Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Aubrey was a shy, timid girl. She didn’t leave her house often because frankly, she didn’t need to. She had her rabbit, her TV and her bed all in her room. But every now and then she would have to get groceries that consisted mostly of instant ramen packets and soda. It wasn’t healthy by any means, but it was cheap and she could get a lot of it.

As she walked down the street towards the local Othermart she saw a delinquent boy with pink hair named Sunny. At one point they were friends and she even had a crush on him (to be honest, she still did.) but after Hero died… A lot changed. Mari went into a deep depression, Kel stopped coming outside… Sunny went from a well-tempered violin player to a short-fused delinquent. Aubrey still had vivid nightmares about the night she saw Hero fall down the stairs, She and Kel were just kids… they couldn’t have done anything more. They left him to die, broken at the bottom.

She shivered at her thoughts and redirected her attention back to Sunny. He was out with Mari, pushing a shopping cart. Looks like they’d have to cross paths in the store.

Aubrey quietly followed the duo in through the door, trying her best to make herself invisible while watching Sunny as he chatted with Mari about what they were supposed to get. Mari had a little pocket notebook with what was probably a list out in front of her and read it aloud.

“Milk. Juice. Cereal. Ham. Carrots. Broth.”

Sunny just nodded and kept pushing the cart.

Aubrey had her list written in her mind. Not that she was looking for something in particular.

Eventually, they ended up in the same aisle together.

Mari tossed a can of chicken broth into the cart with a satisfying “CLUNK” sound. She turned around back to Sunny.

“Alright, that’s that- Oh, Hi Aubrey!”

Aubrey was caught off guard by Mari and slowly turned around to face her.

“H-hi Mari.” 

Looked at Sunny, who was also looking at her. She averted her eyes when they made contact and studied the floor instead.

“hi, s-sunny…” 

Sunny nodded and waved a bit.

“What are you doing here, Aubrey? Out shopping?” Mari asked, drawing Aubrey’s attention back to her.

“Y-yeah. Doing that.”

Sunny looked over at her. Her whole personality had changed since they were kids. Ever since Hero passed…

“Best not keep you waiting then. I’ll see you at school, Aubrey.”

Sunny’s voice had gotten deep and hearing him say her name made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

Mari nodded in agreement. 

“Yes, we’d better be on our way! Have fun, Aubrey.”

Aubrey nodded and turned her face, hoping she hadn’t been blushing the whole time.

As Sunny and Mari strutted off to the checkout, Aubrey let her heart melt finally. He’s too freaking cute. Too. Damn. Cute.  

--

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Aubrey slapped the off button on her alarm and rolled out of her rickety bed. School. She hated having to interact with people, just being in a crowd was enough to give her a headache.

She quietly got dressed in a long sleeve shirt and filled the bowl for her little rabbit she called Bun-Bun. She was her only real friend these days. It’s not the fact that she was ignored at school, rather she didn’t know how to respond… 

She crept out quietly past her mother and stole some bread, throwing it in the toaster for a minute or so, turning off the toaster just before the ding so as to not annoy her mother.

Like the ghost she was, she slipped out the door of the rotting house without even saying goodbye.

--

Sunny’s alarm went off and he smacked it after two annoying BEEPS, shutting it up.

Mari was off at college for the rest of the week so he had his room to himself again. It felt just a bit emptier without anyone around in the mornings. 

He repeated his daily morning routine, grabbing some breakfast cereal and lazily pouring himself a bowl, topping it with was probably too much milk.

He grabbed his coat and checked his pockets. Phone. Wallet. Keys. Yup. And walked out the door and towards the school.

--

The bell signalling the end of the 3rd period rang. Aubrey slumped in her chair. Her uniform was uncomfortable. Too tight and yet it still looked too big for her. She didn’t get involved in any clubs due to her crippling social anxiety, and for the same reason didn’t have a lot of friends to sit with at lunch either. She usually just kept to herself and her cracked old phone, somewhere in the corner.

Sunny and his band of hooligans walked into the lunchroom. Sunny was leading them over to the table where they usually sat. Aubrey’s head locked onto his. He was so perfect. Slim, buff, attractive, smelled nice… the list goes on.

She zoned back in when her phone binged.

>Couldn’t help notice you staring.

Shit. Caught red-handed. Before she responded her phone binged again.

>I don’t mind it.

Her face blushed. What did he mean by that? Should she keep watching him? Was it some sort of joke? Her mind was racing. His face was still looking at his phone nonchalantly.

