Swim Against The Tide

Swim Against the Tide
Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/38952870.
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: F/M
Fandom: OMORI (Video Game)
Relationships: Hero/Mari (OMORI), Hero & Mari (OMORI), Aubrey & Basil & Hero
& Kel & Mari & Sunny (OMORI), Hero & Kel (OMORI), Aubrey &
Hero (OMORI), Hero & Sunny (OMORI), Basil & Hero (OMORI)
Characters: Hero (OMORI), Mari (OMORI), Sunny (OMORI), Kel (OMORI), Basil
(OMORI), Aubrey (OMORI), Hero and Kel's Mother (OMORI), Hero
and Kel's Father (OMORI), Basil's Grandmother (OMORI)
Additional Tags: Time Travel Fix-It, No Major Character Death, Hero has PTSD,
Recovery, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, What-If, Character Study, Post Bad
End, Established Relationship, Hero-Centric Fic, Anxiety Attacks,
Flashbacks, Canon-Typical OMORI Warnings, Survivor Guilt, Fluff,
friend group shenanigans, Big Brother Hero, slow burn plot, Taking the
scenic route here
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2022-05-12 Updated: 2023-12-24 Words: 217,862 Chapters:
59/60
Swim Against the Tide
by tsukithewolf
Summary
He should be happy that he’s gotten another chance. He could change things now. He could
right the mistakes of the past. He could save Mari, who was still alive and sleeping in her bed
right now in that house next door. He could save Sunny, who had yet to push his sister down
the stairs. He could save Basil, who was still kinda new to their friend group and maybe
didn’t even know how important they all were to him. He could stop this chain of tragedy
before it happened.
But knowing this didn’t make adjustment any easier. Hero was twenty years old in a fourteen-
year-old body, three of his best friends who'd died were alive once more, and he was not
coping well.
A Hero-centric character study in a what-if world where Hero, post Bad End, comes back in
time to rewrite the future, and how his interference changes everyone's lives.
(Now with art and new photo album pictures!)
Notes
Hi,
This fic is one I've been thinking about for a while. I feel like this fandom is desperately
lacking in Hero-focused fanfics, so I wanted to change that. I want to have this story be more
of a character focus than one with any heavy kind of plot. So, if you're here expecting any
kind of dramatic, world-shattering time alterations, you won't get that.
What you WILL get is an in-depth exploration of Hero as a character, his relationships with
everyone in the friend group, a LOT of Hero/Mari, and my own headcanons for how time
would've progressed and how the friend group would change based on if Mari's accident did
not occur. Please do not expect a ton of drama, or someone else getting seriously hurt in place
of Mari's death or anything. That's not this kind of fic.
The beginning chapters will be a little short for the sake of the narrative, but I plan to make
them longer as time goes on until they're a nice length.
This story is a spiritual sequel to my other story "A Tower of Cards" if you want to know
what kind of world Hero is coming from. You'll get more details as the story progresses,
though.
I hope you enjoy it! I really love Hero, and I really love Hero/Mari, so this is me providing
love to both.
Please keep an eye on the tags just in case! I may come up with stuff that needs to be tagged
as we go on, and I will add them to both the story tags and alert at the beginning of the
chapters just in case there's anything a little triggering.
(Cover by @/PyricInferno. Second picture done by @/mozzaremi)
See the end of the work for more notes

Fourteen
Hero laid awake in the deepest part of the night listening to the sounds of Kel’s soft snores in
the bed across from him. The bedroom was stuffy from the heater fending off the early
November chill outside. There was sweat on Hero’s head as his stomach rumbled with the
dredges of the heavy dinner and birthday cake from Kel’s party. His pajamas felt a little small
on him, and his bones ached just a bit from what Hero knew to be growing pains. He was
exhausted, but he couldn’t fall asleep. His mind was too active to rest, so Hero just watched
his little brother sleeping instead.
Hero was twenty years old, and Kel had just turned twelve today.
(Well, Hero mentally corrected as he looked at his alarm clock. The red numbers were
visually buzzing with the numbers 2:48am. Kel had actually turned twelve yesterday.)
Hero’s eyes lowered back to Kel. His little brother was twelve again. He had just turned
twelve at a birthday party that Hero had forgotten the details about with time but recalled as
he had experienced it all over again.
Kel was twelve years old. Hero was twenty. But his body was fourteen years old.
Hero was fourteen years old again, and he was scared.
He wasn’t supposed to be fourteen. He wasn’t even supposed to be a teenager. He was

supposed to be in college.
He was in his dorm room before all of this had happened. He had thought he had been
dreaming when he had woken up one day back in his fourteen-year-old body to his alarm
clock. He had been confused out of his mind to be back in his family home. His parents had
caught him staring at himself in the bathroom mirror in disbelief and had questioned why he
hadn’t already left for the bus that he would miss soon. Hero had simply stared at them,
uncomprehending. He had questioned them, but his questions had only earned him concerned
looks. Who was Sally? Hero, were you feeling unwell? You’re pale. Stay home today and
rest. We’ll write a note for you to take to school tomorrow, okay?
Hero had gone back to bed as Kel had gotten up to get ready for sixth grade. Hero had
forgotten how small he used to be. Kel had complained that Hero got to stay home claiming
he was sick as well, but he had been sent off anyway. Hero had covered himself with his
blanket, closed his eyes, and had expected to wake back up in his dorm room after the
strangest and most realistic dream of his life.
It was a month later, and Hero had yet to wake up from this dream. After today, he was
certain now that he wasn’t dreaming anymore. Somehow, he had gone back in time. He was
living the past over again, and he had no clue why or how that happened.
He climbed out of bed and pulled on some socks and his slippers. The house was peaceful
and heavy with the night. It was punctuated only by the snores of his mother rumbling from
the master bedroom. The floors creaked slightly as Hero left the bedroom and headed
downstairs. The décor of the house was a little bit different than he remembered it being.
That picture frame with Abuela Rosa was the one that broke when Aubrey and Kel had been
fooling around too close to it and it had fallen back when Hero had been fifteen. This runner
carpet that was in the upper hallway was gone the last time Hero had come to visit in the
summer. He didn’t realize these changes until they were put back.
Hero’s feet reached the bottom floor, and he made his way to grab his coat. Hector got up at
the sight of him. It was shocking to see their dog as a pup again as Hector’s little tail wagged
as he joined him. Hero pulled on his coat and crouched to pet him, smiling sadly to himself.
He felt like he could be who he really was away from the eyes of his family and friends who
didn’t know why he had changed.
“Vamos, Hector,” he murmured as he opened the front door and silently exited with the pup
on his heels. If he was going to go outside, he could at least take Hector with him. The dog
excitedly followed him as Hero shivered in the freezing air of the night. It instantly ripped the
heat from his skin and chilled the sweat on his face. He huddled more into his jacket and
walked into the backyard with Hector sniffing the ground and following.
Out here, at least, looked the same. There were more toys in the backyard from Hector and
Kel’s things, but otherwise nothing had changed. Signs of children frequenting this area made
Hero’s heart ache with nostalgia even as his stomach still roiled. He glanced over at the fence
to the yard beyond it before his eyes drifted over to the back of the house. His skin prickled
with unease. His eyes shifted back and landed on The Tree. Even from here he knew exactly
which one it was because Sunny had liked it the most. He, Kel, Hero, and Mari had all
climbed the tree plenty of times before. It wasn’t so high that they couldn’t make it a few feet
into its branches, and the height had been thrilling for them as kids. It was Sunny’s favorite
tree.
It was the tree where Mari had been hung.
Hero swallowed back bile, vision swimming a bit.
His mind filled with images of Aubrey putting that pink pinwheel into the center of the tree
stump. He thought of Sunny’s empty eyes slowly recovering life. He thought of their group
hug and how it had been the last time he had hugged Sunny.
And Hero’s eyes filled with tears before they overflowed. He sobbed quietly to himself,
ignoring Hector when the dog came over to snuffle curiously at the sounds Hero was making.
He should be happy that he’s gotten another chance. He could change things now. He could
right the mistakes of the past. He could save Mari, who was still alive and sleeping in her bed
right now in that house next door. He could save Sunny, who had yet to push his sister down
the stairs. He could save Basil, who was still kinda new to their friend group and maybe
didn’t even know how important they all were to him. He could stop this chain of tragedy
before it happened.
But knowing this didn’t make adjustment any easier. His future had been rife with pain. He
had almost forgotten what Kel had been like so full of life and energy. He had forgotten how
Aubrey used to smile so brightly before her hair had been dyed. He had forgotten how
wondrously Mari had shined in person, and how Sunny looked when his skin was glowing
with a healthy hue. His future had been tragic, but it had still been his life.
It was gone now. Sally didn’t even exist yet. Hero hadn’t graduated from high school. His
year of severe depression hadn’t happened. The tentative recovery he had made before
slipping and being flung back into the past mid-tumble down a slippery slope didn’t mean the
falling stopped. Everything was better, but Hero was still the same.
He fell to sit in the grass, bringing his knees up to hide his face in them, and he wept. Hector
whined a little as he nosed under Hero’s arm, trying to comfort the scared and lonely boy.
Hero was twenty years old in a fourteen-year-old body, three of his best friends who'd died
were alive once more, and he was not coping well.
Organized
Chapter Notes
Might post chapter 3 as well just because these first two chapters are so short. We'll see.
You don’t really think about how much of your life is focused around public school until you
go through something world-changing… and you still end up having to go to school the next
day. In the years since Hero had last been a freshman in high school a lot had changed. His
sophomore year had been a blur because of his depression. His junior and senior years were a
constant activity of trying to distract, distract, distract and keep away the sludge monster that
constantly threatened to drag him back down into the depths of despair after Mari’s death. So,
even if Hero still remembered such things like how to do math formulas, the different parts of
a cell, and even how to kick the kickball from gym class just right to send it flying, Hero
didn’t remember the more general details. Namely, he had no idea what classes he had and
where back in freshman year.
Luckily, he had always been an organized person. Notebooks, filing, and folders in his desk
meant that Hero just had to look for his old schedule and reread his notes to figure out where
he was in all of them. It came back to him in bits and pieces of half-remembered assignments
and days spent in class. He had mostly forgotten about them since they were irrelevant unless
something special had occurred. He was glad he could play catch-up with the work he had.
He needed it in order to function in his life now.
School was easy, though Hero’d had a hard time adjusting for the first two weeks. High
school friends that he didn’t really remember greeted and chatted with him in the hallways.
Locker combinations needed to be looked up or else he needed to inform the office that he
couldn’t access his locker and needed help. He packed his own school lunches instead of
dealing with the stuff that could hardly be called food at school. And Hero had to remember
what his bus number was so he knew which one to get on to go home.
He had help, luckily, in the form of Mari. Which was, honestly, another issue.
Mari was alive and she was even more beautiful than Hero had remembered. He had broken
down in tears upon seeing and hearing her voice for the first time again. It had been like
seeing a ghost in both the best and worst kind of way. He had been terrified to touch her. She
had been the one to reach out first and grab his hands in worry when on his second day back
in the past he burst into tears at the bus stop. She had asked him what was wrong, but he had
been inconsolable. The more he had looked at her and listened to her voice and felt her touch
and smelled her perfume in the breeze, the more Hero broke down. Eventually he had just
said,
“Please… Please, just… just let me hold you for a bit.”

And Mari did, for as confused as she had been. She had held him close as he had clutched her
far too tightly. She was just as he had remembered her. He had felt bad for ruining her shirt.
He had never wanted to let her go. Her hands had been gentle as she had rubbed his back. Her
voice had sounded pained for him as she had said,
“I don’t know what’s wrong, but I’m here to listen, Hero. It’ll be alright.”
Hero had seriously considered telling her because he had felt he’d been going insane, but he
had thought it was a dream and had given up on the words before he could say them. He
would revel in her presence while he still slept on. He had thought he had been emotionally
prepared to see her, but nothing could’ve really prepared him for it.
The last time he had seen her, her face had been unnaturally stiff and painted with makeup.
Her expressive face had been cold, and the scent of funeral flowers around her had choked
Hero’s airways.
He hadn’t been able to go to school that day either. He had played up being sick for almost a
week, though he hadn’t stayed in bed the whole time. He had avoided his friends and had
cried at least once a day, but he had started going to school again by day three. He had been a
little more composed then, and Mari, though still worried for his strange actions, had helped
him.
He knew that he had to keep this hidden from people. Who would possibly believe him?
Hero couldn’t prove he had returned to the past. Hero himself hadn’t even believed it. So, he
had needed to act the part. He had needed to hide his feelings, and he had needed to be as
normal as possible. He had never been the best actor, but he didn’t have a choice.
Mari had still watched him with concerned eyes.
Kel had called him out on acting weird on more than one occasion.
His mom and dad had both pulled him aside on separate occasions and had asked him if
anything was troubling him.
Sunny had once asked him if he was okay.
Aubrey had asked him if he had gotten in trouble and that was why he looked so sick all of
the time.
Hero had just smiled and shook his head before excusing himself.
Then, Kel’s birthday came and went. Hero realized that all of this was really happening. He
was really back in his fourteen-year-old body. And Hero went to school the next day.
He was in the past. He had to acknowledge that. And now that he did, he needed to figure out
how to move forward from here.
It left him in a daze and unsure how to process it.

School, at least, was easy. Take the bus to school. Listen to the chatter of his peers. Go to his
locker. Grab his books. Go to class. Listen to the teacher. Focus on his studies. Take thorough
notes. Consider how and when he would do his homework. Organize. Prioritize. Go to lunch.
Sit in art class and stare at the piece of paper he was supposed to be making a collage on,
unable to think of a single idea. Turn in an essay he wrote three days ago. Put his books away.
Take the bus home. Say goodbye to Mari. Go home. Rinse and repeat.
He was used to this. He knew how to shove his emotions into a box and distract himself. His
younger fourteen-year-old self may not have had the same hobbies, but Hero did. He picked
them back up again.
He started running in the mornings when the sun wasn’t even up yet before he needed to get
ready for school. He didn’t sleep well lately anyway, so he might as well do something.
His stamina was shit, he learned. He hadn’t realized just how bad off it was. He could barely
make it halfway around the block without being winded. Well, at least he had a goal now.
Don’t think about it. Keep busy. Busy minds and busy bodies left him tired and with no time
to think about unnecessary things. He could always make his grades better. He could always
make some gifts for his family. He could work out until he was exhausted. And he could
sleep the night away and hope he didn’t have nightmares.
School. Homework. Hobbies. Sleep. Run. School. Homework. Hobbies. Sleep. Run.
The familiar was comforting. He could almost pretend nothing had changed as long as he
didn’t think about it too hard.
Cigarettes
Chapter Notes
Okay, last post for today. Gonna slow it down now.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
It wasn’t until Hero was running an errand for his mother at Othermart did he recall that Mari
had a part-time job at the bakery.
Christmas decorations were up everywhere, and red and green filled the aisles as Hero
walked into Othermart in almost a daze. Kel had been with him for a few minutes, but he had
ditched to go to Hobbeez rather than join Hero on his boring shopping trip. That was fine,
Hero thought, though admittedly he missed his little brother’s presence. He hadn’t really
hung out with him since he had come back in time, and he was starting to feel that loneliness
kick in. Even as an adult in college he had called home and talked with his family on the
phone at least once a week. That had tapered off a little towards the end of his time in the
future, but…
It was better not to think about that.
Christmas made Hero think about his birthday more than anything else. He was very, very
aware of his age because of his circumstances. He would be fifteen soon. He couldn’t really
remember what he did on that day the first time around because he was born on New Year’s
Day. He thought that maybe he had been allowed to try alcohol for the first time since he was
fifteen that year. He wondered if he would be allowed to do that this year. He wasn’t one for
substance abuse but… drinking a bit sounded kinda nice. It was better than smoking, which
Hero had done on and off when he had turned eighteen. He had only used them during his
most stressful moments. He had smoked a lot more by the time he had turned twenty. He was
glad his fourteen-year-old body didn’t have the nicotine cravings, but his fingers sometimes
itched to hold a cigarette anyway.
Maybe he should buy some candy cigarettes, he thought with amusement as he stopped at the
entryway to the candy section of the store. They didn’t really sell them anymore by the time
he was an adult, but maybe they were still around now? He would have to check it out.
First things first, though. He only had a limited amount of money given to him by his mother,
and he had things to buy. So, he followed the delicious scent of fresh bread to the bakery. He
didn’t see Bowen and Daphne today, which surprised him, but he also couldn’t remember
when they had started working there more and more. Maybe after they graduated high school
as well? He’d hung out with them a few times, but he wasn’t really close with them. Still, he
was kinda hoping to say hi. Instead, he would just say hi to their family-
“Hero!” Hero jolted from his thoughts as his head whipped to where his name was called.
Mari waved at him from behind the counter. Her hair was tied up in a low ponytail as she
wore an apron and a pastel pink sweater that had its sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Her
smile was bright, and her eyes glittered in a way that still made Hero’s breath catch. She was
so alive. He was still having a hard time adjusting to it.
“M-Mari!” he responded as he moved around the container of baguettes to join her at the
counter. “Wha-what are you doing here?”
“I work here, silly. Did you forget?” Her voice was teasing, but Hero recognized that edge of
concern that had been in her tone when she talked to him ever since he had broken down in
front of her. He smiled sheepishly and rubbed his neck. “Just because you had to quit didn’t
mean I didn’t have a couple more weeks left for this part-time job.”
Hero frowned curiously at her. That’s right; he did work here for a few months back in the
summer. He had mostly been helping out as an unofficial job since he couldn’t legally work
yet, but the bakers had still paid him for his work. Now that he thought about it, Mari did
work with him. She was still working here?
“That’s cool,” he said. When had she quit this job? He couldn’t remember that either. He just
remembered he had been saving up money by working the job. He and Mari had had so much
time alone together because of them helping to bake bread and work the store that it had led
up to their eventual confession and subsequent romantic relationship. It made him smile to
think about. It was a fond memory.
Mari watched him closely. Her gaze always seemed to go right through him. When she
reached for his hand, he naturally stretched it out to meet it. Her thumb brushed over his
knuckles. “Henry,” her voice was soft. She only used his actual name in moments when she
was really trying to be serious or get him to focus on her. It worked every time, “what’s with
you lately? You’re so spacey, and you look like…” she trailed off and didn’t finish.
“Like…?” he prompted even though he could take a guess.
She shrugged, frowning gently. “Distant, I guess. What’s wrong? You know you can talk to
me.”
If only it were that easy, Hero thought. He couldn’t really talk to anyone about this. What
would Mari even say if he told her the truth? Would she believe him? And if she somehow
did, should he tell her about her fate? It seemed cruel.
Hero didn’t even want to think about it. He didn’t want to think much about anything.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized more out of habit than anything. He stepped closer to the counter
and took both of her hands in his, arms resting on the surface. He examined their hands
together. She’d always had such beautiful fingers. His main memories of them were the sight
of them pressing down on the keys to the piano, and covering her mouth as she muffled
herself from laughing. She always tried to hide her pretty smiles. Hero always wanted to take
her hands and push them aside so he could see it. He had forgotten these details in time as
well. “I’m okay. I’m just… stressed. I’ll be alright.”
“Stressed about what?” she pressed, tilting her head so that she could be in his vision. Hero
met her gaze finding her impossible to ignore. It made a smile twitch onto his face, small
though it was.
“Life. Being a teenager. That kinda thing.”
“Hehe, well, I’m a teenager too, silly.” She was being persistent. Hero had really worried her.
“I’ve missed you.”
Now that he thought about it, their relationship was still pretty new from Mari’s standpoint.
Man, he’d been being a pretty bad boyfriend up until now, huh? They’d been basically
attached at the hip when they had first started dating. Hero hadn’t properly hung out with
Mari alone since he had come back here. Actually, he hadn’t really hung out with any of his
friends.
“I’ve missed you t-” his voice cracked as his heart lurched. His grips on her hands tightened.
The sounds of the grocery store blurred away. He struggled to pull himself back and push
down the tears that threatened him. He cleared his throat. “I’ll be better soon, I promise. I
think I might just be a little in over my head.”
“More like you get stuck in your own head,” Mari chided gently, reaching out to brush hand
over his cheek. He closed his eyes wanting to tilt his head into her touch. He wanted to hug
her. He wanted to just fall asleep in her arms like he’d done in the past. He felt like maybe
then he could die happily.
Hero wondered if maybe this is the afterlife. Maybe he had already died in his sleep, or he
had downed the bottle of pills that had been tempting him for weeks. Maybe this was what
heaven was like and he was spoiling it by-
Mari’s hands clapped down on his cheeks, snapping him back to reality with the sharp sting
of pain. Her gaze was serious now. “Yes, exactly like that! You’re a thousand miles away,
Hero. Where is your mind?”
“Five years in the future,” Hero joked, mentally scolding himself. Why couldn’t he focus?
Mari hummed, not happy with that answer. He hated that he was making her so concerned.
He struggled to find a new topic so they could stop talking about this. “Did you save up the
money you wanted?” He could go with that. It wasn’t subtle, but at least it worked as Mari
released him. He rubbed the sting from his cheeks as she checked the store briefly for
customers they may have missed before returning to him.
“Yes. Dad and I are planning to go this weekend and buy Sunny’s violin and get it wrapped!”
Hero’s ears rang. “Isn’t that exciting? He’s going to be so happy!”
Sunny’s violin.
Christmas.
Photographs.
Right. Right!
The recital. The violin. The duet.
Mari, pushed down the stairs in an argument.
Mari’s body strung up in a tree.
Sunny’s corpse on the hospital pavement.
Two gravestones of two siblings, the dirt fresh over one of them.
Hero was going to be sick.
“Hero?” Mari asked. She sounded very slightly annoyed between her concern.
Hero forced a shaky smile on his pale face. He pulled his trembling hands off of the counter
and into his hoodie’s pocket. “Um, are you sure you want to get Sunny a violin? Maybe a
different gift would be better?”
Mari stared at him like he had developed two heads. Hero could only see her stiff, unnatural
expression as she slept forever in her coffin. “Why are you asking that now? I thought you
agreed it was a good idea…? Hero, we all worked so hard to afford it!”
“I-I know! But what about a bike instead? Or, uh, what was that thing Kel and Sunny were
talking about the other day…?” He couldn’t remember. He doubted there even was a thing.
He was hoping she would fill in the gap.
“No…” Mari said slowly, “we’re getting him the violin because he’s been wanting to play
alongside me… remember?”
There was no way of recovering this. Hero could tell his breathing was a little too heavy. He
clenched his hands too tightly in his pocket.
The violin. The violin. The violin. The violin.
Piano notes were playing in his head that sounded like the song Mari had played over and
over again for hours at a time.
“Henry-” Mari started, reaching for him with genuine worry on her face, but Hero stepped
away quickly. Too quickly. She startled. Shit.
“Sorry. Sorry- I’m sorry, I… I think I should go,” he scrambled to say. His head was
spinning. He felt like he was going to throw up.
“No, wait, Hero, please-!” Mari moved as if she was going to come out from behind the
counter. Hero shook his head at her and stepped a few more paces away.
“I need to go,” he said before turning on his heel. He fled from the store with her calling after
him once more. He cursed himself for his lack of discretion, but he couldn’t control himself.
He had to run the last few feet out of the store to go around to the back where he vomited up
his lunch. He coughed and fell to a crouch as he gagged on the flavor.
He felt dizzy. He felt angry. He felt scared. He didn’t know what to do. He had been so
obvious. Mari was going to definitely ask about this again. He should’ve done better. What
was he even going to say? Could he convince her not to get the violin? Was there really a
point? Was the violin even the heart of this?
God, Christmas was coming. His friends had been discussing having a party on Christmas
day for the past two days while hanging at his house. He hadn’t been paying attention. He
hadn’t connected the dots. He had been aware that he was in the past and this was the last
year of Mari’s life, but he hadn’t really put the pieces together. In his mind’s eye he could see
the series of photo album pictures he had looked at with Aubrey, Kel, and Sunny on that last
day before Sunny had-
Hero gagged again, but nothing came out. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and
wiped his mouth and nose, grateful that he had continued that habit from his college years.
He blew his nose and shook his spinning head.
Those photographs haven’t happened yet. Those memories haven’t been made.
The first picture in that album was Sunny playing his violin. He had looked so happy and
nervous.
He didn’t know if he wanted to change that. He didn’t know if he could anyway.
He shoved the handkerchief back into his pocket with some disgust and wiped his hands off
on his jeans before pulling his hoodie up over his head. He kept his head low as he returned
to the front of the shops. He walked home unthinkingly, letting his feet carry him to a place
he felt safe and was relatively unchanged from what he knew.
It wasn’t until he was on his doorstep did he remember that he had completely forgotten the
groceries and Kel. His hand shook on the doorknob, tempted to just go in and face the
consequences anyway, but his responsible side wouldn’t let him. He turned around and went
back to collect his brother. He’ll ask Kel to buy the bread from the bakery.
His fingers twitched. His mouth tasted of sick.
He wished he had a cigarette.
Chapter End Notes
Let me know what you think in the comments, if you enjoyed!

