Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kel knocked on the door. The smell of fresh flowers and soil filled his nose as he awaited an answer. He held a small potted succulent in one hand, and a “get well soon” balloon in the other.

It had been a couple days since he and Basil last saw each other at that day in the hospital. He had wanted to give both Basil and Sunny some time to recover, and the others needed some time to process what they had been told. He remembered it so clearly. How Sunny had collapsed in on himself, barely able to choke the words out.

“I killed Mari.”

There had been a few moments of silence, filled only by the steady beeps of the hospital’s machinery, as everyone tried to comprehend the words that had just left Sunny’s mouth. Kel couldn’t see the others’ expressions, his gaze glued to his friend and his mouth open in shock. After a few seconds that seemed to last an eternity, he was the one to break the silence. “You.... what?” His voice lifted, unable to believe what his friend just said.

“I killed her!!” Sunny shouted, followed by choking sobs as he collapsed in on himself. Kel could hear Basil start to sob from the hospital bed too.

“It’s true,” Basil managed, his voice shaky and frail. “I was there,” he wept.

“You think this is some kind of FUCKING JOKE?” Aubrey screamed, staring daggers at Sunny’s hunched form.

“Aubrey,” Sunny said, “I wouldn’t joke about this.”

“But,” Kel began, then hesitated. “Didn’t she... hang herself?”

Basil let out another sob.

“You guys better start fucking explaining yourselves!” Aubrey cried. She whipped her head around to glare at Basil as she spoke.

“I was just trying to protect him...” Basil whimpered, “I didn’t think—“ another sob, “I didn’t think anyone would believe it was an accident...”

Kel’s heart dropped. A look of horror crossed his face. “Did you guys hang her??” he asked in disbelief.

Hero bolted out the door without a word.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU??” Aubrey screamed, snapping her head back to look at Sunny in disgust. “You guys are FUCKING SICK,” she spat.

“I’m so sorry,” Sunny sobbed, clutching his chest as he crouched on the ground.

“You’re a monster,” Aubrey growled. She strode towards the door, shoving Sunny to the ground as she moved past him. “Both of you are!”

She slammed the door open. It banged loudly against the wall as she left, then slowly fell closed.

Then it was just Kel and the two other boys. Sunny laid sobbing on his side on the floor, and Basil covered his face on the bed, weeping. Kel wasn’t sure what to do, how to process this. He leaned down and squeezed Sunny’s shoulder, sighing. Sunny caught his eye as he did it. His eyes conveyed a small amount of gratitude and relief from the small gesture.

Kel stood back to his feet. He glanced at Basil on the hospital bed who caught his gaze as well. Kel held the eye contact for a moment, hoping to provide just a little bit of relief to him, assure him that he didn’t blame him, before turning towards the door. He left the room, on the way to find his brother.

That had been the last time he’d seen Basil before today. Kel hadn’t been sure what to think in the moment, but after taking some time to think about it, he decided to forgive them. He knew they didn’t mean to cause the pain they did, and he could only imagine the guilt they must be feeling. He knew Hero and Aubrey would need some more time to accept the truth, but Kel had faith that they would come to forgive them eventually, in their own time. But until then, he knew Sunny and Basil needed support, and he had come to provide exactly that.

The door opened to reveal a young woman with her brown hair loosely pulled back in a ponytail. “Oh, hello Kel,” Polly greeted, “you must be here to see Basil.”

“Yes ma’am!” replied Kel cheerfully, then his face softened. “I hope he’s doing okay.”

Polly opened the door wider and gestured for Kel to come in. She spoke as he did, “He’s recovering from a broken rib... Thankfully there wasn’t any damage too serious other than that, but still, he’s in a lot of pain.”

“Aw man....” Kel sighed, “poor Basil...”

“He should be in his room if you want to see him.”

“Thank you,” Kel said, giving her a small, sad smile as he walked away from her. He approached the door to Basil’s bedroom and gave the door a gentle knock. “Basil? It’s Kel.”

“Kel?” said a surprised, weak voice. “C-come in.”

Kel turned the handle and opened the door, greeting his friend with a smile. “Hey, buddy! How are you holding up?”

Basil was lying in his bed. His face was a little worse for wear, but his bruises were less dark than the last time Kel had seen him. Basil glanced between Kel’s face and the items he was holding. His expression was... hard to read. “I’m... okay...” he started, “are.... did you— uh...”

Kel looked up at the balloon he was holding. “Oh, these?” He smiled cheerfully at Basil, approaching his bed. “These are for you!”

He sat on the side of the bed and set the potted succulent in Basil’s hands. Basil stared at the small plant, eyebrows furrowed. “Kel...”

“I know you already have a million plants, and I’m not really sure if I picked the best one, but I wanted to get you a little something because I know you’ve been through a lot lately. I’m not really sure what exactly happened that night, but obviously it must have been hard, and I just—“

Basil was weeping. He let out a small sob and clutched the plant in his hands tightly. “Huh? What’s wrong??” Kel asked, concerned.

“W-why are you being—“ he sniffled, “so n-nice to me?”

Kel was shocked by the question. “Wh-why wouldn’t I be?”

Basil sniffled again. “Why don’t you hate me?! After everything I did...” He let out another sob.

“Hey, hey it’s okay!” Kel put his hand on Basil’s shoulder. “I could never hate you!”

“Why not??” Basil finally looked up to meet his eyes.

Kel sighed. “I know you didn’t mean for things to turn out the way they did. I mean geez, you guys were just kids!” Kel rubbed the back of his neck. “I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been to hide that for as long as you did...”

Basil cast his gaze back down at the plant. Tears trickled down his chin and dripped into the soil. “I don’t deserve this...”

