[TF] Uncharted Territory 22/28

[dracoqueen22]

Title: 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.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Rodimus did not once try to grope him. A fact for which Blurr was truly grateful. It seemed all of that behavior before had been for show, so while he teased Blurr like the older brother Blurr never had, he behaved. And he did as promised. He gave Blurr a tour, sort of a whirlwind one actually, starting from the ground up.

It was going to be a pain getting around without wings, Blurr lamented.

The Aerie itself was one huge, hollow tree. Walkways made of thickly woven twigs criss-crossed the open space. The ground floor held the hot springs, the restroom facility, and the main entrance. A spiraling rampway ringed the inner structure of the Aerie, providing access to each level.

The second and third levels held their storerooms, food prep areas, and some common spaces. All of their “offices” were on the third level, which included Megatron’s and Soundwave’s, who was apparently their Speaker. Another harpy named Orion Pax had an office here, too.

“Do you have an office?” Blurr asked Rodimus. “Since you’re Liege Consort and all? Do you have any kind of duties?”

Rodimus laughed at him. “Depends on what you mean by duty.” He and waggled his feathery eyebrows.

Blurr opted not to pursue that line of questioning.

The fourth level held the hatchling daycare and the medical room, which Blurr recognized as where he’d woken. Ratchet wasn’t in when they stopped by, but it was where they found Blurr’s backpack and runners. Clean clothes!

Anything from the fifth level up was residential nests, though there were personal nests scattered on the other floors, too. Even on the first.

“We have a few Harpies who are, well, not afraid of heights, but uncomfortable with them,” Rodimus explained.

Blurr blinked. “How can someone who flies be wary of heights?”

“Not all humans are as nice as you,” Rodimus answered, and a dark look shadowed his eyes. Something angry and hurt, and once again, Blurr opted not to ask further.

There was a roof of sorts, too, though it was a lattice of leaf-strewn branches. Blurr doubted it was waterproof, which meant rain probably got everywhere. But the ceiling in Starscream’s nest had been pretty tightly woven, so he supposed that made up for it?

Rodimus seemed to enjoy guiding Blurr around. He all but danced as he showed off the Kaon Aerie, his grin bright with pride. He introduced Blurr to several of Kaon’s residents. Or at least the ones who were willing to get close to a human.

He noticed more than a few that kept their distance. There were two in particular, bright red and gold, who glared with hostile intentions in Blurr’s direction, and he was glad to keep his distance from those two. They looked pretty similar so he wondered if they were the twins Rodimus had mentioned earlier.

"That's Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, the gold one is Sunstreaker," Rodimus said when he caught Blurr's look. "We rescued them from the humans. I'd definitely keep my distance from them. They're skittish around harpies as it is."

Blurr nodded, a clutch of guilt grabbing at his belly. He'd had nothing to do with the kidnapping, of course, but it hurt to know someone like him had done harm to a harpy. It wasn't right.

"Noted." Blurr looked over at Rodimus. "What about you? I mean, you don't seem bothered by being close to me."

Rodimus grinned, and his tail swished across the floor. "Star trusts you, so I trust you."

"It's as easy as that?"

"Yep. Plus I was only with the humans for about a week. It was awful, but it was nothing like what the twins have been through." Rodimus shrugged, and his eyes went a bit starry. "I have Megatron taking care of me. What more can I ask for?"

Blurr supposed that made the difference.

Rodimus nudged him with a shoulder. "Anyway, enough about terrible things, I want to know more about you and Starscream. You two are actually together, aren't you?"

Heat flooded Blurr's face. "Yes, we are."

Rodimus tucked his hands behind his back. "Star's liked you for a long time. I'm glad to hear it."

"You, um, you don't disapprove?" Blurr asked, though it felt weird to ask someone like Rodimus, who gave off the impression he was much younger than Blurr. Liege-consort or not, there was an innocence to Rodimus.

