A/N: Thanks everyone for reading thusfar, things are going to get a little more exciting in this chapter and continually so until, well, until the M rating makes sense.
In response to a review I received: Dear T-Virus Within, thank you for the detailed review! I do love reading them, and I am glad that you are enjoying the story and are enthralled with it, I plan to continue it until completion in the next few weeks, with updates every few days. So, I do believe I will suck that favourite out of you in due time. I also realize that people don't like to read long, detailed stories as much as shorter, easier ones. I've been on fanfic for years and I have found even I don't like to spend much time reading, it takes time away from my writing honestly lol. But I am glad that I do have some fanbase, and will never let them down! Please continue reading, hope to hear from you soon.
3. Barnstorm
It felt like an unusually romantic setting, I mean, who would have thought the inside of an old dirty work truck could be so charming? I couldn't really explain why, perhaps it was the mood lighting and the easy strumming of rain against the windows, the hum of the engine and the gentle shifting of gears between us. And here we were, two best friends alone together at last, and she still did not even know how strong I felt for her. But still, while we sat in aged, torn seats and navigated along mostly desolate roads, my heart raced quickly and pounded against my chest. It was like magic.
She pulled up to the parking spots in front of my apartment complex, to the visitors section. I had my own personal space under the building, but it was only large enough for my bike. Besides, the visitor's section was almost always empty, so there was plenty of space. She turned the key and the truck fell asleep, the headlights against the bushes in front of us which were already shattered by falling droplets of rain finally burnt out, and the only sound left was the jingling of keys. We looked over at each other quickly before opening the doors, and I'd like to think that it was an anxious and anticipatory connection that we had, as if she knew why I wanted her there. But I doubt it.
We rushed up into the breezeway, the rain chasing our heels on every step until we got under the cover of the overhang. It wasn't obviously the most prestigious building, but I liked it just the same and Applejack was never the kind to complain even if she didn't like it. My fingers fumbled the keys a few times as the cold took them again, but I managed to fit the right key between my fingers and click it into the door, pushing it open at last.
It was always warm in my home, I didn't have to pay for heating so the whole complex felt naturally comfortable. I didn't even flick the light on until Applejack and I had already removed our shoes, and even then I merely turned on the standing lamp by the door. I tossed my things beside the shoes in the foyer, not really caring if my wet uniform was dripping through yet. Applejack did the same, though gentler, and proceeded to stride into my living room and take a good look around.
"I see you've been keepin' it cleaner these days," She commented as she stepped quietly around in her socks, leaning over the kitchen island counter to get a look in there.
"Home sweet home," I muttered sarcastically as I locked the door behind us, though it gave me an itching deviant feeling to do so. "You hungry, A.J.?"
"Not if you're cookin'." Applejack grinned with cute little cheeky grin and I shoved her a bit as I walked past her and into the kitchen. "I remember when I had you over a couple summers ago, Granny got us helpin' bake the pastries and you just about set the oven on fire."
"Your oven mitt had a damn hole in it!" I argued as I opened the fridge and snorted, "I should be blaming you for giving me this burn on my thumb," I showed her the slight scar that still remained on the tip of my thumb, "Dropping the baking sheet and mitt were the least of my worries at the time! If you ask me setting that burn-hazard on fire was a blessing in disguise."
"Granny made us a brand new mitt after that," Applejack moved around the counter top island and came up beside me, eyeing me up, "Sh'even stitched it in all them colours of the spectrum, just like you."
"I don't care if it's bright pink, so long as it keeps your fingers safe." I muttered as I grabbed the wrapped dish from the second shelf, inspecting it to be certain it was still good. "You think this smells okay?"
"If y'have to ask, it don't." She replied as she pushed it away from her nose, where I had directed it. She stepped right into my personal bubble and leaned into the refrigerator, taking a quick scan of my grocery stock. Even with the cool air on my face I could feel the heat rising to my skin, having her so near as she was, "I see you ain't eatin' much better: eggs, meat, cheese," She checked the dates on my products and made a face, "Nearly expired milk, rottin' vegies. Shoot Rainbow, half your dishes are sittin' here in the fridge keepin' who-knows-what outta the garbage."
"Well excuse me," I growled at her criticism, checking the cupboards instead, "I wasn't exactly expecting company, all right? It's not like I usually have people over or anything."
"All right, all right, you go relax, will you?" She put her hands on me and pushed me somehow nicely out of my own kitchen, "I'll fix up somethin' edible."
"What do you— this is my house!" I complained as she leaned her hand against my wall, blocking my way back into the kitchen. She just looked at me with this serious and unamused expression, waiting for me to chill out.
