I don't own Letter Bee or any of its characters. Both belongs to Asada Hiroyuki.

Chapter IV
– Cerise –

Upon arriving back at the Bee Hive, Zazie and Lag gave their reports to Lloyd and Aria, while their dingos, along with Steak, were waiting not too far from them. They told them how they had encountered two Gaichuu, how Zazie had gotten injured and both Bees had taken shelter for a while, before heading out again to finish the delivery without further complications. Once they finished, they both waited to be dismissed, but no such thing happened and instead they were both being pierced with probing gazes.

"Uh…" Zazie started after a minute of silence and him glancing about the room. "Is there something else?"

Largo Lloyd, who had been leaning back in his large seat, pushed himself forward to rest his chin on his folded hands atop the desk. "There certainly is." His face didn't say anything about what he was implying, voice just as mysterious-sounding. Aria, next to him, as well upheld a stern face.

Zazie's eyes nervously darted from right to left, before settling on the man before him again. "What would that be?"

"You definitely left out a few parts of your report," Lloyd replied. "Something that spikes my interest much more than the delivery itself."

Now both Lag and Zazie witnessed a change in the adults' faces. Lloyd's ever-present and knowing smirk gained an amused look, while Aria's features broke out of the usual seriousness to show the same amusement.

The raven-haired teen questioningly glanced back and forth between the two. Okay, what the hell is going on here? They sent me and Lag on a delivery for some reason and now they look… satisfied. Don't tell me… Realization dawned onto the Bee, which seemed to show on his face.

One corner of Lloyd's lips quirked up just a tad more. "You know exactly what I mean, Letter Bee Zazie, am I right?"

The sudden blush spreading over Zazie's cheeks seemed to confirm the man's assumptions. Lag though was still oblivious to what exactly was going on. He kept shifting his eyes from Zazie to Lloyd to Aria and back, unable to figure out what their words and looks meant.

"I assume you'll be… careful from now on, Letter Bee Zazie?" The smug smirk never faltered from the man's face.

Hearing those words, Zazie straightened up and slightly puffed out his chest. "Of course I will."

Lloyd chuckled somewhat delightedly, leaning back into his seat again. "Then I'll leave things in your hands now. You both are dismissed."

After giving a jerky nod, Zazie bowed slightly, then turned to leave the office, knowing well enough that Lag would follow him.

So first things first: The damn corpse doctor definitely told the director and Aria-san about what happened between me and Lag. I guess… the director really sent me on a delivery with Lag for a reason and was hoping for a certain outcome… which… seems to have happened the way he wanted it and– Gah! How is he able to read people's faces so easily anyway? I'm getting headaches trying to figure that guy out!

"Zazie?"

Lag's voice pulled Zazie out of his thoughts once again. "Yeah?"

"It's about dinner time," the boy continued, Niche sending a pointed look at Steak, who squeaked in discomfort. "Do you want to come over to Silvette to eat?"

A small smile tugged at the teen's lips. "Sure," he exclaimed excitedly.

The two boys silently made their way towards Lag's home, keeping a steady and not too fast pace, giving Zazie time to think, while their dingos followed them.

So… am I right thinking that the director and Aria-san were trying to get me together with Lag from the beginning? I'd definitely trust them to do something like that. It would make things easier, seeing that the Hive doesn't seem to have problems with two guys… being with each other. Those two seem to have reached what they wanted, so they won't meddle with mine and Lag's business anymore. At least that's what I hope the director meant with 'leaving things in my hands'. Anyway… What about the end? I know the director was somehow telling me to take care of Lag, but it almost seemed as if he meant something different with 'being careful'. Wait! He didn't mean something related to sex, didn't he? Like… using… protection when I… during…

Zazie released a loud sigh while blushing madly, gaining Lag's attention, but the boy turned away again after a second, seeing how deeply his companion was indulged in his thoughts. Instead, he started chiding Niche for jumping around the roofs and scaring people.

Okay, so the director wants me to take care of Lag and to… be careful… during sexual intercourse. With Lag. What the hell? Why's he so interested in us anyway? Is he some kind of closet pervert? Along with Aria-san? Sheesh, I seriously can't figure those two out.

The teen was surprised by the fact that they were already standing in front of Lag's home. Before Zazie could even react, Lag was already knocking on the wooden door. They both waited for a while, but no one opened. This caused both of them to start worrying, since around this time, Silvette usually already would have started preparing dinner – mainly her yucky soup. Lag knocked again, hoping the girl simply had over-heard the first time. But no such luck.

The white-haired teen turned around to the older Bee, showing him his concerned face. "I wonder what's wrong. Maybe she went to buy groceries." He shook his head, seeming to not believe it himself. "But she usually would leave some kind of note."

