Ba-ding!
Rainbow Dash leaned forward, controller in hand, as she watched the pixelated numbers on the screen shoot up. All those hours of practice, fighting to master every weapon with the art of button mashing, came down to this.
Then, she heard it, the victorious chip-tune melody proudly announcing her new high score. She had done it. She had completed a perfect run of Space Crusader IV, achieving a final score of over one million points.
“Yes!” She cried, shooting to her feet and pumping her fist skyward. “Woohoo! Oh yeah, who’s awesome? That’s right, I’m awesome, I’m the best, and I am gonna one hundred percent smash that tournament!”
Slumping back onto the sofa, her stomach rumbled a loud complaint. Yet again, she’d been fixated so much on the game that she had forgotten to make lunch. How long had she been playing for, again?
She glanced up at the clock and her eyes went wide. Oh, crap, it’s Five-fifteen already?!
With no time to waste, Rainbow grabbed her medallion from her pants pocket and zipped through her apartment at nearly super-sonic speed. Fluttershy, her girlfriend and roommate, would be home any minute now. After a full day dealing with pet-store customers, there was no way she’d have the energy to help out.
Once she’d taken out the trash and washed the dishes, she set about emptying the dryer—the one thing she’d done before her gaming session—prioritising Fluttershy’s room before her own.
When she opened Fluttershy’s top drawer, something caught her eye. They weren’t plush toys, as she’d expected, but something different.
Sitting on top of a folded dress was a cat-eared headband and a belt with a long, thin tail attached to it.
Since when did Fluttershy get into Cosplay? Dash wondered.
Thinking about it, the new interest wasn’t completely out of the blue. It had only been a week since Rarity took them to an anime convention. Despite her initial anxiety, once Fluttershy caught sight of her favourite characters, she would end up chatting away like no tomorrow.
Her train of thought came to an abrupt halt with the opening click of her apartment door.
“Oh, hey, Fluttershy,” she called. “Welcome home.”
No reply.
Sticking her head around the corner, she saw Fluttershy, still in her work uniform, crashing face down on the sofa with her arms wrapped around a pillow.
“Fluttershy?” Wasting no time, Dash raced over to her lovers' side, placing her hand on Fluttershy's shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“Eep!” Fluttershy jumped, spinning around and almost slapping Rainbow Dash across the cheek. “Oh, sorry, Rainbow. I didn’t hear you come in.”
Only now did Dash realise she still had her medallion on. “Ugh, of course, I’d forget about it,” she grumbled under her breath.
“Huh?”
“Nah, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. Long day?”
Fluttershy nodded.
“Anything you wanna talk about?”
Sitting up, Fluttershy gestured for Rainbow to sit next to her.
“There was a bad customer at work,” she explained, clenching her fists tight. “This huge guy barged into the shop and demanded to know why his snake wasn’t eating. I tried to ask about the species to get more information, but he just kept shouting. It was horrible.”
“Oh, my grop.” Rainbow’s eye twitched. “He’s one of those customers, isn’t he?”
“Yeah. What’s worse is that he had the snake with him, demanding a refund. The poor thing looked extremely dehydrated! I asked about the enclosure’s humidity, but the guy scoffed and said that it didn’t need water, since it’s a tree boa.”
“I don’t believe it.” Rainbow face-palmed hard. “Did you at least get the snake off him?”
“I did, but the little guy is in bad shape. We’ll be taking it to the vet first thing tomorrow morning. I gave the customer a refund just to get rid of him, but the manager has already banned him from the store. I can’t believe anyone would buy a pet without knowing how to care for it!”
“Holy crap. That guy better thank his lucky stars I wasn’t there. There’s no way I’d let an animal abuser like that walk away without getting roughed up, first.”
Fluttershy cringed at the idea. “No, that’d just make it worse. The animal’s life takes priority, and now that it’s safe, I don’t want to think about that guy ever again.”
Rainbow Dash sighed. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” Reaching her arm over Fluttershy’s shoulder, Dash kissed her cheek gently before pulling her into a gentle side hug. “That’s what I like about you, ‘Shy. You’re a ‘do no harm, but take no garbage’ kind of girl, and you’re always calm under pressure.”
Fluttershy let out a small giggle. “Thanks, Dashie. I love you.”
“I love you, too, ‘Shy. How about we put that a-hole behind us and talk about something else over dinner? I saw Rarity’s cosplay bug bit you, too, didn’t it?”
“Huh? Cosplay?”
“Yeah, y’know, the cat ears and tail you keep in your drawer? I found ‘em while I was sorting laundry. You’re making a catgirl costume or something, like that magical girl show, right?”
Fluttershy gulped, colour draining from her face. “Um, that’s not it. It’s for… something else.”
“Huh?” Dash stared blankly at Fluttershy for a moment, racking her brain for what this ‘something else’ might be.
