Airachnophobia (Airachnid X Male Reader)

1: Moving to Nevada

     Y/N could never have guessed what his parents meant when they said they had moved "out to the country". A long, painstaking drive from the state of Georgia all the way to Nevada was not his idea of a good time.

     Somehow, though, that wasn't even the worst part. As he got closer to the city he was travelling towards, more and more foliage started lining the roads, and something was off with it. He didn't even notice it at first, but it freaked him out to his core once he saw them; giant, silky, rope-like webs were dangling from many of the trees around him.

     "Please tell me this is a joke," Y/N said to himself, gently applying pressure to his brakes and pulling off to the side of the empty road, his tires kicking up a bit of dust as he stopped. The man had never been a huge fan of bugs, but the eight-legged silk-spinners were his least favorite. This wasn't just some spider infestation though, what he was looking at had to be unnatural.

     He stepped out of his now parked car onto the hard, rocky ground, finding it unavoidable to stretch his stiff muscles after being in the car for so long. He subconsciously noted the contrast between the lush mountain terrain he was used to and the rather barren excuse for a forest he now found himself in as his feet crushed dry, dead vegetation and kicked around loose rocks. Turning his attention back to the trees, morbid curiosity overpowered his instinct to flee, drawing him closer to the mysterious webs. He found himself arguing with his instincts to get back in his car and drive as far away as possible, the odd silence and stillness in the air seeming to take part in that argument as well.

     The whole row of trees that lined the road had spider silk hanging like bridges between them, high up off the ground. When Y/N stepped forward to get a closer look, the scale of them really hit home. Some of these "spider" webs were thicker than his arm. There was no creature that was big enough to make something like this, so it had to be man-made, right? He swallowed his fear and common sense, taking a step into the forest.

     It didn't take very much walking before the scene got even worse. There were entire trees that had been snapped in half, parts of the dusty ground were simply overturned, and more of those mystery webs were strewn about the entire area. Every ounce of it screamed danger, but but when he saw charred husks of what were once trees, burnt to a crisp, his looming dread turned into panic. Adrenaline propelled his body to turn around and quietly but quickly make his way back to the road.

     Back inside his car, the man found he couldn't shake whatever sick thrill he got from the creepy, unexplainable nature of what he had seen. It wasn't very often that he went out of his comfort zone intentionally, so he smiled despite the looming feeling of discomfort he felt as he started his car once more and drove off. He muttered to himself something about how it was probably fine.

~~~~~

     "Where did they even find out about this place?" Y/N asked himself. His parents had told him that Jasper was a small but growing town, and the cost of living was super low. That way they could retire early and use the money they'd save on fun trips or new hobbies. He wasn't sure what kind of copium they were on, but calling the quaint collection of buildings he was driving through a "growing" town might have been a fantasy. Sure, all the main facets of a functioning society were there, but there were very few new buildings, if any.

     Still, it didn't really bother the man one way or another as long as it worked for them. He couldn't deny that the colors from the fast approaching sunset were more vivid out here than they were back in the city of Atlanta, or even some of the more naturally inclined places like Dahlonega. There was a golden color to the light that passed through the somewhat atmospheric air he hadn't seen before. Experiences like that, modest as it may be, were triggers that set off his artistic side.

     The driveway up to his parents' new house was quite long, as was common in rural areas like this one, Y/N discovered. There was something comforting to it, as it was a simple, well-kept gravel path, as opposed to the solid concrete of most Suburban driveways. Crunching noises vibrated throughout the car as the tires pushed the pebbles around, creating yet another new sensory experience for the man. He liked to appreciate such details, as they were some of his favorite feelings in dreams and memories.

     Stepping out of his car, Y/N bent his body all the way backwards so that he was looking at the sky, stretching extensively. There was an unpredictability to the breeze the meandered through, an opposing sensation to the sunlight that still warmed his skin.

     "I wonder what they're up to," he thought aloud to himself as he looked absentmindedly at the house in front of him. The man took a moment to observe his new surroundings. The building itself wasn't super new, but it wasn't ancient either. It was a single story house made of quite a lot of brick and concrete material, which made sense given the environment, and gave the structure a bit of a gritty, textured aesthetic that Y/N liked.

     The only parts of the outside of the house that were made of wood were the shutters, which appeared to have been painted rather recently. A pair of wooden rocking chairs were on the front porch, stained a dark, grayish-brown. They were likely built by his father as a way to both contribute to the comfort of his new house, as well as pass the time with one of his hobbies.

     After not another moment of delay, Y/N approached the door and rang the bell. He shifted slightly as he waited, a general sense of excitement filled him up. It had been a little over a year since he'd last seen his mom and dad, and he was always happy when he could feel like a kid again.

     "You made it!" His mom opened the door for him, reaching out for a hug right away. He saw his father close behind as well, a smile on his dusty face, likely having been busy before Y/N arrived.

     "Barely," he joked. He considered for a moment bringing up what he had ran into during his drive, but thought better of it. No reason to ruin the moment.

     As Y/N slowly made his way inside, stumbling around a little as he put his backpack down at the door, and taking in the interior of the house. It was actually pretty similar in aesthetic to the way their old house in Georgia had been. Uncoordinated colors, no set vibe among the various types of decorations they had displayed across the house. Oddly framed vintage paintings were hung above simplistic, modern vases, which were sat on hand-woven, western style placemats.

     "Dinner's ready if you're hungry, make yourself at home, son." Y/N's mother gestured to a sturdy looking, round wooden table, three placemats with matching chairs in a circle around it.

     "That would be great. Do you need any help with the silverware?" He could tell exactly what was for dinner, too, since the familiar scent of tortellini and sausage soup had already settled in the air.

     "Don't worry about it, just sit down. You've had a long trip," his mother assured him.

~~~~~

     Later that night, Y/N was laying in a somewhat unfamiliar bed. Only the guest bedroom had been available, since his old room was nothing more than a memory from the old house. His eyes refused to close and let him sleep, though, as the events of the day caught up to him.

     The relaxing time he had spent with his parents hadn't erased the memory from the forest earlier. The distant and muted bitter scent of decaying leaves, the slight fog, and the unnatural webs were still fresh in his mind.

     The soft glow of the television had numbed his mind somewhat, though. His father had suggested they watch a movie to pass the time, and Y/N had eagerly agreed. It was certainly a good way to unwind, but the thread of unease that had woven itself into his mind was there to stay. Even the slightly dusty air drifting around his face seemed to agree with him.

     The man just sighed, resigning himself to worry about it in the morning.