Flash fussed with his appearance for what felt like the hundredth time as he walked about Equestria Land, backpack slung over his shoulder. He’d gussied up his appearance beyond reasonable and his breath was more mint than breath by that point with how many he’d popped through the morning. He’d worn his best casual clothes, a title earned only after going through about twenty different outfits. His anxiety was through the roof on whether he looked his best and it was slowly making him lose his damn mind.
This whole state he was in was ridiculous. He was just helping Timber relax after his breakdown from yesterday, but he was dressed to the nines, on an outing to an amusement park. He guaranteed that something was going to stain his shirt over the course of the day and he couldn’t believe how much he cared about that not happening.
This wasn’t even the first time he’d met Timber. But it would be the first time Flash would admit to being Warden to someone and the fact it was to Timber was causing this roiling anxious feeling to course through him.
For some reason.
He spied Timber on a park bench near Sweets and Treat as he’d told him via the Minion-For-Hire App. Even from far away, Flash could tell he was having a rough time. He was slurping away at a slushie with his beanie pulled down low and wearing a hoodie that covered him in an unflattering way. The feeling caught inside of him heaved at the sight, the exact nature of it unknown to Flash.
Doing one last check on his appearance (which caused another flare of annoyance at why he cared), he sauntered up to Timber.
“Hey, Timber,” Flash greeted with a casual wave. “How are things?”
Timber gave him a quick glance then dropped his gaze. “Fine, uh, Flash, was it?” Flash nodded. “You have a date or something? You’re really dressed up.”
“You could say that.” Flash forced down the fluttering in his chest at the remark. Timber was just being nice. “What flavour are you drinking?”
“Cherry.”
Flash smirked. “I thought that was your least favourite flavour?”
“Yeah, well, I recently had to drink a lot— Wait a minute. How would you know that?” Timber squinted his eyes at him. “... Warden?”
“Would it be easier if I used the voice synthesizer?”
“You’re— What—” Timber spluttered. Flash could almost see the smoke from Timber’s short-circuited brain. “Flash Sentry?! Aren’t you friends with the Rainbooms?!”
“Yeah, and? Friendship doesn’t mean I’ll shirk my responsibilities on the job.”
“Do they—”
“No, and right now, you’re the only one that does.” Flash glared. “Keep it that way.”
Timber made a zipping motion over his lips.
“Great, ready to go on some rides?”
“Y-Yeah, definitely!” Timber leaped to his feet, face flushed.
“Then let’s get going.”
Flash walked off toward a random part of the park with Timber following close behind.
“Ugh.” Timber rubbed his forehead with a hand.
“You okay?” Flash asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine, but…” Timber winced. “Do we really need to start with the haunted house?”
“We can skip it if you like,” Flash offered.
“No, it’s just…” A moment of indecision “... never mind.”
“What?”
“It’s dumb.”
“So? We wore spandex costumes and tried to rob a bank.” Flash smirked. “I’m sure nothing you say is gonna top that.”
“But that’s…” Timber trailed off. “Wow, I never really thought too hard about it before, but it sounds crazy when you put it like that.”
“It is, now what did you want to ask me?”
“... Could you hold my hand while we go through?” Timber asked nervously.
“Yeah, sure.”
Flash grabbed Timber’s hand and dragged him toward the entrance to the haunted house. Timber stumbled after him, too flustered to respond.
“You want anything? You were screaming pretty hard back in the haunted house,” Flash teased.
“I wasn’t… okay, I was, but it was very scary!” Timber replied indignantly.
“It was cheap, Timber. I’ve worked with scarier people.”
“Well—!” Timber trailed off then looked askance. “Whatever,” he grumped.
“Hey, don’t worry about it. No shame in being scared. Now, do you want food? I’ll pay.”
“You’ve already paid for the tickets to get in here.”
“And have more than enough to buy food. So, again, want something?”
“... Nah, not really hungry,” Timber finally answered.
“Suit yourself, but I’m getting myself a burger.”
