My Savior - Suntan

Chapter Thirty-Three

When Sunny stirred, he heard knocking. It reminded him of when he first saw Kel again, the reassuring yet anxious grin that seemed to always be on his face. It also reminded him of Mari being on the other side of the door. The spiders swarming the house. The creatures that lunged at him.

He sat bolt up right, breathing hard, feeling tears stinging at his eyes. Forget forget forget. Sunny shook himself and took a deep breath, trying to start breathing normally again. Forget, forget, forget. As he stumbled go his feet, clambering out of the Sunshine Protection Fort, or as Kel had dubbed it for the time being, he noticed the phone was blinking with a red light once more. It reminded him of his father.

•♡*♡•

"Oh, hey guys! C'mon in," Kel grinned, "wait down here while I get Sunsh- Sunny, okay?"

"Sure, whatever Kel," Grumbled Aubrey, flopping down on the carpet, Basil quickly scrambling down after her.

Kel ran to the stairs, leaping up them two at a time. I can't wait for all of us to hang out together again! Heh, it'll be just like old times, he thought to himself, feeling his smile grow wider when he came to Sunny's door.

"Sunshine, guess who's-" Kel exclaimed, before freezing in the doorway, his face falling.

He dashed over to Sunny, kneeling down beside him, not knowing what to do.

Sunny was laid on the floor, a knife in his hand, blood running down his arms. How could this have happened? Kel panicked, feeling sick.

As he looked around for the bandages they had bought a few days prior, he saw a drawer askew - as he peeked inside, he knew this was where Sunny was keeping the knife. Why didn't he tell me? I thought he was getting better...

"GUYS! COME UPSTAIRS QUICK! SOMEONE FIND THE BANDAGES!" Kel yelled to the others.

Seconds later Aubrey burst in to Sunny's room, Basil closely behind, the First Aid kit swinging windly in her hand.

"Holy fuck..." She murmured, almost dropping the kit.

"Don't just stand there, HELP ME!" yelled Kel, snatching it from her and rooting through it, Basil quickly going to help.

"Shit, shit, shit..." Kel hissed, feeling tears prick at his eyes.

His vision blurred as he watched Basil wipe Sunny's arms with antibiotic ointments, before wrapping them securely with gauze and other bandages.

"Shit."

•♡*♡•

Sunny felt himself floating. He hadn't felt this weightless in ages. He liked how he felt; insignificant and small. Like a feather floating on the wind, or a bubble in the ocean? Perhaps. Then he felt himself laying down. He opened his eyes to be surrounded by whiteness. Was he dead?

Omori sat over by Mewo, the cat curled contently in his lap and purring quietly, without a care in the world. When Sunny locked eyes with Omori, all he did was shake his head. Was he also disappointed? He and Omori were basically one in the same, right? So he must be disappointed. Sunny felt disappointed in himself too. He was doing good and then one stupid thing set him off. Was the voicemail even from his father? Probably not. It could have been his mother. Or someone.

Mewo hopped off Omori's lap, padding over to Sunny, licking his cheek gently. Sunny sat up, feeling his body ache all over. Omori stood and wandered over to him, before sitting down beside him.

"You need to stop doing this."

"Stop doing what?" Sunny asked, shifting awkwardly.

"Stop this. Headspace cannot protect you forever. Many have fallen, crumbled before this one. Harming yourself or sleeping away your life is no good way to escape. Kel is worried."

Sunny felt his stomach twist. Of course Kel would be worried. How could he do this to him? After everything he's done?
He felt horrible.

"If you go back now, you know what you will face." Omori stated. "It has happened all before and it could happen again."

Sunny nodded, feeling tears stinging his eyes and run down his cheeks.

"You could prolong your stay here for a while, but it won't last long, just stalling time before you face reality. What will you do?"

What will I do?

Sunny longed to stay, to be back with his sister, his friends, somewhere peaceful...

But Kel - his Kel - his friends, his mother... they're waiting for him too, right?

But staying in Headspace isn't forever, like Omori said. Just stalling. So what should he do?

Deep down, Sunny knew.

•♡*♡•

"Not how I expected my day would go," Aubrey laughed awkwardly, leaning against Sunny's bedroom wall. "Remind me why we didn't bring him to the hospital?"

"His wounds were... tolerable enough to deal with. By the look of his arms, it seems like he'd dealt with deeper wounds than them," Basil muttered, perched on the end of Sunny's bed.

Kel was humming to himself, holding Sunny's cold hands in his own, kneeling beside him on the floor. Sunny lay in his bed, tucked in and looking peaceful, while Kel anxiously tapped away, his thumb gently stroking Sunny's hand, reassuring.

"Maybe we should step out for a minute?" Basil whispered, standing.

He crossed the room, exiting, Aubrey at his tail, eager to be away from such a tense atmosphere - even though she was worried herself.

Kel continued to kneel there, humming away, brushing stray pieces of hair out of Sunny's face, planting little kisses on his arms, hand and face.

How stupid could he be? Why did he leave Sunny alone? I thought he was getting better! He was, wasn't he? I hope he knows I love him... I love him more than anything... stupid fucking idiot!
Kel hit himself on the forehead, feeling angry at himself for not being there.

"It's not your fault, you know?.." a croaky voice whispered. Kel looked up, seeing Sunny peering at him through his dark eyelashes.

"Oh, Sunny!" Kel sobbed, wrapping his arms around his lovers shoulders, weeping into the crook of his neck, "I thought I was going to lose you!"

"Never. I have to stick around - who else will stop the fire alarm after you burn the water again?" Sunny smiled, wrapping his bandaged arms around the taller boy.

Kel laughed through his tears, pressing his mouth to Sunny's lovingly, tasting his own salty tears.

"Are we interrupting?"