Aria swung her ax down as hard as she could, splitting the log cleanly in half. She grabbed the two chunks of wood and tossed them to Sonata, who stacked them in a small pile. They had been at it for about twenty minutes, with Silver coming from the little cabin in the woods to gather their chopped wood in a box.
Aria, Sonata, and Silver had been working quite hard to ensure that everything was set for their relaxing weekend in the woods. They gathered firewood, brought in the food, and did some last minute cleaning while Adagio sat in Silver’s van and stayed warm. When Aria asked why Adagio wasn’t helping, it was Silver who reminded her about Adagio’s stance on menial labor. So, it was up to them, and them alone.
“Yo, Emo-Freak! We good here?” asked Aria. Silver scooped up the last of the wood and inspected it.
“Yeah, this is good. Come on, you and Nata can help me start the fire,” he said. Aria crunched across the snow to converge with Sonata and Silver. Together, they set off for the cozy little wood cabin.
“Not to get in your business or anything, but how can you afford this?” asked Sonata. “You don’t even have a house yet.”
“Oh, this is my folks’ place. My dad used to be a movie director, and this is where he goes to relive his glory days.”
They walked into the cabin, which was as freezing as the winter air outside of it. Aria flipped a light switch to the left of the door, but nothing happened. She tried it twice more before deciding it was pointless.
“Oh, yeah, we have to jump the generator. Totally forgot,” said Silver. “Uh… Sonata, you can do this, right? Me and Aria can do the generator, I just need you to start the fireplace and go get Adagio.”
“She’s gonna bite your head off,” pointed out Aria. “You promised to carry her from the car.”
“Christ, you’re right. Alright, just the fire, then. Let’s go, Aria.”
The two crossed the lodge and exited out a back door. The sun had all but set, and they would have to hurry if they wanted to make it back before dark. The two walked in silence for several minutes before Silver made an attempt to break the ice.
“Are you ever going to learn my name?” he asked. “How long am I going to be Emo-Freak?”
“Until Dag gets bored of you and moves on to the next guy,” said Aria. It was a few seconds before she realized how inappropriate of a comment that was. “Sorry. I just doubt Adagio’s ability to be in a committed relationship.”
“Yeah, weren’t you single for 1,000 years?”
“Sure was. But I’m married now, and Dag is older than me.” Aria felt kinda bad for Silver. She never particularly cared for him, but it still felt wrong knowing that Adagio would break his heart in a few months. “Matter of fact, I’m amazed you guys lasted as long as you did. Why haven’t you kicked her gold-digging ass to the curb yet? She treats you like trash.”
“I’m actually going to answer that, but I have a question to ask afterward,” said Silver. “I’m with Adagio because she’s great. She’s funny, and she’s classy, and she’s cool to hang out with. We have a lot in common, and we have a lot of differences. Yeah, she might be a little bossy and dominant, but I admire that in a woman. I have no room in my heart for weak, incapable victims.” Silver smirked slightly. “I guess that’s why I like you. You’re just like her.”
“Them’s fightin words, kid,” warned Aria. Silver just laughed, then swiped his bangs out of his face. Aria groaned, because she hated when guys did that. It was mostly why Silver did it in the first place.
“You are. You’re both strong, independent chicks who see what they want and go for it,” said Silver. “I respect that. And, yeah, Adagio is high-maintenance.” He sighed almost tiredly. “Boy, is she high-maintenance. But all the demands for me to carry her or rub her feet or to fetch her something to drink? Totally worth it, because she deals with my crap.”
“Yeah? And what crap is that?”
“I’m unemployed and chasing my dreams, which is not an attractive business model. Whatever you heard about her being a gold-digger just ain’t true, at least not anymore.” Silver didn’t mind having to defend Adagio. He knew she’d do the same for him.
“Still. I can’t believe you put up with her,” said Aria. Silver shrugged his shoulders, then decided to ask his question.
“Earlier, you said something about Adagio treating me like trash, and that I should dump her for it,” said Silver. Aria nodded in agreement. “So, my question is this. Do you think that it’d be fair for Sonata to divorce you based solely on that fact?”
Aria tripped and stumbled, catching herself just before she hit the snow. When she recovered, she tried to wrap her head around what Silver had said. She didn’t treat Sonata like trash. Did she?
“Don’t tell me about how I treat my girl,” said Aria. “I treat her fine.”
“You tease her, you taunt her, and you call her an idiot, all the time,” said Silver. “Anyone else would be rolling up their sleeves to fight.”
“Well, that’s me and her. What you and Dag have going is totally different.”
“Enlighten me.”
