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where
do u want to go?
[It takes some working up to actually get dressed in clean clothes and leave the house. Really, he didn't have to agree, but he did. Could be a quest, maybe, all this. Why did he mention it being dangerous?
[As promised, he arrives at the Stone Dragon only thirty or so minutes later. He's only seen a picture of Akechi. He glances around, trying to locate him. His hands fiddle anxiously, idly, at the hem of his shirt.]
The coffee tastes fine though - that's one solace. Nothing like the brew crafted by those that knew his taste so profoundly and-
He pushes the dizzying thought away with a small smile and wave.]
You made it - thank you for coming.
[So, what? He just...gets up and goes to get more now that he's already sat down? Akechi has food. Sunny flinches for lack of something better to do.
[He holds up a finger and leaves to buy a muffin.
[He returns to the table. Remains silent. He's great at this.]
It's irrelevant in the long run. His care only extends to figuring out if he's a persona user - a small detail in a world full of strange powers. One he would appreciate being aware of. There's been too many wayward persona using teenagers catching him off guard lately.
Up and a way to get a...muffin? That's fantastic. His own coffee growing cold as he watches Sunny's erratic and bizarre movements. Socially awkward and mute, maybe?
The silence wouldn't bother him normally - would almost welcome it, but-]
Forgive me if I'm making an assumption - would you prefer to talk through the phone?
It's less awkward than sitting across a table, staring from one pair of blank eyes to the other. The question is does he verbally respond or just talk via the phone? Less ears on whatever they say. Not that it matters much when their captor's influence is everywhere.]
It's no trouble. I'm sorry if you felt uncomfortable.
"I am—yet what I am none cares or knows;
My friends forsake me like a memory lost:
I am the self-consumer of my woes—
They rise and vanish in oblivious host,
Like shadows in love’s frenzied stifled throes
And yet I am, and live—like vapours tossed
Into the nothingness of scorn and noise,
Into the living sea of waking dreams,
Where there is neither sense of life or joys,
But the vast shipwreck of my life’s esteems;
Even the dearest that I loved the best
Are strange—nay, rather, stranger than the rest.
I long for scenes where man hath never trod
A place where woman never smiled or wept
There to abide with my Creator, God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,
Untroubling and untroubled where I lie
The grass below—above the vaulted sky."
I Am!
John Clare
It's a poignant take on human loneliness. I can see why you like it. There's a great deal of emotion in it.
There's an appeal I can understand - sadness is an emotion that can elicit a strong reaction and people tend to seek those out. Is that why you enjoy them so much or is there another reason?
im not
really sure
havent u ever
been sad
so u listen
to a sad song?
But I do often think about sadness and the meaning behind it. The different aspects of it and its purpose in human beings. It's quite a fun thought exercise. Philosophy has different takes on it that are fascinating.
[He does watch horror movies in the hopes of finding a jump scare that does something. The results are inconclusive and that's not befitting of his image enough to bring up.]
Brightens considerably. Coffee forgotten at the edge of a small table.]
It is. If you find yourself bored, you should read up on the topic.
In relation to sadness itself, there are some common misconceptions that it's to contrast what are primarily considered positive emotions - the idea of a counter experience.
Then there are those who place each emotion on its own scale. One such view is that sadness derives from our response to knowing we are not omnipotent and the human realization that there are things out of reach forever.
My apologies for rambling - this is only to say the topic is vast, despite being such a simple, common emotion.
don't apologize
i like this a lot
we know sometimes
why we're sad
but not what the point is
or how to make it stop
we want to understand because then
maybe we can find a cure
for that feeling
that's
what i think
[That's his attempt to match Akechi's length, but honestly, Sunny has a lot more to say than people realize. He just struggles to say it. Texting has helped that a lot. He doesn't feel worn out, or anxious. He can talk about philosophy if he wants, because he doesn't have to open his mouth. Sometimes he thinks that nobody realizes he's not stupid.]
It's curious, isn't it? If you follow the logic of some, sadness is a necessity for happiness. If you take one, the other exists in excess and becomes meaningless. To find a cure would negate joy in the long run.
Then if you abide by the existence of it being its own entity, and in speaking of our previous conversation -
You wanted to consume sad media to be sad. If sadness was gone, what feeling would you chase then?
for what u said
at first
i think that happiness
can all be taken away
but i don't think
sadness can
[As for Akechi's question...]
i don't think
i chase sadness
but maybe
[Maybe...]
when i hear
or read
something sad
it feels like someone
understands
[And he doesn't feel so alone.]
Is more aware than he lets on. Happiness taken away, sadness a constant presence - an injustice with emotions. There's experience behind those words, obvious and apparent. Asking him why he feels that way is pointless.
Akechi takes a minute - ponders the text under his fingers.]
Those who wrote those pieces likely felt the same. They wanted someone to resonate with it. I wonder who among this town would resonate with something you created.
Perhaps you should try it sometime.
I've heard creative types are rarely happy with their own work. Of course, you're not obligated to do anything, but imagine if John Clare felt that way and never published a single item.
It's a matter of perspective, is all. Bad to one is good to another. Happiness to one is sadness to another.
It's a matter of what you're willing to share to connect to another human being and have them connect to you.
Again, it's just a point to consider. The decision lies with you and you should do as you wish.
maybe
one day
[He's no good at connecting with people either.]
Something else. A nerve hit, maybe. Something to note.]
This was quite the heavy topic. Why don't we call it a day?
Though I would love to speak to you again about philosophy sometime. Talking to someone interested in it was enjoyable.
[He can't quite smile; his expression is, in fact, relatively blank, but...he's appreciative underneath it.
[He...stands up from the table, unsure of how to exit.]
thats ok
i liked it too
so i will
c u later
[Aubrey doesn’t stay, and doesn’t knock. But if Sunny’s awake before dawn, he might hear the slip of an envelope under his door, a good few seconds’ pause, and then soft steps down the ladder.]
[It’s a simple, small note:–Aubrey
[Also enclosed: a familiar polaroid.]
[No, no, no - something in his mind screams it. He feels sick, dizzy, like he can't think straight - he can't, but...
[Xie Lian told him so gently, so kindly that none of this is a dream at all. Sunny doesn't want to believe it. He's scared. He's sad. He doesn't want to go home. He needs to go home, because Basil is still waiting for him on the other side of that door, but he can't do it, he can't do it.
["Sorry." She'd never say so if she knew the truth. She'd never be able to look him in the eye again. He's hidden himself from it; he's tried. Four years, and he'd managed, but the truth can't leave him now; it chokes him at the throat - speak - but no, no...no...]
i didn't
send those messages
[It’s just like what he said before. Their message history is a repulsive thing; she doesn’t want to touch it. But there was that one piece…
[“Leave him alone.” Aubrey’s been trying to keep busy. She’s terrible at doing what she should.
[There’s a void where that photo was.]
Who did?
[He can’t be messing with her. Not now…]
I don’t understand.
What happened?
[How can he…?]
What do you remember?
[How much of what he’s said is true? How much did he mean? What is this world doing to him…?]
i dont know
some things
day to day
i forget so much
but i just thought
it was all a dream
[A two-month-long dream. The curtain is being yanked off its rod.]
It’s not.
I don’t fully understand what’s going on, either. But it has to be real.
[…]
I’m sorry.
[That’s what he’s been doing for four years, isn’t it?
[Dreaming. Alone. Rotting.]
Is it okay if I call?
[She hates using text for this. She hates this. They’ve only barely talked, and everything feels fragile.]
[A call, then.]
Hey. [It’s immediate, quiet, almost out of breath.
[Silence follows. Right… Sunny never was very talkative.... Phones are terrible in general, actually.]
Sunny? Are you there?
[Thank god, thank god,] Thank god. [A relieved, shaking whisper. Hold it together…]
Hi, Sunny.... It’s… really good, t-to hear you. [She swallows.] Sorry. Was it easier to type…?
[She’s messing up already…]
Sorry. Sorry. We can— Is it okay if I talk? And you can write…
“Ok.” Okay, yeah. This can work. It’s okay…
[The downside to this is that he can hear just how emotional she’s getting. At the same time, that was kind of the point. Sunny’s quiet, and it’s good to hear anything from him at all; but from Aubrey, words aren’t enough.
[Is anything?]
Honestly, though, I… I don’t know what to say. What do you mean you’re forgetting so much…?
Sunny…
[Her voice cracks on his name. There’s a muffled sound as she covers her mouth. Every message is its own little stab; of course he was never okay. What a sick, cruel, joke of a thought.]
How long…?
No. [Firm. It falls apart from there.]
Sunny, it’s… It’s been two months, it’s been four— Too long. God, it’s…
[She wipes her eyes, futile.] It’s not your fault. I’m sorry....
[He feels like he could fall asleep. Just fall asleep, and it will all be over...]
please
don't say that
[She misinterprets. Apology after apology rises in her throat; she chokes them all down. This isn’t about her…]
You didn’t have to be alone.... [But Aubrey’s not not at fault, is she? This guilt can’t be for nothing. Four long, lonesome years, and not once did she reach out; not in four years, not in two months, not until someone else’s distress hit her cold and dead.
[She’s so fucking stupid.]
You didn’t. And now you… [It takes some sputtering, but she forces it out.] You don’t have to be....
[God, after all this?]
D… Do you want me over there? [Desperately soft.]
be right there
[She tears out like her life depends on it. Forget the phone, forget shoes, forget everything else. Aubrey nearly trips in her haste, but in within minutes she’s knocking at Sunny’s door. It’s far, far overdue.]
[Sunny opens the door. He's small anyway; thin, pale, the same height he was when he was twelve. He looks smaller than usual right now, sinking in on himself. He wipes at the back of his eyes. He doesn't deserve to cry.
[He doesn't know what to say. He hugs himself and backs away to let her in.
[The inside of his house is different than the last time she saw it. There's a massive pile of stuffed animals and other soft items stuffed in one corner beside the couch. That's where the polaroid and Aubrey's note lay. A shitty TV sits on a box across the room. There's a coffee table with half-eaten crap on it. Sketchbook pages litter the floor. Sunny doesn't remember drawing today...]
[It takes substantial self-control not to throw her arms around him on sight, but Sunny was never quite a hugger (and really, neither was Aubrey); only with Mari. His sister.m
[Sunny’s arms are closed in upon himself, and Aubrey inadvertently mirrors. He looks smaller than he sounded; pale, undernourished, wiping his eyes. He was a hollow facsiile of himself at church, and she’s hardly seen him since—looked, yes, passed and disregarded, but never seen.
[Aubrey doesn’t know what to say. She shuffles in like an unwilling trespasser.]
H-hey… [The room gets a passing skim, but it’s Sunny she’s trying not to stare at. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry—]
You’ve, ah… [Aubrey forces a glance towards the stuffed animals. It wanders idly back to the floor as she talks.] You’ve made it cozy here…
Are we friends?
[He doesn't want to do this if they aren't friends. He doesn't want to be her nothing anymore, but he doesn't want to be just someone she's hanging onto old loyalty for either. Back in Faraway, it felt as though they had reconciled; maybe they did. There's an urgency to return, suddenly - because Basil is on the other side of that door. Sunny hasn't let himself feel it in two months. None of this was supposed to be real.
[So, how real is what he remembers?
[Are they friends? Or are they just meant to be apart?
[He loves her. It hurts. He doesn't want her to say no; doesn't even want her to hesitate. But he suspects she will.]
[No hesitation:] Yes.
Yeah. We– We are. If you still…
[If you don’t hate me, like you should. She swallows, hard.]
…want… that.
[There are other things to worry about. Sunny doesn't notice that his body has tensed until he feels the tension release; it isn't peace, though. Sunny sinks to the ground and covers his hands with his face. What's happening to him? And through it all, Aubrey - she doesn't know; she's right here.
[He was never the crybaby of the group. He wipes at his eyes, but it's impossible to stop the tears. All at once, he wants to go home. But going home only means going far away anyway. He doesn't know what he wants. He doesn't want anything.
["Then why are you not hungry? Are you even alive?
[Sunny's sobs are only seen, not heard, the way his back jumps and shudders, curled up just like that. There's only one pair of arms he'd like to feel around him.
[He'd take Aubrey's too.]
[There’s a split second, his face tense in fury, that Aubrey is dead certain she’s fucked up forever. Too hasty. Too desperate. The gall of her, assuming they could be friends again after one conversation, two months, four years—
[Sunny falls. She can’t hear him; she knows exactly what he’s doing. The drop to her knees is immediate; the outreach, delayed for a choked breath—]
Sunny…
[—and without second thought she throws her arms around him. The heave of her chest is audible. Aubrey’s no good at holding back.]
Au-aubrey-- [He blubbers her name, although it's quiet, curling into her and clinging ever tighter.
[He doesn't want to lose them. Aubrey, Kel, Hero, Basil - please, please, please - not anyone else. He doesn't want them to become old Polaroids. He doesn't want them to leave.]
[God, but they are both a mess. Aubrey’s never heard Sunny cry this hard; it makes her own sobs worse. But she could stay like this forever if it meant never having to let go of Sunny again, keeping him curled into her, being together. Despite his flash of anger, the way Sunny gasps out her name leaves little to doubt, or so she desperately, desperately hopes.
We’re friends, Sunny… [Pitched high and strained, croaked out between gasps. She pulls him closer, closer, closer, fingers curling tight around him. Don’t break him again.]
We’re friends, and we never should’ve sto— I, I never should’ve turned my back on you. [There she goes again… But it’s necessary this time. It feels necessary. Sunny has never been to blame at all.] I can’t… do that again.
I'm sorry...[He shudders with that word, curling in tighter.]
[“Sorry” for what? Grieving? Locking himself away? Staying in his house to rot when no one lifted a finger to check on him?]
[Don’t be, she wants to say. Like it’s ever that easy.
[Instead:] It’s okay… [Like it ever is.]
[He'll think about it then. He tries to breathe. It takes a while for him to stop crying, to let go long enough to try wiping the tears from his soaked face. He's so embarrassed, but...she's here.
[He doesn't want to let go, and he doesn't have the words. He holds onto her again, more loosely this time; he looks all at once exhausted.]
[Somehow, Aubrey’s crying slows before Sunny’s does. That’s okay with her; Sunny pulling away even briefly, just to wipe his tears, sends a panic through her chest. But he comes back. And she can focus better on keeping hold of him if her own vision isn’t blurred.
[It’s late, and she’s drained. They both are.
[Sunny has a couch now. And a pile of stuffed animals. He feels so… frail in her arms. She wonders…]
You’re tired, huh… [It comes out hoarse, almost idle, but Aubrey’s arms around Sunny are still tight. Less desperate, maybe. No less close.]
Not yet...[But he does look...and sound...exhausted.]
Hah… all right. [She won’t insist, exactly, but…] I’ll stay here as long as you want, then....
[Even if they’re on the floor. Some semblance of a smile, pained as it may be, tugs at Aubrey. There’s so much to make up for....]
Just… let me know when you want to move. [Sitting in the rain. On a porch. Just through the door of a treehouse. Quiet moments. Maybe she could fall asleep like this.]
[Assuming she takes the hint, he'll start crawling over in that direction with her; doesn't really feel like leaving the floor right now.]
[She takes the hint—though, true to form, doesn’t quite include herself. When Sunny starts crawling, Aubrey gives him a tug;] Hold on. Let me try…
[Trailing off, she moves to readjust her hold—gently scooping him by the legs and back, then shuffling to a kneel, ready to stand. The pile isn’t that far away, really, but it seems marginally more dignified than a crawl. (For her. As if her face isn’t red and streaked with dry tears.)]
This okay…?
[He’s small, and—as expected—depressingly light. Sunny hasn’t always been this bony....
[Aubrey shoves the implications aside, for the moment. He’s carried with ease, step by careful step, and she’s slow to set him down on the plush pile. The way he clings to her, rests against her…
[She doesn’t unwrap her arms first, even if it leaves her in an awkward semi-kneel by the edge of the pile. Does he have to let go already…?]
Do you, ah… [There’s a faint, awkward smile.] …want me to stay…?
[He nods.
[Aubrey. The one he dreams about is nothing like the real thing.]
[She doesn’t think twice about the pile, really. If Mr. Eggplant hadn’t been forgotten at the treehouse four years ago, she’d probably still sleep with him.
[A breathing friend is better.]
[Sunny nods, and Aubrey’s smile warms. She blinks back a fresh round of tears and simply–! flops down next to him, having to let go briefly just to pull off the motion, but curling up on her side shortly after to face him.
[Strong one second, 12 again the next. Aubrey doesn’t say anything, just settling into the plush softness. It’s just like back then…]
[Does Aubrey really know him at all anymore? He's not even sure he knows himself; more aptly, that there's anything left to know at all.
[He watches her, reaching over to hook their fingers. It really is just like back then.
[More than that, that last night that he remembers; Hero, Kel...
[Basil. He flinches, squeezing their fingers together.]
Aubrey...[His voice is a whisper.] I told you...the truth.
[He used to curl up like this back then, too. But Aubrey would keep her arms full of plush, and Sunny catches her by surprise this time. It’s surprisingly tender—at least until the flinch.
[She frowns slightly even before he talks. At the words her brow furrows. Baffling as the texts have been—and his head wasn’t fucked even back then, was it?—she hasn’t doubted them.
[He’s also told her, if as a split version of himself, that he doesn’t want to be friends. The thought has Aubrey glancing away, idly into the plush pile. But she lets their fingers stay locked.]
About what…?
Ah…
[Hushed.
[Right.
[The future.
[She’s been telling herself it’s different. Different… timeline, different version of the world. And for what?
[“We came back for you.”
[Something in her heart seizes. Aubrey tries to cover her face, but keeps her other hand in Sunny’s. It squeezes, tight. God, not again…]
Why…? [Her voice is tight.] Why would you come back for me…?
[It feels like it should be obvious, but...no, it really isn't, is it? Because when you love someone, you aren't supposed to leave them behind; after Mari died, everyone separated. Sunny understands why he had to be apart, why Basil did; hell, he almost didn't answer that first day Kel knocked. But Hero went to school, and Kel and Aubrey couldn't get along without him, maybe. Sunny doesn't know.
[It doesn't matter. They're here while they're here, and then they'll be home, and Sunny will be leaving the next morning, and maybe he'll never have said it all. Who knows how long he has left with Aubrey, really?
[Her voice is tight. She looks like she might start crying again.
[Sunny laces their fingers. He wish it were enough - that he could say it all without words.]
We love...each other...
[She starts crying again.
[It only takes a couple futile wipes before she just crosses her whole arm over her her eyes, trying at least not to bawl all over his stuffed animals. But god, it’s like she never cried at all tonight. There’s not much catharsis this round, feeling somewhat touched but mostly downright rotten.
[Why? Why her? She’s been nothing but terrible to all of them. Yelled at them, ignored them, called them names behind their back; all pushing and pushing before they could even think to reach out. Even back then, she only let them in so much. And here, she shut herself off to Sunny like her life depended on it.
[Sunny, who’s letting her keep a hand twined in his, like it’s not shaking with the effort to not squeeze shut and crush him. Sunny, who’s been losing his memory, just needed someone by his side, and missed her so much…
[It’s not about her. Aubrey is a sobbing, sorry idiot. She doesn’t fucking deserve it.]
[He had no choice but to stay away. He had no choice, but there's no way to tell her that now. He wants to pull her close. She's Aubrey. How many times has he seen her cry? They've never been the most touchy, but he's never seen her quite like this.
[It's Aubrey.
[He tries to pull her in. His arms are thin, and his grip is weak, but he wills himself to be capable and strong. He can take care of her too. They shouldn't be apart anymore - any of them...
[Oh, Basil...]
[Sunny pulls her in, and Aubrey relents, too beyond exhausted to resist. His grip may be weak, but it’s enough for her; an affirmation, more than that. Shame keeps her from fully leaning in, but it also manages to stifle her somewhat.
[It’s not much. But she manages to sputter,] We… we love each other. [A miserable nod. Aubrey wipes her eyes again, then clasps Sunny’s hand between both of hers. It still feels fragile.] We do…
[I love you, too.]
[This is really happening. This is really her. And he loves her. He loves her - whether they deserve it or not.]
We'll be...
[He pulls her hand up to his heart, watching her under a subtly pinched brow; concerned, affectionate, searching, pleading.]
Together...now...
[Okay?
[And then, when they get home - when they save Basil - he'll...
[He'll worry...about all that then.]
[The pull to his heart… be still, her own. It is, once again, surprisingly tender; through the swirl of self-loathing, Aubrey wonders how long Sunny’s been like this.
