Stale Bread

by Milo_Chalks

2. Evening

Monte hated a fake smile. Why couldn’t ponies just say their feelings, speak their mind? How was he supposed to know the latte was burnt or that the flowers weren’t the right type, or his expectations were too high, he left that one to the imagination. But regardless, there he stood, dancing along with a grin wider than the ocean plastered on his face, when all he wanted was a god damned nap. What kind of day off saw his hooves slung around Over Easy as they waltzed around whilst his hooves ached and his eyes drooped. It had barely cracked 7pm and he felt like a retiree couple after a particular large batch of plain porridge. How Selfish, Over wanted to come, they hadn’t gone out for months. Every time Over had offered for a picnic, or a walk, or even a damn cup of coffee, Monte had said the same thing; “I’m sorry, maybe later when I’m less tired.” Who could have guessed ‘maybe later’ would fall into the ‘never’ category. It broke his heart to see that falter of defeat in Over’s face, he felt horrible, disgusting, but how could even consider leaving the house when he could barely leave the couch? But nothing changed, and the guilt renewed itself, it’s easy to forget when a fake smile sprinkled through Over’s clearly disappointed face.

His hooves were aching, his face was strained, there was sweat, he could literally feel the tiredness trying to send him toppling over. Maybe if he collapsed he could get 8 hours in the Ponyville Hospital.

How in Equestria could he think like that? This was about Over, and Over enjoying his night off, no expense, they had spent the whole of half a day preparing around the cafe. He had to plough on, and plough on he did, shaky hoof step after shaky hoofstep, maybe Over was talking. He avoided it and ploughed on, Monte had never been one for talking, maybe Over would just assumed he smiled and went along. Monte was simple, no fuss, no expectations, he just loved being there, but he could tell Over wanted him to take control more, he knew that Over wanted him to step up and take control of their relationship a bit more. Not once recently had he been the one to ask Over for a date, he just sat back and let the relationship go for a ride. He really wished that Over would tell him what he wanted more, those fake smiles told no stories, gave no feedback. Yet, how could he talk? He had been smiling the whole night, right up until the yak had ploughed into him from behind.
…

He looked so tired, as if each movement made had to be debated between the mind and body. It pained Over Easy to watch Monte exert himself like he was doing. He always looked tired nowadays. There was plenty of reasons to be tired, given the line of work they were in, and Over felt responsible for that. They never had time to do anything together anymore because of the work that was put upon them by the responsibilities of working at the cafe. From the moment they had gotten there till up until now, as they danced, Monte was yawning, getting increasingly less coordinated as time dripped away. Each dance looked like a duel between consciousness and collapse. Over Easy Hated it.

Monte Cristo was as dedicated if not more dedicated to seeing the cafe thrive and prosper as a result of their hard work put in together, but his will didn’t match his body’s endurance, and desync created a harmful habit of overworking himself almost into a fit. Easy had seen it too many times. The day would be over, and as Over would flip the sign from open to closed, he would hear Monte almost collapsing behind him. There were numerous talks on the subject, but none ever yielded a solution. The “late night” arguments that were held at 7PM-they were both drowsy by then-always ended in Monte swearing left and right that he would be more easy on himself and that he wouldn’t push himself that much anymore. Monte kept many promises, but Easy knew that these two weren’t any that he would keep. All Easy could do at this point was smile, hoping not to present himself as ungrateful for the effort Monte was putting in.

Could they change hours for the cafe? Would that affect their business? Was it really a choice between someone who he loved with all his heart’s health and profit? The very thought of that sent a sickening slow chill down Easy’s back. He would have looked disgusted if he weren’t trying to keep a smile for Monte. There was too much to think about and a dance with bass pumping music that shook the ground was not a good place to be thinking about it. Come to think of it, the music wasn’t even that loud. So what was shaki-

...

It took mere seconds for the enormous yak in the middle of the room to vanish, along with the music and any sign that this was a dance. Monte felt dizzy, he plopped his rear on floor, did he feel something underneath his rear? He couldn’t really tell, all he knew was he wanted water and maybe a cool spot. Over Easy looked concerned, that look he gives in bed when he is talking about something important, and he just wants what is best for their happiness, he was so sweet like that. The look made him feel safe, and sublime, it was like looking at a heated bed on a winter's night, or a long forgotten stuffed teddy found once again, something just for him. That concerned look was just for him, and it made his heart flutter before he stumbled on his front hooves once again.

