Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The bus rushed past rows of monotonous suburban houses under a sunless sky.

Sunny pressed his face against the window, trying to relieve the strange ache that had settled in his chest. He wished his anxiety could just go away. Watching the scenery scrolling by outside helped by reminding him that there was a bright, colorful world waiting for him, and that he only needed to take his first step outside. The sun would warm his skin, and the scent of the fresh spring breeze in the air would remind him of the happiest times in his life.

But not even the brightest days could bring back the light he had hidden away deep inside his most personal memories, to the point of almost extinguishing it.

He first saw it, shining within Basil's eyes.

Sunny adjusted the patch he wore over his damaged right eye. He knew he was making a questionable decision, spending all the money he had saved from his part time job as a grocery store cashier on a trip to visit his old childhood home. After how things had turned out, he couldn't be sure he would even be welcome back. He'd made this decision on a whim, with barely even an exchange with his mom before he was already out the door. Whether it would turn out to be worth it all rested on a boy who wore a tiny pink flower in his hair.

My other friends...

Despite everything, they hadn't taken his confession well. After he'd let everything out, he slowly opened his remaining good eye; he'd thought he was ready. But nothing prepared him to see the shock on Aubrey's face, the confusion in Kel's expression, the hurt in Hero's eyes.

They'd gotten mad at Basil too, for "helping" Sunny back then, and keeping it a secret for so long, making an already awful situation even worse. Sunny hadn't confessed Basil's involvement in the whole mess; Basil did it himself. The horror that had dawned over his friends' faces when Basil revealed the truth would forever be scarred into his memories.

Their confession forever changed the way their friends would see them, ruining any possibility that things could go back to the way they once were.

Although the light had felt warm when it finally shone upon that dark patch within himself, it also revealed how painfully a fire could burn. He accepted that pain.

He welcomed their disbelief, their anger, the overwhelming sadness, the total loss of trust. He welcomed their arms when they all reached for him, to comfort him as tears flowed. He didn't defend himself from what happened next, either. It hurt more to know that they now saw his bloodstained hands in full.

The only person he couldn't accept being harmed by his confession was Basil. Knowing how soft and gentle Basil's heart was, Sunny couldn't begin to imagine how much pain Basil must have gone through over the past few years. He didn't need to add any more. He would've done anything to atone, if only so that he could save Basil.

But I couldn't save him...

They didn't forgive either of us, even though I wanted them to forgive Basil.

***

Throughout the rest of the trip, Sunny stared up at the cloudy sky. He wondered if any ray of light that pierced through would come from a lightbulb that was too dark to gaze into.

As the bus came closer to its destination, Sunny felt his heart beating faster and faster. The familiar sights of his old town, every house and tree, brought back a surge of memories, and not all of them were pleasant. He started to feel sad. The places were still here, but the people, the exact same people from his memories—they couldn't possibly be.

He wasn't hung up on those memories like his old self used to be. After moving to a new place, he'd tried to be more active, more outgoing. He'd hoped to erase every trace of that other personality inside his head, but realized that old habits did not die easily. It was all too easy to fall back into that stagnant routine, locked up inside his room every day and night. He'd gotten a job to avoid turning into that again, but it was still so hard to make new friends.

When he thought about what made him happy, he saw only the photos in Basil's album, everyone's smiling faces back in those carefree days. He missed them so much. It wouldn't be hard to retreat back into a space where they were all happy together again. Letting go of that space would get harder and harder each time, until he was trapped, reliving adventures that cycled over without end.

A single person reminded him that he couldn't go back there. He couldn't keep erasing that person from his memories.

He couldn't bear to see his smile disappear again.

The bus finally reached his stop. Taking a deep breath, he got up from his seat and walked off the bus, ignoring the growing tremble in his knees.

Faraway Plaza was still there, looking just like how he remembered the place. The afternoon sun illuminated the front door of Gino's, recalling within him the delicious smell of fresh pizza and Hero Sandwiches. He wondered if Kel and Hero were there right now; it was the time of year that Hero would be coming back from college.

He glanced around, looking out for familiar faces. All he saw was the Recycultists' growing stand, the heaps of trash that'd been deposited there emitting an odor that he could smell from a hundred feet away, and a bunch of hobos lying around on the grass.

He caught sight of a picnic, and for a moment his breath caught in his throat. He exhaled when he didn't recognize any of their faces.

Sunny shook away those stray thoughts. He couldn't let himself get distracted from the main reason he came back. He'd love to see Kel, Hero, and Aubrey again. He'd love to see his old house, even if it no longer belonged to him. A part of him wondered if his old treehouse was still there. There were so many things he had been planning to do upon coming back here. But they'd have to wait.

From Faraway Park, he walked south for two blocks.

Over the past two years, he'd tried keeping in contact with his friends by phone. While Kel and Aubrey were often available to talk, Hero was too busy with his studies, and Basil didn't seem to enjoy non-face-to-face interaction very much. The few times he'd tried to get hold of Basil, he'd seemed reluctant to chat with him, and he'd often come up with an excuse, like he needed to go out and water some plants.

A few months after he'd moved, Basil stopped responding to his calls and messages at all. Over the course of two years, he'd started growing increasingly concerned by Basil's silence towards him. Even though Kel told him he still saw Basil around the park and the plaza, If Basil was anything like what Sunny remembered, he was bottling up his worries and anxieties, refusing to burden others with any of his problems, retreating further and further into himself.

Sunny had not slept well during the last month. Kel and Aubrey had told him a month ago that they hadn't seen Basil around at all. The prospect that something bad could have happened to him again gave Sunny a newfound anxiety, a sharp guilt, different and yet worse than anything he'd felt before. He found himself wandering around a very dark space, searching for Basil. In his dreams, he shouted out Basil's name, asking for forgiveness for ignoring him for four years, begging for him to come back.

I can't just wander around in dreams anymore.

Sunny picked up his pace as he turned the corner at the end of the block. He held his breath as he walked past the fence. Something quivered in the pit of his stomach.

Basil's house came into view. Its yard was full of plants just as he remembered. Sunflowers populated the front yard alongside red and orange tulips, purple asters, hydrangeas, brown cattails, some white egret orchids.

A lump grew in his throat. He hoped Basil was still there.

Sunny took slow, steady steps towards the front porch. He clutched a book tightly, a dark green book with the title Basil's Memories on its cover, trembling in his arms.

When he reached the front door, Sunny closed his good eye and took deep, steady breaths. He reminded himself of how he'd learned to calm down even when it seemed that his fears would completely take over. His trembling hands gradually began to still. The lump in his throat, the anxiety in his stomach, however, were still there. He could not get rid of them by himself.

I have to see Basil.

With his breath held, Sunny rang the doorbell.

He waited in tense anticipation, hoping to hear the sound of footsteps approaching. It was easy to distinguish between Basil's light steps from Polly's heavier ones. He waited with his breath held, the photo album clutched tightly against his chest, until he felt that he couldn't take the tension anymore. He rang the doorbell again, then knocked on the door.

No response.

Sunny felt dark shadows approaching at the edge of his vision. The quiver in his stomach threatened to rise up into his throat, burning. He took several deep breaths, willing himself to stay calm. The shadows grew close, threatening to eliminate what remained of his eyesight, then began to fade.

His heart continued beating fast. Sweat stained his hands. He nearly dropped the album from his arms after a minute passed and no one came to the door.

The setting sun cast long shadows across the house's porch. Crickets sang loudly in the backdrop of the growing summer heat. A soft breeze swept his dark bangs across his eyes.

I guess Basil...isn't home.

With a sigh, Sunny stepped back from the door. He turned to face the street.

In hindsight, he really hadn't thought this trip through very well. He'd thought that Basil would let him in the instant he showed up. But if Basil wasn't home right now, he really didn't have any other place to stay. He'd have to ask Kel if he could stay overnight, or maybe even Aubrey. Except he hadn't told any of them that he was coming back, so his presence would undoubtedly be a nuisance just by virtue of being unexpected.

Sunny stepped back onto the street. For two minutes, he stood there with the album clutched to his chest, watching the few cars in this suburb drive by.

The warm evening air turned cool against his skin. The scents carried by the wind through this neighborhood felt so familiar and nostalgic. He could easily lose himself in this backdrop forever. He saw a black cat run down the street and wondered if...

Mari...

I can't keep clinging to these memories.

Although it was early summer, the night could still get very cold in these parts. He hadn't dressed in enough layers to last out the night. If he remained standing out here on the street, he could easily freeze to death, collapsing to the floor as a lifeless corpse. A corpse waiting for Basil in front of his house.

Would that be tragic, or comedic?

He took a deep breath, exhaling another sigh. Resigning himself to the fact that he wouldn't get to see Basil today, he turned his body in the direction of Kel's house. He'd have to try again tomorrow.

Sunny placed the album in his arms into his backpack. As the sun disappeared behind the horizon, he took a step back in the direction he had come from.

"Sunny?"

That voice...

Sunny turned swiftly and saw that the door of Basil's house had opened slightly. He stared at that opening, wondering if he was hallucinating that open door, had imagined the sound of his voice. To his astonishment, the door opened further.

Light yellow-green hair peeked out from behind the door, two fluffy strands sticking out on the side.

Sunny's heart jumped in his chest.

"Basil?" Sunny called back.

The door shut with an audible clang.

Sunny didn't hesitate to run back to the door. He knew what he just saw and heard couldn't have been his imagination. The door had really opened, Basil had really called out his name. Having come this far, he couldn't back away. He had to see him. He had to tell Basil everything.

"Basil!" Sunny shouted, banging on the door.

He heard footsteps behind the door and knew that they were Basil's. The footsteps stopped, very close behind the door. Sunny held his breath.

Would I get to see him when this door opens?

"Hey, it's Sunny."

Those words felt strange coming from himself. Sunny had never been much of a talker, preferring to keep quiet even when hanging out with his friends. Mari once remarked that he was as silent as a cat.

Since moving away, he'd tried to be a bit more outspoken, to varying degrees of success. He'd joined a club at his new school that let him practice his speaking and presentation skills. That didn't save him from turning into a nervous wreck whenever people expected him to speak, and he remembered bungling his first few job interviews. It was a wonder he'd even been able to land a job at all.

He felt he had only one chance to say everything.

"Hey, Basil," Sunny said. "It's been a while since we last talked, so I thought I'd come back to check up on you. How are you doing? Is everything okay?"

...I hear something.

Every fiber in his body tensed when he heard the door creak, sliding open ever so slightly.

A fluffy strand of hair poked out from behind the door, followed by two large, turquoise green eyes.

So pretty.

"Sunny," Basil spoke in a soft voice. "Umm...hey."

The bruise I gave to your left eye is still there, a little.

"Hi, Basil," Sunny replied, smiling.

He didn't know how to tell Basil how much he wanted to see him smile back.

"Kel and Aubrey told me they hadn't seen you around lately," Sunny said after an awkward silence. "Are you doing okay?"

"Oh-oh, yeah," Basil said. "I'm fine."

Basil finally opened the door fully, allowing Sunny to get his first good look at him in a long time, even if he only had one good eye to look with.

Although a couple of years had passed, Basil hadn't changed much. He still wore that dark green sweater vest and light brown shorts. A beautiful pink flower bloomed in his hair. In contrast, Sunny had come on this trip in a brand new outfit; he wore a bright red shirt and dark blue skinny jeans.

Another tense silence passed between them. Sunny opened his backpack and pulled out Basil's photo album.

"I brought your photo album," Sunny said. "Want to look over all our old pictures again?"

"Oh-oh...umm, I guess," Basil said, taking a step back from the door. "I...really wasn't expecting you to come today."

"I'm sorry for visiting so suddenly," Sunny said. He felt an embarrassing flush emerging into his cheeks. "I...got a little worried about you."

Surprise flashed across Basil's face for a brief moment. Sunny could not tell if it was good or bad surprise.

"Oh-oh...thanks, Sunny," Basil said, a small smile starting to appear on his lips. It didn't bloom fully before Basil turned his head and looked away.

"May I come in?" Sunny asked.

It was getting cold and dark outside. Due to his horrible planning, Sunny couldn't afford to be subtle about needing a place to stay.

"...Okay," Basil replied, after a pause.

The inside of the house was dark, and it seemed like nobody except Basil was home. It reminded Sunny of the days when he did nothing except stay inside his own room, never coming out and leaving most of the house untouched until his mom forced him to get up and do his chores. He felt a knot in his stomach as he began to wonder if Basil was turning into that version of himself now.

Sunny walked over to the light switch in the living room. "Can I turn on the light?"

"Oh-oh, sure," Basil said.

Light flooded the dark room, revealing neat shelves full of blooming flowers and a cleanly organized kitchen with a bowl of soup still steaming on the counter. Sunny almost breathed a sigh of relief. Basil still seemed to be taking care of his place.

Sunny went to the couch and opened his photo album to the first page, hoping that looking at their old photos could start a conversation, and some smiles.

Basil remained standing in the center hallway, his eyes turned down at the floor.

"Basil?" Sunny spoke. "What's wrong?"

"I...umm..."

Distressingly, Basil's expression had turned a lot darker than Sunny remembered it. Dark circles were underneath his eyes. It wasn't as bad as the awful expression he wore on his face during that night where they'd fought each other, but that wasn't a high bar to cross.

Sunny put his photo album down on the couch. He tried to avoid staring with his good eye directly at Basil and making him feel awkward, but after making a few glancing circuits around the room, he couldn't avoid it.

"Sunny, are you...really there?" Basil whispered.

Of course I am!

Sunny didn't know what to say. Any trace of frustration that grew within him quickly sank into deep blue sadness.

After everything they'd gone through together, he couldn't easily feel angry at Basil. He was more angry at himself for waiting this long before coming back.

He realized he'd never been the supportive person that Basil really needed. It was hard to be when he was full of inner conflict himself. But right now he really wanted to know what was going on with Basil, and he felt ready to do anything to help him, just like the way Kel had approached him on that day when he heard knocking on his door, encouraging him to get out of his house for the first time in who-knows-how-long.

Something broke inside him when he heard Basil crying.

"Basil?" Sunny spoke.

"I'm...s-sorry..."

Sunny raised his eyes in confusion. "Sorry? For what?"

Basil took a step back. He raised a hand to rub his eyes, sobs escaping his throat.

I have to be calm.

"Basil, you don't have to be sorry for anythi—"

"Sunny, why did you come back?!"

Basil turned around, tears flowing from his eyes. His mouth quivered, overflowing with painful emotion. Sunny could feel his heart breaking into two.

"You...don't have to keep coming back", Basil continued.

Sunny couldn't bear seeing him like this. "But I'm back because I want to see you again."

"Why? Are you mad at me?" Basil turned his eyes away. "I'm sorry, Sunny. I'm...so...sorry..."

Why do I always have to end up hurting people?

"You didn't do anything wrong," Sunny tried to say in a comforting voice.

Basil backed away until he was up against the wall. "Look at what I did to you. Your right eye...it won't work anymore."

"I'm not mad at you for that," Sunny said. "I never was."

"Then...why are you here? Did you come back just so that you could leave me again?!"

Sunny's strength faltered.

***

That night, when Sunny went to confront Basil inside his room, he knew he had to do something. Even though he lost his right eye, he was glad that he was able to reach through to him before something really terrible happened. He would never regret it.

His mom didn't agree. She'd lost at it him when he told her that he wanted to go back to his old town to visit Basil.

Why do you still want to see that boy?

He damaged your right eye so badly you'll never be able to use it again!

He's nothing but trouble. If only the two of you had never met...

If Basil wasn't there on that night, if only Basil hadn't been with you, this whole mess could've been avoided!

Don't go, Sunny. Don't go back there...again...

Sunny stared down at the floor, balling his hands into fists.

Every person in his family hated him. Evidently, he hadn't embarked on this trip on good terms with his mom; his dad, well, his father had probably figured out what he and Basil did with Mari, and chances are he would never come back to see his son ever again. And his sister?

He would be lying if he said he hadn't ruined relations with every person he had ever cared about.

Sunny didn't know what to say anymore. His life really was a mess. If he cared about his own sanity, his own happiness, he ought to retreat back into that world inside his head, that world where all his friends were together and happy again, a world where he didn't have to deal with pain, or anger, or loneliness...

I can't go back.

Sunny's legs trembled. He really wasn't good at comforting people, and he felt that nothing he did could ever help anyone. The labyrinth of emotions that lay ahead was unnavigable; worse, it had no exit. If he searched for a happy ending, he would only be left with bitter disappointment. And if he wanted everyone else to be happy, it would be better if he simply never existed.

Salvation could never reach awful people like himself. It would be better to give up on happiness altogether.

Tears came into his eyes. He couldn't live for his own happiness. That had been destroyed a long time ago, a bright sunshine that tumbled down stairs into a bottomless abyss.

But if there was anyone in this world he still cared about enough to try and make them happy, wouldn't that be reason enough for him to go on living?

I'll live for your happiness, Basil.

Sunny reached up to wipe the tears from his left eye.

I have to tell you something.

"Basil, I'll always come back for you." Sunny's voice grew choked. "I'll always be there to hold your hand, so don't you worry. No matter what happens, I'll be here for you, so don't cry anymore, okay?"

Before either of them could say anything, Sunny reached out and wrapped his arms around Basil in a tight embrace.

He held Basil as tears flowed from both their eyes, as Basil sobbed against his shoulder, as his own tears fell and touched the back of Basil's sweater. He felt happy like this. A part of him wished that time could stop here, so he would never have to let go.

Basil, I'm really back now.

"Sunny, w-what I said just now, I'm so sorry..." Basil cried.

"No, I'm sorry for leaving you so abruptly," Sunny said. "Back then, I should've been there for you instead of hiding inside my room. I should've tried to make up for what I'd done, told everybody the truth. I'm sorry for being so selfish."

"Sunny...you've...you've changed," Basil whispered.

"I know. I hope I have."

Sunny gazed into Basil's eyes, noticing for the first time how pretty they were when a layer of water refracted the light that passed through them.

They were different from Aubrey's eyes. Aubrey's blue eyes radiated strength, resilience. The light in Basil's eyes was so fragile that he felt it would break and disappear into nothingness at the slightest harm.

He found both Basil's eyes and Aubrey's eyes beautiful, but something drew him towards the former.

Do I...love...

He wanted to cherish the light in Basil's eyes. He wanted that light to glow as brightly as Basil's smile, a smile he still wanted so badly to see.

Do I really...love...

Sunny held Basil's arms without any intention of letting go. He gazed at Basil's expression, hoping to see a sign—any sign—of a smile. He wanted to see that smile that shone so brightly just once more, that smile he'd almost lost over the past two years. The smile he'd come all the way back to his childhood town for.

...Basil?

But only the slightest trace of a smile touched Basil's lips.

I didn't know...I was like this...

But...I've realized that if it's Basil...

"I'm glad you're back, Sunny," Basil said quietly.

It was not that bright smile that he wore on his face. Basil's smile was tinted with so much sadness.

"I'm glad to see you, too," Sunny said.

He finally let go of their embrace, and something cold entered his heart.

"I guess I should say I'm sorry for showing up so abruptly," Sunny continued. "You weren't answering my emails or my calls, and when I heard from Kel that he hadn't seen you around for the past month, I thought I had to..."

Sunny's words vanished when he noticed the sad look that fell over Basil's face.

Basil held his left arm with his right, glancing away. "Oh-oh, umm...sorry."

"It's okay," Sunny said. "I'm here now, so we can talk all we want."

The sadness in Basil's eyes only grew more apparent, deepening Sunny's concern for him.

"I...I haven't been feeling well lately," Basil confessed.

"What's wrong?" Sunny asked.

"I..."

Basil looked out the window. Just a few minutes ago, he would have seen Sunny standing out on the dark streets, ready to walk away.

"Polly's been transferred away," Basil said in a very soft voice. "My parents...are trying to find a new caretaker for me."

Sunny felt his own smile fading away.

"She left a couple of weeks ago," Basil continued. "I've been living alone ever since."

Was there a reason why?

"I...I've been doing okay by myself," Basil said, looking at Sunny again with just a hint of a smile. "I told my parents I can handle living alone for a little while."

"I think you really can," Sunny said, trying to be encouraging. "Your house looks a lot better than I would've left mine if I had to live alone for a couple of weeks."

Basil giggled quietly. "Thanks, but..."

But?

Slowly, Basil walked towards the kitchen where he'd left that bowl of soup on the counter. By now, it had probably turned lukewarm, or already cool.

"...but you're here now, right?" Basil said, a very faint smile.

Sunny felt something light in his chest. "Yeah."

"How long are you staying?" Basil asked.

Sunny tensed. He really didn't have anything prepared, not even a ticket for a bus ride back home. He'd been so single-mindedly thinking about seeing Basil again that he hadn't thought about what he'd do afterwards.

Maybe there wasn't going to be an afterwards...

With a deep breath, Sunny shook those thoughts away. He knew he hadn't made a mistake in coming back here to see Basil. They were together again, and he didn't want to leave any time soon.

He had money to spare, so he could stay for at least a few weeks. And since the people in this town knew him, it wouldn't be hard for him to get a job as a tutor or as a pizza delivery boy. He could stay the whole summer if he wanted to.

A whole summer...

"I'll stay for as long as you want me to," Sunny said.

Basil froze.

When Basil turned to look at Sunny, the light in his eyes was full of ambivalence.

"...Ummm, you're not going back?" Basil asked. "At all?"

Sunny's lips quivered. There was no way to say the words that were about to come out of his mouth without sounding like a total cheese head. He really was taking all those speaking lessons to heart, turning into someone a whole lot smoother than the person he thought he was.

...Maybe I'll become Hero.

"I meant what I said," Sunny said. "I've come back for you, and I'm not going to just leave so soon like last time. I mean, unless you want me to."

A hot flush suddenly hit his cheeks. What if Basil told him to leave?

"Sunny...umm..."

"Uh, if you're not comfortable with me staying at your place, I can try to find somewhere else," Sunny said, totally embarrassed.

Basil turned away.

The next few seconds felt ultra tense. Sunny really had no idea what he was going to do if he got thrown out right now.

I probably deserve it.

Basil looked at him again, with a very soft and slightly shaky smile.

"You can stay," Basil said. "I...I'll make accommodations for you. I have a spare mattress."

A spare...mattress? Oh, I guess his grandma...

"Thanks a lot," Sunny said, smiling in spite of the sad news.

"By the way, that eye patch looks really nice on you."

"I'm glad my face looks better."

Basil wavered between laughing and looking away in self-effacement. "Let me prepare some pillows and blankets for you," he said, disappearing with great speed into the bedroom hall.

...Maybe I could've said something better.

Sunny felt that light feeling in his chest, again. He could hardly believe that he was back in his old town, with his best friend once more, and they were going to be living together for a while.

He still hadn't seen Basil's full smile, but he knew he had time.

So much has happened since that day I opened the door to answer Kel's knocking.

Outside the window, stars were beginning to shine in the night sky. He found those gleaming stars prettier than he remembered, and he didn't know if it was because of Faraway's clearer night sky or because he was by Basil's side again.

Together, they could begin to recover from the traumas of their shared past. He only needed to take the first step forward, hand in hand.

Chapter Text

"I-Is there something on my face, Sunny?"

A petal from the pink flower that Basil wore in his hair had peeled off and clung to the left strand in front of his ear. Basil hadn't yet noticed.

Sunny laughed at Basil's adorable confusion.

"It's nothing," Sunny said. "I just had a thought, but I lost it."

I thought about how happy you used to be.

Sunny vividly remembered Basil's smile when he made his wish as he blew out the candle on his birthday cake on his twelfth birthday. That day, Sunny had also wished for everyone to be happy together.

Moments after, he'd noticed that dreamy look Basil had sent towards him.

"Hmmm...a wish? Ahh... But what should I wish for? I have everything I could want right here!"

"Oh, I know! Hehe...I think...I'll wish for..."

"Just kidding. It's a secret."

At the time, Sunny had felt confused. He'd dismissed the feelings that grew in his heart, thinking it was just a coincidental locking of eyes, a flitting joy from seeing eye to eye with his best friend standing opposite to him as he made his birthday wish. But feelings, he now realized, never went away.

I once believed that only girls could be pretty...

You've changed me, Basil.

Whenever Sunny visualized Basil's pretty smile, he was confronted by an emotion so pure and overwhelming that he felt afraid to speak of it to anyone else, not even to Mari, and especially not to his parents. He didn't want to admit he had these feelings.

After the incident with Mari, he'd suppressed any lingering emotion he felt towards Basil, resigning his life to his days dreaming away inside Headspace as that other part of himself, Omori.

Sometimes the emotion resurfaced. When that happened, he'd banish Basil from Headspace. Omori would be playing games with his friends and all of a sudden, Basil would simply...disappear. They'd often go looking for him for a while before they stopped remembering who he was entirely.

If they came close to finding him, came close to the truth, he'd find himself waking up back in Whitespace, the whole journey reset.

I couldn't deal with feeling that way towards him on top of what happened to my sister.

Sunny opened his left eye and found Basil standing in front of him with a stack of pillows and blankets in his arms.

He looked into Basil's eyes and wondered when exactly he started to find that turquoise green so captivating.

"Here's your sleeping gear, Sunny," Basil said.

"Thank you," Sunny said, reaching out to grab everything from Basil.

He hugged his arms around the pillows, discovering how soft and comfortable they were when he squeezed them. As his eyes started to become lidded, his gaze centered on Basil, and this attention made a soft red shade color Basil's cheeks.

"Ummm...Sunny?" Basil spoke. "Are you...okay?"

"Excuse me," Sunny said, leaning down and rubbing his face against the pillows like a cat would. "These pillows are so soft I almost nodded off to sleep."

"Oh-oh, okay," Basil said. "Are you tired? If you want to sleep right now, I can clear the kitchen and set up the mattress—"

"Not yet," Sunny said bluntly.

"Ummm...okay? Well, I think I should get the mattress anyway, in case you nod off!"

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

I've always appreciated you the most.

As Basil went back into the bedroom hall, Sunny remembered the soft pillows and blankets they used to sit on while Basil read books to him under the cover of a tent. He wasn't much of a book person himself, but Basil loved novels and stories. Sunny only enjoyed listening to stories when Basil was the one telling them.

Basil loved reading mystery novels out loud, imitating Hero's voice for the detective protagonists and using a nefarious voice for the villains that sounded kind of like Mari...sometimes.

Basil would lower his voice during those tense moments when the detectives fell into trouble, gradually increasing in volume as the protagonist came closer and closer towards uncovering the culprit behind the crime. Sunny loved watching the way Basil's eyes lit up with astonishment as the dramatic twist was revealed; he was sure his own eyes reflected Basil's surprise.

Even when everyone else had already fallen asleep, he'd listen to Basil read for hours into the night.

Sunny missed those days the most, the feeling of gentle closeness they shared as they sat and read together underneath the tent. He never expressed how much he treasured those moments when it was just the two of them, a small night light illuminating the soft red shade on Basil's face every time Sunny glanced into his eyes.

I...may have felt the same way.

The sight of Basil pushing a heavy mattress toward the living room shook Sunny out of his reminiscence.

"Let me help," Sunny said, getting up to grab the other end of the mattress, pulling it out of the bedroom door.

"Oh-oh, thank you."

You don't have to thank me when I'm the one who brought this task on you...

Actually, would it be a problem if I just slept in the same room as you?

Aubrey used to tease him about being so close to Basil, sleeping under the same tent as him all the time that they practically shared the same bedroom. Being naive about his personal feelings, Sunny had gotten frustrated over being told that, and soon ended their late night under-the-tent reading sessions.

Coming from a somewhat traditional family, he knew his parents would ask questions if he spent that much time sleeping close to Basil as he matured from a child to a teenager. He was sure Mari wouldn't have cared, but his mom and dad?

Not that it mattered anymore. His mom already hated Basil for gouging out his eye, and his father wasn't coming back; what would another flame add to an already raging forest fire?

As he dragged the mattress into the living room, he felt a sharp tinge of regret over his ending their late night reading sessions. He remembered how tears came into Basil's eyes when he told him, lied to him, that his novels were getting boring and he'd rather go to sleep early. He'd been so stupid and immature.

You kept staying by my side, defending me, and I just abandoned you.

Once they'd dragged it out, they let the mattress fall onto the floor by the couch in the living room.

I...treated you so badly after the accident with Mari.

As Basil sat down to rest on one of the wooden chairs by the living room couch, Sunny wished he could take back all the hurt and pain he'd inflicted upon him.

I erased your smile.

The Basil from the past would have openly smiled at him when they sat together, just the two of them, alone; time had changed them both.

Still, he wasn't without hope. A small happiness seemed to grow in Basil when he returned.

It felt so fragile.

Sunny wanted that happiness to bloom into a full smile. He wanted to feel the warmth they once openly shared—like a sunflower touched by early morning sunlight.

Even if it meant giving himself up totally for Basil's happiness.

"Ummm...Sunny? Do you want to do something before we go to bed?" Basil asked nervously.

Sunny's mind drew a blank.

I wouldn't mind staring into your eyes forever...

"...Sunny?" Basil spoke, a concerned look in his eyes.

"Erhh, sorry," Sunny replied. "Wanna catch up on everything over the past two years?"

"Ummm...I've been okay," Basil said, in the most not-okay sounding tone. "It's been lonely since my grandma passed, but I've been getting by."

Sunny used his most empathetic voice. "I'm really sorry."

"Thanks, b-but you don't have to worry about me. How have you been doing?"

But I want to worry about you.

"I've been busy," Sunny began. "I had to work really hard at my new school to catch up since I've fallen behind my grade. At first, I was failing almost all my tests, so my mom made me go to after-school tutoring. I had almost no free time."

The scolding he'd received from his mom when he got his first trigonometric functions test back had been awful; he'd started to see where Mari got her perfectionist attitude from.

How could you fail such an easy question?

You're turning eighteen this year. Kids your age are already applying to college and thinking about their careers! When will you stop failing?

The most painful part about failing his tests was remembering how smart and hardworking Mari had been at school. Every time his mom scolded him for not doing well at a test, he knew she was really thinking why can't you be as good as your sister was?

"But at the start of my second term, my marks started to improve," Sunny continued. "My mom finally let me apply for jobs after school, and I eventually got a cashier job. That's how I saved up enough money to come back."

"Oh...that's good," Basil said.

"I joined a club to practice my speaking skills," Sunny added. "Notice the difference?"

"W-Wow, Sunny, I wouldn't have expected that from you."

To be honest, neither did I.

"Maybe spending four years cooped up in my room really built up my motivation to go out and start talking to people again," Sunny said, putting on a cheesy smile.

Wait, huh? Since when did I start feeling like I was accruing Socialization Debt?

"Umm, did you make any new friends?" Basil asked shyly.

"Kinda."

It wasn't easy making friends at his new high school. He was still a loner, an introvert, not very expressive and certainly not the most popular kid. Because of his lack of athleticism as well as his subpar grades, he quickly became a target of the cafeteria bullies.

Before long, even the bullies got bored of him due to his deadpan attitude towards everything.

The few friends he'd made were more like friendquaintances. They saw each other in their classes, and talked together at clubs, but they rarely hung out after school and he'd never gone over to any of their houses. The problem, he realized, was that he just didn't know what to talk about with any of them.

He really did miss out on a lot of personal and social development over the past four years. Most of his classmates were already planning what they wanted to do in college, while he was struggling to pass every one of his classes.

He did get a boost in popularity once, in music class, when he'd picked up a violin and started playing the duet he'd practiced for his recital all those years ago, to the astonishment of all his classmates who'd believed he was just an uninteresting, talentless kid.

Afterwards, one of his classmates had asked him if he'd like to check out her strings ensemble.

Sunny had said yes without hesitation. But the day before their first practice session, he had felt something painful deep inside his chest.

My sister...

I miss you so much.

When he looked at a piece of sheet music, he almost fainted upon recognizing the notes.

His memory of the day before his recital was burned in his memory. The emotions he'd felt that day had been overwhelming, and were the direct cause of the tragedy that later happened.

In the morning, he'd woken up groggy from sleep deprivation after a late night of practicing. He would've done anything just to get another hour of sleep, but Mari was already fully dressed, urging him to get up and start practicing.

He'd stumbled down the stairs to eat breakfast with his unsympathetic parents. While downing a piece of toast, his mom mentioned that if he hadn't wasted so much time playing with Basil after school, he would've had much more time to practice. His dad told him he'd be in big trouble if he performed poorly and caused Mari to lose her chance at fame on the stage.

Sunny had felt his anger reaching a boiling point, and his hand came inches away from throwing the breakfast plate off the table. But he'd bottled everything up. After all, who was he to argue with his parents or his sister? He was the youngest, so he had to respect his elders; they knew better than him in everything.

Mari called him into the practice room, and he'd responded with all the enthusiasm of a zombie.

"Don't mess up like you did last night", his dad warned him.

But no matter how hard he tried, he could only practice for so long before fatigue and sleep deprivation set in. He was only thirteen; he couldn't have helped himself.

His violin bow dropped to the floor right in the middle of the waltz.

"That. Was. Awful!" he heard Mari shouting at him.

Soon his parents joined in the screaming, because of course they would, he was the lazy one who would rather play silly games with Basil than practice for his older sister's recital, the most important performance of her life. Everything had been building up to this day. His safety and mental health didn't matter; they demanded perfection.

If he didn't deliver, his life was going to be over.

In spite of Mari's perfectionism and his parents' overbearing expectations, he still blamed himself completely for what had happened that night.

If only we hadn't been right by the stairs...

With these thoughts swirling around in his head, he showed up to the string ensemble group. He'd picked up a violin, gazed towards the first page of sheet music—a piece he recognized from his recital days—and played...

...a noise that must have sounded like a cat's screeching.

After excusing himself to go to the bathroom, he'd spent an hour vomiting into the toilet.

Breathing heavily, he realized that being expected to practice and perform only brought back a surge of negative emotions.

He'd felt sad, and frustrated, because this ensemble group had practically been his best chance at making new friends since moving to a new place.

When their practice session ended, he heard them talking about him as they passed down the hall connected to the bathroom. The girl that had invited him to the group mentioned she must have misestimated his skill at the violin.

I can't play the violin anymore.

"It's so hard to make new friends," Sunny said. "Everyone at my new school already has their own friend groups, and I couldn't really get into any of them."

"Yeah, I know that feeling," Basil replied.

"Did you make any new friends since I moved?" Sunny asked.

Judging from the dark and miserable expression that grew over Basil's face, he felt the answer to that was obvious.

***

An hour of casual conversation passed, but Sunny felt that they were talking in circles around what they both really wanted to discuss.

There was no easy way to transition smoothly to that elephant in the room.

Sunny decided he had to get it over with; talking about it was better than letting the elephant grow until it could stomp them over their heads.

"Have you talked to Kel or Aubrey lately?" Sunny asked, almost out of the blue.

Basil rubbed his shoes nervously against each other.

"They're doing well," Basil said. "Kel made it to his high school basketball team. He's been busy practicing every day. Aubrey's still hanging out with her usual group of friends. I think she's been doing some volunteering at the church. "

Sunny nodded; it sounded like what he already knew.

I'm glad that they seem to be moving on with their lives...but why didn't you talk to them over the past month?

"Since I'm back, we should all meet up again," Sunny suggested.

"Y-Yeah..."

You don't sound like you really want to...

Sunny placed his hands on his knees with a more thoughtful expression, but also trying to avoid looking too serious. He recognized that his anything-but-sunny demeanor already gave off too much self-centered introspection.

"Have you been doing okay without me?" Sunny asked.

Basil turned his eyes upwards as he spoke. "Oh, I've been fine..."

"If what happened back then is still causing you trouble, I'd be okay to talk about it," Sunny said.

"N-No, not at all!"

You don't sound like you're telling the truth.

"Are you really doing okay?" Sunny asked, trying not to sound too forceful.

Something came over Basil's expression, but it disappeared in any instant.

"Really, I'm fine. Thanks for worrying about me, Sunny. I appreciate it."

Sunny conceded that he wasn't going to get Basil's real feelings without divulging some of his own. He'd have to speak from his own honest thoughts first.

Within them, he uncovered a fresh batch of guilt.

No matter how he looked at it, he had to bear the responsibility for Basil becoming distanced from their friends over the past five years.

"I'm...sorry about the way I used to treat you," Sunny began.

"S-Sunny?"

"I know it's all in the past, but I still feel really bad about it. It was awful of me to draw all over the faces in your photo album. If I hadn't done that back then, Aubrey wouldn't have gotten so mad at you. She might still be your close friend right now. I never expressed a sincere apology for doing that—"

"Sunny, it's o-okay. I'm not mad at you."

"Can you be mad at me, just a little?"

"I...d-don't want to hurt you," Basil said, his voice reaching a whisper.

The light in the room reflected a brief gleam from the water of his pupils.

I'm the one who keeps hurting you, Basil. You protected my image even when I did something so wrong to you...

"It's okay," Sunny said. "You won't hurt me just by getting angry at me. Sometimes, I know I deserve it."

"But I'm really not angry," Basil protested. "You...should be angry at me for hurting your eye so badly."

Sunny shifted his eye patch; it didn't matter that he couldn't see as well with only one eye. As long as he could hear Basil's voice, feel the gentle touch of his hand, he would be happy.

"I was never mad at you about that," Sunny said.

Basil turned his eyes away. "I deserve a lot worse than you for doing that."

Sunny felt a razor-sharp cut across his chest, hearing those words.

"Believe me when I tell you that I'm happy living with only one eye, plus I get to wear a cool eye patch," Sunny said, trying a smile.

His positive spin on losing his eye seemed to have the opposite effect on Basil.

"Basil?"

Basil's fingers clenched the handles of his chair.

"I...took away an important thing that belonged to you..." Basil spoke, a warped shadow creeping over his expression.

And then it was gone in an instant.

Basil...what's gotten into you?

"It's okay, it's okay," Basil said to no one in particular.

"Are you alright?" Sunny asked.

Basil faced Sunny, his eyes full of denial. "When I attacked you with those shears, I was trying to kill Something behind you. I knew you wouldn't hurt me, and I would never, ever think of hurting you."

Sunny's smile faded instantly.

He had to get Basil to see the truth clearly, and spoke his next word with resolve. "No."

"Sunny?"

"It was me," Sunny said. "Not Something. It was me who fought you that day and punched you in the eye. It was me who blacked out all the faces in your photos. It was me who...pushed Mari, my sister, down the stairs, killing her...even though I loved her."

Sunny felt something warm rising into his eyes. "I know. It's so easy to pretend that there was something behind me every time I did those things. But it was me. You want me to be perfect, but I'm not. I never was."

His voice choked, and his next few words came out accompanied by sobs.

"Basil...I'm so sorry for doing all those things. So, please, just let yourself feel angry at me. You deserve to feel angry."

Stunned by his words, Basil could only gaze back quietly at Sunny.

The chirping of crickets outside the window was the only noise that filled the air for a minute.

When Basil spoke again, the only word that came out was his name.

Basil...don't take any more blame for my actions, okay?

Sunny wiped away a tear from his left eye.

He glanced at that delicate pink flower petal that still clung to Basil's hair.

"You're angry at me now, right?" Sunny said.

"Sunny, I'm..."

"You're angry because I won't let you believe that I'm perfect."

Basil's trembling hands fell to his sides. "I...I'm..."

Sunny looked at Basil and saw a shadow over his eyes again.

"You're angry because I ruined your life."

That shadow was burned away by a flash of honest, unfiltered fury—the first he'd ever seen that emotion from Basil.

"Fine!" Basil shouted. "I'm angry at you!"

A tiny pink petal fell from his hair onto the floor.

Thank you for being angry at me, Basil.

"B-But you should feel angry at me too!" Basil continued. "You should be angry because...I hung your sister with a jump rope!"

Sunny flinched at those words.

"You should be angry that I tried to keep you from moving away and almost..."

Basil's strength left him as quickly as it came. The fire behind his eyes faded as he spoke his next words.

"...almost killed you, Sunny..."

Sunny rushed towards Basil, wrapping his arms around him.

"I'm so sorry, Sunny," Basil said, tears suffusing his soft voice. "Y-You were always there for me. You were the only one who'd listen to my problems. Even when nobody else wanted to hear me rant...you'd sit by my side and listen."

Sunny held Basil close, patting his back comfortingly.

A drop of water fell from Basil's tear-stained cheeks and darkened a spot of the carpet.

You're right, Basil...

I used to do just that...

Those days seemed so far away now that they were all a blur in Sunny's memories, an unreachable, floating island obscured by spinning pinwheels. The years he'd spent reliving them over and over inside his head had also turned them into a confused jumble.

But he remembered.

He remembered those nights when everyone seemed to be laughing together; yet when he glanced at Basil, he'd noticed that he was the only one who wasn't truly smiling.

Sunny didn't want his best friend to feel left out. He'd approach Basil under the tent later, sitting down by his side, and he'd ask what was getting him down.

Like a dam that had burst, Basil would let everything out, every bit of grief and misery he'd felt from his parents who neglected him, who never cared about his feelings or what his interests were; from school, where he was a daily target of bullies; from kids that would exclude him from the games they played at recess; from those that taunted him for being weak and unathletic.

Basil would tell Sunny so much about the problems in his life, and Sunny would simply sit there and listen.

It wasn't that Sunny thought of himself as Basil's therapist or anything. Sometimes he simply listened out of curiosity. Often he thought Basil was exaggerating his negative feelings towards the kinds of problems that every kid encountered. Sunny was terrible at being sympathetic.

But still, he'd always listen.

"You listened to me so much that when you disappeared from my life, I just thought you needed a break from me, that's all," Basil said.

I really should've kept listening.

"I'm sorry for leaving you," Sunny said. "I should've stayed by your side the past five years after what happened."

"...You came back for me, at the very end."

A fragment of a smile appeared over Sunny's lips.

"Of course I'd always come back for you," Sunny said, that fragment growing more whole.

I would always save my best friend.

I'll come back again and again, if I have to.

"I've missed you, Sunny," Basil said, almost a smile.

That sent a light thrill into Sunny's heart. "I've missed, you, too."

"I'd always believed you'd come back," Basil said, shuffling his feet. "But..."

But?

Something flashed across Basil's eyes. It was so slight that Sunny could've easily missed it if he had just blinked at the right moment.

But he saw it.

Basil?!

"B-But I've realized you can't always be there for me," Basil said, the volume of his voice trailing into nothingness towards the end.

Sunny's smile faltered.

He could see those shadows again, that growing darkness in Basil's expression.

"You can't always be there to save me, even when I desperately need you," Basil continued.

Those words startled Sunny so much he couldn't resist when Basil pushed him slowly away.

"I...I have to take care of myself, sometimes," Basil said. "I can't just keep relying on you, or anybody else."

Within Sunny's darkening vision, the shadows behind Basil swirled, spreading webs of black goo that sprouted countless eyes.

Basil grimaced. "Sometimes...I just have to confront all the pain by myself."

Sunny nearly blacked out from the trauma of watching Basil succumb.

***

Where am I?

Endless white space.

A chaotic mash of colors.

Eyes and arms and teeth, rising like plant stems out of the darkness.

Pain-space.

Sunny felt that familiar place.

He remembered living in a world where everything was safe, secure, and predictable. Alone with his own thoughts, nothing could ever violate expectations. He didn't have to deal with the uncertainty of other people and life. He could live exactly the way he wanted to.

Until, of course, those feelings came.

Those hands that always lingered at the edge of his vision, slithering around with wide open jaws that snapped at him when he approached, chased him down.

Hand-snakes with names like fear, anger, sadness, hatred, regret, despair, loneliness.

They'd be everywhere.

Was he waiting for something to happen?

He'd rather stab and kill himself than go out to confront them.

I spent years surrounded by those feelings...

And then, he'd opened the door.

Kel. Aubrey. Hero.

With his friends by his side, he saw through the light and the darkness, through the endless swarm of colors, the artificial textures, the never-ending contours.

Basil.

Not the friends inside his head, but the friends who really came for him, who were there for him during those last three days.

The true friends he cherished.

I confronted that other part of me with the feelings my friends gave me.

And...I continued on.

Sunny opened his functioning eye and saw Basil, once more.

"You don't...have to...keep coming back for me," Basil said, dark desperation in his eyes.

What are you saying, Basil?

"I'll be fine by myself."

You can't get through everything in life by yourself.

"It's okay...Sunny." A false smile. "I don't want to keep you tied down anymore. You don't have to come back for me ever again."

But why...?

"Just move on without me...Sunny..."

Those tormented words struck Sunny harder than any other words he'd ever heard in his life.

And then, the realization of what Basil feared struck Sunny like an arm pushing him over the edge of stairs.

He understood Basil's fear all too well.

The fear of losing someone he loved, again. The fear of that fear.

Even if he promised Basil that he would always come back, he knew he wouldn't be able to fully drive away those dark feelings that dwelt within him.

Memories were powerful things, and memories of feelings, those were even stronger. Experiencing the trauma of losing a friend left behind such a deep scar that the fear of that loss would always be there. The memory of a feeling, once imprinted, could never be erased.

And the fear of waiting for a friend who might never come back...

Basil and himself, they'd tried everything they could to get those feelings under control.

But they were wrong.

Happiness, anger, sadness, all those feelings created parts of who they were. Controlling those emotions meant denying what they cherished.

Without sadness, they would never appreciate the smile of a friend waving goodbye at the end of a day.

What Sunny had realized in the end was that feelings weren't meant to be avoided.

It was hard to face all his feelings, so hard. In the extreme depths of sadness, the easiest thing to do was to end it all. It was much harder to endure that sadness, even worse when it seemed like there would only be more painful feelings down the road, that there was no point at all to dealing with any of it.

That's why...

But when he did face his feelings, he understood—

The point of having feelings is to feel them fully.

The sadness of Mari's death had to be experienced, not suppressed. Only after letting himself fully cry out all his tears could he begin to move on.

And the catalyst for understanding that was facing you, Omori...

Before I let go of you, we embraced each other.

I let my sadness in fully, for the first time in four years...

And I cried.

Maybe Basil understood, too, when he smiled after opening his eyes at the hospital.

But those who'd overcome their fears and anxieties would face them again one day. And there was no guarantee they'd be stronger than them the next time.

Sunny looked into Basil's eyes and saw that fear of recurrence of all his painful emotions.

He felt at a loss as to what to do. He couldn't just tell Basil that things might get better if he learned to be comfortable with the fear of losing him.

I'll just have to convince you it won't happen.

With the same resolve he'd felt when he'd told his friends the truth, Sunny reached out and clasped Basil's hand in his own.

"This is my promise."

Their eyes locked.

He'd never seen Basil's eyes so vulnerable as they were now. The darkness within them, those shadows, something, they were all made clear.

Sunny pressed Basil's hand against his own chest.

"Listen."

He steadied Basil's trembling hand, making sure that Basil could feel the beating of his own heart.

This is me.

"Sunny...?"

"If you're ever wondering whether I'll come back for you, if you're wondering if I ever cared about you, if I was ever here for you—you have all the proof you need, right here."

The warmth of my beating heart.

Sunny tilted his head, a gentle smile.

"It's yours."

Chapter Text

With Basil's hand clasped in his, palm held against his own heart, Sunny spoke the words he'd been meaning to tell Basil from the start of his whole trip.

"My heart is yours."

The blush that fell over Basil's face colored his face so red that Sunny would swear he was about to gush blood out of his nose.

"You...really mean it, Sunny?"

"One hundred percent."

Basil fell silent. Only a minute ago, the light in his eyes had receded so far that it was almost completely drowned out by the shadows. When Basil's hand pressed against Sunny's chest, a tiny glint had pierced the darkness.

Within moments that fragment of light had vanquished the shadows, and the colors that emerged were prettier than all the flowers in the world.

"You feeling better?" Sunny broke the silence.

"Your heart feels...warm..."

A moment after those words left his lips, a huge red blush suffused Basil's whole face.

"Oh...! I'm sorry." Basil turned his eyes away. "I didn't mean to say that. If you're worried about me, I feel...okay, right now."

Sunny exhaled in relief. "I hope you believe me now when I tell you that I won't ever leave your side again."

The red embarrassment on Basil's face blued, overcome by a quiet sadness.

"Basil...?"

"Sunny...I don't know what to do," Basil said.

"What's wrong?" Sunny asked.

"The words you're saying make me feel so happy," Basil said, choking back tears. "But the happier you make me, the harder it'll be for me once you leave. And you'll leave, one day. Next time...I might not even know what to do with myself."

Sunny pressed Basil's hand firmly against himself. "You still don't believe me? "

"I can tell you mean every word you say, but I know it's not realistic."

Darn...Basil has really been thinking through things since the last time we've met.

"Why can't us staying together be realistic?" Sunny asked.

The smile that came over Basil's face was veiled by so much sadness.

"Because life happens," Basil said, his voice so different from the idealistic tone of his younger self. "We all have to part ways one day when we grow up, don't we?"

That's not true. We could stay together for our whole lives.

...But I guess you're right. We both know that I can only be here for the rest of the summer.

I was hoping that we could resolve all our inner conflicts by the time I leave, so that we'll be able to part ways on happy terms, without any regrets like last time.

But...I guess you've always been too forward-looking for your own good, huh?

Sunny turned his gaze away, staring glumly at the floor. The tiny petal that had fallen from Basil's hair was still there, stuck to a tangled fiber of the carpet.

He knew how cruel reality could be. He'd loved his sister so much, and yet the world had ripped him away from her without any warning or consolation. It could happen to him again. He could blink, and all of a sudden, someone that he loved could be torn away from the embrace of his arms.

It could happen by disease, or by another lethal accident. His mom told him people also slowly lose touch with each other once their daily lives revolved around their career or their family.

If he lost Basil, he wouldn't know what to do with himself. It'd be like losing Mari all over again, but even worse. He had to trust that it wouldn't ever happen again for his own sanity's sake.

Nothing could save him from being deathly afraid of a reality where he lost Basil forever.

But I'm not going to just lie in bed wishing for bad things to go away anymore.

He'd learned not to let fear obstruct him from taking action. If he and Basil were ever separated from each other, he would do everything necessary to find him again, even if that meant wading through the depths of pain and despair. As long as Basil remained alive, he could always do something to come back to his side.

That was a vow he was willing to make.

Clasping Basil's hand gently, he gazed back into Basil's eyes.

"Even if reality tears us apart, we'll find each other again," Sunny said. "You don't have to do a thing. Just wait for me, and I'll come back for you."

"That's...that's so sweet of you," Basil said, trying to smile; it still wasn't his full smile.

"Let's make a vow to each other." Sunny tightened his grip on Basil's hand. "If I ever wake up one day and discover that you're not by my side, I'll do everything in my power to find you again. I'll come back to you as fast as I can, no matter who or what stands in my way."

Will you always be waiting for me, Basil?

"Can you make a promise for me as well?" Sunny asked, his voice softening. "Can you promise me that, no matter what happens, no matter how far apart the world separates us, you'll always go on living? Live on, waiting for the day that I'll come back to you?"

I know it's selfish of me to ask you this.

He could never fully understand the pain that went on inside another person's head. So asking someone to keep on living, no matter what kind of pain they were going through, was an extraordinarily selfish request.

I'm a selfish person.

But...I'll never ask anyone else to make this kind of vow for me.

Only you, Basil.

"I...never thought you'd say those words to me," Basil said, his face colored by a deeper red. "You really mean it?"

"I do."

"You'll keep your side of the vow, and I'll keep mine?"

"Always."

Basil glanced down at the hand that clasped his and held his palm so closely to the heartbeat that resonated through their bodies.

The cool night wind rustled the stems and leaves of the plants that grew out in the house's yard.

Blushing fully, Basil reached out with his other hand and grasped Sunny's free hand.

"I'll...I promise," Basil said. "I promise I'll always live on, waiting for you to come back to my side."

Those words played the prettiest duet to Sunny's ears.

"I promise to always return to your side, no matter how far apart we may be," Sunny said.

Basil smiled so adorably it made Sunny's heart melt.

I've been waiting to see that smile.

"Ummm...didn't we use to seal our promises by locking pinkie fingers?" Basil asked shyly.

That was back when we were kids...

Sunny summoned all his remaining courage.

This vow is a deeper promise than the ones we made as children.

When Sunny spoke his next words, he smiled awkwardly, like he was confessing to his first crush.

"Do you want to seal our promise with a kiss?"

***

Basil's face turned so red he might as well change his name to tomato.

"Ummm...Sunny?!?!?"

"You don't want to?" Sunny asked.

"Are you aware what kissing me means?"

"...I know."

Basil shut his eyes tight. "Sunny, I thought we were making this vow as best friends. But a kiss means..."

"We were already best friends," Sunny said, a blush in his cheeks. "Isn't it obvious? If I'm going all the way of giving my heart to you, it means I want us to be something even closer."

"Ummm...!!! Sunny, do you really feel that way about me?"

...I can't believe you're making me say it.

"Yeah. I like you, Basil."

Basil blinked six times in a row. The grips of his hands loosened; Sunny thought he was going to faint right there.

"Basil? Are you okay?"

"I—I never thought you'd ever feel that way about me..."

Should I have tried flirting with you first? Maybe I was too direct?

Basil's eyes watered with emotion. "Sunny...I don't even know how to express my feelings right now..."

"Just say whatever you want," Sunny said, hoping his feelings would receive reciprocation.

"Ummm...I..."

Basil had been holding back so much; Sunny could tell.

The expression on Basil's face was the kind he used to show right before unloading all his problems and feelings onto a younger, twelve-year-old Sunny.

"...Ever since I met you, I'd felt that you were...special...to me. When you listened to me reading my books, when you let me vent to you even when nobody else would care to listen...I started to love you, so, so much.

"I wanted to see you perform. I wanted to see everyone clapping for you. I wanted the whole world to know how kind and beautiful you are. On my twelfth birthday, when I blew out the candle on my cake, I gazed into your eyes and made a wish. I...

"I wished for you to always be happy. I didn't care if you didn't love me back. I just wanted you to be happy. Even if you ended up loving someone else, even if one day you got married with them and had a family of your own...as long as you were happy, I'd smile too.

"I...saw the way you blushed when Aubrey was nearby, in my photos. I cheered you on, because I knew you were happy when you were with her."

"That was a long time ago," Sunny said. "And I can like both girls and boys, y'know?"

You were so sure I liked her that you weren't willing to accept that I might actually like YOU even when I gave my heart to you...

Basil glanced at Sunny with such a shy and delicate smile on his face.

"Sorry for being so oblivious," Basil said. "It's just, for so many years, it really didn't matter to me whether you loved me back or not, Sunny. As long as you were happy, there wasn't a single other thing in the world I cared about."

"I was more oblivious to your feelings, I'm sure," Sunny confessed.

Basil shook his head. "But...realizing that you...just might feel the same way about me...I never imagined it could ever be true...

"You already made me so happy today when you told me that you'd give your heart for me...

"Now that you want to seal our vow with a kiss...I just...I just...don't know what to even feel..."

Just let me love you, Basil.

Sunny gently held Basil's forearm.

"...Sunny?"

Leaning in close, Sunny wrapped his other arm around Basil, pulling their bodies closer together.

With Basil's hand held against his own heart, he snuggled his face against Basil's chest until he could hear Basil's heart rhythm as well.

Basil's heart is beating much faster than mine.

The blush on Basil's face grew so severe Sunny half expected him to collapse from embarrassment.

Listening to Basil's heartbeat felt so reassuring. In spite of the terror that had afflicted Basil earlier, those shadows and eyes and that sheer fear of losing him, Basil was still alive and warm. A warm body could still keep pushing through painful feelings and hardships; a warm body was always better than a cold one.

Tears came to Sunny's left eye as he remembered the way Mari's body grew cold, clasped tightly in his arms.

I won't ever let that happen to you.

"Sunny...?" Basil spoke again.

"I'm okay," Sunny said, wiping his tears on Basil's shoulder. "Can you tell me if you're feeling alright?"

"I...feel like I'm so happy that I wouldn't want anything more from the world..."

"Can you remember this feeling for me?" Sunny asked, a brief smile.

"W-Wha...?"

"From now on, if you're ever feeling sad, lonely, or depressed, just remember this feeling. Always remember that I care about you so much I came here to share my heart with you."

Those cheesy words summoned another gush of pink into Basil's cheeks. Sunny could feel himself blushing pretty deeply too.

They were both turning into tomatoes, which was kind of befitting the garden-house that they were in.

...Maybe I should back off. He has to get it by now.

Sunny loosened his grip on Basil's hand that was held against his heart. He pulled back from their close embrace until they were standing two feet apart again.

"As long as you can remember that feeling, you don't need to be scared anymore," Sunny said, drawing from his own memories of how much he cherished the feelings his friends had given him.

"...I'll remember."

"But, if you're ever scared...let's just be honest and open with our feelings from now on," Sunny added.

"Okay. I'll...I'll try," Basil replied.

"And I don't want to hear you tell me that it's okay if I leave and never come back again. I'm not like how I was before. You don't ever have to worry about me locking myself up in my room for years again, alright?"

Basil nodded and closed his eyes, shutting off a few drops of water that fell onto the floor.

"Sunny...I'm sorry for saying that. I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay."

"It isn't." Basil turned his face to the side. "I...keep worrying about the two of us moving on with our lives until one day we just don't care to find each other anymore. Sometimes when I look at you, all I see is Something coming and taking you far out of my reach..."

...We both keep seeing Something appear within each other, huh?

Sunny realized that their Somethings were different.

The one commonality their Somethings shared was that it was a shadowy visage that first arose from a vision of Mari so horrifying, neither of them could shake it off.

If Omori had been born from the repression of Sunny's thoughts and fears, then Something was the horrific reemergence of those feelings. The longer he repressed them, the stronger those feelings would come back, appearing scarier than ever before.

Basil's Something grew willfully from the way he wanted to protect Sunny from the truth. That was different from the way Sunny's Something was born out of his denial of the truth.

Basil might have wanted Something to be there, wanted there to be a horrific creature that he could assign blame onto for every traumatic event involving Sunny.

This difference meant Basil was always aware of his denial, but was driven to keep denying the truth, whereas Sunny almost fully forgot what the truth was.

I thought I'd fully overcome my Something until I saw the shadows behind you...

I guess I'd be lying to myself if I said I'd never see Something again. Whenever I get really anxious and depressed, I'd still see those shadows at the edge of my vision...

Maybe it's going to be there for the rest of my life.

Sunny exhaled a sigh. "If Something shows up again, we have to tell each other, okay?"

Basil nervously bumped his index fingers against one another. "Would...it be fine if you'd give me a light knock on the head, just to shake me out of my fear, whenever I see Something again?"

"I'll try everything else first," Sunny replied.

"Ummm...haha...I'd really appreciate it."

"Alright. I'll knock you on the head, hopefully without sending you to the hospital again."

Basil laughed, pure music to Sunny's ears. "Okay...I trust you."

"We can trust each other as long as we're open about our feelings," Sunny said, fully aware of how much of a cheese head he sounded like.

A strong gust of wind blew against the house, signifying a coming storm.

Basil tilted his head, smiling. "Sorry about that whole tangent. Do y—you still want to...y'know..."

"Seal our vow to each other?" Sunny asked, beaming.

Basil averted his eyes. "Just one more question. H—Have you always liked me?"

"Hmmm...when I first saw you, I thought you wore a really cute flower in your hair. Back then I'd believed that only girls wore flowers in their hair, so the fact that you were a boy got me thinking...wow, that's a very pretty boy. "

"Umm...!!!"

Basil's blush came back in full swing.

Whatever words Basil was about to say utterly vanished before they could be fully given voice.

"...My feelings for you were always there. I tried to repress them for four years, but I remembered how important you were to me by the end," Sunny confessed.

"Sunny...that's so sweet of you..."

...I'd never been so honest with my feelings to someone else before.

Not even to my sister.

Sunny couldn't tell if it was from the coming storm or from his emotions when he felt a new tension in the air. The temperature of the room grew stifling.

"I really like you," Sunny whispered, leaning forward.

Basil's face flushed beet red when Sunny came a lot closer than he must have expected.

"Sunny...I... "

"Do you want to kiss?"

Basil shut his eyes. "...I do. I really want to."

"Let's seal our promise."

The gap beneath them vanished as Sunny pressed his lips against Basil's.

***

The flower in Basil's hair brushed against Sunny's bangs.

When their lips touched, Sunny felt something warm and sweet inside his chest. It was so sweet he believed he would never stop smiling.

Seeing Basil so happy to be with him, being so close to him, kissing him—before today he'd never have imagined he would get to fulfill his wish. A part of him found it hard to believe that his feelings could even include so much happiness.

His emotions were completely drowned by the sweet warmth of Basil's lips. He'd fall into the depths of hell with Basil.

From now on, I'll follow you wherever you go.

The kiss sent ripples of delightful intoxication through him. An eternity of sadness would be worth it if it let him share just one moment like this with Basil.

When the moment came that their lips parted, Sunny felt the real impact of sealing himself behind the doors of a lifelong promise.

He didn't mind it one bit. He'd been the one to slam the doors shut, and he'd hammer nails and boards and add a pair of double iron gates to the door if he could. As long as Basil was the one waiting for him inside this door, he'd do everything in his power to make sure he could come in and never exit.

Sunny's hands grasped Basil's. "That was wonderful."

"It was," Basil said. "Sunny, I—I love you."

You've made me so happy, Basil.

"I just...didn't expect you to love me back after pining after you for so long," Basil added quietly.

Sunny felt another kiss would convince him. "Kiss me again."

"A—Again?"

The furious red blush on Basil's face was so adorable.

"You don't want to?"

"N—No, I j—just thought maybe you still wanted to hold back a bit...since that kiss was just for sealing our promise to each other..."

He overthinks things even more than I do...

"If you accept my love, then kiss me again," Sunny offered.

Warm, light-headed giddiness rushed through Sunny's body as Basil's lips pressed against his once more. He couldn't hold himself back from wrapping his arms around Basil, embracing all the heat of his body, pressing their chests close until he could feel Basil's heartbeat. He craved more.

Hot passionate emotions flooded him until the very core of his being felt submerged in an abyssal trench of heart-tingling, stomach-churning sweetness.

Everything felt so right.

They kissed until Sunny was completely out of breath.

When their lips parted, he drew in deep lungfuls of air without which he'd (almost gladly) have suffocated to death.

He hoped the expression on his face wasn't manic.

That was...not a good thought given the nature of the manic characters that tended to appear inside his headspace.

He gazed at Basil's eyes, drawn towards that tender glow within them.

We kissed again.

Again.

Again.

And again.

...I'm not sure when we stopped, but when I opened my left eye, I'd nearly fallen over, desperately gasping for air...

...Basil wasn't doing much better.

Sunny managed to reach the mattress, collapsing. He couldn't believe he'd done it so long, his first time kissing someone.