"Exactly, as a favour for your hospitality, I'll whip us up somethin' real quick. Now quit your belly achin' and tell me where the flour is." Applejack raised her eyebrow. She really could be a no-excuses hard ass, so I finally grumbled and pointed to the pantry, where I hardly ever went. "Now get me your phone so I can call Big Mac, he's probably worried sick."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." I turned around and grabbed the cordless phone, passing it her way. I remembered then that I still had her as first on my speed dial, but I wasn't about to tell her that and sound pathetic or something.
"Hey, lookie who's still number one?" I tensed up as she figured it out on her own, flipping through the directory like she owned the thing. I didn't respond or anything, instead I just went to slip into some clean and comfortable clothes.
I tossed on a pair of loose shorts and a baggy tee shirt, and looked t myself in the mirror. Now, usually I wouldn't so much as glance at myself, much less stare. Because I mean come on, I always look awesome. But something about having Applejack right there in my kitchen made me hesitate. I look the tee shirt off again and rifled around some something a little more interesting. Trouble is, I didn't really have that many interesting clothes. But what I knew about Applejack was that she always wore shirts with a collar, so this made me think that she possibly had a thing for them. So, following that train of thought, I grabbed this short-sleeved, button-up shirt I had, pale blue in colour, and tossed it on. I mean, it didn't look bad or anything, but I did have to undo and do up the top few buttons a few times until I was happy with how much skin it showed. I came back into the living room area, which shared space with the kitchen and was only separated by that counter island in the middle and the switch between carpeted floors and linoleum.
"Quit your worryin' Granny and put Big Mac back on," Applejack said to the phone as she poured some kind of thick liquid into what looked like a cupcake pan, "Howdy Mac. Yeah I ain't comin' home tonight, I was tryna tell Granny but she can't hear too well, she just kept yammerin' about the storm like she wasn't even listenin'," She put the pan into the oven and closed it up, leaning against the counter as I pulled up a bar stool to the island. I didn't have a proper dining room table since I was always just me having meals, so this was where I sat to eat, "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm with Rainbow Dash. Yeah. Mhmm, just the two of us. Of course, what kind of question is that? We're in her apartment, where the hay else would we be?"
"My bed," I muttered with a chuckle, finding it more than just funny. Applejack looked at me oddly when I said it but her smile told me she didn't take the comment seriously.
"No, no she was just—wait, what are you— Big Mac!" Applejack's face went bright red about something her brother had said, and I wondered if he might have heard my remark. Applejack hurriedly turned around to hide her embarrassment and went back to chatting on the phone, "Listen, storms blowin' hard out here, I didn't wanna risk the drive. That bad, huh? Don't worry, we'll be stayin' in all night. What was that? Hey, Mac? Big Mac, you there? Hello?" She pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at it with an irritated expression, "Darn, the line must'a went down out there."
"At least you got through before that happened." I murmured dryly as I rubbed at my shoulder, still a little stiff after running around in the cold like that. I looked up at her again, "What are you making?"
"In spite'a your poorly stocked kitchen, I'm scroungin' up some skillet cooked steak and Yorshire puddin'." She said as she grabbed the hand of a frying pan and moved around what looked like cooking oil on the bottom with the motion of her wrist.
"What the hell is Yorshire Pudding? Is that a dessert?" I asked with an exaggerated tone, going for confused or disgusted, whatever bothered her more.
"Naw, it's kinda like a bun. I'd usually make some baked potatoes as a side, but you ain't got any, and for that matter you ain't got many ingredients at all. Yorkshire puddin' is made of milk, flour and eggs, ain't nothin' simpler." She explained as she opened up the fridge again and frowned at the contents, leaning her free hand onto her hip. "Where're your trash bags?"
"Under the sink, what do you need them for?" I inquired as I sat up and leaned over the counter island to get a good look at her as she bent down and peeked in the designated location. She didn't reply, but grabbed one of the black bags and shook it until it opened, and then turned back to my fridge. My eyes went wide as she began grabbing almost anything in sight and scraping it into the trash.
"What do you think you're doing?!" I shouted as I watched it happen, all my half-eaten dinners that had clearly been sitting around for too long were tossed right out. I saw her grab an old piece of stale cheesecake and chuck it just the same. "Hey, I was saving that!"
"For when you're lookin' to come down sick and skip a Math test?" Applejack smiled a bit as she looked over at my grouchy expression, her hands kept on moving though, "Trust me Rainbow, I'm doin' you a favour."
"If you say so." I frowned deeper as I watched the bag fill up, just now realizing how much mouldy and gross food I had left sitting in there.