“You do,” Kel stated. “You deserve to be happy, Basil. Even if it might take some time to get there.” Kel put his other hand on top of Basil’s, which was still holding the potted plant. “I just want you to know that I forgive you. I know it will take Aubrey and Hero some time, but I’m confident they’ll come around at some point and forgive you too. All you wanted to do was protect Sunny, and I can’t blame you for that. I can’t even imagine being in that kind of situation. It must have been so hard to even think clearly under all that stress.”

Basil looked back up at Kel, his brows upturned and his eyes red from crying. “You... you really forgive me?”

“I do,” Kel stated sincerely. “I forgive you, Basil.”

Basil choked out yet another sob. “Thank you,” he managed, “thank you so much, Kel.”

Kel leaned forward to give his friend a hug, and Basil lifted his arms to return it. As Kel squeezed him, Basil winced sharply and jumped back.

“Shit!” cried Kel, remembering Basil’s injury. “Sorry, forgot about that.”

“It’s fine,” Basil said as he wiped the tears from his face.

“Geez, he really did a number on you, huh... Which rib did he break?”

Basil moved the plant on his lap onto the bedside table, then gently touched the area on the lower right side of his rib cage. “Here,” he said. “It could have been a lot worse... the doctors did a scan to make sure it didn’t puncture any organs.” He chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “I guess I got pretty lucky.”

“Wow...” Kel replied. There was a moment of silence as Kel considered his next question. “What... happened that night?”

Basil paused, his eyes growing distant as he recalled those memories. He took a breath. “I don’t... really know... it’s hard to piece it all together. To tell what was real and what was me just seeing nightmares...”

“Nightmares...?” Kel inquired.

“Sometimes, nightmares are easier to accept than the truth.” Basil stared off into the distance, like he was looking at something that wasn’t really there. “Sometimes it’s easier to blame nightmares for the horrors of real life.” He looked back down at his hands, whatever trance he was in broken. “But I know now that sometimes you just have to face the truth.”

Kel’s brow was furrowed. He was a bit unnerved by Basil’s strange demeanor, and his words weren’t making sense. “Basil...?”

“There was... something behind him... I thought that was what did it.” That far-off look in Basil’s eye had returned. “It couldn’t have been him, right? It just couldn’t. There was something... and I had to save him from it... I had to save him and I—“ he covered his mouth, tears welling up in his eyes again. “God, I can’t believe I took his fucking eye!”

“Hey, shhhh, it’s okay,” Kel said as Basil began to sob. He scooted next to Basil so he could wrap his arm around him. He rubbed his hand on his back, and Basil sobbed as he buried his face into his chest. Basil clutched Kel’s shirt as he cried into it, shuddering. Kel continued muttering comforting words, moving his hand in little circles on his friend’s back.

The two stayed like this for a moment, as Basil released the pain he had been burying so deeply inside himself. Eventually Basil’s sobs softened into whimpers, then after a while those whimpers became steady, shallow breaths. Basil pressed his face deeper into Kel’s chest. He had been alone for so long, and was nice to feel the touch of another person. Kel didn’t mind. He would stay like that for as long as Basil needed him.

A few more moments of silence passed. The hand that had been clutching Kel’s shirt released, wiping away the tears from Basil’s face instead. Finally, Basil pulled his face away from Kel. There was a wet spot on his shirt, but Kel paid no mind to it. “Thanks Kel, I...” Basil sighed, “I really needed that.”

“Of course,” Kel replied in a soft, gentle tone.

Basil let out a small cough, then winced and put his hands on his right side. “Are you okay?” Kel asked, his brow furrowed.

“Yeah,” Basil replied, “it’s just my rib. I should probably do my breathing exercise.”

Kel raised his eyebrows, curious. “What do you have to do for that?”

“I have to sit up straight, put my hands on my rib, take a deep breath, then hold it for ten seconds.”

Kel scooted down the bed so Basil had room to properly adjust himself. He kicked the blanket off of his feet and swung his legs around so he was sitting on the side of the bed next to Kel. “Maybe I can count with you!” Kel suggested.

Basil laughed awkwardly. “Heh, yeah, I guess.”

Basil straightened his back and pressed his hand into his side, right where his injury was. “Okay,” he breathed, releasing the air from his lungs. He closed his eyes and slowly inhaled, cautious not to go too quickly and cause too much pain. It hurt, but not very much.

Kel waited patiently, listening intently for the moment his friend started holding his breath. Once he reached it, he began slowly counting backwards from ten. “Ten, nine, eight, seven,” his tone was gentle and patient. He studied the injuries on Basil’s face as he counted. He noticed the bruises running down his arms. “Six, five, four,” He wanted to know what exactly had happened, but it seemed Basil wasn’t quite ready to talk about it yet. That was okay. He would be able to come to it in time. “Three, two,” It was hard to imagine Sunny hurting him, and Basil hurting him back. What happened? “One.”

Gently, Basil released his breath. He coughed a little bit, and it sounded like he needed to. The noise was raspy and wet. Basil removed his hands from his side, moving them to cover his gentle cough. He cleared his throat before speaking. “My doctor says I have to do that five times a day, so my lungs don’t get infected.”

“How long does it take to heal?”

“About six weeks,” replied Basil. He grabbed a bottle of pain medicine from his bedside table. “Hmm, I can’t remember what time it was last time I took a dose of this.” He looked over at Kel. “Would you mind asking Polly for me please? She reminded me to take them earlier today.”

Kel sprang to his feet. “Sure! No problem.” He walked to Basil’s bedroom door and opened it. “I’ll be right back.”

Kel headed back to the living room to find Polly sitting at the dining table, hunched over some paperwork. “Hi Polly!” he greeted.

She jumped, clearly a little startled by the sudden greeting. “Oh! Hey Kel. How’s Basil doing?”

“He’s doing okay,” Kel replied, “but he told me to ask you if he should take another dose of his pain meds.”

