Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Basil glared up at the haughty girl with short pink hair who had her hands planted on the dirty cafeteria table before him.

“...I don’t understand what you’re trying to get out of this.”

The girl with the turquoise bow and yellow hoodie, a real winner of a color combination, screwed her face up, looking amused and confused simultaneously.

“Get out of this? I’m not a shitty salesperson. I just… I heard you were good with flowers, and I was wondering if you wanted to help me and my friends out with something.”

Basil’s ears glowed red at the tips. “Wha- w-who told you that?!”

The girl finally removed her firm grip from the grimy tabletop. She held her hands up halfheartedly in a defensive position. “No one told me anything! I don’t really hang out with anyone here either.”

“'Either?' Oh, gee, thanks.”

“Just being honest.”

“Well…” Basil shifted his eyes back and forth warily. The table he sat at remained, of course, very empty. “How’d you find out I liked…. flowers… then…?” His voice lowered to a murmur as he tried to remain discreet.

The girl shuffled about awkwardly a bit, then reached into the right pocket of her jean skirt, fumbling with a folded piece of paper. “I… this fell out of your bag in the hallway…” she extended a hand to give it back, and Basil fiercely snatched it from her grasp. Sure enough, it was his own loopy, messy cursive. The paper was one he had been looking for about a week ago, upturning things in his rooms to find it. It was a homemade recipe for organic fertilizer that was to be used for a stubborn batch of plants he had been working on- some delicate orchids. There was another subsection further down the sheet with advice on how to handle the tulips he had been trying and failing to cultivate. The damn things kept rotting because of how wet and humid everything had been recently. It was getting on his last nerve, but he wouldn’t give up.

“You should have given it back to me sooner… instead of just holding onto it… that’s just weird…” Basil grumbled as he carefully folded the paper and slipped it into his shorts.

The girl’s cheeks puffed up indignantly. “I could have just thrown it away! No need to be such a sourpuss.”

Basil narrowed his eyes. “Oh, well soo-rry. I’m just trying to eat my lunch, not talk to anyone.”

The girl put her hands on her hips and softly ‘harumph-ed.’ “Well, even if you’re acting like a big jerk, you’re still the only one who could try to save what my friend messed up.”

Basil wasn’t exactly keen on doing cleanup for some stranger’s mess, but he had to admit that he was at least a little curious. “What’d your friend screw up with?”

The girl, still retaining her sassy pose, looked down at him with a sly eye. “Well… I’d love to tell you, but you don’t really seem to care about other people, so it’s not that big a deal…”

Basil groaned. “Ugh… fine! You’re not subtle. I’ll help out. Just… what is it?”

The girl grinned victoriously and continued. “Well, some friends and I have been trying to put together a little garden near our treehouse… and, well… to be honest, we’re kind of shit at it.”

Basil felt his lips upturn into a grimace that was supposed to be a smile. “Don’t tell me that I’m going to walk into some hellhole of a flower garden.”

“Mmm, kind of? I mean, I think mine and my friend, Hero’s, are the only ones that are looking ok. My other friend, Mari is…. Well, hers need some work, but they’re alright, I guess. Now my OTHER two friends…” she let out a sharp exhale of disapproval while shaking her head sadly.

“...Might as well uproot them, huh?”

“Yeah… pretty much. It’s… not pretty.”

Basil stood up and rolled up the sleeves of his brown denim chore coat, as if the weeds, wilted flowers, and soil were already before him. “So… when should I, er- head over there?”

“Uh… I didn’t really think that you’d actually agree, to be honest.” The pink-haired girl looked kind of sheepish. “I guess, sometime this evening after school?”

“...Fine.” Basil realized that he might have to show up later than expected, as he might have to pick up groceries for his grandmother, but he didn’t need to tell this random girl that.

They stood there for a little while, and the school bell signaling the end of lunch rang obnoxiously in the background. Feet shuffled and voices rose as the other freshmen gathered their things, some people rambunctiously throwing food around as they departed.

Basil coughed, waiting for the girl to do something.

She looked at him curiously. “You’re not going to ask for my name, or a phone number, or an address…?”

“Well, just tell me, then. I don’t have a cell or anything.”

The pink-haired girl sighed and shook her head. She patted around her bomber jacket, and triumphantly pulled a Sharpie from one of the pockets. She uncapped the top and pointed the marker towards Basil.

“What…?” He looked at her, confused.

“I’m gonna write the address on your arm, dumbass,” she giggled a bit as she waved the marker about. “You know, I thought you were just the violent, standoffish kid, which I get, but maybe you’re just an awkward asshole.” She sounded like she mumbled under her breath ‘you’re kind of like him, in that way,’ but she talked so lowly, Basil couldn’t hear her well. Basil awkwardly stuck an arm out, and the girl gripped his scuffed, white skin. When she finished, Basil lifted his arm to look over the letters and numbers scrawled messily onto his skin.

“I’m Aubrey, by the way.”

“...Basil.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ve heard of you.”

“Are you one of the gossip girls or something? What’s with you knowing about people?”

Aubrey scoffed incredulously. “Oh, I couldn’t be seen dead with any of them. They’d drive me crazy. If I hung out with them at lunch? Ha. Someone would end up getting hit before the period was over.”

Basil chuckled softly, much to his own surprise. “Can’t argue with that. So you really don’t hang out with people at school? I thought you said you had friends.”

“I do, but none of us have classes or lunch together, and I met them outside of school anyway.”

“Huh.”

“Well, see ya!” Aubrey propped a hand up in a friendly salute, before turning away, her bobbed pink hair swishing behind her. She stood out so much in the crowd; Basil was surprised he had never noticed her earlier. It was probably because his gaze was hardened upon the tile floor half the time. He could hardly think of a time when he didn’t keep his eyes locked to the ground. The only time he’d look elsewhere, it would be to give a steely, angry stare at someone in his way.

Ugh.

It was so abnormal for him to talk to someone already- now he was going to go help some girl with her friends’ garden outside of school? This was a bit of a leap for him. He felt his heart pound with the unfamiliarity of the situation before he was jostled off balance by someone bumping into him. His head snapped up to evaluate the person who abruptly shouldered into him, eyes smoldering. Sure enough, it was just some unnamed douchebag Basil had seen before, often giving himself and other people a hard time around school. Students walked briskly past them, parting around the fizzling pair, not paying any notice.

“Watch it,” Basil growled out.

The bulky guy turned around, and Basil got an unfortunate view of his ugly peach fuzz mustache as the kid turned around with a forced level of swagger. His hands were shoved in his pockets, and he sneered at Basil provocatively. This idiot was clearly looking for some sort of fight. Basil checked his surroundings. Most kids had cleared out of the lunchroom at that point, and tired old janitors were trudging in to clean up their messes. Soon, he was going to be alone, but at least the other guy was as well.

“I wasn’t doing anything,” the kid seemed to be sizing Basil up, clearly pleased with what he saw as he stood a head above him. “Stop being prissy; you’re acting like a girl.”

“I’m not prissy. Just get out of my space.”

“Your ‘space’?!” he mocked him. “God, you’re so sensitive. Fuck off.” He swiped his shoe out, lazily clipping Basil’s lower leg with his kick, testing the waters. Basil shoved him in return, jostling the taller boy a bit.

“No- you back off.”

The other guy shoved him back with more force; he was clearly the stronger of the two. “What’s your deal? Stop acting like you’re tough shit. Shrimp. Aren’t you the guy who sits alone all the time like a creep?” He seemed to take pleasure over how Basil was trembling angrily beneath him. He was clearly waiting for something to happen.

A janitor called out for them to leave from somewhere across the cafeteria, but Basil was already feeling a hot rage bubble up in his chest, causing him to tune out his surroundings. He was just so tired of people deliberately going out of their way to tick him off, and then waving stupid stuff like his physical stature in his face.

Basil jutted his closed fist upwards, his knuckles bared at the point in order to clip the kid’s stupid, smirking face. To Basil’s surprise, although he didn’t show it in anything other than quiet satisfaction, he was able to hit him right in the nose. A little bit of blood came out, and the kid stumbled back, holding his hand under his face. He must have been caught off guard by the quickness of the motion.

“You bitch-” he lunged forward, and Basil was ready to get knocked off of his feet, but the janitor swept in, and shouldered the angry, bleeding student off of his determined course. Their feet squeaked against the tile as the janitor attempted to placate the boy. Basil just watched them, unsure of what to do. Was he going to get in trouble? Even when he didn’t fight back, or stand his ground, that seemed to happen. He supposed he’d take the opportunity to slip back to class, albeit late. As the other guy jostled with the janitor, and Basil scampered off, he was treated to some insults being hurtled his way, most which he ignored. He’d heard them all before.

Other than that little scuffle, the rest of the day seemed to be uneventful. He trudged to and from blocks and classrooms, shuffling past other students with his head down. His backpack was slung over his shoulder, and he was starting to feel a little hot as the day went on. He only had a black tank underneath his jacket though, and couldn’t take it off without getting ‘dinged’ by the teachers for dress code violations. He couldn’t be sent home again for something so stupid- his grandmother would be upset. Basil retreated into his mind as he fell into the pattern of a monotonous day. English… History… just a couple more periods, then he’d finally be free to go home.

When he almost dozed off during a particularly uneventful Algebra class, Basil was startled awake when he noticed a black scrawl peeking out from underneath his sleeve. He kept his face mashed against his sleeve, and looked at the black numbers and letters with one bleary eye. Right, Aubrey. He forgot about her. Guess he wouldn’t just be heading home to work on his own garden. Not today, at least. Well, that was something a little out of the ordinary. But… it wasn’t a good out of the ordinary. The thought of going into that unknown territory with other people was frightening. The worms once again began to squirm in his stomach. In the midst of his anxiety, the teacher called out for someone to wake Basil up, and when no student volunteered directly to bring Basil to attention, a projectile in the form of a balled mass of paper hit him in the back of the head, causing Basil to snap up, glaring around at the classroom at a wall of poker faces.

“Who threw that?” He demanded, perturbed.

“No need to get huffy. You were the one dozing off and being disrespectful, Basil. Calm down.” The petite teacher called out from the front of the classroom. The projector light cast garish shadows on her face, making her look older than she actually was.

Basil turned back towards the teacher. “I wasn’t sleeping.”

“Oh? Well pardon me for not realizing, since your head was down,” the brown haired woman adjusted her glasses lazily as she sarcastically drawled. “It’s still rude to have your head down in class, and if you’re going to have an attitude, then you can go talk to the office about it.”

Basil scoffed and leaned down into his propped palm. He was always the rude one… and they were right to some extent, but these little provocations against him kept going unchecked. Should he just take it? He used to, and nothing got done except for Basil bottling up his feelings and exploding every once in a great while. All he wanted was for people to treat him fairly, and he’d do the same in return, but in a hellhole like the public school system, he supposed decency wasn’t a luxury to be expected. And maybe he really was just always making a bit deal out of nothing- but he couldn’t help it that every tiny act against him felt bigger than it was. He could never help what he felt, one way or another.

He remained deathly quiet for the remainder of class.

When the bell rang, announcing to all of the student body that the day had concluded, Basil pulled his backpack onto his shoulders after stuffing his notebooks inside, and decided to take the long way around past the gym in order to avoid the crowd. It had felt too stifling earlier. The students here were more sparse. In the back of the main building, most people had little to rush for. Most of the lingering students here were club members, getting ready to meet up with friends. Some of them were lugging big posters, or helping out with after school activities. The sound of coaches yelling and basketballs dribbling rang out from the gym doors. Basil always liked taking this way out. Everyone was so busy- they’d pay him no mind, not even judgmental stares.

Well, usually. Today, someone was waving him down from the gym. Basil didn’t realize it at first, and pointed a finger questioningly at himself before looking behind him. When he saw nobody there, he assumed he was indeed the target of this person’s attention. He was some jock type, larger than the guy he ran into earlier. He didn’t look particularly malicious, but Basil still gulped nervously. He had nothing but bad history with these kind of guys. He felt himself tremble as he walked up, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

“W-what do you want?” Damn, he stuttered. Already showing weakness.

The jock had dark brown, almost black hair, and stared at him evenly. “I just wanna talk with you for a second. You’re Basil, right?”

“...Yeah.”

“OK, cool. I was pretty sure I heard your name in class before, but I didn’t know for sure.”

“...I didn’t know we were in a class together.”

“Well, it might have been gym.”

Basil shuffled his feet around as he was guided into the gym by the jock. As soon as he slid past the doorway, he was decked in the side of the head by a dirty punch thrown by someone hiding behind the door. His position must have obscured him from the thin window in the door. Basil immediately collapsed to the floor, sputtering, and holding his head. The jock who motioned him in rushed past him. Basil’s head was swimming, but he swore he could hear yelling.

“...what you get for busting Damien’s nose, you little shit!”

“We…. just gonna talk with him, dude! Why’d you…”

Basil groaned and shoved himself to his feet, brandishing his right hand in a tightened fist while his left searched the pockets of his backpack. He shoved the object of his focus in the left pocket of his shorts, then dropped his backpack to the floor, panting heavily. The sound of the heavy gym door shutting behind him seemed louder in his throbbing head. Everything was buzzing painfully.

The jock stopped talking to his seething friend, and turned to face Basil again. He noticed that there were two other boys there, besides the jock and the angry one. The jock in a white t-shirt stepped forward, holding his hands out, seemingly in a taming position of truce.

“Listen, dude. I don’t know what your deal was with Damien earlier, but there’s…”

“Who’s Damien?” Basil mumbled out.

“Ah, well. He’s the guy that you-”

The angry guy interjected again, and at that moment, Basil began to notice just how pissed off the two other guys looked as well, with their arms folded tersely. “He’s the guy you broke the nose of! You look like a sissy, but you fucking broke his nose for no reason, you dick!”

Basil’s head throbbed further at the yelling, and it was just making him angry. “...Well,” Basil felt himself seethe again, and like clockwork, he could feel his throat tightening and tears threaten to well in his eyes. Why did he react as violently as he did, back there? It’s just… Basil was so sick and tired of people just walking all over him. Friend and foe was so hard to distinguish now- anyone who mildly walked on his toes was painted as a ‘villain’ in his mind, like he was some wimpy protagonist of his own novel. God, when did he get like this? “Well he just started being rude to me for no reason…”

The angry guy scoffed. The strings on his red hoodie swung around violently as he reached to point an accusatory finger in Basil’s direction. “So he’s a bit of an ass, yeah. That doesn’t give you any right to punch him!”

“What, so I just take it?” Basil whined out. “People are picking on me all the time…” He trailed off, grumbling.

Some guy to the left made his presence known. Abandoned basketballs bounced away in the otherwise empty gym. Basil was the main event, now. “Come on man, grow up. ‘Picking on you?’ People mess around- this isn’t elementary school. If you can’t take it, you just need to get over yourself.”

“So name calling is just ‘messing around?’” Basil whipped his head to glare at him. His blonde locks were getting disheveled, matching his internal state quite well. “People have treated me like garbage since elementary school. I’m tired of just ‘taking’ it.”

The jock chimed in again, trying to mediate. He must not notice how the circle of angry participants was closing in. They seemed like they were, at least. Basil trembled a bit, his left hand near his pocket.

“Listen, dude. I don’t know what you’ve dealt with. I’m just asking for you to chill out. Go hang out with the goths or something- maybe it’ll help you get a little less angry. Just… don’t go swinging at people for no reason, alright?”

“It wasn’t... “ Basil heard himself hiccup. “N-no reason…” Oh god, he was starting to cry. No, no, not here! You can’t show weakness! Weakness is like blood here, and they’re sharks, you can’t…

The two other guys started to groan, and the one with the red hoodie was bold enough to walk up to Basil and shake him. The jock tried to stop him.

“You see this guy? This dick’s trying to make us look bad by crying!”

The other one nodded in firm agreement. “Seriously, what was it… Basil? Shut the hell up.”

“Don’t touch me.” Basil looked up at the red hoodie guy with cold eyes, while his hands were still on his shoulders.

“Oh so now you’re trying to tell me what to do? Geez, what is with you? Why are you looking so freaky like that?” He seemed unnerved while Basil felt his breathing escalate. Two, strong hands were firmly planted on him. He couldn’t think straight. They could toss him like a ragdoll. It had happened before. Not again, not again. Basil reached out with his left hand...

In the blink of an eye, the guy with the red hoodie jumped backwards. “Oh my god, he really is a psycho! He’s got some fucking tool or something! What the hell?” He sounded almost hysterical as he quivered.

Basil stood there, breathing heavily. Good. He’s away from him now. His hands are off of him. The world seemed like it was clearing, at least a little bit. The shears in his hand felt like a firm presence, rooting him to the polished gym floors, as well as reality. He was just about to take a deep breath before he was rammed in the side by the guy to his left. Basil kept the grip on his shears as he stumbled, and tried to angle them in a defensive poise between himself and anything that could bring harm to him. A solid punch landed on his cheek, and Basil was already seeing stars, but he couldn’t allow himself to lose like this again. He slashed out blindly, and heard some more yelling that seemed far away. Basil struggled and thrashed against hands that were pulling and punching at him from seemingly all sides as he was pinned to the lacquered and smelly gym floor. He tried to cry out, but couldn’t find the voice in his throat. Basil hated himself for it, for being so weak, physically and emotionally, but he couldn’t help but cave in, beginning to curl up in himself, just holding his hands over his face as he took the all-too-familiar beatings.

Voices drifted to him from afar.

“...s no wonder he had a weapon…”

“He won’t even fight back! Fucking pansy!”

Basil quivered with anger and his own sobs as he closed in on himself. What these idiots didn’t know is that pansies were some of the most resilient flowers he’d had the pleasure to grow.

Another kick plummeted into his gut.

No matter what seemed to happen to them, they always seemed to pop back.

A punch hit his jaw, and he tried feebly to bite out at the hand that did it.

His grandmother ran over a bed of them with her car one time. All the blossoms died, but the roots remained.

The same hand roughly gripped his face, their stubby fingers digging in, clamping his mouth closed like an iron vice.

Rain, snow, even hail, those stubborn flowers just never seemed to die.

His hair was being grabbed and pulled. Basil cried out in pain. Won’t they leave? They won, just go…

Those stubborn flowers just wouldn’t die.

~~

After laying for a little bit, they left Basil be. No one had entered the gym since. Basil wondered if all of the athletes had left on a trip, or were only doing activities outside today. How long had he been here?

Basil uncurled his hands from their solid grip in his hair, and over his face. He unwound himself from his fetal position, and became uncomfortably aware of his own dried tears and spittle collected on the floor around where his face lay.

Basil tried to stand.

Nope, didn’t work.

He tried again.

Basil dragged himself to his feet, feeling sore all over. Anything broken? He couldn’t quite tell yet, but somehow, it seemed everything was still intact. Impressive. Maybe he was getting stronger in at least one way. Where was his bag? He felt a sudden jolt of fear, now that he began to remember what just happened. Did he really turn shears on those guys? Basil was only going to use them for self-defense, but in between the hazy memories of anger and fear, the lines were blurring as to whether or not Basil instigated the conflict or not. Who knows? Basil remembers how they called him a ‘psycho,’ though. Maybe they were right about that, he thought numbly, as he staggered and picked up his backpack- it was flung a little ways away from where he had been laying. Maybe he truly was fraying at the edges, now. He began to leave the gym, once again heading home.

God, everything hurt. Maybe something was broken.

Even so, Basil couldn’t bring himself to regret punching that guy at lunch. A small smile reluctantly crept up his face at the memory. It was a victory, even if it was a small one, and one that only led to more pain as he picked a fight with the wrong people. He limped as proudly as he could off of the school grounds, and onto the sidewalk, on his way home.

As he continued down the pavement, Basil passed by some of the residents of Faraway Town, all of which glanced at him, concerned. Some of them whispered to friends or family they were walking with. Disapproving and fearful looks were tossed in his direction. They clearly didn’t know how to handle a small, angry looking, bloodied and bruised high schooler. Basil couldn’t blame them. He was getting to a point where he felt he could barely handle himself. All Basil could do was keep his eyes glued to the pavement, letting it bring himself home. In his dazed state, Basil didn’t realize he took the wrong route to get to his part of the neighborhood. He breathed deeply. He was too tired to continue moving; he had to take a break.

Basil slouched into the cushy grass that lined a part of the sidewalk, propping himself up on a fire hydrant. His eyes glazed over as he felt pain eat at him from all over. All he had the energy to do was to watch cars zip back and forth across the main road. The sun was getting lower, and the sun was casting an orange glow across the sky. Basil sighed. Hopefully his grandmother wouldn’t be too worried. Her health just wasn’t the same, lately, and he wasn’t sure she could take another big scare. Probably because she’d had to put up with him for so long.

Basil closed his eyes. He’d get home soon. Just… just after a moment.

Although he tried to lose himself in the lovely, gentle, ambience of rush hour traffic, Basil was startled, fluttering his eyes open, when a soft, poofy black cat rubbed itself up against his limp left hand.

Basil lagged a bit mentally, but offered his hand to the cat more fully. The black cat sniffed it, and continued to rub it. Basil cocked his head in confusion. There were plenty of strays in Faraway, but he hardly ever saw one so friendly. He hated how quickly his heart changed in feeling, but Basil felt a flash of happiness for a brief moment, seeing how this small, delicate creature that Basil probably could hurt was completely trusting of him- not unnerved by his instability or coldness one bit. He hesitantly began to stroke the cat from the head and downwards. The cat ‘pbbrt-ed’ happily, and settled next to Basil. Basil tried to get comfortable as well, but couldn’t. He was feeling so hot all of the sudden, despite the sun setting. Maybe it was from all of the car exhaust, or perhaps his swollen injuries.

Excusing the cat beside him, Basil shed his jacket, though his muscles screamed against the movement, and exhaled as he felt a soft breeze wash over his freed shoulders. Finally, now he could re-

“Mewo? Mewo!”

Basil snapped his eyes open that were in a half close, feeling perturbed. What now?

Hands swooped in and grabbed that cat that was cozily curled against Basil’s side.

“Hey…!” Basil protested weakly, and turned to look at whoever snatched away the fluffball he had been unexpectedly bonding with.

A black haired boy who looked to be about his age was staring down at him, eyes wide, as he held 'Mewo' in his hands. The boy’s gaze lowered down to Basil’s… arm? Basil was confused, and followed the boy’s gaze. Oh, the address. Aubrey. Oops. She had probably given up on him at this point- figured he was a no-show. She probably shouldn’t have expected much else, anyway.

The black marker was smeared, likely because of sweat loosening the stain on his skin. It was still legible, though.

When Basil turned his head to look back at the boy again, he saw how the boy was still staring at the address, but soon snapped his gaze up to Basil’s. He looked nervous, which wasn’t anything new, but also… curious?

“What…” Basil’s chest heaved. “...do you want?” Every word was so difficult to get out.

“You look awful.” The black haired boy stared at him solemnly, eyes narrowed. It wasn’t said in an emphatic way, a way that would normally indicate concern- it was stated as if it were a fact as true as the sky being blue.

“Yeah… no… no shit…” Basil couldn’t help himself when he began to cynically laugh, although that laugh devolved into a wheeze as even that proved to be painful. Great. He turned his head back towards the road, hanging his mouth open to get some extra air in as he panted.

“...So, should I start running or something?”

“What?” Basil scrunched his face up in confusion and craned his head back towards the black haired boy who was… still there… holding the cat. What did he even want? An explanation as to why he looked the human equivalent of an old banana? Basil was too tired…

“My cat ran out, and met up with you,” the boy began like his explanation was obvious, “and you look like you’ve… not had a good time. My address is on your arm. Should I ask for who beat you up and then leave town? I just want to know if I’m next.”

Basil almost burst out laughing again, but stopped when he remembered how uncomfortable it was last time. Instead, his reply came out as a groan. “I… I didn’t know it was your address. I thought it was hers… pink haired girl.”

The boy scrunched his face up. “Wait- are you stalking Au-” he stopped himself. “I shouldn’t say her name, even thought you probably know it. Should I be okay with the fact that you got beat up?”

“What? No! Talk about… jumping to conclusions. She…” Basil took a deep breath after getting that protest out in one gasp of air. “She gave me this address at lunch.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Prove it.”

“Listen… I don’t have to prove anyth-”

“You’re right, you don’t.”

“...What?”

“It’s her handwriting. Unless you’re really good at forgery, being a stalker…”

“I’m not a-”

“But why’d she give it to you?”

Basil had absolutely no energy to be dealing with this kid’s mind games. He honestly just wished he had the cat back. This boy was succinct with his words enough for it to not be too annoying, but Basil was in more of an “absolutely no talking at all” kind of mood. So yeah, that balanced it out. Still pretty annoying.

“I… I was supposed to come by later, but…” Basil shifted his eyes to the boy, warily, and then back to the pavement. “...complications arose.” He coughed awkwardly.

“...What were you going to do?” The boy almost looked a little concerned. “If Aubrey’s mad at me, I wish she just said so, instead of sending a goon to beat me up.”

Basil was offended. He didn’t think too highly of himself, but he at least wasn’t ugly enough to be a goon!

“I am not a goon!” Basil huffed out. “I was coming to help with your flower garden, you jerk!” Wow, from the whiny tone of his voice to his word choice, Basil felt like he had just transported back to himself ten years ago. That’s embarrassing. This guy was just pushing all of the wrong buttons, apparently. Didn’t help that Basil was… still beaten up and tired. That kind of disposition typically stays with the wounded person in question until they’re given treatment.

The boy seemed to look at him in a different light. “...Really?”

“Really.”

The boy seemed to muse for a moment, his small, pale hand stroking the cat nestled in his arms. “I’ll be right back. Stay here.”

Basil gaped like a fish. “Yeah, I- I don’t think I’ll exactly be moving soon. But what are you-”

But the boy was already gone, as suddenly as he arrived. Basil stared off in the general direction he must have departed in, his face set. That kid was weird.

Wait. He didn’t even say his name! He didn’t even ask Basil’s name…

Now Basil was worried he might have just dreamt the whole thing up in a semi-delusional state. The sun had practically sunk below the horizon at this point, and gentle, steamy dusk settled over Faraway Town. Cicadas and other insects chirped in welcome of the coming night, and Basil found himself getting anxious. It’s not like he never went around at night- he liked the solitude night brought a lot, actually, but he felt exposed in his weakened state. He felt himself getting nervous again, and pinched the front of his black tank, fanning himself with it to occupy himself.

Basil decided it might be best to try giving walking back to his house another shot. To the protest of his… entire bodily system, Basil hoisted himself to his feet and started trying his best to push himself across the sidewalk. What the hell was he doing out here, anyway, waiting for some complete stranger to show up? Not so soon after his excruciating efforts began, he was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching from behind him. Basil craned his neck. Oh… it was him again. The strange, enigmatic black-haired boy. He was carrying something, and Basil wasn’t sure to be worried or not.

“Where are you going?” The boy called, once he knew he was in earshot of Basil. “I said for you not to leave.”

“Well, excuse me... not trusting… a perfect stranger…” Basil said, as he sank back down into the grass. He couldn’t help it. It was too difficult to walk. At least the stranger came back. “Why should I listen to you? What took you so long? And what’s-”

The boy lifted the item in his hand by the handle proudly. It was a first aid kit. It was getting darker by the second, but Basil could still see the bright red cross on the white box.

“Wait, you’re trying to treat me…?”

“Yep.” The boy got down on his hands and knees next to Basil.

“I might have broken bones, you know.”

“Wow, they got you pretty bad, huh?”

“Yeah, they… wait- how did you know it was a ‘they’?”

“Observation. There’s marks all around your body, and if it was one person, they probably would have knocked you down and just gone at one side, or at least, it would look like it came from one direction. Since the bruises and stuff are everywhere, multiple people probably got you from all sides.”

“Well somebody likes Forensic Files…” Basil blinked a little in disbelief as the strange boy began to dig around blindly in the kit. That one tangent was the longest statement he had said so far.

The boy mumbled. “It’s so dark… I’ve got to… there!” He held the flashlight up and turned it on, which illuminated the boy’s face, which now contorted to a mild expression of surprise. “And yeah, I do like that show… how did you know?”

Basil deadpanned to mock the boy. “Observation.”

The boy didn’t quite realize the attempt at imitation at first, but when he did, he bashfully chuckled lowly and angled the flashlight into the kit. “Um… I’ve never actually helped anyone who’s not a cat.”

“A wound is a wound.”

“I guess…” He dug out some cold packs, ointment, and alcohol wipes. He tried to gather them in his hand, tucking the flashlight underneath his chin awkwardly, but Basil wordlessly motioned for the boy to give him the items- an offer he gladly obliged. He dug about the kit a bit more. He pulled a mouthpiece out of the kit that was obscuring his way.

“Don’t think we’ll be needing this.”

“Of course… not.” Basil attempted to haughtily sputter out. This guy…

“Your breathing doesn’t seem to be that good, though.” The boy’s eyes narrowed.

“Don’t take that as an invitation, you ass!” Basil growled.

The boy twisted his mouth into a smile and resumed his search, ‘aha’-ing when he found a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide. He triumphantly set up his first-aid collection, and turned to Basil with a determined look on his face.

“Alright- now take your shirt off.”

Basil completely sputtered at his bluntness. “I- what?!”

“Your wounds probably aren’t all in plain sight. I’ll need to help out.”

“Oh, naturally,” Basil scoffed. So I’ll just strip on the sidewalk for you, person-I-just-met-that-I-don’t-even-know-the-name-of? You’ve got all of the stuff I need right here; I’ll do it myself.”

The boy looked at him, disbelieving. “Good luck getting your back then; and have fun spilling hydrogen peroxide in your eyes. That should be fun.” He folded his arms, staring blankly at Basil, who was inwardly stewing.

“Ugh, fine. Point taken,” he mumbled, bashfully turning around. “J-just only get my back, though. I’ll get my front.” God, he sounded so lame right now. Basil inwardly told himself to get a grip. Despite this, he squeaked when the mystery boy began taking off his tank top for him. Basil jammed his arms down.

“Jeez! I’ll get it! Someone’s eager…” Basil stammered out, and took his shirt off himself.

“You know, you’re the one making it weird.”

“Well, you’re the one not picking up on social cues!”

“What social cues even are there for tending to random wounded people on the side of the road?”

“…”

Basil just stared at the ground and fiddled with the grass in front of him, trying to not pay too much attention to the gentle dabbing of alcohol wipes on his back. He was grateful for the stings of pain that would snap him out of his inward flustered spirals. It was so stupid, but Basil couldn’t help but wonder if anyone besides his grandmother had ever been this close to him before, and that was really distracting him. Well, he guessed when people had beat him up other times in the past, they’d been pretty close- but that didn’t count, obviously. Over the years, he tried to distract himself from it, be it by stewing in other thoughts, reading, or perhaps by directing his energies into his gardening, but Basil really was just a lonely, touch-starved, sad piece of shit, wasn’t he?

“You still… haven’t said your name. I’m starting to wonder if you’re hiding it or something…” Basil murmured.

“Oh. I’m Sunny, sorry. To be fair, you never told me your name, either.” He accentuated his point by rubbing hydrogen peroxide on one particularly angry welt, causing Basil to wince.

“Basil…” Basil hissed out.

“Your name is Basil? Really? And you like flowers? Are you sure you didn’t name yourself?”

“It’s after Saint Basil, you-” The words ‘you moron,’ died in his throat. This guy- Sunny, hadn’t done anything to deserve that.

Sunny nodded solemnly. “Mhmm. You’re very saintly,” he said in the slightest hint of a tease.

Now he deserved it. “Oh, shut up…”

“There, I’m done.”

Basil pivoted around. “...How bad did it look?”

Sunny looked Basil up and down, much to Basil’s indignance. “Hm. Your back wasn’t too pretty. Your chest isn’t looking too hot either.”

That’s… a choice of words, Basil thought.

“Sure you don’t want any he-”

“Yes! I’m sure,” Basil hissed out. He snatched the bottles out of Sunny’s grasp, and started clumsily applying ointments and whatnot to himself. Sunny shined the flashlight on various welts and wounds littered on Basil’s body in an attempt to help. It wasn’t too difficult- at this point the street lamps had begun to turn on, which was aiding the boys greatly. It took a bit of work, but Basil was able to treat himself well enough. Now all that he needed to fix was-

“It looks like you’ve got a little bit of a black eye… it’s not too bad, but…” Sunny lifted up one of the cold packs, and held it against Basil’s eye. “Here. It’s probably too late for this, though.”

Basil lifted up a hand to take the ice pack from Sunny, and continued to hold it against his face. Sunny looked so focused as he prepped another alcohol wipe. Basil felt himself breathe a little shallower while Sunny dragged the wipe across Basil’s face in thorough swipes, his brow furrowed. Did he just feel no shame whatsoever? People at school that actually knew about his existence thought of Basil as a tactless loser- so what would they think of Sunny?

“Hey… do you uh…. go to Faraway High?”

Sunny flinched a bit. “N-no, but I went to Faraway Middle. I’m homeschooled this year. Maybe you saw me last year?”

“No, I didn’t. Homeschooled, hm? So are you one of the good little kids?”

“Yes, very. Some of my good, wholesome activities include wiping down strange, hired goons on the sidewalk. Also, ones that kidnap my cat.”

“One: I’m not a goon- let’s not make this a thing, please. Two: your cat wandered up to me on its own. I didn’t do anything.”

Sunny giggled softly. “...You’re so serious. Makes you an easy target.”

Basil scowled. “You-” He couldn’t think of anything to say. He just shook his head in defeat.

“There… done.” Sunny drew back, and Basil felt like he could finally breathe again. “Obviously, I can’t do anything if you’re bleeding on the inside, or anything about your aches, but at least your skin might heal better?”

Basil stood up, very sore, but somewhat rejuvenated by the disinfectant session. He quickly remembered he still wasn’t wearing his shirt, and scrambled to put his tank and jacket back on. Basil tried to stretch, but still felt like his limbs were locking up.

“Ngh… need to get home. My grandmother’s probably losing her mind.”

“My older sister is going to go crazy when I get back.”

“Oh yeah, homeschooled kid probably has a curfew, hm?” Basil smirked.

“You live with your grandmother. Need I say more?”

“You are not allowed to talk badly about my grandmother.”

“Heh.”

They both stood in silence; Sunny had collected all of the first aid supplies, and they both seemed unsure of what to do next.

“So… uh… what’d you even bother to help me for?”

“Hm?” Basil speaking seemed to have dragged Sunny out of some sort of trance he was in. “Well, Aubrey seemed to have trusted you enough to write my address on your arm…” he coughed.

“So, it’s because of Aubrey?” Basil looked at Sunny, eyes narrowed and confused. “You got a thing for her or something? You mention her a lot.”

Sunny flushed. “N-no! I mean, well, she’s cute, but that’s not it. I just… trust my friends.”

“Sounds cliché.”

“Yeah, it does. But it’s true, I guess. At least for me.” Sunny pondered this statement for a moment before speaking again. “Also, if Aubrey did get your help because you were the only person who could save our wreck of a flower garden, I needed you alive.”

Basil unexpectedly let out a chuckle again. “Oh, I see how it is. You just wanted to use me.”

“Pretty malicious, huh?” Sunny smirked at him with a glint in his eyes.

“Very…”

Sunny looked like he was on the verge of spacing out again. Basil leaned in a bit to wave a hand in front of his face.

“You’ve been taking care of me, but… are you alright? You seem out of it.”

Sunny blinked his eyes a few time, and paused for a moment before replying. “...You’re worried about me?”

Basil weighed his replies carefully. “...Anyone decent should be.”

Sunny shook his head a bit. “Yeah… I’ve just… I’ve just got to get home. I’m tired, is all. You should get home. Can you walk without help?”

Basil drew himself up rather pitifully, in an attempt to make himself look bigger. “Yeah, I’ll be okay.” Without fully realizing it, Basil looked down at his arm. The unintelligible smears of what used to be the pink girl’s- Sunny’s address were all that remained. He looked back up at Sunny’s curious face, and tried to open up his dry mouth, hoping words would come out.

“You know,” Basil started awkwardly. “...I could, come by some other time to help with your garden. I mean, I get it if you don’t really want some weird, violent-looking kid to be around your family and stuff, but the offer’s open… I guess… I wouldn’t mind…”

Sunny reached into his back pocket, and took out a small notepad. It was uncomfortably quiet as Basil shuffled and waited for a proper reply, only accompanied by the scribbling sound of a pen that Sunny took out of his other back pocket.

A paper was shoved into Basil’s hands, crinkling against his tense, curled fist. He unfurled his grip, and looked down at the paper in his hands.

It was the same address as before, accompanied by a phone number underneath it. ‘Sunny,’ it said, with an arrow pointed towards the number. Basil’s eye caught a small doodle in the bottom right of the black cat from earlier, next to-

“Is that little face supposed to be me? I look like a Cabbage Patch Kid.” Basil’s thumb crunched into the paper where he was pointing as he turned the sheet back to Sunny.

“You said it, not me. And in my professional opinion, I think you’re way too angry looking to be easily marketed.”

“So it is me!”

“Still didn’t confirm for sure.”

Basil groaned in frustration, and looked down at the paper again. “That’s your phone number, right? Why’d you put that down?”

Sunny shrugged. “You could give me a heads up before you come over. Or, at the very least, give me a heads up when you need to get some first-aid again.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Sunny raised an eyebrow at Basil’s stubborn façade. “...You don’t seem like someone who’s ‘fine.’”

Basil pursed his lips, and pointed his eyes to the floor again. He didn’t like admitting it, but there weren’t any falsehoods in that painfully blunt statement. “...I guess that’s a fair enough assessment. There’s not much ‘fine’ about me.” He wobbled back and forth on his feet. “Well, I’ll see you later, I guess.” His eyes looked up towards Sunny a final time, against his will, and-

Sympathy. An honest-to-god flash of sympathy flashed in Sunny’s dark eyes. Not pity, and not too much of it, like Basil was some wounded animal on the side of the road. Just someone who understood and was there. For one moment, although Basil didn’t quite get why, it was like someone got him, and it caught him off guard. He quivered as he spun on his foot to quickly hobble away, hardly acknowledging the surprised Sunny who now stood alone underneath the street lamp behind him. He had a hand half raised in goodbye, and the air only barely carried his whisper of a farewell.

“...Bye, Basil.”

Basil just kept marching back home, steeling himself for his grandmother’s lecture, a normal occurrence, to attempt to reintegrate Basil towards a semblance of behavior reflecting normalcy. His thoughts hardened again, but even amidst the pain, and his hand clasping his own shoulder, there was a little pep in his step Basil refused to acknowledge.

Unbeknownst to it, a little bud was peeking out of this wilted pansy plant.

Chapter Text

Basil didn’t make a very dignified figure, however much he tried to.

His limping, battered body seemed to cry out in relief once Basil’s trembling hand clasped around the doorknob to his house’s front door. Basil could see that the kitchen light was on, and when he twisted the knob, the door opened without obstruction. Basil felt his heart twist even more than it already was. His grandmother kept the door unlocked for him.

Before him lay the same sight as always: the kitchen/dining room mix, sporting a rickety wooden table and some modest wooden chairs. Some of them wobbled when they were sat in. To the right, a small living room area had most of its limited space occupied by an excess of flowerpots and planters. The only real “living room” thing about it was the worn green Lawson couch against the wall facing the TV. However, even the TV was dusty from disuse. Basil and his grandmother had never been all that interested in what traditional American television had to offer.

He sheepishly and painfully trudged inside, quietly shutting and locking the door behind him. The house was quiet- the only noise was the buzzing of the fading kitchen light bulb. So peaceful. With just one last push, Basil was able to reach the sofa, and sighed with relief as he flopped onto the cushions. Basil shouldered off his backpack, and flung it across the room with a clatter, allowing himself more room to stretch across the cushions, about as languidly as the cat he had met earlier.

Basil frowned. Did that boy get home safely? It wasn’t all that late, generally speaking- when Basil craned his neck from the comfort of the couch, the wall clock indicated that the time was a mere 8:47- but it was late for a school day, and with it being mid fall, the sun spared no time to sink below the horizon come evening time. And when the darkness creeps in, you never know the kind of things that could happen. There might be shifty, untrustworthy people prowling the street corners of Faraway for young, innocent, black haired boys. On the bright side, considering Sunny’s snarky and… occasionally, mildly suggestive... comments, Basil didn’t think the kid had the ‘innocent’ part down to a ‘T,’ but on the other hand, the fact that he had bothered to stay around Basil at all perhaps indicated the opposite. After all, why else would someone stick by someone like Basil unless they had some sort of secret heart of gold?

Frustration reclaimed Basil, even in his tired state, as he was once again bombarded with tumultuous feelings he was having a difficult time processing. Who knew that a simple act of kindness would be enough to throw Basil for a complete loop? He couldn’t help but scoff at himself, and clenched his fists. A crinkle sounded from his grasp. The note paper. Basil unfurled his hand, and was met with the doodle of his own scowling, cartoonish face. He sighed. It was only right that he eventually repay him for his help. Basil was honestly on the fence about helping out with the stupid flower garden thing in the first place, but out of simple obligation, he couldn’t psyche himself out of it now.

He tenderly folded the piece of paper, and stuck it back in his coat pocket.

He’ll get to calling Sunny back in a little while. He just… needed to take a nap first…

--

Basil’s eyes cracked open, and sounds of cooing morning doves and chirping songbirds caught his attention before the pesky beam of light streaming through the window poised above the sofa.

Beam of…?

Oh, it must be morning.

“Urgh… crap…” Basil propped himself up with his elbows, now only feeling a general soreness throughout his body, rather than spiking pain, and felt his heart drop when he looked forward and to the left to see his grandmother sitting at one of the dining room chairs. She turned her wrinkled face to look at him, her blue, downturned eyes meeting with Basil’s own.

“Good morning, Basil,” she said simply.

“...G’morning, grandmother.”

“So, what happened last night? You took an awful long time to get home.” Ah, she was succinct as always.

“I… I ended up getting busy. Stuff came up. Sorry.” Basil always found his tongue getting tied when offering excuses to his grandmother. Although fibs usually came naturally, lying to his grandmother tested Basil in a way unique to anything else. Vague explanations gave an ease to his conscience. Not full truths, not quite lies.

“...What kind of ‘stuff’ leaves my grandson beaten black and blue?” Her ragged voice came out sharper than usual, ripe with pain and vexation. Basil couldn’t help but flinch.

“...What… what time is it?” Basil’s eyes hadn’t adjusted yet, and it provided him an opportunity to dodge the question.

“It’s nine in the morning. You’re not going to school today, if that’s what you’re worried about. You don’t look like you’re in any condition to go anywhere, young man.” Her voice rose to a trembling, unsteady fury.

“...Sorry.” Basil wasn’t sure what else to say.

“Sorry?” Her voice piqued, and she hobbled up from her chair, securely wrapping her white robe against her pale frame.

Clearly, ‘sorry’ wasn’t the right thing to say.

Basil’s grandmother strode over to where Basil sat on the couch, and leaned against the nearby bookshelf. Basil’s eyes instinctively lowered in shame as he gingerly rested against the couch back. He hated whenever she was like this, but it was only fair that Basil sat properly.

“Basil, I just want you to tell me what’s happened. Why is it that I see you coming home all battered and hurt, and you never tell me anything? It’s been like this for a while now, but… when I look at you, I…” her voice trailed off, and her eyes clouded as she wrung her hands.

“What is it?”

Basil’s grandmother shaped her mouth into a deep frown, her jowls sagging in displeasure. “Your eyes… even when crying, they don’t glow like they used to. You just look angry. Even when you were sleeping, your face looked hard. And, Basil…”

She reached to her right, for something seated on the bookshelf, and Basil found his face becoming stony as he watched her present the shears. Blood flecked the tips of the shear’s blades. He didn’t remember seeing that before. So he was just carrying around bloodied shears in his bag all of last evening? Great. Tears pricked in his grandmother’s eyes, and Basil felt like living shit.

“Basil, this isn’t even your blood, is it? I- I don’t want it to be, heavens no, but…” The tears flowed freely now- Basil could see where he got it from- even in anger, the floodgates stayed open. “Basil, why are you becoming like this? I’ve tried so hard to be there for you, but…”

No, no, not this again.

“...Grandmother, it’s not your fault. You can’t be there for me all the time. Whenever you’re not here… a-anything can happen.”

“But I haven’t been enough! I can’t stop you from hurting other people, and getting yourself hurt, and no matter what I do, you always seem to be-!”

Basil clenched his teeth. “It’s my own, stupid decisions!” He belted out his words fiercely. He couldn’t bear to see his grandmother being self-deprecating like this. “I’m the one who keeps picking fights, I’m the one who keeps p-putting myself in bad situations, I’m the one who’s crazy enough to hurt other people and not even realize it, and I’m the one who’s angry, and messed up, and a loser, and- and… and sick!” His voice cracked, and tears started to flood his face. He began to tremble uncontrollably, and curled up to ball his hair up in his hands. How had he let himself get so far gone? Basil knew he was a mess, but he didn’t know how to change, especially when he was faced with the same challenges day after day. His poor grandmother didn’t deserve to deal with this- the unpredictability that surrounded his existence. All it took was one bad comment to send Basil off the rails, resulting in a call home, or a dismissed Basil showing up at her doorstep, or, of course, for him to be beaten and pitiful as he was now.

“Stupid, stupid,” Basil wept, unable to stop the flow of emotions, now. He blamed his grandmother. Whenever Basil was in a room where heightened emotions flowed, they flooded him like a cacophonously rushing rapid. He hated it, and Basil wished he could just turn it off, but it was just something he had never learned to taper back. She didn’t deserve him. She deserved so much better than to have her broken, unwanted grandchild acting like this. She deserved better than a high school aged child crying like a toddler before her, soiling her morning. She deserved better than to have someone like him tainting her goddamned worn sofa just by sitting on it.

“...Stupid, I’m so stupid, just leave me…”

Delicate fingers lay on his shaking shoulders. Basil looked up to see his grandmother’s tearful… and fearful… face looking back at him.

“Basil, I’m sorry…” her gravelly voice carried generations of sorrow, the weight of too many similar incidents chipping away at her spark. “Forgive me. The last thing I want is to see you in pain. And I… I could never want to leave you. You’re a troubled soul, but I could never imagine not having you in my life.”

Basil couldn’t bring himself to shove her away, he felt she was saying things she didn’t mean. “Why would you want to deal with… this?” He sniffled as he lightly rocked back and forth in an attempt to soothe himself, feeling the strain the simple motion had on his body.

Basil’s grandmother swooped in, and brought Basil into a trembling hug. At the action alone, Basil choked out a small cry. “Oh, Basil… you feel so much and so deeply… those feelings may be troubling at times, but your highs and lows are what make you who you are. I hope that… you can learn to be more careful about what worms its way into your heart, but… I also hope you can learn to love yourself and the way you feel.”

“Oh grand-” his voice failed him as he let out a cry again. “I… I don’t want to feel things anymore… everything hurts me so much. If I-” snot dripped from his nose, and he choked as he took a ragged gasp to steady himself. “I-If I sh-show how I feel, people hurt me, a-and I hurt them when they don’t understand me. E-even if they try to understand I probably would hurt…” Basil sobbed again. God, he was so pitiful. The way he was going on and on sounded like a child. But… did he really believe the words gushing out of his mouth? Did he really think he’d… even hurt the people that tried to love him? Well, him constantly stressing his grandmother was a good indicator of the possibility. But…

Basil hated it, but a quiet, foreign optimism from an idealistic shadow of himself he hadn’t been for years latched onto the recesses of his brain. However irrational it may seem, considering the road Basil felt he was set on, all of the mistakes he felt he made every day, and all of the unacknowledged loneliness deeply rooted within the depths of his heart that protested otherwise, Basil couldn’t help but hope. As he sat, wrapped up in his grandmother’s gentle hug, he thought that maybe someday, Basil could allow himself to love, and be loved. Was that foolish to believe? He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t want to think about it too much as he, during this one, tender moment, allowed himself to be ten again, dampening his grandmother’s robe as he nestled his furrowed brow into the crook of her shoulder, and as she banished his sorrows and hurts with butterfly kisses to the top his mop of blonde hair, trying to make everything be okay.

~~

Following that incident, the rest of the morning and early afternoon passed in a quiet daze. He’d have to explain himself for it later, but Basil was so grateful to be out of the hostile and hectic school environment, for one day at least. Solitude wasn’t great, but at the moment, it was preferable to negative attention. At around noon, Basil was running a hand over the withering leaf of a potted elephant ear plant, and his grandmother was standing in front of the stovetop, waiting for the whirr of a tea kettle, both of them in a daze. Absentmindedly, Basil mumbled.

“Hey, grandmother… uh… how do you feel about homeschooling?”

She ‘hmmed’ thoughtfully, head still facing the floor, and her shaky voice bounced off the kitchen tile. “Well, Basil, I think that it’s a nice idea, but there’s a value to interaction with your peers, I think…”

Basil grimaced. Well-intentioned, but wrong answer.

“...Also, I would love to do it for you, but… I’d have to get my hands on curriculum and whatnot, and I’m not sure I could handle it well in my age, and… well…”

Ah yes, of course. Time and money. Two things that his grandmother didn’t have much of. If only his parents could chip in to help. Hire a tutor or something, anything so he wouldn’t have to go back to school, as immature as it may sound.

Basil scowled, now. His parents. That wasn’t very welcome in this fantastical and irrational escapist train of thought. It only acted as further fuel for him to simply grit his teeth and bear what he was used to. If he had to go crawling to his parents, sitting in front of an unanswered phone for hours and desperately waiting for a message back from them, in order to escape from his situation, Basil would rather retain his dignity by continuing to attend his hellhole of a school. It was only a little over three years left. He could bear it, right?

Ugh, probably not, but Basil was good at lying to himself when it came to his personal threshold of what he was going to put up with for that day.

“...It’s alright, granny. It was just a dumb thought.”

Homeschooling…

More time passed as Basil only occupied himself with matters around the house. He felt almost content at one moment, as the opportunity was presented for him to quietly enjoy some lemon tea with his grandmother. She was excited to bust out a china tea set that typically collected dust in the cabinets. The set had a common theme, and that was roses. Red roses, to be exact. Although the tea cups had a basic, white design, the handle was adorned with a rose on the tip. It made it a little difficult to hold, so Basil settled with cupping the dish in his hands. The base of the teacup flowered out, matching the ruffles of the mock rose. His favorite thing about the cups, though, was how little flecks of gold were laced throughout the rim of the cup itself, and the petals of the rose. As Basil tilted the tea cup back and forth, he enjoyed the way it glinted as it caught the beams from the dining room light overhead.

“Basil…” His grandmother had chuckled softly. “You’ll need to keep the cup still for me to pour the water.”

Basil had bashfully steadied himself and the cup, focusing on watching the tilting kettle, losing himself in the trickling stream of steam.

It was enjoyable, the calming lemon taste with the pretty teacups that had just now had the opportunity to see the light of day. Basil felt his heart wilt again with guilt as he realized his grandmother had probably set up their little tea party so he could be placated. She was… too kind for him.

Despite the familiar guilt lingering in his heart, Basil’s grandmother had done her job well enough. It was as if a blanket had settled over Basil, dulling any other emotion with a numb peace.

That was, until there was a knock at the door. The good moment dissolved as quickly as the steam lost form in the air.

“Oh, I’ll-” Basil’s grandmother started to get up, very clearly uncomfortable due to her creaking limbs, and Basil quickly got up to take her place.

“I’ve got it.”

Basil marched towards the door, and ignored checking the peephole, quite irked by whomever wanted to disturb his tranquil moment, and wanting to deal with it quickly. When he swung open the door with a disdainful glare, he was surprised to see not a greasy solicitor, but rather Aubrey, the pink haired girl from yesterday's lunch. Basil whipped his head behind him to check the time. 3:40. She must have gone right over here after school let out.

“How did you know where I lived?” Basil felt his heart leap into his throat. He didn’t want anyone to know where he lived. If the people who bullied him got their grubby hands on his address, they’d be able to harass him around the clock. More importantly, not just him, but his grandmother, too. Basil could not let that happen. He only walked to and from school, never taking the bus, for that exact reason. If his location was becoming public knowledge…

“Well, hello to you, too,” Aubrey sputtered. She wasn’t wearing her yellow hoodie this time. Now, she had on some sort of plain, white bomber-like jacket that was unbuttoned, exposing a grimy t-shirt underneath with some logo for some obscure grunge band printed on the front. Some yellow stripes flecked the design of the jacket.. Yellow and pink, again. She was lucky she seemed so photogenic. Most people could never pull that color combo off.

“Oh, come on. You can’t expect me to not be confused and worried when someone I never gave my address to shows up on my doorstep!”

“Hold your horses, Basil. I’ve got a friend, he lives on the same street as you. His name’s Angel?” She said his name in an inquisitive fashion, and leaned forward, eyebrows raised, like she was trying to jog Basil’s memory. “Ever run into him?”

“No… I don’t really…”

“Right, right, you’re a big loner. Almost forgot.”

Basil bristled.

“Well anyway,” Aubrey side-eyed him, deliberately ignoring his peeved-ness, “He noticed your existence, at least.”

"...So he told you where I lived?"

"Yep, pretty much."

"Ugh. You can't just do that…"

Aubrey leaned against the open doorway, causing Basil to step back some into his house reproachfully. "Well, I'm pretty happy for once that Angel can't keep his mouth shut if it killed him. Where the hell were you yesterday?"

"...I was busy."

"Mhmm. Busy getting your ass handed to you?"

Basil bristled… again.

"I… you don't understand!"

Aubrey crossed her arms, and furrowed her brow. Her voice was quiet and terse. "I actually do understand. You're not the only person who's gotten into fights, and you're not the only person who gets angry. Don't play dumb." She looked him up and down, investigating his bruises, and settled her gaze on his face. Her expression appeared stoic as her jaw set. When her eyes met his own, Basil saw how her brown eyes smoldered with subtle amber embers of a tempered fury that Basil could recognize all too well. She wasn't full of it. "Also, you look like shit, and it doesn't really look like you've tried to hide it."

Basil couldn't even find the fire in himself to get offended, especially not after the emotional exhaustion of the night prior. Any energy usually reserved for defensive aggression felt sapped from his small body, and his shoulders sagged in kind. His stony blue eyes only flickered down to stare at the porch, the irises ringed with painful red. A firm hand gripped onto his shoulder, startling Basil and making him flinch before he met with Aubrey's eyes again. Her own expression seemed to be shocked, like she didn't quite understand where she was going with this.

"Listen… er, Basil. Um… the offer's still open for you to come over and uh… help with the flowers." Her eyes darted around the outskirts of the property, taking in all of the excess mulch, pots, vases, plants, and tools littered around the yard. "I get the impression it's something you really enjoy. Maybe it will help you out…?"

Basil gave a sad smile, despite himself. "You just figured out gardening's a coping mechanism now? How'd you know?"

The hand on his shoulder retracted to give it a friendly slug instead. Basil winced.

"Can it, smartass. Sarcasm doesn't look good on you." Aubrey smirked, and threw a hand around Basil's neck, pulling him close towards her.

"Uh...one second…" Basil protested. "Um, grandmother? I'm going out for a bit."

Sounds of timid shuffling approached the door. The old woman looked on in shock as she saw Aubrey. "Basil, who's…?"

Aubrey spoke up. "I'm just someone from school. He was gonna help me out with something, but he chickened out-"

Basil sadly snickered a bit. "No need for excuses, Aubrey. She knows; why else would I have stayed home today? Like you said, I did a bad job hiding how messed up I got. And also…" Basil smiled sadly at his grandmother, who was looking at Aubrey warily, clearly concerned for her grandson. "...I think she'll be more comforted if she knows specifics."

Aubrey furrowed her brow again, looking confused at this information, for whatever reason, but lowered her arm to face Basil's grandmother properly.

"Uh… Ma'am? I'm just borrowing him for a little bit. He really is gonna help me out with something. He's really good with plants, and uh… I've got this little gardening project. I promise, nothing bad is gonna happen to him while he's with me. It'll be a little day out."

Basil felt his heart get just a little lighter as the weight shifted from his grandmother's hardened face. "Thank you, dear. He… he needs it," her eyes darted apologetically to Basil, who did feel awkward about his vulnerability being advertised, but he wasn't really holding up the 'tough guy' façade, himself.

"...We'll be back later," Basil mumbled before he turned away with Aubrey. After a lingering pause, he heard the door click shut behind him. Aubrey, to his left, let out a great exhale.

"Jeez, I feel like I just had to ask permission to date someone's daughter."

"This isn't a date…"

Aubrey laughed, although Basil didn't mean it as a joke. "Haha, as if!"

"Ouch… that stings a little bit."

"I thought you didn't want it to be a date, buddy! Make up your mind!"

"N-No! It's just… ugh, never mind."

"You're such a girl."

"Shut up."

Aubrey snickered a little bit more. "Your grandmom has a lot of intensity in that tiny little body. Kind of like you!"

Basil huffed before replying. "...Yeah, I probably got it from her, but that's about it. Otherwise, she's too kind to be like me." His voice dropped a little bit, and he crossed his arms, staring coldly to the side. His lip trembled for just a moment, then stopped. The two slowed their pace they had settled into as they casually strolled on the sidewalk. Aubrey, who was leading, turned her head back towards Basil with a curious look.

"...You really care about her, huh?"

"...Yeah." He gulped. "To be honest… she's all I really have."

Aubrey turned away for a moment, obscuring her reaction to Basil's admission. He felt a little ticked that he just spilled his guts to someone that quickly, just because they weren't treating him like garbage right away. He was definitely coming on too strong. She'd probably make some excuse to head home soon. It was fine, of course. Basil just had an excuse to go back to his own home- no big deal. It wouldn't be a problem if she found him too much of a handful to be around for even a few hours-

"Listen…" Basil felt his heart as it leapt into his throat.

Please don't leave, his mind whispered against his will.

Aubrey turned around, looking almost sheepish. "I… I know we just met, and we like… barely even know each other besides our names, but just hear me out."

Basil sucked in his breath.

"I know what it's like. Um, let me rephrase that. I don't know your specific situation, and I guess it's none of my business, but anyway…"

She awkwardly fiddled with a lock of her hair for a moment, and Basil distracted himself for a second by getting lost in the hypnotic motion.

"Sometimes, people around you just think you're crazy. They tell you that every day. And not even like 'tell you, tell you.' Just- in the way they look at you, or the way they talk when they're around you. And y'know, at least for me, sometimes, I can't help but think… maybe they're right. Sometimes, I feel like I'll fly off the handle, or do something I really regret. Lately, I feel like I barely can control myself well at all, to be honest. It's… it's really hard."

She looked up at Basil to give him that piercing stare again. Her pointed almond eyes offered no room for escape, and the stare was hard and unyielding like the most solid of earthy crag.

"I mean, I don't know enough about you, so maybe you are actually just a psycho. Some twitchy 'soon-to-be' school shooter or something. Whatever smack people talk about you nowadays. I don't care, people talk a lot. But anyway, I see you now," she waved her hand around, gesturing to Basil as a whole, inside and out, "And I'm reminded that people like to spew bullshit all the time, because I see someone who's just as angry, sad, and just plain tired as I can be."

"W-well, maybe I'm a little crazy too…" Basil's voice wavered out. "I… I don't know…" Wetness spattered his cheeks, and he lifted his palms upwards, watching as glistening drops fell into them. He didn't realize when he started crying again.

"W-woah! I didn't expect you'd cry!" Aubrey drew back in surprise, an arm held in front of her defensively.

"It's not a show! L-look away if you don't wanna see, idiot…" Basil sniffled more, trying furiously to wipe away his tears. "I just…" he settled on covering his face in shame. "... you're right, you don't know it all. But you understand some… of what it's like, and that's better than almost everything else lately," Basil tried to finish his biting statement with dignity, but like most things lately, it broke off with a sob.

Aubrey's surprise morphed into a sad smile, and she cautiously walked up to Basil, once again placing a hand on Basil's shoulder.

"Come on… let's get moving," Basil nodded, and his cries died down. "At the rate we're going, it's gonna be late just when we arrive, and I'd be a pretty bad surrogate boyfriend if I got you home after dark." Aubrey grinned devilishly.

This time, it was Aubrey who was slugged in the arm.

"Didn't even sting. Wimp."

"Shut up. I saw you flinch."

"You're seeing things…"

The pair enjoyed a quiet walk the rest of the way to Sunny's home, any words needed to be said between them already shared. It was a nice break for Basil, who needed time to recuperate after yet another unexpected emotionally charged moment. Aubrey seemed to understand, only occasionally throwing glances in his direction, but generally seeming to understand Basil's need for solitude without isolation.

The tears on his cheeks dried with the crisp breeze, and the rustle in the oaks and the thin and unruly tufts of grass that stuck out in and outside of the sidewalk echoed Basil's sudden found placidity. He shivered for a moment, and realized that he had left his coat at home. Basil clutched at his bare arms, rubbing his hands back and forth to generate heat, to no avail.

Suddenly, a warm cloth draped across his exposed shoulders, and Basil blinked when he realized that Aubrey had given Basil her white and yellow jacket.

"No biggie," she immediately dismissed any protest Basil might have had, not allowing discussion of her decision. Which was fine, because, although it was a little weird to be wearing someone else's clothes, Basil was too chilly to dispute over it.

"...I just hope we can get inside soon," Aubrey murmured.

"Yeah…" Basil said, clutching the fabric between his fingers. "Me too. Are you… sure you don't want this back? I'll be fine."

Aubrey shook her head. "Trust me, I'll be okay. Also, it looks kind of good on you!"

"Really…?" Basil was incredulous.

"Just trust me on this one."

Another silence stretched between them, filled only by their slow, monotonous steps before Aubrey quietly spoke again. An owl hooted from afar.

"...And you know what? I think you… needed it more than I did, anyway."

"Hm."

Chapter Text

The unrelenting early autumn winds that funneled in with some accursed cold front haunted the grumpy pair the rest of their walk. Aubrey and Basil were now standing on the porch of a large, white two story home. Aubrey had said it was Sunny’s house. Basil whistled as his eyes trailed over the sizable property. This was definitely the more upscale part of the neighborhood. Living in the lap of homeschooled luxury, aren’t we, Sunny? Basil wasn’t jealous. He wasn’t sure what he’d do with all that space. His cozy green bungalow fit his tastes perfectly. Besides, more space means more cleaning. Which isn’t bad, but… ugh…

While Basil mused over the prospects of owning a larger property in his head, Aubrey was irritated. She kept ringing the doorbell over and over again, to the response of no one. Basil was waiting for it to break.

“You know, just a thought, but if someone doesn’t answer the door, it typically means they’re not home…” Basil drawled from behind Aubrey. She rolled her eyes and rapped her knuckles on the front door one more time for good measure.

“I know he’s in there. It’s his mom and sister that aren’t here today. They’re doing yoga or something else stupid like that.”

“...Maybe he went with them…?” Basil offered weakly.

Aubrey’s face screwed up in amusement, and then she let out a belly laugh. “S-Sunny?” She sputtered. “Doing yoga? He can barely do a pushup. Hell, he’d probably fall asleep on the mat.”

Oh, so Sunny was another unathletic kid? Basil could empathize. Well, when he thought back to his visage, Sunny certainly didn’t look all that tough. He was pretty short, like Basil, but Basil had learned not to judge by appearance too much. Besides, when Sunny had been determinedly trekking back and forth to retrieve the first aid kit when they met, he didn’t seem winded at all. So, maybe Basil had absentmindedly assumed he was one of those lithe, enduring runner types? He shook his head. He didn’t really understand what the point of this extended train of thought was anyway. Was he sizing him up? Probably. Wouldn’t hurt to, just to be safe.

“S-So... “ Basil’s teeth chattered, interrupting Aubrey’s amusement. “This is great and all, b-but if he’s not showing up for whatever reason, what are we doing now? It’s f-freezing.”

“You know, you’re wearing my jacket. You don’t have the right to complain, you baby.”

“Shut up. Take it back if you’re pissed off over it.”

“I wasn’t the one whining. Just hold onto it and be grateful. And maybe don’t wear stuff like tank tops in mid-fall.”

“...But I don’t have anything else to wear…” Basil groaned.

“Oh come on, nothing?”

“Well, I have overalls, but people say they make me look-”

“Well, fuck ‘em. Who cares?”

“...Fair enough.” Basil cared, but he didn’t want to admit it. If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t have boarded himself up as much as he had. “...Can we please get going? Let’s just wait at the Othermart or something in the meantime. It’s so cold. This sucks.”

Aubrey sucked in her breath. “You said please... things must actually be serious.”

“Aubrey…” Basil growled through his chattering teeth.

“Calm your tits. I don’t want to walk all the way to Othermart and camp in the frozen food aisle. Come with me.”

Aubrey motioned to Basil with a lazy hand and hopped off the porch, kicking her sneakers into some nearby mulch. Basil tensely waddled after her like a half-frozen duckling. They walked back to the main sidewalk, getting the full force of the wind again. It obviously wasn’t even below freezing, but Basil felt like one of those extreme wilderness explorers with frost hanging off of their eyebrows, and icicles forming in their gargantuan beards. Not that he had any traces of a beard. He was pretty sure that facial hair wasn’t even a possibility in his genetic makeup. Eh, it probably wouldn’t look good on him anyway.

Somewhere, in the distance, beyond this cruel, biting cold, a clunk sounded to his left. He was startled from his shivering stupor at an obnoxious yell.

“Heeeyy! Aubrey! What’s up! So you were gonna come over again, today!”

“Yep, unfortunately. I’ve got to see you again.” Aubrey put her hands in her jean skirt pockets, and rolled her head over to the left, yelling out her reply. Basil could now see goosebumps all over her legs. She was really good at acting comfortable despite them, it almost surprised him.

“Ooh, cold. Not as cold as you look right now, though. Bet it’s pretty cozy out there!” The loud voice tittered again. Basil followed where Aubrey’s head was facing, and saw a mop of light brown hair poking out from a window of the house to the right of Sunny’s. Some boy had his arms propped up on the windowsill, and his head was bobbing left and right while looking down upon the pair.

“Yeah, it’s real nice out here. You should come down and say hi,” Aubrey suggested, although in her tone, it seemed less like an invitation, and more like a threat.

“Aw, I’d love to, but I’m busy enjoying a nice, warm heater, and I’m about to enjoy some of my mom’s spicy tamales. Mmm, Aubrey, they warm you right up!”

Aubrey stuck her middle finger proudly in the air for the boy to see, and his head was obscured from view for a moment as he doubled over laughing, and shrunk from the windowsill.

“Just let us in, dumbass! Brag about your mom’s trash cooking later, mama’s boy.”

The boy poked his head out of the window again, and shook his fist angrily. “Talk bad about my mom to my face, you coward!”

“Gladly! Open the door, and I’ll do it!”

The boy left again, slamming the window down carelessly and loudly behind him. Basil almost flinched from the gusto behind the action. Aubrey snickered to Basil’s right.

“Works every time,” she said. “Just piss him off, and he comes running for me. I’m just irresistible when I’m an ass, apparently,” she snickered again, and guided Basil towards the foreign house, reluctantly. This wasn’t what he signed up for when he agreed to go out of his way to help with gardening. Now he was being pulled into some stranger’s house? Great.

They both huddled together underneath the porch of the equally large, but orange house, waiting for the excitable boy to answer the door. They didn’t have to wait long, as the door soon swung open with a clatter, and a very tall, lean and toned boy stood before the two, looking perturbed. Basil immediately scowled and shrunk back. He looked way too similar to the musclebrain types at school. Way too similar to…

Basil found himself shaking a bit, and set his jaw in place to steady himself. The cold was forgotten in an instant, and all Basil was focused on was not making himself look weak.

As these thoughts raced through his head, Aubrey was none the wiser. She pushed herself through the doorway, and ducked under the outstretched arm of its huffy resident.

“Thanks for letting us in, Kel!” Aubrey lifted her arms and stretched, cracking her neck as she did so, her solid frame flexing. “So, where’s the food at? I’m hungry.”

“Wha- but you just said.” The boy at the door only looked confused now, his irritation at Aubrey forgotten in a moment. “Um, in the kitchen?”

Aubrey nodded in acknowledgement. “Come on, Basil. Let’s go get some food.”

Basil lingered outside warily. “Um, I- nobody knows me here. I’m not just going to come in and-”

Aubrey stepped outside for a moment to snag Basil firmly by the arm, and drag him into the house. Immediately, a wave of warmth that the outside had been loathe to offer washed over Basil and he sighed in relief. Aubrey nodded in approval.

“There we go; feeling less like an icicle? Well, that’s step one of going into someone’s house. Now let’s go get some food.”

Basil was enjoying his moment of bliss from the warmth, but Aubrey’s words snapped him out of it, as well as the startling and worrying sound of the front door being shut by the tall kid- Kel, Aubrey called him. Basil was now trapped.

“Aubrey, I don’t want some random’s food. I’m okay.”

Aubrey sighed in exasperation. “Basil, it’s fine. Nobody cares around here. I’ve literally crawled in through the window at 2 am, and his mom was only watching TV, doing laundry, and said I could stay a little if I was quiet. Really, nobody cares.”

“Yeah, haha, I remember that. That was wild,” The boy approached Basil from behind, causing him to jump and shift more towards Aubrey. “My mom can get a little worried over things wanting to look nice for guests, but she knows Aubrey. Oh, also, hi! I didn’t see you there! I’m Kel.”

Aubrey facepalmed and interrupted. “You seriously didn’t notice him this whole time? He was standing outside with me!”

“Nope.” The boy crossed his arms and shook his head, at a complete loss.

“You didn’t see him on the porch?”

“Nu-uh.”

“Wow. You are completely oblivious.”

“I was distracted with how nice your hair looked today…?” Kel tried pitifully, holding his hands out in a helpless gesture.

Aubrey made a face with her tongue sticking out and flicked him in the head, much to Kel’s annoyance. “Ugh, don’t say that. Sounds weird coming from you.” She put her arm around Basil’s shoulders, which was easy to do, as he was already practically backed into her to avoid the other boy. He flinched as she did so. “So this guy…” she took her right hand and waved it towards Basil, indicating for him to take the reins. However, as Basil did nothing but glare in Kel’s direction, Aubrey was left to awkwardly clear her throat and finish her statement.

“This guy… his name’s Basil. He lives on the same street as me. He was gonna help me out with fixing up our soon-to-be garden we were working on in Sunny’s backyard. Specifically your sorry ass. Did I ever tell you your daisies looked like shit?”

Kel chuckled sadly. “Yes… you did, Aubrey. Several times… thank you…” His eyes settled on Basil, who was still staring with hostility in Kel’s direction. Kel didn’t seem to pay it any mind, though.

“Well, nice to meet you, Basil! Also, hope you don’t mind me saying, but that’s a nasty black eye you got, there! What happened? Some accident?”

Aubrey face palmed once again. “Kel, you don’t just…”

Basil couldn’t even open his mouth to reply before Kel started going off on a tangent. “Haha, I remember when I got a black eye like that. I was trying to do some trick by bouncing a basketball off of the hoop’s frame- I don’t even know what the trick was- and it just ricocheted off sooo fast, it whacked me, and I saw stars. Or maybe it was just black, actually. No stars. When I woke up, boom, there’s a huge welt on my eye! People thought that I got punched or something. In fact, I think that a teacher was worried about my home life or something. I kind of got worried they were going to call home, or get my parents in trouble. I even thought about covering it up with my mom’s makeup. It was pretty funny, looking back on it… haha…”

Basil had gone silent, ignoring Kel’s long-windedness, and pulled away from Aubrey to head into the kitchen. That kid talked so much. Kel seemed surprised at Basil’s silent withdrawal mid-conversation, and merely stammered as the boy walked into the kitchen. As he took a seat in an empty chair set up in front of the small counter space, Basil overheard a very loud attempt at a whisper from Kel to Aubrey.

“Do you think he doesn’t like me or something? He just sort of… walked off…”

Aubrey elbowed Kel in the ribs, causing him to wince. “Probably because you started giving your whole life’s story as a ‘hello, nice to meet you,’ you idiot.”

“Yeah, good point. Haha, he kind of reminds me of Sunny, y’know?”

Aubrey only shrugged, and joined Basil in the kitchen. A more docile Kel followed in, now looking more bashful as he started reaching for plates from cabinets, shutting them a bit too loudly for Basil’s liking as he moved around the kitchen, humming some peppy tune. Aubrey collapsed in the chair next to Basil, and began tracing her finger on the countertop before her.

Basil kept eye contact with the reflective surface, seeing his own sour face staring back at him. His black eye didn’t actually look nearly as bad as it had felt yesterday- he didn’t check a mirror, but he figured the swelling had gone down. Sunny must have helped more than Basil had bargained for. Basil mumbled to Aubrey:

“So, why are we waiting for Sunny, anyway? If we need tools, I can run back over to my house to get them, instead of waiting to open the garage, and if they’re in his backyard, we can just… climb over the fence and get to them that way.”

Aubrey slowly blinked at Basil, who was fiddling with his hands, and hadn’t looked up once while talking. “Um… I don’t have any issue with scaling my friend’s fence for the good of all, but the plants aren’t in the backyard.” She chuckled.

Basil looked up at Aubrey in confusion. “What…? I thought you said you were making the garden in the backyard?”

Kel interrupted with a clatter of plates, as warm, steaming wraps surrounded in corn husk were placed in front of Aubrey and Basil. “Eat up, everybody!” He said, brightly, planting his palms on the countertop, and bobbing his head left and right with excess energy. “And yeah, about the plants, Aubrey did tell me that someone would be coming by yesterday, but they never showed up. I guess that was you…?” Basil only nodded curtly in Kel’s direction.

Kel lifted a hand to scratch the back of his neck. “Well, Aubrey and I were the only one’s there at the time, and I remembered my brother saying that there was going to be dropping temperatures soon, so Aubrey and I decided…”

“...to move the flowers to pots, and put them in the garage!” She proudly finished her sentence with an air of finality, clearly pleased with her work in salvaging the plants.

Basil sighed heavily.

“What?” Aubrey scrunched her brow.

“Aubrey… how long were the flowers in the planters before you moved them?”

“I don’t know, probably four- five weeks or something?”

Basil pinched the bridge of his nose, and began tapping his foot on the leg of the chair he was sitting in. “OK… so… because you both decided to do that, they probably had developed a half-developed root system, for the kinds of plants they were, by that time. You… you’ve probably just ripped them out, and stuffed the first inch of soil into the pots, am I right?”

Kel looked bashful. “So… I guess we shouldn’t have done that…?”

“Yeah. Yeah, you shouldn’t have done that. Why couldn’t you both just wait for me? I could’ve fixed it,” Basil snapped. This stupid little mission was becoming more of a prospective chore by the second. He forgot that most people didn’t understand how he liked to work with things at the drop of a hat. He had to explain to them what to do and what not to do like some gardening tutor. He wasn’t even getting paid for this.

Aubrey huffed to his left and pointed an accusatory finger at Basil. “Well, you’re the one who didn’t show up, and left us to our own devices! If you didn’t want that to happen, you shouldn’t have ghosted us and gotten into… whatever happened!”

“Oh, excuse me! I didn’t want to waste my time getting into a fight after school! I didn’t have it on my schedule or anything!”

“Well, you learn to avoid those kinds of problems with a little something called self-control! Ever heard of it?” Aubrey sneered.

Kel stammered and tried to get the two teens to calm down.

“Aubrey! Please don’t get mad, and Basil… uh, sorry I don’t know how to handle the environment?”

They both turned to blink at Kel, processing his stupid statement. If it was meant to disarm them, it worked, in a way. Basil let out another hefty sigh, and remembered something as he reached into his pocket. There it was- the crinkled paper Sunny gave him from yesterday, phone number and address written in black marker.

“Hey, Aubrey, is there a phone we can use here?”

“Yeah, but why?” Now Aubrey looked confused with him.

“I’m going to try to call Sunny, if you’re so sure he’s actually in his house right now. I’m going to see if he can get the garage door open, and then I’ll… deal with this…”

“Oh, good idea. I don’t remember it all too well, but I could’ve called him if… waaiiit, a minute.”

Basil was already getting up from his seat to go track down Kel’s home phone, but Aubrey caught his wrist as he pushed himself from his seat.

“I just realized you’ve been using Sunny’s name this whole time, and now you’re saying you have his number. I don’t think I ever mentioned him specifically. When did you guys even meet?”

Basil blinked. He himself didn’t realize he had been casually throwing Sunny’s name around until now, either. “I… we met yesterday.”

“Yesterday? When? I thought you went home after school.”

“Uh, well, I tried to. It was… a little difficult. He helped me, and gave me his number.”

Aubrey still looked very perplexed. Kel chimed in with a ‘eureka’ tone. “Hey, Aubrey! Remember when he ran off because Mewo got loose? That must’ve been it!”

“I thought he was in his house!”

“Sunny’s a sneaky little ninja; don’t underestimate him,” Kel said gravely.

Basil shuffled around a little bit, gently pulling his wrist from Aubrey’s grasp. “It doesn’t really matter. He found Mewo, who was with me, met me, ran back, and then came back to… help me out. That’s all.”

“It must’ve been dark out by that point! Kel, we need to keep a better eye on Sunny from here on out; I genuinely thought he was inside this whole time.” Aubrey called out, distressed, to Kel.

“Agreed. We’re Sunny-tracking failures.”

“This isn’t funny, Kel! He could’ve gotten hurt!”

“Well, even when it got dark, he was with me, so it’s not like he was in big danger or anything,” Basil protested. “I don’t see why you guys are so hung up over this.”

Kel and Aubrey exchanged a meaningful glance, and Aubrey turned back to Basil, speaking slowly. “So, Sunny stayed with you until it got dark, and even ended up giving you his number?”

“Uh… yeah?”

Aubrey’s eyes widened, and Kel whistled. “Wow, Kel, it looks like other stuff happened yesterday besides us screwing over our futures in botany,” she grinned. “How about that.” She handwaved Basil lazily. “Phone’s in the living room. Hey, maybe you’ll get a hold of him. I’m gonna eat.”

Basil still didn’t understand why Aubrey was so convinced Sunny was at his house right now, but decided to comply anyway. Everyone was acting weird for no reason, and Basil didn’t feel like sticking around for that. He walked out to the living room, and tucked the phone under his ear as he pinned the crinkled sheet to the table, then inputted the numbers with his other hand.

The phone rang. Basil waited patiently. He never liked phone calls. Well, he didn’t get many of them, generally speaking, so maybe he couldn’t allow his feelings to get too strong about it. Despite himself, however, he couldn’t help but associate phones with moments involving his parents, or perhaps the lack thereof. Whenever he would call them, the conversations would be strained. His mother would go on talking about things that she had done recently, and direct the conversation back to herself whenever Basil would bring up something about himself in return. When he was younger, Basil thought that his mother was a great storyteller, who always had something interesting to say.

When he was older, Basil thought that his mother was a self-centered narcissist, who only had herself in mind.

His father sort of tried to reach out, in a strange, awkward way. He would ask Basil about the most general of topics, and react like a stone wall whenever Basil would try his best to personalize them- to let his father know about him, who their son, Basil, really was, if they still cared to know. While Basil stood here with the speaker against his ear, he ran through some of those stiff conversations from years ago in his head.

School?

Really hard, because kids can be kind of mean, but I know they’ve got their own things to deal with, and I’m sure they’re nice deep down! Sometimes, they pick on me, but I know it’s just their way of having fun. They don’t really mean it!

Sports?

Um, I don’t really… uh… do sports, but grandmother really likes gardening with me. A-And I like doing it with her, too! Flowers are really cool, and pretty. They also have a lot of meanings! Do you want to hear about one that I thought was nice, but kind of sad? It’s the Cyclamen, it’s- oh, you’re busy? Ah, t-that’s okay…

Girls?

It’s funny you asked that, because Valentine’s day is coming around. A bunch of my classmates have been getting all worried, because they’re worried that their crush might reject them, hehe. It’s cool how my birthday is so close to Valentine’s day! M-Maybe it means something for me? Grandmother always said I was a romantic. Um, will you be coming home for my birthday t-this year? It’s fine if you can’t...

Basil inwardly cringed, thinking of his words from the past- a feeble excuse of an attempt to connect with parents who clearly had no interest in parenting. He had given up maybe a year and a half ago. They hadn’t bothered to talk with him either, once the formalities were gone. The disinterest was there from the start. Once their dense son finally realized he wasn’t wanted in their lives, Basil’s parents seemed to gladly be on their way. All these feelings and memories seemed to swath him in that one moment, and when it was over, his face was still crammed next to the speaker, and the phone had just stopped ringing, leaving a space for a message to be left. Basil didn’t bother. He just tried calling again.

Basil was just starting to get annoyed at the radio silence. This was dumb. The house looked dark; he wasn’t there. Basil was only doing this to heed Aubrey’s wishes. He should just-

“...Hello?”

Basil blinked in surprise, then scowled. “What took you so long?”

“Oh, hi… Basil.”

Man, he sounded really out of it.

“So, uh. You’re in your house, right?” That was a dumb question, of course he was. How else would he be talking to Basil right now?

“Uh… yeah.” Even though Basil thought it was a dumb question, it seemed like Sunny had to take the time to confirm that for himself. He was somehow acting weirder than he was yesterday. Despite himself, Basil couldn’t help but start to get a feeling of unease. Was he… alright? He almost asked the question.

“So… I’m near you right now; I came over to help with the flowers anyway. I wish I could have done it earlier, because it sounds like Aubrey and… uh, I met your other friend, Kel, they decided to uproot the plants to protect them from a freeze. They said they’re in the garage. Could you… open it?”

“Why…? And what do you mean you’re ‘near me?’”

Basil huffed. “I’m at Kel’s house. Next to yours. And what do you mean, ‘why’? I can’t phase through walls. I need to get at the plants somehow, and Aubrey doesn’t want me breaking into your house. Just open the garage.”

“...”

“...Sunny? Are you still there?” Basil was worried that his harshness might have scared him off. Basil felt like he was the more timid one of the two when they first met, but now Sunny was nearly unresponsive. Maybe… maybe he was bad with phones too.

“Sorry. Right. Sorry, Basil. I’ll go open up. Just… give me 15 minutes-” He clicked the phone off right when he said that. Basil stood there as the phone buzzed into his ear, taken aback. He had found someone worse with phone calls than he was. That both made him feel better about himself, and concerned for Sunny’s sake. He was still standing with the phone in his hand when Kel creeped up behind him and scared the sense out of Basil.

“Hey, Basil! Did you talk to him? You’re really gripping the cord pretty hard, looks like. Try not to hurt the phone… I already broke one a few months ago- my dad would be upset.”

Basil set the phone back in place, and stood with his back to the wall, his hands against the side table. “How’d you even break one of these? They’re practically indestructible, at least for me.”

Kel chuckled awkwardly, and leaned on the wall a little near Basil, much to Basil’s distaste. “Well, I’ve got a knack for accidentally breaking things. Y’know, the church got a new stained glass window a little while back, because some kid whacked a baseball clean through one of them. That was me. I was ‘some kid.’” Kel laughed at his own joke.

“Well, maybe if you weren’t too busy being a careless meathead, you wouldn’t have those kinds of things happen.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right about that, but- meathead? Dang, you’ve really got a problem with me, huh?” Kel’s voice lowered. He was being serious, now.

Basil stuffed his hands in Aubrey’s jacket- he didn’t even realize he was still wearing it. It felt so natural for him. Maybe Aubrey was right about it being fitting. He turned his head away from Kel. He really didn’t want to talk with him. Aubrey understood him, to some extent, and sort of forced Basil out of his comfort zone. Sunny was… weird… but, also kind. But Kel…

He talked too much. He was too tall. Too intimidating. He acted nice. Basil knew all too well what those kinds of people were like. Nice face in front of others- whenever it helped them, and cruel towards those they can’t get anything out of. Basil guaranteed that if Kel was in a group of his jock friends, he’d probably be just as willing to shove Basil in a locker as the rest of them assuredly would be. He’s just saving face now. Basil couldn’t help but be surprised that people like Sunny and Aubrey would be around guys like him, but maybe Basil was foolish for assuming they’d have good choices in people to hang out with with no real reason to trust in their judgement.

“Listen, I’ll be honest with you. You, and anybody like you- I’ve never had good experiences with them. Do you play basketball with the team at Faraway High?”

Kel stammered. “W-Well, I play with them, but not on their team. I’d like to be on the team someday, but I don’t think they’d let a freshman join. But, you know, if I work towards it-”

“Then you’ll join the same clique they’re in,” Basil snapped. “If you’re not already with them; I don’t know. A bunch of them act like human garbage. They like to mess with the little guy. They’re like cats toying with their food before they eat it. Trust me, I would know. I’ve had to deal with this kind of stuff off and on for years now. And I’ve tried to be nice about it. You know where that gets me? My face in the toilet, pounded on the floor, shoved in a locker, h-humiliated in a locker room-” Basil’s breath caught in his mouth, he didn’t want to go into things too much. He glared at Kel again for good measure to gather himself. The other boy looked like a deer caught in headlights. He wasn’t anticipating this kind of thing at all. Maybe he really was just the ignorant type. His confusion looked too genuine for it to be a ‘nice guy’ act. Basil started feeling guilt blossom in his chest, but squashed the emotion like a cockroach. He refused to think he was in the wrong here. He was telling someone about the true nature of social pressures at school, that’s all.

Kel spoke up. “L-Listen, Basil. I’m sorry if people have given you a hard time, but you can’t just assume stuff about people when you barely know them. I’m not them! I… maybe I’m not perfect all the time- my older brother’s a way more caring person than I am- but I try my best to be there for other people. So… don’t sell me short, okay?”

Basil felt his heartstrings pulled. Kel looked like a dejected puppy. God, why did he have to be such a jerk about everything? No, stay strong Basil, he told himself. People are fickle. They can say something they truly mean one day, and act differently the next.

“...Sorry. Maybe you haven’t ‘done’ anything yet, but you need to realize that if you keep hanging around these dirtbags in the future, you’re going to have to make a choice about it. Are you going to keep trying to be there for other people? Or are you just going to get caught up in the fun, and just let what the others do slide so you can keep being the cool guy who’s the star point guard?”

With that, Basil realized that fifteen minutes had to have passed by then. He decided it would be good to let himself out quietly. He probably wouldn’t be welcomed here after that unwarranted outburst. Imagine meeting someone, and having them condemn you for your interests from the get-go? If Basil put himself in Kel’s shoes, he wouldn’t want to see them again, that’s for sure. He expected the same treatment towards himself. It was only fair.

He pushed himself from the wall, removing his hands from the coat pockets, and started walking briskly towards the front door.

“Hey Basil!”

The voice didn’t sound aggressive or offended. If anything, it sounded a little disappointed. Basil stopped in his tracks, unwilling to look back with the guilty tug becoming stronger in his chest. He only turned his head to the side to signal acknowledgement.

