Disclaimer: A sequel to Return to Innocence: Emotion. This story contains definite male/male romance. It's probably the lightest and happiest and fluffiest and most vomit-inducing of the episodes so far, no rape or prejudice or anything. Imite just has a LOT of angst and insecurity, but that's nothing new.

Imite and Vesper are mine, but I'm willing to share. Return to Innocence
Episode 3: Love

Being a insect, Imite had a knack for humming.

Whether he knew it or not, he had a rather musical voice. Humming lent itself to him, from his voice box down to his quivering wings. It wasn't the stark buzz of a bee, or the sharp chirp of a grasshopper - it was the simple, quiet hum of a butterfly.

Or a giddy moth, in this case.

Imite could hardly contain the rhythm that guided his actions. His fingers tapped against the metal of his locker door as he opened it, hitting a high note on his nameless tune. Softly rocking back and forth on his ankles, he set his textbooks in his locker, swaying to the music only he heard.

He wasn't sure why he was so happy. Usually, at this time of year, he was miserable, physically and mentally. It was the beginning of February, the time of year when everyone started behaving a bit... oddly. In previous years, he'd been too ill and depressed to notice, but as he glanced around now, he saw that most everyone seemed as happy as he did.

That is, until he saw a group of faces heading down the hallway towards him, and happy hum died in his throat, along with his giddiness.

The group of bullies zeroed in on him, and he froze in place outside his locker. His eyes darted around the hallway for some source of safety or means of escape, but there were none. They closed in on him, forming a semi-circle around his locker. He shrunk back against the metal, staring up at the looming faces and trying to put on a brave face as they snickered and nudged each other.

"What do you want?" Imite did his best to sound unafraid, but he couldn't hide the waver in his voice. The apparent leader, a stocky tabby cat morph named Rex, placed his hand on Imite's locker and clicked it shut. The thick, striped arm blocked any attempt the moth might have made to escape.

"Well?" Imite demanded impatiently, a slight shrill to his voice. By now, they were usually tossing insults and jeers at him, but their smirking faces looked a little dumbfounded this time. The bullies exchanged glances, shrugging uncertainly. Imite's antennae perked. Surely he hadn't jarred them that easily, had he?

Rex's face scrunched as he sought for something to say, "Yeah, well... You look like a girl, stupid."

Imite stared up at the cat dully. His fear dwindled - it was hard to be intimidated by such a lacking insult. "So you've told me countless times. Now, go away so I can finish putting my books in my locker." The moth huffed and turned around, leaning over to gather up the books that were still on the floor.

The group that'd gathered around him like vultures to a kill let out a collective choke and made no move to leave. Frustrated, Imite hugged his books to his chest and stood up, looking back at them, "What?"

They all stared back at him stupidly, a few looking uncomfortable and fidgeting. Imite pinned his antennae back and tried to lean away from them, backed against his locker and trying to disappear into his sweater. The way they were staring at him and looming over him made him distinctly uneasy.

The silence was disturbing, the only audible sound being Rex's breathing. Imite felt panic starting to rise in the back of his mind, and unconsciously, he reached up to his collar bone and caressed the butterfly pendant hidden beneath his sweater.

As if on cue, a snarl sounded that was angry enough to make both Imite and the bullies jump. Most of the bullies yelped as they saw who it came from, backing away from the moth. Imite's hopes lifted, and smiled widely at his savior.

Vesper looked almost feral, his lips peeled back to reveal his sharp fangs, talons flexing as though eager to taste flesh. The wrath in his burning sapphire eyes was focused on the one bully who hadn't been scared off by his entrance - Rex, who was still blocking Imite's way with his arm. The cat pinned his ears back and let out a low growl at the mantis.

Vesper was undeterred, standing tall on his hind-claws and lifting his chin, demonstrating his superior height. Rex was a few inches shorter than him, but much more heavyset. He turned to face Vesper, removing his arm from Imite's locker to slap his fist against his open palm. Imite blinked and looked back and forth between them.

Was he being fought over? A giggle threatened at the idea, and he covered his mouth. He shook his head. As much as he'd like to see Vesper pound Rex, he knew the mantis would get in trouble for it. The faculty was always quick to pin things on his friend, due to Vesper's 'troubled background'.

Vesper and Rex stalked around each other, sizing up their opponent. Imite closed his eyes in concentration when Rex stepped close to him, and spread his wings -

PUFF!

Both Vesper and Rex blinked stupidly as a cloud of sparkling purple dust erupted from the moth. Since Rex was the closest, he was the first to feel the puff cloud's wrath - a horrible, penetrating itching that sunk into his fur and refused to leave.

"What the?!" The cat swore, his claws digging into his fur and scratching furiously. Undignified and feeling as though he'd just rolled around in a bed of poison ivy, Rex quickly fled the cloud, his tail bristling and puffy.

