Chapter Text
Sunny doesn't know how he ended up in this situation, nor was he aware of it in the slightest.
It was one of the off days that he was conscious about his own body, not shambling around as a zombie within his ghost of a home. At first it was going to be simple. Wake up, do the assigned chores and go back to sleep.
Then he heard the knocking on the door. Loud and rhythmic, three thunks, a pause, and another three thunks. The noise permeating through the whole house. Barely a break between knocks as the door rattled from it's hinges. Usually Sunny isn't awake when the knocking starts, but today was different.
Mom had been bugging Sunny to go outside recently... not really. Just the occasional message about Kel trying to talk with him, so technically it's Kel bugging Sunny. Course, Sunny still wasn't in his right mind. In fact, he still figured he was in headspace. Maybe his head thought up something different aside from the countless loops?
Which led to Kel grabbing Sunny by the wrist and taking him around all of town. It was a nice change of pace, but the differences from time passing were made very known, very fast.
Kel was taller then him now, Hector is starting to get up there in years, Basil is much more skittish and paranoid... to a concerning degree, and there's no trace of the Aubrey he once knew.
But somethings are still the same.
Kel only plays rock in pet rocks, hobbeez is still run by the same guy, selling magazines, manga and of course video games. Othermart still has all of it's many isles, fix-it is still as disorganized as before and the playground is only slightly more rusty from rain over the years.
Apparently, Aubrey had taken Basil's photo album for an unknown reason. So after slashing her arm and getting his steak knife taken away, Kel has been chasing down Aubrey's friends with Sunny on the side for the entire day. Sunny was just sticking bandages on him as he brawled it out with the very fight happy teens. Sunny won't act like he didn't notice, but they weren't targeting him at all. Whether by pity for the current state or his body, or them trying to be strategical and knock out Kel who was the only danger was up to debate, but Sunny wasn't scratched by the time they made it to the church.
They waited for about 30 seconds before Sunny walked straight in, just to take a seat and lose all focus again. Next thing he knew, he was putting a bandage on Kel after he took a headbutt from Aubrey.
Whispers of gossip echoed in the church about Aubrey's delinquency. How disgraceful she was, how aggressive she was and what ultimately broke the camel's back. Her father leaving.
Aubrey had taken a step to leave church after knocking Kel clean out, when thunder boomed from the graveyard. All sounds and movements stopped, it was enough to even knock Sunny out from his trance. Curiosity took the better of him and he opened to door to check.
There were no burn marks, the cemetery was completely fine. No damage or even upturned dirt. every was completely pristine... besides the person standing on their own grave.
He didn't know why, but Sunny froze. Then started crying from the sight.
It wasn't because of Something sticking out from the stump behind the grave, even with it's eye piercing through him as it always is. Always judging, Always reminding him of a mistake he himself can't remember. But it was because of what stood in front of it.
Long black hair, white dress blowing in the wind and peachy skin tone with a slight blush under her dark eyes, so full of life, 4 years older.
A face he hasn't seen in 4 years, but didn't remember the reason why.
He didn't register when he started running, or the hug, nor the constant apologies. He was completely focused on the warmth of her body as she wrapped her arms around him to comfort.
Neither of them noticed the opening of the church door toa pink haired delinquent. The sight had Aubrey drop her spiked bat in shock. She was dead... the dead don't come back. But she couldn't stop the words from coming out of her mouth.
"Mari? How are you... You came back?"
Mari's face was filled with a quiet somber, but was hidden away once she noticed the question. Instead she smiled in her usual comforting tone. "I... I guess I am. I don't know how, but I am." One second she was observing the fight in the church, floating above and hoping no one got hurt. The next she was standing in the graveyard and could feel the wind brushing against her hair, the sun gently caressing her skin and the cloth pressed against her person. It was jarring and beyond all known laws of nature.
But somehow, someway... She was back. and currently hugging a tearful, very apologetic Sunny. A Sunny who is much too pale and light. The Sunny who had only eaten a steak that had gone bad the previous night and nothing else. The Sunny who was moving away in three days.
"You look like you need a hug." She offered an arm to Aubrey, who already had tears dripping down her face. What she got, was a tackle to the ground as Aubrey let out years worth of mourning in quiet tears. Seems Aubrey has gotten stronger over the years. Both of the teens currently clinging to her body were crying. Well isn't this the most common resurrection possible. Then again Aubrey just got what she's been practically wishing for the past four years, and Sunny had been dreaming away to reminisce better times, so it makes sense.
"As much as I would like to keep this hug going, the ground isn't exactly comfortable to lay on."
"OH! Sorry, Sorry! It's just... a lot to see you again." Aubrey pulled herself off of Mari's arms, already missing the warmth from before, her voice strained from her previous outbursts of the day. Sunny also pulls himself away to let Mari sit up before scooting closer. Aubrey notes how he hasn't grown out of old habits.
The silence was awkward, how could it not be? Someone who had died four years ago suddenly appearing is bound to mess anyone up. There was no way this should've been possible! Unless...
"Are you really Mari, or are you just wearing her face?" It's a dark possibility, but it's the only thing that makes sense. Aubrey saw Mari hanging from that tree, with Sunny's jump rope no less. She was buried, into the casket and then 6 feet under. It's a sick joke just to get a rise of some teenagers, and would result in Aubrey going to hell from crushing their skull on.
Mari paused and took a second to think. Then a smug grin comes across her face. One they both know all too well.
"Would a false Mari know about how you told me your crush on Sunny?" Mari watched as Sunny's ears turned red, along with a tint on Aubrey's cheeks. They both looked away as Mari laughed. Light, airy... just as they both remembered it
"Do you have any recollection of the afterlife? if there is one?"