“You’ve… you’ve got some good points, and good things to say. And uh… thanks, for coming over to help clean up the mess Aubrey and I made with the garden. We just made things even worse, huh? There weren’t many of my flowers to salvage… haha…” Kel gulped.

“But anyway… I know you might not like me now, but- I hope we can learn to get along, maybe in the future?”

Basil had to throw him some sort of bone. “...Uh, sure... Kel.” Basil really hoped, honestly, that Kel would be able to retain that bright-eyed bushy tailed shine in his eyes. He wanted to believe that Kel would be some exception to that unsaid rule that crushed the goodness out of people when they tried to be themselves. But… Basil had little reason to believe that would happen, and it hurt him to think that.

For some reason, the boy brightened at that, and Basil only sighed and shrugged his shoulders as he braved into the outdoors for the second time that day. The sun was starting to get lower on the horizon, staining the sky with orange colors to greet the coming of the blue-hued twilight. He quietly closed the door behind him. When he turned to the right, Basil could see that the garage to Sunny’s house was open. Good, he did go and do it. But… Sunny himself was nowhere to be seen. Much to his displeasure, Basil quickly marched across his lawn into Sunny’s cold, but somewhat sheltered garage. It was dark, cluttered, and shadows from the waxing evening stretched over the concrete floor. Basil started to feel strange again, just walking into somebody else’s house like it was nothing. He wasn’t really sure how to get himself to be more casual about it, so Basil focused on staying goal-oriented. Just find the flowers. That’s all you have to do, he thought.

Basil pushed past stacked storage containers, and tried his best to navigate his messy and dusty surroundings. Basil was startled when he heard a loud clattering noise, and jumped back like a fearful creature. He cursed at himself and his jumpiness when he realized that it was only a rake that he had unwittingly knocked over, but proceeded to jump again when he heard a door creak open.

“H-Hello?”

“Um, hi. Sunny, is that you?” Basil awkwardly stammered out.

“Uh, yeah. What are you-”

“I’m just getting- well, I’m trying to get the flowers Aubrey and Kel crammed in here. After how much I’ve been struggling to even move around in here, I don’t know how they could be alive anymore. Your garage is awful. Well, I don’t even have a garage, so I guess I can’t talk…”

Sunny just sort of… stood, at the threshold of the door to the indoors and the inside of the garage. When Basil tried to look more closely at him, from where he was packed behind piled boxes, it looked like Sunny was sort of teetering.

“You know… I already told you what I was here for over the phone. And that was only after it took a lot of time to get a call back from you.”

“...Well, maybe I was in the bathroom.”

“Uh… were you?”

“No.”

“Then what the hell were you doing?” Basil wasn’t mad. More so exasperated, and primarily confused.

Sunny didn’t respond quickly. He looked a little sheepish, and rubbed one of his arms in an anxious fashion. “...Sorry, I- I thought that I had already called you back. But, turns out I didn’t.”

“Um…” Basil didn’t really know what to say to that. What on earth did that mean? Sunny still stared vacantly from within the doorway. This ongoing strange behavior was just nagging at Basil now. He exhaled slowly, and waved a hand in invitation, but kept eye contact with the cracked and scuffed concrete floor below him. “Alright, get over here and help me find these plants, or something. You look like you’re barely hanging in there,” Basil demanded. Sunny seemed to snap to attention at the direct order, and lightly hopped down two rickety steps.

“...My bad.”

Sunny was quiet yesterday, but back then, he still seemed to have ten times the amount of life than what he had now. Basil felt disconcerted as the other boy pitched towards him, eventually joining his side.

"I think…" Sunny said, in a very tired daze, "...they put them over there." He lifted a shaky, bony finger towards the corner of the garage like one would imagine of the Grim Reaper telling someone 'you're next.'

Basil followed where the finger was pointing to see an array of pots and trays holding cluttered and misshapen masses of sprouts and dirt. Oh boy, he had a lot of cleanup on his hands.

"Well then…" Basil started, bringing his eyes back to linger on the quiet boy before him. Did he look that tired yesterday? Maybe he was more of a night owl. He seemed… droopy. "...I guess I'll get to transplanting them… for a second time. These little guys have been through a lot," Basil tutted.

To his surprise, a small smile cracked across Sunny's face for the first time since he met up with him here. "Hehe," he laughed. "You act more concerned about the plants than you do with people…"

Oh good, there was still a soul left in Sunny’s body. Basil cracked a wobbly smile. “Well, that’s probably true…”

Sunny shook his head as he proceeded to walk past Basil towards the pots. “Eh… I’m sure there’s more to you. Here, I’ll help you out.”

Basil blinked. “Well, that’s a… bold statement. Maybe I’m just boring. Also, you don’t need to-”

Sunny reached down to grab one of the nearest pots and almost immediately swayed and began to topple over. It was a strange way of falling- it was as though Sunny was using an invisible surface to drag himself slowly to the floor, tracing a practiced path visible only to his eye. Basil’s eyes widened in shock as he lurched forward towards Sunny. He attempted to lift Sunny up by slipping his arms through Sunny’s underarms and tugging, pulling the boy towards his chest. Basil groaned as he tried to keep Sunny steady, and began to carefully lower himself to the ground. Sunny wasn’t very heavy, but Basil was used to lifting buckets of compost- not people. People didn’t have handles, and this angle was awkward.

Once on the ground, Sunny seemed to quickly come to awareness, and softly muttered: “You can let go of me, now. Thanks.”

“Um, what was that?” Basil stammered, only half releasing Sunny from his shaking grip. There was no way to guarantee that Sunny wouldn’t just faceplant into the pot before him. Basil carefully slipped his arms away, and steadied Sunny with a hand on his shoulder. “I knew something wasn’t right with you. Come on, what is it?”

“Ugh… just give me a moment…” Sunny closed his eyes, and kept his head lowered.

“‘Ugh?’ Don’t be like that; did you just pass out or something? What-”

Footsteps clacked on the pavement nearby, and Aubrey emerged into the garage, walking with gusto. “Hey, Basil, why’d you clear out so fast? Y’know, Kel’s all depressed you abandoned the tamales he got for y- woah, what’s up with Sunny?” Aubrey’s lax pace quickened as she rushed to Basil’s side, taking Sunny from his grasp.

“Y-you’re asking me- he just fell over with no warning!” Basil spluttered helplessly. Well, there was a warning. Sunny was acting out of sorts the moment he showed up. He should have been more ready for this kind of thing to happen.

Aubrey sighed, and gently shook Sunny by the shoulder as she crouched on the cool garage floor. “...Hey Sunny, how many today? Lift a finger.”

Sunny was quiet for a moment, and made a ‘zero’ with his hand, causing Aubrey to tut. “Come on, let’s get you inside, stupid. We’ll go fix that.”

Basil wasn’t sure what to do with his hands. He felt more than a little useless at the moment. Aubrey seemed calm, but Sunny was still slumped over on his knees. Basil didn’t know what to make of the situation.

“Fix what? Could someone please talk to me?” Basil pleaded, sounding way more whiny than usual.

“Chill out, Basil. He’s fine. He’s dehydrated. You know when things get kind of fuzzy or the blood rushes to your head when you stand up fast?”

“Uh, yeah, but I’ve never almost passed out from it-”

“Good. You drink more water than this knucklehead, then. I’d beat him up out of love if he wasn’t the local ‘group baby,’ and definitely not strong enough to handle it. Come on, Sunny, up we go.” She lifted Sunny to his feet, clearly much stronger than Basil was, and looped her arm around Sunny’s waist. She walked him over to the door Sunny originally came from, and was about to inside. Basil followed them like a ghost, but was stopped by Aubrey.

“Seriously, Basil,” she chuckled as she stood in the doorframe. “I’ve got him. We’ll be out there in a minute. Go get a head start on moving the pots outside- we’re running out of daylight.”

She slowly shut the door behind her. Basil merely stood outside, like a rejected solicitor. If he didn’t feel out of place before, he certainly did now. What just took place felt like something more than simple dehydration, but the way Aubrey reacted to it the way she did made it seem like it was a commonplace incident. Did Sunny have some phobia of water? No, that was stupid. Maybe Basil was overthinking it.

He outwardly groaned. He was probably making a big deal out of nothing. It’s not like Basil was unused to people not being in their prime. He was raised by his elderly grandmother, for goodness’ sake! Pills and illnesses were commonplace. He wasn’t sure why he reacted the way he did here. Maybe because Sunny was so young to be having problems? He… he seemed fine when they talked yesterday. He was way more composed and collected than Basil was. What changed? Well…

Basil’s body began to move on its own as he remained lost in thought. His arms wrapped securely around the potted plants in the garage, and he brought them outside one by one. He scouted around the perimeter of the house, and found that if approached from the left, Basil could stroll into the backyard no problem. There was a good amount of space here. Nearer to the sliding glass door that acted as an entrance into the house, there were some cheap plastic chairs set up- a sad attempt at a patio area. The legs of the chairs teemed with mildew, clearly subjected to the whims of time and disuse. Over to the left, the backyard faded into the nearby forest. Five pinwheels sporting a variety of colors were staked into the ground nearby a proud tree that was probably the only one closest to the house to still be counted as a part of the property. Sun filtered through the whispering leaves all around. Over by the pinwheels sat Basil’s target: a low little planter box. The size seemed good enough for now, but Basil figured that if they wanted some of their plants to grow outwards, it would need to be expanded. As it currently was, the space was a little restrictive. This bunch had a lot to learn.

Basil’s thoughts led back to Sunny. Upon assessing his memory, maybe Sunny wasn’t all there. He did seem kind of spacey before they said goodbye, but that wasn’t an indicator of anything, right? Basil shook his head. He was totally looking way too into this. He wiped some sweat from his brow as he then realized that during his musings, Basil had safely transported the abundance of pots outside. Heh, now he was the one spacing out.

It was just then that Aubrey, and a much more rejuvenated Sunny, now walking on his own, and holding a tall glass of water with both hands, emerged from the sliding door.

“Ugh… Sunny, you’ve got to WD40 this thing- geez!” Aubrey fiercely slammed the glass door shut behind her. “It used to be okay, but now it hardly moves at all!”

Sunny paused and took a sip. “WD- what now?”

Aubrey sighed exasperatedly. “Slide-y juice that makes things move again.”

“Oh… that stuff. I think there’s some in the garage somewhere.”

“Then deal with it.”

“There’s so much stuff… everywhere.”

“That’s your problem,” Aubrey put a hand on her hip and glared at the indifferent boy before her.

“It’s your problem too, as long as you keep using the door,” Sunny raised his eyebrows at her, and merely took another sip as he apathetically stared her down.

“You..!” Aubrey threw her hands up in the air and marched towards Sunny. “You. Are. So. Lazy.” She poked a finger into Sunny’s chest with each syllable- an action which contained enough force to slightly move Sunny backwards with each thrust, much to Basil’s amusement as he watched on.

“But fine! I’ll deal with it!” She smirked. “What do you say…?”

Sunny fluttered his eyelashes and gave a soft smile. “Thank you, Aubrey,” he said, with a humorous lack of emotion in comparison to the theatrical expression.

Aubrey nodded, apparently satisfied with the outcome, and turned to Basil. “Woah, you’re a real machine, huh? Sorry I wasn’t there to help you out.”

Basil shifted his gaze back towards the pots. “-’s fine.”

Aubrey walked over to stand by him, and they both stood very quietly for a good while.

“So… where do we start?”

“I’m… trying to figure that out. You didn’t really make things easy.”

Sunny spoke up, suddenly behind them. Basil startled a bit as a result. He was… really quiet.

“Isn’t it going to get colder?”

Basil nodded in consideration. “Well… winter is coming up, so this probably wasn’t the best time of year to start this kind of project, to say the least, but I think this sudden cold front’s only for a little while more. My grandmother was watching the weather the other day. Things are about to clear up.”

Sunny ‘hmmed’ in reply. “OK…” he said, before grinning a little bit. “So… how bad did things get with your granny?” He tapped the rim of his plastic cup in anticipation, casting a sly look at Basil.

Basil couldn’t help but offer a tiny grin back, when given that kind of look. “Well… not too bad. A little lecture, but it was mainly because I looked like a human week-old banana- not because of how late I was. What about you and your sister?”

Sunny snorted. “I barely made it out alive,” he said gravely. “My skin would’ve been hanging up on that tree if my quick wit didn’t save me.” Sunny pointed to the nearby tree towering overhead.

God, this guy talked so weird. Basil smiled. Aubrey ‘ahem-ed’ to the boys from their left, and Sunny and Basil both jumped a little bit before turning to face her.

“Alright, backstory time, you two! How’d you meet up, and why are you all chummy now? I feel like I’m missing something, and demand to be informed,” Aubrey crossed her arms, and leaned in expectantly.

Basil narrowed his eyes at the lordly pink haired girl who was tapping her foot before him. He didn’t really want to go into detail about how Sunny took it upon himself to be his personal little nurse following his ‘after-school adventure.’ Basil was starting to feel awkward again recalling it, especially with the person in question now standing… right next to him. He wasn’t an enigma anymore, either, or a weird fluke in the matrix. He was a very real person- a person named Sunny- who had black hair, dark eyes, pale skin, a probably unhealthily skinny frame for a guy his age, apparently an aversion to water, and a tendency to help stray delinquents on the side of the road.

“Things happened. Friendship blossomed. Everyone went home happy,” Sunny said, sparing Basil from speaking.

Aubrey huffed. “That… is not an adequate explanation, and it’s honestly making me concerned about how vague you guys are being about everything.” She gave them both an evil eye, scouring over them back-and-forth, as if staring at them hard enough would provide the answers she sought. At their continued silence, she merely sighed. “Well, if you’re gonna be all secretive about your little fucking ‘tryst’,” Aubrey playfully spat out, “I guess there’s not much I can do about it. Come on, let’s shove some plants into the ground.”

Basil blinked slowly. “...Tryst? Is that English?” He felt like the memory of encountering the word was scratching at the back of his brain- maybe he read it in a book somewhere?

Sunny nodded in confused agreement. “I think I missed something.”

Aubrey snootily raised her nose at them and lifted a pretentiously poised hand to her chest. “Well, we’ve all got our little secrets, hm? Do your research. I paid attention in Lit class.”

Sunny recoiled with obvious disgust. “Nerd.”

“Rude.” She stuck her tongue out at him.

Basil sighed. “...Can we just put plants in the ground, like Aubrey said? I’m getting tired.”

Sunny nodded sagely. “Me too.”

Basil glared at him. “You didn’t even do anything…!” Aubrey only sighed at his frustration.

“Get used to it, Basil. He’s like this.”

After some more exasperated sighing, the group set to work on painstakingly transporting each plant into the planters. Their individual work styles clashed initially, but they soon developed a good assembly line way of working. Aubrey would aggressively yank the plants from the pots, with such extensive levels of force that made Basil want to pass out, Basil would place them into the planters and check they were still intact, and Sunny would gently align them into rows, patting the soil back into place.

After the flowers were all brought back into place, the teens stepped back to admire their handiwork.

“Hey Aubrey…” Basil wiped his brow. “Do you want your coat back? I don’t think I need it anymore.” He shed it, and thrust it in her direction.

“Aw man, thanks! For the sweaty coat! I love it!” Her voice strained during her fragmented reply; she pinched her finger on a small end of the jacket, and proceeded to drop it onto the ground.

Basil scoffed at her. “You’ll get it all dirty!”

“You’ll get it all dirty!” Aubrey mocked him in a squeaky voice, and Basil resisted the urge to hit her. “It’s fine, I don’t care. I’ll clean it later. Dirt’s better than your nasty sweat.”

“I’m not that gross…”

Sunny merely watched the plants in silence as the other two bickered. And attempted to interrupt them with a raised finger and his small voice. It took a few tries for him to snag their attention.

“Um, guys, so… how are we going to keep the plants safe from the weather?”

Basil looked over, and saw how Sunny looked legitimately concerned over the prospect of the plants being damaged- well, at least more than they had already. Basil wracked his brain for a solution, and bopped a closed fist into his other palm when struck with the solution, drawing the attention of the other two.

“So, I haven’t had to do this for a while, but back when my grandmother and I were growing vegetables, we used this thing called a ‘frost blanket’ when the weather would get bad. It might be able to help your flowers here. Except…” Basil stopped himself, perplexed at how to approach the situation.

“Except…?” Aubrey prompted, urging Basil to go on.

“Except these plants are too delicate for cardboard, which would usually be a good substitute, since I’m almost certain you flower-growing newbies don’t have any actual frost blankets on hand.”

“Haha, Aubrey, he pretty much called us dumb amateurs…”

“Aren’t you offended? He’s such a hoity-toity ass!”

“Ssh, I’m thinking,” Basil snapped. “Uh, Sunny? Do you have any bedsheets?”

Sunny’s face screwed up almost indiscernibly so- covering up a laugh. “No, Basil. I just sleep on the mattress.”

Aubrey whacked Sunny upside the head. “Hey, some people do have to sleep on a plain mattress. Don’t act like it’s a life staple.” Sunny apologized for his presumptuousness while rubbing the new sore spot on the back of his head.

Basil ignored their antics. “Well, those could work to shield them from frost. We’ll have to stake them into the ground, though.”

Sunny looked like his life just flashed before his eyes, revealing a considerable amount of uncharacteristic emotion at the prospect. “I… I really don’t think my sister would let me get out of that one alive…”

Aubrey paled as well. “Basil… can we do something other than publicly executing the bedsheets? Sunny’s got a valid concern, there.”

Basil rolled his eyes. “You guys aren’t giving me a lot of legroom, here! Ugh, just… find something to weigh them down at the corners, then! Like rocks, I don’t know…”

Sunny and Aubrey gave each other a look, and rushed towards the house. Basil stood there, appalled at the psychic communication he seemed to have borne witness to. While waiting, he decided it was as good a time as ever to water the plants. His work with a nearby watering can didn’t take long, and he sat by it while waiting for the others to get back from… whatever they were doing. The pair returned much quicker than Basil expected, Sunny’s face obscured behind a giant bundle of bedsheets, and Aubrey struggling with a heavy bucket in her arms. Wait… Aubrey was struggling? The thing must have weighed more than Basil and Sunny combined… whatever it was.

“Bed sheets.” Sunny’s muffled voice announced.

“Aaand, something to weigh them down with!” Aubrey dropped the bucket to the ground with a loud ‘thunk,’ and it toppled to its side, spilling dozens and dozens of… rocks? Rocks, with little faces on them.

“Why…?” Basil was at a loss.

“It was a competition to see who could paint the most pet rocks in 5 minutes.” Aubrey explained. Ah yes, it all made perfect sense now, Basil thought.

“It was too glorious to discard,” Sunny emphasized.

“That’s just because you’re a messy hoarder,” Aubrey laughed at the boy, “You’ve still got some baby books lying around.” Sunny flushed at her taunt.

“Aubrey… don’t… expose me like that…” Sunny whined.

“Well then, let’s go put the bedsheets down, and… the rocks…” Basil interrupted, still appalled at what he was seeing.

The trio seemed to mesh well by this point. Basil and Sunny spread out the bed sheets, and Aubrey piled the pet rocks on each corner, thoroughly securing them to the earth. They all dusted their hands off when they finished, trying their best to admire their finished product, but the sun was practically below the horizon at this point. The flood light attached to the back of Sunny’s house flickered pathetically, offering little to no light to illuminate the shadowy backyard. There was no helping the pitiful upkeep of this house, was there?

“Well, I hope this works.” Aubrey broke the silence. “Otherwise, you’re fired, Basil.”

“You weren’t paying me.”

“Oh no, that was Sunny’s job,” Aubrey teased.

“I’m paying you with my friendship?” Sunny offered weakly, and Aubrey mockingly ‘awwed.’ If Basil were another person, he would have laughed off the obviously joking comment, but Basil was Basil, and the prospect of a real, genuine friendship felt almost foreign to him. A snippy reply caught itself in Basil’s throat. Would… Sunny be his... friend if he asked? Would Aubrey?

Basil shook his head at the juvenile line of thinking. What was his deal, lately? He was getting on his own nerves. Although it was getting darker by the minute, Basil could feel Sunny and Aubrey’s expectant eyes boring into him, and he was starting to feel a wave of anxiety bubbling up inside of him. This was usually the feeling he felt in the face of danger, but...

This wasn’t dangerous. Or at least, Basil didn’t think it was. Aubrey could probably pound his face in if she wanted to, but she didn’t. Sunny… probably lacked the motivation to do anything of the sort, and honestly seemed like more of a gentle soul. Sure, maybe he was kind of aloof, but he was… kind of funny, and... sort of interesting, in his own weird way.

Basil flushed. He couldn’t stop the pounding in his chest. “Uhh… I could… keep coming around to check up on things, i-if you guys want me to…” His mouth felt dry while the words came out.

A spritely giggle came from Aubrey. “I mean, I hoped you would! We’d be lost without you, haha.”

Lost without him...

It was almost like he was needed.

Almost.

Basil inwardly shook his head. Only until the winter came, and the flowers died. Then he wouldn’t have a reason to stick around. They only wanted his help. That was all.

Basil tried to steady himself.

“Yeah… erm.... I hope you can keep coming over… Basil…” Sunny meekly mumbled. He scratched his arm, a little anxiously, not making eye contact.

Basil’s heartbeat hammered, now. “Well… I’ll see if I can, then.” He didn’t want to make any certain promises. What if they changed their minds?

Aubrey giggled again. “Let’s get home, you quiet losers. I’ve got to get Basil, my nervous little date, back home safely, or I might not be able to get a second one!”

Basil groaned. “Not this again, Aubrey…”

Sunny looked and sounded appalled. “Date?”

Basil held his hands out in denial. “She’s joking! She was messing with me about that earlier…”

Aubrey breezed over Basil’s hasty explanation, turning towards Sunny. “Are you gonna be OK, Sunny? You could come with us, if you’d like. I’m surprised that Mari and your mom aren’t home yet.”

Sunny shuffled his feet. “Yeah… me too… I should stay though. Someone has to watch the house.”

Aubrey sighed. “Alright, then. Hold up, I’m gonna go put the pots inside the garage, and then I’ll get going. Feel free to change your mind. Help me out, Basil!” Aubrey demanded as she started lifting some of the pots and walking away.

Basil didn’t immediately assist, as he was now reminded of how Sunny was acting earlier. He was much perkier now; the cup of water must have helped out a lot. But whatever it was, it was enough for Aubrey to be concerned for her friend’s sake. And… Basil’s questions were never answered…

“Hey… what was up with you earlier?” Basil furrowed his brow, his voice coming out much harsher than intended, and Sunny kept his eyes on the ground. Basil felt a shiver of shame suddenly rush down his spine. Whatever it was none of his business, was it? Sure, he was curious, but Basil had completely forgotten he had just met this guy. Sunny had no obligation to share anything with him. Mayhap it was a bit of an overreaction on his part, but at the feeling of his own ignorance, Basil wanted to turn tail and sprint home. “S-Sorry-” he sputtered out.

Sunny, surprisingly, interrupted him. “It’s fine. You’d probably see me like that again if you come over to help out, anyway,” He held a thumb to his chin contemplatively. “To be honest, I wish I could tell you what was up with me. I don’t really know. I… I see someone about it, but all I can really say is that I get stuck in my head. A lot.”

Basil felt his head whirling, trying to make sense of the information being provided to him. “I-I mean, a lot of people do, don’t they?” Basil could attest to spiraling in his own thoughts on many an occasion.

“N-No, it’s kind of different. I dunno… It’s really vivid, and uh… it sometimes ‘hinders me from interacting with reality in a functional manner.’” Sunny paused. “That’s how they described it to me- the person I’m seeing.”

“Like a doctor? Or a therapist?”

“The latter.”

“Oh.”

“But… even they can’t pin down whatever it is,” Sunny laughed cynically. “It’s frustrating. Some of the people around me act like something’s wrong with me, and it’s my own fault, I swear they think that. I think they think I’m making a problem about something that doesn’t exist, just because they can’t find a name for it.”

“Well, that’s stupid,” Basil felt himself getting heated on Sunny’s behalf. “You’re fine. Just because you… I don’t know… get stuck in your head… doesn’t mean you deserve judgement! It sounds like you can’t even control it. Why would you make yourself go through something that causes you trouble?” His words came out much more passionately bitter than he intended or expected.

Sunny fiddled with his hands, and sheepishly glanced up at Basil, this time with a little smile on his face, more genuine than his teasing grins he’ll sometimes give when he’s joking in some detached way. “Thanks…” He said, causing Basil himself to feel a tad sheepish.

At that moment, Aubrey returned from the garage, ready to grab more empty flower pots. “Oh gee, thanks Basil! Really helping me out a bunch, huh? Glad to see you and Sunny are having fun without me. Planning your next secret getaway?”

“Aubrey…” Sunny hissed out.

Basil only grumbled and went over to snatch some flowerpots. Aubrey was a proper diva at times, wasn’t she?

With their combined efforts, Aubrey and Basil were able to stack the remaining flower pots back into their dusty prison in the garage. Sunny stood in the doorway he first emerged from, and merely watched Basil and Aubrey as they prepared to depart.

“Thanks for having us over, Sunny! See you later,” Aubrey waved him goodbye. “Oh, and say ‘hi’ to Mari for me, and ask her if we’re still on for a movie on Friday!”

“I will.” Sunny was sounding bummed out. It was a little hard to tell the difference between how he sounded now and his usually insipid tone, but Basil could swear there was a discernible change. Did… he get lonely?

Sunny waved back at Aubrey, and… then he waved at Basil. Basil lifted a hesitant hand and gave a small, floppy wave in return. He clearly was unused to the motion. Sunny seemed to find his hesitancy humorous, and mirrored another, much more exaggerated version of Basil’s clumsy wave back at him. Basil angrily frowned in reply to the mockery. Sunny was straight back to his impersonal teasing nature again. He turned his head away in protest so Sunny wouldn’t see the small smile that threatened to creep up Basil’s face. Sunny chuckled quietly from the doorway.

Aubrey groaned. “Come ooon, Basil. I thought you said you were tired. Hurry the hell up. I’m tired, at least, so stop being slow.”

Basil deliberately ignored her rudeness, and began to make his way home with her. Once they were a ways away from Sunny’s front yard, he heard the garage door grate shut behind them. Aubrey occasionally made comments on their walk home, but it was otherwise quiet. One of those comments was about expressing further elation over the fact that he and Aubrey lived on the same street, which was a bit disconcerting to Basil, as it gave her easy access to harass him at any moment, but he supposed he’d have to get used to it. Maybe she and Sunny would pop over sometimes. That would be something completely out of Basil’s field of experience.

The thought, despite it on one end seeming like an invasion of his privacy, also sent more nervous butterflies in his chest. The prospect of some form of friendship had latched onto Basil’s heart, although he was loathe to admit it. It could easily be lost at any moment, and he hated that he was so desperate as to allow himself to clutch onto a hope established on a one-day basis. Surely, he’d wake up tomorrow with a clear head, and realize this nonsense for what it was- nonsense.

Right?

Chapter Text

The couple weeks following the initial meet up was… interesting, to say the least. Basil wasn’t really sure what to make of it.

For starters, Basil didn’t sit alone at lunch anymore.

“Hey, loser! Get me some of the cookies before the lunch ladies give them all out.” Aubrey pounded a single dollar bill proudly onto the table. George Washington peered out at Basil from his green, papery prison.

“Get them yourself. Besides, I think they’re a dollar fifty, now.” Basil scoffed, and folded his arms.

Aubrey gasped incredulously. “They’re just capitalizing on broke kids, at this point.” She angrily snatched her bill from the table and stuffed it back into her pocket. “I didn’t want their dumbass cookies, anyway.”

Basil raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? I thought you said that the chocolate chip cookies were practically 'melting in your f-ing mouth,' using your words.”

“I don’t remember saying that- at least while you’re still being a coward who won’t drop the f-bomb to quote me correctly.”

“I-I’m not afraid to say it. I just save it for a good time.”

“You don’t have a limited use of swears, Basil. Listen: fuck, fuck, shit, fuck-”

“Real mature, Aubrey. I get the point. You’re all big and bad.”

Aubrey giggled. “No, obviously that position is saved for you, the baddest of them all.”

Basil chucked a tater tot at her hair.

Having Aubrey with him now was… certainly an experience. The day after he, Aubrey, and Sunny combined their energies to establish the flower garden, she had approached him at lunch, and had promptly plopped her tray down across from him, saying that she was ‘tired of seeming him sulking in the corner.’ Basil had gotten annoyed, saying he didn’t need her pity, but she had only remained quiet and ate the rest of the day beside him in silence. Basil had felt uncomfortable about it, like wearing shoes one size big for your feet, and to be frank, the feeling still lingered strongly. However, when Aubrey had begun to perk up and make conversation in Basil’s introverted stead, he had to admit that, although it could still be annoying, on other occasions, Aubrey’s outbursts acted as a distraction from Basil’s own thoughts.

A back and forth tater tot tossing session occurred due to Basil’s instigation, and it ended up in Basil’s hands. He decided to be the bigger person, put an end to the food desecrating insanity, and throw it out. He walked halfway to the nearest trash can, keeping his head low, as he never enjoyed walking and possibly drawing attention towards himself in rooms with lots of people, and tried to toss the tater in from a few feet away. The little morsel flew towards the bin and bounced off the rim. Basil missed. He walked towards it and bent over to pick it up.

A slap hit him on the behind.

Basil shot upwards with flustered indignancy and whirled around to see some passing spluttering kids. They looked older than him- maybe juniors going through the lunchroom to some other place.

The ones in the front- one of them probably at fault- and maybe put up to it as a dare, Basil didn’t care, were laughing with pitched, cracking laughs, their hormonal stupidity grossly highlighted. The shorter ones at the tail of the group trailed behind. One of them quickly shot out, as if unable to hold it back any longer:

“Nice rear, flower fag!”

His friend puffed up like a tomato with laughter, apparently considering that the peak of comedy. He couldn’t help but chime in:

“Your girlfriend’s cute, though! Hook a brother up!”

They kept passing by while chortling amongst themselves, and Basil felt that familiar sensation of his blood boiling all over again. Basil grabbed the hoodie of the kid at the end of the gaggle of boys, and pulled him towards him; the kid yelped as he stumbled backwards, but ended up losing traction in his feet. Some of his friends turned around to see what was going on. Basil couldn’t repress the growl in his throat. Some kids seated nearby started mumbling amongst themselves, concerned.

“Oh shit, he’s at it again…”

“What happened, now?”

“Why do people keep messing with him? This happens every time…”

Some authoritative voice shouted a warning from behind the lunch line, but Basil didn’t hear it.

The kid’s friends started trying to placate him, telling him to calm down, but Basil only squeezed the hood tighter, and lugged his arm to the right. He heard the kid choking as he was dragged by his neck on the grimy floor. Basil started to smile again, but-

A hand laid on his shoulder, then tightened harshly around it- fingernails poking at him viciously. It shoved Basil aside, and he subsequently lost the grip on the kid he was holding onto. He sputtered and drew himself up quickly, ushering his friends to walk away without looking back. Surprisingly, they all left. Maybe the attention on the commotion deterred them from any further action. Basil watched with remorse as they quickly marched away. Teachers didn’t seem to be approaching; they must have figured that since things resolved themselves, there was no issue. They typically didn’t stop disputes like that in Faraway Middle. Apparently the same was true of Faraway High.

Basil lurched with a hiss, glaring to his left, where Aubrey now stood.

“Why on earth did you do that?”

Aubrey glared at him in return, and barked at him. “To stop you from getting all fucked up again, you idiot. You’re welcome.”

“This is normal for me! Just leave me alone…”

“Well, your standards are pretty low if you’re okay with this being ‘normal’ for you. Do you really want Sunny to have to baby you again? Or me? Apparently when you looked like shit a few weeks ago, that was you when you were dolled up. Yeah, don’t give me that look. Sunny mentioned to me that that’s what happened when you two met. I kept asking him about it.”

“Well, secret’s out, then. Getting beat up makes someone look awful. That’s not news, Aubrey.”

“I’m just saying that it was even worse than I thought. Sunny thought it was pretty horrible too, from what he told me. I wouldn’t want anyone to go through that- and you go around starting things regularly? Give me a break- no, give yourself a break!”

“I don’t start things!” Basil flung a hand to his side, ready to defend himself and his actions. ”They were talking shit about me! I can’t just let people say mean things like that!”

Aubrey slugged Basil’s arm and snarled. “Oh, grow up! I have people say garbage about me all the time! Every time I go home, garbage. I don’t want to hear your sob story. Get over yourself.”

Basil slugged Aubrey back. “I don’t want to hear it, don’t just act like you can say stuff about me because we hung out once. You don’t understand what I-”

“I told you that I do understand! At least some of it! So just… shut up!” Aubrey caught onto Basil’s arm and wrestled with him over it. She began dragging him back to the lunch table.

A frail looking male teacher tentatively approached them, looking nervous around Aubrey’s fiery rage. “Is everything all right, young lady? Was he trying to hurt you?”

Aubrey rolled her eyes at him. “Nope, sir. This guy couldn’t hurt me if he tried. Lover’s quarrel; don’t worry.” She towed Basil past him without a second glance, as Basil hissed behind her like a feral cat. She finally dragged them to their lunch table, where the surrounding kids kept darting glances over at them. Aubrey took a large, deliberate gulp of her bottled soda, ignoring the kids around her. Basil stewed, still glaring at her. Aubrey ended up putting the soda down, her cola not having enough volume to block out Basil’s livid gaze for long.

“...Are you gonna talk about it?”

“Not to you.”

“Fine, then.”

They sat in silence for a while, and Aubrey picked at her food, not sparing Basil a single glance.

“They called me a fag… again. This time they tacked ‘flower’ onto it. I guess they’re being creative?”

Aubrey ‘hmmed,’ contemplatively. “Very creative. People usually ignore me around here, but it seems like a lot of the guys around town… act like that. A lot of insecure dudes. I might have been called a dyke…” She lifted her gaze, accessing her recall, “I think... only one time? I kind of laughed it off. It’s whatever.” She shrugged, and leaned forward.

“They’re not all bad, though. There’s a group of guys here, I heard they used to be like that, but ever since one of them actually ended up crushing on some dude around here- I can’t remember his name, everyone just calls him ‘Pretty Boy’- they ended up being really cool about it.” She sloshed her drink around in her grasp, and put an elbow casually on the tabletop.

“Well, that’s just great, good for them.” Basil sulked, his hands back in his old jacket’s pockets. He wished the cafeteria benches had a back to lean into, because he wanted to sink into the floor and never return. All of the sudden, a thought entered his head.

“Wait a minute, Aubrey, are you sure that flower note page didn’t get picked up by anyone else?”

“The what now?”

“The one with the fertilizer stuff.”

“Oooh, that one. Yeah, I don’t think so. I picked it up really quickly. Why?”

Basil shook his head, confused. Why then…?

The lunch bell dinged. Five minutes for everyone to see themselves out, visit lockers, and plop themselves back into class for the rest of the day. Basil got up quickly, and went to dump the contents of his unfinished tray of food. Aubrey had cleaned up hers, no problem. “I’ve got it,” she offered, hurtling a crumpled napkin into the garbage bin with stunning accuracy, then dumping the food into the garbage with much more force than necessary. Basil watched as other students followed suit, and zoned as he saw bottle after bottle get thrown into the massive garbage bin.

“I wonder how much plastic waste is made every single lunch block…” Basil muttered, half absentmindedly.

“Dunno,” Aubrey returned to Basil’s side. “Hey, maybe you could channel all that aggression towards a ‘Go-Green’ campaign!”

“I’ll pass.”

The two shuffled with the wave of students funneling from the lunchroom, and Aubrey looked over at Basil while they stood, seeing his face still in a firm line. She laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Deep breaths, buddy. Don’t let what they say get to you so much, and try not to stir up trouble, just for the rest of the day.”

“...I wish it was that simple.”

“It is.”

Basil didn’t respond. He had to go pick up a binder from his locker before the next class. He only had his math-homework half finished. The night before, his grandmother had needed more help than usual, and afterwards, Basil didn’t feel the motivation to work too hard on it. He figured he might as well turn in what he still had. Once the two were out in the open, Aubrey gave Basil a small wave and a stern look as a farewell, and Basil only waved her off lightly. They went their separate ways.

The in-between period locker rush was the reason Basil usually just kept the things he needed in his backpack and the backpack with him throughout the day. However, another recent incident of someone sticking something… gross… inside of his backpack had made him more wary of having to leave his backpack alone for even a moment. This led to him, unfortunately, having to shoulder his way past several panicked students, scrambling to collect their belongings before they were late to class. The boy standing in front of Basil’s locker cleared out, and Basil was just about to stoop down to the combination lock, but then-

“Heeeyy, Basil! Hope your day is going swimmingly!”

Basil groaned. Like clockwork.

Another recent addition in Basil’s life for the past few weeks has been that, without fail, Kel will stop by Basil’s locker at some point throughout the day. Maybe their routes to their classes were similar, and they had never noticed each other before, or something, but now Kel made it his mission to greet Basil every day. Basil was almost impressed with his consistency. Basil had tried to ignore him at first, trying to get the message across that just because they had spoken to each other, he wasn’t interested in being friendly, but it proved to be fruitless when Kel wasn’t deterred by his behavior.

Kel stopped in front of Basil’s locker. Clearly, he wasn’t in a rush, today.

“So, how we doing today? Picking up some homework? I forgot to do mine, yesterday. My English teacher bopped me with a textbook and told me to get my head out of the clouds, hehe…”

“Didn’t get all of mine done, yesterday,” Basil grunted.

“Ooh, sucks. What subject?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Ouch, cold! Don’t worry, I suck at everything that’s not gym, so I won’t judge. I’ve got to work on keeping a B average if I want to keep a spot on a team, someday, though. And if I don’t want to get my mom’s sandal permanently printed on my-”

“-It’s math. And I’m not horrible at it. Just couldn’t finish it.”

Kel laughed. “Totally get it. I’d rather play games, or visit Hobbeez or something.” He stretched widely and lazily, thoroughly invading Basil’s personal space. Basil shrunk away.

“You go to Hobbeez?”

Kel blinked, looking surprised at the question. “I mean, yeah? Someone’s gotta keep the place in business. Well, it’s probably not doing bad business-wise; a lot of people like going there, but I swear I’ve dumped waaay too many coins into that darn Captain Spaceboy game! I’m probably their most lucrative customer,” Kel almost looked proud of that claim.

“I just thought it was more of a kiddie store.”

“Nah, it’s not really. My brother Hero kind of thinks it is, but he just doesn’t understand the appeal of it, is all.” Kel chuckled to himself. “Now that he’s a senior, he’s suuuch a grown-up,” Kel rolled his eyes playfully, and waggled his eyebrows at a disinterested Basil.

Basil wasn’t sure what Kel was expecting to get out of this. How do you tell someone who’s trying so hard to be your friend that you don’t want to be friends? Basil thought he was pretty clear about it when they first met. He probably shouldn’t have given that ‘maybe…’ Just because he was helping out one of his friends with their flowers didn’t mean…

Basil felt a lightbulb go off in his head. He could be wrong, but maybe…

“Hey Kel…”

Kel snapped to attention. “‘Sup?”

“Do you… talk about me with other people?”

Kel blanked again. “Uh… I mean, I chatted with Sunny about you once, after you, he, and Aubrey all had your pow-wow without me, but I don’t really-”

“Like, at school. Did you ever talk about me at school?”

Kel appeared to be in intense thought, and then a realization seemed to dawn upon him as he straightened up. “Oooh, yeah! Now that you mention it, I think I did! Man, I totally forgot…” He leaned against the locker.

“What’d you say?”

Kel seemed like he was trying excessively hard to pull from his memory, and Basil sat in wait, expectantly.

“Alright…” Kel began, and pushed away from the lockers to start pacing back and forth. The students had almost completely cleared out at this point, and the bell rang in the background. Kel and Basil both didn’t really care. “So, I was walking with some of the other guys, and I think I was saying ‘hi’ to you again, and you kinda, brushed me off, so like some other guy thought I was just messing with you, but I was like ‘Oh, no, I know that guy’!” Kel laughed preemptively. “And this guy, he was like-” Kel screwed up his face to imitate the other ‘guy.’ 'Oh yeah? You’re just messing with me.'”

Kel stretched out his hands expressively. “So I mentioned about how you were really cool and stuff, you hung out at my house a little bit, and you acted a little tough, but it was whatever, and about how you helped my friends out with their garden, and how you just kinda knew a lot about flowers, and how that was super cool and-”

Basil pinched the bridge of his nose. Great.

“You told them about how I liked flowers?”

Kel stopped mid ramble. “Um, yeah? Was that okay? I mean, I didn’t really know what else to say, since you won’t really tell me about yourself and-”

“No, Kel!” Basil said exasperatedly. “That was not okay! I deliberately tried to keep my hobbies on the low around here for a specific reason! Ugh…” Basil dragged his hands down his face. Kel was a loose-lipped idiot.

:”The specific reason of… flowers being bad?” Kel looked completely at a loss.

“The specific reason of people using it as another source for name-calling,” Basil drawled.

“Oh… sorry about that…” Kel’s face changed completely. He looked legitimately remorseful now, but that wasn’t doing Basil any good. “I’ll… I’ll tell them to stop talking about it, if that helps?”

Basil hissed. No, that would not ‘help.’ “Kel, just…” He couldn’t. He just couldn’t. “Ugh. Think more about what you say! See you later.” Basil collected his bag, threw the strap over his shoulder, and marched away from Kel, leaving him in the dust.

“...Bye!” Kel called after Basil from where he stood, stuck in a perplexed daze, in the hallway. Basil clenched his teeth.

Basil’s frustrated fog didn’t leave him for the rest of the school day. From the name calling, to Aubrey’s involvement, to Kel’s stupidity, and then his teacher lecturing him on a lack of motivation and effort due to his lacking homework, Basil wanted nothing more than to pound his head into the pavement. When Basil unlocked the door to his house with his spare set of house keys, he didn’t even bother to offer a greeting to the air, preferring to toss himself face-first into the couch, and letting a frustrated yell dissipate into the cushions.

His grandmother ended up hobbling out of the room, and gave a smile upon seeing the back of Basil’s staticky mess of hair.

“I think that asking about how school was would probably not be the right question, so I’ll just say I’m glad to see you home, Basil.”

Basil turned to his side, his lips in a pout. He mumbled a quiet greeting to his grandmother. She knew that he never really liked to talk about any of the things he experienced, or the thoughts in his head. Basil’s grandmother was distressed by this, wanting to be there for her grandson, but she realized it wasn’t easy for him to share his thoughts, so she had learned to settle for simply being there for him.

She motioned to him to scoot over, and then settled into the creaking couch, with a sigh of relief echoing from her own creaking bones upon doing do. “So… what do you want for dinner, tonight?”

Basil took a moment before replying, then sighed. “Maybe… we could make some of your tiropitas? Is that okay? I know it’s carb heavy, so maybe I could make a salad with-”

“Don’t worry about it, Basil dearest. We’ll put spinach in it.” Basil’s grandmother smiled at his participation, and went to check the cabinets. Her memory was betraying her as to whether or not they had the ingredients necessary. She opened the fridge and sighed. “Basil, I’m sorry, but we don’t have filo dough.”

“I could go pick some up?”

“Oh, Basil, you don’t have to, I could go get something else ready-”

A sudden pounding at the door spooked them both. That knocking seemed familiar. Basil stood up, and creaked open the door to a very frustrated-looking Aubrey. Basil’s grandmother peeked over from the kitchen. Her eyes widened when she saw Aubrey.

“Oh, is that the girl from before? Hello, dear! Is everything alright?”

Aubrey huffed, but her eyes softened when she saw Basil’s grandmother, looking innocently perplexed. “Everything’s fine, miss, I just need to talk to your grandkid really quickly.”

“Is everything all right?” Basil’s grandmother repeated herself. “We were just about to have dinner if you’d like-”

“No, I’m good, I’m busy, thank you. Basil, get your-” Aubrey yanked Basil by the sleeve of the brown sweater he was wearing, and pulled him outside. Basil was taken aback by the suddenness of it all, and stared intently at Aubrey’s flustered visage. Basil slowly shut the door behind himself.

“All right, typically I’d be more ready to clean this kind of shit up,” She prefaced, clasping her hands together, “But I’m busy, today. I’ve got to try to finish a project I completely forgot about until like, twenty minutes ago.” She breathed deeply. “Five. Five fucking voicemails. And it was getting worse for each one, so I require your professional aid. Lucky you.”

“Mind explaining what’s going on in a clear sentence?”

“Don’t sass me. It’s Sunny. Of course it’s Sunny. He’s chill as a freezer until he’s not. He keeps calling me about spiders in the garden or something. When I actually picked up, and tried to inform him that the outdoors do indeed, contain spiders…” Aubrey widened her eyes theatrically, and did her best to imitate Sunny’s voice, shallow breathing and all. 'B-But Aubrey! There’s webs! All over! They’re taking over the backyard! I don’t know what to do!'”

Basil scrunched up his face. Somehow, he couldn’t imagine Sunny sounding that petrified and outwardly panicked over… anything. He supposed everyone had their moments.

“Did you ask him to talk to Kel to check it out?”

“Of course, and he said he wasn’t picking up. He’s probably out, and I think his brother and his girlfriend are out for a date or something. I tried to call him for extra measure, since I’m such a great friend, and sure enough, no dice.”

“So where do I come into this…?”

Aubrey shook her head at Basil’s inherent stupidity. “Finding out what the hell is going on that’s got Sunny having a conniption. He’s arachnophobic, aquaphobic, every-damn-thing-phobic, but I can’t babysit him right now. Go take care of it!” She shoved Basil away towards the sidewalk, as if it would jumpstart him on his course.

“I-I was just about to go get stuff for dinner!”

“Great! Then go do it on the way! It’s late September, and I’m already failing science! Help a girl out! And give Sunny your number while you’re at it! Then he can bug you when I’m busy in the future!”

“Oh, I’m happy to be your errand boy…”

“Stop sulking. Listen, I’ve gotta go. Thanks!” Aubrey was already stumbling away, preparing for a full-fledged, panicked-high-school-student sprint mid-sentence. Basil sighed. He guessed he had no choice but to figure out whatever the conundrum was over at Sunny’s. He turned back to his house, and opened the door to his grandmother’s confused expression.

“Everything’s okay; don’t worry, grandmother… I’ve just… ugh…” Basil shook his head. “I’ll be out for a little bit, so could you sit tight for a moment? I’ll be back with filo dough. I’ve got to go help out… someone…”

Basil’s grandmother perked up at that. “It’s not the pink-haired girl? A different person? Are they kind?”

Basil blinked. “Ah… I- I guess so… but I’ve got to go help them out with something, since Aubrey can’t, so… I’ll be right back.”

Basil’s grandmother smiled, clearly excited at the idea of her child gaining more friends. “Oh, one second, Basil dearest. I’ll get you some money for the store.” She shuffled across the carpet, her woolen slippers whispering on the wooden floor, and reached her purse. She pulled out a twenty dollar bill, far more than what one would need for filo dough, causing Basil to look at her strangely, but take the bill without protest.

“Well… I’ll get going, then. Bye.”

“Be safe, Basil!”

Basil waved at her and gently shut the door. He sighed. Time to see what was going on with Sunny this time.

Basil walked briskly to get to Sunny’s street in an acceptable manner of time. He felt a little exhausted when he reached that same white house, and was about to knock on the door, but heard a strange, strangled cry coming from the backyard. Yep, that was probably him. Basil decided to cut into Sunny’s backyard from the left. The image he was presented with wasn’t entirely what he was expecting, but it amused him nevertheless.

Sunny, who had lost much of his typically well-maintained composure, now looked wild and like he had lost all sense. He was facing the trees that hovered above the garden with a metal rake in hand. Within the trees in question: a large, white, clustered web. Basil could swear he saw wriggling from inside. Regardless, it was a singular web- and not infectious enough for Basil to consider it as ‘all over the backyard.’ Sunny stood in a weak combat stance, his knees knocking together. A strange variety of other tools littered the lawn, including one of the lawn chairs, a few foam footballs that were thrown wildly off course, and, strangely enough, a… knife?

“Uh… Hi, Sunny,” Basil made himself known, but stepped back quickly when Sunny whirled on him with the rake still in hand, and a wild, desperate look in his eyes.

“Please… put that down. I’m here because... Aubrey wanted me to be. Friend, not foe.” Basil felt like he should tread carefully, here.

Sunny’s tight grip on the rake grew more sluggish, and he wordlessly walked over to Basil, thrusting the rake out in his direction. Basil stared at the rake, and then looked back up at Sunny’s quickly blanking expression.

“Take it. I don’t care who. I just need someone to take care of this. Please.”

Basil carefully took the rake, which then caused Sunny to deeply exhale in relief as his burden was passed to another. He then practically did a little spin as he pivoted around to shield himself from the horrors of nature using Basil’s body as a barrier before him.

“Uh, so… you’re afraid of spiders?” Basil took a few paces forward, and squinted at the web cluster on the trees.

“...Yes.” Sunny whispered out from behind.

Basil chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, nothing. I just thought you were the type who didn’t get fazed easily. But, as Aubrey said, you’re ‘every-damn-thing-phobic?’” Sunny was quiet for a moment, and Basil had a little bit of his own fear course through him, as he worried he said the wrong thing.

“...She’s not wrong, though.” Sunny shook his head. “But, I don’t care about my dignity. Please, just do a thing and get rid of it.” Phew, it seemed Sunny wasn’t offended.

Basil only loosened his grip on the rake, though, deciding to opt out of ripping the web open. He nodded to himself. Sunny was alarmed.

“What… are you doing? Don’t tell me you’re scared, too?”

Basil shook his head and turned around to face Sunny. “No, I’m alright. I’ve dealt with these kinds of things before. I was just thinking that I’ll be taking a trip to Fix-It as well as Othermart, now.”

“What for?”

“Well, I’ve got to pick up some lime sulfur.”

“Can’t you… erm… knock this thing down first?” Sunny’s face was pure confusion, and he was still slightly hunched over in a feeble position, as though he was expecting an attack from spiders from any direction.

“Well, if I do that, tons of caterpillars are going to fall all over the garden, and we can’t have that, for the plants’ sakes, sooo…”

“Oh, okay. That makes se- wait, caterpillars?”

Basil pointed at the web, and motioned for Sunny to move past his personal aversion towards acknowledging such things, and to look at the web with him. “This thing is way too condensed to be a spider web cluster. The strands in spider webs are typically going to be stretched out more. These are clustered closer together, like an egg sac.” Sunny shivered when Basil said ‘egg sac,’ so Basil assured him: “Trust me, at least around here, you’re not going to find a single spider egg sac that huge. This… is a Fall Webworm’s… nest, you could say.”

Sunny seemed to calm down at Basil’s words, nodding to himself as he took in the new information, likely shutting down any internal ‘holy-shit-it’s-a-spider’ alarms that were going off in his head. However, he soon shivered again.

“They still look super creepy, though. It’s how I imagine mutant spider sacs to look like.”

Basil laughed. “Well, what’s actually scary about these things is that they could totally rip apart your trees and…” he looked down at the flowerbed, “...our own flowers.” Basil grimaced. These things had been very pesky for him in the past, but it had been a while since he last encountered some of these irritating critters. It was probably because of how close Sunny lived to the forest.

“...On the bright side, though, they’re killed by lime sulfur. So, I’ll be on my way…” Basil set the rake down, and began to walk away, but was caught by the sleeve for the second time that day, making Basil think it might be a liability to wear sweaters. He was caught a bit off guard as he waited for Sunny to say something, his tense fingers firmly latched on.

“Wait.” His face was pointed towards the ground.

“Uh… yeah?”

“Um… can I come with?”

Basil grinned. “What, don’t want to be left alone with the big, scary not-spider eggs?”

“...Yeah, pretty much. Even if that’s not what they are, I… don’t wanna be left to think about it.”

Basil’s grin dissolved. Sunny wasn’t offering any teasing back. Maybe he really was shaken up over this. “You and your thinking... “ He contemplatively muttered. “Well, in that case… uh… it’s going to be pretty boring. Just… shopping and stuff.”

“But then we kill these things,” Sunny said determinedly.

“But then we kill these things,” Basil confirmed.

“Then let’s go.” Sunny let go of Basil’s sleeve, and began to flee from the backyard without looking back.

“You’re moving quick for a guy who probably doesn’t even know what lime sulfur is!” Basil called after him. Sunny’s one track mind did not cease to entertain Basil.

“...I’ll figure it out!” Sunny’s voice echoed from further away, causing Basil to let out a small giggle to himself. Basil picked up the pace to catch up, and thus began the walk to the Othermart plaza with Sunny at his side. The boy seemed much more put at ease now that there was some distance between himself and the hulking mass of moth webbing in his backyard, and was back to his dazed and unfazed self. Basil’s day thus far might have been doing nothing but scraping at his nerves, but at least this little scenario offered a small diversion.

Almost on cue to break him out of his nearly-content headspace, an annoyingly familiar voice rang out as Basil and Sunny neared the end of the street. To the left of the rusty, faded stop sign, Kel approached, dribbling a basketball as he came. He beamed as he saw Sunny and Basil, and Basil wasn’t sure if it was just in his head, but Kel seemed to direct a little extra of his sunshiny smile in his own direction. Basil inwardly groaned. This guy just wouldn’t stop trying so hard. No matter what Basil said…

“Hey guys! Whatchu two up to?” Kel tried… and failed to spin the basketball on one finger as he idled with them by the corner of the sidewalk. Lucky for him, he was able to dribble it suavely back into a fluid control, as if that little slip-up had never happened.

Sunny shrugged his shoulders and looked at Basil. “...Shopping.”

Kel waited for specifics with a raised brow, but both boys stood rather quietly, so Kel only let out a low whistle. “Real… interesting stuff… Sunny. Wanna share anything about that, or…?”

Basil tapped his foot impatiently. He didn’t really want to entertain Kel’s extensive small talk. He already chatted with him at school that day, and was still pretty peeved by Kel’s stupid oversharing on his behalf regarding the garden. Clearly, though, Sunny was used to his friend’s antics, and probably had learned to adjust some accordingly, offering his voice where Basil wouldn’t.

“We’ve got to pick up some poison.”

Kel drew back. “Erm, should I be concerned? Basil, I hope you’re not too mad at me…”

Basil laughed, but sucked his breath in quickly. The sound of his own involuntary laughter caught him off guard. Damn it. Kel saw. He very clearly brightened at making Basil laugh, even if it was only for a moment. Basil folded his arms indignantly and turned his head away. He ignored the calculated stare of Sunny from his left, assessing his behavior in an almost invasive fashion.

“It’s just for bugs. The garden we’re working on… there’s a bunch of caterpillars on the tree above it.”

“So, unless you’re a caterpillar…” Sunny offered menacingly.

Kel once again tried and failed to spin the basketball. “Nah, I hate my greens- so I think I can confidently say I could never be a leaf-loving caterpillar.”

“Same,” Sunny solemnly closed his eyes and nodded. Kel smiled in response and extended his hand for a high five of meat-loving solidarity. Basil only rolled his eyes at their strange form of bonding.

“Now… if you don’t mind…” Basil’s voice strained. “We’ll be going. I’m kind of keeping my grandmother waiting, right now, so I don’t have time to talk.”

Kel widened his eyes. “Oh, sorry! Don’t want to get in the way of anything! I should probably get home and feed Hector dinner, anywho. You guys have fun without me!” Kel started jogging away, basketball snugly tucked into him like he was holding a good ol' fashioned pigskin.

“It’ll be really hard to, without you!” Sunny dryly called after him.

Kel spun around mid jog, laughed, and made his way to his house.

“...Let’s go,” Basil muttered, and began to walk towards Faraway Park. Sunny was taken aback by Basil’s brisk behavior, but soon followed. The pleasant smile had dissipated from Basil’s face. It certainly wasn’t helping that Basil could practically feel Sunny’s eyes boring into the back of his skull. Basil generally figured what Sunny was probably thinking right now. If the boy had at least one observant bone in his body, he could probably tell Basil wasn’t too thrilled about running into Kel. It wasn’t like Basil was particularly good at hiding his emotions about it, either. Basil felt an obligation to explain where he was coming from bubbling up in his throat, but refused to explain. He wouldn’t- it was stupid, and it would devolve into a silly, immature tangent, just based off of his own biases and assumptions…

“So… what’s your problem with Kel-”

“I’m not trying to be a jerk!” Basil exclaimed. So much for remaining cool and collected. Sunny only continued to look at him.

“...But you’re failing?”

“Oh wow, thanks.”

“That wasn’t sarcasm.”

“It seemed like it. I couldn’t tell the difference.”

“It was a question… just keep talking.”

Basil listened to the time of their steps against the sidewalk, trying to organize his thoughts. Sunny seemed to barely touch the pavement with his gentle steps, as if he were woodland sprite of some sort that could disappear at any moment- a stark comparison to the rough slaps of Basil’s worn loafers against concrete. A clear indication of how painfully apparent his tenseness was. He sighed.

“So, Kel’s probably said something to you about it already, huh? He can’t seem to keep his mouth shut,” Basil grumbled. He really didn’t want to tell Sunny about how he chewed out his friend as soon as he met him. That wouldn't paint Basil in too good of a light.

Sunny shook his head. “Surprisingly, no, whatever it is. At least not specifically. All I know is that Kel said you’re a ‘little rough around the edges,’ but he’s determined to be your friend.”

Basil ran a hand down his face. “I’m aware. He’s been plaguing me every single day at school.”

Sunny laughed in a nostalgic sort of way. “Yeah… he did that kind of thing with me when we first met.”

“Does he think that if he just forces himself into people’s lives that they’ll just… deal with it?”

Sunny shrugged again. “Uh… I think so? Maybe? So… you’re just bothered he keeps talking to you? If he talks a lot, I would just space out, if I were you. He won’t even realize you’ve zoned out half the time.”

“No… it’s not that. That doesn’t bother me. I mean- it does. It’s annoying, but…” Basil grasped for words that weren’t there. The boys were in the parking lot of the plaza, now, but lingered at the front of it as cars swished back and forth on the main road near them, ruffling their hair with the breezes they’d kick up in their hurried wake. Sunny only teetered forward and back on his toes to keep himself occupied as Basil collected himself. It was both relieving and unnerving for Basil to have someone purely invested in listening, and no interjections at the crucial moments. The silence offered room for digestion of thoughts Basil couldn’t seem to piece together understandably.

“Well… um… considering how you first met me, I think you know that I… uh… don’t have too great a time at school, and uh… loose lipped Kel isn’t helping me too much. I keep saying that I don’t want to talk with his type-”

“‘His type?’ Are you discriminating against extroverts? Fair.”

“What? No! I’m not discriminating against anythi- well, I guess I am.” Basil dropped. He could only lie to himself about his obvious biases for so long. But... it was justified…! And Kel was causing him trouble… even if he didn’t mean to...

“Then what is it?”

“Well, he’s with all of the other sporty guys at school, and you can tell I don’t really… get along well… with those kinds of people.”

“That’s fair, too.” Sunny sounded more mellow this time, as he looked Basil up and down, likely recalling his now faded wounds.

“But... you like Kel...”

“Well, not everyone’s going to like everyone.” Sunny shoved his hands in his pockets, resigned to the idea. “Also... I think I touched a baseball… probably once, and almost died on the spot. Sports will never be my thing.”

Basil snorted at his comment. They boys stood in silence for a few more awkward moments.

“So… you’re not going to ask me any other questions?” Basil couldn’t believe Sunny’s frank resignation.

“Nope. You don’t like Kel because you don’t like him. That’s that, I guess. Other stuff probably isn’t my business.” Sunny lazily kicked a stray pebble that rested on the sidewalk, and watched as it tumbled off the curb and onto the asphalt.

Basil peered at Sunny incredulously. “Are you holding something back? I feel like you’re mocking me…”

Sunny inclined his head towards Basil like a curious pigeon. “Do you want me to interrogate you? I will not hesitate to ask you socially unacceptable questions about your personal life.”

“Well, we’re going to Fix-It, Sunny.” Basil shrunk away reflexively.

Sunny laughed at Basil’s knee-jerk reproachful behavior, although there was no malice behind his smile.

Basil was filled with a sudden urge to open up, just in general, despite Sunny’s… surprisingly intimidating promise to thoroughly probe his mind in the event of doing so. Sunny seemed like he was objective enough to understand. Quiet, too. He’d probably reserve judgement for anything Basil said, and be less yell-y about any "understanding" than Aubrey would be. Basil stopped himself in the middle of warming up to the idea. Sunny didn’t want to hear about his problems- obviously- just look at the brusque and dismissive air about him! Sunny probably didn’t give a damn. Basil slapped himself inwardly- likely with the emotional whiplash. They just met, like, at the beginning of the month! Sunny didn’t want to hear his tragic backstory! Basil was just… some guy that hung out with him a couple times. God, Basil. You and oversharing, you’re so desperate. Basil inwardly lectured himself, stuffing his feelings back into their assigned mental box.

Regardless of the attempted emotional repression, Basil still felt achy at holding himself together when they reached the door of Fix-It, but did his best to ignore it. It was a wonder this place was able to keep a spot in Othermart Plaza, but Basil was certain they’d probably level this part of the building if it ever went out of business. Fix-It suffered from an extensive supply, but an obvious lack of demand, acting like it was a much bigger store than it really was. The rotting exterior in desperate need of renovation was evident of that fact. Basil was certain he was probably one of their most loyal regulars, especially considering the owner was one of the few people in Faraway that treated him decently. He even gave him discounts sometimes, and wished he and his grandmother well. On second thought, the discounts probably weren’t helping the owner’s struggling financial situation…

Basil stopped Sunny just as the black haired boy started reaching for the shop’s handle.

“Um, maybe to make this go by faster, you could go get the filo dough, and I’ll go get the lime sulfur? There’s a certain kind I usually get.”

Sunny looked confused. “Wouldn’t anything work? Poison’s poison.”

Basil dug in his pocket for the bill his grandmother gave him. It was all crinkled now; Basil pushed it into Sunny’s hand. “Listen, I’m just particular about these things. Go get the dough, and meet back up with me here..”

“Uh… alright. You’re the gardening expert, I guess.” Sunny drifted away to the automated grocery store doors, and disappeared inside. Basil sighed. Hopefully Sunny’s absence would give him a little bit of a reprieve. Basil entered the Fix-It, ears perking at the familiar bell signaling his entrance, and nodded at the man behind the counter. He marched right over to the ‘outdoors’ section- crudely indicated by a faded sign near the back of the shop, and walked inside. Almost right away, the claws that had been around Basil’s chest for a good part of the day seemed to loosen. It was stupid, for this neglected section in the back of a hardware store and surrounded by ugly wire fencing to be this much of a de-stressor, but Basil often went here when he was alone and in need of comfort. After a… primarily… irritating day, full of more dumb harassment, frustration, and annoying extensions of friendship, having an excuse to come here again was nice.

Of course, the difference is that Basil wasn’t alone, not this time, a fact he was still adjusting to, as he felt himself naturally slip back into the mindset he typically would be in when he entered this place. If he felt like it, Basil could typically just stroll right in here, and get lost among the innumerable flowers, shamelessly stuffing his face into their petals for hours. However, at any moment this time, Basil could be interrupted by Sunny’s return. It was a little selfish, but Basil was happy that he had decided to send Sunny away… just for a little bit… so Basil could fulfill his little Fix-It tradition. Of course, Sunny and everyone else knew that Basil enjoyed flowers- that’s why they ever bothered to meet him at all- it being his ‘thing,’ but he didn’t need Sunny, or anyone else, to realize just how much of an addict he was for these things. They probably would just get weirded out by Basil’s strange habit. Basil’s eyes darkened. He didn’t really want any more judgement, not from the people who were treating him well thus far, even though it was… probably inevitable.

Basil leaned over to nuzzle his nose against a tray of violets. Their sweet perfume was almost cleansing, in a way. Basil began strolling to other flowers within the aisle, running his hand across their petals and stems as he walked. He felt a sudden glare in his peripheral vision, and raised a hand to block the setting sun that was shining into the room from his left. The sunlight stretched across the floor, creating enunciated shadows of each and every head of the potted plants. Their shadows began to mesh and dance together as they bounced in the calm breeze still issuing from outside. Basil couldn’t distinguish the colors of the individual flowers too well- an orange glow filtered through each of their delicate petals, staining and obscuring their original hue. Basil had never done so… but at moments like this, he wished he could take a picture of how things were, and preserve it forever. There would surely be another day with another setting sun, but it wouldn’t be like this, this specific moment of peace to remind him that things could be okay. Basil stopped moving, and only stood in silence, soaking in the atmosphere, trying to take a photo with his mind’s eye. If Basil thought hard enough, he could almost imagine the small ’click’ in his head, capturing the moment, silly as it may be to imagine. The only sound to be heard was that of a small outdoor fan emitting a whirr from the far end of the gardening section, creating a buzzing white noise.

That was, until a small sound of a throat clearing snapped Basil from his sudden found reverie. Basil half-turned around, and saw Sunny in the aisle over, a divider of flowers and pots separating them, and somewhat obscuring his face from Basil’s view among the abundance of glowing blooms. A small plastic bag hung from his crooked elbow, and Sunny’s eyes were half-lidded as he lazily leaned in to investigate the bell-shaped flower stationed before him. When he saw he had snagged Basil’s attention, he looked up, his somewhat unkempt hair fell around his face, and dark eyes caught the beaming sunlight, showing colors and hues otherwise obscured the rest of the time.

Basil blinked.

Click.

“Hey, so… I know you said you were particular about the kind you wanted, but… I uh… I asked the guy at the counter about what he thought, even though I was really awkward about it, and I got this,” Sunny mumbled. He dug around in the plastic bag from a difficult angle, the rustling sound snapping Basil from his unexpected trance, and lifted out a bottle with a nozzle attached to the side. Sunny looked at the bottle he had retrieved, looked at it with a satisfied nod, and clumsily reached across the aisle to try to hand it to Basil. Basil had his hands in his coat pockets, and was mentally lagging a bit, but tried to take it from Sunny as quickly as he could, lest the frail boy lose his balance.

While Basil investigated the product, Sunny drew back and regained his balance. He cleared his throat a second time. “...That wasn’t in the gardening aisle, though. You weren’t looking for the lime sulfur,” Sunny observed pointedly.

Basil gave his head a little shake. It was a little funny how Sunny had actually taken Basil’s ‘particularity’ excuse regarding the lime sulfur seriously, but Basil hadn’t really given him a reason to think he would lie about something as minor as that, he supposed. Basil would most definitely be particular, but not about things like this. As Sunny had said earlier, poison was poison. He had to admit though, the taped-on nozzle would be very helpful with the distribution of the poison, so that was a good call on his part.

Sunny seemed to take note of Basil’s sudden quiet, but didn’t say anything about it. He walked a little ways away to round the aisle, and rejoin Basil’s side. Basil felt a little fidgety all of a sudden. Sunny may have become quiet audibly, but his piercing stare seemed louder than a scream. Basil was going to have to get used to that invasive gaze that seemed to see into his very soul.

He opened his mouth to speak, which felt very dry all of a sudden. “...Well, let’s go, then. I think we’ve kept the caterpillars and my grandmother waiting for too long.”

Sunny grinned at that, his stare becoming less potent, much to Basil’s relief. He reached into his bag again, and pulled out the filo dough. “We might want to be careful with who sees us,” he snickered evilly, “with this and the lime sulfur, looks like we’re about to poison someone’s meal.”

Basil giggled in return, the pitch of his own laugh embarrassing him internally, but he tried not to show it. “That stuff’s not deadly, you know.”

“Well, we could change that…”

“Someone’s murderous, today,” Basil laughed again as Sunny stuffed the groceries back into the bag, taking the lime sulfur back from Basil.

“I’m preparing myself mentally for the caterpillars.”

Basil nodded solemnly. “Well, we should go get to that.”

The walk back from the plaza had Basil feeling far more light than he was when he came in. The trip to the Fix-It gardening section really worked wonders, this time. The evening was warm and welcoming, not biting breezes to make Basil hold his coat tightly shut, the cold front having passed long ago. However, something was still weighing on Basil’s mind, and he couldn’t bring himself to stifle it this time.

“Uh, Sunny?”

Sunny hummed in simple acknowledgement. He had been getting quieter over the walk. Maybe he was getting tired.

“I just… I know that we aren’t talking about it anymore, but I just wanted to say… uh… thanks, I guess, for not pressuring me into talking about stuff I wasn’t really comfortable with. I know I’m being stupid, with how I’m acting towards Kel, and well… just in general. I know you don’t know me that well, but I’ve just… there’s a lot of things stupid about me. It makes me do stupid things, and act in stupid ways. I don’t really know how to put it better than that.”

Sunny turned around, and started walking backwards in an attempt to make eye contact with Basil. “Are you… sure you don’t want to talk about something?”

Basil shook his head, exasperatedly. “Ugh… no! Just because I’m bringing it up doesn’t mean…” He stopped himself. Too much aggression, Basil. Sunny was being reasonable.

Sunny held up his hands in defense, and was quiet again, allowing Basil to continue.

“Well… anyway… if you do decide to keep hanging out with me...” Basil felt the thought of even after your garden dies off enter his head, and didn’t want to consider the potentially conditional nature of Basil’s presence in Sunny’s friend group, and pushed the thought away to continue speaking, “...you’re probably going to end up dealing with my problems somehow… so, sorry in advance, I guess. I guess where I was trying to go with this-” Basil started speaking a little quicker, and his hands were flailing about awkwardly in an unsuccessful attempt to add meaning to his lackluster words. “You already had to deal with me at my ‘lows’ on day one, and you weren’t… you weren’t a jerk about it, so I feel kind of bad, I guess, not really telling you things, or being straight with you now?” God Basil, you aren’t making sense, and you’re making things awkward for no reason. Basil wanted to cover his face with his hands and hide.

Sunny seemed like he was calibrating what Basil said in his head, retreating within himself. “So… because I was nice to you, and helped you,” Sunny spoke slowly, “You feel like you have to pay me back? With… honesty?”

Basil threw his hands up in the air victoriously. “Yes! That!” He felt stupid with how excited he was getting, but he wasn’t expecting Sunny to phrase his feelings so succinctly.

Sunny only shook his head furiously with a furrowed brow, and shifted his eyes away. “I wasn’t being super nice or anything…” He trailed off. “Don’t feel like you have to pay me back.”

Basil blinked. “I mean… it was an upgrade from how things usually are for me, that’s for sure. I would’ve left me there, on the side of the road.”

“Well, then maybe you’re just mean to yourself. I’m not a great person.”

“That’s… harsh... to the both of us… but to the point, I guess.”

“See?”

Basil put his hands on his hips. Both of the boys had stopped their walk at this point, more focused on the conversation. He was about to open his mouth to protest, but Sunny interrupted him.

“Really, though. Don’t feel like you have to pay me back, just because you think I was nice to you. I don’t want that, and… I don’t think you should, either. If you don’t want to help out with everyone’s garden, you don’t have to. Don’t do it because you think you owe me.” His stare was even and penetrating again. He was very serious about this.

Basil stood there, at a loss. Did… Sunny think Basil only kept coming over to help because he was reluctantly repaying a debt? Wait… it was kind of funny…

Basil thought that everybody only wanted him around to use him, and Sunny thought Basil only bothered to stick around and help out of an impersonal sense of obligation. They both…

Basil laughed at the irony. A full, hearty laugh that he hadn’t had in a while. Sunny only looked at Basil like he had lost it. Maybe he had.

Basil regained his sense, and shook his head, wiping a tear from his eye. “Don’t worry, Sunny. I’m not forcing myself to stick around for you. The pressure’s off your shoulders in that department. And gardening isn't exactly torture to me, so I’m not suffering whenever I pop over to check on things,” Basil began to chuckle again, especially as Sunny let out a sigh of relief. Basil never would have guessed that forcing Basil into doing something he didn’t want to had been a weight resting upon Sunny’s shoulders. He hid it… really well. Hm.

Basil continued, “Now that that’s dealt with… can we actually walk somewhere without interrupting ourselves?”

Sunny shrugged. “It might be impossible,” he said dryly.

Regardless of Sunny’s cynical comment, the boys were able to efficiently make their way back to Sunny’s house, and were once again greeted with the wriggling mass of web in Sunny’s backyard. It looked like Sunny’s family was home as well; a car was parked in the driveway. Basil hoped he wouldn’t have to talk to any of them right now- he just wanted to get in, get out, and get home for dinner. Sunny didn’t seem to be in the mood for talking either, getting his game face on as he and Basil got out the lime sulfur, ready to spray the lights out of some unsuspecting moth larvae. Sunny’s game face, unfortunately, looked quite similar to that of a corpse, the color draining from his cheeks.

Basil started to feel worried, imagining a repeat of Sunny’s collapse on the garage floor.

“Um, I don’t mind if I-” Basil hadn’t even finished his sentence before Sunny shoved the lime sulfur bottle back into Basil’s hands and ran to the wall of the house, watching shakily from afar. Well, at least they didn’t have to dispute over who would be handling the job. Basil just hoped there wouldn’t be complications, due to his lack of a backup pair of hands. Basil took a deep breath and set up the bottle. It kind of reminded him of weed killer, which he was loath to use, due to how it would also damage the lawn most of the time. He preferred mulch.

Equipped with the bottle on his side, and the extensive nozzle wrapped around his arm like he was some strange compact gardening Ghostbuster, Basil cautiously approached the giant sac, and began spraying it mercilessly. The pressure tore open some of the web, and a few of the premature caterpillars dropped to the soil. Basil heard Sunny yelp somewhere behind him. With some of the poison leaking into the sac, and the rest exposed to the wilds, Basil was sure it wouldn’t be long until other predators came to finish things off, if they weren’t all dead first. Basil frowned. But what if other animals got hurt by the poison? Admittedly, he wasn’t sure if it had that strong of an effect on woodland creatures. He sighed. He just couldn’t help himself, could he?

Basil grabbed the rake Sunny was humorously wielding earlier, and scraped the web sac off of the tree, flinging it behind a bush. There, hopefully that was far enough away to not be an issue.

Sunny called out from behind his hands that were covering his face. “I can’t… touch that rake again…”

“Oh, come on! It didn’t even touch the handle! It was just the end! Also look, there’s nothing on it…”

“Don’t. Bring. It. here.”

Basil chuckled and left the rake far enough away for Sunny to not start going into a panic. Sunny sat down on the grass, and stared out at the now untainted garden. He was breathing heavily like he had just fought the caterpillar brood single handedly, but otherwise seemed fine. Basil sat down next to him.

“...Do you think that you’ll grow another garden in the spring?”

“Maybe,” Sunny mumbled, drawing his knees to his chest and still staring ahead. Basil frowned. He looked vacant again. That sudden panic must have shook him more than Basil thought.

“Well, uh… I guess I’ll get going, then. I’m getting kind of hungry, and I’ve still got to make dinner. You know… my grandmother’s a really good cook.”

“Mhm?”

“Yeah,” Basil smiled. “You should try some of her cooking sometime. She’d really like that, probably.” Basil let his words linger for a bit.

“...I’d like to… at some point,” Sunny confirmed with a weary smile. Well, that was good. Basil was just about to say goodbye, but then he remembered something.

“Hey, Sunny, do you… still have that notebook you had before…? You know, the one you put your number and address on for me.”

“Oh, yeah. I do,” Sunny said, quickly. He pulled said notebook out of his back pocket, and offered a pen with it, assuming Basil’s intentions. Basil took the notebook and settled the pen’s inky tip to the paper. Just as he was about to start writing the digits, squirming issued from his stomach, as though the caterpillars he had just knocked down came to invade his insides. His hand shook a little bit as Basil wrote out the numbers of his home phone. He clumsily teared out the sheet of paper, ripping the side a bit, before giving it to Sunny.

Sunny’s eyes widened. “What’s…?”

“Aubrey.” Basil said. “Aubrey wanted me to… give my number to you. She said it was so you could bug me in the future instead of her.”

“Oh.” Sunny turned the paper around in his hands, investigating it thoroughly like there was some hidden message somewhere, and not just Basil’s landline number scrawled messily on the front. Basil didn’t draw any doodles like Sunny had with his, but he was sure they would have looked dumb if he tried to. That wasn’t his thing.

“Well,” Basil said, standing up shakily and shoving his hands into his pockets. “I’ll get going, then.” He was about to walk away, but Sunny chuckled a little bit.

“...I’ll be sure to bug you a lot.”

Basil laughed breathily in return, and offered a wave as he walked past Sunny, who was still staring in the direction of the garden when Basil spared a glance before he walked away. He thought ‘the direction of the garden,’ because it didn’t really look like Sunny was staring at the actual plants. His gaze seemed far away, like he was looking somewhere completely different. Basil thought back to how Sunny had carefully hidden his thoughts just a little while prior. He wondered what kind of things were racing through Sunny’s mind now, while on his exterior, it only appeared as though a paled, pensive teen was frowning emptily at nothing at all.

Chapter Text

While walking through the hallways, Basil heard whispers about him and quiet insults murmured in his direction. “Flower fag” had apparently gained some traction, and was now making the rounds. Like any trend, it would die out eventually, so Basil would have to bear it as he always did in the meantime. Each whisper and pretentious glance towards his person felt like stones being hurtled towards his soul. Basil felt his lip clench under his teeth as he tried to focus on simply making it to his next class. He had been hoping that today would be an alright day. The sweet perfume of the Fix-It outdoor section still lingered in his nose, so Basil pushed his emotions down.

When Basil was in his next class, during the absence of the instructor, some of his classmates seated in a disorganized row of desks to his left were making kissing noises and crude remarks at Basil in an attempt to provoke him. Other people chuckled at their antics, or rolled their eyes and ignored them to focus on their tasks at hand. Basil only stayed rooted in his seat, hoping his silence would deter them from their mocking flirtatiousness. When Basil did not deign to give them any reaction, some balls of paper were chucked at him, some making their mark and others demonstrating pitiful trajectory on the thrower’s parts. The bad throws were the only thing giving Basil a sense of satisfaction throughout the annoying ordeal. When the teacher returned, he demanded that the clutter around Basil’s desk be picked up. No one spoke up that Basil had in fact, not made the mess, but Basil wasn’t about to make a scene. He merely stood up, swallowed his indignance, and retrieved a small trash can in the corner of the classroom. Basil tossed paper ball after paper ball into the plastic bin, and told himself that he was simultaneously cleaning up the garbage that people were giving him when it came to his inside world. It helped him push emotions down.

Basil took a deep breath and tried to steady himself as he became acutely aware of the presence of every person around him while he was standing at the doorway, backpack slung over his shoulder, waiting for the bell to ring. Every person seemed to stand much taller than he was. They all seemed to sneer at him like malevolent phantoms from the shadows, even though Basil was pretty sure they didn’t leer at him as much as his brain was projecting them to be. Basil felt his skin prickle and begin to sweat. He was overthinking things. Sure, there were a few assholes trying to make his day miserable, but they weren’t worth the feeling of fear threatening to overcome him. Breathe in and out, Basil. It’s okay.

The bell for lunch rang, and Basil flinched. He felt a familiar nausea; anxiety was worming into his stomach, and he wasn’t feeling up for eating now.

It’s fine. It was whatever. He’d just go meet up with Aubrey at lunch, and he’d just… work through things there. If he had to get sick, maybe he could ask her to watch his stuff in the meantime. He shuffled through the hallways, feeling his head spin as a sudden sense of claustrophobia kick in as he was jostled around on all sides by the rush of hungry students. Basil fell back, and waited for the thick of them to pass, breathing a sigh of relief when there was some space around himself once more. However, he then began to feel anxious about the intentions of those still loitering around the hallways. Basil was sure they were looking at him hungrily, like vultures ready to rip and tear at their deceased prey. Basil became aware of the sharpened pencil in the side of his backpack. His shears were taken away, but maybe…

Deep breaths, Basil. He thought of how he’d felt a little better these past few weeks. He didn’t want to be overcome by that red mental haze again. Look again.

When Basil looked again at the students still lingering in the hallways, they seemed more lethargic, and more absorbed in the menial tasks they were doing. Collecting papers, lazily snapping phones shut, you name it- they weren’t focused on Basil. Not everyone was ready to jump at him. Basil breathed deeply, and made his way to the lunchroom with a clearer mind.

When Basil walked to his empty table, his stomach dropped.

Aubrey wasn’t there.

His head spun. Did she finally decide she was tired of him? He shouldn’t be surprised. Basil’s biting and jittery attitude likely became too much of a hassle to deal with. He was just plain unpleasant. There was no question about it.

Basil shook his head. Deep breaths, Basil.

Aubrey was probably sick, or was busy that day. Maybe she was running late, or had something else to take care of during lunch. Basil wished she could have told him beforehand, but it was fine! Everyone had their own lives. It didn’t revolve around Basil.

Instead of moving to claim a spot in the slow-moving lunch line, Basil took a seat where he usually did at the empty table. He didn’t need to eat today, it was fine. The food looked pretty gross today, anyway. It was some mystery meat and bread he’d have to be dragged screaming towards, and then proceed to be force fed, in order to eat it. He felt even more sick just thinking about it.

It was a foolish hope, but Basil wished for Aubrey to get over here already. She may not be on the campus at all, but Basil could hold out for her appearance anyway. He stood up briefly to toss his bag onto the part of the lunch bench Aubrey usually sat at. There, now she would have her spot saved. Basil settled back into his part of the bench, and laid his head down on the table, his layered hair spreading on the surface. He reached a hand around awkwardly to pull his brown coat flush against his body. The cafeteria felt colder than usual. His dumb brown jacket wasn’t doing its job. Aubrey’s jacket had felt pretty warm. Maybe next time he saw her, he could ask her where she got it from, and get one of his own. Wait, would that be weird? Two people wearing the same jacket? She seemed to wear hers a lot, just like him, so maybe he’d be stealing her look if he traded his coat out for one identical to hers.

A careless clatter of lunch trays snapped Basil from his thoughts. When he looked up, some girl was pinching the brim of Basil’s bag like it was some filthy waste, and before Basil could even protest, she dropped it onto the ground next to the bench, and settled herself comfortably at the other end of the long table with her two other friends. Basil felt fumes build up in his head. The girls didn’t even seem to acknowledge his existence at first, but he soon noticed that while they outwardly chatted playfully, their eyes would sometimes flicker in his direction. Oh, so they were just deliberately ignoring him. Great.

“...I was saving that seat. You just shoved my bag onto the floor.”

The girl who sat in the middle made a spectacle of craning her neck to look at Basil’s discarded bag lying on the floor.

“Oh, sorry,” she said simply. Her voice was hollow and disinterested. She appeared the more casual fashionista type. Her hair had dyed streaks in it, and she dressed nicely. She obviously didn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth. The girl who actually shoved the bag aside tried to placate him. “If it helps, I’ll scoot over if your friend shows up.” Despite her lightly spoken promise, she seemed just as aloof as her friend.

The girl with hooped earrings on the left shook her head in response to those words. “Yeah, but it’s already pretty late. I dunno if she’ll show.”

She’ll, Basil noted that they knew he was referring to Aubrey. So, they knew that they both sat here, and who Basil was, but they decided to come over here anyway? Strange. Basil was already pissed by their nonchalant behavior, but was now feeling put off by their mere presence. Did something happen to Aubrey, perhaps something to do with these girls? No, no. She was fine. Basil was just overthinking again. Aubrey seemed capable, anyway.

Basil concerned himself with staring forward, waiting for the lunch bell to ring again, concluding their meal. At this rate, maybe he should just sneak out of the cafeteria, and spend lunch somewhere else. He had a few places in the school that were nice hiding spots during times like this- places the faculty wouldn’t check during lunch block. He would sometimes pop into those dingy havens when he had the opportunity to unwind and wasn’t hungry, on days like today, and when there weren’t students trying to hide some sort of smuggled pills or cigarettes hogging them up. Typically those students never bothered him, being aware of Basil’s reputation as unstable, and were not willing to push it. So, generally, they were kinder, and probably wiser than most people at this school. Regardless, he still kept his distance from them, as well.

He was just about to be on his way when the girl who sat in the middle who was… still sitting there… snapped a long-fingernailed hand in front of his face. His vision focused on her snooty face, and he gave her a vexed glare. Her friends who were sitting on either side of her were snickering to themselves, as if they were charged with hiding the funniest joke known to mankind.

“...What?” Basil growled.

“Geez, no need to be so cranky,” The girl who snapped at him rolled her eyes. “Just wanted to ask you a question. Are you a virgin?”

The girl on her left burst into laughter, and the other one kept snickering, but hid her embarrassed face in her hands. Basil was only perturbed. So that was the punchline? He thought that people grew out of that kind of thing in middle school.

“What does it even matter to you?” Basil snapped at her.

The girl only waved his behavior off, as if he was being the childish one. Basil honed in on her sparkly nail polish. He hoped she broke each one of those well-manicured hunks of keratin.

“I was just thinking,” now she allowed herself a little smirk as she began to sip from her drink. “You’d probably be a little less angry if you vented a little of that, y’know?”

The girl to her right gently slapped her arm. “Oh my god, stooop,” she whispered. “You’ll make him mad…” She giggled.

The girl on the drinking girl’s left chimed in. “But you’re like, guy-exclusive, right? That’s… wow… no wonder you’ve been having a hard time with that, then…” She toned her voice like she felt bad, but her eyes glittered with a distant enjoyment. Basil recoiled in his seat. Not this again.

The girl in the middle stopped sipping her drink, and shook her head in assumed sympathy and agreement with her friend. “Yeah, sucks to be you, flower-fag. Hope you end up snagging someone eventually. I’m sure if you asked some of the football team, they’d be willing to help you out and all.”

Basil only gaped. He didn’t know what to say, and while he mentally lagged, the annoyingly timid girl to her right shrieked at the obvious implications of that concluding statement, and stood up with her lunch tray in a rush. “Oh my god… you can’t just talk about stuff like that! Come ooon, let’s go!” She tugged with a free hand on the girl’s sleeve. She was batted away playfully, and cleared out quickly with her friends. They clearly didn’t care to stick around for any repercussions because of their words.

Basil groaned, and sunk his face into his palms, elbows on the table. No, no, no…

He was used to this garbage, but was he… actually in some sort of danger at this point? Probably not. Hopefully not. But, the girl mentioning the football team so casually like that, like Basil was just some potential product on the “market” if he only willed it made him feel disgusted. God, teens were such creeps. They just kept getting under his skin for no purpose other than to mess with him and move on. Sure, everyone was entertaining the “Basil’s the school’s disgruntled queer,” idea as their latest amusement, but… it wasn’t like anything would actually come of it, right?

He started feeling the anxious tremors overtake him again. It’s fine, it’s fine. Everything was under control. He was going to be back at home with his grandmother soon. Maybe he’d call up Sunny and spend some time in the garden with him. Maybe he’d figure out what was up with Aubrey. All he had to do was get through the rest of the day, and head home. Eventually, this would all blow over.

Basil just might watch his back more closely until then.

