Wallflower hated math. She hated it. Math made her feel stupid. Every other school day, she had to sit in class and look at the board and write down the numbers and letters and symbols and pretend she understood it all. But she didn’t. Past a certain grade, she simply couldn’t understand it.
It made her feel stupid.
Maybe she was. Yes, she was good at other subjects. History especially. But her being awful at math was always what stuck in her head more than her successes in other classes.
Was it possible that something was wrong with her? Wallflower always wondered if there was some explanation as to why she just couldn’t understand, couldn’t pay attention to math. If it was possible to chop her skull open, pull out her brain, and examine it for anything wrong that made her so different from everyone else, she would do it.
She couldn’t drive herself to study by herself, couldn’t force herself to ask a question or ask someone for help, couldn’t do anything to stop being so stupid and so clueless and such an idiot.
That’s why she was in the easiest math class. Not honors, not at all. Just core. The easiest option possible to get a credit.
There was very little, if anything, that made math class an enjoyable experience.
Suddenly, the bell rang, and everything was okay again. Well, except for her annoyance towards how loud the bell was. It hurt her ears. But that was fine, because the bell ringing signified both the end of math but also the end of the entire school day. It meant being able to go home if she wanted to, it meant the end of interacting with people she didn’t like, it meant—
“Howdy, Wallflower!”
Applejack.
Applejack Applejack Applejack. Applejack? Applejack! Applejack..
How was it possible that they could be so close after what Wallflower did with the memory stone? It still wasn’t clear to her. They were in the same math class—the one she just left—and they just..happened to get close.
Wallflower was struggling in math class one day. It was bad. Did she have a breakdown over it? The details were hard to remember. Apparently there was an empty seat next to her at the time. Applejack sat next to her, offered to help, and it was all a blur from there. A blur of Applejack and her dumb silly freckles.
And now? Applejack tutored her in math. Though it was more like they studied together, among other things. It genuinely helped once they both began to understand just what they had to do, after Applejack figured out how to incorporate apples into their studying.
“Hey, Applejack..” Wallflower meekly responded, instinctively walking a bit closer to Applejack as they made their way through the halls. “Did you, uhm, have trouble with the stuff in class today?”
“Yup,” Applejack responded, “Ah couldn’t quite get my head ‘round those formulas. And we’re supposed to remember ‘em for the test, right?” She asked, in a genuine question kind of way, while putting her arm around Wallflower.
“U-Um,” Wallflower stuttered, her cheeks warming up awfully quick upon feeling Applejack’s strong arm around her. “N-No, it was..well, I just wrote them down and forgot about them. We should probably memorize it all, but..I dunno, I’m fine with getting a bad grade on this test.”
“C’mon now, don’t go sayin’ that!” Applejack exclaimed, squeezing Wallflower closer for just a second, “Ah bet we could get it all down if we studied it. Say, how ‘bout we go to my place and study everything? You can have dinner with us too, get some meat on your bones. Ah swear, you’re even scrawnier today than normal..”
“I haven’t been able to afford much lately..” Wallflower admitted. Applejack always offered to give her some of her own money that she made from her work at Sweet Apple Acres, and Wallflower always declined. The only way she’d accept being a burden like that is if Applejack gave her physical cash that she couldn’t decline, which wasn’t more than a few hundred when Applejack did do that. “And..if we do go to your house to study, we’d better..y’know, actually study this time.”
“Ah, r-right,” Applejack stuttered, her cheeks getting rosy. “Yeah, ah promise..everyone’s home today, so we’d have to keep it all clean and h’whatnot anyways. Y’know, studyin’..just doin’ math. Nothin’ suspicious.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it..” Wallflower couldn’t help but smile. “..I mean, I wouldn’t mind if we—”
Applejack pulled Wallflower closer, leaned down, and kissed her.
It only lasted a few seconds. Maybe six seconds, Wallflower couldn’t pay attention to anything else in that moment. All she knew was that she liked it.
Applejack pulled away, but still held Wallflower close. Without her vision being obscured by Applejack’s sweet face, Wallflower could see they were in the parking lot now. She must’ve not been paying attention in the gay haze she was in as they walked.
“Ah love ya, Wallflower. Just felt like sayin’ that. Now, if you don’t have any objections, wanna come home with me to study? Like I said, you can stay over for dinner too.”
“Oh, gosh, umm..” Wallflower sighed. Normally, she would have said no. But Applejack just kissed her, and any self-deprecating thoughts about her being a leech or a burden were absent from her mind. “..Sure. And, uh..I love you too, Applejack.”
