Archive of Our Own ^beta

It had been a few years since that fateful day. The day when everything about the tragedy was brought to light. It was hard to accept for the three friends, but, with time, they were able to find it in themselves to forgive and move on.

Kel was the first person to accept it. It was a mix of factors that lead him to accept Sunny and Basil. He had always been the forgiving sort, and he didn't want to see his childhood friends torn further than they already were. And as cynical as it may have sounded, he had simply never been as close to Mari as the rest, he already had Hero as his older sibling.

Aubrey had to look inside of herself and sort out her emotions. After four years of feeling abandoned by her friends and being confronted with said feelings across the course of three eventful days paired with the bombshell of Sunny's confession, it was easy to see that she had a lot to digest. She needed to be alone to figure out what she wanted to do. But, eventually, she decided that even if Sunny had hurt her it wasn't from a place of malice, and if he was willing to try and fix things, then she'd be there with him.

Hero... poor Hero. The realization that he had never missed any signs of Mari being suicidal because there weren't any should have comforted him, but it was quickly replaced by a myriad of other emotions. Foremost was rage and anger at Sunny and Basil, he couldn't easily pass what happened off as a mere accident. But, behind that was, once more, guilt. Guilt that he, perceptive, mature Hero, had missed the strain on Sunny and Mari's relationship brought on by the frequent practice sessions. How could he have missed such a thing? How could Mari have never seen signs of Sunny's growing dislike? If he had been more perceptive, taken more interest in their practice sessions, could he have prevented that tragedy?

...It took time, and help from his younger friends, but Hero eventually came to forgive the two boys as well.

With Sunny in the city they tried to keep in contact as best they could, but it wasn't as easy as they thought it would be. Kel and Aubrey had formed their own social groups in those four years, and Hero had friends his own age at college, Basil at the very least normally had time as his own social circle hadn't changed much.

And so, it was decided that at least once a year, they would all try to get together for one big event to have as a group.

This year they had decided on a camping trip.

" Alright, just remember to call us if there's any trouble. " Hero said as he watched Kel and Sunny get up from their seats around the fire pit.

They had found a simple clearing between the bushy trees and set up camp. The crickets chirped and clicked as the sun set over the horizon, casting the area in a purple-blue light as the stars began to twinkle above them. Just as they were getting comfortable on the chairs they had placed around their fire pit, they realized that they had forgotten to bring the food from Hero’s car.

"Pfffft... We're just heading to the car to get the marshmallows and hot dogs, Hero, no need to worry." Kel replied, rolling his eyes at his brother's overprotectiveness.

"You wouldn't have to go in the first place if you remembered the first time..." Aubrey said as she gave the burning bonfire a jab with a poker.

"Hey! I just... forgot about them is all..."

She gave him a flat stare. "...That's what I said, Kel."

"Aaaaagh!" He grabbed his head in frustration. "C'mon, Sunny!" Kel said, turning away and heading towards where Hero parked his car.

"We'll be back in a bit." Sunny said simply as he followed Kel.

Hero, Aubrey, and Basil gave them little waves as they headed off.

Hero turned back to address the remaining two friends around the fire. "So, Aubrey, how's the fire looking?"

Aubrey shrugged. "Should be good for the time being. Seems pretty strong so we shouldn't have to worry about it going out. I'd say something about fire safety but I'm pretty sure you two are already up to snuff on that end."

Hero and Basil chuckled at that. It was true that between Basil's interest in nature and Hero's natural inclination towards safety that they'd both know the basics of fire safety while camping.

As Aubrey said, the fire was going strong. The split logs crackled and popped as the fire slowly ate them away. Even though the sky had already begun to darken they could barely feel the chill of the night air.

Basil sipped his thermos of tea as he watched an orange ember flit and twirl into the air before going out just as quickly. "...Mmm, I was a little skeptical at first, but I think camping really was a good choice for this year's gathering."

When Aubrey had initially suggested the idea, Basil wasn't sold on it. It would require both driving out a ways away from Faraway, as well as a fair amount of prep. Plus, there was plenty that could go wrong like poor weather or unusually high amounts of mosquitoes. He also worried that it may have been more physically intensive than what Sunny was used to. However, his fears were assuaged as his friends discussed the idea further. To his surprise, Sunny seemed the most interested in it.

