Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Aw, hell. It's about that time, isn't it?"

Sunny stretches his arms and legs to get the blood flowing before getting out of bed. Upon rising onto his feet, he immediately strips down inside his bathroom before turning on the hot water in the shower stall. Centering himself within the shower, Sunny experiences flashbacks of the things that occurred years ago. There were bright moments alongside equally dark moments, all of which he remembers vividly, almost like they happened yesterday. After moving on from his older sister Mari's death, Sunny had received much-needed therapy and learned to acknowledge his emotions, rather than suppress them like Basil, who also received therapy for how badly he snapped.

After washing himself with the amenities his mother had left for him, Sunny steps out of the shower stall and dries himself off with a black towel. Upon donning an outfit that is an inversion of his usual attire in terms of color, Sunny grooms his hair like his mother does and walks out of his household, breathing in the fresh air of the outside world. Ever since he reconciled with his friends, Kel, Hero, Aubrey, and Basil, in addition to moving on from Mari's accidental demise, he's learned to move outdoors like he used to as a child. Every day, he became increasingly accustomed to FARAWAY Town, noticing how much it had changed since his years as a hikikomori.

Because his friends usually hang out after school hours, he attempts to spend as much time with them as life would allow him. To this day, he still feels immeasurable guilt for becoming a hikikomori after Mari's death, which is the only thing Sunny has been trying to mend for the past two years. While his friends, Kel, Hero, Aubrey, and Basil, are grateful he's attempting to make up for lost time, they're understandably concerned he could potentially become clingy due to the guilt that remains within Sunny. This very same guilt has kept Sunny from leaving therapy, which he visits on a weekly basis. But if there's anything else that's keeping Sunny down, it's the utter lack of a job.

"Man, what am I going to do with my life at this rate? I never even went to either FARAWAY Middle or FARAWAY High School while I was a hikikomori, so getting a proper education clearly isn't going to matter now. Plus, the only reason I'm even getting therapy at all is because my mother barely ever used any of her money other than for her personal needs. It's likely that her bank account is almost empty at this point. And all of this doesn't include the fact that I don't have a job."

"I fear if I move out, I might find a job that could very easily take advantage of the hard work I've given to FARAWAY Town in this day and age. As much as I want to show the world that I always work hard and earn anything I may deserve in the future, I feel as if the chances of that happening have gotten slimmer each year. However, I did find something that might ensure I stay financially secure for the rest of my days, no matter if I'm uneducated or otherwise."

"I read this article containing news coverage focused solely on a once-popular entertainment center dubbed FARAWAY Diner. Originally, FARAWAY Diner was, well, a diner, albeit a small and humble one. But, eventually, the diner grew in size and popularity to the point of having a milkshake bar, a small cafe area, an arcade game section, and even a delivery service. However, what made all of that possible was a secret recipe that gave the diner's signature hamburgers a distinctively sweet, multi-flavored taste. I doubt the co-CEOs of the diner could've imagined the kind of grand profit they were about to receive in the following years."

"Unfortunately, though, that just makes *that* incident all the more tragic."

"There was a very disturbing incident that occurred within FARAWAY Diner during the mid-to-late 80s where one of the co-CEOs was found dead in his office. There were no signs of struggle, no blood was splattered, and the security system never caught anything suspicious. His death was ruled as a cardiac arrest, but that didn't stop people from believing that someone might've actually murdered him, as the other co-CEO vanished from the public eye, never to be seen again. So, everyone assumed the obvious theory that the other co-CEO had murdered his childhood friend, despite never responding to any of the accusations or allegations."

"Ever since that day, FARAWAY Diner was forced to close down, and in the years that followed, people began to believe that the diner was somehow haunted. Most people believe that a ritual took place during the night, which would explain the various hauntings at FARAWAY Diner over the years. Some people claim the other co-CEO performed the ritual, and the one that died was chosen to become a sacrifice. Others claim that both the co-CEOs were involved with said ritual, but the attempt went horribly wrong, resulting in one of them dying and the other disappearing. Whatever the case, the diner still stands today, with no one even wanting to demolish the building our of fear of what could happen if a haunted building got taken down."