Playgrounds and Sunrises
He was a better size for the playground equipment now. Hero sat on the swing in Faraway
Park and kicked himself idly back and forth. It was very early, and the sun was just rising.
His footprints were the only ones in the park so far after fresh snow had fallen overnight. His
ears were freezing, so he tugged his hat down lower over them. He liked watching the
sunrise. It was calming, and the sky had mostly cleared of the clouds from earlier. His
morning run was over, so now he just wanted to take some time to himself before he walked
back home. His parents would wonder where he was if he stayed out too long. They trusted
him and knew that he went on morning runs, but he tried to get back before they woke up.
Hero couldn’t remember when he had stopped being able to fit properly on the playground
equipment. He had outgrown certain things very quickly, but the swings were for everyone.
Hero’s legs had grown too long at some point over the years, and he had been unable to
properly swing because of it. That wasn’t the case now. He could still kick his way back and
forth on the swing without touching the ground as long as he tucked his legs tightly when he
swung backwards.
He kicked the snow at his feet, scattering it. His running shoes weren’t great for snow, but
Hero didn’t really care. He would take a warm bath when he went home. It was nice to just
sit like this for a bit and ground himself.
When he had been this age the first time around, he remembered spending almost all of his
free time here. Memories of himself with younger versions of his friends were contained in
every part of the old equipment. Even the scent of the metal from the chains transferring to
his hands evoked the visceral memory of swinging competitions.
How many of those memories had already occurred? What hadn’t happened? His childhood
was a blend of sights and sounds and experiences with very little definitive lines that could be
expressed with age labels. He had spent his entire youth in this neighborhood, and yet now it
felt almost foreign to him. It was like coming home after being overseas for years.
Everything was the same, but it wasn’t.
Or was it because Hero had changed? Did he no longer fit in here? He could feel his maturity
difference between himself and his peers. Kel, Sunny, Aubrey, and Basil were still kids. They
were untraumatized and unsoiled by tragedy. Mari, who had always seemed so much smarter
than him when he had been fourteen, now just seemed like a normal teenager. And Hero…
Hero couldn’t stop thinking of who he was.
He was the one tainted and changed. It was impossible to clean this canvas once the black
paint had already been splattered across it.
(Black and red. The light teal of Sunny’s hospital gown bleeding dark. The grey concrete
corrupted by the pieces of-)
Hero kicked the snow up harshly, purposefully causing it all to fall on him. He busied himself
with brushing it off and stood up. If he had time for those thoughts, it meant it was time to
distract himself. He didn’t feel like watching the sunrise anymore.
Mari will be going to pick up Sunny’s brand new violin. It would be presented to him at the
Christmas party that was in a little over a week. Hero knew he had to attend. He wondered
what his friends thought of him since he had been avoiding them. He knew that he was
worrying them, but he still didn’t know how to act anymore. How was he supposed to change
anything if he was running away again? But Hero didn’t really know what else to do. He only
really knew how to run.
There had been a time he had spoken confident words to his friends the day before Sunny
was to move away. They had promised to be there for each other from then on. Hero had
sworn they wouldn’t make the same mistakes they did in the past. Kel and Aubrey had agreed
while looking confident.
But then Basil and Sunny had fought over something causing them to be hospitalized while
everyone had been asleep.
And Sunny jumped off of the hospital roof the next day when nobody had been looking.
And Basil disappeared after Sunny’s funeral. Hero assumed he had killed himself too.
The remains of their friend group broke apart.
Hero had been alone for nearly two months even before he had appeared in the past. At least
half of that was his own fault.
There was a selfish part of him that wanted Kel to snap him out of it like he did in the past,
but he couldn’t possibly put that kind of weight on a twelve-year-old. It hadn’t gone well the
first time anyway. Hero would rather not have his brother dealing with that again.
He knew what Kel looked like while broken. He had seen from the outside-in how love
abruptly lost shattered someone. He couldn’t bear to see it happen again.
His closest friends were too young to rely on. His parents were worried for him, but they
were more focused on helping Hero with his schoolwork thinking that was where his troubles
lay. He was the perfect child. He was the one they never needed to worry about. Hero wanted
to keep that up.
That left Mari.
But-
Hero tripped with a yelp over the wooden border of the sandy playground, causing him to
faceplant straight into the snow. It absorbed most of the impact. He spluttered and pushed
himself up, teeth chattering as he brushed the snow from his face. Great, he bemoaned. Some
of that had definitely gotten into his jacket. He wasn’t wearing his heaviest clothing because
of his run, and now he was properly freezing.
Still, though, it helped to clear his head as he pushed himself back to stand. He kept walking
to leave the park as he continued to brush himself off. He was glad nobody had seen that.
What had he been thinking about?
His eyes drifted back to the big yellow cat mascot staring at him as Hero exited the park.
During wintertime like this, the forest’s trees were mostly bare and the vibrant green of
summer seemed almost like a distant memory. Basil’s photo album had been full of images of
them during the months when the world was full of greens and blues and t-shirts and shorts
and flip-flops. There were no pictures of the snowy world, or the days spent tubing and
sledding down hills. Basil only got his album for his birthday, gifted to him by Mari. The first
image was of Sunny playing the violin to commemorate the day he had started using his
Polaroid camera.
In a way, the photo album felt like a countdown. As soon as that last picture was taken, their
childhoods would be over. Kel might return to play on this playground and in the park, but
Hero would rarely visit it again outside of family gatherings. He had no idea what Aubrey
had done since he hadn’t gotten the chance to catch up with her. Sunny had locked himself
away just like Hero had, and Basil had distanced himself.
The playground fit Hero’s body now, but not his mind. He didn’t know what he would do
when he came back here.
He couldn’t avoid his friends forever. He didn’t want to. He was scared to tarnish them, but
he had no reason to suddenly distance himself. He loved his friends. He wanted to replace
these terrible memories with new ones. He had to prevent that horrid future from happening
again. That was his responsibility. It was the least he could do to make up for failing
everyone so badly. He was the eldest, so he should take care of everyone.
How did he face his friends, though, when he felt like he would crumble just at the sight of
them?
He had never been an actor. He’d always been a terrible liar. He felt guilty when he lied to
people, and it showed on his face. He already knew he had done nothing but worry everyone
around him with his behavior. He just… He didn’t know what to do.
His worries had been so simple before. School seemed positively miniscule in comparison to
the mountain of trauma he had built up. The drive to be a better brother, student, and son had
taken a backseat to just trying to cope with reality. He knew that his past coping strategies
clearly weren’t the best even if they had done their jobs. He could fall back on them again,
but that required sacrificing his bonds.
He couldn’t do that.
How did he progress, then?
The sun had painted the sky bright pastel colors by the time Hero’s slow pace had brought
him down his street. The world was illuminated. He could tell what time it was just by how
much of the sky was colored since he was usually just arriving at the school at this time on
the weekdays. The world was slowly coming to life as birds chirped and car doors opened
and shut with people getting ready for the day. Hero was huddling into himself more as he
reached his driveway, but he froze when he saw someone standing next door.
Mari’s breath was fogging out past the top of her jacket as she bounced on her toes. She was
wearing her flannel pajama pants with her boots and snow jacket. She had earmuffs on, but
not much else. Hero stared at her, baffled. She smiled when she saw him.
“Mari?” he called, concerned, and moved around the fence to go meet her in her driveway.
“What are you doing out here like this? You’ll get sick!”
“No more than you, silly!” Mari responded as he got close. Her warm hands pressed against
his chilled cheeks, making him shudder. She gave an amused huff. “You’re positively frozen,
Hero.”
“I’m about to go take a shower now. Why are you out here?”
“Waiting for you.” She tucked her hands back in her pockets. “I heard from our dads that you
started jogging early every morning. I was hoping to catch you.”
Hero didn’t know how to respond to that. A confused smile pulled on his lips. “In your
pajamas? You could’ve just come to see me later.”
Mari shook her head, smile falling. “No, I can’t. You would’ve just said you were busy with
homework.”
He was about to protest, but then he winced. Now that he thought about it… he had been
using his studies as an excuse. He dropped his face into his hand. Shit. What was he doing?
“I’m sorry, Mari, I-”
“Stop.” She held up her hand, halting his words. Her expression was serious. Hero
recognized this face from years with her. No nonsense was allowed when she was in this
mode. “I don’t want to hear apologies; I want to hear an explanation.” Hero opened his
mouth again, but this time her hand landed over it. “Don’t talk! Let me speak.” Hero
reluctantly closed his mouth. She used her hand to brush snow from his hat. “I know you’ve
been avoiding me, Hero. You’ve been avoiding everyone, even your own brother. You’ve
been acting strangely now for weeks, and I don’t know why. You used to tell me everything,
but now I feel like I haven’t had a proper conversation with you in… in months! Please,” she
worried her lip before stepping into his space. She had to look up just a little to meet his gaze.
Hero’s heart stuttered. Even after all these years, she had such an effect on him, “just talk to
me. I’ll listen to everything. I’m so, so worried for you, Henry.”
Hero dropped his gaze between them.
Out of everyone in their friend group, Mari was the one he couldn’t handle losing again. She
was his girlfriend. She was his first and only love. She was his best friend. She had been his
everything, which was why hearing she had committed suicide had shattered him. He’d never
been able to put those pieces back together properly. He didn’t know if he could be the Hero
she knew.
But Mari was still his best friend. He had missed her desperately, and yet he had put a wall
between them.
He was terrified of losing her again.
“I-” his voice choked. Mari’s hand landed on his arm. She squeezed it. Her gaze was earnest.
Hero ached to hold her. He didn’t know why he was holding back. “Mari, it… It’s not that
easy. It’s… I don’t even know where to begin to explain…”
“We’ll start easy,” Mari promised. “Even if you don’t tell me everything right away, rely on
me a bit. I love you, Hero. You love me too, right?”
Hero did choke this time. Unwillingly, tears boiled in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks as
he gazed at her. His lips wobbled as he managed to say with soft passion, “So much. I love
you more than anything, Mari.”
Mari looked caught off-guard by his heartfelt confession. Her cheeks, already pink from the
cold, turned redder. But her shoulders lifted and her eyes sparkled with sympathy and love,
and she said, “Okay. Okay, then… Then let’s talk. Please.”
He didn’t know what he would say, but Hero could feel himself breaking. He couldn’t do this
alone. He’d never been one who could handle loneliness well. He could feel himself tumbling
harder and harder down this cliff with nobody to catch him. His support system was gone and
had been for so long. He had been running away from this for so long that he just wanted a
rest. He wanted a playground swing to catch his breath, and a sunrise to look at to give him
hope.
Mari had been his sun. She was so bright that it was hard to look at her sometimes. But he
hadn’t seen her for so long that he would rather go blind than to stop now.
“Okay,” he gave in as he gripped the side of her jacket for support. “Okay.”
Touch
Chapter Summary
CW: Brief descriptions of what can be considered an anxiety/panic attack.
Chapter Notes
This gained a lot of bookmarks (for a brand new Omori fanfiction) overnight. I'm happy
that it seems people are interested in this! Thank you so much for those who have
commented so far!
I binge-listen to this song and it makes me think of this fic.
He got an hour to take a shower. Hero spent the majority of it just standing under the spray,
gaze distant and focused on the sting of heat against his chilled body. His brain was oddly
quiet as his hands automatically went through the motions of cleaning himself. He paused at
one point with palms pressing hard to his face as he covered his eyes. He breathed in deeply,
listening to the rattle of the water, before he let the air out. Then he turned off the shower and
got out to towel off.
Kel was still snoozing away in bed. It was early for him to be awake on a day without school.
Hero dressed warmly and dried his hair as much as he could with his towel as he walked over
to stand over his brother. His face was round with youth, and he seemed amazingly small. He
was so used to the teen that was nearly taller than Hero was. He was used to looking his
brother in the eye. Now the top of Kel’s head barely reached his shoulders. It was almost
cute.
He brushed Kel’s hair from his forehead, expression fond, before he left the room to return
his towel and brush his hair. He didn’t have the product he used in the future to maintain his
hair better, so it was messy even after being brushed. He didn’t have the money to buy it.
Maybe he should start doing some part-time jobs again when the holidays were over. It might
be good exercise to shovel driveways for people.
He shook his head. He could deal with that later. He had Mari waiting for him.
His father was awake, but his mother wasn’t when Hero went downstairs. That made things a
lot easier. He popped his head into the kitchen to say, “I’m going to go hang out with Mari for
a little bit, Dad.”
“Getting an early start already?” Dad asked with a smile. “Glad to see you out and about.
You’ve become such a homebody recently, Hero.”
“Ah…” Hero didn’t know how to respond to that. “Yeah. Just… school, y’know? Wanted to
catch up.”
“I get it,” Dad promised as he folded up his newspaper he had been glancing at and put it on
the counter. He walked over to Hero and patted him on the shoulder. “You’re still young,
though. Have some fun too. You’ve been too stressed, son.”
“Right.” He couldn’t possibly explain why he was stressed. “I’ll… try.”
“And make sure you get in the house quick since you’re going out with your hair wet. It’ll
freeze like that!” he chortled to himself before waving Hero off.
“Got it! Be back in a little while!” he promised as he hurried to the door. He pulled on his
winter gear and left, shuddering as his shower-heated skin was instantly cooled by the
freezing temperature. He huddled in on himself as he quickly went next door. Mari was at the
door in moments, smiling in greeting.
“Hero! You didn’t dry your hair?” she cried as Hero took off his winter gear once more and
hung up his jacket.
“It was a quick walk. And I figured you didn’t want to wait.” He spotted Mari’s mother and
father on the couch with the television on. They were watching the morning news with their
coffees. Hero took a moment to pause, stumbling over his normal greetings to them when
they said good morning.
The last time he had seen Mari’s mother had been at Sunny’s funeral. The father, at Mari’s.
His mood sobered more, gaze dropping.
“You’re here early, Hero! I haven’t seen you in a while. How have you been? I heard you’ve
started jogging in the mornings?” Mari’s mother asked, half-twisting on the couch to look at
him.
“Yes, ma’am. I wanted to get healthier,” he said. It was unnerving to see how happy she was
as well. Hero couldn’t remember the last time he had seen her smile. “I’m sorry I haven’t
come to visit.”
“It’s no issue at all! Studying at your age so diligently just means you plan to get into a good
college, right?”
“Have you decided where you want to go already?” Mari’s father asked. He had always
seemed on the sterner side. Hero had dealt with people like him plenty of times in college. It
used to intimidate him when he was younger since he had only really started to face that
sternness when he had started dating Mari. Now it hardly bothered him. Though, he wasn’t
about to show that. Mr. Aki might have known him since he was a little boy too, but that
didn’t stop the father from being protective of his daughter.
“I’m still thinking about it, sir. I have some ideas in mind, but I want to figure out my career
path before I decide on anything,” Hero responded with a wavering smile. His tone was more
confident than his expression.
Mr. Aki gave a quiet nod. Mari took the moment to say, “We’re going up to my room!”
“Keep the door open,” the man responded quickly.
“I will!” she promised as she took Hero’s wrist and hurried him into the hallway to the stairs.
Only when they were out of earshot did she murmur under her breath, “Sunny’s in the
bedroom. It’s not like we’re going to do anything.”
Hero almost teased her a little, feeling his old self bubble up at the nostalgia, but his bubble
was popped as soon as they were going up the stairs. A chill ran over his body.
This was where Mari died.
He froze on the steps, squeezing his eyes shut. He became too aware of how easily socked
feet could slip on these wooden steps. He recalled how often Sunny and Mari both wore
socks around the house. His skin prickled with unease.
He shook off his dizziness. No, she was alive. She wasn’t dead.
He glanced at her. She was watching him with concern while standing at the top of the stairs.
His wrist was still held in her hand. His other hand was gripping the banister hard enough
that his knuckles creaked.
“Hero?” she called him softly, expressive (alive) face filled with concern. “What’s wrong?
You’ve gone pale.”
“I’m-” Hero croaked before swallowing. He forced his legs to work and climbed to the top of
the steps. He couldn’t look down.
Was this how Sunny felt when he locked himself away in this house for four years?
Was this feeling why Sunny had killed himself?
Don’t think about it.
He dropped his face into his hand. He felt like he was going to burst from his skin. He would
be sick if he’d had anything in his stomach. He realized that he was starving. His nausea
made it impossible to eat, though.
Mari took his wrist gently and lowered his hand. Hero tried desperately not to acknowledge
the flood of thoughts entering his head now that he was back in this house. The last time he
was here had been at night when it had been dark and hard to see much at all. And in the
daytime, everything was gone because of the move. That Hero back then hadn’t known the
truth-
“Come here,” Mari’s voice was like sunlight through storm clouds. He tried to look only at
that light. “Let’s do this, okay?” He followed her into the bathroom, letting her guide him
even though his legs felt like they shouldn’t even be able to support him. She sat him on the
toilet seat and then pulled out a few things from the cabinets. Hero watched her idly, trying to
focus only on that. He’d had a hard time focusing on things lately. He tried to pull himself
together. “Here we go,” she murmured to herself as she unwound the cord of a hairdryer and
plugged it in. She stepped in front of him with a smile and wiggled the device. “I’m going to
dry your hair, okay?”
“Huh? Uh, okay.” He wasn’t sure why she was bothering, but Mari had always been the type
to mother their friend group. Hero didn’t mind. He had kind of missed it.
The loud whir of the dryer was like white noise in his ears as he closed his eyes. She ran a
brush through his hair and then used a curling brush to help dry it thoroughly. The gentle
scrape of the spokes and the touch of her legs to his knees were grounding. Hero could focus
on those. The warm air was nice as well.
There were days in the past when they would play with each other’s hair like this. Hero had
gotten pretty good at brushing and doing styles because of it. He had grown up by Mari’s
side, and they would often put Kel’s hair in pigtails or they would practice braiding with
Mari’s hair. Hero liked to watch Mari’s hands work. They were always clever and deft. Hero
tried to keep pace with her, but Mari would sprint ahead of him in whatever hobbies they
would try. He was meticulous, and Mari was impatient.
They had become like the mother and father of a group of rowdy kids. The adults let their
gang of children run around the neighborhood knowing that Mari and Hero would be there to
keep an eye on everyone and maintain the rules. Hero had daydreamed many times about
becoming a proper father with Mari as the mother. Not so much in having kids of his own
because he had been a kid himself and he wasn’t planning on having those for a few years
yet, but he had always pictured a future with Mari by his side. It had seemed like a guarantee
that she would be his wife and he would be her husband.
Life was cruel.
He focused on the feeling of the brush tugging his hair and the whoosh of the air from the
hairdryer. He tilted his head down at the appropriate time for Mari to dry the back of his
head. Her fingers were gentle when she untucked a little bit of his longer hair from behind his
ears. He forced himself to think of nothing. He simply breathed against the tingling in his
face and throat that signaled that he was getting emotional. He sniffled once and hoped Mari
didn’t notice. If she did, she didn’t say anything.
The movements were soothing. It was easy to just let go and forget for a few moments when
he could just concentrate on the steady pattern and movements tugging on his skull. He’d
always enjoyed when someone else would take care of him. It was rare and had only grown
rarer the older he had gotten. He had tried to become independent quickly after Kel was born
and proved to be much more of a handful than Hero. Hero had taken it as a point of pride
when he could dress himself, bathe alone, brush his teeth and hair, and tie his shoes all by
himself. His parents had hardly needed to help him after a certain age.
That didn’t mean he didn’t kinda miss this ability to just let go and leave himself in someone
else’s hands for a little bit.
Mari finished and placed aside her tools while Hero’s head was still bent forward. She
stepped close so that his head was pressed to her stomach, and she rested her hands on his
neck and hair. She began to pet him gently. The two sat in silence as Hero soaked up her
presence. He was warm and clean and dry, and he felt more in control now.
“…You have to believe me if I tell you, Mari,” he started after a few long moments. “I…
can’t do this if you don’t believe me. I need you to understand that.”
“Whatever you say, I’ll believe you,” Mari swore to him. Her nails were so light against his
neck. The scratch was nice. It made his skin bubble with goosebumps as she ran her fingers
up and down his neck. He still spoke to his lap, though.
“I’m serious. It’s crazy. I thought I was making it up or dreaming for the longest time. But it’s
real, and I’m… I’m not okay.”
“I can tell,” she responded, not unkindly.
He lifted his head to meet her understanding and open gaze. He wasn’t used to looking up at
people anymore. He felt that she really, truly would believe him. Mari had been his confidant
for most of his life. There was nobody who had known him better than her. They would lay
together under the bright blue sky in the autumn and just talk for hours. They’d shared secrets
that nobody else knew. She had been his first and only love. She had been his first kiss. She’d
been his first sexual partner. She had been the one he had wanted to share his life with to the
point he had seriously considered following after her when she had died.
Despite his fears that she would think him crazy, he knew that she would at least listen to
him. She wouldn’t brush him off. She knew him. She would know he wouldn’t make
something like this up if he didn’t actually believe it.
He took her hands in his. She blinked down at them. He was sure she could feel how he was
shaking with his fear.
He didn’t know what he would do if she really, truly, didn’t believe him. Even if he was
certain she wouldn’t reject him, the fear lingered.
“I’m… I’m not fourteen. I’m twenty years old.” It felt weird to say out loud. “I am… I was a
junior in university. You know, the one that we looked at at that college fair last week? The
one we were considering going to together?” Mari nodded, expression baffled but restrained.
“I applied and got in there. Full ride. I worked hard for it. And I was most of the way done
with my B.A. I fell asleep in my dorm room bed when I was twenty and… I woke up in my
family bed last October. Fourteen again.”
His words were shaky. His anxiety was getting to him. His heart was beating out of his chest,
terrified to be voicing what he had kept locked away now for two months.
She looked so confused. Her eyes darted back and forth between his. It was hard to tell what
she was thinking, but the disbelief was there. Hero had expected that, though. Anyone would
immediately find such a claim unbelievable. And the longer Mari didn’t speak, the more
Hero could feel his hopes falling. He swallowed, mouth opening, but Mari cut him off by
softly laying her hand over his mouth.
“Wait,” she told him, voice barely over a whisper. “Give me a moment, please?”
Hero closed his mouth. Her hand dropped slowly, fingertips lingering on his lips before
falling away. She took up his hand once more idly. Hero had forgotten how much casual
touching they used to do. It had been such a normal part of his life that he didn’t realize it
was gone until he had it again. He was hyper-aware of it now.
Mari’s eyebrows scrunched and she pooched her lips like she did in deep thought. Hero
watched her, obsessed with the finer movements that he had forgotten about. He liked the
way she worried the back of her bottom lip between her teeth. She got that same distant look
in her eyes like Sunny did when they were thinking hard about something.
“…You’re twenty,” she finally said after a few long, lingering moments. Hero nodded. “How
did you come back in time, then? A time machine?”
It sounded like a silly question. Hero almost laughed, but he bit it back with a shake of his
head. “I don’t know how I came back.” His voice was a little rough. “I just woke up here one
day. I thought maybe I was having a really realistic dream. I kept expecting to wake up back
in my bed every time I went to sleep, but I would always wake up here again.” His talking
sped up a little in his hastiness as he finally was able to speak about this, “I also thought that
maybe this was just… I don’t know, a hallucination? Fake? Maybe I never was twenty and
that was a dream? But then on Kel’s birthday I remembered things that happened there that
didn’t happen until… they did. Like, my dad slamming Kel’s face in his cake? I knew he was
going to do it when even he didn’t know yet. And it was like I was experiencing déjà vu for
parts of it! And I realized that… That I’m not dreaming! And that I really did come from the
future! A-And that-!”
“Hero,” Mari interrupted, hands squeezing his. Hero realized he was shaking harder now. His
heartrate was too quick. His eyes were tearing up and his breathing was rougher. “Shh. Calm
down, okay? Breathe with me.”
“Mari, I-”
“Shh. Breathe. Follow my breathing, okay?” Hero’s eyelids shuddered as he closed them.
Mari pressed his hand to her chest, and she breathed purposefully so that he could feel it.
Hero wanted to sob. He couldn’t stop shaking. He didn’t know why he was freaking out so
much. “Just breathe. You can count if you want to as well. We’ll do it together, alright? In,
1… 2… 3…”
And Hero breathed, following her instructions and pacing. He remembered this trick. He
knew exactly how to do it. Nevertheless, he let Mari guide him. And the two of them
breathed purposefully together until Hero’s shaking had calmed and he didn’t feel like he was
going to vibrate out of his skin. His heartrate slowed and breathing became natural and less
forced. Mari stopped counting and Hero’s grips on her hands loosened. That was when he
realized.
“Oh shoot!” he gasped, quickly releasing Mari’s hands like they’d burnt him. “I was crushing
your hands! I’m sorry!”
“Oh,” Mari laughed a little, startled by his outburst, “it’s alright. They don’t hurt.”
“Still.”
“They’re fine. As long as you feel better. You do feel better, right? You’re a healthier color.”
She brushed his hair away from his face, crouching a little to check him.
Hero couldn’t explain in words how much he loved and appreciated her. He hoped his
expression was enough. “Yes, I feel better. Thank you. I don’t really know what came over
me.” He paused and then added, “You do that a lot for Sunny, don’t you?”
“When he has some bad nightmares, yes,” Mari started to put away her tools before she took
his hand in hers. She guided him from the bathroom and into the bedroom. Sunny was still
fast asleep in his bed. He looked particularly small in it as he had curled up and buried his
face into his covers to hide from the sunlight. He would be asleep until noon if he wasn’t
woken up. It looked like Mari was going to let him sleep longer as they sat down on her bed
instead. They kept their voices low as they talked. “I didn’t know you knew that.”
“I’ve seen you do it before. After that day at the lake, Sunny had nightmares for weeks about
drowning.”
Mari stared at him. “…The lake? What are you talking about?”
And Hero realized then that the near-drowning hadn’t happened yet. Their hidden spot wasn’t
even ‘theirs’ yet. It hadn’t been discovered. They were going to find it in the coming spring,
and the day that Sunny nearly drowned will happen in the summer.
“Hero? What do you mean by drowning?” Mari pressed, hand landing on his arm. “What
happens to Sunny?”
“It’s okay,” Hero hurried to say as he gathered his bearings once more. “It’s alright. He’s-
He’ll be-” The image of Sunny falling into the water abruptly switched to his body hitting
concrete and-
Hero shook it off roughly. “He’s fine,” he said, but it sounded like a lie. “We had a scare at
the lake with Sunny, but he was fine.” Better, but still sounded like a lie. Did Sunny ever
actually get better? He didn’t know anymore. “Or, uh, I mean that it hasn’t happened yet. But
it did for me.” Mari didn’t look very reassured. She had always been able to tell when he was
lying, even when he wasn’t trying to lie. There was more to it. He was reluctant to explain.
He hurried to say, “You believe me, though? About… About the time travel?”
Mari blinked a few times. Her expression cleared. “Oh. Oh! Yes! I mean… Well, no. But
yes.” She smiled sheepishly at herself. “Sorry; I’m not making sense. What I mean is, it’s
quite unbelievable! But… It explains a lot about how you’ve been acting recently.”
“You mean me being distant?” he asked, referring to what she had said at the bakery.
“Well, yes. But more about your forgetfulness. And… why you look like your hamster died
again.”
Oh, Ems. He had forgotten about his pet hamster. He’d been a wreck when she had died
rather abruptly because he had thought it had been his fault despite doing his best to take care
of her. He still didn’t know why she had passed. His parents said it was old age, but… Well,
that didn’t matter now.
He almost told her that she wasn’t far off, but decided against it. No need to open that can of
worms yet, if ever.
“Yeah…” Hero rubbed at the side of his neck, “well, it’s hard to remember what exactly I
was doing when I was fourteen. I couldn’t remember what my classes were, or my locker
combinations, or my homework or anything. I’ve got the hang of it now and I’m doing better,
but it was kinda rough in the beginning.” He motioned with his hand, “I had totally forgotten
you and I had a part-time job over the summer until you mentioned it.”
“Which is so very unlike you,” Mari agreed, leaning forward on her knees to watch him.
“You’ve never been so forgetful. I knew something was very wrong that day you came to the
bus stop and just… cried.”
Hero grimaced.
Mari continued, “I was prepared to be pretty annoyed with you, actually.”
“Huh? What for?” He looked to her with utter confusion.
“You missed our date the day before.”
Hero just stared at her. He tried to think back, but he couldn’t possibly remember all of the
outings he’d had with Mari.
She clearly noticed how lost he was. She just let out a little huff, smiling. “I think that that,
more than anything, convinced me that you’re telling the truth, Hero. Just two days before
that day, the two of us were so excited about the movie we were going to see after school.
Then you stayed home and didn’t come to school that day. Your parents said you were sick,
but you usually would’ve called me on the phone to tell me and reschedule with me like you
always do. When you didn’t, I got a little annoyed. I was going to talk to you afterwards, but
you…” She didn’t need to say it. “Needless to say, getting angry was the last thing on my
mind.”
“I had no idea,” Hero said. “I’m so sorry.”
“Stop apologizing, silly,” she scolded him, flicking him playfully on the forehead before she
bumped her shoulder to his. “It was just a movie. We can watch it when it comes out in
Blockbuster. I’m just glad to know now. You never explained anything. And you were acting
so strangely. And you started avoiding everyone, and nobody had any idea why! I had
thought something terrible had happened, but I could barely get you to do more than small-
talk with me on the bus and at school. You were just… not there.”
He felt terrible. Of course he had worried everyone. “What could I say?” he asked miserably.
“I… I didn’t know what to do.”
“I know.” She reached over and linked their fingers. Hero stared at it, heart full and heavy.
“I’m just glad you finally opened up to me. I was this close to breaking into your house and
refusing to leave your room until you spoke up!” She huffed, but it just made Hero laugh
instead. It felt good to really smile. He stared at her like she was the sunrise he had been
waiting for.
The sun shined brighter when she was here.
“I’m sorry for worrying you. And everyone. I’ve been… a really bad friend. And brother.
And boyfriend. Everyone’s been asking after me, but I didn’t know how to act anymore. I
mean… I’m not a kid. And it’s just…”
“It must be strange to see everyone so young again?” Mari guessed. “I mean, if you’re
twenty, that means everyone else is seventeen now, right?”
The hollowed places where Mari and Basil and Sunny used to be howled in his heart. The
cracks in Kel and Aubrey whistled. He didn’t remember Kel’s seventeenth birthday. Kel had
celebrated it in bed with the blinds shut and his blanket drawn around his shoulders. He’d
never eaten his cake. Aubrey hadn’t yet turned seventeen when Hero had gone back in time.
He nodded silently.
“Wow! They must look like babies to you now, haha!”
“Yeah… no kidding.” Mari must’ve sensed his somber mood. She sobered up a bit, frowning.
Hero scrambled to think of something to say so she wouldn’t question it. He forced a smile
on his face, “That’s not even getting into dealing with high school of all things again. It’s so
different from college! At least I can say I remember most of this stuff, though, so my
homework isn’t really too bad. I don’t have to study as hard as I did last time.”
“Hero.”
“Which I guess I should apologize for that too, huh? I’ve been kinda using my studies as an
excuse to avoid everyone, but I really just didn’t know how to face you all. I know I’m
different than I was, and I didn’t know what to say-”
“Hero.”
“-so I just kinda stayed in my room. I have some hobbies from the future, so I started to do
those again-”
“Henry,” Mari cut him off a little more insistently this time. Hero’s jaw snapped shut. He
glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Her voice was soft as she asked, “There’s more to it
than just the time travel… isn’t there?”
Hero didn’t respond.
“Traveling back in time would throw anyone off, but… But you’re so sad. You’re hurting. Do
you miss the future that much?”
He didn’t respond. He couldn’t look at her.
“It’s okay if you do. That was your life. It can’t be easy to come back here after living for so
long. It’s alright, Hero.”
His mouth opened. It closed.
She stayed silent too, waiting. The silence lingered. Sunny shifted in his sleep, rolling to lay
on his back. He didn’t wake up, though. Outside the birds were chirping. Muffled voices
could be heard. It sounded like Kel and Dad.
“…Alright,” Mari conceded then. “You don’t need to talk about it now. But I’m here
whenever you’re ready.” She squeezed his hand again and gave a prompting tug. He turned to
look at her, and she pulled him into a hug. Hero’s breath caught, hesitating, and then he
hugged her back tightly. His arms shifted around her until he was hugging her a little too
tightly. She didn’t complain. “I’m here,” she promised again, softer this time.
“I’m scared, Mari,” he whispered shamefully.
“Whatever you’re scared of, just know you’re not alone. Please don’t forget that. You have
me, even if you have nobody else.”
Hero’s eyes squeezed shut as a few tears escaped them. His breath hitched, but he didn’t cry.
He knew her words were true, but it was hard to grasp that.
He felt like he was hugging a ghost.

