Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Rain pattered against the window and trickled down the panes. A streetlamp flickered intermittently outside.

Sunny sat quietly in the armchair in the empty living room.

"Sunny," Hero said, popping his head through the doorframe. "We'll be back in a minute. Sit tight, yeah?"

He nodded. Hero nodded back and quickly departed. His footsteps waned as he vanished down the hall.

Silence resumed.

The room was as it should be. Phones were still strewn haphazardly across displaced cushions. The scent of Orange Joe and sweat permeated the room. Overhead, the lightbulb dimmed and brightened as it swayed from side to side.

Beyond the window, darkness pooled in the garden.

A few minutes passed in silence. Sunny's fingers smoothed over his shirt. Then his pants. Then the armrest. Thirty seconds was all it took.

Thirty seconds too long.

It was okay.

Looking presentable was good. It was something simple to correct.

Everything was the same as it had been hours prior. The same spot on the wall held the photos from before, still straight, still facing him.

Kel and Hero.

Smiling.

Sunny and Kel.

Smiling.

Hero and Mari.

...

A moment passed.

Sunny let out a slow breath.

He checked his watch.

Only then did he notice his fingers were curled into the armrest. The tips were a ghostly white.

He eased his hand open. One finger at a time.

The leather held the shape for a moment before smoothing flat.

Rain tapped the window. The streetlamp outside flickered and steadied.

He rested his palm flat on his knee instead.

The others would soon be due back.

Footsteps eventually returned from down the hall. Several sets of them.

Sunny sat upright, picking up the TV remote and switching it on.

Basil emerged a moment later, followed by Aubrey, Kel and then Hero. Sunny's gaze remained on the screen.

Everyone had returned.

"Whatcha watching, Sunny?" Kel probed quietly, returning to his spot on the couch. Hero and Aubrey also took their seats again, leaving only Basil still standing at the threshold.

The question went unanswered. Sunny leaned closer to the screen. Not focusing on the action, but the frame around it.

Kel opened his mouth, then closed it.

He did not ask again.

"Are you coming in, Basil?" Aubrey called halfheartedly, fingers fidgeting with the fabric of her sleeve. "You wanted to say something to Sunny."

After there was no answer, she added, "...I think he needs to hear it."

Nobody pushed any further. But soon, in the hallway, a footstep awkwardly creaked. Then the sound of a foot against carpet.

Eventually, a shadow crossed the light from the screen on the floor.

When he spoke, it was only: "...Right."

His voice was soft. Unsteady.

"I know that you're right."

Basil moved across the floor with light, uneven steps. Sunny kept his eyes on the television. Not on what was playing, but on the frame around it.

Basil stopped beside the armchair.

Sunny kept looking.

A moment passed.

Basil crouched into his eyeline.

Basil straightened up almost instantly.

Sunny's gaze caught on him, then flickered back to the screen.

Basil's mouth opened.

It closed again.

His fingers pinched the hem of his sleeve, released, then pinched it again.

He looked at Sunny's eyes. He looked away.

"...I didn't mean to—"

"...It's okay."

Basil's throat moved. He nodded once.

Everyone else stayed quiet.

Basil lingered there. His eye contact broke, came back, and then broke again.

Eventually he spoke. "Have you been... enjoying your night so far?"

Sunny nodded. Smiled, barely.

Basil laughed once. "I-I'm g-glad to hear it. Really."

The sound of the television punctuated the quiet.

For a little bit, there was nothing. Neither Sunny, nor Basil, would follow up.

Someone followed up for them.

A can of soda bopped Basil on the head, causing him to flinch. "H-Hey! Who--"

Kel raised a hand, still mid-motion from the throw. "I did. 'Cause Jesus Christ dude, you suck at this."

Basil immediately stood, giving Sunny space. He turned to Kel, stared, sighed, then pulled back.

"I know," he said quietly. "But I'm trying."

He then moved back onto the couch with the others, leaving Sunny alone on the armchair.

