Basil surfaced from underwater, coughing. "Did I make it?"
"Congratulations!"
Sunny was teaching Basil how to swim at the local community center.
Back when he still lived with his mom in the city, Sunny had taken some swimming lessons. Having faced his fear of deep water when he tried to save Basil after Aubrey pushed him into the lake, he'd managed to learn how to swim fairly well, at least if you considered one style of moving through water to qualify for fairly well.
At least I'm not going to drown if I get pushed into the water again!
Swimming was a vigorous, aerobic exercise and four years spent indoors barely doing any exercise did not build up a healthy pair of lungs. Sunny discovered quite early in his swimming lessons that he lacked the lung capacity to do the front crawl as well as most other styles of swimming. Holding his breath for any length of time made him quick to cough and choke and sputter. He could only front crawl for a few feet before he ran out of breath and energy.
On the bright side, spending four years in a lying position on top of his bed meant he adapted himself quite well to the back crawl. The back crawl became the only style of swimming he used, and he'd gotten good enough at it to perform a couple of laps around the swimming pool in one go. It was the first swimming style he taught Basil how to do.
"How long did I take?" Basil asked.
"Three minutes and sixteen seconds," Sunny replied.
Basil smiled, wiping the water from his eyes. "I'm much faster with front crawl, aren't I?"
Sunny turned his eyes away with a hint of jealousy. "...Yeah."
Unlike himself, Basil had not wasted four years of body growth lying in bed, and maintaining a gardening hobby meant he also possessed a healthy pair of lungs that allowed him to hold his breath underwater for much longer periods of time than Sunny ever could.
Shortly after becoming comfortable with the back crawl, Basil wanted to try another, faster swimming style. Sunny then taught him what he remembered of the front crawl, the basic motions.
To his jealous astonishment, Basil learned the front crawl quickly and he was able to maintain it for way longer. Within only a couple of months of learning how to swim, Basil had surpassed Sunny's stamina and speed in water.
Basil had just completed his first lap around the swimming pool.
"Thank you so much for teaching me how to swim!" Basil said, giving Sunny a hug.
"It's nothing," Sunny replied. "I just don't want you to be helpless if you ever end up in deep water again."
"I'm starting to really enjoy swimming! Maybe I'll start swimming all year long now...or at least when I'm away from our garden..."
Gardening and swimming as your exercise hobbies?
You're going to become so healthy and strong...
"Sounds lovely," Sunny said with a genuine smile.
"I'm going to try to swim another lap."
Over the next hour, Sunny leisurely back crawled across the pool while Basil swam laps around him.
Ever since he received his exam results back, along with his high school diploma, Sunny had lived each day of his life in a steady, carefree manner. He wasn't interested in advancing his career at this time in his life, even though other college kids his age seemed to be working hard at that. He didn't feel any time pressure to write his novel either.
With Basil's help, he was learning how to cook more dishes. He was also reading up on growing plants and flowers along with environmental conservation knowledge in preparation for the summer when he'd be back in Faraway to help Basil build a garden in their friends' old hangout spot.
Life seemed to be so calm and peaceful, yet a question remained on his mind—
Is it going to last?
Sunny would gladly have his current life over any time in his past. Adulthood gave him much more freedom than he ever had as a child, and being boyfriends with Basil added a happiness to his days that nothing else in the world could ever compare with.
Still, he missed those days when all his friends were around, those days when his sister was still here...
He usually thought about Mari every time he went swimming.
More than anything, he wanted Mari to see him right now, see how happy and fulfilled her younger brother felt with Basil by his side each day.
He wanted Mari to see her other friends too, how Hero was doing well in his med school exams, how Kel had led his high school basketball team to his school's first win at the semifinals, how Aubrey was forming her own community to support troubled kids with neglectful parents.
Maybe even mom is doing well right now.
Mari wouldn't be perfectly happy; she'd be sad at how the relationship between her mom and her brother had become strained, and very angry at the way dad abandoned their family. She might feel that it was her fault too that Hero had given up on his dreams of becoming a cook. And then, knowing all the pain, loneliness, grief, and trauma that had transpired in the years since her passing...