Grounding
Chapter Notes
I wanted to say that because Hero is going to be having some rather unfortunate
flashbacks, we are going to skate dangerously close to descriptions of Bad End Sunny.
However, I am going to avoid any gore-y details as much as possible. I THINK the
wording is okay, but I'm also aware that my mindset for what I can handle in terms of
horror stuff is at a different level. So, if any of my descriptions start to get particularly
gruesome enough that you guys feel I need to add it to the story tags, please let me
know!
That being said, I'll CW it anyway.

CW: Semi-graphic depictions of suicide and throwing up.
“Here we are,” Hero said as he flipped the last of the chocolate chip pancakes onto the
waiting plate. Mari beamed as she grabbed some of the sliced bananas and strawberries and
placed them on each plate before spraying a smiley face of whipped cream onto two of the
three pancake stacks. Hero smiled at the sight as well, stomach growling now that he was
calmer. Cooking had a way of relaxing him, but it was a habit he had avoided for a very long
time. It was exactly because of this as Mari cheerfully scooped up the plates and took them
over the bar before coming back to place the third into the microwave. It was really just a
matter of time before the scent of cooked food drew Sunny downstairs.
“These are perfect, Hero! I still don’t know how you manage to make such beautiful
pancakes every time!” Mari told him as Hero placed the pan aside to cool. They would do the
dishes after eating.
“Practice,” he told her. “Should I go wake Sunny?”
“We can in a little bit. Come join me.”
He was never one to turn her down, so he joined her on the barstool next to hers. They both
started to dig in. He glanced out into the living room which was now empty. Mari’s parents
had both left to go get groceries. It was a little more relaxed to not have them here. Hero felt
like he could let his guard down.
“So?” Mari prompted suddenly, pulling Hero from his thoughts. He chewed his mouthful as
he gave her a questioning look. Mari’s smile was a little mischievous as she asked, “Tell me
about the future! Anything’s fine! You were rambling about it a little earlier. I want to hear
more!”
She wasn’t pressing him for specific details. He didn’t need to tell her about just how terrible
the future really was. There were other things he could tell her, and he was grateful that she
was allowing for that wiggle room. He wasn’t sure if he should ever actually tell her about
what he had gone through, but he also wasn’t so naïve as to think that he wouldn’t give in one
day either. The weight of being the only one with this burden was too much. And if Hero was
going to prevent Mari’s death (and Sunny and Basil’s subsequent suicides), who better to
help than the victim herself? And if Sunny by any chance planned it for some reason (which
Hero couldn’t imagine he ever would, but he wanted to cover his bases) he wanted Mari to be
able to keep an eye out as well.
He swallowed his mouthful. “Um… Oh, haha,” he laughed a little to himself as he thought of
something. “Kel’s going to hit his growth spurt when he turns fourteen. He gets tall.”
Mari looked delighted. “Really? Tall like you?”
“Taller. He was a good couple inches taller than I am now by the time he’s my age. I was a
little over six feet at twenty, and he was right behind me. Sunny-” Hero stumbled a little on
Sunny’s name, but he managed to recover, “Sunny compared our heights for us. I was still a
little bit taller than Kel.”
“Oh my goodness! Six feet? You’re going to be so tall! You’re, what, 5’6” right now?”
“I think so? I can’t remember.”
“Wow~ So tall and handsome? You’re going to be a ladykiller, Hero~” she teased, gaze
playfully sultry. Hero felt a burn of a blush dart across his cheeks as he smiled shyly. He was
certainly better at handling flirting after years of being a single, attractive guy, but Mari’s
teasing always hit differently.
He shrugged carelessly and said, “I’ve been told I was. I do kinda miss being as tall as I was.
I keep trying to get stuff from the top shelf and can’t quite reach like I used to.”
“And soon Kel will be tall as well! It’s hard to picture it. He’s so tiny! Are you sure you’re
not making things up?”
He laughed at her playfully suspicious tone. “No, I’m being serious. He outgrows all of his
clothes so quickly that Mom complained about it for a year. He had to get new clothes every
couple of months. He started stealing my stuff.”
“I can’t wait to see it! And? What about your school? What did you end up choosing, since
you told my dad that you’re still thinking of things?” She popped more of her food into her
mouth. Her eyes were sparkling with interest. It was nice to see her so vibrant. He had missed
this.
“Oh, uh… Well, I wasn’t lying about that, I guess?” He frowned and rubbed at his hair, gaze
dropping to his pancakes. He used his finger to scoop some of the melting whipped cream up
and popped it into his mouth. He licked his lips as he continued, “I was going to be a
doctor… but I don’t know if I want to do that again.”
“What?” Mari sat up a little quickly, startled. “Really? You really chose to be a doctor?
Why?”
Hero tapped his silverware against his dish, silent. He didn’t remember if his mother had
started pressuring him at this point to become a doctor or not, but if she didn’t then she would
soon. Hero didn’t mind the idea of being a doctor. He had been very interested in it, actually.
But he had been rather torn about it when he had been younger. Mari had thought he should
be a chef, and Hero had really liked cooking too. He had mostly stopped cooking when he
had gotten older because cooking reminded him of Mari, though. He had done what was
necessary to eat, but he had stopped experimenting with new dishes and baking the desserts
that he had loved. Becoming a chef had been out of the question. It had just been natural for
him to just cave into his mother’s desires. He hadn’t wanted to stir the pot any longer.
“…Seemed like the more viable option,” he decided on as he avoided her gaze. “I like
cooking, but I like it more as a hobby.”
Mari frowned, unhappy with that answer. “You didn’t just give in because your mom wants
you to do it, right? You’ve always been a mama’s boy.”
Hero huffed a laugh at that. “Kinda,” he confessed. “But I really did choose it.”
“What a waste! You’re so good at cooking!” She blew a small raspberry and leaned forward
on her elbow, stuffing a sulky bite of her food into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed
before adding, “You were supposed to cook for me forever, weren’t you? I can’t live without
your food!”
Hero took a sip of his milk to cover up how much hearing that felt like a barb to the heart. He
lowered his drink again. “I can still cook for you without being a chef, honey.” The pet name
rolled off of his tongue, dusty from lack of use but just as warm as ever.
“Yes, but just imagine how amazing your food would be with professional training! Maybe I
can still change your mind?” She leaned into him, resting a hand on his bicep. Hero’s heart
twisted and swooned at the sight of her so close.
“I’m going to think over my options more this time around,” he promised as he leaned in as
well, matching her energy. “You might be able to convince me.”
Mari giggled a little breathlessly. Her voice was low as she murmured, “You’ve gotten better
at this.”
“I have more experience.”
Their lips met as Hero sighed against her. His hand landed over hers as they kissed slowly,
chaste at first before it deepened a little. Mari tilted her head as their lips slotted together, and
she hummed lightly. It sent goosebumps over Hero’s skin.
The last time Hero had kissed anyone had been during a sexual encounter roughly a month
before he had come back in time. He’d had more than one partner before that as well, and had
kissed people enough that he had long since lost count with how many he’d had. But none of
that really compared to kissing Mari again. Though he could tell she was inexperienced,
nobody kissed him like she did. The scent of her perfume, the familiar presence of her body,
the curtain of her hair falling to block the light around them; Hero had missed it all
desperately.
He had dreamt of doing this again. He had cried and lamented and had wished for one more
chance to hold her in his arms. He had played and replayed the last time he had kissed her in
his mind (a casual peck goodbye snuck between the two of them the night before the recital)
and had always wished he could’ve redone it. His flings in college and towards the end of his
high school career hadn’t compared to it. Nothing could erase her from his mind. Everything
had been a comparison to her, and nothing had measured up in the way he had desperately
sought.
And really, he would take this over anything else any day he thought as he turned in his seat
and leaned more into her space. Their lips parted as Mari blinked at him with surprise, but
Hero needed another taste. His gaze was heated and longing, heart starving as he spotted the
pretty blush that appeared on her pale cheeks caused by whatever she was seeing on his face.
His hand grabbed the edge of her seat to lean on as his free hand came up to her cheek, tips
brushing the skin there gently. She looked shy.
Cute, his mind whispered as she lifted her chin a bit to meet him in another kiss, giving into
his quiet request. He felt like his thoughts could fade away as her fingers gripped the
shoulder of his shirt, subtly pulling him in and asking him to stay. She gave the softest
whimper as he coaxed her lips to part and his tongue met hers.
Clumsy. Inexperienced. Sweet. Innocent.
Hero felt like he was experiencing love all over again. He didn’t want it to stop.
Mari hummed again as her arms wrapped loosely around his shoulders, succumbing to him as
he guided her. Kissing her evoked long buried but cherished memories of the many times
they’d done this before. He knew the sight of her smile as she had kissed him and pulled an
autumnal leaf from his hair. She had hidden her smile behind that leaf coyly as she had gazed
at his stunned face from the unexpected attack. He remembered the taste of salt on her lips
when they had snuck kisses at the beach while the scent of her coconut lotion filled his lungs.
He knew the way her eyes sparkled by the low light of the moon as her hands reached for
him, pulling him down as their legs tangled and they both tried to stay quiet for their tryst.
He could feel the ghost of those memories as they parted once more. Her brown eyes were
heated and her lips shiny. Hero was tempted to dive in for more, wishing to drown in the
memories of moments shared and moments he desired to recapture. But she ducked her head
down and to the side, causing him to kiss her cheek instead.
“Y-You’re… Hero, wow… This…”
It was rare that he struck her speechless. Mari had always been someone who could match
him. He was usually the one that was dragged into her pacing. It made him smile, blood
stirring and heating faster than he was used to. He blamed it on his younger body’s hormones.
He knew he needed to pump the breaks, but that didn’t stop him from pressing a few kisses to
her jaw nonetheless.
“Like I said,” he murmured to her, “experience.”
She was bright red. Hero wanted to eat her up. The last girl who had looked at him the way
she was had ended up in his bed.
But he was better than his desires. He had to remember this wasn’t fully his Mari. This was
Mari whose relationship with him was still new. It was only about a month and a half old
when this version of him had appeared here, and he had hardly been much of a boyfriend in
the past two months.
He pulled back. “Sorry,” he said when she still hadn’t spoken. “Too much?”
“No! No, it…” she brushed her hair behind her ear, her motions quick and flustered. She
turned even redder. Pretty. “I was just… surprised. You’ve never kissed me like that before.”
Hero was getting a little embarrassed too by proxy. His smile was goofy as he said, “Did you
like it? I can slow down next time.”
“No, uh…” She swallowed and glanced at him through her eyelashes. “I liked it a lot. I want
to-”
Whatever she’d been about to say, though, was cut off as her attention jumped to something
past Hero’s shoulder. He looked as well and startled away from Mari when he saw a sleepy
Sunny standing in the entryway of the kitchen. He was still in his pajamas, rubbing at his
eyes with mussed hair. Hero felt his blood run cold in an instant.
“Good morning, Sunny!” Mari called, shifting to a more appropriate distance from Hero as
she hopped up and moved towards the fridge. “Hero made you some breakfast.”
“Hi Sunny,” Hero greeted, smile stiffer than he wanted it to be. Sunny yawned and waved a
little to both of them instead of responding. Hero’s ears were ringing at the sight of him.
He was so small and young. He looked far too much like he did when he had been sixteen.
But his cheeks had baby fat still, and his eyes were clear instead of clouded. His body looked
healthy for his age, and his skin was a nice hue that matched Mari’s.
This wasn’t the boy who had locked himself away for four years out of guilt of what he had
done. This wasn’t the boy who had jumped to his death from the hospital roof.
But even so, Hero couldn’t unsee his body on the concrete. It had been the last time he had
seen him.
His casket had been a closed one.
Mari was talking with Sunny, getting his pancakes ready with whipped cream, but Hero’s
ears were buzzing with white noise. His good mood from only moments before had been
flash frozen.
He had been avoiding Sunny for more reasons than just one.
He hadn’t seen Mari’s death. He’d only seen her body rolled away on a gurney under a sheet,
and then her unnatural expression in her casket.
Basil had disappeared from Hero’s sight, never to be seen again. His last vision of him had
been of the boy’s dark eyes, a smile without energy, and his back as he walked away.
But he had seen Sunny’s death. He had witnessed the results of years of guilt. He had seen
parts of his friend that should never have seen the outside.
Hero still had nightmares about it.
“I’ll be right back,” Hero called then, drawing the siblings’ attention as he stood. He didn’t
look at either of them as he explained, “I’m gonna use the bathroom.”
“Okay,” was all he heard faintly from Mari before he was hurrying up the stairs. The world
spun on him, and he ended up throwing up his breakfast in the toilet. His stomach heaved,
and images of the past filled his mind. He could still hear Aubrey’s screams as she had seen
Sunny’s corpse. He remembered the shocked, devastated expression on Kel’s slack face. He
saw Sunny’s face turned to him, expression mottled by-
He fought not to cry, chest aching as he coughed and emptied himself. And when he was
done, he wiped his face with toilet paper and flushed the toilet. He stared balefully at the
disgusting contents as they swirled away.
So much for breakfast.
This couldn’t be good for him.
He sat back against the wall and simply breathed, hating himself. The cool bathroom wall felt
good against his cheeks.
It wasn’t this bad facing Sunny before, but Hero had managed. He had only seen Sunny for
two days after Mari’s funeral. He had only known the sixteen-year-old Sunny for two days.
Most of his memories were of a younger Sunny. It was a bit easier to cope because of it.
But he was still getting used to seeing him again. He didn’t know why today had hit him
harder than any of the days before. Maybe his guard had been too low. Maybe it was because
he felt more awake than he had in months. Maybe it was because he had finally opened up to
Mari. He could only guess.
He could recover from this. He had to.
His stomach churned unhappily. Hero wouldn’t be able to go back and finish his breakfast.
He got up and cleaned himself, rinsing his mouth the best that he could. He splashed his face
and squeezed some toothpaste into his mouth. He swished it around just enough to get the
taste and smell of sick out before he spat it into the sink.
He felt a little better now.
He stared at himself in the mirror.
Mari was right in that he looked terrible. His hair was fine because she had maintained it, but
there were shadows under Hero’s eyes. His tan skin was a little washed out. He looked like
he was recovering from the flu. He didn’t really know why Mari would want to kiss this face.
He could groan.
Tragically, this was the face he was more used to. Only now his jaw was rounder and he was
younger.
A fourteen-year-old shouldn’t look like this.
“Get a grip,” he told himself, frustration boiling up in him. “Get a grip! What happened to
being there for each other? How are we going to help anyone if you’re just going to lose it
every time you look at them?!”
His reflection didn’t answer him. Hero’s forehead tapped against the glass as he stared
himself in the eyes. He banged his head a bit harder against it a few more times. Then he
pulled away. He huffed.
“Okay,” he muttered. “Sunny is alive. Mari is alive. Basil is alive. Everyone is fine. And…
And I’ve gotta do this.”
He had missed his friends desperately. He had missed Sunny, and Kel, and Basil, and Aubrey.
He had failed them all in his first life. He didn’t want to make the same mistakes.
He needed to make it up to them. He needed to do better this time around.
Mari was with him this time and knew he was from the future. That was a start. He could
figure something out. He could find a way to change the future. He had more time than he
thought on his side, and he was the only one who could do something about it. He knew, for
the most part, what would come this year. He had the memories of Basil’s photo album still
mostly fresh in his mind, even if he didn’t have it memorized. He didn’t have Sunny’s
memory, but Hero remembered some of the things they would do this year.
He needed to make up for his failures, so he would start by first getting used to being around
his friends again. He couldn’t keep losing it every time he saw them. He was losing precious
time that way. He wanted to become better friends with them than before. Maybe then they
would rely on him more. Maybe then he could prevent some tragedies from happening.
Hero needed to make a list of everything he wanted to change. But he would do that later.
Priorities.
He took another breath and left the bathroom. He ignored the feelings the staircase gave him
as he walked back down, listening to Mari talking with Sunny in the dining room. He tried to
think on the positive side.
He had a second chance. He would fix what was broken before it shattered. He didn’t have to
worry about navigating the emotional pitfalls that he had seen when Aubrey and Kel had
been fighting, or when Basil had been pushed into the lake, or when Kel had hidden himself
in his bed and had struggled to pull himself out again. The only one whose trauma he had to
deal with was his own, and he had been doing that for years now.
And he wasn’t alone. He knew he would need to tell Mari the truth sooner rather than later,
but he would need to figure out what he wanted to say and when to tell her.
First things first: he needed to ground himself more in this reality. Speaking out loud about
the fact that he was twenty and having someone believe him did a lot to balance him more.
He was twenty years old in his fourteen-year-old body, but that was okay. He was fourteen
once more. He could steer his friends towards a happier future. And once he had saved Mari’s
life, they would all start down a path that was unknown to Hero together. He was really only
reliving one year of his life. Everything would be completely different after the day of the
recital.
He could change their fates.
It was time to start step one of his plan.

Starting Line
Chapter Notes
Please assume everything Hero and Kel are talking about is in Spanish. I imagine they
go back and forth speaking Spanish and English to each other since they're bilingual and
from a Spanish-speaking household. When they're alone and at home with their family,
they primarily speak Spanish to each other in this fic. Y'know, just to add that flavor to
your head while reading.
The wind was howling outside and rattling the windows. Despite it being the middle of the
day, it was gloomy out as a blizzard pelted Faraway Town. Hero tugged his toasty cardigan
tighter around his striped pajamas as he gazed out of the window at the snow. He wondered
to himself if there had been a blizzard the first time around, but he couldn’t possibly
remember. It kind of sucked that they were having one right now. He had been hoping to
hang out with his friends today and had even planned on visiting everyone, but he had woken
up to this storm. There was no way they could go out in something like this.
When he was in college, Hero had checked the weather every morning in a habit that he had
picked up from his parents. He hadn’t bothered to maintain that habit since coming back in
time, and now he regretted it. Of course he would choose to finally really try to reconnect
with his friends just in time for them all to be stuck indoors. He sighed to himself.
“POW!” Kel cried, pulling Hero from his thoughts as he watched his brother hop to his feet.
His cheeks were bright red with excitement as he struck out, and then mimed shooting a gun
at invisible enemies. The Spaceboy cartoon was on. “Pew pew! There goes Gargantula! And
then with that- BAM!! Hero, did you see that?!”
“Yeah, I saw it,” Hero lied, smiling as he watched his brother excitedly copy the moves on
the screen. The boy tucked and rolled and tried to land in a pose similar to Captain Spaceboy,
but he didn’t quite manage it. He wobbled, gave a sheepish smile, and then recovered as he
jumped up. He grabbed Hero’s arm to lean around him and look out the window.
“What’cha looking at?” he asked.
“Just the snow. I was hoping to go out today.”
“Yeah, me too.” Kel pressed his face to the glass, causing it to fog up with his breathing.
Hero made a face knowing he was probably going to have to clean that. “But check it out!
After all that snow, I bet we could build a HUGE snowman! The first of the winter!”
“Yeah, you’re right.” He placed a hand on Kel’s head and pulled him back from the window
before ruffling his hair. He had missed when his little brother had been this small and cute. It
was great seeing him so full of energy, even if admittedly this younger Kel had a bit more
energy than Hero was used to dealing with anymore. He felt too old to keep up with him.
Still, anything was better than how he had left Kel in the previous timeline.
He’d rather not think about it.
“I was thinking this year we have a little competition for it,” he continued as he steered Kel
by his head back over to the television. He released him to sit down, and Kel proceeded to
throw himself into the spot next to him. “We get everyone together, and me and Mari will
vote on who built the best snowman. Maybe we could even have teams?”
“Ohh! That sounds fun! What would we win?” Kel pulled his feet in, sitting frog-legged, and
rocked a little with his excitement. Mom really shouldn’t have let him have such sugary
cereals for breakfast when they were all stuck in the house together, Hero thought. He had
way too much energy to burn.
“Hmm…” he pretended to think about it. What were his friends into at this age? “How about
the same thing we bet on for that Pet Rock competition? You know, the one Sunny won?”
“’Pet Rock’?” Kel tilted his head with a frown, crossing his arms. “Whaz’zat?”
Shoot, were Pet Rocks not a thing yet? He could’ve sworn they were.
“Or, wait!” Hero held up a finger, grinning at his brother, “Winner gets to have all the hot
cocoa they want for the day. How’s that sound?”
“Homemade?!”
“That’s right!”
“Alright! That sounds awesome! Me and Sunny’ll team up and win since he likes hot cocoa a
lot!” Kel cheered and fell against Hero with his arms held up victoriously. His fists were
practically shoved in his older brother’s face, so Hero moved them aside. Kel draped himself
over Hero’s lap and fell back in what couldn’t be a comfortable position, but it didn’t stop
him anyway. His eyes were sparkling as he gazed up at him.
Hero’s expression became fond as he took in Kel’s bright, cheerful face. His smile was so big
that it looked like it would split his cheeks. He had forgotten that they’d been like this when
they had been younger. When had Kel stopped being so touchy with him? At some point the
most they shared were hugs. Sometimes they threw arms over each other. He was tempted to
try to kiss Kel’s cheeks to annoy him much like he used to, but he wasn’t feeling up for it
now.
Kel sighed, socked feet kicking at his discarded blanket on the floor as he turned his head
back to watch the tv that was on commercial break. Wow, Hero hadn’t heard this particular
jingle in a long time. This was nostalgic. He shifted them so Kel would be more comfortable
with the boy’s head resting on his thigh instead. The windows shuddered once more as a gust
rattled the air. Neither brother paid it much mind.
“I’m glad you wanna come out with us again, Hero,” Kel spoke after a few minutes of the
two of them just watching the tv. Hero relaxed back onto his hands, glancing curiously down
at him. “We’ve been really worried about you. Aubrey and Basil were talking about making
you a ‘get well’ card.”
“I… haven’t been sick, though?”
Kel turned his head to look up at him. His expression was surprisingly serious. It was one
that Hero was more used to on a more mature version of this face. “You haven’t been okay
either. Did something happen to you?”
Hero fell silent, staring unseeingly at the television. He supposed he would start getting these
questions more. He wondered how long his friends and family had been asking after him like
this. He couldn’t really remember. He knew that it had been a couple of times, but he had
brushed them all off. How much could he say here to his little brother? Nothing that could
taint him.
Hero would protect Kel in this lifetime.
“I think I just got really overwhelmed with high school,” he lied, avoiding Kel’s eyes as the
cartoon came back on. “It’s a big change, and I think I just let it get to me.” He smiled down
at him. “But I’m caught up on my stuff now! I think I have a better grip. I’ll be fine. I’m
sorry for worrying you, bro.”
Kel watched him thoughtfully, expression exaggerated just like he used to when he was little.
Kel had always been very expressive. It made it easier to tell what he was thinking. It meant
that it always caught Hero off-guard when he was surprisingly perceptive. “Well… Alright!”
He smiled, accepting the answer. “You can make it up to us by playing with us a lot more!
Homework stinks, so you need to take a break from it!”
“You could afford to focus more on your studies,” Hero argued back. “Wasn’t your progress
report-”
“AHHHHH!!” Kel covered his ears and shook his head, pedaling his feet in the air. “Don’t
remind me of that! We’re finally on break!! I don’t wanna listen!!”
Hero scooped the pillow Kel had been sitting on before from the floor and shoved it over the
boy’s face, muffling his voice. He leaned on it while grinning as Kel struggled. Hero gave in
and let him snatch the pillow as Kel bared his teeth at him. Hero laughed. “You gotta pay
attention sometimes. Why don’t I help you with your homework? Just to make Mom happy at
least?”
“I hate doing homework,” Kel complained as he pushed himself upwards and moved to go
change the tv channel to something new now that Spaceboy was over. He turned the knob on
the their old tv, flipping through a couple channels as he spoke, “I’m not gonna get any better.
And I’m doing fine anyway.”
“Seriously,” Hero prodded him with his foot to get his attention. When the boy was looking
at him, he said earnestly, “I’ll help you out. Now that I have a handle on my work, I can make
a lot more time.”
Kel looked a little confused. He wasn’t used to his brother being like this. The Hero from the
previous timeline hadn’t made much time for helping Kel to study outside of the occasional
homework session. He hadn’t had the time or the patience when he had been busy with his
own stuff. He had always wanted to be helpful to Kel, but Kel was a pain in the ass to try to
tutor because he hated it so much. He really did have okay grades, but he could do better.
Hero was sure that he could. Kel was smarter than he came off sometimes.
It was only when he had looked back with an adult’s perspective did Hero realize he’d been
kind of unfair to Kel. He had played and cared for his little brother a lot, and they had both
loved each other very much, but Hero had been a kid too who had been wrapped up in his
own life. There was more he could’ve done for Kel as an older brother. Now that Hero had
his adult brain in his teen body, he could take advantage of the fact that he remembered a lot
of the stuff he was currently studying in high school. It meant that it didn’t take him nearly as
long to do his homework since he wasn’t learning everything fresh for the first time. He
could make more time for his friends and family, and that was what he wanted.
His school life had been all that he’d had for the past four years. He had devoted all of his
time and energy into only focusing on school, and hobbies, and clubs in order to not give him
a single moment to think about Mari. Faraway Town had reminded him of her everywhere.
Every part of his favorite places to hang out had been slathered with her memory’s presence,
and Hero hadn’t been able to cope with that. So, he simply hadn’t gone out much after he had
pulled himself out of the paralyzing part of his depression. And to fill the time, he had simply
studied.
His room had been full of trophies, and awards, and praise from teachers, students, and his
parents alike… but few of them had been worth the cost in the end. Maybe if he hadn’t been
so selfish, Sunny and Basil would’ve still been alive.
Hero was going to approach things differently this time. He would devote himself more to
those he loved the most. He was more confident in his skills in school, and he had first-hand
knowledge of what university was like, so the shadow of his looming educational future no
longer seemed so dark. University was terrifying for a teenager, but Hero wasn’t a teenager
anymore.
This was his starting line.
“I thought you hated helping me study?” Kel asked, eventually turning the tv knob back to
the original channel as he settled to watch whatever was coming next on Cartoon Network.
He sat back and pooched his lips at Hero suspiciously. “Why would you want to do more
studying when you just said it was stressing you out?”
“Your homework is easy compared to mine. And…” Hero hesitated before continuing, “I’ve
missed you.”
“You’ve missed me?”

