Beach Bum [OLD]

Spike looked at himself in the mirror, studying his visage closely. His green hair, instead of being unruly and spiky like usual, was laid back and tamed. He had combed his hair because he thought it necessary for his date tonight.

“Spike, what’s taking you so long in there? Fluttershy and I need to take showers too, y’know.” Spike resisted an eyeroll. Twilight could wait a little longer, after all she didn’t have a date.

Then again, Twilight didn’t even know that Spike had a date. He had neglected to mention that, and for good reason. If he had told Twilight she would be fussing about him looking his best and she wouldn’t allow him to do anything himself.

“Yeah, hold on!” Spike looked at himself again, studying the man in the mirror. “It’s not right…” He mumbled, his eyes focusing on his hair. It didn’t look like his hair. He scooped up the comb again and spiked his hair to its natural state in less than a minute.

Spike then got dressed, putting on his jeans and black shirt. He hadn’t exactly packed fancy clothes for this trip, so he hoped Rarity could forgive him on that front. The black shirt, while stiflingly tight, was the closest thing he had packed to something ‘nice’.

He pushed open the door, only to be quickly pulled out of the bathroom by Fluttershy. Spike caught himself before he could topple over, but not before he abruptly hit the wall opposite the bathroom door.

“Serves you right, Mr. Vanity.” Twilight spoke as she helped Spike off the ground. “Do you always have to spend so much time admiring yourself in the mirror?” Spike laughed, maybe that was a bad habit of his, but it was justified this time.

“Hey, when you look as good as I do sometimes you just gotta slow down and admire.” Spike gave Twilight a cocky grin as he flexed. It elicited a laugh from her, which is all he needed. “Plus, I’m going to go out for a bit. I wanna look good.”

“Going out?” Twilight questioned, leaning against the wall. “Where? Are you going with anyone? What time are you going to be back?”

“Whoa, whoa.” Spike put his hands up, palms facing Twilight. “Calm down, ‘Mom’.” That earned him a scowl from Twilight. “I’m just going to walk around the town. It’s not like I’m going to get in trouble or anything.”

“Spike, do you know who we are?” Twilight deadpanned, crossing her arms over her chest. “We never mean to get into trouble. Trouble finds us.” Spike rolled his eyes while trying to think of a way to get out of this situation without Twilight forcing her way onto the date.

“Okay, I heard Rarity talking about how she wanted to go into town earlier. Would it make you feel better if I went with her?” It was actually a stroke of genius on Spike’s part, he had to admit. Now, no one would question them both being away at the same time.

“Fine.” Twilight relented. “Just text me every once in awhile to let me know you’re okay.” Spike nodded as he gathered his wallet and phone and put them into their respective pockets.

“You got it, Twilight!” Spike called as he exited the hotel room. As soon as the door closed behind him, the young man visibly deflated. “For Celestia’s sake…” Spike sighed and picked up his posture. Sure, he hated lying to Twilight but depending on how the date went, he wouldn’t have to lie much longer.

Spike made his way over to Rainbow and Rarity and Rainbow’s room. His hand hovered just above the door, poised to knock. He briefly marveled that this was actually happened to him. He was really going on a date with Rarity, barring any disasters.

The door opened before he could knock, revealing Rainbow in her bikini and a cooler in her hand. Spike jumped, surprised by her sudden appearance.

“Oh, hey… Spike.” Rainbow mumbled out, never meeting his gaze. “You here for your date?” Spike nodded, confused about Rainbow’s attitude. Compared to the dominating and confident monolith she had come off as yesterday, this was a very strange turn. “Just… go right in. She’s still getting ready or whatever...” Just like that, Rainbow’s tone changed again. It was angry and frustrated. “If you need me or whatever, I’ll be at the beach.” Without another word, Rainbow pushed her way passed Spike.

The young man looked over his shoulders at Rainbow as she disappeared down the corridor. Something seemed off about her mood. Had he done anything to upset her between now and yesterday? Spike couldn't think of anything in particular.

