//------------------------------// // Art Deco // Story: Satin Morning // by daOtterGuy //------------------------------// There always comes a time, no matter how much one tries to put it off, when you have to make a decision. And not just any decision. The kind that could shape your future going forward for better or for worse. It’s the decisions that keep you up at night, the ones that hang about you during the day to remind you that you can’t put it off forever.  Many would say I was being overly dramatic acquating life altering changes to the simple action of asking a stallion out to dinner, but every small choice can snowball into bigger ones and this one felt important.  Surely those who had been in the same position as I could relate to the nervous anticipation of confessing to a crush? The butterflies that threaten to vomit out of you to your utter horror, splattering against the floor in a horrifying collage of— this is getting away from me.  To summarize, important decisions require bold choices and whenever I face such decisions I like to look back to my studies of the Art Deco movement.  A wondrous time to be a creative, but not so wondrous to be of unicornian royalty. After several generations of utter failure that never managed to bring back the glory of Queen Swift Victory’s reign, the common folk had become soured to the notion of an absolute monarchy and had decided to usher in a new era signified by the downward slice of a guillotine. Heads rolled as society evolved. A Princess Republic was formed around revolutionary leader and first of her name Princess Platinum who unified the disparate factions under her banner and turned inwards to focus on the restructuring of a failing dominion. From culture to politics, family structure to architecture, and everything in between were reinvigorated by fresh new ideas.  Languages were invented overnight, herds became more commonplace, ministries formed from the ashes of the old courts to oversee new developments brought forth by an economic bubble.  Bits flowed freely as unicorns embraced the chaotic tides of change. Every  idea, every concept, every dream was thrown against the wall of culture and made to see if it would stick amongst the masses.  Many of these ideas were discarded, however, their mark upon the fashion world would cross time and space within the cultural zeitgeist of the middle and upper classes.  Extravagance was back and bigger than ever.  Tassels, buttons, ribbons, chiffon, frills, and more were made commonplace in even the most modest of gowns. Entire hats were sewn out of clusters of exotic feathers. Suits made of dragon scales traded from a lucrative venture in gemstone mining were worn by the wealthiest of merchants.  Even the brave and foolhardy sought out dangerous beasts to be made into leather jackets to spite their predatory neighbours across the mountains. It was macabre. It was rebellious. It was absolute chaos as fashion dove headfirst into a plethora of exciting frontiers and shifted through a seemingly endless sea of new conceptual design. The era was defined by boldness and innovation. An ideology I try to pursue in all of my endeavors as a trendsetting fashionista. Just as my ancestors once did many ages ago, I stand before the threshold of change, ready to embrace it in its all its glory — minus the guillotine part, of course. Overworked I may be, ready to overthrow the Diarchy, I am not. Common ground had been found with Flash, a relationship established, and crush increased tenfold. He was due to visit once more and the only thing on my mind was the fun that might be had with what lay underneath that thick jacket he wore.  A spark within me was well on its way to a blazing inferno, but, as per my third rule of dating, it was time to see if that same blaze could be brought forth in my potential partner to be. Today was fitting day, and I had every intention of using my wiles to tantalize and feed the dreams of what could be should Flash decide to give me a chance. I’ll have that stud drooling by the end of our time together or my name is not Rarity — or Curio — Belle. Curio rearranged the clothes on the rack for what might have been the hundredth time. He double checked his noted measurements against what hung before him. A rapid scan revealed once more that the garments were to Flash’s size.  Turning away, he paced around the platform nervously adjusting the raven shaped hairpin keeping his ponytail in place with his magic — a small blessing that had been granted him that morning. He stopped before a mirror and checked that his purple triangle patterned suit was still perfectly in place. No wrinkles or unsightly seams present. Heaving a weary sigh, he continued his pacings trying to keep his mind from focusing too much on his soon-to-arrive guest. His heart was beating twice as fast as his hoof falls, and heat coursed through his skin making him feel like he was trapped in a sauna. This was an important day. It was the day to test one of his most important dating rules, and the idea that Flash could fail it was driving Curio mad. Of course, there was an option to simply skip it, but prior experience with Dr. Hooves had made it clear it needed to stay. A stallion could be as fine as he wants, but nothing kills the mood more than a four hour lecture on the abstracted science of time. A lecture on the making of buttons back during his Manehattan U days had been more thrilling than that. Besides that, he had been nagged by intrusive thoughts throughout the morning as he prepared. Judgemental voices that declared he would fail, that he was misinterpreting things, that it would never work out between them. Thankfully, the solution was simple: go through the rules of FROD. He had created them specifically to make the final decision easier, but testing for sexual chemistry outside of the obvious always amounted to the same thing. Flirting. And he was horrible at it.  