As we approach certain scenes that some of you have been predicting (and asking for) since the beginning, we would like to point out a couple of things. First, it was never out intention to write a serious fic, it just happened by chance and we've ridden the ride. We plan on sticking with the levels of realism explored so far, but at the same time, it was always our intent to have some fun too (we point you in the direction of our author's notes for chapter 1). Second, we know some of you won't like what we've got planned for the next couple of chapters, but we really hope you stick with us; these events will lead to important plot twists in the future.
All that said, thanks for the support so far, and enjoy!
Chapter 13
Strangers and Nightmares
For once, Starscream's claustrophobia didn't have any influence on the appreciation of his surroundings. He didn't care about the dirty flight of stairs, the flickering lights on the ceiling, the small room that received him after the human female opened a door with a small metallic key…
All he saw was a human recharge berth beneath a window, the most satisfactory vision he had seen since Astrotrain had dropped him in the damn fleshling city.
The femme guided him there. He didn't resist when she tugged at his jacket and allowed her to completely remove it, eager as he was to lay on the berth. It was relieving to be released from the soaked and heavy garment. He didn't notice the way in which the woman stared at his slim and muscular torso, and even less the way she passed a finger over his well shaped biceps before helping him to lean on the berth.
Starscream let himself fall on his back on the soft surface beneath him. Any real human being would have noticed the mattress squeaking, one side of the bed softer than the other one, the bedspread having some cigarette burns… but for Starscream it was his first human recharge berth, and nothing could have outmatched its comfort at that moment.
He closed his eyes, exhausted. Pain and weakness hadn't ceased, but at least he wasn't freezing in the rain anymore. He could stand everything else.
The feeling of hands on the lower part of his stomach and a sound that was already becoming familiar made him open his eyes again. The human female was unzipping his pants.
"What… do you think you are doing?" he said weakly.
"You are freezing. I'm going to give you a warm bath."
"Don't you dare touch me…"
"Come on sugar, don't be shy. I assure you, you don't have anything down there that I haven't seen before."
She finished unzipping Starscream's pants as she spoke. Her face brightened.
"You know…" she said with a tone of voice that Starscream could not identify. "There should be a law that forbids men like from using clothes…"
Embarrassment returned to Starscream as he noticed the way she was scrutinizing him.
She laughed, noticing his disturbance. "What's wrong? Is this the first time you've let a woman like me undress you?"
Starscream would have liked to have had a minimal amount of strength, at least to push her away. But her reaction was confusing. Was she saying that his appearance was not disgusting? Since he had been turned into a human, all he had heard was how grotesque and ugly he looked, and suddenly this human was saying the opposite…
The woman pulled again and suddenly his pants were down at his knees, but this time he didn't resist and allowed her to finish stripping him naked.
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Stella ran her hand over Starscream's forehead, exhaustion evident in his pained expression.
"Your fever is really bad," she told him, frowning, "what on earth possessed you to go out on a shitty night like this?"
Silence was the young man's only reply, his green eyes gazing blankly at her for a moment, before closing slowly in defeat. The faintest hint of a sigh escaped his lips.
Stella cast away his sodden pants and took a hold of the bedspread, pausing momentarily to look upon her company. It seemed a shame to have to cover such a delicious example of masculinity like that, but it would be even more of a shame if he dropped dead. Slowly, she pulled the bedclothes over his shivering body.
"Now wait here a minute, honey, while I go run the bath," she said as she turned and left the room.
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The sound of running water echoed nosily in Starscream's aching ears, mixing with the rattle of the rain against the window, the rolling of the thunder that kept the night awake with its relentlessness. But nothing of that mattered to the ex Seeker, it couldn't have been more trivial.
He was dry, comfortable...even the fever and pain that raged within seemed less horrific now he was out of the elements.
He relaxed his trembling body, sinking deeper into mattress, allowing the blankets to envelop him, conforming to his figure; soothing him like a warm embrace.
