Chapter Text
"What happened?" Sunny asked his voice slow and careful. Basil wanted to say it. To not keep any secrets between him and his best friend, although... he still felt rather dumb for crying in the first place. He thought he had gotten better, gotten over needing Sunny's attention all the time and feeling so awful when he didn't receive it. He's been through years of therapy for this, and still despite all his best efforts, his bad thoughts still washed up and drowned out all reason.
"I'm not really sure... I think I just got worried," Basil said his voice still shaky from his tears. Sunny slowly dropped his hand from where it was rubbing Basil's soft face. Basil felt the warmth leave him and he wanted to grab Sunny's hand and put I back on his face, but before he could, Sunny placed both his hands on top of Basil's own. Hold them gently. His eyes were fixed on the bright blue ones in front of him. As though all his attention was for Basil, and Basil alone. Something about that made the blond start to feel very, very nervous.
"I don't know... I’m just worried that I might be… too needy," Basil sighed and pulled his hands away from Sunny's knowing that the longer they touched each other, the more Basil would crave more. He didn't think he was in a position to ask for anything, let alone Sunny's touch. The other looked down at their separated hands as though it pained him to see Basil retreat. He sighed softly and his dark eyes returned to looking into Basil's.
“Basil, I know you. I know what you need,” he said it plainly, simply. As though it were a matter of fact. As obvious as could be.
“W-what?” Basil's breath hitched in his throat, having expected Sunny to be disappointed in him for still having irrational thoughts, and overwhelming emotions. His heart was racing in anticipation.
Sunny smiled gently at him, “I know that when I sleep over at your house you need me to be in bed with you, otherwise you get nightmares. I know that when we sit besides each other you need me to put my leg against yours, so you know I won’t leave. I know when we walk together you always want to be on the left. I know that when you hold my hand you need me to put my thumb over yours, to let you know that I’m letting you hold it. I know you.”
Basil's eyes widened and his face was red. He didn't expect to be such an open book to Sunny. He has always been good at reading the other's body language and understanding what Sunny felt even if he didn't let it show on his expressionless face. Basil always knew, though, he never knew that Sunny was also paying close attention to him too. He thought that over the four years they've spent separated from each other, Sunny would've forgotten all about Basil's secret feelings, “Y-you, um, r-remember all that?”
“Yeah,” Sunny said. His small smile growing a little wider. Basil wanted to pull him into a hug but refrained himself. Still not sure of what Sunny was thinking at this moment. “And all that doesn’t… bother you?” Basil asked hesitantly. His bit his lip, and his shoulders felt tense as he awaited Sunny's response. Surely someone as detached and carefree as Sunny would take serious issue with needing to be so accommodating to Basil's silly, silly desires. “No," Sunny said softly. He took Basil's hands into his own again and caressed his palms with his thumbs reassuringly. Basil smiled at the gesture. Sunny even sat closer to the other, pressing the side of their legs together to show Basil how much he liked being beside him. How much he liked knowing that Basil was next to him too.
The growing need inside him, that begged to touch Sunny more than they already were. The growing need that told him that holding hands wasn't enough. That feeling Sunny beside him wasn't enough. That he needed, craved more. That Sunny's touch and the warmth that pooled into Basil's body when he felt the other was all he needed right now. So, So badly. "Is it okay if I need… more?” Basil asked hesitantly.
“Always.” It was a simple answer, but a perfect one. The one Basil needed to hear. all the validation Basil would ever hope for. A part of him still felt like he was pushing some invisible friendship boundary by being so demanding of Sunny. A part of him felt like he was overbearing and bothering Sunny. Basil still stood up though. He still kept their hands pressed together as he slowly got off the bed and stood right in front of Sunny. It made the other blush and Basil only smiled knowing that Sunny felt the intimacy of the action too. He felt happy that Sunny felt the intensity he could never stop feeling. and Basil has spent years trying to stop feeling it.
Sunny sat still on the edge of Basil's bed, his legs pressed close together as if he was in guard. Basil walked a little closer until their knees brushed up against each others. "Is this... okay with you?" Basil asked, still terrified out of his mind that Sunny would suddenly have second thoughts about being close to Basil. That Sunny might open his eyes and see what a clingy friend he had. Sunny always wanted to keep his distance from other people, Basil didn't want to delude himself into thinking he was some kind of exception. Yet here he was standing in front of Sunny asking for permission to just indulge in the other.
Sunny stared up at him with wide, dark eyes that hinted at a deeper desire than Basil would've ever expected to see on his face. Sunny nodded and pulled Basil's hands closer to himself. Luring the other to close the gap between them. Basil wanted to, though he still wasn't that confident. His shyness overtaking him even as he was acting so bold. Instead Basil lifted up a knee and placed it besides Sunny's thigh. Basil climbed onto the bed with their hands still interlocked, their eyes still not leaving the others. They both could hardly breathe under all the tension that was in the room, and yet they still wanted more. Selfishly wanted more.
