Getting Shy

The first order of business was to wash away the vomit which had pooled in the bath tub. Actually, Pat changed his mind, the first thing was to unlatch Fluttershy's collar and place it safely on the washing machine which was the only surface in reach. Then Pat shifted Fluttershy to one side and opened the tap. At the sound of the running water her eyes opened and blearily tried to focus on the source, but upon seeing it was only the shower she relaxed again. Pat angled the stream to wash away the worst of the stuff and let the water soak his abused shirt. Then he wrung it out and tossed it into the sink where it could wait until later without making a big puddle on the floor. Already the smell in the bathroom was much improved, or else he'd just gotten used to it in the past hour or so. He wondered if he should do the same with his pants, but the situation was already quite awkward so he left them on for now. Funny how the words 'taking a bath with Fluttershy' had sounded so hot when he thought them, and then the reality was drastically different.

Pat chuckled a little to himself as he plugged the drain and let the water start building up. "'Shy? We're gonna take a bath, don't freak out."

She was barely present enough to manage a small nod, but she still pushed herself into a semblance of a sitting position. Even with her forelegs holding to the sides of the tub the mare swayed alarmingly. There was nothing to it but to begin. Pat looked 'Shy up and down, then decided to start with her chest. Or barrel, which was the more anatomically correct term. He made sure not to let the stream of water hit her face and instead began soaking her from the neck down. 'Shy sighed and leaned into the stream, apparently enjoying hot water. She pushed too far and got her muzzle into the spray, which sent her into a coughing fit when she inhaled some.

"Okay, okay, I have to hold you, I guess." An idea occurred and Pat turned the mare around so she was facing away from him. He was wondering what to do about her loose wings, but when he ran his hands down the feathers she pulled them tight against her body, solving the problem. It looked like it was an automatic reaction, but it worked for what he had in mind. Pat scooched closer, holding her in place, and pressed her back against his belly. She seemed quite stable between his legs and leaned her head against his collar at his urging. That left his hands free to scrub the worst of the sick from her chest fluff, while 'Shy made little grunts and squeaks of comfort at being thus massaged. It brought a smile to his lips. When he grabbed her leg she lifted it up, not realizing what he wanted. For some reason the reflex reminded him of how regular horses would present their hoof for inspection to the farrier.

"Just stay still, I've got you."

In lieu of a reply she reached her head just a bit further up and licked the underside of Pat's chin. The unexpected warmth of her tongue there made him freeze in shock. Pushing it out of his mind was hard, but Pat did so and went back to running his fingers down the mare's body. Most of the mess was there and on her forelegs. He turned the shower off and reached for his shampoo. A thought made him hesitate. Would the product be okay for a pony? It was just hair, right? Anyway, he didn't have anything else so it would just have to do. If 'Shy hated the scent she could take another shower by herself in the morning.

Pat took a big goop of the stuff and put the bottle back so he'd have both hands free. He brought the shampoo against Fluttershy's chest where the fur was thickest and would make the most amount of foam. As he began to lather, the pony shifted and her head slipped forward. Pat caught her and lifted it back up, but it left a smear of white foam on her muzzle. She tried to lick it off, but groaned and spit at the taste.

"Don't eat it! Just stay still, I'll be done in a minute," he gently chided. Fluttershy murmured something unintelligible, but she didn't lick any more. She went back to quiet groaning as Pat massaged her belly with the soap foam. He spread it as far as he could reach and then went a little lower. His hand came to a patch of skin with almost no fur and he froze. He suddenly remembered what was positioned around there on a pony body. She probably wasn't dirty in that place and the impromptu assisted shower was already too awkward, but he couldn't quite stop himself. It was just curiosity, Pat told himself. She wouldn't remember it in any case.

It was just a lather, anyway. You couldn't expect to lather someone up without touching them, right? His hand swept across her teats so quickly that he wasn't sure what he felt, if he felt anything at all. For that matter, he wasn't even sure what he'd been expecting. She was just... smooth and so incredibly warm there. It was still a very significant place and made his pants feel uncomfortably tight.

