Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Kassie
Lucien tucked his wings against his back as we guided Atlas up the stairs. All I really did was walk ahead while Atlas stumbled behind me, his hands constantly reaching forward, mumbling incoherently and making these desperate little chirping sounds in his throat.
“Come on, Atlas, just a little farther,” I coaxed and held one of his hands. Some were being used to keep him steady on the railing, and one helped him crawl up the stairs.
Lucien's wings twitched with amusement once we reached my bedroom. "Oh, man, his face tomorrow morning," he said with a smirk. "When he wakes up here with no memory of how he got into your bed? Priceless."
With gentle tugs, I led Atlas to my king-sized bed.
He stumbled after me with closed eyes, arms outstretched like a sleepwalker as I crawled backward across the mattress.
When I tucked my favorite pillow against his chest, he immediately nuzzled into it with a drowsy, contented hum that made me press my teeth into my bottom lip to contain a squeal of delight.
He was definitely cuter than the Slenderman downstairs.
Lucien hoisted the duffel bag he'd retrieved from Atlas' place. "Got his stuff. Just so you know, you probably won't even catch him changing in the middle of the night; he does that."
My eye twitched. “And how would you know that? Do you guys have sleepovers?”
Lucien’s eyes glowed more red. “No! I’m just saying, he will want to get out of that costume. We crash at each other’s apartments after these things, that’s all. He gets hot and doesn’t remember changing.”
I smirked. “Nice, so he might wake up naked.”
“That’s not what I meant, either, and you know it. Gah, you are kind of a brat, aren’t you?”
“Can you imagine being normal? That sounds completely boring.”
Lucien's lips curved into a knowing smirk as he shook his head. "Atlas isn't going to know what hit him," he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for me to hear.
Teasing Lucien gave me a little thrill, but I wasn't buying his story. By morning, whatever enchantment cloaked Atlas would reappear, hiding the Mothman behind his human glamor. No mysterious midnight costume changes needed. Lucien could spin his tales all he wanted… I knew better.
Either way, I still haven’t had a proper conversation with Atlas, and that needed to be changed because whatever display he just made at the party obviously meant something.
When we left, the originals continued to whisper amongst themselves about ‘a match’. Harlow noticed it, too.
He wasn’t talking about my boobs then.
Slightly disappointing.
“We’ll be fine, Lucien. I have a pull-out mattress underneath the bed. I’ll sleep there so Atlas is more comfortable.”
While it was a king-sized bed, Atlas’ wings were played out and not tucked up near his back. They were taking up the whole bed
Lucien looked at the bed and sighed. “Yeah, if he isn’t conscious enough to take care of that, you wouldn’t have enough room to snuggle, huh?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Consent to cuddle is also something we should talk about before we share a bed. I don’t want to overstep.”
Lucien shook his head. “Atlas would approve, trust me. He’s got a boner… I mean, crush on you.” He fidgeted nervously in front of him, fingers tapping against each other in that distinctly insect-like way.
"Thanks for the offer, but I think we're good here," I said with a laugh.
"He trusted me enough to latch onto me when he needed help, so I'll take care of him.
" I gestured toward the door, making it clear our conversation was over.
Lucien got the message. As he walked away, I watched his wings twitch slightly with each step, those eerie red lights of his eyes dimming as he disappeared down the dark hallway.
After a shower, I headed back into my room. Atlas was still in the same place I’d left him. His tiny buggy snores echoed through the room, his wings still splayed on the bed.
I stepped closer to him, almost nose to nose.
At the party, I'd barely gotten a chance to really see him—too many bodies pressing around us, too much noise and chaos.
But here in the stillness of my bedroom, with nothing but his soft breathing breaking the silence, I could finally take my time looking at him properly.
I’m sure Harlow would want to look at him, too, but she was giving me privacy.
Or she was flirting with the mayor downstairs.
Gross.
My fingers hovered over his shirt buttons before I thought better of it.
No need to give him a heart attack come morning.
I grabbed the blanket from the foot of the bed instead, carefully draping it over him up to his shoulders.
