Rainbow Dash collapsed into her armchair in her bedroom. She was exhausted, covered in sweat and dirt, her hair a filthy mess. Everything hurt, from her back to her feet to muscles she didn’t even know she had. It’d been yet another boring week at her new summer job, involving far too many boxes being moved to far too many places. Even with her super speed there was only so much she could take. Good grief. I can’t wait till college starts.
A leathery presence pushed slowly against the palm of her hand, bringing a smile to her face. “Hey Tank,” she said, running a hand along the tortoise’s head and scratching under his chin. “How ya doin’ buddy?”
She shifted in her chair enough to see his face curl up in that adorable little grin. “Hehe, I missed you too.” Then, with a groan, she adjusted herself so she was sitting up properly and leaned down to pick up Tank, holding the tortoise in her lap. “It’s good to see you.”
Tank settled himself down on her lap with a satisfied grunt, and looked up at her with glacially blinking eyes. “Bet you’re hungry, aren’tcha?” she said, rubbing his head some more. “Alright, gimme a sec.”
She held onto him for a couple of moments, then gently set him down on the floor and left the room, returning shortly with a bundle of leafy greens in her hand. “Got somethin’ tasty for you right here.” She knelt down and held out the greens, letting Tank take a few bites from the bundle before setting it down for him. “There ya go buddy.”
Then with a sigh she flopped down into her computer chair and turned on her desktop. Soon she was blitzing through her social media pages, catching up on the silliness she’d missed while at work, like Pinkie’s one cupcake a day Snapgap, or Twilight’s continuing misadventures with Timber in Hosstralia. Nothing too terribly exciting, so she moved on to messaging Fluttershy.
Hey Shy, you around?
Soon she had a reply. I’m here.
Rainbow typed a response, You wanna come over and hang out?
Aww, you had another bad day?
Rainbow flinched at that. “How does she see through me?” she groaned. Then she typed out, Yeah, yeah I did. This job sucks.
I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll be right over, okay? I just have to feed Angel first.
A small smile tugged at the corners of Rainbow’s mouth. Awesome. See you then!
Oh, and Rainbow? Please take a shower first this time.
Snorting, Rainbow replied, Yes, Fluttershy.
With that she pushed aside her keyboard, snatched a fresh pair of clothes from her closet, and hopped into the shower. The wash of warm water against her skin and through her hair relaxed her aching muscles, bringing a sweet sense of relief. She spent a bit too long in the shower though, because by the time she’d hopped out, the doorbell rang.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!” she shouted as she used her super speed to dry herself off in a hurry, then threw on the clothes. The doorbell rang a couple more times before Rainbow managed to reach it, opening the door to reveal Fluttershy standing there in her usual paisley blue dress. “Hey, sorry about that. C’mon in.”
Fluttershy giggled softly as she stepped into the house and shucked off her shoes. “Are your parents not around?”
“Nah, they’re out on some trip or somethin’. They’ll be back on Monday.” Rainbow’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Soooooo… that means we’re alone.”
Fluttershy shot her a flat look. “Rainbow Dash,” she said in a warning tone.
Taking the hint, Rainbow held up her hands and waved them in front of her face. “Whiiiiiich means I get to make us dinner! I think we’ve got a frozen pizza or three in the freezer. Want me to pop one in the oven?”
“That sounds lovely,” Fluttershy replied.
Rainbow rushed off to the kitchen and pawed through the freezer till she found a vegetarian deluxe pizza, then turned on the oven to preheat. While she waited for it to warm up, she rummaged through the fridge and brought out two bottles of root beer. “Want one?”
Fluttershy beamed. “Thank you,” she said as she took a seat at the kitchen table with Rainbow. “So, you said you had a bad day.”
Rainbow popped the cap off her bottle with a handy bottle opener, then scooped up the cap and tossed it into a nearby jar full. “Yeah, I did,” she said as she knocked back a slug like it was hard liquor. “It was waaaaay too busy. I’ve never seen so many boxes.”
Fluttershy reached out to take Rainbow’s hand in hers. “I’m sorry it was so frustrating.”
Rainbow’s cheeks flushed with warmth. She scratched at the back of her head with her other hand and let out a sheepish laugh. “Haha, well, you know me, I can deal with it. Just another, what, two and a half months till college starts? It’s fiiiine.”
Fluttershy brought her other hand forward, holding Rainbow’s with both now. “Are you sure about that?”
Her whole face burned like fire as Rainbow pulled away from Fluttershy, more nervous laughter spilling forth from her lips. “Hahaha, y-yeah! Of course!” Her eyes darted about, looking for a quick exit, and spotted the light on the oven. “Oh hey, time to put the pizza in. Gimme a sec here.”