Despite how fun the anime convention was, Fluttershy still didn’t like Halloween, and that wasn’t for another two months yet. Was she keeping it for someone else?
There was, of course, one other possibility, but that answer didn’t make sense either.
“Hold up,” Dash said. “‘Shy, I thought you were Asexual?”
“No, no, I am! It’s n-not sex-related at all. The ears and tail… they’re for r-roleplay, but not that kind of, um, roleplay.”
Rainbow scratched the back of her head. “I don’t get it.”
Biting her lip, Fluttershy closed her eyes. “Treehugger and I are both into pet play. It’s a kink, but it’s not the sexual kind, I promise.”
Dash stayed silent for a moment, rubbing the bridge of her nose between her finger and thumb. “I’ll be honest, a non-sexual kink sounds kinda like an oxay… ox-he…”
“Oxymoron?”
“Yeah, that thing Twilight says. Anyway, my point is, I might not get it, but I don’t really care, either. I guess it was supposed to be a private thing, anyway, so you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”
Fluttershy considered that for a moment. “I suppose the cat’s out of the bag – if you’ll pardon the pun. I’d like to explain myself properly. If that’s okay.”
“You sure?”
Fluttershy nodded.
“All right then, I’m all ears. It’s something you and Treehugger have done before?”
“Uh-huh. She suggested I try it. Since I spend so much time taking care of pets, why shouldn’t I be the pet for once? It was awkward at first, but it’s since become my new favourite way to relax. You probably think I’m weird—”
“Woah, woah, woah, let me stop you there, ‘Shy. I never said anything about you being weird. It’s a little strange, yeah, but if it makes you happy, I’m not gonna judge. I do trust you, so all I wanna know is why you never told me before?”
“Well, um…” Fluttershy hesitated, bouncing her leg as her face turned red. “It’s because there’s one, other, thing about it.”
“Yeah?” Dash prompted, keeping her expression neutral. She had no reason to suspect anything nefarious, but if she had to hide it from her girlfriend, of all people, then surely there was more to it?
“The thing is, Tree Hugger is a nudist. So, when we’re playing pets, we only wear the ears and tail. When I take my clothes off, it feels like I’m shedding all day’s stress with them. I promise it’s not a sexual thing, though! I’d never dream of cheating on anyone, least of all, you.”
“Hey, ‘Shy? Look at me.” Pressing her hands against Fluttershy’s cheeks, Dash looked straight into her eyes. “I said before that I trusted you, right? Well, shock of all shocks, I still do!”
Fluttershy opened her mouth to object, but Rainbow Dash shushed her.
“Don’t forget, Tree Hugger’s my friend, too. She’s way too chill to do something like cheating. If you say it’s nothing sexual, then I believe you.”
“So… you’re not mad?”
“Of course, I’m not mad! We’ve known each other for, what, ten years? Maybe more? If I was mad at you, I pinkie swear I would tell you directly. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
With Dash performing the little ‘pinkie swear’ dance, Fluttershy exhaled as she clung to her arm. “Thank you, Rainbow. You’re the best.”
“Oh yeah, I’m awesome, I know.” Dash thumped her chest. “Anyway, I need to think about making grub, ‘cause I am star-ving! How do spaghetti and vegan meatballs sound?”
“I don’t know,” Fluttershy said, trying and failing to hold back a smirk. “Have you tried listening to them?”
Dash laughed and shook her head. “Walked right into that one.”
“Now that’s what I call a good meal!” Rainbow Dash said, patting her belly. “I’m stuffed.”
“It was delicious, thank you, Dashie.” Fluttershy smiled, carefully wiping her mouth free of tomato sauce.
“Better than cat food, I’m guessing?”
“I’ve tasted cat food before. The cans smelt off and tasted bad, too, so I threw them out before the cats were served. I don’t know why so many tins went bad at once, but I’ve never had a bad order since.”
To that, Dash had no response beyond a blank stare. Did Fluttershy understand she was teasing, or did she answer sincerely just to throw her off?
Fluttershy’s expression dropped. “Sorry, I guess that is a little gross.”
“Eh, don’t sweat it. It was a lame joke anyway.”
Pushing the chair back, Dash reached over to collect Fluttershy’s plate, but she stopped.
“It’s okay, Dash, I’ll do the washing up tonight.”
“You sure? After the day you’ve had, chores should be the last thing to worry about.”
Fluttershy nodded, smiling softly. “You’ve done most of the chores already, so it’s only fair.”
“Well, if you’re cool with it.” Dash shrugged. “I’ll just be in the living room watching some anime. Feel free to join me when you’re done.”
“Ultimate, final, COMBINATION!”
The mecha pilot’s passcode declaration was received loud and clear, initiating the needlessly elaborate transformation sequence. Vehicles split in two, folded up and slotted into place, forming an even bigger super robot than the one before.
