Getting Shy

The good news was that there was a small zoo with a very ethical-looking mission statement where Patrick could take Fluttershy. The bad news was that the drive was nearly three hours, which meant they'd have to leave early in the morning if they wanted to spend any significant time there. He explained it all to 'Shy on their way to the park and she happily agreed to getting up at six one day. It wasn't Pat's favorite thing, but he wanted to make her 'vacation' as memorable as possible. This put 'Shy in a very fine mood as they parked and grabbed the supplies from the trunk. She tried to insist on carrying the basket, but Pat waved her away.

It would have been awkward for her to lug the heavy thing around. Besides, this gesture gave 'Shy the freedom to wander around the path, inspecting flowers, humming to herself and all but prancing with delight, all of which combined to make an adorable sight, well worth the minor effort. Pat couldn't keep a matching grin from his face despite the fact that his arm was going numb. They'd packed too much, he figured, but at least it wasn't a long walk. The spot he had in mind was just over a small hill, past a thicket of trees and shrubbery, on a grassy knoll next to a stream. Unfortunately the water wasn't safe to drink, but it was still a nice bit of scenery which 'Shy would undoubtedly appreciate. He glanced up at the sky where the sun was already on its way down. It was still hot for late summer, but having running water nearby somehow made it feel cooler.

'Shy remembered the place from their previous walk once he'd described in and went ahead, but she stopped at the top of the hill and waited for him to catch up. Even from a distance he could see something was wrong when her ears slowly crept down. His mood soured when he saw there was already another family occupying that exact spot. He tried to guess if they were nearly done, but the two pre-school kids were chasing one another and the parents didn't seem in any hurry. The woman was lying on her back, apparently catching some sun and the man was solving some kid of a crossword puzzle in the newspaper.

"Shit, I was looking forward to this..."

'Shy, her good mood mostly undeterred, bumped her flank against Pat's, making him shift his stance which, in turn, made the contents of the basket rattle.

He nodded to her, a bit miffed that he'd have to carry the thing further, and turned to leave.

"Look! It's a pony!" one of the children called out. They were both boys and their shout made their father look around and their mother sit up to see. The woman's face darkened and she hurriedly wrapped a towel around herself. She had been sunning herself and her modesty was only covered by a simple bra. Maybe she was 'armoring up', Pat thought. She wouldn't want to face him and 'Shy in her underwear. That expression didn't look good and 'Shy caught it as well, slinking behind Pat's legs.

"Oi," the woman shouted when she thought she was suitably dressed. The father meanwhile waved his kids closer, just in case. "Oi!" the lady repeated. "You put that thing on a leash right now, or I'm calling the cops!"

This was something Pat would never have guessed and he did a double take at the incongruous words. "What?!"

Fluttershy nudged him in the shin. "Let's just go quickly," she offered, but it was already too late. Pat was getting pissed at the idiot woman's tone.

She took one step forward and pointed a very accusatory finger. "Yeah, you heard me! Leash that beast if you have to bring it in public!"

Pat said the only thing that came to mind. "Why?"

Her face darkened some more and she took another step forward. "Why?! Because I told you to! Those things are dangerous and there's children here!" Saying that, she reached out to one of her sons, who were now staring at Fluttershy with abject terror and stowed him protectively behind herself. Pat heard 'Shy sigh sadly and nudge him again.

Her talking that way about sweet, gentle Fluttershy sent Pat's blood boiling and he took a step forward again. "Yeah?! Maybe you should leash your kids then! You know, to keep them safe!"

Even at the distance between them Pat could see how her eyes widened and felt a momentary triumph, but then her husband was getting up. "What did you say to us?" he almost growled.

"P-Please, let's just leave," 'Shy begged. She sounded like she was on the verge of tears and it snapped Patrick out of his mood.

He looked down, noting that there was already moisture in her eyes, and sighed. "There's no law that ponies have to be on leashes, so push off!" he retorted.

The woman saw this as Pat backing down and there was a triumphant gleam in her eye which made Pat bunch up his fist in impotent fury. When she answered: "There ought to be!" it was almost too much for him.

Luckily 'Shy took his pants between her teeth and tugged. He desperately wanted to say some more things to the woman and if her husband came after him, so be it. It would be the guy who started it all, so at worst Pat could sue him for assault later. He grit his teeth and imagined the two of them all downcast and contrite in court as the judge ordered them to pay some ridiculous sum of money. Except 'Shy might get hurt and it would definitely ruin their day. It might already be ruined, but a fight would absolutely assure that. Even worse, if the woman called the cops, which Pat had to admit looked like a definite possibility, they were liable to side with her and demand that Fluttershy be leashed.

