Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Whenever I got to a certain age when little, mom and dad set an arranged marriage for me and this random chick named Gertrude. I’m not even sure if she was from Faraway or where she came from, but I knew one thing. She was the first person that I actually hated.

Now I know hate is a really strong word. I’ve never used it for a person before. Even when my mom would scream at me and call me useless, I’d never hate her. But God was Gertude so different in so many more worse ways.

I met her after the whole truth thing with Sunny. It took a long while but we all forgave him- Basil not so much ehe, but we all did our best.

Mom wanted me to meet this chick, Gertrude, whenever I turned eighteen. Apparently she had stuck me in an arranged marriage with her without talking to me about it in the slightest. Settling was the very last thing I was thinking of at that moment; I was still a kid and wanted to live my life y’know?

I remember trying to talk to Hero about it, but no matter what we said to mom and dad they just didn’t care. They really just wanted me out of the house and busy as soon as possible.

At a certain point I gave up on fighting; if it was what mom really wanted for me, I guess I’d comply if it made her happy. I just wanted her to be proud of me for one thing I guess.

I only saw her one time before the wedding was set. She had long brown hair that she often kept in a bun, and wore way too much make-up. I bet if I pushed her into something that there would be a print of her face on the wall from how caked on it was.

She was very obviously pampered her whole life because she expected me to do absolutely everything for her. It ticked me off a little; I’m not a butler! But, if it made her happy, I would always hesitantly comply after a while.

The wedding felt so empty and just not real. You’re supposed to get married to who you love- not some random chick your parents think looks pretty. I never even got a chance to fall in love thanks to Gertrude.

But no , none of those things are what made me hate her, that came a lot later. It all started about a year after being in this fake feeling marriage, where she demanded for something that I definitely was not comfortable with.

“Sweetie?” I didn’t like that she called me that. It made my skin chill horribly.

“Yea?” I answered, forcing on a smile.

“I want a kid.” She stated. She didn’t ask me. She never asked for anything. She stated things and got them, and if she didn’t she’d get violent. I’ll just say that she got what she wanted even though I said no multiple times.

I never told anyone what happened.

Our daughter’s name was Kendal, I was surprised when I got to name the baby. She definitely got my hyperness; she’d run around nonstop and not be tired in the slightest afterwards. Hector was getting to be an older doggo, but he never let that stop him from running around with Kendal.

If I’m honest, Kendal was the one reason I didn’t just run away one night. I definitely would have if it weren’t for her; her mother may have been a bad person, but she was a good kid, she deserved two parents.

Whenever Gretrude would start yelling, Hector always made sure to be with Kendal. he was a good boy. He knows to stay next to little ones when they are at their lowest.

Even back when I was a kid and Hero screamed all those hurtful things to me, Hector came in to comfort me. He did his best just like his dad (me obviously!) and I was so glad he did.

----

I awoke from the dreadful screams of my alarm clock. It was six in the morning. I nearly pressed snooze as a habit before Kendal hopped into my bed; her hair was a wreck, as always, so every morning I styled it for her.

I was super bad at styling her hair at first, but as the years went on I got pretty good at it. It was actually kinda fun to do, but I’d be too embarrassed to tell anyone that. Kendal seemed to like it as well; one time I caught the little rascal undoing her hair right after so I could make it better.

She was always the most hyper kid, but then again, maybe feeding a four year old pancakes with way too much syrup every morning for breakfast wasn’t the best idea. She seemed to enjoy it though and all that really mattered I was the only one that ever really watched her, so my rules go-gert.

Man she did hate that nickname. I remember the first few times I said it out loud. She slapped me the first few times but now she just glares. Man, does she need to lighten up. At times like that I felt the urge to run away, I never did for Kendal’s sake though.
I grabbed her some little kid overalls with a striped shirt and set them in the bathroom while I went to cook for her. Thanks to Hero, I could kind of cook now without causing a fire! I even made a smaller doggo safe pancake for Hector; the old guy deserves something tastier than gross dog food.

“Daddddd!” Kendal called out in a whine, kicking the chairs next to hers as she ate.

“What is it, kiddo?” I asked her with a smile.

“We’re gonna be late!” She chuckled.

“No we ar-” I saw the clock, I had 15 minutes to drive her to school, which was usually a 20 minute if not more drive thanks to traffic.
“Shit!”

I quickly turned off the burner and grabbed her under the arm, running to the car. I sat her in her seat and quickly buckled her up, then got into the driver's seat and zoomed off. I needed to make sure she was on time so I may or may not have sped a little.

We just barely managed to make it there in time. I walked her inside and to her classroom, giving her a small kiss on the forehead before leaving,
“Try to cause a minimum amount of chaos!” I chuckled, patting her on the head.

“Maybe!” She did a small giggle before running off to her friends. She really reminded me of me when I was little. I missed those times a lot. Sunny, Aubrey, Hero, Mari and Basil. Everything was so nice back then.

I shoved the thoughts to the back of my mind and walked back to the car. Today I had an off day and I really wanted to do something away from home. I hated being near Gertrude. All she did was force me into doing things I didn’t like (or worse), but she doesn't do it while Kendal is home as much, so I feel safer whenever Kendal is there.

I checked my phone and once sat down in my car, I saw a message from Sunny. I hadn’t actually seen Sunny in person for a couple of years, but we kept contact online almost constantly. Whenever Gertrude was out I’d even call him sometimes. It felt so nice and comforting knowing that I got someone to go to and talk to.

The message said something that made my body fill with excitement.

7:17AM

Sunny: hey Kels, I’m moving back to faraway.

Sunny: after some thinking I thought it would be nice to go back there.

Sunny: miss you.

I don’t really understand it myself, but I felt my heart in my throat as I replied happily. It made me so happy that Sunny was going to come back; I hadn’t seen him in forever. Me not seeing him in person for so long was probably why I felt so overjoyed at the thought.

I hastily replied, smiling like an idiot.

7:19AM

Kelsey: HEYHEY

Kelsey: FOTR RREAL????

Sunny: yes, for real

Kelsey: I’M SO GLADD

Sunny: awh, me too

Kelsey: WHENA ND WHERE AMD AAAAAA??

Sunny: i already got a house, just need to move everything inside.

Kelsey: I CAN HELP

Sunny: that would be really helpful, thank you.

Sunny: Is today or tomorrow fine for you?

Kelsey: I CWM NOW!

Sunny almost immediately sent me the link to his new place, and to my surprise, it actually wasn’t too far from Kendal’s school.

I drove over and soon saw Sunny sitting on the porch of a house that was a mixture of white and light blue. The garage of the house was open and I could tell that there were already some boxes Sunny managed to get to inside the garage himself alone.

It must have been fairly obvious that I arrived, because I do not think anyone else but me would have an obnoxiously orange car in Faraway. Sunny seemed to think so as well because he approached the vehicle with a soft smile.

I hopped out and was surprised to be met with a hug from Sunny. If he were a stronger person, he probably would have hugged me to death there. I didn’t waste a second hugging him back.
“Missed ya!” I felt my dorky grin return to my face.

“You too.” It was a long moment before he finally let go of me but I really didn’t mind, ‘cause he smelled nice. It was all nice. I didn’t get that a lot from anyone but Kendal. She was a huge hugger like I was when little.

“I could get a lot of things into the house,” He looked towards the garage for a moment,
“There are a lot of things I will need you for, though.” He wandered towards the huge moving van in front of his house.

All of his furniture was really aesthetically pleasing to look at. Definitely had Sunny written all over them, as he liked things like that a lot, but also had variety. I liked that about him a lot.

“Where should we start?” I questioned.

He looked at me for a moment, thinking before returning his gaze to the truck,
“Hmm, should we start with furniture?” He asked, putting a finger on his chin.

I replied with a nod and dorky smile.

After a few hours, we managed to get all the big furniture out and into their places inside the house. Sunny chose a pretty nice place. It really smelled like febreze though.

It started getting late, and I knew I had to pick Kendal up soon. I really didn’t want to stop hanging around Sunny though. I went into my thoughts for a moment and realized maybe Sunny would like to meet the crazy little kid.

“I gotta pick up Kendal, wanna come with?” I asked while standing up off the stair on his porch. I was fairly surprised at how quickly he replied, standing almost immediately with a nod.

“Her school is actually really close by, wanna walk?” I couldn’t exactly find a reason why I smiled so big around him, but I liked it.

“Let's be on our way.” He smiled back at me.

We slowly but surely made our way there. I made sure to slow my pace for Sunny. Yes, he was taller than he used to be, but to me he was still a shortie that I didn’t wanna exhaust.

We got to the school after a few moments. The whole walk was him asking me about how things have been. I felt kinda bad for lying about most of it so I wouldn’t worry him. He's really busy and doesn’t need that on top of the things he does.

He seemed a little suspicious of things I said, but overall, I’m sure he thinks I’m a-okay!

The bell soon rang after a few minutes, and all the kids ran out to parents that were sitting outside. Kendal ran into me so fast I thought I would get knocked off my feet.

“Hey daaaad, today I hit a boy with a stick!” Kendal exclaimed, beaming with happiness.

“Better than usual,” I pat her on the head, noticing how her hair was all messy from her running around throughout the day.
“C’mere.” I said as I fixed her hair back up.

“Dad, who's that?” She pointed at Sunny with a curious expression.

“That is my best friend, Sunny!” I smiled, Sunny returned the expression.

“Woah, you have friends, dad!” Kids always say the most embarrassing things, don’t they?

Sunny just bursted out laughing on the spot and I felt my face grow warm from embarrassment- at least I think it was from that.

“Yes, I have friends, you little butthead!” I did an overdramatic pouty face to her and she just replied with a childish giggle.
“Mom said you don’t!” She evilly laughed and headed off towards where I usually would park my car.

I felt a small pit in my chest while she said that, though I knew she intended it well. Sunny looked at me skeptically, so I smiled at him in reassurance. He let out a soft sigh.

