pinkandpeachy
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Web of Feelings (Literature)
🕑 Added 2022-01-20 20:36:55 +0000 UTC(Hey all! Wanted to share a Prequel story of Claire, I'm still on very good track to finishing Indecent Exposure by next week, five shots left! Enjoy in the meanwhile)
It was the first few weeks of brisker weather of the year, overcast but in a cozy almost-autumn way. Claire pulled her black cardigan tighter over herself as she walked outside and glanced both ways down the sidewalk, before banking left past the going-home crowd. She couldn’t help glancing over her shoulder. She always felt like a robber or something going so far around the side of the school, but, then again, the idea was to not be caught. Maybe it was nerves. Routine as these hideaways had become, butterflies of excitement always fluttered in her tummy. It was the part of her day she anticipated most.
She banked left, sashaying along a handrail into a nook along the outside of the school, the external side of a maintenance door or something similar. From it ran a sort of stone window-box four or five yards long. The crocuses pushed up past the wood chips were starting to fleck brown and wilt, but back in warmer days, the ampler foliage always mesmerized Claire. With the crocuses and the other end-of-summer flowers, greens and yellows came together in a stunning display of nature. So weird, such loveliness in a corner no one ever saw. It was the kind of thing poems were invented for, she thought. It’d been her special spot, and since she had brought Theo to it last semester, it’d become that for both of them.
Of course, Theo was already there - she always got their earlier. She clearly didn’t feel the chill as much as Claire, her rhinestone-studded leather jacket unzipped to reveal a t-shirt with a sort of monstrous grey-skinned Rosie the Riveter parody - the cover of a doom metal album she’d introduced Claire to a few months back - and she was still wearing shorts, black denim ripped off above the knee. Her slender fingers - manicured the same emerald hue as her half-shaved hairstyle - were performing the final fiddles to pull a cigarette out from its pack. Theo was too preoccupied with getting her lighter to spark to glance over, but a smile did grow across her lips as Claire sidled into her periphery. “Sup, Bluebell.”
“Hey!” Claire’s own smile was short-lived. Boy it was colder than she first thought! Her nipples weren’t visible through her cardigan, were they?! Claire quickly took no bets and crossed her arms a bit too hastily to seem ‘casual.’ But it was more than that. Something about Theo. “Hey, what’s wrong?” She could read the frazzled energy around Theo as easily as seeing cracks in glass.
Theo started chuckling and shaking her head. “What the hell?! I’m just sitting here, saying ‘sup’! Am I not allowed to say ‘sup’ anymore?”
Claire started laughing too, since it *was* pretty funny - though she was still pretty sure in her reading. “Well… am I wrong?”
Theo laughed again as her lighter finally sparked. “You’re a pain in my ass. Worse than my own mother, I swear.” She lit the cigarette for a short drag, but what she said seemed to get a thought jogging. “Oh, hey, check this out.” With her free hand, she pulled herself up to sit on the low stone window box and beckoningly patted the spot beside her. Claire obliged, slinging off her leather courier bag and dropping it beneath her dangling feet.
As Claire sat, Theo proffered the cigarette, and so Claire carefully accepted. She was getting better at faking her drags; *just* the right amount of lipstick left on the cigarette to make it seem like she actually took in a breath. It was easier when it was much colder out and you could see your breath regardless, but Claire had learned that if you cough close enough into your fist, it doesn’t much matter. Honestly, none of the act probably mattered. Probably gunking up her lungs anyhow, sitting thigh-to-thigh next to Theo every afternoon, but Claire was too deep into their friendship to finally pipe up and Theo was up to three a day.
“Got the first appointment done, going back in two weeks.” Claire watched as Theo wormed her left arm out from her jacket and proudly held it out. On the snow-white skin were symbols, some solid, some only etched outlines. Letters, but Claire didn’t recognize the language. She assumed it was something from the Pacific Islands - she kicked herself for not remembering where specifically Theo had referenced before. “It’s gonna be what she always used to tell me,” Theo explained, with a sentimentality that made Claire’s heart swell. “Always have it with me.”
Claire came mere inches away from audibly going ‘awww.’ Instead, she smiled through another feigned drag. “That’s so sweet.”
“Mmm… Anyway.” Theo slid back into her jacket and exaggeratedly lifted her studded eyebrows at Claire. “Wasn’t this your weekend too? Come on, Blue, don’t hold out on me! What’d you get?”
“Oh!” Without making eye contact, Claire passed the cigarette back to Theo, then squeezed her hands between her thighs, scrambling for an answer. “Well, you see… I’m just- I’m thinking of a few things, and…”
For the majority of her friendship with Theo, Claire had genuinely wanted to get a tattoo - it was edgy, it fit her style, and she remembered hearing somewhere that they made your skin taste terrible, which made it somewhat of a defense against cannibals. That last bit probably wasn’t practical, but it was a fun way to trip up people asking ‘why’re you getting one.’ In fact, Claire had wound up sitting in the parking lot of the piercing and tattoo place on numerous occasions, and every time played out with Claire never leaving her car and driving home within fifteen minutes. Every time she finally thought she had the perfect idea, she’d double-guess herself and wonder if that’s what she really wanted emblazoned on her body… or if she wanted anything at all… The permanence is what got her. Maybe it was growing up, but at some point ‘because it’s cool’ stopped being as compelling a reason. What could she pick that would still be meaningful to her in a few years? Or even months?
“Blue…” Theo snapped her out of her mini-spiral. “Be honest with me. Do you… not want any ink?”
Claire’s eyes went wide. It was like seeing a personal secret published in a headline. “Well… I-“
Theo interrupted what they both knew would be directionless excusing by putting her free hand on Claire’s shoulder. “Blue, shut up. You can tell me these things. I’m not mad. Don’t go getting something you don’t want for my sake.”
Claire was stopped totally wordless. She realized she wasn’t even looking at Theo - she was looking at her hand on her shoulder. It gave her a weird feeling, reassuring, yet…
Slowly, Theo pulled her hand off Claire’s shoulder. “Course I… had some great ideas for stuff we could get together…” She slowly slumped lower like now that she was saying it out loud, she realized what she was giving up.
