Studying (with) You

Fauna the Fan

Luckily for him the ball isn't that hard to find but it still takes him some time to get there, because he can't fly with so many branches and leaves nearby, and free it from the tree's strong clutch.
Finally! Let's get out of here... This place sucks...
With that goal in mind he turns around and follows the same way he used to get to the ball to get out of this greenish nightmare. And, after long minutes of suffering, he finally escapes the hellish hold of the tree. It may have just been a tree but this tree is a traumatizing one!
"You got the ball! You're awesome!"
He hears his friend cheering him on as he descends from the top of the tree to land on the blanket with the ball in his claws. The former frown is instantly replaced by a big smile and reddish cheeks.
"You got the ball!", he repeats but, after taking a closer look at the griffon, he begins to giggle, "And a few other things..."
Gallus is covered in little sticks and leaves. His wings, his back, his hind paws, his neck and even the top of his head is decorated with little pieces of brown and green. One of the little sticks is right bellow his beak and it looks pretty funny in contrast with the yellow feathers.
"What do you mean?", Gallus asks but instead of getting a real answer, Sandbar steps right in front of him and comes closer to his beak. The griffon's head turns completely red immediately! At least it would have if his blue feathers wouldn't hide some of it but the color does come through a bit. But the heat he feels is there, no doubt, and it ignites his entire body with the heat of at least a thousand candles.
I... He... What is he..., his mind tries to work but this moment is just to much to handle for him. He closes his eyes and waits but instead of feeling what he thought, or at least hoped, would happen he hears his friend saying something.
"Your entire body is covered with leafs and sticks from the tree. It looks pretty funny but if I were you I would probably get rid of them. They could get very annoying."
He... took a leaf... That's it, the griffon thinks as he stares at the green plant in the pony's hoof.
He must have spit it out before telling him about it
And I imagined...
The heat increases even more as he realizes what he thought would happen and that he really wanted it to happen. And the offer his friend makes him only makes the problem even worse.
"If you want to I can help you clean them off. Some of them are really hard to reach for you", Sandbar offers with a bright smile on his face.
He knows that Gallus would never accept someone else cleaning him. He takes big pride in his look and he would drop dead before letting someone else help him with it. And again he is right with his speculation.
"No thanks!", the blue male sputters, "I will search a restroom and take care of it myself."
I knew it, the pony congratulates himself and a smirk adorns his face.
He looks around and notices the big tower near town hall with a giant clock on it.
What! It's already 6 p.m.! No way! I can't believe 7 hours went by that quickly! I really need to get there again..."
"While you are gone I can pack together so we can leave", Sandbar offers but Gallus seems to be a little bit confused.
"Why? Do you want to go?", he asks but after hearing the time his eyes get wide and his beak falls open, "No way! 6 p.m.? Already? Time really flies by when you're having fun. Speaking of flying: I should really get going and find a restroom I can use. You pack and I get rid of those pesky things."
He notices a leaf sticking to his shoulder and tears it off. He drops the ball, takes off and flies to the nearby cafe and enters it, starting Sandbar's turn to act.

