“Girls, girls, girls…”

“Girls?”

“Girls.”

Button Mash raised an eyebrow but decided to just play along. He sat at his usual spot on the schoolyard bench for recess, watching all the other foals prance about. Beside him sat his sorta-friend, Rumble. They were never too close but never too far, only… acquaintances.

After stretching out his forelegs for a moment, he followed Rumble’s gaze toward a group of fillies at another table. Nudging his shoulder, Button said, “Looking to go crusading?”

Rumble straightened up as if jolted. “What? No!”

“Really? You seemed really caught up in your staring.”

“Was not.”

“Ha! You totally were!”

Rumble let out a hmph. “Whatever,” he said while he crossed his forelimbs. Button only smirked.

The two remained quiet for a minute, returning to their pony-watching. Despite the teasing, Rumble’s eyes locked right back onto the trio of fillies. Without much else to do, Button joined him.

“So…” he started.

“What?” he said, narrowing his eyes.

“Which one you staring at?”

Rumble glared at him before bringing up his hoof and swatting Button’s shoulder. “I said I wasn’t!”

“Ow, you hit hard!” he said, rubbing his sore spot. Sending the pegasus another look, he asked, “Really? No staring at all?”

“…Fine.” He sighed. “I gueeeesssss one of them looks… pretty.”

“You sure have a way with words,” he shot back, trying and failing to hold back a few laughs.

“Oh, whatever!” he spat. “It’s not like you’re any better.”

Button’s grin drooped in an instant. His eyes darted around the schoolyard for a few seconds before turning back toward Rumble. “Uh… Huh? What do you mean by that?”

With a smirk, he said, “Everyone knows you have a crush on Sweetie Belle.”

“Crush on…?” He blinked. “I do not! I-I just think she looks nice.”

Rumble rolled his eyes. “That’s what a crush is.”

Now it was Button’s turn to hmph. He remained silent for a few moments, shifting back toward the trio of fillies. “You know… you didn’t answer my question.”

“Huh?”

He nodded. “Which one you staring at?”

“Oh.” The young pegasus pulled his eyes away before answering, “Uh, the orange-coated one’s kinda nice looking. Scootaloo.”

“Scootaloo?” Button cocked his head. “I don’t know about that.”

“Huh? Why? Don’t think she looks good?”

“Not that. But get this…” Gesturing for Rumble to lean in, he held his hoof by his mouth as he whispered. “I heard rumors that she’s not into colts.”

“…What?” he replied, face morphing into confusion.

“Uh-huh. Really. They say she always follows around that one racing mare. I think her name was Rainbow Crash. Some of the colts think she has a crush.”

“A crush on Crash?”

“Yeah. Like a fillyfooler.”

Rumble gasped, jerking his head back as if struck. “Did you just say that? Isn’t that a bad word?”

“Is… is it?” Button shrugged, biting his lip. For the second time, he found himself glancing around, hoping no one was listening in. “My mom uses it when she talks about girls like that.”

“Uh… I dunno.” He shook his head. “…Anyway. Back on topic. You really think she’s… into other fillies?”

“No idea.”

Rumble deadpanned. “Well that doesn’t help me at all.” With a groan, he propped up his chin onto his hoof. “Ugh, I hope not. I don’t get how that even happens.”

“Even happens?” he repeated as he cocked his head. “What do you mean by that?”

The pegasus glanced away in thought for a few seconds. “I… I don’t get how a filly can find another filly attractive. Same with colts and colts.”

Button nodded as he got the message, but it only made him more curious. “You’ve never found a colt attractive?”

“No, why would I…?” His own realization cut him off. Eyes wide, leaning back, and mouth hanging open, Rumble could only sputter a few moments. “E-ew, dude! You’ve had a crush on a colt?”

A sound akin to a mix of a squeak and a choke crawled out of his throat. “What?! No, no!” he backpedaled, waving his hooves out in front of him. “Never!”

“Then why’d you ask that? ‘Never found a colt attractive?’”

“I, uh…” Button gulped. He fumbled on his own words before taking in a deep breath then letting out a sigh. “I… I’ve never had a crush on a colt, but I… can… respect them?”

Rumble’s brow furrowed. “Respect them?”

“Um… Like, I respect them… for their looks? I can sorta admire them if they look good… but I don’t have a crush! …right?”

“…That’s pretty gay.”

“Oh, whatever,” he said, turning his back on Rumble. “I still don’t believe you’ve never done that.”