The TV continued to hum behind him. It was no longer obstructed.

And the rain continued to patter steadily against the window.

Then, someone laughed. Conversation began to return.

Sunny let the sounds pass.

He kept his eyes on the screen.

Later that night, the rain had only worsened.

The dining room was warm. Various pieces of kitchen equipment were strewn across the counters just beyond the main table. Some were intact; others bent out of shape. Near them, plates were stacked amidst an incomplete pile of unwashed cutlery, with the smell of antiseptic wipes floating unevenly about.

Hero, as he shuffled a deck of cards, kept sparing glances towards the mess. His eye occasionally twitched, his finger drumming the table.

"Kel." He breathed, slowly turning to his right. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

The boy laughed awkwardly. He fanned out his cards and subtly hid in their shadow. "D-Don't look at me, bro! It was Sally's fault, I swear--!"

"She's away with your parents, dude," Aubrey deadpanned, sorting out her own set. "And she's not even a year old. Have some shame."

"Pinning the blame on a literal baby?" Basil chided, accepting his cards with a smile from Hero. "Come on. I thought you were better than this."

Sunny listened quietly as he accepted his own cards. He sorted them out by number and then colour.

"W-Whatever," Kel huffed, tentatively turning back to Hero. "We're playing Old Maid, right?"

His eyes narrowed. "...Yes," he began, tone stretched. "But, don't think you've gotten off easy, mister. We'll be having a long chat right after this."

Kel's posture slumped imperceptibly as he wordlessly nodded.

The table then devolved into laughter.

Soon, laughter turned to concentration.

Sunny glanced around as he sorted his deck.

Everyone's eyes subtly turned towards Basil. As did his own, briefly, before they flickered back down to the table.

"You used to hate this game," Aubrey commented in a hush, glancing to Sunny with a smirk. "Surprised you agreed to play it."

Sunny put down a pair, the sound punctuating the quiet. "It's a good way to pass the time."

Aubrey snorted. "So is, like, every other card game. Why this one? You used to complain about it 24/7."

Sunny exhaled, his response not immediate. His eyes scanned the room.

Four sets of eyes were now on him.

Sunny smoothed over his sleeve, meeting their stare.

"I like it because I don't have to think."

Without looking, he flipped four cards onto the pile.

A moment passed.

Kel chuckled quietly, before following suit. As did Hero. And Basil.

"...Right," Aubrey mumbled after a pause. "That... makes sense."

The conversation fizzled out, the focus of the room slowly shifting back to the game.

Aubrey's gaze lingered but soon followed.

Sunny hummed quietly to himself.

Meanwhile, Basil was still searching for pairs, eyes locked to the cards as he traced their edges.

For a moment, their eyes met.

They held the stare. For only seconds, however, as one soon relented.

Sunny leant back, sorting his own cards again gently.

Number, then colour. Every time.

Basil took the hint and did the same.

"Okay, now that everyone's separated their pairs," Hero said, presenting his cards to Kel. "Time to actually start the game."

"Easy," Kel replied, picking a card and discreetly looking. He raised an eyebrow, then stuffed it into the deck.

It continued like this for a while.

When it was Sunny's turn to pick, his eyes moved to take in the positioning of each card. Basil had been keeping one slightly higher than the rest. He'd been creasing it all game with his thumb.

His focus, however, had been on one of the other cards. Not the one he was placing a spotlight on.

It was a card that was conspicuously hanging out to the very side.

Sunny took that one.

Basil blinked, then looked down at his hand as if something had shifted without permission.

Kel leaned forward, squinting. "Dude, you're seriously doing math in your head or something?"

Sunny slid the card into his deck without checking it, then set his gaze back on the table.

Hero cleared his throat, voice light. "Alright. Next turn."

Basil's thumb stopped working at the crease. It hovered, then resumed, slower.

Aubrey exhaled through her nose and reached for Kel's spread with exaggerated care.

The game continued like this for a while.

Nothing changed for a long time. Everyone spared an occasional glance towards the clock.

