The Day of Love

by Rose Quill

With the Ones You Love: Cadence and Shining Armor

Silence. It was such an alien thing in my house. But tonight, it was a blessed thing. Mom and Dad were watching Gleaming Bulwark so Cady and I could have a nice evening to ourselves and reconnect.

“Even after you have kids,” she had said. “It’s still important to make time for yourselves.”

I leaned my head back on the couch, giving my wife a gentle squeeze. She sighed happily and snuggled in a little closer. “This is nice,” I said into the quiet. “An actual chance to relax.”

Cady nodded without moving her head from it’s spot against my shoulder. “Gleam is a darling,” she murmured. “But she also needs to figure out how to sleep through the night. I haven’t missed this much sleep since my master’s program.” She leaned up slightly and smiled at me. “And thank you for sharing the nighttime calls.”

“Hey,” I protested with a smile. “She’s my kid too. Gotta be the best dad I can be.” I leaned my head back and closed my eyes for a moment, just enjoying the feel of Cady nestled against me and nothing going on.

“Do you think your mom can handle her?” my wife asked.

“Cadence,” I said without lifting my head. “She’ll be fine. She raised me and Twilight, you know.”

“I know,” Cadence said, sitting up. “But what if we forgot to pack something in her bag? Did we put enough diapers in? What about her floof? Did we…”

I pressed a finger against her lips and smiled. “Cady,” I whispered. “There was one whole bag of diapers. If that isn’t enough for one night, then we’d have to call the pediatrician. Also, Gleaming doesn’t let her floof go long enough for us to wash it sometimes. That little stuffed horse is precious to her.” I kissed her gently. “Don’t worry so much, Mom would call if something came up, and Twily is going over for dinner. She’ll be fine.”

My wife relaxed slightly, closing her eyes and leaned back against me. “I know,” she whispered. “It’s just I worry.”

“Wouldn't love you if you didn’t,” I said. “So, you want to go anywhere tonight? It is Valentine’s Day, after all. Your favorite holiday, if I remember correctly.”

She was silent. “Can’t we just stay in tonight?”

I frowned and tilted my head so I could see her face. Through the soft smile and closed eyes, I could still see some fatigue on her beautiful features. “We have stayed in the last four months running,” I said. “And aren’t you usually the one pushing for going out and experiencing things?”

She patted a hand against my stomach, like one does when a child doesn’t understand something. “It doesn’t matter what we do,” she whispered as she slid up and kissed my cheek. “If we’re together. And there are plenty of things we can do that don’t require us to go out.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Like what?”

“Well, we could make a meal and enjoy it without getting covered in peas,” she mumbled, moving to kiss my other cheek. “Or watch something approaching a grown-up movie, maybe a romantic comedy?” She kissed my neck.

My heartbeat was speeding up. “Those do sound nice,” I agreed.

“Or perhaps something we haven’t done in a good, long time,” she whispered in my ear, her breath hot against my skin.

“Oh?”

“Mmhm,” she murmured, mouth still next to my ear.

“Like what?” I asked.

She leaned back and flashed me the brilliant smile that had made me fall for her the first time.

---

I leaned back, sighing in contentment. Cady came over and sat on the bench next to me, her towel wrapped tightly around her body. Every muscle in my body felt loose and relaxed, and the steam only kept the warmth from the massages last longer.

“This was wonderful,” I said as she slipped her arm though mine. “How long has it been since we’ve done a couples date?”

“Probably since just after Twily’s wedding,” she replied. “If you don’t count the hot springs on our honeymoon.”

My face blushed as some of the things we had done on our honeymoon flashed through my mind. I was immediately glad that my skin already had taken a slight red tinge from the heat.

Not that it saved me from my wife. She aways knew, somehow.

“Mm,” she purred, tilting her head to catch my eyes. “Remember the first night?”

I nodded, smiling. “It was so peaceful,” I said, thinking of looking out the window of the cabin we had rented at the snow-covered mountains sparkle in the moonlight. “I almost didn’t want to leave.”

“I don't think you ever did,” she teased. “You still seem to wake up next to me almost two years later.”

“And for a good long time from now, I hope,” I said, kissing her forehead.

She nodded in agreement, then her face took on a slight worried cast. “Do you think we should check in on Gleam?” she asked.

