Choking on Tears (And Vines)

0: I'm Feeling Good, Let's Say

"Everything is going to be okay."

The last thing Basil remembers doing before the others came is reassuring Sunny. Telling him that things will turn out alright, telling blatant lies to his face. Lies that he so desperately wanted to believe, too.

It's a shame that the boy never came to school after that day.

It had been about a week since the accident, no one knew what had actually happened. Sunny was still safe, right? The fear that one day his friends would learn still tugged at his mind. Basil didn't protect Sunny, he only made things worse. One of the few people he could pour his whole heart into.

His "best friend" doesn't deserve him, Sunny didn't deserve anything that happened. Karma will come back for the two of them, right? Hero, Aubrey, Kel… will all leave them one day.

That thought hurt him so much. They were his first real friends. They listened when he rambled on for hours. They made him feel whole. They gave him happiness, and cared about him. He loved all of them, he would be nothing without them.

Hero was also gone for a few days, too. Basil understood why. He and Mari were incredibly close, and while never officially dating, he could tell how they felt about each other. He came back shortly after, but never said anything, or did anything for that matter.

He didn't see Aubrey often, either, but she was very obviously distraught. She also expressed some worry for Sunny and Hero. She started talking to some of the other students, and from what Basil heard, opened up about her problems.

Kel was the only one that seemed… normal. He was sad about her death, but he always tried to smile. He never dwelled on his own emotions, and always got back up. His behavior was definitely concerning, but also admirable. Basil wished he could be more like Kel.

They would probably all turn to anger if they learned the truth. He couldn't let that happen to Sunny. What if they somehow find the broken violin? What if they found the wounds on her body? What if they-?

"Helloooooo! Earth to Basil! You alright?" Right. He was in class. Basil started frantically scribbling in his notes as if he was paying attention.

Kel laughed. "Pfffftt- the bell rang like…" The brunette paused to count on his fingers how long ago was it that school ended.  "Six minutes ago! Six whole minutes! Anyway, I was gonna ask if you wanna visit the park after this."

"O-Oh, uh, right! I knew that." He quickly shoved all of his things in his backpack. He realized how girly his voice sounded and cringed. He spoke again to answer Kel, making himself sound what he thought more masculine. "Yeah, that sounds good!" Hanging out with Kel didn't seem too bad. Hopefully it would help him take his mind off things, even for a little while.

"You don't have to do that every time you know, my voice is like that two."

"I know, it just sounds bad to me."

"Well, you gotta wait, man!"

Hanging out with Kel didn't seem too bad. Hopefully it would help him take his mind off things, even for a little while. The boy grabbed his hand and sped out of the room. The halls weren't as crowded anymore, but some kids glanced at the two as they passed by.

Basil was already tired from the sprint. When they finally made it to the park, he immediately sat on a bench to catch his breath.

"Man, already? You're becoming just like Hero!" Kel sat down next to Basil, making a pouty face.

"I guess that's true…" He thought about how Hero looked when he came back. Horrible. "How's he doing?"

"He never wants to do anything anymore! He never eats, hardly sleeps, doesn't even cook," Kel looked down at his feet. "I'm worried about him."

"I am too."

The two didn't speak for a while, the only sounds coming from kids playing or birds. There was a light breeze, and the trees bore bright orange and red leaves. Basil never really noticed it before, but this time of year was always beautiful. Kel rested his head on the other's shoulder, even if he pretended to have a ton of energy. Basil could feel his heart beating faster for a bit, but it quickly went away after the shock. Both eventually got comfortable. For a moment, it felt like everything will be okay after all.

But both knew deep down something was missing from the picture. A certain emptiness filled the air, one that they would grow all too familiar with...

and end up suffocating them.

A/N: AO3's format is better *cough*. Hi guys!  I hope to actually, y'know, complete this fanfic this time around. Please please PLEASE tell me if my characterization is off or my book is cringe as fuck because I genuinely cannot tell. Criticism helps a lot.
And for the tags readers, the hanahaki comes later.