My Savior - Suntan

Chapter Thirty-Four

"Obviously, Aubrey," Kel huffed jokingly, then pretended to flick his hair dramatically as he rolled his eyes, "can't you see we're flirting?"

Aubrey just rose her eyebrows. Basil stood anxiously behind Aubrey, peeking at Sunny.

Sunny blinked. He hated to feel like this. He loved how his friends could pretend to ignore it and joke around, but now that the rest knew too, he knew they would treat him differently. He felt guilty. How could he do that to Kel after everything he's done for him?

Kel said he... he loves him.
(Is he lying?).
He knew Kel would never leave him.
(Has he really forgiven you?)
His friends forgave him eventually, haven't they?
(They might never be your true friends again, though - they might just be waiting for an opportunity.)

Sunny felt his head spin, turning to feel the cool side of his pillow, calming himself. Don't get ahead of yourself, Sunny. We can deal with this. One small thing at a time, nothing more than you can hold in two hands. Something manageable.

Sunny then felt Kel shifting beside him, feeling Kel's soft yet sturdy hands gently lift him up, then place him back down onto his lap. Sunny opened his eyes to see Kel fussing with his hair, brushing it soothingly, before looking down into Sunny's eyes and smiling.

"Well... me and Aubrey came over to hang our but... since it seems like you're busy..." Basil muttered, already inching towards the door.

Kel looked up at Basil, before looking back at Sunny, raising an eyebrow. Sunny shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips as he inched his head closer to him.

"It's alright, I think we could do with a fun day out," Kel said, stroking Sunny's cheek with his thumb.

"Oh! That reminds me!" Sunny said, jolting up from his sitting position and almost hitting Kel with his head.

Sunny shifted awkwardly out of the bedsheets, stumbling his way over to a drawer. Kel frowned, wondering what could be in their, but then thought that Sunny wouldn't be looking cheerful if he was about to tell or show them something bad, right?

Sunny pulled it open to reveal Basil's new photoalbum. Sunny held it close to his chest, hiding the front of it, nodding his head towards the floor as an indication for the others to sit down. The others, curious about what Sunny had drawn, all sat in a circle, with a spot for Sunny beside Kel and Aubrey, Basil opposite. Sunny flopped down, slowly lowering their new photoalbum to the floor. The group gasped.

On the front was the tree stump, drawn in tender and loving detail, the one in Sunny's backyard. There was Aubrey's pink pinwheel stuck in it. Sunny had sewn parts of it, and painted other parts to make it look like it was spinning in the breeze.

Aubrey reached out, feeling the little bump-bump of the stitches, feeling the dents of Sunny's pencil  in the cover of the book. He really wanted this to be special, huh?

Kel wrapped his arm around Sunny, placing his hand gently on his shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly, planting a small kiss on his cheek.

"It looks perfect, Sunshine," Kel whispered to Sunny, pulling him in and hugging him tightly.
Basil turned to the album around look at the cover in more detail. He gazed intently all over the drawing, tracing each pencil line with the tip of his finger, staring at the pinwheel as he tilted his head this way and that to watch it spin.

"Sunny, it looks wonderful!" Basil exclaimed, picking it up and hugging it close to his chest, like Sunny had done before he'd shown them, "it feels real now, like a new chapter..."

"Pun intended?" Kel grinned, glancing at Basil.

Aubrey rolled her eyes as Basil smiled awkwardly, "uh.. if you wanted it to be?"

"Well, let's stop lazing around and get moving already!" Aubrey demanded, getting to her feet and flicking her hair out of her face.

"Right, so where are we hanging out?" Kel asked, getting up, Basil and Sunny not far behind.

"Where do you think?"

"I think Sunny should be allowed to change out of his pj's before we drag him across town."

♡•*•♡

"Knew I'd get here first!" Kel cheered, still bursting with energy, running around the clearing.

"Yeah, well- you just got lucky, I would've been first but a tree was in the way!" Aubrey snapped back.

"You mean you ran into a tree?" Kel laughed, skidding to a halt.

"Shut up, Kel, I did NOT!" Aubrey yelled, her face going red with embarrassment.

"Yeah, yeah, whateverrr!" Kel grinned, "come on, picnic time!"

The group all took their places they used to on the picnic blanket, handing out the different bits of food they brought. Aubrey found a watermelon, immediately taking a slice and started to eat it, while Sunny looked from the watermelon to Basil.

"What is it Sunshhhh- yy? Sunny?" Kel coughed, clearing his throat, "what is it?"

Sunny just looked at him, before looking back at the watermelon, then Basil, then just went to eating a bit of cold steak he had brought.

After a while, the group started chatting, laughing and having fun just like old times.

"I wish Hero was here! He'd totally be on my side!" Kel huffed, folding his arms like a child.

"Yeah, right! He'd be on mine!" Aubrey said, rolling her eyes once again.

"If you keep rolling your eyes, they're gonna get stuck like that!" Kel teased.

"They won't, Kel! That's just a stupid myth!" Aubrey sighed, but stopped rolling her eyes.

"Actually, it does feel kind of incomplete without Hero here, doesn't it?" Basil stated, glancing over to an empty section of the picnic blanket, frowning.

"It's fine, Hero's sure to visit again soon! I'm sure of it," Kel reassured the group, standing up and stretching, "Woah, only noon?"

The group squinted up at the sky, the sun sliding slowly across a baby blue sky - a surprisingly warm and clear day.

"I just got an idea," Aubrey smirked, "we could always go for a swimming contest?"

"In the lake? Do you not remember what happened last time?" Kel sighed, but glancing over at the shimmering water.

"Calm down, we still need to get our swimsuits," Aubrey said, "and Basil and Sunny don't have to swim - just judge your downfall!"

"You're on!" Kel exclaimed.

"Guess this is our life now?" Basil giggled, leaning over to Sunny and murmuring it to him.

Sunny shrugged. He didn't mind this life. Not at all.