[FoF] In Fine Feather
Jun. 4th, 2020 06:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dracoqueen22Title: In Fine Feather
Universe: Transformers AU, Flights of Fancy Universe, Uncharted Territory
Characters: Blurr, Starscream, Original Character(s)
Rating: K+
Description: Starscream doesn’t know why Blurr collapsed, but as they rush to get him to a hospital, he discovers it might just be their fondest wish come true.
Blurr was so very hot, and he hadn't stopped shaking. He murmured in his sleep, nonsense words Starscream couldn't catch, though one of them was occasionally his name. Starscream's core throbbed with fear, and he held Blurr closer.
"Rathi, hurry," he urged as he dotted sweat from Blurr's forehead with a clean gym towel. He tried to pull Blurr into his arms, as if his embrace was healing enough.
"Going as fast as I can, sweetheart," she said, the car rattling as the engine revved. "I'm not an emergency vehicle, though, so people aren't getting out of my way as quickly as I need them to." She punctuated her reply by laying on the horn.
TJ twisted around to watch them from the passenger seat, the belt stretched across his chest, his eyes dark with worry. "I should've made him go to the hospital. I shouldn't have let him race."
"Could've, should've, we can't worry about either of those things," Rathi gritted out.
Blurr jerked in Starscream's arms, and Starscream held him tighter, except how he was thrashing. He was writhing, clawing at his skin, making urgent noises of terror.
"Make it stop, make it stop," he moaned, his eyes opening and closing, seeing without seeing. His pupils had widened until they were dark pools.
Starscream warbled concern, and tried to tighten his grip, but an unexpected strength threw Blurr from his arms, nearly tipping him into the footwell.
"What's going on back there?" Rathi demanded, her words panicked but everything else about her calm.
"I don't know! He just--"
Starscream's words died in his throat.
Blurr's skin started to turn blue, but not the blue of hypoxia like in the medical textbooks, but a bright, shimmery blue. His clawing fingers started to grow, lengthening, and where his shirt had ridden up, his bare stomach sprouted... down.
Featherdown.
Starscream couldn't breathe. "No. It's impossible."
"What? What's impossible?" Rathi demanded.
"Are those feathers? Is he turning blue? What the fuck?" TJ asked, and he's the one who sounded damn near hysterical.
"He's turning blue!?" Rathi shrieked.
Starscream hooked an arm around Blurr, holding him close, pressing his cheek to the top of Blurr's head. "I'm so sorry, love," he said, and raised his voice to say, "Change directions, Rathi. We can't take him to the hospital. We must take him to the Aerie."
"You can't be serious." Rathi caught his gaze in the rearview mirror. "He needs a doctor."
"If I'm right, there's nothing a doctor can do for him. At least, not a human one." Starscream turned his attention back to Blurr, who jerked and arched in his arms, the blue darkening to a rich navy, the down on his abdomen spreading rapidly. "He's changing, Rathi. He's becoming one of my kin."
"I didn't know that was possible." TJ gripped the back of the seat with white-knuckled intensity, his eyes wide.
"Only in myth and legend." Fear clutched Starscream's core. He struggled to keep it together, focusing on conversing with the other two humans to keep him from devolving into panic. "Please, Rathi. I don't want the humans to turn him into an experiment."
In the mirror, he saw her jaw set.
"Fine.” Rathi gripped the steering wheel with both hands. "Hold the fuck on then. I gotta get to that exit, and this semi is getting out of my way whether he likes it or not."
Tires screeched. Horns bleated their displeasure. The momentum sent Starscream rattling around the backseat, Blurr in his arms. He braced himself against the doors, crammed as he was in the backseat, and trusted in Rathi.
"Is he going to be okay?" TJ asked.
"I hope so."
Blurr moaned again, a low and pained sound.His arms and legs started to lengthen, extending before Starscream’s eyes.
Starscream hurriedly removed his sneakers, his socks, his shorts, his tank top, his boxer-briefs. None of it would survive the transformation, and now bare, Blurr's change was all the more apparent.