It irked Zazie to see the other in such a worried state. He wasn't one to comfort, so it took him a while to come up with something that might have helped Lag, but once he opened his mouth, another familiar voice sounded.

"Lag!" the obviously female voice called.

The sound of wheels rolling along stony pavement echoed from the walls of the alley, becoming louder, with a figure closing in on them.

Silvette came to a screeching halt in front of the two boys, a little out of breathe. "I didn't think you'd be back already, so I didn't leave a note."

Lag immediately noticed that Silvette wasn't carrying anything, thus guessed it to be unlikely that she went out for grocery-shopping. "Where did you go?"

The cheery expression on the girl's face saddened and she visibly deflated, releasing a sigh. "We have a problem, Lag."

"What's wrong?" the white-haired boy immediately inquired.

Niche, standing next to him, began to clutch his sleeve, sensing his sudden concern.

"I was trying to make dinner a while ago," Silvette started. "I was just turning on the tap, when suddenly it exploded. Water kept shooting out and I was barely able to stop it. I headed out quickly after that to get someone to look at it. Apparently, our pipes are rusty at a few spots and the plumber told me that the chances are high that it won't be just the tap that could burst. I was lucky not to be hurt by that thing suddenly exploding." At this the girl gained a somewhat distant look. "I think there's a dent in the ceiling now," she mumbled absent-mindedly. "Which brings me to why I was heading out. For the time that everything gets repaired, we need to live somewhere else for maybe a week, Lag. I wanted to ask Aria-san if I could move in with her for a while and also about how this whole repair would be paid. After all, she once told me that I shouldn't worry about things like that and I should leave it to her to handle it. But on my way I met Connor and he promised me to ask Aria-san in my stead, telling me to be here once you get back."

Lag was about to comment, an astonished look still donning his features, but the girl beat him to it.

"Which brings us to our current problem: Lag, I'm pretty sure Aria-san can only handle one extra person to live with her, so you'll have to find another place." She then sent a hopeful glance towards the raven-haired teen next to the boy.

Zazie scratched the back of his head, before giving Lag a sheepish smile. "You can live with me for a while, Lag. I have enough space for a few cats and there won't be a problem if you join in."

The younger male's face immediately lit up. "Sure! I'd be happy to."

Night was already lowering over the town, covering Yuusari in a blanket of darkness and chilly air. People were retreating to their warm houses, slowly beginning to close down their respective stores.

"I know it's nothing special, but I like it here anyway." Zazie sheepishly scratched his cheek, somewhat wary about Lag's reaction. They were both standing in front of his opened door.

His apartment was organized similar to Silvette's. From what Lag could see from outside, the opened front door lead to a warmly lit hall way, a staircase to another floor to the right. To the left, the door opened into a small kitchen.

Above their heads, Niche was scouting about the roofs together with Steak, Wasiolka watching them as if pondering wether to join or not.

"It's nice," Lag beamed. He felt happy to no end about being able to spend time with Zazie. That he would get to see the place his companion lived at only added up to his joy. But soon something dawned onto him, making his face fall slightly. "Don't you feel lonely?" he questioned worriedly. "You live all by yourself here."

This of course caught Zazie off guard. He gave the boy a reassuring smile though. "Don't worry about it. I'm used to it and I don't live completely alone. I still have Wasiolka and the stray cats that visit me every now and then." Just as if on cue, a white cat with black blotches snaked around the teen's leg, nudging its head against him in delight and purring into his pants. It was rather small, probably still a kitten. "Hey," Zazie cooed in a low voice, kneeling down to pick up the still purring cat. Wasiolka watched him with curious interest, as he lifted the kitten to his face. It playfully bit his nose with its still tiny teeth. Zazie quickly noticed the excited gleam in Lag's eyes and held out the small cat towards him. "Wanna hold it?"

Lag seemed to be startled for a moment, blinking at the teen in wonder, the cheery expression replaced by uncertainty. "Are you sure?"

"Of course," the older male replied reassuringly, straightening up again. "It's not a big deal. This one's still a kitten, but doesn't jump around so much. It's always behaving sleepy for some reason." Without waiting for any answer, the raven-haired Bee placed the kitten in Lag's hands, watching as the boy gave care to his every movement, as if afraid of breaking the small animal with any wrong ones.

Once the cat was positioned securely on one of Lag's arms, the white-haired boy began to stroke it with his free hand. "It's so warm," he mumbled absent-mindedly.

"Let's get inside," Zazie uttered as he stepped forward. "It's getting cold." The other nodded, lowering the kitten to the ground again, before following him inside to the warm coziness of the older teen's house. Wasiolka though had decided to keep watch over Niche and stayed on her post next to the door.

