"Phew." Summer kicked the door shut behind her. "What a day." She tossed her hat aside to hang on a hook and trotted forward easily. "Winter? Where are..." There he was, on the couch, spooning with a happy Maple. "--you..." She could feel an angry flash build rapidly. She wanted at that instant to pick up her friend and throw her out, through a window perhaps.

She could smell... Oh, of course. Of course they had. Maybe she should toss him out too? Sure, she had given permission. But she was wrong! She had been so wrong. She slumped against a wall, vision fuzzing as warring emotions tore at her. "Ah..."

Both of them looked to her. Winter slipped around Maple instantly, moving to approach her with his little smile as if nothing was wrong.

She thrust out a quivering hoof, preventing him from getting in too close. "Look... this is me. This is a me thing..." She tried to control her shallow breath, to force herself to slow down. "Ah me thing... But you love me, right?" He nodded silently. "So... Ah... Ah ain't sure this will work."

Maple rolled up to her haunches, ears hanging. "Oh... I wasn't tryin' to do nothin' wrong... ya said..."

"I know what I said!" she shrilly squeaked out before letting out an explosive sigh. "I know... I said that... you ain't no... This is me..." She backpedaled a step. "Ah thought ah... could handle this better. All I wanted right now was... Was not this."

He was suddenly touching her, his nose to her cheek. His presence was a warm balm, but she could smell that particular stink on him, of Maple, and she recoiled with a choked cry. "Go take a bath!" she firmly commanded, thrusting a hoof in the right direction. "Now!"

As he slunk away to do that, Maple approached in his place. "I didn't mean to hurt you none... This is my fault."

"You asked, ah said yes." Summer put a hoof to her chest. "My mistake, my house... Maple... Can you go away?"

Maple flinched back as if stung. "Ah... alright... Ah'm sorry..."

Part of her wanted to reach out, to assure Maple everything was alright, but nothing felt alright. She stood there shaking as her friend slowly departed. When the front door closed, Summer collapsed to the ground, allowing actual tears to fall in relative privacy. "Ah was so dumb!"

She banged a hoof on the floor. "They were jus' doin' what ah said they could do." Did she have a right to react as she had? With the immediacy of the presence of the two removed, she was left to ponder her own actions. A mental image of the two on the couch, doing things far more concerning then spooning, danced in her mind and her ears pinned on her head.

"Yer my kirin," she barely got out even as she felt guilty. He was a creature, with needs and wants and a brain. He could walk out the door and leave her. She couldn't stop it. Only his love for her stopped him from doing it. What if he liked Maple's company more? What if she was just a better partner than Summer had been?

The water stopped in the bathroom. He was going to come out soon. She sat up and brushed her hoof through her mane and over her snout, trying to straighten herself. "Now, yer an adult. Let's handle this rational-like. Ya know he doesn't hate you." Right? She had stormed the scene and turned what was likely a very relaxing... terrifying scene into anger and sadness.

"Ugh, this is why they said herds weren't as easy as they looked." She rubbed the sides of her head with both forehooves, trying to force internal processes back into shape, or at least banish the headache that was growing between them."Not even one day!"

The door to the bathroom opened and Winter trotted out, looking left and right before spotting her and approaching directly, his back glistening with drying water and his fur sparkling with remnants of the moisture. He wasn't smiling. He wasn't frowning either. He was a perfectly neutral kirin, approaching at a steady pace.

She sat up tall, tail giving an agitated swish behind her. "Right... Hello, Winter. How are you?" Maybe if she just did the coming home thing over again, everything would become alright.

He kept coming closer, practically stepping onto her, his arms wrapping around her and drawing her close in a silent but sincere hug.

"Ah... messed up, didn't I?" But he offered no judgment, just hugging her firmly against himself. "I'm sorry..." But he just kept hugging. "You aren't mad?" His hug didn't relent, holding her there against his warmth. "She must be so sad... But I was... I still am..." His hug got firmer a moment, squeezing her. "You know just what to say..." She smiled faintly and touched her nose to his cheek. "That... that first moment. I saw you holding her... I couldn't even think none..."

He gently released her and sat down in front of her, watching her silently.

"Are ya mad?" He shook his head. "Do... you want me to... get over... this?" She wobbled a hoof over the living room as a whole.

He leaned forward and touched noses with her. He wasn't asking her to do anything, or so she understood. "Oh Winter... Ah'm supposed to be an adult." She stood up and strode to the kitchen. "Ah'm makin' dinner tonight."

He did not try to follow her, instead willing cleaning supplies from the closet and turning to the couch. He removed the scent and stains they had created earlier that day, imagining it would do little to calm Summer if she sat down, splat, right on a wet spot. He smirked faintly, amused at the scenario he had just avoided. That would have gone poorly, but it was taken care of.

