prompt: give one character a phobia and put them in a situation where they have to face it while in the company of the other.
pairing: shinjiro aragaki x gn!reader
tags: cw for centipedes; not proofread and i will never proofread this; maybe ooc
a/n: hi chat i am in my crashout era bc i’ve been having a writers block so everything i churn out is kinda shit quality! the prompt generator did not help! but maybe this will aid my fellow shinjiro fans in your daydreams. i always say i will proofread but i cannot ever re-read my own writing without fighting the urge to delete it so this will stay ass. also i picked centipedes bc i fucking hate them and i know they’re hella common in mainland japan. i’m from southern jp though so i’ve only ever had to encounter geckos and giant spiders. maybe writing abt him pregnant will cure my writer’s block idk.
“i need you to come to my room.”
“…what?” you mumble, fresh out of sleep, your thoughts still hazy. it was about 8am on a sunday—the only day you could sleep in—and yet your sleep was disturbed by your boyfriend, shinjiro. you mean this out of love, of course.
“come to my room. now.”
“at least say please,” you yawn, groggily sitting up. “what’s wrong? do you just miss me or somethin-“
“no.” his response was curt. “i just need you to come to my room. please. i’ll explain once you’re here.”
well, you certainly didn’t appreciate his attitude, but you know he didn’t mean it. it’s very difficult for him to properly articulate his emotions, but you’re willing to meet him halfway. “i get it, it’s hard for you to ask for cuddling, but-“
“i-it’s not that!” though he does sound flustered, you can still sense an underlying panic in his voice. “it’s… well… something is in here-“
“a shadow?” you cut him off. shadows only happen during the dark hour, but is it possible for one to show up outside of-
“no,” he says, his voice slightly above a murmur. you can barely hear him through the phone. “it’s a centipede.”
“…a centipede?”
silence.
“shinjiro, are you scared of centipedes?”
“…i’m not scared. i just would prefer to, um, not be around one. i guess.”
it’s hard to hold back a laugh. “that’s so cute! i never would’ve expected that from you!”
“just shut up and come over here!” he grunts, and you hear something clattering over. “it’s moving, holy shit, it’s moving-“
“okay, okay, i’ll be over in a second! i just have one condition; you have to give me a kiss.” it’s the least he could do for waking you up so early!
“fine, i’ll kiss you and whatever, just hurry up!”
you laugh, hanging up. not wanting to undermine his fears too much, you swiftly slip on some slippers and dash downstairs to his room, ignoring aigis in the lounge saying something about how according to her records, you are not usually in the hallway this early.
well, if you’re getting a kiss from shinjiro, who cares about the time?
twisting the handle, you swing open the door gently. shinjiro, still in his pajamas of a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, has his back is pressed against the wall opposite to the door, eyes wide and staring at the space to your right. his desk chair is knocked over on its side, likely the clattering sound you heard over the phone earlier. your eyes follow the target of his gaze, seeing the little creature with an uncomfortable amount of tiny legs right beside you.
“oh, it’s pretty small.” usually, you would opt for a cup and a piece of paper to trap the centipede and bring it outside to freedom, but with how dire the situation is, you have no choice but to abandon the pacifist route.
taking a slipper off, you utilize the footwear as a weapon to quickly smack the centipede. lifeless, it falls to the floor. picking it up with a tissue and discarding it in a nearby trash can, you hope that in the afterlife, it understands that this was a necessary action to get a kiss from your brooding boyfriend.
finally closing the door, you put your slipper back on as you glare at shinjiro, who visibly relaxes now that his opponent is dead.
“now where’s my kiss?” with a hand on your hip, you wait for your prize. you deserve it after all of that hard work, right?
he sighs, acting annoyed, but you both know he would never deny you. his eyebrows furrow as he walks over to you, muttering, “you’re such a moron.” to express his disdain, his hands naturally finds your waist as he presses his lips against your temple. “now we’re even.”
his eyes shift around a little. you look to see if there was possibly another centipede, but his reaction would be much more drastic if you did miss it. “shinjiro, what are you thinking about?”
“uh,” he hesitates, refusing to meet your eyes. “sorry for waking you up so early…i guess. and thanks.”
the corners of your mouth twitch, struggling to hide your amusement. “you know,” you lean against him, “i’m wayyy too tired to walk all the way back to my room. can i sleep with you for a little bit?”
he stiffens, then sighs reluctantly. “you’re such a pain in the ass.”
“oh? do you want me to leave then?”
swiftly, he swoops you off your feet, then gently sets you onto his bed. judging from the subtle raise of his eyebrows, he didn’t expect for that to be so smooth either. of course, you see right through him, laughing with your hands gripping his forearm.
“what’s so funny?” he quirks an eyebrow, slipping out of your grasp.
“you didn't even let me take my slippers off yet.” you kick them off your feet and begin to sit up to properly put them away, but he puts a hand on your chest to stop you. “lay down.”
who are you to deny his orders? like a gentleman, he lines them up properly at the door for you.
the bed dips as he situates himself beside you, making sure the blankets are covering you properly. like a magnet, you attach to his side, your arm wrapped around him and ear pressed against his chest. his heart beats rapidly in response. usually, you would pick on him, but he’s been through enough so early in the morning.
“you’re such a gentleman,” you tease, adjusting your body against him for maximum comfort.
“and you’re such a weirdo.” his heartbeat quickens again as his body vibrates beneath your ear with his gruff voice. “just hurry up and go to sleep.”
hopefully, the centipede’s spirit knows its sacrifice wasn’t in vain.
