Floret's Insect Experiences Ch. 07

"Rise and shine!" The grating voice of Jed assails my ears, which could have been ignored easily enough if not for the blazing sunlight revealed from behind the noisy curtains. "This'll finally wake you up for sure!"

I groan and bury my head inside the blanket mountain. "Ugh... finally...?"

"Don't you remember? I already came to wake you up twice before!"

I groan louder as a response while staying submerged. The stifling heat inside makes me wonder how I could have slept like this; it's a proper oven. My body's sweating up something fierce as I evade the light of dawn. In my hiding place, an odor rules over it; a slightly stinging and sweet smell teases my nostrils. A surprisingly alluring smell, but others would likely not appreciate it as much... Whatever, I'll soon shower at the school anyway.

"Come on now! You'll miss your swimming club if you tarry much longer!" Jed continues, his worried voice muffled by the sheets: "Or are you still sick? Should I call Mary?"

I plop my head out of the sheets. "No, I'm fine..." I think? "It's just that I slept naked..."

"Oh, right. I'll leave you to it." Jed laughs absentmindedly and scratches the back of his head. He exits the room, closing the door after him, steps echoing away in the long hallway.

I struggle to peel the layers of sheets off me; I can barely even move my arms. Though it was actually just one long flowery bedsheet, I must have spun around myself multiple times in my sleep. With assistance from my feet, I gradually kick it down enough to free my arms. With their help, it was easy to finally complete my metamorphosis from the fabric cocoon.

I sit on the bedside and yawn, stretching my body; muscles, limbs, everything feels sore. Had I really slept the whole night the same way, compressed, wrapped up tight in the covers?

As my body moves around, the firmness of my breasts surprises me. I cup my tits, inspecting and squeezing them. They were definitely... harder and even larger than yesterday.

Shaking my chest more fiercely, they are clearly perkier, sagging less; how was this possible? Even my areolas seemed bigger like their area had expanded? Poking and feeling my nipples, they're sensitive and warm to the touch. Their tip is thicker and wider; it seemed like they could open up at any moment...

Maybe I was just positively bursting with milk? The thought made my heart jump in joy a little. I still hadn't tasted my warm goodness myself.

Or was this what they called 'late-bloomers'? Maybe I could still break out of being average. In fact, I was so well endowed now, I was well on my way. As long as this was permanent, or my breasts kept growing still.

I shake these lustful thoughts out of my head. I don't have time for them now; I need to hurry.

Getting dressed in Gloria's 'retro clothes' -and that's putting it nicely- I head downstairs. Realizing now that I'd have to go to school wearing these. A faded yellow shirt, like a dress by its length, and a gray skirt made of some thick fabric, also more of a dress. I probably looked like a little kid wearing mama's clothes.

Would I have time to pop back home to change? It shouldn't be that far...

I check the clock as I arrive in the kitchen; it's twenty to eleven. Just twenty minutes until the swim team's last meet-up of the semester... I'd need to hurry straight there if I was going to make it, so that's a no...

Wait, is it my last... 'class' before graduation? I should check when I'm back home. At least, I'm sure I didn't have anything else on the same day as swimming. God, what day is it even? Graduation is really soon, isn't it?

"Ah, I remember when Gloria wore those to our date that one time..." Jed leans forward, his elbows on the dinner table, gazing at me like enchanted.

I can't help but give him a questioning gaze as he makes me even more self-conscious of my apparel. Although... maybe I was worried for nothing if he reacted like that.

"Oh, sorry. It is just that nostalgic. Anyway, what would you like for breakfast? I can cook-"

"I'll just... have some bread..."

"W-what? Mary and Gloria ate their bacon and eggs happily; I'll have you know!" Jed stands up quickly, and his chair squeaks backward.

"Well, excuse me for not trusting your cooking, based on yesterday and everything. Besides, I'll be swimming soon... I can't have a heavy breakfast." I defend myself and slip to stand between him and the kitchen appliances.

"That's fair, but... I really did help them cook yesterday, too!" He gestures towards me and, fortunately, sits back down.

"Your restaurant, it was shut down for health violations, right?" I go directly to the fridge; I can't waste my moment. I quickly eye the inside of the modern pantry, locating the butter and scooping up some toppings hastily.

"What happened to it?"

