Ignorance Is Berry-Red Bliss
Four friends play together in the slightly murky pond by the fabled oak tree. Wasp, Murder Hornet, Oculus, and Pentagon all jump and play around the makeshift pool, and just as it begins to get dark, our heroes had forgotten they had four families waiting for them at each of their perspective homes.
"Aw, man," Hornet, a changeling with medallion yellow chitin, and short, wavy, red hair exclaimed as Oculus splashed her with a healthy dose of pond water, "Oculus, you jerk!" She giggled once more, smashing her hooves in the space between her and Oculus to splash him back. The grey-chitined changeling laughs, falling over backwards in the water and kicking his legs back and forth.
The increased momentum caused a heavy quantity of more H2O to splash Hornet's way. "Hey!" She shouted playfully. Attempting to get Oculus back, she tackles him deeper down into the water in a competitively tight hug. Oculus pushed Hornet off of him while blowing a competitive raspberry at her, gaining back his leverage and managing to achieve better balance in the water.
"You are such a loser," Oculus bantered, sticking his tongue out at Hornet once more. The female nymph giggled at his antics, putting her hooves to her mouth while kicking her hindlegs back and forth in her water space to maintain her floating position. Oculus blushed, rubbing the back of his neck with a hoof and chuckling with his female friend. "Eheheh..."
"Aaaaand... gotcha!"
Oculus yelped surprisedly as two cherry-red hooves grabbed him from behind and pulled him into a tight, water bound embrace. "W-Woah!!"
His heart rate rapidly increasing, Oculus turned around and pushed the stranger off and away from him. Pentagon looked hurt. "Ow..."
Oculus' eyes widened as he looked a little bit upset. "Hey, dude, what the hell?! You scared me!"
"I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to," Pentagon exclaimed in retortion, tapping his hooves together to make it seem like he was innocent. Oculus sighed heavily, letting his head hang low as he crossed his forelegs.
"It's no problem. Sorry I lost my cool, there."
The cherryling felt slightly better that Oculus at least forgave him and admitted he kind of froke out, there. Still, he couldn't help but feel like he messed up, even though Oculus usually lost his cool about the smallest things. It was mostly an unwritten rule when anyone hung out around him; Be careful what you say and do around the problem-bug.
"Aww, is little Morphy scared," Hornet chimed in with a playful giggle, getting close to Oculus and wrapping her hooves around him from behind. Oculus' face grew pinker and pinker, as he shouted,
"I was not scared!"
"'Morphy'?" Thought Pentagon, not knowing the context of the sporadic pet name Oculus was just given.
Hornet giggles once more, but Wasp just laughs on the more internal side, scared for Hornet (and mostly himself, though he wasn't being as grabby as Hornet with Oculus) about what Oculus would possibly do if he lost his cool again. Strangely, he was a lot cooler around Hornet, and especially a lot more calm and apologetic. At least, compared to the Oculus everybody would see in public.
Pentagon interrupted, "Well, you guys, maybe we should just head home."
Everyone looked at Pentagon.
It was strangely unusual that he would suggest heading home that early, and they say it's "early" namely because they would usually stay out until sometime late at light. Now, it was just getting dark. It was the early evening, basically. And usually, the first of the teenaged bugs to suggest heading home would be Wasp, since he was known as the square of the group.
But Pentagon? Not likely.
"Uh... well, okay," Wasp said, being the first one to step out of the pond and gather his belongings; a quaint, yellow backpack sitting upon a slope a few inches away from the pond. "See you guys tomorrow, I guess..."
The others watched Wasp leave, and the fireflies began to illuminate the already starry, night sky. Oculus, Hornet, and finally Pentagon exit the pond at the same time. "So... yeah, I'll just, ehm.. go home..." Hornet was almost the second to walk off, but Oculus put a hoof on her shoulder with a tight grip. Hornet's eyes widened as she turned to face Oculus, who had a sternly protective expression on his face.
"Hey, um... I'll walk you home, if you want..."
Hornet giggled. "Alright, Morphy. If being by my side makes you feel safer..."
"I-It does not!"
Hornet giggled once more. Oculus getting slightly embarrassed seemed to amuse her. Maybe... Maybe she thought it was cute.
Pentagon spoke up.
