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Crunch crunch crunch that was really the only noise Aubrey could hear walking home, snow made it so a trip from home to the store was an adventure of crunch crunch crunch. Aubrey couldn’t make the noise into white noise; it was just an insufferable crunch that continued every step. Speaking of noise the pink haired girl heard something flying through the air coming right at her.
If she’s lucky its a bird coming to grab her and bring her to somewhere snow free. Unfortunately it was snowball hitting her at mach Jesus tipping her over sending her on the ground, there was laughter in the air.
Kel turned to Sunny “Told you I could hit her, didn’t even believen me.”
“M-mo-ving” The one eyed man whispered monotone as always.
“Oh please Aubrey is miss lumber foot. She couldn’t dodge a dodgeball to save her life.” He formed another snowball throwing it in the air and catching it with the same hand.
“KEL YOU WHORE!”
“Uh oh, you got this bud” Kel put the snowball he formed into Sunny’s hand, him quickly running to his house slamming the door shut.
Sunny just let the snowball drop as he watched Aubrey march her way to him. He was just standing there awkwardly like a statue unnaturally still. Sunny found it funny that with each step she was becoming less and less angry until she was finally right next to him malaise covering her face.
She grabbed some snow into her hand and lightly threw at him hitting his black jacket in the torso. The only reaction from the man being him watching the snow slowly slide off.
There was an awkward silence between the two as Aubrey wayed the options of storming Kel’s house to beat the shit out of him. Before she heard something from the small man directly in front of her.
“H-” Sunny coughed into his sleeve.
“H-hey” Finally able to get the words out.
Another brief moment of awkward silence before Aubrey opened her mouth.
“Hey”
“H-ho h-hows i-” It was like hearing a car engine failing to start.
“How's it going?” Aubrey has known Sunny for most of her life. Sunny’s a smart guy, he just never got too good at the whole speaking thing.
Sunny nodded.
“It’s going good, except for Kel. As always.” She did a slight nod at him a silent ‘and you’ waiting for his answer.
He just gave her a thumbs up, a silent calm washing over the girl.
Aubrey pulled up her hand slowly making sure Sunny saw her arm in full view to let him know he’s not in danger. Resting her hand on his shoulder shaking it a little “Ey that's good to hear”.
She let go her hand falling by her side. Aubrey kicking some snow on the ground thinking about what she is about to say next.
“Me and the hooligans are getting pizza right now” Aubrey using her thumb to point behind her “are you and Kel doing anything?”
Sunny slowly shook his head, his shoulders relaxing a little. no longer the sentry in front of Kel’s house.
“Alright, you wanna get some pizza I’ll get you cheese without the anchovies and shit.”
“-ok” much like the person it came from his voice was small.
“Cool.” She smiled a little, turning around Aubrey continued to walk to Gino’s for a little bit only to realize there wasn’t an extra pair of crunch crunch crunch behind her.
She looked back only to see him return to his statue-like state. His eye glossy and dead staring right at her.
She stopped fully turning around “Are you coming?”.
Sunny eye widened in realization, making a silent “oh” with his mouth before prancing his way towards her.
Sunny right by her side she turned her head “So get this. There was this really stupid motherfucker at Gino’s yesterday….”
Kel walked outside like an emperor, his orange coat and jacket puffed out. Kel looked around trying to find out what was wrong. He looked where somebody used to be, it finally clicked in his head there could only be one explanation.
“Oh shoot Sunny’s been kidnapped”
-
Gino’s is a strange place as in it’s unchanging, while the rest of the town has shuffled people in and out and the people who’ve remained are completely and utterly changed. Gino's hasn’t. The weird greasy pizza place to Sunny has been a pillar of unchanging authority over the town.
The store owner Gino himself has seemingly never aged even the old photos in his office shows him to be the same middle aged balding fat chef man since the 80s. Sunny has gathered a couple guesses on how Gino maintains his immortality but its best to keep that to himself.
A new sense enters his nostril as he sits down with the rest of Aubrey’s “gang” THE MAVERICK to his left and Kim to his right. Charlene giving him a little wave from across the table.
“YO SUNNY LOOK!” Angel doing a new pose in front of him. This somehow is supposed to make him look cool. For who? God knows. Well actua-
“Yes it looks great, my pupil!” THE MAVERICK clapping with hands for an applause.
“Yeah but I wanna see what knife guy thinks.” Doing another godawful pose. His arms outstretched like a swan and his foot striding with the arrogance of a goose.
Sunny turned to Aubrey lifting his eyebrow at her.
“Come on humor the kid”
Sunny let out a large sigh before giving him the thumbs up hoping to make him stop before he stabbed out his other eye.
