(FR) Office Love - Part 1 - Chapter 06

prose: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/203197/6/office-love/part-1---chapter-6-back-in-the-grind

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>You look down at the blushing earth pony and smile.
"Hey, uh. Do you mind if I get that book off you?"
>"Yeah! Sure. Lemme grab it. It's in my bedroom."
>She walks off towards a nearby room.
>You pace around the room looking at the pictures on the wall.
>She has pictures of her and some of her students hung, as well as some pictures of her and another stallion.
>This stallion is massive.
>Easily one of the tallest and strongest you've ever seen, and you've met Big Macintosh.
>It's a pretty clean apartment all in all.
>There is a desk in the corner where a stack of papers sits next to an old cup of coffee.
>Must be some student papers.
>You can't help but notice the amount of alcohol bottles in the recycling bin.
>Are those from the boyfriend?
>Jeez.
>There are quite a few books, but not a whole lot.
>Most look like romance books or warm hearted tales for children.
"It looks like you really love your students. Even the old ones."
>"I try my best to."
>Mulberry returns to the room holding a book in her mouth.
>You take it from her, allowing her to speak.
>She points a hoof to a few of the children.
>"This one is Ricky. Very smart little colt for his age. He gets picked on all the time at school, so I'll let him stay in sometimes and do puzzles when he doesn't want to go outside."
>She moves her hoof to another little one.
>"This is Clove. She's probably the shyest little pegasus I've ever met. Your friend reminds me of her a bit."
>You laugh a little under your breath.
>Let's hope that she doesn't turn out JUST like Fluttershy.
>Things are hard enough in Equestria with one of them.
>Her face turns a little somber and points to another.
>"This colt is Nathan. He's a troubled one... from the orphanage. I've been trying to talk to him after class and help him work through whatever is ailing him... but recently he stopped coming to school. I'm worried about him."

"Have you thought about maybe visiting him today? Maybe seeing him one-on-one could help him out."
>She looks at the picture intently.
>"I'm not sure if that's the right thing to do... I've already been out for so long..."
>She holds a hoof to her eye.
>You nod to her.
>"But it's good to see that you care Anon."
"Of course. I hate to see kids having a rough time."
>She smiles at you.
>"Anon... have you ever thought about having kids?"
>You look at your watch.
>Looks like there is about an hour before work.
"Honestly, I haven't put much thought into that question... But, maybe one day."
>She looks up at the pictures with an expression you don't recognize.
"Uhm. I really probably should be going though. Work ain't gunna do itself."
>Mulberry snaps out of her reverie.
>"Oh! Yes. Well uhm. I hope you like the book! Have a good day at work."
"Don't forget to call if you need anything."
>You walk towards the entrance to her apartment and she follows you.
>"Of course. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"Take it easy Berry."
>"You too Anon."
>She closes and locks the door behind you.
>You head back into your apartment and hear a hair dryer running from the bathroom in your bedroom.
>Probably should check on her.
>Who knows what she could be doing in there.
>You head into your bedroom.
>Dang.
>The bed is made and everything looks just as spotless as when you get home almost every other day for the last couple weeks.
>Your room is almost never this clean.
>At least for more than an hour.
>You sit on your bed and look into the bathroom.
>The hair dryer turns off and Fluttershy sings a happy song to herself.
>"And sooon we'll beee~"
"Hey Fluttershy."
>She yips and flies up into the air.
>A towel falls off of her and she covers herself up.
"Uh. Fluttershy, you don't normally wear clothes."
>"Oh... uhm. Right. Well I do have to put on my work attire though."
"Got everything you need in there?"
>She nods.

