Chapter Text
8:33 AM
“Rise and shine, sleepyhead!” Aubrey commanded, with a slight pout and a hint of playful annoyance in her tone.
“...Wuh…?” Basil awoke, slowly coming to his senses bit-by-bit. He was confused, mainly by the angel in front of him- Oh, nevermind… That’s just Aubrey. As the grogginess clouding his eyes sharpened and cleared his vision, he recognised an expression from Aubrey, an expression that spelt “Irritated, but not mad at you”.
“Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for you to wake up!?” She complained, wearing the same face as before, clutching Bun-Bun to her stomach.
“Good… Good morning… Aubs…” He responded lazily through half-lidded eyes, clearly fighting a yawn while speaking.
“That’s seriously all you have to say for yourself!? Well GOOD! MORNING! ” She scolded, giving Basil a determined smile with a sparkly-eyed stare. She was clearly having fun joking around about reprimanding him.
“So… How long were you waiting?” Basil asked with his eyebrows creased ever-so-slightly downwards and a shrinked mouth, feeling genuinely guilty about leaving her hanging the way he did.
Aubrey looked upward to the headboard of the bed with her eyes, slightly shifting the tilt of her head as she began to think. “ I dunnoooo… Maybe five minutes?” She estimated in response, returning her eyes to Basil.
“ Oh … S-Sorry about that… That must’ve felt really boring to just lay there and do nothing… Sorry… ” He apologised repeatedly, His pretty, golden brows creasing further and further in his guilt.
Aubrey was shocked at his sincerity. She didn’t actually want him to feel like he did something wrong, she just wanted an excuse to be playful and mischievous. She honestly didn’t mind waiting for him to wake up, it allowed her to look at him up close and rake in the details of his beautiful face. She thought about how adorable he looked while sleeping, eyes shut gently, decorated with the prettiest butterfly lashes, mouth slightly ajar as he maintained a slow and bouncy respiratory movement that relaxed her to her core… Just like Bun-Bun. There were so many times and all opportunities where Aubrey wanted to just reach out, and- and- AND--
“Aubrey…?” Basil called out, concerned at her lack of response, but mostly at the gaze he got from her. It made him feel so… Bashful. The way she was just… Staring .
Aubrey delicately gasped as she was broken out of her trance, and felt a burn on her cheeks as she came to her senses. Her eyes slowly widened as she realised that she was caught daydreaming about Basil… By Basil . She felt so foolish, and mostly embarrassed at the realisation that she was involuntarily giving him a loving, swoonful stare as she thought of-
“ Oh! Err- sorry, Basil! I was just… Thinking about something.” Aubrey responded, weakly and vaguely explaining herself. Though, for Basil, that was almost always good enough anyway.
“Oh, what about?” He inquired, curious about what- or who it was that got Aubrey looking so… God, he wishes it was him. It probably wasn’t, though…
“Something stupid…” She elaborated, leaving more questions than answers, and that same look in her eyes.
“Anyway, don’t feel bad about leaving me hanging like that, I didn’t mind! I had Bun-Bun, after all!” Aubrey reassured, hoping to quell some of his guilt.
“ Still… It was mean, so… Sorry.” He apologised again.
“Basil, I wasn’t being serious y’know… I was just messing around… Really.” She explained, mirroring Basil’s own guilty expression now.
“Whatever, are we gonna stay in bed all day or are we gonna do something!?” She rhetorically exclaimed, hoping to lighten the mood and get Basil up and about.
“W-Well, I-I guess we can check my plants…” He offered, unconvinced and skeptical about his own idea for some reason, despite Aubrey’s innumerous declarations of how much she loves spending time gardening with him.
“Yippee- Yippee- Yippee- let’s go let’s go let’s go!” She cheered with unmatched enthusiasm, taking Basil’s hand and causing the bed to bounce from her excitement. She practically pulled the poor boy out of the bed and led him out of the house, hands locked together.
This was a recurring usual reaction for Aubrey whenever she got to spend time with Basil, so why now does it feel…? Basil looked at their intertwined hands, then shifted his gaze to the side of Aubrey’s head that he could see from his position. His eyes were full of wonder and amazement, he’s always felt this way, hasn’t he? Not since the photos, but since the start… Nothing’s changed between them, but everything feels so different… Feels so… Lovely. As he took in the details of her side profile and saw her genuine smile, the smile that displays her excitement and enthusiasm to spending time with him, a creeping feeling scorched his face, as if a red-hot rod of iron was resting on his cheeks. He took his free hand, and with it, clutched his chest. He could feel his heart drumming and beating against his palm, and thought to himself: “My hand… This must be what that photograph of Aubrey felt that night…”
There was a thick ball of air stuck in his throat, one he couldn’t swallow, and one he absolutely couldn’t afford to let out under any circumstance. It was causing him so much pain in so many parts of his body, his heart, his head, his eyes. It was causing him so much pain that he began to sweat. It was causing him so much pain that he began to tear up. It was the same exact pain, this thick ball of air that he had stuck in his throat that night with Aubrey’s photographs.
The pain of not being able to call out and say: “I love you.”
No matter how badly he wanted to, no matter how hard it was not to, he just couldn’t do it, and it killed him inside. His mind was so occupied with this pain that he didn’t realise just how rough his grip on Aubrey’s hand was becoming, almost like she would float away and disappear forever if he were ever to let go.
Damn it, Basil.
You are so hopeless.