Polly glanced at the clock on the stove. “Hmm, yeah, looks like he’s a little overdue for a dose. He had his last one around 1:30.” She walked over to the fridge and opened the freezer door. “Here,” she said, grabbing an ice pack from the bottom shelf, “give him this too. It should ease the pain a little bit.” She grabbed a towel from the cabinet and wrapped the ice pack in it, then handed it to Kel.

“Oh, good idea!” Kel smiled at her. “Thanks.”

Polly returned his smile. “Of course! Thanks for coming to check on him. I know it means a lot to him. He’s so lucky to have such caring friends.” She faltered for a moment. “Er— uhh... for the most part, at least.”

Kel hardly noticed her sudden shift in demeanor. “He sure is! I’ll go bring this to him. Thanks again!”

With that, Kel returned to Basil’s room. Basil had climbed back into bed. His back was propped up against a pillow at an angle that wouldn’t put too much strain on his rib cage. “I’m back!” Kel stated the obvious. “She said you can take it now. She also said to give you this!” He handed Basil the towel-wrapped ice pack.

Basil took the ice pack with a grateful look. “Thanks Kel. I really appreciate it.” He placed the ice pack on his side, then picked up the bottle of medicine from his bedside table again. He poured a pill into his hand, then gulped it down with a sip of water from his water bottle.

“I guess I should let you get some rest now,” Kel offered, rubbing the back of his neck.

“W-wait!” Basil looked startled, then seemed embarrassed by his sudden outburst. “Uhh... c-can you stay?” He shifted awkwardly, feeling nervous. “I... I don’t want to be alone again.” His expression darkened with those last few words.

Kel pondered the idea for a moment. “Pfft, oh yeah duh! It must be so boring cooped up in your room all day with no one to talk to, especially when you’re stuck in bed!”

“Hah, uhhh... yeah.” Basil’s nervous smile began to fade into a genuine one, relieved that Kel was willing to stay.

“Hey, maybe I can even stay the night! Though I’d have to go ask my mom first. Ooh, maybe while I’m there I can grab us a movie and some snacks!” Kel beamed at the idea. Then his expression softened as he asked, “Are you gonna be okay if I go do that? I promise I’ll be back soon.”

“Yeah, I’ll be okay. That sounds like fun!”

“Sweet! I’ll be back in a jiffy, I promise.”

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Not long later, Kel returned to Basil’s house with a bag full of stuff. He dumped the contents on the floor of Basil’s room, eager to show him what he had brought. “I brought a few different kinds of chips, some fruit snacks, a pack of Oreos, some card games in case we get bored later, but most importantly THIS!!” Kel beamed as he held up the dvd case for Basil to see.

“...Velocipastor?” Basil has an amused smirk on his face as he read the title of the movie.

“Yeah!!” Kel exclaimed. “It’s about this pastor guy who gets the power to turn into a velociraptor and decides to use his power for good!”

Basil laughed, something he hadn’t done in a while. It was refreshing. “That sounds so stupid!”

“Exactly!! That’s what makes it so great!” Kel explained excitedly. “Trust me, you’re gonna love it! I’ll go get it set up.”

Kel scooped all the snacks he had dumped onto the floor back in his bag, then headed out to the living room to set up the movie on the tv. Basil carefully got up out of bed to join him, walking without too much motion to protect his rib. Kel inserted the disc into the DVD player then sat on the couch, motioning for Basil to join him. “Oh, um...” Basil started, “I’m not sure if there’s enough room for me to lay down...”

“Nonsense!” Kel replied, patting his hands on his legs. “I’ve got a lap!”

Basil chuckled nervously. He sat down sideways on the couch and put his legs over Kel’s, resting his head on the armrest. As the movie started to play, Kel grabbed the bag of snacks and started rummaging through it. “What kind of chips do you want?”

Basil pondered for a moment before replying, “You have bugles right? I like those!”

Kel handed him the bag of chips and grabbed one for himself too. The two of them opened their bags of chips and started munching, getting comfy for the movie.

~•~

They watched the movie together as dusk faded to evening, with Kel cracking jokes here and there and Basil laughing in response. They laughed together at the ridiculousness of the movie. It was even more ridiculous than Basil had expected. They’d torn through most of the snacks that Kel had brought, the floor littered with empty chip bags. As the credits began to roll, Kel beamed excitedly at Basil. “Did you like it??”

Basil chuckled. “I did! It’s been a long time since I’ve laughed like that.”

Kel’s smile grew even wider. “Yeah!!! Velocipastor is the BEST!!!”

Basil couldn’t help but smile back. “Yeah, it was pretty great.”

Kel relished the sight of Basil’s smile. He was really, genuinely happy. He realized just how long it had been since he’d seen Basil happy. It was certainly a refreshing feeling for Basil too, one that he missed. With the guilt looming over him finally starting to recede after all this time, there was finally room for the sun to shine through the clouds. He still had a long way to go until the skies were completely clear, but that little ray of sunshine gave him hope.

“Look at you, all happy and stuff!” Kel exclaimed, leaning over to wrap his friend in a hug.

“—Aah!” Basil yelped.

Kel jumped back immediately. “Fuck! Sorry, I keep forgetting.”

“I-it’s okay.”

“Oh hey, do you need to do your breathing exercises again?” Kel asked.

“Yeah, I probably should,” Basil replied.

Kel helped Basil sit upright on the couch and watched as he pressed his hands into his right side. Once again, Basil took a slow, deep inhale. As soon as he stopped inhaling to hold his breath, Kel began his countdown. Basil’s eyes were closed, and Kel admired his long pretty eyelashes and soft facial features. He looked so much more peaceful this time around. Kel finished counting down from ten, and Basil slowly released his breath. Just like before, he coughed gently, loosening the gunk from his lungs.

