//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: A Foxglove incident. // by PinkV5 //------------------------------// "I love you." Those were the last words that left Spike's mouth before a deafening silence filled the room. Rarity's face froze with surprise. Spike's was that of fear, regret, and embarrassment. Neither could tell how much time bypassed them. The only thing that woke the two back to their senses was a knocking sound at her door. Spike shot up in surprise, and Rarity stiffened like a board. They momentarily glanced at each other, their faces lighting up briefly before she took the initiative and walked to the door. She looked through the door's window hole, seeing Double Diamond standing on the other side. Rarity glances back at Spike, quickly looking away from her. She took a deep breath and cracked open her door. "Good evening, my lady," he says. Spike cringed, hearing his loud voice saying that. He covered his ears to drown him out. "Hello to you as well, Double," she replied. Her voice was as bland as she could make it. "Did you ever get my letter?" he asked, inching closer to the door. "Yes. (unfortunetly). I did, and my answer remains the same," she said, subtle nods of vexation as she spoke. "Oh. I...I see. Well, perhaps you could- (Door closes and locks) He uncovered his ears, slowly opening his eyes to see Rarity fuming about Double's sudden appearance. She patted her chest, taking one more deep breath before returning to her seat next to Spike. They sat in silence, once again, for a brief moment before crossing their eyes again. Spike wanted to look away, to hide his shame for what he said. He wished he could lie as he used to and play it off as a joke, but his better nature denied him the escape. Instead, he could only continue to hold himself together in front of the mare he loved. "I'm sorry." Rarity said, finally managing to say something. Taken aback by her words, he looked down on himself forever, saying those three cursed words to her. "It's ok. I'm the one who's sorry. That was all my fault anyway," he said. "Double Diamond's been harassing you also?" she asked. Spike blinked, processing what she said. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow at her. "Wh-No, he hasn't. Why?" he said, standing up, his tone changed to match his expression, now coated with concern and protectiveness. Rarity chucked and told him to relax. He sat back down, feeling a little more at ease. "I'm sorry because of him is what I should have said. For the past few weeks, I've been getting letters and presents from my "secret admirer." It was flattering at first. But then, he revealed himself to me. He convinced me to give him a chance, and I allowed him to take me out to dinner. Needless to say...it didn't end well. I told him it would be best if we remained friends, but now he's- "Being a creep about it." Spike finished. Rarity couldn't help but nod in agreement. She was going to continue, but a question cleared itself in her head again. One that she was going to ask before the Double question shoved its way out of her mouth. Clearing her voice, she shuffled over to Spike, blushing at the sight of her moving closer. "Why did you feel sorry earlier?" She asked. All of the previous emotions Spike had felt earlier came back with a vengeance. Every muscle in his body tensed up as he recalled his words. They echoed in his head like an evil chant on a loop. He spoke his talk while he tried his best to swallow his still-beaten heart. "I-I......I'm s-sorry for earli-ier. I-I didn't want you to-to......to find out this way," he cried, his hand on his chest. His body felt heavy. His blood ran cold, and he could feel himself being swallowed by everything around him. All while in the corner of his mind, he knew that she was watching him. Both his mind and his heart told him to run. To look for someplace warm and safe. Before his body could react, however, Rarity had already rested her head on his chest, her arms wrapped around him. "How did you want to tell me?" She asked, her hands now linked together behind Spike's back. He could feel her soft breath through his shirt and smell the mixture of lavender and vanilla in her hair. His heart and mind, finally relaxing, granted him the clarity he wished. "I don't know. I can't remember. Being able to tell you that has always seemed like a fairy tale to me. I just...didn't wanna tell you like that." he said. Rarity gazed up at him, her eyes begging the drake for something. "..." "..." "Well, are you going to keep a lady waiting?" She said. It took a moment before Spike caught on to what she was saying. "Wait. Like, r-right now. L-L-Like this." he said, Rarity still clipped to him. She pouted before blowing air at his face, closing his eyes. He opened them to see her still making a cute pouty face, intentionally puffing up her cheeks as she did so. Spike tried his best to repeat his words but always ended up tongue-tied. He couldn't manage to repeat it. "I can't," he admitted. He felt ashamed. Here he is, in front of his lady love, and he's unable to repeat three simple little words when she's asking