"UGH! Forget it," he said, barely biting back a swear. "'Shy, let's go somewhere else!"

At first it looked like the idiot woman would say something more, after which a fight would be all but inevitable, but the husband seemed to have some presence of mind and grabbed her arm to forestall his wife.

After that Pat wasn't looking anymore and returned to the path. The contents of the basket rattled significantly more than before as he almost stomped away in a mixture of frustration and anger. "Fucking idiots!"

Fluttershy heaved a sigh of relief as she walked so near Pat that her side sometimes bumped his thigh. "It does-doesn't matter," she said.

"That was... shit. I'm sorry, 'Shy. Some people are just fucking morons!" He was looking at her and saw her ears flinch at the swear words. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, at least a little. "Sorry."

"You shouldn't have yelled back," she said, more forcefully than Patrick was expecting. "We should have left when I said so!"

"But they were saying you're vicious or something!"

She bumped against his leg again, but this time on purpose. "Maybe so, but they were insulting me, not you. Sometimes it's just not worth it. I certainly didn't want to fight them!"

He stopped and put the basket on the hard-packed dirt, freeing his hands to put around Fluttershy's withers. She turned to face him, now that he was nearly at eye-level. "You're right. Sorry I didn't listen."

She closed her eyes and leaned her head forward to put her forehead against his. "It's okay. Let's just try and have a nice picnic."

Being this close made Pat give in to temptation. His hand went up to her chin and tilted her muzzle a little higher. At the same time he pressed his lips to hers.

'Shy gave a muffled squeak of surprise and jerked back. "No!" she whispered fiercely. "Not where somepony can see!" she hissed, then added: "Or some human!"

That brought him back and Pat hurriedly looked around, hoping there were no bystanders. The gesture had been quick enough that they probably wouldn't have caught it, but 'Shy was right. Being seen kissing her in public could turn out pretty bad. People would think he's some kind of pervert, obsessed with bestiality or something. "Sorry. Come on, let's find a place for a picnic."

Patrick was still fuming, even after he and Fluttershy had found a quiet place to sit further in the park. It was slightly on an incline, but there were trees on two sides, giving them a sense of privacy. The encounter kept replaying in his mind and Pat thought up wittier or nastier remarks, all useless now. Unfortunately 'Shy picked up on his mood and kept to herself.

A few other people walked nearby, often with dogs and one time with a cat on a leash, so the mare had something to watch, but each time she glanced at him her face darkened once more. "Um, Pat?" she finally spoke up, waking him up from yet another replay of the scene in his mind.

"Huh? What?"

She tapped the basket where Pat's hand was still holding the handle in a white-knuckled grip. "Wanna have some dinner?"

His gaze followed and he released his hold with an embarrassed grunt. "Sorry. Here." He went back to staring at the path, scowl returning to his face, but Fluttershy reached over the basket and laid a hoof on his knee.

Patrick blinked in surprise and looked at her. "What?"

"I meant both of us, Pat." She had a smile which was clearly a little forced, but with an earnest urgency in her eyes.

It finally broke through and Pat let his breath out. "You're right. Screw them. Let's eat."

It helped that their meal was a surprise. 'Shy had insisted on preparing everything by herself and hadn't allowed any sneak peeks. She even went to fetch some things from Mr. Mason's house and wouldn't tell him what. All Pat knew was that the basket was heavy and there were glass containers in there. He watched with curiosity as 'She lifted out the blanket.

"Get up," she ordered and spread the cloth when he obeyed. She moved the basket to the middle and hid it behind herself before he could get a glimpse of what else was in there. They both sat, but this time 'Shy chose a spot between Pat and the basket. She had to twist awkwardly to reach it, but that didn't stop her as she started to pull out items. First were a couple of sandwiches, wrapped in aluminum foil, followed by two beer bottles. That explained the glass and Pat couldn't help but smile.

"Now we only get one each, okay? We're not here to get drunk," Fluttershy commanded.

"Sure. Thanks." Pat unwrapped the sandwich, but before he could bite into it 'Shy put a hoof on his arm and stopped him. "Wait! It's not ready yet!"

He frowned a little as he inspected. Two slices of bread, quite thick, filled with cheese. It was pretty simple, come to think of it. He'd expected something fancier from 'Shy.

She rummaged in the basket and took out a plastic container. It took her a bit of fiddling to open it with hooves, but Pat saw neatly sliced tomato.

"Why didn't you just put it in the sandwich?" he asked. It would certainly have been easier to prepare.

