Walking through the clothes aisle, Terra smiled as she touched the closest shirt and admired it. It was cute, but upon checking the price tag, she frowned and decided it was no longer cute. She sighed in disappointment and kept walking.
Bella and Alcina were somewhere else in the store. Alcina had probably dragged Bella away to look at the latest toys. She was alone for now.
Terra paused when she walked out of an aisle and noticed three guys who were just hanging out in the next aisle. They had been talking amongst themselves, but stopped when they noticed her. The bigger of the three smirked at her.
"Hey girlie. You're real pretty. Not a lot of pretty girls in this town. Wanna hang out?" He asked.
Terra only stuck her nose up and kept walking. They were nothing but troublemakers and she didn't want to deal with them.
"Hey, he's talking to you. Answer him," the second guy grumbled. Where was an employee she could go to? She kept walking, hoping to track down her sisters. Even though the little town by the mountains was really cute and easy to access for any last minute supplies, it wasn't lacking in the usual assholes.
"What's your name, baby girl? We just want a name for such a pretty face," the leader said while walking next to her.
"That's none of your business," Terra replied shortly as she rushed forward to find an exit, not caring if she bumped into anyone. She didn't get far before she bumped into a tall figure. She was about to start cursing before she realized who was standing in front of her. It was Starscream's holoform. He smiled at her briefly before his expression turned to pure rage as he looked over at the men pursuing her.
The men stopped in their tracks, panting a bit. They looked at Starscream and quickly composed themselves.
"Are these men bothering you, my love?" Starscream asked, placing a hand on her shoulder and pulling her closer to his side. Terra noticed Bella and Alcina at checkout. Bella just noticed what was going on and appeared nervous as she finished buying whatever toy she bought for Alcina who didn't seem to notice what was going on.
"We were just trying to get to know the little lady. It's not often we get visitors in the off season," the leader said.
"They were bothering me, love. They were being massive creeps," Terra crowed, clinging onto his arm while glaring daggers at the trio. His skin tickled her with electricity. A growl emanated from Starscream, making the trio back up a bit.
"Surely there must be better ways of getting to know a pretty lady without making her feel unsafe. If you three have any ounce of intelligence, I'd leave right now before I'm forced to make you three leave," Starscream said while pointing a long manicured finger at them. At this point, some employees were noticing what was going on and were starting to approach. The leader looked beyond furious before rushing past the two of them and straight to the exit.
"Bitch wasn't even that pretty," one of the other two grumbled before following the leader out.
"You better be careful around here, baby girl. Your sugar daddy can't protect you all the time," the final guy said before flicking her off and running away.
"Good riddance," Starscream hissed before turning his attention back to Terra. There was a look of relief on his face mixed with rage.
"Are you okay, Terra? That was terrifying," Bella said as she rushed over. Alcina held her hand while hugging a teddy bear close to her body with her other hand.
"I'm a bit frazzled. It's been a while since I've had to deal with assholes like that," Terra replied. Starscream grabbed a hold of her hand and gave it a squeeze.
"This has happened before, Terra?" He asked.
"Unfortunately, but I try not to give these assholes any attention. Attention makes things worse," Terra said, looking up at him with a sad smile.
"I should pay them a visit and punish them. No one makes my little bird feel unsafe," he said with a grim smile. She would agree, but this was a small town and news would travel fast if anyone happened to go missing.
"Maybe just scare them, love. That way, they'll probably get put in the loony bin if they go and scream about a giant metal monster in the woods. Absolutely no killing," Terra suggested. Starscream let out an annoyed growl at that.
"If they so much as lay a hand on you, I will have to hurt them," he whispered while leading her out of the store with her sisters trailing behind. Terra wanted to say something against that, but she honestly didn't care about those scumbags. They were better off dead if they dared to attack her or her sisters.
"So, where to now? We still have another hour before we're cleared to go to the cabin," Bella said.
"I wanna get ice cream!" Alcina exclaimed while pointing to a shop across the street.
"You two go on ahead. Starscream and I will just walk around town and we'll meet you two back here in an hour," Terra chimed, giving Starscream's hand a gentle squeeze. The holoform tickled her skin some more, making her smile.
Bella gave her a nod before leading Alcina to the ice cream parlor across the street. Terra could hear her youngest sister asking if Starscream was going to fight those bad guys and chuckled softly.
"So, where do you want to go, Terra?" Starscream asked.
"Let's just walk together and if I see anything I'll let you know," Terra chimed, gazing up at the holoform tenderly. He smiled back at her, but there was still that anger in his eyes along with confusion.