For a few moments Pat just waited in silence, hoping 'Shy wouldn't give a squeak of protest or struggle out of his grip. She had every right to, he realized as shame washed over him. Yeah, he could admit it now: he desired 'Shy and it wasn't just curiosity. Still, copping a feel while she was blind-drunk wasn't the way to go about it.

It was wrong. He almost pushed her away, but 'Shy would just fall and she was in no condition to finish showering on her own. Since he'd started it, he owed her at least to finish cleaning her up. Pat did his best to push away his guilt and quickly moved on to her forelegs. This time she didn't try to lift them away as he lathered her up. He returned his hands to her chest fluff every now and then to get fresh handfuls of foam, but with how much shampoo he'd used there was no shortage. Quite soon she was entirely covered, at least on the front. That just left her back.

There was about an inch of water in the tub and Pat carefully laid 'Shy into it. "Breathe through your nose!"

Maybe she heard and understood, or maybe it was a natural reaction to having her muzzle partially submerged, but Fluttershy obeyed and lay still. Pat inspected the job before him. The easiest part was opening the tap briefly to get the mare completely wet, so he did that first. Then he grabbed another blob of shampoo, smaller this time, and scrubbed it on her lower back. She wasn't at all dirty, but it had to be done for the sake of completeness. Pat had absolutely zero idea what to do about her wings, so he made sure to avoid them with the soap. Hopefully just water would be fine.

As soon as he had some foam going, Pat went for the most problematic part. Her tail. It had dragged in the sick when he'd brought 'Shy to the tub, so it needed a good scrub. It was also very near- He shook his head to try and dislodge the thought, but the damage was already done. His pants tented significantly and Pat was happy he wasn't still holding 'Shy in his lap. She would surely have felt that, drunk or no.

When he lathered her tail he was extra careful not to so much as brush her buttocks. A quick swipe down her belly was one thing, but groping her ass felt infinitely worse. Soon he had done the best he could with no experience and no guidance from Fluttershy, and Pat just let it fall. Only one thing left. He glanced at Fluttershy's mane, which was lying to one side and soaking up water. Most of her head was still dry, so it'd have to be the shower first.

"'Shy? Can you sit upright?" He lifted her into the approximate sitting position he'd seen her use sometimes, hoping she would get the idea. 'Shy complained about the chill as soon as she was lifted out of the water, but managed to remain mostly upright, if heavily lopsided. Her head hung down, but Pat could deal with that. He turned the shower on again, testing the water until it was nice and warm, then shielded her eyes with a hand and began to wet her hair. The source of warmth proved irresistible and 'Shy smiled as she leaned into both his hand and the spray of water. At least this time she didn't inhale any of it.

She also kept her eyes closed until Pat had moved the shower down her neck, then she blinked and tried to focus on him. "Ye- arr, uh- yer niiiice," she slurred. "Wor- warrrrm, hooman."

She was rolling her R's and Pat couldn't help smiling. He put the shower head down in the water and grabbed the shampoo again. He might be using too much of it, but he didn't mind at all. He could always get more. A quick glance up and down helped Pat decide where to start and he put both hands on the back of Fluttershy's head, far away from her eyes and nose. It quickly began to foam up and he followed the length of her mane, rubbing it in as thoroughly as he could. She wasn't dirty there at all, but now Pat had gotten into the swing of things and 'Shy was getting a complete shower, whether she liked it or not.

Once that part was done, Pat brought his hands back up. Fluttershy's head had started to loll again, so he steadied her with a palm under her muzzle while he brushed his fingers around her ears. Almost done.

"Stay still now. Close your eyes."

'Shy did so, closing first one eyelid and then the other, all the while giggling uncontrollably. Pat hoped he wasn't tickling her too much, but he wasn't ready to go any rougher. He steadied her head between both palms, then used his index finger to soap up her forehead and his thumbs to follow the lines of her muzzle. When he came to her nose 'Shy opened her mouth and Pat quickly moved his fingers out of the way.

