[TF] Uncharted Territory 09/28
Aug. 22nd, 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 Nine
Everything changed.
Nothing changed.
Blurr stopped sleeping on a pallet of blankets on the floor and joined Starscream on the narrow bed, pressed close to the fluffy warmth of feathers. He slept at ease in the cradle of a heavy, winged arm.
He woke some mornings, to soft kisses pressed to the corner of his mouth, and the tickle of feathers against his throat. Or, the rare times he woke before Starscream, he could lay there and admire Starscream with his eyes, trying not to let the alarm set in.
What was he doing? He had no idea. Was he going to stop?
Absolutely not.
He pushed away the thoughts of why this was crazy or ridiculous or why it couldn’t work. He focused instead on how happy he felt around Starscream, how comfortable and warm, and how it felt to kiss Starscream. He focused on the important things.
Stolen goodbye kisses after a quick glance around to make sure they weren’t being watched.
Curled together on a bed turned couch, watching movies and eating junk food, sharing kisses during the boring parts, kisses that tasted like caramel or cinnamon or chocolate.
Waking up next to or halfway beneath Starscream, buried in an avalanche of blankets and pillows and feathers, more to add to his growing collection.
Those were the things that mattered.
Starscream visited every weekend now, sometimes longer if he could. He learned the baristas at the coffeeshop by name, and they didn’t blink the first time he went by himself, clutching Blurr’s ID card to pay for it.
That had been quite the romantic surprise, though Blurr had been a little miffed Starscream had snatched his ID and snuck out with it. The fresh coffee and bagels made up for the theft, however, as did the dizzying half-hour they spent curled together, sharing kiss after kiss. Blurr pretended not to notice that Starscream had two cinnamon rolls stashed in a bag for himself.
It stopped feeling weird so quickly, Blurr wondered if it had ever felt weird at all.
He bought more pillows, and the sight of them mounded on the bed made Starscream’s eyes light up. He flopped onto the narrow mattress and arranged them all just so, until the bed became a grossly extravagant tangle of comfort.
Small wonder Blurr didn’t want to leave the dorm on the weekends. Everything he needed – save food, and that could be delivered – was right here.
Time spent with Starscream was the highlight of his week. And kissing… that was easy. Hours curled together, alternating between watching TV or playing games, that sooner or later turned to hot kisses, each more hungry than the last.
Logically, Blurr knew things would progress to the inevitable conclusion but the hows and whys continued to make his brain screech to a halt, contemplating possibilities. The things he knew about harpies, especially their reproduction, couldn’t fill out a children’s picture book.
Fortunately, there was no rush. Starscream didn’t seem in any hurry to move beyond the endless makeout sessions, and Blurr didn’t want to push either. Kissing was one thing. Sex was… quite different.
Were they dating? Were they friends? Did they need to define it?
So many questions. Blurr pushed them all away. He was happy. That was what mattered. He was happy, and he intended to cling to that as long as he possibly could.
~
Sunday evenings were the hardest. Because Blurr had class in the morning, and Starscream had to go back to the aerie for his duties and to reassure his Liege – whoever that was – he was safe.
Saturdays were for fun and entertainment, and Sundays were meant for lounging in bed like a bunch of lazy bums. They kissed until Blurr’s head spun with the taste of Starscream on his lips, and the weight of Starscream over him or beneath him. Tempting him.
Like now, where Blurr sprawled in the almost-cocoon of blankets and pillows Starscream created whenever he stayed over. It made for a depression in the bed, like sleeping in a cradle, but Starscream preferred it so Blurr didn’t fuss. Besides, it meant Starscream didn’t roll away from him. And well, it meant Blurr had nowhere to go when Starscream pinned him down and kissed him, soft and sweet at first, but with ever increasing intensity.
His lips wandered, tasting the curve of Blurr’s ear, the hollow of his throat, teeth brushing ever so gently over his bare skin. It was unexpectedly erotic. Blurr felt dizzy beneath it, unable to respond as he drowned in the sensation. He shivered, Starscream’s mouth hot and wet as it traced his collarbone.
“You’re pointy again,” Starscream murmured with a little laugh as he mouthed at Blurr’s throat. “Are you cold?”
Ah. This again.
Blurr flushed and squirmed. His dick twitched at the breathy purr. “It’s not always because of the cold,” he replied and slid his hands up Starscream’s side, burying them in the winter fluff.
“Oh?” Starscream leaned back, his eyes bright and curious. He shifted and bent over to brush his cheek over Blurr’s chest, right over his nipple. “Why else then?”
Damn his harpy curiosity.
Blurr’s flush deepened. “S-sometimes it happens because I feel good,” he said.
Primus, it was embarrassing to talk about this.
“Feel good?” Starscream echoed, and his grin turned almost feral. He rubbed his cheek over Blurr’s chest, and Blurr shivered as it applied pressure to his nipple, even with the cotton of his t-shirt between them. “Can I lick it?”
Oh, god.
Blurr’s grip on Starscream’s sides tightened. “Why?”
“To see if it tastes good.” Starscream rubbed a little harder, and Blurr’s dick started to push at his jeans. “And if it makes you feel good.”
His cheek slid down, and Blurr swore he could feel the hot puffs of Starscream’s breath despite his shirt.
Blurr shivered and bucked up. He had never, in his life, been so sensitive, but somehow just the thought of Starscream licking him sent fire through his veins.
“I-I guess. If you want to.” Blurr’s breathing stuttered, and anticipation clogged up his throat.
Inevitable progression, his brain helpfully reminded him.
Starscream grinned and pressed a kiss to Blurr’s right nipple, visibly peaked beneath his t-shirt. “I want to.”
Blurr groaned and hastily snatched at his hem, trying to pull his shirt up and over his head. Starscream chuckled as he fumbled and got tangled in the arms of it, before a tug from a talon helped free him and the scrap of cotton was tossed away. Blurr dropped back into the cradle of pillows, the feel of them against his bare back unexpectedly erotic, but no more so than the tickle of feathers on his bare stomach and shoulders and chest.
Starscream looked at him intently, and Blurr tried not to squirm. “You’re so smooth,” he murmured as he planted a kiss on Blurr’s sternum.
“Because I don’t have feathers,” Blurr said, ignoring the niggle of worry curling at the back of his conscious. How could Starscream look at him -- pale and thin and gangly and far too smooth -- and find anything attractive?
“No, you don’t. Instead you have these… nipples,” Starscream said, the word strange on his tongue. “They look like little berries.”
Blurr clutched at Starscream’s sides again, back arching, as warm lips traced over one peaked nub before a hot tongue followed, licking long and wet.
“J-just don’t bite them,” he said, on the edge of a moan.
“Not even a little?” Starscream asked, mischievous to the core. Teeth immediately joined the fray, applying a careful pressure.
Blurr’s fingers dug into Starscream’s sides, and his dick throbbed. Thank god he was wearing jeans otherwise Starscream would be meeting his lower self sooner than Blurr was ready for.
“Mmm. Just a little is okay I think,” Starscream said against Blurr’s skin as he dragged his lips over to the left. “And you have two! I should be more generous.”
Starscream was going to kill him, Blurr thought, as his other nipple was kissed and licked and nibbled. Each hot press of Starscream’s tongue sent another shock of lust through Blurr’s body. He gasped and rocked up against Starscream, feeling the barest of pressures against his groin. Pleasure danced in the dark behind his eyelids.