'Shy shook her head firmly. "Nuh-uh! You don't just put tomatoes in a sandwich unless you're going to eat it right away," she explained. "The bread would get all soggy!"

Pat shrugged to himself and helpfully pulled the slices of bread apart so she could do it. She blushed a little and held the container out to him. "Um, c-could you? My hooves are dirty from walking, um, and I don't think you want me to pick it up in my mouth..."

Her embarrassment was actually kinda adorable and Pat chuckled at the sight. "I don't mind. Go ahead."

"B-But, Pat-"

"'Shy, I won't mind a little spit. We kiss-" he began, then hurriedly looked around and lowered his voice. "We kissed, for chrissake. It's okay."

The red in her muzzle went darker and her ears flattened, but she lowered her head and took a tomato slice in her mouth. She tried to touch it as little as possible while she brought it over to the sandwich.

"See? Nothing wrong with it."

Her blush didn't go anywhere, but some kind of ice had been broken and she didn't have any more issues layering a few more slices on Pat's sandwich. She gave him a questioning look which he interpreted as a question if that was enough. However cute and boner-inducing it was to watch her deftly handle the tomato with her lips, Pat decided he wanted to be able to hold the sandwich in his hand.

"That's good. Let me help you with yours!"

'Shy took the other tin-foiled packet and deftly unwrapped it. This time she held it open, apparently not as concerned about her dirty hooves when it was for herself. She'd left the container with tomato slices on the blanket between her hind legs and Pat reached down to pick it up.

An idea struck him and he grinned with mischievous deviousness. "Let's see if I'm half as good at this as you."

Fluttershy blinked in confusion, but when she saw what he was about to do she turned her eyes down and tried to prevent the latest blush. Patrick put his face right in the box and picked up a slice with his mouth. That meant he got a noseful of tomato, but it was worth it. Even better, his hair brushed Fluttershy's warm belly. He brought it over to her sandwich and laid it down, using his tongue to slide it in place.

In her shock, 'Shy was holding the thing too close to herself and Pat felt his head brush her muzzle. This close he could hear her breath catch. She didn't complain, so he kept at it. The next few slices were easier, but he still made a mess with his nose. His face just wasn't shaped for this kind of thing. "Um, t-that's enough," 'Shy suddenly said, but Pat already had a bit of tomato in his mouth. He brought it close to her, but didn't place it on her sandwich. Instead, he brushed the fruit against her nose. Only then did 'Shy raise her gaze to look. Their eyes met and Pat felt like he could become lost in her large, black pupils. Her breathing was noticeably faster now, but 'Shy didn't pull away. She opened her muzzle and extended her tongue. Clearly she was expecting Pat to drop the tomato for her to eat, but he had other plans.

He leaned a bit closer and pushed the piece right into her mouth. He kept a small nibble for himself, but didn't have time to chew. Their tongues met with the cool, sweet taste of tomato between them. Fluttershy's eyes closed and Pat quickly followed suit. Something about playing with the food right in her mouth was so incredibly hot that he had to reach down and shift the fabric of his pants. Her tongue lapped against his, greedily taking every last bit of tomato she could find. Patrick felt her swallow and then she came for more. Only one piece was left and he wasn't about to give it up without a fight.

'Shy tried to snatch it right out of his mouth, but he darted his tongue after it to get it back. He wasn't as dexterous as her, but it caught her by surprise and she let out a small moan. She tried again, but Pat pulled back as far as it could go. It proved no match for Fluttershy's long tongue and she fetched it right from the back of his mouth. This time it was gone before he could reach it and he felt the mare swallow again. Only then did they break and the happy little smile playing on Fluttershy's mouth and in her eyes sent butterflies through Pat's stomach.

"Thief," he whispered, voiceless.

Her smile widened and she shrugged a little. Her reply was just as quiet. "You had your chance before you gave me it."

"Want another one?" 'Shy bit her lower lip, but then she slowly shook her head. Pat nearly reeled from the sudden blow. He'd been so sure she was enjoying it!

"Somepony might come by," Fluttershy warned and Pat relaxed. She didn't hate it, she was just being cautious.

He suddenly realized he'd been passionately kissing 'Shy right there in the open. There weren't too many people in the park, but there were some! He looked around in near panic, but the path looked deserted. "You're r-right. Sorry!"

In either case, both their meals were ready so they could eat. Pat went back to looking at Fluttershy, noting how she held the sandwich vertically between her hooves and twisted her head to take bites. It was easier than holding it horizontally, he figured. Despite it being a plain cheese and tomato affair, the sandwich was surprisingly tasty. Pat wondered if that was because she'd made them, or because of the kiss. He couldn't help being hyper-aware of every tomato chunk in his mouth and judging by Fluttershy's slight blush she was too.

