Why Sassy Saddles

Sassy Saddles took a guilty moment to look Anon up and down. His form was indeed very different from a pony’s, but Sassy found herself attracted to him all the same. The awkward way he slept on his side had pulled his pants taught across his butt, revealing their round muscular nature. They were really just like a pony’s butt, Sassy rationalised, but they were bigger and stronger. Sassy was irritated by the clothing that Anon wore. She supposed it was necessary due to him being hairless, and the cold spring weather. She imagined him to have a toned torso and powerful legs. She could not however imagine what his junk would look like. She knew it wouldn't be like a stallions, but she wanted the mental image. It was generally easy to catch a glimpse of the underside of a stallion, when they weren't looking, but this privilege was being wholly denied to her here. Why would anyone want to hide themselves with clothing like this?

Sassy didn't get the irony of that statement. She was busy cooking up a fantasy to get the clothes off of Anon. It was not something she would ever act out, but it was fun to think about. A stir from the human snapped Sassy instantly back to reality. She had been staring at him for far too long and she’d be powerless to hide her perving if he woke up.

She then had an idea. One that incorporated what Rarity had told her, whist also being actually genuinely sweet. She nudged Anon with a hoof, and gently tried to bring him out of his slumber.

“Anon. You can't sleep here now Anon.” She cooed softly.

He opened his bleary eyes and groaned.

“So tired,” he managed to mumble.

“Come on, I've got a bed for you upstairs. I'm not letting you wonder home in this state.” Sassy said.

A proper bed did sound nice. This half couch thing was not at all comfortable. Anon heaved himself up onto his feet and gestured to Sassy to show him the way. He was still half asleep, with just enough consciousness to act fairly normally. Sassy led the way up the stairs to the spare room. She came to the second door on the right, and opened it to let Anon in. The room was well furnished and homely, not that he really noticed in his dazed state. He was only focused on the bed in front of him. It was a double and so was more than large enough, and it had an expensive looking purple blanket on it. Anon turned round and thanked Sassy for the room.

“It's a pleasure,” she replied.

She stuck around awkwardly in the doorway, as if she was waiting for something. For some reason her eyes were expectant, like a filly waiting for exam results. He thought it was a bit strange. Maybe she was expecting him to try the bed out to make sure it's comfy. He quickly took off his shoes before lying down on the bed.

“Nice and comfy,” he hummed, trying to assure Sassy that the bed was perfectly adequate.

Suddenly it was very awkward.

Sassy lowered her head end let out a quiet sigh.

Goodnight Anon, she said, before turning off the light and walking out closing the door behind her. It slammed shut harder than she had anticipated, and she winced as soon as she heard the sharp crack of wood on wood. Her cringed expression quickly turned into one of sadness though, as she made her way down the stairs. ‘I was certain he was going to invite me to stay with him,’ she thought. Or at least get undressed before getting into bed. Sassy was now very sure that Anon did not like her, and the feeling twisted in her gut. Despair had overcome the usually level-headed unicorn. She flopped on the chaise lounge that Anon had been sleeping on earlier, and she stared blankly up towards the ceiling. The cushion still smelt of him, and only served as a reminder of her unmet feelings. ‘This is a hopeless dream’ she thought. It was unhealthy and she needed to get it out of her head. However, she just couldn't.

Meanwhile Anon had gotten out of bed to get undressed. He couldn't sleep with dirty clothes on despite his tiredness. The curtains to the window were closed but still let in enough daylight to clearly see the colours of the room.

The room was nicely furnished. Aside from the large luxurious bed, there was a large antique wardrobe and an ornate dresser with three large vanity mirrors, all positioned towards the would be user. Toiletries and various items of makeup were scattered about its surface. Large posters of various music bands were stuck on the wall. It gave the room a homely feel. He got back into the bed, under the blanket this time. Anon’s body instantly rested as he drifted off to sleep.