Inevitable progression, his muddled thoughts helpfully supplied, and Blurr untangled one hand from Starscream’s side to paw at the harpy’s head. His chest tingled, and his nipples tightened, and if he didn’t do something now, he would beg Starscream to strip away the rest of his clothes. Which, yeah, that sounded good now but later he’d be a ball of unease and recrimination.
Fortunately, Starscream seemed to hear his unvoiced plea, because he released Blurr’s nipple with an audible pop and kissed his way back to Blurr’s lips, hot and wet and as intoxicating as always. Blurr melted into it, pulled Starscream close, rocked their bodies together, and tried to tell himself to calm down.
It was harder than it sounded. Lust pulsed through his veins; his dick throbbed an angry beat. Starscream was so warm and smelled so sweet and if he didn’t look, he forgot his boyfriend was a harpy.
“Mmm.” Starscream’s lips slid away from his as he rubbed his cheek against Blurr’s. “I love kissing you.”
Blurr stroked his hands down Starscream’s sides. “That’s good, since I like kissing you, too.”
Starscream chuckled and shifted his weight, moving to curl next to Blurr rather than crouched over him. His feathered arm made for a nice, soft blanket over Blurr’s bare chest, brushing his yet-sensitive nipples.
“I appreciate touching you as well,” he said, nuzzling the crown of Blurr’s head. “You are very pretty when you turn red all over.”
As if on cue, Blurr’s face heated. Starscream’s bluntness was something he still hadn’t gotten used to. “You just like making me squirm.”
“That, too.” Starscream curled closer, as though he wanted to meld Blurr’s body with his. He blazed heat. Was he struggling with arousal, too or was Blurr the only one suffering? “Want to stay like this.”
Blurr wriggled closer, freeing up an arm so he could stroke around Starscream’s face. A lot of the feathers here were thinner, more sensitive, and stroking them never failed to make Starscream purr. He focused on the softness of the moment, the winding down, and mastered his breathing.
Slowly, so slowly, his arousal started to ebb.
“And if I miss any more classes, I’m going to both lose my scholarship and repeat my senior year,” Blurr said. “I mean, yeah, I earned it because of my athletic ability, but I still have to maintain a 3.0 GPA at the least.”
“I’ll help you study,” Starscream said.
It was as simple as that for him apparently.
But thinking of his GPA, his classes, his scholarship… those were all reminders. Truths Blurr couldn’t escape. He was human, with a human future, and he didn’t know how or even if Starscream could fit into that. He didn’t know what it meant.
Was he wasting his time with this indulgence? Was he only setting himself up for a bigger heartbreak? Was he destined to walk away from this happiness in the end?
Blurr swallowed thickly and turned into Starscream’s embrace, burying his face against the harpy’s fluffy chest. He gripped Starscream as best he could. His lust froze away, leaving only the faint pulses of fear.
He wished he could hold onto this forever. He was afraid to ask what it meant, and what was possible. He was afraid of the answers he’d get.
“Blurr?”
“We can get coffee in the morning, before my first class,” he said, his words muffled against Starscream’s chest. “Cinnamon rolls, too. Before you have to go.”
“The way to my core,” Starscream said with a soft laugh. He stroked his knuckles down Blurr’s bare back, over the knobs of his spine. “And then I’ll be back on Friday.” This, added firmly, as though it was a foregone conclusion.
Blurr hummed his agreement and went silent. He listened to the odd rhythm of Starscream’s heart – his core – beat. It was different than a humans. Heavier and slower, somehow. Stronger.
It always soothed him right to sleep.
Tonight, however, peace was not to be found. Blurr gnawed on the inside of his cheek, thoughts spinning upside down. The semester was almost over. He had one left. Then he’d have to leave. He’d have to move on.
He’d have to leave Starscream behind. What future could he truly have with the harpy? He clung to this impossibility like an abandoned puppy clung to a scrap of kindness.
Blurr’s mind ran in circles, thoughts chasing each other around his head. He didn’t want to leave Starscream. But he couldn’t stay. What they had, it was ridiculous. It would be obscene to anyone else.
He didn’t want to let go. He clung tighter. Heat banked behind his eyes, and he knew he was being a fool. In all the worst ways.
He didn’t want to let go.
~
The week leading up to finals was a frantic blur of studying, training, paper writing, and more studying. Blurr wanted to tear his hair out from sheer frustration as his professors piled on the extra work, Coach rode his ass with dexterity programs, and the threat of not passing any of his classes loomed over him.
As much as he didn’t have a clue about his future, he knew he didn’t want to repeat his senior year. For one, he’d have to pay for it out of pocket, and for two, he really, really didn’t like attending classes. Like frag would he repeat them.
So he studied furiously. He practiced even harder, because scoring a sponsorship or a spot on the international team would be one ticket for the future. He barely slept, he ate when food was put in front of him, and he probably wasn’t good company.
Which might have been why he came out of the shower on Friday afternoon and found all of his books, notebooks, and study materials missing. Even his laptop had been hidden away, and Starscream sat in his desk chair, one leg crossed over the other, elbows braced on the arms of the chair, his fingers tangled together.
Blurr, towel wrapped around his waist, glared. “Where’re my books?”
“You need a break,” Starscream said, his eyes narrow slits of crimson, as stern as the glare Blurr was giving him in return. “You’ve reached the point where studying isn’t going to help you, and frankly, you’ve been an ass lately. Even Rathi’s noticed.”
Rathi. Of course, Rathi.
“TJ as well,” Starscream added.
Traitors. Betrayal from all sides.
Blurr clutched at his towel, a shiver creeping down his spine as the warmth of the shower started to fade, the chill of the room seeping it away. He’d forgotten to dry his back again.
“I see none of my friends care about me passing my classes,” Blurr growled. He stomped to his dresser and pulled out a clean pair of boxer-briefs and an under-tank.
Starscream politely averted his eyes – they hadn’t gotten much further than kissing and a little overclothes groping – while Blurr dropped the towel. He pulled on his underclothes behind the relative cover of his wardrobe.
“It is because we care that we’re concerned,” Starscream said, his tone tight and wounded. “You need to take a night off. You need to eat. You need to sleep. And you might also want to consider apologizing to TJ. You snapped at him during practice yesterday, and it was very unwarranted.”
“I need to study,” Blurr argued as he yanked a pair of jeans out of the closet and tugged them on with quick, jerking motions. Only to realize he’d put his feet through the wrong legs.
Damn it.
His desk chair creaked as Starscream stood. He circled around the wardrobe door, looming over Blurr. “Study tomorrow. I’ll help you. Take tonight off.”
Blurr dressed himself properly, yanking on jeans, tee, a hoodie. He shoved his feet into socks, angry more at himself than Starscream. Well, all right. He was a little angry at Starscream. The harpy had no right to decide this for him. But it was coming from a place of concern, so he was forgiven.
A little. Not immediately.
“Blurr.”
He ignored Starscream, because he feared speaking would make him snap with words he’d regret.
Starscream embraced him from behind, feathers forming a warm curtain, the beat of his core pulsing against the back of Blurr’s shoulders. “Please take tonight off,” he murmured as he nuzzled the back of Blurr’s head. “You look like you’re about to break.”
Blurr hung his head and took in a slow, deep breath.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, bringing up his hands to clutch at Starscream's, his eyes sliding shut.
