"Uuuuuuuuuuuugh!" The tiredness in Flash's voice was a clear as day as he walked through the front door of his home, letting out a deep sigh as he closed it behind him. Raising his hooves to his temples, he rubbed himself there slightly as he began to take deep breaths. "Announcing isn't the most active job in the world...but at least it's better than library duty." He shuddered. "Just...standing like a statue."
"Oh dear. Bad day, honey?" called a voice from another room.
The sound of that voice brought a smile to Flash's face, and he moved over to just outside the door to the aforementioned room. "Trust me, sweetie, I've dealt with worse. Action I can deal with, but tedium is something else altogether." Then, his nostrils flared, and he took in a sweet aroma. "Oh...what is this I'm smelling tonight?"
A giggle from the other room. "Oh, just a little something I thought I'd prepare for you coming home. It's been, what, a whole week since you were here?"
Flash's ears drooped. "I'm sorry, dear. I wish I could just come back after every shift, but..."
He was halted when the voice spoke up again. "No apology needed, Flash. Your work is important. I can't ask you to give up what you do just because I miss you." A long pause, and then she spoke again. "...But yes, I do miss you." Then, as if she could hear him approach, she spoke again. "Ah! Not yet! As much as I'd love to smother you in kisses right now, I'm at a pretty delicate stage of the cooking, so...could you...?"
Flash smiled, giving a nod he knew his wife could not see. "Not a problem, dear. I'll just be in my favourite place," he remarked with a sly look. After that, he stayed quiet for a time, then walked off away from the direction of the voice, entering his living room. He smiled warmly to the sight of the armchair on the far side, by the window, and he made his way over to sit down in it. The feel of that softness washed over him, and as he let out another groan, this time it was one of utter satisfaction. "Oooooooooh yeah, that's the stuff." He turned, looking out of the window, seeing all the other pegasi flying by, greeting one another in the street or just tending to the clouds that made up their front fences. He chuckled to the sight. "Cloudsdale-born I may be, but I tell ya, it's weird spending most of the week down on the ground and then coming back to this."
"I can imagine," his wife said from the other room. "I could never get used to it down there. I don't know about you, but I much prefer how cool the air is up here."
Flash turned to her direction, even though he still couldn't see her. "Probably why you love your job so much."
"I still maintain you'd love weather control too, Flash. You were pretty good at it back in the day."
A look of nostalgia came to the stallion. "Yeah...it's where we first met."
"Now don't go getting lost in romantic memories, Flashy. That's my job." The two laughed together, even though they still couldn't see one another. Fortunately, that latter fact was soon to change, as Flash could, even with the benefit of a floor made of clouds, hear hoofsteps approach from nearby. This of course prompted him to turn and look to the doorway, where he finally laid eyes upon his wife. A mare with pink fur and a purple mane, whose cutie mark was that of a small cloud next to a bright sun. Naturally, the two smiled lovingly to each other, and Flash practically leapt out of his chair to move over to her. They embraced, which inevitably led to the long-awaited kiss they'd been denied for so long. So passionate was it that it lasted a full minute before they finally withdrew, though they continued to stare into each others' eyes. "Oh, I've missed that," his wife remarked.
"You and me both, Clear," Flash agreed.
Clear Skies glanced over her shoulder, then gave him a sly look. "Would you...like that dinner now?"
But Flash shook his head, maintaining his smile for her. "Right now, all I want is you. I want to know everything, sweetie. How have things been? How were your friends in the weather team? Been up to anything good while I was gone?"
Clear chuckled. "Oh, it's all the same stuff really. Me and the guys got into another debate about whether one of our co-workers was talking about me or the actual clear skies, but aside from that nothing really new to report."
A small laugh on Flash's part. "I will never get tired of hearing you and your friends talking about that stuff."
Clear arched an eyebrow. "I'd be happy to trade places if you like. Not much chance of that kind of confusion happening with a guy called Flash Sentry in the spot."
Flash blushed, but then leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. "Nah, they're far better off with you dealing with the weather than I am."
His wife gave him a sly look. "Ooooh, flattery. That's gonna get you some good stuff later on."
"I look forward to it, Flash replied, matching her look.
Again, the two kissed, and again it lasted a long time. When they parted, they moved together, sitting down on their sofa made from, what else, clouds. Holding hooves, they continued to look to their spouse with nothing but love, though Clear started to develop some unmistakable curiosity. "So, I hear things have been going pretty well with the new Princess?"
Flash sighed. "Honestly, it's always something new and different with her. I've served under all four of the alicorn Princesses, Clear. And in all that time never have I seen as much activity as I have since Twilight took the throne."
Clear, nuzzling him slightly, kept her interested tone. "So I've heard. Wherever you go nowadays it seems like all anypony wants to talk about is some new thing the Princess has done. Some big change she has planned or maybe just something else she's done."
Flash looked down to her, gently stroking the top of her mane with his free hoof. "I'm grateful you want to talk about the things that have happened at work, but if there's one mare I'd actually like to talk about right now, it's you."
Clear giggled. "You hopeless romantic."
"Guilty, as charged," Flash concurred. After the two laughed together, he looked down to her again. "You know, I've got some vacation time built up, if you maybe want to head off somewhere for a week?"
Clear smiled widely to him. "Oh, I'd love to. I've got time to spend myself, and it'd be good to just be with each other for that time."
Flash tapped his chin with his hoof. "Only...where to go?"
His wife smirked to him. "Somewhere other than Canterlot or Cloudsdale, I bet."
Flash sighed. "Yeah, as great as those two places are there's only so long we can be around them before we want a change. How about..." He pondered for a long time, then regained his smile. "Oh! How about a trip to Mount Aris?"
Clear's eye lit up. "The Hippogriff Kingdom?! Oh, I've been wanting to scope that place out ever since they reopened their borders!"
Flash held her close, kissing her on the cheek. "Then it's settled. As soon as we're off, we'll head straight there." Getting himself off the sofa, he held out his hoof, offering it to her. "Come on. Let's get to that lovely meal you've made. Because I'll say right now, standard food over at the barracks will never compare to your cooking."
Clear blushed. "Oh, I don't know about that."
Flash shook his head. "None of that, honey. Your food is terrific and you know it. Now let's prove that statement by eating it!"
Clear rolled her eyes. "Only you could make an evening meal sound like some epic adventure." A long sigh escaped her. "Times like this when I remember why I married you."
Flash gave her a wink. "And believe me, nopony's more happy about that than I am." His wife gave him another playful nudge after those words, and again the two laughed together. But then, they headed off together, hoof in hoof, to the kitchen, and as soon as they entered Flash's nostrils were overtaken with a plethora of delicious smells the likes of which he probably hadn't experienced in quite some time. "Ohhhhhhhhh yeah, now this is gonna be a good meal!" He looked on, seeing the veritable banquet his wife had made, and he grinned like a fool to it all. "Well, I'd say you're definitely taking inspiration from that cookbook you got the other week." Then he paused, taking in just the sheer quantity of food on the table. "Um...don't think me ungrateful, sweetie, but isn't this kind of a lot?"
Clear shrugged, then gave him a sly look as she leaned over and whispered. "Maybe...until you remember I'm not just eating for me."
Slowly, Flash nodded. "Ah, right. Gotcha." Then, after a long pause, he turned to look her in the eye. "...Pardon?"