Then, from the front of the house, three firm knocks sounded through the hallway.

"Thank God," Basil mumbled, climbing to his feet. "I'll get it--"

Aubrey opened her mouth, before Hero cut in. "No, I'll get it. You stay here."

"Good idea. Quick, before they leave," Kel added.

Basil tilted his head. "Hang on. I'm okay to--"

Hero stood.

The flower boy promptly trailed off.

In response, Aubrey also stood, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

He opened his mouth to speak.

She shook her head before he had the chance.

"...Be quick, Hero."

He nodded, patting Basil on the shoulder twice before moving to the doorframe.

"One sec, guys."

His footsteps disappeared down the hall, leaving silence in their wake. The rain continued to patter steadily outside.

"...It's dark out front," Aubrey clarified, removing her hand with a sigh. "Y'know what happened earlier at the mall. We just wanted to-"

She trailed off when she saw his face.

"...Oh."

After a moment,

"...Sorry," she mumbled, fidgeting awkwardly. "...You okay?"

He nodded stiffly and turned away.

Then, he slowly lowered himself back down onto the seat.

Aubrey made sure to sit with him.

Sunny observed but did not comment.

He looked down at his watch.

It was getting late.

"You live in the city now, right, Sunny?" Kel asked, slowly climbing to his feet. "The last bus leaves soon. But I'd hate for you to get wet in the rain."

He moved towards the hallway, hands in his pockets. "You picking up what I'm throwing down here?" he said over his shoulder, before disappearing around the bend.

Aubrey shook her head, muttering something under her breath. "That wasn't subtle at all, idiot," she said to herself, before turning to Sunny. "But yeah. I agree. You might get sick if you go now. Or... something along those lines."

Hero's voice rang out from the front. "Pizza's here! You guys coming?"

"Yeah! Be there in a second!" she called, turning towards the doorframe.

"...Guess we better go, huh? C'mon, idiot," she said as she pulled Basil to his feet. He stiffly nodded.

Sunny stood up himself.

"Just think about what I said," Aubrey began, already walking away.

Just as he was about to follow, she stopped. "Oh, and Sunny?"

"What is it?"

She hummed. "I just want you to know that... you'll always have a place with us here in Faraway Town."

Then, quieter, "And that you're still our friend. Despite... everything."

Sunny didn't move. Didn't react.

She sighed, and patted Basil on the back.

"...Both of you are."

"Aubrey..." Basil began, the quiver in his hand lessening into a subdued twitch.

"...Thank you."

She smiled.

"All good. Now let's go get pizza, huh?"

Sunny looked at his watch, then at the window.

Lightning flashed outside. For a second, the boy's charcoal eyes flickered with reflected light-- then dulled once again.

He turned back to the pink-haired girl.

"...About that."

The pizza box sat half-opened on the living room floor.

Everyone looked up at Sunny, eyes wide, as he repeated himself.

"I need to go and catch the bus."

Clipped. Articulate.

No hesitation.

Hero cleared his throat. "But, the storm, Sunny. And we just ordered food--"

"It's Gino's," Kel added, already halfway through a slice. "And like I said, it'd suck if you got wet. Come on, man."

He shifted a little closer. "...You could stay, Sunny. Just until tomorrow, I mean."

"You should stay," Aubrey added, standing. "It'd be no trouble."

Sunny did not immediately reply. His eyes were still locked on the window. Far away from any of the stares that were locked onto him.

After a second, "...I need to go and catch the bus," he reaffirmed, bowing his head.

Rain continued to pound against the glass.

His expression remained unchanged.

"Sunny-- you'll get sick if you go," Basil followed up, scrambling to his feet. "Y-You shouldn't. I-I don't want you to--"

"I'm sorry," he said.

"It could be like old times," Aubrey rebutted, speeding up. "A sleepover. Just us five. Like back before everything--"

Sunny raised a hand, then repeated himself. Clear and precise.

"I'm sorry."

Aubrey's words stopped.