"Terra, why did those brutes call me a sugar daddy?" He asked as they started walking. Terra nearly tripped while trying to hold back a fit of giggles. Oh, this was going to be interesting to explain.
"Oh...Umm...Well, your holoform looks a little bit older than I am and….well, there are a bunch of young women in this world who get with older men in order to get their love and money. Usually money. Those women are called sugar babies. They usually get the money after their sugar daddy dies. Those guys probably assumed that I was your sugar baby," she explained, feeling her cheeks grow warm. Starscream cocked an eyebrow as he listened to her before he let out a dark chuckle.
"These women are smart. Gaining the trust of someone superior and then gaining their power after they die. Sounds a bit like what I've been doing while under Megatron's command without the love bit. It's genius, but you are no sugar baby, my love," he crowed before planting a kiss on her warm cheek. Terra was trying not to burst into laughter at his thought process. She took a deep breath and looked around. She noticed some people on the sidewalk looking at them with questioning looks and was starting to realize they might be a strange sight.
She noticed a store up ahead that caught her attention. It was one of those adult stores that sold all sorts of fun things. It had been a long time since she had been in one.
"Let's go in there, love," she said while gesturing to the store. Starscream looked in the direction she was pointing at and cocked his head in confusion.
"Cherry Pie? I've never heard of a store that only sells pies," he said.
"It doesn't sell pies, Starscream. It has a bunch of fun stuff inside. I'll show you," Terra chimed while leading him to the store.
It was dimly lit inside and there was only one patron inside along with one employee who was reading a magazine behind the checkout desk. Terra took in everything with wide eyes. She looked over at Starscream and saw the shocked expression on his face. She wondered what his real expression was like back at the base where he was currently located.
"What do you think, love?" She asked, giving him a knowing wink as she led him over to an aisle containing a variety of different revealing outfits.
"You humans have whole stores just for buying items for interfacing?" He questioned, his face still frozen in shock.
"We sure do. Isn't it great?" Terra replied while pulling out a cute yet revealing dress. She would have loved to buy it, but knowing Starscream, he would probably shred it.
"It certainly is intriguing. What...are those?" Starscream asked while gesturing to the toy aisle. Terra smiled and put the dress away before leading him over to the toys.
"Those are vibrators. People use them when they don't have a partner," Terra explained while grabbing one a showing it to him. Starscream handled it carefully, his expression full of wonder. This got the attention of the employee who walked over with a pleasant smile on her lips.
"Hi. Are you two looking for anything specific?" She asked. Terra thought for a moment before an idea suddenly came to her.
"Can you show us where the strap-ons are located?" She asked. She could already feel Starscream's questioning gaze on her.
"Oh! Those are in the back of the fifth aisle over there," the employee chimed.
"Thanks," Terra replied before leading Starscream to the fifth aisle. The employee smiled sweetly at them before returning to the check out desk. Most of the aisle contained a bunch of porno magazines and videos which she ignored. They got to the back of the aisle where the strap-ons were located.
"What are these, Terra?" Starscream asked, looking unsure as he looked at the toys. There was a faint blush growing on his cheeks. Adorable.
"Well, these are called strap-ons. Lesbians sometimes use these to have sex, but straight couples use them 's called pegging. I had an idea that...maybe I could buy one and...use it on you," Terra explained. Starscream looked taken aback for a moment, his cheeks growing even redder and making him all the more cute. She could feel her own cheeks growing warm as she thought of pegging him at some point.
"That...sounds fantastic, Terra. I'd love to do that with you," Starscream crowed while taking her hands and kissing them tenderly and tickling her skin with electricity.
"Well, let's pick one out," Terra replied, turning her attention to all the options before them.
Miko was quiet as she watched over Starscream who was comfortably seated on an operating berth with his head hung low. She could only imagine what was going on over in that town, but she couldn't care less. Starscream was vulnerable at the moment. This was the perfect opportunity to prank him.
She looked back at her tools and smiled wickedly. A bunch of different colored paints and some mops. Where was she going to start first?
"Claws first," she crowed while grabbing a mop and opening the red paint cans.
"What do you think you're doing, Miko?" Ratchet asked, looking over at her from his data pad with an unamused look.
"Pranking Starscream," she replied nonchalantly while pulling a ladder over to the berth and bringing her tools onto it.
"Are you sure you want to do that? He could come back online at any moment and I don't think I'll be able to help you much if he catches you in action," Ratchet said while crossing his arms.
