MayorMonarch fics!!

“Hey! I’m—home?” Jerry looks at the dining table, where Mabel and Titus were sitting. Jerry faked a smile, not knowing what was going on.

“O-oh Mabel! I see you and Timothy—“

“Cut the act, Dad. I know it’s Titus.”

Jerry’s face went pale and he sighed shakily, “shit. Well, now what?” He sat at the other end of the table, loosening his tie.

Mabel stood up, slamming her hands on the table, “Why did you lie to me?? Why are you harboring a fucking PSYCHOPATH—“

“Hey!—“

“—and why didn’t you tell me?”

Jerry looked down, sheepishly, “Me and Titus have an understanding! He’s working towards being rehabilitated! He’s doing good!” He flashes a small smile at Titus, who looked away, blushing.

“Yuck! That’s another thing! You had SEX WITH HIM?”

Jerry’s face went red, “MABEL! That’s none of your business!”

She groaned, “can’t believe my dad is in love with a robot, much less a butterfly in a robot….” She put her head down, “so where do we go from here, Dad?”

“I’m telling you Mabel, he’s safe in my care….right, Titus?” Jerry looks over at him.

Titus nods, although he flashes Mabel with a mean look, “yeah…we’re good.”

Mabel’s phone pings, making her check it, “I gotta go. Connor’s here to pick me up.” She stands up and starts to head out.

“Ooooh? Connor, huh? Isn’t that the guy you told me you liked?” Jerry teases.

Mabel tenses up, “shut up, dad!” She storms out and slams the door behind her.

Jerry sighs and sits next to Titus, “you okay?”

He nods and hugs Jerry close to him, “I’m already so tired of today….and it’s only one o’clock….”

Jerry runs his fingers through Titus’s hair, “we can go take a nap, and if we wake up later, we can talk some more, okay?”

Titus stretched out, the sunlight shining on his face. He flopped around a bit until he realized Jerry wasn’t there with him. He sat up quickly and looked around. His stomach grumbled softly as he realized he hadn’t eaten since the day before. He yawned and stood up, walking over to the base. He stood and was instantly transported into his butterfly body.

He flew out the door and down the stairs to the kitchen counter, where a small bowl of fruit was waiting, a note next to it.

*I’ll be back in a few hours! Enjoy your day! 🧡*

Titus’s fluff ruffled as he snickered, taking a piece of strawberry out. He sat politely and nibbled on it before he looked over, sensing someone watching him.

Mabel.

He dropped the fruit and backed up. His eyes went wide as Mabel gasped.

“YOU!!”

She ran forward, a fly swatter in her hand. Titus yelped and flew up, out of reach. He realized she didn’t have an earpiece and couldn’t hear him. He flew towards the stairs, running after him, “GET BACK HERE COWARD! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE IN JERRY’S HOUSE!”

He raced towards the bedroom and landed next to the earpiece, allowing a bit of time for her to notice it before flying to perch on top of the ceiling fan blade. He peeked over the side.

“Okay, I put it in. Now talk to me.”

“….what do you wanna know?”

“Why are you here? How long have you been here? And,” she glanced over at the robot in the corner of the room, “….YOURE TIMOTHY? ?? Why is it naked??”

“…i got it custom made.” He flew towards the base and transferred into his human body. He stepped forward and grabbed a pair of shorts to pull on.

“Me and Jerry have an…an agreement. I’m redeeming myself.”

“JERRY WILLINGLY LET YOU IN? Wait…if the robot was naked…OH GROSS!!!” She turned away holding her stomach, “he’s been fucking a butterfly in a robot body?”

“Mabel! GODDAMIT, just stop!” It was silent for a few seconds before Mabel spoke.

“I can’t! My father figure has not only been lying to me, but has been having sex with the guy—THE BUG!— who tried to kill us!!!” She buried her face in her hands and groaned, “why? Why does my life have to be so weird!! Also, Sam said she threw out the hopping equipment?? Why does she still have it?”

Mabel bent down to look at the base, “and she modified it?” She huffed and stood back up, staring daggers at him.

Titus sighed, “look, I’m trying. Me and Jerry have…grown close these past few days and…he cares about me….” He chuckled sadly, “and although I still despise you for what you did to my mother,” his hand clenched, “I’m willing to put aside our differences. For Jerry.”

Mabel huffed and looked away, “I didn’t mean to do it.” She set the flyswatter on the nightstand.