She pondered how to reply for a few seconds.

>Okthankksyepcoolio

God. She looked like an idiot. Then she saw Sunny chuckle a bit, and a small smile broke across his otherwise expressionless face.

>Cool. Talk later.

TALK LATER? Her mind was combusting. HE ACTUALLY WANTS TO TALK WITH ME? HOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHIT .

The 4th-period bell rang. Lunchtime is over. As she watched Sunny walk out of the lunchroom, he looked at her and waved a little.

Aubrey waved back, trying to change her flustered look to a smile.

Sunny smiled back. Total victory.

She snapped back into reality when she was told to get to class by a teacher.

--

Aubrey was walking home when her phone buzzed again.

>You busy?

She typed back quickly.

>no

>Come over to the park.

>ok

She didn’t know what he wanted, but she was at least willing to see. Not like she was needed at home anyways. Better if she didn’t bother her mom anyways, nothing good came from interacting with her anyways. Some of the bruises on her still stung a bit.

She walked down the road to the park and that pink-haired boy sat on the swing, idly staring at his phone. 

“Um. Hi.” Aubrey said, trying to seem casual.

Sunny looked up and seemed to phase back into reality.

“Oh, hey. Didn’t hear you come up.”

Sunny glanced around. The park was quiet today. Just a few dog walkers.

“Take a seat,” Sunny said, gesturing to the empty swing beside him.

Aubrey did as instructed and sat there for a little bit in silence.

“So um, why did you ask me to come here?”

Sunny chuckled. 

“Just wanted to check on you. You never seem to get out these days.”

Aubrey shrugged.

“I get out. Sometimes. Maybe.”

Her response once again elicited a small smile from Sunny.

“Sure. Sure. I was just worried, I guess.”

“Worried?”

Sunny looked at Aubrey, his smile faded back to a face of seriousness.

“There are rumours you… don’t have the best life at home… And given the state of your house, it's a bit hard to dismiss them.”

Aubrey looked down at her hands in her lap and let out a big sigh. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she really didn’t want to lie to Sunny.

“It’s fine, Sunny. Don’t worry about me too much…”

“That’s bullshit, Aubrey.”

Aubrey looked up, startled by Sunny’s sudden vulgarity.

“You have bruises peeking over your sleeves.” Sunny said, standing up.

Aubrey grabbed her sleeve and pulled it down, feeling the fresh bump as she did.

“Aubrey.”

“No, I’m fine.”

“You’re not.”

“It’s not your problem, Sunny.”

“Then I’ll make it my problem.”

Aubrey didn’t realize the way Sunny said those words at first, but they echoed in her head. She sat silently and rubbed her arms.

What she did realize next was that Sunny was hugging her while still being careful not to squeeze her bruises. It was a mix of emotions at the moment but it was almost cathartic.

She hugged him back. 

--

Sunny unlocked the front door and opened it for Aubrey, who briskly walked inside.

“Make yourself comfy. I’ll get you something to eat.” Sunny said, closing the door and walking over to the kitchen.

Aubrey sat down on the couch. It was comforting. She always ran to Sunny’s house when her parents fought when she was younger, under the guise she wanted to see Sunny. Since then, she’d become a lot better at internalizing her issues.

Sunny came back out with what looked to be a hastily made sandwich.

“I can’t believe you skip lunch every day. You’ll end up starving yourself.”

Aubrey averted her eyes and mumbled a thank you.

Sunny sat down next to her while she ate. He looked sad. Not for himself, but rather pity his childhood friend for having to grow up in such a way. It was no way for her to live. 

Aubrey had finished her sandwich by the time he was done with his inner monologue. 

“T-thanks, Sunny.” Aubrey said, brushing the crumbs off her lap.

“Aubrey. I can’t keep you here… But you’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like.”

Aubrey blushed at the offer. It appeared her brain was functioning again. Surely bun-bun could go without her for a night… 

“Aubrey?”

“I uh- Yeah. Sure. I think we’ve established my mom wouldn't care…”

Sunny sighed. It was a sad but true reality.

“Alright. I’ll let my mom know.” Sunny said, pulling out his phone, tapping away a text.

Aubrey looked at him. From this angle he sort of looked angelic. Like a guardian. Someone who would protect her. 

“Alright. You’re set. Do you need anything? Mom will be back soon enough to make dinner.

Aubrey sat and twirled her hair, shaking her head.

