Dating Adagio Dazzle was a lot like looking after a spoiled, bratty six-year old. She whined and groaned and batted her lashes to get whatever she wanted, and required constant attention and affection. Then, when she could, she would manipulate her way into a favorable situation. Adagio required constant upkeep, adoration, and time from her current boyfriend, which was partly why she always struggled to keep a guy. Simply put, Adagio needed attention. Adagio needed to be in control. Adagio needed to be waited on, hand and foot.

She hated being snubbed.

That was one of the reasons why Adagio was so enthralled with Silver: regardless of the time, date, or place, Silver always bent to Adagio’s will. When she said they should go out, they went out. When she wanted to stay in, they stayed in. Her boyfriend listened to her, and did anything to keep her happy. He never, ever failed to please her. He could follow orders, and that was a trait Adagio loved even now, when she had no particular agenda.

So, when Friday (universally observed as date night) comes around, Adagio tends to make a lot of assumptions. She assumes that she’ll get her way, and that she would get to do whatever fun, interesting, romantic event that she so chose, all at her boyfriend’s expense.

She never anticipated that things may not go her way, so she made no effort to make any sort of back-up plan. She also declined every attempt by the Blazes to invite her along with their festivities (though, in fairness, Sonata asked only twice, while Aria never asked at all). Even if she would have, Adagio would have ignored her. She had plans tonight.

“What do you mean, you have plans tonight?!” demanded Adagio through the phone.

“Well, not so much plans as I have a gun to my head,” amended Silver. He had the good sense to break the news over the phone. “You know how the guys get.”

“To Tartarus with the guys, I’m your girlfriend!”

“True, but I’ve known them since I was six. They’re my best friends,” sighed Silver. “They think I’ve been ignoring them because of you. They think you and I might be spending too much time together, and I think they might be right.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” scoffed Adagio. “We do not spend too much time together!”

“The last time I hung out with my friends, just the three of us, was a week before you and I started dating. I don’t see my friends anymore, and they’ve had it up to here with my crap. They’re forcing me out for drinks, and I can’t really say anything about it. I kinda enjoy my arms being not broken, you know?”

“So you’re just going to go out and leave me high and dry?” Adagio shook her head in disbelief, collapsing onto the couch. “Of course you are, because why bother spending time with your girlfriend? Why would anyone in their right mind do something so insane?!”

“Adagio, you know I love you, so don’t pull that crap,” said Silver. “C’mon, babe, I miss my friends. Besides, it’s Conjure’s birthday, what do you want me to say? ‘Oh, sorry, bro, I really wanted to hang for your birthday, but the Mistress won’t let me out of the dungeon’?”

“Yes!”

“I’m sorry, babe, but I can’t ditch my boy so you and I can stay home playing video games,” said Silver with an air of finality. “Look, you have friends, don’t you? Go call up Rarity, get mani-pedis or something. Go eat some ice cream outside of a Weight Watchers and laugh at fat people. Whatever it is you two do for fun.”

“How terrible of a person do you think I am?” asked Adagio.

“Terrible enough that you are seriously considering it,” said Silver. Adagio didn’t respond immediately, which basically confirmed his point. “Do you think you can last this one night while I hang with my boys?”

“I guess…” groaned Adagio. Silver let out a tired sigh.

“Alright, fine. I was gonna wait a couple of weeks, but… I’m gonna have Sarah bring you a little package. Enjoy yourself, have a good night, and I will see you first thing in the morning.”

Silver hung up before Adagio could ask what the package contained, which was probably for the best. His sister was notoriously bad at being on time, so it was entirely possible that Adagio would never see Sarah that night. Which meant she was on her own.

Which meant she was going to tag along with the Blazes.

“Aria! Sonata!” she called. “Are you still here?”

“Yo.” Aria limped gingerly down the stairs, stopping about halfway. “What do you want?”

“Boy-toy stood me up. I want to go with you,” said Adagio. Aria stared blankly for a second.

Then she laughed. A lot.

“Yeah, no,” laughed Aria. “Me and the missus are heading out to someplace romantic. Guess you’re staying in tonight!”

“Change your plans,” Adagio commanded. Aria stared at her with a big, cheesy smile on her face. She turned her head up the stairs and shouted.

“Hey, babe! Dag wants to come with us!”

