Heart-a-Flutter

by Shadowmane PX-41

Destiny Calls

Both Fluttershy and Lemon Zest returned to Keychain's house fairly quickly. As Fluttershy hopped out and scampered towards the door, Lemon Zest went back towards the rear of the car, opened the hood wide, picked up a pair of paint cans and made her way to the door. Once she set them down, she went back to the car to get some other ones.

Fluttershy eyed up the cans with a raised brow. Why would Lemon Zest just leave them there like that? Surely, she would've taken them inside and brought them to a place where she and her could both paint their twigs. But no. She just watched as Lemon Zest got the other cans. Turning her gaze away, she looked at the door; more specifically, the handle by it. She limbered up for a jump and leapt as high as her tiny little legs could launch her. Which, for someone of her size, wasn't very high at all. Still, she tried and tried to reach out for the handle that hung ever-so-delicately from the door above, in the hopes that she could be able to open it up.

"Hang on, girl. I'm coming." Lemon Zest noticed Fluttershy's attempts at jumping for the door and sped her pace up. Planting the last cans down, she effortlessly took the handle and opened the door wide. "There we go." She watched Fluttershy dash inside like a cat through a flap.

As she watched Fluttershy race over to the back door with a pep in her step and a giggle, Lemon Zest couldn’t help but keep thinking about the police officer she talked with, and how Key would react to it all. She had thought that Key and Fluttershy had made somewhat of a bond in the time they had spent together. Would they ever see each other again? Would Fluttershy even remember him once she grew up? And most importantly, how long would it be before Fluttershy’s parents eventually came and collected her? Those were the questions she asked herself as she followed Fluttershy with the paint cans.

“C’mon, Lemon!” Fluttershy called as she reached up for the back door again, bouncing on the spot for the handle; which was still just out of her reach.

“I’m comin’, I’m comin’.” Lemon casually sauntered over and pulled down on the handle, opening the back door wide for Fluttershy to run out. There, both of them saw the twigs that Fluttershy had gathered; neatly organised into rows.

Fluttershy wasted no time in picking up the twigs in bunches, bending over sweetly every time with her two ponytails draping over her shoulders. One handful was gathered up, then another, then another, until finally, Fluttershy’s hands were holding a plethora of twigs of various shapes and sizes, thicknesses and lengths.

“I’m gonna make the prettiest pictures ever with these!” Fluttershy beamed at Lemon Zest as she held the twigs up to her. “Bunnies, kitties, doggies, birdies, all the cutest animals!”

“You sure do like animals, don’t ya?” Lemon Zest tousled Fluttershy’s hair, causing her to let out a giggle.

“Yep! Animals are the cutest, bestest, most wonderful things in the world!” Fluttershy explained as she and Lemon Zest walked back inside the house. “So fuzzy, fluffy, tiny, cuddly, and cute. That’s why I love my stuffies so much! Because that way, I can keep them forever. I can play with animals all day long!”

“So, ya got a future as a vet in mind?” Lemon Zest asked, as she helped Fluttershy up to the chairs by the breakfast bar. She stood her up delicately on the seat and let her lay down her twigs.

“Mmhmm. I’m gonna be a vet when I grow up!” Fluttershy nodded. “Vets need to make sure that those fuzzy, fluffy, tiny, cuddly, and cute animals are all happy and healthy. And just like you and Key take care of me while Mommy and Daddy are gone, I’ll do my very best to make the animals feel happy.”

"Lemon? Has anyone ever told you that you're precious? Because you are, girl. You really are." Lemon Zest gave Fluttershy a small hug, one that made Fluttershy hug her back. "You're so young, so happy, so completely in love with it all. Wish I could have the innocence that you do."

Fluttershy giggled. "Mommy says that being happy is the bestest feeling in the world. And I love my mommy very, very much."

"Being happy is the best feeling in the world. I know that much is true." Lemon Zest nodded as she opened the cans of paint and let Fluttershy look over them. The gooey vats of colour were a far cry from the white containers that they had been put inside. "So, what do you wanna colour your twigs with first?"

