Three's a crowd

by Gowak

Part II- Chapter 06 - A sense of weirdness

Adagio looked at her virgin mojito intently, as if the mint leaves could reveal some secrets to her, some hidden knowledge that would maybe solve her issues. They wouldn't help. They never did. Even when they bathed in rum, the mint leaves stayed silent and useless. The alcohol would have been appreciated. It always sounded wiser than the mint leaves, but it only whispered disappointing lies that ended in sex and hangovers.

Adagio and her virgin mojito were moping at the bar of the Airhead, ignoring the loud music and the drunk dancing happening around them. Her shift had been long and tiring, but ultimately uneventful, as it often was. All things considered, the Airhead was a calm place – or at least as calm as a night club could be. It had been a spot of comfort, relaxation and sometimes debauchery for queer people all around Everton for more than a decade. It was also one of the few places willing to look past Adagio's misdeed and give her a job. It helped that the siren had avoided it for long, not wishing to bring chaos to people who already faced it every day. She might have been selfish, but she was not a monster.

Zalea, the club's owner, had given her a chance and Adagio had grasped it with both hands. Being a bouncer was the ideal job for her. She liked the power dynamic, and she secretly enjoyed the fact that she was protecting a safe space instead of actively ruining it. It felt right. Also, the drinks were on the house. Which was always a bonus.

However, tonight, all of this felt hollow and unsatisfying, and the mint leaves refused to tell her why.

"You know it's better to drink it before the ice has melted?" a familiar voice came declared from behind her. "When it melts, the flavours are unevenly diluted, and it messes with the experience."

"Maybe I like it that way," Adagio deadpanned without looking at the person. Sometimes disinterest was a good deterrent.

"You're allowed to have bad tastes," Zalea said, pulling the chair next to Sunset and sitting on it. She raised her hand towards the barmaid and made a complex hand signal for her drink before turning toward Adagio. "But that's not your usual style."

The siren didn't say anything and kept looking at her glass. The ice was almost entirely melted, and she realised that Zala was right. She sighed inwardly.

"Come on, Dagi, look at me at least. I didn't go to the trouble of putting clothes to be ignored."

"You know it usually goes the other way around, right?" Adagio said, smiling despite herself.

"Depends on the clothes," Zalea whispered while leaning on the bar.

"Fine," she said, finally looking up.

Zalea was gorgeous. As always. But it seems that she redefined what the word meant every day. Her look, her makeup, her hair, her clothes, her style, even her gait changed every day to suit a new aesthetic. The pick of the night was soft goth, and she rocked it.

She wore a beautiful black shirt whose top and sleeves were see-through, revealing both her beautifully muscular arms and the ample content of her cleavage. She also wore a very fitting long, black skirt with complex blue motifs and some boots. Her dark makeup complemented it perfectly and blended with her brown eyes and dark hair.

The woman smiled at the appreciative look of her friend and sipped from her glass. "So will you tell what's on your mind?"

"You want the graphic details and the sex positions?" Adagio let out, taking a sip from her own drink.

"I mean, apart from that," Zalea laughed. "You've always got something indecent in mind, Dagi. But it's pretty obvious that you've got something else bothering you."

"How do you know?"

"You really want the whole schtick?"

"Yeah. So I can hide it better next time."

Zalea recoiled in mock shock. "Is my presence such a nuisance? I'm hurt, Dagi. Hurt! I even put my favourite bra just for you to look at it."

"You're cheating, and I hate you," Adagio said, trying to hide her smile and her sideways look at Zalea's cleavage.

"Of course you do," the temptress in black said mockingly. For a fleeting moment, they just stood there, smiling and enjoying their drink and complicity. "You've been aloof all week," Zalea finally said. "And tonight had been worse than usual. Also, you're here, at the bar, an hour after the end of your shift."

"Not the first time."

"No. But usually, that either means that Sunset has the car or that you've been into a fight. Your car is in the parking lot."

Adagio sighed. This is why she didn't like opening up to people. They learned things about you and used it against you to care about you and shit like that. There are some perks though, she thought while sending another glance at the hints of bras that Zalea's top revealed.