“Yeah.” And his tone of voice was too soft. Too earnest. The lingering ghost of regret for the
brother who no longer existed as anything but a broken figure standing over Sunny’s grave in
his memories hovered just inside his words.
“I don’t really get it,” Kel said, not quite picking up on how strangely Hero was being. Hero
had been acting strange for a while now, “but alright. Not now, though! I don’t wanna study
over break!”
“We’ll study after my birthday.” He smiled, proud of Kel. Maybe his little brother had been
more serious about his schoolwork than Hero remembered. Maybe they had all just given up
on helping him too soon. He didn’t know. He would have to find out. “How’s that sound?”
“Yeaaaaah, alright.” This conversation was clearly over as he flopped back down on the floor.
He grabbed the edge of the blanket beneath him, and he rolled until he was a burrito in it. He
watched Hero expectantly as Hero had the urge to jump on Kel and pick him up while he was
bundled, but he resisted. Maybe a younger version of him would’ve done it. Hero wasn’t sure
what was normal for him any longer. Playing around seemed too childish sometimes. It was
funny to see Kel’s socked feet wiggling in the opening at the end. He looked like a caterpillar.
“What are you doing?” he asked with a laugh.
“I don’t know! Hey, Hero,” Kel shimmied his arms out of the blanket to sit up on his elbows,
“when the blizzard is over, let’s be sure to get together with everyone. Like, we won’t wait.
Everyone’s been wanting to hang out with you for a while. Me and Aubrey keep fighting, and
nobody’s there to stop us!”
Kel and Aubrey fights. He missed the days when they were mostly fighting over silly
misunderstandings and petty bickering. As far as he knew, Kel and Aubrey were still friends
before Hero had come back in time.
“Mari hasn’t done it?” he asked with an amused quirk of his lips.
“She tries but… It’s not the same. It’s only fun when we’re all playing! What if she makes us
play ‘house’ again?! I don’t want to be the daddy!”
“Don’t worry, Kel; you’ll always be the baby.”
“That’s the worst part!” Kel cried, throwing an arm up. “I’m Hector now!! You can’t let the
puppy be the dad!”
“Says who?”
“Me!” Kel paused, and then said, “Though… a dog dad might be kinda cool…”
Hero couldn’t resist now. He grabbed his brother’s blanket-wrapped legs and lifted him
upside down, legs pinned to Hero’s chest as he stood. Kel yell-laughed, startled. “What the
heck? You taking my girlfriend from me, Kelsey?”
“Ew, gross! No way! I’m not gonna get cooties like you do!” Kel cried. “Hey, spin me!”
“Alright, alright, hold still.” Hero was glad to indulge, laughing as well as he moved to the
center of the room to do that. It was so much fun to hear Kel talk about cooties like he really
was just a kid. He hadn’t outgrown that phase yet, Hero supposed. He didn’t know when Kel
had in the previous timeline either. But he liked that his brother was small like this again, and
he had missed being able to just play around. Spinning with Kel in his arms, Hero felt young
again.
Maybe he really should just indulge in his childish impulses more. He was still young, right?
He would have to take a page from Kel’s book.
Hero corrected himself when Kel’s legs slipped, sending the boy flying from Hero’s grip with
a yelp that left Hero only holding the blanket. Kel hit the ground with a cry, nursing his head,
and earned a yell from downstairs from their mom demanding to know what had happened.
“Nothing!” Kel and Hero yelled back together as Hero hurried to check on his brother. Kel’s
eyes were teary from the pain, but he was otherwise fine. He’d taken worse tumbles. Hero
sighed to himself.
Okay, maybe he should try to be a bit more careful than Kel.

Snowy Picnic
Chapter Notes
For full effect, listen to "Remember to be Patient" on repeat for this chapter.
Please be sure to check out and leave a lovely comment on Inferno-SilentDragon's fanart
of chapter 3!!! Thank you again for the wonderful picture!
The chill in the air was nipping at Hero’s ears and nose as the sound of feet crunching
through the snow resounded off of bare forest trees. Kel and Aubrey’s voices clamored over
each other as they dashed ahead, box full of miscellaneous items that they planned to use
held over Aubrey’s head while Kel chased her, hopping to try to snatch the box away just to
be annoying. Basil and Sunny walked at a slower pace with an inner tube in one’s arms and
the other pulling a sleigh along behind him. Mari was pressed to Hero’s side as her arm was
linked with his, stealing his warmth by shoving a hand into his coat pocket. Their bare hands
were linked together while he carried their discarded gloves in his free hand. They shared a
smile.
“Are we really going to have a picnic in this weather?” Basil asked curiously as he glanced
back at the couple. Hero focused on the grounding presence of Mari with him and tried not to
think about how he was surrounded by ghosts. Today was going to be a good day. A good
day. Focus on the present. It wasn’t the past; this was his present. They were gonna build
snowmen, and have snowball fights, and sled down the hill not far from here, and have a
picnic. A good day.
“It’s beautiful out today! Why wouldn’t we?” Mari asked. “Any time’s a good time for a
picnic!”
“Is it really?” he sounded a little unsure. “I’ve… never had a picnic in the snow before.”
“What, really?” Hero asked. “You clearly haven’t had Mari in your life long enough.”
“Haha, Hero!” Mari nudged him a little. “He’s right, though! Picnics are fun any time… but
that’s because we can have them with friends! Just think of how warm it will be when we
have to work to clear the snow for us to lay out the blanket.”
“Ah… I guess so,” Basil conceded. He still seemed unsure, but he was growing used to
Mari’s pacing as well the longer he hung out with them. Their group had always followed her
lead, never having had a reason not to follow her example. There had been many times that
they had ended up having some fun adventures together. Hero thought fondly of the time
when Mari had suggested they sleep in Hero’s backyard in tents. That had been back before
Aubrey and Basil had been part of the group. They’d all been small enough that they had
been just able to squeeze into one tent together and sleep. They had stayed up telling each
other spooky stories (though, admittedly, Hero had stolen his ideas from Are Your Afraid of
the Dark?) until Sunny had been so freaked out that they’d had to stop.
He hadn’t thought of that memory in years. He didn’t remember doing this before with the
others. It would be his first snow picnic just like everyone else, despite how they made it
sound.
“What do we have packed?” Sunny asked. He’d always had a soft voice. Though he wasn’t
much of a talker, everyone always listened whenever he did speak up. Hero actually liked it
when he spoke, even if the entire group had grown used to navigating his silent social cues
instead. It was good to see his eyes clear and expressive. The last time he had seen him-
No.
The last time he had seen him in the last timeline, he corrected mentally, Sunny’s eyes had
been darker. They had been only just starting to come back to life when-
“We found a spot!” Aubrey’s melodic voice called as the girl dashed back towards them. Her
long black hair whipped behind her, spotted with white flakes of the light snow that was
falling. She looked adorable in her faded purple and pink hat and old highlighter-bright
motley coat. Hero had almost forgotten about how garish children’s fashion was when they
had been younger. He was definitely glad he had bought Aubrey a new coat for Christmas.
She needed one. “Kel’s already throwing everything in the snow and taking all the good stuff,
so hurry up!”
“Ah, oh no!” Basil cried. Kel wasn’t so far away that they couldn’t see him picking through
the various items they had brought with them for snowman decorating. Hero grimaced as he
saw an old mitten go flying. Why did he have to toss everything everywhere? He didn’t
understand.
“Hurry!” Aubrey took both Sunny and Basil’s hands and started running. The boys had no
choice but to hurry after her, tramping through the deep snow while their short legs attempted
to keep up. Mari and Hero didn’t bother to speed up, taking their time to follow behind.
Mari called ahead while cupping her mouth with one hand, “Don’t start without us, guys!
We’re going to time the contest!”
“Okay~!” A chorus of responses came back to them.
Hero smiled to himself, blowing out hot air to watch it fog and swirl in the breeze. This was
nice, he thought. It felt like it had been far too long since he’d been out in this forest, simply
enjoying the pleasure of being in his friends’ company. With Mari’s warm hand in his, Hero
felt a sense of peace even between the sizzle of some concerning thoughts he’d been having
since yesterday. He had to be ready for Christmas, which was in only two days.
“So, who wins?” Mari asked, tilting her head into his view.
“Hm?” he hummed, not understanding.

“The competition! Who wins?”
“I think it’ll be Kel, but he’s more quick than skilled. We’ll have to see.”
“No, silly!” she squeezed his hand more. “I mean, who wins? Don’t you know?”
It clicked what she was asking about then. “Haha, no, I don’t. I don’t think this happened last
time. I only came up with it yesterday, after all.” Besides, even if he did know, he wasn’t
going to give it away. But he was pretty sure they hadn’t gathered for this particular thing
after a blizzard. He would’ve remembered a picnic in the snow, right?
“Oh.” She sounded only a little disappointed. Curiosity had led her, then.
“By the way… Did you buy Sunny’s gift?” he asked.
“The violin? Yes, we did. No taking it back now, alright?” she eyed him in quiet warning.
Hero had given up on that. “And your parents are still giving Sunny a violin tutor for
Christmas?”
She blinked with surprise. “How did you-? Oh, right. Hehe, yes! At least, I was pretty sure
they were. My dad was considering it when we went to the music store. There was an
advertisement. I guess that means he followed through!”
Hero nodded. He still wasn’t sure about the violin and how it played entirely into the
situation that had caused Mari to die, but he didn’t think that the violin itself was the
problem. It was just a violin. Sunny did genuinely want to play with his sister, or at least he
was genuine from what Hero could remember. No, it was possible that the recital was the
bigger issue since the fight happened on the day-of. It could be a coincidence, though. Hero
didn’t know enough details of that day to come to any solid conclusions.
Either way, it was too late for the violin. Christmas was going to be a great memory. He
recalled that it had been a lot of fun, and they’d spent most of the afternoon and evening
together after going to church on Sunday morning. While he was trying to redo the past for
the better, he wasn’t looking to overwrite any of the fun memories. Kel had told him on more
than one occasion how this was the best year of his life. Hero wouldn’t take that away from
any of them.
That day in the treehouse with Sunny, Kel, and Aubrey, Hero had been reminded of all the
good times they’d used to have. The photo album was precious for bringing back memories,
even if it pained him to think about now. The warm feeling of bittersweet nostalgia that had
filled his chest that day when he had seen how happy they’d all been, and all of the
wonderful things they’d done, was something he didn’t want to give up for the world.
He was the lucky one who got to experience it all again.
“Your head’s drifting away again,” Mari’s soft voice broke through his thoughts. Hero
blinked back to the present and realized he’d been staring at nothing in particular. He turned
to meet her knowing eyes. “You look a lot like Sunny when you do that.”
“Sorry.”
“Do you want to share?” It was an invitation. She still never pushed him for more.
“It’s nothing important,” he promised as they reached the clearing where the kids were
gathered. Kel and Aubrey were arguing over an old scarf that they’d brought, each of them
pulling on one end. Basil had his hands held up, concerned, but Sunny was doing nothing but
watching. “What are you guys doing?” Hero called in a louder voice to get their attention
over the bickering as he handed Mari back her glove and put his own on.
“I called it!” Aubrey said. “Kel doesn’t even want it! He’s just trying to take it because me
and Basil are going to use it!”
“That’s not true! You’re making stuff up! This is my scarf, so we’re going to use it!” Kel
argued back.
“Your old scarf!”
“Which is why I get dibs!”
“We can use something different, Aubrey. Maybe my scarf?” Basil tried, unwinding his scarf
in offering.
“No, it’s gonna be this one!” Aubrey shook her head. “I called it first, stupid! Let go of it!”
“No!” Kel shouted back.
“Alright, alright!” Hero grabbed the middle of the scarf and tugged. “Both of you let go.” Kel
and Aubrey glared at each other, but did as commanded. The poor old scarf was stretched
out. It might be better on a snowman now, actually.
“We could always cut it in half if they can’t decide who should get it,” Mari suggested, voice
just a tad playful. “I think I might have some scissors…”
Kel gasped. “What?! No! Why would you cut it?!”
“Yeah! The poor scarf doesn’t deserve that!” Aubrey agreed, frowning. “It’s just a scarf.”
“Oh, but it’s all stretched out now! Perfect for cutting, right Hero?” Mari smiled at him.
“How else are we going to make it fair for these two?”
Hero decided it would be more amusing to play along. “Mari’s right. If you two can’t decide,
we’ll just cut it in half. Then both of you can have it.”
“Right!”
Kel and Aubrey shared a look, both making faces. It was Sunny who spoke up and said,
“We’ll use my scarf,” which ended the fight.
“Really? Alright, cool! Sunny’s scarf is better anyway since it’s got stars and stuff on it!” Kel
caved quickly, beaming now that everything had been settled. Hero had forgotten just how
easily Kel could be swayed by Sunny when Sunny actually chose to take a stance
somewhere. Realizing why hurt too much to think about now, though, so he pushed the
thought aside.
“Thanks, Sunny,” he said before holding out the scarf to Aubrey. The girl looked relieved, if
a little sulky that the fight had occurred at all. He patted her head. “See? No harm done.”
“It really is stretched out now, though…” Aubrey murmured, repentant.
“That’s a consequence of being too rough with your stuff. It just means next time to be more
careful.”
“Okay, Hero.”
“Wonderful!” Mari clapped her hands together. “Are we ready for the snowman-building
competition? Everyone got your things? Oh!” Mari stopped. “Wait a moment. Aubrey, where
are your gloves?”
Hero noticed then that Aubrey’s hands were only covered with some thin mittens. He
recognized the homemade quality as being from Basil’s grandmother. They were certainly not
suitable for playing in the snow. They would be soaked-through immediately.
Aubrey flushed. “I… lost mine,” she confessed, self-consciously tucking her hands into her
coat pockets. “I haven’t had the chance to replace them.”
“Didn’t you lose them last month, though…?” Sunny asked, looking a little confused as the
boys gathered closer. “Do you want mine?”
“No! I’m fine! I mean… this is okay!” Aubrey put a smile on her face. “I’ll just be careful!
You need yours, Sunny.”
Hero frowned. If Aubrey had lost her gloves last month, why hadn’t her parents gotten her
new ones? She played outside so much that they should’ve gotten her a new pair. Maybe
Aubrey hadn’t told them?
Then Hero remembered the one time he had been in Aubrey’s house in the future. He recalled
the mess and detritus, and the way Aubrey’s mother hadn’t even acknowledged them when
they had walked right into her home.
“Come to think of it… have we ever been inside of Aubrey’s house before?”
“I don’t think so. She always came over to play with us. I don’t remember hanging out at her
house at all.”
Hero felt a little bit ill. Was it still like that now?
Maybe there was more to the future he needed to try to change than just preventing his
friends’ deaths. He’d never known about Aubrey’s situation before. He didn’t know if there
was much he could do, but maybe he could try to help somehow.
At the very least, he thought as he gazed at Aubrey, maybe he could get her to open up more.
“I have an idea,” Mari suggested before taking off her own gloves and offering them to
Aubrey. “Here, you can use mine!”
“What? Are you sure?” Aubrey asked with wide eyes.
“Of course!” she beamed. “I’m not the one playing in the snow. I’ll just be watching, so you
can use mine, okay?”
“Wow… Thank you so much, Mari!” she took the gloves and pulled them on. They were a
little big on her, but they would do the job. Everyone else smiled as well. “Yay! I’m totally
ready now! Me and Basil are gonna win and drink so much hot cocoa!” She twirled in place
before throwing her gloved hands up, eyes sparkling. “Can we have marshmallow bunnies in
them?”
“Anything you want!”
“We can add other stuff too,” Hero said. “There’s cinnamon, biscuit sticks, marshmallows,
whipped cream, cookies… you name it!”
“Oh maaaaaaaaan! This is gonna be great! There’s no way we can lose, right Sunny?!” Kel
spun on Sunny, who looked like he was ready to drool just thinking of the possibilities. He
nodded. It made Hero smile harder. He had forgotten just how much Sunny loved a good hot
cocoa.
“We’ll do our best too!” Basil said, looking a bit more determined. “We’re making the best
snowman, right? We’ll make it really cool!”
“Yeah!” Aubrey cried, and the two high-fived. Basil’s smile became more confident.
“Then get ready! We’ll go when I say start!” Hero called as he pulled back his sleeve to look
at the wristwatch he’d borrowed just for this. “In three… two… one…” he paused, lingering,
and Kel took off. “Hey!” he yelled, making the boy freeze. “I didn’t say ‘start’! Get back
here!”
“You did that on purpose!” Kel complained.
“Now I have to start the countdown over,” he tried to keep the amusement of teasing the kids
from his voice. Mari and Basil giggled. “Okay, serious now.” The kids got into running
positions, hands low to the ground to gather snow. “Three… two… one… START!” They
took off then, each of them calling to each other as they pushed and compacted snow. Aubrey
and Basil discussed some kind of game plan to work together, each one rolling a separate
ball, while it looked like Sunny was just packing snow into a mound and Kel was already
rolling his own ball. Mari and Hero stepped out of the way and let everyone work, happy to
see them happy.
“Thank you for coming out with us, Hero,” Mari spoke then as she crowded in with him
under a tree. The gentle snowfall made it really feel like a winter wonderland with their
friends working hard. Hero could see the puffs of air coming from all of them as they talked,
challenging each other and praising each other at the same time.
“I’m the one who suggested it, after all,” Hero responded. “Besides, I… I need to get used to
being here, y’know? In the now.”
“Instead of in your head five years in the future?” she asked wryly.
His response was a little too serious to match hers, “Yeah. Though, I can’t stop thinking about
it for now.”
“Because you miss it?” she adjusted to match his mood instead.
He shook his head. That was the thing, though: he didn’t miss it at all. It had been a desolate,
grey future where every now and again he had been tempted to follow after Mari. His family
had been the only thing that had kept him from doing it. He couldn’t hurt Kel like that after
everything that had happened.
“No,” he said softly. “No… I don’t miss it. But,” his voice raised a little higher as his eyes
lingered on Kel, who had his hands on his hips and looked proud to have somehow rolled a
ball as big as himself. Sunny and the others looked suitably impressed, but now it seemed
that they didn’t know how to put the next ball on top of it, “I… wonder about it. If time
continued on without me. And what happened to the ‘me’ that was there. Did I just disappear
from that world? Because I didn’t come back with my adult body, so is it still there? And if it
isn’t, then did ‘this’ me go there instead?”
“Yikes!” Mari grimaced. “That’s a scary thought. I think I’d be rather freaked out if I was
suddenly an adult in college! We only just started high school!”
Hero smiled, but it dropped after a moment. He doubted that college would be the worst of
teen him’s problems. His parents might think he’d mentally regressed. He couldn’t imagine
his reaction to seeing Kel, or Kel’s reaction to seeing him.
“…I really hope this is a situation of butterfly effect,” he told her, shoulders slumping. “I’d
rather rewrite the past than create a new timeline or whatever.”
Mari patted his shoulder. “I’m sure it is,” she said, if only to comfort him.
“Oh.” He decided to focus on something else. It was too depressing to think of this now. He
wanted to have a fun day out with his friends. “Here, take my gloves. I don’t want your hands
to get cold.” He tugged off his gloves as he said it.
She laughed. “I’ll be okay, Hero. I’ll keep my hands in my pockets.”
Hero shook his head, though. “I’ll be fine. I insist.”
“What a gentleman~” she teased, but accepted the gloves. They were a bit bulky for her slim
hands, but Hero was pleased she was wearing them anyway. He felt better knowing she was
bundled up. “Then shall I offer my scarf in return?” She pulled her scarf off and hooked it
around the back of his neck, pulling him closer with a flirtatious smile. Hero’s heart skipped a
beat in his chest, cheeks warming at the sight. She truly was very pretty so close up. “Or
maybe, I can-”
“EW!! QUIT BEING GROSS!” Kel called to them, making the teens startle away from each
other. Mari’s scarf draped loosely over Hero’s shoulders as they looked towards their friends.
Kel was pointing and grimacing before he laughed to himself, knowing he was being
obnoxious on purpose. “Nobody wants to see that!”
“Leave them alone!” Aubrey told him. “It’s cute!”
“Of course you would think it’s cute.”
“You know, Kel, one day you’ll find someone you’ll want to kiss, and then we’ll be there to
call you gross!” Mari called to him. “Just wait a couple years!”
“Yeah right!” Kel stuck his tongue out. “I don’t wanna kiss any girls!”
Hero covered a laugh. Of course he wouldn’t. Kel would rather kiss a boy.
“Your time’s running out!” he called instead. It looked like Basil and Aubrey had made good
progress. Their snowman -or, rather, woman? It was a little hard to tell- had made some great
progress. Basil looked like he was trying to add decorative features to the body of the
snowman using sticks. Meanwhile Kel and Sunny’s snowman… was something. Hero didn’t
know what they were doing, but they looked like they were having fun. “If you have time to
watch us, does that mean I should call it?”
“NO!” Basil, Aubrey, and Kel hurried to say.
“We’re not done yet!” Aubrey added. “Basil, hurry! I’m gonna make a few more snowballs!”
Now that their friends were distracted again, Mari was laughing to herself. “I can’t wait to
tease Kel when he’s older. Can you even imagine the funny stories I could tell his girlfriend?
Oh!” She gasped with realization and spun on Hero, “When does Kel start dating? I want to
start preparing for it right away!”
And it hurt to think about. Was this how Mari had reacted before? Had they had this
conversation in the past? Hero couldn’t guess at how he would’ve responded before. The
tragic part was that Mari never made it that far.
“Uh, he doesn’t. I mean… He had someone… but it didn’t… work out,” he struggled to push
the words out, the censorship clear in them. Mari’s excitement died down right away as she
frowned.
“Oh no… Poor Kel. I’m sure he’ll find someone better, then. Maybe we can stop him from
falling for that person since it’d hurt him?”
“No,” Hero shook his head and watched his little brother closely. Even if he was young, and
even if Kel was utterly unaware, Hero knew that it was far too late to stop Kel from falling in
love with Sunny. He would rather his brother deal with a normal heartbreak than the one he
had dealt with in the future. He didn’t know if Sunny’d had feelings for Kel, or if he’ll ever
develop them, but that’s for them to deal with when and if the time came. Hero wasn’t going
to stop anything like that. “It’s more complicated than that, Mari.”
“Complicated?”
But he didn’t respond to her as he glanced at his watch instead. He called out, “Time’s up!
Everyone put your snow down!”
“What?!” Kel cried while Sunny comically dropped the fistfuls of snow he’d been holding,
displaying his empty hands.
“Whoo-hoo!! Ours looks so great!” Aubrey cheered as her and Basil clapped their hands
together, fingers linking. They beamed, thrilled. Their faces were bright pink from exertion.
Hero could hardly believe that these two best friends would fight like how Kel had told Hero
in the future. But then again, Aubrey had been pretty unrecognizable the first time he’d seen
her again in years. It was good to see her like this again.
“Right, so let’s have the judges compare. Mari?” He glanced back at Mari. She cleared her
expression into something brighter as she joined him in front of Basil and Aubrey’s
snowperson with Kel and Sunny right behind them. The kids had managed two snowballs on
top of each other, and they’d stuck some yarn into the head for hair along with what looked
like Basil’s gardening hat on top. Its eyes were made of two big marbles with a carrot nose
and a smiling stick mouth. The body was more triangular with snowballs along the bottom
for a poofy look, and Basil had tried his best to make little flowers out of sticks. There also
looked like there had been an attempt to use food coloring to dye the snow, but it mostly just
ended up with messy stripes because of it. The scarf was wrapped around the body like a belt,
and one of its stick arms was larger than the other.
Hero hummed, hand on his chin as he nodded thoughtfully. It was admittedly impressive. He
liked it a lot. He could tell Aubrey and Basil had worked really hard. Their eyes were shining
with hope.
But neither he nor Mari gave any indication of their thoughts as they played impartial and
moved onto Sunny and Kel’s work. The group of friends migrated to… a snowman?
“Behold!” Kel declared, extending his arms to present their work. It looked almost like a
reversed snowman. Or maybe it was supposed to be a dog? A bunny? Sunny’s mound that he
had been working on appeared to be the base, and Kel had rolled his ball right on top of it. It
looked like it had been shaped so it was a little more oval-like, and some kind of ears had
been put on top. He remembered Sunny kneeling in the snow and Kel climbing on him to do
it. They probably would’ve done better if Sunny had been the one to make the ears instead,
but Kel was the smaller of the two. They’d put a scarf around its neck that was too small to
go all the way around, and its eyes were… made of Hector’s tennis balls. It had stick
whiskers… or possibly it was a mustache? And they’d put Kel’s hat on its head. Overall, it
was certainly something.
“It’s… wow,” Hero said.