Button curled his lip a frown, born from both annoyance and indignation. Rumble hadn’t even bothered to answer yet. “It’s not gay…” he muttered. “What’s wrong with tha—”

“Um… Well…”

Glancing over his shoulder, Button’s brow furrowed at the sight of the pegasus. He sat there, biting his lip, and trying not to look like the awkward colt he was. “Say something?”

Rumble’s attention snapped to him as if just noticing that another foal was there. “Uh, yeah…”

“Uh-huh?” Button said, pushing him on.

He opened his mouth to speak, but just clamped up. Under his breath, he murmured something.

Button shook his head. “What was that?”

“I said…”

“Still can’t hear you.”

“I said I may...”

“Talk louder, will you—”

“I might have, alright?!” Rumble shouted before promptly throwing his hooves over his mouth, glancing left to right for anyone that might be listening.

Button unconsciously drew back in the face of the outburst, but he regained his senses in a moment. “Uh, what?”

“I’ve… ‘respected’ other colts before,” he said. As he spoke, he turned his head down and his voice withdrawn. “But that’s only it, really. I’ve never had a crush on another colt. Sure, there were some that I knew were handsome, but…” His eyes widened. “Oh Celestia, did I just call another colt handsome?”

“Yup.”

He groaned. “I-I don’t mean it like that.”

Button pursed his lips as he thought for a few moments. “You know… There’s nothing wrong with thinking like that. I’ve heard some stallions call it, what? ‘Just curious’? I think they were talking about girls, but… Rumble?”

He responded with yet another groan. “But I’m not curious. I don’t wanna be curious.”

Scooting closer to give his acquaintance a nudge, Button said, “You aren’t? Or do you just not wanna be?”

“I… I dunno.” He looked up again, peering into Button’s eyes, watching for he-didn’t-know-what. “A-are you?”

Surprise flashed across the earth pony’s face. “Me?”

“Yeah, you. Are you curious? At all?”

“Um, I… kinda maybe?”

Rumble didn’t say a word, his only reply being to keep up his stare. For one moment, he glanced around the schoolyard, watching the other foals, but returned to Button just as quick.

“Um, Rumble?” he started. “What are you—mph!”

Button nearly jumped out of his skin as the pegasus pushed his head against his own, bringing their lips together in sudden embrace. The earth pony let out a high squeak, only to be cut off as he felt his own tongue connect with another. The only thing that stood out to him more than the kissing was the rosy blush burning on his cheeks.

Then, as quick as it started, it ended.

Rumble pulled away with a sharp gasp for air. Now separated, Button could make out the similar red hue on the pegasus’ own cheeks. The two remained wordless for a few seconds, neither making eye-contact, until Button cleared his throat.

“Uh… huh?” was all he managed out.

Rumble sighed. “Just… just curious.”

“…Huh?”

With a mix of guilt and… something in his eyes, Rumble opened his mouth to speak. “I—”

The sound of the school bell rang through the air, signaling for the students to return to class. As the swarm of students gradually picked up their pace on the way back inside, the two colts remained on their bench, unmoved.

After the last student passed them by, Rumble turned back to Button. “I guess we should get back to class.”

He nodded after a long second. “…Right.” The two slid off the bench, about to catch up to the rest of the class, but Button held onto Rumble’s shoulder to hold him back. “Wait.”

“Huh? What is it? We’re gonna be late.”

“Funny thing about… what just happened. That was my first kiss.”

Rumble blinked. “O-okay… Congrats?”

The earth pony almost smirked, but he held his seriousness. “You-you’re not, you know, a bad kisser.”

“Oh, uh. Thanks. I think.” Rumble bit his lip. “For your first time, you weren’t that bad.”

“Thanks.”

“Uh-huh.”

“…I guess we should get to class now.”

“Yeah. Let’s go?”

“Sure.”

The two set off for the schoolhouse, hurrying to avoid being late. As they reached the door, Rumble stood in front as he turned toward Button. “You know.”

“Know what?”

“Straight colts don’t kiss.”

Button cocked his head. “Yeah, I know. We’re straight, right?”

“Right…” he said, trailing off. “We’re just curious.”

“Yeah,” he agreed with a nod.

Rumble moved to open the door, but a final thought held him back. “Hey, Button?”

Button glanced back to him, locking eye-and-eye. “What is it?”

“Wanna hang out some time? I mean, more than we already do?”

“Huh? Sure. Now can you open the door so we aren’t late?”

“Sure thing, Button, sure thing.”