The Great Outdoors

[Drew Thornton]

Her simple answer only made him more nervous, and again, he wasn't really sure why. It couldn't be the idea of being virtually alone with one another... or at least he didn't think that was it. They had been a lot more alone for a good part of the year and still kept to certain boundries, so what made this any more different.

"Can we really see them well here, by the fire?" he asked carefully, knowing that they probably couldn't. And of course, that meant moving to a darker, more secluded location.

[Felicity Hjort]

"No," she answered with a shake of her blonde locks. Making sure her green blanket was secure in her arms, Felicity stood before turning to Drew, holding her hand out to him. "We have to take a little bit of a walk to be able to see the stars really well." It was where Felicity constantly traveled to a number of times when she stargazed while camping. At home, it was on the roof, at camp it was a little ways from the fire and the tents.

She really hoped Drew wouldn't mind. They could probably see the stars from right there, but it would be better if they went to her usual spot. It was where everyone stargazed when they went camping with the blonde, whoever in her family wanted to watch the stars and sometimes Alexander. It was where a number of their long talks took place. It was where she first felt better after her brother's accident a little over a year after it took place. They'd gone camping with the Cronon's for the first time and she and Alexander stayed up and talked, and she showed him her star spot.

[Drew Thornton]

Drew wiped his sticky fingers on the leg of his jeans before scrambling to his feet. He took hold of Felicity's outstretched hand, just to drop it again so he could turn back and grab up his sleeping bag. While he was hoping she'd share her blanket with him, he didn't want to make that assumption. And if she did share, they could sit on his and maybe be a little more comfortable.

Tossing it over his shoulder, he took her hand again and smiled at her. "So... you got a spot?" he asked, getting that nervous fluttery feeling in his stomach again. They would be alone and they would be away from the camp.

[Felicity Hjort]

After Drew had settled with everything, Felicity nudged him in the side with her elbow before smiling back at him. The feel of his hand holding hers was absolutely fantastic, the warmth of his skin warming her already warm hand. It was definitely starting out well enough. Everyone had gone to bed, she hadn't caught on fire, and it was a beautiful night.

"Yes," she told him with a smirk at the corner of her lips. "I've a spot. It's right here..." she told him, pointing to his lips as well as she could with the hand attached to the arm holding the blanket. "But I also have a place to watch the stars at, too."

Normally she stayed out all night long, but since Drew was camping with them, she figured it wouldn't be the best of ideas to do. Or at least to make sure she either didn't fall asleep and got back to her tent before anyone get up, or she would have to be sure to wake up before anyone else and sneak to her tent without it being known she was out all night.

"It's over that way," she pointed, this time with the hand holding his. It was near the lake, but not too close to it and it was a bit away from the tents, that was all she wanted. A little bit of privacy.

[Drew Thornton]

Drew gulped hard and voiced a small squeek, an expression of surprise and pleasure as she lightly touched his lips. He didn't have any problem with her claiming that particular spot as hers. Nope, not at all.

She pointed the way, and Drew slowly started moving in that direction, happy to follow if she chose to lead, but more anxious to get her alone so she could reclaim that spot she had just indicaited, and maybe let him claim a spot of his own.

[Felicity Hjort]

Continuing to the spot she'd indicated they'd be setting up at, Felicity giggled quietly about the noise Drew made, but didn't say anything more about it. She, too, was more interested in getting to the destination spot so she could put her arms around him, kiss him, and watch the stars with him. They'd never sat up all night to watch stars before and the lioness was rather excited. At school they had the curfew, at home she had a curfew and Drew had work, but here, she just had to get to bed soon...and they all knew she watched the stars at night, so they had to know she wasn't really going to be going to bed too soon.

When they arrived to her stargazing spot, Felicity let go of Drew's hand, not really sure what he wanted to do about the blanket situation. He had his sleeping bag, and while she didn't have hers she did have her blanket she usually used to lay out on the ground so she wouldn't get too cold from laying on it. However, she didn't want to make the assumption that they were going to lay down together either. What if he was uncomfortable about the idea of her family being nearby? Was that why he hadn't kissed her by the fire when they had the chance to?

[Drew Thornton]

Drew smiled at her nervously, knowing that nothing was going to happen other than some star gazing and possibly a little kissing (okay, he was hopiing for a lot of kissing), but as he took a bit of the lead and spread out his sleeping bag to sit on, he couldn't help but feel like it might be construed as something a whole lot more: going off alone, his sleeping bag, her blanket. He sincerly hoped she was right that everyone was asleep.

Drew gave her another nervous smile before leaning over and kissing her quickly. "Right here?" he asked, hoping she was okay with it.

[Felicity Hjort]

Accepting the small kiss he gave her, Felicity smiled shyly and nodded. Wherever he wanted to sit down she was fine with, but the question still remained of if they were going to stay a bit separate, though she really didn't want to, or if they'd be nearer to one another. Folding her arms around her middle, Felicity looked up to Drew, wondering if he had an idea of what he wanted to do, and what that idea was.

"So..." she started, feeling nervous just asking. "How did you...did you want to sit?" There, it was done with and she couldn't take the question back, just expand on it. "Did you want your bag and I have my blanket or did you want to...to share?" she asked, stuttering the last part from nerves.

Really, she would rather just share with him, be able to cuddle up to him and be in his arms, but she'd do what he wanted.

[Drew Thornton]

Usually when she wrapped her arms around herself, she was mad at him. It was a clear sign that read "Don't Touch Me." He didn't think that's what was going on this time, but her body language did just make him more nervous.