"I'll be fine. I'm fast and he wouldn't dare hurt me even if he wanted to," Miko said while grabbing a mop and dipping it into the red paint. Ratchet let out a tired sigh before turning his back on her to work.
Miko walked onto his lap where he rested his servos together. She giggled deviously as she got to work painting his nails. She thought of what his reaction would be when he came back online. He would of course be furious, but she would be hiding when that time came.
She began humming to herself and finally finished one servo and went to the other. The red actually looked good on him. Maybe he would like it. She looked up at his resting face and smirked as she thought of painting him there.
"Chest next. Then face maybe," she whispered. She finally finished painting his claws and admired her work.
"Hey Ratchet! I finished painting his claws," she chimed. Ratchet glanced back at her, shook his head, and went back to work.
"Boo. It's great and you know it!" She exclaimed before turning back to Starscream who was still offline. What was she going to put on his chest? While deep in thought, she heard footsteps and looked up to see Bulkhead walking into the room. He saw her and cocked his head at the strange scene.
"What are you doing, Miko?" He asked.
"Pranking Starscream, but the color actually looks nice on his claws. I'm gonna put something on his chest next," Miko explained, smiling over at her friend innocently. Bulkhead chuckled, shaking his head as he approached while grabbing one of the paint cans. He handed it to her and Miko looked at the color, smiling wickedly. Blue. Another perfect color for Starscream.
"If he gets mad, I'll make sure he doesn't do anything to hurt you," Bulkhead said while stepping back with a pleasant look on his faceplates. Miko gave him a thumbs up before turning her attention back to Starscream.
She thought for a moment before she went forward and proceeded to paint a giant happy face on the middle of Starscream's chest. It was perfect! She stepped back to get some more paints. This time she got purple and pink. Some kitties would really look nice on Starscream, especially on his face. She dipped the mop in the pink paint and proceeded to climb on Starscream's chest.
She was halfway up climbing his chest when she heard a rumble coming from his chassis followed by a low groan. Scrap. Miko let go and fell into his lap just as Starscream came back online. He shook his head, groaning even more and looking around in a daze before he finally noticed her. Miko suddenly remembered their encounter in the mine and felt a twinge of fear at the idea of him wanting to hurt her.
"What are you doing with that...stick, Miko?" Starscream questioned, his optics turning into red slits as his expression changed into an angry scowl. She noticed his claws twitching and was quick to jump off his lap.
"Oh, I was just...uh...making sure you're okay. The mop was to fight off anyone who tried to harm you and the paint was to mark those who wished you harm," she said while holding the dripping mop like it was a sword. She glanced around nervously at Ratchet and Bulkhead and saw that they were watching on silently.
"Is that so? I thought this place was secure," Starscream said, raising a servo and freezing when he noticed that his claws were painted. He looked from his claws and then to Miko who laughed nervously and dropped the mop while backing away even more. Double scrap.
"What have you done, you wretched girl?" Starscream demanded, getting to his feet and standing over her. The ground shook as Bulkhead rushed over to them. Miko smiled as she went to hide behind Bulkhead who was ready to give Starscream a pounding if he tried anything. She looked around his leg and stuck out her tongue at Starscream. Starscream was in obvious attack mode, but upon Bulkhead approaching, he growled and stepped back.
"It's just a harmless prank, Scream. The paint will wash right off. There's no need to get all aggressive," Bulkhead explained. Miko could tell Starscream was already plotting something before a horrible smile adorned his features.
"A prank. I have heard of those. Since Miko was caught in the act, I should have some kind of revenge involving the paint," Starscream said while inspecting his claws and rubbing off some of the paint with a disgusted look.
"What are you planning, Starscream?" Miko asked, suddenly feeling uneasy as she thought of what he was going to do. Starscream chuckled darkly as he bent down to pick up the mop and beckoned her to come closer.
"I'll make it quick and painless since I have to meet up with Terra and her sisters very soon. Come here, Miko," he crowed.
"Hell no," Miko replied, staying where she was.
"You did start this, Miko. Normally I wouldn't let this creep anywhere near you, but it's just paint. I'll still keep a close eye on him," Bulkhead said with a shrug of his shoulders. Miko looked up at him in shock. This wasn't happening. Normally she would get away with pranks like this.
"Just let him paint you, Miko. I don't want to hear any more of this. You were the one who had the bright idea of painting him while he was out and now it's backfiring," Ratchet spoke up.
"Thank you for taking my side, dear doctor," Starscream said, looking absolutely giddy as he turned his attention back to Miko.
Miko remained rooted to the spot before she let out an annoyed groan and stepped out from behind Bulkhead. She then walked in front of Starscream, crossing her arms and not daring to look up at him. This was gonna suck a whole lot.