The bell rang. Basil moved as fast as he could to head to the front of the slowly moving crowd, as if his accelerated movements would somehow make the day move quicker with him. He had to double back when he realized he almost left his backpack, still lying dejectedly on that dirty lunchroom floor. Basil brushed off a few crumbs from the girl who had been messily eating above it. He sneered, and continued on his way.

It was fine, it was okay. Basil kept telling himself that as he walked the routine path to his locker, feeling like everything else was only a watery dream around him as he moved only with a mission on his mind. God, what he wouldn’t give to be at home, and safe right now. Maybe he would consider begging to his parents for homeschooling, after all. Sunny didn’t seem to be doing all that bad. Basil’s grandmother was old, anyway. He could say he needed to stay to take care of her. Anything other than staying in this hellhole, where fellow students seemed to jump out like shadows ready to sink their teeth into Basil. Every brush against some unaware and unfocused student felt like a lightning shock to Basil, as if it would be the last thing he felt, as he fought against his mind trying to build up the potential horrors the world had to offer. He stopped and took a deep breath as he finally reached his locker. Everything was okay.

Basil felt his eyes water a little, but chose to focus instead on the painfully cold metal of the locker against his fingertips. It seemed to burn away the outward display of emotion, and pushed it down.

A familiar slap of sneaker against tile approached from afar.

Of course, Kel. Right on schedule, Basil thought with a scowl. He doubted Kel even knew the extent of the popularity the new saying spurned from his little slip up had gained. He wanted to be angry about it, but that would require calling upon the dam within his heart to be opened partway, but Basil wasn’t sure he could do that at this point without its contents spilling out in a torrent. He only opened his locker, choosing instead that he might just ignore Kel, today.

Papers fluttered from the locker as soon as Basil opened it. He stepped back, watching the little pieces of notebook paper drift to the floor about his feet. What…?

Basil bent down to pick one up, and noticed they were all crudely shaped like two dimensional daisies.

Before he even read what was scrawled upon the sheets, Basil felt his blood run cold.

The coldness turned to warmth enveloping Basil’s pale complexion, and his stomach filled with worms eating him from the inside out. What...? How could…?

He wasn’t sure why he was still surprised by the lengths people would go out of boredom- for a simple kick. People were so… cruel. Perhaps out of a morbid curiosity, Basil couldn’t stop his eyes from wandering the pages, and flipping them around to read the back, scooping them from the floor like he was determined to take in all of the misery presented to him. As he read each line on the paper flowers, Basil felt his legs tremble more, and the nausea continue to blossom within him. It was ironic… the flower they chose to caricature in their primitive cutouts. It was a daisy, and Basil strongly doubted that whoever the sickos were that created and slipped these into his locker knew that they symbolized purity and innocence. It was probably only picked as the flower of choice because it was easiest to draw and cut out.

Kel had made it to Basil’s locker at this point, and was just about to say hi as he usually did when he took notice of the flowers on the floor. “Hi Ba- Oh, what’s up with this? You put these up there?”

Even in Basil’s tumultuous state, he stretched a hand out to try to stop Kel from reading it. He wasn't sure why- it wasn’t like Basil was trying to protect him and his naïve innocence. It was just that Basil already felt invaded through and through just by reading what was printed upon those ugly pieces of paper. He felt like he would have been further exposed by having another person read it. Kel, however, was too lithe, too quick for Basil’s shakily silent protest. When he lifted it to his face and got an eyeful, Basil could see the shock expand in his expression. Basil felt tears well in his eyes, and his mouth opened, promptly drying out. Kel looked like he was just about to say something as he trembled and lowered the paper from his face, but Basil was faster, turning to the busy hallway.

“HOW DID IT GO?!” He shrieked.

Some students that stood nearby stopped in their tracks, looking at Basil curiously. Basil didn’t even know if the people at fault were here, watching. He didn’t care. His whole body shook tremendously. He didn’t know how to stop. The dam was breaking. He couldn’t keep it all down.

“H-how did the conversation go?” Basil’s voice croaked angrily. His fists clenched. “O-oh, we’re thinking of torturing this g-guy for n-no reason by threatening him with a b-bunch of gross things! Anyone want to help out and cut the p-paper flowers for it?”

The lurkers nearby still seemed confused as to what was going on, although some seemed amused or curious about the sudden explosion on Basil’s part. He heard the voice of a boy in the distance mockingly parrot in a pitched voice ”gross things,” likely finding the phrasing immature, and Basil’s whiny tone humorous.

“H-How can you say such awful things…?” Basil gulped, and his voice dropped off near the end. With no regards to his open locker, dropped backpack, or Kel, who might have called out to Basil, even while shocked and immobile following Basil’s outburst, but Basil didn’t hear as he sped off down the hallway in a full sprint, bumping haphazardly into some surprised students. Bathroom. He needed the bathroom. Basil felt his pace slow as his chest became tight. He was starting to hyperventilate. The bell rang during Basil’s mad dash, but he ignored it.

When Basil rounded the curve into the men’s bathroom, he almost slipped on a stray brown paper towel, but quickly regained his traction. His throat was constricting his airway, at this point. The only sense of relief he felt was when Basil was staring at his leaking baby-blue eyes in the bathroom mirror. He gripped the rounded, grubby brown and black speckled sink. Basil only stared into his own desperate, wild eyes that were rimmed with their usual red. He watched his own chest rise and fall. It was okay. It was alright.

The bathroom light flickering made Basil jump. Basil’s hands itched. He was all of the sudden aware of how he was completely by himself, in a closed room. After the kind of things he read, he wasn’t sure he wanted to be isolated right now. He gulped again as the written assault drifted through his mind. Sinister invitations to the back of the bleachers. Graphic descriptions of just what they thought of how he looked. Pokes at his masculinity were nothing new, but the new spin of pinning him down “like a girl” made him feel sick, and not just for himself. One note, not in the shape of a flower, but a simplistic rectangular piece of paper, seemed to be from someone who bought into the cruelty nevertheless, and saw it as an opportunity to express their spiritual standing, not-so-gently sending a folded, anonymous reminder of just what god would do to “sinners” like him.

Basil wept, his shoulders trembling, and his cry offering no catharsis. He didn’t know what to do anymore.

Footsteps that clacked against the tile and echoed off the walls pulled Basil from his spiral of self pity and replaced pity’s grasp with talons of fear. When they rounded the corner, Basil could see how the kids were two of his classmates from his current block. Basil couldn’t remember their names, but they scoffed when they saw him.

“Oh, he is in here.”

“Dude, when he ran off like that I was just like ‘whaaat’?”

“Same, let’s just get him-”

What? “Get him?” Did that mean…

Basil’s mind raced into overdrive, and the shaking returned tenfold. Shears. Pencil. Something. There was nothing. He couldn’t protect himself. They were coming closer. One of them reached a hand out, Basil could see it in the mirror, but he felt almost petrified. His knuckles were turning white against the rim of the sink.

“Hey, buddy, we came to get you back to-”

Basil ripped himself from the sink as the hand settled over his shoulder. He turned towards the two wildly, and heard himself screech, but Basil almost didn’t feel like the words came out of his mouth. Amidst the overwhelming stress, he was simultaneously and almost contradictorily feeling further away from himself.

“DON’T TOUCH ME!”

And with that, his scream piercing his own ears, everything seemed to lose sense around him.

The world within Basil’s line of sight came in snippets. Painful, painful snippets. Loud squeaks from sneakers struggling against the tile floor. Loud yelling, himself and the boys there with him. He could feel his limbs flailing and tensing when they would make contact with something. At one point, he woke up to someone punching and fighting against him as Basil shoved one boy’s head into the wall of the metal paper towel dispenser over and over again. Wait… Basil? Basil wouldn’t do that. How could he hurt someone like that? He must have been defending himself, because that level of action had to be unwarranted. Right? Basil felt too far away to process it.

The next snippet that came through Basil’s red haze was him struggling on the floor against someone’s grasp. Yelling was still all around him, and one of the boys that had come into the restroom was crouched, holding his bleeding head. The other desperately yelled at the person holding onto Basil about… something.

Wait. If the two boys that had come into the restroom were over there, then who was holding onto him? It felt safe, but it couldn’t be safe. Nothing was really safe. Not here, not anywhere, Basil’s mind thought nonsensically. He began to try to struggle against the grasp again, but it only pulled him closer in protest. It was… sweaty, and gross. Basil wrinkled his nose, but it felt like they were hugging him, albeit in a way that restrained him of movement. Hm. A hug.

Basil’s vision faded.

When Basil came to again, his eyes adjusted to the white bright glare of the nurses office. He’d recognize it anywhere. It was far from his first visit. He was stretched out on a brown leather bench shoved against the wall. As soon as he tried to move, he collapsed back into the lackluster cushioning, and felt himself ache. A relieved cry sounded from his right, and Basil tiredly tried to strain his eyes to look.

Kel bent over Basil, his shaggy, shoulder-length brown hair framing his joyful expression. His form towered over Basil, and Basil probably would have told him to back off if he wasn’t so… out of it. However, Kel’s tall stature wasn’t entirely a hindrance. It was blocking out that awful, piercing white glare of the dangling light.

“Oh, Basil! You’re awake! Man, I thought your skull was cracked or something!” Kel leaned back, causing the light to shine in Basil’s eyes again. He winced.

“I was so scared,” Kel breathed, combing a worried hand through his hair. “I thought I had gone completely bonkers or something, walking in there and seeing that. I don’t totally know what happened, but even if you were getting smacked around, you really did a number on that one guy, huh? Didn’t know you had it in you!”

Basil couldn’t process everything Kel was saying. He just… wanted the light out of his face.

“...Back,” Basil croaked. Kel quickly leaned in to hear him better, blocking the light again.

“What’s up? I didn’t catch that.”

“...Stay,” Basil tried to tell Kel to not move from where he stood. Ah, what a relief. Now, Basil could finally close his eyes and get some-

“Aww, you want me to stay? That’s so sweet! I knew you were a softie, deep down. I’ll be quiet for you,” Kel emphatically exclaimed and promised. He then plopped back down into the folding chair set up beside the leather bench, demonstrating his dedication. Basil growled as the light flooded his vision again, but just decided to give up and keep his eyes closed. First order of business: regain control of his oral motor abilities in order to even try to communicate with Kel.

Kel sat hunched over and with his hands clasped together. His leg was rapidly jumping up and down at rates that would even rival Basil’s own vats of nervous energy. It was clearly torture for Kel to keep himself quiet for Basil’s sake, but he looked committed.

When Basil felt confident enough to speak again, he pried open his mouth.

“K-Kel… what happened?”

Kel sighed as he was given clear permission to speak, and slowly tried to communicate with Basil, finally noticing how dazed he still was.

“Your guess is as good as mine, with some parts. Also, do you want some water? You sound like you’re having a tough time. I’ll get you some water.” Kel was true to his word, walking past the cluttered bookshelves, and sifting through desks to retrieve a small paper cup and fill it in the nearby sink. Kel even went so far as to lift Basil’s head to drink from where he lay. He was too tired to protest, and sipped on the water slowly. The paper cup’s lip already felt soggy against Basil’s mouth, but the liquid that trickled down his throat was a sweet, cooling relief. It was a stark contrast to-

“Hrk! K-Kel…!”

“Sorry, Basil! Was that too fast?”

Basil choked as water went down the wrong pipe. Kel tried to lift him up so he could breathe better, but then he just felt sore. Ugh, there was just no winning here, was there? Kel fussed over him like a new mother, and an annoyed Basil tried to hack out a “lay off,” but his state only allowed for some dismissive hand waving. When Basil finally got a handle on himself, he stared at Kel expectantly and sat patiently with his arms crossed in his lap. Kel only seemed to get nervous at Basil’s staring, and scratched the back of his head.

“You sure you’re oka-”

“Just tell me what happened. Please.” Basil was worried that Kel’s silence on recalling that which Basil had forgotten was deliberate. He needed to know just how bad things got. Basil didn’t feel… too bad. He’d gotten out of fights in way worse shape- like the one he had been in before he met Sunny. So why…?

Kel cleared his throat. “Like I said… things were, kind of all over the place… haha…” He laughed uncomfortably. “...Where should I start?” He looked down at the floor, and kicked his leg out from where he sat.

“From the beginning, I guess…”

“Well, in that case…” Kel’s eyes darted up to Basil’s with a sympathetic look. “...You ran off to the bathroom after seeing all of those.... things in your locker. I- I was being really slow. I’m not sure what my deal was. I was just kind of… standing there,” Kel stammered, and started fidgeting with his hands while nervously darting his eyes to the side. He had turned to face Basil, desperate to give him understanding and clarity, both of Basil’s actions and… apparently his own. Why was Kel acting like he was guilty, Basil wondered? He had only been doting on him since Basil had woken up. He had done nothing to be ashamed of.

Kel continued. “So… uh, everybody was heading off to class at that point, and a teacher sent two guys towards the bathroom to go get you after what happened. She and a lot of the others looked pretty peeved, hehe…” Kel chuckled nervously. "Um, that reminds me… things aren’t looking too hot for you out there. I, uh… heard the principal talking with the nurse, and they also might have called up your home…”

Basil exhaled heavily and leaned back against the wall, his heart dropping into his stomach and growing cold. It wouldn’t have been the first time this happened. Basil was sure he was a designated “problem student,” now, so it wasn’t surprising. Every time he failed his grandmother, though, and caused her more stress and trouble, or… every time he failed himself… it was a kick to the gut.

“...Just keep going, Kel. It’s okay.”

“Alright then, Basil…” Kel gulped. “So… uh, the teachers just sort of waited inside their classrooms, but I hung back. I was kind of worried about you, y’know? So… I kind of followed you to the bathroom…”

Basil chuckled, despite himself, because of Kel’s dubious phrasing. “Creepy.”

Kel smiled nervously. “I know, right? Who would’ve thought I’d sink so low?”

Basil coughed, becoming serious again. “....Anyway…”

“Right. Anyway.” Kel furrowed his brow. “When I got near, I heard some yelling, and when I went inside, I saw you-” Kel shrunk back, looking like a dejected puppy who was just yelled at. Basil felt a little annoyed. Why was he bothering to hold back? To protect Basil?

“Kel. What is it?” He snapped.

“Basil… you were, really going at it… haha,” Kel gulped again. He looked a little anxious. “You were smashing one of the guys against the wall. Er, the little paper towel thingy. I don’t remember what they’re called. He kind of got his head banged up. Um, he’s been sent home. He got his head bandaged up, don’t worry! I hope he won’t have to go to the hospital or anything. The other guy started fighting with you, and that’s when I stepped in, haha....”

“What’s so funny…?” Basil croaked out. “Nothing’s funny about…” So his flashes of memory weren’t in the wrong, there. Basil was surprised he had found the power to do that, physically... and emotionally. How could he grab that guy’s head like that and… just… lose it? A fellow human being? Basil could recall the feral energy he felt then. Almost… exhilaration. As if he had always waited for an opportunity to finally take out all of that fear upon something. Something breathing- so that they could feel how he felt.

Basil held his head in his hands. “...It couldn’t have been self-defense,” he mumbled numbly.

Kel leaned in, concerned. “What was that, Basil? You’re so quiet...”

Basil looked up at Kel with pale eyes and a paler face, one filled with fear of himself. “Kel… I don’t know why you’ve tried to become friends with me. I’ve been awful to you. And… now you can see just how awful I can be to others. Kel, I’m not a good person.”

Kel’s response must have been almost instinctual, because the words flew out of his mouth near instantly. “Basil, don’t say that! No you’re not!”

“Kel! You must have seen! Whatever that was, it was my fault! I attacked those boys for no reason! Why are you letting that slide?” Basil burst out a willful protest. Kel couldn’t just let Basil get away with this! He was too…

Kel’s eyes softened, and he seemed to look at Basil in a new light. It looked like he was truly seeing him, and not just some person he tried to talk to between blocks every day. “Basil,” He began, his voice filled to the brim with sincerity. Basil was certain that someone like Kel didn’t know how to speak any other way. “I… I think that I’ve been trying to be your friend the same way I have with everyone else. Talking’s always been super easy to me. I can just run my mouth, say a few jokes, and then boom! Friend achieved!” Kel chuckled at his own remark, but then put a more serious face back on to fit the heavy mood he was clearly fighting to retain. “But… I don’t think I’ve been trying to understand you. I’d always talk about my hobbies, and try to get you to talk about yours and stuff, but… I completely ignored everything you said to me when we first met. And… maybe it’s because I was scared to think about it,” he trailed off, sheepishly. Basil didn’t know what to say, but he felt his face drooping miserably. He only remained silent, so Kel was able to have some time to consider what to say next.

“But… after seeing what happened today… I think I’ve finally gotten that taste of what it must be like to walk in your shoes that I… really needed, to be honest. It was like dumping cold water over my head. A real wake up call. I can’t just keep pretending away the things that aren’t easy. Because… people aren’t all easy.” Kel waved his hands in protest, and shook his head. “I-I don’t mean that you’re like… a problem or something…”

Basil let out a breath through his nose that was supposed to be a tired laugh. “...It’s alright. You wouldn’t be wrong.”

Kel breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Basil wasn’t mad. “...So anyway, I’m saying all this to say… I’m sorry. If I really wanted to be your friend, I should have tried to understand where you were coming from, instead of trying to… I don’t know… fix you? Make you used to acting like everyone else? After seeing the kind of stuff you put up with… the way you think isn’t all that surprising, so… I’m sorry. Putting up with me must be the icing on the cake, huh? And… all that flower stuff that those douchebags did... It really is my fault, isn’t it? They really went and ran with it, huh?” Kel’s eyes glossed over with pain. He scratched the back of his neck again. Basil noticed how his voice had sounded scratchy, too.

Basil clenched his fist. This… this was all wrong. Why…?

“Kel…” Basil choked out. “Sure, you might not get it, but I wouldn’t expect anyone to try to understand my… mess. Why are you the one apologizing? You’ve been…” Basil fought back his tears to be manageable enough only to well up in his eyes. Kel’s surprised face was swimming before him. Maybe for Basil’s own dignity’s sake, it was for the best he couldn’t make out the other boy’s features too well. “You’ve been trying. You’ve been good. That’s more than most people can say. You… you’ve tried to give me a chance. You wanted to believe that I was a good person. And… I’ve been the one to let you down!” Basil curled up to the wall, and drew his legs up. He hid his face behind his knees and let out a trembly sob. “Don’t… don’t you dare apologize…!”

Basil was fully content to curl in on himself and sink into the wall, but Kel reached out a hand to clasp firmly on Basil’s shoulder. Basil didn’t try to move away, but made no acknowledgment either.

“Hey… it’s alright, Basil. Give yourself a break!” Kel lightly suggested.

Basil huffed from his scrunched huddle of misery. “Well, then you give yourself a break, too…! I can recognize when someone feels guilty from a mile away…”

Kel laughed and playfully shoved Basil with the hand on his shoulder, effectively pushing Basil upward. Basil sighed and slouched against the wall. “I’d understand if you want to stay away from me from now on. This was probably a lot to handle…”

“Come on, Basil! Quit it!” Kel planted his hands on his hips and shook his head. “I’ve one-thousand-percent gotta stick around now! It’s like I’m two seasons into a TV show. I don’t know a lot, but I sure know that I’m waaay too invested to drop it now, for better or for worse!” He grinned largely, insufferably so.

Basil nodded his head, considering Kel’s words.

“You know… that’s actually a pretty good analogy.”

“I know, right? I almost surprise myself with my genius… heh.”

Basil narrowed his eyes. “...Now you’re pushing it.”

Kel held a hand over his heart. “I’m wounded! No wonder you and Aubrey seemed like you got along so well! You’re both so mean to me…”

“We sit together at lunch, you know.”

“Oh yeah? I wonder if we have the same-”

The boys’ chatter was interrupted by voices outside. “It sounds like he’s awake,” and “Let’s go talk to him,” drifted through the paper thin walls. Basil could see silhouettes against the bubbled glass of the nurses’ office door.

Kel leaned over to the side towards Basil, the cheap plastic chair creaking with the motion. He mumbled out of the side of his mouth. “Sounds like they’re not happy. It was nice knowing you, buddy.”

Basil gulped. “I… guess I’ll see you if I don’t get expelled.”

Kel made a fake sniffling sound. “Our friendship… it burned so bright, but was gone as quickly as it came… like a candle in the wind…”

Basil snorted at Kel’s antics, and awaited his fate.

It turned out, after sitting through a tense lecture given by the principal himself, Basil was in fact, not expelled. The turnout still wasn’t ideal- he was suspended for a whole week because of his “unacceptable behavior.” However, it seemed that Kel had advocated strongly in his favor, claiming that Basil had been only trying to defend himself. Kel was already in good standing among the high school staff, and had a good record from his middle school years, not just among fellow students, but the staff as well. Apparently, he was pinned as a class clown of the more manageable variety. The teachers involved were still quite cynical, considering that this was Basil they were talking about- the snappy, unstable student who had stirred up many an incident, or at least participated in ones previously throughout his middle school experience, and now already here- but having Kel’s support for him must have chipped away a bit at their icy hearts.

His grandmother had been called, and was on her way to pick them up. Basil was nervous about her being on the road in a distressed state, but decided he had nothing left to do but wait. When Basil finally stepped out of the office, Kel had been standing right by the door, right next to some teachers. When Kel saw Basil had stepped out, he moved to join him, but was stopped by one of the teachers.

“Kel, you need to head back to class. I get that you were concerned for his health, but that’s all sorted out now,” A terse, blonde-haired teacher, one that Basil recognized as his History teacher, the one whose class he would be in if he didn’t get himself into this mess, chided Kel’s enthusiasm.

“Come ooon, Mrs. Perkins, please?” Kel flashed a smile. “We go waay back. August, this year, right? Think of all the good times! Let this slide just this once, yeah?”

The male teacher with a scruffy beard slapped Kel on the back. “Stop trying to charm your way around, kid! That’s your brother’s job! Now, get!”

Kel chuckled, but twisted around to catch Basil’s eye anyway. “Heey! So we can, like… hang out or something soon, right? Maybe tomorrow?”

Basil looked at Kel blankly, still trying to register his statement. He felt kind of slow right now. He was probably tired. “I don’t know…” Basil shuffled where he stood.

“How about I tag along next time you go over to help out at Sunny’s, then? Is that okay?” Kel really seemed desperate for this friendship-solidifying hangout. Basil really was in no place to refuse.

“Sure, Kel,” He said, somewhat sorrowfully sounding. For Kel’s sake, though, Basil tried to turn his exhausted expression into that of a twisted smile. “I mean… we could hang out even sooner if you joined me in suspension?” Basil laughed cynically at himself. Kel laughed along, but the blonde haired woman only pinched her nose in annoyance.

“Kids not taking their punishments seriously,” She muttered disdainfully.

Kel only walked away, looking like he was without a care in the world. Basil watched him go, wishing he could be the same. He had to admit, he was happy he was able to sort things out with Kel. Maybe Kel was more on the nose about the “understanding” thing than Basil realized. Basil felt like he had been holding himself back from Kel’s positive energy. Basil hadn’t understood it, so he assumed he would have appeared just as foreign from Kel’s perspective. Basil didn’t want to be too optimistic. Kel seemed like the type who could be fickle- he’d say he’d do something, and completely forget about it. Maybe now that Basil wasn’t playing so hard to get, he’d just chalk that up to a victory, and keep hanging out with “easier” friends. But… that was unfair of Basil to think. The only reason it had taken them so long to sit down and actually talk in the first place was because of assumptions about how the other would act. Sure, their worlds were pretty different, but it was unfair of Basil to perpetuate that. The least he could do was give things a shot.

Basil turned around to head to the front of the school to wait for his grandmother to pick him up, and hoped that she wouldn’t be too upset. Maybe… mentioning the possibility of another new friend would help ease the sting?

Chapter Text

On the car ride home, Basil had tried. He tried to open his mouth, and show a little bit of positivity, despite the circumstances of his grandmother’s school visit. Maybe he’d tell her about Kel, and how he might want to hang out with Basil soon? When he glanced over at her worn face, her frail hands gripping the steering wheel, though, Basil could feel whatever words he wanted to say dry up in his throat. Her expression was solid and her eyes stony. His grandmother hardly got outwardly angry, but her disappointment could become almost palpable at times. This was one of those times.

Basil felt any attempt at making light of the situation shrivel up and crunch like a withering autumn leaf that had just been decimated by an eager child’s shoes. All he wanted to do was dissolve into the passenger seat in his shame. It was pretty stupid of him to think that he could get away with acting casually regarding his first high school suspension. His grandmother had never been one to take Basil’s antics flippantly, let alone anything that could detract from his education. If he knew anything about his distant family, it was that education and a good work ethic was important. Why else would his parents be on “business trips” ninety-five percent of the time?

The whole drive home, Basil didn’t dare to even clear his throat. His grandmother’s silence was deafening. When they reached the normally comforting green bungalow, Basil only wordlessly and routinely helped his grandmother hobble from the driver’s seat, keeping his eyes latched onto the floor. His face seared hot in his chagrin. Maybe he could try to smooth things over by behaving extra nicely throughout his sentence…

The door shutting behind the pair as they padded into the house and the weak light that flickered with Basil’s grandmother’s taut hand flipping the switch signaled the haunting beginning of Basil’s unearned time at home. He began subconsciously wringing his hands out of worry, but Basil was unsure of how to break the silence. Basil’s grandmother didn’t even spare him a glance as she quietly walked to the kitchen space and pulled some pots out of the cupboards. He always hated whenever his idiocy would make his grandmother become like this. He had to be the reason her stature seemed to tremble more than usual these days. Incidents like this were when his grandmother’s gentle warmth was sapped away, and revealed the age that sagged at her skin and gnawed at her features.

It scared him. Her age. Her silence.

Basil gulped, and he felt a tremor rush through his body as he dejectedly took a seat at the dining room table. He didn’t want to run away to his room, despite his grandmother’s coldness. It was only fair he faced the result of his actions head on. This is what happens when you lash out without thinking, this is what happens when you lose control of yourself. This is what happens when you don’t meet up to the expectations expected of others and yourself. Basil nodded. It was only right he hammered these cruel facts into his head.

But his inward admissions didn’t break his grandmother’s cold reticence for him. He parted cracked lips.

“Grandmother, I…”

“Basil,” she croaked harshly, facing away from him. The pot in her hand was clumsily dropped onto the burner, making Basil flinch in his seat. She coughed for a moment, and steadied herself. “Not right now.”

Her words should have promised the eventual discussion they’d have- an assurance of rectification between them despite Basil’s transgressions they always had, but Basil was never one to look to the future. Her present dismissal only felt like an icy sea had swept up from nowhere- drawing a solid line between Basil and his grandmother. He resisted the urge to cry and tried to ignore the panicked stone that had dropped in his heart at what felt like his grandmother’s rejection of his very self. It wasn’t that serious though- he was dramatizing it, surely.

That was what he tried to tell himself as his breathing picked up.

Loneliness stung as harshly as ever, grabbing onto him with clawed fingertips whenever Basil least expected it. It never seemed to matter if his soul had been weightless with thoughts of affection moments before- loneliness hovered above Basil’s delicate heart like the apex predator of his life it was. He tried to ignore it, like most unwanted feelings in his life, but he was always reminded upon what shaky ground his life stood in moments like these.

With quivering legs and lips, Basil had all these thoughts rush through his head in a single moment. It culminated in his plopping his head down on the wooden table, the force stinging his forehead, and splaying his hair across the table mat. As he opened his eyelids to tearfully stare at nothing but a blurry, brown surface, Basil refused to sniff his nose to make his turmoil known, causing it to grossly drip. God, he was such a mess.

He should just… go to his room. His grandmother would talk to him later. Definitely. Everything would work out, and she’d forgiven him and his mistakes like her kindhearted self always would. Her understanding and soft heart were two of the things Basil loved most about her.

But for now… he felt like he couldn’t look her in the eyes. And it seemed, neither could she.

Basil whipped his head upwards and wiped his face with his forearm furiously.

“I’m gonna go… t-take a nap. I’m tired and…” He was about to say kind of sore, but Basil said nothing to remind her of his recent incident and current cause of suspension. Even though it clearly would weigh on his grandmother’s mind as long as he remained here, and not at his school, Basil still felt the need to avoid the topic. Acknowledgement of his bad behavior wouldn’t make anything get fixed. Better to let it fade away…

“I’m just tired,” Basil’s voice cracked, doing a horrendous job of keeping itself in check. He pushed himself to his feet with an awful scraping of the chair legs against the floor, and quickly excused himself to his room. His grandmother only nodded to his departure.

Basil wished his room could feel like a place of solace, but all it offered was a void to yell into. A cruel haven to retreat to when his thoughts and explosions of emotion became too much, and he needed to lock himself away for his, and lately, the world’s safety. These unseeing plants that lined the walls saw more of Basil than the whole world likely would. The blossoms crowded the room, and Basil tried to lose himself as he always did in their pungent perfume as he slouched to the base of his closed door, but to no avail.

As always, the perfume only seemed to crowd his senses. Like listening to music loudly to drown out other noises, mumbles from the outside world would always creep in. So did Basil’s thoughts. He mumbled to himself, an affirming root to his own body, but one that was never constructive.

“She can’t leave me; she wouldn’t over this. Someone has to watch me. Someone has to be with me. I’ve messed up plenty of times before, and she hasn’t dropped me off on someone’s doorstep yet. Can she do that? Will she do that? She loves me… she says she loves me.” Basil choked out tearfully.

He was rambling nonsense. A little voice in the back of his head told him that, but feelings never seemed to listen to reason.

“I’ve gotten so much worse… I thought I could handle it, b-but I can’t…” He sniffed, then sobbed into his legs, now drawn up to his chest. “What’s h-happened to me? I’m supposed t-to be her ‘sweet little Basil.’ Why do I keep l-letting her down…?”

He sobbed. Long and hard. The tears didn’t make anything better.

Basil eventually pulled himself to his feet and into his bed, fully drained. It was only when he heard his grandmother’s softly shuffling feet within the hallway that he remembered his house wasn’t completely vacant. His mind had almost convinced him otherwise. That was motivation enough to change into nightclothes, instead of dropping like a filthy rag doll onto the sheets.

Basil tossed and turned regardless; his comfortable clothes didn’t still him one bit. His going to bed early gave Basil the advantage of not having to watch the moonlight shift painfully around the room, mocking his typical wastefulness of the night. Instead, Basil was able to watch the glow of the setting sun kiss his surroundings farewell, offering a grace period before the coming of night. Basil wasn’t sure when his eyelids slipped close, but his thoughts thankfully fell away with the welcoming dark.

~~

He did not dream, and when Basil opened his eyes again to more daylight streaming through his window, he felt like he had only blinked. He frowned, as he was confused as to why he was sleeping in on a Friday afternoon before remembering the position he was in.

As September now bled into October, Basil’s banishment had begun. Day one.

Basil’s slow, reluctant haul out of bed became a frenzied leap as he heard a startling clatter from the kitchen.

He flung open his door and raced through the hallway to find his grandmother hunched over, clutching her chest, with an upturned dish of food splattered on the floor in front of her. Basil rushed to his grandmother’s side and urged her to breathe deeply with him, fear surely creeping into his voice. Basil worried she was having a heart attack or something similar, but after a few minutes, she seemed to be alright. Basil almost kicked himself for not calling the hospital when it might have been vital in a less fortunate scenario. All he was able to do now was usher her to her bedroom, acting as a human crutch, and ease her into bed.

“I’m sorry, Basil…” she breathily murmured, as if drawing out the words caused her pain. “I didn’t think you weren’t going to come out last night so... “ She wheezed, her breaths haggard. “... you skipped dinner. I was going to…” She took a deep gasp. “... bring you breakfast.”

As inappropriately gleeful, considering the circumstances, Basil might have been to hear his grandmother talk to him again, panic still jumped around in his body following this alarming wake-up call. His grandmother’s concern was most definitely misplaced.

What was worse is that this hadn’t been the first time something like this had happened.

Basil tried to brush it off most of the time, but his grandmother’s frailty seemed only more prominent as time went on. What if something like that happened while she was in public? Or while Basil was at school? Or when she was driving? He couldn’t always be there for her.

“Grandmother… just… rest. I’ll get myself food. What about you? Did you eat yet?”

“Oh, Basil, please don’t…”

“I’ll get you some brunch or something. And… some tea. It’ll soothe you.” It won’t fix whatever is going on with her body, though. Basil grimaced at his thoughts. He didn’t want to think about his grandmother’s age. She was a constant in his life. Things would be alright. Just get her food. Don’t think about too much.

“Do you want anything specific?”

Basil’s grandmother looked at him from the side, as she lay, propped up on pillows, facing forward. “...If you insist…” She wheezed again. “Eggs and toast are fine. Nothing fancy.”

Basil gave her a watery smile, and opened the curtains to let some light in. It was always so dark in here. “...I’ll be right back.”

As Basil was about to leave the room, he snuck a glance back, and saw his grandmother staring forward at seemingly nothing, her arms folded on her stomach. Tucked into the sheets and covers like this, she looked even smaller than she usually was. The sight scared Basil, for some reason.

He shut the door behind him.

Basil was just about to get his grandmother her meal, and hopefully calm his nerves in the process, but jumped like a startled fawn at the sound of the front door being pounded with malicious intent.

Damn it, not right now, Basil hissed inwardly. He shuffled in place, looking over at the kitchen, and inwardly debating just ignoring the caller. He didn’t want to have to talk to anyone right now.

“Basil, what the HELL? I’m gone for ONE day, and you pull a stunt like this?”

Oh, for fuck’s sake, this was definitely something he didn’t want to deal with right now.

“Aubrey, calm down. He’s probably-”

“Can it, Kel.”

Kel, too?!

Maybe if Basil just carefully stuck to the wall, he’d be able to-

A clatter resounded obnoxiously from Basil’s right as he knocked several photos from an end table during his slow retreat.

“I fucking heard that, you little garden snake, I know you’re in there!”

“Garden snake?” Basil heard Kel snicker from beyond the door. “You’ve got a pet name for him already?”

“Can it, Kel.”

Basil outwardly groaned. He could never run from his fate. The most he could do was try to push it away. He approached the door.

“I’ll talk to you later, Aubrey. Can’t right now.”

Aubrey huffed reproachfully. “So you’re just gonna send me away like that? I want an explanation!”

The sound of a small scuffle was heard from outside, and Kel spoke up. “Heeyy, Basil! I hope you’re doing alright, you little do-crimer! I was hoping today could be a garden day, y’know? It’s the weekend…” Kel said in a sing-song voice.

“Kel… I said ‘tomorrow’ might not be good.”

“Oh… did you really? Whoops, totally forgot.”

“Yeah. And I’m busy,” Basil deadpanned disapprovingly. What a scatterbrain.

Kel seemed to perk up at that. “Well, then that’s no problem! We can help you out with whatever you’re busy with, and that’ll get stuff off your plate sooner! No problemo!”

Basil wanted to bang his head on the door, but that might be a little alarming to the thick pair on the other side. How much did you have to say before the message ‘go away,’ finally hit them in the head?

“...Alternatively, I use one of these shovels lying around to turn your cute little front door into toothpicks,” Aubrey chimed in. Basil could practically hear the shit-eating grin on her face.

“...You wouldn’t.”

“Wouldn’t be the first door.”

Basil didn’t want to test that claim, and unlocked the door, opening it a smidgen.

“...Why are you here, anyway?” Basil peered out at Kel and Aubrey. “It’s just past lunch time. Isn’t school still going?”

Aubrey folded her arms and glared at Basil. “It’s a half day. Apparently the seniors and juniors are all doing some ACT tests, so the rest of us got to head home early. You would know, if you hadn’t gone and gotten yourself suspended! I repeat: what the hell?”

Basil sighed, still holding onto the door, reluctant to open it fully. He bent his head against the frame. “...Kel didn’t tell you?”

“I mean… he kind of did. I just…” Aubrey looked more timid, now. “I just wanted to hear it from you. What happened…? I thought you were-”

“Better?” Basil snapped. “I’m not gonna get ‘fixed’ that quickly, Aubrey.” When he saw her eyes filled with nothing but resolute pools of sympathy, he immediately wished he could bite back words from the air.

He sighed again, and opened the door fully.

“Sorry… Aubrey. My grandmother’s not feeling well. I’m… making some lunch for her.” Basil’s shoulders slightly drooped, like a wilted plant. “I’ll be out in a moment, I guess…” He moved to shut the door again but was stopped by Kel’s firm grip catching it.

“Hey, Basil,” his voice was softer than usual. “I meant what I said. Come on, let us help out a bit! We’ll help you get stuff ready. Just let us in. Please?” He sounded so nakedly hopeful. Basil couldn’t just…

Well, he could, but… he wouldn’t. He was too tired to die on any hill, anyway.

Basil left the door open, and turned around. He waved his hand loosely, half-heartedly ushering the two inside. Kel whistled, like his house was something to marvel.

“Nice place, Basil! Cozy!”

Basil ‘mhmm’-ed in acknowledgement, and set to work gathering eggs, milk, and seasonings. He was about to grab a bowl, but was tapped on the shoulder by Aubrey, who already had one in hand. Basil snorted out of his nose.

“Well, someone’s found their way around the kitchen quickly.”

“Basil…” Aubrey’s voice sounded gentle- a stark contrast to her typically brash, unapologetic demeanor.

“... I usually forget where the utensils are, more of the time.”

“Basil.”

“...What, Aubrey?”

“...Are you okay?”

Basil grimaced. “So what if I’m not?” He stayed facing away from her, pointedly staring at the stove. It almost paralleled how his grandmother acted towards him last night. Perhaps they both had the common trait of not wanting to face painful confrontations.

“Basil, you’re being really…” Aubrey trailed off, not finishing her sentence, but Basil could think of several ways to finish it.

“Unpleasant? Rude? A major ass?”

“...Timid. You remind me of my bunny.”

Basil might have been offended otherwise, but now he was curious.

“...You have a bunny?”

“Yep. He can be a little grump sometimes, but he’s a real sweetheart deep down. Most of all, though, he gets scared so much. He’ll start thumping and stuff, and I’ve always gotta pet him until he calms down.”

“Hm.”

Aubrey rested a hand on Basil’s shoulder again, and mercifully, she seemed to ignore the shaking that brought forth from him. “Uh… where are your parents?”

“Away.” The response came near-instantly. It wasn’t a lie.

She had to have noticed his flinch.

Aubrey didn’t pursue the topic. She merely helped herself to the kitchen, seemingly preparing other foods besides just scrambled eggs. Looks like his grandmother would be getting ‘something fancy’ anyway.

“Hey Kel! Haul your ass over here and help out for once!” Aubrey called out to Kel, although with less bark behind her biting comment than usual.

“Aubrey, you know I can’t cook for-”

“Don’t care. You wanna die a sorry bachelor?”

Kel shrugged. “I mean… bachelors have a charm to them, eh?” He smirked and raised his eyebrows at Aubrey, who only groaned from where she was standing at Basil’s side.

“Ugh, maybe until they reach twenty-five! Then you’re just a sad, single, bastard getting by by having people mommy you. So get over here and apply skills that don’t take a microwave for once!”

Kel grumbled and marched into the kitchen. “You never give Sunny this much of a hard time… he appreciates the value of microwaves just as much as I do…”

“Stop whining,” Aubrey bonked him on the head with a fist. “Just go do something.”

Kel blankly stared at them for a moment, then looked like a lightbulb went off above his head. “I’ll make the toast!”

Aubrey and Basil both exhaled exasperatedly.

Making breakfast went smoothly enough, and Basil was oddly stilled by the presence of Aubrey beside him. Basil still felt a bit daunted- assured by her aggrieved demeanor at the door that he was going to get an earful later- but for now, at least, things were nice.

“Hey, Aubrey.”

“Hm?” She was mixing a bowl absentmindedly, her eyes downcast.

“Where were you the day I…?”

Aubrey scowled, not looking at him. “Oh, so you’re gonna blame me for it?”

“What? No! Don’t think so highly of yourself!” Basil spluttered out carelessly in his offended state. He flushed embarrassingly and averted his eyes. “...Besides, I’m at fault for my own mistakes. You’re not responsible for them.”

“...But maybe if I had been there, you wouldn’t be in this mess. I’d want someone to be there for me,” Aubrey said bitterly. Basil could almost taste the poison trickling from her words.

Basil sighed heavily. “Aubrey… don’t let me burden you.”

A silence passed between them, only the sizzling of the eggs keeping the two company. Kel seemed to have taken some sort of notice to the loose conversation they were having, despite his commonly tactless nature. He was getting some plates, keeping his mouth shut. It would be worrisome if Basil was paying more attention to him.

“...You’re not a burden.” Aubrey muttered. Her mouth was in a firm line. “I think people like us get told that too often, with or without the words being said.” She shook her head. As Basil peered at her in quiet wonder in his peripheral vision, he took note of her resolute stare. “That’s why… even though you might not want to weigh others down with your shit, which I get, I can’t help but want to… want to be there for… people like you. It’s one of the reasons I’ve taken Sunny under my wing as much as I have. I just…. I want to be there for people who can’t be there for themselves.”

She exhaled, and combed a hand through her bright hair, mussing it up. “Didn’t think I’d be monologuing today, geez.” Although it seemed a bit forced, Aubrey turned her head to Basil with a grin. “So, even if you tell me to piss off, just know this mother hen’s got an extra wing at the ready!” She pointed a jerky thumb at herself proudly.

Basil softly grinned, despite himself, his aqua eyes crinkling as he looked at her gratefully. He shoved away the entitled thought that that wasn’t a promise Aubrey could assuredly keep, and nodded. Still… despite her trying to comfort him, Basil couldn’t help but notice that Aubrey still hadn’t brought up why she didn’t show up to school yesterday. However, maybe it wasn’t something she wanted to talk about. She had respected Basil’s silence regarding his parents. It was only right he gave her the same respect and not intrude upon matters that didn’t concern him. Maybe they’d talk some other time. Or not. Who knows?

Kel took that moment to finally butt in. “Aubreeeey, why are you picking favorites with Basil? How about you save that other mama chicken wing for me?” He draped himself on her side dramatically, limply hanging onto Aubrey’s shoulder like the star subject of a Renaissance era painting. Aubrey growled and tried to shove the beanstalk that was Kel off of her, her face pink. “I’m not your mom, you damn freeloader! Get off!”

“Well, maybe I need your faithful protection anyway! Keep me safe, Aubrey!” Kel cried out.

“You monkey.”

As they scuffled, much to Basil’s alarm, he piled the plate for his grandmother with their cumulative efforts. Some nicely arranged fruit, thanks to his and Aubrey’s work, and some fluffy eggs, mainly from Aubrey… again. She was a really efficient worker, huh? The toast was buttered, if anything was to be accredited to Kel. As the two teens fought with each other, Basil slunk off to his grandmother’s room. She looked as thought she was drifting in and out of sleep, and her breathing sounded raspy. Basil frowned at how little she seemed to have improved, but quickly chided himself for being naïve enough to assume she would have magically been okay again.

It would only go downhill from here.

Basil shook his head. No, keep that off your plate, right now, he thought. Speaking of plates, his grandmother stirred a bit at the clattering of her breakfast dish on the end table beside her. He knelt down at her bedside.

“Grandmother… this is for you,” Basil whispered, reaching out for her hand to coax her back into the waking world. She stirred to life slowly with a smile on her face; Basil could almost see the cogs in her mind whir to life as she processed Basil’s words.

“Thank you… dear. I’ll eat some in a bit. Don’t… worry.” She stared forward again, her eyes half-lidded and unfocused.

“Hey, Basil! You ready to-” Kel haphazardly sauntered into the doorway of the room, and Basil shot him a nasty glare at his carelessness. “Sorry,” he whispered, which somehow seemed like the same volume, but just a hissed version of Kel’s voice. “Is this your grandmother?”

“No, it’s the other lady I live with. Of course it is!” Basil jibed.

“Basil…” his grandmother seemed more aware, now, at least enough to chide him over impolite behaviors. Basil scowled, but conceded.

“I thought I heard voices from the kitchen. Are you another one of Basil’s friends? He’s getting so many lately.”

Kel rubbed the back of his head with his hand bashfully, clearly pleased to be considered Basil’s friend. “I’m Kel, ma’am! Nice to meet you! I live a little further away than Aubrey, but I’m still in the neighborhood.”

Basil’s grandmother scrunched up her eyebrows. “Aubrey’s the… young lady with the loud hair, so, are you the one Basil went to help out recently?”

Kel blanked for a moment, seemingly having memory problems himself, before shaking his head. “Oh no, if it was like… a couple days ago-ish that you’re talking about- that was Sunny. Basil actually met him first! They’re both working together with cleaning up his garden and stuff; Basil’s gonna make it look all pretty, and maybe get Sunny to actually get some exercise in the process, haha…”

Basil flushed. “I’m not his keeper… or his personal trainer or anything. I’m just there to tend flowers. That’s all.” He crossed his arms and looked away.

Basil’s grandmother beamed with pride. “Are you all going to head out again? This is wonderful, Basil!”

Basil was about to sputter a protest, but Kel was more than happy to speak over and for him, per their usual conversations. “Oh, yeah! I was thinking we could go get some lunch at my house, and then maybe do some garden-y things! It’ll be fun!”

Basil huffed. “...And by we, you mean I’m going to do most of the work, if your treatment of plants has been an indicator for anything…”

Kel laughed sheepishly. “I mean… in the past, maybe, but I’ll get better, I promise! Hey, since Aubrey’s rejected me, maybe you could take me under your wing! Heh, you can make me a proper gardening master. Teach me your ways!”

Basil couldn’t help but scoff at how Kel’s “in the past” was likely a mindset had just a week ago, as if he could change that quickly. Maybe teaching him proper plant care would make it so Basil would have less of a mess on his hands, though.

“...I’ll consider it.”

Kel pumped his fist. “I’ll take that as a win!”

Basil’s grandmother chuckled weakly from her bed. “...You almost make me feel young again, young man. You all have a good time.”

Basil looked worriedly at his grandmother again. “But… you’re not feeling well. Shouldn’t I stay and watch you?” Basil’s grandmother turned her head towards him in response to that, giving him an even stare.

“It’s good to be there for your family, Basil, and I’m glad you realize this,” her voice seemed to carry a near-undetectable venom to it, although Basil realized it wasn’t directed towards him, “...but it’s not your place to waste your youth on an old timer like me. Go have fun.”

Basil gritted his teeth and held her hand with a slightly tighter grip. “...But what if-”

“Basil.”

Basil couldn’t argue with that firmness. He nodded, and slowly drew himself to his feet. Dust got on his pant legs. How long had it been since they had both pulled together to clean the house better? It seemed to be getting harder to do so.

“Well, I’ll be back a little later, then. Don’t worry about me.”

Basil’s grandmother looked at him, but did not nod. Of course, she would always worry about him. And he, her. Hollow words for hollow comfort. They were both frail people, just in different ways.

Basil and Kel moved to leave the stuffy room, ready to depart.

“...Did you just leave Aubrey to clean up the kitchen?”

“...Oh shoot. How long do you think I’ve got left to live?”

“Might want to prepare a living will.”

The door shut behind them, and Basil’s grandmother sighed. It was a faint comfort, and perhaps too presumptuous of one, but she truly hoped that with the right people in his life, her grandson could learn to live a little bit. For so long, now, Basil seemed like he had only been moving day to day, with a dull look in his pretty little eyes. She frowned. Her grandson, with all his faults, deserved better than what he was born with. And he definitely should be enjoying his younger years by doing more than waiting on an old widow!

“...Ha.”

...Maybe then, after she was gone, Basil would be able to look more towards the future, instead of being rooted in the small world around him. The poor boy never seemed to be able to see past the world that lay just before his eyes. It might do him good to broaden his horizons. Alas, such was the shortsightedness of youth. He’d learn, she hoped.

~~

“Ugh, I’m starving! If I knew today was gonna be a half day, I would’ve just skipped school and had a good breakfast,” Kel groaned and stretched, pushing his hand into Aubrey’s face. She pushed it away playfully.

“As if. Your mom would make your hide a permanent decoration on your living room wall.” Aubrey scoffed, and folded her arms behind her head as the trio walked to Kel’s house.

Kel shivered. “You’re probably right. At least Hero said he’d be getting something ready for all of us. He and Mari’ve already taken the ACT, those dang wonder kids,” Kel said with little actual animosity in his voice.

“You don’t have to be a wonder kid to take a standard test, idiot. They’re gonna force us to take it once we’re juniors.”

“It does take a genius to get anything in the 30’s, though. And they BOTH did! I’d be lucky if I saw a fifteen…” Kel sighed wistfully.

“Fifteen? Don’t give yourself so much credit,” Aubrey snickered, and was promptly shoved by Kel.

“Well, you’ll probably get a ten!” Aubrey shoved Kel back.

“You’ll get a five!” A shove for Aubrey, directly into Basil, who walked in silence beside them. He stumbled, almost teetering over into the grass.

“What is this, a reverse auction? Watch it!” Basil grumbled.

“Basil’s not bothered, because he knows he’s gonna ace the exam once he gets there,” Kel grinned cheekily.

Basil blew him off. “Yeah, right. I don’t think I’ve ever had higher than a low ‘B’ in a math class my whole life. I hate math.”

Kel shook his head. “But Basil! You’ve got to be good at some math, because I know for a fact you’re the solution to all my equations!” Kel shot some finger guns at him. Basil wanted to leak into the floor, but instead raked a hand down his face, although he hid the small smile he was growing against his will while doing so. Damn it, Kel.

“Was that… a math pickup line?”

Aubrey whacked Kel upside the head. “That was arguably the worst pickup line I’ve ever heard. Repent, dumbass.”

Kel rubbed his head. “Aw, I was proud of that one…” He grinned again. “But anyway, blame Hero, not me! I swear I’ve heard him use that one on Mari, before. Speaking of which, we’re here!” Kel stopped in front of the door to his house, and began to knock over and over again.

Aubrey laughed. “I’m not surprised that total dork would say something like that. He’d probably make it work, somehow. And I bet you Mari was swooning.”

Kel snorted. “Totally was.”

There were those names again, Hero and Mari. Everyone kept mentioning them, but Basil had yet to meet them himself. “...Who are Hero and Mari, again?” Basil queried.

Kel whistled. “I’m honestly surprised you’ve been able to hang out with Sunny without bumping into Mari at least once, but then again, I guess she has been more busy for a little while, now…”

Aubrey ‘ahem’-ed. “Hero is this guys’,” she jerked her thumb at Kel, “brainiac older brother. And Mari, is Sunny’s talented older sister. They’re both two peas in a pod.” She put her hand on her hip.

Kel affirmed Aubrey’s statement with a solemn nod. “Yep. They’re like this,” Kel motioned with an upheld hand, presenting two fingers crossed over each other to indicate Hero and Mari’s closeness. “They’re so mushy all the time- it’s ridiculous!”

Aubrey only rolled her eyes. “What are you, twelve? They’re cute.”

Kel tutted, and only went back to knocking. “All I’m saying is, I don’t know how Sunny can stand them all the time, because I sure can’t most of the time.”

A voice sounded from inside. “Kel! My hands are full! Give me a second; you don’t need to keep knocking, because I heard you already! Sunny, can you go get that?” A small, unintelligible mumble replied to Hero, which apparently caused Hero to sigh in frustration. A chaotic clatter was heard before some frantic steps approached the door. It creaked open, presenting a boy, somewhat older looking than the trio, with mussed brown hair that seemed to fall around his face in all the flattering directions, if there even was such a thing. His brown eyes peered at the three standing on the porch for a moment, lingering for a second upon Basil, then interrupted his silent assessment by cranking on the screen door with a tan hand and mumbled ‘come-in’-s.

They all shuffled inside, and were presented with a smoky house, which Kel seemed to quickly adapt to, humming as he moved to open the doors and avoid triggering the smoke alarm. “So, Sunny’s cooking, again?”

Hero dusted his hands on his pink apron with the proud “Kiss the Chef” red font on it, and sighed. “Yep, he really seemed eager to help, so I thought I’d give it a shot with him. He’s definitely trying his best.”

Aubrey snickered as she kicked her shoes off her feet. “Well, him ‘trying his best’ is gonna get the fire department on your doorstep.”

Hero laughed uncomfortably, and shuffled back into the kitchen. Kel and Aubrey followed suit, so Basil awkwardly trotted in after them, once again feeling like a fish out of water in Kel’s house, but this time because of a different person. When they entered the kitchen, the smoke seemed to be even denser, and Basil waved a hand in front of his face. The kitchen seemed much more lived in than it was last time Basil was inside of it. The counters were dusted with flour and other excess ingredients, and dirty dishes stacked up in the sink. The chairs that he and Aubrey used last time were occupied holding some backpacks, and paper towels littered the countertops.

“Here, Sunny, pour it on the pan, and this time, I’ll watch it with you.” Hero was standing in front of the stove with Sunny at his side, and was holding onto a bowl filled with batter, his hands clasped over Sunny’s pale ones to hold it steady, carefully tipping the batter neatly into the pan so that not a single drop was wasted. Hero then set the bowl down and readied his spatula. “And now we wait.”

Everyone settled into wherever throughout the kitchen. Aubrey leaned up against the wall, and Kel went to pour himself a glass of orange liquid that- quite frankly, looked dangerously acidic. Basil wasn’t sure what to do with himself, and cleared his throat awkwardly. That somehow seemed to be enough to get Sunny to tear his eyes away from the pan with the sizzling batter within, and look at Basil. Basil offered a sheepish wave, and Sunny smiled in return, beginning to walk towards him. Hero lightly snagged onto the back of Sunny’s shirt, and tried to draw him back to the stove. “Sunny, you said you were going to try to focus this time. Come on, just for a minute, please. It needs to be flipped soon.”

“You’re such a mom, Hero.”

“Sunny! You said you wanted to help me out.”

“Yeah… past tense, maybe…”

Hero ran a hand through his chestnut hair, seemingly forgetting it was coated with flour. Basil frowned as he disputed inwardly how someone was able to look like they were fashionably posing for a camera while coated with dry ingredients.

“Ugh, then… that’s okay. Just… at least help me with this one. Here, it’s ready to flip. Grab it here,” Hero put Sunny’s hand on the spatula and once again, covered it with his own, and motioned how to wedge it under the pancake, carefully flipping it with him. The pancake flipped nicely over, not getting a single smudge on the exterior regions of the pan.

“There we go! Nicely done!” Hero smiled at Sunny, who looked up at the other with a soft grin on his face. Basil frowned again, but was startled by a cheery presence entering the doorway behind him. A swish of long, black hair whistled past Basil, the motion accompanied by the sound emitted from a rustling ruffled skirt, the bearer of it moving to meet Hero and plant a candid kiss on his cheek. That must be Mari.

She drew back, and looked at the flour now stained on her clothes. She puffed her cheeks. “Aw, Hero! You should have warned me! Now I’m going to have to wipe all this off!”

“Sorry, Mari… you moved too quickly for me to warn you,” Hero chuckled, ignoring the same pancakes he had been motivated to protect mere moments ago. Mari only chuckled, and tenderly tapped her index finger to his nose, causing Hero’s eyes to cross as he visually followed the movement.

“Hehe, what can I say? I couldn’t slow down to save my life…”

Kel made gagging noises in the background, although Basil had a feeling it wasn’t from the orange drink in his hands. “See, Basil? This is what I meant. I would never…”

Mari perked up at the sound of Basil’s name. “Basil’s here?” Her eyes were bright as she turned around, and settled on Basil’s withdrawn form, apparently having missed him upon her entrance. Mari gave Basil a tiny wave, her cupid bow lips drawn up into an impish simper. “I’m so glad I can finally meet you!”

“...Finally?” Basil stepped back a couple paces, and noticed that Sunny was no longer focusing on the pan, but craning his neck to look at his sister.

“Oh definitely!” Mari clapped her hands together. “I feel bad for having heard so much about you, but never speaking a word to you! My little brother seems to think so highly of-”

“Mari…” Sunny called, approaching his sister. “Did you, uh… bring the fruit?”

Mari looked at Sunny for a second, then had an expression of realization dawn upon her face. “Oh, you’re right! I left the cantaloupe and honeydew at the door! I’ll go grab the bags! Look at you, little brother, covering for me, hehe…” Mari exited the room in a flurry, and Sunny quickly shuffled into the spot she had just before taken up. Sunny rubbed his arm nervously.

“Hah… yeah, that’s my sister, Mari. I’m surprised you didn’t get to meet her yet, to be honest.”

Basil smiled confusedly. “Uh, yeah, that’s just what Kel said.”

“Yeah, she’s really sweet. She can just be a bit-”

Hero called for Sunny’s attention again, and Sunny looked at Basil apologetically, giving him the “one moment” signal with a lazily thrown up hand before rejoining Hero, ready to bring some pancakes into being. Basil huffed a bit, and so with nothing to do, was about to just lean on the wall with Aubrey, when Mari tapped on Basil’s shoulder. She merrily placed the grocery bags of fruit on the cluttered countertops, then returned to stand by Basil. Basil felt tense. Two new people in the room. One of them took away one of the people he knew, and another one was smiling far too brightly at him for Basil to feel comfortable with.

“So,” Mari popped her lips, “I’m Mari, Sunny’s older sister! Like I said, it’s nice to meet you! Have Sunny and everyone else been treating you well?”

Basil inwardly chuckled. So formal sounding. Why’d she seem like she was trying so hard to impress? Additionally, why’d she seem like she wanted to impress him of all people?

“Yeah… They’ve all been… pretty kind to me, so far,” Basil mumbled, and kicked against the tile floor. He was having a hard time looking her in the eyes, for whatever reason. He blamed how her pearly smile seemed to almost radiate light. Basil couldn’t handle it.

“Well, I might not be able to do as much about the others, but if Sunny gives you a problem, then talk to me, and I’ll tell him what’s what!” Mari pounded her closed fist into an open palm with an amusing lack of force behind it. Basil snorted outwardly this time. He could hear Mari titter when he did, clearly pleased to have gotten a reaction from him. So this was where Sunny got his mischievous streak from…

“Well, anyway, it looks like Hero’s about to have lunch ready, soon. I’m about to help with cutting up the fruit. It’s always good to have some fruit on the table for every meal, I think.”

Basil slowly nodded in response to Mari’s statement, feeling like he knew where this was going.

“Want to help out? I’d be grateful for it.”

Was she… trying to bond with him? Over fruit? Sunny really had to have talked positively about him for her to be this enthusiastic. Well, unless she was just another Kel, and standing at the ready to talk to anybody. Damn extroverts. Basil felt a bit sheepish at the idea. What could Sunny have seen in him to mention eagerly to his sister about?

“...Uhm... “ Basil stammered dumbly. Mari only tugged him along by his wrist, taking his silence as agreement, and soon they were both clearing off the countertops, slicing fruit, and were sharing the small kitchen space with Hero and Sunny. Basil tried to catch Sunny’s eye, perhaps to send a pleading “help, your sister’s only just met me, and I’ve been abducted” look, or something, but Sunny only craned his head back for a moment to blink at him in simple acknowledgement. His attention was snagged yet again by Hero.

“Hey, Sunny, check this out!” Hero picked up the saucer, and flipped the pancake that was inside far into the air, catching it again with perfect balance. Mari clapped excitedly from Basil’s left, and Sunny’s eyes seemed to sparkle with admiration, his mouth making a little “o.”

“...Wow…” Sunny mumbled, a bright smile on his face as he looked at Hero with a soft look. Basil huffed and rolled his eyes, going back to slicing some cantaloupe with more vigor than before. He glanced up, noticing that Aubrey had wandered off. Gee, thanks, Basil thought. Leaving me to the…

Mari teasingly chattered with Hero and Sunny as she worked on the honeydew. Her expression seemed light and airy, clearly at ease while enjoying casual conversation.

Maybe it wouldn’t be apt to say he was “left to the wolves,” but Basil still felt out of his element. Not one, but two people who seemed to be real spotlight grabbers had entered his social horizon, and were likely people he’d have to continue to interact with. With how much energy Mari and Hero seemed to radiate, it was no wonder the others seemed to mention them as much as they did. Basil was about to sulk inwardly, but he stopped himself. He remembered how he made assumptions to deter Kel from being his friend, and that had only caused the both of them distress. And… although they were just testing the waters at this point, Kel didn’t seem all that bad. It was only right he extended the same grace towards Mari and Hero.

Basil caught Mari sticking her tongue out playfully at Sunny, causing the latter to roll his eyes and go back to slowly washing a dirty dish in the sink.

Additionally, Mari was Sunny’s sister. That alone indicated that she couldn’t be all that bad, right?

Basil was wrapped up in his contemplations about what these new characters might be like, rather than actually interacting with them to find out himself. He was jostled from his thoughts by Mari gently bumping him with her shoulder. Basil looked at her from the side, a bit startled.

“Sooo… Sunny’s also been telling me about how you’ve both been working on rejuvenating the garden. That’s really kind of you, Basil!” Mari chirped.

Basil spluttered. The positive energy was overwhelming. “Uh… it’s fine. Aubrey wanted me to do it in the first place.”

“Well, still, it’s nice of you to keep coming over to help with it. Sunny said you just came over not too long ago to whack down some caterpillar nest. He thought that was really brave!” A clatter was heard from the sink as Sunny dropped a dish he was scrubbing. He whirled his head around, and Basil could see how his eyes bored into the back of his sister’s head. Basil sniggered inwardly at his expression. Mari continued, unperturbed.

“Well, anyway, I was thinking that after we all eat, I could help you out with some of the work! I’ve been doing a lot of reading to figure out how to get better at raising the plants, so I won’t make as many mistakes in the future. Maybe you could give me some tips? Hey, it could also be a great way for us to get to know each other!”

Basil wasn’t sure he had the energy for this, but it wasn’t like he had the right to say no…

Sunny quietly coughed from behind. Basil and Mari turned to look at him. “Um, I can come too.”

Mari looked surprised. “Are you sure, little brother? I know how much you hate doing work that gets you dirty.”

“I-” Sunny looked a little indignant. “I’m not that bothered by it! I’ve been… helping out Basil a lot… right?” Sunny looked over at Basil pleadingly.

“Y-yeah, I think so,” Basil stammered out. He couldn’t help but notice how… youthful Sunny seemed to be acting. Was that the right word? Basil just couldn’t help but notice that, in the presence of his older sister, Sunny really did seem like a younger sibling. Less composed than usual, and more like a tiny, mewling child. Basil didn’t mind. It was kind of funny to see Sunny’s aloof demeanor shattered in the moment by one loose-lipped older sibling.

“Aw,” Mari cooed. “Sunny, you’re so sweet! Thanks for wanting to help out!” Sunny turned away again, and mumbled a nearly inaudible ‘no problem’ before scrubbing at the dishes more fiercely than before.

“Hey Hero, let’s finish this up soon, so we can go get to that! Y’know, I actually picked up some more fertilizer so the plants could grow quicker…” Mari trailed off enthusiastically. Basil felt a little bit flattered by her excitement, although he wouldn’t admit it outwardly. She’d be a good student, even if she was older than he was. She may talk a lot, and have an almost domineering presence, but Basil couldn’t help but be a little charmed by her.

“B-but, Mari! Weren’t we planning this pancake lunch for a little while? I thought we were going to enjoy that for a little while with everyone else…” Hero dejectedly lowered his spatula as he looked at her.

“Alright Hero, hear me out.”

“I’m listening.”

“Pancakes, plus the great outdoors and flowers.”

Hero’s eyes glimmered with a spark of adoration. “Mari, you’re a genius- that sounds way better than staying inside. It’s a beautiful day out, after all.”

Mari grinned back at him. “So then grab some Tupperware, and let’s get moving, silly!”

Afterwards, they finished up the preparation for the meal and the cleaning up rather quickly. It was only after the work was all finished that Aubrey and Kel decided to show up again. Mari sighed once she saw them make their appearances.

“Where have you two been? We’ve all been busy making food for all of us to enjoy! You should have chipped in at least a little bit,” she tutted. Hero approached her, taking off his apron and hanging it on a cupboard drawer knob. He laid a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s fine, Mari. We’re just doing this for fun, anyways.”

Basil took that moment to chime in. “That and… they did help me make some breakfast for my grandmother when they came to pick me up, so… there’s that.”

Hero turned to face Basil with a grateful smile, finally having the opportunity to evaluate his quiet visitor. “See, Mari? The others already did their time. Now we can all relax a bit.”

Mari huffed for good measure, but had a smile creep onto her face, betraying her persona. “Well, in that case, let’s head over to my house. We’ve got some eating,and work to do!”

Kel cheered at the prospect of food. “I’m starving! Can’t wait to dig in…”

Basil moved around the counter to shuffle out of the kitchen with everyone. “...And dig in the soil, right?”

Kel paused as he registered Basil’s words, remarkably less enthusiastic looking at the prospect of working with plants than with eating more than his stomach could contain.

“A-Ah, yeah. Right.”

“You said you’d be happy to help me, earlier,” Basil pointed out.

Kel’s eyes darted, searching for an escape from verbal obligation, and he scooped up some extra Tupperware containers Hero had just been reaching for, causing his brother to stumble in surprise. “I’ve got that!”

Kel rushed out of the room, running from his responsibilities (and almost into Aubrey, in the process), and swung the front door open, taking to the sidewalk. Aubrey rolled her eyes, and blew a stray strand of hair that swung into her face, a pink pendulum, before reluctantly following him. With the other two gone, the slower ones, Basil, Sunny, Mari, and Hero took their sweet time while exiting the house.

Hero wasn’t wrong in any regard- the weather was absolutely gorgeous today, it was just that Basil hadn’t seemed to notice it in his melancholic and tired state this morning. He blinked, adjusting his eyes to the sunlight, and stretched once he was clear of the doorframe. Speaking of Hero, Basil was tapped on the shoulder by the man in question. He whirled around to face him, and to his surprise, Hero looked a bit sheepish, and rubbed the back of his head.

“Ah, hello, Basil. Sorry I was so distracted when you came in; I don’t think I even greeted you.”

Basil scrunched up his eyebrows. He honestly couldn’t even remember.

“...Well, anyway, I’m Hero! Nice to meet you, and sorry you ended up doing some of the cooking as soon as you came in. You’re a guest, so-”

Mari cleared her throat, meeting up at Hero’s side, and linking her arm with his, flustering the otherwise tan skin of Hero’s face. He chuckled awkwardly, his voice cracking. Ah, so that’s what makes the charm slip. Mari lightly dismissed Hero’s worries.

“It’s alright, Hero! We didn’t work him to the bone or anything. I’m sure Basil’s help is only going to make the food all the more tasty. It’s better to say ‘thanks’ to someone for their help than to apologize for taking their time, silly!” She winked at Hero. They shot some low chatter back and forth, then went on their way to Sunny’s house. Although Basil didn’t feel too off-put by those two, they exuded an unnatural air, as if everything they were doing was scripted. Basil narrowed his eyes, watching them go as he idled on Kel and Hero’s porch. He could practically see cartoonish hearts swirling above their heads.

“...They almost seem like they’re from a reality TV show…” Sunny popped up out of nowhere, startling Basil, who almost jumped out of his shoes. An astute and on-topic observation, though. Sunny seemed to be along the same line of thinking.

“Where did you come from? I thought you went on ahead with Kel or something!”

Sunny cocked his head at Basil curiously. “Oh, I’m always here. People just don’t notice me.”

Basil puffed out a laugh, somewhat unsettled by Sunny’s choice of words. “Apparently. At the very least, I sure didn’t. You blend in with the shadows…”

Sunny raised his eyebrows at him. “I wonder… is my camouflage good enough to get out of work?”

Basil was offended, and plopped his hands on his hips in indignance. “You all got your garden into this mess in the first place… if you want to get any better, you’ve got to put the work in!”

Sunny nodded in half hearted agreement. He probably just wanted to shut Basil’s nagging up. He only stared distantly, looking after Mari and Hero walking down the sidewalk. Basil looked after them, and took Sunny’s silence as time to process his initial statement.

“Yeah… I guess they do look like a movie couple. It’s almost uncanny,” Basil cocked his head, looking incredulously at the delighted pair. Surely, their relationship couldn’t be that idyllic? Basil inwardly shook his head. People always put on their nicest faces when in front of others; it was silly to look at couples first glance and swoon over the possibility that their relationship was smooth sailing.

Sunny cracked a tiny smile. “They act like one, too, minus the dramatic big fights. It’s nice, how happy they are.”

Basil looked evenly at him, studying Sunny’s almost wistful expression. “Well… you seem like a good brother, then, caring so much.”

Sunny blushed at the compliment, shaking Basil’s words away with a modest, dismissive hand. “...I’m just happy when Mari’s happy. And Hero makes her happy. They’re two sides of the same coin.”

Basil sniffed in amusement at Sunny’s poetic phrasing. He talked pretty straightforwardly most of the time, so this was a change. He didn’t take Sunny to be a romantic.

“...You’d understand if you weren’t an only child.”

Basil snapped up at that. “H-How’d you know that?”

Sunny only blinked innocently. “You have the air of one.” He didn’t explain further, and began to walk down the sidewalk to trail after the others, leaving Basil to clumsily catch up with him.

“What’s that even mean? How’d you know, really? Did I mention it at some point? You’re not a psychic, are you?”

“Oh no, I’ve been caught. What will I do now?” Sunny mumbled in a humdrum fashion, clearly unconcerned with Basil’s flustered frenzy in pursuit for answers. Basil huffed and wondered how this person, clearly easily anxious in the right circumstances, "circumstances" being bugs, could be so unfazed by causing someone else similar distress.

Sunny tossed his cool, cat-like gaze in Basil’s direction. “I’ll make up for reading your mind by putting extra effort into the flowers, don’t worry,” he promised with an almost unnoticeable upturned curve of his lips.

Basil turned away and huffed again for good measure, merely ushering for them to catch up with the others. When they arrived, Basil wasn’t sure if he could really offer much help. With all of them piled in Sunny’s backyard, Kel and Aubrey tugging fertilizer and mulch bags through the grass, and Hero helping Mari with hers, he felt out of place. There were no particular techniques to dumping fertilizer, even if Basil could pretend there were to make his presence needed…

Maybe he could just head home today, and leave the work to everyone else. He shuffled awkwardly in place, even more so when he realized Sunny was still standing beside him, and only looking at him wordlessly. Basil was half-tempted to say something about the unnervingly empty stares Sunny would often give, but was unable to.

Apparently the two of them were sticking out like sore thumbs, and Mari didn’t let them stand around for long.

“Sunny, Basil, come over here and help us out! Things will go by quicker if everyone chips in! Sunny, you’re zoning out again!”

Mari’s words woke Sunny up, and ushered Basil into action. Like Mari said, the unloading of the bulky sacks went by quicker with everyone’s aid, and Basil didn’t have to worry about whether or not he was ‘fitting in’ when he kept his hands busy. He still felt a little overwhelmed by all of the socialization going on around him- much, much more than he was ever used to at once, so, after getting settled on the ground next to one of the flower beds, he kept quiet most of the time, focusing more on spreading fertilizer with his hands, patting it down, and stroking the petals of the flowers, occasionally.

He would have felt worse about his lack of participation otherwise, feeling like he was doing something wrong with the whole “friend” thing, but Sunny was about as quiet as he was throughout the entire process, hesitantly mirroring Basil’s movements, something the latter found quite funny. It was like Sunny had never worked a day in his life with how clumsy his movements were.

At one point, Sunny twisted his face up. “...Yuck.”

“What is it?” Basil’s voice cracked a little bit from how quiet he had been. Ugh.

“The fertilizer. It stinks.”

“...You get used to it after a while. I don’t think it smells too bad…”

Sunny screwed his face up in confusion. “Basil, it’s literal cow shi-”

Mari walked up from behind the two and bopped Sunny on the head before settling daintily on the ground to Sunny’s left. Her legs were folded as though she were sitting side-saddle on a noble steed. “Language, Sunny!”

“...Sorry…” Sunny rubbed the back of his head, sounding more annoyed than sorry. Basil snickered at Sunny’s misfortune, then directed his attention to Mari, who had decided to intrude upon their conversation.

“...Hi,” Basil simply said, feeling the familiar wariness creep back into his voice, to his own displeasure. He didn’t really want to appear hostile; maybe he was just getting cranky and worn out from all the activity. He’ll try better. “Um…” He looked around, suddenly noticing it seemed later on in the day, and that the other beds looked adequately taken care of. Oh, so Basil and Sunny had been the slow ones. Oops. Still, Basil would check on how they did later. Maybe they finished quicker with a sloppy job.

Still, Basil noticed how Aubrey and Kel were lying in a heap from the heat, so maybe they really had worked hard. The sliding glass door opened, and out popped Hero with a tray of lemonade, earning the enthusiasm of the other two, suddenly imbued with a previously absent fervor to leap to their feet and get a drink for themselves.

“...It looks like everyone else has finished with the other bed?”

Mari beamed at Basil, making him feel like he was earning a disproportionate amount of praise for merely participating in a conversation. “Yep! I figured that we weren’t really in a rush, so it didn’t matter if you both took your time over here. It’s no issue if you both were a little slower, either. After all, the four of us were all working on the other flower bed. It makes sense that only you two would need more time to sort everything out.” She giggled. “You both looked like you were really in the zone; none of us wanted to bother you.”

Basil snorted. “Even Kel? I’m shocked. He can’t seem to keep his mouth shut for a second.” He sucked in his breath too late, realizing that Mari might not be completely behind jokes like that yet. From her perspective, Basil had just joined her circle. His critical words might-

Mari’s giggle turned into a laugh. Basil felt relieved.

“You seem like you’ve got Kel down to a science, already. You’d be surprised about how focused he can get when he really gives his all with something!” Her eyes narrowed in a cat-like fashion similar to Sunny’s. “You might want to give him a little pat on the head, later. He mentioned at one point how he hoped all his work would be good enough for your standards, so I think he’d be pretty grateful for that approval. Got to give the local puppy of the group his much needed attention!”

Basil fluttered his eyes in surprise, and he began to laugh. He didn’t quite expect that sly response from Mari. She acted so… quaint to make dogging jokes under her breath. It was a welcome surprise.

Sunny laughed lowly as well, although his attention seemed elsewhere, momentarily. Maybe Basil would ask him what was up when he finished talking to Mari.

Mari stretched her arm out to Sunny, and rubbed his shoulder warmly. “Hey, Sunny? You alright there, little brother?” Basil frowned a bit. Looks like Mari took that opportunity to check on him before Basil could. It only made sense, of course. Mari was his sister. She obviously would know him like the back of her own hand. That’s how siblings worked, right? Basil wouldn’t really know, although he acknowledged that with relief. He wouldn’t want another child to be born from his parents.

Sunny shook his head, snapping himself out of… wherever it was his brain seemed to often go to, and looked up at Mari with a weak smile, giving her a thumbs up. “...I’m alright. Could you go get me a drink? Is that okay?”

Mari nodded happily. “Hero got some lemonade for everyone! I’ll go get you one of those-” She was about to hop upward, but Sunny shook his head.

“Too sweet. He always dumps too much sugar into them.”

Mari chuckled bashfully, rubbing her arm. “Aha, that’s my bad. Hero knows how much I like sweet things. I’ll go get you one from the kitchen, Sunny. I’ll be right back!” Mari happily pranced away, and Basil watched her go.

“...She’s sweet, too,” Sunny mumbled.

“...Yeah, I guess so,” Basil didn’t really know what to say to that.

“She can be a bit much… though,” Sunny frowned, but his eyes quickly became downcast when he said that. “I- I feel a little bad saying that. She’s so kind to me. She’s only been helpful to everyone.”

Basil rubbed his wrist nervously. He didn’t really know what to say to that, either. Man, he wasn’t too good at this “listening” thing. Also, to be completely fair, he hadn’t been around Mari for nearly enough as he would need to to get the full scope of Sunny’s grievances. All he could do was take Sunny’s word for it.

“...But anyway, I just wanted her to leave for a moment.”

The hair on the back of Basil’s neck stood up for a moment. Sunny wanted them to be alone? Why?

Sunny looked over at Basil with stony eyes, and reached out for Basil’s hand. It was dirty- his fingernails were caked with dirt and manure. His hands were dusted with brown. Basil winced at how roughly it was grabbed. He had been trying to work around it, but Sunny had dug his fingers right into his knuckles as Basil’s hand was held upwards, fingers splayed out for all to see. Knuckles that were tinged with a color that was bloody red, and green bruises. Bruises from lashing out when he shouldn't have.

He was caught.

“...What happened?” Sunny asked simply, still holding onto Basil’s hand.

Basil would admit it: he felt a little ashamed. He had first met Sunny after getting into a bad fight, and now there’s clear evidence of another one. Sunny would probably think he was a no-good, violent person at this rate. Basil gulped. He… he wouldn’t be wrong, per se, but he didn’t want Sunny to think of him like that. That…

Basil’s mouth dried up as Sunny only continued to stare at him with an anticipatory look. He clearly expected a clear response, even though the answer was pretty obvious as to what happened. Basil supposed that, like Aubrey, Sunny just wanted to hear about the incident from Basil’s own mouth. He winced at the reminder. He’d still have to talk to her about it, later. Maybe he could pull her over here, and just get both explanations done within one fell blow.

However, Sunny seemed to have no intention upon releasing his hand anytime soon. Basil sighed with relief when Sunny loosened his grip upon Basil’s hand, though, adjusting for Basil’s tender wounds.

“...I got in another fight,” Basil mumbled.

“Why?”

“Because…” Basil couldn’t really explain it much, himself. Between now and then, he had already tried to force it from his mind. Basil usually did that with specific, unwanted memories. All that remained were the feelings surrounding them, but he had no desire to recall ugly events. Perhaps that neglect of concrete addressing of his “incidents” was a reason for his lack of improvement in his self control.

“...Because I got scared…” Basil whispered out. Was it pitiful? Yes. Was it lackluster? Absolutely. But how could he provide justification to the unjustified? The only explanation was that Basil was an unhinged person who would lash out at himself and the people around him with little to no reason.

Sunny must have seen how miserable Basil looked, because for just a moment, his eyes became less stony. He lowered Basil’s hand from the air, ready to be scrutinized, and brought it down to the grassy space between them. Basil felt his legs growing numb, now realizing just how long the two of them had been sitting here. He just wanted to go home…

“...Do you want to talk about it?” Sunny’s voice was soft and low, draping the offer under a velvety curtain of security and quiet understanding. Basil realized that it wouldn’t do him much harm to maybe talk about his feelings for a change, but he didn’t want to in this particular field. Maybe any number of other issues Basil could take from his issue plate, but not this one, please. It felt like too much to unpack in someone’s backyard with manure caked on his hands.

Basil sat in sulky silence, debating whether or not to say something. He really didn’t want to scare Sunny off. If he talked with him even a little bit about how awful he was, maybe Sunny would think he was too messed up to be friends with him. That would…

A crunching resounded in the grass, and Mari approached, seemingly from nowhere, to deliver Sunny his personally catered lemonade. “Sunny, I’m bac-” she cut off her singsong titter when she looked down and saw Sunny and Basil, legs folded in the grass, as they lingered in their muted conversation by the flower bed. When Basil noticed her, his eyes widened, and he ripped his hand and eyes away from Sunny’s.

From the tone of Sunny’s voice, he seemed quite bashful himself. “T-Thanks for the drink, Mari…” The sound of clinking ice clattered loudly in the silence.

“Well, I’m going to go bust open some more of the leftovers that we brought over. I’m getting hungry again!” Mari broke the silence with a practiced ease. “You two haven’t had anything yet, have you? You must be hungry as well! Go stick some stuff in the microwave if it’s cold; Sunny can show you where the kitchen is, Basil. Go munch on something once you guys are done over here,” Mari offered them a smile, then left graciously, her skirt trailing behind her. Basil would be impressed with her save if he wasn’t so flustered at being caught in the first place.

Sunny cleared his throat uncomfortably, taking a swig of his lemonade. “My bad… that excuse wouldn’t have given us enough time to talk anyway.”

“...You should have just said something earlier when we were all still working…”

Sunny winced. “...You’re right. I just…” He trailed off.

“...What?”

“...I felt bad, asking.”

Basil was confused. “Why?”

“It’s none of my business, and… you probably didn’t want to talk about it. From how uncomfortable you looked just then, you definitely seemed like you didn’t want to,” Sunny looked much more meek than usual. “I’m sorry.”

Well, damn it, now Basil was feeling guilty for not saying anything. There was just no winning for him, was there? He would explain his reasoning for everything right now, to make up for it, but Basil now felt acutely aware of the presence of everyone just a little ways away from them on the yard. Although he still had the obligation to be transparent with Aubrey, he didn’t feel like opening that potentially angry can of worms right now, because of his own selfishness. And… despite his enthusiasm to understand, Basil didn’t really want to go in-depth with his feelings to Kel right now, either. He didn’t even know Mari or Hero. Basil had no reason to be vulnerable around them. But, what could he do?

“Erm, I wouldn’t mind talking about…” How should he even put it? “...the deal with things, just… not here. I could tell you about what happened at school and stuff, though. I’m… actually suspended, right now.”

“You are?” Sunny stared at Basil incredulously. Basil wasn’t sure why it seemed so hard to believe.

“Haha, yeah…” Basil was trying to figure out where to go from here. Well, he had one, but…

Basil flushed at the thought, sighed at his own social incompetency, but pried open his reluctant mouth to get the question into the air.

“...So, if you really do want to talk about stuff, how about you come over to my place?”

Chapter Text

Worms came to life from within Basil's stomach, a feeling which was becoming more familiar at this point, as Basil waited for Sunny to look at him strangely or with disgust. It was a normal enough idea, right? To hang out at people’s houses? Basil was doing that right now, so it was okay, wasn't it? When Sunny’s expression flattened, and he seemed to sink into himself, Basil felt his insides curl up in twisted disgust with himself. He never should have asked. This was weird. Too sudden, too. It's not like the two were particularly close; Basil was jumping the gun. With Sunny’s hand not warming his own anymore, Basil still self-consciously reached away to hug his own sides.

“It’s fine,” Basil said with a sharp breath, feeling as though he had pilloried himself and Sunny, despite the two being by their lonesome. “You don’t have to-”

Sunny seemed to snap back to reality, and although his voice still seemed to contain a hesitancy that Basil couldn’t find fault with, he shook his head, dismissing Basil’s protests. “...Sure. I’ll come over.”

Basil attempted to push down a sudden wave of nausea, feeling only somewhat settled by Sunny’s agreement. Sunny wanted to hear him out, so Basil wasn’t out of line with his request, was he? He was merely making one of his own, for his own sake- hoping to secure a place of comfort and privacy if he indeed was intending to open up. Basil scowled. He still wasn’t feeling all too sure about this.

Hopefully Sunny wasn’t doing this out of some sense of friendly obligation.

Before he could spiral further, though, Sunny’s stomach growled loudly, and he shot Basil a sheepish look. “Ah… my bad. I’m kind of hungry…”

Basil snorted, despite himself. “I can tell.”

Sunny stood to his feet, and reached out a hand. Basil looked blankly at it, and Sunny didn't offer any explanations, which led to an awkward pause between the two as Basil mentally lagged. He let out a surprised "oh," as he realized Sunny was offering to help him up, and Basil flushed at his slowness as he accepted.

"Let's go grab something to eat before we go."

Basil's eyes widened. "Just like that, then?"

Sunny looked at Basil with small flickers of amusement dancing in his eyes. "Why not? We finished up our chores, didn't we? We can leave afterwards."

Basil crossed his arms. "If you're talking about the garden, that's not a chore, you're just being lazy!"

Sunny shrugged. "Maybe your work ethic is too good."

Before Basil could protest, Sunny began walking towards the glass door, leaving the indignant boy nothing to do but trail after him. Being in foreign territory, Basil stuck close to Sunny, and entered the… surprisingly warm house. Kel's house had been like that too, and Basil was starting to get the impression that other people utilized the full extent of their air conditioning systems more than he and his grandmother did. It was typically chillier in their little bungalow, despite its cozy appearance. Basil's grandmother typically kept it that way. Come to think of it, Sunny's hands seemed pretty cold most of the time, so maybe that was why-

Basil was startled out of his thoughts by a yell from the kitchen.

"KEL, you DICK!"

Sunny shut the sliding glass door behind them with no hurry. "Hm, sounds like Kel fluffed up again."

Basil laughed, almost involuntarily. "'Fluffed'...up?"

Sunny held up his hands in defense. "The walls have ears. Mari hears all. You'd understand if you were her sibling," he rubbed the back of his head unconsciously where Mari reprimanded him not so long ago.

Basil almost cooed despite himself, feeling uncharacteristically endeared. "G-rated Sunny, hm? Aubrey gets away with that, and you have to censor yourself? It's because you're the baby brother, huh?"

Sunny's pallid face turned a fierce crimson, and he shoved Basil away. Basil felt quietly triumphant, being the one doing the teasing rather than being teased, for once, and laughed while he stumbled.

"...Let's just go…" Sunny mumbled, trudging towards the kitchen.

Sure enough, when they entered, a small-scale pandemonium awaited them. Standing in front of the sink were Kel and Aubrey, Aubrey had lemonade spilled all over her front, and sure enough, Kel, the perpetrator, was holding an emptied glass.

"I- I was just trying to make it look like I was going to splash you! I wasn't trying-"

"Oh, nice going, genius! And why'd you think THAT would be a good idea?"

"It wasn't a good or bad idea! I was just messing with you!"

Hero rushed forward to mediate, and grab some paper towels to mop up the mess. Mari, on the other hand, breezed past Sunny and Basil to head back into the living room.

"Come on you two, it was an accident, let's just-"

"Shut up Hero!" Both Kel and Aubrey whipped their heads. Hero looked a little peeved at their unjustified abrasiveness, and launched into a lecture about the importance of conscientiousness, tying it into the current predicament, while also attempting to advocate for himself and the disrespect he was experiencing. Kel and Aubrey, in their juvenile rage, ignored him for the most part and continued to bicker loudly.

Basil only stood in shock at how the atmosphere had gone from zero to one hundred in such a short amount of time, while Sunny strolled past him and began to load a paper plate up with some cold food and proceeded to stick it in the microwave, his face turned away from Basil as he silently stood and watched the plate spin around while it was injected with dielectric heat. Basil was impressed at how someone as stand-offish as Sunny was managing this cacophonous environment so well, because Basil certainly wasn't.

"Suuuunnyyy, you left the sliding door unlocked again! You need to focus more!" Mari's petulant voice rang out through the chaos, the noisy cherry on top, causing Sunny's shoulders to tense as he cringed. Ah, maybe Sunny wasn't dealing with the sudden clamor as well as Basil thought he was.

"I don't care if you were just trying to make a little joke! It was an idiot decision!"

"I told you that I'll clean up your jacket! I'm sorry!"

"It's not ABOUT the jacket, Kel! It's about you making stupid decisions and having other people pay for it!"

"You both need to take deep breaths and actually try to understand each other's perspectives instead of yelling!"

