A Restless Night [Omori]

✿

Basil felt conflicted.

         It was currently 2 in the morning, and despite being on his bed and under the covers, he couldn't sleep. A shaky sigh left him, hand combing through his blond, messy hair. His flower hair clip that he wore daily was long gone for the day (or night, in this case), seemingly left abandoned on the counter in his room.

Basil couldn't help but feel…a sort of mixed emotions. They've been nagging at the back of his head for the longest time, and ever since Sunny's sudden return, they suddenly made its reappearance as well. Thoughts and questions about him flooded his mind, encasing it like an inescapable thick fog. Where has he been all this time? What happened to him? Why did he not say anything beforehand? Is he okay?

The blonde was concerned, and more importantly, scared. Possibly afraid, even. He doesn't even know what made Sunny leave the house, out of all times. Did he just decide to finally come out of his house after the four-year mark? Why did it happen now? The more the amount of questions in his mind increased, the more Basil visibly frowned.

Using his arms to sit himself up, his neck turned to the writing utensil next to the flower clip.

The black marker.

The one that was used in a desperate attempt to erase everything in his beloved photo album four years ago.

Basil could barely recall it - his twelve-year old self laid on the floor with his best friend and scrambled pictures in a sobbing mess. Out of panic, fear, and anger - he didn't remember. He just couldn't believe what happened. What he did. He couldn't even tell if what he did was because he was terrified of losing his best friend, or something else that drove him. Even before, his mind was clouded with frantic thoughts.

Now that it was fresh in his mind, Basil didn't want to think about the incident (the aftermath, no less) any longer. But now that Sunny is out… he doesn't think he can hide it any longer.

Can I see him again? Or will us seeing each other just make things worse?

Whether talking with Sunny helps anything or not, Basil wants to do anything to bring back the joy he - everyone - had. He misses the way things were before. He just wants to go back to his childhood. He just wants the sight of having a picnic with everyone - making new memories that he'll forever cherish.

…Those thoughts are just dreams.

After all this time, he's almost confident he's too afraid to talk to anyone; he doesn't trust his own mouth to be shut about anything. Aubrey hates him. Kel doesn't even make an effort to talk to him anymore. Hero went to college for his future, and…Sunny. Sunny just feels like a stranger. Basil doesn't even know what he's doing, or what he wants to do anymore. Did he grow up like everyone else?

…Now that he thought about it more...

Sunny… when he saw him, he looked different. Before everything happened, his face always held a peaceful expression. His dark eyes held a glint of light to them, despite being…looking, feeling…so deep, but they often were found anywhere other than another's gaze. And more than once, he saw him spacing out, looking out the classroom window for who knows how long. Basil thought his filled notebooks could testify what went on in his imagination: pictures of planets, imagery of certain childhood books and movies, and anything related to sprout moles. By the look of how much time he spent in his head, one could even think that he created his own world.

But from the very first glance at Sunny in the park, the first word Basil thought of was empty. His entire expression seemed to constantly be monotone and unmoving, like he wasn't actually… there. Like something was wrong, locking him from facing reality and coming to terms with it - even during the fight with Aubrey. Did nobody notice the contrast of what he looked like before?

A small thought of his, different from the others, made him blink. He was too deep in thought to notice the strain of keeping his eyes open.

There's a slight chance he could possibly be overthinking it. Basil sometimes automatically assumes the worst happened to Sunny - like that one time he freaked out over his dark-haired friend having a huge red mark on his cheek. It took a while for someone to actually have the ability to tell him he accidentally tripped over a rock and fell on the pavement. Basil noted that everyone got a laugh out of that afterwards.

Even though that could be the case, there’s been something bugging him to think otherwise. Sunny's vacant expression at the park…it was unmistakably wrong. It mildly unnerved him. No matter how much Basil tried to deny it, he couldn't remove the observation from his mind. He's convinced it's because he knows Sunny more than anyone else - why else would he notice it and not Kel or Aubrey?

…

Basil laid back down, lidded eyes kept to the ceiling once more.

He missed Sunny. But does he miss Basil?