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The smile on Aubrey's face couldn't hope to match the anxiety swelling within. Sunny's birthday party, an occasion that saw the house covered in banners and ribbons and balloons from the kitchen to the living room was no small affair. Mari was determined to make the day memorable for her little brother, and even when Aubrey took part in setting up the decorations, the girl still couldn't wrap her head around it all.
Worse still was the pile of presents in the room beyond, stretching past the wall and looming over her. No one meant it, but Aubrey knew she couldn't hope to match a crumb of what Sunny's friends brought for him.
She looked down and snaked a hand into her pocket. Her own contribution was little more than a stroke of luck, the mercy of a mail-in contest that had consolations for a few that came up short. They were small, nowhere near the worth the others could find, but it was all she had.
As Hero and Kel got into a playful argument with the older sister and the 'photographer' (as Basil liked to call himself) taking sides, Aubrey took a deep breath. She reinforced her expression and approached the head of the dining table.
"Hey...." Aubrey said, voice slipping under the sounds of shenanigans. But Sunny wasted no time turning to her with his full attention, and she couldn't help but broaden her smile. She pulled out her hand, split her haul and held a palm out to the boy of the hour. "Happy birthday, Sunny!"
Sunny's eyes widened as he looked down. A button pin, fresh from the envelope, greeted him with a gleaming rendition of Spaceboy's face.
"It's not much...." She admitted, smile twisting down for a moment. "But it's part of a set!" She held up the other pin, bearing the captain's signature spaceship. "So we can have matching pins--"
Aubrey cut off with a gasp as Sunny leaned forward with gleaming eyes, plucking the pin off her hand and holding it between his fingers. He angled it in different directions, mouth ajar as he marveled the gift.
Her surprise turned to joy as he scrambled to pin the button onto his shirt.
Aubrey flipped the image of the Retrograde Mercury with a sigh and slid her arms into her jacket.
That was three years ago, she knew. Three years since she gave Sunny that part of her little set. She caught the pin out of the air and glanced at it once more. Some luster was lost over time-- it wasn't worth much, if anything-- but she took basic care of what little she had, no matter how much everyone else rolled their eyes or joke about her habit.
What stumped her, even as she held it below one of the cracks in the roof and watched as scant beams of light create a shimmering rainbow of the ornament, was why she still clung to it.
Every time she gave it a passing glance, her mind went straight to Sunny. The boy that left her to stay in his house after Mari was buried six feet under, who didn't even give her so much as a word on the last day he showed up in class. Every time she took a cloth to the button pin, a font of ire manifested in her gut, and she had to grit her teeth and swear under her breath at her so-called 'friend'.
Aubrey frowned, blowing a strand of pink hair off her face. It was a worthless trinket. Something that mattered when she was happy, and the only gift she could think of at the time. She doubted that Sunny even kept his; he would've left it in a drawer and forgot it ever existed, at this point.
But she inspected her fingers, holding the pin so gently, and sighed.
As reluctant she was to admit it, she didn't always think badly of Mari's little brother. Some days, she stared at it and wondered how he was faring as a hermit. Some days, she slumped her shoulders and wondered why he excluded her from even a hint of his thoughts.
Other days, her heart went pitter-patter, and she had to hide her face in her hands while her imagination ran wild and gave her no mercy.
It was supposed to be his fifteenth birthday today. Like the last two years, nothing would change. He was going to stay in his house as usual, without a peep of life to show for it. Aubrey couldn't help but wince. It sounded like such an awful fate. Did anyone ever knock on his birthday? Did anyone leave something for him in the mail? Did anyone even try?
Aubrey glanced at the window. 'I could...' She thought, before shaking her head. No, she wouldn't knock on his door. She promised herself that she wouldn't knock on his door. He's the one who left her behind, not the other way around! Besides, what did she have to fear anyways? That he was getting along just fine without her? That he didn't recognize her, or even remember her name?
....Or that she would see what happened to her old gift? Or if he wasn't even....
Aubrey sighed and straightened up. Okay, maybe she was a little afraid to see what would happen. She wasn't wrong about her feelings, but neither could she deny the feeling she got from walking past that street. Like that pile of presents back then, stretching across the sidewalk and reminding her of what was absent.
Absent on his own birthday, too.
A knot started to form in Aubrey's stomach and she groaned into her hands. "What do I do....?" She asked. She was supposed to be the tough girl, but here she was, unable to make up her mind about a boy. What could she do? What would Mari have done in her place?
....No, Aubrey knew what Mari would've done. Everyone knew what Mari would've done.
"....Just for you, Mari." Aubrey fastened the button pin to her jacket. "Just this once."
......
