It’s Christmas Eve and you and Kronii are deciding what to do
You want to get cozy and watch Die Hard while she wants to go a showing of the Nutcracker
You don’t believe your ears at first
That was the last thing you’d think she was interested in
You decide to flip a coin
You call heads
It’s tails
Kronii’s dragging you out of the door, skipping time so you arrive instantly at the theater
Apparently she’s gone to see the Nutcracker every year since it debuted
At first it was out of curiosity, and then she became fascinated with what changed over time
You think about how much you want to watch Die Hard as she goes on about how “it’s a microcosm for how I see humanity”
You’d promised yourself you’d die before you saw the Nutcracker again, yet here you are
Yippy-ki-yay
As you find your seats and the lights dim, you look over at her face
She’s smiling and her eyes seem full of wonder
At least she’s enjoying this
You make it through the first 30 minutes fine enough
But it just keeps dragging on and on
You feel your eyelids start to droop
It doesn’t help the music is all calm and serene now
You sleepily look over at Kronii
Her eyes are transfixed on the show
She might not notice if you just so happened to doze off
You recline in your chair slightly and slowly let the sweet embrace of sleep take you

You open your eyes and stretch, is it already over?
The curtain’s closed and people are shuffling around
You’re just about to get up when you look over at Kronii
She’s glaring at you
Caught red handed
You’re about to apologize when she puts a finger to her lips, shushing you
The lights dim, the curtain opens, and the orchestra begins to play
She rewound time to the beginning of the ballet
She forces you to sit through the entire thing
Whenever you doze off she rewinds it again
You’re watching for the seventh time now
The dancers give their final bow amongst roars of applause
Somehow you made it
As you exit the theatre Kronii berates you
”I’ve seen that 129 times, and you can barely last through ONE?”
You remind her not everyone has the patience of a god
She scoffs in return
You apologize, you know you should have been a better sport but you had really looked forward to watching Die Hard with her.
She apologizes for putting you in a time loop and thanks for you going with her
She really enjoyed it
You embrace
Kronii moves her head to the side
”It’s only been an hour and a half. We could still watch Die Hard.”
That was the longest hour and half of you’ve ever experienced
You’re no less psyched about watching it with her

You and Kronii snuggle up on the couch in a warm blanket as you watch
You quote all the memorable lines by heart in sync with the movie, which always manages to make her giggle
She clings tightly to your arm whenever John Mcclane is in peril
She gets progressively tired but remains determined to see the ending
As Mcclane and Holly are driven away she gives you a kiss
You listen to her soft breathing as the credits roll and she drifts off to sleep
You get up and turn off the movie before turning and picking up Kronii bridal style, nearly tripling on a present under the tree
She stirs slightly as you carry her to bed
You gently set her down and lay down next to her, wrapping your arms around her while resting you chin on her shoulder
You close your eyes
You already know it’ll be a great Christmas