“...you were, um...”
“Oh, you don't have to tell me,” Spitfire assured her, cutting off her stammers. “I remember, believe me. Figures that the one time I can remember what happened when I was smashed, it's the time I made a total idiot outta myself in front of you. Although,” she added quickly, hoping to cut off any objection Fluttershy might have to her assessment, “I guess if I'd forgotten, I wouldn't have been able to come back and ask you to do it again.” She chuckled. “I'll never forget how red you went when I asked that first time.”
“I was just surprised,” Fluttershy said as she finally made her way to Spitfire's head and started brushing her mane. “And I did say yes.”
“I know,” Spitfire said, with a nod just small enough not to disrupt Fluttershy's work, “but you had every right to be embarrassed. Heck, I was embarrassed enough asking.”
Spitfire could almost feel Fluttershy’s smile. “Well, maybe, but if your day was nearly as bad as you told me, you definitely needed it.” She giggled softly. “Actually, even that first time, when you turned up... well, you know... it was kind of obvious you needed something like that.”
“Guess a drunk visit from a friend'll do that.” Spitfire sighed, unable to truly feel sad about such things while her marefriend was brushing her. “Still, I can see why you might have wanted to treat me like an animal – probably wasn't too far off from reality.”
“Oh, I only felt that way at first,” Fluttershy assured her. “Even back then, it... well, after a little while, it became something more. And it... I like taking care of my animal friends, I like it a lot, but it's... different with you. It feels... deeper. It's sort of hard to explain.”
“Well, don't feel like you have to,” Spitfire replied, nuzzling her head into Fluttershy's lap. “It's not like I'm complaining.”
Fluttershy gave another musical little giggle. “Well, I think I should. It's... Animals are... well, I don't want to say 'simple', that's not true at all, but they tend to be very... open, if you know how to look. There is a lot to them, but it's mostly all there to see. And, well, when I take care of an animal, I get to see them happy and grateful and...” she cleared her throat, stopping herself going on a dreamy tangent, “well, I get to see them be the best they can be, but it's still the same animal. With you, I feel... connected. Like I'm not just taking care of you, I'm reaching you much deeper and it just... it feels like I really understand you... and like you really understand me. Does that, um... does that make any sense?”
“I think so,” Spitfire said, looking up at her with a smile. “I don't know if the words did, but... well, I think I get what you mean and I think that kind of proves your point.”
Fluttershy beamed down at her and continued to brush, allowing Spitfire to sink further into her lap. At some point, she finished and put the brush back on the bedside table, but even then, the two didn't otherwise move, just lying together on the bed with Fluttershy further up, holding Spitfire's head against her. Spitfire always liked these periods and, even if she didn't, she knew Fluttershy absolutely adored them – the times when nothing was said and nothing needed to be said. They were together, they were truly connected and they could just soak in the silence. Of course, eventually, something would have to come along and break that silence, whether it was one of them, another pony or animal, or some event, but that didn't bother them. At that moment, the moment itself was what mattered.
That said, the interruptions usually weren't as sudden or as jarring as the thunderclap that burst from outside.
Fluttershy let out an “Eep!” but, before she'd even registered her marefriend's squeal, Spitfire was already moving. In a manoeuvre that even the veteran Wonderbolt couldn't keep track of, she had, within a couple of seconds, largely reversed their positions so that she was further up and hugging Fluttershy tightly against her chest, stroking her head gently with a hoof. “You okay, 'Shy?”
“Mm-hm,” Fluttershy nodded against her collar, her small shivers quickly subsiding. “It just startled me.”
“Can understand why,” Spitfire assured her, looking up past her and out of the window. “Still, looks like it was just a stray thunder cloud from the Everfree. Weather team should be able to take care of it.”
“Oh, good,” Fluttershy said, snuggling deeper into her embrace. “I was worried it might be something more. If it was a proper storm, there might be animals in danger.”
“Not a chance,” Spitfire said, a small smirk poking its way onto her face. “We both know you'd be out there and you wouldn't let anything stop you from saving them. And I hope we both know that “Beach Comber” would be right there with you.”
Fluttershy looked up at her, her eyes puzzled but with a clear bit of hope behind them. “I thought we wanted to keep her out of sight as much as we could so people didn't look into her.”
Spitfire shrugged. “If we can, sure, but trust me: I'll come up with a full biography and birth certificate for her if it means keeping you safe.”
Fluttershy let out a delighted squeak and buried her face in Spitfire's chest again.
Spitfire sighed in contentment. There were a lot of times when she couldn't help but feel that her relationship with Fluttershy was very one-sided. No matter how much the gentle mare assured her that she got as much out of their relaxation sessions as Spitfire did, it was impossible to shake the feeling that she was giving so much, putting so much work and care into things while Spitfire was just selfishly soaking it all up.
However, in these moments, the moments when she could provide comfort and security and could simply be there for Fluttershy, just as Fluttershy so often did for her... these were the moments where she truly understood just how wonderful their bond was; how much they meant to each other.
After a moment, though, Fluttershy shifted uncomfortably. “I just wish you didn't have to hide your face. If I was only braver, I could... if I could just take all that... attention...”
“Hey, now,” Spitfire cut her off, giving her a small, gentle squeeze and kissing her forehead, “that kind of publicity's a real acquired taste – as much as a lot of ponies may want it, I don't think there are that many who could take it for that long. Heck, I'm not always too happy about it; you know that. It's nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I guess,” Fluttershy replied, in the voice of one for whom shame was something of a lifestyle choice, much as Spitfire tried to help mitigate it. Still, she seemed to settle down after a moment. “I mean, maybe if it was just one pony interested, like what happened, but, well...”
“I know,” Spitfire assured her. “Though, to be honest, we did get lucky with that one.”