"Mostly just floating around and watching as a ghost."
"For how long?"
"Exact time I died. Funeral had me finding out ghosts could cry." It was actually the moment that Basil hung her body, but Aubrey doesn't need to know that yet.
"So you've seen... everything the past 4 years?"
"Maybe not everything, I can't be in multiple places at once... but I've seen a lot. I know you're in a gang, this is Sunny's first time leaving the house in four years, Kel likely beats me in the height department and Hero is in college."
"So the majority."
"Essentially..." Mari looks down at her legs. Somehow her knee isn't in pain like it usually would be. A nice bonus to coming back to life. "I missed a couple things though. Like your visit to Basil's house a couple years back."
Aubrey's face sours at the memory. One that she's latched onto as justification for the bully she's subjected Basil to. "For the better."
"Did something bad happen?" Mari's head turns, giving Aubrey her full attention. It's not a forceful glare, simply a suggestion to just talk.
"... don't wanna talk about it."
"Must've been something bad for you to bully Basil for a few years."
Aubrey's tongue clicks at the memory's, trying to keep the anger out even if Mari had already her actions. "They all left me behind." Mari leaned in a bit, nodding for her to continue.
"It was a few months after your funeral, sometime around February when I went over to basil's house. I just wanted to hang out like old times. He was hesitant to let me in, stuttering over every damn word possible to the point it was annoying. I was only let in because his grandma noticed me at the door."
"We had gone up to hang out in his bedroom. The entire time was just awkward. I would attempt to start a conversation, Basil would flinch as if he's wanted for smuggling drugs, respond with short sentences, never trying to add onto the conversation. Eventually he just got up and left, something about using the bathroom."
"I took a second to look around and reminisce. Memories of better times, y'know? Saw the album under his bed, thrown under haphazardly and decided to open it... But..." Aubrey's face went from quiet somber to a scowl. "Basil had blacked out all the photos with marker! I took it back to my house and barely managed to clean all of it off!"
"Since then I would push Basil away whenever he came close to me. once called him annoying and weird in the hallway, how I met Kim and the rest of the hooligang. Anytime Basil came over to bug me, we'd pick on him a bit and send him on his way."
Mari speaks up, "That's bullying you know. And theft."
"It's not that bad! It's not like we actively hunted him down to throw him in a trash can or anything! Worst we'd do is push him away from us! I'm protecting the album from him! He would've drawn over it again if I let him keep it!"
"Any amount of bullying is still bullying Aubrey. Doesn't matter if it's minimal or severe. Imagine that from Basil's perspective."
"He pushed me away first! Everyone went off and moved on too quickly! Sunny and Basil kept to themselves, Kel ran off to make new friends, and Hero spent a year not talking to anyone before running to college with his tail between his legs! It felt like i was the only one who cared for you Mari, and it's pathetic that Sunny acts like he cared when he did nothing but stay inside with his mom and dad!" Aubrey huffs a bit from her anger filled tangent, catching a bit of breath before continuing.
"He's a fucking psycho! First thing he did upon coming out is slashing my arm!" Aubrey shows Mari the slash wound. It's not deep and would easily heal without serious medical attention, but it's bandaged just incase.
"Aubrey from what I saw, you antagonized Kel, ran at them both still holding your spiked bat, and Sunny sliced in self defense."
"I wasn't actually gonna use it on him! Was just gonna push him around!"
"He didn't know that. Heck I don't even think he's aware of our conversation." They both look down at Sunny. He's leaning against Mari's side and staring off into space daydreaming. "Still don't know how he does that."
"Anyways," Mari looks back at Aubrey. "Everyone processes grief differently, especially from such a bad situation. Sunny lived with me his entire life and missed the signs," Mari pats his head a bit. he really should be taller... "And Hero was my boyfriend. Neither of them noticed before it was too late. All that guilt made them both shut down, especially for Sunny's lack of support."
That got a rise from Aubrey. "Really? Last I check Sunny was the only one to have caring parents."
Mari glanced away, sucking a breath of air through her teeth.
"What, am I wrong?"
"Very... very wrong. Our parents divorced shortly after my death. Mom's been away for about 95% of the time too, opting to live in her car and look for an apartment in the city while selling the house. She used to drop by once a week to drop off food. Eventually though it changed to 2 weeks, leaving Sunny alone with no food sometimes. Just last night he had thrown up after eating a steak that had gone bad. Rest of the fridge was completely empty." Mari holds Sunny a bit closer.
"Sunny's probably had it the worst y'know? Did nothing but suffer at home, with nothing but his own guilt. Probably without even being conscious half the time." Mari looks back at Sunny, noting how his eyes have started drooping.
Aubrey was gonna say that Sunny could've gotten help, but topped to think about it. Something she hadn't done in awhile. Kel was too busy with basket ball, Hero was absent, and anything involving Basil was practically impossible with how closed off he became, and Aubrey was... admittedly too focused on herself. She at least had the hooligang with her.
Even if Sunny tried, he likely would've been left alone.
It's also on that note that Aubrey looks at Sunny. He's practically the exact same as he was 4 years ago, but had lost weight and with paler skin from malnutrition. Sure Aubrey didn't eat too much, but at least her skin didn't blur the line of vampire and Willy Wonka.
"Wanna go get Gino's?" Aubrey stands up from her spot between Mari and her grave. "You both need it."
"With what money? None of us have anything."
"We'll figure something out." Aubrey offers a hand to help Mari up which she takes, lifting Sunny up onto her back in a piggy back. His small breaths send small but pleasant shivers across her back. "Plenty of jobs are around the plaza for pick up after all."