Coppermane woke up with a big smile on his face. He couldn't get Fluttershy out of his head. All yesterday on his way home from school, till the moment he went to sleep, he thought about her. He could even vaguely remember dreaming about her. He couldn't help it. Fluttershy was just so… beautiful. Her eyes, her hair, her smile, her figure, everything about her was just perfect.
And she's single! How was is possible for a girl like Fluttershy to be single? It was uncanny, but Coppermane wasn't complaining in the slightest.
On top of that, she was without a doubt the sweetest girl he's ever met. Coppermane remembered the way she looked at him as he told his story. It wasn't one of condescendence or ire. It was one of sympathy and compassion. He didn't know why, but it was a look he knew he could trust. He felt so safe with her. It felt like he could tell her anything, and for once, he wouldn't be judged for it.
She was just… amazing…
But Coppermane knew deep down that he shouldn't read too much into this. Maybe Fluttershy was just naturally that sweet around everyone. Maybe she was the kind of person to always lend a sympathetic ear. Maybe it was in her nature to be shy around everyone. Sure, she hid behind her hair a lot, and blushed quite a bit, but maybe that's just her personality. If it was, then Fluttershy was all the more attractive. The way she played with her hair was just so cute.
He had to talk to her again. He's never felt like this about someone. Fluttershy was special. She was way more than just a pretty face, and he wanted nothing more than to get to know her more. Even if she didn't like him back, he could at least become her friend.
But what could they do together? Something that wouldn't embarrass him, and not make him look like a total idiot in front of her…
An idea popped in his head when Coppermane remembered something. He had her number now. He really enjoyed sitting with her at lunch, so why not do it again? He pulled out his phone…
Coppermane ==> Fluttershy, 6:42 AM
Hey, Fluttershy. It's Coppermane. Sorry if this is a little forward, but I wanted to ask you if you wanted to sit with me at lunch again? I really enjoyed sitting with you yesterday. Maybe we could talk about something other than my personal sob-story, huh? Lemme know what you think!
His nerves made him apprehensive to send the message, but eventually he brought himself to do so. Hopefully it wasn't being too forward.
It was storming outside, so Coppermane decided he would throw his hoodie on, and that he would drive to school instead of walk.
Hopefully he didn't creep Fluttershy out with that text…
Fluttershy ==> Coppermane 7:04 AM
Aww, I'd love to sit with you again! I'll look out for you at lunch. Thank you :)
Fluttershy entered the cafeteria, scanning around for a particular guy. Her crush, Coppermane. He had texted her before school started, and asked if she wanted to have lunch with him again. Fluttershy was already giddy from getting a text from Coppermane, but her giddiness skyrocketed when she saw why he texted her.
Fluttershy loved sitting with Coppermane yesterday. It was a little awkward at first, but once the converation got going, she had a wonderful time.
He was handsome, and he was also very sweet. He called her… pretty. He thought she was pretty. Her mind replayed that moment over and over, and her heart melted every time. The look in his eye was so warm, and his smile was so inviting.
Fluttershy's heart skipped a beat when she saw Coppermane sitting in the same corner lunch table, all alone. He had his hoodie on again, probably because of the rain. He admittedly looked better without his hoodie, but even so, he was just so cute. Coppermane appeared to be scanning the room too. Was he looking for her?
Suddenly, they locked eyes. Fluttershy gasped and hid behind her hair. She felt her face heat up as she brushed her hair behind her ear, and met Coppermane's warm, brown eyes again. She offered a small wave, and he waved back. Was he blushing?
She slowly made her way over to his table, feeling her heart beat faster as she got closer.
Meanwhile, a familiar group of girls were all sitting together, talking amongst themselves. Sunset, Rarity, and Applejack were telling the rest of them about yesterday in calculus with Fluttershy and Coppermane.
"Aww, that's so cute!" Twilight said.
"Oh, I know!" Rarity said, "We're so proud of her!"
Rainbow Dash suddenly noticed something, "Hey, where is Fluttershy anyways?"