As Rainbow Dash removed the plastic wrap from the pizza and set it upon a round baking pan, she didn’t notice Fluttershy getting up from her chair. Nor did she notice Fluttershy approaching her, stepping closer and closer with each passing second while she set the timer. But she did notice when Fluttershy put her arms around Rainbow’s middle from behind, right after Rainbow tucked the pizza into the oven and closed the door.
“I know you’re suffering, Rainbow,” Fluttershy said as she pulled Rainbow in, laying her head against Rainbow’s shoulder, just enough to be comforting without trapping the athlete in place. “You can tell me. It’s okay.”
Rainbow grimaced even as she leaned into Fluttershy’s embrace. She never wanted to admit it to anyone, but whenever the taller woman wrapped herself around Rainbow like this, it was… nice. Soothing. Like having a living blanket envelop her, wrap itself around her and hold her tight, assuring her that everything would be all right. She needed reassurance like that way more often than she’d ever say. To anyone.
“Fiiine,” she muttered as she sank into Fluttershy. She let her friend lead her into the living room, where the two sat down together on the couch, with Rainbow laying her head in Fluttershy’s lap. She allowed her friend to stroke her head with smooth, slow movements. “It’s really hard, you know? They make you do so much work. I’m used to working hard for sports, but this is unreal.”
“I can imagine,” Fluttershy said as she continued to stroke Rainbow’s head. “It’s not easy work.”
“No, it isn’t.” Rainbow shifted in Fluttershy’s lap so her head was laying against the taller woman’s stomach. She could hear Fluttershy’s heartbeat thumping in her chest. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. “And the managers are total jerks. They won’t let you stop for even a second if you’re not on break. It’s just go go go all the time. Not even the worst coach I’ve ever had did that to me!”
Fluttershy wrapped an arm under Rainbow and lifted her up so that Rainbow was snuggled up into her chest, with both of Shy’s arms around her waist. Then she leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Rainbow’s head. “I’m sorry it’s so exhausting.”
Rainbow wriggled a bit to get into a more comfortable position. Fluttershy’s heartbeat was louder now. Badum! Badum! Badum! “Hey, ‘sokay, not your fault. I’m the moron who thought working on the docks was a good idea for a summer job. But it isn’t. Sure it pays like, five bucks an hour more than the other jobs I could’ve had, but it’s not worth being worn out all the time. I barely have any energy anymore.”
Fluttershy planted another kiss on Rainbow’s head, tickling the athlete in the process. “Are you sure you want to keep working there? It sounds like it might not be worthwhile.”
Rainbow let out a blustering sigh. “No, no I don’t want to keep working there. But I gotta. My dad helped me get that job, and he’d be pretty upset if I just up and quit on it, you know?”
“Even so, if you explained to him how exhausting it is, maybe he’ll listen?”
“Maybe,” Rainbow shrugged. She shifted in place again till she’d laid her cheek against Fluttershy’s chest. She felt small and vulnerable while laying on her friend, but it was a good kind of vulnerable. The kind where she felt safe. Protected. Which she would never, ever admit to anyone and if they asked she’d punch them so hard they’d kiss the moon. “But I dunno, I don’t want to argue with him. I’ve got a good thing going. And I could really use the money.”
“All right.” Fluttershy set a hand on the back of Rainbow’s neck and started kneading, working away the tension. “So long as you’re sure. I’ll be here for you if you need to vent more, okay?”
“Thanks, Shy,” Rainbow said. A moan escaped her lips as she leaned into Fluttershy’s touch. “Mmm, that feels good.”
Giggling, Fluttershy brought her other hand over so she could massage with both hands. “I’m glad to hear it. I’ve learned a lot from Rarity’s spa trips.” Using her thumbs she pushed and prodded at the athlete’s neck muscles and into her shoulders. “You really ought to come along with us one of these days. Seems like you could use it.”
“Gghg,” Rainbow replied as Fluttershy’s hands moved over her shoulders and down into her trapezius muscles. “I dunno, spas are kinda girly and lame…”
Fluttershy instantly took her hands away and glared down at her friend. “Rainbow…”
“Oops!” Rainbow blanched, looking up at Fluttershy with apologetic eyes. “Sorry, Shy, I… I forgot you asked me to stop saying that. I’m sorry.”
Fluttershy frowned at the athlete for a moment, then broke into a smile. “I know you’re working on it. It’s fine.” She resumed rubbing Rainbow’s back.
Ugh, way to go Dash, Rainbow chided herself mentally as she relaxed into Fluttershy’s touch. “You’re a great friend, Fluttershy, you know that?”
“Just a friend?” Fluttershy replied in an amused tone.
Oh. Right. Still gotta get used to that. “Girlfriend,” Rainbow corrected. “Great girlfriend.”
