After a good hour or so of perusing your matches, you decided to revisit one that had previously caught your eye. His profile was heart-warming, to say the least. In between pictures of sunsets and what you presumed was his family were stills of a nearby daycare and gap-toothed, smiling children. You decided that one photo taken a week before was your favorite. In it, he was using his eight legs to hang upside down on yellow-painted monkey bars. A Gnoll toddler hung from his hands. The picture caught the child mid-squeal, and you couldn’t help but appreciate the way the drider’s four silver eyes twinkled as he smiled.
You’d always loved children. There was just something about their sense of wonder that was delightfully contagious. When having a bad day, all you’d need to do was walk by the local park and see the little ones’ wide eyes and hear their laughter in order to feel the dark clouds over your head dissipate. Your early jobs consisted of babysitting for old neighbors and, since your parents had full-time jobs, you often stayed home to care for your younger siblings. The fact that you found someone who was good with kids was already promising. And a spider, too. Ironic, given the insect’s reputation, but you were living in a world where centaurs and werewolves sat side by side with humans on buses and in restaurants. Stranger things had happened.
You clicked on the chat button, about to send him a message, before you saw that he beat you to the punch.
Walter: Good afternoon! How are you? I’m Walter. It’s really nice to meet you!
Walter: I love the pics on your profile! Do you paint?
Walter: Oh, oops lol you probably already knew my name. Sorry.
You held a knuckle to your lips and stifled a few giggles, partially because a drider had an ordinary name like Walter Reed and partially because he sounded just as exuberant as he looked in the last photo.
I wouldnt say I have a fear of spiders- just a large discomfort with them. So looking up wolf spiders for the pic collage was… a challenge. Especially at night. Sorry it took so long! (Its also a bit short but aah like??? 6 am now so I need sleep haha)
Also, as a dedicated player of dnd, I had no clue which arachne you meant. There are many versions and mythologies around them and seeing as the most common type was the centaur-like ‘drider’ creature, I went ahead with that. Hope I guessed right!
—–
Your voice echoed back to you from the cave walls as you hummed, swirling your finger absentmindedly in the water. Daylight flooded in through the hole in the ceiling and cast dancing lights across the stream and the cave. The way the light played across the ripples in the water was mesmerizing.
A soft breeze rustled your (h/c) hair, leaving goosebumps on your skin. Being in this place, away from the many stresses of the world, was your favorite pastime. Besides talking to him, of course.
You glanced up, eyes scanning the dim corners for him. He oftentimes stayed away from direct light, claiming it strained his eyes too much, but as it came to be that you were finding it harder and harder to visit him after dark, he made an acception to his “no sunlight” rule.
Sharp clicking and the sound of many footsteps echoed around you as he edged towards you, making sure to stay clear of the spotlight shining on the floor.
“(Y/n),” he sighed, bending at his waist to get closer to your eye level.
“Valzen.” you smiled warmly.
“You seem distant today.” his brows furrowed.
“Hm. I sold all my wares today.” you admitted. Valzen straightened, smiling.
“But that’s great! You’ll be needing more silk, then, I take it?” he lowered to the ground, still towering over you even as he sat.
“Mhm.” you nodded, gaze drifting back to the water. Valzen frowned and brought his hand up to your chin, tilting your head to look at him.
“What troubles you, love?” he asked. Many would never expect such a creature to hold such vast emotions in their eyes and yet, here he was, looking at you with so many feelings flickering behind his gaze.
“People keep asking me where I get my fabrics for the clothes. I always say that I get them from a merchant out of town, but… I fear that they’ll catch on at some point” you sigh.
You were always careful when you visited him and would stop frequently on your route and backtrack in case you were being followed. This didnt stop you from worrying, though. You’d never forgive yourself if something happened to Valzen.
“Nonsense. If anyone finds my den, I will just eat them.” he shrugged his shoulders as if what he said was normal.
“Valzen!” you gasped, lightly shoving him. He let out a low chuckle.
“You know I’m joking- bipeds are too stringy.” he shoots you a cheeky grin. “In all seriousness, though- should anyone come here, I can hold my own. I handled intruders just fine before we met and I haven’t gone soft yet.” Valzen wrapped his arms around your shoulders, placing a kiss on your forehead.
“Alright, I believe you.” you hummed. “Thank you, love.”
—-
“I think it’s very amusing that nobles are wearing attire made of stuff that comes from my backside.”