"You're yelling too, Hero!" The two teens growled.

The microwave beeped, and Sunny swung the door open to retrieve his food. When he returned to Basil's side, who was lingering in the middle of the kitchen and trying to drown out the loud noises like he typically would in the school cafeteria, Sunny looked suddenly exhausted from the sheer amount of energetic output in the atmosphere.

Basil looked at Sunny and merely muttered "...Christ," to which Sunny lifted a piece of bacon in toast to, and took a crunchy bite.

"When they're set off like this, they can go on for hours."

"You're exaggerating, right?"

Sunny only turned to face Basil sadly, as if to say 'I wish I was.'

Hero began to sputter again, and Mari reentered the kitchen. "Oh, Mari, thank goodness. They're at each other's throats again," the words tumbled out of Hero's mouth in a flurry, seemingly very distressed that his mediation proved to be unsuccessful.

Mari merely tutted and began talking to Kel and Aubrey in soothing tones.

Sunny and Basil nodded to each other, and took that as their cue to leave. They exited into the living room, and went to depart through the front door, leaving the fuming remnants of the friend group to sort things out themselves while they went to enjoy the peace and quiet of Basil's house.

It was already such a relief to step out into the great outdoors again. Basil exhaled deeply, feeling much more at ease than when he was trapped in another person's house. Basil startled when he was prodded in the side. Sunny was munching on another piece of bacon, taking small, nibbling bites, and was offering another piece to Basil. Basil shook his head.

"I… uh, I don't like meat."

Sunny appeared appalled. "What do you even eat, then?"

Basil screwed up his face. "...Um… I’d prefer almost anything else on the food pyramid? What kind of question is that?"

Sunny merely shook his head in disappointment as he offered Basil a pancake instead, which Basil gratefully took from him, but proceeded to offer a judgmental look in return at Sunny's carnivorous preferences. “You just need to have better veggies and stuff, I bet. You’ve probably only had the gross store bought ones. You’ll come around,” Basil mused, half to himself, as he took a few bites.

Sunny only sighed. “You sound like Hero…”

The pair was just about to head over to Basil’s house after finishing their meal, but were startled by the front door opening suddenly behind them. Speak of the devil- Hero peered out at them and sighed in relief.

“There you two are- I was wondering where you went.”

“We were just about to leave…” Basil awkwardly wrung his hands.

Hero’s eyes narrowed. “Did you tell Mari? Where are you headed?” He leaned on the doorframe, waiting expectantly.

Sunny looked a little sheepish, while Basil only felt perturbed. “...What’s it matter? He’ll be alright.” Basil would keep an eye on him. Why’d everyone have to be in Sunny’s business? From Mari nagging him to Hero involving him with silly, mundane activities in an almost insistent manner, it seemed like everyone was trying really hard to keep him occupied for some reason.

Hero backed off at Basil’s tone. “I just wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page. No need to get bothered. Just want to know where we can find you guys if we… need to.”

Sunny nodded in silent acknowledgement. “...I’m going to Basil’s house. We’re just going to hang out for a little while. Is that… okay?” Basil almost wanted to scoff at Sunny’s meek behavior, but stopped himself. He was probably being presumptuous again.

Hero slowly nodded. “Yeah. I just care about your safety and all. You know where to find us.”

Basil couldn’t help but bubble up in a haphazardly thrown together tough-guy act peppered with false bravado. “He’s safe with me!” Hero chortled at Basil’s words, which immediately made him feel stupid. Additionally, Basil noticed a wariness in the older boy’s eyes. Ah yes, of course. Hero didn’t know Basil. From his perspective, anything he had to say should be taken with a grain of salt. He was purely trusting Sunny’s experience with Basil. Basil gulped- he couldn’t help but feel nervous at the weight of undeserved expectations. All sense of pride aside, he really would try to keep an eye on Sunny. Taking on a more mellow tone, Basil couldn’t help but tack onto his statement:

“...I promise.”

Hero smiled, a bit more genuinely this time. Basil wasn’t sure how he could tell. He just could.

As the boys strolled down the sidewalk, the walk was relatively quiet, but Sunny broke the silence.

“...What was that about back there?”

“What was what?” Basil honestly wasn’t sure what his friend was referring to.

“The… the… you know. That.”

“...Still don’t understand.”

“You and Hero! It was like… watching a nature documentary thing. The two alpha gorillas staring off. That.”

“I… I don’t even know what to say. An alpha gorilla? Me?” Basil felt both flattered and insulted. Mostly the latter. He was very conflicted.

“Two unassuming ones.” Sunny quickly amended. However, a glint took over his eye as he seemed to avoid the passive route for once. “...Except maybe you’re not that unassuming. You know. Since you get into fights so much. Acting like an animal.” The friendly gesture of earlier that was offering bacon was rescinded in Sunny’s quietly biting tone as he reminded Basil of his place. His statement oozed with an air that was the epitome of the phrase “I’m not mad, just disappointed.” It wasn’t nice to hear. Basil gulped. Right. He was going to talk about that, wasn’t he? Ugh. Sunny had his arms crossed. He raked the same subtle glare of scrutiny down Basil’s stiff form as he had when they first met.

Luckily, before Basil had to work up the courage to reply, they found that they had reached the front door of his house without a hiccup. Sunny had blindly followed Basil’s hurried strides the whole way, apparently. Everything appeared as normal, except there was… some car on the curb of the front yard. What? When Basil approached the front door, he heard classical music playing from inside. What was going on? He bristled as he reached for the doorknob.

“Hold on, Sunny. Someone’s here, I don’t know what’s going on,” Basil held an arm out to block the boy from advancing as he slowly opened the door, hiding his shaking.

“Uh, is that Bach?” Sunny seemed unbothered, on the other hand.

A woman yelped, throwing Basil off balance with surprise, and causing him to leap backwards, tumbling into Sunny, who also stumbled with the sudden weight of another on his shoulders. The pair plopped down on the porch after their stumbling bowling pin act. When Basil looked up with a wary glare, he met the wide doe eyes of a petite young woman, seemingly not much older than maybe twenty-two, with brown bobbed hair.

“O-Oh, I’m sorry, let me help you-” the mystery woman stooped down to reach for Basil’s hand, who flung it away with hostility.

“Who are you? Why are you in my grandmother’s house?” His eyes grew wide. “Is she alright?”

Upon seeing his worry, the woman looked less taken aback by Basil’s abrasive behavior, likely chalking it all up to innocent nervousness in her mind. “Oh, she’s just fine, Basil. She’s feeling a little under the weather, still in bed and all, but she just wanted a little bit of help.”

Basil heard Sunny’s muffled grumbles behind him as he was shoved forward into a better sitting position by the boy he had accidentally crushed. Oops. But wait a second…

“How do you know my name?” Basil narrowed his eyes at the timid woman.

“...Your grandmother probably told her,” Sunny spoke from behind, his voice much more of a whisper than usual. Basil flushed. That simple explanation would make sense, wouldn’t it?

The woman's keen ears were able to pick up on Sunny's statement and tack onto it. "Oh yes, your grandmother talked with your parents and I not too long ago. I'll be her caretaker for a little bit, if that's alright!" She clapped her hands together, and then extended her hand to Basil a second time. "I'm Polly!" Her voice oozed with sweetness, as rich as molten caramel. "...Please let me help you up." Her eyes softened.

Basil huffed, and accepted her help. He didn't thank her, though, and turned to help Sunny up instead.

Polly reached out a hand to lay on Basil's shoulder. "...I-Is everything alright, Basil? I know it can be hard, taking care of a family member on your own, so that's why I-"

Basil's face screwed up as he whipped around, his bangs falling annoyingly into his face. He let out a haughty breath from his lower lip as he attempted to blow them away. Polly gave him a disconcerted look. "We're fine! I've been able to take care of her for a while! Sure, she might have had to stay in bed for a while sometimes, but I've always handled it! On my own!"

Polly lifted her hands and pushed them down in a calming motion, although to little effect. "Yes, Basil. I'm aware. But things have been a little difficult for your grandmother lately, so it might help having an extra hand around."

"What do you mean, difficult?" Basil's voice rose. "When she's out of bed, she's fine. She can talk to everyone, she can drive, she makes food. She takes care of me! It's fine if I have to take care of her for a little bit! It's… only fair." Things have always been fine, until now. Was it because Basil had been going out more, recently? Did she think she was a burden? Basil thought ruefully for a moment that he never should have taken Aubrey's offer in the first place. He left his grandmother alone for too long.

"Well… I'm sorry to tell you, but speaking of driving, your grandmother mentioned she was worried about your safety. Apparently, it's been difficult for her to see, lately, while on the road. She's just taking precautions. You're…. you're old enough to understand."

He may have been "old enough" from an objective eye, but Basil felt like a child being told Santa Claus wasn't real when he was forced by some stranger to confront the signs of his grandmother's slipping health. He couldn't even argue, although he felt another hissing comment about to bubble from his lips.

Sunny padded forward quietly, and stood behind Basil, to the right of his shoulder. For a moment, Basil thought he was also going to try to reach out to touch him like Polly had tried, and tensed. However, he just stood there with all of the cool placidity of a rippling autumn lake.

Basil took a deep breath and stooped his neck low, observing the grooves of the cracks on his porch.

"...Sorry…" Basil muttered to Polly. His voice didn't sound sorry- rather, it still bit harshly like the sting of a hornet. He figured it was a start. "I'm gonna go… talk to her for a second."

"She might be asleep-" Polly began to protest, but Basil ignored her, and slipped inside, roughly shutting the screen door behind him.

Basil went to his grandmother’s bedroom door in a rush. He hovered his hand tentatively over the doorknob, but heard a whimper of a whisper over his shoulder. Apparently Sunny had shadowed him as he marched through his house. In Basil’s flurry of defensiveness brought on by Polly’s presence, he found himself barely acknowledging Sunny’s company, let alone even attempting to be a good host.

“Uhm… Basil, could I come in with you?” Basil’s eyes did not stray from the doorknob, but they narrowed upon hearing how tremulous Sunny’s voice was.

“I was just going to… er, talk with her really quick. Alone.” Basil felt a little guilty turning Sunny away, he wouldn’t lie. It was like listening to a stray cat mewl outside in the cold while he himself was curled next to a welcoming fire.

Despite Basil’s words, though, Sunny didn’t step away. Like a pouty child in the checkout aisle, petulantly expecting candy, he only lingered behind Basil. Basil felt a trickle of perspiration make its way down his temple. “W-What’s the problem?” The words came out a little harshly, and Sunny shrunk back a little bit.

“I just… I don’t know her. Please let me stay. I’ll be quiet,” Sunny pleaded quietly. Basil bit his lip. He felt like he was standing between Sunny and the caterpillar nest once more. The boy seemed to have shrunken in on himself again, the reactants of both circumstances founded in the fear of confronting things that made him uncomfortable. Part of Basil wanted to get Sunny to piss off, somehow, and leave him to talk to his grandmother about this new person that would now apparently be hanging around, that she never mentioned to him, but he couldn’t help but step outside of his self-centered bubble for a single moment when he heard the slightly labored breaths of the boy behind him. Basil was just as inexplicably disconcerted as Sunny was by the sudden appearance of a stranger. Who was he to deny him solace?

“...Come with me. I wouldn’t want to be alone either.” The words came numbly out of Basil’s mouth, and he didn’t turn around as he pushed into the room, the creaking door announcing their entry. In a quick moment, Sunny panickily grasped loosely at the back of Basil’s shirt, letting out a surprised noise at how quickly he was moving. When they went inside the room, Basil shoved the door shut, and haphazardly shoved Sunny’s grip off with the movement, ruffled by Sunny engaging in the gesture in the first place. Just by having the prospect of socialization lifted from Sunny’s shoulders, he already seemed to have found a shred of inner peace, pushing his back against a dusty bookshelf shoved flush with the wall, and sliding down, letting out a tense exhalation as he did so.

Basil’s grandmother sat up in her plush bed, and set a book down with subtly shaking hands. She offered Basil a weak smile, and her eyes settled on Sunny, who was aware enough to bashfully blink and lower his head at her, but kept to his self-proposed promise of silence.

“...Grandmother…” Seeing her now, Basil couldn’t bring himself to feel that angry. “...Is it really that bad?”

His grandmother looked at him with upturned eyes, ones that would usually give him a soft glow of benignity regardless of the circumstances pitted against her. “My sweet Basil… you’re worrying too much again, aren’t you? I’m not surprised.” Basil’s ears painted themselves with pink upon being called ‘Sweet Basil’ in front of his current visitant, but kept his mouth shut. His dignity wasn’t important, at the moment.

“...Please… be honest. You can tell me.” The words came out tired and exhausted- the auditory equivalent of a worn rag.

His grandmother huffed a little bit. “I don’t want to hear about honesty from you, young man! You keep things from me all the time to keep me happy- don’t look away, you know it’s true. I practically raised you. You’re an awful liar.” She blinked slowly, like a seeing cat. Now where had Basil seen that look before?

“Your lies are in what you don’t say."

Basil pulled at the collar on his shirt. No answers thus far, and all of the heat redirected onto him. He wasn’t entirely expecting this from his grandmother who was supposed to be tired, but he guessed it was a good sign of her tenacity, if she was still able to lecture him like this.

"...What do you want me to say to that?"

His grandmother's face hardened, her mouth thinning into a line. "I don't want you to say anything. I want you to accept that, when it comes to my health, I'm choosing to do what's best for both of us, and I don't need to explain my decisions to you, just like you rarely do your own."

Basil flinched at that last part, but carried on regardless. "But we don't need someone else! We've been fine all along, it's always been us two and nothing has to change-"

"Basil!" She snapped, and began to cough. Basil shut up at that. He didn't want to strain her, despite wanting to defend his case.

"Ms. Polly is a wonderful girl. I've talked with her, and she is very kind. You don't need to be afraid of her. She's going to be helping around here, and that's that."

Basil bit his lip. There really was no room for argument there, was there? His grandmother had decided to throw in the towel when it came to her independence, and Basil couldn't help but be a little resentful at how things had to be different than how they always were, but it's not like he could do anything about it. Sourly, he figured that he should count his blessings, and be thankful for the fact that his parents hadn't dumped her into a nursing home.

"I'll let you rest, then-"

"Wait a minute, Basil!"

Basil stopped himself from walking to the door, and cocked his head questioningly.

"You, young man. Crouching at my bookshelf. It's funny how Basil's all hot and bothered by the caretaker, but he won't explain who this quiet little man is." She chuckled. "He's always been silly like that. What's your name?"

Basil looked over at Sunny, who was bent over by the bookshelf and practically blending into the shadows of the room. He had a shiver go up his spine, and darted his eyes towards Basil pleadingly. His sudden timidity had not yet dissipated, it seemed. Basil supposed he hadn't considered his grandmother as contributing to Sunny's apparent wariness of strangers, as he himself was so comfortable with her, but Sunny had only seen a terse old woman chewing out his friend. Surely, from his perspective, she must appear somewhat intimidating, despite being bedridden.

"Uh… this is Sunny."

Basil's grandmother pulled a gnarled hand from underneath the plush covers and splayed her fingers. She began to count on each one. "So there's Aubrey, Kel, and now Sunny. Hm…" She nodded, closing her eyes, committing the names to memory.

"H-He's a friend. Don't worry about him. I knew him before the others."

Basil's grandmother's eye twinkled at that. "First friend, hm? And you don't need to keep explaining him, Basil. You can talk, can't you, child?"

Sunny shot Basil another look, and Basil wasn't really sure what he wanted from him. Sorry, Sunny, didn't mean to get you into this. He offered a lopsided thumbs up, and Sunny huffed in response, blowing a stray tuft of hair out of his eyes. Basil would've thrown his hands up in the air if he wasn't in the presence of his grandmother. What did Sunny want him to do?

"Yeah, I can talk. M'bad," Sunny said with all the reluctance of a child forced into a role for a school play. "Um… hi."

Basil's grandmother paused for a moment, a moment which left both Basil and Sunny unsure of what was supposed to be happening, but then she started laughing- a low, rasping sound that took the boys off guard after her serious demeanor just earlier.

"You're a quiet one, eh? No wonder Basil likes you. It's good to meet you, Sunny. Basil can be a little rough around the edges, but he's a sweet boy. We'd be happy to have you."

Basil flushed. "Grandmotheeeer…." he whined. When Sunny glanced over to see Basil's flustered expression, he seemed to relax a bit.

"...Quiet people? He likes quiet people?" Sunny pressed into what she said, seemingly becoming more inclined to speak. His grandmother laughed a little more heartily.

"Oh, you should've heard him complaining about kids at school. 'There's this girl who sits near me, and she giggles 'so LOUD' he said. That was in seventh grade, I think. He brought up a few times how 'annoying' she was. It's no wonder the first friend he'd make would be someone as quiet as a mouse."

"Sunny. Let's go."

The dark haired boy's eyes glittered dangerously, even as Basil grabbed onto his arm to try to usher him from the room.

"Aw. I want to hear more about 'Angry Basil.'"

"Well, too damn bad," Basil hissed at him. He really didn't want his grandmother to rehash Basil's middle school years, especially to Sunny of all people. He was already enough of an embarrassment. He didn't want to push it.

Sunny looked disappointed, but determined. He'd definitely bring this up later. Nothing to it but to keep Sunny and his grandmother separated. They already seemed to have formed some unsaid alliance in the last few seconds united in teasing Basil, though, so he wasn't sure what he could do to prevent the unpreventable.

"...Well, er, nice to meet you…. um…"

"You can call me grandmother, grandma, whatever you'd like. I still use my husband's last name, bless him, so you could also call me Ms. Katsaros, if you'd like, darling."

"Nice to meet you then… Ms. Katsaros."

"Oh, you're a formal one, then? No need to be uptight in my house, except for you, Basil. That's another dollar in the swear jar. I heard that one."

Basil kicked the planks beneath him. Aw, fuck. He had been so good recently, too.

Basil's grandmother cleared her throat. "Well, you two run along and do whatever boys your age do. No need to entertain an old woman. And Basil, be kind to Polly. I doubt I need to remind you of that, Sunny dear."

Basil bristled at how her voice dripped with honey when addressing Sunny. Oh, so he gets all the passes, then? Clearly, they were already getting along too well.

Sunny smiled sheepishly. "Sure, ma'am- uh, Ms. Katsaros. Grandma." He bit his lip. "I'm going outside," he seemed to announce to the general room. He quickly slipped out and shut the door. Basil's grandmother laughed again.

"For a boy named 'Sunny,' he doesn't seem to have much sunshine, does he? He seems kind, though. I'm glad you haven't gotten into a rough crowd, Basil."

Basil spluttered. "What's that supposed to mean? Did you think I'd join a gang or something?"

"Off your high horse, young man. I'm just glad you've made good friends. Now go have fun, and be careful. I need to have some rest."

Basil nodded, and walked forward tentatively. He lifted the cover that rested on his grandmother's body, and adjusted it so that she was cozily tucked in on the mattress again. She looked so small like this.

She smiled at him. Basil couldn't help but smile back, despite his feathers still being somewhat ruffled.

"See? Like I said. Sweet."

Basil couldn't help but be cynical of her claim. She'd always seen the best in him, after all.

"Sure, grandmother."

He left the room.

Sunny immediately swatted at Basil from his right. Basil gaped. The slap barely stung, but it surprised him. Was Sunny…. angry? His eyebrows were barely furrowed, and his mouth was drawn out in a tiny, unhappy line.

"So you get to be angry b-because of Polly, and I just have to deal with your grandmother on my own? You're lucky she's nice."

What? What was Sunny mad about? Basil's confusion must have been apparent on his face, because Sunny huffed again, and grabbed Basil's arm with a surprisingly determined and tight grip. "Surprise. I don't like talking to new people, either."

As Basil registered what he said, he felt some sort of pleasant satisfaction curl in his stomach at the realization he wasn’t the only one who wasn’t the best at handling people. In retrospect, and considering their initial meeting, their interactions were at best unorthodox. However, the feeling died at once when Basil, once again, saw Sunny’s eyes adopt their all-but-common vacancy as the broody teen tightened his grip on Basil’s arm. Oh fuck, time for damage control. This was what happened when he was too caught up in his own stuff.

Basil reached out an awkward hand to pat Sunny’s arm. In any other situation, it would be humorous to see Sunny, so often cool and collected, clingy and gawky, but not this one. Basil could empathize, and currently dealt with, the near constant fear of interacting with others and the unpredictability it brought. Regardless of his feelings though, Basil felt like just this once, he could put that aside for the sake of someone else. He could, right?

“...Let’s sneak into my backyard. I don’t think Polly will bug us there.”

Sunny nodded. That was all Basil needed.

It was almost comedic, how desperately the anxious pair tried to avoid a pleasant woman in her early twenties, who was serenely humming along to classical tunes as she prepared a, frankly speaking, delectable smelling soup in the kitchen. However, that was just what these two blundering boys were intending to do. As soon as Polly accidentally dropped spice and bent over, facing the opposite direction, Basil and Sunny were off, as stealthily as they could (although Basil tripped over himself a bit), for a beeline to the front door. They didn’t bother to be silent about shutting it behind them, preferring instead to dart away from the scene, and into the backyard behind them.

As they settled behind some nearby trees, Basil could see how Sunny was already easing up, and was… picking at some grass. Huh. It was still a notable improvement.

Basil growled. “Now that she’s around, I even have to sneak around in my own house.” He didn’t realize that the words slipped out like they did, but decided it was fruitless to hold it in. “...I just can’t catch a break anywhere…” He cringed at his complaintive words, hoping that Sunny wouldn’t think that he was all doom and gloom.

“...I guess not,” was all that Sunny replied with.

Basil set a hand on his, an unfamiliar, but comforting gesture to mirror Sunny’s from earlier. Sunny, absentmindedly, brought his hand down to pat Basil’s, a movement which made Basil wince and hiss in forgotten pain, causing him to jerkily move his hand away to nurse it.

Sunny watched him, cold and disapproving, reminded of how he got the wound in the first place. “Make sure not to deck Polly, alright?”

“I hope you don’t make me out to be that much of a loser. Just because stuff happened yesterday doesn’t mean I’d do that to just anyone.”

“Mhmm.”

“You sound like you don’t believe me.”

“...”

“...Jerk.” Basil threw a nearby pebble into the woods with his unscathed hand. Sunny’s silence stretched out, and it made Basil uncomfortable. Sunny started at the grass.

“...I don’t think it’s as simple as that. It’s just… I don’t really know you.”

Basil let out a nervous laugh. “...Uh, I guess not.”

“...You told me that I’d have to ‘deal with your problems at some point.’ I remember that.”

“Y-You have a good memory. Was that…?”

“After the Fix-It trip for the stuff for the spiders? Yeah.”

Basil smiled. “They weren’t spiders-”

“I know.” A shit-eating grin adorned Sunny’s face. A look that showed that he did, indeed, know what he was saying. What a weird guy. “But anyway, I don’t mind helping… or listening,” Sunny gulped. He looked nervous, for some reason. “Uh, if it helps you feel more… I don’t know. Um, I think that listening might be the one thing I’m good for. The rest of the time, I’m barely there. It’s the least I can do.”

Basil’s eyes widened. He didn’t expect this. He thought Sunny was just going to drill him, but now he was sitting in front of him, propped up on a tree root, and fidgeting with his hands, sharing his own thoughts. The only thing he was good for? What? Basil was spared from Sunny’s penetrating stare, as the latter’s coal-like eyes were firmly fixed on the soil.

“...So, it’s some sort of trade-off? You share stuff about you, and I tell you stuff in return?”

Sunny snapped up at that. “No,” he stated with surprising force. “I told you I don’t want you to owe me anything. Just… I feel like you haven’t had anyone really listen to you, or… or care about what you think.” His stony, determined face lit up with a cherry hue. “Uhm, if that’s a stupid thing to think, just say so. Sorry. I’m assuming. Don’t listen to-”

Basil frowned. “Why are you being so nervous? Do you really think I might… get angry at you? I wouldn’t hurt you. Ever.” Basil surprised himself with how confident his statement was. Sunny had never given him any reason for Basil to display his streaks of sudden animosity, those of which he was never proud of. The same went for Aubrey, and when it came to Kel… Basil figured he deserved a chance. The same went for the other two. Basil had gotten used to those around him not giving him any chances. It would only be hypocritical to not give the understanding to others that he would dearly cherish himself. “I don’t want to cause pain to the people around me…” Basil whispered, lifting an arm to rub the other.

Sunny looked away, and dug his fingers into the plush peat moss and tendrils of grass underfoot. “Then… tell me why.” Why Basil would always push away people who tried to help him. Why Basil lashed out at the world. Why his heart was a raw, untamed, bleeding thing that couldn’t shoulder the pebbles tossed at him, and instead made those pebbles into jagged stones- fueling his own martyrdom. He wished he could answer that himself. If he knew, doubtless, he would have done something about it. He wanted to believe he would.

“Both times you caught me… it was my fault.” Basil bit his lip. “I… I keep wanting to blame how other people hurt me… but it’s my fault. I’m awful.” He took a shaky breath as he recalled, however reluctantly, the incident that inevitably led to Basil’s suspension, and added to that monologue the incident that led to their first meeting. Despite his desire for transparency, Basil spared Sunny the details. Namely, the words hurtled at him, on the notes and from mouths.

Sunny blinked at him sympathetically.

“I… I don’t know what I’m trying to prove. I just feel like the whole world is against me. I don’t know what to do. I’m a screw-up.” Basil wasn’t sure what else to touch on. That was it. He was the issue. Case closed. He didn’t know how to change how he felt.

“...I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being angry,” Sunny mumbled, pulling his legs up to his chest.

“Um… there is when I just cause problems for everyone. Just since I’ve been in high school, every fight I’ve gotten into has been because of me starting something. If I had just kept my head down and-”

“But people are still bothering you! You not doing anything won’t make that go away!” Woah. Speaking of anger, Sunny didn’t seem that cool-headed himself at the moment. It took Basil a bit off guard when the boy sprang to his feet to sternly look down at Basil.

“B-But, I don’t know what to do, then! I don’t like it either, but teachers won’t help, and Aubrey left school for just one day and I already went off the handle. I would have been toast without Kel there. I can’t handle anything on my own. It proves I’m just a stupid, weak-”

“What’s wrong with that?” Sunny planted his hands on his hips.

Basil rolled his eyes. “Um, what’s wrong with being stupid and weak? I could make a list of reasons…”

“No. Stupid. What’s wrong with not handling things on your own?”

“I- I dunno, it’s good to be independent? And what’re you calling me stupid for? Quit!”

“I won’t. You’re stupid.”

Basil stood to his feet, and marched up to Sunny, who stared back at him with level, glinting eyes. “I thought you said you were going to listen, and not judge, or whatever! Don’t call me stupid!”

“Stupid.” Despite Sunny’s insistence, his eyes seemed to give way with an uncomfortable flash. Basil couldn’t tell why on earth he would look hesitant when Sunny was busying himself with insulting Basil to his face.

Basil grit his teeth. Sunny raised an eyebrow.

“I thought you said you wouldn’t get mad at me.”

“I said I wouldn’t hurt you. What happened to your good memory?”

“Nothing. Getting mad at me would hurt, though.”

Basil blinked. That cooled him down quickly, surprisingly. Sunny offered a soft smile, barely visible to the naked eye.

“...You know what else hurts? Weak people who ignore people that help them out.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Sunny backed up, and pressed his back against a tree trunk, folding his arms as he did so. Basil let out a breath and continued to look at him.

“I’m really lazy. I’m a screw-up too.”

“No you’re not-”

“Yes. I am. You haven’t been around me enough,” Sunny’s smile wavered. Basil doubted Sunny could at all be worse than his consistently bad behavior, but he’d entertain his belief for now, for the sake of whatever argument he was trying to make. “I can barely make it through the day without Mari having to harp on me about something. Aubrey has to keep me in check. Kel snaps me out of things, and Hero makes sure I’m feeding myself. I’m a real idiot. I can barely take care of myself. So what?” Even with the “so what,” Sunny didn’t sound all too proud of himself.

“What do you mean, ‘so what?’”

“I’m weak, just like you. I’m not gonna pretend to be able to handle myself. I wouldn’t want to be alone. Being alone…” Sunny frowned. “If you can’t keep yourself in check without others, I don’t think that’s bad. It just means you’re your best self with the help of others.”

“...I… I’d probably be a burden. And clingy and stuff. What if I become over-dependent or something? Aubrey would probably kick me to the curb if I went whining to her every time someone picked on me. I know I would.”

“Hm… sounds like you’re just mean to yourself,” Sunny said with the tired old air of rehearsing an old adage. “...Remember that?”

Basil scratched his brain. It was… on that same walk home, wasn’t it? That whole conversation seemed printed into Sunny’s brain somehow. Either Sunny was one of those rare crazy people that could remember everything at the drop of a hat, photographic memory, or something like it, or he valued that conversation way more than Basil thought he did. Well, he supposed assuming Sunny was some rare type didn’t seem too far fetched, and Basil wasn’t arrogant enough to think he actually made an impact on somebody- other than their face. He repressed a snicker at that passing thought. Damn it, Basil. That’s not funny.

“...Yeah. I think I do.”

“Aubrey’ll be more than willing to stand up for you if you need it. Kel too, even if he’s different about it. Er, I think he would. Give it a try.”

“‘Give it a try?’ What is he, a new toy?”

“No. Yes. Maybe…” Sunny looked sheepish. He scratched the back of his head anxiously.

Basil sniffed disdainfully, intending the following as a teasing remark. “For someone who cares so much, maybe you’re not that good of a friend.”

Sunny didn’t laugh at that. Instead, his arm went back to his side, and his eyes darted back to the floor, instead of looking alive and cunning. Oh no. Basil didn’t keep his mouth shut. Doing what he did best, Basil opened it again, ready to fill the air with protests and apologies. Look at him, Sunny was here trying to help him out, and now Basil was hurting him.

“I’m sor-”

“You’re right. I never said I was a good friend. I’m just happy that I have good ones.”

“I’m sorry,” Basil said anyway. “I’m sure you’re a good friend. Don’t be hard on yourself.”

“No, no. Don’t.”

Basil would bash his head into a tree if a sudden suicide wouldn’t completely kill the dying mood. What should he do to mend the wounds he had inflicted? Basil had very little experience when it came to socialization, but he was pretty sure he touched on a sore point. Sunny slid down the trunk and sat amidst the unfurling roots again, running his hand absentmindedly over the bark. Basil sat down somewhat near to him. He felt too guilty for what he said to sit closer. So much for never hurting him. That lasted a good five minutes.

“...You can talk too you know. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize.”

“I do. I’m pretty aware of when I mess up. Which is a lot.”

“Stop.”

“What, why?”

“We don’t need two self-deprecating idiots standing around,” Sunny said sulkily. Basil cooperated and plopped his head down on the tree trunk, his mouth forming a small smirk against his will after a timid silence.

“...Good thing… we’re sitting, then.”

Sunny plopped his head on the trunk as well and rolled it to his right to crane his neck to peer at Basil, who had a hopeful grin, looking for Sunny’s approval.

“...Did you just make a fucking dad joke?”

Basil opened his mouth scandalously and swatted Sunny’s head with all of the lightness of a feather. “...That’s for if Mari was here. Language, young man!” Sunny snickered at Basil’s girlish impression of Mari’s voice. “And I guess it was. I wouldn’t know, though. Haven't seen my dad since I was four.”

“Do tell.”

“Nope. Whole other can of worms.”

“Hmph.”

“You’re just a nosy person who likes to know everyone’s secrets, aren’t you?”

“...I don’t tell.”

“...Sneaky. Hehe.” Basil shuffled a little to his left, and rolled his head back against the tree trunk to peer through the translucent leaves up above, same as Sunny was doing. “...What’s your little secret? I saw you spacing out again earlier. You do it all the time. I keep seeing you do it. It’s why you had to leave quickly, that night, right? And why Aubrey was worried about you when we replanted everything?” Basil blushed at his own enthusiasm. That sounded… beyond creepy. But it’s not like he was keeping tabs or anything- Sunny had a good memory too! He couldn’t blame himself for being curious.

Sunny’s eyebrows raised. “...Perceptive.” He didn’t look towards Basil, but it was still enough to get Basil to turn away. The embarrassment was catching up, big time.

“I… uh… hahah….”

“...Well. I’ll tell you later.”

Basil was appalled. “Whaaat?” His hands grew limp, and he tossed them in the air, only to have them land with an unsatisfied plop in the moss. He turned his head back to face Sunny, and saw that the boy was looking back at him with a wily fleer.

“...Sorry. Whole other can of worms.”

Chapter Text

As he served out his time for his suspension, Basil attempted to settle into a temporary routine amidst his out of the ordinary circumstances. Throughout his academic life, he was far from a star student, a fact which would cause his grandmother displeasure whenever report cards would come around, but he had to admit, despite his subpar results and involvement while within its walls, he didn’t really have much of a life outside of school. As a result, Basil was having a bit of a difficult time figuring out what to do with himself and his fidgeting hands. Well, he had gardening, but Basil wasn’t really sure if that was a hobby that even counted for anything anymore.

On this day, as he lay, staring at the beige ceiling, on his messy bed that he was willing himself to make but couldn’t find the energy to do so, Basil was reflecting over those same thoughts, and recalled the positive comments his teachers had made towards him in the past. Yeah, he really couldn’t recall any teacher being particularly willing to give him a gold star, or saying that he would likely go places, or that he was a bright boy. The closest he can get to that was maybe when his first grade teacher apparently called him “one of her most creative students.” Or, so his grandmother said. Basil couldn’t remember it. She had been really excited about it then… partly because the teacher’s comment had drawn interest from Her as well. Something that might finally get Her to come around and visit more often. But… of course that interest wouldn’t last forever.

Basil frowned at the ceiling.

He didn’t like this.

This lack of mandated structure was already getting to his head.

Basil cast a quick, involuntary peek towards his dresser before hauling his heavy feeling body off of his bed. He never was able to get comfortable easily. As he bounced the balls of his feet on the springy carpet of his rug, Basil heard his stomach growl. Come to think of it, he wasn’t sure he ate dinner yesterday. Additionally, his breakfast had just been snacks already lying around in his room. He tried to limit whenever he’d come out of his room, these last few days. And why was that?

Polly. Basil had run off before dinner to escape his house and avoid her, and went over to Sunny’s place again. If any habit was easy to fall into, it had been to seek refuge at the white house across the neighborhood. After the weekend had passed, Kel, Aubrey, Mari, and Hero were hardly around again. Long days, after school activities, and their own affairs that were common throughout the week plagued them. Kel had suddenly taken up helping around the gym after school, and Mari and Hero sold their souls to advanced placement and honors work.

Basil had at least hoped he’d be able to spend time with Aubrey before the weekend finished, and everyone was forced to abandon Basil to his solitary banishment from the public school system, but she had excuses every time. All Basil had been able to get out of her when he questioned her on Sunday was that she was busy.

Maybe he’d talk to her later, he hoped.

At the very least, throughout this, momentarily, boring and strange week, Basil could be sure of Sunny’s presence. His being homeschooled, Sunny was available most of the day, which was… nice. The offer was extended over a call when Sunny went home after his Friday visit, suggesting that Basil could come over again ‘if he liked… um, I don’t know if that’s alright and stuff.’

Normally, Basil would’ve been uneasy. However, at the time of the call, Polly had been clattering in the kitchen again. With the reminder of her foreign occupancy around the clock, he couldn’t help but accept the offer in a heartbeat.

Thus, this late afternoon, as he heard the young woman’s pattering steps coming down the hallway towards his room, Basil figured he’d once again cash in his nonphysical ‘visit Sunny’ card. He was absolutely going to avoid this conversation. He couldn’t do it. His heart was hammering at the thought, and his nerves got the best of him every time Polly simply tried to wish him a ‘hello.’ His home didn’t feel very homelike anymore, with this Polly-shaped wrench thrown into the equation. So, what was the logical thing to do to avoid contact with his grandmother’s new caretaker? Basil urged himself to think on his feet as he looked left and right.

When Polly knocked on the door, once again received no response, and eventually opened Basil’s bedroom door, she sighed.

“...Again?”

Polly walked into Basil’s room, and approached the open window. The shutters rattled in the brisk wind, and only barely stifled the sound of Basil falling into the bushes below. Polly sighed even more, and shut the window behind the room’s escapee. She wasn’t sure what to do with her client’s strangely avoidant grandson, but she’d try her damndest to at least get a word in before he flung himself over the windowsill, one of these days.

This unorthodox exit led to Basil attempting to pick twigs and leaves out of his tawny hair as he stealthily left his home behind. He grumbled to himself and fussed at the scratches that now adorned his arms, rolling up the sleeves of his green tweed pullover. Why so many people planted shrubs on their property that had thorns or prickers in them, Basil would never know. It wasn’t his decision. If it was, those evil bushes would’ve been the first thing to go in their backyard. Apparently, his grandfather had thought that those particular pieces of undergrowth were in good taste, and planted them beneath his window. Big mistake. They ended up needing frequent trimming and were… once again, unnecessarily sharp.

Basil winced again as his fingers ran over an especially angry scratch, that looked as if one wrong move would break the skin open and allow his blood to trickle forth.

Basil had never met his grandfather. Well, apparently he had sat in his lap a few times and whatnot, but he was so small, he couldn’t even remember him that well. Regardless, for those bushes alone, Basil would have a few choice words for him when he saw him again, wherever that would be.

Seriously, any other hedge… a boxwood, perhaps?

Basil hadn’t realized that his scrutiny of his skin had turned to nervous arm-rubbing as his thoughts began to wander. Complaining inwardly about uncooperative plants had served as a good distraction from how he was completely and utterly alone as he made the trek across town. It was strange. Normally, that wouldn’t have been an issue.

He shivered.

Well, it would’ve been an issue, but Basil had been used to it, at the very least. Now, he was acutely unaware about how Kel wasn’t polluting the air with jovial chatter, and about how Aubrey, who was really just as tall as he was, seemed to be a mountain taller and provided a strong presence to linger behind. She had allowed him to do that at school. It had been nice, although Basil worried relentlessly about creeping her out as he was practically staring into her shoulder as they would stand in the lunch line together. Basil hoped she was doing alright without her. Really, he was. It surprised himself, too. He never got an answer about why she was absent the day he flew off the handle, and really hoped it was something like a sick day, rather than something unfortunate.

Basil could never shake the observation of how innate her sympathy seemed to be, when it came to understanding Basil’s irate state. Perhaps he was incorrectly assuming things that weren’t there, but Basil worried that perhaps, behind the scenes, she was toting a lot more than she let on. He couldn’t help but assume that any seemingly-genuine commiseration he may receive had to have come from a similarly negative place.

Basil wrung his hands as he felt further consumed by solitude. His breathing sped up and his footsteps seemed all too loud as he followed the path to Sunny’s house. Too loud. What if other people heard? Stupid, it didn’t seem like anyone was nearby. Basil muffled his steps by veering off the sidewalk and walking in the grass anyway.

The isolation of his journey reminded him too much of…. a while ago. It didn’t help that his grandmother was in her bed once again, albeit for somewhat of a different reason this time. It was a time where Basil consistently entertained himself, and doing so was normal. The park was his friend, although no children within it were. He wasn’t a particularly imaginative child, but all children seemed to have some spark within them when it came to play.

Basil closed his eyes as he recalled memories of that time. Vague, spliced images of Basil’s skinny, elementary aged finger tracing through the sandbox, bringing forth crude images of sunflowers and quietly enjoying his art whenever it was completed. He had just realized he could draw sunflowers in the sand recently, so he naturally drew one, then another, then another, and another, unable to stop and entranced by his own actions for a reason he couldn’t explain…

Basil’s eyes snapped open when his mind’s eye conjured an image of lumbering pairs of feet suddenly kicking at his sand sunflowers, obliterating them beyond recognition. Whenever that’d happen, Basil would only watch and wait for the obstructers to leave the sandbox, after they had their fill. Nothing for it but to try again, the child Basil from within his mind thought with melancholy and flickers of helpless irritation.

Basil huffed. That was… dumb. And something he hadn’t done in years. Strange, that it would come into color so quickly as soon as he entertained the memory. Basil hadn’t realized that his pointer finger had been tracing the air while recalling it. A strange reflex. Basil wasn’t sure if what he was feeling was nostalgia, but hoped it wasn’t. If he thought of those times as good, then that was truly pathetic. Just another way to try to not focus on his feelings of the present.

Basil was shivering as he finally made it to Sunny’s house. The walk seemed so much longer than usual. Painfully so. He hugged his sides, and found that he was making himself look small. A cruel wind had whipped up, which had bitten Basil’s nose a good portion of the way there. It was now as red as a whiskey nose, and his bony fingers followed suit. Tears pricked at his eyes from the cold. It was the cold, surely. He reached out to ring the doorbell.

Nothing.

There was a beaten-up car in the driveway, though. Someone had to be home. Basil rang the doorbell again.

He felt his heart drop to his stomach after he sat even longer with no answer. Ah, he was being a nuisance, wasn’t he? He had been pretty much haunting Sunny’s house for the past few days. He had probably gotten tired of him. Maybe his mother had caught wind of how Basil was the local problem child, and forbade Sunny and Mari from being around him. Come to think of it, Basil hadn’t met their mother yet. Maybe he would be evicted from his new friend’s life before even doing so. Another ring.

Nothing.

Basil felt his throat clench as he slumped against the door. Basil wishes that he could have seen the signs that Sunny had developed scorn for him. Basil would have excused himself if he did. He didn’t have experience when it came to the finicky realms of friendship. Still, he would’ve thought he had enough experience with looks of disdain. When he and Sunny had their talk in Basil’s backyard, and lazed about Sunny’s house for a few days following that, Basil couldn’t recollect seeing any.

Go figure. Basil almost wanted to kick the door. Not out of spite towards the black haired boy, but perhaps just out of general frustration. His grandmother was no longer in commission, being in his own house now made Basil’s knees shake, and his new friend had gotten tired of him. He shouldn’t even be surprised. A whispering voice called in the wind, teasing Basil and inviting him back to the sandbox of the playground. He’d always be welcome there, while everyone else was gone. Nobody there except for himself! Nobody, absolutely-

“Basil? Was that you thumping against the door? Our doorbell is broken- sorry if we didn’t hear you! Come around to the side window for a second, pretty please?”

Basil’s ears flushed as he ran a trembling hand through his staticky hair. Aha, oops. Presumptuous Basil strikes again. He supposed it would be even more awkward if he kept Mari’s singsong voice waiting, and gathered himself as briskly as he could.

Basil swung to the wall of the house adjacent to Kel’s house, and ran his fingers across the stained vinyl siding as he did so. He heard a cleared throat and looked up to see Mari’s head sticking out of the window. Her fingers drummed on the pane and her shadowy black hair billowed out as she looked down at Basil with her mouth in the shape of a surprised ‘o.’

“I was right! It was you! Sunny’s pretty much been expecting you daily at this point. Why haven’t you been at school, by the way?”

Oh, right, Basil forgot to tell her. Well, luckily his jitters towards the thought of rejection had been shaken out of him a few moments ago, and left him exhausted. It was much easier to open his mouth to tell her what his situation was.

“Suspension…?” Basil could see Mari’s honor’s class brain wracking itself trying to configure how such a thing could be possible for someone. “Well, I’m… sorry about that. That’s unfortunate.” Stiff, rather awkward. Pretty much what Basil would have expected. He supposed it could be worse. She probably thought he probably wasn’t the best influence for her little brother that she seemed so protective over, anymore. So much for her enthusiasm upon their first meeting just a few days ago. It was nice while it lasted.

Basil heard a grumble issue from up above. Something like “You both are two peas in a pod, then.”

Basil swore he heard her correctly, but decided to question her anyway. “...What was that?” He could feel the bitterness of her disapproval leak into his own voice.

“...Nothing, I just wish-”

“Is that Basil?”

“Sunny, get back!”

“You’re not my mom; go away.”

Mari gasped scandalously, and stuck her head back in through the window. Basil stepped back and craned his neck upwards as he heard frustrated bickering from the inside.

“Erm… is Sunny there?” Basil didn’t get a response right away, but Mari’s head swung back through the window with a reluctant affirmative.

“It’s not really a good time, so if you could drop by some other day, that would be great-”

Basil furrowed his eyebrows. “Is everything okay?”

Mari groaned. “Yes… things are fine, very under control. I just think-”

“Don’t believe a word she says!”

“Sunny, what?” Basil felt as though a cartoonish question mark had popped over his head.

Sunny’s head crammed through the open window, shoving his sister aside. His words tumbled out in a breathless, barely audible, rush, as though he was on a timer to say them. “She’s part of the same, corrupted system. It’s holding us back, Basil! It’s got us all wrapped around its evil chain-” Sunny was cut off as Mari reached her hand around to pull Sunny back by the face, muffling his frenzied rant. Basil stood for longer, being consumed by the icy wind, but curious about what was transpiring. He heard some more bickering, primarily of the frustrated, high pitched, feminine variety. The kind that knew you were wrong, and explained intricately as to why, in a voice that seemed warm enough to mimic understanding, but firm enough to allow no room for a rebuttal. Basil had heard that voice plenty of times from his grandmother.

The room went silent for a moment, and Basil assumed all was well until he heard a dramatic gasp.

“You wouldn’t!”

“I will.”

“Sunny, you-”

Aaand more scuffling ensued. Was this what it was like having a sibling? Interesting. Annoying.

Mari stuck her head reluctantly out of the window, rolling her eyes before she even began to speak. “So, scratch that, Basil. You can come in, but- I’m not negotiating on this, Sunny! Don’t give me that look! No, I don’t care. I won’t bend.”

She blew a piece of hair from her face. Basil stared at her with a confused look on his face, blinking. “Sunny’s got some... work... to do, so it would be great if you could try to keep a little quiet, but hey, maybe having someone else who can relate to his little ‘school-skipping adventures’ will help him out. Uh, no offense.”

Basil narrowed his eyes. Oh yeah, no offense. Gee, thanks. Good thing he was here for her brother, and not for her. Hmph. Well, it wasn’t too far off the mark. Basil had ducked from classes before to try to gain composure by hiding in the dingy bathroom stalls, but still! Rude.

“I’ll get the door. Give me a moment.” Mari darted away with a lack of any pleasantries. Well, that was… weird. Basil supposed he’d find out more in a moment.

Basil made his way back to the front door, and heard the echo of Mari’s frantic pitter-patter down the staircase as she rushed to answer it. When she opened the door with a tug, the weathered door sticking a bit, Basil could see how frazzled she appeared. Whatever was going on, she seemed pretty stressed out, and Basil wasn’t exactly a people person, but he could tell that Mari wasn’t exactly in a welcoming mood. No teasing remarks or light in her eyes that he’d seen for the past few days were there to greet him. Only a half-hearted “come in” that made Basil more wary than ever.

“...I can leave.” Basil didn’t mean to sound haughty. Well… maybe he was feeling a little put off by Mari’s attitude. Did he get any honesty points with that internal recognition?
He did genuinely mean to get out of their hair if he wasn’t welcome, he supposed. He didn’t want to stick his nose where it didn’t belong. That never did him any good.

Mari clasped her hands together and breathed deeply. “No. No, it’s fine. Really. It’s just- ugh.” She tried, and failed, to adorn a perky smile.

Basil shuffled around awkwardly, his eyes wide and eyebrows raised, allowing the annoyed senior to collect herself.

“Sunny’s just being a bit difficult right now, is all. Happens to the best of us, I guess.” Mari grumbled. “And apparently he’s more willing to listen to you than his own sister…”

Basil wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Difficult with what? I don’t get the problem.”

Mari seemed reluctant to answer, for whatever reason. After a long hard look- one filled with internal conflict, she threw her hands up, and walked to the door. “Fine. There’s no problem. Whatever. It’s not mine to deal with, anyway. I’ve tried my best. You both just goof off, or whatever. Ugh, I get it, friendships are important, and I want that for-” She breathed deeply. “...I don’t know why I’m going on about this, or why I’m telling you. Just… bye.”

And with that, Mari grabbed a purple felt jacket, and clumsily buttoned it up as she stumbled out the door and shut it harshly behind her, forcing a cold gust into the room, resembling her sudden bristliness. Was this the same perky girl Basil had just met recently? He sneered against his own volition, put off by Mari’s catty finisher.

“...Don’t know why I’m telling you. Hmph.” Basil mimicked her annoyed pitch. She was totally disapproving of him because of his revealed “bad kid” status. It was a wonder he was able to stay under the radar for this long. Was he taking this too personally? He was taking this too personally.

Basil rolled his shoulders as if relieving himself of Mari’s annoyed aura that had rushed onto him. Time to find out what the hell was going on, and whatever Basil missed out on.

Basil creaked up the stairs, feeling out of place since one of the house’s residents wasn’t here to guide him, and rapped on Sunny’s bedroom door.

“If your name starts with an M, go away.”

Basil’s frown twitched, despite himself. “...Uh, good thing my name isn’t… erm… I don’t know, some name that starts with an ‘M.’ I can’t come up with one.”

The door creaked open, and Basil could halfway see Sunny, in grey sweats, a black t-shirt with some band logo on it, and with his typically pallid face. There were tired bags underneath his eyes. Basil wouldn’t say it, but he looked like a proper vampire. Albeit, a vampire that was out on sick day, but still a vampire. All he needed were red eyes and fangs.

“...Molly.”

“Hm?”

“Medusa, Marina… uh… Mark. Marty.”

Basil laughed softly, and pushed his hand against the door, attempting to nudge it open. “...Luckily, my name’s not Molly.”

Sunny sulked, still holding himself against the door. Basil stopped trying to come in. “...I think Molly’s a good name.”

“...Uhm, it’d be a little weird if I had it. I’d get bullied even more, hah.”

“They’ve got no taste, then.”

“No arguments, there.”

They stood in silence for a minute, Sunny still half-obscured by the chalky white door.

“...Er… am I gonna keep standing here?” Basil asked.

Sunny shrank back. “The room’s messy. Well, at least on my side. Mari’s not thrilled.”

“...I can tell. What’s up with her?”

“She’s angry at me.”

“I can tell,” Basil drawled dryly. “If it helps… I don’t really care. My room’s messed up, too. I bet you Polly’s barged in, and is going through my stuff, though.”

“Are you still being mean to her?” Sunny’s voice lilted into a quiet query.

“...”

“Basil.”

“...I’ll be nice.”

“No you won’t.” Sunny’s mouth wobbled, trying to stop itself from smiling.

“You ass.”

“At least I tell the truth.” Sunny’s eyes darted to the right before he walked away from the cracked door as he continued: “...You can come in.”

Basil hesitantly walked into the room, giving Sunny ample time to act upon his sudden burst of energy as he… did something on his side of the room. Basil heard plenty of shuffling and rustling, but wasn’t quite sure what just happened. He approached Sunny just as the black-haired boy shoved something under his bed. Something that looked… fluffy?

“What’s that?” Basil’s curiosity got the better of him as he swung his head low to get a peek. Sunny threw himself in front of Basil’s line of sight.

“N-Nothing!” Sunny’s face was as red as a fireball.

“Come on, what is it? Something bad?” Basil leered. “I told you I really don’t care if things are messy in here, I get-”

“It’s a plushie!” Sunny blurted out, but then quickly shook his head. “...Uhm! My sister’s! She leaves them everywhere! So annoying…”

Basil didn’t think he was super perceptive, but Sunny really didn’t seem to be the best liar. No points in his favor, there. “...So, if I grab it, and kick it out the window, it’d be fine, right? You’re pissed at her anyway. It’s alright.” Basil grinned. Victory.

“...Jerk.” Sunny folded his arms. His tired look seemed suddenly accentuated, and he plopped down on his bed. “Yeah, they’re mine. I was hoping you wouldn’t see. I put them away whenever you’d come over.”

“Why?”

“Do I even need to explain?”

Basil frowned. “No really, why?” He felt a little insulted. “Did you really think that I, of all people, would give you hell about it? I don’t care. It’s what you like. I know what it feels like to have people treat you like garbage over something stupid. I might not be good for much, but I’m good at looking the other way.”

“...Or maybe you’re just good at being nice.”

Basil sat down next to Sunny and stretched his legs like a content cat. “That might be pushing it,” he rebutted as he combed a nervous hand through his messy blonde locks.

“...Mhm.” Sunny sounded disbelieving, but didn’t protest, and Basil knew it was probably because he had realized how fruitless a response to that would be. Basil would just supply a list of reasons as to why he was really just devil-spawn in human form.

“...Y’know, someone who didn’t have stuffed animals totally wouldn’t refer to it as a ‘plushie.’”

“Shut up,” Sunny sighed with petulance, but cracked a sheepish grin as he eyed the floorboards with half-lidded eyes. “...You’re right, though. I blew my own cover. Second time this week. ‘O’ for Sunny. Wah, wah, wah…”

“What’s the first time?”

“What got Mari pissed at me. Well, she’s been mad at me.”

“What about when we all made breakfast? She wouldn’t stop talking about you!” Basil was confused.

“...She’s always more proud of me when other people are there. I think she’s annoyed with me. I can't blame her.”

Basil blinked. Where’d this come from? Uh, was Sunny… opening up to him? What should he do?

“...What’s she annoyed over? Actually, what was even happening back there?”

To Basil’s surprise, Sunny stood up, and walked away. His friend stopped in front of his end table, and dug around inside of what looked like an unrecognizable mess. Basil would admit that his end table was in a little bit of a better condition, but there was no reason to parade that around. Sunny returned to sitting on the edge of his bed after rather dramatically tossing a math textbook down in a heap. Basil recoiled.

“...I hope you weren’t just trying to get me to come up here to do your math homework for you. I’m not a tutor. At all. No deal.” Basil’s stink face could unsweeten sugar.

“So, I got busted.”

“Mhmm, what’d you do?” Basil leafed through some of the pages, sneering at the familiar yellow text boxes and examples in red text. It all looked simple in theory, but then put those dreaded formulas into practice, and you’d be seeing levels of confusion that all but guaranteed a big, fat “F” on a pop quiz. Well, at least if you were Basil.

“I… well, I half-assed it.”

Basil turned his attention to some crinkled pieces of lined paper sticking out towards the back, and pulled them out. Sunny perked up and tried to snatch them away from Basil, but Basil stretched his arm out and leaned away from Sunny. He stuck his tongue out braggartly, and read the first few questions aloud. His expression quickly became perplexed.

“Uhm, I’m honestly no good at math, like I said, but this looks good? I’m confused. Is this something I’m too much of an idiot to understand?”

Sunny seemed to brighten at that. “Well… then you’ve fallen for my trap. Give me-” Basil pushed him away, again, and flipped the paper over. Sunny squealed in embarrassment. That was a good sign.

“If the perimeter of one of Gerald's recently bought rugs is 24 feet, and the width is 2 less than the length, what is the dimension?" Basil read the example problem offered on the sheet. The answer, written in lazily scrawled pen marks, according to Sunny, was a brilliantly clever: '100% more than the size of Gerald's dick.'

Basil gave Sunny a disapproving stare over the piece of paper, the latter acting as though the ceiling had become the most fascinating piece of architecture in the modern world.

"...Real mature." When Basil went to read over more of the answers presented, most cynical, unorthodox and, needless to say, incorrect answers were something along the lines of what Sunny's opinions of 'Gerald' were.

"...You're hilarious, don't get me wrong, but it's not like you weren't understanding how to do the stuff. You were doing just fine at first. But you made some complicated system just to slack on your work? Weird. Why?"

"...I was hoping you weren't gonna bother looking. Nosy. I take it back, you're not too good at being nice- you're mean."

Basil pointedly ignored him, and waggled the paper in Sunny's face, waiting for a proper answer.

"It's… annoying, okay? Doesn't matter if I can work out the problems, and be a good little student. I hate it. I hate being stuck, and having to focus. I don't want to bother with it, or try so hard." Sunny looked crestfallen, admitting his inadequacies. "...I know I'm a quitter... it shouldn't be such a problem for me to do all the things other people do normally..."

“...So, why don’t you try?” Basil bit his lip. That was a dumb question. Basil didn’t have a sibling to compare himself to, but boy oh boy, inferiority complexes were a bitch. The whole world could be his sibling for all that it mattered to him. The reason? Apathy. It had to be. Basil would recognize that withdrawn, dead, look in Sunny’s eyes anywhere.

“...I don’t know. I just can’t care. I can't care about anything I should care about.”

There it is. “...I’m sorry.” The words slipped out. Apologies, again? It took Basil off-guard.
Sunny seemed surprised too. “For what?” His eyes were wide as he craned his head to look at Basil. Basil needed a moment. He wasn’t sure how to articulate his feelings at the drop of a hat, so he waited for the words to come to him. Luckily, Sunny was patient.

“I’m sorry… someone else has to feel that way.”

“Oh.” Sunny didn’t pursue that. Basil felt… oddly disappointed he didn’t. It was probably for the best. “...You seem like you care way more than I do, though. You try, with your flowers, and your grandmother and stuff. That’s good. You’re good.”
Basil sniffed. “I doubt it. You give me too much credit.”

“...I’m just saying… at least you try, even outside of the things you hate, like school. That’s more than what I can say. I… love my friends. I love my sister. I don’t…” Sunny pursed his lips. “But… I keep… wishing I was somewhere else.” He stopped himself. “Is wishing the right word? I just get taken away.”

Basil didn’t feel like Sunny was talking much to him anymore. It was more like Sunny had just decided to continue to talk while Basil was still present. Like stumbling into a discussion between philosophers, where they continued their depth-filled debates regardless of who entered or exited.

“...Is that where you’re always going… like, mentally?” Basil asked, before the synapses in his brain had allowed him to consciously make the connection himself. Sunny seemed to understand as well. He nodded.

“...It feels more real.” And that was all. Basil wished he could empathize. But… this world, for better or for worse, was very, very real to him. Every little thing felt of major consequence. Maybe he’d be calmer, like Sunny, if his mind was focused elsewhere?

Looking at his taxed friend, though, Basil wasn’t sure he wanted that. Did his subconscious forays really make him happy? His cheeks looked wan, and his eye bags were as noticeable as when Sunny first opened the door. Come to think of it, hasn’t he been looking like that, whenever Basil would come over? He… looked kind of sick. Basil felt a wave of guilt wash over him. Why didn’t he say anything? Sunny wasn’t just unhappy, he was unwell.

“...So… when you… ‘go away,’ do you just… sit there?”

“Stare into space for hours, pace around the room a few thousand times without noticing, and freaking Mari out by talking to myself a lot. Whatever I need to do to continue to be a lazy, trashy, freak kid, I guess,” He chuckled cynically at his own joke. Basil was starting to feel concerned.

“Hey, shut up.”

Sunny’s eyes narrowed. “...What?”

“Stop talking like that.”

“You talk badly about yourself all the time. Don’t lecture me.”

Basil bristled at Sunny’s sour tone. Oh, so he hit a sore spot? ‘Don’t lecture me,’ oh please. “Oh, sor-ry. Excuse me for caring about something for once. I didn’t say I set a golden example or anything. I really hope you’re not looking to me for a standard. I’m just saying you shouldn’t talk about yourself like that.”

“So I’ve gotta be all nice to myself, and you can keep saying whatever you want?” Sunny sat up. He was glaring at Basil now. Not with the same lightness as when Basil would tease him, but with steely eyes. His hands were folded daintily into his lap, but his dark grey eyes smoldered with annoyance.

“Come on, you know that’s not what I mean. You’re the one who says I’m mean to myself. You’re doing the same damn thing.”

“So don’t tell me to change.” Sunny looked away. His voice was sounding smaller as Basil sounded more upset. He began to blink rapidly, and Basil was about to tack on another statement when he saw the smallest tear roll down Sunny’s cheek. Basil paused, his mouth open in surprise, and Sunny seemed appalled at himself. He swiped a fierce flick at his cheek. His lip wasn’t trembling, his eyes did not leak further, and he did not sniffle. If not for that brief crack, Basil, nor anyone else, would have suspected a thing.

“Hey, hey…” Basil wasn’t sure what to do. He felt his heart leap into his throat when he saw that tear come down. “Hey. Wait. It’s alright. Don’t…” Don’t what? Don’t cry? Speaking of hypocrisy, that wouldn’t really be appropriate to hear, coming from Basil. “Don’t…” He reached for Sunny’s shoulder, and ran his thumb across it in oscillating movements. That was weird. This is weird. He should move his hand back. Sunny wasn’t pulling away. Haha, of course not. This was the guy who grabbed his hand for no reason to ask if he could come to Basil’s house. Come to think of it, why did he do that? That was really out of the blue. Must have been a homeschooler thing. Holding someone’s hand randomly. Yeah, Sunny was just… weird. He was weird, and… sad, momentarily.

Basil felt his throat working. He swallowed. He wasn’t sure what was becoming of the thoughts racing through his head. He just hoped Sunny knew he wasn’t alone. Being alone is… awful.

“...I’m sorry,” Sunny murmured, still facing the wall.

“Uh… I’m sorry too.” Neither of them elaborated. A memory tickled in the back of Basil’s brain as he once again evaluated Sunny’s outward condition.

“...How many…” He mused to himself. Sunny cocked his head in confusion.

“It’s what Aubrey said, after you almost passed out that one time. Yeah, I’m not gonna forget that one too easily, don’t look at me like that.”

“...It’s water.”

“Huh?”

“How many… cups of water have you had?” Sunny chuckled. “It’s so dumb. Aubrey came up with it. Uh, you know the phrase 'cleanliness is next to godliness?’”

“I’m pretty sure most people do.”

“Yeah, so… she came up with ‘hydration is next to consecration.’”

“Conse- what?”

“I had to look it up myself. Apparently, it means to make something holy or whatever. I don’t know, I hate English.”

“Same.”

“I honestly think she just looked through a thesaurus for something that would rhyme with hydration and matched the saying. That would take forever to find, though.”

“Hey, if she’s got her mind set on it…”

“Heh, yeah…” Sunny smiled at the floor, pleasantly. “But anyway, she made that up, since I really suck at taking care of myself. She says ‘how many,’ and I know she’s asking about cups of water. I mean, it’s good for you and all, but I think she just does it because it’s a thing we’ve always done at this point. I’m grateful, I guess.”

“...So it’s even hard to stay focused enough to take care of yourself?” Basil wracked his brain. “Do you… I don’t even know how to say it…”

Sunny sighed. “Do I know what’s wrong with me? No. Well… ugh, this is embarrassing…”

“What?”

“Well, I started seeing someone. I… don’t know how to explain it, either. I think they’re trying to figure me out. I’m not even sure they know what to do with me, or have a name for my problem.”

“Seeing someone…?” Basil felt like he was being slow.

“Like, a counselor.”

“Oh, my bad. I should’ve-”

“It’s fine. I didn’t really want to tell you.” Sunny fidgeted with his hands. He was clearly uncomfortable. “I wasn’t thinking of it at all, today. I feel so awful. Like I’m broken. I don’t want to be a…. never mind.”

Basil felt his heart crying for his friend. Sunny was really out here spilling his guts, wasn’t he? Basil must have caught him on an off day. He felt… impressed that Sunny was confiding in him so much.

“Don’t be hard on yourself. Have you even eaten anything today?”

“Aha... I… well, Mom left for work early, and Mari left for school, and I was gonna make something, but I was tired-”

Basil groaned. “Come here…” He stood up from the bed and clasped Sunny’s hand, pulling the other up with him. Sunny, unfortunately, was woozy, and had difficulty in staying on his feet. As his vision left him for a quick moment, he fell into Basil, who haphazardly attempted to stabilize him.

“Hrgh, feel crappy,” Sunny said as he quickly snapped out of Basil’s grasp.

“Yeah, I believe you. Jeez.” Basil was reluctant to let go, in case that idiot fell to the floor for the umpteenth time, but apparently Sunny was well enough to be quickly marching to the door.

“You idiot; you’re gonna fall down the stairs like that-”

A loud pound at the door interrupted Basil. Sunny turned back to look at Basil with a worried glance. “Do you think it’s Ma-”

“Hey, Mari called me up to babysit you! Open the door, you broody dumbass!”

Sunny and, admittedly, Basil both brightened. “Hey, it’s Aubrey!”

“Wait a second, it’s Aubrey. She might still be mad at me.” Basil shrank back.

“I’m a mess! You already saw me like this, now her too?” Sunny peeled at his black t-shirt, observing for stains.

“What do you care? Trying to impress?”

“I already told you I don’t-”

Another pound. “I know you’re in there! You better not be spacing out again! I will whack your head back into formation!”

“Jesus.” Basil’s soul shriveled up at Aubrey’s threat. If she was less stable, Basil would fear for his life.

“Right?”

“Let’s go get you water. I’ll answer it,” Basil gulped.

“Aw, so brave for me.”

Basil choked in surprise at Sunny’s kittenish tone. “I… uh, well, you’re a coward, so.” They made their way to the kitchen, where Basil practically shoved a cup of water into Sunny’s hands.

“Oh, you put ice into it. That’s nicer than what Aubrey usually does.”

“You’ve got ice trays; you might as well use them.”

“So fancy.” Sunny happily sipped his luxury iced water as Basil went to answer the door. When he creaked it open, Aubrey seemed surprised.

“I thought I was on Sunny duty? Mari called me up. She’s over at Kel’s.”

“Oh she doesn’t… I’m not sure if she’s super happy I’m here. Uh, scratch that, I’m not sure if she’s happy. Period.”

“Oh shit, what’d Sunny do this time?”

Basil scowled and leaned against the doorframe. “What, are you gonna give him a problem, too?”

Aubrey scoffed. “Um, no? Get off your high horse, Mr. White Knight. Everyone knows Sunny’s our quiet little troublemaker. Kel’s the loud one.”

“And what’re you?”

“The babysitter. Now let me iiiin.”

“Well, you sound just as whiny as the babies you’re supposed to be sitting,” Basil sniggered at Aubrey.

“I’m gonna make you the new welcome mat if you-”

Basil opened the door in full resignation. Aubrey’s eyes looked about the near-empty house, and caught Sunny’s, who gave her a small wave from the dining room entrance.

“So… just you two, huh?” Basil wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “So, Mari actually sounded pretty calm when she called me, but she’s just like Hero that way. She’s totally ticked off; she’s just sounding pretty about it.” She swept across the room to Sunny, and pinched his cheeks, much to his absolute displeasure.

“Aubrhh…!”

“So what’d you do this time, oh silly friend of mine?”

“I slkkd on my wrk.”

“You what?”

“I slkkd on my-!”

Basil approached and shouldered Aubrey off of Sunny. “You know, you might actually understand him if you stopped doing that.”

Aubrey smiled mischievously at Basil in a way that made him uncomfortable. “Well, someone’s involved, today. Did you get lonely while I wasn’t able to keep you company during your out-of-school fiasco? We still need to talk about that, by the way. I squeezed info out of Kel, since you just wanted to go hang out with Mr. Troublemaker over here instead of me, but I just wanna let you know you’re not off the hook.” Her smile that she gave was like the glint of a dagger. Oh shit. Basil really wasn’t off the hook. Time to divert attention.

“Well, I’m just making sure Sunny…. does his work! That’s what he was trying to say. Mari caught him slacking.”

Aubrey stared at Basil with “the look.” One of those looks that truly framed your own stupidity and threw it back into your face. “You’re telling me that you’re too-cool-for-school, and then you turn around to be a study buddy?”

Sunny nodded furiously.

“Uh, yes…?”

Aubrey looked between the two of them, then rubbed her temples in disbelief. “God… you guys sit on your thrones of bullshit, but are so bad at keeping it believable. I don’t know what to do with you.”

Sunny piped up. “You could… make some of your famous garbage soup?” When Aubrey turned to look at him, Sunny hid his face sheepishly behind his half-empty glass, distorting his face like a funhouse mirror. Basil laughed inwardly. Cute.

“You’re just trying to butter me up with the one thing that I can make. I’m no Hero. What made you want that, anyway? The ‘garbage’ is in the name, you know.”

“I dunno. Just thought of it. Tasty. Meaty.” Sunny’s stomach growled. “And I’m pretty hungry.”

Basil figured it was only right to out him to this extent. For Sunny’s own good. “He hasn’t had anything to eat today,” he said with conviction. Basil’s own stomach growled in response to his own statement. Oops, he forgot about himself. What was breakfast? A granola bar?

Aubrey laughed. “Come on, you idiots. Let’s go tear apart Sunny’s fridge. I’m hungry too, to be honest. It’d be nice to actually do something with myself, now that I’m here.”

“I have a leftover steak that I could-” Sunny enthusiastically chimed in.

“Say no more, you addict. We’re gonna soup the hell out of that steak. Ground beef is for suckers.”

“Yes,” Sunny did a small fist bump.

Basil rubbed his arms as he trailed after the two. “...Can I help?” He was surprising himself left and right, today. He typically felt a bit intimidated when members of Sunny’s friend group would come together. Individually, it was alright, but if there were multiple people, like Sunny with Aubrey, he felt like they had so much more of a bond under their belts than he did. He felt out of place, to say the least. But, maybe…

“Sure. Don’t get dirt in the soup though, flower boy.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“Then go wash your hands.”

“You, too!” Basil shot back, as he and Aubrey rushed to the sink, competing over who could reach for the soap. The squealing match began as they fought each other in front of the sink, fighting for dominance over the foamy lemon pump bottle.

“Hey guys, we have some celery, but it looks a little old.” Sunny’s voice came from behind them, and Aubrey and Basil turned around with their entangled arms. They were appalled to see Sunny, unwashed hands and all, clutching the celery with his grimy fingers.

“Unsanitary!”

“Bleh, disgusting! Wash off the celery and yourself in the sink, you dolt!”

Aubrey and Basil parted ways for the grimy member of their trio to cleanse himself.

“Wait a second,” Sunny paused and turned towards Basil, reaching out his hand past his ear. Basil backed up instinctually, and bumped against the counter.

“I, uh, w-what?” Basil stammered stupidly, his soft stutters turning into breaths tumbling against Sunny’s encroaching arm. In what seemed like a sudden eternity, Sunny drew back a branch with a leaf on it, and tossed it somewhere behind him with ease. Basil’s chest fell in a deep exhalation upon understanding. Man, that was unnerving.

Aubrey laughed in the background. “Oh, he didn’t even know that was there? I thought that was some nature-y accessory. Now I feel dumb. Sunny to the rescue with his attention to detail!” Aubrey clutched her sides.

Sunny chuckled, too. “Is your hobby starting to eat you?” He grinned his catlike grin which seemed to bear down upon Basil whenever he’d do it. “I noticed that when you first showed up. It was bothering me so much.”

“Well, all's right with the world, now.” Basil went back to the sink, and pumped the soap bottle one too many times than what was probably necessary. Sunny wedged in beside him to do the same. Basil just wanted to get to making the soup, now.

“Get over here, my two bumbling assistants, for Chef Aubrey shall work her magic! Ohoho~!”

Sunny shuffled up at her side in front of the stove. “Yuck. You sound like Sweetheart.”

“I do a killer impression, huh?”

“I’ve always been more sympathetic towards Spaceboy. He deserves better.”

Basil grabbed a pot from under the counter after doing some searching. “Uh, what are we talking about?”

“‘Adventures of Captain Spaceboy.’ You’d have to be cool to know about it. Sorry,” Aubrey chuckled.

“It’s a comic series,” Sunny said, more helpfully.

Aubrey shook her head in sympathy. “Remind me to bring you some, Basil! I need to educate you. Hey Sunny, Kel’s still hogging the books I loaned him, right? Are they still intact?”

Sunny shrugged. “I dunno. He still owes me at least sixty dollars.”

Aubrey ruffled a hand through her short pink hair. “Geez, I’m broke and I do a better job of paying people back. What an idiot.”

“Agreed.”

“Well, I’ll deal with him later. Hey Basil, did you fall asleep or something? Come help us out!”

“...Right.”

For something named ‘garbage soup,’ it actually turned out pretty good. Sunny seemed to wake up, probably because he actually had food in his body, and cracked a quiet joke at one point that made Aubrey choke on a carrot. She went from laughing to shaking her fist at the boy, who was unsure of how to do the Heimlich, which prompted Aubrey to punch a fist against her chest to help herself.

“I could’ve broken your ribs if I didn’t do it right,” Sunny later said in his defense.

“You couldn’t break a toothpick!”

Basil just watched in quiet contentment as he slurped the soup. It smelled a lot like the stuff that Polly would be cooking up for his grandma. If it tasted anything like this, that alone should be an incentive for Basil to get his head out of his ass and talk to her, like Sunny said he should do. He sat back into his chair and took a heavy breath. He felt like he was doing more talking in these last few months than he had in his entire life.

Aubrey and Sunny chattered happily in the background, forcing a smile to Basil’s face that he hid with the spoon he lifted to his lips, picking through the meat as he did so. He was pretty sure he’d warmed up to the idea of friends, at this point. Aubrey was pretty direct. A little scary, at times, but someone Basil could, dare he say, rely on. He’d call her later. He should probably be more honest with her, too. Sunny was… less so, but it made him interesting. Basil would have to keep an eye on him, all the more so, what with recent developments. However, it would be back to school with him soon, so Basil would have to see how’d he juggle that. Maybe he was just being more idealistic because he was out of his element. Maybe he’d feel differently the next week. Wouldn’t be the first time.

Basil pursed his lips as he drank the soup’s broth. Not right now, Basil. Not right now. Right now, things are okay.

Things are okay.

Chapter Text

Well, this was it. Today was the day. Basil flicked the zipper of his jacket back and forth with renewed vigor. He was finally kissing his week long forced vacatio- erm, "regretful suspension of academic life," goodbye, and would be returning to campus in… just an hour, at this point.

Obviously, he was nothing but delighted. Basil couldn't wait to say hello to everyone again! Surely, all of his pleasant school mates would be ecstatic to see him once more. The feeling was most assuredly mutual.

Basil swallowed a bitter taste in his throat.

He wasn't sure what shenanigans would threaten to push him over the edge today, but…

He had a few friends.

God, it was cheesy, but… did it make it worth it? To look forward to something for once? Basil didn't think he was quite there yet. The worms that plagued his stomach this morning drove him to pull the rumpled covers back over his head. He wished he could will away the sun. Not just with school, but the crushing feeling of all of it. Basil sighed. The feelings didn't even make sense in his own head.

But, he could at least try, he supposed.

Speaking of trying, he had something to do before he left.

Basil took a deep breath, and paused before he put his hand on the doorknob. He jumped a bit in place to psych himself up, feeling sillier by the second, before he came out into his dreary hallway, unilluminated by the natural light outside.

The kitchen smelled lovely. Like scrambled eggs and… something else.

Basil walked into the living room with all the sheepishness of a scolded child, but instead of curling towards the wall on his couch, he veered towards the kitchen. Basil tried to be quiet when he pulled a chair out from the dining room table, but he winced when he heard the drag of the chair legs scraping against the floor. It caused the woman standing at the stove to jolt in surprise as well. She yelped as an egg slipped from her grasp and shattered onto the kitchen floor. Yoke spattered the green checkered tile, and whites oozed into the grouted grooves. Polly cried out in displeasure.

"Oh, I'm so clumsy. Surprised by the smallest thing. God, I'm such a mess, hah…" She grabbed a rag hanging off of the stove handle, and bent down to sop up the muck.

She seemed even more flustered when she noticed that Basil had grabbed some paper towels, and crouched down beside her to help.

"Oh, Basil…! Good morning, aha. You don't have to worry about this, I'll take care of this. You can just eat some of the stuff I have set out already. If you'd like, of course. You've got to get to school and everything, and I don't want to-"

"Polly. 's fine." Basil gently took the rag from Polly's loose grasp, and worked at the mess on the floor. "...You can just take the plate that's out to my grandmother." Basil flushed in embarrassment. Did that sound like command? That came out wrong. He was trying to reach a peaceful middle ground!

He awkwardly tried to crack a smile. "Your... eggs are really good. Um, she thinks, uh, my grandmother, that your eggs are really good. She told me that. Not that I don’t… erm... they smell nice." His flush deepened. Oh, to hell with this.

Luckily, Polly didn't stick around for that much longer. She only adorned a meek smile, and drew herself up, dusting off the light blue apron she was wearing. She offered Basil a nod of thanks, and picked up the plate, leaving briskly to Basil's grandmother's room. She might have peeped out a small "thank you," but her voice sounded so soft, Basil wasn't sure if he imagined it.

He, inevitably, ended up becoming distracted while cleaning. Polly must be in there, striking up a pleasant morning conversation with her client. Basil's grandmother had always been superb at any kind of small talk. When he was younger, he almost prayed for his introverted self to develop her skills, but the talent never came. Perhaps the warm, hospitable nature was more of a generational thing? Church ladies seemed to be able to talk nonstop. His grandmother was no exception. Back when they attended more regularly, Basil would hide in the pews to avoid people talking to him. He'd become a living shadow. Heh, good times.

A groan from the left wing of the hallway signalled Polly’s reentrance, as well as a reminder that Basil should probably do something about the squeaky doors around the house before they.... he didn’t know, fall off their hinges or something?

When Polly pattered into the kitchen, she seemed more at ease. She breathed a sigh of relief before she spoke. “...Your grandmother is asleep. She’s a bit tired, but she’s doing well.”

Basil’s eye twitched. He managed to choke back a protest about how enjoying the outdoors, outside of her boring bedroom would probably do her wonders, but just barely. He had to give himself rapid-fire reminders, instead of jumping back to what he knew. Polly was the health expert, not him. She had his grandmother’s best interests at heart. He needed to be more forgiving and less presumptuous.

Well, Polly was still a medical student. His grandmother could turn out some bad internship project for all he knew. Additionally, even people with good interests could lead others down the path of ruin. How did that saying go…? ‘The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.’ Ah, yes, that one. Those were all good reasons to distrust whatever Polly might bring to the table. It was his grandmother they were talking about here! Why should he act like an oblivious kid and place her well being into the hands of some random-

Breathe, Basil.

Basil sighed inwardly, barely noticing that his thoughts had started to race at a million miles an hour. Where was he? Ah yes, ‘he needed to be more forgiving and less presumptuous.’ It almost escaped his mind.

“...So… why’s she tired?” That was a more tactful way to go about it. Nicely done, Basil. He congratulated himself. He hoped his tone was even.

“Oh, the poor thing, her breathing was acting up a little bit. She’s been off for the last couple days- that’s why I had to stay overnight two days ago. Today I tried to get her to move around a bit more, even though she wasn’t having the best time with that. It’s just that… I didn’t want her to get a lung infection or anything! So, with that, no mucus or anything was settled, so I think her lungs were just being a little tired at that point…”

Basil stared at her.

“...Oh! I’m sorry, I’m rambling! Um, anywho, she had a hard time falling asleep, so she kind of nodded off when we talked this morning.” A watery smile crept across Polly’s lips. “She’s such an old dear. I didn’t want to disturb her, so I left. You have a very kind grandmother, Basil.”

Basil laughed softly. “Yeah… I know. I don’t really deserve her.”

Polly’s eyes narrowed at his passing statement. “Basil, that’s no good! Having good people in your life isn’t about ‘deserving’ or ‘not deserving.’ There’s nothing wrong with accepting the care of all the people in your life that love you!” She had such conviction.

All the people that “love” him. Huh.

“Well… anyway…” Basil felt the intense need to shift the topic. “...Uh, thanks for…. taking care of her. And… other stuff. I… I can tell you work really hard.” Basil wrung his hands, shifting his weight from foot to foot where he stood. The space around him seemed too wide, all of the sudden. He wished he had something to lean on. A place to put his hands. Instead, he raked his eyes over the lines in between the mint tiles. Something to do, something to do…

“So… thanks.”

Basil couldn’t see Polly’s reaction, and he was fine with that.

However, he tensed up when he saw Polly’s dainty chestnut moccasins enter his frame of sight. Against his will, her closeness caused him to draw his eyes upward. He just realized she was taller than him. She wasn’t even wearing heels. Ouch. Well, now wasn’t the time. He’ll worry about a growth spurt on some other occasion.

Basil tried not to shrink away when Polly placed a hand on his shoulder for a brief pat. Ha… she seemed awkward about it, too. That… made him feel a little better, for some reason.

“Ah, sorry if that was out of place of me. Thank you, Basil. Don’t think I don’t know how nerve-wracking it can be to have a stranger act as a caretaker. Especially when it comes to someone you care about. Just… remember that I don’t just have to be here for your grandmother, okay? I hope we can get along.”

Basil laughed nervously. Yeah, that might be pushing it, but it was the thought that counts, right?

"I guess I… just wanted to get that out there." Basil gulped and scuttled to the door to grab his worn duffel for school. He stopped at the door, and looked back at Polly.

"So, when do you think that she's going to get better?"

Polly stood, as stiff as a cadaver, causing Basil to mirror her as he did the same. His hand tightened on the strap wrapped around his shoulder.

"She's doing fine, Basil. You just get to school. Have a good day!" Polly sounded pinched.

Basil smiled at her again, as peaceably as he could. He had nothing else to say as he departed from his home, and prepared for the journey to school.

Basil took a deep breath.

She never answered his question.

~~

Upon scaling the steps to his dreary brick school entrance, Basil was made crucially aware of the lack of students crowding the front. After looking through the glass panes to spy at the clock above the front office, Basil swore. Twenty minutes late. After being painfully slow to rise for the day, the talk with Polly led to Basil's tardiness only increasing.

Not a good look for a student with a bad rep coming out of a suspension.

Basil took a deep breath and opened the door quietly. He laughed cynically to himself. As if such an inconspicuous motion would go unnoticed by the-

"Young man," a nasally voice issued from the front office. Basil scowled when he peered up to see a middle-aged woman with obnoxiously bright acrylic nails tapping on the glass. "You need to come in to pick up a late slip."

Basil groaned, and did a small huff-shake combination in annoyance, as if he could somehow dispel his trivial issues that way. "Cooomiing..."

"Now, you don't need to have that tone."

Jesus Christ, this lady was really twisting his nerves. Basil resisted the urge to stomp inside in a juvenile fashion. He drummed his fingers on the front desk while he waited for the woman to hobble to her empty seat in front of him. She let out a sigh as she settled down in her spinning chair, and began to tap onto her keyboard without sparing Basil a glance.

"Grab a slip. What's your name? Fill it in with one of the pens in the mug."

Basil was still fumbling with the slip in the plastic basket- he couldn't even think about pens as he struggled to keep up with the woman's monotonous instructions.

"Ugh, one second." Basil shook a dried out pen before reaching back into the mug and fishing out a black one. He sighed with relief when he saw that it wrote in his hand. Later, he'd have to wash off the little angry face he doodled on his palm. "My name's Basil."

"Got a last name...? Oh, nevermind. There you are. You're the only Basil here, looks like." The woman reached down to put on a bedazzled pair of pink reading glasses before squinting at the text on her monitor.

"Yep. I am." It's the main reason he didn't bother mentioning it to her. Even if you weren't able to identify the small, spitting, gardening blondie from afar, which was doubtful in this small town, no matter how much Basil wanted to blend into the shadows, being the only one with the name "Basil" really did him in. Such a shame. Maybe he'd get it changed someday to something a tad more generic. Like... John. Or Harry. Maybe Ben.

Basil backtracked like no tomorrow when he envisioned someone addressing him as "Ben." Faraway being a shit town aside, it might be worth the current suffering from the invisible pinpoint over his head to hang onto a name like Basil. He could never see himself as a "Harry" at the very least. Yuck.

The woman cleared her throat agitatedly. She lowered her glasses to glare at Basil with a strange mix of contradictory detachment, yet with an air that Basil's dallying was throwing off her entire schedule. Basil looked down at the incomplete tardy form, and then back at her.

"So, turns out school isn't the only thing you're late for. Skipping out on follow-up meetings, are we? You know that's not gonna do you any favors." Basil was at a loss.

"I don't get it, what's going on?"

The desk lady took a long swig of coffee from a pink tumbler with some butterflies adorned around the sides. "You should have done your research or talked with your parents about it. You can't dodge your responsibilities just because you're out of school. Go talk to your homeroom teacher- she's probably frustrated you kept her waiting."

Basil felt agitated by the woman's vague words. Nothing she was saying was helping him get a grasp on the situation. He just felt like an insult had been dished out at him in some obscure fashion, as though an inside joke had been tossed around him without his knowledge. He clearly wouldn't be getting much help from her. Hopefully she wouldn't be up in the front office all the time. That would just make high school all the more miserable.

Basil silently finished filling out the form, and left the office with a modest nod.

Alright… homeroom teacher. Some stupid meeting thing, because with age came more and more anal appointments, and talks and paperwork, et cetera, et cetera. Well, perhaps with age... and complications, but that was beside the point. Basil was too simple for all these formalities. He was probably just going to get lectured into obedience before being rereleased into the public, if his intuition had any accuracy. A waste of time for both parties, likely.

When he walked back into the hallway, he felt lost as he looked left and right through the checkered, vacant hallways. He suddenly had the realization that he had never even attended a homeroom before. Instead, Basil would spend his mornings before the bell hiding in the bathroom, or a corner in the cafeteria. What… who was his teacher again?

Hopefully, with a little bit of subtle snooping, it wouldn't be too hard to track her down, even without her name, but Basil felt he might be setting himself an unachievable goal by trying to track down his mystery teacher. Upon second thought, surely he wouldn't be missed if he just... opted out of this little meeting? Perhaps Basil could just duck into whatever class he was supposed to be in now, and then pretend that this appointment never existed. That sounded favorable...

Basil jumped from his scheming thoughts as he heard the slide of sneakers dragging across the smudged floors. He whipped his head around to see Kel, who immediately brightened upon also seeing Basil.

"Hey, dude!" Kel was struggling to jog up, as he was pulling a giant… inner tube? Weird. Why'd he have that with him? Kel must have noticed Basil's inquisitive look, because he hoisted the blown inflatable over his shoulder and laughed. "This thing? It's for a pep rally. I'm ducking class right now, 'cause they pulled a bunch of us gym guys out to help set up. Pretty cool, huh?"

Basil shrugged. "I… I guess. I'm ducking class too, kind of."

Kel lifted his other hand in a high five. "Nice, just us two rebellious kids then!"

Basil looked at him strangely. "If you're helping out the teachers, I don't really think that's rebellious…"

Kel gave it a moment's thought before retracting his hand. "Hah, I guess you're right. Still feels kinda dirty though, getting to ditch class while everyone else does reading and stuff. Especially when the halls are all empty like this." Kel whistled for emphasis, clearly relishing how the piercing sound bounced off the walls back towards him. "It just feels wrong, y'know?"

Basil shook his head, exasperatedly. "Sure Kel. I guess it does." Agreeing with him seemed to be the only way to get him to stop going on about something.

"So… whatchu doing out here? Not getting into trouble?" He waggled his eyebrows.

Basil rolled his eyes. "Jeez, Kel. No. No I'm not. In fact, I'm trying to clean my record and get out of trouble so I can get back to trudging through school like I always have. I had to go to my stupid homeroom teacher or something, but I don't even know who she is, but I guess I should've-"

"Oh, Ms. Orville! Yeah, she's down the hall. Guess what? I actually sit next to you in homeroom! Well, I would, if you ever showed up, but it's a nice thought at least-"

Well, what a fine coincidence. Also, another reason to continue to ditch homeroom, apparently. Hah.