His eyes opened again as he had a realization. They focused on the dresser where there stood a small framed picture of a small teal filly and a couple of older ponies. ‘This is Sassy's room’ he thought. The pony stuck in his head as sleep finally took him.

~~~~

Rarity was annoyed. As if she wasn't stressed enough from the huge amount of work she had to do today, she now had to deal with a lovesick schoolfilly. Rarity sowed fabric together with a deep frown on her face, completely silent as her friend spewed a jumble of words at her.

“How could he like me, I let him sleep in my bed and he didn't ask me to stay with him, and he didn't respond to the seductive eyes, and he didn't want to take his clothes off. I knew I wasn't good enough for him. I'm so stupid …” Sassy continued for a whole minute before running out of breath and coming to a stop. Rarity finished the stitch she was doing and calmly turned around to face the finally burnt out unicorn.

“So let me get this straight, you offered him your bed to sleep in because he was tired, but because he did not invite you in with him, he must not like you?” Rarity’s face was deadpan, but slowly turned more motherly as she thought of her next words.

“Darling, I know what I said earlier, but I think you might need to be just a bit more obvious. You can't expect the guy to be psychic.”

Sassy nodded.

“I know. It's just so scary,” Sassy half wined, like the laws of reality were unfair.

“What am I to do?” Sassy lamented.

“Well my go to is always a bit of innocent touching.” said Rarity. “It seems to get the message across very effectively, and nopony is able to call you out on it.”

Rarity didn't notice that she was passively gloating about her own flirting skills, and Sassy didn't care.

“Anyway, I'm very busy remember, go and try again, or at the very least go somewhere else,” with that Rarity turned around and continued with her work.

Sassy realised that her presence was distracting to Rarity. She had a lot to do after all. Sassy got up and went into the lobby, deep in thought about what she could do to coerce romantic attraction between them. Rarity's touching advice seemed totally useless. Sassy knew she didn't have the nerve to pull something like that off. Luckily, she had time to think of something. She knew he would not wake up for several hours yet. It made Sassy relax knowing she had time to think of a plan. Sassy tried to think of a way to touch Anon without it being weird. She knew if she acted innocent, she should be given the benefit of the doubt on most things. But on the other hand, if it could be passed off as an innocent gesture it would not convey the intention she wanted it too.

She thought a hug would be the best way of doing this, and her mind instantly conjured infinite different versions of cuddles with the human. None of them quite worked though. He was too tall and lanky. She couldn’t picture how it would work. He'd have to be kneeling down like her previous dream, or even lying down.

In a moment of inspiration, a plan struck her face first.

Anon the human was lying down at the present moment. In her own bed as well. She had only had 4 hours sleep. It would be perfectly reasonable for her to want to have a nap. And where else was she going to do that other than her own bed? Once there, cuddles were only a few feet away. She was sure she could come up with some excuse for that. Saying she was cold, do it whilst pretending to be asleep, complaining there was not enough space. All these excuses seemed feasible.

Sassy's plan made her smile. It was something she could do right now. It allowed her to take control, and be active instead of passive. This gave her confidence. Sassy got up and took bold strides towards the stairs. She put her front hoof on the first step before stopping and blinking. ‘Maybe it would be too weird’ she thought. She wouldn't want to spoil her only chance with him. Maybe it was a bit forward. Sassy went and sat back down.

She paced to the stairs and then back again at least a dozen times over the next few hours. Each time finding a new reason not to enact her plan. This was probably a good thing in retrospect since Anon would have been angry about being woken after one hour of sleep, even if it was by Sassy saddles.

At the heart of it, Sassy's nervousness stemmed from her inexperience. There was a lot she didn't know about romantic relationships, and had never been in a serious one before. She just never felt comfortable around manly stallions. Unfortunately, they were often the ones she liked. It was a cruel hypocrisy. Sex was another matter entirely. Her libido was very active and she had erotic thoughts almost every day, not to mention some exotic kinks, however they only ever played out in her mind or in the solitary comfort of her bedroom. Her dream about Anon excited her so much, but she had no idea how it would really play out if it were to be in real life. There was only one way to find out.

Sassy gathered all of her composure. Somehow, she gained the courage to slowly walk up the stairs towards her own room. Her heart was in her mouth and adrenaline surged all over her body. Her breath quickened as she viewed the frightening door she would have to pass through.

“What do I have to lose?” she whispered to herself under her breath.

She tiptoed up to it and put her hoof against the door ready to push it. She drew in a deep breath and steadied herself. It was now or never.