Having Applejack in my house served to remind me just how lonesome it was to live there all alone. Maybe she wasn't the only reason I put all my time and effort into sports and activities. I leaned on my elbow as I watched her move around my kitchen like it was her own, nagging and criticizing me the whole time. It was annoying, but damn, it was also cute. I really did miss hanging around with her, I mean we never really went our separate ways or anything, and we saw each other almost every single day, but this was different. Chatting in the halls and joking around was not like this, this was much more personal. Being alone with Applejack? I could do that forever, even if she was just scolding me.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised by the meal she laid out in front of me, a still-sizzling, juicy steak and this oddball bun-type thing, as well as some steamed vegetables she managed to find somehow. At first I had been a little brat about it, complaining about how healthy and balanced it looked, but I dare say it was the most delicious meal I ate since the time I had thanksgiving at the Apple residence a few years ago. It made it all the more sweet to know that Applejack had cooked it just for me. She usually seemed like such a stiff about traditional dinners, since that's how her Granny raised her, but when she sat across from me on the counter island she had me in stitches. She played around with her food and cracked jokes like she didn't care who was listening, and she was lucky it was only me because I knew her Granny would have smacked her upside the head if she knew. Still, my eyes shimmered as I looked at the girl of my dreams, sitting in my apartment, eating dinner alone with me.
But the best was yet to come. I had been thinking about it since I first invited her into my home, and I was bouncing my leg up and down just anticipating it. I mean, we had to go to sleep, right? How could I resist offering her my bed, and just imagining her laying in my room, asleep under my covers, well, it had me beaming. Applejack cleaned up after dinner before going over to the living room window and checking on the storm again. It had hardly let up, the lightning had made its way over to us by now and the thunder was only partially masked by our conversation: which of course, I directed to the subject I had on my mind.
"I guess it was a good idea to have you stay over," I remarked as a flash or two of lightning flickered over the hills a few miles away. Applejack agreed with a nod, but I wasn't finished, "You want something to sleep in? I don't think jeans would be too comfortable."
"Actually, that'd be mighty kind of you," Applejack smiled as she closed the blinds up, following my gesture towards my bedroom. "So long as I ain't imposin'."
"Nonsense," I shrugged her worries off as I pushed my bedroom door open and let her go in first, getting a good look at how she stood out in my room. I closed the door a bit as I came in after her and went to my closet, rummaging around a bit, "Here, I have just the thing."
I did have a few good items that would suit her just fine: some loose sweat pants, a few pairs of shorts, some old tee shirts, big sweaters, lots of stuff in fact. But what I chose tickled my fancy just right, a form-fitting tee shirt and a pair of flattering plaid pyjama bottoms. She hesitated a bit as she looked at them, but not wanting to be choosy she graciously accepted them.
"I'll go set up the couch, go ahead and get changed." I passed her and went back through the door towards the linen closet.
I didn't even care that I would probably be waking up with a sore back, it was worth it. I grabbed an extra blanket I had laying around for when I cuddled up on the couch to watch those sappy movies Rarity had mentioned and found a spare pillow. The couch was rather small, just a loveseat, but it was big enough for me. I pushed some of the clutter off of my would-be bed and frowned at it. It sure didn't look very inviting. I bit my lip as another idea came into my head, but I was reluctant to give it a second thought at first. Sure, it sounded awesome and all, but Applejack would never go for it. Besides, we were too old for that to be innocent and acceptable. Still, as I saw her emerge from my bedroom in my very own clothes, I was just begging she would agree to let me slip into bed alongside her. Seeing her in my clothes gave me this overwhelming sense of ownership or intimacy, like she was all mine.
"What are you doing? Go back into the bedroom." I shooed her off, knowing it would spark that selfless nature of hers just the way I wanted. She frowned and leaned against the wall by the hallway to the bedroom.
"I ain't puttin' you out of a bed, Rainbow. Simple as that." Applejack argued grouchily, waiting for me to move out of the way so that she could get to the couch. She even turned off the light so the only source came from the bedroom, telling me the argument was over. I decided to go ahead and tease her, hoping to push her buttons just the right way.
"An' I ain't makin' my guest sleep on the couch," I mocked her endearing little accent, which seemed to tick her off a bit. I moved out of the way, but her own irritated expression kept her pinned against the wall with her arms crossed.
"You makin' fun'a me?" Applejack asked slowly, raising one eyebrow as she watched me walk around her. Her body reacted directly to mine, and she turned to continue facing me as I moved between her and the bedroom, luring her after me.
"What if I am?" I asked, leaning closer and touching her chin with my index finger. I knew that she hated to be mocked, and my aggressive touching was sure to push her over the edge.
