Chapter Text
Knock-Knock!
Knock-Knock-Knock!
The obsessive knocking that came every morning woke Sunny from his colorful dreams. His room was dimly lit by the sunlight leaking through his windows, as his answering machine began the wake-up message he received every morning.
”Good morning, Sunny! It’s me, Mari! I’ll be home by tomorrow afternoon! Isn’t it exciting? Kel has been wondering where you are, will you please say hello to him today? I love you, bro! Bye-bye!” The machine buzzed.
Sunny rolled out of his bed, running fingers through his hair to reduce the tangles. He pulled on a pair of khaki shorts, along with a short-sleeved button up shirt and sweater vest. He trudged down the stairs to the door. Taking a breath, Sunny opened the door.
”Oh, wow! You finally answered! How’ve you been?” Kel had a warm smile across his face. He was significantly taller since the last time they had seen each other. Sunny made quick eye contact with Kel and smiled.
”I have to get Hero a coming home present, wanna come with me?” Kel asked. Basil and Aubrey had been avoiding Kel, so Sunny was really his only option. He didn’t mind inviting Sunny—he was quite excited to, actually—but he hadn’t expected Sunny to open the door. It was even more unexpected when Sunny hesitantly nodded. Kel’s smile widened.
”Awesome! You ready?” Kel said, a bit louder than he had to. Sunny nodded again, and Kel grabbed Sunny by the wrist and pulled him outside. The sunlight blinded Sunny, as the unexpected feeling of warmth enveloped his body. A slight breeze rustled the leaves of the trees on the road to Hobbeez.
Before they knew it, Kel and Sunny found themselves wandering through shelves at Hobbeez. Sunny peered around at the vast selection of old comics, movies, music, and… cooking books.
”Sunny, look! Papa Chip’s Chip-Off-The-Old-Block Cookbook! That’s a mouthful…” Kel chuckled. The familiar feeling of the book in his hands just felt… right. He flipped the book over, looking at the back.
“Twenty bucks!? I’ve only got a ten…” Kel’s eyes flicked over to Sunny.
”Hey Sunny… can you spot me a ten? I’ll pay you back… at some point…” Kel asked. It was practically impossible to say no to his warm smile, so Sunny dug through his pockets. A thin sheet of papery fabric brushed against his knuckles. He pulled the money out of his pocket, Kel immediately grabbing it.
”Yes!!! You’re the best, Sunny!” Kel pumped his fists, and gave Sunny a quick shoulder hug.
“Hey, Shopkeep! I’m gonna buy this cookbook!” Kel shouted. The cashier laughed as Kel slid the cookbook onto the counter.
”Kel! It’s been a while!” The shopkeep said, “Papa Chip, huh? You’ve got taste!”
”Yeah! My brother used to have one of these as a kid, his cookies are the best!” Kel handed the cash to the shopkeep.
”Enjoy it, kiddo! See ya next time!” Kel waved goodbye, his other hand grasping Sunny’s.
”What’s the point of that?” Sunny pondered.
”You don’t have to keep pulling me everywhere, you know,” Sunny mumbled.
”Woah, you actually talked!!” Kel exclaimed, “I-I mean, sorry, Sunny! I kinda expected that you would go home…”
Sunny shook his head. He was enjoying himself, actually. Mari always made good decisions when it came to friendship. However, even after a few minutes of walking to the park, Kel’s fingers were still firmly intertwined with Sunny’s. He must have missed the shake of Sunny’s head.
”Oh look, it’s Basil!” Kel said, happily, “And Aubrey, too”
”Heeeey guuuuuys!!! Isn’t this a happy reunion!” Kel shouted, letting go of Sunny’s hand to run over to Aubrey and Basil. However, when she noticed Kel, Aubrey grabbed her bike and rode off, followed by her new friends. Kel’s smile drooped, but it quickly sprung back as he approached Basil.
”Hey Basil! What’s uuu- are you okay?” Basil wiped tears from his face.