Rodimus shrugged. "Not gonna lie. It's pretty weird. Starscream's a great catch. But you seem all right, and no one's forcing anyone so who am I to judge?" He paused and squinted at Blurr. "It's all consensual, right?"

"Of course!" Blurr reared back, indignant.

Rodimus held up his hands. "Hey, I had to ask. It's kind of my job, you know, to make sure members of my flock are being treated right." He pointed one finger upward. "And, vice versa, that my flock isn't behaving badly."

Blurr folded his arms. "How can you trust Starscream when it comes to me, but not trust either of us when it comes to that?"

"It's not about trust. It's about a clash of cultures." Rodimus tucked his hands behind his back again and started walking, leaving Blurr to fall into step beside him. "Different cultures can have different unspoken expectations and understandings. Now, as long as two people are communicating, that's fine, but sometimes, people don't communicate like they should. Not maliciously, but because they're not used to it being something they need to communicate."

Blurr blinked.

That was shockingly astute. Perhaps he'd misjudged Rodimus. He'd thought the harpy to be flighty, playful, somewhat childish even. But clearly, he was Liege-Consort for a reason.

He was also right. Just recently he and Starscream had an instance of poor communication, which had resulted in Blurr's arrival at the Aerie.

"That's fair," Blurr conceded just as a delightful scent floated to his nose, making his stomach grumble. It was sweet and tangy, with a hint of butter and salt. His mouth watered.

"Hungry?" Rodimus asked with a little laugh.

Blurr rubbed his belly. "Starving. Humans aren't meant to live on a diet of fruits and nuts."

"Well, we won't have any meat for you, but I'm sure we can find something a bit more hearty." Rodimus clapped him on the shoulder and tilted his head toward a nearby doorway.

This one wasn't curtained off and was wide enough to fit two harpies abreast, rather than the single-file entry most of the doorways seemed to have. The delicious smells floated out from here, as did a low rumble of conversation, the sound of dishes clattering, and general movement.

"I'll take just about anything," Blurr said as Rodimus stepped inside and Blurr followed, his eyebrows climbing upward.

He was impressed.

There were two long tables in the middle of the room with rows of stools to either side of them. They were decorated with vases of flowers, and each place was set for an occupant with dishes and napkins and tableware. Another long table lined the back and plates of food were arranged on it, buffet style. The outer wall was an open lattice and streams of sunlight poured in, along with strings of overhead lights that gave the room a soft glow.

"Communal meals are very important to us," Rodimus explained as he picked up a plate from one of the settings and handed another to Blurr. "We're a small community, and we rely on each other for survival. Fostering good relationships is key."

Blurr blinked at him.

Rodimus grinned and waggled his feathery eyebrows. "Bet you didn't think I could sound smart, right?"

"I've learned not to underestimate harpies," Blurr said, and Starscream had taught him that lesson well. He’d had more than a few tongue-lashings.

“Then Star’s teaching you right.” Rodimus chuckled and Blurr followed him to the buffet, his stomach growling angrily at him.

It was a cornucopia of food. They had raw fruits and vegetables, but they also had freshly baked biscuits and breads, flaky pastries and rolled oats and things that looked like granola bars. There were chunks of cheese and yogurt, plus potato fries and shredded lettuces.

Blurr loaded up his plate, once Rodimus told him he could take as much as he want. He’d miss meat, but this would do for a few days. Any food was better than none. Besides, he could get plenty of protein from the yogurt and peanut butter.

Rodimus took him back to the table where they’d taken their plates, on the end near the door, as if he wanted everyone to see Blurr as soon as they came in. Blurr had felt the other harpies staring at him, but he pretended he didn’t. At least he was used to being stared at, and most of the looks were curious rather than angry.

No one approached them however.

“Are they afraid of me?” Blurr asked around a mouthful of what he’d deemed the granola bar.

Rodimus snorted and shoved a handful of wild strawberries into his mouth. “They’re curious enough. I think they’re more worried about whether or not they should interact with you. Plus, not all of them speak your language.”

