Gentleman in the Forest (old ver.)

Unable and unwilling to resist the music's effect on her body, Felicity swayed and stepped to the music. Her lips mouthing the words as she used the spray bottle in her hand as a faux microphone. She twirled and spun closer and closer to the studio, practically enslaved by her love of the song, until she heard a second voice. She stopped in her tracks and listened intently as she moved closer to the source of the unfamiliar singing. Her jaw dropped the second she discovered that the singing wasn't coming from any speaker.

Nathaniel was singing the song, her favorite song, perfectly in tune and swaying to the music, though with much less movement than she used when she danced over to the studio. The human part of his body moved with an odd, but fluid grace while his spider half seemed to simply tap a leg on the ground to the beat. He was actually dancing. Well, as much as he could while he stuffed the pillow. She stepped closer to him, walking quietly on the carpet of his studio as she watched him consumed in the joy of the song the same way she was. He turned quickly around, saw her, and the whole world almost froze.

"Felicity." he said, a blush filling his cheeks "H-how long have you been standing there?"

"Oh, not long. So, you like this song?" she asked, playing coy for the moment.

"Er...yes. It's actually one of my favorite songs ever. I love to dance to it, whenever the mood strikes me." He told her, shrinking slightly in embarrassment. He was caught completely off guard when she squealed happily a moment later and took his hand into her own.

"Oh my god, me too! I've been in love with this song since I first heard it as a teenager. It's so oddly romantic and it has such a great rhythm to it." She told him, taking the threaded needle out of his other hand and placing it down neatly before grabbing both his hands and pulling him. "Come on, dance with me! Nobody ever wants to dance with me to this song!"

"W-wait, what about the pillow?" he stuttered out while trying not to be dragged away. "I still need to finishing stuffing it and sew it closed so you can use it tonight!" His excuse sounded weak to Felicity's ears and she pulled him a little harder, delighted when his physical resistance faded away. She dragged him over to the music player and turned the volume up, letting the song reverberate through her very spirit.

"Come on, Nathaniel! The pillow can wait. Let's unwind and have a little fun!" she said to him, placing his hands on her shoulder and hip. She lead the dance, stepping to the side to lead them out of the studio so there was more space to move around. He made a few noises and she could tell he was trying to speak, probably failing to come up with some reason not to dance but she wasn't having any of it. Felicity started to sway them both together and he quickly started getting into it.

Within moments the two of them were gliding around the floor, twirling and gyrating their hips and legs to the triple beat that permeated throughout the song. They both smiled at each other and Felicity could tell that it had been a bit too long since he's had fun like this. She thought that the two of them must have been a sight to behold, especially since Nathaniel managed to stay in sync with her steps despite having four times as many legs to move around.

Seeing him finally let loose and have fun served only to cement her opinion that Nathaniel was a pretty cute guy, despite the spider parts. The music filled her body as she lead him into a more and more involved dance together all throughout the cave, and every move from her caused him to respond in kind. They smiled at each other, sang the words of the song together and lost themselves totally until there was nothing left but them, the music, and the dance.

Their bodies moved in perfect sync as they turned their dance into an odd pop-waltz together. She hadn't even realized at first that at some point they'd stopped taking their eyes away from each other. The purple color of his eyes seemed somehow deeper and richer than before, and she got a little lost in looking into them. They seemed to be almost hypnotizing her, lulling her into a deep relaxation without the loss of thought that usually accompanied hypnosis.

Her relaxation was lost when he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up. She laughed at first, thinking it was just part of the dance until he had pressed his lips against hers. It was the most exciting, passionate kiss she could ever remember having and she quickly lost herself to it. Electricity seemed to spark between them as she kissed him back and her entire body heated up. Her back arched as she wrapped her own arms around his neck. Her eyes drifted closed and all she felt was the tender skin of his lips on hers and the growing ember of heat that dug itself into her very core.