It wasn't that he was worried she'd bite him, but he didn't want to bring any more shampoo into her mouth. "No! Close!" he chided and she obeyed, chuckling under her breath.

In either case, he was done, or at least as best as he could manage without her actual cooperation. All that was left to do was give her a good rinse. Fluttershy slid forward and Pat barely caught her in time. She stayed upright only by virtue of leaning against his chest and hooking her chin on his shoulder. It worked, though, and left Pat's hands free for the shower. He turned the water on and began to rinse down her mane and back.

'Shy murmured into his ear: "Mmmm... like," she breathed out. "Warrrrrm."

It brought a smile to his lips and Pat twisted the tap to get the water a tiny bit warmer. It soon changed and the mare practically moaned into his ear. Again he thought about what it would be like to-

No! Down, boy!

He focused on the water and watched as the white of the lather was being washed away. As Pat moved the jet down her body, he followed with his free hand to make sure her fur was thoroughly rinsed. When it came to her wings again, he just let the water play down the feathers and didn't poke, afraid he'd hurt something.

Her tail he left for later, since it was lying in water anyway. All that was left was the front. "'Shy? I need you to stay up just a bit longer, okay?"

She seemed reluctant as he peeled her away, leaving a print of her shape on his chest in white lather. Luckily, 'Shy locked her forelegs in place and remained reasonably upright, only swaying a little.

"It won't take long, don't move." He repeated the process, washing away the foam and following with his hand for thoroughness. Pretty soon he was finishing around her front fetlocks. "Okay, keep your eyes closed now," he instructed and reached to turn the shower almost all the way down. The trickle was perfect for gently washing her face without forcing any water or lather into her mouth or nose. Pat followed the lines of her muzzle with a finger, marvelling at how their combined effect gave 'Shy that sublime, warm expression.

Perhaps he took more time than he strictly needed with that, but the face was important, right? At last he reached behind himself and unplugged the drain, letting the foamy water drain. As it receded, he kept the shower going and quickly rinsed down her belly once more. It was done. Maybe he'd missed some foam here and there, but it'd get toweled off anyway. He was about to stop the shower, but remembered her tail.

"Can you stand?"

Fluttershy grunted and lifted up her rear, but that made her forelegs fold up and she smacked against Pat's chest. Luckily he'd been ready to catch her in case exactly that happened. "It's okay, just stay like this," he told her.

With her tail hanging limply, Pat was able to rinse it. All that was left were the traces of lather she'd picked up from him again. However, showering 'Shy from the front just made her sit down clumsily, putting her tail back in the last dregs of the foam in the tub. He just couldn't get both, but that was fine. Pat left her leaning against the side of the tub and holding on to the edge as he stood up.

"Wait here, I'll get some towels." The problem now was that his pants were soaking wet and he'd end up flooding the bathroom floor with them. There was nothing to do, except...

Pat looked at 'Shy, but she was leaning her muzzle on a foreleg, which was hooked on the edge of the bathtub. Her eyes were closed and she looked very nearly asleep. Sighing, he pulled his pants down, making sure to hold on to the underpants at least. He left the soaked piece of cloth in the tub to rinse and wring later. Some water still leaked from his undergarment, but that couldn't be helped. Pat ignored it as he reached for the two biggest towels he owned. He balanced one on the edge of the sink, careful not to dirty it from the shirt, then quickly dried himself a little with the other before spreading it on the floor.

"Here, let's get you out."

Fluttershy didn't resist as he hooked both arms under her and simply lifted her up. He still couldn't quite believe how light she was and, worryingly, now that she was wet he could see the outlines of her ribs. Maybe that was normal on a pony, but Pat couldn't help feeling like she was too thin. The mostly-dry towel on the floor quickly began to absorb the runoff water as 'Shy folded up on it. The other one Pat draped over the mare and began to massage her through it.