Claire shook out of what felt like a sudden trance. T-together? Like a matching pair of something? Whatever it was, the fact she even thought about it… “W-wait, I-I didn’t say-“
Theo then shot up cackling, playfully shoving Claire. “No seriously, it’s totally fine,” she said. “You don’t want it, you don’t want it. Don’t even care about the reason. You could even tell me that ‘your mommy doesn’t want you to do it,’ I won’t laugh. I’m a big girl. I can… take it.”
Claire teasingly shoved back and tried to laugh it off, but something about the way Theo’s voice wavered on the last few words and how her eyes shot off to the side renewed Claire’s concern. “Theo, what’s wrong?” She leaned in closer. “Talking will make you feel better.”
Theo sighed. “That’s bullshit and you know it.” Another sigh, and she turned to face Claire more directly. “Alright, fine. You want my guts? Here’re my guts.” She passed Claire the cigarette and sat up tall with all the circumstance she figured Claire was angling for. “Montesque. Alright? That’s it, she’s just… just such a…” Theo trailed off and quickly snatched the cigarette back out of Claire’s hands for a deep drag.
Miss Montesque. Forty-two years old, six-foot-three, and still-pristine-skin-and-hair-and-a-tight-body gorgeous, with all the pompousness one might expect to go attached. At least, that was Claire’s understanding. Truthfully, Claire’s interactions with the teacher were limited to passing her in the hallway and her overseeing Claire’s study hall period, though from the teacher’s self-important gait and the occasional gossip fragment Claire gleaned, she well believed Theo’s stories.
“She just won’t get off my ass,” Theo went on, properly uncorked and letting it all flow out. “I’m walking in the hall, don’t even say a word to her, and she just shoots me this glare like I’m about to burn the school down or something. She’ll say, ‘what’s with giving me lip?’ And I tell her what’s with dragging my ass all the time? Ain’t never done anything to her, and she’s acting like I’m sacrificing goats on her front lawn. Last Thursday.” An intermission of a quick drag. “Last Thursday,” Theo spoke through smoke, “I’m leaving biology, and she’s by the door, and she says to me ‘So, Theodora, planning on leaving the crypt this weekend? Or are you trying to scare away the boys?’” A combo of angrily shrugging and shaking her head. “Like, back off, it’s just my style. Why you gotta be on me like that?”
Claire watched ashes fall from the end of Theo’s cigarette and sparkle on the way down. “What’d you tell her? You didn’t tell her that, did you?”
Theo shook her head. “Just kept walking. People like that, they just live for the attention. So starve ‘em, I say. Universe’s gonna give it to her one of these days.” She sighed. “Just annoying. Shouldn’t let it get to me.” She ground out the cigarette on the ledge beside herself and stretched in a way that pulled her shirt tighter over her perky breasts. “Huh. Know what? I kinda do feel better.” She smiled at Claire. “Thanks for the therapy, Bluebell. See you later.” With that, Theo dropped off the ledge, slickly threw her backpack over one shoulder, and tromped off before she could look back and see Claire waving goodbye. She was watching the seat of Theo’s shorts.
Claire suddenly realized what she was doing and dropped her gaze like she would get in trouble. Where was this coming from? Why was she noticing these things? Then she was so worried about her nipples for no reason… It’s just Theo. Of course, ‘just’ Theo… she did like Theo… and it did make her upset seeing her so upset. That just meant she was a good friend, right?
The feelings themselves were nothing new - Claire had realized her having them and what they meant for her all the way back in grade school - but with Theo? No. Theo was just a friend, the first Claire had made at EMAGS. They’d clicked as soon as they’d coincidentally taken seats next to each other in homeroom. Within moments, it was like they’d completely unlocked to one another - they liked the same bands, both loved pad thai more than anything, and then of course the small detail of them both being huge on goth style. They were simpler back then, mostly just wearing dark colors - Claire’s hair had still been black in those days - but as their friendship grew, they shaped and evolved each other’s style in complementary ways. Now Claire was proud in her electric-blue bob and more cunning in her varied clothing ranging from flannels to rich royal accents, while Theo struck out with bold emerald on whatever locks she didn’t shave off and distressed black everythings. Most importantly, they balanced each other out - Theo stayed cool whenever Claire got heated. That kind of closeness was perfect for best friends. That was it. So why was watching her go right then… why did it feel like… like not that?
Claire zoned out staring at the smoldering cigarette butt, one hand over her mouth and nose against the stench. Theo *was* a good friend, and regardless of anything more or less than that, it wasn’t right for Montesque to treat her like she did. Claire had, frankly, heard enough stories. Maybe it was time for a new one. Theo wanted to wait for the universe? Maybe what the universe needed was a little push.
For Theo’s sake.
—
Most of that following night for Claire was spent sprawled on the couch in her home’s basement, surrounded by notebooks old and new, flipping through pages to look for the right sketch.
Claire wasn’t a vindictive sort of girl, at least not anymore. She simply knew what it was like to be teased for being different. As an only child eager to be social without having the proper upbringing for navigating that kind of interaction, nearly every conversation Claire took the chance to dive into, she left sheepishly with gossipy whispers in her wake. Making friends was tough, and keeping them was harder. She either came on too strong or too strange, and she wasn’t sure how to do better. She was clumsy, sometimes accidentally pedantic, and too self-conscious for her own good, especially through puberty, when hormones caused all three categories to exceed their max levels. Didn’t help she had been a late bloomer, and when she finally bloomed - to this very day as a senior - her fruits weren’t exactly as bountiful as the other girls’. Nothing to mope about - a decently-sized rack and a firm behind - but it just gave more ammo for those who wouldn’t wait for her back to turn before laughing. That, and of course the true rumors that spread when Claire jumped the gun one time and leaked out some of ‘those feelings’ she was exploring.
