Chapter Text
It's a good thing she didn't have that much to take with her, Aubrey reminds herself. She hauls her luggage down the sidewalk; a raggedy old school backpack on her back, a beat-up suitcase with ten patched holes in one hand, and her bunny Bun-Bun's travel cage in the other all weigh her down on her way across the street to the other side of the neighborhood.
Yep. Even though her mom seemed to be in her own little world all the time, she still somehow had enough cognitive ability to kick her out of the house on one day’s notice some couple months after she turned eighteen. Just one day to pack her things and leave. No hugs, no kiss, and no goodbye. Good riddance, right?
And at this time of year too, no less, with a gray sky, zero shadows and frost on the ground, and that’s not even to mention the wind chill stinging Aubrey in her face, through her nose, and everywhere it can get through her tattered black winter coat and skinny jeans. God... hopefully Bun-Bun isn’t too uncomfortable in his cage.
Aubrey needed a place to stay if she didn’t want to freeze to death out here, so naturally her best bet was with an old friend of hers that’s close.
The first person she called up was Kim. She was excited to hear from her again after so long and they hit off a conversation. She’s out of state studying to be a paleontologist, though, and while that’s great news for her, that means there’s no making it on foot. Aubrey doesn’t want to take the bus for that kind of distance either, so she had to call up others.
Vance lives closeby to Kim, though she didn’t specify how close exactly. Guess they might not talk as much these days. Mikhail dropped his pretentious “Maverick” persona some time ago and is actually pretty normal now, as boring as that sounds. He’s closer to Faraway, but still in an apartment complex five or six towns over. Angel’s still a minor and at some point his older sister got into a pretty prestigious art school somewhere across the country and had to drag him along with her. Charlene’s family moved to get closer to a job, and she herself managed to land herself a job at an animal shelter. She’s also gotten into botany as a hobby as evidenced by the pics she’d send her and the rest of the gang on occasion.
That was all her Hooligan friends out, about, and counted out, so then she went to her first group. Sunny already moved away ages ago, after some events she’d rather not think about. He’s doing okay now, though, practicing to be an artist or a violinist, whichever one comes up with an opportunity. Kel got a basketball scholarship and went to a university to play professionally, and just as fittingly he never misses shooting everyone a text at least once a week. Hero’s still in med school, and he’s pretty busy lately so nobody's been bothering him.
That was it, then. While she was busy screwing around and doing whatever through the last couple years of her childhood, most everyone she knows has grown up and moved on from this little town. Everybody else is either somebody she either doesn’t know, or somebody she burned bridges with as a dumb teen. And, well, she burned a lot of bridges.
That left Basil.
Aubrey’s memories of Basil are... mixed, to say the least, though not as in she dislikes him. They used to be close, playing together, sharing secrets and even doing each other’s hair. But then something happened. Something horrible. Then one thing led to another, she was really mean to him for a while, then Basil turned out to be in danger and she apologized and stopped being just horrible to him. Horrible enough, and for so long, that he couldn’t confide in anybody, not even one of his closest friends before almost making an extreme decision. And then, after all that, from then on she did her best to avoid him because of her guilt. It still makes Aubrey’s stomach tangle up to think about.
Now, though, he's the only one she can go to. These days he’s inherited his grandmother’s house and lives there alone. He’s an adult now too, and his old caretaker Polly had left presumably to take on another caretaking job. Besides that bit of info, she knew next to nothing. Other than the recently increasingly often times she managed to catch him at the Plaza by pure chance, she hasn’t seen him around, let alone talked to him, since shortly after his incident with Sunny.
And that was fine by her. She couldn’t face him if she tried, or now even call or text him ahead of time before setting out. She kept making excuses for herself, like he might be busy, he might not recognize her number as they’ve never called or texted since they’ve had phones. She had all day and the early morning yesterday as per her crooked sleep schedule to hit him up, and now she has to deal with walking up to his house unannounced and asking to stay without any heads up.
What a messed up thing to do. Here she is now, after bullying him and then dodging him for forever until she needs something. Here she comes onto his property, without anywhere else to go...
She stops and turns just before Basil’s driveway. Well, she’s here. There hasn’t been a good reason for her to come down this road in quite some time, so this is the first time she’s seeing Basil’s house as well. The biggest thing that’s just as Aubrey remembers is the house itself, all its identifying decorations and green shingles still standing.