Sunny didn't want Mari to cry.
In his heart, he knew Mari would smile if she could see the happiness that he and Basil shared. In the coming years, that happiness would bloom in every flower that grew in the garden they planned to build, a garden in memorial of her.
As Basil swam another lap past him, Sunny turned his head and saw that the lifeguard currently on duty was swapping off.
The protective part of himself, the part that had once witnessed Basil gasping for air as he desperately tried to stay afloat in the lake, could not help but keep an eye on Basil as the lifeguard temporarily went away. Even though Basil was now arguably a better swimmer than himself, he still couldn't let his guard down in case something terrible happened.
I can never be too careful.
Sunny treaded water for a bit as he waited for the next lifeguard to resume duty.
The moment he saw the next lifeguard, he recognized her.
It's the girl I saw at the examination center the other day that looked like Mari...
She works here?
The parallels emerging between her and Mari were starting to make Sunny wonder. Mari had also been an excellent swimmer and she'd been on track to passing the test that'd qualify her as a lifeguard before her death.
He found himself imagining whether Mari had a twin sister that was separated at birth.
No, they looked too different.
Perhaps over the years that had passed, his dad had adopted a teenage daughter and raised her the exact same way he'd raised Mari.
No, I don't want to believe he would...
Thinking about these things is pointless.
Those scenarios were too implausible to ever have a chance of being reality.
Sunny flattened his back against the water, resuming a leisurely back crawl. Seeing someone that looked so much like Mari was making him want to lie still in bed all over again.
***
I haven't seen Headspace in a while.
Now that college classes were back in session, Basil spent most of each day studying on campus. Sunny was on his way to visit Basil on campus after finishing work early for the day.
But the characters of Headspace are still with me.
It was funny how over time, everything settled into place quite nicely inside his head.
Omori, Stranger, Something, and mini-Something all emerged from time to time, now willfully as parts of his imagination, characters he wanted to hear an opinion from or just to talk to.
No, he wasn't schizophrenic!
Those characters were there because he wanted them to be. He developed them over time from initial representations of his fears, his depression and anxiety, his guilt over abandoning Basil—developed them into people who all had their own unique perspectives to offer. The difference now was that Omori couldn't just take over, and neither could anyone else.
Mini-Something's snarky quips entertained him when he felt bored, and Omori was like a companion to himself, a depressed and questionable advice-giving one for sure, but hey, at least he could put a face behind his darkest feelings. Knowing that it was Omori who was telling him those disturbing, intrusive thoughts somehow made them less scary, perhaps because he'd stood up after being beaten down into nothing by Omori before.
Stranger could offer advice on his feelings, and not just his feelings towards Basil.
Recently, by playing out a chat between Omori and Stranger inside his head, he'd figured out something—
"What were those Feelings Spaces we kept seeing?" Omori had asked.
"I don't think we'll ever know, but..."
Stranger's glowing eyes pierced through the red darkness. They illuminated a patch of the dreamer none of them had ever seen before.
"There was a time in the past when, faced with intense, tormented feelings, he'd retreat deeper inside his head, refusing to allow those feelings any space to flow," Stranger spoke at an image of Sunny, isolated inside a box. "But he doesn't do that anymore. Now, whenever he feels overwhelming feelings, he simply dreams about them, fully and without reservation..."
"So all those Feelings Spaces, that farm, the storm, Bittersweetheart's castle, the return to black space, the land where anger was sealed, Abbi's classroom—they're just the kind of chaotic places that'd show up when you let all your feelings flow?" Omori replied.
"Yeah, I think so. Some of them aren't fun, and some of them aren't half bad. But at least the dreamer isn't repressing his feelings any longer, creating horrible spaces."
Omori shrugged. "He's just prolonging the suffering induced by having feelings."
Sunny smiled, knowing that Omori would say those exact words.
Omori wouldn't change.
He walked onto campus, making his way towards the library where Basil usually studied when he heard a beautiful piano melody flowing from the music building.
Wait, I know that piece...
He'd heard Mari playing it many times before.