And Applejack smiled, kept her arm around Wallflower, and walked her over to her pick-up truck. Like so many times before.
Wallflower got into the passenger seat, Applejack got into the driver's seat, and soon enough they were off to Sweet Apple Acres.
It was something Wallflower and Applejack had done several times before, and the sweet and stable routine did a lot to make their relationship feel grounded.
Yes, it was almost picturesque. Especially with how unlikely their relationship was. Somehow, Applejack was able to see past what Wallflower had done with the memory stone and actually got to know her. She got to know her, and apparently decided she liked Wallflower. In more than one way. The kind of way that had Applejack kissing her, calling her cute, wanting to spend time with her, all of the hallmarks of a relationship between two girls who were in love. As girlfriends.
But that was the thing that confused Wallflower. It kept her awake at night, it kept her thinking about it almost constantly when she wasn’t with Applejack, it kept her contemplating asking her about it whenever they were together.
Applejack had never once called Wallflower her girlfriend.
Wallflower rested her arms in her lap, looking out of the passenger window. They’d been driving for quite some time now on account of how far Sweet Apple Acres was from school, quite a ways away from the city limits. By now, they were driving past barren suburbs and warehouses.
She hated to be so silent to Applejack, but she was deep in thought. Well, she was spiraling in thought. Wallflower had a nasty habit. A no-good, nasty, awful habit. It was awfully easy for her mood to switch up on a dime, all because of one slight inconvenience or more often because of her own thoughts getting the best of her. She tried to not let it happen too much, but it was just too easy to indulge in. On the inside, her mood was completely wrecked. On the outside, she was just being quiet.
“..You, uh, okay there, Wallflower?” Applejack asked, not looking over to her. Because of course she didn’t, she was driving!
“Oh, uh..yea. Sorry. Just thinking.” Wallflower replied, glancing over to Applejack. Gosh, she was really pretty. Especially while the sun was setting.
“Thinkin’, huh? Do you happen to be thinkin’ in the way that makes you sad?”
“..maybe.” Wallflower mumbled, sinking into her seat. Applejack could read her so well. She felt awful about it, too. Why should she be feeling like this when she was supposed to be happy with her…with Applejack? The fact the label of their relationship wasn’t exactly clear wasn’t supposed to matter so much. It shouldn’t matter so much to Wallflower.
“C’mon now,” Applejack chastised, “You can tell me anythin’. And ah know how you get like when you’re thinkin’ like, uhh..” She paused, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel for a moment, “thinkin’ thoughts that make you all sad. What’s got you down?” Her eyes momentarily flashed over to Wallflower, just for a second before returning to the road.
“..Are, uhm..” Wallflower huffed. She couldn’t ask the question directly, that was too..needy. Too blatant, too annoying. Maybe she could dance around the question. “Are..you ashamed of me?”
“Ashamed of you?” Applejack asked, but in the kind of way that didn’t need to be answered since it was more of a rhetorical question that was going to be followed up by more words. “Not even a little bit. Why do ya ask, Wallflower? I wanna make ya feel better.”
Wallflower really, really wanted to shut down and say nothing more after that, but Applejack was so damn patient and calm and caring. She just..couldn’t. But still. She had to dance around the question. It didn’t matter how Applejack never referred to Wallflower as her girlfriend, it really didn’t.
“..because, uhh..” Wallflower paused. How should she phrase this? “..what I did. You know, with the, uh. Memory stone. I mean, you were there, and your friends were there, a-and..I, uh. What I did..wasn’t right, and..and I just. I feel..I feel like..”
Applejack briefly moved her hand to pat Wallflower’s head, giving her a few rubs before pulling back onto the wheel. “It’s alright. You can take yer time,” she said, in her incredibly understanding tone that always made Wallflower feel all wobbly and warm.
Damnit. How could she possibly bring it up? It was just a stupid label to their relationship. It didn’t matter. Wallflower’s life wasn’t hanging on the fact Applejack wasn’t referring to their relationship as them being girlfriends.
But what if Applejack didn’t think of them as girlfriends? Was that it? Was Wallflower not that special to Applejack, despite all the hugs and kisses and everything else?
No, that was ridiculous. Applejack obviously loved her and considered Wallflower to be special to her. There was no way she didn’t, no way she didn’t see them as girlfriends like how Wallflower did.
Right?
“..Have you..told your family about us?” It was all Wallflower could ask. Maybe it would give her some insight into what Applejack thought about their relationship. Besides, Applejack would never lie!
