Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sunny startled awake, a loud buzzing piercing through the veil of sleep. He took a moment to observe his environment; it was certainly not the apartment he had went to bed in, nor was it anything like what he recognized. It was a decrepit subway tunnel, seemingly out of use and coated in various graffiti markings.

He took a moment, pinching himself. Awake.

Though his dreams had not persisted after the hospital only a few months prior, it couldn’t hurt to check. He breathed a small sigh of relief, thankful he wasn’t about to start relapsing, not after he had made it so far…

But if I’m not dreaming… what is this place…?

His thought process was interrupted by the sound of a heavy door swinging open to his left. Turning to look, he had to strain slightly to see through his working eye.

A young woman hopped down from what seemed to be some kind of maintenance access door onto the track where Sunny was sitting. She walked towards him with a slight strut, yet keeping her hands raised, trying to indicate she wasn’t a threat.

”Sunny Suzuki,” she started. “I’m sure you have some questions.”

The boy backed away only slightly, still unsure of what to make of the woman. “… Yeah, I do…”

The woman stopped walking, noticing his apprehension. “Relax, kid, I’m not gonna bite,” she said reassuringly. “My name is Hope, and I need your help with something.”

Sunny wasn’t entirely convinced. “Well, there’s better ways to ask than kidnapping me…”

Hope sighed slightly. “Yeah, sorry about that… we just needed to talk somewhere He can’t hear us…”

The way she said it made Sunny feel on edge. “… Who?”

“We can get into details later,” Hope started, “But we need all the help we can get, and we can give you what you want in return…”

Sunny blinked, taking a moment to think about what she just said. “What I want…?”

Hope nodded. “You did something in the past… made a mistake. Most people couldn’t fix something like that… but we’re not most people.”

Sunny felt his pulse quicken.

”It’s more complicated than just a simple fix-it,” She continued, “We need your cooperation… but if you help us, we’ll do everything in our power to help you get your sister back.”

Sunny felt a lump forming in his throat. He hadn’t dared to imagine there was something like this… He knew there was a chance this was some kind of ploy to get something out of him, but the sincerity of Hope’s tone, the look she gave him, the fact that she knew so much…

”What do I have to do?”

Chapter Text

Aubrey was startled awake by the slight Ping of a small rock bouncing off her window. She thought about simply ignoring it for a moment; odds were that it was just one of her hooligans trying to get her outside.

But she couldn’t ignore it, not really. Not if it could be him.

Since Sunny disappeared three weeks prior, she’d been holding out hope he’d reach out, try to see her or at least get in contact. Despite everything that had happened over the past six months, she still wanted to mend the bridge between them.

A bridge that I broke.

Sunny fell to the floor, a few drops of blood spattering from his lips and (former) eye. Kel and Hero could do nothing but watch in horror as Aubrey stood over him, rageful tears streaming down her face.

”Do not EVER come near me again, do you understand me?”

She glared at him for what felt like a lifetime, something cold forming in the pit of her stomach.

She stormed off. She couldn’t be in that room for another second.

Aubrey fought back a wave of nausea as she forced her way out of bed, slowly moving towards the window.

As she looked down at her visitor, she felt her heart about to leap from her chest.

Sunny stood in the yard expectantly, visibly trembling. Aubrey opened the window. “…Sunny…?”

Sunny swallowed. “H-hi, Aubrey… before you get mad—“

He didn’t even get a moment to finish before Aubrey had hurdled through the open window, dashing towards Sunny and embracing him with an intensity that nearly bowled him over.

”Where the hell have you been!? Everybody’s been so worried about you…!”

Sunny took a moment to steady himself. “I… I wanted to say I’m sorry…”

Aubrey cut him off. “Don’t you dare. Not right now.” She eyed him up and down, only now noticing his condition. “What happened to you?”

Given his appearance, it was a reasonable question. His usually neat clothing was worn, grimy and tattered, his shorts replaced entirely by a very heavy-duty looking set of combat pants. His frame, although still rather slender, was considerably more toned and muscular. Overtop his shirt he wore a sort of body armor, utility pouches on a bandolier slung across his torso. His eyepatch had been replaced entirely by a rather unsterile-looking scrap of cloth.

”I-it’s a long story… I just wanted to say everything to you in person in case I don’t make it.”

Aubrey’s expression grew more concerned. “… Are you in trouble? You know I can help.”

Sunny shook his head. “I can’t ask you to do that. This is my mess.”

Aubrey fought back the urge to slap him. “You idiot… that’s what friends do; they help with each other’s messes.”

Sunny had a sad look in his eye. “Aubrey, no. This is dangerous. I can’t ask you to—“

Aubrey gave into the urge. “You know what your problem is!? You always have to deal with every little thing all by yourself! You’d rather suffer alone than admit you need help!” Tears flowed from her eyes now, hot against her skin as she yelled.

”Let someone else in, Sunny! Tell me what’s going on!”

Sunny stared for what felt like many minutes, conflicted as to whether or not he should tell her.

Eventually, he spoke.

”I-it’s just…” He stammered, his voice cracking slightly. “I need to do this. I can…” He choked out a sob. “… I can bring her back to us.”

Aubrey could do nothing but stare in bewilderment as she processed the words he had spoken.

Bring her back.

Bring her back.

Mari.

She stared into his eye, trying to potentially gauge his mental state. It was apparent from his tone that he clearly believed what he was saying, if nothing else.

”Sunny, that’s not— people don’t—“

Sunny nearly completely broke down. “I-it is, it’s real and I’ve seen it! I can do it, but…” he took a moment to compose himself. “It’s dangerous… I wanted to apologize for everything, just in case I…”

He trailed off. The insinuation was clear.

Aubrey took a moment to weigh her options. In truth, though, there was only one option; she knew that.

”Let me come with you.”

”W-what?”

“Let me come with you. I want to help.”

Sunny shook his head. “I can’t let you— you could be—“

Aubrey grabbed his collar. “If there is even a fraction of a chance this could work, I have to help you.”

Sunny simply glared downward, clearly realizing Aubrey wasn’t going to budge. “… J-just… promise me you’ll stay safe if I let you come along…”

Aubrey nodded. For the first time in years she felt something reignite within her. She still wasn’t sure if any of this was true… but for the first time, she dared to allow herself to hope.

Chapter Text

Basil barely believed his eyes. 

At his door stood his oldest friend and former bully, Aubrey, nail-bat in hand. To her side, the boy that changed the trajectory of his life: Sunny, although considerably more unkempt than the last time they had seen each other.