Sunny found himself facing a crossroads. A part of him wanted to stay and listen. The other part of him felt afraid to listen to a piece that reminded him of his sister; afraid that listening would inevitably bring sadness, grief, and perhaps worse feelings.
I don't want to be traumatized every time I hear notes being played on a piano.
Against the better part of his judgment, Sunny turned towards the music building.
As he walked down the halls towards the practice room containing the piano, the melody he heard grew louder and clearer. He remembered the name of the piece, Etude number three, or 'Tristesse', by Chopin—Mari used to practice it all day long.
Those notes awakened memories of waking up early in the morning to Mari practicing the piano, memories that now felt so nostalgic they almost brought a tear to his eye...
At least it isn't that song.
When Sunny came up to the piano room, he stopped, wondering who was the player.
No, wait...
It can't be...
The chances were too low.
But it keeps happening...
He had the feeling that it was that lookalike.
When I look through the window, it's going to be...
Yep, it's her.
Sunny didn't know what to make of it when he saw the girl who looked like Mari playing the piano inside the practice room.
Black hair, white dress, same height, even the same posture and playing style.
You've got to be kidding me.
Why is she a Mari clone?!
Luckily, when he took a closer look at her face, he felt reassured that she wasn't Mari. They looked too different to even have a chance of being twins separated at birth.
Yet the fact that she kept showing up in his life, doing things that were uncannily similar to Mari's own hobbies...
It was really bizarre.
He stood by the door, quietly listening as she played the rest of the piece. Most likely he would never see her again after this encounter. Just because she kept showing up these days didn't mean she would show up again in the future.
After she finished playing, he remained standing by the door just out of sight. The feelings that poured through him created a quiet trembling inside his chest. Deep down, he wanted to ask—
Why do I keep seeing you around?
Why do you act just like my late sister, down to even the songs you both play on the piano?
Those thoughts compelled him to stay put. Perhaps she would play another piece or song he'd recognize next.
He nearly jumped out of his shoes when the door opened and she stepped out.
"Are you waiting to use the practice room?" she asked, her voice sounding different enough from Mari's to erase any last suspicions that they might be related.
While Mari had employed a polite yet strong voice that could be stern when she wanted it to be, this girl's voice was very soft and undemanding.
"Ummm..."
He glanced back inside the practice room, scanning around for a violin.
There was a violin, a viola, a cello, and several other string instruments inside the room besides the piano.
Do I really think I can play the violin again?
"Yeah," Sunny answered without even thinking.
...I have a feeling that just sealed my fate.
Better not appear too awkward!
"You played Etude number three just now, right?" Sunny continued. "It sounded really nice."
Hearing that compliment made her smile brightly at him. "Thank you. Do you also play the piano?"
Sunny shook his head. "No, I play violin."
"I love the violin. I've always wanted to learn how to play it, but it's not as easy as the piano to just pick up and start playing songs, huh?"
"I'm not that good at the violin, trust me."
"Mind if I listen to you play something?"
Oh no...
The last time someone had invited him to play the violin back in his mom's city had turned out to be a disaster. He still remembered his trembling fingers, the nausea in his throat, the sheer desire to throw the violin and the bow away and just hide somewhere.
But...that's what I'm here for, right?
"Sure," Sunny replied in spite of his tense feelings.
"My name's Sarah, by the way."
"Sunny."
Perhaps, this time...
He walked into the practice room, his heart beating in overdrive. As he neared the violin he could feel sweat forming on his fingers. This scene was a disaster just waiting to happen.
"What song are you playing?" she asked.
He didn't even know himself.
Maybe he ought to play something really simple, like one of the very first songs he'd learned on the violin. That might be too boring to someone who practiced Chopin on the piano; he would rather play a harder piece to avoid looking like he just learned twinkle twinkle little star.
But then the chances of failure and catastrophe became very high. Too much time had passed since he'd practiced any of the more difficult violin techniques.
There was only one song he knew for sure how to play.
Maybe I can imagine that it's just Mari watching me play again.
With shaking fingers, Sunny lifted the bow and held it just above the strings. He took a deep breath.