[She tugs her weary, still-gleaming eyes up to meet his, and nods, more resolute. It’s not a surrender this time; it can be a promise.]
Together now.
[Her hands clasp at his heart.]
[He's thought a lot about holding Aubrey's hands like this; feels different now that it's happening, somehow...
[He really missed her.]
Stay...
[That exhaustion is indeed settling in. He really does look frail like this; he hasn't noticed, really.]
[It hasn’t remotely occurred to her not to.]
I will… as long as you need me. [As long as you want me. As long as you’ll let me…]
[Her own words finish on a sigh, somewhere wistful but not without exhaustion. Sunny looks like he hasn’t slept in years. She’ll make sure he’s alright, first…]
I’ll be right here.
Right…
[The thought of him wanting her seemed like too much. But what came out was even more grotesque, huh? Revealing.
[Embarrassing…]
It’s just… good to be with you again, Sunny.
[It is good.
[The night is quiet, and the air is calm. The treehouse is dark, but they're together; shadows don't encroach. This is where Sunny brings them - Kenma, Xie Lian, even Izutsumi - because it's the safest place he has.
[Aubrey needed him, needed them. Sunny can believe that. The way she asked why they went back for her; the way she reacted when he said he loved her...
[He can be there for her, too, now; while they're here, at least, he can be. It's a promise he'll try to keep, even if its only made in his mind. Aubrey doesn't have to be alone anymore. Neither does he. Maybe they haven't been alone, really, but...being without Each Other (Kel, Aubrey, Hero, Basil, Sunny, Mari...) feels an awful lot like being alone sometimes.
[Sunny nods. He's grateful that their hands are still resting over his heart. He's not eager to let go, fingers squeezing. "You too, Aubrey."]
[As long as he keeps them there, wants her there, she’ll stay.
[It’s an impossible promise, but she could stay with Sunny forever.
[Faintly, Aubrey manages a smile. They’re not alone anymore.]
[Well, she’s been up for less than an hour and it’s already been A Morning. Woken up by the sunrise, hands still tangled with Sunny’s, had a blissful few seconds before the conscious thoughts kicked in and then they were oh shit I have sword training— That talk went like a charm. And by the time Aubrey’s back in Sunny’s place, she’s wide awake.
[Sunny is out like a light.]
[In the dark, Aubrey hadn’t taken much notice of his house. She can’t ever remember him leaving stuff all over the floor, even half-eaten food on the table (idly, she notes it’s mostly similar to what Eren brings her); Mari would have a stroke. It’s not Aubrey’s place to move anything, but it strikes her as a sparse room in its own right. He’s got his own bare minimum: Couch. Pile. TV. Mildly unnerving sketches....
[There’s an agitation she can’t scratch. A non-small temptation to reread the conversation from last night; as phones would have it, only his side of the later part is on record. “My head is fucked”…
[He’s still sleeping. Aubrey helps herself to the area that’s roughly equivalent to a kitchen, sees he’s barely stocked, then replaces the note again:]
Ran out to get my phone, be right back.
Food run. I’m still next door.
[And if multiple trips in and out don’t wake him, maybe the smell and sizzle of scrambled eggs will.]
[He really doesn't like being awake. In his twilight, he figures that everything he imagined with Aubrey the night before was only a nice dream. He doesn't want that dream to end. She isn't beside him, but maybe she'll come back...
[His eyes open. There's someone cooking in his kitchen. Kenma? He pushes himself up from the pile, peering.
[His heart catches in his throat. She's here.
[He comes to stand, then wanders toward the kitchen, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He doesn't intend to startle her, but he doesn't announce himself either.]
[She doesn’t notice. She’s beating the shit out of these eggs, frankly. The thing with those daily trainings is that whatever’s buzzing around Aubrey’s head gets taken out through the blade, and without that? Kitchen violence.
[There’s not too much mess, although she’s brought over a bit extra, all of which has been dropped in a corner on the side; milk, fruit, vegetables, bread… The lower rungs of the food pyramid would approve. It can’t possibly be just for breakfast.
[Aubrey finishes a plate, turns around, and immediately gets jumpscared.]
Sunny! Uh, hey. [Fumbling, she shoves the plate at him.] You’re up. Here.
[It's funny. When he drops back down on his heels, he lets out a little breath - very nearly a laugh, that. And then he has a plate in his hands.]
Hi...
[All that food. Did he...buy that all himself? It wouldn't be the first time he forgot a trip into town...]
[They’re off to a great start.]
Oh, and uh, good morning. [Noting his glance to the counter,] I brought some extra stuff over, for whenever. Don’t worry about it.
[Say his pantry his empty without saying his pantry is hosting a dust party. With some awkward haste, Aubrey turns back to her work.] You can get settled wherever you eat… I’ll join you in a sec.
[Her hand is taken, squeezed. That's where his eyes are. And that's all. He nods and goes to sit on the couch, legs folded up underneath him. He'll wait for her to start eating.
[There's...a lot to think about, and some of it threatens Sunny's mind now, but...it's easy to focus on Aubrey, and the goodness he feels - for now.]
[The hand squeeze…
[Last night really did happen, didn’t it? Reality has always been impossible to question for Aubrey, the way it’s wont to leave her cold. But winter is over, and breakfast is hot. Today can be better.
[It has to be.]
[She’s not unaware she’s effectively invited herself over, at least for breakfast. People come and go sometimes, Aubrey’s noticed; she spends little time at the treehouse herself, but the path to Sunny’s is well-worn. He doesn’t seem to be expecting visitors, at least not from the way he sits and… doesn’t touch his food. Huh.]
Bon appétit…? [Aubrey, with some hesitation, takes a seat on the couch by him. Her crossed legs are as good a makeshift table for her own food as any.
[Small talk is hard, but she’s not ready to test the illusion yet. It’s bright out, today…]
You slept well.
[He takes a bite of the eggs when Aubrey sits down with her own plate. It was nice of her to make him something; something he doesn't mind eating too...She must have remembered.]
It's good...
[And so, here they are. Together again. Sunny’s eating, good; only then does Aubrey take a bite of her own.
[It’s a bit awkward. It’s a relief beyond words.]
Thanks… [For once, she’ll choose to take it as a compliment.]
[A glance, idle, around the space. Actually, did he move the polaroid? Aubrey can’t help but look for it, though she tries to make it subtle, like she’s got an eye out for stray food that didn’t fall.]
So… you’ve made new friends here? [Probably better than a generic “what have you been up to here,” considering.]
One...or two. [Three, maybe? He isn't sure who to trust...
[Aubrey will...probably find out about Kenma too. He could show up any moment, really...]
Kenma...
You know...him?
[Geez, and even that answer’s uncertain. Aubrey takes a bite before answering, teeth scraping against the fork somewhat.]
Mm. Never heard of him.
[He's getting a little too reliant on texting even when in-person, because the impulse to ask about it again is there now; in fact, he holds his phone up in a silent question.]
[The way he immediately explodes into a blush—well, that’s an answer. Aubrey’s eyes go a bit wide, though she tries not to stare.
[At the phone:] Oh, right. Yeah, I have that now— go ahead. [She’ll fish it out of her pocket, trying not to spill anything in the process, while he types.]
kenma
is special to me
[Mental note made: Aubrey’s never going to try breaking or tossing the phone again. The discrepancy is a touch more strange, doing it in person like this, sure; but at this point, she’d talk with Sunny over tin cans with a string in between. Anything just to communicate.]
Special, huh… [Out loud, there’s a gentle pry. Fond. He has someone…]
What’s he like?
[The cat face is precious. —But something’s wrong.] Sunny…?
[She lowers her own phone, watching him with a frown tense with concern.] What’s not real? [Is that a question he can answer?]
[He pushes the plate away from him. He's had three bites.]
I don't...know...
[He hangs his head, scrubs his hands through his hair. It's not a particularly...panicked or manic motion, but...distress is clear enough.]
I don't...
[Breakfast’s over. Aubrey sets hers aside, phone along with; she didn’t get much further.]
Hey, hey… [She forces down a rising panic of her own, tries to keep her tone steady. Maybe grounding? It’s not at all practiced.] This place is confusing, I get it…
[Is this a good time to bring herself back in? God, Aubrey doesn’t know. It’s all she’s got.] I’ve wondered about it, too, but it… feels real. [Leaning in, tentatively, she reaches for a hand.] You’re real…
[Okay. The hand helps. Right? It has to help. She closes her other over his, squeezing back, steady as a heartbeat.
[Steadier than she feels, at least. The bar could be higher.]
“Which”… people…? [Which days, which places. It could be anything, but Aubrey reaches for specifics.]
[She shifts closer to him. This is impossible…
[Think, Aubrey. Is there proof in the house, anything someone else left here? Only Sunny could know that. Text history? If he doesn’t remember sending every message, then those received aren’t much better—especially from a phone with a mind of its own. Maybe if they have contacts in common, but who the hell has Aubrey mentioned Sunny around? She sure hasn’t wanted to. Only one—]
Luz. [Hushed, abrupt; Aubrey sits up straighter.]
Sunny, [more firmly,] I’m real. And if we know the same people, would that make them real to you, too?
[She tries very hard not to make it sound like a plea.]
Tell me who you know. [Intense. Gears are turning.] I’ll find as many as I can. A-and I know one person, Luz Noceda, who said she’s talked to you; I can pro—
[Aubrey reaches for her phone, but hesitates. That wasn’t in text. And if there’s no answer to a call or message, that’s no good.
[A grasp at something else, then:] I can prove it. That she’s real. [Biting back desperation. She clasps Sunny’s hands again.] Can I try…?
I...know Luz...
[He'll have to type the rest...He reaches for his phone, sending names as he thinks of them. It's difficult to remember everyone, but...]
luz
kenma
xie lian
izutsumi
malleus
levi
jean
laserhawk
aziraphale
erwin
[Who else...]
akechi
venat
adam
grog
[She does not hold back the relief, eyes shut for a moment with a sharp huff, when Sunny confirms knowing one of the best people Aubrey knows. Mutters half-intelligibly, maybe a thank god; there couldn’t be anyone more understanding. Right?
[But wait, there’s more! Aubrey scrambles for her phone when Sunny does, and reads the names aloud with increasing fervor (if skimming through the less familiar):]
Luz, we both know her, she’s one of my best friends here. Kenma, he’s special to you. Xie Lian, Izutsumi, Malleus, Levi… I might know Le–Jean, Jean, I just talked to him the other night; Laserhawk, Aziraphale, them, too; Erwin…
[Holy shit.] Akechi? And Venat [reverence in that name], Adam [less familiar (sorry, Adam)], Grog…
[Aubrey can’t help it. There’s a grin tugging at her face, lopsided with relief, as she reads the list to herself, silently, one more time.]
Sunny… I know half these people. [She looks up to him, eyes gleaming.] They’re all real.
And I’d bet the rest are, too.
i
didnt realize
how much i wanted
that to be true
It’s hard to believe, right? [Still smiling, though.] And they’re all from such different worlds… I don’t blame you.
[She gets the vague this is about more than just these people, even this place. No one else has talked about missing memories. So Aubrey keeps to herself the part where she’s not sure if Somnius is one big dream (or nightmare) sometimes, either.]
But it all has to be true. Even your cat friend… [A shrug, lighthearted.] I know a guy who turns into a wolf.
Really. [And tragically, they cannot meet onscreen. But Aubrey wouldn’t make the offer, anyway; it occurs to her, and then she remembers how all this started…
[The smile is dampened somewhat. She hopes Eren’s doing alright.]
A lot of weird stuff happens here. [People from the future. Being split in two. Reconciling after four years, after just a day…] But no matter what, I’m here for you now, Sunny.
[She reaches for his hand again.] Promise.
[He has to trust her as much as he can, with what he can. He takes her hand and holds it to his chest again. It makes him feel anchored, doing it like that; squeezing, releasing...just like a stress ball.]
You too.
[He doesn't need to be coddled or cared for any more than anyone else does. He can take care of her too...
[He uncurls his hand from hers to hold out his pinky. Not everything has to change just because time moves on, right?]
[There’s something soothing about the way he squeezes her hand like that. Makes Aubrey feel like this is actually helping, for all her sputters and flaws. Sunny needs her to be stronger than that… but they can fall asleep in his pile, too.
[They hadn’t talked in four years. They’re closer than they’ve ever been.
[Aubrey hooks Sunny’s pinky, and squeezes.]
[Aubrey’s not sure they can be certain of anything anymore. This place isn’t kind. But as far as she can help it, she’ll try; she has to trust Sunny believes it.]
[He has other people here, too. Aubrey relaxes again as Sunny takes his phone, and reaches for the rest of her food. It’s cold now, but whatever.]
Two of these? [She gestures at the phone a bit, its giant list of Sunny’s… friends? People he knows, in some way. When she gets back to her own house, she’ll have to write this down....] On the list.
[He nods as he types.]
kenma
its a little embarrassing
[His face is going pink again.]
we like each other
like that
i figured
i just made that up
[Which is...really a lot more embarrassing than revealing to his also-teenaged friend that he's kissed
[Were it not for their preceding exchange, Aubrey would half wonder if Sunny’s making this up, too. He’s gay?]
You’re… dating? [Sunny would date a cat-person. Aubrey’s not judging.
[Actually, she has a few questions about a person who’d get into a relationship with someone who doesn’t remember half his day. But from Sunny’s earlier description, Kenma seems nice enough, and Sunny trusts him. Aubrey will just have to see for herself that the trust isn’t misplaced.]
im surprised
too
[Will...she mind? His father would, probably. Maybe his mom too. Sunny swallows down a lump in his throat.]
he makes me feel
very good
and safe
[It’s funny. Eren’s from another world and has multiple spouses, so that’s one thing. Luz has talked about her girlfriend, and only later did Aubrey realize Luz is from (what Aubrey thinks is) the same version of Earth; if a place can have magic, it can have girls dating girls, too.
[Sunny, though. It never occurred to her…]
I’m glad. [She has no idea what to say to this sort of thing. Two months feels… fast. But the sentiment is genuine, and Aubrey’s faint smile remains.] Congrats on the boyfriend.
[New topic...]
xie lian
is the kindest person i know
its hard to say
how important he is
to me
[Which is...surprisingly honest of him to admit so readily, however...through everything, Aubrey has become...Aubrey again...
[Haven't they shared plenty of confessions like this? There's no harm in her knowing how wonderful Xie Lian is; how he's almost convinced Sunny once or twice that hope still exists.]
Xie Lian. [She mucks up the punctuation a bit, but there’s an honest effort. The kindest person…]
How’d you meet? [It’s a soft question. Sunny’s telling her a lot…]
[Ingredients. Sunny’s kitchen was not stocked.]
You meet a lot of people through the network, huh?
[Just doesn't really think about it. Eating doesn't seem to matter much when everything only seems half-real.]
its easier
to talk this way
[He never was the biggest eater. But it’s not lost on Aubrey that he’s leaving his breakfast at three bites; that seems new.]
I guess it is.... I feel like you miss a lot, though. Tone and stuff.
[Small shrug. She’s not judging too much; as long as he’s talking with someone, somehow. Charlene would probably be the same way.]
By the way, ah. You gonna finish that? [The food.]
You know, it sounds like you. [Very, very lightly teasing.] I don’t know if it’s just because I’ve heard you before, but this sort of… all lowercase, with the short messages. It works.
[She pauses, taking a couple bites of her own, before answering the question. This might be one of the first times the topic hasn’t felt incredibly loaded.]
I have Luz. Whether I like it or not.... [It’s fond, though. Aubrey really has to wonder what kind of person gets yelled at like that and sticks around anyway. Sunny and Kel came back, apparently, but that’s different…]
It’s been a little while, but— Oh, I should show you the new bat. And the sword. [She gestures with the empty fork, a little “just you wait” motion.] Wolf guy, Eren, got me that one. I think we’re friends, too.
[At this Aubrey’s face lights up, vaguely mischievous.] Yeah? I’ve been training with iiit… pretty much every day. Haven’t had to really use it yet, but. [Absent wave of the fork.] If I need to, it’s good to have.
[She swings it loosely in Sunny’s direction. Reminding him there are monsters here might be dangerous, but considering how they ran into each other out here…] I can defend you better now.
Honor?
[She takes the fork in both hands, holding it upright like a real knight. Or at least like knights in picture books.]
Hell yeah, I’ll defend your honor. I pledge my sword to thee, Sunny [insert surname here].
[And god help her, the knight schtick may be a joke, but protecting him is a vow she will keep.]
I do...hereby...knight thee.
[She bows her head when he does, and doesn’t look up until his pledge is complete. There’s already a laugh in her chest, and when she sees that tiny smile again, it comes out in a soft, borderline-giggling sound. When was the last time she sounded like this? When did Sunny last smile like that?]
I won’t let you down, my liege. [Anything for that smile.] Neither monster nor man shall contest us.
[It works!] Nor man-eating monster, or… monster-eating man? [Okay, not funny to some people out here, but this is between Sunny and Aubrey.]
Really, though… [She sets the fork down, then crosses an actual hand over her heart.] No matter what this place throws at us… I’m keeping my promise, and I want to keep you safe. Don’t…
[Don’t pay attention to anything I say to the contrary. I don’t want this place to force it out. Which means it probably will…]
Don’t doubt that. Okay?
I kicked you out...
[Even for Sunny, it's a quiet voice.]
I'm sorry.
[She sort of figured that might kill the smile. It stings to see it go, but this felt… right, to bring up, then. Important. Watching Sunny mirror her hand is significant in its own way, much as the curl of his fingers tugs at her heart.
[Then he speaks.]
You’re… [Aubrey’s own voice is quiet, searching.]
For that?
[Gently, she slips her hand back towards his.]
I wasn’t even thinking of that…
[This could get very, very dangerous.]
Look… I would’ve kicked me out, too. [Shame has Aubrey shrinking down, glancing away. But she forces herself to refocus on Sunny.] You don’t… need to be sorry for anything.
There were, and we made it out fine. [She squeezes back, steady.] I shouldn’t have left you. We could’ve stayed together, and…
[He doesn’t want to hear how goddamn sorry you are.]
…We can now. We will. That’s what matters.
[They promised. He can feel the pressure on his pinky. It's just a stupid finger, easily broken. It matters all the same.
[It matters a lot.
[He nods, and brings up his other hand to rest over hers. They both squeeze down.]
Okay...
[She smiles. It’s soft and hurting and, just maybe… hopeful.]
Okay.
And you're welcome. However, Aubrey is the one who did everything. My actions were minor in comparison.
[That bit of praise though - he'll take it. Hold onto it.]
She truly does care about you.
But the answer he receives hours later is-
Pathetic. Weak. A romantic confession to another - he isn't remotely interested in getting involved in this shit.]
Is that so? I imagine that's a wonderful thing to realize.
[It makes him want to puke.]
Have you told her? I'm sure she would appreciate the sentiment behind that.
ur not curious
ur nosy
ur looking for information
that isn’t yours
im not going
to fall for it
[To be fair, Omori assumes this about anyone that presses Sunny too far, but after that abrupt café date and Akechi’s interference on the roof, Omori isn’t particularly endeared to him regardless.]
It's almost fun to poke the metaphorical bear.]
While everyone is entitled to privacy, being concerned over someone's wellbeing is generally perceived as a good thing. It makes me wonder why you take such an aggressive approach to such questions.
[Next time, die somewhere no one can find you if you don't like it!]
Is good. What a fucking joke. Exactly as expected from a 'kind', meek-mannered piece of shit.]
My, that's aggressive. Sorry to disappoint you, but my life is quite full. Though it may be hard to see that within the confines of your room. Of course, I say this out of concern for your wellbeing.
He's livid. This little shit.]
Because you caught me at a time when I was alone. Simple as that. Naturally I teamed up with others when the opportunity allowed.
Though I am independent by nature and don't require someone's leash to guide me around. Oh, I hope that doesn't sound rude. It's an example, of course. I'm not implying anything about you.
Sunny can't know how nervous his friend is to... talk with him. Sunny deserves friendship and love and Kel will do his bloody best to deliver, no matter how... complicated his feelings currently are.]
Hey Sunny? Kel here, as you can probably see. I'm... back home. How are you? I talked with Aubrey but haven't heard of you since the plant mess started. I miss you, buddy, we should go out for a pizza. Or a steak, I bet I can afford one now.
[He hopes he sounds as casual as he wants to, after all Kel is supposed to be the one who doesn't take things too seriously.]
[Sunny wonders what Aubrey might have told Kel. He doesn't know how he feels about her right now. Sometimes he wants to be close to her, and sometimes he wants nothing more than to be away. He doesn't know why thinking about her now makes his stomach feel sick. What was he waiting to hear? Why can't he let it go?