“—Uh, about us? Whaddya mean?”
“..about our relationship. And stuff.”
Applejack gripped the wheel slightly harder, the leather cover squeaking. “Wha? ‘Course I have. They, uh..they know. About us. Mhm. Told ‘em all about it.” She spat out, all too eager to reassure Wallflower.
“..Really?”
“Mhm! Told ‘em everything—well, not everything, but, you know what ah mean, right?” Applejack nervously smiled, keeping her eyes on the road but still glancing over at Wallflower from the corner of her eyes. “Is this what you were worryin’ about? Cuz..” Applejack paused, taking a breath. It looked like she was about to be sick. “Cuz..ah told ‘em. So…you don’t have to worry about nothin’.”
“..ohkay,” Wallflower paused. “..I love you,” she quickly added.
Applejack smiled again, looking less nervous now. “Ah love you too, Wallflower. Ah mean it. A-Also, we’re almost there, so ah hope you’re hungry. Granny Smith is makin’ pie tonight, and ah know you’ll love it.”
Wallflower smiled back and hummed in response. Turning to the window beside her, she saw the apple trees of the orchards come into view and begin to fly by as the truck approached the farmhouse of Sweet Apple Acres. As she watched, Wallflower came to a realization.
Applejack was a terrible liar.
Wallflower felt uneasy as she stepped into the farmhouse. It was identical to when she first entered, two months and twenty-two days ago, but it was different now. The furniture, the wallpaper, the fifth step on the stairs creaking hard as she and Applejack walked up, it was the exact same in spite of things.
How was Wallflower supposed to navigate this? She was about seventy-eight-percent sure Applejack had just lied to her. She lied. Did she? No, she had to have. Accepting the fact Applejack lied was already difficult, but now Wallflower had to somehow..bring that up and confront her about it.
It was essentially an impossible task. Applejack was the most honest person she ever knew, why would she lie about telling her own family about their relationship? But why would she react in such a way when questioned?
As much as Wallflower didn’t want to ask her about it, she really had no choice. It was already bugging her, and they left the truck only a few minutes ago. Even still, she couldn’t let this gnaw at her for long. If she did, it’d put a strain on their relationship. And if their relationship was strained, Applejack would become resentful of her. And if Applejack became resentful of her—more so than she must’ve already been—their relationship would end. And if their relationship was to end, Wallflower would be all alone and on her own and depressed and—
“Wallflower? You okay there?”
“—Yeah. Yup. Uhh..”
Wallflower pulled herself out of her head, now back in the moment. They were in Applejack’s room, Applejack sitting on her bed with her math homework spread out before her. She was looking at Wallflower, patting the space right beside her. “C’mon now, we better get this done sooner than later. Ah hate doing my homework late in the day.”
“Right..gosh, I forgot you actually do your homework..” Wallflower mumbled, stepping over to take a familiar spot next to Applejack on her bed. She pulled her notebook and homework out, laying them right next to Applejack’s.
“Ugh..I didn’t even write the notes,” Wallflower complained, groaning and leaning against Applejack’s shoulder. “I got frustrated and didn’t bother writing them after a while..”
Applejack cooed, putting her strong arm around Wallflower and pulling her close. “Well don’t you worry, sugarcube. Ah’ll help ya, and we can be done real quick!”
“Heh, yaaay..”
And that’s what they did. For a while, at least. Wallflower copied Applejack’s notes, and then they worked on their homework. The whole time, Wallflower felt like she was going to explode. She desperately wanted to bring up how she knew Applejack lied earlier. After about an hour, she just couldn’t hold it in anymore.
The thoughts of what could happen were overwhelming her, making her fidgety, her body squirming and feeling trapped underneath her sweater. If she didn’t talk to Applejack about it now, she’d surely notice how Wallflower was acting soon.
“Alrighty, this here’s a review question..oh, ah know this one! Volume of a sphere..err, so a sphere’s kinda like an apple, sooo..”
“Applejack?”
“Huh? Yea, Wallflower?”
And now Applejack was looking at her. Wallflower was clearly fidgeting; wringing her hands, tugging on her sleeves, she wasn’t doing too well.
“You’re doin’ that thing again,” Applejack commented, leaning in and putting a hand on Wallflower’s shoulder. “You okay? What’s wrong?”
Wallflower couldn’t hold it in anymore. She had to talk about it, now. Any consequences could fall on her and she wouldn’t care. Worst case scenario, they’d break up before they really even taking their relationship seriously—that went for Applejack, Wallflower took their relationship as incredibly serious—and then Wallflower would be all alone again. But that was preferable to keeping everything bottled up and living a possible lie.
