“H-Hey, Melissa?”

Melissa looked over at her, blinking those big beautiful golden eyes. The two dormmates she was talking to kept right on chattering, not having heard Mary’s mumbled greeting. “Oh, hey, Mary! Guys, be quiet.” The pair hushed. Melissa smiled at Mary. “What's up?”

Under this many stares, Mary felt her cheeks reddening. She fidgeted as she searched for the words she'd been rehearsing for the last five minutes. “I, um... I need your help with something.”

“Oh yeah? What with?”

“Oh, well, I, um...” Mary was in extreme violation of the 50-70 rule. She was staring too intensely. She needed to look away. She needed to at least blink. She felt like a faun in the jacklights. She'd already forgotten the made-up excuse. “It's... complicated. There's a problem with the, um. Room.“

Melissa frowned. Then a spark entered her eyes. “... oh, yeah? With the room?”

Mary felt like she could choke with shame. She nodded, forcing a smile.

Melissa’s lips parted in an unbearable grin. “Can't you handle that on your own?”

The craving, the need, she knew there was something wrong with it. There was no good reason to want to do it again. Every morning, she told herself never again.

And every night like this one, when she couldn't sleep and Melissa was staying up late in the common room…

“N-No, I...” Mary squirmed. “I've been trying.” Her wings gave a weak little unbidden flutter.

Melissa looked her up and down. Her eyebrows arched. “Well, let's go take a look.”

“What’s up?” one of the girls asked. She was an aranea, though Mary couldn't remember her name.

Mary froze, staring into eight compound blue eyes glittering with curiosity. She didn't know what to say. She was breaking the rule again, though.

“Oh, there's a hole in the screen,” Melissa said, not missing a beat. Her hand found Mary's and started to gently guide her away. “Bugs keep getting in, and they creep her out pretty bad, right, Mary?”

Mary nodded eagerly, not trusting herself to form cogent words.

“Let's go take care of it.” Turning so she was out of sight of the two girls, Lizzy gave her a wink. “Shouldn't take too long.”

Mary swallowed.

~ ~ ~ ~

“Okay, so, I hate to rub it in,” Lizzy said, pushing their door closed with a swing of her hips, “but that was, like, really pathetic.”

“I know.” Mary fluttered backwards and settled on her bed, hands covering her face. “I—I didn't know how to—”

“I mean, are you that...?”

“Yes.” Mary dropped her hands into her lap and wrung her palms like they were coated in something. “I—I can't. I tried. My wings are so sore.”

“... you tried.” Lizzy looked up at Mary and tilted her head to the side, a queer little smile on her face.

“Yes! I tried! Every night for the past week!” Mary felt like the shame in her chest was crowding out all the air in her lungs. “But I—I mean, my...”

“Your...?” Lizzy flew up until she was hovering level with Mary.

“My wings are too weak,” Mary said miserably. Her whole face was burning. “They're not as… strong as yours.”

She couldn't even bear to look at Lizzy. She couldn't imagine what must be going through Lizzy's head right now. Lizzy—Melissa—had come with her, so at least she wasn't totally ignoring the... situation. And she didn't seem upset, so she hopefully wasn't about to scold her.

She felt Melissa's weight settle on the bed with her. The apisae leaned against her, resting her chin on Mary’s shoulder. “Hey. If you need help, I can help. Anytime.” A chuckle tickled Mary’s ear. “So that’s why you always disappear after dinner.”

“I shouldn't even... I mean...”

“Why not?”

“I've been craving it.” Mary's hands gripped each other tightly. “It's been all I can think about some days. I took a cold shower, and that helped for a bit, but the second I was back under the covers, it... sprung to mind.” She took in a deep breath. “It's not... natural.”

“You mean... making yourself climax?” Melissa’s head tilted to the side.

Mary nodded mutely. That wasn't at all what she'd meant. But if she said what she'd actually meant, Melissa might never speak to her again.

Melissa was quiet for a moment.