"We could share?" he asked hopefully, wondering why she felt that she had to ask. He hadn't wanted to assume that was what she wanted, but saw no reason why she couldn't have assumed it of him. "I mean... I figured... my sleeping bag under and your blanket... around?"

[Felicity Hjort]

"All right," she answered him with a somewhat giddy smile. It was what she'd been hoping he'd say, but she wasn't sure if it was what he would want. Or even if he wanted them to both sit near one another, she didn't know if he'd want to really share her blanket. But since he suggested wrapping her blanket around them, it made her feel a little more at ease, but still jittery. At least it was cleared out of the way for what both wanted though, it made things easier.

Walking over to Drew, Felicity made sure to hold her blanket in one hand and wrapped her arms around his neck, but didn't pull him into her any. Instead, she made a little jump, just enough to get her legs around him before situating herself comfortably around him.

"I'm glad you want to share," she told him, leaning in to touch her lips to his briefly. "I wanted to, but I wasn't sure if you'd want to." Having her family so close was a little problematic for a few things, but thankfully they were normal enough to go to sleep.

Shaking the blanket out behind Drew, she pulled it from behind him to wrap around her shoulders before she encased him in it as well. And after that was set, she carefully bumped her nose against his.

[Drew Thornton]

No, definitely not mad. A short giggle escaped him as she jumped on him, wrapping herself around him and his arms instinctively went around her to keep her from falling. It had been a surprising action, but definitely not an unwelcome one.

"Why wouldn't I want to?" he asked with a grin, kissing her back and enjoying the feel of having her in his arms, being enclosed into her arms and legs. With the blanket wrapped around them, they were in their own little cocoon... a situation that matched the butterflies in his stomach quite nicely. He kissed her again, unable to help himself when she was that close, but kept it short, pulling back gently to smile at her. "Maybe if we did this more often, we'd do better in Astronomy..." he teased softly, knowing darn well it didn't work that way.

[Felicity Hjort]

"Well, with my family so close by, I wasn't sure how'd you feel about it is all," Felicity told him. If the situation was different and she was camping with his family, she doubted she'd feel comfortable about it, but then again, she didn't know his family. Just his cousin who when she saw him eyed her angrily, and his sister who she hardly knew at all. He knew her family, somewhat. But he met them in December, on New Years Eve, and he'd spent a little bit of time with them over summer break, what little time they could spend together between both their jobs and whatever else they had on their plates.

"And maybe if the school didn't have such an early curfew we'd be able to get outdoors enough to study the stars," she told him. However, she didn't think the curfew was really that early and she also had something more to say to him. Leaning in close, the blonde placed a kiss on his ear. "Besides," she continued, whispering softly. "I think you have your A's messed up. If we did this more often, wouldn't we really be getting better at Anatomy, and not Astronomy?"

While the question could be taken many ways, she didn't mean for it to be taken in only but one way. And that wasn't a dirty way. They didn't do anything but hold each other and kiss. Yes, they kissed on each other's necks, but nothing more than that. And even for Felicity, it was still just soft kisses, she'd only tried nibbling once, and that was his lip after he'd pinned her.

[Drew Thornton]

"You know there are ways to get past the curfew, right?" he asked her quietly, almost as if he were afraid her parents would here him trying to corupt their daughter. Of course, they had gotten busted for being in the forest when they had an actual good reason. He doubted many professors would buy a story about them studying Astronomy in the wee hours of the morning.

Her correction mad him do a double take and he wasn't sure he heard her right, but was afraid to ask. No, she couldn't possibly mean what he thought it meant. He knew better than to cross those lines.

"I don't think I'm allowed to study anatomy yet," he said with a smirk. He wouldn't mind trying the subject , but still didn't think they were ready for that particular subject for at least a couple more years.

[Felicity Hjort]

"Ways to get past it that don't involve possibly getting in trouble?" Felicity asked him with a small giggle. With as much as she'd gotten in the past few months, she didn't think she could afford to get into anymore of it. If van Aller caught her in anymore of it, she didn't think the woman would stand to take only one hundred and fifty points from her House for her behaviour, she'd be taking off a lot more than just that. Gryffindor would be lucky to have any points if she ran into the woman again.

"You're not," Felicity answered him confidently, guessing he understood she was only joking with him. And while she wasn't allowed to study that for a couple of years yet either, she knew he'd understand she was only teasing him. "But kissology isn't really a subject that I'm aware of..." she trailed off, leaning in to kiss him lightly. "So it'd be more likely Anatomy than Astronomy, wouldn't it?"

The blonde wasn't going anywhere like that with him. They'd discussed it a couple of times by now, Drew hadn't and wasn't ready to. Felicity wouldn't and wasn't ready to. So, that left the answer Drew all ready gave, a couple of years, if they were still together. Maybe.

While Felicity love, adored, and praised Drew, she wasn't ready for anything more than what they did. Kissing, holding hands, hugging, just holding in general. Being in his arms felt more special than anything else possibly could and she just wasn't ready for anything beyond that, and from their talks he wasn't really ready either. If he wasn't sure, then he couldn't be, right?

[Drew Thornton]

"There's always that possibility," Drew told her, his smile a little embarassed. "but there are ways to get around it." He didn't often mention his predisposition to getting into trouble, and was always a little worried she'd stop liking him if she knew everything on his discipline record. She was such a nice girl, he was sure she'd be disappointed in him if he didn't downplay his past a little.

He had to laugh at her suggestion of Kissology. It just sounded funny, but probably closer to what they were ready for. "I think studying Anatomy covers a lot more than just the lips though," he told her.