It was nighttime in Greece, and two lovers were just enjoying each other's company. Curled up against Herakles chest was Kiku, and cats surrounded them. It was quite nice, to say the least.
"Hey, Kiku? I'm gonna go shower, then we should get some rest. Ok?"
Kiku nodded, and went about his nightly routine. Spread out his futon, did some back stretches suggested by Ludwig, and then went over to the windowsill to get his body mist that he liked to spray onto his pillow, which helped with his insomnia. Looking out towards the sunset, Kiku felt extremely at peace.
That is, until he felt something on his arm and looked down.
He screamed, jumped out of the way, and ran to the corner of the room, curled into a ball, and cried for what seemed like an eternity.
Herakles luckily heard him right away, and finished his shower early. He came to an exhausted looking Kiku, who looked up at him with red eyes.
"Hun, what happened?" I got very worried hearing your cries…"
"I-I saw a spider on my arm, a-and it touched me. I have no clue where it went…".
"Oh, I see. I had no clue you were afraid of spiders."
"Yes, but cockroaches scare me more…" Kiku sniffled.
"Let me see what I can do...where were you when it got on your arm?"
"On the windowsill…"
"Ok. I'll try and find the little guy, ok?"
Kiku nodded, but schooched further into the corner, just to be safe.
Thankfully, he found her right away. "Oh, Kiku, its ok to be scared, but this little one is stunning!" Herakles andmired nature quite a bit, and he knew exactly what kind of spider this was. He was in awe. It was a gorgeous jumping spider with iridescent markings on its abdomen. It was quite big, which meant it was a female.
He gently scooped her up under a cup and paper.
"Kiku, I know you're scared, but would you at least like to have a look? She's so pretty."
"I-its a girl? N-no thank you, I'd like to stay here, please. I do not want her to bite me, not risking a hospital visit…..."
Now Herakles understood his fear. He was afraid of getting hurt. And he clearly didn't know much about spiders.
"Kiku, I know she scares you, but I want you to come outside with me while I put her back where she belongs. For one, I'd like to show you something, plus I think some fresh air would do you some good after a panic attack. You can stay as far back as you'd like. Plus, you can't stay in that corner forever."
Slowly getting up, Kiku decided his lover was right. Letting him go out first through the door, the two headed out with only the moon and porchlight to guide them.
"So...what did you want to show me?" Kiku asked nervously.
"Well, I know you like nature too. And I think you should learn more about some creatures that live around here. Watch this". With a gentle hand, he removed the cup off the paper and gently scooped up the spider.
"H-Herakles, be careful! What if she-"
He stopped him abruptly and put a free hand on his cheek, being careful not to have his hand with the spider too close, so as not to trigger another panic attack.
"Look, watch her from a distance. I'm ok. Do you trust me?"
Kiku slowly nodded, deciding to trust him.
He watched as the small invertebrate climbed up his arm bit by bit, and he even noticed the spider cocking her little head and focusing on Herakles face intently.
"S-she's not hurting you?!"
"Nope. This kind of spider is non-poisonous. And even a tiny nibble, which is very rare and only if they are threatened, barely hurts at all. In fact, they're very curious. They love to look at human's faces, and can recognize its another creature."
"W-wow! That's impressive!" Kiku's fear had slowed, now that he knew that she wouldn't hurt him or his husband.
All of a sudden, Herakles heard something that he never thought he would have heard that night.
"I cant believe i'm saying this, but….may I release her? I think its time I faced my fear head on."
Coming out of his initial shock, Herakles smiled softly, relieved that he was able to help Kiku in such a way.
"Of course. I'm so proud of you. You'll be fine, just be very gentle."
He carefully placed the little arachnid into his hands. For just a moment, heart pounding, Kiku stared in awe. Herakles was right, her colors were very beautiful.
Then, he gently kneeled down, and put one hand out into the grass. With one finger, he gently tapped the back of her abdomen, until she jumped away back into her original home. She was free.
"Goodbye, safe travels" he whispered, still mesmerized by how gorgeous she was, and was shocked to find himself sad to see her go home.
Heading back inside, Herakles put a hand on his shoulder.
"I am so proud of you. You faced your fear like a champ."
"Thank you. And I learned something. It seems like when you first put her in the cup, it seemed like she was more terrified than I was. But once she realized we were helping, her outlook immediately changed. And so did mine."
"Oh, I'm so glad to hear it. And it's true: most animals are more afraid of us than we are them."
He planted a kiss onto his lips, before climbing into his own bed, where all cats curled up to him wherever space was available. Kiku climbed into his, his mind changed about his new eight legged neighbors.