“Cadence,” I said gently. “This is the third time you’ve wanted to call since we got here. We called before we left the house and again between the check in and the massage.” I rested my forehead against hers. “She was asleep, and Mom said if she saw our cell numbers on the ID again tonight she wasn’t picking up.”

My wife hung her head, the towel keeping her hair in place falling loose. “I know,” she whispered. “I’m just so used to her being there.”

“It’s one night,” I repeated, brushing the backs of my fingers across her cheek. “And while I miss her too, let’s not get wrapped up in how much we miss the little one.”

She looked into my eyes, a soft smile forming. “You miss her too, don’t you?”

I nodded. “Hard not to,” I admitted. “But I don’t think a couple hours without her is going to damage our reputation as parents.”

---

Cadence set the phone down, sighing. “You’d think once becoming principal I’d be able to hire a new dean of students without a lot of trouble.”

I buckled my belt and pulled my jacket from the cubby we had stashed our clothing in before beginning our spa date. “Trouble?”

“That was the school board,” she groaned, tucking her phone into a pocket on the side of her purse. “They shot down another recommendation I made to fill my old position. Sometimes I just want to throttle the stubborn lot.”

I chuckled. “They don’t always make bad choices,” I reminded her. “They did appoint you to take over from Cinch.”

She ran her hand through her hair, a frustrated look on her face. “That wasn’t a difficult choice.”

“No, I suppose not.” I sighed, then looked at her, an idea rising in my mind. “You ready to go?”

She nodded. “Yeah,” she responded, her face lightening slightly. “Have you got ideas for what’s next?”

“Yeah,” I grinned. “I think you’ll like it.”

---

“Sunshine sunshine, ladybug’s awake,” my sister called out.

“Clap your hands and do a little shake!” my wife concluded, bumping her hips into Twilight, both giggling over the childhood greeting. I saw Sunset sitting on the couch with a pad of paper and a pen, shaking her head.

I hung up our jackets as the ritual was done and walked over, throwing my arm around my little sister. “How ya doing?” I asked.

“Pretty good,” Twilight said, hugging me. “Happy Valentine’s Day!”

“You too,” I said, then waved at Sunset.

Mom swept into the room a moment later, a platter with mugs steaming and smelling of cocoa. Setting it down on the table, she came over and kissed me and Cady on the cheeks, then narrowed her eyes.

“Worried about Gleaming, I take it?” she asked without preamble.

Cadence nodded, her cheeks coloring and I rubbed the back of my neck. “Yeah, eh heh,” I admitted. “And it’s just not a good holiday without seeing those you love. That includes you and Dad, and Sunset.”

“Hey!” Twilight pouted.

“You too,” I smiled, seeing her cross her arms and puff out her cheeks in a pout.

I saw Sunset look at her and smile, Twilight’s eyes darting over to her before calming down. I envy that about those two, they seem to understand each other on a whole other level.

Must be all that magic they keep messing with.

Dad came in during the exchange with a sleepy Gleaming Bulwark in his arms. The second she saw me and Cadence, she woke up and started gurgling, a wide smile on her face.

“Oh, how’s Mommy’s little angel?” Cadence asked as she went and took our child in her arms. “Were you good for Gram and Grandpa?”

“She was better behaved than our children were,” Mom said, laughing as Twilight and I shrank down a bit. “Took a bottle and a nap, then tried to crawl.”

“She’s already trying to crawl?” I asked, feeling a bit of pride.

“Tried being the operative word,” Dad said. “She’s a little young yet, so she just kind of wriggled on her belly.”

“It was adorable,” Sunset said. “We took some video for you, by the way.”

I picked up a pair of mugs and was about to offer one to Cadence only to notice she was playing with our daughter, lifting her up and blowing raspberries on her belly, making her squeal with tiny laughs. I smiled.

All around me was family, three generations in one house, and even the strange relationship my sister had with Sunset didn’t detract from the love I could feel permeating the very air. I set a mug down and reached over to tickle my daughter’s stomach, feeling her laughs as she grabbed my finger and grinned.

Sometimes things are best with the ones you love.

Comments

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

I'm guessing you made a oc child of Shinning Armor & Cadance before Flurry Heart debuted in season 6?