"Did you really think you could get away with defiling my frame with paint?" Starscream growled as he reached down to pick her up.
"Yes. Yes I did," Miko replied, holding back the urge to giggle at Starscream's now red claws. The wet paint rubbed off on her, ruining her clothes. This was going to be interesting to explain to her host family when she got home after this.
"Where shall I start?" Starscream mused as he brought her to eye level. She wanted to make some kind of rude comment, but she was at his mercy right now. She didn't want to end up accidentally getting hurt.
Starscream looked over to the side and Miko followed his gaze. He was looking at the paint cans. He chuckled darkly, dropping the mop as he went to grab a can. Miko gasped when she saw which color it was. It was the yellow paint.
"Oh no. Not that color! Anything but that!" She cried out, trying her hardest to escape his grip. She looked over at Bulkhead who simply shook his head despite a faint smile. This gained a dark chuckle as he held the paint can over her head.
"You wouldn't," she hissed, balling her hands into fists while glaring daggers at him.
"Oh, but I might," he purred before pouring the paint over her head. Miko groaned at the cold wet paint and wiped it away from her eyes. This was a nightmare. An absolute nightmare. She could feel the paint running down her back. Her host mom was going to have a fit when she got home.
"There. Now we're even. I hope you don't try anything stupid in the future, dear girl," Starscream said while lowering her to the ground. Miko grimaced at the unpleasant feeling of the paint.
At that moment, the ground bridge came alive and Optimus came through. He looked like he was about to say something, but paused when he saw the scene before him.
"She started it! I was just working on using my holoform and she desecrated my frame while my optics were closed. Oh, it was horrible, Optimus. That child needs proper discipline," Starscream exclaimed dramatically while pointing an accusatory claw at Miko. Optimus sighed and looked at Miko with a disappointed look in his optics. Was he going to take Starscream's side on this?
"He poured paint on me! This is going to take ages to get out of my hair, Optimus," she whined, hoping to gain some sympathy from him.
"Well, it appears that you have already faced the consequences of your actions, Miko. You should know better than to...prank an ally while they are offline," Optimus said, placing his hands on his hips with a disapproving look. Miko sighed. If she admitted she was wrong now, she surely wouldn't face any other consequences after this. Of course, she would try other pranks in the future, but she would make sure she wouldn't get caught next time.
"You're right. I really learned my lesson, Optimus. I promise it won't happen again," she said, holding her hands behind her back and crossing her fingers.
"It better not," Starscream grumbled.
"I should go wash this off now," Miko said while turning to go. She was stopped by Starscream who stepped in front of her. What now?
"You're not leaving until you clean every spot of paint from me, girl," he said, looking over at Optimus for approval. Optimus gave him a nod before stepping back.
"Aww, come on! He can clean himself! I'm more dirty than he is!" She exclaimed. She looked over at Bulkhead for help, but he shrugged his shoulders again before grabbing a nearby towel and handing it to her.
"I need to look my best when I see my darling Terra again. Now get cleaning, Miko," Starscream demanded while sitting back on the berth.
"This fragging sucks," she groaned, turning to crawl onto the berth. She would get back at him at some point. He was going to regret pouring paint on her. She glared at him, making him smirk as he held out a servo to her.
Terra paced back and forth in front of the cabin. Where was he? He was supposed to be here shortly after she and her sisters got to the cabin. Someone would have surely let her know if anything happened back at base...unless they were in the middle of fighting.
"No, don't think like that, babe. Optimus is probably briefing him or something," she whispered to herself. He was safe back at base. He was probably grooming himself to make himself extra pretty for her. The thought made her smile and relax a bit more.
"Hey Terra. Come inside and get some food. He'll get here eventually," Bella called out from the entrance to the house. Terra sighed and turned to go inside. Bella smiled at her sweetly as she walked by.
"You really got it bad for him. It's cute," she chimed. Terra let out a soft giggle in response and went to the kitchen. Bella followed close behind her.
They got to the kitchen where an opened pizza box was waiting for her. Terra's stomach grumbled and she quickly sat down and grabbed a slice. Bella sat across from her, her head resting in her hands as she watched her with a knowing smirk on her lips.
"I saw what was inside that bag. You have any plans with him tonight?" She asked. Terra nearly choked on her pizza at that question. She grabbed a nearby glass of water and took a big sip to stop the coughing.
"I...uhh...yeah. We have plans," she said, feeling her cheeks grow warm.