“She’s escaping, daddy.” He grinned, before pausing for a moment. “Wait no-” His face went bright red as he looked away in pure embarrassment.

I went quiet for a moment before bursting out into laughter. I got the joke he was trying to make but it just sounded so funny and wrong coming from him.

That was the first time in forever that I laughed so genuinely and happily. It felt so refreshing and nice; I haven’t been this happy since before the marriage and all this crap that has been going on for the past few years. Sunny really made me happy. Guess he really was my best friend.

My chest felt overloaded with fireworks and I didn’t understand why. I felt so weird near Sunny. It was a good type of weird, but it was so confusing. I wanted to be around him more.

“Let's grab her before she- Uh! Steals a car or something.” I chuckled and ran after her, Sunny following after a moment. I could tell he was super embarrassed from how he refused to make eye contact.

Sure enough, Kendal was trying to cause some sort of mischief, because she was trying to open the door to a random car.
“Hey! No hotwiring cars or whatever you’re up to, kiddo!”

“But it’s unlocked, they are asking for it!” She grinned. I picked her up under my arm and returned to Sunny.

“We should head back.” I smiled. Sunny nodded in agreement.

We all walked back to Sunny’s house since that was where the car was. I saw the time once we arrived but decided we had a little longer before we had to go home.

Kendal wore a huge grin the entire time; she even started talking to Sunny a lot. It made me really happy inside that she liked Sunny. He seemed to like her just as much, teasing her a little bit with really cute smiles- I mean uhm, not but. Okay yeah, but that was a normal thing to think about a friend.

“Need more help with the rest of the stuff in the truck?” I questioned, ready to help him if he needed any more help. I would rather stay there helping than go home.

“I can handle the rest,” He smiled softly and hugged me once again,
“Thank you.”

He did a happy hum before letting go of the hug, looking at me with this look in his eyes that made my face feel on fire. It was such a trusting look; it made me feel so safe.

“Eheh, I’ll see you soon. If you need help or anything, gimme a call!” I told him, he nodded in response. I might visit him for a minute after I pick up Kendal from school tomorrow.

I buckled Kendal into the carseat and we made our way home.

Chapter Text

“Daaad?” I heard Kendal call out to me while I was driving.

“Yeah, kiddo?” I replied with a light smile.

“Sunny is a weirdo!” She bluntly giggled,
“But, pretty cool too. He has one eye like a pirate!”

I chuckled to myself. She was right. He was like a pirate. Kinda as cool as one too.

My thoughts were cut short by us arriving home. I felt my heart sink into my stomach as I opened the door. The entire living room was a wreck, couch pillows on the ground, clothes were everywhere along with other belongings. Poor Hector was laying underneath the couch.

“Get Hector and go to your room, I love you sweetie.” I whispered to Kendal, forcing on the best smile I could to reassure her. I also handed her my phone to play Candy Crush or whatever she wanted on it to distract herself.

She nodded and quickly tiptoed to her room with Hector, shutting and locking the door behind her. She was a smart kid and knew the drill.

I thought back to me and Kendal’s promise we made when she got old enough to understand what was going on a little more. ‘When mommy is mad make sure to go to your room with Hector and always lock the door until I come back.’

I slowly walked around looking for wherever Gertrude was in the house. It was kinda funny how it felt like I was in a horror movie. Like she’d just jump out and try to choke me the second I turn a corner.

I looked in the kitchen and didn’t see her. She wasn’t in the living room, nor the bedroom. I went inside the bathroom and saw the curtain was shut. I felt my heart drop into my stomach as I approached it, quickly opening it before seeing nobody was in there.

Confused, I walked out and she was right there. She yanked me down to her level by the collar of my shirt. The look on her face terrified me. I wanted to run but knew that I couldn’t.

“Where the hell were you all day?” She was holding the collar of my shirt so tight it hurt my throat.

“With a friend, h-helpin’ them move in, y’know?” I let out a nervous chuckle that did nothing but piss her off more than before. She stared daggers into me.

She slapped me really hard; I could feel a sting where the impact of her hand hit me for a few long moments.
“Tell me the truth, you bastard.”

“I am, Gertrude.” I tried to back her off of me but she let me go as a retaliation so I’d fall back.

“Say the truth right now.” I didn’t understand why she thought I was lying so badly. What did I ever do to make her trust me less to the point of her hitting me?

I tried to stand back up but she kept pushing me back down, my head almost hitting the rim of the bathtub behind me. Thank god it didn’t.

She reached for a pair of tweezers next to the sink and attempted to approach me, I kicked her back and got out of the bathroom as fast as I could.

“Put that down or I’m calling the cops right now- Gertrude, you know I don’t want to.” I lied, I really wanted to. But in the back of my mind I just couldn’t do it. I may hate her and want to never see her again but at the same time my brain keeps thinking of her as another human being.

“Lucky ass.” She walked into the hall and threw the tweezers onto the floor, they slid past me, almost hitting me.
“You better clean this shitty house, useless.” She spat, slamming the door to her room behind herself

Inside I wanted to scream at her. I wanted to scream at her so badly, but I really didn’t want anything to get worse than it already was. The fact this isn’t out of the ordinary here makes me feel so unsafe and even more worried about Kendal.

I did the secret knock only Kendal and l knew on her door, and she opened the door with a worried smile. I walked in and we locked it afterwards.

She hugged me and I felt myself almost start crying, I bit my lip to prevent the tears from falling. Kendal looked at me with gasp,
“Dad, you have a boo boo!” She poked a spot on my face and it hurt more than it usually would.

“Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt!” I reassured her. She was little enough to believe me really easily.

We didn’t leave that room for a few hours. We finally came out once it was nighttime. I quietly walked out and made her dinner, chicken nuggets and mac. It was her favorite meal and I made it for her on days like this because it made her smile huge. After dinner I got us popsicles and we ate them together in the safety of her room. I grabbed my phone from inside her room on my way out and tucked her in.

After she went to bed I reminded her to lock her door and I cleaned up the house. Luckily, nothing was broken. It was just a huge mess, it took about two hours to clean it completely.

I was just glad that her little tantrum was done for today and I could finally relax.

I checked my phone and saw I had a couple of unread messages. They were from Sunny- from hours ago. I felt bad for accidentally ignoring him for so long. I opened the chat to see what he had messaged but then I noticed in the corner of the screen there was the symbol for being on a call. I felt my heart sink into my stomach. I hoped that it was merely a buttdial from a few minutes ago, but the voice calling my name on the phone worriedly meant something different.

The messages on the screen read,

5:02PM

Sunny: hey Kels, make it home safe?

7:13PM

Sunny: Kel?

Sunny: Kel, are you okay?

Sunny: I’m going to call.

[Call started at 7:14PM]

I put my ear to the phone, feeling myself begin to shake. I was so scared that he found out.
“Kel is that you? Kel? Please say it is.” I heard Sunny’s voice say in a voice that sounded so shaky and scared.

“I’m here..” I whispered into the mic, walking out onto the porch to continue the call.

“Are you hurt? Are you okay?” He was asking so many questions and I just didn’t know how to answer them all. Should I cover it up or should I tell him the truth? My mind jumped between the two things for so long before I finally answered,

“I’m okay, don’t worry.” I whispered into the mic.

“Kendal answered the phone, she said that Gertrude was fighting you and I heard so many noises in the background.. I was so worried.” He really did sound worried, his voice cracked every few words as if he was stressing his voice.

“Everything is okay, she just got a little mad is all.” I tried my best to reassure him but he still didn’t seem to believe it. He could read me too well.

“I heard the cops mentioned..” He said quietly, pausing for a moment before saying more,
“Are you going to be okay?”

I thought for a moment before replying, gripping my shorts tightly as a way to keep myself from the shaking that calmed the more I heard Sunny’s voice.
“Of course, Sunny.”

“Will you come over tomorrow?” He asked me, it sounded like he needed to see me in person to be reassured of what I had been saying.

“Of course,” I felt myself smile a little bit to myself while thinking about him. I tried once again to reassure him,
“I’m sorry for worrying you, everything really is okay.”

“Thank you.” He sounded somewhat relieved, though not completely.

Deep down I really wanted to see him and I didn’t understand why I wanted to see him so badly. I shouldn’t wanna be so clingy to a dude, right? It’s probably because I missed him for so long- nothing more.

There was a comfortable silence for a short while till Sunny said something, and when he did, I felt entire flower fields of butterflies fluttering in my stomach.
“I care about you a lot, dummy. Stay safe.” He said softly, hanging up with a chuckle.

I went inside and went to my room, setting my alarm clock before laying down.

My head was overflowing with different thoughts, I couldn’t sleep. Sunny kept running around in my mind, along with Kendal and how I needed to stay for her. I sat and thought about Sunny for another long while.

I kept questioning why I wanted him around me so badly. How I wanted him to hug me again like he did when seeing me. It felt so safe right there, like nothing could ever hurt me as long as I was right there. I wanted to be right there again- I wished I could turn back time to just feel those feelings again. I didn’t know what I felt for Sunny but god I don’t think it’s just friendship.

It’s not normal to want to be held by your best friend- it just isn’t and god I feel this guilt looming over me for it. I wish I could understand my emotions better. I felt like I needed to shove these down- I’m married for christ's sake. I can't just divorce her. I gotta stay for Kendal no matter what my emotions tell me to do.

I planned to try my best to shove all these feelings down, for Kendal’s sake. It’ll be worth it. All kids need a mom, right? Mines not the best example, or Aubreys- also Sunny’s mom. For a slight moment I thought it would be better to leave but I did my best to shove it down. I felt trapped.

---

My alarm was going off once again, and almost like clockwork Kendal ran in and jumped onto my bed.
“Dadddd!” She giggled while jumping on the bed.

I got her ready for school and while doing so, I decided I’d go visit Sunny afterwards. I really wanted to see him.

This morning I made me and Kendal these french toast sticks from the freezer that you put in the microwave. Another one of Kendal’s favorites. She had the biggest smile on her face whenever she ate them. It was always adorable.

