Work Text:
Sunny Suzuki calmly sat in his childhood bedroom, looking back on everything that had happened in the first 16 years of his life in these four walls.
He'd finally confessed the truth of what had happened to his sister, and despite his feint hopes that everything could maybe go back to normal, his friends had left him in Basil's hospital room, claiming they needed time.
That was a week ago, and Sunny began to lose hope they'd ever come back for him, though he wasn't surprised.
After the events that led to his hospital stay, his mother gave him a week to recuperate and heal up, before taking him away from Faraway to the city where he could hopefully restart his life.
This was to be his final night in the small suburban town, and he missed his friends, not even Kel had come knocking yet, who was likely taking care of Hero still. He was scared to encounter Aubrey, the girl he'd once again felt feelings for in the last day he'd been with them, having shared a moment on the swing set just like old times, and promising he'd take better care of himself.
Upon learning he would be in town for a little bit longer, Basil had gone and bought a going away gift for Sunny, a small speaker, so that the raven-haired boy could always listen to music in his new home, as in his years away, had grown attached to several genres.
Feeling it'd be another long night alone, Sunny sighed and picked up the small device, before going to the living room, and playing some a pop song that'd been popular when he and Mari were growing up about messing up a relationship, and seeing the singer's partner getting away. Softly humming along, Sunny laid on the floor, contemplating his feelings for his childhood crush Aubrey, and wondered what could have been if he hadn't killed Mari.
After all, Mari had been pushing him to pursue his feelings for her for a while leading up the recital, and was dropping hints that Aubrey could have potentially liked him as well. That didn't sound right to Sunny, he was just there for her as a friend, she couldn't possibly have feelings for someone so quiet and unimpressive...right?
As Sunny contemplated this however, he heard a loud knocking at his front door, as if someone had been knocking for a while. Embarrassed for letting himself get that lost in his thoughts, Sunny paused his music, and got up to answer the door.
Behind the door was quite the sight for his sore eye, Aubrey, looking shy for the first time since before the recital.
"Hi Sunny, Basil told me you were leaving tomorrow, I was wondering if you wanted to spend some time together before then, since you're going away forever..."
Sunny nodded, excited that one of his friends wanted to be around him again, and invited the girl inside, not noticing the deep blush adorning her face. Upon closing the door behind her, he felt two arms thrown around him, as his new house guest had thrown her arms around him "I'm sorry I stayed away for so long Sunny, I was just taking the information in, its been hard for all of us, but I just needed to see you one last time."
The two quietly looked around what was left of Sunny's home, with most things being taken away to the city already while Sunny was recovering in the hospital, only leaving enough for him to sleep at home a couple days before moving away himself.
Trying to do something to lessen the awkwardness of the silence, Sunny returned to his speaker, and resumed his music, the previous song ending and leading into an older song. This one about a pair of long-lost lovers, one keeping away due to his own issues, the other doing what she could to keep pride, before meeting in a chance encounter and immediately reconnecting.
The song was a personal favorite of Sunny's, having known it as a child, but only now knowing the meaning of the end, looking at the girl he had one last chance with.
"Hey Aubrey" Sunny quietly said "I'm sorry too, disappearing like that for so long, I wish I could've seen how much Mari's death affected you. For the longest time I figured you'd all forgotten as I had, and moved on to other things, and moved on from me.
If I could go back and say no to Basil's plan, I'd do it 10 times out of 10, just so I wouldn't be alone for so long. I know you felt the same way, abandoned by all of us, like we'd just had our sorrow and moved on, that's why you were so angry, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. If Mari knew how I was treating the girl I love...." Sunny immediately stopped talking, face turning to a shade fitting of a tomato as Aubrey turned to look at him.
"Sunny, did you just say you love me?" Aubrey was shocked to be met with an ecstatic nod, the most energetic thing the boy had done in his life. "Figures, you're moving away tomorrow and my feelings were just confirmed, I love you too Sunny."
Five words Sunny never thought he'd heard from this wonderful girl in front of him, though words he never knew he needed to hear so much. Feeling a sudden burst of energy, the usually stoic boy jumped up with a grin on his face, as the love song faded into a more modern one.
Another love song, though with a sadder ending, as it was a couple's last night together, talking about how dreams were the only way to find the other. Sunny's grin exploded into a full smile as he offered a hand to the shocked girl on the floor. "C'mon Aubrey, Let's dance." Blushing at the request, Aubrey took Sunny's hand, and was suddenly glad the living room was empty.
Despite his quiet nature, unathletic frame, and relative "emotionless" this boy could dance. Leading Aubrey around the room, Sunny was as graceful a dancer as Faraway had ever seen, leaving the girl he lead to fall further and further in love with him.
She could only smile as he held her by the waist and whisked her around the room, doing his best to atleast keep a firm hand hold with her, fully extending her out spinning, before briskly and calmly pulling her back to him to hold her close.
While being twirled around and flying around their makeshift dance floor, Aubrey could only watch, as Sunny finally looked happy, a smile on his face that Hero would be jealous of, and eyes sparkling as if he himself was the night sky. As the song pulled to a close, Sunny pulled the girl he loved close to him, with a tear streaking down his face.
"Why are you crying Sun, you seemed so happy while we were dancing?" Sunny, eyes still shining with life, just pulled her tighter to him "I'm going to leave you, this is our last night, I can only find you in dreams now..." as his tears began to multiply.
Aubrey pulled a hand out, and wiped the tears away "then let's just enjoy this one night together" as she skipped over to the speaker, and playing the upbeat love song again, on repeat, with a mischievous grin on her face.
Aubrey took the lead this time, leading Sunny around the room as he had for her earlier, smiles reaching from ear to ear on both of their faces, as they know this is their last chance to be together, maybe forever.
Time had lost meaning for the two, but after a couple of hours they both fell to the ground, exhausted from their dancing. They quickly wrapped into each other's arms.
Though the two wanted to stay up and talk further, their furious dance session left them both completely drained, but happy. The two friends laid sleeping and cuddling, all the way through the early morning, and Sunny's mother arriving to pick him up.
Seeing the two friends laying so closely, and hearing from Kel and Hero how much the two had seemed to improve one another's mood, as well as knowing Aubrey's family situation wasn't the best, the woman was left with no other choice.
----
Aubrey was the first of the two to arise, however, something felt different, she was still with Sunny, but it was bright in the room she was in, remembering they had spent the night together.
She sat up and, upon looking around, found herself in what looked like a bedroom, but it wasn't anything like his bedroom in Faraway. Leaving the room, she found herself face to face with Sunny's mother who smirked upon making eye contact "well good morning Aubrey dear, I hope you aren't too mad I brought you with, you two were just so cute laying on the floor with each other, I couldn't take him away from you, so I decided to give you a new start as well."
Hearing this, Aubrey began to cry, not only was she finally away from her horrible family, she could still be with Sunny, she could dance with him again. Sunny then came out of the room and when he saw the crying girl in front of him, reached out "a....Aubrey? Is that you?"
Aubrey turned to face the starting to tear up boy with a smile "looks like my dream came true, I get to see you more, last night wasn't goodbye. I meant what I said, I hope you do too though" with a hint of red forming on her face again. Sunny just smiled and nodded "I love you Aubrey, that would never change."
The two reached out a hand toward the other and moved towards the living room, and began to dance once again, just as they had the night before. Their dreams, as well as the dream of one specific older sister, had come true.