“Y-you guys aren’t…” he started, clearly trying to find the words to express the swirling thoughts in his head. “…h-here to… hurt me, right…?”

Aubrey’s expression shifted to a much more apologetic one, suddenly aware of how it must have looked to pull up on him with a weapon.

”No, Basil…” she trailed off, nudging Sunny. Hopefully he could explain the situation better.

”… We’re going somewhere… all of us. Together.” He mumbled in response. He had hoped to avoid getting others involved, but Aubrey wasn’t having it. She insisted that everyone should be together for this.

It wasn’t like he didn’t understand why. There was an allure to the idea; everyone finally being together again…

But it was risky. He couldn’t let someone else get killed because of him.

The trio walked in silence for several minutes. Sunny was practically completely spaced out as he followed, his thoughts carrying him a thousand miles away. He hadn’t really planned to see anyone but Aubrey in person…

Stepping up to the door of their second-to-last destination, Aubrey rang the doorbell. She figured the direct approach was probably the quickest.

Mrs. Rodriguez answered the door only a few seconds after, clearly having been woken up by the sound.

”Who in the hell— why, Aubrey! What are you kids doing here?” She asked, seemingly not noticing the battle-ready state of either the girl nor Sunny.

”Are Hero and Kel here…? We wanna invite them on a… camping trip.” Aubrey fibbed. Best not to raise any alarms in the woman’s head.

”Of course, sweetie, I’ll get them up for you…” She said, moving into the house. How she fell for that was anyone’s guess…

Much to Sunny’s dismay, Kel had basically immediately pulled him and Basil into a bear hug of cosmic proportions. He winced as the pressure made his bruised ribs ache. 

Hero, on the other hand, was much more reserved. His expression was unreadable. Sunny couldn’t say he blamed him; they hadn’t said so much as a word to each other in over six months.

As they walked, now all following Sunny, Hero finally spoke up. “So…” he started, “What are we really doing…?”

Sunny figured Hero would know something was up. He had hoped, however, that he would have his answer before the question was asked.

He suddenly felt his pulse quicken as he desperately wracked his brain for an answer, his hands beginning to shake. He felt himself beginning to crumble inwards as he sat on the sidewalk. Hero, Basil and Kel all crowded him, asking concerned questions he couldn’t hear…

He felt a hand rest on his own.

Aubrey sat next to him, a worried look in her eyes. She gave a soft nod, wordlessly, though the meaning of the gesture was clear.

It’s not as scary as you think.

Sunny took a deep breath, standing up slowly. He felt the spinning in his head slow to a stop.

”We’re… helping someone.” He said, choosing his wording carefully. He didn’t want to accidentally say something that would set them off. “… And in exchange, they’ll help us.”

As the five made it to the edge of town, Sunny stopped, looking down at the strange device on his arm. A timer appeared on the object’s screen. Two minutes to spare. We cut it close.

Kel glanced around, seemingly expecting more bravado for the build-up. “So, what are we doing here…?”

Sunny fiddled with the device some more before eventually speaking.

“…Extraction.”

As if on cue, a blinding crack appeared in the air in front of them. The strange object lit up the area around it as it rapidly expanded to the size of a large car.

As the group stared in pure astonishment, Sunny approached the light, completely unfazed by the impossible sight, and touched it, vanishing into the thing instantly.

The remaining four quickly exchanged glances. Whatever they had been expecting, it was not this. 

Aubrey gathered her courage first, slowly approaching the light and extending a shaking hand towards it as Sunny had. Then, in a blinding flash of light, she had disappeared as well.

Not wanting to be so easily shown up by Aubrey, Kel decided to be a bit more direct, sprinting into the crack with his hands outstretched in preparation for a dive.

Basil was visibly more concerned about the thing than the others, initially considering turning around right then and there, but he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning to see Hero give him a reassuring smile.

Their confidence boosted, they both trudged towards the thing as it slowly started to contract, only barely touching it in time before it vanished completely, leaving no trace of itself besides a few blue embers of light.

Chapter Text

The first thing Basil noticed was that he was caught in a pile with Kel, Hero and Aubrey.

Feeling Kel’s face pressed against his, he fought the blush making its way to his face as he struggled to free himself from the tangle of people.

Sunny stood in front of them, apparently having narrowly avoided getting caught with them.

”… This is the place…” He said, seemingly unfazed by the admittedly hilarious display his friends had made.

The place was, in no uncertain terms, breathtaking. A beautiful tropical island beach with various tents, crates and equipment strewn across it. All manner of colorful individuals were there… to say that it looked like something from a comic book or movie wouldn’t have been able to do the sheer absurdity of the scene justice.

Sunny couldn’t help but be mildly amused at his friends’ reactions. When he was first brought here, he had a similar reaction himself, but by this point he was used to it.

He approached two of the individuals, seemingly in some sort of heated argument: A rather androgynous-looking, platinum-blonde teenager, and a cartoonishly muscular, white-shirted older man.

”… That’s why you’re L Rizz… why you’re Skibidi Toilet!!” The teenager shouted. The older man simply stared, dumbfounded. “… What the hell do any of those mean…? A-are we speaking the same language right now…?”

Sunny decided to interject before a fight between the two broke out again… for the third time that week.

”Peter, where’s the Captain?” He said, flat-faced.

The older man sighed, clearly drained by his conversation. “… The war room, I think… pretty sure he’s expecting you.” 

Seeing the man’s distress, Kel decided to chime in. “Everything okay?”

The man, apparently named Peter, nodded. “Yeah, I just haven’t been that aggravated about a conversation since I was stuck in an elevator with Mel Brooks,” he said. Suddenly, he seemed to zone out, staring at nothing.

Kel was mildly put off by this. Turning to Sunny, he whispered, “Is he okay…?”

Sunny simply gave a single nod. “He does that sometimes…” He gestured to the gang. “… C’mon, we should go see the Captain.”

The ‘War Room,’ as it was apparently called, was rather small, with only a singular table with a map and a whiteboard decorating its interior. It would have been unimpressive, had it not been for the absolute unit of a man who stood within it.

Kel could only assume this was the Captain. His uniform and stature certainly insinuated some sort of commanding position; a navy blue jumpsuit with a star on his chest, as well as a large, disc-like shield seemingly designed after the American flag.

He looked up from the table map to face them, a slight smile on his face. “Sunny,” he said, a certain familiarity to his tone, “You brought friends.”

Kel straightened, saluting with his left hand. “Captain, Sir!” He said. Aubrey looked away, groaning at how ridiculous he looked.

