[TF] Uncharted Territory 07/28
Aug. 8th, 2019 06:25 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 Seven
Blurr was somewhere between awake and dozing when his bed both creaked and dipped, and warm lips pressed a kiss to the back of his neck. He hummed and turned his head, lifting it from the pillow as damp, shower-warm skin pressed against his.
“You’re insatiable,” Blurr murmured.
“You’re lying here in just your underwear with this fine ass pointed at me, what else am I supposed to think?” TJ laughed and palmed Blurr’s boxer-briefs to accentuate his point.
Blurr grinned and finished turning, right into TJ’s arms and into his lips, for a soft and savoring kiss that tasted of mint toothpaste.
“Well, it was an open invitation,” he said against TJ’s mouth and a laugh vibrated against his lips.
TJ slid onto the bed next to him, throwing a leg over Blurr’s, warm and naked skin sliding across his. He smelled fresh and clean, like Blurr’s body wash, and Blurr couldn’t help the possessive surge that rose in his belly. He turned into TJ’s hold, onto his back, and cupped a hand around TJ’s head, fingers threading through the thin braids.
“You are irresistible when you want to be,” TJ replied before he slipped back, easing out of the kiss, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Even if you did call me at the asscrack of dawn.”
Blurr rolled his eyes. “As if I didn’t catch you right when you came back from your run.”
“Mmm. Guilty as charged.” TJ’s thigh rubbed over his, wiry bits of hair faintly itchy against Blurr’s shaved legs. “Though it’s a curious thing that you did.”
Blurr wriggled to get more comfortable in the bed, haphazardly put back together after he’d pulled all the blankets from it last night. He’d less made it more than he threw the various bits of bedding over the mattress. He’d probably have to launder them after their activities this morning anyway.
The whole room smelled of sex. Not unpleasant, but definitely present. TJ’s cologne clung to the blankets, and Blurr took comfort from that. From TJ, truth be told. After Starscream left, Blurr had only managed to endure twenty minutes of lonely silence before he’d called TJ.
He’d spent far too much time thinking about Josiah.
“What? I can’t call up a best friend on the weekend?” Blurr asked.
“Of course you can, if that’s the reason you did.” TJ gave him a stern look, raised eyebrows and everything. “So. Now that we’ve gotten the fun parts out of the way, want to tell me what happened?”
Blurr furrowed his brow. “What are you talking about?”
TJ braced his head on his hand, planting his elbow into the mattress with an audible creak of the springs. “You’ve spent most of your time with Starscream lately.”
“And?”
“And you only call me when you’re upset.” TJ’s free hand flattened on Blurr’s belly, rubbing a slow, warm path over it. “I’m not bitching at you about that, by the way. I know the score. I’m just worried.”
Blurr’s insides did a tumultuous flip. He sucked on his bottom lip and tossed his arm over his eyes. “I ran into Josiah,” he admitted. There was no point in lying to TJ. Somehow, he always seemed to know when Blurr was.
A growl, not unlike Starscream’s, rose up in TJ’s throat. He stopped petting Blurr for a moment before he started up again. “Did you now?”
“Yeah. And he had a lot to say.” Per the usual. Blurr wanted to snort, but that thickness was back in his throat, and the tremble he thought he’d vanquished, tried to return with a vengeance.
TJ sucked on his teeth. “You should have let me punch him.”
Blurr snorted and lowered his arm. “Starscream said the same thing.”
“He was there?” Both of TJ’s eyebrows tried to climb into his hairline, not incredulous, but more impressed.
Blurr tried a grin, but it came out crooked. “He doesn’t like Josiah much either.”
“That’s my kind of bird then.”
A soft laugh escaped Blurr, strained though it was. TJ had been instrumental in getting Josiah to back off. He’d been the one to bring the situation up to Coach Sylvester when Blurr had balked because he hadn’t wanted to cause drama.
TJ leaned closer, lips grazing over Blurr's temple. "I'm glad you called me then," he murmured.
"Well, I missed you," Blurr said, tucking his arm behind his head and wriggling closer, trying to encourage more of the touching.
"Uh huh. Sure." TJ obliged, his hand sliding down Blurr's belly to tease at the hem of his boxer-briefs.
It was so relaxed, so easy between them. Blurr had lost count of the number of times he'd considered trying to make it something more permanent. And the same amount of times he'd dismissed the wild fancy.
"You're still planning on graduate school, right?" Blurr asked, attempting to make the question light, but not managing to completely hide the edge in his tone.
Josiah had really left him rattled.
"Yep." TJ's mouth tasted the curve of Blurr's jaw before venturing to the crook of his neck, while his palm skated over the bulge at Blurr's groin. His dick twitched with interest, despite the regret coiling in his heart.
"In Iacon?"
TJ's hand slid back to Blurr's belly, lying flat and mostly chaste. He lifted his head, his brown eyes soft and sad. "Blurr, don't let Josiah get into your head, man. There are plenty of people around here who have no idea what they're going to do after graduation. You'll figure it out."