"However, I do have a theory of my own. If the curse on FARAWAY Diner hasn't been broken to this day, then that would mean the ritual's properties are still in effect. If either one or both of the co-CEOs had any reason to perform the ritual, there must be some kind of reward had they did everything by the cursed book. Besides, unless you're an extreme thrill seeker, no one in their right mind would perform a highly dangerous ritual and not expect anything in return. I know I'm going to sound insane when I say this, but I think whatever reward that ritual has might solve most, if not all, of my problems."

After completing his weekly therapy session and returning home, Sunny takes a deep breath to center himself after pouring his heart and soul out to the therapist who was assigned to his case. After walking to the bathroom, he gazes into his reflection in the mirror, his expression one of stoicism and distance. It's clear to him that he has another reason to stay at the haunted FARAWAY Diner for seven nights, not just for the money he could have.

"And besides, I'm not willing to let anyone else suffer from what I'm about to suffer through…"

Chapter Text

1st Night

Sunny awakens in his bedroom at exactly 11:00 PM, stretching his muscles to get the blood flowing. After hopping off his bed, Sunny takes a quick, hot shower to mentally fortify himself before drying off and walking down the staircase into the living room. Upon getting his outfit from the hanger, however, Sunny suddenly hears a car pulling into the driveway. So, when Sunny looks out the window, much to his shock, Kel's car is present at his house. Sunny wonders what could be so important that Kel would arrive at his house; Sunny dons his alternate attire before readying himself for Kel to knock on the door. Upon hearing the door knocking, Sunny opens up to the surprising visit of not just Kel, but also Aubrey, Hero, and Basil.

"Hey, Sunny. You coming or not?" Kel asked him, which Sunny blinks in realization over what his friend meant.

"Uh, yeah. Let's do this." Sunny, bewildered by his friends' arrival, nods in response as the group walk away from the household.

Sunny, Kel, Aubrey, Hero, and Basil hop into the car, using the seats of their choosing. Sunny chooses the right seat, Basil chooses the left, and Hero sits right in the middle. Since the car belongs to Kel, he takes the driver's seat while Aubrey sits in the passenger seat. Upon shifting the gear shifter into reverse, Kel drives the car backwards out of the driveway leading to his garage. Once the car leaves the driveway, Kel chucks the gear shifter again, driving from the neighborhood to FARAWAY Diner's location.

Kel rides the car down to one of the scarcely populated areas of FARAWAY Town, listening and jamming to some glam rock on his phone while his brother and friends go about hobbies of their own. His brother, Hero, watches movies on his tablet. Aubrey applies makeup on her face, specifically eyeshadow. Basil plays mobile games to distract himself from the real world, and Sunny simply sleeps the drive away, occasionally glancing at either the window or the knife he's brought along.

However, that's not the only thing Sunny has to distract himself from the world around him. On occasion, Sunny would see Omori, his alter ego, posing as his reflection whenever he gazed into a mirror, window, or any reflective surface. Although Sunny had defeated him, Omori still remains within his subconscious as a reminder of the repressed guilt that nearly ate away at him from staging Mari's death as a suicide. It most certainly isn't a pleasant distraction, but Sunny has learned to live with it after moving on from his older sister's accidental demise.

Eventually. Kel arrives and halts his car at the very sight of the once-popular family entertainment center, FARAWAY Diner. Although it still stands, the passage of time has clearly taken its toll on the building's otherwise pristine exterior. Sunny, Hero, Aubrey, and Basil follow suit in eyeing the building in front of Kel's car. Strangely, despite having never been to FARAWAY Diner, all five teenagers feel some measure of nostalgia when gazing at the building's sign.

However, Kel’s intrusive thoughts get in the way.

"I’M ON SOME NEFARIOUS SHIT!!!” Kel cries out in excitement as he chucks the gearshift forward.