On top of that, from very early on, Claire realized her propensity for mechanics. Machines and how exactly they ticked always fascinated her - she just HAD to know how everything worked! When she was seven, her family’s toaster broke, and no one cared enough to buy a new one. As a staunch devotee of toaster waffles, Claire wouldn’t let that fly, and spent a week taking the toaster apart and rebuilding it better than ever. She even added a bagel setting to toast just the one side! It only lasted a month and a half before practically exploding, but Edison didn’t fail 99 times in making a light bulb, he just learned 99 ways to NOT make one! Making and modifying little mechanical doo-dads became one of Claire’s favorite pastimes - she went from refurbishing ‘lost treasures’ tossed out by electronics shops, to building her own PCs from scratch which mostly worked, to unique inventions to help her day-to-day routine which rarely worked. She stumbled, but the work was fun and took her mind off the stress of the daily grind. Though she knew more than well enough it wasn’t a ‘typical’ hobby for a girl, and thus the stress came back…
She kept hearing banalities like ‘just be yourself,’ but that wasn’t working for her. ‘Herself’ wasn’t anyone who fit in, and all of her peculiarities sometimes felt more like curses. A web of disparate feelings tangled up with on-off ADHD meds, and it all began manifesting in what amounted to constant rebellion. Why had she been made like this? All these vapid sluts at the top of the pile, why did she have to try so much harder than them and STILL fall short? Why couldn’t anyone accept her for who she was? And so she played the ‘troubled outcast’ role. She went goth and starting fighting back against what she felt was an unjust world, mostly internally, but even got into an infrequent spot of delinquency. She vandalized a few places with spray paint (she wasn’t the most adept artist so mostly crossing things out), defaced a few popular kids’ cars, nothing major. After everything and anything, at the end of every day, she would match her frustrations with her intellectual and mechanical hobbies through dozens of notebooks’ worth of designs, imagining so many fantastic devices she could one day invent to REALLY get back at those who did her wrong!
Of course, that was the past, a past so distant that the memories felt like watching someone else’s home movies - familiar in places, but just not right.
Maybe it was growing up, but, honestly, a lot of it she owed to Theo. Theo matched her rebellious style, but her background was way different - more urban, tighter on the purse, more than a few personal tragedies. If anyone had any stake against the world they were living in, it was her. But she stayed so damn *calm*, always so ready to let things be. She made Claire realize that life really wasn’t that bad on her. Moreover, Claire came realize it wasn’t the world that wasn’t accepting her… it was herself. She then realized how much a cliche she had become that THAT cliche was what finally undid her.
And so Theo’s calm melted Claire’s directionless anger. She stuck with the goth aesthetic and brightened her hair to electric blue not because she felt she had to to be seen, but because she liked it. She joined stage crew and became the school’s de facto ‘expert’ for setting up plays and assemblies. Her social skills still struggled a bit, but even when they failed her, that wasn’t a problem anymore. She had Theo to fall back on.
It wasn’t one-way, either. Claire was, admittedly, a little pleased to see Theo take on chips of her… ‘excitability.’ When they first met, Theo’d never say a word out of turn, but once she learned she could open up to Claire and not send her running for the hills, she could mount a decent rant. On the one hand, Claire thought it was good for her, not repressing those feelings and taking a stand against some of the crap rather than living with it. On the other, though, she hated hearing Theo upset because it made *her* upset. She owed a lot to Theo. Claire could take the ‘bullies’ these days, but seeing them go for Theo… there was no way she was gonna let that fly. Plus, that day’s ‘therapy’ hadn’t been the only time Montesque had been mentioned…
And so that night, Claire stayed up late, channeling her past life’s anger, flipping through spiral-bound notebooks rife with idle sketchings and schema, seeking a design that felt right. Montesque needed to drop off her high horse, but it had to be done a certain way. For hurting her friend’s feelings - no, hurting *Theo* - it had to be something that hit where it hurt.
Skimming through the pictures was a weird walk down memory lane. Claire’s imagination really ran wild with some of the designs, but amazingly enough, most everything in at least the volume she was currently scouring had a prototype somewhere in Claire’s basement. Claire turned another page and smiled at a rough doodle in the corner: a haphazard facsimile of a girl in profile, someone she’d seen every so often in the halls, but only ever in glimpses. Despite this, Claire could remember every moment she’d seen her, and just as clearly remember the incredible feeling that moved her every time. Whoever she was, her mere presence instilled Claire with something like rapture, a coquettish mystery always just out of reach. Even just the thought of those rare glimpses incensed Claire more warmly than machinery ever could, like good art or music. It’d been so long since the last glimpse that Claire had nearly forgotten. She brushed a finger over the half-face, then channeled that energy to refocus on the work at hand.
Finally, Claire found the one. She was so excited she jabbed the design on the page more than once. It checked all the boxes for the punishment, and though it was a complicated piece of tech, the prototype had been very promising! A tune-up and few tests, she could have something ready for the very next day! Claire looked at the clock and grimaced. Already pushing it… but there was no getting around this buzz. A kind of buzz like this, Claire was going to be too busy thinking and planning to sleep, she knew it. And so she leapt off the couch in a blizzard of loose pages, jogged over to her workbench, and cleared some space to get to work.
It was a long night for Claire.
__
The day-long wait for study hall period was positively agonizing. Every class crawled by, and Claire barely absorbed a word, she was so preoccupied with her plan. Despite clocking in barely two hours of sleep, Claire never felt more energized! She hadn’t been hopped-up-hyper like this since she tagged the bank way back when! It was gonna feel so good to give that pompous witch what she’s got coming! And just think of how Theo’s gonna feel… She even dressed up for the occasion, breaking out her favorite deep purple vine-patterned blouse that hung off one pale shoulder, over a ruby red camisole (and matching panties!), with a black and grey checkered skirt to finish the look. Every minute the moment drew closer, every trip to her locker giving her a glimpse of her invention waiting and ready, it became harder and harder for Claire to manage the anticipation!
At merciful last, the time came, the final period of the day: study hall with Miss Montesque. Claire was practically vibrating as she stepped over the main hall threshold and approached Montesque’s table to sign in for the period. Even when seated her overbearing stature was apparent. Her hair hung sleek and black over her flawless Mediterranean complexion. The only make-up she seemed to have on was a touch of lip gloss and a stroke of lilac eyeshadow over each lid, and you could just *tell* that was the kind of thing she’d brag about, looking like she did with so little touching up. Her eyeshadow matched her blouse which flared around her shoulders and definitely pronounced her sweater meat in a way that seemed more appropriate for the club than a private all-girls school. She glanced up from her laptop and smiled politely as Claire came over to sign in. Claire didn’t even have to put on a face to return the gesture - with her excitement, she had to fight NOT to smile so wide! Trying to keep herself looking composed, Claire signed her name and very casually strolled over to her usual seat, on the opposite side of the main stairs that practically led straight up to the front entrance. Keeping the act going, Claire took her seat and slid off her backpack, keeping a close eye on Montesque greeting the other students coming in for study hall. When Claire was sure Montesque was totally distracted… she quickly nabbed her courier bag and slipped under the main stairs. Confirming she went unnoticed, Claire eagerly unlatched her bag’s main flap and removed the jar containing her brilliant scheme: a horde of mechanical insects!