>"Mhm! I do admit that it's going to be weird having my hair and fur smell like you all day, but I'll just have to tough it out."
"Alrighty then. Feel up to walking to work today? We'll take our time and I'll give you the five bit tour."
>Fluttershy nods.
>"That would be nice! Let me just finish up."
>Respecting her privacy, you head back out to the living room.
>Hmm.
>You could probably take the book with you to work today and knock a good portion of it out over your lunch hour.
>Then again, you also really enjoyed the walks lately at lunch.
>Maybe another walk would be nice.
>You thumb the book to the last page.
>Doesn't look like too big of a book.
>"There. How do I look?"
>She's wearing a very flattering black dress with a red mare's formal jacket.
>It's very fitting for a young secretary.
>Especially one trying to impress the boss... and maybe show off the goods.
>For a pony.
"You look good. Very professional."
>Smiling, you give her a thumbs up for approval.
>Fluttershy blushes.
>You check your watch and it looks like you've got about 45 minutes.
"How about we get outta here?"
>"Sure."
>The two of you leave the apartment and you lock it behind you.
>Phone, Wallet, Keys.
>Of course your awesome tie.
>Looks like that's everything.
>The two of you navigate to the elevator and make your way down to the ground floor.
"Alright then. How about I show you some of the nicer places around here?"
>Fluttershy nods to you with a smile and walks closely to you as you head to the first destination.
"So the first thing that I thought you would like is a place nearby that I thought about living at. It's pretty nice."
>You explain that it was about the same price and the same class of living.
>In fact it was pretty much the same everything.
>The only difference is that yours was a little larger for doorways and rooms, while this one was more adequate for ponies.
>Or maybe your apartment was just more adequate for you.
>One of those two sound right.

>Fluttershy soaks up the information while walking closely to you.
>However, you aren't fully sure whether it's out of thinking that there is more than just a friendship between you now or if it's because of her shyness in public.
>"It sounds really nice... Let me run in and grab a flier."
>Fluttershy runs into the tall apartment building for a moment as you take the time to look around at your surroundings.
>Even though it probably took around 10 minutes to get here, you are about 25 minutes away from work.
>You notice a bright red earth pony mare jogging past you.
>Her eyes were closed and she was huffing with all her might.
>Now that's dedication to fitness.
>The buildings move up to touch the sky, but the parks thrive in the heavy business section of town.
>The downtown city may be hectic, but you prefer it to the boring life of suburbia.
>Plus you weren't really a fan of the bus.
>There were so many weird ponies on it.
>The subway wasn't quite as bad.
>You find yourself holding your phone again.
>Why won't she reply to your text?
>Did you blow it already?
>Taking a deep sigh, you look back inside to see Fluttershy coming back out with a brochure.
"How does it look?"
>"It's pretty reasonable and I like that I would be close to you... so I said I would take it."
"That's great! One step closer to being independent. How about I show you one of my favorite places to eat around here?"
>"S-sure!"
>She smiles widely and follows closely to you as the two of you make your way to your next destination.
>You try to shake thoughts of Autumn from your head.
>"So, um. Anon?"
"Yeah?" you ask her with an open mind.
>"I was wondering, would you be interested in helping me move in tonight?"
"I could help out, sure. Why not?"
>She smiles and she seems to have a bit more of a spring to her step.
"What do you have to move in?"

>"Oh! Not very much. I just have some clothes and some things from home. What I really need help with is a trip to wherever I can find some animal friends. I'm thinking a bird. That way the poor dear doesn't have to be cooped up inside all day."
"Oh. Like a pet store? I know where one of those are. We can check it out tonight."
>Fluttershy's eyes light up as her wings pick her up into the air.
>"Oh I just can't wait! Maybe there will be a parakeet and his name will be Perry! Ooh! Perry the parakeet! Or maybe a nice toucan! Or maybe a mockingbird. Or maybe-"
"We will have to make sure we find you an apartment that accepts pets though."
>She holds out the brochure of the last apartment the two of you visited.
>"This one does!" she says excitedly.
>Well what do ya know.
>Up to one small pet allowed.
"Well cool. Looks like we are going by the pet store after work then."
>"Yay!~"
>Soon the two of you approach a nice looking restaurant.
"This is one of my favorite places! They easily have the best bowl of pasta that I've ever had."
>Fluttershy looks at the menu that's posted outside the door.
>"Oh my. It looks nice, but it also looks expensive."
"It's really worth it. Trust me."
>She smiles back up at you.
>"Are there any nice places to spend free time here in Trottingham? Or maybe make some friends? What about the Library? Mulberry said it was a nice place."
>You keep your composure and try to think on your feet.
"It's not too far from here. Just down a few streets and to the left, but if we don't go soon we might be late for work."
>"Oh! Okay. Let's get going then."
>The two of you make your way to work and Fluttershy begins to gush over the idea of getting a little baby birdie.
>This mare really knows how to turn on the cuteness and push it to the max.
>You feel your heart warm up, watching her act this way around you.
>It's still a little hard to believe that just a few days ago, this was all an elaborate rape attempt.