”Y-yeah… sorry about…” He sniffed. Kel crouched next to Basil, and put a hand on his shoulder.
”Don’t apologize! Is Aubrey giving you trouble?”
”It’s… n-nothing serious…” Basil muttered. His eyes slowly gazed over to… Sunny. Sunny?
”Oh yeah! Sunny finally came outside,” Kel beckoned for Sunny, “Hey, this is great! We can all hang out together, maybe we could…”
As Kel babbled on, Basil’s eyes remained locked on Sunny. His best friend… ignored him for four years. It was all Basil's fault, too. Maybe if he had gotten to Sunny’s house a little sooner, Mari would be…
”Baaaasiiiiiil… are you good?” Basil snapped back to reality. Kel waved a hand in front of Basil’s face, before lightly touching Basil’s left eyelid.
”Woah, how’d you get a black eye?!” Basil flinched, prompting Kel to pull his hand backwards.
”Kel, it’s… it’s nothing…” He said, “I just want to go home…”
”We could walk you home, Basil,” Sunny said, stepping forward.
”Yeah! I have to clean the house for Hero, anyway!” Kel replied.
”T-thanks guys… I appreciate it!” Basil smiled. Kel grabbed Basil by the arm, helping him stand up.
The three boys walked home in silence, tension noticed by Sunny and Basil. It was the first time they had seen each other since Mari’s fall, both believing the incident was their own fault. While Sunny was the one who pushed Mari down the stairs, it was Basil who didn’t say anything, or try to soften her fall. However, their thoughts changed as they finally approached Basil’s house.
”Um, thanks,” Basil said, glancing between Kel and Sunny.
”Bye.”
”See ya, Basil! Maybe we can hang out tomorrow! You could come with me to pick up Hero from the airport?”
”Yeah, I-I’ll think about it,” Basil responded, waving goodbye as Kel and Sunny walked away, before rushing inside his house.
”So, Sunny, do you wanna come too? Hero and Mari should be getting home around the same time, right?” Kel asked as he and Sunny began the walk back to their houses.
”Yeah, I’ll come,” Sunny replied. Kel gave Sunny a toothy grin.
”Nice! They’ll be so surprised!” He said. The pleasant day reminded Sunny of his childhood, before Mari fell down the stairs. The only big difference was Aubrey. Sporting pink hair, colored contacts, and a baseball bat with nails sticking out of it at all angles, Aubrey must’ve been the most affected by Mari’s fall. Mari was like an older sister to Aubrey, an escape from Aubrey’s reality. Sunny was glad that Kel hadn’t changed, though. Kel continued to ramble to him, until they reached their neighborhood.
”Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Sunny!” Kel gave Sunny a firm pat on the back, before running inside. He had a lot to do, after all.
”Kelsey! I told you to be home by 4!” Kel’s mother yelled from the kitchen.
”Shoot, I’m 30 minutes late…” Kel hurried into the kitchen, giving his mother a hug from behind.
”Clean your room, and the bathroom while you’re at it! Que chica mas inutil...”
Kel couldn’t understand much of the Spanish his mother and father spoke, but he knew they only use it to say things he wasn’t supposed to hear. A useless girl… Hero had told him what it meant. It was a phrase muttered often, mostly by his mother. Kel couldn’t imagine what would happen if they heard about…
Wait, heard about what? They already knew he was trans, although they avoided that information at all costs. What else was there?
Maybe the way he liked the feeling of Sunny’s hands? Or how he always had that hope, for four years, that Sunny would come to his house; maybe to watch a movie, or just to enjoy each other’s company?
Or even the way that he daydreamed about Basil, just giving him a hug? Kel’s mother hadn’t liked Basil, so her knowing of Kel’s fondness for the boy would destroy everything. But, maybe it would be worth it to just-
He had to cut himself off, Kel had the persistent habit to think too much and get distracted. He glanced over to Hero’s side of the bedroom. Hero, the only person in his family who had a bit of respect for Kel.
“Thank goodness he’ll be back!”