The Summer Mist

Chapter II: Take It Out On You

Chapter II: Take It Out On You

The clatter of silverware hitting the sink rings out in the kitchen. My hands are completely soaked as I scrub a plate clean. It's almost like whatever gods there are out there are taunting me. Every time I wash the dishes, I always end up making a mess and getting myself wet. Maybe that's the curse of actually owning a house. You have so many accessories that you need to take care of. Things like the lawn need to be trimmed regularly. In a way, it almost makes me wish we still lived in an apartment. However, the extra space is a welcome change... Especially since Sonata and Aria have been living with us for half a year now.

"There's also the option of taking chemotherapy before operating," Sunset mentions from the dining room table, scrutinizing every detail on her laptop's screen. I can't help but sigh, wishing that Sunset would stop looking at every website known to man that could cover this issue. "Everything that I have seen says it is better to start a plan early to avoid any unneeded complications. Did you make a follow-up appointment?" she asks me innocently enough, but the question only serves to remind me of everything I have to do.

"Not yet," I mutter while scrubbing a fork, trying to take out my anger on the metal utensil. Life can never be simple... Every time I think about scheduling the appointment, my body just tenses up. It's stressful. "I want to look into a couple of other avenues first. Such as using my magic to heal myself."

"Adagio," Sunset says in that tired and disappointed tone she uses when she wants to persuade you to do something her way. "You know how skeptical I am about that. We just started using our magic again in general after years. If something happens, I don't know what to do yet." Sunset's eyes turn towards me, looking away from her laptop for the first time in over an hour.

"I know that," I respond with a slightly annoyed voice. "I know. But I was a master of siren magic back in Equestria. I just don't think it is a good idea to already think about things like operations when we don't have a lot of savings as it is."

"We aren't in Equestria, Adagio," Sunset raises her voice, aggressively rubbing her forehead. "I know we don't have a lot in the bank right now. That's scary. But what scares me even more is the thought of not treating this soon enough!"

"Do you think I haven't accounted for that? That scares me too." The words immediately fly out of my mouth, giving me no chance to think about them. "But I will be fine! I have no intention of leaving anytime soon. I have not come this far to be scared of something like that. I know hundreds of spells. Surely one of them will work." Before I can react, Sunset stands up from her seat with an angry groan.

"And what if you fail? Will we try other options then? What if it is too late? Can you really blame me for worrying? I love you more than-" Both of us immediately stop as we notice the sound of footsteps. After a second, Sonata peaks her head into the kitchen, bleary-eyed. The way she looks at us shows she is clearly confused.

"What are you two fighting about?" she asks us with a yawn. My mind draws up blanks in response. Telling her the truth would mean coming clean about my recent diagnosis. I-

"We just couldn't agree on some of Adagio's strategies for the music studio," Sunset explains, sitting back down at the table. "It's nothing too important. I'm sorry we worried you."

"Oh, I wasn't too worried. You two hardly ever fight anyway." Sonata's innocent smile reminds me that these fights we have are pretty seldom. It's usually something big that causes us to disagree like this... Maybe that's why I feel so rotten every time I fight with her. "I'm gonna get ready for work though, so no more fighting, got it?" The naive yet sweet nature of her request makes it hard to deny her. Sunset and I give her a small nod before she heads upstairs to take a shower.

The silence after is deafening... While sunset would usually be typing away at her keyboard, I don't hear a single button press. Instead, the room feels suffocating from the tension. Half of me wants to be mad at her, but the other half wishes this whole situation could be avoided. If it wasn't for the fucking tumor... God. Why does my life have to be complicated?

"I'm sorry," Sunset whispers, making me look over at her. A stream of tears falls down her cheeks, but not a single sound escapes her lips. Her posture is completely still, looking into space. I never want to fight with her. Those tears are the only confirmation I need to know that she also feels that way.

Taking a deep breath, I walk over to her, wrapping my arms around her from behind the chair. Sunset's hand grips my arm tightly with no sign of letting go. In all honesty, I don't blame her for feeling these things. I just wish all of this was more simple. Cheaper too...

"Listen. I know you're worried. It is okay to feel that way," I whisper, kissing her tear-stained cheek. "I just want to explore all of our options first. That's all. I'm not trying to be difficult. I promise." Sunset nods at my words, her head rubbing against my arm. Her grip lacks the strength of before, but I can tell she still doesn't want to let me go. "I know how stressful this is. I just wish I could help take some of it away." For some reason, Sunset's nuzzling stops as soon as those words leave my mouth. Her hand lets go of my arm completely, searching something new up on her computer. "Sunset, I think we should probably stop searching for-"

"You're right about the stress," Sunset responds with a quiet yet confident tone. "And I think I know just the thing to help us calm down..." 

AN: So, I want to point out that I know these chapters are short. I promise the next chapter will be longer than a thousand words. However, the reason why I made these two short is because I really wanted to get them both out by October 15th! This chapter marks 100 chapters for the Sundagioverse series on the third anniversary of its creation! I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter and remember to stay true to yourself!