When my hand brushed against his forearm, I couldn't help but notice how it differed from the other Mothmen at the party—his was thicker, roped with veins that stood out beneath the skin, powerful in a way that made my breath catch.
His scent wafted through the room like a spell; earthy, musky, making my skin flush hot and my thoughts scatter in decidedly inappropriate directions. Having sprawled across my bed, while I attempted to maintain some semblance of proper behavior, was testing the limits of my self-control.
For a wild moment, I considered sneaking to my nightstand drawer while he slept. My fingers twitched at the thought, but I caught myself, shaking my head at my audacity. Not with him right there, vulnerable and unconscious. Even I had standards.
Don’t be weird, Kassie. You can destroy his innocence later.
I tucked the blanket carefully around him, making sure it didn't cover his wings, then traced the back of my hand along the supposedly rough stubble of his jaw.
The warmth radiating from his exoskeleton made me shiver.
My body felt ice-cold in comparison, and every cell in me ached to slide under those covers beside him.
Soon… right after I had a little fun with him. I wanted to get to know him slowly, because he was such a tender soul. I wanted Atlas the lumberjack and the mysterious Mothman at my window.
It was in my right. Since he pulled a Peeping Tom on me, it was only fair.
With a smile, I slipped away from the bed. A soft groan escaped him as his hand fumbled through empty air, searching. I tucked another pillow against his chest, watching as his arms instinctively wrapped around it, pulling it close like a cherished possession.
Once I settled down into my bed, I had to calm myself. I couldn’t wait for Atlas to wake up in the morning and find me waiting.
Dang it, he changed already.
I peeked over the mattress to see him snoring. He was still holding onto my pillows tightly, like they would disappear.
It was rather cute. Some legends of Mothman say that he was an omen, a sign of some bad events to come. Many thought he could be part demon, a sign of the devil, all sorts of speculations.
I was thinking it was more wrong place-wrong time because Mothmen were very much misunderstood.
They had their own personalities if Lucien was any indicator.
Papers that hung on the wall fluttered behind him. I stuck low to the side of the mattress so he could only see my eyes. I didn’t want to spook him.
The big, fluffy, black beard was calling my name. I wanted to run my fingers through it, but only to realize it wasn’t really there. The whole It's just magic thing was really annoying.
There was a name they called it in games and books, a disguise… no wait, a glamor! He had a glamor on. It must not be that good if a person could reach through it and feel their real face.
Still, I could dream about sitting on my new throne. I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life. I’ve practiced hovering over a pillow, listening to erotica audio from a gruff-sounding man telling his good girl to shove her pussy on his face.
Instead, I had to rub a vibrating dildo there, but I wasn’t complaining. I had a very imaginative mind.
I don’t think Atlas would be that sort of man to boss me around, to tell me what to do. He seems harmless, shy, and maybe uneducated. I could train him how I wanted.
How lucky am I?
I’m getting ahead of myself. Maybe last night was a fluke. He might have just seen me in his line of vision, and doesn’t think of me that way at all.
“Kassie?” The gruffness of his I just woke up, fuck me voice made my pussy flutter.
And I’m ovulating.
“Hi!” I wiggled my fingers, and his eyes widened.
Gosh, I missed those big red ones, but these pretty blue ones would have to do.
“What are you doing in my house?” He sat up and gazed down at his body.
I sat up on my knees and leaned on my elbow. “Honey, you aren’t at your house. You are at mine.”
Atlas gasped and pulled up the blankets as if he were covering up his breasts.
Huh, that made me wonder how big his balls are. Big guy, big antennae. I’m leaning toward him having some huuuge ones. I was all about monsters having huge veggies.
Atlas opened his mouth, and instead of screaming—more manly—he let out a squeal that made me cover my ears. The windows shook, the room vibrated. If I didn’t act fast, things were going to break.
I placed my hand over his mouth and shook my head. “It’s okay! Everything is fine! I can’t believe you took off your costume. I wanted to ask about it!”
That’s it. Let's make him believe everything was perfectly fine.
Atlas stopped screaming and continued to stare at me. “I did?”
