"Okay, Wally, I'm going to be gone for about an hour." Sunset grabbed her wallet and keys. "Is that okay?"
When she didn't hear a reply, Sunset looked over her shoulder. There, Wallflower was still sitting on the couch in her pajamas. A half-eaten bowl of cereal lay next to her, along with the remote for their small flatscreen TV. Her adorably sleepy expression didn't change when Sunset walked over and gently rubbed her back.
"Babe?" Sunset almost giggled. "Babe, did you hear me?"
"Whoziwhazat?" Wallflower blinked sleep from her eyes. After a long yawn, she glanced up at Sunset with a soft smile. "Oh, hi, Sunny. Sorry, I think I fell asleep watching my cartoons again."
"That's okay, Wally." Sunset kissed her, then gestured towards the door. "I need to run a couple of errands. I'll be back in an hour. Is that okay?" she asked again.
"Of course! Go and run your errands, silly." Wallflower picked up her cereal bowl. "I'll keep the couch warm for you."
Though it was minute, Sunset couldn't help but still feel a sense of growing dread as she headed to the door. "Alright, be safe while I'm gone, okay?"
Shoving a giant spoonful of cereal into her mouth, Wallflower nodded.
"B-be safe," Sunset said again.
"Mmhmm!"
Sunset cleared her throat, then wrung her hands together. "Seriously, Wally. Please be safe."
With an audible gulp, Wallflower looked up from her cereal and gave her a bright smile. "Of course, Sunny! You worry too much."
Sunset sighed with relief. When she put her hand on the doorknob, she remembered to say— as she always did when leaving Wallflower's line of sight— "I love you, Wally."
Wallflower blushed. "I love you too, Sunny! Now—" she added, before Sunset could object— "go knock those errands dead!"
Though she flinched at the phrasing, Sunset mustered a smile. Before her nerves could get the best of her, she finally left her—their—apartment.
It's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay. The mantra looped on repeat as Sunset went made her way to the parking lot. Everything's gonna be fine. I'm just gonna go to the store, then the post office, then the flower shop, then the restaurant… and it's all gonna be fine.
It's gonna be fine.
It'll be fine.
Fine.
The events of the past few weeks wound through Sunset's mind the entire ride to the grocery store. Following the "Bowflex™ incident," Wallflower had moved into Sunset's studio loft. Everything Sunset could think to do to prevent another potential tragedy had been done. The sharp objects had been removed, the chemicals thrown out, and the second-story window locked and barred.
By now, CSU classes had begun. Sunset had Wallflower's schedule memorized to the second. Other than when she was attending classes, her girlfriend was never out of Sunset's sight. Whether she was dropping her off, picking her up, or— most importantly— just spending time with her, Sunset made certain that Wallflower was safe.
Today marked the first time in several weeks that Sunset left Wallflower anywhere by herself. A part of her continued to argue against doing so, but there was simply no way around it. Wallflower's parents were out of town; their mutual friends were busy today with classes, jobs, or other commitments. Delivery services were too expensive. Their cupboards were close to bare, a package was waiting at the post office downtown, and—last, but not least—Sunset and Wallflower needed a date night. Hence the visit to the flower shop, as well as Wally's favorite restaurant for takeout.
Sunset tried not to think too hard about what happened the last time she had planned a romantic evening. She would never look at a Bowflex™ the same way again.
"It's gonna be okay," Sunset thought aloud. She had no other choice but to believe it.
The errands were completed within the time allotted and then some, giving Sunset a few minutes to spare. In her hands were the bag of groceries, bouquet of sunflowers, and carton of takeout from Wallflower's favorite Italian restaurant. The package she had gone to pick at the post office had been delivered instead. Noting its absence from the front door, Sunset reasoned that Wallflower must have gotten up from the couch and grabbed it.
Somehow, the idea of Wallflower leaving the couch set Sunset on edge. She took a moment to try to rein in her nerves. Wallflower's fine. So she grabbed the package. So what? Everything's fine.
It's fine.
It's… FINE.
Now, go in there and have that romantic moment you've been wanting with her since—Sunset cringed—nevermind. Just get in there.
