Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

"You did great Sunny!" Mari exclaimed backstage, hugging her little brother. The crowd roared with applause, Mari was so proud of herself and Sunny and she felt nothing could ruin this moment backstage behind the red curtain. Until...

She hears a song pierce her ears, that sound she's heard a dozen times before. A song that should be over.

"Sunny?" She asks as she turns to face him. 

He is unresponsive, he plays the song once more with a deadpan expression on a face. A look of intense focus and despair is in his eyes. He plays that duet once more, Mari approaching him, "Sunny... You can stop now. It's OK."

Sunny offers no response.

"Sunny it's OK the recital is over," Mari chuckles awkwardly, "Come on let's go."

Sunny offers no response. 

"Sunny?" Mari asks, becoming worried now, "Come on put down the violin. You did great. Let's go home."

Sunny only continues to play.

"Sunny?" Mari asks, gently shaking him out of it, "Sunny, stop it's OK."

Sunny is unresponsive...

Mari snaps awake at three am that night to music, that same music. Mari yawns as she stretches, knowing now something is deeply wrong as she walks down the hall, each footstep echoing on the wooden floor. She opens the door to that room, and like he had been for weeks, Sunny stands there, still in his recital clothes. He repeats that song, that duet, once more. The same as before, making the same mistake he did at the recital, and he starts again. The sounds have become shrill, piercing, like they've been twisted by Sunny's damaged mind, filtered through some malformed speakers that is his psyche.

"Sunny?" Mari asks.

Sunny offers no response, only those shrill malformed notes, that sickening song piercing the night air, warm, the song a duet with the Summer cicadas. She tries to speak to him, get some response from him, "Have you eaten, Sunny? Why don't we get you something to eat?"

Sunny does not respond. 

"Come on anything you want," Mari assures with her sweet smile to hide her deep worry, "Ice cream? Bacon? Anything at all? Some water or soda, Hell, I can go to Othermart and grab you something as long as you eat something, just tell me what you want to eat. Please."

Sunny only continues to play.

And something, an idea, weighs heavy on Mari's mind. Is this her fault? She was the one who wanted to play the recital, she was the one who pushed Sunny, her dear little brother, to practice for hours and hours. She demanded perfection of him and pushed, sometimes skipping lunch or dinner due to losing track of time, and now something in him seems to have snapped, he is lost in that moment, that practice eternally playing. 

"Sunny please stop," Mari begs struggling to maintain composure as self blame weighs heavy on her, "Please just stop. Come on, let's get some food and some sleep. It's OK, you've done enough. Just stop."

Sunny does not stop playing. 

Mari starts to cry as she embraces Sunny, "Stop. Please just stop. Please..."

The warmth of an embrace does nothing to melt the frost that has frozen his mind in this moment. Mari eventally decides that at the very least, she should stay by his side until morning, out of worry for his safety, and call Hero then. Maybe he has an idea.

Mari sits by her piano, assuring Sunny as she maintains composure, "It's going to be OK Sunny. Just, sleep when you feel tired. I'm here for you OK?"

Sunny is unresponsive. 

The song is... ALMOST perfect, just one note, that same note, again and again ruins the gentle lull of the duet, and while she tries to focus on it, just to keep herself awake, it eventally lulls Mari into a gentle slumber. 

She awakens in the wee hours of the morning to a pounding on her door...

And that same duet that served as a lullaby. 

The air smells of blood, Mari panics as she sees Sunny's fingers bleeding, the bow held tightly in his hands. She doesn't notice as the front door opens, to busy rushing to Sunny, demanding, "Sunny stop!"

She tries to grab the violin from him, swiping away the object of his torment in hopes it'll snap him out of it, the wood soaked, stained a crimson red, much as the floor is. The bow, once white, is dyed a deep crimson. Mari's heart breaks as he continues to move his bow, playing as if the violin is still in his hands when it is halfway across the room.

"Sunny snap out of it!" Mari screams in a panic, "Stop it! You're bleeding! Stop!"

Mari doesn't notice as the door opens, as she is now crying, seeing Sunny's state. A voice demands from the doorway, "What did you do to Sunny?"

