Chapter Text
Sunny put his knees to his chest, shifting a little closer into the shade of a tree within the secret hangout area. He inhaled deeply, taking in the peaceful scenery. Their checkered red-white picnic mat was set up near the lake, crumbs and stains littering the empty plates and bowls set up. Mari sat there together with Hero, a smug grin on her face as she said something Sunny couldn't quite hear, causing Hero to turn red and look away with an embarassed smile. Further away, a fast-running Kel was keeping a good distance away from an angry Aubrey. Ah... Aubrey. The sun shining on her bright pink hair cast her in an angelic glow, her anger doing little to dampen her beauty. Oh, how Sunny wished he could hug her, taking in her scent. How he wished they could lie on the couch with each other like how Hero and Mari did at Basil's 12th birthday party. How he wished they could spend time basking in the shade of a tree with each oth-
A sudden flash of light broke Sunny's train of thought.
Sunny jolted out of his daydream, his head whipping over to Basil. A polaroid reeled out of his camera. Basil gave Sunny a smirk. "Sunny... That little crush of yours... it seems to have only grown over the years, hasn't it?" He removed the polaroid, giving it a quick look over. Sunny vehemently shook his head 'no', before he felt the blush catch up from his ears to his face, causing him to bury himself into his knees. "Take a look, Sunny."
Sunny peeked his eyes out from his knees, taking in the photo – himself, sitting up against a tree, his normally locked jaw drooped slightly open, a dreamy expression on his face. He almost saw stars shining in the eyes of the picture of himself. Basil continued, his smirk getting wider. "Have your feelings for her really not grown at all?" Sunny's blush intensified, as he once again frantically shook his head 'no'.
"Ah, that's a shame." Basil said, his smile slowly turning to a tiny frown. "I actually took a few pictures of Aubrey earlier. She looked so cute in them!" Sunny's head shot up from his knees, his eyes widening. "But I guess you don't really want to look at them anymore..." Basil pretended to stand up and walk away.
Sunny grabbed firmly onto Basil's sleeve as he began to stand. Sunny's face flushed crimson, as he pursed his lips before opening them once more. "...Please..." his soft voice drifted out, almost inaudible. "...let me see them."
Basil sat down, give Sunny a wide smile as he leaned into him. "Hehe! Sorry for teasing you, Sunny. Here, have a look!" As Sunny pouted, Basil pulled out a set of polaroids from the pocket of his overalls...
......
"-and I swear his eyes started to sparkle. I didn't want to say anything so as to not ruin his moment, but he's definitely still in love!"
The setting sun cast a red glow around the park. Sunny, Aubrey, and Kel were a ways ahead on the path to Hobbeez, with Hero tailing them not far away. As Basil finished recounting his tale, Mari nodded with a small grin, fully invested in the story. "As for Aubrey..." She began.
......
Aubrey and Mari were in Mari's room, in front of the vanity set. Mari ran a brush through Aubrey's hair, earning a smile and a sigh from the pink-haired girl. The smile unchanging, Aubrey furrowed her brows slightly, thinking before breaking the near-silence. "Mari, can I trust you with a secret?"
Mari replied with a warm smile. "Of course!" She said, continuing to straighten Aubrey's slightly messy hair.
Aubrey shifted nervously on the stool, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. "For the past... few y-" Aubrey cleared her throat. "-Months now... I... I've been getting a strange feeling in my chest when I see... this boy." Mari's smile grew wider, putting the hairbrush down on the vanity as Aubrey flushed deeper. "E-every time I see him smile, I feel like holding him close and never letting go. When I'm with him I feel like the day is brighter, and it kinda makes me... happy? And on the days I don't see him, I feel sad, like I'm missing out on something." Aubrey covered her red face. "Is it what I think it is...?"
"Yep! Looks like someone has a crush!" Mari exclaimed, an ecstatic look on her face. "Who's the lucky boy?"
A long silence proceeded, with Mari expecting a response, and Aubrey only getting redder and redder. Eventually, an inaudible sound came from Aubrey's throat. "...ny."
"What was that, Aubrey?"
"Y-you have to promise to keep it a secret, okay!?" Aubrey suddenly raised her voice. "Promise me!"
Mari's gave her a winning smile in the mirror. "I promise, Aubrey. You can trust me!"
Aubrey paused, shifting herself in her seat again. "...It's Sunny." Aubrey admitted, before turning a dark shade of scarlet, lowering her head and covering her face.
Mari gasped, her ecstatic smile returning once more. "Ohh! Oh my goodness! Sunny would be so happy to hear that! You should really tell him how you feel, Aubrey!"
Aubrey looked up, slight panic in her face. "But, but! What if he doesn't like me in that way? We're already in a good spot, if I tell him and he doesn't like me back, it'll get super awkward! I might ruin everything!"