Sassy pushed, and the door silently stepped aside for her. She quietly walked through hoping that Anon was still asleep and she could just sneak in. She had lived in the room for over a year now, but in this moment, it didn't feel like hers. It felt like she was intruding on another ponies dwelling.

The spring on the door swung back and caused the door to slam shut with a loud thud. Sassy jumped a mile and squealed like a little filly. It didn't help that she was already so nervous, and the room so quiet.

Over on the bed, a sleepy Anon stirred. He lifted his head up and looked about with groggy eyes. He rubbed them, trying to focus before realising that it was Sassy in the room.

“Oh, hello Sassy. What are you doing here? How long have I been asleep?” he asked, his senses returning to him.

“Only a short while,” she said trying to hide her nervousness by being overly cheerful. “I just came to get some rest myself.”

She laughed and then smiled at him. Sassy was going for cute and flirtatious but instead she looked more psychopathic than anything else. Anon didn't catch that vibe though. He flipped his head back down on the pillow and mumbled. His brain was still foggy and wanted to go back to sleep.

Then he had a disturbing thought. ‘She wants to sleep in here doesn't she? with me’. He couldn't let this happen. He couldn't handle having a mare that he liked so close to him, he wouldn't be able to get any sleep at all. What if he started sleep talking about her? He would never live it down. That would be awful.

“You're not planning on sleeping here are you? This beds already pretty full,” Anon said with slight nervousness.

“Hey, there's more than enough room.” Sassy said matter-of-factly. “Besides I've only slept for four hours you know, where else am I to sleep but my own bed?”

Anon opened his mouth to think of an excuse but he fell silent. He was stumped. It was her bed, and there was no way he could stop her from getting into it if she wanted to.

“Oh alright then,” he said trying to act as natural as possible, and shuffled over to one half of the bed. He assumed a resting soldier position, and looked physically awkward and uncomfortable. Sassy then made a move towards the bed. She lifted the sheets and climbed in facing away from him. She could feel the tension just as well as Anon, and Sassy, being inexperienced could not tell how much further she could push it before it would break. The thought of physically touching Anon was tempting for her, but in her heart she knew that it would be too far, and her chances would be ruined forever.

Instead, she decided just to rollover so that she could look at him. She did so and expected him to already be asleep, but she was shocked to find that Anon had also rolled over towards her and was now staring at her quizzically.

“Umm Sassy, Do you normally sleep fully clothed? I mean, you are starting to smell a bit,” He said with a quizzical expression.

“Well I uh…” Sassy stammered. She sat up and shied away from him.

‘Oh fuck’ she thought. How was she going to play this one off? The obvious solution would be to take off her dress, but she couldn't do that. Nopony had seen her unclothed for so many years. She just couldn't do it. She couldn't let him see her like she really was. There is no way he would be attracted to her then. It was a big mess. Her secret would be out.

“What, are you just going to sit there?” Anon said, a bit irritated. “I'd like to go to sleep please.”

He stared at her with a somewhat angry frown. She was interrupting his well-earned rest, and she had no reason to be, even if it was her bed, she offered it.

They usually elegant mare couldn't hold back her feelings anymore. The emotional strain was too much. Tears welled up in her eyes and little sobs escaped out of her mouth. She turned her face away from Anon and covered her head with her forehooves, hiding away from him so he couldn't see her. She started to sporadically hiccup, and sniff, and tears rolled down her face. Years of sadness emanated from the mare. She felt hopeless, like it would always be this way. And she had evidence to prove her right.

Anon was stunned by this. He in no way expected the pony he was with to suddenly breakdown crying. Yes, he may have snapped at her with a small amount of venom, but it really carried no weight. Nevertheless, she was clearly upset about something and it tugged at his heart. He couldn't let her feel like this, whatever was causing it; and resolved to make her feel better, no matter the cost.

He cautiously sat up and approached the emotional mare. He didn't really know what to do since she had turned away from him and curled herself up into a tight ball. He reached out a hand and as gently as he could, and stroked her neck. She flinched and moved away. She involuntarily moved both her tail and mane to try and hide away from him. She felt so humiliated that she was acting like this in front of him. She just wanted to curl up into a ball and die.

The first part she got pretty spot on, but death never came.

Anon tried again, running a soothing hand down her neck and shoulder. Sassy seemed to realise that it was a kind gesture and made no effort to move away. The two sat there for a few moments. Anon seemed to be having a positive effect. Sassy uncurled herself from the ball like position, and laid out straight, though she was still just as distressed. Her eyes were red and puffy, and they would not make eye contact with Anon as much as he wished they would.

