Fallout and Future

Chapter 19: The Fire

Beta read by spooky. CWs at the bottom.

i think i'm actually on time this time woohoo

also, 100k words. more than i've got on any of my original works, although i wrote most of those when i was in elementary/middle school and they didn't feature any gay boys kissing, which explains why the longest novel attempt only got to 33k lol

7.5k word chapter................. actually very proud of this one.,,.,...........................

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The next day at the breakfast table, Sunny saw Hero not just avoiding Basil's gaze, but his, too. He reminded himself Hero would already have ended up being mistrustful of him, considering how close he'd gotten with Basil as of late, but it left an emptiness in his stomach regardless.

Aubrey and Kel surreptitiously glanced over their bowls of cereal, trying to watch Hero and Sunny while being subtle (and failing). Basil didn't bother; he just looked between the two of them, brow furrowed. "What's the plan for today?" he asked after a moment, breaking the awkward silence.

"We're going to the boardwalk. We spent a lot of yesterday together, so we may as well mix it up a little." Hero shrugged. His tone was controlled and neutral, like he was speaking to a classmate or coworker rather than a friend. "After that, we'll actually swim, and tonight, we're gonna make use of that camping gear we packed- wait, you packed yours, right, Kel?"

"Yeah. You only had to remind me three times!"

"Five, actually."

"Close enough."

Hero sighed. "...Anyway, that's the plan for today. Has everyone got it?"

This day was even hotter than the last one. The old plywood planks of the boardwalk were warmed by the merciless sun, forcing everyone to wear sandals (except Kel, for Kel reasons). Everyone disagreed on where to go: Aubrey wanted to check out the rides, while Kel wanted to grab something to eat (despite having had breakfast less than an hour ago), and Hero didn't seem too hungry, but vehemently disagreed with going on the rollercoaster, so he was with Kel. Neither Basil nor Sunny had a true plan.

In the end, it was decided Aubrey, Kel, and Hero would go to the fairground to check out the rides and then eat (Kel wanted to do it in the reverse order. Nobody agreed). Basil and Sunny would head to the other end of the boardwalk and just sort of... wander around.

And wander around they did. In the distance, a ferris wheel had a rollercoaster looping around it, both surrounded by other, smaller rides. The view was partially obscured by dozens of booths selling all manner of rigged games and overpriced cotton candy.

"Oh, that place looks interesting!" Basil pointed at a clothing store, one of the only multi-story buildings in this area of the boardwalk.

Sunny shrugged as if to say 'why not?' and allowed Basil to take the lead. The two of them headed inside, glass doors closing behind them, and looked around. It was a slightly higher-end establishment—rows of shirts, pants, and jackets lined the first floor, and large windows kept the entire store bathed in a warm glow. There were only a few people here at the moment, presumably because nobody except Sunny and Basil would visit a clothing store as the first thing on their vacation.

"So, what kind of clothes do you like these days?" Basil asked conversationally, browsing aimlessly with Sunny. "I saw the earrings and nails, but..."

"My old style, but edgier." Sunny looked at a rack of black band t-shirts. "So... emo."