“Valzen!” you scolded, coiling the silk as he handed it to you. His laugh reverberated around the cave and made the air almost vibrate.
“What? They find my kind to be disgusting menaces and they’re walking around, wearing my ’protein fiber’.” he grinned, placing a bundle of silk into a basket. “Its just ironic, is all.”
“Hm, well I find it ironic that you dont wear clothes and yet you are working with a seamstress.” you poked at his bare stomache.
“I have no interest in your garments, woman. I love you for your weaving.” Valzen shook his head. You smiled to yourself and continued your work. Valzen had expressed his feelings toward your occupation on many occasions. He always joked that it was fate that you wove your own fabric and stumbled into his life. It was a rather funny, albeit fitting, pair; a spider and a seamstress.
“Once I save enough money, I can move out here with you. Maybe even reinforce the den- add some furniture, too.” you promise.
“I don’t understand the big deal with beds and whatnot. The cave floor is perfectly comfortable and I can even make you a hammock if you desired it.” Valzen quirked his mouth to the side.
“What about chairs? It’s not good for my bones to sit on the cold stone all the time.” you chimed.
“Rubbish. You have a mobile seat right here.” he turned to pat the top of his abdomen.
“Valzen!” you cried, breaking into a fit of laughter. Once you calmed down, you sighed. “As nice as that sounds, I just think this place could use some livening up, you know? A woman’s touch.” you froze when you saw his mouth crook into a mischievous grin. “Wait- no!”
Too many sweet words aaaaaaa! But yes I can totally think up
some stuff for some spidery boyfriends!
Many limbed boys abound!
A pink bloom tarantula boyfriend who is MASSIVE
but somehow still manages to treat you so delicately. He gets a lot of
attention for his beautiful pink hair which he tends to daily with a special
care routine to keep his colors nice and bright. Weirdly the stuff he uses
works on your clothes too, so you manage to keep all your colorful clothes from
getting dull looking. Despite being a gentle giant he does have a scary side,
but that usually only comes out around other Arachnids. Arachnids aren’t
exactly known for being social with each other….or for sharing anything. You
tend to avoid them now so as to have to see that side of him as little as
possible.
A Golden Orb Weaver spider boyfriend who’s limbs
are extra long and spindly and make barely any noise when he walks. He’s scared
the crap out of you several times because you didn’t hear him walk up behind
you. Something that big should not be that quiet. You’re also way too friendly
with other Arachnids for his liking and when you do something particularly
frustrating he’ll stick you to his web and leave you there until he believes
you’ve sufficiently apologized. You actually didn’t realize that Arachnids have
such bad relations with each other to the point where they literally steal from
each other regularly and their first instinct is to kill each other. You try
not to think about what it would be like if humans were that way. You think
you’re very lucky he lets you talk to other Arachnids at all.
A Jumping Spider boyfriend who is way smaller
than most Arachnids and is really only about an inch taller than you. He’s a
bit thick set too, not pudgy just thick and of course he’s very light on his
feet. He was very skittish around you at first, afraid you’d send a raid after
him or something. But he got the message that you weren’t trouble when you
started leaving food for him and talking to him gently while he ate a good 10
feet away from you. After getting to know each other better you came to find he
was a rather bubbly person. You also quickly found he didn’t really have
anything to occupy him most days, so you introduced him to weaving. He took to
it easily due to constantly doing repairs on his webby home. He particularly
likes making blankets, which he then piles and shapes into a massive nest in
his home. When you ask him about it he says it’s for when you visit and stay
over.
A Flower Crab Spider boyfriend who has a massive
garden near his nest that he tends to regularly. When you first found the
garden you couldn’t locate its owner but you could tell it was constantly cared
for. You kept coming back hoping to catch the mystery gardener but every time
he’d hide in one of the flower patches and watch you from a distance. When he
finally revealed himself to you, you were surprised you’d never spotted him
before…considering he’s bright yellow. But when he pointed out the massive
patch of tall yellow flowers it made sense. He’s very quiet and is very patient
with you, not a mix of traits you expected from a big spider monster. He tells
you though that others of his kind are unlikely to be so nice to be around
(which is a lie you later discover) and that you should avoid them at all costs.
Most days you spend with him are spent watching him tend to his plants,
sometimes he cuts some of his flowers for you to take home.
Toad's Cave 