All the girls looked around the table to realize that she wasn't there.
"Ah saw her earlier today," Applejack said.
"Wonder where she is," Sunset said.
The girls scanned the room for a moment until…
"Oh! There she is!" Rarity said, pointing towards her. They all noticed she wasn't heading towards their table.
"Where's she going?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Is she going to sit somewhere else?" Twilight wondered.
"Oh, she's sitting with Coppermane today," Pinkie Pie said nonchalantly.
"What?!" the other girls exclaimed.
"Yeah! In film studies today, she showed me a text from him asking her to sit with him at lunch again," Pinkie Pie said, "She seemed really excited!"
"Aww, that's sweet," Sunset said.
"Oh I'm so happy for her!" Rarity said.
The girls all giggled to each other, excited for their best friend. As they continued their conversation, they occasionally suck glances over at Fluttershy and Coppermane, eagerly waiting to see what would happen.
Fluttershy soon arrived at her crush's table. Her heart felt like it was burning.
"H-Hi, Coppermane," Fluttershy said.
Coppermane looked up, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw Fluttershy standing right next to his table. He felt his face heat up as he rubbed his neck.
"H-Hey, Fluttershy," he said. He gestured to the seat across from him, and she gladly sat down. Was she blushing?
"Thanks for asking me to sit with you," Fluttershy said.
"N-No problem," Coppermane said. "So, I feel like yesterday, we talked about me a little bit too much."
"Oh, I don't mind," Fluttershy said with a smile, "I liked talking about you."
"Well, thanks," Coppermane said, blushing, "But… I want to know about you."
Fluttershy's eyes widened, "M-Me? Really?"
"Yeah," Copper said with a smile, "You know a little about me, and I want to know a little about you."
A smile graced Fluttershy's blushing face. He wanted to get to know her? She brushed her hair behind her ear, and tried her best to contain her giddiness as she proceeded to tell Coppermane about herself. She talked about how much she loves animals, and how she volunteers at the animal shelter in her free time.
"…and I'm also in a band with my friends," Fluttershy said
"You're in a band?" Coppermane asked with wide eyes.
Fluttershy blushed, "Mmmhmm. My friends and I. It's a lot of fun."
"What do you play?" Coppermane asked.
Fluttershy blushed, "Tambourine."
"That's so cool. I never would've guess that you were in a band," Coppermane said.
Fluttershy giggled, "Maybe you could come and watch us rehearse sometime?"
"C-Can I?" Coppermane asked. "I don't know, I don't want to be a burden or anything."
"Oh, you won't bother us. We'd love to have you there!" Fluttershy said. "We rehearse on Thursdays after school. I know my friends would love to meet you."
"They would?" Coppermane asked.
"Of course!" Fluttershy said.
"Hmm… Alright, maybe I'll stop by sometime," Coppermane said.
"Do you play any instruments?" Fluttershy asked.
Coppermane bit his lip. "Well, um, I play a little piano."
Fluttershy perked up, "Oh, really?"
Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch period.
"Oh, well, I guess lunch is over," Coppermane said.
"Yeah… I guess it is," Fluttershy said. "Um… thank you for sitting with me again."
Coppermane blushed, "M-My pleasure. I-I guess I'll see you in calculus then huh?"
Fluttershy nodded, "See you then." And with that, she walked over to reconvene with her friends. Coppermane watched as she walked away, but darted his gaze away when some of her friends caught him checking her out. He could barely make out some giggling amidst the cacophony of the lunchroom.
Coppermane slung his backpack over his back, and proceeded to his next class with the biggest smile on his face. Another successful conversation with Fluttershy. He couldn't be happier.
Coppermane and Fluttershy studied together again during their calculus class period. Even after class was over, Fluttershy followed Coppermane back to his locker to continue their conversation. Coppermane didn't mind one bit. Fluttershy was just delightful, and very pleasant to talk to. She was even laughing at his corny jokes!
As Coppermane got his things out of his locker, the locker door suddenly swinged forward, clobbering Coppermane in the face with an audible, mettalic bang.