"Yeah. Probably," Blurr said, and he doubted TJ believed him anymore than Blurr believed himself. But he curled his hand around the back of TJ's head and tugged him back down for a kiss. It was much better than discussing improbable futures.
TJ made a conceding hum and deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding into Blurr's mouth with slow, careful intent. Blurr rolled his hips, trying to encourage TJ's hand to go back to a more useful location, and TJ chuckled against his mouth.
"Didn't we just get clean?" he asked.
"What? You got better plans today?" Blurr retorted, arching an eyebrow.
TJ leaned over him, bracing his weight on one hand to crowd Blurr beneath his broader shoulders. His dreads fell over his shoulder, the ends of them tickling Blurr's bare chest.
"Better than spending all day with you beneath me? I don't think such a thing exists," he teased. One knee slid between Blurr's thighs, scooting up and up and up until it nudged his groin, a faint pressure against his scrotum.
Blurr shivered, a lazy heat winding up his spine. "I expect to be spoiled," he groaned.
"You always do." TJ laughed and sealed their mouths together again, his hips sinking down, rolling his thickening bulge against Blurr's hipbone.
Mmm. Yes. Much better topic than Blurr's lack of future planning.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Arrhythmic, one after the other, the rattling noise caught Blurr's attention. And TJ's apparently, as he ended the kiss and lifted his head.
"What's that?"
Tap, tap, clunk.
Blurr winced. He had an idea of what it might be. He rolled out from under TJ much reluctantly and peered through the blinds of the window, looking down. Sure enough, Starscream waved up at him from the ground, a bright grin on his face as he let a small handful of acorns drop to the ground.
TJ leaned over him, chin hooked on his shoulder, peering through the gap in the blinds. "Is that Starscream?"
"That's his way of sending a text to let me know he's here," Blurr said as he let the blinds shut and sank face-first into the bed.
TJ chuckled. "That's adorable." He tilted his head, exhaling over Blurr's ear. "Has he gained weight?"
Blurr snorted. "He's getting his winter coat. It makes him fluffier. And for the love of Primus, don't tell him he looks fat."
"Something tells me you've already made that mistake." TJ laughed and slid back, taking the warmth of his chest away from Blurr's shoulders. "Did you know he was coming?"
"No. He went back to the aerie just this morning after staying all night." Blurr swept a hand through his hair, still damp from his earlier shower. "He didn't say he was coming back."
"Aw. He's worried about you." TJ scooted off the bed and bent down, rooting his jeans off the pile on the floor.
Blurr frowned. "You're leaving?"
TJ tugged up his jeans, and Blurr lamented the disappearance of his glorious hipbones. "I think giant bird best friends take precedence."
"They do not." Blurr slid to the edge of the bed, legs dangling over.
TJ snagged his tee and pulled it on as well. "Yes, they do." He leaned over Blurr, planting a kiss on his forehead. "Come on. Get dressed. Can't have you tempting the whole dorm by walking out there in your underwear."
Blurr rolled his eyes, but obeyed. He couldn't walk out there mostly naked after all. But he didn't plan on staying outside, Starscream would just have to come up. So he pulled on a tank and a pair of ratty sweatpants while TJ dug his jacket out from the pile of Blurr's discarded clothes on his desk chair.
"You're cute when you're pouting."
"I'm not pouting." Blurr pointed at his groin and half-hard bulge behind his sweatpants. "You're the one leaving me with this."
TJ laughed again. "That will go down on it's own if you give it enough time. Or. Here's a thought." He held up his hands and wiggled his fingers. "Take care of it yourself."
"Why should I when I have you right here in front of me?" Blurr grumbled.
Rap-rap-tap.
They both looked at the door.
"How'd he get in?" TJ asked.
Blurr sighed and moved to the door, TJ hot on his heels. "He's a celebrity around here. Everyone knows him by now. Someone probably let him in."
"I want to meet him."
"You've met him."
"Not officially." TJ crowded against his back, resting his hands on Blurr's shoulders to peer around him.
It was universally unfair that TJ was taller than him. Blurr wasn't exactly short, but TJ should have been a basketball player.
Starscream knocked again just as Blurr flicked the lock and turned the handle, opening the door, with TJ attached to his back like some sort of bizarre backpack. Starscream peeked around the edge of the door before it was fully open, his face drawn with concern, and then confusion, no doubt because he’d spotted TJ.
“Um.”
“Don’t mind him,” Blurr said with an audible, heavy sigh. He tried to step backward, make room for Starscream to come inside, but TJ had become an immovable object. “He’s pretending like he’s never met you before.”
Starscream straightened and tilted his head. “Not directly, I don’t think,” he said with a quiet, stilted laugh. “He’s one of your teammates, yes?”
“That’s one word you can use,” TJ stuck a hand over Blurr’s shoulder toward Starcream. “Tyrael Jonathon Weeks, at your service, and his, too, from time to time.”
“TJ!” Blurr hissed and jerked an elbow backward, aiming for TJ’s belly, but the bastard sucked his stomach in and twisted out of the way, leaving Blurr to strike at air.