Vesper coughed and waved his hands. His species had evolved to be resistant to the moth's natural defenses, but that didn't mean they were completely immune. "Mariposa, could you - give me some warning before you - do that?" He muttered between hacks and coughs, rubbing his tearing eyes with the back of his hand.

The wing dust dissipated, and Vesper opened his eyes blearily. He blinked, looking down, and was surprised to see the little moth clinging to his waist, nuzzling into his side. He was gripping Vesper's tank top, his eyes closed as he buried his cheek against the fabric.

Vesper felt a faint warmth on his face, and was glad that his coughing fit could be used as an excuse to account for the redness creeping over his cheeks. He smiled slightly and hugged Imite's shoulders. Imite wasn't usually so friendly in public - or hardly ever, come to think of it, since it was usually Vesper who initiated hugs, but the moth had been unusually affectionate as of late.

Imite realized what he was doing and quickly let go, stepping back and staring at the ground, the black bangs falling over his face concealing his own blush. "Um.. s.. sorry. I just didn't want to see you get into a fight and get in trouble -"

"It's alright, Imite," Vesper spoke softly and reached over, lifting some of the bangs out of the moth's face. "I guess I should not be so over protective. I don't really know what came over me..."

Imite looked up and smiled at the mantis. "It's okay. I'm glad you chased them off. They were acting weird." Imite scrunched up his face at the recent memory.

Vesper couldn't help but smile back at the soft, lavender face, feeling a twinge of guilt. He had lied - he knew exactly what had come over him. He was being protective, yes - but also jealous.

He flinched slightly and quelled the thoughts. Imite glanced up and down the hallway, which was rather empty by now - most people had already gone off to their next class.

"I better get to Math before I'm tardy," he excused himself quietly and quickly. True, he'd far rather be with Vesper than do calculus any day, but he felt embarrassed and flustered, and didn't want his friend to see it. He'd been feeling like that a lot, lately. Biting his lip, he turned and started towards his class.

"Imite, wait -" Vesper called after him, and the moth paused, glancing over his shoulder, "I... I wanted to ask you something."

Imite blinked and turned back to face the mantis, who stared at the ground. "I was wondering if maybe after school you would like to, maybe go somewhere? There are some movies playing..." He trailed off, leaning against the lockers, watching his feet intently as the claws of one foot scratched the other idly.

Imite backed his antennae, tilting his head, "You mean, with Maiko and Dagny?"

Vesper faltered, his own antennae pinning back against his head, "Well, I think they are, ah, busy... I guess it would just be us."

Imite stared at him for a moment, and Vesper lifted his gaze up to see his response. The moth smiled, "Sure... That'd be fun."

Vesper grinned back at him and straightened his posture. "See you after school then, mariposa."

Imite nodded, still smiling, and turned towards his class with a bounce in his step. His giddiness had been renewed.

Imite was relieved when the end bell finally rang. He'd been too excited to concentrate all that well during the rest of the school day - the moth felt like he had, well, butterflies in his stomach. It was hard to say why - it wasn't like he hadn't been to movies with Vesper before, but they'd been accompanied by their two other friends those times. A few of the teachers had been so disturbed by the lack of his usual enthusiasm for academics that they'd almost suggested a trip to the nurse's office.

He quickly shoved his books into his locker, both in his eagerness to get home and to avoid another hallway confrontation with the marauding bullies. He stole a glance into the mirror he'd recently installed in the locker door and smiled at himself, quickly parting the hair out of his face and tossing it over his shoulders. Imite straightened out his loose collar as a final adjustment, before closing the door and heading towards the doors, the bounce still in his step.

Imite didn't see Vesper, and a frown crossed his face at the lack of his friend. He perked back up quickly though - it just made his anticipation that much longer. He hurried home, possible scenarios for the upcoming evening running through his head.

He unceremoniously dumped his backpack next to the door as soon as he was over the threshold and raced to his bedroom. Though his clothes were perfectly fine, he had an irresistible urge to change into something... nicer.

Imite all but flew into his bedroom, opening the meager plastic bin that acted as his dresser. He shuffled through it, but slumped when he realized all of his clothes were old and worn, things he'd only been able to buy at the local charity shop with whatever meager money his mother had been able to slip him. The sound of an adult wandering down the hall caught his antennae, and he looked up, leaping to intercept the old kangaroo that owned the house-turned-orphanage.

He darted out into the hallway, hanging out of the door frame urgently. "Mah?" He addressed the kangaroo, who as forced to stop short when the moth burst from his room, "Do you have any clothes I can borrow? I need something nice to wear."

Mah tilted her head, her gray ears swiveling back curiously. "What, pray tell, is wrong with what you're wearing now, Imite?"

"Something nice," he tried to explain, eyes darting back and forth impatiently. "I have a date," he blurted out, blinking at himself.

