with a harpy. He hadn’t hit the ground. He hadn’t tripped.
“I’m fine,” Blurr insisted, only to shiver when a gust of wind caught the sweat drying on his body. His legs ached. Everything ached.
Coach Sylvester frowned. Her eyes narrowed. “Let me just make sure,” she said. “I can’t have my gold medal favorite suffering. Otherwise, one giant chicken is about to get plucked.” She twisted her head, glaring over her shoulder in the direction of the vanishing crown of red and blue feathers.
Blurr scrunched his forehead. “Huh?” Sometimes, he swore his coach didn’t make sense.
“Never mind. Let’s go.” Coach grabbed his elbow and started marching him off the track, her grip as unyielding as iron. “Becky! Keep an eye on the rest for me, will you? I gotta take Mr. Third Place here to the doc!”
“Got it, Coach!”
Becky, the assistant coach, tossed two thumbs up in their direction, grinning all the while. She whirled and started barking at the other runners. The relay race was going to start soon, and luckily, Blurr wasn’t a participant. He could, he just didn’t want to. He’d never been much of a team player.
“And call me if anything happens!” Coach added over her shoulder, her grip more bruising than whatever colliding with the harpy had caused.
“I know!” Becky rolled her eyes and brandished her clipboard at Mickey, who had a bad habit of getting lazy with her stretches and as a result, whining about sore muscles later.
Coach pulled Blurr across the grass, the other half of the track, and under the bleachers into the locker rooms. She marched Blurr all the way through and out the other side without a moment’s pause. He barely had enough time to snag his jacket off the coat rack, one sleeve catching the hook and sending it clattering to the floor behind them.
Coach didn’t pause.
“I’m fine!” Blurr insisted.
He didn’t dig in his heels. It was pointless. Coach was taller, stronger, and she held his life in her hands. Literally. She could make or break him, take away his scholarship or wheedle the sports board to give him more money.
“What? You afraid of doctors or something?”
“No. But--”
“No buts.” Coach squeezed his wrist and gave him a high-browed look. “It’s my ass on the line if you’re broken.”
Blurr sighed.
At least he’d qualified.
If that had been the end of it, they wouldn’t be where they were now. Blurr would have never seen Starscream again and vice versa. It would have just been a weird interaction he could pass off as a weird story to tell to his friends.
But it wasn’t. The end of it, he meant.
Blurr left the clinic with a clean bill of health and an updated tetanus vaccine. Coach Sylvester had insisted, after the doctor found two small punctures, one on each shoulder. They’d barely bled, and didn’t hurt, but the sight of them had Coach screeching about diseases and rabies and tetanus.
Doctor Sykes had slapped a smiley band-aid over each puncture. He’d drawn the line at a rabies shot, thank Primus, but had bent in the face of Coach’s wrath when it came down to the tetanus booster.
“There are absolutely zero recorded instances of a harpy carrying, displaying, or infecting any creature with rabies, much less a human,” he’d said. “Absolutely not.”
Coach had all but breathed fire from her nose, and had put her foot down. She bristled like a woman who knew how to wield power.
For a second, Blurr wondered if there was going to be a rumble, with him caught in the middle.
In the end, Blurr walked out with a tetanus booster and discharge orders to rest, though Doctor Sykes had whispered the latter weren’t really necessary, but to please spare him the drama. Blurr nodded sagely and clasped the doctor’s hand.
He narrowly escaped getting dropped off at his front door. Coach had worried her lower lip into almost bleeding. She’d probably had visions of gold medals rusting into silver, or worse, bronze. Thank Primus Blurr lived on campus and a five minute walk – downhill at that – from the clinic.
It was late afternoon, and there was a slight chill in the air. The sky was heavy and darkening quickly, hinting to a rainstorm. Blurr shoved his hands in his jacket pocket and mourned the joggers he’d left in his locker. His bare legs prickled.
On the sidewalk, he turned to the left. Behind him, the giant oak tree rustled. It was not a wind-related rustle, despite the wind picking up in speed and intensity. It was too deliberate for that.
Blurr paused. He narrowed a look over his shoulder. A single, dark-blue feather fluttered to the ground.
