When Twilight entered her bedroom, she was treated to a sight that had her freezing just inside her doorway. Sunset was sprawled on the bed on her stomach, wearing pajamas and her hair still damp from her shower. Twilight’s eyes were drawn to the curves of Sunset’s hips and rear, the way the pants she was wearing clung tight to her backside. What neurons in her brain were still firing at that point made the realization that the shape of that part of Sunset’s anatomy was almost as impossible as her breasts, something that threatened to send Twilight’s thoughts right back to the same place they’d been in the shower that morning.

She must have made some kind of noise, because her girlfriend lowered her phone and twisted back to look at her. “Hey, Sparky,” she greeted, before rolling over into a sitting position. “Dessert?”

Can you be dessert? Please? Twilight wondered in a half daze, before shaking herself. “Yes!” she squeaked, hurrying to the desk with the tray before she ended up dropping it. “Mom made us cocoa too!” Once the tray was safe, she turned back to shut the bedroom door, feeling her cheeks burning.

Sunset made a noise in her throat, snagging one of the plates and a mug. “Your mom makes the best hot cocoa,” the redhead half moaned after taking a long sip.

Twilight’s innards squirmed at the sound, but she retrieved her own treats and retreated to her side of the bed. “So what exactly is this?” she queried, pointing at the dessert on her plate with the fork.

“That’s the Cakes’ patented triple fudge brownie and chocolate cheesecake layered dessert with drizzles of chocolate syrup in between the layers...” Sunset smiled crookedly at her. “Thought this would make you feel better....since your week was kinda rough?”

There was uncertainty in the taller girl’s voice, enough that Twilight scooted closer and kissed her. “I have the world’s best girlfriend,” she murmured. Then she tried a bite of the dessert, and she was drowning in chocolate heaven. “Scratch that. I have the best girlfriend in the entire universe,” she corrected after her brief experience with nirvana.

Blue green eyes danced with delight. “I can never remember the weird name they call it, but I don’t care because it’s sooooo decadent and delicious....” Sunset lifted a bite to her own lips, savoring the morsel with obvious pleasure, seemingly unaware of the way Twilight was watching her lick the chocolate off her fork. “It’s my go to these days when I’m having a bad day, or just hanging out with the girls. I thought you might enjoy it too.”

Twilight made an indefinable noise as she put another piece of the confection in her mouth. "I'm not sure ‘enjoy’ properly captures my feelings about this creation,” she noted when she finished. “It almost makes the last week worth it, just to taste this..."

“Maybe we should make this our go to remedy for a bad week then, the way ice cream is for nightmares,” the redhead suggested playfully. When Twilight nodded vigorously, because the prospect of the aforementioned chocolate confection and her gorgeous girlfriend in her bed as a combination to help her recover from a bad week was like being served up heaven on a silver platter, Sunset laughed brightly, one of those full body laughs that made her whole face light up and made Twilight feel like the sun had just broken through dark clouds and illuminated the world with warm sunshine. That made Twilight feel guilty at the thought of ending her girlfriend’s good mood by bringing up the nightmare right now. It could wait a little while, she decided, before leaning against the other girl’s side. Purple eyes roamed the room and she spotted the two tickets Sunset had gifted her for Christmas.

“Sunny?” Twilight tilted her head to look up at her girlfriend, nuzzling her cheek into a warm shoulder.

The redhead met her gaze, still in a good mood. Plate resting in her lap, she slipped an arm around Twilight. “What’s up, Sparky?”

“Well...those tickets you got me for Christmas. They’re for the meteor shower in a couple weeks. Did...did you still want to go with me?” They hadn’t actually discussed it, but Sunset did get two tickets, and Twilight had assumed it meant that Sunset was intending to go with her.

“That was why I got two tickets, nerd.” Sunset’s playful tone grew a little more serious as she set her fork down a moment, allowing her to brush her knuckles along Twilight’s cheek. “Look...I’ve been thinking. I know that for various reasons on both sides, we can’t really be too open when we go out and do things together, which means all the things that normal couples do on dates—like kissing or cuddling—is kind of out of the question for us. Which I understand, but...at the same time...are things like that really required to make something a date as opposed to an outing with a friend?”