Aubrey grinned at Basil, giving the fire a few more prods. "See? I told you it would be fine. You should come with me and the scooter gang some time, we do trips like these every so often."

Basil averted his gaze from the pink-haired girl. "A-Ah, I'm not sure if that'd be..."

She scoffed. "If you're worried about them bothering you, they won't. Don't tell Kim I said this, but they all feel kind of bad for how they treated you back then."

"...I'll think about it." Basil said noncommittally, looking down into his drink.

"It's always good to keep an open mind about these things." Hero said. "You've always enjoyed nature, Basil, so I was surprised to hear you had never gone camping before."

The blonde boy shrugged. "It's not really something that ever came up. Plus..." He looked down at his sandals. "...It's not really something I'd be interested in doing if I wasn't with you guys."

"Geeze, and you're the one who used to call Sunny the baby of the group." Aubrey said humorously as she finally put the poker aside.

"Hey!" Basil blushed at the implication. "S-Sunny probably wouldn't have either..." He grumbled.

"Hmm... I'm not so sure." Hero said, stroking his chin in thought as he looked up at the night sky. "Sunny's become a lot more independent than when he was a kid. I was worried initially, but he seems to be doing fine in the city. He also seemed pretty interested in trying out camping for this year."

"See? Looks like you're the new baby of the group, Basil." Aubrey said with a snicker. Ignoring the more navel-gazing aspects of Hero's interjection.

Basil's blush just increased. "Hey! I-I'm not! I-I take care of plants on my own and-" He stammered out before Aubrey interrupted him.

"Basil, Basil, I'm just messing with you." She said with a small grin.

"...Oh."

Hero nodded. "And there's nothing wrong with being the baby of the group, Basil, we all grow at our own pace." He said nonchalantly.

In response, Aubrey broke out laughing and Basil glared at him with a fierce blush on his face. " Hero! "

"...Was it something I said?"

After that, they fell back into a period of small talk. They spoke of school, family, recent events and whatnot. All the while the stars shone brightly in the purple sky above. Though eventually, the topic shifted into talk of an upcoming date.

"So, Valentine's day is coming up soon." Hero said, taking his turn at poking the fire. "I wasn't sure if we wanted to set up another gathering around that time. I know that I should be clear but I wasn't sure if you two or Kel and Sunny had anything planned."

Basil and Aubrey exchanged a brief glance before shrugging.

"I don't have anything planned." Basil said.

"Me neither." Aubrey replied similarly.

Basil glanced at the pink-haired girl again. Even though it had been a few years since they had all come together again, Sunny had not at all made his feelings for Aubrey known. He wasn't sure if it was his place to do anything, but he felt that if Sunny didn't do anything then he could very well miss his chance if Aubrey reciprocated at all.

"...Actually, I think I heard that Sunny was planning something." Basil said, avoiding eye contact as best he could. He just had to pretend like he was playing cards.

"...Yeah?" Aubrey said, cocking her head as she turned towards Basil from across the fire pit.

"Y-Yeah! I think he said he wanted to ask you about something."

Aubrey blinked. "Really? Are you sure you didn't mishear him?"

"I-I'm pretty sure. I-I mean I didn't get a good listen as to what he was saying but I'm pretty sure-" Basil internally cursed as he tried to add on another layer to his lie.

"Maybe he said he wanted to talk to you ." Aubrey said.

That... threw Basil for a loop. "Eh, uh, why do you think so?"

She shrugged, staring into the crackling fire pit. "Just a feeling."

He had to double down. "W-Well, just a feeling is still just a feeling!" He coughed, surprised at his sudden raise in voice. "I-I'm pretty sure- I'm certain that he wanted to talk to you about doing something on Valentines day." Basil winced as he realized he was now making Sunny commit to this plan without his knowledge.

" Ugh! " Aubrey glared at him and stood up. "And I'm telling you that he probably was talking about you and not me!"

"Y-Yeah?" Basil wanted to shy away from the glare, but he stood his ground and stood up to meet her gaze from across the fire. For Sunny, and Aubrey. "What makes you so sure? You weren't there! A-And I know Sunny..." He bites his tongue, almost saying 'Better' but he wasn't sure if that was the case anymore.