He hesitated for all of a moment before he turned and retrieved the feather. He picked it up, holding it by the base, spinning it around and around in his fingers.
Leaves rustled again. Branches creaked. A large shape dropped out of the tree right in front of him. Fully feathered with bright red eyes and at least two heads taller than Blurr. It was a very familiar, very pretty face, especially if you ignored the beaked nose.
It stared at Blurr. It was the same harpy from earlier.
Blurr stared back. He shoved the feather into his pocket. “Are you stalking me?” he asked.
“Kind of?” The harpy had a scratchy voice, like he’d smoked one too many cartons of cigarettes. “But only because I wanted to apologize. I’m sorry I messed up your race.”
“The one you should really apologize to is my coach. She’s furious.” Blurr shoved his hands back in his pockets, hunching his shoulders to burrow into his coat. “Why’d you do that anyway?”
The harpy ducked his head. “I was curious. I wanted to talk to you. And you weren’t winning anyway.”
Blurr snorted. “Yeah. That was kind of the point.” He shifted his weight. Goosebumps rose on his bare legs.
The harpy blinked. “What?”
“It’s strategy.” Blurr put emphasis on the last word. He leaned forward. “Normally, I’m faster than everyone out there, but Coach says we shouldn’t let them know that yet. It makes the newbies more confident, and the slaggers overconfident.”
“Mmm.” The harpy held his hands together, fingers tangled. “Complicated.”
“Not really.” Blurr rocked on his heels. He wasn’t much for standing still, especially with that cutting breeze. “So what are you anyway?”
The harpy reared back, head feathers tilted forward. “I’m a harpy.” He quirked a feathery eyebrow and gestured to his entire body.
Blurr rolled his eyes. “Duh. I meant, you know. Who are you? Most people call me Blurr.”
“Because you run fast?” The harpy laughed, and it was a surprisingly human sound. Maybe even charming. “I’m Starscream.”
Blurr smirked. “Oh, do you scream at the night sky then?”
Starscream grinned, showing off pointed canines. Not as sharp as a dog’s but more than a human’s for sure. “No. It’s a rough translation. It’s more like ‘one who looks to the stars and dreams.’”
“Ohhh. Poetic.”
“Sometimes.”
Blurr chewed on his bottom lip. He shifted his weight again, rubbing his now chilled legs together. The wind whipped his hair into his face, and the sky grew even more ominous.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you and all that.” He took a small step backward. “Though maybe next time we do, it’s not in the middle of a race?”
The sky rumbled, loud enough to rattle Blurr’s bones. He glanced up, saw flashes in the distance, and it was dark enough now it felt more dusk than late afternoon. Great.
A fat raindrop chose that moment to splash on his forehead, sliding cold across his face. He needed to get home before he caught a cold. Or Coach might just kill him. He’d never hear the end of it.
Starscream looked up as well. “Damn,” he muttered, and his head feathers flattened. He seemed to pull into himself, making him look smaller.
“Can’t harpies fly in the rain?” Blurr asked.
“We can. It’s just not fun or easy.” He flinched as the sky lit up with a jagged burst of lightning, too far to be outright dangerous, but close enough Blurr was uneasy, too. “And we make for an easy target up there.”
Blurr chewed harder on his lip.
“It looks like a fast-moving storm,” he said as he considered the way the clouds chased each other across the sky. “Probably only be a few hours long.”
Starscream crossed his arms, and his feathers fell in a colorful curtain around him. “Yes, but an oak tree offers little protection.”
Blurr scrubbed his fingers over his head, catching his nails against the tangle the wind made of his hair. “I meant, you know, harpies are allowed wherever they want here. Within reason. You could come into the Union and have some coffee or tea or cocoa or whatever harpies drink.” They could probably make sugar water. Hummingbirds liked that, right? So harpies probably did, too.
Starscream cocked his head. “I’ve no way to pay. And while I don’t know much about humans, I’m rather sure they require some kind of currency.”
Blurr’s face heated, which was a weird sensation considering the cold wind slapping at his skin. “I’ll pay,” he offered, with a twinge of annoyance. “Primus, you’re dense. I’m making an offer here.”
