Lately, something felt off with his body. It wasn’t that he was sick or obviously exhausted or worn out. But even considering it was early summer, it was too hot. His whole body felt flushed all day long, smothering and restless, and he couldn’t sit still. At times, if he zoned out for a moment, it felt like bugs were crawling all over him—his skin itched and stung like it was being pricked.
Maybe it was some allergy he’d never known he had? Blaine, now anxious, shot up from the chair he’d been sitting in. He marched into the kitchen and chugged down some cold water, but the heat wouldn’t leave him. It felt like he had swallowed a ball of fire—his stomach was burning.
“I need to go out and hunt or something.”
After pacing and fidgeting around the house for a while—as restlessly as a roaming tarantula—that was the conclusion Blaine came to. He’d been sulking over how poorly his recent hunts had gone and ended up locking himself indoors this whole time; maybe that was what was making him feel so stifled. Yeah, that had to be it. A bit of fresh air, some exercise—he’d feel better in no time.
“Bee-Bee, where are you going?”
“Oh, Hurel. You’re back.”
He was half-jamming his feet into his shoes when the front door flew open, and wispy white silk drifted in like a fluttering veil. It was a sight so stunning, no matter how many times he saw it, it made Blaine giddy inside. He greeted his housemate with a dopey grin. Though to be exact, Hurel was more of a live-in guest, but that term didn’t quite fit anymore. After all, that creature was now handling pretty much everything in the household, including procuring the food Blaine ate. Calling him just a freeloader didn’t feel right anymore.
“I said, where are you going?”
“Oh, I was thinking I’d go out for a quick hunt.”
“Get back inside.”
Huh? Blaine blinked blankly, still smiling dumbly, unsure of what he’d just heard.
Though he wore a gentle smile, the butterfly now standing in front of the door had a chilling, resolute look in his eyes. He locked the door behind him and firmly pushed Blaine by the shoulder.
“Don’t you know how dangerous it is outside these days? You can’t just wander around like that. So careless.”
“…Huh?”
“Do you have a brain, or not?”
Still slack-jawed and stunned like a statue, Blaine didn’t snap out of it until he’d been dragged into the middle of the room.
Wait. I’m getting scolded. But… why?
“Do you have any idea how dangerous things are right now? Do you want me to collapse from worry?”
“Uh…?”
“You’re hungry, right? I caught a few mosquitoes, so I’ll go get dinner ready. In the meantime, go stare at the wall and think about what you’ve done.”
“Wha—huh?!”
Before Blaine could wrap his head around what was going on, the butterfly approached him with fluid, deliberate grace—without the slightest hesitation—and ushered him into the corner.
“Think real hard about what you did wrong.”
“Uuh?”
Kneeling in front of the wall, arms raised high above his head, Blaine now looked like a child being punished. The tarantula blinked, his mouth opening and closing helplessly.
What the heck is this? What’s happening right now? Why am I being punished?!
“If you move before I say you can, you’ll be in even more trouble.”
Blaine flinched, having just begun to rise. Wait—why was he even in trouble to begin with? His eyes were starting to burn. He didn’t understand anything. His rational mind had short-circuited, and now all he could do was crouch there like a hopeless child, sniffling and trying not to cry, arms still raised.
“Bee-Bee, dinnertime—”
He really felt like a preschooler now. Lowering his stiff arms and wiggling his numb feet, Blaine sulked his way to the table.
***
Sure, talking behind someone’s back when they weren’t around was petty—but still, it was only natural to vent sometimes.
Blaine had finally left the house after what felt like ages to catch up with his best friend—he’d half-convinced himself it had been ten years since he last touched real dirt. Now, he was deep in a rant about how strict his housemate had become.
“Predators have been getting hit hard lately. Be careful, Blaine. Even I don’t go out unless I really have to.”
Wait, what? Then Hurel’s obsessive concern, the overbearing restrictions—they weren’t coming from nowhere? Blaine clutched Panthiana in a panic.
“What do you mean predators are getting hit? What’s going on out there?”
“I don’t know the details. I just heard about it.”
“Be careful, Blaine. Word is, even the giant centipedes and the wide-bellied mantis got taken out. Some predators went out hunting and never came back.”
Hearing it sent chills down his spine—it was like something out of a creepy urban legend. The more he heard, the more it felt unreal, like a ghost story or some cursed tale involving something supernatural. Blaine curled up, anxious and uneasy, and hurried home.
The path to the house—a route he knew far too well—suddenly seemed darker, eerier. He kept glancing over his shoulder, walking faster. Then…
Rustle. Rustle.
The sound of something behind him made his blood run cold. Just the wind. Just some leaves. He kept repeating that to himself like a mantra. But then—THUNK. A pebble rolled across the ground.
“AAAH!”
Letting out a scream, Blaine bolted, running like his life depended on it. He didn’t even remember how to breathe. It was probably the fastest he’d ever run in his entire spider life.
“Hahhh…!”
“Bee-Bee?”
He nearly cried when he spotted the house—its door decorated with round, painted wooden tiles. Blaine stumbled inside and slammed the door shut behind him, gasping for air.
“What happened? Is it raining out there?”
Hurel approached, drying his hands—he must’ve been working on something—and gave him a worried once-over.
Strangely enough, just seeing the butterfly—someone far smaller and more fragile than him—made Blaine’s pounding heart begin to slow, like sugar melting in warm tea.
“H-Hurel…”
He knew how pathetic he looked. But he couldn’t help himself. The moment he saw him, Blaine dashed straight into his arms—so much more slender than his own—and melted into them.
Hurel, a little surprised, gently stroked Blaine’s golden-brown hair, his touch comforting and soft.
“There, there, Bee-Bee. You’re okay now. I’m here.”
“A-ahh…!”
One of Hurel’s hands, wrapped around his waist, slid down and began to knead Blaine’s plush butt through his pants.
It was so warm, so gentle, Blaine couldn’t bring himself to push it away. Embarrassed and flustered, he let the hand continue, like he had no choice but to accept it.
“You got scared, didn’t you?”
“N-no! I mean—no, I wasn’t!”
He was a predator, after all—he had his pride. He couldn’t just blurt out what really happened. So Blaine tried to deny it.
But Hurel wasn’t listening. Instead, his fingers started to press in deeper, slipping between the cleft of Blaine’s ass with graceful ease.
“Hgh—!?”
It happened in an instant. A spark of heat burst behind his eyes as Hurel’s delicate, pale hand slipped between the mounds and lightly brushed the soft flesh inside. The electric jolt raced up from his toes, and Blaine’s legs turned to jelly.
He managed to brace himself on trembling legs, but the moment Hurel’s finger pushed right at that sensitive, rounded entrance—like a tease—Blaine collapsed with a helpless gasp.
“Uuuh…”