[Sunny doesn't turn on his video. He's curled in bed under a blanket. He's just woken up; considering going back to bed.]
hi kel
are u ok?
did u get hurt?
[Did Sunny bother checking up on him? He can't find anything in their message history...
[He's really not made to have friends, is he?]
I'm fine, I'm fine. My legs hurt only because I ended up running nonstop but beside that I'm... actually fine. And I was actually considering if we could meet up or something, it's been... a while.
Even before coming here, I didn't see you in a week or something and I don't want for
four more years to go by without seeing you again. We're buddies, right?
[Let's leave the 'I want to check on you' be silent there.]
i don't feel
very well
im sorry
[There he goes, pushing everyone away again. And he has the audacity to wonder why nobody checked in for four years? He wouldn't have let them if they tried.]
we are buddies
im sorry
Anyway, there comes the 'rejection'. He half expected that anyway so he merely squeezes the toy in his free hand and keeps smiling at the camera.]
I see... well, no hanging out in the city I get it. I can come over, then? Have you had food today? There's a dude who is helping me until I'm properly settled down and I can ask him for something light like a soup for once?
[He's not walking away, not this time.]
There's no need to apologize, you did nothing wrong. We can't control how we feel, can we? But you can allow your best buddy Kel to give you a hand until you feel better, right?
i have food [But, no, he hasn't eaten.]
is it eren?
he brings me
food too
but
we haven't met
Well, that's great then! I can take over my own food and we can eat together. I promise I won't be too much of a chaosmaker!
[Oh, so it's... common, huh?]
Yeah! It's him! We already discussed playing sports together too, he seems pretty cool!
really know him
[Kel's being really insistent about this. It goes so far as to irritate Sunny, though he can attribute that to his miserable mood. He just wants to hide in his room with the lights off, not sit around sharing food and trying to make conversation - something he's already miserable at.
[But Kel is his friend. Why does he always push them away? He feels overwhelmed. He considers just putting the phone aside and going back to sleep.]
ok
we can eat
just come in
[His house is a mess. What does it matter? The overgrowth has left things damaged on the inside and out. Sunny hasn't put any work into fixing it himself, but he's vaguely aware of Aubrey helping. He hasn't bothered to hide the torn-out sketchbook pages that now litter the ground in the living room. The images are strange, unsettling. His pile of stuffed animals and soft things has many torn apart friends...
[Sunny keeps the lights off. He goes to sit on the couch.]
[Kel can be... a lot. HE's aware of this but he also doubts that Sunny would open the door so easily anyway if he didn't insist. It took him months to get Sunny outside last time. He's just... he may be making mistakes theere but he's trying.
Someday Sunny will probably kick him out, but he's also prepared for that.]
On my way, buddy!
[It takes him a good ten minutes to get there, trying to pack the food even if he doesn't have a proper bag and wondering what to bring there. He owns... very little, so in the end Kel just... hops there after grabbing a pillow. At least, in case, he will at least have a place where to sit down. When he enters Sunny's place he annonced himself and tried to let some light come in through the door. He does... find himself staring at the notebook pages on the floor for longer than he'd like. Between Aubrey's words about Sunny not 'being okay' and how much he personally knows now... it worries him. Still, he bends forward picking up one of the drawings and smiling while trying to see his friend in the dark. Okay, Kel, time to be 'Kel'.]
Man, I didn't know you were an artist. I need to see if I can find you a pack of colors!
Okay, okay, sorry, I didn't plan to steal any of your art, really. [He spends a moment just... staring at Sunny. Become coming back there he spent almost a week staring at his pale face in the hospital whenever they visited him or Basil and it's almost surreal to see him without a bandage on his eye.] I... I got ramen noodles! And bread. I ate most of the rest already but I want to eat with you too. should I... prepare the table or something?
Man, I missed you, buddy.
I...missed you too. [Sunny doesn't have a microwave, but he does have a lot of (frankly, unused) pots, pans, and utensils; he points to a container of food on the small table in front of him, however.]
We...can share...
That's good! I mean, not good because I'd rather know you happy, but now your buddy is here. [If allowed, he'd walk closer and give the other young man's shoulder a gentle squeeze, if not he'll just... start moving around and look at what can be prepared.]
Nah. I know you won't believe this but I had enough food to be almost full now. [It's a lie. He likes to eat, with his lifestyle he burns a lot of calories,, but he's also stranagely aware of how thin the other is and he's not going to take any food from Sunny.]
Maybe I can make ramen for both of us? And... you said you weren't feeling well, want to talk about it?
[But friends tell each other...what they can...right?]
I got hurt. [Start there.
[He holds out a pale, skinny arm. It's marred with a deep, gnarled scar, curling over almost the entire length - bicep, elbow, forearm, wrist...
[He was being eaten...]
He stops, though, at Sunny's words, the prepackaged ramen just sitting on a bowl while the water is still warming up.]
You got- hurt? [Shit. Again. Well, technically not 'again' considerinng this Sunny was never assaulted by Basil, but... he steps back to reach Sunny's side again, looking down at the arm and trying to keep a neutral expression. Shit... he's just a teen who saw gross things in movies at best, sometimes in videogames,
I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you, Sunny. I'm... I spent the entire time running around... next time I promise I will be ready to- I don't know. I want to say 'keep you and Aubrey safe' but this feels all so big. I will at least try my best, it's a promise. [Maybe he should really look into those 'sword training classes'.He can't keep failing his friends over and over.] Does it hurt that much?
[He doesn't need a babysitter. That's what he wants to say. But he walked away from Aubrey, and he got hurt. As much as he wants to be capable of taking care of himself, he clearly isn't; it makes him feel bitter and mean.
[It doesn't show, at least...He's used to burying that sort of thing.]
It doesn't hurt.
It did...[Not anymore. Not since Xie Lian took him to the crystal.] My friend...helped me.
Okay... okay. [At least it doesn't hurt anymore, he can put back a smile and be 'himself' once more.] So you're around here making friends? This makes me so happy, man. You're better than me, I only managed to get so many- then again shortly after I arrived that whole mess started.
You'll make friends...
Lots...
[He isn't worried about not being able to make friends, it's just a matter of time. He is just... more focused on two friends over the other people he's currently chatting with. ]
Just know no one is ever going to replace you or Aubrey as my best buddies, mh? Now... Ramen. I think the water is already bubbling.
The feeling is mutual, Sunny. The feeling is mutual. [He sits down on the couch for a moment, almost throwing his arms around his friend but somehow he manages to stop himself, merely opening his arms and inviting him for a hug. No matter what Sunny's choice will be, he'll still get up after a moment to go back to take care of the Ramen.]
With half of the gang here, we're unstoppable!
[He remembers the look on his friend's face when he opened that door...
[What...is the last thing Kel remembers? Has Sunny asked?
[Does he want to know? He thinks of Basil, and dread chills his shoulders. He's not ready...
[Sunny doesn't want to talk about the "gang" anymore...]
Thanks...for the food.
And for a moment his expression reflects both the relief he feels and how he still needs to properly process what happened.
Worry not, Sunny, he doesn't wnat you to ask where he was before you arrived there.]
Don't mention it. I mean, it's... you know. Ramen. Not exactly gourmet food.
[But he's happily presenting the other a bowl. No matter if it's the single most basic thing in the world, it's food. Perhaps he should... oh.]
Man... now that I live alone I should learn how to cook on my own, no mom or dad around. May I... make you my test subject for the things I will try out? I cannot guarantee much on the quality, though.
That's a deal then! I promise I will do my best not to poison you, buddy! I mean, I at least know chicken and pork have to be fully cooked before eating them-
[Dad taught him well. Even if that's the extent of his meat-related safety knowledge.]
Mh? Oh-
[Well, he's not going to let Sunny ask twice. In a blink the bowl is already abandoned on the floor where he was eating and he gets up to wrap his arms around the other's body. If his friend needs hugs, he will deliver all the hugs Sunny needs.]
He keeps holding onto him for a moment before pushing back and shamelessly cupping the other's face between his hands, trying to be as reassuring as possible.]
Don't. I left you alone for four years, I'm the one who needs to apologize to you. I promise I will not let that happen again, though.
[His shoulders are much larger, he knows he can be there for both Hero and Sunny now. And Aubrey too, even if she's... fierce and independent.]
I wouldn’t…let you…
[Part of him doesn’t really believe that; maybe it’s a larger part than Sunny wants to admit. He did feel alone. In so many ways, he always will - there will only ever be one other person who can truly understand, and he’s…
[Sunny grips tighter.]
We’ll be…together…now…
Good. I'm determined to be here for you from now on...
[He reaches forward, acting like he does when Sally is upset and trying to press his lips against the other's forehead. It's not a romantic gesture, but he's still trying to give the other all his affection.]
Let it all out, Sunny.
["Let it all out," Kel says, but Sunny is tired of crying. He's cried more in the past month than he did in four years. It's exhausting...
[Fingers find the back of Kel's head, idly scratching - Sunny's own brand of affection for his friend.]
Let me help...you too...
Part of his 'going overboard' with Sunny may be tied to a feeling of guilt, that's true, but at the same time he also genuinely cares about the other.
Having Sunny return his affection is still a bit alien, it already felt like the high fives required a lot of efforts on the other's part but he can't complain.
Of course! [He grins widely in the other's direction. He would like to say 'I need no help', but at the same time he doesn't want to invalidate Sunny's desire to feel helpful.] I mean, I can't really think of anything I need right now, but I promise I will seek your help should I need it, mh? I'm counting on you.
[It's gotten just a little easier.
[Sunny's not sure if Kel really plans to rely on him; a large part of him doubts that, but he won't push. Kel's always been good at staying positive. He'll probably be fine. Sunny just worries...in a place like this.
[Sunny pulls away, at last. He returns to his ramen.]
I mean, it looks good to me. Buddies being buddies and all.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
knockingatthedoor
2024-05-08 07:21 pm (UTC)(link)
On relying on Sunny... he will try to do his best to make him feel useful and needed without exposing him to deadly risks.
Another big grin before returning to the floor, sitting down and returning to his ramen as well.]
Hey. ♥
I'm in the living room, is it okay to talk now?
[His room is dark and quiet. He doesn't really want to leave...
[Would Kenma understand?]
hi
kenma ♥
i missed u
im sorry
i dont remember much
[...]
ill come out
soon
but can we talk
here
for now?
I might have slept on you a few times.
As a cat.🐈
[ He likes napping too, and curling up with his boyfriend is very comfy. ]
Yeah of course.
I'm just playing your .
How are you feeling?
[Sometimes Sunny truly thinks he's in love with Kenma. He dares not say it.]
my arm
is fixed
[Not exactly an answer. He's not doing well. Part of him thinks that's probably obvious. He doesn't feel ready to talk about it; he wouldn't even know how.]
jksndjkasd, that . was meant to say "(copyright free portable game console)" but I put it in >'s
anxiouscat
2024-05-01 09:51 am (UTC)(link)
So...
When we were in the hospital... you said something about 'not being who I think you are'
And we said we'd talk about it later.
You were pretty out of it though.
I'm not sure if you even remember that.
[ Too upfront? Kenma's bad at subtlety. ]
[He...doesn't find it inaccurate, really, he...hasn't been feeling himself lately, either. He hasn't been. Just hasn't been...]
im sorry
i dont remember
[Aside from all that, Sunny isn't who Kenma thinks he is. He's a murderer. But he can't tell Kenma that...His boyfriend would never look at him the same way again. He'd hate him.]
something strange
has been happening
the last two weeks
i almost dont remember
anything
but it started
before
Maybe when you're stressed? You forget a bit more?
[ Shrugging man emoji, he doesn't know what else it could be. Though, funnily, he does come from a time period that's a bit more aware of and chill about DID system related things, it's not exactly the first thing that comes to mind. ]
Whatever it is... I don't really mind, as long as you don't forget me?
I really like... this.
[ He's so awkward it's painful, but that seemed like an okay thing to say, right? ]
[He's useless.]
kenma
u
are so
important to me
i would never want
to forget u
[...]
sometimes
i just can't
help it
I think... that's enough.
Trying is the important part.
As long as you don't want to forget me, I'll stick around to make new memories together. ♥
[ Flawless cat logic. ]
Oh- right.
I picked up some soup, if you're hungry.
[Sunny creeps to his bedroom door, hesitating to open it. Kenma accepts him for who he is without even knowing who he is. That makes Sunny feel like a liar; he's grateful too.
[He's so grateful.
[He comes out of his room, not quite able to look Kenma in the eye. He still has his phone in his hands.]
hi ♥
There's a small pause, he makes it to a save point, then taps a little reply in. ]
Hey. ♥
[ One tiny pause, and he turns to look up at his boyfriend. ]
[Sunny slinks over, silent. He climbs onto his boyfriend's lap, wrapping his arms loosely around Kenma's neck. He presses his cheek against the top of his head, right between those ears.
[What does being in love feel like, really? Sunny doesn't really care anymore. He likes this exactly how it is. Is that all it takes? He wouldn't mind.]
Oh...
[ His breath escapes for just a moment, long, lanky arms curling around his lover to wrap about behind his back and settle over opposite hips to fully encircle him. His head tilts forward, splaying those kitty ears out to twitch against his chin.
There's a moment of silence, just soft breaths, a warm frame hugging Sunny close. This is... this feels a lot like what people say love feels like.
A low, deep rumble in his chest is what breaks the silence, purring as his nose tucks into his boyfriends neck. ]
[Sunny needs this gentle silence. Kenma's purring hums through the air; Sunny can feel it when he presses a hand against Kenma's chest, slender fingers splaying.
[He's been so afraid; all the while, Kenma has been here, and he didn't even know it. He couldn't imagine turning him away.
[Sunny's body eases. A large part of him wants to cry, but he's not much good at it anymore. Instead, he just clings; eventually, he begins to rock a little too. It's a comfort to him; he does it often. Kenma's good about letting them move together. That's a comfort too...]
it's just... nice. Safe.
His arms curl just a touch tighter, gently squeezing as he feels those breaths, swaying with his boyfriend♥ and letting his rumble grow a touch deeper. It's quiet...
Until the faint sound of a few soft kisses breaks the air, lips finding spots along Sunny's neck and lower jaw. Not in a sexual way, not today, just... comforting, sweet. Soft and quick. ]
[He cups Kenma's hands with his face and kisses him, eyes squeezed tightly shut. Of course he loves him...]
forcing you to live with "cups his hands with his face" forever >:3
anxiouscat
2024-05-06 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
[ There's a softly muffled sigh, and his eyes flicker open for just a moment to peek at his boyfriend as their lips connect. Warm cheeks rest into his cooler fingers, and the cat lets out a lighter rumble between them as his own hands slide up along Sunny's spine, curling fingers between shoulder blades and brushing their noses together.
Yeah he... He might just be in love. If this heart aching feeling is any indication. Eyes slip closed, and his lips part for a slightly more intimate kiss.
He's so close to confessing that too... but their lips are a bit too busy for talking. Instead a long kitty tail wraps around Sunny's middle. ]
[He's been so afraid. He's been so depressed. He hasn't even wanted to open his eyes, but Kenma's lips are warm against his, and things feel manageable for the moment - it's...a reprieve, invaluable.
[To him, Kenma is perfect. Perfect...There isn't anyone else he wants in this moment; just this. It's enough. It's enough.]
Kenma...I...
Kenma's always been a bit more... calm, understanding. Maybe it's all the games he plays, used to characters with dark and brooding backstories that redeem at the end. It's nice to think the same thing can happen in real life.
Warm breath spills, and those gold eyes peek open as his cheeks rest in Sunny's hands, curious as a cat... ]
Yes... Sunny?
[ His hands slide down, around, holding around his waist steadily as they gently rock. ]
[ He lifts, pressing a soft kiss too his chin before narrowing a more serious, accepting look at his partner. ]
It's okay... I know things have been hard.
[ Another kiss, more, all light and peppering along increasingly wet cheeks. ]
I don't even know what you're sorry for. You're fine, Sunny...
Ah?
Don't be. [ A lighter tone, almost playfully grumpy. ] I care about you because I want to.
[ There's a low rumble, his cheeks darken as his lips part to say something, he hesitates, glowing a bit as he trails back to let their noses brush together. He takes a slow, less steady breath, a little gruff still despite it all, even softspoken. ]
I think I love you... and that's my choice.
[Sunny hasn't imposed anything on him. He feels it himself. He's said it...He might even really mean it-- No, he does really mean it, he...]
I love you. [Sunny barely whispers it. His face looks stunned. His eyes are still wet, but he isn't crying anymore.
[It's so...romantic...He can't do anything else but stare.]
You-- r-really?
[ His head lifts, one soft kiss pressed to his lips. Just short enough to be sweet without delaying their talk. ]
So... don't apologize for stuff like that. I'm doing it because I want to.
[ Hands fall down, gently holding along the small of his back and pulling Sunny in. Bump- and kitty ears and hair nuzzle against his chin. ]
[Sunny pulls away enough that he can see Kenma's face again, taking it in his hands and tilting it upward. He wants Kenma to see him smile. He wants Kenma to know that...]
This...makes me happy.
Oh! His head leans into the tilting, guiding fingers, meeting that smile with a softer one of his own. ]
You're really cute... especially when you smile.
[ And then his tail flickers around the two of them once more. ]
Those lips curl into a smile. ]
You too.
[ He swaaaays, slowly starting to nudge at sunny with his nose. ]
Gonna eat your soup?
I'm sorry again to have bothered you.
But... well, this might sound strange, but could I reach out to you again in the future?
Not exactly like a shrink. I'm just a counselor. It's much less formal.
I'm sorry, I should have said that up front since this is technically our first meeting. These questions come naturally to me, but you never need to answer them.
[ In reality, Maruki can easily see this for exactly what it is: Sunny's brain protecting itself to his own detriment and shutting down any possibility of getting any real healing done. He's still determined to help. But it's a delicate situation, and this kid doesn't know him. One step at a time. ]
Just know that I'm around if you ever change your mind. And I can talk about plenty of non-shrink things too, if you just need a friend to listen.
or valentine that wears the air as its apparel?
If you cut a heart from parchment, is it still
a heart? A nontrivial knot, where turns of every gradient
may kiss and tell. Does the vessel have edges?
Or is it all connectedness, an embedding to be stretched
or bent. Imagine being simultaneously alive,
bound in both directions with a bow! Is it diachronic,
a phenomenon that changes over time? Without ardor
theory suffers. That’s why I’m stuck on you with wanton glue, per-
severing, styling something blobbish and macabre
into something pointed, neat. Love is a gift
that springs from an unlit spot. Resin and rue.
Even when I’m in the dark I’m in the dark with you.
Triptych for Topological Heart
Alice Fulton
That's a beautiful poem, Sunny-kun. Thank you for sharing it with me. I never would have read something like that otherwise.
"Love is a gift that springs from an unlit spot." That will stick with me.
Well, we can text any time you'd like. Though I'm also happy to help you try to get better at expressing yourself out loud, but there's no pressure.
We can also simply chat like we have been. I'm just spitballing. But it really was a refreshing chat, Sunny-kun.
You don't have to go if you don't want to! I'm sure this is weird...
Hey buddy! Kel here. Everything okay over there?
Yeah... I just had a kinda weird meeting and I was wondering if you... actually, can I come over real quick? There is something I want to ask you.
[He should also probably find some water and make himself presentable to get there, but... it's not his priority.]
Yeah, I did. [A small pause follows.] He sure is something, huh?
Okay, he will do his best not to let Sunny down and figure this one out as well.]
It's okay, Sunny. It's really okay. No one got hurt and even if he's a bit of an ass, he's not going to keep me from you, I'm just trying to understand the entire situation here and I think I get where he's coming from. I think.
Yeah. I mean, I don't hate him for trying to scare me away, he is right in pointing out I wasn't there when you needed me, it just won't work.
Sunny... how long has he been around?
[That was before the knife bit and the hands and everything.]
I can't say I understand completely what his deal is, but I understand why he doesn't like me. I just- this worries me, you know?
[He was angry, he still is, but he will not take it out on Sunny of all people.]
Sunny? Are you still there?
Oh, hey- Guess what, Sunshine, I do talk to my friends.
[He can't change the past, nor he can do much more than doing his best as a friend with both Aubrey and Sunny.]
Tell me, Omori, how long have you been around?
[Okay, so the 'four years' theory is out of the window. Great.]
And why are you out right now, Omori?
So... uhm...
[This is more difficult for him than he wants to admit, but he's one hundred percent ready to start trying what he agreed upon with Aubrey. Mission: befriend Omori? On.]