“Anon, I haven't been honest with you. There are some horrible things that nobody knows about me.”

She sat up, and looked out the side of her eyes at Anon. She looked dishevelled and humiliated.

“I'm so ugly,” Sassy suddenly blurted out.

This was suddenly followed by an uncontrolled outburst of sobs. She knew he would be unlikely to want to see her again after this.

Anon though was feeling the opposite. He wanted nothing more than to comfort the beautiful mare, and tell her that whatever it was, it was going to be alright. He thought for a split second and could only come up with one way to really help.

They were so close, both sat up in the middle of a double bed. Anon reached out slowly and put his arms around her. He was as slow and soft as he could be. He realised that the pony across from him was very delicate, and seem to be nervous of him. Sassy would have been shocked by this, but she just needed comforting. The hug started to close, and she pushed herself forward and into his chest. His arms locked around her and pulled her into a tight hug. Her forelegs wrapped around his lower back and they were locked together.

They sat like this for a while, nestled into one another. Sassy started to feel safe in his arms, and her sobs, sniffs, and hiccups slowly died down. She found herself hugging back tightening her grip around him and showing that she was not as uncomfortable as she was before.

Anon backed away slowly so that they could make eye contact. Their limbs still embraced each other, and he look down to see that her eyes we're still red, but still the beautiful mare he found himself having feelings for.

“No, you're beautiful,” he said with sincere steadiness.

“Now are you going to tell me what has gotten you so upset?”

Sassy sighed. Her resolve had been crushed by the caring actions the man was administering. It made her heart flip, but there was nothing she could do but trust him. It felt unnatural. She didn't normally trust anyone fully, apart from herself. It was part of who she was, and sharing her deepest secrets filled her with dread, but it was something she had to do if she was going to entertain the dream that Anon would understand, and not be revolted.

“Well it happened when I was a little filly,” she said with a more controlled sadness. “I grew up in Trottingham, and out there, there was a wilderness that nopony was meant to go. I did.”

She took a pause in the story. She couldn’t think of how to continue.

“What happened to you?” Anon said. He was trying to be as compassionate as possible.

“I was attacked by a beast known as a minotaur. He caught me and tried to eat me. I managed to escape, but not uninjured.” She looked at her body, however it was still covered by a dirty black dress.

“The doctors did the best they could, but I’ve got some scars”. Sassy slightly strained at the words. Another sobbing fit was trying to breakout.

She pushed her head back into Anon’s chest to seek refuge from the horrifying emotions. Anon meanwhile, was coming to understand. She was a mare whose job everyday was to be concerned with beauty. Something that was so incredibly vain. She also appeared to fit into this. But he knew she felt like she was living a massive lie. She really didn't believe that her true self was beautiful.

“Can I see?” he with whispered softly into her ear.

The mare went rigid at these words and backed away shaking her head. Anon immediately wished he hadn't asked, but it was too late now.

“No, I can't! Anybody else who has seen them has been disgusted. They're so bad I used to get bullied for them. That's why I always wear a dress now.” She said with straining her voice. She gestured to the dress in question and removed herself completely from Anon’s embrace.

Anon was saddened. He knew exactly what it was like to be bullied at school, and though he was well past it now, the memory’s still hung with him. The mare in front of him was undeniably slender, toned, classy, and really pretty. There was no way he could find her ugly no matter what lay beneath the dress. He did want to see though. He wanted to see the real Sassy Saddles. The one that was hidden away from the average pony, the one he truly wanted to love.

“I think you're beautiful Sassy, nothing under those clothes is going to change that. I just want to see the real you.” Anon realised that sounded a bit cringey, but it was true, and there was no other way to say it.

Sassy battled against her insecurities. A fear she held for so long threatened to rear up and make her close off to the world. She wanted to run away from the situation and forget it ever happened. However, a more rational part of her knew that Anon had not faltered when she broke down, or even when she confessed what was upsetting her. She doubted that showing everything, and becoming totally naked, would cause a change in his reaction now. She had already come this far, there was no backing out. She knew she had to show him. She had to trust him completely.

She didn't say anything, but instead meekly nodded and pushed back into Anon’s embrace. The bodily contact made her feel calmer, and a little more comforted. Anon ran his hands up and down Sassy's neck before coming to the top of her dress. His dextrous appendages found the small zipper within the frills at the nape of her neck, and gripped it with tenderness.