The words hit her harder than she expected, and she bit her lip a little harder than normal to keep her mind from the automatic spiral it wanted to head for. “I...guess not,” Twilight admitted reluctantly. “I just...I want to do those things with you—I...I almost told Mom, just a bit ago, when you were in the shower.” Anxiety made a tremor go through her hands and she lowered her plate to her own lap to avoid dropping it. “She was talking to me and I almost told her everything. I had the words ready...and then I couldn’t make them come out.”

Shoulders slumping, the dark haired girl looked away from those beautiful blue-green eyes, words continuing to tumble over themselves. “I feel guilty about it, because I should be able to tell her—my parents love me and they’re so accepting of everything else that’s wrong or different with me, so I know they’d be okay with my sexuality—even Glamour was surprised when she found out I haven’t told them, because she thinks my parents are great, not like hers...Summer Breeze goes on so much about ‘how to win a rich man,’ it’s bad enough hearing her once a year, I can’t imagine what it is like for Glamour, or how bad it was for her older sister. But...I just couldn’t make the words come out, Sunny! All I could think of is what the rest of the family would say, what they might do to my parents careers, or Shining’s, if they learned that I’m not straight! And I hate it, because I want to go on real dates with you, where we can do all of those things and anything else we want to, because society is stupid and narrow-minded about things that really shouldn’t matter to them, because why should it be a big deal that I like girls, that I like one girl in particular—you—and I want to be able to acknowledge openly how wonderful being with you makes me feel...”

Twilight would have kept going, but her lungs were screaming for air. While she was panting for air, Sunset moved their plates out of the way and tugged Twilight into her lap, arms going around her in a tight hug. “Hey...hey...Sparky...it's okay. I wasn’t trying to make you upset.” Warm lips pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I was going somewhere with my thoughts, not trying to sound like I was complaining...can I share the rest of my idea? I...think it might help.”

Lavender fingers fisted into Sunset’s shirt with a white knuckled grip, and Twilight could feel the anxiety digging its claws into her. She forced herself to close her eyes and focus on her breathing, just like Dr. Soft-Spoken had taught her, and like Sunset was encouraging in soft words in her ears. “I...I...want to hear you out,” she stuttered out around a throat that wanted to close up, “but...I...I...need to take my meds first.” She forced herself to look up at Sunset again. “I-It’s not you...my brain...it j-just won’t stop, and I want to hear your idea and...and...”

The arms around her hugged her closer before Sunset leaned over towards the desk to grab for the pill bottle kept in plain sight and easy reach. She popped it open for Twilight, whose hands were shaking too badly to have done it herself. “Hand,” she said, the soft command soothing in its own way, before shaking one of the pills into Twilight’s palm.

Twilight fumbled the pill into her mouth, managing to swallow it with a sip of hot cocoa held by a steady amber-skinned hand, and waited for it to take effect. To fight off the pandemonium within, she did like she’d been taught and focused on the tangible senses: her ears, listening to the gentle litany of Sunset’s voice counting breaths with her and giving periodic instructions and reminders, the tickly feeling of her shirt against her skin where the pressure of Sunset’s hand on her back moved against the fabric, and the scent that was unique to her girlfriend, her Sunny. Slowly, the clamour in the back of her head receded to the more normal background buzzing she could handle, and that made the constricting band around her chest ease until she could breathe properly again.

“Better?” Sunset murmured in her ear, still holding her close.

She nodded against Sunset’s chest, trying not to think too much about how soft and comfortable it was, choosing instead to focus on the steady heartbeat in her ear. That tension that came with her panic attack was fading, allowing her to relax more fully in the embrace, even if she wasn’t ready to talk yet.

Her girlfriend was quiet for a few more minutes, before finally speaking again. “I wasn’t going to suggest we stop being discreet,” she told Twilight quietly. “We’ll tell people when we’re both ready to tell them, and it’ll be on our terms.”

Exhaling slowly, the sound a mixture of the last lingering bits of her anxious panic and sheer frustration, Twilight closed her eyes briefly, gathering her thoughts to try and explain herself, if for no other reason than that Sunset shouldn’t be blaming herself for something that had been a problem longer than she’d been in Twilight’s life. “I know that, Sunny,” she murmured, hugging the other girl tight. “You would never out me without my consent—it’s not who you are, and I know that. I...didn’t mean to make you think that I felt you were pushing me in any way like that.” She shifted position slightly, rubbing her face in the soft fabric of Sunset’s shirt. “My panic had nothing to do with you. It’s...it’s one of those things that is absolutely one hundred percent in my head, where my brain can’t seem to stop from providing terrible scenarios that just get worse and worse. It’s hard to stop it when it does that normally, but with the subject of coming out? It’s beyond irrational.”

