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Skyfire was confused.
He may have been getting closer to Starscream, but the difference in their cultures was very apparent. He had learned some things over time though—after a lot of trial and error.
While they were both flight frames, Seekers had an entirely different set of body language cues that Skyfire had never seen before. Small, almost unnoticeable gestures that conveyed trust or emotion.
Some things he overlooked, others he read too much into. He'd learned the meanings of certain wing flicks, the subtle differences between engine purrs, and even decoded a few of the more intricate wing-light signals.
Despite having lived in Vos, he had never been close enough to any Seeker to witness these acts of affection firsthand. Most of them were private—reserved for trine members, close friends, or romantic partners.
The hardest thing to figure out, though, was Starscream himself.
It had taken Skyfire a long time to understand that Starscream showed affection through sharp words and playful mocking. If he liked you, he was mean. If he disliked you, he was nice. If he hated you, he was downright vicious.
When Skyfire first started returning the jabs, Starscream had been thrilled. Their friendship had been built on playfully making fun of each other. Skyfire had made mistakes at first—misjudging the line between banter and actual hostility—but he learned quickly. Now, he could tell the difference with ease.
But back to the issue at hand.
Lately, Starscream had been… headbutting him. A lot.
Skyfire had no idea what it meant. He couldn't detect a pattern. Sometimes, while passing by, Starscream would pause just long enough to headbutt his arm before continuing on as if nothing had happened. Other times, he’d come up behind him and thunk his helm into Skyfire’s back.
Once, while Skyfire had been hunched over a too-small workbench, Starscream had approached from behind and headbutted the back of his helm. He hadn’t said anything. Hadn’t even stopped walking. Just bonk and gone.
It was cute but it was also baffling.
He’d learned not to ask about these things. Starscream tended to get prickly when asked to explain his own behavior. More often than not, he’d outright refuse, digging his thrusters in just for the sake of being stubborn.
Still, Skyfire couldn't shake the feeling that this was something important. It hadn’t started until after they confirmed their relationship. As far as Skyfire could remember, Starscream had never done it before.
Well—except for that one time, when they’d shared a drink together. But Starscream had been completely overcharged, so Skyfire didn’t count it. The only real lesson learned that night was that Star had zero tolerance for engex and a surprisingly thick helm.
Skyfire’s nose had leaked energon for hours after that one.
His thoughts were interrupted by the soft whoosh of the wash rack doors.
Starscream had taken to staying over often—a habit that had developed early in their relationship. Today, one of their experiments had exploded, and while they’d done a sanitation rinse in the lab, Starscream insisted on a proper wash.
Skyfire had managed to avoid most of the mess. Starscream had not. Some sort of unidentifiable organic goop had coated the entirety of his back plating and wings.
Without a word, Starscream crossed the room, exhaustion clear on his face. They had spent weeks on that sample. In mere seconds, it was gone.
With a heavy sigh, he dropped to the floor, flicking a wing in invitation. Skyfire smiled. He knew what that meant, figuring out early on that Starscream would never ask with words.
Preening was important for all flight frames, but for Seekers, it was vital. Their wings were covered in dense clusters of sensors. Any dirt, especially thick or hard-to-remove substances, could affect their ability to fly.
Their wings were made for soaring the sky of Cybertron's planet, not for the aggressive exit of its atmosphere. Starscream was determined to find a way though, convinced he could figure out a method to join Skyfire during space exploration.
He would be fine once they reached deeper space but his wings wouldn't be able to take the heat of leaving orbit. Skyfire had offered for him to ride in his alt mode, but Starscream refused—saying he wanted to fly together, not just sit around and do nothing.
With another flick of a wing, Skyfire focused on the task in front of him. While Starscream was definitely good at cleaning himself, there was still some goop that he wouldn't have been able to reach.
Each sensor made a small indent throughout his plating, making many hard to reach spots. Skyfire would need to take a long time, and be very gentle, as he removed the remainder of the gunk.
