Sunny couldn't help but watch in sheer horror as his hands flew on their own, the harsh contact with the soft fabric of Mari's clothing making him feel sick to his stomach. He especially didn't care for the way Mari's eyes opened wide out of shock and fear as she felt her feet lose contact with the ground, her hand flying up to grab something out of reach. He didn't have time to stand on his feet, stuck to the floor while she fell. No, he had to do something. Without thinking of the consequences, he leapt out, curling around her as best as he could despite his size. Together they tumbled down the stairs, screaming out in pain as they felt the stairs harshly dig into them, the unforgiving surface digging into their skin.
The ungraceful thump of hitting the flooring below was followed with silence. He had tried to keep himself from falling entirely by putting an arm out, but it seemed to have backfired. His wrist cracked beneath him and he yelped in pain, a grinding noise above him as Mari was slammed mercilessly into the ground. Her lack of movement made him forget his own pain, yelling, shaking her and calling for his parents. He could see her faint breathing from her frame, he could hear light whimpers, but the lack of response sent him into a panic.
The ride to the hospital was a sickening blur. Mari was taken quickly away from him, he found himself begging for him to be able to stay with her, uncharacteristically yelling out and pleading for her to come back. The hands on him to hold him back from running after her made his skin crawl. Restrained to an uncomfortable chair, he couldn't help but wait anxiously. He had well forgotten about his own broken wrist, but it didn't take long for his parents to realize in horror as it bruised quickly.
The hospital visit continued to mix into an unrecognizable form in his mind, the only thing he vaguely remembered being the way Mari's hair framed her face as she slept. The doctors had said it was a coma, but there was no way. The way her chest rose and fell rhythmically even still had him convinced she simply was sleeping. He was escorted away from her, his eyes wandering behind him before the door closed to see how small Mari looked among the machinery in the room and the potted plant.
The night without Mari home was excruciatingly lonely. The thought of her always being a couple rooms away had made it easier for him to feel safe, but the lack of presence stained his thoughts with mangled images of what could have been along with what was. Even with his parent's attempt to clean up the mess, fragments of splintered wood still remained at the stairs base. He picked up a couple in his hand, watching as they loosely fell into the creases of his palm with cold eyes before walking up the stairs and closing his door. The dull walls seemed to taunt him as he closed the door. He slowly pulled himself into bed, taking a moment to look out his window and down at his cast. He and his friends had spent so long working on that treehouse, and he was already unable to join them. He shook his head and crawled into bed, cursing the lack of comfort provided for his wrist. The sleep was dreamless, and he found himself tossing and turning far more than any average night.
------
Going to school turned out to be far more problematic than he was prepared for. The disdainful whispers that started as the day began were already proving to be more than he could properly handle; he instead opted for unfocusing his eyes and letting his gaze go through things. He refused to look up around anyone, their stares throwing daggers into his back as he continued to move through the crowd. Finding his way to an empty desk in the room, he sat down, his eyes focusing on the desk. For a moment, he swore he could see the silhouette of Mari's head on the pillow, laying so peacefully before a hand waved in front of his face.
"Hey dude! You didn't look like you heard me earlier!" Kel cheerily said, poking his shoulder into Sunny's side playfully. His cheery tone felt grating to Sunny, and he attempted to ball both of his hands into fists, forgetting the cast squeezing around his wrist. Kel picks up on the out of place piece, tapping it.
"Whoa, dude! What happened? Did you try to climb into the treehouse without Mari to make sure you made it fine? You've gotta be more careful!" Kel said, going through his mess of a bag next to him in a vain attempt to find a sharpie. Sunny's stoic gaze broke for a moment as he looked up at Kel, an unrecognizable expression finding its way onto his face. Kel took a couple steps backwards, throwing his hands up.
"Hey man, I get that no one likes getting hurt. It can't be that bad though, why don't you tell me?" He tilted his head quizzically, watching as Sunny attempted to say something, opening his mouth, only to shut it quickly, shaking his head. It's only in that moment that Kel realized Sunny's frame was shaking slightly, the one hand with more free range grasping his opposite arm. Before he could ask anything beyond that, the bell rang over their heads. Kel patted Sunny on the back roughly, accidentally pushing him into the desk. Something in Sunny snapped as he stood up quickly, his bookbag and its contents spilling haphazardly on the floor. He didn't pay any mind to them as he wordlessly exited, his feet moving on their own.
