//------------------------------// // 6: Saturday // Story: Subconscious Attraction // by little big pony //------------------------------// “Oh my stars what a day!” The front door to the Carousel Boutique was thrown open. In the dark, empty, silent house the telltale sounds of magic could be heard. There was a click, and the once dark room lit up. The living room was a good deal more crowded than it had been the day before. Boxes were littered everywhere, each of them filled to the brim with everything from clothes to books to action figures. Some items didn’t even have the luxury of being placed in boxes, instead being housed in thick brown paper bags. In a few days all of it would to sorted and put away, but for now it just sat there, a testament to all of the hard work that had happened that day. Rarity, with a slow meandering pace, made her way into her home. Her eyes were half-lidded and there were a few hairs out of place in her mane. The unicorn had been running around since early morning getting James moved in. Boxes had been moved, a new bed had been ordered, ponies had been made aware as to what was going on, and all of this showed with each slow, tired step that she took. James, with both arms laden with bags and knickknacks, was next to enter the house. His shirt was soaked in sweat, his back hurt as did his arms and his dogs were barking up a storm. His eyes, partially covered by sweat soaked hair, held the gaze of a man that had walked through the Underworld and back. If Rarity had had a long day his was an even longer one. Most of the heavy lifting in his move had been done by him and he could feel the price of refusing his marefriend’s help. He was tired, incredibly so, but, oddly enough, though he was aching in places that he didn’t even know could ache, he was still smiling. “It’s going to be a long couple of days,” he told Rarity as he walked into the living room and set the bags down. Grunting, he stretched, wincing as his spine popped, before sitting down on unicorn’s diva. “We still gotta get all of this stuff put away.” Blowing a bit of her mane out of her face, the fashionista walked over and hopped onto the diva with him. With a tired whine she put her head in his lap. “And not only that but we must find somepony to purchase your house.” Her whine turned into a happy groan as James began running his fingers through her mane. While any other time she might have chastised him for ruining the hours of work that it took to get her mane in presentable condition with those fingers of his if she wasn’t tired. And besides, feeling his digits scratching her scalp was just what she needed after a long, hard day like today. “Well, at least Rockington likes her new digs,” James casually remarked as she nuzzled her cheek against his thigh. Opening an eye, she looked over to her coffee table. There, sitting on a small royal purple pillow, was a rock about the size of James’s fist. Opal was pawing at the thing with a flabbergasted look, as if she didn’t know what to make of it. “It seems like Opal is taking a liking to her,” Rarity mused, taking a moment to appreciate just how ludicrous her statement was. Humming, James let his hands wander from her scalp to her neck. The tips of his fingers began digging into the stiff muscles there, making her groan aloud. “Holy cow are you tense,” he muttered as she wiggled into his lap. The unicorn’s groan turned into a mewl as he applied a little more pressure, kneading the tense flesh like a baker kneading dough. Rarity’s eyelids fluttered as he reached a particularly stiff spot. “Oh that is indeed wonderful~” she muttered, her tail flicking back and forth happily. “You are indeed a treasure, my dear.” “Well, hopefully I’m the cool kind of treasure like a magic sword or doubloons,” James told his marefriend, kneading her withers. Rarity bite her lip as she felt his thumbs rubbing circles along her back. His touch was firm, loving, and with each poke and knead she found it harder and harder to keep her eyes open. Though she would have liked nothing more than to just lie here in her coltfriend’s lap until she fell asleep under his tender care she nevertheless reached up and grabbed his hands. “While I know that you cannot keep your hands of me you ruffian I must insist that you contain yourself,” she teased with a smile, giving the back of his hand a kiss. “It has gotten late and as you said we have another big day ahead of ourselves.” Not wanting his other hand to feel left out, she leaned over and planted a sweet kiss on that hand as well. “So I think it is time for the two of us to make our way to the bedroom to get our rest.” As the fashionista pressed her lips against his other hand with a loud “mwah”, James’s turned an interesting shade of red. He could feel a tingle in his hands from where the unicorn had put her lips. That tingle worked its way up to his chest, making his heart beat a little faster as Rarity let out a sleepy hum. He could feel his marefriend’s warmth as she laid on top of him, he could smell that scent of vanilla that he had become so fond of. His fingers twitched as he imagined grabbing her and gently setting her in his lap. He’d wrap his arms around her as she giggled, pressing her back against his chest. Though the diva wasn’t especially large the two of them would manage to fit on it together as they laid down. Rarity would roll over, a blush on her snow white cheeks, and she’d press her forehead against his. He could feel a yearning the likes of which he had never felt before as he imagined himself looking into her eyes as the two of them drifted off to sleep. But even with that image in his mind, and even with the realization that he had it in his power to make such a thing come true, he gave his head a light shake, pulling his hands away from her hooves. “Alright then, if my lady wishest to slumber in the comfort of her own chambers then I shall see to it that she does.” Wrapping his arm around her, he picked up her. “Come, let us be off to dreamland.” A delighted giggle escaped Rarity’s lips as he pressed her body against him. “As you wish, my prince,” she said, wrapping her hooves around his neck and placing her head on his shoulder. It was a quick trip up the stairs and into the bedroom. Not bothering to turn on the lights, James walked over and set Rarity onto the bed. The unicorn, with another pleased giggle, wiggled under the covers as he kicked his shoes off. His shirt was next to go, then his socks. Yawning, he lifted his arms up high, grunting as he felt more bones popping. “Whoo, what a day,” he muttered as the day’s activities finally began to finally take