The winter is rolling in again… Should I really be surprised? I should be expecting the dreadful snow and icy surfaces. It’s just typical of December… The last time winter was here, I didn’t know what to do with my life. In a sense, I still don’t know, but at least I’m not lost. I have a direction and I have friends, but most of all, I have Sunset. This past year has been nothing but incredible due to her. She and I get busy frequently, but I make sure to put away some time for the two of us to be together. Especially with Sunset’s busy university schedule, I try to make sure I have anything but work free from my plans. Everything has been great with Sunset and I honestly couldn’t be happier.

Everything… except one small thing… One issue… Her involvement in my life. What was once a hallucination has now been plaguing my life almost every corner I turn. She takes control every now and again, usually making me forget what happens when she does something. Thankfully, she hasn’t done anything drastic just yet… I’m not sure why she hasn’t, but surely, she has a plan… I just need to find out what that is. When she first took control, I was sure she would do something to destroy my life, but… she’s been dormant. Just sorta there… The only thing that can point me to what she might be planning is wherever she goes when she takes control…

Unlocking the apartment door, I take a deep breath, turning on the light to the living room. That… can wait though. For now, it’s really late at night and I should probably get to bed. Sunset deserves to know what’s going on with me… I’ll tell her soon. Just not now. Maybe we can sit down and talk about it tomorrow night. We’re already going to watch a movie together, so it would be the optimal time to tell her about this.

Slipping my boots off, I look around the room, seeing a yellow sticky note on the coffee table. Gently taking off my scarf, I hang it on the rack next to the door, walking over to the note. I would be lying if I said I’m not curious about what is on the note… I’m not used to getting notes from her, but she’s probably asleep in our room. I guess it makes sense that she would write me a note in this instance. Did I keep her up…? I hope she didn’t wait for me… I should have texted her that I would be late.

“Hey, Alligator~ I hope you’re doing alright. It’s been a busy week, huh? I made us dinner. Your plate is in the fridge. I love you so much, Adagio~ XOXO” A small blush comes to my cheeks as I read the note, smiling at Sunset’s kind words. Even though I should be used to this, I’m not. It’s still… really nice to hear that she loves me, even if it has the signs for hugs and kisses at the end. I’ve never really been a fan of using those signs, but when Sunset uses them, they seem pretty… intimate. God, I love her… I can’t wait for our movie night tomorrow.

It’s like a dark fog… Eerily present in all my actions and my every waking moment. What was once a small hallucination has grown way out of proportion. Despite how hard I try to convince myself it’s all a bad dream, it’s real. Everything about this reality isn’t my imagination. It isn’t some nightmare. That would be the easy way out, wouldn’t it…? Just as soon as I find happiness in this pathetic life of mine, she has to come out. She has to be real… Why couldn’t she have been some dream. Some sort of figment of my imagination. Instead, she’s the retribution for my actions, constantly reminding me of my past. My fight to hurt others. I’ve long since given up that battle, but she keeps bringing it back. I thought I could get by if I just pretended she wasn’t real. If I just told myself she’s not there. Now? I can’t ignore it anymore… She makes sure of that.

Taking a sip of my water, I look at the yellow note on my desk again, trying to keep my breathing steady. This little… ‘gift’ was left on my desk. I’m not even sure when it was placed here since it wasn’t here yesterday. This little note, as innocent as it seems, is everything but peaceful. Instead, I’m looking down at my own handwriting, each letter staring back at me as if it is her… She wrote this… She did this. Any hope I had of it still being a dream is long since gone. Now there’s proof of her existence. Now I can’t run away from it… Not only has she invaded my mind, but now she’s rooted herself in almost every aspect of my life…

“Now it’s time for the cat to play, little mouse.” Her note is written in red ink, expertly signing it off with my own initials… She’s not the real Adagio Dazzle. Right? She can’t be… She’s some demon… Some siren left inside of me. I’m Adagio… I have to be. Despite how much she hates me, she hasn’t done anything to destroy my life just yet… Whenever she takes control, she plays along and acts like me around Sunset and my friends. Why…? She could so easily break my life, but she doesn’t… Wasn’t that her goal? To take revenge for me rejecting my siren instincts? What else could she want?

Slamming my fist onto my desk, I can’t help but sigh heavily, gritting my teeth. Why can’t I get a fucking break…? Haven’t I paid for my sins? Haven’t I done enough? I can’t seem to live a happy life, regardless of how hard I try. I’ve apologized for what I did. I’m trying so damn hard… Instead, this demon is possessing my life, forcing me to live in paranoia… What is her plan? What can I do? Grabbing the note, I feel a couple tears form in my eyes, sliding down my face… They aren’t tears of sadness. They’re tears of anger… Frustration. “Leave me alone…” Crushing the note in my hand, I grit my teeth just a little harder, pressing my forehead down on my arm. However temporary as it may be, resting here feels better than trying to reason with this unfair turn of events… It’s already been two months… I need to tell Sunset.