Hmm. Blurr supposed that made sense.

“Don’t worry. As soon as someone else crosses the line first, you’ll be surrounded by a dozen curious harpies with a thousand questions,” Rodimus said.

That was what he was afraid of.

Blurr eyed the staring harpies a bit nervously. Who would be the first to approach?

The answer came soon enough. A tall, somewhat gangly blue harpy came striding over, a small ball of black puff cradled against one shoulder. There was a huge scar through his right eye, but the other eye was friendly enough.

“Well, well, well, what have we here, Rodders?” the harpy asked with a sharp grin and a little bounce to the tiny harpy sleeping on his shoulder.

Blurr stared at the baby. It was… so cute. So fluffy and tiny and delicate.

“There’s not a respectful bone in your body, is there?” Rodimus said with a groan, though it was hard to look at him and think ‘leader’ with the crumbs around his lips and the bit of jam smeared on one cheek.

“Nope!” the harpy said cheerfully, and he tilted his head, looking directly at Blurr. “So you’re Starscream’s human, huh? Don’t look dangerous to me. Don’t know what these other ones are worried about.” He gestured with a flick of his head to the other harpies.

Rodimus sighed.

Blurr wiped his hand around his mouth. “I’m not dangerous. Promise.” He thought about offering his hand. Did harpies do handshakes? “You can call me Blurr.”

“Whirl,” said the harpy. “And this bit of sleeping fluff is Skydive. If we’re all lucky, he’ll sleep the whole time.”

“Why isn’t he in daycare?” Rodimus asked.

Whirl gave Rodimus a look. “One, because he’s my kid, and I’m going to keep him whenever I want. And two, he’s got the sniffles. Didn’t want him around the other bits.”

As if summoned, Skydive gave the tiniest of sneezes and rubbed his face on Whirl’s shoulder, a shudder running through his body. Tiny hands carded through Whirl’s feathers as he tried to burrow even further into his -- father’s? mother’s? -- chest.

“Oh, that makes sense,” Rodimus said. He gestured to one of the empty places beside them. “Want to join us?”

“Nah. I’m going to take bit home and cuddle until he feels better,” Whirl said and shot a grin at Blurr. “Just wanted to check out our new arrival.” He winked, which was interesting given he had only the one eye. “Starscream’s got good taste.”

Blurr flushed to the tips of his ears. “Thanks, I guess.”

Whirl chuckled, and then he was gone in a swirl of gray-blue feathers, calling out something to someone on the other side of the room as he did so.

“He seems nice,” Blurr said.

“He can be a smartass,” Rodimus said, digging into one of the buttery rolls he’d grabbed. “He’s also one of our warriors. Very strong. I wouldn’t upset him if I were you.”

“I don’t plan on it.” Blurr watched the door, watched Whirl leave, and imagined that though Whirl wasn’t as burly and large as say Ratchet and Megatron, he was still taller than Starscream, with wicked sharp talons.

Staying on Whirl’s good side, staying on any of the warrior’s good side, was priority one, Blurr decided.

He absently poked a potato into his mouth, and grinned as a familiar face stepped into the common room. Starscream swept inside, scanning the crowd, and the way his eyes lit up when he spotted Blurr made Blurr go all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

“That’s damn adorable,” Rodimus muttered.

Blurr ignored him.

“You’re easy to spot in a crowd,” Starscream said as he came to the table, circling around it to Blurr, leaning in to rest a hand on his arm.

Blurr wanted to kiss him. He refrained because he didn’t know the rules here in the aerie. Maybe PDA was a no-no.

“I think Rodimus wanted me to be easy to spot,” Blurr said with a pointed look at his escort.

Rodimus winked at Starscream. “The best way to get people to understand he’s not dangerous is by meeting him.”

“You little terror. I wish more people understood how devious you are,” Starscream said, but his voice was fond. He squeezed Blurr’s shoulder. “I’m going to grab lunch. I’ll be right back.”

