Taking Care

by Arwhale

Coming Home

It was only when he had taken the collar off from around his neck that he realized just how sore he was.

Big Macintosh cranked his neck to the left and right, and a sound similar to that of a hoof crushing a can reverberated around the barn. He winced as thin bands of heat traveled up and down his spine before subsiding mere moments later. With the work collar wrapped around his front leg, he walked over to the rack and set it onto a hook before going back outside, shutting the heavy door behind him with a kick of his back hoof.

The breeze actually helped at this time of day, when the sun was not hanging directly overhead and dead-set on turning the dirt into dust. It cooled the sheen of sweat over his back and forehead, causing his aching muscles to tense up reflexively. He sauntered over to the farmhouse’s back entrance with eyes set on a spigot fastened into the wall. When he reached it, he turned the squeaky knob slightly to the left until a thin stream of water trickled out. He had to crouch to get his mouth under the stream, letting the lukewarm water coat his parched tongue. Droplets splashed messily over his nose and snout, forcing his eyes shut, but he took several gulps of water before finally turning the spigot off.

“Y’know, ya could’ve just gone inside. We’ve got ice an’ everything.”

A voice from behind startled him. However, its familiarity put him at ease before he even turned around. Sure enough, his sister Applejack stood a couple of steps away from him, fanning herself with her stetson hat. She was in the same shape as he was, her mane stuck to her shoulder from sweat. A bit of redness from the sun’s rays showed itself around her eyes. She smiled. He smiled back.

“Nah. That’s alright, sis.” He shook his head, albeit a little sheepishly. Applejack put the hat back on her head and raised an eyebrow.

“Why not? You in some kind o’ rush or somethin’?” she asked. An amused smirk accompanied the question. Big Mac nodded.

“Eeyup.” He pointed to the sun, which was already flirting with the horizon. “It’s gettin’ late. Flutters might get worried, ‘specially since m— well, you know...”

He trailed off, biting his lip. Fortunately, his averted gaze seemed to communicate all that was necessary to his sister, who nodded her head with understanding.

“Ohh. Well, alright, then.” She walked by him and stood on the back step, one hoof cracking the door open. “You make sure you take care of yourself, Mac. And y’know, if you want, you could take tomorrow off if it’s really botherin’ you. I don’t mind workin’ extra. You know that.”

Her eyebrow raised again, only this time it was with concern. Nonetheless, Big Mac was quick to wave away the offer.

“Nope,” he said. “I’m fine. If I was really hurt, y’all would know it.”

Applejack grimaced. She opened her mouth to speak, but it fell back shut. Big Mac pursed his lips, and took an awkward step in the other direction, crossing his front legs over one another. Applejack’s ears drooped a bit, but she nodded once.

“Alright.” She sighed. “Well… I’ll see you tomorrow, Big Mac… or not. I meant what I said.”

Big Mac looked her in the eye. Her unblinking gaze was intense, but she spoke gently. He reached out to her with a hoof, and with a light chuckle, she stepped down from the door and gave him a hug. She was careful not to squeeze him too tightly. When they had let go, Big Mac waved farewell and walked around the side of the house, disappearing from view. Applejack grinned as a glimmer of mischief shone in her eyes.

“And don’t forget to take a bath!” she called out after him. The corners of her lips stretched out in a playful smile.

“Speak for yourself!” his distant voice shouted back. Applejack clenched her teeth together to suppress a laugh. She couldn’t see his face, but she knew him well enough to know that he must have been smiling, too.

Brushing strands of her mane out of her face, she stepped inside and let the door swing shut.

…

Only the top sliver of the sun remained on the horizon by the time Big Mac could see the glow in the window of Fluttershy’s cottage. He took a deep breath, hooves plodding slowly and methodically over the hard ground. After an entire day of kicking tree trunks, even the tiny impacts were starting to cause twinges of pain in his shoulders and lower back. He ignored them with a grunt.

Now that he was on the edge of the Everfree Forest, the wind amplified through the leaves of the trees, sounding like raw rice being poured through a plastic tube. He sucked in a breath of the rapidly cooling air, closing his eyes momentarily as he approached the door.

A couple of chickens wandered the yard outside of their coop, clucking and pecking at the ground. Taking note, he turned the knob until it clicked and pushed the door open.

“Hi, Flutters,” he said. He cupped a hoof around his mouth. “I’m home!”

His voice apparently startled a small white rabbit laying curled up on the sofa, directly across from the door. His head shot up from underneath his front legs, and his two beady black eyes gazed up at him without a blink. Big Mac smiled slightly.

