Winter brushed his snout along Spruce's forehead. "How are you feeling?" He pressed closer, cheek to cheek with his son.

Spruce nodded gently. "I'm okay." His tail flitted with his words.

"Liar." But he kissed Spruce gently, sitting up. "You're sick. You're staying home today."

Spruce groaned softly. "But I'm not that sick! I can go to school."

Winter set a hoof on Spruce's warmed head. "You're warm even for an annoyed kirin. You're staying home."

Spruce sank into his covers, curling around them. "Not fair." He rolled his eyes, pulling up his covers. "Okay. I'll stay home and get better."

Winter patted Spruce on the shoulder. "Good." He brushed Spruce's blue mane back gently. "Just rest. If you're thirsty, you let me know. I won't leave." He slid to his hooves off the bed. "That's your job today, just rest."

Spruce yawned, wiggling in place before turning over. "Thank you." His breathing deepened.

Winter smiled at that, happy to see his son getting some sleep. He stepped out of the room, his ears up, and his tail curling with anticipation. Only when he was entirely sure sleeping was happening did he step out into the living room, where Maple was using the exercise machine.

"How's he doin'?" asked Maple between a grunt and another, flexing her front hooves, stretching. "I could come check on him."

Winter waved his hoof at her. "He just went to sleep. We shouldn't bother him now." He leaned in and touched his nose to Maple's cheek. "He has two parents right here." He planted another peck on her cheek. "He's sleeping soundly."

Maple nudged him back. "We got time for more smoochin'." She slipped an arm around Winter, pulling herself free of the machine as it beeped softly in complaint at the aborted routine, not that she seemed to care. "How long ya think he'll be out?"

Winter looked into her eyes with a serene smile. "Hard to say." He kissed her again, their snouts rubbing together gently. "What's Summer up to?"

Maple huffed gently. "At the same job you're taking off. Two parents is enough to watch a foal, hm? But, ya could take some time to play with me." She pointed over her shoulder towards their room. "Got the new furniture in there. Wouldn't mind testing it." She slipped out of his grasp. "But if yer gonna run off and do yer job, ah get it."

Winter inclined his head. "I may be slow at times, but you are shouting at me." He kissed her nose gently. "But we need to be careful. You're long enough past that you could end up with more foals, and we're pretty full with the ones we have. We should go talk to your doctor and make sure it's alright."

Maple slipped back a step with a smile. "What if I'm lookin' for another?"

Winter froze. "Well, um." He took a step back, unsure how to feel about that. His shoulder casually burst into a little fire. "Really?"

She gently patted out the flame. "I'm teasing you. And I'm on a control. No foals until we all agree that's what we want to do." She reached out for him again. "And what do ya say about some kirin romance?" She ran her hoof down Winter's chest, towards his belly, then up along his other side. "Just you an' me. If ya wanna get out of the house and meet someone else, ah'll understand."

Winter stepped closer to her, slipping his arms around Maple and pulling her against himself. "You are so amazing, just look at you." He buried his face in her neck, inhaling her warm scent. "But I feel guilty even considering that with our son recovering a room away. I promise to play when he's healthy and at school."

Maple pouted. "Fine, be like that." She wiggled back from him with a smirk. "But if he ain't better tomorrow, ah'm calling the doctor."

Winter raised an ear. "I'm with you on that. I hope it's just a day flu and we can go back to normal." He raised a hoof to his chin. "But you raise a point."

"Ah do?" Maple sat in place. "What point is that?"

"We're so busy tending to the foals, wonderful as they are, we deserve some play time." He rubbed at his chin, considering. "I wonder if there's anything good on hoof right now? At least a restaurant we haven't been to before. There's got to be a few left."

Maple pursed her lips. "Yeah, could go out an' have fun without foals or worries." She hummed with thought. "But this is a small town. We've been everywhere 'round here! Ah think it's time we considered a real trip. We haven't been on one aside the kirin town, lovely as that was." She snapped her hooves together. "Do it when Spruce gets better, and then the whole family can have a trip together."

Winter shook his head. "This may sound strange, but I really don't want to make our outings about the foals. Yes, they would be a big part of it, but it's not all about them." He rubbed his cloven hooves together with thought. "There must be something designed to make foals happy and give their parents just a little room."

Maple tipped her hat at that. "Didn't think of it like that, but you might be right." She looked down at herself. "Think we're a little rough for a fancy date night." Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh! What about Las Pegasus? They have some foal friendly places, and if you get a proper vacation there, it's all included. Don't even have to leave the hotel to have tons of things to do, adult or foal."

Winter glanced aside. "I hadn't considered that. That's very expensive, though."

Maple flashed a smile. "Being back to work is working out for us. Three adults that aren't buying random things, we have some savings." She angled her head towards her rump. "Ah've been keepin' track of those bits!"