Starscream blinked before his lips curved into a light smile, a chuckle spilling free. “Nice to meet you, Tyrael. You already know my name.” He accepted TJ’s offered hand, giving it a firm shake. “I’ve watched you race a couple of times. You’re very fast.”
“Well, not as fast as Blurr here.” TJ’s free hand clapped on Blurr’s shoulder demonstratively. He slipped his other hand free of Starscream’s and planted it on Blurr’s other shoulder. “He’s our shining star.”
Blurr had no idea what was going on here, but he had a feeling it was happening over his head. He heard more than saw TJ’s grin, and Starscream’s head was cocked, his expression curious.
"He is pretty amazing," Starscream agreed as Blurr's face burned with embarrassment.
"I'm glad you think so, too." TJ planted his chin on Blurr's shoulder, curving an arm around his waist to rest a palm on his belly. "I think that means you and I are going to be great friends."
Starscream chuckled, but it sounded strained. "I can always use more friends. And any friend of Blurr's is a friend of mine." His gaze flicked to TJ, and there was something in it Blurr couldn't identify.
TJ patted Blurr on the belly, turned his head, and planted a quick kiss on Blurr's cheek. "Well, that's probably my cue to go then. You two have plans."
"Not really," Blurr said, as Starscream spoke up, "I wouldn't think to intrude. I just came by to check on Blurr, see his progress on that paper."
TJ gasped in mock outrage. "Blurr! Were you using me as a distraction from your schoolwork?" He slid off Blurr's back and leaned around to meet his gaze. "I'm shocked and appalled. I feel so used."
Blurr rolled his eyes and shoved TJ's face away from his, stepping out of his friend's reach. "Don't even start."
"You can't tell me what to do." TJ straightened and made a show of adjusting his clothes. He playfully waggled a finger. "You have homework, mister."
"You don't have to leave," Blurr said.
TJ scoffed. "As if you could concentrate with this within reach." He gestured to himself pointedly. "Not that I could blame you, I mean, I am pretty hot stuff."
"Oh Primus, get out," Blurr groaned, taking TJ by the shoulders and steering him toward the door, Starscream angling out of the way to let TJ pass.
TJ outright laughed, but let himself be pushed. "Nice officially meeting you, Starscream. You're going to take care of my boy, right?"
"I can take care of myself!" Blurr said, his face blazing as he yanked Starscream inside and grabbed the door, preparing to close it in TJ's face if he kept up with this ridiculousness.
"Of course I am," Starscream replied with a small dip of his head. "He's a most cherished friend."
TJ's grin was blinding, and his gaze flicked to Blurr. "This one's a good egg, Dae. Don't let him go."
"I'll call you later," Blurr said, and shut the door before TJ could say anything else mortifying.
Not that it stopped him.
"Good luck with your paper!" TJ sang through the door, and the inflection he added on the last word implied something other than schoolwork.
Ass.
"Go home," Blurr shouted through the door before rolling his eyes and turning back toward Starscream, who was giving him a look with two raised eyebrows. "What?"
The harpy stared for a moment longer before he slipped into a low chuckle. "I like your friend." He glanced over Blurr, gaze seeming to linger on Blurr's collarbone before lifting again. "He's very sweet."
"Sweet is the exact opposite of what he is. TJ is a menace." Blurr snorted and wiped his palms on his thighs. "Did Perceptor get his books?"
Starscream nodded slowly. "Indeed. And then I came back here."
"Why?" Blurr asked, and quickly amended, "Not that I'm upset or anything, it's just, you know, a long flight for you. And I'm okay. I promise."
"No, you are not." Starscream's tone was firm. He took a step closer, gently resting his hands on Blurr's shoulders. "Yesterday was very unpleasant for you, I know. So I am here in case you want the company." He paused, and his grin was crooked. "And also because you do need to finish that paper, and I am willing to assist."
Blurr groaned and slid away from Starscream, though he instantly mourned the loss of heat and comfort. "I honestly don't care about that assignment anymore."
"Don't you need it to graduate?"
"It's only a quarter of my grade," Blurr said.
Starscream sighed, and Blurr could feel the disapproval radiating outward from twitching feathers. "Apathy doesn't suit you."
"In the grand scheme of things, one stupid paper is not going to be important."
"No, perhaps not in the grand scheme, but for right now, yes, it's important."
"Why?" Blurr demanded, pushing past Starscream to move further into the room. He picked up discarded clothing to shove into the laundry basket. "It's not like I have any plans for the future. I don't have a job lined up. I don't even care about this degree."
Silence.
At least until Blurr dropped his armful into the basket and turned, suddenly face to feathers, and arms coming around him, pulling him into an embrace. The scent of berries and ozone -- there must be a storm coming -- surrounded him. It wasn't until he pressed to Starscream's chest, that he realized he was shaking.
Starscream's chest rumbled beneath his cheek, like a purr, and it was unexpectedly soothing. Feathers tickled over Blurr's back and shoulders. Starscream didn't say anything, and Blurr was glad for it, because words weren't helpful right now. But the hug was everything, and Blurr relaxed into it, bringing his arms up to return the embrace.