“Why?” Starscream blinked.
“Because I’m curious.” Another drop of rain landed on Blurr’s head, followed by a second and a third. The soft patter of those thick drops hitting the pavement were like marching orders. They needed to get their asses moving.
“And you must be, too,” Blurr added. “Since I crashed right into you.”
Starscream rubbed at his nose with a knuckle. He looked away, something embarrassed and guilty in the motion. “I’m sorry about that.”
“So you’ve said. And I forgive you.” Blurr grinned and bobbed on his heels, stamping his feet to warm up his poor, unprotected legs. Running shorts were great for running, but not much else. “So. You want to get inside before we both get soaked?”
Starscream grinned. “Sure. Only… what is coffee?”
“Just the best stuff in the world, that’s all. Come on. I’ll show you.” Blurr turned and started walking, without waiting for Starscream to agree. He needed to get moving.
More fat droplets landed on his head and shoulders. The pale grey of the sidewalk turned a darker, damp grey.
Starscream joined him, falling into step beside Blurr with little problem. “Thank you,” he said. “I’m glad I picked you.”
Blurr chuckled. “I’m glad you picked me, too.”
They spent hours talking. Until it was too late for Starscream to fly home, and Blurr offered to share his dorm room. The storm didn’t pass quickly, and Blurr didn’t have the heart to send Starscream out into it.
He slept on the floor; Starscream curled into a feathery lump on the bed, burrowed under Blurr’s blankets. In the morning, he devoured every piece of sad-looking fruit in Blurr’s bowl, and he left.
Not because he wanted to, he claimed, but because he had to. Apparently, he hadn’t told anyone he was leaving, and they might worry about him. Or, worse, he’d find himself in trouble.
He’d said the last with a little tremble to his lip, an uneasy flick of his feathers that made Blurr’s hackles raise. He bit down the urge to ask if someone was hurting Starscream, because that’s what it seemed like.
He watched the harpy fly away into the damp morning, a blue and red blotch against a gray sky. Then he trudged back inside and got ready for a Monday of classes.
It was during his midday break when Blurr got ambushed again, though this time the perpetrators were human, not feathery. They interrupted his lunch – a plate of pasta primavera topped with grilled steak, about the only pasta the cafeteria couldn’t mess up – by plopping down at his table, taking up the three empty seats.
Two women and a man, the latter of whom Blurr recognized by reputation alone.
“Hi!” greeted one of the women. She had jet-black hair done up in a pair of paintbrush pigtails, with streaks of pink running through them. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Miko!” She brandished a hand and smacked her gum.
Her female companion dropped into the seat beside her, tilting over to knock against Miko’s side before she righted herself. “And I’m Sari,” she chimed in, her skin a smooth buttery brown and her hair in pigtails to match Miko’s, only without the color stripe
“This is Richard.” Miko tossed a thumb at the red-haired man looming over the empty chair next to her.
Richard didn’t smile. Which was a shame, because he’d be a handsome man, what with those pale freckles and his curly afro and his skin a few shades lighter than Sari’s. Sure he was tall, and a bit too gangly for Blurr’s taste, but he’d always had a thing for freckles.
“Mostly we call him Red,” Sari said as she leaned against the table’s edge, elbows propped up against her body. “And not just on account of his hair.”
All three peered at Blurr expectantly.
He licked his lips to free them of sauce splatters.
“Nice to meet you,” he said, because he’d been raised to be polite, even when he was bewildered. “Can I help you?”
“Yeah, actually. You can.” Sari leaned further forward, her earrings jangling noisily. “Word on campus is--”
“Where is the harpy?” Richard demanded, droll enough to completely barrel right over Sari’s voice and cut through the conversation.
Miko whapped the back of her hand against Richard’s shoulder, making an audible thump. “Red! That’s rude!” she scolded.
Red didn’t flinch. He gave Miko a baleful look.
Blurr blinked and poked at his pasta. “Back home, I assume,” he answered. He shouldn’t be so surprised that Starscream had quickly become something of a celebrity.
Sari sat back in her chair, lower lip jutting out. “Awww. We’re too late.” There was a noise beneath the table, like she’d scuffed her feet against the floor.