Titus stood up, sighing angrily, “obviously you did! Because you’re a human and all you know is that bugs are annoying and deserve to be squished! That’s why you automatically came at me with that swatter instead of hearing me out! What if I wasn’t Titus? What if I was a random butterfly? Huh? You would’ve killed them just because!”

Mabel furrowed her eyebrows, “maybe if you weren’t dangerous, I wouldn’t have done that! And…and maybe if your mom had shut up and listened to me, she’d still be here! What do you care, you hated her anyway!” She blurted out before covering her mouth. Titus looked at her from over his shoulder, before lunging at her. He grabbed her collar.

Titus pushed her against the wall again, “say that one more time! I never hated my mother! She was the best mother a queen could be and she cared for me more than anyone ever could!” Angry tears poured down his face as he panted out shuddering breaths.

Mabel looked away, “I’m sorry…I know what it’s like…I shouldn’t provoke you either….” She squirmed uncomfortably.

He let go of her harshly and looked away, “whatever. You know nothing about me….i wouldn’t expect you too…”

“I do know what it feels like….my mom couldn’t take care of me and sent me away to live with my grandmother….and then she died….its hard…”

Titus woke up with a jolt after a loud clap of thunder echoes through the house. His eyes forced open, and he found himself shaking. His mind was foggy, confused with where he was and what was happening. He felt around in the dark, feeling some hair and flesh underneath his hand. Suddenly a large mass turned and started to crush him underneath it.

“ACK! JERRY! HELP!” Titus sputtered out.

Jerry just pulled him closer, causing Titus to sigh. He started to remember what happened earlier that night: Jerry pushing him on the bed, crawling on top of him, eventually leading to….

Jerry murmured in his sleep, causing Titus to chuckle a bit. The weight of Jerry’s body was surprisingly comforting, so he didn’t push him off.

What was this feeling?

A flash of light illuminated the room for a few seconds, Titus quickly cupping Jerry’s face in his hands. He caressed his cheeks with his thumbs, feeling warm skin underneath his fingers.

Why was he feeling this way?

Jerry stirred as he opened his eyes, causing Titus to panic as he retracted his hands quickly. “What…what are you doing?”

“The…the sounds outside scared me awake….its very loud, what is it?”

“Oh, thunderstorms? We tend to have those a lot in the fall.” Jerry stretched and laid on his back, grabbing his phone, “it’s four in the morning….too early….” Jerry suddenly sat up, “wait, what are you doing in my bed???” He pulled the cord on the lamp next to his bed.

“Oh…uh…you don’t remember??”

“Agh…my brain is still foggy….lemme think….i don’t have a shirt on, you’re naked, OH MY GOD!!” Jerry ran his fingers in his hair, “did we????”

Titus looked away, “yeah….is that bad? Was I bad at it?”

Jerry realized how he sounded, “no! That’s not what…. I’m just shocked….i remember now, it wasn’t bad at all…ugh I’m sorry.” Jerry covered his face and laid back.

Titus laid his head on his chest, “I enjoyed it…no wonder you humans like it….does this make us mates?”

Jerry sighed, “I don’t know, Titus….i told myself I wouldn’t date anyone ever again, let alone a butterfly in a robot body…”

Titus looked away at that, his eyes welling up with tears.

“But….”

Titus looked over, “But?”

“For one, I made that vow 20 years ago, when I was young and stupid. And for two,” Jerry cupped Titus’s face, “I can’t pretend that I don’t feel something for you…it keeps growing and I don’t know what to do with it. So I’m willing to try this out. For us.”

Titus smiled and laughed happily, hugging Jerry, “yes! Yes! Thank you!”

Jerry hugged back gently and kissed Titus’s head, before yawning, “the storm is starting to die down…you ready to go back to sleep? I have a long day at work tomorrow.”

Titus yawned himself and laid down, turning away, “yeah…”

Jerry wrapped his arms around the smaller man, spooning him from the behind, “good night, my beautiful butterfly….”

Titus smiles, “good night, my handsome man….”

Jerry tossed Titus onto the bed before crawling on top of him, kissing up his neck. Titus gasped and grabbed onto his back, “J-Jerry, slow down!” He whined.

“Sorry, I just haven’t done this in so long.” He got between Titus’s legs and rubbed their crutches together slowly.

“It feels like you have a rock in your pants…” Titus groaned as he felt the spot between his legs get wetter. Jerry chuckled huskily as he sat up, pulling his shirt off, revealing his…plumage. Titus blushed as he felt his dress get pulled over his head.