A loud knock on my door causes me to open my eyes quickly, looking up at the entrance just as it opens. Without asking for permission, a rainbow-haired woman walks inside my office holding her lunch box with a proud smile on her face. “Hey, Dagi~ Are you ready for lunch? I was figuring we could-” Upon looking at me, Rainbow Dash stops herself mid sentence, looking concerned. “Wait. Are you… crying? Is something wrong…?”

“Other than you rudely barging in without an invitation? No,” I say in a low breath, keeping my eyes down towards the table. Resisting the urge to grit my teeth, I slowly drop the note in the trash bin, looking towards Dash.

“You know you can talk to me if you need to, right? I know I’m not serious a lot of the time, but I can be if you-”

“Dash, can you leave?” I ask her quickly, trying to not get any more annoyed. The last thing I want is for her to pry into this matter before I get the chance to fully think about what I’m going to say to Sunset…

“Are you sure…? I… I don’t like seeing you upset,” Rainbow Dash says quietly, slowly approaching one of the chairs in my office. “I promise I won’t judge. What’s on your-”

“God damn it, Dash! I told you to leave!” I yell at her with grit teeth, trying my best not to cry anymore than possible. Why did she have to come in here now? She has the worst timing known to man… Pointing at the door, I slam my hand down on my desk, finally getting up from my seat. “I don’t need you to pry at something that isn’t your business!”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widen and she takes a couple steps back, finally realizing what I mean. She has a thick skull, so it makes sense… “Alright… I’ll go,” she tells me quietly before getting out of my office, closing the door behind her… Taking a deep breath, I sigh at myself, sitting down in my seat once more. I shouldn’t have yelled at her, but… she shouldn’t meddle in something like this… I’m so tired…

========================================================

Holding her soft hand in mine, both of us walk down the brightly lit aisle of the dollar store, looking for a few items on our list. As much as I would like to buy more expensive and better quality items, Sunset and I are still on a budget. My job doesn’t pay enough for me to frivolously spend on comfort products every time I get the urge. Sunset’s internship pays even less than my previous nightclub job, so I’m honestly surprised Sunset was getting along without me before. It was apparently due to a few lucky scholarships. Thankfully, Sunset doesn’t have to worry about scholarships anymore. Filthy Rich is essentially paying for the rest of her college education due to our bargain in the past. That… is another thing I didn’t tell her. My history with Filthy Rich is something I don’t need to talk to her about… It’s just something I’d rather get behind me and forget about as fast as possible.

“Hey, Alligator?” Sunset briefly says, putting a loaf of bread in the basket I’m holding. “Have I told you I love you today?” she asks me in a straightforward tone, seemingly serious about it. Regardless, it doesn’t fail to bring a smile to my face, my cheeks flushing without my control.

“W-why do you ask?” I respond in an attempt to remain composed. It still makes me really happy to hear those three words… That she actually… loves me.

“Because you came home kind of depressed. You usually take off your boots first if you’re in a good mood, but you took a few moments to breathe before taking off your jacket.” Looking towards me, Sunset gives me a warm smile, tightening her grip on my hand to reassure me of her presence. “That’s something you do when you have something on your mind. So, I was wondering if I told you just how much you mean to me today~” Does she really know me down to the detail like that…? She understands so much about me, even picking up on my body language that I didn’t know was happening. It’s not like I was consciously acting different. In a way, her paying attention like that is… kind of sweet.

“Are you intentionally cute?” I ask her slowly, keeping my eyes locked with hers. Even though our main intention coming here is to get some groceries before we watch a movie together, I can’t help but focus on her. Not on the expiration dates or the brand of items. Not on the color of the walls or the tiles. Instead, I focus on her. The shimmer of her hair and the shine in her eyes. Her warm smile.

“Well, I’m not trying if that’s what you’re asking~” Sunset tells me with a wink, before averting her gaze to pick out some cereal, gingerly tracing her finger along the boxes. If someone asks me to narrow down why I love her to one singular reason, I would be unable to speak. Finding one reason is simply impossible. It’s everything about her that makes me so unspeakably in love with her. Every relationship has its problems. Of course she and I have had our fair share of arguments, but she tries so hard to be the best she can, treating everyone with the kindness she thinks she doesn’t deserve. She’s so beautiful… Inside and out. That’s why it would be impossible to find a reason to say why I love her. There’s too many to count. Too many reasons to make a list or to write down.

