TFW no tiny Fluttershy to watch over meby 8th-SinChaptersFirst and Last ChapterBonus ChapterThe Second Bonus ChapterFirst and Last Chapter7:05 am "He's going to be late," you think to yourself. You hate the idea of waking him, he needs his sleep but he also can't be late for work. With a heavy heart you flutter to his bedroom to find the sleeping giant sprawled out across his bed. His gut is exposed and a soft snore can be heard. You can't help but giggle a little to yourself. "Anon," you softly speak as you boop his nose. He scrunches his face and adjusts his position but stays asleep. You boop a few more times with similar results. So you move onto plan B. You land on his face and pry open his eyelids to find those big green eyes staring into the abyss. At least that's what you thought as they suddenly move to look at you, startling you in the process. With a squeak, you tumble backwards off of Anon's face and onto the soft mattress. "Morning 'shy," Anon grunts as he sits up. Before you can reply, he lifts you up and places you onto the bedside table before getting up. He was a little rougher than usual when handling you but it's alright. He just woke up. Shortly after he leaves the room, the sound of rushing water can be heard as Anon takes his shower. So you, being the good little pony that you are, decide to fix Anon some breakfast. As you sit in the kitchen, you ponder to yourself what you should make him. Bacon and eggs is one of Anon's favourites but you're pretty sure he doesn't have any bacon. Cereal could be good, but everything is too heavy for you to lift. So toast is really the only option. After a few minutes of wrestling with the bread bag clip, you finally manage to free a slice and place it into the toaster. Then from atop the toaster, you spy the little lever that'll drop the bread and toast it. So you leap. Quite gracefully if you do say so yourself. When you land, the lever drops slightly. Nowhere near enough to click it into place. So you bounce a few times until it finally does. There, Anon is going to be so proud. As the toast begins to cook, you think about the next step in your plan. "What would Anon like on it?" Should you butter it? What if Anon doesn't feel like strawberry jam? What if he wants apricot or something? Does Anon even have peanut butter? Crunchy or smooth? Then, you're brought back to reality but a grainy, charcoal smell. Your nose lifts into the air as you try to work out where it's coming from. As the realisation hits you, you feel two fingers lifts you up and place you onto the counter. "Fluttershy, if you sit on the button like that then it can't eject," Anon states as he grabs a slice of very burnt toast and sticks it into his mouth. "Wait, was this for you?" You shake your head. "Oh good, thanks. I've got to head to work now, you behave." "Did you brush your teeth?" you ask as you notice his wet and messy hair. "No time." He gives your mane a quick pet goodbye and with that, you're alone. Without a moment to waste, you fly back into Anon's room to find his bed unmade as always. You give yourself a nod of determination before you begin to struggle with making it for him. You pull the sheet back tightly using your mouth and tuck it under the mattress, only once did you find yourself stuck underneath it. By the time that's done, your wings and jaw are already sore but you're not about to give up. Pulling the pillow back to its proper position, you prod and dance on it a little to try and fluff it up a bit to no avail. It just looks deflated like always. Maybe it means it's time for Anon to replace them. You'll have to remember that. Then you make your way to the blanket. This would be so much easier if you were a unicorn, then again you wouldn't really be able to get around the house so easily without your wings. "Being an alicorn must be wonderful," you murmur to yourself as you grip a corner of the blanket and float off the bed. With small tugs you fix it in place. Now for the creases. It takes who knows how long just to flatten them out and all the strength you had left. Once it's done though, you flutter over to the other side of the room to inspect your work, a bit of pride in your heart. Then, as you look over the bed, you notice it isn't done all that well. Your heart sinks just a little. There's still so many creases, a pillow is crooked and you forgot a corner of the blanket. With a very, very tired sigh you get back to it. If you thought you were tired and sore before, you're exhausted now. Your wings ache, it feels like they are screaming for you to stay grounded. Your jaw is pleading similar demands and you're struggling to find the energy to fight it. Eager to rest, you sink onto the bed, legs sprawled for the far corners and before you know it, you fall asleep. You didn't intend to take a nap, but you did. But when you wake, your body feels all the more refreshed for it. Parts still feel a little tender but it's pleasing kind of pain, because you're proud of yourself. You made Anon's bed for him. Which you've never done before. And Anon didn't seem to mind the burnt toast. So far, you've had a pleasing day. It's probably a good idea for you to take it a bit easy for now before you find something else around the house to do. As you sit at the small doll house table, sipping tea with your friends. "So how was your day Thrall?" You ask the little