There’s a certain sense of nostalgia seeing everything that’s the same, though there are just as many things different. Aside from the obvious frosted grass, his potted plants that were usually scattered all over are gone, the racks are empty and the flower beds having white sheets over them. Most of his plants have all probably been moved inside for the winter weather. There’re a couple additions though, Aubrey notices, like some new racks for plants, one set beside the driveway, and another she can see over in the space on the left side of the house.
Actually, she just now realizes that’s the only place on the property with any actual grass. There’s some irony in Basil’s yard being mostly concrete; Aubrey lets herself chuckle a little bit.
Okay, she can do this. She looks down at her precious bunny’s cage in her hand. “We’re here, Bun-Bun.”
The weight in her gut is still felt as she makes her way to his front door, but she's well past backing down now. She cuts through the ‘yard’ onto the porch, sets her suitcase down gently on the ground beside her and prepares to ring the doorbell with her freed hand.
She hesitates, then presses the button and lets go as quick as she can almost as if it’ll bite. The doorbell can be heard ringing out inside the house. There’s no turning back.
Now she waits patiently, listening for sounds from inside the house. There’s nothing yet, but around her out here there’s a light breeze rustling all the tree leaves behind her, the white noise allowing her a moment to relax a little.
Seconds pass. Her mind turns to how much different it looks now on the other side of that door. Could it look about the same, or has Basil made changes? How is Basil, is he doing alright emotionally? Has he been taking things well since the last time they've talked?
She can concentrate on things and wonder how much has changed to pass the time, but the feeling she had the last time she set foot on this property manages to creep its way back up. Everyone's lives were changed for the worst by what they did, but, without beating around the bush, Basil’s almost ended. After all she did to him when they were kids, and all she didn’t do for him when he was in a terrible state, does she even deserve his help?
The shamefulness of this makes her want to ding-dong-ditch and hide while she still can. Because here she is, a bully begging for her victim's help.
Standing idly on his front porch.
The seconds continue ticking by, the pit in her stomach persisting. Aubrey looks to her sides and around behind her, making sure she’s just being paranoid. She might be here alone but she’s out in the open still. Basil could come out any second, so she better be ready. Should she stand right here in front of the door? Or stand a bit to the side and look away? She’s seen people do that before. How is she supposed to look out here?
She’s going all sorts of places now, it’s time to settle down some. Come to think of it, hasn’t it been a couple minutes since she rang? There hasn’t been an audible sound she could notice afterward. Maybe he isn’t home. Did he hear the doorbell?
Her thoughts are interrupted by muffled footsteps approaching from inside the house, followed by the lock clicking and the door opening to answer her questions right on time. A man about her height with blonde hair appears behind it, his eyes enthusiastic and his expression welcoming as Aubrey remains frozen in his sudden presence.
"Oh, hi there!" he greets.
It’s Basil in the flesh. His clothes are different as she can tell from a glance, his old usual vest off in favor of a more flexible-looking green cotton T-shirt. "Heh, hey, Basil," Aubrey responds as chill as she can.
"Sorry for taking so long to answer! You knocked right when I was watering the flowers."
Huh, wow. He’s pretty confident, lots more than last time. Standing up straight, no bags under his eyes, not hugging himself or hiding behind the door like he used to. His face is relaxed with a welcoming smile and enthusiasm in his eyes, yet if his hair’s changed any, there’s no sign.
Aubrey’s in the middle of taking in all these changes when she remembers she was prompted to respond. “Oh, uh. Eh, it’s no big deal. I wasn’t out here that long.”
“Well, come on in!” Basil stands aside holding the door, peeking outside around her and motioning for her to come inside with his hand. “Haha, it must be freezing out there!”
“Oh! Th-Thanks!” She snaps herself back into the present and remembers it’s pretty chilly weather, reaching back down to pick up her suitcase and bunny to bring in through the door. Basil backs up to give her space as she carefully brings her stuff through the doorway, Bun-Bun first, then goes around her to close the door once she’s clear of it.