“Ha! She told us that if she ever said that, we should shoot her ‘cause she was obviously possessed!”

“Give me ten minutes, I’ll be back with Aj’s double barrel,” snickered Aria. She started back up the stairs. “See you later, Dag. Me and Sony are going out, because we love each other. You must wonder what that’s like!” Adagio let out a stream of swear words that had yet to grace human ears, knowing full well that each naughty word simply made Aria laugh. Adagio had lost this one.

Deciding the Silver was on to something, Adagio grabbed her phone and shot a text out to Rarity.

Hey, Rares.

Adagio had to wait until after Aria and Sonata left for a reply.

Sorry Adagio I dont have time Im on a date g2g bai.

Before today, no mortal man or woman dared refuse Adagio Dazzle’s company. Now, in one day, she had been stood up three times. This was unacceptable. It seemed as if everyone in her life was more interested in having relations with their friends, or their wife, or their stranger than they were with spending time with her!

At some point, Adagio realized that she sounded really childish. These people had lives outside of her. She shouldn’t be having this problem. Then, she became angry. Wasn’t the whole point of making friends in the first place so she wouldn’t feel lonely or feared or hated by everyone she met? What was the point of leaving behind everything she knew to become a normal human if she was just going to be left alone anyway?

Adagio tried to swallow all of the bad feelings she had. It was just one night. Besides, a night alone without idiot roomates or smart-ass boyfriends might not necessarily be a curse. In fact, she could enjoy herself if she tried. She grabbed her phone and her portable speaker, then headed to the bathroom. She drew a bath (extravagantly, too, with flower oil and dried rose petals), lit a few candles, then hit “shuffle” on her music player. As she stripped down and lowered herself into the water, she heard the first notes of a very familiar, very cherished song. She laughed as she remembered why she still listened to “You’re Beautiful”.

She was at a party of one of her and Rarity’s mutual friends. Whoever was working the music was having some sort of malfunction with the equipment. To save the party from silence, Adagio offered her phone and aux cord. The first song just happened to be that little James Blunt romance song. Adagio had honestly forgotten that it was in her playlist. She shrugged it off, then went to mingle. When she went fill up her drink, a guy was standing, almost as if waiting for her.

“Hey,” he said flatly. Adagio didn’t want to admit it, but she found him rather cute. White hair, dark skin, steely eyes. He seemed like a cool enough guy, cool enough for Adagio to have a little bit of fun with.

“Hello,” Adagio returned.

“So, you’re hot,” said the guy. “But you have a crappy taste in music.”

“Well, at least I have my looks, which is more than you can say.” Adagio took a sip of her drink. “You know, Deuce has been out of the group for a while, you might have a spot in Hollywood Undead if you try out.” Surprisingly, the guy laughed.

“You know, the joke kinda falls apart if you show that you like HU enough to know at least one member,” he noted.

“Touche.”

“So, what’s your name, hotness?” asked the guy.

“My name is Hotness,” answered Adagio. “And, at a guess, I’d say your name is Corny?”

“Ha! See, most guys see ‘corny’ as an insult, but me?” He laughed, flipping his ivory hair out of his eyes. “But me? I like it! It’s what gives me my power!” He crouched slightly and spread his legs, resembling an anime character powering up. Despite how stupid he looked, Adagio couldn’t help but giggle.

“That was you cue to tell me your name, idiot,” said Adagio.

“Oh. Well, it’s Silver. Silver Rift.” He winked and smiled. “And you are?”

“Adagio.”

“Why does that name sound familiar?” asked Silver, straining his brain to think.

“You might know me as ‘the psycho fish chick who tried to take over CHS’,” tried Adagio. Silver tapped his chin in thought.

“Huh. Guess so. But, hey! Regardless of what you were into before, I think you’re cool now,” said Silver. “I mean, besides your god awful taste in music.”

“Hey, don’t you listen to Hollywood Undead?”

“Everyone listened to Hollywood Undead at some point, it’s like puberty,” scoffed Silver. “Now, it’s Tears of Plague all day!” Adagio didn’t just laugh, but flat-out guffawed at that.

“ToP? You listen to that emo trash, but you make fun of James Blunt?” Silver, again, wasn’t offended. More like amused.

“Okay, maybe I’m hard on this song, but you would be, too,” sighed Silver. “If it felt like you wrote it.”

“Hm?”