figurine. You feel a little bad for the poor dear, his legs don't bend so he's stuck standing for all your tea parties. "That sounds lovely," you reply before turning to ask Batman the same. Then your tea party is interrupted by the return of Anon. He's home awfully early as you check the clock. Not that you're complaining, it's wonderful to see him back. The others aren't really talkers. "Welcome home," you gleefully call out. "Hey 'shy. Looks like I've got the fl--ah-achoo--u," he says as he stumbles inside. "Oh dear, you should get some rest." "Yeah." He takes off to his room and a loud thump can be heard as he falls into bed. You wonder to yourself if he noticed that you made it for him as you open the doll wardrobe. Thanks to all the spare time you get, you've been able to practice making clothes. You don your nurse uniform, look it over in the mirror and give yourself a nod of approval. Then you take off for Anon's room. He's lying face down on the bed, as he walked in. He hasn't even taken off his shoes. So you do it instead. Luckily it's just laces. You can just tug one strand of the loop and the whole thing comes undone then the shoe only needs a little push. Once his shoes are off, you notice they actually have a funky smell to them. You've never noticed that before, maybe it's because you're so close to them. So you eagerly make your way up to the pillow where Anon lies. "Anon," you whisper. If he's asleep you don't want to wake the poor thing. A muffled, "yeah," can he heard in response. "Have you got any medicine?" He turns his head over to you so you can hear him, his eyes remain shut. "Already taken some. Just need to sleep it off and I'll be right as rain." "O-Oh... So there's nothing you need me to do? I could make soup." "I think that'd be a little too difficult. You're a bit too small to help like that." Your heart drops like iron. You're sure he didn't mean anything mean by it, but you want to help him. He's always taking care of you. "W-What if... if it's okay w-with you... I could--watch over you while you slept? Make sure everything's alright." You notice a half smile grow on his face. "Sure," he replies as he sits up. You float in the air as he adjust the bed, placing a pillow beside himself and then climbing under the blanket. He then pats the pillow beside him, gesturing to you. You lay on it, curling your legs underneath you as Anon makes himself more comfortable. "It's so I don't roll onto you while I sleep," he says as he drifts off. Bonus Chapter"Mornin' Shy," booms Anon as places one plate down of toast with a corner cut off for himself and a much smaller one for you with the corner. "Thank you very much, Anon. How did you sleep?" "Eh," he shrugs his giant shoulders or rather giant to you, "It was too cold. I'll definitely need to fix that heater on the weekend or something." Glancing at the calendar you see it's still Wednesday. "Yeah, I know. I've got lots of overtime to do this week. I don't think I'll have time until then." "Oh," you reply a little dejectedly but Anon doesn't seem to notice. Soon after Anon has to leave for his job, leaving you alone in the seemingly endless space that is his house. Without further ado, you set to work fluttering over the drawer that Anon keeps all the old manuals and booklets for things. The heaving it takes just to get the drawer open takes a lot out of you but you persevere. Little books litter it to the point where you're not sure how exactly Anon got the drawer closed in the first place. Trying to move one book spills over three onto the floor. "Oh, um, I should--" you nervously stammer as you try to work out how exactly you're going to wade through all these without making a mess. But then the image of Anon appears in your head. Sure, he shrugged it off as if it was just a minor concern but those rings under his eyes show he didn't get a good night's rest which is import. No, today, mess does not matter! You have to do this, for Anon! "I will clean all this as soon as I'm done," you pump yourself up in what is a yell to you but more of a slightly higher version of your usual soft speak to everyone else. Burrowing deep into the drawer kicks up more booklets that spill onto the floor but you ignore it all and continue to dig deeper. You head further down and the air is now getting scarce and the weight above you is constricting. It takes more and more effort to push on but push on you do. In your head you cheer yourself on, for Anon! And then you find one that has a picture of the heater on it. Latching onto it with your teeth, you head up as fast and you possibly can. As soon as you break the surface, you fill your lungs with air and the booklet you fought so tirelessly for hits the ground. Mentally, you give yourself a little pat on the back even if your work is far from over. With the booklet open on the floor to the circuit diagram page and a bunch of Anon's tools spread out on the floor, you set to work on the heater. Or at least, you would. Ignoring the tired you're feeling all over from the flying and lifting, you don't understand a single thing. There's a squiggly little zigzag line here and that leads to a symbol that looks like the skip button on the TV remote. Flicking through the other pages doesn't seem to bring up anything to help. In a state of pure bewilderment about this leaves you with only one resort. You unfurl your wings