Everyone's words stopped.

They all could only stare, pizza forgotten, as a flash of thunder lit up his darkened figure.

Cliff-faced.

Eyes locked onto the room.

Waiting for something to happen.

...

...

But nothing ever did.

And Sunny took the cue.

He turned his back.

"...Thank you for tonight. It was fun."

Hero reached out from across the room. "W-Wait, Sunny!"

The boy stopped.

"I-If you're going-- take my coat. It's on the hanger. You can give it back the next time we see each other."

And when Sunny did not turn back, "...please?"

Sunny took a long breath, then turned back with a smile. Barely visible, but there.

"I will. Thank you."

And then it was gone.

"...Bye, everyone."

He had left the room before they could respond.

In the hall, his shoes from his arrival lay neatly on the floor, as he had arranged them from before.

He slipped them on.

On the hanger, Hero's jet-black coat hung, casting a shadow over the shoes. He took it, draping the fabric around himself and forcing his hands through the sleeves.

It provided some warmth.

His grip closed around the handle.

The door clicked open.

He stepped through.

And then it latched shut behind him, barely making a sound.

The streetlights outside continued to flicker. Thunder roared.

And in time with his footsteps, Kel's house fell further behind.

Chapter Text

Footsteps and rain hit the pavement in alternating bursts.

A streetlamp flickered. Sunny matched his breathing to it until it steadied.

Kel’s house receded behind him as he walked down the driveway. He did not look back.

Faraway was quieter at night. A car passed and split the dark with its headlights. In the light, his breath showed once, then disappeared. When the car was gone, the street returned to itself.

The rain stayed. The trees moved. Somewhere behind him, a window was open a fraction. He could still hear talking. Not words. Just voices.

He stopped at the sidewalk long enough to check his watch.

Late. Still possible.

He kept going.

His pace quickened.

Puddles squelched distinctly underfoot as he crossed them.

Occasionally, his eyes met the face reflected in the water.

It was pale. Hooded. Black hair stuck to its cheeks.

He did not linger to stare.

The faces were promptly left behind.

Houses he once knew drifted by without a word. Some weren't as he remembered them. Others remained unchanged. A few he couldn't see because the corresponding streetlamp wasn't lit.

They fell behind all the same.

He registered an intersection up front. Two roads branched off on either side.

One was well lit. Adorned with houses of people he used to know. A shorter route.

The other was longer. Darker. Emptier.

His eyes flickered between the two. He adjusted the sleeve of his jacket that was too big for his arm.

Then he walked.

He chose the darker path.

Distantly, uneven footsteps approached from down the route. A silhouette drifted closer through the shadows. Grunts punctuated every step.

Sunny adjusted the heavy coat on his shoulder, stepping aside to let the man past.

"Watch your step," he scolded as he wobbled into him anyway. "You tryna get hurt or somethin'?"

Sunny adjusted the coat. It was displaced.

The man straightened up. "The hell're you lookin' at?! Eyes forward, smartass--"

He bowed. "I apologise."

"The fuck did you just-- hang on, what?"

"I apologise."

"..."

The drunk opened his mouth to retaliate, then closed it with a "tsk". His hands dropped to his side.

"Yeh, 'betcha do," he grumbled, shoving past the boy roughly. Sunny grabbed onto the fence and steadied himself.

"Kids these days," the man said under his breath, disappearing into the shadows.

Soon, he was gone.

Sunny turned. Across the road, the Church loomed and stretched into the sky. The graveyard that sat just beyond peeked quietly over the hedges. Lanterns hung loosely from the trees that surrounded it.

Slowly, his fingers bunched into the fabric of the coat.

Seconds passed.

One by one, he removed a finger from the grip.

Inhale. Exhale.

Then he moved on.

He checked his watch.

The bus wasn't far now.

Sunny waited under the bus stop shelter quietly. Rain trickled down the plastic frame and dripped intermittently onto the pavement.

Nobody else was waiting with him.