It seemed like the vigorous action woke her up somewhat and she turned her head to seek him out. "Wha-?" she asked, "weh- weh am I?"

"It's fine. We had a shower and now we're going to bed. Can you stand?"

The feeble attempt got Fluttershy's rump up in the air and Pat used the opportunity to wipe down her tail as best he could. If the towel grazed her other parts, that simply couldn't be helped. He tossed the soaked towel aside and grabbed another, smaller, one. "Okay, now sit. Here, I'll help." With his hand on her chest 'Shy managed to sit upright and Pat wasted no time in wrapping the towel around her and rubbing her dry. She soon began wobbling and he knelt in front of her to give her some support. 'Shy just leaned forward until her forehead was pressed against Pat's belly, but it looked like she could kinda sit with that kind of help. It also gave him a good angle to give her mane a thorough scrubbing.

When it was as dry as he could get it, Pat rummaged for another fresh towel and simply wrapped her up. With her size it was like a complete bathrobe. "Up we go. Let's get you to bed." As he carried her, bundled up and limp in his hands, Pat thought for a moment of taking her to his own bed. She'd need watching, after all, in case she threw up again.

Except that reminded him of his grope in the tub and he decided against it. Ponies slept on their bellies anyway, right? He pushed the door with his foot and sat on the edge of Fluttershy's bed. He saw the bedspread had flowers on it and smiled. She was a cute horse, even when she was passed out drunk. He pulled the blankets aside and deposited 'Shy on her mattress, still wrapped up in the towel. Then he covered her up.

"Well, I knew it would be interesting to have you stay here, but way to throw a curve ball, 'Shy." His hand patted her through the blanket and the mare mumbled something. "I'll get you some more water. It'll help with the hangover tomorrow," he told her.

Again he only got some unintelligible half-words. Pat sighed to himself and his smile faded. "It was my fault anyway." He'd started out with the thought of getting 'Shy a bit drunk to loosen up in the hopes it would lead to something. No doubt about it, he was a bastard. He'd need to make it up to her.

He went to fetch that water, before getting back in the bathroom and cleaning it up. Then he grimaced when he remembered there was still the couch to clean, unless he wanted it to stink of fermented strawberry and beer forever. Maybe it was punishment, but even so it was a price he was glad to pay to have 'Shy in his house.

Although, if she ever agreed to drink again, he'd make sure she ate before and went more slowly with the strong booze. Apparently pony constitutions were really weak. Or maybe it was just her.

Over the next hour or two Patrick went to check on his new house guest several times. He didn't turn on the light in the room, not wishing to wake 'Shy up, but just listened from the hallway until he caught the sound of her soft breathing. At length he convinced himself that she'd be fine. At some point she had turned away from the door, but she was still sleeping, apparently not bothered by any noise Pat might have made while cleaning the couch and then taking a shower. He was in fresh sweatpants and T-shirt when he took that promised glass of water to her. After he'd opened the door he paused to watch 'Shy sleeping for a moment. An ear twitched and focused on him, but she didn't say anything.

"I brought you some more water," he said as softly as he could. There was no immediate reply, so Pat walked over and sat on the bed. He leaned over and saw that Fluttershy's eyes were open and she was staring at the far wall. "Water?" he repeated.

An eye flickered to him and then she shook her head almost imperceptibly.

"Come on, it'll make your hangover better tomorrow morning."

Again she shook her head no, but this time she sniffed as well.

"You can tell me what's wrong, 'Shy."

Her eyes squeezed shut and finally she opened her mouth. "P-Please just go."

"Only if you promise you'll drink some water."

She didn't respond for some time, but finally 'Shy heaved a sigh and turned to her belly. She pushed herself upright and Pat clearly saw the wince. He handed her the glass in silence and the little mare obediently emptied it. "There, y-you can go now," she murmured, flopping back down.

