Chapter Text
Basil awoke with the sunrise.
The pale green walls of his room reflected onto him the golden sunlight drifting through his open window. He had forgotten to shut it.
He turned his head to the left, and just like always, his dusty camera stared back at him, his drowsy expression mirrored in the lens.
With a deep breath, he sat up, his blanket rolling off of him and settling against his stomach in lazy folds.
He stared at the foot of his bed for a moment, his fuzzy mind still half engrossed in a dream he was having only moments earlier.
It was about Sunny.
Recently his dreams had been about him, but instead of lucid nightmares, now they were peaceful, dreams about the memories they'd shared when they were younger.
He no longer felt haunted by the guilt that he had borne alone for so long, or thought he had borne alone.
The memories made him sad sometimes, but it was just like going through an old photo album; you eventually reach the page where there are no more photos, only blank slots, waiting to be filled with new memories.
Basil's eyes focused, and he inhaled again, deciding that it was time to get ready for the day.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed, pausing in slight surprise as paper crunched under his foot.
He frowned a little in confusion, leaning over to pick it up. It was a letter, sent from Sunny's new address.
"Huh."
He hummed distantly, studying his printed name on the front of the envelope.
They'd been sending letters back and forth for a month or two, after Sunny and his mom were settled into their new life.
They could've used the phone, but Sunny's mom hadn't even gotten one yet, having left the old one behind at a garage sale.
Basil preferred writing letters anyway - it reminded him of the way he and Sunny used to pass notes and doodles in class at school.
The thought echoed in Basil's mind, which was quiet in the morning's fragile silence.
He peeled open the crinkled envelope, rereading the letter that he'd read the night before, but momentarily forgotten.
Basil skimmed through most of it, although it wasn't much to begin with. Sunny didn't write much more than he spoke.
In Sunny's careful handwriting at the bottom, it said:
"I'm coming tomorrow. See you soon."
Basil stared at the words for a moment, a small rush of joy flowing through his body at the reminder of Sunny's return.
Sunny had moved away about 11 months ago, and Basil was just as excited as he was nervous about him finally visiting.
In a sudden inspiration, Basil jumped off his bed, moving over to his closet and throwing on some fresh, clean clothes.
Still clutching the letter, he hurried out his room and towards the front door, pausing only at the kitchen when he found his caretaker Polly there, already up and cooking breakfast.
Hearing his quick footsteps padding down the hallway, she turned, smiling warmly at him, one hand wrapped around a sizzling pan.
"Good morning, Basil! You seem excited for breakfast," she said, before flipping the pancake on the pan in a smooth, practiced motion.
Basil smiled back a little, feeling a bit ashamed that he'd forgotten about her in his moment of determination.
"Yeah... pancakes are my favorite," he told her, standing awkwardly on the wooden floor between the living room rug and the kitchen tiles. He noticed Aubrey sitting at the dinner table. She looked up with a tired expression, nodding in acknowledgement at Basil.
Basil nodded back, giving her a small smile. Aubrey had moved in with them a couple months earlier, finally finding proper love and attention under Polly's care. She had taken Basil's grandma's old room, and had already somewhat transformed it into her own.
Polly grins at Basil's words. "It's a good thing I made 'em, then!" She noticed his hesitance and motioned to the table. "Why don't you have a seat? Pancakes'll be ready in a jiff."
Basil nodded, shuffling over to the dinner table and taking a seat across from Aubrey.
His mind was still on the fact of Sunny's return, and he glanced down at the paper in his hand, now slightly crumpled from where his fist had tightened around it absentmindedly.
He then thought about his other friends, contemplating how they'd respond to seeing Sunny again after... well, after everything.
They know the truth. It's been almost a year... hopefully they've worked it out by now.
After Sunny had admitted to causing Mari's death at the hospital, Aubrey, Kel, and Hero had all reacted in different ways.
They all had taken their space, of course, as they processed the news, and when Basil had been discharged from the hospital a couple days after Sunny left, they had all returned to school.
Basil now sat with Aubrey and the Hooligans at lunch, upon Aubrey's request, along with Kel and some of his basketball friends if they found a big enough table. But they usually never talked directly to each other, the added weight of the revealed secret making the atmosphere tense when they were together.
At least it wasn't silent, though, thanks to Kel and his equally overenthusiastic friends. The other Hooligans' competitive personalities made each interaction between the groups entertaining. And it was getting better too, the unspoken tension lessening with each week that passed by.
Slowly, but surely, they were healing. Each in their own ways. Just like they had always been.
Hero still had college and stuff, but he took flexible online courses now so that he could work from home.
Outside of school, the four of them met up at the park to hang out occasionally - Hero always bringing a picnic blanket and a basket full of homemade goods to keep Mari's tradition alive.
Even if "hanging out" consisted of everyone doing their own thing with their own cliques within the perimeter of the park's expanse, it was still progress.
Yesterday, Hero was even able to coax everyone onto the same picnic blanket with Mari's special chocolate chip cookie recipe.
All that progress of which could either be increased or completely destroyed by Sunny's coming presence.
They'd managed to patch up old wounds together before, so why couldn't they do it again?
This is gonna be okay.
Basil felt a familiar anxiety looming underneath the surface of his thoughts, and he subconsciously crumpled the letter further, before being interrupted by Polly's cheerful voice.
"Pancakes are done!" She sang, placing them gingerly atop the table, along with two plates, knives, and forks. Basil was glad to see her so happy. She had always cooked too much food for just the two of them, especially after his Grandma had passed, and Aubrey's appetite was more than enough to suffice for the surplus meals.
"Thanks, Polly," Basil said, already feeling his stomach rumbling quietly at the smell of warm food, his earlier discomfort forgotten.