Basil put his other knee beside Sunny, also stranding the other with how close they were. Sunny had to look up at Basil who was sitting right above him. He could feel Basil's body heat that was only an inch or two away from resting on his lap. He wanted to pull Basil down, but his hands were frozen against Basil's. Slowly Basil lowered himself to sit on Sunny. If Basil were braver, he might've put his forehead against Sunny's. If this were a dream Basil would've leaned in and stolen a kiss. But he could feel just how real this was. He could feel the way Sunny tensed beneath his thighs. He could also feel how Sunny also immediately relaxed once he felt the entirety of Basil's weight on top of him.
Sunny slowly let go of one of Basil's hands to place it right above the crook of Basil's thin waist. Wanting to feel the other in his hold, and wanting to stop Basil from getting nervous and pulling away from him. Basil leaned into the touch and he could feel his blush radiating off of himself. Basil whined softly, his embarrassment catching up to him.
“Sunny… isn’t this being too close?” Basil said. His voice was raised to a higher pitch and his eyes were strained with worry. He wasn't sure what Sunny's reaction would be, but he couldn't get off his mind what he wanted it to be.
“I don’t care. I still like it. Don’t you?” Sunny said. His hand rubbed into Basil's hip softly. Basil shifted a little closer, following Sunny's guidance. “Y-Yeah, I l-like it... a l-l-lot," Basil whined. He wanted to know if Sunny liked it as much as he did. And to his surprise, Sunny smiled up at him and placed his forehead against Basil's shoulder. Pressing closely into the crook of his head. His light breath tickling Basil along his exposed collarbone. The sensation quickly sent shivers down Basil's spine. Making him unintentionally squeeze his thighs tighter against Sunny's legs that were underneath him. It caused Sunny to giggle gently against Basil's neck. Basil turned his neck away slightly wondering if Sunny enjoyed seeing Basil as this needy. Wondering if Sunny wanted more too.
Basil breathed in deeply to calm himself down as his heart was threatening to leap out. As he did so, it invited Sunny's gentle smell to tease Basil's already overstimulated self. Making him want to press himself even closer to Sunny until they both would stop breathing. It was intoxicating, and yet, so grounding all at once. it calmed Basil's nerves and set his heart aflame simultaneously. Basil put his chin against Sunny's shoulder and inhaled deeply into Sunny's shirt. It was beautiful and it made Basil's knees grow weak from where they were already pressed and flushed against Sunny's partially exposed legs.
Basil took it all in. Sunny smelled like clean laundry flowing in the summer's breeze to air out. He smelled like a new book being opened to the first page with that fresh woody smell surrounding you. Sunny smell of earl grey tea brewed in porcelain cups on a chilly afternoon. He smelled like his childhood, his whole life. Basil smiled to himself as the smell distantly reminded him of one time they were having a picnic together and Basil was sharing facts about flowers, and Sunny interrupting his thought by mentioning that Basil smelled just like blooming chamomile. It made him blush then, and it still did to this day. He loved how they complimented each other so well.
"Sunny, I'm so, so, so sorry for snapping at you earlier. It wasn't fair of me. especially when you're always being so kind and patient with me. I shouldn't have gotten upset. You didn't deserve that. And... I want to be someone you’d like. I really, really want to be someone you deserve. But I keep messing up. Over and over again. I'm dumb and overly sensitive. I took it too personally, and I know that I’m so selfish. I hate it! I hate it so much! I’m a terrible friend! I should be happy for you. I really want to be… I just... it just hurts. Seeing you with Aubrey hurts. It shouldn't, and it still does. Am... Am I still your best friend?" Basil asked, with gentle tears cascading down his face. Droplets falling onto Sunny's shirt. He could feel Sunny's hum against his throat and chest and well... entire body. Feeling Sunny's care and attention course all through his body.
"Basil, you'll always be my best friend. No one else gets me like you do. And I like to think that I know you better than anyone else too," Sunny said softly. His voice sent chills throughout Basil, warming him up and cooling him down all at once. "Really?" Basil said lifting his head and turning his face to press his nose into Sunny's soft black hair. It felt softer than usual, and when Basil sniffed it he smelled something he'd never smelled on Sunny before. He smelled like strawberries.
