Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“SUNNY! The recital is in a few hours, you CAN’T afford to keep making this mistake.” I remained quiet as my sister berated me in the living room of our apartment. I rarely see her like this, so I can tell she is obviously upset. “What? Not gonna respond?” Guess I have no choice… “M-Mari, I’m sorry, I’ll fix it…” I love my sister, she treats me incredibly well, and I know she wants the best for me. But her constant nagging about perfecting this recital is just far too much for me to handle sometimes. Alas, we continued practicing, we practiced and practiced, until finally, I perfected my part of the song.

“Good job Sunny! I knew you could do it little brother.” I smiled at my sister’s praise, it’s rare for me to smile as a timid 12 year old, but it’s almost like an emotion-overload when I do. “Hey Mari, can I have a hug?” Mari laughed. “You’re such a softie little brother.” Mari embraced me into a warm hug, I felt all my concerns about messing up the recital vanish in that moment. And then the concerns were back once the hug ended, as does most anxiety.

2 and a half hours later: Me and Mari had to leave half an hour early, apparently they already had a piano set up for her at the building. I'm not sure how this stuff works, but I guess it makes sense. I had to carry my violin though. The cool breeze in the late evening was nice, and comforting. We were starting to approach the building, I could see it, so we weren’t far. Mari was seeming all eager, however, I was stressed out. I didn’t show it, I’m quite good at hiding my emotions. But Mari knows when something is wrong, I guess she learned to tell.

“You’re looking a little anxious there, are you okay?” I was used to Mari confronting me whenever she knew something was wrong, but today of all days? It felt strange… Why was I so important compared to the recital right now? It starts in five minutes. “I’m fine Mari.” I was expecting her to nod and continue walking, instead she began lashing out at me. “What? You’re seriously getting stage fright now? We aren’t even in the building, you better not ruin this for me.” I knew it’s not best to argue right now, and yet, I opened my mouth… “You’re pr-pressuring me too much.”

Mari, being the perfectionist she is, seemed slightly offended at this, luckily she kept her calm. But then I froze, my stress became too much. I started to stare off into space as I stood there right outside of the building. Mari snapped me outta it… “Hello? Wake up.” I remained there, though not as zoned out. Now, I don’t know what got over me, but, suddenly I felt a wave of anger go over me. Within seconds of this feeling, I felt my hand release its grip and slam down. The violin flew right out of my hand, and plummeted onto the hard concrete beneath me. I looked up after I realized what I had just down…

There I saw Mari, for a moment she looked absolutely mortified, but then her expression changed to that of pure rage. “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? You- You BRAT!” Deep down I know Mari would never hit me, but still, I feel so scared… “Can you even COMPREHEND how much that cost? I worked my ass off for you, and you ruined it? You FAILURE.” I’m used to the insults I get at school, but from Mari, it stung worse than ever before. I couldn’t do anything but look down at the now broken violin, my mistake. Mari approached me, and looked down at me in a fury. I started to back off in fear and shame.

Mari continued to scold me, most of her words flew over my head, I was dumbfounded that I could ever make such a mistake. I bolted away… my sister began to chase after me. Though I was more suited to run in shorts. “SUNNY! Get back here.” I continued to run further and further away, I looked back to see Mari in the distance, she was trying her hardest to keep up. I took a corner into one of the city's many, many alleyways. I ran through it, in hopes of losing her, and this seemed to work.

A small portion of time later: I had run a little bit more, into a local park, Mari knew I liked this place… Yet it was getting dark, and I expected my sister to give up and go home. Yet, I heard an all too familiar voice. “Sunny!, Sunny! Where are you? Please…” I could hear the desperation in her voice. I felt bad, yet, I now know I do not belong with my family. Especially after what I did a mere 15 minutes ago. I snuck out of the park without getting seen, not too many people are here in the the late evening, just enough to not be instantly spotted." I started mindlessly walking down a sidewalk, stuck to my own thoughts, sadness, and regret. Mari probably hates me now, she probably called our parents and told them what happened, they must hate me too.

It was starting to get dark outside. Normally, I get scared outside late at night, and yet I continued to walk down this sidewalk. I don’t even know where I’m going. After what felt like a year, I felt my legs start to almost collapse on me, I was really tired, and I’ve been walking for around who knows how long now, I’m gonna estimate 2-3 hours, which is almost 10 miles I think. I don’t know the way back anymore, and I can’t see anything. With seemingly zero other options, I started to walk once more…

Mari’s POV: “So you… lost our son?" I was relentlessly sobbing after explaining to our parents what had happened. I didn’t care how mad they would get, I just wanted him back. I pushed him too hard, the recital should not have been my concern, and yet, I acted as if my life depended on it. “You- you are not my daughter.” My fathers words broke me even more, He’s right too. I’ve never been a crybaby, nor has Sunny, but this was much different…

The next morning: I jolted myself outta bed, if I’m gonna find him, I’d better get an early start. Normally, I shower in the mornings, then do my hair. But there was simply no time for that, Sunny could be anywhere in the city, and possibly outta it. I put on some ugly clothes and ran downstairs, grabbing only a water bottle. I put on my shoes, and right before I was about to begin my search, I heard my mom speak to me from the couch. “I’ve lost my only son… you- you are my only daughter, I can’t lose you too.” I had to reassure my mom that I wasn’t following in Sunny’s footsteps, though I wish to do that literally and not metaphorically. I knew mom was sad, and I like to always help people as much as I can. But today is not that day. For all I know, Sunny could be swimming to Cuba, impossible as that is.

When I finally stepped out the door, I didn’t hesitate. I immediately began my search for him, I started by checking all his favorite spots in this part of the city… Beginning with the park, which I had checked the previous night. And just like last time, he wasn’t there. I then went to this slightly sketchy donair that Sunny adored, their pizza was his favorite. However, he wasn’t in or around the building. I checked the video game store, the comic shop, the school he attended, library, and the areas around them. Nothing, nowhere. My ever increasing stress levels were slowing me down. This was too much, even for somebody like me.

Later that day, Hero’s Pov: I was walking down to Gino’s with my brother, Kel, our mom gave us 20$ for a pizza. Kel was absolutely ecstatic. On our way to the place, I noticed something really odd, it was a homeless person, but not any homeless person, they seemed to be a child. Around Kel’s age maybe, he was sleeping on the curb of a road, right next to the street where that drunken lady and her daughter lived. As much as I wanted to approach the sleeping kid, I knew I wouldn’t hear the end of it from Kel if we didn’t get this pizza. And so, that we did.

Inside the store, I decided to tell Kel, who was stuffing his face down with a slice of pizza, what I had seen. “Hey uh, Kel. I saw this homeless kid sleeping on the curb on our way here, weird to see someone sleeping at 3pm in general. Anyways, I’ll get to the point, I know you wanted to keep the change, but-” Kel cut me off. “FINE! I know what you’re going to say anyways. Why are you always so responsible?” I ignored Kel’s question, instead, I let him chow down on that last slice of pizza. Once we were finished, I rushed outta the restaurant, Kel kept up.

I was hoping that kid would still be there, and to my luck, he was. I approached him, and spoke. “Hey, kid.” He didn’t budge, he was sound asleep, as if he walked a marathon and stayed up all night. Doubt that, he seems slightly skinny, though he doesn’t seem malnourished. I decided it would be best to shake him awake, although I’ve never seen him before, and Kel seemed as lost as I was. I lightly moved him, and once again, he didn’t wake up. Before I could even make another move, Kel began to violently shake the boy, which caused him to jolt awake in fear.

“Wh-who are you?” He asked, I introduced myself as Hero, and did so with a charming smile. “Hey kid, are you okay?” If you ask a random person if they’re alright, you normally get a yes, because no one likes sharing their feelings with a stranger. But to my surprise, he shook his head slowly. “Is there anything I can do to help? I have a few bucks on me.” The boy responded. “N-no thank you.” I knew this was a lie, he sounded dehydrated. “Hey Kel, can you run home and fetch him a glass of water?” Kel obliged. The boy finally stood up, he was red from laying on the concrete in the hot sun. “What’s your name?” He took a moment to respond… “Sunny.” Well, Sunny has a nice name.

Kel returned with the water and handed it to me, I then handed it to Sunny. I don’t see why Kel couldn’t just give the water directly to Sunny. Sunny chugged it down fast, he was clearly thirsty. “Would you like another?” I asked him, he nodded. I gestured for Sunny to follow me, he seemed slightly hesitant, I would in that situation too. But he still did follow. The three of us started walking towards where me and Kel lived with our parents. I told him to wait outside while we got him another glass.