"Um, I brought some bananas for desert, but there's also cookies if you want," the mare pointed out. "We also have juice and- uh, yeah, a tin of cookies."

All that would certainly explain the weight. "Either is okay."

Fluttershy shrugged a little to herself and went back to her sandwich. She ate slowly, chewing for a very long time after each bite, her eyes darting around and observing their surroundings.

Pat followed suit and tried taking it all in. It would've been better if they could have their picnic by the stream, but this place wasn't bad either. The grass was pleasantly soft, the trees were lush and green and the sun was well on its way to the sunset. It was pleasantly warm, but not hot, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky and Fluttershy's presence was... easy. Pat thought about why he'd picked that word. It was strange, but despite being slightly nervous about making a wrong move or saying something improper, he felt relaxed around the mare. She was a very easy person to like, he decided. She was just nice!

The beer was gone and had been for a while, but 'Shy had prepared well and had several bottles of the strawberry drink. They were taking turns drinking from the same one. Patrick felt a tug at his hand and let go, which allowed her to lift it up and take a swig. When she brought it back down he grabbed the bottle once more and took it to his own lips. He was sitting back, holding himself upright with one hand on the blanket. His arm was starting to go numb, but he wasn't paying it any attention. The more important thing was the way Fluttershy was sitting sideways on his legs and leaning against his chest. The only times she peeled away was when she drank from the bottle, but as soon as that was done she came right back. Her mane tickled his face every now and then, but Patrick endured it gladly. The warmth of her fuzzy, pony body was just too nice to give up, whatever the discomfort.

'Shy put her hoof on his arm and pushed it lower so she could grip the bottle with her mouth again. Pat let it go and she lifted it up and drained it until it was empty. After that she just let it fall on the blanket and sighed.

This meant Pat had a hand free, so he switched arms behind him and used the freed one to wrap around her waist. His fingers tingled a little as blood returned, which made them twitch against Fluttershy's belly. The light touch caused her to giggle, but she didn't move or bat his hand away. By this time the sun had gone nearly all the way down and it was getting dark. They'd have to go soon, but Pat didn't want to leave just yet.

He tried to remember what they'd just been talking about. "Oh. Right, sorry," he continued, "So that was right at the end of fourth grade. Sam left even before school was out."

"I'm sorry, Pat."

"Yeah, his parents were waiting just for him to finish his exams and get his grades, then they all moved. Up to Washington or something, I dunno anymore." He sighed, still a bit miffed at his once best friend's parents for just pulling up their roots and leaving. He understood now it was because his father had gotten a lucrative job, but it still stung. "I mean, we did everything together. Practically every day he was at my house or I was at his. We even divided which games each of us would buy, so we could play more of them."

Fluttershy didn't answer with words, but she nuzzled against his neck which was just as nice, if not better.

"Ugh, my arm is killing me. Mind if we lie down for a minute?" Rather than waiting for her answer Pat simply folded back, pulling her on top of him. She gasped at the sudden moment, but didn't resist, except for involuntarily flaring her wings open. She slipped to one side and settled down on her back in the crook of Pat's arm. That way she could look for the first stars. He wasn't as interested in the sky, so Pat shuffled to his side and rested on his elbow. His other hand was free to rub Fluttershy's belly.

"Mmmm. This is nice," she said, looking at him for a few seconds then focusing on the sky once more. Her pupils were so large that Pat thought he could see the reflection of distant clouds in them. He brought his hand up and traced the line of her muzzle from the tip of her nose, around her eye and up to her ear. It wasn't very much like a horse's muzzle, he thought. He had done some research on the Internet, mainly so he knew what to call parts of Fluttershy's body, but he'd never really contrasted her against Earth ponies. Her head was a lot larger, for one. That made sense, especially since she could speak. The muzzle was smaller, but that wasn't a surprise either. Humans had done approximately the same thing in their evolution, after all. As they got smarter and started using fire, they didn't need those big teeth and strong jaws anymore. He returned his finger to her nose, but this time he went the other way. Her jaw flowed seamlessly into her neck and he followed it down. The fluff was thicker on her chest even as it became softer.

"Pat, you're tickling me," 'Shy warned. She didn't move her gaze from the stars, though.

"Oh. Sorry." He changed direction and traced his finger to her foreleg. It was folded against her side, but he carefully gripped it around the fetlock and extended it. Fluttershy didn't fight it, but she finally looked at what he was doing. It brought back memories.