“Head-mod, activate!” Dash repeated, laughing as the robot’s forcefield bounced the enemy kaiju away. This invulnerability field would, of course, mysteriously vanish the moment the transformation finished, and that was exactly the way she liked it.
Her thoughts turned to Fluttershy for a moment. After she’d done the dishes, she’d gone to change out of her work clothes, but that was nearly an hour ago. It wasn’t unusual for her to decompress alone, even after discussing her crap day.
Reaching for the remote, she was about to pause the DVD when, from the corner of her eye, she spotted Fluttershy crawling towards her on her hands and knees.
She was wearing her cat ears and her tail, but nothing else.
“Mew,” Fluttershy vocalised, flicking the tip of her faux tail back and forth.
Dash’s heart skipped a beat. She’d seen Fluttershy naked before, but not like this. Every other time had been incidental, a fact of living together. This, however, was deliberate. She had chosen to take off her clothes and present herself as a cat, specifically for them both to enjoy.
Play it cool, Dash. You know what this is about, don’t make it weird.
“Oh, um, hey, Fluttershy,” she said tentatively, carefully considering her words. “Do you wanna, maybe, sit with me?”
Fluttershy meowed brightly, crawling over to rub herself against Dash’s leg.
“Uh, good kitty?” Leaning forward, Dash slowly uncurled her hand.
Fluttershy sat down, legs splayed, and pushed her head gently into Dash’s palm, purring as she stroked her.
Rainbow Dash smiled. Fluttershy was always cute, of course, but as a cat? Her little act was both impressive and adorable. She mimicked the feline behaviour perfectly, returning the affection she received twice over. Now that she saw her up close, she noticed the ears and tails had long pieces of string attached at multiple points, each wrapped around her fingers to move them independently.
Though they didn’t yet have the money to afford a real cat, Dash knew enough about cat behaviour and body language to understand Fluttershy’s communication. With her tail held high, the tip bent to create a slight ‘l’ shape, the message of comfort was loud and clear.
That gave Dash an idea.
“Fluttershy, up,” she commanded, patting her lap.
Leaning back, Fluttershy bent her knees and leapt onto the sofa, rolling over onto her back with her hands and legs in the air. Head resting atop her legs, Dash gently scratched her behind the ears.
“Good kitty,” she said, and Fluttershy purred, curling up on her lap as best she could with the available space.
The two sat there for some time, though only Dash kept watching the anime. Her new pet had closed her eyes, and besides the occasional purr or nuzzle of her palm, she appeared content to sleep against her. As the episodes wore on, the butterflies in her stomach refused to relent, despite her attempts to relax.
Still, something felt off. Under any other circumstance, the presence of her girlfriend, splaying naked over her would be a massive turn-on. But she didn’t feel horny at all.
She supposed part of it was how peaceful Fluttershy looked, her ears flat against her head and her tail tucked in beside her. As her chest slowly rose and fell, the smile on her face grew, any trace of the day’s worries dissolving from her gentle, resonant purrs.
She was the epitome of innocence, and it felt wrong to even consider getting off to her. But still, she felt a certain itch, a level of bodily discomfort at odds with her lover’s relaxation. The longer she tried to ignore it, the stronger the feeling became, nagging at her without ever conveying the specifics.
Something, or perhaps someone, had to change.
“Hey, Fluttershy?”
“Mew?” Fluttershy looked up, still half-asleep.
“Can you move for just a second?”
Fluttershy did as she was asked, sitting upright with her head slightly tilted.
Standing up, Rainbow Dash grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up and over her head.
Despite her commitment to her cat-sona, Fluttershy couldn’t help but blush.
“I’ve decided something,” Dash said as she pulled down her pants. “It feels wrong for you to be the only one who’s naked. Let me fix that for ya real quick.”
Once she’d discarded her underwear, dropping it with the rest of her clothes beside the sofa, Dash stretched out her arms, interlocking her fingers and cracking her knuckles.
“That’s better.” Sitting back down, she kicked her feet up on the footrest and placed her hands behind her head. “Everything’s cool now, you can keep going.”
That, combined with the grin on her face, made Fluttershy laugh. It was a little squeak of a laugh, more akin to a mouse than a cat, but it was the kind of jolly quip that never failed to warm the fires of Dash’s heart.
“I love you, Dashie,” Fluttershy said, briefly breaking character as she laid back down.
“Love you, too, ‘Shy,” Dash replied, stroking Fluttershy’s hair as she settled in for the anime’s season finale.
Author's Note
Thank you for reading! I'll admit, there's a large degree of author appeal with this story. That said, I still wanted to explore the concept of non-sexual fetishes, and how they may play out in a relationship.
You can have both mild kink and cute, wholesome moments, too.
If you liked this story, feel free to leave a comment with any feedback you may have. :)