for it. Rarity stopped her pouty face and started laughing, unintentionally teasing the drake. He blushed as she laughed. "Spikey, could you wait right here for a moment?" She said, letting go of him and proceeding upstairs. Spike thought, "Was she just messing with me?". When she returned, Spike was surprised to see what she was holding. "Do you know that out of my entire collection, this is still my favorite piece to wear?" she said, holding the ruby heart he gave her on his birthday. Much to his delight, He was pleased that she kept such good care of it over the years. She placed it in the dragon's hand before saying, "Put it on me." Feeling his nerves attack him again, he trembled at her words. "Oh-, O-Ok." he managed. She turned around and pressed her back on the drake's chest, sticking her head forward and exposing her neck. With his shaky hands, Spike looped the collar-like necklace around her. She turned back around and grabbed his hands. "Now, will you tell me?" She said, sounding demanding yet yearnful. Pressured, he closed his eyes and recalled him saying those words. Like mantras, he spoke them quietly, almost imitating Fluttershy. He opened his eyes and met her gaze with his own. The feeling of dancing through the air returned to him as if they'd never left him. "I Love You." he finally said, pouring his heart into her waters. Rarity smiled, wiping his face of earlier tears before asking another question. "For how long?" She asked. "Since I first saw you," he said. "Have you ever felt like this for someone else?" she asked. "Never. I don't think it's even possible to find someone who makes me feel this way," he replied. "What do you feel when you see my cutiemark?" she asked. "Hungry," he said, earning a chuckle from his lady. In his head, every question she asked him became so clear. Not a moment went by where he needed to think of what to say or how to say it. "Can I ask you something now?" he pleaded of her. She nodded. "Will you, or rather, Do you accept my feeling?" he begged of her. She slowly let go of his hands and brought them to her chest, making his face turn completely red. "To be honest, I always knew you loved me," she said. Spike opened his mouth, but she stopped him asking him to let her finish. "That day you transformed, I heard you say you had a crush on me. A tiny part of me always thought you did, even before your birthday. As the days passed into weeks and eventually months, I thought you would move on and get over me, learn to love another, or accept someone else's love in kind. But when I saw you hanging out with Gabby, I realized how jealous it made me, and I finally understood something. I realized why you devoted so much time to making me #1 on your list. Because that day, I did the same thing." She finished. Before Spike could interject, Rarity made her move first and connected her satin-like lips with his own. The sudden action hit him like a bombshell as he flew back into the sofa. She smiled and laid herself atop his build. She kissed him again, caressing his neck and playing with his scales. Spike was unable to move as thousands of thoughts rushed through his head. Wide-eyed, he finally let go and closed them, taking in the smoothness of her skin on his body while his hand moved through her hair. As the two of them got into it, they were interrupted by Sweetie Belle unlocking the door. "Hey, Sis, can I borrow 20 bits from- (Intensive Starring) Neither party knew what to do. On one side, you had a star-shocked little sister walking in on her big sister face-hugging the Princesses/her's part-time assistant. On the other, you have two people whose hidden feelings have been un-earthed, halted by a sudden "friendly" intrusion. "Oh my Gosh................. I owe Applebloom so much money," Sweetie said. Rarity broke off her kiss, making a small wet "plopping" noise as she did. Her face erupted red, and in her panic, she screamed, "GO TO YOUR ROOM." Scared, her little sister rushed upstairs, locking her door behind her. Rarity sat back down and hid her face with her hands. Spike moved next to her and held her as she gathered herself. "You should go talk to her," he said. "I know. That was a bit rude of me. She didn't deserve to be yelled at like that," she replied, taking a sip of her cold tea. "Will you be leaving her soon?" she asked. "If it's alright with you, can I stay for a while? I was hoping we could talk a little more," he asked of her. She chuckled at him before standing up, her hand rubbing under his chin, making him wince. "I'll be back as quick as I can," she said. About ten minutes passed as Rarity dealt with Sweetie Belle. When she came down, Spike was quietly napping on her sofa. She took out her phone and snapped a picture, making it her screen saver. After that, she gently nudged him awake. "Enjoy your nap, Spikey?" she said. "Sorry. I didn't know how long you would be talking to her," he said. "It's alright. I don't blame you. After I apologized, she had a lot of questions to ask. For my sake, I limited her down to 5. But enough about that. Where were we?" she said alluringly. She kissed him again, leaning