"Hey, uhm... is it alright if I go with you guys?"
Oculus and Hornet turned to Pentagon, both slightly surprised, though Oculus looked a bit more... defensive. Though, he was the first one to oblige. "Yeah, uh... sure, Pent. Whatever you want."
Once the three arrived at Pentagon's home, Oculus and Hornet looked at each other as Pentagon began to set forth for his front doorstep. "Well, um... I'll just see you guys.."
But the two were already walking off.
"...t-tomorrow..."
Oculus and Hornet were on their way to the latter's abode, both talking and laughing with each other about their fun-filled evening together. Subconsciously, they caught themselves practically gravitating toward each other, more and more until they eventually touched sides.
"Oh- uh- sorry," apologized a startled Oculus, as they were not too far from his friend's front lawn. Hornet smiled kindly at him.
"Don't worry about it. It's fine."
"...Well... Okay..."
When they eventually arrived at Murder Hornet's home, the aforementioned bug ready and prepared for her parents to be worried sick, and to be fumbling around her trying to see if anyone touched or hurt her, or anything.
That much aside, she wasn't really bothered by it; it happened ninety-nine percent of the time. After all, it wasn't as if something bad would really happen to her, she thought. Her parents worried too much, in her opinion.
"Hehe..." she giggled at the thought of them pestering her about her closest male friend, who happened to be the one standing right next to her at this very moment. Most of her friends were male, anyways, and her father worried a trifling amount about the next one being a "bad influence". She didn't mind, though. She liked bad influences. They were way more interesting to hang around.
(And if only her parents knew the kind of antics she would get into).
"Well, uh... see you tomorrow, I guess...?"
Hornet stopped giggling and looked back up at Oculus, who was looking straight down at her with his wings exposed fluttering subconsciously. Hornet reached to the side and felt on his blue and black butterfly wings, in awe at how soft and fuzzy they were.
"H-Hnnngh..."
"Relax, Morphy. You know, your wings are really pretty when they're not bogged down by your elytron... dunno why you keep them hidden all the time..."
Under a little too much pressure, Oculus shut his elytra back down on his wings, slightly wincing at the sudden strip of free breeze. Hornet blinked in confusion. "Hey... doesn't that hurt? At least a little?"
Oculus cringed back. "Y-Yeah, no. I'm strong- somethin' like that ain't gonna bother me."
Hornet smiled. "Hehe, okay, Morphy."
On that final note, Murder Hornet trotted to the front lawn of her house and approached the entrance, but not before she waved a ginger hoof at Oculus, silently telling him "goodbye". Oculus blushed, slowly raising his hoof and reluctantly waving back at her. She smiled at him from a distance, opening the front door and heading inside.
Oculus put a hoof over his chest, a warm feeling blossoming through his carapace.
...Perhaps his next molt was on its way?
Oculus yawned, stretching his forelegs as he slowly lifted himself up from his rather short slumber. It was about two-o'clock in the morning, with a favorable breeze of nine minutes, he found out that added information when he glanced at his clock on the night stand. The thing that woke him up wasn't certain at the moment, and perhaps it would've stayed that way if it weren't for a quiet knock on his glass window.
The light-grey nymph wondered what (or who) could've been knocking at his window when he hopped out of his bed to go have a gander for himself. That question was promptly answered when a familiar figure dressed in shadows, with wide, rosy pink eyes knocked another three times as soon as he saw him.
"For Chryssy's sake- Pentagon..."
Oculus opened up his window to let his stealthy friend inside of his room. He mentally praised... either himself or someone higher that he didn't forget to close his door before he went to bed. Otherwise, someone may have heard him opening and closing his window.
That aside, Pentagon fluttered inside, a pink backpack held over his shoulder that he sat on the floor. "I'm sleeping over here, Oc."
Oculus grunted. If it weren't for his parents being abnormally welcoming to unexpected visitors, they would've had his head for having someone over this late. But that fear was obviously proven false when they let him stay out as late as he wants. Either way, the Hive was a safe place to be doing that kind of thing. If it were the old Hive, they'd have him in quick.
"Why," Oculus asked, an obviously sarcastic tone in his voice. "I mean, couldn't you sleep over with literally anyone else?"
