GREEN   523   1
   10963 58.31 KB    732

Floor's Wet 'n' Wild Adventure

By HeavyHorse
Created: 2021-08-19 11:24:00
Updated: 2021-08-28 17:43:06
Expiry: Never

  1. Being neither wet, wild, nor an adventure. Written for a prompt by the excellent artist, Scraggleman.
  2.  
  3. >You are Floor Bored and today couldn’t possibly be any better!
  4. >The week long downpour meant there were even more fillies online just waiting to be crushed under your hoof.
  5. >You’d feel bad for them if you didn’t know they were all going to cry to their coltfriends anyway.
  6. >Those big stallions, holding them in their hooves, hugging those mares, k-kissing them…
  7. [spoiler]>Maybe even washing away their worries with their less gentle touches?[/spoiler]
  8. >It was enough to make you launch your keyboard at your old computer tower.
  9. >You really didn’t want to think of that, which is why you switched over to something Taku recommended a while back.
  10. >And it was exactly the kind of thing she’d like - full of flashy ponime effects and ridiculous acrobatics.
  11. >It turned out to be pretty fun!
  12. >You’d never give up your cred by admitting that to her, though.
  13. >You were the cool friend, damnit!
  14. >So now here you are, about to set off on another hunt with the fearsome earth mare you’d modelled directly upon yourself. [spoiler]Even if it was Anon who hunted the cockroaches in the apartment.[/spoiler]
  15. >She was tall, beautifully pale, with a jet black mane and tail that warned of her smouldering disposition.
  16. >Exactly the kind of pony the terrifying Kirin would never be able to overcome!
  17. >Except that a part of you kind of wished he would.
  18. >You always made sure to have your character wearing that skimpy dress-like suit of armour whenever you hunted him.
  19. >The kind where the back flared out from her croup, exposing her lustrous tail swaying in the breeze.
  20. >Just thinking about it made your tail twitch against your chair.
  21. >Kirin. Pinning her down. Breathing his hot breath over her back and face. His crackling electricity arcing against her body. All the way down until it reached under her tail and—
  22. >Ho boy!
  23. >Settle down Floor!
  24. >This is only a capture quest, which means you get to tranquilize him and… bring him back home to run your own battery of experiments upon.
  25. >A peal of thunder rings from outside and you jump a little in your seat.
  26. >N-Not because you were imagining Kirin appearing in your bedroom in a flash of lightning!
  27. >Or pinning you across your desk.
  28. >And to your bed.
  29. >Nopony able to stop him.
  30. >Nopony able to help you.
  31. >Your hoof snakes down along your stomach before you realise what you’re doing.
  32. >No, no, you can’t do that now, the quest has loaded.
  33. >Solo, naturally. You don’t need to start sharing him with any other mare.
  34.  
  35. >You’re almost there, Floor!
  36. >And you feel your tongue slipping out between your lips as you focus on running the rest of the way towards your prize.
  37. >That big, muscular, hunk of a prize.
  38. >Oh Celestia…
  39. >There’s another rumble from outside your window, louder and closer this time.
  40. >Hah! You were prepared! Kirin can’t sneak up on you that easi—
  41. >Just as suddenly, everything dies.
  42. >Your monitor goes dark, taking the only light in the bedroom with it, and your computer’s fans spin down.
  43. >It leaves you sitting there agape, only the sound of the rain beating against your window to break the silence.
  44. >But… Anon said he’d paid the electricity bill!
  45. >He’d even given up asking you to contribute your precious NEETbux after you tearfully insisted you needed them for ramen, computer hardware, and other things he didn’t need to know the specifics of.
  46. >You’d definitely just put the waterworks on to convince him. You weren’t *really* crying over the fact that you might have less for your own extremely important needs.
  47. >With a huff, you push yourself away from the worn desk and spin a little in your chair.
  48. >You could always nap for a bit but Anon would probably complain about the noise at night, again.
  49. >As if he couldn’t just quit his job and join you in living the dream!
  50. >NEET buddies living it up!
  51. >Watching ponime and reading mango all the time!
  52. >Sharing pots of super spicy hay noodles!
  53. >Sharing a bed on these cold winter nights!
  54. >Being your totally awesome NEET coltfriend so none of those dumb fillies on 4canal could call you a kissless virgin ever again!
  55. >... Uh…
  56. >”Hahaha!”
  57. >You slip off your chair and allow yourself a hearty chuckle at the idea.
  58. >”Y-You wish, Anon!”
  59. >Yeah! That was why he didn’t have a marefriend!
  60. >He was waiting for you to ask him out because that big nerd didn’t have the guts to go near a mare that wasn’t you.
  61. >You push through the door to your bedroom, confident that the living area is clear.
  62. >It lacks the copious empty (and sometimes half-empty) noodle pots that litter your bedroom and smells a little sterile but Anon always insisted on keeping it way cleaner than it needed to be.
  63. >And on keeping the blinds up.
  64. >But all you can see right now is rain, dark skies, and thick clouds outside.
  65. >It’s kind of eerie, honestly.
  66. >Normally you only came out here at night, when Anon got home and he’d usually have your grub.
  67. >It still felt like no matter how many times you opened up on him about not being able to go out for reasons that absolutely make sense [spoiler]to you[/spoiler], he’d too often forget to pick up your things.
  68. >At least he didn’t complain about that any more.
  69. >You step past the low table and TV that should be blasting out amazing sounds and glare through one of the windows.
  70. >Outside there’s… nopony around?
  71. >Huh.
  72. >It’d be the perfect opportunity to go out and grab a few things.
  73. >If you didn’t remember what happened the last time.
  74.  
  75. >Turns out your hoodie is not, in fact, waterproof.
  76. >Especially not the holes in it.
  77. >Maybe if you were a pegasus and had a weather cutie mark you could’ve done something about the rain?
  78. >But you’re just Floor Bored - admittedly Equestria’s most powerful NEET but that power didn’t extend to weather control, sadly.
  79. >Nor so powerful that you could avoid getting sick after returning from the store.
  80. >Or weathering Anon’s ridiculous overreaction about it without trying to outmatch his anger.
  81. >It’d been worth it, though.
  82. >He’d made you super spicy hay noodles the whole time you were ill *and* he didn’t make you go out to see a doctor! [spoiler]He even called one for you![/spoiler]
  83. >And he’d let you bring your blanket out to the living area when you felt like watching ponime on the big TV!
  84. >He was pretty quiet the whole time, though, and even took some time off from work to make sure you took your medication.
  85. >Almost made up for the chest pains from coughing so much.
  86. >So you’ve no real desire to repeat that. Especially since once you’d got to the store, there were more ponies and humans than you were comfortable with, waiting inside to avoid the rain.
  87. >The whole trip would’ve been wasted if not for the tasty grub you got in the weeks afterwards.
  88. >You smirk to yourself - Anon was way too easy to play!
  89. >Still, you take another look outside and consider the fact that either way you’re better off waiting until tonight.
  90. >The store stays open long enough and the rain might even clear up before then.
  91. >Even though… Oh. Oh!
  92. >All the buildings along the street are dark.
