//------------------------------// // Misery Business // Story: Cut it Out // by Kickback //------------------------------// I'm in the business of misery, Let's take it from the top. She's got a body like an hourglass, it's ticking like a clock. It's a matter of time before we all run out, When I thought he was mine she caught him by the mouth. "...You're a friggin' idiot." Several things could have happened in that one moment in time. A newborn future leader could have born, a house could have blown up or a doctor could suddenly found the cure for cancer. Not that she cared, those were all human things. She could have proceeded to flip her shit in rebellion and that definitely wouldn't have been the only thing flipped. Tables, fingers, you name it but for a while, there was just silence. A small, eerie, awkward noiseless era of seconds between a magical seahorse demon and a high school nurse. Neither of them said another word for what felt like an eternity after Redheart's little declaration. Aria felt the briefest flicker of panic arise in her chest before she scoffed, really? That was her great revelation? Never had she heard anything dumber and her sister was Sonata Dusk. Just take a minute to think about that, over a thousand years with that little blue air-head and never had she said anything stupider than what this two-bit doc was dishing out to her. She was a Siren, the toughest Siren. She couldn't be...that. There was nothing punk rock about love. Barely another thought crossed her mind before she finally spoke. Bitterly. Licorice-Head was taken aback. "Not...quite the reaction I was expecting." "Well, you are...So, can I just get some kinda medicine or something to make me feel better 'cause I'm not...that." The nurse cocked an eyebrow. "Really?" "Yeah, that's impossible." Aria muttered, more to herself as her fingers gripped tighter around her biceps. Wait, what was... "Are you sure about that?" Bleach-skin's lips cracked in an annoyingly amused grin. "Yes!" She blurted, feeling the sudden burn of anger in her blood. Why was she..."There's no way! I'm a Si-" She stopped. Even if she didn't believe her, Adagio would have used her giant head as a bowling ball should she scream out that little fact. As that train of thought chugged on through her mind, Aria slowly came to an idea. One that frightened her beyond all reason and it was literally the worst. "I'm sorry, you're a..?" "Nothin'." She managed to grunt out. "Well, regardless..." Redheart chuckled, sauntering back over to her desk. "You can deny it all you want, dear but I think you should instead listen to what your heart says." Aria was about to tell her to shove but that's when it occurred to her. Her heart. That weird tight feeling in her chest, the spinning in her head, the bile in her mouth. Her arms hung loosely to her sides, eyes never really saw anything as they widened, unfocused as they were while her jaw slacked lazily open. No...she refused to believe it. It wasn't true. She couldn't...not for him. Aria growled under her breath and wordlessly walked out of the room, finding her sisters standing by the wall, looking more bored than worried. The doc didn't know what she was on about. Like, seriously, her? In...that? C'mon, get real. Now, only if she could get that guy out of her head, she'd be fine. "Okay, just what is going on with you today?" Fluffle McFluffington The First pestered, Aria wasn't sure whether to take her tone for annoyance or concern. "Nothin', Adagio." "What's the matter, Aria? Are you dying?" The Smurf added. "No, Sonata." She grunted. "But I wish you were." "...'Dagi!" The Worst whined. "Aria's being mean to me again!" "Shut up, Toothpaste." She growled, not bothering to look at her sister as she sauntered off, aimlessly. "You shut up!" Oh, she did not...Aria's teeth almost ground together into dust as her fingers clenched into a hard fist. She raised her hand and spun around, ready to clock the little blue waste of space. Only when her eyes rested on where her sister was standing, she wasn't there. Aria's heart stopped, her mouth dried to the point where it felt as if someone had just made her swallow a desert with the sweat drenching her skin as a stark contrast. The image of Sonata, glaring at her irritably and totally-not-super-adorably flickered back and forth in her eyes. Her cyan skin darkened, her bright magenta eyes were shielded by black and her long, curvy hair turned white and shortened considerably, the band holding up her ponytail falling to the ground silently. Her stupidly coloured coat morphed into leather and cotton and her frowning slowly curled into a haunting grin. It wasn't long before all she could in place of her ditzy sister...was him. And it. Was. The. WORST. "...Aria? Why're you looking at me like that?" Oh, by Discord's beard, he still had her voice. Aria bit back a scream and spun around, immediately forcing her legs to move. Adagio's irritated calls fell on deaf ears as she ran through the halls. To her chagrin and her horror, her retreat only disturbed her more. She had to tighten her eyes shut, she didn't want to see. To see anything. He was everywhere. Everyone she passed melted into the same fucking image. She saw him on the walls, in the posters, glaring at her from the outside of windows. Her heart felt like someone had set it on fire before sinking their cold, hard nails into it and trying to rip it out of her chest and it was fluttery. Her black heart did not flutter. Aria caught the briefest sight of a bathroom and skidded to a halt, not even taking a minute to breathe before she dived straight into the door. She hacked, her head crashing first into the nearest sink. Everything felt wrong. She felt sick, her throat muscles heaved but nothing escaped her mouth. She chalked it up to her earlier spasm. Her hand found the cheap knob by the tap and hurriedly twisted it, she drank greedily from the stream of water that escaped the faucet. It tasted terrible. Aria's back slowly straightened as her head emerged from the small porcelain bowl in the bench. When her eyes met the reflective glass of the mirror, she almost yelped. Almost. For the briefest moment, she could swear he was standing behind her. Right over her shoulder, staring into the mirror with her. What scared her the most was that she could swear she could have smelled him. That horror was dashed away by her unending rage, her fist recoiled back and collided with the glass. Her knuckle cracked the shining surface and she let herself grin a little as the distorted ripples forming in it made him go away. Finally, she made him go away. So, why was he still in her head? Ugh. Aria took a moment to stare into the visage of terror that stared at her in the mirror. Her dark purple eyes were bloodshot and dilated, her hair was matted and wet and her lavender skin was coated in thin layer of sweat. For a while, she just scowled into her reflection, as if it was the cause of all this. Her eyes trailed down to her chest, right above the space where that little pulsing thing that pumped her blood would be. She glared just a little harder, clutching at her vest hard and flicking her gaze back up to where her reflection's eyes were. What Licorice-Head said... "The Heart..." Aria smiled. "...Of course."