Though he bore a clear smile upon his face, there was no doubt that Flash was looking pretty tired right now. Having just come home from a long journey, the blue-haired boy walked along the familiar hallway without the usual spring in his step that he normally had when coming here. But, come he did, and though still not quite up to his regular speed, it was obvious that he was happy to be here. Eventually, and after frequently looking to the numbers on the doors he passed, he stopped at one in particular, his smile growing slightly as he saw it. After clearing his throat a little, he balled his hand into a fist, raising it and giving a gentle knock. A few moments passed, but in the end, a warm and welcoming voice called out from the other side.
"Flash? Is that you?"
Chuckling slightly, the boy nodded.
"Yeah...it's me."
Another pause, and Sunset's voice called out yet again.
"It's unlocked. Come on in."
Flash needed no encouragement, as he reached for the knob and turned, allowing himself entry into his girlfriend's apartment. As soon as he'd closed the door behind himself, however, he stopped, for he now realised that this place was looking quite different to how he normally saw it. The lights had been dimmed down considerably, and all around there were candles, already lit and giving the apartment a warm and inviting glow. Naturally, Flash was a little taken aback by all of this, but even so, he stepped further in. Looking around, he found, to his surprise, that Sunset was nowhere to be found. He looked over to the kitchen, wherein he noticed that something was in the oven, but again, no Sunset. In the end, he simply spoke up.
"Um...Sunset? You here?"
It took only a moment for her voice to respond.
"Yeah...right here."
Turning, Flash's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Sunset was indeed there, standing in the doorway that the boy knew from memory led to her bedroom. But, she was clad not in her usual attire, nor even her famous leather jacket, but had instead donned a rather fancy-looking dress. It was green, and the design sparked off yet another memory in Flash, as he now recognised it as the outfit she wore during their party in the caves of Camp Everfree. To compete the image, the ex-unicorn had even elected to wear her hair in the exact same style as that aforementioned celebration. An affectionate expression was plastered upon her face, and as she slowly walked towards him, she took a moment of amusement over just how gobsmacked he was to see her like this.
"As much as I would love to just have you stare at me like that...I was hoping for something a little bit more...vocal."
Immediately, Flash shook his head vigorously, getting himself out of that trance-like state. Sunset giggled to this, all while her boyfriend blushed fiercely, giving a nervous scratch on the back of his head.
"Sunset...wow. Getting back to you from a family reunion was always going to be good, but I wasn't expecting this."
Sunset raised an eyebrow.
"Weren't expecting what, Flash?"
He hesitated, but only for a moment.
"I wasn't expecting...for you to look like you do in my dreams."
The girl blushed right back, clasping her hands in front of herself as she took yet another casual step closer.
"You old charmer. You think so?"
Flash nodded, but then looked down to his own attire.
"Although...I'm kinda feeling bad that I didn't put that kind of effort in myself."
Again, Sunset gave a brief laugh, shaking her head slightly and raising her hand, gently placing it at the side of the boy's face.
"I think you look exactly how I want you to."
And with that, without even warning him, Sunset leaned closer, giving a tender kiss upon his lips. Though taken aback by this, the surprise lasted only a moment, and Flash soon closed his eyes, raising his arms and embracing his lover for the first time in weeks. The two youngsters stayed this way for several minutes, holding each other and never once letting their lips part. But, in the end, part they did, though their faces were nothing short of affectionate as they stared into each other's eyes.
"I missed you...so much," Flash remarked.
Sunset's smiled widened.
"And I missed you, Flash."
A thought occurred to her, and she glanced over her shoulder, straight for where the oven was.
"You know...I thought I'd give you a proper welcome back. I've been preparing that stew all day."
To that, Flash gained a smile of his own.
"Oh? With the little carrots?"
Sunset nodded.
"Yep. Just the way you like it."
The boy chuckled.
"Sunset...have I ever told you how much of a perfect girlfriend you are?"
A smirk crossed the Equestrian's face.
"You could stand to mention it a bit more often."
The two shared a laugh together, and when it ended, Sunset moved closer, resting her head upon his chest. Flash too allowed himself to simply get lost in the moment, holding her closer to him. In the minutes that followed, Sunset simply contented herself with listening to his heartbeat, which, in this moment, was the most pleasant sound she could remember hearing for a very long time. After a few moments more, she gazed up to him again, raising an eyebrow as she returned to her previous smirk.
"Just so you know...it'll still take a while for the stew to finish cooking. Maybe...and hour from now?"
Flash titled his head to the side slightly.
"Really? Well...what do you want to do until then?"
That innocent statement of his caused the girl to look at him as if he were the most adorable ting in the world, then, to Flash's brief confusion, she took his hand and led him to the nearby doorway.
"Well...if you really want to know...we could always...reacquaint ourselves."
Immediately, he got the message, as evidenced by the massive blush he now bore.
"R...really? I mean, not that I'm not interested, but...I'd hate to ruin all the work you went to in dressing up like this."
Smiling again, Sunset leaned closer and gave just the tiniest peck of a kiss on his lips, before speaking in a somewhat sultry tone.
"Think of it...as a late Christmas present. A lovely little something wrapped up pretty...waiting to be opened."
The blush intensified, and Flash raised his head, staring off into the distance for a long time. When he finally looked back to his still-waiting girlfriend, he spoke in a tone of uncertainty.
"You know...I find myself rather torn right now."
Sunset tilted her head at that.
"Oh? Between what and what?"
Taking a gulp, Flash answered.
"Between my need to be a gentleman...and my urge to have my girlfriend render me incapable of walking."
Hearing that, Sunset returned once more to her sultry smirk, placing her hand again on the side of his face.
"Well...if it makes you feel any better...I'm the one who asked...so you get to have both."
Again, Flash stared into space, then looked back to Sunset, shrugging his shoulders slightly, before giving her just as amorous a smirk as she'd been giving him.
"Yep...works for me."
Taking a step backwards, Sunset nodded, bearing a slightly more serious expression before placing one hand on her hip and using her other hand to point to her bedroom in an authoritative manner.
"Good...now get in there, soldier!"
Raising his own hand, Flash gave a salute.
"Yes, Ma'am!"
As the boy did as instructed, Sunset watched him go, returning to her amorous smirk.
"Well...Happy New Year to us, it would seem."