The images of Mari-- poor, innocent Mari-- felt like they wouldn't leave him alone. The wide eyes continued to stare at him as he started breaking into a full sprint, running directly to the fence at the edge of campus. He pushed through crowds of late kids, attempting to desperately get away from everything. By the time he had bounded to the fence, he had caught the eyes of far too many people for comfort. It didn't stop him from struggling to climb the fence, cursing his other hand for being out of commission. The distant sound of someone familiar yet strange called out to him, yet it only fueled his desires even further. He needed to leave, no matter the cost.
Finally making it to the top of the fence, he turned to see Kel had made his way to the fence, panting and watching with wide eyes. It was to be expected, as Sunny wasn't necessarily known for being a problem child of any sorts. The moment they met eyes, Sunny paused.
"What's gotten into you?! This isn't cool," he started, putting his hands on the fence. "I don't know what happened, but if you fall, you might mess up your wrist more."
Sunny's eyes panned to the cast, and he closed his eyes for a moment, trying to focus on his breathing. He'd seen Mari do the same thing whenever she got frustrated, and it seemed to work for her. However, the more he tried to breathe in and out, the less he could keep himself composed. With a final swift movement, he threw himself over the fence, curling in on himself to protect his wrist as he jumped. After clumsily getting up, he didn't stop running. Kel watched as Sunny's back grew further and further away from him. He was about to follow when a teacher came behind him, clearing their throat loudly. He turned around, looking back for a moment before apologizing and heading back to class and gathering Sunny's things and putting them into his bag again.
He could just visit after school and see what was up.
------
Sunny found his home, breathless and dizzy from his running, putting his hand on the door as he caught his breath shakily. He started trying to open the door with his casted hand, quietly whimpering as he attempted to despite the wrist being uncooperative. He finally struggled it open, running inside and going to Mari's room without hesitation. He slammed his fists on the door, hoping she would answer. When no response came, he began to fight with the door in the same fashion, his noises of agony getting louder with every attempt until the door opened.
Mari was nowhere to be seen, the room slightly unkempt as if she had been looking for something before she had left it. She was normally a pretty tidy person, finding herself much happier in clean spaces. It wasn't until his eyes landed on a folder laying on the piano with their sheet music for practice that he found himself backing into the wall of the hallway, stumbling on his footing and pressing himself up against the wall. There was no way that all really happened. He kept trying to deny the idea to himself, whimpering as his hands found his way to his hair and started pulling. With shaky legs, he ran out the front door, not taking care to lock it as his feet pounded the pavement.
He found himself in the park, not fully aware of his surroundings as he stumbled to the secret hangout place. The branches seemed to stab at him as he made his way through, only fueling his agitation further. He ran to the dock carelessly, his foot getting caught on a board as he fell forward into the lake. Quillwort and algae stuck to him as he sunk in shock, closing his mouth in hopes of getting less water inside. He struggled to the surface of the pond, quickly finding his way to the edge and coughing up water that had started to find its way to his lungs. He looked at his hands, and the feeling of Mari's shirt still stuck to them like a curse. Quietly curling himself up into a ball, the only thing he could allow himself to do was weep, his small frame shaking violently as his soaked clothing clung to him.
------
Kel walked home from school, groaning a bit at the awkward weight provided by Sunny's backpack. He didn't know why it was so heavy, figuring that Sunny must've had a collection of bricks hidden in there beneath the binders and folders. Making his way down the street, he could see that Sunny's front door was wide open. He ran up when he saw Mewo's head poking out of the doorway curiously. He scooped her up, laughing quietly as she stopped wiggling out of sheer confusion. He closed the door behind him as he walked in.
"Sunny! I brought your bag, so uh... where are you?" Kel asked loudly to the house, met with silence. He walked up the stairs to Sunny's door, knocking quietly.
"Look, I know it's kind of rude of me, but uh... I'm coming in." Kel said, opening the door to his room. Silence greeted him as he put the bookbag on the ground quickly, looking around for any signs of Sunny coming back. His efforts were in vain, and the sinking feeling in his stomach grew when he saw the papers about his broken q on the desk, paired with an x-ray. He ran down the stairs and slid open the backdoor, calling Sunny's name out to no response. His pace quickened as he climbed the ladder, unable to find him. He sat for a moment, looking around quickly as he tried to figure out a place Sunny would've gone. He's not normally comfortable going to places alone, but somewhere he was used to wouldn't be too farfetched.
Their hangout spot!