For a house so quiet, the lawn was still vibrant and trimmed.
Aubrey eyeballed Sunny's house all over. Faraway never changed, and his place never lost its clean appearance. Not even Kel's house, whose fortune made her want to bombard the walls with eggs, could keep itself as orderly as Sunny's did. It made her feel small, but the inhabitants always made her feel welcome and honored.
"Concrete's empty, though...." Aubrey muttered. Wasn't there always one car parked there? She shrugged. "Whatever.... That ain't what I'm here for."
It didn't take long to reach the front door. There was nowhere else to go, and too early in the morning for anyone else to be out and about. All she had to do was reach out and knock. Knock until she lost her patience, or until Sunny opened up.
....If he even came up to the door, that is....
Aubrey blinked, and looked down. One hand was halfway through dusting off her jacket, and the other was adjusting her button pin.
She stuffed her hands into her jacket with a huff. "C'mon, it's just him...." She tried to tell herself.
Three years of separation nudged back, and Aubrey sighed. "Screw it, time to get this over with."
.... Thump, thump, thump.
Aubrey stared at the door.
Thump, thump, thump.
"Come on, Sunny...."
Thump, thump, thump.
She gritted her teeth. He was still there, right?
Thump, thump, thump.
'Really?' She thought with a groan.
Thump, thump, thump.
She clinched her fingers. Is he really going t--
The faint echo of footsteps interrupted her thoughts.
'Is that him?' Aubrey thought, perking up. No, it had to be him-- the cars weren't there, it couldn't be his parents, that was Sunny on the other side of the door!
'--No no no, calm down. Calm down!' Aubrey shoved her hands straight back into her jacket pockets. She couldn't get too excited. It was just Sunny, he didn't even open the door. She shouldn't even feel this anxious to begin with!
Aubrey cleared her throat. "Hey, Sunny?" She called out. "Sunny, is that you? It's, uh.... It's me, Aubrey!"
The door responded to her with silence.
Something in her stomach threatened to twist on her, but she ignored it. "I know today's your birthday, and...." She bit at her lower lip. What was she supposed to say? "I just wanted to say, er, happy birthday! ....And stuff like that...."
The door was still.
Aubrey grimaced. "Look...." She trailed off, her hand unconsciously reaching for her other arm. She knew he was a brick wall, but why did it have to hurt like this? "I-It's been a few years, yeah? I know that Mari...." She bit at her lower lip, before sighing. "....Can you open the door, Sunny? ....Please? I wanna see you again...."
A bird chirped overhead. Aubrey closed her eyes and tried not to think about how the corners of her eyes--
Click....
Aubrey froze as the door creaked open. "....Sunny?" She asked-- no, whispered, as blank eyes came into view.
'Pale' would've put his complexion lightly, and Aubrey only needed a glance to tell that anyone in town could snap this boy in half. His dead-eyed expression matched the last memory she had of him, as if he slept in a time capsule and she was the first to crack it open. He was as silent as the dead, too, despite his clean appearance and the....
Aubrey's eyes widened.
A holographic image of Spaceboy hung from his sweater vest, proud and reflective.
'He...' Aubrey blinked once, twice, and leaned closer. The button pin was unblemished, maybe more than her own. 'He remembered.... He took care of it....' Her mouth started to hang ajar. 'He cares....'
She didn't even see the boy tilt his head in confusion. 'He cares, he cares, he cares--' The words reverberated through her head and echoed down to her tell-tale heart. Sunny looked like he hadn't eaten in days, but he still took care of her gift. 'He cares.'
She was wrong. 'He cares.' He didn't forget about her. 'He cares.' She was important enough for him to treat the button pin like a treasure. 'He cares.' But why didn't he come for her? 'He cares.' No, of course he couldn't, it was the big sister he always cared so much about, what kind of idiot was she? 'He cares.' Of course he needed help, he needed someone to reach out for him!
Someone like.... her....
The voice faded from Aubrey's mind as she felt something slip and break. In her fantasies, a squealing twelve-year-old girl overpowered a delinquent taskmaster, screaming the holy name of 'Snuy' as she rushed for a pair of handlebars.
In reality, Aubrey grabbed Sunny's shoulders and reeled him in.
Euphoria filled Aubrey and carried her into the clouds. What was this experience and where had it been her entire life? Though it carried through a wet barrier, jolts of excitement coursed through the delinquent and made her want to giggle into Sunny's....
Aubrey's eyes snapped open.
Sunny's eyes, wide and confused, filled her vision.
