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"No bodyguard today?" Starscream asked, leaning on the door frame of the courtyard entrance. He held a stack of data pads under his arm, and his finish shined brighter than usual. The smell of fresh polish was evident even with the distance. "That’s unusual."
He was alone.
"Starscream," Windblade said. She squeezed the handle of her sword, and he tilted his head to the side with an odd smirk watching her tense. Windblade bowed slightly, repeating over and over in her head that as annoying as he was, Starscream still ruled this planet. Windblade answered, "Chromia had to leave early to assist Ironhide with some maintenance, so I’m finishing up my training alone today."
"Such a shame," Starscream said, stepping down into the courtyard. He shifted his load from one arm to both of his hands, his voice dripping with a hint of mockery. "Combat training is hardly effective when you’ve been left to your own devices with no teacher."
He set his stack of data pads on the bench, and approached Windblade with a confidence that could have been a lie as easily as truth. She kept her intake even as his optics looked her over top to bottom, the gears turning in his head just behind them in a way that made Windblade call for Chromia in her mind. Starscream stopped a foot from her person, and pulled out one of his own long blades.
He put a hand to his chest, bowing slightly and showing off his weapon. Starscream’s optics glinted as he asked, “Care for a sparring partner?”
"With you?" Windblade asked, straightening her back. Her sword glowed, as her turbines spun faster.
Starscream looked around, almost making a show of it, before smirking. “I don’t see anyone else around, do you?”
"I don’t think that would be wise," Windblade said, taking a single step back. Starscream’s lip twitched at the nervous movement, and she steeled herself. Windblade moved her foot back to it’s original place, and straightened her back and wings. "I’m was about finished with practice as it was. I wouldn’t want to waste your time."
"Nonsense, ten or so minutes of sparring certainly won’t be an inconvenience," Starscream said. He held his sword up, pointing the end at Windblade’s chest. He rolled his shoulders and held a hand up. "And if you’re concerned about hurting me, don’t be. I can assure you that I’m a seasoned warrior, and more than capable."
Windblade shifted her post to the fighting stance she’d learned at the academy, and that Chromia had perfected. She moved her sword forward, and revved her turbines, sending a new stream of energy through her sword. If she had learned anything these past few weeks working with Starscream, it was that he was the most stubborn person she had ever met. There was no point in arguing further.
Windblade tilted her head in agreement. “Very well, if you insist.”
"Wonderful," Starscream said.
He struck before Windblade could reply, his sword slamming hard into her own. She used a second hand to steady her sword, her heels sliding back as Starscream pressed down on her. Windblade turned her turbines back, and used the force of their thrust to step forward and match his strength. She slid the sword down and pushed him back and off, creating an opening to strike his sword again.
Starsceam blocked it, but grinned in response. Their blades met, energy sparking and dripping off every strike. The curve of her blade sliced along his straight edge, and things were more or less evenly matched as they sparred.
Or it was, until Starscream summoned his second sword and slammed Windblade hard in the side with the weapon’s hilt.
Windblade hissed, jumping up and back to give herself more distance. “I thought we were sparring.”
"We are," Starscream said, changing his stance to match his new weapons configuration. Both swords gleamed, and his wings flicked behind him almost playfully. Starscream held the blades higher, and clicked his tongue. "Sparring prepares you for the future, and believe me when I say that your enemy will hardly play fair or to your expectations."
Windblade shot forward, smacking one of his blades to the side, and immediately swinging around to hit the other. Starscream calmly returned each of her hits, alternating his blades. “We aren’t enemies, Starscream.”
"So you keep saying," Starscream said, his engine and thrusters revving. His playful edge melted away, his entire demeanor shifting in an optic flicker.
This was no longer a sparring session.
Windblade snarled, gnashing her teeth together when Starscream attacked. He came at her, both blades swinging together as one from the side, and her block was near a second too late. The burst of magenta light from the energy of the blades meeting sparked into the air. Her arms shook, pushing back against his weapon. He walked forward, corralling her back toward the wall. Her turbines left scorch marks along the wall as she fought the push. Starscream kept Windblade’s blade busy with one, while he pulled the other back and shot his sword forward.
