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“… And that’s what happened… I… I’m so sorry, I’m sorry- I swear I regret it every day… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m so-” His frantic murmured apologies were cut off by his own breath hitching painfully, a keening whine managing to escape his mouth despite how he had promised to himself to keep composed when he dropped the ugly truth. He brought his hands up to his mouth in a futile effort to smother his cries. He didn’t deserve to cry right now.
Sunny took in more quick shuddering breaths, it felt like his heart was a frantic bird trying to escape the cage that was his chest and he wished that at that moment it would just burst out already so he didn’t have to keep looking at his friends— were they even friends after what he just revealed?— their distraught stares felt like they were setting his skin ablaze. He slumped down to the floor in a heap, his puppet strings having been cut by the strain of what he just confessed along with his injuries. His throat felt scrapped raw.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds of silence passed before anyone reacted, those seconds felt like an eternity.
“I- you! Why would-“ was the strangled sentence that left Aubrey’s mouth first, her face was red and there were angry tears gathered in the corners of her eyes that were currently glaring at him. Her shoulders were tense as she balled up her fists, her knuckles turning white from the pressure.
“Just… Why…?” Her face wavered, her face crumbling into an expression of pure grief before she forced her anger back to the front. He knew she was trying to hide her vulnerability behind rage again, a side of her they had worked so hard to bring out of her, but was undone by his confession. He had undone this. Aubrey was broken all over again because of this. It’s his fault.
He resisted the urge to brace himself as Aubrey stepped closer to him, she was raising a fist that deserved to meet his face before to his surprise, she stopped. A new expression adorned her face.
Disgust.
“You’re- you’re not worth it. You’re both not worth it. Don’t… Don’t talk to me again or I’ll… forget it,” She looked down at him with a cold stare before she marched out of the room, the door slamming behind her in one last display of anger. He knows it’s justified.
Sunny bowed his head for a moment before looking up when he heard another set of footsteps approaching him. It was Hero, tears were streaming down his face steadily but despite that it looked like he was trying hard to keep his composure. He was always trying his best to stay calm in every situation. This situation in particular didn’t call for that though, Sunny thinks Hero deserves to unleash his anger on him.
“Sunny… You were… You were just a kid and so was Basil, I know that but-“ Hero choked on a sob and Sunny felt his heart break a little more at the pain behind it, “I need some time, I… I don’t think I can forgive either of you right now.”
Hero tried smiling at him in between sobs but it looked more like a grimace, and as if realizing that he subconsciously went to offer a hand to help him stand before thinking better of it with an actual grimace and instead headed for the door. It closed with a soft click.
He pretended like Hero retracting his hand didn’t sting. He didn’t deserve any of Hero’s kindness after all.
“I’m going to go after him,” Kel said quietly, his face was scarily blank which was a stark contrast to his usual lively expressions, “He shouldn’t be alone, neither should Aubrey but-“
He paused as he walked towards the door, running a stressed hand through his hair with a weary sigh that didn’t suit him at all.
“I’ll see you around Sunny… Maybe… I dunno.”
A final click. It felt like he was walking out of his life along with the others, he doesn’t hold it against them.
Now only Sunny and Basil remained. A killer and his accomplice, all alone as they should be. Or maybe not.
Basil didn’t deserve it, he was just unfortunately there at the wrong time. He panicked. Maybe.
This wasn’t the time to think about that.
Sunny stood up on shaky legs and slowly made his way to Basil’s bed, taking a seat on the edge of it. He had to break the news to him once he woke up.
In the meantime he took a moment to look over the other boy’s injuries, most of them seem to be from him if the bruises on his face were any indication. Sunny winced, he didn’t think he was strong enough to leave that kind of damage.
But that left him with some questions. Were bruises really a serious enough injury to be sent to the hospital for? Or was there something he wasn’t seeing?
“Sunny…?”
Sunny’s remaining eye widened when he heard his name called, repositioning how he was sitting on the bed he faced Basil who was now awake and staring at him in shock.
“We’re alive?” He heard Basil whisper right before his expression crumpled into one of devastation, tears immediately leaking out of his eyes.
“Why why why why?” Basil muttered frantically, his breathing rapidly becoming hyperventilated, “We-we can’t keep doing this! I can’t keep doing this… I can’t… I can’t I can’t”
“Basil…” Sunny rasped out and despite the low volume of his voice, it instantly caught Basil’s attention. Which seemed to be the moment where the other boy fully processed his new appearance if his eyes widening in horror were any indication.
“Sunny… Sunny oh no, I’m so sorry, your eye I did that to you, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Basil stumbled over his apology, he tried sitting up but hissed in pain and ended up falling back into the bed. His arm shoots out instinctively to hold his abdomen protectively.
Something heavy settled in Sunny’s stomach. He desperately hoped his suspicion was wrong. That he was just jumping to conclusions…
But it made sense. He remembers Basil having his garden shears on hand during their… Scuffle, his bad eye burned at the memory. After he had passed out Basil would've been on his own for a moment, recalling Basil’s breakdown from a few moments ago… A moment would have definitely been enough time.
“Basil, tell me the truth… Did you..” Sunny swallowed thickly and licked his lips nervously before continuing, “Did you… Try killing yourself?… After I passed out?”
Basil paled.
The heavy silence that followed was enough of an answer.