I can do this.
Or I'm going to fail.
Whatever happens, I...
He played the first note.
The music that spilled out nearly brought him into tears. So many hours of practicing, failing, and practicing again rushed back from the deep chambers of his memory. He expected those memories to cripple his fingers and posture, render him unable to continue playing.
No, this time...
He paused for a moment, then resumed playing from that first note.
My memories aren't going to stop me.
Tears came into his eyes as every note fell into place. He remembered the tempo, the dynamics, every beat of the song, playing as if a piano accompanied his violin. The sounds of his childhood came back with the music.
Everyone's joyous laughter.
The wind that graced his sister's hair as they sat together on a picnic blanket.
The sun rising, then descending beyond the horizon, marking the happiness of each passing day.
Basil's plants, growing and blooming into delicate flowers that felt so pretty.
A recital.
However sad that they were, those memories became a force that pushed him to play the song to its conclusion.
He'd once played the duet inside his head, getting back onto his feet after being crushed by Omori's words.
Now he was finally able to perform it on a real violin.
When the last note faded, he lowered the violin and relaxed his posture.
His breath shaky, sweat covering his fingers, he glanced to see if he still had an audience.
A light of recognition glowed in Sarah's eyes.
"Duets for piano and violin," she spoke.
You know even that...
"It's the final duet from that music book, isn't it?"
As much as Sarah does not look or sound like Mari, everything about what she does is completely reminiscent of my sister!
"Yeah," Sunny replied, a tearful smile.
"I know how to play the piano part in that song! Wanna play it together with me?"
That's just...
Sunny couldn't believe it.
Although he'd managed to play the violin part on his own, he didn't know how he would feel if he played alongside the piano.
Perhaps the emotions would be too much for him to handle. Maybe, after hearing the first few notes, he'd break down, become unable to play along...
Maybe he'd even smash the violin on the floor again.
Sarah approached him.
"It's alright," she said. "By the looks of it, that song seems really important to you. If you don't want to hear me play it, I won't."
What should I say?
I...don't know what Mari would want me to do.
Would Basil want me to play it...?
Basil...he really looked forward to seeing me perform at the recital...
Because of what I did, Basil never got to see it.
I...
I want to play.
I want to play at the recital for Basil.
Sunny wiped the tears from his eyes.
He smiled.
"Can you play the piano part for me?" he responded.
Surprised at his new attitude, but smiling back, Sarah nodded and went over to the piano.
I hope I don't mess up my part.
The first notes of the duet sounded from the piano.
***
Sunny never dreamed that he could ever hear that beautiful and somber melody played by his hands again in his life.
Yet reality kept moving on past his dreams.
Moved by a feeling beyond words, a feeling born from both instinct and countless hours of practice, his hands had started to play. He knew exactly when to come in to lead the voice of the song as the piano's waltzlike melody gave way to the heartfelt main line of the duet. From there, he sang with the violin, playing every note with emotion, leaving nothing unexpressed as all the sadness inside his heart compelled him to perform.
He played for the recital; he played for his friends, who never got to see his performance; he played for his sister.
The power inside the emotions behind every note broke something deep within him.
Tears streamed down his cheeks as he remembered all those happy days from his childhood, all those days spent carefree and laughing and smiling, the snap of a camera capturing their most precious moments, capturing the vivid light of a summer that seemed like it'd never end.
The eternal summer of his childhood became the voice of his violin.
As all those feelings came rushing back, surging in with enough force to overwhelm him, he sang his heart out on the violin. He played to an audience of just one, and yet he saw all his friends and his family watching him, among them one very special boy who wore a flower in his hair.
Sunny realized that he had to let him hear.
When the last notes played by his violin faded away, he wiped away all the tears that had flown out.
"Are you okay?" Sarah asked.
"Yeah...I'm fine," Sunny replied. "Your piano playing was perfect."
Sarah smiled back. "You play the violin beautifully. I really enjoyed that duet."
"Thank you."
I want him to be able to hear it.
"Sarah, I want to record that duet for somebody."
"Oh, you want to do a recording with me?"