“Damn, seems like those really are necessary huh?” Kel asked in response to Basil’s coughing.

“Yeah,” Basil replied. He gave Kel a warm look. “I like doing it with you though.” His cheeks flushed just a little bit. “It’s nice.”

Kel returned the smile. “Glad I can help!”

“Hey you two,” Polly greeted as she entered the living room.

“Hey Polly!” Kel replied.

“So Kel, are you sleeping on the couch tonight? We also have a roll out mattress I can set up in Basil’s room if you prefer.”

“A roll out mattress? Hell yeah, that sounds great! Thanks Polly.”

“No problem,” she responded warmly, “I’ll go get it set up.”

Polly left to set up the mattress, and Kel started picking up the trash he and Basil had thrown on the floor during their movie. A moment later, the two boys headed back to Basil’s room and Kel plopped onto the mattress Polly had set up. Basil yawned as he climbed back into his bed. It was starting to get late. Kel rummaged through his bag and picked out a few things he needed, then headed to the bathroom to get changed and brush his teeth.

~•~

Kel returned a few minutes later to find Basil curled up in his bed reading a book. The room was dim, illuminated by the small reading light next to Basil’s bed. “Whatcha reading?” Kel asked.

“A book about tropical plants,” Basil replied. “I’m on the chapter about bromeliads, they’re really cool! I have a few of them actually. Did you know that bromeliads only ever bloom once? But they grow these little offshoot plants that are like their babies! One of mine actually has one that will be ready for it’s own pot soon!”

“Woah, that’s so cool!” said Kel as he settled in his bed on the floor, parallel to Basil’s.

“I know right??” Basil agreed, returning to his book.

Kel pulled a gameboy out of his bag and booted up a Pokémon game. The two sat in comfortable silence for a while, Basil deeply focused on his plant book and Kel tapping buttons furiously on his game. No words were necessary. Simply being in the presence of each other was enough for them. It was comforting.

After a while, Basil stuck a bookmark in his book and set it on his bedside table with a thump. Kel looked up from his game. “Is it bedtime?” he asked.

Basil yawned. “Yeah, I’m getting sleepy.”

Kel saved his game then stuck the gameboy back in his bag. “Sounds good to me!” he said as he tucked himself into bed.

They were both silent for a moment.

“...Hey Kel?” asked Basil.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for staying,” Basil’s tone was soft. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

“Of course! I’ll always be here for you Basil, whenever you need me,” Kel responded. “That’s what friends are supposed to do. That’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about recently.”

Basil reached over to turn off his reading light. The room went completely dark, save for a small nightlight on the wall. “Yeah?” Basil prompted.

“Yeah. I just think about how different things would be if we were all just there for each other, you know? Maybe we wouldn’t have drifted so far apart.”

“Yeah...”

“I really hope that doesn’t happen again this time,” Kel continued. “I’m really gonna try to be there for everyone this time. I just... don’t want us to fall apart again.”

“I think... it’ll be better this time,” responded Basil. “We’ve been through so much in just the past week.”

“Yeah... I’m gonna try to make it better this time. I want to be there for everyone.”

Basil paused, then said, “Me too.”

There was a lull in the conversation. Kel stared at the ceiling, painted blue by the moonlight shining through the window. The only noise was the steady hum of the ceiling fan slowly turning and the faint sound of crickets outside. Kel could feel himself drifting off to sleep, and was startled when Basil broke the silence.

“Hey Kel?”

“Yeah?”

“...My grandma died that night.”

Kel gasped. “Oh my god... Basil, I’m so sorry... that must have made that night even harder for you.”

“Yeah... I already sorta knew it was coming, but that doesn’t make it any easier.” A few tears rolled down the sides of Basil’s face, dampening his pillow. “With all that’s happened though, I’ve barely even had time to think about her. I feel like she deserves better than that.”

“Of course you don’t have time to think about her. You’ve had so much shit on your plate, WAY more than any single person should ever have. I can’t imagine dealing with all of that on top of grieving for her.”

Basil sighed. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Kel rolled onto his side so he was facing Basil’s bed. He could just barely make out the shape of him in the dark. “You can’t blame yourself for that, Basil. Plus, it’s not like you can’t still take time to grieve for her now.”

Basil stayed silent for a moment, thinking. “You know, she used to bake the best pies. Back before she had to stay in bed all the time. My favorite was her lemon meringue. Her pies, you could just taste the love baked into them, like with Mari’s cookies.” Basil smiled fondly as he recalled the memory. “I used to help her make them all the time when I was little. I would make such a mess,” he chuckled. “There would be flour everywhere. Even in my hair! She would ruffle her hand through it and flour would fly everywhere.”

Kel smiled. “That sounds really nice.”

“It was,” Basil replied. “I wish I had my camera back then. At least I took a few pictures of her once I did.”

“Sounds like,” Kel paused to yawn, “she was lovely.”

“Mmm hmm,” Basil agreed, followed by a yawn. He sunk down into the softness of his bed, pulling the blankets over his shoulders. “Goodnight, Kel.”

“Sleep well, Basil.”

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

A black staircase stood before him. Tendrils of darkness crawled up the railing, spilling over the sides. They were watching him. Eyes embedded in the darkness, in the shadows, in the fear. Two figures looming above him, silhouetted by red light. The tendrils of darkness wrapped around the figure’s ankles, surrounding him as they took hold. Looking down, he saw the same thing happening to himself. He was being anchored in place by the fear, by the guilt. It climbed up his legs, deepening its hold.