I ask in part as a distraction, but also to sate my curiosity. The food wasn't that bad when I visited it years ago with my parents.

"I... well, the strange thing is, I'm not exactly sure myself..." Jed sighs loudly as I join him at the table with the supplies, starting to make my sandwiches. "It was just a routine health inspection, and suddenly, the authorities are clamoring about finding all sorts of bacteria and grime in our honey."

Absently, Jed sploshes a spoon up and down in an open jar of the sticky stuff. "I couldn't believe it; our popularity had sky-rocketed ever since I switched up our supplier. Everyone always complimented the honey, saying they had never had anything like it before. There couldn't be anything wrong with it. As a number one authority on honey myself, I was certain."

"Bacteria? That is weird..."

"Right!? I tried to take it up with our supplier, but she'd gone underground, disappeared... Maybe I was the fool." Jed sighs again. "After that, our reputation was destroyed; nobody would come to 'Sweet Nectar' anymore. If the honey was contaminated, we were left with nothing; it was our whole shtick."

"You said you switched up the supplier? To which company?" I mumble with my mouth full of bread.

Jed chuckles pitifully, "Now that I think to say it out loud, it does sound insane... This one ordinary morning, a lady arrived at our restaurant; she wanted to supply us with honey. The place wasn't doing so good, and I was down on my luck, so I agreed to sample it. I can honestly say, still to this day, that it is the best honey I have ever tasted. Without stopping to think, I bought off all her honey and made a verbal contract; she'd deliver me more twice a week."

"Huh...? And she just disappeared without a trace once the whole debacle came to light?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure if it was out of malice, or maybe she had to take a maternity leave. She was heavily pregnant when she came to show off the honey and at the deliveries after that. I just chalked it up to her wanting to do some work despite of it."

Jed's spoon overflows with honey as he finally places it in his tea. His cup doesn't steam at all; it's probably cold by now. "So maybe she forgot to inform the higher-ups of our deal... since we uh... never signed any papers..."

I'm unable to hide my disappointment and pity for this man; way too naive and honest for this world.

"Oh, who am I kidding! I totally got played... and got to pay for it dearly..." Jed sips his tea and shudders but continues drinking deeply regardless.

He lays the empty porcelain cup down and looks off into the distance with absent eyes. "Anyway... that's about all of it, the story of my failure..." His voice trails off before looking at me with newfound excitement. "Want some honey on that toast?"

"N-no, thanks, definitely not after that story..."

"What? This is just normal shop-bought honey... way worse than hers tho..." he slumps onto the table.

"Well... don't give up, just try again. But do give up on honey... how are you supposed to taste anything if you eat that 24/7?" I sip some juice to wash down the bread, getting ready to leave.

"Please don't say that... I am nothing without honey! I'd sooner give up... never mind."

I'm sort of glad he never finished the sentence. I awkwardly smile and try to end the conversation to get going. "Well, maybe it's time for a change. Why don't you... try syrups next; those are disgustingly sweet, too, and used in some dishes, right?"

"Syrups?"

"Yeah, like sugar syrup, maple syrup, and stuff like that. If you must have some sort of... sweet gimmick... there are other things than honey." I tap my fingers on the rough gray skirt; even its fabric feels old.

"You know what... maybe I will." A sweet smile savors his lips. "I've been so stuck in this honey-rut... maybe it's good to expand my horizons for a change, even if it eventually leads me back to honey."

"Well... just try it and see where it takes you, I suppose..." I slowly push the chair underneath the table.

"Thanks, Floret... You're welcome to visit us whenever you want. Maybe I have some syrup dish recipes figured out for the next time."

"Oh... no problem." I smile, a wholesome warmth spreading in my chest. Feeling silly for trying to weasel my way out of the conversation earlier.

"Maybe I should attend the graduation ceremony too; despite Gloria always going since she's a teacher, I've rarely been there myself."

"Uhm... no need to take things that far..."

Jed looks at me strangely.

"But... if you really want to... not like I can stop you," I shrug, "I really must go now, thanks for the hospitality."

"Have fun, and stay out of trouble!" He waves and smiles, pouring honey straight from the container into his empty teacup.

"You wish!" I close the door behind me, feeling strangely good about myself. Maybe I accidentally ended up helping him after all.