Hero, for his part, simply sat awkwardly on his chair. His eyes flitted between the two as he wondered just how him asking about future plans had turned into an argument. "N-Now let's just settle down-"

"Oh my god..." Aubrey sighed out. "Do you want me to just say it, Basil?" She said, crossing her arms and locking her gaze with Basil. "I was keeping quiet but it seems like you can't take a hint."

Basil blinked in minor surprise, unsure what she meant. But her words did resonate with him... If Aubrey wasn't taking this hint, then he might just have to tell her directly. 

"I have something to say, too, then, Aubrey." Basil said with a surprising amount of conviction in his voice.

Aubrey raised a brow as the firelight flickered across her pink locks. "Yeah? Let's say it at the same time then."

Basil nodded silently. Sorry Sunny...

"One..." Aubrey started, idly twirling a strand of hair with her finger.

"Two..." Basil continued, nervously rubbing his palms together as they began to sweat.

Hero thought this probably wasn't the best way to talk if they did it at the same time, but he felt like this was probably one of those 'let it happen' situations.

"THREE!" They both finished.

""SUNNY HAS A CRUSH ON YOU!""

...There was a pause as both parties registered what the other had said.

"Wait, what?" Aubrey said, her eyes widening in surprise. "I- Nonono, Sunny has a crush on you !" She said, pointing at the blonde-haired boy.

Basil blinked in surprise, thoroughly perplexed by what Aubrey had just said. Sunny having a crush on him? What? "H-Huh? But he has a crush on you! " Likewise, he pointed at Aubrey as he said this.

Aubrey rapidly shook her head, her long hair hitting her in the face with each quick stroke as a small blush came onto her face. "No way! It's you that he likes, Basil. Why do you think he spent so much time with you?"

"Because we're friends!" Basil felt a blush come onto his face as well, but he had to persevere! If Aubrey thought Sunny liked him then Sunny wouldn't have a chance with her! "A-And Sunny likes you! I'm sure of it! Every time I took a photo that had you in it he'd ask me if he could take a look at it."

"R-Really? That's- No!" Aubrey clapped her hands on her cheeks to try and calm down the worsening blush. "No, look, Basil, you're the one Sunny has a crush on! Obviously, he did that because you never took photos of yourself! And of course he has a crush on you, he'd always press any flower clippings you gave him!"

"E-Eh?" The blush increased. "Th-That's- No! He has a crush on you! " Time to pull out the big guns. "You remember those bunny chocolates you got from a Secret Admirer a few years ago? Those were from Sunny!"

"W-Wait those were from Sunny!? " That took her by surprise. It would be hard for her to forget the chocolates she was anonymously given so many years ago, they were an assortment of flavored chocolates delicately crafted into the shapes of little bunnies. It was obvious whoever made them for her had put in a lot of effort, but they never came forward. That they were from Sunny...

Basil nodded, satisfied that he had made his point. "You see? It's obvious that Sunny has a crush on you-"

"Wait!" Aubrey wasn't satisfied yet. "The-The Sunflower chocolates! Sunny made those for you!"

A set of detailed and well-crafted chocolates made to look like sunflowers, one of Basil’s favorite flowers. They even had peanut butter in the middle, his favorite. He almost felt bad for eating them. Like with Aubrey’s bunny chocolates, they were also penned as being from a Secret Admirer.

“W-W-Wait! What?” Despite his trying to stay resolute, Basil’s blush now completely covered his face. “I-Bu-But he has a crush on you!” Basil was thoroughly confused at this development.

Aubrey sighed in annoyance as she shook her head. “And I’m telling you that he has a crush on you!”

Basil made… he wouldn’t call it a growl but it was very much an annoyed sound in his throat. Surely there was some way to get an answer…

He turned on his heel suddenly to face Hero, who had been quiet so far. “Hero! Who did Sunny have a crush on?”

Aubrey does the same. “Yeah! Who did he have a crush on?”

The logic was simple. Perceptive, mature, problem-solver Hero who was also close to Sunny’s older sister should easily know just who Sunny had his affections set on. An elegant, simple solution for the current problem.

“...I have to say, I’m just as confused as you are.” Hero chuckled and nervously scratched the back of his neck. “Because, well, I was under the assumption Sunny had a crush on Kel.”

…

“WHAT!?” Aubrey’s more explosive exclamation drowned out Basil’s quieter ‘Huh!?’.