Once the draft is dissipated and the room temperature restores itself, ooh, it’s really warm in here. Floral scents fill her lungs as well, and as she looks to her right she sees why. There are the plant racks that were there before, but they’re more packed full of plants than she remembers with plants and flowers of all kinds of shapes. sizes and colors. Another, new long rack stands across from them with an equal amount of greenery. In front of that is the TV, sitting in front of the couch and a new wooden coffee table.
Aubrey looks around and takes in the rest of her surroundings, the living room, dining room and kitchen all in one large room. The opposite wall is decorated with various things to compliment the homey feel, such as picture frames, Polaroid photos hanging along a string on the wall, and a hanging plant in the corner, all just as she remembers. Even though there are noticeable changes, there’s a huge feeling of déjà vu. But most strikingly of all, it’s clean. Save for a couple used glasses and open mail on the table, Aubrey can’t tell any imperfections.
“It’s been a little while, how have you been?” Basil says suddenly.
"Oh, uh, g-good," she replies, caught off guard. “You?”
"Okay. You look just as I remember you!"
"So do you, almost." Aubrey looks Basil up and down as well, taking in his new appearance. As well as his shirt, he’s also dressed rather comfortably in blue jorts and socks. Clearly, he didn’t plan on going outside today. He also has a new pink flower pin in his hair, in the same place he’s always put it.
Basil’s eyes glance over to the luggage she set down. “Um, heh, going on a trip?”
“Oh, uh, actually…” Aubrey stops. Basil looks at her curiously, waiting for the rest of her answer. She can’t avoid it. “I… My… My mom, well… she kicked me out today, and… I needed a place to stay. I called everyone, and, they’re all gone. Out of Faraway, I mean.”
“Oh…” Basil looks down. “I’m sorry that happened.”
She shakes her head. "Nah, you didn't do nothing."
Basil looks down in thought, seeming to be apprehensive about something with his brow slightly furrowed. His eyes stay focused on one point on the floor, and then he looks up at her. “Do you need to stay here?” he asks.
Aubrey hesitates, and stammers. “I… yeah, kind of. I’m sorry, I tried to tell Mom how cold it is, but…”
“No, no, it’s okay, Aubrey! You can’t control stuff like that.” Basil smiles, but it looks a tiny bit forced.
“I-If you don’t want to, or you’re busy or something, that’s fine, I don’t wanna—"
“No, it’s fine! Really. Here, I can take your things.” He puts his hand out towards her awaiting her approval.
Aubrey only responds with a tiny, nervous smile before slipping off her backpack and unzipping her coat, revealing a black tank top underneath. Before she can do anything, Basil hurries to take both, hanging her coat up on the rack and setting the bag down beside it.
"Thanks," she says, even though she could've done that herself. It's the thought that counts, she thinks as she sets her suitcase next to the backpack.
Basil smiles more sincerely this time. “Um, would you like some tea to warm you up?”
“U-Uh, sure!” she answers back.
Basil nods and walks to the counter in the kitchen area. He gets one large glass from the cupboard and sets it on the counter, then opens the fridge and pulls out a plastic pitcher of green tea. There’s a certain energy he has as he goes, reaching out for things comfortably. Aubrey can’t place exactly what it is, but it’s definitely a far cry from the old him who would always keep his arms as close to his chest as he could.
Aubrey turns her attention back to the flowers. He must have been keeping busy, because there’s a lot here. Some with bulbs, some with stems that twist into a spiral, some bloomed with colored petals, some just starting life as a green sprout. Aubrey doesn’t know the names of any of these, but they’re pretty to look at all the same.
Some beeps are heard, then the microwave whirs to life. Basil comes back and meets Aubrey at the doorway. “Got the tea cooking!” he jokes. “I forgot to get more bags, but I always have a pitcher handy.”
Aubrey smiles, but doesn’t respond. The conversation stalls, the microwave humming across the room over their silence. Aubrey’s eyes glance around the room while Basil’s look slightly down, the awkwardness felt like weights. She should clear the air by bringing something up. Maybe one of his sweet spots to make him geek out and let him take control of things.
Luckily, Basil’s sweet spot is a pretty easy guess. “You have a lot of pretty flowers,” Aubrey observes.
Basil looks to her, then to the racks and smiles. “Thanks! I’ve accumulated quite a bit over time. A lot of them are outside hibernating, the perennial ones.”
"Where'd you get ‘em?"