"Wait, what?!" (Sunny)

"Bro, chill!" (Kel)

"Don’t you fucking dare!" (Aubrey)

"Kel, no!" (Basil)

Kel floors it on the gas pedal, makes a U-turn off the road, and slams his break onto the nearest parking spot. The acceleration, coupled with the abrupt stopping of the car, results in the vehicle’s hind end to be lifted into the air. The hind end of the car slams back onto the concrete as everyone holds onto any handle for dear life.

"Who the fuck taught you to drive like that?!" Aubrey expresses her shock and disbelief at Kel’s stunt with his car, causing the latter to emit a laughter of deviousness.

After all five contestants step out of the car, they all march into the interior of the building, where the diner’s lobby looks pristine and top-of-the-line. Sunny, Kel, Hero, Aubrey, and Basil all glance at each other, conveying their shock at how clean the building looks so far. And once they entire the dining area of the building itself, they feel their awe and wonder of the sight before them. All twenty-four tables, all small and big, look as if they were recently renovated.

"Yo, this is what the diner used to look like?!" Kel darts his head in all directions.

"I’ve died and gone to Heaven. Holy…" Hero expresses his mesmerization in agreement with his brother.

"No wonder FARAWAY Diner was as successful as it once was…" Aubrey gazes at the three sections of the building.

"I’m getting nostalgic vibes like there’s no tomorrow…" Basil admits his own feelings.

Sunny, having built a habit of being selectively mute in places unfamiliar to him, is the only one who doesn’t verbally express his opinions on the diner’s environment. Though, through his expression and body language, his friends do see that he admits to feeling strange, but nostalgic vibes regarding FARAWAY Diner, even if none of them had ever been to the family entertainment center before.

12:00 AM

However, when midnight strikes, the game has officially commenced.

The building suddenly starts to quake, causing Sunny, Kel, Hero, Aubrey, and Basil to react and huddle against each other’s backs. The tension within and around them thickens with danger and the presence of an indiscernible origin was felt, adding to the fear the five contestants are feeling.

"WHAT IS GOING ON!?" Kel screamed in horror.

"HOW SHOULD WE KNOW!?" Hero responds with equal fear.

"NO, PLEASE!!! I DON’T WANNA DIE!!!" Basil cowers with tears welling in his eyes.

"STAY CALM!!! DO NOT TRY RUNNING!!!” Aubrey urges the boys, being the only person who doesn’t show any fear.

After the building stops quaking, the group gets a moment’s notice to process and express their relief. Once that moment passes, a deep, distorted, and monstrous voice echoes in the building, granting the group massive chills down their spinal cords.

"Hello, fellow contestants. And welcome to my little game that I’ve made just for you…”

"Who’s there? Identify yourself." Aubrey demands the identity of the entity controlling the game.

"No can do, contestant. Now, I suggest you allow me to explain how this game works…"

”Y-Yeah, what are the rules, sir?” Basil hesitantly asks the important question to the being.

"Well, for starters, all five of you are tasked to surviving five nights here from twelve to six in the morning. As for your methods of surviving the nights, you are allowed to use any weapon of either your preference, choice, or both. I trust that all of you are capable of defending yourselves on some capacity. After all, you most certainly wouldn’t even survive two hours here if you weren’t…”

"Yeah, that’s relieving, I guess. So, who are we going to throw down against, exactly?" Kel tries to act causal about their otherwise horrific circumstances.

"As for who your opponents are, they will be spirits that were affected by the curse that was performed many years ago. However, these spirits aren’t exactly ones that you may be familiar with. Their appearances may vary, but they all have these traits in common. They are all children that possess jet-black hair, silver skin, black sclera with no irises or pupils. And they don lavishly designed clothing that reflects the overwhelming success that FARAWAY Diner once achieved…"

The group is understandably shaken by the appearance of the spirits in question. The clothing the spirits' wear might lesson their fear factor, the idea of them being children while possessing such physical characteristics still gives the group eerie and haunting vibes.

"Okay, so how many are we going to fight?” Hero’s grip on his composure slowly returns as he takes in the rules.

