Sentry for Hire

by daOtterGuy

Afterglow

“Agh!” Timber screamed as he bolted upright on the couch.

Flash put down the knife he was using to chop vegetables, wiped his hands, and walked over to Timber. He was taking quick, sharp breaths with pinpricked eyes and shivering in place. He held onto himself, fingers digging into his skin. Flash sat down in a nearby armchair. When Timber saw him, he visibly calmed down.

“Evening,” Flash greeted.

“It’s… nighttime.” He said, puzzled. He glanced out the dark window and then turned back to Flash. “Have I been sleeping this entire time?”

“Yep. You’ve been out since we left Equestria Land.”

“... How are you still awake? My memory is fuzzy, but I’m pretty sure you got your head smashed into a whole lot of stuff.”

“Because…” Flash mulled over his response then decided that honesty was the best. “I was worried about you, so I stayed awake to make sure you were okay.”

“Oh,” Timber replied, looking askance as his face turned red. He noticed his bare chest tightly bound in bandages. “You treated me here?”

“Hospitals ask questions and, in this line of business, those questions can be a problem. So, I patched you up myself, then popped a few painkillers to keep upright.”

“You haven’t treated yourself?”

“Some people can wrap themselves up. I am not one of those people.”

“Do you want me to help you?”

“I’d appreciate it.” Flash smiled warmly. “Would be good to have that done before bed so I don’t stain the sheets too badly.”

Timber winced. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize. You were possessed by an evil wolf. I blame it more than you for what happened.”

“... As much as I would like to just accept that, I wasn’t completely unaware of what I was doing.” Timber hung his head. “All the stuff I said was already things I had been thinking about.”

“We all have insecurities, Timber. It’s not your fault that some demon took advantage of that and amplified them beyond your control.”

“But, it wasn’t like I didn’t fully have control. I let it take over because I let my doubts speak louder than your words and caused a huge mess.”

“Did you really want to kill me?”

“Never!” Timber immediately replied.

“Then we can bury that whole ordeal under ‘demon wolf’ and move on. We should address those underlying issues, maybe therapy, maybe just talking it out, but any of the extremes we can probably presume it was you being possessed.”

“But—!”

“Punishing yourself further is pointless, Timber. You made a mistake, and not an original one considering Canterlot’s history of demon girls.” Flash held Timber’s hand in his own gently squeezing to reassure him. “Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

“... Okay.” Timber squeezed back. They lapsed into a companionable silence. “How did you stop the wolf?”

“I didn’t. Fluttershy handled it. Speaking of—” Flash smirked “—You outed me as Warden to her.”

“I did?! Shoot, I’m so sorry!”

“It was an accident and understandable given the circumstances.” Flash wasn’t looking forward to the nightmares that particular moment may conjure later. “I had told you I was retiring anyway and now I have more reason to.” He chuckled. “I actually got a text from Fluttershy just before you woke up reminding me that she would tattle if I tried my hand at villainy again.”

“Yeah, probably best not to be on the business end of the friendship laser.”

“No, definitely not.”

“What about the park?”

“Already handled. No injuries and the vines dispersed shortly after we left. So long as we don’t go on a crime spree, the Rainbooms and the police have no reason to bother us.”

“So that’s that then?”

“That’s that,” Flash agreed.

“... What now?” Timber asked.

“We eat, we take our time to recover, preferably here so I can keep an eye on you, and then I help you see what options you have going forward.”

“You’ll still do that?” Timber asked, surprised.

“Of course. I said I would and I plan to keep my word. Besides, I like you, even if you gave me the beatdown of my life,” Flash teased.

“That’s… great.” Timber bit his lip, uncertain. “So, when you say that you like me, do you mean that you like me or like like—”

Flash interrupted Timber by cupping his cheek and kissing him tenderly on the lips. He held onto his hand, taking his time to convey exactly what he meant by ‘like’. When he drew back, Timber was wide-eyed and bright red. Flash grinned.

“You’re cute when you’re flustered,” Flash remarked.

Timber tried to reply, but only some vague noises that sounded like words came out. Feeling cheeky, Flash kissed him again and then abruptly returned to the kitchen. He grinned widely as he heard Timber bury his head in the couch cushions and release a bunch of sputtering nonsense.

He hummed a merry tune as he continued to chop up more vegetables for their salads, a content smile on his face. Though things had started rough, Flash thoroughly looked forward to the next chapter of his life.

Especially since he wouldn’t have to do it alone.

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

Lovely stuff, and excellent use of Fluttershy at the climax. I wish there had been some room to see the other Rainbooms’ reactions to Warden’s identity, but word limits are an unforgiving mistress (and Fluttershy has no reason to out him. For now.)

A great read regardless of my quibbling. Thank you for it and best of luck in the judging.

[EileenSaysHi]

I think the thing about your writing that consistently impresses me the most is your knack for worldbuilding. It’s with incredible ease that we’re transported into this world where the Rainbooms are established superheroes confronting villains of the week, and those villains often need a helping hand – and are willing to pay for it. Flash Sentry works fantastically well as the experienced minion-for-hire who knows the ins and outs of the game like the back of his hand, and Timber Spruce, of all characters, makes an inspired choice for the comically inexperienced villain that manages to repeatedly bungle robbing a convenience store. Their romance feels surprisingly natural, and the way it begins to affect Flash’s judgment is almost imperceptible at first, but gets more and more clear as things escalate. All and all, this is a really strong tale of love and not-so-supervillainy. Congrats on your Judge Prize!