Aubrey yanked herself back with a gasp. Her eyes caught the trail of saliva from her mouth and traced it back to Sunny's face. 'Stunned' didn't even begin to describe his expression, and his ears were lit up so bright, anyone driving by the house would've thought that a train was coming. Not that her cheeks felt any better, bearing all the heat of an active volcano.
"U-Uh...." Aubrey started, breaking their salient connection. "H-Hey, Sunny...."
Sunny was still, his eyes darting left and right and allowing a pit to open up in her stomach. This went from an earth-shattering surprise to a complete mess, and it was all her fault. Aubrey gulped. She had to deal with this, say something to try and mitigate this embarrassing atmosphere, but what? What words could she say? What even were words? How does she even think?? What is today anyways, wasn't it his birthday--
A lightbulb, wild and blind, went off. Of course, it was his birthday!
"S....S-Surprise!" Aubrey tried to cheer. "Happy b-birthday, Sunny! There's, uh, there's your gift!" Aubrey pushed out a dry chuckle. "I-I'm your girlfriend now, or something like that....!"
Sunny gasped, and the heat spread from his ears to his cheeks.
'.... Wait....Oh god whatdidIjustsay--' Aubrey froze as Sunny started to shake. Oh god, she just came onto him, didn't she? Her hands and feet felt rooted by concrete-- forget that, she could barely move a muscle right now! It was a miracle she could look away, much less remember to breathe. An uncoordinated giggle slipped out of her throat. 'Can I just sink into the floor and forget I exist? Please?'
God, she was never going to live this down. Not even five minutes after meeting Sunny again and she just throws herself at him!? He has to think so badly of her right now....
Aubrey dared to look back at Sunny, only to cough out air as she felt him half-tackle, half-glomp her with a small squeak.
"A-Auby...." Sunny squeaked, burying his nose into the crook of her neck. "Love you...."
Her brain promptly fizzled out, and with a coo, everything blinked out for a few seconds.
When light filled her eyes again, Aubrey felt her arms around Sunny, and his breath tickling her neck and making her knees feel like jelly. The past few minutes returned to her in a wave, and the rational part of her mind was screaming five things that were wrong with situation.
Aubrey tuned it out, closed her eyes and rested her chin on his shoulder.
'This feels nice....' She thought. Sure, his shoulder felt like a jagged rock, but she couldn't bring herself to care that much. Maybe it was how distant everything else felt, or how she just woke up from a ten-second coma. Aubrey wasn't sure what, but she couldn't bring herself to regret a single thing that just happened. She doubted that Sunny did either, though that thought gave her pause. '....Should I call him my boyfriend now?' Her eyes opened halfway. 'I mean, I just kissed him and said I was his girlfriend, so....'
Grooowl....
Aubrey blinked, then felt a smile come on as Sunny froze. "Was that you, Sunny?" She said. "You feeling hungry there....?"
"Nnn...." Sunny muttered, shuffling in place.
Aubrey chuckled, pulling herself off of Sunny. He wasted no time trying to look away from her, with his face living up to his namesake. 'That's so cute....' Aubrey thought with a coo, hands on his shoulders. 'God, why didn't I do this sooner?' "C'mon, Sunny. You can tell me...."
Groooooowl....
Aubrey smirked. "Sounds like a 'yes' to me." Sunny started to curl up, but she put a hand under his chin. "Hey, it's fine, Sunny. Y'look like you need some food anyways...." She smiled. "How 'bout some Gino's? Just the two of us."
Sunny paused and stared at her.
Aubrey felt a bead of sweat on her forehead. "....L-Like a date, you know?" She pulled back, biting her lip. "It's your birthday, and I'm paying, and I guess since you're my boyfriend now--!"
She cut off as Sunny grabbed her hands and nodded at her so fast, his head could've fell off and bounced across the lawn.
'H-He's holding my hand....' Aubrey thought, with a heavy exhale. 'With that adorable expression.... That way he's looking at me like a kid in a candy store....Hnnnnggg!'
"G-Gino'sitisthen!" She squeaked out, as her hand clutched his for dear life. "C'mon!!"
In hindsight, Aubrey should've closed the front door before speeding off from the Suzuki residence like a bat out of hell. It would've also been a good idea to check and make sure that Sunny wouldn't go limp on her halfway to the plaza. And if she had to be honest, running past the only kid with red-rim glasses in Faraway while holding a boy's hand would've made Aubrey think twice.
But for the life of her, Aubrey didn't care. Her heart was singing triumphant melodies in her ear and the warm grasp of her childhood friend made her feel invulnerable.
When she looked back, and found Sunny barely keeping up with the barest hint of a smile on his face, the twelve-year-old girl with a pink bow squealed in joy. A pair of button pins bound them together, and on his fifteenth, she swore that she would make their bond unbreakable.