Pentagon only tsked, heading over to Oculus' bed and making himself welcome and comfortable. "Because we're best friends, of course," he chuckled, in an overly lolly tone. Oculus just sighed, then chuckled afterwards, knowing and accepting that he wouldn't get rid of the cherryling for a while, now.
"Whatever, you adorable doofus. But, um... did you take a shower when you got back home?"
Pentagon nuzzled into one of Oculus' pillows, flipping over so that he was lying down on his back. "Of course I did. I wouldn't set hoof in my own bed if I were still smelling like moss and oak trees."
The light grey, teenaged nymph trots over to his bed with Pentagon on it, hopping onto the mattress and shuffling over as to intentionally nudge his cuddle-buddy over with his rump. "Oops." And he smirked. Pentagon huffed, nuzzling into Oculus' neck and breathing softly. Oculus grew warm as the two bartered with body heat, blushing like a cherry-red-butterfly.
"You're such a jerk sometimes..."
Well, now, our hero was all out of ideas.
He had his best friend nuzzling into the crook of his neck, probably about to pull something. For some reason, he didn't exactly mind at all. To share a bed with one of his closest friends... one of his closest, gay friends. That he had kissed before. Nothing out of the ordinary, he thought.
Nothing at all...
"Hey, um... Pent? A-Are you just gonna take my bed and I sleep on the floor, or..."
Breathing softly into his chitin, Pentagon was on the road to Dream City right about now. And Oculus thought it was high time he followed him. With this warm, fuzzy feeling inside his chest.
Oculus and Pentagon were on their way to see their other friends. Today, they had told their parents they were going to visit a diner somewhere on the outskirts of the Hive. Of course, none of them expected their teenaged kids to get into any predicaments, today. So, they let them go.
Murder Hornet and Wasp were eventually collected as well, and now, the gang was well on their way to the new diner. The other three would fly, if it weren't for Hornet disagreeing with Pentagon's suggestion.
"But why not," the cherryling argued, "It'd be, like, way faster if we did!"
Hornet retorted, "Well, no one said Oculus wanted to fly, Pentagon! You didn't ask him!"
Pentagon and Hornet gazed heatedly at Oculus, both just as ready to fight for his favor. Oculus, though, looked about just as clueless as the confused Wasp standing in front of the group. "Uh... say what, now?"
"Yeah, uh... guys, what's going on," Wasp questioned.
"Quiet, Wasp!" Both Pentagon and Hornet exclaimed, turning around and practically hissing at Wasp. The latter only cringed back.
"Y-Yes sir... A-And ma'am..."
The two turn back to Oculus, on the verge of butting heads. "Hey, hey, uh... why don't we just buckle down and head to the diner? We're probably all just hungry, or somethin', I dunno."
Hornet turned her chin up, walking away from Pentagon and standing beside Oculus. "Fine. Pentagon, you and Wasp can fly, or whatever. But I'm staying with Oculus." She nudged Oculus' hoof with her own, causing Oculus to blush once again.
"Hmph. Fine. C'mon, Wasp, we'll beat em' there."
"O-Okay..."
Wasp and Pentagon take off, Pentagon seeming a bit more pressed and taking off in more of a hurry. Oculus watched as he flew off, a brow quirked in skepticism.
"Don't worry about them, Morphy," Hornet cooed, nestling into the crook of Oculus' neck as they walked. "We'll walk together."
Oculus chuckled nervously. "Heheh, you didn't have to stick up for these weird wings like that," he said, rubbing the back of his neck with a hoof. Hornet smiled kindly, giggling just a little.
"It's no problem, Morphy. I know how insecure you get when you fly, hehe."
"I-I do not get insecure!" Oculus exclaimed, his face heating up more and more gradually due to Murder Hornet's added increasing laughter. "B-But... But all jokes aside, Horn'... why do you call me... 'Morphy'? Is it, like... because changelings change shape, or something...?"
Hornet laughed once more. Sweat began to bead on Oculus' forehead as he felt like he was being put on the spot at this very moment. Like he was being taunted by his friend's... sadistic... enticing... adorable laugh. "S-Stop laughing at me," he stammered in a panic. Hornet, seeing her friend's plight, found it in herself to dim down the abundant amount of joy she was expressing.
