//------------------------------//
// Healing Takes Time 
// Story: Recovery 
// by Erynaster 
//------------------------------//

In your entire lifetime, you had faced threats and horrors unimaginable to the everyday human being. From ferocious manticores to rabid timberwolves in the woods, it would seem like life could throw nothing at you that you couldn't handle. 

Well, it would seem that fate had other plans for you.

The surgery was something you could take. It was something that you had fully understood that was necessary to save your life from the unexpected illness that had befallen you out of the blue. You had already managed to gather the nerves and courage necessary to face the unknown, with the prospect of potentially losing your life in the process looming as the date of your operation drew ever nearer.

But that was all in the past now. What mattered to you now was, you had made it out alive and well. You owed your life to the surgeons who had lent their skills and expertise to preserve your life, and for that, you were eternally grateful.

But now that the worst was behind you, the prospect of spending weeks doing nothing but recovering in bed was almost unbearable to you. The idea of doing nothing, absolutely NOTHING at all while you healed up was only half the torture. No, it was the fact that you could no longer do any of your former activities that made the healing process seem more like an inconvenience than anything else. You could no longer run, jump, or exert yourself physically in any way whatsoever. For about a month, no less.

Torture. You would rather take on the manticores and timberwolves a second time any day.

What made the ordeal you were going through seem less daunting to you was the fact that Fluttershy had offered her own home as a place for you to stay while you recovered. She had offered to shoulder everything, from your medication to supervising your healing process. All out of the kindness of her heart.

God bless that yellow pegasus.

Long story short, here you were now. Laying in bed, slowly losing your mind as the minutes on the grandfather clock in the corner of the room ticked by, one after the other. How you would have given everything, everything just for time to go faster, to speed up until the day of your full one-hundred per cent recovery. But alas, you were but a lowly human being. Not some cosmic entity with control over the fabric of time and space.

Knock! Knock!

You turn at the sound of knocking at your door.

"Anon, may I come in?" You can hear the muffled voice of the pegasus right outside the door.

"Y-Yeah, sure!" You say loudly, wincing as you shift around uncomfortably in bed.

The door opens, and framed in the doorway is none other than Fluttershy, holding a bowl of soup with an outstretched wing. She enters the room, placing the bowl on the bedside table before trotting over to you.

"How are you feeling?" She asks, seeing the wince on your face.

"It hurts a little, I guess... I can't really lay on my side." You sigh.

The yellow pegasus surveys you with pity. "... Can you sit up? I-I made you some soup. I think it'll help." She offers, to which you nod.

"Y-Yeah. I think that sounds lovely." You smile warmly at her. "Thank you, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy leans over to help you sit up in bed, causing you to wince as a sharp pain shoots up from the stitch in your side. After a few struggling moments, you're resting against the headboard, panting heavily.

"... Ow." You wince, before smiling in an attempt to lighten the mood as Fluttershy looks you over with concern.

"I'm fine, Flutters. Don't worry about me."

"Are you sure?" She asks, still very much worried about you. "If there's anything you need or want, please don't hesitate to ask me, okay? I'm here for you."

You can't help but smile at her words. Gosh, this mare was the best. You didn't know where you'd be without her.

"Thank you, Fluttershy... I'll keep that in mind."

Fluttershy had always been a presence of hope in your life; from the moment you had arrived in Equestria with no memory of your old home, lost and confused as to who or where you were. She had helped you through those dark, confusing times. Times when all you had felt were hopelessness and utter despair.

The mare had given you a second chance at life, so to speak.

"Here, Anon. Open your mouth."

You jump slightly as her voice jolts you out of your reverie, and you can feel your cheeks redden slightly as she holds out a spoonful of soup in front of your face.

"W-What're you—" You stutter, before succumbing to her gesture and opening your mouth as the warm soup trickles down your throat, warming you from the inside.

Fluttershy gives you a sheepish look, her ears falling slightly.

"I-I was just hoping you'd let me feed you. I don't want you over-exerting yourself in the meantime, so... would that be alright with you?" She asks, gazing at you with a look in her eyes that you just can't refuse.

"... Okay, fine." You sigh, feeling more like an infant by the minute.

Her ears perk up as her expression brightens considerably.

"Wonderful! Now, say aah~" She says, a hint of teasing playfulness in her voice.

"Hmph." You huff, opening your mouth as she shoves another spoonful of the warm stuff inside. You swallow, feeling grateful despite everything else.