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Nathaniel was in heaven, the taste on his lips sweeter than anything he could ever remember tasting. He was lost in the sensations emanating from the both of them and he couldn't even feel his mating heat right then. Instead there was just a warm, pleasant sensation that swam throughout his whole body. He wasn't even sure where he ended and Felicity began while they were pressed together. The music finally died down and he slowly separated from her to stare into her bright green eyes. They seemed to almost sparkle with something, and he broke into a soft smile for several moments before his eyes shot open and alarm gripped him.

"Oh god, I am so sorry Felicity. I have no idea what came over me! I just...I don't know!" he said, flustered and panicking. He let her down gently and backed up several steps with his palms facing her. "Please don't be upset, I just...got lost in the moment. I'm sorry." he finished quietly, shrinking down and feeling ashamed of his own behavior. He chanced looking at her and saw that she was breathing deeply, shivers of some kind running all around her body. She wasn't bundling up against the cold, so he supposed that it was shivers of fright. He was about to apologize to her again, but was stopped from getting even a syllable out by the relaxed smile that suddenly appeared on her face.

"You didn't hurt me Nathaniel. I'm not scared and I have no idea why I'm shaking so much. It just kind of feels like I have too much energy right now. Adrenaline if I had to guess." she said, chuckling softly while looking at her hand, which shook with the same nervous energy as the rest of her. She turned her face to look him in the eyes, and Nathaniel saw a mischievous glint in her eyes. "But maybe it's because of that kiss." she said, a playful tone in her voice."If that was really your first kiss, then you've got a real talent there." Nathaniel blushed a very deep shade of red, causing Felicity to giggle loudly.

"Excuse me Felicity," he said, turning back around, "I have to go finish your pillow." He started to walk off quickly while his eyes threatened to tear up. He didn't believe for a second she was actually okay with him kissing her. He was sure with every fiber of his being that she was just being nice to him, just like she had been nice to him all evening once she had gotten over her initial fear. He knew she was a wonderful person now, and thinking that he had hurt her because he hadn't properly kept his mating heat in mind ached on a level he had never known before.

The second he was back in front of the unfinished pillow, he started to bury himself in his work again. It was the only coping mechanism he trusted himself with at the moment and he had to keep wiping his eyes to keep tears from falling onto the pillow and potentially ruining his work. The rest of the work was simple, since he had reinforced the earliest parts of the stitching, so he went slowly and carefully. He hadn't even noticed that Felicity had followed him back until he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"Nathaniel?" she said to him, concern in her voice. He didn't want to face her just yet, and refused to turn his face towards her. She decided to not give him a choice, and he felt her hands gently grab hold of his face. She forced him to look her in the eyes again as she started to speak. "Oh, Nathaniel. You don't need to cry. I'm not hurt or upset or anything else." she smiles at him and a small blush appears on her face. "It wasn't a big deal, honest. Here, I'll prove it." She leaned in a planted a kiss of her own on his lips.

Their second kiss was much gentler than their first, but Nathaniel had lost himself in it all the same. His eyes closed and the tears seemed to dry themselves almost instantly as the pleasant feeling from earlier returned. The kiss was very brief, over in just a moment as she let go of his face and took a half-step back. She didn't say anything at first, which left Nathaniel to wonder why his mating heat wasn't going nuts. Shouldn't I be ravishing her right now, little better than an animal? he wondered as he looked at her shy smile.

"You didn't pull back or away from me just now, did you?" she asked him, never breaking their eye contact. Nathaniel felt himself unable to form words and merely shook his head as an answer. "And that was because you didn't want to right? Not because you weren't able to? Because you could have pulled away from me kissing you if you had wanted to, right?" He started to wonder what she was getting at as he simply nods in response. "Well, look at me." Felicity said, flexing the muscles in one of her arms. "I've got plenty of strength, so I could have pushed you off of me if I tried to. Don't you think?"

