A few days later

Liam walked through the emptying streets of Canterlot as the sun set on the horizon. He gazed out at the blazing ball of fire as it sank down its last dredges to make room for the moon and stars of the night sky with a reserved smile. Ponies around him similarly gazed at the fading of the light, many of them taking the moment to nuzzle or hug their partners in the street, before heading home for the evening.

Liam's eyes drifted over to the ponies around him for just a few moments, taking in the many couples enjoying the moment together, while he stood alone. He pursed his lips as he thought over the scene, before smirking and shaking his head. With a pep in his step, he turned and headed toward his destination.

Within a matter of minutes, Liam arrived at the 'Horseshoe Hangout' restaurant in the middle district. Just before reaching the doorway, he felt the faintest hint of a breeze at his back, and chuckled softly to himself.

"You know what, you almost managed to sneak up on me again." He said, turning around to see Star, her hooves just a few inches off the ground.

"Aww, you heard me? I knew I was going a bit too fast." She muttered in defeat.

Liam laughed, "I did feel a bit of a breeze... it's good to see you." He said, leaning down for a hug.

Star brightened up immediately as she returned the hug, inhaling Liam's scent as she did.

"Mmm, you smell nice today." Star mumbled into Liam's shoulder.

"Uh, I didn't do anything really different though. Just been walking around a bit more today than usual." Liam explained, shrugging.

Star inhaled deeply once more, before letting out a satisfied sigh, "It's your scent, not cologne or shampoo... that's why its nice."

Liam chuckled, "Thank... you? I think... are you saying I shouldn't shower anymore?" He asked, lightheartedly.

"To a point. Don't want you to stink, just smell more natural." Star replied, nuzzling her cheek against Liam's neck.

"Fair enough." Liam responded, before pulling away, "Let's head inside."

Star gave a happy nod before trotting over to the door and pulling it open for Liam. With a barely repressed sigh of acceptance, Liam entered through the door and into the front foyer of the restaurant. The layout of the entire building was that of a horseshoe, with tables and chairs arranged all along the curves of the structure. Meanwhile, the inside walls were noticeably missing, and gave a clear view of the outside cooking area in the center. Several patrons watched in excitement as the chefs cooked their food over the blazing fire, most of them being sure to show off some tricks to the awed foals staring at them.

Liam let out a low whistle at the rustic aesthetic of the interior and gave a small nod of approval as Star reached his side.

"So, what do you think? I figured a barbecue place would be something you'd like to try." Star acknowledged.

Liam looked down to her, "This place looks awesome... not too sure what ponies barbecue though..." He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck.

"We barbecue haydogs and hayburgers, silly," Star dismissively replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "besides, there's a few griffon chefs here too that I just know you'll love." She added.

"Griffons? Why would I love them?" Liam tilted his head to the side.

"Well, duh? Because they cook meat for creatures like you." Star beamed.

Liam resisted the urge to let his jaw drop, "Really? Oh hell yeah!" He cheered.

Star giggled, "I figured you'd like that. Come on, let's go grab a table."

Liam followed behind as Star leaded him to the front desk where the hostess watched them approach with a smile.

"Hello there! Are you two looking for a table?" The hostess politely inquired.

"We sure are." Star smiled.

"Alrighty! Well, you can sit where ever you like. A waiter will be with you shorty." The hostess replied with a cheery smile.

"Awesome. Thanks." Star replied, before turning and heading over to a nearby table with Liam coming up behind her.

As they arrived at the table, Liam reached out to grab his chair, only for Star to grab it before he could reach it, and pull the chair out for him. Liam paused for a moment, hand still outstretched and his lips pursed as Star invitingly patted the seat cushion with a smile. After a few moments of silence, Liam let out a sigh and sat down in the chair, prompting a head tilt from Star as she walked over to her own chair.

"Everything alright?" She asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, it's just me being weird. Anyways, how was your day?" He asked.