  93. >So Anon didn’t forget to pay the bill, the storm must’ve cut the power out.
  94. >You’d think the weather pegasi would show a little more consideration towards ponies who need power.
  95. >An odd sound from elsewhere in the living area catches your ear, though.
  96. >Makes you flick your ear at that weird, wet sound.
  97. >Probably just the tap, honestly. Some nights you came out, it was so quiet you could hear it dripping.
  98. >Drip-pat. Drip-pat. Drip-pat.
  99. >Except this time you can’t just retreat to your computer and blast some fillies over the noise of it.
  100. >Fine. Maybe if you fix it, Anon might see that there are some things you can do around here for him.
  101. >You clop over towards the kitchen before spying a patch of water on the wooden floor near it.
  102. >Huh. Did you spill some broth from your earlier treat?
  103. >Should’ve dried by now if you did, though.
  104. >Drip.
  105. ”Unh!”
  106. >What the hay? Where did that come from?
  107. >Drip.
  108.  
  109. >Oh no. Oh Celestia damnit, no.
  110. >Drip.
  111. >Fucking Anon was supposed to have got this fixed!
  112. >In a huff, you stomp off to the bathroom.
  113. >If you don’t put down something to catch it, he’ll throw a fit again.
  114. >As if it’s your responsibility to fix his mistakes.
  115. >Stupid human didn’t even have the decency to thank you for being home all day to handle this stuff.
  116. [spoiler]>He’d probably fall apart if he didn’t have you, haha.[/spoiler]
  117. >You’ll just have to use his towels to sop up the water.
  118. >N-Not because you like how they smell when you pick them up with your mouth!
  119. >You are not going to take an extra one to bring back to your bedroom for later.
  120. >Drip.
  121. >Okay, there!
  122. >Towels are down and the puddle of water is being soaked up!
  123. >But you can already hear Anon chiding you for just dropping some towels and letting the water soak through them.
  124. “I-I’m not an idiot, Anon!”
  125. >The words are out of your mouth before you realise you’re glaring over your shoulder at the empty room.
  126. >What would he do, anyway?
  127. >He can’t fix the leak himself, even you know he’s not that good.
  128. >So… what?
  129. >There’s some glasses in one of the kitchen cupboard but that’d overflow too quickly and you’re not spending the rest of the day switching them out.
  130. >Doesn’t Anon have some pots and pans? He always asks if you want some of what he’s eating but you don’t need that crap.
  131. >Noodles give you all the energy you need to power through the night.
  132. >One of those big pots would probably be good for catching the water, though.
  133. >Might even be big enough that you won’t have to empty it before Anon gets back!
  134. >Happy with your expert solution, you almost trot over to the cupboard with the pots.
  135. >At least it’s one of the lower ones and you don’t have to fiddle with the chairs to reach up.
  136. >Okay, alright, let’s see here… There aren’t really as many as you thought.
  137. >The smaller ones have handles that you could easily hold in your mouth but they’d fill too quickly and you’re way too busy a mare to have to keep dumping the water.
  138. >But the big ones only have these little grips on the sides, obviously not designed with earth ponies in mind. Even though Anon should be the kind of colt who’d show even a little consideration for his roommate.
  139. >What if you wanted to boil your own noodles to share with him?
  140. >You can only shake your head before awkwardly gripping the flat handle of the largest pot between your teeth.
  141. >Ugh, this thing weighs a ton! How does he even lift it?
  142.  
  143. >Fuck, you’ve only taken a few steps and your neck is already aching.
  144. >The handles are pretty small but maybe if you turn your hooves just right…
  145. >You try your best to grip them but you have to rear up on your hind legs and lean the pot against your chest.
  146. >Oh yeah! If Anon could see this awesome display of strength right now, he’d have no choice but to acknowledge that there’s nothing wrong with your diet!
  147. >Would a noodle-loving, noodle-legged mare be able to handle this if she was weaker than a unicorn filly?
  148. >You can’t help but nicker to yourself a little, taking one shaky step after the other.
  149. >Mare, this is actually kind of a workout. Who needs expensive equipment, gym memberships, or going outside when you can just haul pots around the comfort of your home?
  150. >If you did start cooking your own noodles, you could squeeze in some exercise like this.
  151. >Even if getting around on your hind legs is a bit awkward.
  152. >... Yeah, it’s probably best that you stick to your traditional foreleg exercises.
  153. “Whoah!”
  154. >Shit! You should really be paying more attention to where you’re going, Floor! Almost slipped on the wet… floor.
  155. >You nicker again - Anon really is missing out on these knee-slappers by working!
  156. >Unfortunately, since being Equestria’s most powerful NEET does not confer super-strength, the exertion of laughing and walking a short distance with a heavy load in your hooves is too much for your body.
  157. >With your grip on the too-small handles of the pot slipping, you quickly try to lean down to drop it.
  158. >And you succeed!
  159. >In unceremoniously dropping it on your left hind leg.
  160. “F-Fuck!”
  161. >The pot clatters noisily and you along with it.
  162. >The sudden jolt of pain that shoots through your leg is enough to draw a cry from you as you fall to the floor.
  163. >Great, now you can add smacking your head against it to the litany of agonies assaulting your senses.
  164. >For a moment you just lie there, whimpering and gripping your hind leg.
  165. >Why? Why did Anon have to have such a ridiculously oversized, heavy pot?
  166. >Why did you think you could lift it?
  167. [spoiler]>Why is all of this so easy for everypony else?[/spoiler]
  168. >It bounced against the floor and back to hit your pastern, naturally, rather than away from you.
  169. >Oh Celestia, did you break a bone? You don’t want to go to a hospital!
  170. >You whimper a little louder, turning onto one side.
  171. >All those doctors and nurses, poking and prodding at you. Machines clicking, whirring, buzzing. Stuck there for who knows how long.
  172. >You shut your eyes tight and try to dispel the mental images.
  173. >it does little good to quell your panicked breathing.
  174. >Anon didn’t have to know and you didn’t have to walk much, anyway. You could make up some excuse for keeping off your hooves [spoiler]even more[/spoiler].
  175.  
  176. >Okay… well… just… tell him that you won’t go! Be strong, Floor!
  177. >As long as you stay off it, it’ll heal on its own, right?
  178. >Maybe you can even convince Anon to carry you around. The big oaf owes you that much after *his* pot caused this because *he* didn’t fix the Celestia damned leak that’s *his* responsibility.
  179. >But that does little to diminish the pain still radiating from your leg, nor does idly rubbing at it.
  180. >All you can do is lie there and try not to moan too loudly.
  181. >This isn’t how you saw your… is it the weekend? Does Anon work weekends?
  182. >Why are you even thinking about him so much?
  183. >He’s just going to yell at you for hurting yourself and not putting down something to catch the leaking water.
  184. >He doesn’t deserve all this thought.
  185. >It’s hard to see around the kitchen counter to one of the windows and even then, with how dark it is outside it’s difficult to tell what time it is.
  186. >The last thing you need is him coming home, seeing you lying here like this.
  187. >You clamp your mouth shut as you turn yourself about, trying to avoid touching your left hind leg against anything.
  188. >But you’re so used to pushing yourself up on all fours, you immediately put it down on the ground.