"It's all right," Starscream said, his voice a humming vibration in Blurr's ear.
Blurr shook his head and let go, turning in Starscream's hold to see his face. "No, it's not. I've been an ass to you lately. I've been apologizing a lot because I'm snapping at you when you don't deserve it." He set his jaw. "I don't understand why you even put up with me."
"That's easy enough to answer." Starscream cupped his face and brought their foreheads together, his hands impossibly gentle. "Because I care for you and want to be with you."
"I'm terrible company right now," Blurr admitted.
The pad of Starscream's thumb swept over his cheek. "Yes, that's true. But I like you anyway." His lips curved in a wry grin. "I'm considering it pre-payment for a time when I'll be terrible company in the future, I'm sure."
A soft laugh spilled out of Blurr before he could stop it. "I don't think that's how it works."
"We're odd as it is. Why can't we buck this trend, too?"
Blurr managed a soft smile. "That's a good point," he said. "And you're right."
"I generally am."
"Shush." He tipped his head forward, sliding into the warmth of Starscream's embrace. "I need a break. And I think I've been neglecting you this week, too. So I should make up for that. What do you want to do?"
Starscream chuckled, the rumble of it vibrating around Blurr. "There are things I want to do that perhaps we aren't ready for yet," he said. "In lieu of that, TJ gave me an interesting idea."
Blurr groaned and leaned back. "You have got to stop talking to my friends and letting them put ideas in your head."
Starscream arched a feathery brow. "And why is that?"
"Because they are sneaky and devious and not to be trusted." Blurr poked Starscream in the belly, though it was like poking a feathery wall. Starscream had muscles beneath the feathers that Blurr envied. "And also out to embarrass me at every turn, as friends do."
Starscream chuckled. "Yes, but they also carry for you very much. And are very worried, too."
Blurr squirmed in the face of Starscream's blatant honesy. "I get that. So you never answered me. What do you have in mind that we can do now, that we're ready for?"
He scratched the side of his jaw, well aware of what other things Starscream had been implying. A low waft of heat curled in his belly. He was simultaneously excited and nervous about going further with Starscream, but also, still looking at himself in the mirror and wondering what the hell he was doing.
"TJ said something about an agricultural fair," Starscream said with a shrug that was probably meant to be nonchalant, but he couldn't hide the interest or delight in his eyes. Or the way his feathers fluttered with excitement. "It sounds like the festivals they have in Vos sometimes. I thought it would be interesting to check out."
"The county fair?" Blurr nibbled on his bottom lip. He'd only been to the Kaon Fair once, two years ago, with Josiah. It should have been a pleasant time, but it hadn't been. It had also been a few weeks before Blurr started the long, complicated process of extricating himself from that relationship.
He wanted to refuse. But Starscream had such an eager look in his eyes, Blurr couldn't do it. He'd been an ass this week and he knew it. Besides, TJ was right. He couldn't let Josiah influence him forever.
“All right,” Blurr said. He reached for his coat and tugged it on before slipping his wallet, keys, and phone into his pockets. “That sounds like a good idea. Let’s go.”
Starscream held up a hand and a single finger. “First things first,” he said.
Blurr wrinkled his brow. “What am I missing?”
“This.” Starscream leaned toward him, gently cupping Blurr’s cheek with his palm, and pressed their mouths together. He licked over Blurr’s lip, silently requesting permission, and Blurr melted into the kiss, tasting berries on Starscream’s tongue.
Blurr hummed, sinking into Starscream’s embrace willingly. Tension seemed to drain out through his feet, taking away some of the agitation wrecking his calm.
“You’re right,” he said against Starscream’s mouth. “I couldn’t have left home without that.”
Starscream chuckled. “Then I’m glad to have offered it.” He brushed the back of his knuckles over Blurr’s cheek. “Now come. You have a fair to show me.”
“Yes, I do.”
The Kaon County Fair wasn’t technically on the university’s campus. It was nearby, set up in one of four rotating agricultural fields – whichever one was left to go fallow for the year. It was approaching dusk by the time Starscream had managed to drag Blurr out of his dorm and into public, and the bright lights of the rides visibly glowed from across the road. Streams of people flooded the gates, their breaths puffing out in front of them in deference to the frigid air.
Winter was a terrible time to hold a fair, but Kaon had to be different, Blurr supposed.
Starscream was given more than a few curious glances, but no one made a fuss over his being present. The ticket vendor was a little confused as to how to charge him, but as they wouldn’t be riding anything, a basic entrance fee was enough.
“I don’t get on fair rides,” Blurr said, careful to keep his tone firm so Starscream wouldn’t try to wheedle. Not that there was a single ride he thought Starscream could fit on.
The ferris wheel maybe.
“Why not?” Starscream asked.
“Because they don’t have the best track records when it comes to safety, and I like a bit of a thrill, but not that much of one.” Blurr guided Starscream through the packed walkways, stepping over grate-covered cords and copious litter, toward the games of chance. “Besides, they’re better designed for children.”
“Then what do the adults do?” Starscream asked. His eyes kept flickering in all directions, neck straining this way and that, trying to see it all and not miss a single detail.
Blurr’s heart squeezed at the adorableness of it.
“Hand over their wallets,” Blurr joked. He leaned in, nudging Starscream with a shoulder. “But also eat, play games, look at stuff, that sort of thing.”
“Stuff? What kind of stuff do you look at?”
Blurr turned, scanned what he could see, and pointed to the three temporary buildings set up on the edge of the fairground. “It’s an agricultural fair so a lot of local artists and builders and creators and farmers set up a showcase to sell what they make or advertise what they do.” He furrowed his brow as he racked his brain. “I think they have contests, too. Like who grew the biggest pumpkin and who has the heaviest pig.”
Starscream snorted. “Humans are weird.”
“Like you have any room to talk.”
Starscream flicked his fingers in a vague gesture. “Yes, but… it’s not like the humans have any control about how their pumpkins grow or their cattle feasts? So why should they get a prize for an accomplishment that’s mainly based on luck?”
“Well.” Blurr scratched at his jaw. He wasn’t a farmer, he wasn’t from a family of farmers, and even Josiah’s family had been more about politics than farming. “I mean, I guess it is luck, but it’s also about how well they understand the science of farming and raising cattle.”
Starscream arched a feathery brow, giving him an unimpressed look.
Blurr sighed and threaded his arm through Starscream’s tugging him toward the buildings. “Come on. I don’t know what I’m talking about. Maybe you can look at the exhibits and figure it out.”
“Wait.” Starscream dug in his heels and craned his neck, peering through a narrow gap between two stalls. “Can’t we eat first?”
Blurr followed his gaze and snorted a laugh. Just between the stalls, Blurr could see the funnel cake vendor, perhaps the edge of the fried Oreo stall as well.
“Yes, we can,” Blurr said, and pulled Starscream through the alley, having to step over someone’s discarded ice cream cone on the way.
Starscream was going to need a bath after this. Who knew what filth his tail was collecting?
“I want to try everything,” Starscream said, quickly overtaking the lead and pulling Blurr along with him. “It all smells so good.”
Blurr laughed. “You’re going to make yourself sick.”
Starscream looked back at him, eyes bright and excited. “Isn’t that supposed to be part of the experience?”
“Yeah, I guess it is.” Blurr patted Starscream’s arm where they were still linked, the most PDA he allowed himself. “All right. Whatever you want, you can have.”