“KEL!?” Aubrey continued. “I-That-How!?” She was clearly flabbergasted by the very idea that Sunny had a crush on Kel, and that Hero held that idea. “You-You’re joking, right?”

Hero shakes his head. “Nope, I was, uh, pretty certain of it, actually.”

Aubrey grabbed her forehead with both hands as if she was experiencing a headache. “Why! Why would you think he had a crush on Kel?”

“Well...” Hero shifted his legs idly in his seat, the only one still seated as of right now. “Do you guys remember that time Kel got a big heart chocolate for valentines? The one that was infused with Orange Joe to the point our parents divided it into smaller pieces Kel could only have once per day?”

“And then Kel broke into where they kept them and couldn’t sleep for three days?” Basil finished. It was a very… eventful Valentines week, to say the least.

“...Wait.” Aubrey paused, looking at Hero as her eyes widened in shock. “You’re telling me- No.”

“Yeah.” Hero nodded his head steadily.

“Sunny?” Aubrey hissed out in sheer disbelief.

“Yep, who do you think helped him make it?” He pointed a finger to himself as he gave a small chuckle. “Not my finest moment, but Sunny seemed so earnest I found it hard to resist.”

To say Basil was confused at this point would be an understatement. He was so sure that Sunny had a crush on Aubrey but… could he have been wrong? Was it possible Sunny had a crush on Kel or…

Or even Basil himself?

He felt his face heat up even further at the thought of it.

Aubrey simply growled in annoyance as Hero proved to only increase the uncertainty. She had thought that she was going to help push Sunny and Basil towards each other, but now the whole issue was mired in confusion.

However, right at that moment…

“We’re back with hot dogs and- you guys alright?” Kel said as he bounded into the campsite with Sunny in tow. He was pretty confused to see the state everyone (well, mostly Aubrey and Basil) was in.

“SUNNY!” Aubrey rushed up to the black-haired boy immediately and grabbed him by his black sweater vest.

“Uh-” Sunny was pretty surprised and mildly afraid by the unprompted reaction.

“Huh!? Aubrey what’s the big idea-” Kel attempted to interject.

“SUNNY! Who do you have a crush on!?” Aubrey decided that the only way to move forward was to get an answer from the boy himself.

“...Huh?” Sunny just looked at her as if she had a second head.

Obviously, this would need some explaining.

By the end of it, they were all sitting down in a half-circle with Sunny at the opposite end of the fire pit. Sunny was gradually roasting a hot dog over the fire as they explained the current “predicament”.

“Mhmm… I see.” Sunny nodded his head as they finished their explanation. He brought the roasted hot dog to his face and blew on it a few times before taking a tentative bite. “Sho-” He gulped his bite down. “So, what you’re telling me is…”

He pointed to Basil. “You think I have a crush on Aubrey.”

Then to Aubrey. “You think I have a crush on Basil.”

Finally, to Hero. “And you think I have on Kel.”

“And you wanna know who is correct, right?” He says as he waves his skewer around like a teacher’s pointer.

Basil, Aubrey, and, after a second, Hero, all nod in confirmation. Kel, meanwhile, enjoys a smore as he looks on.

“Yeah, Sunny, tell em’! You having a crush on me- pfffft.” Kel said before taking another bite of the marshmallow and chocolate confection.

“Well, first off-” Sunny stretches his arms wide. “-You’re all right.”

“...Huh?” Basil cocked his head in confusion.

“Whaddya mean?” Aubrey crossed her arms in confusion. “How can we all be right?”

“It’s simple.” Sunny replies. “I have a crush on Basil, Aubrey, and Kel.”

…

“WHAT!?” Aubrey exclaims.

“H-HUH?!” Basil says, his face going right back to completely red.

Kel beats his chest as a piece of smore goes down his throat the wrong way.

“Ah- Huh?” While the most understated of them, Hero has his own share of confused surprise.

Sunny seemed nonplussed by their reactions and continued eating his hotdog. “I don’t see where the confusion is. It’s quite a simple concept.”

“I- What’s simple about it!” Aubrey says, trying to keep her emotions under control. “You can’t just- just drop that on us!”

Basil rapidly nodded his head in agreement, not trusting himself to speak while Kel attempted to nod as he still beat his chest.