"Aubrey..." Mari sighs, her smile not leaving. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that one bit. Sunny isn't the kind of person to do that." Besides, Sunny has had a crush on you since forever ago.
......
"And after that, she started making excuses, saying Sunny is a guy and he should be the one asking her out, and that she's been hinting to him but Sunny never seems to get it... you know. Excuses." As Mari finished her story, Basil put a hand to his chin, a smile growing on his face. They looked to each other, both recognising the knowing sparkle in each other's eyes.
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1:36 PM
Basil created a group chat.
Basil added Mari to the group chat.
Basil added Hero to the group chat.
Basil changed the chat name to GS&AT
[1:36] Basil: And so, the first 'get Sunny and Aubrey together' meeting shall now commence!
[1:37] Hero: Why am I a part of this?
[1:37] Basil: Given it'll be Valentine's in a week, I was going to get Sunny to come make chocolates with us!
[1:37] Hero: Ah
[1:38] Basil: We'll need to distract Aubrey, though...
[1:39] Mari: Leave that to me. I'll set up a picnic at the park! Though, it might get suspicious if it were just the 3 of us. You might have to join us, Basil.
[1:40] Hero: How about you guys bring Hector? He could do with a little exercise.
[1:40] Mari: That's a great idea, Hero!
[1:40] Mari: What about the big day itself?
[1:41] Basil: Sunny once told me that Aubrey rants to him on the swings
[1:41] Basil: I could try to convince him to spill the beans at that point.
[1:42] Mari: Not a bad idea, but their rant timings tend to be random
[1:42] Mari: Wait!
[1:42] Mari: I could convince Sunny to call Aubrey to the swings!
[1:43] Mari: Given it'll be Valentines, there'll probably be a great mood!
[1:44] Hero: So am I just here to teach Sunny how to make chocolate?
[1:44] Basil: Hero!
[1:44] Mari: Hero! We'll need you to distract Kel!
[1:44] Basil: We'll need you to distract Kel!
[1:44] Hero: Uh
[1:45] Hero: I can do that, yeah.
I wanted to spend time with you though, Mari. Hero sighed and put a hand to his head, flipping his phone closed. They even made him install this "eBuddy" software on his phone so they could do a group planning for Valentine's. For sure, he wasn't against helping Sunny and Aubrey get together, he just had the selfish desire to spend Valentine's with the one he loved most, Mari. His phone vibrated in his hand. He exhaled, flipping it open to see a text from Mari.
"Hero, we don't have to spend time on Valentine's specifically! We've already done so for the past few years! This'll be the first Valentines Sunny'll spend with his first crush! Do this for me, Hero... Please? :)"
Almost as if she was reading his mind. Well... I can't refuse if you're asking so nicely... He thought, as he began to type his reply.
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A sweet smell lingered in the air of the kitchen. Sunny and Hero watched their handiwork cool on baking racks, the smell causing Sunny's mouth to water, though he resisted the urge to taste it. For the first time in the few hours Sunny was with Hero, he looked up and spoke. "Hero..."
"Mm?" Came the response.
"How... did you and Mari... get together?" Sunny's muted voice came out, imperceptible to all but Hero standing next to him.
Hero's face turned pink, his hand going to the back of his neck. "Ahaha..." He took a deep breath, putting his hands to his hips, his brows furrowing. "Sunny... I understand you want to use my situation to help you with yours. Unfortunately, my case is- well, different."
Sunny raised an eyebrow quizzically, prompting Hero to elaborate. "You... know how perceptive Mari is, right?" Sunny nodded. He remembered all the times it felt like she was reading his mind from just his actions.
Hero put a hand to his chin. "You remember just before the recital from years back? Mari still talks about how you were getting so frustrated and needed some time away from it. I'm still a little ashamed I wasn't able to tell, and I'm sure Kel and Aubrey would be too, if they knew. Heck, I don't think anyone except Mari and maybe Basil were able to tell how you were feeling at that point."
Sunny looked away, a little embarrassed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Hero continued. "Putting that aside, Mari had figured out my feelings at some point while we were all hanging out..."
......
The fifteen-year-old Hero and Mari were both washing dishes, listening to the sound of the four twelve-year-olds playing. "Say, Hero. I've been meaning to get a birthday present for someone. Do you have any suggestions?"
Hero looked up. "Eh? Uh, sure. Who're you getting it for?"
Mari pointed her eyes away, a small smile growing on her lips. "That's a secret."
"Well alright. Do I know them? What's the person's age and gender? That'll narrow down what they like." Hero wiped his hands off, crossing his arms.