Kel practically threw himself out of the tree house, running through the house and closing the door behind him as he left, making a mad dash. He didn't see Hero's eyes follow curiously, and didn't notice the second pair of footsteps start to follow him out of worry. It wasn't until Hero's pace had caught up to his own that he realized his brother was with him. A worried yet questioning look was given to Kel.
"Park-Sunny--" Was all he was able to get out before Hero nodded, dashing ahead and disappearing into the foliage surrounding their place. Kel ran through the woods, and dropped his pace at Hero holding his arm out, stopping him from moving forward. Looking over his shoulder, Kel's heart dropped drastically. A small figure was next to the pond, shaking and whimpering. Hero began walking up carefully, Kel watching from afar, his steps almost paralyzed by the surreal-ness of the situation. After an excruciating moment of tentative movement, Hero crouched down beside Sunny.
"Sunny, what... happened to you?" He asked. The sudden realization of Hero's presence made him pull himself into a tighter ball, his breathing getting worryingly faster. Hero put a hand on his shoulder. He rubbed comfortingly, not speaking again for a couple minutes. Finally, he started up again.
"You know we're all here for you, we just want to make sure you're okay." Hero started turning Sunny over without his permission, only for Sunny to finally whip around on his own and meet his eyes with wide, scared ones. Hero had always seen the similarities between Mari and her brother, especially their eyes. The expression made him falter, something inside him twisting up. He quickly took a look at the cast and sucked in a breath. He paused before opening his arms and wrapping them around Sunny, paying no mind to the wetness of his clothes.
"... She's gonna be okay."
Hero had watched the ambulance leave their residence, Mari strapped securely to a gurney, and Sunny's panic had filled the air beforehand. Hero hadn't said anything to Kel, since he wasn't sure how to bring it up to him. The way Sunny called Mari's name and begged for her to wake up was ingrained in his consciousness, and he closed his eyes. He felt Sunny's posture change as he started to openly cry a little, the tears finding their way to Hero's shoulder. Carefully, he began to pat his back, and looked over at Kel with a helpless expression. Kel took a couple steps forward, although still not getting too close. He looked at Sunny, plantlife still all over him.
"You. You uh... have a little something on you there," He half-muttered, starting to pick off bits and pieces. Sunny's shoulders tensed for a moment before relaxing again, realizing it was only Kel. His tears stopped much quicker than Hero anticipated. He stood up on his own, wiping his face with his arm before looking over at Kel. He quickly jumped up, smiling.
"You're so lucky I actually took decent notes today in math! Too bad I have absolutely no idea what they were talking about," He laughed a little bit. Sunny didn't speak up, staring right through him, and Hero simply looked concerned. Putting a hand on Sunny's shoulder gently, he gave a small smile.
"Let's get you home. I'm sure Kel can catch you up on your homework." Hero looked at Kel, who made an indifferent motion with his hand, signalling then wasn't the time to talk about it. Together, the three of them started walking over, Hero and Kel occasionally picking off other little bits of algae that were still sticking to Sunny. The walk was quiet, Kel not even being sure if he should speak up at the time. Hero opened the front door, seeing Mewo's face poke from around the doorway to the dining room. He walked over to her, scratching behind her ears gently. Kel shut the door behind him, going to the bathroom to grab a couple towels to dry Sunny off. Sunny's eyes traveled to the base of the staircase, and the shadow of something was there for a moment before he blinked a couple times, revealing nothing new.
Kel came bounding down the stairs, holding a fluffy towel with a smile before passing it to Hero. Catching it easily, he didn't hesitate to start blotting the areas that were especially soaked. The lack of emotion made Hero shift awkwardly as he worked, but it didn't deter his hands. When the door opened behind him, the sound of Sunny's mother coming in maghde him turn around quickly, doing his best to say some pleasantries. He looked over at Kel, who waved from the couch.
"You should go up with Sunny, Kel." Hero said. A smile was still on his face, yet it didn't reach his eyes. Kel simply nodded, motioning to his motionless friend who started to quietly follow behind him. Kel knew he'd have to talk to her too, especially since he wanted to know what happened to Sunny's wrist. However, schoolwork took priority in his mind. Sunny left the door open slightly in case Mewo wanted to join them as Kel took some of his work out of his bag, before putting it on the bed.