Mari turns to see Aubrey, with anger in her eyes. Deep, genuine anger as Aubrey demands, "What did you do to Sunny!?!"

"I don't know!" Mari screams trying to collect herself, "He just won't stop playing!"

Aubrey looks Sunny, and she hears him mutter something, his voice hoarse and strained, "Has to be perfect. Has to be perfect. Has to be perfect."

"What did you do to him?" Aubrey demands, instantly knowing that Mari must be connected to Sunny's mental state.

"All I did was practice the duet with him for the recital!" Mari retorts bitterly, "I wanted it to be perfect!"

"You did this!" Aubrey screams back, "Look at what you've done! Hammering that perfectionist filth into his head and forcing him to the breaking point until this was all that's left!"

"I would never hurt Sunny," Mari snaps back, the mere idea to much to even cope with, the idea of hurting Sunny, her little brother who was her whole world along with their friends, nay, the mere concept of harming any of them as an idea she could not accept, "There must be some explanation!"

The two continue to argue, Sunny can't take it anymore. He can't get the music right. He can't be perfect like Mari wants, and now Aubrey and Mari, normally so close, are fighting. He wants them to be happy, and this is all because of him. Because he wasn't perfect like Mari wanted.

They didn't see him leave.

They didn't hear his footsteps.

They didn't hear him jump.

But they did hear him land.

There was a loud crash, which snapped the two out of their fight. Mari and Aubrey dashed out of the room to see Sunny, laying motionless at the bottom of the stairs. Aubrey tries to rush to him but Mari grabs her by the hair in a panic.

"Ow! Ow ow ow! Let me go!" Aubrey screams.

"You can't move an injured person!" Mari retorts, "Go call 911! I'll tend to him!"

Mari rushes down the stairs to check on Sunny, he's bruised, but he's breathing. She breaks down crying, Sunny's eyes meet hers and what he says shatters her very soul.

"I'm sorry... I wasn't... perfect like you..."

Mari disassociated. What happened next was a blur of crying, yelling, fighting, and Hero trying to keep the group together.

Her parents. Where were they? She didn't know. 

She recalled the important parts.

Sunny was going to survive, but his hand was broken he couldn't write or let alone play for weeks. And worst of all...

He was to be kept in the mental health wing, no visitors due to his suicide attempt.

Aubrey refuses to speak to Mari, Kel felt lost on everything, Basil however, needed answers. Basil was ANGRY, nay, FURIOUS, based on what Aubrey had told him. Hero insisted they speak to her together, to mediate the conversation and prevent miscommunication. He hoped, nay, knew there had to he some explanation.

Mari sat crying in the hospital lobby, overwhelmed by self hatred as she considered if this was truly her fault. What a horrible sister, nay, horrible person she was. She wanted it to be perfect but this...

This was the perfect torture for her.

This guilt this pain, she could name none greater. 

Hero greeted her, worried as he noticed how tired she looked. Her eyes were red from crying, her hair a mess, and tear streaks stained her face. 

He asked her gently, Basil by his side, "Are you OK?"

Mari shook her head, her throat to hoarse from crying to speak much.

"What... happened?" Hero inquired. 

Mari took a deep breath and conceded, "I don't know where it went wrong..."

Chapter Text

Mari recounted, "We practiced the duet for an hour each day even on weekends for two months."

"Wait you never gave him one day off?" Basil demands glaring, "Why would you overwork him like that?"

"You work in your garden for hours a day," Mari retorts, "I don't see how that's any different than-"

"Let's just come back to that later," Hero suggests to defuse the tension, "Mari, please carry on."

"He never seemed to raise any protest," Mari retorts.

"Of course he wouldn't to your face!" Basil snaps.

"What?" Mari inquires.

"Basil let's let her finish," Hero requests sternly.

Mari continues, making a mental note of Basil's comment for later, "He would always get this one note wrong, I remember mom and dad got really mad at him about that. I tried to reassure and encourage him, deciding to practice more in the week before the recital, pretty much non stop, at least to get dad's off Sunny's case. I could hear the music in my dreams and Sunny was always playing when I woke up."

"Did he ever stop?" Basil asks.

"What?" Mari clarifies, confused. 