Starscream’s bright grin mad everything worth it.
Two funnel cakes, a paper tray of fried Oreos, and a bag of cotton candy swinging from his other arm later, they wobbled toward the exhibition halls. Starscream hummed happily, his chest dotted with powdered sugar and his feathers speckled white.
“Better than cinnamon rolls?” Blurr asked as he nibbled on the fried Oreos. Some evil genius had created these things, and Blurr was glad the fair only came around once a year, and he couldn’t fry the cookies for himself.
No amount of running could make up for a daily diet of deep-fried Oreos.
“Nothing is better than cinnamon rolls,” Starscream declared. He frowned as he tried to brush the powdered sugar from his feathers, the deep fluff of them making it even more difficult than their usual, sleek nature.
Starscream’s sweet tooth was going to be the end of Blurr someday, he just knew it.
The first exhibition hall was full of arts and crafts. They wandered from stall to stall, peering at beautiful quilts and handmade clothing and pottery and woodcraft. Starscream made eyes at a gorgeous stained-glass butterfly, and Blurr didn’t have to think twice before he whipped out a handful of cash to hand the seller.
“You can hang it in your window,” Blurr said as she wrapped it carefully in newspaper, before he paused and crinkled his forehead. “Do harpies have windows?”
Starscream gave him an indignant look. “Blurr, honestly, how unevolved do you think we are? Yes, we have windows. We have doors. We have places to eat and sleep and cook food and take baths and we even have internet!”
Blurr blinked. “Wait. You have internet?”
Starscream folded his arms and sniffed, his feathers fluffing up around him until he was nearly hidden in them. “Yes, we do. We have a solar-powered wireless router courtesy of the university’s generous donation. Presently we only have one computer in the flock library, but it’s there, and we have it, and that’s the point I’m making.”
The seller coughed into her hand, and Blurr reached for the package, offering her a smile and a murmured thanks.
“Oh,” he said, and scrubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, I didn’t realize.”
“No, you just assumed.” Starscream’s eyes flashed with irritation. “Kaon is a relatively new aerie, and it’s not as well-established as many other flocks. Were you to see Vos or Crystal City or Iacon, the level of technology would stun you, I think. We’re not ignorant savages.”
Shame made Blurr’s cheeks flush. “I know you’re not.” He ducked his head and shoved the last of his fried Oreos into his mouth, to keep him from saying anything else. “We should keep moving,” he mumbled around it, and didn’t wait for Starscream to agree.
The second exhibition hall showed off the prizes and awards for the farmers, for their fruits and vegetables and cattle. Pictures of the prize-winning beasts were tacked up along the walls next to their award while tables groaned under the weight of massive pumpkins and squash and beautiful red tomatoes.
Blurr hung back, letting Starscream flit from showcase to showcase, chatting with the farmers who gave him the time of day and collecting armfuls of pamphlets and papers. No one blinked twice at the over-large harpy in their midst. Blurr supposed they’d gotten used to it over the years. He’d heard that Perceptor had been very engaged with the community while he’d lived here.
Starscream practically glowed with delight at all the research and information they were handing him. As if spending hours reading the tiny text and absorbing it was the most fun he could have on an evening.
He was such a nerd.
An incredibly adorable, fluffy, feathery nerd. And he was Blurr’s best friend. Potentially more, if this budding inexplicable thing between them worked out.
Blurr’s heart flooded with warmth, as much as the guilt rolled into a knot in his throat.
They moved into the third exhibition hall, a small distance between them now. Blurr gnawed on his bottom lip, trailing behind Starscream, still carrying the cotton candy and the wrapped stained glass, and an extra funnel cake, now cold and greasy and rapidly losing its appeal. Sweet smells floated to his nose, mixed with pungent and herbal ones.
The stalls here carried collections of handmade soaps and oils and cleaning supplies. Others proudly displayed prize-winning pies and muffins and cookies. Giant sticky buns were available from another seller, and Blurr unsurprisingly caught up to Starscream there, eying the rolls with evident desire.
“As many as he wants,” Blurr said, already digging for his wallet as he shuffled around the things in his hands.
Starscream relieved him of the bag for the stained glass.
“Or, well...” Blurr peered into his wallet and winced. “Just two, I guess.” Most of the vendors here didn’t take cards and this was the last of his cash. He handed it over.
The young man smiled, freckles dotting his cheeks and a head full of big, fluffy curls. “I’ll make it three,” he whispered with a wink, and deftly bagged up the sticky buns, handing them to Starscream with a flourish. “I can appreciate someone with good taste.”
Starscream slanted Blurr a look before he offered the seller a dazzling smile. “Thank you,” he purred.
The young man flushed. “You’re welcome.”
Starscream flounced away, and Blurr followed, tucking his now empty wallet back into his pocket. Starscream didn’t stop to linger at any of the other stalls, instead he made a beeline for the exit, and Blurr hurried to follow.
Night had fallen in full, dropping the temperature, and the chilly breeze carried on it the smell of hay and fried foods and the tang of barbeque. Cheerful music burbled all around them, and on the other side of the halls, children shrieked as they spun around on the teacups.
Blurr found Starscream leaning against the wall, stained glass tucked under his arm, one hand laden with the large sticky bun. He sniffed it curiously, poked at the pecans buried in the sweet drizzle, before plucking it free and poking it into his mouth.
Blurr dumped the funnel cake into a nearby trashcan and joined Starscream, leaning on the wall beside him. It was relatively quieter here, less crowded. They faced the back parking lot and a cheap, temporary fence, along with a small walkway to take visitors back to the main, fair thoroughfare.
“I’m sorry,” he said, because he meant it. “I really should think before I say things like that. I mean, I know you’re not dumb and all that, I just don’t think, and--”
“I’ll take you someday,” Starscream said quietly, interrupting Blurr, as he plucked another pecan and licked the icing off before popping it into his mouth. “So you can see for yourself.” He crunched noisily on the pecan before his gaze finally slanted back toward Blurr, and there was forgiveness in his eyes. “We’re from two different worlds. Some things you just have to see to believe.”
Blurr glanced around, but other than the noise of people conversing inside the hall, there was no one in view. He moved closer to Starscream and slid his fingers around Starscream’s wrist and hand, giving it a squeeze.
“I’m not giving up on us,” Starscream said, while Blurr struggled to find words. “But I just have to remember sometimes that you’re human, and there are things you don’t know.”
“That’s true, but that doesn’t give me a free pass.” Blurr pulled Starscream’s hand toward his mouth, brushed his lips quickly over the back of his knuckles. “So I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted.” Starscream lifted his finger, his knuckle brushing Blurr’s lips before he gently tugged his hand free. He kept close, however, which was enough.
And just in time, also, as two laughing high schoolers spilled out of the exhibition hall, their mouths smeared with jam and their hands filled with donuts. They didn’t seem to notice Starscream and Blurr, but still. Best to be circumspect.
Moments like this were just another reminder of the difference between he and Starscream. So many differences. Insurmountable differences? Blurr didn’t want to contemplate. Not yet.
He was happy like this. Happy with Starscream, despite the complications. Happier than he could remember being in a long time.
“Want to see the games next?” Blurr asked as Starscream bit into the sticky bun, flecks of dried icing fluttering down to his feathery chest.
Starscream nodded, chewing the big bite, as he offered the sticky bun to Blurr as well.
It must have been love after all.