Unfortunately, Basil no longer had an innocent excuse to duck out of his tardy appointment. Might as well get it done with.

"Ms. Orville, huh? Well, I guess I'll be seeing her, then."

"You sure? First block's been going for a while already. She might not even be there anymore…"

Basil threw his hands up in the air. "It was my fault in the first place I was late. I'll just… urgh. I'll just deal with this too. It's fine. I'll sit outside her dumb office or something. Just… argh…" Basil growled in frustration. He had to go and delay getting out of bed to the fullest extent, and he had to feel the need to talk to Polly this very morning, didn't he? Talk about kicking yourself in the balls. This was gonna look great for his already damaged rep. Once his grandmother started feeling better, Basil wouldn't hear the end of it.

"Basil, you alright? You seem a little cranky. Uhm, more than usual, I guess." Kel looked like he was trying to reach out a comforting hand, but it was unfortunately intercepted by the far-reaching pool inflatable, still wrapped around his shoulder, unable to reach across far enough. Man, that really was a gargantuan water toy.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just tired of jumping through hoops," Basil sighed.

Kel looked at the floor and kicked out with a sneaker. "Sucks to hear… you're really gonna hate the pep rally, then." He wiggled the pool tube for emphasis.

Basil cracked a smile. Damn it, Kel.

"That wasn't funny."

Kel grinned. "You're smiling. Come on-"

"No. That was a stupid joke."

"It got you and you know it…" Kel began to poke at Basil, who was now trying not to laugh.

"Nooo, no it's nooot. Stop iiiit," Basil tried to bat his hand away as he whined. "Come ooon, stop it. Seriously." Basil snarled. "Stop IT!"

Kel snatched his hand away like he had been messing around with a rabid animal. "Point taken. I stopped. Don't eat me."

Basil gathered his drooping backpack straps, and snugged it tight over his armpits again, fiddling with the straps as he always did. "Anyway, I've got to find Ms. Orville. Hopefully that won't go too badly. It probably will…"

Kel gave Basil a clumsy thumbs up. "Don't be so negative! It'll work out. Uh, see you later… I hope!"

Well, easy for you to have confidence, Mr. I-Have-A-Great-Track-Record-And-Also-The-Teachers-Love-My-Brother. But whatever. No point in bringing that up. Optimists will be optimists.

"See you, Kel." Basil veered away, swearing that he heard Kel about to say something, but to be as inoffensive as possible, it was worth noting that Kel was a chatterbox who needed to be forcibly shut down at times.

It didn't take too long to locate his teacher's room. A small sign was dangling from a prong situated in the center of the frosted glass window that displayed her name in a swirly font.

Basil knocked on the door.

Nothing.

He knocked again. There wasn't much light that could be seen through the tinted glass. It was hard to tell if she was in there or-

"I'm coming! Give me one moment, and I'll be right with you."

She sounded peppy. Well, Basil would see how this went.

A woman who looked to be in her late thirties or early forties swung open the door and seemed surprised for just a moment to see Basil there.

"Hey, can I help you? What's going on?"

"I'm… I'm Basil…." He felt a little sick all of the sudden. Bad timing.

"Oh… I see." He could see her expectations of this unnamed person shatter in her head like brittle glass. Or perhaps he just imagined it. "Your parents with you, yet? If they're waiting in the parking lot, you can tell them to come in. No need to be shy!"

Basil was a little surprised. "Uhm, my parents won't be able… didn't they tell you?" He wasn't really sure what to say. Usually, the fact that Basil was in the unofficial care of his grandmother was something that seemed to be inherently known among adult figures he'd interact with. Maybe explaining it on his own was something that came with the territory of being in high school, now. "I'm… my grandmother takes… care of me."

Ms. Orville bit her lip. "That's completely my bad, just slipped out. Completely get it. Just used to… nevermind. Come in and sit down, okay? I'll call the desk to get your grandma, yeah?"

Well, this was already going splendidly. "She… can't I just be here, instead?"

His homeroom teacher narrowed her eyes and set an arm on the doorframe. "Basil, you know that you need to have a guardian attend the follow-up meeting after a suspension, don't you?" It sounded more like she was telling him what he should know rather than asking a question.

"I… well, I didn't know." Basil puffed up. Ms. Orville only shook her head and motioned him into the office with a wave of her hand before shutting the door behind him.

"Basil, it was important that you needed to be on the same page as your guardian before you came back here."

Basil was getting upset. "But, I- I already told you I didn't know!"

"Basil, come on. You need to stop making excuses. It's in the Code of Conduct book that we passed out at the beginning of the year. Did you lose it?"

What was he being grilled so much for? It was true, he might have lost it, buried under some papers somewhere. But still, he doubted that even the most pious of students read those things cover to cover. This was just unfair!

"I… no! I have it! I just… listen, she's not feeling well right now." Basil's voice cracked.

Ms. Orville looked at him sadly, but Basil just felt patronized. "I understand, Basil. But don't you have anyone else you could go to as a guardian before she gets better? We've been trying to contact you about this, but guidance hasn't gotten any replies over your suspension from you or your guardians or anybody."

An image of Polly flashed in Basil's mind, and he despaired thinking he'd have to go to her to sign everything for the time being.

"It's important to make sure everyone's on the same page. You're an older kid now, so you've got to understand this is for them as much as it is for you. So-"

"I have somebody, okay?" Basil snapped. God, if this lady could just shut up, it'd make his day a lot better. "They're just not with me right now. Sorry I didn't check the dumb rulebook. I'll figure it out. I'm sorry. Just please…" Basil wasn't sure where he was going with this. Please what? Now Ms. Orville just looked perturbed. That would certainly help his defense.

She shook her head exasperatedly. "Basil, it wouldn't be good if-"

Basil clenched his fist. Was he just going to get tossed out of school again? Because he didn't read some pages? "I'll… I'll be good. For today." He couldn't deal with the embarrassment of going back. Even if nobody saw. Even if he walked through those vacant hallways, over those deserted sidewalks, went through his quiet home, and collapsed onto his cold, empty bed, he'd feel the same embarrassment as though every eye in Faraway was watching him and his walk of shame. The fact that he was having to fight to go back into this place was just-

Ms. Orville sighed and grabbed the bridge of her nose. "Alright. I get it. I do recommend you go over the rulebook again. It might help so you can learn how to conduct yourself a little better, in general, but for this case, I can understand why it'd be a little out of left field." She walked over to her desk and scribbled at a piece of paper with a pen that had a pink feather coming out of the top. "Here's a note for your guardian," she said as she handed it to him. Basil would look at the contents later. She scribbled on another sheet of paper, one that had blanks in it. "This is a pass for your next class. I explained the situation a bit. That should clear up any problems."

Basil was surprised. Was he being let back into school? He had the impression he was about to be turned away. Huh. How about that?

He marvelled at the customized late pass like it was his very own golden ticket.

"This is very important, though. Look at me." Basil didn't want to look at her. "You need to bring your guardian here to talk with me, eight in the morning tomorrow, okay? Can you do that for me?" God, the way she talked like he spoke another language or was five years old was so annoying. He nodded in understanding, resisting the urge to hiss.

"Good. Now stay out of trouble. I'm trusting you for today. Don't get up to anything stupid." She put her hands on her hips before trudging back to her desk and adorning a pair of reading glasses. "And just for future reference, it's good to assume that you should notify or bring a guardian when it comes to matters with the school, okay? That's usually how it works. Be good today."

Basil nodded. Every step he took towards the door made him feel more prissy. When he reached that ugly frosted glass and pushed the door open, Ms. Orville's voice called after him: "Eight in the morning!"

Basil would've crushed a soda can in his hand if he could.

Basil commended his self control as he stayed true to his word to stay "good" throughout the day. Reminiscent of primitive days long past, Basil felt like a marked criminal subjugated to the streets and the disapproval of onlookers as he trudged into his classroom, greeted with lowly muttered comments such as "Oh… he's here?" or a snarky "Welcome back," none of which he could respond to, lest he be accused of rocking the boat.

Surely, some of the other boys would be pleased to have their plaything back. Basil was starting to recognize a few of them from middle school- solid proof that changes of environment didn't necessarily change a person too much. He held out well enough until lunch time, and was extremely grateful to hear the bell, pushing his chair out from his desk with a terrible screech against the floor.

Much to Basil's relief, Aubrey was back at their spot in the cafeteria. As gracefully as possible, which was not much at all, Basil dropped his bag with a tremendous thump onto the ground, set his food tray down, and then plunked his head onto the table, face down.

Aubrey casually chewed on a chicken tender and slightly widened her eyes in mild surprise. "Jesus dude, what'd you pack in your bag- dumbbells?"

"No, just all the fucking make up work I have to do. Uuugggh…"

"Ooh, baby's dropping big boy word bombs. Stuff's really serious." She swallowed her food and patted the space on the table in front of him sympathetically. "For real though, sorry about that. That's gonna be a lot to trudge through. I… I should've helped you out by getting homework for you while you were out, but I was too caught up in my own shit. My bad."

Basil rubbed his forehead on the table. "It's fine. You don't need to explain yourself."

Aubrey waved him off. "Seriously, it's okay. Since I haven't been able to be straight with you about it, I was out for a few more days since the one you got suspended on. I just… I feel responsible, okay? I've been having to take care of my mom. Her and Dad had a messy break up like a year and a half-ish ago, and she's been taking it badly. Drinking a lot and stuff. She's been sick lately. I took a few days off to take care of her."

Basil was giving Aubrey his full attention, now. "Wow I- I'm sorry." He felt like he just walked into a private conversation, but Aubrey was being so casual about it. "Are you… going to be okay? Do you need-"

Aubrey shook her head. "It's rough, not going to lie, but I'll call someone over if I need help. I know I've got people in my court. I could… I dunno, I'm sure I could ask Mari or Hero for help without them being weird about it. They already get the picture, for the most part."

Basil felt really guilty, all of the sudden. Good on him, for stressing Aubrey out further because of his misconduct. She probably should have expected it from him, given his reputation around here, but she didn't need that on her plate. "...I'm sorry Aubrey. I probably made things harder for you when I got suspended and-"

"Can it, moron. I already deal with enough self-deprecating people on a weekly basis. Don't need to deal with you, too."

"Well, don't deal with me, then! And don't call me a moron," Basil barked with sudden offended vehemence.

Aubrey promptly ignored him, instead focusing on trying to make a shot of a baller paper wrapper into the nearest trash can. Despite the curved hand of a telltale sports player following the throw, the waste only bounced off the rim, earning a mean-spirited laugh from a nearby student. Aubrey rolled her eyes and muttered to Basil. "That's embarrassing. Don't tell Kel I bombed that. He'd laugh at me. I'm used to making straighter throws. Softball and all."

"You play softball?"

"Yeah. Tournaments' coming up next month. You should come to the ballpark when you're not drowning in work."

Aubrey planted her hands on the table abruptly, and allowed a glimmer of excitement to dance in her eyes. "Speaking of Kel… I hope he didn't mess up the comics I gave you! Did you have any time to read them during your final moments before freedom?"

"I'm not sure if I'd call being able to go back to school 'freedom,' but yeah, I read some. I'm not really used to reading comics, though… I typically read more classic books. Like the ones my grandmother has. Charles Dickens or something…"

"Uhuh, more like Charles Suck-My-Dick-Ens. Boooring," She giggled at her apparent wit. "Okay, but did you finish the volume?"

"Yeah, yeah. I read a little bit of the other one, too. There was a lot going on, though. I'm not sure if I get it. It was fine, I guess."

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "'Get it?' Jeez, Basil. You really are a closeted grandpa. It's a comic, Basil. Flash flash, bang, boom. Explosion! It's supposed to be chaotic."

Basil puffed his chest in offense. "Don't rub it in, jerk. Lay off." He crossed his arms. "It's just a bit much, sometimes."

Aubrey smiled good-naturedly. "Well, don't want to go disrespecting the elderly." She rubbed her hands together in enthusiasm before placing them, folded, on top of the table, like Basil was a job interviewee. "ANYway, who's your favorite character?" Her eyes shone with childlike glee. "Lemme guess, you like Captain Spaceboy, so you can join Sunny's little fan club-"

"Actually, I think he can be a bit much sometimes, too. I dunno, he's fine and all, but I wouldn't say he's my favorite."

Aubrey looked surprised. "Well then who IS?" She clearly wasn't biased towards certain characters whatsoever.

Basil huffed again. "Well, if you insist on me picking a favorite, I guess I'd have to pick…" He seemed to ponder his response for a tentative moment. "...I guess Rococo."

Aubrey drummed her fingers on the table in quiet interest. "Rococo? I didn't see that coming. I thought he'd also be a bit 'much' for you, too. Why?"

Basil paused for another thoughtful moment, collecting his thoughts. "I don't know, he's kinda in the background and stuff. Spaceboy's whole character seems to be focused around Sweetheart. I guess Rococo is a little like that too, but he's got other stuff to him. He can act all strange and otherworldly, when he's not being dramatic. He wants to be a successful artist. He's trying to process the tragedy of his homeland. He's trying to find himself in the world-"

Basil cut himself off upon seeing Aubrey's shit-eating expression.

"What?" He muttered warily. He felt judged.

"You tooootally don't sound like someone who's just a casual fan."

"I'm not that invested! I- I just... I like him..."

Aubrey smiled, somehow even more mischievously, like she knew something he didn't."So, the secretly sensitive artist type who puts on a face while trying to find himself. I see…" She chuckled menacingly. "Interesting."

Basil scoffed. "What's that supposed to mean? 'Interesting,' stupid..."

"Well someone's offended for not understanding what I'm talking about."

"Come on, stop being stupid and cryptic."

"Just because you called me stupid, I'm not telling you my little observation. Suffer, nincompoop." Aubrey stuck her tongue out at him, and Basil tried his best to act dismissal, and not immensely curious towards Aubrey's obscurity.

"You probably wanna eat that salad, Basil. The bell's probably gonna ring soon."

Right on cue, as though Aubrey was temporarily given Apollo's gift of prophecy, the bell rang, leaving Basil to crudely scarf down sad, wilted pieces of lettuce.

"The stuff my grandmother and I have grown is better," he managed out while Aubrey gathered her things.

"Spoiled. You grew organic stuff, lucky you."

"It's good for you!"

"Yeah, yeah. Hurry up, little vegan."

"I'm not a vegan! It's pescatarian."

"That's the one that only eats fish, right? God, dude. You're so-"

"How're you gonna finish that sentence?"

"Nothing, hah."

"Hmph."

Basil and Aubrey went their separate ways, leaving Basil to make the journey to his locker alone, as always. He figured that he could unload at least some of his copious amounts of work into his locker. Just for the end of the day. God, Basil felt like he was developing back issues in just a few moments. When he opened his locker, the idea of relief fresh in his mind, his heart leapt into his throat when a piece of paper fluttered down onto the floor.

No. No, no. Not again. He just got back! Seriously?! His arms were quaking when he stopped to pick up the letter. What could be-

"Oh, you got it! Good!" Basil dropped the piece of paper in his arms as he flung them around wildly in surprise. He was shaking a little bit. Basil shot a nasty glare to his right.

Kel was standing there, oblivious as always, holding the note he retrieved.

"There you go, buddy. You dropped this." Kel smiled as he held the notepaper back out to Basil. Basil stared at it suspiciously, not moving to take it from him.

"What's that?"

"Sorry, I meant to give it to you earlier, but I forgot. Super busy and all! And… super forgetful." Kel sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Mom lectures me about that all the time. The amount of screaming- 'niño'-s I've heard haunts my dreams. I crave for an escape, Basil m'boy."

"Okay Kel, but what's it for?"

Kel stopped himself. "Oh right, it's from Mari, sorry. She asked me to slip it in there for her, since I knew where your locker was but she didn't."

Basil's face screwed up. He was still more than a little put off by her since he saw her last. "Mari?"

"Yeah. She wanted to say sorry, is what she said. Did something happen? Is everything okay?"

Basil snatched the letter away. "Yeah, things are fine. I don't know why she's making such a-"

The bell rang. Incessantly. Basil was confused. Sure, the gap between classes was short, but that seemed way faster than usual.

"Oh! Time for the rally!" Kel started bouncing like an overexcited child.

Basil screwed up his face. Well, that would be his cue to leave. Before he could turn on his heel and slink off, Kel had grabbed him by his hand, and pulled him along.

"Come on! Let's hurry before the good seats get filled up!"

"Kel, lemme go! They're… bleachers! None of them are 'good seats!'"

Basil was unable to fight off Kel's iron grip, fueled by pure enthusiasm alone. Basil would be terrified to be on his bad side. Well... if Kel even had a bad side.

As soon as he entered the sizable gymnasium, Basil wanted to cover his ears and hide. Loud noises. Loud noises everywhere. His heart was racing. It's a good thing he hadn't been to sports games. Or theme parks. Or daycares. Basil wished with all his heart that he could be anywhere but here. Maybe if he clicked his heels together, he could find himself spirited back to his home. Too bad life wasn't a fantasy musical.

Kel weaved through the gaggles of students taller than Basil, and plopped Basil down on a bleacher even to the floor. Basil gripped his hand a little tighter as swarms of students piled in around him.

"This looks good! See you in a bit, Basil!"

Basil clutched onto him harder. "W-Wait, where are you going? Are you going to leave me here?" He wanted to cry.

Kel laughed good naturedly. "Don't worry, Basil. It's just a bunch of seniors for the most part. They're just excited for the team. They'll ignore you. But word of warning: they're probably gonna be loud! See you in a bit!"

Basil tried to hold onto him, but Kel ripped his hand away and disappeared into the sea of people. Oh, so he was gonna drag Basil out here, then leave him to fend for himself? What a colossal jerk! Basil wished he said something rude after him as he went. With the rowdy seniors beginning to whoop with enthusiasm, Basil sunk into the seat of the bleacher, accidentally touched something sticky, and then buried his nose into the one thing that could distract him: the note.

Hey Basil, this is from Mari, in case Kel doesn't tell you. I know he can be a bit scatterbrained sometimes, so I've learned to cover for him over the years. I wanted to write this letter to you because-

The modest school band crescendoed, particularly in the snare department. The instruments ceased in one singular moment, the players holding their sticks and arms at the ready, finished in a flourish. The students didn't quiet down though, particularly the seniors. They still roared at an unbearable volume. A tap on a microphone and a piercing screeching echoing from it brought the students' attention.

"Hey guys, how's everyone doing today?" A theatrical voice issued from the microphone as a boy with very... fake looking blonde hair walked across the gymnasium floor. A veritable roar answered his simple statement. "It's your junior announcer, Mikhael, and boy do I have a slew of stuff for you all today..."

As he went on to talk about other things probably pep rally related, Basil tried his best to tune him out and continue to read the letter.

-because I wanted to apologize for what you had to deal with a few days ago. It was wrong of me to force you into a conflict that was between me and Sunny. It was also wrong of me to act like I did towards you. Regardless of whatever I felt, I shouldn't have pushed that on you to deal with. That was-

"...time for what you've been waiting for, ladies and gents!" An uproarious tone snapped Basil away from the letter once again. The blonde haired flamboyant boy lifted his hands into the air, clearly indicating for the crowd to participate in something.

"Fall Freshie! Fall Freshie! Fall Freshie!"

Basil wasn't sure what was going on, but everyone else seemed to. And they seemed practically ravenous.

Mikhael waved his hands in a calming motion. Even his mic couldn't help him get a word in.

"So, just a disclaimer. After the incident from last year, we won't be able to use the rock pile behind the school this time. Lemme hear it from you, folks!"

A collective groan arose from the students, before they all chanted in a single, reluctant voice:

"When it comes to rocks and garbage cans, never push your fellow man."

Mikhael seemed ecstatic. "There we go, nicely done! Keep that in mind, and we won't have any more hospital trips. Hopefully."

Basil blinked. What happened there?

As if nothing potentially lethal had happened the previous year, Mikhael continued with unwavering enthusiasm.

"Now, you may have noticed that long stretch of hallway near the music and band rooms has been closed off today. Sorry choir kids. I know they're not happy about it." Mikhael cleared his throat. "But anyway, everyone near and far knows that corridor has got to be the longest hallway in all of Faraway. Just ask the poor, unfortunate, brass section how their backs are fairing after walking it every single morning!"

An empathetic laugh arose throughout the gym, while the tuba, trombone, and trumpet players tooted in discontent- seizing their moment of spotlight to gripe over their aches. The percussionists silently stewed in their neglect.

"Of course, such a hallway can have many uses. That is why, after careful consideration, this semester's Fall Freshie contest is going to seize this monster of a structure. That's right, everybody! Those innumerable bottles of dish soap were going to use! We're sending those kids sliding!"

As the bloodthirsty teens hooted and hollered, Basil gulped in anticipation. He still wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but whatever it was, it couldn't be good. Godspeed to whoever was participating in this contest thing. It sounded dumb and dangerous. Only an idiot would participate in something so risky. He rolled his eyes and focused again on the letter.

That was far from a good first impression. I hope that you won't think I make a habit of being crabby and unpredictable. I just don't want you to be put off from me, or any of my friends because of what I said or acted like. I hope that school has been agreeable for you, and that you won't avoid me after this. I promise I'll work on being kinder, even in my moments.

Best Regards, Mari

'Best regards?' Seriously? How old was this kid? She was supposed to be seventeen or eighteen, right? Why did she sound like some disgruntled Victorian child? Jeez. Basil was both confounded, but flattered, by the nature of the letter's composition. She did seem, although strangely formal, genuine. Basil was getting it into his head that all of the group had their own little quirks. Perhaps behaving like a royal heir was Mari's? Basil couldn't help but screw his face up in a snicker when he imagined Mari pouring over the letter with all the dedication of a dying man. Written with ink and quill. By oil lamp light. Wearing a cravat.

What a nerd. Maybe it ran in the family? Basil had to admit, the letter worked, although perhaps not in the way Mari intended. It was just difficult to stay mad at a teenage girl who talked like she was from another century. He picked up a pen and began to scribble a response on the back of the letter. What should he even say in response? Eh, fuck it. Why not mess around? Writing wasn't a hassle anyway. Basil felt more in his element. Despite himself, he giggled as he acted more theatrical than he had in a long while. His handwriting came out messy as he used his leg for a writing surface.

Mari,

Your letter was received, and treated with careful consideration following the events penned in your original letter. Upon dedicated thought, it has been deemed appropriate to continue careful contact with your person in question. Please be aware that you will be held to your heartfelt promises to present good conduct. Perhaps, the same shall be offered.

Good day, Lady Mari,

Sir Basil the

Hm. Basil looked around the gym for a number, and felt his eyes settle on a sports jersey pinned to the wall with an orange 'twenty-five' printed onto it.

Sir Basil the Twenty-Fifth of his line

He had no idea if that was accurate to royalty-speak or not. He didn't pay enough attention in English or History. Basil just thought it sounded nice. As he read his work over and over again, Basil felt laughter bubble up in his stomach. What did he just write? It was so stupid! He really liked it. This was the kind of thing that made him think that writing or journaling would be fun. Too bad he didn't have anything interesting to write about. Hmph.

He folded the wrinkled piece of paper and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Anyway, everyone- sorry to keep you waiting! I'm sure you're all chomping at the bit for this year's Fall Freshie!"

Ah yes, this stupidly dangerous sounding whatever. Time to see how this train wreck would play out, since Basil got dragged to this dumb thing in the first-

"I'm glad to present to you, Kelsey, or Kel, Hernandez!"

Oh no. That's the dumb idiot who would do something like this! Basil wanted to smack himself. Of course! This is why Kel was so eager to bring him here!

Surely enough, Kel swaggered to the center of the gym, clearly not even knowing what the phrase "stage fright" could even mean. He held out his arms like he had just won a world championship, then swept his gaze across the room before he saw Basil, and waved at him. Basil promptly hid behind some tall seniors.

"You may recognize this charming lad's smiling face as the spitting replica of his equally charming older brother, our own senior and treasurer, Henry Hernandez! Everybody say 'thank you Henry' for helping us fund the homecoming events for the past four years when no one else would! Where is he?" Mikhael stuck out a pointer finger, and spun in a circle like a game show wheel, as if that would help him locate Hero. The crowd laughed before a chorus of "he's over here"-s dragged a bashful Hero out of hiding on the east side of the gym. Hero offered a small wave, and the gym promptly exploded again. Well, someone was popular. Basil thought such concepts were mere illusions of high school life. Apparently, popularity could indeed happen. Who knew? A chorus of patronizingly sweet sounding "Thank you, Henry," rang across the gym.

"Anyway, back to our victi- I mean, Freshie, here!" The crowd laughed.
Mikhael relished the engagement before he carried on. "Standing at an impressive five foot eight for a wee ninth grader, this guy wants to join the basketball team, and clearly has the moxie to pull it off! Look out, everyone. Do a little spin for us, Kel."

Kel shrugged and kicked off his foot into a lopsided spin that made him stumble a bit. The gym laughed. Basil would've melted if he was in Kel's position. Kel merely posed to shake it off, flexing his... modest... biceps.

Mikhael chuckled. "Did I mention that pure suaveness runs in the family? Watch out ladies, there's a new Hernandez on the block, and he's single, and ready to-" Mikhael looked over to his right. "I've just been informed by our lovely instructional staff that I'm crossing lines that shouldn't be crossed. Remember kids, retain friendly, platonic distances in the halls! P.D.A who? We don't know her!"

Basil could see the teachers along the wall facepalming at Mikhael's complete lack of subtlety. Basil wondered why they picked this guy to be the announcer if he was such a loose canon. Maybe there was just no one else available for the job?

"Anyway, I'm just as ready as you are, so who's ready to send this guy hurtling down the hallway? I know I sure am! I'd personally say success runs in the Hernandez bloodline so-"

A chorus of boos rang from behind Mikhael, and he turned around with a flourish. "Is that... disapproval I hear? Pray, voice your grievances!" He extended his mic to the crowd. A gruff looking guy and a girl with a side part came to the front as other students parted a way before them.

"You keep picking people that've got reputational teeth in through their siblings or something! Pick somebody else! This is so cliche, every time. This is just a popularity contest!" The girl sounded eloquent, as though she had rehearsed her protest beforehand. The boy with her only nodded and folded his arms. Well, this was getting interesting.

Mikhael seemed to relish the opposition. "Lucky for you, this is a competition to put our Freshies to the test! If you're so bothered, why don't you give him a run for his money? Show him his place!"

The students seemed to appreciate that goad. When the side part girl stepped forward, rolling up her sleeves, the guy at her side seemed surprised, but let her go.

She strode up to the center of the gym as confidently as she could, but Basil could see her trembling. She looked a little familiar... where had he seen her before?

Mikhael happily extended the mic to the challenger, who promptly ignored Kel when the cheerful boy waved at his opposition.

"Tell us, fair challenger, what is your name?"

Side part rolled her eyes. "It's Kim. Stop being so dramatic. Let's get on with it. I'm gonna cream this loser."

A scandalized "ooh" circulated around the room at her confidence. People were getting excited. Basil pounded a fist into his open palm. He knew where he recognized her from, now! She was the girl who crammed excessive amounts of cookies from the cafeteria into her hoodie like... two years ago! He could never forget that. Basil had known loss that year. She called him a loser, too. He hoped she had been extremely cookie-deficient last year.

"I'm sure you will. We'll get an inner tube for you, and we'll just see how you fare along the treacherous hallway of doom! There will be terror, there will be blood, and there will be money won and lost as it is wagered upon your own heads-" Mikhael looked to his right again. Basil looked with him, and saw one very stern teacher shaking his head disapprovingly, while another female teacher made a 'cut' symbol with her hand over her throat.

"Ah. Scratch that ladies and gents. There will be no blood or terror. Here at Faraway High, we like to ensure a safe environment for everyone attending. Additionally, there is no gambling within these holy halls, because-" His voice lost a good amount of volume, and Mikhael tapped his mic in distress. Basil swore he heard him cry out that his mic had been cut for "some reason," before a teacher called out and ushered the students towards the gymnasium doors. The shuffling began as hundreds of students started to move into two small exit areas. Basil could hardly breathe. He held onto his note to make sure it didn't get ripped away throughout the hustle.

Soon enough, everyone had been guided to the extremely long stretch of hallway that was the central and music hall. Most of the teacher's teachers lined this space. There was no exaggeration about how elongated this corridor was. The students were all grouped along the rim, because dish soap was utterly lathered along the entire way. Wow.

And there, standing victoriously at the top, and with the same awkward inflatable tube in hand, waved Kel, as though he were a king looking down on his subjects.

"Hey look Hero, I'm on TV, hah!" Kel exclaimed out, once he saw Hero. Basil could swear he saw panic enter his face, as the elder sibling mouthed "Don't call me that here," in distress. Kim stood with her own tube in hand, looking ready to show someone a little what's what.

Basil felt someone tap on his shoulder, and saw Aubrey, her eyes shining with murderous glee. "Kel's about to get it!" Aubrey laughed. "Move over; I wanna see!"

"Are you rooting for him?"

Aubrey scoffed. "Hell no! It's time for that prick to get knocked down a peg! Besides, the girl looks super badass! She's totally gonna whoop him."

Basil sighed. Well, nothing for it. He supposed it was only fair he silently rooted for Kel this time over. For fairness' sake.

At the countdown, the contestants settled into their tubes, holding themselves back like they were about to go luging. After the countdown, Basil was appalled to see just how FAST they startled to hurtle down the hallway. They soared down small staircases and bounced around like bumper cars. God. This was unnerving. Kel was a madman for agreeing to this! He bumped against the other girl, Kim, occasionally, and she would throw him nasty glares. Right when they were coming close to where he and Aubrey stood, Basil happened to glance over to his left and- was that...?

Some idiot had a small cup filled with tacks! Tacks! Basil didn't need to be a genius to piece that one together as he saw as the older student leaned his hand forward. Basil darted out and flung his arm out, causing the other boy to stumble backward in surprise.

"Watch it!" He growled. He peered closer as he pocketed the tacks and pushed himself off of the vending machine. Basil heard Kel swoosh past him, whooping as he went. Phew.

"Wait a second, you're the guy who goes around trying to cause people trouble, aren't you? The one who just got suspended? Give it a rest, will you?"

Basil pointed at him accusingly as attention began to get drawn to him. He heard kids cheering a little ways down. Sounds like Kel and Kim made it to the end. "You had a cup of tacks! You were trying to pop their tubes! You could've hurt them, you idiot!"

"I'm gonna call a teacher if you don't shut up."

"And? So what? I'll just tell them what you tried to do. The evidence is on you. I- I saw it. Don't try to lie!" Basil somehow found the courage to stand up to this guy, even though he was pretty burly looking. He was ready to have his face pounded into the soapy floor. If that was how it went...

Just as Basil thought he might've been about to throw hands, a swish of bobbed pink hair snuck behind the tack student, and took the perpetrating items from his back pocket.

"Beat it," Aubrey said. "This doesn't need to get any worse. Just get out of here. Don't you dare try to hurt my friends again."

Tack guy stared between her and Basil before shrugging and walking away, getting lost in the crowd.

"What a psycho! Aubrey, why'd you let him get away? Didn't you see what he tried to do? That could've messed up Kel bad! There were tons of tacks in that thing! It could've-"

"Breathe, buddy. Deep breaths."

Basil didn't realize that he had been starting to panic. The tenseness of the situation had his chest heaving erratically. With Aubrey's guidance, he now heard his lungs shudder, and felt the tightness in his throat he was ignoring. In... and out. In... and out. In..... and... out.

"It's okay, Basil. You stopped him from doing it. But let's be real, trying anything else, especially you, might've just gotten you in trouble again. It's not worth it."

"Yes it is! Don't you care? It doesn't matter what happens to me, just-"

"Basil. Can it. It's okay. Trust me, it's not worth it." She smiled, and wrapped an arm around Basil's shoulder, pulling him close. "It's nice to see you care so much, though. You really are just a socially awkward dummy."

Basil's adrenaline was still pumping too much to fight her side hug. He looked over and saw Kel, a whooping, sudsy, oblivious mess, peeled out at the end of the hallway, next to an equally sudsy Kim, who was still slouched in her inner tube. Evidently, it looked like Kel won.

"Let's go give that idiot a congrats. Looks like your faith in him paid off. Should I tell him he's got a guardian angel in the form of an angry flower boy?"

"...No."

~~

After everyone was let out of school, it started to rain. Basil hauled out his ridiculously heavy backpack, and steeled himself for the long walk home. God, he was gonna be soaked by the time he finally made it back.

"...Hey, Basil."

Basil swirled around at the top of the school steps, stopping just before he began to descend the stairs, with his atrociously heavy backpack slung over his head like a silly makeshift umbrella. Hero stood nearby, and gave Basil a small wave. He was holding a clear umbrella, and strode forward to meet Basil.

"Didn't realize you were one to fix stuff on the sidelines so much," Hero chuckled.

Basil was perplexed. "What are you talking about?"

Hero lifted up a hand. "Well, first of all, Aubrey told me about what happened at the pep rally. Tacks, huh?"

Basil raked his fingers down his face. "I thought she wasn't going to say anything..."

Hero gave him a sympathetic smile. "I won't tell Kel, if that's what you're worried about. Your do-gooding stays with me and Aubrey, if that's what you really want. He'd appreciate it, you know. I was pretty nervous about him doing that. The school challenges are usually pretty crazy. Maybe if I tried to help fund them I could make them a little safer. Ah, well..."

Basil only listened to Hero in silence.

"...Why don't you want people to know about the nice things you do, anyway? After the pep rally, Mari ran up to me, pretty much in tears laughing. Apparently, you wrote her a silly letter that Kel slipped back to her. Was that for her apology thing, by the way?" Hero spun the umbrella handle around with his fingers while he looked down at Basil's evasive visage.

Basil nodded.

Hero chuckled again. "Thanks for that. She was really torn up after she was crabby towards you and Sunny. Pretty much as soon as she went to talk to me about that, she started crying, saying she set such a bad example..." He sucked in his breath. "Don't. Ah, don't tell her I told you that."

Basil shook his head. He wouldn't.

"But anyway, as I was saying, I'm happy you two were able to figure things out. And I'm glad you helped give her peace of mind. To be honest, when I saw her surprised expression while reading that, I thought it was some secret admirer letter or something. I got a little worried, haha!"

Basil cracked a grin, despite himself. "Uh, yeah. You don't have to worry about that from me."

Hero looked at him a little strangely, which made Basil nervous for a second, but then Hero's eyes crinkled into a grin. "Good to know! Otherwise, I should be worried. Looks like there might be a secret charmer on the block behind all that..." Hero stopped himself. Clearly, he had breached a politeness barrier he had set for himself.

Basil had to help him out. He shook off some water that was dripping down his nose. "You can say it. Anger, rudeness. Whatever. Something along those lines."

Hero shook his head, bringing a thoughtful hand to his chin. "I get your point, but I think I was thinking of 'aloofness,' although I'm not sure if that fits what I was going for, either..."

"God, you and Mari are perfect for each other..." Basil grumbled good-naturedly.

Hero laughed again. "I'll take that as a compliment."

They stood for a moment, gentle rain pattering down on Hero's umbrella, and less gentle rain soaking into Basil's clothes.

"Um, how about I give you a hand? That bag looks really heavy."

"Thanks, but no thanks. It's filled with work I didn't do over my suspension. I've got to walk home. You... you shouldn't have to come that whole way."

Hero smiled again. "Ah, it's really no problem." He walked down the steps, and Basil trailed after him with his eyes. Hero looked up at him and pulled out a pair of car keys from his pocket, waggling them and gesturing towards a cute beige Hyundai Elantra. "It'd just be a little ways over."

Ah yes, of course. Stupid seniors and their cars.

Rain dripped down Basil's aching back.

Considerate Hero and his stupid ride… he'll take it.

"Let's get going, then."

Chapter Text

"...And after that, the teachers were going around for the whole next two weeks calling Polly my mom."

"No kidding."

"It's probably because she called me... erm, never mind..."

"....’M curious. What'd she say?"

"Basil, dear! Could you fetch me another glass of water? And put ice in it."

"...Sure grandma."

“You’re walking away super quickly. You’re hiding something. What’d she say?”

Basil resisted every urge within his body telling him to muffle Sunny’s persistence with the surefire method of a glass cup to the face. Alas, that would be far too violent. Instead, he settled for the silent treatment- diligently marching to the bathroom tap as he dutifully avoided the dangerously curious eyes of his friend. Sure enough, when he returned with a cool glass of fresh sink water, Sunny and his grandmother already seemed engrossed in a silent conversation- half conventionally muted, half telepathic. Basil was suspicious.

“I was gone for two seconds. How are you already conspiring against me?”

Sunny and his grandmother mirrored each other, keeping their hands daintily folded in their laps. The pure pictures of innocence. Both falsehoods. Basil pointedly stared at them as he set down the grooved glass on a wooden end table, water sloshing around.

“Thank you sweetie…” His grandmother said, with eyes aglow, although Basil felt himself bristle in embarrassment at the unabashed endearment. His grandmother didn’t pause for a moment. “...Oh, but perhaps I shouldn’t say such things… after all, when Polly calls you sweetie, you definitely don’t seem to like that…” She chuckled at her own cheek, while Basil only wanted to dissolve into the floor.

Somewhere, in the distance of Basil’s fog of embarrassment, Sunny snickered quietly. “So that’s what she said. Hm. She likes you.” Although Basil almost thought he was patronizing him, with a brief look, he was able to see what looked like genuine mirth flicker in Sunny’s smoky eyes. That unapologetic cheese-fest apparently held no judgement towards silly pet names. Phew. At least Sunny wouldn’t think any less of him whenever his grandmother might-

“Basil-bug? Maybe you could get a heating pad, while you’re still up? My back is sore…”

She had to be deliberately screwing with him, at this point. Basil’s eyes narrowed, flickering back and forth from her bemused expression to Sunny’s face, the latter of which betrayed nothing behind his passive expression.

To appease his grandmother’s second request, Basil had to do some serious digging throughout the crowded shed in the backyard. Somewhere, among these cobwebby clasp-lid bins, there had to be what he was looking for. Basil cursed his own messiness, and how forgetful he always was with keeping track of his things. He always seemed to be able to find a trowel, or a wound up hose, or a pair of shears for... self defense... whenever he needed it! He didn’t even feel like he had to look hard. Even among this mess of a shed, Basil felt like he knew where everything was. Of course that instinct couldn’t kick in now…

He cursed as he accidentally knocked a wrench onto his foot while he rummaged around.

Kicking the wrench out of reactionary anger probably wasn’t the wisest move. Oh, to think more before acting…

After finally finding a dusty heating pad, Basil limped back towards his grandmother’s room. She and Sunny seemed to be doing just fine in his absence, as he slaved around. Sunny seemed to be quietly invested in whatever his grandmother was telling him, resting his moppy head of hair against the foot of the quilted covers as she rambled.

Basil blew on the heating pad while still outside the room. He didn’t want his grandmother to inhale any of that annoying dust, after all. As he entered and began to fiddle with an outlet to set up the pad, Basil’s ears were drawn to the conversation he just walked into.

“...And I told him that the fumes from that place would be the death of him, but he would always ignore me! He said that he was just trying his humble best to make an honest living and help out the country.” Basil’s grandmother started laughing preemptively. “I’d always say back, as sarcastic as I could: “Oh, I’m sure the whole world would fall apart if you weren’t there to make rubber! Ha! What an old fool, he was.”

“...You’re talking about grandfather,” Basil noted as he quickly drew back, almost sure he saw a spark from the outlet for a quick moment. This old house…

His grandmother ignored him for a moment, more concerned on finishing her tangent than responding to Basil right away. It was a habit he had noticed her having, his grandmother being a proud woman and all. She would listen to Basil and his long-winded rants, so by golly, he’d often be used to having to do the same. There were many a monologue he could recall listening to from her while growing up, some he didn’t even understand, but Basil would only sit patiently and wait for her to finish, littering breaks in her speeches with nods of acknowledgement. It was only polite, after all.

“You know, he’d listen to me about everything, but he never did with work. Oh, he’d act like he did, and act all sweet towards me when I’d complain, but he’d work such long hours right afterwards! You know what that little weasel would do? He’d get home late, and try to climb in through the window when I was sleeping, to try to act like he’d been there the whole time. You know what I’d do?” She paused, and Basil could glean from Sunny’s perplexed expression that he was unsure if it was for dramatic effect, or an actual question.

“...Uhm… what?” Sunny peeped out, just to be safe.

“I’d always get woken up by him, that loud oaf, but I’d lean close with a little peck to his cheek, and told him ‘overtime is a bad cologne for you.’” She wheezed as she laughed at her own line, although Sunny only stared at her blankly. As she recovered, she sniffed.

“Well, I thought it was funny…”

Sunny blanched in embarrassment at his lack of a reaction. “Oh, sorry. It was.”

“...You thinking about something, dear? You’re awfully quiet.”

Basil grinned at Sunny as he tried to carefully wedge the heating pad behind his grandmother’s back. She groaned as she leaned forward, but sighed with relief when she leaned back into the pillow. He’d graduated to “dear” category. Ha-ha. As per his grandmother’s observation, though, he was indeed very lost in thought. He didn’t return the grin.

“...Well, I was just wondering, since he was working in warehouses and factories all the time… did that… uhm… did something… sorry if I shouldn’t ask…”

Basil’s grandmother stared at him with scrutiny for a moment. “If you’re asking what I think- Basil, could you move the pad up a bit? Thank you. If you’re asking what I think you’re asking, no, there wasn’t some gruesome accident that took him from us. No sawblades or big, awful crushing things, like those awful horror movies I’ve seen Basil peep at on the late night television.” Basil pouted at her, and she glared right back before continuing. “...That stubborn old fool just kept working until he dropped. I kept on saying he should retire, but he didn’t think he had enough to. ‘One more year,’ he said. Just wanted to keep working. Well, on one of those ‘one more years,’ his heart gave out.”

Sunny sucked in his breath. Basil didn’t. He had heard this unfortunate tale before. It didn’t hurt him personally, as he wasn’t even born when it happened. Sometimes, Basil wishes he could have met his grandfather. All he had were stories about what he was like.

“...Sorry…” Sunny said, sheepishly. He ducked his head down in shame.

“...It’s alright, dear. It was a long time ago. The past is a big part of who I am now, but I try not to look at the painful parts all too much. Time... dulls the wounds, anyhow. Twenty years at this point, eh…?” Her eyes looked distant for a long moment. Basil laid a hand on one of hers.

“...Grandmother…?”

She came back to earth with a dreamy look in her eyes, tired bags framing the attempt at a warm look she gave Basil. “...Yes?”

“I… sorry for taking him away, but, erm… Sunny and I… we were gonna go take care of the flowers at his house. We… try to check on them every weekend, so…”

A chortle. “He’s your friend, not mine. I’ve got some my own age, so go ahead. Ha-hah!” Her worn face took on a new form as her cloudy expression gave way to sunbeams and sweetness. “Your friend’s very docile though, so I’m certainly tempted to steal him,” she jested, “He’s like a little lap dog!” Basil rolled his eyes playfully. Sunny seemed humored by that.

“...I don’t do tricks, but… arf,” He bent his hands forward, mimicking paws, with a small smile adorning his features. His grandmother found that hilarious, evidently. Basil only quietly disagreed. That idiot was absolutely not a dog. Definitely a cat.

“Come on, we’ve gotta go haul fertilizer bags. Hope you’ll be able to handle it,” Basil trailed out of the room, brushing his hand across Sunny’s arm as he went, trying to guide him with him.

Sunny quietly sulked, dragging his feet. “...We don’t have leftovers in my garage?”

“Nope.”

“Can’t we carry a little bit in… I dunno… pails or something?”

“I don’t have any.”

Sunny stopped at the front door, watching Basil fiddle with the lock. He leaned on the doorframe and demonstrated that somehow blinking could be done in a petulant manner. “...Can we do it some other week?”

“Unless you want your dumb plants to be all frail and get messed up by a freeze, you should help me out now.”

Sunny bopped his head against the door frame, a big frown plastered on his face. Basil shook his head in disappointment. What a child.

“I’m not gonna make you do it if you don’t want to. I don’t like nagging. It’s annoying.” That and the fact that Basil didn’t like forcing people into things, but he wasn’t going to say that, of course. “I could go ask Kel if he’d like to help me. He’s probably strong, since he does sporty things.”

That seemed to grab Sunny’s interest. “...Kel’s not that much stronger than me.”

“Mhmm.” You couldn’t blame Basil for being disbelieving. He yanked the door open and started walking away without a second glance back. Time to get to work. He rolled up his sleeves.

“...I mean it. I beat him in an arm wrestling challenge. Twice!” Sunny sounded proud, clearly wanting to drive this piece of irrefutable evidence home.

“Uh-huh. I wasn’t there, so maybe I don’t believe you. Also, maybe he let you win,” Basil didn’t have any proof for that either, but watching Sunny actually look a little indignant for once was worth the insinuation of dishonesty.

“Wow. Okay, rude. I’ll show you.”

Basil found a couple pairs of gloves lying on the front lawn. A smaller, tartan patterned one for himself, and a slightly larger, brown pair of gloves for his grandmother. He threw the tartan ones at Sunny, who promptly scrambled to catch them, and dropped them to the floor.

“...Then show me, tough guy.”

Sunny huffed and slipped the gloves on. “...You know, you don’t look that strong either…”

Basil scowled. “...Yeah, I know. You’re not the only one who likes to remind me. But I know I’m stronger than you.”

Sunny laughed mischievously. “...I feel threatened.”

“Shut up, I said I wouldn’t hurt you.”

“Would too.”

“Would not.”

God, Sunny was in peak form today. Really channeling that eight year old energy, eh?

“Would not I said. I bet I could pick you up, though. Easy.”

“Do it then.”

Basil’s brain blanked. He assessed Sunny, who was now standing on the lawn expectantly, arms crossed. He clearly thought Basil was bluffing. Despite feeling caught off guard by the sudden request, Basil would admit he felt goaded on past such astonishment. Oh, so Sunny thought Basil was full of hot air? Well, he’d see what he could do if Basil put his mind to something.

Basil marched up determinedly, now standing toe-to-toe with Sunny, and looking him up and down.

He wasn’t really sure where to go with this, to be honest.

“...Uhm, so… uh… piggyback, or…?”

Sunny shrugged, passive as ever. “Your choice.”

Well, in that case, Basil didn’t really want to potentially get pancaked if Sunny turned out to be way heavier than he looked. So…

“Upsy...daisy!” Basil grunted as he knocked Sunny into his left arm, much to the bored boy’s surprise. An unflattering pubescent squeak issued from Sunny as he was hoisted into the air. Basil couldn’t help but exhale a laugh from his nose as he tucked one arm firmly under the crook of Sunny’s knees, and kept the other under his back. Ha… he was doing it! Sunny wasn’t too heavy, although Basil wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to keep this up. Well, as long as he needed to to prove a point!

Sunny yelped again, wrapping his arms around Basil’s neck for support. Basil leaned away, not enjoying the feeling of his neck being pulled on all too much, but as Sunny held on, it led to him hobbling backwards in an odd, wobbly dance.

“Putmedown, I get it! Urgh… high… up.”

“Stop… pulling… on me!”

This idiocy, of course, led to the boys' collaborative efforts causing them to tumble to the earth. Basil got the short end of the stick, as Sunny landed on top of him, still petrified and with his arms wrapped around Basil’s neck in a tight embrace.

“You… were up… not even five feet in the air…” Basil groaned, attempting to shrug Sunny off. Sunny rolled off of Basil, and didn’t say a word. His face had more color than it usually ever did.

“How... are you going to live your life? You can’t rock climb, or go hiking… or anything…” Basil shook his head in utter disapproval. “Were you that kid that cried and ‘got stuck’ on playground slides?”

Sunny turned away from Basil and brooded. Basil laughed, stood up, and dusted himself off.

“Come on, you. We’ve got work to do.”

Sunny mumbled from the ground.

“What was that?”

“...You never let me prove that I was strong…”

Basil’s face screwed up. “...And let you drop me on the floor? No thanks.”

Sunny proceeded to throw dirt at him.

It took a good amount of pulling to get Basil’s sulky friend off the ground, but he managed. Sunny was like a limp ragdoll in defeat, perfecting the art of being dramatic in near silence as he continued to try to slouch against Basil, rather than using his own two feet. Basil kept laughing, and batted him away. The lightness in his chest was so… nice, for lack of a better word.

“Okay, okay, seriously, we’re wasting so much time. Stooop-”

“You boys alright over there?”

Basil and Sunny snapped to attention and shuffled away from the other when Polly got out of her car- how did they not notice her drive up? Polly shut the driver’s door behind her, and started walking towards the front. She cast a curious glance at the two of them, Basil’s puffed up face and wayward eyes, and Sunny’s poker face, and raised her eyebrows. “You two are covered in dirt. Did I miss something?”

“Just… garden stuff,” Basil vaguely explained.

“Mhmm,” Sunny, an excellent yes man, backed him up.

“Lots of it.”

“...Yep.”

“...I feel like you two are hiding something from me. Something I should know?” Polly looked very suspicious.

“Nope!” Basil was being honest. He just didn’t want to explain that he was trying to carry Sunny bridal style for no particular reason than pride. Nothing bad, just… weird.

“...Alrighty then, see you.”

“Bye, Polly!” The two boys said in unison. They watched her go, and sighed when the front door shut behind her.

“...Alright, let’s see if your secret super-strength will be good enough to haul some speed-grow.” Basil started trotting towards the shed.

Sunny trailed after him. “...I still wonder if I’d be able to pick you up…”

“What’d you say?”

“...Nothing.”

To the surprise of no one, Sunny struggled immensely while trying to drag his bag of fertilizer across the sidewalk. Basil tried to pull it along at first, but the task was proving so laborious that he considered it a better idea to abandon it altogether.

“The one I have should do the trick. It’s not like the flower beds are that big.”

Sunny looked at the bag of fertilizer, rejected, and lying on its side. “Should we just leave it on the side of the road like this?”

Basil shrugged. “I’ll pick it up later. People leave their garbage around all the time, and no one gets it, so in that short time, it’s not like someone’s going to mess with it unless they steal it.” He scowled at the prospect. “...And they can just try to take it from me…”

“Basil, you’re scaring me. It’s just a bag of fertilizer,” Sunny gulped. “No need to fight over it…”

“...”

Needless to say, the work was far easier for them with one less bag of fertilizer to drag along. Of course, that means the work was easier for Basil, as Sunny seemed content to merely follow him along while Basil did all the work. Basil threatened Sunny with making him do way more work when they got to his house, and Sunny nodded along absentmindedly, offering some agreeably neutral “sure, sure,” and “I wills”-s. Basil didn’t believe him.

Basil wasn’t afraid of being a little bit of a slave driver, making sure Sunny put his heart into caring for the, to be truthful, feeble plants stationed in his backyard. A clear problem inhibiting the plants’ growth had to be where the group positioned the bed in the first place.

“...It’s not in a place that allows for the necessary amount of sunlight…” Basil mumbled to himself as he kneaded the dirt. Sunny had been quiet while he stirred the fertilizer into the soil beds. “Hey Sunny, could you top that bed off with potting soil? It looks like some was dug out by some animal.”

Sunny snapped out of his reverie, and looked over at where Basil was indicating. “...Oh.”

“Oh?”

Sunny laughed sheepishly. “...That’s Mewo. She must have messed it up. Silly cat.”

“Is she an outdoor cat or something?”

“...No. She ran out again.”

Basil sighed. “Again? She’s either really troublesome, or you’re a bad cat owner.”

Sunny frowned. “Meanie. I try my best. She’s… she’s so fast.”

Basil laughed. “...Or you’re slow.”

Sunny scoffed and sprinkled dirt into the bed. He was just about to start spreading it around after setting the bag down, but Basil reached out and did it for him. “...I’ve got it,” he muttered softly.

“...Thanks.”

So much for being a slave driver. Basil shook his head at himself inwardly. It was hard to be as tough as his grandmother was at times. She always taught him about fair and honest work, and about how important it was to help others- being a good and honest gentleman. It was a bit old-fashioned at times, he thought, but Basil was never one to say “no” to her. Unfortunately, it looked like the only thing Basil gleaned from her teachings was how to make the workload lighter of a certain lazy friend of his.

“...Hey…”

“Hm?” Basil kept working at the dirt.

“Uh, why do you always work without gloves? You’ve always done it since we started working here.” Sunny fiddled with his gloved hands. “...Kinda weird.”

Basil scoffed, although he felt self-conscious. “W-well jee, thanks. You know, you’re really weird too, so you’re one to talk.” He squeezed the earth a little harder. Sunny didn’t say anything in protest.

“If you have to know, I just like the feel of it. It’s nice… I dunno…” Basil frowned. “...Is that a good enough answer for you?” Feeling a closeness with the earth, the soil trailing out between his loose fingers. It was nice. It was also nice seeing the sod-stained hue of his hands after a long day of work. Proof he had been able to do something. His life might feel out of control at times, but with his hard and sweaty work, he could order forgiving flowers back into line. Like that one nursery rhyme… how did it go? Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow…

Sunny laughed and leaned forward on the bulky bag of soil, giving it a satisfying crinkle. “Yeah, I guess so…” He cocked his head at Basil like a playful kitten. “...Mr. Dirt-Hands.”

Basil’s eye twitched. “...What, they scare you? Germs and stuff?” He lifted his hands from the dirt and held them out like a trophy prize.

“Pfft, yeah right. If I was worried about stupid germs, I wouldn’t be helping you in the first place.”

“Well too bad, ‘cause I’d make you.”

Sunny gasped incredulously. “You would not!”

“I would,” Basil grinned triumphantly. “And you wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.”

“Sure, Mr. Dirt-Hands,” Sunny jeered. Stupid nicknames, huh? He’s really reaching the bottom of the barrel, today.

“Well you’re about to become… Mr. Dirt-Face!” Basil let out a battle cry as he leapt at Sunny, tainted hands outstretched. Sunny squealed and tried to squirm from Basil’s grasp, but struggled fruitlessly. Basil rubbed at Sunny’s face, smearing it with dirt, and although Sunny cried out, he also laughed throughout it all, a free, light peel that Basil didn’t hear from him too frequently. At least not the kind where it echoed through the trees, and into the air, bouncing around without limit.

“Stop it!”

“No!”

“Lemme go!”

“...No!”

Sunny went limp, suddenly complacent. Basil no longer had to hold him down by practically sitting on top of him. “Fine. You win.” Basil almost felt bad, seeing how pitiful he looked. Well, he didn’t want to be a bully or anything. Maybe he could go easy on-

Basil was caught off guard and let out an unflattering yelp as Sunny suddenly squirmed out from Basil’s grasp, and knocked into him in one fluid movement. Basil found himself pinned down by Sunny, who folded his arms victoriously, with a large smirk plastered on his face. His haughty expression almost reminded Basil of a character from that one comic. Who was it? Sweetheart? Whoever she was, she was very pink, unlike Sunny, but they both shared the selfsame elitist look he saw on Sunny’s face now.

He had to admit that he had the wind knocked out of him a little bit from being slammed to the ground like that. He wasn’t really expecting that kind of force from Sunny, of all people. Competition really works wonders at times. Who would’ve thought?

“...Feels bad to get tricked, huh Mr. Dirt-Hands?”

Basil tried to give a comeback, but breath didn’t come to his throat. He could only stare up at Sunny, hovering above him.

Sunny’s snide look disappeared in an instant. He leaned forward. His grey eyes shone with concern. They were close enough that Basil could almost see his own face reflected in them. And that face...

“...’M sorry, are you okay, Basil? I didn’t mean to hurt-”

A voice rang out to their right, interrupting Sunny. “Yo, what’re you guys doing over there? Eh, nevermind, I’m coming over!”

Oh, Kel. That was Kel. He saw-

Basil shoved Sunny off of him, perhaps a little roughly. “...Get off me.” The words sounded a little colder than he intended, but at least he could feel the air within his lungs again.

Sunny didn’t seem upset. Worry flashed in his eyes. “...Sorry,” he said again. “Are you sure you’re-”

“I’m fine.”

Sunny looked a little taken aback, unsure of what just happened between them laughing and now. Gratefully, Kel jogged into Sunny’s backyard quick enough to save the two from the awkward cloud that descended upon them both.

“Hey guys! Doing more work I see- cool, cool. Sorry to interrupt and stuff, but I wanted to ask you something. By the way, were you two fighting just now?” Kel’s eyes darted between Sunny, dirty and apologetic, and Basil, fidgety and awkward. Both boys stayed quiet for a moment, evidently forgetting how to talk, before Basil spoke up.

“No, we’re fine.”

“Ooh-kay…” Kel seemed to be starting to feel the tense atmosphere as well. So, doing what Kel does best, he tried his best to ignore it and carry on. “But anyway, you guys, and Sunny, I know you hate me springing stuff on you last minute, but-”

“...Is it about your birthday?” Sunny spoke up.

Kel wiped a feigned tear from his eye. “Oh, best friend of mine, you always come through, what could I do-”

“Kel, I’ve known you for six years.”

“True, true. You’re observant as always. But I was thinking, my actual birthday is on a lame school day...” Kel marched over, and wrapped his arm around Sunny’s shoulder. “...So… wanna like… do something?”

Sunny narrowed his eyes at him. “...You say that when you already have something in mind.”

Kel laughed. “...You scare me, ahaha. But yeah, I do. I’m gonna… drumroll please-”

There was no drumroll. Kel rolled his eyes and trilled with his tongue to do it himself. “...I was thinking I’d have a beach party today! What’dya think, buddy? Wanna hit the beach later?”

“...Wait, later ‘today’?”

Kel shook his hands pleadingly. “I’m sorry!” He cried out pitifully. “I know I said I’d be less spontaneous, and Hero and Mari both say I need to work on communication and stuff, but like… friend. Compadre. Comrade in arms, would you please-”

“Alright, fine. I was thinking of going to the beach before it got super cold, anyway. Is Aubrey coming?”

“Yeah, she should be!”

“...Can Basil come?”

Basil snapped back to attention, as he was half-listening to the conversation, and half-thinking of finishing up and going home as soon as possible.

Kel, on the other hand, brightened at Sunny’s request. “I was just about to ask him, but I guess you did the work for me, heh. No surprise there,” Sunny sputtered at his words.

“Wait, what?” Basil stared at Kel stupidly, recoiling as the boy approached to wrap an arm around his neck instead.

“Sunny, Aubrey, ‘n me are gonna hit the beach for a beach party thingy! Wanna come with?”

“I dunno, my grandmother-”

“Come ooon’ Basil,” Kel whined. “You worry too much! She’ll be fine! Besides, aren’t you supposed to be the bad kid? You should sneak off to parties with your bad influences! Like yours truly!”

Basil snickered, despite himself. “You couldn’t be a bad kid if you tried.”

Kel snorted. “Aw, thanks, buddy! I can always rely on you for a confidence booster when you’re not yelling at me!”

Basil decided he’d ignore that. “...If I decided to come, what time would it be? And that’s only ‘if.’”

Kel brightened at Basil’s question, taking it as an assured affirmative. “Ooh, so glad you’ll show up! I’m thinking five? It’d be nice to hit the beach around sunset. Best time of day, in my humble opinion.”

“That’s just in like… an hour…” Sunny feebly protested.

“Then time waits for no one! Better hop to it!” Kel was already waving them off.

Well, now Basil was left with this sudden curveball to his schedule, and he hadn’t even had time to process it before being somewhat committed to it. Great. Was this another part of this whole “friendship” thing? Another foreign factor he just had to get used to? Basil groaned inwardly, feeling like the most inflexible person on the planet. He really didn’t feel like going to the beach right now, but Basil figured he should just set himself aside. He didn’t want everyone to see him as any more of a stick in the mud than he already was. They might just… move on without him if he just skipped out on things like this, right? The anxiety that fluttered in his chest spurred him to gain a sense of resolution. A voice in the back of his mind told Basil he was thinking way too hard about this, but since when did he ever do a good job of thinking things through logically?

“...I guess I’ll go get ready, then. I think I’ve got some trunks somewhere,” Basil muttered.

Sunny looked a little surprised. “You’re going? Really?”

That simple question made Basil feel all the more insecure. His voice came out harsh and sardonic, and he crossed his arms. “Well, you asked Kel if I could come, so I don’t see why I-”

“...Thanks. I thought you wouldn’t.”

Basil stopped. “Why thank me?”

“...Just now, I t-thought-” Sunny cut himself off, just making Basil feel more distressed.

“What is it?”

“...You just seemed angry. Before Kel showed up. I thought you wanted to leave. If you don’t want to be around me, that’s… that’s fine.” Sunny looked like he was paling some, his face losing some humored luster it had a few moments before, when they were… messing around by the planters. Like what friends do. Basil gulped. He didn’t understand what came over him either, although he was glad Kel’s arrival offered a timely distraction. The distraction that Basil needed from Sunny’s grey eyes; grey eyes peering at him closely and thoughtfully, and with concern that he felt was unwarranted. A look that caught him off-guard.

“...No.”

Sunny looked at him with blank eyes, though his hands danced with each other in a fretful jumble. “...N-No?”

God, Basil was bad at salvaging bad situations. “No, I, I mean…. Uhm, Sunny, I’m sorry. You’re fine. Nothing’s wrong. I- I’ll see you at the beach later. Don’t worry.”

And with all the suaveness of a Bond actor, with the conclusion of that train wreck of a conversation, Basil found it fitting to spin on his heel and start running out of Sunny’s backyard.

“See you soon!” Basil yelled out behind him, and tried to only focus on staying balanced as he ran across the street, stupidly, and down the sidewalk, back to his house. All he needed was a brief respite. Just a moment to himself to think, before having to go around and talk to people again. That was all.

Basil tried to keep his thoughts in line, but they fluttered everywhere relentlessly. He left his gloves at Sunny’s house. He needs to tell his grandmother about Kel’s hangout. Did he just step in something gross? He’s not looking for cars crossing. He’s going to have to see Sunny later today, after that. Did he water the tomatoes in his grandmother’s garden today? That yellow acacia he just ran past was beautiful, albeit struggling outside of its native climate, but he didn’t stop to admire it. He didn’t stop to admire how the tree might bloom during the winter and spring. He didn’t consider how gorgeous it could look later.

Basil was breathing heavily. He veered off the sidewalk, and slipped behind a tree that draped out so far that its seed pods drifted down and polluted the road, getting kicked up by nearby traffic. He leaned on the trunk and imagined his friend crouching beside him and speaking with him about things he kept close to his heart, even though he had no reason to share his secrets.

Basil groaned, outwardly this time, and reached his hands up, grappling with his hair. It was knotted and unkempt, which only frustrated Basil further. He felt like a baby throwing a tantrum as he threw a rock as hard as he could into the woods, but took solace in the fact that no one was there to judge him on his emotional behavior.

It was really untimely to come to his realization now- well, or at all. He knew. He wasn’t so ignorant to himself to completely deny the truth unkindly taunts shoved down his throat throughout the years. However, it was easy to forget, if he tried hard enough. Remembering now was the last thing he wanted. When he finally had a chance at some honest friendships. Honest connections, or at least people in his corner. Now, Basil might muck it all up, simply because he remembered.

It would be hard to forget, and keep an honest conscience, now that Basil felt that flicker in his chest, looking into the eyes of someone who had allowed him to open his heart, just a little bit, without harboring judgement. It would be hard to forget, now that that same someone had opened up to him as well. Basil felt seen, and it would be hard to forget that feeling.

It was just a spark, but Basil felt disgust and shame all the same.

“...I’m sorry, Sunny… I-” Just a careful whisper, admittance of a tentative affection.

He even felt revulsion saying it out loud, to himself. “...I didn’t mean to start feeling…” He felt the tears come on without warning. “...I just wanted a friend…”

Basil shook his head, standing up, and stifling the tears as quickly as they first came. He kicked at the dirt in a muffled protest, and shoved his hands in his pockets. There was no point in this self-pity. He was just wasting time doing nothing. It’s not like crying about it would stop grey eyes from being stained in his mind.

A heavy pause held a tight grip on the overlooked patch of solitude on the side of the road.

Basil left to get ready.

Chapter Text

The last few minutes… half hour… consisted of Basil staring at the pair of trunks and white t-shirt laid out on his bed. The clock read 4:40. If he left now to go to the beach, at a quick pace, he’d cross over the next few streets, main highway, and then get there about… five fifteen? Point is, he’d be late. Well, it was Kel’s fault for throwing his little bash at only an hour’s notice.

A knock came at the door.

“Basil, sorry if this is a bad time, but I cooked up some food for your grandmother, and there was a little bit left over. Would you like- oh, were you going to go swimming?” Polly had a great amount of towels draped over her arm as she leaned against Basil’s bedroom door. It looked rather cumbersome, but Polly sure was sporting those linens like a champ.

At that, Basil crouched down to his knees, and bumped his head against the side of his mattress. “I was…”

“Did something happen? If you’re quick, you might be able to make it before it gets dark. Hanging out with friends?”

“...Hnng…” A low, guttural sound escaped Basil’s dejected form. “I don’t… want to…”

“Well, you don’t have to, you know. It’d be polite to let them know, if you already agreed to it, but nobody’s forcing you to.”

Basil flipped his body around, his back now slumped against the bed frame, the epitome of bad posture. “...But…”

“...But…?”

“...I… it would be the nice thing to do? It’s for a… a friend’s birthday. What if they get mad at me? And think…”

Polly sighed, stumbling into the room in order to try to get on Basil’s level. He inched away from her a little bit when she crouched beside him. “Basil, I get being caught up in this, but I’m sure your friend’s perception of you isn’t completely based on this one little thing. I know these kinds of things seem big, but I promise, it’s not as scary or drastic as you think.” She took a meaningful pause. “You can just… say no, right? No worries.”

Her voice was so gentle and understanding, that Basil was almost tempted to listen to her. Although soothed a little bit about the whole ordeal, Basil was still inwardly worried about having to be around Kel’s subsequent company so soon after Basil’s little… epiphany. Not that he would ever say anything to Polly about that. Or anyone. He has a lovely eventual tombstone that he’ll store his secrets in.

Even so, Basil had to take a step back with his train of thought. His dumb feelings aside, this was, in the end, what Kel wanted. Aubrey would be there, too. He had other people that he had to… deal with this for. He could do this. Just show up, strain the social and emotional battery, go home, and go to sleep. Mission accomplished.

“...Thanks, Polly. I’m gonna… go get ready now.”

“Alright, then. I’ll give you some space.” Polly smiled, and let herself out of the room, twisting the doorknob as she shut the door to make the smallest amount of noise. With that, Basil got to getting changed, thankful for the dying evening sun, since he’d burn less easily, but not forgoing a shirt all the same.

He waved Polly off, nodding along halfheartedly to her nervous ‘be careful’-s, and ‘walk safely’-s. The sun was already much lower in the sky than it was before he went into his house. The warm, humid, evening air settled on Basil’s skin in the form of sweat, coaxing him along all the more quickly towards the beach, hoping for an oceanic relief. His path led him across crumbling pavements, sidewalks that led him past beachside cruddy condo complexes, places that sported a stark absence of sidewalks, and lawns that had those annoying auto-sprinklers that cared not for the wellbeing of passerby. Fuck those things.

It was only when Basil was finally in front of the decrepit boardwalk to Faraway’s humble beachy cove that he realized he was wearing his loafers. Shit. Well, not the end of the world if he didn’t wear sandals. Just some sandy chafing for the next few days. He’d just be careful not to mess them up too much. They were his only pair, and he didn’t want to ask his grandmother for too many other things, since she was probably paying a good amount to keep Polly around.

Basil tentatively took his loafers off and climbed the boardwalk, careful to avoid splintered wood. Maybe he could find a little place under some brush to stick his shoes for the time being. What if some animal got to them, though? Or if someone took them? Wait, why would someone take a pair of grandpa-worthy loafers? Ugh, whatever, he’ll just keep an eye on them.

As Basil slowly made his way across the boardwalk, his ears pricked, catching noise drifting over from the beach. It sounded pretty… busy. Basil frowned, stopping in place. He really didn’t feel like dealing with crowds right now. Maybe he could just-

No. No running away, Basil. Not for yourself. Build a bridge and get over it. You can do it; you’ve done it before. Just deal with it. Crowds, pfft, who’s scared of them? Not this guy. In fact, he wasn’t scared of anything. He’d show the world just how competent, composed, and confident he could be. He just needed to-

Basil almost yelled when he bumped into someone after turning a corner down from the boardwalk steps.

“Oh, hey Basil! You made it!”

Kel was drinking a bottle of water like it was the last thing he’d have before death. He breathed a sigh of relief after chugging and crunching the plastic container. “I thought you weren’t gonna show up for a minute, there!”

“W-What do you mean? I’m not too late, am I?”

Kel looked at the sky, then back at Basil, then back at the sky, squinting hard.

Basil tapped his foot. “Um… what are you doing?”

Kel shook his head in defeat. “...I was trying to tell what time it was based on the sun’s position or something, but then I realized I had no idea how to do that. So, I’ll just say you’re officially un-late! Your record is clean, my friend.”

Basil had never heard such bullshit before.

“Anyway, uh, so… are you saying that Aubrey and erm… Sunny aren’t here yet?”

Kel looked a little somber. “I don’t know what Aubrey’s deal is, but being late is kinda par for the course when you’re friends with Sunny. I hope Aubrey’s alright, though. Don’t tell her I said that.” Some voices called for Kel from down the beach. “One second, Basil- I’LL BE THERE IN A SECOND, JAY, JUST GIVE ME A MINUTE!”

Basil leaned away from Kel’s booming yells.

“Sorry about that- I’m playing volleyball with some guys from school, but I was just about to try a race thing down the beach with some of them. I’ll talk with you more in a bit, okay?”

So he was just going to be here by himself? After coming here for Kel? And what was that?

“You said that some guys from school are here?”

Kel scratched the back of his head. “I didn’t invite them or anything. I mean, I mentioned I was going to hang out at the beach this weekend for my birthday and all, and I guess they just decided to turn up! Guys from P.E seem to be pretty spontaneous like that.”

“...Or, like everyone else in Faraway, they just don’t have anything else to do. It’s… really boring around here.” Not that Basil was complaining. Sometimes, boring was nice. Peaceful. Stable. Other people didn’t seem to share that sentiment.

Kel laughed. “Well, maybe. Anyway, it’s cool of them to show up. You wanna come with us, Basil?”

Ah yes, because Basil was the peak form of fitness. “I… I think I’ll just wait for you to come back.”

Kel drooped like a sad puppy. “You won’t even watch?” Well, now Basil was starting to feel a little bad. Still… he didn’t want to get any attention, or in anyone’s hair, if there were a bunch of Kel’s other friends here. Fun. He’ll just go… splash in the water or something.

“...You’ll be fine, Kel.”

Kel gave him a last, semi-disappointed look, shot the crinkled plastic bottle towards a grimy bin nearby, then ran off to join the other boys. He missed the shot. Ironic.

Basil sighed and threw it out for him. He also went around and piled the other pieces of trash that were scattered around the bin, throwing them out as well. You know what? He might as well look around for litter tossed around by slobs, while he was at it. The beach could do for some cleaning up.

Basil started to grumble a bit to himself, though, as he got caught up in his task. He didn’t really think he was expecting much, when accepting Kel’s proposal to come to his little ‘beach bash,’ but he didn’t think he’d be standing out here alone, picking up garbage on the beach. Basil would admit, despite how annoying he could be… frankly, a good seventy-five percent of the time, Basil wouldn’t have minded just hanging out with Kel. Unfortunately, Kel’s extroverted tendencies seemed to muck that up, pulling a bunch of other, interruptive, sweaty teens onto the beach. Just like with how he accidentally slipped the whole “flower fag” thing into the collective unconscious of the entire student body.

Now, now, Basil. Let bygones be bygones.

Still, Basil couldn’t help but let his mind wander. It probably would’ve been nice, being able to meet up at sunset on the beach with just their small group. Kel did mention that orange was his favorite color at some point, so he’d probably enjoy the hue of the sky. Aubrey would be there too, to probably bop him on the head for ruining what could’ve been a pleasant, tranquil sunset with his loud commentary. Sunny would probably laugh at Aubrey’s antics, mumble something to Kel like “you had it coming,” and then stretch out, lazily enjoying the sun’s last few rays, the sea breeze in the air, just like a contented cat…

“...D’you want any help?”

Basil practically threw the Diet Pepsi can he was holding out of surprise. “Sunny! Y-You’re here!” He gathered himself, discarding his daydream like a shock of lightning. “...I thought you were a no-show.” Sunny approached him with a sandy, empty bottle of Mountain Dew, placing it in Basil’s grasp.

“...Nah. Just a go-slow.”

Basil’s face twisted up in amusement. “...Stupid.”

“That’s my name.” Sunny looked around the beach, which, Basil realized, now freshly out of his zone, seemed even more populated. “...There’s a lot of people here.”

“You don’t say,” Basil said, stiffly. How’d he wander off so far? He was trying to avoid the general population, not immerse himself in it!

“...Where’s Kel and Aubrey? I couldn’t find them.”

“...I- I don’t know where Aubrey is, but Kel ran off to race with some of his friends from school.”

“...Oh.” Sunny seemed pretty downtrodden about that. “I…” He glanced down at the ground, looking somewhat sheepish. “Can I stay with you? I don’t really want to be alone while it’s this busy.”

Basil’s chest constricted a bit, but he nodded. “...Sure. To be honest, I haven’t really wanted to be here on my own, either. I would’ve stayed with Kel, but… like I said… a lot of the people around here are from school.” Basil played with his hands. “...I’m nervous, I guess. I don’t want to risk drawing any attention. I hope Kel’s not upset I sorta started hiding.”

Sunny shook his head. “Don’t worry. Kel’s like a duck. He doesn’t worry about little things, and just lets them roll off of him, like water on feathers. We’ll find him later.”

“...Right. Let’s go see if Aubrey is somewhere around here.” Basil craned his neck around, trying to peek over the shoulders of the multitude of rambunctious, sweaty teens shuffling around the beach. All Basil could hope for at this point is that they might go home soon, after it got dark. As the boys traversed through the busying crowd, they found themselves having a harder time staying together, getting thrown around by haphazard movements like they had just been forced into a Black Friday simulation.

“God damnit... ungh…” Distancing grumbles rang from somewhere behind Basil. When he looked back, he saw Sunny getting caught behind and jostled by a group of mingling teens, and he panicked for a moment. He didn’t want to get separated at a time like this! Desperately, Basil flailed his hand out, and let out a self-satisfied grunt upon catching Sunny’s also-grasping hand.

“Gotcha!” Basil pulled with all his might, bringing a spluttering Sunny back to his side. His hair was extremely mussed from the whole endeavor of acting as a human wedge for a short, terrifying moment. Basil almost didn’t notice how Sunny’s hand was shaking. Almost.

“...I… I don’t want to be here. Is that bad?” Sunny’s eyes were downcast. HIs shoulder was bumped again by a darting passerby, and Sunny almost fell over with a quiet yelp. Basil anchored his grip and pulled Sunny upright and closer.

“...With all this going on? I- I can’t blame you.” Basil gulped. God, the crowd was getting to him, too, especially when he saw how much more unnerved Sunny was getting by the second. The feelings were practically contagious. There was only one thing for it: to salvage the Aubrey support squad, and maybe meet up with a less-distracted Kel later on, and hopefully retain some semblance of a good time. “...Just stay by me. I-I’ll get us through this.”

When Sunny only nodded compliantly, allowing Basil to move him as they walked, Basil only felt his worry increase. No snark? Sunny really couldn’t be doing too well after all. Should he squeeze his hand for comfort? Nope, that’d be weird. Well, this is already a weird situation. They’re wading through a bunch of swimsuited bodies instead of water, hand in hand. Basil, that internalized phrasing didn’t help detract any weirdness. Now your head voice just sounds like a major creep. Ah, what the hell.

Basil squeezed Sunny’s hand. Basil proceeded to die a little on the inside, wishing that they were just little, naive kids so that kind of thing wouldn’t be so…

Sunny squeezed back. Hah! See, Basil? It totally wasn’t weird at all! You just think too much! Things are totally fine-

A volleyball smacked Basil in the forehead.

This sudden assault was enough to draw Basil out of his thoughts, and his grip out of Sunny’s hand, causing his hand to instead move to his brow, drawing soothing motions.

“Basil? Are you okay?” Sunny was at his side.

“...Hng… fine.” Oh, were they out of the crowd? Victory! The semi-open expanse of the beach lay before them, pebbles, crabs, dead crabs, broken shit, and all.

“I’ll get it! Wait, is that that kid from Mrs. Perkin’s class?”

As Basil’s vision refocused, he saw a bunch of owlish eyes staring back at him from a nearby makeshift volleyball court. Lines were messily drawn in the sand, already mussed from the drag of footprints and extensive play. Instead of an actual net, the players were only using two driftwood posts as a divider. A true ‘do-it-yourself’ sporty setup. A bunch of the players just looked like some people from his history class, a few outgoing people from band he recognized, nobody that he really talked with, and a- oh, fuck.

“Don’t touch him or anything, he might bite you.” A mocking voice rang out from the left side of the court. Shit. That was the guy who wore the red hoodie and his friend, wasn’t it? What a lovely reunion! Also known as the perfect time for Basil to slip into the dried beach wild grass and away from the sight of all humankind.

“...Basil,” Sunny whispered as he tugged on the hem of his white tee, “...They don’t sound happy.”

Oh, right. Basil had some company with him. A sting of panic went through his body. He needed to make sure he got out of this without Sunny getting involved. That was what was important here. “...I know some of these guys. Just be quiet. It’ll be okay.” Basil whispered a little frantically, which wasn’t really selling his message all too well.

“...I’m just here. I-I’m not doing anything. Take your stupid ball.” Basil raised his voice, and kicked the ball away from him a little bit, putting a little bit of distance between himself and his audience’s prize. Unfortunately, a few benched members moved a little closer to see what was going on, and some players jogged forward anyway. Basil almost wanted to hiss, feeling like he was being closed in already. That was probably just his paranoia talking. Breathe, Basil. Secure the Sunny, get in, and get out.

The “red-hoodie-guy-but-not-red-hoodie-because-he’s-wearing-a-swimsuit” guy shook his head and pointed an accusatory finger. “Okay… ‘not doing anything?’ You sure you’re not just trying to hurt somebody again? Still don’t know how you didn’t get fucking arrested for your stunt with the shears.” Basil’s stomach dropped. He didn’t tell Sunny about that part of the whole incident. Sunny would think he was crazy if he heard about that. God, this was already a disaster. He’d explain later.

A sporty senior girl with wavy braided hair that was stretching nearby seemed to take notice of Sunny. “Hey, sorry if I’m… uhm... being nosy, but you’re alright, right? Black haired kid?” Sunny stiffened at Basil’s side, and began stuttering for a response. “If he’s being a problem, you can hang out with us.”

“Uh… y-yeah. I-”

“He’s fine! We’re fine. You don’t need to worry about other people’s business!” Basil cringed at his own words that jolted out of him, almost involuntarily. He felt… surprisingly offended, for whatever reason. What, did he really think that Sunny would ditch him to hang out with some strangers? Maybe.

One of the benched members, another senior with butter-blonde hair, ran his hand through it, and chucked a water bottle to the side after taking a swig from it. “...Can we just get back to our game? Just ignore him, if you dislike him so much.”

Red-hoodie guy’s friend swung his arms around. “It’s one thing to hold some stupid grudge, but this guy’s a problem. I’m not surprised to hear you siding with him, Jay.”

The two boys started arguing with one another, while one noble soul slipped forward to actually retrieve the volleyball. Sunny tugged on the hem of Basil’s shirt.

“...Let’s just walk away, while they’re distracted. I wanna go. Please.”

Basil nodded, and began to move to slink away, pulling Sunny with him. He was right, of course. There was no reason to sit this conflict through. They really dodged a bullet-

A harsh thunk sounded behind Basil, and his grip on Sunny faltered as Sunny fell sideways into the sand, and groaned miserably. The selfsame volleyball rolled a small way from its felled target.

Basil crouched down and observed the damage, his eyes darting from Sunny’s pained face, rubbing the back of his head, to the volleyball court. Some students were clearly surprised, hands-over-mouth, and guilty eyes betraying who was at fault. Some students, like, of course, the infamous red-hoodie guy, appeared unabashedly unremorseful. Basil would’ve rolled up his sleeves if he had any.

“Who threw that?!” Basil yelled, trying to pull Sunny with him. “I don’t give a shit if you hate me, but don’t go hurting him!”

A chorus of mocking ‘oo’s’ resounded from the field. Some kids seemed entirely unentertained by the whole spectacle, and were now gathering their things and leaving, true masters of neutrality. Others looked like they wanted to see however this would play out.

“Now you pissed him off, good going.”

“Flower boy’s gonna get fucked up.”

Basil grit his teeth. “I asked who threw that? If you think I’m so awful, just come over here and-” a hand clasped on his shoulder, and Basil almost thought it was Sunny’s, but-

“Kel? What’re you doing?” One of the students exclaimed in surprise.

Basil whirled his head around, and saw Kel, looking surprisingly stoic, observing the scene. “...I just kinda walked into this, because Jay ran over to get me. Sorry… what’s going on? I’m kinda confused.”

A chorus of groans, and sloppy explanations. Nobody’s message really got through.

“You’re not siding with him, are you, Kel?”

“Why’s he here, anyway?”

“Kel, you should just leave him alone.”

Basil held his head down low, listening to the overlapping statements. This was just making trouble for Kel. Basil should’ve just kept walking away, even with Sunny hurt. Now Kel would just get ostracized.

“Kel, he’s not your friend… right?”

Basil spoke up. “No, he’s not.” He shrugged off Kel’s hand. “I guess he really doesn’t know what’s going on here.” Kel looked pained, but Basil couldn’t allow him to put his flourishing reputation to the stake over… whatever this was. Maybe it didn’t matter, but Basil didn’t want Kel to have to start dealing with what he had to deal with. Basil started to turn to walk away, trying to coax a stumbling Sunny with him, but he was stopped by Kel.

“Nah, ignore him. He’s like that sometimes. What a weirdo. Yeah, Basil’s my friend.”

Basil’s heart leapt into his throat. He waited to hear a response, but only some indistinguishable and awkward murmurs drifted among the group. Jay, still standing on the sidelines, cleared his throat to slice through the silence.

“I know you’re not really gonna listen to me about it, because you’re all a bunch of assholes, but can we just play volleyball? This is so fucking stupid, over some freshman. It’s getting dark. Either suck it up, or go home.”

That bold statement caused a few players, Basil’s common adversaries included, to shrug their shoulders and begin to gather their stuff, while others just rolled their eyes and got back into formation. Jay also rolled his eyes, seemingly at the melodramatic nature of everything, and then turned to Kel.

“...Thanks for showing up, Kel. It was only a few moments, but they were just being jerks again. Just wanted to make sure things didn’t get out of control. They really seem to respect you, you know? Hope that doesn’t change.”

Kel sighed and kicked off a flip-flop. “I mean… I guess 'respect' sounds nice and all, but if it turns out having that is just gonna get my friends hurt, it’s really not worth it. Thanks for coming to get me, Jay.”

“No problem.” Jay looked a bit sheepish, and turned to Basil for a moment. Basil stiffened as he looked up to meet Jay’s eyes. He was really tall, wasn’t he? “...Hey, uhm, I don’t really know whatever they’re talking about with you, either, but… uh… I don’t really care. I get it. People saying rough stuff about you. It sucks. Uh… I sound like some sort of PSA thing, but… don’t let it get to you, I guess? Just figure out stuff on your own?” Jay rubbed his temples. “Sorry. I’m not your dad.” Basil almost laughed inwardly. He didn’t really know what to say. At least he seemed… nice?

“...Uh, thanks.”

“No problem. See you, Kel. See you, Basil. I was gonna go… take my boyfriend out for ice cream, but it looks pretty dark. Hope he won’t be too mad. Bye guys.”

Kel waved after him as Jay started gathering his towel and jogging off. “See ya, Jay! Don’t forget B-Ball practice next Friday!”

“Who killed the coach and made you team captain?”

“Ha!”

During this sporty exchange between dude-bros, Basil still felt a little shell-shocked at Jay’s casually dropped bomb. Ah, right, Aubrey did mention something about two of the seniors being…

But, actually talking to someone like that, in this tiny town of Faraway, just felt really strange. Surreal. Basil shook his head. Get with the program, buddy! Your friend has been dead silent for the last five minutes at least, which wouldn’t be too alarming, if he hadn’t been recently assaulted by a ricocheting volleyball. Maybe his brain got messed up?

Basil turned to Sunny, and tried to get a good look at his face in the dimming daylight. “Sunny, sorry about all of that. Are you okay? Is your head alright?”

“My head feels okay… my neck hurts, though. It swung forward a lot… but I’m fine,” Sunny’s voice was nary a whisper.

“Ugh… let’s go home. This place sucks. Maybe you could get an ice packet or something. Let’s go.” Basil already latched onto Sunny’s hand, and began pulling, albeit gently, towards the boardwalk.

“Waaaiit, you guys!” Kel cried after them, his feet pattering on the sand. “Take me with you!”

“Kel, cut it out. Sunny might have a concussion or something. You’re gonna make him get a headache.”

“Woah, seriously? What happened?”

“One of those kids whacked a high-speed volleyball at the back of his head.”

Kel shook his head. “Man, that’s a low blow. You alright, Sunny?”

Sunny lifted a trembling thumbs up. Nothing to see here.

“To be honest, though… that’s a really good shot.”

Basil gaped. “Kel! Screw you!”

“I’m just telling the truth.”

Sunny laughed, a sad, croaking sound. “...Ha... bonus points for hitting my occiput.”

“Oxiclean?” Kel blanked.

“The back of my head.”

Kel laughed. “You’re my favorite little nerd, even when you’re on the brink of death.”

Basil laughed. “Both of you. Shut up. Let’s go home, before we get hit by a car for being out while it’s too dark for them to see us.”

Kel gulped. “Basil, woah. Morbid, much?”

Sunny pursed his lips before opening his mouth, unfortunately. “...More bonus points?”

Basil was about to say something mean, for Sunny’s own sake, but instead picked him up, piggyback style, much to Sunny’s protest.

“Hey Kel, could you swap with me in like, ten minutes?”

“Why’s he get to be carried? His legs aren’t hurting…” Kel whined.

“Well, I don’t know much about injury stuff, but I do know that you should keep someone’s head in the position they were when they got hurt, if they might have a concussion.” Sunny leaned his head down against Basil’s shoulder. “...Now, he can do that.” Basil couldn’t help but smile.

“Ugh, fine. Let’s go home and watch a movie or something.”