Sunny’s Pov: Why are these people helping me? I’m just a homeless kid now, not someone of importance. Either way, the younger brother approached me while Hero was getting my water. “Hey, whatever your name is, would you like to come inside? We have food and video games and stuff.” I eagerly nodded my head at his proposal. And so, he let me into their house, and introduced himself as Kel. Once I entered, I felt the sweet air conditioning hit me, it was fabulous. “KEL, do you have any friends over?” I heard the voice of an adult come from the kitchen, Presumably their mother. Kel said yes, and alas, I was in the house with a bunch of strangers, as the naive type, I trusted them either way. They’ve helped me so far.

Hero saw that Kel let me inside, and Hero was totally onboard. He gave me my water and I drank it fast, but not chugged. The brothers brought me to their room, it was nice, and Kel had a video game console. They asked me basic stuff, like my hobbies and so on, luckily, they had yet to ask why I was on the curb to begin with. But I know I’ll have to tell them eventually, or else it’s probably gonna be another night on the curb. And going back home probably isn’t an option anymore. I suppose this could be a whole lot worse…

Chapter 1 ends…

Chapter Text

“SUNNY, KEL, THE COOKIES ARE DONE!” Hero yelled from downstairs, Kel had asked him to make us cookies while me and Kel were playing video games. I was really getting to know Kel, he told me he has quite the group of friends at school, yet he’s never really bonded with someone as good as he did with me. I guess we have good chemistry. Nevertheless, we had cookies to obtain. And Kel told me all about Hero’s amazing cooking skills…

Upon reaching the downstairs, Hero had already placed a plate of cookies onto the middle of their kitchen table. I didn’t see their parents anywhere, so I assume they went out somewhere. After we sat, Kel immediately began gobbling down on cookies like his life depended on it. I sat there in complete awkward silence, only interrupted by Kel continuing to devour his cookie. Hero finally spoke up. “So, Sunny. I’ve never seen you around before, you new here?” I nodded. Clearly he was the slightest bit suspicious of my sudden arrival.

“Do you have any siblings?”... “A sister.” I spoke as quickly as I could, so as to not stutter. “Looking forward to meeting her.” Well, oh shit. Think Sunny, think. “Yo-you well uh, won’t be. B-b-because she is B-busy a lot.” Hero nodded, I knew I was an amazing liar, thanks for helping me out inner-monologue- “Busy already? I thought you just moved in” Hero was clearly onto my magical appearance in this town, but he’s not the kind of guy to just confront me. “Which house did you move into?” fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, what do I say? “The uh, the white one near where I slept.” I was entirely expecting Hero to not believe me again, instead, he gasped in shock.

“H-hey guys, I uh, I think I’ll be going now bye~” Without saying a word, I rushed out of their house, the sun was only now starting to set, It’s almost summer! Nonetheless, as a professional liar, I have a lie I need to keep, and I know exactly where to start…

Aubrey’s POV: *Knock, knock, knock*. I heard a slight knocking noise on the front door, I assumed it was probably the alcohol my mom ordered, why do people drink that stuff anyways? It would probably be best if I let my “Mom” wake up and get it, if I can even call her that. *Knock, Knock, Knock*. Seriously? I just wanted to relax this weekend. Upon reaching the bottom of the ladder, I heard the three knocks once more, this made me nervous. Slowly and timidly, I opened the door, to find no alcohol or another guy my mom invited over. Instead, a cute looking boy was on the other side, he seemed shy.

“Can I help you?” He went blank for a moment… like he was deep in thought. I snapped my fingers, this got him out of his trance. “O-oh uhm sorry. Are you the daughter of the person I need to t-talk to?” I assumed he meant my mother, I sighed. “Unfortunately, that’s me.” I was slightly hoping this 12-13 looking year old had come to yell at my mom, though, that would never happen. “Also, good luck talking to her, she’s always, and I mean ALWAYS, passed out drunk, in a trance on the TV, or screaming at me.” I saw the boy’s expression get slightly more worried, but he spoke up again… “Oh… well uhm, could you pretend to be my sister?” I was truly dumbfounded at this, what the fuck does he even mean?

“I, uh, got myself in trouble. Do you know a uhm uh, Kel or Hero in this town?” I stood there for a moment, thinking about it. “OH! I know Kel, he’s the annoying kid in class, and Hero is the brother right?” The boy nodded. “What type of trouble do you have with them?” I was expecting him to say something stupid, the boy seemed slightly dotty. However, I was not prepared for the load of information he spat out his mouth, I’m not sure I got all of it…

Sunny’s POV: “So, what I’m gathering is: You ran away, they found you on the curb, offered you in, and you were too shy to tell them you didn’t live here, so you lied?” I gave her a mere “mhm”, I don’t even know her name and I’m expecting her to pretend she’s my sister. I should have accepted the hard no- “I am absolutely on board brother.” My thoughts were once again cut off, however, her agreeing made me ecstatic. I’ll tell them eventually… right?

“So, bro, what’s your name?” She had stepped outside to talk to me about our game plan. “How rude of you to n-not know, sister.” I heard her giggle, she then introduced herself as Aubrey. I like that name. I introduced myself as Sunny, she thought it was odd, as on the outside I’m not at all a Sunny person. Well I’m not a sunny person on the inside either. “I- I have an idea, Aubrey.” This seemed to intrigue Aubrey. “How about, w-we say that I lived with dad, but he got s-sick and I moved back here.” Aubrey seemed to like the idea, which is fortunate. And I don’t even have to convince her mom for obvious reasons.

“What about school?” I have no clue how to respond to that “I-i I don’t know. M-maybe this is a bad idea.” Aubrey shrugged me off, I guess she was just confident it would work, I guess I’m not a good liar. Nevertheless, she asked if I wanted to hang out now that I’m her “Brother”, so she could get to know me better as a friend when alone, and a sibling when not. I’m already starting to get second thoughts, but I don’t wanna ruin her mood. She showed me to the park, it was nice, spacious.

“Ooooooo SUNNY! No one is on the swings.” Something was kind of off about her, she seemed slightly tough at first, but now she’s acting all friendly. Maybe she’s just not used to having friends… I shouldn’t judge, I’m quite weird myself after all. We sat on the swings for complete awkward silence for a moment, alas, Aubrey finally spoke up. She started going off about her homelife, I guess she really has no one to talk to… I feel bad, but I’ll just listen.

45 minutes later: Wow, I survived that rant… though I will say I was still interested in listening to it, I feel bad for her. “You’re a good listener, Sunny.” I gave her a thumbs up, it’s sorta the thing I do when I’m happy with a compliment, but not smiling happily. Aubrey seemed to understand my gesture. “Can you please talk about your uhm, runaway?” I politely declined, I don’t plan on anybody knowing about Mari, or my recital fit. “Hey Aubrey, I think I should just tell Hero and Kel how I'm here.” Aubrey gave me a pouty look. “Can we please do it at least once, please~.” I gave up on winning, she won.

“Yay! Thanks Sunny. How about you enter the school with me on Monday, and we tell people the dad story.” I was getting more hesitant, I don’t want Hero or Kel to be any mad at me, even if I just met them today. Yet I don’t wanna accept my new friend either, the one who complimented me. “H-hey Aubrey, it’s getting pretty dark, I should go home now.” I thought I was being sly, before I realized Aubrey had instantly caught my bluff, it’s almost like I told her how I’m here, oh wait, I did… “S-sunny I know you have nowhere to sleep tonight, you can sleep on the floor in my room.” Aubrey smiled after offering this to me… screw it, much more appealing than the curb.

Upon arriving into her house, my nose was hit with such a bad smell, I’m sure it’s comparable with the likes of Jeffrey Dahmer’s fridge. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this much alcohol, and all of them are empty. How crazy is Aubrey’s mom?

Aubrey led me up the ladder, her room smelt fabulous compared to what I just walked out of.
Aubrey then took the blanket and pillow off her bed, and put it on the floor for me. “A-are you sure you don’t need them.” Aubrey laughed… “ha, I’d much rather sleep on nothing but a mattress than see you sleep on a hardwood floor. Man, I can already feel myself starting to drift off, this is so much better than the curb… I am glad I met Aubrey, she’s such a kind friend and I haven’t even known her for 12 hours.

