Chapter Text
a loud repeated series of knocks resonated against the carved door.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
“Sunnyyy!! Are you there??”
three months ago, the unthinkable happened, as the two siblings were about to perform for the first time in front of everyone, as all the eyes were about to lay on them, listen to their duet, Mari-”
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
“Sunnyyy!! It’s me, Kel! I’m worried about you!”
the muffled, worried voice resonated through the house, meanwhile, a little boy, inside of his bedroom, snapped out of his reverie.
He looked around, his eyes focusing on… nothing really, just enough to make out the shapes of the few pieces of furniture laying around his room, it felt weird, like one side of the room was… empty.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
“Sunny pleeease!!”
Sunny’s face slowly drifted toward his bedroom’s door, he was used to it after all, as if almost everyday, his loyal friend would pound against the door, with his fist, his voice hoarse from calling out his best friend’s name so many times
Sunny stared at the door absentmindedly. No, he didn’t feel like walking outside, facing his friends again, what would he say to them? The truth? No, never… He’d rather stay locked in his own house for 4 years straight than face his friends again.
~☆~
on the other side of the door stood the brown haired boy, his hair disheveled from his earlier basket-ball practice
as he was about to bang at the door again, a soft yet judgemental voice called out at her.
“What are you doing, Kel?”
The athletic-looking boy jumped slightly, he turned back and saw a pink haired girl glaring right back at him, a stare that seemed far too familiar, yet he wasn’t sure if she was-
“Aubrey?”
He blurted out, didn’t even think twice, not really sure how he recognized his old friend despite the hairstyle change.
“Yes, dumbass, It’s me, but that’s not the poi-”
“You dyed your hair pink?! He shouted out of pure shock.
“Yes, yes I did, so what? Now are you gonna tell me why the hell are you using Sunny’s front door as a makeshift drum?
“I- Well I want to see my friend again of course, what’s with the stupid question, don’t you care about him anymore?!”
The orange clothed boy’s voice resonated through her head, her, not caring about Sunny? That was unthinkable! She tried to blurt out an answer, an insult, a remark, anything, yet words wouldn’t come out of her mouth, it felt… off.
“It’s like- We haven’t talked since Mari’s funeral, you withdrew yourself away and so did everybody! I haven’t seen Basil ever since except to run errands and he would avoid my look anyway, you turned into…” he vaguely gestured with his hands toward her “...this, and you started hanging out with some random punks and you even bully Basil now?! And gosh… Don’t even get me started on Hero…” he added, his eyes dropping down to his sneakers.
“I-”
“No! That’s wrong, that’s so wrong!” he interrupted her mid-sentence, eyes flying back up toward her.
“Let me speak out goddammit!!” Aubrey’s voice echoed throughout the neighborhood, Kel flinched again, staring at her.
After a few seconds of silence and slight hesitation from her pink-haired girl, she finally started to speak.
“I was the one backing off? Oh Kel, you think you know everything? And I- Ugh! Nevermind that, just tell me why you camp right in front of his house everyday.”
“Aubrey, I already told you, I-”
“Just kick the motherfucking door down!”
Kel stood still, surprised, not by her direct, straightforward nature, no, he sure was used to that, and that’s a part of her that hadn’t changed one bit, but the idea of kicking down the door… He never thought of it, even if he did, he probably wouldn’t have done it in the first place.
“Aubrey, wait, you can’t just-”
SMASH
The loud thud of Aubrey’s kick against the door resonated in a heavy way, the door forced open, way too easily, the sunlight invading the entrance like an uninvited guest.
“Jeez, is his house made out of cardboard?” Aubrey mumbled to herself
The two friends slowly made their way inside the house, Sunny’s mom wasn’t there, weird, she must work late now.
Kel and Aubrey looked around, the house hadn’t moved one bit, everything was right where it had always been, except for the curtains drawn mid-day, adding to the gloomy atmosphere of the living room.
“Holy shit, It’s like the place froze in time…”
“Yeah, but wow man It’s dark, is that Sunny’s house or an hikkikomori’s?” Kel asked jokingly, before his eyes were drawn toward the stairway, strange. It's not like anything nor anyone was there, but he felt like something happened there…
“Anyways, we both came for our friend, now, didn’t we?” Aubrey asked, breaking the heavy silence.
Kel snapped out of his thoughts shaking them away, probably was the emotional shock of coming back here, after everything that happened. “Uh? Oh yeah, right.”
The air felt stuffy, yet the house was surprisingly clean, probably Sunny's mom, Aubrey thought to herself.
As they walked upstairs, a stairway they had walked up and down hundreds of times during their childhood
“Hey, did you really knock at his door every day? For three whole months? I mean you never even saw her mom?” Aubrey asked, the question hanging as heavily as the house’s atmosphere.
“Sure I did, a few times, she told me she had tried to bring Sunny outside…”
“Oh so you never asked her : “Excuse me ma’am, could I enter the house and go see him, please?”” Aubrey asked in an almost sarcastic way, mimicking Kel’s voice
“I… Well did you even knock at his door? Called at his house? Once? Just once??” Kel asked back
Aubrey stared at the ground in front of Sunny’s bedroom, she didn’t know what to say, he might be right, she did not really try to reconnect with Sunny, nor get a hold of him after what happened, not that she didn’t care at all, she did, and she still does, very much, way too much.
Everything felt complicated, but what mattered right now was the boy behind this very door
knock knock knock
A gentle, soft knock echoed through the door, much softer than the one downstairs.
From the moment the front door busted open, Sunny hid under his covers, he was scared. So scared of looking at them in the eyes after what happened, so scared of looking at them in the eyes after what he did.
knock knock knock
“Sunny… Can we come in?”
No answer.
Aubrey shook her head and sighed, she couldn’t take no for an answer, not when she was this deadly worried about her best friend, sure she didn’t show it, but she knew.
The doorknob twisted in slow motion, the carved wooden panel being the only thing separating the three of them from reuniting.
“...”
“Sunny?”
~☆~
Small black orbs stared back at them, Sunny still hiding under the covers, his head peeking out. This look, they were normally used to it, but that time, it carried something else, a… heavier feeling hidden?
In a matter of seconds, Sunny felt something warm enveloping his slender frame, the warmth slipping through the covers… it was… Aubrey?
The raven haired boy was taken aback by the sudden hug, he wasn’t used to it, not after months of loneliness; the fact that anyone would comfort him after hiding away from everyone was surreal.
Kel slowly walked up to him. “Sunny… Are you okay?”
Sunny looked up at the orange-clothed boy, his body still enveloped in the girl’s embrace
The boy answered by flashing his bright signature grin, though he wasn’t as excited as he made it seem.
“God… Sunny… you…” Aubrey pulled back from what felt like an everlasting hug, the sudden retreat made Sunny feel strangely empty. She was staring at him in disbelief, taking all of his features in, he hadn’t changed much, sure, but he looked exhausted, skinnier and even paler.
What would’ve happened if she didn’t break into that house?
What would’ve happened to him?
Aubrey shoved those thoughts away, what mattered was that her best friend was here, safe and sound.
“Sunny… You should’ve talked… Why didn’t you?”
This felt off, yet logical in a way. Sunny never was the one talking, all those afternoons he and Aubrey spent on the swings, Aubrey rambling on and on about her day-to-day life, her family problems… Sunny listened to every last one of her words… But he never talked much himself.
Sunny wanted to talk, honestly, he was this close to spilling the truth, what he and Basil had done, slowly, as he was trying to form a sentence, not a sentence, even just a word – the pale little boy looked up, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.
“Aubrey…”