Blood in heaven
Eric spent the rest of what daylight remained sitting around at home thinking to himself. Eric was not very good at thinking to himself, as he was very out of practise with it. Eric, therefore, did not really get anywhere near as far with this as anyone else might have done.
Not that it mattered, really. He felt, more than thought, what he had to do. It sat in his gut as something he couldn’t put into words but which he knew would seize and move him when the moment came. Or so he hoped. He was fairly certain that was what was going to happen.
Fingers crossed.
Lamia’s sleeping patterns had shifted somewhat over her time in Eric’s house, with her now waking up far earlier than she had before. Worse things had happened, and the upshot here being that she came down the stairs much sooner than Eric had been expecting - indeed, he’d started napping on the sofa, awaking to Lamia’s face basically in his, her grinning at him.
“Ah! Lamia!” He yelped, falling off the sofa in surprise.
“Are you alright?” Lamia asked, worried, peering down at Eric as he lay face-first on the floor. He rose, groaning.
“I’m fine, you just rather caught me off-guard. Heh, quite a nice way to wake up, actually. To your face, I mean. The falling down was less nice. Ah, hmm.”
Odd thing to say, in retrospect, but in Eric’s defence he had literally just woken up. Grunting, he heaved up and got back onto the sofa again, sitting down. He patted the spot next to him. Now he had his wits about him again - such as they were, him being Eric - he figured that now was as good a time as any to get the ball rolling. No time like the present and all that.
“A word in your shell-like, Lamia,” he said. She was puzzled.
“What?”
Looking at them, he supposed that pony ears - batpony ears especially - did not look like shells. He could see why that line might not travel well. Clearing his throat he patted the sofa again and tried:
“Uh, can we talk?”
This worked, and Lamia hopped up, though she looked the tiniest bit worried.
“What are we talking about?” She asked. She’d initially settled on the spot where Eric had patted but had then moved closer to him just on general principle, and was now basically touching him.
Eric wondered how best to kick things off. This was not his area of expertise.
“You and I have known each other a little while now, yeah?” He tried.
“Um, little while,” she said with a small smile.
“And we’re friends, aren’t we? Best friends, right?”
The smile went away.
“Yeah…” Lamia said, not sounding as happy about it as one might have hoped. Expected, at this point. Eric had kind of seen it coming. Which said a lot, given this was Eric.
“Do you - do you think we…” He wasn’t sure how to finish that. He made some hand gestures but still the words did not come. Sighing, he decided to start over.
“I’m very fond of you, you know,” he said. Lamia nodded dolefully, having a feeling that this was not going to go the way she might have hoped it would.
“You said.”
“Yes, I did. I don’t think I really explained how fond, though.”
And Eric then decided to make some sort of bold, crossing-the-Rubicon-esque move and so reached out and took hold of one of her hooves. That got her attention. He took it in both hands and, since Lamia had been so close, held it then in his lap. Lamia immediately went very pink.
“I’m not very good at this, heh,” Eric said, quietly, before attempting to look as though he was taking things more seriously. “Ahem. Lamia. You and me, we’re friends. I’m friends with everyone, really. But you, uh, you…”
He really, really wasn’t very good at this.
But he was trying, and Lamia could see this. And what’s more he was trying - or was pretty obviously - trying to get to where Lamia rather wanted to go as well. She found her heart beating rather more forcefully than it had done at the start of the conversation, and it also now seemed to be in her throat.
“You are, uh, special. You’re very special to me, Lamia. I - I think about you rather a lot. And it’s - it’s not like it is usually. I - oh dear, I’m making a hash of this, aren’t I?”
“It’s okay,” she croaked, hardly believing what she was hearing anyway.
“Suppose I was - heh, still am, really - worried about...souring our friendship. I didn’t want that. Once I started thinking that maybe I...had...other feelings...I worried. You know? Then I spoke to Twilight and said that you, well, you know...shared the...feeling…”
Eric coughed, also now blushing, mostly through the sheer burning force of his embarrassment. He couldn’t help but feel he was digging himself into a hole.
“This isn’t really my strong point. And now I’m babbling. I just worried. I may not look it but I’m a worrier!”
Not true, he wasn’t. Or at least he wasn’t usually.
“You don’t have to worry about this,” Lamia said.
“Ah, but I’m also rather worried that this is sort of, well, unfair, you know? What with me looking after you. An uneven state of affairs? Felt like it might be...taking advantage...you know?”
This as an issue had popped up in his head only recently, and had been a source of fairly significant anguish for Eric. At least as far as Eric experienced anguish. He would have been mortified to be seen as someone taking advantage.
Lamia gave him a lopsided look, which did become something approaching a smile.