"Well, fellow contestants, I am a good sport to those who wish to participate in my game. So, for your first night here, there’ll be five spirits, one for each of you, so everyone can get a share of the action. As for when and how they will appear, the spirits are capable of manifesting anywhere they please. Though, to be fair, they usually start hunting any of you down either at a one or two in the morning."

"So, how aggressive are these little shits going to be?" Aubrey asks another important question to the being.

"I'm glad you asked. Because this is your first night, the spirits won’t be acting too violently towards you. They’ll start off slow and timid, but as the nights progress, they’ll get increasingly more savage and unhinged. So, keep that in mind as more of these brats will show themselves in the very near future…"

"Ugh, that’s just brilliant. Anything else we should know of?" Basil’s composure slowly returns like Hero’s.

"After you finish your first night here, you’ll be noticing that your bank accounts will be filled in by a steady stream of income from an untraceable origin. Though, that will be reversed if you arrive late at the next night, let alone skipping it, so waking up at eleven in the evening might be the ideal time for all five of you."

"Yeah, that was the time we all agreed on waking up to, believe it or not." Kel brings up the fact to the entity.

"Then I believe we are all set. So, all I will say now is good night and good luck…"

The building starts quaking again upon the being’s voice vanishing, resulting in the group tensing their muscles. The quaking vanishes shortly afterward, allowing the group to process what the entity had told them. It may be a lot to endure, but they are aware that coming to FARAWAY Diner was their choice, so there’s no backing out now.

Especially if they don’t want any other person suffering what they are about to suffer through.

1:00 AM

"Alright, Sunny, listen to me. I know you’ve always meant well, so I know it’s not your intention on doing so. But, considering that you’ve been looking more frail by the year, we’re concerned that you haven’t been eating when you should. And besides, no one jokes around when you’re told to eat something, so cook yourself some of those multi-flavored hamburgers, okay? Do it for everyone we know and care for." Hero reminds Sunny of his distressing health.

"Hm." Sunny nods in acknowledgment to Hero’s request.

"Good. I’ll be posted at the Cozy Café section. Be careful, man." Hero smiles a little to Sunny’s obligation to his request before leaving the Kitchen section, leaving his friend to his vices.

Sighing in mild frustration at himself for not taking better care of his body, Sunny walks over to the fridges and freezers, seeing the many foods and beverages that are still fresh and edible, like they’ve never shown any signs of spoilage. Seeing no reason to believe the food inside will poison him, Sunny grabs the ingredients and the secret recipe to conjure the multi-flavored hamburger that cemented the family entertainment center’s success.

However, while Sunny conjures the hamburger, one of the child spirits emerge from behind one of the freezers. The child spirit is a boy of American descent who slowly unsheathes a dagger to make an attempt on Sunny’s life. While making his way towards Sunny, the latter sees his shadow and turns to his direction, obviously frightened by his sudden appearance. The spirit halts in place, never moving until Sunny’s gaze leaves him.

As for Sunny himself, upon averting his gaze from the spirit, notices in the corner of his eye that its shadow is slowly moving towards him again. Recognizing that the spirit is acting like a weeping angel, Sunny periodically keeps his eye on the spirit while cooking the hamburger and preparing himself a beverage of his choice.

Upon nearing Sunny, the spirit prepares to stab the contestant with his dagger. But Sunny reacts by not only reverting his gaze back onto the spirit but also pull out his knife in response, startling his small opponent. This moment of hesitation is all Sunny needs, resulting in him repeatedly stabs the spirit in the torso, causing it to react in shock as blood pours out from his mouth and body.

"GET LOST!!!" Sunny roars with fury as he tosses the spirit like a sack of potatoes right into an indoor dumpster.

After ensuring his immediate threat was taken care of, Sunny reverts his gaze back onto the burger on the hamburger, conveniently ready for consumption. After adding the hamburger on the large plate and putting the utensils in the sink, Sunny grabs his beverage as well and takes both food and drink out of the Kitchen section and into the dining area, where he’d sit down and both eat and drink in peace.

2:00 AM

Aubrey sits at one of the tables in the milkshake bar, having prepped herself a milkshake while watching one of her idol’s music videos on her tablet. She jams to the glam rock music as a measure to distract herself from the horrors she and the group are experiencing in the twisted game the entity had conjured.