“Hi, Angel,” he greeted. Angel’s whiskers drooped, staring back at Big Mac with one of his trademark irritated pouts; it was obvious to Big Mac that he’d just wakened him up from a nap. However, in his usual wordless way, he showed his co-owner enough courtesy to do a little wave back at him with his floppy ear before laying his head back down on the sofa cushion. Big Mac smiled.

“Sorry,” he said. Angel shrugged it off with a sigh, and closed his eyes. Fortunately, the awkward stage of mistrust and over-protectiveness on the ornery little bunny’s part had already passed, replaced with a healthy sense of respect. The feeling was mutual; Big Mac made sure never to sit in Angel’s favorite spot on the sofa, and Angel made sure never to bother them at night when the bedroom door was closed. Everyone knew their place.

The soft clopping of hoofsteps could be heard from upstairs. Hearing them, He stepped into the living room and let the door close behind him. He called out again, “Fluttershy? You there, hun?”

Again, he waited. There was no immediate reply, but the hoofsteps got a little more frantic. He heard her getting closer to the stairs when he finally heard her voice.

“Oh! H-Hey, Mackie! I’m coming…”

Her voice sounded breathy, like she had just gone out for a run. She trotted down the stairs, coming into view close to the bottom. Her wings were pressed tightly against her sides, and several pink strands of her mane had drifted down in her face. As usual, she wasted no time in bridging the gap between them.

“Sorry! I was just… nevermind…” She hugged him around his withers, pressing the side of her face against his neck. He smelled fresh perfume in her mane, a sweet, citrus scent which caught his attention. He’d actually never smelled it before. “How did it go today? You’re back pretty late…”

Big Mac hugged her back, wincing a bit as her hoof wrapped around his sore neck. A hot band of dull pain flared up just below his upper back. All it took was a twitch of his shoulder, and he felt her grip turn to a wet noodle around him. Her ears folded back.

“Oh! Um, sorry, I didn’t mean… are you okay?” she asked. She pulled away, looking him right in the eye. Big Mac nodded, but he averted his gaze to the floor.

“Eeyup. I’m fine.” He felt her hoof under his chin, and he let her pull his face up until they were face to face again. “And everything went fine today. We’ve gotten most of the Braeburn apples in buckets, so tomorrow shouldn’t be too bad.”

She pecked him on the lips, but when she pulled away, her pupils were still narrowed with concern.

“Okay… Are you sure you’re alright? You look… exhausted.” Her voice dropped in pitch. She almost sounded… disappointed. “I…I could give you a massage if that would make you feel better?”

Big Mac’s ears stood up straight at her offer. She gave him a sweet smile, her front hooves crossed in front of her. The knot in his back tightened at the word, and he nearly nodded his head.

“Ee…”

But just before he could agree, Big Mac froze in the middle of the word, stopping himself just before he could bob his head up and down. As much as he wanted to accept the offer, he couldn’t let her know it was bad enough to warrant needing a massage. And against all of what he knew about his wife, a small part of him almost felt like the question was some kind of test, designed to trap him in the web of his own lies…

After much mental deliberation, he answered.

“…nope. I’m fine, Fluttershy. But thank you.” He looked her right in the eye with a resolute stare.

What he wasn’t fully expecting, however, was for her to meet it head on, the lids of her eyes narrowed. He knew that look: suspicion, mixed with fear and concern. It was a look that told him that she could be something other than gentle. He gulped.

He did not have to suffer under her stare for long, however. Expression softening, Fluttershy leaned forward and nuzzled him on the cheek.

“Okay.” She stepped off to the side, heading over to the fireplace stove with a deep exhale. “If you say so. Just… just let me know if it’s really acting up again, okay? The doctor said to be careful, you know.”

It was Big Mac’s turn to let the air out of his lungs. He nodded with understanding.

“I know.” His voice was level. A nervous frown showed itself on his face now that she wasn’t looking. “It’ll be fine.”

Fluttershy did not respond. She eyed a thick cast iron pot which sat stoically on the burner. Tendrils of steam climbed up toward the ceiling and out the chimney, and the faint plopping of bubbles could be heard broiling underneath the lid. As Big Mac followed her over, a pleasant, spicy aroma made his ears stand up straight. Some of the built up tension in his stomach ebbed away at the sight, and he grinned.

“Wow, Fluttershy. That smells good.” He watched her take the lid off and set it on the counter. She reeled back with a timid squeak as a column of steam whooshed upward, narrowly missing her face.

“Aah! Oh, my… I guess I probably left it on a little longer than I was supposed to…” She wiped some of the condensation off her forehead. A big ladle lay propped up against the wall, which she grabbed hold of and set gently inside the pot. “Things have just been kinda… um, hectic, today. It’s your favorite, though. Hearty vegetable medley. I also put in a little extra cayenne pepper in there for you. I know you like that.”