"I'm sorry," Blurr muttered against Starscream's chest. He clutched at Starscream's back, fingers threading through the softness of Starscream's feathers, a wave of comfort washing through his body.
"You have nothing to apologize for," Starscream said. He tilted his head down, brushing his cheek over the top of Blurr's head. "I understand."
"Yeah, but I shouldn't yell at you about it."
Starscream made a noncommittal noise. "You're forgiven."
Blurr sighed and scrubbed his face against Starscream's abdomen. "I'll work on the damn paper."
A quiet chuckle rumbled in Starscream's ear. "And I will help you. So get dressed."
"What? Why?" He looked up, eyes narrowing. "Is there something wrong with my current outfit?"
Starscream leaned back, granting him some space, eyebrow arched. "Well, if you want to go into public wearing your pajamas, that's your prerogative."
"I wasn't planning on leaving my room," Blurr retorted.
"You can't hide in here either," Starscream said in a firm tone. He planted his hands on his hips.
Blurr crossed his arms. "Who said I'm hiding?"
"I do. Trust me, I know. I've been there." Starscream's hand slid down, his eyes darkening as he looked distant. "I hid a day before I decided I wouldn't hide anymore."
Blurr chewed on his bottom lip and folded his arms. He hunched his shoulders.
“Fine.” He pulled open his wardrobe and grabbed the first clean, non-pajama clothes within reach. Other people might be fine with wearing their night clothes on campus over a weekend, but Blurr was not one of them.
Starscream hovered nearby.
Blurr yanked a shirt off a hanger. “You don’t have to look over my shoulder, you know. It’s not like I’m going to dive into the wardrobe and appear in another world."
“What in the world does that mean?"
Off went the tank, on went the t-shirt, Blurr balling up the tank and throwing it into the bottom of his closet. “Never mind. It’s a book reference."
"Fiction, I assume?"
"Yeah. I’m sure the library has it.” Some of the anger leaked out of Blurr. After all, it wasn’t Starscream he was angry it. “You’d probably like it. There’s a whole series of them, and technically, it’s written for kids, but I dunno.” He shrugged and pulled out his favorite pair of jeans. “Sometimes kids books are better."
"They still qualify as literature," Starscream replied. "Would you like to go to the library or do you want to go elsewhere? I was thinking the Union."
Blurr laughed and kicked off his sweatpants. "You just want coffee and cinnamon rolls," he said as he went to shove into his jeans. "Not that I'm-- whoa!"
His balance failed him, toe tangled on an inner seam of the jeans. Blurr wobbled, felt himself tilting backward, but before he landed ass first on the ground, large hands caught him, talons gently pressing against his skin. He looked up at Starscream, leaning over him, their faces inches apart. It was a face framed by feathers and a bit of a beaked nose, but a familiar face which set his heart to thumping.
Heat instantly flooded Blurr's cheeks. "Oops."
Starscream chuckled. "Are you still hungover? That was uncharacteristically clumsy of you."
"I might be," Blurr admitted. No way would he admit the burn in his face was anything but embarrassment. "Thanks, by the way. Good catch."
"You're welcome." Starscream lifted him back upright and tugged him into his jeans like he was a child. "You need looking after, Blurr." He swept a hand over Blurr's head, brushing some hair out of his face. "You're a bit of a mess."
Blurr snorted. "Yeah, tell me something I don't know." He zipped up and buttoned before offering Starscream a grin. "Good thing I have you then, right?"
"Right." Starscream cupped his jaw and tugged him in for a brief kiss to the forehead, one that happened so fast Blurr barely had a moment to process it before Starscream let him go and pulled away. "Now let's go to the Union. My treat."
"And how are you going to manage that?"
Starscream reached for something tied to his waist, which Blurr noticed belatedly. He dug around in it and produced an ID card. "I borrowed this from Perceptor as payback. He's the only one who actually has an expense account."
Blurr laughed as he stuffed the things he'd need into his backpack, including his laptop. “I’ll have to offer him my gratitude then.”
“I’m the one who flew out here to treat you!” Starscream sniffed theatrically, and the card disappeared back into what was pretty much a fanny back. Brightly colored and everything. Blurr wondered who’d given it to him.
He didn’t have to wonder long. This had Rathi written all over it. The woman was evil. Pure evil.
“Yes, you did. And thank you for that.” Blurr swung his backpack over his shoulder, groaning under the weight of the books. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”
Starscream laughed and followed him. “You act like you’re being led to your doom.”
“Sometimes, it feels like that.”
In his pocket, Blurr’s phone chimed with a text message. He pulled it out, skimming the contents, and swallowed a laugh and an eyeroll.
‘Bros before hos everytime, Dae,’ TJ had sent, and he’d added the winking emoji as well.
Blurr was going to murder him. He tucked his phone away, warmth blooming within him. He felt… better. Not fully accomplished or decided or focused, but better.
Josiah might have been right in accusing Blurr of not having any future plans. But TJ was right, too. He still had time.