He gently applied pressure and the zipper moved along Sassy's back. She flinched and felt uneasy as she felt her clothing become loose around her. The zip was fully off now, and he clasped the dress and pulled it down her forelegs. Sassy had to back away slightly to get them over her legs and as soon as it did so, she clasped back onto Anon’s torso, holding him tight. He chucked the dirty garment onto the floor where he hoped it would be forgotten about.

Anon couldn't bring himself to look at Sassy's body. It felt like a violation, and he was not so sure it was something Sassy would want. Instead he kept a piercing eye contact with her. Her eyes were still red and puffy, and had a worried look. He tried his best to look stoic and tell her through his expression that it was all okay.

Anon reached his hands around Sassy and gently felt down her back. She flinched as they made contact, but she did not move away. Anon tenderly felt her. He ran her hands down her slender body and could feel three distinct bumps. He followed the scars with his fingers and they appeared to run diagonally across Sassy's back. They ran from the back of her shoulder blade on her left side, around her barrel until they petered out near her withers.

To him they really didn't feel that bad. Yes, they were there and he could definitely feel them, but he found himself a little distracted by her fit midsection. She was lean and Anon felt privileged to be able to feel something that no one had really even seen before. He took his hands away, having had enough, and placed them back at the base of her neck.

“See still beautiful,” he said lovingly.

They hugged tightly for a few moments. Sassy's sniffles and whimpers died down as she started to breathe normally again. The sadness started to clear away, replaced with a contentment to just be with each other. Sassy wished it could go on forever, but Anon was not quite as enthused and had a different idea.

“Okay seriously though, you do smell just a lil’ bit fruity,” he said, as lovingly as he could say someone smelt bad. “Come on, to the bathroom with you.”

Before she could say anything, he whisked her up in his arms and picked her up off the bed. She weighed maybe 100 pounds, which strained Anon a little bit, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. She laid comfortably in his arms with her gangly legs sticking up abruptly. She looked cute despite the recent evidence she had been crying. Anon hopped down off the bed and carried her over to what he assumed was an ensuite bathroom. He opened the door and was slightly relieved when he was greeted with a luxurious bathroom instead of a walk-in closet.

The bathroom was clean and looked premium. It had a polished cream tile floor, which had fossils of strange little sea creatures embedded into them. The toilet and sink were on the left and right respectively and at the end there was a large walk in shower with an expensive looking glass door.

Anon put her down and backed away. It was the first good look he was able to get at Sassy Saddles in her nude form. He knew most ponies were naked most of the time, but for some reason she really did seem naked in a humanized sense. The scene looked private. The marks on Sassy's back did not look anything like he was expecting. They were definite claw marks, but instead of looking grotesque, they just looked like three darker green lines running across her back which were mostly covered by fur.

Sassy looked up and noticed they were both standing in front of a large full body mirror. She looked at him and admired how muscular and confident his posture was. She felt sorely inadequate when she glanced at herself. In her eyes they didn't look like a pair. ‘How could he ever like her?’ she thought.

Anon saw the saddening look of the mare in the mirror, and tried his best to reverse it.

“See they don't look so bad do they,” he consoled her, gesturing to her reflection.

“How an Equestria did you trap such a lovely mare inside your mirror?” He said with a sly grin.

This made Sassy smile for the first time since her confession. She was starting to believe him. He really did think she was pretty, and didn't mind her imperfections. It made her heart flutter, and the feeling was even greater due to the fact that he liked the real her. It felt genuine.

Sassy went over to the shower, got inside, and turned the water on. A wide overhead showerhead began to deluge water and Sassy pinned herself to the back of the shower to stay out of its way until it warmed up. After a few seconds the water had warmed to a nice temperature, and she entered the flowing water. It was clearly a bit warmer than Anon was used to. A steamy condensation was billowing up, and already misting up the glass.

It did not obstruct the view for Anon though, who was gazing at Sassy. The water poured over her, matting her mane and tail and darkening her coat. It was not the bedraggled look she had after being out in the rain the other day though. It made her coat shimmer and made her body look even more defined. Her now wet mane flopped down in an alluring manner. He blinked for a second before picking his jaw up, and closing his mouth. She really did look good.

He went over, intent on joining her. He grabbed the handle and opened the door, and was about to step inside when Sassy interrupted.

“Anon, do you normally shower with your clothes on?” she said in a snarky tone.