This made Big Mac’s smile widen. He sidled up next to her and gave her an appreciative kiss on the back of her neck. Her cheeks flushed pink, but apart from a slow smile, she didn’t react.

“Thank you, sweetheart.” He looked to the outer edge of the fireplace, noticing a single white bowl lying on the brick. He raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you gonna have any?”

Fluttershy took a step back. She shook her head. “No, no, I’m… I’ve already eaten.” She retreated back a couple more steps, drawing her husband’s confused gaze. “You came back pretty late again, you know. Anyway, I’ve gotta… Oh, no.”

She shot over to the window, looking out at the chickens who were loose in the yard. She buried her head in her hoof.

“Oh my goodness, I forgot to put the chickens back in the henhouse!” she said, slapping herself in the forehead. “Ohh, and it’s almost dark already! How could I have forgotten that?”

Big Mac watched her scamper over to the door and fling it open. Before she darted out, she said over her shoulder, “You go on ahead and eat, Mack. I’ll be back in… I’ll be back later!”

And with that, the door slammed shut. The faint sound of clucking came in through the cottage’s wooden walls.

Big Mac didn’t touch the pot of soup for quite some time. He just stared at the closed door, worry evident on his wrinkled brow. He chewed on his lip out of nervous habit, much in the same way he often chomped on a stem of wheat while working out in the field.

He turned over to Angel, to see the bunny still lying on the sofa with his head resting on the cushion. Angel regarded him with a passing glance, but otherwise remained where he was, head rested between his forearms.

With a shrug, Big Mac dipped the ladle into the pot.

…

Big Mac had eaten quickly. Fluttershy’s soup had been spot on: spicy, savory, and completely delicious. He’d made sure to put the lid back on the pot and put the rest into their new icebox; he never let her clean up after him if he could help it.

The shower was his thinking zone; the hot water coursing down his head and over his shoulders never failed to put him at ease. His sister Applejack had often teased him about how long he sometimes took when they were foals, always making sure she got first shower to make sure he didn’t use up all the hot water.

He reflected upon earlier. Images of her disheveled mane, as well as the way she seemed to scamper back in forth in an unusual, scatterbrained frenzy, all came to mind. The strong scent of perfume, like she was going out to town…

Big Mac placed a forehoof on the shower wall and shook his head slowly, ribbons of water wrapping around the sides of his face and running off his chin. He was not much for conversations… neither was she, really… but he knew should say something. There was something odd about her behavior, that much was for sure. But when it came thinking about which words he was going to say, his tongue went dry. He didn’t want to make things more awkward than they already were…

It was only when the water began to cool down on its own accord when Big Mac decided to get out of the tub. Fortunately, he knew Fluttershy had a preference for colder showers, so he did not feel bad about wasting hot water. He reached back and turned the handle all the way to the right and let the bath faucet drip itself dry. For a minute he just stood there, letting the water and steam circulate around him before stepping out and drying himself off. He hung the towel on the rack and took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

He would just wait for her in their room. It was possible that she was still busy doing something, and he didn’t want to wander the grounds at night looking for her if he didn’t have to. In fact, truth be told, being outside at night when he was so close to the Everfree Forest gave him the willies, though he would never tell her that.

However, when he opened the door, he was surprised to see the bulge in the covers on one side of the bed. The room was dark, and the sliver of light from the now open door illuminated her head, which stuck out from underneath the covers. Her mane was swept over her face and covered her eyes.

Big Mac hesitated in the doorway for a moment. While it was true that Fluttershy was not the type of pony to stay up late, it was still nonetheless rare to see her in bed this early. When he heard the sound of her gentle breathing combined with the stillness of her body, he surmised that she was already fast asleep. Jaw clenched out of concentration, he crept into the room and gently shut the door behind him. As he approached, he noticed the same aroma of perfume that he had before, a fruity, citrus-y scent that flooded the room. He frowned, confused curiosity making him raise an eyebrow, but did not pay it too much mind.

He contemplated waking her. But seeing her there, breathing so peacefully and sound asleep, he began to think better of it. He didn’t want to disrupt her if he didn’t have to.

First thing tomorrow morning, he reasoned. Applejack and Apple Bloom wouldn’t mind if he came to work a little later than usual. He’d have time…

Tired from the day, and expecting another one just like it tomorrow, Big Mac squeezed beneath the covers, lying flat on his belly. It was the only way he was able to get to sleep without his back flaring up underneath him.

He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

Comments

[brae_burn]

I like it mac needs to listen more and see what he's doing and how it affects other ponies

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

Aww, it's obvious Fluttershy is worried. Poor thing. Mac, if your wife shows up with perfume and offers you a massage, take it for goodness sake. You got zero game.