The Captain simply chuckled. “Interim Captain, actually,” he stepped forward, extending his hand outwards, “But most people just call me Jones… aside from Sunny, that is…”

Hero stepped forward, hoping to make a better impression than his brother doubtlessly would. He shook Jones’ hand. “Well… Jones… what exactly is all of this…?”

Jones nodded, seemingly respecting the young man’s eagerness to get right down to business.

”Well, we’ve been working on a full-scale assault on Doom,” he started, turning back towards the table. The rest of the gang circled around it as well, looking down towards the map. 

Kel opened his mouth to attempt to ask a question, but Aubrey elbowed him in the ribs, the look in her eyes making her intent clear. Save questions until the end.

“… Over the past few weeks, he’s been setting something up here,” Jones explained, pointing to the map’s center: a seemingly dried lake. “We’ve figured our best plan is to stage a full-scale assault in twenty-four hours… we have enough people, or, at the very least, we will, once we pull the remaining loopers…”

Sunny’s breath shook slightly. He nodded, a palpable intensity in his eyes.

Kel just stared, dumbfounded. “… I have no idea what any of that means.”

Sunny sighed. “… we’re gonna punch a bad guy.”

Jones nodded in response. “Basically, yeah… but we’re still short on allies… which is why we’ve been sending recovery troops into the loop…”

Sunny turned to him. “… Bruce got his looper out, right?” He asked, a tension in his voice.

Jones smiled. “Yep. You’re up next, kiddo…”

He put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “… Let’s get your sister back.”

The following silence was deafening.

Chapter Text

Basil and Hero were left in the tent with Sunny as Aubrey and Kel were escorted to the gear stations.

After several moments of silence, Hero finally spoke. “Sunny… what did he mean by…?”

Sunny sighed. “… Look, let’s walk and talk. I promise I’ll explain…”

Kel couldn’t help but stare at the hammer resting on a large stone. It was so simplistic, yet… strangely alluring.

Hope shuffled over to him, a rather heavy-looking vest in hand. “… Well, it’s not perfect, but it should fit you just fine.”

Kel looked to her, smiling. “Thanks, miss!”

She chuckled. The boy’s cheeriness was definitely very welcome, considering the nightmare the past year had been. 

“Y’know, you don’t seem all that surprised about the whole ‘bringing people back from the dead’ thing…” She noted as Kel slipped the vest over his shoulder.

”Well, if anyone would be able to do something like that, it’d be Sunny…” He said, his attention being turned back to the hammer. “…Hey, would it be okay if I borrowed that…?”

Hope simply stared at him, trying to tell whether or not he was joking. “…If you can pick it up, sure…”

Kel excitedly ran over to it, gripping its handle. He flexed, seemingly putting more than a slight bit of effort into lifting it…

Then he chuckled as the hammer finally gave way, lifting it effortlessly above his head.

”This thing’s a bit heavier than it looks…!” He exclaimed.

The commotion of the camp fell to simple murmurs as everyone’s attention was drawn to the boy.

”Did he just…?” “But I thought…?” “How did he…?” “What the sigma…?” “Shut up, Toni…!” “So is he…?”

Kel looked around, noticing that even Sunny had turned to notice him, his eyebrows raised. “…What?”

Basil finally spoke.

”Sunny, I just… getting Mari back… I-is that even possible…?”

Sunny remained silent for several moments, clipping several orb-like objects to his belt. 

“… Yeah. It is. I’ve seen others get people back, too.”

Hero decided to speak up. “…How?”

Sunny shrugged. “All I know is that she’ll be in The Loop. We just have to find her and get her out.”

This didn’t satisfy the young man. “O-okay, but what is ‘The Loop’? What exactly are we dealing with here?”

Sunny didn’t answer, instead walking over to a rather muscular man in an oddly rodent-themed body armor.

”Bruce.”

The man smiled slightly. “Suzuki.”

Basil and Hero watched as the two conversed, unable to hear them over the chaos of noise at the base. Eventually, the man removed his tattered cape, handing it to Sunny.

Sunny returned to the pair, the cape slung over his shoulder. “… I know I don’t have any right to ask this of any of you… but if we want to get her out of there, I need you to trust me.”

Hero suddenly pulled the boys into a hug. “Sunny, I…” he started, his voice cracking. “… I forgive you. For what happened. I just…” A tear rolled down his cheek. “… We’ve lost so much already, and… I know you want to fix this… but I want you to be careful, okay…?”

Sunny simply nodded, fighting back tears of his own.

“I’m not going to ask you to come with me… I understand if you want to stay here.”

Hero shook his head. “And be in a place where I can’t keep you all safe? Mari would kill me,” He chuckled.

”Speaking of which,” The boys turned around to see Aubrey, her usual attire replaced with a pair of cargo pants and an armored vest. “You guys should probably get some armor if you’re coming with.”

Basil and Hero nodded, leaving Sunny and Aubrey together. Sunny simply looked downwards, trying not to think about how attractive the new outfit made her.

Aubrey finally spoke. “… Y’know,” She started, “… You’re really brave… for doing this, that is… and… I’m…” She trailed off, feeling tears of her own coming on.

Sunny just shook his head. “…You don’t have to apologize again… You didn’t do anything wrong…”

Aubrey slowly reached for his hand. “No… you needed your friends, and I… I just-“

He interrupted her. “I don’t blame you. And I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want to help me with this… It’s my mistake. The rest of you don’t have to pay for it—“

She pulled him into a hug. “We all want her back, Sunny. We’re doing this together.”

Sunny was silent for a moment. “… Yeah… okay. T-thank you…”

Aubrey nodded. “… Any time.”

Kel couldn’t help but laugh as he saw his older brother. The young man had refused to remove any clothing, so the body armor simply looked ridiculous on him.

The five slowly approached their method of entering The Loop: a modified blue school bus. To say the thing was garish was an understatement; it looked as though it would fall apart at any second.

”Sunny!” The boy turned to see Jones jogging towards him. He slowed as he approached, removing the round shield as he did. “… You should take this. Just in case.”

Sunny simply sighed and nodded, knowing better than to argue against the Captain giving him something. He took the shield, turning around to see their backup on this mission…

”… Blevins? Travis?” He questioned, mild amusement audible in his voice.

Noticing his friends’ confusion, he turned to them. “… Oh, um, everyone, this is Tyler Blevins and Travis Scott. I guess they’re going to be our backup for the mission.”

