Sunset's first waking thought was concern. Before she could even put her mind in order, she knew something wasn't quite right. She was alone, the blanket slid halfway off of her. The room was dark and silent, and a chill crept in on her.
She sat up and turned on the dim lights above the headboard. The spot next to her was empty, pillows and stuffed animals abandoned. Twilight's phone was sitting on the side table, no longer playing the soft ambience that she liked to fall asleep to, next to her glasses.
Sunset pushed the rest of the covers back and stood up, groggily wandering to the door to investigate, one hand on the wall until she reached the threshold. Peering out into the hallway, she didn't see any light from the kitchen or from underneath the bathroom door. But from the living room, there was a dim glow, just around the corner.
She quietly moved over, her fingertips trailing along the wall and sliding over the pictures sparsely decorating the painted hallway. She leaned through the arch separating it from the living room, glancing inside. The light was the reading lamp attached to the bookshelf, above the armchair, an old piece Twilight's parents had given them for the move, when they didn't own a lot of furniture between them. The padding was starting to sag, but she didn't dare get rid of it.
"Twilight?" she asked quietly, taking a few steps in further. She cleared her voice softly after noticing how tired she still sounded. She didn't see her wife anywhere in the room, but caught a glimpse of movement through the glass door beyond the chair.
Crossing the room, she slowly pushed the already unlatched balcony door open, cold night air seizing onto her bare arms straight away. "Twilight?" she tried again.
"Guess again," Twilight's voice said from one of the lawn chairs.
Sunset paused before slowly stepping out, careful on the rough stone, far enough to look at her wife. She glanced back, her eyes sharper than usual, her hair hanging free and slightly unkempt, her posture unusual with her legs crossed and her chin resting on a closed fist.
"Midnight," Sunset concluded, sitting down in the second chair. "It's... been a while."
"For you, maybe." Midnight turned away again, looking out over the roofs of the neighbouring buildings and up into the clear night sky.
"Is... something wrong?"
"Am I only allowed to be here when something is wrong?"
"No, that's not what I meant," Sunset quickly responded. She knew Midnight was around, now and again. Twilight could usually tell the next morning, even without the few times they "met". She had her own bookmarks and her own mugs. And yet, this occasion still felt different. "But, are you okay?"
"She's fine."
"That's not what I asked." Midnight glanced at her again and Sunset made sure to meet her gaze. Eye contact was important, to know what was going through someone's head, how they felt, even without the use of her geode. She held it, until she looked away again. "You can talk to me, if something is bothering you."
Midnight took a slow, even breath in through her nose and released it in a sharp huff. "So you can treat me like a patient?"
"I'm off the clock. That doesn't mean I stop caring." Sunset moved her lawn chair a bit closer, shortening the distance between them. "But if you don't want to, I'm not going to push."
Midnight leaned her head back against the small cushion on the backrest and closed her eyes. "I feel... a little lonely."
Sunset turned, to make sure she knew she was being attentive, but waited to see how much she was going to share.
"I don't have as many friends as you do," Midnight continued, in a measured tone. "As Twilight does."
Sunset nodded with an acknowledging hum. It was hard to deny, Midnight had less opportunities to meet people, since she split all her time with Twilight, who often got the lion's share, especially of daytime.
"When I actually do see them, I don't know what to say. They want to talk to her, not to me."
"Let's put a pin in that for now. What about Twilight?"
"We talk. Every now and then. I wouldn't say we are friends. And you..." Midnight glanced at her again. "You're always asleep when I come around."
Sunset smiled sheepishly. "You could always wake me."
Midnight seemed to ponder it for a moment, chewing lightly on the inside of her cheek. At least one habit she shared with Twilight. "You work a lot. You need your sleep."
"Well... thank you. But I wouldn't want you to feel neglected. I'm sure we can find a solution."
Midnight took another sharp breath, staring into the stars. "Almost every time I wake up, I wake up next to you. And more often than not, in your embrace." She shifted uncomfortably, crossing her legs the other way. "But it's not meant for me. It's for her."
Sunset watched her attentively, trying to gauge how to address her, or the issue. "And... that's bothersome?"
"It's... upsetting. To have your warmth but to know it's not mine."
Sunset was caught in awkward silence as well, trying to empathise with the idea. After a moment, she quietly stood up. "I'm sorry, I get how that's frustrating. But, we can fix that right now, if you want." She opened her arms, invitingly.