"Thanks," Aubrey echoed, whose gaze shifted from Basil to the tall stack with a hungry look.
"Of course! Now dig in, there's plenty to go around."
They ate in comfortable silence until Basil was finished, excusing himself and putting his plate in the sink before slipping on his shoes.
"Going somewhere?" Polly inquired from the table, dabbing her mouth with a napkin. Aubrey looked up from her plate in hushed curiosity. It was an innocent question, but Basil could sense the careful concern behind Polly's words. He'd gotten used to her protectiveness a long time ago, however, so he just chirped an excuse like always.
"I'm heading to the park to check out some flowers," he said, standing and offering a light, empty smile as he hovered by the door.
She seemed a little skeptical, but after a long pause, Polly complied. "Okay, just don't be too long. And come back in time for lunch, alright?" She said it with a resigned tone, not wanting to sound controlling in any way. Basil appreciated her considerate reply, and smiled genuinely, nodding quickly and opening the front door.
"Alright, see you later."
"See you later, Basil."
Basil walked along the sidewalk to the park with a rare spring in his step. He paused a few times to note the plants growing along the path, but never too long to keep him.
Once he got to the park, he hunted down the usual picnic spot, waiting there for a silent second before entering the surrounding woods.
He took a shady, secret path - a shortcut to a clearing that he had discovered on his own while exploring the forest one day. When he came to the clearing, he paused, just to make sure right away that they were still there.
He hadn't lied about the flowers - a small cluster of beautiful, yellow sunflowers stood in the center of the clearing, evenly spaced out to allow them proper sunlight.
Not that they needed the help - they could turn towards the sun on their own just fine, but Basil liked to believe that he was doing them a favor. It made him feel helpful.
He crouched in front of them, inspecting their health. They seemed to be in mint condition, just as they had been since he moved them here a week ago.
They'd grown a considerable amount, and still were, which might have been due to the fact that they were actually outside instead of cramped up in an indoor pot.
Whatever the reason, Basil was glad to see them doing well. He didn't like to choose favorites when it came to his plants - on account of his silly guilt at doing so - but he was sure that if he did have some sort of list, these would be at the top.
After checking on the sunflowers, he walked back to the park, where he was delightfully surprised to find Hero, setting up a morning picnic.
"Hi, Hero," he spoke, rustling the bushes as he stepped out of them to avoid spooking him.
Hero turned with a smile. "Good morning, Basil. Were you checking on those sunflowers?" He asked casually, straightening a little.
Basil nodded with a bashful expression. Hero was the only one who knew about the tiny garden in the woods - he was always more observant than the others. Which must've also been how he was able to catch the antsy gleam in Basil's eye.
"You look happy about something," he observed, tilting his head to the side as he dropped the last corner of the picnic blanket onto the grass.
Basil chuckled nervously upon instinct. "Is it that obvious?"
Hero chuckles as well, shrugging. "Probably not. I'm just good with that sort of thing," he winks, his natural charisma evident in the small action. "So, you feel like explaining the reason?"
The corners of Basil's lips lifted a little higher.
"Uh... yeah. It's 'cause Sunny's visiting today," he said softly.
Hero paused, surprise written on his face as he considered the new information. "Oh. Well. That's nice. Haven't seen him in... a while."
"11 months," Basil agreed, before wondering if it was weird to count them.
"Sunny's coming back?" Kel suddenly exclaimed from behind Basil. He jumped, whipping around to face him. Kel rubbed his neck, grinning apologetically. "Oh - uh, sorry, Basil."
"It's fine," Basil said quietly, offering a polite smile.
Kel turned to Hero. "Seriously, though - Sunny's really coming back?"
Hero shook his head. "Not coming back, just visiting."
Kel looked mildly disappointed, but he still pumped his fists in the air. "YES! I have sooo many new tricks I need to show him!" He dribbled an imaginary basketball, shooting at an invisible hoop in the distance.
Aubrey approached as well, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. At least she didn't scare Basil like Kel did on accident.
"Sunny's... visiting?" She asked emotionlessly, her expression interested, if guarded.
Hero looked a little surprised at her presence as well. "Uh... yes. He is. I had no idea."
A thick silence followed, everyone sharing a quick glance before focusing on something else around them. Basil fidgeted with the hem of his vest, wanting to break the tension without knowing how.
Hero, ever living up to his name, asked tentatively: "Do you know when he'll be here?"
Basil looked up, thinking for a moment. "Um... no, I just know he'll be here sometime to..." he trailed off as a familiar car drove by the park, glinting in the sunlight before disappearing from view.
The others followed his gaze, catching a glimpse of the back of the car before it vanished. There was a pause as everyone shared another glance, before Kel started off first, running after it.
Aubrey caught on and quickly did the same, then Hero, and then Basil.
It's him. It's him. It's him.
Basil repeated in his head, his heart thumping in his ears as he struggled to keep up with the others.
They finally stopped just before Kel and Hero's driveway, where they watched the car park.
Everyone stared, waiting for someone to step out of the back seat.
Waiting.
Waiting.
His mom got out first, carrying a paper bag of groceries. Despite the burning in his lungs, Basil held his breath, not daring to move before his friends did.
Then the car door opened, and he stepped out.
Basil heard his friends let out breaths of their own, but he didn't tear his gaze away from the one person he was so excited and so nervous to see this morning, whose arrival he awaited with happy anticipation. The one person who was back after all these months, after all the events - and who was certain to bring about more.
Sunny turned, his pale fingers hooked around two more grocery bags; his right eye wearing a dark blue eye patch with a small, golden sun emblem.
And just like that, before anyone else's, their eyes met.