***

I hurry through the school corridors; a clock on the wall taunts me with only seven minutes to go. I'm cutting it close; even if I already were there, it's not like I can just jump into the pool immediately as I arrive. The crowds of students without any kind of spatial awareness aren't helping.

As I try to make haste through the stuffed hallways, some chattering students' conversations catch my ear.

"Did you hear? Clover suddenly resigned just yesterday!" Two girls I didn't know discussed. Both walls around us lined up with students; they saunter along slowly without any care in the world, filling up the only path forward.

"What!? No way! But... why... I'm going to miss him..."

"Me too... those pecs, arms... and that-"

"No! I'm going to miss his advice on nutrition and exercise!"

Huh? Clover- Oh... I remember seeing a glimpse of him when I was, um... occupied with Mary in the infirmary...

"Excuse-!" I'm about to ask them to make way, but my voice is drowned out by the noisy students all around.

"Ugh! Just when it was the yoga club's last meeting for the semester, too!"

"Yeah, and he hates indoor yoga; no way he'll show up now! Since we can't use our usual spot today."

"What, why?"

"Didn't you see the infestation in the trees and bushes there? It was so bad, I heard an exterminator was called."

I probably didn't have anything to do with that... Right?

The students thin out, and I manage to slip past the two slowpokes. A turn to the right, and I see the gym's doors; just one more corridor after that to the pools. I pass a group of three boys, one of whom is Brendan from my class. He looks at me as I approach, but something his friends say pulls his attention back.

"A-are you sure? Was it really nuked?" Brendan says.

I turn to look at his face as I pass. It's not a pretty sight, especially now.

"It must be just propaganda. Dad said as much, too." His first friend assures him.

"N-no way anybody could be that stupid. How could they even cover it up? There's no way!" The third one agrees.

"What... if it's true? My grandfather lives there, you know, and- some of my friends!" Brendan's voice breaks.

"I guess we'll eventually find out the truth... Have you tried contacting them-" their voices trail off.

Huh...? I'm sure that's nothing to worry about...

*

Perennial Bloom: their serene spot of the world, a town in near isolation from the world around them. It took a while for newspapers and international news to reach all the way here. It wasn't always correct information either, but they couldn't really know that. The town was rural in more than just its environment; information technology, the internet, and things like that weren't very popular. Besides, those felt more unreliable these days than the printed word.

*

I reach the end of the hall, the gym before me, and the final stretch to the pool opens up. The double doors leading to the pool's lobby and the fitting rooms are now visible. However, the gym's doors open before I can pass them. Out steps a familiar purple-haired girl with a dash of blue at her short hair's tips. A small and loose black leather jacket hung behind on her arms, colored red on the inside. Similarly black and leathery were her short shorts and a tiny top, exposing her midriff. She was my to-be musical idol.

From behind her, out pours the rest of the band club's members. They were using the gym for their activities, the only room big - and far away - enough from other classrooms to not disrupt lessons.

She passes by without noticing me. I guess I appeared like a totally different person in these clothes... I contemplate ignoring her due to my lack of time, but she looked... concerned. I don't even want to know what time it was now, but no matter how late I was, I can't just disregard her worry.

"Iris?"

She turns towards me and her worry is banished from her cute face. "Floret! It's good to see you!" she runs up and takes my hands into hers.

"I heard what happened at the flower drying class. Are you alright?"

"W-what? Uhh, yeah, I'm fine..." I squirm and pull back my hands; she seems concerned but not at all... disgusted? "What exactly did you hear?"

"Huh? Just that you were taken to the infirmary, I was so worried, you didn't even return my calls!"

"Oh, sorry... I was super busy after..." I recall leaving my cellphone on mute; I'd have to remember to at least put it on vibrate.

"Weren't you carried there by the teacher, no less? What happened?" She takes off her black beret with two red roses made of fabric, looking almost real, adorning its side. She holds it with both hands like she is about to receive news of somebody's passing.

"Oh, right, that." So she really doesn't know? Maybe everyone kept their vow of silence? "It wasn't a big deal. Don't worry about it." I awkwardly try to brush it off and change the subject. "Is your voice okay? You sound... hoarse?"

"Oh... Yeah, I've been a bit sick; I'm not sure if I can sing at graduation... I tried to sing today, but..."

"Can I help somehow? Want to come and do voice exercises together at my place? You won't have to bother your parents; you can let loose in my detached house." And she won't have to struggle alone in an empty gym either.