  189. “Fuck…”
  190. >It hurts—a lot—but you can at least put some weight on it.
  191. >That’s what they did in the movies, right? If you felt something moving around in it, or you couldn’t put weight on it, that meant the bone was broken.
  192. >You don’t really want to put that theory to the test too much right now, though.
  193. >Instead, you struggle back onto your three good legs and then stand there, panting heavily from the effort.
  194. >Turning to where the pot landed, you frown - you’re not going to risk taking it in your mouth and there’s no way you can carry it in your forelegs and… what? Hop along?
  195. >No - you grunt as you step over to where it is, careful not to touch your left hind leg to the floor, and nudge the pot with your nose.
  196. >If Anon was here right now, he’d probably laugh at the sight and you shut your eyes against the mental image.
  197. >It takes a bit more effort to push the pot against the wet towels that cling to the floor but at least it’s in place and the worst of the mess is taken care of.
  198. >If it starts to get full before Anon gets back, you’ll put down some towels around it. You’re definitely not risking trying to move it when it’s full.
  199. >So you stand there for a moment, watching the water drip into the pot, accompanied by the beating of the rain against the windows.
  200. >None of this would’ve happened if it wasn’t for those dumb fucking pegasi and their stupid weather schedules!
  201. >You could’ve been sitting at your computer, avoiding all of this!
  202. >You could’ve watched some ponime on the big TV!
  203. >You could even have made something to eat instead of now realising you haven’t done so since you woke up this afternoon!
  204. >... You still could.
  205. >But you want to be angry about this, right now!
  206.  
  207. >So you hobble back over to the nearest window, doing your best to put your weight into your hoofsteps.
  208. >You are definitely *not* sniffling!
  209. >That’s why you do your absolute best to glower out at the still empty streets and then the pale yellow pegasus that flits past the window.
  210. >It’s her fault you have to mope around the apartment and find something to do, now!
  211. “Stupid f-fucking bitch pegaslut! I hope you—FUCK!”
  212. >You collapse onto the floor, having just slammed your sore hoof down out of sheer, unthinking rage.
  213. >Once again, you’re left lying there, pathetically whimpering as you clutch at your leg.
  214. >Okay… okay, now you *are* sniffling.
  215. >B-But only a little!
  216. >It really hurts!
  217. >The pain runs right from your hoof up your leg but the worst is definitely concentrated down in the hoof.
  218. >It’s not fair… You don’t deserve this.
  219. >You’re a good pony! You’ve tried as hard as you could to get your life in order!
  220. >It’s not your fault all those dumb cute pegasus mares get snapped up instead!
  221. >At least Anon understands.
  222. >He doesn’t have wings, either.
  223. >He doesn’t have employers chomping at the bit to give him opportunities.
  224. >And he doesn’t have a fucking pegaslut asshole stealing him from you.
  225. >You smile a little at that thought.
  226. >Yeah, Anon has way better taste than that. He likes mares with personality, rather than looks.
  227. [spoiler]>And you’ve got both![/spoiler]
  228. >That slut isn’t flying off to meet up with him. He’s not going to be gone all day and all night.
  229. >Which means you only have to try and stave off boredom for just a little longer until he gets home.
  230. >Standing up—with more than a little effort and as much care as you can manage—you look out the window again.
  231. >You’re inside, warm and dry, while she’s out there getting soaked.
  232. >Also, you have those doujinshi Taku lent you!
  233. >You *were* keeping them for a special occasion but you also know that if you try to flip through your own, you’ll just skim over them.
  234. >Back in your bedroom, you look over the perennial mess in search of those thin books.
  235. >There’s a few littering the floor and more on one of the shelves near your bed but those are all your own. You’d know the logos and text from any distance.
  236. >The ones from Taku… Aha!
  237. >They have that weird floral design along the spine but Taku had assured you that they were so hot, it’s a miracle the flowers didn’t burn up to a crisp.
  238. >Even on three legs, your hooves race along the floor as you hurry over to the shelf you’ve propped them on.
  239. >Only the first three volumes but you didn’t want to pressure her more than you had. She was weirdly attached to her things and as the best friend anypony could ask for, you only sulked a little bit when she didn’t give you more.
  240.  
  241. >It’s awfully tempting to take them onto your bed and lie there, soaking up the darkness and comfort but...
  242. >You look about and shiver - it’s way too quiet in here. Even when you finally fell into your bed in the mornings, you liked to have some of your favourite tunes playing.
  243. >Which thanks to those idiot pegasi, you can’t even do now.
  244. >But what you could do is listen to the rain in the living area.
  245. >And keep an eye out for Anon!
  246. >Hah! He’s not going to have to knock on your door tonight! It’s time to prove to him that you’ve got yourself together, even in a crisis like this!
  247. >You consider grabbing your blanket and dragging it out to the couch and y’know what? You do just that!
  248. >If Anon starts asking for an explanation, you can just tell him that you were injured in the line of duty of keeping this whole apartment from falling apart. Because of his forgetfulness.
  249. >So if anything, he owes it to you to let you get comfortable in *your* apartment!
  250. [spoiler]>Even if the EWS pays your share of the rent.[/spoiler]
  251. >Dropping the doujinshi on the blanket, you take it in your teeth and tug it off the bed.
  252. >Mare, the last time you can even remember doing this was after your trip out in the rain.
  253. >It was pretty neat, too, Anon wrapping it up around you as you sat on the couch, slurping your noodles.
  254. >He even [spoiler]s-sat right next to you[/spoiler] a few times, too.
  255. [spoiler]>M-Maybe he’ll do that again tonight?[/spoiler]
  256. >Yeah, the big idiot would just love that, wouldn’t he?
  257. >Reading these doujinshi with you, slipping under the blanket, both of you getting super comfy while outside, it rains all night…
  258. “Oof!”
  259. >Huh, you were so lost in thought you hadn’t realised you’d made your way back into the living area and bumped into the couch.
  260. >You could get angry with it, interrupting your nice thoughts but the memory of jabbing your hoof on the ground is still fresh in your mind.
  261. >Instead, you set the doujinshi that you’d laid on the blanket (because you’re a smart filly) on the low table next the couch and busy yourself with arranging the blanket into a comfortable pile.
  262. >Anon would probably start asking when you’re going to wash it again but it’s fine!
  263. >There’s only a hooful of stains on it and if you did wash it, you’d be without it for longer than you’d ever be comfortable with. You learned that lesson the last time.
  264. >You’ve got it nicely spread on the couch, providing some extra cushioning against the more uncomfortable parts, so all that’s left to do is climb aboard and get down to business.
  265. >Being exceptionally careful to avoid putting any weight on your injured leg or resting it against the couch, too
  266. >The prospect of all this is starting to look better than you’d earlier thought and you wonder why you never thought of doing this before.
  267.  
  268. >You’re still Floor and you’re still unimaginably Bored out of your tree.
  269. >Or rather, you would be if you weren’t just waking up.
  270. >Those doujinshi that Taku proudly proclaimed as being ‘so hot they’ll set your bed on fire’ didn’t so much as cause a spark.