As soon as they were inside, both pulled off the coats, hats, gloves and scarfs of their uniforms and kicked off their shoes. Zazie was about to offer Lag some food, but he halted as he eyed the other closer. There wasn't anything different to before about the boy, yet he felt mesmerized. Only now it sunk into his mind that Lag now knew about his feelings and also returned them. Unconsciously, he took a step closer to the white-haired boy. The other was still fumbling at his hat after he had noticed a small tear in it. He didn't notice the older male approaching until he was standing right beside him, looking down at him with distant eyes. He halted his actions, about to ask if anything was wrong, when Zazie suddenly cupped his face with both hands and inched closer until their lips met. Almost automatically, Lag closed his eyes, navy blue hat slipping from his hands. He tangled his fingers into the material of Zazie's shirt, feeling warm hands on his upper arms.

At first, their kiss was fond and gentle, but with time passing, it grew more heated as Zazie flicked his tongue against the other's lips, coaxing the other to part his lips for him. The raven-haired teen gladly dove into the wet hotness. He savoured the taste, though there was some small part of his mind telling him that the whole thing was simply awkward. That part though was quickly silenced by the rest of Zazie's mind that screamed "Hell yeah!". Something feral began to spread throughout his body, making him become rougher, biting lightly onto Lag's lips, being sure to leave them bruised. He parted from the boy's lips, leaving him panting, only to trail down his chin with his tongue. Something both didn't notice at all: Zazie had backed Lag against a wall and he now was pushing him up against it. It wouldn't take long until the boy's feet would ascend from the floor.

Zazie couldn't decide where to put his hands. Whenever he rested them at one spot, he wanted to feel a different part of the white-haired boy's body. That was reason why his hands restlessly kept roaming over Lag's sides. At one point he even let them snake to the shorter Bee's backside, giving his rear a not too gentle squeeze. He released animalistic growls as he started nibbling on Lag's neck. With each bite, his teeth sunk deeper, until he was eagerly biting around on the boy's skin. Each time he placed a bite on Lag's skin, he licked over it in an apologizing manner, only to go on to another patch of untouched skin. He soon found that there wasn't much room left and so, in a spur of his desire, he ripped open Lag's shirt without hesitation. He continued with his treatment on the boy's chest, soon reaching his perked nipples. Smirking deviously, he lightly tugged at one with his teeth, enjoying the hissed moan Lag released. He impatiently moved on to the other one after a short while and gave it a tug as well.

Fingers suddenly gripped at the teen's hair and he looked up to see Lag's flushed face, his glassy eyes and bruised lips. It greatly satisfied Zazie and so he responded to the boy's action with a silent tilt of his head.

Only pants and passed Lag's lips for a while, until he dared to utter anything in a shaky voice. "Let's… try it," he gasped out, gulping. "Now."

The timid, yet demanding tone that one word had held only fueled the fire that kept lashing out at Zazie's logical mind. He only rumbled, before shooting up to throw the boy over his shoulder in a swift movement. Ignoring Lag kicking out of surprise, he rushed upstairs to where his room was. The moment he reached his door, he kicked it open, uncaring about the eery crack that sounded from the now wrecked lock. He threw his pray onto the creaking bed, then quickly jumped after Lag to hover over him. Wasting no time, he attacked the boy's lips again. Meanwhile, his hands wandered downwards. After quick work on the zipper of Lag's pants, he pulled the navy blue cloth off, throwing it into whatever direction. Suddenly feeling way too hot, Zazie literally tore off his own shirt, letting the then tattered material fall to the floor. Only a brief moment of doubt crossed his mind as he thought of the bandages still wrapped around his chest. He leaned back down to Lag's belly button. After dipping his tongue into it, he trailed his tongue over the boy's stomach up until his neck, which he gave a curt bite. He was becoming light-headed from all the heat and the panting, so he rested his forehead against Lag's.

For a moment, they shared the same air, panting into each others' mouths. Zazie felt unbelievably breathless, seeing the pure lust in Lag's eyes. Lust he was causing.