The trio began their tentative walk home, taking breaks in between. They all somberly accepted that their familial figures would all flay them for their tardiness upon their arrival home, but they realized that, in cases like theirs, understanding wasn’t always a given. Some brave soldiers were merely misunderstood heros. Kel, Basil, and Sunny upon Basil’s shoulders, had nothing for it but to look to the horizon with resolute faces, ready to take on whatever might come their way while they discussed important matters.

“Legolas is my favorite. He’s so coooool.”

“Nu-uh, Sunny, Gimli is the best. You’re just wrong. Legolas is already overrated.”

“No, he can never be overrated. His blonde hair would be stained with the blood of his enemies, but he’s too cool for that.”

Basil decided to chime in for the first time in what had been a long, confusing conversation. “Uh, Sunny, wasn’t Legolas’ hair brown? He’s one of the wood elf people. That’s what the book said, I think.” It had been a while since he read them, admittedly.

Sunny poked Basil’s ear, much to his distaste. “I’m talking about the movies, Basil.”

“The what?”

Kel and Sunny blinked in surprise. “What do you MEAN, ‘the what?’” They practically spoke in unison.

“You mean you haven’t seen Gimli bludgeon his way through the opposition?” Kel cried.

“You haven’t seen Arwen literally whoosh the river?” Sunny’s tired voice still betrayed his enthusiasm.

Basil groaned. “No, I haven’t. I watch documentaries with my grandmother on TV. We just got a phone like, this year. I don’t go to movies. They’re loud, anyway.”

A cacophony of protests irritated Basil further.

“Basil, please,” Sunny practically nosed into Basil’s shoulder while hugging onto his back. “The second movie’s coming out in a month. You’ve got to watch the first one, at least. We got it on DVD.” Basil’s lip trembled. He was a weak man.

“OK, fine. But can we please be quieter? What happened to being quiet in case you’ve got brain damage you don’t already have?”

“Low blow.”

Basil craned his neck to stick his tongue out at Sunny, causing the other boy to panic again when he almost fell off from the movement.

“Kel? Could you take Sunny? He’s getting squirmy again.”

“Nooo… I’m not moving, now... I’ll be good!”

Upon arriving in their neighborhood, the boys made a beeline to their street. The streetlamps overhead lit their path, but other than each other, they didn’t have any company at hand. Only a quiet, cold breeze was with them. Everyone in their beachwear was suffering.

“B-Basil, at least you’ve got a t-shirt on. I th-think I’m gonna die.”

“It’s super thin. T-These trunks are so c-cold. Do you think Sunny d-died from hypothermia?”

“I th-think he just fell asleep.”

Sunny was snoozing on Kel’s shoulders, without a care in the world when it came to the cold. Probably dreaming of Legolas, the scoundrel.

“Hey Kel?”

“Yeah?”

“Sorry your birthday hangout didn’t turn out too well.”

“You kidding me? I had fun. Totally put a bunch of guys from track to shame, and I ended up getting to hang out with my friends. And we’re gonna watch Lord of the Rings! Sounds like a good birthday celebration to me.”

“Y-Yeah, but… I don’t know… I guess I’ll try to make up for it on your actual birthday or something. What day is it?”

“It’s the eleventh. What about yours?”

Basil was surprised. “Uhm, t-the eighteenth?”

“Ooh, another November baby?”

“No, of February.”

“Ouch, four days after Valentines.”

“...Mine’s on the twentieth of July,” Sunny mumbled.

“Oh, you were listening, buddy?” Kel prodded his sleepy friend with a free hand. Sunny batted him away. “Wait a second, people aren’t supposed to sleep if they have concussions, right?” Kel met Basil’s eyes, and for a moment, they both looked panickily at each other, and then back at Sunny, feeling like they violated an important rule.

“...It’ll probably be okay. We don’t have to say anything,” Basil mumbled. Kel nodded compliantly.

“If I die, it’s okay if you hide the body,” Sunny mumbled. The other two boys looked horrified.

“At least wait to die once we finish the-”

An angry cry cut Kel off, snapping everyone to attention, Sunny included. Speeding towards them on the sidewalk was an angry, vaguely pink bullet of a human being. Sunny slid off of Kel’s back and migrated to Basil’s side in one fluid motion, and for good reason too, as Aubrey soon practically tackled Kel in a rage-filled blur.

“KEL! What the FUCK?”

Kel looked absolutely wounded. “What did I do? You’re the one who didn’t show up to my-”

“I-I made you a cake. I thought you wanted a beach-style cake, and I worked for hours with Hero on making one. And then you didn’t show up home, and people were starting to get kind of worried. And I made you a CAKE,” Aubrey reiterated.

Kel seemed just as shocked. “YOU made ME a CAKE?” After the shock wore off, he still looked confused. “But...I said I was thinking of having a beach party. How did you get “beach cake” from that?”

Aubrey almost had steam coming out of her ears. She absolutely would have grabbed Kel by the collar, if he had one at the moment. Basil was worried she might just settle for strangling him instead. At least he was a witness.

“I don’t care about miscommunication! Isn’t that our shtick, anyway? Just get into your house, and put a damn shirt on, you monkey! It’s cold out! And I made you a cake! Be grateful! Hero’s gonna bust your ass for being late, if your mom doesn’t first!”

Kel gulped. “R-Really? But I told-”

“No buts! Also, hi Sunny and Basil. You guys want cake too?”

The two boys that had a higher chance at survival began to stutter and make wild hand gestures meant to demonstrate a negative response. Aubrey rolled her eyes at them and wished them goodnight, before practically dragging Kel back to his house.

“Guess Kel won’t be watching the movie with us…” Sunny mumbled.

“Guess not,” Basil sighed. “Are you feeling any better?”

Sunny moved his head around. “I mean, I guess I’ll ice it… if you want me to. But… I feel fine. I just… really want to lie down.

“Mhmm,” Basil was still worried at how Sunny seemed a little spacy, but he’d been making more sly comments recently, so he must be alright.

After retrieving a key hidden under the house mat, the boys were able to enter Sunny’s house, which was a warm heaven compared to the outside. Regardless, Sunny quickly snagged a loosely discarded turtleneck sweater of his, and wormed his way into it like he had been waiting to reunite with that exact article clothing for the whole day. He tugged on the sleeves and closed his eyes, as though savoring the cloth. Basil wasn’t sure what to think of it, but let it be. Sunny was a little quirky, but who was he to judge?

“Mewo? Mewo… come here…” Surprisingly, at Sunny’s command, the cat walked right up, and raised her fluffy black tail in greeting. Sunny swooped up the little puffball, and promptly showered her small head in kisses.

“Pfft, you’re gonna suffocate her.”

“If you had a cat, you’d get it.”

“Uh-huh.” Basil took a few steps inside, and sand began to shower onto the wood floors, causing him to curse under his breath. “Ugh, I’m gonna be all itchy. Stupid sand.”

“It’s just sand,” Sunny dismissed it from near the couch. “...I got the DVD started, c’mre.”

“You sure are quick when it comes to stuff you like. If only you could-”

“If you tell me to put that energy to gardening, I’m gonna lose it.”

“...”

Admittedly, the movie was pretty good, although Basil couldn’t help but recall the differences from the source material. The effects were nice, though, and it was otherwise pretty cool seeing some of his favorite book characters brought to life.

“Didn’t Strider have grey eyes?” Basil asked.

Sunny was lying on his side, his head dangling off the couch, and his legs bent at an arch. “Don’t they look like that on the actor?”

“No, no, I think they’re different. They look more blue.”

“I think it depends.”

“Maybe, like with the light or something, but I really think they’re more blue. Grey eyes look different.”

“Aren’t grey eyes like, actually really light blue?”

“Hold on, I’m pausing the movie.” Basil reached for the remote, much to Sunny’s protests that this level of particularity wasn’t even important. “No no, for real. Your eyes are grey. Mine are blue.”

“They’re… wait, mine are grey?”

Basil opened up his mouth, about to reaffirm with this idiot that yes, if he just looked in a mirror, he’d see that his eyes are grey, and then went about actually processing the fact that he was more confident in Sunny’s eye color than Sunny was. Well, time to die on this hill.

“Yeah, and mine are light blue. See how Strider’s are more shiny like that? I think, if it was grey, it’d be more pale, like yours.”

“I think his eyes look kind of pale, though.”

“Then you’re blind.”

“You’re mean.”

“Well at least I-” Both boys stopped as the door opened. Basil, honest-to-god, hadn’t even registered how they were the only ones at home for a good amount of time. Wasn’t it already later in the evening?

“Hi, Mari,” Sunny greeted. Mewo leapt down from the couch to say hello to her favorite female human.

“Hi, kitty! Mari did something, yes she did!” Mari swooped up the cat, and, just like her sibling, began to pepper the cat with pecks while she baby-talked it.

“What did Mari do?” Sunny asked, catering to his sister’s infantile behavior.

“Ohmygod, Sunny, I’m so tired of keeping it a secret, so-” Basil sat up from the couch, surprising Mari for a moment, before she gathered herself. “I didn’t know you were here, Basil! So quiet!”

“Well, you… you said something about a secret, so I just thought… I could leave if-”

“Oh, it doesn’t matter. You can keep a secret, can’t you?”

Basil nodded, his curiosity piqued, despite himself. He and Sunny looked like ravenous gossipers, with their not-so-subtle eagerness to be in the “in” crowd for whatever this secret business was.

“So…” Mari clasped her hands together. “I bought Kel a junker car!” She balled her hands into fists, and made an excited little “squee” sound, like she had been keeping in her excitement for a long time. “I’ve been saving up for such a long time. I was just sorting out some stuff over the phone, and now I’m gonna swing by one of the houses of someone from the church to go pick it up!” Oh wow, so she was holding this in for a while. Damn.

Mari flipped her hair boastfully. “Honestly? Besides actually pulling this off, I feel super grown up right now. I’m so cool, right Sunny?”

Sunny nodded halfheartedly. “Yes, you’re awesome, but.. Kel’s gonna die,” his face paled.

Mari waved him off. “He’ll be fine, Hero’s been helping him practice.” She looked at the time on her flip phone, then dropped some of her bags at the door before swinging right back around again.

Sunny rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah, because Hero helped him, everything will be fine.” He clasped his hands together in an obviously half-hearted attempt at a caricatured portrayal of Mari. “...Because everything Hero does is just… sigh perfect...:”

Mari scoffed at him. “Well, when you start dating, I’m going to make fun of you just as much as you make fun of me! Count on it!”

“Jokes on you, I’m gonna live alone in the mountains! Or go to space!”

“Uh-huh, sure. Don’t act like I don’t know the movie you’re watching, and how much you swoon over Legolas. Bye, brother dearest! Got to pick up the car on time! Also, mom’s waiting for her car to be finished with the new tires at the mechanic, so that’s why she’s late!”

“W-Whatever, bye Ms. Perfectionist.”

The door shut loudly behind them, and with that, Sunny slouched back into the couch. Silence rang out for a moment, except for the paused TV’s persistent buzz.

“...And she’s gone again.”

Basil spoke up. “Isn’t Kel only fifteen? Why would she get him a car?”

“...Oh, he’s actually sixteen. He got held back a year, because the teachers thought he was too hyper to get to second grade or something. Said he couldn’t handle it. Or, that’s what he told me.”

“Huh.”

Basil was just about to reach for the remote when Sunny started to speak again. “...I don’t want to go back to school.”

Basil felt confused. “But, aren’t you homeschooled? You don’t have to.”

“Yeah, but… Mari’s gonna go off to college like… as soon as she graduates.” He scowled. “I’ve heard her and Hero talk about it, they’ve got one picked out, and they wanna try to apply for nearby apartments together.” He made a gagging motion with his finger.

“...What’s that have to do with you going to school?” Basil looked over at Sunny, back to dangling over the couch. Mewo was on the top of the couch behind Basil, and had begun to bat at Basil’s dangling locks. Even for how he usually wore his hair, he needed a haircut soon.

“...I dunno. It makes sense in my head.” Sunny threw up his hands helplessly. When it sounded like Sunny was about to speak again, his voice broke into a strangled crack, which Basil normally wouldn’t have thought much of, but then he swore he heard a sniffle. Sunny reached up and covered his face. “Sorry. Sorry. Play the movie.”

Basil did not, in fact, play the movie. It wouldn’t really be fun if Sunny was over here crying through it, anyway. He leaned over Sunny, poking at his arm. “Hey, what’s up? Why are you…”

“I’m fine. What… I don’t even know…” He sniffed again, and removed his arm. No tears fell from his eyes, but he was shaking. “...It’s really nice to be back home. I couldn’t… be in a big crowd like that, every day. At school.” Sunny sat up, and scrunched into a small, Sunny-shaped ball, hugging his legs. “You’re really brave. There’s so many people everywhere. People treat you horribly, and try to get others to ignore you, or hurt you, and you still go.”

“I don’t really have a choice…”

Sunny seemed to ignore what Basil said. “I bet they were trying to hit you, when they spiked the ball at the beach, and it just hit me because I was walking behind you. Why are they so mean? What-what were they talking about with shears, and, and…”

Basil didn’t know what to do. Sunny wasn’t crying, per se, but he was breathing loudly, and it probably wasn’t good. Basil felt like he was looking at a mirror. Basil didn’t really know what to do with himself when he was like this. He just hoped to get over it before his grandmother noticed, and then splashed water on his face afterwards. How could he help somebody else?

“Sunny, Sunny, look at me, calm down,” Basil tried to place a hand on Sunny’s shoulder, but Sunny shrugged it off. “...Sunny? I-I don’t understand. I’m confused, why are you upset?”

“I-I just… everyone’s braver than me, and deals with worse than me. Mari and Hero are leaving, and so will everyone… Everyone’s gonna leave…”

“What?” Basil paled, while Sunny scrunched up into himself further. Was he scared of being… alone? Basil gulped. It’d be nice to promise to be there for someone, wouldn’t it? But Basil still felt like anything could be taken from him at a moment's notice. How could he comfort the inconsolable? This was too much to ask. There were no stupid words to say to something like this, or he would have told them to himself over and over again.

When he considered the cold breeze outside, pulling the last bit of warmth from life before winter’s jaws closed in, Basil couldn’t help but think of those feeble plants he helped rejuvenate for all of his new friends as his lifeline. Despite anything, maybe when they died, Basil’s usefulness would run out, and he wouldn’t have a reason to be around everyone anymore. Despite everything… he’d still be alone. The days felt like they were ticking away.

Basil reached forward to hug Sunny, who tried to push away the hug for a moment, but seemed to side against it. Basil felt like he was dying, to be honest, doing something like this to someone. But it wasn’t about him, he supposed, or whatever selfless-sounding cliched justification he could think of to excuse pulling Sunny close to himself.

“...If you went back to school, I guess I could try to stay around you. Y’know, watch you and stuff. I-I get if you wouldn’t want to. I hate it there too. I don’t know why you’d want to go back. But, just if you did-”

Sunny eased up, some. But even if it was only “some,” that “some” was still a victory. Sunny nestled into Basil’s shoulder, attempting to slow his breathing.

“Thanks.”

“And,” Basil took a deep breath. Well, time to potentially lose a friend. “...The ‘shears’ thing, they weren’t just pulling that out of nowhere. That’s… I’m sorry Sunny. I’m a bad person.”

“No.” Sunny eased out his arms, and wrapped them around Basil. “No.”

“No? I didn’t even tell you. You’re stupid if you’re just gonna take a half-told story. I’ve hurt people for no good reason! And… I could’ve hurt people worse…”

“I… I don’t care.”

“That’s cold.” Basil felt a little shocked, but also secretly, selfishly, validated. He knew he shouldn’t have, but a little twinge was still there. But he knew it was wrong.

“I know it is, but I’ve always been like that. As long as… as long as the people I care about are alright, it’s hard to care more than that. I know it’s awful, but it’s true. I’m selfish, and I don’t care about the well-being of others. I’m selfish."

“Come on, this isn’t helping you," Basil scoffed, trying to snap Sunny from his spiral.

Sunny whimpered, and hugged Basil closer. “Let’s just watch the movie. I try to do other stuff when my mind sucks.”

“...Like garden?”

“...Yeah.” Basil sat there for… much longer than he would allow in any other circumstance. He didn’t really know what to make of this situation. He stopped hugging Sunny after a little while, but Sunny continued to hold him for a while afterwards, literally holding Basil against his will. He felt like he was about to combust if this continued. All of the feelings of surprise or… whatever you could label this kind of mess of feelings, had dissipated, and were now replaced with raw, face numbing embarrassment. Good thing Sunny was buried in his chest, and couldn’t see what Basil’s face looked like right now.

“Are y-you going to keep using me like a baby blanket, or can I get the remote?”

“Both.”

“I’m not going to move, and then you’re never going to see your beloved Legolas again.”

“Okay, fine. I’m moving.”

The warmth left Basil’s side.

“...Sorry. For being a mess all the time.”

“...That makes two of us.”

After a long while of attempting to watch the movie in distracted silence, the two boys felt sleep overcome them, without even taking note of it. Basil was curled up on his side, and Sunny folded his arms as a pillow to lie upon.

The tears only dripped from Sunny’s closed eyelids once nobody was awake to witness them.

Chapter Text

The cafeteria was cold and uncaring on this December afternoon. The temperatures still hadn’t gotten all too bad, nothing below freezing, at least, but public air conditioning continued to accentuate any slight chill into a frosty-feeling nightmare. The lunch was lovely today. An appetizing, gristly, slab of meatloaf that captured the wearisome high school experience unlike any young adult drama novel ever could. Needless to say, Basil would be solely enjoying these droopy French fries on his plastic tray, today.

“Hey Aubrey, do you have any more ketchup packets?”

“Nu-uh.”

Basil saw a quick attempt at sleight-of-hand as Aubrey slipped her arm under the table. A flash of red caught his eye as her limb disappeared.

“What the hell?! You’re full of it; I just saw you hide it!”

“No you didn’t.”

“Wha- Y-Yes I did! Hand it over!”

“Hypothetically speaking, even if I did have it, why should I have to give it to you?”

“Because I’m dying… these French fries are so dry-y-y…” Basil whined and slumped over onto the table.

Aubrey merely laughed at his despair. “So are my tear ducts after listening to Baby Basil whine about ketchup.”

“...You’re cold.”

“You’re dramatic.”

“Says the girl who almost committed murder over a cake,” Basil mumbled spitefully.

“...That was one time!”

“...I guess I’ll starve, then,” Basil sighed pitifully.

“Oh, boo-hoo, you should have grabbed one in the lunch line.”

“I… I didn’t want to stick around. I’ve been out of money on my account for lunch food for a while now. The lunch lady looked mean, so I grabbed my food and walked past while she wasn’t looking. My grandma still needs to give me more money for it…”

“Eh, join the club. I struck a deal with one of my favorite lunch ladies. She lets me get food for free.” Aubrey grinned like she had just committed some scandalous act, and not just secured a basic necessity.

“Don’t they have those programs to help people eat for free? I think it’s based on… erm… income or something?”

Aubrey laughed scornfully. “Uh… yeah… about that, good luck getting my mom’s signature so that I can apply for one of those. Last time I asked, she got all offended, because she thought I was calling us poor. Um… yes?”

Basil bristled and threw his hands in the air. “Then just forge it or something! That’s ridiculous!”

Aubrey actually shrank back a bit. “But… what if the school finds out? You think I’ll get in trouble?”

Basil’s eye twitched from irritation. “...Who even cares? What’re they gonna do- just continue to not let you eat? It’s stupid. If you’re so worried about it, then I’ll try to forge it, and turn it in for you. If you get caught, just pin it on me.”

Aubrey’s eyes widened. “Wait, seriously? You can do that?”

Basil shrugged his shoulders and swung his legs back and forth, calling upon his memories. “Well, to be honest, I used to journal a lot when I was younger, and I tried out all sorts of different handwriting styles. I’ve also watched some crime shows where they’ve done stuff like that. For one signature? It can’t be that hard, right?” He scoffed. “I mean, look at most people’s signatures- they’re all messy, you can’t really even understand it after the first letter.”

Aubrey leaned closer with a snicker etching her lips, cupping her face in a whisper. “Ha… true. So, like, Hero wants to be a doctor once he graduates, right? His handwriting is already super bad…”

“He’d be a perfect doctor, then… hehe…”

All of a sudden, Basil darted his arm out, and snatched the ketchup packet from Aubrey’s exposed hand, which had grown careless during their banter.

“Hey!”

Basil leaned back, keeping the packet out of reach, and opened it while Aubrey tried to grab at it from across the table.

"Sneaky… that was downright manipulative! You were just waiting for me to let my guard down!"

Basil grinned. "I'd never." Oh, but he would. "...Can't be any worse than not letting a poor guy enjoy his fries."

"We're all poor down here! Gimme!" Aubrey reached out again with grabby fingers, and after Basil dumped the ketchup all over his nutrient-lacking meal, he decided to take the opportunity to dot a small bit of ketchup on Aubrey's sleeve. Hah. Take that, greedy girl-buddy.

She naturally didn't like that, threatening to drag Basil to her house and force him to do her laundry like a modern-day Cinderella. Basil enjoyed his fries while she chewed him out. Aubrey interpreted his apathy as laziness, which Basil fervently disagreed with, but disagreements aside, the mention of "laziness" naturally brought Sunny into the focus of the conversation.

"Y'know, something that's been bothering me is how weird he's been lately." Aubrey mused lowly.

"...Hm? Isn't that normal?"

"Ha-ha, very funny. We've never made that joke before."

"I mean… I was being kind of honest…"

Aubrey rolled her eyes at Basil's obvious stupidity. "I thought you'd know him better, since you two are like… best friends now," Aubrey emphasized her point by twining her fingers together, a symbol of Sunny and Basil's apparent closeness. Basil bristled.

"Just get to the point."

"Hey, don't bite my face off." Aubrey snickered to herself. "I'm just thinking that homeschooling's not good for him. All the stupid appointments he's already got to deal with, and then that on top of it…"

"Well… it probably helps make things less busy for him… just doing work at home…" Basil felt awkward talking about someone he knew when they weren't present. He began to fiddle with his nails underneath the table, pushing back the cuticles. His hands had been ragged and his nails bitten for as long as he could remember.

"Sure… but it also seems pretty boring. Lots of stuff just being the same thing every day." Aubrey gnawed on her cheek while she absentmindedly stared to Basil's right.

Basil bowed his head. "...Yeah… boring and… lonely…"

"Hm. Probably not too much different from here, though. Things can be super boring."

"Yeah, and just because there's a lot more people doesn't make things… 'not-lonely'... I guess…"

The bell for class started ringing.

“Well… I guess we should get going. Hey, what happened to your bag, Basil?” Aubrey began sweeping crumbs off of the table, and grabbed both her’s and Basil’s tray before she stood.

Basil reached for the strap of his backpack, having already forgotten the orange stain down the side.

“Oh… just some girl knocked her drink over during the last class. It got all over my math binder. Hopefully it won’t be a problem.”

“...You didn’t give her a hard time, did you?”

Basil huffed as he slung his bag over his shoulder, making his way towards the crowded hallway with Aubrey lingering at his side. “...No. It was an accident. I’m not some kind of animal.” There was a possibility he could get the stain out of the bag, anyway. And if he couldn’t? Oh well. Ugly orange. Reminded him of Kel, in a way. Maybe it was Orange Joe that girl was drinking…?

Aubrey chuckled with a small smile. “Alrighty, then. Bye, Basi-” She lifted an arm to wave Basil off as she allowed the crowd to guide her away from him. Basil caught her hand.

“W-wait, won’t I see you at your house later?”

“Huh?”

“Uhm… you know, to help you get a signature from your mom…? O-one way or another, I guess? You’ve… you’ve got to get food, or maybe I could try to find something from my house to bring…”

Aubrey’s eyes went wide. “You weren’t joking? You’d really do that?” Following her amazement, a dash of shame flashed in her gaze. “...You don’t have to… you know. It might make more trouble than it’s worth.”

Basil shook his head furiously. “...I don’t mind. Isn’t this… how I can help a friend?”

Aubrey brightened, and then released his hand. “...Alright, then. See you… Basil.”

She slipped into the crowd, leaving Basil to walk to the hall on his own.

He purposely took his time, allowing other students to pass him by so he could take a quick breather before his next class. Of course, a breather turned out to be fantasy over the more ear-catching sound of raised voices over the murmur of shifting hallways.

“...Mari, please, I just want you to understand where I’m coming from! You’re… you’re good at that!”

“I don’t want to hear any more of it, Hero!”

“He already put a good dent in my car! Mari, why’d you have to do this? I mean, I think he could have at least waited enough time to be more responsible for this kind of thing… this kind of a gift-”

“Hero, please stop. I already had my dad and your mom chew me out over this. I get it. I messed up. Could you not do this, too?”

“Mari, wait…!”

The swish of ebony hair flowed past Basil as Mari took a sharp turn down the hallway, a prim and proper look to her, rather than her girlish charm- her warm energies were diminished in favor of a professional grace. Hero was left in her wake, a sad look over his eyes as his hand grasped out at nothing. Basil shrunk back behind a vending machine, hoping to avoid attention. It was enough for him to hear some murmurs from others in the hallway.

“Oh, Hero’s crazy girlfriend’s back at it again. What happened this time?”

This time? What were people gossiping about Mari for?

...Maybe it wasn’t his business. But then again… maybe he could find out what was going on later. Right now, he had to focus on helping out his friend. But… how? That stupid idea about forging a signature- would that even work? Was he going a little off the rails? Maybe. Basil tried to calm his thoughts as he slipped back into the thrum of students filing to class. He’d think about it. He just… felt awkwardly helpless, after gaining another window into Aubrey’s life, and what she had to deal with. It was another incident of his being taken outside of his own gripes and troubles- a reminder that others had their own issues and struggles to deal with. It was a fact Basil easily forgot, as long as he’d be caught up in his own thoughts. And that forgetfulness of the well-being of those around him… was that not a form of selfishness? And therefore, was that not something to atone for, in his own way?

His pens and pencils, disgustingly enough, were melded to the shape of Basil’s teeth by the end of the day. He never took himself to be a pen-chewer. Gross.

With the last ring of the bell, Basil made his way out to the chilly back staircase of the school. Students crowded around buses, anxiously waiting to jump inside and escape the cold air. It’s funny how wintertime made even filthy, exhaust spewing vehicles seem like salvation. Lucky for Basil, he could just walk to his house from here, unlike most of the students. Or, in this case, he could walk to Aubrey’s. Did he have a game plan? Not really. Could he act as backup for Aubrey’s cause? Would Aubrey’s mother bother listening to some neighborhood kid she doesn’t even know? Probably not.

Well, to be fair, if she was some mother that was too prideful to give her kid the time of day, or allow her to even eat, she probably wasn’t a real winner in the negotiation field. Or the decent human being field. Ugh, parents.

Basil felt the cold leech down into his bones, and imagined his limbs cracking off like brittle icicles if he stayed out in weather like this for too long. There was nothing for it but to march past leafless trees, and over moist sidewalks, all the way to the crosswalk- and to Aubrey’s front door.

When Basil found himself getting a closer look at the dingy home, he felt his resolve waver. He wasn’t sure why, and started to beat himself up for it. So what if it looks dark, and sort of old? His house was old! Albeit, it was a cozy little bungalow. This one looked like it had a tin roof, and the panes were all weathered. The siding was cracked in a few places, and rust and weather-worn features adorned the house all over. This house was intimidating. This house looked…

“OoooOo~ spooky, huh?”

Basil jumped, and stumbled off Aubrey’s porch, falling on his ass. “H-Hey! What the heck, Aubrey? Don’t… sneak up on someone like that…”

Aubrey, who had spontaneously appeared behind Basil, lowered her outstretched, theatrically spindly hands. “Hah! You should have seen your face! You totally looked like you were about to wet your pants just by looking at my house.” She grinned, extending a helping hand to pull Basil up, which he spitefully declined to use, a pout on his face as he drew himself up.

“Don’t worry, buddy. I checked with a tarot card deck one time! There’s no ghosts around here.”

“That’s weird. Why would you do something strange like that?”

“Heh, Mari and Sunny lent it to me! They got a set from a shop they visited in the city when they were with their dad last summer. It’s super cool, I mean, I don’t believe in that stuff too much, but Mari looked like she knew what she was doing with it. She said you can tell fortunes and see ghosts with it, or something.”

“It sounds like she’s full of it.”

Aubrey shook her head and sighed. “Ugh, you’re so boring sometimes, dude.” She took a look at her front door, and then back at Basil. He thought he saw a flash of… something in her eyes, before she spoke again slowly.

“So… uh.... people don’t really come over here much. It’s a little dirty, I guess. Ahah… you won’t uhm…”

Basil cocked an eyebrow. “Won’t… what?”

Aubrey steeled her gaze, shrugging her shoulders to dash away any lack of resolve. “Oh, it’s nothing. Let’s just get this over with, I guess.”

Aubrey reached to open the front door, which was already unlocked. Basil gulped, and followed her as she walked in. Basil screwed up his face, and coughed a bit when a sudden burst of putrid air met his nose.

“Ugh, it doesn’t smell too great in here…” The words left his mouth before he thought about it.

Aubrey swirled around and shot a glare back at him. “Well thanks, captain obvious.”

Basil spread his mouth into a thin line, feeling a spark of shame course through him as Aubrey rolled her eyes and turned back around.

“Moooom, I’m back.”

There was a bout of awkward silence for a moment, filtered by the crackle of a television and some women’s laughter. When the show, advertising some select handbags, finally cut to an infomercial, some shuffling was heard on the beige couch to Basil’s right.

“Hey, kid.” The owner of the voice didn’t turn back to look at her.

Aubrey shrugged again, and shut the door behind them. “You left the door unlocked again.”

Some raspy laughter from the couch. “Don’t parent me, bitch. My mom nagged me growing up, don’t need you to nag me too.”

Basil bristled, but his hackles died down when he heard Aubrey laugh at his side.

“Pfft, whatever, Mom. I’ll go give robbers the TV once they break in, and then I’ll be right. Would that even be a ‘break-in,’ though? More like a ‘walk in.’”

“Yeah, whatever, smartass. Go check the fridge for some food. I’m tired, I’m gonna take a nap after my show finishes.”

“Alright, Mom.”

Basil just felt confused in this situation. He didn’t like Aubrey’s mom whatsoever, so far, but Aubrey didn’t look particularly bothered. Maybe he should just… go along with whatever was happening here. Different households, different mindsets… he supposed. Anyway, he was here on a mission.

“Hey Aubrey,” Basil leaned in, whispering as lowly as he could, “Should we just… talk to her about the lunch form? Maybe we could… I don’t know… try to-”

Aubrey quickly shook her head. “We don’t need to do that. Trust me, she won’t listen. Hold on, I’ll go talk to her, you go look around for something. The signature thing, right? That sounded like a good idea! Right from a movie. You go do something like that.”

Basil gulped. He never should have said anything. That was a dumb idea, although he felt a little flattered that Aubrey believed in him. Aubrey was already darting off to the fridge before he could protest, anyhow. Well, if you dish it out… erm, how did that saying go again? Basil was pretty sure he was getting the order mixed up or something. Right, focus- signature!

What could he…

Under a flickering white light stood a table to his left, with two three-legged stools pulled up to its sides. A newspaper and a couple soda cans were covering the space, but interestingly enough, atop of the newspaper sat a purse. Maybe that could be a start?

Aubrey peered back from the fridge and looked at Basil. They locked eyes, and gave each other a nod.

“Hey kid, was I spacing out, or were you talking to someone?”

Aubrey jolted, and awkwardly chuckled over her shoulder. “Oh, I-I’ve got a friend here! Uhm, we were going to hang out in just a bit, but I just thought I’d… s-stop by first. Say ‘hi,’ Basil!”

Wow, what a sell-out. “Uhm, hi, miss,” Basil timidly stammered, wincing at how his tone lilted, making him sound innocent and shy. Wow, he was such a sell-out.

He watched as Aubrey’s mother actually craned her neck over to catch a look at him. “Oh, it’s a boy,” she said, disapprovingly. “Is this what you’re getting up to, now? Jeez, you kids. Be careful, and all.”

Aubrey sputtered some, and banged the fridge closed, emerging with a bottle in hand. “Mom, don’t be stupid; we’re not like that! I’ll just chuck the drink I was going to give you, then! God, you’re so gross!”

Aubrey’s mother turned to glare at her. “I’m just looking out for you- you wouldn’t want to be a slut like I was, is all. Don’t take it personally. And you can still give me that,” she flashed a small smile- one that didn’t look entirely present. Aubrey only settled with shaking her head, coming to her mother with the neck of a bottle clenched firmly in her hands. She received a small pat on the shoulder for her successful delivery.

Basil was flustered, but his game face was still on, and that purse was still on the table. There might be an I.D he could look at, right? Something. Wallets have important things in them. Something had to be of use. He wouldn’t know! He was only about to be old enough to have a permit, for crying out loud!

Basil, stop panicking- just check the purse.

He shuffled over to the table, and, for some inane reason, thought that he’d fake interest in the paper while his eyes repeatedly flickered over to Aubrey and her mother on the couch. They weren’t talking much, but Aubrey’s mother seemed preoccupied enough with the show, bursting out in surprising bouts of laughter at various moments. Aubrey just… sat there beside her. Basil lost track of his mission-oriented train of thought for a moment, only preoccupied with how Aubrey’s head, for her face was hidden from view, would tilt towards her mother every now and then. Even she would chime in with laughter occasionally, although Basil was certain that whatever was on the television probably wasn’t that funny. It felt like she had been a mirror ever since they first stepped foot in this house.

Basil’s fingers unclasped the purse, finding a rumpled mess on the inside, full of napkins, gum wrappers, and-

Basil almost gasped. Receipts! That could work!

He started flipping through the slips of paper, finding, with great relief, one that had a signature on it. The text on the slip was faded, and the paper was heavily wrinkled and crumpled. As Basil unfurled it in his hands, he tried his best not to tear it. He caught the words “smoking” and “rehabilitation” somewhere among the semi-smeared text, but his main focus was on tracing over the signature stationed at the bottom, Basil’s eyes tracing the loops and the curt lines.

With a small triumph blossoming in his heart, Basil looked up to clasp the purse, and shoved the paper slip in his pocket with the other hand.

He hadn’t realized that the murmur of the TV hadn’t been accompanied by laughter. He hadn’t noticed the unsteady shuffling of feet. He hadn’t heard a disgruntled “Ah, hell, this isn’t the one I wanted.” He obviously hadn’t been the only one who had been slow to act, judging by Aubrey’s nervous and guilted expression that peered at him from the couch.

So therefore, he wasn’t prepared for the widened eyes, the tense cloud of something from the expression of Aubrey’s mother, staring right at him from the living room, as Basil stood over her purse.

“Hey Aubrey, what the hell is your friend doing?”

“M-Mom, it’s nothing, you don’t need to worry about it. Hey, is your head feeling kind of funny?” Aubrey’s weak attempt at a cover-up didn’t seem to be working out too well, as her mother’s face only seemed to sour further. Basil was sure that her innate honesty was too strong for such a thing.

“Hands off, kid,” Aubrey’s mother walked towards Basil, prompting his petrified form, frustratingly as still as a deer in headlights, to shove his ‘red’ hands into his pockets. This was far from the right move, as Aubrey’s mother let out a yell before planting a taut grip on Basil’s arm. Basil cried out and instinctively tried to shy away.

“Aubrey, what’re you doing bringing over slimy fucks? Trying to steal from me, kid?”

Basil opened his mouth, unsure of what to say. Should he just put up with it? Would she call the cops over a receipt? Or maybe, if he explained it was to forge Aubrey’s way into a government program, that would just make things worse. Should he lie?

“Hey, say something!”

“M-mom, let go of him! Please! He’s n-not bad, I promise!” Basil felt a sadness reach into his bones upon hearing the tremors and wavers in Aubrey’s voice. Has she ever sounded that scared before? Whenever she’d put up with his pitiful displays of aggression? Whenever she was presented with other confrontations between students? Basil wasn’t sure. Aubrey was the strong pillar between them both, despite school stigmas. Basil would trust Aubrey to be solid where he’d crumble. So why…?

Basil cried out as the arm tightened, but his teeth clenched, instead of shaking from nerves.

Why was this sleazy woman causing his friend to shake in her boots?

“L-listen, I’m only doing this so my friend c-can eat lunch! Okay? Would you rather she go around asking other people for f-food all the time?”

A perplexed twist of the face, followed by the selfsame steely expression that Basil felt he would see on Aubrey next time Kel did something stupid. It felt wrong seeing it on her.“The hell do you think you’re doing, robbing me? Don’t lecture me, kid.”

“Are you even listening to me?!”

The other hand reached around, and knotted its way into Basil’s hair. He cried out, and instinctively pulled his other hand from his pocket to push the aggressor away.

“Gotcha,” Aubrey’s mother grumbled as she wrenched away the crumpled wad of paper from Basil’s furled fist. She appeared even more confused than before, upon realizing it was a receipt in Basil’s trembling grasp. “What…?”

Aubrey, at that moment, charged forward, pushing herself between her mother and Basil. Basil only saw a blur of pink hair in front of his eyes, but he swore he could hear the tears in her voice as she cried out. “Mom! P-Please don’t be angry! We weren’t t-trying to...to... steal from you. I just wanted to use your signature to fill out a form to get me meals at lunch, and I’m sorry, and I didn’t mean for this, and it’s not because I think… I just wanted to get food-” Aubrey cut herself off, breathless, seeming to think that saying less after her tangent might be better. She stamped her foot into the carpet, and threw her arms wide, marking herself as a human shield before Basil’s shamefully quivering form. If only he had been more careful, if only he had been less stupid…

Aubrey’s mother let out the smallest chuckle, seemingly surprising herself, too. “Whatever. Take it, then. I don’t give a fuck. I thought he took cash or something,” She drew back, dropping the receipt as she did so, looking like she tuckered out herself, and wobbled over to one of the creaking wooden stools by the table. She nestled her elbows, hands clasped in a ball, on the tabletop. “...You make such a big deal of things, you know?” She wheezed, looking up with an annoyed blink at the dangling light fixture overhead. Her head came to rest on her hands. “...God, that thing’s bright. Whatever, just go do what you want, you know? Whatever makes you happy. I’ve got to get a smoke in before my show comes back on.”

“...Okay, mom,” Aubrey put her arms back down at her sides, causing Aubrey’s mom to chuckle again to herself, rolling her head to lay upon her hands on its side.

“Not gonna nag me about laying off them, big girl?”

“No, mom. Don’t wanna nag you anymore.”

“Thanks, kid. Take your boyfriend and get out, will you? Think we need a breather.”

“...Fine.”

Aubrey slowly moved to pick up the receipt, tugging on the hem of Basil’s shirt, as if he needed coaxing to race in a frenzy to the front door, clasping Aubrey’s wrist, bringing her with him. He slammed the screen door behind them, pulling himself and Aubrey off the property, and then onto the curb of their road. He could just run straight to his house across the street, but… not yet. Basil panted, realizing all too quickly he was holding his breath, bringing himself to a standstill as he pulled back his hands to place them on his knees, bending over as he watched his tears wet the sidewalk below. So that’s why the world looked so blurry…?

“Basil, are you okay?”

Aubrey’s hesitant hand settled on Basil’s heaving shoulders, which he couldn’t stand for. He flung his head up, meeting Aubrey’s surprised countenance as she took a few steps back. “Am I okay? What about you?! THAT’S your mom?” He probably shouldn’t have said that last part, but it was only an honest display of his thoughts, and what was Basil’s existence if not a sewn together, honest heap of emotions and bad decisions?

“Y-Yeah, it’s okay. That’s just how she deals with things. The… the ‘shoot first, asks questions later type, y’know? Like Kel, or… a little like you, maybe?”

Okay, so he was going to ignore the insult of that comparison, but really…

“Aubrey? Do you hear yourself? Kel? Kel would never freak out at someone like that! This is just… what… why are you defending her?”

Aubrey looked inhumanly perplexed still; Basil couldn’t fathom the line of reasoning, the mental gymnastics in logic she was having to do at the moment. “...She’s been… she’s been dealing with a lot lately. She wasn’t always… you’ve got to trust me, okay? You don’t know her like I do!” Aubrey wretched her arm up to cover her eyes, as if tears were a crime to be persecuted for. Shame. Shame and guilt permeated her being, but Basil couldn’t see fault in her.

“Aubrey… don’t… don’t cry. Everything’s okay.... you didn’t do anything…”

“I alw-ways cr...y… just like... “ She took a great, quaky breath, like the air of a mountain on the verge of releasing a landslide. “...I can’t help it… I always cry… you always cry… you’d understand…”

Basil’s eyes softened from his frenzy. “Yeah… I guess I would.”

“...God, I’m such a loser.” Aubrey sniffled. “I shouldn’t have tried to get you to do… any of that. That was so dumb. And you actually tried to dig into her purse. Wow.” Her voice was sounding cold and lifeless, something Basil couldn’t take, considering her typical sardonic front, and her heartfelt, caring center. If anything, Aubrey wasn’t meant to be numb.

“No, I’m the idiot for having the idea! And… and for getting caught. I should’ve done better. I got you into so much trouble. I’m really sorry.”

“Haha ‘done better’… already planning your next crime? Do-crimer. So bad.”

“...M-Maybe…?”

Aubrey punched his shoulder, and then stepped forward, only to promptly collapse her head on Basil’s shoulder. Basil stammered, unsure of how to react.

“...Uhm, I’m not sure what kind of crime we committed, to be h-honest. I wonder if there’s a book on it some-”

“Man, shut up for once.”

Aubrey squeezed Basil tight, her arms wrapped around his torso. Well, almost uncomfortably so. He felt like a real-life version of one of those doll things where their eyes popped out when you squeezed them. So, not great. Regardless, for his transgressions, he owed Aubrey probably more than he wanted to consider at the moment, and decided it would probably only be right for him to hug her back. Just as hard. Oh no, now she was hugging harder. Well, only one thing for it but to try to one-up her, and ouch- was this turning into some affectionately sadistic competition?

A honk of a horn surprised the two, and they looked up to the unsightly sight of a clunker cruising down the road. It rolled to a stop beside the two, and Basil was already taking a few suspicious steps backwards, while Aubrey brandished a canister of pepper spray she seemingly nabbed from nowhere.

After a painfully awkward pause of the window lowering, a familiar head of hair could be seen bobbing back and forth, the driver diligently pulling the manual window crank.

“...Mari? Wait, isn’t that… Kel’s car?” Aubrey looked confused, and pocketed her spray.

With the window successfully lowered, the driver, Mari, let out a pitiful sigh and dangled her arm in front of the door. “Yeah… it is. Well, not anymore, I guess. Good to see you guys out here.” Mari’s mouth folded into a depressive frown. “Yeah… the parent council has decided my spontaneous gift wasn’t the best idea. That and… uhm… the thing has turned out to be a huge clunker. This baby…” Mari reached upwards to not-so-affectionately slap the dash, “...has sputtered to a stop two times in just the past few weeks since I bought it.”

Basil’s eyes roamed over the car. It didn’t particularly look like a scrap heap at first glance, making the information all the more of a surprise. “...That bad? Woah…”

“Yep. And guess what? I tried to track down the guy I bought it from, and he’s not even living at his house anymore. His neighbors said he moved out a week after I bought the car from him. So…”

“...So that loser dumped a broken car on you?”

Mari sheepishly leaned back into the driver’s seat. “...Yeah, and I fell for it.”

“Fell for what? I mean, you might’ve been able to do a test drive or something, but that’s just one time. Maybe you got lucky, but only at first! You can’t blame yourself.”

Basil nodded in agreement. Aubrey’s assessment seemed reasonable enough.

Mari somehow looked even more ashamed. “Ah… well, I am… kind of at fault; it’s not that simple. I was… naïve. I’m humble enough to admit it. I… uh, there was no title, or anything, when I got the car from this guy. It was way cheaper than getting a car from some trustworthy place, and you’d think that’d be suspicious enough for me to get a clue, but noooo.” Mari slumped over, looking at Aubrey apologetically. “I guess I… trusted too much. That someone wouldn’t push a bad car on me and then run off. I didn’t think things would be as complicated as they were. My dad’s been… well…” Mari looked like she didn’t want to pursue that area of conversation.

“You know, it’s cold out, how about you guys hop in?”

Aubrey nodded mournfully at her friend. “Sure, Mari. You poor thing. I’m sorry this happened to you. Where we going?” Easily enough, she looped around the front of the car before settling herself into the passenger seat. Mari revved the pitiful engine.

“Well, hopefully, I’ll figure out what to do with this hunk of junk.” She looked past the wheel to eye the car’s hood. “...Sorry, buddy,” she murmured, as though the car could hear her.

Basil lingered on the sidewalk. “Uhm… I was just gonna… go home, I guess.”

Aubrey reclined the chair so she could peek over at him. “Come ooon,” she called. “It’ll be quick!”

Mari chimed in, a mischievous look lining her face, despite her stress and discomfort. “It would only be respectable. This poor ol’ thing’s on its last legs! Wouldn’t it be fair to see it off on its last run?” She batted her eyelashes. “Pretty please? Aubrey and I wouldn’t want to have fun without everyone else present on board!”

Aubrey made some mock puppy whimpering noises, giving Basil a, frankly atrocious attempt at a sympathetic puppy-dog expression.

“Ugh, fine. But I’ll blame you two if my grandmother gets upset.” In reality, she probably wouldn’t notice if Polly didn’t say anything, but there was no need to say that.

Aubrey whooped as Basil reluctantly settled into the backseat. He wondered distantly if, in an unreliable vehicle like this, this would be his last ride, too. Mari adjusted the rearview mirror, eyeing Aubrey and Basil as she did so.

“This sounds unsafe, though. Aren’t you a senior? You’re supposed to be the responsible one…” Basil grumbled.

Aubrey whipped her head around to glare at Basil in the backseat, and he shrunk under her gaze. “I don’t want to hear about responsibility from you of all people. That’d be like Kel and Sunny lecturing me about a good sleep schedule!”

Mari chuckled. “Hush, Aubrey. He’s right. It looks like I need a lot of work on the responsibility thing.”

A silence stretched out for a second.

“...Are you guys okay? You look like you were crying.”

Well, talk about blunt, Mari.

Aubrey’s brow furrowed. “It looks like you were, too, though. Come on, I want to hear the rest of the story before you go and interrogate us!” She harrumph-ed. “It’s only fair, you know. And I know how much you talk about fairness.”

Basil sighed at Aubrey’s diversion, buckling his seatbelt. What a relief. He was sure she, more than anyone, wouldn’t want to go into her mother’s recent antics.

Mari shook her head as she shifted off of the curve. “Alright, fine, but it’s a doozy, and you get to hear more of how much of an idiot I am.”

Basil watched the barren trees of Faraway blur past as Mari rambled about her situation. He felt bad for all of the stuff she was dealing with, especially considering how complicated it sounded, and was immeasurably thankful for the fact that he wouldn’t be able to afford anything like a car for at least the next few years. Hell, he could just walk to Hobbeez, or the Othermart if he wanted a job there. He could just live with his grandmother, and help Polly take care of her, or something.

“...so my dad is just upset that I tried to do all this behind everyone’s back when I ‘clearly didn’t know what I was doing,’ and he says that since the car’s ‘such a wreck,’ that it wouldn’t be worth it to try to sort stuff out with the DMV at this point. I wish my mom didn’t call him about the whole fiasco in the first place...”

“Uh-huh.”

“So, now Kel’s super bummed out his birthday present is pretty much garbage, and his family doesn’t want to bother spending that much on repairs for something they didn’t ask for in the first place!”

“Oh, wow.”

“But to give credit where credit is due, Kel’s mom was really sweet about it when I went to ta- oh my god, I didn’t even mention that! Do you know what my dad made me do, Aubrey?”

“Ugh, what did he do this time?”

“He made me go apologize for forcing this on Kel’s parents! Un-believable! I mean, I know that I wasn’t the smartest about it, but I was just trying to do something nice for my friend, and in the end, it was MY time and money that I put into this! I’m the only one who’s losing something, here! Well, and Kel his birthday present, but I guess it sucked anyway. I just can’t be okay with someone completely throwing away all the effort I put into something like that!”

“That’s sooo frustrating! God, your dad is such a jerk!”

“See, you get it.”

“How could I not? Man, you poor thing.”

“Aw, you’re so sweet. But anyway, Kel’s mom? So, she obviously was being nice about it, but when she mentioned the repairs for the car she was like ‘oh, don’t worry about it sweetie, it wouldn’t be a problem for us.’ And then she goes and yells across the room: ‘Mijo, you want that car fixed? Get a job!’” Mari started laughing, and hitting the wheel, as she recalled the memory. The car swerved just a little bit, making Basil’s stomach lurch. He was hit with the sudden reminder of the fact that he was currently sharing a car with a teen driver. Nope, nope. Time to write a living will.

“Kel peeked out and looked at me with this face that just said ‘god, Mari, why,’ and I almost burst out laughing, right there!”

Aubrey didn’t seem to mind, laughing along with Mari. “Hah! That serves him right! Kel’s such a lazy bum- it would probably be great for him!”

“...you don’t have a job, either,” Basil mumbled from the backseat.

“Can it, flower boy!”

Mari laughed some more, reaching up to wipe a tear from her eye. “...You’re so hard on Kel, Aubrey. He puts a lot of effort into his hobbies, don’t forget.”

“...I guess you’re right, Mari. Sorry.” Aubrey fiddled with the AC. The reluctance to admit her judgmental behavior was practically palpable. Basil could see Aubrey was just trying to placate her friend.

“...So,” Aubrey began, “while we’ve been driving around kind of aimlessly, have you decided what we’re going to do with this hunk of junk?” As though prophetic, somewhere, the car issued an ominous clunking noise following Aubrey’s words. Basil’s hand tightened on the rim of the backseat. He bit his nails down to the cuticle, genuinely praying inwardly for the first time in years.

“Yeah, what she said. M-Mari, please tell me we’re stopping soon?”

“No need to be scared, Basil. I’ve got a plan, and it should be riiight, here!”

‘Right here,’ looked to be the middle of nowhere, but both Aubrey and Basil’s eyes widened once they realized where they were.

“Woah, I didn’t realize we drove all the way out here! Isn’t this the famous ‘checkpoint dump point’ that’s like… smack-dab between Faraway and the city?” Aubrey peeked out the window, whistling at what she saw.

And what she saw was nothing more than a wide ditch, reaching far off the end of the road, and into a long cleft row, stretching out for at least a hundred feet or so before ascending upwards to another stretch of land that was level to where the group now stood. On the floor of the ditch, countless piles of garbage could be seen, mostly mechanical bits and bobs, and several auto parts.

“Mari… don’t tell me.”

“Aubrey… I’ve got to. This is my last part to play in my recent chain of bad decision making.”

“Aren’t there like… junkyards you can sell dead cars to for cash?”

Mari looked over to Aubrey with an eyebrow raised. “Aubrey… no amount of money could be more awesome than sending this stupid, hell-raising vehicle sliding down a muddy slope. Let’s be real. This is probably going to be my only chance to do something like this.”

Aubrey was silent for a moment, closing her eyes and resting her chin on a thoughtful hand. “...Only if you let me bash one of the side view mirrors before we send this damn thing flying,” she conceded with a devilish grin.

Mari darted her gaze between Basil and Aubrey. “What would you say if I told you that I have a baseball bat in the trunk just for this occasion?”

Aubrey sat up straight in the seat. “Oh my gosh, really?”

Basil parted his lips, gaping like a fish in shock. “Wait, you were planning to do something like this the whole time?!”

Mari looked graciously embarrassed, as though the sheer ridiculousness of the situation was finally catching up with her. “Well… I thought of it. Can you blame me? I’ve secretly kind of wanted to do something like this,” she scratched the back of her head.

Basil blinked in surprise. “...Wow, we’re really doing this, then. How’re we going to get back home?”

“Well, the bus stop isn’t too far from here… I checked beforehand.”

Basil whistled, shaking his head. He felt like he was seeing a whole new side of Mari. Is this what an impending graduation does to you? A quarter-life crisis? He thought she was the more prim and proper, always-has-her-stuff-in-order type! Well, he supposed she did have a bat at the ready, and that she did consider their means of transportation home, so maybe she wasn’t entirely spontaneous. No, this was almost… a villainous kind of planned chaos. Like the dramatic crime books Basil had shelved in his room. Was Mari secretly more devious than he thought?

“...You know, it’s nice to have a little bit of teenage rebellion before I lose my chances to do that! Do you think I’d look cool in some grunge-y concert t-shirt, Aubrey?” Mari giggled with her hands clasped together, like she was delightfully complimenting someone’s pet.

...Okay, maybe Basil was excitedly playing up her image in his head. Not quite a dastardly villainess.

“So, what do you say, Basil? You in? We can’t tell anyone about this, okay!”

Basil sat, paralyzed in the backseat as both Mari and Aubrey looked at him in suspense, their eyes gleaming destruction. He shrunk back, and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “...s’fine… I won’t tell anyone. But let’s just… hurry and get rid of it so we can get to the bus. It’s getting kind of cold out…”

Aubrey whooped, stretching her arms victoriously, bumping them against the car roof. “Let’s shift this baby in neutral and dent stuff! You wanna go first, Basil? Ooh, ooh, but save a headlight for me!”

Basil shook his head. “I’m not sure… I don’t want to be associated with you guys if you get in trou-”

Aubrey groaned before opening the passenger door and stepping out. Before Basil knew it, she opened a backseat door, reached in, and grabbed Basil by the shoulders. “Put that bad reputation of yours to good use for once! Come ooon, people dump stuff in here all the time! This is Faraway culture! You can’t just pass up the appeal of the de facto junkyard of all places!”

Basil couldn’t help it when a smile started to creep upon his face at his friend’s enthusiasm. “...Okay, fine, but stop shaking me, jeez! I’ll break your headlight if you don’t stop!”

“Is that like… a literal thing, or a metaphor…? Don’t smash my eyeball, please!” Aubrey joked, faking a cringe.

Basil pushed her off, rolling his eyes. “I wouldn’t ever do that, chill out.”

Mari was smiling, watching their theatrics like a proud mother, before remembering they were three teens on a likely-illegal mission, and popped the trunk.

Cathartic, beautiful destruction ensued. Aubrey staked her claim on certain parts of the car, claiming a headlight, a side view mirror, and several other locations to dent. Mari implored them to try not to break too much glass, as to be considerate of passersby, but compromises were made in some departments. Mari and Aubrey hooted and hollered as the auto was pounded, and even Basil took a little bit of glee in hearing movie SFX-esque smashes from his tries at the baseball bat.

When all was said and done, the trio, exhausted and euphoric, decided that their evening of madness had to come to an end.

“I’d like to get home before it’s too late. And you guys shouldn’t be away from home for too long, either! You’re younger, after all!” Mari waved her finger at Basil and Aubrey, as if they had done something wrong by being brought out here somewhat against their will.

Aubrey crossed her arms and pouted, and Basil mirrored her.

“Don’t act like you know what’s best for us! You’re just around three years older, anyway. You’re not our elder.”

“What she said. That, and I don’t want to hear from someone who’s trashing a car on the side of some beaten-up road,” Basil scoffed.

Mari shook her head. “Well, look at you two, sassing off. I might just push the car down myself, then!”

Aubrey and Basil immediately began to protest.

The time had come. With all of their fun had, Mari reached in, surprisingly solemn, to put the car in neutral. With the dented lemon facing the precipice, the three teens stood at its rear. They all turned to one another, shared a look, and put their hands on the trunk.

“Puuush!” Mari cried out.

With a shared groan, and a bit of elbow grease, Mari, Aubrey, and Basil’s collective efforts sent the car rolling down to a rather graceful stop at the bottom of the ditch. The car crunched into a few of its car-comrades, where it would likely sit for the end of time.

Aubrey sulked, kicking her foot into the pavement. “...It fell so… neatly. I was hoping for a few rolls, at least.”

Mari nodded, understandingly.

The wind blew through them all, and the three stared at their work, resting crustily below.

“...I feel like I’m at a funeral. Should someone say a few words?” Mari asked while dusting her hands off.

Aubrey clasped her hands together, closing her eyes as she tilted her head to the ground. “You were a good rust bucket. May you drive where no car has ever driven before.” Her serious façade broke, and her face screwed up. “...We’re sad we had to ‘brake’ it off like this.”

Mari began to laugh. “Yeah…” she fake-sniffed, “...I never would have ‘tired’ from seeing your face, old friend.”

Aubrey and Mari were now, quite disappointingly, losing it at their car puns. Basil shook his head at them.

“Seriously, guys?”

“Oh, come on, Basil! Do it for the car! Say a few words!” Aubrey jeered.

“Fine.”

Basil looked down at the trash heap on the floor, thinking for a minute.

“...We’ll wheel-y miss you.”

And then they all lost it.

After all of the tears to be had were shed, the group concluded putting the “fun” in “funeral,” content to sit on the ledge of the ditch in relative silence. One thing Mari hadn’t anticipated for the night was the near-full moon, of a surprising color and size.

“Man, it sure is pretty tonight,” Aubrey sighed.

“Right? I wonder if it’s a super moon. So cool…” Mari rested her face in her hands.

“Hey… did someone dump a couch all the way over there…?” Basil pointed to the other end of the ditch. It was positioned almost right underneath where the moon shone.

“Hm, wow. That must have been a lot of work, if they set it upright like that.”

“It’s where all the car gremlins go to watch the stars,” Basil said, with surprising confidence.

Mari started laughing. “Wow, if I didn’t know any better, that sounds like something that Sunny would say. He says the weirdest things, just out of the blue.”

“It’s not surprising, considering how much Basil’s been hanging out with him lately. Sunny’s such a bad influence, though. He should hang out with me more!” Aubrey chimed in loudly. “But Sunny’s his favorite, so Basil goes on ignoring me on the weekends! Rude!”

Basil pulled up his hoodie in embarrassment. “Aubrey… shut up....”

Mari quirked an eyebrow. “Hm? ‘His favorite?’ Is that so? What’s his favorite color, then?”

“Huh?” Basil sputtered.

“When’s his birthday?”

“Uh… July t-twentieth? But why-”

“What’s the name of his coolest sibling?”

“Aren’t you his onl- wait, you’re messing with me…”

Mari reached over to ruffle his hair. “Bingo, I am messing with you. No need to look so nervous. If someone’s my kid brother’s friend, they’re my friend too, y’know?” Her eyes seemed to capture the moon’s gentle glow. “He thinks a lot of you, is all. It’s good to hear you think the same.”

Thinks a lot of… that’s strange phrasing. Right, right, she means that he thinks highly of him. Not that he thinks about Basil a-

“...W-Well, Aubrey’s just putting words in his mouth. ‘S all…” Basil muffled his treacherously scarlet cheeks with the trail of his hoodie sleeve. At least the moon couldn’t capture the glow of his skin. “Shouldn’t we get going? It’s kind of cold…”

Mari’s mouth made a surprised ‘o’ shape. “You’re right! You have people you need to get home to! God, the last thing I need is to have more parents mad at me!”

She instinctively reached into her pocket to grab her keys, then realized her mistake. “Uhm, to the right, everybody! Follow me closely! It’s harder for drivers to see you while it’s dark!”

“Okay, mom,” Aubrey mocked.

Luckily, Mari did not fib when she said the bus stop was closer than one might think. The three of them were quite frigid at that point, and getting stopped by the bus driver on account of Aubrey’s baseball bat only made them more exasperated.

“It’s for softball practice, I promise!”

Aubrey ended up waving the bat goodbye, watching it from the window seat as it grew smaller and smaller.

A few hours had passed since Aubrey and Basil first left that curb, but the look that they shared when the bus drove past Aubrey’s house showed that she wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to head home yet.

“...Hey Basil?” Aubrey reluctantly spoke up right before they reached the Faraway bus stop.

“Yeah?”

“...Nevermind.”

“What is it?”

“I just… could I stay at your house, tonight? I won’t get in the way. I could… help with chores or something, if that helps.”

“...My grandmother wouldn’t mind.”

“You don’t think so?”

“She’s told me stories… about when she was back in her home country. There was a lot of fighting and stuff, while she was growing up. So friends were really… important. She told me about how there’d sometimes be people she wouldn’t know that would stay over, because they mattered to her parents.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, she liked telling me the stories of a lot of them, when I was younger. But anyway, I just think she of all people would understand… having a door open to someone who needs help.”

“She seems really sweet. Maybe I should talk to her more. You have a nice grandma.”

“...Thanks. I agree.”

Mari leaned over from the row behind them. “What are you two talking about?”

“I’m gonna stay over at Basil’s house tonight.” There was no chipper tone in Aubrey’s words, which seemed to give Mari the right message.

“...I see. Is that why you two were sad earlier? You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Aubrey nodded. “It’s okay, I’m not really bothered. But it probably would be good for me to stick around with Basil. He might be more shaken up than he looks.”

“Really, now?” Mari cocked her head. “...So, would it be a problem if I stuck around for a little bit, too? I could help with dinner, maybe? I don’t need to get home just yet. Oh, all for Basil, of course.”

Aubrey brightened. “Really?” She turned in her seat to face Basil. “Could she hang out with us for a little bit? Please? You suck if you say no!”

Basil stuttered. “Uhm, okay? I guess?” It was his grandmother’s house, in the end. Her word was law, he just lived there. “If you’re both coming over though, then…” He pondered what he should do with the extra hands. “...you should help me take care of my indoor plants! I haven’t been able to as well as I usually do… for the past few days.” He just hadn’t been feeling up to it, and before he knew it, the task of taking care of them grew more and more daunting in his head, until the idea of basic plant care seemed unachievable.

“Sure, I don’t mind! You work so much on our group garden anyway, so I’ll try my best not to mess it up,” Aubrey smiled. Mari nodded in agreement.

The bus rolled to a stop a couple blocks down from Basil’s house, and the trio deboarded. The walk down the sidewalk was cold, atmospherically, but warm with the prospect of some casual company. The porch light was still on, showing that those inside must have been waiting for Basil’s return.

Sure enough, Polly was waiting in the kitchen, tapping her foot as Basil entered, with Mari and Aubrey behind him.

“Basil! Where have you been?” Polly whisper-yelled at him, which wasn’t very intimidating. “I didn’t go to your grandmother, because I didn’t want to worry her, but you were supposed to be home around two hours ago!”

Basil frowned. “...You don’t have to be so-”

Mari chimed in, preemptively diffusing the situation. “Oh, he was just out with friends! I’m Mari, this is Aubrey, we just wanted to hang out!” She clasped her hands together. “You know, I love your dress; where did you get it?”

Polly only seemed perplexed for a minute, quickly engaging in Mari’s diversion- a prime trait of socially well adjusted individuals. “Oh, thank you! It was this old thrift store that was a little ways from here. It closed down though; I was so sad, but enough about me, I’m Polly, nice to meet you, Mari!” She smiled. “Thank you very much for watching Basil!”

Basil cringed. Ah yes, Mari, three years older than him, was now his babysitter. Aubrey snickered to his right. He wasn’t going to punch her. He wanted to punch her. He was going to-

“...Well, while we’re here, could I help with anything? Dinner, maybe?”

Polly shook her head. “I’ve already got stuff in the fridge, if any of you want it. Since my client’s asleep, I’ll be heading out now. See you tomorrow, Basil!” Polly picked up her purse near the front door, beaming as she did so. Her worried attitude seemed to have flown right out the door. “You all have fun! Goodnight!” Polly shut the door and locked it behind her. How considerate.

Aubrey pumped her fist. “Free food, yes!”

Mari giggled. “So, what’re the plants that need tending to?”

Basil pursed his lips, beginning to count on his hands. “Well, there’s the ones on the shelf over there, and the two sets in the hallway. I can handle the five in my room. There’s another shelf in the bathroom. Oh, and I’ll also quietly snag the two ferns from my grandmother’s room-”

He didn’t notice until then that Aubrey and Mari were looking at him with wide eyes and furrowed brows.

“What…? Why are you looking at me weird?”

“Oh… it’s… I’m so happy you have a hobby you enjoy, Basil!”

“Dude… that’s a lot of plants.”

Basil glared at them. “Listen, if you don’t want to help, then-”

“No, no, it’s fine!”

“Hey, look, a watering can!”

Aubrey and Basil started out tending to the shelf in the living room, while Basil worriedly corrected her harsh grasp on the delicate stalks.

“Alright, alright, I’ll be careful around your plant babies.”

“They’re not…!”

“Alright then, tough guy, if they’re not ‘plant babies,’ then what do I call them?”

“They’re primroses! And… they’re special, you know…” Basil trailed off, mumbling. Mari aww-ed at him from the hallway, much to his annoyance.

Things were going well until Mari said something concerning the bathroom. “Guys, you might want to look at this!”

When Aubrey and Basil rushed over, Basil was appalled and distressed at the sight that greeted him.

“Oh no, my poor mallow!” He leafed through the plant, which didn’t look majorly wilted, but the soil was covered with a fuzzy, white mold.

Aubrey scoffed. “He acts more concerned for his flowers than for any of us, that’s for sure…”

“You know that’s not true, Aubrey! Shush!”

“Yeah, I know. Just messing around. What happened to the plant?”

Basil clutched the pot to his chest, worriedly. “I… I don’t know! I haven’t been watering them excessively, and- and-”

Mari shushed him, but not patronizingly so. “You know, can’t mold form in dark, dingy places? There might be a similar case here.”

Basil felt a lightbulb go off in his head. She was right. Basil hadn’t been overwatering them, and he changed soil at proper intervals, so the potting soil hadn’t gone bad. However, he never had his windows open at much as he used to before his grandmother’s health declined somewhat. Polly kept them closed more often. That must have been detrimental to the plants’ environment. Basil looked bitterly at the mold, thinking of his grandmother in the other room, and couldn’t help but make a morbid comparison inwardly.

“Hey, Basil, it’s going to be alright. What should we do?” Mari coaxed him.

Basil frowned, but gave them orders to get some spoons from the kitchen, to scrape the mold off from the soil, and prune any leaves that had mold infesting them. If the mold’s influence reached deeper into the plant, they would reassess its fate.

Luckily, the mold was hardly dominating the hosts it had taken, and was easily removed. All that was next was finding a better place for Basil’s blooms. After some thoughtful discussion, and agreement that allowing the plants to freeze outdoors to attain the circulation they needed was counterproductive, the three friends found themselves crowded by flower pots in the living room. Aubrey wasn’t the biggest fan, but she was now stretched out on the couch, so the few plants on the windowsill above her made no difference. Mari paid no mind to the plants sitting all around her, frequently commenting how she’d like to make things a little more lively around her house, too. She just had to get Sunny on board with the commitment of greenery care.

Basil watched tapes of old musicals with the other two, housing a small pot of peace lilies in his lap. Aubrey wasn’t thrilled, at first, upon realizing Basil didn’t have any more “interesting” movies, and cable wasn’t providing many interesting programs at the moment either, but she seemed content to allow Mari to happily watch The Sound of Music, and sing along with the songs. Aubrey ‘wittily’ improvised Mari’s name for “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria,” and everyone laughed the first couple times.

Unsurprisingly, Aubrey conked out near the beginning, her exhaustion and lack of interest catching up with her. Thus, Mari and Basil were left to watch the musical progress on its own.

“...Hey Basil, I forgot to mention it to Aubrey, but don’t tell Hero about what we all did today, either, okay?”

“...Well, I figured don’t tell ‘anyone’ meant ‘anyone’ so, sure.”

“I just don’t want him to be upset over any ‘losses’ I’ve dealt with because of the whole mess with the car. I know he wasn’t super excited over it, either, but-”

“Yeah, I remember him saying he was upset over Kel hitting his car, oop-” Basil let it slip out, before he remembered he was but an anonymous spectator in Mari and Hero’s small dispute earlier that day.

“Hm, listening in? It’s okay. We were talking in the hallway at school, after all. Anyone could hear that.” Mari sighed. “He wasn’t too happy about that whole situation. You know why?”

Basil shook his head, fiddling with the leaves of the peace lily as he listened.

“...I know more than anyone how sweet he is; how much he cares. But… he cares too much sometimes. I’d never demand him to ‘pick a side,’ or anything, because I think that’d be dumb and selfish. I only want everyone to get along too, after all. But, he gets so stressed when there’s something bothering his parents, or just the authority figures in his life, even when it’s not something that was really his fault. I just hope he’ll learn to stop trying to please; at least a little bit. It makes me sad when he gets upset every time there’s a little situation like this. But… I guess I’m being a hypocrite, there.” Mari laughed sadly to herself. “He really makes himself lonely, trying to please everyone like that. Does that make sense, or am I rambling at this point?”

Basil shook his head again. “...No, it makes sense. I don’t really… uhm, know him too well, but I get being worried about what people around you think, I guess. And… and being lonely because of it.”

Mari chortled. “That’s definitely not an unfamiliar feeling.”

“Hero’s lonely?”

“Well, I can’t speak for him, but… I feel lonely, but only sometimes, trying to put a face on that people might want to see. Not that anyone falls for it. Do you know that Hero’s the only person I really talk to at school?”

“Really?”

“Yep! It’s been that way since I moved here. I’ve tried to make friends at school, outside of our group that we have now. It’s never worked.”

“You don’t… seem lonely. And… why wouldn’t people want to be friends with you?” If Basil was honest, Mari seemed… nice. Why would people turn her away? She wasn’t mean or anything, she wasn’t too annoying. In fact, she seemed pretty considerate, and well put together. So why…?

Mari shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. People say I’m uptight, for one. Guess that’s a turn off? But to tag on to what you said: no, I’m not lonely in the long run.”

“You’re not?”

“No. Like I said, people may not want to be ‘friends’ with me, per se, but I’ve always tried to be kind when speaking to them, and they’ve been kind to me back. In the moment, I think there’s a connection, even if they may not stick up for me, or be there for me in the long run.” She chuckled. “Now you’re really looking at me confused. Am I not making sense?”

“I guess… I just don’t get it.”

“What part?”

“I… uh.... so you’re saying you’re okay with people being… two faced towards you? You blend in with the crowd, and they act all nice to you, but act mean behind your back? That seems cruel. I wouldn’t like that.”

“I guess that kind of way of acting could be seen as ‘two-faced,’ but I just think people are complicated. I don’t know how else to put it than that.”

“...I wouldn’t want that. To just be nice to people without them actually… uhm… how should I put it…”

“...Paying it forward?”

“Yeah, that.” Was he asking too much for that? Was he being pretentious and hypocritical, by asking for pure, genuine affection from people in his life? Was he ever one hundred percent genuine with the people in his life? Honestly, no he wasn’t. So maybe it would only be fair to be like Mari, to take every interaction at face value. To realize that, even though he may not ever see the true depths or their mind, it was still only fair to assume the best of others, and keep it at that.

“...There’s nothing wrong with that, you know,” Mari softly spoke, as though reading the turmoil in his mind. “I think a lot of people are like you. That doesn’t make you mean, or bad, or anything. It just means you want deeper relationships with the people you interact with, you know?” She gestured to the sleeping girl behind them.

“I think Aubrey’s a lot like that. A ‘take no shit from anybody,’ kind of person, excuse my language. She wants to know for absolute sure that people care about her, and I get that.” Her eyes turned a bit sad, as Mari looked at Aubrey with all of the affection in the world. Basil’s heart panged a bit to see how much care was rooted in those eyes. “...It’s part of the reason why… I’m doing so much stuff lately. Trying to put together all of these hangouts, like we used to do when we were younger, and less busy. Getting Kel a car for his birthday. Or, doing crazy stuff like shoving the same cars off ledges! Is she going to doubt that I care about her, when Hero and I eventually leave for college? I’m not sure how much time we’ll have anymore.”

Basil wasn’t sure what to say, so he remained silent.

“...You’ll keep being her friend, won’t you? She likes you a lot, from what I’ve heard.” Mari sighed, as though pondering a time different from the one they were in now. “I’ve tried so hard to be a sister so that I could feel good, and needed, that I feel like I forgot to be a friend. Aubrey needs more friends.”

Basil couldn’t really promise anything. Who knows? She might tire of him eventually. “...I’ll try my best, Mari. Are you really going away?”

“...Yes. next fall. Hero and I will be gone. I should be happy. He’s... great, and… we’ve been talking about going to the same college. But leaving everything behind is a lot. Leaving behind Kel and Aubrey… and Sunny…”

“He’s going to miss you, too.”

“Sunny…? Yeah. I know. But that’s life, I guess. I’ll call him as much as I can. I mean, he’ll get it once he moves out somewhere. Things change. All we can do is try our best.”

They both were silent for a while, watching the movie as it carried on. Basil hugged the clay pot to his chest, finding solace in its solidity. Before long, the man in the screen carried out a guitar and began to sing low, somber, yet hopeful notes.

“Hey Basil,” Mari spoke, pointing at the screen, “What’s the edelweiss represent? You’re a big flower person, you know flower language, right?”

It was a frilly hobby, but Basil didn’t feel it was right to play dumb. “Purity, and innocence. But people usually say ‘noble purity.’”

“That’s weird. Isn’t purity kind of noble on its own?”

“I might just be being stupid, but… maybe purity on its own just means like the purity a baby has- just naïve and stupid. But, maybe this kind of purity is… knowing what the world is like, but being true to yourself anyway? Or at least trying to?”

“I don’t think that’s stupid at all, Basil. You should write a book.”

“I… I wouldn’t make a good one. I prefer to read what other people write. It always sounds better.”

“Well, maybe you should give it a shot. At least think about it.”

“...Maybe.”

Chapter Text

“It’s cold everywhere in this house…” Sunny groaned, curled into a fetal position against the bumpy wooden trim of the wall.

“...and Hero won’t let us inside the room where the space heater’s on…” Kel whined, bonking his head on the same trim.

“...it can’t be spring soon enough…” Basil mumbled, slouching unflatteringly onto the dirty floor.

An excited cheer came from within the closed off boundaries of Kel and Hero’s shared bedroom, a quick, shocked whooping and hollering, which ended just as quickly as the initiator stopped himself, seemingly embarrassed at the racket he was making. Kel immediately perked up.

“Oh my god, I can get the sign!”

Sunny stood to his feet, uncharacteristically invigorated. “Go get it! C’mon, go, go…”

Basil only looked at the two of the co-conspirators, plotting whatever nasty schemes they had while they lurked beside the door frame. He continued to sit on the floor as he watched them go, annoyed that he was promptly excluded from whatever they were up to. Basil jolted in surprise as the door swung open behind them.

“Guys, I- oh, Basil! Sorry for spooking you. Where’d Sunny and Kel run off to?”

Basil shrugged. “Beats me. They always seem to be sharing the same stupid brain wherever they go.” He pointedly ignored Hero’s mildly annoyed frown. “So… you’re in?”

And just like that, the annoyance disappeared in an exhilarated heartbeat. Hero practically squealed once more, his fists balled in some sorry attempt to keep his unbridled excitement closed within his fingers. Leave it to something like this to be Hero’s undoing when it came to retaining his cool, composed aura.

“Yes! The acceptance letter’s in my inbox! I totally thought they were going to overlook me, but here we are! And I snagged the scholarship, to boot! Who knows what they saw in me…”

Basil practically scoffed at his humility. Well, Hero, you’re motivated, smart, handsome, a helping hand in the community, wildly popular, a member of the student council of your high school, handsome, well-spoken…

Basil’s almost-resentful slew of aggressively-delivered compliments came to a jolted close as they were ripped through by a proud peal of song:

“O Bythesea, dearest to me,
Lead us to new lands
With our brothers,
Now forever,
United hand in haaaaand…”

Basil and Hero both stood, horrified and accepting respectively, and witnessed Kel marching forward in a badly self-composed tempo, a dramatic hand to his chest, and a party hat on his head. Kel, filled with gusto, belted out lyrics in an often out of tune manner, but laden with enthusiasm and passion all the same. Sunny stoically stood at Kel’s left, a party hat on his head as well, albeit stationed crookedly. His job, rather than to destroy the reputation of the art of song altogether, was to hold a cardboard sign in one hand with words drawn on in sharpie that read “Congratz, New Bythesea Student!” Underneath the bold font of “student” was a tiny, crossed out “slave” written in sloppy handwriting that only could’ve belonged to one snarky individual. There was also a date marking the occasion, a proud “2/20/03” in the bottom right. Basil looked up from the sign, and realized Sunny was looking at him while Kel sang, a furled party horn held by his puckered lips. For some reason, that look alone was able to morph what would’ve otherwise been a nigh unbearable performance from Kel into something unexplainably hilarious, and Basil found tears welling up in his eyes as he tried to stop himself from exploding into peals of laughter.

It really became difficult when Sunny, who was absolutely aware of Basil’s silent suffering, kept his deadpan stare, and began to waggle his eyebrows as well as the sign in his hand. While Hero was only kindly watching his younger brother belt his lungs out, Basil stood at his side the entire time, effectively losing his mind.

When the song finally, painfully, came to a conclusion, Kel wordlessly gave Sunny a solemn gesture, who nodded back to the other before releasing a fistful of confetti with his unoccupied hand into the air with an admirable level of nonchalance. This was punctuated with the party horn’s telltale honk, which seemed to give Basil the permission he needed to break into almost shrieking hysterics.

Hero started snickering as well, watching as Basil was beginning to struggle to breathe, but admirably kept his composure. “The alma mater… thank you, Kel… so much.” Even one of Hero’s award-winning grins weren’t all-that convincing, now.

Kel though, would never be dismayed by the local Basil losing his shit. He proudly lifted his chin. “Sunny and I were practicing our routine for hours, so yeah… it’s only right you’d realize its amazing-ness,” Kel feigned a diva’s stance, admiring his fingernails. Sunny nodded at his side, party horn still in his mouth. Kel couldn’t keep up his act for long, though, as he practically launched himself at his brother into a bear hug, lifting him from the floor the tiniest bit.

“But seriously, I’m so, so proud of you! Your college is gonna do so well with you in it! And you’re gonna get like… a PhD or something! They’ll probably name a bench after you and everything! Imagine having someone remember all your achievements every time they sit down! So cool!”

Hero, who was casually being asphyxiated, pat Kel on his back like he was in a wrestling match and calling for a truce. “Thank… thank you, Kel. P-put me down, please. Can’t… breathe…!”

“Oops! Sorry, Hero! Wouldn’t want to kill off a soon-to-be college grad!”

Hero, now once again with his feet on the ground, smoothed his hair down. “Aha… I haven’t even graduated high school yet, Kel. It’s gonna be a bit.”

“Aw, man! Aren’t you supposed to be the future-oriented one? What am I even doing, then?” Kel kicked at the ground sheepishly, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“...Being a kind younger brother who has way too much confidence in me?”

“Nope! Just pushing expectations onto you until you drop from the stress!” Kel gave Hero a toothy, self-serving grin.

“Ouch Kel… too real, too real…”

“Hey Hero, could we go to Gino’s to celebrate?” Sunny took the party horn out of his mouth to speak up.

Kel whipped his head around and stuck an accusatory finger at Sunny. “Aw, come on, man! I’d be with you any other day of the week, but we’re all broke except for him! He’d end up paying for his own meal!”

“...We could pay him back later.”

Kel’s expression changed at the drop of a hat. “Pay him back… that’s a great idea! Why didn’t I think of that? Hey Hero, let’s head to Gino’s!”

Basil wiped tears from his eyes with the palms of his hands rubbing into the lids. “Their food’s so greasy, though…”

“That’s why it’s good,” Sunny had made his way over to Basil’s side, looking frustratingly self-satisfied at the state he reduced him to moments prior. “Besides, there’s hardly anything else to eat around here that’s not some weird, niche or fancy place.”

“Right? It’s horrible. We need some variety around here. I hate living in Faraway.”

“Sourpuss. You should enjoy your all-American cuisine.”

“You have no taste… and that stuff’s bad for you. Garbage disguised as edible.”

“You sound like a grandma. What’dyou eat, salads?”

“Yes!” Basil balled a fist, and held it before himself threateningly, tempted to slug the smugness from Sunny’s face.

Hero coughed politely. “It is the evening, guys, and it may not be the weekend, but Gino’s is always busy during the evening. If you want to make it before things get too busy, we should probably get moving.” His chestnut eyes were brimming over with affection, filled with mirth upon obtaining such a mood-booster as an acceptance letter for his university of choice. Before even waiting for the others to join him, Hero was already trotting down the staircase to the first floor, dreamily speaking to no one in particular: “I wonder when Mari’s going to get her response…”

Kel rolled his eyes, watching his brother go. “I wonder when Mari’s mememe-” he trailed off, voice pitched high, making a talking puppet of his hand to mock Hero’s behavior. Kel threw Sunny a knowing look over his shoulder, and Sunny snickered at his friend’s antics before Kel went to follow Hero.

Basil rolled his eyes. “Well, since everyone’s hell-bent on it, I guess I’ll come too.”

“They’ve got some sub things, I think. That’s what Hero’s favorite thing on the menu is, so maybe you could have it, too?”

Basil carefully walked down the creaking stairs, with Sunny trailing after him. “You know, I do remember this really good feta cheese pizza I had this one time. The place grandmother got it from’s closed now, I think. It had like… spinach and tomatoes on it. But I mainly really liked the cheese.”

“Spinach? On pizza? Sounds gross.”

“Once again, you have no taste,” Basil waved off his uncultured companion, “...you would’ve had to have tried it. Enjoy your grease-fest, though,” his voice was kept lightly antagonizing, enjoying every second of criticizing Sunny’s bad choices. It’s only right after all the trouble he’s given him lately.

“...They’re leaving without us.”

Basil looked to the front door, which was slammed shut behind a quick-footed Kel, and then back at Sunny. “Come on, then, let’s move!”

Sunny pulled on the back of Basil’s grey tweed sweater before Basil could fly off to follow the others, drawing a choked, startled sound from Basil’s throat. Before he could even protest, Sunny had strapped the coned party hat on Basil’s head in one swift movement.

“...Festive, hah,” Sunny looked way too proud of himself.

Basil scowled at him, having half a mind to rip the thing off. Who’d he think he was, jostling him around like that, and pulling on him? Jeez…

“What do you think you’re doing, grabbing me, putting a stupid hat on- why are you laughing?!”

Sunny had startled chuckling, a low, guffawing sound, that didn’t seem forceful enough to cause him to hold his stomach, but he did so anyway. “...Sorry, it’s hard to take you seriously when you’re mad with a silly hat on.” He lifted the party horn back to his lips, and blew on it softly, making a smaller, sadder, phrrr! sound, as it extended forth just enough to gently bop Basil’s nose, stopping his objections in their tracks. Basil made a stupid sort of giggle that he was far from proud of, and felt a heat prickle on the back of his neck.

“I’m a pregnant woman, I go to take a nap for one hour, and I wake up to stupid, screaming boys! Who do you think…” A dramatic gasp cut off the speaker’s rant, Kel’s fearsome mother, from the second floor, before it returned with a roar. “¡Dios mío! Paper! All over the floor!”

Basil and Sunny darted to the door as fast as their desperate legs could carry them, swearing they could hear yelling following the slam of the screen door. However, they agreed it was probably best to inform Kel and Hero about the coming reckoning after they enjoyed themselves a little bit.

Basil and Sunny were a breathless pair as they finally cut up with Kel and Hero, who raised suspicious eyebrows at their state. “What were you two even up to?” Hero pondered.

“No… nothing,” Basil gasped, hunched over, and grasping at his knees. Kel, not helping, as per the norm, clapped Basil on the back. “I like the festiveness, my friend! Joining in with a cool party hat, huh?”

Basil almost forgot about it. “N-No, I didn’t…” He looked over to Sunny, who was staring at him with an oddly searching expression. “...Just for now. It’s fine.”

Kel laughed and tried to pull Basil into a noogie, but Basil promptly almost bit his hand off, discouraging Kel from being physically affectionate towards the growling, blonde beast extremely quickly.

As Hero predicted, cars were pulling into the parking lot of Ginos, many of its customers being teens, like them, who were either ignoring their homework or had finished it already, and were enjoying the dusk while it was still young. Hobbeez, with its flashing sign, was packed to the brim with buyers. A new edition of a comic was a likelihood. Maybe there was another “Captain Spaceboy” volume in stock…

No, fight it, Basil! Don’t prove Aubrey right! You’re not a fan!

Hero started digging around in his pocket while walking, finding his wallet, and sifting through its contents. While they walked, he addressed the group. “Alright guys, it’s peak hours, so we’ve got to plan for utmost efficiency. Get in, get out. What does everyone want?”

“Uhm… I dunno….” Sunny mumbled, indecisive.

“I can’t remember the menu, hah,” Kel laughed, brushing it off.

“Kel, you’ve eaten here for years!” Hero looked at a loss.

“Right? So weird that I can’t remember.”

Hero visibly drooped. “Well, so much for that plan. That’s okay! We can just… try our best!”

Kel clapped his hands together in what looked like a ‘eureka’ moment. “Wait a minute! Sunny, you’ve got a great memory! What’s the menu, my man?”

Sunny looked at Kel long and hard, tapping his chin where he looked like he was deeply contemplating something, causing even Hero to look over, intrigued.

“...I suddenly forgot.”

Kel gaped. “No you didn’t! You’re messing with me!”

“...Oops.” Sunny shrugged his shoulders.

“What do you mean, oops? Man, you can be such a little devil sometimes!”

“Guys, we’ve got to get in line!” Hero raised his voice just enough to be considered mildly terse. Basil, at least, was listening. “I can get in line, if they’re going to keep messing around.”

“Thanks, Basil. But didn’t you say you didn’t want anything? I feel a little bad…” Hero held out some money for him. “At least get a soda or something.”

“...I’ll think about it.”

“And I’ll drag them in by the scruffs or something.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Operation, have-Basil-stand-awkwardly-in-line-wearing-a-stupid-party-hat-that-he-still-wasn’t-taking-off-for-some-reason was initiated. He tried his best to maneuver around rambunctious teens scuttling about the restaurant, and, more dangerously, small children running unpredictably in front of his path, only lightly bumping into others at times. He wondered if he was ever as problematic as a child. Probably. Wait, didn’t Kel’s mother say she was pregnant? Did that mean there’d be a mini-Kel running around their house, soon? He could barely handle one!

Basil didn’t have to stand in line too long, gratefully, and the others joined them shortly. Hero bumped Basil’s shoulder to grab his attention in the loud establishment, but Basil’s ears seemed to be malfunctioning while they tried to communicate.

“Do you see anything that you like?”

“Do I what?!”

“On the menu! Do you see anything?!”

“There’s not anything on my shoe!”

Hero rolled his eyes and bent over to talk almost directly into Basil’s ear. “Food. Do you see anything. You would want.”

This of course, while reaching its objective, prompted an adverse reaction from Basil, turbulent as always. “N-No! I’m good! It’s all what I expected! You don’t need to get that close…” Basil trailed off, in a small voice, playing with his fingers. The line moved quickly, probably filled with a bunch of patrons who planned out their orders effectively, as Hero passive-aggressively chastised Kel and Sunny. When they got to Sunny’s order, though, the boy looked absolutely frazzled, unable to make eye contact with the tired-looking cashier.