"Come on, Dagi. Speak to me."

"We didn't fight," the siren finally admitted while playing with her glass. "It's a bit of a fucking mess."

Zalea nodded silently and waited for her friend to continue.

"Since the camping fiasco, things have been weird. Sunset's acting as if everything was fine, but there's something's off." Adagio played with her glass for a moment. A leaf of mint was trying to stay afloat on the last remaining ice cube. Its seconds were numbered. "She's spending more and more time at the garage, and she's been working a lot on her whole engine thing. And I mean, it's nice that she's not trying to fix our relationship like before but..."

"You got used to being pampered."

"Can you blame me?"

Zalea smiled mischievously. "I can, but that would be hypocritical of me."

"Is it too late to join your harem?" Adagio sighed, laying on the bar.

"Don't ask for more than you can chew," Zalea laughed heartily. "Also you would have to find another job because I don't date my colleagues and employees. Business and fun must stay separated."

"You're no fun," Adagio let out with a pout.

Zalea emptied her glass and put her hand on Adagio's shoulder. "Don't be like that, Dagi. You know you can't run from your problems forever. Talk to your girl."

"To tell her what?" she let out with frustration. The glass swung wildly in her hand, spilling a bit of its content on the bar.

"I don't know," Zalea said, producing a tissue and cleaning up Adagio's mess. "She's your girl, not mine."

Adagio groaned. "This is why I didn't want to get serious in the first place. It's so much simpler to just fuck and leave the emotions out of it."

"Sometimes, yeah. But you got to admit that sometimes that's not enough."

"I hate this crap."

Zalea sighed and looked intently at Adagio. "Why don't you ask Sonata? Didn't you tell me she was the romantic of your trio? She might have advice for you."

"I can't fucking ask Sonata!" Adagio let out with both indignation and amusement.

"Why?"

"Because... she's Sonata!" Adagio wasn’t sure what else needed to be said, really.

Zalea sighed and shook her head in mock desperation. "You're hopeless, you know that?"

"I've been told."

"Just promise me you'll talk to Sunset about what's on your mind okay?"

"Yeah," Adagio relented.

Satisfied, Zalea stood up and kissed Adagio on the cheek. "Say hi to Sunset for me," she said, before leaving.

The siren didn't answer. She simply watched her friend leave, her attention fixated on Zalea's swaying ass. She stayed there for a while, procrastinating as much as she could until the boredom became untenable.

She emptied her glass, swallowing the ruined mojito and its silent mint leaves, stood up, and left.

✶☀𝄞☀✶

Adagio had always been very territorial. A tendency that had only grown with time. Maybe it was her siren heritage and the predator in her talking, maybe it was the urban life affecting her. Whatever the case, she didn't like people invading her space. And this extended to her parking spot. Unfortunately, some asshole had decided that it was a perfect spot for their bike. The old Adagio would have used her power for some petty vengeance on them. But present Adagio simply rage-parked her car further away and kicked the offending vehicle as she passed next to it.

She unlocked the door of her and Sunset's flat as silently as she could, cautious not to wake up her girlfriend. She expected a quick trip to the kitchen, a shower and hopefully some sleepy hugs under the sheets. She certainly didn't expect Sunset cooking at 2AM.

"Sunset?" she tried as she came closer. "You're still up? Wh–" the smell made her stop immediately. It had been so long since she'd smell it... fish. Cooked fish. She could feel herself salivate despite herself. "Sunset?"

Sunset turned toward Adagio, visibly surprised to see her. "Dagi?" She quickly fiddled with the stove and came to greet her. "Sorry, I didn't hear you coming. How was your night?"

Adagio wasn't sure how to deal with the situation. Sunset was cooking fish. At 2AM. How could she act so... casual? "It was... fine." The answer fell flat. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't shake the incongruity of the situation. "Sunset, what's going on?"

"Well I couldn't sleep," Sunset said, returning to the stove, "and you were late, so I figured I'd cook you something good."

"Okay, stop." She leaned on the wall and rubbed her temples in exasperation. "I need to wrap my head around everything."