“I got by before I met you, you know…” She said.
Despite how obvious this was it hadn’t actually occurred to Eric, who blinked.
“True, true. Can’t really deny that,” he said, scratching his chin.
“So don’t worry. It’s not that. I mean, I like you looking after me…” She really did. “But you don’t have to. It’s enough you care. And that you’re there.”
“Well, I’m still going to look after you anyway…” Eric mumbled. He liked doing it almost as much as she liked receiving it. Lucky, really.
On another spur-of-the-moment decision Eric removed his hands from her hoof and picked Lamia up, plopping her onto his lap. This was unexpected, so she squeaked. This was adorable. Once she was in place he moved his hands down and let them come to rest just on her sides. Having them there did nothing to help Lamia’s shade of pink.
“Hey,” he said, quietly. “Look at me a second.”
She did so, although with difficulty. Eric raised one hand to brush her mane out the way. It was often in the way, he found, though often in a way he found rather fetching. Not that he’d ever thought about it that was before. Now though...
“You have very lovely eyes. Have I told you that?” He asked.
Lamia shook her head, unable to actually say anything in response to this. She had to look away as well. Eric did as well.
“...probably kind of a weird thing to say, sorry. Just something I noticed before…kind of thought about again...”
“Thank you…”
Awkwardness climbed rapidly, Eric feeling that he’d royally put his foot in it while Lamia squirmed inwardly, inches away from just melting into a puddle of butterflies - so to speak.
This time it was Lamia who seized the initiative, wriggling off of Eric’s lap and back onto the sofa. Before he could pipe up to ask why she’d done this - and what he’d done to make her do this - she cut across him:
“Wait. Wait here. I’ll be back,” she said, giddy, pressing down on his leg with both hooves to emphasise where it was she wanted him to wait before jumping off the sofa and half-dashing half-flapping upstairs to her room.
Eric, at a loss, did as he’d been told.
He sat on the sofa and waited. First he waited in stunned silence, not moving a muscle. Then, as time passed, he relaxed a little and let out a breath, unable to really believe what was happening. More time passed and he started to get a little curious about what Lamia might actually be doing. He drummed on his legs and looked at the ceiling.
“Should I go check?” He wondered aloud, only to shake his head. “No, no. She said to wait, I’ll wait.”
More waiting followed.
Some minutes later, the slightly muffled sound of hooves on the stairs, and then she was back in the room.
And there was Lamia in her socks.
“Oh, oh my,” Eric said. Words failed him then.
It truly was the single cutest thing he had ever seen in his life, bar none.
And perhaps a little more than that. Maybe. Possibly. He couldn’t say yet.
He swallowed and with effort said:
“Those, ah, those really suit you.”
Lamia smiled. It wasn’t just that he’d said it, though it was nice to hear, it was the way he’d said it.
“Thank you.”
She gave a turn on the spot. Overkill at this point.
There was definitely something beyond cuteness that Eric was experience, though he was having difficulty putting his finger on it. That might have had something to do with him having difficulty ordering his thoughts in a more general sense.
Trotting over Lamia jumped back onto his lap, standing up and resting her hooves on his shoulders. This put their face very close together, as they had been more than a few times recently. Little different this time though, somehow. And now neither of them had any desire to look away.
“You took a while,” Eric said.
“Socks are really hard to put on,” Lamia said with the merest hint of a pout.
To be fair, she didn’t have fingers. Eric had no idea how ponies managed most of the time.
Their faces really were very, very close together.
“Are we supposed to kiss now?” Lamia asked.
She’d read about it, briefly, during her idle hours around Eric’s house. There had been magazines lying around. Eric honestly had no idea how he’d even acquired those magazines.
Having read about it - and also having just been caught up in the moment and find herself quite, ah, heated, perhaps - she found the idea very appealing.
Eric, for his part, had no idea if they were supposed to or not. Certainly it sounded like the sort of thing they were supposed to do. Probably without the asking first, but nobody’s perfect. And besides, no-one was watching.
He also found the idea rather appealing. He licked his lips and said in as steady a voice as he could muster:
“If you want to?”
They stared at one another.
“...might be fun to try,” Lamia said.
And try they did, at some length.
Fumbling and inelegant at first, quickly breaking down into giggles, they tried it out. Once some of the early issues - teething problems, a wag might call them - were overcome the enthusiasm mounted. They quickly forgot that this just meant to be about trying.
It seemed that a barrier of sorts had been breached on Eric seeing her in those socks, and now a lot of what both of them had been suppressing without fully realising now just came pouring on out, uncontrollably.
Also sloppily and noisily. Things were very involved.
In fact, so involved were they that neither of them noticed the knocking at Eric’s door.