Saliva drenched his lips. The taste of Basil was still fresh on his tongue and the only thing stopping him from going back for more was the very apparent fact that Basil was also desperate for air.

...It could only happen with Basil, someone who'd pined after me for so long...

"Are you...okay...Basil?"

"I'm...okay...Sunny..."

Hand propping his body up against the kitchen counter, Basil gazed at Sunny, smiling.

Still not that full smile, a smile he'd remembered being brighter than the sun. But they were getting there.

This was enough for now.

"You wanna...look over...your old photo album...again?" Sunny offered.

Basil's eyes grew with longing as they glanced towards the photo book that lay on the couch. But he shook his head.

"Actually...I think I'd rather...go to bed," Basil said, his eyes becoming lidded.

Sunny couldn't feel sleepy after all that kissing, but by this time in life he was no stranger to insomnia. If Basil wanted to go to bed, he'd happily comply even if it meant tossing and turning for a while.

But the thought of lying alone on the mattress in the living room suddenly made his heart feel very cold.

I don't want to be too intrusive.

"Okay, let's go to bed," Sunny said.

"Alright. Goodnight, Sunny."

"Goodnight, Basil."

Before leaving for his bedroom, Basil stood by the door leading into the bedroom hall, a shy smile on his face. A trace of his earlier blush grew on his cheeks.

"Sunny...I know I've already asked a lot today, but...would you like to come sleep in my room?"

Basil...

We share one mind, don't we?

That was perhaps the ordinary outcome of sharing a deep trauma within a buried secret for four years.

"I'd love to," Sunny said. "I'll bring the mattress over."

"Umm...yeah, I guess my bed's too small to fit two people..."

Sunny's brain felt like it might just explode.

Did Basil just casually suggest the two of us sleeping together? In one bed?

He shook those thoughts away. "Let's carry it."

Basil started to smile, a quiet giggle. "Thanks, Sunny."

While dragging the mattress (again) across the bedroom hall, Sunny felt a light-headed sensation different than anything he'd ever felt before. All the colors in his vision seemed rose-tinted; he felt like he could vomit rainbows.

Every time he glanced in Basil's direction and locked eyes, he thought his heart would burst out of his chest in happiness.

In biology class, he'd learned that two neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin, were involved in the production of elated feelings.

My brain must be swimming in them right now...

He'd never have imagined that such a happy reality could have awaited him in the real world. All those years spent lying in bed, wasted.

Or, maybe not. Maybe if he'd gone through school like a normal teenager would, he'd still be the same sort of outcast he felt like he was now. He was sure the only person that had ever been into him was Basil, anyways.

The two of them were lucky that they ended up liking each other.

"Hey, Basil, I was wondering..." Sunny began. "While I was locked up in my room for four years, did you ever...like anybody else?"

Basil shook his head vigorously. "I only ever thought about you, Sunny."

Hearing those words, Sunny felt someone take a knife to his heart and twist. "I'm really sorry for taking so long to come back to you."

"It's o-okay, I'm over it now," Basil said. "Let's forget about that time of our lives, okay?"

I'll try.

"Yeah, that might be for the best," Sunny replied.

They pushed the mattress into Basil's room and plopped it down onto the floor by Basil's bed.

This is where I'll be sleeping from now on...

Basil picked up his toothbrush and toothpaste. "I'll be back in a second."

I need to brush my teeth, too...

Sunny had brought his hygiene supplies in his backpack. He went back to the living room to grab them, and went to brush his teeth in the washroom right after Basil was done.

When he came back to their bedroom, Basil was already tucked in bed, on the verge of falling asleep.

"Sunny...I'm so glad you love me," Basil spoke.

"I'll love you for the rest of my life," Sunny assured him.

You're so precious to me, Basil, sometimes I could cry just by thinking about you.

Or when I think about the sadness we've both endured over the past five years...

Basil closed his eyes and fell fast asleep, leaving Sunny alone with his thoughts for the first time in what felt like forever.

***

Sunny saw the moonlight shining in through the window. He watched the pale light play over Basil's sleeping figure, illuminating the beautiful pink flower he wore in his hair. It stirred something light inside his chest.

Outside, in the house's yard, he'd remembered seeing pots planted with red and orange tulips, even though he knew Basil's favorite was white tulips.

Inside Basil's bedroom, a single white tulip grew out of a pot placed by the windowsill. It had wilted.

The night's silence struck Sunny with the real world's messy realities, and they left his mind in chaos. His relationship with the only remaining member of his family was in the gutter. He had only a bit of money left in his pocket to pay for food. If he wanted to stay for the whole summer, he had to find a job right away.

Friends weren't normally so close that they'd stay over for that long. What would people think of their relationship? What would Basil's parents think?

Perhaps Basil's new caretaker, once they arrived, could tell him in no uncertain terms to get out.

What would Kel, Aubrey, and Hero think...?

No matter what happened, he had no intention of ever breaking his promise to stay by Basil's side.

The memory of their kiss, still fresh in his mind, felt so blissful.

He just wished he had some clue about what the two of them were going to do from here on out.

Most classmates at their age, eighteen, were bound for college. But he was behind in grade, and he had no idea how Basil was doing in school, or what his future plans were, if he had any.

He still didn't understand why Basil had stopped talking to his friends in the past month.

Maybe Basil was afraid of them now that the truth was out. But even if Hero didn't forgive him for framing Mari's death, Aubrey seemed to be the most understanding. She'd almost killed Basil herself when she pushed him in the lake; she was in the best position to empathize with what they did. And Kel was a nice person who'd always hear anybody out.

Sunny looked out the window and saw a dark grey cloud begin to cover the moon. He felt his eyes growing heavy as the hour clock struck 1 AM.

After a few sleepy blinks, his eyes finally closed shut.

Where am I...?

I'm...floating in water...

It's so foggy...

He felt a warm, gentle hand holding his. Together, they stayed afloat on the misty water. A familiar voice spoke close to his ear.

"After all this time...you've finally come back for me."

"But...tomorrow...you're going away."

"I don't...want to be...alone...not again."

"You...can't...leave me...again..."

Sunny spun around and found himself looking at a crown of flowers on a head of greenish blue hair.

Weren't those the words you spoke to me that night, when we'd fought?

He couldn't see any more trace of that shadow in Basil's eyes.

"Hey, Sunny," Basil spoke. "Glad to see you make it."

"Hi...Basil," Sunny replied. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure, but it seems we're both lost at sea," Basil replied. "Hold my hand. We have to swim to shore."

"...Okay."

The two of them started wading through the water. The fog didn't clear; he had no idea if they were moving closer or further from the shore. Or if there was a shore nearby at all.

"You're doing great!" Basil said, smiling.

"I hope I don't sink..." Sunny said, staring down at the depths, and saw only bottomless nothingness.

"Don't worry. As long as we keep our promise to stay by each other's side, we'll never drown, right?"

"R-Right."

Out of nowhere, a dark, Basil-shaped shadow emerged from the endless fog. The shadow drifted towards them until it was right next to them, walking on the surface of the water which they swam through.

"Sunny..." the stranger spoke. "Are you sure you're making the right choice?"

Sunny faced the floating figure and tried to speak, but Basil was the one who answered for him.

"Of course he did," Basil said. "We promised that we'll always stay together because I know he'll come back to me no matter what."

The shadow's face grew darker. "Just what are you playing at, Sunny?"

Sunny felt the waves surging against his body and his face, stopping him from swimming any further.

"Basil has always been afraid of losing you," the stranger continued. "You might believe you can remove his fear by convincing him that you'll never leave his side, but that's just placing a bandage over a festering wound. Basil will never fully recover until he overcomes his fear of losing you."

The Basil holding Sunny's hand faced the stranger, his eyes glowing red. "But Sunny's telling the truth. He really won't leave me this time."

The stranger laughed.

Before Sunny could shield himself, the waves crashed against him. He completely lost control over which direction he swam in, or even the orientation of his body. Everything felt jumbled.

He still grasped Basil's hand.

"You think Sunny has any control over that?" the stranger said. "People can leave at the drop of a hat. All it takes is one argument...or a change of goals...or a disease...or an accident."

An image of Basil's grandmother's face flashed across the Stranger's visage coinciding with the word disease, followed by the sound of a body falling down stairs.

"That won't happen!" Basil exclaimed. "Sunny...Sunny won't leave me on a whim. He promised with his heart that he'll stay by my side."

The noise of a violin's strings snapping reverberated across the clouds.

"You trust Sunny so much," the stranger whispered. "Yet you know that the more you trust him, the more deeply he'll hurt you when he leaves one day."

Sunny opened his mouth. He tried to protest, but no words came out. Only the sound of crashing waves.

"Or do you not know?" the stranger continued. "Do you still deny the reality before you?"

"You...aren't giving me enough credit," Basil spoke, a small smile. "I know I'll feel sad, I'll feel miserable if Sunny leaves me."

"Then why do you still cling to him?"

"Because...because that's what my feelings tell me to do."

The Stranger froze in its tracks.

"When we sealed our promise, I was so happy," Basil said. "I realized that if I could experience so much happiness, then it's still worth having all my feelings. Even if those same feelings result in a lot of sadness..."

"You say that now, but how will you react when you experience true sadness?" the stranger persisted. "How will you cope when you're faced with the bleakest misery your existence can offer? Will you deny it all over again?"

Basil turned away from the stranger. "...I don't know."

"You won't face reality," the stranger said. "You'll do what you always do when reality becomes too painful for you to confront. You'll conjure up an alternate reality, call it the truth, frame a murder—you'd do anything to escape it."

"...I won't deny my feelings anymore," Basil said softly. "I'll face them this time."

The stranger didn't seem convinced. Without an answer, it turned around and disappeared into the fog.

Sunny found himself floating on the surface of the sea again. He turned towards Basil, tightening his grip on his hand.

"Sorry about that, Sunny," Basil said, smiling. "I know, things will be hard from here on. But I'll stay positive. I promise."

You don't need to always be positive...

Sometimes you have to let yourself feel sadness fully.

"I understand..." Basil said, replying directly to Sunny's thoughts. "The best thing I can do is to let myself feel sad when things don't go the way I want them to..."

"But Basil has never done what's best for himself, has he?

Omori's face rose up from the depths of the sea, threatening to engulf them.

"Basil doesn't care about himself," Omori spoke, his voice resonating across the entire universe. "Basil has always done what's best for YOU, Sunny. When he framed your sister's murder, it was to protect YOU from responsibility. When he took the blame for you defacing all the photos in his album, it was to protect YOUR image. And if he'd succeeded at killing himself, it would only be because he wanted to protect YOUR secret."

Sunny felt tears welling up into his eyes.

He looked down at his chest and saw that the tears streaming down his cheeks were the source of the whole sea that they were swimming in.

"I'm sorry, Sunny," Basil said, letting go of Sunny's hand. "I can't do what's best for myself. I'll always do what's best for you. Because I love you."

"Wait," Sunny tried to say. "Don't go."

Basil drifted further and further away.

"Will you keep your promise?" Basil asked, his voice growing more distant. "Will you come back to my side, no matter how far apart we drift?"

Sunny tried to swim through the ocean of tears as fast as he could. But he wasn't fast enough to catch up to Basil, pushed away by the surging waves.

His tears flowed faster than he could swim, and the water kept rising.

"I'll be waiting for you, Sunny," Basil said as he vanished into the fog.

"Basil!!!"

Sunny's left eye burst open, his body bolting up like a spring from the mattress.

That was just a dream...

It was still dark out. There was a soft drizzle; the clock said 5:30 AM. He spun to face Basil's bed and felt a wave of relief when he saw that he was okay.

Basil's still here, sleeping by my side...

A phone ringing had woken him up.

Calming down, Sunny climbed out of bed and walked out into the bedroom hall towards the phone in the living room.

Ugh. Why does my brain assault me with these horrible dreams?

And who the heck is calling at this hour?

He reached the dial-up phone in the living room and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Sunny?" he heard his mom's voice speak.

Chapter Text

"Sunny? Is that you? Oh, thank goodness you're safe. How have you been?"

"I'm okay, mom."

"I was so worried that something might've happened to you, I couldn't sleep. Sunny, please come home."

"I already told you, I'm not going back. I'm staying here for the whole summer."

A pause. Sunny readied himself mentally to receive one of his mom's many lectures on why she knew what was best for him.

"Sunny, what's gotten into you? You were doing so well here. You had a job, your grades were improving, you were starting to talk more. Why did you go back? Please tell me it's not because of—"

"It's not your business," Sunny said in a deadpan voice.

"Sunny, listen to me. I know you care about Basil, but I want you to try and forget about him. His mind isn't stable. No matter how good of a friend he was back then, he's not the same person you think he is anymore. I hope you aren't being tricked into—"

"You don't know anything about him," Sunny cut her off. "Please don't try to tell me you know my friend better than myself."

"Sunny, listen. There are good people and there are bad people in this world, and good people don't attack their friends' eyes with shears—"

"Why are you still hung up about that? I told you, I've already forgiven him, and the people in my life aren't yours to—"

"You lost your eye because of him! How can I not despise the monster who took away my son's—"

"You don't get to choose who I hang out with!"

Sunny breathed in deeply, trying to keep himself calm. "I'm an adult now, so don't try to control me the same way you and dad always tried to do."

"You may be eighteen, but you're still young and you don't have any idea of how the world works—"

"Mom, I worked a job. I'm plenty experienced enough to know how the world works and to know what I want—"

"Don't tell me you know how the world works just because you worked four months as a cashier. You need to go to college—"

"Is college all you care about?" Sunny demanded, raising his voice.

"Sunny, you have no idea how hard your life will be without a degree. See, this is why I can't let you make any important decisions by yourself yet. You went through four years of your life barely interacting with anyone and now you think you know more about how the world works than someone who's worked her whole life and raised a family—"

"Mom, I told you, I'm only visiting Basil for the summer!"

"There's so many things you can do over the summer in the city. We have to start planning your career, and you should try applying for internships at some of the companies—"

"I said, mom, I'd rather spend the summer with my best friend!"

"Your friend who does nothing all day except grow flowers, whose parents are entirely missing from his life, who thought it was a good idea to use a jump rope to frame Mari's death as a suicide—"

"Do. Not. Drag. Mari. Into. This!"

Rage boiled inside Sunny. He couldn't believe his mom would try to use his sister as a means to try and get him to come back home.

I don't even want to call that place my home anymore.

"Sunny, don't you dare use that tone with me," she warned.

"You're telling me to keep calm after you bring up Mari?"

Her voice grew choked. "It's because you couldn't control your temper that we lost her!"

That only further fueled Sunny's rage. "You always disregard everything I say, always telling me that you know better than me!"

"How do you think I feel watching you waste your whole summer with a boy who stabbed your eye out?"

"You've got it completely wrong. Our relationship is fine."

"No, Sunny, you're the one who's got it all wrong. Please, come back home. I'll make everything better for you. Just don't stay at Basil's house any longer—"

"Mom, I am not coming back."

"Sunny, you are making a big mistake. Listen to your mother. Take deep breaths. Control your anger, and don't do anything rash. Let me tell you why your life will be much better if you come back home so we can discuss..."

Sunny was beyond furious.

All his life, his parents had been telling him to control his feelings. When he felt sad, they told him not to cry. When he felt angry, they told him there were serious consequences for lashing out. And of course, he knew quite well the consequences of actually lashing out at someone he loved.

After Mari died, he punished himself for getting so angry, punished himself for even having feelings in the first place.

Eventually, he realized that only his friends had ever been supportive of his feelings. He grew up the quietest, least expressive among them, but deep down, he knew he would always express more feelings in front of his friends than with the adults in his life, because his friends accepted his feelings.

When his friends were by his side, he could allow himself to feel happy, angry, or sad. Sometimes that'd lead to disagreements, even arguments.

But he'd learned that it was okay to experience conflict. It was okay to feel angry, even at the people he loved; he just had to make sure he didn't hurt them.

Sunny took a deep breath. "Mom. That's enough. I'm not coming back, no matter how you try to convince me."

"How can you say that, Sunny? You're throwing your life away!"

"Mom, I want to spend the summer with my best friend. That's it."

"Sunny, you are spending your summer with a psycho—"

A burst of blinding rage forced Sunny's hand to slam the phone down on the receiver.

Guess I'm awful at both controlling my feelings and at not hurting the people I value.

...I honestly don't care anymore.

He turned around and nearly jumped when he saw Basil standing at the doorway of the bedroom hall.

Judging by Basil's expression, he'd heard the gist of the conversation.

"Sunny...do you have to go back?" Basil asked.

"No way," Sunny said. "I'm eighteen now. My mom can't control me. The only way I'll ever go back before the summer ends is if you want me to go back."

Basil gripped his right arm. "I'm really sorry for putting you in this situation. But if you need to go back, it's okay. I'll be fine by myself."

"I won't go back. Trust me."

Sunny couldn't think of any reason he'd need to go back and see his mom, unless she had an accident or something else terrible had happened to her.

It wasn't that he hated his mom. He just didn't like the way she tried to control every aspect of his life and constantly devalued his own needs and desires.

In all fairness, after the way he'd spent those four years cooped up inside his own room, she had good reasons to suspect he didn't know what to do with his life.

How can I convince her that I'm different now?

If I mention that I'm also in love with my best friend, whom she still despises for accidentally taking out my eye...

Sunny felt like giving up on convincing his mom.

She was the cherry on top of a life already overflowing with disasters and misunderstandings. Years of repressed feelings had swelled up to a breaking point; he was so done with controlling his anger. There just wasn't any point to it anymore.

From now on, as long as he didn't hurt anyone, he would feel free to do whatever the hell he wanted to do.

"...Will you really be fine living here the whole summer?" Basil asked.

"As long as your parents don't mind," Sunny said. "Don't worry, I won't make myself a burden on you."

"You aren't a burden. I'll try my hardest to tell my parents to let you stay for the summer."

I really hope they'll let me.

"Thanks."

"Still...I kind of heard...what your mom thinks about me..."

Sunny felt his stress levels reaching a dangerous point. A growing headache caused him to wince in pain.

"I don't care what she thinks. I still love you," Sunny said.

Basil's smile was tinged with uneasiness. "I love you too, but...maybe my parents will think similar things...about you..."

"If they don't let me stay, I'll just find some other place to crash. Maybe the park has some good spots to sleep."

Though I'll end up smelling like the hobos who always sleep there...

His headache grew debilitating; he reached up to massage his temples.

"Sunny!" Basil rushed to his side, eyes full of concern. "Do you need help?"

"I'm just a bit stressed."

"I—I can get some ice."

"It's fine. Just some water would be nice."

He wasn't telling the truth; the uncertainties that bombarded his life were beyond stressful.

Cool, gentle relief flowed through his body as Basil held a glass of water to his lips. He drank the whole glass.

"Thank you. I feel much better," Sunny said, his headache already alleviating.

"Are you sure you don't need any ice?"

"I'm good."

Basil lowered the glass and turned his eyes away, looking slightly embarrassed.

"You're...pretty awesome," Basil whispered.

Sunny blinked. "I am?"

"I—I hope you don't mind me saying this...but...

"I was really surprised by how you defended yourself on the phone," Basil confessed. "I never knew you had such a passionate voice."

Sunny blinked again. "I was just telling my mom off for trying to control my life..."

"I've never seen you get so emotional before. It was...kinda cool, actually."

"Wha, really?"

"Yeah!"

In spite of the sleepiness in his eyes, Basil beamed brightly with fondness for him. "I wish I could stand up to my parents like that."

"I'm not the best role model," Sunny protested.

"You're my role model."

The heat of Sunny's rage had simmered down, cooling into a soft blush. "Umm...I'm touched."

"I'm just amazed by how much you show your feelings when you really try to. I always thought you were calm and reserved, but I didn't know underneath it all lay such a strong heart."

"That's...a very poetic way to describe me having a shouting match."

"But seeing you stand up for yourself makes me really happy!"

Sunny turned his eyes away, folding his arms in front of his chest. Hearing this much praise from Basil was making his heart flutter, but did he really deserve it just for standing up to his mom?

"Well, if you'd like...maybe, from now on, I'll wear all my feelings on my sleeve."

Basil's eyes practically glowed. "Wow, really?"

Eh...actually, that's a bit too strong of a personality change to undergo on a whim.

"Nah," Sunny said, a laugh. "Just kidding."

"Oh-oh..."

Sunny yawned, the skies outside becoming lighter. Due to the rain, the approaching dawn was obscured by stormy grey clouds; it was quite dark out.

"Let's go back to bed," Sunny suggested. "You mind if I sleep in for a bit this morning?"

"Please sleep as much as you want," Basil affirmed.

"Thanks."

Once back in Basil's bedroom, Sunny collapsed onto the mattress.

Even though his whole body was exhausted, his mind was too active to fall asleep right away. He faced Basil, who was also getting back into bed, wondering if he'd be in the mood for another kiss.

The phone rang again.

"Ummm...I'll go check the caller," Basil said.

"If it's my mom, don't answer it yet," Sunny insisted.

"O-Okay."

Basil came back quickly from the living room with a rather glum expression. "...It's from your mom."

Sunny struggled to come up with a sensible answer to this predicament. It would be awful of him to ignore his mom's calls, but he had neither the energy nor the patience to deal with her right now.

He knew how desperate his mom could get; she could call him for hours on end. They could always block her number, and that'd weigh even worse on him.

If Mari had been there throughout the years to be a good influence on him, he might've answered her call.

This Sunny valued his own feelings and peace of mind too much to put up with her.

"Block her number," Sunny said.

"R-Really? You want me to do that?" Basil asked.

"If she keeps calling, the phone's going to get annoying," Sunny said.

"Ummm...but what if it's really important?"

"...Let me deal with it."

Sunny stormed into the living room and picked up the phone.

"Is this an emergency?"

"Sunny, I want you to think about your future—"

"If you cared about my well-being at all, mom, you'd pick a better time to call than six in the morning."

"Sunny—"

He slammed the phone down, then blocked the number.

Back in Basil's bedroom, he plopped down on the mattress with a long, drawn-out sigh.

It really didn't feel good blocking his own mother like that.

"Sunny, I'm really sorry," Basil said. "If...you need to go back, I won't mind you leaving. I promise."

Sunny felt so torn.

When he lifted his head and saw the way Basil looked at him, a flood of cherishing feelings swelled up into his heart. Those blue-green eyes shone with so much adoration, their attention centered on him at all times. No one else in the world valued him, accepted him, as much as Basil did.

His mom tried to control his life too much; his father didn't seem to love him anymore. Even though they were his parents, their love felt remarkably conditional.

Maybe he was being too hard on his mom. A part of him knew she would always love him; still, he wanted her to learn to deal with a few months of him being away.

Sunny wanted so much to be by Basil's side. The only two obstacles that remained standing in his way were the monetary prospects of his future, and Basil's parents. He'd get started with finding a job immediately after he'd gotten enough sleep. But he couldn't do anything about the latter.

I trust Basil to stay by my side even if his parents don't approve.

He made up his mind fully.

"I'll stay with you," Sunny said. "Tomorrow, I'm going to start looking for a job immediately. I'll find a way to make this work."

"...You're getting a job just so you could stay with me?"

"Absolutely."

Basil's smile painted Sunny's world with more colors than a rainbow.

"I'll help you," Basil said. "And I'll insist to my parents to let you stay for the summer."

"Thanks, Basil."

"I promise you that you can count on me. After hearing you defend me with so much conviction..."

Basil sat up, a rare confidence glowing in his eyes. "And your voice is so cool when you get emotional!"

"Ha...really..."

Sunny couldn't deny that he liked the idea of Basil falling in love with an emotional, hot-tempered version of himself.

"Hey, Basil, I'd thought of you as a role model before, too," Sunny spoke.

A dash of pink swiftly grew over Basil's cheeks. "M—Me? When?"

Sunny let his smile grow, conjuring up memories of a brighter time. "When I met you. Back then, my sister was the role model in my life, but you were up there, too. You knew so much about plants, I was amazed."

"I didn't know you were ever interested in plants, Sunny."

"I'm sorry. There were lots of things I didn't feel comfortable expressing back then."

Sunny really regretted some of his beliefs from that part of his life.

Even though their group of friends had been the most accepting people he'd ever known, Faraway Town had not been the most accepting place for him to speak the truth. Boys who liked pretty things like flowers would be a surefire target for bullies at school. As a child, he didn't know any better, couldn't find the words to tell Basil that his knowledge of flowers had amazed him.

It was Mari who taught him to value people that loved something so much they'd dedicate a huge chunk of time and effort to learn about it.

Never be afraid of smart people, Sunny! They've invested so much into their passion, the best thing you can do for them is to show interest in their knowledge. Maybe some of it will rub off on you, and next thing you know, you've made a new hobby and a new friend!

He ought to have stood up for Basil more.

"I just think that if you're willing to dedicate so much of your time and effort to learn about flowers, you're an amazing person," Sunny said, echoing Mari's words. "It shows you have a lot of passion in you."

Basil blushed deeply. "I've never even dreamt of you saying such a nice thing to me..."

"I mean it. You are amazing, Basil." Sunny said.

Basil shut his eyes. "You're too kind!"

I really should wear my feelings on my sleeve more often...

"Well, I gotta sleep so I can start finding a job tomorrow," Sunny said with a yawn.

"...Okay! Good night, Sunny. Or...good morning?"

The clock said six fifteen; the light of a grey drizzly morning streamed in through the window.

"Mornings are for sleeping in," Sunny whispered, hugging his pillow.

***

Welcome to Feelings Space.

You've known this place for as long as you can remember, but this is actually your first time here.

Word is, a huge storm is on the frontier today.

Reports say there's been a huge gathering of ANGER in the west, and they're steadily approaching.

Please brace yourself, and enjoy your time in Feelings Space.

"SUUUUUUUUUNNY!"

Sunny opened his eyes and found himself dressed from head to toe in a bright red tomato suit. He was carrying a big pile of tomato seeds in his arms.

Mari, wearing a pumpkin suit, ran towards him, waving.

"Sunny, you've still got so many seeds to plant," Mari said. "Hurry and plant them all before the storm comes!"

The ground was not endless white space as he'd expected, but it was made of brown soil, tilled into multiple rows for planting seeds.

He had barely gotten started on planting tomatoes in his row. Bell pepper Hero was already done, and eggplant Aubrey had almost finished with hers.

At least he was doing better than orange Kel.

"Come on, Sunny," Mari said. "Let's get those seeds in the soil before the storm blows them—and you—up into the air!"

"You can count on me," Sunny obeyed.

Sunny embarked on his job right away, planting tomato seeds as neatly as he could into the soil. He came close to spilling half of the seeds in his arms all over the ground, but something had stopped them from falling out.

Curious, he glanced to his side and saw sunflower Basil walking beside him, catching any tomato seed that fell out of his arms.

"Everything is going to be okay, Sunny," Basil said, smiling. "I'll take care of anything you can't handle."

"Aren't you supposed to be planting sunflower seeds?" Sunny asked.

"I just got word from higher up that they don't need as many sunflowers anymore. I'm supposed to just help you with tomatoes now!"

"Hey, why's that?" Kel asked, tossing all his orange seeds away.

"Because, silly, there isn't going to be any sun when the storm arrives, so we don't need sunflowers anymore!" Basil answered, laughing.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," Kel agreed.

Sunny blinked a couple of times, then went back to his job of planting tomato seeds.

"Phee-ew, something smells rotten here," Aubrey complained. "Hey, Kel, what happened to all of those orange seeds you were supposed to plant?"

"I got rid of them. Who needs oranges when you've got Orange Joe?"

"Kel, look at what you've done!"

Aubrey placed her hands on her eggplant hips, staring with displeasure at the seeds Kel had thrown all over the ground.

They were sprouting into onions.

"Hey, everyone look!" Hero said, pointing at the onions. "The orange seeds are turning into onions!"

"Huh..." Kel spoke, scratching his head. "Is that supposed to happen?"

"Only if you mess up!" Mari answered, grinning. "And not just any onion. Rotten onions."

Each orange seed Kel had spilled into the soil sprouted into big white bulbs that immediately turned rotten brown.

"Ewww..." Aubrey said, pinching her nose.

"That's an awful stench," Sunny agreed.

"Kel, you just made this whole place stink!" Aubrey complained. "Now we'll never finish planting all our seeds!"

"Forget that, look!" Kel pointed at the sky. "The storm is already here!"

Sunny turned his eyes towards the approaching storm, his mouth agape.

Ominous black clouds shrouded the sky of its light. From the west, a huge mass of red angry faces surged towards them like a tsunami of ping pong balls. Half the angry faces resembled his mother, the other half resembled his father.

"Uh-oh," Mari said. "Everyone! The storm is here, so we have to get into the shelter!"

"Where's the shelter?" Basil asked.

"Follow me. I'll take you to safety!"

Sunflower Basil grabbed tomato Sunny's hand, and together the two of them began running after pumpkin Mari.

The storm behind them was merciless. Furious winds toppled the trees; sheets of rain and hail pounded the fruits and flowers that had only just started to grow back into the ground. Every plant fell like dust against the relentless onslaught.

"Are we going to make it?" Sunny asked.

"Don't worry," Basil said, gripping his hand tightly. "If anything happens, I'll protect you, Sunny."

"...I'll protect you too, Basil!"

Basil smiled, the only bright light within this perilously dark storm.

Ahead, pumpkin Mari guided them towards a big watermelon-shaped castle. The melon didn't look like it could weather the storm, but Sunny trusted Mari's judgement. She always knew best.

They ran through the doors of Watermelon Castle just in the nick of time before the rain and wind from the storm shredded them.

"Phew, that was a close one!" Hero said, gasping for air.

"No thanks to Kel," Aubrey mentioned.

"If it weren't for me noticing the storm before the rest of you, we probably wouldn't have made it," Kel countered.

Aubrey made a face at him, her cheeks turning purple. "If you hadn't dropped all your seeds in the first place, we'd all have seen the storm coming from a mile away!"

"What?! You'd be too busy planting your disgusting eggplants to even notice!"

"Settle down, you two," Hero said.

"Yeah, we have to get along if we're to survive the storm," Mari said. "Let's make sure there's no one else inside this castle first, then we can set up our lodgings."

"Wait, you don't even know who lives inside this castle?" Basil asked.

"Oh, it's probably abandoned," Mari replied, with a laugh.

Basil clasped Sunny's hand firmly. "I hope you're right."

Strange pink torch lights appeared along the walls of the hallway as they began walking through the castle.

"Wow, this place is so...monocolor," Basil said.

"Hey, where did Hero go?" Aubrey asked. "Wasn't he walking behind us just a second ago?"

"Huh? Hero's right beside me—"

Something cut Kel off before he could finish his sentence.

In the blink of an eye, Kel and Hero had both vanished.

"...I don't like this," Aubrey said. "Are you...sure this place is safe, Mari?"

"...Mari?"

"She's gone too!" Basil exclaimed. "Aubrey, stay close to us. Something's wrong with this place—"

"I can't find Aubrey anywhere," Sunny spoke.

"Not her too!"

Tomato Sunny and sunflower Basil pressed close against each other, shaking, as a dark red shadow grew larger and larger over their heads.

A hand seized their bodies and picked them screaming up into the air.

Moments later, they were being dangled over a blender.

"Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho!!!" a giant Sweetheart laughed.

The bodies of pumpkin Mari, bell pepper Hero, orange Kel, and eggplant Aubrey were spinning around in the blender below.

"Let us go, Sweetheart!" Sunny shouted.

"Why should I?" Sweetheart said. "You're all about to contribute to my perfect vegetable smoothie..."

"Eugh, who puts a full orange in a vegetable smoothie?" Sunny asked.

"And you didn't even peel the orange..." Basil added.

Sweetheart's face grew dark before she revealed her true form: Bittersweetheart.

She was a bitter melon, the most awful vegetable Sunny had ever had the displeasure of tasting.

"Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho!!! It doesn't matter if there's an unpeeled orange in my vegetable smoothie, because nothing can possibly taste worse than a bitter melon!" Bittersweetheart sang as she dropped them into the blender.

The last coherent thing Sunny heard was Basil screaming flowers don't belong in any smoothie!!!!!

The world spun over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

Sunny opened his eyes.

He'd turned into...something. All kinds of fruits and vegetables were mashed together with him.

"Ewww, I have to be stuck like this with Kel?!" Aubrey screamed.

"You mean I have to be trapped with you?!" Kel shrieked.

"I don't mind it, actually," Mari said, somehow embracing Hero, who was a part of her now.

Sunny turned his eyes and saw himself staring into Basil's.

"Do you...mind us being together like this?" Basil asked, blushing.

"No, but this still sucks."

Sunny folded his leafy arms, rolling his eyes as he and Basil bloomed into a bright yellow sunflower.

***

It was already ten AM when Sunny woke up.

A delicious smell hung in the air, so close to his nose it might as well be right in front of him. Which, as he discovered a few seconds after he recollected his surroundings, it was.

"Good morning, Sunny!" Basil said, presenting him a plate loaded with eggs, sausage, and buttered toast. "I was up about an hour earlier, so I thought I'd serve you breakfast in bed."

"Thank you! That's really nice of you," Sunny said, his mouth watering. "When did you learn to cook?"

"Polly taught me. I had several months to practice living by myself, too."

You're amazing, Basil.

The meal tasted as delicious as it smelled. He finished everything on the plate within minutes, and already he felt hungry for seconds.

"Sorry, Sunny. I don't have enough food left in the fridge," Basil said with embarrassment. "We can go to the grocery store and buy some right now if you're still hungry."

"It's okay. I'm not that hungry," Sunny said. "Honestly, your cooking tasted so good."

"Thank you," Basil said, blushing slightly. "Umm, I was actually thinking of going to Faraway Park today...which is on the way to the grocery store in the plaza..."

"Sure. I'll come along if you'll let me."

"Of course you can! And, umm...I wanted to visit our old hangout spot..."

That place, huh? I wonder what's happened to it over the past two years...

"Sounds like a plan," Sunny said.

"Oh, o-okay! I'll just grab an umbrella first."

The soft noise of rain still occupied Sunny's ears. "Is there an umbrella for me?"

"Uh, n-no...we're going to have to share..."

Sunny didn't have any qualms with sharing an umbrella. "I don't mind."

Basil's face blushed deep red. He went to a nearby closet to retrieve a bright yellow umbrella that reminded Sunny of a big rubber duck.

Sunny stepped under the umbrella, Basil holding it over their heads as they walked out into the rain. The umbrella wasn't very big, so they had to squeeze tightly together in order to fit.

When his shoulder touched Basil's, Sunny felt a light and sweet jumbling inside his chest. He couldn't hide the soft smile that settled over his lips. Being so close to Basil filled his whole world with vivid colors.

They were both blushing noticeably.

"Umm...Sunny..." Basil spoke as they walked out into the street. "People are going to notice us sharing an umbrella like this..."

"Yeah, but we shouldn't be afraid."

Is there anything wrong with two boys sharing an umbrella together? I'll fight anyone who tries to cross us for doing so.

Basil lowered his face, stifling a giggle. "I love it when you sound so confident."

Yeah, I've grown more confident with fights...

After spending two years in the city, I've learned to be prepared to defend myself whenever I have to.

You haven't seen them, but I always keep a pocket knife and pepper spray on me. It might be excessive, but I won't take any chances, especially if someone might put you in danger.

"...Hey, Sunny..." Basil began, his tone reminiscent. "Remember that day...when it was raining...and I took a picture of you and Aubrey under your umbrellas?"

"Yeah?"

Basil turned his eyes up, conjuring a hypothetical. "I noticed back then you'd always blush in photos with Aubrey. So...I'm wondering...did you ever really...like her?"

Sunny grew embarrassed, and turned away when he responded. "It was just a small crush."

"So...ummm..."

Basil's voice died to a tiny whisper. "When...did that crush...end?"

I don't really know...she was always around in my dreams...but when I saw her again after four years...

Seeing Aubrey mistreat you really ruined my image of her.

"I got over her around the time I saw you again," Sunny said, a teasing smile.

"Ummm...?!"

"That's right. Basil, you became really cute in four years!"

Basil nearly dropped the umbrella.

"Ah-ah!!! You think so?"

"Yep. Way cuter than Aubrey."

"Oh-oh...maybe we'll talk about this after we get home," Basil said, blushing way too deeply than could possibly be healthy.

Ooops...

With the exception of the hobos that were always around, Faraway Park was empty due to the rain. They were able to cross through the bushes to reach their old hangout spot without much trouble, though Sunny got some mud onto his shoes.

The first thing Sunny noticed was that all the construction pylons were gone.

Nothing much else had changed. He wished it was still the beautiful place he remembered from his childhood, full of trees and flowers; almost all the plants had wilted, leaving only the lake. Due to the rain, the water from the lake flooded the surrounding banks.

Basil...why did you want to come back here?

Almost instantly, the rain stopped. Basil closed his umbrella and went off ahead on his own, intent clear in his eyes.

Following closely behind, Sunny watched Basil go towards their old picnic spot. Basil knelt down, staring at the dirt in the ground. He touched a muddy patch with his finger.

"What are you checking?" Sunny asked.

"I'm assessing the quality of the soil," Basil answered. "Do you think this place has the potential to become a new garden?"

Sunny raised his left eye. "I thought they were doing all sorts of industrial construction here?"

"That used to be the plan, but the company responsible cancelled the project after they received a bunch of fines. Turns out they were polluting too much."

Well, that explains things.

"I'm kinda relieved," Sunny said. "This place used to be so beautiful before."

"Right? The soil's still good, too. All someone has to do is plant some seeds and it'll be back to what it used to in a few years."

Sunny wavered between a smile and a frown. "What's stopping some other company from coming and ruining this place again?"

"They'd have to buy the land," Basil answered. "The previous company lost their rights to this land after defaulting on their contract. Right now, this land belongs to the state, and it's for sale. If someone could purchase the land before another company buys it..."

You've really been doing your research, Basil.

"Do you want to turn this place into a garden?" Sunny asked.

"Yes, but...it costs too much." Basil stood up, smiling sadly. "My family doesn't have nearly enough money to buy the land."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Wouldn't it be nice, though? Having your very own garden by such a beautiful lake..."

"Yeah, it'd be wonderful."

Basil motioned with a wave of his hand for Sunny to follow him.

They walked towards the northeastern corner of their old hangout spot. Sunny was surprised to find a patch of pink daisies growing out of the soil here, the only flowers in the entire area.

"See?" Basil said, smiling at the flowers. "I tested the soil here, and it still grows flowers!"

You've worked so hard at this, Basil...

Basil picked a wilted daisy that had died a short time ago, its petals not yet faded of their color. "Hey...remember when we used to wear matching flowers in our hair?"

"Yeah..."

"Umm...you wanna...wear this flower in your hair?"

"I'd love to," Sunny said, taking the daisy from Basil.

He tucked the flower into his hair right above his bangs, just like he used to do with his best friend all those years ago, the two of them lying together in the grass with Kel, Aubrey, Hero, and Mari, hands almost touching.

"Sunny..." Basil spoke with a blush. "You're so pretty."

Sunny smiled. "Flowers suit you way more."

"Aww, don't say that."

A drop of cold wetness in his hair foreshadowed another bout of rain.

Basil raised the umbrella over their heads again, lowering his eyes. "Ummm...since we're alone...do you want to...y'know..."

"Kiss?" Sunny finished for him.

Basil nodded vigorously.

Sunny answered by leaning in and pressing his lips against Basil's.

Heavenly warmth flowed through his lips and his body. His eyes lidded, closing shut as he lost himself in the passion of their kiss.

The flowers in their hair brushed against each other.

A light sweetness in his chest grew into the deepest happiness he'd ever felt. Lips pressed together, he let himself sink into that trench of passion he'd only ever entered once before, that well of pure, blissful warmth he could drown himself in for eternity.

The umbrella in Basil's hand slid out of his grasp. Icy cool rain drenched their hair as they lost themselves in each other's warmth and closeness.

Sunny kissed and felt the whole world fading away, every moment collapsing into endless bliss. Only the heat of Basil's lips tethered him. He fell deeper and deeper into that well until he was lost in its intoxication, everything having vanished, nothing left of the universe save for the close, tender warmth of the boy he held in his arms.

He was so deep in their kiss that he almost didn't hear the sound of approaching footsteps, squishing through the mud.

Basil and Sunny pulled apart, their heads turning in unison towards the source of that noise.

In the distance, a figure stepped out of the bushes into their hangout spot.

Sunny saw who it was first.

"It's Kel."

Chapter Text

"Hey!!"

Kel ran towards the two of them as soon as he noticed them standing by the lake.

"Sunny?" Kel spoke, raising his eyes in surprise. "I didn't know you were back."

"Hey, Kel." Sunny waved at him.

Sunny didn't know whether to tell Kel that he'd come back mainly to live with Basil.

"Sorry that I didn't tell you I was coming back," Sunny confessed. "I was going to try and visit you after Basil."

"Oh..."

Last time they talked, their relations had seemed okay. Still, after revealing the truth to his friends, Sunny hadn't been able to make up for all that he'd done.

Hero had been furious at him, and especially at Basil for coming up with and executing such a horrific plan. Aubrey couldn't believe they'd hide the truth of Mari's death for so many years, and kind of blamed them for inflicting all that pain and misery on themselves. Eventually, after a few months had passed, Aubrey seemed to become a bit more understanding towards Sunny whenever Sunny called her to talk to her.

Kel was just confused that they'd attempted to hide everything for so long. He'd gotten mad at them, explosively mad, but just minutes after, he remarked that they must really enjoy self-torture to bottle things up for such a long time.

"You could've called me to say you were coming back, at least," Kel said. "But I guess I know why you didn't want to."

Basil tilted his face away from their attention.

Sunny turned his gaze to his shoes. "I'm so sorry for the things I did. I know your brother won't ever forgive me, and it's okay if you're still angry at me, too."

"I'm not angry," Kel said a bit ambivalently. "Just...amazed at the lengths you two went to in order to hide things."

You still sound a bit angry, but I guess that's only natural when your brother literally hates us...

"Anyway, I don't like to dwell on it," Kel said. "As long as you've learned your lesson and you're honest about things from now on, I still consider the two of you friends."

"Thanks, Kel. I'll be honest about everything, I promise," Sunny said.

"M—Me too," Basil added.

"Oh! You must be wondering why I'm here." Kel smiled characteristically. "Actually, I saw you two wandering through the park an hour ago. I thought about calling out to you, but I was really hungry at the time, so I went to the plaza to grab a pizza. Then I got bored, and I guessed the two of you would come here...it looks like I was right!"

"Good guess," Sunny complimented.

"So, how're you two?" Kel asked.

Sunny turned to face Basil, noticing his rather embarrassed expression, eyes evasive.

"We just wanted to check out our old hangout spot," Sunny answered. "It's still a nice place, isn't it?"

"Sure is."

"Are you doing anything today?" Sunny asked.

"Just gonna go practice basketball in the park once the rain clears."

Does Kel think it's odd that we're sharing an umbrella and wearing matching flowers in our hair...?

"...But while you're here, Sunny, how would you like to be invited to a reunion party that's happening at the end of this week?"

Sunny blinked with surprise. "There's a reunion party?"

"You always pick the most convenient times to come back." Kel grinned. "Aubrey's going to be there, and my brother's coming back from college. It'll be like our reunion all over again!"

If they're there...it doesn't sound like a party Basil and I would be invited to.

"Erhh...do you think they'd really want us to come?" Sunny asked.

Kel's smile turned a little tipsy, yet he remained optimistic. "Sure they would. Hero's had a while to mull over things, and I'm sure Aubrey wants to see you again. Even if they haven't totally forgiven you yet, maybe the party could help you guys get along. Not to mention, we're planning on playing one of our favorite pastime games at the party. Poker!"

"That sounds fun, but...I hope us coming along wouldn't ruin the mood."

"I'll ask my brother if he's okay with you two coming, but I'm sure I can convince him. The party's Saturday at three at my house, by the way."

"Thanks."

Sunny looked at Basil. "You wanna go to the party?"

Basil didn't look like he had an answer. He simply said, "...if you want to, Sunny."

In all honesty, I want to apologize to everyone, again.

I want to show them that I've changed from the person that I was before.

And...I want all of them to forgive Basil. If there's a chance, even a small one, that we could mend our relationships, I think it would be worth it.

Sunny turned back at Kel. "We'll go if it's okay with the others."

"Consider the two of you invited!" Kel said. "I'll tell the others. I'll give you a call the day before, too, just to make sure. That sound good?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Kel," Sunny said.

"Wait, which number do I call to reach you now?"

Sunny opened his mouth, but the words failed to leave his throat when he considered that Basil might not be comfortable with him revealing that he was staying at his house.

Fortunately, Basil shattered that worry by answering for him, to Sunny's surprise. "J—Just call my number, Kel. I'll answer the phone."

"Okay, that's great. I'll see you two at the party!"

Before leaving, Kel glanced at the patch of pink daisies growing nearby, then at the flower Sunny currently wore in his hair.

"...You two good friends again?" he asked teasingly.

Sunny smiled amidst a growing blush. "We're always best friends."

Just what would Aubrey and Hero think of our relationship?

"As if it wasn't enough for you two to have been partners in crime...now you two are in a gay relationship?!"

The thought gave Sunny a brand new anxiety.

"That's awesome. See ya later!" Kel said, waving goodbye as he walked back into the trees.

Sunny turned towards Basil once the two of them were alone again. "You feeling okay?"

"Uhhh...do you think Kel saw us...kissing?"

"I don't think he saw. The trees would've blocked his vision when he was coming this way, right?"

"I hope so..."

Sunny tried a smile. "I doubt Kel cares what we do together. He's not mad at us anymore, and if he thinks Aubrey and Hero wouldn't mind too much us coming to the party, maybe they're willing to give us another chance?"

"Yeah, maybe," Basil whispered.

I don't blame you for feeling nervous, Basil...

To tell you the truth, my legs were shaking when I saw Kel. It's going to be even worse when we see Hero and Aubrey again.

"I'm happy you accepted Kel's invitation," Basil added. "I'm starting to think...it could be fun, just like the old days again."

"Maybe we should brush up on poker before going?"

Basil's mood perked up. "I still remember how to play. You?"

"Mostly, yeah. Does three of a kind beat two pair?"

"It does."

...As long as they don't expect us to gamble with real money, I don't think we're going to be in any major trouble.

"Wanna head over to the grocery store now?" Sunny asked, eager to start looking around for job openings.

"Okay."

The rain gradually died down as they left the park, and by the time they reached the plaza, it had completely stopped, a clear sky emerging from the clouds. Sunny glanced around the place, wondering if he'd recognize anyone currently hanging out at the plaza.

There were no signs of Aubrey or her group of friends.

While passing by each store, he scanned their post boards for job openings, and was disappointed to find none available. Given that it was the summer, he couldn't rely on there being many tutoring positions, either.

I'll have to expand my search beyond the plaza...maybe even to the next town over.

One ad inside Hobbeez caught his eye. It was a sign up sheet for a big writing contest for young adults, and the winner would be awarded two thousand dollars along with the chance to meet one of five popular novelists from the state.

Sunny used to write sad poems; during his shut-in days, he'd compose thousands of poems inside his head, though he never bothered to write any of them down.

He remembered thinking over the past year that he might take up writing as a possible career path after his English teacher praised his stories at a creative writing club, saying they were precocious, though perhaps a bit too self-aware to the point of depressing the reader, and that he'd need to cut down on the unnecessary internal mulling over every negative thing.

"Can I sign up?" Sunny asked the shopkeep behind the counter.

"Sure you can! Just put your name and address down on this list."

Sunny realized he wouldn't qualify for the writing contest if he used his mom's current address, which was outside this state.

What if I used Basil's address instead? We are technically living together for the remaining span of this contest...

He put down his name and Basil's address on the sign up sheet.

"Great! You'll receive a package in your mail box within two weeks. Once you've finished your story, put it in the envelope you'll receive from the package and submit it to this address. Make sure you submit before the deadline, July 20!"

That's my birthday, too...

"Thanks a lot," Sunny said.

He met up with Basil at the store checkout, carrying a large bag of groceries.

"Let me help," Sunny said, taking half the bags into his hands.

On a glance, Basil had bought eggs, carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, spring onion, and lettuce. "What's for lunch?"

"Is there anything you want me to make?" Basil asked.

"I like steak, but I'm fine with eating whatever you want."

"Oh—oh, sure, we can have steak. I'll cook up a vegetable stew, too."

"I'll help. Would you mind teaching me how to cook?"

"Y—Yes!"

On their way back, when they passed by a group of high schoolers hanging out on the streets, Sunny overheard some mean-spirited comments directed at them behind their backs, comments regarding the fact that they were both wearing flowers in their hair.

Though he didn't express it, he was furious.

Is this how everyone's treated you over the years, Basil?

I can't believe people are this awful.

Once they got home, Sunny placed the groceries in the kitchen, turning around to find a very curious Basil standing behind him.

"So...what you said about finding me cuter than Aubrey...is that really how you feel, Sunny?"

Sunny's feelings towards Aubrey were complicated, but they'd pretty much settled on neutrality when he saw how she'd changed over the years.

He didn't blame her. She'd gone through so much, and chose a new aesthetic to suit her self-expression. It just wasn't attractive to him.

"Basil..." Sunny whispered, feeling the rise of his inner romance novelist. "Your eyes are like shooting stars, or glistening snow on a quiet winter night..."

"Ummm...Sunny?" Basil had never looked so confused. "When did you start talking like Shakespeare?"

"I'm practicing my use of imagery...but I guess it doesn't sound so good when I say it out loud, huh?"

Yeah, I'm gonna have to learn how to write dialogue more believably...

"I signed up for a writing contest. If I win, I get two thousand dollars."

"Oh! You like writing stories, Sunny?"

You never knew how much I loved the books you read to me, Basil....

"There's a story I've been thinking of writing," Sunny said. "It involves a group of kids searching for their missing friend through a vast forest, outer space, a castle ruled by a mad queen, an underwater highway, even inside the belly of a whale..."

"That sounds amazing! Maybe you could share the story with me sometime?"

"I'll let you read it once I start a draft," Sunny said. "Anyway, you're really cute, Basil."

"...I'm not! You are!"

"I'm cute?"

Sunny flipped the bangs out of his eyes. "You're the cutest. I love your smile. It makes me want to spend my whole life by your side just so I could see you smile more."

Basil couldn't take those words. "You're so much cuter than me, Sunny..."

"Maybe we're both cute. I just want you to know, to me, you're handsome and attractive and cute, no matter what anyone else says."

"Ah—ah....thank you...y—you really have the same kind of thoughts as me, huh?" Basil muttered.

Sunny felt confused. "Wha?"

"Ummm...I didn't know other boys could find boys pretty..."

"It's normal."

"Last year at the park, a boy told me I was cute...but then he threw dirt at my face, laughing...I think his friends made him do it on a dare."

Rage filled Sunny. "That's awful."

"I'm...kind of used to it..."

"You shouldn't have to deal with it," Sunny insisted. "I heard what those other kids today were saying to us..."

Basil instinctively glanced around the room, as if scanning for danger, when Sunny mentioned those other kids.

"It's not right at all," Sunny continued.

Basil lowered his eyes. "...I'm sorry...it might not be safe for you to wear a flower in your hair..."

"No way! I'll take on anyone who tries to stop us."

Basil's smile could pierce Sunny's heart with the years of sadness that lay behind them, years of having suffered insults and attacks from others just for being the way he was.

Faraway Town isn't tolerant, not as much as the city, anyway...

Even the city isn't that tolerant.

"I don't want you to get hurt, Sunny."

"I'll be fine," Sunny said, a reassuring grin. "I fought off all of Aubrey's gang once, and they were much stronger than those kids."

Sunny took out the pepper spray that he kept inside his pocket.

"Trust me. No one's going to want to fight me after I give their eyes a taste of this."

A light flush colored Basil's cheeks. "Thanks, Sunny, but..."

"No buts. I'm going to protect you, so don't you worry about a thing!"

"Ah-ah...you're so nice..."

There's no point hiding the fact that we're in a gay relationship when I wear flowers in my hair and walk home carrying groceries with you.

Basil wavered between all his emotions. "Lots of people here...don't like boys like us, you know that?"

"Yeah. They can either learn to deal with it or learn to deal with pepper spray."

"Haha...I guess that's one way to handle them...but, still..."

Basil turned his face away. "My grandma told me that it's okay...to like another boy. But she grew up during a time where that wasn't okay. She said it's best to keep things under wraps, sometimes...

"My parents might have figured it out already, that I like boys. I don't know what they'd do if I confessed, though..."

Sunny softened his expression. "I think we share the same problem with our parents."

Even if my mom didn't mind me liking another boy, she'd probably wish it was anybody BUT you.

But I can't comply with her wishes. I love you far too much.

Basil looked back at Sunny. "...Our parents might never approve of us being together."

"I don't care what my mom thinks," Sunny said. "I'll love you no matter what, Basil."

Basil sighed. "I wish I could be brave like you...I've never argued with my parents before..."

"Even if they don't approve of us being together, you'll still love me, right?" Sunny asked.

"Yes! I'll always love you, Sunny."

"That's all I need to hear. When it comes to love that we share, we disregard all other opinions."

Basil let his hands drop to his sides. He seemed legitimately amazed by Sunny's words. "How did you become so confident?"

"Hmmm...it must be due to years of suppressing my feelings, my anger at myself, my sadness for abandoning you, and...well, you know. I'm done with all that."

Sunny gave a cheesy smile to complement his cheesy words. "My bottom line is that I'll always accept my feelings from now on—especially the love and happiness I feel towards you."

Well, that's about as bluntly as I can put it.

Basil could almost smile again. "You're just so inspiring, Sunny."

"Just be honest with your feelings," Sunny went on. "Be like Aubrey, someone who's always true to herself. Act out! Get angry! Be sad!"

Almost everybody I know would tell me that that's horrible advice...

But Basil needs it the most.

"M—More like Aubrey?" Basil said, looking nervous. "But I can't fight or be direct to others like her."

"You don't have to fight...but why not be direct with your feelings?" Sunny asked.

"Because...it's not how I was told to behave."

Basil had a defeated look in his eyes, as if he'd realized where it had all gone wrong. "My grandma told me that it's better to keep certain feelings under wraps. If you express too much, people might hate you when you say something inappropriate, even if you didn't know it."

"I used to think like that, too," Sunny said. "My parents always told me that it wasn't okay to shout when I'm angry, that I shouldn't cry when I get sad."

I even used to believe that not smiling so much would be a sign of maturity, since adults rarely smile compared to children...

Basil looked surprised. "I didn't know, Sunny...my grandma would always let me cry by her side when I got sad."

"I guess that's why I repressed everything after what happened to my sister," Sunny said in a self-deprecating tone. "I was afraid of what might happen if I'd cried or gotten even angrier than I'd felt at myself."

"Oh, I'm so sorry..." Basil spoke, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I would've let you cry with me."

"It's okay. I was just being dumb," Sunny said, a dark smile. "Even my parents wouldn't have minded if I bawled my eyes out after...when they saw Mari. My mom certainly did."

Basil recoiled at that image.

"...Sorry for bringing it up."

Sunny placed his hand gently onto Basil's arm. "I just kept making myself more and more emotionless...until...I couldn't take it anymore.

I saw two paths, at the very end. To end my life, or to totally accept all my painful feelings.

"I had to let everything out," Sunny said. "And I'm going to keep letting things out. It's not worth bottling feelings up anymore."

"Yeah...you're so open with your feelings, now," Basil said. "I wish I could be like you. It's just...I don't want to hurt people by being angry at them."

"You won't hurt me, I promise. You deserve to feel angry at people who treat you badly."

"But I try to look on the bright side of things. I don't like getting mad."

He tries so hard to find the good in every situation, it's hard for him to see that some situations just aren't good at all...

"It's totally okay to get mad if people insult you because of the way you look or dress," Sunny clarified. "And if they hate you because you like boys, you should get angry."

"Ummm...I don't want to get in a fight," Basil said.

"You can let yourself feel angry without necessarily getting into a fight."

It's hard to describe...

Shortly after moving to the city, Sunny had to deal with all his fears of confronting people, his social anxiety.

Being placed in a classroom with completely new faces and no established reputation for himself meant he had the opportunity to create a new identity.

Having realized that accepting his feelings was what allowed him to move on from Mari's death, he knew he had to be more outgoing, even if the fear of rejection and ostracization lingered in his heart like a dark, toothed shadow.

He frequently found himself facing down bullies who were a lot taller and more athletic than he was. New kids were easy targets, especially someone as small and malnourished as himself.

Though he liked to imagine that they grew bored of him because of his deadpan attitude, the reality was that he grew extremely belligerent once they pushed past a certain threshold.

One threshold was trying to take his money.

Whereas before he'd run away, or succumb to his bullies' threats and voluntarily give up his lunch money, he now defied them when they threatened to steal any money from him.

He released his anger at people who insulted him with horrible slurs and less than kind comments about sexual orientation. Being aware of his own feelings for Basil, he'd quickly decided that he'd have none of those awful words.

If they threw a punch, he'd punch back.

Luckily, a couple of punches had been enough to send the message that local new kid Sunny would not be a pushover before he got into any serious altercations that would have resulted in him getting suspended.

A few of those bullies once approached him after school, looking for a more violent fight. He quickly learned to equip himself with a pocket knife and pepper spray wherever he went.

It's fortunate that no one's pulled a gun on me...

This was the new Sunny: angry, confrontational, and absolutely equipped to take you down when he's had enough of your shit.

In a way, I was inspired by Aubrey. I guess...I wanted to become someone who could stand up for myself in every sistuation...

And to be able to protect the people I love.

He saw the boy he loved in front of him and realized that Basil couldn't, wouldn't get into a fight with anyone. He was far too gentle.

"If a bunch of bullies try to mess with you, it's okay to get mad at them," Sunny explained. "Even if you run away, you should say something like, back off!, or don't touch me!"

"Ummm...I'll try..." Basil replied.

"You can always express any angry feelings you have in front of your friends," Sunny added.

"But...I might hurt my friends if I get angry at them."

"I know you wouldn't get angry without a good reason, Basil. There's toxic anger, which is when you're being nasty for no reason...but you're almost on the other end of the spectrum! You try too hard to be positive, even at times when there's no reason to be."

A light shone in Basil's eyes. "I'm...too positive?"

"Don't get me wrong—I love how you try to see the bright side of things. It's a good quality to have. But, well, if I'm just being a jerk, don't try to spin it as a positive. Get angry at me."

Basil laughed softly. "Okay."

"Be comfortable with getting angry at people who attack you because of the way you look or because of who you love. They're all jerks. Also, I'm a jerk if I vandalize your photos, or if I...push someone too hard down the stairs..."

Basil dropped his gaze to the floor, unsure of how to respond.

To be honest, that sentence had gotten awkward and Sunny wasn't sure about how to proceed either.

"You get the point, right?" Sunny said, quickly finding an excuse to change the topic. "Anyway, I'd be a jerk if I lived here and didn't help you make lunch, so..."

"Umm, right!" Basil said, reaching for his bags of groceries. "Let's get started with washing the vegetables."

***

"That was a great meal," Sunny said, more satisfied with Basil's cooking than with anything he'd eaten in a long time.

"Thank you!" Basil's eyes beamed with gratitude.

"What do you do every day now that school's out?" Sunny asked.

"Mostly gardening."

Sunny didn't have much experience with gardening, largely due to the fact that he was afraid of spiders and insects. He also hated worms and creepy crawlies and all those other critters you'd find digging through dirt.

Yet I've always dreamt of a beautiful garden of flowers inside a vast forest...

Maybe I'll stop dreaming and help Basil really create it.

"Can I help with the gardening?" Sunny asked.

Basil couldn't look any happier. "Of course you can! But I thought you were afraid of spiders? There's going to be spiders in the garden..."

"I've kinda gotten over that fear," Sunny said, hoping he was telling the truth.

"Oh, that's great! Let's go to my backyard—I'll get you started on something simple."

Sunny got tasked with pulling weeds and dandelions out of the soil. It was easy enough. He put on a pair of white gardening gloves and set himself to work.

The hot afternoon sun quickly got him thirsty and sweaty. Luckily, Basil was prepared for the heat and gave him a bottle of water to drink.

When he tried pulling out a tough bunch of dandelions, Sunny saw something crawling out of the soil at the corner of his vision. He ignored it, knowing he'd overcome his fear of spiders and insects.

What he didn't expect was finding a whole cluster of brown spiders clinging onto the soil around the roots when he finally pulled out the dandelions.

Sunny froze, a dark shadow swarming across his vision.

His hands grew sweaty as the shadows coalesced into the shape of a massive spider. Each of the spider's legs was another spider. The fangs in the spider's mouth grew into deadly scythes that pointed towards the jugular of his neck.

He expected to see a single eye opening up on the back of the spider, staring with death's intention at him. But it didn't show up.

...It's not Something?

"Hello, Sunny," a low raspy voice emitted all around him. "Did you miss me? I can't believe you'd expected that I would never show up again...

The massive spider crawled around him until it was directly behind him. A large pair of fangs encircled his head.

"Fear is eternal, Sunny," the shadow spider spoke. "You might have gotten rid of me once, but I'll come back again. I will recur over and over for the rest of your life."

He felt the blades of the spider's fangs touch his neck, drawing blood.

"At the end, in the last moments of your existence, I will be here, waiting to pull you down into an abyss filled with your worst fears..."

Sunny could only stare helplessly as hundreds of spiders crawled down the shadow spider's fangs and swarmed across his arms, his legs, his chest, his neck, his face...

There were so, so many legs. It was so itchy.

He tried to get those spiders off his skin, but there were too many of them. For every spider he swatted off, two more appeared in its place.

They all started biting.

Sunny opened his mouth and screamed.

"Get off of me!!!"

A hand burst through the shadows and reached for him. In a last act of desperation, he threw himself towards the hand and managed to grab on to it.

The hand pulled him through the shadows, and the spiders crawling all over his body were vanquished by the warm light.

Sunny opened his eyes and found himself gripping tightly on to Basil's hand.

"Umm...hey, Sunny," Basil said. "I'm glad you're back."

"What happened?" Sunny asked.

"Oh...I heard you scream, so I came running and found you standing here, frozen. Umm, I really hope you don't look at your other hand..."

The sensation of real, tiny pinpricks jabbing all across his other arm gave him the acute realization that he was still holding on to those dandelions that he'd pulled out, dandelions that came with a cluster of spiders.

Volcanic fire seared through every vein in his body as he became painfully aware of the situation that he was in. His left eye bulged with agony.

"Don't worry, Sunny!" Basil insisted. "Hold still and don't panic. I'll get those spiders off you in just a moment."

This can't be happening...

Without looking at his other arm, an arm whose exposed skin was certainly swarming with spiders, Sunny gazed at the clouds in the sky and took deep breaths.

Calm down...calm down...

