Flurries of snowflakes battered at the windows as a roaring fire filled the room with heat and an inviting glow. Or at least as close as you could get in the middle of downtown Canterlot. The flames were confined to the wide, flat screen of the television and a tiny space heater accounted for most of the warmth in the room, along with a pile of blankets and a slightly out of date AC system.
Adagio decided she liked this setup better. Everything could be operated by remote from the comfort of her couch, and the digital logs didn’t require her to disentangle herself from her cocoon to tend to them every twenty minutes. Add in some scented candles, hot coco, and the soft, environmental piano music drifting from the speakers and it was almost perfect.
Almost.
“Rarity,” she whined, strategically injecting just enough of a pout into her voice to crack her girlfriend’s cold, callous shell. “Come back…”
“Don’t take that tone with me, darling,” Rarity hummed as she stepped into the room, tucking wet hair into a towel. “You know what time of year it is. I can’t just abandon my shop.”
Adagio huffed, crossing her arms over the blankets, just so Rarity could see it. “That’s what you have minions for.”
Rarity smirked, leaning over the arm of the sofa to plant a kiss on her forehead. “They’re employees, dear, not minions. Coco and Sassy deserve to enjoy the holidays too.”
Aha, right into her trap! Adagio reached up and grabbed the ties on Rarity’s bathrobe, trapping her against the couch. “They can enjoy the holidays on overtime pay. Besides, you can just tell them you got snowed in.”
Rarity laughed, surrendering to the pull as she fell into the cushy cloud of Adagio’s plump curls. “Adagio, it isn’t a five minute walk to the store. They can see our street from the front window.”
“We could drink!” Adagio protested. “Have a glass of wine with me, so you can’t drive. They’ll appreciate how careful you are, setting a good example for them.”
“Hmm,” Rarity smiled, softly rubbing Adagio’s arms. “That wouldn’t explain why I didn’t just walk.”
“Brigands,” Adagio answered matter-of-factly.
Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Brigands, darling?”
Adagio nodded. “Brigands.”
Rarity smirked. “And what, pray tell, would make you think of brigands in the middle of Canterlot?”
Adagio narrowed her eyes. “They can be anywhere. And they’re always on the lookout for beautiful women that they can take back to their lairs and ravage. Especially if you’re drunk.”
Rarity planted another kiss on her head with a giggle. “Well, if it makes you feel better, you can watch through the front window, all the way to the shop.”
Adagio frowned. Damn and blast! Her plan was falling apart before her very eyes. Time to change tactics. She released Rarity and slipped her arms back under the covers.
“I’ll let you massage me.”
Rarity leaned back, an incredulous smirk fluttering across her lips. “Really, darling?”
Adagio wiggled her shoulders, letting the blanket fall away just enough to show off a bit of cleavage. She looked up, meeting Rarity’s eyes upside down as her fiery hair fell over the armrest in a cascade. “Of course. Don’t you want to get your hands all over me, instead of that rough, starchy fabric?”
“Starchy?” Rarity huffed, tilting her head up in mock annoyance. “I’ll have you know, Rarity 4 Ever uses only the finest imported materials, ma’am.”
“I’ll let you use oil,” Adagio countered, widening her eyes and putting a bit of a quiver in her bottom lip. “Your favorite.”
Rarity rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “I think you mean your favorite, dear. You’ll have to try harder than that.”
Adagio smirked. The first cracks were starting to form. Time to press the attack. “Well,” she purred, “Maybe I could massage you instead…”
Rarity paused, finger raised to counter, and frowned. A slight blush colored her cheeks, and she cast a doubtful glance at the window. Her eyes flicked back to Adagio’s, and she bit her lip. Adagio let a little more of the blanket slip.
Finally, she shook her head. “No, darling I’m sorry, but I made a commitment.”
“So cancel it,” Adagio shrugged. “You’re the boss.”
“I can’t just leave them hanging,” Rarity giggled, “it wouldn’t be right.”
Adagio sat up, letting the blanket fall away from her thinly dressed chest. “So close the store. Sassy has a key, and nobody is shopping in this weather.”
“Well…” Rarity paused, eyes flicking from Adagio to the window. She glanced around at the heater, the blankets, the scented candles. “But… but what if there’s a customer?”
“Then it will be a very sad Christmas for them,” Adagio huffed, pouting for real this time. It usually wasn’t so hard to get Rarity to cuddle! Stupid holiday season, making the mortals all stressed out.
“Baby,” she said, voice a low whimper. Rarity turned to her, and she fixed her expression with her best Sonata-meets-Sweetie-Belle brand Puppy-Dog eyes. “It’s cold outside…”
Rarity’s face twisted, and she looked from the couch to the window, then slumped. “I’m sorry, sweetie,” she said as she headed for the bedroom, “I’ve got to go.”
“Fine…” Adagio mumbled, tucking herself back into the blanket coccoon. Moodily, she turned away, staring forlornly into the tv display. “Don’t be out too late.”
“I won’t,” Rarity said. “I promise.” She turned, and Adagio pouted as the latch clicked behind her.
Damned snow…
Adagio hated being cold. It always made her feel so alone. She glared around the living room. Maybe if she’d had more blankets, or a real fire, maybe Rarity would have been more tempted to stay. Quietly she cursed the television for not being cheery enough, the candles for not being sweet enough, the music for not being relaxing enough.
Herself, for not being hot enough.
Seducing from under a pile of blankets was hard.
And now Rarity was going out there, in the cold and dark. And Adagio would be alone another night. Bored... Worried...
Lonely…
The bedroom door opened, and Adagio couldn’t bring herself to turn. She’d already said goodbye, hadn’t she? It would be better to wait until tonight. Seeing Rarity return was always a much sweeter experience than watching her leave.
It seemed Rarity wasn’t giving her an option. Soft footsteps padded toward the sofa, even as Adagio petulantly tugged the covers over her shoulders. The footsteps stopped, and Rarity cleared her throat.
“Ah... darling?”
Reluctantly, Adagio turned her head. Her eyes widened when she saw her girlfriend, dressed not in boots or mittens, not in a dress or a winter hat, but in a loose nightie and tight hair curlers. She smiled sheepishly. “Is there room for one more?”
Adagio’s heart pounded, and she had to school her face to hide her sudden smile. “I don’t know,” she said neutrally. “What will you give me?”
Rarity rolled her eyes, nudging Adagio’s leg with her knee. “Hot coco? Cider? Popcorn and a movie?”
Adagio hummed, staring at the ceiling in deep thought. Finally she nodded. “I find those terms acceptable.” She shifted to make room, throwing open the corner of the blanket so Rarity could slid in.
“So,” she asked, as Rarity made herself comfortable, pulling Adagio’s arm around her shoulder, “what made you change your mind?”
“You were right,” Rarity said, leaning her head into the crook of her neck. Adagio yelped as her girlfriend’s chilly nose touched her skin. Rarity chuckled. “It’s cold outside.”
Author's Note
Merry Christmas all! Or whatever you prefer to celebrate.