"Pink! Pink!" Fluttershy saw the pink paint and went for a twig. Cooing, she dunked the twig into the paint and pulled it back out again, revealing the once grey piece of wood was now coated in the pink paint, with some droplets dribbling down the side. Fluttershy cooed as she watched the newly baptised stick run with colours, some of it landing on the piece of paper below her. Sure enough, as Fluttershy drew a little line on the sheet of paper, she watched as the pink paint stuck from the twig to the paper. "Yay!" She threw her arms into the air, then went on painting on the paper.

"Fluttershy. Never change, ya hear?" Lemon Zest said to Fluttershy, watching as she became engrossed in her painting. For as young as she was, and how she was just painting with one colour, the sight was still enough to melt Lemon's heart into butter. Now, she had to wonder how long it would take her real parents to show up and bring her home.

Before long, Fluttershy had painted with the single twig that she ran out of paint. Tilting her head at the lack of dripping paint at the end of her twig, she dunked it back into the paint pot, unaware that she had put her hand into the pot as well. As Fluttershy pulled her hand out of the pot, she noticed that it had also turned pink as well. The now pink twig was about to touch the paper when Fluttershy noticed her hand.

"Huh?" Fluttershy dropped the twig onto the ground and looked at her hand. No longer was it the bright, buttery pink that it once was, but a more bright shade of pink. The paint dripped down from her hand and landed on the ground. And as she put her hand on the grass, she noticed that the grass had turned pink as well. Blinking at what she had done, she put her hands together, putting paint on her other hand. Fluttershy gasped at how both of her hands were pink now. A big smile popping onto her face, she put both of her hands into the paint pot and sloshed them around, giggling idyllically as she swirled the paint around with her fingers, bringing them back out a few seconds later. "Lemon! Look! I'm pink!" Fluttershy held her little hands into the air and waved them around, unknowingly tossing droplets of paint around her.

Lemon Zest couldn't help but chuckle at Fluttershy's pink hands. She had completely forgotten just how innocent and pure toddlers like Fluttershy could be. Then, before Lemon could say anything, Fluttershy started to paint with her hands, lathering the paper with pink paint and rubbing it all over the paper. In a flash, the white sheet was now a gooey, dripping mess of pink paint. A pink that made Fluttershy coo even more in delight.

"Lemon! Do you wanna be pink too?" Fluttershy asked, looking up at the big girl with bulbous eyes, and hands still dripping with pink paint. "It's super fun..."

"Man, how could I ever say no when you're involved, Fluttershy?" Lemon Zest tousled Fluttershy's hair, then got down onto her knees and took some sheets of paper. Lemon rolled up her sleeve and dunked her hand into the paint, letting it soak in the pink pool. Quickly, she took her hand out of the paint and slapped it against the paper, leaving a large, pink handprint all over it. After which, Lemon took the paper with her dry hand and showed it off to Fluttershy. "Ya like it?" Lemon asked, showing off the handprint to Fluttershy.

"Ooh..." Fluttershy looked at the handprint with blinking eyes. She reached out for the handprint and laid her own pink hand in the middle of it. Because her hands were tiny in comparison to Lemon's, the paint she put on didn't change the image whatsoever. Giggling at the handprint on handprint contact, Fluttershy clapped her hands together, splattering paint all down the leaves by her knees.

And so, both Lemon Zest and Fluttershy found them painting, well, whatever they could find with the pink paint. It was clustered, unorganised, and very, very messy. But both of the girls loved it. Lemon enjoyed it because she was cutting loose for a moment and having fun with Fluttershy, and Fluttershy loved it because of her childish innocence and pure mind. As they painted the back garden pink, the two of them had all kinds of silly thoughts pop in and out of their heads; thoughts that the two of them loved to share with one another as they kept on painting the morning away.