  271. >The raunchiest thing they contained were a few scenes of hoof holding and some kisses.
  272. >The second volume started looking promising when Yua invited Naoki back to her bedroom and the two fillies started kissing and lying down on Yua’s bed…
  273. >But all they did was cuddle!
  274. >Neither had so much as taken off their blouses, they just loosened them and professed their deepest affections for each other!
  275. >By the time you were halfway through the third volume, you’d started nodding off from it all.
  276. >With your blanket piled on the couch and the rhythmic beating of the rain against the windows, combined with your refusal to fetch your own material, you’d laid your head down and just looked out.
  277. >Those thick grey clouds obscured the worst of the light and so, left without anything to focus your mind on and the day’s events weighing on you, you’d fallen into a quiet nap.
  278. >You’re not sure how long ago that was but there’s significantly less light coming in the windows when you’re able to open your eyes enough to see.
  279. >Your ears prick up suddenly, twisting this way and that, listening carefully.
  280. >Nothing.
  281. >No footsteps, no voice, no clanging of pots and pans.
  282. >Not even a reprimand for bringing your (totally-not-smelly) blanket out of your room.
  283. >Your ears lower, your face along with them, and finally your head, back down to the blanketed couch.
  284. >Isn’t he usually back before it starts getting dark? At least at this time of year.
  285. >Maybe… something happened to him?
  286. “P-Probably did it himself. Wants me to r-rescue him.”
  287. >You snort - Ponyville was where all that weird shit went down, what’s the worst that could happen here?
  288. >He was always cooking up schemes to get you out of the apartment, this has to be his latest attempt.
  289. >As if Equestria’s most powerful NEET would fall for something like that!
  290. >You didn’t get to where you were without using every last drop of your guile and smarts to outwit whatever perils the EWS threw at you!
  291. [spoiler]>Even if where you were was a shitty, run-down apartment on the edge of town.[/spoiler]
  292. >Yeah, well, so what?
  293. >You have everything you need here and apart from that leak, everything is just peachy!
  294. >Besides, a better apartment would mean less money to spend on the essentials of life.
  295. >Ramen, manga, streaming subscriptions, and the very finest in games entertainment.
  296. >Drip.
  297. >Ugh!
  298. >You’d better go check on the leak, though, see if you need to put down some more towels.
  299. >No, you’re not going to attempt moving the pot, you’ve had enough disasters for one day.
  300. >You do, however, make the mistake of slipping your sore leg down to the ground.
  301. >A sharp hiss escapes you but at least the pain is more of a dull ache now.
  302. >And it definitely doesn’t feel like anything’s moving in there.
  303.  
  304. >No super-strength but you should’ve remembered you have super-endurance.
  305. >It’s not everypony that can pull an all-nighter-every-nighter!
  306. >Still, you should probably keep off it, anyway.
  307. >Pushing one of the doujin off the blanket with you, you get onto your three good hooves and plod over to the kitchen.
  308. >Hmm, the pot’s just about half full so it should be okay for a bit longer. At least until Anon gets home and then he can handle emptying it.
  309. >Click-clack.
  310. >Your ears quickly swivel about to the source of the noise - the door to the apartment!
  311. >It creaks loudly as it swings open and standing on the other side of the doorway is your (incredibly wet looking) human roommate.
  312. >Wow, you haven’t seen him look that pissed since the time you almost destroyed the kitchen by trying to cook your own ramen.
  313. >That was the only instance you needed to convince yourself that cooking was best left to ponies willing to lower themselves to doing it for a living.
  314. >And Anon.
  315. >Who didn’t work at something like that, anyway, he was…
  316. >”Hey, Floorb.”
  317. >You still bristle a bit at that stupid nickname he gave you and yeah, you had to keep reminding him to quit it but he still slipped up sometimes.
  318. “H-Hey, Anon.”
  319. >He steps into the apartment and kicks the door closed behind him.
  320. >It closes with a bang but stays on its hinges.
  321. >”Power’s out here too? Fuck! I heard it was just a few blocks around Shake’s. Should’ve known Cherry’s full of shit.”
  322. >You nicker at that - Anon loved to complain to you about his dumb workmates and you were only too happy to hear the stories of those idiots.
  323. >Reminded you that as much as Anon tried to change you, you were rubbing off on him. He was starting to understand that nopony else got him like you did!
  324. >”Hey, everything alright?”
  325. >Anon looks down at you with an odd expression, then points at the hind leg you’re holding up.
  326. >”What happened?”
  327. >You open your mouth… and then promptly shut it. This is what you were afraid of, wasn’t it?
  328. >He’d yell at you for your incompetence or crack some stupid joke about how you can’t even handle carrying a pot.
  329. >But you hadn’t given any thought as to what you were going to say to him.
  330. >No, Floor, you were hurt *because* of him!
  331. >If anything, he owes you an apology for putting you in harm’s way!
  332. “Uh, I-I dropped the pot f-for the leak.”
  333. >Okay, you can tell him off *later* once you’ve thought up a fitting punishment.
  334. >For now, you toss your head back at the pot still catching water under the leak.
  335. >Anon looks around you and grimaces.
  336. >”Jesus, Floor…” Here it is. “I think that thing’s cast iron. I don’t even use it any more, it’s too much of a bitch to deal with.”
  337. >A short reprieve but any second he’s going to tear into you!
  338. >”Look, I’m glad you handled the leak but you need to take care of yourself too, y’know? What’d happen if you were *really* hurt when I’m away?”
  339. >... This… this is not going as you planned.
  340.  
  341. >Not that you mind!
  342. >It’s good that Anon understands you were doing something nice for him and he *should* be more concerned about you than this crummy place.
  343. >But you were prepared for the worst and this is throwing you off!
  344. >Wait, why do you feel like *you* should apologise to him? You didn’t do anything wrong!
  345. “S-Sorry, Anon.”
  346. >Damnit, Floor!
  347. >”Nah, I should’ve got this fixed up a while ago. Things have been piling up and…” He shakes his head. “I’ll call the super first thing tomorrow. Sick of that bastard giving me the runaround anyway.”
  348. >He swings the bag slung over his shoulder around and drops it to the floor, unzipping it.
  349. >”Good thing I stopped off on the way home, though. And it’s something that I think’ll take your mind off that bum leg.”
  350. >You get the smell of it already - warm, slightly spicy, and savoury.
  351. >Sweet Celestia, how long has it been since you’ve eaten?
  352. >Anon pulls out two large looking cardboard bowls with a logo that looks almost familiar plastered on them.
  353. >”Swung by that new place and got some grub, just in case we were out of luck. I know you’re always saying I should try your stuff but I haven’t got the stomach for that cheap crap.”
  354. >Next are two boxes and a couple of long paper packets, and he sets all of them on the low kitchen counter.
  355. >The smell’s even more intense now and you almost forget to stay off your bad leg when you hook your forelegs onto the counter and stare longingly at all of it.
  356. >Maybe you could skip asking for that apology? If this food tastes as good as it smells, it might just about make up for what happened.
  357. “W-W-What is it?”
  358. >Rather than answering, Anon reaches down past you and pops a lid off one of the bowls.