With that, the seven entered the garish bus as it sputtered to life, seemingly on its own, and another rift formed in front of it.

No turning back now.

Chapter Text

Basil tugged on the chunky glove on his arm as a feeble attempt to adjust it to feel less uncomfortable on his skin. He had no idea how Sunny could wear his own without any visible discomfort.

”S-Sunny,” He started, figuring now would be as good a time for questions as any, “Do we need to wear these…? Mine’s super uncomfortable…”

Sunny studied the lightweight shield in his hands, a tense expression on his face. “… Only if you don’t want to be assimilated into The Loop and lose your memory.”

Hero, overhearing the exchange, perked up. “Wait, Mari doesn’t have her memories…? W-what happens if…” He trailed off, his heart beginning to pound in its chest.

Sunny sighed. “It’s complicated… She won’t remember us at first, but she’ll no doubt recognize us, which should be enough to gain her trust and get her out of The Loop…”

Kel decided to speak up this time. “So, how do we get her out, anyway? Is there someplace she needs to go?”

Sunny shook his head. “Nothing quite so simple… She needs to be the final looper standing.”

“So, then,” Aubrey decided to speak up, “What’s the actual plan, here?”

The blue-jacketed man that accompanied them, Tyler, stood up, a holographic map appearing in front of him.

Sunny approached the map on the opposite side.

”So,” He started, studying the map, “The next loop begins in about three minutes. Once it does, we’ll get a ping of her approximate location, and then all we have to do is escort her, keeping her out of harm’s way for the remaining loop time.”

The rest of The Gang stared, dumbfounded at how nonchalantly he was describing a potentially fatal mission. Aubrey felt a sense of pride at how natural he seemed in the moment.

Tyler interjected. “Me and Travis will stay on the bus, acting as extraction and, if necessary, backup. Once the mission’s complete, you’ll all get back on the bus, and that’ll be a success.”

Hero couldn’t help his mind wandering. What would he say…? Would words even be enough to get the intense emotions across? 

Suddenly, a burst of white light flashed through the windows of the bus. When it subsided, the outside weather was no longer overcast.

Sunny wasted no time, turning his attention back to the map. A single dot had been placed in the northeast corner. He felt something cold in his stomach. Shit.

He turned to his friends. “… Guys… this location’s too dangerous… I can’t ask you to—“

Aubrey groaned. “Sunny, for the last time, we’re doing this together. No matter what.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but closed it quickly, knowing better than to enter a four-versus-one argument here and now. After a few seconds, he sighed. “… Fine. Once those doors open, we’ll be unable to speak. The gloves have built-in text communication, so we’ll have to rely on that and hand signals…”

Kel grinned, spinning the hammer he borrowed by its strap. “Alright. It’s game time.”

Sunny shuffled to the back of the bus, grabbing the heavy cloth he borrowed from Batman. “Does anyone need to hold onto the parachute? We can’t land the bus, so…”

Basil, Kel, and Hero raised their hands. Sunny raised an eyebrow. “…Kel, you don’t need the parachute. That’s what Mjolnir is for,” He said flatly.

”Meow-what?”

”Mjolnir.”

”What’s…?”

Sunny sighed. “The hammer. Just spin it above your head to slow your fall. That’s what Thor does.”

Kel looked at the thing with fascination. “Cool…!”

Sunny undid the latch to the door, cold wind rushing into the bus. He pulled a cord on the tattered cloth, its form expanding into scalloped wings. Hero and Basil gripped the leather handles on the sides.

The three dove out of the bus, followed by Kel and Aubrey leaping after them.

Chapter Text

The sounds of gunfire filled their ears as they descended into the main courtyard of the looming castle. Clearly, someone had been stirring something up here.

Before even touching the ground, Sunny released the straps of the winged glider, feeling the shock of the landing in his knees. He didn’t stop to recuperate, however; he was so close already…

Basil and Hero, on the other hand, held onto the glider until they landed harmlessly on the stone brick floor. Basil breathed a shaky sigh of relief as his feet rested on the ground.

Aubrey landed on the wall to their left, losing her balance for only a moment before regaining it. Hero couldn’t help but giggle internally; with the umbrella she had used to slow her descent, she looked vaguely like Mary Poppins.

The three’s rest was quickly interrupted by a series of loud cracks: three green-suited men in masks had become aware of their presence, opening fire with some kind of assault rifles.

Hero ducked behind a small stone structure, pulling Basil after him. Only after getting to their cover did Hero notice the red stain forming on Basil’s arm, where his shirt had been torn. He’d been hit.

Picking up a small rock, Aubrey peeked over the railing she had taken cover behind, throwing it at the three gunmen. One was struck on the head, a scowl forming on his face as he turned to face her, turning his attention- and gunfire- onto the cowering girl.

She cursed internally. 

Well, that didn’t fucking work… where the hell is Kel…?

Hero finished tightening the makeshift bandage over Basil’s arm, his mind reeling. He was close; closer than ever to getting her back, and yet, too far… 

A tear fell down his face as he held Basil in his arms.

Suddenly, another crack, this time much louder than the guns. The courtyard was silent afterwards, and after a few seconds, Hero finally peered out from behind his cover.

A massive crater had been formed where the three men had been. In its center knelt Kel, panting as he slowly stood.

The hammer in his hand emanated a strange lightning. It traveled up Kel’s arm, yet seemingly, he didn’t feel it. He stared at the hammer in awe. 

This thing is fucking awesome.

Sunny dashed through the halls of the castle, using the Captain’s shield to quickly and efficiently dispatch any resistance he faced. The thing was surprisingly intuitive; he found himself able to bowl over multiple targets in a single throw, and even catching it with ease each time.

He headed towards the east wing of the castle, glancing in each room he passed.

Not there… not there either… is that a human heart…? Gross…

It wasn’t long before a new sound graced his ears: Incomprehensible muttering. Undeniably human, yet it was as if they were speaking complete gibberish. He raced to the room he heard the voice from.

Two guards were pointing their weapons towards a corner, visibly agitated. The one on the left was shouting, and though Sunny couldn’t directly understand what was being said, the intent was clear: it was some kind of threat.

Wasting no time, he chucked a singular orb from his belt, the thing bursting into an array of colorful light upon impact. The guards immediately dropped their weapons, breaking into a jovial dance, their expressions ones of confusion and horror.

Sunny quickly followed the grenade up by sprinting towards the left guard with his shield up, knocking the man out a nearby window. He quickly turned, tossing the shield at the remaining guard, hearing a pop as several of the man’s ribs broke.