…

…

“Psst… hey sunny”... “wake up…” My eyes opened, Aubrey was looking down at me. “Oh, there you are, you were out cold Sunny. You seriously need to fix that schedule of yours.” I guess I fell asleep that fast, normally, I twist and turn if even a bed isn’t at a perfect comfort level. And yet, I manage a hardwood floor. You know, it’s really not worth dwelling on. “So, Sunny, why’d you run away in the first place?” For fuck sake, well I can’t just leave like I did at Hero and Kel’s house. “I- uh. Can I wake up first?” Aubrey gave me a smile and nodded, I headed down to the bathroom so I could wash my face, and jeez it is musty in there.

*Knock, knock, knock* I heard on the front door, it’s probably the mail man or something. I heard Aubrey start descending down the ladder, and walking to answer the door, I peeped through the door of the bathroom. I couldn’t make out the person's face, but I damn well knew it was Hero by the voice. “Hey, who are you? My friend said he lived here, I was wondering if he’s available.” I’m really hoping Aubrey doesn’t screw this up, though I highly doubt she would. “You mean Sunny? He’s my brother.” Well that’s a relief, I’ll confess eventually anyways.

“Is he home?” Aubrey didn’t respond, but I heard the door shut, so maybe she shook her head or something. “Sunny, he’s gonna wait outside for you, should I go with you?” I guess she nodded… I lied to them and now I’m scared they’ll hurt me, even if I know they’d never do that. “Go tell him I’ll be a minute.” Aubrey agreed, I haven’t changed clothes since I don’t have any, so it’s gonna be weird for me to be in the same clothes. I never really thought this through, there’s so many problems that came from running away.

A few minutes later: “I’m sorry for doubting you Sunny, you really do live here.” I nervously laughed and reassured Hero it was fine. He wants to show me all around Faraway, it’s not too big. Aubrey decided she didn’t want to go, maybe she’s just nervous as well, though it’s still disappointing. People are people either way. “H-hey Hero, how is Kel?” Hero seemed joyful that I spoke up. “Oh! Kel is doing good, though he can be super loud.” That I knew, but it’s good that Kel is okay. This is already more friends than I’ve made in my whole life, I really smashed my record of 1 friend.

“Sunny, would you like to meet one of Kel’s not-so rowdy friends. His name is Basil?” Meeting another person is gonna be tough, I think this much social interaction is my limit. Yet I didn’t wanna seem rude, so I agreed to meet Basil. Hero began walking down the street, so I followed. *Knock, knock, knock*. Hero softly knocked on Basil’s door, as to not be too loud.

The door swung open pretty quickly. “Oh, hi Hero. Did you bring Kel?” Hero shook his head. “No, Basil. But I’d like you to meet my new friend, I think you two would get along well.” Basil’s attention then came to me, he waved nervously, as I probably would. “H-hi there, what’s your name?” I introduced myself, this was getting incredibly awkward already. I wonder how Basil is feeling in this situation. “Basil, would you like to help me show Sunny around Faraway?” Basil agreed to help, this is going to become so very uncomfortable, and I am excited for none of it.

OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO this chapter is finished
-Sweetheart.

Chapter Text

Walking into the highschool building felt… different. I didn’t walk Sunny to school, and now I’m here early. Immediately, I was greeted by my good friend, June. “Hey, Mari. You’re here earlier than usual, huh?” I nodded, then continued to look down at my feet and walk away. She soon caught up to me. “Hey, Mari, what’s wrong?” I gave her a tortured glance, then walked into the girl’s bathroom to get away, this probably would have worked if it weren’t for the fact that we’re both female. “Mari, I’m your best friend, can you please tell me what’s wrong?” I felt myself beginning to get irritated, close to snapping. Yet all the lashing out did for me last time was make my little brother run away, and to be frank I don’t have the energy.

June was starting to look really worried, and I probably couldn’t take hurting another person. Alas, I began to speak. “s-Sunny he- he ran away.” June’s expression turned into a mortified one. She had met Sunny once or twice, and she thought he was a nice kid. “Why Mari?” Do I tell her what happened? It’s entirely my fault, yet can I even properly take responsibility? I can, right? This moral dilemma was getting to me, and apparently, I’ve been zoned out for quite a while. “You don’t have to answer that, see you in Chemistry later!”

……………… -6 months

“Wow Sunny, that’s a lot. So she’s not your sister?” I nodded. “I’ve known you for almost 6 months now, why didn’t you tell us sooner?.” I can’t tell if Hero’s interrogation is friendly or not, my emotion reading skills aren’t the best. What I do know is Kel looks like he feels bad for me, and Basil I already told. “I- I thought you guys would hate me.” Hero began ruffling my hair. “Sunny, we’re not mad. Why did you run away in the first place?’ It then dwelled on me that I haven’t thought about Mari all day, am I forgetting about her? No wonder she probably hates me. “I don’t really wanna discuss that, Hero.” He gave me a nod, this was now getting a small bit awkward. That is until Kel chimed in.

“Hey guys! Let’s go play video games.” Kel clearly knew me too well, Hero laughed a small bit and Kel began rushing up to their room. Me and Basil followed behind, I thought talking to Basil would be really awkward, but me and him turned out to have a ton in common. Basil’s caretaker, Polly, let me start sleeping on the couch at his place this last month. Aubrey's mom finally caught me basically living there, that’s how I almost got hit by a flying booze bottle. Aubrey hasn’t left her house in a few days either, I’m worried her mom won’t let her. Alas, we entered Kel and Hero’s room, Kel already started turning on the console, he must really want to play.

“Hey, Kel, I think I’ll sit this one out, you and Sunny can play.” I guess Basil doesn’t want to, he’s never been the biggest into video games, so I can understand why. Kel finally started the game, it was this racing game I’ve never played before, it’s called “Joycon Drift.”... Kel totally destroyed me, not very surprising though, he’s really good.

……………… -6 months

“Mari, we are NOT having this discussion.” Is mom crazy? Does she even care about Sunny? “Mom, we have to find him, please.” My mom looked at me and sighed. “Honey, it’s been a year. The police won’t do anything. If he’s alive, he’ll be almost 14.” I hate my mom, I hate my dad. Am I the only one who wants him back? “IF? IF HE’S ALIVE? Mom, don’t even say that.” I’m the only one, aren’t I? Mom didn’t look as if she wanted to talk about this, and she clearly didn’t. “Hey, honey, look on the bright side. You’re almost done highschool, just a few more months.” Why does she want to change the subject? Why, why, why? “That reminds me, your college letter came in, let’s go check it out!.” As mad as I am at my mom, I do wanna know if I was accepted into college.

“Well, let’s open it up.” Mom handed me the letter, with a GPA of 4.0, and A+’s in most of my classes, I’d be surprised if I didn’t get accepted. I tore the letter open, and I got accepted! Not too surprising, but I’m still glad. “Oh, I got accepted mom.” Mom cheered me on, which did put a small smile on my face. The smile Sunny put on my face is gone forever, though. Maybe life will be better in College, who knows? It’s not like it matters too much anyways, my brother is gone for good and it’s my fault, still, I shouldn’t ever give up hope I suppose.

……………… -6 months

*Ding* Who texted me? Oh, it’s Aubrey. “Hey Sunshine, I'm on my way to Basil’s for tutoring, I promise I remembered the periodic table this time.” Did she just… refer to me as Sunshine? Why do I like that name all of a sudden? I used to hate it when… Mari called me that. But now, I feel myself blushing. *Knock, knock, knock* Jeez, that was fast, she texted like 30 seconds ago. I opened the door, and as expected, I saw Aubrey. “Hey Sunny~, guess who got a 98 on her science unit exam?” I let out a small giggle, it’s nice to see Aubrey so happy. I invited her in. “So, the next unit is gonna be on Ecosystem, and I decided to take the initiative and bring my own textbook this time, no more annoying PDF’s.”

When did Aubrey become so giddy? It makes me feel genuine joy to see. That’s off topic, I luckily know a lot about the ecosystem, so teaching Aubrey about it shouldn’t be so bad. “Hmm, well, for starters, there are biotic and abiotic… blah blah blah blah, that’s a small recap of what we learned last year.” Aubrey seemed invested in what I was saying. “Hey I’ve been meaning to ask, why don’t you pay attention in school? We go to the same one after all, and this is all stuff we learned in class.” Aubrey shrugged. “Are you crazy? Why hear it from boring teachers, when I can hear it from my friend? You’re a lot better at explaining than them.” Her compliment made me a bit happy inside.

“Thanks, Aubrey.” Aubrey nodded gleefully. “ALSO, I’ve been thinking of dyeing my hair a bubblegum pink! Do you think that would look good?” I quickly pictured Aubrey with pink hair in my head. “Aubrey, I think that would look amazing.” Aubrey smiled, overtime she’s been gaining a more tough persona, however she still acts all sweet around me, it’s nice. “You really think so? Thank you!” I can tell the compliments are making her joyous, and it’s not like I’ve got too much to lose. “I actually think pink hair would look really cute.”

