He pushes the door open, taking in a deep breath of the cold night air. The steam from his cup of warm cider swirls around, mixing with the puffs of white he exhales. The snow crunches underfoot as he walks down the three steps. He considers trying to clear a place to sit, but decides against it. He won't be outside long, just enough to cool down.
Light glows from the window to his right, showing Sugar Cube Corner's party room full. Pinkie has pulled out all the stops for the New Year party, and nearly half the town has shown up. In the darkness of the window to the left, he can clearly see his reflection. His green hair cut just long enough so that he has to brush it in the mornings, his green eyes shining brightly from the artificial light. He runs his dark hand through his hair, trying to get it back to some semblance of decent. At least, not sticking up everywhere. After all, he needs to look good for his plan to work.
Not that he has managed to talk to her. He had told his adoptive sister he would do it tonight. He is going to tell her. He is going to confess everything to her. They will kiss at midnight. It will be the perfect way to bring in the New Year. He just needs the chance to talk to her, away from everyone else.
He shivers. Just as he reaches for the doorknob, it turns and swings open. He jumps back, about to tell the person to watch what they are doing, but closes his mouth when he sees who it was. "Oh, Spike, I'm terribly sorry dear." Rarity smiles at him. "Mind some company? It's so warm in there; I had to step out for a moment."
"Yeah, me too," he says, all thoughts of going back to the party gone. He lets his eyes wonder over her. Her deep purple hair curled into perfect spirals. Her eyes as blue as a pool of water, and a smile that can make any day better. Her cheeks are flushed, though the heat is already beginning to fade.
Now is his chance. She is right in front of him. He can reach out and touch her, run his hand down her cheek. It is the perfect time. All he has to do is say it. He knows what to say, he knows how to say it, and he knows it will work. It has to work.
"Do I have something on my face?" Rarity asks.
Spike blinks. "Wha¬—No, no. You look beautiful."
She smiles again. "Thank you."
They stand in silence for a moment, his brain working furiously to find a way to bring up what he has been trying to tell her the entire evening. He looks over at her to see her studying him, her brow furrowed, her lip between her teeth. "I've always adored the New Year. It’s a fresh start on everything. It's the perfect time to change, as well. Fashion changes as spring lines are revealed. The date changes." She looks from him to the lit window, a small smile on her face. "Relationships change."
Spike's pulse speeds up. This is the perfect moment. They are alone, standing in a snow-covered street while stars shined above. He opens his mouth, ready to let it all come out.
Then someone knocks on the window. Spike looks over to see Pinkie pointing at a camera, then gesturing to Rarity. With a small giggle, Rarity shakes her head. "It seems I'm needed inside."
He watches her go inside and close the door behind her. He could have asked her to wait. He could have said something. Anything. He could have grabbed her hand and laid his feelings out right there.
But the moment had been broken. The tap on the window had ruined what build up there had been. Sighing, he walks back inside. Rarity is already lost in the crowd, but he isn't sure he could face her again after he had failed. Even if she didn't know he had failed.
He nearly drops the cider when someone bumps into him. "Oh, sorry 'bout that, Spike. Didn't see ya there."
"It's fine, 'Bloom," he says, waving off the apology.
A girl with magenta colored hair pops up, right beside Apple Bloom."Aww, Spike, what's got you down in the dumps?"
"If you ask me, he's wuvsick." A girl with two toned purple and pink hair says, bumping his elbow. "Haven't you talked to my sister yet?"
The girls giggle as he glances around, making sure no one heard. "Guys, come on. I told you three, but that doesn't mean I want all of town to know."
"Or Rarity, by the way you're taking this. Come on dude, you only have an hour. Go make your move!" Scootaloo says. "You'll never get her by talking to her little sister."
"I don't think I'm supposed to like people putting moves on my sister, so you better make it fast." The girls push him away, giggling again.
Spike shakes his head. The three Crusaders, as they still call themselves, would always be some of his best friends, but they would never get awards in subtly. He still remembers the 'love poison' they had given Apple Bloom's brother and their teacher when they had all been kids. That is also the reason he declines any and every offer to help him.
Still, one hour doesn't give him a lot of time to work with. He needs to find a way to speak to her privately again, but she is surrounded by her friends. He sits on a couch, putting the now cold apple cider on the table. All he needs to do is walk up to her and ask to talk to her. Twilight won't question it, of course. He has already told his adoptive sister everything. Dash might tease him, Pinkie will giggle, AJ will just give him a knowing look, and Fluttershy will probably just look away.
He has known these girls since he was a little kid. There is nothing to worry about. No reason for his stomach to churn at the mere thought of actually going through with it. No need for the palms of his hands to be sweaty. There is no reason at all for him to be nervous.