The kangaroo Morph raised an eyebrow, but chuckled to herself and nodded, "I still have some of my children's old clothes from when they were your age. There might be something there..."

She continued down the hallway. Imite didn't follow right away, reaching up to feel his cheek. Date?

His cheek was warm to the touch.

Surprised at himself, he shook his head quickly, picking up the pace as caught up with Mah.

"I'm afraid they picked out the nicest things for themselves," Mah warned as she clicked on the light in the old bedroom. It had been converted into a room for some of the younger residents of the orphanage, and Mah tsk'd at the mess, picking up a stray toy and placing it on a dresser. She led Imite over to a closet.

The doors were reluctant to open, having gotten quite accustomed to their closed state over the years. They finally relented and opened, revealing a store of clothes that'd remained undisturbed for a long time.

"I was thinking of donating these to Goodwill, but you can certainly pick out something if you need some clothes," Mah stepped back, letting Imite peer into the closet. He winced and pinned his antennae back at a smell, and Mah chuckled, "Try not to mind the mothballs."

He thumbed through the clothes that were hung up along a rack. They seemed like they were rather nice in their day, but were far from current. They were also mostly feminine in character.

"I'm afraid my son took most of this clothes, so I don't know if you'll find anything. My daughter said she didn't want those 'musty old things'," Mah mused, shaking her head faintly.

"I don't see why... There are some nice clothes here," Imite murmured as he perused the selection. "Well, I'm glad someone appreciates them. I made a few of the things myself," Mah noted proudly.

Imite neared the end of the rack. He was getting a little worried - he did like many of the clothes in the closet, as much as he'd hate to admit it - and he tried to fight back the slight nausea that threatened in his gut as he realized he wouldn't have minded trying on a few of those dresses. He shook his head quickly, then came across it - a black blouse with a V-neck bordered by an upturned collar, the material of the sleeves something long, loose and elastic, translucent. The darker material that made up the vest of the blouse continued down, and at first Imite was worried it was another dress - but they were just long coat tails. A sleek set of black dress pants were hung with it.

Imite paused upon seeing it, pulling it out for a better look. He gently unhooked it from the hanger, bringing it up to his torso and holding out the sleeve. It looked like it'd fit perfectly.

Mah raised both eyebrows at his selection, but a smile crossed her face. It turned into a frown as she realized something. "While they'll probably be about the right size for you, none of them really can accommodate your wings..."

Imite frowned as well. "I'd hate to cut a hole in any of these," he lifted a silken sleeve, then realized something, "If you made these, you have sewing equipment, right? I could..." he hesitated, "I... picked up some things from my Mom. I could probably tailor it myself..." He hugged the velvet vest of the blouse to his sweater.

Mah nodded, "The machine's in my room. It's not the most modern of things, though..." She chuckled and motioned for him to follow. Imite followed hurriedly. Vesper could be home any minute - he didn't want to keep his friend waiting just because he got some silly urge to play dress up.

The tailoring was done as quickly as possible while keeping it decent - Imite was just as afraid of somehow ruining the nice blouse-dash-coat as he was of keeping Vesper waiting, if not more so. Since he was rusty, Mah stayed with him to give him some pointers, telling him how to work her older model of sewing machine.

Using another sweater of his as a guide, he cut and hemmed the flap and buttons in the back that'd open to accommodate his wing bases. With a few quick adjustments in the shoulder and waistline, he hurried to the bathroom to try it on.

***

Imite unbuttoned the back of his sweater and locked the bathroom door, slowly pulling off the oversized sweater that seemed ever-present on his form. He folded it up, placing it on the towel shelf next to the laundry bin, shaking out his hair and flexing his wings slightly.

He glanced over his shoulder at the mirror, his cheeks tinting red. He wasn't one to admire himself in the mirror - more often than not, he was ashamed of his body, of how scrawny and soft-lined it was. But now, he turned around slowly, taking a deep breath as he took in his upper body. The butterfly pendant that Vesper had given him rested squarely in the middle of a small plume of fuzz that spilled over his collarbone. His long, slightly wavy hair cascaded over his thin shoulders, and he realized he hadn't cut it since he'd been kicked out. Or wanted to.

Imite shivered and started combing his hair, willing himself to tolerate the sight of his nude upper body. I guess it doesn't look that bad... He allowed the thought to slip into his mind, Besides, maybe if I'm feminine enough, maybe Vesper... Imite quickly cut the thought off and shoved it back into the dark recesses of his mind, all but dropping the comb and stepping back from the mirror.

He reminded himself that Vesper had already had a good chance to see him quite naked. The moth averted his gaze to the floor, feeling the blood rush to his face and colour it red. He had to wonder if Vesper had discovered his little secret, as well - but the mantis hadn't given any indication that he knew, and Imite wasn't about to inquire.