"That sounds great! Thanks, Floret!" She puts the beret back on and brushes some hair away from her face in the same motion.

"See you there, you can wait for me inside if you wish, you know where the key is. Gotta run now!" I turn towards the final stretch.

"Right, I'll go check in to the Infirmary now; maybe the nurse can help me out, too."

"Good luck, bye!"

I race down the corridor, storm into the girls' locker room, and crack my locker's combination lock like a heist expert. Stripping and throwing off my clothes hastily like they were too hot to handle.

"I'd be in a hurry to get those clothes off me, too." I hear the voice of Sarah behind me.

"Yeah, where's your dress? Oh, right." Emily says mockingly, "It's right here."

I turn around, all of my clothes already off me, to see them both equally naked. Emily held onto the dress I wore to class yesterday, no doubt about it, no mistaking that pink cloth with a frilly hem and white lily prints. However, it was positively spotless, a far cry from the state I had left it in yesterday. "H-hey, how come you have that?"

"Let's just say... Mary asked us to give it to you." She throws it at me, and I catch it, confused but glad. It's noticeably warm, like straight out of a clothes dryer. "T-thanks?" I never really got along with them, but they seemed nice enough now for some reason.

As I deposit the dress and take out my swimming gear, I hear a comment.

"Nice tits, are they bigger than before?" Sarah says and moves towards the shower room. Emily cuts in front of her to walk backward and lifts up her breasts, like preparing to shove them into her face. "H-hey! Mine are still b-bigger!"

A scent lingers after them, dizzying my head; they smelled so... heavenly. So familiar. Just like me yesterday. As the arousing smell passes, I snap out of it, chalking it up to my imagination.

I hurry into the showers; Sarah and Emily have taken over a corner shower together, rubbing down each other's bodies there. I ignored them, as hard as it was, and spotted just the person I was looking for.

Jasmine's perfect caramel figure showered with her front facing the opposite wall, her heavenly ass out for me to see. I go into the shower behind her on the other wall and ogle her.

Water seductively caresses her body, clinging to each curve and flowing down her ass cheeks, her slit slightly visible from behind too. She had her long, luscious black hair braided and fastened with an industrial-strength pompom. Her locks were way too long to fit inside a swimming cap, so this was the next best thing.

I hear giggles and some quiet moans from the duo's direction, which Jasmine doesn't seem to react to. My head races with thoughts of what I'd say to my crush, how good she looked today, how I wished to grab her ass, suck on her tits, and-! No, I can't say that...!

Conscience knocks in my skull for openly sexualizing her naked figure like this. But my body doesn't get the message as my eyes continue to bore into her body while my hand brushes against my crotch, more times than was necessary for cleaning.

"Floret, Sarah, Emily, Jasmine!" Our swim coach bursts through the door, her flip-flops flapping against the tiled floor. She points at me, the first one she sees. "You're all running late; get out here ASAP!"

"Yes, Coach!" we all answer in unison. She turns around, letting the door slam shut with its own weight, leaving us alone again. Sarah and Emily are lucky she missed their dual shower activity; she could be real strict about things like that.

Jasmine stops her shower and turns around. "Hi, Floret," she smiles with her full lips as she sees me.

"Jasmine! Notice anything different about me?" I run a hand down the middle of my chest, slightly bouncing my tits in the process. I pose for her as the water flows and drips along my body.

"Have you put on- more color to your hair." Jasmine blurts out but quickly corrects her course. "Anyway, we should hurry."

Completely caught off guard, I was stunned, didn't she see how my boobs were bigger? I never even dye my hair! Glancing down at my stomach, I saw what she meant; it was... bulging just a little bit. Did I really eat that much at dinner yesterday? It was really delectable... No, even I'm not dumb enough to believe it's from that... but what is it then? Surely, it couldn't be...? I haven't had any more strange dreams...

I watch as Jasmine slips into her light blue one-piece swimsuit, depicting bubbles and an ocean's surface. She adjusts the straps and her chocolate tits; watching the display, I quickly forgive her.

Sarah and Emily slip into theirs, too; they've gotten new matching outfits. Sarah's swimsuit is pink with red and white milkshakes, avocados, and... spaceships? Emily's swimsuit was stylized the same way but with an orange base, depicting ice creams, citrus fruits, and flying saucers of black and purple instead.