It then dawned on me what I had just said… I think Aubrey will look cute. “I- I uh-” I felt my face go red. “I mean it in a friend-like way, I- I don’t like you that way or anything, heh.” Expecting the worst, I backed up a little bit. “Sunny, I think you're adorable in every way, and you’re incredibly cute, in a friend-like way of course.” Oh, she understood. This didn’t turn out AS poorly as I expected, in fact, this turned out well. I got showered with compliments that I most likely don’t deserve, the best kind of compliments. But, do I feel this way about Aubrey? There’s no way I do, right? It feels better not to dwell on my feelings, as far as I’m concerned, I only like her as a friend…

……………… -3 months

“As we reach the end of the first term in this wonderful Freshman year, I will be assigning you a large project to complete with a partner. Here is a box of names, I’m going to randomly pull two out, and whoever I pick will be working together.” He began to draw his hand into the box. I'm hoping I don’t get paired with anybody too weird, I’ve noticed some strange people on campus. “First of all, we have Ava Murphy and Jackson Roberts.” I heard an audible sigh from somebody a few rows away from me, I’m going to guess it’s Ava. This is going to take forever to get through with this many students in one class, whatever, I guess you win some you lose some.

After what felt like forever, I finally heard the professor call out my name. “Mari Suzuki and Henry Gomez.” Henry? Isn’t he the one everybody in the boys dorm praises for being a good cook? I heard some people say his food is a one-in-a lifetime experience, hopefully I’ll get to try some. The professor reached into the box once more. “Oh? That makes everybody. Well, you’re all free to go, enjoy your weekend.” I don’t even know what Henry looks like, and I’m expected to find him? How is everyone else doing it- “Are you Mari?” I heard a voice call out behind me, a tall fellow with brown hair approached me. This must be Henry. “That’s me! And you are Henry?” He nodded.

“Most people call me Hero, though.” I obliged, Hero is a neat nickname. “So, how do you wanna tackle this?” I asked him, and we decided to exchange contact information. “Does Sunday in the campus library work?” I gave him a nod. “Great, I’ll text you the details. Have a good weekend Mari.” I said thanks, and went on my way to return to my dormitory. This guy is nice, and he seems to have a good work ethic. I guess I got lucky with my partner, which is something I cannot complain about. It reminds me of Sunny… he’s always been an amazing worker. Yet, there are some things even he can’t handle. I always pushed him too hard…

……………… -2 months

“Guess who’s on Spring Break?” I heard those words as Hero suddenly jolted through the front door, Kel, who I was sitting on the couch next to instantly jumped up to go and hug his brother. “I know ya missed me Kel, oh and hello Sunny, I didn’t see you there.” I waved to Hero. “How’s your college?” I asked him politely. “It’s wonderful Sunny, thanks for asking.” Kel then spoke up. “Tell us more Hero!.” Hero sat down on the couch next to me and Kel. “Well, my grades are amazing so far. And I met this one girl, she was a little shy at first, but she was an amazing partner for our project, and she’s a great friend.” Kel laughed. “Hero, stop gushing!”

Kel seemed annoyed, he had “Get a room” plastered on his face. “Well, you did ask me to elaborate.” Hero then ruffled Kel’s hair, thus embarrassing Kel. “Do you like her though, Hero?” I asked, ever since I got this large of a friend group, my people skills have improved. “I don’t actually know, Sunny. I’m thinking I might, everything about her is just wonderful, she even has the same last name as you!” This would have worried me if it weren’t for the fact that ‘Suzuki’ is an incredibly common last name. But, just to be sure, I’ll ask what her actual name is. “What’s her first name?” Hero seemed a little confused on why I would want to know, but he was happy to answer. “Her name is Mari.” He said happily. I felt every bone in my body figuratively break at hearing that, short story short, I felt paralysed. This has to be a coincidence, it just has to be. If Hero knows my sister, he might tell her about me… and, and she’ll remember how much she probably hates me!

Stay cool Sunny, play it cool. I’m just speculating. Mari isn’t too uncommon of a name, and besides, even if it were Mari, it’s not like he’d talk about me. Everything will be fine, I don’t have to see the person who despises me most. *ring, ring*. “Oh, speak of her. She’s calling, I gotta take this. Be back in a jiffy!”...

Fellow gentlemen of Ao3, this concludes chapter 3.

Chapter Text

……………… -2 years, 1 month.

“Mari! This marks our 2 year anniversary.” I smiled at Hero’s remark, it’s really been 2 years since I started dating him, and I’ve known him for even longer. Yet still, deep down it feels wrong, why should I be happy? I used to treat college as a massive distraction, and now, I genuinely enjoy it. Am I forgetting about what I did to Sunny? Or worse, forgetting about Sunny? I haven’t seen him in, what, 4 years now? I still miss him, and yet, some days I forget about him entirely. “Is there anything fun you wanna do Hero, maybe go to a party?”

Hero seemed to slightly disapprove. “I- I guess we could try a party, but, I had something else in mind.” I gave him a ‘Tell me already’ look. “Well, summer is coming up, and I was wondering if you wanted to visit my home town. I wanna introduce you to my family, maybe even friends.” Without even thinking, I nodded, summer is always so boring, so spending it doing something other than lazing at home would be nice. It might also take my mind off of things, even if I don’t think about Sunny as often as I used to.

“I’d have to ask my mom first.” As much as I wanna go, getting approval from my mother is important, it’s not like dad would care either way. “No problem Mari, just get back to me when you can.” I envisioned Hero doing a thumbs-up emoji in real life, as if what he just said to me was a text message. He then began walking off back to his dorm, the girls dorms are on the opposite side of campus from the boys dorms. So I most likely won’t see him until class tomorrow, I’m surprised summer came so fast. During my other years here, it always felt so slow. I guess I was just much more stressed out. Welp, time to call my mom.

*Ring, Ring, Ring* “Hello.” My mother asked. “Hey mom.” I politely responded. “Sweetie, you don’t call often, are you alright?” Why is she so worried about me? Whatever, it’s just a simple question, you can do it Mari. “Heh, mom I’m alright. I just had a question, that’s all.” Mom gave me an ‘Mhm’ over the phone, I guess she didn’t think I was lying, and to be fair I wasn’t. “Welp, can I visit my friend's hometown this summer? I’ll send you all the details if you agree.” Mom instantly went ape shit over the phone… “Absolutely NOT! I am not letting you go with some stranger to a different town, college is the furthest you can be from home.” I was sorta expecting this kind of response. So, I prepared my negotiation skills.

“Mom, he’s not some stranger, he’s my boyfriend. And he is a super nice guy.” I heard mom sigh on the other end of the phone. “Mari, I don’t care how close you are to him, I am not letting you have the same fate as Sunny.” Why did she have to bring his name into this? “Mom, I’m not running away, I just wanna spend maybe a month there. Also what are you implying by fate? What, do you think that Sunny is dead?” I then distinctly remember losing my cool at mom the last time she thought that Sunny was dead, and as mad as I’m starting to get, it’s really not worth dwelling on.

“No Mari, I don’t think he’s dead. I just don’t want you disappearing too.” It then hit me… I’m the prime age of 19, I can do what I want. “Mom, I am over 18, you can’t control me. Why am I even asking you?” Mom quickly spoke. “You went to me because you know that I know what’s best for you.” Clearly mom has it mixed up, I only went to her because I forgot she can’t control me anymore. “Mari, think of me as a lawyer. I will strongly advise you not to make this bad decision, you can hang out with me and your father, like last summer. Just the three of us.” What does mom not get? It’s not a bad decision.

“You know what mom? Staying home this summer is a bad decision. Hell, I’ll spend the full two months visiting him, you’ll get next summer. Is that good enough for you?” Mom started to get angry on the other end of the phone, I hung up so I didn’t have to hear the wrath of my mother. Immediately, I went to text Hero. “Heyyyy, my mom said I could spend two full months visiting you. Text me the details when you can, love you.” And~ sent. I’m sorta wishing I added a heart emoji to the message, unfortunately I can’t edit it. I guess you win some, you lose some…

Sunny’s Pov: “Bye Aubrey, I’m off to work.” Aubrey signaled me to stop for a minute, and I did. “Sunny, I really need a job, could you help me get one at Othermart? Maybe even that bread store you work at there.” Do I tell her it’s full to not hurt her feelings? Yeah that would probably be for the best. “Uh, Aubrey, Mr. Baker said I was the last one they needed. It’s full, but I think Gino’s is hiring. “Oh, Gino’s works then. You’re the best Sunny, have fun at work!” Aubrey waved me goodbye as I began walking down the street. I’m glad she wants to get a job, she’ll finally be able to make some money that her mom isn’t legally allowed to take.