into his embrace. Brushing away at each other lips, they groped at one another lightly. (Knock, Knock) "OH, COME ON," Rarity screamed. She left the sofa, stomping her way over to the door before coming to her senses and taking many deep breaths. She looked through the hole again, seeing Double holding a bouquet of Begonias. She heaved before looking back at Spike. "Who is it this time?" he asked. "Double Diamond again. Usually, If people kept coming to my shop, I'd welcome the business they bring. But, not only is it my day off, they're ruining my time with you," she said, blushing. "Why don't we just...you know...leave," he said. A light bulb went off in her head. "That is a wonderful idea! I am closed today, after all. But where should we go? She asked him. "Easy. Friendship castle. Nobody's going to look for us there." he said excitedly. "Oh, Is my little Spikey eager to continue? She said, grabbing her bag and one of her signature red Bernet. "M-Maybe," he admitted. She handed him a jacket, much to the drake's confusion. "To hide your face deary. I figured from what you told me, you'd prefer it if people didn't give you the bedroom eyes and cat-call treatment," she said. He grinned and quickly put it on. She coupled with the drake's arm before taking her secret backdoor to the boutique. As they made their way to the Castle, Spike enjoyed openly locking arms with Rarity. They did catch a few glances from the townspeople, but they were mostly looking at her. After all, she was beautiful. When they finally arrived at the castle, Spike opened the door for her like the gentledrake she proclaimed him to be. She walked inside and hung her hat on a stand. However, the moment Spike took off the jacket, she pounced on him. She jumped into his arms and started kissing him on his neck. He managed to carry her over to one of the chairs in the living room. He sat down, Rarity now sitting in his lap. She moved up from his neck to his chin and finally his mouth, playfully biting at his bottom lip. Spike happily surrendered to her assault, letting out small winces of pleasure as she invaded. She did this for a few more moments before halting her assault. She took out her phone and started playing slow jazz music. "There we go. Just a little something to set the mood," she said. As she went in for round two, Spike stopped her. "What's wrong, Spikey? Did I hurt you or something? Maybe biting your lip was taking it a bit too far," she said, bringing her hand to her hip lips. "No, no. It's not that. I kind of liked it. It's just, I've dreamt of this for a long time, and as much as I would LOVE to continue this, I'm wondering if we're moving too fast," he said. Rarity thought for a moment before understanding where he was coming from. To her, she was playing her cards perfectly. But Spike's just now learning how to play. She had experience in the dating field, so she thought of how impactful this must be for him to swallow. "I just wanna know where you and I stand. Now that we know how we feel about each other and all," he said. "I see. Maybe, I have been jumping to the gun a tad too early. Your right. Maybe we should reframe from overdoing the physical contact with each other for the time being." She said. She was about to get up, but Spike grabbed her hand. "While I agree, maybe we could tone down only the kissing for now. I-I...I like holding you," he said, looking at the floor, blushing. She found it adorable and planted one last kiss on his lips before leaning into his chest. "Then perhaps we should wait to tell our friends, let alone announce our newfound connection to Equestria. Who knows how they'll react to it? " She said. Spike agreed. Many people would think she was using Spike, considering their history. Or that himself would be the subject of many an angered man for the lady's affection. They were very famous around Equestria for all their past actions, and as much as the masses loved them, they knew that they were someone out there to talk about they wouldn't care and slander them without a second thought. It would be the talk of the century. A 5'9 dragon going out with a 6'0 unicorn is already a name worth an article. But considering their history and status, they'd be hounded forever, especially by the media. He pushed the thoughts away and returned his attention to Rarity. "So, this means we're dating now, right?" he begged of her. "Of course we are. All be it in Secret. We'll tell them soon, but right now. I'd much rather enjoy you holding me," she said. The two sat together, reveling in each other's warmth. Everything was perfect until they heard the door open. "Ok, Deal. We can work out the details tonight. As soon as Spike gets home, we'll tell him- "Tell me what?" He said. Twilight and Starlight walked inside, wearing two of his jackets and holding many glass bottles. They glanced at Spike and Rarity sitting together in the living room, with Rarity sitting on Spike's lap as the TV played slow Jazz music. Rarity awkwardly smiled at them before waving. They did the same. "What did you wanna tell me...and why are you two wearing my jackets?" he asked.