He’d figure something out.
***
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 Seven
Blurr was somewhere between awake and dozing when his bed both creaked and dipped, and warm lips pressed a kiss to the back of his neck. He hummed and turned his head, lifting it from the pillow as damp, shower-warm skin pressed against his.
“You’re insatiable,” Blurr murmured.
“You’re lying here in just your underwear with this fine ass pointed at me, what else am I supposed to think?” TJ laughed and palmed Blurr’s boxer-briefs to accentuate his point.
Blurr grinned and finished turning, right into TJ’s arms and into his lips, for a soft and savoring kiss that tasted of mint toothpaste.
“Well, it was an open invitation,” he said against TJ’s mouth and a laugh vibrated against his lips.
TJ slid onto the bed next to him, throwing a leg over Blurr’s, warm and naked skin sliding across his. He smelled fresh and clean, like Blurr’s body wash, and Blurr couldn’t help the possessive surge that rose in his belly. He turned into TJ’s hold, onto his back, and cupped a hand around TJ’s head, fingers threading through the thin braids.
“You are irresistible when you want to be,” TJ replied before he slipped back, easing out of the kiss, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Even if you did call me at the asscrack of dawn.”
Blurr rolled his eyes. “As if I didn’t catch you right when you came back from your run.”
“Mmm. Guilty as charged.” TJ’s thigh rubbed over his, wiry bits of hair faintly itchy against Blurr’s shaved legs. “Though it’s a curious thing that you did.”
Blurr wriggled to get more comfortable in the bed, haphazardly put back together after he’d pulled all the blankets from it last night. He’d less made it more than he threw the various bits of bedding over the mattress. He’d probably have to launder them after their activities this morning anyway.
The whole room smelled of sex. Not unpleasant, but definitely present. TJ’s cologne clung to the blankets, and Blurr took comfort from that. From TJ, truth be told. After Starscream left, Blurr had only managed to endure twenty minutes of lonely silence before he’d called TJ.
He’d spent far too much time thinking about Josiah.
“What? I can’t call up a best friend on the weekend?” Blurr asked.
“Of course you can, if that’s the reason you did.” TJ gave him a stern look, raised eyebrows and everything. “So. Now that we’ve gotten the fun parts out of the way, want to tell me what happened?”
Blurr furrowed his brow. “What are you talking about?”
TJ braced his head on his hand, planting his elbow into the mattress with an audible creak of the springs. “You’ve spent most of your time with Starscream lately.”
“And?”
“And you only call me when you’re upset.” TJ’s free hand flattened on Blurr’s belly, rubbing a slow, warm path over it. “I’m not bitching at you about that, by the way. I know the score. I’m just worried.”
Blurr’s insides did a tumultuous flip. He sucked on his bottom lip and tossed his arm over his eyes. “I ran into Josiah,” he admitted. There was no point in lying to TJ. Somehow, he always seemed to know when Blurr was.
A growl, not unlike Starscream’s, rose up in TJ’s throat. He stopped petting Blurr for a moment before he started up again. “Did you now?”
“Yeah. And he had a lot to say.” Per the usual. Blurr wanted to snort, but that thickness was back in his throat, and the tremble he thought he’d vanquished, tried to return with a vengeance.
TJ sucked on his teeth. “You should have let me punch him.”
Blurr snorted and lowered his arm. “Starscream said the same thing.”
“He was there?” Both of TJ’s eyebrows tried to climb into his hairline, not incredulous, but more impressed.
Blurr tried a grin, but it came out crooked. “He doesn’t like Josiah much either.”
“That’s my kind of bird then.”
A soft laugh escaped Blurr, strained though it was. TJ had been instrumental in getting Josiah to back off. He’d been the one to bring the situation up to Coach Sylvester when Blurr had balked because he hadn’t wanted to cause drama.
TJ leaned closer, lips grazing over Blurr's temple. "I'm glad you called me then," he murmured.
"Well, I missed you," Blurr said, tucking his arm behind his head and wriggling closer, trying to encourage more of the touching.
"Uh huh. Sure." TJ obliged, his hand sliding down Blurr's belly to tease at the hem of his boxer-briefs.
It was so relaxed, so easy between them. Blurr had lost count of the number of times he'd considered trying to make it something more permanent. And the same amount of times he'd dismissed the wild fancy.
"You're still planning on graduate school, right?" Blurr asked, attempting to make the question light, but not managing to completely hide the edge in his tone.
Josiah had really left him rattled.
"Yep." TJ's mouth tasted the curve of Blurr's jaw before venturing to the crook of his neck, while his palm skated over the bulge at Blurr's groin. His dick twitched with interest, despite the regret coiling in his heart.
"In Iacon?"
TJ's hand slid back to Blurr's belly, lying flat and mostly chaste. He lifted his head, his brown eyes soft and sad. "Blurr, don't let Josiah get into your head, man. There are plenty of people around here who have no idea what they're going to do after graduation. You'll figure it out."