Montesque was a prideful woman, that much was clear, and so Claire concluded the best way to hurt her would be to make her look like a fool in front of everyone. And that’s where Claire’s hundreds of little friends came in! Truthfully, Claire had long forgotten the original intention of making a bunch of mechanical bugs, if there had ever been one - if you *could* make a swarm of mechanical bugs, why *wouldn’t* you make a swarm of mechanical bugs? - but a few tweaks and tests and they were the perfect instruments for the job! Claire had complete command over them via a little remote control; a few directions through the remote, and the whole swarm would target Montesque and crawl all over her body! Let’s see how proud Miss Better-Than-Thou was when she was jumping and scratching like a lunatic with ‘ants’ in her pants! Which would put her in perfect position for phase two…
One step at a time. Eagerly clutching the ‘hive,’ Claire stole a peek at the clock. While Theo usually had advanced arithmetic last period, Mrs. Walker was infamously lax on Fridays, usually reserving them for group study sessions or recapping the week’s lessons, the kind of stuff Theo would slip out for. Claire wanted to time things juuuuust right to match Theo’s arrival! That in mind, Claire stayed crouched for la few minutes longer, all the while staring out at Montesque and silently cursing her. Finally, Claire felt it: the right moment. It was time.
Suppressing gleeful squeals, Claire quickly and carefully unscrewed the lid and placed the jar on the carpet. She then pulled the remote control out of her bag, flipping the ‘on’ switch and giving the device a few flicks to wake it up. The translucent buttons started to glow, and Claire could hear the gentle humming of the bug-bots going online, like music to her ears! Cautiously, Claire tilted the remote in Montesque’s direction and held down the targeting switch. It was a mildly complicated infra-red heat-tagging system crossed with a dim laser pointer. Montesque had no idea about the little red circle hitting her shoulder, which, if all went according to plan, was signaling to all the ‘bugs’ that she was their target! Tests had been positive…
When Claire figured the targeting had gone on long enough for all the ‘bugs’ to be primed and ready, she hovered her finger over the button that would launch the swarm, and… She was hesitating. Hesitating, or savoring the moment? This was it. With Claire as its vessel, the universe was finally catching up to Montesque and putting her in her rightful place! For Theo! “For Theo,” Claire whispered in triumph, as she decisively jabbed the ‘launch’ button.
Immediately, the hundreds of ‘bugs’ buzzed faster and began skittering out of the jar towards Montesque. It was working! Claire watched on, grinning into her fists as her little insectoid army surreptitiously crawled their way across the main hall carpet, until finally reaching Montesque’s foot! Quickly, all the little ‘bugs’ began climbing her body, some crawling up the leg of her slacks, others up to and under her blouse.
Almost right away, Claire noticed Montesque tensing up, curious. Her entire thought process was so plain: first she didn’t think much of it, maybe just itchy dry skin she definitely had a cream for. But then more ‘bugs’ went a’crawling up her leg, and she started shifting around in her seat, scratching and swatting, wondering what it actually was. And then the feeling spread all over her body, and it became very clear her skin wasn’t crawling, but something was crawling ON her skin!
“…aahhh… aaaHH!” Claire could hear Montesque’s panic getting louder as she bounced side to side in her seat! Her manicured hands flew up and down her body, alternating between swatting at her chest and clawing at her lap! “…umm… aaah… AH!” Montesque finally yelped loud enough for others to hear as she jumped out of her chair, both hands grabbing at her backside! Dozens of eyes falling on her flushed the teacher red-faced. She tried futilely to smile it off and comport herself with dignity, but couldn’t keep her hips from wiggling. “I just… there’s someth-EEE!” Montesque leapt a foot in the air, shaking side to side and grabbing at the ‘bugs’ infesting her pants!
Smiling so wide her cheeks were already hurting, Claire gently teased a knob on the side of the remote to make the bugs crawl faster! Right away, Montesque squealed louder and danced in place faster! Her shapely rear swung from side to side, as she switched between grabbing at it and pawing at her front! As she jumped, her ample bust flounced up and down, confirming Claire’s suspicions that top was NOT appropriate for school! The teacher’s bosoms came close to leaping out from her top as she bounced, her top sliding further down her shoulders to show off more jiggling and shaking as Montesque danced around like mad!
A crowd began to form, all the students - and a couple faculty - both confused and amused at Montesque jumping around and waggling her goods! Her face kept burning redder with embarrassment, but every attempts of hers to stand tall and carry on lasted all of two seconds before she was jumping again, sputtering half-excuses and confused pleas! “Please, don’t- AH! There’s something crawlin- KYAAHH!” More bugs began skittering under her shirt! She slapped at her chest to fend them off, rocking her breasts back and forth and pushing them that much further out of her shirt! ‘Good Heavens,’ Claire imagined her internal monologue, ‘my mammaries are becoming revealed!’ Montesque tried for a moment to adjust her modesty, only to yelp and stick out her rump, shoving a hand down the front of her slacks to try and pry out the ‘bugs’ making her life a living nightmare! Laughter passed around the crowd as Claire barely contained her own! Check out the teacher fishing around in her own pants! Watch that big booty shake!
Claire was so beside herself she could hardly even watch! She kept ducking away and stifling her laughter into her elbows! It felt like her face might split in half from grinning so hard! Everyone was laughing at Montesque! What a fool! And this wasn’t even everything! Time for phase two!
This is what most of Claire’s work the previous night had gone into: she outfitted each bug-bot with a prototype enzyme she’d developed, and a couple small mandibles for the ability to ‘bite.’ Not bite the target, though; this prototype enzyme was a special mix designed to dissolve fabrics! With the tap of a button, all the ‘bugs’ on Montesque’s body would start eating away her clothes! Feeling like a fool dancing around like that, Miss Self-Important? How about trying it without any clothes on! Mischievously, Claire giggled and tapped the button to feed those hungry ‘bugs!’