Eventually, the two of them decided to go inside to wash off the paint. Lemon Zest carried the can inside while Fluttershy raced off inside; both of them dripping with tiny droplets of pink paint. It wouldn't be hard to find either of them as they left a pink trail of splodges behind them as they walked. Lemon Zest put the paint down by the door then walked over to the kitchen sink with Fluttershy. Lemon plugged up the drain and filled the sink with water, adding a squirt of washing-up liquid. Quickly, bubbles started to form in the warm, clean water.

"Alright, Flutters. Up ya come." Lemon Zest picked Fluttershy up with her still-painted hands, sitting her down near the sink. Not that the paint much difference as it was the same colour as Fluttershy's clothes. "Now, we gotta wash up." Lemon lifted a finger. "As fun as painting can be, it can also be very, very messy." And without another word, Lemon stuck her hands into the soap water and started to scrub them as much as she could; with Fluttershy bearing witness to the whole thing. "See what I'm doing? Scrubbing as hard as I can. Gettin' all the paint off."

"Aww... but why do you wanna get rid of paint?" Fluttershy asked as she saw the pink paint become thinned by the water and washed off of Lemon's hands. "I like having pink hands..."

"Me too, Fluttershy, but I don't think Key would appreciate it if there were pink paint splats all over his house. No matter whether or not you made 'em." Lemon just grinned as she finished scrubbing her hands clean, then dried them and patted Fluttershy on the head.

"Why not?" Fluttershy asked, cooing softly as she looked at Fluttershy's clean, if not slightly damp hands.

"Well, let's just say, 'A', Key's not really a fan of all pink like the rest of us. And 'B', he can't really afford someone to clean up his house right now; not when he's got you to look after at the same time." She snickered, then brought Fluttershy to the sink. "Now, c'mon, girl. It's time that you scrub up and clean up those messy hands of yours."

"But... I like my pink hands." Fluttershy looked down at her pink, paint-soaked hands and looked into Lemon's eyes with hers as big as saucers. "Can I have pink hands a bit longer? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?" She gave Lemon Zest a stare that could have melted even the frostiest of ice.

"Aw, geez..." Lemon rubbed the back of her head, watching as Fluttershy's childish stare pierced into her soul. She couldn't bring herself to wash the paint off of Fluttershy's hands now; not with her so adorably looking at her like that. "I guess... you can have pink hands for a little longer..." Lemon Zest picked Fluttershy up and lifted her back to the ground.

"Yay!" Fluttershy threw her tiny hands into the air, wiggling her little fingers around. After which, she ended up giggling and cuddled Lemon Zest's legs. "Thankies, Lemon!"

"You're welcome, Fluttershy." Lemon Zest patted Fluttershy on the head again and let her cuddle her legs for a few more moments. She had to admit, having Fluttershy around made life a whole lot brighter; and there were now lots more cuddly, adorable, loveable moments like this. But for how long?

Then, the two girls heard a knocking on the door. Lemon Zest turned to the door and cocked a brow, and Fluttershy also looked towards it with a raised brow. Letting go of Lemon's legs, Fluttershy waddled to the door and tried to open it up, but the handle was too high up for her to reach. She jumped and jumped, making high-pitched grunts as she jumped, only to miss the handle every single time.

"I'll get it, Flutters." Lemon Zest walked over to the door and pulled down on the handle effortlessly. When she opened the door, there stood the policewoman from earlier; the one who had noticed Lemon and Fluttershy together. "Oh, hey, officer. What's up?"

"Good morning, miss. I'm just here to check something." She said, looking down at her feet. "This girl, I don't know if you've noticed, but recently, there has been a missing person report involving her. Pink hair, yellow skin, fluffy pink and white coat. The girl in question is called 'Fluttershy' and she was last seen in your care. Is this the same girl?"

Lemon looked down at Fluttershy and watched as she waddled forward, staring up at the policewoman with her big, bulgy eyes. She brought her hand to her mouth, cooing as she tried to make sense of this new woman.

"Yeah, she is. It's the same girl." Lemon Zest told her. "You found her alright, officer."