Blurr promptly forked a mouthful of pasta. He was hungry, darn it. And he only had so much time before he had to hoof it across campus for his math class.
“Is he coming back?” Miko asked.
I’ll be back soon. Or as soon as I can anyway. I promise.
Blurr didn’t know why, but the promise meant a lot to him. Part of him thought he’d never see Starscream again.
“Yeah,” Blurr said.
Sari’s eyes lit up. They were an amber brown – just a few shades lighter than Starscream’s red actually. “Did he say when?”
“No.”
It was Miko’s turn to pout. “You know, you’re not a lot of help.”
Blurr made a noncommittal noise. It wasn’t like he’d offered to help. They’d bum-rushed him. He slanted a gaze at Red, who Blurr swore hadn’t blinked yet. He kept staring at Blurr, like a robot or something equally unnerving.
“What?” Blurr asked around a mouthful of seared steak.
Red finally blinked. “What interest does the harpy have in you?” he asked, each word carefully selected like an AI had to do it for him.
Blurr shrugged. “No clue.” He flicked a pea out of the pasta. It went skittering across the table, toward Sari, who made a face and nudged it away from her. It tumbled over the edge of the table and onto the floor.
“Do you think he’d talk to us?” Miko asked.
“Probably. He likes attention.” Or at least it seemed that way. Starscream didn’t appear to mind all the stares he attracted or the people who came up to him wanting a picture.
Everything fascinated him.
It was pretty adorable.
“Yes!” Miko and Sari high-fived each other in unison. Earrings jangled.
Red continued to look unamused. Blurr wasn’t sure he’d blinked again. There was something distinctly unsettling about him. Not in a “he’s going to kill me in my sleep way” but in a “he can peer right into my soul and find out my secrets” way.
“See, we’re members of H.A.R.P,” Miko said as she leaned forward again, almost sprawled out over the table in her eagerness. Her teeth were very white. “And we’ve got the accounts from the other students, but no one’s interviewed a harpy directly since Perceptor and Drift and Shockwave moved out to the aerie. This could be a huge opportunity for us.”
‘Huge’ was accompanied by her throwing her arms up into the air and falling dramatically back into her chair. Rickety legs creaked beneath her, screeching as they skidded across the floor.
Sari laughed and poked her companion in the cheek. “So,” she said, dragging out the vowel as she looked at Blurr. “It would really help us out if you asked him.”
Blurr licked sauce off his fork. “I’ll try. But I mean, it’s not like I have any control over him. We literally just met.”
“Trying is all we ask for,” Sari said with a sage nod. She stood and whipped a business card out of nowhere, handing it over to him between two fingers. “Call us and let us know. If he shows up, if he’ll do the interview, anything. Or even if you feel like being interviewed, too, Mr. Fastest Man on Campus.”
She grinned. Her teeth were really bright, too.
Blurr took the card.
Miko stood up, too. She held out a camera, which explained the thick strap around her neck. “Can I have a picture? You know, for archival sake?” She winked.
Blurr arched an eyebrow. “Uh. Sure. I guess.” He was used to getting his picture taken at least.
He wiped the back of his hand over his mouth, ran his tongue over his teeth to make sure there weren’t any unsightly parsley flakes, and grinned. He made a peace sign with his fingers, because he was a dork and people liked that kind of thing.
The camera clicked, light blinded him, and then Sari and Miko scampered off, giggling to each other. They looked over their shoulders at him before they started whispering again.
Blurr had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last time he’d see them.
He went back to his lunch. He forked two spoonfuls of pasta into his mouth before he realized he wasn’t alone. They’d left Richard, Red, whoever behind.
He slid into the seat Miko abandoned and stared at Blurr. And stared. Seriously, did the kid blink?
“Yes?” Blurr made a point of looking around. “Did you forget something?”
Richard noisily cleared his throat. “I want you to know that you can come to me,” he said in a grave tone. “If anything should happen. If you should feel threatened. If this harpy makes you uncomfortable--”
“Starscream,” Blurr corrected around a mouthful of pasta. He was hungry, damn it.
Richard blinked. “What?”
“His name’s Starscream.” Blurr chewed and swallowed.