Ahead, the road was completely still. No distant roar of an approaching vehicle. No rustling of trees. Only streetlamps, placed in perfect intervals along the way. Still flickering. Always flickering.

Sunny glanced behind him and read the bus schedule.

He then checked his watch.

The bus was late.

He quickly checked the schedule again.

Double-checked his watch.

Triple-checked both.

The outcome was the same:

The bus was late.

Slowly, he lowered himself onto the plastic bench. The fabric of Hero's coat pooled around him. It smelled of detergent. And Orange Joe.

The scent made him pause momentarily.

But then he continued.

He began wringing the fabric, watching the droplets crash to the pavement.

They fell in uneven bursts at first before they found their consistency. The coat twisted tighter in his hands. The seam at the cuff rolled over on itself. He turned it back, then turned it again without meaning to.

Rain tapped against the plastic roof above him. A drop gathered at the corner and released, hitting the pavement with a flat sound. Another followed. Then another. Each one landed in the same dark spot until it spread.

The streetlamp across the road flickered. Bright. Dim. Bright again.

He matched it to the squeeze.

He stared at the knot he’d made in the sleeve, tilting his head. Then he set it flat across his lap and smoothed it once, twice, until it lay as it should.

Only then did his eyes drop to his wrist.

The minute hand had moved.

It was further than it should have been.

He brought his arm closer. The face remained the same. The glass reflected the same pale face from before. It was more distorted now.

He checked the schedule again.

Then his watch.

Then the road.

Empty.

Another drop fell from the roof. The spot on the pavement widened. The rain thickened, then thinned, then thickened again.

A low sound began at the far end of the street.

At first it could have been wind.

Then it wasn't.

Sunny sat up.

His hand left the coat. His palms rested on his knee.

The sound grew louder. Water hissed somewhere below the tyres around the bend.

He stood.

Hero’s coat settled around him, heavy and enveloping. He adjusted it once, tugging the collar into place. His fingers brushed the watch as he did.

Two white headlights rounded the corner through the rain.

Bright.

Neon against the darkness.

The wheels screeched to a halt. The door folded open.

Sunny immediately stepped onto the platform.

The bus driver, leaning headfirst against the wheel, gestured vaguely in his direction without looking.

"You got a travel card?"

"I do."

"And you're going to Faraway City?"

"Yes."

"Great. Go on through."

"I appreciate it."

Sunny nodded and moved down the aisle.

The bus was empty. A sterile hum permeated the inside. The doors folded shut as Sunny sat on the seat nearest to the front. Outside, rain pattered against the window in uneven streaks.

Sunny leaned against the glass, the window frame shaking imperceptibly as the engine revved to life. His head jerked forward as the bus began to move.

Soon, the bus stop was gone, replaced by an active blur of motion.

Faraway Town sped by.

For a moment, Sunny averted his eyes.

Landmarks floated by before he could register them.

There was Kel's house. The lights were still on. The driveway was still dotted with puddles.

Next door, there was also the house that used to be his. The For-Sale sign was missing, not there, absent.

He only got to see it for a moment.

Faraway Park was next.

His gaze did not linger on it for as long.

By the time the bus had driven past Othermart, Sunny's eyes were no longer on the window.

The sign signaling the edge of Faraway flickered past the corner of his eye.

Only empty road remained ahead.

His eyes returned to the window.

It was dark out there.

The bus became more populated as it neared its final stop. There was a lone salaryman seated at the back, his head leant idly onto the seat in front.

He had also been frequently checking his watch.

Dark circles pooled under his eyes as he bobbed with each tremor of the bus. Sunny watched his head bounce once, then twice, as they turned a bend.

When the salaryman noticed, Sunny looked away.

The man did the same shortly after.

"Alright, last stop," the driver called across the aisle. "We're just pulling up now. Everybody off when we do."

His voice was met with silence and a delayed onset of nods.

"...A charming crowd," he grumbled in response.

"Just open the damn door," that salaryman barked, already standing.