He paused for a moment to quietly admit to himself that he wasn’t the worst, simply out of practice. This admittance, however, did nothing to quell the intangible fear of making a mockery of himself or worse making Flash uncomfortable.  Flash Sentry being the gentlepony he is would probably politely chuckle at Curio’s subpar flirtations, but that felt worse than if Flash simply didn’t reciprocate them at all.  Outright rejection was objectively better than pity. Curio could feel his adrenaline spike as he trotted in place, his pulse quickening more than ever before. If Flash didn’t show up soon, Curio was going to— “How’s it hangin’?” With a sharp flick of the head and a perfect smile on his lips under half lidded eyes, Curio addressed Flash in a deeper tone than his normal voice, “positively wonderful, how are you?” “Feeling aces.” Flash gave a warm grin as he stepped into the workroom dressed in his standard attire. “Not sure what makes today so rad, but I’m really digging it.”  “Excellent to hear.” Curio gestured towards the central platform. “Shall we get started right away?” “Yeah, gnarly. Let’s get started, uh, Curio today, right?” Flash said as he stepped onto the platform. “Yes, that is correct” Curio answered warmly, “now if you could take off your jacket? Feel free to leave your shirt on as I know it makes you feel more comfortable.” “Actually, I’ll take them both off. I’m feeling jazzed today, and well…” he turned his head away, his face flushed, “I don’t mind if it’s just you here.” “Whatever feels best, Flash. Far be it from me to dictate what you should or shouldn’t do.” Curio glided to the racks and started to rummage through the ensembles. “These should all be good, but in case they aren’t, I’ll need… you… to…” Curio trailed off as he turned to see Flash in the nude. His eyes roamed over Flash’s rugged physique, thick corded muscle bunched together to form hard angles in every direction. Intense heat spread through Curio’s body as unabashed lust took hold of his mind at the sight.   “You hitting on all eights over there, Curio?” Flash asked, concern colouring his voice.  Abruptly shaking his head to clear away the lewd thoughts that had occupied his mind, Curio returned to the rack. “Yes, sorry, just a bit spacey today.” “Aiight, just let me know if you aren’t all aces, okay?” “I’ll make sure I do, now, what would you like to try first?” Humming in thought. Flash replied, “How ‘bout the disco era jersey?” “Certainly.” Curio grabbed the indicated piece of clothing in his magic and offered it to Flash as he trotted back to the platform. Flash put both his legs through the sleeves before Curio interrupted, “One moment, let me get the zipper for you.” Furrowing his brow in confusion, Flash said, “Oh, sure, but I can zip it up myself.” “Of course you can, I just wish to assist where possible.” Flash nodded hesitantly to grant his consent before Curio stepped closer with a coy smile on his lips. He grabbed the zipper in his hooves, and pulled it slowly up past his breast leaving enough space to allow a generous puff of chest fluff to escape. “How’s the fit?” “I-its—” Flash fumbled as he tried to ignore how close Curio was to him, “It's banger. Really appreciate how loose around the legs it is.” “That’s wonderful to hear, but do you know what would make this perfect?” Curio hummed inquisitively as he leaned in closer, stopping just short of his nose making contact with Flash’s. Heat flooded Flash’s face as he stuttered out, “n-no?” “Sunglasses!” Curio happily exclaimed as he pulled back and trotted to his work desk. Just to punctuate the statement he gave a slight shimmy of his flanks and was rewarded by Flash’s fur puffing up. A quick rummage through the odds and end piled on his desk revealed the aforementioned pair of glasses. He returned to Flash and levitated the accessory onto his head, resting them just below his mane line.  “Here. Something to really nail that, oh, what was the slang term for it… ?”  “Groovy feel?” Flash answered. “Yes, exactly that. I must say, though,” Curio said with half lidded eyes, “this look really does extenuate how built you are.” “I-I do like to look big,” Flash flustered, “since I usually need to brute force my way out of hairy situations.” Curio inspected Flash from various angles as he hummed a tuneless melody. He ended his observations by staring deeply into Flash’s blue eyes with a mischievous smile on his face.  “What is it?” Flash asked. “Don’t you think it’s wasteful solely relying on your strength?” Curio noted with a playful lilt to his voice.  “It’s really the only skill I have,” Flash replied. “I don’t know about that, you are quite charming,” Curio said as Flash’s breath hitched. “You got the stud-next-door look down plus that beaming smile is a real knockout. Why, I dare say that anyone who took a single look into your eyes would be putty in your hooves.” It took great restraint to not giggle as Flash turned redder than an apple at the compliment. His ears were perked up and his tail wagged behind him. “W-well, does it work on you?” he asked. “Does what work?” Curio tilted his head to one side, the picture of innocence. “My-my—” Flash rubbed the back of his neck with a wing nervously, “charm?”  