“..You lied. In the truck. I know you did,” Wallflower blurted out.
“—Wha? ..C’mon now, Wallflower,” Applejack readjusted herself, moving to face Wallflower with her entire body. She put both hands on Wallflower’s shoulders, looking down to her with a wobbly smile. “I-I wouldn’t do that to ya, so—“
“Please. Don’t do it anymore. Just..” Wallflower huffed. Now the emotions were coming in. She was..disappointed now. Maybe even a little angry. Why would Applejack even lie to her, it just wasn’t fair!
“..you lied to me about telling people about us. Our relationship. I could tell, you’re not a good liar. It kinda makes you look like you’re about to throw up. Just..don’t fight it, please. Be honest with me..okay?”
Applejack’s expression softened as Wallflower spoke. Her uneasy smile became a frown as she took her hat off, gently putting it down to the side. “Oh, Wallflower..you know me pretty well, huh? Yea. I..kinda lied about that. I’m sorry.”
Wallflower was right in guessing she lied! Well, it wasn’t much of a cause to celebrate since it could destroy their relationship, but still. Applejack was seemingly taking it well enough, now she just had to know why she did it.
“..Why? You’re always pretty honest..” Wallflower’s frown deepened. “..is it because you don’t really want to be with me?”
“What?!” Applejack exclaimed in disbelief, firmly grabbing Wallflower’s shoulders, “No! Not at all, Wallflower! Ah love ya, and I really mean it every time I say it. Don’t ever think ah don’t!”
“So why’d you lie?” Wallflower responded, trying her best to keep her tone placid. Surely, Applejack had a good reason. Even still, it was hard to not get emotional.
“Because..well, because,” Applejack sighed. She pulled her hands away from Wallflower’s shoulder, took a deep breath, and laid down on the bed. “I’m scared.”
“..what?”
“I’m scared to tell people, Wallflower. ‘Cuz..people don’t know I’m like that. Y’know, interested in other girls. It’s why ah only kiss ya when we’re alone and all..sure, ah can get touchy in front of people, but..ah dunno, I’m nervous to do it in front of other people..”
Wallflower slowly laid herself down next to Applejack, hesitantly cuddling up against her side. She didn’t expect Applejack to do anything, but suddenly her arm was around Wallflower and pulling her close for a snuggle.
“W-Well,” Wallflower began, caught off guard by the sudden contact with Applejack’s body, “does..that also mean you haven’t told your family? Not even your sister?”
“..No.” Applejack sighed, grabbing for her hat and putting it over her eyes. “Ah love her a lot, she’s the best sister I could ever ask for, but..it’s complicated. What if they don’t accept me? It’s..it’s why I haven’t told ‘em all yet. My family. It’s..real scary.”
Wallflower frowned, turning over and wrapping both of her arms around Applejack. “Your family is way better than mine..I’m sure they’d accept you for liking girls. Err..being lesbian?”
“Mm,” Applejack hummed in response.
“Well..like I said, your family is great. Like, really great. And even if they weren’t..are you gonna let that stop us from being a, uhm..y’know, real thing?”
Applejack tipped her hat back, her eyes glancing over to Wallflower. “Whaddya mean? We aren’t a real thing?”
“—No, no, I didn’t mean it like—well I mean, I just—...” Wallflower paused, seeing Applejack’s patient look on her face. Now she could feel herself blushing. Damnit, why was Applejack so attractive?! It was completely throwing her off. “..you’ve, uh..never referred to me as your girlfriend. We just..y’know, behave like we’re girlfriends.”
“Oh..” Applejack briefly fell silent. Then, she turned her body to Wallflower and pulled her close. “Sorry, ah never really..realized that. But I’m glad you told me, sugarcube! ‘Cuz you are my girlfriend. And ah love ya.”
Wallflower could feel it! The oxytocin! Cuddles with Applejack always did the trick to make her feel better, and now that things were cleared up between them she was feeling much better. She nuzzled up close, allowing herself to relax in..Applejack’s big strong arms..
“..So,” she hesitantly began, once the two were nuzzled up close, “are you gonna keep it a secret from people? I mean, I don’t mind if you want to, I just..y’know, it’d be nice. To be out, together. The both of us.” Wallflower nuzzled closer to Applejack, her voice now muffled. “And it’s kinda risky cuddling like this if you haven’t told your family..”