“U-Uhm…”

Kel waved off his hesitancy. “Sunny’s always like this; don’t worry, I can order for us,” he said, proudly taking initiative of the situation. Sunny shook his head, and patted Kel’s arm to show he was actually against it.

“S-Sorry, I…uh. Do you,” his voice cracked a little bit, and Sunny’s pallid cheeks filled with color. “...Do you have any pizza with f-feta instead of…”

The cashier, clearly ready to move things along, rolled his eyes. “Yes, we’ve got feta. We charge extra for it, though.”

Sunny looked over at Hero, pleadingly, who felt his heart snag upon seeing the eagerness in his face. “Alright, Sunny. If that’s what you want. What toppings?”

“...Tomatoes…”

“That’ll be $24.67 for the two pizzas.”

Hero handed the cashier a card, who grumbled as the machine acted up a few times before accepting it. Hero inwardly prayed to any gods above who were listening that the little mishap didn’t create three additional charges on his account he’d have to null.

While they were sitting at the table, Kel looked at Sunny incredulously, like he was an alien, or as though he spouted a second head. “What happened to meat-lovers, compadre? What even is feta?” Sunny shrugged, like he was trying to sound casual, but his words came out defensive, regardless.

“I-I just thought I’d try something different,” he said, thinking he was being subtle. In reality, he kept glancing over to Basil, as though searching for some kind of approval, or something. Basil supposed he should speak up, be grateful, or something.

“Thanks for… ordering for me. I didn’t think to… check with them…” Basil cleared his throat awkwardly. He was assuming correctly, wasn’t he? He wasn’t being arrogant, thinking that Sunny stepping outside of his comfort zone was for his sake, and not truly his desire to try something different?

Sunny brightened a little bit, offering Basil a small simper. “Hah… I figured there’d be something with feta here. You should eat.”

Basil kicked out his feet under the table. So Sunny did go out of his way to order a different pizza just for him! That’s so… nice? Why would he do that? Why was he looking at Basil like that? He said thank you- wasn’t that enough? For the love of god Sunny had better stop looking at Basil right this moment, or-

“OH, so that’s why Sunny ordered that weird sounding pizza! It was for Basil! It all makes sense, now,” Kel said, all too loudly, making Basil want to melt into the cheap plastic of his chair. Damn you, Kel.

Sunny seemed to share his sentiments, gratefully. “Kel, shut up,” the black haired boy grumbled, his face turning stormy.

Hero was acting amicably as always, checking a watch on his wrist. “...Sorry this is taking a bit, guys. With all the people here, I guess I didn’t think too much about how long the preparation would take, even if the line didn’t last too long.” He sighed to himself, a worried crease crossing his brow. “You know, I’m super happy about being accepted into my college and all, but I hope Mari’s turns out successful too. That’s what’s pretty important, here. Things are kind of hinging on that factor."

Kel waved him off. “Eh, it’s fine. I’m having fun just spending time with you guys!” He chided Hero’s nervousness. “And don’t worry about Mari! She’s just as smart as you, so I’m sure she’d be able to fight her way in!” Hero smiled gratefully at Kel’s confidence, allowing the table to drift into a contented pause.

Sunny took that opportunity to stand up abruptly from his chair, pushing himself away from the checkered tabletop. “Uh… while you guys wait, I was actually going to… check something really quick.” With all of the timidity of a mouse, Sunny’s eyes darted towards Basil, and he made some strange, jerky gesture- an amateur version of a beckoning motion.

“...Come with me.”

“What’re you guys up to?” Kel’s voice lilted with curiosity. “Can I come?”

Hero looked back and forth between the two boys, Sunny’s stare becoming the slightest bit more intense, while Basil looked like a chaotic combination of perplexed and wildly nervous. “Hey Kel, I think they fixed the arcade machine in the back.”

Kel’s attention was immediately snagged, eyes drawn to the game in the back like a moth to a flame “Oh shoot, you’re right! Got any quarters?”

“...You’re lucky I’m in such a good mood,” Hero attempted a grumble, but any sort of ill will from him sounded like a parody of the real deal. The boy just didn’t have the attitude or sass to pull it off. Indeed, he was already fishing for spare change mid-sentence. Wow. Kel flocked to his side, promising to pay him back, but everyone knew this was about as likely as Kel cleaning his side of the room. AKA, not likely. When Kel rushed off to likely unintentionally bully a single-digits child by uprooting their high score from some Galactica knockoff, Hero nodded to Sunny and Basil.

“Don’t worry, I’ll watch for the food. Where are you guys heading off to, so I can let you know when it’s here?”

“I’m thinking of checking out Fix-It, real quick…” Sunny mumbled, the words leaving him slowly.

“Alright, then. Have fun, you two!”

Well, apparently Basil was going with Sunny now, in whatever his machinations of the hour were. Sunny didn’t seem too malicious, momentarily. No, if anything, the boy was more transparent than ever, as though he was doing his best to reflect a sense of anxiety that was currently churning within Basil’s own stomach. He wasn’t really sure if he was that hungry, currently. Without knowing the full scope of his little sneak session, Basil followed Sunny out of Gino’s regardless.

“W-What’s with the secrecy? Am I missing some big plan, or something?” Basil cursed himself for his stutter.

Sunny shook his head. “...No, not really. I just wanted to ask you about something.”

Basil almost said ‘ask away,’ but the scope of such a generalized request would likely open the gates to pandemonium. No, siree. Perhaps a generally intrigued, neutral eyebrow raise would do the trick.

“Once again, you are not easy to take seriously while wearing the party hat,” Sunny said pointedly.

Basil quickly scrambled to take it off. “Oh my god, I’ve been wearing it the whole time?!”

Sunny snickered, guiding Basil to the doors of Fix-It, holding it open for him. “If you like it so much, you should’ve just said so.”

“Shut up, you damn… you!” Basil almost hissed like a Mewo.

“...So scary.”

Fix-It had a different feeling in the dark of the late evening. When daylight savings time has long departed, and the lonely, cold and dark winter nights quickly drain the light away from the available free-time following work and school. What a difference an hour made. The store was still open, of course, working hours being unfaltering working hours, but the swinging outdoor lights overhead worked overtime in compensation, casting beams of light in circular patterns throughout the indoor-outdoor store, the half warehouse, and half gardening section never being fully lit to its corners.

It might even be unnerving to anyone else, but Basil had visited this store far too many times at all available hours of the day to be deterred by the atmosphere. Instead, the secluded nature of the store in its waning hours, especially when dark, offered a sense of romantic mystery that remained simply absent during any other time of the building’s operation. Basil really hoped this place never closed.

Sunny spoke quietly into the shadows, shivering as his voice was carried the slightest bit. “Is anyone still working here?”

Basil assuaged his nervousness. “If the door’s unlocked, then it’s open. Trust me, this place is like a second home to me.”

“I kind of got that feeling the first time we were here. You really seemed to know your way around.”

“That’s what gave you the feeling? And not that I have like, twenty plants, and gardening’s pretty much my trademark? Good going, detective Sunny.”

“First of all, rude, but second of all… not really rude,” Basil could’ve sworn that Sunny was blushing. “...Detectives are pretty cool.”

“...I’ll have to find something mean to say, then. Detective’s sidekick?”

“Nooo…”

“Heh, I found it.”

“...I could be your sidekick?”

Basil sputtered. “Me? A detective? Nu-uh.”

“I mean… maybe. We could both sneak around… find out that Hero forged his own application letter… solve mysteries and stuff. That’d be fun.”

“You’ve got a weird imagination.”

“I know by ‘weird,’ you mean totally cool, so I’m not offended.”

Basil harumph-ed, and watched as Sunny began walking forward, and disappeared into the darkness. The store really did look completely absent, didn’t it? He didn’t even see someone at the desk. Maybe it really was closed, and they just… forgot to lock up? No, they’d have the retractable gate over the store front, if that were the case. The staff must’ve just been elsewhere for the moment.

“...You coming?” Sunny’s echoing voice bounced back to Basil. Despite his feelings of familiarity with the establishment itself, Basil wasn’t used to it being this completely deserted. He never did too well with solitude, when it came to making him feel secure. Who did Sunny think he was, just walking off like that? Basil thought he was supposed to be the worrywart, too!

“Yeah! I am! Don’t… go too far ahead!”

“Well, if you don’t want to get left behind, better c-come over here, ‘fraidy cat.”

Was that… an incriminating tremor in his voice? Sunny was playing the tough guy act! In a strange turn of events, Sunny’s masked fear made Basil feel a little braver as a result. He wasn’t the only person being a ball of nerves. How amusing.

Basil stumbled into the darkness after him.

Despite hearing Sunny’s voice bounce back to him, Basil was unfortunately no bat, or dolphin, or whatever creature Basil could remember from the top of his head that utilized echolocation. Indeed, he was but a clumsy, bipedal creature, left to lamely extend his arms before him, hoping he wouldn’t stub his toe on anything.

“Oof-” Basil’s arms didn’t stop him, widely splayed as they were, from bracing himself against Sunny’s thin person. Rather, it led to the awkward situation of slamming his face… well, face-first into the back of Sunny’s skull.

“Shit, that smarts…”

“‘That smarts?’ Every day, I forget how old you are.” Basil heard the shifting of Sunny turning around, and Basil growled at his lack of sympathy.

“I just crashed into your stupid, big head. Feel at least a little bad for me, since you were just standing there.” Basil rubbed his nose, trying to soothe the sting, but stopped in a quick moment as wandering fingers placed themselves loosely upon the hand on his face.

“S-Sunny? That’s you, right?”

“...No. It’s a ghost.”

“...You’re so mean.”

“...I know.”

Basil could feel his breath tumbling against the hand before him, which seemed reluctant in its stasis, before it moved to his nose and briefly tweaked it.

“Doesn’t feel broken. I’m having so much fun walking blind right now.” Sunny’s voice came out as some broken attempt at a jest, the humor ringing hollow as a twitching finger brushed at Basil’s cheek.

“...Why’s your hand still on my face?” Basil almost whispered out, in some mix of fear, and something else. “...I’m fine.”

Sunny paused, and Basil felt the warmth of spindly fingers leave the tops of his own. Gone in an instant.

Basil dared to speak again. “...What did you want me out here for?” His mind was going to far-fetched, ridiculous places. Lands cataclysmic and ludicrous in nature and bare construction. He needed a solid reason to fight against the insecurities of the abstract. Sunny was too abstract.

“...I just… I… um,” Sunny seemed weighed down by his own irresolution, his voice seeming to become more of a tremor by the second, threatening to fade into the farthest reaching dark corners of the building if someone didn’t catch his words where they stood.

“...The gardening section’s just over this way," he finally spoke in a conceding manner, like he just lost an argument.

“...I know. I come here a lot.”

“...You said that, already.”

And thus… the two moved out from the darkness, and into the light once more, Sunny brushing against Basil’s arm, wordlessly asking him to join him. The moment was gone, whatever that moment might have been.

“...I was hoping… that we could buy more flowers… for the springtime. I need your opinion, but I think I know what it is, already.”

Basil’s eyes, downturned and deep, stared at Sunny in silent curiosity as he spoke, following him through the aisles without a complaint or objection. The crunch of their feet rang exceptionally loud against the gravel underneath. Basil ran his hand against the cool metal of the shelves the flowers would be rested on, if it were any season but winter. Alas, here remained only the afterthought of a floral haven, and the only existing companion of the natural world remained in the form of clouds of exhalations coming from Basil and Sunny’s mouths. However, there was a shelf nestled in warm, sheltered corner of the room, in the form of an array of seed packets.

“Hopefully, these haven’t been ruined by any of the freezes, like our flowers did in December.” Sunny’s eyes carefully roamed over each packet, as though he were tenderly evaluating each and every one of them.

“...So you really are wanting to replant the garden?” Basil’s voice came out small and tired, wildly disbelieving.

Sunny turned toward him, eyes steely and sad. “I knew it. That’s why you’ve barely been coming over the last couple months, isn’t it?”

Basil seemed to come to his senses, his voice hardening. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he emphasized his resentment at any such accusation by folding his arms.

“...Have we not been good enough friends? It’s like you don’t believe us.” Sunny didn’t sound angered, or entitled to a particular kind of behavior from Basil, which was making him feel all the more guilty. “It’s like you don’t believe… that we want you to stay, even when the flowers aren’t blooming.”

“Why does it matter so much to you…?”

“Because I… I think it matters to you. If you wanted to leave us alone… just be a friend for a little while… I’d be sad, but I’d understand. But, it’s like we’re trying to be there for you, and you think we’re going to be mean to you anyway, but you still want friends. Maybe I’m being selfish… but please don’t go. Isn’t it… isn’t it nice having friends, especially as the little guys?”

“That’s so cliché. Underdogs sticking together and all that stuff.”

“Well, it’s either that, or you go back to being the guy that I found bleeding on the side of the road.”

“I’m still like that.”

Sunny held out a hand that boldly tried to rest on Basil’s elbow, as the latter was still turned away from him, his eyes refusing to meet and find the unabashed honesty in another. If he did, after all, there was no promising that Basil would be able to refrain from adopting an almost habitual transparency of his own. Quiet types seemed to do that to him. Basil let the hand linger on his arm, but refused to turn around.

“...I mean, maybe you think so… but…” Sunny sighed.

“Hydrangea, Daffodil.” Sunny slowly spoke, like he was reciting items from a table. “Violets… and Leucojum.” Basil heard him give a small chuckle. “I can’t remember where that last one was from, but that was one of them, too.”

It was the bell-shaped one that you were looking at when we first came here, Basil wanted to say, but still kept himself from doing so with a stupid, stupid stubbornness he almost wanted to grind into the dirt under his heel.

“I saw you mouthing the names… those flowers, one day, when you were watching everyone work together in the garden. Those are flowers you still wanted to plant… right? So plant them.”

“Why do you only talk so much around me? It gets… annoying.”

“...I don’t know.”

“Hmm.” Basil finally deigned to turn around, and felt his heart practically give out at the sight of Sunny’s watery smile, which he clumsily attempted to mask upon seeing Basil’s tired gaze rest upon him. Sunny fidgeted with his hands, scratching the back of his head before speaking up again.

“So… the first three are for Aubrey, Kel, Hero, what about the ones for us two and Mari?”

Basil shook his head, feeling breathless. “You’re way too smart for your own good. I didn’t even write them down. How did you know I wanted to pick them out for them specifically?”

Sunny’s face was contrite, as though he was bearing all of his sins to a confessional. “...When you were whispering the names, I saw how you looked at everyone during their flower. It was almost like going over a shopping list. Eggs, Aubrey, Milk, Kel…”

“Aw, shut up,” Basil shoved him out of embarrassment.

“It’s true, though! You aren’t exactly secretive about whatever you’re planning. You’d be an awful villain in a story. You’d give away your master scheme by writing it on a sticky note or something, haha…”

This guy… damn him if Basil didn’t like him so much! He was so, undeniably rude! And scarily observant, when he so chose! How was he to survive around him?

“Alright, I’m caught. Now what?”

“You stick around with us, and garden in the spring? Please?”

“You’d be fine without me.” Basil laughed, despite himself. “...I’ve taught you everything I know, my apprentice,” he spoke, in a mock voice of a wise, tremulous sage.

“But Master… how could I go on without you?” Sunny played along, solemnly mock bowing, and Basil felt the tension ease from his stiff shoulders. The interrogation was concluded, and the status quo restored. Once again, they could just be two people hanging out, without the teasing promise of something lingering uncomfortably close between them.

“I guess I’ll stick around then. Come on, let’s look for seeds. The Leucojum was one that I was thinking of for Mari, by the way.” Basil crouched down, looking carelessly through the piles of seed packets. He didn’t care about being too neat and organized for the time being.

“...So there really weren’t flowers for you or me?”

“Nope. Couldn’t think of any. I’ve never thought of myself as a flower.”

“Never?”

“Never. Nothing would fit me.”

“I’ll probably have the same problem too, then. Are the Dwarf Hydrangeas good?”

Basil picked the seed packet Sunny was showing him. “Ooh, those would be perfect, actually. And I think they’re pink, too. Nice find.” Sunny was practically glowing, in whatever the Sunny-variety equivalent was of such an expression.

“...I’m buying them, by the way. I hid that I had money from Hero and Kel. I was saving it for this.”

Oh.

“...Happy birthday. Did you spend it alone?”

So that’s what the party hat was about. Sunny remembered his birthday.

“...My grandmother asked Polly to make me a recipe I really like.”

“...You did. You should’ve come over.”

“Birthdays can be hard.” How could Basil explain to him his reluctance for breaking such an isolated tradition? If Basil spent a birthday with friends… well, he’d probably get spoiled. And then what would happen when- if he lost said friends? The aloneness would hurt more than it did before.

“...I know.”

Maybe Basil didn’t need to explain, he realized, as they collected their stash, and made their way to the front counter, occupied by one tired cashier, who looked to be closing up soon. He seemed relieved that the two weren’t up for chatter, instead keeping consistency with a quiet and awkward air, getting in, grabbing their receipts, and getting out.

Sunny and Basil walked into the brisk night, with Basil toting the shopping bags.

“You’re stuck with us, now,” Sunny murmured.

“I see that.”

“And you’ve got to help us figure out what flowers would be good for us two.”

“...I’ll do my best, but you put in the work, too.”

“You’re the one with all the flower smarts, though. And… I hate doing extra work.”

“Well, you’re going to have to get over that, because… because you’re stuck with me.” Basil bumped him with the plastic of the grocery bag. Sunny didn’t look bothered in the slightest.

“...Cool.”

A piercing yell echoed from the entrance of Gino’s.

“BASIL, I JUST REALIZED IT’S BEEN TWO DAYS SINCE YOUR BIRTHDAY! I’M SORRY I FORGOT! COME ENJOY SOME COLD PIZZA WITH US, BECAUSE YOU TOOK TOO LONG!”

“...Kel,” the both of them muttered in affectionate understanding, a bond of 'introvertism' being recognized in one, simple exhale and shared glance. Back to the friendship circle it was. However, Basil was happy he had the renewed confidence, knowing he could weather until the spring.

The rest of the meal went nicely enough, and Basil felt uncontrollably light throughout the remainder of the evening. Sunny kept looking over at him, and rather than feeling like he was about to jump out of his skin, Basil felt more like he was comforted, a feeling of security being reaffirmed with each dart of the eyes, giving a simple ‘I see you, I see you,’ over and over again, that made it irresistible to keep a smile from stretching across his face. He met his looks right back.

When the quartet made their way home, Hero expressed his enthusiasm in sharing his good news with Mari, and insisted he went home with Sunny. Before they split, Sunny argued it was probably best for Basil to be in possession of the seeds until they were ready to be planted, as the former didn’t trust their ability to keep track of things. Basil was in full agreement. Therefore, Basil waved them away, and made his way home, with the swish and crinkling of the plastic bag not acting as what otherwise would be a lonely ambience, but a promise of a secure future.

“Polly, I’m back…!” Basil kept his voice down, in case his grandmother was sleeping, but instead, he just heard an all-too familiar voice coming from the receiver of the home phone sitting on the edge of the end table in the living room.

“...And to make things easier for Mom, we’ll be staying in a hotel that’s a little close, instead of at the house. I couldn’t actually find anything that was nice around the immediate area, so it’s a bit of a drive, I guess, but only like, an extra twenty minutes or so. Tell her she doesn’t need to worry about the gas, and that Oliver and I have been fine with money. She just needs to focus on medical expenses and- what do you mean I should quiet down?”

Polly was looking up from the landline, guilt clouding her gentle face, with her hand hovering above the handset key. Her mouth was shaped into an unspoken apology, but the damage was already done. Basil should’ve kept his mouth shut, but he couldn’t help himself. He could never help himself.

“...Mom? Is that you…?”

The phone was silent for a little while, the atmosphere as brittle as a dried twig.

“...Sorry, Polly. I’ll call back at a better time.”

Click.

Chapter Text

Basil weathered what was left of the winter.

Late March was upon them, and the approaching spring break felt like it had erupted around Basil’s person, a fanfare echoing soundlessly in his ears. Kel and Hero would be going on a family road trip, apparently, while Mari would be attending a volunteer project with her mother throughout the week. Aubrey and Sunny weren’t otherwise occupied with plans, and Basil wished oh-so-dearly he could say the same for himself.

So here he sat, brooding with a firm scowl painted across his face, kneading the dirt before him. The worst of the frosts were likely to be over, if meteorologists on TV were to claim something of substance, but frankly, Basil was in such a mood that he wasn’t too fretful over the prospect over something sprouting or icing over at this point. Indeed, if the seeds for the replanted garden were to die, then maybe Basil would have further reason to fester in his own nest of negativity, a cycle of fuel to ferment his feelings further.

Sunny had been sitting at Basil’s side since the friend group had assembled for the highly anticipated “Regrow-Mari-and-Sunny’s-Backyard” project. He had needed some “encouragement” from Aubrey and Kel, who practically had to drag him out of his bed to get him to come outside with everyone else. He hadn’t helped too much thus far, electing to crouch in his t-shirt and sweats next to his frazzled friend, watching him wordlessly.

“...Are you just gonna keep sitting there? Do you need something?” Basil had been all too aware of Sunny’s presence while he tried to work, and it frankly wasn’t helping him. Sunny wasn’t exactly a soothing, solid rock by default. If anything was ‘rock-like’ about him, it was that his face could be stone cold at times, especially as it was now, with bags highlighted under his eyes.

Sunny scooted forward, getting wettened dirt on the gray of his sweats, looking at where Basil had haphazardly scattered a few Dwarf Hydrangea seeds into the soil he had pulled into a hole. “...Are you alright? You’ve been… upset looking.” He frowned. “...Sorry if me being slow got you mad…”

Basil wished he could flip being irritable off like a light switch, because then he’d be able to easily juggle his now two predicaments easier than a court jester. ‘Oh no Sunny, you’re absolutely wonderful, and nothing’s wrong with you,’ he’d say with a plastered smile on his face. ‘Now allow me to switch back to the human embodiment of storm clouds so I can contemplate seeing my parents for the first time in years in just a few hours,’ he’d finish.

Instead, his response came out more like: “No, it’s not about you. I’m just being mad. You don’t have to worry about it.”

Sunny flinched a bit at the poison in Basil’s tone, and Basil couldn’t help but notice how small Sunny seemed right now. “...Okay.”

Basil scooted over to the next part of the plot, and began digging like the fierce little mole he was. Sunny scooted over with him, and Basil stifled a groan as he now felt like a microorganism being studied under a microscope. Was he not allowed to be upset? Was he going to hurt Sunny’s feelings? He obviously didn’t want to do that, but if he was going to have to fake being happy in order to- oh.

Sunny just got up and left.

And, dramatic irony after dramatic irony, Basil now wished he didn’t. Maybe he should have said something to him, instead of sort of… sending out vague emotion waves Sunny had been left to sift through, if he so chose.

Aaand, it looked like he did not choose. Fair enough. Basil was perfectly foul, momentarily. If the atmosphere he was tainting had driven away any goodwill Sunny had had, maybe it was only fair. Basil chanced a look over his shoulder, and spotted Sunny mumbling something to Aubrey, who was carrying some flowerpots, whilst wringing his hands. Aubrey’s eyes drifted over, and matched with Basil’s, prompting Basil to gulp in fear, and swing his head back around to his hands.

Oh god, Sunny was talking about him. Probably about how prissy Basil was being. God, he’s so up and down all the time. Just when you think he’s getting better, he gets worse again. He’s so annoying to hang out with, and so on, and so on.

“Baaasil, you bein’ a jerk to Sunny?” Aubrey settled on Basil’s right, while Sunny had crouched down at Basil’s left. He was effectively surrounded.

“...Maybe…” Basil frowned deeply, not making eye contact with either of them.

“Pfft, ‘maybe.’ Come on, dude. What’s up? Something’s wrong.” Aubrey placed her hands over his to still them, and Basil glared at them, as though that would make them go away.

“...Sunny, did you have to bring her over?”

Sunny looked like he was about to apologize, but Aubrey cut him off before he even dared to speak by giving Basil’s hand a small pinch.

Basil winced. “Hey, c’mon!”

“That’s for you using angry Basil mode to try to get people to go away. I get it if you don’t want to talk, but you’re not gonna be an asshole to anyone, and especially not to Sunny, got it?” Aubrey’s voice walked a strange line between a growl and of assured security, like a kindly-veiled threat.

“What is this, some good-cop, bad-cop scheme?” Basil hissed out to Aubrey.

Sunny, with his hands folded delicately in his lap, shook his head. “...I wouldn’t be a good good-cop. So… no.”

Aubrey snickered. “Alright, assuming I’m the bad cop. I see you, Sunny. After all I’ve done for you, too…”

Sunny ever so subtly rolled his eyes. “Can you blame me? You’re… terrifying.”

“Not as much as Basil the Beast over here. Rawr.” Aubrey bared her teeth in a jest.

Sunny loosely held out his hands like fierce talons.

“I’m not a…” Basil sighed. “...Fine,” he groaned as he drew his legs up into himself, and wrapped his arms around them, muttering into his knees as he practically mashed his face into his dirtied jeans. “My… parents are coming by this evening. I haven’t been looking forward to it. They’re visiting during Spring Break.”

Aubrey’s eyes widened, and she leaned closer to Basil. “O-oh… I kind of figured you didn’t like them. I’m sorry. So… they’ve just been away this whole time, huh?”

“...Yep. They stopped calling me a little while ago. Or maybe I just stopped picking up. Good riddance.”

Aubrey placed a hand on his shoulder. “...Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to put on a show or anything.”

Basil glared at her from his scrunched up form. “...It’s not. I really don’t care about them. Not one bit.” Basil felt like she of all people should understand, since her mom seemed so callous in her care for her only daughter, but maybe Aubrey’s feelings were more complex than he thought.

“...Well, you can be angry, then. I wasn’t sure if you were trying to do the thing where you act really strongly in the opposite way to avoid feelings about something. Because, if that was the case, I get it. I’ve done the same thing. Sometimes…” Aubrey sighed, and ran a hand through her hair. “...I don’t know. I think I hate my dad, because of what he did to me and my mom. He was… he was awful, I guess. Sometimes, I don’t know if I feel anything about him, or if I miss him or whatever. I feel bad about hating family. I just don’t know if you have the same problem.”

Basil’s voice came out softer, after hearing Aubrey’s piece. A tentative surprise laced his tone, and he knew he was stepping on tender ground. “...You’re okay with telling me that?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. You get it. Sunny gets it. And Sunny’s like a vault, honestly. He won’t say anything to anyone. Like, Russian-torture proof kind of stuff.” Aubrey’s lighter, assuring tone shifted in a moment. “So if you go and blab, I’ll shove my fist so far up your ass it won’t even feel good anymore.”

Basil squeaked despite himself. That was one of the most colorful threats he’d received in a long while, and he felt any sort of immediate anger drain out of him in favor of giving Aubrey fierce nods of affirmation.

“But really… Basil. If they’re here for the whole week, and you don’t want to deal with them? I’m right across the street from you. Just hang out with me or something! We can tag team your parents, right? I’ll watch with binoculars, hah!” Aubrey gave Basil a big thumbs up, but he bristled.

“Don’t… spy on me! Weird!”

“...It was a joke. I don’t even have binoculars.”

Sunny raised a hand up. “I do. I’ll spy.”

Basil swung around towards him wildly. “Both of you…!”

Aubrey laughed sweetly and suddenly reached forward to squeeze Basil into a fierce hug. She was really… huggy, wasn’t she?

“Good luck! You can tell me all about how much they suck, later. Give me all the juicy details. Let’s get these flowers planted, first.” Aubrey pulled herself up and darted inside to grab the other seeds, her arms flying out at her sides.

Sunny remained at Basil’s side.

“...She really is scary, isn’t she?” Basil muttered, watching her go.

“...Yeah. But kind.” Sunny looked at Basil with a questioning look on his face that the latter couldn’t help but take notice of.

“What? I told you what was up with me.” Basil was about to leave it at that, but he remembered his behavior. “...And, sorry for being mean.”

“You’re not saying that because of what Aubrey said, are you?”

“...No. I just thought I should… apologize… I guess. You were just trying to help.”

“...Okay, then.”

“So what is it you want? You’re looking at me like you want something.”

Sunny laughed and reached a finger up to scratch at his face. “Uhm… well… I guess I’m just still worried. I… what you said about your parents before. I know you haven’t seen them in a long… long, time. Aubrey was kind of… quick about it. She’s like that.” His eyes met with the ground to the side of Basil, unable to meet his eyes. “...Was there anything else you wanted to say? …’s probably hard to deal with.”

“...I don’t want to bother you. I’m just being dumb.”

“You’re not dumb.”

“...Whatever you say. You don’t want to listen to me, trust me. I’m just angry and sad.”

“Yeah I do!” Sunny balled his fists in determination, a stark contrast to his otherwise exhausted visage. “...Please. This is… how I can help.”

Basil considered him. Sunny’s always been trustworthy in the past, that was for sure. He’d trust Aubrey with her ‘vault’ comparison. It wasn’t about trust, now. It was more about… his being a burden. Basil was always going to have problems. Was it really for the best if Sunny thought he could just… take on all of them? For someone who looked like they really needed a nap, Basil thought that was a little over-ambitious. And funny. Well, maybe he could humor him.

“...You know, my dad’s always been really focused on such stereotypical things whenever I’ve called him.” Basil began, digging another hole. “...You gonna help me with this, at all? I can’t plant all these things on my own.”

Sunny looked around evasively. “Sure you can. You don’t need my help.”

“But I want your help, and you’re here.” Isn’t that reason enough? Basil placed a nearby packet of daffodils in Sunny’s hands. Sunny looked the slightest bit distraught, as though being drawn from his position of an observer was enough to dissuade him from retaining his presence, but humbled himself enough to stoop near the dirt and aid Basil as requested. Sunny’s bony fingers picked and prodded at the soil, deeply tentative of any creepy crawlies that might try to jump out at him.

“So…” Sunny prompted, gritting his teeth as he removed an earthworm from its roost, “...your dad?”

Basil cleared his throat. “Yeah, uhm… really normal sounding, I guess. Not much to say about him, and he’s never had much to say about me, either. He always asks about super cliché stuff, like ‘oh, how’s your grandmother doing,’ or some sort of ‘keep your grades up,’ general encouragement. It’d always sound so awkward, it’s like someone’s holding him at gunpoint!” Basil tried to laugh, thinking that if he addressed it lightly, his father’s impersonal behavior might seem more quirky, rather than detrimental.

Sunny mumbled as he picked some dirt out of his fingernail. “...Sounds like my dad.”

“What’s you dad like?” Basil realized they hadn’t talked about him. “...Also, cleaning your nails is really pointless. Just wash off afterwards.”

“Loud.” Sunny replied succinctly. Basil stiffened. Was Sunny giving a short answer to dissuade further prompting, or was he just being Sunny?

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have ask-”

Sunny shook his head. “It’s fine. You’re talking about your dad, so I guess it’s fair. I don’t really have much to say about mine, to be honest. He’s strict, and he’s loud, and he’s not here. Mari and I visit him in the summers, because he moved further away from here, and that’s how stuff worked out.” Sunny seemed to hesitate before sprinkling the daffodils in the soil. “...I don’t like going to see him that much.”

Basil gazed morosely at his friend. “...I’m sorry.” So… Sunny would be gone this summer? Well, that wasn’t making him feel much better. He’d miss him.

“...So, uh… what else is your dad like?” Sunny patted the soil he mounded over where the daffodils lay.

Right. They were having a conversation. Basil felt his face both drain of color and fill with it somehow at the same time. Was it hot out here, or was it… just… late March? And… probably only around fifty degrees Fahrenheit, actually?

“Uh, not much. Like yours. I don’t know what he wants out of me, if he just glosses over every little thing about myself I try to tell him. It’s so annoying!”

“Mhmm. Like he’s talking at you.”

“Exactly! I’ll tell him about the plot of a movie I enjoyed or something, and I just want him to listen, but then it’ll go to something really awkward.”

Sunny laughed softly, and tried to reach around Basil to grab at the Violets, his arm brushing the back of Basil’s shirt as he did so. Basil laughed with him, and tried to scratch at his brain for something his stupid dad had said to him that was actually memorable. Unsurprisingly, there wasn’t much material to work with. Hah.

“Oh, pfft, I don’t know, he’ll go and derail the conversation and ask if I thought any girls in my class were cute or something, and I’d be like nine or something. Excuse me sir, I’m in elementary school. What the hell...”

Sunny was stiff as he drew himself away from Basil. “...Hah, yeah… you’ve probably had nothing to say… in uh, that department, right?” He exhaled, as opposed to giving a laugh, and dug into the flower bed’s soil to make a home for the violets.

“Uh… who’s asking?” Basil gave Sunny a curious glance, taking note of a single drop of sweat making its way down Sunny’s temple.

“...Who’s asking, ‘who’s asking?’” Sunny waved him off, turning away.

Oh, he wasn’t just gonna get away with that dismissal. “Who’s asking, ‘who’s asking, ‘who’s asking?”

Sunny turned back to evenly meet Basil’s stare with competition in his eyes. “Who’s aski-”

“Alright, stop!” Basil waved his hands around. “This is ridiculous!”

“I win.”

“No you don’t! You win nothing! Not in a million years! Get back to planting.”

“...I plant the seeds of my victory.”

“No you don’t. You suck. So much.”

“...Whatever you say,” Sunny shrugged, giving up the fight quickly.

The sudden slam of the sliding glass door announced Aubrey’s return, and she tossed the packet of Leucojum seeds like it was a discus. “Hey guys, I’m back! Did I miss anything?

“...We’re planting flowers ‘n stuff. Nothing much,” Sunny gave a shrug.

Aubrey stretched, long and hard. “Wish I could say ‘nothing much,’ about what’s going on inside. Hero kind of shooed me away, but it looks like Mari’s really stressing. Her college hasn’t gotten back to her, yet. Aren’t they still answering those things, though? I don’t think anyone in their right mind would ignore her. If I was a college, I’d accept her right away!”

Basil imagined Mari in a hysterical mess, consistently stalking an inbox. “...So… she’s panicking?”

Sunny lolled his head to one side. “...As Mari does.”

“Hey, be nice!” Aubrey barked at Sunny, who only pursed his lips, clearly not about to rescind his statement. “She’s been working really damn hard on this, the least we can do is be there for her.”

Basil wished he could empathize with and linger on the situation, but he was too caught up with how the sun was sinking further down the horizon, marking his own little death toll. Evening. His parents were supposed to be here in the evening, and despite how extremely opposed Basil was to this whole little meeting, he still wasn’t about to test his grandmother’s orders to make sure everything was spotless by the time they arrived. Not for them, but for her. She’d always been focused on tidiness, and had been much more strict when Basil was younger.

“...Uhm… I’ve got to go, guys,” Basil said, with all the evident reluctance in the world. He’d rather be suffocating in a dumpster than having to go back to his home right now. Just bury him in the flower box, please! Sorry, Basil can’t come, he’s too busy being dead.

Aubrey looked at him sympathetically. “Don’t forget, you can hang out whenever. It’s spring break, and I don’t have anything better to do than to rescue you like a knight in shining armor.”

“...I’ll rescue myself, thanks.”

Aubrey snorted. “You sure you don’t want me to carry you to safety from the big, bad parents?”

Basil envisioned it, and laughed at the wonky scenario in his own head. Well, at least he was feeling a tad more light about the whole situation, now. Aubrey would assuredly be at his defense, at the very least. Whatever that stupid ‘defense’ would be. He and Aubrey gave each other’s shoulders a little bop to say goodbye, and Basil stood to his feet, looking down at his pair of friends. He tried his best to suffer a smile, however strained it might feel. He needed to let them know he’d be okay. He’s dealt with worse than this. He’ll be fine. Basil gave Sunny a small wave, and turned around to the fence to make his way out of Sunny’s backyard.

Right when Basil had his hand on the fence’s gate, he felt the other being grabbed, and almost flinched on instinct, but took a look before reacting rashly.

“Sunny…?”

Sunny held on, just barely, to the ends of Basil’s fingers, and looked as though he was trying to find an answer to his behavior, himself. “Like Aubrey said… don’t stick around just because you feel like you have to. You can run away. Come with us, or something.” Sunny seemed to hesitate. “...And don’t forget to call me, when you can’t do that.”

Not call us, call me. Ahah. Basil felt like he was becoming even more of a puddle of nerves, despite Sunny’s desire to send him off with a simple comfort of the promise of something better past Basil’s personal battles obviously an intended comfort. Embarrassingly, it seemed as though ever since he’d met Sunny, his hand had been held, metaphorically or literally, in some shape of form. Was it weak, or another form of Basil’s cowardice, to so guiltily lean into small touches such as these? To curl his fingers over Sunny’s with the most indiscernible twitch? From the sidewalk, to the side of a fence before his walk, Sunny had seen it fit to tend to Basil’s wounds, and Basil felt, so acutely, that he was doing far too little back. And thus, a wave of guilt and affection washed over Basil once more.

Basil slid his other hand from the cool metal of the gate’s handle, and brought it to Sunny’s hand loosely linked with his own. He then drew it up to rest on the upper part of Sunny’s arm. Sunny made a small sound of surprise when the hand he was holding pulled away in favor of wrapping him into a hug, but there they were. Sunny decided to rest his head onto Basil’s shoulder, so Basil thought it only right to mirror the same. And how right it did feel. To hug without tears for once, to linger without excuse. It was a guilty pleasure, but a pleasure all the same.

When Basil gave Sunny a small squeeze, Sunny laughed into his shoulder, a trembling, warm thing that seemed to sink into Basil’s skin. “...Look who’s treating someone like a baby blanket, now…”

“...You remember me saying that?”

“You say funny things.”

“I don’t think I’m that funny,” Basil mumbled.

“...Guess you haven’t seen your face yet.”

Basil lightly pushed Sunny away from him, with both their arms still loosely hanging from each other for just a second more, reluctant to leave the other to whatever lay ahead. “You’re really ridiculous, you know that?” Basil said, as he rolled his eyes at Sunny’s never ending supply of snark. Sunny was truly annoying, stupid, and stupidly pretty, with his tired and kind eyes resting only on him.

“...Yeah, Aubrey reminds me and Kel of that every time we do something dumb.” Sunny drew back from Basil, his wan face still able to beam and flush, apparently. Basil could only imagine his own bashful state.

“...I’ll get back to you if I’m not dead, then.” Basil put a hand back on the gate’s handle, a smile dancing on his face.

Sunny gaped. “What kind of crazy duel are you gonna do with your parents? Keep me updated on it, at least. I’ll come up with some cool power-ups for the Basil versus Basil’s parents showdown, just watch!”

Basil was sure he would. He’d come find him afterwards, and show him some whole comic he made detailing a crude, fire breathing concept of Basil’s mother or something. And Basil would nod, confused, but intrigued, and remark once again how Sunny had the craziest mind.

Sunny gave him a small thumbs up. “If you’re not dead, then.”

“If I’m not dead.”

“Our standards are pretty low, huh?”

“Yep. I’m friends with you guys, after all.” Basil waved at Sunny before opening the gate and turning to shut it behind him.

Sunny laughed sardonically to Basil’s insult before opening his mouth for his own retort. “More like it’s why I like-” Sunny, through the small crack in the gate, appeared stricken for a second, and slapped a hand over his own mouth, before feigning the slip as a fitting opportunity to wipe his mouth for no apparent reason.

Basil, only seeing this quick flurry of movement in the last moments while the gate was still open, was confused. “...Like…?”

He heard Sunny’s nervous laughter on the other side of the wood planks before him. “See you sometime!” Sunny called out a reply, before a flurry of footsteps in the grass growing more and more distant signaled his departure. Basil took a deep breath. He’d overanalyze that later.

Right now, his little personal hell.

Surprisingly, he felt less terrified than expected. Maybe he still felt distant from the reality that was soon to set upon him, the plethora of awkward conversations, and deep-seated emotions that would come tumbling forth, likely from Basil’s lips, to make what will be bad, even worse.

But right now, he was just some kid walking to his house, about to clean his room, do some chores, maybe have dinner if his gut would stop swirling. Overthinking about consequences and what would go wrong? Not right now, brain. Just for a few seconds. Maybe he’d actually be able to manage himself, throughout spring break? He wasn’t being overly optimistic, was he?

When Basil eventually pushed himself through the door, he was about to greet Polly in the kitchen, but quickly realized that the hobbling form standing in front of a pot wasn’t his grandmother’s caretaker. Indeed, it was his grandmother herself! Basil almost forgot to shut the screen door in his surprise, quickly slamming it shut and kicking off his shoes to run to her side.

“Grandmother! You’re out of bed! Are you feeling okay? Where’s Polly? What’re you making? Wh-”

“Basil! I’d say welcome home, but I’m this close to sending you back to the door to shut it softly like someone civilized should. Slow down, before I make you.” His grandmother had turned around, eyeing Basil disapprovingly. Basil dipped his head in performative shame.

“There we go, quiet Basil is much better. I’m not in the mood for loud, rambunctious children; I need some help from a mature young man, you hear me? Go get the vacuum.”

“...That’s pretty loud, too…”

“No sass! Vacuum!”

His grandmother seemed to be doing very well! Basil had hardly been so happy to be borderline yelled at, before. He nodded, before practically skipping to the bathroom, where they stored the cleaning supplies. When Basil wheeled the humble little thing out, with the bag that he probably forgot to empty last time swaying back and forth, he began to appreciate the delectable aroma coming from the kitchen.

“...Is that youvetsi? Mmm…” Basil hummed happily.

“Yes, and you can pick out the lamb, if you really don’t want it. It’s not right without the lamb, so I had to put it in. Polly was able to pick some up. Such a sweet young lady. I’m glad you’ve been being respectful to her.”

“Is Polly not here right now?”

“...No. I wanted it to be just a family meal, tonight.” His grandmother raised a ladle to her lips, and had a small sip of her stew before giving it a few more stirs. “...You’re excited to see your parents, yes? It should be just an hour or more-”

Basil cleared his throat uncomfortably before powering the vacuum on. Whoops, sorry grandmother! Can’t hear you well enough! Too busy enjoying cleaning!

Come on, his grandmother was no idiot, and perhaps he refrained from voicing more vehement thoughts in her company, but was she really sticking with the ‘play super fucking dumb’ act this hard? Basil thought he was bad at lying well enough for his grandmother to get some notion of how he felt about his absentee progenitors. He’s doing fine! No bad feelings, here. Just a few moments, brain! Chill out!

He’ll clean his room next. Because that’s definitely necessary, even when they won’t be going into his room. Right.

“Gonna go clean my room!” Basil called out, deliberately ignoring how his grandmother looked at him like she wanted to say a pointed comment.

Basil had gotten a little better at being tidy, as of late. Firstly, he wasn’t spending as much time in his room as he usually had in the past, and secondly, he had the incentive of trying to keep Polly out of his room as much as possible. When she offered to help him clean up, he went into panic mode, and made the place spotless in an hour tops. But he could pretend like he had a bunch of tidying up to do, right? Anything to dodge any questions from his grandmother.

He couldn’t help but continue to be surprised that she was up and moving around. She had enough energy to prepare a meal, too! What had possessed her? She at least could’ve asked him to help. It’d been so long since they had made something together.

Basil distracted himself with trivialities. He lined up pencils on the wood of his desk, smoothed down green comforters, checked the state of his flowers one too many necessary times…

Oh. He had forgotten to water his flowers, hadn’t he? That was a surprise, since he was usually super diligent about such things. To be fair, he had been pretty… well, admittedly excited to go and start planting the seeds Sunny got him. Everyone else had been, too. If all goes according to plan, that bundle of plants should be sprouting by… hm, maybe May or so? Right around when school let out. And when Sunny and Mari would be leaving Faraway.

Ugh, now Basil was just depressing himself again. It’d be far better to think about nicer things, like tending to the new batch of plants with everyone’s help. Aubrey would help with the heavier lifting, maybe with fertilizer. Mari and Hero would keep everyone, namely Kel, focused on the tasks at hand, Kel would crack some plant-themed jokes nobody would laugh at, and it would all be great. Oh, and Basil’d make the most of his time with Sunny. Maybe gripe about kids at school, and listen to Sunny brew up some creative insults for them, or talk about some obscure topics, and ramble about that for hours. Well, it’d mainly be him doing the rambling, despite feeling guilty for… being obnoxious… or something… for doing so. And Sunny would just listen beside him, doing his stupid little snarky quips occasionally, and Basil would tolerate it because god damn it, he was funny in a deadpan way, though Basil would never admit it.

Basil had made his way to the plants in the living room, and almost spilled his watering can in his distracted state.

“...Someone seems like he’s in a good mood. What’s got you sighing around the house?” Basil almost jumped upon realizing that his grandmother had relocated to the couch behind him, and was watching him with a curious expression as she fanned her face. Basil turned back towards his plants.

“Something on your mind?”

“...Not really,” Basil mumbled, moving to a pot of daisies.

“...Someone?”

“I-I said it’s nothing!” Basil furiously sprinkled a succulent.

Basil’s grandmother wheezed out a laugh. “You sound like a younger me, hiding to my parents how I and the boy next door would make eyes at each other. Oh, those were funny days…”

Basil cringed at his sharp intake of breath. A little too on-the-nose, grandmother! The old woman was about to open her mouth again, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. She brightened almost immediately, and looked like she meant to haul herself to her feet in an instant, but was reminded of her age, and was humbled quickly by her stiffness.

“Basil… you’ll open that, would you? I need a moment.”

And oh, how much Basil wished he could have a moment with her. A few moments, actually. Perhaps a million. May he please be excused to go scream in the bathroom? A hearty ‘fuck’ would’ve been ready to escape in a shout from his lips if he was alone, but alas. Duty called. Basil steadied his breath, smoothed down his shirt, and prayed to gods he knew didn’t care about his plight.

Should he smile? Hug them? What did they look like? He didn’t remember what his father looked like! God! Did his mother still wear ugly pearl necklaces? What should he say?

Take a deep breath, Basil! You’ve got to make it through this week, alive!

Feeling like a man possessed, limbs working beyond his control led him to the front door, and a shaking, clammy hand rest on the doorknob. He’ll open it… right… now!

His fist did not turn. Basil jolted when a hard knock came on the wood of the door.

“Hey Mom! We’re heeere! Sorry if we’re interrupting a nap or something! It’s kind of cold out, hah…!”

“...Kat, keep it down, you don’t want to startle her.”

Well, nothing for it but…

Basil opened the door.

The rush that went through Basil’s head overwhelmed him and made him angry. Why did he have to feel so small, seeing two people just standing in a doorway? A woman with light hair that gathered prettily around her rounded face, and puffed out at the sides, and the man who stood beside her, warming her with a hand nestled on her peacoat-covered waist as he pulled her close. His brown, slightly thinning, hair, neatly combed over, and his bright blue eyes that only seemed to pop more with his casual-formal baby blue collared shirt that dipped below his neckline, a button open. So, Basil's eyes were from his father, and his hair was from his mother. He didn't know how to feel about that.

His mother’s matte lips opened in a surprised ‘o’ as she looked down at her son, who was still holding the door before them. Basil’s heart twisted. She was so beautiful, with her glassy eyes and her flushed cheeks.. He must have forgotten. It’d been five years, now, that he hadn’t seen her. Since that little impromptu solo trip she had taken here, when she had given him that little flower hair clip, and allowed him to hope a little bit. He had been so hopeful, then, that she might come around more. Five years. Half a decade.

“...Basil! You look really grown up, you know,” she seemed hesitant in her own words. Basil wasn’t sure how to respond. He’d have to call them Mom and Dad, wouldn’t he? He wanted to barf.

His mother’s hands flew up to clutch at the pleated scarf wrapped around her neck in a little pile. “Jeez, I forgot how cold it gets in winter and spring here. I don’t know how you all deal with it! Mind letting us in?” She her hands together, almost comically.

Basil nodded, feeling completely stupid. What should he say? How should he act? This was confirmation he wasn’t prepared for this whatsoever. He thought he was, and he wasn’t. What a surprise! Zero for zero, Basil. You think you’ve got it under control, and you keep lying to yourself, you stupid, stupid, idiot. Big stupid idiot. To the power of thirteen. God, it was a good thing that he existed to single-handedly raise the average of the bell curve, allowing the dumbest individual to look like Einstein. Stupid, stupid…

Basil wordlessly stepped out of the way of the door. His mother practically rushed in, while his father seemed to linger in the doorway for a moment. He turned to look at Basil, blue meeting blue. Basil thought he would melt. His father gave him a smile. Small, and really awkward, but a smile regardless, before striding in.

“Ekaterini! Oh my god, come here so I can kiss you! You look so well!” His grandmother had her louder, ‘guest’ voice activated. Not that it was disingenuous- she just got really excited when she was able to play host. Back when his grandmother would bring over other older ladies from church, to have dinner or whatever, she’d sound the same. Basil almost cringed on his mother’s behalf when, after she flew to the couch to wrap Basil’s grandmother in a hug, she had a wet kiss planted on her cheek.

“Mom, I’m surprised you’re out here! Polly made it sound like you’d be in bed!” Basil’s mother drew back and wiped at her cheek before sitting down on the cushion next to her, her arms folded neatly in her lap.

Basil’s grandmother laughed. “You know me, I hate having to just lay around. How could I wait when my daughter and her husband would be coming by? I had to do something.”

Basil’s mother had a smile in a tight line. “Mom, you know he’s not a ‘husband,’ come on, we talked about this,” she held up her hand for emphasis, no ring in sight.

Basil’s grandmother sighed, and waited a moment before nodding curtly. “Yes, yes, I know. Iason! Are you going to be by the front door the whole time? Come say hello! Oh, I missed you so much!”

Iason. Right. Basil almost forgot his name for a second. Oops. Did his father forget his?

Basil’s father looked exceedingly awkward when he went to abide by his the request of the woman of the household. He grimaced as he received his own kiss on the cheek, and Basil noticed his mother stifling a small laugh as she watched her partner get smothered with affection.

Basil continued to stand by the door, watching the two chatty women exchange pleasantries with one another. He had no idea how he should, nor if he wanted to, insert himself into the conversation. As far as he was concerned, he was stuck with his desire to melt into the floor for the next few hours, at least.

“Oh, Basil! Could you set the table for everyone?” Basil’s grandmother looked delighted; her eyes were shining like Basil hadn’t seen them do in a long time. It gave him a small amount of peace and comfort, and he obliged with a nod, greeting the cabinets like they were a close friend. It was good to be preoccupied. Basil began to strategize the ways to stretch out arranging the plates on the table for as long as possible, but squeaked when his father’s stocky figure crouched down next to him.

“...You’ll have to help me with where things are; I haven’t been here in a while.” And so Basil’s father spoke, with a soft but resonant voice.

No shit, he hadn’t been there in a while. How’s at least eleven years a while? Yeah, Basil’d been counting. You jerk. You asshole. Abandoning your kid. Basil could’ve said a thousand colorful phrases to him.

Instead, what came out was: “...The utensils are in t-the drawer above me… uhm… s-sir?”

Basil’s father scowled, not like he was angry at Basil, but like the title of ‘sir’ curdled in his thoughts, and it had gone down the wrong way while within his mind. “Iason. Iason, or Jason, please.”

“...Iason.” Using his first name was, admittedly, a small relief. Not a stiff formality, but not warm enough to be uncomfortable. It left a wide enough gap of impersonal behavior for Basil to be at ease. No airs were expected, in this department, at least. “...What should I call… uh…”

“...Not sure. Maybe you could ask her?”

“...Should I call her Kat, like you did?”

Iason chuckled, standing to his feet to reach into the narrow cabinet and pull out bunches of spoons. “...I’m the one who calls her Kat. My little nickname for her.” Ah yes, implications of ‘lay off,’ Basil supposed. If ‘Kat’ was like a pet name, he wouldn’t really want to call his own mother that, would he?

“...I’m stuck with ma’am, then,” Basil whispered urgently.

“Just call her Katherine. It’s fine,” Iason shrugged his shoulders, before shutting the drawer. “...I mean, unless she decides otherwise, but I don’t see why she would.”

“...Okay.”

“...You need help with the bowls?”

“Ah… no. I was just trying to… get a serving spoon my grandmother hasn’t… erm, taste-tasted with.” Basil mumbled sheepishly, going back to digging around the cupboard.

Iason seemed intrigued. “You get grossed out by that stuff, too? My family always did that, when I was growing up. Hated it.”

“...Yeah,” Basil admitted.

“...Good to know I’m not alone. My own partner calls me a germaphobe.”

“...Sucks.”

Iason’s eyes darted over to Basil before he let out a sputtering laugh. “Yeah… yeah, it does suck.”

Basil found a serving spoon, and reached up for some bowls. Almost methodically, Basil started scooping hearty servings of youvetsi into each dish. His mother and grandmother whirred like motors in their conversation, somewhere in the background. It rang as white noise in his ears as he loosely dipped into the pot, out to the bowl, into the pot, out to the-

“Oops!” Basil involuntarily said when he elbowed Iason, who was fidgeting, lingering near the stove. Iason looked a bit jumpy as he moved away, apologizing as he went.

“Sorry, sorry, I’ll move.”

“...’s my bad,” Basil borrowed Sunny’s mumbling techniques. It was almost humorous, seeing a man as solidly built as his father looking sheepish, even submissive, in a way. Iason looked down at the pot, then held his hands forward wordlessly. Basil stared at him in confusion, even as Iason made a grabbing gesture with his fingers.

“...I’ll take the bowls to the table, if you’ll let me.”

Ah! “Oh… uhm, okay. Here you go,” Basil started handing them off, but was surprised when Iason balanced two of the bowls on an arm each, in order to make room for the other two in his hands. The man looked like a proper circus juggler, with that level of dexterity. Basil watched, in vacant surprise, allowing himself to be impressed as he watched his father tentatively make his way to the table, and set a bowl at each place mat. Not a single drop of stew had spilled out.

Iason looked proud of himself, too. Perhaps he didn’t think he could pull it off. Well, his only audience was Basil, so it was questionable whether going to such lengths at such risk was worth it, but everything was well and good now, wasn’t it? Still, Basil wouldn’t allow such risk-taking with his grandmother’s cooking to slide.

“...That was risky,” Basil mumbled, folding his arms with a glare. “What if that spilled all over the floor?”

Iason scratched the back of his head. “...Good thing it didn’t. Guess I shouldn’t have done that, on second thought.”

Well, he looked genuinely apologetic at the drop of a hat. Basil wasn’t expecting that. Hm, now he had to reassess how far he could go with antagonism if his father would fold under the slightest bit of criticism. Oh look, another way Basil seemed like his father. They were both wet blankets. Delightful. Basil cursed inwardly.

Iason put a cupped hand to his mouth, and called over to the couch. “Ladies, dinner’s ready, and the table’s set. Join us?”

Katherine nodded to Iason, and Basil’s grandmother spoke up excitedly. “Oh, I’ve got a bottle of Retsina on the counter- it’d go well with the stew, if you want any. I don’t drink much, these days. Polly says it’s probably for the best.”

Katherine clapped her hands together excitedly. “Thank you so much, Mom! You’ve always had good taste. Where’s the…?”

“Drawer right of the fridge, dear.”

Katherine called over to Iason with a small, excited wave. “Jase, could you look for the corkscrew in the drawer? I’d love you forever,” she emphasized with a disgustingly sweet ‘mwah mwah’ gesture. Iason smiled at her teases and nodded.

“...I know you do, already.”

Basil harumphed for no particular reason, and plopped himself down at his seat, deciding to focus on pulling the chicken from his bowl. The tomatoes looked lovely. He wondered if he could substitute tofu with the meat, in this dish, and if it would work with the medley of vegetables floating around. It probably would. Maybe he and his grandmother could tweak the recipe a bit together. Once his parents leave. Ahem.

Soon, all of the adults settled down at the table as well. Basil’s grandmother thankfully sat at his left, but that also left Basil to making awkward eye contact with his father, occasionally, as he was sitting in front of him. Basil’s mother had gotten a little less chatty, since she was busy partaking of the delightful dish his grandmother had poured her heart and good health into. Basil still wished she would’ve waited to ask him for help. Oh well.

“This is so good, Mom. God, I’ve missed your cooking. Not to sneeze on Iason or anything. His mother’s family recipe for her spanakopita is so lovely. I’ll have to get you to try it, sometime.”

“You don’t go and try to compare the cooking of two Greek mothers like that, Ekaterini,” Basil’s grandmother had a devilish look on her face as she laughed.

“But I’m only talking about Iason’s cooking, you’ve got to understand,” Katherine teased. “I don’t know what it is about the scientist types, but they’ve got great intuition in the kitchen. I think I’d starve without Iason, to be honest.”

“After what I taught you, girl?”

“Absolutely. I’m too busy to enjoy cooking, Mom.”

Basil’s grandmother scoffed. “No shame.”

Iason spoke up. “...You don’t need to be so hard on her, she’s always a great critic. You did teach her to have a good nose and tongue for ingredients. She always helps me adjust spices and whatnot.”

Basil almost scoffed from where he sat. So stupidly suave. He had to be deliberately turning the charm up, for whatever reason. Why didn’t Basil get that from him? Reminded him of some less boyish version of Hero. Gross. Jealousy wasn’t a good look on Basil, but he was currently flaunting its vibrant green colors like a fluttering costume cape.

Katherine’s eyes almost shone with admiration from where she sat, even blushing a little from the flattery. A grown woman, reduced to a flustered schoolgirl by a compliment. “...He’s too nice.”

“Good,” Basil’s grandmother nodded in approval. “Otherwise, I’d have words with him.”

Katherine reached over Iason’s bowl, who covered it with a protective hand, and reached for the wine bottle, swiftly topping off Iason’s glass, and going for hers next. After the glug of the bottle came to a still, she paused for a moment, a glimmer coming into her eye. “Hey Mom, is it alright if Basil has some? I’m curious about what he might think.”

His grandmother seemed to be thinking for a minute, then waved a hand. “Sure, why not. It’s a special occasion. He could give it a try. He’s practically grown in a few years, anyway.”

Basil looked a little surprised. His grandmother was usually stricter, and more protective, on the daily. Perhaps the sight of family really loosened her up?

Basil’s mother laughed, and filled Basil’s glass to a quarter of the way, giving him a playful wink as she did so. She assessed him, while Basil assessed his glass. White wine. Wasn’t this stuff bitter? Grandmother said that white wine could go well with some meats, he remembered. Was it chicken? The stew had lamb…

“Come on, Basil! Give it a sip! Am I being a bad mom or something, Iason?” Basil felt a twinge from that statement, delivered lightly, and had a tight grasp on the glass as he lifted it to his lips, taking probably more of a swig than a dignified sip. Basil sputtered with the taste on his tongue. Yep. Bitter. Really bitter. God, people drink this stuff? He’d probably be the only adult not to drink, if this kind of crap was what awaited him.

Basil’s mother laughed softly, prompting Basil’s eye to twitch as he played out the fantasy in his head of splashing the rest of the drink on her stupid scarf.

“It’s okay,” her voice turned surprisingly soft. “I like more fruity stuff, myself. Maybe you’ll take after me?”

Basil set the glass back down, utterly resolute on neglecting the remainder of the wine. “...Maybe.” He did like fruity things. Strawberries were really good. And watermelon. Bananas, not so much.

“Sooo… you been doing anything interesting? I always like hearing about the stuff you’ve gotten up to, so it’s a shame I haven’t heard from you in a while! Hey Iason, remember that gardening club he said he wanted to set up, while he was in elementary school? So cute!” Katherine cooed, like she was regarding an adorable animal on the side of the road. Iason chuckled awkwardly.

“Uhm, I think so. You obviously still like flowers.”

Basil nodded. His father seemed a real master of intuition. Were the dozens of flowerpots littered throughout the house a dead giveaway? Basil thought he hid it better, oh no!

“...Yeah, I do.”

Basil’s grandmother spoke up, excitedly. “He’s made so many friends lately! He’s been helping them out by giving them advice about starting their own garden. He’s got such a good heart.”

Iason seemed to perk up at that. “He’s made friends?”

“Oh yes, there’s this pink-haired girl who lives across the street, and this quiet boy named-”

“They get it, grandmother. It’s fine.” Basil felt perturbed to the point of drawing the line, for some reason, bringing his friends into the conversation. They were his safe space. He didn’t want to bring them here.

“Pink hair,” Iason commented, bringing his glass to his lips and taking a sip. “Nice.”

And there’s where Basil didn’t take after his father.

“...It’s not like that.”

Iason nodded. “Alright.” His response was surprisingly simple in its lack of protest. It still rubbed Basil the wrong way, though.

Blah, bleh. ’Alright.’ Basil could slug him. If he wouldn’t instantly get made into a pancake should his father decide to retaliate in this imaginary scenario, that is.

Basil’s grandmother elbowed him, and gave him a small, knowing, look. “Who was all that sighing from earlier about, th-”

Basil cut her off with a horrified gasp. Was she trying to kill him? “Grandmother!” He almost balked at his own whiny tone, but in his defense, this was public humiliation. He was merely laughed off at around the table, diminished to an adorable entertainment.

Basil’s mother looked at a watch that glittered on her wrist, and gasped in sudden surprise. “Oh, Iason. Was our hotel okay with any time?”

“Oh shit, excuse me, Ms. Katsaros,” Iason wiped his face his napkin. “No, it had a cut-off.”

Katherine looked at her mother apologetically. “We’ll be back tomorrow, okay? Sorry to cut this short; your dinner is lovely.”

Basil’s grandmother looked like she wanted to say something, but shoved it down. “It’s alright, dear. You go get to your hotel. I’ll be here. My doors are always open if the reservation doesn’t work out.”

The prospect of his parents staying in the same house terrified Basil for a shock of a second. Please, no. Please make it to your hotel in time, he willed.

Katherine shook her head, apparently just as reluctant to accept such an offer. “It’s alright, Mom. If we leave soon we should- oh, Basil, will you come with me to the car real quick?”

Basil felt his brain stutter to a halt. “...Uhm, okay. Why?” He felt more than a little nervous.

“...It’s a surprise, but I hope you’ll like it. I need your opinion with something.”

Basil’s grandmother looked at him enthusiastically, and gestured for him to ‘go on.’

Iason checked his own watch in worry. “You sure, Kat? Now you’ve got me nervous about the hotel.”

“I’ll be quick, I promise!”

“...Ooh, is it the thing?” Iason ‘hmmed’ in understanding.

“Yes, it is, but hush!” Basil’s mother shushed him, a finger to her smiling lips. Basil and the couple stood to their feet, farewells were exchanged, and then Basil marched dutifully after them to the car parked on the side of the road. Basil’s mother ran over to the backseat of the car, while Iason hurriedly went to the driver’s seat to get the car, and heat, running. Basil followed Katherine.

Fluidly, Basil’s mother spun around with a shoe box in hand, and practically shoved it into Basil’s arms. He gave her a confused look, unsure what to do with the box in his hands, while she fidgeted with her scarf in anticipation.

“Open it! Please. It’s rude to be a guest without a gift, you know.”

Basil crouched down towards the pavement, his breath puffing out before him as he set the box down, and lifted the lid. Whatever the box contained was obscured by packaging and tissue paper. When he pushed it aside, Basil felt his eyes widen upon seeing a bright white Polaroid camera, a stripe running down its sleek design, presented to him. Basil lifted it gingerly, and rose to his feet, spinning it around and investigating every angle.

“Why…?” Basil murmured.

Katherine rubbed her arm nervously. “So, let me explain. I thought photography might be a good hobby for you, so I asked you about it on the phone, maybe around a couple years ago.” She paused, likely to recall the memory. “...you told me you weren’t interested, because you didn’t have anything to take a picture of, but I don’t know, I just couldn’t let it go, I guess. Especially since you talked about your flowers all the time!”

She smiled brightly. “And seeing them now… they’re very beautiful. I can tell you take good care of them. I think that’s something good to take a picture of. Ooh, and you’ve got your friends, now! Maybe do a scrapbooking thing? I don’t know, but I think that’d be fun! Me and my girlfriends did that, when I was your age!” Basil wasn’t really sure what to say.

“Kat, darling! We should get going!”

“Sorry, Jase! One more minute!” Basil’s mother called to him, utilizing his nickname for convenience, before turning back to Basil.

“You know… Iason thought you’d grow out of the whole flower thing.”

Of course he did. Basil was used to people thinking it was a girlish hobby, or immature, childish, or whatever diminutive adjective anyone wanted to throw at something that gave him enjoyment. He felt a frown creep across his face, and saw it reflected back in the camera lens before him.

“Hey, I just wanted to say… I’m glad you didn’t.”

Basil looked up at his mother in surprise. He felt words cross his mind, but wasn’t sure how to put them into a sentence.

“...Thank you,” he supposed that was good enough.

“I almost forgot, there’s some film in the box. See you tomorrow!” Basil listened to the click-clack of her heels as she quickly trotted to the passenger’s seat. Basil picked up the box, and stepped out of the way, watching as the car rather aggressively backed out and drove off.

Tomorrow…

Basil put the camera back into the box, and walked serenely to the front door.

His grandmother was already going around, cleaning up the dining room. She was always a diligent housekeeper, when she was feeling well. But Basil wasn’t all convinced of her wellness.

“I’ll take care of it, grandmother. Don’t worry, you should get some rest.” Basil smiled, setting the box down on the dining table.

To Basil’s surprise, his grandmother turned around, looking a little… angry?

“Oh there’s the sweet Basil I know! I thought he was on vacation, because I was only seeing the Basil who glares at everyone for the past hour or so. Would it be so hard for you to show a little kindness?”

Woah, okay, where’d that come from?

“I- I wasn’t being that mean!”

“I don’t want to hear my grandson argue with me! You need to work on being more polite, young man.” She brandished the stew’s ladle stiffly, waving it around for emphasis. Basil felt himself stew at her demands.

“I’ve been plenty polite! You guys were all laughing at me during dinner, and I sat there and took it!” Basil clenched his fists.

“We were only joking, Basil. You take so many things too seriously!”

“I’m not a joke! Stop acting like I’m some ornament!”

Basil’s grandmother gasped. “I do not! Don’t stick words in my mouth! All I’m trying to say is that I was only trying to give a good impression, and you were determined to do anything but!”

Basil grabbed bowls from the table and practically dumped them into the sink before whirling around with an accusatory finger pointed towards his grandmother. “It’s your family! Why do you care about a good impression?”

“It’s my daughter and her husband who I haven’t seen in years, why doesn’t it matter more to you?”

“They said they’re not married!”

“Don’t correct me, Basil! I said, why doesn’t it matter more to you?”

“What kind of dumb question is that? Why s-should I… why should I give a fuck about people who don’t even b-bother to show their face to me, and then call themselves my parents? At least Iason doesn’t want me to call him that!” Basil felt tears stream down his face, and heard his voice crack during his bout of anger.

Basil’s grandmother raised her own voice in return. “Room! Now!”

Why was she being so dismissal of this… this whole situation that mattered so much to him? She was supposed to be on his side! Why was she acting like this? Basil choked out a sob, and grabbed the shoe box before running into his room and slamming the door behind him.

It was just a week, Basil thought as he buried his face into his pillow. He spied, with his red-rimmed eyes, the shoe box sitting on the end table, and opened it. Sure enough, there was film at the base. He scowled at it, and took it into his hands, considering it for a moment before pulling a tear through one sheet.

That felt good. So Basil did it again.

Soon enough, a good amount of film lay in tatters, and Basil swept it underneath his bed. He couldn’t say he felt satisfied, but he felt like he had done something right. He’d probably regret it in the morning, but spur of the moment decisions were how Basil operated best.

It was just a week. Basil, jeans and all, hugged his pillow close to himself, wishing it could hug him back. He listened to his grandmother coughing from the kitchen.

Just a week.

Chapter Text

“I was excited, and acting a little foolish.”

“Really? Excited?” That’s what she was going to go with?

“Basil, please. I need you to listen.” Her voice was stern, but not laced with anger. Basil bowed his head.

“...Sorry.”

“Basil, I said listen, not apologize. That’s what I’m trying to do, right now.” A soft reply came, with a sheepish smile across the wrinkled visage of Basil’s grandmother.

It was the morning after Basil’s unfortunate meeting with his parents. The camera was still sitting on his bedside table, and a good amount of its partnered film was still torn, and cloaked underneath his bed. All he could hope for was that his mother wouldn’t care for taking any sentimental photos during the remainder of her visit. He had awaken, with dried tears, and a scowl plastered on his face. The advice to “sleep off” whatever might bother an individual clearly didn’t apply to Basil’s person, as he felt more like a poison had been left to drip into him throughout the night- like some imp formed from his distress had systematically tortured him as he ruefully slept. Basil had slunk into the kitchen, intending to force some cruddy cereal down his throat just to say that he had eaten something, but had found his grandmother already at the table, with a plentiful plate of pancakes laid before her. A saucer of syrup and a tray with some dollops of whipped cream sat nearby, and Basil couldn’t help but feel his stomach rumble at the sight.

His grandmother, displaying the temperance and peaceable demeanor that he had commonly known her to portray, asked softly for Basil to come sit with her. It’s not like she had never been stern with him before, but it was common for arguments or heavy conversations to rest within Basil’s mind for far longer than he would like, replaying the dialogue over and over within his head. What if he had said that, instead? What if he had acted, or felt this way, instead? What if he had never opened his mouth to speak at all?

He was a master of rumination, to say the least. To such an extent that, even on the off chance he felt righteous in his anger, as he did last night, Basil could never be completely certain in his stances, leading to an instilled sense of guilt that seemed to linger within him, in whatever he’d do. Sometimes, as it did now, it felt suffocating, like the only thing that could cure him and those around him of this domineering guilt would be for him to disappear. Surely, it would be a favorable outcome for both they and him. Those like his grandmother wouldn’t have to deal with his sometimes volatile behavior, and Basil wouldn’t have to feel the ups and downs that came as repercussions of his actions.

So… hearing an attempt at an apology from his grandmother, despite the weight that currently rested, unforgiving, in Basil’s chest… he wasn’t sure what to feel of it. It would be easier to accept his own condemnation. Familiar, to say the least.

“...I went too far, last night. I know how you feel about my daughter and her… and Iason. I just… you know how I can get.” His grandmother sighed, and reached for the pitcher of syrup, dousing her pancakes with the oozing molasses, and reaching across to do the same to his. He hadn’t touched them, yet. His throat felt so tight, anything he tried to eat might catch in his throat, and Basil preferred to listen to whatever his grandmother had to say.

“...I just… I want you to know that, even though I feel like I’m doing right by you with this, I’ve still made a mess of things in doing so, and I want to let you know that I’ll try to be more understanding of you through this.” Her eyes were apologetic, but this still wasn’t what Basil wanted to hear. “Come on, dear. Eat, won’t you? Aren’t you hungry?”

“...No.”

“Basil, talk to me.”

His face soured, and he slouched in his seat. “...I don’t want them here at all.”

“...I know.” She looked pained, and it made Basil want to apologize. That made him angry.

“...Don’t get upset.”

“I won’t. I just said I want to listen to you, you silly goose.”

“...Don’t call me that.” He hated how whiny he sounded

“...Basil, eat.”

Basil sighed, and worked his fork into the flesh of his pancake, wiggling it around before stabbing into the severed piece. It tasted like strawberry. It went down his throat like cardboard. It made him sad.

“...I’ve asked Polly if she’d be willing to spend time with us, this evening. I’ve also told your parents that I’m feeling tired, today, so they’ll only be around for… perhaps just an hour, or hour and a half. It’ll be hardly anything. Doesn’t that sound good?”

He’d prefer, once again, that they stay the hell out of the house, but Basil supposed he wouldn’t have that much of a say in this. Just a compromise he was supposed to be grateful for.

“Why Polly?”

“I was thinking that you could invite one of your friends over, but… would you like that?”

“...Probably not.”

“Polly’s an adult, and adults get very good at carrying conversations, even when they don’t want to. So, I thought she’d be a good buffer. She was very understanding, the sweet girl.”

“...You don’t have to talk to me like I’m a baby.”

“I know you’re not a child, Basil. You’d be working, if you were alive around the time I was. But even so, you’re far from grown.” She reached across again, to put some whipped cream upon Basil’s plate, too. She obviously wasn’t pleased he was neglecting the toppings she had oh-so–kindly set out as much as he was. “...Basil, do you trust me?” Her weathered face was asking for so much from him, but even through his resentment, Basil knew that he loved her. He was grateful to her, for so much.

“...Yes.”

“Talk to me about your feelings, and I’ll do my best to help you work through them. I’ll let you leave, if you need to breathe. If I don’t do anything with the experience I have, I’ll be failing you as an elder. But please… could you, for just this short time, try with me? I have a reason for why I do the things I do. I know that my daughter is far from perfect, I’ve raised her, after all. But, I want you to show me the best of the kindhearted Basil I know, for just a little while, and to look past the ugly in people that’s so… so loud, sometimes, I suppose.”

So… she wanted him to ‘see the good’ in his parents? Basil would’ve probably been bothered by what seemed like such a persistent request in any other circumstance, but his grandmother seemed so… so genuine, in a way that softened his heart, and made his mind willing to agree. Just so she wouldn’t look so… sad.

“...I’ll try. B-But… I have a feeling I’ll mess up, anyway. I’m not good at… being calm.”

“Okay, Basil. I’ll do right by you. You’ve meant the world to me ever since you were small, and that hasn’t changed, alright?”

“...Okay.” He felt like he was breaking the promise as soon as he made it. He was giving her expectations that likely wouldn’t be fulfilled.

His grandmother stood up from her seat, and cleared her own plate, dutifully finished. She had never been one to be wasteful, and was grateful for what she was given. “Oh my,” she mumbled, half to herself. “Look at the wind; looks like it’s going to be a stormy day.” Like her words had acted as a subconscious rain dance, the pitter-pattering of precipitation began to knock across the pane- turning from a persistent knocking to a ferocious hammering in a few blinks of a moment. “A shame. I was going to tell you to hang around with some of those friends of yours. I doubt anyone would want to run around in that.”

Basil was going to stubbornly suggest that he could easily brave the storm to Sunny’s house, but caught his own words in his mouth. Why suggest such a thing, he thought, when he furrowed his brow at the thought of acting as a veritable raincloud (in more ways than one), on Sunny’s doormat? Besides, he admittedly didn’t crave company all too much, today. With such an emotionally trying breakfast, and more stress on the gloomy horizon, it was probably an omen for Basil to conserve his energies.

“...You’re probably right.” He finished his pancakes with a silent, hopeful peace settling in his heart. Something was nice about the lack of social accountability a stormy day brought. Basil would call himself a homebody, perhaps not aloud, as to avoid making himself appear pathetic, or some shade of simple. But… he really was. Knowing that the weather forced everyone to keep to their own homes gifted Basil temporary seclusion with none of the guilt that came from assertively turning down an invitation. Of course, he’d probably go back to moping around if he was away from others for too long… but it felt nice to keep to himself, too. God, talk about confusing. To people or not to people, Basil? That is the question.

He didn’t really want to bother to analyze himself too much. It hurt his brain. What he was sure about was that stormy weather watered his flowers for him. That was nice.

“Do you need help with the dishes?” Basil’s voice came across as airy, his eyes distracted with tracking the individual droplets smacking against the pane and funneling down.

“I’m handling myself well enough, thank you. Go busy yourself with something else.”

…Not much he could really get up to in their little bungalow. There was a reason Basil’s primary hobby was an outdoor one. Oh well. At least he’s free from doing the dishes. Score. He slinked from his chair, languidly pushing it in, and walked to the hallway.

“...ove you,” Basil threw a mumble over his shoulder, half thinking it wouldn’t be heard for its intended recipient. He heard his grandmother’s light chuckle from the kitchen.

“I love you too, Basil-bug!” Teasing as always.

Basil quietly groaned from the hallway, so dearly wanting to throw back a juvenile ‘Don’t call me thaaat!’ He could be as old as twenty-something, and she’d still be treating him like a five year old. So embarrassing.

What was more embarrassing was how quickly Basil was feeling antsy upon realizing he had nothing to do. He was supposed to be relaxing! Maybe he could water some of his indoor flowers, if the outdoor ones were going to be well taken care of. Realistically, he might have to worry about some of his more delicate blossoms being half drowned once this spring storm passed them over. Damn. He fretted over the state of his poor petunias while he filled up a cup of water in the bathroom. His indoor planters would be safe with him, away from the harsh gushing of the gutters spilling out on the other side of the wall.

“Drink up, guys,” Basil whispered to his plants. The bathroom walls seemed really thin, didn’t they? He could barely hear his own voice through the roar of the storm. He became enthralled by the soothing trickling sounds issuing from outside as he traced the flayed wine red splotches on his carnations. What to do, indeed? Basil thought of his friends, and whatever they might be up to. With it being early in the morning, on a weekend, maybe they’d simply be snoozing away throughout the storm. Basil had the luxury of not having any imposing assignment waiting for him once his spring break was over, so he spent his free time aimlessly, this week. With no new books to read… maybe he’d just nap until the evening came. Basil wasn’t usually one to do such a thing, feeling an almost dutiful awareness towards the daylight hours, as though he was doing something wrong by sleeping through them, and he usually felt an encroaching guilt for sleeping in. However, he might make an exception, just this once. Basil recalled, as he went back into his room to greedily burrow into his snug blankets, a conversation he had had with Sunny during a cold January afternoon.

”I wish I could hibernate.”

Basil snorted while he lay stretched out on Sunny’s couch. Sunny had been listening with eyes half open while Mari entertained the rest of their friends with some festive-sounding piece of music she had performed for a school function over the holidays. The piano, jaunty and vivacious, did little to capture Sunny’s interest, who merely grumbled quietly about how irritating it was to hear his older sister slave over the same piece again and again. He had expressed reluctantly how he was grateful her skill level was much higher than it was when she had first picked up the instrument, years ago. But anyway, back to Sunny’s desire for hibernation.

”It sounds like a cover-up for you being lazy.” Basil verbally poked at him, and Sunny didn’t even bother to protest.

”I don’t even like Christmas time that much… it gets so chaotic. Then New Year is over super fast, and then it’s just cold until it’s not anymore. What’s the point?”

”It’s not like you’re super big on the outdoors when it’s warm out, though,” Basil wasn’t even trying to be mean spirited when he pointed out the obvious. He just wanted things to be fair.

”Yeah, but anything’s better than this. So cold.” Sunny shivered, curling in on himself. “I just want to drift away, and be cozy. Then I’ll wake up to it being warm.”

”I’d feel bad, sleeping that long. My grandmother would tell me to help around the house more. I’d never get away with something like that.” He suddenly felt foolish for even entertaining a fanciful world where humans could physically hibernate. “Er, if I even… uhm, could do something like that, hah.”

”But that wouldn’t be a problem, though. You’d just sleep through it.” Sunny stretched languidly, and drooped his head over the arm of the couch, where he lay opposite of Basil. He looked as though he truly savored that familiar, delicious feeling of teasing a headache as blood rushed towards the brain, making one feel light as they enjoyed the world from an upside-down view.

”Sleep through what?” Basil cocked his head.

”All of it. No grandmother, no ‘feeling bad.’ Just nothing. Your brain’s off, and it’s nice.”

Basil screwed his face up. “What are you talking about? The brain’s super active at night!” He knew all the phases of NREM and REM sleep from his biology class (when he cared to listen), so he could call out Sunny’s bullshit with the power of knowledge.

”I don’t dream."

”Yeah you do, everyone does.

”Well, then I don’t remember mine. I… kinda sorta daydream during the day, or right before I go to sleep. My brain gets a break at night. When I actually sleep, I’m out.” He made a swiping motion with his hand, as though he was snuffing out a candle. Out like a light.

”What about nightmares? Are they strong enough for you to remember them?”

Sunny shook his head. Negative. “...Well, I know I have them. I just don’t remember them. I wake up and… feel confused. Disoriented and scared, I guess. Sometimes I forget where I am.”

”Weird. My dreams… I remember them. They’re not anything… well, crazy. Usually just memories.” Basil took a deep breath, and traced the floorboards idly with the tip of his tennis-shoed toe, hands folded in his lap. “I don’t like sleeping more than I have to. I think it’s nicer to be awake. I guess… to kind of control where my brain goes. I can’t do that when I’m asleep.”

Sunny lifted his head to look at the other boy, his black hair splayed back against the cushion, fanning around his head. Basil thought loosely that he needed a haircut.

”That’s funny. It’s hard to do that when I’m awake.”

As Basil’s eyes slip shut during the muggy March storm of the present, he found himself understanding Sunny just a little bit more. Except in Basil’s case, he only could hope his mind wouldn’t dredge up unwanted thoughts in some confusing, twisted form. Maybe his brain would turn off, maybe it wouldn’t. All Basil knew for sure was that he wouldn’t hibernate, even if he could. Sunny could lounge about however and whenever he liked, sure. He hardly had a care for how things ‘should’ be done, after all. But Basil? Well, he couldn’t let himself drift along through life so contentedly. So passively.

His flowers would need him, after all.

Basil slept relatively soundly into the start of evening, and was woken by Polly giving him a heads up regarding his parents’ coming arrival. Basil was almost tempted to plaintively whine and pine for more peace and quiet, but found the usual urge to grumble about his surroundings to be… surprisingly absent. He was far from happy about the song and dance he’d surely have to perform- to uphold his part of the bargain- but it was like the desire to fight about it had been driven out of him. Maybe that was a good thing, and maybe it wasn’t. Basil didn’t exactly have much time to muse over it. Maybe it was better to just take the thoughts as they came, at least for the evening. He felt leagues better with Polly being there, which was a sentiment that Basil of a few months prior would never have expected to have. Her methodical, agreeable attitude that almost came across as scripted seemed to have quietly adapted to how Basil would rebuke attempts at conventional lines of sympathy. She opted instead for a quiet, observational listening ear, which Basil was… mixed about. He’d said he generally appreciated her more, now, but sometimes, he still felt like Polly might be silently judging him without his knowing.

Basil went about helping Polly with work around the house in a companionable silence, occasionally making small comments along the way, and Basil found it comforting.

“Is this your hairbrush, Basil? It’s green,” Polly picked up the brush from a side table in the living room, and held it by pinching the handle between her pointer finger and thumb, in the way someone would hold a gross, foreign object. Basil felt flustered, despite himself, noticing how his hairbrush appeared as a near Tasmanian Devil of caught sandy hair tufts.

“...Looks like it, unless it belongs to the other blonde living here.”

Polly held the brush high above Basil’s head when he tried to retrieve it, giving him a small glare. “No need for the sass,” she chided softly. She only handed it over when Basil looked effectively abashed. “You know, your hair seems to have a similar texture to mine. Try using more conditioner, and brush at the hair in sectioned-off handfuls. It makes for less split ends.”

“...More conditioner?” The pump bottle of discounted 3-in-1 wasn’t good enough? Basil could recall a good number of days where he forwent brushing, and allowed his shaggy bush of hair to remain the tufted mess it was, when it got really frizzed up. Basil doubted he had enough dedication for Polly’s beauty tips.

“Oh, Basil…” Polly sighed with soft exasperation. “You know, it’s never too late to start caring about your appearance. It really helps with making you feel better about yourself.” She fussed as she went over the kitchen again, her eyes scoring over the countertops, looking for anything out of place. Basil shook his head, at a loss, letting out a small huff of air that didn’t go unnoticed by Polly.

“I’m just saying, Basil. You’ve got a nice face! It’s good to take pride in how you look, you know, if you’re not being conceited about it.”

Basil blinked. “...You sound more like my grandmother than she does, somehow.”

Polly paused in a movement where her hand was extended to brush a bit of something from the edge of the sink. “...What’s that supposed to mean?” She laughed faintly.

Basil sputtered. “I-I mean, you’re just very… uhm…” How does he say this without sounding rude? “...Very… uh… supportive? In a ‘I-bake-too-many-chocolate-chip-cookies-and-offer-them-to-the-kids-playing-down-the-street’ kind of way.”

Polly was quiet for a moment, staring at Basil with some unreadable expression, and he was sure that he offended her. How, he couldn’t say, but he was sure he did. Then she began to laugh with a hand held to her face, and the other held to her stomach, as though her small giggles were a giant belly laugh to be held at bay. She kept giggling, though.

“It’s… I wasn’t trying to be funny…”

“No! No, you’re fine! I just… ahaha… it’s funny because that’s something that I would actually do, growing up.”

Basil threw himself on the couch, tucking his head onto his folded arms, and looked at her with curiosity. “Seriously?” Maybe he shouldn’t be too surprised that Polly really was that much of a goody-two-shoes.

“Well, it’s not like I was super psyched about it… my dad really wanted me to get into baking.”

“What for?” Basil made some room, swinging his legs around and sitting up against the arm of the couch as Polly went to sit beside him.

“Oh… well, I suppose he’s always been a more traditional kind of guy…” Polly fiddled with her hair, neatly parted into two perfect waves, one for each shoulder. “Me and my sister, he always encouraged us to take part in more traditionally feminine activities, I guess.”

“Encouraged?”

“It’s the kindest way to put it. But any who, I won’t complain too much. Baking’s a good life skill. So is cooking, sewing, and so on. I…” She paused, pursing her lips as she seemed to think her next words through carefully. “I suppose it’s always good to consider your reasons for doing something, even if the end result might be alright.”

“Hmm.”

“But anyway,” Polly laughed, a little too light, a little too tense. “With all the extra time and cookies on hand, my sister and I set up a little stand on the street corner. We didn’t get too much business, but my sister was always so excited when customers did show up, she at least left a good impression.” She smiled, a distant light in her eyes as she leaned forward, propping her chin upon an open palm. “Last time we talked, she mentioned something about wanting to go into marketing… I wonder if that really left an impression on her.”

“...So… you have siblings?”

“Yup. Oldest one of five.”

Basil would’ve choked on a drink if he had one. Instead he just sat up a little more in a wild surprise, and choked on air a little bit. ”Five?” He can’t imagine having one sibling, let alone five! He remembered sometimes, when he was younger, trying to prove to his grandmother that he could be the most responsible older sibling possible, if given the chance. Basil almost wanted to laugh at the things he did. One time… oh, god, that’s embarrassing.

“...Yes. Five whole kids. And what are you thinking about?” Polly’s voice was slightly tinged with amusement.

“Oh, I was just… thinking.”

“You don’t want to say?”

“I just… I really wanted a younger sibling, when I was like… I dunno, maybe nine? I was… hah… really persistent about it. I think I am about a lot of things.”

“What did you do? You’ve got me curious, if I’m being honest.”

“It’s… embarrassing.” Basil scratched at his arm. “I… aha… I would set a spot at the table for them every meal, and uhm, I made a small bed out of a flower pot and a spare sheet next to mine, b-but it looked more like a dog bed than anything! I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Aw, that’s so adorable!” Polly cooed, but stopped when Basil folded his arms and glared. “...Sorry… I can’t help myself sometimes.”