Humming to himself in thought, Curio tapped a hoof on his chin before replying, “it does, actually.” Nodding his head, mouth slightly agape, Flash gulped and said, “That’s… that’s really good to hear.” “Ragtime, or rock?” “What?” Flash asked before he realized the question. “Right, the clothes. Can we do ragtime? I really like the tie you picked out.” “Good choice, now let me take that off for you.” Curio slowly stripped off Flash’s jacket, making sure that he lingered with his touch when possible. As he did so, Flash’s breath became heavier as he nervously fidgeted in place. “Are you alright? You seem to be having some trouble catching your breath.” “N-nope, feeling aces, absolute aces,” Flash squeaked.  Flashing him a predatory grin, Curio removed the last of his outfit and grabbed the ragtime ensemble from the rack using his magic. He assisted Flash in putting it on, ensuring there were no wrinkles in the fabric. “I love the colour you chose for the hat ribbon,” Flash said. Regarding the gamboge ribbon that perfectly matched Flash’s coat, Curio said, “so do I. I took some inspiration from a stallion I met recently.” “Oh?” Flash inquired, “what’s he like?” Placing the hat on Flash’s head, Curio gave it a light bop with his hoof. “Cute, very cute.” “Only cute?” Flash whined. “Well, he is also quite handsome and has a magnificent personality.” “Sounds like the real mccoy.” “He is, now let’s finish this ensemble, shall we?” Using his magic once more, Curio grabbed the tie off the rack and threw it around Flash’s neck. He yanked on both ends around his thick muscle, and brought Flash tantalizingly close to himself. “What style do you prefer?” Curio asked quietly.  “I prefer a bit of tongue myself,” Flash answered confidently as he stared deeply into Curio’s eyes.   “Oh?” Curio grinned mischievously. “I haven’t heard of that one before. How does one tie a ‘tongue knot’ then?” “Wait, you meant—” Flash’s cheeks burned red as he scrambled to correct himself, “B-balthus or eldridge. I prefer the latter if you can manage it.” “Such exquisite tastes. Very well, I’ll do the eldridge then. Been a while.” Grabbing both ends of the tie in his magic, Curio began the motions of tying it into the proper knot. As he pulled the final length of fabric into place, he yanked down, drawing Flash closer until their noses touched.  Curio reveled in the quiet moment, their breaths perfectly synced, Flash’s eyes alight in hope. “S-sorry, but just to be sure, this—” Flash gulped. “Look, I can be a bit of a space cadet, so I might be misreading this, but do you… ?” he trailed off “You’re reading it right, though this is more of a preshow for now. A teaser for the main act. Are you enjoying it?” Curio flashed his teeth in a suggestive smile.  “Y-yes, it’s amazing, but…” he took a deep breath, “I wish you would hurry up to the headliner already.” “Patience, Flash,” Curio chided, “the best things come to those who wait and the main event will be for another day.” “This is torture, Curio. Absolute torture,” Flash whined. “Some of the best things are.” Curio’s mouth settled into a flat worried line as an unbidden thought wormed its way to the forefront of his thoughts. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be such a tease, I just need some more time to decide, but…” he tried to bite back the question, but ultimately couldn’t, “do you… want this?” “Yes, I do,” Flash answered without hesitation, “do you?” More worried thoughts flooded into Curio’s mind as he felt unable to hold back the need to vocalize them. “Yes, but will this even work between us? We just spoke yesterday about how overworked we both are and I have no interest in being apart more than we are together.” “About that, I’m wondering if that’s really true.” “What do you mean?” “It feels like all we do is complain without actually addressing it. If we just asked, I’m sure the bureau would send support, but… we don’t.” Flash rubbed Curio’s withers with his wing, who leaned into the touch. “We feel out of place, and I wonder if we take on more than we should to hide that.” “Perhaps,” Curio admitted, “it certainly fills in the long hours of… nothing.” Nodding his head, Flash continued, “I’ve been thinking, a dangerous proposition for a sap like myself, I know,” they both giggled at the attempted humour, “that if we were… together, it might help us want to be un-misplaced. To want to take the steps to be able to spend more time in each other’s company.” “Or we change nothing and just feel even more alone then we already are.” Curio sighed. “I just don’t want this to end in heartbreak.” “Neither do I, but I believe this is worth giving a shot,” Flash said, a hopeful tone to his voice.  “I’m beginning to believe that as well, but would you be willing to wait just a touch longer? Just to give me time to gather my thoughts?” Though his expression suggested otherwise, Flash nodded his head. “Sure, but… not too long?” Curio placed a hoof gently to the side of Flash’s face who nuzzled at the contact. “I wouldn’t dream of holding out on you. I assure you that I will have an answer for you tomorrow.” They remained close, enjoying each other’s presence, but, despite their close proximity to each other, Curio couldn’t help but feel an unfathomable distance between them.  “Well,” Curio started as he pulled back, a longing look from Flash chasing after him as he did, “I suppose we should get through the rest of these ensembles before the whole morning is gone. Shall I continue our little game as we do?” Flash groaned. “Torture, Curio. Absolute torture.” Curio laughed heartily. “The best things always are.”