“Sure.”

Starscream grabbed the plate from the setting next to Blurr and joined the line at the buffet tables. It was interesting to see him in his natural environment. He looked like he belonged here, more than he did at the university. Now Blurr was the fish out of water, struggling to find his footing on twig-woven ground and an open-air environment.

“I’ve never seen him like that,” Rodimus commented.

“Like what?” Blurr asked as he dragged his gaze away from Starscream and back to his plate.

Rodimus grinned. “Smitten.”

Blurr flushed again. “You think so?”

“As much as I know it’s mutual. The way you two look at each other, it’s definitely real.” Rodimus pointed at him with a limp potato fry. “People are gonna notice. There’s no doubt in my mind you’ll have this whole aerie behind you one-hundred percent.”

Blurr was glad to hear it. TJ and Rathi were obviously on his side, and he figured Miko and Sari had their suspicions as well, and they didn’t seem opposed. But Blurr wasn’t an idiot. A relationship with Starscream was not something the world at large would accept. If the aerie welcomed them, well, at least they would always have a place they could be together.

“I’d be jealous if I didn’t have Megatron,” Rodimus said and then Blurr saw a look in his eyes that must have been reflected on Blurr’s face, because it was pure warmth and delight. “Ah, speaking of my mate…”

“You’re mated?” Blurr asked. He kind of thought consort meant not married or mated yet.

Rodimus winked. “We will be.” He tilted his head up with a smile as Megatron approached them. “Meetings all done with?”

“Meetings are never-ending,” Megatron rumbled, but he leaned over Rodimus, and their lips met in a chaste kiss. Once again, Blurr was struck by the sheer size difference between them. “I see you are in the middle of an important duty.”

Rodimus licked his lips and smiled, like a lovestruck fool. “I have to prove my mettle,” he hummed. “Gonna eat lunch with me?”

“I could,” Megatron said, and then his eyes were for Rodimus alone, warm and soft where they’d been cool and distant as they assessed Blurr. “Though a more private setting might be preferable.”

Oh, boy. Blurr knew what that meant. Especially when Megatron swept a thumb over Rodimus’ cheek, wiping away the smear of jam.

“Well, what conversation am I missing out on?” Starscream’s voice cut through the noise, and Blurr almost startled as his harpy slipped in beside him, plate loaded with fruits and pastries and all manner of sweet things

Rodimus flushed a pretty pink. “Nothing you need to know about,” he said as if embarrassed.

Megatron chuckled, deep and rumbling, and straightened. “I’m going to steal your tourguide, if you don’t mind, Blurr.”

“I’m off-shift. He doesn’t need a tour guide anymore,” Starscream said. He picked up one of the pastries, tongue sweeping up a spillover for jam. “I can do it.”

“Speaking of, you are invited to stay, Blurr. We’ve decided you are welcome here,” Megatron said, the weight of his gaze falling on Blurr with warning. This was a privilege, those eyes said, and he’d do best to treat it with respect.

“Thank you, sir,” Blurr said, for a moment feeling as if he was under his father’s stare, reminding him of his duties, his responsibility to excel.

“Sir.” Rodimus snorted and scooped up the last bit of food from his plate, shoving it into his mouth. “Don’t do that or he’ll expect everyone to start using honorifics.”

Megatron tilted his head, something like amusement in his expression. “Now there’s a thought.”

“No!” Rodimus leapt up from sitting, and clambered on top of his stool to put a hand over Megatron’s mouth, his tail nearly sweeping his empty dishware from the table. “Don’t even think about it.”

Even Blurr could tell Megatron was smiling behind Rodimus’ hand.

“Sir has a nice ring to it,” Megatron said, muffled.

Rodimus groaned and climbed down from the stool. “See what you’ve done?” He tucked an arm through Megatron’s elbow. “Let’s go before Blurr puts any more ideas into your head.”

Megatron unthreaded their arms, and Rodimus gave him a look of utter betrayal. “You can join me once you’ve cleaned the table.”