Starscream was willing to share.
***
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 Nine
Everything changed.
Nothing changed.
Blurr stopped sleeping on a pallet of blankets on the floor and joined Starscream on the narrow bed, pressed close to the fluffy warmth of feathers. He slept at ease in the cradle of a heavy, winged arm.
He woke some mornings, to soft kisses pressed to the corner of his mouth, and the tickle of feathers against his throat. Or, the rare times he woke before Starscream, he could lay there and admire Starscream with his eyes, trying not to let the alarm set in.
What was he doing? He had no idea. Was he going to stop?
Absolutely not.
He pushed away the thoughts of why this was crazy or ridiculous or why it couldn’t work. He focused instead on how happy he felt around Starscream, how comfortable and warm, and how it felt to kiss Starscream. He focused on the important things.
Stolen goodbye kisses after a quick glance around to make sure they weren’t being watched.
Curled together on a bed turned couch, watching movies and eating junk food, sharing kisses during the boring parts, kisses that tasted like caramel or cinnamon or chocolate.
Waking up next to or halfway beneath Starscream, buried in an avalanche of blankets and pillows and feathers, more to add to his growing collection.
Those were the things that mattered.
Starscream visited every weekend now, sometimes longer if he could. He learned the baristas at the coffeeshop by name, and they didn’t blink the first time he went by himself, clutching Blurr’s ID card to pay for it.
That had been quite the romantic surprise, though Blurr had been a little miffed Starscream had snatched his ID and snuck out with it. The fresh coffee and bagels made up for the theft, however, as did the dizzying half-hour they spent curled together, sharing kiss after kiss. Blurr pretended not to notice that Starscream had two cinnamon rolls stashed in a bag for himself.
It stopped feeling weird so quickly, Blurr wondered if it had ever felt weird at all.
He bought more pillows, and the sight of them mounded on the bed made Starscream’s eyes light up. He flopped onto the narrow mattress and arranged them all just so, until the bed became a grossly extravagant tangle of comfort.
Small wonder Blurr didn’t want to leave the dorm on the weekends. Everything he needed – save food, and that could be delivered – was right here.
Time spent with Starscream was the highlight of his week. And kissing… that was easy. Hours curled together, alternating between watching TV or playing games, that sooner or later turned to hot kisses, each more hungry than the last.
Logically, Blurr knew things would progress to the inevitable conclusion but the hows and whys continued to make his brain screech to a halt, contemplating possibilities. The things he knew about harpies, especially their reproduction, couldn’t fill out a children’s picture book.
Fortunately, there was no rush. Starscream didn’t seem in any hurry to move beyond the endless makeout sessions, and Blurr didn’t want to push either. Kissing was one thing. Sex was… quite different.
Were they dating? Were they friends? Did they need to define it?
So many questions. Blurr pushed them all away. He was happy. That was what mattered. He was happy, and he intended to cling to that as long as he possibly could.
Sunday evenings were the hardest. Because Blurr had class in the morning, and Starscream had to go back to the aerie for his duties and to reassure his Liege – whoever that was – he was safe.
Saturdays were for fun and entertainment, and Sundays were meant for lounging in bed like a bunch of lazy bums. They kissed until Blurr’s head spun with the taste of Starscream on his lips, and the weight of Starscream over him or beneath him. Tempting him.
Like now, where Blurr sprawled in the almost-cocoon of blankets and pillows Starscream created whenever he stayed over. It made for a depression in the bed, like sleeping in a cradle, but Starscream preferred it so Blurr didn’t fuss. Besides, it meant Starscream didn’t roll away from him. And well, it meant Blurr had nowhere to go when Starscream pinned him down and kissed him, soft and sweet at first, but with ever increasing intensity.
His lips wandered, tasting the curve of Blurr’s ear, the hollow of his throat, teeth brushing ever so gently over his bare skin. It was unexpectedly erotic. Blurr felt dizzy beneath it, unable to respond as he drowned in the sensation. He shivered, Starscream’s mouth hot and wet as it traced his collarbone.
“You’re pointy again,” Starscream murmured with a little laugh as he mouthed at Blurr’s throat. “Are you cold?”
Ah. This again.
Blurr flushed and squirmed. His dick twitched at the breathy purr. “It’s not always because of the cold,” he replied and slid his hands up Starscream’s side, burying them in the winter fluff.
“Oh?” Starscream leaned back, his eyes bright and curious. He shifted and bent over to brush his cheek over Blurr’s chest, right over his nipple. “Why else then?”
Damn his harpy curiosity.
Blurr’s flush deepened. “S-sometimes it happens because I feel good,” he said.
Primus, it was embarrassing to talk about this.
“Feel good?” Starscream echoed, and his grin turned almost feral. He rubbed his cheek over Blurr’s chest, and Blurr shivered as it applied pressure to his nipple, even with the cotton of his t-shirt between them. “Can I lick it?”
Oh, god.
Blurr’s grip on Starscream’s sides tightened. “Why?”
“To see if it tastes good.” Starscream rubbed a little harder, and Blurr’s dick started to push at his jeans. “And if it makes you feel good.”
His cheek slid down, and Blurr swore he could feel the hot puffs of Starscream’s breath despite his shirt.
Blurr shivered and bucked up. He had never, in his life, been so sensitive, but somehow just the thought of Starscream licking him sent fire through his veins.
“I-I guess. If you want to.” Blurr’s breathing stuttered, and anticipation clogged up his throat.
Inevitable progression, his brain helpfully reminded him.
Starscream grinned and pressed a kiss to Blurr’s right nipple, visibly peaked beneath his t-shirt. “I want to.”
Blurr groaned and hastily snatched at his hem, trying to pull his shirt up and over his head. Starscream chuckled as he fumbled and got tangled in the arms of it, before a tug from a talon helped free him and the scrap of cotton was tossed away. Blurr dropped back into the cradle of pillows, the feel of them against his bare back unexpectedly erotic, but no more so than the tickle of feathers on his bare stomach and shoulders and chest.
Starscream looked at him intently, and Blurr tried not to squirm. “You’re so smooth,” he murmured as he planted a kiss on Blurr’s sternum.
“Because I don’t have feathers,” Blurr said, ignoring the niggle of worry curling at the back of his conscious. How could Starscream look at him -- pale and thin and gangly and far too smooth -- and find anything attractive?
“No, you don’t. Instead you have these… nipples,” Starscream said, the word strange on his tongue. “They look like little berries.”
Blurr clutched at Starscream’s sides again, back arching, as warm lips traced over one peaked nub before a hot tongue followed, licking long and wet.
“J-just don’t bite them,” he said, on the edge of a moan.
“Not even a little?” Starscream asked, mischievous to the core. Teeth immediately joined the fray, applying a careful pressure.
Blurr’s fingers dug into Starscream’s sides, and his dick throbbed. Thank god he was wearing jeans otherwise Starscream would be meeting his lower self sooner than Blurr was ready for.
“Mmm. Just a little is okay I think,” Starscream said against Blurr’s skin as he dragged his lips over to the left. “And you have two! I should be more generous.”
Starscream was going to kill him, Blurr thought, as his other nipple was kissed and licked and nibbled. Each hot press of Starscream’s tongue sent another shock of lust through Blurr’s body. He gasped and rocked up against Starscream, feeling the barest of pressures against his groin. Pleasure danced in the dark behind his eyelids.