"Yeah. Probably," Blurr said, and he doubted TJ believed him anymore than Blurr believed himself. But he curled his hand around the back of TJ's head and tugged him back down for a kiss. It was much better than discussing improbable futures.
TJ made a conceding hum and deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding into Blurr's mouth with slow, careful intent. Blurr rolled his hips, trying to encourage TJ's hand to go back to a more useful location, and TJ chuckled against his mouth.
"Didn't we just get clean?" he asked.
"What? You got better plans today?" Blurr retorted, arching an eyebrow.
TJ leaned over him, bracing his weight on one hand to crowd Blurr beneath his broader shoulders. His dreads fell over his shoulder, the ends of them tickling Blurr's bare chest.
"Better than spending all day with you beneath me? I don't think such a thing exists," he teased. One knee slid between Blurr's thighs, scooting up and up and up until it nudged his groin, a faint pressure against his scrotum.
Blurr shivered, a lazy heat winding up his spine. "I expect to be spoiled," he groaned.
"You always do." TJ laughed and sealed their mouths together again, his hips sinking down, rolling his thickening bulge against Blurr's hipbone.
Mmm. Yes. Much better topic than Blurr's lack of future planning.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Arrhythmic, one after the other, the rattling noise caught Blurr's attention. And TJ's apparently, as he ended the kiss and lifted his head.
"What's that?"
Tap, tap, clunk.
Blurr winced. He had an idea of what it might be. He rolled out from under TJ much reluctantly and peered through the blinds of the window, looking down. Sure enough, Starscream waved up at him from the ground, a bright grin on his face as he let a small handful of acorns drop to the ground.
TJ leaned over him, chin hooked on his shoulder, peering through the gap in the blinds. "Is that Starscream?"
"That's his way of sending a text to let me know he's here," Blurr said as he let the blinds shut and sank face-first into the bed.
TJ chuckled. "That's adorable." He tilted his head, exhaling over Blurr's ear. "Has he gained weight?"
Blurr snorted. "He's getting his winter coat. It makes him fluffier. And for the love of Primus, don't tell him he looks fat."
"Something tells me you've already made that mistake." TJ laughed and slid back, taking the warmth of his chest away from Blurr's shoulders. "Did you know he was coming?"
"No. He went back to the aerie just this morning after staying all night." Blurr swept a hand through his hair, still damp from his earlier shower. "He didn't say he was coming back."
"Aw. He's worried about you." TJ scooted off the bed and bent down, rooting his jeans off the pile on the floor.
Blurr frowned. "You're leaving?"
TJ tugged up his jeans, and Blurr lamented the disappearance of his glorious hipbones. "I think giant bird best friends take precedence."
"They do not." Blurr slid to the edge of the bed, legs dangling over.
TJ snagged his tee and pulled it on as well. "Yes, they do." He leaned over Blurr, planting a kiss on his forehead. "Come on. Get dressed. Can't have you tempting the whole dorm by walking out there in your underwear."
Blurr rolled his eyes, but obeyed. He couldn't walk out there mostly naked after all. But he didn't plan on staying outside, Starscream would just have to come up. So he pulled on a tank and a pair of ratty sweatpants while TJ dug his jacket out from the pile of Blurr's discarded clothes on his desk chair.
"You're cute when you're pouting."
"I'm not pouting." Blurr pointed at his groin and half-hard bulge behind his sweatpants. "You're the one leaving me with this."
TJ laughed again. "That will go down on it's own if you give it enough time. Or. Here's a thought." He held up his hands and wiggled his fingers. "Take care of it yourself."
"Why should I when I have you right here in front of me?" Blurr grumbled.
Rap-rap-tap.
They both looked at the door.
"How'd he get in?" TJ asked.
Blurr sighed and moved to the door, TJ hot on his heels. "He's a celebrity around here. Everyone knows him by now. Someone probably let him in."
"I want to meet him."
"You've met him."
"Not officially." TJ crowded against his back, resting his hands on Blurr's shoulders to peer around him.
It was universally unfair that TJ was taller than him. Blurr wasn't exactly short, but TJ should have been a basketball player.
Starscream knocked again just as Blurr flicked the lock and turned the handle, opening the door, with TJ attached to his back like some sort of bizarre backpack. Starscream peeked around the edge of the door before it was fully open, his face drawn with concern, and then confusion, no doubt because he’d spotted TJ.
“Um.”
“Don’t mind him,” Blurr said with an audible, heavy sigh. He tried to step backward, make room for Starscream to come inside, but TJ had become an immovable object. “He’s pretending like he’s never met you before.”
Starscream straightened and tilted his head. “Not directly, I don’t think,” he said with a quiet, stilted laugh. “He’s one of your teammates, yes?”
“That’s one word you can use,” TJ stuck a hand over Blurr’s shoulder toward Starcream. “Tyrael Jonathon Weeks, at your service, and his, too, from time to time.”
“TJ!” Blurr hissed and jerked an elbow backward, aiming for TJ’s belly, but the bastard sucked his stomach in and twisted out of the way, leaving Blurr to strike at air.
