Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Atlas
Hissing, I yanked my finger away from the iron and sucked on the burn. The sting faded after a moment, and I repositioned my shirt on the ironing board before resuming my careful pressing.
Tonight was the night I would meet Kassie in my true form. Nervous was an understatement, and I wasn’t sure how she would take it.
Kassie would think it was a costume, a well-done costume that several others would be wearing. I would be different and continue to wear my work clothes over my true form just so she could pick me out of the crowd. Mothmen looked so similar, except for my height and larger build.
Still, I couldn't risk Kassie mistaking another Mothman for me. The thought of her chatting with someone else made my wings twitch beneath my clothes. This strange territorial feeling had crept into my chest lately; something primal I couldn't explain even to myself.
She can’t really be yours. There wasn’t any way.
Since Hollow didn’t bring her to town, no one could possibly be meant for her. All the humans brought here have a possible match, brought in by Hollow, except for Kassie.
The human who intrigues me the most is that human.
I reached for my specially modified jeans, the ones with the awkward cutout in the back. Despite how ridiculous it looked to have my thorax cut through denim, I couldn't help but smile. Kassie was worth the effort.
She'd been so forward, while I'd barely strung two words together.
Something about her presence scrambles my thoughts, leaving me fighting to control my body's reactions.
When she's near, I have to focus on keeping my wings still, suppressing the instinctive displays that would reveal exactly how she affects me.
My dick was sore.
I dragged my hand down my face at the sound of knocking, only for Lucien to barge in without waiting for an answer. His wings fluttered with obvious amusement as he took in the scene. "What on Earth are you doing?"
I turned my back to him and fixed my jeans on the ironing board. “I'm ironing my clothes, so I don’t look like a slob in front of Kassie.”
The goddess. She was so beautiful and playful. Nothing could frighten her, it seemed. She talked to me as if it were the easiest thing in the world. Many feared me because of my height, even my own kind, but not her.
Lucien's antennae twitched skeptically as he leaned in to examine my clothes, his head cocked to one side in that characteristic Mothman gesture that substituted for the raised eyebrow we couldn't physically manage.
“Atlas, you really don’t have to do that.”
I sighed and continued. “It’s keeping me calm. Did you bring what I asked for?”
Lucien smirked and reached into the bag his second set of arms was holding. “Yes, in fact, you will be happy with this. It’s a patch, and I have several. As long as you wear one, it should hold off your rut and keep you limp.” Lucien stared at my slit, which had bulged.
Crap, thinking too much about Kassie.
Those warm-looking breasts. I wanted to bury my face in them. She smelled so good, I wanted to mark her with mine and create our own smell. Even if it was just for fun.
I’m a pervert.
Lucien pulled the adhesive patch off the paper and slapped it onto my side. I screeched in surprise and narrowed my eyes at him. “That hurt!”
“For a big guy, you have sensitive skin.” Lucien turned and headed toward the couch, confidently sitting on it and letting his wings relax. “Did you get any sleep last night after squeezing the ball and letting its juices cover Kassie’s desk?”
I groaned and hid my face in my hands. “She kept showing me her avatars that looked like her. She looked so good!” I whined.
“I wanted to just grab her ass and hold her close to me, tuck her into my body and never let her go. She feels so good when she touches me. And no one speaks to me like she does.”
Lucien gave me a look of understanding. “You’re big, Atlas, one of the bigger monsters here.
I know you wouldn’t hurt a fly, but you are so secluded, preferring to stay away from people; they don’t know you.
Kassie is a female who takes the moment.
She realizes you are different and doesn’t want to spook you. I applaud her for reading you so well.”
A sound escaped me—something between a chirp and a whine.
"Is that what she thinks?" I pressed my mandibles together, mortified.
In my haste to face Lucien, my wing caught the ironing board, sending it clattering to the floor.
Three strides took me to the mirror by the door, where I confronted my reflection.
All I could see were the parts of me she might never accept.
My face was like any other Mothman. Giant eyes, slightly fuzzy face, and a mouth that was not easily moved.
Here I was, worried she wouldn’t accept a… bug. If she ever accepted me as a bug, she would quickly realize I am not a true… monster. A male worthy of a female.
“What should I do then?” I turned to Lucien. “What will make her think I am more… male? I need to hold a conversation with her.”
Lucien bobbed his head. “I really think the patch will help you. You were trying your hardest not to blow your load around her. This will help you concentrate on talking to her. Ask her where she came from, what she likes to do outside, because you know you are outside a lot.”
I nodded and tapped my finger on the side of my face. That was a good idea.
My mind raced with conversation starters as I dressed.
The jeans slid over my lower limbs, followed by the flannel that was open in the back for my wings.
Standing before the mirror, I fussed with the downy tufts crowning my head, meticulously groomed my antennae with my claws, and inspected my mandibles for remnants of my earlier meal.
Then I stopped and just stared.
I fluttered my wings and threw up my hands. “That’s it. I’m not going.”
I stomped over to my favorite rocking chair and fell with a thump.
Lucien didn’t move; he continued to clean himself with his hands, up and down his body.
If Lucien would say nothing, that was more of an incentive not to go.
Something slithered under my front door, darkness seeping through the cracks like black ink in water. The darkness stretched upward until it solidified into the tall, imposing figure of Mayor Hollow. I pressed my fingertips against my temples and let out an exasperated sigh.
Does anyone respect my privacy?
His featureless face tilted slightly as he spoke. "I couldn't help but overhear someone contemplating... an absence from tonight's gathering."
I crossed all four of my arms and grunted. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Hollow crossed the room in two elongated strides, looming over me with his blank, featureless face. "This isn't optional, Atlas. I need to understand her purpose here."