"Fix-It, actually!" Basil beams. "I have a bunch of plants already, but I get some off clearance sometimes. This time of year, there were lots of springtime seeds that nobody bought too. I have more of those to prepare for then, heh. Oh, I also work there now!”
"Oh, really?" Aubrey replies, to which Basil nods. That would explain how often she saw him at the Plaza. "What's all that like?"
"It's pretty good. I work part-time as a cashier and helper, watering and fertilizing the plants we have, but I'm trying to get a full-time position. I could help open shop, unload shipments, things like that."
"How do you like it there?"
"It’s fun! Peaceful, too. Lots of convenience stores downtown are always so hectic, but it’s a lot more manageable in a quiet town like this. My coworkers help me out a lot too, and the customers are so nice!"
Aubrey chuckles a little bit, hitting his shoulder lightly. "That's good to hear, Basil! Look at you."
Basil holds the place he was hit with his hand. "Heh, th-thank you." He looks to the side for a bit, before the microwave beeps. “Oh! I think it’s ready, I’ll be right back! You can sit down on the couch over there if you’d like.”
Oh, right, Aubrey’s just been standing here. She nods and lets Basil head back to the microwave, then takes Bun-Bun's cage and walks to the couch herself, setting the cage on the floor beside her and sitting down. It’s just as she remembers, soft, yet firm… and just a little bit springy. Hm.
Aubrey hardly has time to feel it by the time Basil returns to her side with two smaller, brown coffee cups. “Here you go!” he says, handing her one.
“Oh. Thank you!” Aubrey says nervously, taking the handle from his hand and feeling the heat.
Basil nods in acknowledgement and moves back to sit down on the couch, opposite to her. “Careful, it might be a little hot.”
Aubrey can see the steam and feel the heat on her hand just from holding the handle. Sounds about right, she thinks, looking at the tea in her cup. Ah, green.
Basil gives a soft laugh. “Can’t believe I forgot the bags! I guess I needed too many other things to remember.”
Aubrey grins and puts the edge of the cup to her lips, lightly blowing on the steaming drink. Basil dives right into his and starts audibly slurping at it, casually as ever. Okay, then. That’s impressive.
Basil points the remote, and the television clicks and buzzes on. Aubrey watches it, commercials playing, while blowing and taking tiny sips. She isn’t too interested in ads, so she looks around the set instead. It sits atop a table, with a DVD player and cable box stacked on top of each other beside it. Just behind it is all the plants he has, which creates a nice blossoming backdrop.
She breaks the ice again, tasting her tea now that she can take big enough sips to. It’s sweet, the tea flavor faint yet smooth, and sooths her throat with its warmth. “Mm, it’s pretty good.”
“Thanks! I like green tea, because it’s pretty silky. It’s made from the same plant most of the other teas are made from, but it they don’t let it oxidate as much. Also I just like the color green.” He giggles, then faces Aubrey again. “Um, how are you, actually? This conversation's been a little one-sided, hasn’t it?"
“Eh… well.” Aubrey thinks, the ball back in her court. The TV doesn’t really help her train of thought either. “Not… Well, besides the whole home situation, not really much I don’t think. I’m a lot warmer now though, haha.”
“That’s good! Have you seen the forecast? It’s supposed to get below freezing later today.”
“Whoa… Good thing I came here!” Aubrey winces at how awkward she sounds.
Basil grins a little bit. “Heh. Well, I’m glad you’re here too. It’s been a while since I’ve had any visitors.”
Aubrey thinks. Is he really happy to see her again, after everything? Him not even holding a grudge is relieving enough, but being this willing to help her like this is, incredible. “Thanks, Basil. Thanks for letting me stay.”
"Oh, don't worry. Happy to help out an old friend!"
Aubrey catches a grin creeping up, and can feel her walls coming down almost physically. She's safe here. They converse more, Aubrey letting Basil continue to do most of the talking, about what plants he's seen at the store. Some stories from work as well, like how one time the entire store helped him clean up after he ripped open a bag of fertilizer on accident trying to lift it, or another time where the shipping trucks got mixed up and they got packages of dough delivered instead of gardening tools. They both laugh at the ridiculousness of that. The Bread Twins must've been so confused.
Aubrey finds herself almost at the bottom of her cup and notices it's cooled off quite a bit, so invested she didn't even notice.