I dressed her up and styled her hair into cute pigtails today. She handed me a few colorful hair pins with a giggle,
“You do something with your hair too, daddy!”

I looked at the pins and put them on my hair; Kendal was overjoyed that I did it. She giggled while she got up and ran towards the door.

She hopped into the back seat and I bucked her into her seat, and with that, then we went on our way. She told me all about the things she did yesterday at school while we approached the school- including the reasoning for hitting a kid with a stick. He totally deserved it, little asshole.

I walked Kendal to her class and once again kissed her on the forehead before she giggled, running off to all her little friends.

I decided to use my car this time due to the fact I needed to get home as soon as possible to prevent Gertrude getting mad again. I got out and knocked on the front door, Sunny almost immediately opening it.

He hugged me again, and this time I didn't hesitate when hugging him back. I held him as tight as I could the moment the hug started. My heart was beating so fast, he could probably hear it.

“Lets sit.” Sunny suggested in a soft voice, shutting the door behind me and sitting down on the couch. He somehow got so many things unpacked into their right places from one day alone; he really was one hell of a hard worker.

I sat next to him, hating the feeling I felt without his arms around me- god why am I acting so weird and clingy? I’ve never been like that before.

“You don’t have to say anything,” He reassured, putting his arms out as an offer to comfort me.

I promptly took the offer leaning into his arms. I felt so exhausted from yesterday. I felt myself just melt in his arms. I hoped I wasn’t too heavy and squishing him, but he didn’t seem to mind too much.

“Is your face okay..?” He asked me in a soft voice.
“Did you get hit?”

“No I didn’t, just uh- tripped!” I tried to make up a reason. Sunny obviously saw through it, he wasn’t an idiot, but he didn’t press the matter any further.

“I’m here for you, okay?” He reassured me. I felt so safe. I hated the thought of me having to go soon. Back to that house with that woman. I just wanted to pick up and leave.

“Mmhm,” I mumbled as a reply, finally getting up,
“I gotta go, Gertrude will get super mad if I’m late.” I let out a small, forced chuckle in attempt to make light of what I just said

“Wait-” He said a little louder than his usual tone, looking really embarrassed for a moment before continuing,
“Nevermind, just remember I’m here for you.”

Those words meant the world to me in so many ways, and I felt my face grow warm after he said them to me. My heart in my throat, I managed to reply with a dorky smile,
“Thanks Sunny!”

I gave him one tight hug before leaving. I felt like fireflies were inside my chest, so tingly and warm inside. I loved it, it was so weird and funny feeling but oh so nice.

I hopped into my car and drove back to the house. The entire drive I was just replaying those feelings and god I just noticed that I had fallen for Sunny. I’m a dude who is married too- I can’t just fall in love with someone while married.

I had no clue what I should do. I felt so guilty, why did I have to fall for Sunny? I didn’t understand it at all.

Chapter Text

I quickly hopped out of the car and crept inside; the quieter I was when getting in, the less chance of her getting mad at me being noisy.

I noticed Gertrude was sitting on the kitchen counter, and she had a huge frown on her face.
“We’re going to talk.” she stated

“Okay,” I did a small sigh as I stood in front of her.

“You’re going to be more affectionate to me.” The thought of being near her made me sick.

“Why should I?” I regretted saying that out loud.

“You will.” She glared, getting off the counter, walking closer to me.

“I refuse to..” I felt all my anger finally build up to bursting; I finally was so sick of her shit to the point of breaking. I wanted to tell her exactly how I thought about her.
“I hate you.” I said simply.

“You don’t hate me, Kel!” She did this irritating smirk at me,
“You love me, Kel. You always have and always will! Right, love?” I never loved her in the slightest, I was only there because my parents wanted me to be there. I wanted to go, to run, to never see her again.

“I.. don’t love you.” I forced a chuckle out of habit,
“I don’t love you at all.”

“Even if you don't, you're gonna stay here, just like your parents want. You’re pathetic and could never raise a kid on your own. Plus, where would you go? You’re too incompitant for anything like that.” She had this sick grin on her face, “You’re so useless, but with me you’re worth something, Kel.”

I looked down, feeling empty. Was she right? Was I really that useless? Did I have to stay here to be able to do anything?
“I’m not useless.” I denied,
“You’re the useless one.”

She began to glare, her sugar coated tone melting away like a lollipop.
“Take it back.”

“I won’t!” I yelled at her and she crashed into me, knocking me into the dinner table by the neck before landing me onto the ground. She got up and put a foot onto my neck before I could react.

“Say sorry right now!” She screamed at me.

I grabbed the bottom of her foot and pushed it up, resulting in her losing balance. I hastily scrambled up and got to my room, grabbing a box from under my bed.

Suddenly I felt something around my neck, I couldn’t breathe. She was trying to stop me from leaving. Gertrude had a cell phone charger cord around my neck, still holding it as tight as she could while I tried to fight her off with all my strength.

I could barely breathe, my throat burning, gasping for air.

It felt like it took hours to get her off of me; I had to slam myself backwards into a wall to get her to let go. I was so terrified I couldn't think straight.

I grabbed the box and ran outside the house, calling Hector after me as I began running to my car as fast as humanly possible. I immediately locked all the doors once Hector was in and backed out, that woman bursting out the front door after me. It was too late, though I was already in the middle of driving off.

I really didn’t know where to go. I was so lost. I knew I could never go back to that house- what would I tell Kendal? I should have just kept quiet and she’d have somewhere to call home, but I refuse to let that woman have her.

I didn’t even notice that I had been driving for long enough to be at Sunny’s house. I felt I might as well talk to him. It felt like he was the only one I could go to about this. I put the AC on for Hector and left for Sunny’s door.

I stood at his doorway for a long moment before finally knocking on the door. It took a few seconds but Sunny opened it, his hopeful expression immediately broken at the sight of what I looked like.

“Oh my god, Kel-” He immediately pulled me inside. He grabbed onto my shirt and walked me into the bathroom that linked close to the living room. He reached into a box that was in there and pulled out a ton of medical stuff for injuries.

“Sit down.” He told me , pointing at the toilet. I put the lid on it and sat down; it was probably so he could see closer.

He put this stuff that was on a piece of cotton on a few spots on my face, and it stung a little, but not for too long. He even put some colorful band aids onto me.

“Do you have any more?” He asked in a small voice, his voice cracking a little. He cupped my face with his hands; they were so cold yet felt so comforting on my face.

“Little ones, they aren’t that important.” I smiled. I felt my face grow warm from his touch.
“I’m sorry.” I felt myself mumble out of habit.

“Don’t be sorry Kel.. why are you sorry?” He gently rubbed his thumb across my cheek with an expression that felt so soft and loving to me. Nobody ever treated me like that.

“I just.. I didn’t know where to go, Sunny.” I bit my lip in an attempt to prevent my eyes from pouring tears just then. Nobody had seen me cry before. not since me and Hero’s fight when we were just kids.
“I don’t know what to do.”

I hated feeling so weak, so helpless. I was supposed to be strong so I could support everyone else, but look at me right now. I can’t protect anyone like this.

“Will you tell me everything?” He asked me. He looked so scared for me. He let go of my face and grabbed one of my shaky hands, squeezing it with a look of reassurance, saying he was here for me.

After a long moment I finally nodded in agreement. I would tell him about all the shit that woman has put me through for so long. It was Sunny, I could trust him with anything. He's always been there for me.

We sat down in the living room onto his couch. I was so scared to tell him but I really didn’t understand why. Was it because I felt like she would know I told someone? Maybe Sunny would think I’m weak after hearing what I had to say, judging me for not being strong enough to stand up for myself for so long.

“I.. I really don’t know where to start- Augh, I’m sorry.” I felt like I needed to be so sorry and I didn’t know why. It was such a bad habit of mine nowadays.

“Start small.. I’m here for you, Kels.” He scooched a little closer to me. It made me feel a little more safe. How did he know just the right things to say?

“Mom and dad forced me to marry her.. I- I never wanted to. I never even liked her for a second.” I paused momentarily to gather all my thoughts,
“I only ever stayed to make mom and dad happy. She did so many bad things to me but I felt like everyone would hate me if I left her.”

“You of course don’t have to answer this but..” Sunny looked me in the eyes,
“What did.. What did she do to you, Kel?”

“She’d hit me when she was mad.. and she’d always force me to do stuff, even when I.. when I said no a bunch of-” I felt tears begin to flood out of my eyes; the rest of what I said must of been inaudible thanks to how my voice was cracked and shaky from the tears.

I tried to wipe all the tears away but they just wouldn’t stop. They kept flowing out of my eyes like pouring rains in warm may.

I felt a pair of gentle arms embrace me, softly brushing his fingers through my hair to comfort me. He sweetly whispered in a reassuring voice,
“You’re safe now, I promise.”

Those few words meant so much to me; I felt myself just break down right there. He didn’t let go of me for a second, whispering reassurances as I sobbed so hard right in his arms.

“I don’t want to go back, Sunny!” I gripped the back of his shirt as if it were for dear life. Every passing moment I just kept crying harder and harder, as if all the times I've wanted to cry over the years all built up till bursting right now. I tried my best to stop my arms from shaking by holding him tighter,
“Hector is in the car- and what am I going to tell Kendal? I don’t- I don’t know what to do.”

“You all can stay here.” Sunny reassured me. I could feel his chin move ever so slightly as he smiled.

“I don't wanna be a nuisance, you've just moved here and-”

“It wouldn’t be one at all.” He interrupted, letting out a soft chuckle before continuing.
“It would be really nice, actually.”

Sunny really was too sweet, always thinking of others, protecting things that are hurt and nursing them back to health. He must have gotten that from Mari; she was a lot like that when we were little. I remember Mewo went missing one time while Sunny was living up north and I managed to convince Gertrude to let me drive up and help him.