“Yeah, I s’pose so..mm, but ah kinda like this,” Applejack pulled Wallflower closer, and made herself comfy. She groaned, stretching her legs out to get nice and comfy-like. “‘Sides..we’ll probably be fine. Nobody ever really comes up here to my room that much.”
“Hehe..alright, if you say so..” Wallflower completely relaxed, every little muscle in her body untensing for the first time in the entire day. It was just her and Applejack, two girlfriends cuddling in private—
The door to Applejack’s room burst open, a smaller and squeakier version of Applejack now standing in the doorway.
“Applejaaack! Dinner’s ready! Whatcha doin’ holed up in here, sis?” Applebloom peered over, trying to get a look at what the two were doing. “Is that Wallflower over there?”
Wallflower and Applejack promptly pushed themselves away from the other, breaking their cuddle and trying to look as natural as possible. Y’know, as natural as two girls who were previously cuddling could look.
“Y-Yup! We were just..doin’ homework. Mhm. Together,” Applejack quickly spat out, rolling over to sit up on her bed. “We’ll, uh, be down for dinner in a sec! Don’t let us keep y’all waiting!”
“Aw, c’mon Applejack! I can tell you ain’t doin’ nothin’ and you gotta come down now! We ain’t gonna start eatin’ if you aren’t down here, so hurry it up!”
“Alright, alright..” Applejack sighed, looking back to Wallflower as she put her hat back on. Hesitantly, she spoke, “c’mon, Wallflower. I, uh, said you were gonna like the pie, didn’t I?”
Wallflower sat up, already dreading this situation. Facing Applejack’s family after having a discussion about whether or not she was going to come out to them and tell them all about her relationship with Wallflower? Awful.
“..Mhm! I’m starving..”
Wallflower stepped down the stairs, following Applejack. Every little step creaked even louder than usual, including the fifth step. Maybe that was because three people were walking down at the same time, though.
Regardless, Wallflower still felt incredibly off. She had just finished having a meaningful conversation with Applejack regarding her hiding her sexuality from friends and family, nearly got caught cuddling after the two had come to an understanding, and were now set to eat dinner with the very same family that Applejack was afraid of coming out to.
But what did Applejack have to be afraid of? That’s the question that was running through her mind at that moment. The Apples seemed to be a perfect family, despite the lack of parents—which Wallflower would never bring up ever out of respect for Applejack. They were all so incredibly nice..was Applejack just worrying too much?
No, it wasn’t Wallflower’s place to speculate about it. Besides, it’s a perfectly normal thing to worry about coming out to people, and Wallflower wouldn’t want to pressure Applejack too much. It was Applejack’s choice to do anything about coming out, not her own choice!
The two were just about to step into the dining room before Applejack grabbed Wallflower by the wrist, pulling her over and leaving Applebloom to cluelessly wander to her seat. Wallflower bumped up against Applejack as she yanked her into her, the two stumbling for a second.
“—Shoot, sorry ‘bout that!” Applejack whispered, trying to keep her voice down. “Look, ah know you probably feel kinda weird about this too. Seein' how we were just talkin’ about me bein’..y’know, hush-hush about my whole liking girls and dating you thing. And..ah know, it might be pretty sudden to you, but ah’ve been thinkin’ about it. And..ah think it’s best if I do tell ‘em. Maybe tonight, while you’re here?”
Wallflower was barely paying attention, fixating on Applejack’s strong grip on her wrist. “Whuh? Huh? Tell them? Like..right now, tonight? At dinner? I-I mean..” Wallflower thought about it for a moment. Did Applejack really see her as enough of a support to want to come out at dinner? In just a few minutes? “..are you sure?”
“..yeah. Ah think so.” Applejack nodded, moving her hand from Wallflower’s wrist to her hand. Wallflower could feel her holding it, wrapping her hand in her warm grasp.
“Wallflower, ah know we just barely talked about it, but..it kinda motivated me. Ah really want to tell ‘em. And it’ll be way easier with you here! So,” Applejack clutched Wallflower’s hand just a bit tighter, “will ya help me tell my family we’re datin’?”
“Yes!” Wallflower answered without hesitation, now having focused on Applejack’s words and listening to every last one while watching her lips move.
Applejack smiled, and suddenly those lips were on Wallflower’s in a quick smooch.
“Alright, sugarcube..” Applejack began as she pulled away and stood up straight, “Let’s go. And try not to blush too much, alright? Like how you are right now, might give our secret away ‘fore I actually tell ‘em.”