Star perked up immediately, "It was great! For PT this morning we did aerial sprints, and those happen to be my favorite, so I absolutely crushed the rest of my platoon. After that, I was assigned to roving patrol on the East wing, which as you know, has the best view. Plus I was on shift with Brisk Breeze, and talking with her always make the shift go by way faster. Before I even knew it, the day was over and I was rushing to get over here to meet up with you." She explained, excitedly.

Liam nodded, a small smile on his face, "That sounds like a pretty great day. Do you get to be on shift with her often?" He asked.

"Not too often, but when I do, it makes my day. She's great. I should introduce you to her one day." Star replied, scratching her chin in thought.

"That sounds like it'd be cool. I have been meaning to meet more friends." Liam shrugged.

"But anyways, that's enough about me," Star leaned forward onto her elbows, "How was your day? Do anything exciting?"

Liam shook his head, "Eh, I wish. I really just ended up doing a lot of calculous and guessing today. Midnight and I haven't solved anything world changing in about a week. I do think that we're getting close, but it's a slow process." He recalled.

"Still though, at least it was a productive day, right?" Star offered, with a half smile.

"Yeah, I guess it was." Liam responded with a half smile of his own.

Before either of them could say anything else, the waiter approached their table, a notepad held in his magic.

"Good evening! How are you both?" He inquired, a happy smile on his face.

"We're doing really well, thank you." Star replied.

"Excellent. Can I get you both started with something to drink?"

"Sure, can I get some lemonade?" Star replied.

"And can I get the same?" Liam added.

"Sure thing, two lemonades, coming right up." The waiter replied as he scribbled the orders down on his notepad, "Did you both know what you wanted to eat as well, or did you need more time?"

"I know what I want. Do you need to look at the menu, Liam?" Star asked, looking over to her date.

Liam quickly looked down at his menu. He recognized some of the dishes, but one in particular immediately stood out to him, making his eyes widen and his mouth suddenly water.

"Uh... could... could I get the sirloin steak?" He asked, slowly looking up to the waiter.

"Sure thing, sir." The waiter nodded, before turning to Star once more.

"Double hayburger for me, all the toppings." Star replied, hoofing her menu over to the waiter.

"Alrighty, I'll get these orders to the chefs right away. Sir, just so you know, your steak is going to take a little bit longer than the hayburger just because meat takes a bit longer to cook than hay." The waiter replied, turning to Liam and taking his menu as well.

"Eh, that's fine. I'll just wait for a few." Liam replied, dismissively waving a hand.

"Can you just hold off on brining mine until his is ready?" Star asked.

"Certainly. I'll go tell the chefs right now." The waiter cheerily answered, before turning tail and heading to the kitchen.

Star and Liam watched him go, before turning back to each other.

"Well, we might be waiting the better part of an hour if I remember right. Not sure about on your world, but meat tends to take quite a while to cook here." Star offered.

"Well, it usually only takes a few seconds these days, but I understand. The technology difference between our worlds is something else." Liam shrugged.

"So tell me about it. I've known Sky for a little while, but you literally just came from there. What was it like?" Star questioned, interest in her eyes.

"Well there's a lot to explain. Depends on what you'd like to know about exactly. I don't even really know where to start." Liam chuckled.

"How about when you were growing up? What was that like?" Star asked.

"Oh, so you wanna go waaaaaaaay back."

"Well, we've got some time before our food gets here." Star winked.

Liam chuckled, "Well I guess we have some time."

.

.

.

.

.

"-So then I met Sky at the spaceport, and the rest is pretty much history." Liam concluded, before taking the last bite of his steak.

Star, clearly enthralled by the tale, nodded enthusiastically as she finished her drink.

"Wow, that's one heck of a story. I still can't believe all those things your ex did to you... that was beyond cruel." Star replied, her brow furrowed in disdain.

Liam shrugged, "It was pretty bad when I was going through it, but yeah. To be honest, college kind of prepared me for mental abuse like that, but it still sucked all the same."

Star shook her head, "Well you don't have to worry about that anymore. I promise." She asserted, giving a winning smile.

