Bug life

It was another bright and bustling day in the bug world, but not for Sprocust. The poor grasshopper sat in the middle of the meadow looking like he’d just lost a wing in a game of cards. His friends had gathered around, all wearing expressions ranging from amused to outright pitying.

“Alright, team,” Dandybug announced with the authority of a motivational speaker. “We’re here to fix Sprocust’s absolutely disastrous flirting skills.”

“‘Disastrous’ is putting it lightly,” Veebee snorted, leaning back on a mushroom. “It’s more like… a national emergency.”

“I wasn’t that bad!” Sprocust protested, his antennae drooping. “I just… got a little nervous.”

“You fainted,” Astropillar chimed in calmly, flipping through a tiny book he’d brought along. “You didn’t even make it through one sentence.”

“Details!” Sprocust waved dismissively, though his cheeks flushed.

Shelltus clapped her large mantis hands together. “Don’t worry, Sprocust! We’ll help you practice. By the time we’re done, you’ll be smoother than a silk moth!”

“Alright, alright,” Dandybug said, flaring his colorful wings. “I’ll go first. Let’s see if you can charm the ol’ Dandybug.”

Sprocust straightened up, brushing imaginary dust off his legs. “Easy. I’ve known you forever. I’ve got this.”

Dandybug sat opposite him, resting his chin in his hand, fluttering his wings for dramatic effect. “Alright, big guy, hit me with your best line.”

Sprocust cleared his throat. “So, uh… Dandybug. You’ve got… uh… really nice wings. They’re so shiny. Like… uh… like rainbows after a storm.”

Dandybug raised an eyebrow. “Uh-huh. Rainbows after a storm? That’s it?”

“Well, what else am I supposed to say?!” Sprocust threw up his hands. “You’re you! It feels like I’m trying to flirt with my weird, dramatic brother.”

“Brother?!” Dandybug gasped, clutching his chest. “I’m offended! I’ll have you know I’m a certified catch.”

“Sure, sure,” Sprocust mumbled. “Certified by who, exactly?”

Shelltus was already laughing as Dandybug fluttered off in mock indignation. “Okay, fine. Let’s move on. Astropillar, you’re up.”

Astropillar, ever unbothered, closed his book and shuffled over to sit in front of Sprocust. “Go ahead,” he said simply. “I’ll try not to fall asleep.”

Sprocust blinked. “That’s… encouraging.”

“Just go for it,” Astropillar said, leaning back against a daisy.

“Okay, uh… Hey, Astropillar. You’ve got… um… really shiny eyes. They look like… dew drops in the morning.”

Astropillar gave him a small smile. “Thanks. I was reading about dew drops this morning, actually. Did you know they’re made up of—”

And just like that, they fell into a deep discussion about water droplets, the history of caterpillar literature, and the pros and cons of napping in the sun versus the shade. Twenty minutes later, both of them were lying on their backs in the grass, staring at the sky.

“Wait,” Veebee called from the sidelines. “Are you two flirting or forming a book club?”

Astropillar shrugged. “It’s not my fault Sprocust is better at talking about books than romance.”

Sprocust groaned. “Next!”

Shelltus clapped excitedly, practically skipping over. “Oh! My turn!”

“Alright, Shelltus,” Sprocust said, trying to psych himself up. “I can do this.”

“Take your time!” she said brightly, her cheerful smile making his antennae twitch.

“So, uh… hey, Shelltus. You’ve got really sharp… uh… claws. I bet they’re great for… uh… snipping grass?”

Shelltus giggled. “Aw, thanks! They are pretty useful. One time I trimmed a whole bush for a butterfly’s birthday party!”

Sprocust blinked. “Wait, really?”

“Yup!” Shelltus beamed. “Oh, and one time, I used them to carve a message in a tree trunk. It said ‘Shelltus was here!’”

“Uh-huh…” Sprocust’s voice trailed off. It was impossible to flirt with her because she was just too happy and excited about… well, everything. By the time she’d started talking about how she once made a flower sculpture out of petals, Sprocust gave up entirely.

“This is hopeless,” he muttered, sinking into the grass.

“Hopeless?” Veebee scoffed, standing up and dusting herself off. “You haven’t seen hopeless until you try me. Let’s go, Sprout.”

Sprocust groaned. “Do you have to call me that?”

“Yup.” Veebee smirked. “Now, come on. Hit me with your best shot.”

“Alright.” Sprocust took a deep breath. “Hey, Veebee. You’ve got… really nice stripes. They’re very… uh… stripey.”

Veebee burst out laughing. “Stripey?! That’s the best you’ve got?”