It was so odd, but the smell was only coming from his hair. "Of course, Basil I-" Before Sunny could finish his sentence basil lifted a hand and pulled Sunny's head towards him even more. Burying his face into Sunny's hair and the sweet smell that found its way there. "Mmm, why do you smell like strawberries?" Basil spoke against Sunny. He could feel the way the other warmed up with embarrassment. "Oh... um, well, last week Aubrey spent the night at my apartment. And I ran out of conditioner, so she just gave me hers to keep," Sunny mumbled lifting his head up slightly to talk into Basil's jaw line. "W-what?" Basil felt shocked and he suddenly wanted to push Sunny away. He felt... betrayed. "H-How come I didn't k-know about this? S-She's been to your apartment?" Basil tried not to let his devastation show but his voice was cracking.
Sunny sat still and started to rub circled into Basil's back, "Yeah, I guess I forgot. I thought it wasn't a big deal she just slept on my couch for the night and left in the morning. Said she had a fight with her mom and needed to calm down." Basil sat there completely still in silence, processing whether or not he should be mad. "Your place is a long way from Far away. Why didn't she just stay over at Kel's or one of her other friends houses? Why did it have to be y-yours?" Basil pulled away from Sunny feeling sick to his stomach. Sunny looked up into his eyes again, "Hey... Basil, it's not like that. Please, she said she needed to get out of Faraway for a day. That was all."
Basil looked away. His face starting to burn red. Whether it was from anger, embarrassment, or jealousy. He wasn't sure, though he knew he probably didn't want to know the answer. "Okay..." Basil said, defeated. He couldn't stay angry at Sunny for long. "D-do you hang out with her often? S-She must really like you," Basil said sadly, still refusing to look into Sunny's eyes.
Sunny lifted his hand from Basil's back and took Basil's cheek between his fingers. Gently coaxing Basil to look at him, "No. I promise. We only call once in a while. Besides... I can tell that she's only doing it because she feels guilty. She tries to smile and laugh and act like nothing's wrong. But I can tell from the way her face falls whenever she thinks I'm not looking. It's almost like she's just trying to make up for all the lost time when she's spent avoiding us. It's almost like when she looks at me she sees herself. A hurt, pitiful thing that she needs to care for. Like I'm a stray to her. I don't really like it, but I know she's doing it from a good place. She doesn't get me, but I'm glad she's trying," Sunny said.
Basil only nodded sniffing away some tears, "Okay." He said again not sure how to respond to that. Sunny sighed, "Um... Aubrey invited me to the arcade near the mall tomorrow. She said it was just going to be the two of us..." Sunny looked away as he confessed this, his hand dropping from Basil's face. Basil caught it and held it close to his chest. If he wanted Sunny to feel his racing heart, that was beyond him.
"That's good though. I want to be a supportive friend. I really do. And if being with Aubrey makes you glad, then I definitely think you should go. Don't worry about anything else and enjoy your day together. Besides... just the two of you? It kind of sounds like a date," Basil said with a soft smile and a teasing voice. He watched as Sunny blushed lightly from the teasing, and it only just made his heart drop some more.
"Um, well, actually. I already said no... I actually was thinking about going with you, Basil," Sunny said with a red face. It was his turn to lower his gaze from Basil's. "W-what... Sunny, you can't just say stuff like that! I just said it sounded like a date," Basil protested his own face turning way warmer than it should be.
"So?" Sunny asked shrugging and looking up into Basil's blue eyes, "What if it was a date? Just for one day. You and me, dating for tomorrow and tomorrow only." Basil felt like he wasn't going to faint, all the blood rushing to his face. His thoughts were swimming. He couldn't believe this was actually happening. "S-s-s-s-sunny... are you sure?" Basil asked. Suddenly feeling even more embarrassed about sitting in Sunny's lap. Sunny nodded while staring intensely into Basil's eyes. Basil opened his mouth right about to reply.
"Basil!" came a voice from outside the door. Basil yelped and hopped off of Sunny's lap so quickly. He nearly fell over from pulling away from Sunny's grasp so harshly. "Basil? Sweetie? Are you in your room? I kind of need help with the cooking right now," Polly said.
Basil shakily walked over to his bedroom door, opening it with an even shakier hand. He knew his face was probably redder than a cherry. But he pretended like he didn't notice. "Okay. Polly, can Sunny stay over for dinner?" Basil said. Polly's voice came from the kitchen, "Of course! Good thing I'm making so much soup. Otherwise we wouldn't have enough." She sounded so cheery. Basil nodded even though she couldn't see him from where she was in the kitchen.
"Oh... s-s-sorry, I have to g-go," Basil said sheepishly. Sunny nodded and stood up, "Need help?" Basil nodded and together they walked down the hallway to the kitchen to prepare their food.
Basil was rosy the entire time. He couldn't stop thinking about Sunny staying over night and sleeping next to him on his comfy bed, even if only to make sure Basil didn't get any nightmares. The thought made him squeal inside with joy. There was no way Basil was going to survive tomorrow.
For just one day he would be Sunny's. He was going to make the absolute most out of this opportunity.