>Then a part of you reminds yourself that it still could be.
>The image of Autumn still rang clearly in your mind and your phone felt heavy today, as if a part of you were waiting for something.
>On the way to work, you pass a public school.
>It's not particularly a great school, but plenty of children file inside its doors.
>For a school that is downtown, it's in pretty good shape.
>Mulberry slowly etches her way into your thoughts.
>Dang it.
>It's not healthy to have a crush on this many ponies.
>Maybe all you need is a calm day at work to clear your mind.
>As you approach the doors to the office, Fluttershy's cute demeanor slowly fades to a professional one.
"Ready?"
>She nods to you and you hold the door open for her.
>Fluttershy walks in with her head held high and the two of you make your way to the elevator.
"Well then. What's on our plate for today?"
>"Let's see... I don't think there are any meetings today, so it's probably just a good day to get some work done."
>Perfect.
>Just what you wanted.
>You feel your phone buzz in your pocket as you step into the crowded elevator.
>Well then, what to work on...
>There was that other report that Flutters wanted you to review.
>Your fingers wrap around your phone, but you don't dare to remove it from your pocket.
>Maybe you should check with Brand for what is top priority to work on right now.
>Then maybe check on your phone.
>The elevator doors slide open after the signature chime.
>As you make your way to your working space, you realize half way that you aren't in your cube anymore.
>"Sir? Your office is-"
"This way. Yeah."
>You chuckle as you follow her to your office.
>She has a certain sway to her that catches your attention and makes you feel guilty.
>This is going to be a long day at work.
>Opening up the door to your office, you head inside and Fluttershy follows you in.
>You sit at the desk and your attention is drawn to her blushed expression.

>"Would you like some coffee?"
>Oh yeah... the servant thing.
>Well, it earns her brownie points, that's for sure.
"That sounds positively lovely. Thank you, Miss Fluttershy."
>She nods and takes your coffee mug and flutters out of the room.
>Quickly, you pull out your phone and glance at the screen.
>'One new text message from Autumn' blinks back at you.
>A lighthearted feeling fills your stomach and you shove the phone back into your pocket.
>You stack up your work to do for today into piles for easy access and immediately begin work on Fluttershy's last file.
>The flawless work all adds up perfectly, as you would expect, but you make sure not to miss a single number.
>Soon Fluttershy quietly sneaks in with a cup of coffee for you.
"Thank you very much, Miss Fluttershy."
>She smiles and makes her way out of your office with a light squeak.
>You look at the mug of coffee.
>Two weeks ago you poured part of it into a potted plant.
>It just happened to be one of the best cups of coffee you had in your life.
>You take a light sip of the dark brown delicious caffeine.
"Mmmm."
>Perfect bliss.
>You could never get the coffee in the office to taste this way.
>This is something you could easily get used to.
>Getting up, you close the door to your office part of the way to remove some of the external noise.
>As you walk to your desk, you whip your phone back out and check the message.
>"Well there is one copy of the book at the library, if you want it. :) What happened last night?"
>Your fingers work their magic typing out a reply.
"A neighbor ended up in some trouble, had to help out. Everything calmed down though. I actually got a copy, and I'm gonna read it today! Looking forward to it!"
>You hit submit and set the phone on the desk.
>Although you didn't mean to, you stare at the phone for a few long seconds.
>Well, this work isn't going to get done itself.
>You keep focused on Fluttershy's work, and you manage to get it all wrapped up.