"Did you ever see him stop playing?" Basil demandd.

"No I didn't," Mari concedes, "Why do you-"

"How do you know he wasn't just playing endlessly?" Basil demands.

Mari freezes up, unable to deny the possibility. The music she heard in her slumber, was that Sunny too?

"It would make sense," Hero adds, "The doctors did say he was suffering from sleep depervation, malnutrition, and dehydration."

Mari sinks into her chair, self hatred fills her mind. She did this to him, she should have stoped him, forced him to take breaks, realized something was wrong. Something. Anything! Why would he- how could she-

And she realizes, "I... told him I wanted it to be perfect."

Basil sighs, "OK, I've heard enough. You're a horrible sister Mari."

Mari didn't even try to deny it, blaming herself for Sunny's current mental state and silently resigning to her guilt. All this for some stupid song. What had she done to her dear baby brother, all for some stupid song?

Hero jumps to her defense, "Hey she isn't completely to blame! She mentioned her dad-"

"Like her dad being a jerk magically absolves her of not noticing something was wrong for that whole week," Basil retorts, "I'm going home."

"Basil please-" Hero begins to plead, but he feels a hand tug on his sleeve, holding him back from following. He turns to see Mari, looking down at the floor, her hair draped over her face, her one visible eye holding only self hatred. 

Hero feels he should go after Basil, but knows it's useless to try to talk to him when everyone is so stressed, so for the time he stays by Mari's side, sitting next to her in an attempt to comfort her. 

Basil enters the lobby where he sees Kel and Aubrey fighting, not in their usual semi playful way but genuine anger between the two, but before Basil can ask what's going on Kel says something that ends the conversation, "Not my fault you're being a bitch like your mom!"

Kel has never swore in front of Basil, so he knows from that alone that whatever happened here got very heated, and he can tell for sure that he should not say a word as Aubrey decks Kel in the face, sending him staggering back.

Aubrey starts crying and says something to Kel that Basil can't hear. Kel's eyes go wide with shock and worry and he reaches out to comfort her but she turns away, declaring, "Don't. Just... don't."

Aubrey exits the hospital. Basil and Kel exchange a look, his eyes hold a silent plead of worry for Aubrey. Basil nods in understanding and assures, "I'll talk to her. I'll make sure she's OK."

Basil exits, leaving Kel alone to tend to his nosebleed. He thinks about what he said to Aubrey and what she said back. He never intended to imply she was-

He takes a deep breath to calm himself and mutters under his breath, "Please keep her safe, Basil. I can't lose Aubrey too..."

Aubrey walks down the street, trying not to cry as an old wood sears her left arm. She tried not to think about it. Just like her mother. Just like that woman who-

She feels a warm hand on her shoulder, snapping her mind out of a dangerous line of thinking. She turns to see the blonde boy she's known for years, her dear friend Basil. 

"Are you OK?" Basil inquires, deep worry in his eyes. He knows she isn't, he knows he isn't. He feels like the world is collapsing around him. He can't breathe, his heart is racing. Sunny is gone, Aubrey isn't OK, and Kel is bleeding. He can't take this. He just wants everything to be OK.

Everything is going to be OK... right?

"Can I stay with you and Polly tonight?" Aubrey requests, "I... need to think and I don't wanna go home."

Basil doesn't ask why, but only nods in understanding, asking, "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Mari... broke Sunny," Aubrey explains with a solem sigh, "How could Mari do this? I trusted her. I... I looked up to her and now she's gone and done... that to Sunny."

"I know," Basil sighs, "I don't understand how she could do something like this. Sunny was to afraid to speak to her about it before it happened but-"

"What?" Aubrey inquires, confused, unaware Sunny spoke to anyone at all. "He could have told me."

"It was two weeks before the recital I don't think you were home," Basil  explains, "So he came to my house and told me he hated playing but he was to scared Mari would hate him if he said anything."

"I would say we know she wouldn't but I don't know if that's true anymore."

"Yeah."

Both feel alone in this moment. As if lost in a snowstorm, desiring some warmth. Any warmth to stave off the cold. 

