Fated to the Mothman

The Meeting

Holy s**t.

The towering, reedy, figure holds me in a dip, his wings cocooned around me, shrouding us in near darkness. He shifts his wings slightly and light streams in from the opening above his head, lighting his face in a soft glow. Feathery, soft-looking antennae lay backward close to his head, piercing red and amber eyes seeming to glow, wide with surprise, angular jaw locked tight, his browline glasses slid down precariously low on his nose. A mothman. I could barely make out the gulp as he swallowed because of the grey tuft of fluff, almost like a short mane, starting at his Adam’s apple that trailed down into the neck of his sweater. His velvety gray hand splayed across my back is holding me up, while his other is around the back of my neck, holding me steady. The huge hand around my waist gives the softest twitch of a squeeze, making me mentally roll my eyes realizing that’s right where my most prominent back-roll is. His thumb brushes across the front of my throat with a tantalizing, intentional slowness.

Oh my gods, his hand is huge, big enough to nearly wrap around my neck. Is he rubbing my throat? What is happening right now and why is it so hot?

He starts mumbling sorrys, while he snags a piece of cloth from his pocket with shaky hands, standing me upright. Then he… starts patting my chest where the liquid is dripping off my boobs. I would die from embarrassment right now if I weren’t still trying to gather my thoughts from what just happened while simultaneously wondering why I felt so drawn to this imposing creature.

I watch in disbelief as he opens his wings, then tucks them behind his back, quickly turning and striding to the back of the restaurant. My eyes catch on his hand down at his side, flexing, opening and closing like it’s still feeling the ghost of my skin there. I’m not ashamed to say I watched his muscular, twiggy, awkward-ass with a little too much interest until he was out of sight in the office.

***************

Soon it was closing time so I met up with Millie and let her walk me through the end-of-shift duties, then set out on my short walk home. Thankfully nobody mentioned, “The Incident,” with the mothman as I would now be calling it. It was late, but instead of heading straight home, I decided to take a little stroll through the square garden. There were only a handful of trees in the park, and the various plants in the garden beds were short so I could see my apartment across the block, giving me some sense security.

Winding along on the footpath between garden beds, it turned around a tall bush. The first thing I see are glowing red-amber eyes and a dark iridescent mass in front of me. Stumbling backwards with a surprised squeak, my breath catches in my lungs as I start to fall. For the second time that day, strong hands with long spindly fingers wrap around my waist before I can hit the ground. Our faces are inches apart, the moonlight and soft glow from the lights on the path bathe his face in the perfect light.

“We have to stop meeting like this,” I say breathlessly. I should be terrified right now but the sheer beauty of his form is overshadowing that right now. I’m unfortunately in awe, instead of having, ya know, any survival instincts.

“I-I…I’m sorry. I didn’t, uh…” he trails off.

I stand upright and brush myself off, even though he has yet to let me hit the ground today.

“That’s okay. So uh, you’re a friend of Scott’s?” I say, hoping to dispel some of the awkwardness.

“Y-yeah, we are friends but I was there to um… well he needed some help and I’m an a-accountant. You’re new here.” He says, the deep vibration of his voice surprising me, sending undulating shivers skittering down my spine.

He said it like a statement but I replied anyway, “Yes, I’m new. I went in for supper and ended up with a job.” I shrug, laughing, “My name is Audra by the way.” I stick out my hand for him to shake and his wings twitch, antennae fluttering slightly.

“Ellis.”

Hearing the deep, dark tone of his voice again makes me melt a little while also ignighting every cell in my body.

He reaches for my hand, engulfing mine in his, shaking it softly. We stare at each other for a long moment. His solid chest expands in a large breath and I can see the convex of his abdomen behind the pressed dress shirt. I try not to stare but can’t seem to stop, something about him draws me in. He suddenly steps back, flaring his wings out, the shiny iridescence of them seeming to glow in the light. Shyly, he looks down.

“S-see ya.”

Before I can reply, he expands his wings even further, and then with one big flap he shoots from the ground. Almost silently he zips higher into the air and I watch him for a moment, silhouetted against the full moon.

Ellis. I won’t forget that.