"I can grab my recording stuff and come back here in about twenty five minutes."
"Ummm...sorry, but I have to go somewhere right now," she replied. "I'd love to do a recording with you, though! That's always been one of my dreams as a musician."
"It's okay," Sunny said, hiding his disheartened feelings behind his smile. "You don't have to if you're busy."
"Actually, how about tomorrow? I usually come here and practice every day, anyway—same time?"
Tomorrow's a Saturday, so I don't have work!
"Yes!" Sunny replied. "Tomorrow would be perfect!"
"Okay. Well, nice to meet you! I'm glad we have similar tastes in music."
You don't even know half of how similar you are to...
...
This is Sarah. My sister is Mari. They're different people.
I'm glad for the similarities you share with her, but...my sister will always be the person I remember in my heart.
As Sarah left the practice room, Sunny walked towards the piano.
He played the first few notes of the duet using what he remembered about piano keys that Mari had taught him.
Even though he couldn't continue those notes, he managed to get the melody going in his head again, and he raised the violin to his shoulder.
I can play the violin again.
***
The day before Valentine's day, Sunny received an email from his mom.
Hey Sunny,
You probably suspected it already, I'm in a relationship with detective Jawsum now. We don't plan on getting married yet...he's just spending some time over at my place because he's quit his job—my case apparently pushed him to his limit—and now he's trying to work on something less stressful in the city.
Apparently you reminded him a lot of his daughter. He told me it's okay to tell you this. He lost her when she was around your age. He also knows you don't like being bothered by us, so the most you'll see of him is when you visit me for the holidays.
Anyway, I've been doing well. How's life with Basil? Are you two getting along? Do you need me to bring you anything?
xoxo,
Mom
Sunny rolled his eyes.
He typed a quick reply congratulating her on her new relationship, alongside an emphatic note that he and Basil were getting along fine, and that he didn't need anything from her.
Detective Jawsum lost a daughter too, huh...
Sunny felt a little sad for him, but he decided to focus on the present as he alt-tabbed over to his story outline document.
Recently, he'd decided on not making his story a novel at all.
"Hey, Sunny," Basil said, greeting him as he came back from classes. "How's the novel coming along?"
"Pretty good," Sunny replied. "It's not a novel anymore."
Basil's eyes colored with surprise. "Really? What are you making your story into?"
"A webcomic."
Basil smiled brightly. "Oh, that's even better! You're great at drawing, Sunny."
"Nah," Sunny replied. "I got someone else to draw it for me."
"Who's that?"
"Some apparel store artist. They're opening their online store soon, it's called Tomocat or something like that."
Sunny had gotten in touch with them as a fan of their apparel, and after some idea sharing and collaboration he'd come up with a whole new story to tell based on his adventures in headspace as well as his own life experiences.
Yeah, it'll definitely be a webcomic.
Hold on...maybe it'd also work as a video game?
"When I read the story you submitted to the contest, I thought it'd make a great comic or cartoon," Basil said. "You have this really vivid style of writing that paints rich, visual scenes."
"Thank you, Basil! I'll try to make sure the comic also carries that feeling."
"I can't wait to read the webcomic when it comes out."
Happy that he'd gotten at least one reader, Sunny went back to outlining his story. He planned on creating some sketches of each character to submit to Tomocat later this week.
Another issue occupied his mind.
Tomorrow was February fourteenth, and he had to make sure that everything was ready. He'd already spent quite a bit of money on all the preparations.
As Sunny checked them over on his laptop, Basil plopped down onto the bed with a cup of warm tea in his hands. He sipped the tea, a new blend of chrysanthemum, sunflower, and chamomile that Sunny had concocted, and the light in his eyes grew bright with delight.
"This tea's really good!" Basil remarked. "It tastes so calm and refreshing..."
"I'm glad you like it," Sunny said. "It's my favorite tea to drink when I need to relax after a long day at work."
"Yeah, I can see why!"
I call it the rejuvenation tea.
"So, your birthday's coming up," Sunny mentioned, hoping to distract Basil from the fact that tomorrow was Valentine's day.
"Oh, right, I almost forgot."