I got my ass kicked while trying to learn the basics of how to fight around soooo... I'm pretty sore. I kind of want to relax and I already spent time with Aubrey today so... want to hang out together? I can go see if the local library has any comic or similar. Or I can try to find a book that's at least... not boring. What about it?
It not, I'm sure we can find something to do together anyway? Even just chilling around sounds cool. I have to tell you soooo many things about all the people of Faraway. I don't gossip a lot, but I can do that on occasion.
Whatever you want I just like to spend time with you, I guess!
hi kel ♥
we
can hang out
are u learning
to fight
with aubrey?
and eren?
Yeah. It's... Aubs is pretty strong now and Eren- let's say you can tell they are far better than me in this. My butt has never been so flat, I kept falling down on it. But it's... okay. I'll be stronger! when we'll go home, because I'm sure it'll happen, Sally will be able to grow up with a big brother who will know how to whoop the arse of every person who makes her cry!
[He chuckles at that, even if the real reason he wants to do this is... protecting his friends there. He is fast enough to outrun most dangers, or so he was last time, but Aubrey and Sunny don't have his legs...]
Also, I'm coming over soon then, let me hit the area with shops first. I'm going to pack a lot of stuff so we have a lot of choice, what about it? I'm going to bring everything I can, from food to stuff to read. Anything you could need before I step over?
aubrey is
v strong now
[Sunny wishes he could learn, too, but...he probably wouldn't even be able to hold a sword like that with his weak arms.]
i dont
need anything
i have some
shitty movies
if u want
Yeah. I noticed. Man, who even knew she could be that strong? I'll have to train a lot if I want to catch up with her.
I do keep being a bit faster, though, so I will take that personal win.
[There is a gasp, then, and when Kel talks again pure love can be heard pouring from his voice. He has not been in front of a television for almost a month, Sunny. A MONTH.]
Shitty movies? Yes please. I'm begging you.
Let me go grab some grub to eat and we can do a marathon as long as you want. [Now the hard part. It's a good thing Sunny can't tell how absolutely nervous Kel actually is while talking over the phone.] Anyhting you two both like? [Tossed it in just casually. A small thing that may be just tied to Kel lacking tact or being a bit dumb, but he has a goal and the goal is befriending omori as well. He steps forward, not giving Sunny time to think too hard about it. Something dumb, Kel, embrace it.]
I actualy got a lot of junk food because it's cheap, but I can also go grab something healthier. Huh... I actually should before I get really constipated- you know what? Grabbing stuff for chicken soup- you seemed to like that. I can bring other stuff to, though, according to your preferences.
What's better than food, shitty movies and a lovely company? Nothing, I'm telling you! We are going to have so much fun! And you're not like Cris, right? you're not going to spoiler me the endings, right? She once told me in the very first scene with a dude, pointing at the screen, "he is already dead, the kid says 'I see dead people' and he is one of them. Ruined the movie for me!
[And he can keep talking about minor useless things, nonstop if needed, while getting all he thinks could be needed.]
For now he'll follow Sunn's lead on the conversation. How do you befriend someone you can't talk to, beside dropping hints that it's cool to talk together? He... feels his anxiety rising a bit more and does take a step back in that. For now.]
Oh? Shoot, thought she was around.
Well, I can't complain, she'd brag about kicking my ass.
We can have a proper 'boy night', even if it's day and even this doesn't really count as sleepover.
Mh... popcorn is oil, corn and salt, right? I'm going to get that. And candy. And something more filling than that, too. I don't know if you noticed, but I love eating.
[He could just ask, but why is he owed the truth? He isn't.]
u can sleep over
if u want
silly me
i guess
i forgot popcorn
is really just corn
Really? Who am I to say no to a sleepover between friends? Just know I snore, apparently, if I fall asleep in the wrong position.
Psh. We all forget things now and then. Last time I made something in the oven I completely forgot about it. Mom was sooooo angry with me. Anyway, I'm gonna get all the stuff and then drop over. Wait for me, okay?
[With that, he'd start organizing his things to go visit Sunny. Oh, he needed to make sure things wouldn't be boring. It's going to take some time, but he's not someone who doesn't go all in for his friends]
weve slept over
b4
i know
u snore
[With that, Sunny will simply wait. The house is relatively tidy (thanks again to Aubrey, though Sunny did help as he could), all unsettling sketchbook pages once again hidden (though, Sunny...can't bear to just throw Omori's art away...).
[He sits on the couch, drowning in a large, hooded sweatshirt.]
the door
is open
Still...
A man can still dream his friends will forget certain things.
[It takes him almost an hour to rush to town, grab all the 'healthy' food he can find (he actually had to ask a sheep for help, because he didn't know what to pick to begin with), two large bag of candies and all he needs to make popcorns. There are even some shards he can spare for two boxed board games, even if it feels like the kind of things that would feel better with more people around, but right now Aubrey is probably busy.
He sends a sun shaped emoji when he finally receives the last message from Sunny and hurries back. The boy has more bags than his mom usually brings back when she goes shopping, but he still runs while returning to the treehouse zone. Climbing up requires him to hold two bags in his mouth, but when he arrives he just opens the door widely, trying to hide the fact he's breathing pretty heavily, and just smiles as widely as possible. Ah, there it is, Sunny, that sweater makes him look almost smaller than he remembered.]
Here comes your buddy Kel! Are we ready for an epic afternoon and night of madness? I will probably have to sleep kind of early, because tomorrow I have to train with Kel and Aubs again, but it will still count!
[A chuckle as he steps in, placing the boxed games on the table and going straight to the little kitchen, almost like it was his own place. Hopefully Sunny won't get too angry about that, Kel just knows how to make himself at home at other people's places.]
And yeah, I'm already all sore, but it felt right since I'm going to, you know, going to rest for the rest of the day. Unless you want to come jog with me, I'd love that.
[He knows this offer is not going to be accepted, even if Kel could slow down for his friends. Not to mention, he has things to do right now. The teen washes his hands in the sink and starts unpacking things, focusing on the fruits he got first. Strawberries get on a little wooden skewer first, apparently they have more vitamins in them than oranges (hard to believe, yes), and he alternates them with large green grapes. It's fresh, it's small bites, it feels right? He doesn't understand too much of that stuff, but he wants to trust the lady sheep who sold him groceries.]
There we go- [He has two little skewers already and while one is passed to Sunny, hopefully he will accept, one gets devoured rapidly by him. It's just Kel being Kel, right? Never need to question things too much when he's involved, right? Casual conversations alll around...]
So... wanna prepare all the stuff with me, buddy? Popcorns are awaiting us and once it's all ready we can just be super lazy! I can teach you! I think...
[It's sweet of Kel to just come in and start making snacks. It doesn't really make Sunny upset. Aubrey is in and out all the time. For a long time, Sunny wasn't used to people coming into his house, and avoided it when possible. But he hasn't minded lately. He just goes to his room when he wants to be alone.
[At Kel's suggestion, Sunny gets up from the couch. That hoodie almost reaches his knees. He joins Kel in the small kitchen and waits for instructions, still gnawing at his fruit.]
He puts the meat he got to the side with the veggies, all still packed, and starts searching for a proper pot. He... vaguely remembers Hero preparing popcorns but he's positive he got this. Pot, a large bowl, corn, oil, salt... it's all placed there right in front of Sunny.]
Well then, my lovely assistant, let's get to work. It's not going to be difficult. Just place some oil at the bottom, then add half a cup of kernels and put them on... I think medium heat? Cover the pot and just... wait for the popping to begin.
[Simple as that. Kel could do it himself, but he busies himself to prepare more skewers, things always taste better when you make them... right? And if Sunny likes popcorns he's going to let him enjoy this.]
I'm afraid that beside popcorns and candies, I mostly got stuff I want to eat today. But, well... if there is anything you like or would like to try, just ask? I'm a glutton and now I live alone, so I'm... kind of forced to try new things. Man, I miss Gino's...
[Kel? Being silent for too long? Probably not happening today.]
[He winks in Sunny's direction, grinning and placing the last fruits down as the kernels start to pop. As much as he'd LOVE pizza, he also wants to bring in more nutrient stuff than pizza. And he wants to get Sunny involved in the preparation of meals anyway..]
Maybe we could try making one. As a group. I could take an excuse to slap a flour covered hand on Aubrey's shirt. Anyway, Sunny, you're the one on popcorn duty, right?
[Sunny takes a look at the pot--
[Oh God, he put too many kernels in. The pot overflows as the pop corn crackles and pops to life.
[Sunny shoots Kel a slightly panicked look, then grabs a bowl, attempting to catch whatever pours out of the pot.]
Happy Pop Corn initiation day, Sunny. Don't worry, we've all been there.
[Have they? Who knows. He is letting his friend handle the immediate emergency and merely reaches for some pop corns from the floor and bringing them to his mouth. See? Nothing went actually wrong there.]
You got this, and I got you covered in dealing with any, ah, fugitive. Just don't tell anyone I don't follow the 5 seconds rule about the floor.
Oh? Really?
[Does he enjoy floor food? Nah. Yet he grabs another couple of popped kernels, lean slightly toward the other, slides his tongue out and- without breaking eye contact- slaps the food on his tongue, making a good show of munching those as loudly as possible.]
Mhm, dust flavour, my favorite. Want some?
[See? It's good to have a local Professional Clown at times and he takes great pride in his job. Kel does take a step back, grinning widely and offering a silly flex.]
But are yoou sure I am? Or is this some tactical brilliance as I train my immune system? [He chuckles, turning around and returning to the food, looking for anything to start cutting the vegetables.] Or maybe I'm just a big appreciator of things that don't turn out perfect... who also really likes popcorns. Hint hint, I really like popcorns.
[He chuckles just a bit, moving to wash his hands as instructed.]
Only because you asked. And because any soup would be too good with some spicey dust. Speaking of that... any flavor or spice you like? I like some heat in my food, but I'd rather not use stuff you may not handle well.
[He will use spices with mild and delicate flavour then, his house is all about stong stuff but Kel will do his best to adapt to Sunny's tastes.]
Want to help me dice the carrots? Or the potatoes? I can do the onions instead- just know they do open my waterworks and all, I cry more than those ladies in the stupid romance dramas when I cut them. We can prepare this together!
[Sunny sets himself up at the cutting board and takes a potato. He pulls a knife out of his pocket, flipping it once in his hand, catching it on the handle.
[He doesn't seem to notice.
[To work, then.]
Still, worry ot about the onions. He's a big brother and his mom trained him hard into the fine art of 'chop everything as thin as possible so Sally won't be able to push it away' and while slow, he's only making very small cubes of the root. And, yes, his eyes are already starting to water up a bit, how do people even cut onions all the time without crying?]
Oh, it begins already. [He's feeling super silly, but maybe with enough time, he'll get used to it?] Time for the deep conversations like- ahem- [He lowers his voice just a bit.] Do you think onions have feelings?
[And then he does the great mistake of wiping one eye with his hand, only making the situation worse and pushing just a bit away from Sunny, just in case. Hero did say some people are more sensible than onions than others, like with many other things, but it doesn't make it less silly.]
At least I know it's going to taste great in the end.
[Too late. The onion juice is blinding his poor friend.]
If they...have feelings...
I think they're hurt.
The wiped eye is red as heck by now, but by tactically alternating one closed eye and one open he can somehow keep going.]
Good. I mean, at least we suffer together. [He still sounds amused.] I hope mister potato is kinder to you on that side.
[He lifted the cutting board up, squeezing his right eye as well in Sunny's direction (and totally not having yet another big tear go down his cheek) and trying to aim toward the pot.]
I am sorry, Jennifer. It broke my heart but I couldn't risk you betraying the organization once more...
[Words spoken with a super serious tone before he swishes the knife on the cutting board, tossing the onion in the pot in a most dramatic way. After that he's already moving to grab the celery.]
The most difficult part is over. Basically we get all in there and wait until the chicken is cooked enough the meat starts falling apart. Take the bones out and ta-daa. chicken soup!
That's what she deserves, Sunny. People who willingly betray the organization once cannot be trusted!
[He points a celery stalk in Sunny's direction before flipping it back and taking a bite out of it.]
Oh, ew. People do really eat this raw like this?
I will hit you in the videogame world. At least that is SOMETHING Kel is familiar with.
knockingatthedoor
2024-07-01 05:12 pm (UTC)(link)
I mean, I know some people eat pretty gross stuff but. Yikes? I mean, no offense if you like it, but... definitely passing on that.
Now, let's finish the soup and let's get started with the television trash, huh? Popcorns, salted. Junk food, in the bag. Dinner, cooking!
Man, movies with my best bud, feels like a dream in a place like this.
[He neglects to mention any of this.]
No.
[He very much did not stab them! And he's really wanted to, so he's pretty offended by the implication. He has shown so much restraint, honestly. Adam is being glared at by a tiny creature.]
I told her the truth. She didn't like it. [Not that Truth, and not that Reaction, but his point stands.
[She can't handle the fact that Sunny can't rely solely on someone who will abandon him at the drop of a hat. She's a fairweather friend, and if she really knew that her pathetic, miserable little Sunny was a murderer, she'd disappear like that.]
But he survived without her. I wonder why. [His voice is childlike, mocking.]
Aubrey doesn't want to be alone, so she won't let him out of her sight.
Neither. Will. I.
Sunny is weak. [There's no bitterness in his voice, this time; it's an odd, tender tone, like Omori is giving a eulogy.] He can't handle it. So, I do.
[He looks to Adam.] If it was your job to protect someone - for ["Four?] years - and someone else showed up, then tried to get rid of you, wouldn't you be angry, too?
[You don't get to say it's true just because you want it to be. He should get to decide.
[Sunny doesn't really like those words when they're put together. Neither did Omori, until now, but why should all of Sunny's thorns be his own? Adam's the only friend that's ever just been his, anyway.]
Somehow he wasn’t expecting this.
This kid’s really attached to him, hasn’t he?
…well, he can’t say he hasn’t grown on him too.]
Sure. [He smiles, it’s genuine.] We’ll be best friends. I’ll let Scott Tibbs know he’s been dethroned, if I ever see him.
[He ought to find someone his own age, and Adam hopes he will - but until then, he’ll be this for him.]
Hey. Where are you?
[His house looked dark. Then again, everywhere does.]
[Besides almost getting killed by a (???)friend(?????)?]
I just got back. [Or so it feels.] Glad to know you’re okay.
[…]
Is Xie Lian with you?
[Relief? Dread?]
Mind if I go over for a bit?
♥︎
[That’s all, then. Aubrey brings herself; no sword, not even bat. Maybe that’s an absence she’ll regret, but the last thing she wants to do is fight.
[But Omori wouldn’t have said that. That’s enough, for now.
[She knocks.]
[He answers the door, swallowed by the same hoodie he started wearing after his arm got mangled.
[He's never sure whether to hug, or...]
Hi.
Hey.
[She waves a little. Smiles a bit, lets it drop, because she’s bad at faking it now. It’s awkward, frankly. Strange feeling.
[There’s no intention to this. The house is kept clean now, save a spare lantern or two. Maybe a stray drawing; they never stay where they’re put away.
[When was the last time she saw him? Maybe better not to think of it like that. Aubrey doesn’t invite herself in.]
You’ve kept safe this time, huh…?
[But her question makes him feel guilty, like he's broken some unspoken rule, put there by a peer, not a mother.
[Sunny looks away.]
Mostly...
Have you...? [Last time, they were together.
[Didn't go too well...]
[She takes the cue, stepping in; just far enough for the door to shut behind. It doesn’t feel like—isn’t, this isn’t her house. Aubrey doesn’t live here. The anymore on that thought is hastily scribbled out; it was never true.]
I’ve, ah…
[Aubrey rubs at her arm, a gouge that isn’t there. Short sleeves reveal she’s kept unscathed—miraculously so, considering.
[Well? Be honest. The pause says enough already.]
I could’ve… tried harder to, I guess. [Slow, uneasy neck scratch.] Thought it would take over the house and everything again, but it didn’t, so....
[Christ. She is bad at this.]
[Aubrey rubs her face for a moment. Invites herself, at least, to the couch. It’s flooding back again, what he did. What she didn’t. What they all have and haven’t done, some internal tangle of half-scribbled bullshit that can make her want to hurl the nearest object, the nearest person, into a lake—
[In the end, all it even leads to is more exhaustion.
[She never wants it to be the last time she sees him.]
Yeah. [Another belated response.] I am. I guess that’s normal, though.
But I’m not… upset with you.
[She stares down, idly, at a lantern.]
[There’s a half-smile, maybe a grimace. Glance to Sunny, back away.]
It’s not really new. I don’t… want that for you, either.
[She pats the couch lightly. Feels like they haven’t talked like this in a while.]
[She reaches for his hand. He can pull it to him, like they used to— started doing— have been doing, and never had to stop.]
I know, too. [Even softer.]
[She squeezes back, gentle and rhythmic. Grounding, or so she tries, like Sunny is.]
You don’t… have to be. [Tell him.] I mean…
[He doesn’t know.
[Tell him, before you…
[Can’t.]
So am I.
[He never knows what to say to this.]
You...help. Me. [That's...something, at least, right?]
Aubrey...[Sunny frowns just a bit, glancing at their hands. He shifts in his seat, tucking one leg under the other; looks at Aubrey.] I want to help you, too.
[So they’re both at a loss.
[They’ve been so busy with those lanterns, Sunny and Xie Lian. If Omori’s popped in, Aubrey hasn’t caught it. Then again, she’s been over less. And for what? A maybe-lie? Sunny trusts him. Xie Lian is patient with him; with both of them.
[Either way: Sunny won’t be here forever.
[Aubrey’s mouth opens for words that don’t come out. She shakes her head. Shuts it. Squeezes his hand a little tighter, and…
[Lets herself lean towards him. Rests her head on his shoulder, if he lets her. Maybe she shouldn’t; maybe she doesn’t care. Sunny wants to help, and, sometimes…]
[Do friends really last forever, or is that only a dream?
[He shushes Aubrey softly, though she isn't crying. It just feels like the right thing to do.]
[She’s not crying yet. Ironically it’s the shushing that does it; released hands find their way around his back, pulling Sunny just a bit closer, a fraction of the desperation drawing hushed gasps from weary lungs.]
I…’ve missed you… [Or is it “I’ll miss you”?] Always have....
[He won’t go home.
[Thing is, Aubrey doesn’t blame him.
[Can’t.
[Won’t.
[And she won’t cry about it forever, but just, for this quiet, dark moment…]
I understand. [More than he knows....] I do.
[She nods against his chest, sniffling. Does it feel dishonest? Maybe. But…]
I-it’s like we’ve said. We’re together now.
And we— I won’t waste it.... [That’s a promise.]
[He hates to see Aubrey cry. He doesn't want to be the cause; of course, he believes he is the cause, or...at least, given everything, he's doomed to be part of it...
[He has to live with that.
[Omori...has to live with that.]
I've...missed you. [They already said so, but...] Please...come over. You don't...have to knock.
I will.
[All that running around, and for what. To get herself killed? Sunny might be safe with Xie Lian; god dammit, she doesn’t have to leave him until it’s final.
[Aubrey cannot stop caring if it kills her. Acting otherwise—yelling at friends, watching them cry and doing nothing—might be the biggest waste of time of all.
[With a shaky breath, she lifts her head. A mess, but that’s not new, either; she just wants to see Sunny, really.]
We’ll keep… making new memories. [Chasing that light, together, as long as they can.] All of us.
[Omori, too.]
[Focus. Aubrey. Sunny's nostrils flare. He feels like he could cry. It's a terrible guilt, it--]
I think...I've hurt him...
Omori...is my fault...
[He knows.
[It’s a nonsense thought, though, isn’t it? Is it not? Hasn’t Kel said as much? Ah, hell, she forgot the talk with Adam—
[The memory rush is borderline offensive, though Aubrey manages to keep it off her face. Her eyes sting; residual. Focus. Sunny’s here, now.
[She moves a hand back to his and squeezes.]
You… said you dreamed about him…? [Something like it.]
[That’s…
[It makes sense. Sunny has been upset as himself, Aubrey knows this well—but she also can’t remember a single talk with Omori, barring that actual dream (and the Wonderland like it), that wasn’t preceded by… well. Sunny having reason to be extra upset.
[It’s not lost on her that she’s often been at fault.
[Aubrey nods, slowly.]
And you think you’ve… hurt him? [Not doubting. Concerned. Almost sickeningly curious.]
[He doesn't want to hurt anyone. He really doesn't.]
If I'm not there...when bad things happen...then bad things only happen...to him...
[Then, softly, very softly:] It's not fair...
