Rarity stepped out of the shower and onto the still damp bath rug. She reached into the cupboard and pulled out another towel. The soft fibers soaked the moisture from her body as she brushed it over her shoulders, arms, and down each of her legs. After rubbing herself down from head to toe, she used her towel to wipe the fog from the mirror over the sink. She put on her red-framed glasses and looked into the mirror, shaking her head and sighing. "Stupid crappy contacts making my eyes itch..." she complained as she lifted the two round cases that held them and shook them around.

With a huff, she decided that Fluttershy had seen her in her glasses plenty of times before, and got dressed. She pulled a small gray t-shirt over her head and wiggled into a pair of darker gray flannel pajama pants. Then hanging her head to one side, she gathered up her hair and balled it up into a loose bun, sliding a hairband from her wrist over the bun, stretching it and twisting it into another loop to keep it in place. She shook her head and let several strands fall free while most of her hair remained in place.

"Damn I'm cute." She winked at herself in the mirror and struck a pose with one arm dangling and the other hand on her hip.

Her stomach growled, and she lifted her arms over her head to stretch, revealing her bellybutton to the mirror. She let her arms fall limp before pulling open the bathroom door and stepping out into the kitchen. Rarity leaned up against the doorway and bit down on the tip of her finger while she watched Fluttershy struggle with the plastic wrapping on a slice of cheese.

Fluttershy bit her tongue and tried to grip the corner, then ran her thumb over it several times before huffing and throwing it down onto the counter.

"Need help?" Rarity asked with a raised eyebrow.

Fluttershy gasped and jumped, turning to face her friend with a squeak. "Oh! Rarity... you s-startled me."

"Forgive me. I really didn't mean to." Rarity's eyes drifted down the length of Fluttershy's legs, then back up her body. "Let me help with that."

Fluttershy nodded and glanced away, rubbing her index fingertips together and blushing. Rarity took the square slice from the wrapper with a quick pull on the plastic.

"I didn't know what you wanted on yours, so I was going to wait for you," Fluttershy explained as she looked down at the plain sandwich.

"Anything is fine. Whatever you're having, actually. I'm not picky." Rarity nodded and added another slice of cheese to her own sandwich. "Let me know if you need anymore help with anything. I'm going to go find us a movie to watch."

Fluttershy gave a quick nod before opening the refrigerator and pulling out an array of condiments. Rarity pulled open a cabinet beneath her large flat screen television, where she began to sort through a wide variety of movies. She grinned and lifted a thin blue case, reading over the description printed on the back. Popping it open, she pulled the shiny disk from within and slipped it into her media player.

Fluttershy stepped back into the front room with two sandwiches on a small plate and a wide, sparkling smile. Rarity stood up and took the plate from her hands before she stepped backwards to the couch with a big grin. She sat the plate down on a coffee table and took a seat, signally for Fluttershy to join her with a finger.

"Here kitty kitty," Rarity called out, tapping the spot next to her on the plush sofa.

Fluttershy chirped and got down on her knees, slowly crawling across the living room floor and climbing up onto the couch, where she curled up in a little ball and rested her head on Rarity's lap with a purr.

"That's a good girl. Are you hungry?" Rarity asked, reaching for the plate.

"Mew," Fluttershy nodded and perked her head up with wide eyes and a smile.

Rarity grabbed a sandwich and held it by her pretend-pet's face, who leaned forward, took a bite and looked up into her eyes while she chewed. Rarity puckered her lips and closed her eyes. "You're such a good girl today," she said as she handed the rest of the sandwich over and scratched her ears.

Fluttershy took her food and nuzzled Rarity's side with the tip of her nose. She then began to finish her meal while watching the previews for upcoming movies flash across the television screen, and Rarity pulled the blanket over her own lap and tossed the rest over Fluttershy's body, who still laid leaning against her friend.

Rarity skipped the remaining previews and sat her remaining sandwich crusts down on the plate. Glancing down at Fluttershy who stared at the screen with a content smile.

"So what movie is this?" Fluttershy asked after swallowing her last bite.

"It's that new that new horror film everyone's be on about since it was in theaters last month, The Ghost That Haunts. I've been dying to finally watch it, but my parents never let me play it while Sweetie's home, because I guess there's... nudity, or... something. Do you mind that sort of thing?" Rarity asked, pausing the opening credits.

"I don't mind the... the nudity, but I don't usually watch scary movies." Fluttershy shivered and pulled the blanket up over her cheeks.

Rarity laughed and pressed play. "Don't worry, darling. If it gets too scary we'll just shut it off. This might be the only chance I get to watch it with a friend, and I don't really want to watch it alone."

Fluttershy gulped an nodded. "I understand." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Okay. It's just a movie, and I can watch it with you if it makes you happy."

Rarity sat the remote down and made herself comfortable against the arm of the couch while Fluttershy leaned against her. She lifted her arm and rested it across the back of the sofa, biting her lip and glancing down at her friend, who watched the screen with wide eyes.

A haunting piano filled the room with its discordant notes, and Fluttershy curled her knees to her chest while her teeth chattered. Rarity frowned and let her arm slide off the sofa and onto her friend's shoulder, then began to gently squeeze and rub her fingers against the muscle. Fluttershy stopped shivering and her nervous frown slipped into a satisfied grin.

"Would you like me to help you relax while we watch the rest of this?" Rarity asked, scooting back against the arm of the couch as Fluttershy sat up.

"Sure. What did you... have in mind?" Fluttershy asked, blushing and looking up with a coy smile.