“I keep forgetting you don’t know what a penis and a vagina are..I can teach you.”

“Please do…” he giggled nervously. Jerry smirked and kissed his chest, running his tongue over Titus’s nipples. He gasped, “oh my god!”

Jerry sat up and took off Titus’s panties. He lifted his legs up put them over his shoulders, “I’m gonna make you feel amazing…”

“W-what?”

Jerry licked a strip against his slit, causing Titus to grip the bed, “J-Jerry!!!”

He chuckled and swirled his tongue in circles on his clit, making Titus arch his back off of the bed. He shook as he felt himself getting close, before Jerry stopped. Titus whined until he saw Jerry taking off his panties, letting his cock flip out. He stroke it a few times before lining up with Titus’s entrance, “you ready?”

Titus nodded, not really sure what was going on. He felt Jerry push himself inside, causing Titus to scream in pleasure, “fuck!! I feel like I’m being stretched to oblivion!”

Jerry smirked and thrusted at a steady pace, in and out, in and out. Titus gasped as he held on tight. He moaned as Jerry pounded into him, over and over. “Fuck! Jerry…I love…I love you so much!”

Jerry’s eyes widened and he grunted, picking up the pace.

*This feels…AMAZING!! NO WONDER HUMANS LIKE TO DO THIS*

“Jerry! S-something’s coming!!” He felt his insides get tight as he clenched around him.

“I’m…I’m close too….” Jerry whined as he thrusted more, his sweat starting to drip down his face. He thrusted a few more time before finally unloading inside of his partner, capturing his lips in heated kiss. Titus followed his movements on his lips and kissed back before they pulled apart. Jerry flopped on his back as he tried to catch his breath, tiny whimpers coming out of him before he finally spoke.

“Well…what do you think?”

“It was…quite the experience…felt amazing….you humans have such…pleasurable ways of mating.” He laid his head on Jerry’s chest.

“So…uh…I guess the next question to ask would be…do you wanna be mates?”

Titus popped his head up, “m-mates? With me???”

Jerry nodded and cupped his face, “you don’t have to, of course…just thought that if you wanted to make this a regular thing…I could show you more about human relationships…”

Titus laid his head back down, “let me think about it….ill tell you in the morning…”

Jerry nodded and kissed his forehead, “take your time…now let’s get some sleep….”

“Good night Jerry…”

“C’mon Titus! Just a little farther” Jerry walked behind Titus, covering his eyes. The butterfly walked awkwardly until Jerry made an abrupt stop, “okay…now!” He lifted his hands, and put them on Titus’s shoulders. Titus gasped as he took in the scenery.

Jerry sat on the edge, “me and my friends back in high school used to come here and chill. Sometimes there would be parties, lots of underage drinking.” Jerry chuckled as he traced his fingers over a carving in the rust.

*Jerry G. was here!*

Titus sat next to him, “you don’t seem to have many friends now.”

Jerry looked at him and nervously laughed, “wow, way to call me out like that…but, yeah, being the mayor doesn’t give me much time for friends…or love…”

“Have you ever had a mate?”

“….yeah…but he…I mean…he got super religious and started to believe that gay people were sinful….” Jerry looked away, “that was twenty years ago….he was my first and my last…I guess I just gave up on love.”

Titus looked down, “what are those words? Gay and religious?”

“Religion is…a way of life…it’s hard to explain….doesn’t really matter since I’m not religious…and being gay means you like the same gender.”

They sat in silence for a bit until Jerry spoke up again, “I have to ask…how are you, as royalty supposed to find a mate? Do they choose one?”

“Yes. My mother mated with one of the strongest Monarch soldiers…he was eaten by an Oriole, one of the few predators we Monarchs have.”

“So they would pick a girl butterfly for you?”

“Yes…although I never really liked the idea of being with a female…but I would’ve had to…in order to produce an heir.”

“Wait so you don’t like girls?”

“I suppose not. I guess I’m that gay thing that you were talking about.” Titus fidgeting with the hem of his dress.

Jerry held his hand, “you know Titus….you’re very sweet when you wanna be…” his hand moved to Titus’s face, “I…I think it time I tell you how I feel…”

“W-what?? Don’t tell me!” He pulled away, “I’m a butterfly Jerry! You can’t be in love with me!” His face turned red as he turned away.