Oblivion came; that welcomed emptiness... He succumbed to its consoling grip, allowing sleep to take his consciousness...
"Sugar...?"
A hand shook him gently, stealing away his desperately wanted reprieve.
"Sorry, sugar, but you can't go to sleep yet..."
The female fleshling shook him again, this time a little harder. He opened his eyes slowly.
"Welcome back," she said, a faint smile on her lips, "I'm sorry to wake you, but your bath is ready." She sat down on the bed next to Starscream, running her hand through his hair. "Let's get you warmed up, and then you can sleep as much as you like."
Starscream looked up at her through tired eyes; he couldn't understand why this human was showing such concern for him, why she felt so compelled to help him when no one else had ever so much as hinted at caring for him. It didn't make sense...
But he was too tired to focus on such questions, too weak to think... He didn't resist when he felt Stella's hands pulling back the bedspread, exposing his nudity once again.
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Starscream lowered himself carefully into the small bathtub, the female's arms gently guiding him. He felt the warmth of the water embrace him instantly as he sank slowly beneath the surface, his aching muscles grateful for the reprieve.
The woman knelt beside the bath and placed a supporting arm around Starscream's chest, allowing the ex-Seeker to lean against her heavily. She dipped a washcloth into the water and began to wash him, her hand moving in slow circles over his back, water trickling down his well-defined form in rivulets.
Something like a small electric shock travelled through Starscream's body when she touched his back, right in the place where his wings joints would unite, if he'd still had them... The feeling of her touch wasn't unpleasant, not at all... It seemed that his new body kept certain memories of his Cybertronian structure, despite the pandemonium of changes he was forced to deal with now.
"Isn't that better?" Starscream heard her ask as her hand moved below the surface of the water, her fingers playing softly over his lower back. "You really shouldn't let yourself get so cold, sugar, it's no wonder you're feeling so sick... God, your muscles are so tense..."
What did it matter to her if he got cold and sick? Humans had never made any sense, and this female was no exception to that rule. He looked up into her dark eyes, and followed her gaze downwards... Even within his fever, he felt his temperature rising, his cheeks blushing in embarrassment.
She was looking at him again...at his hideous intimacy...
She smiled, noticing his disturbance.
"What's wrong?" she said. "You are not going to tell me you feel ashamed of being naked, are you?"
"Of course not…" he lied.
"You don't have to feel uncomfortable, sugar. I have seen more nude men than I could count… Although I must confess your looks surpass anything I have ever seen before."
Starscream felt the already familiar feeling of blushing returning to his face. He hated feeling so ashamed and defenseless in front of a simple femme, and a human to make things worse. The feeling was so far away in his memory banks that now it appeared as a foreigner. Where was his arrogant and self-confident temper when he needed it the most? Had the Well of Transformation also altered his mental patterns as drastically as it had his body?
He saw the human taking a green bottle and pouring a good amount of a viscous liquid onto the palm of her hand. He flinched a little when she started to rub his hair with the liquid, but relaxed when he realized it actually felt good. The liquid turned into some sort of foam over the fiber that covered his head, generating a smell that didn't displease him.
"Finish washing your hair," she said. "I'll be right back."
Starscream directed his hands toward his head and continued spreading the foam on his hair, trying to mimic the way the femme had done it. It was very strange having to wash himself; he was used to his cleaning unit taking care of the washing and polishing of his body entirely.
The female returned, carrying a glass half-filled with a white liquid.
"Here," she said, kneeling beside the bath tub again and offering him a small pill. "This should decrease your fever."
Starscream took the pill and stared at it suspiciously. He repeated the process with the glass of white liquid.
"What is this?" he asked.
She glanced at him, confusion reflected on her features. "Tylenol… and milk. I didn't have anything but this and half a bottle of tequila. Just drink it. It will make you feel better."
Starscream hesitated. It wasn't probable that the human would to try to poison him; she wouldn't have helped him otherwise. The pill, however, awakened his doubts. Was he supposed to introduce that small thing into his fuel line?