“I think he forgets he’s not in Iacon sometimes,” Starscream leaned in and whispered in Blurr’s ear with a little laugh as Rodimus pouted but obediently cleaned up his dishwares, all while grumbling at Megatron under his breath. “He was a prince there.”

Blurr’s mouth dropped. “What? Really?”

“Yep.” Starscream laughed and started digging into his launch with gusto, and Blurr shouldn’t be so surprised his plate was full of sweet things.

Huh. Blurr supposed it took all kinds.

“How was your tour, by the way?”

Blurr dug back into his own lunch. “I probably couldn’t find my way back to anything, but it was fascinating.” He leaned in, bumping shoulders with Starscream. “I like getting to see your home finally. It’s like you’re letting me see a new part of you.”

“I should have pushed for it sooner,” Starscream said. “A lot of mess could have been avoided if I didn’t insist upon such secrets, and letting my fears decide things for me.”

“Fear?”

Starscream made a vague gesture. “You can imagine how I thought they might react. Kaon is generally accepting of all kinds, but I didn’t know if this was a line they’d draw. You saw Ratchet’s reaction.”

Blurr made a face. Yeah, Ratchet hadn’t been very friendly. Xenophobic had been the word Megatron used.

He scraped up the last bit of honey butter from his plate, and washed it down with what was probably the freshest water he’d ever tasted. “I can understand that. We’re lucky it turned out pretty okay.”

“Except for the harm I caused you,” Starscream murmured, and his crest went a little flat, apology written in his face.

Blurr rested a hand on his arm. “It was a misunderstanding and I’ve already forgiven you. Let’s leave it at that.”

Starscream smiled. “Thank you.” He glanced down at their plates, empty save for some crumbs. “Would you like to go for a walk with me? I suspect Rodimus didn’t take you to the observation platform.”

Blurr thought back. “He mentioned where it was, but I don’t think he took me there.”

“Then we’ll go.”

They gathered up their dishes, taking them to a few bins filled with sudsy water, and Blurr followed Starscream’s lead. He explained that they would be on dish duty starting tomorrow, and would probably have to wash post-breakfast. That was fine with Blurr. He wanted to be helpful.

Starscream took his hand, and Blurr enjoyed the tangle of their fingers together, even if it did garner more than a few stares. They couldn’t walk like this back at the university, but they could do it here.

Blurr’s heart fluttered.

Starscream led him upward, to the topmost level of the aerie, and Blurr found himself a little short of breath at the steadily spiral climb. His legs burned. He thought about the training he could manage, jogging up and down this incline. His calves would hate him. Kind of like they did now.

At the top, the roof was a woven lattice of branches and leaves and twine and twigs. Sunlight poured through the gaps, and a thick netting caught fallen tree debris. There were a few large gaps that looked to be on purpose, and a ladder braced against a thick branch, leading up into the canopy.

“Fledgelings aren’t so great at flying, so we have the ladder for them to get to the deck,” Starscream explained as he urged Blurr to precede him. “Just watch your step.”

“Good thing I’m mostly barefoot.” Blurr started to climb.

By the time his head cleared the canopy, he was breathless, and not from the climb. Up here, there was a flat deck, and it looked out over the land. He could see for miles around in either direction, and the wind was strong as it tugged at his hair and clothes. The air was fresh and crisp, the sun bright and warm. There was no one up here either, so it felt like he was standing at the top of the world, all by himself.

“What do you think?” Starscream asked as he hauled himself into view.

Blurr inched toward the edge of the platform, where a woven rope barrier was all that stood between him and tumbling off to his doom. “It’s amazing.” He felt he should have better words but he was never much of a poet.

“I think so too.” Starscream lowered himself down and reached up a hand toward Blurr. “Sit with me.”

Blurr nibbled on his bottom lip. Anyone could come up here and see them cuddling. But hell, it was just cuddling right? It shouldn’t bother anyone.