A shadowy smile emerged at the edge of his vision.

"Aww, did you think you'd gotten rid of me already?" the shadow spoke using Mari's voice. "Nothing can make me disappear forever, Sunny. If you don't learn to live with your fears, you'll be haunted by them until they destroy you."

But I don't want to live with my fears...

"You don't have a choice, Sunny. Everyone has Something that they fear. They may think that they've conquered those fears, but in reality, they've only repressed them."

No! No!!! It has to be possible to overcome my fears...it has to be...

"If you truly wish to overcome your fear, Sunny, you have to learn to be comfortable with the source of that fear."

...Comfortable?

The shadow's smile vanished. Its expression became calm, almost sympathetic.

Cool, grey snow fell from the skies as Mari's figure emerged from the shadows and stepped towards him, embracing him.

"I know I can't expect you to be comfortable with every painful thing," Mari whispered gently. "No one can. But we can take small steps."

I want those fears to go away.

"I know, little brother. It's so easy to just remove it from sight. But, you know, it's better to confront your fears than to keep them buried deep inside of you..."

I don't know what to do.

"Remember to fully feel all your feelings, Sunny. You can only move on after you let yourself feel everything that there is to feel."

...Mari?

"Don't bury your fears. Just...be comfortable with those feelings..."

Mari disappeared into the gloom.

Out of the shadows, a massive spider emerged.

Sunny felt his heart beating in overdrive. He wanted to run away. He wanted to fight it. He wanted to...

...fully feel all my feelings...

Sunny stopped struggling against his fear.

He watched, fear flowing through every vein in his body, as the spider crawled towards him.

Its fangs leered above his neck, ready to chomp his head off.

I will continue.

The illusory grey snow falling from the sky created a cool white blanket over the ground. From that blanket, two seats emerged.

Soft piano notes echoed in the distance as Sunny sat down onto the snow. The shadow spider took the other seat beside him.

They sat together in that dark, snowy landscape, comfortable in each other's presence.

Sunny turned towards the spider. He wondered if he should embrace it, like he'd embraced Omori during those last few moments they'd shared together.

He settled on giving the shadow spider a gentle pat on one of its furry limbs.

The echoes of that piano died along with the snow and the darkness as the spider faded away, melting into him, becoming a part of himself that he fully accepted.

Sunny reopened his left eye.

"...Hi, spiders!" Basil's voice reached his ears. "It's me, your friend Basil!"

Sunny felt the crawling on his arm leave one by one as Basil gently plucked the spiders off of him and placed them back into the soil.

When the last spider was gone, Sunny glanced at his arm and saw that, with the exception of a few red marks, his skin was largely unharmed.

"There, all done!" Basil said. "You did great, Sunny."

"Thank you," Sunny replied. "...Those weren't poisonous spiders, were they?"

"No, thankfully. Ummm...I guess gardening might still be too much for you, huh..."

"I enjoyed it," Sunny said confidently.

Surprise colored Basil's cheeks. "That's...not what I expected to hear from you at all."

"I'm not going to be scared of gardening just 'cuz of some spiders."

Basil's surprise transformed into awe and appreciation. "You mean you really didn't mind having that happen?"

"I want to do more gardening."

Sunny spent the rest of the afternoon pulling out weeds, then he got started on preparing the soil for planting some of Basil's new seeds.

Whenever he saw spiders, he let his fear flow through him, but did not panic or try to kill them. He just felt the emotion. After a few times, he noticed he didn't really fear spiders anymore.

Late in the evening, exhausted from work but proud of all that he'd done, he took a look around and saw a garden empty of weeds, but also empty of flowers. It would take some time before the seeds they'd planted grew into flowers as beautiful as the ones Basil kept indoors and in the front yard.

Actually, he saw one flower, a pretty pink daisy in fluffy yellow hair against the backdrop of a setting sun.

Basil ran up to Sunny, stopping just short of giving him a hug.

"Thanks so much," Basil said. "I never could've gotten as much work done by myself today without your help."

"I just wish we could turn our old hangout spot into a garden like this one," Sunny said. "We could plant so many more flowers there..."

Something bright flashed across Basil's eyes. "There might be a way."

"Really?"

"...I'll have to think about it more." Basil smiled adorably at Sunny. "Don't worry about it now."

Sunny's left eye perked up, wondering what Basil had planned. "Alright."

"Honestly, though...you're pretty good at gardening, Sunny..."

Sunny could tell Basil really wanted a hug, but that he was still very cautious about the boundaries between them.

I'll erase those boundaries and upgrade that hug into a kiss...

"Thanks." Sunny leaned close towards Basil. "I'm yours to touch and kiss whenever you want, you know."

Judging by the mad redness that flushed over Basil's face, that came out a lot lewder than he'd expected.

Before he could correct himself, Basil smothered his lips with a kiss.

Fluffy yellow hair and a pink flower filled his vision. He closed his eyes, submerging into a warm dusk landscape made of pure bliss.

Chapter Text

Gardening was tough labor, and Sunny needed to take a shower after all that work. He'd brought several changes of clothes and a towel in his backpack. Out of politeness, he didn't want to shower before Basil did, and it seemed Basil shared the same opinion.

"No, you go first," Basil insisted.

"It's your house," Sunny replied. "You should get to use your bathroom first."

Basil didn't seem to care about that formality. "You worked so hard today...I'm used to gardening, I'm not that tired. I wouldn't even mind if you want to take a bath to relax more! I'm sure you need it more than me."

"I'm not really that tired," Sunny said.

"Ummm...you look exhausted."

I guess a bath does sound very tempting...

"Alright, I'll go take a bath," Sunny relented.

Basil smiled. "I'll cook dinner."

Sunny grabbed his backpack and assembled a fresh change of clothes and his own towel in the bathroom. He turned on the water and filled the bath with soap.

After removing his eyepatch, he looked into the bathroom mirror and opened both eyes. The pupil of his right eye was tinted grey.

My right eye is a mark of how close Basil and I came to killing each other...

But...in a way...I'm not sad...

...I'm just glad I saved you that night, Basil.

As the bathtub became filled with water, he took off the rest of his clothes and climbed in.

This feels...amazing...

The warm bath water rejuvenated his skin, muscles, and bones. Soap bubbles floated in the air and popped close to his nose.

I could rest here forever...

He turned off the water, closing his eyes to relax.

Having spent most of the past twenty four hours with Basil, Sunny became keenly aware of how bathing alone actually felt incredibly lonely. For the first time in his life, he couldn't bear the silence; it reminded him too much of his former days as a shut-in.

An awful sight intruded his brain. He wondered what would happen if an invisible force pushed his head underwater, holding him there until he drowned.

He'd struggle, of course.

Perhaps after half a minute of fighting back, he wouldn't be able to hold his breath any longer, and he'd breathe in all that soapy water, burning fire flooding his lungs. His vision would go black. One by one, his senses vanishing, cutting him off from the rest of the world, until he gasped his last, desperate breath inside an abyss of total darkness and despair.

...As soon as I let my thoughts drift, these scenes appear.

I have to keep myself preoccupied.

He quickly washed his hair and his body, getting out shortly after he felt that deafening silence. He dried his body with his own towel and put on a pair of black shirt and shorts.

Then he realized he'd forgotten to pack a comb.

His hair was long and thick, and tended to stick out messily after drying it with a towel. He tried to comb it with his fingers, but despite his best efforts, it wouldn't stay down.

Maybe I can ask Basil to use his comb?

Sunny went out and presented his unruly hair to Basil, who instead reveled at witnessing this new, never-before-seen state of Sunny's hair.

"New hairstyle? It looks great!" Basil said.

"I look awful," Sunny replied. "Mind letting me borrow your comb?"

"Sure," Basil said. "But it's never bad to try out a new hair style!"

That gave Sunny a new idea or two. He wouldn't mind giving his hair a quick makeover.

Maybe these new ideas came from spending the day gardening, an activity he'd never enjoyed before; it might have been the key that opened the floodgates previously obstructing a torrent of interesting activities.

"You wanna...try styling my hair?" Sunny asked.

Basil was surprised but he smiled. "I...don't know if I'd be cut out for that..."

"It's okay; you don't have to if you don't wanna. I just thought it'd be interesting to try."

"...I like your hair just the way it is, Sunny."

"Okay..."

When I looked at myself in the mirror with the pink daisy in my hair today, I thought my hair was very pretty.

Maybe I want to change my hair to look a bit more like yours.

"You...have any more flowers?" Sunny asked. "The ones you wear in your hair?"

"O—Of course! Do you want to wear one?"

"Yeah."

Basil's glowing smile brought a wave of sweet feelings into Sunny's chest.

"If you meant you'd like to style your hair with flowers, I'd love to help!" Basil mentioned.

"Yeah, I meant that."

Sunny sat down on a chair as Basil turned the stove to a temporary low heat so the soup he was brewing could cook slowly while he went to his bedroom to get some styling supplies.

Basil came back with a hair dryer, amongst several other items. "First, let's make sure your hair's all dry."

"Right," Sunny said.

Hot air blew against Sunny's thick, black hair, sending strands flying in every direction. Basil's gentle fingers eased their way into his hair and steadily pressed those strands down to their normal resting position.

Sunny really enjoyed that feeling.

"Your hair is so...pretty..." Basil commented.

"Your hair's prettier," Sunny replied, blushing. "It's so...fluffy."

"No way...my hair always sticks out."

"I love that about your hair! I've...always wanted to kind of...touch it..."

Basil responded by providing for that temptation without any hesitation. Putting the hair dryer down on the side, he leaned his head close by Sunny's.

"...You really want me to touch your hair?" Sunny asked.

"You can feel my hair whenever you want, Sunny," Basil said, smiling.

Sunny satisfied his desire to drown in a sea of fluffiness by reaching out and touching a strand of Basil's golden hair. His fingers stroked the soft strand gently.

So...fluffy...

Faint pink bloomed across Basil's cheeks.

"It's as soft as a pillow," Sunny spoke, his eyes growing sleepy.

"Ah—ah...thank you..." Basil replied. "I always just liked having long hair...but no one's ever told me they liked my hair this way too..."

"How could anyone not like it?" Sunny said. "It feels...like what I imagine sleeping on a cloud would feel like..."

Basil giggled. "You're too kind..."

I guess...he might've been bullied at school for having long hair...

I'm so sorry I wasn't around to stand up for you, Basil. You're way kinder to me than I deserve.

Sunny summoned the willpower to let go of Basil's fluffy strand of hair, feeling like he had just fallen out of a comfy cloud.

"I still think your hair's prettier..." Basil spoke, drying the remaining strands of Sunny's hair. "It's so full and luscious."

Full...and luscious? I've only ever heard those words applied to Mari's hair!

Hearing those words brought a deep red blush to Sunny's own cheeks. "You really think so?"

"Yeah, and I love the way your hair falls into such cute bangs!"

I...didn't know you liked that...

"I've always wanted to have black hair," Basil added, a dreamy look in his eyes.

"Most people in the world have black hair," Sunny responded. "I think it's way more unique to have hair of your color."

"Ah—ah, thank you, but black hair is the best. If I had the time and money, I might try dyeing my hair black."

Basil with black hair? Now that'd be something to see...

"...But if you like my hair the way it is, I'll be happy keeping it that way," Basil said.

Sunny nodded.

Now that his hair was dry, Basil presented Sunny with a basket full of flowers. Sunny didn't know which one would look best on him; there were so many different types and colors to choose from.

After some deliberation, Basil picked up a yellow chrysanthemum from the basket and held it to Sunny's hair, using a portable mirror to show him his reflection. "How about this one?"

"Mmmm...looks good," Sunny said, thinking the shape and color suited his hair quite well.

"Okay. I'll just put it right here..."

Mmm...if this is the look I'm going for maybe I can add another decoration to my hair...

His hair was totally dry now and some of his bangs fell right in front of his eyes. He usually didn't mind but now he thought of another idea.

"Basil, remember that time when my hair grew so long in front, Mari thought it'd be cute to clip it back with hairpins?"

Basil paused at the mention of his sister. "Ummm, yeah...you were complaining about how you didn't want people seeing you wear hairpins..."

I was too repressed back then.

"I think hairpins could look good on me," Sunny said. "Right now my hair's a bit long in front, and it's kind of starting to get in the way..."

"Oh—oh, you want me to put on some hairpins?"

"If you have any."

"Yeah, I do!"

Basil went to the bathroom and came back with a box of hairpins, many with colorful and flowery designs. Sunny recognized some of them; back when they were all together, Mari and Aubrey used to love decorating Basil's hair.

He didn't want anything too fancy to start and decided on one of the simpler hairpins.

"Can we try that one?" Sunny said, pointing at a couple of pink bobby pins.

"Oh, that one looks great!"

Basil picked up the pink hairpins and pinned two strands of Sunny's frontal hair into bangs. The rest of his front, Basil combed them so they swept down as slightly curled bangs just above his eyes, adjusting the yellow chrysanthemum to fit the new hair arrangement.

"You like it?"

Basil picked up a portable mirror and held it in front of Sunny's face.

Oh, wow. This is definitely a new look...

"Not bad," Sunny said.

"You look really cute!" Basil said, smiling adorably. "Your hair is such a perfect length for bangs..."

"Thank you."

Basil looked so proud of the way he'd decorated Sunny's hair; Sunny couldn't keep his own lips from smiling with joy.

But despite his smile, Basil almost seemed a little anxious about the whole makeover. "You...umm...plan on keeping this look?"

"Why not?"

"W—What I mean is, I love your hair, Sunny! It's just...if you...walk outside looking like this...people might think...you're..."

"I'll deal with them," Sunny responded firmly. "I'm not afraid to fight anyone that wants to pick on me just because of how I look."

"...I understand. Sorry, Sunny. I'm just...not very assertive..."

You know what? I'm keeping this look, AND I'm going to the reunion party with it.

Let's see what Kel, Aubrey, and Hero think about my new look.

"It's okay, Basil. Thank you, really, for doing all this for me."

"Ah...you're welcome..."

"How's dinner looking?" Sunny asked.

"Oh! It should almost be done."

Basil went back to the stove to finish cooking their food. Sunny packed up the styling supplies, placing them back where he'd seen them inside the bathroom.

Not unexpectedly, dinner was delicious—chicken soup with all the vegetables they'd bought at the grocery store.

"Ah—hah...it's all because of Polly that I can cook..."

"Your own talent matters, too!"

"Thank you, Sunny..."

I kinda want to thank Polly, too. But...is there any way for us to even get in contact with her now that she's moved away?

Sunny wasn't done showering Basil with praises for his cooking as Basil went off to take his own bath.

In the meantime, Sunny washed all the dishes, a chore he was intimately familiar with.

The silence of being apart from Basil, even for just a few minutes, felt awfully lonesome.

I'm too sensitive to loneliness...

When he was by himself, he'd always found the world too scary, too loud, too chaotic. Well, at least that was how he remembered things being when he was a child.

It was a lot less stressful being inside his own head, shutting himself off from the rest of the world.

But when a happiness so bright was close in front of him, he had to reach out and grasp it, even if it mean exposing himself to the sadness and loneliness of moments where they had to separate.

One summer. That's all I have...

He finished the dishes just before Basil came back from the bathroom.

"Thanks for doing the dishes, Sunny."

"No problem!"

"Well, it's getting late," Basil said, glancing at the clock's 9 PM. "I usually go to bed to read a book by now...but that might be boring for you."

"No, reading sounds great," Sunny replied.

"Oh...you wanna read with me?"

Basil had a lot of books on plant care on the bookshelf in his bedroom, but Sunny was always more interested in novels. He browsed through the available fiction on Basil's bookshelf—a few classics, some mystery novels, several adventure stories focused on the plant world, and a bunch of works translated from Japanese.

The translated books aroused his interest. He couldn't read the Kanji on some of their covers, but luckily they all had English titles.

Mmmm...I wonder when did Basil become interested in Japanese novels?

"Found something you like?"

"Not yet."

Basil glanced at the novels he was browsing through. "Oh, are you interested in Japanese books?"

"I'm...sorta surprised you have all these," Sunny said, browsing through an English translation of I Am A Cat. "Mari used to love reading these books, but I couldn't get into any of them..."

"Mari recommended them to me a while back. They're pretty interesting," Basil replied, smiling.

Oh, so it was before that incident...

"Which one's the best?" Sunny asked.

"That's hard to say...most of them aren't about exciting adventures or murder mysteries like what we used to read together. The ones Mari recommended to me are mainly about domestic life...I'm not sure if that's what you'd enjoy."

"If I wanted adventures or mysteries, I'd read manga," Sunny replied, an open-mouthed smile. "To be honest, I don't really read much, which yeah, sounds bad when I wanna try writing a story..."

"I'm sure you can be a great writer!" Basil encouraged.

"Thanks, Basil. I really liked the books we used to read together. I want to write stories like those."

Basil smiled, his eyes glowing with reminiscing. "We used to borrow so many books from the library, I wish I owned some of them. It'd be so nice to read them again, right...?"

"Yeah," Sunny concurred. "But we can just go to the library to see if they're still there, right? We've got all summer!"

"Yes, that's right...but we can't right now. The library's closed at night."

"I know. I'll just pick something from your shelf."

The library can wait. I want to read all the books you've read, Basil.

I want to see the words you've spent every day with...the characters you've grown to love and hate...the worlds that came to life within these pages.

You must've seen so much more than I did while I dreamt my days away, locked inside my own bubble world.

"...So, any good books on domestic life?" Sunny asked, wanting to try something he'd never read before.

After a short moment of deliberation, Basil picked up a thin green book from the shelf.

Kitchen, by Banana Yoshimoto.

Hey, I think Mari's read that one before.

"...It's not really about cooking, despite what you might guess from the title," Basil said.

"I'll try it!" Sunny said, taking the book excitedly.

Basil smiled. "Hope you like it."

Looks like you've already got a book on orchid care in your hands, Basil...

"...You wanna...read in bed together?" Sunny asked.

Basil's reddening face was about what Sunny expected. He glanced away, then looked back at Sunny. "...Yeah, I do. It's funny...I've always dreamed you'd ask me..."

"We always used to read together in bed back then, right?"

"Yeah, but...at that time the bed was just the floor underneath our tent. It's not like...you know...a real bed..."

I guess there's definitely something more intimate about reading together in an actual bed.

"Problem is," Basil continued, "my bed's too small."

Sunny looked at Basil's bed, frowning when he noticed its narrow twin size. "Actually...you wanna try something? If you don't mind sleeping on the floor, why don't we take your mattress off your bed frame and push it right beside mine?"

"Ummm...hey, that might work. Good idea, Sunny."

"Okay, let's make a larger bed."

Their larger bed ended up still being separated by a small, annoying gap between their two mattresses. Nevertheless Sunny couldn't deny that this arrangement led to a much more intimate shared reading-in-bed experience between themselves.

To get a good headrest without the bed frame, they pushed their mattresses up to the wall and propped up their pillows against the wall.

If Basil had a larger blanket, they could even share it across the two beds. Sunny put that idea onto a bucket list of items he'd buy once he acquired an income.

Basil smiled adorably as they moved closer together on their beds so they could read side by side.

The two boys began reading their books, Basil burying his nose in learning about orchid care and Sunny entering the mind of an author whose words about the kitchen were originally written in another language.

It was the first book he read outside of school in a long while, and he found an unusual delight in reading just for fun.

Within moments he was engrossed in another writer's thoughts, emotions, and memories, discovering how rich the world of words could really be when translated across languages.

As stars settled into the night sky, their eyes grew sleepy, and their heads came close to touching as they nodded off.

Sunny almost fell asleep but retained consciousness when he felt Basil's fluffy hair brush against his shoulder.

"Hey," Sunny whispered softly, "you awake, Basil?"

"Yeah," Basil said, his eyes closed. "You know...I almost never fall asleep at this hour...but reading by your side just makes me feel so...comfortable..."

Sunny gently placed his arm over Basil's shoulder. "We haven't read together like this since we were twelve, huh..."

Basil snuggled up closer to Sunny, and Sunny could feel the warmth of the boy he loved so much cuddling under his arm.

"I really enjoyed today," Sunny said. "Gardening with you and everything...I kind of wish every day could be like this."

Basil opened his sleepy eyes and gazed up at Sunny, a true smile. "...You made me so happy today."

Sunny felt a faint heat in his cheeks.

"I'm just happy to spend time with you..." Sunny said, facing the ceiling.

"You changed my whole world."

Sunny turned towards Basil, and a pair of lips pressed against his.

Basil...

His eyes became lidded, closing as he sank into the sweet, tender warmth of their kiss.

We...don't need anything except for each other...

Lost in their kiss, Sunny felt there would never be a happier place in the world for him than being by Basil's side.

They were kept together by their lifelong promise to each other.

The flowers in their hair brushed against each other, and when Sunny opened his eyes, he found a twin pair of petals balanced between the tips of their noses.

When they parted, the petals fell through the space between their mattresses.

"...We'll get new flowers tomorrow, okay?" Basil said.

Sunny nodded, giggling. "Okay."

"I...think I'll go sleep now. Goodnight, Sunny."

"Goodnight, Basil."

***

Morning sunlight streamed through the windows.

Huh?

I've never...had such a short, dreamless sleep...not since the days before my sister died...

"Good morning, Sunny!"

A smile brighter than the white rays of sunlight greeted him, along with the delicious smell of...fresh grilled fish!

The tray in front of Sunny was like a traditional Japanese breakfast, the kind that his mom used to make for him and Mari when he was still a kid. There was hot miso soup with soft tofu, steamed rice, a fillet of grilled salmon, egg strips, and a simple lettuce and carrot salad.

"You like it?" Basil asked.

"This is...quite fancy," Sunny said. "It must've taken you a lot of time to make."

"I woke up about two hours ago and decided to make you a really special breakfast. It's healthy and low in calories!"

"Thank you," Sunny said, touched by Basil's thoughtfulness in food choices. "Did you sleep well?"

"Very. You?"

I can't even begin to describe the bliss of that dreamless sleep..."

"Sleeping beside you was wonderful," Sunny replied.

Basil turned away, giggling. "Ah—ah...are we going to read and sleep together every night from now on?"

"Why not?"

Basil's blushing smile was the most adorable thing Sunny had ever laid his eyes upon.

"Thank you, really," Basil said in a soft, embarrassed tone. "I've never felt as happy as I did these past two days...it almost makes me afraid it'll all disappear..."

Sunny sat up straight, leaning forward with momentum. "It won't. I'll always come back for you."

"...Thanks for being so reassuring."

No reason not to be!

While he ate breakfast, Sunny thought about his upcoming reunion with Aubrey, Kel, and Hero in a few days. The last time the four of them were together, all smiling, had been the night before his fight with Basil. The last time they were all smiling together, Basil and Mari included, had been five years ago, the day before his planned recital.

He hoped with all his heart that they would smile again with him and Basil in the picture.

But when he remembered how things had gone in the hospital after he'd confessed the truth, a pit formed in his stomach.

After he'd let everything out, he'd felt a huge wave of relief. Forgiving himself, letting go of a secret that he'd buried deep inside for four years—such a massive burden had been lifted off his shoulders. Yet the looks on his friends' faces informed him that nothing could ever be the same again.

They'd embraced him once all the words had left his lips, glad that he had finally come clean with the truth.

That might be the last time they would ever have a group hug.

When he left their arms, he braced himself for the anger and punishment he knew he deserved to have faced four years ago instead of covering everything up.

"That's...seriously sick of you two!" Aubrey said.

"Sunny! Come on! I don't understand...that's so messed up!" Kel said.

Hero did not say anything, but the look on his face was enough for Sunny to know.

Sunny didn't bother defending himself or Basil.

One by one, they left the room where Basil slept. He memorized the looks on their faces, a lasting reminder of how he'd hurt the people he cared so much about.

Sunny had never felt so lonely as during the days he'd spent inside that room afterwards.

When he heard Basil stirring under his blankets on the hospital bed, he let a very faint hope into his heart, a hope that at least one person in the world would come back for him.

I remember...when you first woke up in the hospital after our fight, I was so happy...

I hadn't smiled in years, but at that time, seeing your eyes open again after being closed for so long...

Smiling...just felt right...

Basil had understood that smile instantly, and he'd smiled back.

That smile marked the moment a warm light was born within his heart, restoring a friendship that should never have been broken.

From then on, he accepted all his feelings, even the—initially very uncomfortable—feeling that he might be in love with Basil.

When he moved away to his new city, watching the trees and utility poles on the highway passing by, he'd thought only of the day when he could return to Basil's side, sleep with their heads close to each other's, and he'd say when the morning sunlight streamed through the windows—

Good morning, Basil.

That hope gave him the bravery to face his friends, their anger. A month after moving away, he called Kel and Aubrey.

"How could...how could you come up with a plan like that?!" Aubrey had said, her first words to him on the phone.

Sunny could only smile sadly.

I'm an awful person, I know.

But I've learned my lesson.

He hoped his friends were willing to forgive him at their reunion. Even if they didn't, he wanted to make it clear that he and Basil had learned their lesson.

Above all, he was happy that his dream came true, that he could wake up in the morning and see Basil's bright smile.

Thank you so much for letting me come back for you, Basil.

After finishing his breakfast, he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. When he looked at himself in the bathroom mirror, he became keenly aware of his new hair style with his flower and hairpin bangs. It would be very conspicuous to go out looking like this.

Basil had to put up with people making fun of him for so many years...

I want to make it up to him, by showing the world that it's okay for boys to wear flowers and hairpins in their hair. Maybe it could help others who were too afraid to look like Basil to gain the courage to try it for themselves.

Sunny approached Basil in the kitchen, washing the morning's dishes.

"Let's take a walk around Faraway Town," Sunny suggested.

"Oh—oh...sure. Is there a place you want to go?"

"Not really. I just wanna enjoy the scenery. We could meet Kel or Aubrey if we're lucky!"

"Ah-hah...okay..."

It was a bright and sunny day outside, without a single cloud in the sky. The warm summer heat had dissipated all the puddles on the ground from yesterday. Flowers were blooming on peoples' lawns and the breeze carried dandelion puffs through the air.

They went on a circuit around town, stopping by all the places they used to play at back when they were children.

Not surprisingly, Sunny heard some jeering behind his back, mainly from middle schoolers and high schoolers who tended to be the worst in that particular category of hate.

No one confronted them, but he had his knife and pepper spray ready, especially if someone tried to attack Basil.

"...Are you still okay with wearing flowers in your hair, Sunny?" Basil asked after walking past a group of random delinquents.

"I'm good," Sunny said.

"Ah...I'm glad..."

"As long as we're together, we have nothing to be afraid of!" Sunny said, patting Basil on the shoulder.

"Thank you, Sunny..."

When they passed by the church, Sunny glanced around, trying to find Aubrey or someone whom she regularly hung out with, but it didn't seem like any of them were around.

Instead, he was greeted by some old people at the church's doorstep. Sunny braced himself for a mean comment about children and their weird hair these days.

"Hey. Those are some nice flowers you have in your hair," the old man said to them with a genuine smile.

"Thank you!" Sunny replied, surprised.

I guess...it's totally wrong of me to assume things about people just based on their age...

I'm sorry, old guy.

"Where did you get those flowers?" the man asked.

"I grow them in my garden..." Basil answered. "You can get the flower seeds from the plant section at the back of Fix-It."

"Thanks! I've been bored of watching TV these days, I might take up gardening as a new hobby."

One very pleasant conversation about growing flowers later, Sunny and Basil left the church to head over to Faraway Park.

"A while ago, Aubrey told me she's been volunteering at a charity program for troubled kids at the church," Basil said. "I think...people at the church have gotten a lot nicer because of her."

"Aubrey's been doing that? I'm proud of her."

"Yeah...me too..."

I should thank her when I meet her again!

At Faraway Park, they were surprised to find Mincy, the aspiring artist Sunny had met with Kel two years before, sketching away at the scenes in the park.

"Hey!" Sunny greeted. "How's your art coming along?"

Mincy turned her head up and looked surprised to see Sunny. "Wow...is that you, Sunny? Awesome new hair style!"

"Thank you," Sunny replied, blushing at that compliment.

"Actually...you know what? Are you two in a rush right now?"

"Not really."

"Hmmm...do you mind if I draw a portrait of you two together? You two look beautiful with those flowers in your hair!"

Sunny turned to Basil, who was certainly blushing. "...You okay with it?"

"Y—Yeah...I'm just not used to receiving compliments about these flowers I wear..."

"Oh, you look great, Basil," Mincy said. "Sorry I didn't tell you before..."

"It's no problem...really..."

"Okay, if you two are okay with it, just stand over there," Mincy said, directing them in front of some trees. "This might take an hour...or two..."

Sunny and Basil stood next to each other, shoulders touching, for two whole hours while Mincy drew a sketch of them.

Good thing I didn't drink too much water this morning or I might've needed to take a break to use the bathroom...

Basil seemed to be doing okay throughout the two hours, even when the sun grew very hot.

"Done!" Mincy said, presenting her sketch to them.

Wow! We look really pretty in this portrait...

"Hey...what's this?" Basil spoke, a deep blushing coming over his cheeks. "Ummm...you drew us...holding hands, Mincy..."

She turned her eyes slightly away. "Ah...I'm sorry...while drawing, I realized the two of you would make a great couple! I didn't meant to assume or anything..."

Basil just kept blushing.

Sunny smiled brightly. "It's okay. I really appreciate this sketch!"

"You can keep it," Mincy said, handing the page over.

"Really? Thanks a lot!"

You drew the flowers in our hair so well. We look beautiful!

"How's art school?" Sunny asked, recalling Kel telling her that she'd made it to her dream school.

"It's going great," Mincy said. "Lots of hard work, but I'm making good progress on my art. I'm just back here in town for a few weeks to practice. There's always lots of interesting things to draw at the park."

"Mmmm, I'm glad you made it in! Hope you have a great art career."

"Thank you, Sunny. As long as I have the inspiration, I believe I can keep drawing beautiful art!"

Standing still for two hours had been very tiring. By the time they made it to Faraway Plaza, they were in the mood for something to quench their thirst.

Inside the grocery store, they bought a pack of popsicles. Sunny took out and started eating an orange popsicle, Basil a lime one.

I haven't enjoyed a popsicle on a hot summer day for so long...it's nice to be back!

Sunny held up Mincy's art piece of the two of them holding hands, flowers in their hair, as they ate their popsicles.

"You think she knew?" Sunny asked.

"Ah-ah...maybe..."

"I was thinking...maybe we should tell our friends at the reunion party about our relationship?"

Basil looked down at his shoes. "I don't know...would they accept us...?"

"I'm sure they will. I think...the way we've been close for so long, even how we shared our traumatic secret for four years...they might already suspect we like each other."

Basil was shocked. "Ummm!! At most...they probably thought it was just a one-sided crush...from my side..."

"Mmmm, I want to tell them it's not so one-sided anymore."

Basil grew a little smile. "I guess...it might not be such a secret with the way you've styled your hair, Sunny..."

Sunny's hand brushed through the chrysanthemum in his hair, its delicate petals soft against his fingers. "Thanks again for lending me your flowers, Basil."

"N—No problem, Sunny!"

Sunny glanced at the art piece again, then at the pretty flower boy standing by his side. He couldn't help the warm feelings that grew inside his heart.

From that first reawakening inside the hospital to now, Basil's smile would always be the most lovely picture in his life.

Chapter Text

"Sunny, would you like some sunflower tea?"

"Thanks. Just give it to me plain, no milk or sugar."

Sunny had started writing a draft of the story he planned to submit to the state writing contest.

The whole story he'd planned could easily fit the length of a novel, but the writing competition limited him to five thousand words. He realized he wouldn't be able to tell an interesting story if he had to condense all those events in the story down to five thousand words, and decided he'd instead write about one pivotal event in the story.

But which event should I write about?

Basil placed a steaming cup of hot sunflower tea onto his table. Sunny tapped a pencil against his head, pondering what event from that long dream inside his head would make the most interesting five thousand word story.

"Thank you."

Sunflower tea had a cool and refreshing taste, a good drink to have to clear his mind.

"No problem. Need any help from me, Sunny?"

Sunny wasn't sure if he ought to tell Basil about his dreams. It was a little embarrassing to admit that he spent so many days dreaming about going on an adventure with his friends for the purpose of finding him.

He would use different names for all the characters once he started writing the story, but maybe it wouldn't be hard for Basil to tell that each character was based on his friends and himself.

Conflicted, Sunny decided to ask Basil for his advice on which event to write about.

"If your friend was missing and you went out to search for them, which one of these places sounds like it'd make the most interesting adventure?" Sunny asked. "Outer space, a spooky spider-filled forest, a castle ruled by a crazy, self-absorbed queen, an underwater resort, or inside the belly of a whale?"

"Oh, wow...all those places sound so interesting!" Basil replied. "I don't know which one to choose..."

"What if you had to pick one of them?"

A cute, thoughtful look grew over Basil's expression.

"Well...I don't find spiders scary, so the forest wouldn't be that spooky for me. Outer space sounds like a big place...there'd be so many planets to check, I wouldn't know where to start! I'm not sure why my friend would go missing at an underwater resort...that sounds more like a place to take a vacation in. Unless the resort sank underwater? Haha...I guess that leaves the castle and the whale. Both sound pretty interesting and scary to me!"

Mmmm...

"Thanks, Basil," Sunny replied. "I'll pick one of those two."

"Need help with anything else?"

"It's okay."

"I'll get things ready for the party."

A few days ago, they'd bought gifts for Kel, Hero, and Aubrey even though it wasn't necessary to exchange gifts at the party. Sunny wanted to do something nice for his friends, and he'd chosen a thoughtful gift for each one of them.

For Kel, they bought a pair of new basketball shoes.

Basil told him that the last time he saw Aubrey playing baseball with her friends at the park, her glove looked old and rather damaged. For Aubrey, they bought a new baseball glove.

Picking a present for Hero had been difficult because he was the farthest from them in age, and he probably held the most resentment towards them for Mari's death. After some brainstorming, they finally settled on getting Hero a brand new cookbook with a notable basil tomato soup recipe, in case he wanted to angrily boil some basil....

Basil got a laugh out of that. We don't shy away from dark humor...

Their reunion party was in a few hours, and they'd spent the morning packaging their gifts as well as preparing food for the party—watermelons, chips, and a few bottles of soda.

Sunny took another sip of sunflower tea. He wanted to create an outline of his story before setting out for the party.

Unable to choose between the castle and the whale, he started outlining both stories. He wrote snippets of the major scenes in each story, solidifying the characters' motivations, the atmosphere of the settings, and the general sense of pacing.

Before long, he got so into writing each story that Basil had to snap fingers in front of his face to remind him that it was time to head out.

"Oh, sorry..." Sunny said, pulling his head out of the scene where the protagonist had to bake a cake for one of Sweetheart's chefs. "Is it time already?"

"We have to hurry! It's almost 3 PM."

Sunny still hadn't made up his mind on which story location to write about yet.

I'll think about it after the party, I guess...

As Basil picked up all the food they were bringing to the party, he grabbed the three presents and set out for Kel's house.

His heart thumped in his chest with each step he took towards his reunion with his friends. Kel had called yesterday telling them that it was okay for them to come to the party, but he didn't know how Aubrey or Hero would react to them showing up.

I hope they'll accept our presents, at least...

"H—How are you feeling, Sunny?" Basil asked when they reached the crosswalk.

"I'm going to be okay," Sunny replied, trying to convince himself that it was true.

"Ah—ah, that's good. I'm a little nervous...but as long as you're here with me, I can manage."

"I'm pretty nervous too," Sunny admitted. "I hope they've forgiven us, but if not...we should apologize again."

Basil looked ahead glumly at Kel's block. "...I don't know if Hero would ever forgive us."

"...Let's just hope for the best."

I'm going to see my old house beside Kel's. I wonder how it looks now?

When they reached the street that Kel's house was on, Sunny started seeing dark, twisting shadows at the edge of his vision. The familiar fear of being rejected, hated by his friends, alongside the anxiety that arose from expecting that fear, returned to his mind and made him envision all sorts of horrific scenarios.

Kel, Aubrey, and Hero's faces were twisted, mocking. Their shadowy visages chased after him and Basil with a basketball, a baseball bat, and a cooking pan. Dark goo dripped from their eyes and mouths.

...Feel everything that there is to feel, and don't reject your feelings...

Sunny took deep breathes, allowing all his emotions, even fear, to course through his body.

Gradually, the shadows began to fade. He made himself accept the reality of facing his friends with a cloud of guilt hanging over him, and the possibility of confronting their wrath and anger.

I want them to forgive Basil, even if they can't forgive me. After all, I was the one who killed Mari...I deserve the blame for instigating this whole mess.

When they came within view of Kel's house, Sunny glanced at the next house over.

His old home hadn't changed much, though it had a couple new cars in the driveway. The bushes in the front yard had been trimmed, and a new purple carpet had been placed in front of the entrance door.

It feels so nostalgic, seeing that house again...

That place isn't my home anymore, but it's where all my memories...of Mari...and...

"Sunny? Are you okay?" Basil asked, noticing the slowing down in his pace.

"Yeah...I'm ready," Sunny replied.

The two of them turned to face the path leading up to the orange front door of Kel's house.

I hear voices speaking inside. Kel's voice...

...I think I hear Hero's voice...and Aubrey's, too...

"Well, we're here," Sunny said, smiling in spite of his anxiety. "Let's go see our friends again."

Basil smiled back.

Together, they walked up to the front door. Sunny rang the doorbell.

In a way I feel...just like the day when I'd gotten out of bed and opened the door for Kel...and seeing everyone again for the first time in so long...

Footsteps approached the front door. Sunny glanced between Basil and the door, his expression growing more nervous, holding his breath.

Basil's trying his hardest to smile.

The door swung open.

"Hey!" Kel greeted them, all smiles.

"Hi, Kel," Sunny replied, happy to see Kel's brightness.

"Woah...nice hair you got there."

Sunny could feel a blush coming on. "Oh, this? I, erh, wanted to try something new, shed my old look."

"It's awesome! You really seem to like flowers now..."

"Ah—ha..."

"Hey, it kinda suits you with your eye patch."

Kel glanced at the presents in Sunny's arms, then at the food in Basil's. "You sure brought a lot of stuff."

"We've brought presents for everyone!" Basil explained.

"You shouldn't have—now you're going to make us feel bad that we didn't buy anything for you!"

"Sorry," Sunny said, smiling embarrassedly. "We were just so glad to be invited to this party, we thought we should get presents for everyone."

"Thanks again for inviting us," Basil added. "We hope you'll accept our presents."

"Well, come in!" Kel said. "My parents are out just for today, so we have the house all to ourselves tonight."

"Ummm...where's Aubrey and Hero?" Basil asked in a quieter voice.

"They're in the kitchen making food. I'll call them over."

Sunny took off his shoes and walked into the living room, happy and anxious to see Aubrey and Hero again after being away for almost two years.

"Hey, Basil and Sunny are here," he heard Kel say in the kitchen.

Basil stood close by Sunny's side, almost protectively.

Within seconds Aubrey walked into the living room. She still wore long pink hair tied with a light blue ribbon, short jeans, and a white top. This time there wasn't a spiked nail bat in sight, providing Sunny some light relief.

"Wow," she said, looking over Sunny from head to toe. "I never thought you'd be into that hair style."

"You don't think I look good with flowers and hairpins?" Sunny replied.

The look in Aubrey's eyes told him she'd never expected Sunny to say that sentence in a million years.

Having tried hard to be outgoing over the past couple of years, I've certainly gotten a lot more blunt with my words. Maybe...I'm even kinda sassy?

"...You've changed," Aubrey said.

"Yeah, I'm not a shut-in anymore."

"You're barely even the same person."

"...A lot's happened."

Sunny placed the presents down on the floor, while Basil put the food on the table in the living room. Hero still hadn't shown up yet, but they could hear him talking with Kel inside the kitchen.

"So...is this just a phase, or are you going to look like Basil from now on?" Aubrey asked, sitting down on the couch.

Sunny took a seat opposite her while Basil's eyes glanced away, averting attention.

"I'm only obligated to look like myself," Sunny said, adjusting his eye patch.

"This is your new self?" Aubrey couldn't seem to decide on whether that was confusing or hilarious. "Flowers, hairpins, an eyepatch...it's like you've thrown away everything bland about your old self and gone overboard in the other direction."

"Better than being monotonous," Sunny said, remembering all too well how it felt to spend every second as a pasty boy with a black tank top and black and white striped shorts.

To his surprise, Aubrey smiled in agreement. "You got that right. It's better than monotonous, but it's just so...flamboyant."

She glanced over at Basil. "Did you get him to try on this new look?"

"Ummm...a little," Basil replied.

"I chose to have this new look," Sunny cut in.

Aubrey faced away from them both, turning her eyes up towards the ceiling. "Hmmph. I guess I should've expected it. I'd thought any new look you'd try would look more like your old self, but, figures...you were always very close to Basil. Well, if that's the style you want to show off, who am I to complain? Good on you, Sunny."

"Thanks," Sunny said.

Any last vestiges of romantic feelings they might've shared had now fully vanished.

"...Since when did you become so open and talkative?" Aubrey asked.

"Maybe I've always wanted to be," Sunny said light heartedly.

"You? Open about your feelings and everything? I just don't see it. I feel like you've changed yourself completely on purpose."

"I don't want to go back to the way I was back then. I like myself more now."

Well...more honestly, I think I take on bits of the personalities of the people I spend time around.

After being stuck in my room for four years, completely alone, then talking to you and Kel again...I felt like I was a personality sponge, ready to soak up all the aspects of my friends I admired as I hung around them.

Aubrey turned her eyes away, looking in Basil's direction. "Hey, Basil."

Basil smiled nervously. "Hi, Aubrey."

"Ummm...how have things been? Haven't seen you around lately at all."

"Oh—oh, I've been fine. Life's kinda been busy for me recently."

"Yeah? I know, we've all got our own stuff to do nowadays."

"I heard you've been helping out at the church," Sunny mentioned.

"That's right."

"What's the story behind that?"

"You interested? Well...a week after our fight at the church, the pastor approached me and told me about this new after school program he started for kids who didn't want to go back home."

Aubrey tilted her head, putting on that vicious smile she liked to make. "Sounds lame, right? Well, it was lame. I thought, hey, I could do way better than this. I told the pastor to let me try running the whole thing, and, well, I was surprised when he agreed!"

She smiled more genuinely. "So I've been taking the kids out to play baseball, track and field, the movies, all that fun stuff. At the end of each week, we all go to Gino's for pizza. It's a blast."

"That's...amazing," Sunny said, legitimately surprised by her charity.

"Thanks."

"You've been doing all that by yourself each day?"

"Kim's been helping out, too. We...kinda know how it's like to not want to go home after school..."

Sunny could concur with that one hundred percent given his current situation with his mom.

"How's your other friends doing?" Sunny asked.

Aubrey looked surprised that Sunny was not only talkative, but showed genuine interest in her friend group. "We've kinda drifted. I mostly just hang with Kim nowadays."

"Oh."

Basil shifted in his seat. "...I'm glad you're helping those kids, Aubrey."

Aubrey smiled at Basil. "Thanks."

"Oh—oh, and I noticed people around the church have been...nicer, lately. I think it's because of you!"

"No way, they probably still think I'm a delinquent. But I'm glad people are treating you better."

"Just a little..."

"Hey, Basil...you're not still mad at me because of...what happened back then, right? Y'know...at the lake in our old hangout..."

Basil tried to smile. "N—No, that was all an accident. I don't even think about it anymore."

"Yeah, okay..."

Aubrey...has that been weighing on your mind?

She looked from Basil's eyes to Sunny's.

"I've...maybe not been as nice to you as I should've been, after you told me the truth," she confessed after a short silence. "Just been thinking...a lot of crap happens...and usually no one's entirely at fault. Maybe...I shouldn't have screamed at you after you told me what really happened to Mari."

"It's all right," Sunny said. "I'm really sorry for what I did."

"I'm sorry too," Basil said. "...We weren't thinking properly when that whole thing happened."

Sunny nodded. "I still don't think I can ever make it up to you—"

Aubrey waved her hand. "It's in the past now. We can't bring Mari back. So let's all just try to move on with our lives."

Yeah, that's as much as we can ever do...

They turned their heads up and saw Kel and Hero walking into the room.

"...Hey." Hero said, looking to Basil, then at Sunny.

"...Hi," they replied.

Sunny felt tense as Hero placed a plate of chocolate chip cookies onto the table.

Kel was the first to break the stifling atmosphere.

"By the way," Kel said, pointing at the packages Sunny had placed on the floor, "Sunny and Basil brought presents for us! We should've thought about getting presents for everyone..."

Hero glanced towards the presents, but there was no trace of a smile on his face.

"...You wanna check out what they got you?" Kel asked.

"I don't really want any presents," Hero said quietly.

Oh, no...

Kel sighed, putting on an exasperated face. "All right. You're just going to have to get it over with."

Aubrey raised an eye. "Get what over with?"

Sunny had never seen Kel look so anxious.

"...Do you guys remember that story I told you? Just...ah...after Mari died, there was a time when Hero screamed at me for like an hour...but he didn't really mean the things he said, and then he apologized afterwards?"

Hero's face grew red, wincing at Kel's words.

"Well...we've talked...and we kinda realized that he likes to bottle things up, but he'd really get over stuff a lot faster if he just let all his anger out in one go like he did that night," Kel said.

Sunny felt a lump forming in his throat as he saw Hero balling his fists.

"...Sorry in advance," Kel said embarrassedly. "Don't take it personally."

I've got a bad feeling...

Hero faced Sunny and Basil. "You're not going to like the side of me you're about to see."

Hero...never screamed at me after I told everyone the truth...but...

I know I really deserve to hear it from him.

"I'm really sorry," Kel said, backing away.

Hero sucked in a deep breath.

"What the FUCK?! What the God damn fuck were you two thinking?! How could you push your own sister down the fucking stairs? How fucked up do you have to be to frame her death as a suicide? God. You two fucks are messed in the head. Go to hell. You don't deserve a sister like Mari. You don't deserve her as a friend. Fuck you. You should've been the ones to die instead. God fucking damn you. I wish you two never came into my life."

Holy...

Sunny was totally speechless.

Judging by the looks on Basil, Aubrey, and even Kel's face, that was worse than what any of them had expected.

Even Hero was surprised. The angry color drained from his face, replaced by sadness.

With his head lowered, Hero walked out of sight back into the kitchen.

Maybe...I deserve to hear those words...

Kel broke the silence. "I'm...really sorry."

He went after his brother.

A brief stillness passed during which Sunny could hear Kel consoling a sobbing Hero. Sunny gathered his wits to face Basil and Aubrey.

"I'm...okay," Sunny spoke. "It was probably healthy for him to let out his anger."

Basil held his left arm. "Hero...really can't forgive us, can he?"

Sunny dipped his head. "I wouldn't expect him to."

"...He kind of went overboard," Aubrey whispered. "I never thought Hero could blow up like that. I guess deep down, he's got a lot of repressed anger towards you two. But...knowing how I treated...you, Basil...I can't say I'm any better."

Looks like we've all done horrible things to each other since the day Mari died.

Well, except maybe Kel...

Sunny gazed at the floor. "Hero's still a good person. He just had to blow off some steam. It's nothing worse than what I've done."

Basil took a step close towards Sunny. "Maybe...we should apologize to him again."

"Yeah," Sunny agreed. "He's been through a lot. We hurt him a lot more than his words could hurt us."

Aubrey leaned back into the couch. "Yeah. I hope you can make up with him."

"We'll try our hardest to."

"...I just hope everyone's still in the mood for poker later."

Sunny waited for some sign that Hero would be returning to the living room; Kel came back first.

"Hero's...not proud of what he's said," Kel began.

"It's okay," Sunny said. "I know he's still angry at us. Could you ask him if he'd let us apologize again?"

"Okay, I'll let him know."

Losing Mari and not knowing why for so long...

If I lost...Basil...I wouldn't even know what to do with myself. I'd be so inconsolable...

I...really hope Hero will try to give us a second chance. If he doesn't, I guess...maybe some relationships can't be fixed...

A minute later, Kel came back with a teary-eyed Hero.

Before Hero could say a single word, Sunny bowed forward with his arms at his sides, the same way he'd seen Mari do before during serious apologies.

"I'm so sorry, Hero," Sunny said. "I know I'll never be able to make things right after everything I've done. But I still consider you my friend, and I hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive us one day."

Basil didn't seem to know how to do the apology bow, so he just looked at Hero in the eyes solemnly. "I'm really sorry, too. We've learned our lesson, and we promise that we'll never do anything like that again. We'll always tell you the truth from now on."

Sunny waited to hear more words of admonishment from Hero.

When nothing came, he slowly raised his upper body and saw that Hero had a totally incredulous look on his face.

"I'm...I'm sorry, too," Hero said softly. "I...said some really awful things back there. I know Mari wouldn't have been proud of me. So...I hope you'll forgive me, too."

"Of course we forgive you," Sunny replied, and Basil nodded in agreement.

A sliver of a smile appeared on Hero's lips. "I honestly didn't mean any of what I said. It's...really embarrassing...thinking back on it..."

"I know you didn't mean it," Basil said. "We just have...kinda crazy moments sometimes..."

Hero rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly.

"So, we're all cool with each other, right?" Kel said.

"I might need some more time to think things through...but we're definitely still friends," Hero said.

Thank you, Hero.

"Ummm...will you accept the presents we got you?" Basil mentioned.

"Oh, for sure."

Sunny smiled. "Go ahead and open them. They're all yours."

Just before doing that, Hero threw Sunny a curious look. "Nice new hairstyle you got there."

"Thanks."

***

Right after dinner, the group went over to the new poker table Kel's parents had bought, complete with a full set of poker chips.

"You guys play a lot of poker now?" Aubrey asked Kel and Hero.

"Mom and pop's been inviting their friends over for card game Saturdays," Kel explained. "It's really made our neighborhood a lot more lively lately."

Turning towards Sunny, Kel added, "Our new neighbors love coming to our games!"

"Really? How are they?" Sunny responded.

"Pretty cool bunch. They taught us how to play Euchre!"

"You guys gamble with any real money?" Aubrey asked.

"No, we just play for fun."

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "Bo—ring! Card games are only fun if you've got real money at stake."

"Come on, taking people's money over a game? That's just mean! " Kel said.

"You know why people play poker, don't you?" Aubrey replied. "Poker chips are for betting real money."

"Are you...are you suggesting that we bet real money at our game tonight?"

Aubrey smiled viciously. "Why not? I'm sure losing a couple bucks or a hundred wouldn't hurt you too badly. I've got a movie night with pizza to cover next week, and I'm running low on funds. If I take your money, consider it a donation for the children."

Kel's cheeks pumped red with anger. "As if! This was supposed to be a friendly game...what if we end up winning money from you?"

Aubrey leaned towards Kel. "Oh, is that a challenge?"

"What?! No. We should let everyone decide."

Sunny sipped the delicious red broth spiced with chopped green leaves from the bowl on the table in front of him.

Everyone had loved their presents. Hero had decided to put his new cookbook to immediate use, and his choice of the basil tomato soup certainly created a few laughs while raising at least one eye.

"Hmmm...a poker game with real money might be fun," Hero spoke, surprising everyone with his serious consideration of the idea.

"Don't tell me you want to lose money to Aubrey..." Kel muttered.

"The thing is...I can't believe I didn't get any of you presents! How about this? I'll lend you all money to play poker tonight. That way you won't lose any of your own money, but whatever money you hang on to, you can keep, all on me."

"Looks like Hero's all in on it," Aubrey said, snickering at Kel.

Kel was flabbergasted. "I can't believe you...you want to bet money, Hero?!"

"I could end up winning it all back," Hero said with a smile.

A sense of deja vu occurred to Sunny as he envisioned Hero, top employee of a casino-owning shark.

Hero turned towards Sunny and Basil. "You two wanna join in?"

Well...if it'd make Hero feel better about not getting us presents...

"Sure, why not?" Sunny replied.

"Sounds like fun!" Basil said, noticeably increasing the height of Kel's jaw.

"Well, Kel?" Aubrey said. "Looks like everyone wants to play a real money game."

"Argh...fine. I guess it doesn't matter if Hero's going to pay for all of it." In a quieter voice, "I hope you know what you're doing, brother..."

"Hah...how about I give each of you fifty bucks?" Hero said.

"Thanks! That should make things interesting," Aubrey replied, placing a big stack of poker chips onto the table.

The five of them sat around the table and each took fifty dollars' worth of chips.

"Thanks, Hero," Basil said. "If you lose all your money, I wouldn't mind giving it back to you."

"Don't worry. I'm not going to lose."

...I hope I remember how to play...

Sunny looked at his first two cards. It was a two of hearts and a seven of spades, hardly a good hand. He folded it.

A couple of rounds later, his hand was an ace and a jack, and there was also an ace and a jack on the board. He'd hit two pair, and he was sure that was the best hand.

"Ten dollars," Sunny said, placing the equivalent amount of chips into the pot.

"Twenty-five dollars," Aubrey countered.

What?! She can't possibly have a better hand...I bet she's just bluffing.

"Call," Sunny said, agreeing to pay twenty-five dollars if he lost.

They showed their hands.

"Looks like I beat you," Aubrey said, revealing a pair of jacks.

With two jacks in her hand and a third jack on the board, she had three of a kind, a better hand than two pair.

I can't believe I didn't think she could have that!

Sunny felt his pride being insulted as Aubrey took twenty-five dollars away from his stack of chips.

"It's okay, Sunny," Basil said, patting him on the shoulder. "Aubrey's really good at poker."

"I'll win it back," Sunny replied with determination.

Aubrey's smile couldn't get any bigger.

A few more rounds passed. Sunny received a strong hand, a queen and king of diamonds, and put lots of money into the pot as the cards on the board were revealed.

Two queens came up.

Now I've got three of a kind. I'm sure nobody can beat me with this...

"Five dollars," Sunny said, making the pot even larger.

"Fifteen," Hero raised.

"Seriously?" Sunny spoke. "Hero, you have to be bluffing."

"I'm not," Hero replied in his most truthful sounding voice. "...To be honest, Sunny, I think you should fold your hand."

Never!

"All in," Sunny said, pushing his remaining chips into the pot.

Hero almost looked embarrassed. "Ah...I don't want you to lose all your money, Sunny..."

"Then fold your hand."

"Actually, I want to see your hand, Sunny..."

Hero called, revealing that he had a straight from four to eight, an even better hand than Sunny's three queens.

Sunny was all out of chips.

"Wait, that's it?" Sunny said. "Hold on, I'm not done with this game yet."

He took out his wallet and grabbed fifty bucks. "I'm buying back in!"

"Oh, dear," Aubrey said. "You know, Sunny, now you stand to lose your own money."

"That's okay. I'll win it back!"

No one around the table seemed convinced.

I'll show you all, just you watch...

"S—Sunny, are you sure about this?" Basil asked.

"I'm not going to lose."

This time, Sunny played extremely tight. He folded his cards whenever someone raised over him. He just had to wait until he got one good hand, then he could really win lots of money.

Basil and Kel were in a pot, and Kel became frustrated when Basil raised twenty dollars.

"Come on...what hand do you have, Basil?" Kel asked.

Basil smiled, blushing. "Ummm...I wish I could tell you...but that's not in the spirit of the game, right?"

"Argh...you know what, I think my hand still beats yours. All in."

Kel shoved his chips towards the center of the table.

"Ah...I'm so sorry, Kel..." Basil said. "But...I do have the strongest hand here..."

With a call, they revealed their hands. Kel had a straight from nine to king, but Basil had a flush of five clubs. Unfortunately for Kel, a flush beat a straight.

"Nooooo!!!" Kel screamed. "I can't believe I lost all my money..."

"You gonna buy back in like Sunny?" Aubrey proposed.

"Don't worry, Kel, I'll give you half my chips, okay?" Basil said.

"Wait, you can't do that," Aubrey protested. "If you give out your chips, you'll never win any money!"

"That's okay...I really don't like taking my friends' money..."

"Nah, it's fine," Kel said to Basil, grinning. "All I did was make Hero lose fifty dollars. He's been swimming in money ever since he landed that internship at St. Jude."

Hero looked a little annoyed, but he smiled. "Okay, okay, I'll cover another fifty dollars just for you and Sunny."

"You don't have to cover for me," Sunny said.

"Really, don't worry about it. I'll cover you."

Sunny didn't like the thought of taking even more money from Hero, but he was low on funds, and would continue to be until he found a job.

I feel like a beggar...

"...Thanks, Hero."

"No problem."

Several rounds later, Sunny finally made a strong hand. He had an ace of spades and a six of spades, and there were three other spades on the board. He'd hit a flush.

"Twenty dollars," Sunny said.

"I'm out!" Kel folded his hand.

"Forty," Aubrey raised Sunny.

"You're bluffing," Sunny challenged her.

"Only one way to find out, Sunny."

Are you that eager to lose your chips, Aubrey?

"All in," Sunny declared, shoving his chips to the center of the table.

"That's easy," Aubrey replied. "I call."

He revealed his flush of spades, expecting it to dominate Aubrey's hand, but was instead dominated by her full house.

"Thanks, Sunny. You just paid for my next pizza night!"

Sunny stood there, frozen in shock, as Aubrey took all his chips with an I-told-you-so sneer on her face.

***

"I can't believe I lost every hand I thought I was going to win!"

Late at night, Sunny and Basil were going back home instead of sleeping over; Kel's parents had called, saying that something had come up and they were coming back around midnight.

Basil patted Sunny on the shoulder.

Well...at least Aubrey got the money to pay for her pizza night.

Come to think of it, I never revealed the status of my relationship with Basil.

I guess...at this point...they might already know...

"...I'll just have to find a job," Sunny said with a sigh. "I really owe Hero for covering me."

"Don't worry, Sunny. If you're ever low on money, I'll take care of you."

Sunny blushed. "Thanks, Basil."

I wonder...is Basil making money right now?

Before he could inquire any further, he felt a kiss on his lips.

The black of the night shrouded them from visibility. Sunny stopped walking and put his arms around Basil, embracing him.

They kissed under the cover of darkness, the cool night breeze blowing their hair into the wind.

Sunny opened his eyes.

Basil's eyes were a gentle light in the darkness, and they shone so beautifully.

"...I'm really glad everything worked out with our friends today," Sunny whispered.

Basil nodded. "It's all because of you, Sunny. Everything's been going so well since you came back."

Let's hope things stay that way.

Sunny smiled softly. "We'll be fine as long as we're together, right?"

"Right."

They turned towards Basil's house.

Our house.

I want the rest of this summer...to be full of happiness.

He stepped forward, hand in hand with Basil, as a small grey cloud shrouded the light that the moon cast over the town.

Chapter Text

Early the next day, Sunny received a phone call from Kel.

"Hey, Sunny. Are you still in town?"

What an odd question. It's only been one night.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"So...something happened last night." Kel lowered his voice to a whisper, as if he didn't want anybody nearby to hear him even though they were communicating over the phone. "You know how my parents said they had to come back early last night because something came up?"

"Yeah?"

"Well...they were actually expecting you to be there. Thing is, my parents got a call from your mom. She told them she'd be really grateful if they convinced you to come back home to her. They agreed to her request because she was willing to pay them a lot of money."

"What?!"

Sunny could feel his blood boiling. "They can't force me to go back."

"Right, they can't. My parents were just going to try to convince you to go home, and they were surprised that you weren't there."

Looks like I dodged a bullet.

Just how much money was my mom willing to pay Kel's parents to get them to carry out her plans?

"So...my parents want to find you and talk to you," Kel continued. "I'm just letting you know because it sounds like something really bad happened between you and your mom, and if you don't wanna deal with her, well...it might be best for you to avoid my parents, too."

"Thanks, Kel."

"No problem! Everything's all right with you, right? This isn't some kind of an emergency situation?"

"It's not."

"Okay. If you need any help from me, please don't hesitate to call back."

"Thank you. Bye, Kel."

"Bye."

My mom still can't wait until the end of summer for me to go back to her!

She's such a pain to deal with.

Sunny could barely hold down his hair-pulling frustration towards his mom's behavior without exploding in rage.

He went to the kitchen to help Basil cook some soup, but his negative mood was really obvious.

"What's wrong?" Basil asked.

"My mom still wants me to go back to her," Sunny said. "She literally bribed Kel's parents to try to convince me. If we'd stayed at his house last night, Kel's parents would've tried to drive me back."

"Oh..."

The conflict in Basil's eyes hurt Sunny's heart. He could tell Basil didn't know what to say, caught between his love for him and the necessity to act rebelliously.

"I'm never going back before the summer ends," Sunny assured Basil.

But...once the summer's over...

I'm in for such an earful when I go back to my mom.

The thought of facing his mother after blocking her number and dodging no doubt the first of many attempts to get him to return to her sent shivers down his spine.

He still felt a little bad for her.

She'd lost her only daughter, her husband had moved away, essentially divorcing, and now her only son, whose childhood crime of manslaughter she was actively covering up to remove the possibility of him getting thrown in jail, had decided to run off with a boy that happened to be an accomplice to his crime.

Their lives could be the plot of a horrible family drama. At this point, his mom probably needed psychiatric help.

Maybe I do, too...

Deep down, he knew that the correct thing to do would be to unblock her number and come to a compromise by speaking to her again.

No, I don't want to deal with it.

"Sunny...you know, I'm really going to be okay from now on," Basil said, a soft smile. "It won't be too bad if you have to leave for some time."

"But I don't want to go back to live with my mom. Honestly, I can't deal with her."

"Okay...I'm happy as long as you're happy here, Sunny."

Sunny looked at Basil, the boy he loved so much, and the gentle light in those blue-green eyes pierced deep into his being.

It lit a fire within himself.

If I was a good person, I would talk to my mom again and try to resolve our differences.

But the flame at the very core of his being was not a warm bonfire that provided heat and light to peoples' lives.

It was a destructive fire that would rather burn everything to cinders.

I'm going to double down.

"I'm never going back to my mom's house ever again," Sunny said suddenly.

"Ummm...never?"

"This is my life, and I'm going to live it the way I want to. I'm going to find a job. I'll study whatever I want. I'll live in the park if I have to."

"Oh—oh...I guess that's one way..."

I can legally do that as soon as July 20 hits and I'm officially eighteen.

"And...I'm going to finish that story I was going to write!" Sunny added.

If I win two thousand dollars, it could really help me start a new life.

"I'm happy that you know what you want to do," Basil said, smiling. "I believe in you, Sunny!"

"You're always so supportive of me, Basil!"

After lunch, Sunny rushed back to his desk to resume writing his draft of the five thousand word story he was going to submit to the state writing contest.

He settled on writing the story inside Sweetheart's castle, motivated to portray Sweetheart as a character who was as controlling as his own mother. His protagonists would escape her every trap, foil all her plans, and emerge victorious with their friend whom they rescued out of her dungeon of despair where prisoners were starved of all feelings of love and friendship.