"Well of course you could have. I mean, I'm strong but..." Nathaniel stopped mid-sentence as what she was trying to get across finally hit him. "But you didn't, because you didn't want to." he said to her, his tone that of a man achieving revelation. "But why? Aren't I...Well..." he said, looking down at himself.

"Plenty of reasons. Because you're a good guy and I trusted that you weren't going to hurt me, because it was a nice kiss, because there was a nice mood..." she stopped listing and paused a moment. "The point is, even if it was done on a whim, I didn't pull away. You don't have anything to feel guilty about, okay?" She said. Nathaniel stared at her, amazed by the woman in front of him. It hadn't even been a day, one day that had started out with her cocooned in web of all things, and she had already come to trust him with that level of contact. A feeling of calm came over him and he smiled down at her.

"Thank you Felicity." he said. "Your words mean more to me than I could possibly adequately express. Thank you for your understanding."

"You're welcome Nathaniel." she said. She came close to him again and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Now if you'll excuse me, I don't want to ruin this wonderful dress by sleeping in it. So I'm going to go grab my laundry and get changed. No peeking, okay?" she told him playfully as she backed away casually.

"You have my word, I'll be on my best behavior." He responded, mimicking her playful tone for a moment before returning to his normal voice. "I need to finish up your pillow anyway. I should be done with it by the time that you finishing changing." She nodded at him with a kind smile and walked away.

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Felicity walked back to the laundry alcove, humming the song she had just danced to. She hadn't expected to enjoy herself quite that much, but the evening had turned out to be more fun then she could remember having for a long time. Kind of surprising he knows how to dance so well. All those legs and he managed to avoid having two left feet. she thought while chuckling at her own joke. She did a final playful twirl as she arrived in front of her laundry.

She was ecstatic to find that her panties had finished drying off, but far less so to discover that her shirt and shorts were still very wet. I must not have wrung them out well enough. she thought as she frowned. Well, no point worrying about it. I'm going to bed soon anyway, so I'll just throw them on in the morning. They're sure to be dry by then. She took a look over to the studio to make sure she wasn't in Nathaniel's line of sight, then nodded when she was satisfied of her privacy.

I'm going to miss this dress. she thought as she slowly worked it up herself. She was painstakingly careful not to cause any wrinkles or creases as she slid it off of her body and placed it on a nearby hanger. A small breeze caused her to shiver, which served as a reminder that she was currently standing there wearing nothing but her bra. She quickly grabbed her panties off of the line and slipped them on. She took another look at her wet shirt and shorts, feeling them in her hands and sighed. Yeah, I'd catch a cold if I tried to sleep in these. I guess I'd better just sleep in my undies tonight.

She had already started walking back, clad only in her bra and panties, when a thought occurred to her that stopped her dead in her tracks. Why the hell am I so okay with this? she thought. I mean despite the...differences, Nathaniel's still a guy. Plus, he said he was in mating season and here I am just strutting around with nothing but my underwear like I'm taking a walk of shame! She stood there and thought to herself, trying to think of what he might do to her while she tried to sleep and expecting a repeat of some of the terrible thoughts she'd had when she first got webbed up.

No, instead it was the memory of kissing him that entered her mind and the memory of that small, blissful feeling that had entered her at that time. The same warmth that found itself filling her up once again, forcing calm onto her very soul as a relaxed smile found its way onto her face. Right, this is Nathaniel. she thought to herself. He won't take advantage or try to push himself on me. He's a good guy and I need to just trust him. He's proven he deserves it time and again after all. With her sense of calm renewed, she walked back to the studio and saw Nathaniel examining the pillow.

"So how does it look? Is that pillow ready to be broken in?" she asked him. He turned around to look at her and the calm smile on his face turned into the reddest shade of blushing ever seen on any living being. He covered his eyes and quickly turned himself away from her. She couldn't help but to snicker at his reaction. "Oh come on Nathaniel. It's just underwear. I know you don't really make them, but it's not like you've never seen them before. Right?" she asked him, her tone playful and teasing.