"Argh!" Coppermane grunted. His face rang in pain.
"Oh my gosh! Coppermane, are you okay?" Fluttershy beckoned.
He rubbed his cheek to numb the pain, but and his heart stopped when he heard a voice behind him.
"Hey loser. How's it hanging?" a big, familiar voice said behind him. Coppermane turned around to see two familar jocks staring back at him. He flinched, and his back hit the lockers behind him.
"Oh no…" Coppermane cooed.
"Hoops and I forgot to give you your dose yesterday," the brown-haired jock said.
"And Score and I will make up for it, don't you worry," Hoops, said.
Coppermane's heart pounded. In his panicked state, he glanced at Fluttershy, and back at the jocks. But the jocks turned their attention towards her, making Coppermane's heart drop.
"Hello, who do we have here?" Score said, walking over to Fluttershy.
"Is this loser bothering you?" Hoops said in a more charming voice.
Fluttershy recoiled, and backed up into the lockers. She held her hands in front of her.
"H-He's not bothering me," Fluttershy said in a hushed voice.
Score stifled a laugh, and knocked Coppermane's things out of his hand before kicking him to the ground. He fell on his stomach with a flop. He thought he could hear Fluttershy gasp as he fell. He got to his knees, and held his stomach in pain, and coughing a little.
"There we go," Score said, "No longer a problem."
"Now that he's out of the way, what's your name?" Hoops said to Fluttershy, leaning on the lockers and standing over her, turning up the charm in his voice.
"Um… F-Fl-Fluttershy…" she said, quieting down towards the end.
Score mirrored his friend in leaning on the lockers, "Well, Fluttershy, how 'bout instead of hangin' out with that loser, you come hang out with us?"
"Oh… um… n-no… I-I'm fine," Fluttershy said sheepishly. Her heart was pounding, and she took glances at Coppermane. He was on his arms and legs, holding his stomach. Was he still in pain?
"Oh, come on, a pretty girl like you shouldn't be hanging out with a loser like that," Hoops said.
"H-He's n-n-not a loser…" she said.
Score stifled a laugh. "Don't let him fool you. Once a loser, always a loser. Are you saying you don't want to hang out with a member of the football team?" he said, using his free hand to caress her arm. Fluttershy shuddered at his touch, and whimpered as she recoiled from his hand.
"Or the basketball team?" Hoops said, attempting to caress her arm as well, making her whimper and recoil away from him.
"P-Please stop…" Fluttershy said shakily, holding herself tighter in her arms, sinking closer to the ground.
"C'mon, don't be scared. You know you want to. Any girl would," Hoops coaxed, "You can't tell us you want to hang out with that," he said, gesturing to Coppermane, who still held his stomach.
"Ha! He must be crying again. Pathetic," Score said.
Coppermane wasn't in pain. He was eavesdropping. As he listened to the jocks, he felt something boil inside of him. He clenched his teeth and fists as his breathing deepened. His eyebrows furled at what he was hearing. Hitting on Fluttershy? Scaring her? Being disrespectful to her? They could jump Coppermane all they wanted, but doing this to Fluttershy?
Clenching his fists, Coppermane stood up and turned towards the jocks. His rage exploded when he saw the jocks trying to touch her.
You dare lay a finger on her?
"You know you want to," Hoops coaxed.
"Leave her alone," Coppermane said.
The jocks froze, and turned to Coppermane.
"Um… what?" Hoops asked.
Coppermane clenched his fists. "I said… Leave… Her… Alone."
Fluttershy just stared at Coppermane in shock. What was he doing?
Hoops chuckled as he got in Coppermane's face. "You're telling us to leave her alone?"
"Can't you see you're scaring her? Why don't you just stop?" Coppermane scolded. "Can't you take a hint?"
The hall was silent for a moment, but was soon filled with the laughter of Hoops and Score.
"Oh this is great!" Hoops said, "He's actually standing up for her!"
"You have a crush on her or something?" Score said.