“Spiiiiike!” Rarity’s voice chimed from inside the room. “Spike, is that you, darling?” Spike’s thoughts left Rainbow Dash and returned to the task at hand, and he walked into the room. He took residence on the couch, propping his feet up on a nearby table.

“Yeah, it’s me.” Spike responded, putting his arm on the back of the couch. He was now truly relaxed, and it felt good. Hell, this whole night felt good. It was making butterflies rise in his stomach and his heart beat faster than ever before. But somehow, that all equated to relaxation to him. It was certainly a different kind of calm.

“I’ll be out in just a minute, Spikey. You just make yourself comfortable.”

“Take all the time you need, Rarity.” He said, looking at his current status. He was way passed comfortable at this point. After yesterday, nearly every worry he had about being around women had evaporated. “Thanks, Rainbow Dash...” He said quietly to himself.

“A lady should never keep her date waiting.” The door to the bathroom opened, revealing Rarity wearing a tight black dress that hugged every curve. The neckline cut deep, showing off a generous amount of her cleavage.

Spike quickly had to pick his jaw off of the floor and turn his gaze so Rarity wouldn't see him ogling her breasts.

“I-I feel under-dressed.” He managed to get out with a chuckle. It was true, though. His pair of jeans and plain black shirt were about the best he had with him. It’s not like he had been expecting to go out on a date.

“Oh, you look fantastic, Spikey.” Rarity strode over to him expertly on heels, now towering over the sitting young man. “Not everyone can be as prepared as I am for such things. Elegantly, she took a seat beside Spike and leaned against him. Hesitantly, Spike draped his arm around Rarity’s shoulders. “Now, I got us reservations to a place a few blocks away. It’s a wonderful little restaurant a client of mine owns. I may have pulled a few strings, so we have the whole place to ourself for the evening.”

“You didn’t have to go that far, Rarity.” Spike had to wonder how she had orchestrated the whole thing in less than twenty-four hours. That was a feat in and of itself.

“Nonsense, Spike.” Rarity retorted. “I simply promised him a custom dress for his daughter’s prom and wedding. Think of it as taking out a line of credit, now I simply have to pay him at a later date for services rendered today. Simple.” Spike shrugged, it was still impressive to him.

“Should we get going now?” Spike pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at the time. “I would hate to be late.” He felt Rarity lean a little closer so she could look at his phone. The diva bobbed her head a little as she did the mental calculations.

“We have about fifteen minutes before we absolutely have to leave.” Rarity’s hand rested on his chest. “I suppose we can pass the time by talking a little...” Spike nodded in response. “So tell me, how long have you had this little crush on me?”

“Well…” He was afraid that was going to come up. The answer was more than a little embarrassing. “...since the first time I saw you.” He admitted, a blush crossing his face. Rarity’s silence pressed him on. “Remember that first time Twilight and I walked into town hall? It was right then. You were just the most beautiful person I had ever seen, more beautiful than Celestia herself. The more I was around you, the more I just sorta… fell in love... You’re always at your best, you’re generous, beautiful, kind.” He paused, thinking for a second. “To me, you’re just perfect.”

What happened next, Spike couldn’t have predicted with even the most accurate bout of Pinkie sense. Rarity leaned forward and pressed her lips against Spike’s. At the same time, she wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him closer without breaking the kiss.

Full of shock and surprise, Spike fell onto his back with Rarity falling on top of him. Their lips parted before coming into contact again. Rarity let out soft, muffled moans into Spike’s mouth as their lips parted again. Spike was surprised again when a foreign tongue slipped into his mouth, Rarity’s tongue.

Spike was amazed a woman as elegant and classy as Rarity could kiss so messily. As the moans escalated, Spike felt his member hardening in his pants. The more Rarity’s tongue danced around his own, the less empty space there was in his briefs. Spike was afraid he might burst just from the sloppy kiss. Luckily, Rarity pulled away just in time. She was breathing heavily, and she wore a huge grin along her lips.

“I… I'm glad I… saved the… the lip gloss for last… You're too kind, Spike, saying such… sweet things about me…” Spike was still dumbfounded. Never had he expected that to happen, not in a million years. “Now, I’m afraid I have to fix my hair and put on the last of my makeup.” Rarity slid from on top of Spike, her hand lingering over the bulge in his pants for just a second. “I’ll be right back, Spikey.”