For a while, nothing seemed to change. Montesque kept jumping and swatting and exclaiming no differently. Then for a while longer, still nothing was changing.
Claire frowned and pressed the button again. Nothing. She started mashing the hell out of the button. Still nothing. Montesque was still freaking out, but her clothes - though obviously disheveled - were still fully intact.
Claire’s high came crashing down. No no no NO! It was right there! The plan was so close to perfection! Stupid bugs, come ON!!! This was the big moment, and you were blowing it!
She looked around. It didn’t seem like Theo had shown up yet, which was both a little worrying and fairly relieving. Maybe this was a kink she could work out really quick? She wanted - no, *needed* - this moment to be perfect for Theo! She had to work fast! Without a moment to lose, Claire jabbed the button on the remote that would recall the swarm to the jar so she could scope out what was the matter.
The command reached the ‘bugs’ right away. Claire could see the swarm beginning to trickle out from Montesque’s pant leg and across the carpet, everyone still too distracted by the crazy teacher to notice. Montesque herself slowed down as she felt the bugs leaving her body, until they were all off at last. She promptly doubled over, panting in relief and blowing mussed-up hair out of her eyes, as one of the onlooking teachers rushed over to see if she was okay. Claire’s attention shifted off the spectacle to her brood as they returned to their ‘nest.’ Less than she’d sent out, though that was to be expected with how Montesque had been swatting so hard.
Hurriedly, Claire pulled some small tools from her bag and began to examine the last few bugs that had returned, holding her phone in her teeth with its flashlight on for a source of light. None of the bugs’ wiring seemed off, all the components were where she’d placed them. Maybe it was the remote? Claire quickly pried off the back of the remote and scanned the circuits around the button meant to issue the command. Looked fine… maybe something was loose? Quickly flipping the safety measure, Claire began some stress tests at various juncture points. Come on, come on, what’s the matter with this thing? It’d worked last night! Claire smacked the remote and began rewiring the faulty command switch like her life depended on it.
Claire was swapping a wire when she jumped. “Ah!” Something was crawling up her thigh! Quickly, Claire smacked at the spot and looked. A bug had been crawling on her! Wait… She turned her head to shine her phone’s light on it…. It was one of her ‘bugs!’
“On no…” Claire scrambled to her feet and gasped, her phone dropping from her open mouth! Her bug-bots were climbing up HER legs!
“No no no no no no no!” Something was wrong! The safety must have reset, or she crossed the wrong wire, something! Quickly, Claire turned to try and get the light from her fallen phone to shine on the remote as she hurriedly made adjustments-
“KYAH!” Claire tottered off-balance, as ‘bugs’ got all the way up her legs and starting slipping up the leg-holes of her panties! “Eeeeeh! Whoa!” Claire fidgeted her hips side to side, trying to adjust the device but constantly tickled by the ‘bugs’ crawling higher up her body, getting under her shirt and bra as well as up against her privates! “Agh! No! No no no no n-OH!” The tool dropped from Claire’s fingers and she grabbed at her unmentionable spots to try and pull the bugs out of her panties! Hips shaking like maracas, Claire gave up making adjustments and started hammering the ‘recall’ button to no effect! The bugs kept crawling! “No! EEK!” Claire’s knees buckled and she started reaching down the front of her top to pull bugs out from between her boobs, but more infested her downstairs areas! “No! AAHH!” Claire leaped backwards as dozens of little mechanical insects crept against and into intimate places!
Claire froze - or at least went as stiff as she could with dozens of little bugs still making her hips constantly rock. Without realizing it, she’d jumped out from her hiding place under the main stairs, and was now out in the light where people could see her wiggling and whimpering! The crowd dispersing from Montesque’s show stopped in their tracks, and all eyes turned on Claire. As much as she tried to keep composed, all the ‘bugs’ buzzing all over her made it impossible to stand still, and everyone looking at her made her so nervous! Claire’s whole body flushed from white to red as she blushed and squirmed, as the crowd circled around the writhing, wriggling goth shaking her keister all over! Peers’ snickering and snide remarks were buried to Claire under the panicky pounding of blood in her head and the hundreds of her creepy-crawlies skittering across her body and inside her underwear! “I-I… this isn’t supposed to- OH!” Claire bounced again and accidentally caused her skirt to float up, flashing her panties as she slapped at her boobs and her hips with one hand, the other still trying and trying to get the ‘recall’ button to work! Some of the ‘bugs’ were skittering in and out of her butt crack! She wanted so badly to reach down her skirt or even drop her panties, but everyone was looking at her like was crazy enough as is! She just kept floundering under the attention, bouncing and shimmying and shaking her butt back and forth to get the bugs out! Her whole body heated up like a dozen spotlights shining on her, as everyone saw her jumping and shaking her ass like a moron!
Wait, heat?! Claire glanced down her blouse and saw many of the bug-bots stopping in place and hitching onto the fabric. Right after, a faint but noticeable acrid smell like hot glue reached her nose. Oh no! Some of the bugs were going into phase two! NOW?! She hadn’t even hit the button… had she? They were overheating, Claire realized! They’d never been active this long before, and it was screwing with their circuits! Shaking faster from desperation, Claire doubled her efforts in swatting away the bugs, but they had attached themselves to her clothes! The swarm was burrowing in, and she could feel the little pinches that warned they were starting to feed!
Running! Running would be good, before things got worse! Claire finally got the sense to move her legs and go, only to attempt one step and trip! Or more like half-trip; her right foot was stuck to the ground! Claire looked at her punky lace-up boot and gasped! Some of the ‘bugs’ lower down her leg were crawling in circles, clearly overheated, and as they crawled they left a viscous pasty substance that was hardening around her foot! Oh crap, it was the webbing! Claire had an upgrade in mind for her bots to secrete a sort of weblike fluid on-command to keep their target immobile, to prevent them from running off much like she was attempting, but she hadn’t had the time to properly integrate the feature! Still, some of the bugs had the webs installed for later tinkering, but the heat must be melting their supply! Her boot was totally stuck! She couldn’t run! “…oh noooOH!” The words escaping Claire’s lips as whispered distress became yet another uncomfortable squeal as bugs continued commuting in and out of her intimate places! Helplessly she continued to bounce and wiggle and shake her butt as a captive to her increasingly-amused audience! More people were noticing the bugs as the culprit, but that didn’t stop them from chuckling and taking videos!
