Chapter Text
A rainy day.
Typically Sunny didn't like rain. Which he supposed made his name all the more apt, but there was more to it than that. There was less time to play outside with his friends, he had to deal with wet clothes and feeling cold, none of it was fun. Today was a little different. He was sitting in his seat at school that was directly next to the window, looking out in awe.
The sky had grown so dark. Much darker than even his own shade of hair. The dark backdrop was perfect for displaying the rain streaking down the window. The rain was so heavy it was almost impossible to see beyond it. This was the kind of rain that made adults panic, but Sunny was enthralled.
It made him feel as if he was trapped within a secret waterfall. Something straight out of a video game. A cavern hidden by the falling water, holding a treasure that had been lost to time. Only he could find it, the one true hero brave enough to venture past the boundaries of safety and into the unknown.
The new school year had only just begun and Sunny was already lost in his own imagination again. Paying attention to his classes was growing more and more difficult. It was more fun to imagine a world that existed just for him, full of fun things to do. The real world was too boring and ugly. Sunny wished sometimes that he could stay only in dreams.
Unfortunately, reality always came crashing back in. The rain let up. Class ended. Sunny had to go home. He took the bus back to his house with Aubrey, Kel, and Basil. Hero and Mari were older and got out of school earlier. That didn't mean that Mari always got home before he did, though. Since she was going to college next year, Mari was taking extra classes each day. Some days he hardly saw her at all, and even then it was only to practice violin.
Sunny wished summer lasted longer. That there was more time before Mari's inevitable departure. He didn't like to think about her leaving, but it was going to happen. Each day marched forward towards a future uncertain. If only things could stay the same.
At least in his mind he could keep a fraction of happiness alive.
Reality wasn't too bad today. They had all gotten off at their bus stop and Kel was already splashing in puddles. Aubrey was yelling at him for getting her all wet. Basil wasn't taking pictures today, probably afraid of ruining his camera, so instead he was walking right next to Sunny, rambling on about a new plant he was trying to grow.
"Isn't it hard to grow plants this close to autumn?" Sunny asked, ignoring the commotion ahead of them as Kel and Aubrey splashed water at each other.
"Well." Basil smiled, a small shy smile that was hardly visible. "These are indoor plants, you can grow them year-round."
"Can I see?" Sunny asked. He didn't want to go home. Not if Mari wasn't going to be there.
"Sure!" Now the smile on Sunny's face was huge. He probably couldn't smile bigger if he tried. He didn't have to go home!
First they parted ways with Kel, then Aubrey, who was still complaining about getting wet, even though she splashed in as many puddles as Kel at the end. Those two were always arguing about something, it was best not to get involved. Just nod and look sympathetic.
Thankfully Basil's house was right across the street from where they parted ways with Aubrey. His house was a quaint place, surrounded by greenery of all kinds. Once it started getting colder, those plants would die off, but for now they were still vibrant. Together they stepped inside, Sunny shaking off his umbrella before fully entering.
"Grandma! I'm home! Sunny is here too!" Basil called out to the quiet house.
"Okay dear!" Her voice came from upstairs.
Sunny hadn't seen Basil's grandma that often, despite her being his caretaker. She was a kind old woman though, and she made the best homemade dinners. Sunny spent a lot of time here lately. His family didn't seem to notice. His mom was always working and Mari was busy too. Too busy for Sunny.
Sunny listened as Basil explained about his plants. Well, he tried to listen. He appeared to be listening. In his mind he could see himself exploring a distant planet full of exotic greenery. Man-eating plants! Toxic gases swirling around, threatening to poison those foolish enough to breathe it in. Pools of shimmering purple liquid, supporting the life of odd looking fish. An adventure to find an ancient civilization, filled with danger and fun.
"Sunny?" Basil's voice was concerned as he looked at Sunny. "Are you okay?"
He had become lost in his own thoughts again. He rubbed at his eyes while replying, "I'm fine. I think I'm just a little tired."
"You have been practicing for the recital a lot. It's this weekend, you must be excited." Basil was holding a plant in his lap, looking over the leaves.
The recital. Sunny didn't feel ready for it at all. He didn't even want to practice his violin anymore. It wasn't fun. It felt like too much work, but he had to. To spend time with Mari. To make sure his friends' money didn't go to waste. They had all pitched in to buy the violin for him, so he had to use it, right?
Basil looked up from the plant after several seconds with no response from Sunny. "Or are you nervous? I'm sure you'll do fine, I mean, I've heard you playing with Mari, you sound great and all…"
Speaking the truth was hard. Especially hard when the person you were talking to might be hurt by it. Sunny didn't want to hurt anyone. So he wearily shrugged. "I'm a little nervous, but I'm sure it'll go fine."
"Well, it's normal to be a little nervous. Maybe you should go home and get some rest." Basil placed his plant down next to him. "You look really pale."