Sunset made a humming sound in her throat. “What do you mean?” she asked curiously.

Twilight took a deep breath, knowing just how what she was about to say would sound. “For reasons unknown to me, I simply cannot be rational when it comes to the idea of telling people about my sexuality, even when all evidence shows they will not react poorly—like my parents. It’s like having an irrational phobia—even the thought of coming out triggers my anxiety to the point where it takes very little to send me into a full blown panic attack.” Her voice wavered, a sound of frustration rising. “It’s beyond stupid, and in so many ways it’s completely unlike me, because there’s no logical reason for how bad it is, especially in situations where the entire fear is counter to logic and reasoning! I take comfort in absolutes, in facts—you know this—and the presence of some kind of objective evidence means my brain incorporates that logic before projecting possible outcomes. It doesn’t run completely counter to it!”

Her final words hung in the air, lingering in the silence that fell after. Sunset was quiet for quite some time, rubbing her hand up and down Twilight’s back, face nuzzling into her hair. Finally she asked, “Are you sure it’s your own fear? Or is it something that...” The redhead paused, as if unsure before addressing awkwardly. “It’s like a big ‘society fear’ thing. Shows up in TV shows, books, movies, and i hear it whispered about in the school halls, right? This ‘if you tell people you have a preference for a particular kind of person that doesn’t fit the societal standard, it will end in disaster’ fear...like...if it’s not rational, then maybe it’s only a fear because everyone says you should be afraid?”

Twilight’s brows furrowed for a moment, analyzing what Sunset was saying. “Like a form of learned behavior and trained response? I had considered that a few times, but it’s not consistent. For example, I told my cousin, Glamour Shot, over New Years—though that was more a mutual thing—” The body under her tensed up a fraction. “I’ll share that story later,” she assured Sunset. “Glamour’s really changed and it was...nice...to get to know the new Glamour.” Then she refocused on the subject at hand. “I also told Cady several years ago, back in middle school...though that took the two of us having a ‘Sisters’ Day Out’ when she took me to this amazing limited time space exhibit at one of the big city museums a few hours away.”

Pulling an arm from around Sunset, Twilight rubbed her temples. “Logically, I should feel safe enough to come out here, in my own home, with people I know who will love me no matter what...but it goes completely against that. I feel more panicked and anxious here than I do at the estate, and my excursions there involve being surrounded by bigoted, classist, judgmental relatives who take every opportunity to point all the things that are wrong with me!”

There was another throaty sound from the redheaded teen, this one more troubled, and Twilight could feel amber skinned arms tighten their hold protectively. “I don’t like your relatives, Sparky,” she mumbled softly.

“Trust me, Sunset, I don’t much care for them either. Which is one reason why none of this makes sense.” She focused on breathing for a minute before continuing. “It stands to reason, if it is some form of phobia, things like desensitization should eventually make it possible for me to tell my parents. Like maybe being able to tell Glamour was an indication it’s lessening, or maybe being with you has just made me more comfortable about who I am, since I can just be me around you. I’m not sure.”

Twilight’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, Sunny. Like the rest of my anxiety issues, this isn’t something that you can just...fix by saying the right thing or fighting it off or...waving a magic wand or using a magical macguffin on it. Life isn’t a fairytale, and...”

Sunset gave a snort, followed by her trying to stifle her chuckles, before her hand came up to cup Twilight’s cheek, making her look up into intensely focused blue-green eyes. “I know it’s not, Sparky,” she murmured, pressing their foreheads together. “...but in any world where it was, you know I’d find a way to break the curse, right?” Twilight could hear the smile in her voice, even if she couldn’t see it, mesmerized by those eyes staring into hers. “Though...since I seem to have left my magic wand in my other bag, I guess you’ll have to settle for me being here for you when you need to talk.”

Being close like this made Twilight feel warm all over, and the sensation of Sunset’s breath, her words, brushing across her lips like the faintest of breezes sent a tingle down her spine. “Thank you, Sunset...” A slight push forward brought their lips together in a sweet kiss that still managed to steal her breath. “Not many people have the...patience...for my issues.”