[…Oh.
[Oh....]
[She remembers him being strangled by his own dream.]
He… he wants to keep you safe. [Has she told him this before? Does he remember?] Neither of you… should have to do that alone.
[Squeeze. Release.]
[If Omori doesn't carry it, then who will?
[He's not ready.
[He never will be...
[A pale hand squeezes Aubrey's hand tight. Doesn't release. Dark eyes glare between their laps, focused...]
[Quiet.
[Aubrey tries to meet his eyes.]
[Faint:] …Omori?
[He doesn't let go of her hand. Anger makes his face briefly tense, contort - it fades into easy calm, tenses again. He doesn't look up.
[The control is slipping...]
You didn't listen to Adam. [She won't.]
[Speak of th…
[There’s not not a jolt through Aubrey at that flash of anger, how quickly it dies. At the same time, though—this isn’t his dream. She’s been grabbed worse, now.
[He has Sunny’s grip strength—and sad, sad face.]
Hey. [Not without unease, but… one of the calmer greetings she’s offered.] I… handled that pretty bad. I know.
He’s your friend, right? [Not bitter.]
[Very, very warily… Aubrey gives his hand a little squeeze. Briefer than anything, lest he think it’s another surprise grab.]
I’m… [Deep breath.] …glad.
Yeah. I’m glad that… you can talk to him.
Ouch.
[She’s… actually kind of smiling, though? Faintest little bit? Hardly notices herself. That squeeze back—that, Aubrey noticed. It feels something like progress.]
But, ah… no. You’re right. [Shouldn’t get too comfortable.] I’ve been… pretty awful to you. [Both of you. But Omori can hear that as he will.]
I am… sorry, about that. [He’s just a boy.] Really.
[Omori may not notice himself, but it's so terribly young. His mind wants young things, at the end of the day; to protect, to connect, to succeed...
[It's important to say "I'm sorry," but it's more important to mean it. Omori doesn't know what he can trust. Aubrey might be sorry now, but she wouldn't be if she knew the truth. That won't change. It can't.]
I can't get rid of you...[It's...non-threatening, really, the way he says it - like a concession with a schoolyard bully.
[Aubrey's really not that.]
Adam helps me...
That helps Sunny. [He can keep her from the truth if she lets him.]
[It’s familiar yet not, the way he holds himself. Certainly nothing Aubrey’s seen from Omori yet, even when he was (played at, dreamed of being?) vulnerable.
[He can’t get rid of her. A concession. There’s no satisfaction in it, really; it’s just true.]
Omori… [Still a bit strange, on her tongue.] I know we’re not friends, you and me. And I won’t push you to be, if you don’t want that.
You never asked me to leave Sunny alone, and you’re right that now I won’t… not as long as he wants me there. I just…
[Is she talking too much? It’s too late.]
I want to help.
[Keep him safe.]
Both of you.
[They were friends once. She was always so happy to see him. He liked her bow, but pretended not to see. She could Pep Talk him through anything.
[That feels like a long time ago, now. Sunny's dreams have changed.]
Listen to me...[Now, yes, but in general, too. Just listen...]
I know him better. [He does. Better than anyone. Better than Sunny even knows himself. How could anyone deny it?]
[She wants to deny it. Very, very badly.
[It’s been four years.
[For once, Aubrey keeps her mouth shut, and nods.]
[Ah....]
He’s… [A pause. Omori insists he knows Sunny better. All Aubrey has is what’s happened since, and…]
I like… the way he smiles. [Soft. Sweet.] I know he doesn’t like to do it much, but… it’s in his eyes, sometimes. [Gentle.] When Kenma comes in his window, or he’s drawing, or just… being silly.
I like his voice. [Hers is wavering.] He’s always been quiet, and I know that talking is hard for him, too… but that way, what he says, he really means it. He’s—you’ve both even figured out how to talk without speaking, on the phone. And I’m glad.
I like, just… how he sees the world. What I can understand of that. I mean, he thought this was a dream—and I don’t need to tell you that, Omori, and it breaks my heart [hot tears rolling down her cheeks again], but—he would dream up somewhere like this, huh? [Hah. She’s smiling.] Somewhere to explore, and just… get away from it all, and.
[Pause. Shaky breath in. Out, slowly. At some point, early, Aubrey’s gaze dropped from Omori onto their hands, still held together. She pulls her blurred sight back to his face.]
I love Sunny.
[She’ll have to lose him again.]
I do.
[And she’d do it all again in a heartbeat, if it meant one more day.]
[Nothing. Hah. Patent bullshit; they all know it.]
I hate… that he ever went away at all.
[Hands released, Aubrey wipes lightly at her eyes. More left over.]
Sometimes when I’d talk to him, for hours and hours, I’d feel like… maybe he wasn’t listening anymore. Not that I can blame him.
I wish… he’d felt like he could talk to us, too.
[It wasn’t his fault.]
[Aubrey tells herself one thing: No matter how this turns out, she will not take it out on him.]
Look, Omori…
[Tentatively, she starts to reach for his wrists; stops, before making contact. It’s familiar....]
You frustrate me. You do.
I can’t hate you if it kills me.
[She wasn’t trying to convince him. Actions speak louder, anyway.]
[Simply, Aubrey nods.]
We will.
[At the end of the day, there's only one person who can protect Sunny, but there's been a need to adapt. Aubrey isn't going away. Cooperation has to do...]
Is that all?
[An invitation, perhaps; whether in or out, it's unclear.]
[It’s. Surprising, actually. Has Omori ever not been just as eager to get away from her? Aubrey’s too drained for it to show much, but her eyes do widen just a hair. They’re thoroughly bloodshot.
[Thoughts swim in a fog. Could he handle that right now? Can she?]
Mm… [Aubrey glances aside. Tries to think about it anyway.
[It’s not like she doesn’t know exactly what he’s asked of her, ultimately. But leaving him alone is something she refuses to do again.]
When… you say “protect Sunny.” [“I would have put him to sleep.”] What… do you mean by that, really…?
[Not a threat, despite. She doesn’t fully expect an answer.]
[Omori watches Aubrey.
[He doesn't have to tell her anything he doesn't want to.]
Sunny is weak. He's a coward.
I'm not afraid of anything.
If I'm there, Sunny doesn't want to be.
[True enough, but there is only one real Truth. Omori couldn't protect Sunny himself from it, but he can protect him from everyone else.
[He will. He'll do whatever's necessary.]
[Is he, really?
[For now, Aubrey doesn’t question it aloud. At least half of those statements have proven true, it seems.
[“It’s not fair…”]
I’m… sorry you have to carry that. [Aubrey searches his face; for what, she’s not sure. Sunny doesn’t want to be having this conversation, so…
[That’s all.]
Alone, huh…? [Only barely a question. He knows him better than anyone, but…
[Almost on instinct, she reaches for his hand.]
[Understood. Aubrey can’t force anything from Omori that he doesn’t want, not really.
[Her hand falls back to her lap, then.]
Okay.
[He’s a good one.]
[Aubrey does, very nearly, take that as a cue to leave. But Omori could say it if he wanted to; there’s nothing to be afraid of.]
[Just, softly:] Good night… Omori.
[She’ll sleep on the couch.]
hi sunnny
im out 2day
back l8r
i ♥︎ u
ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ♥︎♥︎♥︎
w
[Some undefined-but-not-exactly-prompt amount of time later:]
yea
i love yr cats
[!!!!!!!!]
[She tries very, very hard to mirror this with hearts and other little pictures, but about four, five lines in the symbols start bleeding into each other and stop making sense. Tragic.]
u r so cute sunny
thsi made me smile ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ty...
kind of
more [stupid] silly than sleepy
but that too
[Ah, fuck. Does she have to explain why she didn’t invite him, now?]
hungover
[Among other things. She’s more careful with Sunny, but apparently not enough....]
it was a crazy night yea
im better now just very very very very v v v tired
vvvvvvv... _(:_」∠)_
[urrrrghghghhhhghghfhghfgrhfghrgrhfhrfhghgh…]
i guess yea lol
dont worry i am not making it a habit
[Huh??????
[Quick, someone check her blood-alcohol complex. Compulsion. Content. Conniption. Whatever. She even starts to get up to double-check with the nearest person if this message is real—Sunny! Sunny! inviting her to what now?—but shifting one (1) inch from lying flat on the couch reminds Aubrey why she is, in fact, still lying flat on the couch.
[…Anyway!]
sure...? dolphs place is pretty nice
i wont be this bad LOL its easy to go 2 far
[She’s tempted to dissuade him, actually, but… he’s practically the same age. Plus, like, she’ll be there. And not this drunk. It’ll be fine....]
oh yea haha
we can do my place
[She’ll clean up. And lock up the doors and windows. And remove all sharp objects from the premises. And… well, if anything gets messed up or broken, better some piece of her house. Less stuff around....]
honest
ly
i didn’t think youd be interested
[ … ]
it can be
not always
[Mmfh. Returning headache…]
but id’ be lying if i said i didn’t have fun
so its up 2 u!
ill be ther eanyway ♥︎
[Aubrey is exhausted. In a surprisingly good way, though. Like the way a thorough batting or sparring session clears her head, but it’s not really clear at all; the wonderings lingering have just settled into a pleasant fuzz.
[Pleasant fuzz, in a more literal sense, is what Aubrey flumps facefirst into upon her return to The Pile™. No thoughts. Only soft.
[She does need to breathe, though. So after a couple seconds, she props herself up, head settled on her chin as she looks over to Sunny and his otherworldly-fast typing.]
Hey.
[Wonderful. He expects her to come back, and she does, and then she's right beside him again. He tucks his phone into his pocket, wiggling closer and letting on arm lazily flop over her ribs, casual as anything. He tucks his knees up into his hoodie.]
Welcome...home.
[He slings an arm over her ribs and says “Welcome home.”
[Only momentarily phases her. It makes sense. Feels right. Aubrey shifts closer and wraps her own arm around him, like they have so many times before. It’s nice....]
Home… yeah.
[She wonders if Eren would like a plush pile. She knows Luz would.]
How’s it been? [Small nod to Sunny’s pocket. Seems nothing catastrophic has happened this time, even with that interruption earlier. Hallelujah…]
write me an essay actually three paragraphs minimum— (right back atcha skdfjsk)
headhooligan
2024-07-16 10:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[Holy shit, he actually got cat pictures. Today Aubrey learned there are a lot—a lot—of cats in Somnius?!
[She smiles.]
Purrfection. [Little tongue roll and all!]
[Sunny doesn't smile much. Anyone who knows him knows that. He used to more. Aubrey might remember. Smiles these days are more like a twitch at the corners, fleeting - but it lingers in the way his eyebrows sit up just a fraction of an inch higher, in the creasing at the corners of his eyes, at the eased, content look on his face; a smile without smiling, like speaking without words. Very few have ever truly understood.
[He likes her joke is the point.]
Who were...you talking to?
[It’s subtle. It’s his. Sunny never smiled much, and these days his expressions are variations on a theme. One has to pay close, careful attention to notice the intricacies; Aubrey might not catch them all the time, but she cherishes those she can.
[Now feels like one.]
A couple close friends. [Not “just” friends, like they might say it back in Faraway. They’re still friends. They’re close. That matters. She’s trying out words now, really, like “boyfriend” or “partner,” “when” and not “if.”
[They mean a lot, all of them.]
Hey, Sunny…
You know how, earlier, we were talking about… what’d you call it, Space-Heart? [Said like separate but combined words. Subtle!]
[It’s cute. He’s so cute....]
Mine, too. As you probably figured… [A light laugh. There’s… some of that “what are you talking about” knocking at her brain now.] It’s like… you wouldn’t believe they aren’t made for each other, right? They complement each other perfectly.
I've...always thought so. Even...before the issue. [Which! Is a little embarrassing! Cross canon shipping? Who does that? Sunny's always thought it opened up a lot of possibilities...]
She might...demand a lot...but he...has a lot...to give.
[He could leave it at that - probably would, normally, but...he never really gets to talk about this with anyone else...]
Clearly...he would do...anything for her, but...I-I really believe...she'd do anything...for him, too.
[That's a lot of words for Sunny, and his cheeks burn. He glances around to avoid looking directly at Aubrey. There's no need to be self-conscious, right?]
[She’s really not used to him talking this much; opens her mouth to reply, and he continues.
[That’s alright. More than, actually; Aubrey could listen to Sunny for hours....]
I think so, too. About Sweetheart, that is. [Sunny’s looking away, so Aubrey stares idly off at the various friends squished below them. There’s no pressure, really.] I’d never considered the two of them together before, but once they were… it just works.
What would it take, do you think? For her to realize what’s been right in front of her… and appreciate him, too?
I think...even if she...never did...he'd just be...happy to be with her...
Because she's perfect.
[It's such a special kind of love, he thinks, to expect nothing in return.]
[Her… heart....]
And even though she’s been mean to him… and he found someone else, and she has suitors, too… he’d still feel that way, huh?
[Ah. She forgets he’s so literal, sometimes.]
Sorry. I, ah… [Eyes back to him. The smile lingers, if subdued. Unsure. “Not right”—she has to assume it’s about the story never entertaining such a thing. It never would, in their world....] I guess I should be more upfront....
Do you ever feel like Captain Spaceboy? [Nailed it.] In… the way we just talked about?
[...except...she's asking. And none of those things she mentioned actually happened in that issue...
[All at once, Sunny's heart starts racing. He's been caught? And here, she's probably trying to let him down easy, but...why lie so closely, then? She asked him a question. He knows the answer. He nods, face burning, a dry lump in his throat. It's slow...]
Y...yes...
[He gets it now, doesn’t he…? The way he answers, slow and admitting....
[Ah. Her face burns. All at once—He has a boyfriend. You don’t do this where you’re from. You don’t know if he does. Are you going to tear them apart, too? And yet—
[Here they are, together again. She’s said what she said. Their time is limited, too, one way or another. So…
[Aubrey takes Sunny’s hand and squeezes. Gentle, gentle.]
I was talking with Eren, [and Luz, first, but that… doesn’t feel like hers to say, yet], and I think…
…if, if you and Kenma are okay with it…
[Squeeze. Release.]
I could… be your sweetheart, too.
[He can't believe the words coming out of her mouth. He's sure he must look stupid, mouth hanging open - God knows what color his face is. He...
[He feels briefly angry because he doesn't want this part to be a dream-- But...no, it's not a dream. Aubrey has his hand - squeezing, releasing.
[The first ugly question is why would she ever want--
[She has wanted it. She's been here. They love each other. It isn't a secret. It isn't a surprise...
[But dreams like this just don't come true for bad people. They shouldn't, right? And she still...doesn't know...
[He's been quiet far too long. He looks cartoonishly shocked.]
You...want to...? Me? Really...?
[There’s an unease in that silence, sure. She hasn’t at all forgotten how it felt after Eren kissed her, feelings blooming and churning in ways that weren’t… all pleasant. Hell, just within the day— Is she really saying this? Wasn’t Aubrey done thinking about it?
[But it comes back; it always does.
[They love each other. She can’t let Sunny go without having given him the chance, and—
[It’s not tragic. She won’t let it be. No matter how this goes, he has her. They’re like this already, and have been, and will be; hearts racing, fingers locked, and they are so very, very much alive.]
You.
[Aubrey thumbs at the hairs along his forehead, knuckles curving down his cheek. The other hand squeezes, releases, steady.]
Really.
[What good is he? Aubrey...has done nothing but care for him, and he really does believe that it must be thankless, because what could anyone gain from Sunny waking up another?
[It's something he can't understand. With Kenma, he pretends to. He doesn't want to be the boyfriend who can't accept love. But it's difficult...
[Squeeze, release...squeeze, release...
[Aubrey loves him anyway. He knows that. He knows that.. They are so much more than they've ever been. Denying her now would be as good as denying his own love for her, and he won't...do that.
[Is this Aubrey's way of asking if Sunny loves her, too?]
I...
[Look at her. Look at her. His fingertips find her cheeks. Does he love her, too? Does he love her, too?]
A-aubrey, I've...I...
I've wanted...that...ever since I...met you...
[Ever since…?
[Ah. She’s not just an idiot; she’s blind. That’s why he’d listen for hours and hours. That’s why they’re together here, now, and—
[It won’t last, anyway. This isn’t all he wants, is all.
[There’s a pain that crosses her face, just for a second. Never having realized; realizing too late; realizing, no, thinking, extrapolating, assuming, so damn much. He would have, could have been content, and she pushed it, and now—
[He wants this, now. Aubrey cups his cheek and kisses him, because he’s wanted it, and he’s here, and she can’t afford to want anything but.
[It’s not supposed to be tragic. It’s soft, as she and Sunny often are. It can’t be desperate, clawing, grasping. Eren’s is an exhale. Aubrey wants Sunny’s to be a promise. Squeeze… release....]
[He's imagined it so...many times, but you can't...taste in your dreams - there is no real warmth...
[Sunny squeezes Aubrey's hand, slow. He's kissed before - so has she, he knows - but this kiss is...
[Aubrey. His sweetheart...
[Things actually can be beautiful; she is.
[It's over in the blink of an eye, but it lingers. He whispers:] You are my...sweetheart...
[It’s warm. She drowns herself in it. She can’t regret a thing.
[It lingers, and Aubrey keeps their faces close. A whisper back:]
And you’re… mine....
[He’s not. He won’t be. She can pretend.]
Sunny....
Like, do you think you have time the day after tomorrow? Or something like that? Me and Bssil would love to drop by to show you his new cat, in case you haven't met them.
[Totally the only reason they want to visit, it's not like they spent evenings brainstorming a present for Sunny and they're getting ready for his birthday. Kel had more time to practice now, the cake will be better than the one he made for Aubey for sure. Rest in pieces, stomach of his other friends, he's been making so many cakes lately.]
You know. Just buddies hanging around each other, I feel like it's been a while since we did that lately.
[He answers the video with a little wave. He looks...
[Good. His face has some color, and he looks...close to smiling. He's seated in his pile, stuffed animals surrounding him.]
Okay. I...didn't know...Basil got one.
Celebrating the people you love is a must, right? And Kel is on the highest friendship duty for now, at least in his book.]
Heh! Yeah! It's a lovely kitten. Super sweet like him. You'll love our new furry friend!
[He does notice the change in color and it makes him feel... happy? Sunny is doing better, isn't he? Man, to think he should thank this place and the people living in it for that-]
I see some color on your face. And I see you are super comfy. That's a nice sight, you know? Did something good happen?
This is about Kenma, isn't it?]
My my... look at you. That is a face I never expected you to make. What did your boyfriend do, buddy?
[He sounds... happy? For Sunny? Absolutely]
I-I...
[How is he supposed to talk out loud about this?! He turns of the video and switches to text.]
sorry
im
nervous!!
kel
i will tell u
but will u
please promise me
something first?
you really
can't give
anyone
too hard of a
time about this
okay?
Well, I can't say no to you, can I?
[He raises one hand, passing his finger on his chest and drawing a cross on his heart.]
Promise I will not give you a hard time about this. Or your boyfriend. Both of you are safe from me teasing both of you. Promise promise.
Still, Sunny is happy and that's what matters.]
Bit surprising, I admit that, but it's cool! You're cool!
So, I guess you got two people now? More? Congratulations, buddy. There's nothing to be embarrassed about, I'm just really happy to see that people see you, get to know you and love you. You deserve it.
aubrey
is my girlfriend now
and that makes me
really
really
happy
[And when...is the last time he could say that?]
From 'took you long enough' to 'that was a massive drop in partner quality', from- no. He had self control. He hoped the other could appreciate the insane level of self control he was putting on display right now.
Friends were supposed to tease each other, right?]
I- [Oh, fantastic, he sounded like a strangled chicken. He raised one finger to ask the other to wait, took a deep breath and forced himself to smile again. See? Nothing to see there.] I will be honest, I am not surprised. I mean, I am the kind of person I am but I have *eyes* too, you know?
I.. am happy for you. [He really was, at least. Mighty desire to make a joke about Aubrey to the side.] Both of you, actually.
Nah, the moment passed, you're so lucky. But, man, congrats on finally completing your slowburn arc, took you what? Five years? Six?
Man, I wish Hero was here, he'd owe me ten bucks.
[That last bit may not be true but...]
And when I was little I was pretty much jealous of Aubrey and Basil because they were taking away my bestie and future bro, of course we talked about. Man, it feels like a lifetime ago. Before I even decided 'oh, okay, I'm just adopting everyone' and solved things like that in my very young mind.
Still, ten bucks are ten bucks. That's ten Orange Joes from a vending machine. And, yes, we could tell... heh. You aren't as subtle as you think you are at times?