"Then you'd best get runnin'," A wicked grin spread across her face as she followed me step for step, when we suddenly both broke into a sprint and ran into my bedroom.
I made it to the room first of course, but she was hardly a beat behind me. I touched the wall as I entered the room, but before I could move away she locker her arm around my neck, getting me in a forceful headlock. The struggle forced me to hit the lights off, though I was already planning on it. She laughed a bit as I struggled against her iron grip, only managing to shake her off once I reached back and started pinching at her sides. They were still her most ticklish spot, and she immediately fell apart and began begging me to stop. I tackled her onto my bed and continued incessantly, ignoring her guffawing and fractured callings of my name throughout the tussle. She reached up and grabbed my hands, pushing at me until she managed to hold me away from her.
I could see her grin beneath me even in such a dim light as the twinkling stars beyond my window and the gentle flashing of lightning. She moved abruptly and knocked me off of her, flipping me onto my back and countering my avid protests. I felt her legs intertwining with my own and pushing harder against me in just the right places, and found it difficult to force laughter when I really felt like moaning in pleasure. Our bodies wove around each other in the darkness time and time again in difficult and trying positions, until I could feel my strength giving way. She was on top of me again by now, and her hands held mine so firmly her fingers aligned with my own. I felt the heat between us as she pressed closer and our laboured breathing filled the slivering gap between us. Our laughter began to fade just to heavy breathing and light struggles, and I wanted to scream at how aroused I was by it all.
We were always very physical, Applejack and myself. Ever since we were kids, you could never keep us off each other. And now seemed to be no different, even though it could be construed as something less innocent than simple wrestling, and had the potential to become quite awkward since our bodies had, well, matured in places. If Applejack even knew or cared that I was attracted to her, perhaps she would not have let me touch her the way I did, but it didn't seem to bother her. I knew that plenty of people in school thought that I was a lesbian, though every time I thought about it I realized the word made me feel odd to say. But Applejack either didn't notice what anyone else said or didn't hold it against me. Not the way she held her body against me, anyway.
I swallowed hard as I played with the idea of continuing our confrontation in a more telling manner, but still my conscience and fear dominated my actions the same way she did. By now my eyes had adjusted to the darkness and I could see her hovering above me, our eyes locked together and our bodies perfect reflections of each other, and a physical reflection of my own secret desires. I noticed the way her eyes widened a bit as she got a better grip on the situation, and simultaneously her grip over me loosened. She pulled away slowly as she adjusted her hips against mine so it did not feel quite so sensual. Finally, she released me at once and gingerly rolled onto the bed beside me, laying on her back the way I was. We caught our breaths gradually as the thunder rolled through the room, and I felt her shift again.
"Why don't we hang out much any more, Rainbow?" Applejack's quizzical voice broke the silence as she looked over at me, that same honest gaze that had me reeling, "You're my best friend, and I feel like I ain't never get to see you."
"I guess we've just been busy," I came up with a reasonable response, though I paused for our heart beats to relax a bit more before finishing my statement, "You with the farm, me with my athletics."
"Yeah," Her voice sounded disappointed. By then we had calmed down and merely laid close beside each other, our bodies still so near as to feel the emanating heat and some light touches. I could tell she swallowed something of her pride and went on, watching my reaction closely, "I guess I just," She turned to face me, her hands curling up in front of her as she inched just a little bit closer. I could feel her nervousness, the hesitance in her confession, "I just miss you, is all."
"Well," I was glad to hear it, to be honest. But instead of being the way I usually was and poking fun at her about it to show my dominance, I responded by turning to face her too. Our hands almost touched between us, and our faces were maybe an inch apart, a space witch I gently nudged smaller, "I'm right here."
She didn't shy away like I thought she would, instead, she held my gaze no matter how uncomfortable it might have been for her. Our breathing was rhythmic and easy, and as I anxiously eased closer, I almost felt her doing the same. Her legs moved against mine until they were comfortable leaning against each other, but still we simply looked at each other as if trying to get an accurate reading. She looked a lot more afraid than I was, like she was uncertain how to react. It was now so dark with the lightning striking farther and farther apart, that the evening provided a blameless, guiltless veil over the two of us.
I was dying to touch her more, to entwine with her and fall asleep in her embrace, but she would not understand. I could not ask her to, either. Still, we cared not how much time passed between us and I began to ponder throwing caution to the wind. Her lips seemed so enticing, and I could even notice the faint shining of their moisture under the dim lights. Our eyes remained locked in the same struggle our bodies had just fought as the space between us waned and I felt myself focused on exactly where my body was in relation to hers.
