My Savior - Suntan

Chapter Thirty

"...the person was my father."

Kel felt hollow at the mention of him, reaching back in his mind for any memory of Sunny's father. When he was younger, he remembered how closed off he had been, how he'd only seemed loving towards Sunny's mother, and Mari and Sunny only if they did something good. Kel realised he always seemed cold and distant when Sunny's mother wasn't around, and how if either child did something wrong he'd blow up at them and yell at them.

"What did he want?" Kel asked stiffly, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the mention of him.

"He wants to get back in contact with my mother, but she's changed her contact information and he's not very happy.." Sunny muttered, shuffling out of Kel's grasp, standing back to look at him properly.

"Don't even talk to him, he's not worth your time!" Kel said, feeling himself get angrier, trying to refrain himself from yelling, "he's just trying to get to you again."

When Sunny heard those words leave Kel's mouth, he could feel himself slipping away back into his memories. He remembered the look of pure hatred on his face when he saw Sunny the day Mari died. The loathing and disgust as he shoved the young child away from him. Sunny could still hear the argument his parents had that night.

"He is not my son. He is a monster."

"Do not speak of Sunny like that!" He heard his mother cry, hearing someone slam their fist down.

"He is vile! You've seen what he did to our Mari! He cannot be called my son!" He heard his father scream, the pure rage that seemed to reververate around the room.

Sunny remembered the day after the argument like it was yesterday. Sunny's mother had scooped him up and kept him in her arms, away from his father. Sunny still remembered the look on his father's face as he cast a glance over his back at Sunny before slamming the door shut behind him, disappearing. Sunny was terrified of him.

"Sunshine, please," Sunny heard Kel's voice distantly, a pleading tone, "he's dangerous and no good for you, he's toxic and you need to ignore him."

Sunny felt himself nodding along, before watching as Kel approached him, hunching himself over slightly to look Sunny in the face.

"Let's do something else, get your mind off him, okay? How does that sound?" Kel's voice was gentle, coaxing. Sunny found himself back in the room, the haunting memories fading from the forefront of his mind.

"Can we feed the stray cat today?" Sunny asked, suddenly remembering that he had bought fish for it.

"Sure, Sunshine," Kel smiled, "now let's get that fish and get out of here."

♡•*•♡

Sunny and Kel were out of the house quickly, the topic of Sunny's father laying forgotten for the time being. Sunny had a small plastic bag with some fish for the neighbourhood stray that tended to hang around their houses, so he was keeping a keen eye out for it.

"Hey, Sunshine? Do you mind if we pop over to my house? I need to grab something," Kel asked, pointing over at his house.

"Sure, I don't mind," Sunny hummed, his eyes wandering around for the cat, "I'll wait outside."

"If you're sure, but remember that you're always welcome," Kel reminded him, the two boys quickly walking over to Kel's. Kel quickly glanced around, before kissing Sunny's forehead.

"I'll be back as quick as I can," Kel whispered in Sunny's ear, before darting inside and announcing his arrival.

Sunny smiled at him, watching him wander inside, leaving the door open if Sunny wanted to follow. He swayed on his feet, placing down the bag full of fish, knowing Kel will probably get distracted and end up taking longer than anticipated, so he started looking around once more for the stray.

Looking around, Sunny saw their neighbours going around doing their daily chores, watching them as they went around cutting their lawn or touching up some paint on their walls. A ginger tabby leaped around, scrabbling up someone's fence and disappearing into the trees.

"Uhh, Sunshine, I'm back but..." Kel called, jogging back to the door, looking slightly worried, but was carrying one if his favorite hoodies - a black one with a large basketball plastered on the front.

"What is it?" Sunny asked, not liking that Kel seemed worried. He was never normally visually worried.

"Well, I went in to grab this-" he gestured to the hoodie,"-and while I was inside, my mom told me that earlier Hector had run out the door. They'd tried looking for him, but he seemed to have disappeared."

"Well, let's go look for him then."

Kel grinned at him. He knew he loved Sunny, and he didn't think he could love this boy any more than he already did, but somehow   it was possible.

"Let's try the park?" Kel asked, but before they set off he stopped, turning back to face Sunny, "Oh right, the whole reason why I wanted it-"

In one swift movement, he had thrown the hoodie onto Sunny, over his flimsy long sleeved t-shirt, taking the bag from him. He helped to fit his arms through the sleeves.

"Might be a bit big, but since we're dating now, I thought it'd be fitting," Kel grinned, "pun intended."

Sunny stood stunned for a moment, but then he just smiled at the warm, loveable boy.

"Let's go find Hector."

♡•*•♡

Sunny and Kel had been looking around for Hector for a few hours  the sun sinking lower in the sky, painting it a variety of different hues, pinks, oranges and purples.

"Ugh, where is he? We've been all over town! He can't have just disappeared," Kel grumbled to himself, wiping the sweat off his head with the back of his sleeve, gripping the plastic bag he took from Sunny hours ago in his hand.

"Did you hear that?" Sunny asked, whipping his head behind him.

"Hear what?" Kel asked, worried about what Sunny could have heard.

"There it is again!" Sunny said, scrambling away into the bramble bushes and trees.

"Sunshine, wait for me!" Kel called, pushing through the sharp prickles that poked at him, reminding him of the cactus incident, making him shudder slightly, still continuing to push through.

"I knew it!" He heard Sunny call, then a beautiful laugh that lasted only a few seconds. Kel emerged into the old Hangout spot to see Sunny getting squashed by Hector happily licking him, the stray black cat somehow perching on Hector's back.

"Well, we've found him," Kel sighed, relief running through him, flopping down on the grass next to Sunny.

Hector clambered off Sunny, the stray cat leaping down off his back, to sit at Sunny's feet, Hector doing the same at Kel's.

"We should probably bring Hector back to my house," Kel suggested, despite the longing he felt just to stay here, in this beautiful environment, just a bit longer.

"We can do that in a bit, can't we?" Sunny asked, Kel looking into his pleading eyes, "it's so peaceful! It'll just be for a moment, and Hector won't just evaporate if we don't bring him back immediately, right?"

"I suppose not," Kel smiled, watching Sunny shuffle his way, closer to Kel's side, laying his head down on his shoulder and sighing calmly. The two watched the sun slowly faded below the trees, feeling content as they played fetch with Hector. The two dubbed the stray cat Mewo, which it seemed to take a liking to.

"Today was nice," Sunny commented, laying on his back in the grass, Mewo curling up beside his legs.

"Yeah," Kel agreed, trying not to think of the phone call, which only happened this morning, but which Sunny seemed to have forgotten about, "it was."