“Just listen! I know we’re different species, but you’re basically a human now! Just give me a chance!” Jerry cupped his face, “I like you! A lot! I can’t stop thinking about you, and you make me want to break my ‘no more love’ promise! How can I prove to you that I genuinely like you?”

Titus looked Jerry in his eyes, trying to find any signs of deceit. There was none.

“I…okay….but only if you…uh” Titus blushed.

Jerry tilted his head, before Titus blurted out, “I wanna know how you humans mate.”

Jerry’s eyes went wide, “w-what? I mean, are you s-sure?”

Titus nodded and stood up, “take me home, and prove to me that this can work…then, I’ll consider it.”

Titus’s eyes fluttered open. He felt two arms around him and looked up, realizing he was still in Jerry’s embrace. He laid his head on his chest and watched him, observing the human. He tilted his head as he watched Jerry sleep, the way his eyes fluttered as he dreamt.

*I wonder what he’s dreaming about….maybe about us….*

Us?? What? Titus shook his head as he felt his face heat up.

*What is happening to me? Could I be…oh no…..but he’s a human! I’m a butterfly! It’s just….*

Jerry stretched and pulled Titus closer, mumbling some incoherent words. Titus felt himself being pressed against his chest, causing him to take a strong whiff of Jerry’s scent. It was a calming scent, of cinnamon and aftershave. He felt himself relax as he closed his eyes again.

Soon the sun came out and Titus opened his eyes again, realizing Jerry was gone. He looked around, panicking slightly. Suddenly the door opened.

“Good morning sleepy head! I brought you some breakfast!” Jerry set down a bowl of fruit as Titus switched back into his butterfly body. Jerry put in his ear piece and rummaged through the closet for some clothes to wear.

Titus ate his breakfast as he watched the mayor put on a light blue polo shirt. He tucked it into his pants and sat on the bed, “how’d you sleep?”

“Well. Uh..thank you for staying with me through the night. I quite enjoyed our…affectionate session.”

Jerry blushed and chuckled, “it’s nothing. You ready to go shopping?”

Titus finished the last of the fruit and nodded, switching back into his body. He followed Jerry out of the house and into the car, heading for the mall.

Titus found a store he liked and looked around, finding a few outfits.

Titus walked out of the dressing room with the last out fit, a short orange plaid dress. He looked nervously at Jerry, “so…how do I look?”

Jerry cleared his throat, his face red, “you look amazing…like really good…uh! I mean if you like it…”

“The skirt part feels like my wings….and when I spin, it does this!” Titus spun, before tripping over his feet, right into Jerry’s arms. They both laughed gleefully.

“Careful bud….i got ya!” Jerry smiled as he wrapped an arm around Titus’s waist, “let’s go checkout and go home. Unless you wanna go somewhere else.”

“I don’t want to go home yet….what do you humans do for fun…or go for fun?”

Jerry gave his card to the cashier, “oh…plenty of things…I could show you the new nature reserve we have….lots of flowers and butterflies there…” they began to walk to the car.

Titus jumped up and down excitedly, “yes!! Please take me!” He opened the door and got into the seat, his legs jumping with anticipation.

Jerry closed the car door behind him, carrying the robot body inside of the house. Titus fluttered nervously, still unsure about the whole plan of “being more human”. He watched as Jerry set the body on its base, “so…you wanna try the body, walk around in it…you know, just adjust?”

Titus fluttered onto his shoulder, “s-sure….i could try.” He swooped down to the smaller base and stood as he conscious was pushed into the robot. He opened his eyes and stood up, stumbling a bit, causing Jerry to catch him in his arms, “whoa there, buddy….easy now.” Jerry took his hands and walked backwards slowly, allowing Titus to do the same. His face went hot and he pulled back, “I think I can walk fine by myself.” He took a few small steps, staying steady.

Jerry nodded, “okay then….do you want me to take you up to your room?” Jerry pick up the robot base and held it under his arm. Titus nodded and they both went upstairs to a small guest room. Jerry set the bases down and plugged them in. He raised his arms in a stretch, “alright… I have an idea!”

Titus scoffed, “what now?”

“How about I take you to the store tomorrow and we get some outfits for you!”

Titus thought for a few seconds then stood up, “fine…you will buy me the most exquisite threads one can adorn a body!” He laid on the bed, kicking his shoes off. Jerry started to leave.

“Wait!”

Jerry turned his head.

“Could you stay in here with me? Maybe lay down next to me and we could…talk?” Titus looked down, his face red.