She seemed to be surprised by his behaviour. "Swallow the pill," she explained. "And drink the milk right after."
Starscream did as told, hoping that his ignorance concerning something so basic for the humans wouldn't awake her suspicions too much. Damn Megatron… if at least he had given him more time to investigate those accursed flesh beings…
Drinking the fuel called milk was not a displeasing experience. In fact, it had a taste that didn't challenge his tolerance. He drank it in a single gulp, suddenly realizing how thirsty he was.
"Easy, sugar," she laughed, taking the empty glass from his hands. "Take it easy, or you will choke…"
She put the glass on the floor and began to rinse Starscream's head. Warm water fell over his hair and ran over his chest, increasing his comfort. The water being so benevolent and not just a cold hell was a welcomed change.
"What is your name, by the way?" she asked while she continued rinsing his head and shoulders.
"It's… Sean," he replied after a moment of silence. He had forgotten his human name and remembering it cost him a small effort.
"Sean, huh? I like it," she said smiling. "My name is Stella… like a star, you know."
"A star?" he repeated.
"Yes. Do you like stars?"
"Yes… I suppose…" he responded. He had to be careful. He was aware that his way of speaking and his ignorance of the most basic habits of the human kind could make her suspect of him, but it was so difficult to behave logically when humans were such disorganized creatures… He just didn't know what was correct and what was not.
"I don't know much about stars," she said with a sad tone in her voice. "I didn't finish high school… but I think that just because they are still out there no matter how ugly things get down here, gives me hope."
Hope? Stars had always been a part of Starscream's life, not to mention he was named after them. He used to look at them too, long before his interests focused on much more important matters, consigning to oblivion the beauty of the cosmic scenery.
She finished rinsing his hair, gently rubbing his shoulders and back to eliminate the excess of water.
"Now stand up, sugar," Stella continued. "We are almost done."
He obeyed, trying to ignore the humiliation of feeling so exposed again. It didn't escape his attention how she eyed his naked body coming out of the water. Her glance gave special attention to his intimate organs, that were dripping water.
He leaned on the wall as she started to gently rub his legs with the washcloath.
"You are in excellent shape, Sean… I bet you are an athlete, right?"
"Athlete?" he repeated, confused.
"Yes. Look at these biceps… and your abdomen is so hard… Let me guess. Beach volleyball?"
His confused expression spoke for itself.
"No?" she continued. "Surfer? Lifeguard? Well, it must have something to do with the beach. You have such an amazing tan…"
Starscream frowned. The human talked too much, made him feel dizzy… But he wouldn't have had problems standing her rambling if she had kept her hands away from him as she talked. But her fingers were so invading, curious…
"Oh, I know!" she said happily. "You are a model, right? It's obvious you take a lot of care of your body. I can picture you in one of those Calvin Klein underwear commercials."
Model? Calvin what? What the slag was that human talking about?
"And what were you doing in the middle of the storm?" she continued asking as she washed his thighs. "I bet your prom ended up being a mess… or perhaps your wedding?"
"Wedding? Why do you say that?" he asked, his confusion growing. First she had mentioned the prom thing, whatever it was, as the men who attacked him before had done as well. But it was the mention of the word 'wedding' that made him grimace.
"Well, you were wearing a tuxedo… although you had no shirt or shoes. Usually men get married in a tuxedo, sugar."
Starscream had read something about the humans' bonding rituals. It seemed that they liked to legalize their intimate relationships with their mates. Personally, he believed it was a very ridiculous habit.
"No!" he hurried to reply. "I have nothing to do with those rituals…"
He cut his words with a gasp when he felt the washcloth working on his intimate parts. He flinched by instinct, the sudden invasion to his intimacy taking him by surprise.
"Oh, I'm sorry…" she apologized. "Did I hurt you?"
"N-no…"
She smiled, certainly noticing once again how ashamed he was. Starscream couldn't have hated himself more. Why was being naked in front of that female embarrassing him so much?