This is going to be the best story ever!

***

This is the worst story ever...

Editing his draft felt like sheer torture.

Writing was easy; he simply let his imagination flow, pouring words onto the page as soon as they came to mind. But editing—correcting his word choices, improving his sentences, rearranging his paragraphs, and fixing all the plot holes in his story—that was like plunging into a heap of garbage and rearranging everything there into a beautiful sculpture.

I can't believe this is how much writers struggle...

At evening, Basil walked into his room to find him slumped in his chair, face plopped against the table surface with the energy of an old and dying cat.

"Are you okay...?"

Basil's voice brought Sunny back to his senses. He lifted his head and tried to look like he hadn't spent the past several hours engaged in warfare with the English language.

"I'm...fine..." Sunny said, his voice raspy.

"I think you need some water! Hold on, I'll get you some."

Basil came back quickly with a glass of water. Sunny drank the glass from Basil's hand, the cool liquid rejuvenating his parched throat.

"Thanks," Sunny said. "You might've saved my life."

"Sunny, you shouldn't work yourself to death. Please get some rest."

"I can't. I have to finish this story by July twenty, or else I'll miss the submission deadline for the contest."

"July twenty...isn't that your birthday, Sunny?"

"Yeah, it is. I'll celebrate it with the completion of my story and winning two thousand dollars!"

Basil smiled a little reservedly. "I know you'll make it. But I think you need some rest right now."

Sunny glared at his pages. "I have to figure out how to fix this scene near the end where..."

His vision swam with images and words, recollections of all those possibilities he'd tried to write but failed to capture into his perfect masterpiece of a story.

When he turned towards Basil and tried to speak, he suddenly felt an overpowering wave of fatigue that made him fall out of his chair.

Basil's arms embraced him, stopping his fall just before he hit the floor.

Sunny felt warm hands lifting him up and carrying him over to the bed. Those hands pressed gently against his chest, examining his breathing and heartbeat to make sure that he was still okay.

When Sunny opened his right eye, he got mad at himself. He hated seeing Basil's concerned expression, hated making the person he loved worry so badly about him.

"I'm sorry," Sunny said. "I...lost control over myself..."

"It's because you're useless," a dark shadow spoke.

Something rose out of the shadows at the corner of the room, spiraling, forming a mouth with far too many teeth.

"You thought you could escape from your mom's house," Something said. "You thought you could live by yourself, free from her control. You even thought you could make something useful out of your life."

The shadows laughed, a cacophony directly in his ears.

"You can't, Sunny. You'll fail, no matter what you do. You know why? Because your mom's right. Your dad was right. You do nothing except make horrible mistakes, over and over again. You'll make the people around you hate you. You'll make your friends hate you."

Something leaned in closer until those teeth lingered right above his head.

"You'll make Basil hate you."

Pain and terror exploded through Sunny's senses, lighting his world on fire.

Sunny's fingers clawed at his face. He opened his mouth and screamed.

He had fallen off the edge of a precipice, tumbling down into an abyss that would swallow him up for eternity.

I'm going to die...

But a hand pierced through the darkness of the abyss and grasped his own.

Warm fingers gripped his palm and held him, anchoring him against the face of the precipice amidst the furious, blinding storm, until the pain stopped and he was able to return to his senses.

The shadows faded from Sunny's vision, replaced by a gentle light.

I see...a single flower...

Basil sat by Sunny's side, observing him, a warm and caring look in his eyes.

He didn't ask any questions about why he went crazy or whether he needed help. He just offered his company through his time of need.

Even after that storm...there's still a flower on the slope, standing tall...

"Basil..." Sunny managed to say. "Thank you."

"How are you feeling?"

"A little better."

Basil smiled, and Sunny felt the whole world was clearer because of it.

The evening light streaming through the bedroom window fell over Basil's hair, coloring his fluffy strands gold. Sunny reached with his fingers towards the warm glow that seemed to bathe his whole world.

I'm so dependent on you...

He remembered a sad thought, his memory of how he'd abandoned Basil after the incident with his sister. Basil had loved him even back then, waiting every day for him to come back. But he never did, not until those last three days.

Even after abandoning Basil for so long, treating him like he didn't exist for four years, Basil still cared about him enough to be here by his side, supporting him through the worst of his feelings.

A tear fell from Sunny's eye.

"I'm so sorry for the way I treated you," Sunny whispered. "You've always been there for me, but I was so selfish that I left you right when you needed me the most."

"All that matters is that you came back for me," Basil said, gripping Sunny's hand.

"I'm just...so sorry..."

I really am the worst.

My sister...my mom and dad...my best friend...I would understand if you all decided to hate me.

Basil glanced at the wilted white tulip that sat on the windowsill of his room.

"It's alright...Sunny..." Basil said quietly. "We've shared a lot of pain together. I...think I understand what you're worrying over..."

Everything bad's that happened is because of me...

"Sunny...you're worried about what would happen to me if you had to leave me again...right? It's because of how I acted in the past. I couldn't keep a grip on reality without you...I completely lost my senses until you, ah—hah, beat them back into me."

Basil placed his hand very gently over Sunny's eyepatch. "And I still hurt you horribly..."

I hurt you so much more, Basil...

"But, Sunny...these past days that we've spent, gardening together, reading with each other, doing your hair and everything...you made me so happy." A small smile came over Basil's lips.

"Because of how happy you made me, I've discovered how precious my own feelings really are. Happiness, sadness, and anger, they're all part of me. I can't escape them, no matter how hard I try..."

Basil leaned towards Sunny and kissed him on the cheek. "You've given me all of life's feelings, Sunny, and more. That's why..."

Tears glistened in Basil's eyes, but they were tears of joy.

"That's why even if you have to leave me, Sunny, I'll always live on! I'll always wait for you to come back for me. And...if something bad happens...even if something prevents you from coming back to me...I'll keep on living my life, because I know you'll be sad if I couldn't even do that for you!"

The strength in Basil's words amazed Sunny.

You understand my heart so well...

"I won't kill myself or try anything like that ever again," Basil said in a softer tone. "I don't want you to keep worrying about me. I want to...create a beautiful garden for us to live in. Even if you're not there, I'll work towards making it real."

A drop of water fell from Basil's cheeks onto Sunny's.

I'm so proud of you, Basil.

Sunny mustered a smile. "Basil, I don't plan on leaving you...you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know...it's just that...with your mom trying so hard to get you to come back to her and...well, my own parents don't even know that you're living with me right now...

"I don't want you to work yourself to death just to stay with me, Sunny."

"I'd rather not return to my mom in any case," Sunny said. "I'll find a job and make something out of my life, I promise!"

Basil smiled, but stared off at the wall. "There might be a way for me to support you...but it's something that I'll have to think about for a bit."

"Don't worry, I can support myself right now. I just gotta make sure I don't lose any more money to Aubrey gambling."

Basil turned back to face Sunny. "Thanks, Sunny. I trust you, but don't push yourself too hard!"

"I won't. I've learned my lesson."

"Okay, I'm glad."

With his remaining strength, Sunny leaned towards Basil, exchanging a soft kiss on the lips.

He felt tired, but the warmth of their kiss, the taste of Basil's lips, revived that sweet feeling inside his chest.

Sunny closed his eyes, feeling nothing but pure bliss.

Basil, I'll keep my vow until the very end of my life.

***

Welcome to Feelings Space.

This place has existed for as long as you can remember, but this is only your second time here.

We detect a lot of guilt and remorse pushing you back to the places you've been to.

How will you deal with the crimes you've committed against the beings of your own creation?

Will you seek to undo everything? Will you struggle against that very personification of your guilt and depression?

The five doors are open before you, should you wish to atone for your sins.

Sunny opened his eyes. The space around him was made of total darkness.

Omori sat on a bed in front of him, knife in hand.

"Hey. It's been some time," Omori said. "Why are you back here?"

"I want to change some of the things that happened inside this place."

Omori smiled. "Do you really think you can do it? You'll have to struggle against me, you know."

"It's going to be hard," Sunny admitted. "But...I'll manage."

Standing up, Omori beckoned towards the first of five doors. "Good luck. I don't think you'll succeed."

"I will change things."

Sunny stepped towards the first door and entered it.

Door 1: Watermelons

Inside the dim, murky landscape, Omori found Basil's flower crown.

"Omori, you came back for me!"

"Is that my Flower Crown? I'm so glad you found it."

"Let's get out of here...I'll follow your lead!"

Omori and Basil started walking around, popping the melons that they found.

"Growing watermelons here has been fun, but I really miss my flowers back home..."

"How are they doing? Did you take care of them while I was gone? Hehe..."

"Watermelons sure are delicious! We used to cut them up and eat them all the time at the beach! I can still see Kel with those watermelon seeds all over his face, haha..."

"Summer vacation with friends was the best, wasn't it?"

As they went and popped melon after melon, the space grew darker until they found themselves inside a black landscape, filled only with melons.

Omori popped a melon.

Omori popped a melon.

Omori popped a melon.

Omori popped a melon.

Omori popped a melon.

Omori popped a melon.

At the next melon, Omori reached for his knife—

...and Sunny opened his eyes.

The knife plunged.

"Aww, what?!" Basil said, watermelon juice splashing all over his face. "Hey, Omori, you got watermelon juice all over me!"

Sunny had redirected the knife at the last second, slicing the melon instead of cutting up Basil.

It was messy, but at least they found the key inside the melon with Basil still intact.

"I think that's enough melon cutting for today," Sunny said, using his own shirt to wipe the watermelon juice off Basil's skin.

"Thank you," Basil said, smiling. "Let's go home."

Sunny took the key and entered the next door.

Door 2: Spiders

"Oh, thank goodness you're here, Omori. I thought I was going to be stuck here forever."

Omori used his knife to free Basil from the spider web.

"Phew...that feels much better. I can't believe you came here to save me. I missed you so much!"

"Now that you're finally here, I can go home. Lead the way, Omori!"

Omori and Basil began walking through the blue landscape filled with magenta trees, a spider showing up here and there.

"You know...I think spiders are really misunderstood...they might look kind of scary, but they never attack humans unless they feel threatened."

"Not to mention they're also one of my biggest helpers when I'm gardening, since they eat a lot of the pests that can hurt my plants. It's all about the balance of nature!"

"I remember a while back...you told me that a big spider fell on your shoulder just as you were about to dive into the lake at our secret hangout spot!"

"I know that the spider must have looked so scary to you, but I promise that you looked a lot scarier to the spider! No offense, of course...haha..."

Clusters of spiders started to appear, crawling all over Basil's skin and hair.

"There's so many spiders here all of a sudden...I can feel them crawling all over me. Maybe they're just saying hello?"

"Hi, spiders! It's me, your friend, Basil!"

The spiders grew more and more numerous.

"Ack! They're biting me!"

"Oh...I'm probably just scaring them..."

"There there, spiders. It's okay! I'm not here to hurt you!"

Basil was completely covered in spiders.

"There's so many of them...I can't get them off!

"Ugh...Omori..."

"Omori...please...help..."

Omori turned towards Basil—

...and Sunny opened his eyes.

I can't get all these spiders off Basil without help...

Oh, I know who to call!

If there was one person in the world who valued clean, bug-free skin the most, it was undoubtedly Rosa.

He knew because the blackmail he'd received from the shady mole had revealed that Rosa once had a mite infestation, and she'd gone crazy with insecticide cream to preserve her looks so that she wouldn't be a displeasure to Sweetheart's eyes.

"Rosa? I need a favor," Sunny said, calling her on his phone. "Can you send some of that skin insecticide over? I need one especially for spiders."

"Why would I ever help YOU?"

"Because...I know your secret. If you don't send me your cream, I'll tell everybody about that mite infes—"

"Okay, okay, I'll send you the cream! Sheesh..."

A tube of spiders-be-gone cream fell from the sky into Sunny's hands.

"Don't worry, Basil!" Sunny said, squeezing out the cream from the tube and applying it all over Basil's skin. "I'll get those spiders off you in no time at all!"

Rosa's cream was wonderfully effective. As soon as the cream touched Basil's skin, the spiders scampered away.

Before long, Basil was completely spider-free.

"Phew, thank you so much!" Basil said. "Haha...I'm sorry...maybe some spiders crawled onto my skin while I was trapped in that web and just started multiplying..."

"It's okay," Sunny replied, smiling. He picked up the key that one of the spiders dropped off. "Let's go home, Basil."

"Right, let's go!"

Sunny used the key to open the next door.

Door 3: Elevator

A clouded moon shone dim light on their extravagant treehouse.

After climbing to the top of the scaffolding (taking a nice nap on the bed along the way), Omori found Basil.

"Ah...Omori! Is it really you? How did you find me?"

"Are Kel, Aubrey, and Hero here too? I've missed you all so much!"

"I'm glad the treehouse is still standing. Everyone worked really hard to make it together."

"Let's go home, Omori."

With Basil in tow, Omori went down the ladder, where an elevator appeared between two metal girders.

"An elevator? I wonder where it leads to. Maybe it can take us back home!"

Inside the elevator, Omori grabbed the key that was lying on the floor. Then he pressed Vast Forest on the elevator keypad.

"A-Actually...while we're in here, can I share something with you? Omori?"

Before Basil could share his secret, the elevator reached its destination, and Omori went out first. When Basil tried to leave, the doors began to close on him.

"Hold on, Omori. I...I think I'm stuck. Could you help me out?"

Omori turned to face Basil as the elevator doors steadily closed in—

...and Sunny opened his eyes.

"Hold on, Basil! I'll get you out!"

Sunny sprung towards the elevator and held the doors open with his hands before they crushed Basil's head. The doors would not relent and kept trying to close.

Argh...why won't these doors...open?!

"Just...a bit more..."

With his last burst of strength, Sunny tried to pry the elevator doors aside, yet they continued to close before Basil could get out.

I need help...

There's only one person who has the strength to open these doors...

"Does somebody need...strength?"

A round, muscular figure shot up behind the scaffolding. Pluto landed onto the platform, flexing his gigantic muscles.

"Pluto! I need help opening these elevator doors!" Sunny shouted at him.

With his mighty muscles, Pluto pulled the elevator doors open so hard that they cracked and tore off the sides of the elevator.

Basil rushed out, hugging Sunny.

"That should take care of it," Pluto said. "I hate faulty transportation devices!"

"Thank you so much. Will you take us home?" Basil asked.

"Of course, my friends!"

With Sunny and Basil sitting atop each one of his muscular biceps, Pluto rocketed away towards the next door.

Door 4: Raft

Within that grey forested landscape, Basil peeked out from underneath the tree stump.

"Omori...psst...Omori! I'm right here!"

"Ta-da! Surprised to see me? I've been hiding out in this stump since I got here."

"I'm not the best at defending myself, but I think I'm pretty good at surviving at least."

"Anyway...I knew you would come save me, Omori! And I'm sure we will be able to make it out of this place now that you're here."

"This place seems a little bit dangerous, but...I trust you."

Together, they walked towards the stream where a raft awaited them.

"H—Hey, Omori...you're acting kind of cold. Did I do something wrong?"

They boarded the raft and started sailing down the stream..

"Omori...I don't like this place at all...it doesn't feel very safe here."

"But...at least we have each other. Haha..."

"Actually...there's something that's been really bothering me...would you care to hear me out?"

The raft entered the tunnel...

...and Sunny opened his eyes.

"You can always tell me anything, Basil!" Sunny said with a smile.

Although the tunnel was nearly too dark for them to see each other, Sunny reached out and gently held Basil's hand.

"Okay...well, I've been thinking..."

Something splashed in the water around them.

"Wait. Do you hear that?" Sunny said.

Basil gripped Sunny's hand. "What...is that sound?"

Peering out over the edge of the raft, Sunny managed to make out the shapes of gators swimming in the water.

"Stand behind me," Sunny said. "I'll protect you."

"Umm...Omori?"

"Get down!"

Sunny embraced Basil and dived flat down as two gamboling gators jumped out of the water and snapped at the figures they thought were standing on the raft.

Their massive jaws narrowly missed Sunny and Basil's head.

As the gators fell back into the water, the two emerged on the other side of the dark tunnel.

"Phew...that was close," Sunny said. "If we'd been standing, those gators would've snapped our heads off!"

"Thank you. You protected me so well," Basil said, blushing.

"I'll always protect you, I promise!"

The raft reached its destination by another wooded pathway. Sunny and Basil found a key beside another tree stump, and together entered the next door.

Door 5: Are these really my friends?

Walking down a colorful landscape, Omori found Basil waiting, alone.

"Omori, you're finally here! Oh...I'm so relieved..."

"I tried finding my way out, but...I kept getting lost over and over. I'm sorry...you must be tired of saving me all the time. Maybe I should have tried harder."

"Anyway, everything is fine now that you're here. Let's go home!"

The two of them continued down the path, passing by more and more toys.

"The whole time I've been here, I've been looking through my photo album to keep myself company. When I was feeling scared, I would look at all our happy memories together. It really helped me keep my hopes up!"

"I feel like there are some photos missing, but maybe I'm just imagining things..."

"How are Aubrey, Kel, and Hero anyway? I hope you all didn't worry too much about me. I can't wait to see everyone again!"

Up ahead, they saw the figures of their three friends.

"Hero? Is that you?"

"Omori! Look, it's Hero! You didn't tell me everyone was already here!"

Basil ran off ahead by himself, chasing after Hero.

"Kel! Aubrey! It's so good to see you guys!"

"How have you been? Did you miss me? Hehe..."

The three friends took out their weapons.

"W—Wait...What...What are you guys doing?"

Hero blew his whistle; Kel threw a ball at Basil's face.

Basil backed away. "Omori—"

...and Sunny opened his eyes.

"Get behind me, Basil!" Sunny called out, rushing in front of Basil to protect him from Aubrey's bat.

As he stood with his arms outstretched protecting Basil, Sunny noticed something funny about his friends.

They all wore such huge, uncanny smiles...and their bodies were made of gelatinous pink goo.

"Wait a second..."

Sunny ripped the mask off of Aubrey's face, revealing the smiling blobby abomination underneath.

"You aren't my friends. You're all Humphreys!"

"Aww, darn it," Kel-Humphrey said, taking off his mask.

"We would've gotten away with it too if it weren't for you kids!" Hero-Humphrey cried, throwing off his own mask.

The colorful wallpaper surrounding them fell away, revealing the interior of Humphrey's massive stomach.

"Nyuk nyuk nyuk...well, I guess I'll digest you two now!" Humphrey laughed gleefully.

Unimpressed, Sunny took out Omori's knife and stabbed a hole into the ground.

"Yeeeeooooooowwch! That hurt!"

"Let us out, Humphrey," Sunny said. "I don't want to have to cut you up from the inside all over again."

The massive whale sighed in defeat.

"Oh...all right."

The ground contracted, sending Sunny and Basil flying through their air—

Sunny landed back into the hub of doors, where Omori awaited him.

"I'm surprised," Omori said. "You actually changed things."

I once believed I couldn't change anything, but now I know better...

As long as I do something, I can always impact the outcome of things, even if I don't believe that I can succeed.

Omori gestured towards a new, shining white door that had appeared in front of them both.

A shadow of Basil walked in front of that door.

"Sunny...when you were a child, the world was simple, everything had an easy solution," Stranger spoke. "That's why it was so easy to save him. But we aren't children anymore. The real world's much more complicated."

The massive white door opened, and Stranger became drawn into the world beyond.

"As adults, there's much more at stake...it will take a lot more effort to save the person you love," Stranger said, fading away.

Omori beckoned Sunny towards the white door. "The world beyond is a headspace for adults. You will not find any easy answers there. Do you wish to continue?"

...Yes.

Sunny walked towards the door.

"Don't forget," Omori said, "I'll always be with you."

I know.

"Go and save him, the most elaborate of your creations. Save Stranger. Or...try, and fail."

With a final nod to Omori, Sunny stepped into the light.

***

Bright morning sunlight filled Sunny's vision when he opened his eyes.

...Just what was behind that door?

I guess I'll need to have another dream to find out...

"Good morning Sunny!" Basil said, a plate of hard shell tacos with fresh chopped tomatoes, corn, bell peppers, homemade salsa, and hot chicken marinated overnight in his hands.

Sunny smiled, happy to see Basil being so positive as always. "Good morning!"

Every breakfast just keeps getting better and better...

"Today, I'll tell you about something important," Basil said. "I'll wait until after you finish breakfast."

"Oh, sure. It's not anything bad, is it?"

"No...I just have to discuss some options we have for our future."

Our future, huh...sounds pretty important.

Sunny wolfed down the tacos; Basil's cooking, whether it came from Polly's teaching or from his own talent, was always delicious.

After brushing his teeth and washing off, he met Basil in the living room. Basil held a couple of envelopes and a notepad in his hands.

"Well...I've been meaning to tell you this, but I just couldn't find the right time to do it," Basil said, a little pensive.

"You can tell me anything at any time."

"Okay...Sunny, a few months ago, I got accepted to a couple of colleges."

"Wow, congratulations!"

Basil took out a couple of pages from the envelopes. "When I first received my acceptance letters, I didn't know what to do. If I leave this town, I won't be able to grow my flowers anymore. I kind of wanted to find a job here so I could stay with my flowers...but my parents really wanted me to go to college."

"Basil, you can always talk to me about important decisions like that."

"...You actually changed everything for me, Sunny."

Basil gazed at Sunny with a faint pink blush. "I've been thinking...my parents want me to go to college in September, and you want to stay with me, right?"

"Right."

"I think it'd be better for me to go to college now that you're here...because, well, I don't know if my parents would approve of you living in my house...but if I were to live on my own, it'd be much easier for us to live together..."

"That's a great idea!" Sunny said. "I'll always follow you, no matter where you go."

"Yeah...now the question, which college do I choose?"

Sunny looked over Basil's acceptance letters. He'd gotten into two programs, a botany major and an environmental sciences major. Both were in another state, and thankfully, far from the city where Sunny's mom lived.

I'm so proud of you, Basil...

"This one's actually a special program called environmental conservation," Basil said about the environmental sciences major. "It's the one I prefer, but my parents want me to go for botany instead."

"Why?" Sunny asked.

"Because...botany's a more established career path. The environmental conservation major is a project-oriented degree. Not many people take it, but the ones who do have to research a major conservation site and spend three or four summers working to cultivate the environment there."

Wow, that sounds intense.

"So...I asked the program director if I could create my own conservation site. They told me it was possible, but only if I show proof that I own the land and that the environment there is salvageable, like the soil quality being good enough to regrow plants..."

Sunny instantly made the connection. "You want to choose our old hangout spot by the lake."

"Yes, that's right! I worked really hard last month to gather all the data, and I think it's possible. The only problem is that the land is really expensive. I've been working on a proposal to the state with all my data. I asked them if they'd be interested in giving me a grant to turn that area into an environmental conservation site. If they say yes, then I'd own the land for a few years. I'd get the chance to spend each summer of this program building a garden there!"

Basil smiled embarrassedly. "I...kinda spent so much time on the proposal...I just didn't have time to talk to anybody last month..."

...This is the reason why you didn't respond to any of my calls in the month before I came back here?

Basil...you're a genius, and you work so hard!

"I'm proud of you," Sunny said, smiling brightly. "You've worked harder on this than I've ever worked on anything in my life."

"Thanks, Sunny. But I still have to convince my parents..."

Parents. Always a thorn in our sides...

"...Well, either way, I'm happy as long as you're here with me, Sunny," Basil said. "I have to reply to these colleges in a couple of weeks, and I'll certainly accept one of them..."

"Right. I'll go wherever you go and find a job nearby. That sound good?"

"Yup."

Basil reached for a hug, and Sunny accepted, melting into the warmth of his arms.

He gazed into Basil's shining eyes and gave him a light, sweet kiss.

"Another thing..."

Basil presented a page on his notepad to Sunny. It contained one phone number.

"Just before Polly left, she gave me a number to call her if I ever need any help. Maybe...before I leave for college...we can pay her a visit?"

"Yeah, that sounds good."

"I think...after everything that's happened...it'd be nice to give her a call right now and ask how she's doing."

"Tell her I said hi!"

While Basil went to call Polly, Sunny returned to his desk to work on his story.

Having seen how hard Basil had worked on his goal, Sunny felt motivated to write again.

He discovered he'd been struggling to write the final scene of his story because the buildup to that scene was bad. His characters weren't sufficiently developed, the plot events too short and random and inconsistent. He had to fix everything from the very beginning.

While the story was part of a larger scope of events involving finding their friend, Sunny left most of that out, only leaving hints that there was a greater plot thread in the background. His five thousand word story was just going to be about a group of friends stumbling into a mad queen's castle and their daring escape from her dungeons before she forced the oldest of them to marry her.

As he began a new draft of his story, he cut down on the number of events, focusing on just three major scenes in the story, and reducing the crux of the plot to the conflict between the protagonists and Sweetheart.

Midway through the draft, Basil came into his room.

"Hey, Sunny," Basil said. "I just spoke to Polly."

"How is she?"

"She's working at an elderly care home called St. Breaven right now. She says we can go visit her the first week of August."

"That works for me."

"How's your story coming along?"

Sunny had a good feeling about this draft. "It's going to win the contest, I'm sure."

Chapter Text

"Happy birthday, Sunny!"

Sunny opened his eyes. He smelled something delicious cooking in the kitchen, but there was something more important on his mind than food.

"Morning, Basil," Sunny replied, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. "That smells delicious."

"I made all your favorite food."

You must've woken up extra early...

"You're so kind to me." Sunny scratched his head, embarrassed that Basil was always up earlier than himself to make food for him. "If you're tired, don't be afraid to get more rest."

I should listen to my own advice sometimes...

"Don't worry, Sunny. I got enough sleep."

After washing up, Sunny went to the kitchen and saw what Basil had spent the morning cooking.

On the table sat a big cake topped with strawberries, decorated by colorful icing that illustrated sunflowers, roses, chrysanthemums, orchids, and tulips. Beside it, a warm juicy steak sat on a plate, demanding to be devoured. There were additionally fries, tacos, miso soup, and—since Basil cared about a healthy diet—a stew of carrots, potatoes, bell peppers, and cabbage marinated in sauce from the steak.

"This is..."

Astounding. I'm in heaven.

"You like it?" Basil asked.

"I love it! This is the best meal I've ever seen!"

Basil smiled with a faint blush. "Thanks, Sunny. It's all yours."

He didn't hesitate to start gobbling down everything. There was just so much food and all of it smelled and tasted so good.

He'd worked extra hard on his story last night and collapsed asleep in bed without eating dinner, despite Basil's attempts to get him to eat something. His appetite was ravenous and that certainly reflected in the way he'd cleaned half the plates before he allowed himself to take a breather.

There's still a lot of food left...

"Please have some of your food!" Sunny insisted. "I can't finish all this by myself."

"Ah, maybe later. I'm...kind of not feeling like eating right now..."

"Did you already eat? You must've worked so hard to create all this food, you have to feel pretty hungry by now if you didn't."

Basil smiled a little nervously. "I went and checked my mailbox, Sunny."

Yeah, my letter with the envelope to submit my story to the writing contest is supposed to come in today...

Did something happen?

Basil walked towards a chair in the living room, where Sunny noticed that two envelopes had been placed on the seat. Basil picked up both envelopes and showed them to Sunny.

"This one's for you, from the writing contest," Basil said, giving that envelope to Sunny. "The other's..."

Sunny glanced at the letter that Basil held in his hand.

He glimpsed from the address printed on the envelope that the letter had come from the state.

"Is that...their reply to your proposal?" Sunny asked.

"Yeah..."

Wow, it arrived on the exact same day as my writing contest's letter and my birthday!?

"What did they say?" Sunny asked.

Basil's hand trembled. "Umm...I haven't looked at it yet...I'm just so nervous!"

Sunny smiled reassuringly. "I'll be here for you when you're ready, okay?"

"Ah—hah, Sunny..."

Basil twirled his foot, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry. It's supposed to be your birthday, but I'm ruining the mood for you."

Sunny reached out and gently held Basil's hands. "You didn't ruin anything. I'll always support you when you need me."

Basil blushed at Sunny's touch. "Ahh...you're so nice..."

"Plus I don't even think my birthday's that important, but you still put in so much effort to make a really great meal for me. You'll always be amazing to me, whether you get the grant or not."

Hearing all those supportive words, Basil's eyes lit up with a newfound confidence. He picked up the envelope from the government and held it up in front of him. "You know what, Sunny? If I don't look at what's inside this letter, I'm just going to feel anxious for the rest of the day. It'd be better if I just looked at it now, wouldn't it?"

Sunny smiled brightly. "If you're ready, then go ahead. I'm here if you need anything."

Basil opened up the side of the envelope, but as soon as he glimpsed what was inside, his eyes dawned with fear. With an "eek!", he shut his eyes and held the envelope away from his face.

"No, wait! I can't look at it!"

"That's okay, Basil. We can wait until you're ready—"

"Uhhhmmm, I'm fine, I just...can't...look at this letter right now. Umm, Sunny, would you mind...taking a look at it for me first?"

"Sure. Do you want me to tell you if you got a yes or a no?"

"No, no, don't! I don't even want to see your reaction to it."

Sunny patted Basil softly on the shoulder. "I'll take the letter from you and read it in the bathroom, okay?"

With his eyes still shut in fright, Basil slowly nodded. "Okay...just do it."

Careful not to glimpse a word of what was on the piece of paper inside the envelope in case it showed on his face, Sunny lifted the envelope out from Basil's hands. "I'm leaving the room now."

"W—Wait! When you come back, I'll be able to tell from the look on your face what you saw..."

"Well, I can always just wear my normal expression when I come back. You won't be able to tell what I'm thinking at all."

Cliff-faced, that's what Mari called it.

"Ah—hah...n—no, that's all right...maybe we can work something out? How about...when I'm ready, you come out from the bathroom and say if I got the grant at the same time?"

"What would you like me to say?"

"Just...if I got the grant, come back from the bathroom and say, you got it! If I didn't get it, come back and say, sorry, Basil."

"Okay, I'll remember that."

"I'll tell you when I'm ready, Sunny! I'll say, I'm ready, then you can come back."

"Yup, got it."

"Okay, Sunny...would you mind going to the bathroom now?"

"I'm going now."

With the letter in his hands, Sunny retreated to the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

His own heart started beating fast when he saw the piece of paper inside. Both Basil's future and his own rested on this grant, so in truth, he had as much reason to be anxious about the result as Basil did.

I guess the difference is that Basil put a lot of work into it...

Taking deep breaths, Sunny reached inside the envelope, grasped the paper, and slowly pulled it out.

He held his breath, his heartbeat twice as fast as usual, as he unfolded the paper and words flashed across his eyes.

Here goes...

Without coherently reading the letter, his eyes scanned all over the page for a phrase of rejection or a phrase of approval.

We read your proposal to...

...environmental conservation site...

...request for a grant...

Based on the data you sent...

...inform you of our decision...

...approved your request...

...approved...

approved your request for a grant.

approved your request for a grant.

We have approved your request for a grant.

Sunny felt like screaming in joy.

But he had to keep himself calm, keep himself cliff-faced and follow Basil's instructions.

The next five minutes that passed were some of the longest in his life. After fully reading the letter, he wanted to just burst out the door and tell Basil that he did it, he got the grant, he can really build the garden of his dreams now.

Another five minutes passed; he started feeling worried. He wanted to ask Basil if he was still okay.

With deep breaths to calm his excitement, he managed to keep his mouth shut, figuring that hearing him speak from the bathroom might scare Basil even more.

I really hope you're not having an anxiety attack, Basil...

If I have to wait another five minutes, I'll have to ask just to make sure you're okay...

But just a minute later, he heard Basil's voice.

"I'm ready, Sunny."

Sunny went towards the bathroom door. He gripped the doorknob and turned.

Okay...I have to open the door and say 'You got it!' at the exact same time.

Don't mess up, now, Sunny...just be precise.

The. Exact. Same. Time.

"Sunny?" Basil spoke again. "I'm ready now. Just tell me whether I got it."

Alright, Basil, I've got good news for you.

Sunny burst out the door. "You got it!"

Basil's face was completely blank. "W—Wha...?"

"You got it!" Sunny repeated.

"Ummm..."

Wait...he doesn't understand me?

"You got it!" Sunny said. "You got the grant, Basil!"

"I...uh...I got what?"

"You got the grant! The grant you applied for in your proposal! They approved your grant!"

"Ah...hahaha...did I?"

"They approved your request for a grant!"

At last, the words got through to Basil. His eyes lit up with the purest joy. A huge, genuine smile adorned his lips.

"I...got the grant?"

"You got the grant! It's all yours! You can build the garden you've always wanted to create!"

"...Sunny!!!"

Before Sunny could even react, Basil leapt forward and embraced him in a supremely tight hug.

The letter fell from Sunny's hand to the floor.

"Oh, Sunny, I'm so happy!" Basil said, his voice choked. "You're not lying to me, are you? I got the grant, right? I really got it?"

"Yes...you really did," Sunny replied. "They approved your proposal to build the garden and they're giving you a grant of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to help make your dream come true."

"Ah...I don't even know what to say right now..."

Like the moment when Sunny had confessed his true feelings for him, Basil's head seemed to be lost in the clouds, asleep on a wonderfully fluffy pillow. A dreamy light shone in his eyes.

Sunny couldn't believe how cute he looked.

Basil gently let go of their embrace. He reached down and picked up the letter so he could read the message with his own eyes.

Once Basil had confirmed Sunny's words, he threw the letter into the air and hugged Sunny again.

"I'm so glad you're here with me!!" Basil said, crying tears of joy. "With this money...we can live together now...I can go study at the program I want...we can always stay with each other from now on!"

I'm so happy, too...

I feel like my heart could burst out of my chest in joy!!

"Sunny, is this a dream? Can you tell me that I'm not dreaming?"

"Everything's real, Basil! You aren't dreaming right now!"

Sunny returned the hug with a little bit of force, not only out of his love for Basil but to prove to him that this was reality.

He gently kissed Basil on the cheek, and Basil returned the kiss on his lips.

Finally, things are starting to look up!

As Sunny sank into the warmth of their kiss, he could feel the iron chains that his mom placed over him the day she'd decided to move out from Faraway finally easing their weight. It was all because of his best friend, his boyfriend, who had worked so hard to make his dream come true.

He loved Basil so, so much. From here on Basil was his lifelong partner who would always be there for him—no, they would always be there for each other.

Basil, I'm so glad to have met you.

"Okay, okay...I'm starting to calm down," Basil said, his face flushed red with emotions. "Sorry...I might've gone overboard..."

"No, not at all! It's fine to get so happy."

"Yeah...but there's still stuff I have to do next. I'm going to write a letter to accept the grant, then I have to accept my college admission."

I also have to contribute my tiny share of work to our future.

Sunny turned towards the room where he'd been working day and night on his story.

"I still gotta submit my story to the contest today," Sunny said, hoping he didn't down the mood. "I have to go make some final edits."

"Make sure you let me read your story before you send it, okay?"

"Yeah, for sure."

Sunny went back to his room and looked over the latest draft he'd been editing.

The story made sense as far as he could tell; the sentences were grammatical and coherent, and each paragraph had been polished to create a proper feeling of significance and pacing. He was proud of the story he'd written. Though he wasn't as sure anymore that it would win the contest, he felt confident that it could come in second or third place.

What would allow him to win first place was a story so amazing that it'd blow his readers' expectations away. But in spite of all the effort he'd put into trying to make his story perfect, he'd come to realize that it wasn't.

Part of the problem was that he really wanted to write a much bigger story. He couldn't make a five thousand word story perfect if in reality it belonged to a larger narrative. The adventure through Sweetheart's Castle was interesting, but not amazing and spectacular.

I should've come up with an original story that fit a five thousand word limit from the very beginning...

It was way too late to start a new story now, so all he could do was make sure that what he'd written was as impeccable as it could be.

He spent the rest of the day editing the draft over and over, refining the most minute of its details to perfection. When he'd finished what felt like the hundredth edit pass, he sank back into his seat and accepted that it couldn't get any better.

Sunny went to Basil with his draft, trying his best to muster a smile despite his waning energy.

"I'm finished," Sunny said, handing his papers over.

Basil, still giddy over receiving his grant, smiled back much more brightly. "O—Okay, I'll read it if you want."

"Yeah, go ahead."

Sunny went into the living room and fell on the couch. Words and phrases swam in his mind; he kept thinking of more he could write, trying to squeeze out that extra bit of creative value. But no matter how badly he wanted to improve his story, five thousand words was a hard limit on the scope of his work.

Maybe...this writing contest isn't what I should be aiming for.

I want to write a full novel with this story that's been swimming around inside my head.

I guess...there's no better time to start than now, is there?

All of a sudden, Sunny felt a chain linked fence of restrictions around his imagination being released. No longer confined to the space of five thousand words, he saw a world of bright and colorful characters, a journey through vast, vibrant locations, epic battles, heart-wrenching scenes of defeat and tragedy, and a friendship so intimate it compelled a boy to overcome trial after trial on his search for the friend that he missed so much.

That's the story I've always wanted to write!

Energized by the release of the word count constraint, he immediately picked up pencil and paper and started outlining the novel inside his head.

If the story turned out well, it would become his debut novel. Forget the contest; he wanted to get published and become a full time author!

It'll take a while before I finish this story and find a publisher...I'll still have to find a job in the meantime.

But I want to write this story into existence, no matter what.

As he began his outline, he saw at the edge of his vision the photo album that he'd brought with him to Faraway. It was funny; after all this time, they still hadn't looked through it together. Maybe Basil had moved on and didn't need those pictures from his memories anymore.

It's kinda weird that every time I ask him to look through the album together, he said he'd rather do something else...

Sunny picked up the album and browsed through the photos inside, using the happiness of those memories as inspiration for the world that he wanted to create.

Not long after he began his outline, Basil came up to him with his contest story, holding another sheet of paper containing some notes.

"I looked over your story," Basil said. "I...hope you don't mind me suggesting some edits, Sunny."

"It's fine, show me."

Sunny read over all of Basil's suggestions without feeling criticized. They were really very good pieces of advice; Basil had a good eye on how to improve his sentence structure and word choice.

He was able to write a proposal eloquent enough to get a grant from the state...

Ah, I should've asked Basil to look over my story a lot earlier!

"Thanks so much," Sunny said, setting aside his outline to get back to polishing his draft. "You're a pretty good editor, you know?"

"Ah—hah, thanks!"

"By the way, what do you think of the story itself?"

Basil smiled with an apparent blush. "It's a super cute story. I really liked the sprout mole family who kept sending in generation after generation to try to stop the protagonists!"

Hearing that compliment from you about my writing makes me feel so warm and happy I could just melt...

"Thanks," Sunny said, with a grin. "Anything...you didn't like about it?"

Basil became nervous. "Ummm...not that I can think of..."

"Don't worry, you can be honest. I know it's not the perfect story, but after this contest I'm going to write an even better one—I'm going to write a whole novel! So if you have any suggestions or criticisms about this story, I'd love to hear it."

"Ah...well...if you put it that way...I think...umm, the characters were, a bit, I dunno, flat? I was...kinda hoping that the main character, Omori, would become a bit more open about his feelings at the end...?"

Ah...that's true.

...I'll take that into consideration when I write my novel.

"Yeah, his character does need to undergo some development," Sunny agreed.

He went to work polishing his draft until he'd addressed all of Basil's comments. He even gave Omori an additional line at the very end where he expressed his inner feelings for the first time in the entire story, to the surprise of the entire cast. It made the ending that much more impactful.

Sunny looked over his work one final time, making sure it was everything he'd wanted it to be.

It's finally done...

Now I just have to seal it inside this envelope and mail it off.

Sunny went to the chair where Basil had placed all the letters from his mail box.

In addition to the grant and the envelope from the writing contest, there were some ads for various sales and services around town, the usual ones he'd expect to come in with the mail. One of the ads caught his eye.

It was an ad for Jawsum Detective Services, a private eye that specialized in cases the police wouldn't bother with as well as personal cases like finding your lost cat.

Jawsum is the name of a detective?

Huh...I must've seen that name around town some time ago, then my brain turned him into a loan shark.

With a shrug, Sunny brushed the ads aside and placed his story inside the envelope for the writing contest. After sealing and stamping the envelope, he went to the local post office and submitted his story.

Now the only thing I can do is wait for the results.

In the meantime, I can get started on my novel!

When he got back, Basil approached him with a smile that appeared like a curtain over sadness.

"Hey, Sunny," Basil spoke softly.

"Did something happen?"

"I just called my parents. I told them I'd gotten the grant, so I'll be taking the environmental sciences major...they weren't happy about it."

That sounded ridiculous to Sunny. How could Basil's parents be mad at him for wanting to receive a grant of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars?

"They're being absurd," Sunny said. "It's your life, you deserve to choose what you want to do."

"Thanks, Sunny. To be honest with you...they don't even want me to major in botany. They want me to enter the plant biology major, switch into human biology, and try to graduate with a job in the medical field."

Basil's parents weren't even around for most of his childhood, and now they expect him to just do whatever they tell him to?

"B—But...I told them I'm taking the grant," Basil continued. "They got...ummm, pretty mad at me."

"I'm sorry," Sunny said, reaching out to hug Basil gently.

Basil looked into Sunny's eyes, his smile so full of hurt. "Then...I told them about our relationship."

Sunny blinked, surprised and confused that Basil would reveal that to his parents so quickly. "Errhhh...you did?"

Basil laughed a little darkly. "You know...if I'm already making my parents angry by going against their wishes, I thought...I might as well get it over with by telling them the other thing that might make them...really...angry...right?"

I don't like the sound of that.

Sunny tried to give a consoling smile, but he had a feeling it wouldn't help.

The tone of Basil's voice reminded him of the way he'd spoken when he told Sunny that everything was going to be okay after Mari had died. Basil's voice felt full of resolve, but the strength under that resolve was pure sadness nourished by a cruel guilt.

"They told me that...their worst fears came true," Basil whispered. "My parents actually let go of Polly after she told them that I might be into boys. They...just weren't willing to believe her."

Sunny could only hug Basil, holding him with the strength to assure him that no matter what, he would always offer his shoulder to cry on.

But Basil wasn't crying.

"I'm going to move out as soon as possible," Basil said, even more resolve behind his words. "I'll find a room for the two of us in the town where I'll be going to college."

"I'll help with that," Sunny promised.

"It might take a couple of weeks to get everything arranged. My parents are on an important business trip right now, so I don't think they'll be coming back to bother us before then...we can spend a bit more time in Faraway."

"Should we tell Kel and the others?"

Basil nodded, a small smile returning. "Yeah. It might be nice to see them again before we move out."

***

Back when Sunny lived in the city with his mom, he'd used something called the Internet. He didn't understand much about how it worked except that he could access the Internet using a service called AOL dial-up.

On the Internet, he could read news, browse forums, and send messages to people using email. There were also sites where people sold stuff, and finding a room for rent using the Internet was starting to become mainstream, though they had to watch out for scams.

Basil's house didn't have Internet, so they had to go to the town library and use the Internet through the library computers.

The good thing was, there were lots of rooms for rent near Basil's college. Neither Basil nor Sunny had their driver's license yet so it took a long bus ride there and back to do the room viewings; luckily, after just a day of looking, they were able to secure a studio room near campus for an affordable price.

While they were still in Faraway at the beginning of August, Sunny decided to give contacting his mom another shot. He hadn't spoken to his mom in a month. Since he had her email address, he could give her a chance to reconcile without calling her; he went to the library to send her a message.

To: [email protected]

Hey mom, it's been a while. I know you've missed me, but I've decided to help Basil work on his new gardening project. We've got money and everything else figured out, so you don't need to worry about us.

I just want to ask if you're still mad at me for leaving you this summer. I know I could've handled it better, so I'm sorry for being kind of mean to you. However, I also need you to accept that I'm going to be staying with Basil from now on. I won't be going back at the end of the summer.

If you can accept this then you're welcome to call me again. Please reply back to let me know your answer.

Sunny

The message sounded like an ultimatum, but he didn't know how else to word it. His life really was fine without her help and he really wasn't going to go back to her house again.

Basil's going to hire me as his first employee once he starts the gardening project, so I'll get money and some work experience over the next few years.

Still, I'll have to find a job to make some money on my own while he's studying in college...

After sending the email, Sunny logged off the library computer and went out to grab lunch at the plaza.

He was walking down the street when he started to feel a nearby presence, always trailing behind him. Before long, he'd taken notice that someone had been following him since he left the library.

Sunny turned around and saw a man in a blue and white striped suit coming after him.

"Hey, kid. I've been looking for you," the man spoke. "You can call me Jawsum. I'm a detective."

Jawsum Detective Services...?

"What do you want?" Sunny asked.

"Your mother hired me to search for you. Your name's Sunny—"

"Tell her that if she wants to find me, she can come talk to me herself," Sunny cut him off, and turned away.

"Sunny, wait! Your mother told me you're not willing to speak to her. I've heard her side of the story, now I want to hear yours. I need you to calm down so we can sit down and have a nice chat about what's been going on."

"Errhhh...I'm busy."

"I just need a little bit of your time."

"No, I've got things to do."

Sunny started to run.

My mom hired a detective to find me...?

"Don't run away!" Jawsum yelled after him. "We can resolve this issue if we just talk about it!"

"I'm not interested," Sunny replied.

"You should be! We have a lot we need to talk about!"

"Sorry, I don't care—"

"I know what you did to your sister!"

Sunny's blood ran completely cold.

That detective...knows what I did...to my sister?

My mom...told him?

He couldn't believe his ears. He refused to.

When he'd revealed the truth to his friends and his mom, they'd all promised to keep it under cover. They each knew that Sunny and Basil had already suffered enough for what they did, there was no reason to get the police involved.

Except...my mom could never forgive Basil for coming up with that plan to hang Mari and frame her death as a suicide...

A chilling realization dawned upon him.

No way...does my mom...intend to get Basil arrested and tried?!

I'd get tried in court too...but...

No...my mom knows Basil would protect me to get me out of trouble, just like he did when he framed Mari's death.

My mom...wants Basil to go to jail so I'd be forced to come back to her!!!

Sunny broke into a sprint.

He was a fast runner, and the detective was a portly middle-aged man who was too slow to catch up to him. He ran in a direction away from Basil's house until the detective was completely out of sight.

Sunny couldn't make sense of the thoughts and feelings that rushed through his mind as he escaped. He started to run out of breath, the hot summer sun on his back; he had to slow down to a jog. But a sense of urgency compelled him to keep running, and he continued around town for three hours until he was sure he'd lost Jawsum.

Near a secluded spot in the woods around the park, Sunny came to a stop and gasped, breathing in deep lungfuls of air.

No...this can't be happening...

I...I have to protect Basil...I have to warn him about the detective that's looking for me.

Sunny balled his fists and steeled his resolve.

If my mom thinks I'm just going to sit there and let Basil cover for me again, she's got another thing coming...

If Basil ends up being tried in court, I'm going to protect him.

If we get arrested, we're going to jail together, and I'll never come back to her house.

Having recollected his surroundings, he glanced around meticulously to make sure that detective Jawsum was nowhere nearby. Once he felt confident that he wasn't being followed, Sunny sprinted back to Basil's house.

I should just leave Faraway Town by myself...but...I don't want to leave Basil behind!

Sunny burst in through the front door and found Basil cleaning the dishes inside the kitchen.

"Basil, I have to get out of town as quickly as possible. My mom hired a detective to find me. She told him about what we did!"

The horror that dawned upon Basil's face was an expression that Sunny had never wished to see again.

I don't want to be the bearer of such bad news...but I have no other choice right now.

"She told him...about Mari...?"

Sunny didn't know the words to comfort Basil. He didn't even have any words to comfort himself.

"Yeah, he definitely knows we're responsible," Sunny replied. "The guy she hired is from Jawsum Detective Services. He was following me around town earlier today. He told me he wanted to talk, but...I ran away. I think I've lost him."

"Sunny, does he know where we live?"

"I don't know, but if he can find me in this town, I don't think I can stay here any longer."

Ugh, come to think of it, my mom definitely told him to look for a boy with an eyepatch in Faraway Town.

I...have no choice but to get rid of it...

Sunny took off his eyepatch, revealing his wounded right eye, the scar still visible.

Basil almost dropped the plate that he was holding in his hands.

"I'm sorry, Basil...he knows for sure that I'm wearing an eyepatch, so I have to remove it..."

I'll take off the chrysanthemum from my hair, too...and the hairpins...

Basil nodded. "I understand..."

To Sunny's surprise, Basil removed the pink daisy from his own hair.

For the first time since he came back to Faraway, Sunny saw Basil without that beautiful pink flower in his hair.

Basil faced the bedroom where most of his belongings were stored. "Sunny...if you have to leave Faraway right now, then I'm coming with you."

"Basil, you don't have to. I'll get out of here first, then you can come after me."

"Sunny, I'm not leaving you alone!" Basil responded. "And your mom definitely knows where I live, so I'm not safe here, either."

Basil...I don't know what to say...except...

I'm so sorry for causing you trouble over and over again...

"I'm packing everything," Basil continued, a choked sob in his voice. "We're...leaving Faraway today."

Sunny stood there glumly.

I guess...that final meeting with Kel, Aubrey, and Hero isn't going to happen...

"Don't worry, I won't take long," Basil said. "I think the next bus out of town leaves in three hours by the plaza. I'll be ready."

Okay...but...there's always the chance that detective Jawsum is going to find us as we're leaving...

"I don't have much to pack, so I'll go out and check if the coast is clear," Sunny said.

"Good idea."

Sunny rushed out the door and spent an hour scouting the neighborhood, making extra sure that detective Jawsum hadn't followed him to Basil's house.

In the time that remained, his heart suddenly expressed a single wish.

I want to say goodbye...to her again...

Sunny made his way over to the cemetery behind the church.

He found Mari's grave and sat down in front of it.

Hey.

It's been two years, huh? I can't believe so much time has passed...

If you're watching over me, well...you know what's been going on between me and Basil.

I hope you don't mind that we're in a relationship...

Ha...remember when I asked you about was going on between you and Hero? I was so young back then...you looked at me and said, 'It's kind of like the bond you share with Basil, except you really, really want to be together for the rest of your life...don't worry, you'll understand when you grow up.'

Mari...I understand perfectly.

Our mother doesn't want me and Basil to be together...that's why I have no choice but to leave town.

Because of what the two of us did...we might end up being on the run from the law for the rest of our lives.

We're essentially fugitives. Maybe it's an appropriate punishment for what we did to you...

I...truly hope that you've forgiven us. I believe you will.

Mari...I miss you so much.

...Goodbye, my dear sister.

Sunny stood up, wiping the tear from his eye. He sniffed and forced back the rest of his tears.

He carefully scouted the path to the bus station beside the plaza before heading back to Basil's house.

Basil was already at the front door, two bags of luggage in his hands and a backpack.

"...We're really taking the next bus out of town?" Sunny asked.

Basil nodded. "I don't want to stay at my parents' house much longer anyways..."

Basil understands the consequences of getting caught as well as I do. We're both aware that we're fugitives from here on.

...But where are we going to go first?

"I have an idea..." Sunny began. "In case that detective is still following us, we should go somewhere else away from our new place for a little while. Wouldn't now be a good chance to go and see Polly?"

Basil seemed to like the idea. "Oh—oh...we can go to her city and find a hotel for a few days. It's pretty far from my college after all..."

"Yeah, I can keep on the lookout for detective Jawsum and make sure he isn't following us before we head over to our new place."

"...Good thinking, Sunny."

With a destination in mind, they hurried over to Faraway Plaza and cautiously approached the bus station close by.

The next bus out of town would arrive in about five minutes.

The two boys' hair hung loose without any ornaments, swept by the cool evening wind.

"Hey...Sunny," Basil whispered, trying to smile. "E—Everything's going to be okay, right?"

I can't see the future, but...

As long as I stay with you, Basil...

Sunny smiled back. "Everything is going to be okay, Basil."

They could hear the bus approaching the station. Sunny glanced around one final time, making absolute certain that they weren't being followed.

We'll make it, somehow...

Sunny reached for Basil's hand and gently grasped it.

The two of them were the only ones at the station.

He would never let go of that hand.

Chapter Text

The power lines that scrolled by reminded Sunny of the landscape he saw when he first moved from Faraway.

At the time, he'd kept wondering why his mom believed that a change of scenery would be good for him when all he had wanted to do was to reconnect with his friends after four years of isolating himself. He remembered feeling hopeful that his mom and Hero were right, hopeful that his new home would bring him a chance to discover new friends, new happiness; a chance to remodel himself into a person free from his traumatic past.

Now he knew that he could only ever find happiness by the side of a boy he loved with all his heart.

My mom always thinks she know's what's best for me, but she'll never understand how much I love Basil.

Sunny tried to smile when he looked at Basil and saw that anxious light within his eyes.

Basil always hid his negative feelings behind a smile, but by now Sunny knew what he was feeling better than anybody. The future was full of uncertainty and neither of them knew what would happen from here on.

"We're going to be okay," Sunny assured him.

"Thanks, Sunny, but I've just been thinking...if we can't return to Faraway, how am I going to be able to build that garden inside our old hideout?"

Heck, that's a good question...

"Maybe things will be fine after a few months," Sunny said.

"I hope so, but your mom seems persistent."

"Don't worry, I'll deal with her if she or that detective shows their faces again."

...By running away again?

I'm so bad at encouraging others that I can't even convince myself that things will be alright.

Basil pushed his palms against the seat. "My parents might not support me anymore. If I return to Faraway, I might not even have a home..."

Basil's parents and my mom...why do they keep making our lives difficult for us?

"We'll find a way to build your garden even without your parents' help," Sunny said in an encouraging tone.

Basil tried to smile again. "My grant should cover our living costs for the next few years, even if we have to get another home when we go back to Faraway to build the garden. But we'd still have to watch out for the detective who knows about...what we did..."

"I could try to talk to my mom over email," Sunny suggested. "I might be able to get her to tell the detective to stop looking for us."

...Just how am I supposed to convince her of that when I basically just told her I'm not coming back to live with her from now on?

"That'd be great...but...maybe there are things we could do...to protect ourselves," Basil said in a very quiet tone.

I feel you're about to suggest something questionable...

"Do you know anything about criminal charges, Sunny?"

Sunny shook his head.

"Me neither. We could read up on it and see what kind of sentence we're in for if we get caught."

That sounds like it'd be a lot of work...but I guess Basil has always been the type to take action rather than sit around and wait for things to sort themselves out...

"It might be better to get a lawyer," Sunny suggested.

Basil's expression was a little dark. "No, that's not what I meant..."

"How are we going to defend ourselves against charges without one?"

"Ummm...we let that detective and your mom know...what the worst scenario could be for both us..."

Sunny began to understand.

Wow, Basil...you always come up with the most devious plans...

"We figure out the worst charge that could be laid against us, then we find worse charges we could press so...well...it'll be a lot worse for your..."

"It's okay, I won't get offended if you want to press charges against my mom," Sunny said with his own devious smile.

"Ah—ah...yeah...so if they come after us again we let them know that we'll also be pressing charges against them. Hopefully they'll back off."

Mutually assured destruction is your plan.

"That could work," Sunny said, turning his eyes up in thought. "Problem is, knowing my mom, she might not care after a certain point. She might try to separate us even if there are worser consequences for herself."

That put a downer on both their moods.

Neither of them could come up with an appropriate defense against an extremely belligerent pursuer who'd throw herself six feet under in order to accomplish her goals.

She probably thinks it's all for the sake of protecting me...and there's definitely a chance she'd accept charges against herself if that's what it'd take to separate me from Basil...

We have to find a set of charges against her and that detective which are so bad that they'd be deterred from pursuing us any further.

I sound so awful, thinking that.

"...We'll try it," Sunny said after a silence. "I'll see what charges I can press against my mom and that detective. Then I'll tell her to back off or else."

"What if it doesn't work?" Basil asked, his expression full of uncertainty despite having come up with that idea first.

"I don't think my mom would go after us that hard. She still has some sense of self-preservation."

"Okay...I hope you're right..."

Basil relaxed a bit, quietly leaning back into the bus seat.

I want to see you smile fully again, Basil...

When Sunny glanced at Basil, he noticed that without a flower in his hair, he looked so different from usual.

When Basil wore a flower, he was like an angel. A boy who walked the cobble path of a beautiful garden, surrounded by sunflowers and roses and daisies and tulips, the sunlight casting a warm and dreamy glow over his smile.

Without that flower, Basil looked much more grounded in reality. A boy who was all grown up, with practical goals and dreams, whose smile had been battered by the hardships endured all over the years—and yet it was still there.

Sunny loved him all the same.

I want to see your smile and hear your laughter, always.

They sat in that bus throughout the evening and the night, falling asleep with their heads so close they were almost touching. No one on the bus bothered them.

***

Early the next morning, they arrived at their destination, the city where Polly lived.

Sunny and Basil stepped off the bus into a bustling bus terminal. This city was a larger place than Faraway and the crowds reminded Sunny of the new city he'd been living in with his mom.

They weren't bad memories; Sunny kind of liked the feeling of anonymity he experienced living in a place where there were so many people. He also saw many more couples in the city like himself and Basil.

But he already missed the cozy, comfortable feeling that Faraway gave him.

"That's the neighborhood where Polly lives," Basil said, pointing to a spot on a map of the city. "Depending on her situation she might not be able to let us stay over. Maybe we should get a hotel first."

Sunny nodded in agreement. He glanced at a building on the map close to Polly's neighborhood called St. Breaven. "Is she at work right now?"

"Yeah, she's working until seven on Thursdays."

Hold on a sec...

Breaven sounds like a place I'd once dreamed about which was filled with bread...can't remember much about it anymore, though.

He'd been outlining all the locations for the novel he wanted to write, adding more and more places until he was sure he'd be writing a one thousand page tome. If he wanted to include St. Breaven, he'd probably add it to the desert called Orange Oasis, perhaps as an underground ruins that could only be reached by solving an ancient puzzle.

This might easily turn into two novels...or even a trilogy...

It was funny how lots of names he'd seen at some point in real life had made it into his dreams, and they were now becoming the places and characters of his story.

I might want to change Jawsum's name since he really exists as a detective.

And using Breaven when it's a real place, an elderly care home, might be a bit too much...

Thoughts of his novel swirled inside his head as he walked out of the bus terminal onto the streets. He smelled grilled meat; there were hot dog stands nearby, summoning his hunger.

His appetite was ravenous, owing to the fact they hadn't eaten dinner last night.

But he had very little money in his pockets and he didn't want to ask Basil to pay for everything—especially when Basil was already paying for everything until he found himself a job. He repressed mentioning his hunger until they arrived at a hotel.

Sunny helped Basil carry half of his luggage as they explored the city. The hot summer sun caused his clothes to become soaked in sweat by the time they booked a low-end hotel that they could room in for a few days.

Once they were settled into their room, they each took a shower. Sunny felt famished when he stepped out of the bathroom.

"Ummm...where do we get food?" Basil asked.

"There's restaurants everywhere."

"Oh...it's my first time in a city this big. I don't know which one to choose."

"What are you in the mood for?"

"Ummm, anything."

Sunny was ready to eat copious amounts of food. He'd blow a huge amount of money if they went for a fine dining restaurant, so instead he decided to get fast food where he could order lots of food for a comparatively cheaper price.

He knew that neither Hero nor Mari would be proud when he found himself seated in a McDonald's with three big macs, two large fries, and twenty chicken nuggets on the tray in front of him.

"How's it taste?" Sunny asked Basil.

"Ummm...it's okay...I prefer eating home-cooked food, though."

"I had McDonald's so much while I was living with my mom in the city."

They should open up a franchise in Faraway!

"Is all the food in the city like this?" Basil asked, staring at the grease on the fries.

"No, the food is really diverse! We can go somewhere fancier later, but it'd cost a lot more."

"Ah, it's okay." Basil smiled. "If we can't cook, McDonald's is fine."

Great, we can have McDonald's all day!

After stuffing himself full of artery-clogging calories, Sunny spent the day exploring the city and window shopping while they waited for Polly to finish work. Since Polly's neighborhood was a bit far from their hotel, they started walking towards the vicinity early in the afternoon, avoiding the bus fare.

Sunny kept himself on the lookout for detective Jawsum; he'd be surprised if that man had followed their bus all the way here and was still searching for them. But he could never be too careful, as those private detectives could be very good at the job that they were hired for, desperately good.

From what he remembered the man had looked to be middle-aged, not exactly a fast runner, but certainly persistent and probably experienced at tracking people down. He'd used the man's persistence to his advantage yesterday, luring him to a spot on the edge of town far away from Basil's house, before swiftly turning around once he was out of sight and making a beeline back to Faraway Park.

Given that the detective must have been worn out from chasing him all the way to the edge of town, he probably needed to spend a few hours getting back to the area around Faraway Park. There were good odds that he and Basil had taken the bus out of town before he was able to come back.

Unless...he's much more persistent than I gave him credit for...

That reason alone was enough for him to keep vigilant.

A part of Sunny found it thrilling; being on the run from a detective made him feel like he was a criminal in one of those Noir films. Just that fact tore down some of the moral walls he had put up around himself, and the need to be law-abiding. If there were already going to be charges pressed against him, why bother being a model citizen? He was not perfect and no longer had to pretend to be.

It might be harder on Basil...

He has such a bright future ahead of him, and I have to protect it at all costs.

"By the way, can we be open about our relationship to Polly?" Sunny asked.

"Sure, I don't mind," Basil replied, smiling. "But...maybe we shouldn't talk about...what we did that's making that detective chase us..."

"Yeah, good point."

Even to Polly, we can't reveal the truth about the incident with Mari.

All she knows is that my sister hung herself, and Basil and I had a big fight that got us both sent to the hospital.

We can never be sure how she'd react if she found out what really happened.

Late in the afternoon, they arrived in front of Polly's house. Luckily, she was already home. They rang her doorbell and she opened the door.

"Basil! How have you been?"

Basil smiled. "I've missed you so much, Polly!"

It must have surprised her to see Basil so open with his feelings, and even more so when Basil reached out to hug her.

"I'm so sorry about what my parents did after you told them," Basil said.

"Oh, it's fine...I mean..."

Polly turned her eyes away, conflicted, and Sunny could easily understand why. She had spoken to Basil's parents about their son's sexuality and that just wasn't an easy topic to bring up without everyone first consenting to talking about it.

Basil quickly remedied that. "I told my parents that you were right...I do like boys...and they got really mad at me."

"I'm really sorry, Basil..."

"It's okay, Polly! Here, I brought a gift for you."

Basil took out a present from inside his luggage. With a grateful smile, Polly accepted the present and invited them into her home.