“Hey,” came the response, followed by a second kiss. “You were my friend first, before anything else, and I want to be here for you...just like you’ve been here for me, are still here for me. You matter to me, Sparky...more than anyone in this world, and I like who you are. So you aren’t some kind of perfect, untouchable princess—I couldn’t give less of a harpy’s tail feathers about that. When I had no one and nothing, when I was at my worst, when I did my best to warn you off...you wanted to be my friend. You cared. Is it so weird to know that it goes both ways? You’re my best friend, my girlfriend, my Sparky, and I care...”

She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes on the heels of the emotions the words had brought, and it made her throat tight. “Sunset...” she managed to get out before words became insufficient. Fingers reached up to tangle in that wild, fiery mane, allowing her to pull her girlfriend into a heated kiss that said everything and more.

With a sound that was more a throaty growl than anything, Sunset responded, pressing hard into the kiss, her tongue quick to swipe across Twilight’s lower lip, seeking entrance. The dark haired teen let her have it, whimpering at the shiver of delight it sent through her body. Hands that had been offering a comforting embrace now rubbed up and down her back in a different way, intimate and...

The sudden departure of Sunset’s lips from hers with a wet sound made Twilight whine in protest, not ready to be done yet...a whine that changed in the middle when her girlfriend started kissing along her jawline. Those kisses melded with careful nipping as they moved towards the spot under her ear, the faintest pressure of teeth against her skin leaving her needing more, her body trying to get even closer to the other girl. On some level she realized she was begging in a breathless, hushed voice, craving the press and heat of Sunset’s body against her own.

Husky, sexy laughter brushed her ear, accompanied by a hot breath, and Sunset obliged her plea, rolling them on the bed to put Twilight on her back, their hands intertwined above her head. The pillows cushioned her, and the way she was trapped under the taller form clouded her thoughts with desire and fleeting wisps of her fantasies from that morning.

Sunset leaned close again, another searing kiss dropped on Twilight’s lips before she dipped her head down to explore Twilight’s neck, not shy about leaving little love bites on lavender skin. Twilight twisted and squirmed under the onslaught, instinct making her try to arch her body against Sunset’s. The redhead responded with a low noise and pushed her body back down with her own, fingers tightening around Twilight’s wrists at the same time to keep her in place.

The act only served to send more desire rushing through her veins, and with a soft groan Twilight could feel her body surrendering to what Sunset made her crave so badly. She fought it briefly, trying to stay in some measure of control, but teeth nibbling on her throat sent her focus scattering. At this point, she wasn’t sure she could manage to gather the willpower to try again, and even less sure if she even wanted to. The way Sunset was bearing down on her, carefully pinning her to the bed, let her feel the strength her girlfriend’s body possessed, how much stronger her toned muscles made her compared to Twilight...but it also communicated how she tempered that strength, never pushing too hard, never doing anything that might hurt her. It was filling something primal and wordless within Twilight, a need she had only dimly realized she’d had before...

Time lost all meaning under Sunset’s touch, and she could feel the ache building in her core, just like it had that morning in the shower. That made Twilight lift her head from the pillows slightly, struggling to put her thoughts into a coherent enough pattern to engage in speech. “Sunny...wait...” she panted.

She was unable to stop the whimper that escaped when Sunset instantly stopped the assault on her neck, pulling back to meet Twilight’s eyes. Blue-green irises were filled with a focused, hungry intensity, like a predatory animal staring down its prey—a shiver of the best kind went through Twilight, and she only barely managed to keep her mind where it needed to be. “This feels...so good, Sunny...but...” Her face heated with a blush, and she desperately wanted to look away...but those eyes wouldn’t let her go. She forged onward, hoping to get the words out before she lost the ability through either lust or embarrassment. “...we need to stop...before we go further than you’re...ready to...and before I...” she managed, unable to finish the sentence.

There was a long moment, and Sunset blinked, the hunger dissolving away to be replaced by concern once their positions seemed to register. She sat back, pulling Twilight up with her, eyes scanning her face. “Are you okay, Sparky?” One hand tugged Twilight’s own up and she placed light kisses on lavender skinned wrists as if in apology. “Did...did I hurt you?” she wanted to know, a hint of real fear in her voice.