"What's it like with an alien robot?" Bella asked. Terra cocked an eyebrow at her. Why was she so curious about this?
"It's...different, but wonderful. Why do you want to know?" She questioned.
"Just curious," Bella said, turning away with a faint blush on her cheeks.
Terra was quiet, thinking back to their stay at the base. Bella did like hanging out with Bulkhead a lot and always listened to his stories with great interest. He was also interested in the stories she told him about her life. She remembered when they were watching a scary movie at one point and while Miko was super into the movie, Bella stayed close to Bulkhead. The two of them were both terrified of what was on screen despite still watching on in terror.
There was another time when Miko was jamming out on her guitar and Bella was head banging along to the music. Bulkhead seemed fascinated by her energy at the time.
Terra wanted to say something, but she was going to let the two of them figure it out on their own. She looked forward to the day when her sister finally announced that she liked Bulkhead.
She continued eating her slice of pizza, her thoughts going back to Starscream. She remembered his fury at those thugs who harassed her. It would be amazing if he did get rid of them for her, but there would be obvious consequences if he did. His dedication to protect her was admirable, but there were other ways to protect her without killing.
She was contemplating grabbing another slice of pizza before she heard the familiar sound of a ground bridge outside. He was finally here!
"Starscream," she chimed as she got up and ran to the door. She could hear footsteps upstairs and knew that Alcina was probably up now and wanted to see Starscream.
She opened the door to find Starscream standing by one of the second story windows. She looked up and saw him gently scooping up a giggling Alcina from the balcony window.
"You're finally here, Starscream! We got a new house!" Alcina exclaimed while hugging one of his claws. Starscream chuckled softly while holding the child close to his frame.
"I see. It certainly is exciting," he said while nuzzling her and making her fall over in his palm. Alcina shrieked with laughter before sitting up. She saw Terra and waved at her excitedly.
"Starscream's here, Terra!" She said happily. Starscream looked over at Terra and his expression turned to pure love and adoration, making her blush. God, he was so good with Alcina...and it did look like he took his time making sure he looked good for her. He looked extra shiny now, especially his claws.
"What took you so long, Scream?" Alcina asked before Terra could say anything.
"I was just...busy with some last minute things. I apologize for taking so long, little one," he said while lightly poking the tip of her nose, making her giggle even harder. Terra felt a tightness in her chest at the sweet action. He was wonderful. Simply wonderful.
"It's getting late, Alcina. You need rest after such a long day," Starscream said while putting her back on the balcony.
"Aww, I don't wanna," Alcina groaned.
"He's right, Al. It's already past your bedtime. Go get Bella and she'll tuck you in," Terra said. Alcina didn't say anything else before going back inside.
"Sooo, what kept you back at base," Terra asked. Starscream's expression turned to an annoyed grimace as he lowered himself before her.
"Miko. She painted my frame and my claws while I was using my holoform. Oh Terra, it was dreadful, but I made the brat clean it up so that I looked extra shiny for you," he moaned dramatically. Terra held back her giggles as she imaged what he probably looked like when Miko painted him. She did do a wonderful job at making him look shiny.
"You poor thing. You do look real nice now. Very handsome," she said, smiling up at him sweetly.
"You think so? I did order that girl to make me look my best," he said while offering his servo to her. Terra nodded and clambered on, sighing happily. Hugging and holding hands with his holoform was nice and all, but it barely held a candle to the real thing.
"She did a wonderful job, love," she said as she was raised to eye level with him. Her heart was beating a mile a minute as she gazed into his optics. They were finally back in the mountains together. She had been looking forward to this for so long.
"I know you were with us in town with the holoform, but I missed seeing your face, Starscream," she admitted.
"I missed you as well, Terra. You were so close, but still so far from me. It was unbearable, but I did enjoy exploring the town with you," he said, leaning in and caressing the side of her face with a single claw. Terra sighed softly in content, leaning into his touch.
"Well, we're together now and it's a beautiful night. I...I could go for a nice walk in the woods with you," she suggested.
"That sounds wonderful, my love. Shall we go now or do you want to prepare yourself?" He asked with a knowing smile that made her blush even more.
"I think I'll prepare first," she said, remembering her nice dress that she brought along with her along with some other things. A rumbling purr emanated from Starscream as he lowered her to the ground.
"Don't take too long, my love. I'll be waiting for you," he said, blowing a heart-shaped cloud of steam at her. Terra would have changed her mind in an instant and gone with him now, but she did want to look her best for tonight.
"I'll be back soon, Starscream," she said while rushing inside to prepare for what was going to be a long and wonderful night.