Except he doesn't know what her reaction will be. When he was younger, she had thought it was a simple crush. As he grew up, he became better at hiding it. He dated other girls. He pointed out the ones he did and didn't like to her, when she would invite him out.
But high school is over. He is older now, if only by two years, and she is too, even if it is a few more. So it is his time to do something about this little crush that has developed into so much more. It isn't like he doesn't talk to her all the time. He knows everything about her. Her favorite color (purple), her favorite flower (sunflower), her favorite book (Black and White), even her preferred shampoo (Manifque, imported from Paris). He can spend hours talking to her, or just sitting is silence. But her feelings for him are still a mystery. He knows she likes him well enough, but is it more than friendship, or is that all she sees him as?
He's so lost in thought; he doesn't realize someone has sat beside him until they grab his arm. He jumps slightly, and looks over to see Diamond Tiara. He pulls his arm away, scooting closer to the edge of the seat.
"Hey, Spike," she says, a grin on her face. He doesn't understand it, but since they have graduated, she has been very interested in him. He told the Crusaders, and they normally stood between him and her, but tonight is too busy for them to focus on something like that. Diamond is a very pretty girl, but her attitude toward his friends and family leaves quite a lot wanting. "Got a kiss for the new year?" she asks in the flirty voice she saves for him.
Spike swallows. "Look, we've been through this. I don't like you. Leave me alone."
"Oh, come on." She reaches up and runs a hand through his hair. "Everyone likes me. Just give up the fight. Give up on those weirdo's and—"
"Those weirdo's are my friends. Don't ever talk about them badly again." He pushes her away. "Act like a lady, try to be nicer, and goodness sake, decorum is a girl's best friend. Got it?"
She giggles. "Oh, I love it when you're assertive, Spikey-Wikey."
"Don't call me that. I'm not nine anymore." He practically jumps from the seat, stalking away. He runs his hands through his hair, trying to fix it again.
"You don't like the name," a small voice asks from behind him.
He turns, eyes widening when he sees who it is. "Rarity. No, its…" He sighs. "It has nothing to do with the name, and everything to do with her. I actually like it when you say it. It…" Spike trails off, shaking his head. "I like it. I just really don't like her."
"Ah. Ex wanting to get back with you?" Rarity asks. She leans against the wall, an interested look on her face.
Spike scoffs. "She wishes. She's been trying to get with me since graduation." He rolls his eyes. "I wish she would just lay off."
"I know the feeling. I think I've danced with Thunderlane at least five times now. He can dance wonderfully, but there is just no spark. Though I do value him as a friend, letting him down gently has proven difficult."
"I let her down easily at first. But after that…it isn't even that she's like that with anyone else. It's just me and the Crusaders she seems to act like that with." Spike sighs. "I guess I'm just holding out for that one really special someone, you know."
"The one who sweeps you off your feet and takes you to a magical place, where it's just the two of you, even in a room so full of people you can barely walk?" she asks. "The one who you know will be at your side, no matter what. The one who isn't afraid to tell you you're wrong, but will hold you up and help you through your mistakes? The one who just sees you for you, faults and all, and loves you despite everything."
Spike's heart beat sped up. "Yeah. The one I could look at, day after day, year after year, decade after decade, and still see the beauty I see right now. The one who I know will make up after every argument. The one that will want to be by my side when I'm old, fat, and bald, but that will still hold my hand as we walk down a street. The one that, no matter where I am, as long as I have them, I'm home."
Rarity reaches out, cupping Spike's cheek in her hands. Everything seems to be in slow motion as she smiles at him, her eyes searching his for just a moment, before they flutter close. His eyes do the same as he leans forward.
All around them, the crowd has stopped to look at the clock on the wall. They are chanting five…four…three…two…
One. A cheer goes up and people hug and kiss and scream and jump. Against one wall, two people are lost to the New Year. Her hands grip his hair; he wraps his arms around her. As the calls of the crowd die to a normal level, they pull apart.
He starts to speak, but just as when he wanted to confess his crush at ten years old, she puts a finger to his lips and gives him the largest smile she has ever smiled. She runs her fingers through his hair, fixing what she had messed up.
She cups his cheeks again, quickly leaning in and giving him a chaste kiss on the lips. "When Sweetie Belle said she knew someone who wanted to give me a New Year's kiss, I was afraid it was one of those boys she likes to hang around with. Turns out, I was right." Taking Spike's hand in hers, she laces their fingers together. "Good thing, too."
"I knew I never should have told those three anything." Still, he smiles. "So…how about a proper date? I'll pick you up at seven tomorrow?"
She giggles. "Oh, Spike, that sounds lovely. Now, come on. We need to bring in the New Year properly."