She lived in a beautiful place. It wasn't as big as their houses in Faraway but there was a nice, clean living room with a couch and bedroom. If they stayed over one of them could use the couch and the other the sleeping bag that Sunny had packed with his belongings.

Polly unwrapped her present and found a beautiful blue porcelain flower vase.

"Oh, this is so nice!" she said, immediately putting the vase to use by placing a couple of orange flowers from another vase into it. "How did you know? I get a lot of flowers from my workplace."

"Ah—hah...lucky guess?"

"Thank you so much for your present, Basil."

Not wanting to make Sunny feel left out, she smiled brightly at him. "Thank you too, Sunny!"

"It was all Basil's idea," Sunny said, giving credit where it was due.

Basil scratched his head, blushing a little.

"Would you like me to cook dinner for you two?" Polly asked.

"I can help!" Basil offered. "I still remember all the recipes you taught me."

"And they're all delicious," Sunny added.

"Yeah, Sunny really likes the meals you taught me to make," Basil said, smiling.

Polly started blushing at all the compliments she was receiving. As far as Sunny knew, she didn't usually see such a happy Basil, and perhaps it was dawning on her that the difference in Basil's attitude was due to the presence of his...boyfriend.

"Does chili chicken sound good?" Polly asked.

Homemade chili by the culinary mastery of Polly and Basil?

Sunny could not stop himself from salivating as he nodded vigorously.

Too bad he discovered he was useless. While Basil and Polly got busy preparing the ingredients and heating up the stove, he just sat on the couch and stared at the ceiling, an activity he had spent four years training to be a master at.

A mildly annoying shadow mouth full of teeth materialized at the edge of his vision. It wasn't as big and scary as his usual Something sightings, but it certainly felt irritating to find it lingering nearby.

"Still as useless to everybody as ever, aren't you?" the mini-Something spoke.

Could you stop that, mister Something? I know I could be more useful, but seeing as I only recently learned how to use a microwave, I don't think I'd be of much help to them right now.

"Careful, Sunny. You might slide back into your old habits again if you keep thinking like that..."

Sunny closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady his anxiety.

I won't be useless...I promise. When we get to our new place, I'll do everything I can to make Basil's life as happy as possible. Once he starts college, I'll cook meals, clean the house, and run errands for him.

"Do you really believe Basil needs your help at all? You're probably a hinderance to him no matter what you do."

I'm not a hinderance! I know Basil wants me to be there for him...

The mini-Something laughed, a dark cackle in Sunny's ears.

"Since when did you become such an optimist, Sunny? The more you get your hopes up, the harder you'll fall once you let everyone down."

Oh...just shut up. I won't let Basil down. I'll put my life on it.

"We'll see if your words mean anything soon enough."

At least it had the decency to leave him alone after that.

Come to think of it...I still need to finish high school. I could probably take my remaining courses online this September.

Yeah, I'll finish high school...then I'll have an easier time applying for jobs. I might even take some college courses.

While cooking, Basil and Polly talked about what they'd been doing over the past few months. Polly congratulated Basil with a big hug when he revealed that he'd been accepted to college and gotten a grant. Basil also congratulated Polly on her new job at St. Breaven, the two of them laughing when Basil mentioned that taking care of old folks was probably a lot easier than looking after him.

And way easier than taking care of me, too...

The topic of their conversation eventually came to the difficult subject of Basil's relationship with his parents.

Basil and I agreed that we can talk about our relationship to her...

Basil giggled a little nervously. "Ah—hah...the thing is...Sunny and I are..."

"...We're boyfriends," Sunny finished for him.

Polly glanced between the two of them, puzzled at first, but total clarity dawning on her expression just a second later. "Oh, that's really great! I'm glad you two have confessed your feelings to each other."

Wait...has she always suspected that we've liked each other?

"We've been through a lot, but we'll always stick together in the end," Sunny added cheesily.

Basil blushed really hard.

Polly seemed comfortable with delving a bit further. "Was the reason for your fight back then because of...those feelings? I'm sorry. I should've told you two that it's okay to love someone of the same gender. Maybe some stuff could've been avoided if I'd just done that..."

Wow, she just came up with a really convenient explanation for our fight back then. We didn't even have to make anything up.

"Ah—hah—hah..." Basil giggled.

"Hahaha...yeah..." Sunny said, with his own nervous laugh.

"Well, I'm glad you two are boyfriends now," Polly continued, smiling. "You know, there are lots of people just like you in this world. Don't be afraid to show your feelings—I'm sure you'll find support."

Showing our feelings anywhere besides in private might be a tall order for Basil right now...even for me, too...

"Thanks, Polly," Sunny said.

"Yeah...we'll make sure to support other people like us, too," Basil added.

"By the way, Sunny, how is your..."

Polly's words trailed off. Sunny knew she wanted to ask about his eye, but given that Basil was standing in the room, she must have realized how awkward that would make him feel.

Basil understood, too. His face colored pale and he turned away.

I wish I could still wear my eyepatch.

"Were you going to ask about my eye?" Sunny spoke. "It's 'kay, I don't mind losing it at all. I used to wear an eyepatch and it looked really cool."

"Oh...I see..."

Polly turned at Basil. "I'm really sorry. I should've thought about you before bringing that up."

Basil's lips quivered with embarrassment. "Ummm...it's alright. I know I did something horrible to Sunny...even now I still haven't completely forgiven myself."

Oh, no!

Not wanting Basil to feel like the sole aggressor in this situation, Sunny decided to shine a spotlight on his own crimes. "Nah, I deserve it. I'm not sure if you know about this, Polly..."

Basil's expression grew tense.

"...But I kinda did something really horrible to Basil back then. Because I couldn't accept my feelings towards him, I went and messed with the pictures inside his photo album. He was bullied by people for years because of me. I completely deserve everything I got."

Was that a convincing half-truth?

Polly knit her brows, looking conflicted. She glanced back and forth between Sunny and Basil, the "truth" of the reason behind their fight that night steadily becoming painted into clarity.

"I'm...so sorry," Polly said at last. "If only I knew, I could've tried to help, but..."

"Polly, it's okay," Basil reassured her. "You were always really kind and helpful to me."

"Oh...thank you, Basil...but still, as your caretaker back then, I should've done more."

Darn, she definitely sees us in a completely new light now.

I'm not sure if "explaining" the reasons behind our fight made everything better on her feelings.

Polly tried to be more positive as she looked back at Sunny. "You know...I mentioned your eye because, now that I'm working with the elderly at St. Breaven, I've come across a lot of technology that's helped them improve their lives. Prosthetics, hearing aids, even special surgeries that can repair damaged vision. I want you to know that maybe your eye won't be broken forever. There might be a piece of technology one day that could fix it."

"Wow...they really have that kind of technology?" Basil asked.

"I'm not an expert on it, so I can't say for sure, but scientists are definitely looking into ways to cure blindness," Polly said.

Sunny smiled at those words. "That's encouraging. Thanks for telling me!"

Science sounds so exciting. If only I was any good at it...

As the chili chicken cooked the room became filled with a delicious, mouthwatering aroma. Sunny couldn't say he hated vegetables when chili peppers, beans, and tomatoes blended together to create such a wonderful scent.

Dinner was served, and it tasted delicious. Despite having eaten three big macs for brunch Sunny was starving again and he wolfed down the chili chicken on his plate. Luckily they'd made enough for seconds, so Sunny helped himself to some more. He wanted to eat plenty to make up for the malnutrition and near-starvation he'd gone through for four years.

I think I can still grow a bit...

Maybe I should compare my height with Basil and see which one of us has grown taller?

Errhhh, wait, I might not be so excited to find out that Basil's actually taller than me right now...

"Thank you so much for the meal," Basil said after they were done eating.

"No, thank you," Polly replied. "Ever since I moved here it's been pretty boring eating dinner by myself each day. I don't mean to be rude but these days I mainly just talk to old people all day...it's nice to be able to speak to young people like you again!"

She picked up their plates and placed them all into the sink. "I'm pretty tired, though. I'm going to bed soon. You're free to stay over as long as you'd like while you're here!"

"Thanks, Polly," Sunny said, glancing at the dark evening sky outside and noting that it wouldn't exactly be a safe walk back to their hotel right now.

"We can help with the dishes," Basil offered.

"Don't worry, I've got time to do them tomorrow morning."

Ha, like that's going to stop Basil...

Just as Sunny expected, when Polly went off to take a shower, Basil was already at the sink, busy washing off all their plates.

"Hahaha...sorry, I just can't leave my dishes undone at someone else's house," Basil said with a big smile.

"Need any help?" Sunny asked.

"It's okay, I can do them by myself. Thanks."

Before mini-Something could show up again and berate Sunny for being useless, Sunny opened his backpack and took out a book he'd packed for reading.

The book was Hamlet. He'd been reading Shakespeare lately to get inspiration for his novel. Not that he was writing a medieval tragedy (but...he could), just that from English class he knew Shakespeare's plays had interesting characters and conflicts.

Midway through the book he couldn't help but wonder why Hamlet was so mean to Ophelia. By the looks of it, Hamlet seemed intent on letting his problems grow worse and worse instead of seeking help.

Oh wait...that's exactly what I did.

I abandoned Basil and kept myself locked up inside my own room instead of reaching out for help...

At least he didn't have a murderous uncle who was trying to get rid of him so he wouldn't be a threat to his hold on the throne. Though in his case, perhaps he was the murderous one.

When he reached the end of Hamlet, he felt really sorry for the prince, but even more so for the prince's friend Horatio.

Will I end up dying in Basil's arms, begging him to live on in my stead...?

"Hey, Sunny..." Basil said softly, sitting down on the couch beside him. "Thanks for playing along with the, uh, story earlier."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to tell Polly the truth," Sunny whispered.

"Maybe we shouldn't stay here much longer...I trust Polly, but it's so hard to talk to her while having to cover up our situation."

"We should stay here for tonight but go back to the hotel tomorrow."

"Yeah, that sounds good..."

Polly was already tucked in bed so they were alone together in the living room, the lights dimmed.

Basil leaned towards Sunny and gently placed a hand on his cheek, beneath his scarred right eye. "...I still can't forgive myself for hurting you like this."

"Basil, it's okay. I'll never be mad at you for it."

"I know, but...that doesn't mean I can forgive myself. Every time I think about it, I still feel guilty..."

I understand better than most how hard it is to forgive yourself.

I wish I could do something to help, but I know deep down that it's ultimately a battle you have to overcome yourself...

"I'm sorry," Sunny spoke.

He held Basil's hand, squeezing it gently, leaning towards him to wrap his arm around Basil's shoulder.

Basil's eyes are so pretty.

Every time Sunny locked eyes with Basil he could see the kindness and love in them, a light that shone only for him, and that warm light told him Basil would always be thinking of him, always caring for him.

Looking into those eyes, Sunny felt his own heart swelling with feelings of both sweet happiness and guilt-ridden sadness.

"There are some things I haven't forgiven myself for either," Sunny said.

Maybe...I've forgiven myself for Mari's death, but...

I also feel guilty every time I think about how I abandoned you for four years, how you were bullied for what I did to your photos.

Even now, because of my mom, forcing us to drop everything and move out so quickly...

"Do you still see it?" Basil asked. "Do you still see...Something?"

Sunny gazed down. "...I do. It's not as bad anymore, but I'm afraid it could become worse one day."

Basil clasped Sunny's hands. "It's the same for me. Something never truly disappeared...we just have to manage it, somehow."

"As long as I'm with you, I can."

But if we're separated, who knows what'd happen?

I've promised that I'll always come back to you, but at the moment when you disappear from me...the moment where I lose you, even if only for a short while...I know Something will be back, and scary.

"Sunny, this might sound weird but...I'm starting to learn how to be comfortable with it."

"Comfortable with Something?"

"Whenever I feel guilty about taking out your eye, I'll see Something again...but lately, it's not as bad as it used to be. It used to feel like Something would devour me whole. Now when I get trapped inside its web, I feel like...maybe...I could unentangle myself."

"Hey, it's starting to become like that for me too," Sunny said. "I once saw Something as a giant mouth about to chomp my head, but, lately, it's gotten a lot smaller."

Eh...I just hope it'll be the same for spider-Something and deep water-Something.

Basil giggled cutely. "Maybe we're starting to get comfortable with our fears."

"Yeah, maybe that's all we can ever do."

Erasing fear entirely is like erasing our own feelings. It can't happen.

Not without major brain surgery, anyways.

Sunny rubbed his eyes, feeling sleepy. "Thanks for telling me, Basil. I'm kinda glad that we're going through the same problems together."

"We'll make it through, as long as we're honest about our feelings, even the most painful ones, right...?"

"Right."

Smiling, Basil reached out to give Sunny a quick smooch on the lips.

Sunny kissed back deeply, knowing that Polly could come into the room at any time.

Whatever, not like she'd care that much.

***

"Bye, Polly!"

"Bye, Sunny! Bye, Basil! Please don't hesitate to come visit me again!"

The next morning, they went back to their hotel.

Sunny kept himself alert for any signs of detective Jawsum or his mom. He wished the hotel had a computer that could connect to the Internet, that way he could see if his mom had replied to the email he'd sent yesterday.

But given the ultimatum-like tone of his email and the fact that his mom had gone so far as to hire a detective to bring him back to her, he doubted the reply would be anything good.

They spent three days exploring the city, shopping but not buying much, and trying out different restaurants. Sunny ended up really liking a Mediterranean grill place, especially their lamb souvlaki, while Basil enjoyed a northern Chinese restaurant that served steamed Bao and soup dumplings.

Sunny felt happier than he'd ever been now that he and Basil were practically eloped. They weren't living under the benefaction of Basil's parents anymore, and boredom hardly existed; there were so many things to do in this city as well as in the new place that they would be moving to.

When he walked down the streets, the sky seemed brighter and the sights more colorful. The manifold scents, the sounds of different voices, and the taste of all kinds of food and drinks felt so lovely. He never thought he'd feel that way—after all, he saw himself as a shut-in. But with Basil by his side, the whole world had bloomed like a flower in spring, and he enjoyed all that it had to offer.

On the day that Basil received a call saying he could now get the key from the owner of their new place, they checked out of their hotel and got onto a bus that would take them to their new home.

The ride crossed several states over a couple of days, which Sunny felt sure would allow them to escape the pursuit of detective Jawsum and his mom. No one in their right mind would be that persistent as to follow a single bus that far. If they were, well...he just had to believe that Basil's plan to create some charges against their pursuers would work out.

When they arrived into their new town, Sunny gazed upon the large college campus and felt so proud that Basil had made it in.

If I get good marks in my final semester of high school I might be able to enroll, too.

But first...I'm finding a job. I have to help Basil pay rent and everything.

He was happier than ever to enter their new home. He smiled when he looked over the bed that they'd share, the kitchen they'd use, their new desks and chairs. Even the bathroom was pretty clean.

"This place is so cozy," Sunny said as he tossed himself onto their bed.

"I'm glad you like it!" Basil replied with a warm smile, already getting started on unpacking their luggage. "We're going to be living here for the next four years."

"Yup, looking forward to it!"

A thought suddenly occurred to Sunny that felt a little nerve-wracking. "Hey, Basil, what's going to happen to all the flowers in your old home back in Faraway?"

"I planted all of them in the garden," Basil answered. "I hope my parents will water them when they get back."

"Oh, I see."

What will they do to Basil's plants now that they know he likes boys?

...I really hope nothing bad happens to that garden. We worked so hard to maintain everything.

Sunny spread his arms and legs out, relishing in the feeling of a soft, comfy bed he could now call his own.

At the corner of his vision, he caught sight of a very familiar device that he believed was called a modem.

Sunny got off the bed and checked the modem out. He could turn it on, and...it was plugged into the wall!

Wait a minute. That means...

"Hey, Basil, look at this!"

"Yeah?" Basil came over and glanced at the device, but was confused. "What's that?"

"You know what this means?"

"No...?"

"We get to have Internet access inside our room!!!"

Chapter Text

Sunny examined his face in the mirror. His hair had grown long, covering his eyes if he didn't part his bangs or comb them back. He missed wearing hairpins and flowers, but he was starting to get used to seeing himself without an eyepatch. Wearing eyepatches was cool, but since that accessory instantly gave him away to his pursuers, he'd have to make do without one for now.

Basil had started wearing flowers in his hair again as long as they were inside their room. He picked them from a flower field on the edge of town that took quite a few hours to walk to.

I love seeing those flowers in your hair.

It's too bad that my mom certainly would've told the detective to look for a blond boy with a flower in his hair alongside the boy with an eyepatch...

These days, he didn't ask Basil for any flowers to put in his own hair as they were now scarce in supply compared to when they lived with their own garden.

He had to do something about his own hair since it kept getting in his eyes. Maybe he'd tidy his bangs with hairpins again, but the detective had seen him wearing hairpins before.

It wouldn't be a dead giveaway like wearing an eyepatch was; still, he felt averse to taking that risk. Alternatively, he could cut his hair, and having short hair would help make him look less recognizable.

Sunny didn't like cutting his hair too short. He got all his haircuts from his mom back when he lived with her and he hated how she always cut off more than he wanted her to.

I could learn to cut my own hair, but without any practice it'd be difficult to make it look good, and I also don't want to spend any money on a barber.

The remaining option was obvious.

"Basil, do you cut your own hair?" Sunny asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Wanna give my hair a trim? I don't want it to be too short and I don't trust myself with a scissor."

"Oh...I could give it a try."

Sunny smiled. "Thanks, I really appreciate it."

They gathered the supplies into the bathroom and moved a chair in front of the bathroom mirror. Sunny sat down in the chair but discovered that they were lacking a barber's cape or a piece of a cloth that could function as one.

He decided to go ahead with the haircut anyways.

"I'll sweep the bathroom after," Sunny promised.

"I can handle it," Basil said, smiling.

Not giving you the chance to do all the chores around here!

"Let me do it," Sunny insisted.

"Okay..."

Basil picked up a pair of scissors and a comb. He sprayed Sunny's hair with water and began combing back his frontal bangs.

Sunny closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of Basil's fingers pulling and tugging on his hair. But he grew a little sad thinking about the one time Mari tried to cut his hair. He'd really wanted her to do it and she was excited to try. It didn't turn out very good, and his parents had gotten mad at them both for attempting it. His hair had ended up being cut unevenly, but he didn't care; Mari had tried her best and that was all that mattered to him.

Why did it matter so much to my parents that I had an even haircut?

It's not like we're living in some kind of dictatorship where it's expected of everybody to maintain a uniform appearance...

I guess plenty of employers and teachers still care about the way people style their hair, but I'm disappointed in them.

"Is this length okay?" Basil asked, showing Sunny where he intended to make the first cut.

"A bit shorter than that," Sunny suggested, feeling brave because his appearance was in the hands of someone he trusted.

Basil moved his scissor further down the strand of hair. "What about this?"

"Try between the first and second."

"O—Oh, like this?"

"Yeah, that's good."

With a snip, a strand of black fell to the bathroom floor, tiny little hairs sticking to his shirt.

"Basil, when did you learn to cut your own hair?"

"That's a long story."

"Feel free to tell me if you don't mind."

Sunny gazed at their reflections in the bathroom mirror and saw the soft light that grew in Basil's eyes, a mixture of sadness and that gentle yearning happiness from reaching far back into the past.

"When I was six, I started wearing flowers in my hair," Basil began. "My grandma helped cut my hair back then. But once, she cut it too short. I started crying because I couldn't put a flower in my hair anymore.

"She told me everything was going to be okay, and we made a promise. The next day, she taught me how to cut hair by giving her a haircut. I cut her hair to just the right length for her to wear a pink daisy when I was done. For some reason, that made me feel a lot better. I still couldn't wear a flower in my hair, but from then on I could always cut my own hair and make it look exactly how I wanted it."

Sunny smiled hearing about how Basil and his grandma always had such a good relationship.

If only I'd asked you to cut my hair instead of my mom when we were kids...

"Have you tried cutting your own hair, Sunny?" Basil asked.

"Nah, but Mari did once. She cut my hair all unevenly and my parents got really mad at me."

"Oh...was that before I met you?"

"Yeah, I was only seven or eight when it happened."

Aubrey introduced Basil to our friend group when I was eight and a half years old. I still remember the exact day.

February seventh, a couple of weeks before your birthday.

"It looks great so far," Sunny said, finding his new frontal bangs to be at just the right length. "Much better than my mom cuts it, anyways. She always cuts my hair too short."

"Oh—oh, thank you."

As Basil trimmed the sides, top, and back of his hair, Sunny felt himself transforming into a whole new person. Each lock of hair that fell represented his past, both sad and happy memories from Faraway and his childhood.

Their cutting was his resolve to leave all that behind and become a new person with new goals and aspirations, a life lived to its fullest potential by the side of the boy who made his every day shine with irreplaceable brightness.

"Thanks for doing this," Sunny said. "I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem at all! To tell you the truth, I've always wanted to cut your hair."

"Huh, really?"

"Ahah...it's embarrassing to admit this but, when we started being friends, I wished you were part of my family," Basil said. "It sounds selfish, but...I didn't want to be an only child without my parents around, and you were my closest friend..."

It's not selfish at all to want that.

"...I felt like you might feel that way, too. I know, it's weird, you already had your sister and our whole friend group, but..."

"It's okay," Sunny said. "We were the closest. Even around the others, I liked keeping to myself, and to you. "

And being by your side, listening to you read every day...

"Ah—ah, thanks, Sunny..."

Basil blushed as he continued his story.

"Once, on a rainy day when I was sick, I imagined you were right there in my room, pretending to be sick so you could stay home from school and read books with me until I got better," Basil said, his voice quiet. "...It's silly, right? But I kept dreaming about all the fun things we could do if we lived in the same house. We'd walk to school together, eat breakfast and dinner, help each other with homework, help out grandma, and...ummm, I guess somewhere in there, I dreamt about cutting your hair, too."

I definitely should've asked you to cut my hair when we were kids.

Basil smiled shyly. "I wanted to impress you with my skills, Sunny. I thought you were so talented...you were so good at the violin. I remember dreaming about decorating your hair, choosing your clothes, preparing everything for the day of the recital so...it'd be perfect..."

Those last three words trailed off into nothingness.

Sunny gazed down at his feet, at all the hair that had been cut.

He knew Basil spoke with happiness towards his past dreams because they had practically come true. They were living together, doing everything with each other now. But he could never fulfill the dreams of that childhood Basil, his best friend.

He could never reach back into the past and offer the Basil crying alone by himself a hand to pull him out of the darkness.

I'm so sorry.

Basil lifted one more strand of Sunny's hair and made his last cut. "There. How does that look?"

"It's perfect," Sunny said.

He examined his face in the mirror and found his new look stunning.

With his bangs just the right length, not too short but also not getting in the way of his eyes, the sides and back neatly trimmed, and just a touch of imperfection in the overall evenness—Basil was good but not perfect—he could, for the first time in his life, be proud of how he looked after getting a haircut.

"Thank you so much," Sunny said. "I really like it."

"You're welcome! Need any help with cleaning up?"

"Nah, I'm good."

***

Before Sunny asked for his haircut, Basil had been going through the criminology books Sunny had borrowed from the local library. It sounded dark, but they still had work to do if they wanted to deter their pursuers.

Sunny swept the bathroom floor clean, which took about an hour. He preferred taking showers in the evenings, and since it was still early afternoon, he decided to go out to help grab some groceries for Basil.

The sky was bright and sunny outside; there was supposed to be a thunderstorm this afternoon. He stepped out of their apartment and breathed in the scent of the city in the late summer, its unique mixture of odors carried by the wind.

Because the city was close to a flower field by a large nature reserve, it wasn't all pollution and fumes; the place wasn't as remote as Faraway but it wasn't a bustling metropolis either. He could smell flowers and food being cooked.

Ever since he moved here with Basil, Sunny had felt adventurous, keen to explore all that it had to offer. After all, they were going to be in this city for four years, and he didn't intend on spending those four years holed up inside his room.

He liked taking extended walks around the blocks close to their apartment and seeing if there were any signs for job openings. So far he hadn't found any yet, but he had only seen a tiny fraction of every business that existed in this city and could remain hopeful.

On the way to the grocery store he passed by some landmarks he'd grown familiar with. There was the bridge that crossed a small stream, a flower shop owned by a nice old couple, the wine rack he was still too young to buy drinks from, a clock tower, a small park where people walked their dogs and friends had picnics in the grass. He dreamt of inviting Kel, Aubrey, and Hero here to have a picnic together in this park, but knew it would be a while before they could all meet again.

There was also an electronics shop by the grocery store they frequented. He'd been thinking of buying a laptop that he could share with Basil, since without one, that modem in their room was useless. Right now, they still had to go to the local library if they wanted to use the Internet.

Sadly, laptops were expensive devices. Sunny intended to check out every price and model that was on sale in the city before purchasing one. He'd found three electronics stores that sold laptops and had already visited two of them; just one more and then he could start thinking about which laptop to buy.

The grocery store was actually a franchise of Othermart. Everything was so familiar, from the fruit stands to the fish market in the back, the bakery beside it, the pharmacy on the left and the candy shop on the right. He almost felt like he was back in Faraway, running grocery errands with his sister and checking out tasty desserts with his friends.

It'd be so nice if they could all move here with me and Basil.

But...I guess Kel's mom was right, people start drifting apart once they grow up. Aubrey has her church's after-school activities now, Hero is going to college in another distant city, and Kel is busy practicing basketball.

Out of all of them the only one who might have time to visit us is Kel. I wonder what he plans to do once he graduates?

Sunny missed his friends, but he wouldn't risk going back to Faraway to see them. He still lived with the mindset of a runaway, a fugitive; he was constantly on the lookout for detective Jawsum or his own mother.

He understood that his new life in this city cemented an important phase of growing up—learning to be independent. This was the first time he was living away from his mom and had to do everything by himself. He wasn't fully independent yet since he relied on Basil's grant money to buy food and pay rent, but like most people his age, he was looking for a job and trying to find his place in the world.

For that matter, he didn't know yet whether to go to college or not. He wanted to spend some time writing his novel while working a job first, but he'd also read on the Internet that most novelists don't make that much money. Getting his debut novel published and having it be successful was like winning the lottery. He might need to get good marks in his last semester of high school just so that college remained an option.

I can count on Basil's gardening project to get me work experience, but that requires us to go back to Faraway, so we'd have to deal with my mom first...

Everything comes down to whether or not our counter-charges against them will deter them from pursuing us any further.

After browsing the store for discounts, Sunny bought enough meat and vegetables for the next three days from the grocery store and started walking back home.

He smelled something wet in the air and noticed the grey clouds approaching in the distance. The thunderstorm was coming after all; he had to get back before he got caught in the rain.

As he began a brisk jog back he heard thunder rolling in the distance. Droplets of rain touched his skin, icy cold. He ran faster as people cleared the streets and umbrellas were pulled out; too bad he hadn't the foresight to bring one of his own.

There was a flash of lightning, and rain started to pour down.

Sunny sprinted towards his apartment. He nearly jumped when he heard the ensuing thunderclap, louder than any thunder he had heard in his life before. The wind increased in speed, sending pouring rain against his skin. His shoes and socks became soaked as he dashed through mud puddles on the sidewalk.

By the time he reached the door, he was completely drenched.

"Sunny! Are you okay?" Basil asked as soon as he walked in.

"I'm fine, just soaking wet."

"I heard the thunder and got worried. Sorry, I should've stocked up on groceries yesterday..."

"It's alright. I like feeling the rain in the summer. It's so refreshing!"

Sunny dropped off his groceries by the kitchen and got into the shower.

As he washed off all the remnants of cut hair on his skin and the rainwater, he remembered a hot summer day from his childhood. They'd all gone beetle hunting in the woods when they suddenly heard thunder in the distance.

He could still hear Mari's words echoing in his ears...

We have to leave the woods. Trees often act as lightning conductors, so it's not safe to stay under a tree when there's a thunderstorm.

They all ran as fast as they could out of the woods, but the rain had already started coming. There were flashes of lightning; loud thunder rolled across the skies.

Aubrey suddenly became paralyzed when an enormous thunderclap resounded through the air. Basil had been the first to notice her standing by the trees, frozen. He alone out of all of them ran back to help her. He held her hand, spoke some words to her with a bright smile on his face, and after a short moment, she could move again.

Hand in hand, Basil and Aubrey ran against the wind and the rain and managed to catch up with the rest of the group as they searched for shelter.

Basil, you're too kind to everybody.

With renewed resolve, Sunny let the shower water wash away the rest of his memories, both the good and the bad, so he could focus on his life in the present.

He dried his body off with a towel, appreciating the new look Basil had given his hair when he glanced at the bathroom mirror. Something delicious was cooking outside; Basil had already gotten started on making dinner with the groceries that he bought.

Judging by the scent, we're having pork bone soup for dinner!

"Smells good," Sunny said when he came out of the bathroom.

"Thanks! Wow, your hair looks nice right now."

"You gave me the best haircut I could've asked for."

Basil turned away to hide his embarrassment. "Dinner's going to be ready soon."

Sunny shifted his attention towards the pile of books lying on the ground by their bed—all of Basil's new textbooks as well as the criminology books he'd borrowed from the library.

Over the past few days, he alternated with Basil reading through those books to find out what kind of charges they could press against his mom and the detective. They kept a list of all the potential charges in a notebook. It was dark business, but it had to be done.

Rain poured against the windows, and the occasional flashes of white were followed by deep, rumbling thunder.

Sunny inspected Basil's latest notes and found, circled with bright red pen, conspiring to cover up manslaughter.

That would get both my mom and the person who did the autopsy on Mari in trouble.

Upon reading through Basil's notes, he realized it was probably the best charge they could level against his mom. Involving a third person meant higher stakes were at play, and it could even end up bringing his dad to trial. Those stakes might be high enough to deter his mom from pursuing them any further.

Another charge he came up with on his own was child neglect. He could testify about how she'd let him to rot in bed for four years, fall behind in school, neglected to take care of his health, and even allowing the electricity inside his house to go out during his last three days in Faraway.

Assembling those charges together, along with a potential blackmail charge against the detective, he realized they actually had quite a good level of deterrence. At this point, mutually assured destruction was, without a doubt, their best plan.

Sunny made another note with all their counter-charges ranked in order of importance before leaving those criminology books alone to read something lighter and more entertaining. "I really hope this is the last time we have to do something like this."

"Yeah..." Basil replied. "Just to be sure we're on the right track, I enrolled in a law course for September."

Eh...you're really going hard into this, huh...

A couple of days ago Basil had been looking up electives to take. He was already taking two courses on environmental science, a botany course, and introductory calculus. That meant law was his fifth course.

"All that reading got me thinking," Basil said, smiling a little, "Law might be useful when I start building my garden later. I should become familiar with all the environmental protection laws."

"Well, if you're interested then go for it!" Sunny encouraged.

That sounds like something I should learn, too.

Sunny was glad Basil always had that kind of forethought, but he was tired of reading criminal law books.

He went over to the stack of novels he'd borrowed from the library that lay beside his bed. Many of them were the same books he'd read with Basil underneath their tent when they were children; he loved rereading them with Basil together.

Sunny picked up one of the mystery novels he'd been reading, finding it curious that a real detective was looking for him while he immersed himself in the mind of a detective trying to uncover a criminal's footsteps.

As he read the book, he wondered...

What kind of writing style will I end up having?

Mari used to tell him that his style of writing felt stiff and lacking in genuine feelings. Haunted by those words, Sunny had spent hours trying to uncover what it was that made a story feel emotional.

Amazing prose.

Characters that felt like real people.

Thoughtfully built settings that you could live and breathe in.

An original, believable plot, with every significant event foreshadowed and perfectly paced...

Those were all qualities of a good novel, but he felt that weaving them together into a single book was just too difficult. Every time he tried to create an outline with all of those qualities, he realized he had overstretched himself and needed to start over again.

Perhaps what I really need is a better story...

The older he got the more critical he became, and that was saying something considering he'd already spent four years completely rejecting reality. He'd started acquiring a taste for what felt like a good story, and maybe the story inside his head just wasn't one.

As part of developing his writing style, he'd read all the books Basil had recommended him, classics and novels translated from other languages, and discovered that there were ways to use the English language he had never even thought of before.

The answer to the question of how do I write genuine feelings? slowly developed into clarity with each novel that he read.

When he approached the climax of the novel that he held in front of himself, the scene where the detective confronted the true suspect, he realized the quality of emotional writing he'd been missing.

I have to portray all of my characters' feelings, even their painful, unwanted ones...

It was an answer that had been staring at him all this time, but he'd never taken a step back to really notice it.

Over the past five years he'd come to realize that sadness, anger, and happiness were like playmates that pushed each other around inside his mind; the best thing he could do was to give each of them some space. Trying to be happy all the time was as bad as only ever feeling sad. It was better to accompany each of his emotions, sit by their side, let them run their course.

It was the same with writing. In order to portray that colorful journey inside his head, he had to fill his characters with emotions. He had to let them feel the whole spectrum of feelings from happiness to anger to sadness, jealousy and loneliness and fear, and more.

If he just wrote snarky characters who were quick-witted all the time, or depressed characters without a single scrap of happiness in their lives, his story would quickly become emotionally monotonous.

Scraps of happiness, huh? I kinda like that phrase.

Every day...

I'm looking for that one scrap of happiness that'll make my day worth it, even if Basil wasn't here with me.

He knew he couldn't rely on others forever, and relying on Basil for all his happiness was unhealthy. When he was alone, he had to find something to anchor himself onto, some goal or purpose that could keep him going even if he lost everything.

Basil had always been better at it than him. During those five years that he'd disappeared from Basil's life, Basil had always managed to keep on pushing towards his own goals—pushing through school, through being bullied, through his best friend moving away, through the death of his grandma.

Maybe Basil tried too hard to do things by himself; in the end, he'd needed Sunny to get through a really difficult time.

I still have my promise to you, my vow to always return back to you...it might not be the healthiest thing, but I'll anchor my life to that.

Haha, I'm miserable by myself.

The truth is, each day, I always ask: what would I do if I lost you? And to tell you the truth...

I don't want to answer that question.

Or, rather...the answer would be too dark for me to accept.

Y'know, Basil, if I'd lost you that night, I would've...

I would've gone back to my house, picked up the knife in the kitchen, and done something terrible.

I know. I'm weak and pathetic.

But after everything that's happened, I'm tired of trying to make it by myself.

Life keeps bruising and bloodying me, and all I have to look forward to are the scraps of happiness you send me each day...

He glanced up from his book to find Basil waving at him, telling him that dinner was ready.

That's my happiness.

Basil's cute smile, that faint blush on his cheeks whenever they locked eyes, the pretty flower in his hair—

Sunny's heart melted at that simple gesture to come and eat. Basil's gentle kindness was reason enough for him to keep going. It was reason enough to make the whole world worth existing for.

He'd cherish that delicate gesture until his very last breath.

"Sunny, how was the book you were reading?" Basil asked.

"Pretty good. There was a scene where the detective figures out the culprit using evidence from a photo album. It was really cleverly written!"

"Ah—hah, a photo album could be useful for something like that, wouldn't it?"

"Yep."

I still brought along your photo album...maybe it's time that I ask why you seem reluctant to want to look at it again.

I hope this doesn't bother you too much.

"Hey, would you mind if I ask you sort of a personal question?"

"Okay," Basil replied, a small smile.

"How come you don't seem to want to look at your old photo album anymore?" Sunny turned his eyes away to soften the question. "I mean, it's fine if you just don't want to. I'm just wondering why."

"It's...not really for any reason," Basil answered. "Those photos are still precious to me. When you look at something really precious you get a lot of different feelings, and I—I'm a little afraid..."

Basil's smile grew just a little bit somber.

"I'm afraid that now I'll just feel sad if I look at those photos again..."

I understand what you're saying. The most precious memories tend to be the most painful ones.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up," Sunny said.

"N—No, it's fine. I've also been thinking about it, but life has been so busy lately, I just never found a chance to look at my album again."

"Yeah, I know. If you're up for looking through the album, I'm always ready."

"Thanks, Sunny. Maybe we can look at it tonight."

"I'm down!"

Dinner was so delicious that Sunny put pork bone soup on the list of foods he needed to learn how to make.

By now Sunny felt sure Polly had taught Basil how to cook a dish from every major cuisine in the world; how she obtained that knowledge was a mystery, and he couldn't be thankful enough for it.

He drank the whole bowl of soup and felt completely nourished.

Later that evening, the storm had diminished to a light drizzle and thunder had stopped rumbling. He gazed outside and watched raindrops strike the window, sliding down the walls of their apartment building to touch the grass on the lawn below.

I still can hardly believe that I'm living with Basil...

Summer's almost over, and I've started a completely new life.

The dim light remaining in the cloud-covered sky felt comforting, protective. It was a light that obscured rather than revealed; it seemed to shelter his face from the pursuers of his past.

He went over to Basil, who was sitting on their bed, the photo album in his hands.

"Is it okay if I say something first...?"

"Always," Sunny replied.

Basil's diminished smile still painted a lovely portrait. "You know...when I'm sad about these photos, I always tell myself that I should be happy that they happened..."

I've heard that line from you before.

"...But, lately, I can't even feel happy about them anymore," Basil confessed. "I keep thinking that maybe I could've done something to preserve the happiness in these memories, found some way to erase the sadness..."

Basil turned, moving close to Sunny. "I keep thinking about what more I could've done...even though I'm already so happy to be with you."

Sunny placed an arm over Basil's shoulder, pulling him close.

You've always had a plan.

You always knew what to do, and you always tried to protect my happiness.

As I'm growing up I'm starting to realize how important it is to take action...but I guess you've always been mature enough to understand that.

It must be so hard to feel helpless because there's no action left you can do.

"Sunny...it's not wrong if I can't stop myself from feeling sad sometimes, right...?"

"It's okay to let yourself feel painful emotions from time to time," Sunny said, a gentle smile.

"Even when I feel sad about the things that used to make me happy?"

Sunny embraced Basil softly. "I'll be here for you whenever you get sad, alright?"

"Okay..."

The faint rain outside grew steadily as a gust of wind sent a deluge of raindrops against their window.

"It's just, I can't feel happy about these photos anymore," Basil said quietly.

Maybe...it's because you've found something...happier?

"Before we left Faraway, I tried to look at the photo album once...but I got frustrated, because I didn't feel as happy as I used to anymore seeing those photos..."

Sunny clasped Basil's hands firmly. "You don't have to feel happy about a single photo from the album."

"I...don't?"

"If you can't be happy, you don't have to keep trying. In fact, don't feel happy. Be sad that those memories aren't there anymore. Or get angry that we lost it all because of what I did."

The glow in Basil's eyes was refracted by a thin shimmer of water.

"And, it's okay to look through the whole photo album and feel nothing but anger at me!"

Even if it means you have to let go of something that once made you happy...

Basil blinked away tears. "I..."

The room became silent as the rain stopped falling outside.

Sunny gazed into Basil's shining eyes, the grip of their hands firm yet gentle.

Only the sounds of their breathing could be heard.

"I love you."

Sunny did not expect Basil to suddenly kiss him.

Oh...

Sunny's eyes became lidded as the taste of Basil's lips drew him into that deep well of unshakable passion. He couldn't escape the quivering butterflies that grew in his stomach, and he let himself sink under that raw, sweet feeling bubbling inside his chest.

His arms embraced Basil as Basil hugged him back. He let himself fall back as Basil pushed gently against him until his body was half propped up, half lying against the mattress, Basil nearly on top of him.

They kissed deeply and more passionately than they'd done in a while, a kiss that emerged not only out of the happiness they gave each other, but from all the feelings of sadness and loneliness they had gone through together.

Sunny felt the warmest feelings flooding through him. Like ink in water, the heat of their kiss sank down into his belly until he was completely overcome by his love for Basil, so fully immersed in the taste of Basil's lips that the universe disappeared—

The universe was reduced down to just the two of them within each other's arms.

It was a special kiss that fully bridged whatever remained of the chasm between their hearts. Nothing could ever separate them from each other anymore. No matter how far apart the world tried to take them, their feelings would always pierce through the shadows of that distance until they were united again.

They kissed and explored and touched, experiencing each other fully for the first time, until they fell out of breath on their mattress, hands still clasped as one.

"Sunny...I love you so, so, much..."

"Basil..."

I'm too out of breath but I just want to say your name over and over and over and over again—

"Just...wait one moment..."

Basil got up out of bed and hurriedly went over to the vase of flowers he kept by the windowsill. He picked up a bright yellow sunflower and brought it back to the bed with him.

"Sunny, wear this."

But...these flowers shouldn't be for me...

Basil blushed as he stared into Sunny's eyes. "I know you'd rather let me wear all my flowers, but I want to see you wear this sunflower in your hair...just for tonight, okay?"

"Why?"

"Because sunflowers are what I want to be like...and you're the person I look up to most."

Sunny couldn't help but blush too.

"...My hair's a lot shorter now," Sunny said.

"Yeah...but..."

Basil tucked the sunflower into Sunny's hair.

It fit perfectly.

Basil smiled.

"The haircut you asked me for is exactly the length I cut my own hair so that I can still wear flowers."

Chapter Text

Last week, Sunny and Basil finally bought a laptop.

Classes had begun for high school and Sunny was not finding his new laptop productive. He was taking online courses for his final semester of high school, meaning that using the laptop to access the Internet was a necessity. It was just too bad that there were so many other fun things to do on the Internet.

Although college's started for Basil, he hasn't needed to use a laptop yet, so I get to have it all to myself!

Sunny found himself wasting hours browsing forums, playing flash games, and watching cat videos.

He couldn't believe how round some of those cats were. The cats in Faraway were practically blobs already but the cats in these videos had been groomed to spherical purrfection. Their big fuzzy fur begged for him to reach through the laptop screen and pet them.

Alas, the laws of physics were cruel, and his feline petting desires went unsatisfied.

Cats were unique pets because their main method of getting around was hopping. Rumors spoke of a time when cats could walk and run like dogs, but now all cats just hopped around, sometimes all the way up into trees where they'd get hungry and wouldn't come back down until someone offered them some fish.

Sunny's eyes fell into a trance watching these cats hop around, and they reminded him of the way Mewo used to hop up and down on Mari's bed.

Too bad his dad took Mewo with him when he moved away. Mewo was so adorable he just wanted to hug her and cuddle up inside a box with her and take a nap with her and make Basil search all over the house for him until he opened up a box lid to find him and Mewo napping together...

I really need to stop watching these cat videos and get started on my essay.

Sunny was taking four courses for his final semester. After plenty of discussion with Basil, he'd settled on English, Chemistry, Intro to Web Design, and Statistics.

He'd been looking at jobs that were high in demand and discovered the field of web programming. With these courses he could hope to enroll into a college programming degree and land a job in web development.

This week he had an essay due on Shakespeare's The Tempest and he hadn't even gotten started yet. He'd opened up the word document but ceased all writing after the introductory sentence. Worse, he was only halfway done reading the book, so he needed to finish reading it first before writing his essay.

Sunny reached for the book on his shelf but his hand stopped when he got distracted by a cat video which had the audacity, the sheer audacity to insert a boing sound effect every time the cat hopped.

Mesmerized by the perfect visual-audio interplay, his eyes hopelessly tracked the bouncy cat as it hopped up and down trying to grab a yarn ball the owner held above her head. The round cat had orange and dark brown fur and it looked like a basketball being dribbled.

The notification sound of an email arriving in his inbox snapped him out of his nigh-unbreakable trance.

Is that from my mom, or...

More than a month had passed, and Sunny still hadn't received a reply from his mom yet. He was sure she was furious at him right now.

Last week, he had pressed on with Basil's plan and sent a second email to his mom warning her that if she didn't instruct the detective to stop pursuing them, they would press charges against her.

He mentioned that she brought this upon herself by telling the detective about their secret, something she'd promised never to mention to anyone outside their family. The moment he'd clicked send on that email, he knew that all cordial relations with her were over.

Maybe she's finally decided to reply.

Sunny alt-tabbed over to his inbox and held his breath, his heart rate rising. But to his disappointment, the email he'd received was yet another rejection letter from an employer he had just applied to.

He'd been mass sending applications to retail companies in the area in the hopes of landing a job. Over the past month he had gotten a few interviews, but unfortunately no offers. His latest rejection came from Othermart, and like all rejection emails, it informed him that he lacked the qualities of a successful applicant and wished him luck on his job search.

Just what am I missing?

They probably want someone with a high school degree...

This troubling email added to Sunny's increasing desperation to land a job. He was already spending hours each day applying to jobs and having to take high school courses didn't help. Trying to write his novel on top of all that filled his daily life with stress.

Realizing how behind he was on everything, he resolved to quit all distractions.

No more cat videos.

No more flash games, unless Basil wants to play with me.

No forum browsing. Erhh...make that minimal forum browsing.

With those distractions out of his mind, Sunny felt a surge of renewed confidence pushing him to read that book and write his essay. Just like Mari once said, he could do anything as long as he set his mind to it.

I will finish this essay, ace all my courses, and find a job!

Minutes later the sound of familiar footsteps arriving at his apartment door managed to snap Sunny out of the trance of watching a cat loafing on a store shelf among her wheat-filled brethren—a perfect disguise.

Basil collapsed through the front door, his face the epitome of math-induced suffering and defeat.

"How was the calculus quiz?" Sunny asked.

"Awful," Basil replied. "My head's still swimming in all those chain rules..."

"I'm sure you passed."

"I'm not. The quiz was so much harder than I thought it would be!"

Sunny knew Basil was dead tired from studying last night and probably needed some food and rest right now.

"I made some soup," Sunny said, gesturing at the kitchen counter.

"Thanks, Sunny."

When Basil took a sip of Sunny's beef carrot soup, the widening terror in his eyes spoke clearly of Sunny's cooking skills. It could not be more obvious that he would rather spit the soup back out.

"Umm...Sunny...this soup tastes raw."

Sunny raised his right eye. "I'm sure I boiled it long enough."

"It's definitely raw. I don't think it's healthy to eat this..."

"My bad, sorry."

Basil glanced at the cat video playing on Sunny's screen. "I thought you had an essay to do?"

"Well, I got started on it..."

"Can I take a look? You promised you'd let me see it yesterday..."

Sunny almost tried to cover the laptop screen with his body but that would simply be an admission of guilt. With a sigh of resignation, he alt-tabbed over to his essay.

"...You wrote one sentence," Basil said, disappointment evident in his voice.

"Look, I got distracted by an email!" Sunny replied, a half-lie. "I just got rejected by Othermart."

Normally Basil was sympathetic to his rejections, but the dark circles underneath Basil's eyes colored his expression with tedium instead.

"Maybe...you should focus on your courses," Basil suggested.

"I'd be happier if I got a job offer."

"Finishing high school should be your priority, not applying to jobs."

"You know I want to help you pay the rent and everything!" Sunny protested. "Do you know how bad it feels sitting here every day freeloading off your grant money?"

Those words said half-jokingly did not produce the intended effect on Basil.

It was one of the rare times Sunny saw the emotion anger appear over Basil's face.

"Freeloading?" Basil replied, raising his voice. "I choose to take care of you because I love you, and I want to hire you later. You're getting the share of my grant you deserve!"

"Sorry...I misspoke. But still, until I start working, I'm not making any money on my own, and I hate it."

"How about this? I'm paying you right now to work on getting your degree."

"What? No, I'm going to get myself a job so you don't have to pay me."

That only made Basil angrier. "I want you to stop applying to jobs for the time being and work on completing your courses. Finish high school, Sunny."

Sunny pouted. "I am not going to stop applying to jobs until I get one."

"You're not going to get many offers without a high school degree."

"I don't care!"

It made him furious that Basil wanted him to complete high school just as badly as his mom wanted him to go to college.

He was furious because he was afraid that his mom might have been right all along.

"I got a job before without a degree, I can do it again!" Sunny shouted.

Startled, Basil stepped back. "I just think you should organize your priorities around school first—"

"Why are you talking to me like you're my mom?"

"Because sometimes you make me feel like I have to treat you like a clueless kid!"

Sunny froze, stunned by those words.

I'm...being unreasonable again...

Just like all those times I've gotten angry before and done something stupid...

Basil backed down, his anger disappearing from his expression. He turned his eyes away. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything wrong. I should be sorry for shouting at you," Sunny confessed, his face burning with shame.

He'd never intended to speak to Basil like that. They rarely argued, and given how far behind he was in all his courses, he knew Basil was pretty much completely right.

"Sunny, I'm still sorry. I shouldn't have called you a clueless kid."

"Ha, yeah, but that's what I am."

What have I been wasting all my time doing?

Basil stared glumly away as he sat down on the bed. "I just wanted to make sure you could pass all your courses...but if you really want to find a job right now, I won't stop you."

"I'll work hard on my courses first."

You've had a rough day, Basil. It's not your fault we got mad at each other.

I've just been lazy, doing nothing productive, waiting for good things to happen to me.

"Errhh, first, let me fix the food," Sunny said.

He went over to the kitchen counter and inspected the soup. He'd probably undercooked it by a couple of minutes or so; he was so careless with these things. No matter what, he had to learn to get it right the next time.

"Dinner's on me tonight," Sunny said.

"I'll help."

"It's okay. Remember the chicken I made the other day?"

"Yeah..."

"You liked it, right?"

Basil smiled when he gazed at Sunny again, a watery light shining in his eyes.

"Yeah, I liked your cooking, Sunny!"

Hearing those words, Sunny felt like his heart could snap into two.

Even if Basil was smiling, he never wanted to be the cause of any more sad tears in Basil's eyes. He had to learn to control his temper before it got the better of him again.

You're right that I'll be much more employable once I get my high school degree.

I'll even go to college, if I can make it.

...It's okay to do the things my mom wanted me to do, as long as I know I'm doing everything for Basil.

"I'm really sorry about that soup," Sunny said. "I'm just...so stupid sometimes..."

"N—No, I was too harsh to you..."

"With food, I wouldn't ever forgive myself if my bad cooking ended up poisoning you."

Basil stood up, went over to Sunny, and gently hugged him.

They stayed in that close embrace for a quiet minute.

"You're trying your best," Basil said softly. "I wasn't good at it either when I started cooking."

"Really? You're such a good cook..."

Basil gave a delicate smile. "It's all just practice and good teaching."

Sunny smiled back. "I have a good teacher, too."

I'll set three goals.

First, I'll pass all my courses, no matter what.

Second, I'll improve my cooking until you're proud of every meal I make for you!

Basil's eyes were bright. "I believe in you, Sunny."

Third, I want to learn to control my temper.

At dinner, Sunny served a meal of meat loaf, bell peppers, and mashed potatoes that he felt was just passable, but Basil liked it a lot. Sunny told himself he had to keep improving—his dish could've been made better by adding some carrots.

Later that night, he worked hard on his essay and went to sleep early.

***

Welcome to Feelings Space.

You've known this place for as long as you can remember, but this is actually just your third time here.

We've detected a surge in feelings of resolve and determination. Perhaps you're finally ready to confront your new Headspace.

Here's the scenario.

Empress Mari has sealed away ANGER, the source of all conflict and destruction in the world.

Only a select few are allowed to feel ANGER, and the rest may only experience HAPPINESS and SADNESS.

You must find him in this world, and save him.

Your two halves are here with you, along with his night half.

Since you're not a kid anymore, you may choose any path you wish, but remember—

This world belongs to the Empress.

Sunny opened his eyes.

The noon sun shone down on a landscape depleted of all flora except for a few remaining shrubs and grass decaying in the desert. Nearby, the piano factories continued to churn out smoke from their chimneys as they produced the Empress's precious armaments. A line of caravans passing through the factories transported the latest shipments to the soldiers at the front.

As the scorching wind and smoke covered Sunny's skin with ashy dust, he recalled just one memory.

Minutes ago he was working in the violin factories, a subsidiary of the piano factories. The violin factories were responsible for producing the Empire's signature horsehair rifles, and the piano factories produced their trademark ivory bombs.

He'd felt sick and tired of working in that dirty, polluted factory and quit right in the middle of his shift. According to the laws of the Empire, quitting his job was illegal, and so the factory managers would certainly be out searching for him right now.

Sunny started to run.

He had no idea where to go, but it didn't matter. The twisting streets and alleys of the Empire would shield him from being discovered by his pursuers. He just had to avoid the watchful eyes of the draft recruiters.

Because the Empire was at war, the recruiters drafted anybody without a job into the army. Within days of training they would be sent to the front to fight and die for the Empress. No one was spared. Desertion and draft dodging was high treason, with major consequences for their families.

Even such a grim outcome could not do anything to affect the emotional states of the Empire's miserable citizens.

By chance, the alleys took him to Playground Street, the site of one of the biggest recruitment stations. He felt a wave of sadness at his lack of luck; no other emotion reached him.

The recruitment officers were dragging men and women and boys and girls off the streets, promising them that the army could give them a chance at purpose. Not even the thieves or the street urchins, with their haggard faces totally devoid of any memory of happiness, could escape their watchful eye.

Once caught they stood up miserably, walked miserably to the recruitment stations, and were pushed into miserable but orderly formations.

In this world without anger, most people ended up in a state of permanent sadness.

Sunny recognized one of the recruitment officers, Berly. Even in her miserable emotional state she was still somehow able to produce a commanding voice as she called the people on the streets into service.

"Tired of being sad all the time? Come join the army! Devote your lives to the Empress! Only duty and sacrifice matters! Sadness won't be a problem any longer!"

The fresh recruits were taken to the nearest training barracks where they'd learn how to use the horsehair rifle and to deploy the ivory bombs. Hardly worth more than their armaments, they'd be shipped like cargo to the front lines within a few days.

In spite of his sadness, Sunny didn't want to die.

He ducked in and out through the crowd of beggars and new recruits, trying to appear inconspicuous. This was surprisingly easy to do because practically everyone wore the same miserable face. Without distinct emotional states, people were barely worth being differentiated from each other.

Of course there was always the rare individual who could somehow maintain their happiness despite all the negative things that happened to them, like that girl Sweetheart he'd met the other day.

Everyone lost their happiness when the Empress sealed anger away.

At first there were lots of people who were happy and lots of people who were sad, but over time, the number of people who were sad grew, and the number that were happy decreased drastically.

No one knows why...perhaps, without anger to drive them, people simply lack the motivation to change their emotional states.

It seems sadness always outweighs happiness in the end. No matter how happy you might be, as bad things accumulate in your life, you'll sink into sadness, then depression, then misery...

I think only anger can defeat sadness.

He escaped the recruitment officers, ducking back into an alley across Playground street.

The alley passed by a bunch of training barracks, and Sunny could hear the voices of the commanding officers shouting at the recruits inside.

"As soldiers of the Empire's army, you bear only one responsibility: to fight and die for the Empress."

"When her majesty sealed away anger, we became a utopian society free of conflict and hatred."

Unlike the lower ranking recruitment officers, commanders were allowed to experience anger; they were one of the few classes to have that privilege.

"It is your duty to carry out the will of Empress Mari!"

"We must expand the seal of anger to the rest of the world so that all peoples may experience a life free from the destructive consequences of anger."

But Sunny knew that becoming a soldier didn't give people happiness.

The Empire's army was composed entirely of sad soldiers, taught through pain and discipline that their lives were worthless, that their only purpose was to die for the Empress. Through death, they could become free from the pervasive sadness of their lives. And they were all so miserable, so filled with pain, that they marched and fought like unstoppable brainless machines, hoping for the bullet that would end their existence.

Only the commanders could dream about their utopian society...

As Sunny ran, his single pervasive emotion of sadness made him question what was the point? He ought to give up on happiness like everyone else. They'd find him and throw him into the army; aside from the pain of training and getting injured in battle there was really not much difference from his life now.

Without a job, he'd have to deal with the pain of hunger, of loneliness. It would be a much longer and more drawn out death than death in battle.

Maybe I could go see Kel and Hero's workshop...

They might have something for me to do.

Sunny turned at the next junction for the workshop nestled deep within the districts of piano factories and violin factories.

Anything's better than being a soldier, probably...

As he left the barracks behind, he could still hear their marching drills inside, their endless shouting of the Empire's rallying cry.

"The world belongs to the Empress!

He heard that every day in the factories, too.

It's only worth living in this country if you're one of the lucky ones given permission by the Empress to feel anger.

The scent of freshly cooked rations reached his nose as he neared the factory districts. Food didn't give him any happiness, but at least it staved off the pain of starvation. He felt his stomach growling.

There was also a commotion somewhere nearby.

Sunny recognized those voices. They were members-in-training of the Royal Guard, the Empress's personal task force. A bunch of them liked patrolling the streets to test their martial skills on helpless civilians.

Royal Guards and their trainees were also given the privilege to feel anger. From experience, they tended to abuse that privilege. He preferred to avoid them if possible.

But he had never been lucky.

Turning a corner at the end of the alley, Sunny found a bunch of Royal Guard trainees surrounding a figure who was crouched on the ground.

"How dare you try to steal our food!"

"Street urchins like you deserve to eat dirt and grass!"

"You're just a filthy deserter trying to get out of the army, aren't you?"

Sunny caught a glimpse of the figure they were tormenting through a gap in their circle.

It was a boy of his age, wearing a sweater vest similar to the kind that all employees at the factories wore. But what caught Sunny's eye was the detail that the boy looked like a shadow. From head to toe, he was all a dark grey shade, with two glowing white eyes.

Even his clothes were colored like his shadowy skin and hair.

Who is that...?

A trainee he recognized as Vance kicked the shadow boy in the chest, knocking him sprawling across the ground.

"Hah! That's what you get for trying to steal food from the Royal Guards!"

Before the boy could recover, another trainee named Kim grabbed his shoulders and pinned him down.

The trainees walked towards him, each delivering a punch or a kick.

Despite having the wind knocked out of him over and over, the boy didn't make a sound.

"Come on!" Kim jeered. "What's the point of being so stoic? Give us a scream, you rat!"

She kicked him in the back so hard that he collapsed with his face buried in his hands on the ground.

Those...monsters!!!

Sunny felt something burning within himself as he witnessed what they were doing to that poor boy.

He wished he could stop them, but what could he do when all he felt was sadness? He couldn't get angry; he couldn't motivate himself to fight.

Wait a second...

I felt...a new emotion welling up within me...

A familiar voice spoke inside his head. It asked him a single question.

Do you want to save the boy?

Sunny blinked. He didn't know where the voice came from; he had felt it.

Not only that, but he felt that he knew the identity of the voice. It was someone he'd been close to all his life. It was like another half of himself.

Do you want to save the boy?

The voice was so...comforting, in a way. He felt like he only needed to reach out and grasp its hand, then he could pull its existence into this world.

Do you want to save the boy?

"Yes, I do," Sunny answered voicelessly, to a person he could not see but only sense.

In that instant, everything changed.

A bright flash of light struck Sunny and enveloped him completely. He couldn't see anything within that light, but he could feel something changing inside himself.

No longer was sadness the only emotion he could ever experience. New emotions surged in, primarily anger.

And, by the Empress, was he furious.

The light faded away. Sunny looked over his body and saw that his factory sweater had been replaced by a black tank top and striped pants.

Additionally, he was holding a knife in his hands that had appeared out of thin air.

Who...am I?

"I'm eighteen years old now, just like you."

You're not a kid anymore?

"I've grown up since the last time we met."

Sunny—no, Omori, brandished the knife in his hand, pointing it at the Royal Guard trainees who were torturing the shadow boy lying on the ground.

"Who the hell are you?" Vance asked.

"Leave," Omori demanded. "Leave the boy alone."

They took one look at him, and all started laughing.

"You're not one of us, and you can't possibly be a commander," a trainee named Mikhail said. "What do you think you can do to us Royal Guards if you can't even get angry like we can?"

"You're not even Royal Guards yet," Omori said. "You're just a bunch of lowly trainees."

This got their full attention. The trainees turned towards him, cracking their knuckles and stretching their legs.

"Someone wants a beating," a trainee named Charlene said.

"Let's kick his ass," another named Angel shouted before charging towards him.

Omori let his furious anger take over.

He grabbed Angel by the arm when he attempted to deliver a chop to his head. Without a shred of mercy, Omori slashed the knife through his shoulder and kicked him in the belly hard enough to send him rolling on the ground.

The other trainees came at him, but Omori's skill with the knife was unmatched. He ducked, dodged, slashed, and kicked, and before any of them realized what had happened, they were all on the ground with bleeding cuts and bruises over their whole body.

"You...who the hell are you?!" Kim demanded, pulling herself back on her feet. "No one...no one from the army or the Royal Guard fights like that!"

"No one except for Aubrey," Vance corrected her.

Aubrey? Sunny thought, the name sounding familiar.

"Get your pathetic faces out of my sight," Omori commanded in response.

The trainees leapt swiftly to their feet and started running away. Before disappearing behind an alley, Mikhail turned around and pointed his finger at Omori.

"We're telling Aubrey about this! She's going to find you and avenge us! You're going to suffer!"

Just who is...Aubrey?

After the trainees had fled, Omori walked over to the shadow boy lying on the ground and offered him a hand.

Sunny found himself looking through Omori's eyes.

The boy had dark shadowy hair with two strands that stuck out at the sides and glowing white eyes with black pupils. His body was a mysterious grey hue, completely different from the background of the rest of the world and yet still somehow existing within its framework of textures and colors.

Kind of like Omori himself.

"Are you okay?" Omori asked.

"Thank you," the boy answered, grasping Omori's hand.

His hand is warm, like a human being's.

"You took quite a beating back there," Omori said. "Yet you don't look hurt to me. Why is that?"

"I...don't know."

Wait...Omori's right. There isn't a single cut or bruise on him.

Omori was puzzled. "Where are you from? Do you remember anything?"

"I...don't even remember my name. All I know is that I'm a stranger to this world. This place, this city...it's so alien to me."

"I see. May I call you Stranger then?"

"...Okay."

Omori and Stranger are both pretty out of place, color-wise, in this world.

Stranger looked over Omori from head to toe. "You're pretty different yourself."

"I don't normally take this form," Omori replied.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Sunny, do you want to show yourself?"

Really? Well, okay...

"I'll let you take over from here."

There was a blinding flash of light.

Stranger lifted his hands, covering his face from the brightness, and when the light faded, Sunny was standing before him.

"I'm...back?" Sunny spoke.

Surprise colored Stranger's face. "What just happened?"

"Hi there. My name's Sunny."

"You resemble that person just now, except...you're not black and white anymore."

"That was someone else," Sunny replied. "His name was Omori."

For some reason...I can feel things again...

It's like a rush of anger somehow cleared out all my sadness. I can even feel happy right now...

"Omori, huh," Stranger said. He didn't seem to like that name.

"Do you know about Omori?" Sunny asked. "To be honest, I don't know much about him either. We seem to share the same headspace...or something...but other than that, he just kinda appeared out of nowhere."

Stranger shook his head. "No, I don't think I've met him before."

Is that so? Hmmm...

