Page 8 of First Kiss with a Mothman

This dude is just the first to lock me into a conversation. To my left, the bonfire rages, a glowing light on all the happy college students. Beyond it, several aquatic shifters play games in the river. I’d rather drown in the cool water right now than continue this chat. Or maybe I can jump right into the fire.

A moth to a flame. I hiccup and down the rest of my beer. Is this my third drink? I’m gonna need more after all this people-ing tonight. I knew this was a bad idea. I never should have let Caleb pressure me into going.

I push my empty plastic cup into the guy’s chest, and he takes it. Leaning in, the humans hush in anticipation. They want me to say my childhood catchphrase, but I don’t answer them.

Leaning close, I whisper, “No,” then step back.

They laugh and whine, a combination of amusement and disappointment. I bite back the urge to flip them off. I’m not about to get into my first fight in my junior year of college, even though this dude is asking for it.

“Aww, come on,” the guy in the middle says.

Before I can appropriately tell him off, two figures step in front of me. “Hey! You guys ever swing on a dryad’s vines?”

“What? No! Can we?” the girl says, as the other two gasp in amusement.

“Yup. I need to get away from the fire, but follow me.” The guy―a senior named Kovi―distracts them. In moments, they’re gone, and I’m left with Kovi’s boyfriend, Tanner.

He turns to me and frowns in sympathy. I met Kovi last spring, and we bonded over being in tune with the ecosystem of the woods. His other half, Tanner, is chill and makes a mean mummy macchiato. If I have to be social, I could do worse than these two.

“Thank you,” I murmur.

“That looked rough; they seemed really annoying. How you doing, Mort?” Tanner asks.

“I’d rather be in my frat house,” I murmur, craning my neck around. I shake out my shoulders, and my wings threaten to pop out of my oversized sweater.

“I didn’t think so many humans would know you.”

“Unfortunately, television is forever.” I bristle and gaze around at all the jovial monsters and humans, drinking and having a good time. “But I’ve never had so many in one day.”

Tanner frowns and taps his cup. We glance at Kovi, a few yards away, in his tree spirit form. The humans are enthralled, trying to jump up and reach his vine-arms. I ought to thank Kovi for making them all forget about me for now.

“Cheer up, Mort. Things can only go up this semester, right?”

“I guess.” I shrug and shove my hands into my pockets.

“I’m sure they’ll all grow accustomed to you anyway. It took me weeks to get comfortable with the student body.” He sips his drink, then points at me. “You’ll be old news in no time.”

“Here’s hoping.”

“Now turn that frown upside down! Haha!” He laughs and bounces on his heels. Has he had more liquor than me?

“I’m always frowning. It’s my only mode.”

Tanner guffaws while I notice several moths floating near the massive bonfire. I don’t want the poor things to get hurt―insects are better than people, in my opinion―so I step forward.

“Hey, man, speaking of new students, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

“Can’t right now. Sorry,” I say, distractedly gazing at the fire. Walking away from Tanner, I vibrate to entice the moths to follow me. The three beautiful bugs take the bait and float near me. I casually walk toward the woods, far from the fire, music, and festivities.

Here, near the shadows, under a single lamplight, I can calm down. I’m far from folks who think of me as nothing more than TV’s mothboy all grown up. All of these strangers throw love and affection at me for no real reason.

Even if they truly wanted to get to know me, I don’t deserve adoration. No one knows all of the wrong I’ve done.

But my insectoid brethren don’t care. A single moth flutters around me. Raising up one hand, the moth lands on my finger. My chest warms as several other moths land on my hand. All alone, far from other students, I grin in delight, surrounded by a swarm of five beautiful moths.

The bugs listen to me, and I respect them. Sure, they have tiny lifespans, but during their short time on Earth, I want them to be happy and safe. They never ask me for anything; they’re content in me just being me, a fellow moth.

As a bona fide mothman, the moth part is simple; I’m still working on the man portion.