“What is it?” Aubrey asked, looking dubious as she walked around it.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Kel puffed his cheeks out a little.
“Um, no?”
“I think… it’s unique,” Basil said, tilting his head as he eyed the ears. He looked like he was
trying to figure out what they were as well. “It’s really big too!”
“It’s definitely big!” Mari agreed.
“Bigger is better,” Kel put his hands on his hips, clearly proud. Sunny patted the snow
creature’s head. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, but Hero got the impression he was
pretty happy with the results of their creation as well.
“Okay… Well, the judges need to talk it over. Mari? What are your thoughts?” Hero asked.
“I think that everyone worked really hard! Basil and Aubrey’s is very cute. I love the designs
you put into it, Basil!” Mari clasped her hands together and pressed them to her cheek,
beaming. Basil flushed with pleasure.
“Hehe… Thanks!”
“And as for Kel and Sunny, I think it was a creative use of that big snowball Kel made! I was
wondering how you guys would decorate it, but you did a great job! I like the tennis balls the
best. I didn’t even know you had brought two!”
“I didn’t!” Kel said. “Sunny found one over by the trees there!” He pointed out the area.
“Even better! How versatile! Great job, guys!” Sunny appeared delighted. His expressions
were usually pretty subtle when he was showing happiness since he didn’t like to smile
much, but other details gave it away. Hero’s chest ached as Kel clapped Sunny on the back
before throwing an arm around his best friend’s shoulders. “And what are your thoughts,
Hero?” Mari asked.
“Hmm… I think maybe we were too vague with the rules, honestly. I’m not sure how to
judge this when they’re both, uh, good in their own respects.” Hero looked back and forth
between the two. He personally liked Basil’s and Aubrey’s better, but it was also a more
classic look with a twist versus whatever Sunny and Kel had made. But they had said it
should be the ‘best’ one.
He thought about it for a few moments, and then gave a helpless smile. “My vote is for
Aubrey and Basil.”
“YAY!” Aubrey cried, throwing her hands in the air as Kel yelled, “WHAT?! You have no
creative vision, bro!”
“Sorry, Kel.”
“As much as I love your work as well, boys, I can’t get over how cute Aubrey and Basil’s
work is. I’m convinced! You guys win!” Mari told them. Aubrey cheered louder as Basil
clapped, beaming. Kel groaned while Sunny deflated. Hero felt bad. He knew that Sunny had
been really looking forward to the treat. He couldn’t deny him it entirely.
“Don’t worry too hard, okay? You guys will get some hot cocoa from us too. Basil and
Aubrey just get to have as much as they want,” Hero patted Sunny’s head in consolation.
“At least we get something. Ours is cooler anyway. No accounting for taste!” Kel said as he
recovered a bit. Sunny still looked a little disappointed, but he’d be fine.
“And look! You guys cleared so much snow for us! How about we have our picnic now, and
then we’ll play some more? I know I could use some food,” Mari suggested. She walked over
and grabbed her picnic basket, holding it up for them all. “I’ve brought some hot soup, baked
onigiri, and more! And we can have ice cream for dessert!”
“Ice cream?” Hero asked, confused. “In this weather?”
“It’s the second-best weather to have it, don’t you think?”
“Uh…” He had doubts about that. Sunny, beside him, also looked a little doubtful. He was
glad it wasn’t just him.
“Ooh, ice cream! It’s already really cold out, but that just means it won’t melt,” Basil said as
he moved to begin to help with the picnic set-up.
“See? Basil gets it!” Mari agreed.
“You’re really going to eat some?” Kel asked, taking the picnic blanket when Mari passed it
to him. He and Hero worked to lay it out as Aubrey, Basil, and Sunny cleared more of the
snow to flatten the area more.
“Won’t it be, you know… cold?” Aubrey added.
“Doubters.” Mari shook her head. “You’ll see! Ice cream is still ice cream!”
“Alright…”
Hero still had his doubts, but he’d gone along with Mari’s plans in the past before. He wasn’t
going to deny the offer, but he was sure he was going to regret it. Nevertheless, the meal was
delicious, and he found himself listening and enjoying everyone’s company just as he had
hoped for. Sitting like this together, relaxing, and just being in the presence of his friends did
a lot to lift his spirits.
But it didn’t stop his mind from drifting to the last picnic he’d had with Mari in front of her
grave with everyone but Basil. They’d traded stories and had reminisced about her, even if
Sunny hadn’t spoken a word while there. Hero hadn’t heard Sunny’s voice again until that
night at Basil’s house, and even then, it had been a brief event. The tears he had shed at that
time could still be felt in his heart.
As Hero gazed at Mari across from him, he saw the image of her gravestone. His friends’
voices and laughter felt distant, and Mari, Sunny, and Basil appeared opaque. If he looked
down at his food, he felt as if he was sharing space with ghosts. Aubrey and Kel were older,
and the laughter was all gone. The food had become cold and rotted. And then all noise
ceased at all.
It made him want a cigarette. It made him think of a college party, and the whisper of a pretty
woman in his ear as they had shared a smoke.
“Hero?” Sunny called from beside him, startling Hero from his thoughts. His gaze shot up
and to his left where Sunny was sitting, watching him closely. The noise came back to him in
a rush with Aubrey trying to shove a slice of pickle into Kel’s mouth as the boy complained,
and Mari and Basil laughing at them. Sunny was looking only at him, though. “Are you
okay?”
Hero pushed a smile on his face. “I’m fine,” he promised. Then he smiled more as he pinched
his own hand in his lap to pull him back to the present. “I was just thinking about some
stuff.”
Sunny nodded in understanding, concern clearing. He offered Hero the thermos of soup that
all of them were sipping from. It was warm in his hands. He gulped some of it, letting the
heat suffuse through his frozen body. It reheated his heart.
“Thanks.” His smile was more genuine now. Sunny appeared pleased and turned back to the
silliness that was going on. Hero swallowed down the clench in his throat. He tried not to
think of the last time he had seen Sunny’s older face. He tried not to question why Sunny had
decided to end it all even after everything. He tried not to look back and wonder what the
final straw for him had been. He tried to focus on the present, and of the snow on his skin,
and the warm food in his stomach, and the very alive, happy presences of his friends.
Today was a good day. It was hard to switch the ‘past’ with the ‘present’. He hoped that he
was doing an alright job with it. It just took some practice.
Christmas
Christmas hadn’t been very special to Hero as a holiday since he had been younger. The older
he had gotten, the less excitement he had felt for waking up to presents since he usually knew
what he had been going to get. His parents would ask him and Kel for lists and, despite there
being some randomness to it, and despite his parents also including miscellaneous presents of
their own that were usually clothing, Hero would almost know exactly what to anticipate. He
had stopped wanting stuff that he had felt was okay for his parents to buy, and eventually
they had started giving him mostly money instead. The glamor of Christmas wore off. He
may have appreciated the gifts, but it would never be the same as it was when he’d been a
child.
This Christmas was different, though. It was special, and not just because he had no idea
what presents he would get.
The evening of Christmas Day had called together his group of friends to meet at Mari’s
house as all of their parents had gone to a Christmas party over at Gino’s. That had left them
alone with the house, and Hero and Mari had taken full advantage.
The living room had been redecorated with the help of Sunny and Kel, and by the time
Aubrey and Basil had come over carrying presents and toys of their own, the party was set
up. The Christmas tree had been carefully moved to the middle of the room, and the couch
and armchair had been moved against the wall. Stockings in their friends’ favorite colors had
been hung above the sliding glass door. A table had been set up in the middle of the room
with snacks on it first, and as a place for the presents to be put later when it was time to
organize them. There was a warm fire blazing in the fireplace, and only one present had been
given out thus far: a motley of Christmas sweaters from Mari.
Hero tugged on the hem of his sweater as he gazed at the big red ‘H’ on it. Everyone looked a
little silly in such crazy sweaters, with Aubrey and Kel wearing similar but different patterns
of red and green, Basil with mistletoe on his, and Sunny’s Christmas tree sweater with pom-
pom baubles on it. He didn’t really know why any of them had thought these had looked
good. It brought a bit of an embarrassed blush to his cheeks, but he could admit that it was
fun to be matching like this. Especially since Mari’s sweater was a pair with his own. It made
him laugh.
“What are you chuckling to yourself about?” Mari asked as she offered a plate of cookies to
the group of them. They were gathered in front of the television for now to finish off their
traditional Christmas movie before they moved onto the presents and playing a few games.
Their stomachs were positively full from snacks and eating the some of the gingerbread
houses they’d made, but nothing could’ve held them back from taking the spritz cookies that
Mari had made. Hero hadn’t even lowered the plate to the floor before all of their friends
were grabbing a couple and stuffing their faces. There were only a couple left on the plate
before Mari had even sat down.
“Just thinking,” Hero said as he picked up a cookie as well. It wasn’t Mari’s famous
chocolate chip cookies, but these were just as lovely. He held one up in the shape of a candy
cane and watched the red sugar sprinkles glitter in the colorful lights of the Christmas tree.
He realized that he would be able to try Mari’s cookies again. It made a strange feeling well
up in his chest to think about. Mari sat down beside him, shoulder pressed to his, and
playfully snapped his cookie in half to take a bite for herself. He didn’t mind it. “I think it’s
cute that you got us matching sweaters.”
“I think everyone looks wonderful in them,” Mari agreed quite proudly. She reached forward
to ruffle Sunny’s hair. The boy peeked back at them, but otherwise just shook off his sister’s
hand. They were all too interested in the show to care right now. Hero had seen this movie
too many times to care, even though it had only come out twice as of that year.
“After this we’ll do the presents, right?” Basil asked, keeping his voice a little low so as to
not disturb the others. He looked a little nervous for some reason. “I hope you guys like my
stuff… I know it’s not much.”
“Yeah, same,” Aubrey agreed, kicking her feet where she was laying on the floor. She was
wearing a skirt, but her leggings made it so nothing could be seen as the skirt flew up a little.
Hero wished she would be a little more aware, though. He wondered if he could tug her skirt
down to cover her more, or if that would be inappropriate. Sunny and the others were kids,
but they weren’t that young. Then he thought of Aubrey in her half-tank in the future and
realized maybe she just didn’t care that much.
“The presents don’t matter as much as the thought behind them,” Mari informed them. “I’m
happy to receive anything at all. I’m so excited for you guys to see!”
Hero noticed as Sunny glanced over at the present pile under the tree. There were a few
boxes and shapes that Hero recognized (some of which were the ones he himself wrapped),
but he knew Sunny’s eyes were on the bigger packages. Everyone wanted to have the big
presents.
“I think you’ll like them,” he told the others. “You don’t know how long I’ve thought about
them. I wanted to get good gifts for everyone.”
“Hero wouldn’t even let me see them!” Kel cried. “I didn’t even want to see my own!”
“Kel, you were only looking for your present.”
“You have no proof!”
“Shh! Kel, you dummy, hush! I’m trying to watch!” Aubrey hissed at him.
“Oop. Sorry.”
They quieted down once more. Hero took in the sensation of Mari’s head on his shoulder. He
chewed his cookie quietly and let his mind drift back to the previous timeline. The details of
this particular Christmas were scattered to the sands of time, but that didn’t stop the
overwhelming feeling of déjà vu nevertheless. Nostalgia had a grip on his heart, and it made
him feel both fond and homesick at the same time. He and Mari had loved to match their stuff
together. They’d had matching keychains on their backpacks. They’d had matching tote bags
in their respective colors. They’d been a pair in every sense of the word. It had been rare to
see one without the other on outings. He hadn’t realized how far they’d both gone with it.
Once upon a time he remembered trying to work hard right after his birthday to try to buy
Mari an expensive present for her birthday, but he hadn’t quite achieved it in time. He’d had
to compromise with a different gift. He remembered that she had loved it anyway, but it had
left a bit of disappointment in his chest whenever he had looked at her gift because it hadn’t
been what he had wanted to get her.
He had wanted to give Mari the world. His life had revolved around her for much of this
year… and the years following, he supposed. It was what had made her death all the more
devastating for him because he hadn’t understood how she could’ve committed suicide of all
things. Why hadn’t she relied on him for the most crucial of things?
He knew now that she hadn’t committed suicide. That didn’t make things easier.
And now it was this Christmas once again. The voices of his friends washed over him as the
movie ended and they all got up to start clearing the table away in preparations for presents.
Kel and Aubrey were running around the house laughing as they hefted the presents
overhead. Sunny and Basil helped to carry dishes into the kitchen where Hero would do them
later. And Mari arranged the presents on the table for everyone.
He felt separated from his body, watching rather than really interacting. Even if his body was
smiling and he was enjoying Aubrey cheering over her new coat he had gotten her, or Basil
marveling at a new book that Hero vaguely remembered him showing Sunny years ago, he
wasn’t very present. It was like watching a movie scene play out: a different Hero in a
different time enjoying a moment that he wasn’t a part of. His eyes unfocused sometimes,
and his head felt a little airy. He opened his own presents and reacted to them, but he couldn’t
really remember what he’d said.
Then Mari was whispering in his ear, “Hero… Hero, we forgot to grab Sunny’s present!” and
Hero suddenly felt himself snap back to his body. He was a bit disoriented.
“Huh?” he asked.
Mari looked a little bit worried, but also too busy to linger long on it. “We left his present in
the hall closet! It’s a little too high for me. Can you help me grab it?”
“Oh… Right. Right!” He shook himself. There were paper wrappings everywhere from
where the presents had been mauled by eager hands. Kel was attempting to spin his new
basketball on his finger. Sunny and Basil were already opening up Mari’s new Twister game.
There was a frown on Sunny’s face. Aubrey was gazing longingly at her new roller skates,
still boxed, clearly wishing she could put them on already. They were distracted. Hero pushed
himself from his seat and followed after her. “Sorry, I was-”
“Thinking about the first timeline?” Mari guessed, giving him a understanding look.
“…Yeah.”
“You seemed a bit… faraway.” She stopped outside of the hallway closet and turned to him
with a frown. “Are you sure you’re okay? I can listen. You’ll run yourself in circles
sometimes if you don’t talk about it out loud.”
Hero wondered if maybe that was for the best. But he wasn’t about to ruin Christmas for
Mari. Or anyone, for that matter. This was not the place nor the time to talk about such heavy
topics. He needed to focus on the present. He was gonna bum himself out if he kept
considering what used to be. Why couldn’t he just enjoy himself?
“I… do want to talk to you soon. But not today.” He smiled, but it was more like a grimace.
“It’s too much for a day like this. Let’s just focus on celebrating.”
Mari looked a bit relieved. “Soon, then,” she said. “Just let me know.”
“Yeah. Actually, while I have you…” Hero held up a finger before hurrying back into the
living room. Their friends were still distracted. They were setting up the Twister mat and
reading the instructions. Had they never played it before? That was wild for Hero to consider.
But he shook it off and went to his jacket on the coat rack. He dug into the pocket and pulled
out a small present, feeling his heart warming as he looked at it.
If there was one thing Hero had learned from adulthood, it was to take advantage of being his
parents’ perfect son to gain favors. The past version of him had had a pride in growing up
and wanting to be more mature in front of his parents, but this version of him… was long
since past that.
He returned to Mari’s side and smiled, holding out the gift. “Merry Christmas. I wanted to
give you to this separately.”
Mari gasped, surprised and delighted. She gave Hero a curious look as she opened it to reveal
a delicate silver bracelet. It was a simple weaved design with two tiny jeweled hearts in their
colors – a blue sapphire and a light purple amethyst – embedded into it. It was a little big
purposefully so that she could adjust it as they got older. Mari’s hand flew to her mouth,
stunned to receive such a gift as she looked between it and Hero, speechless.
“Before you say anything,” Hero explained as he stepped closer into her space and pulled the
bracelet from the box for her to examine, “this is kind of a selfish gift. And also an apology.
That’s why it’s a little more… pricy than the other gifts.”
“Apology?” Mari still sounded a little breathless. He held out his hand, and she offered her
wrist. His smile widened as he put the bracelet on her. He had been right; it was perfect for
her. It accentuated her wrist well, and it matched her style. He took her hand and kissed the
back of it, winking at her. Her cheeks turned pink.
“Last time around, I wanted to get you a certain necklace for your fifteenth birthday. I had
tried to work a bunch of side jobs, but I hadn’t really found the time to work as much as I
would’ve liked. I ended up not being able to buy the piece I had wanted for you. I was
considering doing better this time around… but I can’t even remember what the necklace
was.” He shrugged sheepishly as he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “When I was out
Christmas shopping, I stopped by the jewelers to see if maybe anything sparked my
memory… but I didn’t really have any luck. Then I saw this.” He nodded to the bracelet. “It
was beautiful, and I just didn’t want to miss my chance this time around. I asked my dad to
buy it for me with the promise that I would pay it back to him.” He laughed to himself. “I
think the fact that I barely ask for things like this helped me out. He got it for me so I could
give it to you.”
“Hero…” Mari breathed, swallowing a little. She reached up and took his cheeks in hand. He
held them there, gaze softening as he leaned down to meet her in a kiss. His hands dropped to
her waist then as she wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting her head for more. They
stayed close as the kiss broke, noses brushing. Mari’s eyes were beautiful this close. He
wanted to kiss her again, but she asked, “How is this an apology? For not getting me a
present for a birthday that hasn’t happened yet, silly?”
“Not exactly,” Hero confessed, because the gift truly was a selfish one. It was a commitment,
and it was full of his own reasonings. Only one of the reasons was because he genuinely
thought Mari would love it and that it would look lovely on her. “It’s an apology for two
reasons. The first one, I… I’ll explain when we talk properly. It’s for something that
happened in my timeline.” He gave an apologetic smile, sadness so heavy that it weighed
down the corners of his lips. “And the other one reason is because I’ve been a bad boyfriend
to you lately.”
“Oh, Hero, that’s not a problem-”
“It is,” he stressed gently but firmly, “because I took two months of good memories away
from you. I might remember them, but they never happened to you. We went on dates, and
studied together, and baked, and teased each other, and… well…”
Mari considered him, her expression oddly blank. She seemed to accept his explanation then
as she trailed her fingers thoughtfully over his neck, staring at the bracelet that slipped up her
wrist. “Alright,” she decided, “I’ll accept that.” She smiled at him. “You’ll just have to make
it up to me, alright? We should have a proper date soon.”
“Soon,” Hero agreed with a promise, pressing another kiss to her cheek. “After my birthday,
I’ll take you out somewhere. Anywhere you want.”
“With what money, handsome boy?”
“With the birthday money my parents will give me.”
“Won’t you need to use that to pay them back?”
Hero released her with a shake of his head. “Nah, my mom’ll never allow it. Gifts are
separate from work, y’know?”
“Lucky. Fine, I’ll hold you to it. Along with your promise to tell me your other reason for this
apology gift?” It was asked lightly, but Hero felt the urgent weight behind it. He knew that
his troubles were really affecting her too. She wasn’t used to him hiding things from her like
this. Hero had unfortunately grown used to keeping his secrets to himself.
“I promise,” he murmured.
“Good. Now, let’s grab Sunny’s present.”
“Yeah, before they start playing Twister instead.”
The violin had been hidden just on the top shelf of the hallway closet. Hero stood on his toes
to reach it, tugging it down and allowing Mari to carry it back into the other room. Aubrey
was the first one to spot them as she gasped with excitement. She jumped to her feet, slipping
a little on the Twister mat, before rushing over to them. Sunny glanced up curiously as Kel
and Basil stood as well, beaming. Basil hurried over to his backpack.
“I was wondering where this was!” Kel said. “So you guys hid it!”
“That’s right. Sunny, come over to the table please!” Mari motioned to him, eyes sparkling
with expectation. She placed the gift on the table as Sunny hurried over to stand on the other
side, staring. “Did you think we forgot your present, little brother?”
Sunny looked a little sheepish before he nodded quietly. Basil returned carrying an old
Polaroid camera borrowed from his grandmother, and Hero felt his heart jump.
The first photo.
He was more nervous than he should be, but he was excited as well. It was beginning.
“Sorry about that,” he scratched the back of his head. “That was my fault. But now you can
open your present, Sunny!”
“This year,” Mari explained as all of Sunny’s friends beamed, standing across from him with
anticipation for the joy they would no doubt see, “you get just one present from all of us.”
“It probably doesn’t look like much,” Basil added, “but we all had to save up for it together.”
“Yeah!” Aubrey grabbed the edge of the table and bounced in her excitement. “Me and Basil
even started selling cookies and lemonade in the summer.”
“And Hero and I took a job at the bakery for a while, if you remember,” Mari rested a hand
on Hero’s arm.
Sunny looked positively stunned, eyes wider than Hero had seen them in a very, very long
time. The boy’s eyes landed on Kel last. Kel pointed to himself, “And me? I had to deliver
newspapers every morning for like three months…” he threw his fists in the air, “And you
know how much I hate mornings!”
Sunny’s eyes fell on the wrapped present. His hands ran over each other, hesitating.
Mari said, “I know this might feel like we’re pressuring you, but it’s been a while since you
quit playing the violin…”
“And Mari told us about how you always sit in the room with her when she’s practicing the
piano,” Basil continued for her.
“And there was even that one time I caught you trying to play your old mini violin, even
though it was too small for you,” Kel added.
“Anyway… This was Basil’s idea, but we all decided to pitch in for a really nice one…”
Aubrey held her hand out towards the present. "So… yeah!”
“We really hope you like the present, Sunny,” Hero said.
“This is from all of us to you,” Mari finished.
It was all the encouragement that Sunny needed. His hands ripped into the white wrapping
paper as he pulled the bow off. He unwrapped it with nervous hands, exposing the beautiful
case of the violin. He opened it slowly as his friends beamed. The case opened, revealing the
violin in all of its glory. Sunny’s eyes shined with wonder before he checked on his friends.
Hero squeezed Basil’s shoulder as a good job at just how happy Sunny looked.
“MERRY CHRISTMAS!!” All of them said together as Sunny stood there dumbly. He
clearly hadn’t expected such an expensive gift, and if Hero remembered correctly, it had
certainly been pricy for a bunch of kids to purchase. But this sight, this face, and this moment
was worth it. Sunny had never looked so overwhelmed before.
“TA-DA!!” Kel cried, arms extended.
“It’s your very own violin!” Aubrey said.
“We hope you like it, Sunny… Go on and try it out!” Basil prompted.
And so Sunny did, carefully taking the bow out along with the instrument. It looked a little
big in his hands, but it was better than a toy. Sunny got into position looking nervous but
determined. His friends were nothing but encouraging as he prepared himself. Basil lifted the
Polaroid in that moment, and Sunny played his first note on his new violin. The camera
snapped as the note lingered, melodic and instantly filling Hero with memories of the past.
He remembered long days spent with the windows open in the autumn listening to Mari and
Sunny practicing together. He remembered Sunny showing off some new fingerings he had
learned. And he remembered-
“Wow!!” Kel’s voice interrupted Hero’s thoughts as Sunny lowered the instrument. “That
sounds pretty good! Can you play us a song?”
“Why don’t we play a bit together?” Mari suggested, face lighting up at the thought. “Sunny,
do you still remember how to play some of the songs? I have the sheet music; you can just
play the treble notes.”
Sunny looked a bit stressed and more than a little scared, but he still nodded. Hero rubbed a
hand over Sunny’s back as everyone moved to go to the piano room. “Hey,” he said softly as
they fell back just a little to the back of the group. Sunny looked up at him, “no worries about
being perfect, okay? If you want to stop, just let us know. We’re just happy for you.”
Sunny didn’t respond. He looked a little reassured, though, so that was good. He smiled at the
boy again and moved to grab the chair in the hallway to carry into the piano room.
Mari’s arm suddenly shot out and barred Sunny from entering. He froze. The friends paused
and glanced back at the brother and sister.
“Ah, ah~” Mari chided. “Looks like someone got caught under the mistletoe with me~” she
sing-songed, pointing upwards. Above their heads in the entryway to the piano room was a
mistletoe that Hero hadn’t noticed before. It amused him a little. “No entry without giving me
a kiss, little brother!”
Sunny flushed, embarrassed, but just closed his eyes and accepted the peck to his cheek from
Mari. He returned it quickly before hurrying into the piano room. Everyone else laughed as
Hero got an idea. He put down the chair as his eyes zero’d in on Kel. His brother didn’t
notice Hero’s gaze, but Mari certainly did by the way her smile broadened.
“Oh no!” Hero cried dramatically. “Looks like Kel’s been caught under the mistletoe too!”
“Huh?” Kel spun on him, baffled. “No, I didn’t.”
“You’ve gotta pay the toll!” Hero pounced on his brother then, grabbing him around the waist
and hauling the small boy towards the entryway as everyone moved aside to watch the show.
“The mistletoe demands it!”
“GAAAH!! HERO, LET ME GO!!” Kel kicked and struggled as Hero beamed. He
purposefully slicked up his lips as Kel’s eyes widened with horror and disgust, knowing
exactly what was coming. “DON’T!! I WASN’T EVEN UNDER THE MISTLETOE-!!” His
words cut off as Hero dropped him only to grab his head and give him the wettest, most
annoying kiss he could to his little brother’s cheek. Kel screeched bloody murder, hands
shoving at Hero’s face until he escaped. He wiped his cheek off and bolted into the room to
hide behind the piano, yelling at him in Spanish as Hero just laughed and laughed. It felt
good to harass his little brother. That, at least, had never really changed. Kel really was so
cute when he was irritated like that. He was going to take full advantage while he was still
this size.
It took the edge off of his heart as he watched Mari sit down at the piano in preparation, and
Sunny pulled his violin back out of its case. The friends took seats on either stools or chairs
with Kel sticking his tongue out as he passed Hero to sit far away from him. Hero just gazed
at the Mari’s back, her silky black hair falling in a straight wave, and he thought of the many
times he had seen this view. He closed his eyes as he listened to her and Sunny play a
familiar holiday tune, and he willed away the tears that came with the stirring of his heart.
Weight
It was three days before Hero’s fifteenth birthday, and the weather was beautiful. The sound
of his and Mari’s snow boots crunched through the harder upper layer of the snow, each of
them carrying a folding chair with them. His backyard was empty right now with Kel and the
others playing Sunny’s new video game in the house. It gave Mari and Hero time to be alone,
which is what they both wanted.
“Brr, it’s chilly today,” Mari said by way of conversation as she watched her breath furl into
the air. “But it’s actually pretty nice in the sun. Let’s sit where we can get all the sunlight,
okay?”
“Sounds great,” Hero responded. He was on edge and feeling a little sick, but that was bound
to happen. Today he was finally going to talk about what had happened to him in his
timeline… at least in part. He still wasn’t sure if he should tell Mari about Sunny or Basil
quite yet. He knew it would come out eventually, but how did he tell her that? He felt she
would take that worse than her own death, which sickened him more.
They found a spot that was somewhat further back in the yard that had full sunlight before
setting up their chairs. Hero pulled his handwarmer out of his coat as well and handed it to
Mari along with the quilt he had brought to keep her warm.
She laughed a little. “I’m not that cold, silly.”
“You gave your gloves to Aubrey and haven’t replaced them. At least hang onto this since
you won’t take mine?”
She accepted the offer as they sat down. She pulled the quilt over herself and held it out for
him as well. It was a little clunky with the arms of their chairs bumping against each other,
but they made do and sat close together under the quilt. There were the sounds of kids calling
faintly from the park, and a few winter birds chirped in the bare trees. The wind was still
today to allow Hero to soak up the warmth of the sun’s rays.
He refused to look towards Mari’s backyard.
Her hand brushed his before she rested it on his arm. He felt the chain of her bracelet brush
the exposed skin of his wrist. His eyes raised from where he was staring at his knees to look
at her. Her gaze was soft and sympathetic; eager but worried for him. Hero was tired of
seeing that look. He wanted to reassure her. He was scared to tell her the truth. He was scared
to talk about his timeline at all. Part of him wished it really all had been a terrible dream. He
wished he had made it up, or that he was insane, or just something other than it being a
reality he had lived. But that didn’t make the memories go away. And the hurt lingered. He
needed someone to talk to about this.
“I’m sorry,” he said, thoughts translating to words without his permission. He was going to
put a terrible burden on her. She was only fourteen years old, and Hero was twenty mentally.
He should be better than this. But Mari had always seemed so large in his mind, and mature,
and there was nobody else he’d rather know about his problems than her. “I’m sorry you have
to hear what I have to say.”
“I’m happy you’re telling me,” she swore, voice so earnest that it couldn’t be anything but
the truth. She appeared determined. “We’ve always told each other everything, Hero. I’ll
listen to everything. You know that.”
“I do know that,” he murmured to himself in agreement. “I’m still just… sorry you have to
know what I do.”
Mari was quiet for a moment, studying him, and then she guessed, “This isn’t about missing
the future at all, is it? Something terrible happened to you.”
Hero’s lips twitched in wry amusement. His voice was weaker than intended as he said,
“’Terrible’ doesn’t begin to cover it.”
Her hand squeezed his arm from under the quilt. Hero tugged off his glove to hold her hand
properly. If they were going to be cold, they would be cold together.
“I’ve been trying to think of how to approach this ever since I decided I would need to tell
you,” he continued softly as the weight of his previous life pressed on his back and shoulders,
hunching him. “I don’t think there’s any easy way to begin. They say that starting from the
beginning is the best, but… maybe the end would be better.” His body shivered with fine
trembles that weren’t entirely from the cold. He met Mari’s eyes and said, “It was so hard
coming back to this time for me not because I missed the future, or was sad I was a kid again,
or anything like that. It was hard because this was the best year of my life. And the last time I
remember being so happy.”
Mari frowned, brow furrowing with sharp concern. “You didn’t have happy times after this
year…?” He could practically hear her mind running through what possibilities could cause
Hero to feel that way.
“I had happy times,” he corrected. “But nothing like this year. It’s…” his hand spasmed
around Mari’s, squeezing his eyes shut. He relaxed and opened his eyes again. “I came back
here about three months after I had turned twenty. By that time, our entire friend group had
shattered apart. And I was very alone due to… too many of my own failures as a person.”
“You must be exaggerating,” she said right away, angling herself more into his space. “I’m
certain you’re blaming yourself too much already!”
“Mari,” Hero met her eyes and tried to fight against the trembling that worsened a little as
time went on, “I’m not exaggerating. I’m the eldest, and I let everyone down. I became self-
centered, and ran away, and I… I could’ve changed things. If I had just… done things
differently, maybe I could’ve saved what had been left. We might have-”
“Hey,” she interrupted softly as Hero had started go on a tangent, mind swirling with the
what-ifs that had plagued him since Sunny’s funeral, “shh… Calm down, Hero. What are you
talking about?”
He didn’t want to tell her. He didn’t want to say. Starting from the end had been the wrong
choice. But he couldn’t take it back now.
Tears boiled up in his eyes as his breath became shaky. The stress was getting to him. He
swallowed a few times, but his voice still cracked as he confessed, “It all started this year. An
accident occurred, Mari. And… And you died.”
Mari froze. Her expression went slack with shock, and then it took a moment to recover.
“What? I… die? In an accident? Like… a car crash?”
Hero shook his head. “No. It… God!” Hero yanked his hand away and scrubbed it over his
face. This was a bad idea. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t tell her. How could he possibly
tell her that her brother had killed her? That Basil and Sunny had hung her? How did he think
he could say that shit to her face?! “N-Never mind. Mari, let’s just-”
“No! No, no, no, please!” Mari grabbed his arm and yanked it, forcing him to look at her. She
looked a little scared, but still determined as well. “It’s okay! It’s okay, Hero. Just tell me. I
said I’d listen. It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay! I can’t even… It’s been so long and I’m still not over it! Mari-” he gave a sob
then, collapsing further into himself as his hand weakly grabbed the front of her jacket. His
voice dripped with his despair as it quieted from the weight, “Mari… you were killed. Sunny
killed you in an accident, and nothing was the same since then.”
He regretted the way he had said it as soon as it had come from his mouth. He felt her hand
instinctively tighten on him. The immediate and soft, “No,” that fell from her lips had him
cringing. He was afraid to look at her, but he lifted his head nonetheless. Shock and denial
would be understatements to the way she stared at him. He saw the flutter of disbelief, the
instinctive urge to dismiss what he had said, but she swallowed it back. She blinked a few
times, finding her words, and then said,
“That’s ridiculous.”
Hero closed his eyes. “It’s the truth.”
“How? I mean… What could he… How?”
“I…” He pushed himself to sit up better in his chair as he took her hands once more. He felt
ill. He didn’t want to do this anymore, but there was no backing out. Mari would never let
him, and he couldn’t leave her with just this bit of information. “I don’t know everything
about that day,” he started. “But… You and Sunny were planning to take part in a recital
together. The day of the event, everyone was busy getting ready for that night. The only one
who had been there to witness what had happened was Basil. He’s the one who… who told us
what happened. Years after the event.”
“What happened, Hero?” Her voice was stiff. Her grip was tight in his. But she was listening.
“You and Sunny were having a fight at the top of the stairs. Basil said Sunny had broken his
violin, but he hadn’t seen it for himself when it was done. Sunny… pushed you. And you fell
down the stairs.” The tears fell from his eyes then as he blinked. His chest ached as his jaw
trembled. “Y-You… didn’t survive.”
“Oh my god…” Mari whispered. “That… Oh, poor Sunny…”
“Poor Sunny?” Hero’s head whipped up to look at her. The edge of shock to his tone was
unintentional, and it sparked Mari right away.
“Yes, of course poor Sunny!” she said passionately. “I can’t even imagine how horrendous he
must have felt when that happened!”
“What?” He couldn’t stop the disbelief. She just heard she’d been killed, and she was really
hurting more for Sunny than for herself? “He… He killed you, Mari!”
“In an accident!” she insisted. Then she paused. A critical frown passed over her face before
lightening once more. “It was an accident, right? You don’t believe he did it on purpose?”
“…No,” Hero confessed after a moment’s struggle. “I… I don’t know for sure… but I can’t
imagine Sunny ever trying to hurt you on purpose.”
Mari’s shoulders fell with relief. She had looked prepared to get angry. “Right… Yes, I agree.
Which is why I just… Sunny must’ve felt horrible guilt.”
“He did,” Hero whispered, images of Sunny’s desolate, blank face blending with the remains
of his corpse on the hospital concrete. He squeezed his eyes to rid himself of the lurch in his
stomach. “I know he did… even if he never told us.”
God, why didn’t he tell them? Why hadn’t he relied on them more? Why had he taken the
secret to his grave rather than confess? Had his guilt simply been that immense?
It must’ve been. Sunny had adored Mari almost as much as Hero. Maybe even more. Hero
would’ve never, ever been able to forgive himself if he had killed her. Or if he had killed Kel
by accident.
But why didn’t he tell them? Did he think they would hate him?
“He never told you himself?” Mari asked carefully, somehow reading his thoughts. He shook
his head. “Never? When… When did this happen?”
“This year. In the fall.”
Mari was quiet. Hero couldn’t look at her. His head was too heavy to lift. His tears were so
cold on his face as his repressed the sobs to shaky exhales instead.
“…But Basil told you how it happened? Did you guys not know? Did you ask Sunny why he
didn’t say anything?”
Hero couldn’t breathe.
Mari waited.
Before she could press further, Hero interrupted with a choked, “There’s more.” He took a
shuddering breath. “We… didn’t know what Sunny had done… because he and Basil covered
it up.”
“…What?”
Hero shifted to grip her hand better. He was shaking now. He pulled the blanket around them
more and finally looked at her again. She didn’t understand. “The day of the recital, I came
home to an ambulance in front of your house… wheeling you out on a gurney. We were told
later that… that you had hung yourself. That you had committed suicide.”
The longer he spoke, the more her face fell. Her skin paled as she made connections almost
faster than Hero could say them. Her grip was lax in his.
“We thought for years that you… just decided to kill yourself one day. And that Sunny and
Basil had been the ones to find you. We didn’t know why, and couldn’t find the answers. It
wasn’t until four years later that Basil confessed to us that he had hung your body to… to
cover up the accident. Basil said it was his idea. That he did it all in order to protect Sunny.”
He swallowed again. “That’s all I know.”
The silence between them was unbearable. Mari stared unseeingly at him. Her hand twitched
against his. His tears rolled down his face. Mari’s mouth hung open a little, and then it
closed. Her gaze dropped. Then it looked around, searching for something but not knowing
what. Her mouth opened again, seeking the words. Then she closed it once more.
Hero took a shaky breath. “That bracelet.” Her eyes drifted back to him, focusing again. “You
asked what my other reason was… It’s an apology for failing you. And everyone else. But it’s
also a promise, because I won’t allow that future to happen. Never. I… I’ll protect you this
time around, Mari. I won’t let that tragedy happen a second time.”
“I just don’t understand,” Mari finally spoke, voice brittle. “I don’t understand. Why… Why
was it Basil who told you? And… And I can’t believe you guys would think…” She shook
her head quickly. “No wonder you were so torn up when you came here. My god… I was…
Hero, I was wondering ever since you told me you came back in time… I thought about that
day at the bus stop and why you had just suddenly broken down like that…” Her gaze
returned to him, and this time there were tears in her eyes as well. “It was the first time you
were seeing me again in years… wasn’t it?”
And Hero couldn’t hold back his sob this time. He nodded, weeping softly as he threw
himself at her. The quilt fell away as he hugged her to him tightly. His words were barely
understandable between the wet, choking sobs as he babbled, “I’ve missed you so much,
Mari…! So much…! I blamed myself for years for your death. I-I-I… I thought that I… That
I’d somehow missed the signs of depression… that I wasn’t there for you when you’d needed
me, and you never told me for some reason-”
“No! No, never!” She cried, speaking over him with a rough voice as she clutched him tightly
to her as well. “I’m not suicidal, or depressed, or-”
But Hero continued to speak past her as the words tumbled from his lips like river rapids
freed from a dam, “And it destroyed me, Mari! Destroyed me! I couldn’t stop thinking about
what I did wrong! What I’d missed! Why you didn’t talk to me or open up to me or anyone!
And I just… I ran away! I couldn’t bear it. I couldn’t bear my own mind! I managed to pull
myself out of that horrendous pit for a while, and I just ran as fast as I could so my thoughts
wouldn’t catch up to me! I ran and ran and tried to forget everything and ended up leaving
behind everyone I cared about because it was just easier than thinking of you or knowing you
weren’t around anymore and I- and I…!” He sobbed, unable to finish as he allowed himself
to weep for what he’d done. “I’m so sorry, Mari. I’m so, so sorry…!”
“Shh… Shh…” Mari hushed him again and again, petting his hair and back while he clung to
her. She didn’t mind the mess he was making, or the way he was breaking down in her arms.
He was inconsolable at this point. Her words couldn’t reach his ears through the maelstrom in
his mind. Everything was a chaotic mess, and Hero felt like he would fall to pieces over it.
Mari was his only rock in the hurricane as the past and the future and the present spun and
ricocheted and rocketed images and regrets and hurts in his skull. He could only cry like a
child, wailing over grief and wounds that had never healed properly and had been ripped
open only a few months earlier in his mind. The stitches were still in his gaping lashes from
the damage he had inflicted on himself and from others. The sharp pieces of his shattered
bonds with his friends had flayed him open, and he didn’t know if he even deserved to be the
one to relive this part of his life again. He was mad that he was selfish enough to be happy,
even while feeling he deserved to be happy. Everything was complicated, and it hurt, and he
just wanted to stay here for a bit.
And so he did. He cried himself tired, allowing the rain to fall and pelt Mari’s shoulder as she
held and soothed him. She waited him out with thoughts of her own that she didn’t speak out
loud. Maybe she was gathering herself as well. Hero didn’t know. But he was grateful for
this, and her, and just the fact that he could even hold her like this. He hadn’t broken down to
someone like this since he’d last done it in his mother’s arms. Even at Sunny’s funeral, he
had held Kel and Aubrey instead of losing himself. They had needed him to be strong that
day. He wanted to stay strong now, but his stamina was so low, and Hero was fatigued.
His crying tapered off. He was exhausted and sniffling when he had finished. He shifted his
head so his forehead was resting on Mari’s shoulder instead. Then he fell silent.
Her fingers played with the hair at the base of his neck, stroking scratching it gently. Her
touch was familiar and loving, and it hurt as much as it made him feel better. He wondered
sometimes if he was still dreaming. Usually he didn’t feel this physically terrible when he
was dreaming, though.
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” Mari finally spoke after a few long minutes of
Hero gathering himself. “Henry, I’m sorry. I really am.”
“Please don’t apologize,” he whispered, voice unbearably rough. “Not you. Not when you’re
the victim in all of this.”
“It sounds to me like all of you were victims in your own respects.” She paused. Then she
said, “It’s hard to believe what you said is true… but I can’t deny how much it’s hurt you. I
need you to know that there was nothing you could’ve done in that situation. It wasn’t your
fault, Hero. You couldn’t have known.”
She was right. He knew she was right. “I know that now. I know that now, but… I wish I had
known before… Before any of this had happened.” Maybe then he could’ve done something
to change the outcome.
He felt, more than heard, the weighted silence of Mari clearly wanting to ask something – to
press him for more answers to questions she still had – but she abandoned it as her kindness
took over instead, “Do you want to stop for today? You don’t need to tell me more now.”
He knew he had to tell her more. He knew that she knew there was more to it. How could
there not be? She would want to know about Sunny. And about Kel, and Aubrey, and
especially Basil. She had questions about the future that Hero would need to fill her in on.
But right now, he was exhausted.
“I’m sorry,” he said as he slumped and lifted his head. He cleaned his face with his hand,
sniffling, and realized to his mortification that he had snot running from his nose. He
scrambled for his handkerchief and turned away from her, wiping at his face and blowing his
nose. Mari didn’t call him out on it.
“It’s okay,” she promised, hand running over his back. “I understand. I can see how hard this
is for you.”
Hero stayed silent for his cleaning. It helped to steady him a bit as he turned around to face
her once more. He kept his handkerchief to his nose as he said, “About what I said before,
though… Mari, I won’t let you die this time. I promise. I swear to you that I won’t let that
future come to pass. I can’t lose you again.”
Mari smiled, even if it was strained. The burden of this truth on her was already weighing her
down. The stress was clear. “I should hope not! I’ll do my best to avoid it as well. You…” she
cleared her throat and changed her sentence, “We’ll need to talk about that event too. And
more. I want to hear about your life, Hero.”
“One day,” Hero promised, dropping his sore eyes down to look at the snow. The clouds were
starting to roll in a bit, taking away some of their sunshine. The chill in the air became a little
starker. “I’ll tell you whatever you want. …It’ll be hard for me sometimes, though. I’ve
been… I mean… I haven’t really had anyone to talk to about this stuff.” He held his elbow as
he looked away from her, eyes dark.
There were questions in her gaze, but she resisted as she stepped forward to hug him around
the chest once more. Hero sank into her embrace, allowing her to hold him up and steady.
“You have me now. I’m not going anywhere. That’s my promise to you, okay?”
Hero nodded silently then. “Okay,” he murmured.
And in his heart, he felt that the weight had been lifted. Just a tiny bit.
New Semester
Chapter Notes
A well-deserved cute HeroMari chapter. We'll be getting plenty of those in the coming
future since they're in high school and will have alone time with each other. Which is
great, because we need more quality HeroMari stuff. And I'm indulgent of my own
desires.
EDIT: Btw, thank you everyone so much for the support you've given this fic! It's only a
couple days old, but I've had a wonderful amount of feedback! All of your comments
make me so happy. I hope you continue to enjoy this fic in the future too!
Hero was fifteen and he was back in high school. The new semester had started as a wave of
fresh air for him. Being back in school was comforting and grounding. While most people
were lamenting the holidays being over, Hero liked the structure of his classes. He came back
to school with a better mindset than the semester before, and he felt more awake than ever.
His smile was more genuine when he greeted people, and he felt more present in his classes.
The stress of coming back in time was finally settling after his conversations with Mari, for
as agonizing as they had been. Anything was better than the way he had been suffering
before, and he truly didn’t feel as alone as he did before.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the class. Hero packed up the last of his stuff as his
classmates got up and exited before following. The bustle of activity filled the spaces in the
hallways as Hero dodged around students pulling away from the crowd to either chat with
friends or to stop by their lockers to get supplies. His stomach growled as he hurried knowing
that his lunch was only in an hour, and that he needed to pick up his lunchbox from his locker
before he was late to his next class.
School had become a lot easier than the first time around, at least for his core classes. While
he was definitely relearning certain aspects, he already had a great grasp on almost
everything he was being taught. He had been taking college courses, after all, and he’d been a
math Olympiad. Math was so easy for him now that it only took him about twenty minutes to
finish his stuff. He had started testing himself to see how fast he could get everything done
before checking his work. English classes still took some time, but that was because of the
papers he needed to write. Freshman Biology was far too simple for him now when he had
been taking advanced courses in Anatomy and Physiology since before he had even left for
college. He kind of wished that he still had his notes from his AP courses, though.
All that really left him with were his electives, which Hero was reconsidering. As he opened
up his locker to put his stuff away and take new things out, he paused briefly to look over his
schedule. These were the same electives he’d had before. Since electives weren’t core classes
and could be rearranged a little more freely, he wondered if maybe he could put himself into
new classes. He could experience something new, and he’d always been interested in the
Home Economics course until after Mari died. He had wanted to get better at cooking and
sewing, and taking care of a fake baby had seemed kind of fun. But he’d never taken it.
His expression softened with wistfulness.
It would be nice if he could enjoy his old hobbies once more. It might be good to get back
into doing the stuff that he loved.
He felt a presence hovering behind him only moments before hands gripped his shoulders
and a voice cried, “Boo!”
Hero startled, hands spasming around his stuff and nearly dropping it before he caught
himself. His heart pounded out of his chest as he shot an amused glare at Mari’s beaming
face. She giggled at his look and playfully posed while framing her face cutely as if to say,
“You can’t stay mad at me”, which was entirely correct. She looked far too pretty for the start
of the new semester and the desire to make a good impression on her new teachers. She had
braided one of her bangs back and had pinned it behind her ear with a flower hairclip, giving
her a cute but simple change to her hairstyle.
“Hi Mari,” he greeted her, leaning in to share a quick kiss. She was wearing lip balm. He
rubbed his lips together to smooth out the tackiness when some of it transferred to him.
“Hi Hero! What’cha thinking so hard about?” she asked with a tilt of her head to look at his
schedule as well. They had both already gone through each other’s schedules together before
school had started. He knew which classes she had.
“Watch your shoulder,” he warned as he moved to close his locker up. She shifted away.
Once the door was shut, they started walking with their arms linked to their next class
together. “I’m rethinking my electives, actually. They’re all ones that I’ve had before.”
“Is that so? I was wondering! I guess time doesn’t change that much if you don’t influence it
yourself?” she pondered out loud. Something in him felt good just knowing she believed in
his crazy words so entirely. He hadn’t even given her much proof that he was from the future,
but she’d still believed him. That kind of trust was hard to come by.
It was that kind of feeling Hero had been looking for again in college. It was the reason why
he hadn’t really considered people there his friends, but rather just acquaintances. Kel hadn’t
understood that back then. He made friends quickly and easily. He trusted people. Hero didn’t
have the emotional strength to simply open his heart like that.
“Probably. There’s plenty of electives I haven’t done since I was thrown into AP classes in
my junior and senior year-” His feet stuttered as something occurred to him. A feeling of
exasperation and dread flooded through his system as he groaned softly, head tilting back.
“Hero?” Mari questioned.
“The AP classes… I have to redo all of them…! All my college credits…!”
She laughed, squeezing his arm as she pressed her face to his shoulder briefly. “Aww, poor
Hero! That’s gotta stink. You’ll just have to take them with me instead!”
“Aren’t you going to be doing cram school soon?” Hero glanced down at her. “Your parents
aren’t gonna try to get you into all of the AP classes that they can, right? That’s seriously a
lot of work.”
Mari gave him a baffled look before her eyes widened. “I’m going to be doing cram school
soon?”
“Oh… You guys haven’t discussed it then?” Hero frowned thoughtfully. When had Mari
started cram school? He knew that she’d been doing it the fall, so maybe over the summer?
“No, not yet…” Mari brought a knuckle to her lip, thinking. Hero steered her out of the way
of a crowd of friends who were taking up most of the hallway before they exited out into the
courtyard. They had to cross it to get to their next class, which they had together. “Cram
school, though… I know my parents will want me to do it, now that I think about it. It’ll
probably be over the summer.” She gave a sigh.
He remembered the time she had been at cram school. Hero hadn’t joined because he hadn’t
really needed to and because his parents didn’t offer. He hadn’t been about to put more on his
own plate if he could’ve avoided it, so he didn’t. He had felt guilty about it sometimes,
though, since it meant that he got to spend less time with Mari. She had seemed pretty
stressed out during that time too. More than that, though, she had been tired. If she hadn’t
been at cram school in the summer, then she had been playing with everyone, or helping out
around the house, or practicing piano, or taking hobby classes with her mother. And then, of
course, she had preparations for the recital added on top of all of that. She had always been
busy. They’d barely had any time to themselves that wasn’t studying or had their friends or
siblings around them.
Hero had just accepted it back then since Mari’s parents had always had high expectations of
her, and the money to push her to higher heights. This time around, though, he wondered if
he could help her with her burden more.
He smiled at her. “Maybe you can join in more on mine and Kel’s study sessions? If your
grades get even better, maybe you won’t have to go to cram school?”
“I doubt it would be that easy. Mom and Dad have always been… you know.” She gave a
helpless smile and shrug.
Yeah, Hero knew that for sure. Mari was their prized eldest daughter who was amazing at
what she put her mind to. They wanted her to be perfect, and Mari tried her best to live up to
their expectations. Hero had the same pressure on him, but his parents were just less…
intense about it. His mother -who was the one who primarily pushed him- would express
disappointment and would encourage him to do better if she thought he could do it. Mari’s
parents would both constantly check on her grades, and how her progress was, and would
remind her when it was time to do more work. Hero’s parents knew he was mostly self-
sufficient and almost only interfered when Hero was slacking a bit, or when his mother
wanted to steer him towards the future that she felt he deserved. His desire to make his
parents happy and not disappoint his mother was what had driven him to follow their
instructions.
Mari had different baggage to handle. Hero wondered, now that he was older, if it was too
much pressure for someone as young as her.
He would keep an eye out.
“Besides, cram school might be fun! I can make some new friends!” Mari continued,
pumping her fist shortly as she perked up. “Anyway, you’re studying with Kel a lot?”
“Yeah, I started tutoring him a couple days ago. It’s… going okay. You know, for Kel.”
“Hahaha, maybe you can help with Sunny too?”
“I’d like to,” he confessed honestly, “but putting Sunny and Kel in the same room to study
would probably distract them both. Maybe when Kel’s got a better handle on things. I’ll
check Sunny’s work.”
They entered their classroom and found their seats. They both started taking out their stuff as
Mari said, “Don’t put too much work on your own shoulders, Hero. I was mostly joking
about Sunny anyway. He’s doing fine. You’re still adjusting, right?”
“It’s no trouble,” Hero insisted. “This stuff is all easy for me. I’ve got a lot more free time
now that I’m caught up with what I’ve been working on. I’ll gladly help out.” He paused and
then added, “Besides… I want to help everyone more. I want to make up for not doing
enough last time around.”
Mari frowned at him. He couldn’t tell if it was scolding or understanding. “I don’t think this
habit of guilting yourself over what happened is good for you.”
Hero’s eyes skittered away from her, jumping quickly down to his notebook as he brushed
her comment off. “Probably not. But still. I missed out on a lot of time with my friends, so I
want to make up for that.”
The bell rang, ending their conversation before Mari could respond. She watched him for a
long moment as the teacher began to speak, but eventually she focused on the class.
Her words echoed in Hero’s head. His heart, however, beat them away.
No matter how many times he’d had to change classes during the time he had been in high
school, the cafeteria remained the same. Teenagers rushing to get into lines and grab their
favorite seats brought about a sense of organized chaos. Coats that were just put on to travel
to the cafeteria were taken off and shoved into laps or under tables. Grease and scents that
always smelled the same despite the change in school menus floated in the air. So many
voices crowded over each other that no single conversation could be picked up. Hero had
countless memories just like this one in this cafeteria, and it appeared he would be doubling
them this time around too.
At least somethings never changed.
He allowed Mari’s hand in his to lead him to where they were going to sit today. They had a
couple of school acquaintances in this lunch period with them, but it seemed they weren’t
planning on waiting or sitting with them today as they found a new corner to sit in and steal
the seats for. They were both people who brought their lunches to school now, so there was
no need to get in line.
“Your lunch is always so simple, Hero,” Mari pointed out as she pulled out her own food.
Hero always liked to see what she had done with it today. Because of her mixed family, her
lunches tended to change from more American stuff to more Japanese stuff depending on her
mood. Today she had a cute bento box with her. He made a mental note to maybe learn how
to make some Japanese cuisine for himself. Maybe he could ask Sunny about some cute ideas
for lunches? He only really knew how to make rice balls.
“Oh, yeah. Well, I’ve mostly just been grabbing leftovers,” he confessed. His dad always
made plenty, so their fridge was full of leftovers almost all the time. It was just easier than
making food himself. He had gotten used to leftovers after years of not cooking for himself,
really. And it was far tastier than the take-out or easy premade meals he’d lived off of in
college.
“I thought you wanted to start cooking for yourself more? I know you told me that before
‘this’ you came back, but did you forget?” Mari tilted her head a little. “Actually… You
haven’t really cooked for me at all since you came back!” she gasped, hand flying to her
mouth. “That really does just show how little we’ve been hanging out! Hero, we have to
change this!”
Hero huffed a laugh. “We will, I promise. I told you that I was going to be a better boyfriend
to you now, right?” He tapped her bracelet before adjusting it so that the jewels were
showing. It warmed his heart to see. She really had been wearing it everywhere.
“You’d better!” she pointed her finger at him and wiggled it. Then she returned to eating.
“But seriously, though. I don’t think I’ve seen you cook at all since you came back other than
the hot cocoa… That’s unlike you.”
He could tell her now. She already knew. So, he told her the truth, “After you died…” he
glanced around at the others at their table, but they were all strangers and weren’t paying
attention to them. Mari was the only one watching him, this time more focused than before,
“I told you that I just kinda…” He sighed through his nose and corrected, “No. To tell you the
truth, I fell into a deep depression. I didn’t want to do anything at all. I pretty much went to
school and came home. My grades dropped. It was hard to get out of my bed. And when I did
finally start to put myself back together, I avoided… well, you. Everything about you. Just so
that I could function.” He dropped his gaze to his food. He forced himself to take a few bites,
heart fluttering uncomfortably. “That meant leaving behind a lot since you were…
everywhere, and in everything. I stopped cooking as much as I used to outside of necessity. I
kinda just got used to not doing it.”
“Oh… Hero…” Mari murmured, sounding heartbroken. She rested a hand on his. He
captured her fingers with his thumb as he pushed a smile onto his face. He forced the weight
back up to his shoulders and off of his mind.
“Don’t worry too much. I want to try to return to my old hobbies. It’s not like I didn’t enjoy
them before. I really do like cooking and baking. You’ll help me with that, right?”
“Of course!” she agreed wholeheartedly. She could see what he was attempting to do, so she
helped him along by smiling brightly as well. “If it means I can convince you to cook me
plenty of meals, you know I’m all for it!”
“I had a request of you, actually,” he added as he squeezed her fingers in thanks and released
her hand so they could keep eating. They were on a time limit, after all. “The next time we’re
all going to play together, can you make your chocolate chip cookies again? They’ve always
been my favorite. They’re the best.”
“Aww! Flatterer. Your cookies are much better than mine.”
“No way!” He shook his head. “Nothing compares to your cookies. Trust me.”
Mari’s eyes sparkled, catching onto the implications. “I wish you had told me sooner, then. I
would’ve made you plenty just for your birthday! Alright, I’ll make you a batch just for you.
Everyone else can have their own. I think you’ve more than earned it. Especially since I’ve
yet to give you a gift that comes close to matching what you gave me.”
Hero laughed, thrilled that she had agreed. “I can’t wait. But you don’t need to give me a gift
to match what I gave you. That’s not the point of it, you know?”
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll think of something!”
Hero couldn’t resist asking, “What would you have done if I had given you a ring instead?”
Mari paused, eyes widening before eying him carefully.
Hero leaned on his elbow and purposefully turned on his charm to cover up just how serious
he was, smiling.
“Like a proposal?” she asked after a moment.
“Something like that.”
She played along. “Hmm… I don’t think my dad would approve of me getting engaged at
fourteen to my boyfriend I’ve dated for four months, silly.”
“I thought as much. The bracelet suits you more anyway,” he backed off of the charm with a
hidden smile, pushing more food into his mouth. Mari’s mouth fell open a little. Only now
did she seem kind of flustered.
“W-Wait, were you being serious about it being a proposal?”
Hero chewed his food, letting her simmer in it for a moment because she looked cute with her
cheeks pink and her eyes hopeful but worried. He had to remind himself that their
relationship was still new from her perspective. She didn’t have that year of time together
that Hero’d had. She wasn’t fully the Mari he had known. She wasn’t even fifteen yet.
“It was going to mean the same thing as your bracelet,” he settled on, nodding to the gift.
She relaxed. “Oh, okay. That’s what you meant.”
“Though-” He paused. Wait, maybe that would be going too far. It was one thing to tease her
a little, but he didn’t want to freak her out either. Hero knew his own feelings enough to
know he wanted to be with her forever, but he wasn’t going to put that kind of pressure on
her. Maybe he would keep that kind of confession for a few months from now. “Never mind.”
“What?” she pressed anyway.
He changed the subject. “Now that I think about it… Is it my imagination, or are you a little
bit more affectionate than you were in my last timeline?”
“I wouldn’t know,” she hedged, lips pooching a little as she turned to face front, cheek in his
hand. “I don’t know how I was in your previous timeline.”
There was no harm in going into more details. “We were close, obviously. Our relationship
was still new at this time. But I think the ‘walking through the hallways arm-in-arm’ part
came a little later on. And the kissing so much as well. Am I remembering wrong?”
Mari was quiet and still not looking at him. Then she spun to face him and admitted, “Okay,
yes, you’re right. I’ve been taking advantage of you, Hero.”
“T-Taking advantage?” He cursed his stuttering as Mari leaned into him, hand on his knee.
His smile became a bit wobbly, admittedly liking this kind of touch too, while his younger
body instinctively reacted to her closeness. He tried to keep his calm. The unexpected clap of
arousal had startled him. The way a catlike smirk appeared on her lips seeing him blushing
didn’t help him any.
“Yes, taking advantage.” Her tongue curled around the words as Hero’s ears heated up. They
were given a couple looks by the other teens at the table, but were ignored afterwards.
“You’re not quite as shy as you used to be. I used to have a lot of fun teasing you… but lately
I have to work a bit harder to get this kind of reaction out of you. You don’t get as
embarrassed when I want to be more affectionate.” Her smile shifted into something a little
more genuine, but her hunter edge was hidden just beneath it.
If they were alone, they would be kissing by now. Hero had thought he had been the one
taking advantage of Mari as their kissing would shift into hungrier territory as of late. They
had started kissing in ways that hadn’t come until a little later on in their relationship. And
Mari was a scary-fast learner. She had always seemed eager to go with his flow as he had
deepened their kisses or had pulled her closer, but maybe that had been her realizing that his
boundaries weren’t nearly as strict as they had been in the past?
It made him shiver with excitement.
Shit. He would need to start playing defense more, or Mari’s dad would definitely beat his
ass.
“So,” he said as he took her hand from her knee and encouraged her to sit back properly in
her seat. She let him as she grinned at the redness on his own face. This was going to be
dangerous for him, “basically because I’m not the kid I used to be, you’re seeing how much
you can get away with?”
“Exactly! You used to be so cute when you’d tell me ‘Not now, Mari’ all shy and such when I
so much as pressed against you a little too much-” Hero ran an embarrassed hand over his
face as his eyes instinctively jumped to her chest and then away. He had forgotten just how…
Mari Mari used to be. “-but now you just take it with stride! I’m rather proud of you. As cute
as you are when you’re all embarrassed like this,” she leaned forward again, but only so he
could see her delighted smile, “I like that I can be more forward with you. It’s like we don’t
have to go as slow as we were before. You were so careful before!”
“That’s because I was afraid I would come off as a pervert for moving too fast,” Hero
grumbled as he dropped his hand. “We’ve been friends for years, and I finally got the courage
to confess and kiss you, and I was just excited that you were my girlfriend. I had no idea
what I could do or when to do it. You made me a mess, Mari.”
She giggled. Then she tucked her hair shyly behind her ear, glancing at him from the corner
of her eye. “You make it sound like you don’t do the same thing to me… I’m still not used to
how mature you are, Hero.”
Hero smiled too, charmed. “Age and experience will do that to you. I make you a mess?”
“All of the time, handsome boy.”
“But… You always totally brush me off when I flirt with you?” He frowned, thinking back to
all of the times he had tried to charm her.
“Oh Hero. That’s because your charm doesn’t work on me. That’s not what I like about you
at all!”
“It’s not?”
“It’s not,” she confirmed. “Though, you’re much more effective than you were before.” She
sighed. “I thought maybe you had figured out the trick, but it seems you still don’t know.”
“Wha-What? What is it, then?”
“I’m not telling~”
That was totally unfair, Hero thought as he cracked open his water bottle and sipped it
thoughtfully. He had seen how he had flustered Mari before, but that had been because they
were kissing and such. She was young, and she was inexperienced. It was natural that she
would be a little flustered with the way Hero kissed her. He didn’t think it was that. What
could it be, then?
Ugh, this kind of answer was what drove Hero’s mind wild even years later. He’d never been
able to figure it out despite having a similar conversation to this one before. Maybe she
would tell him somewhere down the line.
“Which reminds me…” Mari spoke up after a few moments of letting Hero mull over her
riddle. She seemed a little bit unsure about asking this question, but went for it anyway as
Hero gave her a curious look. “You said experience… Does that mean you’ve kissed a lot of
girls other than me?”
The smile froze on Hero’s face as he jolted.
Mari noticed, eyes widening at the answer he didn’t even need to give, before she hurried to
say, “Not that I mind! I’m happy you managed to move on! I was just-”
“I never moved on.”
She stopped. Hero lowered his drink to the table, expression serious and a little sad.
“I never moved on, Mari. I didn’t date anyone other than you.” He paused, thumb crinkling
the plastic of the bottle, before adding, “Though… I did try after a while.”
Mari didn’t respond.
Hero continued, “I’ve had, uh, flings. Like…” his eyes darted to her and away, “exactly what
you might think. I kind of tried sort of dating some of my classmates, but it didn’t really go
anywhere. So… You could say I have experience, but not really on the romantic side of
things.” His heart had always been Mari’s. He hadn’t even reached the point where he had
thought he might have been able to find love after her. The wound had never closed properly.
In the end, it never did before he had come back in time.
“So you’ve… you know?”
“Uh, yeah.”
Mari blinked a couple of times, taking in this information. Finally, she said, “That’s hard for
me to imagine. I know it’s years from now, but wow. I never could’ve pictured you like that,
Hero!”
He frowned, confused. “Like what?”