The moment that Zazie felt somewhat clearer again was the moment he went back down on Lag's body to also pull off his boxers. They too were discarded into an unknown corner of the room, never to be discovered again. Lag now lay spread out before him, his open shirt exposing sweat-covered skin, open palms placed next to his head on the pillow. Zazie began to fumble around at his own pants, until he freed his own half-hard erection. He wasn't sure if Lag was still loose enough from their last encounter of that kind, so he hastily wetted two fingers with saliva and quickly pushed one into the boy's entrance. Said Bee only flinched a little, before relaxing again. He hissed a little as Zazie pushed in another finger. Deeming Lag okay to go on, the teen grabbed the boy's legs to sling them around his waist, his pants still hanging loosely around his hips. He still was unsure about what the best way to do something like this was. After all, it wasn't only Lag's first time. Nonetheless, Zazie placed the tip of his throbbing and leaking member at the shorter male's entrance, leaning down until his lips met the flesh of the junction between Lag's shoulder and neck. The moment he pushed into the boy, he bit down hard onto the soft skin, quickly feeling hot blood filling his mouth. A loud growl rumbled from his throat and he slowly kept moving forward. Lag's walls clenched oh so tightly around him, seeming to intend to squeeze his very life out of him. He only stopped moving completely as his hips hit Lag's cheeks. Zazie's breathing was frantic, heaving now, as well as Lag's. The raven-haired teen's teeth were still piercing the boy's skin, blood trickling down onto the white sheets. He wasn't intending to hurt Lag, yet he couldn't keep his desire and lust at bay. The one thing that kept him from shamelessly slamming into the tight heat though was the single leftover part of his logical mind. He knew that Lag already had to deal with enough pain and he didn't want to make it worse. For some reason, a part of his not so logical mind had told him to replace the pain of intrusion with the burning pain of a nice, little bite. Not smart.

But somehow, it seemed to have helped after all, since it didn't take long for Lag to give his partner a sign that he could move on.

After taking a deep, shuddering breathe, Zazie slowly pulled out, bliss surging like magma throughout his body. Once only his tip was buried, he gently slammed back inside. Both boys released long and drawled out moans, lost in the sheer pleasure. When he pushed back inside, Lag moaned in both bliss and pain. It caused Zazie to frown in worry, but he continued to pull out and slam in over and over, determined to make the other boy feel good. The teen then yelped in surprise as Lag suddenly pulled him flush against his own body, knocking the air out of both their lungs. Zazie watched in flushed amazement as the boy threw his head back against the pillows and tightly wrapped his arms around the other's neck. The raven-haired teen's moans grew louder as Lag bucked against him and moved with his thrusts, the boy's leaking member compressed between their sweat-covered stomachs, smearing semen over their heated and flushed skin. Zazie began to move in a faster and steadier pace, feeling his peak closing in on him quickly. By the look on Lag's face he could tell that his partner was even closer than him. His assumption proved to be right when Lag screamed out, sticky white seed showering over both their front sides. The boy's walls suddenly contracting almost painfully around Zazie enticed his orgasm and he too released his hot semen into Lag. Unable to hold himself up, the raven-haired Bee slumped onto the other boy, hearing a small "Oomph", but feeling too exhausted to move away.

Only pants filled the room for a while, the air thick and heavy with the heat and the scent of their union.

Realizing that he was probably squashing Lag, Zazie rolled over to the side, trying to calm down his breathes. Once he felt a little calmer, he sat up and looked down to his side to see Lag sleepily glancing back up at him. The teen let his eyes trail over Lag's soiled and sweat-covered skin. He felt a little apprehensive about the many bruises on the boy's neck and shoulders. Patches of skin around his lower lip also were turning a purple hue. "Sheesh, you look like some crazy beast attacked you, Lag."

"I was attacked by something like a beast, Zazie," Lag slurred in response, a small smirk on his features.

Zazie lay back down with a thud and pulled his partner into a gentle hug, stinging pain shooting from his injured rib. Pain he was able to easily ignore on his current high. After a small peck on Lag's lips, he dove his nose into the boy's white hair, ruffling it happily. "If you were a cat, I'd tie you to me and never let you get away."

At this, Lag chuckled. "Don't worry. I wouldn't get away either way. It's not like I'd be able to escape even if I tried."

"True." Overjoyed, Zazie pulled Lag even closer. But a frown darkened his features when a thought occured to him. "Lag."

Lag felt a little fearful at the sudden mood change.

"You'll die," the teen breathed with a straight and serious face.

Lag's eyes went wide with startlement. "Huh?"

"And you're soiling my sheets."

It somehow dawned onto the boy what the other was aiming for and calmed a little again. "You mean…"

"We need to bandage that bite of yours, otherwise you'll die of blood loss."

Lag of course took this completely serious, seeing the stern look on the teen's face and his previous calm broke into panic again. "Seriously?"

Zazie was silent, making the boy squirm. Then his face became completely casual. "Not really, but we need to get that patched up anyway. Infections, you know."

Lag's head fell back onto the pillow, an exasperated sigh leaving him. "Zazie…" He didn't see the sly smirk on his lover's face.