She sat in a brown recliner, her right leg wrapped tightly in ace bandages and splinted with an aircast. A sharp pain radiated up from her leg, and she gritted her teeth as a certain presence made itself known. “Corpsegrinder, watch Mommy’s leg,” she whined as her cat curled up on her chest and began to purr softly.
The sandy-blonde tabby simply looked up at his favorite pony and continued to purr. Puzzling Insanity’s expression softened, and she gave him a gentle scratch between his ears. He was just a cat, after all. He didn’t understand why her leg was all bandaged up, or why she needed to use a walker. All he knew was that she was in need of comfort, and he was happy to provide it.
They stayed like that until a knock at the door caused Corpsegrinder to jump off her chest. “Who is it?” Puzzling asked.
“It’s Xander,” said a muffled voice on the other side of the door. “It’s kinda cold out here.”
The fanged mare smiled and said, “It’s unlocked.”
After a moment, the door opened, and into the trailer stepped a zebra wearing an Attack on Tirek hoodie and jeans. “You want me to close the door?” Xander asked, removing the hood from their head and revealing their short black curly hair.
“You just said it was cold,” Puzzling laughed. “Your call.”
The zebra nodded and closed the door behind them before making their way over to the injured mare and giving her a peck on the forehead. Feeling something rub up against their leg, Xander looked down and saw Corpsegrinder sniffing them curiously. “Hey there, kitty,” they said, offering their hand for the cat to inspect.
The tabby sniffed the zebra’s fingers before wandering into the kitchen area and toward his food bowl.
“So,” Puzzling said, “what brings you here, my sweet striped joyfriend?”
Xander gave her cheek a loving stroke and answered, “I just wanted to see how you were doing. You shouldn’t be alone right now.”
Puzzling Insanity blushed and stroked her partner’s cheek, feeling their coarse facial hair as they leaned down and pressed their lips against hers. Time seemed to stop in that moment, the world fading away as the kiss seemed to last forever. All she knew in that moment was love.
After a long moment, it was over, leaving Puzzling to catch her breath. She was still reeling, the smell of Xander’s cologne still strong in her nostrils, her heart still hammering in her chest.
“You okay, baby girl?” Xander asked, cocking an eyebrow and waving a hand in front of her face. “I didn’t break you, did I?”
Finally regaining her composure, Puzzling smiled. “I’ll be fine,” she said.
“Anything I can do for you while I’m here?”
The earth pony thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “If it’s not too much trouble, could you please help me up for a minute?”
The zebra nodded and helped her up, concern written on their face as she made pained noises. “Are you okay?”
“Just hurting,” Puzzling said through clenched teeth as she gripped the walker tightly. “Thank you.” With that, she made her way into the kitchen area and opened the refrigerator, grabbing a bottle of water and closing the door. Wincing with each step, she managed to get back to her chair and sit down.
“You’re sure you’re okay?” Xander asked, sitting down on the loveseat near the door.
Puzzling nodded, opening the water bottle and taking a sip. “I’ll be fine eventually,” she said as her cat wandered back over and jumped up onto her, making himself comfortable on her belly and purring.
The zebra nodded, running a hand through their hair. “So, uh, how long do you have to use the walker?”
“At least four weeks,” Puzzling said, setting the bottle on the black end table between the recliner and the loveseat. “I can take the aircast off after two, though.”
“How does this whole situation make you feel?” Xander asked.
The earth mare took a deep breath and said, “I feel stupid because it could have been prevented. I feel unnecessarily guilty for asking others for help. I feel more irritable than usual because my leg hurts like nothing else. And I feel frustrated because I can barely do anything without needing to rely on others.”
Xander got up and walked back over to the chair, kneeling next to it and gently taking their marefriend’s hand. Squeezing gently, they said, “And it’s okay to feel that way, sweetheart. You just can’t hold it in like that.”
At that moment, the dam broke. Puzzling Insanity’s eyes stung as her vision began to blur. She felt the heat of the first tear roll down her cheek, and her lower lip quivered. Throwing her arms around her partner, she broke down sobbing. She didn’t know how long she spent crying into Xander’s hoodie, but eventually she ran out of tears to cry, wiping her eyes on her sweater sleeve and croaking out an apology.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Puzzling,” Xander said, stroking her cheek and kissing her forehead again. “I’m assuming you needed that.”
Puzzling nodded, a tiny smile crossing her muzzle.
Corpsegrinder looked up at his favorite pony, wondering why her eyes were so red and swollen, why she was making those noises. Knowing that she again needed comfort, he chirruped softly, extending his paw and touching her face as gently as he could.
Xander smiled at the display and said, “That’s sweet of him; he knows you need comforting right now.”
Puzzling Insanity’s smile grew as she stroked her cat’s fur. “He really does love me,” she said.
The tabby purred and curled back up on her belly, closing his eyes as another hand joined in on the petting.
The zebra scratched the cat between the ears. “So do I,” they said, stroking Puzzling’s hair. “You want me to fix your blanket?”
“Yes please,” Puzzling said.
Xander adjusted the fuzzy throw blanket covering Puzzling’s hooves, making sure not to aggravate her injury. Satisfied, they smiled and asked, “Anything else I can do?”
Puzzling Insanity nodded. “Just stay with me for a while.”
“You got it,” Xander said. “I love you, baby girl.”
Her smile widening further, she kissed Xander and squeezed their hand. “I love you too, my precious.”