Feathers sprouted from his skin, growing phenomenally fast, from fluffy down to full length, to wither and fall out. It was as if he were living through every molt he would have missed had he been born a harpy. His limbs grew long, his hair lengthening, shifting to feathers. His canines elongated to fangs, visible as he gasped in pain.
The air stank of hormones, familiar odors to Starscream, the distinct scent of a place where harpies lived. Where Blurr's feathers settled in place, they glistened with a familiar sheen. A quick sniff confirmed it to be the kind of oil Starscream’s own body produced to maintain the health of his feathers.
The facts spoke for themselves, myth or not, Blurr was becoming a harpy. Thank Adaptus he was unconscious for it, because judging by his moans, it was quite painful. Harpies and humans were only tangentially similar in that they were bipedal. Outside of that, there was many differences in their internal and external structures.
"Starscream, tell me he's going to be okay," TJ pleaded. He was paler than his skin tone ought to allow, his eyes heavy with worry.
Starscream swallowed and stroked Blurr's forehead, where skin had given way to the small, downier fuzz which coated Starscream's own face, though Blurr's was a brilliant, soft blue.
"This is a gift," he murmured. "For Blurr and I both. I have to believe whoever is giving it to us wouldn't be so cruel as to take him from me now."
"Guess I'll have to pray for that, too." TJ’s gaze shone with love for his friend. Starscream envied Blurr this, for friends who were so devoted.
"I just need an hour," Rathi said as the engine roared and she laid on the speed, whipping around cars. "I can get you to the Aerie in an hour. Everything will be fine in an hour." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.
More feathers sprouted across Blurr's skin, like flowers in spring. He produced so much ambient heat, Starscream had to crack the window so they could all breathe. He grew longer in Starscream's arms, matching his own height and then some. Blurr’s legs lengthened and twisted, his feet producing talons from his toenails, his fingernails changing to talons as well, growing an extra knuckle upon each.
Starscream's body ached in sympathy, as Blurr started to glow, faint at first, but intensifying by the second. Rathi cursed and abruptly swerved into a side lane, bringing the car into an idle.
"I can't drive like this!" she shouted, and she had to shout, because there was a sound in the air, a great rushing sound like thousands of feathered creatures had taken flight, their wings beating in a deafening symphony.
They all had to shield their eyes, lest they go blind, and the sound was horrifying. It dampened all else -- Rathi's shouts, TJ's words, and Blurr's screaming. Starscream couldn't see anything, and only knew Blurr was in his arms by the warmth and feel of him.
And then it was gone, the rushing cacophony and the bright light vanished as if sucked out of the universe. The loudest noise was the rumble of the engine, and Starscream blinked the dots out of his eyes, like he'd stared too long at the sun.
"Holy shit," TJ said.
Starscream looked into his arms, and there was Blurr, whole and hale, no longer trembling, but a fully-fledged harpy, with new-Spring feathers in shades of glorious blue. He was crammed into the backseat much like Starscream had to contort himself.
He was beautiful, from the crest of his feathers, to the long bunch of his tail, to the long, long length of his legs. He was a rich, vibrant blue, unlike any shade Starscream had seen, and his tailfeathers were going to be the envy of many a smol in the Aerie.
"Did that really just happen?" Rathi twisted around to look at Blurr, her eyes both wide and afraid. "Is that Blurr?"
Starscream cupped Blurr's face, pressed their foreheads together. Blurr's exhales whispered over his cheek, and Starscream breathed a sigh of relief. "Please drive, Rathi. I need to get him home."
"Right. You're right." Rathi sucked in a breath and turned back around, throwing the car into gear and easing them back onto the road. "Dae, I swear to Primus, you never make anything easy for us."
"No, he doesn't," TJ agreed, scrubbing a hand down his face. He sank into his own seat, fingers trembling as he folded htem in his lap.
"It's okay." Starscream stroked his knuckles down Blurr's cheek and rested his palm over Blurr's chest, where the steady beat of a core reassured him. "We'll be home soon. Hang in there, Blurr. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. I promise."
He doubted Blurr could hear him, but it made Starscream feel better to say it anyway.
It was all he could do right now: hold Blurr close and pray.
They’d be home soon.