Basil feels like darkness is consuming him, like a thousand eyes are watching him, ready to pounce from the shadows and-

He feels a warmth in his plam, the cold fades, the darkness fades, and the warmth of Aubrey's hand in his own soothes him. His face goes red, Aubrey's face turns a deep pink, but neither protests as they walk back to Basil's house in peaceful silence. 

They arrive after a walk of decent length, Aubrey lets go and opens the door. 

Basil looks Aubrey in the eye, and tries to assure her, "Everything is going to be OK."

Aubrey looks away, denying this statement before responding, "I... don't think things are going to be OK after this. Not with Mari."

Basil gets an idea, and points towards a flower bed by her front door, there are five plants there, one for each of his freinds. A cactus for Kel, a tulip for Aubrey, a gladiolus for Aubrey, a rose for Hero, a sunflower for himself, and a lily of the valley for...

"Each of these flowers represent the personality of one of our friends," Basil explains, "I was growing them as gifts for each of them."

Basil hands Aubrey a pair of shears, "I don't... know what to do with Mari's anymore."

Aubrey looks down at the shears, considering the implications. She asks Basil, "Do we really want this?"

"I... don't know."

Aubrey looks at the shears and at the Lily, to cut that flower and kill it, to sever that bond for good...

"We can always cut it later," Basil suggests, deep down hoping they won't have to, deep down hoping that everything WILL be OK. 

Aubrey looks down at the shears for a moment before setting them down and nodding in agreement.

"Let's get some sleep," Aubrey yawns. 

Basil nods in agreement, exhausted after everything and the duo head inside to rest...

Chapter Text

Hero isn't sure what to say to Mari. The whole situation is a cat's cradle of issues and interwoven problems that he has no idea how to navigate. He tries to hug her, to comfort her without words, but she slaps his hand away, harshly. 

She doesn't deserve comfort, or so she thinks. She blames herself for this, for Sunny's current mental state. She can't even say she just hurt Sunny and can just fix that. She hurt not only Sunny but everyone close to him. Everyone close to her. All this for some worthless song that didn't matter to anyone but herself and her parents.

Her parents...

Where were they?

She tried to think for a moment, she had not seen them all day, she had driven to and from the recital herself, and now that she thought about it, they weren't in the crowd.

She pondered a possibility she did not like to consider but had to all the same.

Had they...

Left?

No. Now was not the time for such questions, there is to much going on to worry about people who aren't present at the moment. She for now has to make sure Sunny will be OK, when he will return to normal, so on.

Mari forces herself to her feet, even though the weight of her guilt makes her feel as though her spine will snap at any moment trying to hold it om her back. She carries on nonetheless, stating sternly, "We need to ask about Sunny's condition."

Hero pleads, "Mari you need to take a deep breath you don't look well please just-"

Mari walks away, annoyed that he is still trying to comfort her, her delusions causing her to feel only anger at what she sees as misplaced and wasted kindness. She approaches the front desk, Hero following behind her, saying something she tunes out as she asks, "So... how is Sunny?"

"You're his sister right?" The nurse behind the desk inquires, "It... may be best just to show you."

The nurse leads Mari to a room in the mental health wing of the facility, unlocking the door to a room, but as the duo enter, she stops Hero and states, "I'm sorry sir but only family can enter."

"I love him like my own," Hero declares. 

"I respect that but I an afraid that legally speaking that is not the case," the nurse elaborates.

Hero sighs, annoyed but understanding and backs away, telling Mari, "I'll wait in the lobby."

Sunny remains catatonic, he stands in the center of the bare white room, even with his arms bandaged, he continues the motions of a duet. Every few seconds he flinches, and repeats, always flinching right where he would mess up and starting as if playing from the start of the song. 

Mari greets him, her voice shaking from a sense of worry and self hatred. She holds back tears, "Sunny..."

Sunny does not reasond. He doesn't even acknowledge Mari's presence as he continues to play a violin that does not exist. 

"Sunny it's me," Mari pleads, forcing a smile as tears well up in her eyes, "You can stop playing, Sunny. It's over. It's done."

Sunny does not respond, the silent notes haunting him with each careful movement of his fingers. Mari reaches out to try to comfort him but she pulls away, knowing that it won't work, and thinking that he wouldn't want comfort from her anyways after what's happened. Crying, Mari exits, lost and unsure what to do.