Taking a small brush out from his subspace, he got to work—being sure to do as thorough a job as he could. Preening a seeker's wings was also an intimate act. Their wings were incredibly delicate. A wrong touch could disrupt an entire network of sensors.
Skyfire had learned that lesson the hard way. It was one of the few times Starscream had ever outright taught him something—his frustration winning over his usual reluctance.
They sat in comfortable silence for a few kliks as Skyfire worked. As he cleaned, an idea popped into his mind. He paused, looking down at Starscream’s helm. The moment his movements stopped, Starscream glanced up, bright red optics locking onto his own.
On impulse, Sky leaned down and gently knocked their foreheads together.
Starscream’s reaction was immediate.
His optics went wide before he flicked his helm forward and hunched over—bringing his arms around his chassis. Skyfire knew what this behavior meant. Starscream wasn't angry with him, he was embarrassed.
Starscream’s wings twitched. His wing-lights flickered twice—an unspoken ‘get back to work’. A subtle reprimand, but one Skyfire knew wasn't serious.
With a chuckle, Skyfire wrapped his arms around his little Star and adjusted their positions so they were more comfortably curled together.
He had finally figured it out.
Leaning down, he nuzzled the side of Starscream’s helm. Star tried to move his shoulder up, stop Skyfire's invasion of his personal space—but gave up quickly with a sigh. “About time you did it back.”
Skyfire huffed a laugh, spark warm with affection. Pressing a gentle kiss to Starscream’s cheek, he murmured, “Well, I would have sooner… if you ever explained what it meant.”
Starscream let out a dramatic exhale, but he relaxed completely in Skyfire’s arms. For a moment, they simply gazed at each other. Then, Starscream leaned in and lightly bumped their helms together again.
He mumbled something under his breath, barely audible.
Skyfire hummed. “What was that?”
Starscream huffed. “…Suppose I’ll tell you this time.”
Skyfire waited, optics crinkled in pure joy.
Starscream sensed it. He knew Sky was enjoying dragging this out and he hated it. His wings flicked in irritation.
Finally, he muttered, “It’s a confession.”
Skyfire blinked. “A confession of what?”
Starscream groaned, shifting in obvious embarrassment. “What are we to each other?”
Skyfire’s helm tilted. “Partners?”
Starscream glared, obviously annoyed that he had to explain such a simple concept to his idiot of a boyfriend. Skyfire leaned forward again, leaving a quick kiss on Starscream's lips.
He could hear his partner's voice in his helm, ‘Don't make me say it. Just figure it out yourself.’ He'd figured it out the second Starscream had such a reaction, but chose to play dumb.
He liked to tease. Starscream had taught him that much.
Tilting his helm slightly in question, Skyfire just continued to watch. Starscream's frown grew into a pout—one of the cutest things that Skyfire has ever seen.
“It means I care for you, bolts for brains. How are you even studying xenobiology if you're too stupid to figure that one out? They should really retest you! How did you even get into the academy? Really, you should study data entry or something.”
"Well, at least I got to meet yo—” Skyfire suddenly sat up straighter, jolting Starscream in his hold. "Wait. Wait, wait. Do you remember the first time we had engex?” Starscream side eyed him, optics squinting in suspicion. "Wait. No way, wait. You were the first one to confess!?"
Starscream turned his helm away sharply. "No, no. You misunderstand. Don't use that processor too hard or you'll burn it out."
Skyfire gasped. "You said it first? I thought you were just overcharged and broke my nose!" Starscream whipped his helm back, glare showing fangs. "Well, you're just an idiot. I thought that you didn't like me at all!"
Skyfire looked at him, mouth agape before being replaced with a dumb smile. "Oh Primus, I didn't even realize. I was so scared when I told you I lo—"
Starscream clasped a servo over his mouth, cutting off anything else Skyfire might like to say. "We are not talking about this! Forget that ever happened!”
Skyfire closed his optics, smile hidden behind Starscream's palm. Of course he hadn't realised.
He hadn't recharged properly for weeks leading up to his own confession, and he had completely misunderstood Starscream’s first.
For the second time that night, he knocked their helms together.
Primus, he loved this mech.