Brad spent two maddening days and nights in the trap. When he was almost ready to give up all hope, Matteo finally changed the filter trap. The exhausted little fly barely managed to fly out of the trap and make it to a landing on a nearby patio table as the nearly naked Matteo continued to complete his tasks while wearing a tantalizing and very minimal yellow thong.
"I've got to get home to Mark," the little fly realized. Despite hunger and exhaustion, the fly buzzed aloft and made its way homeward.
Unfortunately, while detouring through Russ's garden, his fly instincts surged when he detected an alluring scent. Despite Brad's mental pleading, the fly changed course. Moments later, six legs landed on a mound of rotting compost held in a bin located in an obscure corner of Russ's vegetable garden. Brad had to fight his way through swarms of ravenous fellow insects before he reached a promising spot on the heap of decaying matter where he could sink his proboscis and begin sucking up nutrients to help his weak insect form recharge itself.
By the time he reached an equilibrium with the competing instincts of the fly, the sun had sank low on the horizon. No lights shone from the windows of his own home and, eventually, he turned back toward the sounds of human activity emanating from the pool area at the residence of Paul and Ivan.
His flight through the pool area went unnoticed by three diners gathered around a patio table.
Paul and Ivan looked on approvingly as Matteo devoured his meal.
After he chewed and swallowed, Matteo asked, “What do you call this again?”
“Osso Buco,” Ivan provided helpfully. “It means ‘hole in the bone.’”
“Huh! Well, tastes fucking great.” Matteo said, using knife and fork to cut off another morsel. His biceps flexed wondrously as the spouses watched. “Would be great with a loaded baked potato.”
Paul, who had prepared the rosemary oven-roasted potatoes, tried to endure the implied comment on his choice of side dish for the braised beef shanks.
“It was really nice of you guys to invite me,” Matteo said. “I don’t eat like this often.”
“Well, you work so hard,” Ivan said. “We wanted to treat you.”
Paul was busy staring at Matteo, who had worn tight black pants and a sleeveless white T-shirt to their al fresco early evening dinner. Of the three of them, only Paul noticed a small fly that kept circling Matteo’s head and shoulders.
That fly, actually a transformed scientist and their next-door neighbor, had been overwhelmed by various odors since returning to the area of the gigantic swimming pool. The delicious aroma of the meal was only one distraction. Brad utterly failed to pull itself away from Matteo’s intoxicating blend of masculine musk and coconut oil. Brad's ordeal had weakened his resolve to remain uppermost in the constant battle to keep control over his new form.
Until…
Another scent began to tantalize the insect. Subtle at first, the aroma grew stronger until Brad veered away from the table to let the fly go in search of the source of the scent.
The male fly’s sexual instincts had been aroused, but Brad was so horny already from being in the presence of the three titans that he barely noticed. He was high on his voyeuristic spying on the dinner party participants and only dimly became aware that he had entered a swarm of other winged insects.
Another fly zipped across Brad’s flight path, almost causing a collision. When he changed direction, he almost walloped another of his winged kin. "What the hell?" Brad wondered, wings abuzz over his back.
Dozens of flies buzzed and swarmed together in the late evening air.
ZAP!!! The loud, strident noise alerted Brad to a chrome and plastic lantern hanging from an eave while glowing a ghostly blue.
Another fly blundered toward the lantern, penetrated the space between wire-mesh grids and completed an electric circuit with its unfortunate body. High-voltage electric current flowed through the doomed insect and vaporized it.
Brad heard the accompanying loud sizzling “ZZZZipp” sound.
“Fucking hell!” He recognized the device now. A common bug zapper to eliminate unwanted insect pests. He was suddenly awash with regrets for ever wandering away from his own home.
The diners also heard the sizzling zaps as more flies met their demise in a disintegrating jolt of current.
“That new bug zapper’s really working,” Ivan observed.
“Yes,” Matteo agreed. “The guy at the hardware store said that it gives off bug pheromones that the horny little fuckers can’t resist.”
Brad continued his struggle with the fly’s instincts, but the insect brain had latched onto the source of the appealing scent and wanted to get closer.
ZAP!
A fly flew faster, passing him up, and suddenly exploded in a mist of fly fragments after hitting the electrified grid.
“Fuck!” Brad screamed and flew through the misty residue left over from the exploded insect.
“What will they think of next?” Ivan chimed, a fan of anything that made outdoor time more pleasant.
“No! Stop!” Brad tried to scream, but the bug brain had successfully hijacked their shared body.
A simple twitch and the fly zipped directly toward an overwhelming ghastly blue glow.
“Oh shit…”
ZAP!!!
Treating the zaps as background notice, their appetites untroubled, the dinner party finished their meal. Paul smiled. "Who's ready for dessert?"