"I do have to ask," a nurse explains handing her a tissue to blow her nose and wipe her tears, "But... where is your legal guardian?"

"I..." Mari replies, "I don't know..."

Kel sits in the lobby, reflecting on his argument with Aubrey, deeply worried about her and what he said. He knows he shouldn't have brought up her mom but he was just so angry and...

He notices Hero walk in and forces a smile as he rushes to Hero's side, asking, "You OK bro?"

"I'll be fine," Hero lies, each now lying to the other, burying their issues rather than accepting the help they need, falsely hoping that will help the other.

Kel inquires, "So... what now?"

Hero concedes solemnly, "I... don't know."

Everyone is thinking the same thing by this point, "what now?" No one has an answer to this question, they all feel lost after what's happened. They are paralyzed by confusion and inaction, uncertain where to go from here.

Mari returns to the lobby and explains, avoiding eye contact to hide she's been crying, "I'm going home. You two should do the same."

"Maybe you should crash at our place," Hero suggests, a deep worry weighing on him, "You haven't eaten all day and I can make us dinner. With your parents missing it's probably for the best."

"I'll be fine," Mari lies, deep down wishing to go with them but feeling she does not deserve comfort after her actions.

"Come on you don't wanna go back to that empty old house," Kel adds, picking up on the fact Mari is hiding her sadness, "We insist."

Mari, realzing that the duo seem upset and will be more upset if she refuses, concedes, "Fine. Let's go."

The remainder of the evening is uneventful, few words are exchanged between the three, until late that evening. 

Mari finds herself unable to sleep on the couch, so she decides to get some fresh air. She looks up at the sky, the stats to her look like a thousand eyes in a black abyss, starring down at her, demanding a perfect duet. A pointlessly perfect duet.

She sees Sunny's eyes, those eyes once full of life and quiet joy now deadpan, playing those same notes and over and over again. She feels the eyes close in around her, her chest tightens, her hands shake, and her lungs burn. She feels like she's going to throw up, despite eating only one meal that day.

She heads inside, trying to steady her breathing.

Hero awakens to footsteps down the hall, stirring himself from slumber.

Mari heads to the restroom where she throws up. She wipes the vomit from her mouth, her breathes slowing, she slowly returns to a calm sadness before she exits. She decides to try to go back to sleep. At least Hero doesn't know so it's-

"Are you OK?" He asks, already knowing by the vomit stain on her shirt she isn't, but hoping that she will say it so she'll actually accept help.

Mari sighs, knowing that she could lie but by this point it won't get her anywhere, knowing that Hero knows her better than that. She concedes, trying not to cry, "No..."

Chapter Text

"Did you get bad news on Sunny's condition?" Hero inquires, hoping he can reassure her to ease her stress.

Mari explains, "The doctors said they have no idea what will happen but he's suffered a severe mental break and could recover at earliest in a week. Latest... never."

"Mari..." Hero reaches out to her, and Mari relents, accepting the embrace with self loathing in her heart. "I'm sure he'll recover, Sunny is stronger than he looks. He will find a way."

"But even if he does what I've done to him-" Mari protests.

"Your parents deserve at least some of the blame, Mari." Hero retorts, "You did mentioned they pushed him too right?"

"But I-"

"We can play the blame game all we want but you're still here, for now focus on those you have and give Sunny time. We will find a way to fix this. All of it."

Mari finally breaks, crying in Hero's warm, soothing emrbace. She feels safe, at peace, like it's OK to cry.

Hero breaks down too, crying as well as he pulls Mari closer. Crying in the embrace of the other, crying out their anguish in the warm embrace of their love, that soothing grasp, they eventally doze off. 

One week has since passed.

Mari's parents are nowhere to be seen.

Mari hasn't been home since the incident. She tries to maintain composure for the most part, but by now Hero has somewhat broken through and she accepts at least a hug from him. However the trio feel lost, Hero's parents offering to let her stay until her parents return, but they have yet to show their faces.

Kel has seen everything thus far and leaves early that morning, knowing that everyone is stressed and saddened by the recent events he decides it best to try to correct things, to make sure everything is OK...