It seemed so innocent at first, two friends simply lying near to one another. But the darker it grew and the steadier the rain fell against the window, the more I was pulled to do it. I felt an electricity as our mouths came together, but somehow I could not even classify it as a kiss. It was a simple brushing of the lips, a sweet and tender caressing, a contact so gentle and tame it seemed like any other touch we had shared. But still, she pulled back suddenly as it happened, and I didn't dare speak a word about it aloud. It was far too humiliating to comment upon, any fragment of potential rejection squeezing at my heart and choking it.
In unison, we both turned suddenly away from each other, leaving only our backs to face each other. I felt myself freaking out, and put both my hands to my lips to feel them still tingling and humming with excitement. I forced the concupiscence away, finding it in my best interest to ignore the feelings that arose. I slammed my eyes shut, just pleading that she would not want to talk about what just happened.
"Uh, g'night, Rainbow." Was her reticent response, stifled by what sounded like the fabric of her pillow. She must have been too horrified to speak a word of it either, and instead pretended it never even happened, or pretended not to notice or care. Accepting the unspoken consent of ignorance and denial, I agreed to the conditions verbally.
"Yeah, night." I shakily spoke, trying to hide my discouraged whimper.
It was utterly terrifying to wonder what she must have thought of me, and I could not help but revel in the events of what just transpired. It was exactly how I thought it would be, Applejack's lips just as soft and succulent as in my dreams. I bit at my own lips as the moments carried on once more, and hoped she would drift off to sleep and forget about it or something so I would not have to deal with the consequences. Time seemed to flutter by now until I was certain the awkward moment had passed on, and I could not help but let my unstoppable thoughts sneak back to her image. Was it so awful that I really, really just wanted to do it again? By now she must have been asleep, so if I were so bold or vulgar I could even have reached down and touched myself for the desired release. But I was not that desperate or disgusting, especially not while she lay mere inches away from me.
I closed my eyes and smiled, feeling the heat rush to my face just imagining wrapping my arms around her, nestling into the crook of her neck and smelling the sweet aroma of her smooth and speckled skin. My body tingled again as I imagined how it might feel if Applejack was the one who wrapped her arms around me, and my smile spread into this perverse grin to think of her wandering hands on my body. Her hands would feel so right as they slid around me, one would wrap under me and secure around my lower stomach, and the other would— wait a minute, that felt oddly real. Wait, wait, wait, I definitely felt her moving against me, I wasn't imagining it! It was actually happening! Her other arm gently ran over my body before moving under my arm and pressing between my—um, well, it crossed over to my opposite shoulder. I blushed deeply as her hot body pressed against my back, I could even feel the supple rounds of her breasts! Oh, God it was too much!
"Y'know I wasn't just blowin' smoke," Her voice was somehow guilty, as if this was some apology for earlier. It didn't feel awkward any more, the tension seemed to simply lift. She nuzzled against me, her voice playing against my skin like a wind instrument, though it was innocent and sounded simply platonic, "I really did miss you."
"I never actually left, Applejack." I reminded her coolly as I touched her arms which folded around me, returning something of an embrace.
"Sure felt like it." She huffed a laugh and I could even feel it on my body, the same way I felt her heart speed up against my back with every word she spoke, "I remember when we were kids, Big Mac had to pull us off of each other before we got hurt, we'd wrestle or compete or fight about everything. But now?" Her grip tightened, and her voice dropped into a husky hush, "It even kinda feels weird just to hug you."
"We never were much for hugs." I explained as I shuffled my legs around until they were comfortable with hers. Still, though my own lust was overwhelming, I could not help but think her actions were just friendly and kind. And that drove me mad.
"Yeah, we were always too rough or cool for stuff like that." Applejack admitted with what felt like a smile as her voice dipped into something like a whisper. She let me go then, and the coldness left behind as her body moved away from mine was freezing and paralyzing.
"You're probably right." I agreed as I let her slip away, taking the easy way out as usual.
I mean sure, I could have grabbed her and told her exactly how I felt, about how that fraction of a kiss had meant the whole world to me, about how keeping away from her was the only means to ensure I did not ravish her with every ounce of will I had. She did not need to know any of that though, it would be cruel of me to tell her. Rarity had reminded me of that: the fact that not all women would even consider engaging in relations with another female... well, sober anyway. How could I even think of putting that kind of pressure on Applejack, my Applejack? I would let these feelings tear me up inside before I would do something like that to my best friend, or at least, I would try. The closer she came to me, the harder it seemed to be to bottle myself back up again. And sooner than I wished, it seemed I was just itching to let it all spill out.