“Sick! I’m going to be the coolest guy in town!” throw both his mit covered fist into the air.
There isn’t much competition.
“Alright calm down you gotta eat some before Michael eats it all.”
THE MAVERICK coughed into his hand a waiting justice for Aubrey calling him the wrong name.
“I'm never calling that, ever.” Aubrey deadpanned.
THE MAVERICK pushed himself upwards from his chair offended “It’s THE MAVERICK. and Secondly you dame I would never eat the whole pizza” He pouts for a moment. “It would get rid of my impressive form” showing off his ‘impressive form’ with his hands before slinking back into his chair.
THE MAVERICK looked over at Sunny, already he didn’t like where this was going “say as a fellow strong silent type with a tragic backstory. Where did you get that eyepatch? It's so exquisite.”
Sunny grabbed a napkin and a pen from a pocket in his jacket. He wrote something and brought the note on a now folded piece of paper. His expression never changing from its normal neutrality.
THE MAVERICK bring the napkin up to his face it containing two words. ‘The Hospital’
THE MAVERICK chuckled a little “Your a funny one aren’t you?” giving him a smile.
Sunny just nodded along to him and his stupid blond wig.
“Can I see it?”. Sunny responded by squinting his eye and cracking his knuckle.
“Ok, ok live and- let me live”
He then did finger guns at him “Home-bray” The crusty fingers from all the pizza eating showing off his gluttony.
Aubrey stepped in watching the one eyed man getting more and more agitated. “Micheal stop, leave him alone. He’s here to enjoy some pizza, not an idiot.”
“Fine” THE MAVERICK turning away from Sunny crossing his arms like a five year old being told to stop eating dirt.
“Hows the pizza?” Aubrey was leaning back in her chair, arms going into a defensive stance as she did.
Sunny wobbled his head like a metronome.
“Too much grease huh?” A hint of understanding escaping from the normally angry voice.
Sunny nodded again and grabbed a napkin to write something.
He slid the note over to the pink haired girl ‘I think Gino wrings out grease from his skin.’.
she blew out some air from her nose “Is it his sweat or-”
“...blood...” a small whisper coming out of Sunny’s mouth.
The rest of hooligans stopping what they were doing, hearing the silent man’s voice for the first time.
“We might have a pizza demon on our hands” She just smiled and went along with it.
“w-wo rse” complete seriousness in his eye.
“Oh?”
Kim leaned over to her “Boss are we really going along with this?”
“shhh..” Her smile turning into a grin.
Sunny grabbed multiple napkins pulling out his pen for his lore dump.
-
“HERO! SUNNY’S BEEN KIDNAPPED!”
Hero practically busted out of the bedroom.
“WHAT! HOW!”
Seriously how? Sunny could be a force of nature when he needed to be, how could somebody kidnap him?
“Wait, how do you know?”
“I called out his name and he didn’t comeback.”
“Kel he’s not a dog, when was the last time you saw him?”
“Ok I have a story your going to love this one.” Kel shaking his hands in the air for extra emphasis.
“Ok.”
“So there I was you know hanging out with Sunny him not saying anything me hanging around in awkward silence.”
Yep, it sounds like Sunny.
“And then I saw Aubrey walking somewhere so I gathered up a snowball. And Sunny said don’t because he thought I couldn't hit her. I threw a snowball at her and hit her right in the head. Pow”
Hero practically smacked himself in the face “Kel…”
“Yeah?”
“Nevermind what happened next?”
“Aubrey looked angry so I went forward to apologize… in the opposite direction and hid in the house.”
“And?”
“And when I got outside Sunny was gone!”
“Kel are serious right now?” Hero rubbing his temple in disbelief.
“YEAH! As serious as the crime just committed.”
Hero slapped his own face again and muttered some things before looking at his brother again.
“Kel. Sunny was not kidnapped, he’s probably just hanging out with Aubrey. And you need to apologize to her.”
Kel tapped his chin in thought “So Aubrey kidnapped him, got it.”
Wait Kel didn’t think Aubrey kidnapped him? “Lets say Sunny was kidnapped alright?”
“Which he was.”
“Ok, who did it if it wasn’t Aubrey?”
“I don't know man a bunch of balding guys that all look alike named Tyler could have came in with a white van.” His arms were out stretched like he’d blown the case.
Hero mentally gave up, the mental gymnastics not worth it. “You know what yeah your right that could have happened, let’s go apologize to Aubrey.”
“AND BUST A CRIME!”
-
Aubrey was leaning over to Sunny watching him gather his notes on the grease emperor, she stole one of them a drawing of ‘Gino’s true form’ a big pizza with eyes and horns with pepperonis surrounding him.
