Chapter Text

Butterfly Business:

Velvet Wings

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Chapter 1

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A ginger haired girl was blowing her toy windmill happily. She was walking in such a way that it would make the small windmill twist and spin around. She laughed. The girl was so focused on the windmill she didn't watch her path, and she bumped into someone who was walking in the same direction.

The two kids fell into a seated position and made eye contact. There was a black-haired boy wearing glasses in front of the girl, both in a state of shock. "S-sorry." The boy said timidly. "No, no, it's alright, it was me who wasn't looking where I was going." The girl replied, getting up. "Are you okay? What's your name?" She asked the boy, lending out a hand towards him.

"...Michael." The boy said, taking the girl's hand and getting up. "I'm Michael." He spoke. "Cool name." The girl said with a smile. "Thanks. What's yours?" Michael said with a newfound smile. "Gwendolyn. But you can call me Wendy." Wendy replied.

The alarm clock sound beeped throughout the room, much to Wendy's annoyance. She shut it off with a smack and sat up, reddish-ginger hair tussled up tremendously. She wrenched herself off of the bed and went to the bathroom. Wendy glanced at the calendar and saw that it was Saturday. She pumped a fist into the air and let out a small 'Yes!' before taking her brush and began combing back her curls.

Her phone rang. She went outside the bathroom picked up her phone in one hand. It was Lucinda, one of her other friends. She worked as a florist with her two other cousins in this city. Wendy, being the good friend she is, picked up. "Hello?" She said in a sing-song voice. "Hi Gwen!" Lucy called on the other end. "Hi Lucy, what did you call me for?" Wendy asked. 

"You said you'd help me with the hydrangeas and peonies today, are you getting ready?" Lucy replied. Oh, shoot. The flowers. "Y-yeah! Yes, I am, as soon as I get these- stupid- tangles- out of my hair, I'll come down to the shop. Ow!" Wendy said, struggling to take the tangles out of her locks while holding her phone by her shoulder, as she sat down on her bed. Lucy gave a small laugh on the other end.

"It's okay, take all the time you need. No rushes. So, I'll see you at Ruby & Hope's?" Lucy replied, then asked. "Yeah, I'll see you at Ruby & Hope's." Wendy replied. "Alright. See you!" Lucy said, then hung up. Wendy let her phone slide onto the bed, and she finished getting her hair done.
Wendy then rushed inside the bathroom, but not without grabbing her clothes first.

"Thanks for helping me out with the flowers again Wendy." Lucy said. "Ah it was nothing. Anything to help out a friend." Wendy said. "Sooo...how's your little 'thing' with Michael, that you haven't told him yet?" Wendy said out of the blue with a small smile. Lucy's face flushed into a shade of fuchsia pink-and moved her mouth in such a way that her lips were not exactly closed, and her canine teeth turned to the consistency of sharp fangs for a moment. "N-N-No! I-I mean! Yes! Wait, no! Uh...I haven't told him yet." Lucy replied, response coming out jittery. 

"I see. Sorry for riling you up with that question...again..." Wendy said, her voice trailing off.
"It's okay." Lucy replied. "I am so not ready to go to work tomorrow..." Wendy spoke. "Well, how about we focus on what we should do now? Do you think that could help?" Lucy said.

"Yeah...I guess." Wendy said.

Chapter Text

[Short Film Here]

Chapter 2

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Monday, 7:30 AM

Wendy's alarm went off, the sounds bouncing off the walls again. She whined. Wendy did not want to go to work today. But hey, that's the struggles of being an adult. She dragged herself out of bed and grabbed her office clothes. Cream color mid-sleeve shirt, navy vest, denim jeans, black belt and a hair tie with the color palette of a hornet, a tuft of her ginger hair falling down to her shoulder.

As she took her black purse and slung it over her shoulder, she had one final thought to herself before revving off on her golden colored honeycomb patterned motorcycle. 

'I wonder how my best friend Michael's doing...'