And that starts with Aubrey and Basil.

Aubrey and Basil have farred a bit better than the rest of their friends in some regards but worse than others. Every day Basil looks at that flower, that flower for Mari, and every day he wonders if he should kill it, trim it and with it cut Mari out of his life, but he can never bring himself to decide, so he leaves it neglected, kept alive only via the rain, but slowly wilting due to his inaction.

It is a choice that weighs heavy on his mind, not one he can make lightly, but one he knows he must make soon, as like the life of the flower, if neglected to long, time will make the choice for him.

Aubrey, however, does not ponder this choice at the moment, having stayed with Basil for the time being and been far better off for it. She leads Basil to meet her friends explaining, "You'll love them they're great. Come on!"

Basil anxiously retorts, his face red as Aubrey leads him by the hand, "I... I don't know Aubrey. I get anxious around new people..."

"I promise you they're fun," Aubrey smiles, "Besides..."

Aubrey looks down at her feet, trying not to think about what Kel said, "I don't wanna talk to the others right now."

"Aubrey there you are!" A voice exclaims happily, a girl in glasses rushes over to hug Aubrey, "How have you been?"

"It's been one of those days," Basil replies half jokingly, "Where's everyone else?"

"Vance was getting pizza for everyone I was just catching up," Kim explains, "Who's the boy with the flower?"

"I'm Basil," Basil greets anxiously, "Hi..."

"Cool," Kim responds with a kind fist bump. Basil hesitates but returns it. Kim smiles and continues, "Name's Kim. You wanna tag along?"

Basil nods, "Yeah... sounds fun."

The trio begin to walk down the street, Basil to anxious to speak, unsure what to say until Aubrey nudges him and explains, "Yeah this guy is quite the botanist."

"Oh you have flowers?" Kim inquires, "I've always liked flowers. Do you have any favorites?"

"I like sunflowers a lot," Basil explains happily, "They're quite fascinating. In fact over in Japan they're using them to absorb radiation and it's very effective. It's amazing how nature can heal like that and-"

The trio carried on in joyous conversation until a voice froze the trio dead in their tracks. Aubrey's face morphs into one of rage, a burning pain in both heart and her left arm remind her of Kel's harsh words.

"Leave us alone Kel," she states sternly.

"Basil we should go," Kim suggests, knowing this is going to get ugly fast.

Basil silently refuses for the same reason.

Kim slowly backs away, going to get the others, hoping to break this up before things get to heated.

"Aubrey we need to talk," Kel explains, "I-"

"I have nothing to say to you," Aubrey growls, "Leave."

"Aubrey I'm sorry I didn't know," Kel explains.

"Get fucked!" Aubrey snaps back, "None of you ever cared enough to notice except for Mari and then after what she did to Sunny not like she can be trusted with important shit!"

"Aubrey please we can't help you if-" Kel elabroates.

And Aubrey decks him, enraged. Her eyes hold a genuine hatred. She growls, "I don't need your help. I don't want your help."

"But we want to help you," Kel pleads collecting himself, maintaining his composure, not wanting to hurt Aubrey again as he did before, "Aubrey you can't just keep running forever eventually she's going to-"

"Shut up!" Aubrey screams, that old wound searing up in agony once more, "Just leave Kel."

"Look me in the eye and promise me you'll be OK," Kel demands, "And fine. I'm gone."

Aubrey freezes, unable to answer. She knows that this problem will catch up with her and is unable to assure Kel, who offers a pained but compassionate smile, that she will be OK. Aubrey, however, refuses to accept help after their argument at the hospital, to hurt by Kel's words to accept help. The lack of an apology doesn't help matters either, which Kel would realize and offer with enough time. 

But there's not enough time.

For Aubrey tries to kick Kel in the stomach, but her eyes go wide with shock and worry as Basil takes the blow for Kel, crying, "Stop it! Stop it!"

Aubrey tries to comfort Basil, overwhelmed by guilt but Basil steps back, sobbing, "Please... stop. We're friends. What happened to us? What happened to you two?"

Both fell silent, before Kel spoke with a sigh, "I'm the one who messed up here Basil. After all, I compared Aubrey to a child abuser..."