"Well, anyways, I'm glad you're safe now," Sunny said, the happiness in his head so refreshing after being sad for so long. "Do you need to go somewhere?"

"No, I'm just...hungry."

"Oh, right, I remember those awful people saying something about you stealing their food."

"I stole and ate a slice of bread from the factory over there."

"Stealing food is a major crime in the Empire. If you get caught, they'll beat you up, then send you straight to the army where you'll be fodder on the front lines. If you're hungry, I might be able to take you somewhere where we can get food."

Stranger almost seemed to smile. "You know where to get food around here?"

"Yup."

"Thank you. And...if you can communicate with him, tell Omori that I'm thankful he came to help me."

"Sure thing."

Omori, Stranger says—

"I can see and hear the same things you do, Sunny."

Oh.

"Think of me as an alter ego. You can summon me to fight for you whenever you need me."

Umm...why do you exist?

"I'm not sure either. It may have something to do with the Empress' seal of anger, as I'm capable of feeling anger even though you can't."

That's weird...

"Could you ask Stranger if he's capable of feeling all three emotions?"

I'll do that on our way to the workshop.

"Okay, let's go," Sunny said to Stranger.

Together, they walked off the street, entering another network of alleys that took them to the warehouses by the harbor.

The harbor was at the edge of the factory district, and it was home to a bunch of warehouses and shipyards responsible for building the Empire's massive navy. Like the army, the navy fought countless wars overseas to expand the Empire's territory, delivering the seal of anger over the people of each country that they conquered.

The harbor was also the site of Kel and Hero's workshop, a small store nestled amongst the factories.

Unlike the other stores, their workshop only built neat trinkets and toys that weren't of any use in battle. Normally, such businesses were banned in the Empire, but they were able to keep their license to operate by advertising themselves as a basic research workshop.

Even the Empress recognized the usefulness of basic research. The pinwheel engine had emerged out of non-warfare research on the use of wind energy, and now the spinning pinwheel powered all transportation within the Empire. Empress Mari permitted basic research workshops to exist to build their experimental inventions—they just had to come up with a useful invention for the Empire every few years or so.

"Hey, Stranger—I can call you that, right?" Sunny asked.

"Yes."

"Do you notice something about the emotional state of people in this country?"

"What do you mean? Everyone seems miserable, except for a few."

"Yeah, that's what I meant. Empress Mari sealed away anger, and everyone's sad now. Only the commanders, the Royal Guards, and the Empress herself are allowed to feel anger. What about you?"

Stranger looked off into the distance. "I don't feel much most of the time...but if I try to, I can feel sadness, anger, and happiness."

"So he does feel all three emotions," Omori said.

Yeah, but he doesn't seem to be a very emotional person in the first place.

"Do you mind if I ask...can you feel pain?" Sunny said.

Stranger almost seemed amused. "Yes. Even though my body can't be harmed, it was painful when those people kicked me back there."

"Oh..."

A curious look grew over Stranger's eyes. "Actually, I do remember something. I remember that I was floating in a dark, emotionless void for what felt like years, but nothing before that. Then I came to this world, waking up on a random street nearby.

"I was hungry, and I felt sad because I saw that everyone in this world was so bleak. Then I got angry when those Royal Guards—I mean, those trainees attacked me. And...when you, or Omori, saved me, I think I felt a bit...happy."

Sunny managed to muster up a smile. "I'm glad you can feel those emotions. You're not like the other people in this country."

"Neither are you."

"I used to be sad, just like everyone else, until Omori showed up..."

"Interesting. So Omori appearing allowed you to feel emotions again?"

"Yeah, first anger, then happiness."

Stranger smiled. "He seems like a wonderful person."

"Wow, Stranger complimented me?" Omori said, laughing inside Sunny's head.

Heh, maybe I should let you take over. You'd get to talk to Stranger more that way.

"Go tell Kel and Hero to give him some food first."

Fine...

At the entrance to Kel and Hero's workshop, Sunny knocked on the door. Within moments, the door opened and Sunny saw Kel's tired face, a worn-out smile still adorning his lips.

Kel's one of the few still struggling to keep himself happy, even though we all know everyone becomes permanently sad sooner or later...

"Hey, Sunny. Who's tha...woah."

Stranger waved at Kel, amused. Clearly, it wasn't the first time someone felt shocked by his shadowy appearance.

"A new friend," Sunny answered. "Mind if we come in?"

"Sure."

The inside of Kel and Hero's workshop was a marvel to behold. There were always so many inventions lying around, most of them half-finished and many that had been scrapped and left to collect dust. They could be anything from huge and impressive machines to tiny and charming toys.

At a glance, Sunny saw some kind of a waterfall-powered clock, a horsehair rifle that fired a cuckoo bird every thirty seconds, a wind-powered pinwheel yarn spinner, a small mirror labyrinth currently occupied by ants, a locket necklace that started to swing like a pendulum on its own when worn, and a model train that vertically scaled the walls of their workshop living room.

Stranger's eyes glowed with wonder as he observed all the fascinating inventions lying around.

"Hey..." another voice greeted the two of them.

Unlike Kel, Hero had long ago succumbed to sadness. He didn't feel any joy from inventing anymore, but he still invented things because that was his last living purpose if he didn't want to get drafted.

"Hi, Hero," Sunny said. "I brought a new friend. He's called Stranger."

A small jolt of surprise adorned Hero's expression. "Sunny, is it just me, or are you happy right now?"

Guess I'm bad at hiding it, huh...

"I am happy," Sunny replied. "A lot's happened and I think you'll find it all interesting. But do you mind offering us some food first? My friend's starving right now."

"That'll be a good opportunity for me to try out my new bread making machine," Kel said, a giddiness in his voice. "Your food will be ready in fifteen—no, ten minutes!"

"Thank you," Stranger responded.

They went into the kitchen, and there Sunny explained all that had happened to him today. It was a little bit difficult to explain the part where Omori appeared, so he went for a direct demonstration instead.

Kel and Hero's jaws hung in shock following the flash of light when they saw that Sunny's body had been replaced by a completely different person with a black and white color scheme that, like Stranger's, seemed like some kind of a chromatic aberration in their world.

Not even the brothers' bright, inventive minds could find any rational explanation behind the nature of Omori and Stranger.

"This is...totally amazing!" Kel said when Sunny finished his story, happiness evident in his voice. "I feel like I could spend months, no—years—doing research on why the two of you are this way."

Stranger raised an eye. "Is it going to hurt?"

"No, I'm not going to perform experiments on you or anything. But just the fact that you two exist means that there's still questions in this world...interesting questions that haven't been explained yet!"

"Maybe I'll find happiness again working on the solution to these questions," Hero said, trying a smile.

It was colored by so much sadness.

"Well...I'll be interested to see what you uncover," Stranger said. "I don't know why I'm this way, either."

Stranger glanced at Omori, but Omori just shrugged.

A ding sounded somewhere inside the house.

"Bread's ready!" Kel said, and ran off.

He came back with two pieces of remarkably human shaped bread. One of them was female, carrying a dough roller in her arms, and the other was male wearing a slice of bread on his head and holding a plate of cookies in his hand.

"Look at what my machine made," Kel said. "I call them—the Unbread Twins!"

"Appetizing name," Hero remarked sarcastically.

It didn't matter how the bread looked or what its name was, because it was fresh and smelled delicious. Omori and Stranger helped themselves to it right away.

With each bite that Omori swallowed, Sunny felt his own stomach being filled with food as well.

"So you two can eat regular food, huh," Hero said.

"Yeah, I don't get injured but I still get hungry," Stranger said. "Maybe it means that I can't die from starvation..."

"Would you like to try it out?" Kel asked overenthusiastically. "The average human will die after a month without food. Maybe you can go on for longer?"

Stranger's expression replied a clear no.

"So what are you two thinking of doing after?" Hero asked, direct as always. "It sounds like you've angered the Royal Guards, not to mention those factory supervisors will be looking for Sunny."

"I could avoid the factory people by just staying like this," Omori replied. "They won't be able to find Sunny, ever."

Hero became curious. "Where is Sunny right now?"

"While I'm here, he senses and feels everything that I do," Omori replied. "Think of him as like a conscious spirit that always follows me around. It's the same for me when he takes over."

"So...what happens when you two go to sleep?" Kel asked.

Omori shrugged again. "I don't know. Maybe we'll share dreams."

"It sounds like a fun experiment! Wanna go take a nap right now?"

"Yeah, I guess I do feel pretty tired."

Kel led Omori over to their sleeping quarters and pointed at a spare futon that he could use. "Tell me everything that happens once you wake up!"

"Okay."

Shortly after Omori laid down on the futon, Stranger came into the room and grabbed a sleeping bag lying around.

As expected of one of Kel and Hero's inventions, the sleeping bag unfurled into a comfortable sleeping mat all by itself. It also transformed back into a sleeping bag once the user was lying on it.

Stranger preferred the mat.

"I'm jealous," Omori said. "You get the cool bed, I get the boring one."

"I'll switch with you," Stranger offered.

"That's nice of you."

"No, I just prefer a flat sleeping surface like that futon."

Omori got out of his futon and went over to take the sleeping-bag-mat thing. But Stranger suddenly grasped his wrist.

"Huh?"

"I...feel like I know you, somehow," Stranger said. "Have we really not met before?"

"I can safely say that I've never met you in my entire life," Omori said. "I only came into existence a few hours ago."

"What about Sunny's memories?"

I don't know anything about Stranger, but he does feel familiar.

"Sunny says you feel familiar," Omori replied.

Wait...despite the fact that we share the same experiences, we don't share the same memories.

Omori could be lying, and I wouldn't even be able to know.

"That's odd," Stranger said. "You don't know anything about me, but Sunny says I feel familiar to him?"

"Save it for later," Omori replied, yawning. He laid down onto the sleeping mat and it rolled up into a sleeping bag around him, bundling him up into an Omori burrito.

"...I suppose," Stranger said. "Have a nice nap."

"You too."

Omori closed his eyes, and Sunny felt his own mind drifting off to sleep.

Just before falling out of this world, Sunny thought he heard knocking on the door of Kel and Hero's workshop.

***

Sunny opened his eyes.

Grey morning light streamed through the window of his apartment. Basil was already up, cooking breakfast.

"I just had the wildest dream," Sunny said.

"What was it about?" Basil asked.

"I was in some kind of a world where everybody was sad, people were chasing after me, I got into a fight, I met somebody—I can't remember his name anymore—then we were in a workshop with all kinds of crazy inventions!"

That shadow boy from my dream...I feel like I've seen him multiple times before.

...In fact, he kind of looks like Basil.

"That does sound interesting," Basil replied with a curious turning of his eyes. "Was it inspired by anything you've read recently?"

"Not that I know of."

Basil smiled. "You have a really amazing imagination, Sunny. Maybe you'll go back to that dream soon!"

"Yeah, maybe..."

That world was like nothing I've ever seen before.

I feel like there's something I need to accomplish there...

All in all, Sunny didn't know what to feel.

A part of him wanted to go back to that dream and find out what happens next, but another part of him felt very relieved to be back in the real world. In the real world he could feel happy, angry, and sad, not like that dream world where only sadness reigned.

He looked at Basil, the morning light playing over that beautiful flower in his hair, and realized that the world most precious to him was the one where Basil lived.

I have things to do in this world right now, things worth waking up for.

Headspace just wasn't what it used to be anymore.

Chapter Text

"It's so cold, Sunny. Mind if I turn up the heater?"

"Go for it."

The late October air seeped in through the walls of their apartment, chilling their room to frosty temperatures. Sunny had recently found out that Basil was very sensitive to changes in the temperature and weather. If the temperature of the room wasn't comfortable, Basil had trouble studying and would wake up repeatedly through the night.

Sunny tried every measure to make Basil feel as comfortable as possible while he was studying for his college midterms in bed.

"Oh—oh...you don't have to keep me warm like that...but, thanks..."

Like a cat, Sunny had cuddled around Basil to gently offer his body heat to him. Basil was lying down with his head on a pillow, and Sunny had curled up around Basil's shoulders.

Basil's soft hair brushed against Sunny's forearms. Sunny wanted to caress his boyfriend's hair; he refrained because he didn't want to distract him too much from the textbook that he was reading.

But Basil smiled when Sunny gently touched his fluffy golden hair.

"Thanks, Sunny. I'm starting to feel warmer because of you...hehe..."

"Glad to help."

With a curious turning of his eyes up, Basil reached up his hand to lightly grasp Sunny on the forearm. Sunny really liked the feeling of being held there, and he returned the gesture by brushing the hair from Basil's eyes, stroking his forehead.

"Hehehe...that tickles, Sunny..."

"Am I being annoying to you?"

"No, of course not! I'm not too worried about my midterm tomorrow. I think I'm ready."

Basil placed his other hand on Sunny's ankle. "I just like having a really warm cat to cuddle with when I'm cold."

"Haha..."

I wish I could be lazy like a cat.

Sunny snuggled closer to Basil to offer more of his warmth. It was actually a comfortable sleeping position, lying perpendicular to Basil across the pillow that his head rested on. He might try sleeping like this tonight and see if Basil liked it.

The warmth that filled the room as the heater turned up made Sunny's eyes grow lidded. It was only late in the afternoon, but Sunny had never felt so ready to fall asleep.

He wished it was still summer. He wished they were back on the banks of the lake at their old hangout in Faraway, him and Basil lying together like this, finding shapes in the clouds when they looked up at the clear blue sky. The image of that scene was so peaceful, so far out of reach.

"Basil, mind if I ask you a hard question?"

With a nod, Basil put down the textbook in his hands. "Sure, go ahead, Sunny."

"Do you ever think that we could've only gotten to where we are now because of all the things we did, both the good stuff and the bad?"

Sunny felt that the topics he was hinting at required caution, but by this stage in their relationship, he knew Basil was comfortable enough talking about them.

"I've thought about that, too..." Basil replied. "To tell you the truth, and...maybe you won't like what I'm about to say, Sunny...we might've gotten here because of a lot of the bad stuff that we did."

I didn't expect Basil to say something like that.

Not that I'm bothered by it, just that I'm surprised Basil appreciates how our relationship grew from our years of shared trauma.

"You told me the other day," Basil continued, "that it's okay if we look through all those memories in our photo album and feel sad at everything that's passed by."

"Or angry," Sunny mentioned.

Come to think of it, despite all my prodding, we still haven't gone through our photo album together yet.

Last time all that kissing made us put it aside...

Darn, at this point, the two of us skipping the photo album has to be a running joke by some twisted narrator!

Basil smiled cutely. "When I heard those words from you, I remembered something really important to me. Something I'd almost forgotten."

I wonder what that could be?

"Sunny, do you mind if I...maybe ramble a bit?"

"Be my guest."

"Do you remember how, about a month after we met each other, I started talking to you about all my problems?"

I thought it was right after you joined our friend group. Well...you probably remember better than me.

Basil looked up at the ceiling, a dreamy glow in his eyes.

"I was so surprised by how you listened to me without telling me to look at the bright side, without giving me advice on how to deal with those problems. You were such a good listener, different from everybody else I knew."

"Thanks, but I don't think I was always such a good listener."

Sometimes I told you that you were getting too worked up over problems that every kid has...

"You really were a good listener," Basil insisted.

I'm sorry that I wasn't always the nicest.

"The day after I told you all my problems for the first time, I remember the sky being all bright and sunny," Basil went on. "I'm sorry for being so lame but that reminded me of you!"

"Haha, it's not lame at all."

"...That day, I went to the hangout spot you showed me. I was all alone by myself. It was so calm and sunny, I just couldn't resist lying down in the grass to watch the clouds in the sky."

Huh, you never told me about this before, Basil...

"I remember holding a sunflower in my hand," Basil said, his voice quieter. "I put the sunflower in my hair and dreamed that one day I could be as bright to someone as you were to me."

Sunny wanted to tell him he'd made it, but something kept him from voicing his words.

"I got a little sad at that time, because..."

Basil reached and softly clasped Sunny's fingers in his own.

"Just knowing that there'd be times ahead where you couldn't be by my side, I started to lose my happiness in the moment...I started to hate myself. I thought, if I couldn't even stay happy in a place that I loved, how could I ever hope to be someone's sunflower one day?

"I took the sunflower out of my hair and threw it into the lake. I wasn't a person who looked on the bright side of things. I never was."

Basil, why didn't you tell me about this before...?

As Basil spoke, the light in his eyes wavered through water, and his grip on Sunny's hand softened. Yet when Sunny looked, he saw a small smile on Basil's lips.

"Ever since, I've tried really hard to forget that day," Basil said. "I didn't want a memory of a happy moment turning so sad."

I wish I could've been there for you.

"But when you told me...when you told me that it's okay to look at all of my most precious memories and only feel sadness, I...started to remember. I remembered that day."

Basil turned his head, gazing at Sunny with a full smile. "It was hard at first, but the more I let myself...feel those sad thoughts...the more I started to appreciate them."

I know.

"I used to think sadness came because I failed to be happy, but maybe sadness is me trying too hard to be happy. Isn't that funny...?"

Sadness was the first thing I had to let myself experience in order to accept my sister's death. For some reason, after crying out my tears, I could begin to feel happy again.

It's so hard to understand it.

"I can still see that sunflower I threw into the lake," Basil continued. "It feels like...there was so much happiness around me, but I was too blinded by my fear of sadness to experience any of it...

"I was the same," Sunny admitted.

Basil reached and cupped Sunny's chin in his hand. "You were?"

"Yeah. I didn't realize how happy I was until I lost it all."

Gently, Basil's fingers caressed his cheek. "Sunny, I...think I understand a little better what sadness is."

Basil?

"Sadness is kind of like a message."

Eyes locked, Basil leaned towards Sunny.

"It tells you that there's something in this world that makes you so happy, you don't ever want to lose it..."

Sunny felt a pair of lips pressed against his own.

Basil, you're...

Their hair brushed against each other's. Sunny kissed back softly, and as the light faded from the evening sky the two embraced closely to share more of their warmth, wrapped in the tenderness they provided each other.

You're more than just the sunflower to my life.

You hold all my feelings within you. I'll never ask for them back.

Sunny's eyes closed as he sank into the sweet passion of the kiss, all his feelings coming to life. The world became the two of them, flowers blooming in spring.

You are my full happiness.

***

Sunny couldn't believe his turn of luck.

The next day, he received an email about an urgent position that needed to be filled. The employer was a Fix-It branch, and they needed someone to work in the greenhouse section after their previous staff left. Noting that Sunny had gardening experience on his resume, they were willing to offer him an interview and a chance to start working the day after.

This Fix-It was located on the other side of town, about a two hour walk away or twenty-five minutes by bus. His interview would be at two in the afternoon. It was a good thing he'd woken up early this morning or he might've missed it.

"I'll come with you!" Basil offered.

"But don't you have a midterm to do?"

"That's in the evening and I've already studied. I don't have much to do today and I'd rather come to give you support."

Awww, thanks, Basil.

Sunny hadn't learned the bus routes in the city yet but he knew how to walk to the Fix-It. He checked the bus ticket prices online but found them to be quite expensive. If he bought a monthly pass, he could get a major discount. Problem was, he wouldn't need the monthly pass if he didn't get the job.

Eh...I have time. I'll just walk to my interview today.

"Sure, walking sounds nice," Basil agreed when Sunny told him.

The day felt as bright as the piece of news he'd received. Even though it was late October, the weather was warm and not too windy. They could enjoy the scenery of the browning autumn leaves on their walk to the Fix-It.

Sunny loved going on long walks with Basil. The world felt so lively and colorful when they went out exploring together.

A year ago, he used to hate walking around the city. All the shops and houses and community centers failed to interest him; they felt like giant tombstones and prisons. The sounds and scents of the city were obnoxious, turbulent. He would take the shortest possible path to school and back home just to avoid walking outside as much as possible.

Now Sunny loved going outside with Basil much more than staying at home all day.

When he walked with Basil by his side, he felt like he was returning to those carefree days of his childhood, exploring the world together with his friends. Each street they walked down and every hill they climbed felt like an important landmark he'd remember and cherish forever simply because they were places he and Basil saw together.

The stores they window shopped, the bridges they crossed, the museums and parks and restaurants they passed by—promising each other they'd enjoy them one day—all became important places inside Sunny's memories. He knew he would know their location by heart for the rest of his life.

"Isn't that such a nice place to own a flower shop?" Basil commented as they passed by.

The shop was right beside a grass hill; its slopes bloomed with flowers during the summer. Baskets of petunias adorned the shop's front porch, inviting customers inside to view even prettier selections of flowers and other plants.

"You wanna work there?" Sunny asked teasingly.

"Hmmm...maybe! I'm not making any money right now."

Sunny didn't want Basil working a part time job when his grant, his scholarships, and his student loans already provided enough money for four years of college. He'd rather have Basil focus on his studies while he himself worked a job to bring in spare income.

The irony of that thought was not lost on Sunny. "Only if you're doing well in all your courses."

Basil smiled back in his own teasing way. "Way better than you."

He's got me beat there...

Only Kel's grades were worse than Sunny's, and not by much. Sunny didn't take any offence to joking about his grades because he'd already accepted that he hated school and didn't want to spend a single second to improve his marks when all he had to do was pass.

I'll make college a distant goal and focus on work after I graduate from high school.

The Fix-It they were heading to was quite far away from the college campus. To get there, they had to pass through a stretch of undeveloped woodlands and meadows that provided a refreshing breath of wild scenery after miles of urban roads and towering buildings.

"This is where you pick your flowers, right?" Sunny asked.

"Mmm-hmm. The field is a bit far from here, but it's in the area."

"Kind of reminds you of the woods behind the park in Faraway, doesn't it?"

"Yeah..."

Sunny gazed at the beautiful autumn foliage around them as they climbed up a hill. Seeing the red oak trees, the piles of brown and yellow leaves that blanketed the ground, and the empty branches of shrubs that had already shed all that they grew made him feel a little sad.

During winter, there wouldn't be flowers that Basil could pick and wear in his hair anymore. They'd have to wait more than four months for spring to arrive.

Unless Basil plans to buy flowers over the winter.

He looked up at the cloudless sky and remembered how his friends had worked jobs over the summer and fall to earn enough money to buy a new violin for him as a Christmas present.

Even though only one of those friends remained by his side now, he couldn't help but feel that he had to get them all something in return. Christmas was in a couple of months, and if he landed a job, he could make enough to buy them all presents.

What should I get for Basil this Christmas...?

"Worried about your interview?" Basil said, snapping Sunny out of his thoughts.

"A little," Sunny replied.

More like a lot.

This is my one good chance to get hired by an employer who actually values the experience I have on my resume.

"I'll be there for you when you come out, okay?" Basil said. "If you need to cry or scream...just do it!"

"Thanks, Basil. I think as long as I make a good impression on them, I'll get the job."

"Wanna review all the interview questions you studied?"

"Sure."

Basil had helped Sunny draft a list of interview questions and answers over the past few weeks. Sunny had been getting interviews from a couple of companies back then, but he'd always failed the interview step because he wasn't good at talking about himself and sometimes mumbled instead of speaking clearly when he was under pressure.

"Okay, Sunny, can you tell me a bit about yourself?"

Sunny replied with the answer he'd practiced, an answer that embellished and exaggerated his accomplishments at communicating with people.

Obviously, some of the backstory behind those accomplishments was best left out. He talked about how he clarified and resolved an important conflict between his friends, making up an incident that was fairly light in comparison with the real conflict he'd "clarified".

"All right, what would you say is your greatest weakness?"

As Sunny started talking about his weakness in giving speeches, they arrived at the top of the hill they'd been climbing, and at the bottom of the slope on the other side was the plaza where the Fix-It was located.

"Okay, could you elaborate a bit more on—owww!"

Basil jumped, grasping his left leg in pain after tripping over a large stick that had somehow rolled onto the sidewalk.

"Basil, are you okay?"

"Ow—ow—ow—ow—ow, that hurt." Basil winced, smiling in spite of the pain. "I'm so careless. I think I sprained my foot."

That's not good!

It was such a bad time for an accident to happen. Sunny's interview was in forty-five minutes and there was no way he could afford to miss it.

But he cared about Basil above everything else.

"I'll carry you," Sunny said, offering his back without hesitation.

"I'm so sorry, Sunny..."

"No, it's fine. Just let me carry you over to the plaza. I think there should be a clinic near the Fix-It."

"I'll be okay, it's not the worst injury I've had."

"Let me carry you anyways."

Basil frowned. "But...I'll slow you down."

Basil, after all that you've done for me...

Involving yourself in a crime you didn't need to just to protect me from getting into trouble—

Taking the blame for me blacking out the faces in your photo album for so long without saying anything...

How can I possibly not devote my all to helping you when you need my help?

"I'll carry you and I'll make it to my interview in time!" Sunny promised.

"Sunny..."

Basil climbed on to Sunny's back, apologizing all the while for being so careless. Sunny didn't mind at all. He knew that accidents happened and he'd resolved never to let his temper get the better of him again.

Due to their bodies being similar in weight, Sunny felt a significant burden on his back from having to carry Basil. He didn't complain at all, carrying on at a steady pace to the plaza at the bottom of the hill.

It's a good thing we're going down the hill right now. Heading back up might become a problem, though...

"I'm the worst," Basil said, clinging to Sunny's back. "I can't believe this happened the day you have such an important interview."

"It's okay." Sunny gave a genuine smile. "This might even be a good story for me to tell them to show that I can overcome challenging situations."

"Ah—hah...maybe I should come with you to the interview as a prop?"

"Nah, go to the clinic and get your foot treated. You're way more important than an interview."

"I'm sorry...Sunny."

"Really, it's nothing."

I know Basil's gonna be so hard on himself for this.

I'm just going to smile and let him know that, no matter what, I'll never get mad at him for being in an accident.

Sunny pressed on, his lungs starting to run out of breath, his back and shoulders straining as he reached the plaza with the Fix-It appearing in view.

First, he delivered Basil to the clinic on the other side of the plaza.

"Want me to wait until there's a doctor ready for you?"

Basil almost looked mad. "Just go to your interview, Sunny! I don't want to be any more of a bother to you."

"Okay..."

"Good luck, Sunny!"

"Thank you."

Sunny walked over to the Fix-It, making it there just in time for his interview. His heart thumped in his chest and his mind swam with anxieties. Somethings popped into his field of view, jeering at his shortcomings. His desperate desire to pass the interview and land the job became replaced by a hopeless certainty that he wasn't good enough to get it.

In spite of all those negative feelings, he walked calmly into the interview room and shook hands with the interviewer. They invited him to sit down and talk a bit about himself.

***

Sunny rushed out of the Fix-It, his emotional state leaping from happy to ecstatic to almost manic.

I got the job.

He couldn't wait to tell Basil. This was the best piece of news he'd had since reading that Basil had gotten the grant for his garden. Now he would finally have an income and be able to help pay the rent!

In a single day his fortunes had completely reversed.

Life is more about grabbing opportunities than anything.

Sunny went over the interview in his head over and over again, trying to convince himself that the words he'd heard from his interviewers weren't just a fantasy.

After introductions, they'd actually asked him the exact questions he'd practiced with Basil. He was even able to bring up the fact that Basil had sprained his foot on the way here and that he made sure his friend had made it to the clinic first before coming to the interview. It was a story showing an example of his ability to focus on priorities and work well under stressful situations.

They were so impressed by his story that they offered him the job right away. He'd be able to come to work starting tomorrow.

I can't believe I'm saying this but I can finally escape the tyranny of living under my mom.

I'm a fully independent adult now.

Before leaving his interviewers, Sunny had asked if he could borrow something to help bring his injured friend back home. He didn't need a car or a personal ride, just a vehicle he could use to take Basil uphill which didn't strain his back.

Since an employee with a broken back was bad for business, they offered to let him take out a shopping cart as long as he brought it back the next day.

Sunny pulled out a shopping cart from Fix-It and made a beeline for the clinic. Basil was already waiting for him outside with crutches in his arms.

"I got the job!"

"Congratulations, Sunny! I'm so proud of you!"

"Never mind me, how's your leg doing? You don't need a cast?"

"They said it's not too bad. My foot will heal, but I'll need to walk with these crutches for some time."

"Well, you won't be needing them today. Fix-It let me borrow a shopping cart just to help you get back home."

Basil blushed red with embarrassment. "Ah—ah, so you told them about me..."

"I think I got the job because of you! I mean, erhh, not to spin your injury into a positive or anything..."

Basil smiled. "No, it's okay. I'm just really happy you got the job!"

"Thank you! There's enough space for your crutches in the cart, too."

As Basil climbed into the shopping cart, Sunny went over the whole interview with him, how thankful he was that they'd practiced those interview questions. Basil couldn't stop himself from laughing at how his injury turned into such a good example of managing priorities under stressful situations to show to the interviewers. Sunny remarked with a grin that he didn't even need to bring up his example of "conflict resolution" between his friends.

Sunny pushed the shopping cart with Basil and his crutches lying inside towards the exit of the plaza. The afternoon sun seemed even brighter than the morning's; the single cloud that hung overhead felt like a comfortable pillow. Even as the sun began to set, the air felt warm for October, the wind a cool breeze that soothed the skin.

He breathed and felt his whole world coming to life with color.

It feels so good to have a job again.

On their way out of the plaza, they saw a lineup of cars driving into the plaza. Sunny felt extra alert from his happiness and observed each car as they drove by, crystallizing every sight and sensation of this glorious moment into the lasting banks of his emotional memories.

A single grey car rolled down the front window as it passed by.

Sunny glanced at the driver in the grey car and saw a middle-aged man with a very familiar face. His face felt so familiar that it reminded Sunny of Faraway, specifically his last day in Faraway Town, running away from a man who shared pretty much the exact same face and expression.

The window rolled back up as the car drove into the plaza and parked.

I...

I can't believe this...

Does the universe hate me or something?

"Sunny? What's wrong?" Basil asked.

"Erhh..."

"Why did you stop?"

"I just saw something...that I never wanted to see..."

How?

How did that man manage to find me?

Why are they still after me even though it's been months since I left Faraway?

Sunny felt his brain frying. Stars filled his vision; blotches of dark shadows erased the happy hues that had only seconds ago colored his whole world.

A pair of eyes—not the old Something eye—stared down at him from above his head. His mother's eyes.

Her unrelenting gaze and pursuit.

"Basil, hold on tight."

"Sunny?"

"I'm really sorry, but we need to get out of here."

Where?

Sunny pushed the cart with all the force in his body, running as fast as his legs could carry him.

Where can we go now?

Basil gripped the openings in the sides of the cart tightly with his fingers as they accelerated.

How did he possibly find me after we went so far away from Basil's house?

Did I make a mistake somewhere?

Sunny didn't know where he was going, didn't care. All he knew was that he had to keep running. He couldn't stay on the road; the detective was in a car and could easily catch him. He had to run far off the beaten path, far from where cars could reach, up hills and through woodlands, across plains and meadows—

He had to escape so far from the plaza and that man that he wouldn't even be able to keep track of where he was going.

Can we even go back home anymore?

No...

What the hell am I doing?

Sunny slowed down his running as he realized how futile it was to keep on going like this.

The wheels of the cart stopped rolling over smooth pavement. They drove against dirt, then grass and weeds and other rough plants.

Basil has a midterm to write this evening.

I can't just lead the two of us off to nowhere. Even if we can't shake that man off, I have to bring us back home.

I'm so sorry. There's nothing more I can do to escape my mom now.

I'm useless.

Sunny kept going and going until the road was no longer in sight. They were in the middle of a field out in the middle of nowhere, the grass knee-high. Flowers bloomed all around them, but many of them had wilted due to the cooling weather.

He slowed the cart down until neither his legs nor the cart was moving. Basil's crutches, precariously balanced the whole time over the edge of the cart, fell out and landed on the ground.

I'm finished.

"Sunny...did you see the man who's been trying to find us?"

"Yeah, I did," Sunny replied, his throat coarse. "I'm sure it was him."

"I remember one of the cars rolling down a window as it passed by. Was he the driver in that car?"

"Yeah."

Basil fell silent.

They stood quietly in that empty field as the setting sun colored the sky orange, and the cool afternoon wind grew colder.

Decaying flower petals drifted into the air with the breeze.

"This place," Basil spoke, "it's the flower field."

Oh.

"It's not exactly where I go to get my flowers, but I think I can figure out the general direction back home from here," Basil said.

"I see," Sunny replied without much emotion in his voice.

Basil looked up at the sky, and his face was not very sad, nor angry like Sunny's.

"Sunny, did they really find us...?"

"Yep, they did." Sunny balled his hands up into fists. "I messed up somewhere."

"How do you think they did it?"

"I don't know."

Could the detective somehow have tailed us on the bus out of Faraway, followed us around during our stay at Polly's city, then continued tailing us all the way to this town?

That's...impossible...

Sunny racked his brain for an answer to this problem.

How? How could he find us?

Just what did I do that revealed our location?

He knew his mom was persistent, but he never would've expected the detective to be that determined to find him, especially not after his email to his mom threatening to press charges against the two of them. If he was in detective Jawsum's shoes, he'd quit—there were definitely easier, less risky cases to take on than continuing down this one.

There has to be a weakness in our plans somewhere.

Detective Jawsum saw that weakness from his years of experience tackling difficult to solve cases...and we were exposed like the fools we were.

Just what could it be?

Basil reached out and softly brushed his fingers against Sunny's.

"We messed up," Basil said in a very soft voice.

"I know, but how did we mess up?"

Basil smiled sadly. "I'm not too good with computers, but I think it's because we sent that email to her."

Sunny raised his right eye, confused—then it all became crystal clear to him.

Every packet of data sent across the Internet had a corresponding IP address. With some tooling around, someone could find the IP address that an email had been sent from. Once they had the address, they could trace it to a specific location of origin anywhere in the world.

All that his pursuers needed to do was to get the IP address of the incoming email.

And Sunny had been stupid enough to use a password for his email account that his mom could easily guess—he'd been stupid enough to not even bother changing it.

When I first created my email, my mom told me to use a password I could easily remember...

How could I be stupid enough to listen to her and use a password like 'kelbasilaubreyheromari'?

She knows how much I loved my friends. It wouldn't be hard for her to just try those five names in any order over and over again until she got in...

All right, this one's on me.

Sunny slapped his forehead with his hand and burst out laughing.

"That's it," Sunny said. "My mom figured out the password to my email and found out where I've been logging in from. It's that simple."

"Ummm...really?"

"I'm so stupid!"

Sunny let his body fall onto the grass.

He stared up at the darkening sky and felt amazed at how everything in the universe seemed to be a continuous wave of highs and lows.

The day he got his job, his mom also found him.

She's been a COBOL programmer since the eighties—of course she'd know enough about technology to track my location from my emails!

He started laughing.

He laughed and laughed and laughed until the wind and the cool dirt and grass beneath his skin chilled him to the bone.

"All this effort!" Sunny screamed, unsure if he still retained any sanity. "We spent all this time trying to throw them off our trail but in the end it was so easy to find us!"

To his surprise, Basil sat up inside the cart, took one look at him, and started laughing too.

The two of them laughed together as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, the yellow dusk turning orange, then purple, and finally dark blue. Its receding light wilted the few sunflowers that still grew in the meadow.

Stars twinkled in the night sky. A waning moon showed its faint light.

They were completely out of breath, tears coming out of their eyes, and they couldn't stop coughing.

"I'm so done," Sunny admitted.

"What do we even do now?" Basil asked.

"Nothing," Sunny said. "If I see my mom or that detective again, I'm making my last stand."

We've tried our best.

"I'm staying with you no matter what," Sunny promised. "I'll stay with you until I die!"

Basil locked eyes with Sunny, and they understood each other perfectly.

We'll execute our plan with the counter-charges.

As long as we live, they will never be able to pull the two of us apart.

Sunny stood up; he picked up the fallen crutches and placed them back into the cart with Basil.

The sun sets so early at this time of the year in this region.

"Let's go home," Sunny said. "Show me the way, Basil."

"Okay. We might still make it in time for me to write my midterm if we hurry."

"Yeah, I'll go as fast as I can."

Sunny gripped the cart handle with his hands, his skin cold against the evening wind.

He began pushing the cart.

The wind picked up as they started to go down a slope, running down a hill.

Basil leaned against the back of the cart, the wind blowing his long hair back. One by one, the petals of the flower in his hair fell off and drifted into the wind.

Sunny smiled.

The wind could not stop them. Nothing could get in the way of them returning back home. He ran faster and faster. His hair and Basil's flew with the wind.

They ran together as if the whole world cheered for them to push onwards.

Chapter Text

Cautious and on high alert, Sunny arrived back at his apartment.

Basil had gone to write his midterm on campus, and Sunny was alone. He expected detective Jawsum or his mother to show up at any moment, but he couldn't find any trace of them around his block or inside his building.

A wave of relief hit him when he opened the door and saw his room empty and untouched.

I still can't let down my guard. They could show up at any time.

Even though it was too late to be of any use, the first thing Sunny went to do was to log in to his email account and change its password. On their way home he had thought of a hard password to guess which was easy for himself to remember. He'd taken four random, unrelated objects and strung them together into a password, adding a number at the end just for extra security.

But when Sunny logged in to his account, he found an extremely startling email from his mom.

The subject was: DON'T LET ANYONE READ THIS EMAIL EXCEPT FOR YOURSELF SUNNY.

She finally sent a reply to my emails but this is what she puts on the subject line?

Sunny clicked on the email and began reading it.

Sunny, don't press charges against me. The detective does NOT know your secret. I'm sorry if you misunderstood. Don't show this email to anyone else!

He had no idea what to feel or make of this.

Just seconds later he felt enormous anger rising inside himself. Everything his mom did enraged him.

What the...that detective doesn't actually know what happened between me and Mari?

'I'm sorry if you misunderstood'. No, mom, you're the one who keeps misunderstanding the relationship I have with Basil!

And just what was I supposed to think if you hired a detective to track me down and the detective tells me 'I know what you did to your sister'?

I can't trust you. You definitely told him something about my sister, and he spilled it in a way that made me believe he knew the truth—

This is all your fault, mom!

But...if he doesn't know...then what exactly is he threatening me with?

You keep making life hard for me, causing problems for me and Basil when things are going perfectly fine between us.

Just shut the hell up and stop bothering us already!

Sunny wanted to slam the laptop screen down in anger.

He took deep, shuddering breaths to try and calm himself down. Every nerve in his body wanted to direct his fingers to send a furious reply to his mom.

He and Basil had spent so much time coming up with a plan to fight her, believing that she'd spilled their secrets to someone outside the family, reading criminology books and even taking a course in law. After such a massive investment in finding counter charges all she can say is please don't press charges against me?

Not to mention the emotional damage inflicted on himself and Basil from believing that the detective really knew what they did to Mari.

Calm down, Sunny...

You don't deserve this...but don't destroy the laptop, please. It's really Basil's laptop, not yours, and he spent a ton of money on it.

Just remember that you are the one in control here. She's given up because she knows she's done for if you press charges against her.

There was a possibility his mom was straight up lying through her teeth in that email. It was plausible that she really did tell detective Jawsum the truth, that she was only begging him not to press charges against her so that she could have time to come up with a better plan to force him to return to her.

But what can she even do right now?

Jump me in an alley, put a bag over my head, kidnap me?

Before separating from Basil this evening, they'd made a promise to each other.

If either of them went missing for more than twenty-four hours, the other would use Basil's grant money to hire a lawyer to press their counter charges against his mom and detective Jawsum. It was a pact to prevent themselves from not taking action in case communication became impossible. So, they had an answer to the situation where one of them got kidnapped.

There really wasn't anything else he could think of that his mom could try to do.

And what's with this 'don't show this email to anyone else' in the subject line?

From the urgency of the message, he could believe that his mom had really gotten herself into deep trouble. Yet the message itself was just a plea for clemency, not a request for help or anything like that.

The whole tone of that email is pretty pathetic.

If she's not in trouble herself, that just leaves the issue of her lying to me...

He saw two options he could take. Either he continued with his plan to press charges and reveal to the whole world what he did to his sister, or he believed his mom's words and do nothing until the situation got clarified.

The vengeful part of himself wanted to press charges without question. After everything she'd done, all the emotional damage she'd inflicted upon him and Basil, he wanted to see her go down in flames even if it meant he had to stick his own arm and leg into the fire.

Another part of him could only think of what pressing their counter charges would mean for Basil.

Basil and I would still have to answer for manslaughter...

Even if we were only twelve at the time, we can't be certain that the jury would forgive us of our crime as adults.

In the worst case, we might end up becoming separated from each other.

Sunny's fingers trembled.

He really wanted to press those charges, or at least tell his mom that he was going to do it and see how she responded.

I'm...

I'm so angry.

But it won't help Basil.

If she really can't do anything to us, if we currently hold all the power in this battle, it's better to not press those charges so that we erase any chance of us getting in trouble with the law.

Anger won't solve anything...

To preserve our happiness, I have to sit still and do nothing for now.

It was so hard to tell himself that.

His anger was not yet abated, and he still wanted to type an angry reply to his mom to let her know that he was so done with her. He was this close to going no contact on her. If he ever saw that detective around again he'd have to devote mental effort not to instinctively throw a punch at his face.

Wait...maybe no contact could be a good idea.

Replying to his mom's email meant acknowledgement, certainty. Even if he screamed at her with rage in text form, she'd feel some security from the fact that he'd read her email. And if he threatened to press charges without actually doing so, he might push her over the edge, cause her to do something drastic.

She wasn't the only emotionally manipulative person in this game.

I'm not going to reply to you at all.

He clicked the checkbox beside the email and then clicked Mark Unread.

I'll exact my vengeance on you by ignoring your email and by spilling all the contents of it to Basil.

He deserves to know what's going on, even if you insist that I'm the only person who should read it.

Sunny went and changed the password of his account, though he had a feeling she still had some ways in. She could've linked her own email address as a backup account and then request a password change to her email. But if she changed his password, he could then know for sure that she'd found out his location by accessing his email.

To fully be free from her control, he had to create a new email account.

Over the next twenty minutes, Sunny made another email account with some brand new free mail service called Gmail and wrote down both passwords in a record book. Then he went out to pick up Basil from campus with his shopping cart.

It was dark and chilly outside, the night wind much colder than during the day. Dead leaves swept across his path as he walked towards the building where Basil was writing his midterm. He kept his eyes on alert for any sign of detective Jawsum.

Judging by the students crowding around the entrance of the building, the midterm had just ended and everyone was discussing their answers with each other.

He spotted Basil standing with his crutches at the edge of the crowd.

"Hey, how was the midterm?" Sunny asked.

"Good! I studied a lot yesterday, so I think I had a pretty good handle on the questions," Basil replied with a smile.

Sunny smiled back. "I know you did well."

Eyes turned towards the two of them as Basil climbed into the shopping cart, placing his crutches half over the edge of the cart. Sunny gave the crowd of curious students a grin before pushing the cart onto the path back home.

"I have some news," Sunny said. "My mom replied to me."

"What did she say?"

Sunny lowered his voice to a whisper. "The detective doesn't know our secret. And for some reason she told me not to let anyone else see the email. I'm already going against her wishes by letting you know."

Basil frowned. "So...the detective really isn't threatening us with what we did?"

"I don't know. I think she told him something else. Based on the tone of the email, I think she's really frightened about us pressing charges against her. So, I think we lay low for now and just wait for her to clarify the situation."

Sunny was happy to see that Basil looked relieved.

"I'm glad we don't have to go ahead with that plan," Basil said.

I guess you were really afraid of admitting what we did to the law, too...

"Let's still keep ourselves on guard," Sunny said. "She might be thinking of another plan right now. The worst scenario is that she's lying in her email, and she really did tell the detective our secret."

"If that's true, do we have to do anything right now?"

"Nope. We still have our list of counter-charges to deter her with, so things are back to normal." Sunny smiled brightly. "I'm going to my new job tomorrow and you should rest after all those midterms!"

"Ah—hah, okay..."

The wind picked up on their way home, chilling Sunny to the bone. He felt something stuffy inside his nose.

***

Perhaps running off to an empty field and lying down on the cold grass in the middle of a windy autumn had not been such a bright idea.

Sunny worked hard at his job for the first two weeks, but it was becoming clear that he'd come down with something. He nearly passed out at work one day after a long shift in the greenhouse. His head felt hot and heavy, his muscles ached, and he lost his appetite for food. Even though he wanted to make a good impression on his employer, he had to submit to his body's needs and take a week off from work.

"I'm really sorry to do this just after starting the job," Sunny said to his boss.

"No, please take care of yourself. You've done a great job so far, but I don't want to see you risk your health."

"Will someone be able to cover for me while I'm gone?"

"We'll try to find someone. If all else fails, I can try to cover it myself! I've learned a lot from your gardening knowledge these past two weeks."

"Thank you."

Sunny went to the clinic beside the Fix-It and got diagnosed with the flu. Drinking water and getting lots of rest was going to be his schedule for the next week. Basil stopped by the same day to return his crutches, his foot now fully healed.

This time, Sunny was the one being carried by Basil on their way home by bus.

"I hope I'm not too heavy for you," Sunny said, his face lying against Basil's shoulder.

"You're pretty light, Sunny."

Hope that's not a bad sign...

"Thanks for carrying me, Basil. I don't know if I would've made it back by myself."

"I'm here whenever you need me, Sunny."

He felt like death when he got back home, collapsing on his bed without even turning on his laptop. The world wavered in and out of existence for the next few hours. He lost track of time, unable to tell being awake from being asleep. The sounds of Basil's footsteps and Basil chopping vegetables on the kitchen counter gave him a solid slab of reality to anchor his mind onto.

Being sick made Sunny feel so useless. He wished he'd been healthier during his early teenage years so his immune system could have had the strength to fight off a flu. Basil lived with him, slept so close to him every day, but he hadn't fallen sick from whatever he had.

Maybe Basil might get sick later, but it's more likely that my health is just worse than his.

His flu was different from a cold in that he retained his sense of smell. Later that evening, he smelled Basil cooking chicken noodle soup.

Sunny blinked a few times, his mind drifting off to sleep at random, and when he opened his eyes again he found a bowl of soup floating in front of him. The flu-filtered contours and textures of his vision gradually blended back into solids, revealing Basil holding the bowl of soup and a spoon.

"Hey, Sunny," Basil said, his tone soft and caring. "How are you feeling right now?"

"Horrible," Sunny spoke honestly.

"I'm really sorry. I made some soup for you."

"Thank you so much, Basil."

He reached for the spoon but every muscle in his arm ached. Unable to move out of bed or even sit up straight, he gave up and let his arm fall limp against the mattress. "I'm too tired."

"I'll feed you, don't worry."

Sunny had lost all appetite for food, but he knew how important eating food was when he was sick. Mari used to help feed him chicken noodle soup all the time when he was sick; he remembered not liking the taste, mostly due to having poor appetite, but after eating he gradually felt better. She'd tell him that the awful feelings of being sick was actually his body's response to an invasion by a virus; his immune system needed him to rest, drink water, and eat healthy food so it could fight off the disease.

Basil brought a spoonful of soup to Sunny's mouth and he drank the warm soup. He barely registered its taste, and when he swallowed he felt a tight, burning sensation in his throat. But just moments later, the warmth of the soup rejuvenated his empty stomach. He looked at Basil and tried his best to muster a smile.

"I'm embarrassed to ask but...would you mind feeding the rest of the soup to me?"

"I'd be happy to!"

Basil fed Sunny more spoonfuls of soup and he gratefully swallowed every bite. There was chicken and vegetables in the soup along with bits of noodle that together provided the nutrition to start making Sunny feel better.

By the time he finished drinking half the bowl of soup, he had regained the energy to sit up against the bed's headrest and face Basil with the mood to talk.

"I'm feeling much better," Sunny said. "Your chicken soup is amazing!"

"Ah—ah, thank you...I thought you sounded a bit sick when you went off to work earlier today, so I started preparing the ingredients this morning."

Sunny blushed and he couldn't tell if it was from the fever or from his feelings of gratitude for Basil's thoughtfulness.

"The longer you boil the ingredients, the better the soup tastes," Basil continued. "And the soup becomes healthier, too, since all the nutrition from the ingredients will melt into the water."

"I'm glad," Sunny replied. "...Glad to have someone as kind and thoughtful as you to care for me when I'm sick."

Basil's eyes grew wide, his cheeks blushing deep red at those words. "Ummm...I appreciate it, Sunny!"

"I mean...you've done so much to take care of me today."

"I'll keep taking care of you until you get better! It's the least I can do for you, right?"

Sunny turned his eyes downward. "The only thing I'm worried about is that I might get you sick, too."

"Don't worry about a thing, Sunny. I'll take care of you even if I'm sick. I'll make soup for both of us and I'll feed you if you don't have the energy to eat by yourself."

I wish you didn't need to keep doing everything for me.

Sunny gazed into Basil's eyes and felt his heart melting at the caring kindness he saw in them.

A selfless kindness that embraced him when he was confronted by the bleakest misery, held his hand when reality became too hard for him to face, and cooked and fed him soup when he was so sick he couldn't even move his arm to pick up a spoon.

"You're too kind to me, Basil," Sunny spoke quietly. "If you get sick with me, you should rest and let me take care of you."

"That's fine, too. We can take care of each other!"

I've always been the weaker one between the two of us.

Basil lifted another spoonful of soup for Sunny. "You shouldn't worry about me until you get better yourself."

Maybe you'll always be the one taking care of me from now on...

Sunny felt something hot rising up into his eyes. He blinked, his vision turning foggy. It could be tears, or it could just be his fever making him delusional—it was too hard to tell.

He mustered the strength to wipe the wetness from his eyes so he could see Basil's face clearly again.

"Sunny?"

"I'm...just...grateful to have someone like you," Sunny spoke.

"Oh—oh, Sunny, you don't have to say that! I'll always be here to help you get better when you feel sick, okay?"

I'm grateful even to have someone beside me right now.

Words can't describe how thankful I am that he cares for me, loves me, and I love him back so, so much.

"Come on, Sunny, drink up!" Basil said, bringing the spoon to Sunny's mouth.

Sunny opened his mouth, but he was so weak and clumsy that he spilled a few drops of soup over his bedsheets when he drank from the spoon.

"I'll take care of it," Sunny whispered.

"N—No, it's okay, really!"

Sunny tried to get out of bed to pick up some napkins from the kitchen counter so he could wipe the stains. He nearly lurched forward when he pushed himself onto his feet, the world spinning in a hundred different directions. A warm, firm arm stabilized the trajectory of his body and brought him gently back to rest against the bed.

His vision still wobbly, Sunny resigned himself to staying locked in bed.

"I'm sorry," Sunny whispered.

Another spoon filled with warm soup entered past his lips and soothed his burning throat.

"Just relax," Basil said. "You don't have to worry about a thing, Sunny. Everything's going to be okay."

I'm so useless without your help.

Sunny drank the rest of the soup with Basil feeding him each bite. When he finished the bowl, he laid back down flat against the mattress, his stomach full and the world brimming with warmth. He still didn't have any energy to move his body.

The next few hours passed with Sunny maintaining only a bare bones awareness of what was happening around him. He heard Basil washing the dishes, then saw Basil sitting by the table studying his college textbooks. Soon after Basil was lying in bed beside him, a book in his hands.

Sunny tried to say 'thank you' but discovered that he lacked even the energy to do that.

It felt scary that he was so sick, a signal from his motor cortex couldn't be passed down to his vocal chords to be transformed into words.

Errhh, what did I just think about...?

Darn, I'm so sick my head's acting all funny.

Not for the first time, Sunny started seeing colorful illusory textures appearing in his field of view.

Words and feelings and thoughts spiraled, danced around, became characters and objects, spoke to him, took care of him, hurt him, lifted him out of his body and took him on a magical adventure in a fantasy land far, far away. Then Mari's head came out of nowhere, told him he was going at the speed of light, and after a weirdly silent explosion, he landed back inside his room, lying on his bed with Basil still there by his side.

That was like one of those five-minute long dreams...

Basil turned to look at Sunny.

"You're soaked in sweat," Basil said. "Do you feel okay right now, Sunny?"

He actually felt a bit better than he'd been a few hours ago. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Hold on."

Basil went to the bathroom and came back with a warm towel. With gentle fingers, Basil pushed the locks of sweat-drenched hair out of Sunny's eyes and pressed the towel to his forehead. The cool fabric brought him some relief from his fever.

Sunny gazed into Basil's sweet, charming eyes and managed to smile again.

"I don't know how I can ever thank you for taking such good care of me," Sunny whispered.

Basil wore a cute but concerned smile. "You don't have to thank me. I just want to see you get better."

"If you ever get sick, Basil, I'm going to take care of your every need, okay?"

"I know you'll try your hardest, Sunny. I trust you. But don't get stressed about paying back the favor or anything."

Basil brought him a glass of water. Sunny's throat was parched and he drank the whole glass from Basil's hand.

As Basil washed the glass in the sink, Sunny turned his eyes away guiltily. "I might get you sick pretty quickly like this."

"I don't mind."

"But you should think about your own health instead of mine. You still have your exams to worry about, you know."

"Sunny, I'm not going to avoid you just because you're sick! If anything, I want to stay by your side even more..."

"But, if you get sick during your exams because of me—"

Basil cupped Sunny's chin with his hand. His thumb gently stroked Sunny's left cheek. It made Sunny feel so warm and cozy inside.

"There's dark circles underneath your eyes," Basil spoke softly. "Your body's so tired from fighting."

I'll keep fighting until I survive.

"Please don't worry about me," Basil said. "Focus on getting lots of rest."

Sunny nodded his head. "Okay."

I don't want you to be sad because of me, so...

So I won't make myself worry about you for now.

With his eyes growing lidded, Sunny rested his head back down against the pillow and let Basil adjust the towel over his forehead so it felt comfortable. A few minutes later, the lights in the room turned off and Basil settled into bed right beside him.

"Goodnight, Sunny. If you ever need anything during the night, don't hesitate to wake me up."

Goodnight, Basil.

Thank you so much. For everything.

***

Deep waters surrounded him.

Sunny looked around, trying to figure out where he was. But the water was so dark, he'd fallen so deep that no light could possibly reach him. He was sinking farther, faster. The abyss of the dark trench would swallow him up; he'd never see the light of day again.

He opened his mouth to take a breath and felt a surge of water filling up his lungs.

Over and over he struggled, trying to swim against the force pushing him ever downwards. His flailing limbs could not overcome the current. The deep water would not let go of its tremendous grip.

A ghostly apparition materialized in front of him, an abyssal creature of the deep. It opened its mouth and tried to swallow him whole.

Something in the water...

He felt darkness, total darkness.

The totality of the deep filled him with so much dread and fear. Nothing could save him. He was going to drown.

I'm going to...die...

The ghostly apparition appeared again. It opened its mouth and threatened to swallow him into an ever darker abyss.

Why are you back now...?

Its maw was larger than a trench; the sheer size of the black space that awaited inside spelled out certain death.

I've dealt with you before.

Something came closer and closer.

It was going to devour him, leaving nothing behind.

The enormous maw swallowed him up, and as the mouth closed Sunny became fully enveloped in permanent, total darkness.

I remember how.

Sunny opened his eyes.

He saw no light, no trace of the surface. The deep waters was his home now—the bottom of a trench, or the belly of an enormous beast.

In spite of the terror in his heart, he didn't struggle.

Something in the water appeared again, its massive jaws hanging above his head.

Sunny floated in the water, facing the beast before him. He didn't fight. Even when the creature threatened to swallow him up again, he didn't resist it.

He didn't try to resist fear itself.

Pure terror coursed through each vein in his body, frying his every nerve, but he let it happen smoothly until he had experienced the totality of fear.

I see what you are now.

The moment of fear, the moment of terror—

It wasn't so bad.

A bench appeared, floating in the water.

Sunny swam towards the bench and clung on to it.

The massive Something, its maw still lingering above his head, clasped the bench as well. Although they were underwater, with the two of them holding on to it, the bench stabilized. Sunny gently glided over until he was sitting down on the bench.

The underwater-Something took a seat beside him just as the spider-Something had done, and the two of them drifted through the water together.

The waves under the ocean had never felt so calm.

They floated while light reappeared, melting with the darkness of the abyss, until the two finally reached the surface together.

***

Why do I feel like I can't breathe any air?

The source of that dream quickly became clear to Sunny. His nostrils were blocked; he'd been breathing through his mouth. His brain must have imagined he was stuck underwater while he was dreaming.

On the bright side, his fever was gone, and his body no longer ached. All the pain and fatigue of the flu had become replaced with a stuffy nose.

Ah...I'm getting a bit better again.

In spite of the awful feeling of a plugged nose, Sunny felt glad to have his energy back.

With plenty of nutritious food and sleep, he recovered over the next few days and felt ready to go back to work by the end of the week. On Sunday afternoon, his last day of rest, his mood felt great and he decided to give his old friends a call.

"Hey, Kel? How have you been?"

"Hi, Sunny! Things are great over here. My senior basketball team made it to the state semi-finals. If we win our next game we'll be playing at the finals in December!"

"That's amazing." Sunny had to smile at the good news; Kel was certainly going to places in life. "I'm really proud of you!"

"How are things since you moved out of Faraway with Basil?"

Oh, I think Basil called them a couple of months ago to tell them that we've moved out.

I believe Basil told them we were working on a gardening project in college together.

"It's been nice," Sunny said, wondering how much of his cat-and-mouse game with the detective he ought to reveal. "I got a job and Basil's been doing well in his college courses."

"Wow, that's awesome, Sunny!"

"Hey, Kel, I'm just wondering—what are your plans after you graduate high school?"

He heard a laugh coming from the other end.

"Heheh, my grades might not let me graduate just yet," Kel said. "Mom and pop's going to give me an earful when they see my report card. I'm hoping to get a basketball scholarship for college, though."

"Oh, grades again huh..." Sunny said. "I hope you land that scholarship, Kel. I believe in you."

"Thank you so much, Sunny!"

"How's Hero?"

"He's really busy with his medical studies right now. We try to talk once every week but lately he's just been drowning in exams!"

"Tell him that he should remember to relax and get some rest. If he studies too hard he might burn out."

Advice that I should keep in mind for myself if I get sick again...

"Yeah, will do. I'll mention that you said hi, Sunny!"

"Great. Thanks for catching up with me on things, Kel."

"No problem!"

After the call, Sunny phoned Aubrey's number, but there was no response. He guessed she might be busy with her after school club right now.

Basil was studying with some classmates since exams were coming up, so Sunny thought it'd be a good idea to get some fresh air by going to visit him on campus after having spent a whole stuffy week indoors.

He'd been to campus to pick up Basil many times before and was familiar with the layout. Whenever he passed by the science buildings he always felt a little sad that Mari couldn't be among the bright minds studying there; her grades in math and science had always been exemplary. He was sure she would've been a great college student.

And when he passed the music buildings inside which students were always rehearsing a performance, he almost cried knowing how much Mari would've loved to take part in an orchestra or a band. He could barely hear the notes of a piano or a violin without feeling tears welling up inside his eyes. Sometimes their performances were so beautiful he wanted to walk in and clap.

He knew those situations would still be too hard for him to bear at this time in his life.

Mari, what would you have studied in college?

Would you have gone to this college, with Basil? That'd be so fun, wouldn't it...

Sunny reached the library where Basil spent his weekends studying with his classmates.

The moment he walked in, the towering archives and the sheer number of books lit up a certain fascination inside him. Even though he'd never been much of a book person, because of Basil reading books to him when they were children, he grew to enjoy the simple feeling of a library where he could pass endless hours reading together with Basil.

Maybe the novel that I'll write one day will end up in here.

...Oh, who am I kidding? Most of the books here are textbooks for academia!

When he found the table where Basil was studying, Basil's eyes met his in the same moment. Basil got up from his seat and rushed over.

"Guess what, Sunny?" Basil spoke, his eyes alit with happiness. "Some of my classmates told me they'd be willing to help build our garden next summer!"

"That's awesome! It won't just be me and you, then?"

"I'm getting my classmates in my program to sign up for it this week. We might have around a dozen people to build the garden by summer—the state might increase the size of my grant so that I can afford to pay them all!"

"Wow..."

That amazing piece of news meant their financial burdens were about to be over.

Ecstatic, Sunny guided Basil until they were well hidden between two bookshelves where nobody could see the two of them.

Sunny held Basil's hands and kissed him on the lips.

Basil's face blushed full red. "S—Sunny...?"

"We didn't kiss for a whole week while I was sick," Sunny said quietly. "I feel like I have to make up for it."

Giggling, Basil kissed him back, and they shared a quiet, tender kiss together in the library.

"Ah—ah...I'm glad you're feeling much better, Sunny!"

Sunny smiled. "Me too."

Chapter Text

"Sunny, I found a really cute jacket for you!"

Christmas shopping felt fun when Sunny had Basil to pick clothes for him. He hated shopping with his mom and dad; Mari was okay, but she sometimes doted on him too much and chose outfits that fit her tastes rather than his own. Not that he had much of an opinion—he'd never cared too much about what kind of clothes he wore when he was a kid.

"Do you like it?" Basil asked.

"Is there a better color? Brown is okay, but I'm in the mood to try something brighter."

The suggestion that he was due for a change in dress made Basil's eyes sparkle with delight.

They were in a mall that all the college students hung out at now that exams were almost over. Basil still had a couple more exams left, but being a diligent student meant he wasn't in a panic trying to do last minute studying for his remaining courses.

Unlike Sunny, who really ought to study harder for his own courses than spend time being fussy over his outfit. On the other hand, since he now had a job that paid pretty well and an employer who valued his contributions, why not allow himself the luxury to enjoy shopping for a day or two?

Just to amuse himself, Sunny decided to rank his friends in order of their diligence at studying in school.

Mari was number one, no doubt about that. Hero would be number two, though he'd needed a bit of prodding from his parents to get back into becoming a hardworking student after all the bad stuff that had happened.

Basil was number three; Sunny remembered their grades back in elementary school being roughly the same. He heard that Basil maintained fairly average grades in high school and was also hitting mostly B's in his college courses.

The bottom three were himself, Aubrey, and Kel. Recent events had made it clear that he and Kel were in a competition to occupy the lowest rank.

From what he'd heard, Aubrey was at least on track to graduate high school even if her marks weren't the best. But Kel was struggling to pass, and his own marks were all over the place—on average, terrible.

I'm doing great in English and web design, but if I forget how to calculate the enthalpy of a reaction one more time in chemistry...

The blood drained from his face thinking about how much he'd let Basil down if he failed his last semester of high school.

"How about this jacket, Sunny?"

Snapping out of his daydreams, Sunny glanced at the yellow jacket Basil held in his hands. It was a duffle jacket with wooden fasts, a luxurious coat that he could imagine Mari wearing in the winter.

He actually kind of liked it.

"Mind if I try it on?" he asked.

"Go ahead!"

Sunny put on the jacket, fastened up the front, and looked at his reflection in a nearby mirror.