Windblade’s wings shot down as he jammed the weapon into the wall, creating a barricade on the one side. He maneuvered their swords to the front and pinned Windblade against the wall, pushing the two blades toward her chest.
"I yield!" Windblade hissed, her body trembling from the stress of holding back a stronger opponent. She’d been sloppy. "You win!"
Starscream pressed harder, the hum and heat of her blade licking against her red plating. Starscream leaned over the blades and spoke softly, “Enemies don’t yield.”
"Then it’s a good thing, that neither of us are enemies," Windblade repeated. Her in and outtakes heaved heavily, forcing too much air to cool her spiking and heating system. "I’m here to help you and Metroplex, remember?"
Starscream dropped his sword to his side, the other still firmly placed in the wall. He released it, and the glow of the blade faded, leaving cooling metal. Windblade turned off her turbines, and they came to a stop, and her blade flickered out. She dropped her arm to the side, and glared up at Starscream.
Windblade looked him up and down, before lightly pushing on his chest with her hand. “Would you mind backing up so that I can leave?”
Starscream dropped his sword to the ground, causing her to flinch at the rattle of metal against the ground. He grabbed her hand, and threw it up against the wall. His grip tightened, trapping her arm there. She tugged on it uselessly as he leaned his face in next to hers. Starscream whispered near her helm, “You’re not very bright are you?”
"Excuse me?" Windblade asked, tugging harder. "What are you doing?"
"A lesson more important than your sparring skills," Starscream said. He turned his head and smashed his lips into hers. Windblade froze, and the bitter kiss continued, his mouth pressing hard into her own. He broke it briefly, and whispered, "I only have enemies."
She should have struggled when he nipped her lip and kissed her again, should have shoved him. Windblade dropped the hilt of her sword and it clattered to the ground. She grabbed onto Starscream’s arm that had left the pinned sword and taking rest on her waist. His fingers dug into her hip, and she returned the pressure by squeezing his forearm.
How sad, she thought to herself. To only have enemies.
His kisses her rough and desperate, pressing her hard into the wall. Her back scraped the metal, and her voice was muffled in his mouth. Starscream dropped her hand, and grabbed the back of her neck to tilt her head and coax her into kissing back.
For a moment, Windblade did.
She ran her fingers up his chest, and rested them on his nape. She tugged, pulling him more comfortably into the kiss. Windblade’s back arched, and her turbines spun slowly as her spark pulsed harder and filled her body with renewed energy. Starscream hummed into her mouth, pleased. Windblade welcomed it.
But when his fingers found the dip between her hip and thigh, she regained herself. Windblade slid to the side, shoving him away at the chest with both hands. He backed up, momentarily confused, before holding both of his hands up with a knowing smirk. Windblade ducked down to grab her sword before quickly slipping away from the wall and to the other side of the courtyard.
Starscream lazily reached down to pick up his own, and straightened. He inspected the dulled and scraped parts of his arm and body, the fresh polish ruined, before shrugging and yanking his other sword from the wall.
Windblade touched her lips with the tips of her fingers and cursed in her head.What was that?
"I think that was an informative lesson," Starscream said, retrieving his data pads from the bench. "Don’t you?"
Windblade looked away, and refused to answer. Her insides burning from shame and want, mixed together in a confusing tumble that twisted like overheated coils.
"In any case," Starscream said, stepping up to the doorway of the main building. He looked over his shoulder, and granted Windblade a crooked grin. "Should Chromia stand you up again, I’d be more than happy to fill in."
"You may leave now," Windblade said, crossing her arms and refusing to drop her gaze from his.
"As you wish," Starscream said, turning away and disappearing into the dark of the corridor. "I’ll see you this afternoon for your report."
Windblade watched the empty hallway, her body relaxing. She touched the center of her lips, and dragged her fingers to the side. “Enemies, huh?”