She looked like she didn’t want to say it so publically, so she leaned closer to murmur where
only he could hear, “Like the type to have sex before marriage.”
And Hero couldn’t stop the laugh from burst from him then. The irony was simply too much.
“Did I come off like that?”
Mari looked almost a little offended at his laughter. Amusement was too prevalent for it to
really be called offence, though. “You told me yourself, remember?”
“I totally don’t remember.” But it seemed like the type of thing he would’ve said. His family
was more religious than Mari’s was, and he’d had an ideal of growing up with a wife and two
kids just like his own family. They’d have a cat and a dog, and a nice house with a big yard,
and Hero had been planning to wait until marriage to maintain his wife’s chastity.
That kind of ideal was discarded as soon as his hormones had taken over him that lovely day
in Spring when he and Mari had been alone, and her body and kisses had been too sweet to
resist.
He’d always been weak to her.
“Sorry. I’m not as old-fashioned as I used to be,” he told her.
She hummed mysteriously, eyes sparkling with some thought of hers as she leaned back once
more. Hero wondered what she thought of him now. He didn’t like the idea of her knowing
he’d slept with other people when he was dating her now. So, he leaned back into her ear to
whisper,
“You were my first, though.”
“What?!” she cried, utterly shocked by this revelation. Hero beamed as she covered her
mouth, eyebrows practically in her hairline. Then she hissed, “When was this?!”
“Not telling,” he teased her. “It’s a fond memory of mine.”
“Hero! You can’t tell me that and not tell me the details!”
“Another time,” he brushed a thumb over her cheek as he turned back to his meal. Lunch was
almost over. “You at least know it happened sometime this year.”
“Exactly! How far into it?” she demanded.
“Not telling.”
“Was it a special situation, like my birthday? Are you going to at least do it again?”
Okay, that one caught him off-guard. She successfully got her revenge for his coyness as he
coughed and choked around his mouthful, pounding his chest to clear his airway. He quickly
swallowed and gulped down some water before asking in a hurried whisper, “Wha-What?
No! I mean, uh, I mean… M-Mari, you can’t just…!” His head was spinning a little. Mari
still looked far too serious, but that edge of teasing was coming back into her expression the
more flustered he got. “Don’t tell me that’s what you want for your birthday?” his voice
squeaked at the end, breaking. That only made him even more mortified.
Mari’s smirk was back, clearly smug about how worked up she had gotten him. “And if I said
yes?”
He was left speechless. What was he supposed to do in that situation? It wasn’t like he was
against being intimate with Mari again, but the situations were hardly the same! When they’d
been fifteen, they had both felt old enough to do that kind of thing together… but as a
twenty-year-old, wasn’t fifteen kind of young to have sex?! But wouldn’t that make him a
hypocrite since he did have sex when he was fifteen? Who was he to judge Mari for wanting
to do it? Did he need to be more responsible this time around? Would she judge him if he
actually did come onto her with that kind of intention? Should he be the one to take the lead
here since he had more experience? Since he was the elder of their relationship? For that
matter, was this weird? He was still technically an adult-
“Oh my gosh, Hero,” Mari’s words cut though his panicked thoughts, “you’re overthinking it
again! I can tell! I’m just teasing you, silly!”
He swallowed. Right. Right, of course she was just teasing him. Maybe he should revisit
these ideas later? Maybe he should ask Mari her thoughts?
“You’re still doing it,” she said again. The lunch bell rang loudly. “See? Lunch is over. Come
on, handsome boy. Don’t worry anymore, okay?”
“You’re still really effective at just… completely getting me worked up,” he accused as he
gathered his stuff and they went to throw away any trash.
“You make it too easy.” She took his hand when they were both ready and started to head
back to class. “Just so you know, I’m not actually asking for anything like that. If it happens,
it happens. You don’t need to plan a date or anything.”
The relief was palpable in him. “Thank god.”
“Are you really that against it?” She sounded more curious than upset.
“I’m not… against it… per se… I just think maybe we should have a conversation or two
beforehand? Considering my, uh, circumstances? And the fact that, well, we’re kind of
young?”
“Oh my gosh,” she laughed, “you’ve gotten old!”
“You don’t understand my point of view, Mari! High school feels like a decade away from
me now!”
“Don’t worry, おじいさん, I won’t push at your sensitivities! Don’t mind this young lady!”
“Mari!”
“Yes, yes, I’ll be a good girl. We’ll be very good kids together.”
She was so exasperating, but Hero couldn’t help but like that about her too. He’d missed this
kind of teasing, even if it worked him up. One of these days, he thought, he would get the
upper hand. Today it seemed that Mari had won once more. He would let it go. She was cute
like this anyway.
Chapter End Notes
おじいさん (read: ojiisan) = Grandfather/Old Man