“Do you try to be as beautiful as a star then? Since you shine like one every day,” I whisper with a small blush, disregarding my body’s instinct to feel embarrassed from saying something like that. Sunset, stopping in her tracks, slowly looks over at me with a blush of her own, unable to say anything for a little while. Despite the blush on her cheeks, a smile is ever present on her face. For some reason, her expression has a look of disbelief to it, her eyes almost watery.

“W-what did you say?” she asks me with a happy tone to her voice, tearful at my statement. Her reaction to my words only makes her seem more innocent and more beautiful.

“I said that you’re as beautiful as a star. Every single day,” I whisper once more, enjoying the feeling of her soft hand wrapped around my own. Despite every attempt from the world to tear us apart, she stands by my side… Even after everything I’ve done to her. She still sees some sort of value in me. What did I do to deserve her…?

“Thank you, Adagio~ I… I don’t know what to say,” Sunset slowly tells me with a big smile, tears running down her cheeks. Every time I look into her eyes in moments like these, I know exactly what she’s thinking. I know that I really love her. That’s what counts. This love of ours.

======================================================

The screen flashes as the two characters clash their swords together, talking about their motives. In a way, it’s a battle of attrition. Trying to prove their point is superior and weaken their opponent. It’s the third film of the night and I have long since stopped caring about who is fighting for what goal. At this point, I think both of us are grasping at any chance to prolong the night just a little longer. We both know it will be at least a week before we can spend this much time together again, so it’s sad to see the hours tick by. Even the warm touch of the blanket isn’t enough to distract me from how late it is. If anything, her hand gently holding onto mine serves to remind me that we should both be asleep by now.

The only light in this room comes from the TV screen. Even though Sunset’s grip would usually be tighter than it is now, I can’t blame her. Right now, her eyes are closed and her breathing is slow. It’s sad that I can’t spend more time with her, but seeing her peaceful face as she explores her dreams makes it all worth it. Only a demon would be cruel enough to wake her from this rest she’s earned. We’ve long since eaten all the popcorn and the hours just keep passing us by. Who could blame her for falling asleep? Once again, her head rests on my shoulder, reminding me of all the times we’ve been put in a situation like this. I never get tired of it though… It’s really nice to see her like this. To be with her. To be able to call this sleeping angel my own, knowing that no one else will be able to experience this with her. Is it wrong of me to feel possessive over her? I… love her more than anything else in the world. This shimmer on my life is something I treasure the most… To see her peaceful and beautiful face like this is a blessing I can never deserve.

Slowly pressing my lips against her warm forehead, I can’t help but smile. I never got the chance to talk to her about the demon in my mind. I know I need to, but… It can wait a few more days. I wouldn’t want to wake her just to give her bad news. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I slowly navigate to the camera, aiming it at the two of us. One more. Just for old time’s sake. Leaning my head against hers, I smile softly, taking a picture of the two of us. Sunset will probably make me send her a copy of it in the morning, but for now, I simply put my phone back in my pocket and grab the TV remote. Turning off the one light source in the room, both Sunset and I are left in almost complete darkness. Her body doesn’t move at all to the change in lighting, showing just how deep in sleep she is.

“You’re so cute,” I whisper before pulling the blanket off of us. It’s about time to bring the night to a close. It can’t last forever, as much as I may wish it to. Stretching slowly, I wrap an arm around Sunset’s shoulders, pushing my other arm under her legs. “Up you go~” I whisper again, pulling Sunset up off the couch, holding her close to me. Her head rests on my chest easily, making me smile a little more. Even though there’s practically no light, I can tell Sunset is still sleeping due to her soft breaths. Sunset will probably be sad that she fell asleep in the middle of our movie night, but I don’t really mind. As long as she gets her rest, it will all be worth it in the end. It’s also not that bad to take care of her like this anyway.

Carefully, I walk towards the hallway, making sure to go at a slow pace. I don’t want to trip on anything or wake her up. Our room only has a small amount of light from the blinds, revealing the moon’s presence. Closing the door with my foot, I carefully walk around the bed to Sunset’s side, the small amount of light from the window hitting her face. Sometimes, I can’t help but wonder what she’s dreaming about. Is she dreaming in general? When I dream, it’s usually nightmares or dreams of spending time with her. Maybe she imagines me as well. Maybe she thinks of her friends and spending time with them. I don’t usually ask her what she dreams about, but I always think about it during these moments.

Once again, the smile I can’t seem to avoid comes back to my face. Slowly, I press my lips against her forehead again, lowering her body down onto the mattress. Pulling the blanket up, I cover Sunset’s body as well as I can, making sure she won’t get cold. It doesn’t take me long to get to my side of the bed, placing my phone on the nightstand and getting under the covers. I need to talk to her soon, but for now? I just hope she has pleasant dreams~

Next Chapter: Dropping the Ball Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 2 Minutes