As was typical on a weekend, the cafés in the centre of town were abuzz with activity. Everywhere one looked, they saw people enjoying the day, chatting with each other, having a fun time with their friends, or simply taking a moment to enjoy the food and drink provided to them. Among those here today, however, were Sunset and Flash, who had taken to sitting opposite each other in a little corner booth. At this time, Flash was busying himself with a cup of tea, which had only just been brought to him, judging from the steam that now rose from it. As for Sunset, she too was occupied, taking a small bite from what appeared to be a salad sandwich before her. The two youths sat in silence for a time, occasionally smiling to one another, and sometimes even just looking out of the large window beside them. And it was during this latter activity that Flash finally broke the silence between them.
"Pretty good weather today, eh?"
Putting her food down, Sunset gave him a nod.
"Yeah, it is. The forecast kept on going about terrible rain and stuff. Nice when they're wrong like that."
Her boyfriend let out a chuckle, taking another sip of his tea before looking to her again.
"I'm glad we were able to have this time today, Sunset."
The former unicorn's smile grew at that.
"Me too. It's been pretty busy lately. But, let it never be said that we can't make the time."
Nodding back, Flash raised his cup, giving Sunset a very clear signal. In response, she too took her own, albeit now-empty tea cup, and gently clinked it against his. Setting them down, the young couple took this moment to give off a brief laugh together, enjoying the calm and peace of the situation. In the time that followed, Flash glanced out of the window again, and set his eyes upon those walking in the streets, wherein he suddenly gained a look of interest.
"Hey, check it out."
Sunset turned, and immediately saw what her boyfriend was looking at. It was Aria, walking down the street with none other than Wiz, her own partner. Obviously, through the glass, neither Sunset nor Flash could hear what the other two were saying to each other, though it was clear from the looks on their faces that Aria was the one leading the conversation. The confident and somewhat sultry expression she had, coupled with the blushes and general nervousness of Wiz, gave Sunset and Flash a pretty clear idea what was going on.
"I see Aria's indulging in one of her favourite pastimes," Sunset remarked.
Flash nodded.
"Yep...teasing the Hell out of her boyfriend."
Sunset giggled to this, watching silently as the other couple eventually walked so far down the street that they were no longer in view. Settling back into their booth, the young couple, for a time, resumed what they'd been doing before. But, in this quiet moment, Sunset stopped and started to look deep in thought over something. And in the end, she spoke up.
"You know...it occurs to me that we never really do that kind of thing."
Flash looked up from his tea, confusion upon his face, prompting Sunset to continue.
"I mean, all that flirting that Aria and her sisters like to do. We've never really done that."
The boy raised an eyebrow.
"I'm...pretty sure we have flirted before, Sunset."
Sunset chuckled.
"I know. But do you ever feel that we don't do enough of it? All those couples we see doing all those lines with each other. Have you ever wanted to...you know...try it?"
Flash leaned back into his chair, thinking on that.
"Well, I'd be lying if I said the thought hadn't crossed my mind. But...do we really need to? I mean...no offense, but are you and I really the kinds of people who'd really do that stuff?"
Sunset took in his words, nodding slightly.
"Hmmm...you're probably right. But..."
A smirk slowly crept onto her face.
"...don't you think it might be fun?"
The look on her face made it clear that she had her mind made up on this, to which Flash could only sigh. After a few seconds of saying nothing, he looked back to her, putting on a small but genuine smile.
"You know what? Sure. Let's try it."
Sunset smiled wider, leaning closer and clearing her throat a little bit. She reached forward, gently placing her hand upon Flash's, before staring at him with a half-lidded look. Pausing, she considered her words for a time, before speaking up in a manner that was as sultry as Flash had ever remembered hearing from her.
"Hey there, big boy. Do you come here often?"
Flash stared at her, his expression utterly blank. In the end, he let out a brief cough, thinking things over himself before giving a response.
"Um...sure. I mean, I guess I do?"
Sunset smiled wider.
"Good. Nice to know a gal like me can find a nice, handsome fella when she needs to."
And here, Sunset noticed something about her lover. There was subtle, but still noticeable twitches in the muscles in his face. And while the former unicorn would never call herself an expert on reading people, she nevertheless recognised it as him trying to hold himself back from laughing. Realising this, her seductive expression was soon replaced with a somewhat disapproving frown.
"Something wrong?"
Flash, realising that he'd been found out, reached behind his head and nervously scratched himself there, before starting to answer her.
"Well...and please don't be mad, but...you kinda sound a little...silly?"
Sunset took on an incredulous look.
"Oh really? And I suppose you could do it better?"
To that, the boy raised both hands in a defensive manner, shaking his head in response.
"Oh no! I know I wouldn't be able to do it better! If I tried this, I'd just be...well..."
"Silly?" Sunset concluded with a raised eyebrow.
"Exactly!" Flash responded.
Taking in her boyfriend's words, Sunset suddenly gained a rather mischievous look, leaning back into her chair and folding her arms.
"Alright then...show me."
Flash looked to her with uncertainty.
"What...here? Now?"
Sunset nodded, prompting Flash to cough nervously. He looked around, almost terrified that somebody else in the café was going to see and hear him while he was doing this, before gazing back to Sunset, who had a clear "I'm waiting" look upon her face. In the end, the boy sighed, clearing his throat just as she had done, before leaning forward and, in a like-minded way, took hold of her hand. He tried putting on a flirty look himself, speaking in a lower tone than normal.
"Hey there, baby. I'd say we should call Heaven, because I think one of their angels is missing."
Sunset sat there in utter silence, looking her boyfriend right in the eye, and remained completely still for almost a full minute. When that minute was over, however, she pulled back her hand from his grasp, placing it upon her mouth in a desperate bid to hold back the laughter that now poured forth from her. Flash looked on with a slight frown as his girlfriend was now so-engrossed in the apparent humour of the moment that she was even starting to shed a tear from the laughter it was causing her.
"That...that was the most ridiculous thing...you've ever said!"
The laughter was so strong for her that she couldn't even finish her sentence in one go. As for Flash, he pointed an accusing finger to her.
"See?! I told you it was silly!"
Wiping a tear from her eye, Sunset had finally clamed down, with the laughter eventually phasing out altogether. After taking a moment to ease back into the general calm that had come before, Sunset sighed, nodding and looking up to her boyfriend once more.
"Alright, alright. Maybe this sort of thing is harder than it looks. I'll never get how Adagio and her sisters can pull of this stuff."
Flash nodded in agreement, letting out a brief dry laugh to his girlfriend's remark. For a time, they said nothing, simply sharing in the unspoken acknowledgement of how awkward things had been when they attempted this. Afterwards, Sunset looked up to Flash once more, giving him a sweet smile.
"You know...you were right."
The boy glanced to her with confusion, prompting her to continue.
"I mean about us needing to do that stuff. It's...it's not us."
It took a few moments, but Flash eventually cracked a smile of his own, leaning forward and taking her hand into his own.
"It never needed to be. You and me? We've got our own thing. Our own way of being together. And you know...I'd say it's worked out pretty well for us."
Sunset nodded, maintaining her smile, before leaning forward even further and, to Flash's slight surprise, planting a tender kiss upon his cheek. When she got back to her chair, and took a moment to enjoy the now-blushing face of her lover, she gave him her response.
"Yeah...it has, hasn't it?"