Conversation winds down again. Basil looks up and around, toward the hallway, then back to Aubrey perking up excitedly, "Oh, I almost forgot! Speaking of, do you want to see your bedroom after we're done?"
Oh?
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Basil leads Aubrey into the hallway, turning around in front of the door on the far left and giving another smile. He opens the door and ushers her inside. The light is flicked on, after which she's greeted by the most hygienic room she's ever been allowed to call her own.
Aubrey finds herself stunned. She’s seen this room a couple times passing by when they were kids, but Basil’s done some serious upkeep by the looks of it. The biggest thing in the room and the first thing she looks at is the bed near the left corner, made with a white comforter with big flower art on it and a pillow with a pillowcase of the same design. She looks around it and sees to its right a wooden nightstand with a green lamp and a digital alarm clock.
“Basil, this is... wow,” she just barely manages at a genuine loss for words.
"It's the guest room again, but you can have it as long as you need it," Basil offers from the doorway.
There’s more that Aubrey notices as she continues to look around. A cushioned chair sits to the bed’s left and there’s a mostly empty bookshelf in the other corner with a few magazines and newspapers. But most notable of all, the room is clean, dry, and everything combines with the vent on the ceiling above the chair filling the room with comforting, warm air.
This is seriously all hers? No way. She could hug him right now. "I... don't even know what to say, man. This is..."
"Ah, you don't have to say anything! Just the same room as it’s always been. Um, if you don’t mind I do need to get started on dinner, heh. Call if you need anything!”
“O-Oh. No problem, man,” she replies. “Really… thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Basil nods with a grateful smile, then turns to return to the door. He pulls it and leaves it cracked on his way out, leaving Aubrey alone in her new room.
His departure is a little abrupt, but, well, dinner sounds nice. She walks over and sits on the edge of the bed, looking around on the opposite side of the room. There’s a dresser on the left side of the door, with three big drawers and two small ones at the top, yet another few flower pots lining the top of it. Then the chair, then the nightstand with the clock.
…There’s no way she deserves this. After all this time she spent selfishly avoiding him, he’s willing to not only let her back into his life, but let her stay in his home for an unsaid amount of time. Willing to not only let her stay, but to immediately recognize her as an old friend in spite of everything. Welcome her on such short notice. Trust her alone in his house even after everything she did.
This is her room. It’s temporary, but she has a such a pretty place to sleep. Homey, too. It feels like she’s standing in a bedroom. An actual, real bedroom, instead of some leaky water-damaged attic made to just look like one, under a roof that needs buckets to drip into while she’s trying to sleep. It's a complete one-eighty from the old space she had with her unweaving blanket, broken mirror, untrustworthy ladder, stained sheets, puddles of rain…
Her nose burns a little, and her eyes chill.
Maybe she can give the bed a try for a sec. She should bring her bags and Bun-Bun in here, come to think of it, but she'll only be in here a few minutes to check things out. This is her new room, after all. No harm in checking it out, right?
Aubrey runs her hand over the comforter, fluffy as a cloud. She then moves to the front of the bed and takes the top to pull it out from under the pillow and about a quarter way down, unmaking it and revealing the bottom sheet which is somehow just as soft.
Okay, she’s got to try this out. Deciding to lie down in it she slides her shoes off and lets herself almost fall onto the bed, lying on her stomach on top of the sheets. She pulls the pillow under her head and wraps her arms around it in her improper position, askew and bringing one of her knees up halfway to her chest. Between her straps and her stiff jeans, her normal clothes never feel comfortable lying down like this, but this is only for a little bit.
Along with the heater unit going, the comforter she’s on and the pillow she’s hugging are already absorbing her body heat and returning it back. She nuzzles her cheek into the pillow and lets herself feel settled in her spot, all snug even despite not being under the covers.
She lets her eyes fall shut. It’s so warm in here after all that time she spent out in both the literal and figurative cold. Initially thinking today would be filled with awkwardness assuming Basil would even let her in, her gamble paid off and she couldn’t be more relieved and glad.
She’s safe here.
She turns her focus to the cozy feeling and the white noise from the heater above. Eventually, all other priorities she had are forgotten, and her warmth and comfort give way to sleepiness.
Before she knows it, she’s slipped soundly asleep.