"Man, glam rock sure hits different compared to other sub-genres.” Aubrey comments to herself on the vibes she gets from the music.

While being immersed by her choice of music, the giant TV fixed on the wall suddenly turns on with a screen of static, revealing a spirit resembling a young girl of Japanese descent. The spirit phases out of the TV screen and onto the tiled floor, no noise reverberates in the room from the rough landing, revealing her body is capable of cancelling out any form of sound.

The spirit pulls out a hammer that, while small in appearance, is still capable of smashing a person’s skull into a piñata of blood and gore. She slowly moves toward the distracted Aubrey halfway and sneaking around and stand behind her back. The spirit rears back in preparation for swinging the hammer at the back of Aubrey’s skull.

However, Aubrey, in her peripheral vision, sees the spirit’s shadow looming behind her. She wastes no time on grabbing the hammer mid-swing before tossing it aside. The spirit reacts in shock over her prey’s retaliation, never once in her whole undying existence could she imagine someone knowing how to defend themselves against any supernatural force.

"If you think I’m some damsel in distress, that’s where you are wrong." Aubrey darkly said to her opponent, his gaze icy cold.

Easily the most physically capable of fighting, Aubrey assaults the spirit with a series of punches and kicks that would lay out an average person. The spirit’s blood spills and her flesh splatters due to how strong, fast, and precise Aubrey’s strikes are. Once she had her fill of making the spirit her punching back, Aubrey picks the spirit up by the neck.

"And we’re done here." Aubrey utters cruelly to the spirit.

Aubrey throws the spirit right out of the milkshake bar like a javelin, the windows smashing easily due to the velocity of the spirit’s body flying. However, Aubrey’s eyes witness the windows repair themselves from an unknown force. Aubrey and the spirit eye on each other before the latter disappears from the former’s sight, leaving the former hooligan to resume watching videos on her tablet.

3:00 AM

"Hey, Hero. I’m gonna use the restroom real quick. I’ll be right back.” Basil reminds Kel’s brother of his need to urinate, which the latter acknowledges.

"Alright, keep your guard up, Basil." Hero nods while keeping posted on the Cozy Café section.

Basil walks out of the café to grab a large ring containing keys to various areas of the diner. Upon doing so, he walks down the dining area to the direction of the mixed-gender restroom. However, before he opens the door, he checks the keys the ring contains in case the restroom door was locked.

"Okay, let’s see what we got here. Front door, back door, mailbox key, basement key, cellar key, generator key, vault key, attic key, security key, delivery service key, chastity belt key." Basil names each of the keys contained in the ring as he goes through them.

"Where’s the freaking restroom key?!" Basil yells in frustration at being able to find the required key.

"I just need to pee! That’s all I gotta do, okay?!" Basil seemingly cries out his predicament to the entity before turning to the restroom door, having not tested to see if it’s already unlocked.

Upon attempting to turn the knob, the door indeed opens, much to Basil’s utter relief.

"Oh, thank God. Shouldn’t take too long just in case one of those spirits gets the jump on me." Basil utters to himself before rushing into the restroom and using one of the center stalls.

But little did Basil realize, he would reside in the restroom for longer than he planned as he not only urinates in the toilet, but also begins emptying his bowels due to having eaten a meal that was too much of a good thing. The visceral sounds of him taking a dump reverberates within the restroom as he grunts and groans in pain and humiliation.

"OH GOD!!! Why did I have all those seasoned ribs!?" Basil curses himself for eating such a good meal.

"AGH!!! Oh, my anus…" Basil moaned in agony.

A male spirit of African descent resides in the stall to Basil’s right planned on sneak-attacking him from underneath when he was stopped by the visceral sounds of Basil emptying his bowels. The spirit jumps each time the stall trembles at the force of Basil going through his predicament.

"Daddy? Daddy. I just wanna go home…" Basil whimpers in humiliation as the spirit peeks eyes on him from above.