One last breath, and Sunset opened the door. She steeled herself as she usually did. This time, however, it was for a positive reason. She was going to march through that door, give Wally the flowers, kiss her, show her the takeout, eat a meal by candlelight together, and—
Wallflower Blush had a gun in her mouth.
Time stood still.
"Oh, hi, Sunset!" Wallflower waved over at her girlfriend, who was rooted to the floor. Each motion of her lips and hand came in slow motion. Sunset counted the seconds between her syllables, her heart racing faster than they could form.
"I wanted you to be here so you could see this."
The sleek, black barrel shone in the light of the living room lamp. Four of Wallflower's slender green fingers wrapped around the grip. One of them stretched out towards the trigger guard, circling around it with precision.
"Check this out!"
Wallflower Blush put the barrel of the gun back in her mouth.
When her finger moved towards the trigger, Sunset Shimmer came back down to Earth.
"WALLY, NO!"
The bouquet of sunflowers, wrapped in pink cellophane paper, fell to the carpet. Petals dropped along with the thud of spaghetti carbonara and garlic bread. Cans of soup, a gallon of milk, and a box of cereal joined the fray on the floor.
In a flurry of tangling limbs and sweating bodies, Sunset launched herself at Wallflower.
Head-over-heels, they tumbled, Sunset on top of Wallflower. Once she had her pinned, she knocked the gun from her hand. The weapon slid across the carpet. Sunset swore she could hear the click of the hammer as it left Wallflower's outstretched hand. She braced herself for the booming roar of the gunshot.
It never came.
"Wally!" Sunset shouted nonetheless, staring down at her through a haze of turmoil. "I-I don't understand!" Hidden by the adrenaline, her tears returned, springing forth anew. Painful sobs wracked her body. She collapsed on top of her shell-shocked girlfriend. Rivers of tears flowed freely as she howled, "Wh-what am I doing wrong?!"
To Sunset's continued horror, Wallflower responded, "It's okay, Sunset. I know it looks difficult, but I can help you do it too!"
Sunset could only whimper.
"We can do it together!" Wallflower squeezed Sunset in a tight hug. "Wouldn't that be great?"
Sunset blubbered, "Wh-wh-why, Wally?! Why?!"
"Well, don't you like Pez?"
"Wh-what?" Sunset sniffled. "Wh-what did you s-say?"
"Pez, silly!" Wallflower pointed at the gun. "It's a vintage Pez dispenser from the 1960's! The package came just after you left."
Unable to comprehend any of the words coming out of Wallflower's mouth, Sunset just blinked.
"Here, I'll show you!" Wallflower reached over with her long, spindly nerd arms, and grabbed the gun.
Again, time slowed. Sunset's shriek echoed through her ears.
Wallflower put the barrel back in her mouth and pulled the trigger.
Instead of the atrocity that awaited her in all other lifetimes, in this one, Wallflower Blush ate some candy.
"See?" Sticking her tongue out, Wallflower revealed a row of little purple candies. "Grape flavor!"
While Sunset watched in stunned silence, Wallflower munched the candy. Then, she pulled the gun's trigger again. More candy.
And again. And again. And again.
Wallflower pointed the gun at Sunset. "Smile, Sunset!"
A piece of grape-flavored Pez ricocheted off Sunset's cheek with a boink!
"Aww, Sunny! You have to open your mouth!"
High-pitched whines morphed into full-blown sobs. Sunset wrapped her arms around Wallflower and held her close, never, ever, ever intending to let go again.
For a moment, Wallflower seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. Instead of shooting her girlfriend again, she hugged her back, waiting until Sunset's cries had slowed once more. Then, she whispered, "Hey, Sunny?"
Sunset struggled to keep her voice even. "Y-y-yes, Wally?"
"You're, um…" Wallflower trailed off into a murmur.
Releasing her, Sunset looked down at Wallflower. "Wh-what?"
"You're, um…" Slowly, both a blush— and a smirk—spread across Wallflower's face. "You're on top of me."
"... Buh…"
"S-so, um, maybe we could—"
Sunset started crying again.
Wallflower held Sunset tight. "That's okay. We can just cuddle instead."