"You don't like it if I massage your muscles there, or there?" He poked the two places he'd tried that time.

Fluttershy gave a small shrug. "Not particularly," she answered. "I guess I'm just not as sensitive there."

"But this feels nice?" Pat asked, brushing his fingers against the frog of her hoof.

"Mmm, yeah."

"And you like belly rubs?" To demonstrate, Pat placed his fingers on the mentioned area.

Fluttershy closed her eyes and wiggled a little to press herself against his hand. "Yesssss," she let out a deep breath and folded her leg back to her body now that he was no longer holding it.

Pat obliged by methodically scratching every bit of her belly he could reach. He ended up pretty low, on the verge of what was appropriate. When his fingers paused 'Shy let out a disappointed sigh. Perhaps she wouldn't object to some more, he thought and slid his hand slightly lower.

"Mmmmm," the mare moaned in a soft, luxuriating voice. Pat took it as encouragement and explored a little further. Her fur became thinner and gave way to warm, soft skin. He carefully scratched, keeping an eye on Fluttershy's face. Her tongue poked out and she kept it held between her lips. He ventured further and suddenly froze. There was a bump under his fingers and it was all he could do not to jerk his hand away.

Fluttershy felt him tense up and opened her eyes. They watched one another, then she smiled. "Y-You can touch," she said in a breathless whisper.

Patrick's grin soon matched hers and he felt around. The nipple he'd found was on a barely perceptible mound, clear of fur and very warm. He took it very gingerly between two fingers and rolled it a little. He felt Fluttershy's tail shift and brush against his leg at the same time as the mare gave a low, soft groan. Pat suddenly cursed that they were outside. This could have been it. 'Shy sounded like she wanted more and his own tool was granite-hard and straining against the elastic of his underpants.

He flattened his palm and laid it right across Fluttershy's mounds at the same time as he brought his head down and stole a kiss. She moaned right into his mouth and attacked his tongue with hers almost ferociously as he wiggled his hand against her teats. He let his middle finger stray a bit further, reaching for the next treasure on Fluttershy's body. He suddenly found a hoof pressing his hand down, keeping it in place. He broke the kiss and pulled away.

'Shy was staring at him. "N-No," she whispered.

"Why not?" Aside from the fact that they were outside, Pat couldn't see a reason not to go on.

It took 'Shy a long time to think it over, but then she folded her ears and shook her head again. "I j-just don't think it's a good idea." He took a breath and opened his mouth to argue some more, but she headed him off: "I'm sorry, Pat. I shouldn't have- It's- I'm sorry..." She looked like she was about to cry and Patrick quickly pulled his hand free so he could place it against her cheek.

"Hey, shush, it's fine, it's fine!" he quickly assured the distraught pony.

She let out a shuddering breath and closed her eyes, nuzzling into the warmth of his hand.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you. We'll do it when we're both ready, okay?"

'Shy nodded and took a deep breath. "When- when we're ready," she repeated. Her eyes opened and she finished: "I promise."

It was a disappointment, but Pat decided it was good enough for him, for now. After all, she'd practically encouraged him to cop a feel, which was a good sign of progress. Sooner or later she'd give in and then they would-

He forcefully brought his mind back from that place and suddenly realized he had to strain to see Fluttershy's face. "Oh jeez, look how late it is! We gotta get back!"

That broke the spell and 'Shy sat up with a surprised gasp. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I completely forgot about the time!"

"Yeah, me too! Good thing my phone has a light on it." He helped her gather up their trash and leftover food into the basket, then stepped off the blanket so she could gather it up and fold it.

Rather than trying to force it back into the basket, Fluttershy just draped the cloth on her back and shuffled her hooves until it was comfortable. "Come on!"

Pat had his phone's flashlight already on and lit the way back to the path. He couldn't help thinking one thought. They could totally have done it right there and then, no people walked around the park at night. He shook his head to clear it and focused on keeping the light steady so 'Shy would see where to go. It wasn't too far to the car and then it was just a twenty minute drive back home. "Um, 'Shy?"

She paused and looked back, even though her night vision was gone and she couldn't see his face. Maybe that made it easier to ask the next thing.

"Wanna sleep in my bed tonight? It's a lot softer than the guest bed."

They both stood still while she thought it over. Pat was about to promise again there'd be no hanky-panky, but 'Shy answered before he could do so. "I'd like that," she said and suddenly turned to walk. Pat had to scramble to catch up, but he couldn't keep a pleased grin from his face.