"So, we were going over the area of circles! I wrote down the equation right here-" Kel pointed to a part of the page in red ink before continuing, "- and we use a number that never ends! Man, I don't get it; why did some dude decide we needed a number made of too many numbers?!" He groaned dramatically, leaning backwards. He secretly looked back at Sunny, who didn't even seem to be paying attention, his eyes simply being focused on his hands. He peered over, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. He looked down before walking over to Sunny's bed and sitting on it.
"What-what happened to you?" He started, pointing his gaze to the ceiling in contemplation. "You're even more quiet than normal, and I've never seen you actively ditch school. There's gotta be a pretty big reason." Sunny finally looked at Kel directly, walking a bit closer before silently pointing to the door. Kel stood up, confused.
"Oh, are you gonna show me what happened? That's cool!" He got up, following the direction Sunny had been pointing to outside his door. Looking back, he pointed downstairs. Kel obediently went ahead, only turning around to the sound of a door closing and the click of a lock. He looked at the door, bewildered before knocking on it helplessly.
"Hey... not cool! At least give me my notes back," Kel whined. His math notebook slipped underneath the door, but it wasn't followed by anything else. He awkwardly stood in place before sighing and looking down at his brother, still talking. Putting the most energy he could into it despite his growing worry, he smiled and gave the door a thumbs up.
"I'll leave you alone for now, but you're gonna need to catch up at some point! I'll have my notes ready for you then," He half-yelled before making his descent down the stairs. He stopped at the base, seeing some fragments of broken wood, curiously picking one of them up. It looked incredibly familiar, although he couldn't figure out from where. With a shrug, he pocketed it before making his way to Hero.
"I wasn't the one who knew to check the park, but- oh, speaking of." Hero glanced over at Kel. He nodded, sighing as he prepared himself to talk about what had happened. Kel did his best to not leave out any details, looking back up occasionally at Sunny's door to make sure it hadn't opened before continuing. As he finished, he looked up at both Charlotte and Hero.
"What... what happened to his wrist? He wouldn't tell me earlier, and I'm just-I'm just worried, I guess." She and Hero exchanged a worried look, neither knowing who should speak up first. Finally, Sunny's mom broke the silence.
"Sunny and Mari... they had an accident on the stairs, it seems. Mari fell, and Sunny tried to catch her. And, well..." She trailed off, looking up the stairs with a worried expression.
"You were out getting your haircut when it all happened," Hero continued, grabbing Kel's attention. "I heard Sunny start yelling, and before I knew it... there was an ambulance." He looked down, avoiding his younger brother's eyes.
"Okay, but... where's Mari? Aubrey wanted help dyeing her hair."
"She's in the hospital. The fall must've been pretty bad, since she sustained enough head trauma to go into a coma..." Hero trailed off, his voice becoming weaker. Kel stared at his brother in disbelief, stepping towards him.
"And you just weren't going to tell me? What gives?!" Kel yelled out, his face getting closer to his brothers. "Did you think I wouldn't notice she was gone?! Is that why you said that one thing at the park?" Each question was punctuated with angry movements from Kel, Hero taking small steps away as he tried to find the words in his throat. Internally, Kel knew he'd regret yelling at Hero the way he was, but he couldn't stop himself; he'd been taught that talking things out was the best way to work out problems, regardless of how happy or distressing the contents would be.
"I-Kel, I didn't mean to--"
"Save it, I... I have to go let the others know." Kel walked to the door, looking back at Hero with a tinge of regret before leaving. Hero turned back to Sunny's mother with an apologetic face, continuing to talk quietly to her about the cast being soaked in the process.
------
"Really funny, Kel. This is a stupid joke."
"No, it isn't a joke! Sunny bolted, locked me out of his room, and Mari's in a coma." Kel sighed, running a shaky hand through his hair. Aubrey examined Kel's face for any sort of tell that he was lying, but couldn't find anything besides regret.
"Wait... you-you're really serious?" She stammered, her annoyance falling from her face quickly.
"Dude, no. I know I make stupid jokes and all, but this definitely crosses the line for me." He paused, looking for the words to say. "I... I haven't even told Basil yet. I feel bad, but I know he can't leave the house once it gets too dark. Plus you know how he is with his homework."
"When are we all visiting her?" Aubrey asked, quietly handling her stuffed animal a little tighter than before.
"I don't think we have any sort of plan like that right now. To be honest, I'm still trying to get this all straight in my head." He watched Aubrey's eyes wander in the direction of the hospital before blocking her vision of it, smiling as he did.