He got in line while dragging Timber along with him, still holding his hand. He’d kept his promise to him by holding on through the ride and then when they exited. And as they wandered the park deciding what to do. And while they approached the food stalls.
Flash should probably let Timber go, but his hand in his was comfortable and Timber hadn’t complained, so he hadn’t seen any reason to stop. It also empowered that feeling roiling around inside of him that had started as a light simmer and was growing into something warm and comforting. He liked that feeling.
“Ugh.” Timber gritted his teeth as he rubbed his forehead again.
“You okay?” Flash asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine, just a headache.”
“That’s the second time you’ve looked like you were in pain.” That comforting feeling stirred into the beginnings of an anxious storm. “Do you need some medication or something? I’m sure there’s—”
“I’m fine, really,” Timber interrupted. “I appreciate the concern, but I don’t want to interrupt our—” A pause “—hangout.”
“... Alright, but if it happens again, we’re getting something to deal with it.”
“Definitely.” Timber grinned.
Flash squeezed his hand. Timber squeezed back. His feelings settled back into that easygoing warmth.
“Watch your step,” The ride operator said in a bored tone of voice.
Flash gave a mock salute as he stepped into the ferris wheel carriage with Timber. They sat opposite each other, releasing each other’s hands for the first time in over an hour as they settled into their seats, a comfortable quiet settling over them as they waited for the ride to start. After a moment, the carriage lurched into motion, beginning its slow ascent.
“Thanks, Flash,” Timber said.
“You're welcome,” Flash replied.
“... Really?”
“Really, what?”
“You're not even gonna ask why I’m thanking you?”
“Why? It's obvious.”
“And what’s that?”
“Because I’m amazing for bringing you here.” Flash brushed his hair back with a hand, smirking.
Timber snorted. “Yeah, sure.”
A real smile formed on Flash’s face as he saw how relaxed Timber was, a far cry from his earlier mood. Then Timber frowned and a ripple of concern shot through him.
“You okay?” Flash asked.
“... What are you planning to do after this job?” Timber replied.
Flash sighed in relief at the innocuous question. “Probably quitting the business.” Timber’s eyes widened in shock. “You didn’t think I was going to do this as a professional career, did you?”
“Well, I mean, you’re good at it.”
“And?”
“I don’t know!” Timber waved his hands. “You’re just really good at this!”
“Thanks, but being good at something doesn't mean I should stake my future on it.” Flash looked at the window, feeling melancholic. “I make enough money now to afford what I need, but if I made this my career I’d have to commit to killing someone and I won’t do it.”
“Haven’t you worked with a ton of villains, though?”
“Supervillains,” Flash stressed. “Most of them aren’t better than general annoyances. Big egos, a lot of collateral damage, but none of them kill. At least, not intentionally.”
“Haven’t you worked with Sombra, and Garble? They weren’t exactly nice. Plus there’s that dinosaur you mentioned.”
“Sombra came off as scary, but, ultimately, just wanted to make the sky spooky for a while. Garble’s view of villainy is literally equivalent to stealing candy from babies. Dinorama was the most dangerous of them, but all he did was throw a tantrum and break some buildings. No injuries reported.
“It's the big guys like Tirek and Chrysalis that you need to aim for if you plan to go pro and I won’t do it because they have few boundaries they are unwilling to cross.”
“Didn’t you have me learn from their videos?” Timber asked.
“Yes, very specific things.” Flash leaned forward, staring intently at Timber. “Those two are in a different league. They’re supervillains that kill. They’re more than just small-time crooks and nuisances.”
He leaned back with a sigh. “Once the folks up top realize that those powers are dangerous and that the villain in question’s morality doesn’t stop at genocide… it stops being fun quips and goofy shenanigans, and instead something to be eliminated at all cost.”
A silence followed as Flash’s words hung heavy in the air.
“So what do you want to do then?”
“... I don’t know. I have enough funds to be able to do whatever I want, especially with the money my parents give. From whatever country they’re working in now,” Flash muttered under his breath, then aloud, “So, I’m gonna retire from being a minion and take my time to decide.”