Winter smiled back at her. "You're amazing." He patted her on the flank with a grin. "And I love you, you beautiful thing." He pulled her close again, holding Maple to his chest as he kissed her lovingly on the lips. "You're a gift I didn't deserve, but you stuck by me anyway."

Maple poked him in the nose. "Ya silly thing. You're deservin' and wonderful, an' yer just as much my gift as I am yers." She pranced in place, only to pause. "Oops." She hurried off to Spruce's room, just to hurry out to the bathroom, and return with a glass balanced on her back.

Winter caught her when she returned from her tip. "He woke up?"

"Seems he did, wanted a drink. He's gettin' better. Not all there, but more than he was before." Maple offered the glass. "Ate a few bites of food too, so that's great."

Winter floated the glass over to the sink for later cleaning. "That is good." He chuckled softly. "I told you, a bad time for play, even if my lovely mare is ready." He smooched her cheeks, one at a time. "I love you so much."

Maple put her arms around him, rubbing her cheek into his with a purr. "Ah love you too." She stroked his side. "Not exactly fun, but he might be wanting more water, so we'd best check in on him again."

So the day went, checking in and keeping Spruce resting. By the time the other foals returned, however, Spruce was on his hooves. "I don't feel bad no more!" He spun in place with a little glee.

Dusk tackled him from behind. "Yes! We can play!"

Spruce tapped Dusk's nose. "Nah-ah." She pressed her nose where her hoof had been. "Today's a sick day."

Dusk pouted at that, but got an idea. "Let's play doctor! You can be the patient."

"Ya mean, lie down and get poked?" Spruce cocked his head to the side. "Sounds kinda weird, but okay." He slowly lay down on the ground, moving gingerly.

Dawn swished her tail with a grin. "We're the doctors." She wrapped an arm around Dusk. "We'll make you better. You just lay there."

Spruce shrugged gently, turning to the side, and watching as his siblings ran off, getting something from one of the other rooms.

He was not surprised when they came back with the ice cream scooper. "There's nothing in me you should take out." He crossed his arms.

Dawn puffed out her chest. "I read a whole book on doctor stuff! Trust us!" She pulled out a container of small chunks of ice, while Dusk began picking them up and shoving them into the scoop.

They began piling little ice cubes all around Spruce, at least until Summer, just returning home, rushed over and swatted the scoop away. "Stop that!" She then began brushing the chunks off of Spruce, flicking them towards Dawn and Dusk in the process. "What do you two think you're doing?"

Spruce pushed himself up. "Playing doctor." He frowned. "I was the patient and they said they'd make me better."

Dusk yelped as she got one of the ice cubes to the face, sputtering with it. "We were curing him, mom!"

Summer sighed at that. "You know better. That's how you get sick, foals." She narrowed her eyes. "What did you mean by better?"

Spruce covered his mouth, hiding a grin. "When I was sick, so they could go to school and play." He took a step towards Dusk and Dawn.

Summer sighed as the three embraced. "Glad to see," she sighed out, abandoning the idea of chastising them further. She turned to Winter. "Why were you lettin' them do that?"

Winter inclined his head. "They are all kirin. Maybe it would have worked?"

Maple stammered a moment before she changed topics sharply. "Whattaya think of goin' to Las Pegasus!"

Summer frowned, pulling herself away from the topic. "I think it's way too expensive, and our foals would love it."

Maple slid in beside Summer. "We have the bits. We deserve the break." She rubbed along Summer's side with her own. "Think about it. Hot weather, cool pools, food for days. Been workin' so hard on bein' a cherry sorter and makin' ends fit together in this house."

Winter settled his rump on the ground as he sat with the other three foals. He leaned in towards them. "What do you think of the idea? It's a big city, with a lot of games. You would need to keep a journal about the trip. You'd see lots of ponies."

Spruce hopped up. "There are going to be ponies?" His tail twitched in anticipation. "I'd love to go, meet new ponies!"

Dusk and Dawn bounced in counter-time with one another, joining their brother in the agreement. "Please, can we go?"

Summer rolled her eyes. "How can I say no to that? But who's gonna take care of 'em? They can't just go out alone, they're too young for that."

Maple got quite the smarmy smile. "I've been diggin'. There's a nice family resort. They have foalsitters, all their staff counts as one. Foals won't be gettin' in no trouble there. But tons of fun things for us all to be doin'."

Winter's tail twitched behind him. "Sounds like we are going on vacation then." He held out his hooves, pointing them to Summer and Maple. "But don't worry. We'll find some time to ourselves."

Summer flicked her tail against Winter's snout. "Good. We need some adult time too."

All three foals stuck out her tongue at the discussion of gross adult things. Giggling, they dashed away, leaving their parents to chat.

Author's Note

I saw a travel agent with that in their window. Get Out.

Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon!

Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could

Join my discord to chat!