"Got any plans?"
The weird smile that grew on Basil's face gave Sunny the feeling that Basil already suspected that something was up.
Basil's birthday was just four days after Valentine's day; perhaps Basil knew that Sunny had something prepared for him on one of those occasions, or both.
"Not really," Basil replied. "Midterms are blocking me from doing anything but studying these days."
Sunny's light expression dropped. "I can't wait for you to be done college."
"You're going to be waiting almost four years..."
"Well, at least you won't have to worry about tests during summers."
"Yeah, we'll probably be too busy building our garden to have time to worry about anything else!"
Maintaining a garden, Sunny had researched, was tough work requiring dedicated daily labor. They'd be lugging around massive cans of water every day to water the flowers. During the hottest days of summer, that would become extremely exhausting in the humid heat.
In addition to watering flowers, they also had to pull weeds and prepare the soil for growing new plants. As the lead operator of the project, Basil would be in charge of planning out where they'd plant all the flowers; Sunny and the others (Basil's friends) would each take daily measurements of soil quality and plant growth metrics and report back to him.
Since they were dedicating the garden to Mari, Sunny had suggested that they make part of the garden a rock garden, which Mari loved visiting back then. Basil agreed with that idea and there were some interesting rocks in the vicinity that they could arrange and put on display.
They weren't going to go full zen garden mode, but a portion of their plan for the garden was to create a unique and eye-catching arrangement of rocks in the style of a Japanese rock garden. The rest of the garden would be full of beautiful flowers, shrubs, and trees accompanied by the lake.
This combined plant-rock garden style would be so visually attractive that, if they managed to pull it off, Faraway Town would gain a new tourist attraction for years to come.
Sunny grew a dreamy look in his eyes, imagining it all.
"Are you thinking of going to college, Sunny?" Basil asked out of the blue. "N—No pressure or anything!"
"I'm not planning on it," Sunny said. "But it could be something I do in the distant future."
"Oh—oh, it's just that I saw your grades from your final semester, and...I think you'd have no trouble getting accepted to the college in this city!"
"Thanks! I'm not sure what I'd study, though. Computer Science?"
I'd already taken computer science back in the city, and that was my best mark in a course along with web design.
"You can study whatever you'd like," Basil said encouragingly.
Well, if I'm going to be working on a webcomic for the next few years, a web design degree from college wouldn't be a bad idea...
But I'm kinda interested in making games, too. It's just that I don't know enough programming.
If I want to stay with the webcomic, I could do a web design degree, and if I want to start making video games, I should go into computer science and learn programming.
"I'll think about it," Sunny said, already planning on downloading a copy of RPG Maker.
Basil laid his head back against the bed as he finished drinking the cup of tea. "I hope it doesn't sound like I'm pressuring you or anything."
"No way, you're too nice," Sunny replied blatantly.
A blush came over Basil's face. "I a—am?"
"Yeah. I've said it before and I'm keeping to it, you're the nicest person I've met."
That blush grew a lot deeper. "Thank you!"
"Nice, caring people deserve something for their kindness," Sunny went on, and leaned towards Basil.
He gave Basil a kiss on the lips, a kiss that sent a light thrill into his chest. The appreciative light that shimmered in Basil's eyes enveloped his heart in sweet feelings.
"S—Sunny, you'll stay by my side through all these years, right?" Basil said. "I mean the years that we'll spend building our garden together?"
I'll stay with you for a lot longer than that...much longer.
"Yeah, I will," Sunny replied.
I'll make everything clear to you tomorrow.
Basil smiled shyly. "I'm glad."
"Hey, it's no problem."
"It's just that...I remember you were worried that I wouldn't know what to do if you disappeared from my life, right?"
"I'm not so worried anymore," Sunny said. "We made a promise, right? I'll always return to you, and you just have to wait for me!"
"Yeah, that was it." Basil kissed Sunny back on the lips. "The feelings you gave me that day are going to be with me forever. I'm not worried about the future anymore because of you..."
"Me too. I'll just think about our promise whenever I feel like I don't what to do with my life!"
It's funny.
