Art by Egocider on twitter
Juniper x !Gender Neutral!Fearless!Reader
Requested by - Uhh.... Generic excuse for not doing requests
I uhhh, finally got around to watching some clips of Juniper's new model and... Oh no she's hot (plus big full lunar moth is very cool idc if she ate an intern I still love her.)
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'Stay on the other side of the glass. Do not interact with her if you can help it.
Turn off cell phones and flash photography. Flashing lights are distracting and have even caused her to go into fits of unbridled rage.
Do not knock on the glass. Full stop.
Food and non-water beverages have to be left in the cafeteria.'
You tutted, going over your mental checklist for the hundredth time since you got here. Your fellow interns huddled around you, nervously whispering among themselves as your superiors busied themselves with a rather complex looking control panel.
You barely listened to the introductory speech they gave. By this point, you'd already heard it at least ten times through training tapes. Just the basic rules you had already memorised by heart, warning alarms that you'd run through countless times and a few half-assed threats about breaking the rules.
Beside you, one of your co-workers sucked in a breath. Another muffled their shriek and a few more gasped and tried to scramble away, probably not knowing what they got themselves into. The figure on the other side of the glass flicked her antennae, her gaze softening in sadness at their reactions.
Juniper the Luna Moth.
Arguably one of the more prestigious containment sights. Only a few scientists watched over her and rarely did a position open up. Only one intern was allowed to fill that missing position, and you had studied your ass off for months to have the best chance possible to get it.
Her gaze came to rest where you had muscled your way to the front of your group. Instead of showing fear, you gave her a small smile and a wave before refocussing on whatever the handlers were blabbering on about.
"- Please, turn your attention to Actias Luna," One of them motioned towards the figure.
Her pale olive irises glowed in the dark in an almost unnerving way. It intrigued you.
She didn't speak. Either that or the microphones in her containment chamber weren't working properly. Considering the fact that she started writing on the glass hinted towards the latter.
'Hello'
She blinked a few times, like she was trying to gauge her audience's reactions.
'Can you hear me?'
A few people murmured to each other. One of the researchers spoke into a nearby microphone. You could hear her voice echoing throughout the room on the other side of the glass. Juniper tilted her head, briefly disappearing into the darkness.
Not a moment later, a new voice met your ears.
"There we go! Sometimes this camera gets a little bit of electronic interference," Juniper reappeared. By now, mostly everyone had calmed down. The shock of seeing something so inhuman, yet human at the same time probably had everyone nervous. But Juniper's voice was calm and soothed, like this was a speech she had spoken a thousand times.
"Welcome to Lune," Her eyes briefly flickered over you a second time. "Some of you look like new interns, so I'll introduce myself. My name is Juniper, and I am a Luna Moth. I was born here," Her antennae twitched again, like she was curious. A few people around you leaned in.
"While you are here, uh, please be respectful of the rules. For both of our benefits, stay on the other side of the glass. Juniper is for looking, not for touching. Someone next to you giggled quietly. It seemed that Juniper was more human to them than they had expected. You just pursed your lips and kept listening.
"Please turn off any cell phones or flash photography as flashing are kind of distracting to me," She slightly turned to face someone who had decided to splay a single hand over the thick sheet of glass that separated the moth from the humans. She grimaced, not that anyone could see it.
"Do not knock on the glass and please leave any food and non-water beverages in the cafeteria," The person quickly retracted their hand, and at least one other grumbled as they left to put away their sandwich.
"I will now go turn on the lights and we can begin my human socialisation session," The glow of her eyes disappeared, and instead the entire room was bathed in light.
You didn't even flinch, unlike the several people around you who gasped.
Juniper was a lot more insectile than what you had seen on the tapes. The extra eyes had barely showed up on the grainy footages, and you never noticed the second pair of fluffy arms she had. Three-fingered hands tapped thoughtfully against the glass, black claws clinking. It seems that Juniper didn't really care about rules that technically didn't apply to her.
She smiled happily at all of you, mandibles clicking a few times before resting at the side of her face.
But the thing that caught your attention the most was the fluff. A layer of fuzz covered her entire body, and a thick ring of fur bunched at her neck, almost like a short mane. A part of you wanted to entirely disregard the whole 'Juniper is for looking, not for touching'. You briefly wondered what moth fuzz felt like. Maybe after this, you'd be able to figure out, if you were lucky enough.
The session went off without a hitch. It mostly consisted of a few scripted questions that you each had to answer like your names, age, some interests and whatever miscellaneous information that was relevant. After that, Juniper got to ask whatever questions she desired, and in turn, you got to do the same. All while, the handlers watched with sharp eyes, scribbling down notes and muttering between themselves.
You returned to your room feeling a little nervous, but mostly content. It was like waiting for a return call about that job you applied for, which in essence, was exactly what you were doing.
You only felt happier when you actually got that return call not three hours later.
<><><><><>
Five months.
Five months since you had been transferred to Actias Luna's holding cell, and in that time you became more and more engrossed in your new work.
It was less like working with exotic animals and more like having a fuzzy roommate that liked to watch you work. For the most part, Juniper really only wanted to learn how to be more human, to the point you had a designated time period where you'd all go online and play video games together. As cringy and cliché as it sounded, you were basically a part of a family.