Hobbies
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
“Whoa! Your room’s changed a lot!” Kel called as he followed Basil into his bedroom. Hero
followed next, glancing around curiously before his eyebrows raised with surprise. It was the
first time he had been in Basil’s bedroom since his own timeline (and since that dreadful
night where-) and it was certainly different from what he remembered. The furniture was
arranged differently, and plants were against almost every wall. There were small potted
plants on wall shelves, flowerpots and ivy dripping over metal beams of shelving towers, and
even some large planters that had newer sprouts growing in it. Basil had a lights over the
younger plants to help them grow. The bed was against the opposite wall from what Hero
remembered, and the rug he vaguely recalled being there was no longer present.
“Woooow!” Aubrey cried. “There are plants everywhere!”
“Haha, yeah. I… forgot you guys haven’t been in here in a while,” Basil admitted bashfully,
rubbing at his hair. “Since it’s winter, Grandma and I decided to bring in some of our plants.
It’s a little crowded in here now.”
“Are these all from your garden?” Mari asked, looking delighted as she knelt by the spouts to
examine them. Sunny had drifted to run his fingers over the ivy. Hero stared at the air plant
dangling from a rope in its little glass container.
“Some of them are. I’m growing some new stuff there, as you can see.”
“It smells so earthy in here,” Hero said. “It’s kinda nice. It must be relaxing having so much
greenery in here.”
“Why would you want your room to smell like the ground?” Kel asked as he threw himself
onto Basil’s bed, kicking his legs as he sat on the edge of it. “Or even worse… manure!” He
made a disgusted face, sticking his tongue out childishly.
“Oh, I don’t use manure indoors. I use an alternative during the winter, hehe,” Basil
corrected. “I don’t want my room to smell like, uh, that.”
“Like poop!”
He looked a little exasperated at his friend for saying it out loud. Hero closed his eyes briefly
in sympathetic pain. “…Yeah, that,” Basil agreed.
“I like the flowers the best!” Aubrey announced as she looked around the place, eyes
sparkling. “Can you imagine living in a room with so many pretty flowers? Like, a rose bush
in the corners, or daisy decorating the wall, or even lilies from the ceiling!”
“You’re right! I think wisteria would be beautiful to decorate a room with as well,” Mari said.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a hanging flower. You can see them in some very lovely gardens. Sunny and I saw some
at a butterfly exhibit we went to last year, right Sunny?” She glanced at her brother.
Sunny had hidden himself behind the ivy, letting them fall over his front as he peeked out
between the leaves. Hero smiled at the sight before plucking one of the strands up to expose
him. Sunny blinked at him. He looked like he was having fun, whatever might be going on in
his head. He had forgotten how playful Sunny used to be.
“Found you,” he teased.
Sunny’s eyes crinkled a little before he slipped out from the ivy and joined his sister and
Basil by the sprouts. “They were purple, right?” he asked.
“Purple and white! The scent was so nice. I’d love to have a gazebo decorated with them,”
Mari said.
“Ooh, I wanna see them! Can we go to a butterfly garden sometime, Mari?” Aubrey asked as
she skipped over to grab her waist in a hug. Mari laughed and patted her head.
“Maybe we can! That might be fun.”
Hero didn’t remember ever going to a butterfly garden with everyone before, but he did
remember going to one when he and Mari had been in elementary school. That was a long
time ago, though. That sounded like a lot of fun for them. Could they maybe plan a day like
that? If he recalled correctly, there was a museum not too far from his college. That wasn’t
too far for a day trip.
“I’ve never been to one before… I’d like to go!” Basil said.
“They usually have signs about the plants there too, if you’re interested Basil,” Mari said.
“Hehe, I’d like to see them. Maybe I can try growing something new?”
“The butterflies will probably love Sunny,” Aubrey said as she released Mari to grab Sunny’s
hand instead. The boy’s cheeks turned a little pink. Hero blinked at the sight. “He’s so quiet
and gentle that they’d all land on him. Maybe he’ll even fall asleep in there?”
“It was warm there…” Sunny murmured almost in agreement. Basil giggled.
“It might be nice to plan a field trip,” Hero said as he sat down on the bed next to Kel, who
seemed to be thinking deeply about something, if his exaggerated thinking expression was
any indication. “We could ask our parents in the summer?”
“Ooh, yeah!” Mari said. “And-”
“We can’t go!” Kel declared, interrupting them all.