"Take your time," she said with a bright smile.

"Okay. First." She pointed at the pan and its delicious-smelling treat cooking on it. "Fish? What the fuck?"

"It's vegan! I found it in one of the stores next to the garage! I wanted to try it for some time and today I was feeling bold so..." She shrugged as if it explained everything.

"Vegan fish?"

She shrugged. "Vegan fish. I think it's supposed to taste like mackerel?"

"How does it work?"

"Dunno. I started to look it up on the internet, but I got distracted."

"Okay fine." She wouldn't dispute it. If it meant she could eat fish again, even if it was fake, she would accept whatever bullshit Sunset could come up with. "Next question. Why are you still up?"

"Got the day off tomorrow –" she turned toward Adagio, the pan in hand and pointed behind her "– could you get me the plate please?" Adagio obeyed, still confused by the calm and banal demeanour of her girlfriend. Sunset put the fake mackerel on the plate, napped it in its sauce and winked at Adagio. "Dinner's ready!"

"Sunset, you're freaking me out right now..."

"Sorry, babe," she said before kissing her softly. It was short and clumsy because of the hot plate between them, but it was reassuring nonetheless. "Good things happened today, and I'm still super excited."

The situation immediately lost its weirdness. Adagio let out a sigh of relief. "Really?"

"Yep!" She rose the plate, right next to Adagio's face. The smell was almost arousing. "Let's talk about it while we taste this."

Adagio didn't need to be asked twice.

The dinner was excellent. Adagio couldn't remember the last time they had such an intimate moment. The camping trip had created a barrier between them, one that only vegan mackerel could break apparently. It was not nearly as good as what she remembered, but it was close enough for her not to care.

"I missed it, you know?"

"I know," Sunset said as she cleared the table. "That's why I bought it. I know what it meant to you... I'm grateful that you went vegan for me, you know?"

"T'was not for you," Adagio denied categorically. "T'was for the animals."

Sunset faked a pout and put her hand on her hip in a seductive manner. "Not even a little bit for me?"

"Fine," Adagio said as she got up and slowly came toward her lover, "maybe just a little. But just so I could get in your pants."

"Seems like a win for me," Sunset purred while closing the distance.

Adagio put her arms around Sunset and brought her closer still. Her blue eyes were focused on her, and she could feel her girl's breath tickling her lips. She resisted the urge to close the final gap.

"Yeah?" the siren said.

"Yeah..." Sunset panted before kissing her.

✶☀𝄞☀✶

In Adagio's experience, sex was great. There were exceptions of course, but as long as you did it with somebody who knew what they were doing, it was great. Having a regular sex buddy was one way to enhance the experience. Somebody who knew what made you tick and what didn't, someone you knew how to please... Someone familiar.

But a lover, that was something relatively new for Adagio. Even after years of relationship, she was still a bit overwhelmed by it sometimes. The affection, the shared space and time, the falling asleep spooning and waking up together... Everything about it was unfamiliar. It was strange and comforting, yet it made her feel vulnerable. And tonight particularly so.

She scooped closer to her girlfriend, pressing herself against her back. "Sunset?"

"Dagi?" Sunset mumbled, half-asleep.

"Do you love me?"

Sunset caressed Adagio's arm clumsily. "Of course I do,"

"Okay."

"Is everything alright?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I should feel fine, but..."

Sunset turned in her arms carefully, trying not to pull her hair or crush her arms under her weight. She was clearly fighting off sleep to comfort her, and this made the ambivalent feeling soar to new highs.

"What's wrong?" She stifled a yawn and tried to focus on Adagio. "Talk to me..."

"I don't know... Everything is weird since Everfree. We don’t fight, but something's changed, and now... everything is back to normal. I'm not sure what's happening..."

"Babe... everything is fine, I swear." Sunset's eyes stayed closed longer and longer as she spoke, but she was obviously trying to power through her sleepiness. "I know... I fucked up... I'm trying to do... better. I love you... and Twi... I won't... let you go..."

