Just a little snippet I wrote inspired by one of the ant's artworks that they gifted me a lil' bit ago~
\nIn which the bug has been hired for a very special position...
\nEnjoy!
Cover art by Benny which can be seen in full here
\n\nThe ant startled at the old buzzer’s ring, jumping to their feet, and
\nhurrying up to the floor from the chair they’d been pacing on for
\nlonger than they could tell.
Benny raced to the door, unsure how they’d open it. As soon as they got
\nto it however, the slap of metal suddenly slid back before dropping
\ndown into the floor. Nervous, the bug swallowed and walked forth into
\nthe hallway.
What would be just a minute walk for anyone was quite the expedition
\nfor one so small. Benny had plenty time for their mind to rush through
\nthe possibilities of what was to come, it wasn’t every day you were
\ncalled in by someone who could change your life or end it on a whim.
Alas, arriving to the final door at the end of the hall, it opened just
\nas the first. Coming into the room, everything was bathed in darkness,
\neven the dim light of the hallway seemed to stop right at the door.
Benny called out, uncertain if it would be best to be in company of
\nsomeone, or alone in this place. “Um… Hello? I’m here? You wanted to
\nsee me?”
The door suddenly closed back up in a shriek of metal rubbing against
\nmetal, the ant jumped back, stumbling, and falling down. They held
\ntheir breath, now entirely lost in inky blackness.
That is until they noticed the dim glow of an old monitor waving around
\nin the distance, then followed by the sight of a sharp Cheshire grin
\nseemingly floating up, topped by two silver irises faintly shining
\nthrough the room.
They tried to speak up but could only manage to squeak a panicked
\nbreath before everything turned bight as heaven in a flash. With their
\neyes struggling to adjust to the sudden brightness, the ant didn’t even
\nnotice the rhythmic thumping until, just as they could finally open
\ntheir eyes fully again, a mass of black and white crashed right before
\nthem.
Benny gulped, millimeters away from having ended up beneath the dark
\npadding of a white furred toe, staring up, past the immense, sharp claw
\nlooming over them, barely making out the distant grinning face of their
\nhost.
“Marvelous, I feared you wouldn’t make it alive, even on a slow day
\nthere can be quite the busy staff roaming around the public areas!” The
\ngrin seemed to grow even wider somehow on the feline’s face, their
\nsharp pupils locked onto the bug.
Benny remained speechless, getting back up to their feet, that deep
\nvoice still resonating in their skull.
“Now, now, no need to fret, I didn’t call you here for a split second
\nof amusement, you’re my guest, you’ll have a few hours before that can
\nhappen! Why don’t you climb along Benny? I called you here because I
\nneed some help to relax while I work! Your resume was most… Adequate
\nfor this position.”
The ant looked back to the digit, even standing up, the bug was barely
\nstanding as high as the soft looking fur reached down. They knew best
\nthan to wait though, and made their way to climb up the toe, getting in
\nbetween two of them to get a better grip. Soon they made it up to the
\ntop, holding onto the snow bright fluff.
“Er… Thank you Noma… Sir… What did you want me to do, exactly?” trying
\nto keep up a dignified stance, the bug queried, struggling to keep from
\nsquealing nervously with each word.
“Simple, really.” Noma replied, crouching down to have a closer face to
\nface with their little new employee. “You will be right around where
\nyou are, for the rest of my shift, just make sure to wriggle your way
\naround to rub and massage! If you survive, you’ll be out for the night,
\nbefore your next shift. You’ll get your own… Quarters, you’ll know when
\nwork begins and ends!”
Benny tensed, it’s not like they really had a choice, they’d already
\nsigned up the paper, uncertain whether they regretted it or if it was
\nthe best decision of their life. The bug acquiesced, getting right to
\nrubbing.
“Glad to see your enthusiasm, I’ll get you to your office right away!”
\nBefore Benny could squeak a confused word, the titan began to walk back
\nto their chair. The ant held on for their life, knowing how swift an
\nend it would be to drop onto the floor now. Though even as the raccynx
\nsat down, the rocky ride wasn’t over yet.
Benny watched as Noma lifted their foot up and brought the dreaded
\noffice, an old leather boot, the kind worn by construction workers more
\nthan a company lead, though nobody would dare judge the choice of
\nsomeone who loomed over even tall folks.
“Just don’t hold your breath, you’ll get used to the warmth and all,
\nbelieve me, this way I’m sure I won’t lose you, too, just avoid… The
\ninsole. Your… Former workforce didn’t and it’s a nightmare to clean
\nup.”
Unceremoniously, the footpaw slid into the boot with ease, basked in
\ndarkness once more, the ant did their best to keep on breathing as
\ncalmly as they could, whimpering as the toeclaws hit the steel toe of
\nthe boot, and a distant thump signaled the heel’s landing.
It would be a long shift, Benny started to work on helping their boss
\nrelax, occasionally able to make out the shapes of those who failed
\ntheir duty way down between the toes they worked on. Shivering at the
\ncuriosity nibbling at them, just how many had been hired before? How
\nlong did they usually last?
Benny feared about finding this out the hard way, reminded to not let
\ntheir attention drift too far when the digits flexed to get them back
\nto work, threatening to shove them off down to the insole for
\ninsubordination.
After the first hour, getting used to the damp conditions, the ant just
\nshoved those questions to the back of their mind. Despite all, Benny
\ndid want to make a good impression on their first, and hopefully far
\nfrom last day…