"I'm sure she'll be fine though! She's supposed to help you dye your hair, isn't she? She'd never miss out on that!" His cheery tone made Aubrey pause, sniffling a bit before trying to put on a similar happy face with a nod.
"You're right. She promised, and I've been looking forward to what I'd look like with pink hair."
"I bet you'll look like a watermelon." Kel joked, snickering as he looked away. He ignored the soft thump of Mr. Plantegg on his head as he started to laugh at her agitated reaction. He couldn't push the way Sunny's eyes stuck to his hands from his memory. Kel retrieved a piece of the wood he had grabbed from the bottom of the staircase, taking Aubrey's attention.
"Hey, is it just me, or does this look super familiar?" Kel handed it to her, Aubrey's hands carefully examining it. Confusion spread over her features before handing it back.
"I think so, but I don't remember what it belongs to. Why, where did you find it?"
"It was at the bottom of Sunny's staircase, and it just sort of bothered me, soooo I picked it up!" Another thunk of Aubrey's plushie landed on his side, slightly knocking the wind out of his lungs. She went in for another hit before sighing and letting her arms relax by her side.
"For now, I gotta get back; Daddy said he was bringing a surprise home and he won't let me see it until my room is clean. I'll talk to you tomorrow at school, we can let Basil know together." She walked away, leaving Kel to walk home alone. He watched the sun set as he continued moving forward, wondering how they could possibly break the news to Basil.
------
"You really have to be more careful with yourself, Sunny. We just got this cast on you, and you're already getting it wet?" his mom doted, unraveling the cord to the hair dryer and turning it on. Sunny's despondent behavior hadn't gone unnoticed, but she couldn't help but think he was just worried about Mari. They'd become so close, it wasn't too far off to say he followed his sister like a little duckling. Even though he wasn't as expressive as his friends, Charlotte could see the trust he put in Mari. She gently ran a hand through his hair, humming a song from when he was still a toddler. Anything was better than the silence he'd given everyone.
"I know it's hard without her, but you know she's always been quick to recover from things. Remember that story Dad always told you about the time at the playground and the monkey bars?" She smiled a little, rotating his arm slightly to push the heat in different directions. Sunny refused to make eye contact as he solemnly nodded. He'd heard the story a few times, the way she broke her wrist from an awkward fall; they especially loved to talk about how she got up like she was fine afterwards, despite the amount of pain she had to be in.
Sunny watched the hair dryer not move after a while, his mom still reciting the story. He squirmed in place, trying not to disturb her. It wouldn't accomplish anything, and Charlotte seemed like she needed to say it more for her sake than his.
"... Oh, and the way she still waved at us with that smile of hers. I just know she'll wake up with the same smile. Nothing can hold her down for too long." She continued humming, finally moving the heat away from his arm. Sunny held his wrist close to him, subtly running his fingers over where the element had stayed too long. Charlotte looked at him with a disheartened chuckle. She crouched down to his height, taking him into her arms. He closed his eyes as he let himself enjoy the more comfortable warmth before she let go of him, opening the bathroom door.
"Don't forget to feed Mewo, I know she'll thank you for it," she chuckled a little, an insistent mewl following after. Sunny watched as Mewo weaved between his legs, her tail wrapping around as she looked up, her meowing becoming more needy. He picked her up, cradling her like a baby as he walked down the stairs to take care of her. Sunny filled her food dish up and put it down, not looking to the window where Hero and Kel were motioning towards his house. After filling her water bowl, he trudged back up the stairs, any contact on his hand clinging to him. He cursed the way he could still feel the soft material even as he touched the cold metal of his doorknob. Staring at the treehouse from his window, Sunny couldn't help the empty feeling that started growing in his stomach as it clawed at his lungs. Silently, he drew the curtains, letting the room get dark before crawling back into his still messy bed.
------
When he opened his eyes, he was surrounded by nothing but pure white. He slowly rose to his feet, feeling the familiar feeling of Mewo at his ankles. She paced in front of him for a while before finally sitting down, looking at him curiously. Sunny kneeled down, petting her. Despite her meowing, he could tell exactly what she had been asking him.
"Waiting for something to happen?"
Sunny continued petting her, nodding. A lightbulb swung above his head, emitting no light and no sound as it moved. There seemed to be no ceiling, and he couldn't help but wonder where he was. He was more curious as to why he felt so comfortable here, why he'd ever want to leave. He closed his eyes once more, enjoying the nothingness washing over him.