A little bit later: Finally at work, and I still got 5 minutes before opening! “Sunny, hello, I see you’ve arrived.” Daphne called out to me, I waved in her direction. “Bowen is ill today, so it’ll be just you and I who must keep this store alive.” Weird of her to rhyme. Nevertheless, I’m not excited for today. Last time I worked with only one person, I had to bake fresh bread left and right, it was tiring. At least it’s a Tuesday, people are at school and work, so this probably won’t be as bad of a day as I thought.

That does remind me, it feels like forever ago I finished high school, yet it was only a year, and at 15 too! I wanna go to a college, however I doubt any of the 30 schools I applied for are gonna accept me. My SAT scores were decent, my grades were good and I ended high school with a GPA of 3.8. Sure, it’s amazing, but I have this lingering doubt that any of them would ever take me in, that’s probably my low self-esteem speaking though… classic Sunny. Sometimes I feel like such a screw up.

8 hours later: Polly greeted me with a gleeful smile, I slightly smiled back, then crashed straight onto the couch after a long day. I downplayed how stressful today would be, apparently even Basil had a long day at fix-it, because Polly told me he was exhausted when he got off his shift about an hour ago. Aubrey texted me earlier during my lunch break, she asked if I wanted to watch a movie after my shift, I agreed. Aubrey said she’d be here, soon after I got off my shift, so where was she? I decided it would probably be best if I shot her a text…

“Just got off my shift, you still wanna watch that movie?” And sent. I’m hoping I don’t daze off before she responds. If I do, well, there goes my evening. *Ding* Wow, that was fast. “Sorry, I’m running a bit late, mom is making me buy her alcohol again. I don’t know how long this fake ID thing is gonna work.” Jeez, I forgot her mom made her do that. I hope Aubrey doesn’t get caught with a fake ID, fortunately, her thuggish look makes her appear older. I sent her a singular thumbs-up emoji, now it’s just a waiting game…

30 minutes later, Aubrey’s Pov: Slowly, my fist knocked on the door. Polly quickly opened it. “Shhh, they’re sleeping.” I tiptoed my way into the house, and saw Sunny passed out on the couch, he was sleeping ever so peacefully. It would probably be better if I just squeezed in next to him, and turned on the movie. Sure, I won’t be watching it with him. But Sunny gets grumpy when he’s woken up, and I don’t want to make him upset. I decided to turn on an old spaceboy movie, me and Sunny loved watching them around the time I first met him.

A few minutes into the movie, I felt what I thought was Sunny waking up, but upon turning to my right, I realized that he had just moved in his sleep, and happened to lay down right on my shoulder. He looked so peaceful, cute even. But no, I don’t like him, I can’t. Friends can be incredibly cute and still be friends. Good thinking Aubrey. Polly then walked into the living room, quietly, and she asked me a question. “Hey Aubrey, I’m heading to bed. Do you want the lights on or off?.” I did a little down arrow with my fingers, so as to not wake Sunny up. Polly understood me, and turned the lights off. Great! Now I can enjoy the movie.

How embarrassing would this be if I fell asleep? Sunny would probably be so flustered when he wakes up, it would be kinda cute. I am feeling a little bit tired, though I highly doubt I’d pass out. Sunny’s is just so cuddly, like a teddy bear. And his hair is almost as soft as Bun Bun. Just don’t think about it Aubrey, you won’t fall asleep… not at all. You’ll stay strong, no matter how cute your good friend may be!

…

*snore*

The next morning, Sunny’s Pov: My eyes took a minute to adjust, that was until I realized I was pushed against someone. As a matter of fact, all I can see is bubblegum pink hair taking up my vision. “Au-aubrey.” Aubrey remained asleep, I shook her a little bit, she then jolted wide awake. “OH! O-oh… it’s just you Sunny. Sorry, heh.” I smiled a small amount, but before I could say anything else, Polly made her presence clear, I hadn’t noticed her making breakfast. “Sorry! Did I wake you too lovebirds~.” Aubrey immediately spoke up. “W-We aren’t dating.” I nodded in agreement, though, Aubrey is a bit attractive I guess, I’m not good with this kind of stuff. “Sure~” Polly said, this made Aubrey fluster a bit, and I also went a bit red.

“What time is it?” I asked. “10:00 AM” Polly quickly responded. Shit, I’m an hour late for work. “I- I have to go, I’m late.” Polly hushed me. “Sunny, you’ve been working hard recently, in-fact, I’ve already called you in sick for work, enjoy your day off with your girlfriend.” Aubrey once more denied it, she went even more red this time. Basil soon came out of his room, and Polly being the sweet lady she, instantly told Basil that me and Aubrey are dating. “No wonder you’re so close together.” Basil directed towards us. “Basil, w-we aren’t dating Polly is just teasing us.” Her tough persona she had been building around everyone but me was slowly crumbling, and I will say, seeing her this flustered is quite cute… It almost makes me believe that I do have feelings for Aubrey… but no, that would be ridiculous. She and I are just friends. That’s right Sunny… just friends, nothing else.

I bring to you, chapter 4. Quite a slow burn this one has been.

Chapter Text

“Eek, I’m so excited. I hope your parents approve of me, Hero.” Feeling a genuine wave of excitement and joy felt so nice after such a long time, maybe, I am getting over Sunny. I’ll always miss him, but I guess I gotta move on eventually. “Don’t worry Mari, they’ll love you! I’m sure my younger brother will too!” Hero’s reassurance basically nullified my slight nervousness. I wonder what his younger brother is like, maybe I should ask him. “Hey, what’s your younger brother like?” Hero paused for a moment, then countered with a question. “The biological one or the friend I consider a younger brother?” For a moment I thought Hero didn’t like his brother, yet he’s just making sure he 100% understands everything.

“The biological one ya dummy!.” Hero made what sort of sounded like a sad puppy sound, he always gets so flustered at my teasing. “Oh, he loves sports, especially basketball. He’s really extroverted, though he has some trouble reading the room at times. I think you’ll like him.” hmm, I’m gonna assume his brother is kinda rowdy by that description, I remember Hero telling me his brother’s name was Cal or something like that. Or wait, was it Kel? I don’t really remember.

“Mari, we’re almost there.” According to Hero, we’re getting close, I had no idea! “How long have we been in the car?” Hero quickly responded, apparently, it’s only been an hour, I guess it’s not as far as I thought. “Hey, Hero. Off-topic, what’s the friend you view as a brother like?” Hero quickly responded, once more. “He’s really shy, not very talkative, he actually works at the place where I ordered our anniversary cake, so you’ll probably meet him for a brief moment.” Shy and not talkative? Reminds me of… Sunny. It’s sorta funny how I hear such a basic description like that and automatically think of my brother. Oh Mari, what has happened to you? I’ll get over it, no matter how long it takes!

15 Minutes later, give or take: Hero pulled up next to his house, I will say, it’s quite nice. Almost immediately, I saw a tall boy run out, maybe an inch shorter than Hero. This was most likely his brother. “Hero, you’re back!” He said. “Yes, Kel, hug me to your heart’s content.” So his name was Kel. I was close. Slowly, I exited the car as well. “Who is she?” Kel perplexed. “Oh, she’s my girlfriend Kel, she’s visiting for our two-year anniversary.” Kel then approached me, looked me down, then returned to his brother. “Hero, she’s a keeper!” This made me laugh a little inside, I couldn’t imagine doing something like that without getting embarrassed.

“Mari, come on in, my parents are expecting me. So I’m sure they’ll be pleasantly surprised to meet you.” I was starting to feel nervous again, but I obliged, and followed Hero into his home. On the couch, I saw a blonde-haired boy with a flower. “Oh, sorry Hero, I invited Basil over.” Hero ruffled his brother’s hair, then reassured Kel that it was fine. Basil is quite a nice name, if I do say. I followed Hero upstairs, and he knocked on a bedroom door. A woman whom I presumed to be his mother opened the door.