"Look, I'm sorry I gave you that Vodka. It was stupid and I shouldn't have poured so much. This whole thing is my fault."

Her face was in the pillow, but 'Shy still shook her head. Pat put his hand on her back and gently scratched with his fingers. Encouragingly, she didn't shy away. "I'm sorry... I s-shouldn't have drunk it. I'm j-just a mess- messed up loser. May- Maybe I wanted to get drunk. At least I could forget for a bit." Her mouth twisted in a grimace and she repeated: "I'm just a loser."

Her words were muffled by the pillow, but still clearly understandable. Pat kept his hand there, thinking about what to say. At long last he reached under 'Shy and pushed her to her side. She didn't resist, limply allowing herself to be moved. Her eyes went to Pat's face and simply... stared. "Don't say that."

"It's true."

Pat shook his head and shifted his hand to her face, brushing the soft fur on her cheek. "You're not a loser to me, 'Shy. I think you're awesome."

He was watching closely and saw the faintest of twists to her mouth. "That's what Rainbow Dash would say."

"Well, they're a smart pony, sounds like."

'Shy didn't answer that, but her eyes, glistening in the faint light from the hall, never budged from Pat's face, except when she blinked. They waited for long heartbeats, then Pat broke the silence.

"I wanna help."

At the same time she answered: "She. Rainbow Dash is a she." As his words registered Fluttershy looked away. "You can't help."

"I can try."

She didn't have a counter to that, so she just closed her eyes and pulled away from Pat's hand and shuffled around until she was facing the wall again. "I'd like to sleep now."

Her voice was barely a whisper, but Pat heard it quite clearly. "Things will look better in the morning, you'll see. We'll talk, okay?"

There were obviously some demons she was fighting, all by herself. Pat wanted to know all about it and then do what he could to help. Someone- somepony as precious as Fluttershy shouldn't have to deal with that on her own. She shrugged, but at least that wasn't a hard 'no'. Pat stood up and pulled the blanket up to her withers.

"If you wanna talk, or if you feel sick again, or anything, just yell, okay?"

She didn't reply.

"Fluttershy."

She groaned and pinned her ears down, but she responded: "I'll yell if I'm sick again. Go 'way." Pat couldn't help noticing she'd only promised a part of it, but at this point he didn't mind. He gave her side a pat through the blanket and walked out, leaving the door open just a crack so he would hear if she made any noise. He turned off the light in the hallway and went to his own room, where he also left the door open.

It'd been a dreadful evening, but at the same time it had been enlightening. He was beginning to unravel the mystery that was Fluttershy and despite the obvious issues he still liked her. She had been forcibly torn from her old world and friends, perhaps even from her family judging by her young age. The brave façade she put up during the day was just that - a façade. That evening, with her inhibitions lowered by alcohol, Pat felt like he'd seen the true person underneath, and she was suffering. He wondered how often she'd cried herself to sleep in Mason's house while that jerk was completely unaware of any problems. Did he expect 'Shy to simply accept that she was now his property?! Pat's heart ached for the little pony and he resolved to make her happy - or as happy as was within his power. If nothing else, she'd have a friend. Hopefully, it'd turn out as something more.

He couldn't keep his thoughts away from the shower and the quick feel he'd gotten. He had also had a very good look at her backside when he was washing her tail. The glimpses he'd caught still left much to his imagination, but he really wanted to explore those parts of her in greater detail.

Much greater detail.

After she felt better, of course. His little revelation back in the tub had shaken him a little, but it also proved he wanted 'Shy, romantically. The only difference was that he'd have to do it properly. No more of those sneaky glances when she wasn't looking, or when she accidentally exposed herself. More importantly, no more getting her drunk, at least not to the extent she had been that evening. He liked that mare and she didn't deserve those kinds of things.

Maybe he liked her even more now, partly because 'Shy clearly needed a good shoulder to cry on and he could be that. Right at this moment, in the whole world, he was perhaps the only person who could hear her troubles. He'd have the whole week to talk it out with her.