“Alright… I’ll just be in the dining room. I have some science homework to finish.”

Despite his rowdy appearance, he actually got decent grades. He wasn't at an honour-roll level, but he managed.

Aubrey looked at her phone. 5:03. She’d probably have another hour alone before Sunny’s mom got back. Where am I going to sleep? On the couch, maybe…? She let her mind wander more and ended up with the thought that she’d be sleeping with sunny.

“Hey.” Sunny said, peeking through the doorway.

“HAUAH HEYA” was Aubrey’s response, her face beet red.

“You… good?”

“YEP.” Aubrey said a bit too loudly.

“Alright then… Wanna play Uno or something?

Sweet! Spending time with Sunny…

“S-sure!”

Aubrey calmed herself as Sunny grabbed a deck of cards and came back over. It ended up being a lot of fun, with Aubrey destroying Sunny 12 to 2.

--

Aubrey finished her meal and patted her face down. 

“I-I um, really hope I’m not being too much of a bother…”

“Oh, don’t think of it, dear. You’re always welcome here.” Sunny’s mom said, with that “All-Knowing-Mother” sort of smile.

She still felt like she was leeching. Maybe it was just the way she was raised, or maybe it was her own emotions feeling guilty for something she hadn’t done. 

“T-thank you. Really.”

Sunny’s mom nodded.

Sunny finished as well and stood up to clear his plate away. Aubrey stood to do the same but Sunny beat her to it and grabbed her plate. 

“I got it.”

The closeness of their hands at that moment made Aubrey’s heart beat a bit faster.

“O-oh, thanks.”

I bet his hands are soft. They look soft. I want to hold them.

“Aubrey, dear, as much as I would love to chat with you, I’ve got work to do right now. Could you move to the living room so I can get some stuff done?”

Aubrey nodded quickly and dismissed herself to the living room, finding Sunny laid back on the couch, turning on the TV. Aubrey plopped herself down on the side opposite to him and stretched her legs out a bit. It’d been a long time since she’d known the comfort of a couch. Her heartbeat a bit faster, encouraging her to make the first move, but luckily for her, it was Sunny who spoke first.

“Hey Aubs, what do you want to watch?”

Aubrey shuddered. That was a cute nickname. H-He gave me a nickname? Does he like me that much???

“I uh, don’t usually have cable at my place.”

“Oh. Right.”

Sunny flipped to a movie channel. Something with James Bond was playing.

Aubrey subconsciously slipped a bit closer to Sunny’s side of the couch.

Is this the wrong move? What should I do…? Is he gonna make a move or would that just make things awkward??? Oh god…

Sunny got up suddenly.

“Almost forgot.”

He ran off to the kitchen, and after a moment of banging coming from the pantry, she heard the hum of the microwave and the popping of popcorn. He returned with a big plastic bowl of microwave popcorn.

He sat down and put it between the two of them.

“And now we can enjoy the movie.”

Aubrey had no idea what was going on in the movie. She was too focused on Sunny, with her quiet admiration. 

That was until a loud bang made her jump over to Sunny.

Sunny looked at Aubrey and tried to suppress a laugh.

“Scared of something?” He teased.

Aubrey blushed and pushed herself back to the other side of the couch, her face was as red as a cherry, babbling incoherently.

“I uh- sorr- i um d-didn't mean to- oh god- sorry um” 

“It’s fine Aubrey, I don’t mind.” Sunny said, smiling.

Aubrey just blushed harder in response.

It’s no fair… How is he allowed to be this smooth? Does he even realize it?

Sunny was very aware of how flirtatious he was being and was smugly impressed with how easy it was for him to make her blush. It’s not like he was doing it to be mean, he actually liked her a little bit. Maybe if he just made another move…

“Hey. Your face is all red. Are you sick or something?”

Sly Bastard.

“N-no. I’m fine. Just… surprised.”

“Whatever you say…” Sunny said, grinning and looking back at the TV

--

Aubrey was nearly asleep after the credits started rolling. She had tuned in for a bit of the action scenes which she found cool but other than that she was tuned out. She yawned and blinked a few times to force herself back into reality.

“Hey. Sleepy. Mari said it’d be OK for you to sleep in her bed.” Sunny said, shaking her a bit.

“Do you need to change?”

Aubrey didn’t have any pyjamas with her. Oh well. She could just go pantsles-

Oh right, Sunny.