  359. >Steam wafts up from it and the scent following after is so intense you almost lose the power in your hind leg.
  360. >And the sight of it!
  361. >A mix of vegetables, what looks like egg, and a few other things you can't identify but smell heavenly.
  362. >You have to get closer, you have to inspect every bit of this!
  363. >”Careful, it’s hot.”
  364. >You look back to Anon, smiling, then back to the bowl.
  365. >Wait.
  366. >Was this why he was late?
  367. >No. No, work was busier today, wasn’t it? And he waited to see if the rain would clear or let up a little before coming home.
  368. >He didn’t go out of his way to go to that new ramen place you’d told him about.
  369. >He knew you would’ve eaten anything from Watamare or anywhere else.
  370. [spoiler]>Why would he do this for you?[/spoiler]
  371. >”You okay, Floor? I got them to make yours spicier but if it’s too much we can swap—”
  372. “No!”
  373. >You look back down to the bowl and drink in the scent again. Nirrik was good but this had to have been made by only the most expert hooves of Neighponese chefs.
  374. >And you get to have an entire bowl of it!
  375. >With Anon!
  376. >You smile again, remembering what you were thinking earlier - Anon has good taste in food too, looks like.
  377. “N-No, it’s perfect.”
  378.  
  379. >It’s hard to keep yourself from objecting when Anon places the plastic top back over the bowl but as hungry as you are, there’s no way you’re going to eat it right here at the counter.
  380. >Especially not while putting all your weight on one leg.
  381. >You’re thankful for being able to get back down on your two other good legs, actually.
  382. >That warm feeling that’s been growing in your belly starts to fade as Anon takes the bowls and boxes in his arms and makes his way over to the couch.
  383. >You were lucky up to now but here it is, he’s going to give you such an earful for having your not-that-smelly blanket out here.
  384. >Watching carefully as he walks over, you see him pause as he comes around the couch and should be able to see onto it.
  385. >You feel your ears start to pin back and your legs shake [spoiler]but only a little[/spoiler].
  386. >Then he sets the items down onto the low table, turns towards you and…
  387. >”Floor?”
  388. >Okay, Floor, you can do this. Just add it to the list of reasons he’ll owe you an apology later.
  389. >You set your hooves into motion but you can feel them dragging along the floor as you make your way around the counter and over to Anon.
  390. [spoiler]>Why did you have to ruin this?[/spoiler]
  391. >They stop suddenly when he turns around and looks down at you with the most surprising expression: concern.
  392. >”Are you sure everything’s okay?” He bends down. “Did something else happen while I was out? You’re not coming down with something again, are you?”
  393. >You’re not, are you?
  394. >You don’t feel any different than usual, which isn’t great but it’s not even close to how you were after your excursion.
  395. >And even after that, Anon had got you to start taking those multivitamin pills he bought.
  396. >You kept telling him he didn’t need to waste his money on them but he just kept doing it. And he kept making sure you took one, every day.
  397. >It was a hassle but less so than trying to find some way around it.
  398. >At least you weren’t as tired any more... but that wasn’t the point!
  399. >He shouldn’t be trying to change you!
  400. >Your anger quickly dies down when you come back to the present moment with Anon still looking at you intently.
  401. “N-No. I’m okay. I mean, apart from…”
  402. >You give your sore leg a little shake.
  403. >Anon watches you for a moment longer, then nods.
  404. >”Alright, if you say so. I’ll let you keep this out here tonight, seeing as you got pretty banged up but why’d you bring it out here? You know it kinda funks up the place, right?”
  405. >You feel your nose scrunch up a bit.
  406. “I-It’s not *that* bad.” You try to put some volume and force into your voice but it still sounds too quiet.
  407. >”Yeah, you say that but you’re just used to it. Look,” he says, lowering himself to your level again, “if something happened you can tell me, okay? I’m not gonna get mad.”
  408. >Your tongue flicks out over your lips and you look away from him suddenly.
  409. >He’s being really nice about all this, can’t you just… explain it?
  410. >He really isn’t getting mad so… so maybe he *will* understand?
  411.  
  412. >So you take a deep breath and prepare yourself.
  413. >He’s still bent down and doesn’t look nearly as intimidating as if he were standing.
  414. >N-Not that you were afraid of him!
  415. “Um, the, uh, the power went out.”
  416. >That’s not enough, is it?
  417. “A-And I was here all alone. Do you know how quiet it gets here? I couldn’t even put the TV on.”
  418. >You’re not looking at him, you can’t. Not when you’re thinking about this day you’ve had.
  419. “So I thought it’d be okay if I came out here and I could listen to the rain and read those dumb doujinshi and wait for you but you took so long and—”
  420. >You scuff your hoof against the floor.
  421. “A-And I’m s-sorry.”
  422. >He’s going to push you for more, though, isn’t he? You try your best to explain yourself when he asks but you’re not used to it!
  423. >Why do you even need to explain any of this to him? He always makes such a big deal out of these things!
  424. >But you stand there, waiting, not meeting his eyes.
  425. >It starts getting a little uncomfortable.
  426. >”Sounds like you had a rough day, huh?”
  427. >Quick as lightning, you look up to him.
  428. >He doesn’t *look* angry but it was hard to tell sometimes.
  429. >This has been one hell of an evening, though, completely bucking all your expectations.
  430. >Dare you dream that it might continue?
  431. “Y-Yeah.”
  432. >Then he does the strangest thing - he reaches over and puts a hand on your shoulder, almost reaching to your withers.
  433. >”Guess I forget what it’s like for you, sometimes.”
  434. >Stranger than that, he gives your shoulder a little pat.
  435. >”Why don’t we forget about all that and just enjoy some good food, good company, and… hmm.”
  436. >He looks over at the TV, frowning, and you look with him.
  437. >Damn thing should be working!
  438. >Don’t those pegasi know that Anon likes to watch his own shows after he gets home?
  439. >Even if they’re not as good as what you watch, it’d be worth it to sit out here with him and…
  440. >And what?
  441. >You hadn’t even thought of that, had you? That he’s not complaining, he’s even letting you keep your blanket out here.
  442. >Or at least he didn’t tell you to take it back in, so that’s the same thing right?
  443. >He didn’t exactly say it but he wants you to eat with him. That’s got to be what he meant by ‘good company’.
  444. >Well, yeah, obviously! You’re Floor Bored, the best roommate anypony could ask for!
  445. >This is… it’s just Anon finally realising that!
  446. >Your shoulder receiving another pat pulls you out of your thoughts and back to Anon, now smiling at you.
  447. >”Think I’ve got a solution for that.”
  448. >You’re not able to ask him what he’s talking about before he rises and walks past you, towards his bedroom door.
  449. >What could he have in there, that could fix the TV?
  450. >Okay, it’s not broken but unless he’s got his own little generator you’re still out of luck.
  451. >”Damn, glad I put this thing in hibernation. Think the battery’s still mostly full.”
  452. >He’s got something tucked under his arm.
  453. >Something long and thin and… his laptop!
  454. >You’ve only seen him with it a few times but argh!
  455. >Why didn’t *you* think of that earlier?
  456.  
  457. >You wouldn’t have gone into his room, though, would you?