He turned to face the corner to see what had upset the guards…

He felt his heart skip a beat.

It was her. Her white dress was slightly tattered and grimy, her feet were bleeding and filthy, and tears streamed down her face; much more unkempt than her usual appearance, but it was undeniably her.

Mari stared up at him with a visible cautious expression, but also slight recognition. He placed the shield on his back, slowly kneeling down, as so to not spook her.

She shot forward, pulling him into a hug. He froze for only a moment before returning it, typing into his wrist computer.

I found her.

Aubrey stared at the message, feeling her breathing quicken as she sat down against a wall.

Three more guards rushed out into the area before quickly being dispatched by Kel, throwing the hammer and striking all three of them before recalling it.

He turned to Aubrey with a smug expression.

Sunny guided Mari to the door leading into the courtyard, slowly nudging it open and waving his hand to signal to his friends.

His grip on her hand tightened as the pair slowly descended the stairs. The four had gathered at the bottom of the staircase, each with an awestruck expression.

After a single still moment, Sunny gestured to Hero. Make sure she’s okay.

Noting the red smear on Basil’s arm, he removed the scrap of cloth covering it, pulling a green canister from his belt and handing it to Kel while pointing at Basil’s wound.

Kel nodded, taking the canister and spraying it onto Basil. As if by magic, the wound shrunk until it was little more than a faint scar on his arm. The boys stared in amazement for several seconds before realizing how close their faces were.

Even if he could speak, Hero was at a complete loss for words. Mari tilted her head at him slightly, seemingly trying to recall where she had seen him before.

Hero shone a pen-sized flashlight into her eyes, noting the even dilation. No brain damage, at least…

He turned to Sunny with a sigh, nodding.

Sunny responded with a thumbs up before being tackled by Aubrey. Despite the mutual silence, the intent was clear. You shouldn’t have run off by yourself.

He nodded softly, attempting to respond via his communicator before a series of beeps emanated from it. Storm’s closing. We need to move.

He gestured to the others, pointing in the direction of the next circle before a loud crash echoed from above them.

A wall on the upper end of the castle had blown out, a figure in a green cloak floating in front of the hole.

Doom.

This just got more complicated… Sunny thought to himself.

Chapter Text

Sunny bolted out of the way, barely avoiding a green burst of energy that destroyed the wall behind him.

Doom sneered behind his mask. “Last we met, child, I granted you mercy… Now you shall feel the WRATH OF DOOM!”

Sunny groaned as he put his hand to his forehead, bringing it back down to see his fingers coated in blood. He would have sighed in annoyance if doing so didn’t cause agony in his broken ribs.

Doom marched past him, his attention on the artifact Sunny had desperately fought to protect. He paid the boy no mind as he grasped it, draining its power into his armor.

He glanced down at Sunny. “You fought well, child… I shall spare you this day. May our paths not cross again…”

Sunny’s consciousness faded as he watched Doom bound away.

Sunny’s mind raced. He had barely survived his first encounter with the tyrant. Even with the help of his friends, an escape from this predicament would be next to impossible.

Next to impossible… but not completely.

Mari grasped the arm of the suave young man who had pulled her into cover, tears streaming down her face. Despite his comforting and strangely familiar presence, she didn’t feel safe; not even remotely. 

She watched in horror as the four children were narrowly dodging blasts from the green-cloaked figure.

To their credit, they were surprisingly competent; they were even managing to get a few hits in with various weaponry.

The figure, however, seemed completely unfazed, floating down to the ground with seemingly no care for his surroundings.

If they wanted to win, or at least survive, they needed a miracle.

Sunny quickly typed the message into his communicator.

Air Support. Astrobeam. Doom.

He winced as he heard a loud boom directly in front of him. He looked up to see Kel, having managed to deflect one of Doom’s arcane blasts using the enchanted hammer.

The blast struck the tyrant, causing him to stagger back. Sunny’s eyes widened as he noticed a crack having formed on his chest plate.

He’s not unstoppable. We can manage this.

Doom regained his bearings for only a moment before a beam struck down from the sky, bringing him to his knees.

Aubrey looked up in amazement as she saw one of the teammates that had entered The Loop with them, Travis Scott, raining down a barrage of energy attacks.

Sunny gestured to the others. He’s stunned. Time to move.

All six made a mad dash for the main gate of the castle, the sound of various explosions behind them.

As they neared a rather quaint gas station, their pace slowed. Basil panted heavily, exhaustion from the past ten minutes finally catching up to him.

Sunny typed into his device. Quick break, then we get back on the move. Just twelve more minutes to go.

He gestured for Aubrey and Kel to follow him into the gas station as Hero sat with Basil and Mari on a bench.

The most interesting thing about the gas station itself was how normal it looked. Aside from the complete lack of any actual people, it seemed like a fully functional, even operational store.

Sunny glanced through the store’s inventory quickly, clearly having a particular product in mind already. He found it in a freezer at the back of the store: A six-pack of cyan cans, their bright logo reading four simple words: Slurp! Juice, Chug Splash!

As the three exited the store (without paying, those little scoundrels…) they made their way to the bench where the other three had been sitting. 

Sunny gave each of them a can, much to their mild confusion. He sighed, typing into his communicator. It’s got sugar and regenerative properties. It’s the best way to keep us going for long enough.

Kel downed his almost instantly, giving a thumbs up to indicate his approval… not that it meant much, considering his particular tastes.

Aubrey hesitantly put the can to her lips. Much to her surprise, the drink was carbonated like soda, yet with a tangy, fruity taste, like a blueberry, even…

Mari and Basil, seeing that the drink at least seemed to be relatively good, both took small sips of their own.

Hero, on the other hand, passed his to Kel after reading the ingredients. I don’t know what half of those things even are.

After finishing their drinks and deciding to continue their spree of misdemeanors by tossing the cans into the road, the six continued on their trek along the road.

As they moved, Aubrey couldn’t help but notice a strange blue energy barrier gradually shrinking, seemingly restricting their movements. She typed a message to Sunny.

Should we be worried about the barrier thing?

Sunny shook his head, typing a message in response.

No, we just need to make sure to not touch it. At the end of this cycle, Mari will be pulled out, and the rest of us can get back on the bus.

As the final minute approached, Sunny tensed. This would work, it had to. They’d gone too far to fail now.

Seeing his nervousness, Aubrey took his hand, squeezing it. His breathing slowed as he saw her reassuring smile.