Liam returned the smile, before the waiter returned with the bill. He reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet, only for Star to once again beat him to the punch and hoof the waiter a bag filled with bits. He let out a quiet sigh before placing his wallet back into his pocket and watching patiently as the waiter counted out the bits.

"Twenty two... twenty three... and twenty four. All here. Alrightly folks, thank you so much for dining with us. I hope you come back sometime soon." The waiter announced, with a genuine smile.

"Oh I wouldn't worry too much about that. We'll probably be back." Star replied, a grin on her face.

"Alright, well you guys have a great evening." The waiter replied before turning tail and heading off to another table.

Star gave a pleasant smile to the waiter as he departed, before turning to Liam and finding a small furrow in his brow. Sensing something amiss, Star tapped on his hand with her hoof.

"Hey, Liam, you alright?" She playfully asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Just... still not used to that, is all." Liam admitted with a small shrug.

"Used to what? Me paying?" Star tilted her head to the side.

"Yeah. I already talked to Sky about this, but it's just so different from what I'm used to back home. Usually I'm the one who pays, opens doors, and pulls out chairs for the girl I'm dating." Liam explained.

Star tilted her head even further to the side, "But... that's so backwards... I mean, mares always pay for their stallions. It's like, the most basic part of dating." She replied, her voice filled with confusion.

"See, that's what's so weird to me. It's the exact opposite of how it works where I'm from." Liam responded.

Star's brow furrowed deeply in confusion, "But... that... what? That doesn't compute." She shook her head.

Liam chuckled, "Well now you see how I've felt the last couple of dates with you. I keep reaching for the doors, chairs, and my wallet but you keep beating me to it."

Star thoughtfully tapped her chin, "Huh... well, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were adamant about those things. It's just natural for me to do them for you so I just assumed." She admitted.

Liam felt a warmth in his chest as he smiled at the mare sitting across from him, "I appreciate that. It's alright though. If you want, we could split it every now and again?" He offered.

Star chuckled, "Well, I'm sure I'll get some weird looks from the other mares, but if it feels right to you, then I guess I can save the extra bits every now and again."

Liam rolled his eyes at the pegasus before pushing his chair out and getting to his feet, "I guess I'll take what I can get. You ready to leave?"

Star nodded and hopped out of her chair, "Sure am. Let's get going, hot stuff." She said with a playful wink.

Liam shook his head and snorted before turning to the door and making his way over with Star quickly coming up behind him. They passed the hostess with a quick wave, and soon arrived at the front door once more. Upon reaching the door, they both reached out for the handle, only to pause mid way and look at each other.

Star chuckled sheepishly, "Uh... can we start doing that next time? I'm already about to open it..." She asked, giving puppy dog eyes.

Liam gave her a deadpan expression before sighing heavily and pulling his hand away from the door. Star let out a small cheer at her little victory before pulling the door open and ushering Liam outside. A gentle breeze blew over the both of them as she stepped outside with him, sending a small shiver through Liam's entire body. Despite her fur keeping the chill down, Star still felt the breeze as it washed over her as well.

"Got a little chilly, didn't it?" Liam asked, suppressing another shiver.

Star chuckled, "I suppose so, since you don't have any fur or anything to keep you warm," She said, before batting her eyelashes at him, "I can help you stay warm if you'd like. Pegasi wings are really insulative."

Liam nodded, "I think that would be pretty nice... how are you going to do that, though? I'm a bit taller than you, in case you didn't notice."

Star unfurled her wings and leapt onto Liam's back, nearly knocking him over in the process. He let out a startled yelp as she wrapped her hooves around his chest and waist. Lastly, she unfurled her wings and wrapped them around Liam's torso like a blanket.

Soothing warm exploded all over Liam's body as the pegasus's body heat seeped into him. A shuddering sigh escaped his lips as Star nuzzled her cheek against the back of his neck.

"Okay... this is acceptable." Liam whispered, subconsciously returning the nuzzle by gently scratching at Star's ear.

"Mmm... this is nice." Star murmured.