However, the spirit doesn’t get too much time to eye on Basil as he ducks behind the stall to avoid getting hit by his prey’s feces.

"Ugh, is that blood or sauce?" Basil utters in disgust before making the decision to clean the stall.

After cleaning the stall, Basil walks over to the sink, turns on the hot water, and uses the amenities to purify himself of anything on his hands. Upon finishing whistling a song to himself, Basil dries his hands before strolling out of the restroom, with the spirit looking on in a mixture of curiosity and hesitation.

4:00 AM

Hero and Basil continue to main poster within the Cozy Café section of the diner. Hero watches comedic videos on his phone while Basil plays mobile games, both seeking a distraction from losing themselves to fear and madness to remain grounded.

"So, Hero. Probably too soon to ask, but what do you plan on doing with your cash once we complete the ritual?" Basil asks the older brother of Kel.

"Oh, I haven’t had plans yet, but I’ll come around to that at some point." Hero smiles at Basil’s question.

"Hehe. Yeah, same here on my end." Basil chuckles in response, not having much planned on using his own money.

Basil’s gaze incidentally finds the male spirit that, unbeknownst to him, was eyeing on him in the restroom. Hero, upon seeing said spirit, turns to see a female spirit of Jamaican descent within the same room. Glancing at each other before preparing to fight, Hero and Basil slowly make their ways to their opponents as the spirits held their weapons with the intention of killing their prey.

Hero deals with the female spirit by dodging to avoid getting slashed by her chainsaw. Upon grabbing the chainsaw and tossing it aside, Hero uses his trained skill of MMA to overwhelm his opponent, who doesn’t know how to fight. He throws precise punches and kicks that stagger the spirit before lifting her by the throat and choke slamming her into the ground.

Basil gets his run on the male spirit while avoiding the metal bat being swung at him. Grabbing the metal bat with ease, he tosses it away and grab the spirit’s shoulder before hammering its head with elbow strikes. He then grasps the spirit’s skull before delivering a jaw-shattering knee strikes, sending him upward as his body hits the ground.

"We should get outta here. They obviously won’t stay down for long." Hero gives his suggestion to Basil.

"Agreed. Let’s move." Basil nods in agreement before both he and Hero book it out of the Cozy Café section.

5:00 AM

Kel resides in the Arcade Game section of the diner, where he jams to glam rock music on his phone while playing an arcade shooter he’s always wanted to play. The world around Kel ceases to exist due to the immersion and the intensity of the arcade shooter, unaware of a spirit manifesting behind the counter of the room.

"Holy moly! This game rocks just as hard as they say!" Kel exclaims in excitement, unaware of the threat behind him.

The spirit in question is a male of Hawaiian descent, wielding a small scythe in his left hand. The spirit slowly closes the distance between him and Kel, ready to swing his scythe from swinging range. Upon reaching swinging range, however, the spirit attempts to slash at Kel, only for his prey to subconsciously evade the attack without even realizing the threat behind him.

The spirit reacts in silent shock before resuming swinging at Kel, who continues to evade the slashes from the scythe behind him without looking behind his back. Feeling mocked and embarrassed, the spirit lunges at Kel, only for his prey to duck underneath his air-tackle without even knowing it. The spirit crashes into the wall, knocking himself out without any noise.

"YEAH!!! New high school in this bitch! WOO!!!" Kel reacts ecstatically at beating the game with a new high school to boot.

Upon turning off the arcade game and putting his phone back into his pocket, Kel walks out of the Arcade Game section and into the dining area, where he and the group all gather together after checking on the time.

"Looks we did it. For now." Kel smiles to his friends.

"Exactly, for now…" Kel chuckles before catching his breath after seeing everyone’s unscathed.

"So, what do you think’s next? It’s not like these spirits are going to stop at murdering all of us." Aubrey asks a rather dumb question on her part.

"Well, like the being said, more spirits will appear during the week, and they’ll be more aggressive as times flies. So, if we are going to survive, we must do everything by the book." Basil recaps the rules the entity stated to the group.

"Isn’t that right, Sunny?" Basil turns his gaze to Sunny’s direction, waiting for his response.