Jerry chuckled and laid next to him, “what do you want to talk about?”

Titus scooched closer, laying his head on Jerry’s chest, “am I…allowed to do this?”

Jerry’s heart raced, “s-sure….” Titus proceeded to blab about several things mostly complaints and rants. Jerry laid a hand on Titus’s back and rubbed up and down slowly as he listened. It had been awhile since he was this close to another human. It felt so intimate and real. Jerry laughed at himself in his head. He’s a butterfly, and you’re a human, nothing will change that.

“Sooo…who’s your friend here?”

Jerry swallowed, “this is….Timothy! Yes, Timothy, we brought him to the lab because….

Sam spoke up, “he offered to be our test subject for the age slowing down serum!”

“Are you sure it’s safe, honey?” Nisha held onto Sam’s arm, glaring slightly at Titus, “he’s a little…scrawny.”

Titus huffed, “what is this….what did you call it? See-rum?”

Mabel laughed, “it’s something that’s supposed to keep u from aging fast. Makes your body systems healthier.” Mabel picked up a few boxes of used supplies, “anyway, I gotta go take old supplies out to the dumpster, I’ll be back.” With that, she walked out, closing the door behind her.

Sam and Jerry sighed, “okay, you two, don’t freak out when we tell you this.”

Connor and Nisha looked at each other, then back at Sam, “what is it?”

“Timothy is actually….Titus…” Sam’s voice lowered to a whisper.

Nisha gritted her teeth and grabbed the broom, “WHAT??? GET HIM OUT!” Connor stood next to her, ready to aide her.

Titus’s eyes widened, and he squeaked, hiding behind Jerry, “Nisha, please! We’re trying to rehabilitate him! He’s not a threat!” Jerry held his hands out, trying to calm the situation.

Nisha’s eyes darted back and forth, “fine….but what do we do about Mabel?”

Sam grabbed Nisha’s hands, “hun, I need you to promise me to NOT tell her.” Sam pointed at Connor “you too.”

They both nodded and Connor stepped forward, “fascinating….it seems you have adjusted to the body perfectly….no loose screws, no loose panels…” he grabbed the anti aging serum, “how many days old are you?”

“Uh…38.”

“That means you’re 38 in human years…however, butterflies don’t live very long, so in order to get your aging process down to ours, you need to take this.” Connor walked over to where the butterfly body was and unplugged it. Titus woke up back in his body.

Connor held it up to his mouth, and Titus took a small lick. He felt his body jolt, like fire was going through his veins. His body went stiff and he fell on his back. Jerry gasped and grabbed the earpiece, cupping Titus in his hands.

“Are you okay? Please say something!!” Jerry’s eyes pricked with tears.

“I’m….f-fine!” Titus sneezed and slowly got back to his feet, “that was…quite the experience.”

Jerry sighed in relief and wiped his eyes, “thank god….i thought i lost you…”

Titus tilted his head, “why? Why would you care?”

Jerry blushed, “w-well….because we’re friends now! And I want to help you be better so….yeah…”

Titus shakily flew up and onto Jerry’s shoulder. They both looked at the body, “well….i guess we better get this home.” Jerry picked it up bridal style, starting to walk out. They waved goodbye to the three scientists as Jerry carried his body to the car. They had just about made it when they heard a voice. Titus jumped into Jerry’s pocket.

“Hey! What happened?” Mabel hopped over, looking at the body.

“Uh…Timothy got a little tired and fell asleep….thats all….”

Mabel giggled, “your face is all red. Does someone have a cruuuuush?” She smirked.

Jerry sucked in a breath, “NO! No, I don’t! He’s just a friend, nothing more.” Jerry put the body in the backseat. “You know I don’t do all that love stuff….” He looked away.

“Yeah yeah, I know. Anyway, I gotta get back. See ya later, dad.” She waved and walked back into the school. Titus burst out of his pocket, his neck fluff covered in lint. “GROSS! You humans are disgusting!”

“Oh shut it! I’m trying to help you!”

Titus grumbled, “not like I need it….”

“Hey Sam! I’ve brought him!” Jerry held out Titus on his finger. Titus waved slightly, looking around, a bit embarrassed to be back here.