Inevitable progression, his muddled thoughts helpfully supplied, and Blurr untangled one hand from Starscream’s side to paw at the harpy’s head. His chest tingled, and his nipples tightened, and if he didn’t do something now, he would beg Starscream to strip away the rest of his clothes. Which, yeah, that sounded good now but later he’d be a ball of unease and recrimination.
Fortunately, Starscream seemed to hear his unvoiced plea, because he released Blurr’s nipple with an audible pop and kissed his way back to Blurr’s lips, hot and wet and as intoxicating as always. Blurr melted into it, pulled Starscream close, rocked their bodies together, and tried to tell himself to calm down.
It was harder than it sounded. Lust pulsed through his veins; his dick throbbed an angry beat. Starscream was so warm and smelled so sweet and if he didn’t look, he forgot his boyfriend was a harpy.
“Mmm.” Starscream’s lips slid away from his as he rubbed his cheek against Blurr’s. “I love kissing you.”
Blurr stroked his hands down Starscream’s sides. “That’s good, since I like kissing you, too.”
Starscream chuckled and shifted his weight, moving to curl next to Blurr rather than crouched over him. His feathered arm made for a nice, soft blanket over Blurr’s bare chest, brushing his yet-sensitive nipples.
“I appreciate touching you as well,” he said, nuzzling the crown of Blurr’s head. “You are very pretty when you turn red all over.”
As if on cue, Blurr’s face heated. Starscream’s bluntness was something he still hadn’t gotten used to. “You just like making me squirm.”
“That, too.” Starscream curled closer, as though he wanted to meld Blurr’s body with his. He blazed heat. Was he struggling with arousal, too or was Blurr the only one suffering? “Want to stay like this.”
Blurr wriggled closer, freeing up an arm so he could stroke around Starscream’s face. A lot of the feathers here were thinner, more sensitive, and stroking them never failed to make Starscream purr. He focused on the softness of the moment, the winding down, and mastered his breathing.
Slowly, so slowly, his arousal started to ebb.
“And if I miss any more classes, I’m going to both lose my scholarship and repeat my senior year,” Blurr said. “I mean, yeah, I earned it because of my athletic ability, but I still have to maintain a 3.0 GPA at the least.”
“I’ll help you study,” Starscream said.
It was as simple as that for him apparently.
But thinking of his GPA, his classes, his scholarship… those were all reminders. Truths Blurr couldn’t escape. He was human, with a human future, and he didn’t know how or even if Starscream could fit into that. He didn’t know what it meant.
Was he wasting his time with this indulgence? Was he only setting himself up for a bigger heartbreak? Was he destined to walk away from this happiness in the end?
Blurr swallowed thickly and turned into Starscream’s embrace, burying his face against the harpy’s fluffy chest. He gripped Starscream as best he could. His lust froze away, leaving only the faint pulses of fear.
He wished he could hold onto this forever. He was afraid to ask what it meant, and what was possible. He was afraid of the answers he’d get.
“Blurr?”
“We can get coffee in the morning, before my first class,” he said, his words muffled against Starscream’s chest. “Cinnamon rolls, too. Before you have to go.”
“The way to my core,” Starscream said with a soft laugh. He stroked his knuckles down Blurr’s bare back, over the knobs of his spine. “And then I’ll be back on Friday.” This, added firmly, as though it was a foregone conclusion.
Blurr hummed his agreement and went silent. He listened to the odd rhythm of Starscream’s heart – his core – beat. It was different than a humans. Heavier and slower, somehow. Stronger.
It always soothed him right to sleep.
Tonight, however, peace was not to be found. Blurr gnawed on the inside of his cheek, thoughts spinning upside down. The semester was almost over. He had one left. Then he’d have to leave. He’d have to move on.
He’d have to leave Starscream behind. What future could he truly have with the harpy? He clung to this impossibility like an abandoned puppy clung to a scrap of kindness.
Blurr’s mind ran in circles, thoughts chasing each other around his head. He didn’t want to leave Starscream. But he couldn’t stay. What they had, it was ridiculous. It would be obscene to anyone else.
He didn’t want to let go. He clung tighter. Heat banked behind his eyes, and he knew he was being a fool. In all the worst ways.
He didn’t want to let go.
The week leading up to finals was a frantic blur of studying, training, paper writing, and more studying. Blurr wanted to tear his hair out from sheer frustration as his professors piled on the extra work, Coach rode his ass with dexterity programs, and the threat of not passing any of his classes loomed over him.
As much as he didn’t have a clue about his future, he knew he didn’t want to repeat his senior year. For one, he’d have to pay for it out of pocket, and for two, he really, really didn’t like attending classes. Like frag would he repeat them.
So he studied furiously. He practiced even harder, because scoring a sponsorship or a spot on the international team would be one ticket for the future. He barely slept, he ate when food was put in front of him, and he probably wasn’t good company.
Which might have been why he came out of the shower on Friday afternoon and found all of his books, notebooks, and study materials missing. Even his laptop had been hidden away, and Starscream sat in his desk chair, one leg crossed over the other, elbows braced on the arms of the chair, his fingers tangled together.
Blurr, towel wrapped around his waist, glared. “Where’re my books?”
“You need a break,” Starscream said, his eyes narrow slits of crimson, as stern as the glare Blurr was giving him in return. “You’ve reached the point where studying isn’t going to help you, and frankly, you’ve been an ass lately. Even Rathi’s noticed.”
Rathi. Of course, Rathi.
“TJ as well,” Starscream added.
Traitors. Betrayal from all sides.
Blurr clutched at his towel, a shiver creeping down his spine as the warmth of the shower started to fade, the chill of the room seeping it away. He’d forgotten to dry his back again.
“I see none of my friends care about me passing my classes,” Blurr growled. He stomped to his dresser and pulled out a clean pair of boxer-briefs and an under-tank.
Starscream politely averted his eyes – they hadn’t gotten much further than kissing and a little overclothes groping – while Blurr dropped the towel. He pulled on his underclothes behind the relative cover of his wardrobe.
“It is because we care that we’re concerned,” Starscream said, his tone tight and wounded. “You need to take a night off. You need to eat. You need to sleep. And you might also want to consider apologizing to TJ. You snapped at him during practice yesterday, and it was very unwarranted.”
“I need to study,” Blurr argued as he yanked a pair of jeans out of the closet and tugged them on with quick, jerking motions. Only to realize he’d put his feet through the wrong legs.
Damn it.
His desk chair creaked as Starscream stood. He circled around the wardrobe door, looming over Blurr. “Study tomorrow. I’ll help you. Take tonight off.”
Blurr dressed himself properly, yanking on jeans, tee, a hoodie. He shoved his feet into socks, angry more at himself than Starscream. Well, all right. He was a little angry at Starscream. The harpy had no right to decide this for him. But it was coming from a place of concern, so he was forgiven.
A little. Not immediately.
“Blurr.”
He ignored Starscream, because he feared speaking would make him snap with words he’d regret.
Starscream embraced him from behind, feathers forming a warm curtain, the beat of his core pulsing against the back of Blurr’s shoulders. “Please take tonight off,” he murmured as he nuzzled the back of Blurr’s head. “You look like you’re about to break.”
Blurr hung his head and took in a slow, deep breath.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, bringing up his hands to clutch at Starscream's, his eyes sliding shut.
"It's all right," Starscream said, his voice a humming vibration in Blurr's ear.