Wow...I look pretty good in this!

"What do you think?" he asked Basil.

"Hey, it looks cute on you!" Basil replied, all smiles.

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, totally! Though if you'd rather try out something you're more used to, it's okay..."

"No, I like it," Sunny said. "I think it makes me look elegant. Is that the right word? Mmmm...maybe...old-fashioned?"

"Not at all old-fashioned," Basil said. "It's a luxurious jacket people with more money would wear."

How much does it cost?

He looked at the price tag on the jacket and almost screamed.

Keep yourself calm, Sunny...

Remember, you've worked hard at your job for the past couple of months. You deserve a treat.

"Ha, maybe I should try to look wealthier," Sunny said, smiling back.

"Want to buy it?" Basil asked.

Before confirming his answer, Sunny inspected himself again in the mirror, doing a variety of poses to check his image from every angle.

It was surprising what having spare income could do to someone's fashion mindset. Spare income and a boyfriend he wanted to look beautiful for, to be exact.

He discovered that the jacket complemented his fluffy hair, courtesy of his boyfriend's amazing haircutting skills. Together they created a look that was elegant and androgynous. Not entirely androgynous—he was still recognizably male—but he could almost consider himself cute, a term that up until now he'd reserved usage only for Basil.

"I'll buy it," Sunny concluded, pleased with his new image.

Basil's smile was a sunshine that could make a whole meadow of flowers bloom.

"You look so cute in it!" Basil said.

"Well, you picked it for me and your tastes are the cutest," Sunny replied with a smile.

Hearing those words, Basil reached for a hug and Sunny reciprocated, adding a quick kiss on the lips.

They were in public, but Sunny didn't mind; he had some clear words for anyone who complained, as well as potentially a fist.

"How about I pick something for you?" Sunny asked.

"Sure, I'd love to try out something you choose!"

With the purchase of that jacket, Sunny had emptied his wallet. It was a worthy sacrifice for the purpose of beautiful fashion.

They went shopping through a bunch more stores in the mall in search of a new attire for Basil.

Being Christmas season, the crowds got thick enough that they had to squeeze through bodies in order to get into some of the shops. Sunny did not enjoy pushing against a river of people, and he made a mental note that if they went Christmas shopping in the future, they'd best do it a couple of weeks before December.

After spending a couple of hours browsing through those shops, Sunny still couldn't find something for Basil.

Maybe it was because Basil was already perfect as he is; Sunny couldn't honestly find any way to improve Basil at all.

Maybe, instead of upgrading his attire, I should look for something more functional.

They were, after all, shopping for clothes to spend the winter with and both of them could use another scarf or a new pair of gloves. Sunny had come woefully unequipped for winter, since all he had packed with him when he moved in with Basil were his summer clothes.

Over the past autumn months, Basil had lent him some of his own clothes to wear. November—and that flu he'd come down with—convinced him that he needed a new heavy jacket.

No matter how much Basil had pleaded, Sunny would not allow himself to wear Basil's only winter jacket in the middle of December and leave Basil to freeze outdoors.

"Hey, check this out," Sunny said, picking up a pair of fluffy earmuffs that he thought would look cute on Basil.

Basil took a liking to them as soon as he put them on. "They're so comfy!"

"Wanna buy them?"

"Sure, just let me look over the different colors."

A moment later, Basil settled on the green earmuffs. They fit over his ears perfectly and looked comfortable against his head.

"Those look really cute on you!" Sunny mentioned.

A vibrant red blush appeared over Basil's cheeks. "Ah—ah, you really think so...?"

"Yup. And they must be so warm, too!"

He'd noticed that whenever they spent too long walking in the cold, Basil's ears would get all red. These new earmuffs should take care of that problem.

"...You chose to get me earmuffs just to make sure I'd stay warm, didn't you?"

"Maybe."

"Hehehe...you're so nice, Sunny."

Shortly after buying those earmuffs and leaving that shop, they found another store with a colorful selection of clothes that Sunny knew would have drawn Aubrey's attention if she was here. When they walked in, they both saw at the same time a bright red jacket on display that was just Aubrey's size.

"Aubrey would love this jacket!" Basil said. "Maybe we should buy this for her as a Christmas present?"

"It'd be nice, but we won't be seeing her this Christmas, would we?"

A curious smile came over Basil's expression. "Actually, hold on a second."

Basil pulled out his new cell phone he'd bought a month ago. "I'm going to make a call. This might take a while, so...sorry!"

Before Sunny could ask, Basil had swiftly dialed a number and walked off to take the call.

...Is Basil planning on inviting all our friends over for Christmas?

Last time I called them, they said they were all busy.

He shrugged it off. Outside, the crowds were finally thinning since the mall was closing in an hour. It reminded Sunny that he had a Christmas present he wanted to buy.

Recently, Sunny had gotten into video games of the RPG genre. He especially enjoyed RPGs with an interesting story and lots of lore to uncover. The best part about them was that Basil loved to watch him play. They'd sit together and enjoy the story for hours, like they were watching an interactive TV series.

A new and exciting RPG had released to acclaimed reviews and Sunny wanted to buy it for Christmas. He rushed to the video game store inside the mall and was relieved to find that there was no massive lineup inside.

His relief turned to bitter disappointment when he browsed through their selection and discovered that the game he was looking for had been sold out.

"That game sold out the day it released," the girl behind the counter informed him.

"Is there any way I can get a copy within the next two weeks?" Sunny asked, desperation in his voice.

I really want to get that game!

"Let me check our orders."

A few minutes later, she returned to him with a bright smile. "Good news! Our next shipment is expected to arrive on Christmas Eve."

Christmas Eve? I'm still working that day, but I think I can make it in the morning before I go to work.

"That's great. Thank you so much!" Sunny replied.

Nothing was better than the relief of knowing that he could get the game in time to make it a Christmas present for Basil.

He left the store and was on his way back to where Basil was when he felt the all-too familiar sensation that he was being followed.

Sunny turned around and saw detective Jawsum coming towards him.

Not again!

With his legs shaking, he stood his ground.

I'm not going to run away this time.

They were in a crowded mall, and he didn't want to cause a scene.

As long as he could make those counter charges, he had the upper hand in this battle. Neither his mom nor the detective could force him to become separated from Basil.

Detective Jawsum walked up to him as he pressed his back against the wall, ready to defend himself with his fists if it came to it.

"Sunny, right?" Jawsum said.

"Yeah, what do you want?"

"Look, I've been trying to find you for the past five months. Why do you keep running away from me?"

Sunny rolled his eyes. "Get to the point."

"I want to talk to you about how you abandoned your mother."

"I didn't abandon her."

Jawsum folded his arms. "She told me you blocked her phone number."

"There's always email."

"Have you actually been talking to her through email?" Jawsum asked.

"I've been trying to. She's the one who doesn't respond," he answered, which was only recently a lie.

Maybe if she replied to my first email I sent all the way back in the summer, all this mess involving charges could've been avoided, and I wouldn't be giving her the silent treatment right now!

Jawsum raised his eyes. "Hmmm. That's interesting."

The detective took out a notepad from inside his jacket pocket and scribbled something down onto it using a pencil he was holding in his hand.

"Listen," Jawsum said, "Your mom's in a bad state right now. She thinks she's not going to be able to convince you to come back to her."

Huh?

Has she really given up? Just like that?

"So why are you looking for me, then?" Sunny asked.

"Because she still wants me to find you and talk to you."

"And try to get me to come back to her?"

"Well...yes, she originally hired me to try to bring you back to her. That was when I first approached you. But recently she told me that she thinks you're not going to come back to her no matter what. So now I'm just being paid to talk to you and try to understand what's going on in your life."

Oh, really.

He better not be lying to me—I don't believe my mom would give up that easily.

"Well, talk then," Sunny said aggressively. "I have to hurry somewhere and I don't have much time."

"How about ten minutes of your time?" Jawsum requested.

"Make it five."

"Okay. Five." Jawsum flipped to a new page of his notebook. "First, I want to understand what's causing friction between you and your mom. What happened to your relationship?"

"She wants me to go back and live with her, but I don't want to," Sunny answered in a brisk tone. "I don't like talking to her, and the way she controls my life is annoying. Plus, I'm doing fine on my own right now."

"You got a job?" Jawsum asked, writing quickly. "College?"

"That's none of your business."

"Okay...she told me you've been living with a bad friend who's responsible for that blind eye you got there."

"She doesn't know anything about him," Sunny answered angrily.

Calm down, Sunny...

Don't cause a scene out in public. Just get this conversation over with so this detective can leave you alone, and hopefully never come back again.

Jawsum looked over Sunny from head to toe and leaned down at him in a patronizing way, like a teacher at a misbehaving student. "Are you sure this friend of yours is all right?"

"He's a very kind person. Whatever my mom thinks about him, she's wrong," Sunny replied, masking his anger as best as he could.

"Are you sure someone who's as kind as you say would hurt your eye, making you half blind for the rest of your life?" Jawsum asked, unconvinced.

"We both hurt each other," Sunny responded, trying hard to swallow his rage. "That's long in the past now. We've made up and I don't care about what he did back then anymore."

"It could happen again. The two of you could get into another fight, and maybe you'll lose your other eye the next time."

Does he think I'm some dumb kid who doesn't know how to choose friends?

Deep breaths, Sunny. Deep breaths...

"He's a very kind person," Sunny said, resisting anger. "I don't appreciate you accusing him of that when you don't know anything about our relationship."

Jawsum backed away a bit. "My next question might bother you emotionally. Before I ask, can you tell me if you're ready to talk about a sensitive topic?"

"Just ask."

"Alright. Your mom told me that you and your friend are responsible for what happened to your sister."

Sunny tensed.

There it is.

He knows something about Mari.

But mom said that he doesn't know my secret...so what does he know?

"What did she say to you?" Sunny interrogated back, raising his voice a little. "What did she tell you about my sister?"

"I'm sorry, okay?" Jawsum said, holding up his arms protectively. "I know it's a touchy subject with you."

Sunny was done wasting time. "I want to know one thing. Do you or my mom intend on pressing charges against me?"

Jawsum raised both of his eyes in wild confusion. "Charges?"

"Yes or no. If you say yes, the conversation's over."

I'm going to retaliate with those counter charges the moment you try it.

"Why would we press charges against you?" Jawsum said. "You haven't done anything you could be charged for."

Huh?

So...he really doesn't know about what happened to Mari?

Unless Jawsum was lying—and if he was, he had a very convincing surprised face—Sunny was starting to believe that he really didn't know anything about what had really happened to Mari.

"Then why did you bring up my sister back when you first approached me?" Sunny demanded.

"Your mom told me that if I couldn't get you to talk to me, I should mention your sister," Jawsum admitted.

Sunny wanted to slap this guy across the face.

"Tell me what my mom told you about my sister," Sunny pressed on.

Jawsum flipped to the front page of his notebook. He lowered his voice when he spoke so no one but Sunny could listen in.

"She told me that you and your friend constantly bullied her. Told her that she wasn't good at the piano, wasn't pretty enough, that everyone would laugh at her recital. She eventually committed suicide because of that."

My mom came up with THAT?

That horrid excuse for a coverup was an insult to Mari's memory. Sunny had never felt so ready to burst into an explosive rage.

Fists would fly, faces would get caved in—there was no stopping himself if he let his anger out now.

Calm down.

Calm down.

Calm down.

Focus, Sunny. Focus.

Sunny took a deep, shuddering breath, and opened his eyes.

"Yes," Sunny said, playing along with the story. "That's what happened."

Now that I've thought about it, I understand why mom used that story as her coverup.

She made up a story of bullying to explain my sister's death and to make Basil look like an absolutely horrible person without putting either of us in legal trouble.

She definitely knew I'd also come off as a prick with that story, but it wouldn't matter as long as she could get the detective to think that Basil was a bad influence on me.

"Even after your friend bullied your sister to the point that she killed herself, you still think he's a good person?" Jawsum asked.

"He's changed himself completely," Sunny lied, at his very limit with suppressing his anger. "He's a very kind person now."

Detective Jawsum stared at Sunny patronizingly again. "Let me get this straight. Your friend bullied your sister until she killed herself, then he took out your eye, and right now, you've just totally forgiven him?"

"I told you, he's really changed."

The confusion in Jawsum's expression was almost funny. "Sunny, if your friend's making money selling drugs, or if he's running something else that's illegal, you shouldn't get yourself involved. If you need help right now, I can give you a safe ride back to your mom's hous—"

"My friend is a diligent college student with a bright future ahead of him," Sunny said confidently. "He took care of me when I was sick with the flu. I would've died without his help. He taught me lots of important life skills, and right now, he's making sure that I graduate high school. He's a really good influence on me."

Jawsum became exasperated. "Are you sure he's not just trying to use you or anything? If he's put you on drugs, I can help you—"

"I'm telling the truth. And just so you know, the doctor ran lots of tests on me when I had the flu, and no, I am not on drugs."

"I just don't get it. Why would you choose to live with someone who did all those things to you in the past when you could have an easy life with your mom? She's got so much planned for you—"

"Because my friend is the kindest person in my life. He taught me everything when my mom neglected me for four years after my sister's death!"

There was a quiet silence.

Perhaps the detective finally understood; he gazed empathetically at Sunny for a few seconds.

Jawsum sighed. "All right then. Sunny, from talking to you, I think you're a good kid, no matter what you did in the past. Maybe you're just a bit too trusting of people who aren't your family. I hope that doesn't come back to bite you one day."

He scribbled one last thing on his notepad before tucking it away into his jacket pocket. "I'm going to tell your mom everything I've learned from you today. But before I go, could I convince you to come and meet her just once? It would really help her get out of the rut she's in right now."

"I'd rather not," Sunny said.

"Look. You don't actually have to come with me or anything. We can organize a meeting—it'll be in public, like this place. She's even willing to come all the way over here."

A public meeting?

...If I see her again, I have some very angry words to say to her...

"Will this stop you from following me around all the time?" Sunny asked.

Jawsum nodded. "I think your mom's willing to close this case if she can just have a chat with you one last time."

Ugh...if that's what it'll take...

"Fine," Sunny said. "I'll meet her. But it has to be in this city, in a very public place like this mall, and at a time of my choosing. Unless all those conditions are met, I will not meet with her."

"Got it."

"Are we done now?"

"Thanks for taking the time to talk to me, Sunny. I'll find you again when your mom gets here."

That sounds awfully creepy.

But I guess by now, he's pretty much figured out my address through IP tracking, so it's pretty easy for him to find me whenever he needs to.

"Yeah, whatever," Sunny said, rolling his eyes. "Bye."

Glad to be finally done with that conversation, Sunny hurried back to where he'd left Basil.

When he turned a nearby corner, he found Basil standing by the wall, just close enough that he might have heard him talking to the detective.

"Hey, Sunny," Basil greeted, an embarrassed smile.

"Oh, errhh, hey," Sunny replied. "I guess you heard most of that conversation I just had?"

Basil turned his eyes away. "Umm..."

He did.

"I'm really sorry for going along with that guy's story!" Sunny blurted out. "I had to do it to make sure he didn't suspect us—"

Gently, Basil wrapped an arm over Sunny's shoulder. "Thank you, Sunny..."

"Basil?"

"You called me the kindest person in your life."

Basil smiled, a faint blush over his cheeks.

"It made me really happy."

***

On Christmas Eve, Sunny woke up bright and early to head to the mall so he could check to see if the shipment of the game he wanted to buy had reached the store.

"I'm sorry, but our order still hasn't arrived yet. Can you come back in the afternoon?"

"Oh..."

His disappointment was immeasurable, but his day could still avoid being ruined. He went to work filled with anxiety over whether he'd be able to get his present before Christmas.

The game Sunny wanted to buy required a console; their laptop couldn't run it.

When Sunny told Basil about the game, Basil had gotten so excited that he'd gone ahead with buying the console himself and had it all set up and ready to go to start playing.

The console was Basil's Christmas present to Sunny; the game that Sunny planned to buy would become his Christmas present for Basil.

I really hope it arrives today!

Since it was Christmas Eve, the shop closed early in the afternoon and Sunny was permitted to leave by four. After saying merry Christmas to everyone, he grabbed his jacket and hurried back to the mall.

The skies were grey and light snow was falling. A chilly wind blew the thin sheet of snow that covered the ground up into the air as frosty whirling spirals.

There was going to be a storm this afternoon and it was going to pour three feet of snow over the whole city.

On his way to the mall, the snow really started falling hard. What was only supposed to be a half hour walk turned into fifty minutes as his shoes sank into the deep snow that covered the ground. His socks got wet from plunging into some half-frozen snow and he immediately regretted not wearing any boots to work this morning.

I thought the storm wouldn't come until late in the evening...

Well, it'll all be worth going through when I get my hands on a copy of that game!

It turned into an exceptionally bad storm.

Sunny had never seen so much snow all at once in his life before. His shoes crunched against solid ice and snow; the biting wind sliced through the exposed skin on his face. Cars and buses all slowed to a crawl on the nearby road as the accumulating snow made driving conditions nearly impossible. The storm had become a blizzard.

When he finally arrived at the mall, it was almost closing time. He dashed towards the games store, hoping with all his heart that the shipment had arrived.

Ten minutes before the store closed, he reached the sales clerk.

"Do you have a copy of—"

"We're sorry, but because of the snowstorm, the shipment wasn't able to arrive today."

Sunny's heart dropped straight down to the bottom of his stomach.

"Is it going to arrive by tomorrow?" he asked, still holding on to hope.

"We're closed tomorrow. The earliest you can get the game will be the day after Christmas."

Sunny stumbled out of the store.

I couldn't make it.

I couldn't get a Christmas present for Basil.

He felt completely miserable as he left the mall.

The bright festive Christmas decorations across the city felt like they were being overshadowed by the impenetrable dim of a light bulb too dark to gaze into. Even though it wasn't his fault that his present hadn't been delivered on time, he still felt responsible for the failure, somehow.

He wished he could reach back into the past and tell his flu-stricken self to get his hands on a copy of the game before it sold out.

Snow fell in large droves outside. He nearly couldn't tell where he was going on his way back to the bus stop. The snow reached his knees and he had to exert a ton of energy to push his lethargic body through it all. Meanwhile, icy clumps of thick snowflakes, propelled by a biting wind, continued to eat at his exposed skin.

Is there any difference between this scenery and white space?

He looked up at the sky, almost expecting to see a black light bulb hanging overhead.

The arriving buses were all delayed by the snow. When he finally got on the bus that would take him back to his apartment, he thought of a train station with a ride that would take its passengers to a dream land far, far away.

As he sat down in a seat he glanced around and saw shadows seated all around him.

It hurt to see the smiling face of a person who was happy that tomorrow was Christmas, happy to have a present that they could give to their loved ones. It felt easier to see a black shadow instead.

He went home on that slow bus, a train ride surrounded by Somethings in the darkness.

It's the first Christmas that I'll spend with Basil in so long.

How many years has it been? Six? Seven?

I'm so pathetic.

I wanted to get presents for all my friends, but instead I got nobody any presents.

He gazed at the window beside his seat and saw in the reflection smiling shadows, laughing and chattering about how they were going to spend Christmas day happily with each other.

Perhaps I shouldn't return home.

I don't want to face Basil without his present when he has a present for me.

I can't...

A burst of anger made Sunny slam his fist against the wall of the bus.

The eyes of all the laughing shadows in the bus turned in his direction, looking at him like he was a freak.

What did I just do...?

Sunny couldn't bear the shame and embarrassment. He got up from his seat and left the bus at the next stop.

Cool, quiet snow touched his face, chilling the remnants of heat from inside the bus. He looked around and saw endless white. Maybe he could lie down here with his laptop, a tissue box, his sketchbook, a black cat; he ought to spend his days here forever without ever leaving.

Darkness hung over his head.

I...

What am I doing?

I'm going to die if I stay out here!

As the snow piled up on the ground, Sunny began to move his feet.

He wasn't sure where he was. All he could do was follow the direction of the bus in the hope that he could come upon a familiar landmark that would take him home.

Total darkness settled across the sky. He started to run.

The droves of snow impeded his exhausted legs; the wind cut through his skin and made tears rise into his eyes. He was so cold, but he had to keep running. He had to run in order to keep the warm blood in his veins flowing.

I'm only alive right now because of the jacket that Basil bought for me...

I have to go back home to Basil!

The deathly cold of the blizzard returned clarity to his muddled senses.

He would never be able to explain why he'd done something so stupid. It certainly wasn't the first time he'd acted without thinking, and this time he was going to get himself killed.

Maybe that was for the best, those lingering shadows floating around his head would say—

But why would he be so irresponsible as to throw away another person's happiness a second time?

The lights of the city glowed through the snowstorm. He started to identify the familiar landmarks he'd grown to recognize from all his walks with Basil around the city. Before long, he found the clock tower, the bridge, the flower shop—all the places he'd grown to love. They were all blanketed with snow.

Guided by the comforting memory of those places, he was on his way back home.

The shadows that passed by on the streets started to take form and color once again. The darkness gave away to human faces, each capable of feeling happiness, sadness, and anger. Those faces could laugh and cry, unlike the face of a frozen body lost in the snowstorm that had fallen believing it didn't deserve human emotions.

His icy wet shoes pushed through ankle high snow; ice and snow covered his face and hair. Those frozen particles blew away with the wind, and more came back.

I'm going to make it.

The lights of his apartment building came into view.

Basil's going to be so worried about me.

I'm so, so sorry.

With a final push, he drove himself—or more like stumbled—through the remainder of the snow that separated him from the entrance door. He collapsed through that door into the foyer.

Light and heat warmed his skin, yet he felt almost nothing, exhausted beyond recognition. With lungs gasping for air, he staggered forward, and fell.

He could only hope that the arms of the person he loved would be there to receive him, would be able to forgive him.

Something warm clasped his hand.

When his swimming vision started to recover, he discovered that he was already wrapped in those arms.

Basil embraced him with tearful eyes.

"I'm sorry," Sunny spoke.

He said those words over and over again. It no longer mattered to him whether he was forgiven or not. He just wanted to apologize because he really meant it, because he'd messed up again.

I keep letting this happen.

When he could hear Basil's words again, he realized that they weren't berating him.

They were telling him that no matter what he did, no matter what happened, it was going to be okay.

Everything was going to be okay.

Because they were together again.

I have to tell you something.

Sunny gazed into Basil's eyes.

"I did something really stupid," he began. "I couldn't get the game I promised I was going to. It made me so mad I hit the wall on the bus, people stared at me, and I got off 'cause I was so embarrassed."

He watched for any sign of anger or sadness in those soft, bright eyes.

"That means the console you bought for me won't have any games to play on Christmas," Sunny continued.

Those eyes regarded him, and only him.

"I'm sorry. I don't have a Christmas present for you," Sunny confessed clearly.

Basil's hand grasped his.

Basil...?

He realized with newfound glaring clarity how warm Basil's hand felt compared to his own right now.

I almost froze to death.

Basil's hand guided his hand to his chest, Basil's chest. Sunny could feel the beating of a warm heart.

This is...

"Listen," Basil spoke, his voice quiet.

Just like back then...

Sunny's ice cold fingers gradually began to recover the sensation of softness.

He felt a heartbeat that grew faster as his hand pressed against it.

"It's how happy I am that you're here to spend Christmas with me," Basil said.

What I did that day when I came back to you, holding your hand to my heart...

Sunny felt tears welling up in his eyes.

He was alive. Basil was alive.

What more did they need?

"Sunny..."

Basil smiled fully.

"Being by your side will always be the best present I could ever ask for."

Chapter Text

Back inside their room, Basil helped examine Sunny for any sign of frostbite. He'd learned to spot the major symptoms from Polly. Luckily, Sunny didn't exhibit any.

A warm shower helped rejuvenate Sunny's freezing skin. He was dead tired though and wouldn't be able to stay up late that night to read books or play games with Basil. It was just as well; Basil had only recently finished his final exams and needed to catch up on sleep.

As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out.

Zzzzzz...

Sunny awoke to a distressed voice.

"Sunny! Are you there? Where are you, Sunny? Where are you?!"

Sunny's eyes burst open.

Through the darkness, he saw Basil sitting up in bed, eyes open but hands frantically searching around for him.

"Sunny! I'm sorry I stabbed your eye.

"I won't do that to your sister again! Please come back to me, Sunny. Please..."

Without hesitation, Sunny embraced Basil as closely as he could.

Basil, I'm so sorry for what I did to you today...

Tears came into Sunny's eyes.

He had no doubt that him returning late from the mall today while a blizzard was falling outside caused Basil to worry, enough to do damage to his mental well-being.

I was so stupid and impulsive!

Never. Again.

Sunny gripped Basil tightly in his arms, wishing once more that he could go back to just a moment in the past where he could change things.

When they slept next to each other under the tent as kids, Basil used to have nightmares like that.

He recalled Mari telling him that they were closer to night terrors than nightmares. Compared to nightmares, night terrors were far more frightening; the afflicted individual was in a half-asleep state and couldn't tell reality apart from their dreams. They could thrash around inconsolably for up to fifteen minutes after awakening, unaware of what they were doing and retaining almost no memory of what had happened afterwards.

You used to have night terrors when you were really young too, Sunny...

I'd always hug you and hold you until you calmed down.

"It's okay, Basil. I'm here now," Sunny spoke. "I'm right by your side."

"Are you there, Sunny?" Basil replied in a confused voice. "I can't find you."

"I'm right here, Basil."

"Sunny, I don't see you..."

Tears fell from Sunny's eyes onto the bedsheets. Crushed by the guilt inside his chest, he could only hold Basil so closely that he wouldn't let anything in the world ever pull them apart again.

"Sunny, please don't hate me. Look, I've done it. I've taken your sister off the rope...

I'm so sorry, Basil...

"Sunny, I found your eye! Here it is. Don't worry, Sunny, once we put it back your sight will be all better again.

I want you to come back...please...

"Sunny, look at my photos! You're so good at drawing...the black marker you used made everyone so much prettier."

Don't stay like this...

Those were the last of Basil's terrified words before he began to calm down.

Breathing heavily, eyes distraught with terror, Basil stopped thrashing around and gradually stilled his movements. As Sunny patted Basil comfortingly on his back, Basil came back to his senses.

His breathing steadied, Basil's eyes which had been darting frantically around settled to a fixed gaze towards Sunny.

Basil hugged Sunny back, exhaling in relief. His head rested gently against Sunny's shoulder.

"...I had a night terror again, didn't I?" Basil spoke.

"It's all my fault," Sunny said, his voice choked with tears. "If I didn't run off the bus today, if I wasn't so stupid, this wouldn't have happened."

"It's not your fault. I've always had night terrors all my life...you and Mari saw once, right?"

I wonder...how many of them you had while I was away for four years...

"And Polly told me I used to have them for many nights in a row sometimes," Basil said self-deprecatingly. "She even got used to it and had a routine for getting me under control when it happened."

Those words broke Sunny's heart.

I should've been there.

I should've been by your side to comfort you when you were terrified by what you saw and felt in the middle of the night.

"I'm so sorry, Basil," Sunny said, sobbing.

"Sunny...it's alright. You're here for me now."

The tears flowed freely from Sunny's eyes.

"You did great just now," Basil reassured him. "You held me and prevented me from hurting myself. That's all I can really count on anyone to do."

Sunny couldn't hold back his sadness, the sheer guilt.

The weight of all that he'd done to Basil, making him wait all those years for him to come back—it hit him like a bullet train, knocking any shred of self-pity or longing out of him with tremendous force. From now on, he'd never even think of going back to his old, isolated ways.

I'll live for Basil, die for Basil.

Sunny felt Basil's hand gently patting him on his back.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," Basil said in a gentle voice. "Was I saying...certain things back there?"

Sunny didn't know how to answer. If he told Basil what he'd heard, Basil might feel guilty about it. But he didn't want to lie to Basil either.

"I guess I said some pretty crazy stuff," Basil concluded from Sunny's silence.

Sunny held Basil in his arms, close enough to feel his heartbeat. He wanted Basil to know that he was there for him, that he would be there for him for the rest of his life, that no matter what he would never let anything tear them apart again—

A shadow crawled up around their bed.

"Wow, you really like screwing things up just by existing," mini-Something said.

He didn't have a rebuttal. It was completely true.

"Have you ever tried not being such a useless waste of oxygen for once? You'd be much less of a burden on everyone if—"

Mini-Something was quickly dispelled by Basil's soft smile.

"Sunny, you...saw Something just now?" Basil spoke in a very gentle, relaxed voice.

"...Yeah."

A kind, empathetic glow came into Basil's eyes. "Is it okay if I tell you about mine?"

"You can tell me anything!"

Basil locked eyes with Sunny. "All those hallucinations we used to have...hallucinations of Something..."

Since I moved in with you, Basil, I haven't seen Something for a very long time...until today, when I saw shadows of people everywhere, laughing at me.

"There's a part of me that I struggle with a lot," Basil spoke quietly. "The part of me that tries really hard to make everything work out for everybody. I get shocked and terrified when people around me feel sad. I'd keep looking for ways to fix things without thinking of what unintended consequences there might be."

Basil smiled a little self-deprecatingly. "When I was a kid and my parents were still around, they told me that I never lied to get myself out of trouble...I'd lie to my dad to get my mom out of trouble, I'd lie to my mom to protect my dad from getting in trouble with her, and I'd always lie for grandma!"

Sunny wanted to cry all over again.

You're just too precious, Basil.

Basil's eyes turned down, staring at the blankets that were now strewn messily across their bed.

"I just wanted everyone to be happy. But...in trying to do that...that part of me, it'd create lie after lie until it was tangled up in a whole web of lies with me at the center of it all. I felt like I would be devoured by it..."

That's the Something that haunts you, isn't it...?

Instead of a shadow eye behind your back, you have a much larger shadow, one with webs and teeth and eyes, all trying to swallow you up.

Your Something must be so much worse for you.

"I tried really hard to get that part of me under control," Basil continued. "But sometimes it still slips out. That's why I might say some weird things when I get night terrors."

All the things you were saying back there...

Your Something was always telling me that things are going to be okay.

A drop of water slipped down Sunny's cheek and turned a patch of their blanket wet.

My Something, on the other hand—

A voice telling me what my sister's thoughts and feelings might have been, a voice that...

All this time, as horrifying as it might have looked, was only telling me to forgive myself.

Sunny realized how deeply Basil must have suffered.

His own Something had only ever tried to protect him. Even those phobias of heights, spiders, and deep water—those Somethings were still just protecting him from his fears, by magnifying those fears into a sight so horrible he wouldn't even try to confront them.

Basil's Something forced his hand to take action after action. Each action another thread in a web of lies, a web growing so tangled that, had it not been torn apart in the end by a brutal fight, it would have utterly devoured his existence, leaving behind only a trail of blood from a fatal wound.

Those garden shears in your hand that night...

You were thinking of doing that.

Sunny couldn't stop his tears anymore. They overflowed, fell again.

Basil wiped the tears from Sunny's cheeks. With a hand placed softly against the side of Sunny's head, Basil gently caressed his hair.

"It's not going to be a problem anymore, because of your words to me," Basil said in a quiet voice.

A small smile. "Because you told me it's okay to feel all my emotions."

Sunny felt a pair of arms embracing him again.

"I've practiced giving all my feelings space to flow, even when they're really painful. Whenever I get sad, whenever Something compels me to lie again, I just..."

A warm cheek pressed against his, and they were also wet with tears.

"I just remember that I don't have to change the way I feel."

You're right.

Sunny hugged Basil back. "But...don't let yourself stay sad all the time, okay?"

"Yeah, I know. I'm just letting you know, I won't do ridiculous things to force happiness on myself or anyone else anymore!"

Sunny nodded with a smile.

"Something might slip out from time to time, but I just don't let it control me. As long as I'm aware that my feelings will come and go, I'll never let it do anything bad again. I promise."

Even when you have to deal with a Something that much more controlling than mine...

You still overcame it.

The tears that fell from Sunny's eyes were somehow suffused with happiness.

They were filled with all the emotions inside his heart.

Before any more words could be exchanged, their lips pressed together into a kiss.

The sweet warmth of their kiss melted any last remnants of frost within Sunny's heart.

He cherished Basil so much. All the trials that they'd gone through together could only make the bond that they shared stronger. Their hearts were together for eternity.

Drowned in warm feelings, in all the love he felt for Basil, he knew they'd always be there to heal and comfort each other. They were two hearts who could offer the other everlasting warmth even if the whole universe froze cold.

Their kiss lasted well into the night, and Sunny would not have let go if he didn't need air.

Locked in embrace, Sunny opened his eyes and saw, at the corner of his vision, the clock striking one minute past midnight.

"Merry Christmas," Sunny said, breathless.

"Merry Christmas," Basil said back, reddened by a blush.

***

Welcome to Feelings Space.

You've known this place for as long as you can remember, but this is actually just your fourth time here.

We've detected a surge in feelings of cherishing and gratitude.

It's time for class! Today's a really important lecture. Make sure you wake up on time.

Good luck with—

The message was abruptly cut off by a loud alarm ringing.

Sunny bolted out of bed to hit the alarm's dismiss button. Glancing around his room, he realized he was inside a college dorm. The stack of textbooks on his desk and the Captain Spaceboy poster on the wall left no room for doubt.

Today was the first day of classes. Students were already rushing out of their dorms, frantically brushing their teeth before whirling their way to morning class. Not wanting to fall behind on his first day, he joined their frenzied teeth brushing in the dorm washrooms, splashed his face with water, and grabbed his notebooks to dash towards the lecture hall of his morning lecture.

The lecture hall was completely full; he was taking a very popular class. After some searching around he finally found a seat.

"Hey, what class is this?" he asked the black and white shaded boy in a tank top sitting to his left.

"I dunno," Omori responded.

"You two don't even know what class you're taking?" the shadowy grey boy with fluffy hair on his right spoke.

"I kinda forgot about it," Sunny confessed.

My mind's still a bit groggy, having just woken up...

"I wish the instructor could just get here already," Omori complained.

"Shhh, take another look," Stranger replied. "Class is about to begin."

Just a second ago, the podium at the front of the lecture hall had been empty. When Sunny looked again he saw that a feminine shadowy face had materialized above the wooden desk holding the microphone stand. The body of the shadow was obscured by the desk, so the shadow's face was the only part of it that was visible.

"Good morning, class," the shadow spoke. "I am Instructor Abbi. Welcome to FEEL101, Introduction to Feelings."

Oh, I'm taking this class?

"Since you're here, I know that each and every one of you struggles with understanding, managing, and expressing your feelings. But that won't be the case for long. After taking this class, you will all become masters of your own feelings."

A dark, shadowy appendage extended outwards from Instructor Abbi and picked up a piece of chalk beside the chalkboard at the back of the podium.

"Feelings are an important part of the human mind. But throughout history, countless people have struggled to understand and express their own feelings. So the first question that I'll ask you is, what are feelings?"

The shadow appendage illustrated an accurate visual of the human brain on the chalkboard.

"Some say that feelings are the innermost parts of the human soul. Other say that feelings are nothing more than electrochemical signals being passed around the network of neurons that makes up our brain."

Instructor Abbi drew out a line from the illustrated brain and wrote down a single word.

"Let me bring to you a new perspective," she said, her face somehow growing larger. "Feelings are a direct result of the changes that take place between our expectations and our reality."

Sunny looked around the classroom. Many students were already diligently taking notes, but he hadn't written down a single word yet.

Given Omori's disinterested expression, there was at least one other like himself.

"When we were babies, we had only simple expectations," Instructor Abbi went on. "We expected to breathe. We expected to eat food and drink water. We expected to sleep. We expected our parents or guardians to be near us. We expected not to be in physical pain. When any of those expectations were violated, we cried for someone to come and help us fulfill those expectations again."

She had written two words on the chalkboard: Expectation = Need.

"As we grew up, we started to develop more complicated expectations. We expected to have friends who'd play with us. We expected to receive gifts on our birthdays and on Christmas. We expected our teachers and parents to praise us when we got good grades."

On the tip of another line extending from the brain, Abbi had written another two words: Expectation = Desire.

"Puberty hits, and all of a sudden, we start expecting to have crushes, girlfriends, and boyfriends. Love makes us discontent with being alone. We want to kiss, we want to touch, we want to explore."

Underneath the word Desire, she added: Affection is one of the strongest desires.

"Now we reach adulthood. We expect to go to college to get a degree. We expect to get a job and advance our careers. We expect to buy a house, start a family, make monthly mortgage and bill payments. These events are encoded so deeply in our life's scripts that we'd feel as if something went wrong if they didn't happen. We predict that these events would come true."

She drew a third line, and wrote: Expectation = Prediction.

"Finally, our lives become stable. We expect our children to grow up and lead similar lives as us. We expect our bodies to become weaker, our hair to turn gray, our energy levels to decrease as we get old. We expect to retire, perhaps we expect to see our grandchildren...and then we expect to die."

Drawing a fourth line, Abbi wrote: Expectation = Mortality.

Sunny couldn't tell for sure, but was Abbi's face growing larger as she spoke?

"Now that you know all about expectations, let me ask you: what happens when our expectations are violated?"

Her shadowy appendage drew a giant 'X' across everything she'd written down on the chalkboard.

"There must be a feeling that comes to mind—Anger."

Her face definitely grew larger there.

"So tell me," Abbi said to everyone in the lecture hall, "what are some situations you've experienced that made you feel angry, and what did you do when you felt that way?"

Stranger, the shadow boy sitting nearby, raised his hand. "Once, when I was watering the flowers inside my house, I accidentally spilled some water over my floor. I got angry, but since I knew I had to keep the floor dry for grandma, I went and cleaned it up with a mop."

Nodding, Abbi turned her face to Omori, the other boy sitting beside Sunny who had also raised his hand.

"When I got angry at my music lessons, I threw my violin down the stairs and smashed it to pieces," Omori said. "Then my sister starting shouting at me, which made me even angrier. So I pushed her down the stairs, too."

"Very good!" Abbi said, nodding at both Omori and Stranger. "Those are clear examples of how anger arises from broken expectations, whether it's the expectation of maintaining a clean dry floor in your house or the expectation of not having your sister screaming in your face."

Abbi went back to the chalkboard. "But what happens when our expectations get broken and we can't do anything to fix it?"

Stranger raised his hand again. "My friend and I were planning to go to the park together the other day. But yesterday, he called and told me he was busy and couldn't make it. This made me feel sad because I'd have to cancel our meeting."

Omori also raised his hand. "When I pushed my sister down the stairs, I thought she was okay and just needed to take a nap. But when I realized that she wasn't going to wake up or ever come back again, I felt sad because she was dead."

Abbi clapped her shadowy appendages. "Such good examples! They perfectly illustrate how sadness comes from realizing that we can't do anything to fix our broken expectations. Sadness is the feeling of loss."

Her face keeps growing bigger and bigger...

It's almost covered the whole chalkboard by now.

"But enough about broken expectations. What feeling do we get when a previously unfulfilled expectation becomes fulfilled?" Abbi asked. "Any takers?"

For the third time, Stranger raised his hand. "After I cancelled my meeting with my friend at the park, I got another call from him. He told me we could hang out the day after. That made me feel happy because I'd get to see him again."

And again, Omori raised his hand after Stranger. "Right when my sister died, my friend showed up and helped me hang her body with a jump rope, framing her death as a suicide. I felt happy because I believed that I didn't kill my sister anymore."

Abbi's gigantic face smiled. "Excellent. Just excellent. Happiness occurs when an unfulfilled expectation that mattered to you becomes fulfilled. It's all about expectation and reality, isn't it?"

By now Abbi's face wasn't on the podium anymore; it was bigger than the podium. And it was only getting larger.

"Hey," Omori said, nudging Sunny on the shoulder. "Whatever happened to that Headspace of yours?"

Stranger leaned in as well. "Oh, I remember that too. Didn't the three of us meet in Headspace some time ago?"

"Well...it's, errhh, kinda just not so fun being there anymore," Sunny said.

Actually, I believe I made it that way.

Headspace used to be a fun and happy world that I could spend my days in when I couldn't face the pain and suffering of real life any longer.

But I don't want to go back to living like that.

Now that there's someone I care about again, I want to focus on living in the real world, without any distractions from Headspace.

Speaking of distractions, Abbi's size—steadily expanding across the entire lecture hall—was really starting to bother Sunny.

"Any questions before we continue, class?" Abbi asked.

Sunny raised his hand timidly. "Ummm..."

Her massive eyes turned towards him.

"What happens when all our expectations have been fulfilled?" Sunny asked in a quiet voice.

"Well, well...what an interesting question!"

Now she had spread across the whole lecture hall; they were completely enveloped in her shadow.

"When all our expectations are fulfilled, we experience a special feeling called boredom," Abbi explained. "Boredom makes us find new things to do, and that leads to us having new expectations we want fulfilled."

She opened her mouth.

"Because boredom exists as a feeling, it's almost like one of our fundamental expectations is having unfulfilled expectations."

Abbi's mouth drew closer; Sunny put up his arms to brace himself.

Her warped shadow laughed, her mouth growing larger and larger, threatening to consume them all.

"What's worse?" Abbi continued. "Having unfulfilled expectations, or feeling bored because you have no unfulfilled expectations?"

The shadow's mouth loomed over Sunny's head.

"It's impossible to ever be fulfilled."

Sunny wanted to scream in terror.

"Expectations and feelings make you permanently dissatisfied."

Abbi's gaping maw swallowed him entirely.

***

"No!"

Sunny screamed as he bolted upright in bed.

Even before he recollected his senses, Basil was already there by his side. Basil held his hand as he steadied his breathing, remembering that he was safe inside his room, that everything he'd just experienced had only been a bad dream.

He heard Basil asking him if he was okay.

"I had an awful nightmare," Sunny said, covered in sweat.

"I'm here for you, Sunny!" Basil replied, gripping both his hands softly. "Everything is going to be okay."

"I'm fine now," Sunny said, trying to relax his expression. "Wow, what a night."

"I guess, huh? It's weird that we both dreamt of something scary on Christmas night..."

Now that Sunny had calmed down and he thought about it, this incident was actually kind of hilarious.

First Basil had a night terror and Sunny made sure to hold him steady. Then Sunny had a nightmare and Basil had to help him calm down.

They'd switched places in a single night, but at least now they knew that they could always rely on each other to be a source of comfort from a bad dream.

"Maybe we shouldn't go back to sleep tonight," Sunny said, giving a smile.

"You're right," Basil said. "It's 5 AM. Almost morning."

Only Basil would wake up early enough to consider 5 AM to be almost morning...

Normally I'd want at least three or four more hours of sleep.

"I'll make breakfast," Basil said, getting out of bed. "If you need more sleep, I'll have a big Christmas breakfast ready for you when you wake up!"

I wish I could help you, but...

I want to spend Christmas morning getting some extra rest.

Sunny plopped his head against the pillow. "Thank you, Basil. I love you. Seriously."

"Ah—haha...I love you too, Sunny."

But after that nightmare, sleep didn't come back to Sunny.

He enjoyed a nice calm period of wavering in and out of conscious awareness as dawn sunlight streamed through the window. The thoughts in his head were all muddled; he didn't know what to make of his dream, or honestly, what to make of any of these Feeling Spaces. He didn't mind seeing Omori and Stranger again but they really didn't serve any purpose in his life anymore.

I guess I've had them around in my head for so long, it might be that they'll be with me for the rest of my life.

At least I'm not letting Omori control all my actions anymore.

Later that morning, Sunny picked up his laptop and browsed the Internet in bed.

The console that Basil had bought, already set up and ready to play games, sat agonizingly by a corner of their room. If things had gone as they should've, he could've been playing video games on Christmas by now.

Instead he had to spend Christmas repeating his daily schedule of browsing the Internet, reading forums, watching videos, and playing some boring flash games he'd beaten a dozen times over by now.

While Basil made a delicious smelling breakfast, Sunny suddenly remembered that the results of the writing contest should be out by now.

Basil hadn't kept in touch with his parents at all; if Sunny won the contest, there was no way he'd be able to know. But fortunately, the Internet existed and most things ended up on the Internet one way or another.

He'd searched up the name of the contest last month and discovered that they did have a website. When he went to the website last time, they still hadn't finished ranking all the submissions yet.

Today he went back there and found that not only had the winner been announced, she'd already accepted her prize and there was a photoshoot of her spending a day with her favorite author. That cleared up matters quite nicely.

Oh, well...

I guess I'll just focus on my next story.

Just to amuse himself, he searched up the author's name and looked through all the books she'd published. Her books all had individual articles on Wikipedia, that new online encyclopedia he frequently saw among the top results returned by his search engine.

Wikipedia had been his go-to resource for writing essays and reports in his high school courses.

But they keep telling me to cite the endnote links in the Wikipedia articles instead of the article itself!

Who has the time for that?

Clearly not him. His lack of time explained why he spent the next hour following an endless amount of links through each article he read, starting from a book called Inkheart and ending up on some website called Archive Of Our Own.

Sunny glanced at the empty console for the tenth time, bored out of his mind, wishing that he could just play that game.

"Breakfast is ready!"

That breakfast was Shepherd's Pie, fried hash browns, and steamed asparagus. Everything tasted heavenly.

Words couldn't express how much he loved Basil's cooking. Despite his boredom, he couldn't have asked for a better start to Christmas morning.

While Sunny washed the dishes, Basil surprised him again by taking out a device from their storage cabinets that he hadn't seen in years.

"I brought my old camera with me when we moved," Basil said. "I wasn't planning on using it, but...I checked the other day and it still works. Maybe we can take some nice Christmas photos?"

"Of course!" Sunny replied. "I can't believe it's been so long since you've used that camera. We should take photos of everything."

"I was thinking of going outside and taking some photos around the city."

"Sure!"

The storm had stopped last night and now the whole city was blanketed in snow. Sunny was more than ready to head back outside and explore the snow-covered streets and buildings. It sounded much better than staying at home on his laptop all day.

He put on his new jacket, clipping together the wooden fasts in front, and Basil put on his cute green ear muffs. They were all dressed and ready to confront the snow.

Sunny gazed at the marvelous Christmas decorations on all the shops and stores. Basil snapped photos of the two of them smiling in front of every building they liked, taking several when they reached the flower shop and saw some beautiful mistletoes out on display. Sunny sneaked in a kiss underneath the mistletoe in one of the photos, making Basil blush furiously.

At the park, Sunny saw everyone making snow angels, building snowmen, and having impromptu snowball fights with each other. He and Basil quickly joined in.

Within minutes they'd made angels side-by-side on the snowy lawn, Basil taking a photo of their portraits in the snow. After, they started to build snow sculptures, Sunny adorning his snowman with his scarf and Basil's earmuffs, while Basil created a big snow cactus that Sunny drew two eyes and a smile on by pressing some twigs and flowers into it.

Ummm...

It didn't look like a smile at all. He'd created some cactus-shaped horror that was leaking flowers and twigs out of its head.

Giggling, Basil snapped photos of their two sculptures, catching Sunny looking horrified by what he'd created.

"That's a really cool sculpture," a familiar voice spoke behind them.

Sunny spun around and became annoyed to find detective Jawsum walking up to the two of them.

"I'm not going to bother you two for long. I just wanted you to know that I've talked to your mom, and she's willing to come to this city to have a talk with you. Here's the date and location."

He handed Sunny a piece of paper containing an address and a time.

"Is that all?" Sunny asked.

"Yea. Bye, and have fun with your Christmas day!"

Luckily, he disappeared quickly enough this time.

"Where is this place?" Sunny asked, showing Basil the address.

"I think it's a hotel in the city," Basil replied.

A hotel? I specifically requested a public location...I guess it's public enough.

"Want to go check it out right now?" Basil asked.

"Nah...let's go somewhere else and have fun! Take lots more photos!"

Basil smiled cutely. "Okay."

As they continued their scenic walk around the city, Sunny stumbled upon an ice cream stall. Even though it was cold, he was in the mood for a chocolate vanilla ice cream cone and joined the line to buy one with several other like-minded people.

While he queued, Basil opened up his phone and made a call.

"Are you calling our old friends back in Faraway?" Sunny asked.

"Yup! We've got something planned for you," Basil replied with a big smile.

I knew it, they're probably coming to visit!

Sunny smiled back. "I'll keep myself in the dark so you can surprise me."

He bought his ice cream cone and ate it so quickly he got brain freeze.

Owww...

For the rest of the day, they made a circuit around the city, even going over to the plaza with the Fix-It where Sunny worked. The flower field along the way was completely covered in snow and it was such a beautiful sight that Basil snapped several photos of it. They finished by taking a photo of the two of them leaning against each other, arms wrapped over each other's shoulders, standing by a beautiful cedar tree in the middle of the field.

Sunny leaned his head against Basil's shoulder for a quiet moment shortly after. Basil's fluffy hair felt so nice and soft.

He gazed into Basil's stunningly beautiful eyes, the pink daisy in his hair making him look so delicate and pretty. Without exchanging words, they kissed.

They kissed, fell into the cool snow, and kissed again, wrapped in the warmth and tenderness of each other's gentle embrace.

The snow chilled him; he didn't care. Only Basil mattered.

By the time they got back home, the sun was already setting, and Basil had a whole set of photos he planned to wash into printed photographs.

Sunny had been practicing his cooking skills so he could make a delicious roast chicken for Basil on Christmas. As he started on his recipe, Basil prepared hot chocolate in two small, cute cups.

While waiting for their turkey to bake in the oven, they sat down by the heater in their room, sipping their hot chocolate together.

"Today was really fun," Basil said, his voice soft.

"Yeah. It sure was."

And we've been together for six months now.

It's our first Christmas together in so many years.

A faint blush came over Basil's cheeks. "If it's okay, Sunny...I kinda want...I kind of want to spend Christmas with you every year like today from now on."

Sunny smiled brightly. "We will."

I'll make sure of it.

Chapter Text

"Sunny! Are you ready yet?"

"Hold on a second, I have to put on my new eyepatch."

The city hosted a new years' fair on the first week of the new year. It was one of the city's most popular tourist attractions, so there were bound to be lots of people there. Among them, it would seem, was Sunny's mom. The date she'd picked to meet with them coincided with the opening day of the fair.

I don't think there's a connection though, she probably picked this day because she could get a few days off from work following New Year's holiday.

Before having the dreaded meeting with her, Sunny wanted to explore the fair with Basil and go on all sorts of rides. And now that they were now longer hiding themselves, Sunny thought that a return to his old fashion style, wearing an eyepatch over his right eye, could improve his look.

It'd make him really easy for his mom to spot, but he wasn't going to talk to her outside of their planned meeting location anyways.

He thought about adding a flower to his hair, but decided he'd wait until spring arrived so they could pick flowers from the field on the edge of town. The new eyepatch he recently bought already looked pretty good on him.

When he stepped out of the bathroom, he noticed Basil had picked up the controller and loaded up their most recent save file. Basil went to fight a boss that they'd been stuck on for days.

Unfortunately, Basil became toast in less than a minute.

"I really thought the new strategy I came up with last night could beat him," Basil said, sighing in disappointment.

"I told you he was really hard," Sunny replied with a grin.

"Yeah, you're much better at this game than I am," Basil admitted. He closed the game and turned to face Sunny. "Your eyepatch looks great!"

"Thanks!"

"Ready to go to the fair?"

"Yep, let's go."

It was still winter and so they had to be dressed in their jackets and scarfs and earmuffs. The sky today was bright blue, without a cloud in sight, but the air remained freezing and heaps of shoveled snow still adorned the sidewalks.

The lineup to enter the fair stretched on for several blocks. Their estimated waiting time was over an hour.

Sunny had never seen a fair so big before. That wasn't saying much, because he had never even gone to an amusement park in his whole life; Faraway Town had once organized a fair about eight years back, but it had not been much larger than the plaza and only contained a few rides that every one of his friends found boring.

Okay, I have to be honest, that one mine cart ride was pretty fun.

Only I seemed to think so, though...

Luckily, this fair appeared to have some really fun and exciting rides. They could see the towering rollercoaster looming above almost all the other buildings in the city, and as they moved up the queue, they could hear the riders screaming as they plunged down its massive drops.

"Ever been on a roller coaster before?" Basil asked with a playful nudge against Sunny's shoulder.

"Nope," Sunny replied.

"Think you'd be scared to go on that one?"

"Scared to go on a roller coaster? No way!"

How bad could it possibly be? Everyone on the ride seems to be having loads of fun.

Sunny still had a slight phobia of heights, but he was certain that by now he'd be able to keep his fears under control even at the top of the rollercoaster.

"You sure?" Basil asked in a sly tone. "Last time you went on a fast ride, you were clutching on to me even though we barely went down a small hill."

"What, that mine cart ride? I wouldn't be scared of that anymore."

"I really hope so. If we went on this rollercoaster and you held on to my arm with the kind of grip you used back then, you'd break every bone!"

Errhhhh...

Note to self: don't break Basil's arm before meeting with my mom this afternoon.

"Sounds like you're already set on riding that roller coaster," Sunny mentioned.

"It's the main attraction of the fair, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but do you think you can handle it? That first drop looks really tall..."

"I've probably experienced worse rides," Basil replied, turning his eyes up whimsically. "Like, mmm, that shopping cart ride you gave me a few months back."

Sunny nudged Basil playfully back on the arm in response to that.

It took a full hour and a half for them to reach the front of the queue.

Once they paid the entrance fare and were finally inside, Basil gazed in wonder at all the rides they could go on, the countless interesting games that they could play to win prizes. His eyes sparkled with a pure delight that Sunny hadn't seen in quite some time, and it made something sweet stir inside his chest.

Maybe college's been a bit hard on you lately, Basil...

I'm glad we get to have this day of fun to ourselves before classes begin again.

"How long do we have to spend here before we have to go meet your mom?" Basil asked.

Sunny remembered that the hotel was less than a block away from the fair entrance, so they could leave at any time and arrive at their meeting place in no more than five minutes.

Before today, he'd met with the detective on yet another occasion and discussed their meeting time. After a bit of arguing, they'd finally agreed on five PM in the afternoon. This gave them just under seven hours to experience every ride in the fair, which ought to be plenty of time.

During our argument, I felt like I caught a glimpse of the detective's personal troubles...

He kept telling me that I was stubborn as hell, but I got the feeling that he'd dealt with someone like that before.

There was a line he said to me, "you're exactly like someone I knew...and I don't want you to end up in a bad place like her!"

Maybe his wife? Girlfriend? His daughter?

Whatever. I was just trying to get him to push the meeting to seven PM, but he mentioned that my mom's flight back was at ten PM, so she could leave the hotel no later than seven thirty, and we had to settle on five PM.

"We've got about seven hours," Sunny replied to Basil.

"Oh, that's plenty of time!"

"Which ride do you want to go on first?"

"I don't want to start with the roller coaster in case that's too much for you, so...how about that one over there? Hehehe..."

Wow, what is it with Basil and being sassy at me today?

Not that I mind.

It's kind of adorable when Basil does it, actually.

The ride that Basil pointed at was called a twister. Sunny had never gone on one of those before but it didn't look scary at all.

"Sure," Sunny agreed with a nod.

They got into line and waited half an hour to reach the front of the queue. Along the way, Sunny kept getting distracted by the screams of the people riding on the roller coaster. It seemed like such a fun ride compared to this one. Nobody on the twister was screaming except for a few people going "Whooooo!!!" and they were probably just trying to look like they were having fun rather than because the ride felt exhilarating.

But when they reached the front of the line, Sunny discovered that the size of the ride up close was actually daunting.

The twister was made up of four cockpits attached to a central pillar. During the ride, the arms connecting each cockpit to the pillar would raise and spin around the pillar while rotating the cockpits.

Sunny and Basil got into one of the cockpits and strapped themselves to the seats as the ride supervisor slammed the door shut.

"Scared yet?" Basil asked, the sly look never leaving his face.

"You think I'd be scared of this ride?" Sunny responded. "It doesn't even go that high or fast, it's practically just a faster merry-go-round."

"It certainly goes faster than that mine cart ride that you were so scared of."

"Come on, I'm not a kid anymore, a ride like this isn't going to—eeep!"

As the ride jolted into motion, the cockpit swung upwards and Sunny was shocked by how quickly he was rising off the ground. Within seconds he was at least twelve feet above the ground, a height that he associated with stairs and fatal falls. It wasn't helped by the arm's accelerating speed as it began spinning around, the cockpit wobbling back and forth with distressing metallic creaking noises.

Sunny opened his right eye and discovered that he was already gripping Basil's arm as if holding on to him for dear life.

He didn't need to look up at Basil's face to know that the expression he'd find would spell out the words 'I knew you'd be scared'.

Fine, he got me...

To his comfort, Basil didn't say anything, just letting Sunny hold on to him as the ride became faster and faster.

When is this ride going to be over?

I feel like I'm going to fall out of my seat at any moment, dashing my head against the ground—

Deep breaths, Sunny. Confront your fear.

As he tried to steady his nerves, Sunny summoned his inner courage and willed himself to glance out the window of their cockpit. He couldn't let himself be scared of heights forever, and he knew that strict safety regulations meant that the chances of him plunging out of the cockpit by accident were very low.

The ground loomed far beneath him; he was spinning around faster than he'd imagined, the people waiting to go on the ride at the line below appearing small and distant.

It was a nauseating sight.

There's nothing to be afraid of.

You are safe in here, Sunny.

Safe.

Seconds passed into a minute. He was still spinning on the twister, still dangling many feet above the ground, but by a miracle, he was alive.

The cockpit hadn't swung off the arm connecting it to the pillar and thrown them towards a violent and bloody death.

It almost felt...exciting.

Exhilarating.

Just when he thought he was starting to get used to being on this ride, the twister suddenly slowed down, decelerating and lowering the cockpits back towards the ground. The feeling of losing speed when he'd been fine going so fast before was surprisingly disappointing. By the time his cockpit slowed down to a stop, he wanted to go back on the ride again.

"That was fun!" Sunny exclaimed.

"Oh really? You didn't let go of my arm the entire time," Basil replied, his tone full of sass.

"Well, once I got used to it I was having lots of fun."

"Actually, it was a bit too slow for me."

"Fine..."

The ride supervisor pulled open their cockpit door and instructed them to get out. Sunny glanced at the lineup for the twister and observed that it had doubled in length.

...We can always go back to this one later. Let's try something else for now.

"Where do you want to go next?" Sunny asked.

"If you're up for it, we could try the roller coaster...hehehe..."

"Erhhh, how about a bit more warm up before we go on that one?"

"Sure, I knew you weren't ready yet. How about bumper cars?"

Jokes aside, that was a great suggestion. The lineup for the bumper cars ride wasn't too big like the twister's, and after all the sass he'd endured from Basil he felt very ready to crash into his car several times or a hundred.

As they waited in line for their turn, the sounds of the roller coaster zipping by overhead and the screams of its riders created a brand new knot in Sunny's stomach.

Hahah...I'm going to have to face my fears and go on that ride with Basil, aren't I...

He knew Basil would never force him to go on a ride he wasn't comfortable with, but the shame of going to this fair and not even riding the roller coaster once would be too much for him to bear.

Plus, he was sure that even Basil would be scared by the roller coaster, and he wanted to be by his side so that they could experience it together.

I don't think my stomach would be able to handle any food after it...

They got onto the bumper cars, and this kind of ride was something that Sunny found agreeable. He didn't have to face his fear of heights, it didn't go too fast, and he could pilot his car at his own leisure.

Which he took full advantage of by chasing after Basil's car and bumping into him over and over again.

"Hey, you think you can get away with that?" Basil said, spinning his car around after suffering one too many bumps.

"Yeah, I do," Sunny replied, speeding away.

"Think again, Sunny. I'm coming to get you!!"

Basil and Sunny's cars crashed into each other, then crashed again, and again, and again until it was clear to all the other people on the ride—most of whom were children—that these two young adults had some kind of a vendetta against each other.

It made them all the easier to pick on, as a couple other cars smashed into Sunny's and Basil's in the middle of their duel with each other.

"Hey, watch it!" Sunny shouted at the kid who had just bumped into him.

...This is embarrassing.

They were all probably going to get thrown off the ride for repeatedly crashing each other's cars and potentially destroying expensive equipment.

Sunny and Basil agreed to a truce. But just before their time on the ride was up, Sunny spun his car around and gave Basil's one last bump.

Judging by the looks that the ride supervisor shot at the two of them, they probably weren't going to be allowed back on again.

"That was unfair and uncalled for," Basil complained. "We agreed to a truce!"

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," Sunny said, grinning.

Basil punched him lightly on the shoulder.

There were still many more rides to go on at the fair and it wasn't even noon yet, so they had lots more time to spend before they'd have to leave and meet with Sunny's mom.

Just the very thought of seeing her again made Sunny feel anxious. He wished she'd chosen any other day to meet with them instead of this one.

Actually, I could always just not go.

That'd piss her off to no end, and probably make the detective really angry at me, but there's nothing forcing me.

He couldn't entertain that train of thought any further following Basil's next question.

"Sunny, I'm not sure if I told you this but...we are going to see your mom together, right?"

"You don't have to come with me."

I'd prefer going alone, to be honest. She's not going to have any nice things to say to you...

Basil turned his eyes away. "I want to go with you to support you."

"...You know my mom doesn't like you very much."

"I know. I don't want to go with you to try to convince her to like me or anything. I just think...after everything I did to your family...it might be fair for me to confront her, and be honest about everything. I don't want her to think that I'm still..."

"Basil, you don't have to. She's been pretty awful to you."

"Yeah, but...I just want to let her hear from me that I really didn't mean to do all those things...to your sister, and...to your eye..."

"She might not be willing to listen to you, though."

"I just want to try."

Basil, you're too kind and precious!

I'm going to protect you no matter what my mom says or does.

"Let's worry about that later," Sunny said, putting on a smile. "What ride do you want to go on next?"

Basil glanced towards a towering red and black mansion nearby, an exhibit with the sign "Haunted House" painted in front of its rusted iron gates.

"Are you brave enough?" Basil asked, turning his sass back on.

"It can't be that scary."

I've probably dreamt of scarier things than what's inside that haunted house.

They went inside the haunted house and for the first few rooms they saw run-of-the-mill scares like a bunch of pop-up ghosts, zombies, vampires, werewolves, and gorey props. Aside from the annoying screaming noises being played in the background, nothing bothered Sunny at all, though he had to give credit to one of the mirrors that showed a very distorted version of their reflections.

When they reached a scene where a body was hanging from a rope, Basil stood there and froze.

Oh no!

Basil, are you going to be alright?

Sunny placed his hand gently on Basil's shoulder and tried to shake him out of his reverie.

"Oh, sorry," Basil replied, turning back at Sunny.

To Sunny's surprise, Basil was smiling.

"What happened?" Sunny asked, concern filling his voice.

"I was just thinking...I could tie a better noose than that."

........

Basil, were you trying to scare me by looking like you got traumatized over a scene of a body hanging by a rope?