That promise, that vow we made to each other—
It's become the red string of fate that ties us together, stronger than ever before.
"We'll keep that promise until we both grow old, right...?" Basil asked.
"Until we die."
Basil tilted his head, a glowing smile.
Sunny kissed Basil again, drenching himself in the sweet warmth and taste of his boyfriend's lips.
Tomorrow.
That warmth settled deep in his belly, a sweetness he could never let go of.
Later that night, Sunny saw Omori and Stranger in his dreams again.
"You made a dangerous promise," Omori said to Sunny. "What if you die first? What if Basil dies? How will you go on?"
I don't know.
"It's not really something you have to worry too much about right now," Stranger said, taking Sunny's side. "The two of you are still very young."
"Accidents can happen," Omori said, turning at Stranger. "Didn't you say—an argument, a momentary lapse of judgment, or a random medical illness could take everything away?"
"That was a while ago," Stranger replied. "I've watched how these two have protected and comforted each other, and I think...they really have grown very strong together."
To Sunny's surprise, Stranger smiled.
Omori, ever the bringer of darkness and depressive thoughts, took out his knife.
"They only seem strong because nothing has ever tested their strength yet," Omori said. "Sunny, you weren't healthy during your teenage years. Maybe you'll get a life-threatening illness in your twenties or thirties, and you'll leave the world first. What do you think Basil will do? Won't he grow delusional again trying to believe you'll come back?"
"Basil learned from Sunny how to accept his feelings, no matter how painful they are," Stranger countered. "He'll find new purpose growing his garden, maybe even happiness."
"Sunny, your temper hasn't completely gotten better," Omori changed the topic. "What if you're careless again and you do something that causes Basil to die?"
I just...won't ever let that happen.
Stranger stepped in front of Sunny to protect him. "Sunny isn't who you think he is. He'd never hurt Basil."
Omori looked at his knife and gently polished it with his fingers. "You're pretty confident about that."
"Look, bad things just happen sometimes," Stranger spoke to Omori. "Instead of focusing so much on all the potential destructive events that can happen, can't you cherish the love and happiness that you already have?"
Omori almost smiled. "That optimism coming from you..."
But then Omori put away his knife. "It almost makes me want to smile,because of how devastated you'd be if you were wrong."
Well, then, smile!
Smile, Omori!
Omori looked up into the darkness that surrounded them. "It sucks not being the ruler of everything anymore."
"Get used to it," Stranger said bluntly.
"I know. I'm not hoping to achieve anything like that again."
"You...aren't?"
"The dreamer's become so attached to the real Basil, he thinks he doesn't need me anymore..." Omori said.
And then, Omori truly smiled.
"But maybe he'll come crying back to me one day," Omori continued.
Turning away from Sunny and facing Stranger, "In the meantime, I've got you to keep me company."
Stranger looked a little cheesed by that. "You think I enjoy your company?"
"Not like we have anything else to do around here."
"Sometimes—no, wait, most of the time—silence is better than listening to you speak."
"But won't you feel lonely if I never talk?"
"What?!"
Wow, these two sure love arguing...
Wait, they're characters I created inside my own head! Of course they'd love arguing if I made them that way!
Oh, just forget it.
Tomorrow, I have to...
***
Sunny gazed up at the sky.
The afternoon setting sun cast an orange glow that colored the clouds with faint yellow. That warm sky contrasted the ground below, a field of green and brown, full of melted snow.
This morning, he'd told Basil to meet him at a certain spot in the afternoon.
Instead of going to work that morning, he'd gone over to the mall. There, he rented a violin from the music store. He had also brought along his laptop with everything set up.
On that day, he'd only recorded Sarah's piano part.
He went over to the flower shop, and bought two flowers which he placed inside his violin case.
Sunny stood in the middle of the flower field, waiting for Basil to show up.
In the distance, he saw an approaching shadow.
It was still winter, and not many flowers were yet in bloom in this field. The wind that blew through the air felt cool, but not biting cold.
The shadow came closer and closer.
Blonde and black hair swept along with the breeze as the distance between the two figures became no more.