“Yeah… alright…” Spike responded dreamily.

***

“Yeah… alright…” Rainbow grumbled as she took another swig of beer. “Just give Spike to Rarity, sure. You saw what she was wearing, you know what’s going to happen tonight.” Rainbow was practically scolding herself at this point.

She couldn’t help herself. It was just so damn frustrating! Her passion for Spike had just driven him away, now, right into the arms of Rarity! It was all her own fault. She had promised him that, she had been the one to hand him over.

If she was smart, she would’ve lied to Spike and said she asked Rarity and she rejected him. If she was smart, she would’ve come out and said she liked him rather than just blowing him on the beach. If she was smart, she wouldn’t be trying to get drunk off of cheap beer to drown her sadness.

“At least I have you.” Rainbow lamented as she took another drink from the Chris Daniels’ in her grasp. “I don’t think I can screw this relationship up. At least… I don't think I can…” It was going to be a long night for Rainbow Dash.

***

Rarity let out a sweet giggle as she watched Spike look over the menu. Spike paid her no mind, instead he narrowed his gaze, trying to read the tiny print and determine what any of this stuff on the menu actually was.

"The portions are so small, I can hardly see what they're trying to advertise." Spike complained, putting the menu down in frustration. “Plus, I think half this stuff isn’t even in English.”

Rarity laughed and reached across the table, taking Spike's hand in her own. Spike reciprocated, gently squeezing Rarity’s delicate hand in his grasp. All of this still felt slightly unreal to Spike, like a good dream that was just waiting to turn sour at any moment.

"High class establishments like these pride themselves on style and appearance." Rarity explained, rubbing his fingers. "These meals are a sort of art, in their own way. We could go someplace else, if you don't like it here. There are other ways we could enjoy our evening…"

Spike managed a grin and a blush. "No... It's fine, really. I'm just happy to be with you."  While other activities Rarity meant might be more exciting, he felt that it might be rushing things a tad too fast. He at least wanted to take her out to dinner first. Then again, Rarity was actually taking him out to dinner.

Rarity beamed before taking a sip from her glass. It was a rich red wine, which Rarity seemed to enjoy. Silently, he lamented that his age restricted him from taking part in such things, well, legally at least.

"Believe me, Spike, the feeling is most mutual. When Rainbow Dash told me about your feelings towards me, I could hardly contain myself." Rarity took another drink and stared at Spike dreamily. “It was such a breath of fresh air to have a respectable man interested in me.”

Spike's heart slammed against his chest painfully. The name Rarity had mentioned left a pit in his stomach. *Rainbow Dash...* The rainbow-haired woman had been on his mind when he wasn’t thinking about Rarity. Every thought stirred up mixed feelings and a sense of confusion.

"What... did she say?" He asked. "About me, I mean." Maybe if he could get some insight into what Dash said about him in private to someone else, it could relax him a bit.

"Oh, nothing bad, my dear." Rarity continued. "She spoke highly of you, as expected. Though, she did sound a little disappointed when she asked me to go on a date with you.” There was a hesitation. “You didn’t pressure her to do so, right?”

“What? No.” Spike thought about it for a second. Why would Rainbow be disappointed…?

*You're a great kid, Spike...* He heard her voice in his mind. He replayed the events from yesterday, keeping track of Rainbow’s mannerisms. Every time she mentioned Rarity there was a hesitation, there was always a visible change of emotion.

Time seemed to slow down. Spike's eyes watched his water as a small drop trickled down the side. His eyes widened as realization hit him, as he spotted every one of Rainbow’s lies and hidden motivations.

"Spike... Are you alright, darling?"

He could see Dash, standing over him on the beach.

*Seriously, Spike, don't keep me waiting too long.*

Then, he was in her room. She had him pinned against the door.

*Damn it, Spike...*

He could feel her lips against his as they shared their mouths, tongues, and saliva.

"Spike, you look troubled... Is something wrong?"