“Girl trouble, man,” groaned Silver. He drained his cup with a slightly irritated look on his face. “No offense, but you women have done nothing but hurt me.” He almost choked on those words. “Wow. That… was hella emo. Geez, I can feel the guy-liner on my face.”

“I suppose I know what you mean by that,” agreed Adagio. “Romance is a dangerous thing. That’s why I keep things purely… Let’s say… physical, for the most part.”

“That’s no way to live. Love is what keeps us going.” Silver thought on it. “Jesus, I sound really pathetic, don’t I?” Adagio shrugged.

“I don’t know. You could sound worse,” said Adagio. She heard the song begin to die out. “I came over here for a drink, but… Would you like to keep talking?”

“May I take your hand, m’lady?” asked Silver with a grin. Adagio shook her head, but offered her hand to Silver nonetheless. They went over to a quieter part of the room and sat.

And so, the two chatted. When the DJ returned with working equipment, Adagio took her phone and followed her fellow partygoer, who she had since learned to be named Silver, out of the house and to his apartment to “have a little fun”. Adagio was expecting a lot of things to happen that night. What she didn’t expect, however, was to be pulled into a Tekken 7 tournament with Silver’s friends and sister. Apparently, neither did Silver, but he rolled with it and turned it into an amusing story that they’ve told constantly. It was one of her most fond memories.

As the song finished, Adagio pulled herself out of the tub, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around herself. Adagio smiled warmly in rememberance, her nostalgia tainted slightly by her selfish need for attention. She wasn’t sure why she was like this, why she just needed to be the center of attention. It was frustrating.

While Adagio redressed, another song began to play. This one, while familiar, had a far more negative connotation. “Blood is Red Tears”, formerly one of Silver’s favorite Tears of Plague songs, was now hated by both him and Adagio in almost equal measure.

They were at Silver’s apartment, relaxing on Silver’s bed while the sad, violent break up song played in the background. Adagio was annoyed, but she knew that Silver concentrated better while listening to his music. After all, she did want him to finish the novel. Maybe actually start to make some money.

“You’re irked,” noted Silver, not looking up from his laptop as he typed.

“Well, besides your garbage taste in music, I was under the impression that you invited me over here to spend time with me,” said Adagio.

“First of all, this song is great. It reminds me of Ana.” He closed his laptop. “Second, I thought you would want me to finish this story, seeing as it’s going to be my livelyhood very soon. Third, you can’t expect me to drop my work just because you’re getting needy.”

“Yeah. Work,” snorted Adagio dubiously. Silver raised an eyebrow.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, nothing. Just that what you do can hardly be considered work.” Adagio stared at her boyfriend sternly. “You press buttons, darling. How much work can that be?” Silver could tell it was going to be one of “those” conversations, so he got up and started pacing. If he stayed sitting, the anger would’ve built, and he might’ve said something regrettable.

“It might not be pulling in money just yet, but it’s what I love to do,” said Silver. “And yes, it’s a lot of work. Sometimes, I look at a chapter I’ve been working on for weeks and delete it all, because I realized that I hated it. I’m always working, even when I’m not actually writing. Half of my brain is being used on that book at all times.”

“Perhaps if you used all of that brain of yours, it would’ve been finished by now,” said Adagio, feeling the bitterness settle in her heart. Something about the casual way in which Silver mentioned his ex-girlfriend Ana made Adagio angrily.

“If I used all my brain on the book, I wouldn’t have anything left to spend on the six year old I’m dating!” shot Silver. “God, you can be really childish and immature sometimes, you know? You’re so vindictive! You’re always trying to get a reaction out of me!”

“Oh, so I’m vindictive just because I point out the truth?” scoffed Adagio. “What you do isn’t work, pretty boy. It’s a hobby. And a lame one, at that. You need to consider a real job. Do your job as a man and provide for your woman.”

“See, that’s what I mean! You’re trying to cut deep, and I can’t-” Silver trailed off, nodding in understanding. “You’re jealous. You’re mad that the song reminds me of Ana, and that I see that as a good thing.” Adagio remained silent, which was arguement-speak for “Yes, Silver, you’re right”. “That’s it, isn’t it? You really are a child. How can you be so jealous of a girl you don’t know, will never know, and don’t care to know about?”