Kel stuck his tongue out in mock-disgust. Aubrey turned a shade redder, making a mental note to kick his ass after this was done.

Mari felt a slight flutter inside of her, looking down at her hands with confusion. The black-haired boy with the shield turned his attention to her, followed by the other four.

A faint glow had begun to cover her being. The blue-shirted young man who had helped her earlier looked to the boy with a deep concern, only for his worry to be quelled by the boy gesturing with the thumbs-up, leading her to the middle of the circle.

In a brilliant flash of light, Mari had vanished. Hero looked at the spot where she had stood with mild confusion.

I expected there to be a little more bravado to it than that…

His thoughts were interrupted by a rope descending from the bus hovering above them.

Once they had all climbed aboard, the shutters to the ground below closed.

Sunny sighed. “… We can speak now.” He mumbled.

Hero was the first to say anything. “So… that was it? She’s back…?”

Sunny simply nodded and sat in a bus seat, his knees buckling under the weight of his emotions. They’d actually done it… they brought her back…

Kel shouted excitedly, embracing Basil and Sunny in his arms. “… That was awesome! Us fighting that guy, and doing all those cool moves, and drinking weird other-dimensional soda…! And…!”

Hero finished Kel’s thought. “… and we got Mari back… we actually did it…”

Sunny looked up at everyone. “I… I should thank you. You didn’t have to help me, but you did it anyway…”

Aubrey put a finger to his lips. “Sunny… that’s enough of that…”

Basil noticed their backup sitting at the front of the bus. He slowly approached them.

”… Mister Scott, t-thank you for helping us. Without you, we wouldn’t have been able to defeat Doom—“

Travis interrupted him. “—Doombot.”

Sunny’s head snapped towards him. “What…?”

Travis reached behind him, revealing a mangled mess of electronic components. “… it was a Doombot.”

Everyone was silent for many seconds.

”… You’re shitting me.”

Chapter Text

“… No, but seriously… it wasn’t actually that easy, was it…?”

Kel looked to Sunny, attempting to drum up a conversation to keep him occupied. The nervous bouncing of Sunny’s knee stopped for just a moment.

”… I picked a safe route. Aside from the Doombot being there, I made sure we could avoid any conflicts.”

Aubrey couldn’t help but feel a tinge of pride in her friend. Sunny had always been a pretty smart kid, sure, but his meticulous planning on this operation was something else entirely. He must’ve learned a thing or two from one of the other people in the camp.

Basil cleared his throat softly. “S-so, what is a ‘Doombot,’ anyway…?”

Tyler stood up, running his hand through his blue hair. “It’s one of Doom’s robots that he makes to do various tasks… the one you fought was made to pretend to be him.”

Basil felt his stomach drop. If that was just a robot, how in the hell was anyone going to defeat the real deal…?

As the beachfront camp slowly came into view, Sunny’s breathing quickened. Aubrey, noticing his anxiousness, reached a hand to his shoulder. “Sunny, are you o-“

Before she could finish her sentence, he bolted from his seat, hurdling out of the bus’ back door into the water only a few feet from shore. Unfazed, he continued his mad dash towards the camp.

Aubrey sat frozen for multiple seconds as the bus slowly docked. 

“… Will he stop doing that…?”

Sunny’s sprint was suddenly halted as his body slammed into Jones’ back, knocking the both of them off their feet.

”Woah, Suzuki…” He said, placing a hand on Sunny’s arm. “… You really took your time in there… I was starting to worry—“

”—Is she here?”

Jones paused a moment before nodding. Seeing Sunny so worked up was… unusual, to say the least. “She’s by the bonfire. I already had some guys look her over for injuries…”

Sunny stood up, moving slightly slower this time as he approached the site.

Hero panted as he tried to keep up with the others. Truthfully, he had never had the best stamina, even when he was younger…

”… Since when did Sunny get so fast…?”

Kel, taking the lead of the group, let out a small laugh. “Oh, you have no idea, dude… those few days before he moved away, he was running all over town…! Even I was struggling to keep up…”

There she was.

The clothes they had given her were a far cry from her usual formal attire; the heavy-looking jacket was clearly far too big for her, and the filthy cargo pants seemingly hadn’t been washed for some time…

But he couldn’t forget her face. Her smile.

His sister was back.

”Mari…?” Sunny started, feeling his knees threatening to give out under him.

She turned to him slowly, her face lighting up as her eyes met his. “Oh… you!” She exclaimed.

He couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sadness from that greeting. “You… don’t remember me…” He was aware that would be the case, yet a part of him had hoped…

”… I know you saved me,” She responded softly, “And I know that I love you. We… come from the same place, don’t we…?”

Sunny nodded, feeling a tear fall down his face. “Mari, I…” He fought back the urge to sob uncontrollably. “… I’m your little brother. I… I’m Sunny…”

”Sunny…” Mari repeated, seemingly trying to get readjusted to the way his name sounded in her mouth. “… My little brother.”

The siblings embraced one another, fully crying now as the others watched the emotional scene.

As the sky began to darken, the small army began to congregate and mingle by the bonfire. The commotion was lively and joyous as every manner of individuals conversed amongst one another.

Aubrey continued to watch intently as the Suzuki siblings remained close to one another, barely speaking. She couldn’t help but notice, now, how much more fit Sunny had actually become during his time here…

She fought back the thoughts forming in her head, her gaze dropping to the ground.

Hero, too, was observing the siblings as Jones sat down beside him, a grin on his face.

”… So, must be pretty great, having your girlfriend back…”

Hero practically jumped out of his seat, his face turning a deep crimson. “Huh…!?”

Jones simply grinned. “I just remember Sunny telling me, y’know, about his friends… and how you and her were kind of a thing…”

Hero slowly sat back down, his blush not fading. “Well, I guess that’s kinda true…” His expression saddened. “Is she… ever going to remember before…?”

Jones simply nudged his arm. “Don’t worry, she’ll get her memories back in time… they’ll come back even faster when you get home…”

Hero sighed, satisfied by the explanation. “Okay, good, good…” He turned to Jones. “But… Sunny has to do something for you first, right? He said something about having to fight that ‘Doom’ person…”

Jones nodded. “… Look, I won’t force you to help us… in fact, if all of you wanted to take Mari and go home right now, I wouldn’t stop you… but—“

Hero cut him off. “No…! You… you gave all of us something so precious… it’s the least we can do.”