You watch as the sun begins to set in the West, the final rays spilling into your bedroom through the window before it disappears over the horizon's edge. The pale, orange rays warm your skin slightly, as though bidding you goodbye for the day as the moon begins to rise to take her place for the night.

Another day. Gone.

You sigh restlessly. It's been five days since your operation and you've had nothing to do in that span of time. And to think that you still had a long way to go before a full recovery.

You close your eyes, taking a deep breath as you collect all your pent-up thoughts and emotions welling within you, before expelling them in one big exhale. You repeat this process, one that you had learned to do in order to just disappear for a moment. To get lost in your thoughts.

Before you know it, your mind begins to wander.

Your mind wanders over to your gracious hostess, as it tended to do so when you had nothing else to think about. Fluttershy was, for lack of better phrasing, an angel. Your cheeks redden slightly at the thought of all that she had done for you for the past few days. Feeding you, dressing your wound… heck, even cleaning you.

You couldn't help but feel a little bit more than just indebted to her. There was this feeling, one you couldn't quite describe whenever she would grace your presence. It was a feeling of... longing? You weren't quite sure how to describe it. But the way her eyes captured your entire being whenever you would accidentally make eye contact with her, to the way her entire form seemed to radiate grace and beauty whenever you would lay eyes on her... it all gave you a hint.

You shake yourself out of your momentary trance. Oh, how your mind had wandered. Such ridiculous thoughts.

Your feelings for her were probably borne out of gratitude for everything she had done for you. No need to confuse those feelings for anything... more.

But as your gaze wandered over to the doorway of your bedroom, you can't help but indulge in that same sense of longing that you had felt earlier. One that yearned for Fluttershy's presence. You continue to stare at the doorway, wanting more than anything for the yellow-colored mare to burst through it, for her to walk over to you and tell you that everything would be better soon...

... For her to slip her hooves around you, pulling you close in a hug that only she could give...

Oh, such ridiculous thoughts.

You sigh inwardly, turning your gaze to the darkened window. For all you knew, you had all the time in the world to ponder and brood over your strange feelings for Fluttershy, but for now, all you could do was rest. Which was, in all honesty, the most obvious choice you could make.





You wake up with a start, your side clenching painfully. It was a searing pain, one that radiated from the stitch itself.

"F-Fluttershy!" You gasp out loud.

From the other room, you can hear the sound of movement. In no time at all, the door to your bedroom bursts open, with a worried Fluttershy framed in the doorway.

"Anon!" She gasps, making her way over to you. "What happened?"

"It hurts... so bad." You choke out, clenching your teeth.

Fluttershy nods, walking over to the bedside table and grabbing a box. Your medication.

"Here, take this. It's a painkiller, it should take effect almost instantly." Fluttershy hands you the pills, along with a glass of water that she had brought with her into the room.

You waste no time in swallowing both pills, before washing them down with some water. It takes a few moments, but you can feel the pain in your side begin to recede.

"T-Thanks. I feel much better now." You sigh, leaning to rest against the headboard and closing your eyes.

Fluttershy sighs in relief. She places your empty glass on the table before trotting over to you, running a hoof along your cheek in concern.

"So... how are you feeling?" She asks timidly, looking up at you in question.

"Well, fine. For now." You sigh. "Just a little... tired, I guess."

She nods. "You can't sleep?"

"Yeah. I can't really find a comfortable enough position, I can only lay flat on my back." You sigh, shifting around uncomfortably under the sheets.

Fluttershy nods, still surveying you with a mixture of pity and concern.

"Would you like me to stay with you for tonight?" She asks, her voice a low whisper.

You open your eyes in shock, before turning to gaze at Fluttershy in wonder.

"W-What?" You blurt out.

You can see her cheeks take on a faint shade of pink.

"I-I was just wondering... if you'd want to, I mean. I could stay with you tonight." She repeats, looking away bashfully. "I just... I was hoping I could make you more comfortable here, and... maybe laying next to you might help."

You take a moment to think over her words, before nodding slowly. "Yeah. I think I'd like that."

Fluttershy smiles in the semi-darkness, before hopping onto the bed with you. You scoot over a little bit to the right, allowing for more room for the two of you to snuggle close together without obstruction.

There's silence for a moment. Fluttershy sighs softly, her tail flicking around gently from side to side. You lift a hand and gently run it through the sea of her mane, sifting through each strand as lovingly and carefully as possible. She seems to enjoy the gesture, leaning into your touch as you do so.

