"If it bothers you, I understand if you don't want to stay here. I'm sorry, I didn't think about it earlier. It's already so late that I can't just go to the store to grab an air mattress. I don't want to cross your boundaries, or anything."
Oh my god, he's so nice… thinking about someone like me right from the start?
I sighed.
"I could sleep on the wall, but I never learned how to do that, like other moths. Besides, I'm not sure I could hold on. I only have one pair of hands, like humans."
"Did someone cut them off?," he asked, genuinely worried.
"No, it's just… how I was born. But I do have an extra pair of wings," I said, spreading them out to show. Lumi looked at me with amazement. "Well, insectoids are treated as freaks, and I'm a freak even among my own… uh, never mind," I said, folding my wings back.
"By the way, that white fluff around your neck… is that natural fur?"
" Yeah. I'm a fluffy moth. We have a lot of fur and generally we're cuter than regular moths, hehe,"
I said with a smile.
For a while, silence settled between us. I shyly stared at my feet, wondering what I should do.
If we're just going to sleep next to each other, it probably won't be anything bad, right?
I'm not someone who would do that with just anyone. But he's so nice and handsome… maybe we could get to know each other better?
Eh, who am I kidding… I'll probably leave tomorrow and we'll never see each other again.
What a shame.
"So… what do you want to do?" Lumi asked timidly.
" I'll stay here. I don't know why, but I'd feel bad turning down your help. There's something about you…"
I almost said "cute," but I chickened out.
"Never mind" I muttered under my breath.
"Good, I'm glad," he smiled. "Wait, I'll get you a towel," he said, then got up and went to the wardrobe.
He pulled out a black towel with little white cats on it. It was really cute.
Soon, I found myself under a warm shower.
Was it just a coincidence that I met him at that moment?
I don't know… maybe fate finally smiled on me?
Oh my god, it's been so long since I had a hot shower. I almost forgot how nice it feels.
Time flew by. When I finally dried off, put my clothes back on, and returned to the room, I found Lumi sitting at the table with a plate of cheesecake and a fork.
Another piece was set on the opposite side of the table.
"Y-you waited for me with the food?" I asked, surprised.
"You were in the shower so long that the cake already cooled down, haha. Besides, my mom always said that sharing a meal brings people closer," he said, smiling from ear to ear, then gestured for me to come to the table.
I hesitated, then carefully pulled out a chair and sat across from him. My heart skipped a beat for a moment.
W-why does this feel a little like a date? But it's not a date! Still, it's so cozy here…
"Enjoy," he said warmly.
"Th-thanks," I mumbled shyly.
I started eating.
"This is so good!" I said with delight, and I ate my portion so quickly that I felt embarrassed. "S-sorry, but c-can I have more? I don't want to take advantage of your hospitality or anything."
Lumi laughed heartily.
"Sure, I'll get you another piece. Now I understand why you're so skinny. Honestly, at first I thought you were a girl. You have long lashes and that fluff, and those wonderful wings…"
"W-wonderful?" I asked, feeling my cheeks burn.
"Ah, sorry. I don't mean it as flirting, they're just pretty and I wanted to tell you."
"I-I see."
A moment later, Lumi gave me another piece. We talked a little longer, and I learned he started working as a cleaner not long ago, but he's never been okay with how insectoids are treated.
I wanted to listen to him more, but I felt my eyes closing. I was too exhausted from too many intense emotions. I asked if we could go to sleep.
"I have work in the morning anyway," Lumi said.
He unfolded the sofa and made the bed. There were two pillows, but only one blanket.
I decided to lie as far away from him as possible, pressing against the cool wall. Its gentle, pleasant chill mixed with the comfort of the blanket and pillow felt nice.
"Just don't try anything weird!" I said half-jokingly.
"No, of course not. I don't want to cross your or anyone else's boundaries. I just want to help people be happy and reach their potential," he replied.
You're too good for this world, I thought, or maybe I whispered it - I don't remember - on the edge of sleep.
I didn't care if he heard me.
At that moment, all I cared about was the warmth of the bed I'd been missing so much…
*
I slept like a log. For a while, half-asleep, I heard shouting in Lumi's apartment— someone had come by and got into a heated argument with him . Who could it have been? Maybe a partner, or a coworker?
I hope I didn't cause him any trouble.
I woke up to an empty apartment, which meant I wouldn't leave until Lumi returned.
In theory, I could have flown out the window, but that would have drawn too much attention, and I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye.
I stretched and yawned loudly.
I wondered what I could do during his absence to avoid getting bored.
I didn't have my phone or computer with me. There was only the TV in the room, but I didn't want to watch it all day, and honestly, I didn't have many other options—starting to poke around his apartment would have been weird
I grabbed the remote Lumi left on the table yesterday.
I opened his profile on one of the VOD platforms and picked an anime that caught my interest.
Lying on my stomach with my chin resting on my hand, staring at the screen, I swung my legs and wondered what Lumi was doing now.
I tried to be interested in what was happening on the screen, but I yawned again and a sudden sleepiness overcame me.
I couldn't last long. I turned off the TV and went back to sleep.
Maybe I'll sleep through the whole day, just like a real moth? I thought, lying back comfortably on the pillow.
A few hours later, a loud thud woke me.
Half-asleep, I turned my head toward the entrance.
Before I could realize what was happening, I saw three government workers in white hazmat suits in front of me, one of them holding a canister of insecticide.
"Contaminated object detected, Block 12A. Decontamination procedure initiated," one of them announced over the intercom.
I managed to sit up, my body still heavy from the pleasant nap. I tried to fly away, but my wings barely twitched…
... and then the government worker fired the tube connected to the insecticide tank at me.