Blurr shook his head and let go, turning in Starscream's hold to see his face. "No, it's not. I've been an ass to you lately. I've been apologizing a lot because I'm snapping at you when you don't deserve it." He set his jaw. "I don't understand why you even put up with me."
"That's easy enough to answer." Starscream cupped his face and brought their foreheads together, his hands impossibly gentle. "Because I care for you and want to be with you."
"I'm terrible company right now," Blurr admitted.
The pad of Starscream's thumb swept over his cheek. "Yes, that's true. But I like you anyway." His lips curved in a wry grin. "I'm considering it pre-payment for a time when I'll be terrible company in the future, I'm sure."
A soft laugh spilled out of Blurr before he could stop it. "I don't think that's how it works."
"We're odd as it is. Why can't we buck this trend, too?"
Blurr managed a soft smile. "That's a good point," he said. "And you're right."
"I generally am."
"Shush." He tipped his head forward, sliding into the warmth of Starscream's embrace. "I need a break. And I think I've been neglecting you this week, too. So I should make up for that. What do you want to do?"
Starscream chuckled, the rumble of it vibrating around Blurr. "There are things I want to do that perhaps we aren't ready for yet," he said. "In lieu of that, TJ gave me an interesting idea."
Blurr groaned and leaned back. "You have got to stop talking to my friends and letting them put ideas in your head."
Starscream arched a feathery brow. "And why is that?"
"Because they are sneaky and devious and not to be trusted." Blurr poked Starscream in the belly, though it was like poking a feathery wall. Starscream had muscles beneath the feathers that Blurr envied. "And also out to embarrass me at every turn, as friends do."
Starscream chuckled. "Yes, but they also carry for you very much. And are very worried, too."
Blurr squirmed in the face of Starscream's blatant honesy. "I get that. So you never answered me. What do you have in mind that we can do now, that we're ready for?"
He scratched the side of his jaw, well aware of what other things Starscream had been implying. A low waft of heat curled in his belly. He was simultaneously excited and nervous about going further with Starscream, but also, still looking at himself in the mirror and wondering what the hell he was doing.
"TJ said something about an agricultural fair," Starscream said with a shrug that was probably meant to be nonchalant, but he couldn't hide the interest or delight in his eyes. Or the way his feathers fluttered with excitement. "It sounds like the festivals they have in Vos sometimes. I thought it would be interesting to check out."
"The county fair?" Blurr nibbled on his bottom lip. He'd only been to the Kaon Fair once, two years ago, with Josiah. It should have been a pleasant time, but it hadn't been. It had also been a few weeks before Blurr started the long, complicated process of extricating himself from that relationship.
He wanted to refuse. But Starscream had such an eager look in his eyes, Blurr couldn't do it. He'd been an ass this week and he knew it. Besides, TJ was right. He couldn't let Josiah influence him forever.
“All right,” Blurr said. He reached for his coat and tugged it on before slipping his wallet, keys, and phone into his pockets. “That sounds like a good idea. Let’s go.”
Starscream held up a hand and a single finger. “First things first,” he said.
Blurr wrinkled his brow. “What am I missing?”
“This.” Starscream leaned toward him, gently cupping Blurr’s cheek with his palm, and pressed their mouths together. He licked over Blurr’s lip, silently requesting permission, and Blurr melted into the kiss, tasting berries on Starscream’s tongue.
Blurr hummed, sinking into Starscream’s embrace willingly. Tension seemed to drain out through his feet, taking away some of the agitation wrecking his calm.
“You’re right,” he said against Starscream’s mouth. “I couldn’t have left home without that.”
Starscream chuckled. “Then I’m glad to have offered it.” He brushed the back of his knuckles over Blurr’s cheek. “Now come. You have a fair to show me.”
“Yes, I do.”
The Kaon County Fair wasn’t technically on the university’s campus. It was nearby, set up in one of four rotating agricultural fields – whichever one was left to go fallow for the year. It was approaching dusk by the time Starscream had managed to drag Blurr out of his dorm and into public, and the bright lights of the rides visibly glowed from across the road. Streams of people flooded the gates, their breaths puffing out in front of them in deference to the frigid air.
Winter was a terrible time to hold a fair, but Kaon had to be different, Blurr supposed.
Starscream was given more than a few curious glances, but no one made a fuss over his being present. The ticket vendor was a little confused as to how to charge him, but as they wouldn’t be riding anything, a basic entrance fee was enough.
“I don’t get on fair rides,” Blurr said, careful to keep his tone firm so Starscream wouldn’t try to wheedle. Not that there was a single ride he thought Starscream could fit on.
The ferris wheel maybe.
“Why not?” Starscream asked.
“Because they don’t have the best track records when it comes to safety, and I like a bit of a thrill, but not that much of one.” Blurr guided Starscream through the packed walkways, stepping over grate-covered cords and copious litter, toward the games of chance. “Besides, they’re better designed for children.”
“Then what do the adults do?” Starscream asked. His eyes kept flickering in all directions, neck straining this way and that, trying to see it all and not miss a single detail.
Blurr’s heart squeezed at the adorableness of it.
“Hand over their wallets,” Blurr joked. He leaned in, nudging Starscream with a shoulder. “But also eat, play games, look at stuff, that sort of thing.”
“Stuff? What kind of stuff do you look at?”
Blurr turned, scanned what he could see, and pointed to the three temporary buildings set up on the edge of the fairground. “It’s an agricultural fair so a lot of local artists and builders and creators and farmers set up a showcase to sell what they make or advertise what they do.” He furrowed his brow as he racked his brain. “I think they have contests, too. Like who grew the biggest pumpkin and who has the heaviest pig.”
Starscream snorted. “Humans are weird.”
“Like you have any room to talk.”
Starscream flicked his fingers in a vague gesture. “Yes, but… it’s not like the humans have any control about how their pumpkins grow or their cattle feasts? So why should they get a prize for an accomplishment that’s mainly based on luck?”
“Well.” Blurr scratched at his jaw. He wasn’t a farmer, he wasn’t from a family of farmers, and even Josiah’s family had been more about politics than farming. “I mean, I guess it is luck, but it’s also about how well they understand the science of farming and raising cattle.”
Starscream arched a feathery brow, giving him an unimpressed look.
Blurr sighed and threaded his arm through Starscream’s tugging him toward the buildings. “Come on. I don’t know what I’m talking about. Maybe you can look at the exhibits and figure it out.”
“Wait.” Starscream dug in his heels and craned his neck, peering through a narrow gap between two stalls. “Can’t we eat first?”
Blurr followed his gaze and snorted a laugh. Just between the stalls, Blurr could see the funnel cake vendor, perhaps the edge of the fried Oreo stall as well.
“Yes, we can,” Blurr said, and pulled Starscream through the alley, having to step over someone’s discarded ice cream cone on the way.
Starscream was going to need a bath after this. Who knew what filth his tail was collecting?
“I want to try everything,” Starscream said, quickly overtaking the lead and pulling Blurr along with him. “It all smells so good.”
Blurr laughed. “You’re going to make yourself sick.”
Starscream looked back at him, eyes bright and excited. “Isn’t that supposed to be part of the experience?”
“Yeah, I guess it is.” Blurr patted Starscream’s arm where they were still linked, the most PDA he allowed himself. “All right. Whatever you want, you can have.”