Nothing more is said between you two as you lay in silence. The sound of crickets chirping from the window, combined with the relaxing ambience of the nighttime atmosphere was something that just brought about a natural peace of sorts. It was almost hard to believe that you were writhing in pain not too long ago.

It's Fluttershy who breaks the silence.

"You're tense."

And that you were. The mare for whom you had complicated feelings was laying literally right next to you, which caused your heart to beat faster. You and Fluttershy had never been this close to each other before, let alone having shared the same bed. It all felt like a dream come true.

"I... guess I am." You shrug lamely.

"May I ask why?" She perks up in curiosity.

"I..." You pause. "I guess... it's because of you."

Her eyes widen. "O-Oh?"

"Yeah. B-But not in a bad way!" You add, seeing her deflate slightly. "In a good way. It's... hard to explain."

"... Oh." Is all she says, eyes averting your gaze as she looks away, lost in thought.

There's silence for a moment, before she speaks up again.

"Anon... May I ask you something?"

You nod, gently stroking her mane again. "Of course. What is it?"

"What do you feel about me?" She asks, looking you dead in the eye as she speaks.

You're taken aback by how forward her question is, but you regain your composure almost immediately.

"What brought this up?"

She sighs. "It's just... We've been friends for so long, and we've been through so much together... and I can't help but feel... different about you."

You raise an eyebrow in surprise.

"In what way?"

She smiles sheepishly at you. "It's hard to explain."

You nod. Looks like you weren't the only one feeling tense tonight.

Silence falls upon your conversation once more as the two of you remain lost in thought, each thinking about what to say next. It's not long before the silence is broken once more, however.

"I can't wait to get back on my feet." You sigh, a feeling of longing taking over you once more. "It's been five days. I miss being able to walk."

"Just be patient with yourself, Anon. Healing takes time." She soothes, patting your hand gently. "I'll make sure you heal up completely before then."

You smile at her.

"I really can't thank you enough for everything, Fluttershy. I really appreciate everything you've done for me. You're the best."

At this, her cheeks flush pink. "Oh, it's perfectly alright. I'm just happy I get to take care of you." She says, her countenance shining. "You... mean a lot to me."

Now it's your turn to blush. "R-Really?"

She nods. "Really."

Silence once more.

"... Fluttershy?"

"Yeah?"

You pause, collecting your thoughts. 

"I... think I know how I feel about you." You whisper, deciding to dare.

Her eyes widen in the dark.

"You know what, Anon... so do I."

The two of you lock eyes for a moment.

"... Are we... on the same page here?" You ask, chuckling softly.

She giggles slightly. "I... guess we are."

The silence that follows doesn't last long. Fluttershy searches your eyes for confirmation about something, and once she finds it, her eyes light up with joy and understanding.

"Kiss me." She whispers breathlessly, tugging gently at your collar.

You oblige, leaning in gently to press your lips to hers. Her lips are soft, warm, and welcoming.

It all just felt... heavenly.

Funnily enough, you weren't as nervous about this as you initially thought you'd be. Perhaps it was the fact that you had seen it coming, from the moment that Fluttershy had confessed feeling different around you. All that being said, it didn't downplay how wonderful this moment felt, and how much you wanted this moment to last forever.

Fluttershy seems to be enjoying herself, too. The way she leaned into the kiss, her lips dancing intimately with yours... it was a clear sign of how much she wanted you right now. You, and only you.

You didn't even mind how your stitch stung a little as she wraps her hooves around you. All you cared about now was sharing this intimate moment with Fluttershy, the angel who had always been there for you from the beginning.

It was clear now that the feeling was incredibly mutual.

The two of you pull apart for a moment, panting softly as you gaze fondly at one another in the pale moonlight.

"W-Wow..." She sighs, nuzzling your cheek affectionately. "That was... amazing."

"I know." You sigh, embracing the pegasus the best you could in your current position. "... Thank you, Fluttershy."

She doesn't respond, continuing to snuggle deeper into the crook of your neck. You stifle a yawn, feeling more tired than ever.

"Tired?" She asks, gazing up at you sleepily.

"Y-Yeah..." You yawn, your eyelids fluttering slightly. "Would it be okay if I went ahead?"

She nods. "Of course. You need your rest. Goodnight, Anonymous."

You smile at her, placing another gentle kiss to her lips before closing your eyes. "Goodnight, Fluttershy..."

As you slowly drift off into unconsciousness, Fluttershy continues to gaze at you fondly. As a gentle snore escapes your lips, she presses a light kiss to your forehead, leaning down to nuzzle you.

"I love you..."