Work Text:
“What do you mean bug sanctuary date?! Airi- are you aware-”
“Of course I am doofus, that's why we’re here.” Airi tossed him one of her bows as she tied her hair back. Despite making up this plan, she did not want an insect crawling into her hair thank you very much.
“You’re sick, very sick.” Tsukasa replied in the deadest tone he could manage. He knew Airi knew that he was deathly afraid of bugs, and this is how she treats him?! It was pointless to argue since Airi had her mind set on it, so he had to go along despite his better judgement, he didn’t want his girlfriend nagging at him again. He passed back her bow and watched her tie it into the base of her ponytail.
“I know.” She giggled, taking his arm and wandering in. Tsukasa’s face was turning a cartoonish blue from the horrors, but it was okay, since Airi hadn’t informed him of the other part of the plan yet either. She guided him towards the butterfly room, arguably the tamest you could get when it came to bugs. She didn’t think he would have still been frightened half to death though.
“Butterflies…okay….at least it’s safer than….” Tsukasa gulped. “A centipede.”
She laughed again, her little fang tooth poking right out, and though it made her look more monstrous, he still found her adorable. Airi took him to the middle of the room, where it was quite quiet surprisingly. The flap of the butterfly wings was enough to freeze him to the spot in fear, while Airi stuck out her hand and let a beautiful orange one land on her finger. She stared at it fondly, then watched it fly off with a smile.
At least, even though he was still terrified, she still looked gorgeous through it all. She looked at him, placing her hand on his arm again and lifting his arm up. “What are you- nonono I can’t do that, please Airi isn’t this enough?!” Tsukasa caught on immediately, trying to pull his arm away, but still gentle enough so it didn’t look like he hated her or something. She reached for it once more only to be denied then shrugged.
“Well, you need to get over your fear at some point. It’s only butterflies in here, they aren’t gonna hurt you.” She held out her hand, and this time, Tsukasa accepted it. She lifted it to her lips and kissed it. “And neither am I.”
He was starting to loosen up, his shoulders relaxing themselves, but his legs a bit shaky. “Can we sit down then? I think I may fall over if we don’t.” Airi giggled again.
“Sure. there’s a bench right there, just let me grab something real quick.” she responded. He let her wander, sitting down on the bench mentioned, and took a deep breath. He was still extremely scared, that couldn’t be changed, but he was sort of starting to get used to it. It was better than the mechanical bugs incident with Rui at least.
“Right, I'm back!” Airi then announced, carrying a little spray bottle, which she looked to have already sprayed her hands with. “Hold out your hand for me.” she asked, and he obliged. She sprayed it, then sat next to him and kept it held out. “You can do this at least once, we can go for ice cream after.”
Tsukasa’s hand was shaking really badly, but he tried to swallow his fear and let Airi hold his hand up. A few butterflies passed them, which made Tsukasa try his hardest not to jump, and it was working until one landed on his hand. He shook abruptly, causing it to immediately fly away. Airi sighed. “I’m sorry, I really can’t help it.”
“Then we’ll try again.” Airi said gently. He lowered his hand slightly, adjusting to his surroundings a bit more. Another few passed before a second one landed there, a nice blue and black spotted one that wasn’t too big in size. Airi kept hold of his arm to steady the shaking, and Tsukasa brought it closer to himself. He didn’t want to scream or jump again, and its wings were really pretty. He stared at it for a few seconds, and took his first calm breath since they entered the place. It was so…tranquil. It only felt slightly tickly too. It flew away just as soon as it landed, and Tsukasa could form a small weak smile. “See, that wasn’t so bad now was it?”
“I mean, I guess you’re right. These…” he tried to search for the word. “…things still terrify me. But once in a while isn’t so horrible.” he concluded, looking at his lap then to Airi.
“Then we can do this once every month?” Airi said.
“Absolutely not!” Tsukasa went into a defensive posture, ready to run if given the chance.
Airi chuckled, bursting into laughter. “I’m kidding. Do you want to go for that ice cream?”
Tsukasa sighed and stood up, his signature smile finally returning to his face. “Oh go on then, how could I refuse?”