Claire just noticed the heat and the smell getting worse when something snapped and she felt the fabric over her shoulder slacken! A big hole was opening up in her blouse! “A-aah!” She scrambled to get a hold on the garment before it slipped off the only shoulder it hung from, but it wasn’t the only hole! Gaps were being ‘gnawed’ all along the bottom of her skirt and up the sides of her blouse, bold red stripes of her camisole underneath becoming more and more visible by the second! “…aaah- AHHH!” The remote finally dropped from Claire’s clutches and CRACKed on the floor, as she used both her free hands to hold up her shirt and try to conceal her body from being slowly revealed! The last few inches of fabric left on her blouse’s shoulder shuddered before vanishing, and the ‘bugs’ suddenly picked up their speed! Claire yelped and clutched the front of her purple blouse over her chest before it fell, as the bug-bots kept ‘eating’ and the gaps along the sides kept widening, but the ‘bugs’ still crawling up and down and in and out of her undies kept her shaking and wiggling and made it impossible to properly hold her hands in place for cover! Before long, the hole-dotted back of her blouse was ‘gnawed’ totally free from the front, peeling off Claire’s back and floating to the floor! “N-no! Don’t look!” Even though her camisole was more concealing than a normal bra, Claire still clutched the remaining front side close to her chest and face! She didn’t want people seeing ANY of her undergarments! But the ‘bugs’ kept ‘eating’ through fabric…
Barely two seconds after the back of Claire’s blouse fell free, the goth gasped again, as she felt her skirt abruptly drop an inch lower on her hips, putting an inch of her richly-red panties on display! The skirt’s waistband was fraying out! It was gonna fall! “N-no!… Please!…” Claire futilely plead against her own creations! She wanted to pull up her skirt, but was too terrified of what she might reveal if she took both hands off the remaining bit of blouse! They were already ‘chewing’ on her camisole, she felt it… but her skirt was sinking lower by the second! It wasn’t just an inch visible anymore! The lacy front was halfway revealed! They were all gonna see her panties! Claire tried to flare her legs out to catch the skirt at her thighs, but with all the ‘bugs’ crawling over her sensitive spots, she just couldn’t stop wiggling! With every involuntary shake of her booty, the skirt dropped lower and lower down Claire’s legs, further and further down her pale thighs, catching for a second around her buckling knees… maybe she could save it… “AH!” Another couple skitters along her butt crack made her jump, and just like that, her skirt fell to her ankles, to the cheers of the onlooking crowd!
Wiggling and unsteady, Claire instinctively bent down and finally reached to pull her skirt back up, but once she grabbed it and pulled, the hunk of fabric ripped off in her fingers! Claire watched and unconsciously shimmied her hips as the ‘bugs’ on the fabric hunk finished their ‘meal,’ totally eating away the last stitches, before they crawled up Claire’s arm to join the rest of the swarm on her body! Hurriedly, Claire tried to recover herself with the front of her blouse… only to yelp upon finding a piece purple fabric smaller than her hand! “AAHHH!” Claire threw the tatter to the ground and desperately moved her hands up and down her dancing body, while everyone in the hall have three cheers for the goth girl standing around in her underwear! And the show wasn’t over…
Hole after hole was opening up all over Claire’s camisole, revealing more and more of her alabaster skin! She felt the garment slowly receding up from the bottom, already gone up past her navel! The bugs were making progress on her panties too! Large holes were already ‘chewed’ in the sides, displaying hints of pale white butt cheek that were slowly widening… Could… could they see any of her pussy yet? Claire was too petrified to even look! A minute more and she’d be totally naked in front of everyone!
Claire finally got the thought to reach down again, not for any of the pieces of her dissembling clothing, but for her boots! She had to unlace them and get out of there before it was too late! She could quickly pull her foot out of the left one, but the right was caked in the fake-web fluid! It was hard enough to try and chip it away, but on top of that there were still so many ‘bugs’ crawling under her unraveling undies she couldn’t stay still! “Whoa!” Another sudden speed and heat increase from the ’bugs’ below sent Claire nearly toppling all the way over, and she barely caught herself in time with an accidental hip thrust to the side! She went back to work on the boot, but felt like such a moron with her butt lifted so high and wiggling it back and forth! She could feel more holes opening across her cheeks! With more of her ass visible by the second, Claire felt like she might as well be mooning the entire period! She had to go!… but her foot was stuck hard!…
Snap! One of the straps of Claire’s camisole abruptly broke, the offending ‘bug’ creeping down her back! “Ah!” Immediately, Claire shot upright, clamping her arms over her boobs just in time as the second strap also snapped in half! “AH!” Claire’s arms were the only things holding up her camisole, but there was way less of it than there had been just a moment ago! Save for a few errant strands of silk, her entire white tummy was revealed up to the bottom of her boobs, and she felt a huge chunk of camisole fall off her back, exposing all the way past the shoulder blade! The ‘bugs’ kept ‘eating’ away, tatters of red silk raining down around Claire as she continued to shimmy back and forth from all the tickling! There were so many on the camisole… “…no no no no no no no…” Claire began chanting as another inch fell away, then another, until her only cover was a stretch of silk barely enough to hide her nipples! She was panicking! What could she do?! She lifted the fabric just enough off herself so she could swat at the bugs on the inside, but by then it was too late! One more uncomfortable wiggle, and the remaining bit of camisole split into pieces between Claire’s very fingers, at long last uncovering to the delight of the crowd her bare breasts!
“NOOOO!” Claire yelled, using her hands to hide her boobs from everyone cheering and leering at her! She… she was topless! Her panties were the only stitch left on her! If those got ‘eaten…’ Claire instinctively crossed one leg in front of the other, no longer trying to undo the stuck laces of her boot, but instead to just rip her foot out of there! Claire pulled and pulled, trembling from embarrassment and shaking from the ‘bugs’ still crawling in her panties and eating them away! The sides and most of the back had been ‘chewed’ away, her panties now indistinguishable from a thong! Now there was nothing to hide how her tight butt cheeks rippled with her every shake and spin! Soon there’d be nothing at all! In her desperation to get out of there, Claire let go of her chest and grabbed her ankle with both hands and pulled hard, blocking out the hooting and hollering of the crowd now that got louder with her breasts being fully exposed! She was running out of time! But it was about to give…
“WHOA!” With a final mighty tug, Claire’s foot tore out of the stuck boot, sending the goth stumbling before she toppled backwards! She fell hard right on the dropped remote, and it crunched the pieces beneath her semi-nude body!