Sunny just raised a brow. “You were the ones that were interested in knowing who I had a crush on.”

“P-hah!” Kel finally managed to deal with the smore problem. “H-hold on, Sunny, you have a crush on me?”

Sunny nods. “That seems to be the case. Sorry about the whole three days no sleep thing.”

Kel laughed. “Hah! Nah, that’s fine, it’s a small price to pay for Orange Joe.” He pauses. “...Still, a crush, huh?” He rubs the back of his neck. “I guess I’m flattered.”

“Sunny, I gotta ask…” It was Hero’s turn to speak up. “Now that this is all… well, out there…” He winces a little at the part he played, hoping Sunny was fine with it. “What do you want to do next.”

Sunny pauses. “...Well, ideally, marriage.”

That snapped Aubrey and Basil right back to attention.

“Marriage, huh? Well, who’re you aiming for?” Kel said, resuming eating his smore as if nothing had happened.

“W-Wait, let’s not pressure Sunny…” Basil attempted to steer the conversation to more… saner waters.

Sunny, however, was not willing to play ball. “Ideally? I’d like to marry all three of you.”

Basil, Aubrey, and Kel started making choking noises after he said that.

“A-All three?” Hero said with clear shock on his face. “That’s… Sunny, you do realize how that sounds.”

Sunny nods. “I do, but it has been a childhood dream of mine for a long time now.” He shrugs, acting as nonchalant as ever. “I might as well continue forward with it and aim high.”

“I- What!” Aubrey rubbed her temples in annoyance at Sunny’s actions. “You can’t just- Basil, you tell him!”

She turned to look at her blonde-haired friend, only to see him blushing completely red, twiddling his fingers and mumbling to himself, completely disconnected from the world as the thought of marrying Sunny crossed through his head.

“Okay, uh- Kel!” She said, turning to her brown-haired friend.

Kel looked uncharacteristically pensive, his eyes closed in thought. “Hmm… I gotta say, Sunny, that does sound pretty crazy…” His eyes snapped open. “...But! I like your conviction! Who says you can’t marry three people!” He smiled and gave a thumbs up. “As long as there’s love, it should all work out!”

Aubrey desperately wanted to hit something. How did their camping trip end up like this?

Sunny nodded and gave one of his usual half-smiles. “Exactly. It’s just like making chocolates, what matters is the effort put in.”

“...I think it’s a little more complicated than that.” Hero decided to add.

Sunny closed his eyes. “...Hm. Maybe. But, that’s no reason to give up on my dream of having two husbands and one wife.”

“It sure sounds like one…” Aubrey growled out as she put her head in her hands.

“...Anyways, could someone pass me the marshmallows?” Sunny said suddenly.

“Huh?” Aubrey snapped her head up at that.

“Ah? Oh, sure.” Kel tossed him the bag of sugary, fluffy goodness.

“Thanks.” Sunny replied as he began skewering one of the white puffs on his skewer.

“W-Wait, what’re you doing?” Aubrey asked.

“I’m… roasting marshmallows?” Sunny replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, which, technically, it was.

“You can’t just- we have to resolve this!” Aubrey pressed.

Sunny shrugged. “I’m content to move forward with my dream, we don’t have to take things immediately.”

“You- I-” Aubrey looked to her friends for advice. Basil was still blushing and mumbling up a storm, no help there. Kel was… being Kel about it. And Hero…

Hero just looked at her and sighed, shaking his head. “Yeah, let’s just continue roasting those marshmallows.”

“Here here!” Kel affirmed as he started on another smore.

“We- We can’t just-” Aubrey pulled at her pink locks in frustration. “ARGH!”

“...Aubrey, do you want a marshmallow?” Sunny held out a hand with said fluffy white object in his palm.

“...” Aubrey silently stared at the offered sugary treat. She looked at Sunny, then Kel, then Hero, then Basil, and then back to Sunny.

“...Yeah, alright.” She said, letting out a sigh as she grabbed the marshmallow and starting roasting it along with Sunny.

It’s just like he said, they didn’t have to resolve things immediately. Even if it was a little frustrating. Though, maybe it was for the best that this happened so that her finding out Sunny had a crush on her could take the back seat for right now. She’d have more time to digest it when she got home.

Right now, they were just friends roasting marshmallows by the fire pit.