and begin the ascent to Anon's computer. After waiting for it to boot up, you drag the mouse about and jump onto the clicker twice. From there you hover over the keyboard. "Oh, my. Was it always this large?" And then you pause. "What would I even search?" You ponder over the predicament for a time before coming to a conclusion. As you float above the keyboard, you notice the first letter and press it. The little key makes a loud mechanical click and you begin the search for the second letter. It too goes click and you begin to feel an ache in your wings as you try to find the other letters. "Why isn't it alphabetical?" You sigh tiredly as you press down the final letter. what do the heater symbols mean And then you leap onto the enter key only for the computer to pull up pages explaining how various heater remotes work. "Let's try..." what does the zigzag before the skip button mean That brings up sewing techniques and something about the periodic table. "Oh, I'm sorry," you exclaim before type in a few extra letters what does the zigzag before the skip button mean heater Which does little to improve the results. So you dart back to the booklet to consult the pages once more and that's when you notice in the first few pages the contents list. "Circuit diagram," you read aloud. Asking the computer what they are seems to get the results you needed. The screen is loaded with symbols and explanations of what everything is to the point of being an overload. You press your little hooves into your cheeks firmly in an attempt to steel your resolve. "You have got this!" Anon returns home late at night, flicking off little bits of snow and shuddering from the cold. After he takes off his coat, he wanders through the house to notice the kitchen drawer with all the booklets sprawled and fallen on the floor. "Shy?" He calls. "In here," you sing back. There's a little moment of time before he appears in the room as he picks up all the booklets and shoves them in. "Everything alright--Ah." He notices the heater has been pulled apart so that beside the tools are the screws, cover pieces, and various components are splayed everywhere. Meanwhile you're still sitting on the desk and staring at the screen. "I was hoping to be done by the time you got home. I'm pretty sure it's that resistor cause it looks all burnt but I got a little stuck on what a thermistor is," you hastily try to explain, unable to keep the nervousness out of your voice. Anon chuckles softly and warmly. There's no hint of irritation in his voice, just happy which goes a way to setting your nerves at ease. Somewhat. "Well, I guess you've done pretty much all the work for me then. Which is a bit of a life saver, it's going to be freezing tonight. One sec." And then he disappears into the kitchen for a while. When he returns he has two cups, one large and the other small, with hot tea inside. "I've also ordered a pizza which should be here by the time I finish." "C-Can I help?" "Of course," Anon smiles, "Let me get the soldering iron while you make a pile of all the screws so we don't lose any. And while I work, you can hand me tools as my assistant. Sound good?" You nod happily and the two of you begin working together. You were right about the problem but Anon still checks over everything to be sure. And as you were the one to pull it apart you have to guide him in how to put it back together. Naturally being much harder to do than dismantling it. Once the pizza is here and you completely stuff your face on an entire slice. Which was wonderful considering how you got so focused in your work that you didn't eat all day. With the heater working, the room warm, and bellies full it doesn't take long before Anon drifts off to sleep on the couch. While you feel like you should wake him and try to convince him to get into his bed you are very tired yourself. Plus it is very warm and your belly is full. So in just a few blinks, your eyes stay shut and you drift to sleep on Anon's chest. The rise and fall in time with his breathing along with the gentle rhythm of his heartbeat is like being rocked and lulled at the same time. There was never any hope of you doing anything more than falling asleep right there, at peace. Author's Note Because FlutterPriest asked for it. The Second Bonus Chapter"Is it too hot?" Anon's great big voice echoes off the bathroom walls as you gently dip a hoof into the container of water. "No," You shake your head and Anon smiles, "It's just right." "It's always a bit tough to get it right because it's such a small puddle to me." You nod then climb into the heated water to soak. A content sigh escapes your lips as you're engulfed by a liquid bliss. The water is big enough that you could stand in it but if you lie on your back or side, it covers your entire body. It's been a little while since your last bath and after falling into a bit of mud, it's really needed. You look up to Anon who is squirting some soap into a container that is dwarfed in his hand. His wet and matted hair, from his own shower just a few minutes ago, clings to his face. "Want me to let you soak for a bit?" Silence fills the room as you think over. You dunk your head under the water, it being winter means the hot water provides your body with a welcome reprieve from the cold. There's a rhythmic thumping underwater and you stare up at the ceiling briefly. The water