Imite distracted himself by pulling on the top of his new outfit, slipping his arms into the translucent sleeves and shrugging the black vest onto his shoulders, turning around to button it up in the back, around his wings. He did another turn to button up the front, fiddling with his collar and smoothing it down. The collar was deep enough to display the pendant in full, where it rested on his collar bone.

The moth swallowed. It'd be far more than he would normally show in public - his neck was fully visible, as were his frail arms through the material of his sleeves. He pushed his anxieties aside, and smiled faintly as he stood up straight, looking over himself in the mirror. He looked nice.

It occurred to him that he was starting to dawdle, and he quickly changed into the nicer pants. He brushed his teeth and ran a comb through his hair once again, and through the plume of longer, crystalline fuzz that fell over the black velvet collar of his top. Replacing the comb in the medicine chest, he glanced through the contents to see if there was anything he was forgetting - his eyes fell over a small collection of makeup, and he hesitated. The nausea that loomed earlier started to creep back up, but he was alone, and striving to look nice - besides, he'd been wanting to experiment with it since he first saw it. Guilt bit at his conscious, but he shook his head. If I only put a little bit on, it's not like anyone would even notice. Besides, males put on makeup all the time, if they're actors or something...

Imite slowly reached for the makeup, hesitating, as though the makeup were something lying in wait, dangerous and prone to attacking his hand at any moment. He finally became brave enough to grasp it and take it out, examining it.

He wasn't precisely sure what everything was, but he'd seen his mother apply it many times when he was younger. He'd even gotten into the stuff himself when he was a toddler. His hand practically shaking, he quickly experimented - dabbing on a bit of eye shadow, a sprinkling of blush - and to top it off, a quick application of lipstick that was just a few shades darker than his natural colour, making his lips a richer, glossier violet. He even dared to give his exposed a neck a quick spritz of berry-scented perfume.

Imite glanced back up into the mirror, and a smile tugged on his treated lips. He didn't look half bad. He carefully set everything back as it had been in the cabinet, and taking a deep breath, he opened the door.

He nearly ran into a crisp, freshly-ironed, denim-blue polo shirt, that hugged the well-toned torso of a certain mantis. Startled, he glanced upwards speechlessly - a pair of bright, sapphire eyes returned the dumbfounded gaze.

Vesper had apparently come home while Imite had been preparing himself, and had taken the time to do likewise - his hair was unusually well-combed, a healthy sheen shimmering over the ponytail it'd been pulled back into tightly. A loose lock fell over his blue, feline eyes, and from head to toe, the mantis looked far more well-kept than usual.

Imite's antennae quivered. He could've swore he even caught a whiff of musky cologne. Both stood there silently in the threshold to the bathroom, a quiet, stuttering cough from Vesper the only thing to break the silence. The taller boy suddenly looked just a bit uncomfortable, fidgeting with the leather belt that restrained his dark slacks and shifted his weight.

"Um..." Vesper finally found his voice, swallowing, his eyes never giving up the lock they'd engaged Imite's violet gaze in, "You... You look very... very... n-nice," he managed, with a rare, nervous smile tugging at the corner of the mantis's lips, much smaller than the Cheshire-cat grins that usually graced his face.

Imite knew there was a blush tinting his cheeks, even more than the one he'd applied with makeup, and glanced away nervously with a dismissive shrug. The action caused the shoulder of his vest to slip down over one of his thin shoulders, and he shoved it back up in an instant with a quaking hand.

"I, um, well, I figured I hadn't gone out any place in a while, and it'd be nice to look, well, nice, and I was tired of my old clothes, so Mah was nice enough to give me an old hand-me-down she had sitting in a closet..." Imite trailed off as his eyes wandered to the Vesper's belt, tilting his head slightly, "I didn't know you had any leather belts."

"I didn't," Vesper leaned against the door frame, his other hand stuffed into his pocket, "The reason I was a little late was that I thought I might pick up some new clothes, since I had some extra money from my job..."

Imite smiled a small smile up at his friend and reached out, tapping the belt buckle. "Well, you look nice too."

He had to suppress a giggle at the way the mantis's shoulders predictably straightened into a more confident stance, chest puffing out slightly against the buttoned cloth - the way it always did when Imite gave him one of the quiet, shy compliments he slipped him occasionally.

Vesper smiled warmly down at the moth, "Well, want to get an early start? It's the weekend, we have all evening and night..."

Imite nodded quickly and grasped onto Vesper's arm, tugging him along hurriedly, excitement quickly defeating his anxieties. "Where're we gonna go first?"

Vesper laughed quietly at the moth's impatience and caught up with him, grinning down at him, "Well, I was thinking maybe we could get something to eat first. Get a newspaper, see what's playing..."

Soon they'd left the orphanage, and Mah, who'd been silently watching them from the end of the hallway, shook her head and smiled knowingly.