Sunset Shimmer stretched and felt her shoulders pop. What a day. She yawned and practically fell into her big poofy recliner. Rubbing her eyes, she reached a sore arm down and, with a small grunt, pulled back the wooden lever on the side, hoisting her feet into the air. She kicked her boots off, not caring where they landed, and ripped off her socks, which had long since gotten unpleasant, and tossed them to the floor. She could put them in the laundry basket later. She leaned her head back and shut her eyes. If only she'd had the foresight to turn off the overhead light, but at this rate she might just fall asleep anyway.
There was a light pitter patter of footsteps that could only be one person. Twilight. Sunset quickly figured that she wasn't the only one who was tired this night, as Twilight didn't even say anything before she approached the recliner, and carefully laid herself down upon it, her body delicately lined up against Sunset's. Sunset smiled. She didn't even ask, because she knew I'd say yes. Yes, of course you can lie down with me. We must be really close now.
Sunset opened her eyes, and looked at her girlfriend, who always looked just the slightest bit odd without her glasses to be honest. It's like she was made for the glasses, rather than the other way around. Sunset moved her arm so that Twilight's weight wouldn't make it fall asleep, and laid her hand on Twilight's shoulder, giving it tiny but easily perceptible rubs. Sometimes, when you wait for something all day, it's disappointing once you get to it, but Sunset felt a level of contentment she'd rarely known, as she lay there, feeling that warmth beside her, her life's spark. She closed her eyes again and tried to forget that there was anywhere but here. Then Twilight spoke.
"Do you want to go lie down?"
Sunset pouted a little. "That would mean getting up first." She heard a little snort of breath that meant Twilight found that amusing. "We're basically lying down now."
"I might fall asleep." Twilight yawned, proving her point.
"That would be okay."
Silence for a bit, and then, "How was your day?"
Sunset grimaced. "It was really hard. Both going to school and having a job on top of studying this world's magic is a lot to handle honestly. I'm legally old enough-" She made air quotes, since her pony age in relation to her human age was ambiguous. "-to drop out of school, and I'm tempted to do it, but then I wouldn't be able to see you as often."
Twilight grinned, showing a pair of front teeth that were noticeably bigger than average. "I'll let you copy all my homework. That'd make things easier, right?"
"Yeah." That will help, thanks.
Silence again for a bit, and just as Sunset was beginning to doze off, her thoughts swirling into an indecipherable haze, she heard, "What are you thinking right now?"
"...For a moment, I wasn't thinking about anything at all. It was kind of amazing."
"Sorry I ruined your amazingly neutral experience."
There's that snark. "Mostly today I thought about how I wanted to spend time with my girlfriend."
Twilight smiled broadly and crinkled her nose. "Who, me?"
"No, Scarlett Johanssen."
"Fuck her!"
Sunset laughed. Twilight didn't break out a swear very often, particularly the f bomb, which made it more effective when she did. Sunset wrapped an arm right around her and rubbed her back with a near violent fervor. "You said a naughty word."
Twilight put on a mock innocent face which, recent explicative aside, was pretty effective given her small frame, modest clothes, and nerdy hairdo. "Don't tell nobody, okay?"
"Okay." They kissed and went back to silence. After a while, Twilight became so still that Sunset felt near certain she'd fallen asleep. "Hey," she whispered as softly as she could. "You asleep?"
"Yes," mumbled Twilight, breaking out that snark again.
"Okay, I was just checking." Sunset rubbed her back slowly, back and forth. Back and forth. She could hear a train blowing its whistle in the distance, and the soft sprinkle of rain on the ground outside. The bathroom sink occasionally let a droplet drip into the faucet. Twilight's rhythmic breathing was soothing. "I think I'll start my period tomorrow," Sunset muttered absent-mindedly. "That's fun."
"Hey, Sunset?" Twilight said so quickly that she got the impression Twilight had been waiting for her to say something just to reply.
"Yeah?"
Twilight sat up a little so she could look into Sunset's eyes. Her own eyes were a bit wider than usual, filled with a strong emotion. Something like need. Or purpose. It made her look a bit older than she normally did. "I really missed you today." Awwww. "I just..." She's picking her words carefully. "You make me feel... like... I'm stronger than I used to be. I remember when we first met. I don't know how much it showed, but... I was really unsure of myself." I wouldn't say it was super obvious, but I could tell. "I always second guessed myself, and I felt nervous even when I knew no one was trying to judge me." I felt that way after we defeated the Dazzles. People at school didn't look down on me anymore, but my confidence wasn't back yet. I needed time. And a little help from a certain someone. "I don't feel nervous around you anymore. Everyone else, I feel like I have to be careful about what I say. I always worry about the impression I'm making. But with you, I..." She's tearing up a little. "I feel like everything I say is the right thing."
Sunset nodded. "I don't know what you could do to make me really mad." You're too sweet. You never mean anything the wrong way.
"Right! And I've never felt this kind of real connection with anyone. It's like I'm truly alive for the first time and I just... Sunset, I love you." Her lips tightened and her eyes got more watery than ever. Sunset's heart melted and spread a thick warmth all throughout her chest. She pulled Twilight into the tightest hug she'd ever given anyone, being aware of shoulder blades and a bra strap under her hands. There was a small gasp as Twilight tried not to cry. "I love you. You're the best thing about my life."
"I love you too." I wish I could say it as beautifully as you. I wish I could... do something to show you how much I mean it, to express the intensity I'm feeling right now. Maybe... She grabbed Twilight's shoulders and pulled her back a little so that she could look into her eyes. "Hey, let's go lie down, okay?"