“Hero, you’re back!.” Hero hugged his mother, then spoke up. “That’s right mom, and there’s someone I’d like you and Dad to meet.” He moved a bit to the side, revealing me standing semi-close behind him. “Oh, hello young lady, are you his friend?” I spoke up. “Uh, girlfriend.” This was already starting to get awkward, but I think I can do it. Hero called to his dad, and his father came up behind his mother, lightly putting his hands on her shoulders. “Hey dad, I’d like you to introduce yourself to Mari, she’s my girlfriend!”

Hero put on a charming smile, his dad then laughed a small bit, and patted Hero on the bat. “Oh, you’re a naturally charmer son, just like your father.” Hero awkwardly laughed, giving me the impression that Hero’s dad is not at all a charmer. Finally, we all walked into Hero’s parents room, where I’d most likely have to introduce myself. And as soon as we all sat down on the bed, Hero’s mom started talking “So, Mari it is? What do you work as?” Why is this what she asks? I’m unemployed, how do I tell her that? What if she doesn’t want me with Hero? ‘Calm down Mari, stop with the what-ifs.’ Wha- what was that? That sounded like… Sunny. Why am I hearing Sunny in my head? O-oh I get it, he’s trying to calm me down from the dead!

W-wait, does that mean he is dead? No, no Sunny is hopefully alive, I’ll find him eventually. It then hit me, that I haven’t gotten over Sunny at all, a mere moment of stress and I start thinking about him. I-its all my fault he’s gone. Why did I have to push him so hard? “Mari, please respond.” This snapped me out of it, guess I was zoned out for a bit. “O-oh i’m unemployed, I’m currently studying at college.” I’ve gotta make an excuse to get out of this, they probably already find me weird. “Hey uh, I’ve gotta use the bathroom, be right back, heh.” I don’t think I’ve ever heard myself this awkward before. “It’s down the hall.” I heard Hero say, I quickly rushed into the bathroom and locked the door behind me.

I need a moment to calm down. When did I become such an anxious wreck anyways? Actually, I know exactly when, the day of that stupid recital. Sunny probably is dead, and it is entirely my fault. Still, it is a terrible idea to give up hope. That persistence is the one redeeming quality I’ve got, I suppose. I finally got up from the floor of the bathroom, it was surprisingly clean. I opened the door, and to my surprise, Hero was waiting for me, clearly concerned. “Are you alright, Mari? You’re seeming pretty anxious.” I hastily told him that everything is fine, it was such an obvious lie, but to be honest, I don’t care. “If you say so, you don’t have to introduce yourself to my parents, it’s alright.”

The moment he finished that sentence, I hugged him tight. Thank god I don’t have to talk to them, it’s far too stressful. “S-so Hero, when are we gonna get that anniversary cake?” I was starting to crave something sweet, so I hope we get it soon. “In about an hour, I can show you around Faraway until then. I quickly nodded, this should get my mind off that Sunny relapse I had a minute ago. Hero led me downstairs, then out the front door. I was following him down the pavement, and I will say, the neighbourhood is beautiful. It is just so much nicer than the city.

Finally, we reached a park and turned right, after a little bit longer, we reached a plaza-area. There, I saw a grocery store, a tool shop, some restaurant called Gino’s, presumably pizza. And this store called Hobbeez, I couldn’t tell what it was from the outside. “So, this is the plaza, the other half of the stores are in the Othermart. Do you wanna check that out?” I nodded, of course I’d like to see the other stores. Hero led me inside, my nose was instantly hit with the smell of fresh bread, overpowered by fish and meat. It smelt sorta gross. Turning my head to the right, I saw what looked to be a candy shop, this pumped me up, I have a bit of a sweet-tooth. Even if I normally eat healthy.

Without even thinking, I pulled Hero straight into the candy shop, he didn’t resist. Looking around, I saw all different assortments of candies. Ranging from taffy, to chocolate, to sweets, etc. But what really caught my eye was two teenagers stuffing candy in their pockets. Being a voice of reason at times, I approached the two. “Put it back, or I’ll tell the shop owner.” I don’t usually start conflict, in fact, I never do. But, seeing these random people steal offended me in a way. “Now!” I ordered. One of them made a ‘grumble’ sound, and the other stayed silent. I watched as they both put the candies back where they belonged, before quickly rushing out the store.

“Mari, why’d you do that?” Hero’s question confused me. Did I do something wrong? “They were stealing, Hero.” Hero lightly sighed. “It’s not that. They’re friends with a close friend of mine, and I don’t accidentally wanna ruin that. “O-oh, I’m so sorry Hero.” Hero spoke up again. “Mari, don’t worry, you didn’t know. I’m not mad.” Well that’s good, at least he isn’t angry with me. Hero has a good temper, so I don’t see why he would. *Buzz, Buzz*I suddenly saw Hero’s phone vibrate in his pocket. He had the ringer off.

“Yes? Oh hi mom.” Oh, it’s his mom. Maybe she’s telling him all about how weird I am… “Oh painkillers? Yeah, I can get some for you!” Hero then hung up his phone, I guess all she must have needed were some painkillers. Maybe I’m too quick to judge… Who knows? “Hey Mari, I’m gonna run over, buy some painkillers, run home, then back here. 5 minutes tops. Here’s a couple bucks, pick out some candies you like.” Hero then kissed me on the cheek and said his goodbye, oh how romantic!

After standing there, mindlessly swooning for a moment, I regained focus. I began to finally look around the candy shop. A snickers was the first thing I spotted, I’m not me when I’m hungry! I’ll buy it, I’m a fan of chocolate. Hero only gave me about 4 bucks, and my money is in my suitcase, which is still in Hero’s car. I went over to one of those sweet dispensers, and grabbed a bag. I filled up a small bit of the bag, not too much, I'm not a sugar junkie.

“3.50$” The lady at the register said, I paid her the money, and now here I am, standing with some sweets. Suddenly, I felt two hands touch my shoulders. I turned around, and saw Hero. “Scared ya, didn’t I?” That he did. “I called my friend, he said we can come pick up the cake a bit early. And since we’re here, why not?” I agreed, the cake is important, so why not get it early. Hero led me out the candy shop, and a few feet deeper into the store, where we reached a bakery. It was pretty small, but now the smell of fresh bread was overpowering the smell of fish, which is certainly a given.

Hero approached the person at the bakery, I couldn’t see him, due to the fact that I was standing behind Hero. “Hey little buddy, you got the cake?” The person handed Hero the cake, Hero turned around and showed it to me. “Wow Hero, it looks delicious.” Hero smiled, “Only the best ingredients from here.” We turned around and started to walk away, when I decided to go back and thank the guy for making such a nice cake. “Hey, the cake looks amazing, thanks!” He looks so, so familiar. So… familiar. The teen boy then stared directly at me, with distraught and horror on his face. W-wait, is that-

…

…
“M-Mari!”

Chapter Text

Here was Mari, standing directly in front of me. This can’t be happening, right? Should I say something? In utter shock, and slight fear, I spoke up. “M-mari.” Her eyes then widened, as if she didn’t immediately recognize me. If she truly didn’t, she sure does now. “Su-Sunny. You- you’re…” Mari failed to finish her sentence, which is entirely understandable in a situation like this. “I’m on m-my shift” My face showed a ‘this can’t be happening’ expression. Tears began to stream down Mari’s face, and yet, to my absolute shock, Mari smiled. “You’re still such a hard worker, Sunny.” The tears began rolling down her face even faster, and I felt my eyes begin watering up as well. However, Mari still kept her smile.

Did she not hate me? But, I ruined her recital… As a matter of fact, I broke the violin she bought me for Christmas. She spent months saving up for that, working part-time here and there. My attempts to repress failed terribly. But hey, if I forgot everything that happened back then, my life would probably be worse. I saw Hero begin to walk over, he then arrived. “Mari, are you alright? Sunny, do you know why she’s crying?” I nodded slowly. Mari then spoke up. “Hero, I’ll t-tell you everything. These are tears of joy.” Hero looked incredibly confused, then looked at me in pure confusion. Hero took Mari’s hand and walked her out of the store.

Lots of thoughts began circulating throughout my head, where should I even start after my shift? It’s inevitable that I’ll have to speak to her. Running away once more is certainly an option, however, Mari didn’t seem upset at all. In-fact, I know she’s happy. She said they’re tears of joy after all! But what should I even say to her? On the bright side, I have the rest of my shift to ponder over this. Suddenly, I felt myself begin to get light-headed. It wasn’t too bad at first, but it then became unbearable. Stumbling into the kitchen, I limped over to Daphne, she sorta became the boss of this place. I barely spat “Can I go home?” Out of my mouth, though it was incoherent. Within an instant, it became too much for me to handle. I passed out directly onto a table, with soft bread on top. This cushioned my head.

