Atop the Red Cedar tree, where he’d built his home and ruled as a source of terror for all nearby creatures, Whitey was well aware that his temperament wasn’t exactly silk-smooth.
The only reason he could hide his true nature so perfectly from the big honeybee was thanks to two things: his relentless self-control—and the honeybee’s utter lack of awareness.
So it wasn’t all that surprising to witness the spider, in a sudden fit of rage overnight, spewing pitch-black smoke from his eyes and stringing the honeybee upside down from a tree, gnashing his fangs like he was ready to devour someone. The only one clueless about what was going on in that scene was, as always, the oblivious honeybee.
“Say it again, Bee-Bee.”
“Ugh, Hani, just… get me down first, please… kuhheok…!”
Blood was rushing to his head so fast it felt like his skull might burst, and nausea twisted his stomach. Hanging upside down, the honeybee’s clothes had fallen due to gravity, revealing not just his sharply defined abs but also his broad, muscular chest. He didn’t even have the luxury of being embarrassed.
“My head… uueegh…!”
What the hell was going on?
Just minutes ago, he’d been snuggled safely in the arms of the eternally picturesque spider—who always looked like a piece of fine art regardless of day or night—nestled so tightly there wasn’t room for even a needle between them, stealing kisses and chatting softly.
The late breakfast they’d cooked together with whatever ingredients the uninjured bees could scrounge up from the area tasted like nothing, really, but eating it with Hurel made it taste like honey. Blaine had even caught himself doing that thing—the one that made Bertie and Pansy fawn over him every morning—gazing at Hurel with eyes dripping sweetness, feeding each other bits of food, their hands locked tight and gently playing with each other’s fingers. He didn’t even feel embarrassed about it.
They were definitely having that kind of moment.
“Hueeugh… whyyy…”
He’d always thought of his life as plain—predictable to the point of being cliché. But ever since meeting that spider, whose appearance and personality were anything but ordinary, it felt like he’d been tossed into a waterfall on a flimsy raft. Just when he’d think things couldn’t get more blissful—bam, he’d be slammed down into rock bottom.
“I was going to let you go since I’ve already got you in my hands… but this is exactly why I can’t let my guard down. Not even a little.”
Please just untie me…!!
“I figured there’s no rush, so we might as well enjoy the sights on the way.”
Blaine had been excited about that too, his heart fluttering like spring flower seeds. Now, though, he was just an upside-down honeybee, his body reflexively thumping from the adrenaline.
Even knowing it was futile, he gritted his teeth and managed a perfect sit-up mid-air, twisting to try and unravel the thread tied around his ankles. But the silk, tough as steel, didn’t budge.
“Uegh!”
His strength gave out and his torso swung downward, leaving him about to slam headfirst into the tree trunk. Eyes clenched shut, Blaine had a flash of a thought—At this speed, my skull’s gonna crack like a cookie.
“Ugh…!”
Hurel, who’d somehow arrived in a flash, caught Blaine’s head just in time. Not exactly a moment to wonder how someone with bum legs moved so fast. Face flushed red like a balloon about to pop, Blaine let out a strangled cry.
“Haniii—ugh—I think I’m gonna throw up…”
The moment he forced the words out, his stomach dropped and the world started spinning. The next thing he knew, his body plummeted. But instead of pain or the feeling of being crushed, he was enveloped in something firm, yet soft—someone’s warm, cushy embrace.
It felt warm. Cozy. Wonderful.
But Blaine was soon unceremoniously tossed out of that embrace, rolled to the ground, and tightly bound to a tree stump.
Why is this happening? In total despair, Blaine began retracing what had just happened. But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t figure out what he’d done wrong.
“Hani, why aren’t you eating? Are you not feeling well?”
“No… I just don’t have much of an appetite.”
The spider who used to eat like a raging bull was now only nibbling at the tiny fruit Blaine was desperately feeding him, and refused to eat anything else. It worried him.
“Is it the taste? Even so, you need to eat something to regain your strength. Just try. For me, please?”
He pleaded and cajoled, but Hurel only shook his head weakly, offering a faint smile. Seeing him like that—so frail—made Blaine’s throat tighten, and he bounced on his heels, trying not to cry.
“More than that… I want something sweet, Bee-Bee.”
“S-Sweet? Okay. Want more cherries? Or I can go find honey…”
Honey had become a precious resource, something the ragtag group of bees had to ration by the spoonful. But Blaine still rose decisively.
Or tried to.
He couldn’t move because the spider—arms slung around Blaine’s shoulders, legs curled over his thighs—refused to let him get up.
“Where do you think you’re going? What you want is right here.”
“What are you—mmph!”
That annoyingly corny line should’ve made him cringe, but instead his heart fluttered. He really was hopeless.
Hurel bit Blaine’s lower lip gently, licked it slowly, and pressed their lips together in a kiss that was short but warm and sweet. Trembling just slightly, Blaine clutched at Hurel’s collar, the movement oddly small for someone his size.
A slight, amused curve lifted Hurel’s red, pretty lips.
“Sweet.”
His voice was low, lazy, and dripping with seductive heat, barely brushing against Blaine’s wet lips.
“You’re even sweeter.”
“……”
Then Hurel began groping the honeybee’s ass through his pants, and only then did Blaine snap back to reality. With a start, he tried to stop him, grabbing at the spider’s wrist in a hopeless attempt to resist.
“Ah—no, Hani, wait, stop…”
“There’s no ‘stop.’ Spread your legs.”
“N-no, I said—hahk!”
The long fingers jabbed into the sensitive, plump spot between his cheeks, making Blaine’s eyes glaze over as he unconsciously relaxed and opened his legs—only to panic and snap them shut again.
This isn’t right! Why won’t my body listen?!
“I have something to say—it’s important!”
“Later. We’ll talk later.”
“Hnnngh… You’ve already… done it so many times—haah, nooo!”
That voice. How was he making that sound with his deep voice? He sounded like some spoiled bee prince throwing a fit. Was this the mystery of the body? Had he been genetically modified into a tomato-crossbred honeybee?
In one final act of resistance, Blaine balled up his fist and pounded it weakly against the spider’s shoulder.
“Bee-Bee—”
“Let me talk! Just for a minute!”
“And in return, will Bee-Bee grind his hips on top of me real slow?”
All this lifting and repositioning was honestly exhausting, the spider whined in a playfully cute tone, and Blaine, caught off guard, mumbled an apology without thinking. Then immediately felt sad, wondering why he’d apologized in the first place.
But what else could he do?
“A-anyway! It’s important, Hani. It’s about our travel schedule…”
“Mmm…”
“Ah—why are you biting there now?!”
At this rate, he’d never get to say what he needed to say. Desperate, the giant honeybee had to keep talking while a certain childish spider clung to him, sucking at his chest like a newborn.
“We can’t afford to waste any more time. We need to leave—nnngh!”
“Mmm, I agree. Nnnh…”
“Stop chewing—ow! We have to leave before it starts raining…”
The rainy season was setting in, and Blaine was genuinely worried about getting through the tropical jungle. Even while letting out strangled moans, he forced himself to finish his sentence.
And only then did the spider, who had been rolling that fleshy bit around in his mouth like a pacifier, finally release him.