"I know you won't," Adagio whispered, for herself more than her sleeping beauty. "I know you won't..."

✶☀𝄞☀✶

Adagio looked at her mojito with unfocused eyes. It danced on the bar's counter no matter how hard she gripped it. Maybe drinking it would make it stop taunting her with its wobbling. With an unsteady hand, she rose the glass and aimed for her mouth. The glass reached its target slightly too fast, clinging on her teeth. She winced at the feeling, but it was soon drowned by the cold and sweet beverage. Soon the warmth of the rum hit her core and spread to her whole body. She could feel her thoughts – and all the misery they carried – melt away, consumed by the sweet cocktail.

Her hand reflexively went to her neck, and she winced when it touched her bare skin. She'd been doing that all week, ever since that disastrous turn of events at that damned high school, ever since... Memories emerged like a bubble rising from the depth of an ocean of rum. Her gem was no more. Her powers were no more. Her band was no more. She was alone. She was weak. She was... human.

The glass hit the table a bit too hard. It clanged loudly on the bar, making the other patrons jump and turn toward her. She ignored them. They meant nothing to her, less than nothing.

"Hey," she slurred, raising her glass in the general direction of the bartender. "Gimme another one. Less ice this time."

"I think it's time for you to go," he said coldly. "And not to come back."

"What? My money's not good enough for you?"

"You owe us money, you–" he pinched the bridge of his, clearly trying to keep his composure and avoid a scene. "We don't want you or your kind here. Leave, before I make you leave."

"Do you know who I am?" she said, raising her voice.

"Yeah. That's why I'm asking you to get the hell out of here."

She turned toward the rest of the bar, hoping that someone would notice. "Are y'all let him talk to me like that?"

"Fuck off!" someone shouted in the back.

Another voice rose, closer this time. "Yeah, get lost!"

"Who said that?" She turned to face those who would dare speak to her like that, but the room spun faster than her body, making her dizzy. She felt like puking. She rose her hand to her neck again. The warm feeling of her gemless skin hurt and only made her feel sicker.

"Hey!" The bartender intervened. He grabbed her arm before she could stand up. She was grateful for that, for she wasn't sure she would have managed it. "You're not welcome here, okay? Get out before it turns ugly."

"Are you threatening me‽" she hissed.

"I'm trying to keep you in one piece, you drunk idiot. If you want to get lynched so badly do it outside of my bar!"

She looked around her, hoping that things would turn in her favour as they had always done. All the attention was on her, but this time there was no love, adoration or even lust... only anger and disgust.

"Fine," she whispered.

She stood up clumsily, fighting her struggling body and the whirling room as she reached for the door. She could feel the looks on her, shining spotlights on her shame. She fumbled outside, facing the sudden cold of the fall night. The door slammed behind her as she stumbled on the street. She had no idea how to get back home, but walking made more sense than staying in front of the bar.

What had her life become? Every day started with the hangover of the previous night, and Adagio would tell herself it was time to get her shit together. She was so much more than this, she was a siren, she was above all these petty little people with their petty little problems.

But then, she had problems of her own now. And as the day went on, those problems would become unbearable. And so every day ended back at another bar, and the cycle would go on unbroken.

"Fuck that shit," she spat.

Streetlights passed by, blurry, hurtful, angry stars, as she erred. How long did she walk? She had no idea, and she didn't care at this point. No one else would, so why should she? She was alone.

"Adagio?"

The voice pierced the fog of her thought with surprising clarity. Something about it made her feel something. Something more intense and powerful than the constant self-loathing.

"Adagio? Is that you? What happened to you?"

Adagio pivoted, slowly and the whole world followed. It was her. It was unmistakably her. The cause of her suffering. Sunset Shimmer. Anger and fear rose inside her, filling her numb body with new strengths.

"Sunset Shimmer," she hissed.

"Adagio are you okay?"

She took an unsteady step towards her tormentor, jabbing a finger at her in an exaggerated motion. "Came here to gloat? To savour your victory‽ Wanna take more from me maybe‽"

"Wh– Adagio, are you drunk? What happened to you?"