Starscream blinked before his lips curved into a light smile, a chuckle spilling free. “Nice to meet you, Tyrael. You already know my name.” He accepted TJ’s offered hand, giving it a firm shake. “I’ve watched you race a couple of times. You’re very fast.”
“Well, not as fast as Blurr here.” TJ’s free hand clapped on Blurr’s shoulder demonstratively. He slipped his other hand free of Starscream’s and planted it on Blurr’s other shoulder. “He’s our shining star.”
Blurr had no idea what was going on here, but he had a feeling it was happening over his head. He heard more than saw TJ’s grin, and Starscream’s head was cocked, his expression curious.
"He is pretty amazing," Starscream agreed as Blurr's face burned with embarrassment.
"I'm glad you think so, too." TJ planted his chin on Blurr's shoulder, curving an arm around his waist to rest a palm on his belly. "I think that means you and I are going to be great friends."
Starscream chuckled, but it sounded strained. "I can always use more friends. And any friend of Blurr's is a friend of mine." His gaze flicked to TJ, and there was something in it Blurr couldn't identify.
TJ patted Blurr on the belly, turned his head, and planted a quick kiss on Blurr's cheek. "Well, that's probably my cue to go then. You two have plans."
"Not really," Blurr said, as Starscream spoke up, "I wouldn't think to intrude. I just came by to check on Blurr, see his progress on that paper."
TJ gasped in mock outrage. "Blurr! Were you using me as a distraction from your schoolwork?" He slid off Blurr's back and leaned around to meet his gaze. "I'm shocked and appalled. I feel so used."
Blurr rolled his eyes and shoved TJ's face away from his, stepping out of his friend's reach. "Don't even start."
"You can't tell me what to do." TJ straightened and made a show of adjusting his clothes. He playfully waggled a finger. "You have homework, mister."
"You don't have to leave," Blurr said.
TJ scoffed. "As if you could concentrate with this within reach." He gestured to himself pointedly. "Not that I could blame you, I mean, I am pretty hot stuff."
"Oh Primus, get out," Blurr groaned, taking TJ by the shoulders and steering him toward the door, Starscream angling out of the way to let TJ pass.
TJ outright laughed, but let himself be pushed. "Nice officially meeting you, Starscream. You're going to take care of my boy, right?"
"I can take care of myself!" Blurr said, his face blazing as he yanked Starscream inside and grabbed the door, preparing to close it in TJ's face if he kept up with this ridiculousness.
"Of course I am," Starscream replied with a small dip of his head. "He's a most cherished friend."
TJ's grin was blinding, and his gaze flicked to Blurr. "This one's a good egg, Dae. Don't let him go."
"I'll call you later," Blurr said, and shut the door before TJ could say anything else mortifying.
Not that it stopped him.
"Good luck with your paper!" TJ sang through the door, and the inflection he added on the last word implied something other than schoolwork.
Ass.
"Go home," Blurr shouted through the door before rolling his eyes and turning back toward Starscream, who was giving him a look with two raised eyebrows. "What?"
The harpy stared for a moment longer before he slipped into a low chuckle. "I like your friend." He glanced over Blurr, gaze seeming to linger on Blurr's collarbone before lifting again. "He's very sweet."
"Sweet is the exact opposite of what he is. TJ is a menace." Blurr snorted and wiped his palms on his thighs. "Did Perceptor get his books?"
Starscream nodded slowly. "Indeed. And then I came back here."
"Why?" Blurr asked, and quickly amended, "Not that I'm upset or anything, it's just, you know, a long flight for you. And I'm okay. I promise."
"No, you are not." Starscream's tone was firm. He took a step closer, gently resting his hands on Blurr's shoulders. "Yesterday was very unpleasant for you, I know. So I am here in case you want the company." He paused, and his grin was crooked. "And also because you do need to finish that paper, and I am willing to assist."
Blurr groaned and slid away from Starscream, though he instantly mourned the loss of heat and comfort. "I honestly don't care about that assignment anymore."
"Don't you need it to graduate?"
"It's only a quarter of my grade," Blurr said.
Starscream sighed, and Blurr could feel the disapproval radiating outward from twitching feathers. "Apathy doesn't suit you."
"In the grand scheme of things, one stupid paper is not going to be important."
"No, perhaps not in the grand scheme, but for right now, yes, it's important."
"Why?" Blurr demanded, pushing past Starscream to move further into the room. He picked up discarded clothing to shove into the laundry basket. "It's not like I have any plans for the future. I don't have a job lined up. I don't even care about this degree."
Silence.
At least until Blurr dropped his armful into the basket and turned, suddenly face to feathers, and arms coming around him, pulling him into an embrace. The scent of berries and ozone -- there must be a storm coming -- surrounded him. It wasn't until he pressed to Starscream's chest, that he realized he was shaking.
Starscream's chest rumbled beneath his cheek, like a purr, and it was unexpectedly soothing. Feathers tickled over Blurr's back and shoulders. Starscream didn't say anything, and Blurr was glad for it, because words weren't helpful right now. But the hug was everything, and Blurr relaxed into it, bringing his arms up to return the embrace.