"It's OK," she tried to tranquilize him. "We are almost done anyway. Turn around."
Starscream did what he was told and leaned his forehead on the wall. Turning his back to her didn't bring any relief. He could feel her glance fixated on him, scrutinizing every detail of his body.
It was unconceivable… He was disgusted with his own body, but the female had nothing but praises for his appearance. Everything was so confusing, so new… the brain he had instead of a processor was sending him erratic signs, every one more ambiguous than the previous one.
Starscream definitely knew something was malfunctioning inside of him when he felt her hands gently washing the back part of his body.
"You have a great ass…" she said in low voice.
Starscream blushed. He didn't have to know the meaning of that word to understand what she meant. Her touch explained it perfectly.
And she didn't stop. Starscream felt the muscles of what she had called his "ass" tightening when her hand got between his legs, softly rubbing his inner thighs, grazing again his dangling intimate circuitry…
A sudden heat surpassed the pleasant warmth of the cleaning room. Starscream felt it as clear as a bite, all its energy focused in his crotch… He wasn't so naïve as to ignore that certain structural functions were quite similar between races as different as the Cybertronian and the human, but he forced himself to regain control before a physical manifestation of his weakness was displayed.
He placed both hands on the wall and slightly pushed his body away.
"Are you finished?" he asked, trying to make his voice sound as indifferent as possible.
"Yes… I just need to finish rinsing you."
Starscream slightly bowed his head and took a discreet look downwards. He still felt a considerable amount of energy flowing around his inseam, but it seemed that he had managed to control himself. If his new organic intimacy behaved in a similar way to his Cybetronian intimate circuits, he couldn't allow himself the humiliation of letting it react before the touch of a human.
Water finally stopped falling over his body. Starscream tried to breathe deeply and to calm his frenetic heart.
He looked over his shoulder and saw the femme reaching for something like a chamois for cleaning weapons. So that was a towel. A new feeling of comfort was added to his human experience when she wrapped him with it and gently started to dry him.
"Do you feel better? At least you stopped shivering… Come on, let's get you back to bed."
Starscream allowed her to embrace him by the waist and helped him to walk back to the room. He actually felt much better. Apparently the bath and the ingestion of the pill were fighting his virus properly. He relaxed when he realized the danger of termination had been eradicated.
And all thanks to that femme.
Starscream felt frustrated. He rejected the uncomfortable and foreign feeling that started to take shape somewhere inside of him. Gratitude wasn't worthy of a Decepticon.
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Starscream sat on the bed as Stella rubbed his hair with the towel. Thin rays of light coming from the street filtered through the window's blinds, softly illuminating the scene.
Outside, the storm had lessened. The furious attack of the water had turned into a bearable and somehow hypnotic dripping. In the distance, human vehicles could be heard passing by every now and then, rolling over the puddles of water.
Stella gave a last shake to Starscream's hair before touching his forehead with her hand again.
"Mmmh…" she said. "I'm no doctor, but I think your fever is decreasing… How weird… I never saw a fever healing so fast…"
Starscream didn't reply, too disturbed by everything that had happened so far. It was shameful to feel comfortable under that femme's cares. She had to be very different from her kind to actually be able to cause such inner conflicts in him.
"Why are you helping me?" he finally asked, unable to contain his curiosity anymore.
"You are sick, and you looked so helpless…" she answered as she dried his shoulders and torso with extreme delicacy. "I wasn't going to leave you there to die."
Great… now a human pities me… he thought.
"I suppose you are expecting something in exchange for your help," he said seriously.
She smiled and shook her head slightly. "No, sugar… nothing at all… Now lay down as I finish drying you. You must be exhausted."
It was a relief to rest his head on the soft pillow again. Starscream closed his eyes, lulled to sleep by the soft massage of the towel over the upper part of his body.
"Do you feel better?" he heard her asking.
Starscream decided to ignore her and try to enter recharge mode, but a graze over the most conflicted part of his body made him open his eyes again.