“—She moved here for her roommate!” I snapped. “That’s the only reason. They are best friends.”
Slendermen didn’t scare me, but if he had gotten up and personal with a human, he would have had them pissing themselves. Other monsters rarely scared them, unless there was a match. When they get territorial… well, it’s a problem.
Hollow straightened his impossibly long spine, the fabric of his meticulously pressed suit stretching with the motion.
He tilted his blank face. "I sense there's more to her presence here.
The gathering tonight presents the perfect opportunity to investigate.
I've observed how she responds to you—she's clearly intrigued. "
My dick pressed up against my slit. With the jeans, it made it even more noticeable.
“But keep that in your pants. Don’t need to scare the poor girl away.”
Lucien snorted. “I think she can take care of herself. I saw some things under her bed that would make an incubus blush.”
My eyes grew redder, and my cheeks warmed.
What was that supposed to mean?
The party danced with life around me while I hugged the corner of the open-air tent.
Strings of light bulbs outlined the perimeter, casting a warm glow over tables draped in festive clothes.
Earlier, as twilight had faded to darkness, the monsters had assembled this gathering place—their inhuman height and strength transforming space into celebration in mere minutes.
The anxiety before leaving was unbearable. Even with the patch, I'd needed to relieve myself three separate times. One patch clearly wasn't doing the job, so I'd applied a second. Three more waited in my back pocket, ready to use at the first sign of trouble.
Why me?
Lucien stood in front of a human; wings folded elegantly behind him like a cape.
He balanced a drink in one hand and a plate of appetizers in the other, his long tongue darting out to snatch a strawberry.
The human male watched with wide-eyed fascination.
"Dude, that costume is insane," he said, leaning in to examine Lucien's features.
"Who's your designer? I need their contact for the next costume party! "
We had to answer that we were into cosplay, and we created it with our own devices.
My feet couldn't stay still as I scanned the crowd for any sign of Kassie and her roommate. With each passing minute of her absence, memories of the previous night kept invading my thoughts.
After Lucien and I had supposedly gone home, I flew up to Kassie’s window. She placed her books and toys on the shelves—that I had made—and got ready for bed. She never saw me, never even looked toward the window as she crawled into bed.
A little part of me was disappointed that she didn’t get dressed in her room; instead, she did it elsewhere, but I still got to see her in a large t-shirt with black thigh-high socks on.
I shouldn’t want to see her naked; that was wrong.
Just like watching her from the window.
But I couldn’t help it, because she swayed her hips like a dancer and bent over in front of the window to fluff her pillow. I saw her underwear, which rode up her ass and gave me an impressive look of what I wanted to sink my teeth into.
That round, plump…
I squeaked and pressed both hands harder against my jeans.
She was so pretty.
And nice.
How was I going to talk to her?
I reached into my back pocket and grabbed another patch. I peeled off the adhesive, pulled open my button shirt, and slapped it on my stomach.
As I buttoned up my shirt, Lucien leaned in close, his antennae gently brushing against mine in that familiar gesture that could mean either concern or solidarity.
“I’m fine,” I snapped and tried to lean up against the pole. Instead, I missed the pole but caught myself at the last minute and stood up straight like nothing had happened.
“She’s really got you worked up, doesn’t she?” Lucien whispered to me in concern. “She’s just a female. Nothing to worry about. You will do great, okay? And if not, she will carry on the conversation. I didn’t mean to rile you up.”
My throat bobbed, and I shook my head. “No, I need to be better. More like a male.” I wobbled and grabbed hold of the tent pole.
I blinked several times. My vision was… blurry.
Before I could ask what was wrong with me, the party tent fell away into nothingness as my antennae twitched with her unmistakable scent.
My head snapped toward her. There she stood at the entrance, Kassie, while beside her, her roommate wore some rabbit getup I barely registered.
All I could see were Kassie's curves wrapped in black sheer fabric, fishnet patterns hugging her body in all the right places.
And crowning her head, like some divine joke aimed at my species: a lampshade with an actual working bulb glowing above her dark curls.
Praise be to Night.
I took another patch from my pocket and slapped it on the side of my neck. Cannot mess this up.
Lucien's gaze tracked mine to the entrance. He squeaked in amusement. "Well, would you look at that," he said, drink sloshing in his clawed grip. "A walking moth trap. Every male with antennae in this place is about to lose his mind."
I swayed and grabbed his arm.
“Atlas, what the hell is wrong with you? Wait… why do you have another patch on? Do you have more on you?”
I swayed again, then launched myself toward the center of the crowd. Each step felt like wading through honey as I fixated on her standing there, bathed in light, drawing me in like gravity itself.
Pretty light.
The wind blew, sending her scent toward me. It was like slow motion when our eyes met. Kassie’s eyes lit up, her dark red lips made my tongue salivate.
Why was I even scared to begin with? She always had a welcoming smile for me.
Did she like me?
My tongue hung from my mouth, my wings widened, pushing people away. Nothing else mattered. I was going to go talk to Kassie. I was going to talk to Kassie, who had turned herself into one of my favorite things.
She was my light. My lamp.
As I staggered closer, her eyes widened, tracking upward to meet mine. My antennae twitched with sudden awareness—I towered over her. Without thinking, I folded my legs beneath me, crouching until we were face-to-face.
Such a pretty female.
Pretty lamp.
After the long, slow walk to her, I couldn’t think of anything to say! Her eyes looked at me expectantly, and my thorax thrummed with excitement. My wings fluttered on their own, widening to their full potential.
Her roommate gasped, watching us.
“Atlas,” Kassie breathed. “Those wings are beautiful!”
My eyes brightened, reflecting red off of Kassie’s face.
I wobbled and stood up straight and then blurted… “I love lamp!”