BUT- I did promise not to tease you, didn't I? I'm genuinely happy for you two and all your boyfriends.
[Kel keeps talking, and it's difficult to dwell - probably part of what makes Kel and Sunny's friendship work as well as it does most of the time. There's a lot to pick out! Was he really that obvious...?]
but
aubrey
didn't know
i don't
think
He still wouldn't be able to be as direct and rough as he occasionally was with Hero with her, though. And probably not wrestle around the house like the brothers did...
And... yes. Sorry, there was a reason he asked Sunny if he had a crush on Aubrey all those years ago.]
I mean, I don't think so? She was pining on your direction as well, though? At least, that was what I got.
Man... I have so many jokes but I will avoid them. I'm just happy for you two, really, even if my initial reaction was a bit... [A pauze as he takes a deep breath] I will not tease her, promise.
[A chuckle follows. He will do his best to sound as casual and random as possible even now- let's keep away the conversation from potential birthday surprises, huh?]
It's good to hear that. Well, read that.
Listen, I know how I am but if you want to talk about it I can listen, huh? Just don't expect me to keep a straight face if you start saying how cute she is or anything like that.
We are gather today here to mourn the loss of Sunny's good taste in people... so young, so beautiful...
May I request a moment of silence from everyone?
[He does stick a tongue out, then, finally making a face. He loves them both, but right now they're just being idiots together, right?]
I guess I will have to accept the current situation and just pray you two don't start being too gross around me.
[Action] Basil + Kel -> Birthday time! (Open to Aubrey and Luz?)
knockingatthedoor
2024-07-19 04:32 am (UTC)(link)
[Kel was almost sure he and Basil packed all that was needed for the ‘surprise’ party at Sunny’s place, but he was so good at forgetting things around he.. wasn’t that sure about it. He was carrying a backpack on his shoulders, Sunny and Omori’s presents inside it, and he had a large cake carrier on each hand. Full of stuff to carry? Yes. This is why he needed Basil’s help even to take one of the two cakes all the way up the ladder for him once they got to Sunny’s place.
The third party in their team was the kitten that Kel used as an excuse to invite himself to Sunny’s place. Totally not a birthday party, nope. He had been pretty bad at keeping the ‘secret’, considering most of their friends knew about the countless cakes being made, but… eh. Better make Sunny feel loved than forgotten, right?]
“I sent Luz a message, she may reach us here if she feels like it and… well, are we ready, Basil? Today we celebrate our friendship once more! Heh… I wonder if Aubrey will show up too.”
[]He has a special present for the entire group, in case. The friendship bracelets still sit in his pockets. He doesn't think too much about it, though, as they reach the house and climb up, the kitten being the most precious treasure Basil should carry (seriously, it would be so cute to have someone like Basil introduce a cute kitten, tsk tsk) while he took care of handling the biggest weights. And make sure the strawberry cake didn't fly around.]
"Wanna knock? I kind of have my hands full, buddy." Ready? Ready...
He does wonder how many people may show up. Sunny's made a lot of new friends here, right...? With that in mind, Basil hopes that it'll make him being here easier for Sunny. The both of them have had some good conversations with one another, and others... that haven't ended so well. The last thing he wants to do is make today anything less than a special day for Sunny. )
Ah, yeah... I can.
( Reaching, he knocks on the door, hopefully loud enough for Sunny or Aubrey to hear -- if she's there, anyway. )
I'm sure that Sunny will be happy to see his friends here...
[Hoodie down to his knees, he pulls the door open-- Ah. He's expecting Kel, but it's Basil that he sees; as usual, it knocks the window out of him. He lifts a hand and weakly waves, then steps aside to let them in.]
Well, actually I'm not sure everyone will come here. I know a lot of the people I gave cake to are aware of Sunsun's birthday but... we didn't exactly exchange a time to meet here.
[And as far as he knows, only Luz has an actual plan to drop by, kel wasn't going to force anyone to visit just because they helped him perfect the cakes. It did make he and Eren closer? And he and Vaggie too... have an indirect 'thank you', Sunny?]
Of course he will be! I mean, who isn't happy to see a friend or two, Basil?
[But the conversation is cut short by the door opening. The taller boy grins from behind Basil's shoulder.]
Hello, Sunsun! Semi-surprise? [He has not been too discreet about his plans. He steps in, following Basil and not making comment on the fact his body still doesn't have the best reaction just... seeing them around each other. All those feelings will be pushed down and packed away for the day, after all Kel knows the two deeply care about each other.] I hope you didn't have big plans for the day because we're ruining them in case! We're stealing you for a while.
[Just... say it, Kel. Just say it. His grin grows wider as he steps inside.]
Both of you!
He swallows a little, gripping the present a little more closely. It was hard to come here before, when things were especially hectic... The thought of being alone in Sunny's house with Omori felt like a lot. But, having Kel here with him helps a lot, too. It's a distraction of sorts -- and, he feels like he can swallow any fear that he has for Sunny's sake. )
H... Hi, Sunny... ( He greets almost nervously. ) Kel had a lot to carry, so I thought I'd help...
[Sunny wonders if Omori knows. He can't tell...
[His attention goes back to Basil, and he waves again, not quite meaning to.]
H-hi, Basil...
[To Kel:] Hi...
[Belatedly, it dawns on him that they're holding...an awful lot, the two of them (including a kitten, which he wants to hold very badly!).
[His birthday is in just a couple of days. It would be safe to assume that those gifts are for him, but he...doesn't ask.
[He steps aside to let them all the way into the house. Spooky is napping in the plush pile.]
He found himself pushing down a nervous lump constricting his neck. Okay... okay... if anything goes south this time he's present and he will not allow any stabbing to happen between anyone. TIme to be chaotic, insane and defuse the tension, right?]
Oh, come on, Basil, you know your place is right here at the moment, right? And I didn't use you as my pack mule, come on!
[With both cake boxes secured on the table, backpack and bags placed down, Kel turned back toward the two. Hi indeed, Sunny.]
I know it's a bit early, but everything was ready- [Still one day to go tohe birthday but...] and you never know with this place, right? Come on, let's relax and have fun!
[He hopped closer once more, trying to toss one arm around Sunny's shoulders and one around Basil's, pulling them close. He's not sure this will help, but how do you make the atmosphere less tense while still 'acting like Kel' otherwise? Play it dumb, Kel, play it dumb... and, at least for this time, don't step away from including Omori like you did last time.]
Man, it's going to be great. The four or us and all that food. I mean, five, considering mister kitten. Ah, sorry, I'm so excited right now, I love spending time with my favorite people! Don't worry, me and Basil got everything under control and you just have to sit down and enjoy, Sunny!
( Basil falls silent shortly after speaking, walking a little further in. It's only when Kel reaches for his shoulders that he stops, face flushing a bit when he realizes just how close he is to both Sunny, and Kel.
Relax, right. This was a day for Sunny. They did all of this to make it special for him. So, Basil looks to the kitten. For a moment, he watches him walk closer, rubbing against Basil's leg with a needy meow. He hadn't missed the way that Sunny had been looking to him, and he offers a small, albeit nervous smile. )
This is Marigold. ( Basil had thought it might be a suitable name. Considering why Kel had asked for the cat in the first place. Marigolds were supposed to be flowers associated with healing and resilience. )
Would you like to hold him...?
[He wants to be close. Before they all pull away, his fingers brush Basil's sleeve, weakly curling, but never gripping; his hand falls away.
[Sunny straightens back up. Marigold...He's beautiful...
[Sunny nods, attempting a weak smile, though it never quite comes to fruition. He tentatively holds out his hands, accepting the kitten when given. He holds Marigold to his chest, nuzzling into his fur.]
Th-thanks...
[He glances at Kel.]
Th-that's...a lot...of stuff.
Sunny and Basil attacked each other. Basil had scratches so deep they may leave a mark and Sunny was on the floor of the bathroom, bleeding to death. Not happening tonight. And if the two have to act all tense and awkward, he's going to slide in and being his bubbly self even more to snap them out of it.]
Of couse Sunny would have us! We've been friends for so long! Heh! We'e going to have a blast! Did you know, Sunny has a collection of shitty movies in here. Or, well, at least a small selection. We should watch one after this!
[A distraction for them, a distraction for the others. Thank god they brought the kitten.]
Awww, aren't you three adorable? Are we getting to meet Spooky too? It can be a kitty playdate, even if I don't think I brought anything that's good for kitten to eat. And of course we did! All the best for our favorite birthday boys!
[Big grin, fortunately enough it doesn't look forced enough, and he leans in with the intent of placing a big kiss on the other teen's cheek. And then, whether he 'hit' or not, he would do the same for Basil too, for a good measure. Get loved, fuckers.
Whether he manages to act like an old smoochy aunt with them or not, he would let go anyway right after, stepping once more toward the stuff they brought.]
Friends celebrate each other, right?
He can't help but stop when Kel mentions bad movies, tilting his head a bit. )
Uhm... I-Is it... fun to watch bad movies?
( WEIRD...? BUT, HE'LL TAKE KEL'S WORD FOR IT....
He'll turn his attention towards Marigold and Sunny for a moment, watchin as Marigold seems to settle closely against him. He can't help but smile. )
I think he likes you, Sunny...
Kel did tell me that you have a kitten now, too. I'm sure that they'll become good friends.
( Kittens tend to be really playful when it comes to one another, right? That's what he's read. He's been doing what research he can to make sure that he can take proper care of Marigold.
He hopes that he can properly meet Spooky himself... It's good that Sunny has a companion like that, too.)
But, ah -- I-I can help you get everything set up, Kel.
[He sounds delighted, bouncing on his own feet to deliver the message even more]
It's the same for romantic movies. you watch them with peeps and you laugh at how bad tropes are, duh. There's nothing better than having a good laugh with your buds.
[ And helping him out... no, Kel has different plans.]
Hard not to like sunny, isn't it? Marigold has good taste in friends, good to know. And- I actually have a duty for you, Basil! A most important one. I will set things up and you make sure no one- [A glance in Sunny's direction. He's the only person around there, after all.] Turns around until I'm done.
You two chat, have fun, I'll let you know when I'm ready.
But, things are different this time. There's no news to surprise Basil with. It was just... something for his friends to look forward to. )
M-Me? Uhm... Okay... Sure. ( Kel and Basil brough so much, but... he doesn't mind being a distraction, if that's what Kel wants. This really was his idea.
He'll bring his attention back to Sunny then, looking to the kitten. )
Is that Spook...? They're really cute...
[Regardless, he obediently turns to face the pile, his back to Kel as the boy begins setting up.]
Spook-y. [It's a soft, gentle correction.] She's...sweet, too. She never...uses her claws.
[Okay, yes, she shows up a little late. The logistics of hauling a small load of [gift redacted over a drawbridge were… a detail she probably could have thought more about in advance.
[Anyway, she gives the door a knock-kick with her foot.]
You guys didn’t start the party without me, right? [Just teasing.] Open up!
[Whoever does will find her hands full—one big cardboard box, wrapped and not at all lightweight, plus another wrapped rectangle atop. With her arms out straight down, Aubrey can just peer over it.]
She happened to arrive just before Aubrey though, and made a strangled noise].
So where is the table?
[He's joking and the tone is teasing as hers. He is the one who bothered people about tthe birthday like it was his own- but now he's busy getting up all the stuff for the party. There are simple things, like apple slices cut in a way that they seem to have little bunny ears, skewers with grapes cut and rerranged so every bite is heart shaped. He did summon is inner Hero the momst for the cakes though. There are two tablecloth on the wooden table, one black and one white, and food is being split in two wides.- one for Omori, where Happy Birthday Omori little banner and a cat shaped cake. ON the other side? A Strawberry shortcake sits with because he remembered his brother preparing it often and it's one of the only japanese- influenced cakes he managed to make without a recipe. (And, of course, a 'Happpy Birthday Sunny' Banner was there on that side, too) Rest in pieces, Eren, Basil, Vaggie and Zelda's stomaches for enduring the barrage off sweets he delivered.
Presents are also divided in two piles as he places the darker packed ones on one side, all for Omori, and the brighter boxes on the other side for Sunny. He points Luz and Aubrey in that direction.]
Almost done, friends. I just need a second here.
[And, since he wasn't sure of how many candles place on top of each cake, since it was hard to tell how long Omori had been around, he put a single unlit candle on top of each cake, right in the middle. It was supposed to work, right? Chips, snacks, sweets, it was also added in the bowls, he was so glad Basil helped him out as much as he did, and he placed a large bouquet of flowers from his housemate's garden right in the middle.
Perfect. Right? The last thing to add was some light and since he couldn't affords christmas lights or anything like that.... he had to improvise. The light from outside was still bright enough, at least, and that had to be enough. The teen opened a water bottle, pouring it all down but using his powers to suspend it in the air in small, small droplets. Kel moved near Sunny, to make sure he'd get the right angle to give him a pretty view of a rainbow in the room when he turned around. That... required more concentration than he cared to admit. A nod to greet Luz and, shifting just slightly to lett the others move to Sunny's side after putting down the presents...]
You can do the honors, buddies.
[He was far too close to accidentally dropping all the water all over the place to go with happy birthday things and such, but at least everything was ready.]
Um... Luz, right...? We talked a little the other day... It's good to see you.
( They had shared a nice conversation over Sleepr. He's glad to know that Kel and the others were making good friends here.
Basil helped when he could. It felt a little strange and nostalgic to help Kel with the planning, and the presents. He had quietly planned for a present of his own, but it wasn't for Sunny. He had been right when Kel had said that this was also Omori's birthday, after all.
He looks to Aubrey and Luz -- a small, uncertain smile on his face. )
... Ready when both of you are.
[Silence - stunned. His mouth just barely hangs open, dark eyes fixed on glittering rainbow droplets and two cakes, two table cloths, two banners - Sunny and Omori...
[Beyond that, there's no reaction, for a moment. It's hard to tell if he's upset - what he's thinking at all, really. He only stares, still cradling Spooky in his arms.]
[Two gift piles… huh.
[Kel really, really went all-out for this. Gang’s all here, even Luz; and for all Aubrey’s, ahem, turmoils with (at minimum) a couple people here, the mood feels light.
[Aubrey plants her gifts right between the piles, for both Sunny and Omori. The wrapping is colorful, neither only dark or only light. The egregiousness is not strictly intentional, but, details.
[She turns back to the boy with a small, hopeful smile.]
Happy birthday.
[Kel. It was Kel, obviously. And Luz, still recovering but glad to get out here, did add her gifts to the pile. It was small and intimate, and she liked that. She could totally handle some time with people she knew and got to really like].
Heya Basil! Glad to finally see you in person!
[With Aubrey, well. Luz just have the girl a wave and was barely able to contain the beam crossing her face at seeing her again.
Luz had chosen one gift wrapped in various colors and one that was wrapped in three overlapping colors, hoping that these would suffice].
Happy birthday, Sunny!
Happy birthday, you two!
[COme on, Kel, don't drop all the goddarn water over the food AND the presents, you're better than that. He takes a deep breath, slapping his hands together so all droplets bounce together in a large ball and... he tosses it out trough the door that was still open. He knows omori's birthday is probably around THE DAY stuff went down, but...]
Just a small celebration for our beloved friends! Gotta admit it was hard to plan around Omori, we don't exactly know his tastes, but that only means we need to know him bette and, duh, be ready for something better next year, right?
Let's start the celebration folks! Who is going to start singing 'happy birthday to you' in a moo embarrassing way? Come on, come on, don't leave all the hard work to me! I already have plenty of fun stuff planned.
Like 'spin the bottle'. But it's actually orange joe and whoever it points at will drink it all. I knooooow you guys love it, heh. that was sarcastic, by the way.
[And he doesn't have any bottle of Orange joe anyway. He's just messing around, being chaotic.]
But yea. We love you. We really, really love you. So... hopefully this will be enjoyable?
[He won't stop kissing her. Not for anything. Not until he turns blue and the world goes black. He doesn't care. She's here. He's so angry. He's so hurt. He's so sad. He's so empty, but not when she's kissing him - not, not, not when she's kissing him.
[If Aubrey is still sitting up at all, Sunny will lay back, still holding her face, gently guiding down to lie with him. He wants her close, close, close. Scarcely will there be time for a shift before his lips are attached to hers again, hand gripping the back of her head, a strong touch for someone like Sunny. He presses himself close, twists their legs together - close, close, close.
[He won't stop. He'll die kissing her.]
[Sunny is never this bold. Wasn’t back then, isn’t here, not until now, now, now—
[Aubrey is pulled down with him, and he doesn’t stop kissing her, and she doesn’t hesitate, not for a second. He doesn’t want her to die, but she’d do anything for him, no matter how much her heart breaks. Sunny is alive; close; she’ll keep him that way until they’re seeing stars and then some.
[It’s not soft. The motion is gentle but, as Aubrey pulls his warm body flush, it feels anything but. It can’t be all gentle because it feels like goodbye, and for someone so loathe to let go, goodbyes are nothing less than a yearning claw, grabbing, pulling, gnawing, until something finally snaps, and they’re split forever.
[She can’t let that happen yet. Not with Sunny. She kisses him again, again, again—
[And yet, within days Aubrey will be in the labyrinth. He should smother her while he can.]
[His kisses are desperate - he will be bold with his love when he can't be bold with anything else, because one day, they'll be parted, and he'll never get to kiss her like this again - young, hungry, aching, mourning.
[One hand still clutches the back of her head, fingers lacing through strands of soft pink hair; the other, half-mangled hand, hooks onto her hip, fingers squeezing, pulling her closer, closer, but they're already as close as can be.
[Sunny breaks away from the kiss with a gasped:] I love you. [If it's all he says for the rest of his life, then fine - who knows how long that might be.
[He loves her. Here, now, before, after - he will love her.
[Their mouths connect again, tongue slipping between lips. There may never be another moment.]
[It wasn’t supposed to be tragic with Sunny, but it is. Aubrey’s not supposed to wrap her arms around him as though he’ll die in them, but he almost did. Sunny may never have told her his feelings, let her be his sweetheart, but he has, and so—
[Aubrey cradles his head, elbow locking firm behind his back, the other curling around his waist. She holds him in her hands, her arms, her legs, the curve of her body around him, as if protective—
[It’s delirious. He hasn’t eaten. The thick fabric of his hoodie hides defined ribs, not quite gaunt, still too visible. She’s careful with him, normally, ever conscious of pale skin over brittle bones; and yet, the moment finds her being reckless, too.
[For now, Sunny wants her. That’s enough, just momentarily—
[It will never, forever, be enough. He hooks her hip. She nips at his lip.
[Sometimes love bites. When Aubrey breaks for air, she barely parts.]
I love you, Sunny…
[And she won’t stop.]
[Looks like someone's moving soon.
[Sunny stands frozen in the entryway, stunned. There should be a staircase right there...]
[Luz did not expect this. She was figuring it would be some hall of glass, or some kind of puzzle, but this place just looked like it was a relic of an older time. Luz kicked at some of the debris, and was now trying to take stock of what was IN the room].
Wonder what the thing we're supposed to do is. I can't fix a TV, and we can't get out. So it's like an escape room in my world. Sort of.
[She looked up and saw Sunny's expression].
Hey, are you all right?
[He wants to go upstairs and go to sleep--
[Sunny's eyes go to Luz. His fingers toy at each other in front of his chest, nervous, and his mouth stammers, silent, silent, until...]
I-it...it looks like...my...house...
But now that she hears what Sunny is saying, he has her attention].
Your house? Were you moving?
Tommor-- I-I mean...[Not...tomorrow, but...]
If...I went back...
The next day, I'd...be gone...
[But...how does this place...? Surely, he must be imagining things. Reality doesn't feel quite so, all of a sudden. He places a hand on his head.]
[Luz is looking at Sunny with concern though. This move was obviously not a thing that he was happy about, or even seemed to have control over].
Why were you moving?
[The question, too...
[Why...? Did Sunny ever truly understand? Did he even really ask?
[Because Mari's room was left just as it had always been, the door shut for four years; because there's still a stump left in the backyard from the tree where Mari's body swung; because her grave is only blocks away in the back corner of Faraway Town's only cemetery; because people know them there, ask them questions; because Sunny is afraid to leave the house; because his mother can't stand to look at him and its easier to get lost in a bigger city; because--]
Mom...got a new job.
So there was likely a lot more to this than just "mom got a new job."]
Did you want to go?
[No, he didn't want to go. He just wanted to stay in bed, or...
[Die, maybe. Rather than go anywhere else. He thought about it...]
I know what that's like, to not want to move from your home, but you have no choice. It sucks. But you're a kid. You don't really get to have control over where you go.