their toll. “What a day.” He turned around to look at his marefriend. The unicorn had just her head poking out from the covers expectantly. “Come along dear,” she said, patting the space beside her. For a moment James was speechless. The pale light of the moon shined through the window, illuminating everything in the room. Rarity, his marefriend, the pony with whom the fates seemed to have dropped into his lap, seemed to be glowing in this soft, gentle light. In it he could see her perfect smile, he could see the warmth in her eyes and the way that she oh so delicately held onto the edges of the covers. He could see the outlines of her body underneath the thin covers as well as the way that her mane, now messy and out of place because of him, hid part of her face. He opened his mouth to say something, maybe make her giggle with a joke or a quip, but his mouth wouldn’t work. She was beautiful; stunningly, jaw-droppingly beautiful. And she was all his. A tint of pink flashed across the fashionista’s features as he stood there dumbstruck. “Come along, darling,” she cooed, pulling down the covers a bit. “It’s rude to keep a lady waiting.” Her horn glowed, and with a gentle tug of her magic she began to pull James toward her. She sat up as he got closer, wrapping her hooves around his neck. With her blue eyes shining, she tugged him toward the nape of her neck. James let out a sigh as his face was buried into her soft, supple fur. In the quiet stillness of the room he could hear her heartbeat. From above he could hear her breathlessly giggling. With another firm tug, and a smile on her face, Rarity pulled him onto the bed with her. James, not removing his face from its coveted spot, wrapped his arms around her barrel as, with another spell, the covers were thrown on top of him. “There we go,” the fashionista murmured, rubbing the top of his head with her cheek. “Right where you belong.” She could feel James’s hot breath wash over her neck as he sighed. She could feel the tips of his fingers grazing the small of his back. No doubt soon they’d make their way upward toward her withers and her neck. When that happened Rarity was sure she’d find herself in her favorite position: with her chin resting on his shoulder and her horn pressed against his cheek, safe and warm and enveloped by her big teddy bear of a coltfriend. But before that happened, before they fell asleep in each other’s arms, she needed to do something. “James? Could you be a dear and look up at me for a moment?” she asked, running a hoof through his hair. “Please?” Her smile widened when he looked up at her. “Whatcha need, Rar—” The fashionista leaned down. “Mwah.” James twitched as her lips came in contact with his cheek. As she pulled away her smile turned mischievous. She could already see him reddening. If she played her cards right she make could him so flustered he’d be a blushing, shimmering mess. “Good night, my dear,” she cooed, leaning down to nuzzle his nose. As she did that though something flashed across James’s face. The yearning that he had felt sitting on that diva twisted in his stomach. His eyes were drawn to Rarity’s slightly parted lips. He found himself leaning up, driven by some otherworldly force. His lips puckered and, placing a hand on the back of her head, he pressed his lips against hers. His eyes closed as their lips connected, shivering in delight as sparks shot up and down his body. Rarity let out a girlish squeak into his mouth, her eyes wide in surprise. For a second he thought that she was going to pull again, but to his surprise, she didn’t budge. Taking that as a sign to continue he deepened the kiss, relishing his marefriend’s softness, her warmth, her smell, the way that her lips tasted as she began to kiss him back. While he was no stranger to kissing, this kiss felt different. It was like he was a little kid again and the girl he liked had agreed to give him a smooch for his grape Jolly Ranchers. His thoughts were running a mile a minute, he felt himself getting sweatier by the second, he felt so anxious that he wanted to crawl under the bed but he also felt so excited and happy that he wanted the kiss to last forever. He felt like a piece of him that he hadn’t known was missing just settled into place and there were no words to describe how happy that that made him. When he could take no more he pulled away with a gasp. Lightheaded and so red in the face that he could probably been seen from space, he looked up at Rarity. The unicorn was just as red as he was and was breathing like she had just ran a marathon. “Oh… oh you rapscallion. Having your way with a lady like that!” she said, touching a hoof to her heaving chest as she tried to catch her breath. “The audacity! The impertinence! The… the…” Before he could open his mouth to say anything she darted down, pressing her lips against his with a vigor that he had never before seen in the elegant unicorn. James’s eyes fluttered closed as the sensations came rushing back in full force. In the back of his mind he was desperately trying to think of a joke but soon all thought was turned into mush with each ecstatic, joyful, hungry kiss. He didn’t know how long the two of them laid there, nuzzling and kissing and holding each other, but when he finally came to all he could see was his marefriend’s eyes. Rarity had her forehead pressed up against his, and she was giving him a look that made his heart ache in the best way possible. Looking down he noticed that one of his hands was wrapped around her hoof. He had it pressed up against his chest, his thumb tracing the delicate frog. “If our fates were not intertwined I would be very sore with you,” the fashionista said, looking down at him with mock indignation. “The two of us have not even begun to date and you’re stealing kisses as if you were entitled to them!” James chuckled, nuzzling closer to her. “Better to be entitled than untitled, Rare-bear.” Rarity’s mouth twitched, and a smile once again came to her face unabated. The two just looked at each other for a long moment, their eyes shining. “Good night, darling.” James could feel her free hoof wrapping around his shoulder, the fur on her leg tickling his bare back. “Good night, Rarity.” Rarity hummed as she felt his arm wrap around her barrel, making sure that she wouldn’t get away from him. James gave her hoof a squeeze and, without a second thought, she squeezed back. “I’ll see you in the morning.” “Promise?” For a moment, Rarity seemed to glow as she stared at him hopefully, wistfully. Their lips connected as the two shared one last kiss. “Promise. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”