Coppermane's face went bright red, but tried to remain tough. He couldn't back down now.
"I just want you to leave her alone. Now go away, or I'll make you rue the day you ever touched her," Coppermane seethed.
This only made the jocks laugh harder. Coppermane's face was on fire, but he tried to maintain a tough face.
The jocks calmed down after long, and didn't seem fazed at all.
"Alright, tough guy, thanks for the laugh," Hoops said, wiping a tear out of his face. "We'll humor you for now, but don't expect us to be so nice next time."
"Just leave her be, please," Coppermane said.
"Yeah, whatever," Hoops said. And with that, the two of them walked off, bumping into Coppermane on their way out, and continuing to laugh.
Coppermane leaned against the locker, and let out a sigh of relief. He felt himself shaking from what just happened.
"Coppermane…" Fluttershy said, "You… You stood up to them…"
Coppermane offered a smile. "Of course," he said, "I-I had to protect you."
Fluttershy's heart melted as the biggest smile graced her face. He did care about her. A warm feeling washed over her as she pulled Coppermane into a big hug.
"That was so sweet of you," Fluttershy said, giving him a light squeeze. "Thank you so much."
Coppermane didn't think she would be so appreciative of what he did. Surely, not enough to hug him. He wasn't complaining at all, though. He wrapped his arms around her in return. Holding her in his arms felt great enough, but his heart melted even more when he felt Fluttershy nuzzle his chest. He squeezed her tighter in return. She felt so warm and delicate…
Fluttershy nuzzled Coppermane's chest, and felt him squeeze her tighter. She relaxed in his arms, and felt him relax too. His embrace was so warm and comforting…
"Fluttershy!" a voice called out. Fluttershy immediately, yet reluctantly broke the hug upon hearing the voice. She looked to see Rarity and Sunset Shimmer approaching her, looking worried.
"Are you okay, darling? We saw everything!" Rarity said, pulling her into a hug.
"We were going to intervene, until Coppermane here beat us to it," Sunset said, patting him on the back.
Coppermane blushed, "I-I had to do something…" he said, rubbing his neck.
Rarity released Fluttershy, and faced Coppermane. "Well that was very sweet of you. I don't believe we've formally met. I'm Rarity!" she said, holding her hand out.
Coppermane shook her hand, "I'm Coppermane. I think we have calculus together, right?"
"You are correct!" Rarity said.
Sunset put her hand on Fluttershy's shoulder. "You alright?"
Fluttershy nodded, "I-I'm fine," she said, looking over at Coppermane with a smile.
"Well, do you want to come to the Sweet Shoppe with us?" Sunset asked.
Fluttershy blushed, "Actually… um… I think I'll be okay," she said, looking at Coppermane. Their eyes met, making them both blush.
Rarity and Sunset looked at each other knowingly. They knew what was up.
"Alright, well, have fun you two," Sunset said, "We'll see you later."
The group split up, but not before Rarity gave Fluttershy a wink, making her face heat up.
Fluttershy looked back at Coppermane, "Thank you again, Coppermane," she said with red cheeks.
Coppermane rubbed his neck. "N-No problem. Anytime."
"I-I guess we could just… talk until the rain stops," Fluttershy said, shuffling her feet.
"Do you usually walk home?" Coppermane asked. Fluttershy nodded, giving Coppermane an idea. "Well, maybe we don't have to wait."
Fluttershy rose an eyebrow. "Huh?"
"I-I drove to school today because of the rain. Do…do you want a ride?" Coppermane asked.
Fluttershy's eyes widened, "You'd do that for me?"
Coppermane offered a smile, "Of course. I mean, as long as you give me directions on the way, yeah I'd be happy to drive you home."
Fluttershy smiled. Could this guy be any sweeter? She twirled her hair, "I'd love that."
Coppermane smiled, "Awesome. Should we get going then?"
Fluttershy looked outside, and bit her lip. "Um… I forgot. I don't have an umbrella. Do you have one?"