"You happened to me, you bitch!" she screamed. "You took everything from me!"

She tried to step further, but something inside her churned and turned angrily. It was too much for her in her state. She tipped over as the content of her stomach suddenly filled her mouth. On instinct, she turned away from Sunset as it left her mouth. She vomited onto a nearby patch of grass, and it crossed her mind that she could have aimed it right at the bitch. It would hardly be a fitting revenge, but it might be momentarily satisfying.

But unaware of the animosity that flowed out of Adagio along with the night’s drinks, Sunset was instantly at her side. She made sure Adagio didn't fall and gently caressed her back, soothing the pain.

"Leave me alone!" she croaked between two gags.

"Adagio, you have every right to hate me, but right now you need help."

"Fuck of–" her words trailed off into an undignified noise as more alcohol-soaked food rising to the surface.

"Here, here," Sunset said, while gently assisting her. Adagio was puking all over her helper's shoes. It should feel like a victory, but it felt strangely hollow.

"Leave me alone, just leave me alone," she sobbed.

"You're not okay right now... You need help. I won't let you go until I'm sure you're okay."

Adagio couldn't bear it anymore. She was tired of everything and everyone. She just wanted everything to stop hurting. She looked at Sunset. She seemed genuinely concerned. Why was she? Why about her? It had been a while since no one had cared. Not even Adagio cared.

She needed to know. She opened her mouth and–

✶☀𝄞☀✶

Adagio woke up with a start.

Dreaming about the past wasn't new to her, but she rarely ever thought about this part of her life for pretty obvious reasons. How long had it been? Two years? Maybe three? She turned and looked on Sunset's side of the bed. Her lover was still sleeping, with not a worry on her face. Adagio watched her for a long time.

How did this happen? Adagio wondered. How did I go from instigating the Battle of the Bands to having one of my former sworn enemies in my bed? In our bed? In our room, in our home? When did I reach a point where I don't care anymore?

If Sunset was awake, she would probably tell her that she was overthinking it. To be fair, she probably was, but she still marvelled at life's twisty paths. Despite everything, she and Sunset were dating. They were living together, and despite all the odds and struggles on the way, they had stayed together.

The thoughts grew until they became unbearable. Adagio couldn't fathom the way life had brought them together, and thinking about it only served to make her more upset. At the same time, it was all she could think about. In that bed, the thoughts had made themselves at home, lying somewhere between herself and her lover, an unwelcome guest she could not be rid of. Adagio rose slowly and quietly, not wanting to wake Sunset. Not wanting to speak with her, not just yet. She could not fathom what had happened, and so she would focus on what she could understand. She understood that despite her tiredness, she was not getting any more sleep. And that meant something else she understood – it was time to make coffee.

She knew it was the right call as soon as the smell of fresh coffee filled the kitchen. Even just the smell helped wake her up and chase some of those thoughts away. She savoured it as she poured herself a cup of the dark beverage. She added sugar, then took a seat at the kitchen table to drink her coffee in silence.

As she did, she thought a little more about the circumstances that followed that drunken meeting with Sunset. There had been coffee then, too. The exact events were lost in a drunken blur, but Adagio did remember that she had wound up inside Sunset’s apartment with her sworn enemy serving her coffee.

From there, Sunset gave Adagio her phone number in case she ever needed someone. Adagio, naturally, had told her to go fuck herself. But a few days later she was drunk again, and she’d given in and called the number. They had coffee that time, too.

"Babe?" Sunset called weakly from the bedroom, snapping Adagio from her thoughts.

"In the kitchen, sweet ass."

Sunset dragged herself to the kitchen, visibly still waking up. Adagio poured her a cup of coffee.

"Couldn't sleep?" Sunset asked as she sat next to the siren.

"I was thinking."

"Don't worry, babe, it hurts less after some time. You'll get used to it."

"You bitch!" Adagio replied, playfully pushing her.

"Sorry, sorry," Sunset laughed. She put her hands around the cup, enjoying the warmth in the chill of the morning. "What were you thinking about?"

"Us, I guess."

"Oh... Good thoughts?"

