Chapter Text
Brie’s house was the designated hangout spot, especially on Sundays.
It was conveniently located so everyone could easily walk to and from, something greatly relieving during summertime. The trees evenly lined up beside the sidewalk offering a canopy of shade for most of the trip were a bonus. Not to mention the gentle rustling of the branches providing a relaxing sound along the way.
The foliage was a lot better on her side of town for some reason. Sony once commented on how fitting it was that she lived there specifically, Sparten theorized that it was so well-maintained of because of her family.
Her friends would pile in one by one, some without even knocking, others would be more polite and ring the bell. Luckily, her parents were quite delighted about the whole ordeal. As long as their little girl had a steady social life they couldn’t be more pleased.
The routine was simple. It went without saying, and none of the children dared to disrupt routine in any way.
The first two to arrive were usually Sony and Weegee, the former bursting in and announcing his presence and the latter trailing behind to pretend he isn’t associated.
Ozo had the decency to ring the doorbell, so Brie would usually send Sony off to go fetch him. He happily obliged every single time, trudging back towards the entryway.
Brandon followed in sometime after. He would knock on the door, burdened by the summer heat, hoping someone would come to free him from the torment quickly.
His best friend became accustomed to this and began waiting up for him, sitting on the wooden foyer bench until he heard the familiar knocking. Ozo would kick his heels back and forth, sway, but never get frustrated and run back to the others until Brandon arrived.
Last to arrive was Sparten, who ironically enough, was punctual when it came to most everything else. His family was well acquainted with Brie’s, enough to give him the will to knock and then swing the door open and casually announce his presence as if he was family.
Brie’s parents knew that most of the children hadn’t had breakfast before coming over for one reason or another, so they happily poured leftover money into thoroughly stocking their pantry just in case. Something everyone was equally grateful for.
Their house always smelled of cinnamon with a hint of citrus, the floorboards were sleek and never particularly loud with each and every step. They were clearly big on plants, evidenced by the amount that occupied every surface, all flourishing and kept in lovely vases. Each and every plant was well taken care of.
Everything that entered their house was loved without question.
Sunlight filtered through the windows beautifully. It felt like the whole world revolved around their little friend group, just them and their weekend ritual. Sparten made a comment about how Brie should consider closing the curtains due to how bright it was.
Brandon looked up at the aggregation of family photos while lost in thought for a moment, all in frames of different shapes and sizes. Some were the standard rectangular, cheap frames. Others were more favored. Bright smiles all around. Each member belonged, he noted. Nothing looked eerily out of place.
The boy heard the familiar voice of Brie’s mother echoing throughout the house pulled the boy out of his ennui. “Shoes off at the door!”
Sony huffed, guiltily walking back to the entryway and kicking off his sneakers. “Brie, I think your mom’s a psychic.”
“Yep! That’s who I got it from.” The girl in question called back, putting a hand on her chin and giggling.
Once everyone was sat contentedly in the living room with their breakfast of choice, Brie excitedly reached for the remote, flicking through channels with her tongue stuck out in concentration until she reached their usual broadcast. Sunday cartoons!
“There we go!” She beamed, leaning back on the sofa.
Cartoon Network was an unspoken favorite. Brandon seemed especially invested, sitting on the edge of the white L-shaped sectional sofa with his head resting in his hands. Ozo sat closest to him, occasionally lightly gripping his arm and pointing at the TV screen when he got too invested in the show.
Sony was rubbing off on him.
Speaking of, Sony perched atop the plush backrest, cradling one of the pillows against his chest. Rocking back and forth slightly, he quickly became comfortable in his position.
Weegee sat on the floor and occasionally commented on what was on at the time while holding his bowl of cereal. Things very much not limited to, ‘that wouldn’t happen.’ ‘that guy’s the coolest.’
The list went on with him. As it usually did, everyone picked up on the fact that he functioned better when talking idly.
Sparten and Brie would sit normally, both equally invested in what the group was watching. The oldest boy having a swiss roll in hand, Brie having already eaten just before everyone arrived.
Eventually, Sony piped up. “Man, I don’t wanna go back to school.”
The mood shifted immediately upon the complaint, with Brie simply frowning and Sparten audibly groaning. That’s right, the latter had the more difficult classes on account of being the oldest and most academically advanced.
Brandon turned his head with a mix of confusion and curiosity. His brow furrowed. Public school was that bad? “I’m lucky I don’t have to go then,” He chuckled, quickly tacking on “‘cause I do that at home! My parents do all the teaching stuff.”
This prompted Ozo to think out loud. “It’s gotta be cool to be able to do all your work at home…most of the kids at our school suck.”
Which was true. A lot of them were generally unpleasant to be around, which meant that the group mainly stuck together during the school year despite being at varying grade levels. They made it work via brute force.
“I’d kill to be able to do all my work at home.” Sony whined dramatically, loosening his grip on the pillow. Brie hummed in agreement as she glanced up at him.
Weegee quickly interjected, pointing an accusatory finger at the boy perched on the backrest. “You’d just slack off and play video games all day.”
The other kids, Sony included, nodded in agreement. They all knew his habits well enough to ascertain that he wouldn’t truly learn anything or get any work done. Not that any could blame them as they’d most likely do the same in that position.
Chatter quickly picked back up into something else and the topic of school felt oh so far, which they were all thoroughly relieved about. Sometime throughout Sony tapped on Brie’s shoulder and made grabby hands at his orange juice, a gesture she sighed with faux exasperation at yet complied with regardless.
He gave her a quick thanks and chugged what remained, wiping the juice off of his lips with the back of his hand. Complaining about his lips feeling sticky was a reoccurring thing with him. Brandon laughed along, telling him that he didn’t really like that sensation either.
Sparten stifled a giggle as well, turning his attention back to the television. It was an episode he’d mentioned watching before, but he definitely didn’t mind going through it again. Something about it was comforting to him. While lost in thought, he pulled his legs up to his chest, hugging his knees with a relaxed smile.
Brandon glanced at each of his friends, taking in their soft expressions. Committing them to memory. The way Sony would occasionally shove his socks in Sparten’s face when he was excited due to his lack of spatial awareness, causing Sparten to glare up at the other boy. Weegee’s near permanent neutral expression as he witnessed the spectacle. Brandon knew each emotion was happening internally. Just like he knew that Ozo enjoyed everything significantly more when he was around.
Maybe he liked knowing that more than he could express. He liked knowing his friends and their habits, things they enjoy, their dreams…
The thought made him beam.
Everyone found mutual comfort in moments like these. They all gathered around, united by simple joys. Basking in them together only served to make it more enjoyable.
If nothing else, they all shared one thing in common. They all hoped they’d remember these afternoons spent together forever. That it’d stretch into their adulthood and their lives would blend like pretty watercolors.
That sounded nice.