"Oh… um… no… I don't." Coppermane pondered for a moment. His car wasn't that close to the school. He didn't want her to get wet. Or worse, catch a cold. What could he do?
"Wait… I think I might have something," Coppermane said.
Fluttershy rose an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Coppermane said nothing, but instead started taking his hoodie off.
"Here, put this on," Coppermane said, holding his hoodie out to Fluttershy.
Fluttershy's eyes went wide. "Wh… Wha…"
"I know it's not much, but it's better than nothing, right?" Coppermane said.
"Coppermane, are you sure? You'll catch a cold," Fluttershy said.
"Well, you will too, won't you?" Coppermane said.
"Well… yes, but…"
"Fluttershy, don't worry about me. I just want you to stay dry. Take it," Coppermane said.
A big smile grew on Fluttershy's face. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely," Coppermane said. "Take it."
Fluttershy smiled, and reached out to take his hoodie. The fabric was so soft.
"You're too sweet," Fluttershy said.
Coppermane rubbed his neck. "I-It's nothing, really."
"No, really. I mean it," Fluttershy said. "Thank you so much."
Coppermane smiled as his cheeks went bright red. "Y-You're welcome."
Fluttershy giggled at his blushing face. She didn't know why, but he was just too adorable when he blushed. She found the bottom of the hoodie, and proceeded to put it on. The sleeves were a little long, but other than that, it was a perfect fit. The fabric was so soft, and… it smelled like him.
Coppermane couldn't help but smile. She looked adorable in his hoodie. It was a little big for her, but it only made her look even cuter.
"Thank you," Fluttershy said.
"N-No problem," Coppermane said, "You ready to go?"
Fluttershy nodded, and the two of them walked to the exit. They braced themselves at the door, with Fluttershy putting her hood up, before bolting for Coppermane's car. They quickly got in, and were left panting from the running.
"Jeez…" Coppermane said, breathing hard.
"I know…" Fluttershy said, panting. She put her hood down, and tossed her hair from side to side to fan it out.
Coppermane watched in awe as Fluttershy fixed her hair. The way she tossed her hair was magnificent, and filled the car with the scent of roses.
Fluttershy finished fixing her hair, and saw Coppermane looking at her. She looked away, blushing profusely. Was he watching her? Her heart danced at the thought.
Oh my gosh, Coppermane is driving me home!
"Well, before we get going, do you want to listen to anything?" Copper asked, starting his car up.
"Whatever you want is fine," Fluttershy said with a smile.
Coppermane pulled out his phone. He scrolled through his library and found something he thought Fluttershy would like. He hit play, and was happy when Fluttershy smiled at the first few chords. With that, he backed the car out, and was bound for Fluttershy's house.
Fluttershy's face had a permanent smile while she was in Coppermane's car. He was driving her home! She could hardly contain how thrilled she was. She actually made him take a longer route on purpose, just so she could spend more time with him.
He's been so nice to her today. Spending so much time with her, protecting her from jocks, driving her home, and offering her his hoodie just so she wouldn't catch a cold. She didn't know it was possible for a guy to be so sweet.
Eventually, and unfortunately, they arrived at Fluttershy's house.
"Coppermane, thank you so much for driving me home. I really appreciate it," Fluttershy said.
Coppermane blushed. "Anytime."
Fluttershy knew she would have to get out of the car eventually… but she had to know one more thing before their time together was over for the day. As much as she didn't want to ask him about his past again, the incident with the bullies today just made her too curious.
"Um… Coppermane?" Fluttershy said.
"Hmm?"
"Can I ask you something?" she asked, playing with her hands.
"Sure, what is it?" Coppermane asked.
Fluttershy started playing with her hair, "Um… this is kind of a weird question… but…"
"Yeah?" Coppermane coaxed.
"Um… why do you think you were bullied?" Fluttershy asked. "I mean… why do those mean jocks want to hurt you all the time?"
Coppermane rose an eyebrow. He looked down, pondering to himself. It was a good question. Why did they take such sadistic joy in jumping him every day?
"I-If it's too personal, th-that's fine. Y-You don't have to answer," Fluttershy said.