“—Right, right. Yeah.” Wallflower nodded, putting a hand to her cheek. Wow, she really was blushing. Just from a little kiss..
With their plan agreed on, the two stepped into the dining room—after Wallflower stopped blushing. Applebloom, Big Mac, and Granny Smith had set the table and sat down with food around the table. Like all the other times Wallflower had came to eat, all the food immediately caught her eye. Rolls of bread, potatoes cooked in various manners, hearty vegetables, and even more. And of course, a number of apple related foods including an apple pie.
“‘Bout time you sat down!” Applebloom exclaimed, clearly having gotten antsy waiting for the two to come to the table. “We’ve been waiting’ and you two were doin’ nothin’ in the livin’ room! Granny Smith wouldn’t let us touch our food before you finally came in!”
Granny Smith tutted, immediately filling a plate up once the two came in. “Now, now, Applebloom. You can wait a couple minutes, and you did! Yer brother waited real patiently, too.” She set the plate down where Wallflower was planning to sit, filling it up nicely. “You eat up now, Wallflower. Yer skin an’ bones, and ah can tell even with that there sweater on ya!”
“Oh, um, alright!” Wallflower didn’t object to receiving the biggest plate of food she had ever seen in her life, sitting down as she eyed up her plate. She nearly forgot what she and Applejack were planning to do, distracted by the intoxicating smell of a home-cooked meal.
Applejack cleared her throat, sitting down as she filled her plate on her own. “Yea, thanks for lettin’ her stay over for dinner, Granny.”
“Of course! You two are already friends, and ah can’t let ‘er go hungry while she’s with us here. But Wallflower, don’t yer parents feed ya at home?”
“Haha, yeah..friends.” Applejack nervously rubbed at the back of her neck, clearly wondering how she’d bring up her whole coming out thing.
However, Wallflower wasn’t exactly able to tell. She was too busy eating and wondering what she should say to answer Granny Smith’s question. There was a very heavy answer to it, and she really did not want to ruin the mood of dinner before Applejack’s big announcement. “Well, uhm..I don’t exactly..live with my parents. I live by myself.”
“By yourself?!” Applebloom gasped through a mouth full of food, somehow not choking on anything. “Cool! Where do you live? Is your house big or somethin’? Then why are you always here with Applejack?”
“Umm..no. I live in, uhh..an apartment. It’s a..social program thing.”
“Woah! For free?! That’s so cool!” Applebloom gawked, “Why don’tya live with your parents? Didya run away? Are they dead?”
“Applebloom, ya can’t ask that kind of question!” Applejack scolded, “Err, unless she wants to answer ‘em, of course..”
“No, I’d..rather not.” Wallflower awkwardly laughed, or rather made a noise that was an attempt at a laugh.
“Aww, alright..” Applebloom pouted, poking at her food now. “..still pretty cool that you live by yourself, though.”
Unfortunately, the constant need to have a conversation that always occurred at the dinner table—Wallflower never understood it—occured once more.
“So, Wallflower,” Granny Smith began, now the one to speak up this time, “You’ve been comin’ with Applejack a whole lot lately. Yer grade for math gettin’ any better? Applejack ain’t never been the best at the whole arithmetic stuff, but she ain’t half bad.”
“Umm, yea,” Wallflower responded, shrugging. “I, uh, remember it all well enough to pass, and Applejack helps me a lot. She’s..pretty smart. I have a B-minus now, actually..”
“Well, ain’t that great! You could do with some of yer bigger sister’s tutorin’ too, Applebloom. Seems like she’s pretty darn good at it.”
Applebloom groaned, “We already tried! She doesn’t even remember what we’re doin’ in my class..”
“Eheh..” Applejack chuckled, “It’s been a while, what can ah say?”
“Weeell,” Granny Smith started again, “At least yer helpin yer friend. Speakin’ of which, you two are pretty close now, aren'tcha?”
Wallflower felt her cheeks immediately getting hot, and Applejack wasn’t looking much better. Well, this was unfortunate. Their cover was already getting blown! If they couldn’t recover from this, it was going to get bad..
“Well, uh..” Applejack drawled, struggling to find the proper words. “Yea. It’s, uhh..somethin’ I was wantin’ to talk about. Err, we were wantin’ to talk about.”