He put his hand in Starscream’s and was unsurprised when he was tugged into Starscream’s lap, his back pressed to Starscream’s chest and Starscream’s chin resting on top of his head. Starscream hummed, and it vibrated all around Blurr.

“I missed you,” he said.

“We were only apart for a few hours,” Blurr chuckled.

“You know that’s not what I meant.” Starscream’s arms folded around him, feathers shielding Blurr from the light chill of the wind.

“I do.” Blurr relaxed into the embrace. “I like it here.” Though it would be better if he had some meat. Maybe he could get some dried jerky or something and a keep a stash of it here.

Starscream nuzzled him. “You can stay as long as you want, and come back whenever you want.”

Blurr chewed on the inside of his cheek. “I need to talk to you about that.”

“All right,” Starscream said, his voice steady though a tremble ran through his body. “Now?”

“Yeah. It’s peaceful up here.” Blurr closed his eyes, focused on the warmth of Starscream, the warmth of the sun, the scent of the wind. “So I’m graduating this year, you know. That means I gotta figure out what I’m going to do afterward.”

Starscream hummed an affirmative noise but didn’t otherwise interrupt. Thank Primus.

Blurr took a deep breath. “I’ve been looking at my options. Coach has always wanted me on the international team, and for a long time, I thought that was what I wanted, too.”

“You changed your mind?”

“I think it was what I wanted because I thought I didn’t have any other options. Running internationally was as good an idea as any.” Blurr shrugged, but it was less nonchalant than he wanted. “But then the scouts were at the semi-finals, and I choked. Couldn’t get my head in the game.”

Starscream’s arms tightened around him. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve been there.”

“You weren’t there to tell,” Blurr bit out.

Silence.

Starscream nuzzled him again. He exhaled over Blurr’s ear, his lips a soft brush on Blurr’s cheek. “I’m so sorry. I would’ve been there, had I known.”

“I know. It’s okay. I mean it.” Blurr rested a hand over Starscream’s arm. “I realized I wasn’t as disappointed as I should’ve been. I started to realize that maybe I didn’t want to leave Kaon after all.”

“What do you mean? What will you do?”

Blurr took in a deep breath. “I thought I could get a job here in Kaon. I’ll have a business degree. That’s pretty one size fits all when it comes to humans. And Dr. Morgan has offered me a position working with Avian Studies if I want.”

“You’d be working with me, if you did, since I’m cultural liaison,” Starscream said quietly.

“I know. And it’s not a bad thought.” Blurr turned in Starscream’s arms, so he could look up into his lover’s face. “I don’t want to go home, Star. And I don’t want to go to some strange city by myself and be alone again. I want to stay here.”

Starscream pressed his forehead to Blurr’s. “With me?” There was an aching hope in his voice. Blurr wondered if it matched the lump in his throat.

“Yeah. Of course.” Blurr curved his hand around the back of Starscream’s head and pulled him into a kiss, a sweet and gentle one that tasted of the jam filling in Starscream’s pastry.

“Are you sure?” Starscream murmured.

Blurr smiled and tucked his face against Starscream’s throat. “I’m sure. And maybe we can’t be open in the city, but we can be open about it here. It’s going to be weird, and we’re very different, but we can still be together.”

“We’ll figure it out. Whatever we need.” Starscream kissed him again, more fiercely, as if staking a claim, and Blurr rumbled a moan, deep in the pit of his chest.

He was so glad he’d biked out here in a fit of pique. It was the best decision he’d made all week.

~

They stayed on the roof until another harpy popped his head up from the ladder. He was a bright, sunny yellow, and Starscream introduced him as the aptly named Sunstorm. While Sunstorm seemed amiable enough, he was clearly discomforted by Blurr’s presence, no doubt because of the hatchling in his arms.

There were plenty of other places to explore, so Starscream and Blurr said their goodbyes and left the observation deck to Sunstorm.