It took hours, but we found her. She was in a shed in his backyard. Apparently, she had kittens in there and Sunny immediately lit up with joy, hugging me so tight I thought I’d lose my breath. He took a week off work just to take care of the kittens with Mewo. If I’m honest, I thought his efforts were adorable. Not many people would go out of their way so much to help their cat’s babies.

Another time there was this orange cat that had been running around for weeks, meowing at people, starving. Sunny immediately picked the tabby up and took it home. He fed it some tuna from the store down the road and made it a small bed out of blankets. I remember watching him fall asleep on the floor next to the cat that night. I guess I’m the cat now.

I leaned forward, putting my head onto his chest, pretty much acting as a huge, moronic blanket on top of Sunny. I probably was squishing the life outta him, but he didn’t seem bothered by it, still ever so gently petting my head. The tears finally stopped.
“How can I ever make this up to you?” I asked, expecting some kind of requirement. He looked at me with a grin.

“Hmm,” He thought for a moment. I put my chin onto his chest, looking him in the eye while he let out a chuckle,
“You don’t have to make up anything.. But I.. wouldn’t mind erm… a kiss as payment.”

I felt my brain fry like fried chicken. He was definitely joking- I mean in movies it's usually just a joke, right? Except like 95% of the time when it's serious but surely this is that 5% right? Maybe I heard him wrong and it's just my brain acting funny.

It was as if my body completely ignored what I was thinking inside my head, because I just leaned up to him, with a dorky grin, kissing him right there.

It probably sounds so weird, but it felt so right in so many ways.

I kissed him one time, then again, then again and then one more time. My heart was beating so fast, it felt like I might explode from joy any second. My face felt so warm, and my face must have been bright red from blush. It was definite; I was head over heels for Sunny.

He must have not believed that I would have done it, as he was a flustered mess. He took one of his hands off of me, putting it over his bright pink face in an attempt to hide it.
“You.. Only an idiot would actually do it.” He let out a giggle that turned into a snort.

I felt my brain stop functioning from that; it was so cute I couldn’t help but burst out into laughter. He pinched my face with one of his hands, pouting at me.
“Keep laughing about it and I’ll push you off me.” It was obvious on his face he was only teasing.

“Noooooo.” I jokingly whined, hugging onto him tighter as if I were latching onto him.

I laid my head onto his chest gently, his heartbeat now so calm. It was comforting in a sense I’ve never felt before. I let out a content sigh and just stayed right there. I wanted to stay right there for the rest of my life.

I heard a soft mew from behind me before something stood onto my back; it was Mewo. She’s an old lady now, kinda like Hector is an old man. She did cat biscuits on my back, which kinda hurt but I didn’t mind. I heard Sunny softly giggle,
“My two favorite people.”

Chapter Text

I must have fallen asleep at some point ‘cause I suddenly woke up, feeling something mess with my face.

I groggily opened my eyes, hearing a few giggles from Sunny while doing so. He poked my face with another giggle.
“Kels, time to get upp.” He said with an adorable smile,
“We better get Hector before he poos in your car, Kendal also has to be picked up.”

I slowly attempted to get up, forgetting we were on a couch and tripping over Sunny, landing onto the floor with a huge thwump. Luckily, Mewo got off me before my graceful landing face first on the ground.

I could hear Sunny’s plentiful giggles before offering to help me up off the ground,
“Awhh, poor thingg.” He teased with a grin.

I grabbed his hand and got up, gazing at him for a short minute before finally snapping out of it and functioning like a human. God, I really did love him.

When we got to the car Hector was just napping inside. The second I opened the door he got up and ran out, happily circling Sunny, yipping.

Sunny squatted down to be more Hector sized and pet him on the head with a soft smile. He was whispering cute pet names in a voice you’d use with a baby.
“How are you doing, old man?” Hector’s response was a plentiful amount of barks. For a moment, I could swear they were somehow having a conversation.

“Have you been a good helper for Kels?” Sunny asked, his expression full of bliss. I loved seeing him so happy like this. I wish I could see his smile forever.

After petting Hector a little more, we let him inside the house to get used to it. We already knew that Hector and Mewo did pretty good together so we had no worries.

We walked on our way to Kendal’s school, chilling in the same spot as before. We stood there for a good few minutes before the bell rang, little kids running to their parents that were sitting and standing in different parts of the schoolyard.

Before long, Kendal ran up to me, headbutting me in the gut instead of stopping in front of me. I let out a groan upon the impact. She looked at me for a good second before frowning.
“Booboos again?” She questioned, hugging me as tight as she could. I couldn’t ask for a better daughter.

“Don’t worry! Yer dad is pretty sturdy.” I reassured with a chuckle, messing up her hair a little with the head pat I gave her.

I looked over to Sunny with a giggle before returning my gaze to Kendal.
“Guess what,” I grinned.

“What?” Kendal giggled with excitement.

“We’re gonna be staying with Sunny!” I watched as Kendal’s expression turned happy super quickly; she happily jumped over to Sunny and hugged him tight.

I could tell Sunny hadn't expected it, though overall enjoyed the hug from her. She was a good hugger and loved to hug people all the time. Sunny looked at me with a chuckle.
“She's so much like you when you were little.” he pet her on the head with a smile.

“Thank you, thank you Snunny!” She exclaimed happily.

I looked over at Sunny, not knowing if I should mention to her that she might not see Gertrude ever again. Sunny smiled reassuringly, I felt myself let out a sigh full of contentment, returning the smile to him.

We walked to Sunny’s place, sitting and talking while watching some movies for most of the day. It was such a nice and safe feeling, sitting right next to him and watching Kendal run around with Hector, Mewo watching over the two from a nearby bookshelf next to the TV.

I don’t know exactly when it happened, but at some point me and Sunny laced our fingers together. His hand was a little smaller than mine, colder too, but I really liked it. Noticing it made my heart flutter like a monarch butterfly. Sunny gently rubbed his thumb along the side of my hand.

Hector, the party crasher, jumped directly onto Sunny, causing him to let go. He began yipping in Sunny’s face and covering him in both fur and doggo kisses. I felt a laugh escape me before Kendal dragged Hector back to the ground with her.

It eventually was Kendal’s bedtime and I questioned Sunny on what we would do. He said he had a guest bedroom she could take and I could steal his bed. I didn’t feel like taking his bed though- I'd feel so rude for it, even if he offered.

“Nice try, Sunshine! I’m not stealing your bed.” I shook my head,
“I’d rather share or sleep on the couch.” It took a solid few moments before I realized the first thing I suggested. I was such a dumbass- I should have thought before I spoke.

“Wait! Uh- I mean-” I felt my face overheat once again,
“I’mnotsayingIwouldbeagainstitbutuh-”

“Hmm.. I wouldn’t mind.” I couldn’t see his expression since he was facing away from me, though he paused for a long moment before turning around with a small grin.

I felt my brain scramble inside my head, catching myself nervously looking around in an attempt to find something else to focus on. My face felt so warm and I thought I’d die right on the spot if I looked Sunny in the eye. We hadn’t done anything similar to that since sleepovers when we were kids, but now we were adults and crap and I feel my brain melting at the thought.

I must have been in my thoughts for too long, because Sunny took a few footsteps closer, looking up to me with a chuckle. He was way too good at reading me; I could tell by the look on his face he was reading me like a book.

He let out a soft chuckle, putting a hand onto my face. He tilted his head to the side, about to say something before Kendal dashed in. My immediate response was to jump back; I wasn’t ready to tell her anything yet. I would soon, though. She can’t stay in the dark forever.

Kendal looked at the two of us, confused, but her childlike mind almost immediately pushed it aside. She grabbed my arm, yanking me towards where she ran from,
“Daaad, look at the kitties!” She giggled, pulling me with her.

Kendal took me to one of the rooms in Sunny’s house; it had four little kitties sleeping in it. By the look of what was in that room, it was an office, but with the cat trees and cat supplies, it looked more like the cats owned the room.

Sunny soon joined, telling us the name of each cat while pointing at them. He seemed so talkative whenever topics were of his interests. It was rare for him, but always so fun to listen to when he actually did rant.

After a good while of petting cats, I noticed how late it was getting. It was near Kendal’s bedtime and she hadn't eaten yet.
“Hey Sunny, I can order us a pizza from Gino’s if you’re in the mood!” I suggested with a smile.

“Sure, I haven't had it in a long while.” He nodded. It had to have been years since he had last had some. He totally needed to pick the toppings.

“Here!” I opened the website for their restaurant and threw my phone over to him,
“You choose, ehe.”

He flipped through for a minute before picking one, adding toppings and all the normal pizza things. I called in the order for him since he was a shy talker, especially over the phone.

After about twenty minutes, the pizza came and we all dug in. I made sure to keep an eye on Sunny to make sure he was eating well. When we were kids I learned this habit thanks to noticing that he was a very light and slow eater; I'd usually sit next to him and wait to make sure that he ate enough. After eating, Kendal was pretty much falling asleep standing up.

I smiled at Sunny with a small chuckle, picking Kendal up. She was getting pretty big, so soon I won’t be able to pick her up so easily. It was a little sad to think about.
“I think it’s bedtime.” I whispered with a chuckle.

Sunny sat up after me, looking hesitant for a moment. He put a hand on my arm, his face a little heated from embarrassment of what he was gonna say.
“Can I.. try to hold her?”

His face had grown into an adorable shade of pink.. I can’t explain why, but it made me so happy that he asked to. I let out a giggle,
“Of course, Sunshine!” I approached him a little closer and handed her to him. She woke up for a brief moment but almost immediately went back to sleep when knowing Sunny was the one holding her.

He looked so happy, a fulfilled smile on his face as he gently hugged her. I looked at the two with a soft smile, careful to not wake Kendal up as I hugged the two of them. I snuck a small kiss onto Sunny’s forehead while doing so, and he let out a small giggle as a response, face slightly redder than before.

We went to the guest room and he gently laid Kendal down onto the bed, covering her up with a big and fuzzy blanket. Hector hopped onto the bed once she was down, as he liked to lay down with her. I gave Kendal a goodnight kiss on the forehead and quietly walked away, doing a dorky smile at Sunny as we walked out.