Spike jolted in his chair as he came back to reality. He was breathing heavily as sweat trickled down his cheeks. He was in shock, plain and simple. How? How had he missed it? How had he been so blinded just by promises of Rarity when Rainbow had been right in front of him?

"Rainbow Dash..." He muttered softly. "I've... I've got to go... I need to tell her something..."

Rarity pursed her lips and frowned. She reached across the table and grabbed Spike’s wrist as he started to get up.

"Hold on, Spike..." She warned him. "We are on a date. You cannot simply leave."

Spike saw a dangerous look on Rarity's face, and she did not look happy. He quickly retracted his hands and held them in his lap. He really, really did not want to do this. Hell, even if he was sane, he wouldn’t do this.

"R-Rarity..." He stammered, trying to collect his thoughts and organize them. "I'm so, so sorry, but I have to. Rainbow Dash means the world to me, and I care about her. You're great, Rarity, but... but… I’ve been so blind to her...” That was the only explanation he could offer, it was the only one he had.

The frown on Rarity's face dissipated, and her lips fell into a sad frown.

"But you need to be with her..." Rarity said, her lips curling into a snarl. “I should’ve guessed Rainbow would do this.” Rarity then sighed, her expression softening. “Very well, I suppose I cannot stop you.”

Spike looked at her with a confused expression.

"You... aren't mad?"

"Oh no, I’m absolutely furious. I wasted a favor for nothing. Even worse, Rainbow Dash got to you first. Rainbow, of all girls…” Spike flinched at the words. He didn’t mean to make Rarity mad. “But who am I to stop you from following your heart?”

Spike was incredibly lost, and he cocked his head. Rarity noticed his silly expression and cracked a sly grin.

"Rainbow Dash is one of my closest friends." She explained. "I knew she had feelings for you, at least a little bit. It was a little obvious when I heard her moaning your name yesterday while she was… taking care of herself.” Rarity stood and grabbed her purse. “You best be on your way, better not keep her waiting.

"Right..." Spike said as he stood up from the table. "Uh... Again, I'm really sorry..." He couldn’t help but feel supremely bad about the whole situation. Not even he knew about his own feelings for Dash until just now. He couldn’t have planned this.

Rarity waved her hand dismissively while reaching into her purse with her free hand. "Think nothing of it, Darling." She said before handing him a small bottle of cream-colored lotion. "You'll find her on the beach, most likely.”

"What's this for?" He asked, looking at the bottle.

“Just show it to Rainbow… She'll know what to do.” Spike pocketed the lotion and gave Rarity a sad smile.

"Thank you, Rarity... I'll never forget this… I’ll never forget you.”

Rarity smiled sweetly and raised her hand to caress Spike’s cheek.

"Rainbow Dash is a lucky girl, to have a young man like you. Ah... Just make sure you two are finished before eleven o'clock. I'd rather not walk in on… whatever you two are doing...”

Spike wasn't sure what Rarity was talking about, but he didn't think twice about it. He turned and bolted out of the restaurant, heading to the beach as fast as his legs would take him. Rainbow Dash was waiting for him.

***

Rainbow Dash let out a pained groan as she threw her fifth bottle into the sand. This beer was not getting her nearly drunk enough to blur any of her emotions. All of the pain was still there, and it still hurt.

"Spike..." She muttered to herself. "I'll bet he's having a great time with Rarity... He's probably feeling up her busty tits already, rubbing his cute face all over her cleavage... I wish I had tits like hers..." She was not sober enough to keep a consistent train of thought, however.

"Hmm…” She looked down her shirt at her own breasts. “Maybe I should get some work done on them. Guys like Spike seem to like bigger breasts anyway... Maybe that's it..." Insecurity wasn’t usually Dash’s style, but the last twenty-four hours had left her in a pretty rough state.

*No... Don't think like that. Spike's not yours. He's dating Rarity, now. He's...*

"Rainbow Dash?" A soft voice said behind her. Rainbow Dash quickly looked over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes at the figure illuminated by the distant city lights. Rainbow clenched a fist and stood up, bringing a new beer along with her.