She pointed to one of the notes “Ok maybe the peppies are like it’s children and Gino is shooting out it’s babies, you know metal.” Aubrey shining a smile at him.
Sunny silently nodded along writing in the notes ‘Shoots out own children. Poor bastards.’
Angel looked at the notes “ooo ooo” raising his hand into the air supporting it with his other hand. Sunny nodded at him.
“What if Gino shoots out garlic bread from his eyes?”
Sunny giving him a thumbs up while staring at the paper. A new note ‘Garlic vision’.
Angel clenched up his hands in victory, a quiet “Yes” escaping his lips.
As they were making their new monster design Aubrey saw two giants walk their way over.
“Hooligans!” Aubrey called out the small band still in the restaurant pouring at their boss’s command.
“Hey hey hey” Hero putting his hands out “We don't wanna fight Kel’s just here to apologize.”
“Yeah right! I’m here to unkidnap Sunny” Him pointing to Aubrey and her gang.
Aubrey giving Sunny a side eye “unkidnap?”
All Sunny could think was that unkidnap wasn’t even a real word.
“You know there is one way Kel can make it up to me”
“Never in a million years” Kel giving off his best serious face.
“Yea what is it?” Hero tapping his shoe impatiently on the ground.
Aubrey grabbed the snow from bellow her, reeling her fist as she stepped forward throwing the snow right at Kel. Only for it to hit Hero.
Sunny looked at her quizzically.
“What! It’s been a while!” Sunny hit her with his elbow.
“Oh right, sorry Hero meant to hit the other tall guy.”
Hero was ok, nah fuck it he was pissed he gathered up snow into his and threw it like a pitcher. The way Mari taught all those years ago, he didn’t care where he threw it he just needed to. It nailing Micheal right in the head with an audible oof. As Micheal flopped on the ground It flipped a switch in Hero’s head.
“Pff, HAHAHA! Wow ok I get it now, it’s fun” Hero turning to Kel.
“I know right?” Kel gathered more snow from the concrete below throwing it at the hooligans this time hitting Charlene with no visible reaction.
“Hooligans ATTACK!”
The Hooligans started to fire back as Kel and Hero soon realized that they were vastly outnumbered. Both Kel and Hero ran to the ditch behind the fountain in the plaza using it as a trench. The Hooligans gather in front of the Hobbeez trying to avoid fire.
“Ok stonewall” Aubrey pointing toward Charlene. “You, springboard and wig are going lay down suppressing fire.”. Her pointing to Angel and Micheal.
“Me and black cat are going to flank by going around the buildings-” Sunny giving her a new note Aubrey reads it over giggling into her hand. “Ok yeah I like that one.”.
“Whats my job boss?” Kim giving a salute to Aubrey.
“Ok dinosaur-”
“DINOSAUR! That's my code name!” Kim was slack jawed how could the boss do this to her.
“You do have ruff skin,” Aubrey shrugged.
“WHAT! no I don’t!” Kim vehemently tried defending herself but everyone around her seemed to agree.
Micheal butted in “You do my fair lady, you really need some moisturizer or just wash your hands high fiving or shaking your hand feels like touching sandpaper.”
“Ok Dinosaur your job is to run in the middle and take the fountain” Aubrey trying pull her back to the battle happening.
“What?”
“What it’s not too hard to understand.”
“I..I ok.” Kim’s pride was defeated.
Sunny passed another note to Aubrey. “oo yeah I like that one too.”
Like a commissar Aubrey had an authoritarian gaze, Sunny wouldn’t be shocked if she would throw a snowball at him if he hesitated. “OK EVERYONE DONT FIRE TILL YOU SEE THE WHITE OF THEIR EYES.”.
-
“Kel, I think we are in one hell of a pickle.” As more snowballs came in like artillery. A blue jacketed girl running and taking cover by the fountain.
Kel looking over the trench threw a snowball at Angel “What do we do we're getting over ran”
“Call in reinforcements.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, as the cool kids would say let’s fuck em up”
Kel hums as he types in a number, the phone takes a bit for it to pick up as more snowballs go overhead. Hero holding to an imaginary helmet as snow splatter from snowballs come in.
“Basil! We need at the shops right now! This is a code black!”
Hero hears mumbling on the other side of the phone call, Kel stops himself “Wait no not really! Sorry, we're just having a snowball fight. No, don't bring the gardening shears ok, ok ba bye.”
Hero looked over the trench before turning back to Kel “Code black?”
“Yeah incase Sunny ever wants to kill us all”
“You think gardening shears would work?”
“I mean why not? It worked once.”