Stella had dropped the towel. Her bare hands were on his thighs, softly massaging them.
She stared at him and smiled. Despite the low lights, he could clearly see her shinning glance, her mischievous smirk…
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Stella paused when she heard a groan escape Sean's lips. His pained grimace seemed to speak a thousand words; her sensual touch wasn't winning him over, his green eyes reflecting his discomfort and shame...but most of all his exhaustion.
She sat back and looked down at her companion, his eyes slowly closing as her hands drifted towards his knees before retreating to her own lap. Despite the fact that his fever seemed to have lessened, he still looked pale. The growing bruises on his right cheek and torso didn't escape Stella's attention either.
"What happened to you, sugar?" she said, running her fingers over Sean's arm.
"None of your slagging business," Sean replied, his voice barely above a whisper.
Slagging? An interesting choice of words, but his response didn't surprise her; the poor thing must have had a disaster of a night, no wonder he didn't want to talk about it.
"Those bruises look painful... Were you in a fight or something?"
"What do you think?"
"You know, sugar, this will probably sound stupid seeing as how we've only just got you warmed up, but you should really put some ice on those."
Sean opened his eyes, casting her a dark glare.
"Come on, you'll only have to put up with it for ten minutes," she continued. "It will make you feel better, I promise."
Two well-placed pats on Sean's thigh and Stella stood from the bed, making her way over to the kitchen area. She couldn't help but glance over her shoulder every now and then as she busied herself.
It was odd to see a stranger in her own bed. Although many would question her morality and judgement, there were certain rules and standards even a woman like herself maintained; 'never bring home a client' was one of them.
But there was something different about that young man resting silently before her, he seemed so troubled and alone and for some reason, it clawed at her bitter heart.
Carefully, Stella sat down on the edge of the bed, the fingers of her right hand caressing Sean's forehead soothingly. Leaning her back against the bed head, she pulled him closer so that his head might rest against her chest; she was honestly surprised to find he didn't fight her. Perhaps he was simply too weak to try, his eyes remaining shut.
Stella knew what it was to be alone on the streets; lost with no one to guide her. She couldn't count how many times she had ended up bloodied and broken in the gutter, or drugged out of her mind, the result of some overzealous lover. And all those times she had crawled like a wounded dog through the darkness, not once had someone stopped to help her. Who would care about a filthy prostitute, anyway?
A smile coloured Stella's lips as she looked down the length of Sean's muscular body. It seemed, for once, she had found a keeper... It was a shame to think that when dawn came he would be gone, taking that toned abdomen and delicious masculinity with him.
She pressed a bag of ice gently against Sean's torso, causing him to wince slightly. Perhaps karma would be more forgiving than chance had been.
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Stella wasn't sure how much time had passed, all she knew was that at some point Sean had fallen asleep in her arms, and that the bags of ice she had been holding to his flesh were now slowly-leaking bags of water.
A fine trail of liquid made it's way down Sean's abdomen and began to drip slowly onto the bed, dampening the sheets. For a moment, Stella thought about staying where she was, allowing her imagination to run wild with the childish fantasy of having a real lover, but the sudden shudder of Sean's body brought her back to reality. He was cold again.
Stella placed Sean to the side and got up slowly, it seemed one of her legs had gone slightly numb from being in the same position for too long. Regretfully, she pulled the bedspread over him and placed a pillow under his head; he cuddled into it immediately.
"Sleep tight, sugar," she intoned, pressing a hand against his forehead again. She hadn't been wrong in her earlier assessment, his fever was definitely improving.
The bags of water landed in the sink with a splashing thud; now that her company was sleeping, she wasn't so sure what to do with herself. Stella's eyes shifted from Sean's still form to his discarded tuxedo.
Her red-nailed fingers were lost within the sodden fabric of his clothing before Stella even realised what she was doing. It had become an almost common practice; on those nights when she was paid to stay, when the only form of redemption was in the form of additional 'unseen' charges.