"Spike…” Rainbow growled out, bearing her teeth in a beast-like snarl. “What are you doing here, huh? You’re supposed to be with Rarity.” After all of the things she had gone through to get Spike a date with Rarity and he wasn’t even on it!

Spike let out a long sigh and started walking towards her. Rainbow stood her ground, leveling a deadly glare at the approaching young man.

“Rainbow, I just couldn’t do it…” Spike said with a sigh. His shoulders dropped and his stride stopped.

“Do what? Take my help? Was it not good enough for you?” Rainbow’s voice raised, escalating in volume and venom with every word. “Go figure, something Rainbow does isn’t good enough! “ Spike reached out and put a hand on Rainbow’s shoulder, which she promptly smacked away. “Don’t fucking touch me!”

Rainbow-”

“You got what you wanted, Spike. You got your perfect girl. You got Rarity. So what the fuck do you want from me?” Rainbow felt a few tears streak down her cheeks. It made her even more angry that she was crying. Why was she being so weak now?

"Rarity isn't who I want to be with." Spike said softly, trying to offer a small smile.

“You don’t want me.” Rainbow fired back, the anger in her voice dropping to sadness. “You never have.” Before Rainbow could react, Spike had closed the distance between them and had her in a deep embrace.

“I do.” That was all it took to break Rainbow. She legs buckled before she wrapped her arms around Spike tightly and closed her eyes. She never wanted this moment to pass, it was like the universe had finally come together to make some sort of sense. It felt right.

"I love you, Spike..." She mumbled out, hesitant of the very words she spoke. “I always have…”

"Rainbow Dash..." Spike's heart pounded in his chest with such ferocity that it hurt. He managed to speak as a huge smile formed along his lips. "I don't know what to say... I really, really care about you, but..."

"It's alright, Spike..." Rainbow Dash looked up and wiped the tears away. "Don't feel pressured. You don't have to say it back until you're ready..." She wasn’t going to push him, well not more than she already had in the past day.

"Should... we take this slow?" She asked, fully knowing that ‘slow’ was the exact opposite pace that this relationship had already taken. Slower was the appropriate word, perhaps.

"Yeah..." Spike hesitated before nodding his head. "Do you want to... start over? I mean, maybe it’s for the best.” Rainbow couldn’t help but feel he was right, after all they had started off pretty strong. Maybe a reset would help the pace a little.

"You mean... a fresh start?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah, a fresh start." He agreed, nodding his head.

Rainbow finally let go of Spike and dragged him over to her spot in the sand. They both sat down, their hands wonderfully intertwined. Rainbow wiped the last of her tears away and slipped back into ‘standard Rainbow.’

"Since we've already fucked, you need to take me to dinner sometime, someplace nice." She joked, jabbing her elbow into his side. Spike laughed, but an awkward silence followed. Tension still hung in the air between them, the oppressive and obvious question just hanging there. Rainbow figured she might as well ask it. "So... Is Rarity really cool with this?"

"Not really..." He replied, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “She seemed really upset about the whole thing, but she said she understood.” That was another thing Rainbow had to look forward to, an angry Rarity to combat later. The battle for Spike was not yet over.

Dash decided she needed a drink, and took another swig of her beer. Seeing Spike eye her out of the corner of her eye, she held out the bottle to him.

"Want one? I've got plenty.”

"I'm not old enough to drink." Spike reminded her. "I'm still eighteen, remember?" Well that marked off a lot of activities that Rainbow wanted to do with Spike. Well, she couldn’t do them with him legally, at least.

"Right... I'd hate to get my new boyfriend in trouble." Rainbow joked, poking Spike playfully in the ribs with her elbow. She only received a weird look in response

"'Boyfriend'?" He asked her, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah... We're taking it 'slow', right?" She asked, a silly grin crossing her face. She leaned in close to Spike and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "Want to go inside, stud? I think Fury is coming on tonight."

Spike reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle of lotion. Dash recognized it as one of the many that Rarity kept with her. More importantly, she thought of its many uses.

"Actually..." He said, stopping Rainbow Dash. "I have a better idea..."

He held up the bottle for her to see, and Rainbow Dash's face broke into a wide grin.

***Up Next: Hard To Reach***