It was…
Celestia, what time was it?
Celestia, what day was it?
She felt like death. Her whole body was sore, her head was swimming, she had a terrible chill. And she didn't even know where she was.
No - this room was familiar. Just not to wake up to. His living room. She was on the couch under a pile of spare blankets.
She listened to the room, and heard only the dull crackle of the furnace.
Sighing, she laid her head back down on the pillow beneath it-
Only to jump when a door opened.
Sky Stinger walked in quietly, probably so as not to wake her, but when he made his way around the couch, their eyes met. "Oh, hey," he said. "How you feeling?"
"Awful," she answered.
He held up a cylinder. "I brought soup."
Soup was the last thing she wanted at the moment, but still she said, "Thanks."
He put the thermos on an end table and went over to check the furnace, then turned back to Vapor Trail. He just looked at her for a while before asking, "You need anything else?"
That look. It was the look that always made her feel funny.
She nodded.
"...What do you need?"
She… couldn't bring herself to answer. The words failed in her head before she could even think to speak them. Some of that was from being sick, but the rest-
Something hitched in her throat and her face felt wet.
Sky Stinger was there, and she wrapped her hooves around him, but she wanted to push him away, too. Away from her. She didn't deserve him.
"I screwed up," she cried.
"No, you didn't," he told her.
"I did. I really did."
"... Okay, you kinda did, yeah."
That made her laugh, but laughing just made her cry more.
He wasn't quite sure how it had happened, but Vapor Trail now had her forelegs around him and was cry-laughing into his chest. He just sat there awkwardly, letting it happen.
When she calmed down enough to be sensible, she asked in a fright, "Did you - have you heard from the sergeant?"
Sergeant Aero Ace? She was with him at the time, but it made sense she wouldn't remember. "Yeah," he reminded her.
"Oh no…" she mumbled.
"And from the lieutenant."
"Oh no-o-o…"
He sighed. "They both think I'm an idiot, but they didn't seem that mad about it. Mostly they're glad you're okay, apart from the cold."
She whispered, "But you're not an idiot."
He shrugged. "I kinda am. But I'm your idiot, I guess."
Hold on. He didn't mean to say that. Why did he say that?
Vapor Trail didn't respond, but when he tried to extract himself from her forelegs, her grip only tightened. She mumbled something into him. "Don't…"
"What's that?"
"Don't leave me."
There he was, sitting on the floor next to the couch, his friend clutching his neck and asking him not to leave.
"Okay," he replied. "But can I at least-"
She groaned into him, holding him tight.
He relented, and put his one free hoof over her in turn. "Alright, Vape. I won't leave you."
It was sunset. Orange light sliced through the window, which seemed to rise and fall in a slow rhythm. Curiously, every time the window rose, she smelled spearmint in the air.
She liked spearmint. It was his evening scent.
She could get up to investigate, but she didn't want to move. She was warm and comfortable like this.
Instead, she nuzzled her face back into Sky Stinger's neck, let him wrap his hooves around her, and dreamed that this moment would last forever.