“I uh. Don’t have anything to change into…”

“No problem. Follow me.”

Aubrey groggily complied and followed Sunny up the stairs to him and his sister’s shared room, where Sunny ran over to his sister’s closet and retrieved a pair of purple fleece pyjamas that looked like they would fit her.

“Here, these don’t fit Mari. You can change in the washroom, it's the room next to us.”

Aubrey held the fleece pyjamas in her hands like a precious gift. She wasn’t used to receiving nice things, or anything in general. It made her feel special that Sunny of all people was giving it to her…

“T-thanks…”

She was squealing internally as she got changed. She looked really cute in them, decorated with little white clouds over the purple background. They were nice and warm too, maybe she could use them later… It’s not like Mari would be keeping them.

She walked back into the bedroom to see sunny slipping a tank top over his head. He didn’t look outwardly muscular but you could tell that he wasn’t weak either.

“Oh. That was fast.” Sunny said, turning around after hearing her come in.

Sunny pointed to Mari’s bed. “That’s Mari’s, you’ll be sleeping there.”

It looked comfy. Aubrey was still very much tired after watching the movie. She put her folded clothes down next to the bed and flopped onto it.

“Jeez. I guess you were tired.”

Sunny walked over to Aubrey and pulled out the covers from under her.

“Scoot a bit.”

Aubrey was confused. What was he doing? She complied anyway.

Sunny put the covers over her, tucking her in and patting her head. 

“Have a good night, Aubrey.”

Aubrey could only nod. She was wide awake now. OhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygod.

She rolled over to look at sunny in his bed to see him reading quietly with a small reading lamp.

How the hell does he do that and just walk away so casually?  

As Sunny read himself to sleep, he could see Aubrey staring at him from the corner of his eye. It made him blush a little bit too. 

Eventually, though, the both of them fell asleep.

--

Aubrey woke up in a dark space. She had been there many times before. Nothing really was there, it was just a void of nothingness. Notably, the ground below her seemed to be decorated with small arrows. Frequently she would follow these arrows around to see where they led her. 

Tonight they led her to a small framed picture of what looked to be her and sunny standing in the rain when they were young. He was so much timider then. Ironic, wasn’t it? She picked up the frame and ran her fingers over it.

She stared at it for a long while until she heard something speak from the darkness.

“He won’t love you. You don’t deserve it.”

She heard another voice, It sounded like Sunny but… It wasn’t. 

“You’re a fucking monster! Stay away from me!”

She let the frame drop from her hands as tears started rolling down her face. As soon as it hit the floor the entire world around her shattered.

--

Aubrey woke up in a cold sweat and looked over at Sunny. He was looking right back at her.

“Aubrey? That sounded like a pretty bad nightmare.” He whispered.

Aubrey nodded and sniffled.

“Y-yeah. It was bad.”

Sunny pulled open his covers and scooted over a bit, patting the space he made to signal her to come over.

Aubrey got up and shuffled over, laying down and grabbing onto Sunny without thinking. Sunny was surprised but still cautious. He looked at Aubrey with a look of pity. The poor girl was so scared.

He used his thumbs to wipe away the tears on her face.

“Shh. It’s ok. I’m here. I got you.”

This only caused Aubrey to cry harder and bury her face in his chest. She wasn’t used to this level of compassion from anyone. Not even her parents. She felt Sunny start to stroke her hair and wrapped her arms around him, her tears slowly running out. Sunny just kept making shushing noises and saying “It’s OK. You’re OK.”

She felt safe.

“Ssunny.” 

“Yeah?”

“Do you hate me...?”

“No. The opposite.”

Aubrey tilted her head out of his chest and looked up at him, the moonlight illuminated his face and made him sparkle. Or maybe she was still imagining things.

“Oh… That's good I guess.”

“I love you, Aubrey.”

Her ears started to ring. 

“Wh-what?”

She didn't have the energy to blush. She just looked at him as he looked at her.

Then Sunny went to kiss her, and Aubrey just closed her eyes. She was convinced it was a dream, but as their lips made contact she wanted more than anything to be awake, and she got her wish.

Sunny pulled back first.

“Does that answer your question?”

“Yes… Actually, no… do you mind repeating it for me?”

Sunny smiled and went back in for another kiss, feeling Aubrey’s arms tighten around him, and as they pulled away for a second time they looked at each other in the silvery moonlight that flooded the room. She didn't want this feeling to ever end. She just wanted to be loved.

And loved she was.