‘Oh shit’ he thought. Yeah, he would have to shower naked. He knew it was his time to step out of his comfort zone. He swallowed his pride and wrapped his thumbs round the waistband of his boxers before lowering them to the ground. Turning round, Anon then stood face on to Sassy, with his hands on his hips, and a shit eating grin.

Sassy blushed a little bit. Stallions were obviously naked all the time, but she got the feeling this was a private thing for a human to be doing. She was curious about him though. She saw that he was different to a stallion. Curiosity got the best of her, and she moved forward to get a better look at his manhood.

She was surprised by what she saw, but not disappointed. She saw a few differences. One that stood out to her was his finely cut pubes around his crotch. Stallions were normally bare there, with fur on the rest of the body. The human had increased hair there but very little elsewhere. She thought it was an interesting opposite. She also noticed how he did not have a sheath. His penis was clearly flaccid, but did not retract all the way, instead it flopped out a few inches.

She realised she had been staring at Anon’s dick quite intently, and looked away, blushing profusely. She backed away into the shower and pretended to wash herself once more. Anon closed the door and joined her under the shower stream. They had to get close to each other to both be under it at the same time, but neither was opposed to the idea. Sassy came up to around his mid chest if her horn was excluded, and Anon decided to kneel on one knee so that they were face to face.

The shower seemed to become a few degrees hotter. Their faces were only inches away. The human could feel Sassy's breath on his skin, and he was sure she could feel the same. She stared at him longingly, and adrenaline began to surge through her again. However, she was not worried this time. He put his hand up and ran it under her muzzle. He then caressed her cheek and brought himself closer to her. However, they didn't kiss.

Instead their noses delicately touched together, and they shared each other's breath. Sassy now smelt sweet, and although they did not kiss, it felt just as intimate. Sassy smiled sweetly. She could feel the connection between them, and though she had known him for such little time, it felt like it was something special.

Water continued to flow over them, and it made it feel like they were out in a storm, embracing each other after a romantic date. She moved to the side and nuzzled his cheek with hers. It was something ponies only did to each other when they really cared for them, and although it was very platonic, Sassy just thought it was right in the moment.

Anon was enjoying it as well. He did not know the meaning it had in Equestria, but it felt intimate and enjoyable, so he nuzzled back. It felt exotic. Not something that a human girl would be interested in doing, but it felt like the right thing to do with Sassy.

He had something that he always wanted to do to a pony but never got the right opportunity. He reached back and picked the shampoo off the shelf at the back of the shower. He gestured to Sassy to come closer to him, out of the shower stream.

“Let me wash you,” he said in a caring voice.

Sassy smiled, nodded and turned side on to him. He got the bottle and squirted a big glob onto his hand, before applying it to her back, and rubbing vigorously. His fingers rubbed all along her body and he made sure to massage the lathered soap deep into her. She hummed with enjoyment as he massaged her and washed her fur. The shampoo smelled of tea tree oil and was delightful. He had wondered how she got that smell.

He hung on as long as he could, but any longer and it would have been too obvious that he was enjoying it himself as well. He stood up and washed his hands in the shower. Sassy moved back under the stream and washed all of the soap, and the dirt it carried, away.

“Right I think I'm done,” Sassy said a little bit saddened it was over.

The pair stepped out of the shower, and Anon took the opportunity to dry Sassy off himself with a soft teal coloured towel. The same colour as she was. She cooed in pleasure as he rubbed her neck, shoulders, and back. This adequately dried her fur, but it was still left damp enough so that it curled up in little tufts and flecks, which made her look fluffy and adorable like when she was out in the rain.

Anon yawned. He was actually still fatigued, due to only having had a few hours sleep. The pair retired to the bed. He decided to leave his boxers on the bathroom floor. He had no need for modesty now. Now that Sassy had seen him, and seemed to like him naked, there was no need for them. Anon got into Sassy's bed and she followed him.

They snuggled down together, each trying to make as much bodily contact as possible. They touched their chests together and wrapped their respective front appendages around each other tight. Sassy worked her nose into the crook of Anon’s neck, and he wrapped his legs around her, encompassing her back legs and tail. It's as if the two were one. They both had a subtle but genuine smile, and felt contented for the first time in a long time. They grew weary and closed their eyes. Sassy sighed as if letting out her last bit of tension, and a calmness overtook the room.

“Sassy, I kind of like you,” Anon said sleepily.

“I kinda like you too,” said Sassy with a little giggle.

The pair fell asleep quickly, entangled with one another. It was the most peaceful sleep either had had in a long while.