Over Easy had scooped his hooves under him at some point, because here he was, getting half carried off the dance floor by his partner. Then they were outside, from thinking all day it was near amazing how blank his mind had gone in those moments. Now there is water in his hooves, Over must have gotten it.

...clarity.

“Over, we should probably talk about this...”

They stood on a balcony overlooking castle next to the school. The fountains were shimmering in the moonlight. Here nopony could see them, Monte could only assume Over had brought him here alone as the night was crisp and silent.

“Talk about what, honey?”

Monte took another long sip of his water, sputtering slightly and panting slightly. “About the business, about you, about me… Over, really, we need to talk about us.”

“What sparked this?” Over chuckled nervously, looking from side to side in an effort to make eye contact with something other than his sweating, half-dying dance partner.

“Look at me, Over, in fact, look at you. We’re run ragged, all the time. I know we don’t want to admit it because this business is everything, when did it become everything? When did everything stop being about us?” Monte sighed.

“What do you mean? It’s always been about us. We’ve been working so hard, day in and day out to bring our business to where it is now. I’ve tried, Monte, I’ve tried to get you to ease yourself up on working so hard. I love you and I don’t want to see you work yourself to death. Is that what this is about?” Over bit the bullet and looked into Monte’s strained and hurt eyes, immediately feeling a pain of guilt stir within him.

Monte looked at him and put his hoof on Over’s own, “This business is our everything, our whole lives built around your beautiful fresh bread and my coffees, but I didn’t fall in love with the business. I want us to slow down, but I don’t want to disappoint you or sacrifice the business. How do we do this because we can’t go on like this.”

Over Easy felt a hypersensitive tingling all over his body, the ground beneath him feeling all the colder. He craned his neck for a moment, before releasing a tired, defeated yawn, “How long have you been thinking about this? Because I’ve been thinking about it too, you know. I was thinking about ways to possibly ease the burden we put on ourselves.”

“You’re so special to me Over Easy, I think we need to step back and spend time together, I really think we should hire someone to look after the place every now and again, we’re earning enough to even hire two. I know the cafe was always going to be our thing, but it’s taking away everything else.”

“You’re right. I’ve been stepping back from time to time to see what kind of state we are in during the day. It’s always so hectic, like we can never get a moment to breathe properly, and as the day keeps going on, it just keeps getting worse and worse. I understand where you’re coming from, and maybe hiring someone else would be a good idea.” Over Easy paused for a moment to move both his hoof and Monte’s onto each other’s shoulder, “But I don’t want to be the one who is the only decider of these things anymore, especially on subjects like our relationship. I don’t want to keep on offering a date only to be shot down for the nth time, for good reason of course. I love you, with all of my heart, Monte, but I want to be able to show my love to you with more than just a kiss on the forehead, or a whispered good night to you before we fall asleep. I want to take you to places, places that I never could have when we first started all of this. I want to have real dates, but I can’t Monte. I can’t if you don’t tell me where you want to go, what you want to do, and when you want to do it. I just...don’t want to lose you.”

Monte looked down and sighed, “You know what, I’ve tried so hard, I came tonight and danced when I felt like collapsing because I try for you. But how can I try when this stupid cafe is constantly wearing me thin. You’ve been talking and waving aside getting help for months, and I have constantly tried to fix that! You don’t fix anything Over, you just let it fester, like the cafe, like our relationship, like the Celestia damned smile on your face tonight,” Monte was standing up now, looking down at Over and staring with a hard look on his face. “Can you honestly sit there and tell me that you enjoyed every second of that dance? Can you sit there and tell me you weren’t in the slightest bit tired?”

Over Easy recoiled, as if being splashed with Monte’s precious water that he was nursing so tenderly, “Tired? Of course I’m tired, Monte. Tired of having to keep you from collapsing during the middle of a lunch rush, tired of getting rejected every time I want to save this catatonic relationship! I’m getting real tired of hoping, for once that you are enjoying yourself with the things that I had to pick crocodile teeth just to arrange! I am trying to fix things, but I’ve started talking to a stool in the cafe about what to do, because it’s more responsive than you are!”

“How can I be responsive when I’m bone tired all the time! You’re not fixing things! We are still running that thing solo because you’re too manly, or you’re too stubborn, I don’t know which anymore.” Tears were welling in Monte’s eyes as he angrily tried frisking them away, snapping at Over as he did so. “It’s breaking my heart seeing what we’ve become, but you still do nothing about it.” And with a dry heave Monte burst into tears and turned around so Over couldn’t see him. He hung over the balcony as tears gently started falling into the courtyard below. “I don’t wanna lose you… But I don’t know how sniff to help you,” He stammered.