Adagio looked at Sunset intently. She still didn't understand why life had thrown them at each other. But she obviously liked it. And that was the most important. "Yeah. I guess you're not too bad after all."

"Good enough!" Sunset declared. She leaned in for a kiss, and Adagio closed the gap for a quick kiss.

"That's all you get for now," Adagio let out with a smirk.

"Can I bribe you for more?"

Adagio tapped her chin in mock reflection. "Maybe... What are you proposing?"

"What about a sweet bike ride?"

Adagio laughed. "I didn't know my kisses were worth stealing a bike. Fuck, I should have asked way more for all those years!"

"Steal? What about my bike?"

"Your bike?"

"Oh, fuck... I forgot to tell you didn't I?"

"Sunset? You have a bike? What the fuck? When?"

"I completely forgot!" She laughed and winked at Adagio. "Someone was being very distracting last night, and I kind of got lost in the moment. Yeah I got a bike. Fast Break found a damaged one two days ago and he and the crew got together to repair it and give it to me."

"Wow..." Adagio sipped her coffee as she reflected on the development. They clearly cared a lot for her, and she should be glad about that, but something nagged at her about it.

Oblivious to her girlfriend's mixed feelings, Sunset just grinned. "Yeah! I couldn't believe it. I couldn't stop smiling for hours."

Adagio found something else to focus on. "Wait... Are you the one who parked on my spot?"

"Uh... yeah..." Sunset said, before realising the issue. "Oh, fuck! Sorry, the force of habit... I'll find another place for it, don't worry."

"I guess I should apologise for kicking it too..."

Sunset laughed. "That's fair, I guess. I should feel lucky you didn't do anything worse."

"Hey! What do you take me for?"

"For the baddest bitch in the neighborhood."

"Damn right I am!"

"See?"

"Okay fair." Adagio leaned back in her chair and decided that she was being selfish. This was good news for Sunset, and she should be happy, even if she was a little jealous that things like this never seemed to happen to her. "So that was the good news you were talking about yesterday."

"Well that's only the half of it but yeah."

"Only half? What's next, you won the lottery?"

"Nah I already did," she replied with a wink. "Twice. But that's not it. I'm going back to Equestria next month!"

Adagio pursed her lips. Sunset was happy, and Adagio knew she should be happy for her, but the part of her that knew that was smaller than the part of her that wanted to scream. "I see."

"Yeah!" Sunset didn’t seem to notice Adagio's unhappiness. "Something came up recently, a potential link between our worlds other than the mirror, so we're going to investigate it. Maybe we'll learn about a totally new form of magic!"

"Oh..."

"Hey Dagi, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, standing up. She wasn't fine. She felt sick all of a sudden, but she did not know why. She knew she was supposed to be happy, but she wasn't. "I'm fine," she repeated. "I'm going to take a shower, I'll be back."

"Dagi?"

"I'll be back."

She didn't realise she had walked into the bathroom before she heard the door close behind her. The two of them rarely closed the bathroom door when they showered, making this a clear sign that she didn’t want to be disturbed. "I'm going to Equestria," Sunset had said. Even just thinking of Sunset saying those words caused Adagio's muscles to tense up.

It hurt to hear. Adagio didn’t know why it did, but it did. For reasons she couldn’t quite place, she wanted to throw a fit. She wanted to scream at Sunset, to make her feel guilty for leaving Adagio behind. She wanted Sunset to hurt over this choice.

That was the old Adagio, though. That was when she had fire and didn’t care who it burned. The new Adagio? She sighed, and she turned on the shower. She took off her clothes and stepped into the water, sitting down and just letting it run over her. She held her head in her hands, and she asked herself what was wrong with her. And, as always, she had no answers.

Author's Note:

A fresh new perspective on this relationship. I hope you enjoy this walk in Adagio's boots. Thanks again for reading and for your patience!

(Also FimFiction is breaking the text in justified formatting, I have no idea why and I couldn't fix it...)

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This chapter's songs are Drunk by The Living Tombstone and Everybody Hates Me by Chainsmoker.