Twilight’s eyes widened at the question—that was not the response she had anticipated—and she hastened to reassure the other girl. “No! You didn’t hurt me at all, Sunny, I promise!” She squeezed the hands gripping hers. “I felt completely okay, and I never felt like you were going to hurt me in any way... Truthfully? I...I liked what you were doing...a lot. It felt so good...”

Doubt remained on Sunset’s face. “Are you sure? I...I didn’t realize I was holding you down like that...” Red dusted her cheeks, caused by shame at her own actions.

“Absolutely,” she confirmed, tugging Sunset close to rest their foreheads together, hoping the gesture would work its magic and sooth Sunset like it always did. “I really did like it...so much that...that was why I asked you to stop.”

“I...wait...you liked it so you made me stop? Twilight...that...doesn’t really make much sense.”

Her blush returned with a vengeance, cheeks burning as she realized that she was going to have to admit to the truth a little more bluntly. “I mean it felt so good it was affecting me...if you had kept going, I...” This was officially her most awkward experience in a long time. Even that morning hadn’t been this bad, and it sure outpaced the next closest contender in her memories: that time at seven when she’d found one of Cadence’s informational books and dragged it to show her parents, asking them all sorts of inappropriately personal questions before they’d managed to make her understand the social line she’d crossed. She’d been unable to look her father in the eye for a week after that explanation had finally registered.

There was no way around it though, so she forced the words out, hoping she survived how embarrassed she was. “...I...might’ve...climaxed...if you’d kept going...that’s how much I liked what you were doing, Sunny.”

Silence reigned for a handful of heartbeats, before Sunset blew out a breath loudly. “Sweet sunfire...” she uttered, sounding just as flustered as Twilight felt.

“...I mean...I wouldn’t have minded,” the dark haired teen admitted in a rush. “It felt amazing and I loved every second of it, but...I know your feelings about sex right now and I didn’t want to violate your boundaries, even accidentally. That’s why I asked you to stop...”

Sunset sucked in a sharp breath. “I...Thanks, Sparky...and I’m sorry I let it go that far...”

It was Twilight’s turn to pull her girlfriend into a hug, keeping her from retreating. “There’s no fault to be had, Sunset. When I asked you to stop, to wait, you did, right away. That is exactly why we talked about boundaries, and exactly how we should be handling a situation like this, letting the other know when we need to stop, that it isn’t okay to keep going, no matter what the reason is.” She brushed their lips together briefly to give weight to the declaration that there was no blame being heaped on Sunset, before pulling back so they could see each other’s faces clearly.

“If we do end up going further, I want it to be because we both want it, with mutual consent that it’s the right thing for us, so that there are no regrets after to spoil what should be something very special.” Twilight paused to further order her thoughts. “As you are aware, my family isn’t particularly interested in religion, so the concept of sex only occurring within the confines of a marriage is not something I personally ascribe to...but...I...do consider it something to be treated as serious and special. It’s something I would not be willing to engage in without there being a deep and strong emotional connection with the other person.” Her eyes flitted to Sunset’s. “Like what I have with you.”

Another of those sharply indrawn breaths, and she was being hugged tight again. She could feel Sunset’s breath and a hint of dampness—tears, she suspected—on her neck when the other teen tucked her face into her shoulder. “Sparky...” she rasped, voice thick. She fell silent for a time after that, but the slight trembling in her body gave away how what Twilight had said had affected her.

When she finally collected herself, Sunset nuzzled into Twilight’s neck. “I see no point in religion,” she stated, her voice momentarily bitter and scathing. “I’ve had enough of gods to last me a lifetime.” Then her tone softened, all the ugliness evaporating. “But...I think we’re...on the same page here. I...it’s wrapped up in a lot of emotion for me, emotion and trust...and I...I’ve never had anyone else I was close enough to to even want it...or consider it in any fashion...” Sunset sighed. “All the same...I...I’m not there yet, Sparky, so...thank you...for knowing me better than I know myself sometimes.”

Happy Thanksgiving to all my lovely, wonderful readers! I hope those of you who do celebrate it have a wonderful day with family and friends, and plenty of good food, and for those that don't, know that I am thankful to have all of you as readers and fans, because seeing your comments every week has really inspired me and made me feel like maybe my writing is halfway decent, and someday, just maybe, I can actually make something of myself with it!

So yeah, have a little holiday treat, from me to you, of our girls having some soft, cuddly time together! :} I'm off to go after some mashed potatoes calling my name!

See you lot in the comments!