Fluttershy giggled as a swarm of squirrels leapt in and out of her hair, inadvertently tickling her to the point where she was fairly certain it was on purpose.
She tried to suppress her remaining giggles in order to speak. "Easy, please!"
It'd been about a week since the Grand Galloping Gala. It was long behind her now and she held no qualms about it; after all, she'd done things too.
Though, she couldn't fully understand why Discord was so forgiving; he'd just shrugged off everything like it wasn't even a problem. Mind you, she realized it was a bit mean to say that she didn't expect him to be forgiving, but after the whole jealousy thing with Tree Hugger, she'd figured that he was like that with at least a few things.
But that was just how Discord was, right? He was unpredictable, and she could never be sure what'd he do next. Maybe it was simply that he got jealous easily, yet forgave easily too.
Or... maybe it was her?
Her heart skipped a beat at the thought, though she abandoned it just as quickly. No, that was ridiculous. He cared about her, she was certain, but to forgive so quickly without a thought was unthinkable for someone like him. It was something she did all the time, but Element of Kindness and all that.
That wasn't the biggest mystery though; no, that award went to his whole 'Flutteromantic' thing. What did that even mean? She racked her brain on it for a good long while, but still had no ideas.
She wasn't entirely sure why she was so hung up on it either. Her failures only made her feel like an idiot.
"Fluttershy."
She snapped out of her thoughts and jumped back as she realized that Discord had suddenly appeared, face inches away from her. Her muzzle changed to pink, as she found his eyes rather pretty up close.
He stood up to his full height, gesturing outwards. "If you're going to take your mind on a trip to another dimension, you could've at least invited your old pal Discord!"
The tenseness she didn't realize she had eased as she giggled. "I'm sorry, Discord. I was thinking."
"Aren't you always?" he teased, suddenly laying on his stomach in one of the trees. "I'd think you wouldn't still be alive if you didn't. No, that instead looks like the face you put on when you're deeply thinking about something, my dear!"
More memories of last week briefly flashed in her mind.
He teleported back in front of her, his eyes practically dripping with curiosity. "So~?"
She bit her bottom lip sheepishly. As cute as he'd surely react, it'd be far too embarrassing if she said she was thinking deeply about him.
"I-I was, um, thinking about something that happened last week?" It wasn't a complete lie.
He didn't respond, his eyebrows lowering slightly as he stared at her. Did he know...?
A squeak from one of her squirrels then got her attention. "O-oh! Um..."
She tried to look at them as they all scurried up to the top of her head. "Discord, these are my new squirrel friends. They moved in just the other day."
She gestured as she listed them off. "This is Maple, Aspen, Sequoia, and Pine."
The squirrels all waved to Discord, who looked sufficiently amused. "Do you think any of them would give me a starter?"
Fluttershy blinked a few times. "Hm?"
"Nevermind," he said with a deep chuckle. "But anyway, Fluttershy, you never told me you doubled as a condo!"
He vanished, Fluttershy looking around for a moment before she felt something squirming around in her mane.
Discord popped out, roughly around the squirrels' size, seeming to relax in her strands of pink hair. "All right, I'll admit it; this is spectacular." He glanced up at the squirrels, who now seemed jealous that someone else was taking up their space. "What's the rent like?"
Fluttershy giggled, trying to fix a few loose strands of her hair with her hoof. "I don't mean to let them do it; I'm not really a condo. B—" She paused before she could say anything else, blushing slightly. She mulled it over for a moment, then took a breath, turning her gaze away from him. "B-besides, you can be there anytime you want."
If Discord wasn't already grinning wide, he was now. She was too cute when she was flustered.
Fluttershy quickly diverted the conversation. "I've been trying to get them to stop, but I think they love the smell too much."
Discord sunk a bit lower in her hair, only to feel something underneath him. He looked down, then pulled out the acorn that had been planted in her mane. "And using you as their own personal storage, by the looks of it."
She pouted, blush deepening. "I've been trying to get them to stop that too."
"We'll have to get rid of them," he said, swimming through her hair as he began to shove all of the various acorns out. "I can't have your furry friends making renovations in my condo!"
He went to the top of her head, leaning over so she could see his small head staring at her. "Besides, 'Flutternutter' doesn't suit you in the slightest."
"Flutternutter?" she repeated with a questioning tone.
Discord opened his mouth to respond, only to get pelted by an acorn. He jerked his head back up, rubbing where he'd been hit, then noticed that Fluttershy's squirrels were now up in a tree, acorns filling their little arms.