Liam nodded, "It is, but I should probably head home before too many ponies see us and get weirded out by me wearing you like a backpack."

"Whenever you're ready, dude. I'm just hanging out here." Star teased.

Liam rolled his eyes before heading off up the street toward his residence. As he walked with Star on his back, the two fell into a pleasant silence, both content to simply enjoy each other's warmth in the chilly breeze. They passed street light after street light, the orange light casting hazy shadows from them that stretched out into the night. The city was quiet, with only a few ponies out and about or at a few of the bars that were still open for a few hours more.

Liam easily made his way up to the upper district, where the streetlights turned from a warm orange to a noticeably brighter white light. Within a few more minutes, he arrived back at his apartment and stepped up to his front door.

"Alright, we're here." Liam announced, scratching Star's ear once more.

"We sure are. You live in the nice part of town. My apartment is on the other side of the castle. It's a lot darker over there." Star replied, lifting her head from Liam's shoulder to fully take in the apartment building.

Liam shrugged, "Well, the pay is good. Besides, you can come over sometime if you want." He offered.

Star's eyes widened in surprise, "Inviting me over already? 'Cause I am totally down..." She whispered, before letting out a small purr and moving her hindleg down Liam's stomach. Her hoof just reached his groin before Liam went rigid in her arms.

Star licked her lips before her eyes darted back up to Liam's face to see that his lips were pursed, and there was a slightly visible frown on his face. She instantly stopped her advances and pulled her hoof away.

"Too much?" She asked, sheepishly.

"A little... I'm not... opposed to being intimate or anything. I'm just... not tonight. Next time, we can fool around a bit, promise." Liam offered, a slightly apologetic tone in his voice.

Star squeezed him tighter in her hooves, "Hey, don't sweat it. No pressure. Sorry if I just pushed that onto you before you were ready." She apologized.

Liam shook his head, "It's fine, really. Thanks for being my personal heater all the way over here. You're really warm." He chuckled.

Star beamed, "Well a mare has to be able to keep her stallion comfortable." She said, before hopping off of Liam's back and hovering just beside him.

Liam unlocked the door to his house and opened the door. For a few moments, he stood there, unsure of what to do, but eventually, he turned to Star, a nervous blush on his face.

"I had a really good time tonight. Thanks for that." Liam said.

"Me too. I'm glad you had fun. We'll have to do it again soon." Star winked, before leaning in for a kiss.

Their lips met, and unlike before, there was a hint of desperation in both of them, as the contact swiftly escalated. Star gently pressed her tongue against Liam's lips, gently parting them to find his tongue reaching out to greet her. A soft moan escaped her maw as the velvety point of contact between them rolled back and forth. She traced the edges of his teeth, finding that the lingering taste of meat on his sharp canines excited her more than words ever could.

Liam's tongue brushed over her flat molars, finding the smooth texture to softly caress and welcome him as if he belonged there. Over and over again they kissed, soft moans and groans of pleasure escaping both of them as the dance of power played back and forth, again and again. Their lips brushed against each other over and over, making both of them pant through their nostrils as the flames of passion ignited in their chests.

However, as soon as it started, the flame burned out, and Liam pulled away, a strand of saliva connecting him to Star for just a moment longer before disappearing into the wind. They panted for breath for a minute as they both struggled to comprehend the pleasure of the last several seconds. Star wore a noticeable blush on her face, and distinctly stiffer wings than before, while Liam was blushing profusely as well.

A few more seconds passed in silence, before Liam spoke, "Well... that was... amazing."

Star giggled, "You could say that again. Not fair of you to do that to me after what we just agreed." She teased.

Liam laughed, "Couldn't help myself, I guess."

"Well you'd better be planning on letting me get the full experience next time then." Star winked.

Liam laughed, "Fair enough. Talk tomorrow?"

"For sure. See you then, stud." Star replied, kissing him once more.

Author's Note

Alright, I promise this is the last chapter before the sex starts. For a porn story there hasn't really been any yet has there? lol

For real tho, next chapter will get really spicy. I promise.