The next day: Upon awakening, I was on Basil’s couch, where I normally sleep. Yesterday, I regained consciousness rather quickly. I remember being rushed home by who I guessed to be Hero and Polly, but it’s vague. Alas, here I am alive and well, which is fortunate if I do say. I lifted myself up, and saw Basil sitting on the couch next to me, watching TV. “Sunny, you’re awake! I was really worried.” Basil’s clear worry for me did put a smile on my face, it’s nice to know people do care for me. Even Mari… speaking of Mari, she probably heard about what happened. And I don’t wanna worry her, especially now that I realize she doesn’t at all hate me.

“Hey Sunny, I’ve got a question.” I jolted my head towards Basil. “I see I’ve got your attention, heh. Well, Hero told me what actually happened, and why you ran away. Why didn’t you trust us? Sunny, no one is perfect.” I didn’t really know how to respond, yet, I guess I’ll speak my mind. “I- I guess I was just worried you would all think I’m a creep or something, I thought my sister hated me for the longest time.” Basil nodded, he was incredibly understanding. “Hey Basil, off topic, can you pass me my phone, I wanna call Hero and ask if he can make some food.” Basil smirked a small bit, I then felt a pair of hands touch my shoulders. “Right behind you.” This put a small smile on my face.” Basil then spoke up again. “Oh, forgot to mention, he told me what happened a mere 10 minutes ago. We texted Aubrey, she’s on her way.” Hmm, I guess it'd be nice to have more people. I’m sure Aubrey will understand, she always does.

Hero then rejoined the conversation. “Hey, Sunny. I know you probably have a lot on your mind. And I totally understand. But Mari is waiting on the front steps, she’s worried sick. And she really wants to talk to you.” I knew this would probably be my chance, and so I simply nodded. Then proceeded to walk over to the front door, putting on my shoes. My hair is a total mess, but it's not like Mari will care. When I opened the door, Mari instantly turned her body, and looked directly at me. With an expression of relief going down her face. I closed the door behind me, and sat down onto the step right next to her. “I’m… so glad you’re alright, Sunny.” This was the breaking point for my bottled up emotions of sadness. I felt the figurative glass shatter within my head. I helplessly cried, like a puppy trapped around a poisonous snake. I felt myself hug Mari tightly, not thinking for a second. “O-ow Sunny.” I quickly loosened my hug, then unwrapped my arms. “S-sorry.”

Mari assured me that it’s alright. “No Mari, sorry for absolutely everything.” Mari looked shocked for a moment, then spoke up. “Why are you apologizing? Sunny, I’m the reason you ran.” This confused me… I thought I did everything wrong. “What do you mean?” I asked Mari, and she responded quickly. “Sunny, I always pushed you too hard, I did nothing but lash out at you for every tiny mistake you made.” Why is Mari blaming herself? “If I never made the mistakes, you wouldn’t have needed to get mad.” Mari quickly shushed me, which was strangely comforting. “Nevertheless, if I hadn’t got that mad, well, we’d be with mom right now.” I guess that makes sense, but I don’t want Mari to think it’s all her fault, it was like 95% my fault.

“What about the violin? That cost three thousand!” Mari sat there for a moment, clearly thinking of a response. “Sunny, I can’t even begin to imagine how stressful that moment was for you. It was a move of impulse, not something you could have controlled.” She was clearly winning this argument, so it’s probably not worth retaliating any further. I’ll change the subject, maybe with a joke or something. “Hey, look on the bright side Mari. I’m not wearing running shoes, am I?” Mari giggled a small bit. “Sunny, that isn’t funny. But, it seems we share the same dark humor.” Since when did Mari have dark humor? Actually, since sometime in the past 4 years now that I think about it.

Suddenly, I felt myself get jumped into a hug. Though not by Mari. “Sunny! Thank god you’re alright, I was so worried.” Oh, it was Aubrey. “T-thanks Aubrey, hey can I have a moment with my sister please? We’ll be in soon, I promise.” Aubrey nodded, and went inside Basil’s house. “Ooooo~ Who is she?” Mari teased me a small bit. Both flustering and to my dismay. “She’s… just a friend Mari.” My older sister then laughed. What a bully. “Hey Sunny, can I take a selfie with you and send it to mom? It’ll make her regret disallowing me to visit Hero.” I gave Mari a thumbs-up. I can still remember how mad mom got last time we proved her wrong, that was a long time ago now… Nonetheless, Mari pulled out her phone, and held it up.

Mari smiled within the photo, and I kept a deadpan expression. I watched Mari attach the photo, and add “Selfie with Sunny” as text. Mari sent it in an instant. Within seconds, mom began typing. “Mari, that is NOT funny!” Me and Mari then both realized the same thing… Mom thinks Mari is just messing around. Now, great-minds think alike. And being the very people we are, we both reached to click the call button. I got it first. Mari put the phone on speaker, and began talking. “Hey mom, guess who I got with me?” Mom hastily and angrily responded. “Mari, what the hell is wrong with you? How in the world is that funny?”

Mari then put the phone on facecam, and handed it to me, speaker mode still enabled. This is gonna be worth it. “Hey mom, long time no see, huh? You still owe me that 5$ from when I did those dishes, I charge interest.” I feel sorta bad for messing with mom like this, but Mari burst out laughing. “W-wait, enough joking around guys. Is that really you?” I instinctively nodded, then realized it’d be hard to tell with facecam on. So instead, I spoke. “In the flesh.” I don’t know why, but I expected mom to hang up, she instead started loudly crying. “M-my boy! HONEY COME HERE! OUR BOY IS ALIVE!.” I looked at Mari, her laughter had turned to that of a happy smile for her parents. And I was feeling great as well. Looking into the camera, I saw dad, he looked basically the same from what I remembered. “O-oh my god, Sunny, y-you’re alive. Did Mari find you?” Mari grabbed the phone from me. “He went to the same town where my boyfriend lives!”

I heard mom and dad literally jump with joy. I then talked into the phone again. “Hey mom, dad, I missed you guys… I’ll call you later tonight with Mari. I’m reconciling right now.” Mom quickly talked. “W-wait we want answers first-” I hung up on her. Mari looked at me and laughed a bit. “Wow, that prank turned into a great moment! I’m glad they’re happy.” I silently agreed with Mari. “Hey, you wanna head inside now?” Mari nodded. We both stood up, and walked inside. I sat on the couch, next to Aubrey and Basil. Mari went off to talk to Hero. It suddenly crossed my mind that I just got along perfectly fine with someone I hid from for 4 years, someone who I thought hated me. I guess we really are a dynamic duo, huh?

Basil turned towards me. “How’d it go?” I told him everything, every fine detail. He seemed happy for me, and I felt genuine joy as well. I was so stressed and fearful that this reconciliation would go poorly. But instead, it went amazing. I even made my parents happy, which is a given. Aubrey had clearly been listening, and so, she jumped into the conversation. “I’m happy for you Sunny, Hero told me what happened. Must have been stressful, huh?” I gave an awkward nod. Aubrey excused herself to the washroom, giving me extra leg room on the couch. Basil was still sitting, but, you win some you lose some.

I should probably call Daphne and tell her I’m able to come into work tomorrow. *Ring, Ring, Ring* “Hello?” Daphne picked up. “Oh, hi Daphne. I’ll be able to come into work tomorrow.” The other end of the line went silent for a moment. “Is that so?” I gave a proud “yes”. Daphne was quick to respond. “Well, don’t. You’re fired.” She then hung up on me. I sat there distraught for a bit. A text message snapped me out of it. “P.S, rule 436). States that thou shall not pass out on the bread.” I went to quickly text back, but she blocked my number. I felt as if all the joy from today was sucked away in an instant. Now what? I- I don’t have a job. I’m screwed, this will look terrible on future college applications! “Hey Sunny, you’re looking a little pale. Are you good?” My collage of zoned out negative thoughts was interrupted by Aubrey, who just got back.

“I- got fired… passing out on bread is against the rules.” Aubrey’s face literally turned red with anger, indicating that her tough facade was rebuilding itself. “WHAT! That is bullshit! Let me teach that bread addicted little shit a lesson.” Aubrey then stormed out the door, as me and Basil began to run after her. Hero and Mari just stood there dumbfounded. “Aubrey, come back!.” Basil yelled out, Aubrey began to walk over there even faster. This is seriously not going to end well… not at all.

That took exactly 2 hours, 30 minutes, 44 seconds, and 58 milliseconds to write.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it is quite a bit different from the others. Also another cliffhanger, HAH.