"Thank goodness." She let out a sigh of relief. "I'm sure that her parents would be happy to see her. But, if you don't mind me asking, isn't this the house of another resident, miss?"

"Mmhmm. The owner's currently out at work. He asked me if I could look after Fluttershy until he gets back," said Lemon, stretching a hand out at Fluttershy. "His name's Keychain, if you wanna know."

"Thank you, miss. Your information is quite invaluable." The officer walked into the house and looked down at Fluttershy, picking her up. "I'll inform her parents. In the meantime, can I trust you to contact this 'Keychain' person and have him come straight home?"

"Right." Lemon Zest nodded. She had just been talking about how long this would last, and now that Fluttershy had been found, she was going to be reunited with her parents. There goes that thought. Still, no time dwelling on it, as Lemon pulled out her phone and punched in Keychain's number, bringing the phone to her ears.

There were a few dial tones before the connection was made. And on the other side of the phone call, Keychain said, "Hello?"

"Hey, Key? We've got something that's just come up at home," said Lemon Zest.

"Oh boy... what happened? Did Fluttershy and you make a huge mess and are cleaning it up as we speak?" Keychain asked, a small sigh coming out of his mouth.

"No, no. Nothing like that. Well, nothing... too messy at least. Unless you count your backyard being neat and tidy..." Lemon Zest chuckled. "Anyways, one of the cops just came to my house and found Fluttershy in our care. She's asked me to call you straight away so you can come home."

"The cops? So Fluttershy's finally going to see her parents again?" Keychain gasped.

"Yep. You'd better get down here straight away," said Lemon.

"Right. I'll speak to my boss right now and be right back." Keychain was about to end the call, when something else came out of his mouth. "And, hey, uh, Lemon? You and the policewoman take care of Fluttershy until I get back, alright?"

"Don't you worry about that part." Lemon Zest cracked a smirk. "Now, you just get on back here, tiger." Then, she hung up and put the phone away. "Alright. I've just given him the call. He's on his way home now."

"Thank you." The policewoman said as she knelt down to see Fluttershy's face clearer. Tousling Fluttershy's hair, she watched as the little girl backed up a little, shaking her hair; a gesture which made the woman in question stop and retract her hand. "Her parents, they're... really worried about her."

"How did she even get lost in the first place?" Lemon asked, blinking a few times. "Like, for reals. Or are you not allowed to tell me about that?"

"No, no. You deserve to know. Seeing as how you're the ones who found her in the first place." The policewoman said, standing back upright as she walked over to Lemon Zest. "A few weeks ago, Fluttershy's parents went to a theme park not too far from here and lost Fluttershy. There are some buses than run to and from the park. The most logical course of action was that Fluttershy jumped onto one of the buses and got a free ride all the way to this town. After which, she must have wandered around and found this place. Of course, that's just what the station seems to believe. I don't know the truth for myself, but that's the most commonly-believed method of how she got here."

"The theme park? Ya mean Wild World? I've heard that's a great place for animal-lovers. It's like a theme-park and a zoo mixed together." Lemon slapped her legs, and Fluttershy came toddling over to them, cuddling them gently. "Fluttershy's told me and Keychain that she loved animals so much, so maybe her parents took her there because she likes 'em so much."

"My favourite toy's a little bunny called Angel." Fluttershy said out randomly, as Lemon Zest picked her up and held her gently in both hands. "Key and Lemon bought her for me because I love bunnies." She smiled and clapped her hands together. "Bunnies just go bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bounce through the forest with a big smile on their face!"

"Sounds to me like you've been taking really good care of her." The policewoman cracked a smile. "That's good to hear. Whenever people go missing, their relatives and friends fear for their safety. To know that you've been caring for Fluttershy the way that you both have, it takes a whole lot of the stress and worry off of me. And I'm sure it'll do the same for her parents."

"Speakin' of which, you gonna call 'em? Or is someone from the office gonna do it instead?" Lemon asked, blinking at the woman.