"Hm." Sunny, known for being selectively mute in places unfamiliar to him, hums in agreement to Basil’s assessment of their circumstances.

6:00 AM!!!

"Thank God…" (Sunny)

"We truly did it…" (Kel)

"Holy fucking shit…" (Aubrey)

"This is bad for the heart…" (Hero)

"I feel all of you. Truly…" (Basil)

The group turn to see the doors leading to the lobby open on their own, revealing the light of dawn shining through the entrance of the building. The group walk towards the entrance, open the doors to grab themselves some fresh air and bask into the light of dawn. Sunny, Kel, Hero, Aubrey, and Basil all get into their respective seats, with Kel driving the car again.

"So… Wanna get some drinks before we hit the hay?" Kel asks his friends optimistically.

"That’d be preferable…" Sunny nods in agreement.

"Please, do…" Basil utters in exhaustion.

"I’m sweating my ass off. Drinks do sound like a lifesaver right about now…" Aubrey expresses her exhaustion via pressing her hand against her cleavage.

"Yeah, we’re all getting drinks, hitting the showers, and getting some sleep…" Hero agrees with the plan.

Kel smiles in appreciation to his friends agreeing with his plan. Activating the car and chucking the gearshift in reverse, Kel drives out of the parking spot they used and, upon chucking the gearshift forward, slowly drives down the road and away from FARAWAY Diner.

The group may be getting themselves a day’s worth of respite, but the game has just begun…

Chapter Text

"Ooh man, that was the best sleep I’ve had in years…"

Sunny opens his eyes to feeling more refreshed than usual. After stretching his muscles to get the blood flowing, he hops out of his bed and walks into the bathroom to take a shower in preparation for the day. After ten minutes of washing himself off, he strolls out of the bathroom, dries himself off with a red towel, and dons his outfit again before grooming his hair.

However, before he could step into the outside world, something causes him to half midway down the front foot. Remembering what the higher entity had spoken about a stream of income filling their bank accounts, Sunny digs into his pockets, grabs his phone, and uses one of the apps that monitor his bank account.

To his shock and awe, the entity’s words rang true.

"Holy Jesus! Thirty-six dollars an hour?!" Sunny yelled loud enough to where his neighbors could hear him within his house.

Processing the money he’s being granted, Sunny puts his phone back into his pocket before plopping onto the couch. He couldn’t believe what he’s just seen. Sunny couldn’t know what to believe in regarding the entity’s identity and intentions. A part of him did suspect the entity was trying to set him and his friends up for a ruse, but it’s now revealed that wasn’t the case.

Unfortunately, however, Sunny doesn’t get to have too much time pondering over this revelation as he’s received a text message from his mother. And the message she’s sent to her son made his heart sing into his stomach.

"Sunny! It’s your Father! He’s overdosed on opioids! You need to get over to the hospital! NOW!!!"

"No. No! NO!!! FATHER!!!" Sunny screams in shock and horror before bursting out the door.

Sunny rushes over to the bike he’s used to ride on as a child. Upon grabbing and strapping on his helmet, he hops onto the bike and puts the pedal to the metal, traversing at speeds beyond what he could reach in the past. Silently cursing at himself for not having a car, Sunny puts all of his muscular strength in his legs to gain an extra boost to his speed.

"Please, Dad. Don’t give up on us now…"

Half an hour passes as Omori had arrived at FARAWAY hospital. His legs had become sore from the length and intensity of the ride on his bike, overwhelmed with lactic acid that was built up continuously. But Sunny would care less as he, groaning and limping in pain, strolls into the emergency room and walked over to one of the female receptionists.

"May I help you, sir?" The female receptionists asks Sunny for his intentions on visiting the ER with a warm smile.

"My name is Sunny Suzuki. And I’m looking for Mr. Suzuki, my Father." Sunny tries his damndest to keep his cool in spite of the emotional turmoil that’s currently plaguing him.

"Oh, goodness! You’re his son? Your father’s located on the third floor, take the elevator, honey." The nurse, upon seeing that Sunny’s a relative to Mr. Suzuki, grants him the location to his Father’s room immediately.