distorts the world above in curious patterns of lights and shapes. A part of you feel content, like you could rest here for the entire night. Then you notice the water is already turning murky. You rise to the surface and sigh wistfully. "If you'd like, we can just run some clean water afterwards?" "Thank you but maybe another night." Anon nods as he takes a seat at the counter. You stand up while those giant hands of his rubs a bit of soap between his fingers. Then, gently, he massages it into your body. The soap lathers over your coat and the top of your mane. Anon's touch is soft and careful, and you wonder how much he worries about your size considering you're about the size of his hand. "Not too rough?" A bit of the bubbles dribbles down your face so with your mouth closed, you hum in reply that you're okay. You get some of the soap yourself and begin your running it through your mane as Anon delicately washes your wings. A part of you feels kinda sorta bad but not really about this. Obviously you can clean yourself but when Anon noticed that hooves aren't the best for delicate work, he offered to help. And well, it's nice to indulge in a little pampering sometimes. Right? Once he is finished with your wings, Anon grabs a towel and uses it to dry his hair while you wash yourself off. You're not sure if it's just because of his size but he looks so detailed. You can see the creases in his skin where the joints are, the gradient colours showing what parts of his skin is so often exposed to the sun, and then he looks towards you and you see into those large piercing eyes that seem to be casting nets of coloured clouds, surrounding a black pupil that always seems to have something behind them. Then you realise you might seem like you're staring and so instead awkwardly clear your throat. "So, uhm, what are going to do... tonight?" "I dunno," he shrugs, "We could watch something, read, chat, or maybe play a game." "I'm not sure what we could talk about," you reply, not wanting to dismiss the idea but at the same time unsure if you should make plans on it when you're drawing a completely blank. "Me either. I haven't eaten much but it's getting late, so I'd like to pig out on something. Maybe a couple snacks." "Oh, but we don't... Uh, we haven't gone shopping in a while." Anon nods and looks distant as he remembers. "We'll have to see what we've got. Worst case, we order something." You nod then flitter up to his shoulder. Then he walks out. His skin is quite soft under your hooves. Though, padded might be a better way of putting it. Every time he moves is arm, you can feel the muscles underneath stretch and if you put pressure down you could swear you can feel the concrete reinforcement of bone. But even when you can feel the inner workings of his body, Anon has never felt delicate. Instead it all feels firm, as if a hidden strength is at work just beneath his soft skin. The heat radiates from his body as it carries you, and as the cold air tries to seep into your body you feel a pressing urge to cuddle into the collar. "Huh, how about a movie?" You look up, a little surprised by suddenly hearing his voice. "That would be... lovely." "We don't have to if you don't want to." "No, I'd like to. I, um, was just wondering what kind of movie." He shrugs, probably forgetting you were there on his shoulder, causing you to slide up to his neck. His hand swiftly appears in front of you, a reflex working to place it there in case you were about to fall. Not that it would be much of a risk, considering you can fly. But it's nice that he cares. "Sorry about that." "I'm okay," and you nuzzle into his neck to comfort the both of you. And you can feel his face pull into a smile. "So, what would you like to watch?" You give it a moment of thought then reply with a resolute nod, even if Anon can't see it. "Something light." "Of course. And I'm guessing something with animals?" He chuckles a little at this. "Yes," you nod. "The animated Winnie the Pooh movie then?" "But we watched that yesterday," you reply in shock. "Alright, if you don't want to--" "No, I do," you interrupt then realise what you've done and shrink down, "I'm sorry." "It's okay," warmly replies Anonymous as he gives your head a scratch. Silence fills the room for a moment as Anon places some popcorn onto the stove. "Go ahead," he states encouragingly. "I'd like to watch it, but we saw it yesterday and I don't want you to get sick of it." "I could never be sick of that movie. It's just like happy little fluff. Not much goes on but making me feel happy." "So... We can watch it?" Anon agrees, then once the popcorn is done, he puts it into a bowl and you both sit on the couch. The cold has really started to set in, so he puts the heater on low and a hooded jacket on. Which you sneak into the collar of and happily much away on popcorn while the chubby little bear happily munches away on all the honey. You hum along to all the songs and then all of a sudden, you fall asleep beside Anon. The beating of his heart ticking away soothingly while his body keeps you warm in the little cave you've made out of his hood. Author's Note I know the first said "First and Last Chapter" and there was a request for more so I made a bonus chapter. And now, well, I just kept having ideas for this prompt. I make no promises on if I'll make this an ongoing, we will see how it goes. This is just fluff and that does seem to be what I mainly right.