“You’ve known Adagio for what? Six months? Seven?” said Aria. “I’ve been hanging with Sony and Dag for a millennium. They’re my family. We did some awful things to get where we are, but we fought through it and made something pretty sick. I’ve known Sonata longer than I’ve known anyone. Teasing her is something I’ve done since day one, and no amount of time is going to change that.”
“So it’s okay for you to be a douche to your wife, but Adagio can’t boss me around?” asked Silver. “That makes sense.”
“That’s not how it is!” Aria was getting frustrated because she couldn’t quite explain it. “It’s like… Even though I never said it those days, Sonata was my friend. I don’t want her to think that, just because we’re married now, that I’m not her friend anymore. It’s like…” Aria groaned angrily, shaking her head in annoyance. He just didn’t get it! What’s worse, she couldn’t explain it. Aria needed a way to make him understand her relationship with Sonata. She’d be a liar if she said it was simple, but it definitely shouldn’t have been so complicated.
Then, Aria looked up and out, and caught sight of the golden sun descending the horizon, and she suddenly understood it all.
“It’s like the sunset,” she said. “It’s beautiful, and it can make you feel a whole bunch of emotions, but it’s going to be gone soon. And, even though me and Sonata will be together forever, I don’t want anything we had then to go away. This is my way of extending the sunset.”
“But it’s the fact that the sunset ends that makes them so beautiful,” said Silver. “Nothing lasts forever. Things change. You just have to be willing to let them.” Aria didn’t say anything, which was enough for Silver. “Come on, the generator should be just up ahead.”
Aria hardly heard him. She was too busy figuring out what she’d say to Sonata.
Aria tiptoed as quietly as she could across the creaky wooden floor of the lodge. She was a little frightened, because Sonata wasn’t by her side when she woke up (in the middle of the night, as she often did). After checking the bathrooms and the kitchen, Aria noticed that Sonata’s coat and boots were missing. Donning her own, Aria set out the cabin in search of her wife.
Aria hardly had to walk out of the cabin before finding the one she was looking for, sprawled out on the ground and stargazing. Sonata didn’t notice her, all of her attention devoted to the sky, particularly the full moon hanging in the night. Aria didn’t say anything, she just lowered herself to the floor and laid in the snow next to Sonata.
“Hey,” said Sonata.
“Sup.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” said Aria. “What’s up with you? What’re you doing out here?”
“Just thinking,” sighed Sonata. “Thinking about us.”
“Heh. That’s funny.”
“What, that I’m thinking?” Sonata didn’t sound angry or annoyed, she hardly ever did. She just sounded expectant.
“Nah. Just that you were thinking about us. I was doing the same,” said Aria. She sighed. It took a lot of Aria to do what she was about to do. “Babe, I’m sorry.” Sonata tilted her head in confusion, but decided to let Aria finish before she asked any questions. “I shouldn’t tease or mock you the way I do. I’m going to try to dial it down. I just want you to know that, no matter what mean or rude thing I say, I’m not trying to hurt you.”
“I know. But why do you do it?” asked Sonata. “I never understood why.”
“It’s what our whole friendship was based on. You’re nice, I’m not,” explained Aria. “You could make friends with anyone, I never could. You always wanted to be around me, and I couldn’t get rid of you quick enough. It just felt right. I’m afraid of us changing. I still want to be your friend. That bully you overcame.”
Sonata didn’t respond at first. She mostly just thought on what Aria had said. It made sense, of course, but Sonata was surprised at her wife’s ability to put it into words. Speech was never Aria’s strong suit, so it was a safe bet to make that she had been preparing this all day. Sonata smirked internally. Aria was far from perfect, but she tried really hard. At the end of the day, that’s what mattered.
“That probably doesn’t make any sense,” sighed Aria. “I had this whole metaphor with Emo-Freak earlier, about the sunset, but I can’t remember it to save my life.” Sonata chuckled, which brought a slightly embarrassed smirk to Aria’s face. “Basically, our relationship before is like the sunset, and I don’t wanna lose it. Or something.”
“You’re thinking about it wrong,” said Sonata. Now it was Aria’s turn to be confused. “You shouldn’t think of it as a sunset. Think of us as the moon.”
“Gee, that makes sense,” grumbled Aria. She cringed as soon as she said it. “Sorry.”
“The moon changes throughout the month, but it always ends up the same shape,” explained Sonata, completely undisturbed. “Our relationship is gonna have to change if we wanna grow as people. But we’ll never be different forever. We’ll still be able to think back and reminisce about how things used to be, and experience the us that we used to be. Our anniversaries, our second and third honeymoons, even getting the girls together for drinks, they’re all just phases of the moon. We’ll get back to what we used to be, even if it is for a little while.”
Aria realized right then and there that she had been wrong for over a thousand years. Not only was Sonata not a moron, but she was a freaking genius.