"Why aren't you wearing any clothes?!" he asked, flustered and in a panic.

"Well, my shirt and shorts are too wet to sleep in and I didn't exactly pack any pajamas." she said. She was having too much fun teasing him, and decided to push it just a half step father. "Not that I wear pajamas to bed normally. When you live alone, there's really not much need for modesty in the privacy of your own home."

"Okay, yes, fine." He said, still flustered. "That's a fair point. I mean you certainly weren't expecting to spend the night here, so of course you didn't bring extra clothes along. We'll...we'll figure something out for you. Perhaps I have something else that could fit you, even if a bit loosely?" He said as he had started to look through the various clothes that he had in his studio.

"I'm pretty sure you already looked for clothes for me earlier, as I recall. Remember, when I was in the bathroom and you took my clothes for a good soak?" She said, letting up on her teasing tone. She figured it would be mean to keep pushing him around, especially when he was making it so easy for her.

"Right, right." he said with some reluctance. He started to mumble and pace a bit and Felicity could tell by the few words she caught that he was trying to figure out something to put on her for the night. She smiled at him and shook her head. She reached out and grabbed his arm to stop his pacing, which snapped his attention back to her though he still refused to look directly at her.

"I appreciate it, and it's honestly sweet that you're trying so hard but you don't need to. It's just for one night and we're about to head to bed anyway, right? So just breathe and relax. We'll both head to bed, get a good night's sleep and I'll be fully dressed again in the morning so you can stop looking like you've got a bad sunburn on your face." She told him in a playful, yet no longer teasing tone. "Now come on, why don't you show me this pillow you've been working on? I haven't gotten a good look at it yet. Just saw a flash of some kind of blue here and there."

"Right," he said as he took a slow, calming breath, "it's just for the night and we'll be asleep in separate beds anyway." He spoke, clearly more to reassure himself than her but Felicity decided to let that slide as he pulled the pillow out into view. It was a simple thing, with no frills or elegant designs but it was clearly well made all the same. Nathaniel handed her the pillow to her and she took it into her hands. She ran her fingers over the smooth sky-blue fabric and over the flawless needlework before looking him in the eyes once again.

"Thank you." she said simply to him, hugging the pillow softly to her body. "It's even my favorite color." A pleased smile appeared on his face when he heard her words and he nodded.

"I'm glad you like it." he replied, right before covering his mouth to hide a very large yawn. "I believe now would be a good time to go to bed. Safe to say that this day has been a bit tiring for both of us. Why don't you go to bed and test out your new pillow while I go turn off the lights?" She tried to reply immediately, but had to cover her own yawn instead. Nathaniel chuckled at the adorable sight of Felicity tired and ready for bed.

"Okay, I'm gonna go to that hammock before I make a fool out of myself...again." Felicity replied with a chuckle, which she had to prevent from turning into another yawn. She waved goodnight to Nathaniel and walked away towards her bed for the night.

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Nathaniel walked away from his studio, trying desperately to keep an even pace and not give away how much he was struggling with himself. He'd been fighting to keep control of himself ever since the kiss. He put his fingers to his lips and once again felt the same rapid strings of physical desires and warm emotions that had shot through him, especially the second time when she had kissed him. His mind had been plagued with sexual thoughts ever since, not helped at all by Felicity just showing up in front of him in nothing but her underwear.

He had managed to maintain perfect self-control despite it all though and was feeling exceptionally proud of himself at the moment as he began to climb the wall towards the large throw switch he had installed. It used to be much lower, right at the height of his chest but an accident of him tripping on some wires had damaged the entire electrical network he had painstakingly built. After that, he decided to relocate the switch and move the wiring somewhere where he would have to go out of his way to turn the lights on and off, just to be on the safe side.

The threw the switch and the lights shut off, plunging the cave into an almost absolute darkness instantly. His own eyes were well suited to the dark, so he could make out his path just fine in what little light was available from the cave's entrance as he walked towards his own bed.