“That sounds pretty great.”
Flash gave a noncommittal grunt. They lapsed into another bout of silence. He looked out the window, watching the park become smaller and smaller as the carriage rose to the apex of the wheel.
“... What about you?” Flash asked.
“What about me?” Timber replied.
“Well, what do you wanna do?”
He could hear the grin in Timber’s voice as he said, “Well, well, look who's showing an interest outside of a professional relationship.” Flash snorted. “I don’t know. Haven’t really had time to think about it since I’ve been on a bad losing streak lately.”
“The bank?”
“The bank,” Timber agreed. “Being attacked by that wolf. Screwing up with Twilight. My sister running the camp into the ground even after we got all of that help last summer.” He growled. “The fact that I’m so poor I don’t even have any options to consider. I thought that using these powers I got from a horrible situation I could at least make myself feel less trapped but…” A sigh. “I’ve been feeling pretty awful most of the time.”
“... We can work together to find out if you want,” Flash offered.
“What?”
“I mean, you’re really not cut out for this villain stuff, at least, not past some simple robberies.” Flash shrugged, still looking out the window. “So, if you’d like, I can return the money you paid me, retire, and then we can look to see what options you have.” He felt his face heat up from that unknown feeling in his gut. “You know, together.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“Yeah, sure. I—” Flash hesitated “—enjoy your company. So, I see this as a great way to spend more time with you while also helping you out. Win, win.”
“... Thanks, Flash. That means a lot.”
“You're welcome.” The carriage slowed to a stop. Flash looked outside to see that they had done so at the very top. “Hey, we got the best seat on the wheel. What a view, huh?”
Silence followed Flash’s remark. He was about to ask if everything was okay but was startled by a loud thump and the carriage rocking.
“Woah, what was—” Flash looked to see Timber on his knees, clutching his head as he silently cried in pain. “Timber!” He was by his side in a matter of seconds. “Hey, talk to me. What’s wrong?”
There was a gasp of pain as Timber became unconscious falling to the metal floor. Flash jerked his head toward the carriage door, trying to think of a way to get them both out and to a medic. Before he could formulate a plan, he was grabbed by his shirt collar and forced to face Timber again. He looked up at him with a wide smile and a strange green sheen to his eyes.
“Timber!” Flash exclaimed. “Oh, thank goodness you’re awake. How are you—”
“Flash.”
Flash felt a thump in his chest at the firm tone in Timber’s voice. “Yeah, Timber?”
His smile took on a jagged quality. “You have your suit on you?”
“Always, but—”
“Get suited up then. I got a plan I want to do.”
“... Sure, but, Timber, are you okay? You’re kind of freaking me out here and this whole thing seems—”
“Random?” A harsh bark of laughter. “No, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it. I just had this brilliant idea that I think you’ll really like, but there’s something really important I need from you.
“What’s that?”
Timber used his second hand to grab Flash’s collar alongside his first and drew him in close, his grin seeming more manic than before. “You’re with me, right?”
Another hard thump echoed in Flash’s chest. The emotions he’d had all day were in a frenzy. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said, Flash.” Timber’s hands shook as they held onto him. “I just need to know you’re with me. I can’t do this without you.”
Those words made him feel drunk, like he’d downed a keg of alcohol and was in a foggy haze. Timber wasn’t acting right, but his words were exciting, intoxicating. He didn’t know where this was going, or even what Timber’s plan was, but logic was rapidly dissipating as everything in Flash’s body screamed that he needed this.
It was a feeling he had only known when he’d first entered this business, that razor edge of partner and accomplice. The spark in Timber’s eyes and smile had that same glint, that same promise. All of it emboldened that warmth inside of him that had been building all day into a blazing inferno.
Flash grabbed Timber’s collar back.
“Ride or die,” Flash answered.
Relief seemed to flood Timber as the shakiness in his grip left him. “Excellent, now get dressed.
“I’ll fill you in on the plan as we go.”