“What of me is there to help? All I’ve been trying to do is help you! If you want a new hire, fine! I’ll get on it tomorrow. You want me to change the hours for the cafe to be shorter? I’ve got that, no problem. You want me to raze the whole operation? Burn it to the ground and salt the earth where it once stood? In a heartbeat! Just give the word, and I will do as you command, because I haven’t heard a thing from you before now. I ask all the time, but there’s so little time and too much to ask. And apparently all my decisions have been utter garbage for you to be this angry with me, but you won’t speak up! Lend me your voice! Shout at me, cry, spit, yell, just let me know what I can do to fix this relationship, because I can only do so much.” Over got increasingly belligerent, opting to pace around the balcony yelling this way and that, but never at Monte.

Monte sat there, sniffling. “I’m.. sorry… I just. I’m not good at saying what I need to, you know that. I want to say things, I just. Don’t know how to. I know there is a problem, but I don’t know how to talk about it,” He whimpered. “I want to help you, but I always wanted you to come to me, I don’t know how to take control…”

Over Easy turned to Monte, “I...don’t know either. I guess it’s easier for me to say to just tell me what you think than you to do that, isn’t it. Wha-What’s stopping you? Like, from talking to me.” He wiped tears from his eyes, perplexed at them, having not noticed that he had begun crying as well.

“Words get jumbled in my head and I’m scared that it’s gonna come out wrong, or that it’s not good enough. I don’t trust myself. I think constantly, all the time, about everything, but never say it, because I don’t want to be responsible I guess. I let you take the reins, I don’t get the chance to disappoint you or hurt you,” Monte sighed.

“I would never be disappointed with you if you voiced your ideas and opinions. I think about things too, a lot actually, but I can’t think of everything. The few things you have said to me I have valued deeply, since I wasn’t able to think of them myself. The problem we are facing is that we don’t have time to sit down and talk. I should have been there more to help you through this communications roadblock, but the business has been in the way. How about we close the cafe tomorrow, give ourselves some time to think. What do you think about that?” Over closed his eyes, composing himself as his voice wavered slightly from his yelling earlier.

“B-but, what about the cafe? Surely we can’t-”

“We can, and we will. I’m sure our customers will understand, and it’s not like everyone is going to be out and about early in the morning after this debacle that we’ve found ourselves in tonight, right?” Over Easy smiled, looking back into the school where he could only imagine travesty to be occurring.

“I want to be more open, but I just don’t know how to,” he sighed. “Maybe it’s just me, just how I’ll be. How do you deal with me? Honestly…”

“One day at a time. It’s a lovely cycle of communication barriers. Though that doesn’t change what I love about you, dear.” Over Easy looked, once again, at his less sweaty, but slightly more dishevelled partner.

Monte smiled and sniffled a bit, “I still get flutters when you say stuff like that.... I’m sorry I haven’t been giving that back to you.”

“Well, I can certainly say that wasn’t expecting this whole mess to happen during this date, but complaining won’t do much, now will it?” Over Easy sat down next to Monte, feeling a small chill run up his spine. “You must be cold, are you?”

“Yeah, a little I guess.,” Monte ran his hoof long his shoulder, feeling the cold he didn’t realise before, “Maybe a bit more than I realised,” He wiped his eyes one more time and leaned against Over. “I’m sorry… I don’t talk to you enough.”

“It’s...fine. It’s just one of the things we have neglected in our relationship, one of the many it seems. Things will get better, hopefully. I can’t say for certain, but if we work on improving each other, we will be able to improve ourselves.” Over Easy sighed. Though there was no physical altercation, he was still shaking from the whole situation, unable to understand why. “This was our first real argument, wasn’t it?”

“I guess so… I’m sorry.. Damn, I can’t stop saying that, can I,” He looked down, a pensive expression across his face.

“What do you have to be sorry for? You spoke your mind, albeit a bit aggressively, you did communicate to me what you thought was wrong. I’m proud of you, Monte,” Over wanted to hug Monte, but still felt the lingering tension of the argument that told him otherwise.

“I shouldn’t be angry at you, what fault was it of yours? I shouldn’t have gotten angry and I shouldn’t have been so harsh on you. You were just trying to fix things and I was sitting here being miserable,” Monte pulled himself away from Over and stood by one of the white marble pillars.