"Oh, behave!" Fluttershy pleaded to her jealous squirrels.
"It's fine, my dear," Discord assured, patting her head. "I see now that I'll have to fight for my right!"
He levitated one of the acorns to himself, then tore off the top, using it as a shield while turning the rest into a sword that didn't look unlike a crazy straw.
"Have at you!"
Fluttershy observed from a distance as Discord flew up to fight the squirrels. She allowed herself a small giggle, then sat down and ran her forelegs through her mane to help straighten it out.
"I'm going back inside to make tea. Feel free to come in when you're ready!" she called.
He didn't respond, but she was sure he heard her.
She smiled fondly at him.
Fluttershy tipped the teapot carefully as it emptied its contents into the cups on the table. After being Discord's friend for so long, she'd gotten used to his frequently random visits. They planned times together, certainly, as there were moments where Fluttershy was sure that she'd have nothing to do if he wasn't there, but most of the time, he just came over whenever he felt like.
She cherished it. The surprise visits were honestly the highlights of her week.
As she thought about it, almost out of nowhere - much like Discord's visits themselves - his voice echoed in her head. "Besides, 'Flutternutter' doesn't suit you in the slightest."
She mulled it over with herself. Thinking about it, why had that made her pause so suddenly? It was like something had clicked with her and she hadn't realized it.
She just barely got her attention back before she overflowed the last cup, hooves shaking with a bit of urgency as she put the lid back on the teapot. "O-oh goodness..."
"Ooo, are we doing nicknames now?"
She turned, seeing Discord standing next to her and overlooking the cups of tea with a playful smile on his face.
"I prefer 'great chaoticness' myself, but 'goodness' is acceptable too!" He stroked his beard in thought. "It just needs something else. 'Royal goodness', perhaps." His ears perked. "Maybe even 'supreme goodness'!" He hummed for a moment to think about it, only for his ears to fall back down. "No, that makes me sound like a pizza, and I'm much more delectable than that."
Fluttershy moved her mane out of her face, smiling. "D-did everyone go all right with the squirrels?"
He looked at her as if he'd forgotten. "...Oh! No, not exactly."
He flew over the table, grabbing one of the tea cups with his tail on the way, then sat down on the couch. "Apparently, you can't own somepony's mane when it's already attached to their little heads. Honestly, how do you ponies live in these conditions?" He brought the teacup to his mouth, taking a sip before letting it drop into his hands.
Fluttershy laughed airily. She had no idea how to continue such a conversation, but she tried. "We manage."
"Just barely, I imagine!"
He started rambling, but she didn't mind, sipping her tea slowly to savor the moment. He tended to talk on and on about quite a few things, but it was pleasant. She'd always been more of a listener than a talker, making Discord perfect to converse with, as he seemed delighted every time she nodded her head to show she'd been listening.
As she pulled her cup away from her mouth, she looked down, zoning out as she saw her reflection in her drink. Her mind moved itself back to the previous moment she'd shared with Discord once more. Something had already clicked, she was sure; she just needed herself to do the same.
Flutter...
Discord was still rambling at the time, unaware that Fluttershy had entirely checked out. "All I'm saying is, if I had it my way, you'd be able to—"
The sound of something shattering on the floor cut him off. He looked over, seeing that Fluttershy's cup had fallen out of her hooves and was in pieces, all over the floor in front of her, yet she wasn't even looking at it or freaking out.
He raised a brow. Her face was red - completely red - as if someone had splashed her with a bucket of paint.
He put his cup down on the couch, then flew over, hovering in front of her face. He waved, but received no response.
At the flick of his hand, the mess was clean. "Fluttershy?"
She remained still, hooves over her mouth. Her gaze was in his general direction, but not at him; it was more like she was looking right through him, as if he wasn't there.
Feeling concerned, he brought his hand to her face, snapping his fingers; not to summon magic, but just as an attempt to get her attention.
She jumped out of her trance, blinking a few times before recognizing that Discord was in front of her.
"There you went again!" he shouted, though there was a tinge of relief in his voice that Fluttershy just barely caught. "Off on vacations to distant dimensions!"
He flew off, standing a few feet away, back facing her as he crossed his arms. "If you're going to keep leaving me out like this, we're going to have to seriously reconsider our relationship!"
"O-our relationship?" she quietly asked, throat going dry. She swallowed shyly, the blush never leaving her face.
She'd figured it out.