“Well,” she said slowly, leaning forward to catch Mary's eye, “I don't mind helping out, do I? I like helping you with things, Mary. You're my friend.”

Looking into Melissa's eyes was too much right now. Mary stared at her own hands in her lap. Something was fluttering inside her so badly she thought she might be sick. It was like being on the verge of an anxiety attack, but... good? Like she was bracing for an impact, but an impact she wanted to happen. That didn't make any sense.

“And if your wings are too weak,” Melissa went on, unable to keep the smile out of her voice, “well, I guess consider me your second pair of wings, okay?”

The fluttering got worse. But when Mary felt Melissa’s hand under her chin, she let it tilt her head up, and she met Lizzy's bright honey-gold eyes.

Her breath caught.

“Okay,” she whispered.

“Okay.” Lizzy grinned. “Now, scoot over! I can't fly and 'go flying' at the same time.” She put a finger to her lips. “Well, like, maybe I could? I've never tried. Not like there's ever anywhere private to fly to.”

Mary obediently scooted back on the bed, giving Lizzy room to get in front of her without having to hover. She backed up until she was a bit over a wingsbreadth from the wall. Her antennae were humming. “Really? Didn't you grow up on a farm?”

“Well, we used to stay at my grandma's, and she grew clover. But then...” Lizzy trailed off, then laughed. “But clover fields don't exactly give much privacy, anyway, when you're living on the highway with five sisters. What about you?” She scooted in front of Mary, putting Mary between her and the wall. “Let me guess. Convent. Dry, dusty convent, with lots of scrolls and illumination manuscripts.”

“Illuminated.” Mary giggled. “No, I, um, grew up on an orchard.”

“Wait, you were on a farm?” Lizzy poked Mary's arm. “With these noodles?”

“Well, my parents didn't work the farm.” Mary pulled her arm away, rolling her eyes. “We were renting from someone. But on an orchard, there's a lot of space with nobody around, especially in the winter.” Especially when you're an hour away from the nearest public school. “So I spent a lot of time flying around on my own. There was no-one around for miles. Over there, you could probably...”

Mary realized what she was implying and went quiet.

Lizzy blinked. “Right. Well. Anyways.”

Lizzy pressed in close and slowly, almost shyly, slid her thigh between Mary's. She smiled at Mary.

Lizzy's smile made Mary feel all gooey inside. Her thigh was soft and pillowy, and it fit so nicely between Mary’s legs. Mary could feel herself already getting…

She bit her lip. “Sh-Shouldn't you take off your leggings?”

“Huh?” Lizzy blinked, then appeared to understand. Her cheeks reddened a little—or maybe it was just the lighting. She pulled back and pulled her leggings off, tossing them aside.

Now it was just Mary and Lizzy in their pleated black skirts and little underneath. Mary trembled as she felt Lizzy's smooth skin sliding against hers and brushing against her underwear.

“Okay,” Mary whispered, “I'm r-read—”

She wasn't.

Lizzy's wings started to hum to warm up, and Mary's hand flew to her mouth to hold in a cry as Lizzy's thigh buzzed against her. It felt so, so so so...

“The window!” she squeaked.

Lizzy stared, then nodded mutely, flying out of bed and down to shut the window. It had been a warm day, and the cool night air was desperately needed, but that meant everyone else would have their windows open tonight. If anyone heard... if they misunderstood that this was just something girls did for each other...

As Lizzy flew back, flicking the light switch on the way so the only light was from the nightlight, it struck Mary how dumb that sounded. If girls really did this for each other all the time, what did she have to worry about? It was almost like she knew she was full of...

Lizzy landed. Her leg slid back between Mary’s thighs.

Lizzy leaned in close.

Mary stared into Lizzy's beautiful eyes as they reflected the nightlight's glow. Her gaze traced the Cupid's bow of Lizzy's plump pink lips, that cute little half-smirk, those rosy-red cheeks...