"S-Sorry, Morphy. It's just... did you know that the type of wings you have also belong to the Morpho species? O-Of butterflies. They've got the same color, same design. They're gorgeous..."
Hornet tapped softly on Oculus' elytron, and they flicked open just as easily, revealing Oculus' black and blue butterfly wings the second time in a row these past two days. She feels her hooves in a ginger manner over the darker blue, pulsing veins in his wings, taking in and reveling in the fuzzy texture. Oculus, with her touch sending shivers up his spine, briefly flutters his wings to try and shake the feeling. But truth be told...
...he was loving it.
"M-Morphy?"
Oculus snapped out of his thoughts for a brief second. "H-Huh?"
"Uhm.. you've got a little something... eheh... down there...?"
Oculus follows Hornet's hoof with his eyes, only to find...
"O-Oh! Oh, nonononono-"
"Wait, wait, Morphy, it's okay, calm down!"
"Uh... uh... see ya!"
Oculus sits further away from Hornet in the booth in the diner, albiet the fact that the two were sitting next to each other. Pentagon and Wasp were doing the same at the other side of the table, except they were sitting away from each other without a purpose, really. Both of them liked their space, but it was surprising to Wasp that Hornet and Oculus were sitting so far away from each other this time.
Well, it was rather Oculus was being distant with Hornet; everytime the latter shuffled closer, the former shuffled farther, and the cycle went on until Oculus was smushed like a bug against the inner wall of the booth, and Hornet sitting a few inches away from him.
Pentagon ignoring what could've went on between the two went on to say, "Alright. Does everybody know what they want?"
"Eh," Oculus muttered, crossing his forelegs with one of his hind legs resting over the other and kicking idly up and down.
"Mm," Hornet murmured in response, putting her head down on the table. She seemed a little glum at this point that Oculus wasn't talking to her. But Pentagon didn't care. At least she wasn't stealing all of Oculus' attention again.
Wait, what?
"U-Uh, maybe," Wasp chimed in with a stutter, trying to (and unsuccessfully) break the silence.
Pentagon put his hooves on the table, peering over at the two bugs at the other side of the table. "Hey, what's with you, Oc? You're like, the mouthiest mo-fo in this group. Why ain't you talkin' yet?"
Oculus doesn't answer. He instead furled his brow, making Pentagon a bit nervous. It bugged -get it?- him to see Oculus and Hornet interacting with the whole "warm and fuzzy couple" act they always put on. For some inexplicable reason, it just ground Pent's gears to see them so close...
...Closer than him and Oculus himself.
"Hey, you four."
A tall, lanky, earth pony stallion on roller skates walked over to the four of them, a pen and paper in his hooves. "Would you like to start out with your drinks?"
Everyone looked at each other, all confused as to what to say since none of them properly evaluated their orders yet.
Well, Oculus did.
"I'll take a strawberry shake. And, Hornet over here-" he gestured a hoof to his female friend beside him. "-she'll have the same."
Pentagon found himself getting a little bit pressed at Oculus' rather chivalrous act. Why didn't he order any shakes for the rest of them? Did that mean he thought Murder Hornet was more special than ~~the rest of them~~ him?
"Okay, that'll be two strawberry shakes."
Hornet looked at Oculus, a timid smile on her face, and a blush on her cheeks. "H-How'd you know I liked strawberries like that?" Oculus shrugged, feeling comfortable enough to scooch back over to Hornet's side.
"Dunno. Lucky guess?" Oculus said in a more self-questioning tone, unfolding his forelegs and leaning back against the seat as he stretched his forelegs behind his head. Hornet leaned against him, wrapping her hooves around him and hugging him tightly. Oculus nearly jumped and looked down at her, his face heating up again. "W-What're you doing...?"
"Thank you, Morphy..."
"...I..."
Getting tired of the lovey-dovey between the two nymphs, Pentagon slammed his hooves on the table, catching the attention of everyone at the table, including the waiter, who messed up on his writing and made a crooked pen stroke that practically messed up the whole order. "Oculus, you jerk! Instead of ordering for your Hive-damn squeeze, maybe you could order for the rest of us?! M-Maybe the rest of us wanted strawberry shakes!"
Wasp chimed in, "A-Actually, I'm lactose intolerant..."
"Quiet, Wasp," Pentagon hissed, slamming his hooves on the table once again.