"Well you just have a great night, sir," the driver snapped back, elbowing the switch by the wheel. "God," he mumbled.

The doors folded open and the salaryman promptly left, mumbling something of his own.

Sunny followed suit soon after.

The rain intensified as he stepped off the platform. The cold air of the city hummed around him. Neon lights were strewn across billboards and awnings throughout the city centre. Cars hummed across the roads and spread the scent of petrichor.

"WELCOME TO FARAWAY CITY" was projected briefly on the bus display before it zoomed off towards the station across the way.

Sunny brushed off Hero's coat and began to walk across the sidewalk. His eyes flickered to the faceless crowd he was pushing past. Each wore a different jacket. Red, black, grey. A variety of colours. Some weren't dressed appropriately for the rain. Others ran for cover.

Sunny passed by all those people, eyes fixed on the cracks of the pavement below. The sound of screeching tyres echoed from afar.

He placed his hands firmly in his pockets. The shiver from the heaviness of his clothes slowed.

As it did, he counted measured units under his breath.

"One," he muttered as he passed the convenience store.

"Two," he murmured as a bar flickered by.

"Three," he said, as a child ran past him.

When they brushed his shoulder, he apologised. They kept on running anyway.

Sunny glanced back, then kept moving.

The cycle of counting continued all the while.

Soon, he turned a corner without looking. When he reached the intersection, he waited, staring as a woman mashed the button several times. She had no hood, and her free arm hugged her torso.

The crowd moved as the light changed.

Sunny stepped off the curb with them. He kept to the edge of the crossing, letting the faster walkers pass first. A man with an umbrella clipped his shoulder on the way by. Sunny shifted aside and said, “Sorry,” without looking up.

The umbrella did not slow.

Sunny adjusted Hero’s coat at the collar. He pulled the sleeves down until the cuffs covered his wrists. His watch disappeared.

A car horn blared from the street behind him. He did not turn. He kept walking.

He counted under his breath again.

“Four,” he said as a bicycle shot past the curb, water spraying from the tyres onto his shoes.

He stepped around a puddle and into another one immediately. It soaked through the seam near his toe. He kept his pace the same.

“Five,” he murmured as two people laughed too loudly outside a doorway. One of them swung an arm wide and nearly hit him. Sunny stopped. The arm passed in front of his face. He waited until it was gone, then continued.

His fingers pressed into his pockets. He found the fabric lining and pinched it once, then released.

At the next corner, the pedestrian signal blinked red. The woman beside him hit the button again, then again. Sunny watched the numbers count down. When they reached zero, they reset and began again without changing.

He checked the other side of the road. The traffic light was still green.

He stepped back from the curb by half a pace. He waited.

A bus rolled through the intersection and threw a sheet of water across the asphalt. The signal finally changed. The little figure turned white.

Sunny crossed quickly, head down, feet precise. He avoided the cracks that were wider than the rest.

The apartment complex filled the end of the street. Its entrance light stayed steady.

Sunny climbed the steps two at a time. He reached for the handle, paused only long enough to wipe rain from his palm on the side of his coat, then pushed the door open.

Warm air met him.

He stepped inside, and the door swung shut behind him.

The elevator ride had been longer than it should have been. The doors parted to reveal a path forward lined with a reflective marble floor.

Sunny's eyes remained up at the passing apartment numbers. He did not look down at his reflection.

Sunny stopped, eyeing the lock.

He fumbled around in his pocket. He looked up at the door, then at his pocket again. Nothing. He felt around in the area, checking the floor.

He saw his pale face staring back at him again.

He then looked away.

Soon, his eyes landed on Hero's coat. They widened briefly.

Sunny slowly removed the dripping fabric, checking the pocket of his pants instead.

The key was in the palm of his hand.

Sunny exhaled, slipping the metal into the lock and turning the key clockwise. The door gave way with a click, drifting open.

"Who's that?" a lady's voice echoed, followed by footsteps. She then stepped into the doorway, eyes roaming over the boy. "Sunny. You're drenched."

