Work Text:
Sunny had been in the hospital for a few days before his mother finally came to visit. She would claim that she was simply too busy with work and dealing with the logistics of the move if anyone asked what took her so long, but the reality was, she was too frustrated by the news of what happened to visit him immediately. What a screw up.
She headed straight for his room, keeping a warm smile on her face. She passed by a girl with pink hair that she did not recognize, so she paid her no mind at all. She thought she saw Kel, but she decided to ignore him, too - quite frankly, he was a bad influence on an already bad boy. Finally, at Sunny’s floor, she saw somebody much more recognizable and respectable leaving Sunny’s room.
“Henry, my, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you,” the mother greeted.
“Oh, Miss Suzuki, it’s nice to see you…” Hero said.
The expression on his face was tough to read. It looked like he was just finishing up with talking to Sunny about something.
She hoped that he didn’t say anything that made her look bad.
“How is college? I hear that you’ve been studying to be a doctor.”
“That’s right. It’s what mom and dad would want me to be, you know.”
“You’re such a good boy, Henry. I wish that my sweetie had the same kind of drive as you.”
His face briefly flickered into a frown, but it quickly changed into a smile. The mother didn’t recognize it to be forced - he still had that distracting charm quality to him.
“Well… I’m sure he’s still figuring stuff out…”
“Hm. Yes, I’m sure.”
In truth, Sunny’s mother had long decided that he wouldn't amount to anything.
“...Anyway, it was nice seeing you again! Tell your mother I said hi!” she said cheerfully.
“...Of course.”
Sunny’s mother let herself into the room. She walked over to the far end, where Sunny’s cot was.
There he was. He stared up at her with his one remaining eye, with that neutral expression that she hates so much.
What a disappointment.
“Sunny… you’ve really let me down. We were supposed to be leaving to have a fresh new start, but here you are, stuck in the hospital. What do you think other people would say about that?”
For the first time in a long time, she saw him frowning. “Mom, I’m sorr -”
“Oh, so now you’ve found the strength to talk, sweetie? Are you finally done letting mommy hold your hand?”
“...” Sunny slinked further back into his bed.
“You know, maybe it’s best that I hold your hand for you, since all you ever seem to do on your own is hurt people. You finally leave your house for the first time in years and you get into a fight. Frankly, you should consider losing an eye as a punishment, with how much I’ll be paying for this.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You should be.”
“...”
“You’re lucky to still have a parent standing by you. Unlike your father, I care about the reputation of this family. As I’ve said many times before, you’re my only child and I’m going to protect you.”
...From ruining my reputation, she thought. But Sunny understood that implication.
“...When we go to our new home, you’re going to be a good boy and never leave again, understand? I always questioned why you never went outside, but really, that’s just the best choice for you. I can’t risk you going crazy again.”
Sunny looked down at his sheets in shame, tears forming.
“You better not cry, Sunny. You know how it’ll look to other people. I have no problem with you crying at home, but you can’t do it here.”
Sunny tried. The tears stopped, but he trembled instead.
His mother decided that was an improvement. “Don’t be so sad. Mommy loves you. If I didn’t, I’d have thrown you out a long time ago.”
Only because it wouldn’t have been legal, but she didn’t say that part.
She turned around, no longer looking at her son. “Now, I have to sort some things with the movers. The move will be delayed since I’m using the deposit to pay for your hospital bills, so I need to square some things. ...Really, Sunny, you shouldn’t be making things so hard on your dear old mother.”
“I-I’m so sorry...”
She didn’t even acknowledge that, walking straight out of the room. She was so focused on leaving that she didn’t see the girl hiding in the adjacent cot, even with that distracting pink hair.
Sunny's mother put her best smile back on. Appearances mean everything, after all. Sure, her son is a miserable failure that killed his sister and is walking around with one eye now, but as long as she can shove him where no one can see him, everything will be okay.
She got back to the ground floor of the hospital and walked out to the parking lot. However, upon reaching her car…
“What the…?”
The driver side of the car had been vandalized during her hospital visit. Thick black spray paint covered it, with big letters declaring her as: SCUM.
Sunny cried into Aubrey’s arms. She shushed him calmly, while looking at her phone with cold fury. She had come to the hospital with Kim, since they were planning to tag a place after visiting Sunny. She did not expect Hero to be there, expressing concerns about Sunny’s living conditions in spite of his cold outlook on the truth.
And she certainly didn’t expect Sunny’s mother to finally come and say all that. She knew that Sunny may have had it hard when she visited him and Basil, but hearing his mother say all that enraged her. Enough to immediately text Kim to fuck things up.
Kim texted Aubrey about the reaction of Sunny’s mother. Satisfied, she pulled Sunny into a proper embrace. “Don’t worry, you have me with you. Everything is going to be okay…”
And everything will be. So long as Sunny’s mother is still in Faraway, she’ll make sure that everyday will be hell for her.