10 months came and went. There were more playdates. Cherry grew up with Switchy, eventually becoming an adult fluffy almost at the same time as him. They still played as if they were little colts, but they were a little more mellow now. At some point, Cherry surprised Switchy with a pink flower from a bush, which made the lavender alicorn blush.
Brian and Gavin hung out more, growing to be close friends. They hung out outside of fluffy playdates, Gavin sometimes just dropping in on Brian. Cherry was always excited to see him.
But the good times didn’t last forever.
Brain was in the middle of work when he was suddenly called from his cubicle by his boss. “Mr. Tillard, if you would please step in here for a moment?” Brain walked into his boss’s office, suspicious.
“What do you need, sir?” Brain asked.
“Close the door, Mr. Tillard.” Brian’s boss answered. Fearing the worst, Brian closed the door gently and sat down across the desk from his boss. “I have to be blunt here; I’m gonna need you to collect your things and head out. I’m sorry.” His boss slipped him a pink piece of paper.
Brian stared down at the pink slip. Fired? For what? Why?
“I’m sorry Mr. Tillard, but since the company is changing hands, we have to lay off our less essential workers. You were a good worker sure, but we can’t keep you anymore.” His boss explained.
Brain sighed, head in his hands. He was already low on funds, and now this. How was he supposed to keep his house and get food on the table, let alone keep Cherry? Was he going to be alone again? These thoughts and worries swirled around in his mind, drowning his boss’s voice out.
Eventually, he was given a box to gather his things in. He grabbed the little rubber duck on his wall, the small clock on his desk, and a few other useless knick-knacks. Maybe he could sell those and get another meal in the house. His co-workers stared at him as he walked through the room, and his vision grew misty. A lump came into his throat, and he did his best not to cry in front of everyone at his workplace. He drove home.
The only good part about the whole situation was that Cherry was excited to see him home early. The alicorn leapt up to nuzzle his hand, purring.
“Bwian am home eawwy! Yay!! Wan’ pway?” Cherry happily offered, his pupils blown wide in excitement. Brian, though he was glad to see the little stallion in good spirits, sat down and sighed.
“I’m sorry Cherry, I had a bad day today. I need to talk to some people and try to fix something.” Brain explained. Cherry deflated, “Hmph”ed, and trotted off. The man lay down on the couch and started searching for nearby jobs.
After a few days of being at home, Brain still hadn’t been able to find any job openings. He wished his boss hadn’t fired him so close to when he paid his bills. He would not be able to afford them if he didn’t get a paycheck soon.
He ended up going to Gavin to ask for advice. At 2:13 pm, he texted him.
Brain’s heart skipped a beat. Getting to stay with his friend sounded great. He couldn’t help a giddy smile that crept onto his face.
“Wait,” he asked himself. “Do I really see Gavin as a friend? Am I…?”
He thought of being able to spend more time with Gavin and felt himself blush. His heart began to race.
“Oh, shit. Goddammit.” He muttered to himself, facepalming and staring wide-eyed at his phone.
He was in love.
Author’s note: Sorry this one is so short! I’m working a little slower since I’m doing multiple projects at once. And to anyone who had recently lost a job (I know who it is) I just wanna clarify that this was completely coincidental. This chapter was a bit badly timed, so sorry if that part hits a little hard.
First chapter: Cherry And Brian, Chapter 0: Cherry's Backstory (Star-The-Alicorn)
Previous chapter: Cherry and Brian, Chapter 7: Bonding (Star-The-Alicorn)
Next chapter: Cherry and Brian, Chapter 8: Daycare Disaster (Star-The-Alicorn)