“You should sleep too, dum dum.” Sunny suggested with a small smile,
“You probably haven't gotten good sleep in a long while.” I had to admit it, he was right. I can’t remember the last time that I could sleep without waking up a few times in the night or even just sleeping feeling safe.

“But it's still earlyyy.” I held out the end of the word, Sunnys initial response being a giggle.

“You’ll feel better rested, Kel.”

“Hmm, not convincing enough!” I responded teasingly. I must have been grinning like an idiot.

I thought he was just gonna come up with something more convincing, but he just quickly kissed me on the cheek before smiling so big. I felt my heart in my throat as I started giggling. I felt my heart flutter just looking at his smile. I’m so lucky to be able to see that smile. It's the best smile in the world, and I hope I can make him smile that big all the time.

He stood on the tips of his toes, gently wrapping his arms around my neck. He gazed into my eyes for a long moment, nothing but soft laughter came out from the both of us. I leaned forward a little to make it easier for Sunny to hold onto me, putting my arms around him, flustered.

“Hi.” he whispered, smiling huge.

“Ey,” I replied to his whispers with one. I could feel my face getting warmer by the second, and I felt like my heart was going to explode. I won't lie, I wanted to kiss him really badly. I can’t really explain how I was feeling, it just felt so right.

“How’s the weather?” I teased, giggling at Sunny furrowing his brows into a pout. I decided to finish my joke real quick, grinning while Sunny just chuckled at my stupidity.
“I assume, sunny, Sunny.”

“Moron.” He commented with a grin before dragging me down a bit to kiss me. I felt like I was going to evaporate from how my muscles relaxed to his touch. It felt so gentle and caring- god, I must sound like such a weirdo.

Once our kiss was over, we just gazed at each other for a long moment in comfortable silence. I really wanted to just say it right there; I wanted to say ‘I love you’, but I was afraid he’d think I’m insane for saying it so quickly. I decided to water it down a little when telling him.

“I think I’m in love with you, Sunny.” I confessed, not thinking at all when confessing that to him. It wasn’t till a few seconds later that I felt the embarrassment hit me from saying that so bluntly.

Sunny looked at me, his gaze softening. He hugged his face into my chest. I think he was trying to hide his expression from me. He didn’t respond, so I took that as a cue to just continue speaking.

“Every time I see you I feel all these emotions come back. I never really understood them till recently. Every time I see you I just- I feel so happy and my heart beats so fast but in a good way.” It felt so relieving to tell him everything, that I didn’t notice how I was hugging onto him tighter than before.

“I’m so confused and probably sound like an idiot, but I really can’t imagine being away from you. It’s probably so weird ‘cause I have a kid and I’m a dude and you’re a dude, but I really really love you.” He didn’t reply for the longest time. I was scared I had screwed up before hearing him quietly whisper to me.

“Please say it again..” His voice sounded like he was about to cry. I happily complied.

“I love you.”

“Please, one more time.”

“I love you.”

He finally looked at me, his expression making it apparent he was about to cry. I could see the tears welling up. I panicked, not wanting Sunny to cry. I squeezed him into a bear hug in an attempt to stop the tears.

“Please don’t cry!” I said a lot louder than necessary from habit.

“I love you too.” He softly responded. He wasn’t looking at me so I couldn’t read his expression. I felt my heart explode into a firework inside my chest. He liked me? Of all people he could fall for in the world he really loved me back? It felt like my brain was covered in flames, yelling for me to abort and run away at full speed, but I didn’t. All I did was just stand there and smile like an idiot.

“You really do?” It came out so naturally. I had no clue how he could love someone like me. I mean, even Gertrude and my parents said I was unlovable for being who I am- but Sunny, who knows me forever for who I am, really loved me?

“I have for what seems to feel like forever..” His voice was so soft, it’d be mistaken for a whisper by people who didn’t know Sunny. He chuckled before continuing,
“I even tried flirting a few times when we were in our teens, but you’re too dense for it.”

I felt a wave of embarrassment hit me as I pondered at what point he did that. I may have really been as dense as he said, cause I seriously couldn’t remember a single time he had.

I think he noticed my confusion, ‘cause he let out a giggle before recounting something that happened a few years ago.

“Kel, remember that Christmas I visited a few years ago? It was after I moved away up north.” I thought for a brief moment before replying with a simple hum.
“Remember how I kept calling you cute? I even wrote hearts all over the card with the gift I got for you.”

I felt my face grow warm from embarrassment to how much of an idiot I had to be. Did I really look at those things and not think anything of it? Yep, I completely had.

“I really must be dense.” I mumbled, embarrassed. Sunny chuckled at my response.

“I like that about you.. it's adorable.” His voice was so soft, so blissful. My face felt like it was on fire, and I could barely function.
“Mmmm, you need to sleep now, Kels.” He let go of me, hands lingering on my shoulders.

“F-Fineee.” I agreed. I probably would have exploded if he kept on saying stuff like that. He thought I was adorable? I still couldn’t believe he loved me- it may have just been because of Gertrude and Mom and Dad, but I just was so amazed at the fact he did. I was in pure disbelief.

Sunny slid his hand down my arm to grab my hand while we walked; his hand was so cold, and I wondered if mine was warming his at all.

“If I snore too loud just kick me off the bed!” I half-joked. I did seem to bug people with snores when I slept really well. Then again, Sunny never seemed to mind when we were kids.

He always nuzzled up close to me, face pressed up against me. I always wondered how he could breathe well that way but he seemed to enjoy it so I didn’t mind. Everyone loves snuggles- if they say they don’t, they gotta be lyin’.

His nose was itty bitty and cold- how could he be so cold? I always did my best to nuzzle close to him whenever he was all chilly. Someone has gotta be a heater so why not me? I liked the affection, and I’ve always been clingy. Though, thinking back on it I felt so dumb. I really loved him all along, didn’t I?

It wasn’t till I plopped down that I felt sleep creeping into my mind. I felt so safe with Sunny there, and I wished I could stay right there for an eternity.

Sunny sat next to where I plopped on down. He barely made the bed sink compared to me. He put a hand near his missing eye, which was hidden by a cloth patch.

“Would you think it’s weird if I took it off? It’s kinda gross..” He sounded so hesitant, his voice strained at every word. It was apparent he was really embarrassed and ashamed of how his eye looked.

I shook my head with a grin, sitting up to see his expression better.
“Of course not, Sunshine! You don’t gotta hide anything like that. You’re Sunny no matter what. Hurt eye.. No hurt eye.. Still you!” I tried my best to reassure him. I hoped it worked, and I assumed I had succeeded from his soft smile.

He took off the cloth and hesitated briefly before looking at me, his damaged eye showing. It was paler and glazy looking, and scars were above and below it in a slash. It looked kinda cool, as if Sunny were a pirate or somethin like that. When he opened his dominant eye, it followed with a squint, since he couldn't open the eye fully from how it healed.

I leaned forward to plant a little kiss onto his cheek right below his damaged eye. I still felt pissed that Basil had done this to him but I always tried my best to not express it. I was just glad that Sunny was comfortable enough with me to show it to me, as I could tell he felt shame for it for some reason.

He let out a soft chuckle as response to the kiss I gently placed on him, laying back on one of the super comfy, squishy pillows. Nuzzling closer, I soon followed, gazing at him with a big, goofy grin till I passed out.

Chapter Text

I sat there for a pretty long while, I wasn’t too tired but I still attempted to sleep. I could tell how tired Kel was, his tone of voice always differed when he was tired- he fell asleep after only a minute or so. I was failing immensely to join him in sleep thanks to Kel’s phone buzzing so much I thought it’d explode.

I expected whoever was attempting to reach him to give up after the lack of reply, but they didn’t. They kept on spamming him and Kel sure was too heavy of a sleeper to wake up from it. I grabbed it to silence it but I saw her name in his notifs. Of course she’d be spamming him. I felt my guts go jet black, I was so pissed at her.

For Kel’s sake I checked what the hell she was messaging and every word was pure manipulation if I’ve ever seen it. I felt sick, was this what that woman was saying to Kel on top of harming him? I decided to dive into what the hell she was trying so hard to get him to answer with. She wrote so much crap, it was like an essay but between 20-something texts.

9:23PM

Gertrude: What did I say about getting home late.

Gertrude: You know what happens when you break my rules

Getrude: Piece of shit.

Gertrude: You know you need me, Kelsey.

Gertrude: You’re better off dead without me.

Gertrude: Worthless, can’t even answer the mother of your daughter.

Gertrude: Shitty father.

Gertrude: She’ll never forgive you.

Gertrude: You won’t get to keep her.

Getrude: You know you want to come back, you know you’re worthless without me.

Getrude: Get the hell back here before I get something sturdier than the charging cord.

Gertrude: You’re a horrible, cruel person.

The messages kept on coming, each was worse than the next. I felt so sick to my stomach, why would someone do this? Kel was Kel, he never in a million years would deserve this torment- this abuse. Of course nobody ever deserved stuff like that, but it felt so much worse knowing it was happening to him.

I got up and slid my shoes on, grabbing my keys and walking out to my car. I was so done with this, I was gonna tell that horrible woman to leave him alone in person. I really wanted to put in a police report on it, but I was afraid of what Kel would think if I brought it up. I just wanted to protect him- he’s done the same for me for so long and now it was my turn to return that kindness.

The car ride to his place felt like an eternity, it must have been my anticipation getting the best of me. I wanted to look this woman in the eye and tell her off- but what would I say? How would I say it? These questions soon absorbed me.

I felt my stomach spiral at the thought of what I would say to her, there was so much I wanted to tell her but at the same time I felt at a loss of words.

I parked in front of the house, all the lights were off, the door was open and I couldn’t hear a thing from inside. It was so eerie, her car was parked in the front so I could tell she was here- but the house in such a condition made me so scared for what she had planned. It was obvious she was waiting, I felt a chill go down my spine. I nearly chickened out, shaking my head to fight back those thoughts. I gotta do it for Kel.