Eric’s perpetually-unlocked door.
“Hello?” Asked Twilight, nudging it open and popping in her head, figuring it would be fine - why wouldn’t it be? “Eric? I’m here to see that portrait, like we said? Is now a good time? Eric? Hel-”
In defiance of reason it took Twilight this long to see why no-one was answering.
“Oh! Oh Celestia I’m sorry! Sun, stars and - just - just forget I was here! I’ll come back tomorrow!”
END
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Yey.
As we all shall, thank you for another lovely bit of fluff.
puu.sh/DDqvn/6d5ce5059b.png
I don't like it. No sir, I don't like it at all.
On a more serious note, a great ending to a great story. Here's hoping we'll see more of Eric and Lamia!
NUUUUU not end me needs more FLUFF
good
sequel pls?
Okay, I Likey.
OOOOooooooo
Okay that was cute and nice.
Ya did good buddy, and a nice bit of awkwardness with Twi Twi
See you next adventure
I wouldn't object to an epilogue. It was a cute story, and that was a nice, sappy ending. Thanks for the read, C.M.
I dunno whether it's the Brit-speak, or the way you create fully fleshed-out characters with flaws and foibles, or your deft touch with humor, or a litany of other reasons, but your writing is very endearing. You spin a tale largely around two OCs and make me care. You make me sad that this is over, because good gracious this was cute. We need concentrated slice-of-life fluff like this in our otherwise grim world. Thank you, for all the fics I have read and not said it for. This brightens my day.
Dare I say it?
Well, it was a nice romance.
Sequel anytime?
That was everything I hoped for.
They must have finally moved onto him giving her a right proper belly rub at the point Twilight stuck her nose in.
9670193
Could have been much worse I suppose: the could have been holding hooves!
Uuuugghhhhh, so adorable! My eyes are sad they couldn't see Lamia in socks </
Cuuuute, I loved it every step of the way
Did it ever get suggested to Twilight that she write an accurate book on batponies?
9670469
Uh...it slipped his mind.
That's the sequel hook. Yeah. Yeah that's it.
Sloppily and noisily? We can get a few more adjectives in there, me thinks.
Let's go with...
Other than this small oversight it's a 10 from me.
9670902
If I'm not mistaken that is a Valiant reference. Which is not at all something I expected to see today. Cool!
Grade A floofiness. Loved it.
Cackling Moron delivers the goods once again!
Fluffy and wholesome, just what I need more of.
Well done sir!
9670059
You're far too kind. I just made it up as I went.
9672517
I have one job around here, apparently.
When not inflicting existential despair that one time...
9672913
Away with you Heretic!
May The Emperor's light smite your ass down
While its nice I guess, it just doesn't feel quite right. Kinda like he's only starting a relationahop because he was told to, not because he wanted to.
9674956
I'm getting the strangest sense of deja vu...
Although, as I say, it could just as easily have ended in friendship. Meh. Fluff.
9692016
He reminds me of a neutron star.
And then they passionately hugged! But it's still not romance!
9719312
NEVER ROMANCE.
Romance from beginning to end
9730277
NEVER!
9730414
yes, you just exchanged romance tag for Slice of Life just like hasbro did on ep 100
9730748
Yes? Is that good?
9730759
is very good, the surprise in the end is always good
9731313
Very nice of you.
This story was beautiful and I want to see a sequel if you do please. It was very cute and I loved it.
i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/064/669/d1c.gif
encore?
9838119
I like cuddles.
(But yeah, I found myself thinking about this angle for a significant portion of the story.
)
But cuddles are nice.
9838146
NO THINKING WHILE READING MY WORK.
Huzza! Not even the neutronium level of denseness that is Erics head can stop the cuteness that is ponies in socks.
Pity about fluttershy, but im glad eric and lamia are happy.
9902458
That's concerning, the story was only supposed to norgle flesh.
The ending with Twilight was a little odd, but you should definitely continue this story. I love it!
9903458
You forgot the butterbeer corks. Common mistake with nargles.
Also, let's just hope there isn't a fruit-bat-contamination event soon lest we have a bat-catfight.
Read this entire shebazzle tonight/morning, it's Ace man. Can't believe I didn't find it earlier
10296762
The apex of my fluffy art, I think.
Hahahaha. Nice.
Loved it
Jesus H Bloody Christ in a handbasket, Twilight!
You've managed to write a characters-have-no-emotional-awareness fic without it being frustrating by making those characters aware of their lack of awareness. Neat trick.
This whole thing was wonderfully fuzzy, thanks for writing!
10498748
Characters with no awareness is my bread and butter, so I had to get it right eventually!
This was quite good.