"Woah..." Oculus' eyes widened, then, his brow furled as he frowned. "Pentagon, what's your damn problem? I just wanted to be generous this once, alright? Horn' likes strawberries and milkshakes, so I thought I'd order her one. You want one? Ya could've said somethin'. Ya didn't have to be so extra, man."
Pentagon crossed his arms, sitting back down and slouching back in his seat. "Just gimme a water," he said, glancing menacingly at the waiter. He quickly jotted the cherryling's order down, then glanced at Wasp.
"A-And for you, sir?"
"C-Cola, please, thanks..."
Everyone spent a little bit of the day at the diner, and, Wasp deciding it wasn't enough to loosen up the tense atmosphere, thought it would be a good idea to suggest going to the tennis court not too far from there. Hornet was the first to agree, having never played tennis before. Oculus hadn't either, but decided to go with his friend, anyway. And Pentagon...
"Yeah, whatever..."
And so they went.
And Oculus Is the Dreamy Dilemma
Majority of the teenaged tennis players were already in uniform, all except for Oculus, who claimed he wouldn't need to suit up for something so new to him. Oculus didn't like trying new things, unless he had to in some way, shape, or form. In other words; unless his parents made him. So it wasn't like he was used to trying new things on his own.
"Aww, c'mon, Morphy," begged Murder Hornet, who was beyond hoping to see her friend in a tennis uniform. Oculus shook his head and grunted, crossing his arms. Wasp chimed in, jumping up and down on his hooves.
"Pleeeaaaase, Oculus?" He asked, dragging out the "e" in please. Oculus still wasn't budging, shaking his head no once more. Wasp sank down in disappointment, really wanting to see Oculus play dress up for once.
"No. I already agreed to play your weird game- I ain't about to-"
"Pleeeeaaaase, Morphy?~" A sweetly-spoken Murder Hornet appeared right in front of Oculus, pressing her hooves together and blinking innocently. Oculus stepped back, blushing furiously as he fell onto his haunches. A joyous Pentagon, after a flash of cherry-red fire appeared in front of him next, but not before he fell to the ground in loud laughter.
"AHAHAAAAAAAAA!" He laughed and laughed, his hind legs kicking uncontrollably. Wasp joined in, falling over him with all four legs flailing around. "He actually fell for it- HA HA!!" Oculus looked around at everyone in sheer emberrassment, his face burning hot, and his blood running cold at the same time. Seeing two of his closest friends laugh at him for being so lame was just... so lame.
"Pentagon, that wasn't funny! You can't play with his emotions like that! T-That wasn't fair!"
Wasp and Pentagon laugh even louder at seeing Oculus so completely and utterly mortified. "I...I..." he stammered, not completely able to put his frustration into words. He was too emberrassed.
Managing to step back on his shaky hooves, Oculus stood up in a trembly manner and ran into the bathrooms to hide away from everyone. Pentagon and Wasp were still in a laughing heap, too full of merry to stop. Hornet took a few steps to go after Oculus and comfort him, but decided to confront Wasp and Pentagon instead.
"How could you two," she hissed, clearly upset and disappointed in the two for treating Oculus that way. Wasp immediately stopped laughing; if there were three bugs he was scared of when they were angry, they were Oculus, Murder Hornet, and Pentagon. And Hornet was definitely angry at him right now, so he decided not to make it any worse than it already was.
Pentagon, on the other hand, liked the thought of getting on her nerves. "Heheh... Heh... c'mon, Horn'. It's all in good fun. I mean, you like making fun of him, too, dontcha?" Hornet's scowl turned more into a knowing frown.
"Yes, Pentagon. Yes, I do. But, I don't go out of my way to completely and utterly mortify him..."
Wasp lifted a hoof to protest in Hornet's favor. "Eh- she does have a point, Pent..."
Pentagon flips himself over and stands up on his hooves, dusting himself off with an exasperated sigh. "Look, you guys are some real squares. C'mon, Oculus'll be fine. He won't hold it against me; I'm too cute."
Hornet looked confused. "Um... what?"
Pentagon smirked, flipping his gossamer mane in a charismatic fashion. "Ain't it obvious? He's head over hooves in love with me."
"Pfft..."