As Kel called in two more people, Hero noticed something in the forest. Wait, that's a person. Holy shit it’s Sunny. Like a predator he’s staring at them through the tree line.
Hero quickly gathers a snowball throwing it at him, surprisingly it almost gets him but he moves out of the way throwing back his own volley hitting Hero straight in the face.
Kel finally notices Aubrey sneaking up on his side as Hero gets hit “Holy shit!” Kel gets hit straight in the chest with Aubrey’s pitcher throw. the air getting tossed out of his lungs.
“Hooligans CHARGE!” Before Hero could react he gets hit with another snowball being hit straight and hard in the noggin.
The Hooligans were already at the ridge prepared to throw down at them, both Kel and Hero dazed and on the ground.
“Well Well Well” Aubrey clapping to herself looking down on them.
“Guess who just beat your ass at throwing shit?!”
“THIS GUY!” Aubrey pointing to herself with her thumbs.
“And this guy” As Aubrey hovered her arm around his back looking at him for confirmation. He nodded with Aubrey wrapping her arm and Sunny shoulders. His ears were red. He hopes and prays she thinks its just because of the cold.
As Aubrey and Sunny starting staring at each with the infatuation of newly weds both their thoughts are interrupted by a whistle over the ridge.
“CHARGE!” It's Cris, the town’s swimming team star running in snowball blazing hitting Stonewall Charlene and her platoon with the help of Basil and Mincy behind her.
The fountain area is turned into absolute chaos. Micheal even starts throwing snowballs at Kim, although that’s probably just him being a dick.
Kel turns to Hero both still on the ground “Hero, they need our help!”
Hero groans on the groans on the ground and says a silent prayer before getting up “Alright, let’s go get those guys.”
“Hell yeah!” as Kel practically runs over the ridge.
Hero turns around looking at the two left behind “Aren’t you guys coming?”
“Nah I think we deserve a rest.” Aubrey using her hands trying to wave him off.
“Oh I see, ok have fun you two” Hero winking at Sunny before climbing over the small ridge.
As soon as Hero is gone and out of sight Aubrey lays onto the snow covered ground. She pats the ground right next to her like beckoning a pet “Come on, it’s not too bad.”
He walks over and lays next to her on the cold ground, it was that bad. It was extremely uncomfortable, the snow acting as an unpleasant cushion for the rocks below.
Aubrey shuffled her way towards him. “You know it’s a bit cold.”
“...snow…” is all Sunny could muster out as the battle raged on behind them.
Aubrey chuckled to herself “You're a dork”.
Apparently saying anything is dork behavior, noted. She seems to like dorks. Sunny put two and two together, his heart started rapidly beating. As he felt something intertwining with his hand. It was warm. The entire side of his body touching Aubrey was warm. Her giving off a feverish temperature.
She coughed into her arm “Well.. Christmas is coming. I got you something.” Her eyes laying on to him, his eyes stared elsewhere, the sudden eye contact being a bit much.
Aubrey understood how Sunny is, he’s a strange fella no other way to put it. But there was something so charming about it. He was so unabashedly himself, unlike other people who hide who they really are Sunny is the bare wires.
“It’s nothing big just a little something I thought you would enjoy. I hope Mr. Gino doesn’t eat it.” As both had a moment of peace they heard some screaming come out of the fog of war.
“What the hell, I'm on your team!” There was fear in Basil’s voice.
“There are no teams in HELL!” Bloodlust creeping up in Cris’s voice.
Sunny pulled out a napkin flipping it a not wet side, folding it and writing with his pen.
He handed it to Aubrey ‘I got you something too.’.
“Oh yeah?” She looked at Sunny eyebrows raised.
His heartbeat raised it nearly beating out of his chest. Was he really going to do this? It’s probably the cheesiest thing he’s ever done. Mari's probably dying of cringe in heaven.
He leaned in actually taking the first steps, all by himself, if he gets kicked in the crotch later it doesn't matter.
It was awkward, a first for everything and all that two lips smashed together he wasn’t sure what to do next he never made it this far in his scenarios. No push back so that's a good sign.
Aubrey for her part was in shock, the bastard stole her thunder. In her fantasies she was the one striking first. But she was in the same boat, the fantasy always stopped here. Nothing past it except for robbing a convenience store or something and then getting married. He even used the same thing she was going to do. Fuck this guy.
They both leaned back. Aubrey was analyzing every minute feature of Sunny’s face trying to see whats going on his head. He seemed to like it. Which is good.
“Ok you wanna get outta here the snow fucking sucks. I thought it would be romantic and stuff. It’s just cold.”
He nodded. Both climbed out of the ditch hand in hand. Only to both hit by flying snowballs heading their way. Truly war is hell.