Michael, was, on in the inside, a bit nervous. 

Okay, make that a lot nervous. 

Michael gave a quick glance to Wendy-who smiled. She saw out of the corner of her eye that Michael had accidentally bluescreened his monitor. Wendy bit her lip as Michael threw his face into his hands and pulled back. What happened next though, is something Wendy didn't expect to see today.

'...Did...Did Michael just sprout antennae?' She thought, with a surprised look on her face, as Michael looked up and pushed them down, a small blush appearing on his face.

'...Okay...Uh, I guess I'll have to ask him about- Oh Shit-' Wendy snapped back into her position as she saw hers and Michael's boss enter Michael's cubicle. Michael turned around to look at his boss-and Wendy caught out of the corner of her eye that Michael's hands-no, his forearms turn into an insect's-just like his antennae.

Wendy's eyes widened. 'This is getting way too weird. I gotta ask Michael what's wrong.' She thought as Michael smiled at his boss, who put a very thick stack of papers on Michael's desk. Wendy grimaced. 'I don't give a crap about what the boss says to me-but he really needs to lay off pressuring my best friend.' Wendy thought to herself, unaware of the thin, sharp appendages starting to sprout from her wrists.

Wendy then saw Michael running towards the office bathrooms and the appendages disappeared as quickly as they had started growing.

Michael, had once again, smoothed down his antennae. But just then his phone pinged with a message. And once again his antennae popped out-with a new appendage that ripped his shirt and vest. He heard a knock. 

"Michael, is everything okay?" Wendy asked from outside the bathrooms. "Uh, y-yeah! Yeah, everything's...I'm fine." Came Michael's muffled reply from the inside of the bathrooms.

Michael checked his phone and saw three messages from his boss as notifications.

Where are you two?

In my office.

NOW.

Oh shoot. His boss was mad. At him. AND Wendy too (well that's not fair, Wendy didn't do anything wrong). Michael rushed to the bathroom door and opened it and ran to his boss' office.

Wendy checked her phone and saw the messages. 'Oh no... not the scolding for not doing anything wrong.' Wendy thought as she scoffed as she ran to her boss' office herself. Besides-she'll walk it off. 

Wendy didn't know how Michael would react though. 

The two were in the doorway of the boss' office. As usual, he started yelling at them-more at Michael, specifically. "Hey, don't speak to him like that." Wendy said defensively. "Wendy it's okay-" Michael replied but was cut off by the boss. "Shut your mouth Hanson! Or else I'm going to lower your payment!" Her boss replied angrily. Wendy struggled to resist the urge to roll her eyes. She could see Michael was getting distressed with the yelling.

Then the boss banged his fist on the table.

And that? That, was, the, final, straw.

Wendy had reached her limit.

Wendy was about to scream at her boss when Michael full on threw the upper half of his body with enough force to throw his glasses onto the floor (where they shattered). 

And what happened next...Wendy was shook; she stepped back, her hand covered her face. The other set of arms that grew from Michael's side ripped his clothing-and the giant blue morpho wings tore the fabric as well.

Wendy's eyes went wide with horror; her pupils shrunk to a pinprick point, and the tears in her eyes were beginning to form. How else would someone react? It's not every day that your best friend turns into a mutant mariposa. Michael was breathing quickly; he turned his head, his eyes drifted to his wings-and then to the people. His eyes met Wendy's fearful ones. 

'Oh God...Wendy thinks I'm a freak, doesn't she?' Michael thought. Some of the people from his office looked towards the window. Michael stared back at his faint reflection of the glass and then outside. Michael stepped back, looked his boss right in the eye, and launched himself towards the glass-and it shattered.

"MICHAEL WAIT!-..." Wendy called out. But it was too late. 

She was too late.

Michael was flying off into the horizon, blue wings shimmering in the sunset's light.

Wendy let out a sob. The appendages were growing again. And this time, Wendy felt it. She looked down at her palms. And gasped.