Sam smiled, “welcome, boys! Me and Nisha have been hard at work fixing up the robot body!” She opened her hand for the earpiece. Titus looked at Jerry, realizing he wouldn’t be able to hear him anymore. He panicked slightly, although he didn’t know why. He took a breath and turned around, and looked at the computer screen that Sam had him look at. He clicked on a few options and the machine made strange whirring noises. He stepped back and looked at Sam, “I’m done.”

She nodded and put in the passcode, and the machine opened to reveal a new body. Titus stepped on top of the mind transfer and suddenly was transported into the body. He opened his eyes and stood up, getting used to the body.

“Do I….do I look okay?”

Sam and Jerry both smiled. She handed him a mirror to look into.

He rubbed his face, “this feels different than the old one….”

Sam laughed, “we added some extra sensors, more accurate brain wave scans and made the skin more realistic!”

Titus looked over at Jerry, who had a slight blush to his face. Their eyes met, and Jerry looked away quickly, clearing his throat, “so uh…. You said you added stuff to make it easier for him to assimilate into human life.”

“We added some fingerprints, a customizable voice box, and more intimate details!”

“Intimate? Like…down there?” Jerry’s face reddened, “does he have….that?”

Sam blushed, “no! I-it’s…ah, how do we say this….its a replica of the female parts…didn’t really feel comfortable making a male piece.” She waved her hand.

Jerry turned, “are you okay with having….a girls crotch?”

Titus tilted his head, “considering you humans have different reproductive organs to us butterflies and that I know nothing about them…I don’t mind. Probably won’t be using them anyway…”

Titus awakened, feeling the side next to him empty. His wing was feeling much better, and he flapped a few times, getting his green blood rushing in his veins. He lifted himself up a few inches, twirling in a circle. Between getting rest and having a proper meal, it seems that his wing had held up nicely. He saw the earpiece on the nightstand, where Jerry had left it. He suddenly smelled something sweet coming from the kitchen. He flew over and grabbed the earpiece, flying out the door and down the stairs.

He reached the kitchen where Jerry seemed to be making something. He saw a flat piece of food in a strange metal device with a handle. Jerry looks out of the corner of his eye, “oh! You’re awake!”

Titus nodded and landed on the table, sliding the earpiece over. Jerry put it in and went back to the stove. Titus sighed and flew over, perching on his shoulder, “what is this?”

“Hm? Oh! This is a stove. It’s how we humans make food. I’m making pancakes. My mother left earlier to go to her bingo game, so it’s just us! I’m making a few for myself.”

He turned the stove off and put the last pancake on the plate, before spinning and sitting down at the table. He cut off a small piece and offered it to the butterfly. Titus took it in his claws and bit, his eyes widening. It was like nothing he has ever tasted before. He jumped onto the table and tore off another piece. He ate it quickly before he was picked up by the neck scruff.

“Not so fast, little guy!”

Titus growled, “but it’s so good! Unhand me!” He wiggled and struggled until he finally gave up.

“You can have one more bite.” Jerry said sternly, setting the butterfly back down on the table.

“….fine.” Titus tore off another piece and ate it, slower to savor it. Jerry finished up the rest.

“Sam told me that Mabel was out of the lab today, so we need to be quick.”

“The lab? Why?”

“For your new body. We want to give you the power to design yourself this time.”

Titus nodded and perched back on his shoulder.

Jerry got ready, grabbing his keys and heading out to his car (a brand new one).

“….Jerry?”

“Yes?”

Titus heard the click of the door as Jerry came back.

“Hey bud, I got ya something!” He set a bowl of strawberries in front Titus, laying down next to him on his side, watching intently with that stupid smile on his face.

Titus grumbled out a thank you as he put a piece in his mouth. It was the first time he had eaten something real in a while. It had also been getting closer to winter time, so the flowers were starting to wilt, making no new nectar. He swallowed then looked over at Jerry, who was still watching him.

“What are you looking at, human fiend?”

Jerry shrugged, “just you. You’re a spicy little thing….but also quite cute.” Jerry pet his neck fluff with his thumb. Titus felt his fluff ruffle, the equivalent of a human blushing.

“Why are you being so kind? After everything I did!” Titus took another bite out of a strawberry.

Jerry looked at him, “because I understand why you did it. If someone killed my mom and was gonna destroy my home, I’d probably lose it too. Sure, you may have gone too far, but you had reasons.”

Titus swallowed and rubbed the juice off his mouth. He looked away, “I think….i think I wanna talk….if you’re ready to listen.”

“Go ahead. How about….you talk about your mom?”