“Holy crap… I never thought of it like that,” said Aria.
“Know my favorite part about the moon metaphor?” asked Sonata.
“No. What is it?” Sonata leaned over and kissed Aria on the forehead.
“The moon lasts forever.”
Nice, very nice, indeed.
6819427 Thank you very kindly, sir. Glad you think so
...okay, that was beautiful to me. This story brightens my day and ive squeed before at a chapter or two. but this one gave me a thought I might wanna keep in mind as i move forward. I like it.
6819711 As long as I make you feel something, I think I've done my job. Thanks for reading
Ok. I liked the story before this, just because of the dynamics between the characters. Now, there's also a level of insight to go along with it. Stop making me like ships I shouldn't care about!
6820187 Making people care about stupid things you shouldn't care about is a pastime of mine. Hope you enjoyed, and continue to do so
6820314 Most assurèdly, Noble author.
6820884 Holy crap, has it been that long already? Geez, time just soars sometimes.
Cuteness Overload! Awesome chapter and Silver is actually really cool.
6821119 Glad you enjoyed it. Emo-freak will probably be slightly more involved in this story from this point (as opposed to not at all), if for no other reason than to make Adagio seem like she's actually living outside of Aria and Sony.
6821681 Some people do know rock paper scissors as ro sham bo, but there is another, arguably lesser known, game by that name.
Basically, you stand across from your opponent/best friend/worst enemy. You both spread your legs slightly. One person rears their foot back and, with all the ferocity they can muster, kicks the other in the crotch. Then, the other person gets to kick you. You take turns kicking until one of you drops to your knees, with the last person standing being crowned the winner.
I've never played, but I've seen some idiots go at it for several minutes.
I just realized yesterday that this story was back in action. Let me tell you, it's so refreshing seeing one of my favorite stories up and running again! If I recall correctly, this was one of the first stories I favorited, so it's great to see it again. Can't wait to read more!
The moon won't last forever. It hatches into a kind of giant space eel thing with wings that lays another egg after being born.
6822972 Just as excited as you are to be reading, I am equally excited to be writing it. I'm glad I was able to worm my way into your favorites, especially as one of the first. Thanks for enjoying, and thank you very much for this comment. Things like that are what gives me the strength to put out a new chapter every Saturday.
Thanks for reading!
6823039 Yeah, but most humans are too stupid to remember things like that, so it's generally easierto just call it eternal.
Say, you remind me of someone. A Clock Count? Minute Duke? Quantum King? I dunno, it escapes me. All I know is that I could go for a spot of tea and a jelly baby.
6823045 You're most welcome!
6823069
Not gonna lie that last part kinda confused me. Was referencing a very interesting Doctor Who episode. I was so sad when my cable company dropped BBC.
6823539 I know you were referencing Doctor Who. I was as well, just in a slightly more obscure way. Quantum, Clock, and Minute all refer to Time, while Count, Duke, and king are all royalty, like a Lord. I was attempting to call you a Time Lord.
The Doctor is British, the British drink tea, and the Fourth Doctor would often offer people jelly babies. They're little British sweets reminiscent of jelly beans crossed with gummy bears.
6823783
Yeah, sorry little too subtle for the current moment. Had a weird long day caused by the annoying winter weather. Having your door fly open while turning because the lock hadn't completely thawed yet will throw you off for the day.
6823833 Totally understand, don't worry about it.
6828766 Yeah, I just didn't know that kuudere existed at the time
6830504 Well that depends on the type of bar. I've noticed some bars are thicker and heavier, but considering we're not given that specific info, either one of us could be right I suppose.
6830568 I actually had no idea that the bar could be so heavy (I'm more of a Sonata than an Aria in this instance). I just thought it sounded pathetic to not be able to lift the bar.
6830963 Yay, I was ri- I mean, yay, that's resolved.
And yes, since you weren't aware of that information, the bar could be considered not too heavy, and therefore yes, it would be a little pathetic not to lift it
Hey, i'm all caught up. Now instead of a read later this story is now a follow.
6834337 Their names are irrelevant, though they are references that you would only get if you were willing to drudge through my worst story ever, which most people aren't. It's just a thing I do; If I need a minor character, I use one of them (normally Silver)
6819680
The moon is actually being pulled towards earth. The moon won't escape in a million years, it's gonna collide with Earth
6823069 pocket watch prince, maybe? From SPACE!
Girls like Sonata are like this often enough. They see things, hear things, and notice things the rest of us don't because everyone around them thinks they aren't able to pay attention or remember things. But they do, oh do they ever.
Somewhere in another dimension, a certain horse goddess squees embarassingly for no discernible reason.