Sunny felt all color drain from his face at the suggestion. He didn't want to go home. Still, he didn't want to worry Basil. Worrying someone else was the worst. "Yeah. I'll head home. I should probably work on my English essay, anyway."
Basil's eyes grew wide. "I forgot about the essay! I better work on it too. See you tomorrow, Sunny!"
Sunny left Basil's house, back out into the cold rain. His imagination wandered as the rain pinged off his umbrella. He was deep in an undersea ocean, exploring where no human had ever explored before. The fish that lived down here were strange, bioluminescent, with huge eyes, watching his every move. His steps took more effort from the sheer pressure of the ocean above. It was worth it to explore such a fantastic place.
That is, until he found himself in front of the door to his house. Was it late enough for Mari to be home? Maybe? Sunny shouldn't just stand out here waiting. He might actually catch a cold and disappoint everyone when he couldn't play at the recital.
Part of him wanted to get sick anyway.
Pushing away his uneasy feelings, Sunny pushed open the door instead.
"Oh, you're finally back."
The voice inside was angry. So his dad was drunk again. Lately he had been drinking a lot, ever since he lost his job. "I'm home, Dad."
His father stood up, marching over towards the door. Sunny felt too scared to move in case he angered him further. Then he was in front of him, towering over him, the overwhelming stench of alcohol coming from him. "You are so useless, you know that? Can't even come home on time to do your chores. Can't you be more like your sister? She gets up early to do her chores. What do you do? Nothing."
Sunny shook his head, wanting to defend himself, but knowing that trying might make things worse. "I'll do them now."
"Finally. Good for nothing child." His dad settled back on the couch and Sunny took a deep breath. Everything was fine. Everything was fine. He quickly set his backpack in his room and got started on his chores.
Once Mari and his mom got home, the rain had let up and the world felt much brighter. That night Sunny had a nightmare that he forgot how to play his violin, standing in front of a huge crowd, all of them chanting at him that he was useless. He crawled into bed with Mari and tried to not cry. He failed. Without knowing what was wrong, Mari comforted him anyway.
She really was the best.
It was the day of the recital. A busy day. No one was around, all his friends were out getting ready. Except for Basil, who had come over to listen to their final practice.
Sunny was sitting on the floor next to the piano, his eyes closed as the music reverberated through him. Basil was sitting next to him. He should be playing along, but his stomach felt sick. He didn't want to do this, he didn't want to play violin anymore. Sunny was sick of it all, but Mari was depending on him. He couldn't fail her, right?
Why did Sunny feel so complex about all this? He wanted Mari to be happy. Yet, playing violin was horrid. And she was practically forcing him to do it. Why did he have to? He wished he could run away, live in his own mind where nothing was expected of him. Where he was a hero instead of being useless.
"Sunny, why don't you get your violin? We should play together." Mari's voice was sweet. It felt like a command. Sunny had no choice.
Nodding, he stood up to get his violin from his room. His steps were slow, padding against the clean hardwood floors. Then, slowly up each step, the stairs creaking beneath his feet. He reached his room and picked up the violin case. He took out the violin and bow, quickly using the rosin, as he didn't feel like carrying everything down with him, before leaving the room.
The trek back to the top of the stairs was only a few feet, but it felt like miles. Sunny stood there, violin in hand.
If he didn't have a violin, he wouldn't be forced to play.
Then he would be free of this curse.
Raising his violin above his head, he went to throw it down the stairs.
Destroy the thing that hurt him the most.
But he couldn't.
Mari appeared at the bottom of the stairs. She looked up at him with her eyes wide in shock. "What are you doing, Sunny?"
Sunny collapsed to his knees. He couldn't do it. He couldn't play his violin. He couldn't break it. There was nothing to do but cry.
His face scrunched up in agony as the hopelessness of his situation sank in. Tears streaming down his face. His ears felt like they had gone deaf and his chest felt like it had been smashed in with a baseball bat. It hurt, it hurt so much.
Mari's voice barely reached his ears from the bottom of the stairs. "Basil, you should go home."
Then her footsteps pounded up the stairs and Sunny was wrapped in her warm embrace. Mari was too kind, why was she always comforting such a worthless person like him? He couldn't even play his violin. All he did was cry and cry and cry-
He wasn't allowed to cry.
"Sunny, what's wrong?" Mari asked him, smoothing out his hair. "Are you scared about the recital?"
"I, I can't do it." Sunny sobbed out. Showing emotions was wrong, that's why he stopped crying so much. It made his dad angry. He had to always pack his feelings inside. The fact that he was failing proved his father right. Sunny was useless, worthless, good for nothing.
"It's going to be okay. Let's talk about this." Mari lifted his face so he was looking at her. She was smiling despite his outburst.
Sunny caught his breath, wiping away his tears from his face with the palms of his hands. Slowly he responded. "Okay."