//------------------------------// // Icicles and Grass // Story: Flowing Waters // by Storm butt //------------------------------// Caramel knew he was still blushing as he tried his best to keep his body from shaking, his eyes still damp as he bit into his lip, the quiet room seeming to fill with his struggle to hold back his tears as Big Macintosh glanced out the window. The workhorse looked at the damp world outside of the hospital room, the sun shining brightly as the few remaining patches of snow “S-Sorry.” The tan stallion found himself apologizing once more, feeling his damp cheeks with the back of his hoof. It was hard to keep his voice steady, for the more he found himself looking to Big Macintosh the more his belly began to twist. “Ain’t yer fault, Sugar.” Big Macintosh said, his voice calm. Caramel bit into his lip, finding it hard to keep his eyes from watering as he sniffled, his bandaged upper legs no longer hurting as he closed his eyes. “I-I know you hate seeing me cry, a-and I tried not t-to,” Caramel found himself scratching at his leg, the bandages wrapped tightly around his leg. “I just get nervous around needles and I hate when the seasons change so much because it’s nothing but getting used to all this weather.” “Spring’s nice.” Big Macintosh sighed loudly, reaching out his hoof quickly to grab Caramel’s own, pulling it away from his leg as he shook his head. “Yer just gonna irritate it, if ya do it again Ah’m gonna hold yer hoof till we leave this place.” “Is that s-supposed to be a threat?” Caramel found himself giggling as Mac wiped his damp cheeks. “You offered to do that when Sage gave me my shots.” “That… usually works on AJ.” Mac admitted as he looked to the ceiling briefly, the tiled pattern . “Ah’ll think of a good one fer ya, Sugarcube.” Even with Caramel sitting up on the stool, Mac only had to put his hooves on either side and lift himself a few inches to meet the Caramel the eye. Mac’s face had a gentle smile as he rubbed over the bandages with his hoof. “Do you have to come with me every time I go to the doctor?” Caramel mumbled under his breath, finding himself sniffling. He fiddled with his hooves to avoid scratching at his bandages, knowing Mac wouldn’t only frown at him if he did so. “Eeyup.” Mac answered quickly, pulling Caramel’s face to his before he quickly kissed the his coltfriend on the cheek, the warmth coming off noticeably made the workhorse laugh. The sound was rough in the tan stallion’s ear. “Ya don’t look that sad if Ah talk ta ya when ya cry over somethin’ silly.” “You hate watching me take my medicine, I don’t know why you come here.” Caramel sniffed. “Ya don’t mind medicine so much.” Mac responded, grabbing Caramel’s hoof briefly as he ran it over his own. “Ah know ya hate it here, ya always look like Applebloom does when Ah take her ta the doctor, bout ta cry.” “Do you have to tease me?” Caramel questioned, unable to keep from giggling when Mac grinned back at him. “Eeyup.” Big Macintosh spoke, still looking Caramel in the eye as he lifted his hoof to touch the tan stallion’s chin. “Ya always smile when Ah do.” It was a few moments after Mac began kissing him did Caramel felt his ear twitch, the sound of the door opening up as Mac pulled himself off of him slowly, more out of courtesy than the embarrassment that Caramel’s face was showing. “Can we… stop making this a thing?” Sage asked, raising his eyebrow as he show the door behind him, waving his hoof as he pointed to the two. “I mean I just thought I’d point out it’s gonna get old fast. No being on top of my brother kissing him when I walk in, that okay?” “Eeyup.” Caramel wiped his mouth slowly as he avoided his eyes from Sage, the taste of apples still on him. Mac didn’t seem very embarrassed, in fact he was still smiling at the other. Sage rolled his eyes as he lifted his hoof, visually shoving Big Macintosh away to give them space from the two of them as he walked up to Caramel, pulling out a stethoscope. “Looks like you calmed down a little.” Sage’s magic began to glow a dull brown color as he pressed the bit of metal to Caramel’s chest, the tan stallion squirming as the cold metal hit his fur. “It’s a lot easier to do this now, guess you flirting in my room pays off.” “We didn’t… ” Caramel knew his heart rate went up a bit at that comment, Sage only rolling his eyes as he lifted a hoof to gently smack Caramel’s forehead with little force. “Ow.” “Your heart rate looks normal.” Sage muttered under his breath, pressing his hoof against Caramel’s stomach briefly, feeling his legs under the bandages quickly. “You can stay with Mac if you want, but no dates or staying out in the apple field doing... stuff I don't want to ever hear you repeat." "S-Sage..." Caramel mumbled. "That's fine,” Mac spoke up, though Sage ignored him as he continued inspecting Caramel’s body. “Look, I’m gonna be in a meeting for a while tonight, I’ll probably just stop someplace on my break and get some food.” Sage said, feeling around Caramel’s throat, the tan stallion looking a tad uncomfortable when his brother forced his mouth open to peer down it. “They’re running me pretty ragged here… The surgeons get a kick out of pushing and pulling me about patients. I still gotta keep Mr. Bright Shield from going into surgery because he's about a billion years old and it could kill him." There was a twinge of bitterness in his tone. “Sorry, rambling” Sage stepped away from Caramel briefly, taking a moment to rub his eyes as he pulled off his glasses. “Big Mac, you weren’t really planning on anything important tonight were you?” “Nope.” The red workhorse shook his head, Sage giving him a brief grateful smile. “I’m worried Caramel’s immunodeficiency is gonna act up tonight, it sometimes