Chapter Text

Rage seemingly overtook me entirely as I rushed out the door. How could they fire him? He is a damn good employee, and a great friend. I heard Basil call out to me, this I completely ignored, and continued to power walk. Upon reaching Othermart, I zoomed in, almost bumping into an elderly lady. At the register of the bakery was Daphne’s brother, though I don’t know his name. “How can I help you today-” I cut him off. “Let. Me. Speak. To. Daphne.” I said, angrily. “She’s busy, Ma’am. What seems to be the-'' I gave him an intimidating gaze, which almost immediately caused him to end his generic customer-service monologue. “I-I’ll go get her.” After impatiently waiting for a few moments, he returned with Daphne following close behind.

“What’s the issue?” Daphne asked. Without second thought, I let my remaining anger out. “Why the hell did you fire Sunny?” Daphne gave me a confused look, then one that changed to annoyance. “Did he seriously make you come here?” With pride, I shook my head. “No, he didn’t. Unlike you I care about people.” She seemed offended at this, which is always a good sign. “He broke the rules, if anything, all you're doing is making him less likely to get another job.” She’s clearly wrong, I’m helping Sunny, right? “Why the hell is passing out on some fucking bread a rule!?” Daphne looked confused, which was strange. “He could have very well aimed for the floor. You do realize that, right?”

Jeez, how did Sunny work with this woman for so long? She’s so obnoxious. What an idiot. “Aubrey, what are you doing?” I heard Sunny, and when I turned around, there he was. Him and Basil standing next to each other. This was the angriest I’ve ever seen him, and yet he still remains so calm. How does someone even have such a good temper? “Oh, Sunny. I’m just-... Yeah you already know.” Sunny gave me a nod, he looked sort of concerned. Sunny’s look of worry made me realize what just happened. Uncontrollably, I harassed her. This is a small town and my little scandal could very well ruin my already bad reputation. Or worse, Sunny’s good reputation.

Sunny gestured for me to leave the store with him and Basil, I obliged. This isn’t worth getting into any more trouble, as angry as I currently am at that bread bitch. As the three of us walked down the sidewalk, I heard Basil begin to speed up a bit, though I was looking at my feet. I couldn’t tell what he was increasing his pace for, and yet, I didn’t really care. I felt disappointed in myself for lashing out like that. Sunny was still walking next to me, I could see his shoes. He tapped me on the shoulders, indicating to me to look up at him. He quickly spoke. “Aubrey, I’m not mad at you. I heard Gino’s is really understaffed anyways.”

I suppose this is reassurance that Sunny will be fine. “How understaffed?” I asked, sorta curious about the possibility of both of us working there. “Oh, they need 2-3 more people I think.” This is great! I’m sure working with Sunny would make my days much more interesting. And I get paid too! Though, it’s probably best not to go for a job yet, It’d be better if Sunny got hired first, in case they hire only me if we both applied. Who am I kidding? Sunny has a greater work ethic than I ever will. Still, It’s probably best not to apply anytime soon.

When I finally looked away from Sunny, and towards where Basil had gone. I saw that he was talking to Hero and Mari, who presumably came out looking for us after we all stormed off. I don’t really know Mari, but she seems really nice. I nudged Sunny and requested we catch up to the three of them, he obliged.

After walking for about a minute, we reached them. Sunny almost instantly went to hug his older sister, which is to be expected. Hero inquired about where we had gone off to, and Sunny briefly described what happened. He also painted me in the best light he could, as to not make his older sister dislike me. Well, I assume that’s why. I sorta just stood there, as everyone else chatted. Until I eventually joined in on the conversation. “Hero, where’s Kel been?” Hero was quick to respond. “Oh, he’s sick. Though he sends Sunny his best.” I nodded, that addresses the elephant in the room I guess. I saw Sunny chattering with Basil, I overheard something about this book they had been reading.

Basil then asked Hero to head inside and make lunch, as politely as he could. Hero let out a joking sigh, and went back into Basil’s house, with Sunny and Basil following. That left me outside next to Mari. I guess this could be a good opportunity to get to know her better. And yet, I stood there, trying to think of a question to ask. So many obvious ones were running through my head, yet I just couldn’t pick one. An awkward silence ensued. Mari then said something, which was a relief. “So, you went through that effort just for Sunny?” She asked me. I didn’t really know how to respond.

I know why I did that, I was trying my best to help him, in my own way. And yes, it’s 100% true that I let my emotions get the better of me. Either way, I do care about him, he’s a friend. “I- well uh. I was trying to help.” Mari let out a small giggle. “Aubrey, it is? Hero told me. Anyways, you must really care about him.” I gave her a simple nod. She started talking again. “Oh, and I totally know Sunny was trying to make you look as innocent as possible, he’s always been like that.” Mari seemed to laugh a small bit more this time, at her own statement.

Mari’s Pov: Aubrey certainly seems like a nice girl, I’m sure she means no ill-intent. And I can probably take this as an opportunity to tease Sunny. There is nothing more fun than teasing him. Ever since he was nine, always the same. Anytime I’d poke fun at him, he’d get all flustered. It’s nice to see that part of him hasn’t changed one bit. Suddenly, I saw Sunny walk outside. “Oh, hey Sunny. I thought you were with Basil.” Aubrey said. Sunny was quick to reply to her. “I thought you would be inside by now, I just wanted to talk to you.” I gave Sunny a quick glance, he didn’t notice.

It’s funny how he hasn’t even acknowledged my existence, he must have really missed Aubrey in that short 5 minutes. Now this is a good time to tease him. “Wow Sunny, you must have really missed her, huh?” Sunny shook his head. “N-no, she’s my friend, I just wanted to say hi.” Sunny looked really embarrassed. I doubt he actually has any feelings for her, but it's just too fun to not tease him. Aubrey wasn’t saying anything, though it was obvious that she was holding in a laugh. “Mhm~ Sure Sunny. If you wanna make out with her or whatever it is, just tell me, and I’ll go.”

Sunny began to look incredibly flustered. “Mari, NO! I- well… Yes it’s true I missed her. But, we’re just friends. Isn’t that right, Aubrey.” Aubrey quickly responded. “I don’t know Sunny, you were pretty insistent on using nicknames that one time.” This was beyond perfect, Aubrey was playing along with the joke. I wonder if that did actually happen. Sunny has never been the nickname type, so I doubt it. “That was one time, Aubrey.” So I guess it did happen… “Oh sure, I’ve heard you ‘accidentally’ call me Aubs plenty of times.”

I began to laugh hysterically, I don’t even think I can tease someone that well. Then again, This is the first time I’ve tried in 4 years, so I’m quite rusty. Sunny looked down, his face was tomato-red. It’s so obvious when Sunny is embarrassed, he blushes 3x more than the average person. And he looks down, making it usually more apparent. As funny as this is, I don’t wanna upset Sunny, so I should probably put an end to this. “Alright Aubrey, that’s enough.” Aubrey nodded, before suggesting we all head inside and see what Hero’s been cooking. Back when I first met him, I thought everybody over-exaggerated how good his food was. Turns out, I was wrong. Though it does make me wonder, why doesn’t he pursue a degree in culinary? Sure, being a doctor pays well, and I would understand why somebody would want to become one, yet it seems like a waste of talent. Eh, I’m not really one to judge.

Sunny’s Pov: Upon arriving into Basil’s house, Aubrey sat next to me. She began talking. “Hey, Sunny. I’m sorry for picking on you a couple minutes ago.” Why would I be mad about that? It was almost comforting, as embarrassing as it was. “I’m not mad about that.” Aubrey awkwardly laughed, before making a facial expression that plastered ‘oh’ all over it. I felt really tired all of a sudden, and the aching in my head from fainting began to relapse. Maybe I should take a quick nap…

Mari’s Pov: In front of me, Sunny was fast asleep on Aubrey’s shoulders. Aubrey didn’t want to wake him, so she took one for the team and sat there. As me and Basil both simultaneously pulled out our cellular devices. Doubt he’s thinking what I’m thinking, but this is the perfect opportunity to really mess with Sunny. Nothing too bad, but enough to greatly embarrass him. All I need are some photos of this magnificent sight, and a printer. He’ll never recover from the ‘Sunny likes Aubrey’ jokes I have the power to make. “Hey uh, do you really think Sunny would appreciate this?” Asked Hero.

There he was, both holding the moral high-ground and being mature. I shrugged it, Sunny doesn’t get mad! It’ll be fine.

Something tells me Sunny is not going to appreciate this very much.
Chapter end.