And now all eyes were on them. Well, it was just three pairs of eyes, but still. That was more eyes than Wallflower was used to. It was even worse because of what they were announcing. Err, what Applejack was about to announce. What they were both going to announce? Together? Did they go over it? Wallflower could hardly remember. Her legs felt like they weren’t even there. Was this a mistake? Should they really go through with this? Was it worth it—
Wallflower felt a hand on her thigh. Looking over, it was Applejack. She was giving her a reassuring smile. Wallflower completely forgot they were sitting next to each other. But now she felt better..the whole world didn’t feel like it was about to close in on her, at least.
Applejack cleared her throat, now facing everyone else at the table. “Well, there’s..hah, no other way to say this. But, uh..well. We’re..” She paused for a moment. This wasn’t any easier for Applejack, was it? Wallflower put her hand atop Applejack’s, hoping to reassure her.
“..Together,” Applejack finally finished, “Dating, that is. Y’know, in a relationship. As girlfriends. Oh, uh, and..I’m a lesbian. Just so y’all know.”
Applebloom’s eyes went wide. Big Mac continued to eat like everything was completely normal. Granny Smith hardly had a reaction, only smiling and giving a brief nod. “Well, that’s good for you dearie. And you too, Wallflower.”
“..What, that’s it?” Applejack questioned, clearly in disbelief at how tame their reactions were, “Nothin’? Y’all ain’t mad? Nothin’? Applebloom, what about you? You look surprised, whaddya have to say?”
Applebloom eagerly nodded, nearly jumping out of her chair. “Does that mean you two are in love or somethin’ because ah thought that was just somethin’ between boys and girls and ah don’t think I feel it with boys and ah was just wonderin—”
“Now, now, Applebloom,” Granny Smith interrupted, “you can ask her all about that after dinner.” She turned back to Applejack. “Applejack, ah know this must be underwhelmin’, but it’s perfectly okay if you two are datin’. In fact, we’re glad you’ve gone an’ told us! Even Big Mac!”
For the first time during dinner, Big Mac finally decided to speak. “If you two are happy together, then that’s just great. It’s not our place to decide who you love, and you two seem pretty compatible as a couple—”
“How long have you two been datin’?” Applebloom interrupted, shutting Big Mac up.
Wallflower didn’t realize how much she was smiling until she instinctively answered the question. “Three months and fifteen days!” Was it kind of pathetic that she could remember and counted? Sort of. But Applejack found it cute, so that made her feel a little less embarrassed about it.
“Well, that’s just great,” Granny Smith smiled. And then they all returned to normal. There was some discussion regarding how Big Mac was doing in school and how Granny Smith cooked the food. No yelling, no big fight. No hitting. Nothing!
Not that it bothered Wallflower. In fact, it was the ideal way things could have gone. What’s that? You’re dating this weird disheveled plant girl? That’s nice, Applejack. That’s how it went. Sure, it’d be pretty nice if there were lots of hugs and tears or whatever, but Wallflower kind of hated the idea.
This was good. Great, even!
Applejack turned to her with a smile. “We did it! Heh, still gotta do this with anyone else who asks, but..meh, I’ll just call you my girlfriend everywhere now.”
Wallflower shrugged. “You did it all, thankfully. I’m just happy you can call me that now..” She shifted her eyes to look over to Applejack, seeing her smiling face and immediately blushing. Stupidly attractive girlfriend.. “..quit making me want to kiss you in front of your family..”
Applejack softly chuckled, pulling away from being so close to Wallflower. “Alright, alright…but, uh,” she began to add, in a whisper, “you can do that to me once we’re done eatin’, if ya want.”
Wallflower blushed and promptly quieted down, mumbling something in response that Applejack probably didn’t hear. Oh well, there was time to tell her whatever she wanted on the truck ride home after dinner. Speaking of which, Wallflower realized she had stopped eating her food in the middle of their whole announcement.
She poked at the slice of apple pie on her plate with a fork. It looked so..perfect. Kinda like what she had seen in movies and stuff. It was somewhat surreal to see an apple pie in person, at least for Wallflower.
Using her fork, Wallflower cut off a piece and took a bite.
..Too sweet. Could be worse, though.
“You don’t have to walk me all the way up here, y’know..” Wallflower complained, her arm interlinked with Applejack’s as they walked together. Applejack had driven her to her apartment building and offered to walk Wallflower up the stairs, not taking ‘no’ for an answer.
“Aw, c’mon, I'm your girlfriend!” Applejack smiled, happily guiding Wallflower to her apartment. Thankfully, it was only three flights of stairs up. “Plus, uh, ah don’t really want to leave you yet..is that too clingy?”