First and Last Chapter7:05 am "He's going to be late," you think to yourself. You hate the idea of waking him, he needs his sleep but he also can't be late for work. With a heavy heart you flutter to his bedroom to find the sleeping giant sprawled out across his bed. His gut is exposed and a soft snore can be heard. You can't help but giggle a little to yourself. "Anon," you softly speak as you boop his nose. He scrunches his face and adjusts his position but stays asleep. You boop a few more times with similar results. So you move onto plan B. You land on his face and pry open his eyelids to find those big green eyes staring into the abyss. At least that's what you thought as they suddenly move to look at you, startling you in the process. With a squeak, you tumble backwards off of Anon's face and onto the soft mattress. "Morning 'shy," Anon grunts as he sits up. Before you can reply, he lifts you up and places you onto the bedside table before getting up. He was a little rougher than usual when handling you but it's alright. He just woke up. Shortly after he leaves the room, the sound of rushing water can be heard as Anon takes his shower. So you, being the good little pony that you are, decide to fix Anon some breakfast. As you sit in the kitchen, you ponder to yourself what you should make him. Bacon and eggs is one of Anon's favourites but you're pretty sure he doesn't have any bacon. Cereal could be good, but everything is too heavy for you to lift. So toast is really the only option. After a few minutes of wrestling with the bread bag clip, you finally manage to free a slice and place it into the toaster. Then from atop the toaster, you spy the little lever that'll drop the bread and toast it. So you leap. Quite gracefully if you do say so yourself. When you land, the lever drops slightly. Nowhere near enough to click it into place. So you bounce a few times until it finally does. There, Anon is going to be so proud. As the toast begins to cook, you think about the next step in your plan. "What would Anon like on it?" Should you butter it? What if Anon doesn't feel like strawberry jam? What if he wants apricot or something? Does Anon even have peanut butter? Crunchy or smooth? Then, you're brought back to reality but a grainy, charcoal smell. Your nose lifts into the air as you try to work out where it's coming from. As the realisation hits you, you feel two fingers lifts you up and place you onto the counter. "Fluttershy, if you sit on the button like that then it can't eject," Anon states as he grabs a slice of very burnt toast and sticks it into his mouth. "Wait, was this for you?" You shake your head. "Oh good, thanks. I've got to head to work now, you behave." "Did you brush your teeth?" you ask as you notice his wet and messy hair. "No time." He gives your mane a quick pet goodbye and with that, you're alone. Without a moment to waste, you fly back into Anon's room to find his bed unmade as always. You give yourself a nod of determination before you begin to struggle with making it for him. You pull the sheet back tightly using your mouth and tuck it under the mattress, only once did you find yourself stuck underneath it. By the time that's done, your wings and jaw are already sore but you're not about to give up. Pulling the pillow back to its proper position, you prod and dance on it a little to try and fluff it up a bit to no avail. It just looks deflated like always. Maybe it means it's time for Anon to replace them. You'll have to remember that. Then you make your way to the blanket. This would be so much easier if you were a unicorn, then again you wouldn't really be able to get around the house so easily without your wings. "Being an alicorn must be wonderful," you murmur to yourself as you grip a corner of the blanket and float off the bed. With small tugs you fix it in place. Now for the creases. It takes who knows how long just to flatten them out and all the strength you had left. Once it's done though, you flutter over to the other side of the room to inspect your work, a bit of pride in your heart. Then, as you look over the bed, you notice it isn't done all that well. Your heart sinks just a little. There's still so many creases, a pillow is crooked and you forgot a corner of the blanket. With a very, very tired sigh you get back to it. If you thought you were tired and sore before, you're exhausted now. Your wings ache, it feels like they are screaming for you to stay grounded. Your jaw is pleading similar demands and you're struggling to find the energy to fight it. Eager to rest, you sink onto the bed, legs sprawled for the far corners and before you know it, you fall asleep. You didn't intend to take a nap, but you did. But when you wake, your body feels all the more refreshed for it. Parts still feel a little tender but it's pleasing kind of pain, because you're proud of yourself. You made Anon's bed for him. Which you've never done before. And Anon didn't seem to mind the burnt toast. So far, you've had a pleasing day. It's probably a good idea for you to take it a bit easy for now before you find something else around the house to do. As you sit at the small doll house table, sipping tea with your friends. "So how was your day Thrall?" You ask the little figurine. You feel a little bad for the poor dear, his legs