Despite the fact that Pest was literally a hybrid of a beetle and a human, at first glance he didn't look all that much like a beetle. Yes, he still had large horns growing out of his head, brown mandibles protruding from his mouth, his eyes were completely red with no pupils, and when he got angry (which wasn't uncommon), he hissed in a very inhuman way. But at least he didn't have anything like those nasty thin wings or actual spiny paws instead of hands. Yes, clawed, but still hands.

So, despite the fact that you don't particularly like insects, Pest somehow managed to become an exception. So much so that you very quickly became romantically involved, despite his rude nature.

And so, it seemed like things weren't so bad between you. You dated, hung out in and out of the elevator, hugged him while he grumbled in Japanese, and he even introduced you to DR. Retro!! And everything would have continued to be fine until your relationship turned six months old and spring arrived.

You see, Pest had another bug-like trait that he honestly didn't know about until he actually had a partner. And that trait was... Mating season.

Now, out of the blue, your usually reserved, cold, and sometimes rude boyfriend... Suddenly wouldn't leave your side. No, literally. He developed a habit of climbing on your back and sitting there, clawing at you. And he refused to give any normal explanation for it, growling at you in Japanese or simply snapping.

And you were relatively okay with it until today, thinking he was just experiencing a strange surge of affection, before finally putting two and two together when a program about stag beetles came on TV.

You were hanging out in the kitchen as usual, cutting a salad for yourself and Pest, when the topic of the mating ritual came up, and they showed a shot of a smaller beetle (aka the male) climbing onto a female and simply sitting on her.

Which was almost painfully reminiscent of your boyfriend's behavior, who, by pure coincidence, was on your back at that very moment, watching you chop vegetables and not paying attention to the program.

[🐞] - "Watch what you're doing with that knife. Otherwise, you'll cut off your finger." - Pest commented with a grumble to you, who froze, not realizing that you now had suspicions about him.