Her eyes darted around the room for a second as she mindlessly tapped her hooves together. Her heart felt like it would burst out of her chest at any moment, a resolve now built up inside her.
"...Discord!" she exclaimed anxiously, slamming her hooves down on the chair.
He peeked over at her, surprise across his features. He'd never heard her shout quite like that.
She took in a deep breath, then let it out, looking down to the floor. Her voice dropped back to being quiet. "...M-my orientation."
His ear flickered. "Your...?"
"My orientation!" she repeated loudly, as if her voice was going through mood swings. "Y-you asked about my orientation last week!"
This was officially the strangest conversation Discord ever had that he hadn't started himself. "Yes, I did?" He chuckled, confused. "I thought we both knew that already?"
"Y-yes! A-and," she took another breath, pupils shrunken in, "and I-I couldn't give you an answer then, b-but I can now!"
Her wings were flared out, her face turning to an even deeper shade of red if that was possible.
Discord wasn't sure how to take her suddenness, but he was certainly interested. Suddenness was fun. "Oh?"
"I..." She hesitated, but mentally scolded herself for it; she'd never get it out if she stuttered and paused. "I-I know I said that I found stallions and mares attractive b-before, a-and that's technically true, but, um," she was talking rapidly, trying to get everything out as quickly as possible, "I-I've found other creatures attractive before too, so it doesn't mean I'm limited to just ponies. I-it could be anyone, like you—I MEAN..."
She covered her face, realizing she was about as smooth as sandpaper.
Without thinking, she let it slip. "I-I'm Disromantic!"
A pause followed, after which she flailed her hooves about. "W-wait, no, that's not right! M-maybe Discoromantic? Discordromantic?!"
She wanted so badly to crawl into a hole and die. Discord had basically already confessed, so why was it so hard to return it? She figured she owed him that much after the realization that she made him wait a week for a response.
She flopped over, burying her face in her pillow to hide the burning hot blush on her face. Perhaps it'd been difficult for the sheer fact that she hadn't fully discovered her own feelings until she realized his?
Not that it mattered much; she flubbed up her confession regardless. Her embarrassment only deepened as she wondered if maybe some of her animals had been watching.
Discord meanwhile, had been standing there, taking her speedily blunt words with a bit of surprise, though it didn't take long for it to form into a smug smirk.
"You certainly took your sweet time, Fluttershy! I've been idling here waiting for you to figure me out! 'Flutteromantic', really, how hard was that?"
He flew over and bundled up his little pegasus ball in his arms. Fluttershy peeked up at him, staring with wide eyes.
"Y-you... meant for me to get it?"
"Yes!"
He faltered.
"...Well, no, not exactly, but since you're so into me, I can hardly mind." His grin was even wider now as he lightly tapped her nose. Her snout scrunched up as she gave him a flustered pout. He was so lovably insufferable sometimes.
"Besides, you gave me quite the show just now, hm?"
The amusement in his tone brought back Fluttershy's want to crawl into a hole.
"Don't be shy now, my dear! I'd be more than happy for you to bask in my presence!"
She hid her face anyway. This was a mistake; a terrible, wonderful mistake.
He leaned down, daring to touch his lips to her cheek, if only to see the reaction she'd have. She squeaked, heart soaring as she looked back up at him.
If she was honest, she'd never seen him happier. It was all too much.
"...D-Discord, I need to go back outside and check on the squirrels," she excused, needing a moment away from the obviously flirty draconequus.
"I didn't know you were so unprofessional! Leaving before we've even finished our tea..." He 'tsk'd' her. "The least you could do is give your ravishingly handsome guest a good-bye kiss!"
That was it. There was no more need for a hole to die in anymore; she was already dead and gone.
He gripped her a bit tighter, brow raised with a smug smile on his face; his cute, dumb, smug face, she noted. He wasn't going to let her go until she gave him what he'd suggested.
She let out a shy whine, shaky hooves reaching up to grab his face. His brow raised higher, as if confused, and she gently touched her muzzle to his, their lips making contact for only a moment.
His arm's grip loosened, and she wasted no time in squirming out and back onto the floor. She trotted as casually as she could to the door, giving him only a glance before running out.
Behind her mane, she smiled softly.
Discord, now alone in the room, actually had a light red blush along his face. His lips shifted for a moment before he brought his hand to them, a warm sensation lingering from Fluttershy's kiss. He blinked a few times, processing it, then chuckled to himself.
"I never said it had to be on the lips, now did I?"
He wasn't complaining.