***
Universe: Transformers AU, Flights of Fancy Universe, Uncharted Territory
Characters: Blurr, Starscream, Original Character(s)
Rating: K+
Description: Starscream doesn’t know why Blurr collapsed, but as they rush to get him to a hospital, he discovers it might just be their fondest wish come true.
Blurr was so very hot, and he hadn't stopped shaking. He murmured in his sleep, nonsense words Starscream couldn't catch, though one of them was occasionally his name. Starscream's core throbbed with fear, and he held Blurr closer.
"Rathi, hurry," he urged as he dotted sweat from Blurr's forehead with a clean gym towel. He tried to pull Blurr into his arms, as if his embrace was healing enough.
"Going as fast as I can, sweetheart," she said, the car rattling as the engine revved. "I'm not an emergency vehicle, though, so people aren't getting out of my way as quickly as I need them to." She punctuated her reply by laying on the horn.
TJ twisted around to watch them from the passenger seat, the belt stretched across his chest, his eyes dark with worry. "I should've made him go to the hospital. I shouldn't have let him race."
"Could've, should've, we can't worry about either of those things," Rathi gritted out.
Blurr jerked in Starscream's arms, and Starscream held him tighter, except how he was thrashing. He was writhing, clawing at his skin, making urgent noises of terror.
"Make it stop, make it stop," he moaned, his eyes opening and closing, seeing without seeing. His pupils had widened until they were dark pools.
Starscream warbled concern, and tried to tighten his grip, but an unexpected strength threw Blurr from his arms, nearly tipping him into the footwell.
"What's going on back there?" Rathi demanded, her words panicked but everything else about her calm.
"I don't know! He just--"
Starscream's words died in his throat.
Blurr's skin started to turn blue, but not the blue of hypoxia like in the medical textbooks, but a bright, shimmery blue. His clawing fingers started to grow, lengthening, and where his shirt had ridden up, his bare stomach sprouted... down.
Featherdown.
Starscream couldn't breathe. "No. It's impossible."
"What? What's impossible?" Rathi demanded.
"Are those feathers? Is he turning blue? What the fuck?" TJ asked, and he's the one who sounded damn near hysterical.
"He's turning blue!?" Rathi shrieked.
Starscream hooked an arm around Blurr, holding him close, pressing his cheek to the top of Blurr's head. "I'm so sorry, love," he said, and raised his voice to say, "Change directions, Rathi. We can't take him to the hospital. We must take him to the Aerie."
"You can't be serious." Rathi caught his gaze in the rearview mirror. "He needs a doctor."
"If I'm right, there's nothing a doctor can do for him. At least, not a human one." Starscream turned his attention back to Blurr, who jerked and arched in his arms, the blue darkening to a rich navy, the down on his abdomen spreading rapidly. "He's changing, Rathi. He's becoming one of my kin."
"I didn't know that was possible." TJ gripped the back of the seat with white-knuckled intensity, his eyes wide.
"Only in myth and legend." Fear clutched Starscream's core. He struggled to keep it together, focusing on conversing with the other two humans to keep him from devolving into panic. "Please, Rathi. I don't want the humans to turn him into an experiment."
In the mirror, he saw her jaw set.
"Fine.” Rathi gripped the steering wheel with both hands. "Hold the fuck on then. I gotta get to that exit, and this semi is getting out of my way whether he likes it or not."
Tires screeched. Horns bleated their displeasure. The momentum sent Starscream rattling around the backseat, Blurr in his arms. He braced himself against the doors, crammed as he was in the backseat, and trusted in Rathi.
"Is he going to be okay?" TJ asked.
"I hope so."
Blurr moaned again, a low and pained sound.His arms and legs started to lengthen, extending before Starscream’s eyes.
Starscream hurriedly removed his sneakers, his socks, his shorts, his tank top, his boxer-briefs. None of it would survive the transformation, and now bare, Blurr's change was all the more apparent.
Feathers sprouted from his skin, growing phenomenally fast, from fluffy down to full length, to wither and fall out. It was as if he were living through every molt he would have missed had he been born a harpy. His limbs grew long, his hair lengthening, shifting to feathers. His canines elongated to fangs, visible as he gasped in pain.