don't bend so he's stuck standing for all your tea parties. "That sounds lovely," you reply before turning to ask Batman the same. Then your tea party is interrupted by the return of Anon. He's home awfully early as you check the clock. Not that you're complaining, it's wonderful to see him back. The others aren't really talkers. "Welcome home," you gleefully call out. "Hey 'shy. Looks like I've got the fl--ah-achoo--u," he says as he stumbles inside. "Oh dear, you should get some rest." "Yeah." He takes off to his room and a loud thump can be heard as he falls into bed. You wonder to yourself if he noticed that you made it for him as you open the doll wardrobe. Thanks to all the spare time you get, you've been able to practice making clothes. You don your nurse uniform, look it over in the mirror and give yourself a nod of approval. Then you take off for Anon's room. He's lying face down on the bed, as he walked in. He hasn't even taken off his shoes. So you do it instead. Luckily it's just laces. You can just tug one strand of the loop and the whole thing comes undone then the shoe only needs a little push. Once his shoes are off, you notice they actually have a funky smell to them. You've never noticed that before, maybe it's because you're so close to them. So you eagerly make your way up to the pillow where Anon lies. "Anon," you whisper. If he's asleep you don't want to wake the poor thing. A muffled, "yeah," can he heard in response. "Have you got any medicine?" He turns his head over to you so you can hear him, his eyes remain shut. "Already taken some. Just need to sleep it off and I'll be right as rain." "O-Oh... So there's nothing you need me to do? I could make soup." "I think that'd be a little too difficult. You're a bit too small to help like that." Your heart drops like iron. You're sure he didn't mean anything mean by it, but you want to help him. He's always taking care of you. "W-What if... if it's okay w-with you... I could--watch over you while you slept? Make sure everything's alright." You notice a half smile grow on his face. "Sure," he replies as he sits up. You float in the air as he adjust the bed, placing a pillow beside himself and then climbing under the blanket. He then pats the pillow beside him, gesturing to you. You lay on it, curling your legs underneath you as Anon makes himself more comfortable. "It's so I don't roll onto you while I sleep," he says as he drifts off.
Bonus Chapter"Mornin' Shy," booms Anon as places one plate down of toast with a corner cut off for himself and a much smaller one for you with the corner. "Thank you very much, Anon. How did you sleep?" "Eh," he shrugs his giant shoulders or rather giant to you, "It was too cold. I'll definitely need to fix that heater on the weekend or something." Glancing at the calendar you see it's still Wednesday. "Yeah, I know. I've got lots of overtime to do this week. I don't think I'll have time until then." "Oh," you reply a little dejectedly but Anon doesn't seem to notice. Soon after Anon has to leave for his job, leaving you alone in the seemingly endless space that is his house. Without further ado, you set to work fluttering over the drawer that Anon keeps all the old manuals and booklets for things. The heaving it takes just to get the drawer open takes a lot out of you but you persevere. Little books litter it to the point where you're not sure how exactly Anon got the drawer closed in the first place. Trying to move one book spills over three onto the floor. "Oh, um, I should--" you nervously stammer as you try to work out how exactly you're going to wade through all these without making a mess. But then the image of Anon appears in your head. Sure, he shrugged it off as if it was just a minor concern but those rings under his eyes show he didn't get a good night's rest which is import. No, today, mess does not matter! You have to do this, for Anon! "I will clean all this as soon as I'm done," you pump yourself up in what is a yell to you but more of a slightly higher version of your usual soft speak to everyone else. Burrowing deep into the drawer kicks up more booklets that spill onto the floor but you ignore it all and continue to dig deeper. You head further down and the air is now getting scarce and the weight above you is constricting. It takes more and more effort to push on but push on you do. In your head you cheer yourself on, for Anon! And then you find one that has a picture of the heater on it. Latching onto it with your teeth, you head up as fast and you possibly can. As soon as you break the surface, you fill your lungs with air and the booklet you fought so tirelessly for hits the ground. Mentally, you give yourself a little pat on the back even if your work is far from over. With the booklet open on the floor to the circuit diagram page and a bunch of Anon's tools spread out on the floor, you set to work on the heater. Or at least, you would. Ignoring the tired you're feeling all over from the flying and lifting, you don't understand a single thing. There's a squiggly little zigzag line here and that leads to a symbol that looks like the skip button on the TV remote. Flicking through the other pages doesn't seem to bring up anything to help. In a state of pure bewilderment about this leaves you with only one resort. You unfurl your wings and begin the ascent to Anon's computer. After waiting