“I see.” Richard rested a single, well-manicured hand on the table. Four fingers rapped a rhythm on the surface. “As I was saying, should you have need of assistance, you can find me in the observatory.”
“Like… all the time?” Blurr furrowed his brow. “Don’t you ever sleep?”
Red’s eyebrow twitched. It was kind of funny. “I do, and yes, all the time. That is where I sleep.”
The rumors were true then. Richard Argus was like the Hunchback of Kaon University. He was always around, hanging in the attics and the ceilings. And he was probably never going to leave.
“Oh.” Blurr focused on his pasta. He’d already eaten his garlic bread and that was just a tragedy. “But uh, thanks, I guess. I’ll keep that in mind if I need a knight in shining armor.”
Though honestly, after meeting Starscream, Blurr no longer believed in those terrible rumors a single bit. He was pretty sure Harpies didn’t eat children or try to swipe them from their parents. Starscream had been a little odd, sure, but he was friendly and polite and curious. Nothing to worry about.
Blurr had worse human friends.
“You are welcome.” Red rapped his fingers again and then pushed to his feet with stiff movements, like a robot who wasn’t used to being human. “I sincerely hope you don’t have reason to find me.”
Blurr squinted. Was that because Richard hoped Starscream was nice and not a threat? Or was it because he found Blurr irritating? It was so difficult to tell.
“Yeah,” he said, aiming for neutral. “Me, too.”
Richard slow-blinked and then he was gone, striding through the cafeteria with quick, purposeful steps. Other students scuttled out of his way, some of them giggling and whispering to each other.
It wasn’t the weirdest conversation Blurr ever had. That award went to yesterday’s marathon with Starscream.
But it was pretty damn close.
Blurr went back to his lunch, time ticking down toward his next class. This was the last time he’d get to have cafeteria food for the rest of the month. He intended to savor every last bite.
Starscream did come back.
Less than a week later, he waylaid Blurr on his morning run, intercepting him before he could make the ninety-degree turn to the outer ring of his route around campus.
Blurr skidded to a halt, heart thudding in his chest, all so he wouldn’t collide again with the feathery wall in front of him.
He bent over, heaving for breath, hands on his thighs. “Primus!” he gasped. “Where did you even come from?”
“The aerie,” Starscream said. “Where else?”
“That’s not what I meant.” Blurr groaned and straightened, dragging his hands through his sweat-soaked hair. “Welcome back, I guess. Did you get into trouble?” He still remembered Starscream’s face, drawn with fear.
“Only a little.” Starscream grinned and tucked his hands behind his back. He leaned close, nose twitching, the scent of berries and peaches almost overwhelming. “Were you worried about me?”
Blurr rolled his eyes. “Your little fan club has been pestering me. That’s all.”
“Fan club?” Starscream cocked his head.
“You know. H.A.R.P.”
Starscream blinked. “I don’t know who you speak.”
Blurr sighed and wiped sweat from his forehead. “They’re a group of students who are fascinated by the harpies. Not all of them are in Avian Studies though.” A car whooshed past them, the only one on the road this early in the morning. Blurr flinched and moved to the inner edge of the sidewalk.
“Anyway, two – or maybe three, still not sure if Red is part of them – sort of accosted me in the cafeteria this week, begging me to score them an interview.”
Starscream’s eyes widened with utter delight. “An interview with me?”
“I’m not a harpy, am I?”
“You’d make a gorgeous one, if you were,” Starscream purred as he cocked his head to the side. His gaze seemed to sweep over Blurr from head to toe.
Heat sank into Blurr’s cheeks. He was pretty sure it wasn’t entirely from the exertion. He pushed his arms over his head, stretching as he rose up on his toes, easing the cramp that he knew was going to develop in his calves from the sudden stop.
“Thanks.” Blurr swung his arms left to right. Starscream watched him with a stare not unlike Red’s for its intensity, though it was a lot friendlier. “So are you going to do it?”
“Do what?” Starscream’s eyes jerked up to meet his.
“The interview.”
“Oh.” Starscream’s feathers ruffled. He looked up at the sky, nose twitching. “I suppose I can spare a few minutes if they really want to talk.”