Wallflower’s heart skipped a beat. Applejack was worried about being clingy? She urged Applejack to stand closer to her as they walked, pulling her just a bit closer. “N-No, I get it. I, uh..don’t want you to leave yet, either. That’s not clingy..right?”
“..Nah,” Applejack responded. Unfortunately, the two reached the door to Wallflower’s apartment. “Ah think we just love each other or somethin’. Also..ah just wanted to make sure you made it up here okay. This building is kinda shady..”
“Yeah, but at least it’s free..means I can spend what money I get on food, y’know?”
Applejack sighed, letting go of Wallflower’s arm and moved to stand parallel to her. She put her hands on her shoulders, leaning down slightly so they were somewhat eye-level. “Ya can’t live like this forever, Wallflower. Ah love ya. Won’t you let me help you? Ah know you hate to depend on people, especially me, but..ah hate seeing you live like this. You deserve better. You don’t even have to live with us, we’ll pay for a nicer place!”
Wallflower immediately wanted to say no. It almost jumped out of her, in fact. Wallflower despised the idea of relying on someone like that. Especially if it was her girlfriend. What if something happened between them? What then? Would she still be living off of the Apple Family’s dollar?
..But what other choice did she have? Applejack was right. Wallflower couldn’t live like this forever. And more importantly, Applejack loved her and wanted to help her. She needed to trust her.
“..okay. But..can we not talk about it too much tonight? You kinda came out to your family today and told them we’re dating, it’s kind of enough for me tonight..”
Applejack smiled. “Sure. Yeah, of course! Don’t worry about it, alright? We can take care of it.” It seemed like that answer was enough for Applejack to be satisfied.
Wallflower sighed. It still made her feel like something of a deadbeat, but if Applejack insisted it was okay then it might just be fine. “Okay..I guess this is goodnight? I’m kind of tired—”
Applejack leaned in, pulled Wallflower close from around her back, and gave her a kiss. A proper kiss. A real, soft, loving kiss. Wallflower could feel her cheeks burning, her legs feeling like they were about to give out. Weakly, she raised her arms to hook them around Applejack’s and just..stayed in the kiss. If she could stay there forever, she would.
But it had to end. Of course it did, the two had to breathe eventually and Wallflower was always self conscious about her somewhat low lung capacity. Applejack pulled away from her and had a stupidly dumb and cute smile on her face, looking as if she was glowing in the cheap fluorescent lights of the hallway.
“W-Well, uh..” Applejack stuttered, “guess I better get goin’, huh? Pretty late..”
Wallflower would have dragged her straight into her apartment if she had the strength to. “Um, yeah! I guess so..” Wallflower reached behind her and clumsily opened her door, slipping into the doorway but not fully closing it yet. “Umm..see you tomorrow? Or, uh, you can call me. Or..text me. Text me when you get home? I-I dunno..”
Applejack nodded, that dumb stupid cute smile still on her face. “Right! Mhm. I’ll, uh, call. Or text. I dunno, either or? Uhh..see ya tomorrow, either way! Ah love ya, Wallflower.”
“—I love you too, Applejack!”
And with that, Applejack was headed downstairs and back to Sweet Apple Acres. Wallflower closed the door and locked it, taking a deep breath as she bolted the door closed.
Moving to her bedroom, she slipped out of her day clothes and changed into her far more comfortable pajamas. All of the excitement from today made even her baggy clothes feel constricting. Shorts and a t-shirt were acceptable when she was home alone.
Flopping down onto her bed, she reflected on the day.
Today was..
Perfect!
Sure, it was pretty nerve wracking at times, but everything Wallflower wanted to do played out well enough! No fighting, no yelling, no breakup! Her relationship with Applejack actually felt..official. And it felt amazing.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed. Forgetting that she had left it in her discarded pants, Wallflower hurriedly dug through her dirty laundry bin and pulled out her phone from her pants pocket. Hurriedly, she checked the notification she just got.
It was a text. From Applejack.
I love you, girlfriend!
Without even thinking about it, Wallflower replied.
I love you too, girlfriend
And she smiled. They were calling each other girlfriends!
Girlfriends. She and Applejack. Together. For how long? It was impossible to tell, but Wallflower preferred it to be forever. Maybe it would be forever. Though, she’d never say that. It was kinda weird. Unless Applejack liked that sort of thing.
But maybe it would be forever! They could get married, live together at Sweet Apple Acres—because moving away was obviously out of the question for Applejack—, grow old together and stuff..
And be happy together.
Yeah. For the first time in a long while, Wallflower could see herself being that. Happy.
Things were going to be alright.