Jones stared, dumbfounded, before laughing softly. “… Well, alright then… I’ll get you all a tent for the night. It’s gonna be a big day tomorrow…”

Chapter Text

The festive commotion in the camp echoed in the distance as Sunny stared out into the ocean. The moon had begun its ascent through the skyline, its bright surface reflecting off the waves that moved towards the shore.

Sunny took a deep breath as he heard the slightest shuffle in the sand behind him.

”… You know you can’t sneak up on me.”

”… Expired Slurp! Juice?” Kel raised an eyebrow. Peter simply nodded in response.

”Yeah, turns out it’s really good for some people…” Peter removed his glasses, seemingly trying to wipe away a speck of dirt.

”I’m actually usually pretty fat. I just had to be muscular because Fortnite doesn’t like fat guys…”

Before Kel could inquire on what the hell a “Fortnite” was, Aubrey sat down beside him, a sigh escaping her lips.

”… Did you see where Sunny went, Kel…? He kinda just vanished.”

Kel furrowed his brow for a moment before shrugging. “He said he needed a bit of space… I think he just needs a second to, y’know… catch up to all of this…”

After a moment of silence, a smug grin creeped its way onto his face. “… Why, can’t go ten minutes without your boyfriend…?” He teased.

Aubrey shot him a look of mild murderous intent while sputtering. “W-what…? Y-you…! I—!”

Kel couldn’t help but giggle softly. “Dude… I’m not stupid. You two have had a thing for each other for, like, forever now…!”

Aubrey sat there dumbfounded for a moment before regaining her composure. “… Y-yeah? Well…” She desperately racked her brain for something that resembled a comeback.

”… Don’t act like you’re any different…! I see the way you look at Basil sometimes…”

Kel’s eyes widened as he averted her gaze. “… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Aubrey laughed loudly, clearly satisfied with her admittedly mediocre retort. “… Whatever, dude…”

Sunny turned to face his visitor: Bruce Wayne.

Bruce simply smirked for a moment before beginning to speak softly.

”You know… nobody else has been able to hear me coming…” He said, clearly impressed.

He stood next to Sunny for several moments before one of the two opened their mouths.

”I…” Sunny began. “… Sorry I lost your glider…”

Bruce waved his hand. “… I can make a dozen more just like it. It’s no big deal…”

The two sat in silence again for a few minutes.

”… You know…” Bruce started. “… I know what it feels like.”

Sunny turned his head slightly, but still remained silent.

”… Even if things are ‘fixed…’ that guilt, it’s still there… I don’t think it ever does away…”

Sunny finally spoke a few seconds later. “I just can’t help but feel… that I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve… for things to be good again.”

Bruce nodded slowly. “That pain… it tries to isolate you. To make you push those around you away…”

He paused for a moment.

”… But despite what you may feel, you’ve earned the right to be happy. And the people around you… they care about you. They want you to be happy, to not be alone… it might not feel like it right now, but you do deserve this.”

The two resumed their silence before Sunny chuckled softly. “… You’re weirdly good at heartfelt speeches.”

Bruce couldn’t help but chuckle in turn. “… well… having a lot of kids gave me a lot of practice.”

He gestured towards the camp. “… C’mon. That pink-haired girl you like is looking for you.”

Sunny fought back the redness trying to make its way to his face as he stood and slowly trudged over to the camp alongside Bruce.

Chapter Text

They stared at one another for what felt like ages.

Mari tilted her head slightly, seemingly trying to recall where she’d seen those crystal blue eyes before.

Basil’s breath hitched.

”M-Mari…” He started, trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to without her beating him to death. “Y-you don’t remember me, but…”

Mari shook her head. “I know you’re important to me, though,” She smiled, and Basil felt something cold in his chest.

He sighed.

”… I’m Basil… w-we were friends…”

She sat there for a moment, a thoughtful expression on her face. “… Basil… that sounds right.” Her smile returned.

Basil felt the dam break.

Tears began flowing as he worked to choke out each word.

”I-I’m so s-sorryyy…”

She inched over to him, pulling him into a hug. “Hey, hey… what’s wrong…?”

He was sobbing uncontrollably now. “I-I… I did something t-terrible…”

She ran her fingers through his soft hair. “It’s okay… just… take a deep breath…”

He continued his sobbing. “Y-you… you and Sunny… got in a f-fight… t-there was an accident, and… I just d-didn’t want him to get in trouble…”

She held him close as his sobs slowly died down. “… I don’t know what happened. But…” She paused, rubbing his back. “… I’m not mad. You just… you wanted to protect my brother…” She paused as he trembled for a second, seemingly anticipating another full-on breakdown.

When it didn’t come, she continued. “… And besides…” She started, “… I’m here now, aren’t I…?”

Basil nodded.

Aubrey walked up to them, noticing Basil’s distraught state. 

“… Is he okay…?”

Mari looked up at her, nodding. “… He will be.”

After a moment, Mari spoke again. “… Sorry, I don’t remember your name…?”

Aubrey sat down. “I’m Aubrey. I’m…” She paused. “… We were close.”

Mari nodded understandingly. “… So, Sunny got our childhood friend group together to save me?” She giggled.

Aubrey let out a soft chuckle in response before looking around. “… Actually, where is Sunny…? He kinda disappeared…”

”He’s probably having a nice long chat with Bruce Wayne right now,” A voice from behind her interjected, startling her.

A man in some sort of red-and-gold armor walked up to the bonfire, sitting on a log. “… Who?” Aubrey inquired.

The armored man sighed. “Just the most irritating billionaire hero I’ve ever met,” He mused.

After a moment he looked at her. “Sorry, we haven’t been introduced,” He started. “I’m Tony. I make, give or take, half of the stuff the team uses. Including that umbrella you have there.”

Aubrey nodded, already being able to tell that this guy has a comparable ego to THE MAVERICK Mikhael.

Probably best to avoid any kind of conversation with him.

Chapter Text

Aubrey couldn’t help but collapse onto the cot within the tent. After the last twenty-four hours, it felt like a five-star hotel mattress. She felt an exhaustion she hadn’t even noticed before melt away, slipping into unconsciousness nearly immediately.

Sunny, on the other hand, found it rather difficult to do the same. After all of the time he’d wasted on dreams, and now finally having Mari back, it felt… wrong, trying to sleep after everything.

It also didn’t help that his own cot was right next to Aubrey’s. Her gentle breathing, while relaxing to listen to, also served to remind him of how close they were.

Kel tiptoed into the tent a few minutes later, seemingly having returned Mjölnir to its original resting place within the camp. His eyes were drawn to Sunny turning over to look at him.

