headcanon: how i think the boys would react to you asking them to deal with a surprise spider in the house
cw: spiders (which, is, given… lol), established relationship, mostly fluff & banter, you/yours for reader (mc) and presumed fear of spiders
xavier: he rolls up a nearby pamphlet and just… smacks it without hesitation. he blinks when the spider scurries away, only slightly dented at his efforts.
“huh.” he unfurls the makeshift weapon. “that’s a problem.”
“xavier?” you raise your head from the cushion you had plucked to defend yourself with. your eyes are just as wide as his. “xavier, oh no, where did it go-”
“to the next plant… probably.” he scratches his nape and gives you a small smile. reaching for your shield, he replaces it with his hand. “it’ll be okay. out of sight, out of mind.”
“sure, but what did you even hit it with…” you mumble.
a glance to the coffee table shows a slightly wrinkled promotion for bunnies hot pot. something about couples, something about certain cuts of meat being showcased for new customers…
xavier gives your hand a squeeze. “since the spider might be here for a while, why don’t we go out and eat? to get your mind off of things.”
“you just want hot pot, don’t you?”
“…maybe.”
zayne: he calmly asks for a cup so he can do the cup/sheet method and displaces the spider to an opened windowsill. he looks fine overall, but secretly, he did jump a little at first—especially since the spider was bigger than he had imagined.
“my lifesaver,” you sigh, reaching for his forearm when he returns. with a slight squeeze, you add, “what would i do without you…”
“it’s alright,” he says with a slight nod. he pats the crown of your head and adds on, “thank you for letting me know. do you feel better now?”
“i do.” placing your cheek against his chest, your arms loosely wrap around his waist. a beat passes, and you look upwards, poking just past the center of his heart. “but i think i should be asking you that, mister.”
zayne’s ears are slightly pink as he meets your gaze. “it’s nothing.”
“really?”
your fingers make a little walk upwards. past the collar and up the side of his neck, you gently pinch his earlobe. “i’ll keep this in mind the next time a spider decides to trouble us, then.”
rafayel: initially, he shares in that panic you called him over with. pulled out of his sofa-lounging reverie, rafayel stands next to you and frowns.
he readies his hand. “i’ll set it on fire, yeah?”
“okay, wait, let’s not set off the fire alarm either,” you tell him just as quickly, grasping his fingers. “something else, anything-”
the spider lifts a leg, and time seems to stand still between the three of you. then, it begins to crawl in your direction.
“it’s moving closer?!”
you both end up throwing things at the spider in a collective effort before it eventually just scurries away. silence weighs in the air as you look around and realize the place is a bit messier now. papers, spare paintbrushes and even a house slipper; all start to return to how they once were as the two of you pick up the pieces.
rafayel clears his throat. “sooo how about we move in together and away from this place?”
you glance at him. “over a spider?”
“well, duh. i don’t see why not.” he crosses his arms and gives you a wink. “we make a great team anyways, cutie. more of us and less of them sounds pretty good to me.”
sylus: one flick of his evol-studded finger and the spider is gone in his web of red-black. the spot where it once was is now spotless. and yet sylus still sits there, comfy in his chair.
you look at him in slight disbelief. countless times, you’ve seen the flawless execution of his evol in combat—against wanderers and humans alike—but over a rather small mishap is still a surprise to behold.
“is that all, sweetie?”
“i think so.” your eyes scan the floor. “there better not be another one, or i swear…”
the corner of his mouth lifts. he redirects his evol your way, curling around your waist in familiarity and settling you to stand between his legs.
hands on his shoulders, you steady yourself and glance at him with a tilted head. “can i help you?”
“a reward would be nice,” he hums. “i dealt with a nuisance to our lovely hunter. wouldn’t you agree?”
“it might've been a little overkill,” you say with a small laugh, yet cup his cheek nonetheless. “but i can think it over, if you’d like. your standards are quite high these days.”
he leans into your touch. “indeed. that would’ve been a hefty commission fee otherwise.”
caleb: he casually scoops it into his hand and decides to walk closer to you with it. a menace never grows out of their habits.
“ooh, the spider’s gonna get youuu…” he sings, that familiar glimmer in his eyes. “look at his little legs. all eight of them, crawling your way-”
“caleb, you’re a jerk!” there's both a laugh and panic in your voice. you do your best to dodge him. “get away from me! one more step and i’ll make you regret it!”
he laughs as you squirm and decides to send it off outside after entertaining the situation just a little longer. he comes back, dusting off his palms like it’s in a day’s work.
“all gone.” he raises both hands, empty. “see?”
wordlessly, you huff and a curled fist meets his bicep instead.
“ow, ouch.” he feigns an injury, despite the grin. “i just saved your life and this is how you repay me?”
“this is my thanks,” you say with a grumble. “i’ll get you next time.”
he takes your wrist and twirls you around, now effortlessly in his embrace. “you promise?”
“you sound a little too happy about this,” you remark, swaying together in a soundless rhythm unique to the two of you. “i wonder why.”
“maybe i just want to find out what you have in store for me. is that so bad?”