Winter put the cleaning supplies back where they came from, the couch fresh smelling and restored to working order. A pity Maple had been chased off... But he was Summer's first, and she needed him. He trotted into the kitchen to see her working on hay patties in a pan, soft enticing scents wafting free of the creation. He trotted up beside her and sat down.

She quirked an ear at him. "Ain't quite ready yet." She use a spatula held in her mouth to flip them over. "Ya can sit at the table if ya want." But he didn't move from her side. "Can't be that exciting watchin' me cook." She moved the patties to another plate and garnished with bright green things. "C'mon."

They both went to the table, but his magic grabbed the plates before she could, hovering them up in the air above them as they went.

"Ya know ah can hold a plate jus' fine." She rolled her eyes but didn't argue further, hopping up onto one of the chairs. "Now... eat." She pointed to the still floating plates, though they were coming down for smooth landing. "Eat and we can talk afterwards."

He didn't argue. Winter ate her food diligently, though he could taste it was just a little off. Her emotional state had not led towards quality cooking. He quickly forgave that and ate as if it was the finest he had ever had.

"Liar," she grunted, pushing half her food away. "Look... Winter. Ah don't... own ya... Ah just happen to be the mare that likes ya plenty." She jumped as Winter's magic booped her on the nose. A short laugh escaped her. "Yeah yeah, I love you." He nodded softly and she rolled her eyes. "Ah do... That's part of what tore me up. Yer... mighty special, and just... ugh... I wasn't thinkin', just... ah didn't like it."

He brought up his hooves and traced a heart in the air, glowing with his magic.

"Ah know ya love me too..." She did look a little more relaxed. Hearing it was always nice. "Do you love Maple too?"

He inclined his head faintly as if considering it, but he shook his head softly. He drew the heart in the air then raised a hoof over it and drew a big question mark.

"Yeah, ya did just meet her," she completed her thought. "Would be mighty strange ah suppose for ya to like her that much. When... oh." She cringed back. "Worked like that fer us, didn't it... but that was special." He nodded gently. "Maybe we should... get her her own kirin?"

He inclined his head, then shook it slowly.

"Yeah, yer right... We can't have everypony runnin' off t'get a kirin ah their own. 'Sides, she likes you." Summer pointed square at Winter. "Tellin' her to go get one of her own will just make her sad." She flopped her head, propped up by the flat of a hoof, her elbow on the table in a flagrant disregard for manners. "She didn't... even do nothin' wrong, ah guess... But... I wasn't ready. Ah thought ah was ready, ah wasn't..."

He moved to hop down from his chair but she thrust her other hoof out. "Stay." He stayed, aborting his motion. He lifted an ornate ear at her, looking considering.

"I know," she sighed out. "It's my choice. It's my problem. It's all me... You two will do what I say to do." He nodded softly in agreement. "Look, alright... Alright. Then ah'm settin' a rule! No... makin' foals when I ain't even there! And no... other things..." Her cheeks warmed brightly. "You know what ah mean."

He nodded softly, seeming to get where she was going.

"Ya can hang out, talk, be togetha... but nothin' more personal than that." She cleared her throat softly. "Maybe... when I get used to this, we can try fer more, but right now, no. No. Alright? Ya promise?"

He crossed his heart with a hoof before nodding.

"Good... Uh... shoot. Ah gotta tell her, or she'll just hide and cry. She's probably cryin' right now." she thunked, her head falling off her hoof to hit the table. "Ah didn't want to make mah friend cry." She pointed suddenly. "Stay!" He aborted his most recent attempt to leave his chair. "If I go rushin' over there, that just feels wrong, like ah'm sendin' the wrong signals..."

He inclined his head but said nothing, as was his way.

"Yeah... Ah'll get up extra early tomorrow and visit her before work." She sat back up with a firm nod. "We'll have a little talk... Right now, it's my turn for a bath. You have the dishes?"

As far as he was concerned, that was permission. He hopped down, his magic grabbing the dishes and cutlery and floating it towards the sink.

"Yer the best." She trotted from the room to cleanse herself.

Later that evening, when it was time for proper sleep, she invited him up onto the bed and grabbed him, snuggling close and fiercely. He gently nestled with her, his own thoughts gently tumbling in his head without a proper outlet. He wanted to talk right at that moment, but he was a good kirin, and good kirin were quiet.

"Was she... good?" she asked in the darkness. He could feel her tenseness, her worry.

He gently hugged her and nuzzled into her neck. There was no good answer for that question but to focus on Summer in that moment, which is what he did. The tension began to fade. He pulled up the blanket in his magic and they proceeded to not play. That night, it was just cuddling and proximity.

That would have to do.

Author's Note

There is a reason this fell out of favor. Should Summer work on getting past it, or should they pull out of this now?

Written early for patreons who got this ahead of everyone else. Want to get early chapters, or even your own story written? atreon!

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