  458. >Yeah, it was an emergency but as well as things might’ve gone this evening, you know even that would’ve been pushing your luck too far.
  459. >”No way we’re gonna just sit here like a couple o’ chumps, right Floor?”
  460. >Now that seals it! He *does* want you to sit with him!
  461. >Sit with him, eat with him, even watch something with him...
  462. >You glance over to the window and the rain you can hear more than see.
  463. >It’s almost worth everything that’s happened if it meant you got to spend some quality time with Anon.
  464. “Right!”
  465. >You don’t even wait for him to tell you to hop onto the couch.
  466. >Awkwardly and more pulling yourself on your forelegs but it saves putting weight on your bad leg.
  467. >And you have to wiggle about a bit to try and get yourself into a position that’s as comfortable as you can make do with.
  468. >It really was a lot easier to do this when you were just lying down.
  469. >At least Anon doesn’t see you squirming, setting the laptop down and fiddling with it.
  470. >C’mon, Floor, you’ve been more sore in the past and able to get yourself comfortable!
  471. >Yeah but that was for completely different reasons which also meant you usually had some other pleasant feelings to help distract you.
  472. >Even you know you can’t start doing that with Anon right here in front of you.
  473. [spoiler]>Wiggling his own cute butt as he’s bent over the table.[/spoiler]
  474. >You grunt in annoyance, grabbing your blanket a little rougher than you’d intended and start wrapping it over yourself.
  475. >The softness and gentle warmth is far more welcome than what’s starting to stir down below and you close your eyes for a moment, focusing on *those* feelings.
  476. >Why were you even worried?
  477. >Hadn’t Anon been less of an ass to you lately? Or since you got sick, at least.
  478. >You can still hear the rain over the sound of Anon tapping at the keyboard of his laptop.
  479. >Yeah, it was shit but it was worth it for far more than those few weeks you were laid up.
  480. >And now here you were - it was dark and wet and miserable outside, the thought of that makes you shiver.
  481. >Especially thinking about Anon having to come home in it.
  482. >”Alright, we’re in business!”
  483. >He stands back from the laptop. The screen’s significantly smaller than the TV’s but it’s better than nothing.
  484. >Leaning forward, you can make out a list of folders with various names.
  485. >”I’m gonna go empty the pot and we can relax and eat in peace. You pick something to watch. And don’t start eatin’ without me.”
  486. >He shoots you a wry grin over his shoulder before rising to walk off to the kitchen area.
  487. >He’s letting you pick what to watch? Huh. He must have some of his favourite shows downloaded. There’s no way he could get a thaumnet connection with the power out.
  488. >Okay, let’s see here… ‘Movies’, ‘TV Series’, ‘Music’... wait, what’s this?
  489. >’Anime’?
  490.  
  491. >Hold on, has he been holding out on you?
  492. >Your hoof tentatively taps at the touchpad and opens the folder you’d selected.
  493. >What you see shocks you to your core: folder after folder of anime series!
  494. >Most of the names aren’t ones you recognise, at least not off-hoof, but some, like ‘PoJo’s Strange Odyssey’, are such classics that of course you know them!
  495. >He’d told you before that ‘anime’ was what humans called ‘ponime’ but not only has he got his own stuff, he’s got some of Equus’ finest entertainment!
  496. >”Hey, whatcha… Ohhh.”
  497. “Yeah, ‘oh’!”
  498. >Anon is back from the kitchen and looked about ready to throw himself on the couch but right now he’s staring, wide-eyed, at the laptop.
  499. >Meanwhile, you cannot believe this colt! You were all worried that he was going to open up on you, while he hadn’t the decency to tell you about this!
  500. “You said you didn’t have any ponime!”
  501. >Anon sits down a lot slower and softer than you imagine he’d like to but he doesn’t take his eyes off the screen.
  502. >”What?”
  503. >You bump yourself against him, making sure to touch him with the blanket.
  504. “R-Remember when I asked if you had any?”
  505. >Anon looks over to you, then back to the laptop.
  506. >He purses his lips and frowns.
  507. >”Kinda? That must’ve been a while back, I think.”
  508. >Maybe it was but you still distinctly remember Anon insisting that he didn’t have any.
  509. >And the dismay you felt over having to share your apartment with a colt who barely shared any of your interests.
  510. >Which, admittedly, turned out to not be entirely true and okay, he was kind of cool in the end…
  511. >But he lied to you!
  512. >”Hang on, I remember you asking if I had any ponime DVDs, which I don’t.”
  513. >He sounds a little unsure but deep down, you know he doesn’t need to.
  514. >You remember that was exactly what you asked him because it never occurred to you that he might have copies of anything on his laptop.
  515. >It was only really after talking to him that you learned human authorities weren’t nearly as adept at putting a stop to illicit downloads. Something to do with how much easier the thaumnet was to monitor and control here.
  516. “W-Well…”
  517. >Damnit, and you finally had the upper hoof tonight!
  518. “You sh-should’ve told me you had th-this…”
  519. >You pull the blanket a little tighter around yourself.
  520. >The smell of the food still wafts up to you and with it, the reminder that you’re about to share a meal with Anon.
  521. >With the prospect of even watching some anime with him while doing so.
  522. >As long as you didn’t mess this up.
  523. >”Sorry, Floor.”
  524. >That apology catches you completely off guard and you’re almost not sure what you should do or say.
  525. >Thankfully, Anon goes on, “I guess I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you thinkin’ I was some big weeb.”
  526. >Another of those human versions of pony terms. You knew enough to know he means ‘poneeb’.
  527. >”I mean, I’ve seen your fanart and it’s really good. But I just like watchin’ it, y’know? I don’t do anything as cool as you do.”
  528.  
  529. >Now that’s even more of a bombshell!
  530. >First off, he thinks your art’s good? Now he thinks you’re *cool*‽
  531. >You’re smiling before you even realise it and it feels too good to try and stop.
  532. >You had a busted up old tablet, sure, and sometimes you liked to put on some of your music and just relax by drawing.
  533. >But had Anon ever been in your room when you had your art program open? He must’ve been.
  534. >And he *liked* it.
  535. >Sure, you’d thought of posting your art on 4canal but those tasteless fillies wouldn’t appreciate true talent and careful choice of subject matter.
  536. [spoiler]>Definitely not because you were afraid of what they’d say about your crappy drawings.[/spoiler]
  537. >No, not ‘crappy’! Anon likes them and he’s worth more than anypony on that site!
  538. “You really think they’re good?”
  539. >With your smile so wide, it’s easier to speak louder and more confidently.
  540. >Your heart flutters a little when Anon smiles back at you.
  541. >”I’m not an artist but yeah, I think you’ve got talent.”
  542. >This is almost too much.
  543. >”Maybe you could show me some more of them when the power’s back up?”
  544. >In your wildest dreams, you’d never thought of sharing them with Anon. And okay, you can’t show him some [spoiler]*most*[/spoiler] of them but the rest?
  545. >And he likes ponime so you could even draw for him!
  546. >Is this what you’ve been missing out on? Because you didn’t think to ask and because he didn’t say anything?
  547. >”Speaking of which, did you pick something out?”