He nodded. "The rain is heavy."

She placed a hand on his back and ushered him inside. The door latched shut on its own. "You need to dry off. Did you have a good time with your friends?"

Sunny placed the keys on the counter before turning to fully face her. "I did."

She laughed. "Stoic as usual, I see. You've eaten, yes?"

"Mhm."

"Good, good." The woman paused. "That coat. It's... Hero's, isn't it?"

Sunny gently folded it up in his hands. "He didn't want me to catch a cold."

"That's nice of him."

"Yes. I have to return it though."

"Do you?"

A moment of silence passed. Sunny's mother opened her mouth, then closed it again. Her eyes moved to the coat, then back to him.

"I'm... not sure going back to that town so soon is a good idea," she clarified, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It has to be difficult for you. Isn't it?"

Her eye contact was unflinching. Sustained.

Sunny quickly looked away. "It's okay."

She leaned in closer, eyes narrowing imperceptibly.

After a moment, "I'll go," he added, now looking towards the balcony door.

The woman's hand remained fixed, until eventually it wasn't. She stepped back, arm falling loosely to her side. "...Right. Of course you will."

Sunny tilted his head.

"Did you eat while you were out?" she quickly probed, turning her back and heading to the kitchen. "I'll make you something if you want."

Sunny watched her go, turning towards his room. "No, that's okay. I ate pizza with my friends."

She paused mid step, turning. "...You did?"

"Yes. I did," he said immediately.

She sighed, before pivoting towards the couch instead. "...And now I assume you'll be going to sleep?"

Sunny nodded.

"Good night then, Sunny," his mother said in response, stepping out of view.

"Sweet dreams," she added, tone clipped.

Sunny turned and headed towards his room.

The interaction had ended there.

The door clicked shut softly behind him.

Rain kept pattering at the window. The sound was steady, unsteady, then steady again.

Sunny reached for the desk lamp. The switch toggled on. A disk of light spread across the surface. He watched it for a moment, then toggled it off again. The disk vanished. He toggled it back on. The bulb flickered yet held steady.

He straightened the base until it sat straight on.

On the wall beside the bed, a paper calender hung strewn up by two screws. Not store-bought. Just a grid. Boxes were ruled by hand, lines pressed uneven from an unsteady hand. No holidays. No circles. No ink bleeding through.

Empty squares.

His thumb traced the edge of the paper. The corner lifted slightly to the left. He pressed it down. The paper flattened under the pressure, then remained flat.

The boxes stayed blank.

Sunny sat at the desk.

A sheet of paper lay square in front of him. A pencil lay to its right, tightly sharpened. His watch sat discarded near the lamp, face turned up, ticking away endlessly.

He picked up the pencil, hovering it over the page.

Lines followed. One, then others. A curve here.  A hard angle there. Darkened patches where he pressed too hard. The point dragged. The graphite shined against the lamp. He lifted the pencil and then tried again.

The marks collected and created something incoherent.

He erased. The rubber made a shaky sound. Dust gathered at the corners of the page. He brushed it away. Some of it clinged to his skin.

He tried again.

The pencil dulled at the peak. He sharpened it. The filings fell into the drawer. He drew over the same place until the paper crinkled there, then leant back and stopped.

He placed the sheet into the desk drawer without another glance. The drawer shut with a small click.

On the floor, Hero’s coat lay folded where he’d left it. Sunny lifted it. It was heavy from all the water. The fabric shone a navy black.

He hung it on the closet door, the hanger hook flexing with a light groan. The sleeves draped down and bunched against the carpet. It made the closet look more full than it was.

Sunny moved to the bed and lay down on top of the covers. His shoes stayed on. The fan above turned all the same. He watched the blade shimmer once, then settle.

Rain continued to pour outside.

Four years ago, the room had been quieter.

Four years ago, a lightbulb contained his thoughts.

Four years ago, he could lie like this and nothing would change.

Everything had felt so much more still
Four years ago.