I nodded. “Yeah, Lucien said he would come by and pick it up… I didn’t think he really meant it. He must have snuck into the house. That’s kind of weird…”
Atlas stared at me and then around the room. “W-what am I doing here? How did this happen?”
“Do you not remember anything that happened last night? Like anything at all?”
He scratched his head, and then his eyes widened. “I do not!”
I threw my head back. “Pretty sure you do if you are giving me that reaction.”
His eyes widened in horror. "Night curse me, was I bouncing all over the place?
" He scrambled out from under the covers and began pacing the bedroom floor.
Each heavy footfall made the floorboards creak.
If Harlow was downstairs, she'd definitely be getting the wrong idea about what was happening in my bedroom right then.
“Not that bad.” I waved my hand nonchalantly. “You danced around, fluttered those outstanding mechanical wings…”
“I hugged you! I got to feel your… your…” He pointed to my boobs that were fortunately covered this morning in a large black t-shirt. The knee-high socks made him do a double take, and that heavy smell of pine and damp earth filled the room.
Panties were soaked.
He took a breath in, his dark hair moving on top of his head until it was almost standing up straight.
Are his antennae doing that?
I cleared my throat. “You okay, Atlas?”
He continued to breathe slowly, when a heavy knock at the door sounded. “I’ve brought sustenance!” Harlow chirped.
Saved by the knock.
Atlas watched me as I walked to the door. He didn’t take his eyes off me, staring at me up and down. His human nose flared, and more of that scent invaded the room.
If he doesn’t stop doing what he’s doing with the scent thing, he would have to give my IUD a high five.
Harlow walked in without a second knock. She nudged my body with the large tray and handed it to me. “Atlas, how do you feel this morning? Any headaches?”
Atlas rubbed the back of his head. “Ah, no. Thankfully.”
Harlow planted her hands on her hips, pancake flour dusting her apron, and a streak of blueberry smeared across it like war paint. "Those patches stuck all over you; what were they? Gideon spent the entire ride back picking them off you like you were some kind of human sticker book."
Atlas visibly swallowed. “Lucien gave them to me; I don’t really know.”
Harlow clicked her tongue. “I can see him doing that. He seems like trouble. Anyway, if you guys want more, let me know.” Harlow pranced out of the room and slammed the door.
Atlas stared at the door a while longer. “Did she just call the mayor by his first name? I didn’t think he let everyone do that.”
I sighed. “Yes. I think they like each other.” We both made a face of disgust.
We stared at the door for a moment. Harlow had made pancakes, but a colorful array of fresh fruit dominated the plate. Clever girl—she must have figured a "moth" would prefer the sweet stuff.
I set the tray on the bed and motioned for him to follow. He hesitantly sat down, the bed dipping low from his weight. I filled his plate and handed it to him before I began my own.
I watched as Atlas cautiously poked at the blueberries with his fork, his eyes darting between me and the food as if he were trying to solve a puzzle. It was kind of adorable, seeing this big, burly guy reduced to uncertainty by a plate of pancakes.
"You know, it won't bite you," I teased, taking a bite of my breakfast. "Harlow's cooking is actually pretty good."
Atlas looked up at me, his blue eyes meeting mine before quickly shifting back to his plate. “I don’t usually like to eat in front of other people.”
It dawned on me that the glamor he had and his true form wouldn’t match up. Yet, I needed to play this off like I had no clue that he was a Mothman.
“I’m sorry, um…” I looked around the room and got up to sit in my gaming chair. I could turn around, and he could eat on his own, slurp it up or whatever he does with that wicked tongue.
Down girl.
Atlas grabbed my arm, and warmth ran up my arm and into my chest. “No, stay. It is my problem. I can eat later.”
I shook my head. “No, please. I want you to eat. Sober up.” I winked. Instead, I turned my body on the bed so he could eat on his own, yet we weren’t far apart. “There, problem solved. I hope you eat more, because that tray is full.”
Atlas hummed, and I listened out for slurping, but mostly, he kept it quiet.
It gave me time to think of the next steps in Harlow’s and my plan.
Atlas announced he was done eating, and I dusted off my hands and turned around. “Atlas, I think it’s now time to tell me what your intentions are with me.”