“Good. I’ll let them know.” And as soon as possible, too. So they’d stop pestering him.
Blurr swung his arms down. He made a point to look around. There wasn’t much here. This sidewalk rimmed the entirety of campus, just like the road it ran parallel to. It was mostly next to trees and parking lots, and if Blurr had a car and felt like driving, he could take that road right out of the university and into the small town surrounding it.
Plainly put, there was nothing out here that would interest a harpy.
“So, uh, what are you doing here?”
Starscream’s eyes brightened, from cherry red to strawberry pink. “Looking for you. To see you, of course. I told you I’d be back.”
Blurr lifted his left leg, grasped his ankle behind his back, stretching it toward his ass. “Okay, but… why me?”
“You’re interesting.” Starscream bounced on his heels. Well, it was a little hop really, but it was fascinating to watch.
Blurr dropped his left leg and switched to his right leg. “You decided that just by watching me run?” He hadn’t even been winning at the time.
Starscream pressed his lips together and suddenly found the asphalt very fascinating. “Yes.”
Was he embarrassed? It was kind of cute. Then again, Blurr supposed he couldn’t blame Starscream. If he’d never seen a human before, maybe he’d have found himself interesting, too. Maybe it was the blue in his hair? Coach was always getting onto him for being too flamboyant.
“Oh.” Blurr scratched at his jaw. “I have to be at class in a bit so I can’t really hang out today. But if you want, I can give Miko and Sari a call and see if they want to do that interview.”
“I suppose.” Starscream looked disappointed. Or at least, that’s what Blurr assumed the droopy feathers meant. “Maybe you can point me toward the library, too. What about later?”
Blurr blinked. “Huh?”
“After your classes. Are you busy then?”
Blurr’s cheeks heated. “I, uh, have practice.” Coach Sylvester wanted to do short drills today, checking his actual speed since he was so lackadaisical for his meets.
Her words, not his.
Starscream leaned forward, his eyes brightening, his head feathers visibly fluffing up like a crown. “Can I watch?”
Blurr thought about Coach’s reaction and winced. “Maybe not yet,” he said. Starscream’s feathers immediately started to flatten, and disappointment wafted off of him. Blurr hastily added, “But I’ll talk to my coach and make sure it’s okay for next time.”
Starscream bounced on his feet, feathers swaying in the wind. “Fair enough. Are you free after practice?”
Tenacious, wasn’t he? Then again, it wasn’t like there was anyone else out there vying for his time or attention. If he spent the evening alone, it would be in front of his TV with an old romantic comedy and a bowl of ramen.
“It’ll be late,” he said. “Don’t you have a curfew?”
Starscream snorted and folded his arms, nose tilted upward in disgust. “Of course not. That was the one time and just because I’m new to Kaon. I know the rules now, and I told someone I’d be here.”
“Then sure. We can hang out after practice.” Blurr looked around. Starscream seemed to be getting around on his own well enough. “Meet me outside my dorm about seven?” he suggested and then cringed. “Wait. Do you know how to tell time?”
Starscream rolled his eyes. “I do. And while I don’t wear a time-keeping device, there is a giant clock tower. I think I can manage.”
Blurr shifted his weight, the morning breeze snatching at his bare legs. “Well, how am I supposed to know what you do and don’t know?” He huffed to hide his embarrassment and shifted around Starscream, forcing the harpy to turn and face him. “Anyway, I have to get going, or I’m gonna be late.”
Starscream turned with him, his eyes following Blurr. “The library?”
“Oh, right.” Blurr smirked. “Just find the clock tower. It’s the same building.” And with over four stories of books, videos, music and microfiche, there was plenty to keep Starscream entertained. As well as plenty of other humans who were no doubt eager to meet him. “I’ll let Sari and Miko know they can find you there.”
“I appreciate it.” Starscream’s smile was soft, mostly hiding his sharp teeth.
Blurr jogged in place a little. “Anytime,” he said, and he meant it, too.
He gave Starscream a little wave and loped off, rerouting his path in his head so he’d be able to get back to his dorm in enough time to shower and change.
Life, for Blurr, was never quite the same after that.