I held my breath as I swung open the car door, shutting it as quietly as I could afterwards. I really didn’t want to draw attention too soon- I knew things would get hectic once I went inside.

I walked towards the agape door, my footsteps slow from how nervous this place made me feel. I stood before the doorway for a long moment, gathering all my courage before entering. I really hoped I wouldn’t see anything I’d regret.

It was so dark inside, pitch black. I clicked my phone’s home screen on as a dim light- the flashlight would have been more noticeable and my phone was just bright enough to see where I was going. There were things scattered around the room, I wondered if she made the mess. Kel was the messy type- but this was way farther than that. This was as if she threw things around when angered.

It took a good while, but I found two lights in the house that were on. One was the bathroom and the second were the basement lights- basements were bad news, even movies told you so. I figured the bathroom would be preferable to check first, quietly stepping inside it.

I noticed the little things wrong in the room quite quickly. There were a pair of tweezers on the ground, they were rusted too. It was odd. There were multiple holes upon the curtains as well. I felt a small pit in my stomach when thinking about the possibilities of what had happened in that room time and time again.

The trashcan in there was full of razors, some had dried crimson on them, others had rust on them. I opened the medicine cabinet that was behind the mirror and there was nothing but two types of medicines. There were pain killers, several empty and some full containers of it too. The other was half empty and had some abbreviations I didn’t recognize. It really didn’t ring a bell to me. It was some kinda tablet.

I remembered that Hero had a medical degree from before he decided to proceed with Mari’s dream for him, being a chef and all. He had seemed a lot happier with himself pursuing that than the whole doctor ordeal. Anyhow, I hesitantly grabbed the container and slid it into my jacket pocket.

I eventually had looked in the room through and through- Gertrude obviously wasn’t there. I was left guessing for the basement, nowhere else in the house was lit up. I mustered up all my courage before descending down the stairs. I could feel my heart pound through my fingertips, hairs standing on my arms. I wanted to puke.

It was an utter wreck down there, dozens of shelves, the items which were placed on them were now scattered across the floor. I was halfway down the stairs when I felt my heart drop into my stomach, Kel’s phone went off, blaring in the silence of the room. I panicked, freezing in place before I heard footsteps thudding towards me.

My instincts told me to run but my body didn’t comply, I was frozen in place. I didn’t really know what to do. I forced myself to head back up the stairs, almost getting up them before hearing her. Her voice terrified me.

“Who the fuck are you.” She spat, I instinctively turned around- regretting coming to this house deep in my mind.

I don’t know what got into me, but it was as if seeing her face made me finally know exactly what I was going to say to her. I pointed at her, just now noticing how bad I was shaking. I tried my best to stop it.

“Who the fuck are you?” I paused for a moment, she was about to say something in retaliation but I cut her off.

“Nobody is allowed to treat him like that. Who do you think you are for.. Putting him through that hell?” Her gaze turned into a glare as I spoke.

God, I was so lucky I was only halfway up the stairs. She grabbed me by the shirt, yanking me towards herself before swinging me down the rest of the stairs. I thought I’d die. I collided with the floor, letting out a groan as I hit the tile.

“The scumbag told you.” She kicked a nearby chair, it slamming against the wall near me. I regretted walking into this house.

She looked away before letting out a chuckle,
“He's a really good liar isn’t he?”

“What.?” What the hell did she mean by ‘liar’.

“He lied about all the stuff he told you about, he does it for attention! Such a crybaby, over exaggerates.” She sounded like she believed the shit she was spouting. It made me sick to my stomach, was she really trying to manipulate me to go against him?

“You’re the liar.” I replied to her. She turned around with a glare, yet I continued.
“Kel just.. He isn’t like that. You are.”

I cut her off again before she could continue,
“Hes sweet and gentle and cares about even the biggest fucking scumbags.” It must have been comedic to her, I was like a foot shorter than her. Some dude with a scar over his eye insulting you for being a horrible person- must have been a sight.
“You’re a horrible person, you’re the worst person I’ve ever been burdened to meet. I hate you. I hate you so much. I’ll never let you hurt him ever again.”

She just stared at me for a long moment, I assumed she had never been talked back to before from her reaction. She paused before replying, her voice as sweet as candy.

“He's nothing without me. The guilt will build up and he’ll come back. Just like the dog he is.” She smiled, how could someone smile so sweetly after saying something as fucked up as that? I couldn't put my head around it- how someone could think like her.

“That is not true.” I felt rage well up inside me, I just wanted to scream at her.
“You.. You bitch.” I spat, I walked up to her a little closer as I continued.

“I hope you feel proud of yourself.” I wanted to yell and scream at her so badly, but I stopped myself. Simply saying that before running up the stairs and out of the damned house. I was honestly surprised that she didn’t follow me.

---

The drive home was quiet, but in the relieving way. It felt safe. I was sore too, I tried to not think about it though. I wondered if I should tell Kel about it. Would he react badly to it- or feel regretful for telling me? I really didn’t want either of those outcomes to happen. I wanted him to be able to recover from everything, to help him however he needs. It wasn’t that I felt like I owed him, I just wanted to do it for him, he meant a lot to me.

When I got home I immediately got into bed, Kel was still passed out. He was drooling a tad but he did that even when we were kids. He was a goofball, fun to be around in all the best ways.

I made sure to get into bed slowly so I wouldn’t wake Kel up at all. Gently getting closer to him, he was like a heater, even when we were little. It was adorable, and also helpful since I was almost always cold. I always appreciated it- but now it felt so much nicer. My stomach filled with fireflies as I’d nuzzle my head into the crook of his neck.

It felt so worth the trouble. It kind of felt like I existed just for this moment to happen. So cheesy sounding but it felt so right, I loved both it and him.

I softly let out a happy, content sigh before feeling myself drift off to dreamland.

Chapter Text

When I woke up I didn't really expect for Sunny to be nuzzling so close to me, my face felt so warm- I probably looked beet red from how it felt. I tried the best I could to stay as still as possible, not wanting to wake him up. He was so gentle, so fragile. His head nuzzled into the crook of my neck while he hugged onto me with a death grip.

With my free hand, I gently caressed his hair, I didn't wanna wake him up. He looked so content, so happy- when we were younger he never looked like this until after the whole hospital dealio. Seeing him so happy looking made me feel so proud of him in a way I can't really explain too well.

I about jumped out of my skin when I saw the door swing open. Kendal jumped up onto the bed- well she attempted to do so. Sunny's bed was a lot taller than mine was. I'll admit it was comedic to see her attempt to climb up.

She noticed Sunny was asleep and smiled,
"I wanna snuggle too!" She whispered happily.

I put out a hand for her to grab, she didn't weigh much so I could help pull her up with just an arm. She seemed super excited and happy about it, sneakily squeezing between us with a huge grin.

I could feel Sunny adjust his position every so slightly so Kendal could be more comfy, letting out a soft chuckle as he wrapped his arms around us both. It felt like we were a family. I wondered if it was weird to think of it like that- it just felt so right though.

It was a long while before we all got up. Kendal's jumping around was enough to drag us both up. Sunny made the bed, while I volunteered to cook breakfast.

"Kels, please don't burn the house down." I could tell he was halfway joking- It was my time to prove to him that I'm able to cook a halfway decent meal nowadays.

I let out an over exaggerated gasp,
"I can cook!" I grinned, Sunny's initial reply was a chuckle.

"Hmm, you'll have to prove so." He teased, brushing his hand across my back as he walked by me.
"Let's shop for some clothes for you and Kendal after breakfast."

I went into the kitchen and searched through the cabinets and cupboards, looking for something I could make- completely forgetting that everything was in boxes. I grabbed a box that had 'cupboards' labeled on it and there was everything needed for pancakes so I figured that'll be nice. Plus they were Kendal's favorite thing in the world.

She looked so happy, kicking her legs back and forth while sitting at the dining room table. Her face beaming with excitement for pancakes.

It took a little while, but I managed to get all the necessary crap I needed to make them. Sunny was such a tidy person, all of the pans and stuff he had looked brand new.

The second the food hit her plate she ate it like a garbage disposal, she really took after me, didn't she? Eventually Sunny came in and sat next to her, letting out giggles at the sight of the small kid eating so much so fast.
"You did the exact same." He chuckled, looking over to me with a smile. Sunny thought the same thing.
"She really is a lot like you." He chuckled, messing up her hair with a smug grin.

She stuck her tongue out in retaliation, her face was covered in syrup. I took a scrunchie from outta my pocket and put it on her, removing all the hair that was nearly in the syrup that covered her face and putting it in a cute bun. Her hair was fluffy and a challenge to maintain.

We all ate breakfast together, I noticed Sunny's feet just barely reached the ground. I thought it was adorable. He had always been one of the shorter people I've known- about a foot shorter than me nowadays. He was looking a lot better and healthier now, he even grew a few inches after finally leaving his house. I was proud of him, look how far he's grown! It made me so happy, I loved him for it.

"I guess I rub off on people!" I replied with a chuckle. His initial reply was a giggle, looking at me with a doting expression as he let out a gentle hum.

Sunny and Kendal chatted away as I cleaned all the stuff I used for the pancakes. Sunny attempted to stop me when I began but I shot down the offer with a smile, Hero always told me to wash the dishes I use when at someone's house no matter what.

Afterwards, we went shopping for clothes since going back to Gert's was a bad idea on so many levels. It was nice, last time I went shopping with Sunny I may or may not have climbed on top of a display fridge in Home Depot because Aubrey dared me to. Spraining my left arm in the process. Ah, memories.

Sunny sat inside the cart, pretty much covered in clothes by the end of our trip. Kendal gripped onto the metal of our cart and ran forward, slamming Sunny into a nearby wall. Bless his heart. He gasped at first but let out a quiet chuckle after, nearly falling outta the cart to grab Kendal and tickle her.
"Little rascal!" He giggled as she stood just barely outta his reach.

"He gonna get me!" She pointed at Sunny with a big grin.

