Festive Feathers

As snow fell around the cobbled streets of Griffonstone, Thunderlane shivered his wings to rid his feathers of the snow buildup. A box in his hoof was thrown to his side and caught by one of his wings before being shuffled onto his back, hidden from view as he stepped up to a home. His home.

Opening the door, he trudged inside, shivering from the brutal cold of Griffonstone off of him. His box held firm in his grip, he shuffled over to another door and dropped the box inside.

"Alright, another one acquired, Rumble's gonna love these," he said, pumping his hoof. "Now I just gotta-"

The front door slammed open, a cold draft coming through the house as a Griffon tiredly strode through, kicking the door behind her as she crumpled onto the couch, her face landing in an already prepared pillow indented with several days' worth of excessive groaning. As soon as she landed on it, more groans permeated the pillow, agony and tiredness in her voice so palpable Thunderlane bones ached from the empathy he had for her.

"Hey, Gilda," he greeted softly. "Need some water and a chicken leg?"

He knew she was well beyond the point of asking if she was "okay" because the answer was obvious to anyone with at least a passing glance. Long, deep breaths shook her body as her clawed appendages trembled from days upon days of tiring work. The holiday season was the absolute busiest time of the year for the pastry baker, for various reasons, one of which happened to be that visiting ponies couldn't get enough of the scones she specialized in. It raked in plenty of bits, yes, but it also took most of her time, energy and will to live to maintain.

Her response to the question Thunderlane asked resulted in a weak groan and a claw making a grabbing motion to say, "yes please".

Thunderlane quickly leapt into action, going into the kitchen and grabbing a prepared glass of water in the fridge, and pulled out a whole cooked chicken from the oven he bought earlier in the day. Rushing back to the couch, he set the food and drink down on the table before sitting beside the couch, massaging Gilda's back and wings gently.

"It's alright, babe, workday's over. Take some time for yourself, alright?" he said reassuringly, lovingly stroking her back. "I'll run you a hot bath, that sound good?"

Gilda was silent at that, a few seconds later snoring as she turned her head a bit. Thunderlane gently eased off and went upstairs to prepare the bath.

An hour passed before the Griffon woke up, and realized she'd passed out on the couch. A dull crack sounded from her neck as she stretched, leaving her to groan in pain as she rolled over. Across from her, Thunderlane was already preparing the gift he'd gotten Rumble earlier, and Gilda sat upright at the sight.

"Hey, thought we were gonna wrap it together?" she said groggily.

"I know, but I didn't want to wake you up. No need to disturb you while you're trying to rest," he said with a smile.

Gilda winced at that and her aching neck, his sweet tone turning sickly in her stomach. Looking down at the chicken he'd prepared, she pushed it aside and sighed.

"Thunder... can we talk?"

He stopped wrapping for a second, tape still in his mouth as he wrangled the paper into shape.

"Whrr?" he muttered.

Gilda chuckled at the sight, quickly cutting the tape with a talon and taking the piece out of his mouth and putting it to paper.

"Thanks, but what's up?"

"It's just... I..." she sighed. "Are you happy?"

He blinked, then laughed.

"Of course I am, G! I told you, moving here's been the best! Prime scouting for new Wonderbolts, great weather for intense training, and I get to spend my off time here, cooking with you," he emphasized by booping her beak.

A small blushed creeped up her face as her chest feathers ruffled up.

"That's... that's so sweet to say, but I meant... like, with me?"

He paused for a moment, tilting his head in confusion before narrowing his eyes.

"Like... right this second, or in general for our whole relationship, because the answer's the same for both and it's 'I wouldn't trade it for all the Princess' bits' and it's not changing anytime soon."

"Thunder," Gilda groaned, her wings ruffling at her sides, trying to hide her happiness at the words. "I mean... seriously, why would you be happy like this?"

"Why would I not be?" he chuckled, throwing his hooves up to shrug. "I've got an amazing, kind and beautiful Griffon marefriend and an awesome home in one of the coolest cities in the world. What's not to love?"

"A lot, I can imagine," Gilda sighed. "There's still plenty of crime in the shadier parts of town, no matter how well you think the Guards are scrubbing the place down for pests. Not to mention that the house loses power and water often enough to be a serious turn-off for most creatures with more than half a functioning brain."

"Hey, I resent that," Thunderlane said, eyebrows furrowed. "I have plenty of brain functions, but they're all focused on you," he added with a smile.

"Dweeb," Gilda scoffed, smiling a bit. "But..." her smile dropped when she took a deep breath. "I mean... with how I've been these last few months."

"... what do you mean?"

"Oh, cut the crud, you know what I mean!" Gilda shouted. "Coming home late, making you pick up dinner and cook for me, not to mention cleaning up afterwards, and then some nights you have to carry me to bed because I fell asleep on the couch! What kind of partner wants that out of their significant other!? Why would any creature put up with that? Why... why do you?"

Thunderlane moved from his spot, sitting next to Gilda and holding her with his wings.

"Because I love you. Any creature who would walk out for those reasons isn't worth loving in the first place," he said firmly. "You come home late and tired because you're working so hard to keep bits in our bank and a roof over our heads. There's no way I could berate you for being so tired when you're working such a busy job."

"If you saw how many bits I've been saving up-"

"For a full bakery to keep business steady and healthy!" Thunderlane countered. "You have nothing but our best interests at heart when you keep those bits in the bank. When you do buy that storefront and start managing a full bakery, it'll all be worth it! Every ounce of blood, sweat and tears you're putting into making your own legacy is something to be proud of, not ashamed of!"

"But... I spend so little time with you because of it," Gilda said softly.

"That's true, but I know when that business takes off, and you can afford to hire people to work with you, we can have more time later down the line. I can wait for that because I know you're worth waiting for," he said, kissing her cheek. "Do you remember the first day we met in flight school?"

Gilda chuckled sweetly, chirping at the memory.

"Of course I do, you sappy dweeb."

"I was so awestruck by you, I proposed right then and there. Brought you everything I could save up with my allowance that day, candy games and all. You blushed and Rainbow laughed, but you never said no. You said you'd think about it. And I swore that day, I'd never forget that beautiful smile shining on that pretty beak of yours. That one day, you'd say yes. And I'll keep waiting for that day when we can finally settle down. I'm in it for the long haul, and part of that commitment is being there for you at your most vulnerable. I don't hate you because of you being tired, I'm here to help you through it. Just like you helped me when I first got robbed when I moved in to town. Just like how you helped me when I got evicted due to the place not accepting checks from out of nation bank accounts. Just like those, I'm here to help you. Loving relationships are two-way streets, a give and take. We lean on each other for support, now and always."

Gilda chuckled.

"If you had that necklace on you, I might just say yes this time."

Thunderlane smiled and popped the box out of his seat, eagerly presenting her with an engagement necklace. Gilda laughed aloud at the sight, pulling him in to a tender kiss as they cuddled up on the couch.