Starscream took him on another tour of the aerie, this time introducing him to a few faces, and making it easier for Blurr to find his way back to them. He’d be on his own tomorrow, apparently, and Blurr made a mental note of all the places he probably ought to avoid, though Perceptor made him promise he’d return for an interview.

In that moment, Perceptor reminded him a small bit of Miko and Sari.

Later, there was another communal dinner with great big pots of beans made into a hearty stew, thick slabs of sourdough, and a lavish strawberry shortcake for dessert, plus the usual array of raw fruits and vegetables.

Blurr expected to stick around for it. But instead, Starscream piled up plates and little baskets with food. They escaped the common room, stowed their gathered food in Starscream’s nest, then climbed all the way down to the first floor.

“This is as private as the springs are going to get, unless you want to get up in the middle of the night, but even then we might get an eyeful,” Starscream said as he ushered Blurr ahead of him, the scent of water and minerals floating to his nose.

“An eyeful?” Blurr repeated. Harpies didn’t wear clothes.

Starscream grinned and winked as he set aside Blurr’s change of clothes while Blurr stripped out of his filthy ones. “Drift and Perceptor have been known to enjoy a late night rendezvous or two. They tend not to encourage an audience.”

Primus.

The tips of Blurr’s ears felt hot. “Harpies have no shame,” he muttered as he pulled off his socks and eased down into one of the pools.

It was small. It would fit both of them comfortably, and perhaps another harpy of Starscream’s size or smaller, but no one else. It was also tucked away in a corner, and shieled by a high ridge of rock.

It was heavenly. The water was comfortably hot and silken against his bare skin. An outcropping beneath the surface made the perfect shelf for him to plant his ass, too.

Starscream slid in next to Blurr with a contented sigh, his feathers fluffing out as if to encourage as much water around them as possible. His eyes glowed with satisfaction.

Blurr wanted to kiss him.

So he waded through the water and did just that, laughing when Starscream cupped his ass and pulled him closer, his cock at half-mast and grinding against Starscream.

“Did I give you an idea?” Starscream teased.

“You’ve been giving me ideas all day,” Blurr grumbled as he nuzzled into Starscream’s throat, licking at a spot he remembered biting two weeks ago.

Starscream chuckled. “We have a window of opportunity here, but I don’t think it’s long enough for what you have in mind.”

“All we’re doing is kissing,” Blurr said innocently, though he ground against Starscream’s belly, a shudder running down his spine as his cock rubbed over wet feathers.

“Hmm.” Starscream’s mouth feathered down the curve of his face, toward his lips. “The faster you get clean, the faster I can take you back to my nest.”

Blurr pressed a kiss into Starcream’s throat, rocking his hips forward. “You know, I’ve been thinking…”

“Do share.”

Blurr swept his hands down Starscream’s sides, grinding harder on Starscream’s belly. “I’ll bet if we’re careful, you could fuck me.”

Starscream went still. “What?”

Blurr sat back enough to see Starscream’s face. “I’ve had you. It’s only fair. I think we should try.” He was very curious, and he had to admit, there was a special kind of intimacy to having your partner inside you. Blurr missed it.

“I am much larger than you, Dae,” Starscream murmured, and there was something about the sound of his real name on Starscream’s lips that made his insides quiver with affection. “And I am not equipped to… prepare you properly.” His talons pricked at Blurr’s ass to prove his point. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Blurr swallowed a sigh. “You have a point.”

Starscream’s smile was soft and fond. “In the meantime, there are many other things we can do. Though I’m sure you’d prefer the privacy of our nest.”

“Our?” Blurr cocked an eyebrow.

Starscream nuzzled him, cheek to cheek. “What’s mine is yours, Zippy.”

Blurr rather liked the sound of that. “Then help me get clean so you can get me dirty again.”

“You’re a menace.” Starscream snorted.

Blurr let the other topic drop. For now. He still remembered Rathi’s offer. There were certainly ways to get around Starscream’s objections.

He’d just have to figure it out.

****