He looked back up. There was something behind the figure. The fear, the guilt, it stared at the girl from behind him. It wrapped its tendrils of horror around his arms, taking control of his body. A blur of motion. A crack. A thud. A pool of darkness at his feet. An eye staring back at him. The tendrils securing his limbs, pulling him deeper. Pulling him under. He gasped for air. He gasped for light. He looked back up the stairs. He saw the boy’s face. This time, in perfect detail. There was something behind him. There was nothing behind him. It was only him. He screamed for help. He screamed for it to not be true. The boy did nothing. The boy simply stared. The truth stared. He screamed that it wasn’t the truth. He called the boy a liar. He called the boy a good person. The boy stared, holding her body. The body he pushed. There was nothing behind him.

A body. A jump rope. Something so innocent, turned so vile. Hands. Taking its joy. Tarnishing it. Tarnishing her. Tarnishing the boy. Tarnishing himself. Red light cast shadows on the hands, the hands that tarnish. The hands that destroy. Destroy something. Destroy something that isn’t there.

The boy stared at him. Blue light cast over his face. There was something behind the boy. There was something consuming himself too. Eating away at him. Tearing him apart. It pulled the boy closer. There was darkness in his eye. There was something. Something he needed to save him from. The boy screamed. The darkness in his eye threatened to consume him. It spilled out onto the floor, filling the room. With fear. With guilt. So much guilt. The boy looked scared. The boy looked dead. He needed to save him. He needed to get it out of him. He needed to save him. He needed to set him free from the darkness that was consuming him. The darkness that was spilling out. The darkness that was burying both of them. The darkness that threatened to drown them. He needed to save him. A pair of garden shears. He needed to save him. He needed to get it out. He needed to save him. He needed to save him.

He needed to—

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Basil jolted awake with a blood-curdling scream. He could still see the nightmares. They were surrounding him. He scratched at his arms, trying to get them away. He screamed and sobbed and cried, desperately fighting the nightmares away. He felt something warm around him, heard something there. He couldn’t focus. He couldn’t see it. He squeezed his eyes shut, sobbing and shaking.

“Hey, hey, shhhh it’s okay, it’s okay I’m here.”

Basil opened his eyes again. The nightmares were gone. They were gone. He was okay. He felt the embrace of Kel’s arms, heard his soothing words. He was still gasping for air, but he tried to slow his breathing. He felt a hand stroke his hair, and another hand squeeze his shoulder. He leaned into the embrace, and listened to the steady beat of Kel’s heart.

“I’m here. It can’t hurt you now. You’re okay.”

Basil wrapped both his arms around Kel’s waist and sobbed into his chest. “I’m sorry,” he cried, “I’m so sorry.”

Kel wrapped his arms around Basil’s shoulders and hugged him tight. He continued stroking his hair. “It’s okay Basil, shh it’s okay. I’m here.”

The door flung open and Polly burst into the room. “Is everything okay??”

Kel gave her a thumbs up. “Nightmares.”

She let out a big sigh of relief, slumping against the doorframe. Kel gestured for her to leave, knowing it would be easier to comfort Basil without her worrying. She gave him a grateful look and left.

Basil heaved shuddering breaths as he cried into Kel’s chest. “I’m sorry,” he muttered between sobs, “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Kel held Basil tightly, being careful to avoid his broken rib. “How about we take a deep breath together. Can you do that for me? Let’s breathe in...” Kel took a deep breath, and Basil followed along, though his breath was shaky and not quite as deep. “And out...” The two of them released their breath together. “Good. Let’s do that again, okay? Breathe in...” Basil’s breath was a little bit steadier this time. “And out...”

The deep breaths seemed to help subside Basil’s crying. “Doesn’t that feel better?” Kel asked in a gentle tone.

“Yeah,” Basil sighed. He pulled his face away from Kel’s chest and looked up at him.

“Do you want me to stay here with you tonight?”

Basil nodded. “Mmm hmm.”

Kel climbed under the covers next to Basil. The two of them rested their heads on the pillow, and Kel wrapped his arms back around Basil. Basil tucked his hands up against his chest. The two of them took a moment to simply enjoy being so close. There wasn’t much room on Basil’s twin-sized bed.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Kel asked.

Basil looked up to meet his eyes in the dark. Their faces were just a few inches apart... He cast his gaze back down. “I-it was about the accident... an-and Sunny, and the terrible things I’ve done to him... done to all of you...”

Kel held him a little closer. Basil tucked his head under Kel’s chin as Kel rubbed his back soothingly. “...He really did it, didn’t he?” Basil continued, “He really pushed her... For so long I wanted to think it was something else that did it. Something behind him. But it wasn’t...”

“It’s hard to accept the truth,” Kel stated gently.

Basil nodded. He took another moment to appreciate the closeness of the encounter, the feeling of being wrapped in Kel’s embrace.

“Do you think Sunny hates me?” asked Basil, his voice small and weak.

Kel pondered the question for a moment before replying. “No. I don’t think he does.”

“I took his eye though... I took that from him,” Basil lamented. “And for what? I thought I was protecting him. I thought I was saving him. Saving us.” He sighed. “But there was nothing really there, was there? There was nothing. And I just— I just took his eye for nothing.” Basil’s voice started to waver with those last few words. “Aubrey was right. I’m a monster.”

“You’re not a monster.” Kel assured, pulling Basil even closer. “Don’t listen to her.” Basil buried his face in Kel’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around his waist. “And I do think Sunny will forgive you. I think he of all people would understand.”

Basil sighed into Kel’s shoulder, sinking deeper into it. Kel rubbed circles in Basil’s back with one hand and stroked his hair with the other. He felt Basil’s hands grasp the back of his shirt, his arms squeezing him tightly. He felt tears moisten his shoulder. “It’ll be okay,” Kel whispered soothingly. “You’re a good person, Basil. You are.”

Basil made a small humming sound. He didn’t believe Kel. He wanted to, but he just couldn’t. Not yet, anyway. Still, the words were comforting. He loosened his grip on Kel, releasing the tension in his shoulders. He could rest a little easier knowing that Kel didn’t hate him. That, much to Basil’s shock, he truly had forgiven him. He knew the others hadn’t yet, and maybe they never would. But, at least for now he had Kel.