  548. >What? Oh.
  549. >You’d been so wrapped up in the sudden rush of confusion and then warmth, you’d forgotten about that.
  550. >Without really thinking, you point your hoof at the laptop’s screen.
  551. “How about that?”
  552. >Anon leans over and glances back to you with a cocked eyebrow.
  553. >”Outlaw Star? Good choice. Not sure how long the power’s gonna last but we’ll make the most of it.”
  554. >You don’t recognise the name so it must be one of his human ‘animes’.
  555. >Which… is good! It’s something new that you can share with him.
  556. [spoiler]>Maybe he could even ask you to draw some art of it, if he likes it?[/spoiler]
  557. >Anon starts tapping away at the keyboard again and, when you see something happening on screen, he pulls the laptop over the table.
  558. >It’s not going to be too easy making out the subtitles from here but is that what’s really important?
  559. >The smell of the food intensifies again as Anon peels off the lids and passes you one of the bowls.
  560. >You slip your hooves out of your blanket and take it with a small thanks.
  561. >With his own in his hands, Anon settles back onto the couch and doesn’t shift himself away from you.
  562. >Instead he opens one of the long packets and passes you a pair of chopsticks.
  563. >No, *this* is what’s important.
  564. >Not just all that’s happened since he got home, though that did mean more than you can really think about right now, but just… sitting here, like this.
  565. >The episode starts up, an oddly bombastic piece of music accompanying the action on-screen.
  566. >In spite of yourself, you lean just a little against Anon.
  567.  
  568. >You’re still Floor Sored—
  569. >No, Bored. *Bored*!
  570. >Although you are feeling like Floor Sored with how much your hind leg is aching.
  571. >You’ve tried sitting in every position you could think of and then resorted to shifting about whenever the pain started to intensify.
  572. >It’s made enjoying your time with Anon so difficult that you can’t help but hope this won’t be the last of it.
  573. >He hadn’t complained or anything like that so you’d like to think he enjoyed it.
  574. >Though you’re sure you saw him glancing over at you now and then.
  575. >But eating with him, that was something surprising.
  576. >He’d slurped up those noodles just as loudly as you had and made more than one comment on how good it was.
  577. >It did seal the idea in your mind that this wouldn’t be the last time you’d be having them and if you had to order take out again, this was definitely the better choice.
  578. >Especially if Anon didn’t mind you totally-not-snuggling-up-to-him again…
  579. >And you’d enjoyed watching his ‘anime’!
  580. >After the earlier frustration from Taku’s doujinshi, this high-octane excitement was just the thing you needed to get your blood really pumping.
  581. >Ugh, you can’t think about that right now!
  582. “Ohhh…”
  583. >It’s a struggle to keep your voice as quiet as possible but there’s nothing you can do about moving yourself about.
  584. >The only small relief is that Anon hadn’t said anything about you *leaning against* him whenever you finished moving.
  585. >”Alright, Floor, that’s enough.”
  586. >You’d kept the blanket wrapped tightly about yourself once you’d both finished your meal and now you reach a hoof through it, out to him when you hear the frustration in his voice.
  587. >Why?
  588. >This was going so well!
  589. >You really don’t want to look up at him, knowing he’s going to finally start complaining about your (maybe a *little* smelly) blanket.
  590. [spoiler]>And probably how you’ve been maybe, kind of snuggling up to him b-but only a bit![/spoiler]
  591. >You really don’t want to believe you’d let yourself think things were finally looking up for you only to have that hope dashed.
  592. >”That leg’s worse than you said, isn’t it?”
  593. >Think, Floor!
  594. >Okay, okay, if you… say it is, you can get away with telling him you were leaning against him to try and keep the weight off it!
  595. “Mmhm.”
  596. >Fine, you can work your way up to talking.
  597. >”Alright, hand it over.”
  598. >Figures he’d want your blanket so he can—Wait, what?
  599. “W-What?”
  600. >You try to contain your disappointment when Anon shifts on the couch and moves himself away from you.
  601. >”I’ve been listening to you makin’ so much noise I’m amazed I heard anything else.”
  602. >Hey, that’s not fair! You were trying your best to keep quiet!
  603. >Still, if Anon really wants your leg, there’s not much you could do to stop him.
  604. >Big human like that, he could easily overpower you.
  605. [spoiler]>Sometimes you wish he would.[/spoiler]
  606. >But not now!
  607. >Now, you slowly push your blanket off and reveal your altogether too vulnerable body to him.
  608.  
  609. >Strangely, he doesn’t start looking you over as you thought he would.
  610. >He just looks down at the hind leg you have tucked up and frowns.
  611. >”Where’d the pot hit?”
  612. >You bite your lip. There’s no harm in just showing him, right?
  613. >So you tentatively reach down with a hoof to point at, but not touch, the pastern.
  614. >Just doing so almost seems to intensify the pain and you bite back against another groan.
  615. >Anon doesn’t say anything, though, he just keeps looking down at your leg.
  616. >Which is probably the most attention a colt’s ever paid to any part of your body.
  617. >You’re not exactly sure how to feel right now and kind of wish you still had your blanket wrapped around you.
  618. >”Doesn’t look swollen and you’d be makin’ a lot more noise if somethin’ was broken.”
  619. >He doesn’t look up at you as he speaks but does reach over with a hand, at least until you pull your leg back.
  620. >This time you can’t stop yourself from whimpering.
  621. >As if you’d kicked it, Anon whips his hand away and looks right up at you.
  622. >”Whoah, Floor, I’m not gonna hurt you!”
  623. >You tuck your forelegs against your chest and shake your head.
  624. “B-But it hurts.”
  625. >He sets his hand back down, a bit too close to your leg for your liking, and leans towards you.
  626. >”And it’ll hurt all night if you don’t do somethin’ about it. Which means I’ll have to listen to you moaning all night, as well.”
  627. >Your ears slowly pin back at those words. More than once he’d told you off about the noise from both you and your computer at night.
  628. >You’d made sure to keep it down after that, though!
  629. >Why is he bringing it up now?
  630. ”I’ll be quiet.” And to prove it, you make sure to keep your voice low.
  631. >But he doesn’t back off from you and you’re left squirming a little under his gaze.
  632. >”Floor,” he says but pauses, sighing, “did I hurt you when you were sick?”
  633. >No.
  634. >And it *had* been nice, having him attend to your every, extremely important, need.
  635. >You think you know what he’s getting at, though - do you trust him?
  636. >Well, you live with him. And as much as he tried to change you, there were little things you were forced to admit had left you feeling better.
  637. >Yeah, he could be a total ass sometimes but if he wouldn’t deliberately hurt you.
  638. >So you shake your head, making sure to keep your eyes on him.
  639. >”Listen, if it’s what I think it is, I might know a way to help with it.”
  640. >Would it *hurt*, though? Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease, you’re sure you heard that at some point. Possibly from Anon himself.
  641. “H-How?”
  642. >Anon reaches out to your leg again and you do your best not to pull away.
  643. >”It’ll be easier if I show you. A pony showed me this once, a long time ago, and I kinda forget how he explained it.”
  644. >You glance down to your leg, then up to Anon, and back.