[Sunny will go home with Xie Lian to the Ghost City. He's decided. It's why Kel hates him now. Aubrey might, too, when she finds out - but he'd take her with him if he could. Maybe she'll agree...]
What...do we do next?
It would have been a surprise to find out Sunny wanted to not go back to his world, though maybe the moving was part of why he wanted to not go back].
I guess we look around and find out what we have here that's might get us out. Maybe there's something we overlooked. Let's check out the TV first.
[He tries to think of something else. He's still here. They'll focus on the TV. Sunny goes over to it, fiddling with the buttons, trying different tricks to turn it on. It's a familiar type to him - just like something from his world, his...living room.
[He can't get it to come to life.]
After all, she might be facing what happened after death, and that was a pretty upsetting concept.
Luz watched him, smiling a little because obviously that TV was not a thing she really saw too much of these days].
How do those things work anyway?
Power...volume up...down...channel up...down...
[But...it won't turn on. Ready to be packed up, he supposes.]
Oh, so. The buttons are actually on the TV then. And are actually big instead of small! Whoa. Simplicity. Sounds like a nicer time!
[Luz hit it a few times, then sighed].
Should I kick it? I feel like I should kick it.
But let's see what we can get out of here. If this place is messing with you, I don't want to keep you here. Especially when it comes to moving.
S...sorry.
[Sunny moves away from the TV. Everything is packed in boxes. He opens one of the cabinets and...
[There's a game, and a message flashing on the screen; a coin to be found. He glances over to see if Luz has noticed.]
[Luz put her hand on his shoulder].
You can express yourself, okay? Just say what you were saying.
[Luz did note what the arcade cabinet said, but didn't see what it would result from.
She didn't have a coin, after all].
[He feels himself swallow; takes a deep breath.]
It's not...about moving.
I had a feeling. Wanna talk about it? No one else is here, and I'll keep looking for something for us to get out.
[That way he could talk without feeling like he was on the spot].
[He knows what will happen if he tries to tell Luz too much, or if Luz pushes too far. Her offer is kind - he should be able to trust her, but he doesn't...]
I can't. [It comes out weak, pained; Sunny hugs himself with his arms wrapped tightly around his middle.]
[Luz was watching him, more than looking for a way out. Sunny was not just some kid, or Aubrey's other boyfriend: he was HER friend, and he was still trying to compose himself so he wouldn't freak out.
She remembered their conversation about Omori, and how he was frightened about what might happen].
Sunny. I'm going to look for way out for us. If you don't want to talk about anything, I get it. I understand.
But know I won't tell anyone, if you do. Your secrets don't leave this room. Even I know that sometimes there are things I need to say to other people.
If I keep it to myself, it can take me to some dark places.
[A knife is produced from the boy's pocket - flipped and caught in his hand. He juts his arm out and holds the knife point only inches away from Luz's throat.]
That's enough.
Find the coin.
Put that away. You know what I can do. Don't think I can't disarm someone with a knife.
[Luz was speaking soft, but with conviction].
I was meaning to talk to you.
I'd hope you feel the same way. That it doesn't just have to end with someone getting hurt.
I don't want that for him. Or you.
And I care about him. I know you have to know that.
Things happened to him, things he keeps inside, all the time. He doesn't say it, and people let it go, but some know, and maybe are scared to talk about it.
But they should let him talk. He feels like he can't, and he's so scared that if he talks, no one will ever care about him anymore.
I KNOW what that's like.
[Then, she. Should. Know.
[But she's still talking.
[Fine. They can talk.]
Sunny isn't you, Luz. [His voice is even, calm. He watches Luz's eyes.] Whatever you did to disappoint the people that care about you, that's your fault.
You don't deserve them, right? Even if they forgave you, you must know that's true...
But it needed to change. It needed to change to their fourth encounter, the truly dangerous one, where he showed his true face and came at her, showed his cards and flexed his power on her, almost killing her.
Strange, how that was starting to be familiar, coming close to death, and staring it back, having to BE unafraid].
I faced what I had to face then. That's my own burden, and I'll carry that.
But Sunny deserves someone listening to him. Helping him. And that's what I want to do.
No one should be petrified by their mistakes forever.
What makes you think that Sunny wants to talk to you? He's not here, is he?
You think I made him go away? You think he has no one. Helping. Him?
[That was the really annoying part too: NO ONE really could say what they wanted to, and where things got murky, Luz knew she was risking herself here.
The boy had a knife to her. She could see that, she could even feel that heaviness in the air where the knife could come, where the moment of being unaware meant she could lose something. A limb, a body part.
But Luz wasn't trying to think about that now].
No. He did that. He does that. He's scared. That's why you come, isn't it?
You help him. That's why no one is angry about Omori. Like at the birthday party. They know you help.
And you know what, maybe you do. I know I don't know anything about the real details. I'm not stupid.
But someone's got to let him talk. He wants to leave here someday, possibly feel better, I think. Can he do that if he never faces the things he can't talk about?
Or when he thinks he's lower than so many other people, who love him?
[It almost worked. Omori should have known better. Who knew that he wouldn't actually have to do anything to keep Kel away when Kel is perfectly capable of fucking everything up himself?
[Luz's questions won't be answered. Sunny is meant for happiness. He and Omori both know that very well. But it's none of Luz's business.]
You need to stop asking questions.
Stop putting your own insecurities onto someone you barely know.
Sunny is here. He's taken care of. He doesn't need you.
Are you really sure he even wants you?
[He sure liked to tell Luz what she shouldn't do, and she knew well enough that her insecurities were bad enough. That they were own.
And Omori understood there was some projection there. But Sunny had his own issues too. You'd have to be blind not to see them. Saying that he was OK and fine wasn't right either.
Even being here, in this place, bothered him. There was a connection to moving, which he didn't want to do, and the feeling that he was back here that unnerved him enough that Omori was here].
Maybe you don't understand. So I'll say it plainly, so you get it too.
I want to help him. The place where he is, it's slowly swallowing him. Not immediately, but little by little, and one day he won't even know how to get out.
It's not about me and him being the same, I know we aren't. I still feel like I can talk to people about my pain. But he doesn't.
And I'm scared that this will crush him one day.
[The knife is held steady. Void dark eyes bore holes through Luz Noceda.]
Sunny has been swallowed. Little. By little.
Sunny has been. Crushed.
You wouldn't know. They wouldn't know.
You can't save him. The boy is dead. It's too late.
[Spade is a spade.
The next words are ones that Luz needs to swallow a moment. Sunny, just gone, here only enough so that he can put on what was left himself.
That Omori was all that was left. That there was nothing left of Sunny to help. To save.
Luz could see his face, giving him the warning not to touch off his other self. That was Sunny. It had to be].
He needs someone to listen to him. Not to save him, or redeem him, or fight for him. He needs people to hear his voice.
If they don't, maybe then, he might be crushed. But I know he isn't yet.
[Sunny doesn't need to be heard; Sunny needs to be left alone.
[He is crushed. If anyone asked him - really asked him - he'd tell them the same.
[Omori pulls the knife away from Luz's throat, flipping it again, again, again in his hand. He hasn't stopped staring through her.]
Sunny doesn't want to talk to you.
If he did, he'd be here.
When are you [All of you.] going to accept that?
And you need to remind him of something I told HIM. That I would be here. That I wouldn't leave him, even if things got scary. Because I won't stop trying to stop him from thinking the worse things about himself.
You would know.
[Luz took a breath, then exhaled. And began searching for the coin].
[She's at the top of Omori's list now. It'll be an uphill battle getting Sunny to tell her anything - it won't happen if Omori can help it.
[He can.
[He allows Luz to search for the coin - through boxes, piles, whatever she chooses. Omori stands in the center of the room all the while, flipping the steak knife in his hand.]
She had suspected she would likely not get along with Omori, and now she knew it for sure. Well.
She was used to some people not liking her by now.
As she was rummaging through the boxes, she looked up].
You know, the faster you help, the quicker you can get away from me. I figured you'd want to help for that reason alone.
[Considering for a moment, he eventually goes over to one of the boxes and slices it cleanly open with his knife. He dumps out the contents - no coin.
[Onto the next box.]
But Luz was searching as well as she could herself, looking for any hint of a coin-so far, nothing.
Luz sighed, then put down a glyph so that she could bring a beacon of light to help them see a little better].
[Omori continues cutting open boxes and turning them over. If some debris accidentally lands on the glyph? Oh well.
[Eventually, the sound of a coin rolling on a wood floor. Omori stomps on it with his foot like a bug; reaches down to take it out from under his shoe. He brings it to the cabinet.
[He doesn't wait for Luz to see, nor does he ask her if she's ready. For all he knows, they'll be sucked into another video game, forced to work together; when he inserts the coin, that doesn't happen.
[They arrive back in the Enchanted Garden.
[Omori looks at Luz - cocks his head to the side.]
All done.
Luz gets up, ready to see what it's going to take them!...Which was back to the garden].
What? Sheesh, that was anticlimactic.
[She looked back at Omori, then sighed].
Thanks.
[There's nothing more to say, really. Omori flips the knife in his hand and walks off, easily leaving Luz behind.]
Luz shook her head, turning away. She was pretty sure this wasn't a great thing: Omori had a little bit of control of Sunny's head, and he was pretty intent that she shouldn't try to get Sunny to actually take more control of himself.
And weirdly, everyone was OK with Omori. That just further mystified Luz, and frankly, made her wonder how much of what Omori said was true.
Was Sunny on his way to being gone?
She didn't know. And all she wanted was him to get a little more sure of himself.
Because no matter what, whether Omori was "good" or "bad," she still wanted Sunny to be happy.
But, it's difficult to work up the courage to approach him about it. They've been having some nice moments between them, and Basil's been so happy for it, but he recently discovered some things that have made him want to withdraw a little, too. )
Hi, Sunny!
Sorry, I know that this is sudden... Is there a chance that you'd be free to meet somewhere?
can we
talk like this
instead?
please
But, is everything okay?
It can wait if there's something bothering you.
I understand, Sunny.
( He stops for a moment. It's so hard to talk about home. He doesn't like to think about it. )
It's
about home.
If it's alright --
Can you tell me... what happened before you came here...?
[It's alright.
[Basil is alright. Kel told him so.
[There's nothing to hide. It's alright...]
we were staying
at your house
overnight
you
were in
your room
[And that's all. Nothing bad happened. Kel is from the future, and Basil is alive, so everything is okay. Sunny's hand hesitated over the doorknob, but it doesn't matter.
[It's alright...]
Why was everyone over? And why wasn't Basil with them? He's been alone for so long, save his Grandmother and Polly... What could have changed so suddenly before Sunny's move?
It doesn't make sense. None of this does. )
.....
Maybe--
This came afterwards.
Someone told me that
We hurt each other. That... it was really, really bad, Sunny...
But, I don't understand. I'd never do anything to hurt you, Sunny! And, I know that there's no way that you'd ever hurt anyone, either!
I don't want to scare you.
I heard that
You're still okay.
We're both alright.
( He wants to say that much before he goes any further. )
Both of us
Were in the hospital.
But, it doesn't make sense. We're all supposed to be friends in the future...
So, I thought that
You might know. You were really upset when I first saw you here.
[No, he never hurt Basil. He never would, he only-- dreams about it...remembers, at times, when he isn't meaning to...
[Not Basil. Not Basil. Sweet, kind, timid Basil. Sunny wouldn't. He didn't. He hasn't!]
i
never
hurt you
who
told u
that
[No. He knows who told Basil that, because it wasn't Aubrey.
[Sunny never asked Kel about the future. He didn't want to know.]
that didn't happen
it isn't real
it isn't real
Sunny, it's okay! I know you'd never hurt anyone! You couldn't! And no matter what happens, I promise that I'll protect you.
( No. No. The only thing that could do that was... The same thing that hurt Mari, that ruined his photos, that showed Aubrey that much and framed Basil... )
You're... You're a good person.... Everyone knows that.
... You're right.
We're here now, and that's important. Nothing... like that will happen as long as that doesn't change.
I... I know you haven't done anything, Sunny. M-More than anyone else... I trust you.
Please, Sunny... If you need to talk, you aren't alone. You have so many friends here...
( He just doesn't want Sunny to have to go through anything alone. He'll keep his phone with him, just in case he decides to talk with him later, but... it's alright if this is the end of the conversation for the both of them. )
[So that was a little draining. Not as godawful as it could have been, though; not even a full-day affair, by the looks of it. Eren’s left Aubrey in decent spirits.
[She did have to leave him, nonetheless. Sunny ventured out after all, and much as she trusts Luz, Aubrey doesn’t not worry. Shortly after leaving the Garden, she fires off a quick text for him:]
All fine. Coming home soon. ♥︎
[And though Sunny’s told her she doesn’t have to knock, she does before pushing the door open anyway. Just in case it’s only Xie Lian—or someone else.]
[Well, that answers that. Still, it’s a good sign he’s in the mood to send a text-cat and rib about cooties. (Or so Aubrey hopes.)
[She might never fully get used to the knife flipping, but it’s not the first time Aubrey’s seen Omori in the pile. Generally she takes his presence as a sign not to get too close, leave elbow room. Things have changed a bit lately, though, and more importantly he doesn’t look hurt. She seats herself on the floor nearby.]
Hey, Omori. [Aubrey props her elbows on the pile and her chin on her hands, light. That Omori was probably out around Luz—well, they had that talk, right?] How’d you guys make out?
[He catches the knife in his hand.]
Luz is nosey. I don't like her.
[Ah. There it is.
[Aubrey frowns a bit, but does try to keep it… if not light, then not tense, either. Really, she’s just glad they’re alive.]
She does… [Mm. How to put this.] …press things. [Not a lie!
[Briefly her eyes do flick to the knife, despite. It looks clean.]
I am sure you won’t. [Also genuine.
[Oh, Aubrey’s gonna have one hell of a conversation with Luz after this, isn’t she. Aubrey, at least, has learned better than to interrogate Omori.
…Would it… [Thinking out loud, somewhat.] …help if I talked to her?
[Aubrey shuts her eyes for a moment. Breathes in, slowly, then out.
[“Why do you want me to leave you alone?”]
She’s not going to do that. [It’s a little fond, sue her. The circumstances temper it considerably, though.] We both know this.
[She’ll be filling Sunny in, too, then. Alright.
[Luz has some… ideas, about Omori, and Aubrey can’t say any of them are accurate—and more importantly, she’s tried to stress he’s not some evil force to speculate about. She wasn’t sure, at the time, if it worked; now she’s almost certain it didn’t.
[Hoo boy.
[That said: that’s Aubrey’s talk to have, not Omori’s. She takes his words in with a small, slow nod, just accepting that he will, as ever, handle the situation as he sees fit.
[Aubrey couldn’t stop that if she tried.
[Finally, half idle:] You must be tired.
[The corner of her mouth twitches up.]
Sure didn’t. [Lucky him.]
It was just this little room, really. Had to stick a coin in an arcade machine, and that was that.
[Oh, okay! Aubrey sits up for that.
[Looks at knife. Looks at him.]
[She does, actually, crack a smile for a second. Never a dull moment with Omori. That blade keeps sharp, after all.
[What he says piques her interest, too.]
Same, huh? [The “layout* was pretty base. Like, generic-rectangle base.] TV, [mess] litter, that sort of thing?
[Right.
[She hasn’t seen it in years, really.]
Strange. [Mildly unsettling commonality, that memory pull. Aubrey considers mentioning this to Omori, but suspects it makes no difference to him; neither he nor Sunny have expressed much interest in puzzling out this world.
[So she leaves it at that.]
Like Sunny’s house. But not exactly....
…No stairs.
No kitchen, hall, bedroom. Anything like that.
Right.
[What a strange detail.]
Anything off about it?
Hah. It really wasn’t.
[Almost too easy, considering. The people in the room were their own worst enemies, Aubrey supposes.
[She stretches her arms, then moves to get up. Omori probably is tired.]
Glad you’re back.
Want anything? [You know. From the kitchen.]
[Understood.
[While he’s asleep, Aubrey baits Spooky over; not a difficult task. He’ll have a cat on his lap when he wakes up, soft and purring.]
(ooc: directly after the thread above; no, not that one, the other one)
[She comes back to him in the pile often. But something isn’t right.
[The phone’s been thrown, but Aubrey doesn’t notice. He’s shaking, and Aubrey doesn’t know why or who, but she’s at his side in an instant.]
Hey… [Hushed, hands hovering. Omori doesn’t usually like to be touched. She’s half-braced for a knife, but since when did that stop her?] Hey....
[Legs and arms scrambling, he backs away from Aubrey like he's afraid, but it isn't of her. He gasps, small body rising and falling.]
I-I'm...I'm...sh-shit...
Don't...don't...
[Shit. What the hell prompted this?
[Aubrey stays where she is, kneeling by the pile, hands empty. It’s Sunny, not Omori—but she’s never quite seen him like this before, not pleading “don’t, don’t.”]
I won’t— I won’t touch you. [But she turns a palm over, gently extended, if he wants.] Breathe....
[Why?
[Why?
[Why would he ever hurt Basil? The dreams are mere flashes, but he knows what his mind can do to that boy - soft, kind-hearted, gentle Basil--
[Sunny's eyes go to Aubrey's, wild.
[She'll know. She'll know he's a monster. There's no avoiding it now.]
I-I'm...I'm sorry...I didn't...mean...to...
[He doesn’t take her hand. She leaves it out, for him.]
[Eyes alert, voice soft:] I’m here....
[No matter what.]
Basil...
I...h-hurt...him...
[He feels like his heart stops. There's no one here to tell him to keep this a secret, help cover it up. He hurt him. He hurt him. And he really just told her. Just like that. His hand squeezes tight.]
[It’s not the answer she expects. Briefly Aubrey’s shut, taking it in—
[Basil. He hurts him. He’s not supposed to know—
[She squeezes back, trying her damnedest to keep her face even. Her expression stays focused, sharp; maybe too sharp, but not for this, here, now. Sunny trusts her. He’s afraid.
[Aubrey listens. She nods, slow, even. Doesn’t push him.]
Back...back...back...home...
I didn't...I haven't...[A sound, strangled, but bit off with a lance of teeth against tongue. Sunny tastes blood.] I don't...r-remember...
[He’s still squeezing. Not looking, but squeezing. Breathing.
[Aubrey bites back a swear. It’s not for him.]
[Quiet, still squeezing back;] Easy....
[It feels impossible to swallow. Sunny tries. He grips Aubrey's hand tighter than he ever has before. She'll fade away to nothing. He'll be alone again.
[But She doesn't deserve to be kept in the dark.]
Aubrey...
[Sunny bites down on his lip. It starts to bleed. His hand shakes from the effort of his grip.]
I have...to tell you...something...
[She knows, she knows, she knows. All anger died the second he called himself a monster. Sunny’s anything but.
[Tender, Aubrey moves her other hand over his; still squeezing back, a silent promise.
[Listening. Here. She’s by his side forever.]
[He loves her.
[It's Aubrey. He's no one but himself. He squeezes her hand, looks at her like it's the last time he ever will. There are no tears, though his muscles twitch like his eyes want to make them.
[This is goodbye, then. To all of them.]
I...killed...Mari...
[He says it out loud. Part of him dies forever. His eyes close like he can't lift them open anymore. He releases his grip on Aubrey's hand. She can let go any time she wants to.
[But...
[If there's one last thing to say, it has to be...]
I didn't...mean to. I...loved...her.
[Aubrey doesn’t let go.
[She knows. It hurts. It always will.
[He’s said it, now. It can’t be undone.
[And they’re still here.
[Aubrey keeps squeezing his hand, steady. Only lifts the other to wipe his lip, just a thumb. (It’s shaking, a little.) Mari wouldn’t have wanted him to bleed for her.]
[Barely above a whisper:] She loved you, too.
["She loved you too."
[Sunny feels his face twist his eyes open, a sound leaving him, tangled and round and raw. He stares at Aubrey, horrified in his confusion. Tears well, but he barely notices. He grips her hand again - harder than he means to. Didn't she hear him? He stares. His mouth stammers; his hand trembles.
[There isn't a word he can say. It doesn't make sense. He can't bear to repeat himself. He can't...]
[What else is there to say? Kel told her. She hates that it wasn’t Sunny’s choice; is grateful, because it’s not a shock, even as that horrible ache wells up between them.
[Sunny’s not a monster. Hell, he could have done it on purpose; he’s not a monster. The how, the why; it almost doesn’t matter, because he’s carried this for four years, rotting alone, and now it’s over.
[He’s trusted Aubrey with the truth. It’s not over at all.