"I'm sorry," Blurr muttered against Starscream's chest. He clutched at Starscream's back, fingers threading through the softness of Starscream's feathers, a wave of comfort washing through his body.
"You have nothing to apologize for," Starscream said. He tilted his head down, brushing his cheek over the top of Blurr's head. "I understand."
"Yeah, but I shouldn't yell at you about it."
Starscream made a noncommittal noise. "You're forgiven."
Blurr sighed and scrubbed his face against Starscream's abdomen. "I'll work on the damn paper."
A quiet chuckle rumbled in Starscream's ear. "And I will help you. So get dressed."
"What? Why?" He looked up, eyes narrowing. "Is there something wrong with my current outfit?"
Starscream leaned back, granting him some space, eyebrow arched. "Well, if you want to go into public wearing your pajamas, that's your prerogative."
"I wasn't planning on leaving my room," Blurr retorted.
"You can't hide in here either," Starscream said in a firm tone. He planted his hands on his hips.
Blurr crossed his arms. "Who said I'm hiding?"
"I do. Trust me, I know. I've been there." Starscream's hand slid down, his eyes darkening as he looked distant. "I hid a day before I decided I wouldn't hide anymore."
Blurr chewed on his bottom lip and folded his arms. He hunched his shoulders.
“Fine.” He pulled open his wardrobe and grabbed the first clean, non-pajama clothes within reach. Other people might be fine with wearing their night clothes on campus over a weekend, but Blurr was not one of them.
Starscream hovered nearby.
Blurr yanked a shirt off a hanger. “You don’t have to look over my shoulder, you know. It’s not like I’m going to dive into the wardrobe and appear in another world."
“What in the world does that mean?"
Off went the tank, on went the t-shirt, Blurr balling up the tank and throwing it into the bottom of his closet. “Never mind. It’s a book reference."
"Fiction, I assume?"
"Yeah. I’m sure the library has it.” Some of the anger leaked out of Blurr. After all, it wasn’t Starscream he was angry it. “You’d probably like it. There’s a whole series of them, and technically, it’s written for kids, but I dunno.” He shrugged and pulled out his favorite pair of jeans. “Sometimes kids books are better."
"They still qualify as literature," Starscream replied. "Would you like to go to the library or do you want to go elsewhere? I was thinking the Union."
Blurr laughed and kicked off his sweatpants. "You just want coffee and cinnamon rolls," he said as he went to shove into his jeans. "Not that I'm-- whoa!"
His balance failed him, toe tangled on an inner seam of the jeans. Blurr wobbled, felt himself tilting backward, but before he landed ass first on the ground, large hands caught him, talons gently pressing against his skin. He looked up at Starscream, leaning over him, their faces inches apart. It was a face framed by feathers and a bit of a beaked nose, but a familiar face which set his heart to thumping.
Heat instantly flooded Blurr's cheeks. "Oops."
Starscream chuckled. "Are you still hungover? That was uncharacteristically clumsy of you."
"I might be," Blurr admitted. No way would he admit the burn in his face was anything but embarrassment. "Thanks, by the way. Good catch."
"You're welcome." Starscream lifted him back upright and tugged him into his jeans like he was a child. "You need looking after, Blurr." He swept a hand over Blurr's head, brushing some hair out of his face. "You're a bit of a mess."
Blurr snorted. "Yeah, tell me something I don't know." He zipped up and buttoned before offering Starscream a grin. "Good thing I have you then, right?"
"Right." Starscream cupped his jaw and tugged him in for a brief kiss to the forehead, one that happened so fast Blurr barely had a moment to process it before Starscream let him go and pulled away. "Now let's go to the Union. My treat."
"And how are you going to manage that?"
Starscream reached for something tied to his waist, which Blurr noticed belatedly. He dug around in it and produced an ID card. "I borrowed this from Perceptor as payback. He's the only one who actually has an expense account."
Blurr laughed as he stuffed the things he'd need into his backpack, including his laptop. “I’ll have to offer him my gratitude then.”
“I’m the one who flew out here to treat you!” Starscream sniffed theatrically, and the card disappeared back into what was pretty much a fanny back. Brightly colored and everything. Blurr wondered who’d given it to him.
He didn’t have to wonder long. This had Rathi written all over it. The woman was evil. Pure evil.
“Yes, you did. And thank you for that.” Blurr swung his backpack over his shoulder, groaning under the weight of the books. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”
Starscream laughed and followed him. “You act like you’re being led to your doom.”
“Sometimes, it feels like that.”
In his pocket, Blurr’s phone chimed with a text message. He pulled it out, skimming the contents, and swallowed a laugh and an eyeroll.
‘Bros before hos everytime, Dae,’ TJ had sent, and he’d added the winking emoji as well.
Blurr was going to murder him. He tucked his phone away, warmth blooming within him. He felt… better. Not fully accomplished or decided or focused, but better.
Josiah might have been right in accusing Blurr of not having any future plans. But TJ was right, too. He still had time.
He’d figure something out.