”Dude,” Kel whispered, rather uncharacteristically of him, “I didn’t expect you to, uh, not be asleep…”

Sunny couldn’t help but think back to the last time the friend group had a sleepover together, feeling a phantom ache in his eye socket. 

“Yeah, I learned my lesson… never gonna be the first one asleep again…”

Kel let out a small giggle before turning his attention to the cots… four of them, to be exact: two larger with one occupied by Hero and Mari, and two smaller, occupied by Aubrey and Sunny.

”… Why don’t I get my own—?” Kel started, before realizing who was in the remaining large cot: Basil, looking even smaller than usual curled up on the frame.

”You’re welcome.” Sunny muttered, with a slight smugness that anyone other than his best friend wouldn’t have noticed.

Kel made a mental note to get him back for this, probably with Aubrey, before settling down onto the cot, his back turned to the blond boy.

”So,” Jones started, “What’s our heavy hitters looking like?”

Hope read down the list, her brow furrowing as she did. “Well, we have The Avengers, the Kryptonian… two Viltrumites, Travis, Ariana…”

Jones pulled up a holographic image of the island’s lake. The water level had been dropping exponentially over the past three weeks. It was clear Doom’s plan involved something there.

”… Don’t forget yourself.”

Hope felt her pulse quicken. “Jones… I-I don’t know if I… if something goes wrong because I screwed up, the consequences could be massive…”

”You know what else is massive?” A voice came from outside the tent.

”Tyler…” Jones said. “… please shut the hell up.”

Chapter Text

Sunny’s eyes opened as he shot up, startled by something he couldn’t quite remember. The blinding white room around him seemed to expand out indefinitely, although he knew he couldn’t wander too far from where he sat.

The room was exactly how he remembered it: the laptop, Mewo, the door… he’d thought this place was gone after he revealed the truth.

How is it still here?

How is it still here?

He sensed the presence behind him, even if it was silent and unmoving.

”Omori.”

He turned to face the monochrome child, the two staring at each other in complete silence. Sunny waited for his other half to do something, to lash out at him…

But the attack never came.

”… It’s been some time…”

Omori stepped forward, his every action gentle and measured.

”… we have something we need to discuss.”

Sunny nodded.

Omori continued. “… I want to start by giving you an apolo—“

Sunny cut him off. “You don’t… that’s not necessary. You were just doing what you were made to do… I don’t hold that against you.”

Omori tilted his head slightly, ever the stoic. “… very well then…”

Sunny looked around a bit. “… So… the WhiteSpace is still here?”

Omori nodded. “I decided I would keep it… to occupy it for the time being.”

He paused. “… I’m proud of you, you know.”

Sunny wasn’t expecting that.

”… you outgrew me, faced the truth on your own. Not only that, but you managed the impossible… you brought her back to us… to everyone.”

Despite the lack of evidence in his expression, Sunny could tell Omori was genuine. He stepped forward, the pair now right next to one another.

”… we don’t have much more time, but there’s one last thing…”

Omori held out his hand, presenting a strange object Sunny didn’t recognize. It resembled a computer chip, although big enough to take up his entire hand. There was a strange symbol on it: it resembled a power icon, but with an arrow in it.

”What is this…?”

Omori held it forth as Sunny took it. “Something you’ll need when the time comes. I would explain more, but our time is up…”

As Sunny studied the object, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach.

You could’ve warned me, you little prick…

Sunny slowly opened his eyes, feeling the cot underneath him. Through the screen of the tent, he could see a sliver of sunlight shining over the horizon.

He sat up, looking around at the other cots. Aubrey’s was already empty, which surprised him, but he figured she must’ve woken up earlier than he had.

Mari and Hero had left, too, their voices audible outside the tent. As much as he would’ve loved to listen in, they deserved their privacy, at least for a little bit…

Looking at Kel and Basil’s cot, he wished he’d had a camera on him. Basil was spooned up against Kel’s back, his face against the much larger boy’s shirt as a small puddle of saliva pooled on the cot.

They were so getting teased for this…

He noticed a sensation in his hand, looking down to see the strange chip that Omori had given him.

Wait.

How in the fuck—?

Chapter Text

ONE HOUR EARLIER

Aubrey’s eyes fluttered open to the tent canvas over her head. Upon looking around, she noticed everyone else still asleep on their cots: Hero and Mari, Kel and Basil, Sunny…

Sunny…

She stared at him for a moment. It was almost ethereal how peaceful he looked; his slow, gentle breaths, the gentle expression on his face…

The slight part of his lips…

Aubrey wanted to smack herself for that thought. She was getting too wrapped up in the small details, she should probably just look away…

All of a sudden, she was back on that swing set again in her mind. Five years before.

She’d long been meaning to tell him. Tell him everything. About how she felt.

Between her parents, and the recital… they hadn’t been having a lot of time just to themselves.

She had wanted to tell him after the recital.

Funny how things turn out.

She stood up from the cot, just carefully enough to avoid waking anyone else up. She just needed some air.

She stepped out into the open, glancing around at the rest of the campsite.

It was quiet.

A single sliver of sunlight was just barely visible on the horizon.

As Aubrey wandered over the campsite, she found her mind drifting again.

Since Mari’s death, she had buried those feelings as deep as she could. She couldn’t let herself feel like that, not if it hurt so much…

But since she started reconnecting with the others… since Mari came back…

It was like those feelings had come back even stronger than before.

The sound of the waves crashing against the shore mixed with the scent of the ocean only served to bring back more memories, memories of a childhood she was torn between despising and desperately longing for…

She sighed to herself.

God, I’m hopeless, aren’t I…?

Chapter Text

Sunny took a deep breath of the steamy air, the warmth of the water cascading over him.

Magneto had been kind enough to set up the plumbing for this before heading back to… god knows where, to be honest. Sunny hadn’t learned much about him before he left.

He lathered soap across his slender and bruised body, each movement aching a little more than he would’ve liked.

There was a bit of dirt and blood built up beneath his fingernails, and, no matter how much he scraped and gnawed at them, it just wouldn’t come out.

It didn’t deserve to come out.

Sunny pushed that thought back, into the deep black pit in the back of his mind. He’d deal with it later.

Turning off the water, Sunny stepped onto the cool concrete floor, quickly drying off with a ratty towel. He slipped some rather plain, ill-fitting clothing on, complete with a utility belt and tactical vest from Bruce. The gear didn’t fit him well, due to Bruce being built like a brick house, but it was substantially more protective than what he’d been wearing.

Sunny held his breath.

One last mission.