Rarity scooted herself down the couch and leaned back with her legs open, resting her back against the large, plush couch arm. She gestured for her friend to join her. "Fluttershy, lean back on me the way you were and I'll rub your back and shoulders while we watch this. I can pet you and scratch your ears too."

Fluttershy's eyes lit up and she did as she was told, sitting in Rarity's lap and laying back against her. "Ooh, your pants are really soft," she said as she rested her hands on Rarity's knees.

"Thank you. These are my favorites for a reason." Rarity pulled the blanket back up over each of them before tentatively reaching down beneath the blanket and grabbing onto Fluttershy's short cotton shorts. "These are soft too, " she added, her knuckles rubbing against her warm thigh.

Fluttershy bit her tongue and blushed as she squeezed her legs closed. "Thanks!" she squeaked.

Rarity giggled and grabbed onto her shoulders, deeply massaging her warm skin around the thin straps of her tank top. "This is so comfortable, Fluttershy. If I'm not careful, I'll fall asleep here."

"Hm..." Fluttershy shrugged as she sank into Rarity's gentle hands with a blissful grin.

"Guess you don't mind too much then." Rarity took a deep breath and ran her fingertips up the back of Fluttershy's neck, running her fingers through her soft, silky hair and and letting it slip in between them. She closed her eyes and slowly pressed her nose to the top of Fluttershy's head, taking a slow, deep breath through her nose, the scent of lilacs stimulating her senses. "That conditioner suits you well."

Fluttershy partially opened her eyes and reached up to Rarity's hand with her own, pulling down and rubbing it against her cheek. She then curled herself up and leaned towards her side, resting her left cheek on Rarity's chest while her friend's hand gently stroked her right cheek. She closed her eyes and sighed, reaching one arm behind Rarity's back while she cuddled against her like a body-pillow.

Rarity rubbed her thumb over Fluttershy's cheek bone while the rest of her fingers warmly caressed the side of her face. "Are you... is this you, uhm, getting your scent on me?"

Fluttershy shook her head and smiled. "I just like the way it feels."

Rarity's heart skipped a beat and her next breath slipped out in a tremble. "I like the way it feels too. Would you like to pet me a little, too?"

Fluttershy nodded and turned all the way around so that she was facing her friend, and sat up on her knees. She ran her hands across Rarity's cheeks and looked straight into her eyes, inching closer. She reached her hands around to the back of Rarity's neck, and pulled her bun loose, letting her damp purple hair fall over her shoulder. Fluttershy then grabbed onto the free hair and pushed her fingers through it, stretching it as far back as she could.

Rarity closed her eyes and relaxed her body, instinctively rubbing her knees along each of Fluttershy's sides. Fluttershy closed her own eyes and tilted her head, rubbing her check against Rarity's and tightly wrapping her arms around her back.

Rarity ran her fingertips down Fluttershy's back and bit down on her lip as she let out a high pitched hum. Fluttershy leaned her head back, each girl slowly opening her eyes to meet one another's infatuated gaze. Rarity's hand made its way to the back of Fluttershy's head, where she began to pull her in closer, tilting her own head and parting her lips, their minds blank and their hearts racing in synchronization.

Just as their noses touched, a loud scream sounded from the television, and Fluttershy jumped with a startled squeal. She blushed and pulled the corner of the blanket over her face, squeezing her eyes shut and slumping backwards. Rarity shook her head to refocus her mind, and she cleared her throat.

"Oh my... that was scary..." said Rarity, hiding her blush and curling herself up in the corner of the couch.

"It was..." Fluttershy nodded and hugged her own knees all the way at the other end of the sofa.

The two took turns glancing at one another while the other would simultaneously glance back to the television, each girl searching for the words they wanted to say. Suddenly a loud crash rang out from the dark kitchen, and they each found themselves meeting in the middle of the large couch, shivering in each other's embrace.

"What was that?" Fluttershy cringed at the thought, burying her face in Rarity's neck.

"M'ow." Opalescence stepped into the front room from the kitchen carrying her toy mouse in her mouth. She then dropped it and began grooming herself.

"Opal... was that you in there making all that noise?" Rarity pat Fluttershy's back and smiled. "Don't worry. It was just Opal being a naughty kitty."

Fluttershy took a deep breath and stopped shaking. "Oh... I guess I'm just a little jumpy tonight."

"Don't mention it. I am too. Come lay back down with me and let's just finish watching this movie. Sound good?" Rarity asked, resuming her position on the couch and making room in her lap.

Fluttershy nodded and laid down against her friend, patting Rarity's thigh above the blanket, where Opalescence jumped up to join them on the sofa. Rarity warmly smiled while she watched her friend gently petting her cat, then she began to pet Fluttershy the same way she was petting Opal.

Fluttershy caught on and smiled herself, then ran her finger in a circle over the cat's head, and as she expected, Rarity did the same to her. She then began to rub Opal's shoulder, and waited patiently for Rarity to begin doing the same, who grabbed back onto Fluttershy's shoulder with a series of gentle squeezes. After several long moments of bliss, Fluttershy leaned down and kissed Opalescence on the forehead.

Rarity smiled, her heart fluttering in her chest as Fluttershy looked up at her with wide, expectant eyes. Rarity leaned down and kissed Fluttershy's forehead, who beamed with delight as she returned to nuzzling her chest. She wrapped her arms around Fluttershy's shoulders and closed her eyes, the movie's credits beginning to roll.

Fluttershy closed her eyes as well, drifting away in Rarity's warmth.

"Let's just sleep like this tonight."