"Thank you, Madam. I appreciate it." Sunny cracks a smile of relief and gratefulness to the female receptionist before hastily limping over to the elevator, pressing the third button before the automatic door closes.

The elevator escalates to the third floor of the hospital, giving a moment for Sunny to center himself before the automatic door opens. He limps down the hallway, scanning each of the rooms inside until he comes across the number, three-two-zero. He sees both his Mother and Father in that very room, prompting him to walk inside and have his presence acknowledged.

"I’m here." Sunny speaks to both his parents, relieved to see them.

"Sweetie…" Sunny’s Mother rushes over to hug his son, her voice shaking and cracking with emotion.

"How’s my Father? Is he going to be alright?" Sunny asked his Mother as he accepts the hug with equal emotional fervor, to which his Father himself responds.

"They just pumped my stomach ten minutes before you arrived, son. I’ll be fine…" Sunny’s Father explains his condition deemed to be stable by both the doctors and nurses.

"Thank God…" Sunny releases a sigh of relief in response to the news.

Compared to the last time Sunny had seen his Father, he looks terrible.

Sunny’s Father’s eyes are bloodshot with circles under them. His hair is severely unkempt, and he looks as frail and pale just like his son was, if not more so. Upon seeing his Father at such a harrowing condition, Sunny couldn’t help but realize that Mari’s accidental death, previously staged as a suicide, had been the cause for his Father’s physical and mental deterioration.

And the truth behind Mari’s death years later only exasperated his old man’s current condition.

"Dad, this is all my fault. If I hadn’t pushed Mari-" Sunny tried to apologize to his old man for what happened to his older sister several years ago.

"Don’t. Don’t, my son. I know you meant no harm to her, and I know it wasn’t your fault…" Sunny’s Father cuts him off, revealing to have his mental health slowly begin to heal.

"I made that choice to disown you. I made the choice to leave our family. I made the choice to turn to opioids. And now, I understand where that road leads to…" Sunny’s Father takes accountability for what he became during those years of non-communication, which Sunny feels a weight he didn’t know he was lifting off his shoulders.

"You have no clue how much that means to me for hearing that…" Sunny smiles softly as he and his Father chuckled in quiet joy, attempting to lighten the tense and sorrowful atmosphere.

"So, you’ll be getting out of the ER soon, right?" Sunny asks his Father in silent relief.

"I’m afraid it’s not going to be that simple, Sunny. Not on this occasion…" Sunny’s Father’s facial expression turns pensive and regretful in response to his son’s question.

"How so, Dad?” Sunny responds with utter concern for his Father’s wellbeing.

"When your Father overdosed, they found he was severely starved and dehydrated. He’s going to stay here in the ER, get an IV drip, and a therapist until the doctors and nurses deem him fit to leave." Sunny’s Mother explains her husband’s road to recovery to her son.

"I see. Well, I got myself a job, and I’ve been making decent money, so I’ll call a therapist and-" Sunny gets cut off by his Father’s hands rubbing against his.

"I already got that covered, Sunny. I did this to myself, caused so much pain from a distance without knowing, so I’d say it’s best you let me take full responsibility for what I gotta do…" Sunny’s Father expresses his desire to recover and redeem himself to his family.

"Alright, Dad. Do what you must, no matter how long it takes…" Sunny nods in acknowledgment to his Father’s request.

"I’m glad you understand, Sunny. Now, please let your Father rest…" Sunny’s Mother expresses her gratitude for her son’s empathy towards her husband.

"I will. Just keep me posted, okay?" Sunny nods in response to his Mother’s request while making one of his own.

No further words are needed as both his Parents nod to their son in unison, which makes Sunny smile softly in appreciation before limping away from his Father’s hospital bed and out of the room. Upon leaving the third floor so his Parents could reconcile in peace, Sunny leaves the elevator and limps out of the hospital, where he gets into his bike and rides off back to his residence at a slow pace.

"Get better, Dad. I can’t afford to lose you, too…"