"Hmm... sixteen years old, and he's a male. I'd think you know him pretty well..." Mari's small smile widened to a smirk.
So the present is for someone other than me. An upperclassman, probably... Hero's smile started disappearing off his face, a sinking feeling coming up in the pit of his stomach. His ears started ringing slightly. There's... no way, right?
Silence continued for about half a minute. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife.
"Do you... like this person?" He couldn't stop himself from asking, looking directly at her as he did. While Mari did not respond, he noticed some pink begin to appear on her face, as she dipped her eyes slightly away from him. Hero felt his heart sink, the feeling in his stomach churning like a maelstrom into a burning pit of despair. Attempting to hide his distraught face, he splashed some water in his eyes, ignoring the slight burning pain in his eyelids and the intense burning pain in his heart.
Mari started giggling.
"What's so funny, Mari?" Hero asked, barely able to stop his voice from shaking.
Mari's giggles turned into chuckles. "The present is for you, silly!"
Hero's breath hitched, as time seemed to freeze. His emotions, still in turmoil, only allowed him to turn slowly towards Mari. "What?"
"Won't you be sixteen next year? I was planning for your next birthday present!"
Hero's devastated look slowly morphed into a look of surprise. The heavy feeling in his chest lifted, and it felt like he was able to breathe properly once more. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and wasn't able to stop himself from beginning to laugh, not out of seeing the humour in the situation, but out of sheer relief.
Mari's smirk turned into a smug grin. "Did you like me that much, Hero, getting that jealous? You looked absolutely distraught!"
Hero kept laughing despite his reddening blush. "It's true! I do! And I got so, so jealous! Oh thank goodness, Mari! Please don't do that to me ever again!" He gave the surprised Mari a hug, the relief weighing more than the initial heavy dread he felt, making his legs almost unable to support himself.
......
"...and she was the one who broached the topic with me. So yeah, it's a little different. Sorry I can't help you out more. That being said..." Hero smiled as he began to pack the chocolates properly. "I'll be supporting your confession as much as I can. Do it confidently. Good luck, Sunny!" He said, as he handed the box over to Sunny.
"...Thank you, Hero." Came the soft voice of Sunny. He clutched the box to his chest, as if it would calm his nervousness, and hustled back to his house.
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The setting sun made the shadows grow longer. Sunny sat on a creaky swing, a hand slightly squeezing his hand-made confectionary within the sling-bag he was carrying. Letting out a breath, he straightened out his vest for the fifth time in 10 minutes, combing his hair with his fingernails.
"It'll go great, Sunny! Trust your big sister on this! ...Don't be afraid, Sunny. It's not as scary as you think. Take a deep breath..." Mari's words rang in his ears as he inhaled deeply, quelling his fears.
As he opened his eyes, he caught sight of the beautiful pink-haired girl making her way towards the swingset. This is it. He thought to himself, battling the raging pit of anxiety threatening to burst out.
Aubrey took her place on the other swing. "Hey, Sunny." She began. "I heard you wanted to talk about something? You've listened to me many times before, so I owe you at least this much... What's up? Something getting you down?" She looked towards him, concerned.
Sunny pursed his lips, his heart pounding in his chest, his breathing growing faster. It's not as scary as you think. It's not as scary as you think. Sunny furrowed his brow, beginning to sweat out of nervousness despite the cool weather. Trust your big sister on this, Sunny! Mari's voice continued to ring in his mind in a desperate attempt to calm himself down. Sunny audibly gulped.
Noticing his struggle, Aubrey stood up, stepping over to face him. "Sunny? It looks like it's something really hard to say. I won't judge you, you know? You've done the same for me..."
It's now or never, Sunny. Sunny told himself, steeling his nerves, reaching into his sling-bag.
Aubrey could only react in surprise when a heart-shaped ribboned box was thrust into her field of vision, Sunny's muted voice louder than she's ever heard it piercing the silence. "I- I love you, Aubrey! Please go out with me!"
Sunny kept his head down, not daring to see her reaction. With any luck, if she doesn't like me in that way, she'll just go away and leave me by myself. As the silence reached mere seconds long, Sunny imagined the ground opening up and swallowing him whole, the tension in his heart reaching a breaking point. This was a bad idea, this was a-
His self-depreciating thoughts were interrupted by a sudden hug. A pleasant smell filled the immediate space around him, as he found himself being embraced by none other than the one he had a crush on. He felt his face redden, as he hesitantly returned the embrace. A sniffle came from Aubrey, and his embarrassment turned to worry. "...A-Aubrey? Are you alright? D-Did I do something wrong?"
Aubrey hugged him tighter, her tears staining the back of his vest. "You dummy... I'm so happy right now... I've always loved you too."
Always...? Sunny thought to himself, as his blush came back in full force.