“Better.”
A chuckle slipped out of Rainbow’s mouth as Fluttershy’s hands moved down towards the center of her back. “When did you become so assertive?”
She could feel Fluttershy’s smile in the way her hands moved. “We’ve been friends for a long time, Rainbow. I’m comfortable with you. That’s why I said yes when you asked me out, remember?”
“Oh I remember,” Rainbow nodded. She couldn’t help but grin as the images of the memory flowed through her mind. “Don’t tell anyone, but I was soooo scared you’d say no.”
In response, Fluttershy tucked her hands under Rainbow’s arm and lifted her up just enough so she could plant a kiss on Rainbow’s lips. “Silly. Of course I was going to say yes. I love you.”
Rainbow’s whole body heated up like she’d dipped herself into a volcano. “Uuuuuh I hear the oven timer I better go check it!” she shouted before leaping off of Fluttershy’s lap and rushing into the kitchen. She could hear Fluttershy’s laughter trail after her, which only made her feel even more embarrassed. “Darn it!” she whispered. “Why do I get so worked up when she kisses me? It’s not fair. I’m Rainbow Dash! I’m a smooth operator!”
“A smooth operator?” Fluttershy inquired.
Rainbow’s face paled as she turned to see Fluttershy with her arms crossed, eyebrows raised. Her mouth was also quirked up in obvious amusement, but Rainbow barely noticed that. “I, uh, yeah!” Rainbow said with a strained grimace. “Totally! I’m, like, the smoothest girl you’ve ever seen. Ahehehe… I sweep girls off their feet… yeah…”
Fluttershy’s grin spread wide. She let her arms drop to her sides, took several steps forward, causing Rainbow Dash to back against the fridge. Then like a bolt of lightning she zipped forward and picked up Rainbow, bridle style, and hugged her tight. “Who sweeps who off their feet again?”
“Aww, Fluttershy!” Rainbow whined as she squirmed, trying to get back on her feet. Her girlfriend allowed her to, after a moment of unusually loud laughter for the quiet girl. “Come on, that’s not funny!”
“Yes it is, Rainbow,” Fluttershy insisted, still shaking with mirth. She gave Rainbow a half hug with one arm. “I’m sorry. You’re just too cute.”
Fearing she’d set the kitchen ablaze from how hot her face burned, Rainbow turned away and groaned to herself, “I’m not cute, darn it. I’m awesome.”
“Yes, you’re awesome,” Fluttershy agreed. Her eyes twinkled with mischief. “But you’re also cute.”
“Grrr....” Rainbow shook her head like a dog working a bone. Then, defeated, she hunched over and sighed. “Okay. Fine. I guess I’m cute. But only if you call me that! I won’t let anyone else do it.”
Fluttershy gave her a sage nod. “Of course. Definitely not.” Then, as if only just realizing how overly assertive she was being, she took a couple of steps back and gripped one arm with the other, hiding her face in her hair. “S-sorry.”
Rainbow was on her in an instant, holding her close. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s fine. You didn’t make me mad, Shy, I promise.”
“...are you sure?” Fluttershy whispered.
Rainbow brushed Fluttershy’s hair aside and carefully placed a hand on both of Fluttershy’s cheeks, then pulled her in for a tender kiss. She held the kiss for a solid twenty seconds before releasing it, then stroked Fluttershy’s cheek with one thumb. “I’m sure.”
Fluttershy giggled, and swayed in a bashful manner. “Mmkay.”
A loud ding echoed through the kitchen, reminding Rainbow of the excuse she’d given for running into the kitchen. “Oh hey, pizza’s done,” she said as she opened up the oven, waving away the steam that spilled forth into her face. Popping on a pair of oven mitts she pulled the pizza out, then used a spatula to check the underside. “Yup, looks good. I’m starving.”
“Me too,” Fluttershy said. She stepped over to the nearby cabinets and pulled out a couple of plates for them. “Should we eat here, or on the sofa?”
“Eeeh, I could go for a movie,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “Anything in particular?”
Fluttershy beamed. “Something with animals, please.”
“Of course,” Rainbow said. She laughed to herself and shook her head as she went into the living room to turn on the television, loading up one of the streaming services her parents paid for. She found a good looking movie, some kind of silly tale about a group of pets trying to find their owner in a big city, then returned to the kitchen to load up their plates.
As they settled down together on the sofa to watch, Rainbow felt a warmth fill her chest, a pleasant, happy warmth. Like all of her stresses had melted away, leaving behind only herself, happy, relaxed, and safe. “Hey, Shy?”
Fluttershy looked over at her, swallowing the mouthful of pizza she had. “Mmhmm?”
“I love you too.”