  645. >Well… this *is* his fault! Why shouldn’t you let him fix you up?
  646. [spoiler]>Better than having to see a doctor.[/spoiler]
  647.  
  648. “If I tell you to s-stop…”
  649. >Anon nods.
  650. >Then he reaches forward with the hand he’s not leaning on and…
  651. >... Takes your hoof in his fingers.
  652. >Out of surprise and shock more than any pain, you gasp, and Anon immediately lets go.
  653. >You were fully expecting him to take your pastern and start squeezing it or something like that.
  654. >And it feels like your hoof’s calmed down enough that him just touching it didn’t give you the dart of pain you’d received when you stood on it earlier.
  655. >You look back to him and nod, leaving your hind leg outstretched.
  656. >It still feels weird, Anon touching you like this, but you’d enjoyed leaning against him, hadn’t you?
  657. >Is it really too much to hope that he might enjoy touching you?
  658. >The thought of it sends a shiver down your body and you hope Anon doesn’t notice.
  659. >If he does, it doesn’t stop him from taking your hoof in his hand again.
  660. >It’s not the first time he’s touched you but generally he refrained from doing it.
  661. >And maybe it’s the weird, almost exciting, evening you’ve had with him but this feels strangely intimate.
  662. >The way he so gently holds your hoof, his fingers stroking along the bottom of it, then down… along… your frog…
  663. >You never felt particularly ticklish and even Anon’s dexterous fingers don’t draw laughter from you.
  664. >Celestia, that’s the very last thing you feel like doing right now.
  665. >There’s no pain that you can feel and he’s making sure not to touch your pastern. On the contrary, he’s now using the hand he was leaning on to hold your hoof up.
  666. >”Just relax, alright?”
  667. >How intently were you staring down at him?
  668. >But you can’t be blamed! This is… it’s weird!
  669. [spoiler]>It’s not unpleasant, though.[/spoiler]
  670. >No… But it’s stirring up some feelings that you’d thought you were keeping under control this evening.
  671. >Okay, alright, Floor, just focus on what his hands are doing to your hoof, not what they’re doing to further up your body.
  672. >”Floor?”
  673. >You look back down with a note of disappointment, realising Anon has stopped what he was doing.
  674. >”Want me to stop?”
  675. >You don’t think so. It definitely doesn’t feel *bad*.
  676. >And if things get too much you can just tell him to stop, anyway.
  677. >So you turn about, into a more comfortable position, and shake your head.
  678. “Y-You can keep going.”
  679. >Anon nods.
  680. >”Good. I think it’ll take your mind off things.”
  681. >He’s slower this time, when he resumes touching your hoof.
  682. >Using both hands to grip, you feel him pressing his thumbs against the sole with just enough pressure that you feel it give under the touch.
  683. >In long, slow circles he moves them around while his fingers keep a firm but not rough hold on your hoof.
  684. >Your eyes fall shut and you feel your breathing start to slow.
  685. >This isn’t something you’ve ever even thought of having done to you.
  686. >You’d heard of it, yeah, but never really saw the appeal.
  687.  
  688. >When Anon pushes a little harder against the sole of your hoof, you feel yourself push back.
  689. >It’s so… weird! You keep expecting to feel a jab of pain but there’s nothing.
  690. >The opposite, really.
  691. >Focusing entirely on your hoof, you’re able to keep your mind off… other things, even the pain in your pastern.
  692. >Which almost feels like it’s subsiding. Or maybe that’s just some weird human magic [spoiler]even if Anon said they don’t have any.[/spoiler]
  693. >There’s a slight tingling sensation as he moves his thumbs but it’s not at all unpleasant.
  694. >You almost move to rise and say something when you feel him stop again but he shifts one hand away and the other to your heel.
  695. >His fingers thread along the frog of your hoof, up to the sole and you feel yourself exhale in a long breath.
  696. >The gentle pressure intensifies that tingling until you can’t stop yourself letting out a quiet moan.
  697. >Okay, yeah, whatever pain you were feeling is gone now and all that’s left is what this human is somehow doing to you.
  698. >It’s almost like your breathing follows the movement of his fingers back along the sole, then to the tip again. Back and forth, back and forth…
  699. >The sensations change suddenly as you feel his fingers slide up over your hoof and he starts rubbing the bottom of his hand against your sole.
  700. >You can feel how he grips tighter and presses a little harder and that tingling gives way to waves of pleasure rolling up your leg.
  701. >It takes all your considerable power not to start squirming and pushing yourself along the couch closer to him.
  702. >How did he know your hoof would be so sensitive? Or did he know? Was this something completely different for him?
  703. >Oh fuck it, does it matter?
  704. >His silence and attention to what he’s doing, as well as the results you feel, are all the answer you need.
  705. >You’re not even sure when he started gently stroking the fingers of his other hand against the back of your pastern but whatever apprehension or doubt might’ve stopped you before is now gone.
  706. >That dull ache barely exists at the edge of your consciousness and Anon’s continued ministrations magically banish even that.
  707. >The hooves you’d been holding to your chest fall away to either side of you.
  708. >Just what had that pony told Anon? What had he shown him? [spoiler]Why had he waited so long to give you a demonstration?[/spoiler]
  709. >But it’s your hoof your mind focuses on - the way his fingers trail along the toe of your hoof, lightly pressing against the sole.
  710. >Could he just do this for the rest of the night? You have your blanket out here, you can absolutely fall asleep to this.
  711. >You would, if he didn’t remove his fingers from the bottom of your hoof and place them on your pastern.
  712. >The motions are slow and delicate, barely squeezing and more rubbing up and down and then with slight rotations.
  713. >You feel the ache start to rise again, only to slip away as he continues.
  714.  
  715. >What had you possibly been worried for?
  716. >How could this colt, able to do these things to you, possibly want to hurt you?
  717. >Oh, if only that pegasus mare could see you now. These hands were so, *so* much better than any hooves could ever hope to be.
  718. >The way he could spread out his fingers and apply pressure to each one separately.
  719. >The way he did just that!
  720. >You sigh, letting yourself squirm just a bit into the couch.
  721. >Have you ever felt this relaxed? Was this what it was like for other ponies?
  722. >Was this what you’d been missing out on?
  723. >”You alright?”
  724. >The sound of Anon’s voice doesn’t lift your head or open your eyes.
  725. >You can’t even find it in yourself to dredge up any words.
  726. “Mmm.” Is the best you can manage, right now.
  727. >”Want me to keep going?”
  728. >The rain still falls outside, you can just about make it out through your mind clouded with pleasure and contentment.
  729. >To think, none of this would’ve happened without it.
  730. >You hope Anon sees how wide your smile is when you nod.
  731. >You hope he won’t stop at this leg.
  732. [spoiler]>You hope it won’t be the only time he does it.[/spoiler]

The Way Life Could Be - Pt. 1

by HeavyHorse

Floor's Wet 'n' Wild Adventure

by HeavyHorse

[WIP] Snowpone Tales

by HeavyHorse

[WIP] Lost & Found

by HeavyHorse

[WIP] Frost Fringed Letters

by HeavyHorse