"No no, it's fine. It's actually something I've been wondering myself. Like… what did I do? What did I do to deserve being jumped by bullies every day? I mean… I guess it's because… I'm different. I mean, even at my old school, I was different. I wasn't involved in sports, nor clubs. I spent a lot of my free time studying mostly because I had nothing better to do. I had no friends, and I'm pretty scrawny if you couldn't already tell. I'm your trademark nerd. I was the school loser, and I guess nothing's changed at CHS, I mean, you saw what happened last Friday. I get pushed around a little bit, and I'm reduced to tears. How pathetic… That's just what I am. A pathetic loser."
Fluttershy couldn't believe what she was hearing. She's never seen such a lack of self-esteem. How can anyone talk about themselves like that? Did he really think he was worthless? How can anyone bully themselves like that?
"Coppermane… don't say such awful things," Fluttershy said.
"But it's true," Coppermane said. "I'm pathetic."
"Coppermane, stop saying that. You're not pathetic," Fluttershy said.
"You're just saying that."
"No I'm not. You're a great guy, Coppermane."
Coppermane suddenly felt something on his hand. Something small and delicate… and familiar. He looked at his hand to see Fluttershy's hand on his.
"Coppermane, ever since I met you, you've been nothing but sweet. Don't believe everything those mean bullies tell you. You're anything but a loser. You're not worthless. You've been through a lot, but that doesn't mean you're pathetic, because you're not. You're a great guy."
Coppermane bit his lip. "Fluttershy, you've only known me for a couple days…"
"I know you well enough to see that you're anything but a loser, Coppermane," Fluttershy said. "Those bullies don't know you like I do."
Coppermane looked up into her eyes, and saw what he saw yesterday. A look he could trust. A look of sympathy and compassion. A look that gave him more comfort than anything else ever has. Her words were so sweet, and her soft voice melted his heart.
Coppermane managed a small smile. "Wow… um… thanks, Fluttershy…"
Fluttershy smiled, and pulled him into another big hug. "You're very welcome."
Coppermane was surprised to feel her embrace again, but he didn't fight it at all. He wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her closer. She nuzzled him again, making him shudder. He tried something bold, and started brushing her hair. He felt her relax in his arms, and could hear a faint moan. Her hair was so soft and silky…
"Um… I… I think I should be going now…" Fluttershy said, reluctantly pulling away from Coppermane's arms.
"Oh… O-Okay…" Coppermane said. He felt his face heat up. He could still feel her hair running though his fingers.
"Thanks for everything. I had such a wonderful day," Fluttershy said with a smile.
"N-No problem. The pleasure was mine," Coppermane said.
"Have a great afternoon," Fluttershy said.
"Thanks," Coppermane said. "Have a good one."
Fluttershy put her hood up, and slung her backpack around her back. She braced herself and bolted to her front door in the pouring rain. She made it inside, and looked back to watch Coppermane's car drive away. She blew a kiss in his direction before walking inside.
She closed the door, and immediately let out a giddy, girly squeal in excitement. She and Coppermane were getting closer. This was almost too good to be true. Fluttershy sat down on her couch and felt something brush her hair. She felt around behind her head, and felt… a hood? But Fluttershy didn't own a hoodie.
She had an epiphany. She was still wearing Coppermane's hoodie. She forgot to give it back to him!
Fluttershy ==> Coppermane, 3:44 PM
Coppermane, I forgot to give your hoodie back! You can come back and get it if you want. I'm so sorry!
Coppermane ==> Fluttershy, 3:46 PM
Yeah, I noticed that as soon as I started leaving. You know what, you can hang onto it for now, and just give it to me tomorrow at school. I've got plenty more where that came from. Nothing to be sorry about. Besides… if you don't mind me saying… you look cute in it. See you tomorrow :)
Fluttershy squealed again. Being told by Coppermane that she was cute… it tickled her unlike anything else could. She relaxed on her couch, and found that she couldn't stop thinking about him.
What a wonderful day.