Midnight looked up at her, hesitating, like she was suspicious of the offer. Then, she stood up and stepped in, putting her arms around Sunset. For years, Sunset and Twilight had shared hugs almost every day, and she knew exactly how they felt, how she acted. From the excited, energetic hugs, to the calm but firm ones, the exhausted lean and the grumpy squeeze.
But the way Midnight embraced her, it felt unique in its own way. If anything, it felt reminiscent of the sort of hug she would share with Twilight a long time ago. Full of uncertainty, of concern over how much she was allowed. But instead of backing out again slowly, Midnight doubled down after a few seconds, wrapping one arm low around Sunset's waist and pulling her in firm and close.
They stood there for a long while, soaking in each other's closeness, before Sunset slowly pulled out. Midnight let her go, but her hands lingered on her waist.
"So, I'm pretty awake now," Sunset said with a casual smile. "But, if we're going to hang out, maybe let's go back inside? It's pretty cold and I don't know how you're not freezing out here." She gestured at the simple shirt and small shorts Twilight had put on before bed.
"Right." Midnight turned to head back inside and Sunset followed her in, closing the balcony door behind them.
She took a quick look around the living room, trying to think of something for them to do together. "So, what should we do? Are you hungry?"
"I let Twilight deal with that sort of thing."
"Things like... eating?"
"Yes." Midnight sat on the couch and crossed her legs again. "Let's... talk, I suppose."
"Sure." Sunset turned on another lamp so they wouldn't sit in darkness, before sitting down next to her with a small blanket. "We can play some games, too, if you want."
The next hour or two passed in a flash. Sunset never did get up to get the controllers, or even turn on the TV setup. After hesitatingly starting with any topic that came to mind, they jumped between talking points quickly, suddenly chatting away animatedly.
"Okay, I'm gonna get you an ice coffee and leave it in the fridge. You need to at least snack a bit, you don't know what you're missing."
"Oh, you think so? You won't mind Twilight's body getting pudgy?"
"Not at all. But I guess she might."
Midnight chuckled quietly while Sunset laughed out loud. "Fine, I'll try it. For you."
"Sweet. And, really, even when I'm asleep, you could leave me notes, you know? Both of us."
Midnight sighed and leaned her side on the backrest, her legs snugly tucked under the blanket and one arm resting behind Sunset. "Thank you for taking the time to talk to this parasite, Sunset."
"Is that how you see yourself?" Sunset frowned, turning towards her.
"It's true, isn't it? I wasn't supposed to be here."
"Neither was I." She moved closer still, gently putting a hand on Midnight's cheek, staying carefully attentive to make sure she didn't overstep. "But look at us, we're here now. No need to give ourselves a hard time over it. My friends welcomed me, and I welcome you."
Midnight smirked, her eyes darting over Sunset's face. "Be careful. Someone else might get jealous."
"When I married Twilight, I married you, too," Sunset said firmly, firmly holding eye contact and thus not missing the surprised expression.
"You really mean that," Midnight concluded quietly.
"Of course. I knew you two were a package deal. And I wouldn't have it any other way."
Midnight silently took Sunset's hand off of her cheek and just held it for a moment, looking down at their hands fitting into one another. Sunset slowly closed her fingers around hers, then slowly leaned in, giving her enough time to interject, before breathing a gentle, superficial kiss onto Midnight's lips.
She had kissed Twilight countless times over the years of their relationship, but just like the earlier hug, this once again felt new, and uncertain. But as Sunset started to pull away again, Midnight wrapped her arm around her waist once more.
"You know..." She leaned in closer herself, tightening her hold on Sunset's hand. "...there's something else Twilight always gets to keep just to herself."
Light broke past the curtains and reached Twilight's face, making her groan and turn over, quickly finding Sunset to bury her face into the crook of her wife's shoulder. Her arms closed around her and squeezed gently. With a relieved sigh, Twilight tried to doze off again, running her fingers over Sunset's bare back.
"Sunset?" she asked softly, getting a groggy hum as a response. "Why is your back all scratched up?"
Sunset stirred, but was suspiciously quiet, keeping her close, skin to skin, instead of letting her lean back.
"And why are we naked?" Twilight continued pointedly.
"Um, so..." Sunset mumbled, gently petting Twilight's hair. "I had a long talk with Midnight last night..."
Twilight felt a surge of jealousy rise within her, then felt it wash over and pass out of her by the time she was even ready to respond. "I see... that explains the feathers, then, too," she noted, feeling over the covers behind her.
"Yeah..."
They laid in silence again for a moment, before Twilight slowly pulled out of the embrace and placed a kiss on her wife's forehead. "I'm gonna make breakfast."