“What? They are stripey!” Sprocust shot back. “What do you want me to say?!”

“Literally anything better than ‘stripey’!” Veebee retorted. “You’re as smooth as a cactus, Sprout.”

“Yeah, well, at least I don’t buzz around annoying everyone all day!” Sprocust snapped.

“Oh, please,” Veebee said, crossing her arms. “The only thing more annoying than me is you, trying to flirt. It’s like watching a spider learn to tap dance.”

“Better than you trying to be charming!” Sprocust shot back. “You’d probably sting someone just to get their attention.”

“That’s called confidence, Sprout,” Veebee said with a grin. “You should try it sometime.”

By this point, the rest of the group was in tears from laughing so hard.

“Okay, okay,” Dandybug said, wiping his eyes. “We’ve officially confirmed it: Sprocust is terrible at flirting, and Veebee is the worst practice partner ever.”

“Agreed,” Sprocust muttered, slumping back into the grass. “This was a disaster.”

But despite all the chaos, everyone was laughing and smiling, even Sprocust. Sure, he wasn’t any closer to becoming a smooth-talking charmer, but at least he had friends who cared enough to make him try.

.

The morning sun bathed the meadow in a golden glow as Cospo emerged from his cozy patch of dirt. The pill bug stretched out his little legs, yawning wide enough to rival the morning breeze. After clawing out a bit more dirt from his sleeping nook, he rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes (or so it seemed) and glanced at the world around him, where the day was already stirring.

Cospo’s gaze wandered, and soon enough, he spotted a familiar figure not too far off—a green grasshopper fiddling awkwardly with a bouquet of wildflowers. It was Sprocust, surrounded by his group of equally chaotic bug friends. Dandybug was posing dramatically with a daisy tucked behind his antenna, Astropillar quietly nibbled on a clover while flipping through his tiny book, Shelltus clapped her mantis claws together enthusiastically at everything, and Veebee… well, Veebee was flying around, pointing out flaws in Sprocust’s flower arrangement.

“No, no, no! The red ones go on the outside, Sprout!” Veebee buzzed, darting in circles around him. “How are you this bad at flowers? You live in a meadow!”

“I’m not bad at flowers!” Sprocust argued, holding up a slightly squished buttercup. “It’s just… artistic chaos.”

“Artistic chaos?” Veebee laughed. “It looks like you fell into a bush and called it a day.”

“Leave him alone,” Shelltus chimed in cheerfully. “I think it’s nice! Flowers don’t have to be perfect.”

Dandybug, dramatically leaning against a mushroom, chimed in with a wistful sigh. “A flower’s true beauty lies in its imperfection. Truly poetic.”

Astropillar, without looking up from his book, added, “It’s fine. They’ll wilt soon anyway.”

Cospo, drawn by the cheerful commotion, decided it was time to make his entrance. With a happy squeak, he rolled into a ball and tumbled down the gentle slope toward the group. The pill bug’s colorful shell glittered faintly in the sunlight as he bounced to a stop right in front of them.

“Cospo!” Shelltus squealed with delight, clapping her claws together. “Good morning!”

“Morning, Cospo!” Dandybug greeted, giving a theatrical bow. “Looking dapper as always.”

Veebee rolled her eyes but smirked. “Took you long enough to wake up, Dirtball.”

Cospo uncurled himself, stretching his stubby legs before giving a sleepy chirp in reply. He glanced at the flowers Sprocust was holding, then at the bugs surrounding him, his head tilting slightly as if to ask, What’s going on here?

“We’re picking flowers,” Sprocust explained, crouching down to meet Cospo’s gaze. His voice softened slightly, a rare moment of gentleness escaping him. “You know, for… uh, decoration. Or something.”

Cospo blinked slowly, his gaze shifting from Sprocust to the flowers. Then, with no warning, he rolled forward and gently nudged one of the daisies with his nose, giving an approving squeak.

“See?” Shelltus beamed. “Cospo likes it!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Veebee grumbled, but there was a smile on her face. “Even Dirtball has better taste than Sprout.”

Cospo chirped again, this time rolling in a little circle as if to cheer on Sprocust’s efforts. Sprocust, despite his usual grumpiness, couldn’t help but smile.

“Well,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his head, “I guess if Cospo thinks it’s alright…”

The rest of the group exchanged knowing looks, biting back laughs as Sprocust’s antennae twitched nervously. Cospo, oblivious to the teasing vibes in the air, happily climbed onto a soft patch of moss and yawned again, content to sit and watch his friends bicker and bond in the warm morning sun.