“My mother was a coward and she never cared for me! She always cared for the others, but me? I was the youngest, the WEAKEST! But I proved her wrong didn’t I? Oh y-yes I did! I n-never cared a-about her! N-never…” Titus started to shake.

“Hey hey….” Jerry picked him up in his hands. Titus wiped away small tears, “don’t say that….you know that’s not true….you miss her, huh?”

“Yes….for some reason…even when she was berating me for my stupid ideas…at least she was paying attention…” Titus curled up, laying in Jerry’s palm. He draped his wings over himself. He looked at Jerry, whose eyebrows were furrowed, seemingly worried. His usually smiling face was in a frown, his eyes seeming to be sympathetic to his troubles.

“I’ve had my own parental issues….my father wasn’t the best when I was growing up…and even now, I get told I look just like him….he was an alcoholic, do you know what that is?”

“I remember Mother saying something about not drinking out of the green glass bottles….is that it?”

Jerry nods, “yeah…he didn’t like me very much….didn’t take care of me…so I became a bad teenager, always getting into fights and such. But I got better. And you,” Jerry touched Titus’s nose, “are gonna get better too. And I talked to the girls at the lab, and they would be okay with building you a new body of your very own, as long as I keep an eye on you. They’re also thinking about making an aging slowdown serum you can take, so you can feel more human.”

“Human? Me? I suppose since the other animals have shunned me, the only proper thing is to assimilate with you….but what do I know about being human?”

“I’ll help you. You can live here with me. I have an extra room.”

“Why can’t I sleep in here with you?”

Jerry blushed, “w-well that’s a thing that couples do, Titus…. Being in the same bed is a very intimate thing for humans.”

“Oh….you humans are strange….” Titus dropped down and laid on Jerry’s chest, curling his wings around him. “At least for now, I shall sleep here.”

Jerry pet his head softly, turning off the light.

“Jerry?”

“Yeah?”

“What is a couple?”

“A couple is two people who pair up affectionately. They have a deep bond and love for each other. It’s a mate.”

“Oh….are we mates?”

“U-uh! Well….mate is another word for friend…so I guess…”

Titus tapped his back leg softly, taking in this information, “I like that word….friend….good night, Jerry.”

Titus woke up to find himself nestled on top of a pillow, with a small piece of fabric draped over him. He stretched and rubbed his eyes, taking in his surroundings. He seemed to be in a bedroom, although how he got there was a mystery. It seems like a human picked him up, but what human would pick up a seemingly dead butterfly and care for it? Unless…

Suddenly the door opens. Titus pops up, eyes widening as he realizes who it is: the human king. He shrank back, worried that he was here for revenge.

“Oh good, you’re awake. I had to go see Sam and Nisha to see if they had an extra earpiece, and lucky for you, they did!” He pulled up a chair and looked at Titus on the pillow, “we gotta lay some ground rules, though. No biting, no trying to take over, nothing evil. And as long as you’re nice to me, I’ll take care of you. Got it?”

Titus nodded, and the human king put in the earpiece.

“Well? You gonna talk to me?”

Titus grumbles, “about what?”

“You could start off by thanking me for helping you.”

Titus grumbles and looks away, “thank you…I guess….”

The human king smiled and rubbed Titus’s scruff with his finger. Titus tried to pull away but…it felt good. He sighed, “what even would you want with me Herry-“

“It’s Jerry.”

“Ahem! Jerry….i have no power, or dignity….I’m just…a butterfly.”

Jerry frowned and lifted Titus on his finger, brining him to the bed. Jerry laid down and set Titus beside him, “I don’t care about that…Mabel taught me to see the good in all people, including someone like you…so talk, if you want.”

Titus curled up, facing away from Jerry. Jerry sighed and sat back up, “it’s okay if you need to think about it. Whenever you’re ready. I have to go buy groceries, what do you eat?”

“I am…fond of fruits. And nectar.”

—————————————

It’s been two days since the frog king spit Titus out, and it’s been a living hell. One of his wings was slightly bent at the top, and his ability to fly was almost completely out. On top of all this, a large storm had been stalling over Beaverton these few days.

Titus shook off his wings, stretching and looking out from under the leaf he had been hiding in. The rain had slowed down, and his wing was feeling a little better.

He stood up and gave a few flaps, very wobbly at first. He yelped as a drop hit, making him go down a bit. He looked up ahead to see an open window on a human dwelling. His eyes widened and he mustered the last bit of his strength to fly up, practically throwing himself through.