A second passed, then everything went still. Each and every one of the little bug-bots finally shut down and fell off Claire’s body. Slowly, the feeling of no feeling reached Claire’s mind. It was finally over… but her clothes… Panting with shallow breaths, Claire sat up on her knees and hugged her arms over her bare chest, thighs pushed together just as tight, as she shrunk away from the crowd looming above her and her nearly-naked body. The bug-bots had gone dormant, but still Claire trembled, feeling phantom legs still tickling over her body, quite a few immobile bodies piled up in the remains of her underwear, and the chill across so much of her bare skin… and knowing how many pictures of her boobs were probably already online…
“Hey, out of the way! One side, move it!” A clear and sensuous voice rose out of the crowd. Students were shoved aside with the owner of the voice cutting through the crowd to get to Claire. It was none other than Miss Montesque, followed closely by the other teacher who’d checked with her before. Quietly gasping upon seeing Claire in such a pitiful state, she hurriedly gestured to the other teacher, who quickly removed their paisley suit jacket and passed it over. “It’s okay, honey, it’s okay.” Montesque wrapped the other teacher’s jacket over Claire’s shoulders, not noticing how the goth recoiled from her. “Bugs? They get you too?” Her voice was so damnably delicate, Claire had no choice but to nod. Montesque nodded back in sympathy. “Yeah, something’s gotten in here, probably looking for somewhere warm before winter. We’ll get the custodian on it, she’ll spray for ‘em and we’ll be fine. You just sit tight, I’ll be right back.” Montesque smiled warmly before standing up and calling out to everyone in the main hall. “Alright, people, show’s over! I’m gonna have to ask you to grab your stuff and leave!” The surrounding students grumbled and obliged as Montesque pulled away the other teacher, as well as other faculty members lingering on the fringes. “Could you go grab Gertrude? We might have to put up some tape or something for a few days, keep the kids out of the hall…” Her voice trailed off to Claire as she strolled farther down the hall. Claire stayed huddled where she was on the floor, panting and riding out the humiliation and frustration roiling inside her. It shouldn’t have happened like this…
A hand on her shoulder. “Hey…”
Hearing Theo’s voice, Claire immediately sprang to her feet. “Theo! I- I… uh… EEP!” Suddenly, Claire remembered her lack of a shirt and barely-intact undies and hastily closed the jacket tighter around herself! “I- I…”
Theo interrupted her friend’s embarrassed babbling by grabbing her arm and pulling her out of the main hall, into a spot in the hallway where they had a little more privacy. She then ran her gaze up and down the disheveled Claire’s body. “What the hell happened to you out there? I just got here, are you okay? Are you hurt? What was that? Were those bugs? They didn’t bite you, did they?”
Assaulted under Theo’s frenzied questioning, a familiar tangled web of feelings tightened in Claire’s throat. She was happy to see Theo, but still shaking with humiliation, and then she was angry everything had gone wrong, but also she was sad about all those things… and how she failed… She felt like a frayed wire, sparking in all directions and so freaking useless…
Claire choked through a sigh and looked Theo in her bright, empathetic eyes. “I… I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” She shrugged off Theo’s startled expression and gestured down to her mostly-undressed body. “This- this wasn’t supposed to happen! This was supposed to be you!”
Theo’s eyes widened under her furrowing brow. “Um… excuse me?”
Claire realized in horror what she inadvertently said! “N-no! No no, that’s not what I meant! I- I meant… this was supposed to be FOR you…” Claire sighed and swallowed. “You… you see…” There was a broken bug-bot still clutched in her fist. She held it out to Theo, and it was easier direct an explanation towards. “See… I- I m-made these. I make things, and I made these. What was *supposed* to happen…” She panted through the tangling web again. “They were supposed to do… *this* to Montesque. Something went wrong, and…” She sensed Theo tense up. “You just kept talking about her so much, I… You said it yourself! She deserved it! So I did it… or at least I *tried* to… for *you*…” On the last, emphatic syllable, Claire finally looked back into Theo’s eyes, with hope, and with an open soul.
But Theo wasn’t looking at her the same way. Her brows scrunched together, her eyes went hard, and her lips parted in disbelief, like she was talking to a long-dead ghost. She wasn’t happy like she should’ve been. She was livid. “You were trying to do *this*? To *her*?”
Claire’s mouth dried out. “I… I…”
Theo threw up her hands. “What the hell, Claire?”
…what? No… no, she wasn’t saying that… Claire felt like she’d been ripped in half down the middle. “W-what? N-no! No, this- this was for YOU! You hate her, so I…” The web in her throat became a hard lump. “I-I thought you’d… you’d be happy…”
“Why the hell would you think I’d want you to do something like this?” The raw disgust in Theo’s voice pulled the halves of Claire’s breaking heart even further apart. “Yeah, she could be a bitch, but you thought I’d want *this* to happen to her? You wanted to do *this* to her? And you really thought I’d like seeing that?!” Theo seethed in a more deeply furious way than Claire had ever heard from her, before her expression fell apart into something more like horror. She shook her head and backed away.
Warm tears welled up in Claire’s eyes. She reached out. “No, Theo, please-“
“I thought I knew you, Blue,” Theo shook her head again and backed up another step. “But you’re worse than she is. You’re…” Grunting in disgust, Theo spun on her heel and marched away, without sparing even a single glance back.
“Wait! Theo!” Claire called out, but it was too late. She was gone.
In an instant, it was like all the air was ripped out of Claire’s lungs. Her body felt totally light all the way to her head, the whole world quiet and numb around her… Her back hit the wall and she slid down it and crumpled to the floor. Gasping for air, Claire brought her knees up to her chest and shoved her forehead into them, hugging herself and trying in vain to fight the heat in her eyes from trickling over her cheeks and burning against her legs. This wasn’t happening. This *shouldn’t* be happening.