[Mari would forgive him, too.]
I know, Sunny… [Soft, almost pleading. Aubrey’s own eyes well; she notices, and lets them. Sunny’s still here.] I know....
[She coaxes his hand towards her, her own beating, broken heart. Squeeze, just the faintest release, squeeze again....]
[He'll be a while like that.]
[Sunny slumps forward, and Aubrey wraps herself around him, free arm rounding his back and rubbing, soothing, steady.
[Even so, her own breath shakes. She’s gotten better at muffling herself for Sunny, but… hearing him like this never gets easier. Aubrey loves him. She misses Mari. Mari could hug and soothe Sunny like no one else, and if Mari was here—well, she wouldn’t have to, now, would she?
[Maybe the contradiction should be irreconcilable. Somehow, it’s not. She loves him. She always will. Mari is gone now, and they’re both here, and…
[For all that’s happened, Aubrey likes to think Mari wouldn’t hate where they’ve ended up.
[Aubrey forces herself to swallow. Every so often she murmurs ‘Sunny, Sunny,’ but no more. The rest falls away.
[As long as he wants her, she’ll stay. That’s all there is left to do.]
[But he doesn't feel like sleeping. He feels awake.
[He doesn't dare move away. His both of his arms are folded in front of him, holding Aubrey's hands. He finally speaks again, voice soft, so soft...]
We got into a fight. I got mad...
I pushed her. She fell. Down the stairs...
[It lasts and lasts, and Aubrey asks only for him to be there. If not for his hold on her hands, she’d start to wonder if he’d fallen asleep.
[He speaks. That’s a surprise.
[“No stairs…”
[Against her will, Aubrey hears a sickening splinter. Body, wood, worse than any bat—
[She squeezes. Bleary eyes narrow, pained, but don’t close. Just the smallest of nods, confirming… She’s listening.]
[It is far, far too obvious. Basil saw. And that’s why…
[Aubrey has told him not to give up for Sunny. Regret stabs.
[He’s carried that four years, too.
[A fresh tear hits Sunny’s shoulder; another. Aubrey tries to blink the rest back. She nods, dumb and lost, again.]
[He hates himself more than ever. He tries to ask himself why Aubrey's still here. He can't. She just is...
[There is one more thing he can say, actually.]
Aubrey...
I'm...sorry...
[It is the absolute farthest thing from okay, but…]
I… I know, Sunny. [Aubrey’s not the one who’s been sobbing, but her voice comes out strained.] I know....
[He pushed her down the stairs. Basil saw. And then they… he…]
I-I can’t… hold that against you. I don’t....
[She's still here. Does she still love him? Will she spend the night, or leave him alone?
[He wonders...
[Whatever happens, there will be peace, he thinks...
[What more can he say? Chin still hooked over Aubrey's shoulder, he nods...]
[Aubrey hates goodbyes. She can’t. Won’t. Not until she has to.
[Sunny nods. He’s said as much as he can; more than, really. It’s so, so much—and yet, is that really all…?
[Aubrey barely has the energy. They can stay like this, Sunny resting safe on her, all night. However long he wants....
[Ever so slightly, almost without realizing, she rocks them. Just a subtle sway. It’s grounding....]
[It only makes sense that she'd still be here, doesn't it? Waking up day to day, or going to bed night after night, without her - that's what doesn't make sense...
[He will be everything she needs. He will be brave. He will be strong. He will be great. He will be - he will, he will, for Her, he will...]
[Sunny can be stronger than anyone could ever recognize. Even now, for all Aubrey’s reminded herself this is what he wants, not what he needs… she finds herself thinking he needs her.
[He needs her, right now, on the floor of his own treehouse, to stay awake. To keep upright for him, and hold him through the night. To not let the heartache of what he’s been through, of what he’s had to do, of what he couldn’t do—for all of it, every wasted second, not to crush her.
[Aubrey needs Sunny, really.
[Maybe minutes pass, maybe hours. She ingulges, just slightly—her own chin coming to rest on his shoulder, still holdng, squeezing, releasing, squeezing....]
I love you… Sunny....
[She clutches for his.]
I love you… [And remembers…]
We’re together… a-and we love each other.
[No matter what.]
[Sunny pulls away, taking Aubrey's face in his hands, staring at her, eyes alight in a way she won't have seen in years; maybe ever - he's never felt this way before.]
I love you. [His voice is a whisper, hushed, urgent.]
I won't leave you.
Where I go...you...you...us...together...Aubrey...
[“I won’t leave you.” Ah. But…
[But…?
[God, he’s alive.
[Her heart swells.] Y…yeah. [Overflows.] Yeah, I— [She’s crying before she can think to stop herself.
[Choked, Aubrey pulls Sunny right back, tight. Why hold back now? She’d die for him. She’ll live for him.]
I will.... I-I’ll stay with you forever.
[They’ll find somewhere, together.]
I do… too....
[They know the past. This is now. And suddenly, it feels like they have a future.]
Forever. [These tears… aren’t all bad.] I’ll be with you… Sunny....
action | aftermath of the aftermath of the aftermath of th
headhooligan
2024-08-04 12:32 am (UTC)(link)
(ooc: ‘thread tracker in a comment’ moment: Kel+Basil → Basil+Sunny → Sunny+Aubrey → We Are Here)
[Aubrey’s not sure when she falls asleep, but rising just before the sun is a long-established given. Not for the first time, she texts Eren to let him know there’ll be no training today—possibly not for a while, actually. He gets it.
[There’s a text from Kel, too. Aubrey… does not get it, exactly. But it can wait.
[Sunny’s still asleep, she thinks, and she’s not about to wake him up. Sometimes she can drift back off like this, not yet done processing the previous night’s events, just stealing an extra few hours…
[Not today. They’ll be with each other forever. Sunny shared with her something so seemingly-insurmountable, he couldn’t handle it alone even when he was alone. And before then…
[Basil.
[Aubrey shuts her phone. Places it on the floor by the pile, and nudges it away; tries to keep the motion quiet. Not right now....]
[Sunny doesn't remember dreams the way he remembers the previous night - all at once, wrapping itself around every limb in a tight embrace, squeezing until...
[Release.
[Sunny reaches for her hand.]
[She takes it. Every time he reaches for Aubrey’s hand, she’ll take it, and squeeze.]
[How could he ever have doubted it? Old sins feel like they mean nothing now.
[Sunny opens his eyes, so terribly swollen that it's still hard to see; they burn. He looks to Aubrey. She's more beautiful than he's ever seen - every time, every time.]
[Sunny opens his eyes as much as he can, dark and bleary and perfect. How could anyone think he’s a monster?
[Aubrey cups his face, touch light.]
Good morning…
[She kisses him on the head.]
[His voice comes out predictably rough. It's getting lower in general.]
I love you...
[Sometimes people’s love is hard to take. It isn’t, right now.]
I love you, too… I love you forever.
[She thumbs his cheek, idly affectionate.]
You’re up early....
[He sleeps so much....]
I’m right here. [It’s brighter out, now.] I’ll stay.
[A gentle smile.] Not today.
[Small glance to her phone on the floor, pointing without letting go.] He understands.
[Well. He just trusts her. Completely. It's new...
[Sunny reaches up with one hand to take her face, the other still squeezing between their chests.]
Thank you...
[Not a thing. And unless Sunny wants otherwise, she never will.
[Maybe she’ll lose her loved ones’ trust for that. Maybe she already has.
[Sunny’s face is in her hand, and hers in his; their other hands squeeze, release.
[Aubrey decides she won’t apologize for anything.
[She kisses him, soft, sweet. Promising…]
["Are you even alive?"
[He wasn't...
[He is...
[How he's meant to feel about that, he doesn't know, but...
[He kisses her. He'd live to do it again...]
[He’s here. And he’ll be here, home, with her; a treehouse, a dream, a nightmare, a city of ghosts, a new reality. Wherever. For once, Aubrey doesn’t doubt it. They know so much about each other, and they’re still here....
[They’re alive.
[She kisses Sunny again; again, again. Soft, not desperate, not drowning. Has it ever felt quite like this? The now will slip away into the past, and there will be never be a morning quite like this again—and it’s alright, because it won’t end there, and it’s all precious. He is....
[When their lips part, her eyes are gleaming. Aubrey feels happy....]
I want to wake up with you… every day.
[It’s not a demand. He sleeps so much, normally. Just a hushed fantasy, comfortably longing.]
Heh… good. [Maybe a bit forward—there really is no pressure. But she can’t help herself.
[One more kiss, lightly pressing their noses, and then;]
What do you want to do today? [It’s all theirs.]
I'm...not sure what...to do now...
[He spends so much time in this house. It’s always a surprise when he’s not in it, though more often than not, he’s just with Kenma—or off having his adventures. Aubrey can’t pretend to know the details.
[She’d like to, though.
[A few ideas run through her head—squeezing, releasing—but there’s no point in overwhelming. They just woke up.]
For now… [A small hum, light.] …I can get you breakfast? [Eren’s delivery is probably at the door.
[Aubrey’s not moving before Sunny, though.]
[It feels wrong. He's thinking of Mari more than ever. He doesn't deserve to eat when she can't - that's really what it's come down to, all these years. Everything he tastes, he wonders what she'd think.
[Still - he could eat, he thinks.
[So, he nods, pushing himself up. He'll follow her.]
[It feels like they haven’t moved for hours, maybe longer. Still, Aubrey has her routine: up, stretch, door, delivery, kitchen… Lately she hasn’t been able to leave it out wherever he’s sleeping, lest the cat eat it.
[She’s got her hand on an upper cabinet, remembers it’s different today, and looks back over to Sunny. Wordlessly hands him the food, instead.]
[She didn't run away. He told her the impossible, and she's still here. She knows. She doesn't hate him.
[He still believes he deserves to be hated, but...of course - of course - he's grateful that he's not.
[He takes the food, curling up on the couch with his legs tucked under himself. He eats. It has taste...
[How can he feel so light?
[He watches Aubrey, waiting for her to sit down too. The world is calm; sharp, but calm.]
It's good...
[Sunny curls up on the couch, and Aubrey joins him with some leftovers. She nods, chewing. It’s good to see him eating for himself. Omori usually takes care of that....
[It’s calm. The quiet is comfortable. Idly Aubrey scans the room, appreciating how the morning light dances about. Not every day she’s in here at this hour. It’s nice....
[His phone is in the corner. Her eyes linger there for a moment, and then she takes another forkful before the frown can settle. Later.]
[Anxiety seizes his heart. Dropping his fork, he takes Aubrey's hand and squeezes it before he can stop himself.
[Basil...
[Sunny swallows with a dry throat. Aubrey's right here...]
B-basil...
[Sunny’s fork drops, and food is set aside immediately. Aubrey clasps his hand, watching him.
[“Back home…”
[She nods, squeezing, releasing, squeezing. Basil’s not here. Sunny can tell her what he wants her to know.]
[She pauses. Almost shakes her head, but;]
I don’t know what he said to you.
[There's nothing left to hide, is there? Or is there...
[He thinks of his dreams - only flashes - Basil, bleeding, crushed, dismembered, headless...]
I hurt him. [Sunny's words are choked, but he isn't crying.] In...the future...maybe...
The...hospital...
[Aubrey leans forward, still squeezing, releasing…
[No one else is here. It feels like they’re sharing a secret anyway. Maybe Aubrey can’t get mad at them, when she’s about to…]
Kel… has told me about the future. [It feels like a lie, not to share how much. Only if Sunny wants to hear it....] I know it’s not just you.
[He doesn't want to know.
[He grips Aubrey's hand - tight.]
Please...
Tell me...
[It’s not fair.]
Everything…?
[It’s not goddamn fair.]
[Everything...?
[How much does she know? Kel acted like everything was fine, but...
[He can only expect the worst. Kel might be a liar...
[Sunny nods; weak, miserable.]
Yes...
[All at once, she hates Kel, actually. Sunny’s trauma wasn’t his to tell. Maybe the same could be said for Basil, but that’s different—it’s always different, with Basil. Both of them—all of them, from points in time only days yet too far apart.
[It’s not their fault. They should have someone. Hell, Aubrey could’ve hounded them into telling, under different circumstances, but it’s happened the way it’s happened, and she hates this for Sunny, and—
[Sunny’s here. He agrees. It’s not fair to him to hold back.]
I know that… during the sleepover, you and Basil fight. [He’s not looking, and Aubrey’s expression has pulled tense with twisted, churning emotion. She speaks slow; has to force it.] Kel’s not sure why—neither of us are.
I know that puts you in the hospital; both of you. And in that future…
[She squeezes. Doesn’t release; but if Sunny does, then…]
…you tell us that Mari… didn’t kill herself. And that Basil covered for it.
[I’m sorry.]
[He squeezes her hand. Exactly two little tears drip between their legs, Sunny's head still hung; there's no sound to it, really.
[More silent moments pass. It might seem as though he's considering what to say, but it's not that. He can't think of anything to say until, quite simply - softly, softly:]
I don't hate him...
[He doesn't...]
I love him. [Sunny shakes his head; his body sways with it, nauseated.] It's not his fault...
[Mari. The hospital. None of it. Sunny made a mistake. Basil defended himself. That's it...]
[Sunny, Aubrey thinks, is a vastly more gracious person than she ever will be.
[There’s a jealous itch, despite it all. “My best friend.” She remembers last night, and it’s a balm; remembers what happens when she lets her ego block him out, period.
[He’s talking. Focus....
[He wailed so miserably.
[Aubrey reaches just one hand forward, brushing his cheek. She doesn’t make him look up.]
Alright....
[That’s all she has, for now. How he feels is his call.]
[He hasn't wanted to hear it, is all. But Aubrey listened to him, and she didn't run away. He squeezes her hand. He lifts his head.
[Softly:] You can tell me...
[Her palm stays, cupping, gentle. The face Aubrey is making is pained, softly; it’s difficult to shake the feeling she’s told him too much already. Kel won’t be happy about this—any of it, she imagines.]
I’m not… sure what’s left to say.
[And yet…
[She swallows. Finds her eyes trailing down, as she talks, at their united, squeezing hands.]
Basil and I… we’re not friends, right now. I know he wants to be. And I don’t think he knows that I know.
[Why would he tell Sunny about the hospital?]
But I can try… to be there for him, too.
I can't...go near him.
I...kn-know...I'll hurt...him...
[Aside from that...]
He doesn't know. [Of that, Sunny is certain.
[He would have told him. Or he would have broken down.]
[Ah.
[There’s a non-small part of Aubrey that doubts it, the idea of Sunny hurting anyone on purpose. Even Omori, outside dreams, was quick to heal; they both have that power.
[Still. Sunny may love Basil, but Aubrey knows damn well what can happen when feelings come out the wrong way. Hell, he’d know that better than anyone....]
Then… I can keep him away. [Steadier than she feels. It’s going to hurt.] And if he’s near you—call me. [It’s going to hurt. Treating Basil like a danger—but is that really new?]
And when those feelings need to come out… I’ll be there for that, too. [It will hurt....]
[Maybe that should have been a question....
[Aubrey’s quiet for a moment, still squeezing back. None of them know what the hell happens at that sleepover, do they? Kel wasn’t there.]
You know… [Quiet. Careful.] There was a time out here, when I was really mad at someone. I didn’t really understand it, at the time, but… it all came out, anyway.
Someone got really hurt because of that. I felt like I’d completely lost it, and…
[She thumbs over his knuckles.]
He got healed. I regret that it happened, but… we moved on. And since then, whenever I get really mad at someone, I’ve tried to… take it out, somewhere else. Before it comes to that.
[She doesn’t blame him, is the thing. Hell, that strategy hasn’t worked perfectly; Aubrey’s still yelled, thrown things, lashed out.
[Just— She’s never seen Sunny angry, has she?]
When I say I’m there for your feelings, too… I mean that. [When Kel told her about Basil, he all but offered himself for target practice.] In any way you need.
[She’d offer the same to Basil. Would, if it wasn’t too close to everything left unsaid. Could, if she was certain she could hold herself back....]
I won’t let him hurt you.
[That much, Aubrey can try. Omori’s there, too....]
[She tugs him in a little, defensive. Not forced, but if Sunny follows the motion, he’ll find her other hand curled protectively behind his head.]
He doesn’t have to again.
[It's really not fair to put so much weight on her...
[He puts his head against her chest and nods. His desire to put two arms around her is always there, but always outweighed by the hand squeezing his. She's so good. She's so good.]
I love you...so...much...
[She kisses the top of his head, soft. Sunny weighs so little—carries too much, himself. Aubrey will hold all of him forever.]
I love you, too. [Sunny. Omori. All of them....] I love you, I love you…
I want to be with him.
K-kel too, but...
[He only grips Aubrey tighter.]
I can't...I can't... [Not now. Maybe not ever.] Just you...
[In ways, she can understand. However he hurt Mari, how he might hurt Basil—in anger; a mistake; he loves them. He loves them, and it’s harder for that.
[He’s not talking with Kel. Basil is… Basil. Any issues they have with that, they can take it to Aubrey....
[She pulls Sunny closer, tighter.]
Anything you want.
[Her fingers run through soft hair.]
I can talk to them....
[Sunny's mind is ever at war with itself. It's hard to know what's real, right, or wrong when you have no idea who you are or why it matters.
[Aubrey can talk to them; it's that or silence...
[He can't bear to so much as give her words to deliver. He merely nods, still clinging with all his meager strength.]
[Sunny has told her more than anyone should ever have to. Aubrey’s never had a problem speaking; found it too easy, if anything. But she can be careful with Sunny— maybe too careful—a knife gleaming in a sliver of moonlight, feet on the edge of a roof—
[It’s done. Aubrey’s a fool if she thinks she can control what he does, any of them; she only needs to be there before it gnaws him apart.
[She carries him. Doesn’t push. Somehow, that’s been enough.
[Lightly, Aubrey rests her chin over Sunny’s head, curling ever-protectively around him. His food’s cold; that’s alright. She’ll be here all day and then some, squeezing, releasing, squeezing…]
I don't...want to go back to sleep. [As if he fears he might; as if he fears he has no choice.] Let's...d-do...something...
[Anything...]
[The early morning has slipped by; brighter rays peer through the leaves, dappling the wooden floor.
[Somnius isn’t always so welcoming, but today… today might be promising.]
We can… go for a walk. [It comes out a bit like a date offer. It isn’t not one.] I’ll show you where I train, and we can just… sightsee, and stuff. [No pressure. Sunny isn’t out too much; they can ease into it.]
I’ll be right with you.
[It's just a walk. Sunny's perfectly capable of moving his legs. He and Aubrey's hands are still clasped together, so he takes hers and kisses it softly, just like he would a princess in his dreams.]
Okay...sweetheart.
( ᵔ ᵔ) (ᵔ ᵔ )
/ づ♡⊂ \
I learned how to do this, too.
They reminded me of us!
Does that mean that you've drank a gold potion, Sunny?
/ᐠ｡ꞈ｡ᐟ\
That's amazing... I'd love to see it.
If you're okay with that, Sunny!
Maybe that can help me find more courage to try, too...
I'm not sure, but they're really cute aren't they?
And it somehow feels like it'd be fitting.
I'm sure I have enough shards to ask for a gold potion by now.
But,
I'll ask for a gold potion, then.
Though, there's a chance that I might turn into something else...
Nuvia said she wanted to give me her potion, too.
So, we'll both have healing powers!
I have earth magic.
Sunny,
There's holes in my memories when I think about both you and Aubrey.
It's almost like I'm forgetting things that I shouldn't have, too.
But, there's no reason for it...
And, I don't remember you visiting the treehouse Kel and I share,
Even though I'm sure that you've done it almost every day.
But,
This place can do bad things to us.
So maybe it's better if we don't think too much about it...
It feels silly to worry about it, when we're happy here.
As long as our memories aren't replaced by anything bad.
But, if something seems off,
You can tell me.
I'll always do everything I can to help you.
really glad that we're together here.
The next time we see each other, maybe we'll be able to see what we can both do as animals.
It wouldn't even do anything since there's no angelic steel here moron.
[After that Vaggie just put the device away. She was starting to get a headache.]
Omori,
I hope you can become good friends with this kitten, and I hope you'll feel a little less alone whenever you're awake.
- Basil
Sunny,
I gave you this photo album back at home, remember? I really did want you to have then. Looking back, the memories are a little sad now, but they'd still always cheer me up when I really needed it. I hope that looking at these can do the same for you. The photos are proof of the fact that we were all friends, aren't they? And those memories are especially important.
There are some scribbles over some other writing, and in the end he just ends it the same as he did with Omori's letter.
- Basil. )
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