Kel continued stroking Basil’s hair as he listened to his breathing slow. He rested his hand on Basil’s back and allowed himself to drift off to sleep, with Basil safe in his arms.

Chapter Text

Too much. It was all too much for Hero to process. He thought he had moved past Mari’s death, but with this news he had just received, he could feel himself spiraling back into that dark place he had fought so desperately to escape. He didn’t make eye contact with anyone as he made his way through the hospital. He kept his gaze down, walking at a brisk pace towards the exit. He needed to get out of here. He needed to be alone.

Finally he was out the hospital doors. He rounded a corner to a more secluded area and slumped against the wall. He slid down until he was sitting, his knees tucked up against him. He heaved shuddering breaths and grabbed the sides of his head, tears stinging his eyes.

Sunny killed her. The girl he had loved with all his heart, the girl he’d wanted to marry. She was dead. She was dead because of Sunny. His dear friend... had killed her. He had spent so much time hating himself for not noticing the signs of depression, but it turns out they were never there in the first place. It was just Sunny. Sunny and Basil had done that to him.

Hero was shaking. There was a pain in his chest, and he felt sick to his stomach. A sharp ringing in his ears drowned out the rest of the world, and his vision was clouded in darkness. He squeezed his eyes shut, squeezed the sides of his head. He felt like the world was closing in on him, crushing him. He was gasping for air. Sunny killed her. She’s dead because of him.

He tried to slow his breathing, tried to get a grip on reality. It wasn’t working very well. His head was spinning. He felt dizzy. He tried to calm down, but his lungs fought to breathe. He tried to focus, but nausea overwhelmed him. The world was crushing him. His heart was pounding. He was drenched in sweat. His senses were leaving him.

“Hero?”

The sound of his brother’s concerned voice was a small tug towards the direction of reality. Hero had just barely heard it over the ringing in his ears. He opened his eyes, but his vision was still dark. He blinked a few times, and it started to clear up. He was still nauseous. He was still struggling to breathe. He was still shaking.

He felt a hand on his back, which tugged him a little bit closer back to reality. The ringing was starting to fade, the pain in his chest was starting to subside. He had some semblance of control over his breathing.

“It’s okay.”

“How can you say that?” Hero snapped, despite his dulled senses. The hand on his back flinched away. “He killed her. He took her from me.”

“Hero, it was an accident...”

“Why did they hide it from us?” Hero darted his gaze at his brother, his vision finally cleared, at least for the most part. “Why did they—“ he couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

“I— I don’t know...”

“I blamed myself every day for what I thought she did. Do you know how hard that was for me to get over? I’m still not over it! How could they do that to me? To all of us? What kind of sick people—”

“They’re good people! I know they didn’t mean to... kill her. Or to hurt us.”

Hero dropped his arms to his sides in a quick, aggressive motion. “What do you know, Kel?” he snapped. “You don’t know anything, you would never understand! You didn’t love her like I loved her!”

Kel flinched, hurt in his eyes.

“Stop trying to make things better. Just leave me alone.”

Kel hesitated for a moment. “...okay,” he said in a dejected voice. He did as his brother asked.

~•~

Later that day, Kel laid in his bed staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. He was jolted back to earth when he heard the sound of the door open. In walked Hero. He looked like all his energy had been sapped out of him, leaving behind a hollow shell. Kel sat up, unsure of whether he should greet him. Without a word, Hero walked over to Kel’s bed and wrapped him in a tight embrace. Kel hugged back tightly, relieved that Hero seemed to have snapped out of the stupor he was in.

“I’m sorry,” Hero sighed, “I didn’t mean what I said.”

“It’s okay,” Kel replied. “Just... please don’t let it be like before... I don’t think I can handle seeing you like that again.”

“I know.” He hugged his brother a little tighter. “I’ll try.” He released the hug so he could look Kel in the eye. “Kel, never stop trying to make things better.”

Kel returned the look with a sad smile. “I won’t.”

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Basil’s eyes fluttered open as the morning sunlight glittered the walls of his bedroom. He was greeted by Kel’s sleeping face. His arms were still draped loosely around Basil, and Basil’s around him as well. Kel was snoring softly, his mouth slightly open. It wasn’t the prettiest of expressions, but Basil still found it cute.

Suddenly Basil’s face turned bright red. There was another boy sleeping in his bed.

Basil pulled his arms back to his chest and his heart started pounding. Kel was sleeping in his bed. He recalled the events of last night. He had been so shaken from his nightmare and felt so comforted by Kel’s touch that he hadn’t even considered rejecting his offer. Although, he couldn’t say he regretted it. He quite liked being this close to him. Basil buried his flustered face in his hands and made a high pitched noise, still trying to process the situation.

Kel stirred. He yawned, lifting one of his arms to stretch it as he did so. He opened his eyes as he rested his hand on Basil’s shoulder. “Morning,” he greeted with a smile.

Basil pulled his hands down from his face, his blush growing even deeper. “K-Kel! Ah—“ He laughed nervously. “H-hi...” He made a point to avoid eye contact.

Kel chuckled. “You okay there?”

“It’s just, uhm....” he hunched his shoulders up to his ears. “Don’t you find this... weird...?”

“Find what weird?” asked Kel, genuinely unsure what Basil meant.

Basil blinked at him a couple times in shock. Honestly, he was a little relieved that Kel didn’t get it. “Heh, umm... n-never mind.”

Kel rolled onto his back, taking his hand off of Basil’s shoulder and letting it hang off the side of the bed instead. He sighed contently, basking in the moment for a little longer. He wasn’t quite ready to get out of bed yet. Hesitantly, Basil leaned back into him, face still red. Kel’s steady heartbeat was soothing. He soaked up his warmth, shutting his eyes to better appreciate the feeling. Was this really okay?