for it to boot up, you drag the mouse about and jump onto the clicker twice. From there you hover over the keyboard. "Oh, my. Was it always this large?" And then you pause. "What would I even search?" You ponder over the predicament for a time before coming to a conclusion. As you float above the keyboard, you notice the first letter and press it. The little key makes a loud mechanical click and you begin the search for the second letter. It too goes click and you begin to feel an ache in your wings as you try to find the other letters. "Why isn't it alphabetical?" You sigh tiredly as you press down the final letter. what do the heater symbols mean And then you leap onto the enter key only for the computer to pull up pages explaining how various heater remotes work. "Let's try..." what does the zigzag before the skip button mean That brings up sewing techniques and something about the periodic table. "Oh, I'm sorry," you exclaim before type in a few extra letters what does the zigzag before the skip button mean heater Which does little to improve the results. So you dart back to the booklet to consult the pages once more and that's when you notice in the first few pages the contents list. "Circuit diagram," you read aloud. Asking the computer what they are seems to get the results you needed. The screen is loaded with symbols and explanations of what everything is to the point of being an overload. You press your little hooves into your cheeks firmly in an attempt to steel your resolve. "You have got this!" Anon returns home late at night, flicking off little bits of snow and shuddering from the cold. After he takes off his coat, he wanders through the house to notice the kitchen drawer with all the booklets sprawled and fallen on the floor. "Shy?" He calls. "In here," you sing back. There's a little moment of time before he appears in the room as he picks up all the booklets and shoves them in. "Everything alright--Ah." He notices the heater has been pulled apart so that beside the tools are the screws, cover pieces, and various components are splayed everywhere. Meanwhile you're still sitting on the desk and staring at the screen. "I was hoping to be done by the time you got home. I'm pretty sure it's that resistor cause it looks all burnt but I got a little stuck on what a thermistor is," you hastily try to explain, unable to keep the nervousness out of your voice. Anon chuckles softly and warmly. There's no hint of irritation in his voice, just happy which goes a way to setting your nerves at ease. Somewhat. "Well, I guess you've done pretty much all the work for me then. Which is a bit of a life saver, it's going to be freezing tonight. One sec." And then he disappears into the kitchen for a while. When he returns he has two cups, one large and the other small, with hot tea inside. "I've also ordered a pizza which should be here by the time I finish." "C-Can I help?" "Of course," Anon smiles, "Let me get the soldering iron while you make a pile of all the screws so we don't lose any. And while I work, you can hand me tools as my assistant. Sound good?" You nod happily and the two of you begin working together. You were right about the problem but Anon still checks over everything to be sure. And as you were the one to pull it apart you have to guide him in how to put it back together. Naturally being much harder to do than dismantling it. Once the pizza is here and you completely stuff your face on an entire slice. Which was wonderful considering how you got so focused in your work that you didn't eat all day. With the heater working, the room warm, and bellies full it doesn't take long before Anon drifts off to sleep on the couch. While you feel like you should wake him and try to convince him to get into his bed you are very tired yourself. Plus it is very warm and your belly is full. So in just a few blinks, your eyes stay shut and you drift to sleep on Anon's chest. The rise and fall in time with his breathing along with the gentle rhythm of his heartbeat is like being rocked and lulled at the same time. There was never any hope of you doing anything more than falling asleep right there, at peace. Author's Note Because FlutterPriest asked for it.
The Second Bonus Chapter"Is it too hot?" Anon's great big voice echoes off the bathroom walls as you gently dip a hoof into the container of water. "No," You shake your head and Anon smiles, "It's just right." "It's always a bit tough to get it right because it's such a small puddle to me." You nod then climb into the heated water to soak. A content sigh escapes your lips as you're engulfed by a liquid bliss. The water is big enough that you could stand in it but if you lie on your back or side, it covers your entire body. It's been a little while since your last bath and after falling into a bit of mud, it's really needed. You look up to Anon who is squirting some soap into a container that is dwarfed in his hand. His wet and matted hair, from his own shower just a few minutes ago, clings to his face. "Want me to let you soak for a bit?" Silence fills the room as you think over. You dunk your head under the water, it being winter means the hot water provides your body with a welcome reprieve from the cold. There's a rhythmic thumping underwater and you stare up at the ceiling briefly. The water distorts the world above in curious patterns of lights and