"Oh noo!" I grinned as I picked her up and put her in the cart with Sunny. She screeched a little, any louder and my eardrums would have just died. Kids were very loud- though I was too so I couldn't complain much.

I pushed them both around in the cart for the rest of the trip, we let Kendal pick out the clothes she wanted. She had good style and I have absolutely zero clue where she got it from. I didn't have a ounce of style in me.

Sunny pretty much had to pick out stuff for me, I gladly accepted all his suggestions. He kept on grabbing my hand, I felt my heart in my throat every time. He was gonna kill meee.

It felt like we were a family and I really never felt like that before. It was always just me and Kendal- at this point I realized I never should have considered Gertrude as family. Kendal deserves way better than that and Sunny is way better. Deep in my gut I was a tad nervous of telling her though. Sunny's smile really wiped away my worries though, how does he do that?

"Hmm, you seem deep in thought, Kels." Sunny asked, tilting his head to the side like a curious puppy. He placed his hand atop mine, which was on the handle of the cart.
"You alright?"

"Oh, yeah!" I nodded with a dorky smile,
"I kinda noticed how I haven't been this happy in long time."

He looked at me with a soft expression before grasping onto my hand tighter than before. His hand was smaller than mine- I began to wonder if it was weird to find that cute.
"We'll be okay now." His voice was so soft, so reassuring. I could feel my heart melt a little bit more every time I heard it.
"I'm proud of you- and this is only a start. We have a lot of good memories to go."

I held my breath, almost crying, I never heard those words before. It made me so happy I had to hug him as tight as I could right there. I heard a quiet gasp come from him as I hugged him, picking him up off his feet. He hugged back with a hum- until the little hell bringer remembered the cooties lesson.

"Dadd! Sunny is gonna give you cooties!" She scolded with a pout,
"I like Snunny but not cooties!"

She was like a little police officer, gonna arrest Sunny for cooties.. farewell, my love, for you are going to cooties jail.
"Do you have cooties, Sunshine?" I asked with a giggle.

"Definitely." He joked with a grin. Walking over to tickle Kendal once again with a small, evil giggle.

"Noo, I don't want cooties either!" She squealed with bundles of giggles following.

Afterwards we went to a grocery store, collecting foods to stock the house with. Time really flies, it was night time by time we headed home- was it weird to call Sunny's place home? It really felt like one.

The car ride was silent for the most part, mainly 'cause Kendal was fast asleep in her car seat. She seemed really happy, it meant the world to me.

I felt strands of hair tickle my neck, accompanied by gentle weight. Sunny had placed his head onto my shoulder, not saying a word. He seemed so happy, it meant the world to me. The way he did little things to show he cared, I always noticed them. I would always cherish them.

When we arrived home, I sat right there for a while since Sunny had fallen asleep as well. I gently pet his head, his hair was so soft. After a good ten minutes, I finally decided to wake the two.

“Sunnyyy!” I whispered. I poked his face a few times, when that failed I pinched his face.
“Sunshineee!”

“Mm.” He sleepily groaned.

“Wakey, Wakey!” I felt soft chuckles escape my mouth as I attempted to wake him further. He had always been a heavy sleeper. Even as kids, it'd take a long while to wake him up.

"I'm awake.." Sunny mumbled. Rubbing his eye before looking up at me sleepily.
“Sorry for using you as a pillow..” He covered his mouth as he yawned, unbuckling his seatbelt. He got out of the car and stretched as a cat would. The more I thought about it, the more Sunny did resemble a cat. Haha, catboy.

“Don’t be sorry bout it!” I grinned. I got out of the car, opening the back door, and reaching in to unbuckle Kendal.
“Go on inside and lay down, Sunny. I can take care of everything!” I reassured him. I flashed him one of my dorky grins.

He shook his head.
“I’ll help.” He yawned once again. He walked up to me with a sleepy smile, looking as if he’d fall asleep any passing second.

I was already picking up Kendal from out of her seat, she was fast asleep.
“Hmm, fine, but just take this rascal to bed then.” I gently handed her over to him. He tenderly grabbed her, lightly smiling.
“Make sure to lay down after, alright?” I chuckled happily.

He hesitantly nodded, fading out of my sight as he walked inside the house. He was amazing. I grabbed all the bags in one trip, slowly but surely, waddling into the house.

After putting everything away in appropriate spots, I decided to check on Sunny and Kendal. I cracked open Kendal’s room and she was fast asleep in bed, Sunny even undone her hair. I walked into our room, confused on why Sunny wasn’t lying down. I noticed he was getting changed, hastily shutting the door with a yelp. I felt my face heating up from embarrassment. I really should start knocking on doors.

After a solid 30 seconds of questioning who I am more than usual, I heard the door creak open from behind me.

“I’m so sorry!” I apologized. Seeming like an embarrassed wreck. His reply was a chuckle.

“It’s fine.” He reassured me. He had put on some baggy clothes as pajamas.

He slid underneath the covers, only his eye poking out from the covers. He looked like a clam, all warm in the poofy covers. After getting changed into some pajamas, I happily joined him.

He was barely awake as he reached over to me, wrapping an arm over me, smiling half awake. He nuzzled up to me once again, barely keeping himself awake. It was adorable, trying so hard to fight away sleep.

“Goodnight, Sunshine.” I whispered, gently setting my chin on the top of his head. He had since passed out, soft breaths leaving him steadily. I gently kissed the top of his head, nuzzling my face in his hair before following him into sleep.

Chapter Text

Kel was still fast asleep whenever I got up. He was one inch from falling off the bed. Wondering how one person could manage to move so much in their sleep, I kissed his forehead, before sliding out of bed.

I was planning on going out to question Hero about the tablets I found inside of the medicine cabinet. I sent him a message and he was happy to help me, though I never gave him any details. I simply asked for help identifying a medication I found.

We agreed to meet at his apartment, surprisingly, it wasn’t too far. His cafe was in the city, but I suppose he didn’t mind the drive.

I grabbed my keys, holding them tight to prevent the jingles they made. I noticed some sticky notes on my bedside table. I thought for a brief moment, before quietly grabbing them. I didn’t want to abruptly leave without informing him of anything. Personally, I’d be terrified if he suddenly left without anything telling me if he was alright. So, I decided a small note reassuring him that I’m okay would suffice.

I put a sticky note on the door before I left, I informed him I would be back soon. “I have a quick errand to run. I won’t be long. <3” I wrote neatly. I felt a smile creep onto my face as I gazed back over at Kel. He was sleeping soundly. I tiptoed back over, sneaking one last kiss onto his forehead, before I slipped out.

I got changed, sliding on a coat. I was about to leave, then Kendal came to mind. I quickly slid into her room, kissing her on the forehead with a humble smile. I typically didn't like kids, but Kendal was a good kid. She was the exception.

I hustled outside the door, the chill of the morning stung my face as I opened the front door. The sun had just risen.

I hopped into my car- literally. I was below average in height, making it a slight chore to do some things. I switched off the radio before starting the car. When switching the ignition, I could hear a little jingle come from the keychains connected to my keys. I had a mini sized photo on them, it was from when Kel visited to help me with Mewo.

He was about to leave, he was going to be so far away again. I wanted more than anything to convince him to stay longer, but all I managed to muster was asking for a photo of us two. Anything more would feel like a burden. His grin was so bright as he tightly hugged me in the photo, his face peeking from over my shoulder to see the camera. It was my favorite photo, I printed it in mini size just to keep it with me wherever I’d go. I realised I had gotten so caught up in my conscience that I forgot I needed to get going.

By the time I got to Hero’s place, the sun had risen higher. I slid into the building, attempting to push my anxiety to the back of my mind as I waited for the elevator to open. I felt my heart thumping faster than before in response to the people walking past me. I felt like I couldn’t get enough air.

I hurried into the elevator, clicking on the floor before anyone could join me inside the elevator. I felt like I could finally breathe when inside. I took a long moment to steady myself, tightly gripping the handles inside the elevator. Before long, I heard a ding, hesitantly following the elevator’s orders.

I checked the message once again, refreshing my mind of his apartment’s number, 608. I repeated those 3 numbers in my head repeatedly, still I met eyes with the door.

I paused for a short moment, attempting to open the door, without thinking. It clicked open as I pushed it, the scent of a candle immediately hit me, the smell of pine and cinnamon surrounding me. I hesitantly walked further inside, the house was silent. I was concerned, till I saw Hero standing on top of a table in his living room. A miniscule spider was on the floor, it seemed entertained.

Hero quickly turned his head to me, his expression relieved as soon as he saw me.
“Sunny!” He cheered.
“Please, please, please get that thing as far away from me as possible.”

He sounded like he was about to cry. I suppose I can count on Hero to never really change. Well, his fear of spiders anyway. I nodded in reassurance to him. I grabbed a piece of paper I saw on the kitchen counter, using it to coax the spider onto.
“Here..” I quietly mumbled.

I managed to get the bitty spider to crawl onto the paper, carrying it out into the hall and tilting the paper to its side. The spider slid off and ran off. It was now someone else’s problem.

"Little sh- thing was death glaring at me." Hero visibly shivered. He genuinely smiled.
"Anyhow, how are you?"

"I'm okay." I replied. He seemed satisfied with that response, his smile brighter than it was back then.

"That’s good,” He sighed.
“So what was the medicine you found? You never really gave me details.”

I quickly slid my hands in my pockets, pulling out the container and handing it over to Hero, who wore a skeptical expression. I didn’t feel that it’d be right of me to tell Hero about Kel’s situation, especially so soon. I felt like shit for lying, but I knew I couldn’t just betray Kel’s trust like that. I knew he’d tell Hero when he was ready.
“I found it in the garage of my new house, it was left there.”

Hero inspected the outside, a curious expression worn on his face. He looked up at me nervously, quickly shutting the container. He quickly washed his hands, wiping the water onto a hand towel near the sink.

“This is a…” He paused. His eyes wandered the room as he attempted to find his words.
“Well, it’s both illegal and a really strong drug.”