The air stank of hormones, familiar odors to Starscream, the distinct scent of a place where harpies lived. Where Blurr's feathers settled in place, they glistened with a familiar sheen. A quick sniff confirmed it to be the kind of oil Starscream’s own body produced to maintain the health of his feathers.
The facts spoke for themselves, myth or not, Blurr was becoming a harpy. Thank Adaptus he was unconscious for it, because judging by his moans, it was quite painful. Harpies and humans were only tangentially similar in that they were bipedal. Outside of that, there was many differences in their internal and external structures.
"Starscream, tell me he's going to be okay," TJ pleaded. He was paler than his skin tone ought to allow, his eyes heavy with worry.
Starscream swallowed and stroked Blurr's forehead, where skin had given way to the small, downier fuzz which coated Starscream's own face, though Blurr's was a brilliant, soft blue.
"This is a gift," he murmured. "For Blurr and I both. I have to believe whoever is giving it to us wouldn't be so cruel as to take him from me now."
"Guess I'll have to pray for that, too." TJ’s gaze shone with love for his friend. Starscream envied Blurr this, for friends who were so devoted.
"I just need an hour," Rathi said as the engine roared and she laid on the speed, whipping around cars. "I can get you to the Aerie in an hour. Everything will be fine in an hour." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.
More feathers sprouted across Blurr's skin, like flowers in spring. He produced so much ambient heat, Starscream had to crack the window so they could all breathe. He grew longer in Starscream's arms, matching his own height and then some. Blurr’s legs lengthened and twisted, his feet producing talons from his toenails, his fingernails changing to talons as well, growing an extra knuckle upon each.
Starscream's body ached in sympathy, as Blurr started to glow, faint at first, but intensifying by the second. Rathi cursed and abruptly swerved into a side lane, bringing the car into an idle.
"I can't drive like this!" she shouted, and she had to shout, because there was a sound in the air, a great rushing sound like thousands of feathered creatures had taken flight, their wings beating in a deafening symphony.
They all had to shield their eyes, lest they go blind, and the sound was horrifying. It dampened all else -- Rathi's shouts, TJ's words, and Blurr's screaming. Starscream couldn't see anything, and only knew Blurr was in his arms by the warmth and feel of him.
And then it was gone, the rushing cacophony and the bright light vanished as if sucked out of the universe. The loudest noise was the rumble of the engine, and Starscream blinked the dots out of his eyes, like he'd stared too long at the sun.
"Holy shit," TJ said.
Starscream looked into his arms, and there was Blurr, whole and hale, no longer trembling, but a fully-fledged harpy, with new-Spring feathers in shades of glorious blue. He was crammed into the backseat much like Starscream had to contort himself.
He was beautiful, from the crest of his feathers, to the long bunch of his tail, to the long, long length of his legs. He was a rich, vibrant blue, unlike any shade Starscream had seen, and his tailfeathers were going to be the envy of many a smol in the Aerie.
"Did that really just happen?" Rathi twisted around to look at Blurr, her eyes both wide and afraid. "Is that Blurr?"
Starscream cupped Blurr's face, pressed their foreheads together. Blurr's exhales whispered over his cheek, and Starscream breathed a sigh of relief. "Please drive, Rathi. I need to get him home."
"Right. You're right." Rathi sucked in a breath and turned back around, throwing the car into gear and easing them back onto the road. "Dae, I swear to Primus, you never make anything easy for us."
"No, he doesn't," TJ agreed, scrubbing a hand down his face. He sank into his own seat, fingers trembling as he folded htem in his lap.
"It's okay." Starscream stroked his knuckles down Blurr's cheek and rested his palm over Blurr's chest, where the steady beat of a core reassured him. "We'll be home soon. Hang in there, Blurr. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. I promise."
He doubted Blurr could hear him, but it made Starscream feel better to say it anyway.
It was all he could do right now: hold Blurr close and pray.
They’d be home soon.
no subject
Date: 2020-06-04 06:05 am (UTC)And geeze, that was stressful! The descriptions had my shoulders and neck all tensed up. Don't blame Rathi a bit for having to pull over.
no subject
Date: 2020-06-04 10:21 am (UTC)