The guilt started creeping in. Did he deserve this? This forgiveness, this kindness? He was taking advantage of Kel. What if Kel hadn’t wanted to stay, but he felt like he had to? He was selfish. So, so selfish. All he did was take advantage of people, make them go out of their way for him. He didn’t deserve forgiveness. He didn’t deserve kindness. He didn’t deserve to be happy. Yet here he was, taking advantage of Kel’s obliviousness. He felt disgusting.

“... I’m sorry,” Basil whispered, backing away from Kel.

Kel looked over at him, his brow furrowed. “Hey, it’s okay, what’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry I made you stay last night...” Basil’s small voice wavered as he spoke.

“Basil, you didn’t make me stay!” Kel reassured, rolling back onto his side and setting his hand on Basil’s shoulder once again. “I stayed because I wanted to. I wanted to support you. You have nothing to be sorry for, I promise.”

Basil’s worried blue eyes met his. “Really?”

Kel smiled warmly. “Really. I mean it.”

Basil let out a small sigh. “Okay.”

They gazed at each other for a moment, before Kel sat up in the bed. “Alright, breathing exercise time,” he stated.

“Oh yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” Basil chuckled. He followed suit, taking a seat at the edge of the bed next to Kel.

The two went through the familiar motions once again. As Kel was counting down, he noticed Basil’s bruises were just the slightest bit lighter than they were yesterday. Seeing his friend heal even just a little bit was reassuring to him.

Once they were done, they headed out to the kitchen to find Polly getting out some ingredients from the fridge. Kel greeted her with a smile, and offered to help her cook breakfast, which she happily accepted. Basil headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth, so it was just Kel and Polly preparing omelettes together.

“So... was everything okay last night?” Polly asked after Basil had left.

“Hm? Oh! Yeah, Basil just had a really bad nightmare,” Kel replied as he chopped some mushrooms for the omelettes. “Poor guy...”

“Yeah... I was really worried when I heard him scream.” Her voice started to waver. “I was worried another one of his friends decided to attack him out of the blue.” She tried to keep a smile on her face, but her expression was starting to crumble.

“Oh my gosh!” Kel gasped, “No wonder you barged into the room like that!” He set the knife he was holding onto the cutting board and looked at her. “I promise you have nothing to worry about, Polly. Even with Sunny... I’m not sure exactly what happened that night, but they’ve both been through so much. I think... things are going to be better now though.”

Polly sighed in relief. “Thanks, Kel. It’s really nice to hear you say that.”

With that, Kel went back to chopping veggies and Polly went back to whisking eggs. Basil eventually came back into the room and took a seat at the table. The three of them made lighthearted, pleasant conversation as Polly and Kel cooked. Basil shared some more plant facts from the book he was reading last night, and Kel told Polly about the movie they’d watched. She thought it sounded ridiculous, but Kel insisted it was the best movie of all time. Eventually, they all sat down at the table to enjoy their breakfast.

“So, what are you boys up to today?” Polly inquired.

Kel didn’t bother swallowing his food before speaking, “My dad’s driving me to Sunny’s new apartment today.”

Basil flinched, and his expression faltered.

“That’s nice of him,” Polly replied. “I hope he’s doing okay...”

Kel actually bothered to swallow before speaking this time. “Yeah, me too. Gonna stop at the store on the way so I can get him a little present like I did for Basil.”

“I’m sure he’ll appreciate that,” Polly smiled.

The rest of the morning was pretty uneventful. They finished eating and brought their plates to the sink, then Kel went back to Basil’s room and started putting his things back in his bag. Basil followed him, shifting uneasily.

“... Kel?”

Kel looked up from his bag. “Hm?”

“I’m, uh...” Basil had his hands on his arms, hugging himself. He avoided eye contact, trying to urge himself to say what was on his mind. “I’m worried I’ll have more nightmares tonight...”

Kel stood up to face him. “I can come back tonight if you want,” he offered with a smile.

“I— I mean, I don’t want you to feel like you have to, but—“

Kel put his hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, I want to be here.”

Basil finally met his eyes, looking relieved. “Plus,” Kel continued, “it gives me the opportunity to show you another movie!”

Basil laughed. “Yeah, okay... that sounds nice.” He looked at Kel with glistening eyes. “Thanks.”

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

A knock on the door. A “get well soon” balloon and a gift in hand. This time, instead of a potted plant, it was a new sketchbook. Kel remembered how much Sunny had liked to draw when they were younger, and thought he might enjoy picking the habit back up.

The door opened to reveal Sunny. He was significantly shorter than Kel, and he looked quite skinny. His well kept black hair just barely covered the eyepatch he was sporting. He looked a bit tired, but a surprised expression crossed his face as he registered who was at his door.

“Sunny!” Kel exclaimed, leaping forward to wrap his friend in a hug. Before Sunny had a chance to fully process what had happened, Kel had already let him go. “How are you holding up, bud?”

Sunny looked a little shaken by the unexpected hug, but he was definitely glad to see Kel. “I’m okay,” he replied.

Sunny stepped back and gestured for Kel to come in, and Kel took in the apartment. It was a small place. Both the living room and kitchen were pretty tiny, but they’d managed to fit a couch, TV, and a dining table in the place. There were still a few boxes scattered here and there, but they seemed to be mostly settled in. Kel plopped onto the couch, and Sunny took a seat next to him. Then Kel remembered the things he was carrying.

“Here! These are for you.”

Sunny took the items somewhat hesitantly. “Thank you,” he said. He investigated the sketchbook, a little confused.

“It’s a get well soon gift!” Kel explained. “You used to draw all the time when we were kids. Do you still draw?”