"I was just about to relay the information to my station right now. Once they get the validation that it's Fluttershy, they'll inform her parents. After which, I'd advise that the two of you stay here until they arrive." The woman went for a walkie-talkie and pushed the button. "Chief. I've found Fluttershy. I've gotten confirmation from someone named Lemon Zest, who's friends with the owner of the house, Keychain. Can you call Fluttershy's parents and tell them to meet me at 35 Conifer Place?"

"35 Conifer Place. Heard." The police chief told the woman. "I'll inform Fluttershy's parents right now. In the meantime, stay where you are and make sure that nothing happens to Fluttershy. The last thing that her parents need after just having heard she's alright is that she's in a bad state. Give her some food and drink if she needs it, and make sure that the two people who've been looking after her are present."

"Will do. We're just waiting for Keychain to return from his work right now. I'll radio you once they're both present and Fluttershy's parents arrive." The woman said. "Over and out." Then she ended the conversation by letting go of the walkie-talkie button.

"Ya hear that, Fluttershy? Mommy and daddy are gonna be here soon." Lemon Zest looked Fluttershy in the eyes. "You can go back home with them and back to all of your other toys, games, and fun things. Won't that be wonderful?"

"Mommy? Daddy?" Fluttershy gasped, thinking about her parents. Now, after so long away from them, she was about to be reunited with them and go home. But what would that mean for Lemon and Key; two of the people who had grown the closest to her throughout this whole ordeal. How would they feel about her saying goodbye to them. "You won't cry when I go bye-bye?"

"I'll be sad, yeah, but I won't be too torn up about it, Flutters." Lemon Zest patted Fluttershy on the back. "Big people learn how to cope with bad and hurtful things when they grow up. We'll both be fine about it. Will... you be fine leaving us?"

"I don't know... You two are my specials, but... mommy and daddy are mommy and daddy." Fluttershy twiddled her fingers together. For all of the fun that she had been having with Keychain and Lemon Zest, they would never be able to replace her real parents deep down. And as she thought about all of the love and warmth her real parents had given her in comparison, she was having a hard time choosing between them and Keychain and Lemon Zest. "What do I do, Lemon?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, alright?" Lemon Zest cuddled Fluttershy close to her chest. "For now, you just wait until Key gets back, okay?"

"Okay..." Fluttershy sounded like she was happy, but deep down, inside, she was torn between both her parents and her two best friends. Would she really be happy leaving two very important people like this? And would her parents give her the same kind of warmth and fuzzy feelings of fun, joy, and merriment that Keychain and Lemon Zest had given her? She was only a toddler deep down, she didn't have the mindset to comprehend or make such important decisions in moments like this. All that she could do as she waited was look out the window. Watching the birds fly by as she waited for Keychain to come home; for her parents to arrive; and for the bridge to be crossed, as Lemon so put it.

Author's Note:

Oh. My. Cotton socks. I am sorry that this chapter is late. I was in a little bit of an unmotivated period for a bit, but thankfully, my motivation is brimming and now I feel like writing a whole lot more than ever before. If you've not seen it yet, I also have an account on Archive Of Our Own where I've been writing all kinds of other fics. I've been writing RWBY stuff, Miraculous Ladybug things, and I'm the first guy there to make Super Monsters a category of fanfiction on Ao3. Trendsetter! But yeah, if you wanna check that out, then I'll leave the link right here for you to go and check out:

https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowmanePX41

And seriously. Thanks for bearing with me, I'm sorry for the wait, and I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter. And if you liked it, then please make sure to comment down below what you thought of it and about the story as a whole. Maybe also share it around with your friends and family if you want to as well. And I'll be seeing you all in the very next chapter of mine. Until then, take care, be awesome to yourself and to others, and make sure to greet every day with a smile, even if bad things happen to ya.

I'll see you next time!

Comments

[The Bricklayer]

I mean, presumably, the real parents would allow Lemon and Key to visit... assuming they even care for what Lemon and Key did beyond 'hey you found our daughter' or something like that.

[TheGathering]

The story picture. Cuteness overload.