Wasp covered his mouth with a hoof as Pentagon turned around and glared at him. "If you laugh, I will castrate you."
"Eep...!"
Hornet, on the other hoof, wasn't afraid of that particular threat. After all, she didn't have anything to castrate; she was a girl!
"Look, Pentagon, whether or not that statement is actually true, I think Oculus is really embarrassed..." She gave him a knowing look, making sure he knew fully well that he should've been ashamed for his actions. Sadly enough, Pentagon was Pentagon, and he was thick as fudge about the whole ordeal. Or, any ordeal like this, for that matter. "But..." Hornet looked away, only glancing at her two friends as she rubbed one hoof on another. "D-Does he actually like you like that, Pentagon? L-Like, i-is it... is it obvious?"
Pentagon quirked a brow, not quite wanting to be sure of what Murder was getting at. "Whaddya mean?"
Wasp chimed in, not exactly sure what to say either. "Yeah. What're you talking about?"
Hornet blushed, scuffing her left hoof on the ground, gentle enough so that she didn't scratch up her chitin too much. "W-Well... d-do you guys... think Oculus might like me? Because... I kinda sorta have a little bit of a crush on him..."
"..." Pentagon could do nothing but stay silent, not knowing how to fully express what he was thinking. He was startled, though, when Wasp pushed past him and hugged Hornet tightly.
"Ahaaa! Finally! You finally admit it!" Hornet looks midly startled at Wasp's uncontrolled laughter, but eventually started to turn redder and redder in response.
"I-It's not funny, Wasp! I'm telling the truth!"
Pentagon watched as the two playfully bantered back and forth to one another, not knowing at all what to think. He wasn't surprised, not at all. But he was most definitely upset. Especially since he had been crushing on Oculus for the longest, and to find new, fresh competition that was obviously even closer to Oculus than Pentagon himself was gutting information.
Pentagon huffed, folding his arms over his chest and looking away.
Just as soon as Hornet was about to reply to Wasp's last few words, the bathroom door opened, and a fully suited-up Oculus came out of it. Hornet, Pentagon, and Wasp (but mostly Hornet and Pentagon) stared unblinkingly at the shockingly new display. "M-Morphy... y-you look..."
Oculus interrupted Hornet's stammering statement, saying, "Yeah, yeah, I know, I look stupid." Murder Hornet continued to look him up and down and take in his... surprisingly good fashion sense. He was wearing a black polo shirt, studded, black leather wrist bands, and black tennis shorts to cover his haunches. She couldn't help it; she just had to tell him...
"...Sooo cute!"
Oculus' eyes widened. "I-I am not cute! T-That... t-that ain't true at all! D-Don't ever s-say that to me again, you dork!"
Despite Oculus' nervously angry insult, Hornet rushed over to him and hugged him tightly. "You just look so adorable!" Oculus hissed, pushing the pest away from him with an offended glare.
"S-Stop it!"
Pentagon was beyond tired of this. Of course, the last time he fully expressed it wasn't a good experience, but at this point, he couldn't take the sight of those two being so... so... couply. That was him and Oculus' thing! How could Murder Hornet just up and take that from him?! Pentagon should've been the one cozying up to him all the time. Pentagon should've been the one playfully teasing him. Not Murder Hornet!
Huffing and grunting, Pentagon stood up, rushed over to Hornet, and pushed her out of the way. She fell to the ground, scraping one of her hind hooves on the hard concrete. "Could you just back off," he hissed, lunging at her with a menacing stare. Hornet stared up at him in surprise and... and fear. "Oculus is mine. M-I-N-E, ya heard?! MINE!"
"Dude, chill out," Wasp exclaimed, practically tackling Pentagon away from Hornet and pushing him to the ground, also, attempting to prevent the rabid bug from doing anymore harm than he already was. Oculus rushed over to Murder Hornet and helped her up, the latter practically gravitating toward him and hugging him tightly as she cried into his shoulder.
"M-Morphy... I-It hurts..."
"GET AWAY FROM HIM! HE'S MINE! MINE ONLY! MIIIINE!!!"
Oculus looked down at Pentagon from his comforting position, backing away, completely and utterly terrified for Hornet's and his own well-being.
After the whole ordeal, Pentagon saw none of his friends the next day.
They were avoiding him in fear...