But, you were still the newbie, and that meant to one of your fellow researchers, you were disposable. No one really liked him. He was an asshole. But, like all assholes, he was the most senior researcher there, and he called the shots.
So when camera #1 went down, it was your job to fix it.
You watched the sedative gas slowly clear the room, quickly slipping on your gas mask to avoid conking out yourself.
Despite how close Juniper was with the people that worked with her, she was still a feral moth kaiju. It was like raising a tiger or bear. Sure, they acted like they loved you and you had raised them from when they were but a mere cub, but they were wild animals and would turn on you on a dime. It was the fate of the person before you, snatched up in Juniper's maw, never to see the light of day again.
And just to top it all off, she had decided now was a perfect time to lounge around in her full moon form.
Large wings brushed against the high ceiling. Muscled, segmented body curled up in one corner. Chitinous plated legs crossed over like a relaxed dog, claws flexed like an apex predator. Although her eyes were closed, you couldn't help but feel that she was still watching you.
Sonny, one of the kinder researchers with ashy blonde hair and a round face, helpfully guided you on what to do.
The repairs were surprisingly simple. You just had to reattach the camera, solder a few wires and screw it back onto the wall. No one knew how exactly it had fallen off, but when a giant moth lived in the room, none of you really questioned why. You fidgeted with the screwdriver in your hand in boredom, waiting to see if you had actually done it right. After getting confirmation over the radio channel, you returned the tool in the belt around your waist and started to the door.
It was only as your hand brushed over the handle did you realise how screwed you were.
Barely reflected in the glass, was the monstrous face of Juniper.
Dark eyes bored into the back of your head, both curious and hungry. Her mandibles clacked menacingly. You could hear the tapping over her claws against tiles, the sound of wings fluttering and flicking quickly. Your co-workers started directing you on what to do, but you didn't listen. Your self-preservation instincts failed to kick in, and at this moment you took your chance on that question you asked yourself all those months ago.
'What does moth fuzz feel like?'
You slowly turned around, meeting Juniper's gaze. The longer you stared at her, the less scary she became. Sure, her face looked a little haunting, but her black eyes were shiny and still filled with emotion. Her cheeks looked fluffy and perfect for a face smush and although you wouldn't put your hand anywhere near her teeth and mandibles, they still looked pretty damn cool.
"Uh, hey," You grinned nervously. Juniper chirped, leaning a little closer. She looked confused. Humans were never this calm around her. Maybe she'd try a little something before eating you.
Carefully, like she was afraid to scare you further, Juniper reached forward with a single claw, gently brushing it across your face. A thought crossed your mind. She'd never got to touch humans before, always stuck on the other side of the glass. It almost seemed like she relished in how soft and squishy you were compared to her fluff and plated armour.
You slowly reached a hand up and ran it along the claw. It felt smooth and cool to the touch under your fingertips. Juniper chittered and retracted the limb, coming a little close till you were effectively pinned against the door, her wings blocking most of the world behind her though her head was still a few good paces from yours.
With little hesitation, you reached your hand forward again with bated breath. Juniper eyed it, tilting her head, but she jumped the moment your fingers touched fuzz.
It was a foreign feeling to her, but not one she hated. In fact, it felt kind of nice to have some sort've contact.
Much to your surprise, she started vibrating under your touch, and if you listened closely, a faint rumbling sound reverberated around the room.
'Is she... purring? Can moths purr? Does it matter?' You gentle ruffled the fur, threading it through the thicker clumps on the top of her head. Your second hand rested on the spot between her eyes. The fur was shorter there, but still incredibly soft and downy.
Honestly, with every moment that passed, Juniper became more and more affectionate, acting like an excited puppy rather than a giant moth kaiju. It was oddly adorable in its own weird way.
"Are you really not scared?" Her voice echoed. You paused, resting your hands on her fluffy forehead before shrugging.
"Not really. You're kinda too fluffy to be scary to me. That being said, please don't eat me to prove a point," Juniper barked out a laugh, finally pulling away from your touch. You only became aware of Sonny looking at you with a horrified expression as the door opened again.
"I like you. I think you're my new favourite," The moth reached a single leg forward, tapping you on the back and out of her containment chamber.
It was only as the door closed behind you, locking with a subtle click, did you finally take your gas mask off.
Sonny rushed over to your side, looking you over and making sure you weren't injured in any way. Theo insisted on running a few tests to make sure all your vitals were in order, theorising that maybe the gas or pheromones had messed with your head. The resident asshole, Felix, pointed out that you had a gas mask on, meaning neither of those things would affect you. Theo chewed on their lip nervously but offered to still check if you felt sick anyway. You declined but ruffled their bleached hair fondly in return.
After the mood returned to normal and everyone was relaxed and back in their work positions, you glanced over your shoulder, only to see a certain humanoid moth staring at you from the darkest corner of her room.
Juniper gave you a smile and friendly wave strutting over to the glass with incredible confidence.
Instead of saying anything, she breathed on the glass, fogging it up. A single finger traced through it, drawing the vague shape of a heart. You felt your cheeks flush as Juniper laughed boisterously, her wings fluttering and antennae flicking happily. She flashed a peace sign in your direction before giving you a smug grin before returning to her corner.
You just smiled back, not that she could see it, and rubbed your hands together. The feeling of moth fuzz was still fresh in your mind, and you knew that one way or another, you were going to pet her again.