How could Theo not want something like this? The person she hates, humiliated. How would that not make her feel good? She should be happy, seeing that! It’s what she said she wanted: the universe coming after her. Claire had done it for her! Why didn’t she get it? It was for *her*. It was always her… Claire just couldn’t comprehend it. What, had she lied? She didn’t do anything wrong, she got back at a bully! It shouldn’t be like this, it *can’t* be like this… it was like this… She was supposed to be happy… how could she not get it? Maybe it was she that didn’t really know Theo… no… No, this was all her fault, her stupid, stupid fault… Claire squeezed her eyes shut tighter, but couldn’t stop the sadness spilling out. She’d ruined everything. She always ruined everything. And there she was… alone again… she was always gonna be…
…her foot. Someone was nudging her foot. Slowly, Claire lifted her head to find herself under some girl’s tall shadow, not anyone she could immediately recognize. Said girl stood with one hand on her hip, and with the other she was holding out something flat. “This yours?” Claire squinted. It was her phone she’d dropped.
After everything, Claire was done with attention and just wanted to be left alone. Claire sniffed and rubbed her eyes with the jacket’s sleeve before reaching up to take her phone. “Um, yeah, thank y…” Claire trailed off as her gaze finally tracked all the way up, and she saw exactly who it was standing over her.
It was like looking at an angel, or even a goddess, something too beautiful to be mortal. Hair the color of perfectly-spun fairytale gold flowed in waves past her shoulders. Her sumptuous lips, even when drawn into the faintest smirk, looked so soft but kept a pouty quality that matched the confidence plain to see in her doe-brown eyes. And that bod… full round breasts accentuated by the snug fit of her cream-colored blouse, her jeans hugging low on her wide hips, with a toned and tight waist in between to make a perfect hourglass figure. She was a complete and total vision… this… This was the girl! Who Claire had only seen in glimpses! She was here, all of her!… and so close… Claire’s heart restarted in hyperdrive! Was this really happening?! She started to believe she’d fainted from her humiliation and was having a most wonderful dream to cope…
Nearly a full minute passed in silence before Claire snapped back and realized this wasn’t a dream. This was real, and it was her turn to speak, not stare. “Uhhhh… uhh- yes! Yes, that’s mine, yes!” Claire jumped to her feet and clumsily fumbled her phone off the girl’s palm. “Yes, yes, thank you! I mean, sorry- er, I mean, thank you! Thanks!” Claire then remembered she didn’t have a shirt on under the jacket! Realizing what a weepy mess she must’ve looked like, she crossed her arms over her chest and bashfully beamed, running her fingers through her bob and obliviously dropping her phone in the process. “Sorry! Sorry, I… sorry… thanks, but… thanks and sorry…:”
The girl’s expression didn’t change, but something in her eyes said to Claire she found her proverbial short-circuiting to be somewhat endearing. Her gaze dropped to around Claire’s feet. She bent down in a manner that gave Claire a glance at cleavage that dropped the goth’s jaw - which she hurriedly realized and fixed before the girl stood up! She had one of Claire’s broken bug-bots held between her forefinger and thumb, and was currently looking it over like a diamond at a jewelry store. “Couldn’t help but overhear… These are yours, then? You made these?”
Inexplicably embarrassed, Claire quickly reached out and took back her bug-bot - the second she did she realized she probably looked crazy, but it was too late by then! She held the bot in her fist and stumbled over her words, “No! Er, I mean- I- yes! Yes, yes they- they are- I made them, yes, it’s… they weren’t…” Embarrassment hit like a truck and she sighed. “They weren’t supposed to do that. I- I mean they were, but not… not to me…” Claire groaned and slumped back against the wall. “…shouldn’t have even… stupid… stupid stupid…”
In a flash, Claire remembered she wasn’t alone and pulled herself out of her own head to sheepishly stand upright. The girl had taken a step closer, and Claire promptly lost all her rhythm breathing again. Deftly, the stunning blonde vision plucked the bug-bot back out of Claire’s hand and admired it. “Do you have any more?”
M-more? Claire’s dizzy mind went spinning again. “Um… well, this… some of them are… I-I have more- I can make more, I…” Claire stopped herself when she internalized the question. Suddenly she became quite leery. She could get in real trouble for these bugs, actually. “Um… why- why do you ask? M-ma’am?”
The beautiful girl cocked her head and gently placed the bug-bot back in Claire’s palm. “See, I have this… friend.” She frowned. “Not a friend. There’s this… dork, who always needs to be reminded of her place. And I’ve been giving her her lessons and all, but…” She wobbled her head and weighed up her words. “There’s only so much I can do. I feel like our time together’s getting a little… stale. But with some toys like yours…” She gestured with her gaze at the bug-bot. “I think we could liven things up a little. So what do you say? Interested in a partnership?”
Claire didn’t respond for a minute, not because she was thinking the offer over, but because she was totally stunned, so much so she didn’t even notice her panties’ mangled and fraying waistband finally snapping apart, nor did she register the undergarment plummeting to her ankles. It didn't seem real! Everything was happening so quickly! Just moments ago, there she was at her lowest low, only to now be standing face to face with a stunningly gorgeous girl - no... a *woman* - who wanted HER! Not just her, HER, ALL of her! Her inventions, her brains, her quirkiness! Finally wanted for who she was, and of all people it’s HER? Of… of course! Whatever she wanted, she’d get! For her, she would have all the ‘toys’ in the world! Claire couldn’t stop herself from whispering, “Are you my guardian angel?”
The beautiful blonde angel’s lips turned up in amusement. “God, I hope not.” She subtly pointed downward to make Claire aware her pale nether regions were totally bare, but the goth was too swept up in her rapture to be properly reached. The blonde then rolled her eyes and instead extended her hand for Claire to cautiously shake. “I’m Hannah. Let’s chat.”
Comments
Nathan J C
Your literature is always a joy to read! Always well written and enjoyable.
merky-js
It's possible you can find them floating around the internet in various places lol.
StretchBow
Poor Theo and Claire. A nice embarrassing orgin story tho
Did the old TNP videos and comics get taken off those Dropbox links you had on your Deviantart page?
merky-js
Always a treat to see another piece of literature from you. I feel sincerely sorry for Claire - I felt like this was her Harleen Quinzel getting thrown into the vat of acid moment. Even if it's not in the cards immediately, I'd love to see her try to break free of the cycle like Candice and Mallory did. And Emma, to an extent.
