Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle peered quietly through the door to their living room, their eyes fixed on the couch and the two figures occupying it, wrapped up in a blanket one atop the other, completely oblivious to the world and sleeping peacefully.
"I don't think I've seen anything so sweet since you two told us you were courting," whispered Twilight. She tilted her head, leaning gently against Rainbow's neck.
"That wasn't sweet."
"Sure it wasn't."
Rainbow rolled her eyes and snorted, but she let herself lean back against Twilight all the same. It was comfortable. A thought struck her and then shuffled down her spine to her wings a moment later, sending a thrilled shiver right out to her primaries. "Hey. You think they did it?"
"I really don't know. Lero never expressed an interest in males before..." Twilight leaned forward, her eyes narrowing as she tapped her chin. If she noticed Rainbow's wing folding across her back she didn't comment on it.
"He's kinda like me," the pegasus said, keeping her voice low to avoid waking the pair. She didn't like saying anything so negative about Lero, but— "Bent. I guess. He's only into mares."
"That wasn't the impression you gave me last night, Dash." Twilight nuzzled at her friend's neck, letting her breath flow out over a sensitive spot just under Rainbow's jaw.
"Twi, I love you because you're you. You're my friend, not some random mare who walked in off the street. It was, what did you call it? Demo... something?"
"Demisexual," Twilight supplied. "Attraction to a single individual rather than a class or group."
"Yeah. That thing. Hey maybe he's like that too! They hang out all the time these days anyway, right?"
"It's possible," Twilight mused. She was up and walking before Rainbow Dash could react, with her head tilted to one side and her eyes fixed on their two mates. Lero lay on his side, one leg draped to the floor and his head resting on the arm of the couch, the other draped over the barrel of a young stallion. Caramel. A relative of Applejack's, though as far as Twilight could tell most of the ponies in Ponyville were related to the Apple family one way or another.
For his part Caramel was sprawled against Lero, almost on his back, with his head lolling against Lero's chest and his forelegs curled neatly over the human's arm. The sight was spoiled somewhat by the way his tongue lolled out of his mouth. Or perhaps, Twilight thought, it was improved; they looked so cute together.
"I don't think they did," she said finally. Her voice was barely a whisper now, just loud enough for Rainbow to hear if she kept her head lose to Twilight, which might have been part of the plan. "He's still wearing his shorts."
"Oh. Yeah." Rainbow couldn't quite hide the disappointment in her face despite her valiant attempt.
"At least he's comfortable enough to do that much," Twilight continued, a slight grin playing across her features. She sat on her haunches and tugged Rainbow close with her magic, as much as anything to give herself something to lean on as she watched her lover and his new best friend.
After a silent moment Lero's eye cracked open. "Take a picture," he said. "It'll last longer."
"Lyra's fetching her camera right now in fact," Twilight replied with a laugh. She pushed forward against Lero's hand just before the human raised it to rub at his face. HIs fingers pressed against his eyelids, working to rub the sleep out of them.
"How long was I out?"
"Couple of hours."
"Really? Good thing I had the day off." He shifted his body a fraction while his hands twirled idly through the hair on Caramel's chest. The stallion took a deep breath and murmured incomprehensible nonsense, his body relaxing deeper into sleep. Moments later a quiet chuckle escaped Lero's mouth as he realised what he was doing. "This place just sends me crazier and crazier..."
"Are you two..." Twilight waved her hoof uncertainly at the pair. "I mean, Caramel's been over here quite a lot recently and you two seem pretty close. I don't want there to be any misunderstandings."
"You know me, always trying to fit in," replied Lero. He smiled. "He knows I'm... 'bent' as you put it, but I think he mostly sees me as a way to get to you, Twi."
He waved a finger in Twilight's face. The unicorn's eyes widened, flickering between the finger, Lero's face and Caramel's sleeping form. A blush crept onto her cheeks and she quickly looked away. "I never thought of that."
"Your choice I guess." Lero reached out to tweak at Twilight's ear, still smiling. There was a hint of melancholy in the expression though; more than a hint. Even Twilight could see it. Despite that she leaned into his touch and closed her eyes.
"Lero, if you're not comfortable..."
"Oh I'm very comfortable." Lero patted Caramel's barrel. "Like having a big electric blanket."
"What's an electric– you know what," said Twilight, eyeing the little smile on Lero's face and listening to Rainbow Dash sniggering. "Never mind."