“Well, ANYway, the real kicker was how I’d beg my grandmother to ‘go get’ a sibling for me.” Basil thought he really wanted a baby sister, but he wasn’t sure about recalling the specifics. “I really, really wouldn’t shut up about it. She kept on trying to tell me that it wasn’t that simple, and I could be a very responsible boy without getting one. Since I was a stupid little kid, that wasn’t enough to make me shut up either… aaand, that’s the story of how I ended up getting ‘the talk’ around the age of ten.” Basil wanted to hold his head in his hands.

“Ten? Oh goodness, I-” Polly sputtered into her hand again, turning away. “...My parents didn’t even think of saying anything until I was well into my teens. I mainly… picked up on things from what classmates talked about. My father wasn’t too thrilled to talk about ‘mature topics.’”

Basil would rather gouge out his ears than go into the nitty-gritty about the wonders of life with his grandmother again, but he wasn’t sure if he’d be entirely sane if his only view of sex-ed was from his deranged peers. “...Your dad sounds great,” was all he said.

“Well… he’s got his worldviews, and I’ve got mine.”

“You don’t like him?” Maybe that was too blunt? That was too blunt. It was meant to be understanding and inquisitive!

Polly went quiet again, and her voice was easy and steady upon answering. “...I know that for many parents, it’s a priority before everything else for their children to be in a stable environment. I had my needs met, growing up, which is more than others can say.” She laughed, her eyes cast to the floor. “Also, oldest sibling privileges, college is pretty much taken care of for me, too, at the moment! Going into medicine does wonders to convince some parents to let their kid attend college. I got a good deal.”

“...Do you like your job?”

“Well, I’ve met you and your grandmother with it! And I have to say, if I’m able to keep learning how to help more people by doing what I’m doing now, I would feel satisfied.”

“...Is your dad happy with you?”

A beat passed.

“...You don’t need to worry about me, Basil. You’re sweet, though.”

Maybe Basil was a little selfish, but he got a little excited, imagining Polly having the same inner dialogues as he had had countless times. Wondering if she vied for attention from her father around her other siblings the way Basil had during phone calls, trying desperately to say the ‘right thing-’ that magical thing that would change his father’s flavorless gray tone to something that indicated interest. Did she avoid phone calls from her father now that she was away, like what Basil had been doing in recent years?

He won’t ask her.

“You know, you remind me of my younger sister, a bit.”

“The cookie stand one?”

“No, another one. She’s a little older than you, though.”

Basil hoped that the inner comparison Polly was making with Basil and her anonymous younger sibling was a good one. He was half waiting for Polly to hint that said sibling was the black sheep of the family or something. ‘Oh yeah, she’s the most annoying one.’

“Basil, there’s no need to look worried. I was just thinking about how you both really seem to care that everyone is on the same page, understands each other and everything.”

“Oh, okay.”

“...Thanks for vacuuming, by the way. You did a good job.”

“You think so? Thanks. Least I could do.”

Polly stood up, seemingly dissatisfied with her idleness, and started tidying the bookshelf almost absentmindedly. “No need to be so modest, sweetie,” she said, causing Basil to shrivel into himself immediately.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I said it again!”

“How do you just accidentally call someone ‘sweetie?’ You're gonna have the school staff thinking you’re a really young mom or something-”

Spinning around, Polly faced Basil, looking offended, a surprising trait for her to exhibit. “Mom? I’m not even old enough for that! I’m practically a kid myself!”

“No you’re not, you’re like twenty-something!” He bit his lip.

Her hands were on her hips now, oh boy. “I’ll have you know ‘twenty-something’ isn’t that far away for you, Basil!”

“Okay, sorry.” Yup, Polly was just a him that payed taxes. God, he hoped he didn’t set her off too much. “I just… calling someone ‘sweetie’ accidentally, it’s… uhm…. aha…”

“Force of habit! I practically raised three of my siblings, after all.”

Basil slouched, mumbling into his arm. “Whatever you say, Ms. Polly.”

“Ms. Polly?!” Her voice was so uncharacteristically incredulous. Hm, hm, maybe it was a little fun to set her off, after all.

Their light bickering ceased once Basil’s grandmother came into the living room to join them, as Polly quickly made herself appear as traditionally professional. Basil almost frowned, seeing her return to an easy, pleasant, and… safe smile. He truly did frown once the front door was knocked on, an audio indicator for what would hopefully be an easier evening, if Basil’s grandmother made promises that meant anything.

His mot- well, Katherine- was just as peppy as the previous night, and Basil tried not to cringe when she brought him into a hurried hug before she rushed to greet Basil’s grandmother. She griped about how difficult it was getting settled into the hotel, what with their lateness at signing in and all. She tutted affectionately when Iason handwaved their apparent struggle with a noncommittal statement along the lines of “it wasn’t all that bad.” Katherine huffed and folded her arms in good humor at her partner’s nonchalance. Basil obviously was far from… knowing them after an evening meal, and now a few minutes into this (hopefully) brief visit, but he couldn’t help but note just how well they bounced off of one another. While she chattered on and on, Katherine would send Iason small, barely detectable smiles with her eyes, and it was like the vigor in her speech somehow translated into some secret message only he would pick up on. Iason would knowingly waggle his brows at some points, but usually entertained himself on raking his gaze around the length of the house, studying small knickknacks and the like. Iason usually looked like he carried a sense of unease no matter what was being discussed, but he seemed to become placid every time his eyes laid on Katherine. Basil thought back, while he was sitting and taking all of this in, knees tucked to his chest in the dining area, to Iason’s behavior of last night, and how blatantly uncomfortable he was around Basil.

Iason never specifically said anything. It was more of what he didn’t say, in how he never insisted in any affectionate gestures like what Katherine seemed intent upon doing. But, he would often look at Basil like there was something he meant to say, and never did. There was never that content placidity that he saw in how… in how he looked at his mother. That wasn’t there for him. And it wouldn’t be. And, that was fine, maybe. It should be. Nothing changes overnight, Basil thought. And did he really have the intent of rekindling (would it be a rekindling, when that first spark wasn’t there in the first place?) a tension-filled relation with either of his parents, whom he felt so alienated from?

Perhaps it was just naive expectation. Basil had always secretly… selfishly liked happy endings.

But he wasn’t sure he wanted this. An atmosphere that was stifled by a talkative mother he didn’t know too well, or a distant father he also didn’t know too well. Neither of which seemed interested in knowing him. Really knowing him, that is. And that’s fine. It’s fine.

Basil distantly thought about how he wasn’t really contributing to the current conversation.

Polly’s hand suddenly was at his back, a small semicircle rubbed between his shoulder blades as she walked past and to the sink.

“Hey Basil, the rain seems to have gone down,” Polly said, in her peaceable, agreeable tone. But she was right. There were only trickles making their way down the window at this point, residue from a day that had been washed away. Basil could see an opportunity in this.

“...I think I’ll go check on my outdoor flowers. Drain some pots. See if anything got crushed or knocked over,” he said, to no one in particular, causing the room to go a little quieter at his awkward interruption. Uhm, anything else that could buy him some time? “...Uhm, bye.” Guess not. He realized he wasn’t owning up to his side of the bargain when he caught his grandmother’s sad eye as he walked to the door in a stiff, jittery fashion.

The surprisingly warm musk of a prolonged rain shower met Basil’s nose, and he immediately felt more tranquil once he shut the door behind him, leaning on it for a moment. He might as well attend to what he claimed to do in his excuse to leave. Maybe Basil wasn’t the best at lying, per se, but he was beginning to really admire his own abilities to redirect conversations or get caught up in activities rather than confront annoying, uncomfortable stuff. Any who, flowers.

He enjoyed himself, for a little bit, enjoying the sopped ground, and how his shoes squished on the turf. He enjoyed how he could aid the poor petals of his plants, so beaten down by the skies above, by simply draining their pots. It was a small, but powerful gesture. A surefire act of worthwhile control over the smallest beings in Basil’s life. An easy, repetitive way to gain a temporary peace…

Basil frowned when he heard the front door open and shut, effectively barred from his reverie, and once he saw who it was, all he could do was sigh.

“...Do you need something?”

“Hm, I thought you were pretty quiet, today.”

Basil scoffed, and pointedly turned away from Iason, who has now seemingly deigned to join him in the beauty of the sopping wet outdoors. Where Basil was trying to enjoy himself. Alone. There goes that dream. All of his irritated, half finished thoughts came rushing back to him.

“...Wouldn’t she be missing you, about now?”

“...Her mom wanted to talk to her for a bit. Guess it was an important ‘girls-only’ kind of convo- I got shooed off.” Iason shrugged, his hands slipped neatly into his high-waisted pockets. “Besides, Kat’s a big girl. She’s fine without me.”

“...So you decided to talk to me instead?” Basil wasn’t much for conversation. Especially in current company. A part of him just wanted to come out and say it. You know what? He will. He took a deep breath. “Yeah, actually, I d-don’t know why you’re bothering. I’m just…” He sighed inwardly, but externally it was practically a hiss. He was already losing his cool.

“Ah, there it is.”

The flower pot Basil was holding clattered indelicately to the grass as he whirled around to face his… his stupid, stupid excuse for a father. “There what is?! Are you trying to… to… to egg me on or something?”

Iason didn’t look particularly defensive. He just sort of… stared. The face-to-face equivalent of his vacant-as-all-hell phone calls over the years. There really wasn’t much to this guy, was there? “...I just thought you were… well behaved, last night. That’s all.”

“‘Well behaved?’” Basil could seethe. Was he a dog, now?

Iason took a hand out of his pocket and held it before him, attempting a calming motion. “Now, wait a sec. That came out wrong. I just… agh… I’m no good at this…”

No good at what, exactly? What was he even trying to get out of Basil, right now? He clenched a fist, holding it close to his chest, like he was putting a shield over his own heart. He wouldn’t let himself be hurt. Not this time. His fingers dug in and out of his palm, some imaginary stress ball taking immense abuse in his grasp.

Iason scratched the back of his head. “Listen, I’m not trying to belittle you or anything. I’ve… I’ve felt bad, to be honest.”

Oh, really? That’s just horrible. We couldn’t have him feeling bad, could we?

Iason had the audacity to let out a breathy laugh. “Hah… you look about ready to stick one on me. It’s not all that surprising. But… it’s refreshing.”

“H-huh?”

Iason looked like he meant to step closer for a second, but thought better of it. Basil’s eyes darted down to Iason’s shoes. They were white, fitting his apparent tendencies of wearing lighter, washed out colors. Neat. Clean looking and casual. They were now sporting a gradient of mud.

“I know you were far from happy… still are, with how everyone’s been acting. And I get it. I’m just trying to be honest. Is that alright, if I’m honest with you?” He cleared his throat.

“Honest about… what, exactly?”

“About how I feel about this. I get the feeling why Kat’s mom wanted us to come out here, and honestly, I’m unsure what to do about it.”

“What do you think the reason is?” Basil felt his heart leap a little in anxiety.

“I… I don’t know if it’s my place to share.”

Well, that was just annoyingly evasive. “Then… why bring it up?” Basil wanted to throw his hands into the air. This conversation was going nowhere.

“Listen... listen kid. Just… okay, so, you don’t…” Iason took a deep breath. “You can tell me how shitty I am. You can tell me you don’t see me as… as a dad.” He was looking considerably less composed for once, his hands held loosely before him, searching for an answer he wasn’t sure of.

Basil flinched. When Iason asked for a permissible honesty, he wasn’t expecting something this on the nose. Was this some sort of trap, to make Basil say the wrong thing? “What… what do you want me to say?”

“What you really think.”

“...You won’t… you won’t get mad?” Basil’s throat felt tight.

“That wouldn’t be fair. Why should someone get mad at you for being true to yourself?”

Basil swore once he felt hot tears trickle down his cheeks, and he swiped away at them while turning away from Iason. “Shit…” What were the waterworks for? This was one of the most potentially cathartic moments Basil could conceivably have, and here he was giving off the wrong message. He wanted to stick the middle finger to this guy ages ago, so why now…? “Yeah, I… I don’t. Sorry. I’m… s-sorry.” He wasn’t sorry! Why was he apologizing?!

Basil heard a heavy exhale from behind him. He didn’t dare turn to look.

“...Yeah. Yeah that’s, uhm. That’s about what I expected. Really, you don’t need to feel bad. This is… that’s fair.”

“I really don’t want to talk too much about it… you feel like a stranger to me.” Basil felt the words escape from him before he noticed.

“That’s fine. You don’t have to talk about it if it makes you uncomfortable. I’m sure there’s… there’s a lot there.” Iason gave a brief, dark chuckle. “But, just between you and me, I wouldn’t bother giving too much thought for a guy like me. I’m not worth the trouble, I promise…”

Basil wanted to rake his hands down his face. “It’s not… it’s not about you. It’s more like…” Where were the right words when he needed them? “I’m just… I’m thinking about what I wish I had. That’s all.”

“Oh. I see.”

Basil sat down on the grass. Then, he didn’t feel close enough to the fresh dampness of the earth, so he slouched down until he was parallel with the slate blue of the sky.

“You’re gonna be one big grass stain, at this rate.”

“Can you just-”

“I’ll shut up. My bad.” Iason sat down in the grass as well with the smallest sigh. “...I would ask you to not hold anything against your grandmom, for this, though.”

“...I wouldn’t. She’s been there for me.” He hoped there was a sting to that statement.

“I get it. I’m just saying, with how she’s… trying to push us onto you, I guess. You probably noticed.”

“I’m not that stupid.” Like Basil couldn’t pick up on his grandmother’s stupid attempts at bonding exercises.

Iason snickered, despite himself. “Sorry. You’re right.”

Basil lifted a finger as he watched a ladybug wander aimlessly across his left hand. He built an endless mountain by alternating his hands before it, yet the tiny insect continued to crawl blindly forward, none the wiser. Stubborn. “You don’t seem all that happy at playing the dad role.”

“...Come on, it’s one thing for you to not like me, and be able to say so, but you’re a kid. Wouldn’t it be awful if I said anything about that?”

“You’re pretty much saying ‘yes’ in a roundabout way.”

Iason was silent. “...You’re a good kid. Kat’s a good person. Kat’s mom is a good person. Things just turned out complicated.”

“...Feels great to be a complication.”

Iason made a small frustrated noise, and raked a hand down his jaw. “...I don’t think you realize just how good you are at making people feel bad for you.”

Basil screwed up his face in confusion, propping himself up on his elbows to glare at Iason. “I’m not… I’m not trying to make you feel bad for me!”

Iason only looked at him with a gaze that… held a surprising amount of quiet humor, considering the conversation. How he seemed to be at a near-constant state of temperance was something Basil would never understand.

"Really though, if you played your cards right, I'm sure you could work yourself out of plenty of sticky situations with that kind of a set-up."

"What set-up?"

"You know… the baby blue puppy dog eyes! The innocent face! Even when you're looking at me all pissed off like that, it's still got a charm to it, I'm telling you."

"...Stop messing with me." Basil grumbled and settled back into the grass.

Iason shook his head. "I'm not pulling your leg. When I was a few years older than you, I figured out that if I smiled right, I could get away with… well, just about anything."

Basil doubted it. He doubted it extremely. "Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Well, I got Kat's parents to think I was acceptable, for one. That's probably my biggest accomplishment."

"... Pretty hard to pull off, I bet."

Iason smirked as he was dug at, like it mattered just as much as a compliment would. "Bitey. Can't say you're wrong though. They changed their tune quick, one they realized how I favored science over the church. Then it was all about the horrible devil of a boy stealing away their angel little girl."

"Rough." Basil chewed on his lip for a second. "But… it looks like things still worked out for you, though. Grandmother seems like she really likes you, now."

"Well… first and foremost, she's calmed down about her beliefs over time. I think. But, I'd also like to claim that my charms helped me through once again. People like us can't help but grow on others."

"...I'm not like that at all."

"Sure you are. I mean…" Iason simply raised his eyebrows, and held out a hand with splayed, curled fingers beneath his own face, as though presenting his features as some kind of art. "You got a hell of an inheritance, eh?"

"Nope."

"Too much?"

"Yup."

"Damn." He shrugged, like it meant no difference to him. "At least Kat appreciates my good looks."

Yuck. "...Is she just on your brain ninety percent of the time, or something? You wouldn't stop staring at her in the living room."

"I'm not allowed to look at my girl, now? Shamed by a teenage boy. What's the world coming to?" Iason didn't sound particularly put off- more condescending if anything, like he didn't take Basil all that seriously. "I guess it could be hard for you to understand."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Iason held up his hand again. That's twice in one conversation he's had to stop Basil from getting riled up. Now what did that say about either one of them? "That's not meant to be an insult. It's just that Kat… well… she lights up the room to me."

"...She talks a lot."

Iason snorted. "You have no idea how many times I've had to drag her away from a conversation, party… whatever. That woman's a chatterbox." His lips turned into a smirk.

Basil almost sneered. What could he see in her? That sounded exhausting.

"Oh, it can be. Very much so." Basil didn't realize he'd said that last part aloud. "But… she's just got this energy to her. Sometimes it seems like she pisses other people off just by being as alive as she is. In her anger, in her sadness, in her joy- she's a force of nature that's so unstoppable, it's like the world bends to her."

Woah. That was. Surprisingly poetic. Basil felt his heart tug with a level of surprise of its own, and the hollow feeling proclaiming that no one would ever talk about himself that way. Basil hadn't realized he sat up. Iason watched as cars rolled down the main road, headlight beams turning on as the dusk of the evening came up on them.

"...You love her." Perhaps it was an unnecessary and obvious thing to say, but for some reason Basil realized that he hadn't fully considered the idea of his parents loving each other. Why did such a thing compel him as it did?

"Yeah."

Basil folded his empty hands in his lap. The ladybug had left without his notice, and he felt all the more lonely in its absence.

Iason lightly bumped him in the shoulder, startling Basil out of his moping. "...Don't look all upset like that. You're too young to think love won't come for you."

"Ah… aha…" Basil chuckled awkwardly, playing with his hands. "Uhm. 'C-come for you' makes love sound like some terrifying monster."

Iason was quiet for a moment, then laughed, startling Basil a second time. When Basil peered over at him, he couldn't help but think Iason was startled by himself as well. "I know you'll hate me for saying this… but you really are a likable kid, when you're being yourself, like this. I think I would've hung around you if I met you while growing up."

Basil didn't really know how to respond to that kind of a statement, both for not perceiving himself as particularly likable, and because of the idea of befriending his estranged father. So, he opted not to say anything, only staring at the sky. Iason didn't seem to mind, and didn't bother breaking the silence, or asking more of him.

Despite everything, Basil felt a pleasant warmth in his chest, despite the chill of the evening.

…Well, that was until the front door opened in a flurry.

Basil and Iason jumped in unison and watched as Katherine stormed from the house, furiously wiping at her face. Following after her hobbled Basil's grandmother, her eyes wide in desperation. Polly was right behind her, and lightly gripped at his grandmother’s shoulder, steadying and attempting to soothe her. Iason stood up straight, looking on with concern.

Katherine made it to Iason’s side in an instant and gave a terse tug to the hem of his shirt. “Come on, Jase. Let’s get going,” she whispered, tense with some sort of brittle quality to her voice, surprisingly tapered.

“Kat, what’s wrong?” His hands quickly went to her face, smoothing out worried lines almost absentmindedly.

“...Later. Please, let’s just-”

“Ekaterini, please. Please don’t storm out like this agai-” Basil’s grandmother sounded worried and frustrated both, but Basil didn’t move to comfort her, and instead only stood by, not sure what he should do in this fragile moment where something invisible felt ready to snap.

”Again?!”

Snap.

Katherine whirled around, and pointed an accusatory finger in the direction of Basil’s grandmother, who still stayed within the boundaries of the porch. “Listen, Mom, I realize what I can, and can’t deal with. It took me a while to get to that point, so I don’t need you minimizing my choice to distance myself once I realize you’re, once again, asking far too much of me! So don’t make it seem like I’m some… some child by saying I’m storming off!”

“Please, you know this would mean so much to me… and it’s not just about me, it’s about-”

Iason wrapped an arm around Katherine’s back, attempting to pull her near. He looked about as startled as Basil felt by this outburst.

“I know, Mom! You don’t need to remind me, I just… ugh.” She proceeded to mutter quietly to herself, and Basil had to strain to hear. “...knew this would happen. Why did I even…?”

“Child, please. This is for family. I know this is hard for you, but you’d be fine, I’m sure-”

“No. No you wouldn’t. You’re assuming what you think I can take, because you only see me in the way you think I should act, and that’s just… well, it’s ridiculous. It’s even more ridiculous I keep deciding to think you’ll change over the years. I… I’m at a loss.”

Iason rubbed his hand in a small circle at Katherine’s waist. “You’re right, we should get going.”

Basil’s grandmother looked steely, for a single moment, and called out. “Basil dear, go in the house for a moment.” And, that’s when it dawned upon him.

“Whatever you guys are arguing about… it’s about me, isn’t it?” Basil croaked, embarrassed at the dryness of his throat.

Katherine looked over at him with a violent mix of emotions flashing across her face: anger, fear, and something else. She pinched the bridge of her dainty nose and creased her brow. She looked so different under distress like this…

“You c-can tell me. I don’t care.” He did. Very much so.

“Basil, this isn’t something you need to worry about-” Basil’s grandmother started, with her familiar, coaxing tone. However, she was cut of once again by her daughter.

“Maybe he should be! You’re not giving him or me a choice in any of this! I tried to play nice, and I don’t know why, but you’ve got to have some sort of… some sort of reality check or something! Be honest, Mom. With someone who’s as big a mess as me, would you want me to raise him?”

“It’s not raising!” Basil’s grandmother rasped. “I did that part for you! It’s only three years, girl!”

Well, at least all pretenses were abandoned. They were talking about where Basil would get passed off to, and then when he’d be disposed of, in the case of his grandmother’s… oh, so she’s still worried about this, then? But… she’s been getting better, recently. She won’t be-

“They probably won’t be good three years!” Katherine laughed, sardonically, and Basil could hear the tears she was choking on. Iason whispered something again about leaving, but his partner seemed to want to stand her ground, now. “I’m not like h… I’m not who you want me to be…” She trailed off, her voice sounding more and more frantic.

“Would you rather he spend them in a home?!”

“No! Fuck, Mom… I…” She whirled to meet Basil’s gaze, and he felt some shivers wrack his body, bringing him to some level of awareness to his physicality. “Basil, you wouldn’t want… you’d hate to live with me, wouldn’t you?”

Hate? Basil only stood, still as a statue, with his mouth agape. 'Hate' rung over and over again in his head, and accompanied a poignant ache in his chest. Was he the one who would hate it, or…

Iason slipped in front of her, and spoke in a low voice. “...Come on, this isn’t fair to him. Don’t pose questions like this.”

She threw her hands into the air helplessly. “But, I’m trying to be fair! Aren’t I the only one who’s giving him a choice around here?”

Iason spoke again, sounding surprisingly stern. “You’re giving him an ultimatum. That’s not fair either, Kat.” They both stared at each other for a moment, the air tense between them, before a softness broke through it, and Katherine gave the smallest of sighs. She turned to her mother.

“...We’ll be keeping in touch, but…” She shook her head, denying herself the opportunity to continue. “...Just… take care, Mom.” She rubbed at her eyes. Basil did the same for his own, without thinking of it.

The couple turned around, leaving Basil’s grandmother to stand quietly on the porch, helpless to their departure. Katherine stopped by Basil, and turned towards him with a sad look. Basil turned as rigid as a statue, not sure what was on his own face. His mother’s frown turned deeper. Basil felt his skin crawl with an uncomfortable fire. He felt ashamed, and he didn’t even know what for? For witnessing this? For being the centerpiece of distress? For existing?

…He was glad he ripped up that film.

“...Basil, I’m so-”

“No.” Basil’s mouth, set in a thin line began to waver. “No, I don’t want you to say it if you don’t mean it. You’re right. You shouldn’t play nice.” He was surprised he got the words out, but he clearly traded his resolve to stay and see them off for such an ability. He took off running, and darted inside. He was tempted to shut himself into his room again, but instead watched them go from the inside. He watched Katherine put her face into her hands. He watched as his grandmother tentatively approached them and traded some words. Katherine shook her head, and walked slowly to the car, as dismal as a mourner. Iason said something brief to her as well, shrugging his shoulders as he did so. Basil caught him tossing a gaze to the living room window. Basil ducked, his fingers turning white as he gripped the bottom of the frame.

He jolted as a hand touched his shoulder. Polly’s hand, which began to rub small circles into it. Basil didn’t try to tear himself away, but still gritted his teeth, dissatisfied with everything involved in the situation.

“I’m going to help your grandmother in a moment, but I’ll be back with you afterwards, okay?”

“...You…” His voice was hoarse. “You don’t…”

“I don’t have to, but I want to.”

True to her word, after leading Basil’s grandmother, who looked incredibly drained, to her room, she came back to the kitchen. Basil had only been watching the car of his parents, as it sat on the curbside for a surprising amount of time. Why hadn’t they left yet?

As though ushered into action from his thoughts, the headlights sprung to life. Basil watched silently as the car drove away. He wondered how long it would be until he saw them again.

“...They’re gone.” He sounded so hollow. Why was he so bothered by this? He shouldn’t be bothered by this. This was more of the same.

“Basil, I boiled some water. Hot chocolate, or tea?”

“I don’t-”

“Which one would you prefer?” Oh, so Polly wasn’t arguing on this. Hospitality. That’s the one thing she didn’t seem to compromise on.

“...Tea.”

“Got it. Which kind?”

“It doesn’t matt-”

“There’s a lot of nice looking herbal ones here.”

“...Mint.”

With spoonfuls of honey and steaming mugs, Polly and Basil settled on the couch. The mint was refreshing, but bordered on bitter, even with the sweetness stirred in. Basil sighed into his mug.

“...Don’t worry about me, Polly. I’m fine.”

Polly made a small sound of affirmation.

“...There’s nothing to talk about.”

Polly placed her mug on the side table and sighed, setting her hands daintily into her lap. “Alright.”

Basil felt relieved at the lack of probing, but wondered immediately if there was something else up her sleeve. But… that wouldn’t be very ‘Polly-like.’ Hm. “...That’s it?”

“Sometimes, all you need is tea and a quiet evening. These other things… you shouldn’t worry about them. Right now, you’re finishing up your Spring Break, and you have school coming up again.”

“...You’re sounding like that again.”

Polly gave a small, tinkling laugh. “No, no. That’s… uhm. That’s not what I meant. Just… don’t concern yourself, acting on cleanup duty after others. Sometimes it’s better to focus on your own little world.”

“Sounds selfish. And stupid. And it’s weird hearing that from you.”

Polly tutted. “It’s not selfish… it’s just…” She paused, searching for words. “I don’t want you to fret over things out of your control.” Another pause. “I’m aware you’ll be upset with me for saying this, and I know how cliched it is, but… you are still growing.”

Basil bristled. “That doesn’t mean I can’t understand the weight of things!”

“I know. But that doesn’t mean that weight should be pushed so heavily onto your shoulders.” Her gaze flickered with something a little darker, the smallest spoonful of sullen. “...Trust me on that one.”

“...Fine.”

They drank their tea in silent company.

Chapter Text

Basil actually hadn’t skipped homeroom today.

He wasn’t sure what the reason was- why he didn’t just find a typical nook under a staircase to maybe doze off in. Perhaps he didn’t have one. But today, he settled into the sleepy classroom they’d be staying in for the next fifteen minutes before first period began. Basil noted to himself that it wasn’t as if homeroom was hellish or anything. In fact, it could be quite pleasant when his peers were as docile as they were now, still bleary with fatigue. If only they could be like that for the remainder of the day… it would be a godsend. Basil found the most tolerable of his classmates were the ones that just lay their heads down, kept to themselves, and tried to catch brief naps wherever they went. They didn’t talk too much; they were nice.

Basil settled against the wall on the back of the classroom, sliding to the cold tile floor, with his backpack held to his chest. Maybe he would take a little nap, after all. Heaven knows he needed one. With it being early May, study guides had been shoved into binders, advanced placement students were tugging their hair out, and some were simply bracing themselves for summer school. Basil thought he might have just squeaked by in English, but his World History knowledge was questionable at best. He sighed, locking his hands together and stretching his arms above his head. Maybe… maybe English wouldn’t be too bad, if they read books that were actually interesting, like the ones he had at home…

His eyelids drifted shut.

A soft, subdued voice spoke up. “...Can I… can I sit at this desk?”

Basil remained silent.

“...Uhm…” Basil grimaced as he was prodded in the side, opening his eyes reluctantly. “...You’re talking to m…” His voice caught in his throat when his eyes fully opened. And they scaled up, and up, and up. This was… probably the tallest girl he’d ever seen. Wearing a woolen sweater with a Charlie Brown-like zigzag, she towered above Basil with her stringy brown hair dangling before her eyes. “...Uhm…” Basil squeaked out again, not sure what to do. He held his bag a little closer.

“Hey, Charlene! Why don’t you come sit with with us? Ms. Orville told us about you!” Some girls from across the room, with their desks all turned to face each other, waved over to this gargantuan of a human being. This… Charlene… stared down at Basil for a few seconds more, then made her way over to the small group. Basil gulped. He cheated death again, today.

A few minutes later, the door burst open, and in came Kel, panting, wearing a yellow tank and some horribly clashing blue basketball shorts adorned with small wave patterns near their trim. “Sorry I’m late, Ms. Orville! I was doing ‘cool kid’ stuff!”

Ms. Orville, sitting at her scuffed desk near the entrance, didn’t even turn around while she inputted attendance into her keyboard. “...Mhm, good to have you, Kel. Bell hasn’t rung, don’t worry. Take a seat; don’t cause a commotion, please.” She usually had a little bit of an artificially sweeter tone to her voice, but evidently Kel’s outbursts weren’t worthy of such a formality. Or at least, they weren’t when it was this early in the day.

Kel heartily shut the door behind him- and, well, at least he had the decency to try and close the door- but it reunited with the frame so harshly that Basil could swear everyone simultaneously jumped at the slam. Still, no one seemed too annoyed, because Kel got a few ‘hello’s’ and a fistbump as he made the way over to his desk.

And then his eyes locked on Basil.

“Dude! You’re actually here!” Basil hugged his backpack a little tighter once more as Kel dashed over to him and flung himself into his desk that sat adjacent with the wall. Kel was now blocking the sun that streamed down on Basil through the nearby window, given that he had propped his face up on his arms and was gleefully observing Basil’s frazzled self sitting before him on the floor. He paused his enthused swaying for a moment, and repeated his sentence in a more concerned, contemplating tone. “Dude. You’re actually here. Is… is everything okay?”

Basil huffed. “I’m fine. I just… thought I’d show up is all.” Don’t make me regret it, Basil thought. He had completely forgotten that Kel mentioned they shared homeroom on a previous occasion, back when he had gone to negotiate with Ms. Orville, post suspension. Good times.

Kel let out a low whistle, and Basil followed his gaze to the part of the room Charlene was in. She was just… sitting there, stark against the relatively smaller chair she perched on amidst the group of girls who were turned towards each other in hushed conversation, laughing occasionally. Charlene, on the other hand, didn’t look like she was participating in conversation all that much. Huh.

“She’s huge!”

“Kel!” Basil grit his teeth, and pulled him down to the floor beside him. Kel yelped as he was manhandled, then met Basil’s stormy expression.

“What?”

Basil hissed in a sharp undertone. “Don’t just… say that! Someone might hear you!”

“...I’m not trying to be mean; I’m just pointing it out!”

Basil wanted to rake his hands down his face. “...You are ridiculous. Don’t you know what tact is?”

“Hah. You sound like Aubrey.”

“...No I don’t.”

“Yes you do.”

Basil jabbed Kel with his elbow. “My point is, keep your voice down.”

Kel at least had the decency to lean close as he whispered sarcastically. “What, do you think she doesn’t know?”

“No, but I bet you she doesn’t like people pointing it out!” Basil bit at his nails nervously, wincing as the bell rang. Kel stood with him, rubbing where his side gingerly where Basil attacked it.

“...Well, she seems to be doing okay. But you’re right, I’ll try to be more careful. No point pointing out small differences!” He smiled placidly, thinking it as simple as that before quickly shifting subjects. “Hey, Basil, wanna hear about the ‘cool kid stuff’ I was doing?”

“Uhm…”

Kel rounded around Basil, walking backwards towards the door in a languid pace, giving a little flourish with a hand on his chest. “I, Kelsey Hernandez, have made good with the P.E coaches. Officially! Like, they like me, I can tell.”

At the door, Basil slung his backpack over his shoulder, and waited for the other kids to file out of the room before he followed suit. “Everyone likes you, though.”

“Aw, you don’t mean that!” Kel batted his eyelashes.

“That… It’s just… just an observation,” Basil mumbled, scratching at his cheek.

“Well anyway, after demonstrating my loyalty to the athletics group, and helping to advertise for the basketball team, the coaches let me in on that they’d be doing tryouts for sophomores and up late summer vacation!” He eased a bit off of a flamboyant air, and settled into his more common bright enthusiasm, looking at Basil with stars in his eyes. “They might let me on the team, Basil!”

“Well… enjoy your championship league stuff, then. I don’t really hang around the basketball team much…” Basil tried to bring the conversation to a close, more than eager to get to his next class at this rate. He knew where this was going.

Kel clasped his hands together. “If I make it, you’ll show up to at least one game in the fall, right? Please? Come on! I won’t ask you for anything, ever again!”

Basil shook his head as he started to wade through hallway traffic. At least the pitchiness of Kel’s begging was drowned by the general clamor. “Kel… I… you know it probably wouldn’t be good for you or me if we seem too close in front of the basketball team.”

“Come on, Basil. I know for a solid fact that two of the guys you tried to beat up will have graduated once the fall season rolls around! Things should be okay!”

‘Tried’ to beat up. Ouch. Basil cringed. “Kel… I’ve been really good this year… please don’t talk too much about that…”

“Right, sorry. I’m just saying. You’ve got hardly anything to be afraid of!”

“...I’m afraid of missing my Biology class.”

Kel laughed and gave Basil a sheepish grin. “Fair enough. See you later this evening, buddy! Hero’s gonna look hilarious!”

Oh right, that was another thing, Basil remembered as the bell rung. He rushed towards arguably the one class he was confident in, and encountered some gleeful seniors along the way. Unlike the juniors this time of year, who, in contrast, seemed to act as though the crushing weight of world rested upon their sleep-deprived shoulders, many seniors seemed to have already mentally graduated. They took their time getting to class, greeted each other with loud familiarity in the hallway, acted like the world was ending and beginning at the same time, and so on. Teachers were generally more lenient with them as well. Apparently, putting up with the same kids for four years made even the most annoying of the bunch seem like family once they were about to go away. Currently, the biggest attractions were senior pranks and prom.

While Kel and Aubrey had been raving about whatever they wanted to do once they were of the appropriate grade level for senior pranks, Hero had been excited for prom. Of course, everyone ‘aww-ed’ at the sickeningly sweet and humble prom-posal Hero had tried to pull off, giving Mari a single, but beautiful rose, and presenting some poster that made the two of them snort because of some inside joke no one else understood. Yes, Hero had been unabashedly excited, not in the way that most people would expect excitement to culminate, but in the way that he would swoop around the kitchen and hum to himself, and never seemed to be bothered when Aubrey and Basil would rag on Kel, and Kel would quarrel back. He seemed… well, love-struck. Who would’ve thought it’d be possible, after him and Mari seemed comfortable in their “old married couple” air they always seemed to exude. They were so over the top. And Basil was allowed to internally judge them, because Sunny and Kel said they thought the same.

So yes, Hero was on cloud nine.

But Mari…

Basil turned in his assignment on eukaryotes a little earlier than the rest of the class, and slunk to the back of the classroom, thinking about plants he could seed in preparation for the summer months. After a spring of late frosts, and then unforgiving wet weather, it would take nothing less than a miracle to get the scraggly plants to bloom. Now, with warmer weather right around the corner, Basil would have to focus on sustaining whatever successes came from the current plants through the heat, and look ahead to cultivating something promising for the fall.

Basil turned in his assignment for his following Algebra class late. In fact, he struggled to do some of his unfinished homework mid-class before the snively-nosed teacher collected it, looked it over briefly, and gave him a stink-eye Basil was all too familiar with at this point.

“This is the third time in a row, Basil. See me after class.”

Someone imitated a sad trombone sound, causing everyone else to laugh. Basil slouched over, making himself small.

The teacher sniffed and cleared her throat tersely, disapproving of the juvenile foolishness as always. “Someone is going to need to take their backpack out of one of the spare desk seats, because we have a student shadowing today, and it’s not setting a good impression when everyone is leaving their clutter in the walkways and available space like this!” It was a wonder she got all that out in one breath. “Now… who’s it going to be?”

Basil peeked up when he saw the door opening, and Charlene, the giant from earlier, poked her head in with all the timidity of a small animal. So, she not only was the tallest person Basil had ever seen, but she was supposed to be an eighth grader, too?! Did her parents give her the human equivalent to Miracle-Gro?

“Uh… she can sit here, I guess.” A student mumbled and kicked his backpack out of a neighboring desk. Charlene walked over, and the whole class seemed to take a breath and lean in as she did so, unified in their apprehension of her. She hesitated for a moment, staring down at the desk.

The teacher made a tutting noise. “Charlene, this is the part of the class where I begin the lecture. May you please get situated?”

“...the desk…” Charlene mumbled, uncomfortably wringing her hands.

“Is everything alright, Charlene?”

Charlene paused for a moment more, before quietly deciding something to herself. “...s’alright.” The class was silent as she squeezed into the desk’s chair, exhaling once she was seated. The teacher seemed to sigh as well, and began talking about functions. The rest of the class seemed to go rather smoothly, aside from the fact that his “red-hoodie-antagonizer,” who Basil still didn’t know the name of, shot a spitball at him once. He sometimes wore the same, stupid green beanie whenever he wouldn’t get dress-coded for wearing a hat inside… so maybe “Green Beanie” was the most suitable name Basil could think of. Basil hardly had such a dedicated bully persist in the majority of his academic career, and wondered if he really gave off such an unforgettable impression when Basil humiliatingly took a beating from Green Beanie and his crew. Maybe he should bother to find out his stupid name, one of these days. Ugh, what a headache.

Things were calm throughout class, until everyone was about to be dismissed. The havoc of dismissal started with Charlene, who was ready to stand at the door and wait for the dismissal bell with everyone else. Unfortunately, the fates had it in for her, and were determined she wouldn’t be leaving this class so easily.

The teacher had left, and was mingling with some of the other staff in the hallway, enjoying that choice time between lectures and period dismissal where the halls were clear and quiet. This, of course, was also the prime time for mischief among antsy, unattended students. Basil usually kept his head low, during these unsteady moments.

“I swear to god, if you ask out Darius, I’m going to scream. No, don’t worry, happy screaming, I promise! I’m over him.”

“You think those same guys from before are gonna try to crowd our table? We’ve been sitting there since the beginning of the year! Do we need to put name tags on the seats? You know, on the bus, they…”

“Guys… Charlene’s having a hard time… I think.”

Basil put his head down on the table.

“Did you see Jacob’s poster? It was so big, it whacked Mr. Jenkins in the head.”

“So, I was thinking-”m

Basil was prodded to awareness by a girl to his right, who looked very uncomfortable. He’d talked to her a couple of times, mainly to reiterate something the teacher had said she hadn’t caught during the lecture.

“Uhm… sorry. To uh, bother you.” She awkwardly began, fiddling with the tail of her braid. “Well, I just thought… I wanted to tell you earlier, but uhm… some people have been talking about you on MSN. And uh… well. I thought it would be good to let you know.”

Basil groaned, tempted to put his head back on his desk. Out of sight, out of mind. “...Uhm, okay. But… I don’t have MSN.”

A student from behind chimed in, apparently listening to the conversation. “Don’t you have a computer? It’s on there.”

“Nah, Basil wouldn’t have a computer. He’s in the food stamp part of Faraway,” another voice helpfully chimed in.

“Hey!” Basil spat at them, whirling his head around and seeing the same group of chuckling shitheads. He hoped nobody was saying anything cruel about Aubrey, knowing that she was in the same part of town as he was.

The girl to his right pat his arm tentatively. “Yeah, so… they were saying that-”

Basil focused back upon her, trying to see if that freckled face had good intentions, or was just trying to toy with him in another fashion. “...Uh… It’s probably for the best I don’t know. Thanks.”

The girl’s throat bobbed, and she only offered a silent nod, slipping her hand away. Basil quickly realized how hard it was to hold onto his statement, and live without the knowledge of the whispers going around behind his back. He likely would have backtracked and initiated a masochistic interrogation of whatever his classmate knew, if he wasn’t interrupted.

A shout ripped through the classroom, startling Basil to awareness.

“GUYS! Seriously, Charlene’s starting to freak out!”

“What do we do?”

“Is she seriously-”

“I’m stuck!” Charlene whimpered, fighting against her desk, and clutching at her chest, trying to pace her breathing. Basil, like the rest of the classroom, was shocked into silence, watching the scene before them. Charlene’s eyes were like saucers, and she clasped her hands on the base of the desk’s chair, and the metal pole to her left, trying desperately to wrench herself free, but found herself pinned against the small lip of table that curved to her right.

The desk fell to its right.

A snicker.

An uncomfortable laugh.

Basil swore someone whispered ‘fatass.’

Basil’s mouth stood in a mortified line. He felt like he was watching a fish flop about on the beach, trying with every fiber of its gilled body to make its way back to sea in an ungracious dance. Charlene began to breathe loudly and frequently.

“Charlene? H-How’d you get inside the desk in the first place if you ‘couldn’t fit?’” A bespectacled student inquired, her face fighting between a perplexed amusement and sympathy.

Charlene began to sob in a way reminiscent of a mournful animal’s cry, and the class traded uncomfortable looks amongst its body.

“Why didn’t they just put her in special ed? She’s freaking out…”

“Idiot, special ed isn’t for people like-”

“Get me OUT!” Charlene cried, her hands clasping onto her face.

Basil clenched his teeth. She looked strong. Couldn’t she just break the desk? Was she scared she’d get in trouble? Why was she just sitting there? Why was he just sitting there? Should he do something? But what if-

Basil didn’t realize his hands were clasping tightly upon the sides of his chair, feeling strangely helpless watching the scenario before him. Some students had moved to loom over Charlene’s predicament, appearing to have little intent to help her out of it. Others, even with more sympathetic expressions, were similarly chair-bound, as Basil was. Their minds probably had a similar thought process of ’What would happen to me, if I stood right now?’

Basil couldn’t move.

“You’re freaking out for no reason. Just suck your stomach in.” A lanky student prodded at Charlene’s shoulder, while she stayed curled into a ball, unresponsive.

“Someone get Mrs. Landers!”

“Yeah… this isn’t good…”

Basil couldn’t move.

“Another freak in the class…” A student pushed his sneaker against Charlene’s side, like she was something nasty on the side of the road.

The teacher, upon notification, rushed into the classroom at the ring of the bell. The other students quickly shuffled out while Mrs. Landers contended with another teacher, who brought a drill from the shop class to dismantle the tabletop of the desk. Basil almost forgot, in the rush, that he was meant to stay after class. He had been relying on being able to leave with the rest of the class, but now he was confronted with the aftermath. He watched as Charlene was freed from the desk, with little injury. Her shortness of breath seemed to come mainly from her burst of panic and not, thankfully, from something like her chest being pinned.

Basil and Charlene were the only children left in the classroom, after the rush was over and Charlene was made to calm down. Charlene sat, occasionally sniffling against the wall, while Basil remained in his desk, his head held low.

He was a coward.

He listened to Mrs. Landers and the other teachers discussing the incident amongst themselves. Basil didn’t know if Charlene had the kind of parents who would try to sue, or brush things off as their child needing to grow some tougher skin. Basil mused on if the teachers were wondering the same thing.

Charlene, with her soft, hiccuping voice, spoke up in the emptiness of the classroom. “D-do you have a- an eraser?”

Basil bit down on his lip. She was talking to him. He felt awkward and jerky, reaching into his bag and taking out a white, rounded eraser, one peppered with doodles he had forgotten the contents of. It seemed good enough. He wobbled his way over to Charlene and the back wall, holding a hand out, and not making eye contact. His guilt made him flush, probably from head to toe. He felt her large hand cover his, picking out the eraser like it was made of something delicate and not just rubber.

“...Thanks.” She made a small gasp, which stopped Basil from marching resolutely back to his desk. “...I like the little flowers you drew on it.”

Basil gulped, tracing the tiled floor with his eyes. He must have done that absentmindedly. “Y-You do?”

“...Yeah. My favorites are ‘Pink Delights.’” She paused. “My favorite flower, I mean. Not from your drawings. You didn’t… draw ‘Pink Delights.’ Looks like you drew… little daisies and chamomile.”

Basil looked up at her, and actually saw her eyes. They were a molten brown, and were warm as she turned the tiny-looking eraser over in her hands, like it was the nicest work of art she’d ever seen, and not the half-hearted scraggly doodles of a teenage boy. Basil looked at his own doodles, actually bothering to give them attention.

“...Yeah. They are. Chamomiles, I mean. They’re chamomiles. I’m surprised you noticed.” Basil bit his lip. “In a good way. Surprised in a good way. That’s cool.” That’s sweet, Basil thought. Thank you for liking my flowers. Instead of saying that, he slid down to the floor, sitting a small distance from her side.

Charlene scrubbed at a drawing with the eraser in her hand. When Basil peeked over, he saw a trellis of hanging vines and flowers. The petals reminded him of cherry blossoms, and she was taking immense care to draw each and every one.

“What happened to the girls you talked with this morning?” Basil started.

Charlene stayed focused on her drawing. “...Left.” Basil almost flinched. Well, that was a swing and a miss. He tried again.

“...That looks nice.” He motioned to her drawing.

“...Thanks. Mom says drawing’s good for me.”

They both sat in silence as Charlene didn’t follow up after her comment, so Basil figured it was time to get to the point. He scrunched up his eyes, and said in one, probably unnecessarily sharp breath: “I’m sorry!”

Charlene looked up at Basil from her drawing, her bangs falling back in front of her eyes.

Basil took a deep breath in, the extra oxygen there to compensate for the little bit of something that seemed to leave him with his apology. Charlene only remained silent.

“...I’m sorry I didn’t do anything to help. I-I usually think that the people here are assholes, but I think that besides the mean ones, there’s also the ones who’re scared, but just don’t do anything. I felt scared. Seeing you scared. Maybe that makes me mean too, I don’t know. I shouldn’t have worried about what would happen to me if I tried to help you. So… I’m sorry!” Basil willed himself to remain resolute, and stare Charlene in the eyes (or at least, where her eyes would be if he could see them), hoping that this pit of guilt worming around in his stomach would go away.

“...It’s okay. I get scared, too.”

“B-But… this is different. I know what it’s like… so I should’ve done something. All I did was watch…” Basil’s voice broke with shame, and he hung his head.

Charlene just went back to drawing. “...Hmm,” her willowy little voice seemed to ponder Basil’s refutation only halfway. “...Everyone wants to be a hero, until they’re not.”

Basil blinked in confusion. Wasn’t that where he went wrong, here? Where was she going with this?

“...Don’t worry about it too much.” Basil saw a small little simper creep up Charlene’s face like the ivy she was sketching. “...Thanks for apologizing. That’s better than most people do.”

Basil looked down at his knees, tapping them nervously. “...Mhmm.” She was reminding him of Sunny, in a way. It made Basil feel even more guilty. “I like your drawing. It’s pretty, really.” He blanched, and began to stutter. “S-Sorry, I think I complimented it already, I’m not just trying to make filler conversation o-or anything-”

“You really like flowers, don’t you?”

Basil gave an uncomfortable smile. “...Is that a bad thing?”

“I don’t think so. What’s your favorite? I told you mine.” Charlene hummed while she waited for Basil to answer.

“...I’m not sure.” Basil blinked in surprise at his own realization. He didn’t have a favorite flower? How, after all this time?

Charlene made a small noise of understanding. “They’re all really pretty. It’s hard to choose. They’re special in their own ways.”

Basil laughed softly. “Yeah… you get it.” He tapped on his knees, and darted his eyes over at Charlene, making a sudden decision. “Hey… if you end up starting school here next year, a-and if the others start treating you weird, you should sit with me, when you can. At lunch or… or wherever.”

“What about your friends?”

“I have one that I’m only able to see at lunch. The other… he’s all over the place. But the girl I sit with at lunch- her name is Aubrey- s-she’d be happy to have you! I think. She should. I’ll be mad if she doesn’t.” He tripped over his words in an enthusiastic flurry. “And, I might have another f-friend start coming here next year, so you’d both be new, then. He likes drawing, too. He is a year older, though, so maybe you wouldn’t have the same classes. So… uh… sorry, I’m talking too much…”

Charlene looked at Basil pensively, contemplating the possibility. Basil noticed her cheeks were still stained with dried tears. “...I’ll see, if my mom ends up letting me go to this school.”

“She might not?”

“Maybe.”

Well, that was a non-answer. Maybe she was being deliberately quiet because she was mad at Basil. It would make sense. Well, he was doing what he could to make it up to her.

“...You’re probably too nice for this school anyway, Charlene. I’m not looking forward to the next three years here,” Basil mumbled, setting his chin upon his knees, blowing at his bangs.

“...You seem nice, in a ‘you’ way. Uhm… whoever you are.”

Basil wanted to facepalm. “Basil! I’m Basil. Sorry. Most people know who I-” He stopped talking, and rubbed his arms instead, sheepishly. “...People don’t really like me that much. That’s why I’d only offer you hang out with me if the others end up not liking you, either.”

Charlene shrugged her mountainous shoulders, and put away her sketchbook. “...I think… I’d hang out with you either way.”

“W-Why?” Basil said apprehensively.

Charlene, placid in a way that made her panic from earlier seem like a distant memory, only dreamily mumbled out a reply. “...Because you like flowers, too.”

Basil smiled, feeling surprisingly put at ease. He finally spotted a gentleness in the giant before him, and was better for it.

Basil was scolded by his teacher, once she returned to the room. Evidently, everything was business as usual, despite the prior Charlene incident. Basil reflected on this as his teacher explained how she’d have to contact his grandmother due to his neglect of his assignments. He supposed that, for them, it was much easier to ignore the bullying and other issues that went on right under their noses. Maybe they thought everything would be okay, regardless. It’s not like the Basils and Charlenes made too much of a stink about the things that happened to them, and it’s not like Basil was stranger to pretending away his problems.

Still, when Charlene caught Basil off-guard with a heavy handed clap on the back of his shoulder, paired with a shadowed smile, he felt a little happy knowing that some people could still find little slices of happiness, even in a system working against them. He wanted to do that for Charlene, like how his friends had for him. It seemed only right. His grandmother always told him how important it was to give back into the world, so maybe offering a new girl at school some company would be a giving action along those lines. He hoped so. Basil was so used to feeling useless, so actually helping others by supporting them… it made him a little giddy, to be honest. Was he bad, for that? Helping others without pure altruism? Helping others because he liked being needed? Although… in Charlene’s case, she was so composed already, Basil doubted she was as helpless as he was. He was almost jealous.

Maybe it was pointless to worry over it too much.

“See you later, Charlene. Uhm, maybe. I hope.”

“...Mhm. Bye, Basil. My mom’s gonna be picking me up.”

“O-oh. Okay. Well, at least you get a day off from school, I guess?”

“Yeah. I think… I’ll draw some Pink Delights.”

“...Why don’t I ever see you at Fix-It? They have a new line of summer seeds; you might like some of them.” Basil wracked his brain for any memory of Charlene. He thought he’d remember someone as… well, prominent as her.

“...Oh… I don’t know… I like flowers, but do you think I could actually grow them? I might accidentally crush them. I’m so… clumsy.” She rocked on her feet, looking bashful.

“Sure you could. I could help you pick out some, if you’d like?” When Basil looks at Charlene, he can’t help but think of some purple agapanthuses. They’d shoot far out past the pot, but their sturdy stems support the poofy ball of flowers.

“...Okay. Maybe I’ll go during the weekend. I think… Saturday.”

Basil smiled, feeling considerably less ruffled than earlier. “Alright. See you.”

“Bye, Basil.”

Basil pulled at his backpack strap, walking out the door. “Bye, Charlene.”

The rest of the school day was blissfully uneventful. But then came the evening, which would surely be more rowdy, at least for some. As promised, Basil promptly went over to Kel’s house, where things were… something.

Hero…. well, Basil couldn’t say he looked hilarious, as Kel promised. In fact, he looked somewhere more along the lines of disgustingly handsome. It was almost cliche for someone named ‘Hero’ to pull off a suit and tie that well. Baby blue, of all colors… he was a regular Prince Charming.

Basil, arms folded, was spectating Hero fussing over his perfect hair in the reflection from the TV screen in Kel’s living room. Kel leaned over and whispered to Basil, shocking him out of his thoughts with a jolt that almost knocked him from his perch on the arm of the couch- an oddly uncouth and animalistic idling pose he must have picked up from Sunny without realizing it.

“Basil, you okay? You look… stormy.”

Basil swore his flush was noticeable, and cursed himself for it. “Nope. I’m fine. It’s just… we’ve been here a while. Isn’t Mari ready? Won’t Hero go get her?”

Hero, who probably clued in on Kel and Basil’s interaction once he heard the name Mari, turned around and sighed, patting his suit down. “She’s fine, Basil. I’m sure of it.”

Kel stood up from the couch. “Yeah, I’ve got Sunny giving me play-by-play updates on the phone. Everything’s going according to plan.” He grinned devilishly, punching a fist into his hand.

Hero soothed the worry lines in his forehead. “Kel… you don’t have to sound so… maniacal about it. You and Sunny have been doing nothing but give me a headache with all the ringing that’s been going on for the past hour.” He sighed again, seemingly as blue as his suit color. “...I don’t want to rush her but we might run late, soon.”

The phone in the hallway began the dreadful ringing sound that had started to drive Hero, and possibly Basil, up a wall. Kel dashed to answer it. Basil and Hero gave each other a small, wordless look, waiting in anticipation before Kel called out: “Sunny said that Mari said she needed ‘maybe just fifteen more minutes.’ He sounded worried. Hero, are you sure everything’s okay with Mari? She’s been acting weird, lately.” Kel hung up.

Basil cocked his head. “...Is it because…”

Hero looked a little pained. “Hey, it’s alright if we’re a bit late. I’m there for her, not for some silly prom thing. I just… wish that she’d be a little more in the ‘now,’ instead of worrying about what’s ahead.” He sat down on the couch next to Basil, deflating.

Kel went over to console his older brother, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “Hey, it’s alright! You got into the college you wanted; you should be proud! And it’s not like this is an end-all. You and Mari are closer than anything, so you can bet she’ll call you as much as she can. And hey, once breaks come, you can haul yourself back here and say hi to the rest of us, too!”

Hero craned his head back to look at his brother’s smiling face. “...Thanks. I just wish she could’ve gotten in, too. It’s going to be a lonely campus, without her.”

Basil huffed. “I can’t believe the dumb university wouldn’t accept her, anyway. She’s probably the smartest of all of us. No offense, Hero.”

Hero laughed, although it was more like an exhale. “None taken; I’d agree. I’ve only gotten as far as I have because of her helping me as much as she does. She’s been there with me almost every step of the way.” He clasped his hands together and bowed his head. “...I don’t know what I’m going to do without her, to be honest.”

Kel draped himself over Hero, spooking him out of his rumination. “Heroooo, you’re being a downer to yourself. Come on, man! It’s prom night! What happened to you saying you wish Mari was living more in the now? She’s gonna look sooo pretty, you’re gonna forget all about annoying old dudes in universities that mess up your lives.”

Hero screwed up his face at Kel’s phrasing, but seemed to get the gist of his unorthodox encouragement. “Uhm… thanks, Kel.” He put on a look of resolve. “I’ll make sure to put on a brave face, for her.”

Basil frowned. Maybe Mari just… wasn’t up for the glamorous ceremony at all? He wasn’t sure if putting on ‘a brave face’ was going to solve anything. If he was Mari, ruminating over a soon-to-be separation from a person he deeply cared for, he might just… hm, he wasn’t sure, stay home and cry? Basil wouldn’t know. It’s not like he was going to go to prom in the future, anyway.

The phone rang again. Kel went over and picked it up with a usual jovial demeanor, but listened quietly for a poignant moment. Basil watched with suspicion as Kel put cupped his hand around the receiver, and cast uncomfortable glances to the couch where Hero and Basil sat. Basil made eye contact with Kel, and caught a distinctive glimpse of ‘oh fuck’ flash through his friend’s eyes. Kel, putting on an award-winning smile even Hero’s admirers would be proud of, marched over to the couch and elbowed Basil at an awkward angle.

“I’m gonna head outside. Sunny said something about…. uh, Mewo clawing at Mari’s dress, and she’s a rambunctious little kitty, so he probably needs a second pair of hands. Or three. Ahem. See you in a bit, Hero!”

Alright, so apparently, Kel wanted Basil to come with for… whatever was going on. Basil excused himself as subtly as he could manage, leaving Hero to wallow on his own, walking out the front door at Kel’s heels. Once outside, Kel motioned for Basil to continue following him.

Kel breathed deeply, running a fidgeting hand through his hair. “Positive mental attitude time! Be nice, Basil.”

“I am nice!” Basil breathed out, feeling nervous.

“Yeah, I know. It sounds like Mari’s having a moment, and Sunny needs a bit of backup. So, that’s where team B comes in. Us.”

“Why can’t Hero help? He’s her boyfriend!” Basil winced as his socks got wet from his loafers sinking into the marshy grass of Kel’s lawn.

“Apparently, Mari doesn’t want to make him feel bad.”

Basil rolled his eyes, stamping his foot in the ground. “Can’t they just be honest with each other? This is so…”

“Basil. Be nice.”

Basil frowned, kicking at the porch ground of Sunny’s house, but kept his peace. It wasn’t every day that Kel was so serious about ordering people around. The door was unlocked, and they opened it to the sound of startled sobbing taking a stuttering pause.

“I-Is th-at him?”

“No, Mari. It’s just Kel and Basil. They’re probably worried about you.” Aubrey was crouched on the living room floor, at Mari’s side. Mari, whose makeup was now a leaking mess, but otherwise looked stunning in a lilac mermaid hem dress. Aubrey gently adjusted the flowery ruffle of one of the straps on Mari’s shoulder, giving her a small sympathetic pat as she did so.

Kel approached Mari, crouching at her other side. “Heey, Mari, what’s up? Crying over how great you look? It’d bring me to tears too, if I hadn’t built up a tolerance.” He gave a cheesy wide-grinned smirk, and Mari gave a sputtering laugh that was halfway to another cry.

“Kel… you’re n-not your brother. You c-can’t pull off lines like that, silly.”

“Aw, it made you laugh, though!” Kel gave Mari’s left arm a soothing pat.

“B-But I know I look anyth-thing but ‘great’ right now.’” She wiped at her face haphazardly. “...Sorry I’m acting like this, everyone. I’m just… I’m a bit of a mess.”

Basil stood at the side of the couch, absentmindedly looking at a purple origami flower proudly stationed upon a side table near him. “Uhm… I’m sorry you’re sad, Mari,” he said, stupidly. “Is there… anything I can do for you?”

Before she could answer, activity came from the hind living room doorway. The clink of copper-colored drop earrings and swish of neat, shoulder length chestnut hair announced the bustling entrance of Mari’s mother coming out of the hallway, a sizable makeup bag and camera in hand, lugging the cumbersome equipment as delicately as she could. Basil was surprised by her presence for a moment- it was easy to forget about her existence, when she seemed to usually be working late, or off with Mari elsewhere on some spontaneously picked up hobby. As they say, out of sight, out of mind, and Basil had only seen her on a few occasions, briefly speaking at best. It was good of her, someone who Basil could only assume was extremely busy, to be there on her daughter’s prom night. Basil quickly darted over to help before an unfortunate accident might happen, taking her teetering camera into his hands.

“Oh, thank you Basil. I didn’t realize you were here.” She sounded flustered and awkward, her eyes combing over the suddenly sizable company surrounding her distressed daughter. She moved to sit at Mari’s left side, crowding towards her with a hug that made Aubrey shuffle away out of courtesy.

“Oh, my baby. It’s alright, sweetheart. You’ve got me and all your friends here, everything’s alright. She wrapped Mari up into the chic beige tawny turtleneck she was wearing, Mari’s face disappearing into the fabric. Her sniffles were still audible. Mari’s mother pushed her lightly away, taking in her daughter’s face for a hesitant moment. “Here, I’ll fix you up, and then we can get back to taking pictures, okay? Your makeup looked so nice, before. You’ll love it once you see it!” Basil couldn’t see the expression of her mother, but Mari attempted a wobbly, assuring smile to the suggestion, before once more noticing Basil standing off to the side.

“...O-oh, right. Basil, I did-” She cleared her throat, trying to make her voice sound more steady. “Sunny left upstairs to look for Hero’s boutonniere. I… uh… haha, I can’t remember where I put it right now, but he’s been up there for a little while. He’s been gone so long, he must’ve f-fallen into my closet, hah. So, if you could-”

Mari’s mother huffed, looking frazzled as she dug through her makeup bag for mascara, dismissing multiple tubes that looked nearly identical to Basil with a fierce tut. “He really shouldn’t be taking so long, you’re running out of time, honey.” She craned her neck over her shoulder and called out in a shrill tone. “SUNNY! Your sister’s going to be late! You need to pick up the pace, honey! No spacing out!”

There was a clattering from somewhere upstairs, and a disgruntled response that was somewhat muffled. The only thing Basil could make out was something along the lines of an insistent “I’m not…”

Aubrey stood to her feet. “I’ll find it, no worries.” At that moment, she was interrupted by Kel, whose face was plastered to the window.

“Bigger issues than a corsage, Aubrey! Hero’s on the porch!”

Mari ‘eeped,’ and hid her face, shrinking back into the couch, despite her mother’s pleas to “keep still, dear.” “I can’t let him see me like this! I’m not ready!”

“Oh, I’m sure he finds you beautiful regardless of however you look, Mari,” her mother, with futility, attempted to soothe her. Mari shook her head.

“No, not like how I look Mom, just-”

Kel and Aubrey interrupted with fervor, promising to distract him. Kel claimed his family couldn’t have finished taking pictures on Hero’s end so quickly, anyway. That left Basil, who now had a lone mission to find the missing corsage. Or, perhaps he was joining Sunny’s lone mission. Considering the previous clattering he was hearing upstairs (that had gone mysteriously silent), it must be a doozy of a hunt.

“...I’ll be as quick as possible,” Basil mumbled to no one in particular. He crept up the stairs to Sunny and Mari’s room, spotting the door wide open, and a closet’s worth of miscellany painting the wooden planks of the floor.

“Sunny? I’m coming in.” Basil called out uncertainly. “Are you uh… submerged? Somewhere?” Basil heard a small noise of acknowledgment from somewhere near Sunny’s bed. Sure enough, there was Sunny, slouched against the bed in defeat. Basil didn’t need many words, in that moment, recognizing the vacant expression in Sunny’s eyes all-too-well. He slid down to sit at Sunny’s side, quiet for a moment.

“...Hey.” Basil waited patiently for Sunny to respond, watching as he opened and closed his mouth, before answering in a tone like he was reluctant to speak.

“...I can’t find it. It’s my fault.”

Basil blinked. “Stuff goes missing all the time, it’s okay.”

Sunny shook his head. “...No. I… I wanted to draw it before she gave it to Hero. Then, I was gonna draw her’s once she got back. That way… even when the flowers wilted, she’d be able to remember them. And now I lost it.” Sunny shook his head. “I wanted to surprise her and snuck away with it, so now she thinks she lost it. She’s already a mess… and I wanted to help her feel better, and…” His hands crept into his already mussed black hair, tucking his head down into his drawn knees. “...I’m the worst,” Sunny mumbled.

Basil blinked, taking this in. So, Sunny wanted to preserve a memory of a special night for his sister by drawing a symbol of the love she and Hero had for each other? Outside of his comic-like doodles, he can draw flowers, and he never told Basil? He’s beating himself up despite the fact that this was the most… the most fucking adorable sentimental gift idea he’d heard of? Basil generally tried desperately to not be a sap (although he acknowledged he was failing miserably right now), but he couldn’t let this do him in. He had to fix this, for Sunny’s sake.

“You’re not the worst. Come on, we’re going to find it.” Basil stood up, eyes scanning the room in all of its cruddy splendor with as much determination as he could muster.

Sunny protested, still crouched on the ground. “B-Basil, I’ve looked everywhere, really. I… I have no idea where I put it. I spaced out again, I can’t focus on anything, I-” His spiraling was put on pause when Basil squatted down to snatch Sunny’s hands from their death grip on his kneecaps, looking at him with the best feint of a smile he could muster.

“My grandmother loses stuff all the time, since her vision’s gotten worse. I’m an expert, promise. We’re going to find it.” Sunny’s hands seemed to lose their quiver, and Basil practically sighed in relief.

Sunny’s eyes were wide as he looked at Basil, the muted gray somehow piercing, even whilst they were wobbly and unsure. “...Kay,” he breathed after what suddenly felt like an eternity. Basil felt his stomach squirm, and he reminded himself to focus. He pulled Sunny to his feet, and willed that he might somehow infuse artificial confidence to his friend through the meeting of their palms, in that one moment.

“Do you remember anywhere where you sketching it?”

Sunny took on another thousand-yard stare while he considered Basil’s question, before slowly shaking his head. “...I sketch all over the place. It blends together. And… anything in this room is all out of place by now, anyway.”

“Where do you sketch, though? Maybe we could check each of the places?”

Sunny eyes narrowed with a judging squint. “Ba-sil, that’s like asking me where I breathe, I can’t keep track of-” He looked down suddenly, mouth forming into a small ‘o’ when he saw Mewo rubbing her head against Sunny’s shin, slinking around him and Basil while giving them a greeting trill. Sunny, suddenly snapped from his cynicism, crouched to stroke Mewo’s velvety fur. Basil could almost roll his eyes at the contrast from a few moments ago. Artist types- so dramatic. Give them a cat, and… oh, who was he to scoff about ‘dramatic?’

He folded his arms. “Sunny, we need to stay on-”

“Oh! I think I remember!”

“You… you do?”

“Think so.” He unceremoniously gathered Mewo into his arms, and marched down the stairs, giving Basil little time to think before he ran after him. When Sunny wordlessly stopped at the base of the stairs, almost causing Basil to crash into him, Basil huffed.

“Do you actually know where-”

“I’m thinking.” Sunny cut him off, and Basil noted how mechanical he looked as he dispensed Mewo to the floor, looking at his cat expectantly. “...C’mon, Mewo. Do what you did before,” he whispered to her.

Mewo, as a cat is wont to do, rubbed her cheeks on the stairway railing a few times before languidly slinking towards the living room, taking a left towards the…

“Screen door!” Sunny sounded like he was having his own secret ‘eureka’ moment over his cat-compass, and replaced Basil’s confusion with a hint of enthusiasm when he said: “I left it by the flower beds, I think.”

“If you think so. Come on, we can’t waste much time.” Basil was about to pull him into the living room, before remembering there were others in there, instead opting to gesture to follow him. Sunny happily trailed after Basil, ignoring questions from his mother about the absence of the boutonniere on his person, heading into the backyard with renewed certainty (poor Mewo couldn’t go out with them, though, as dark as it was).

“I wish we had a flashlight…” Basil mumbled as he and Sunny immediately dropped to their knees and tried to make out a corsage-like shape in the darkness, relying on the illumination of the yellow porch light to see them through this crisis. Sunny ‘mmhm’-ed agreement.

“So… how’d Mewo give you a light-bulb moment?”

“I dunno. She just did. Brain decided to kick in, and remind me I was following her around when I was looking for a good place to draw.”

“...I thought Mewo was supposed to be an indoor cat,” Basil couldn’t help his snark.

“Oh, she is.”

“But…?”

“She’s so cute… If she wants to go out…”

“...It’s hard to say no?” Basil laughed through his nose. “I understand.”

Sunny cocked his head, somewhere in the near-darkness. “...You don’t have a cat, though?” Before Basil could backtrack desperately, Sunny stood to his feet, and sprinted (has Basil ever seen him sprint?) away from the flower beds, disappearing into the darkness, near a looming tree. Basil bit his lip, waiting for him to return, but broke into a smile when Sunny emerged from the shadows with a corsage-shaped parcel within his grasp.

“...I’m so stupid, Basil,” Sunny lamented as soon as he was near. “I left that where any animal could have hurt it, or it could’ve gotten blown away, or…”

“...You talk more when you’re worried about what might hurt other people. I hope your head isn’t talking like this to yourself while you’re quieter, like, ninety percent of the time.” Basil muttered with worry, taking the slightly dirtied corsage from Sunny’s hands. “I’ll clean it up before we give it back to Mari. No big deal.” If he sounded more confident he could salvage this than he actually was, then hopefully, that would make it true. Sunny needed someone to be there for him, right now. Basil needed Sunny to feel better.

He ran his fingers feather light across the blue, puffed heads of cornflower, and blew dirt and dust from the ever-so-slightly crumbled white orchid petals. He fluffed the frilled purple lilies, and declared inwardly, as he carefully rotated the boutonniere from all sides, that this was the best they could make it look for Hero. Running it under water might just make it muddy, or even worse, bully the flower’s delicate petals into falling apart. As live cuts, they were likely lacking sufficient resilience to be jostled around any more.

Sunny breathed such a sigh of relief that Basil could practically feel the tension leaving his own body. “...Thank you, Basil. You’re always so careful. I’m glad you’re here.”

Basil thanked the cover of darkness silently. “Well, let’s hurry. Your mom’s probably going to give you an earful.”

“I’ll have to apologize to Mari that I moved-” Basil cut him off, shaking his head.

“You don’t need to tell her! We found it, it’s okay now!”

“But I-”

“Come on, Sunny, let’s go.”

Sure enough, Sunny’s mom looked about ready to have a vein popping out of her forehead, and lo-and-behold, Hero was sitting at Mari’s side in the living room by now. Mari looked beautiful, and there were no signs on her face of tears that previously ran down it like a river, aside from a sustained exhaustion lingering in her gaze. Basil felt like she’d had that look all too often, as of late, and was wondering why it took until tonight for him to really realize it.

Sunny looked like his tail would’ve been between his legs if he had one like Mewo as he made a beeline towards Mari, bestowing upon her the boutonniere meant to adorn Hero’s suit. Sure enough, a similar arrangement could be seen clasped upon Mari’s wrist, complimenting her shimmering, purple dress perfectly. Sunny’s mom looked ready to say something stern and ugly, and Sunny looked more than ready to receive it, shutting his eyes. Mari seemed to decide something then as she looked between her meek brother and her testy mother, and quietly thanked Sunny, taking the boutonniere from his hands with all the grace of a princess.

“Thank you, Sunny. I must have dropped it when I last went to water the plants.” She smiled. “You’re so good about having my back, little brother.”

Basil admired Sunny’s natural inclinations towards stoicism, because he was sure he would’ve cried some pretty incriminating tears if he was in his friend’s shoes. Instead, Sunny just gave her a wobbly smile, and Hero just looked on, confused but good-natured as he spectated the telepathic communication between the pair of siblings.

“Well,” he said, clasping his hands together. “They call it fashionably late for a reason, but we should probably get going! It’s great that the school’s right around the block. What a lifesaver, huh, Mari?” He sounded stiff, but Hero was probably running out of Prince Charming energy by this point, Basil figured.

Mari nodded, and the darling couple quickly retreated to the front door and the waiting ride from Kel and Hero’s dad, despite Mari’s mother’s insistence that they hadn’t gotten pictures with their matching corsages yet. Kel and Aubrey acted as an awkward, yet stubborn human barrier, putting a stop to any delaying photo-ops as they exaggeratedly waved Hero and Mari off.

The remaining friends waved off Sunny’s mother, deciding to hang out at Kel’s house for the evening after a job well done. As the freshmen all lounged at various locations throughout the living room, the feeling of satisfaction at ‘Mission: Prom Preparation’ being achieved quickly gave way to boredom fueled by the inevitable teenage desire to be included.

Kel was draped across the couch, taking up more cushions than any considerate person would. “...I hope they’re having fun. When do you think they’ll get back?”

Aubrey groaned from the living room rug she was sprawled out upon. “If you’re planning on waiting here like some dog, then you’ll probably not be sleeping tonight. They might end up at some after-parties. Who knows.”

Kel sat up, incredulous. “Whaaat? Hero? After-parties? No way! The guy’s too goodie-two-shoes to end up at one of those. I’ve heard from the guys on the team that-”

Sunny huffed in annoyance from his perch upon the couch’s arm. “What, Mari’s not good? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kel waved his arms around. “Nah, I just meant that Hero’s less… well… he’s, uh…”

Aubrey rolled to her side to make eye contact with Basil, propping her chin on her fist. The expression she gave him, with eyebrows upturned and mouth curved into a smirk only could mean something along the lines of ‘are you listening to this guy?’

Basil was quick enough on the uptake. “You can say he’s less fun, Kel. We’re all friends, here.” Of course, Basil had little interest in going to chaotic high school functions, but poking fun at Kel was always a win, especially when he won the support of Sunny’s nearly silent giggles as a bonus.

Kel sputtered, Aubrey egged him on more, Sunny topped it off with an accompanying zinger, and Basil soaked it all in, before things fell back to silence. Aubrey ended upright with a wide stretch before making a fierce declaration.

“It’s crazy that only the juniors and seniors get to enjoy themselves! I don’t wanna wait until I’m at the cusp of adulthood to enjoy myself, let alone have ‘fun’ being having to do rite-of-passage bullshit like this. Let’s head out, guys!”

Kel looked at her like she was crazy. “Aaand, what are you talking about, now, Aubergine?”

“Don’t ‘Aubergine’ me, Kelsey. I’m saying that, aside from the gym, the school is completely empty, and all the teachers are busy keeping an eye on everyone, while we’re just a short walk away from enjoying that for ourselves. It’s like a lock-in, but better. You wanna pass that up?” She looked around the room for support. Basil cleared his throat.

“...Won’t the doors be locked except for the gym?”

“And you think the teachers will be watching the entrance that closely the whole time? The lights’re probably low! We can sneak in! Except for you, Kel. You’re too obvious.”

“What?! Me? You’re the one with the stupid pink hair!”

“It’s not stupid!” Basil barked.

“Yeah, it’s not stupid!” Aubrey repeated proudly. “...It’s hard to tie it up when it’s this short, though.”

Sunny looked around at everyone. “...I think I can pick up a bandana from home.”

Kel looked at each of his friends, Aubrey, Basil, and apparently Sunny, who were all ready to engage in a good, harmless act of rebellion. He had nothing for it but to sigh. “Fine… lemme go change into something less neon.”

Sunny looked down at Basil, whispering with a cupped hand to his mouth and the smallest smirk on his lips. “Finally, he acknowledges his radiation-inducing wardrobe.” Basil covered his mouth as he snickered.

Kel sighed. “Man, I get you two are all buddy-buddy, but I am frankly hurt that my Sunny boy is gossiping behind my back.” He feigned a sniffle, before darting to his room.

With bandana-equipped Aubrey, hoodie-fied Kel, and… completely unchanged and consistently unremarkable Basil and Sunny, the squadron was ready to engage in some once-in-a-lifetime infiltration. The whole way over to the school, it was tossed around the group who would be acting as a distraction for any teacher keeping a watchful eye for stowaways, so they were relatively let down that by nine p.m, the teachers were actually engaged with conversation with each other rather than diligently standing by the front. It was merely a matter of walking through the gymnasium’s propped open doors and sticking to the wall for the company to distribute themselves into a beautifully vacant and darkened hallway.

As the door shut behind them, the feeling of adventure of being in a place out-of-hours set in, and everyone, Sunny included, found themselves a bit jittery with excitement at the possibilities and freedom of being able to roam freely.

“So this is what Faraway High looks like…” Sunny mumbled. Basil blinked, remembering that Sunny didn’t attend here.

Aubrey scoffed. “What? You’ve come for some of Mari’s after-school stuff, don’t mess around.”

Sunny sheepishly rubbed at his forearm. “Well… that was just the gym. That doesn’t count.”

Basil snorted. “Your criteria’s weird as ever. But yup, this is your future prison, if you want it to be.” Basil gestured loosely at the darkened vinyl corridor stretched out before them, clearly not putting much stock into it. Sunny, however, only smiled softly.

“It’s nice when it’s just us four, here.”

A moment of silence once more, before Kel abruptly darted forward, whooping obnoxiously into the darkness, appreciating the echo of his own voice. Aubrey ran after him, yelling to keep it down, which was somewhat counter-productive. Basil turned towards Sunny, shrugging helplessly, but with an infectious grin climbing to his eyes, however he tried to cover it with playful exasperation. Then, they ran after the other two

As they later lounged in the cavernously empty lunchroom, they discussed possibilities of ways they could continue to harness the night. Basil had snagged a packet of gum as a lucky find from a desk drawer, and proceeded to leave some sticky anonymous presents on Mrs. Lander’s classroom door. Aubrey decided to raid some non-perishable snacks from the lunchroom. Kel snagged some buckets of basketballs from storage and delighted in setting them loose upon the hallways. Sunny cooked up some, frankly vile, dramatized visualizers inspired by colorful bathroom graffiti in his sketchbook. To cap things off, everyone decided to play some rounds of hide-and-seek, despite initial protests of its kiddish nature from Basil. As Aubrey said:

“We’re probably not going to find anywhere as much of a labyrinth as this to play hide-in-seek in again. Legally, at least.”

“Is what we’re doing now, legal?” Kel offered, innocently.

Nobody knew, so they opted to just go ahead with the match and not worry about it too much.

Even with the amount of space and hiding places on his side, Kel had a knack of giving himself away via giggling. Basil just plain had bad luck most of the time, bumping into noisy clutter, and Aubrey was a veritable bloodhound whenever she was seeker. Sunny already had a habit of spooking people from seemingly disappearing into the ether while in broad daylight, so he was usually found last during rounds he was a hider. When he was a seeker… things were a different story.

This round, Basil was a hider, and Aubrey was a seeker again. Everyone had gotten progressively more intense about things, mainly just wanting to best Aubrey at this point. Kel, Basil, and Sunny began to whisper about observed attack patterns of her in between rounds, in an attempt to finally get a one-up on her. Little did they know that Aubrey’s strategy was more akin to a wrecking ball launching towards a decrepit building. Successful, yet utterly thoughtless.

Basil was heading towards a classroom he found to be unlocked, unlike many of the others, for this round (this was noted as a potentially viable location due to its subversive nature). He felt properly devious as he sneakily let himself in, but immediately had his enthusiasm dampened as he bore witness to some indecent activities being performed by a disheveled couple that had slunk away from the gymnasium.

“Ugh, gross!” He blurted out without thinking, and quickly clasped both of his hands over his mouth before making his escape, flustered yelling following him out of the classroom. He darted aimlessly down the hallway, turning a corner and practically crashing into Sunny, who was still very absorbed in the game, none the wiser.

“Basil? I thought you said you were using the classroom this round! We’ve gotta hurry, Aubrey just-”

“Can’t use the classroom, I know another spot, come on-” He gripped onto Sunny’s wrist, pulling him along.

There was a semi-abandoned janitorial closet somewhat enclosed by a faulty vending machine just around the other corner. It was intuitive to check behind any sort of closet door when playing hide-and-seek, but Basil was now desperate, and gravitated towards his typical haunts on instinct. He waved Sunny in without a second thought, and shut them in, only the flickering blue glow of the vending machine illuminating through the crack under the door.

“If Aubrey still finds us, I owe you a dollar,” Basil decided.

Sunny snorted. “Why me? I didn’t bet anything.”

“You want to?”

“Nuh-uh. I’ll take the free money, thanks.”

“Meanie.”

Basil felt around, looking for the upturned bucket he would often use as a seat whenever he snuck in here. Despite his assumed familiarity with the area, Basil yelped as he slipped and landed on his ass without dignity. Sunny leaned down at his side, quietly laughing, but trying to pull him up.

“You’re going to owe me money really quickly, at this rate…”

“Shut up…” Basil lifted his hand off the ground, and found, to his disgust, it was wet. “Yuck!” He swore under his breath. “Something’s spilled in here or…”

Sunny only snickered more, lifting Basil up while he complained. “Gross, spilled stuff in the janitor’s closet? Crazy.”

“You’re very sarcastic, all of a sudden. I thought you were being nicer earlier. Drawing flowers for Mari and stuff.”

“That’s Mari. You’re you.”

“Jee, thanks. What’s that supposed to mean?” Just to be spiteful, he reached out to try to wipe off his tainted hand on Sunny’s arm, who protested weakly.

“It means what it means.”

“...Well, I’m glad you’re back to your weird self. I was getting worried, you know…” Basil leaned back against the wall, which was, thankfully, not wet. “Mari’s already been having a hard time lately, so I don’t want you to… I… I’m just worried about you in general, I guess.” He lowered his voice mid-sentence, remembering they were supposed to be hiding.

He could hear Sunny settle against the wall to his right, only the tips of his shoes poking into the blue light of the vending machine.

“...I’m okay. I’ve just been getting more and more tired of Mari, recently. Ever since she got the rejection letter, she’s been a mess.”

“...That sounds mean. She’s having a hard time, you know. It’s not like she could help it.”

“I know that. That’s not what I meant.” Basil was quiet for a moment with the most subtle of scowls on his face, at least allowing Sunny time to explain what he did in fact, mean.

“She’s been intense, and it’s been a lot, living with her. So much that I… I wish I could leave sometimes.” Sunny laughed softly, although Basil wasn’t sure at what. “...It’s crazy. I was getting so worried thinking about her leaving that I felt like I was gonna be sick. Then boom, as soon as that’s not happening, I wish I could go away from her. I don’t think I know what I want, half the time. And it’s only going to be worse when… when we’ve got to leave for the summer.” Sunny took a deep breath. “...She doesn’t even have to go, anymore. Legally. I heard her and Mom talking about it in the living room, just the other day.” When he added this part, he leaned more towards Basil, almost conspiratorially, as those Basil was there with him, that day.

“...So, she’s fine with your dad, then?”

Closer to him as he now was, Basil could see Sunny’s face fall, some. “...I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

“Every time they’re around each other, it feels like… a competition. Or an interview. Dad’s always asking Mari about what she’s ‘accomplished’ lately. The university she wanted to go to…” Sunny shuffled around a little bit, choosing his words with careful consideration.

Meanwhile, Basil just wanted to get on with it. “What, what is it?”

“Well, it was one he picked out. So… I guess it doesn’t look good for her. Especially if Hero’s gotten in and she hasn’t. Dad doesn’t like Hero. Thinks he distracts her.”

“Well, he is pretty distracting.”

“Yeah, he is.”

Basil laughed lightly, not entirely expecting Sunny to join in like that. “But anyway…” he gathered himself. “She doesn’t have to tell him about Hero getting in, right? Or any of-”

“Too late.”

“Whaat? Why? That’s stupid. Why tell things to people that are just going to swing stuff around and hurt you?”

“I wonder that all the time.”

Basil feigned a grimace. “Must be… honesty.”

Sunny faked a gag. “...Groooss.” They both laughed, but to Basil’s dismay, Sunny still had a sobering expression on his face. It wasn’t the ‘‘I’m-Sunny-And-I-Have-A-Bad-Case-Of-Resting-Bitch-Face,’ face either.

“...Sunny?”

“I really don’t want to go, this summer. I want to stay with you. And Aubrey, and Kel. But I can’t do anything about it. I’ll be able to go to school with you all, though.”

Despite everything, Basil brightened, while still feeling a twist in his gut. “R-Really? Your Mom’s alright with it?”

Sunny grimaced. “...And my Dad, too. But he said he wants to ‘talk’ with me about it. Whatever that means.”

“He sounds scary. My dad’s more…” Well, like himself? A little? “...Stand-offish.”

“I’d kill for that.”

“No you wouldn’t.”

“He drives Mari crazy, so he drives me a little crazy too, even if he doesn’t give me as many talks about motivation as she gets. I don’t want him to think I’m anything less than a lost cause if he doesn’t think Mari’s interesting anymore. I just want to… well… I like simple things.”

“...Me too. Everything’s too overwhelming, anyway.” Basil swallowed. “This place sucks… b-but it’ll be better since you’re here. Also- there’s a girl that I met earlier today, her name’s Charlene, and she draws flowers really well. She’s going to be coming here next year, too, even though she’ll be a freshman. So, uh… you’re not going to be alone, I guess?” Basil wasn’t sure why he felt the need to comfort Sunny, when he seemed far more confident about public school now, as opposed to when they previously discussed things. Words were sort of spilling out of him, again.

Sunny was quiet for a moment. “...Charlene? That’s… nice.”

Basil carried on. “Yeah, people weren’t being nice to her, so I figured it’d be good to… I guess lend a helping hand. It’s the least I could do.”

“...Mhm.”

Sunny’s sudden coldness was starting to scare him. “S-Sunny, is everything alright?”

Sunny blinked a few times, looking… hurt?

“Basil… you’re not… if I dragged you down, next year, would you…” He looked away, at a loss for words. Basil understood though, and was surprised at how passionate he was in return.

“No. I wouldn’t leave you behind. And who else would I have with me, anyway?” It seemed so natural, when he put it like that. He surprised himself with his clarity.

“...You’ve got everyone, Basil. You’ve got all my friends, they like you, and now this Charlene person, and the people at Fix-It like you, and- and… people like you, Basil. You’re kind, even if some people aren’t, to you. Even if you don’t think you are. I’m just… I don’t think I’m much of anything…” Why did Sunny only speak the most of the worst kind of things to hear? Basil wondered this for the second time, today. It was wonderful, to be called “kind,” and Basil couldn’t deny how much his heart was fluttering, but it felt confused, when it was at the expense of others, of Sunny of all people, who’d met Basil purely because he extended kindness when no one else had. And Basil wanted to refute Sunny’s worries and woes, but he knew that if he could hardly believe, really believe those good things about himself, how could he convince someone else of the same?

“...I’m gonna miss you, Sunny. I’ll be waiting for you, all summer,” Basil’s voice cracked with emotion as he succumbed to the humiliation of honesty.

Hey, at least if he looked like a clingy sap, that would surely be all the contrast Sunny needed to realize that-

“...Oh.” And that was all Sunny said to that. Basil was sure his face could boil steel, if he really willed it too. He was about to turn away when he felt unsure hands grab flimsily towards his (and why did everything surreal between them happen in the dark?), and quickly intertwine themselves with his own quivering fingers.

“...Sunny?” Basil was almost certain, in that moment, that he was receiving an answer to a question he never sought to ask, and he couldn’t be happier.

“Basil.” And his name was spoken like it was a fact, as their hands were held between them.

They both slipped and fell, once Aubrey rammed on the door with a ‘caught you!’ just moments after.