Sunny shook his head.

“I thought it would be nice for you to get back into a hobby. Gives you something to focus on, yknow?”

Sunny opened the sketchbook, running his hands along the pages. Kel put his hands behind his head, sinking into the couch. “So, how are you liking the new apartment?”

“It’s... small,” Sunny answered, “but I kind of like that about it. It’s cozy.” He set the sketchbook down and hugged his legs up against his chest. “I think getting out of the old house is good for me.”

“Gosh, yeah I bet...” Kel replied, eyebrows furrowing. Poor Sunny had to live with all those reminders of what had happened...

Just then, a fluffy black cat approached Kel with a prrrrow ? “Mewo!” Kel exclaimed, leaning forward to give her a scratch on the head. She purred contently, squinting her eyes. “Man, I haven’t seen Mewo in years!”

She jumped onto the couch and stood on Kel’s lap, happily accepting his pets. Sunny reached over and scratched behind her ears too. “Good kitty,” he said.

They both sat in silence petting Mewo for a moment, before Sunny asked, “Why did you come here?”

Mewo curled up into a little ball on Kel’s lap, still purring happily. “I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. I spent a lot of time with Basil yesterday and he definitely needed it, and I thought you might need someone to talk to too.” Kel scratched under Mewo’s chin, and she extended her head upward, clearly enjoying it. “You guys have been through a lot, but I’m here for you, Sunny.” Kel looked at Sunny and rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Sunny didn’t meet his eyes. “And I want you to know that I forgive you. For everything.”

Sunny said nothing, just hugged his knees closer to his chest and tucked his chin between them. “I think Hero’s going to come around soon,” Kel continued, “but it might take some time. He’s already doing better than he was... that day... so that’s a good sign. I haven’t talked to Aubrey yet, but I’m sure she’ll come around too.” He brought his hand back to continue scratching Mewo on the head. “Nobody wants us all to drift apart again. Not like before. This time, we’re gonna stay together. Friends are supposed to be there for each other, and we all know that now more than ever.”

“... How’s Basil doing?” Sunny asked.

“... Not great. He’s recovering from a broken rib, and he’s just... really messed up in general. He’s dealing with some pretty bad nightmares.” Kel paused. “He’s... worried that you hate him. For what he did to your eye. He’s like, real messed up about it...”

Sunny pondered for a moment. “I don’t hate him,” he concluded. “I get it. I hurt him too.”

Kel considered whether he should ask his next question. “Can I ask you what happened? Basil won’t really talk about it...”

Sunny’s expression changed into something unreadable. He had a far off look in his eye, just like that look Basil had. Sunny paused for a long moment, searching his mind for the right words. Eventually he just shrugged.

“That’s okay,” Kel said gently in response. “I understand.”

They were interrupted by a loud growl from Sunny’s stomach. Sunny looked embarrassed as Kel chuckled. “Sounds like someone’s hungry,” Kel laughed.

Sunny shrugged again. “Haven’t eaten.”

Kel snapped his head in Sunny’s direction, shocked. “Wait you haven’t?? Like at all??”

Sunny shook his head.

Kel blinked a couple of times. “Okay but you ate yesterday right?”

“Probably.”

“PROBABLY????” Kel jumped to his feet. Mewo yowled in annoyance before running off. “That’s it, I’m making you food!” he declared.

Kel went to the kitchen and started rummaging through the cabinets, trying to decide what to make. He quickly realized... he didn’t really know what he was doing. He was so used to having Hero tell him what to do when they cooked that he was having trouble coming up with something to make on his own. Eventually, he settled on a box of pasta and a jar of tomato sauce.

“Doesn’t your mom normally cook for you?” Kel asked as he started preparing the pasta.

“She’s at work,” Sunny replied. He picked up the sketchbook and found a nearby pen on the ground.

Kel responded with a discontented noise. He had no idea Sunny had been eating so little. Now that he thought about it, that explains why Sunny had been so skinny. He hadn’t really thought about it until now. He decided he was going to have to make sure Sunny eats properly from now on.

After some time spent cooking, Kel had two bowls of cooked pasta with sauce. He brought them to the couch and sat down beside Sunny, handing him a bowl. Sunny set down his sketchbook and took it. “Thanks,” he said.

“Mhm!” Kel replied happily. “Hey, can I see what you drew?”

Sunny shifted uncomfortably at the question as he considered his answer. After a moment, he nodded and handed Kel the sketchbook. Kel took it and opened it up to the first page, revealing a drawing of a small, simple room. There was a black lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, and on the floor was a laptop, a tissue box, a sketchbook, and a person laying on their back. Their face had been scribbled out...

“Wow, that looks great, Sunny!” Kel exclaimed, impressed with his friend’s work. “What happened to their face? Did you make a mistake on it or something?”

Kel handed the sketchbook back to Sunny, who took it without responding to Kel’s question. “Seems like you picked drawing back up pretty fast,” Kel continued. “I’m impressed! I can’t wait to see what else you draw.”

While the two of them ate, Kel rambled on about whatever happened to be on his mind. Sunny didn’t mind, he was quite content just listening to Kel talk. He never seemed to run out of words.

After that, Kel pulled out the movie he’d brought. This time it was The Car: Road to Revenge. Sunny thought it sounded absolutely ridiculous, but he still agreed to watch it. Kel put in the disc and the two of them got comfy on opposite ends of the couch, with Mewo eventually curling up between them and taking a nap. The movie was just as ridiculous as Sunny had expected, but he enjoyed it nonetheless.

Soon after the movie ended, Kel heard the sound of his dad’s car honking outside to let him know he was there to pick him up.

“I’ll be back to check on you soon,” Kel promised, pulling Sunny into another hug. Sunny was a little more prepared for it this time, so he hugged him back.