shapes. A part of you feel content, like you could rest here for the entire night. Then you notice the water is already turning murky. You rise to the surface and sigh wistfully. "If you'd like, we can just run some clean water afterwards?" "Thank you but maybe another night." Anon nods as he takes a seat at the counter. You stand up while those giant hands of his rubs a bit of soap between his fingers. Then, gently, he massages it into your body. The soap lathers over your coat and the top of your mane. Anon's touch is soft and careful, and you wonder how much he worries about your size considering you're about the size of his hand. "Not too rough?" A bit of the bubbles dribbles down your face so with your mouth closed, you hum in reply that you're okay. You get some of the soap yourself and begin your running it through your mane as Anon delicately washes your wings. A part of you feels kinda sorta bad but not really about this. Obviously you can clean yourself but when Anon noticed that hooves aren't the best for delicate work, he offered to help. And well, it's nice to indulge in a little pampering sometimes. Right? Once he is finished with your wings, Anon grabs a towel and uses it to dry his hair while you wash yourself off. You're not sure if it's just because of his size but he looks so detailed. You can see the creases in his skin where the joints are, the gradient colours showing what parts of his skin is so often exposed to the sun, and then he looks towards you and you see into those large piercing eyes that seem to be casting nets of coloured clouds, surrounding a black pupil that always seems to have something behind them. Then you realise you might seem like you're staring and so instead awkwardly clear your throat. "So, uhm, what are going to do... tonight?" "I dunno," he shrugs, "We could watch something, read, chat, or maybe play a game." "I'm not sure what we could talk about," you reply, not wanting to dismiss the idea but at the same time unsure if you should make plans on it when you're drawing a completely blank. "Me either. I haven't eaten much but it's getting late, so I'd like to pig out on something. Maybe a couple snacks." "Oh, but we don't... Uh, we haven't gone shopping in a while." Anon nods and looks distant as he remembers. "We'll have to see what we've got. Worst case, we order something." You nod then flitter up to his shoulder. Then he walks out. His skin is quite soft under your hooves. Though, padded might be a better way of putting it. Every time he moves is arm, you can feel the muscles underneath stretch and if you put pressure down you could swear you can feel the concrete reinforcement of bone. But even when you can feel the inner workings of his body, Anon has never felt delicate. Instead it all feels firm, as if a hidden strength is at work just beneath his soft skin. The heat radiates from his body as it carries you, and as the cold air tries to seep into your body you feel a pressing urge to cuddle into the collar. "Huh, how about a movie?" You look up, a little surprised by suddenly hearing his voice. "That would be... lovely." "We don't have to if you don't want to." "No, I'd like to. I, um, was just wondering what kind of movie." He shrugs, probably forgetting you were there on his shoulder, causing you to slide up to his neck. His hand swiftly appears in front of you, a reflex working to place it there in case you were about to fall. Not that it would be much of a risk, considering you can fly. But it's nice that he cares. "Sorry about that." "I'm okay," and you nuzzle into his neck to comfort the both of you. And you can feel his face pull into a smile. "So, what would you like to watch?" You give it a moment of thought then reply with a resolute nod, even if Anon can't see it. "Something light." "Of course. And I'm guessing something with animals?" He chuckles a little at this. "Yes," you nod. "The animated Winnie the Pooh movie then?" "But we watched that yesterday," you reply in shock. "Alright, if you don't want to--" "No, I do," you interrupt then realise what you've done and shrink down, "I'm sorry." "It's okay," warmly replies Anonymous as he gives your head a scratch. Silence fills the room for a moment as Anon places some popcorn onto the stove. "Go ahead," he states encouragingly. "I'd like to watch it, but we saw it yesterday and I don't want you to get sick of it." "I could never be sick of that movie. It's just like happy little fluff. Not much goes on but making me feel happy." "So... We can watch it?" Anon agrees, then once the popcorn is done, he puts it into a bowl and you both sit on the couch. The cold has really started to set in, so he puts the heater on low and a hooded jacket on. Which you sneak into the collar of and happily much away on popcorn while the chubby little bear happily munches away on all the honey. You hum along to all the songs and then all of a sudden, you fall asleep beside Anon. The beating of his heart ticking away soothingly while his body keeps you warm in the little cave you've made out of his hood. Author's Note I know the first said "First and Last Chapter" and there was a request for more so I made a bonus chapter. And now, well, I just kept having ideas for this prompt. I make no promises on if I'll make this an ongoing, we will see how it goes. This is just fluff and that does seem to be what I mainly right.