But that night there was something different driving her, something that could perhaps have been considered genuine curiosity had the intent to see how much money he carried not also been on her agenda. Slowly, Stella turned out the pockets of his torn pants. She had expected to find a wallet, perhaps some keys or a cell phone, even some loose change...but they were completely empty. Surprised, she turned her attention to his jacket, only to find exactly the same thing.
Nothing.
The slightest feeling of disappointment filled her; it seemed she was destined to spend another night waiting on her corner if she was to keep her apartment. But that feeling was mixed with something else...pity perhaps...he must have been mugged or something.
Carefully, Stella returned the pocket lining to it's proper place before shaking out the garment and hanging it over the handle of the bathroom door; his trousers received a similar treatment, placed over the door itself. It seemed a shame to see such classy, expensive clothing so dirtied and torn, but even in their current state they had made their owner look so handsome... so totally out of her reach.
Her eyes fell on Sean's sleeping form again. He was frowning slightly, dreaming perhaps, but otherwise seemed peacefully at rest. The scar above his right eye caught her attention, it looked as if it had been there for years; Stella couldn't help but wonder how he had been blessed with it. In her mind, it was a tasty addition to a body that was already shamelessly attractive.
Stella's gaze shifted downwards, towards the muscular arm that had suddenly appeared from underneath the bedclothes. She wondered what it would be like to be held by that arm, not in the embrace of a client but that of a lover. A warm, delicious lover...
Suddenly, she couldn't resist the temptation of taking a peek at his body again. She knew it was wrong, that she should leave him to rest and recover; but the line between right and wrong had been blurred so long ago, what did it matter if she crossed it again?
Slowly, Stella approached the bed. Her hand hesitated over Sean's body before her fingers finally succumbed to desire and carefully lifted up the blanket covering his stomach, his arm preventing access to his chest.
Not that that mattered...
A smile curved the woman's lips.
She hadn't been lying when she had told him she'd seen it all; old men, young men; of all builds, shades, shapes and sizes... But it was rare, incredibly rare, to find a man she felt a natural attraction to, one with such perfectly toned abs, strong arms...perfect dimensions... Hungry fingers drifted forward, seeking that muscular body.
A faint murmuring pulled Stella from her thoughts, her fingers retreating. She glanced at his face, scared she had been discovered, but to her relief he was still sleeping. As she watched him he murmured again, his body twisting under the blankets.
"Mmmh...no..." Sean muttered, one of his arms reaching out as if to protect himself.
Stella stepped back, surprised. Perhaps he was reliving the night's events.
Sean rolled over onto his back, arm swiping at an invisible spectre. Stella watched his body tense as he seemed to become more and more distressed, his movements becoming something of an agitated dance as the minutes slowly ticked by.
"Nnn...no, don't..." he called out; Stella couldn't stop herself from approaching him again.
"Shhh, honey, it's ok," she cooed softly as she began to caress his face. It was obvious now he was having a nightmare.
Sean continued to flail, lashing out viciously at unknown enemies. Stella ran her fingers through his hair, sweat was beginning to bead on his forehead again.
"Sean... Sean, wake up, honey," she said, shaking his body slightly. "Sean?"
Not getting any reaction, Stella shook him harder. If he continued like this she was certain he would hurt himself, that or he'd wake up so terrified he'd end up hurting her instead. Still, he didn't respond.
She tapped him on the face, softly at first, and then a little harder.
Nothing.
The display before her was beginning to scare her, it wasn't right seeing such a gorgeous young man squirming like a terrified child. Stella shook him again, speaking words of comfort as she did so. She needed to calm him; wake him if possible...
And then an idea hit her. There was only one sure-fire way to subdue a male, be they angry, distraught...or terrified...
Stella couldn't help but smirk as her left hand continued to stroke Sean's hair, her left sneaking slowly under the bedclothes...
To be continued.
Next chapter is almost done, so expect a fast update. Thank you so much for all your support and reviews :o)