Lizzy's wings began to buzz, and a moan exploded from Mary. She pressed her hand to her mouth, blushing furiously, but she didn’t have a chance at holding it in. The pleasure as Lizzy's soft thigh started to thrum against her, as the buzzing of Lizzy's wings filled her head with radio static, hit her like a truck.

Mary clutched at the hem of her skirt, as if to make sure it couldn't slide up. Lizzy's skin thrummed against her own, electric, intoxicating. Mary's own wings started to flutter in helpless excitement.

“Oh, Lizzy,” she whimpered, but her words were muffled through her hand.

Lizzy beamed at her. “Feels good?” she cooed. Her eyes were shining with excitement. Mary wondered if Lizzy had been thinking about doing this, too. But why would she?

The insecure thought broke like crashing waves as Lizzy's wings sped up, forcing Mary's moans out of her. “Y-Yes! G-Good! Good good good!” She felt her hips rocking slightly and had to force them still. Her nails were digging so tightly into the skirt, she was sure she was going to tear it.

Thrum. Thrum. The beating of Lizzy's wings started to rise on a rhythm, getting more intense, so intense Mary could barely take it, and then lightening again. Mary's hand fell away from her mouth, and she mewled aloud, her hand searching for something else to touch, something, anything—

—it found Lizzy's hand. She stared into Lizzy's eyes as the beautiful apisae bathed her in that smile, and her whole world went molten as her own wings started to flutter rapidly, vibrating their bodies against each other. She squeezed Lizzy's hand so tightly she thought she might break it, and she could see the wince in Lizzy's eyes, but the pleasure was too much, she couldn't stop, it was transcendent, and Lizzy's eyes shimmered so brightly in the dim light, so beautifully, so… so...

Mary knew, with burning shame in her chest at the lie she had told and the truth that she held, that it hadn't been the climax that had lingered so stickily in her mind.

“Mary.” Lizzy’s voice was husky and soft, a hot purr in Mary’s ear. “Do you want more?”

“Moremoremore!” Mary nodded frantically, totally insensible. It was pathetic. She was pathetic. She was a sinner.

But she couldn't stop now. It felt too good. She whimpered and moaned, barely able to keep from rocking her hips, barely able to keep from reaching over and grabbing Lizzy and—and—she was panting, whining, it felt so hot in the bedroom now and she was slick with sweat, all she could smell was Lizzy’s scent and her own, Lizzy's sweetness, sweat and wildflowers and honey and what she prayed in that single stupid desperate shameless moment was arousal—

She felt Lizzy's hands on her frantically beating wings, and a shiver went through her at the unexpected touch, followed by a deep, profound helplessness. She let Lizzy force her wings back to their resting positions.

And then Lizzy pushed her up against the wall, forcing her thigh harder against Mary's womanhood, and Lizzy's wings sped up to a blinding blur, and all of Mary's shame was drowned in ecstasy as she started to cum.

She might have screamed. She might have screamed the Lord's name. She might have screamed Lizzy's name. She might have screamed anything Lizzy told her to scream. But Lizzy's hand flew up to smother the cries, and so all Lizzy could do was whimper and moan in hopeless, intoxicated bliss as she shuddered and shook and jerked and bucked and humped against Lizzy's soft, silky, buzzing body, totally insensible, totally drunk on... on...

The forbidden word dissolved before it could leave a mark as her eyes opened and met Lizzy's, and the moment melted into liquid. The world melted into liquid. Mary melted into liquid.

Her hips bucked once, twice more.

She went totally limp against Lizzy, slumping into her arms. Lizzy's wingbeats ebbed, then slowed to a stop.

Mary lay there in Lizzy's arms for what felt like an eternity. She felt Lizzy's soft, generous curves. She listened to Lizzy's racing heartbeat. She breathed in Lizzy's scent.

Her eyes closed, and she sank deep. As long as she was here, and her eyes were closed, and the glow in her chest remained, she didn't have to think about anything else. She didn't want to think about anything else.

Like the possibility that she was falling in love with her roommate.