Title: Caterpillars
Fandom: Super Smash Bros.
Rating: K
Genre: Romance/Humor
Summary: Lucina found out about Shulk's fear of caterpillars, and she had JUST the solution to help him face his fears… Shulk x Lucina
Pairings: Lucina x Shulk
A/N: Zulera301 and I were talking about these two, and he mentioned that Shulk is afraid of caterpillars. Curious, I looked it up… turns out he does in canon, so this plot bunny popped up XD
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone in the SSB fandom
ENJOY!
It was a lovely day in the backyard, where the kid Smashers were playing in the playground. The older Smashers, Shulk and Lucina included, were tasked to watch them. Now it was lunchtime, and the two decided to have their lunch at the picnic table. Shulk grabbed his sandwich from his lunch bag as Lucina grabbed a bear steak from her lunchbox.
"Bear meat again, Lucina?" Shulk commented, raising a brow.
"I brought an extra steak or two with me," Lucina said as she began eating, "want some?"
"Nah, not today anyway…" Shulk shook his head as he munched on his sandwich.
"Fair enough." Lucina shrugged as she tore off a large piece of the meat with her teeth. As the two ate, Shulk noticed something… green... crawling from under the table, but he paid no mind until Lucina pointed it out.
"Aww… look at the fuzzy caterpillar!" She smiled as she watched the caterpillar crawl up to the top of the table.
Shulk tensed up, realizing that it was a caterpillar. When it approached him…
"KYAAAAAAAAAA!"
Shulk threw his sandwich at the insect and he fell off of the picnic chair, scooting away from it. "G-GET IT AWAY!"
The kid Smashers watched the scene unfold, confused. Lucina was similarly confused at Shulk's overdramatic reaction over a caterpillar. "Shulk?" She asked, though she was putting two and two together…
Shulk was in a fetal position, whimpering. "I-is it g-gone?" He stuttered. Lucina tried to hold in a giggle.
"Um… yeah, it's… gone." She said. She was quite amused: Shulk went through death and fought against gods, but… he was scared of a little caterpillar?
"G-good…" Shulk sighed with relief as he got up. He saw, to his embarrassment, the kid Smashers watching him. "U-uh… I'll see you inside." Shulk blushed as he ran back in the Mansion. Lucina watched him, and she grew worried for him.
Shulk was in his room, hyperventilating and whimpering. "Caterpillars… so evil… EVIL!" He cried, holding his head in his hands.
He heard a knock on the door. "Wh-who is it?"
"It's Lucy," Shulk recognized Lucina's voice, "I just wanted to check on you."
"C-come in…" Shulk called, not even getting up from his bed.
Lucina opened the door, seeing Shulk shaking and whimpering. "Are… are you feeling alright?" She asked.
"Y-yeah…" Shulk nodded, "j-just needed some time alone. S-s-so…" He looked up at her, "sorry about th-that." His stuttering was new, something Lucina never heard from him before.
She sat beside him, trying not to snicker. "I take it there's a story behind this?" She asked.
"W-well…" Shulk explained, "I had this friend who pranked me when we were kids. He placed a caterpillar in my drawer and… the rest was history after that."
Lucina bit her gums, trying to keep her composure. "I see… have you ever tried to conquer that fear?"
"N-no… not really." Shulk shook his head. "Why did you ask?"
"I just thought that maybe we could try it," She suggested.
"Wh-what?! N-no!" Shulk shook his head wildly. "I-I mean… maybe not today…"
"Okay… but remember, Shulk, I'm here for you when you need it, alright?"
Shulk smiled at her kindness. "Y-yeah… thanks Lucina…"
Silence.
"Well…" Lucina bit her lip, still trying not to giggle. She now had a plan in mind… a plan that could be considered a prank, but could help Shulk's phobia. "I should leave you alone, right?"
"For a bit, yeah." Shulk agreed.
"All right. See you soon, Shulk."
"See you."
Lucina got up and left his room, a mischievous smile on her face when she left. She ran to her room and grabbed a jar. She then ran outside to work on the plan.
That night…
Shulk was fast asleep in his bed. As he was sleeping, he didn't notice Lucina gingerly opening the door, a jar of caterpillars in hand. She crept inside, quietly dumping the silent insects on the ground. She found his key sitting on his desk, and she quickly grabbed it. She then crept out, closing and locking the door.
As Shulk was sleeping, he felt something… fuzzy on his hand. Waking up groggily, he turned… to see not one caterpillar, but MANY of them in his room.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
He began to panic, throwing the caterpillar on his hand against the wall. He ran to his door and began to pull the knob. It was locked.
"SOMEONE! LET ME OUT! THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" He screamed.
Luckily, Shulk's screaming was loud enough to obscure Lucina's laughing. Clearly, he was really feeling it.
Shulk, on the other hand, wasn't laughing, as he pushed his back against the door as the caterpillars crawled up to him. Realizing there was no way out…
He grabbed his Monado, and he began slicing and killing the caterpillars. "GET AWAY FROM ME! GET. AWAY!"
Lucina overheard the slashing, and her eyes widened.
Shulk didn't realize he was destroying everything within the caterpillars' paths; he sliced his bedsheets in half, he broke his teacups and teapots…
After a few minutes, all of the caterpillars were dead, with slimy fluids coming out of them.
Sighing in relief, he turned to the door. "Whoever locked me in here is DEAD. OPEN UP!"
Lucina silently unlocked the door, and she quickly ran back to her room, acting like nothing had happened.
Unluckily for her, Shulk had saw the blue hair swaying from the corner when he slammed the door open. Lucina? SHE did this? Shulk thought in shock. He decided to confront her about what happened.
He entered her room, and he yelled, "LUCINA! What the heck?! Why did you release all of those caterpillars in my room?!"
Lucina looked up from her 3DS, her eyes widened in what could be shock. "Someone released some caterpillars in your room?" She gasped, "Why would I do something like that?"
"Lucina…" Shulk sighed, "I KNOW it was you. Don't lie to me."
"I…" Her guise was up. "Alright… I did it. I did it because I thought it could help you conquer your fears."
"So you pranked me?!" Shulk growled, but his face softened a bit.
"Well… you can call it a prank, but it's for a good reason."
Shulk was silent. "Well… I guess… thanks?" He looked over his shoulder. "Though you should probably replace all of the things I end up destroying."
Lucina cringed at the last sentence. "How much did you destroy?"
"Well… come with me." Lucina followed him to his room, and she gasped upon seeing the mess. There were dead caterpillars everywhere on the floor and bed, broken teacups and vases…
"Well… shoot. I mucked up, didn't I?" Lucina shook her head. She should've thought this through…
"No no," Shulk laughed, "you DID help me conquer my fears there. It's my fault that I panicked and destroyed everything."
"Well… it's my fault too, so I deserve it."
Shulk held her close, smiling. "I guess I owe you one for helping my fear. Thanks Lucina."
Lucina smiled back. "You're welcome, Shulk. I'm glad I was able to help then…"
Constructive criticism is welcomed! :D
Beta Reader: Zulera301