Over began to reach out to his partner, though dropped his hoof-That’s what I need to do, I need to start reading body language better. Why haven’t I been able to see that before?- Over tilted his head, looking over the form of Monte in the moonlight, the shadow of his head reaching the base of Easy’s hooves, almost inviting him to caress and cradle his hurting lover, and beg forgiveness.

Although he had to ask himself, what was this relationship to Monte? He thought to himself as Over’s hoof came shuttling over to hold onto him. He wanted Over to hold him, it always felt warm, it felt safe, it felt like every other time he had done it. But what did he play in this? How could he possibly help or be of benefit to Over. was Over in love with him?

Or was he in love with a relationship?

What truly defined this for him? Monte would never forget the first night they had opened the cafe. It had been the happiest day of his life, maybe Over had forgotten it, maybe he had too, at least for a time. Ambition, there was no ambivalence about it, no stagnation. The road was yet to be paved, and now there they stood, the bricks were laid, the cafe was there, working, and there they were happy.

What else was there? How had Monte gotten so… stale.

Over felt like there was an understanding, a resolution to the disagreement, but felt so lost. Was there more to talk about, were there still things to plan or to sort out? Monte looked almost despondent at this point, and Over felt so confused. The nuances of high class society and social etiquette had not prepared him to face this boundary, whatever it was. He sat there, unable to say anything, was there anything to say, or was there too much already said. Over settled on saying the one thing that he believed could never be said enough, “You know I still love you, right?”

… but maybe it didn’t matter sometimes, it was the small things, as cheesy as he thought that sounded. Monte’s heart still fluttered at the mere words that came from Over’s mouth. It wasn’t the cafe, it wasn’t even the lack of time together, it was something neither of them had thought to think. “Maybe it’s not the business. Over, we should hire some ponies to run the cafe … because I’m thinking. Why don’t we make a degustation? Think about it! Foodies from all over Equestria for our seasonal degustations, a spring, and an autumn event! Ponies would love it, and now Ponyville is tourist hotspot this would be perfect. Over… I’d get to spend every day doing food science and making brand new dishes with you...”

Over thought for a moment, making some odd faces, then smiled, “That sounds like a good idea. We wouldn’t be overworked by either project and we would be getting income from both. That sounds like a great idea, Monte!”

“We do it in our own time, and we work three days a week at the cafe, not seven. We’ll be changing everything Over, we got complacent, we got stale. Even if the degustation flops, we would have done it together.” Monte grabbed Over’s hoof and placed it over his chest, sinking into his partner’s soft fur. “Would you like to go back to the dance?”

Over almost melted then and there, smiling happily, “Monte, I would love to.”

“I love you Over..”

“I love you, too, Monte.”

Comments

[Geeknerd]

CUTEEEE. Also, this is such a modern problem and its so relatable like oh my gosh

[musoperatica]

To the author - Welcome back to writing on fimfiction,man!
i have only three words for this story...Poignant, Heartfelt & Beautiful.

[Milo_Chalks]

9731808
thank you so much!

[Beau_Dodson]

A great ending to a great story, comrade!

[CGen]

Sweet story, but I am curious where this sudden interest in these two stallions came from.

Or maybe it's just the two fics so far? I think I lost track.

Anyway, back to the story. It's definitely a relatable problem, and I like what you did to show a bit of their pasts, makes them more relatable personalities too. More speficially, with the bit about the baker and Over being in love with having a relationship instead of the pony himself.

So one flaw for me, is the paragraphs. Makes it a little hard to keep track of who's thinking what and who's speaking sometimes, because somehow it just doesn't seem super clear whose POV it's following right from the beginning.

So from a technical point, it was a little hard for me to figure out who's talking because they both...seem to think in the same language and ways. One thing I find makes it easier to read, especially from fics I've read recently, is just to simply put more line breaks. Then again, that story was a 1st person POV so your mileage may vary.

[Milo_Chalks]

9742654
Thank you so much for your feedback! I really appreciate your time to tell me this and help me improve

[CGen]

9744083
No problem!

I always like it when I get feedback, because if nothing else, I know what I can be working on.

Sometimes, getting no acknowledgement whatsoever is worse than criticism. Like your creation not even worth the attention

[Mocha Star]

Hm... Not bad. I like the realistic aspect, but it just wasn't gripping for me.
I liked it overall.