Now is my chance!
He folds the blanket as quick as he can and drops it next to the basket. He then takes out his little moneybag and runs off to the market area they visited this morning. Most of the booths are gone but the one he aims for is still open and his new friend is still running it.
"Hey Fauna! I'm back!", he shouts and, after noticing her new friend, the nice mare waves at him.
"Hello Sandbar! Glad you came back. Isn't your friend with you?"
She looks around and tries to spot him but her attempts are completely in vain.
"No", the male replies, "He is busy but I really wanted to come back because I need one of those flowers. Aurora's Kiss was it, right?"
The salesmare's eyes begin to sparkle and she gasps for air before asking the one question the has on her mind right now.
"You're buying it for the griffon, am I right?"
How? How can she know? Oh sweet Celestia! That's so embarrassing...
His face shows how surprised he is and his rosy cheeks tells her that she hit the bullseye with that theory.
"How do you know that?", Sandbar asks but Fauna's explanation is as simple as it is confusing for him.
"To be honest: It was pretty obvious to me. The way you talked about him and I really felt how much care for him. I didn't want to ask because it would've been rude to ask something when he was around but now I can! So..."
Her gaze passed right through his eyes and into his brain, causing Sandbar to feel a little bit uncomfortable.
"So... what?", he asks but he already knows what she wants to know.
"Does he know about you and... well... everything?"
"What do you mean with everything?", Sandbar asks as he raises one of his eyebrows in confusion.
"W...", Fauna stops and looks at him almost as if she got turned to stone by a Cockatrice but she recaptures herself pretty fast and begins her explanation.
"Well... You buy this flower for your friend, right? And you buy it because you hope that he will like it, right?"
Obviously, the stallion thinks to himself and nods two times, giving Fauna the sign to go on.
"What exactly do you want him to think when you give him the flower?"
"That it was nice from me? And that I'm glad to have him around me and that I hope we can spend more time together? Do you mean something like that?"
A small smile forms itself on the mare's face and she nods before asking one more question.
"And why do you want to spend more time with him?"
"That's easy! He is a lot of fun to hang out with and I really like to see him relaxed and calm and happy and when he is happy, so am I. Also he always has interesting ideas and is very brave and-"
"See! You are totally crushing on him. Case solved", Fauna suddenly interrupts him and a big smirk took the smile's place.
WHAT! There is no way I have a crush on Gallus! He is just a friend. A good looking, charming, funny, interesting... I have a crush on... Shoot...
His eyes turn wide and his mouth falls open as he finally realizes that the feelings he felt when he was near his friend, when his friend defended him and when he first met his friend were not just happiness or gladness, they were love and attraction.
"So you finally realized it? Good! Now we can work on a way to tell him that!"
"I can't tell him that. Especially not now! We just became friends again and I don't want to make it weird and uncomfortable for him to be around me, especially now! He needs my help with our exams and not with making his life even more confusing and frustrating. Also I don't think he... swings this way at all... But I still want to make him happy and, if that means to suppress my feeling that's fine by me. Friendship is also good... right?"
Now that I know that I actually want more than that... Is it really enough?, he asks himself but something else captures his attention.
Flora, who listened carefully to her new friend's explanation, begins to sniff and a few tears roll down her cheeks before wiping the off.
"That is the saddest thing I have ever heard! And you want the flower to make him happy and to know that there is always something from you near him... How romantic and tragic! How tragmantic!"
"That's not it! I just told you that I just want to give him those flowers because he liked them!", Sandbar tries to defend himself but something inside of him tells him that she wasn't that wrong.
It is true that he will form a connection between the flower and me but... This was not the reason why I wanted to buy it! Right?
She begins to cry even harder and blows her nose before leaving the stand for a few seconds to get the flower for Sandbar. After returning she puts the flower into a very beautiful light-green pot and hands it over to her friend, who opens his sack to pay.
"No! This is a present from me for you and your friend", she explains after refusing the coins on the counter, "I don't want your money but I want you to tell him how you feel one day, okay?"
Sandbar can't believe what he just heard!
She wants me to have it for free! No... that is too kind... There is no way I can accept that!
He shakes his head and pushes the coins even further towards her, causing Flora to look at them once more.
"I really appreciate the gesture but I can't accept it... I can't accept a present like that from someone I barely know..."
"Okay! Let's not call it a present. Let's call it a good-luck-charm I made for you and it would be very rude to refuse it now so take it and be happy with your griffon-boy or else...", Fauna twists Sandbar's own words and uses them against him with a big smile on her face.
Wow... She is smart and very stubborn... And I don't have time to continue a debate I will lose anyway so I guess it's better to accept it
He begins to giggle and puts the Bits back into his sack before admitting his defeat.
"Okay, okay. You won Fauna", he declares his surrender and takes the flowerpot, "Thank you very much... for everything. I hope we will see each other again soon."
"Of course we will! I want to congratulate you and Gallus when you two are finally a couple. There is no way I will miss out on that!"
"IF we even become a couple, which we will not", Sandbar corrects her but she meant what she said.
"You will get together... trust me. I have a sixth sense for things like that and I've never been wrong my entire life!"
Someone is excited but maybe she is right... Maybe I should tell him how I really feel and maybe he feels the same way! And then I grow wings and a horn and I become the Princess of unlikely things... Keep dreaming, keep dreaming... Those little gestures and moments must be enough for me.
"I should get going. Gallus could be back any second and I don't want him to see the flower yet. Thank you so much for your help and for listening and for the flower of course! It really helped! Bye"
He runs off and looks back to see Fauna wave him goodbye.
Better hurry or Gallus will catch me red hooved! Literally!
Without wasting any second he crosses the bridge and reaches the basket. He carefully puts the pot next to the blanket and takes the bottles and empty boxes out of the basket so he can reorganize it.
I have to make sure the pot and the flower don't get damaged when we home... Let's see
The pony takes the pot and places it in the center of the basket and tries his best to work around it while packing together the bottles and the boxes. After reshuffling it about three times he finally succeeds and, to hide the new object, he covers the basket's opening with the picnic blanket.
Looks normal... He shouldn't get suspicious.
He sits down and waits for Gallus to return, which does not take very long. Only a minute later the griffon shows up, completely clean and freed from the twigs and leaves.
"Shall we go?", the blue male asks and Sandbar agrees after taking the basket and placing it on his back. Gallus also takes his brown bag, places his ball inside it and hangs it around his shoulder.