happens after shots but it’s nothing more than getting a little dizzy or feeling sick.” Sage put his glasses back onto his face, letting out a brief sigh. “Could you stay with him tonight? I’ll probably not make it home until it’s really late." “That’s fine.” Mac answered, nodding his head, pausing briefly before he scratched behind his head. “But Uh… It’s warming up some…” “Yeah, yeah it is.” Sage agreed, his face mildly confused as Mac looked to his hooves with a slightly annoyed look on his face. “Ah um… Caramel is…” Mac let out a whinny, looking a bit frustrated at himself. “Mac’s worried if I’ll be alright to see him when it gets warm again.” Caramel spoke up, the two turning to him. “I told him I wasn’t sure… I mean I didn’t really have a reason to leave the house much before, I never really paid attention.” “That’s all?” Sage responded, pulling his stethoscope around his neck. “Caramel’s body has always been sort of unpredictable, whenever we moved I always tried to keep it in the middle of seasons because I was always afraid of making him move too much during that.” “Oh.” Mac reached his hoof around the back of his neck when he looked to Caramel. “Any reason why?” “Ah’m just worried.” Big Macintosh admitted, watching as Caramel slid off the stool to stand beside his brother. “Ah’ll be workin’ a lot, don’t want Caramel bein’ sick makin’ it even harder ta see him. There’s a few family things we do this time of year, Ah thought Caramel might like em some… gettin’ ready ta grow new trees an start harvestin’ the old ones.” Caramel trotted past Mac to the corner of the room, picking up his green saddle bags as he put them on his back, sighing loudly when he looked out the window, the dripping water from the icicles landing on the windowsill. “Oh, well it’s all depending on Caramel’s condition.” Sage adjusted his glasses as he spoke. “Though I’m reluctant to advise any heavy physical labor, or even minor as a matter of fact. Caramel doesn’t really like to admit when he’s overworked.” “I tried to tell Mac you’d say that.” Caramel spoke with a frown, moving over to Mac as he put his hoof on Mac’s neck. “He wanted to hear it from you though.” “Ah know, it’s just.” Mac looked at his hooves for a moment, kicking at the ground as he let out a whinny. “He don’t have ta help out, Ah just want him there. Whole family’s warmin’ up ta him.” “If you’re asking for my permission, it really isn’t up to me.” Sage spoke, raising a brow to the workhorse. “Professionally I can only offer advice, and personally I’m not too keen on ordering my brother around.” “Ah… Sorry Sugarcube.” Mac mumbled, his freckles blending into his fur as he briefly took Caramel’s hoof in his own, looking to the earth pony. “Ah don’t wanna be pushy.” “I know, I know.” Caramel giggled in response, Mac giving him a gentle smile that sent a brief sense of warmth through his chest. “It’s okay, I kind of want to see you and your family work.” “Good.” Mac replied, smiling happily at the his coltfriend. “We should probably be getting out of here anyway.” Caramel looked out the window, the first shades of twilight creeping into view. “You need anything, or should we head straight home? I-I can go on ahead if you want." Big Macintosh shook his head at the other, watching Sage begin to examine some papers out of the corner of his eye. “Ah don’t want ya gettin’ sick with nopony there.” “You worry a lot.” Caramel mumbled, Mac seeming to prove his words as his hooves began reaching into the tan stallion’s saddle bag, rummaging around a bit before he pulled out a green and white scarf, beginning to wrap it around Caramel’s neck without much warning. The feeling was soft, Mac’s hooves tightening it to the point of it being snug. “You know it’s warming up a lot lately.” “Not till all the snow’s gone.” Mac put simply, tying the end firmly before he began putting his own scarf around his own neck. “That why you stopped complaining that I baby you?” Sage questioned, glancing to the two with a grin on his face. He stopped rifling through his papers briefly, putting the folder on his back as he tucked a quill behind his ear, briefly adjusting his glasses as he raised his hoof. “I-I think that we should be going soon.” Caramel said, feeling the end of the scarf with his hoof. “It’s gonna get dark in a bit and Mac’s gonna wanna carry me to his home or something if that happens.” “Do ya not like it when Ah carry ya on my back?” Mac questioned, his head tilting slightly. “Ah thought ya did.” “Y-Yes. I mean no… I mean, I like it but I just…” Caramel was glad for his scarf, because Sage laughing at the two of them as he adjusted his glasses. “C-Can we just go home now?” “Alright Sugarcube.” Mac said, looking a tad confused, but not wanting to press further. “Go straight to Mac's home, if that's where you're going,” Sage told the two, raising his hoof as he waved absent mindedly at the door, picking up a new folder from the counter top. “Caramel’s a bad liar so don’t do anything dumb.” “Alright.” Mac responded, opening the door into the hallway of the hospital, several ponies passing through. He looked over to Caramel, nodding for him to head out first. “Ya ready ta go Sugar?” “Yeah, let’s head there." Caramel sighed, his shoulders feeling heavy. “Ya want me ta carry ya home?” Big Macintosh asked, his face sincere of the words. “Um… thats… I’ll let you know if I get too tired.” Caramel responded, hiding his face in his scarf the best he could. “You’re so quick to do stuff like that.” Caramel stepped out of the doorway, looking back behind him as Mac began to follow. And just before the door had shut, the small earth pony had turned around, giving a smile to his brother as he raised his hoof in a wave. And just like that, the door had shut.