Basil stood face to face with him. "Sunny?"
"I'm glad you're here with me."
Taking a step back, Sunny picked up the violin and the bow he'd left hidden in the grass.
He opened up his laptop on the ground and pressed "Play" on a music file.
"Listen."
I want to show you.
The first few notes of a melody being played on the piano rang out across the empty field.
The recital you always wanted to hear.
Sunny pressed the violin against his shoulder and placed his bow in position.
A duet.
With all the love that he felt in his heart, he began to play.
He played a song that Basil had waited more than six years to hear him perform, and he played it with all the emotion in his heart.
Not only with joy, happiness, and love, but with sadness, too, the melancholy of playing along a voice that was lost to the world.
His bow sang a melody that looked back upon the beginning—
His family, with the love of two siblings who would always be there for each other, with the brothers who always smiled, with friends who comforted the girl that had lost her shoe, and who welcomed the shy boy that loved flowers, their eyes that had locked and started it all—
A melody that cherished those happy days when spring buds were in bloom, the songs played at the piano, their circle of hands clasped together as they lay in the grass, everyone's happiness in those passing days characterized by a shelf full of blooming flowers—
A melody that washed over a picnic blanket like dusk sunlight, as tragic as a close encounter with death underneath the waves, a melody born from tears of comfort, a close embrace, the loneliness of parting...
Sunny played as he would've played at that recital, full of emotion, a performance to make everyone feel proud, a duet with Mari.
The eyepatch fell from his head. Sunny opened his eyes, one pupil grey, yet both gazing at the boy with a flower crown, the boy who was a shadow—
A song for Basil.
As the final notes of the piano faded away, the song of Sunny's violin drifting beyond the white curtains, he saw a boy with a red flower in his hair, smiling.
The wind swept the grass, the leaves, and the flowers.
Sunny gently placed the violin and the bow down. He walked towards the violin case and picked up two flowers inside:
A sunflower, a white tulip.
He approached Basil and raised his hands, offering the two flowers to him.
"Basil, will you marry me?"
Sunny looked into Basil's eyes.
They were shining, overflowing with tears.
And he felt an embrace.
"Yes!" Basil replied instantly. "Yes, I'll marry you, Sunny!"
Sunny dropped the flowers he held in his hands.
His arms wrapped around Basil, embraced him back.
They leaned towards each other and their lips pressed together.
When our eyes first locked...
Sunny and Basil's eyes closed.
It was a kiss to share all their feelings, a kiss that let them know—
If they were to feel sadness, then they would be as sad together as a cold, lonely field of untouched snow where no flowers bloomed.
A kiss that said—
If they were to feel angry, then they would be as angry together as a thunderstorm in summer, furious rain and wind and lightning pouring from the skies.
If they were to feel afraid, then they would be as afraid together as two small children lost in a vast, dark forest, surrounded by noisy whispering shadows.
If they were to feel stressed out, then they would be as stressed out together as a college student sitting at their desk late at night, burdened with endless papers to write and endless exams to study for.
If they were to feel nothing, then they would feel nothing together, lying down inside a space of eternal blankness.
A kiss, revealing—
That if they were to feel happy, then they would share all their happiness together, like two stars that always gleamed with each other in the night sky.
It was a kiss to connect their hearts forever.
I felt the closeness we would come to share.
The late evening wind swept blonde and black hair, swept away gentle tears that flowed without pause.
"Sunny, I love you."
"I love you too, Basil."
Sunny picked up the two flowers on the ground.
The water in Basil's eyes refracted a light that grew from the depths of his heart, a light that Sunny knew was reflected in his own eyes.
"Let's spend our lives together."
Sunny stretched out his hand.
With a smile, Basil clasped it.
They gently held the sunflower and the white tulip in each other's hands,
Unwilting flowers to tie together their love until the end of time.
~
thank you for reading if you made it all the way here!
this ship has honestly changed my life. i just want sunny and basil to be happy together no matter what happens.
i hope this fic has given them a glimpse of the happiness i know they deserve
@PuddleUdon on twitter if you want lots of retweeted sunflower art :D