I tilted my head in curiosity. I felt my heart thump faster than before, I didn’t know if I wanted to find out what that meant.
“What kind of ‘strong’?” I questioned.

He coughed in his hand, hesitantly answering.
“As the words on the tablets say, these are called Lemmons.”

I felt my heart sink into my chest as he continued to explain what they were.
“They.. Hmm.” He put a hand to his chin. It seemed he was attempting to find the right words.
“Well, these are tablets. Whenever you put these in any type of drink, they dissolve. When these are digested, well, they have a heavy sedative effect.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“They are typically abused, people using them to make themselves or others unconscious for periods of time.. They were mainly abused as date-rape drugs.” He nervously scratched the back of his head.
“Anyways, we should get rid of these.”

I nodded. The knowledge of what those tablets were caused thoughts to swarm my mind. I tried to shove the thoughts into the back of my mind, but they broke through. Hero flashed a worried glance at me, raising an eyebrow.
“You okay?” He questioned.

“Mhm.” I nodded in reassurance. I knew it wasn’t the time nor place to be thinking about that stuff.
“How is the cafe going?” I attempted to change the topic.

I hung out, chatting with Hero for a good hour or so before leaving. He seemed more content opening a cafe rather than a doctor. Mari would be so proud of him.

I was nearly out the door before I paused, turning around to face Hero once again.
“Hey, Hero?” I caught his attention.

“Yeah?” He replied, raising a brow once again.

“Mari.. she’d be really proud of you. You know that, right?” I felt myself crack a smile.

He stared at me for a good moment. His eye’s reddened before breaking eye contact.
“Would she?” His voice cracked. He must have been near tears. He dragged me into one of his dad hugs, about squeezing the life outta me. Hero was more of a dad than my real dad ever was, I honestly think he was a dad figure for all of us.

“Mhm.” I hummed.
“She’d be glad you’re doing what you want to do.”

“Thank you, Sunny.” He finally released me from his death grip dad hug. I nodded as he smiled, heading home soon after.

Chapter Text

I woke up with a yawn, stretching my arms out to find where Sunny was, but he wasn’t there. The bed was empty. I felt fear fill my lungs as I looked around the room, desperately wondering where he was. My breathing began to steady once I spotted a sticky note on the door.

I didn’t have the best eyesight, the note a blur from where I laid. I climbed outta bed, grabbing the note so I’d see it clearly. I felt so much calmed after reading the note. It simply said “I have a quick errand to run. I won’t be long. <3” It was cute how he put hearts on his i’s. I smiled to myself.

It was still kinda early, so I decided I’d take a shower. I quickly grabbed a towel and the new 3-in-one I had chosen for myself. I used to always choose the coconut smelling products, but now that smell brought back bad memories.

I turned the shower on, it made a funny squeak before the water came pouring out. I looked over, my gaze met with my reflection. Bruises were peeking out behind bandaids Sunny had tenderly placed onto my face the day before last.

I stepped into the shower, the water stung for a brief second, before my skin got used to it. Bruises and cuts sprinkled my body, finally beginning to heal after so so long. I felt so relieved, so safe.

I eventually got out, drying myself off with a fuzzy towel. I decided to just go straight into pajama clothes, I didn’t think any of us planned on leaving the house today.

Kendal must have really been tired out, she rarely slept in. I peeked into her room, her snores echoed. She was super tired. I decided to let her sleep in. She had a big day yesterday.

As if it were clockwork, I heard the front door open. I gently shut Kendal’s door and ran into the living room.
“Sunny!” I dorkily smiled.

I tightly pulled him into a hug. As I buried my face in his shoulder, I let out a soft giggle. He smelt damp, like a sunrise after it had rained, the grass still sprinkled with dewdrops. I relaxed as he hugged back with a hum.
“Your hair.. It’s all wet and smells nice..” He softly chuckled, putting a few strands of my hair behind my ear. A huge, goofy grin was stuck on my face.
“Mm, your bandaids are all soggy and falling off from the shower. Want me to change them?” He tilted his head to the side, cupping my face with his hands. I hummed in agreement.

He gently let go of me, telling me to go sit somewhere while he grabbed the bandaid stuff. I sat on the edge of the bed, legs crossed. He soon followed, leaning really close to my face while replacing the bandaids on my face. I tried to play off how red my face was, my face heating up a little more every time.

I closed my eyes in an attempt to stop my reddening face, only for it to come back tenfold. I felt him gently sneak a kiss onto my lips, bundles of giggles following. I kissed him in retaliation, a huge grin on my face as i bursted out laughing.
“Sunny guess what!” I hushly exclaimed. His reply was a tilt of the head.

“You left yourself wide open!” I teased, beginning to tickle his stomach.

“Kel- jerk!” His voice wasn’t so monotone, his giggles filling the room as he attempted to push me over.

His arm strength didn’t measure near mine, but I decided to let him win. He wore a huge grin as he mercilessly tickled me back in revenge. His hands were small and cold, which made it ten times more effective.

After a few moments, we had to catch our breath from laughing. I really felt like a kid again when around Sunny, didn’t I? I stole one more kiss- well, until I heard the door swing open. Kendal ran in, gasping with a dramatic pouty face.
“Dad! What did I say about cooties!” She scolded.

Sunny softly chuckled, laying onto me as if I were a couch with a grin.
“I think it’s too late, you got cooties too now, Kels?” He teased me.

“I’ve been infected.. bleh!” I played dead for a short moment before I began to laugh, stopping the dramatic, totally heart wrenching act.

“Noo!” She whined. Then, poking my face with a giggle.
“That’s not funny at all!”

“Ehehe, Breakfast time?” I asked. I felt Sunny nod into my chest in reply, Kendal’s cheers in agreement following. She had already zoomed out of the room, into the kitchen I assumed.

Me and Sunny laid there for a short while. He eventually got up off of me, stretching as if he were a cat. I tried to look away, attempting to not look at his tummy, which peeked from him stretching.

He offered a hand out, I took it, though not putting all my weight on him. He gazed up at me with a smile. I felt my heart skip a beat.

“Sunny, should we.. tell her sooner or later?” I asked. I really didn’t know what to do about stuff like this. Sunny was really smart, so I knew he’d likely have a good idea of some kind.

At first, he simply grabbed my hand. He looked at our hands as we slowly intertwined fingers. He gently rubbed his thumb against mine, finally returning his sweet gaze to my eyes.
“Let’s tell her. She just wants you to be happy, Kels.” His voice was so soft, so reassuring. I couldn’t help but agree, he was so easy to believe.

We walked into the living room, Kendal was flipping through tv channels. She was really smart, nobody had told her how to use it, yet she figured it out.

I smiled bright as both Sunny and I sat down on the couch with her. She returned the smile, kicking her legs as she hung halfway off the couch. Sunny put his hand onto mine, before beginning.
“Hey, Kendal?” He caught her attention.
“Can we talk to you for a minute?”

“Yeah, Sunny!” she smiled brightly.

“Kendal..” I continued, “How would you feel about not seeing your mom again?”

She looked at me for a good long moment before hugging me tightly,
“I don’t want to see mommy again.. She's mean to you and all bad!”

I let out a soft chuckle. She was such a good kid, so caring and sweet- well not to the boys at school but she was the best kid I could ask for. I hugged her back tightly, letting go with a smile.
“We’re gonna stay with Sunny now, okay?” I grinned. She nodded.

Sunny sat down on the ground in front of Kendal, a soft smile on his face.
“Hey Kendal..” He paused for a brief moment. I could tell he was choosing his words carefully.
“This will probably sound weird, especially since you’re little, but.. I love your dad so, so much. He me-”

“Don’t love daddy!” Kendal shouted, protectively hugging onto me.
“Mommy loved daddy and she hurt him.. I don’t want you to hurt him.”

I felt my heart shatter into shards, did she really think that was what love was? Was this all my fault? If I had left sooner, maybe she wouldn't think that's what love was.

I was about to help clear everything up, till I felt Sunny gently hug us both. He held us both tightly, letting out a calm sigh.

“I’d never hurt either of you. I know I haven’t known you for much long, Kendal.. But, I already love you both so much.” He gently caressed my hair, his voice as fragile as glass.
“I’ll never hurt you..” He whispered once more. His arms felt so safe. His words make me feel so happy. I knew Sunny would never in a million years attempt to hurt me, but it made my heart feel so full hearing him say it.

I tried so hard to hold it in, but I couldn’t. The tears that flooded out of my eyes soon morphed into loud sobs as I hugged onto both of them. I felt so happy. He squeezed the two of us closer to him, I buried my face into his shoulder as I sobbed. I’ve always hated crying, it always made me feel so weak. But, in front of Sunny, it felt okay. He wouldn’t think lowly of me for it as I felt others did.

After a few long moments, my cries subsided. He carefully let us go, cupping my face with his hands once again afterwards.
“I’m sorry.” I whimpered.

He softly sighed, barely above a whisper. He gently rubbed his thumbs along my face, wiping the few tears that lingered on my cheeks. It was such a comforting action. It made my heart feel so calm.
“Don’t be sorry, Kel.” He reassured me.
“Everything will be okay.”

Kendal squeezed the two of us in a hug, even tighter than before, loudly humming while doing so. Sunny nuzzled into the hug with a slight chuckle.
“A-okay!” She giggled.

“We will!” I smiled dorkily. I stood up, pulling Sunny up on his feet as I took a few steps backwards. Picking him up with ease, I spun around with him in my arms with a giggle. He was so easy to pick up- it was a tad concerning, but either way, I promised myself to make sure he improves at eating healthy and taking care of himself.

After setting Sunny back onto his feet, I dragged both Kendal and Sunny into the kitchen. We all cooked together, Kendal scrambling the eggs while I made french toast. Sunny mostly wrapped his arms around me and intently watched, I could feel his smile against my back as he switched back and forth from peeking behind me to leaning his head onto my back. He didn’t let go till it was breakfast time.