Starscream’s bright grin mad everything worth it.
Two funnel cakes, a paper tray of fried Oreos, and a bag of cotton candy swinging from his other arm later, they wobbled toward the exhibition halls. Starscream hummed happily, his chest dotted with powdered sugar and his feathers speckled white.
“Better than cinnamon rolls?” Blurr asked as he nibbled on the fried Oreos. Some evil genius had created these things, and Blurr was glad the fair only came around once a year, and he couldn’t fry the cookies for himself.
No amount of running could make up for a daily diet of deep-fried Oreos.
“Nothing is better than cinnamon rolls,” Starscream declared. He frowned as he tried to brush the powdered sugar from his feathers, the deep fluff of them making it even more difficult than their usual, sleek nature.
Starscream’s sweet tooth was going to be the end of Blurr someday, he just knew it.
The first exhibition hall was full of arts and crafts. They wandered from stall to stall, peering at beautiful quilts and handmade clothing and pottery and woodcraft. Starscream made eyes at a gorgeous stained-glass butterfly, and Blurr didn’t have to think twice before he whipped out a handful of cash to hand the seller.
“You can hang it in your window,” Blurr said as she wrapped it carefully in newspaper, before he paused and crinkled his forehead. “Do harpies have windows?”
Starscream gave him an indignant look. “Blurr, honestly, how unevolved do you think we are? Yes, we have windows. We have doors. We have places to eat and sleep and cook food and take baths and we even have internet!”
Blurr blinked. “Wait. You have internet?”
Starscream folded his arms and sniffed, his feathers fluffing up around him until he was nearly hidden in them. “Yes, we do. We have a solar-powered wireless router courtesy of the university’s generous donation. Presently we only have one computer in the flock library, but it’s there, and we have it, and that’s the point I’m making.”
The seller coughed into her hand, and Blurr reached for the package, offering her a smile and a murmured thanks.
“Oh,” he said, and scrubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, I didn’t realize.”
“No, you just assumed.” Starscream’s eyes flashed with irritation. “Kaon is a relatively new aerie, and it’s not as well-established as many other flocks. Were you to see Vos or Crystal City or Iacon, the level of technology would stun you, I think. We’re not ignorant savages.”
Shame made Blurr’s cheeks flush. “I know you’re not.” He ducked his head and shoved the last of his fried Oreos into his mouth, to keep him from saying anything else. “We should keep moving,” he mumbled around it, and didn’t wait for Starscream to agree.
The second exhibition hall showed off the prizes and awards for the farmers, for their fruits and vegetables and cattle. Pictures of the prize-winning beasts were tacked up along the walls next to their award while tables groaned under the weight of massive pumpkins and squash and beautiful red tomatoes.
Blurr hung back, letting Starscream flit from showcase to showcase, chatting with the farmers who gave him the time of day and collecting armfuls of pamphlets and papers. No one blinked twice at the over-large harpy in their midst. Blurr supposed they’d gotten used to it over the years. He’d heard that Perceptor had been very engaged with the community while he’d lived here.
Starscream practically glowed with delight at all the research and information they were handing him. As if spending hours reading the tiny text and absorbing it was the most fun he could have on an evening.
He was such a nerd.
An incredibly adorable, fluffy, feathery nerd. And he was Blurr’s best friend. Potentially more, if this budding inexplicable thing between them worked out.
Blurr’s heart flooded with warmth, as much as the guilt rolled into a knot in his throat.
They moved into the third exhibition hall, a small distance between them now. Blurr gnawed on his bottom lip, trailing behind Starscream, still carrying the cotton candy and the wrapped stained glass, and an extra funnel cake, now cold and greasy and rapidly losing its appeal. Sweet smells floated to his nose, mixed with pungent and herbal ones.
The stalls here carried collections of handmade soaps and oils and cleaning supplies. Others proudly displayed prize-winning pies and muffins and cookies. Giant sticky buns were available from another seller, and Blurr unsurprisingly caught up to Starscream there, eying the rolls with evident desire.
“As many as he wants,” Blurr said, already digging for his wallet as he shuffled around the things in his hands.
Starscream relieved him of the bag for the stained glass.
“Or, well...” Blurr peered into his wallet and winced. “Just two, I guess.” Most of the vendors here didn’t take cards and this was the last of his cash. He handed it over.
The young man smiled, freckles dotting his cheeks and a head full of big, fluffy curls. “I’ll make it three,” he whispered with a wink, and deftly bagged up the sticky buns, handing them to Starscream with a flourish. “I can appreciate someone with good taste.”
Starscream slanted Blurr a look before he offered the seller a dazzling smile. “Thank you,” he purred.
The young man flushed. “You’re welcome.”
Starscream flounced away, and Blurr followed, tucking his now empty wallet back into his pocket. Starscream didn’t stop to linger at any of the other stalls, instead he made a beeline for the exit, and Blurr hurried to follow.
Night had fallen in full, dropping the temperature, and the chilly breeze carried on it the smell of hay and fried foods and the tang of barbeque. Cheerful music burbled all around them, and on the other side of the halls, children shrieked as they spun around on the teacups.
Blurr found Starscream leaning against the wall, stained glass tucked under his arm, one hand laden with the large sticky bun. He sniffed it curiously, poked at the pecans buried in the sweet drizzle, before plucking it free and poking it into his mouth.
Blurr dumped the funnel cake into a nearby trashcan and joined Starscream, leaning on the wall beside him. It was relatively quieter here, less crowded. They faced the back parking lot and a cheap, temporary fence, along with a small walkway to take visitors back to the main, fair thoroughfare.
“I’m sorry,” he said, because he meant it. “I really should think before I say things like that. I mean, I know you’re not dumb and all that, I just don’t think, and--”
“I’ll take you someday,” Starscream said quietly, interrupting Blurr, as he plucked another pecan and licked the icing off before popping it into his mouth. “So you can see for yourself.” He crunched noisily on the pecan before his gaze finally slanted back toward Blurr, and there was forgiveness in his eyes. “We’re from two different worlds. Some things you just have to see to believe.”
Blurr glanced around, but other than the noise of people conversing inside the hall, there was no one in view. He moved closer to Starscream and slid his fingers around Starscream’s wrist and hand, giving it a squeeze.
“I’m not giving up on us,” Starscream said, while Blurr struggled to find words. “But I just have to remember sometimes that you’re human, and there are things you don’t know.”
“That’s true, but that doesn’t give me a free pass.” Blurr pulled Starscream’s hand toward his mouth, brushed his lips quickly over the back of his knuckles. “So I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted.” Starscream lifted his finger, his knuckle brushing Blurr’s lips before he gently tugged his hand free. He kept close, however, which was enough.
And just in time, also, as two laughing high schoolers spilled out of the exhibition hall, their mouths smeared with jam and their hands filled with donuts. They didn’t seem to notice Starscream and Blurr, but still. Best to be circumspect.
Moments like this were just another reminder of the difference between he and Starscream. So many differences. Insurmountable differences? Blurr didn’t want to contemplate. Not yet.
He was happy like this. Happy with Starscream, despite the complications. Happier than he could remember being in a long time.
“Want to see the games next?” Blurr asked as Starscream bit into the sticky bun, flecks of dried icing fluttering down to his feathery chest.
Starscream nodded, chewing the big bite, as he offered the sticky bun to Blurr as well.
It must have been love after all.
Starscream was willing to share.