Sunny could get a laugh out of that.

Basil usually never made dark jokes. But sometimes dark humor was an assurance that the person had gotten over the traumatic events from their past. As long as everyone involved could get a laugh out of that joke, and no one was still emotionally impacted by the trauma, he wouldn't feel bothered.

"Sheesh, you've got terrible taste," Sunny said, knocking Basil on the arm with a soft punch.

"Sorry...I should've realized you'd think of something else when you saw me staring at that noose."

"Wait, so it wasn't a joke?"

Basil became confused. "No, I really was trying to assess the quality of that noose! I have to tie knots like that all the time while gardening..."

Sunny giggled. "Sorry, my bad."

Basil gently clasped Sunny's hand. "It's my fault for not being careful about what I should be staring at..."

"No, really, just forget about it! I'm just a bit on edge since I have to meet my mom this afternoon."

"Sunny, I'll be there to support you."

I'm more worried about how my mom's gonna treat you, Basil.

Well, whatever. Even if she explodes at the two of us, she still can't make me come back to live with her.

In the next room, Sunny felt legitimately frightened because it was covered in cobwebs, with giant spider props hanging from the ceiling. If one of those fell on his head he might scream and grab Basil for emotional support.

At least he seemed to have made peace with spider-Something; it didn't show up as he thought it would.

He was glad to escape the spider room and finally be out of the haunted house at last.

That was actually a bit scary!

But...still not as scary as the ride that Basil wants to go on...

The sassy smile on Basil's face suggested that it might be time.

"I won't make you," Basil said in a tone that almost certainly implied I'm trying to make you. "Me? I'm ready to try out that roller coaster."

Sunny gazed at the rails of steel supported by towering red pillars that loomed above his head. Every time the coaster zipped by he could hear people screaming.

Am I really ready to go on that ride?

His eyes spun towards the lineup to get onto the ride; it was almost as long as the line to get into the fair. They'd probably need to queue for an hour or more before they could get on.

I don't want that line to get even longer and make us miss the ride later today because of my meeting with my mom.

Whatever, it's just a ride; it can't kill me, so what do I have to be afraid of?

"I'm ready," Sunny replied with an inflated sense of self-confidence.

"That's the spirit!" Basil grabbed Sunny's hand and the two of them ran to join the line.

Sunny could feel a lump forming in his throat.

Over the next hour, the closer they got to the front of the line, the more gargantuan the size of the coaster began to look to Sunny's eyes. He could hardly believe that people would voluntarily ride this thing; how did they even make sure that this behemoth of a machine was safe?

The grinding of the steel cables pulling the coaster up the first hill and the roar of the wheels as it sped downwards filled his heart with terror. He thought he might be developing a growing fear of mechanical malfunction.

Darn it, Sunny, this is not the time to acquire a new phobia.

"Errhh...you sure you're not scared of this ride?" Sunny asked.

"To be honest, I'm a little scared," Basil admitted, blushing light pink. "But, I know it'll be fun!"

"...I really hope so."

"Sunny, you don't have to ride the roller coaster if you don't want to."

"No, I do. I want to ride it with you." Sunny smiled in spite of the fear in his mind. "It could be a really fun bonding experience!"

Basil blushed deeply at those words. "Ah—hah...you're starting to sound braver than me, Sunny."

"Actually I think I'm about to throw up just looking at this ride!"

"...Never mind."

The two of them kept making jokes as they reached the front of the line, each trying their very best to reassure the other that they would be okay. Their laughter descended into frightened whimpering as the gates opened and the seats for the next ride became available to them.

Sunny and Basil strapped themselves in, sitting side by side. When the ride supervisor closed the lock on their seats, Sunny felt like he'd just received a death sentence.

"Erhhh...are we really going to be okay on this ride?" Sunny whimpered, panic apparent in his voice.

"Don't worry, Sunny," Basil said, putting on a weak smile. "Everything is going to be okay...right...?"

Sunny's heart jumped in his chest as their ride began, the steel cables pulling the coaster up the first hill.

As they left the ride station, Sunny made the very bad mistake of glancing to his right and realizing just how high up they were above the ground.

"Everything is going to be okay! Everything is going to be okay!"

"Ummm...Sunny?"

"Sorry, Basil...I think this might be it for us..."

"Don't say that, Sunny, please..."

His vision swarmed with frightening shadows as laughing mouths and hands and arms appeared all around him. His hands clutched the grips of his seat so hard he thought he might break his bones.

The only thing keeping his sanity tethered to this realm was Basil being nearby, looking just as scared as he was.

The ride stopped moving just when it reached the top of the hill.

"Basil?" Sunny spoke softly. "We had some fun times together, didn't we?"

"Sunny, I—"

Basil's sentence was cut short by the coaster suddenly plunging forward.

Sunny screamed at the top of his lungs as he experienced a sensation close to complete free fall.

It felt like his stomach had risen all the way up into his throat. The only consolation he could afford himself was the knowledge that perhaps he deserved this, having given someone else a very similar fall down a flight of stairs.

That jab of dark humor kept the shadow Somethings at bay as the roller coaster spun, looped, corkscrewed, and rose and fell again multiple times in succession. Each fall pushed his stomach up into his throat like his insides had turned into a hydraulic pump.

Basil's screams accompanied his own. He'd only ever heard Basil scream like this before when it involved Aubrey's gang shoving him out of his beloved hangout spot.

"Geez, Sunny, that's dark even for me," mini-Something said in his ear. "What is it with you and all these references to past traumatic events today?"

"Maybe it's because I feel like I'm about to die!"

Mini-Something didn't have a rebuttal to that. It vanished along with the rushing wind.

Sunny screamed and screamed and screamed, expecting death to come at any moment, until the ride suddenly slowed down, the drop in momentum accompanied by the high-pitched screech of brakes against wheels.

He opened his right eye and saw that they were already on their way back into the station where they would get off the ride.

"That...was actually kind of fun," Sunny said, adrenaline pumping through his veins, making him feel light-headed.

Basil turned to look at Sunny, his eyes wide with fright. "I never want to go on a ride like this ever again in my life."

I probably shouldn't...I really shouldn't...

"It's okay, Basil," Sunny said reassuringly.

"Nah, just kidding," Basil responded, smiling cheerfully. "Let's go on this ride again."

***

They ran out of time to check out any of the other rides as they rode the roller coaster over and over again. Sunny loved feeling the wind in his hair, seeing Basil's smiles, and screaming together as they rose and fell.

This turned out to be a bad decision when it came time to eat, because Sunny had a hard time keeping anything down in his stomach.

Great. I'm going to show up to the meeting with my mom looking all nauseated.

He could only hope that if he needed to expel the contents of his stomach, his body would do it before he went into the hotel to see his mom.

Their last ride was a comparatively calm pirate ship swing before time was up and they had to leave.

On their way out of the fair, Basil opened up his phone, typed something on his keypad, put the phone back inside his pocket, and then checked it again six times.

"Did something come up?" Sunny asked.

"N—No, nothing," Basil replied.

This feels unusual...

"You really don't have to come along if you don't want to," Sunny said.

"I do. Let's go meet her."

He sounds very insistent.

"Okay," Sunny said. "But, just gonna warn you, I don't think my mom likes you at all..."

"I know."

The resolve on Basil's face was powerful. Sunny couldn't understand why but he felt that Basil had been preparing for this day more than himself.

As they approached the entrance to the hotel, Basil opened his phone, typed something, and then put it away into his pocket again.

"Ready, Basil?" Sunny asked, his stomach still feeling rather queasy.

"Yeah."

Sunny opened the entrance door, expecting his mom to be standing right there in wait for him, but instead found detective Jawsum fumbling around in the lobby.

"Oh, you're finally here," Jawsum said. "I'm just here to guide you to where your mother's waiting."

"I thought this meeting was supposed to be in public!" Sunny protested.

"Yeah, that was the plan, but your mother really wants to talk to you in her room rather than out here."

Sunny was ready to break this whole thing off. "Hold on. I'm not going anywhere if it's not going to be in public."

Detective Jawsum folded his arms, frustrated. "It's not like she's armed or anything. I'm going to be waiting just outside the door in case anything happens."

What?

I don't agree to this at all!

"Sunny, it's okay," Basil said, putting on a warm smile. "Trust me."

"Errhhh...what?"

"Let's go meet her and get this over with."

Just what is going on right now?

"Alright? If you say so..."

Confused as he'd ever been, Sunny arrived in front of the door to her room. With trembling hands and a racing heart, he opened the door.

His mom was sitting at a table, looking like she'd gotten a lot older since the last time he saw her, gray streaks in her hair. As soon as he stepped into the room, she bolted to her feet and rushed towards him.

"Sunny, I've missed you so much."

Well, I haven't missed you.

"How have you been?" she asked.

"Good," Sunny replied. "I've been getting by really well on my own. I have a job now, I'm almost done high school, and I've learned how to take care of myself."

He wanted to add, all thanks to Basil, but decided not to say anything until either Basil or his mom mentioned his existence.

"That's good," she replied. "How's your eye doing?"

What's with all these pointless pleasantries? Just get on with what you want to say to me!

"It's fine."

"Does it still hurt?"

"No, I told you, it stopped hurting two years ago."

"What about your vision? Is it starting to come back?"

Didn't you hear what the doctor said? My eye isn't going to get better!

"No, that's not going to happen," Sunny replied.

She frowned deeply. So far, it seemed like she refused to notice Basil standing beside Sunny, and Basil was remaining silent.

"Sunny, it's been over six months since I last saw you," she spoke. "Why would you leave me for six months?"

I'm done being nice.

"Because I hate living with you," Sunny answered.

To his surprise, she didn't even flinch at that.

"Do you like living here better?" she asked, avoiding mention of the fact that he was living with Basil. "Maybe you're planning on going to college in this city?"

"I have a job here," Sunny said, terse.

"Is your job nice? Does it pay you well enough?"

Sunny rolled his eyes. She was being incredibly rude to Basil and he wouldn't stand another second of her ignoring his existence. "Mom, are you aware of something?"

"Aware?"

He decided to segue from that question into the tirade he'd been meaning to unleash on her. "I hate how you keep talking around Basil. I hate how you never try to understand what I really want. And I hate how you let me rot inside my own room for four years without ever trying to fix my problems. You never once tried to get through to my feelings. You never asked me what was going on in my head, what I'd been going through after Mari died, or tried to teach me to face my fears. You just thought all you had to do was say 'I love you' and pretend like nothing bad had ever happened, and when that didn't work you decided to move to a new city as if that'd magically make everything better. Well, you know what? You failed. You failed so badly I left you as soon as I had money so I could move back to where I wanted to be. Is that so hard to understand? Your parenting sucks, your way of dealing with problems is toxic and unproductive, and I never want to hear another piece of 'advice' from you ever again!"

Wow...

He glanced at Basil, who looked a little shy about that outburst.

His mom's expression was full of conflicted feelings.

She's probably trying to repress most of what I said...

I really don't know how to get through to her.

"You...you didn't like the city we moved to?" she spoke. "But when we moved there, you started going out to socialize more and your grades were getting better!"

Sunny wanted to scream. "For fuck's sake, can you pay attention to my feelings for once?"

At hearing him swear, the mask she'd been wearing finally broke down. "Sunny, we can talk about feelings. We can talk about how all you ever do is let your feelings take control of you. Don't you remember, it was because of your horrible temper that made that incident happen?"

"Because you and dad kept telling me to hold back my feelings. If you'd taught me healthy ways to experience my anger instead, that never would've happened at all!"

"You think you know how to deal with your feelings better than me? You're still young. You haven't seen much of the world at all."

"I've learned to handle my feelings far better than you," Sunny said firmly.

"Learn? From who?"

She glared at Basil in anger. "Sunny, why do you keep hanging around him? He convinced you to abandon me, didn't he?"

"Basil didn't do anything. I made that decision myself," Sunny answered just as angrily.

"He must've influenced you to. You've always hung around him your whole life, of course his opinions got to you."

"W—Wait," Basil spoke timidly.

Sunny was about to explode. "You know what? Fine, he got to me. Basil taught me how to cook. He taught me gardening. He taught me to love reading books. He helped me with chemistry, English, and math. He taught me how to ace an interview and land a full time job. He took care of me when I was so sick with the flu I couldn't even move."

"I raised you and took care of you too!" she replied.

"But you never taught me how to live life, and instead let me rot in my room for four years—"

"I got you out of that phase by making you move to our new home—"

"You didn't help me at all!"

"And he helped you? By taking out your eye? By doing...that to your sister after she died?"

"I'm really sorry for what I did to Mari," Basil said.

"You're crazy!" she shouted at Basil, then lowered her voice when she realized that the detective was still standing outside. "What kind of kid comes up with the plan to hang a body to get out of trouble?"

"You went along with it," Sunny interjected.

"If he hadn't been there I would've seen what you did and forgiven you," she said to Sunny. "It's because of what Basil did that...that your father left...and that I couldn't even approach either of you about what really happened!"

"I'm so sorry for what I did," Basil apologized again. "At the time, I just wanted to protect Sunny, but now I know I made things worse."

"It's too late for apologies," she said. "You are out of your mind and I don't want you going near my son ever again."

"You don't get to decide that!" Sunny shouted, stepping to protect Basil.

"What did he do to get you on his side?" she asked furiously. "How are you two still friends even after he took out your eye and desecrated my daughter—"

"I told you exactly why, but you wouldn't listen. You're too blinded by your own hatred and misconceptions about him to even bother trying to understand my feelings—"

"Because it doesn't make any sense! Basil made you half-blind—"

"You're the one so hung up over the past that you can't find it in your heart to forgive—"

"I will not forgive the monster that destroyed my family!"

There came a knock.

All eyes turned towards the door to their hotel room.

"Hey, who are all of you?" detective Jawsum said on the other side.

"We're here!" a familiar voice called out.

Wait, that sounds like...

"Excuse me?" Sunny's mom spoke, rushing towards the door. "Detective, I told you—"

The door opened.

Sunny couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Kel, Aubrey, Hero, and Polly standing together behind the door.

Chapter Text

The deafening silence that filled the room after the door had opened—revealing that Sunny's friends were all here—was broken by Kel's cheerful voice.

"Hey, Mrs. S," Kel said, using the name everyone called Sunny's mom by back when they were all children. "We heard Sunny was throwing a reunion party, and he invited all of us to come and celebrate mom and son seeing each other again!"

Both Sunny and his mom stared at Kel in honest confusion at that statement.

"Party?" Sunny's mom retorted. "We're in the middle of—"

"We know things aren't all smooth between you, Sunny, and Basil," Hero added, smiling the most charismatically Sunny had seen in a long time. "We're not here to support Sunny against you or anything like that! We just want to get our honest thoughts off our chests."

"Honest thoughts? About what?" Sunny's mom asked.

Before she could protest, Kel, Aubrey, Hero, and Polly invited themselves into the room, standing together on the side of the space between Sunny and his mom.

Sunny cast a glance at Basil, and even Basil looked surprised at what was happening.

Did they script this whole thing out?

"Just what is going on here?" Sunny's mom demanded as detective Jawsum entered the room to gaze in wide-eyed confusion at the new arrivals.

"Mrs. S, I'd like to start by apologizing sincerely for the loss of your daughter," Polly spoke.

"I still cry about Mari sometimes! She was like a big sister to me," Aubrey said solemnly.

Wow...I have a feeling Aubrey's got something planned with the others but that is a huge change in tone from the way she normally talks these days!

"I looked up to her as a role model," Aubrey continued. "When she passed away, I didn't know what to do with my life without my big sister by my side. That's how much I missed her."

"I usually don't cry about the past, but even I can admit that every day was a lot happier when Mari was still around," Kel added with a sad smile.

Errhh, this is turning into a giant cheesefest.

"Well, you know me," Hero said, scratching his head. "Mari and I were...losing her was like losing a big chunk of my heart that I'll never get back."

Sunny looked at his mom. The empathy and sadness his friends were showing her still could not overcome the confusion written all over her face.

"Okay, why?" she asked. "Did you all come here just to say you're sorry for my daughter?"

"We just wanted to get our feelings out before we start celebrating the mom and son reunion party!" Kel said.

"No, I think you've got it wrong," she protested. "There's no 'party'—"

"And we can guess you're not in the mood for a party because of all the unresolved feelings between you and Basil, right?" Aubrey interrupted.

You guys really wrote a whole script for this, huh...

"That's why we thought we should also tell you why we all forgave Basil!" Kel piped in.

"You want me to forgive...that—?"

Before Sunny's mom could get another word in, Polly stepped forward with a whole speech prepared.

"Basil is the kindest, most thoughtful boy I've ever had the joy to be the caretaker of," Polly began. "Throughout my years raising him, I saw how he always put others before himself, always showing compassion for me and his grandma in everything he did. And the person he cares the most for is Sunny. I know he did something...wrong, in the past. But, as a child, you can't expect him to be able to fully differentiate right from wrong, so it's not fair to blame him forever."

Wait, Polly knows? Did the others tell her about what Basil and I did?

"You don't understand," Sunny's mom responded angrily. "Mari wasn't your daughter—"

"I loved Mari even above my own life," Hero said, as if he'd totally anticipated Sunny's mom to say that. "But I still forgive Basil. The last time we met, Basil apologized wholeheartedly to me. He understands that what he did was wrong, and he knows deep in his heart how much his actions ended up hurting everybody even more. I was...I was confused for so long, you can understand how angry I was at him, right? But when I heard his apology, I knew he really understood my pain. I believe he deserves all our forgiveness."

Sunny's mom stared at Hero, incredulous. "You really...? Even though..."

"If you don't believe Hero or Polly," Aubrey spoke, "to me, y'know, Mari really felt like my sister, like family, 'cuz my parents never cared 'bout me much. I was so angry at Basil when I found out what he did to my sister, for a while I really believed I'd never forgive him. But then I remembered something.

"Once, we were out during a thunderstorm, we were running to get away from the rain, when there was this really loud thunderclap that completely paralyzed me. I was so scared by how loud it was, I actually couldn't move. But Basil, only Basil came back for me when no one else did."

Aubrey glanced around shiftily at Kel, Hero, and Sunny, evoking a few embarrassed averting of eyes.

"Basil told me that if I couldn't move, it's okay, he'd stay with me. Even if it meant the two of us would be exposed to the storm—that we might even get struck by lightning—he'd stay by my side so we could face it together. That's how I remembered how much of a kind and thoughtful person Basil is...

"That's why, even though I'll never forget seeing my big sister when she died...I don't want to hold it against him. I forgive Basil."

That story hit Sunny's mom differently. For once, she didn't have a response.

"And Basil bought me this awesome pair of basketball shoes!" Kel added his angle, which gave Sunny a chuckle. "My team won at the state semifinals because of them!"

"Mrs. S, you see why we're all still friends with Basil even after what he did, right?" Hero said.

The expression on her face revealed that was stunned beyond belief. When she spoke again she stuttered, unable to form words.

Can't say I'm any less shocked.

You guys...you're all so amazing. I love you all so much.

"I...I don't know," Sunny's mom said. "There's just, too much, too much to handle and process—"

"Looks to me like your son has an amazing group of friends," detective Jawsum said. "You know what? After everything I just heard, I'm convinced. You should forgive Basil."

"I don't, I just..."

Sunny knew his mom had a lot of trouble accepting a barrage of information that contrasted her preferred worldview. Whenever someone told her she was wrong, she liked to laugh it off or just say something sweet and irrelevant.

But in this case, what was being challenged was her perception of Basil, the boy who'd done something so awful to her daughter that she'd spent years building up a seething hatred towards him.

No, that wasn't entirely correct. At first she'd believed Sunny and Basil had come up with that plan to hang Mari's body together. It was only when, after Sunny had confessed everything at the hospital, Basil had revealed that he was the one who convinced Sunny to hang Mari—

—that was when his mom's hatred towards Basil began,

when she realized that her husband had left her, and her son's life for four years went down the drain, because of what Basil did.

Basil had freed Sunny from taking any blame in his mom's eyes for their horrid plan.

All the conflicted emotions she'd felt towards Sunny, thinking that he and Basil had done that to Mari together—those emotions coalesced at once into a singular spear point of hatred at Basil.

Because to her, Basil had masterminded the total destruction of her family.

I understand what you're going through, mom.

That's why, more than anything, I feel sorry for you.

When he looked at her, he saw how the expression on her face wavered, conflicted between acceptance of everything that she was hearing and total denial.

Just like his old self, her first line of defense against accusations of wronghood was repression.

"I...I need a glass of water," she said, heading over to the sink in her room.

Sunny glanced at Basil.

Judging by the redness on his cheeks, he could assume that whatever Basil had originally planned, his friends had gone above and beyond.

They came and went all out to defend him even after all that he'd done.

Please just forgive Basil, mom.

After drinking a glass of water, Sunny's mom faced him again. The furious anger had disappeared from her face; instead she now looked miserable.

Sunny thought it was fitting. After a whole life of toxic positivity, years of pretending that what had happened to Sunny was okay and that simply saying "I love you" would make things better, she finally allowed herself to feel sad.

Actually, her miserable face is terrifying...

It really looks like she's not taking this well at all.

"Sunny, do you hate me?" she asked when she spoke again.

Sunny rolled his eyes. "I hate it when you don't listen to my feelings or when you tell me that I don't know any better just because I'm not as old as you. No, I don't really hate you. I just wish you'd leave me alone for a while—and stop trying to make me come back with you!"

"...It sounds like you hate me," she said.

"Mrs. S, you've got it totally wrong," Hero said. "Sunny just needs a break from you right now."

"I'm sure that if you let him live his own life, he'll come back to visit you one day," Aubrey added.

"But...when?" Sunny's mom said. "When will I know that my son doesn't hate me anymore?"

I hate dealing with you when you start talking like that, too.

You just want reassurance, but you can't get that if you keep asking for people to reassure you!

"I'll tell you one thing," Sunny said firmly. "If you don't accept my feelings towards Basil, then I'll never come back to visit you again. But if you do, then I'll make some time every now and then to call you and maybe visit you over the holidays."

That didn't seem to make his mom feel any better.

"You're always giving ultimatums, just like him," she replied.

Him?

My dad...?

"Just accept Basil, Mrs. S!" Kel said. "It doesn't take any effort, and you'll make your life a whole lot easier."

"But...if I do...who will I have to blame for all the horrible things that happened to my life?" The glass in her hand trembled. "I lost my daughter...my husband...and I'm going to lose my son...all because of him!"

To everyone's surprise, it was detective Jawsum that went to comfort her. He placed an arm over her shoulder.

"I know it's incredibly hard to accept, but sometimes there's no one to blame," Jawsum said. "We're all victims of extremely unfortunate accidents."

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I just...have to accept him as if he didn't do anything wrong?"

"That's not true at all," Basil responded. "Mrs. S, I did something terrible to your daughter, and I'm really sorry."

Sunny felt kind of confused but also amused when Basil bowed in the traditional manner that Mari used for apologizing sincerely in their family.

The last time he bowed in apology like that was to Hero, back at their reunion party.

Did Basil practice that apology bow just for this?

"You don't have to believe that I did nothing wrong," Basil said, rising to meet her eyes again. "But...maybe...don't hold a grudge against me forever?"

The sad blush on Basil's face at having to ask someone to forgive him made Sunny's heart tear apart.

Mom, just forgive him already! I'll never forgive you if you don't!

He could see how torn his mom felt, too. Once again, she wavered between acceptance and complete denial.

When she opened her mouth to speak, he could almost hear her next words.

"I'll never forgive you, Basil!

"You ruined my life and I'll take my hatred of you to my grave!"

He winced in anticipation.

But to his surprise, she said something quite different.

"Fine."

Huh?

"Fine. I'll forgive you," she spoke to Basil so quietly he almost didn't hear it.

That's...totally unexpected.

She faced Sunny again. "You'll call me and visit me sometimes, right?"

...Is that what you cared about this whole time?

"...Yeah, that's what I said," Sunny responded, realizing he might have made a mistake.

"Maybe a call every week? Visit me on Christmas and sometime during the summer?"

Twice a year sounds like too much! And weekly calls? Urgghhh...how about monthly at most?

"I'll think about it," Sunny said. "Look...I'll try to make some time for you, okay? Just, no promises right now."

Her miserable expression uplifted a little. She might only be depressed.

But it seemed she still had one last surprise to throw at them.

"It's funny how similar the two of you are..." she said, a tear rolling down her cheek. A sob escaped her throat. "You're so stubborn, and...you both choose to spend your lives with the worst kinds of people!"

Before anyone could say anything, she burst into tears and ran out of the room.

Did she...did she just call herself the worst kind of person?

Or did my dad have someone else to go to when he left?

Whatever—I hate how you keep comparing me to him.

I will never abandon anyone the same way my dad abandoned his family!

Detective Jawsum, whom Sunny had the strangest feeling was closer to his mom than he'd liked to know, sighed and walked towards the door. "I'll take care of it. You guys enjoy yourselves, don't worry about her—I'll handle things." And then he went after her.

Sunny was relieved that those two were finally gone. All in all, their meeting had gone better than he'd expected—and it was all thanks to his friends.

"Wow, your mom is nuts," Aubrey said once they could be certain she was out of hearing range.

"Yeah, comes with the family I guess," Sunny replied self-deprecatingly.

"Aww, don't say that," Hero said. "I admit, I kinda feel sorry for the way her life's turned out. N—Not to hold it against you or anything! I really do forgive you two, now."

"Thanks, Hero," Sunny replied.

"Anyway, what are we still doing in this boring hotel?" Kel said. "There's a fair going on outside! Let's go check it out!"

"Yeah, we've got a hotel here too for a few days," Aubrey added. "We're gonna have as much fun as we can while we're in this city!"

The sound of a roller coaster rushing down steep tracks still echoed in Sunny's ears.

He knew Kel and Aubrey were going to enjoy that ride.

***

"How did you get all our friends to come over here?" Sunny asked Basil.

"...It started when I got a call from Hero."

The two of them were by themselves again, waiting in line to buy food for dinner. Kel and Aubrey were in the line for the rollercoaster—were they somehow managing to do that without arguing? Nah, they were probably stirring up trouble while waiting—and Hero, shook from the twister ride, opted to repeatedly go on a gentle merry go round with Polly.

"He called during that week you were sick," Basil mentioned.

Right, that would be around the time Basil responded to all the calls to my phone.

"I'm sorry for keeping all this a secret from you," Basil added. "I wanted everything to be a surprise!"

"That's okay! It actually worked out pretty well."

"Ah—ah...so Hero called and told me that he felt really bad about how he exploded at us back at our reunion party. He said he's forgiven us, and he wanted to do something to make up for it. At the time I really didn't know if there was anything he could do for us, even though he insisted on it."

Yeah, that sounds like Hero all right...

"But then I heard that conversation between you and detective Jawsum, and I remembered that you were planning on meeting with your mother. So that gave me an idea—I told Hero that maybe he could be there for us when the meeting happened in case something went wrong and we needed his help. But...ah—hah... what Hero actually did, bringing along Kel and Aubrey and Polly, coming up with all those speeches about me—"

Basil blushed furiously as he remembered the kind words of all his friends.

"—I didn't plan any of that!"

"I really owe it to them," Sunny said, smiling. "But, doesn't that mean that now Polly knows what we did?"

"Ummm...Hero said to me they never told Polly! He simply explained the situation to her, and Polly prepared her words herself...with an additional note that, maybe, I, ummm, wasn't the nicest to Mari after she died because I was attempting to...make you happy..."

I guess they told Polly that Basil might have done something bad to Mari, mainly to protect me, but never really the whole truth.

Kinda reminds me of what mom told detective Jawsum.

All these half-lies.

But the more he thought about it, the less it seemed to matter. His secret was safe; by this point, everyone wanted everybody to move on from the past.

Sadly, we'll never know for sure what Polly would think of Basil if she'd heard what he really did to Mari.

Sunny kept his smile going. "Thank you for doing all this for me, Basil. I don't even have the words to express how grateful I am to everyone."

"Actually, you know what? Let's get everyone dinner at one of the restaurants around here!"

"Sounds good."

They stepped out of the queue for hot dogs, since fast food really wasn't what they had in mind anyways.

Kel and Aubrey were still some ways from the ride for the rollercoaster, so Sunny decided to go on the Ferris wheel with Basil while waiting for them to have their minds blown by the first drop. Hero and Polly came along too.

Sunny and Basil got into the first carriage, while Hero and Polly took the one right after them.

As the Ferris wheel ascended, Sunny looked out the carriage window and saw a beautiful view of the city lights as the sun descended behind the horizon. It felt amazing watching the lights in each house turn on one by one. They were like tiny stars coming into view in the night sky.

Sitting comfortably and alone together in their carriage, he looked at Basil and caught sight of a boy that he never wanted to let go of.

Basil leaned closer, and the flower in his hair brushed against Sunny's dark bangs.

They pressed their lips together into a kiss.

It didn't matter that Hero and Polly were in the carriage right behind them and would be able to see them kissing.

Sunny sank into deep, sweet pleasure as the boy who had shared so much with him, been through so much pain and trauma and anger and happiness together, kissed his lips with overwhelming passion. He melted into the warmth of those lips, felt the gentle and close embrace of his arms.

Together, they came to fully understand that they were the other half of each other's lives.

They kissed as the ride took them to the peak of the Ferris wheel, the lights of the city shining distantly below; the fear of heights had become something that Sunny accepted, felt content with.

He kissed on—like two hearts nestled in each other's tender warmth in the deep cold of winter—offering and receiving a reassurance of comfort even when surrounded by all the perils of the world.

Their kiss was a promise, a vow that they would always be there to protect and support each other through all the hard times in life—and to share all the good times together.

As the Ferris wheel descended, they gradually parted their kiss, and Sunny saw the soft blush over Basil's cheeks. He was aware of his own blush, too.

They looked at the carriage right behind them, and, to their embarrassment, Hero and Polly both waved hi.

"Ummm, did you see us during the ride?" Sunny asked once they'd gotten off.

"Yeah," Polly replied honestly.

"We all already know you two are kind of a thing," Hero added.

Sunny turned into a tomato; Basil likewise.

I guess the secret's finally out...

Whatever, it was barely much of a secret in the first place.

"S—So...even Kel and Aubrey know?" Basil asked.

Hero nodded with a smile of embarrassed acknowledgement. Basil covered his face with his hands.

Speaking of those two...

Kel and Aubrey were stunned after stepping off from the roller coaster.

"That was terrifying," Kel said.

"It almost broke my back," Aubrey said.

"So we're going on it again tomorrow, right?" Kel replied.

"Yeah, of course! What do you think I am, a coward?"

***

The restaurant that Sunny and Basil treated their friends to was an Izakaya near their apartment building.

Hero and Polly were the only ones old enough to drink, but it seemed that tonight was not an occasion for modesty. Hero ordered their purest sake; Polly demanded straight up shots of vodka. Sunny was amazed when they started downing alcohol like water.

"I've seen a bit too much of the human condition during my internship at St. Jude's hospital," Hero said, his eyes growing woozy.

"You don't want to know what I saw last week at the elderly care home," Polly said.

In no time at all, the two were mad drunk and ranting about their problems to each other. Hero, to Kel's surprise, confessed that he was sick and tired of studying for his med school exams, and Polly—

Our narrator Sunny will leave out Polly's comments about the elderly care home for the reader's own peace of mind.

Meanwhile, the sane members of the friend group ordered a whole bunch of sashimi, sushi, teriyaki, curry ramen, and tempura udon.

"Hey, Basil, I've got some news for ya," Kel said with a smile. "Are you okay with talking about, uh, your parents right now?"

"Sure," Basil answered. "They haven't contacted me in a really long time."

"Your parents reached out to me recently. They told me they're starting to come to terms with...well, your relationship with Sunny and all."

"Why didn't they call me to tell me that?" Basil asked, a bit angry.

"I told them they should, but they said they're actually afraid to approach you again after they got angry at you last summer."

"Ah, I see," Basil said. "Well, I won't have anything to say to them until they're ready to talk to me. Oh, but if they're still in touch with you, can you make sure that they're taking care of my plants?"

Ha, if they let Basil's plants die off, good luck ever talking to him again!

"Sure, I'll do that!" Kel responded.

"Thank you so much, Kel."

"No problem."

Kel has always been such a good friend.

To think that everything started because Kel knocked on my door that day...

"Uh-oh, I gotta use the washroom," Kel spoke, and promptly ran off.

Taking advantage of Kel's absence, Aubrey decided to pose an interesting question.

"So, ummm, you two are a thing now, right? Well...I definitely support you. It's just that no one ever told me that it was okay for a guy and a guy to get together. But I'm also wondering, is it okay for...a girl and a girl to get together?"

"Of course," Sunny replied.

Who is it?

"That's nice to hear," Aubrey said, smiling. "I just...well, ummm..."

She blushed quite deeply. "As an...'experiment', I kissed a girl friend the other day. I think we both liked it. Not sure what her parents would think, though."

"Who cares what her parents think?" Basil replied quite boldly.

"Wow, Basil...never thought you'd become so rebellious."

"You're my friend, Aubrey, and I want you to love the person you care about if it makes you happy!"

She was the one blushing now. "Ummm, thank you, Basil. I'll talk to her about it once I get back."

Sunny smiled. "Glad to help."

The two of them turned their heads as Hero's collided against the table with a thud.

"Looks like he passed out," Aubrey said.

"And then you know what the guy said?" Polly ranted drunkenly to an unconscious Hero. "He told me, he told me—his grandkids hadn't even visited him for over five years!"

From the looks of it, Polly was way out of her mind.

Sunny blinked multiple times. "...Maybe the Izakaya wasn't such a good idea."

***

Their friends stayed for three more days to enjoy the city, explore the fair, and even have a picnic together in the middle of the snow-covered flower field.

But life moved on, and everyone had a place to go back to. Hero and Basil both had college to worry about; Aubrey was trying to become a counsellor, while Kel was aiming for that basketball scholarship. Sunny had to keep working his job and pass his last term of high school.

Exam season for high school began and Sunny couldn't take his exams online. He had to go to a local high school examination center for each of his courses.

"Today's chemistry," Sunny said with a huge tone of resignation in his voice as he packed his writing supplies.

"Good luck, Sunny," Basil said. "Always remember the trends in the periodic table going from left to right, and up and down each column!"

"Thanks. I'm really worried about organic chemistry..."

"Well...it's okay. Even if you don't pass, I saw how hard you studied, Sunny. And you have a job now, so...it doesn't matter that badly. I'll always be proud of you for trying your best!"

Sunny blushed at those words of encouragement.

His heart leapt at Basil's smile. These days, all he could think of was spending the rest of his school-free life by Basil's side, seeing his smile every day when he woke up in the morning and when he went to bed at night.

Maybe I'll propose to you soon.

On his way to the exam center, Sunny's mind became filled with thoughts of how he would propose. He wanted to make it a truly special event.

Valentine's day was coming up in just under a month. That would be a perfect time to propose to him.

Come to think of it, what exactly happened to my mom and detective Jawsum?

I haven't heard any word from either of them since our last meeting.

He didn't really care what they were up to as long as they weren't in some major crisis, and he couldn't spare the effort to find out.

At the exam center, he filed in with a bunch of other students and took his assigned seat.

As he waited anxiously for the proctor to announce the beginning of the exam, his heart pounding in his chest, he realized—

I have to stop thinking about proposing to Basil for about two hours and focus on this piece of paper in front of me!

Chemistry, chemistry, chemistry, chemistry between me and Basil—

Ahhh, this is gonna be torture!

Then he heard the proctor say the word "start", and he immediately began writing.

Balancing chemical equations, calculating the enthalpy of reactions, drawing organic chemistry flowcharts, and explaining chirality occupied his thoughts for the next two hours. Along the way, intrusive thoughts came into his brain, making unwanted remarks and bad puns about the chemistry in his relationships.

He was sure that if mini-Something were still here, it'd be quipping at him left and right.

In spite of those setbacks, when he reached the final page of his exam, he was surprised to discover that he was already done the whole paper with still half an hour left on the clock.

Wow, that was a lot easier than I thought!

He spent the remaining half hour looking over his answers to every question to make sure they were all correct. By the time the proctor announced that time was up, he felt confident that he'd aced the exam.

Yes!

Sunny glanced around the room, wondering how all the other students felt. He looked around for any defeated faces to bolster his own confidence...or perhaps ruin his own by making him doubt his answers.

That guy over there looks like the exam gave him a rough time.

The girl sitting in front of me seems—

—Mari?

Sunny froze solid.

Her long black hair, the white dress she wore, even the way she carried herself as she walked up to hand in her paper—it was all too reminiscent of her.

When he caught a glimpse of her face, however, he knew that she wasn't Mari.

I...can't believe someone looks and dresses just like her.

It reminded me...for a moment...

Sunny sat there in his seat even after the proctor collected his exam.

A cold grief settled with him as he thought about how, if things had turned out differently, Mari might have sat in a spot just like this one to write her high school exams.

Though he'd moved on from the past, seeing such a passing image of his sister still brought quiet sadness into his heart.

He had to let the feeling flow through him, even bringing tears to his eyes.

Mari...

No matter what, I still miss you.

Sunny stood up from his seat.

He was the last one to leave the examination room, long after the girl that looked just like Mari had left.

I still have to think about proposing to Basil.

Chapter Text

Basil surfaced from underwater, coughing. "Did I make it?"

"Yep!"

Sunny was teaching Basil how to swim at the local community center.

Back when he still lived with his mom in the city, Sunny had taken some swimming lessons. Having faced his fear of deep water when he tried to save Basil after Aubrey pushed him into the lake, he'd managed to learn how to swim fairly well, at least if you considered one style of moving through water to qualify for fairly well.

At least I'm not going to drown if I get pushed into the water again!

Swimming was a vigorous, aerobic exercise and four years spent indoors barely doing any exercise did not build up a healthy pair of lungs. Sunny discovered quite early in his swimming lessons that he lacked the lung capacity to do the front crawl as well as most other styles of swimming. Holding his breath for any length of time made him quick to cough and choke and sputter. He could only front crawl for a few feet before he ran out of breath and energy.

On the bright side, spending four years in a lying position on top of his bed meant he adapted himself quite well to the back crawl. The back crawl became the only style of swimming he used, and he'd gotten good enough at it to perform a couple of laps around the swimming pool in one go. It was the first swimming style he taught Basil how to do.

"How long did I take?" Basil asked.

"Three minutes and sixteen seconds," Sunny replied.

Basil smiled, wiping the water from his eyes. "I'm much faster with front crawl, aren't I?"

Sunny turned his eyes away with a hint of jealousy. "...Yeah."

Unlike himself, Basil had not wasted four years of body growth lying in bed, and maintaining a gardening hobby meant he also possessed a healthy pair of lungs that allowed him to hold his breath underwater for much longer periods of time than Sunny ever could.

Shortly after becoming comfortable with the back crawl, Basil wanted to try another, faster swimming style. Sunny then taught him what he remembered of the front crawl, the basic motions.

To his jealous astonishment, Basil learned the front crawl quickly and he was able to maintain it for way longer. Within only a couple of months of learning how to swim, Basil had surpassed Sunny's stamina and speed in water.

Basil had just completed his first lap around the swimming pool.

"Thank you so much for teaching me how to swim!" Basil said, giving Sunny a hug.

"It's nothing," Sunny replied. "I just don't want you to be helpless if you ever end up in deep water again."

"I'm starting to really enjoy swimming! Maybe I'll start swimming all year long now...or at least when I'm away from our garden..."

Gardening and swimming as your exercise hobbies?

You're going to become so healthy and strong...

"Sounds lovely," Sunny said with a genuine smile.

"I'm going to try to swim another lap."

Over the next hour, Sunny leisurely back crawled across the pool while Basil swam laps around him.

Ever since he received his exam results back, along with his high school diploma, Sunny had lived each day of his life in a steady, carefree manner. He wasn't interested in advancing his career at this time in his life, even though other college kids his age seemed to be working hard at that. He didn't feel any time pressure to write his novel either.

With Basil's help, he was learning how to cook more dishes. He was also reading up on growing plants and flowers along with environmental conservation knowledge in preparation for the summer when he'd be back in Faraway to help Basil build a garden in their friends' old hangout spot.

Life seemed to be so calm and peaceful, yet a question remained on his mind—

Is it going to last?

Sunny would gladly have his current life over any time in his past. Adulthood gave him much more freedom than he ever had as a child, and being boyfriends with Basil added a happiness to his days that nothing else in the world could ever compare with.

Still, he missed those days when all his friends were around, those days when his sister was still here...

He usually thought about Mari every time he went swimming.

More than anything, he wanted Mari to see him right now, see how happy and fulfilled her younger brother felt with Basil by his side each day.

He wanted Mari to see her other friends too, how Hero was doing well in his med school exams, how Kel had led his high school basketball team to his school's first win at the semifinals, how Aubrey was forming her own community to support troubled kids with neglectful parents.

Maybe even mom is doing well right now.

Mari wouldn't be perfectly happy; she'd be sad at how the relationship between her mom and her brother had become strained, and very angry at the way dad abandoned their family. She might feel that it was her fault too that Hero had given up on his dreams of becoming a cook. And then, knowing all the pain, loneliness, grief, and trauma that had transpired in the years since her passing...

Sunny didn't want Mari to cry.

In his heart, he knew Mari would smile if she could see the happiness that he and Basil shared. In the coming years, that happiness would bloom in every flower that grew in the garden they planned to build, a garden in memorial of her.

As Basil swam another lap past him, Sunny turned his head and saw that the lifeguard currently on duty was swapping off.

The protective part of himself, the part that had once witnessed Basil gasping for air as he desperately tried to stay afloat in the lake, could not help but keep an eye on Basil as the lifeguard temporarily went away. Even though Basil was now arguably a better swimmer than himself, he still couldn't let his guard down in case something terrible happened.

I can never be too careful.

Sunny treaded water for a bit as he waited for the next lifeguard to resume duty.

The moment he saw the next lifeguard, he recognized her.

It's the girl I saw at the examination center the other day that looked like Mari...

She works as a lifeguard here?

The parallels emerging between her and Mari were starting to make Sunny wonder. Mari had also been an excellent swimmer and she'd been on track to passing the test that'd qualify her as a lifeguard before her death.

He found himself imagining whether Mari had a twin sister that was separated at birth.

No, they looked too different.

Perhaps over the years that had passed, his dad had adopted a teenage daughter and raised her the exact same way he'd raised Mari.

No, I don't want to believe he would...

Thinking about these things is pointless.

Those scenarios were too implausible to ever have a chance of being reality.

Sunny flattened his back against the water, resuming a leisurely back crawl. Seeing someone that looked so much like Mari was making him want to lie still in bed all over again.

***

I haven't seen Headspace in a while.

Now that college classes were back in session, Basil spent most of each day studying on campus. Sunny was on his way to visit Basil on campus after finishing work early for the day.

But the characters of Headspace are still with me.

It was funny how over time, everything settled into place quite nicely inside his head.

Omori, Stranger, Something, and mini-Something all emerged from time to time, now willfully as parts of his imagination, characters he wanted to hear an opinion from or just to talk to.

No, he wasn't schizophrenic!

Those characters were there because he wanted them to be. He developed them over time from initial representations of his fears, his depression and anxiety, his guilt over abandoning Basil—developed them into people who all had their own unique perspectives to offer. The difference now was that Omori couldn't just take over, and neither could anyone else.

Mini-Something's snarky quips entertained him when he felt bored, and Omori was like a companion to himself, a depressed and questionable advice-giving one for sure, but hey, at least he could put a face behind his darkest feelings. Knowing that it was Omori who was telling him those disturbing, intrusive thoughts somehow made them less scary, perhaps because he'd stood up after being beaten down into nothing by Omori before.

Stranger could offer advice on his feelings, and not just his feelings towards Basil.

Recently, by playing out a chat between Omori and Stranger inside his head, he'd figured out something—

"What were those Feelings Spaces we kept seeing?" Omori had asked.

"I don't think we'll ever know, but..."

Stranger's glowing eyes pierced through the red darkness. They illuminated a patch of the dreamer none of them had ever seen before.

"There was a time in the past when, faced with intense, tormented feelings, he'd retreat deeper inside his head, refusing to allow those feelings any space to flow," Stranger spoke at an image of Sunny, isolated inside a box. "But he doesn't do that anymore. Now, whenever he feels overwhelming feelings, he simply dreams about them, fully and without reservation..."

"So all those Feelings Spaces, that farm, the storm, Bittersweetheart's castle, the return to black space, the land where anger was sealed, Abbi's classroom—they're just the kind of chaotic places that'd show up when you let all your feelings flow?" Omori replied.

"Yeah, I think so. Some of them aren't fun, and some of them aren't half bad. But at least the dreamer isn't repressing his feelings any longer, making up horrible spaces."

Omori shrugged. "He's just prolonging the suffering induced by having feelings."

Sunny smiled, knowing that Omori would say those exact words.

Omori's just never gonna change.

He walked onto campus, making his way towards the library where Basil usually studied when he heard a beautiful piano melody flowing from the music building.

Wait, I know that piece...

He'd heard Mari playing it many times before.

Sunny found himself facing a crossroads. A part of him wanted to stay and listen. The other part of him felt afraid to listen to a piece that reminded him of his sister; afraid that listening would inevitably bring sadness, grief, and perhaps worse feelings.

I don't want to be traumatized every time I hear notes being played on a piano.

Against the better part of his judgment, Sunny turned towards the music building.

As he walked down the halls towards the practice room containing the piano, the melody he heard grew louder and clearer. He remembered the name of the piece, Etude number three, or 'Tristesse', by Chopin—Mari used to practice it all day long.

Those notes awakened memories of waking up early in the morning to Mari practicing the piano, memories that now felt so nostalgic they almost brought a tear to his eye...

At least it isn't that song.

When Sunny came up to the piano room, he stopped, wondering who was the player.

No, wait...

It can't be...

The chances were too low.

But it keeps happening...

He had the feeling that it was that lookalike.

When I look through the window, it's going to be...

Yep, it's her.

Sunny didn't know what to make of it when he saw the girl who looked like Mari playing the piano inside the practice room.

Black hair, white dress, same height, even the same posture and playing style.

You've got to be kidding me.

Why is she a Mari clone?!

Luckily, when he took a closer look at her face, he felt reassured that she wasn't Mari. They looked too different to even have a chance of being twins separated at birth.

Yet the fact that she kept showing up in his life, doing things that were uncannily similar to Mari's own hobbies...

It was really bizarre.

He stood by the door, quietly listening as she played the rest of the piece. Most likely he would never see her again after this encounter. Just because she kept showing up these days didn't mean she would show up again in the future.

After she finished playing, he remained standing by the door just out of sight. The feelings that poured through him created a quiet trembling inside his chest. Deep down, he wanted to ask—

Why do I keep seeing you around?

Why do you act just like my late sister, down to even the songs you both play on the piano?

Those thoughts compelled him to stay put. Perhaps she would play another piece or song he'd recognize next.

He nearly jumped out of his shoes when the door opened and she stepped out.

"Are you waiting to use the practice room?" she asked, her voice sounding different enough from Mari's to erase any last suspicions that they might be related.

While Mari had employed a polite yet strong voice that could be stern when she wanted it to be, this girl's voice was very soft and undemanding.

"Ummm..."

He glanced back inside the practice room, scanning around for a violin.

There was a violin, a viola, a cello, and several other string instruments inside the room besides the piano.

Do I really think I can play the violin again?

"Yeah," Sunny answered without even thinking.

...I have a feeling that just sealed my fate.

Better not appear too awkward!

"You played Etude number three just now, right?" Sunny continued. "It sounded really nice."

Hearing that compliment made her smile brightly at him. "Thank you. Do you also play the piano?"

Sunny shook his head. "No, I play violin."

"I love the violin. I've always wanted to learn how to play it, but it's not as easy as the piano to just pick up and start playing songs, huh?"

"I'm not that good at the violin, trust me."

"Mind if I listen to you play?"

Oh no...

The last time someone had invited him to play the violin back in his mom's city had turned out to be a disaster. He still remembered his trembling fingers, the nausea in his throat, the sheer desire to throw the violin and the bow away and just hide somewhere.

But...that's what I'm here for, right?

"Sure," Sunny replied in spite of his tense feelings.

"My name's Sarah, by the way."

"Sunny."

Perhaps, this time...

He walked into the practice room, his heart beating in overdrive. As he neared the violin he could feel sweat forming on his fingers. This scene was a disaster just waiting to happen.

"What song are you playing?" she asked.

He didn't even know himself.

Maybe he ought to play something really simple, like one of the very first songs he'd learned on the violin. That might be too boring to someone who practiced Chopin on the piano; he would rather play a harder piece to avoid looking like he just learned twinkle twinkle little star.

But then the chances of failure and catastrophe became very high. Too much time had passed since he'd practiced any of the more difficult violin techniques.

There was only one song he knew for sure how to play.

Maybe I can imagine that it's just Mari watching me play again.

With shaking fingers, Sunny lifted the bow and held it just above the strings. He took a deep breath.

I can do this.

Or I'm going to fail.

Whatever happens, I...

He played the first note.

The music that spilled out nearly brought him to tears. So many hours of practicing, failing, and practicing again rushed back from the deep chambers of his memory. He expected those memories to cripple his fingers and posture, render him unable to continue playing.

No, this time...

He paused for a moment, then resumed playing from that first note.

My memories aren't going to stop me.

Tears came into his eyes as every note fell into place. He remembered the tempo, the dynamics, every beat of the song, playing as if a piano accompanied his violin. The sounds of his childhood came back with the music.

Everyone's joyous laughter.

The wind that graced his sister's hair as they sat together on a picnic blanket.

The sun rising, then descending beyond the horizon, marking the happiness of each passing day.

Basil's plants, growing and blooming into delicate flowers that felt so pretty.

A recital.

However sad that they were, those memories became a force that pushed him to play the song to its conclusion.

He'd once played the duet inside his head, getting back onto his feet after being crushed by Omori's words.

Now he was finally able to perform it on a real violin.

When the last note faded, he lowered the violin and relaxed his posture.

His breath shaky, sweat covering his fingers, he glanced to see if he still had an audience.

A light of recognition glowed in Sarah's eyes.

"Duets for piano and violin," she spoke.

You know even that...

"It's the final duet from that music book, isn't it?"

As much as Sarah does not look or sound like Mari, everything she does is completely reminiscent of my sister!

"Yeah," Sunny replied, a tearful smile.

"I know how to play the piano part in that song! Wanna play it together with me?"

That's just...

Sunny couldn't believe it.

Although he'd managed to play the violin part on his own, he didn't know how he would feel if he played alongside the piano.

Perhaps the emotions would be too much for him to handle. Maybe, after hearing the first few notes, he'd break down, become unable to play along...

Maybe he'd even smash the violin on the floor again.

Sarah approached him.

"It's alright," she said. "By the looks of it, that song seems really important to you. If you don't want to hear me play it, I won't."

What should I say?

I...don't know what Mari would want me to do.

Would Basil want me to play it...?

Basil...he really looked forward to seeing me perform at the recital...

Because of what I did, Basil never got to see it.

I...

I want to play.

I want to play at the recital for Basil.

Sunny wiped the tears from his eyes.

He smiled.

"Can you play the piano part for me?" he responded.

Surprised at his new attitude, but smiling back, Sarah nodded and went over to the piano.

I hope I don't mess up my part.

The first notes of the duet sounded from the piano.

***

Sunny never dreamed that he could ever hear that beautiful and somber melody played by his hands again in his life.

Yet reality kept moving on past his dreams.

Moved by a feeling beyond words, a feeling born from both instinct and countless hours of practice, his hands had started to play. He knew exactly when to come in to lead the voice of the song as the piano's waltzlike melody gave way to the heartfelt main line of the duet. From there, he sang with the violin, playing every note with emotion, leaving nothing unexpressed as all the sadness inside his heart compelled him to perform.

He played for the recital; he played for his friends, who never got to see his performance; he played for his sister.

The power inside the emotions behind every note broke something deep within him.

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he remembered all those happy days from his childhood, all those days spent carefree and laughing and smiling, the snap of a camera capturing their most precious moments, capturing the vivid light of a summer that seemed like it'd never end.

The eternal summer of his childhood became the voice of his violin.

As all those feelings came rushing back, surging in with enough force to overwhelm him, he sang his heart out on the violin. He played to an audience of just one, and yet he saw all his friends and his family watching him, among them one very special boy who wore a flower in his hair.

Sunny realized that he had to let him hear.

When the last notes played by his violin faded away, he wiped away all the tears that had flown out.

"Are you okay?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah...I'm fine," Sunny replied. "Your piano playing was perfect."

Sarah smiled back. "You play the violin beautifully. I really enjoyed that duet."

"Thank you."

I want him to be able to hear it.

"Sarah, I want to record that duet for somebody."

"Oh, you want to do a recording with me?"

"I can grab my recording stuff and come back here in about twenty five minutes."

"Ummm...sorry, but I have to go somewhere right now," she replied. "I'd love to do a recording with you, though! That's always been one of my dreams as a musician."

"It's okay," Sunny said, hiding his disheartened feelings behind his smile. "You don't have to if you're busy."

"Actually, how about tomorrow? I usually come here and practice every day, anyway—same time?"

Tomorrow's a Saturday, so I don't have work!

"Yes!" Sunny replied. "Tomorrow would be perfect!"

"Okay. Well, nice to meet you! I'm glad we have similar tastes in music."

You don't even know half of how similar you are to...

...

This is Sarah. My sister is Mari. They're different people.

I'm glad for the similarities you share with her, but...my sister will always be the person I remember in my heart.

As Sarah left the practice room, Sunny walked towards the piano.

He played the first few notes of the duet using what he remembered about piano keys that Mari had taught him.

Even though he couldn't continue those notes, he managed to get the melody going in his head again, and he raised the violin to his shoulder.

I can play the violin again.

***

The day before Valentine's day, Sunny received an email from his mom.

Hey Sunny,

You probably suspected it already, I'm in a relationship with detective Jawsum now. We don't plan on getting married yet...he's just spending some time over at my place because he's quit his job—my case apparently pushed him to his limit—and now he's trying to work on something less stressful in the city.

Apparently you reminded him a lot of his daughter. He told me it's okay to tell you this. He lost her when she was around your age. He also knows you don't like being bothered by us, so the most you'll see of him is when you visit me for the holidays.

Anyway, I've been doing well. How's life with Basil? Are you two getting along? Do you need me to bring you anything?

xoxo,
Mom

Sunny rolled his eyes.

He typed a quick reply congratulating her on her new relationship, alongside an emphatic note that he and Basil were getting along fine, and that he didn't need anything from her.

Detective Jawsum lost a daughter too, huh...

Sunny felt a little sad for him, but he decided to focus on the present as he alt-tabbed over to his story outline document.

Recently, he'd decided on not making his story a novel at all.

"Hey, Sunny," Basil said, greeting him as he came back from classes. "How's the novel coming along?"

"Pretty good," Sunny replied. "It's not a novel anymore."

Basil's eyes colored with surprise. "Really? What are you making your story into?"

"A webcomic."

Basil smiled brightly. "Oh, that's even better! You're great at drawing, Sunny."

"Nah," Sunny replied. "I got someone else to draw it for me."

"Who's that?"

"Some apparel store artist. They're opening their online store soon, it's called Tomocat or something like that."

Sunny had gotten in touch with them as a fan of their apparel, and after some idea sharing and collaboration he'd come up with a whole new story to tell based on his adventures in headspace as well as his own life experiences.

Yeah, it'll definitely be a webcomic.

Hold on...maybe it'd also work as a video game?

"When I read the story you submitted to the contest, I thought it'd make a great comic or cartoon," Basil said. "You have this really vivid style of writing that paints rich, visual scenes."

"Thank you, Basil! I'll try to make sure the comic also carries that feeling."

"I can't wait to read the webcomic when it comes out."

Happy that he'd gotten at least one reader, Sunny went back to outlining his story. He planned on creating some sketches of each character to submit to Tomocat later this week.

Another issue occupied his mind.

Tomorrow was February fourteenth, and he had to make sure that everything was ready. He'd already spent quite a bit of money on all the preparations.

As Sunny checked them over on his laptop, Basil plopped down onto the bed with a cup of warm tea in his hands. He sipped the tea, a new blend of chrysanthemum, sunflower, and chamomile that Sunny had concocted, and the light in his eyes grew bright with delight.

"This tea's really good!" Basil remarked. "It tastes so calm and refreshing..."

"I'm glad you like it," Sunny said. "It's my favorite tea to drink when I need to relax after a long day at work."

"Yeah, I can see why!"

I call it the rejuvenation tea.

"So, your birthday's coming up," Sunny mentioned, hoping to distract Basil from the fact that tomorrow was Valentine's day.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot."

"Got any plans?"

The weird smile that grew on Basil's face gave Sunny the feeling that Basil already suspected that something was up.

Basil's birthday was just four days after Valentine's day; perhaps Basil knew that Sunny had something prepared for him on one of those occasions, or both.

"Not really," Basil replied. "Midterms are blocking me from doing anything but studying these days."

Sunny's light expression dropped. "I can't wait for you to be done college."

"You're going to be waiting almost four years..."

"Well, at least you won't have to worry about tests during summers."

"Yeah, we'll probably be too busy building our garden to have time to worry about anything else!"

Maintaining a garden, Sunny had researched, was tough work requiring dedicated daily labor. They'd be lugging around massive cans of water every day to water the flowers. During the hottest days of summer, that would become extremely exhausting in the humid heat.

In addition to watering flowers, they also had to pull weeds and prepare the soil for growing new plants. As the lead operator of the project, Basil would be in charge of planning out where they'd plant all the flowers; Sunny and the others (Basil's friends) would each take daily measurements of soil quality and plant growth metrics and report back to him.

Since they were dedicating the garden to Mari, Sunny had suggested that they make part of the garden a rock garden, which Mari loved visiting back then. Basil agreed with that idea and there were some interesting rocks in the vicinity that they could arrange and put on display.

They weren't going to go full zen garden mode, but a portion of their plan for the garden was to create a unique and eye-catching arrangement of rocks in the style of a Japanese rock garden. The rest of the garden would be full of beautiful flowers, shrubs, and trees accompanied by the lake.

This combined plant-rock garden style would be so visually attractive that, if they managed to pull it off, Faraway Town would gain a new tourist attraction for years to come.

Sunny grew a dreamy look in his eyes, imagining it all.

"Are you thinking of going to college, Sunny?" Basil asked out of the blue. "N—No pressure or anything!"

"I'm not planning on it," Sunny said. "But it could be something I do in the distant future."

"Oh—oh, it's just that I saw your grades from your final semester, and...I think you'd have no trouble getting accepted to the college in this city!"

"Thanks! I'm not sure what I'd study, though. Computer Science?"

I'd already taken computer science back in the city, and that was my best mark along with web design.

"You can study whatever you'd like," Basil said encouragingly.

Well, if I'm going to be working on a webcomic for the next few years, a web design degree from college wouldn't be a bad idea...

But I'm kinda interested in making games, too. It's just that I don't know enough programming.

If I want to stay with the webcomic, I could do a web design degree, and if I want to start making video games, I should go into computer science and learn programming.

"I'll think about it," Sunny said, already planning on downloading a copy of RPG Maker.

Basil laid his head back against the bed as he finished drinking the cup of tea. "I hope it doesn't sound like I'm pressuring you or anything."

"No way, you're too nice," Sunny replied blatantly.

A blush came over Basil's face. "I a—am?"

"Yeah. I've said it before and I'm keeping to it, you're the nicest person I've met."

That blush grew a lot deeper. "Thank you!"

"Nice, caring people deserve something for their kindness," Sunny went on, and leaned towards Basil.

He gave Basil a kiss on the lips, a kiss that sent a light thrill into his chest. The appreciative light that shimmered in Basil's eyes enveloped his heart in sweet feelings.

"S—Sunny, you'll stay by my side through all these years, right?" Basil said. "I mean the years that we'll spend building our garden together?"

I'll stay with you for a lot longer than that...much longer.

"Yeah, I will," Sunny replied.

I'll make everything clear to you tomorrow.

Basil smiled shyly. "I'm glad."

"Hey, it's no problem."

"It's just that...I remember you were worried that I wouldn't know what to do if you disappeared from my life, right?"

"I'm not so worried anymore," Sunny said. "We made a promise, right? I'll always return to you, and you just have to wait for me!"

"Yeah, that was it." Basil kissed Sunny back on the lips. "The feelings you gave me that day are going to be with me forever. I'm not worried about the future anymore because of you..."

"Me too. I'll just think about our promise whenever I feel like I don't what to do with my life!"

It's funny.

That promise, that vow we made to each other—

It's become the red string of fate that ties us together, stronger than ever before.

"We'll keep that promise until we both grow old, right...?" Basil asked.

"Until we die."

Basil tilted his head, a glowing smile.

Sunny kissed Basil again, drenching himself in the sweet warmth and taste of his boyfriend's lips.

Tomorrow.

That warmth settled deep in his belly, a sweetness he could never let go of.

Later that night, Sunny saw Omori and Stranger in his dreams again.

"You made a dangerous promise," Omori said to Sunny. "What if you die first? What if Basil dies? How will you go on?"

I don't know.

"It's not really something you have to worry too much about right now," Stranger said, taking Sunny's side. "The two of you are still very young."

"Accidents can happen," Omori said, turning at Stranger. "Didn't you say—an argument, a momentary lapse of judgment, or a random medical illness could take everything away?"

"That was a while ago," Stranger replied. "I've watched how these two have protected and comforted each other, and I think...they really have grown very strong together."

To Sunny's surprise, Stranger smiled.

Omori, ever the bringer of darkness and depressive thoughts, took out his knife.

"They only seem strong because nothing has ever tested their strength yet," Omori said. "Sunny, you weren't healthy during your teenage years. Maybe you'll get a life-threatening illness in your twenties or thirties, and you'll leave the world first. What do you think Basil will do? Won't he grow delusional again trying to believe you'll come back?"

"Basil learned from Sunny how to accept his feelings, no matter how painful they are," Stranger countered. "He'll find new purpose growing his garden, maybe even happiness."

"Sunny, your temper hasn't completely gotten better," Omori changed the topic. "What if you're careless again and you do something that causes Basil to die?"

I just...won't ever let that happen.

Stranger stepped in front of Sunny to protect him. "Sunny isn't who you think he is. He'd never hurt Basil."

Omori looked at his knife and gently polished it with his fingers. "You're pretty confident about that."

"Look, bad things just happen sometimes," Stranger spoke to Omori. "Instead of focusing so much on all the potential destructive events that can happen, can't you cherish the love and happiness that you already have?"

Omori almost smiled. "That optimism coming from you..."

But then Omori put away his knife. "It almost makes me want to smile, because of how devastated you'd be if you were wrong."

Well, then, smile!