“Oh, I know all about her! I hear about her all the time, SIlver!” shouted Adagio. “You only talk about her every time I see you! ‘Oh, Ana used to have a pair of shoes like that’ or ‘Ana would’ve hated that hat’ or ‘I used to do this with Ana all the time’! Who gives a damn about this girl?!”

“I do!” Silver’s volume overtook Adagio’s. “Believe it or not, my life does not begin and end with ‘Adagio Dazzle’! There was love before you, and there can be love after you!”

That stung, but Adagio tried her best to stop it from showing.

“Oh, you loved her?” laughed Adagio hysterically. “Well, she obviously didn’t feel the same, or you’d still be together! What’d she do, anyway? Cheat on you? Sleep with one of your friends?”

“Have an aneurysm and pass away?” said Silver coldly. “Yeah, I guess she hated me so much that she just straight up died to get away from me. I bet most girls would rather die than be with some asshole who follows his dream.”

Adagio didn’t know that little fact about Ana. Not that it especially mattered. She was mad, and was liable to say just about anything to get a rise out of Silver. Still, learning that the only reason that she was with the love of her life was because his first choice died made Adagio a bit queazy.

“I… I didn’t…”

“Yeah, you didn’t. That’s why you should make an effort to care about someone other than yourself sometimes.” said Silver, with a flat, chilled tone in his voice. Silver grabbed his hoodie and keys, then walked for the door. “I’m going for a walk. Don’t be here when I get back.”

Adagio shook the memory away, feeling the tears well up. It took weeks for Silver to talk to her again, and it happened slowly, over the course of many days. Adagio couldn’t believed she was so stupid. She felt the breath catch in her chest just at the thought of that argument. It was their first, and only, major fight, and Adagio was afraid that they’d never patch things up. But, as she learned, time heals all wounds.

That’s not to say that Silver was without his flaws and faux pas. There was the time he left her stranded upstate because he overslept, no doubt playing video games all of the night before. Not to mention the time he ignored her birthday in favor of the midnight release for Kingdom Hearts. And Adagio was at least partly right, about Silver not providing for her. He still had no job, and they actually lived off of what remained of the Siren’s savings. Adagio would have to get a job soon. Frankly, Silver was inconsiderate of her feelings, which he knew were quite fragile, and undependable. It was almost as if he didn’t care.

There was a knock at the door, pulling Adagio’s brain away from the bad memory. She dried her hair as best she could, then practically ran downstairs. By this point in the night, Adagio just really wanted someone to talk to. When she got to open the door, the person on the other side (a pale redheaded girl) shoved a big box in her arms.

“Silv says he loves you,” said Sarah plainly. “Enjoy yourself, and sorry I’m late. I gotta go.” And, just as quickly as she came, Silver’s sister vanished. Adagio hardly even processed what happened.

“Ooh, you know Mama loves gifts, don’t you?” Adagio giggled to herself. She swung the door closed, then ran over to her couch. She plopped down and tore open the cardboard box. Inside was a note, laying atop several old video games and consoles. Intrigued and delighted, Adagio read the note. She recognized Silver’s scratchy, untidy handwriting immediately.

Adagio stared at the box’s contents, mouth agape. She saw Mega Mans, and Zeldas, and Sonics, not to mention her favorite Final Fantasy installments, Dragon’s Quest, Castlevania, Metroid, even Mother! Not only were they her favorite good games, but there were even some bad games in the box that Adagio loved for the novelty. Ride to Hell: Retribution and Sonic 2006 stood out among these. Silver knew her well.

“He’s so thoughtful,” she cooed. “And I have been such an ass…”

Her phone vibrated, alerting her of a text. She assumed it was Rarity, but was pleasantly surprised to see who it came from.

Hey, babe. Just checking in. You okay?

Adagio typed as fast as she could convince her thumbs to move.

I’m the worst girlfriend ever, I’m so sorry for everything, for smothering you, for being clingy, for feeling abandoned, for thinking you don’t care. You’re the greatest, and I don’t deserve you. You’re so perfect, and I’m not. You’re sweet and romantic, and it’s obvious that you do care about me. I’m so, so sorry for everything I’ve done, babe.

Adagio hardly had to wait for the response.

Don’t ever apologize for not being perfect. I don’t date you for perfection. I date you for Adagio

Adagio smiled, tears running down her face. She was absolutely, positively, 100% in love with this man.

Ifly, Dagi

I love you, too.