>Checking your phone, you still don't see a reply.
>Dang it.
>Slipping your phone into your pocket, you head over to Fluttershy's desk.
>Brand waves to you as you pass his office and you happily wave back.
>The yellow pegasus is working diligently on her tasks as you approach her desk.
"Hey, here is the other file that you wanted me to check."
>"Oh! How did it look?"
"It looks great. Keep up the awesome work."
>You shoot her a smile.
"Don't forget to ask if you need any advice or got any questions."
>"I'll remember."
"Awesome."
>You turn tail and head back to your desk to get some more work done.
>Thanks to the quiet environment and steady workflow, time flies quickly.
>When you finally run out of coffee, you notice there is already only an hour until lunch.
>You can't lose focus now.
>Digging in for the last hour, you manage to get a project wrapped up and ready to hand off to Brand.
>Checking the clock again, it's the perfect time for lunch.
>A tap comes from your door.
>Brand walks in.
"Hey man, get home safe last night?"
>"Yeah yeah. I was good. Hey, wanna grab some lunch?"
"Not today man. I think I'm going to read this book."
>"Ugh. You and your books man. What's this one about?"
"Uh. It's a love story."
>"A love story? That isn't your style. Normally you like the action, adventure or horror books."
>He eyes you curiously.
"Got a recommendation from someone. So I figured I'd give it a read. Try and broaden my horizons, ya' know?"
>"Hmm. Alright. Fair enough. I hope it's a good one. I'll see ya later this afternoon."
"See ya man."
>You look at the book and turn it over in your hands.
>Maybe you should read this outside the office.
>It is a nice day outside.
>Plus it will give you a little time to yourself.
>You think over your choices.
>There is always the library.
>It's the perfect place to read books and you might even have a chance to see Autumn while you are there.

>On the other hand, the park would probably be a great place to just relax in the nice weather.
>Getting up, and moving towards the door, you stop and consider a new thought.
>If you leave the office, Fluttershy might follow you around.
>She's been really clingy ever since she got into town.
>Not that you entirely mind... but if you went and talked to Autumn...
>That couldn't possibly end well.
>The park it is.
>You head to the elevators and make your way to the bottom floor while reading the summary on the back of the book.
>The book isn't super long, so maybe you could get a third of the way through it if you don't get distracted.
>Outside's warm breeze graces you as you exit the building.
>With green grass in sight, you make your way over to the park.
>You look around to breathe in the surroundings of the bright sunny day.
>Plenty of ponies make their way around the city just fulfilling their daily needs or running errands.
>Some ponies sit on benches talking to each other and sharing a sandwich.
>One poor homeless pony plays a guitar for spare change.
>Oh... heck with it.
>You drop a spare bit into his guitar case and he smiles up at you.
>The simple smile puts a small skip in your step as you make your way to your lunch spot.
>Glancing behind you puts a bit of a damper on your mood.
>Fluttershy is trying to follow you from a distance.
>That's really disappointing.
>Well, you could probably just let her do her thing.
>She might not actually be following you, but just getting some lunch herself.
>Maybe she's closing on her apartment.
>Who knows?
>You step through the gates to the park and eye an empty bench.
>Sitting down and crossing your legs, you open the book to the first chapter.
>The setup is fairly standard as romance novels go.
>It focuses on the mare as she steps on the train to start a new life in a new town.
>The only compartment that wasn't full was one with a stallion who was quietly reading a book.

>She sits with him and they talk and get to know each other.
>It turns out he's starting a new life too.
>They talk, laugh and share a meal over the train ride.
>In her own little way, the mare sees it as her own date.
>Just as the train begins to slow down, she realizes he wrapped his arm around her and she has butterflies on the inside of her stomach.
>He leans in closer when-
>When you feel like somepony is directly behind you.