“What?” Aubrey frowned at him as the boy hopped off of the bed and crossed his arms.
“Why not?”
“Because Hero hates bugs!” He pointed sharply at Hero, making Hero blink. “He’ll be too
afraid to go in!”
That was admittedly a sting to his pride. Hero definitely didn’t like insects (and even worse:
spiders), but he wasn’t so scared of them that he couldn’t enjoy an exhibit.
“Hey now-” he started to protest, but Aubrey spoke over him,
“Butterflies aren’t like other bugs, though! Hero can’t be scared of butterflies, right?” She
looked to him. “They’re all pretty and cute and stuff!”
“I’m not scared of butterflies,” Hero agreed, a little exasperated.
“But you’re always complaining about bugs and stuff and how gross they are!” Kel argued.
“And butterflies are bugs too! Why are they different?”
“Because… They’re not creepy?” Hero wasn’t sure how to explain it. Aubrey had summed it
up pretty well, actually.
“Also,” Mari added, “Hero’s a big boy. He’s not going to be afraid of bugs forever, Kel. Just
like you’ll grow out of your fear of pickles and milk.”
“I’m not afraid of pickles or milk! I just think they’re gross!” Kel protested, offended.
“You can’t get over your fear if you don’t confront it,” Basil agreed with a soft smile.
“Yes, exactly!” She beamed at Basil.
Hero didn’t know why this was so focused on him. Wasn’t Sunny scared of bugs too? Or was
he misremembering?
He had to think about it for a moment.
He came to the dreadful conclusion that no, it really was just him.
Well, he could tolerate bugs more than he did as a kid. “I’m not afraid of butterflies. I think
it’ll be a fun trip. They usually have a lot of cool stuff there. There’s a butterfly garden at the
museum in the that big city not far from the coast. We could check out the museum while
we’re there too.”
“A museum sounds kinda boring, though,” Kel made a face.
“You might like it. There’s some really cool stuff there. I think they’re used to admitting kids,
so some of the exhibits are really interesting for all ages.”
“How do you know that?” Aubrey asked with a tilt of her head. “Have you been there
already?”
“Uh…” Oh shoot. He’d displayed too much knowledge. “I remembered hearing about it from
a classmate. I wanted to try to go there anyway.”
“If you don’t want to come because it’s boring, me and Hero can go as a date~” Mari teased.
“Or we’ll just go without Kel,” Aubrey suggested.
“Or that!”
“Hey! You can’t go without me! I wanna go! I wanna go!” Kel cried.
“Well, now I don’t know! What do you think, Hero?” Mari placed a finger on her chin, eyes
wide with faux thoughtfulness. Hero could see the mischievous glint in her smile. “Should
we just make it the two of us? A butterfly garden could be romantic!”
Hero debated if he wanted to join in on the teasing, but Aubrey and Basil looked so betrayed,
and Sunny was frowning a little, so he didn’t have the heart. “We already said we’d bring
everyone, so I think we should all go.”
“YEAH!!” Aubrey and Kel cried together, ecstatic.
“Hero’s the best!” The girl added.
“Alright, we’ll be nice,” Mari agreed with a giggle. “Let’s ask our parents when it gets closer
to the summer, okay guys?”
“Sure!” Basil nodded, eyes sparkling a little. He looked pretty excited to go.
Hero wondered why they hadn’t done it before. Were there little changes occurring that were
changing their plans? Was it because they had come to Basil’s house on this particular day
when they hadn’t in the other timeline? Hero didn’t know what they had done every day of
that year in the last timeline, so he couldn’t possibly guess.
No matter the reason, though, it would be fun to do something new with everyone. New
experiences that he wanted to do while he was young, and while they weren’t yet bogged
down with adulthood or other problems. If he could fill them all with even more wonderful
childhood memories, then Hero wanted to do it.
Sometimes he felt like he was a parent with a bunch of children to look after.
Being back in Basil’s house brought back some unpleasant memories of his own, though.
Hero tried not to think about it as he interacted and listened to his friends talking and playing
some of the board games they’d brought to entertain themselves with today in between
watching television, but it was impossible to completely ignore it. This place had been the
beginning of the end of things for him. They’d all promised to stick together when Basil had
locked himself away after visiting his hospitalized grandmother, and they’d spent the evening
hanging out in front of the television much like they were doing now. But that night had
ended with Sunny and Basil fighting and becoming hospitalized. And then…
The house was somehow livelier than it had been back then. Polly wasn’t here. Basil’s
grandmother moved around the house with her cane and kindly brought them healthy snacks
for them to share. Basil often helped her out in the kitchen. He smiled more than Hero
remembered. It was a stark difference from the desolate expression he’d seen at Sunny’s
funeral.
It hurt his heart to remember. He wanted Basil to keep that smile. He was a kind, shy boy
who had trouble fitting in with others, but he’d found a snug spot in their group of friends. It
was clear that even without the crushing guilt of what he had done (and honestly, where did
this child get such a horrid idea to cover up a murder?) Basil hadn’t been able to ever recover
a friend group. He’d been left alone.
Hero was partially to blame for that. But if he had known the truth back then, would he have
forgiven Basil?
He didn’t know.
What-ifs no longer mattered. What mattered was the present.
He stood up with their empty platter of snacks. “Hey, Basil? Mind if I go through your
kitchen to make something to eat? I don’t want to bother your grandma again.”
“Huh? Oh… Yeah, that’s fine! Let me help,” Basil said, pushing himself from his laying
position to his feet.
“Do you want us to wait?” Kel asked.
“No, you can keep going. I’m out anyway,” Hero responded.
“Same here,” Basil agreed. The two of them walked into the kitchen together. Hero studied
Basil as they both discussed what to make.
He hadn’t been particularly close to Basil in the first timeline. Or, rather, he hadn’t been any
closer to him than he had been with some of the other children. He was close to Sunny
because he had known him just as long as he had Mari, but their friendship had stabilized as
the age difference between them had separated out their life experiences. Hero had grown
into a teenager with teenage problems and, admittedly, had been a lot more focused on
romance than playing some of the games that Sunny and Kel loved to play. He was closer to
Kel because they were brothers and spent the most time together by default. But Aubrey and
Basil were his close friends that were, in his memory, still just kids. He couldn’t be as
intimate with his younger friends as he had been with Mari, so even disregarding the fact that
they were best friends and lovers, he had always been closest to Mari out of the group.
Basil was also their most recent addition, and he had taken some time to warm up to them
and their friendliness. He had been overwhelmed in the beginning by how exuberant and
friendly their group had been. He had needed a moment to adjust. He was better adjusted
now, but Hero knew the real moment he fully opened up his heart to them was on his
birthday. He remembered Basil saying that he couldn’t recall the last time he’d had a birthday
party with so many friends. It had made him all the more relieved they had thrown a party for
him.
Now as an adult, it saddened him. He hadn’t thought about it as much when he’d been
younger, but Basil had only really had his grandmother until Aubrey had found him. Hero
didn’t even really know much about this boy’s history, or his feelings on the matter. Kel and
Aubrey and Mari had always had the brightest personalities in the group, and Hero, Basil,
and Sunny had simply revolved around them. Because they usually set the pace and tone,
there hadn’t really been much room for more serious talks or asking about each other’s pasts.
Hero had never found out much besides the same miscellaneous details about Basil that he
knew about plenty of his friends. He knew his birthday, some of his likes and dislikes, and
other scattered things. There had been no need for talking about the serious stuff. Aubrey had
suffered from the same problem.
Hero wanted to change that this time around. He wanted to deepen his understanding of his
friends. He wanted them to trust him more and more. He wanted them to know they could
rely on him for better and for worse. Maybe Sunny and Basil had kept what they had done
hidden because they hadn’t thought they could rely on their friends when times were hard?
Sadly, Hero thought to himself, they’d been kind of right. He had been useless after Mari’s
death. Aubrey had said she had tried to reach out and had gotten nothing in return. He
couldn’t imagine Sunny or Basil taking the first step in that scenario. And Kel…
Hero had ruined Kel. He had only realized that after talking with his friends at the tree stump
in Sunny’s backyard.
He had a lot of regrets.
“By the way,” Hero said as he and Basil both chopped up tomatoes, cucumbers, and sliced
some cheese for sandwiches, “I saw that you still had your grandma’s Polaroid camera in
your room. Did she give it to you?”
“The camera? O-oh. Yeah.” Basil looked a little shy, carefully slicing the tomatoes into
smaller pieces. “She said I could have it… but I don’t have any film for it, so I can’t use it.”
Hero knew this already. “Do you have an interest in photography?”
“I-I wouldn’t say it’s an interest! I mean…” He searched for the words. This nervousness still
hadn’t gone away yet. Basil had always been a little shy, but Hero remembered a time when
he had been much more relaxed with them. It felt like Basil was still trying to be polite with
him even though Hero wasn’t that much older. “I thought the camera was kinda fun? Like,
how it immediately prints out the picture… It looked good. I have that picture of Sunny from
Christmas on my wall, and every time I look at it, I think of that day. I would be nice to
have… more like that, you know?”
Hero smiled encouragingly. “Yeah! That sounds like a great idea! Taking pictures so we
never forget the good times, right?”
Basil smiled now, confidence building a bit as he nodded at him. “I’m hoping to save up
some money to buy some film. Grandma told me I have to be careful with the camera since
it’s kind of bulky, but I think it would be worth carrying around.” His smile turned sheepish.
“I ended up wasting what film I had left taking practice pictures in the garden… hehe.”
“Did you like any of them?”
“Some of them. I think they’ll be prettier in the spring, though.”
“I’m sure everyone would love to see whatever pictures you take. That’s such a cool hobby to
have.”
“I-I wouldn’t call it a hobby yet!” He looked flustered.
Hero just laughed a little and said nothing more about it. He took the ingredients and put
them between bread slices before carefully trimming them into fun shapes for the others.
Basil was interested and tried it himself to less success, but seemed proud of his flower-
shaped one. His friend really did like flowers a lot. He wondered what Basil would grow up
to be with these kinds of hobbies.
“Oh, here, do it like this. You don’t want to press down too hard, or you’ll smush the bread.”
He helped Basil adjust the pressure as the boy cut more pieces off. The sandwiches were
starting to look kind of messy, but Hero would eat the scraps. He didn’t mind. “I think
gardening is a fun hobby too. You get fresh ingredients all the time, right?”
“We do sometimes. I… haven’t actually grown too many vegetables. It’s mostly been
flowers. And herbs. My grandma really likes fresh ingredients since she doesn’t eat much
meat.”
“That’s why you like tofu, right?”
“Yeah! I love tofu.”
“It’s good to eat healthy. I’m a little jealous of your skill.” He gave a helpless smile. “I’d like
to grow some stuff too… but I have a feeling Hector would just tear it up. He’s a wild pup.”
“Hehe, yeah!” He paused and trimmed a little more of the sandwich before popping a piece
of cucumber into his mouth. “Um… Maybe you could garden with me?”
“What?” That was surprising. He hadn’t expected that.
“I wanted to try growing some vegetables in the spring anyway… so, we could share?” Basil
looked a little unsure, but hopeful. His eyes glanced up at him and then skittered away shyly.
Hero blinked, stunned. “Are… you sure? I mean, since it’s at your house, you’d be doing a
lot of the work.”
“I don’t mind. You can come by whenever?” He ran his hands over each other in a habit that
never quite went away as the years went by. “I-It’s okay if you don’t want to!”
“No, I’d love to!” He beamed then. “I’ll gladly help out! You’ll need to teach me what to do,
though. I don’t know anything about gardening other than the bare minimum.”
Basil relaxed once more. He nodded quickly. “Y-Yeah! No problem! I have books you can
borrow, maybe? And… we can discuss what to plant?”
“Thanks so much! I’ll take you up on that!” It made him a little excited to think about. New
hobbies were always fun to try out, and gardening would be a great way to get to know Basil
better. He could maybe even get Sunny in on it. When Mari got busy with school, it would be
good to give the kids other things to do with each other in between school and playing. Hero
would need stuff to fill his own time too since he wouldn’t have to worry about school as
much… until he was in AP classes again.
The rest of the afternoon was spent playing and hanging out in Basil’s living room and
bedroom. His house was small, and they couldn’t be too noisy because of his grandmother,
but Hero had always liked hanging out at Basil’s home. His grandmother was sweet and
patient, and the house always smelled so fresh and a little like potpourri. It was a great way to
paint over his last memory of being in this house. He hadn’t realized how much life had been
here until it was gone. The smell alone evoked nostalgia.
And as the sun started to go down, Mari and Hero gathered their friends in preparation to go
home. The sun set even earlier in the winter, so they needed to go home earlier as well.
Spirits were high as they said goodbye and walked Aubrey home first.
It was then that Hero mentioned, “Hey guys, you know how Basil’s birthday is coming up
soon?”
“Oh, you’re right!” Kel said. “We should totally throw a party for him!”
“You beat me to it, bro,” Hero grinned and ruffled Kel’s hair as Kel beamed back. He looked
towards the others. “We should throw a party for Basil. And I think I know what we should
get him too!”
“Oh?” Mari prompted, gaze knowing but curious. “Do you have something in mind?”
“Good, because I couldn’t figure out what to get him,” Aubrey lamented. “I was thinking
another flower clip… but that seems kind of simple for a birthday present, right?”
“I was thinking the same thing, actually…” Sunny murmured, embarrassed.
Aubrey laughed. “Oh my gosh, really?”
“I was thinking about a book maybe…” Mari said thoughtfully. “Basil had a couple of
different books in his room from what I saw. But, I’m not really sure of his taste.”
“What’s your idea, bro?” Kel asked.
“I was talking with Basil, and it sounded like he really wanted to get film for his Polaroid
camera. He’s interested in photography,” Hero said.
“That’s so cool! That picture of Sunny from Christmas was on his wall! I saw it!”
“That’s a great idea!” Mari cried. “We can all chip in and buy him film. That way it’s not too
expensive for all of us! It can be a group gift, along with other gifts to buy him.”
“His wall will be filled with pictures of all of us! I’m already jealous!” Aubrey looked
thrilled just imagining it. She bounced on her toes before stopping as she slipped a little on
the slippery sidewalk. Hero steadied her. “Those pictures are really cool with how they print
out so quickly.”
“What about a photo album too, then?” Hero added. “He could put his favorite ones away to
protect them. That way they’re safe and we can look at them for years down the line.” They
came to a stop outside of Aubrey’s house. It was getting colder now that the sun was nearly
set. They really needed to get home soon before they got in trouble.
“A photo album sounds wonderful too. I’ll look for prices when I go to the store next time
with my dad, okay?” Mari suggested. “Or we can make a shopping trip together. How’s that,
everyone?”
“Yeah!” Everyone nodded in agreement. Kel pumped his fist and said, “Let’s plan his
birthday too! When is it?”
“It’s the eighteenth,” Sunny informed them.
“Soooo…” He did the mental math. “In a week?!” He gasped, horrified. His hands flew to his
head in distress. “Oh shoot! We’re already super late!”
“A week is plenty of time,” Hero calmed him down with a pat to his shoulder. “We just need
to get some party supplies. And I’m thinking a homemade cake instead of a store-bought one
would be good. We should ask Basil what his favorite kind is. Sunny, can you do it?”
Sunny blinked with surprise and pointed to himself with confusion.
Hero huffed a laugh. “Yes, you. You’ll be the least suspicious of us.”
“Ooh, are we making it a surprise party?” Aubrey asked.
“I think that depends on where we have it,” Mari said.
“I don’t think we need a surprise party. I just think at least the cake should be a surprise,”
Hero corrected.
Sunny considered it, and then gave a thumbs up. “I’ll do it,” he said.
“Thanks, Sunny.”
“This is exciting! Hero’s birthday was last month, Basil’s is this month, and Mari’s is next
month! We have a lot of birthdays early in the year now!” Aubrey beamed and spun in a
circle. Her new winter coat that Hero had bought her for Christmas twirled with her where it
was looser at the bottom. She had even matched her bow with it today. Cute.
“We sure do. Well, now we have a game plan!” Mari clapped her hands together, delighted.
“Let’s make sure we work hard, everyone! No letting Basil know while we do the planning,
alright?” She saluted.
“Right!” The three younger kids playfully copied her, faces surprisingly serious. Hero
couldn’t help his amusement. They parted ways with Aubrey to head home with Kel
chattering on about possible decoration ideas. Mari hooked her arm through Hero’s as Kel
and Sunny walked just a little bit ahead, Kel motioning animatedly as he talked while Sunny
occasionally nodded or shook his head. The images of their older teen selves overlapped with
their younger bodies briefly with the image of a pink-haired Aubrey with them. Basil was
nowhere to be seen. Hero blinked and the image was gone.
“A photo album, hm?” Mari murmured to Hero. Hero nodded. She watched him curiously.
“Does Basil actually fill it?”
“He took pictures throughout this year,” Hero murmured back to her. The hint of melancholy
in his tone could not be hidden. “Right up until… the end.”
“Did you guys look at it a lot together?” She asked hopefully. “I’m sure it was full of
wonderful memories.”
She didn’t know yet about the four years the friend group was scattered. He should tell her,
he knew, but not now. Instead, he smiled wistfully, “It was wonderful looking through all of
the pictures together again. It reminded me of a lot of things I’d forgotten.” He glanced at her
before pressing a kiss to her temple, lingering a little before saying quietly, “Including how
beautiful you’ve always been.”
She blushed prettily, but wasn’t swayed. She could see the sorrow in his eyes. He knew that
she could. “I can’t wait to see them for myself, then. Do you think they’ll be very different
from your timeline?”
That was something he hadn’t considered. It made him blink. “Honestly? I’m not sure. Basil
liked taking candid photos the most… so, it’s possible.” Wow. A whole new set of memories.
What would this timeline’s photo album look like?
“Then it’ll be a surprise for both of us. Thank you for the idea, Hero,” Mari said. Hero just
smiled back. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chapter End Notes
I wanna try to write scenes from most, if not all, of Basil's photo album photos. Some
things will probably change (like certain pictures), but otherwise I think it would just be
a fun exercise to write the memories of the group!
Chocolate
Chapter Notes
This chapter was supposed to have more Pre-Sunburn flirting and cuteness, but it ended
up being Hero big brothering Sunny instead. 😩 One day.
While Basil’s birthday was certainly an important event for everyone in the friend group,
Hero had different priorities that he had to take care of first. Valentine’s Day was tomorrow,
and he had to make sure to make it special for his and Mari’s first time celebrating it together
as a couple. Last time around he had made her some cookies along with buying some flowers
and one of those cute stuffed teddy bears. She had liked them, but she had enjoyed the
homemade stuff more than everything else. So, this time Hero was going to focus on making
whatever he could. She said she loved his cooking, so he would capitalize on that.
It was a good opportunity to get back into his baking habit even more. He hadn’t tried
making a new recipe in a while. He had a couple of different ideas, and that meant taking up
the kitchen for the whole day.
“You’re really going all out this year, champ,” Dad said as he observed Hero standing in the
kitchen with his pink apron and counter full of ingredients. He had made sure to prep the
entire area for a day of sweets-making and testing. He had been delighted to find his old
Papa Chip’s Chip-Off-the-Old-Block Cookbook, and he wanted to try to make some things
from it. He was just glad he’d still had money saved now that he’d paid back his dad from
doing many odd jobs around the neighborhood. It meant that he’d had money to spend on
ingredients.
“It’s our first Valentine’s Day. I gotta make it special, right?” Hero glanced over at his family,
who were all hovering in the entryway. It was kind of embarrassing, but he was glad they had
respected him when he’d said to let him have the kitchen for today.
“You’re just making a bunch of stuff, right? Let me help!” Kel raised his hand like he was
hoping Hero would call on him, already spoiling Hero’s previous thought by rushing into to
kitchen. He went straight for the baking chocolate sitting open on the counter.
Hero caught the boy by the collar of his shirt. “No, Kel. You just want to eat everything.
You’ll be in the way.”
“What! No, I won’t!” he cried, offended as Hero bodily walked him back to their parents.
Dad chuckled and hooked an arm around Kel’s neck to pull him into a hug that kept him
there. Mom rolled her eyes good-naturedly.
“You’ll get to try plenty of sweets. I’ll be sharing.”

Kel stopped struggling against Dad at that. “Oh. Okay, cool!” He was contented.
“You’ll be making plenty for me as well, right?” Mom asked, arms crossing. Hero recognized
that tone. It was light, but there was an undercurrent that told him she’d be upset if she was
denied. Hero still had a hard time saying no to her.
He smiled. “Yeah, of course. So, you can’t see.”
She was instantly appeased, beaming. “Wonderful! You know I prefer stuff on the sweeter
end. And don’t be afraid to use the alcohol if you want.”
Dad laughed. “Are you trying to let our son get you drunk, dear?”
“I’ve always liked those wine cookies that Anna on Rosewood makes for the neighborhood
parties. I’m sure Hero could do even better than that.”
Hero just gave an awkward smile. He knew exactly what cookies she was talking about. He
didn’t think Mari’s dad would be very appreciative if he found out Hero was making
alcoholic chocolate, whether or not the actual alcohol was burnt off. He didn’t know how to
make anything like that anyway. Papa Chip had more family-friendly recipes. He would try
to remember that tidbit of information for the future, though. It could be a good way to
appease Mom in case he upset her somehow. Flowers were great for making amends, but they
couldn’t work every time.
The doorbell rang then, and Hector ran by barking up a storm. Dad released Kel as Kel
yelled, “I’LL GET IT!” before running after the pup. The rest of the family shifted into the
living room as Kel threw open the door and was scolded for being so rough with the door by
Mom. Sunny and Aubrey were on the other side.
“Hello!” Aubrey called while Sunny gave a little wave.
“Yo!” Kel switched right back to English as he moved aside to let them in. The kids stomped
the extra snow off of their boots before stepping inside to let the door close. Sunny started
taking his shoes off right away. “You guys here to play?”
“Not today,” Aubrey said. “We’re helping Hero with baking chocolate!”
“Oh?” Mom glanced at Hero curiously. She seemed to find amusement in Hero letting
Aubrey and Sunny help, but not Kel. Hero just smiled back.
“Whaaaaat? Even you, Sunny? I thought we could go to Hobbeez to check out their new
comics today!” Kel whined. “Why d’ya wanna bake? Are you making stuff for Mari too?”
Sunny glanced at Aubrey and away. He seemed a little shy, but he nodded at Kel’s question.
Hero didn’t doubt that Sunny would want to make something for his sister too, but he had a
feeling that maybe he had other plans.
“I’m gonna, yeah! I wanna make some candy for…” Aubrey started as she kneeled down to
greet Hector, and then trailed off. Her cheeks abruptly puffed up as she pouted. Then she
said, “Never mind! It’s none of your business!”
“Huh?” Kel gave her a baffled look. “Why not?”
Hero grinned to himself. She was embarrassed to admit that she was going to make chocolate
for her friends and loved ones, including Kel. This seemed like a good time to interrupt.
“Hey guys! I’m all set up in the kitchen when you’re ready,” Hero called with a wave to get
their attention. His friends spotted him then. They finished undressing down to their normal
clothes and bare or socked feet, hanging up their winter gear, before joining him. Kel looked
almost betrayed, which was amusing.
“Won’t they just get in the way too?” he asked as he followed after them.
“They’re invested for their own reasons,” Hero explained with a laugh.
“C’mon, Kel. If you’re so bored, why don’t you come with me to Fix-It?” Dad suggested,
attempting to get Kel out of the way.
Kel looked less enthused to do that, but he agreed anyway. “Alright… But I wanna stop by
Hobbeez too.”
“Sure, sure. C’mon, champ.”
“Have fun, kids. Remember to clean everything when you’re done, alright? I plan to start
dinner around five,” Mom said before she headed upstairs after she heard their agreements. It
was still morning, so that was plenty of time to get some baking done. Hero didn’t know if
he’d have the stomach to eat anything after all the stuff he planned to try to make, but maybe
he would be craving some real food by then.
“Alright.” He turned to his friends, who stood waiting for his instructions. They both looked
excited, but Sunny seemed oddly serious. “Well, first, let’s get you guys ready. Aubrey, did
you bring a hair tie?”
“Yeah! I’ll tie my hair up now,” she said, doing just that. She put it in a high ponytail while
Hero grabbed two extra aprons. They were both his mom’s. He handed them over for his
friends to put on before instructing them to roll up their sleeves and wash their hands. While
they did so, he explained,
“I was thinking of trying a couple different things today. We can make some cute chocolate
since that’s what Aubrey wanted, but I was also planning on trying to bake a lava cake
afterwards. If that doesn’t work, I was gonna try a crème brûlée.” He pointed to the two
recipes he had tagged in his cookbook. The crème brûlée seemed easy enough, but he hadn’t
used a hand torch before. And if it went well, he wanted to try to make it bigger and maybe
even write on it? He didn’t know if Mari would like it.
“Ooh, these are fancy!” Aubrey said, looking amazed. “It’s like stuff you see in nice
restaurants. Mari’s really lucky if you can make these!”
“Haha, thanks Aubrey. They don’t look too hard, I think? The main problem with the crème
brûlée is that it’ll need hours to sit… but that’s my back-up idea. I wanna try the lava cake
first… but would it be better to at least make a few crème brûlée first? Hmm… What do you
guys think?”
“Don’t you want to focus on chocolate stuff since it’s Valentine’s Day?” Aubrey asked,
leaning her elbows on the counter as she looked at him. Sunny idly flipped the pages of the
cookbook, examining a few of the other ideas. “These are cool and all, but if it were me, I’d
want chocolate!”
He supposed she had a point. “I guess you’re right… We can focus on the chocolate then. I
don’t know if Mari even likes this kind of stuff.”
“お姉ちゃん likes dark chocolate,” Sunny announced as he flipped back to the lava cake.
“That’s true. I could maybe make some homemade vanilla ice cream with it too…” He was
musing out loud as he put a knuckle to his chin thoughtfully. He had planned to make Mari a
Valentine’s Day lunch with dessert since he didn’t really have the funds or means to take her
on the kind of date he’d always dreamed of taking her on. Her father probably wouldn’t allow
him to take her to dinner anyway. He could only really afford Gino’s or McDonald’s, and
they went to both so much that it seemed kind of pointless to do either for their first real
romantic date. So, a luncheon would be best. Hero already knew he would have to get up
early on the day-of to prepare it, but then again he got up before dawn on most days anyway.
It wouldn’t be an issue.
“That sounds so good! We’ll get to be your testers, right Hero?” Aubrey asked excitedly.
“Sure are! You guys, and my family. So, make sure you keep this a secret from Mari, okay?”
He looked to Sunny specifically for that.
Sunny nodded seriously.
“Alright then. Let’s work on the chocolates first, alright? That way we can make them cute. If
you guys want to maybe make cookies or just a normal cake, I have the stuff for that too. Just
let me know.”
“Yeah!” Aubrey and Sunny both pumped a fist in the air. Aubrey even did an excited twirl.
Hero found himself beaming. This should be a fun day.
The only reason that Sunny and Aubrey even knew that Hero had been planning to do this
was because he had asked Sunny for suggestions about what he could make Mari. He knew
Mari’s tastes well, but even he didn’t remember everything that he used to know. Sunny,
however, was a fountain of knowledge when it came to his big sister. He was attentive to
those he cared about, and often remembered many little details that Hero had forgotten to the
sands of time. And he felt that it would be a good opportunity to try to get used to interacting
with the boy again.
A younger Sunny was someone who was drastically different from the Sunny Hero had
known for only two days after everything. He was bright-eyed and youthful, and he had
seemed eager to assist Hero when Hero had admitted to wanting to make something
completely homemade. Sunny had always surprised him since they’d been younger with the
different sides to his personality, so he was surprised once more when Sunny had asked if he
could join him.
He didn’t think that Sunny had ever had a particular interest in cooking or baking. He was
more into eating it than actually creating it. He had just seemed so eager when he had asked
that Hero hadn’t been able to turn him down. He had figured that Sunny would either get
tired after a while and slip tastings in between the batches of chocolate, or he’d power
through if only because he felt responsible to do so. Instead, Hero realized that it was neither
of those.
Sunny was a quiet kid, but if someone got to know him and really pay attention to him, he
was pretty easy to read. Hero wasn’t the best at it (Kel had become the ‘Sunny Whisperer’ of
the group being arguably even better than Mari at reading Sunny’s moods) but he could still
pick up on little changes. And the one thing he had started to pick up on became much more
blatant as he, Sunny, and Aubrey worked together to create their Valentine’s Day treats.
Sunny had a crush on Aubrey. The way the boy’s eyes would linger on her and how he paid
closer attention to her words than anyone else clued Hero in the most. His ears always turned
pink whenever he was embarrassed or shy, and Hero had seen it happen a couple of times
while watching the two together.
He didn’t even know if Sunny had known that Aubrey would be coming today since Aubrey
had spoken to Hero separately to ask him for details on how he had planned to woo Mari with
Valentine’s Day. Her romantic heart hadn’t been able to resist listening, and she had wanted
to make some treats of her own when he had told her the truth.
He hoped that he hadn’t surprised Sunny with Aubrey’s appearance. He was pretty sure as to
why Sunny had been so eager to join him now, but Hero wanted to ask Sunny anyway. It
might be a fun way to get to know Sunny more, and it was always good to confirm his
suspicions. He was also just genuinely curious.
Aubrey had just gone off to use the bathroom as Hero was heating more water on the stove to
melt some more chocolate. Sunny was eying the baking chocolate on the counter like it had
betrayed him after he had learned the hard way just how bitter it was. He had some
strawberry icing on his cheek.
Now seemed like a good time to ask. “Hey Sunny?” Sunny turned to him. Hero tried to keep
his voice casual, “Who are you making chocolates for? Anyone in particular?”
Sunny paused, and then his eyes fell to the side. His ears started to turn pink. “…My
friends… And parents… お姉ちゃん,” he murmured.
“Aw, thanks!” Hero said ahead of time. “Anyone would enjoy receiving some treats. You
don’t have anyone in particular in mind? Like a crush?”
Sunny just looked more embarrassed now. He shot an assessing look at Hero, though, and
Hero knew that he had been caught. He’d never been the most subtle. He shifted on his feet.
“Am I that obvious…?” he asked.
“No, not obvious,” Hero assured him, because he felt it was true. It didn’t look like Aubrey
had noticed the way Sunny paid more attention to her than the others. Sunny was great
friends with Basil and Kel too, after all. Maybe for all that Aubrey found the concept of love
to be romantic, she didn’t have any feelings like that herself? “I think I only noticed because I
know you.”
Sunny hesitated for a moment. He was someone who usually considered his words before he
spoke them. “I don’t know if she’ll want mine, though.” He glanced at the chocolate molds
that they had already filled with a couple of different types of chocolate. This time they were
going to try to make some chocolate with some kind of filling in it. Hero had an idea of how
to do it, but he could only hope that it worked. “She’s making her own.”
“I think she plans to give hers out, though.”
“But she’s tasting so much of these.”
“Ah.” He saw his worry now. Why would Aubrey want to have even more chocolate when
she would probably have plenty of testing products to eat instead? That would lessen how
special the chocolate really was.
Honestly, if Hero was in Sunny’s place he would get her flowers instead. Or maybe a new
hairclip. Homemade sweets were nice, but he doubted that Sunny was planning to confess to
Aubrey. Or if he was, Hero would be impressed with how forward Sunny was.
He wanted to give Sunny advice, but…
He scratched at his head.
Poor Kel. His little brother didn’t seem to have a crush on Sunny yet, but it was probably
going to form over this year. By Hero’s timeline, Kel had been in love with Sunny. It was the
same kind of love that Hero had felt for Mari: the kind that had bloomed steadily over long
years of friendship into the passionate desire to stay with them forever. Kel’s flower had
bloomed sometime before Sunny had locked himself away, so it was a matter of time. Kel
might simply be too emotionally immature to realize right now. Hero didn’t know. He needed
to watch Kel longer.
But if Sunny had a crush on Aubrey, then he didn’t want to discourage it to support his
brother when Kel might not even have feelings for Sunny. Hero knew his brother enough to
know it was simply a matter of time (after all, Hero’s own crush on Mari had smacked him in
the face rather abruptly one day around Kel’s age), but he couldn’t interfere either. Sunny had
his own choice in the matter, after all.
He wondered if he should tell Mari about this. She would love to hear it. He was certain she
would be invested in her little brother’s love life. He could just picture how excited she
would be for him, and how she would probably try to encourage him as much as possible.
He could also see Sunny being both mortified and encouraged, depending on just how nosy
Mari was on the matter.
…Maybe he would ask Sunny for his thoughts first.
“How about this,” Hero suggested as he grabbed the bowl of chocolate pieces so he could
start melting them down. Aubrey would be back soon, “why don’t I help you make
something a little more special? We can do cookies, or we can go buy a flower or
something?”
Sunny looked unsure.
Hero floundered to think of something else, “She’s making chocolates for all of us, isn’t she?
You could thank her with something else, if you’re worried about her realizing your feelings.
I can show you how to make those red velvet cookies she likes?”
Sunny blinked with surprise. “Red velvet cookies?”
“Yeah! Remember how she got them from the church bake sale and liked them a lot?”
Sunny shook his head.
Hero frowned. He thought for sure Sunny had been there. He remembered seeing her share
them with him-
Wait. Had that happened yet?
He couldn’t recall.
Shoot. It was all so long ago.
“I think she’ll like them for sure,” he assured him. “We can make them just for her, alright? It
won’t take very long to do them.”
Sunny still looked kind of confused by Hero’s slip-up, but he nodded anyway. At least he
seemed more reassured than earlier. “Thank you, Hero.”
Hero beamed and patted Sunny’s head, making the boy look a little bit happier. “You’re
welcome. And hey, if you decide you want to go the extra mile,” he winked at him, “you can
never go wrong with a flower. Good luck!”
Hero knew for a fact that Aubrey had loved those cookies, and he knew how to make
something similar so he could help Sunny make them. He wasn’t sure if Sunny was planning
to confess, or if he just wanted his gift to his crush to be a little more special than the gifts he
gave to others, but he still hoped it went well for the boy. It would be up to Sunny from there
if anything came from it.
Aubrey and Sunny hadn’t dated in the last timeline, but then again Hero hadn’t had this
baking day in the last timeline either. In fact, Hero hadn’t even known that Sunny had been
crushing on Aubrey. He blamed that on not paying enough attention to Sunny like he was in
this timeline, though. He wanted to pay more attention to this Sunny so he could pick up on
whatever clues that he could to the boy’s moods. He hoped that Sunny might come to him
more for advice in the future.
For now, he thought as Aubrey came back into the kitchen and pulled her apron back on,
Hero would quietly cheer his friends on from the sidelines.
He gave an apologetic grimace to himself.
Sorry, Kel.
Chapter End Notes
お姉ちゃん = Big sister

2/18
Chapter Notes
“Are you sure you don’t want to be in the photo, Sunny?” Aubrey asked.
“Sunny is a bit camera shy. We all have those days, don’t we?” Mari said with an
understanding smile. Sunny shifted as he took position on the other side of the table with
Basil’s Polaroid camera. “It’s okay, Sunny! You’ll get used to it soon enough! Hehe!”
Hero smiled at that while he leaned down to light the candles on Basil’s birthday cake. With
all of the pictures Basil would be taking in the future, Sunny really would have to get used to
it. It was clear Mari was planning for that as well.
“Wow! This cake looks so amazing! You’ve really outdone yourself this time, Hero,” Aubrey
cried as she rested a chin on Basil’s shoulder to marvel at the cake a little closer. Basil looked
a little flustered. Kel just pushed both of their heads down, standing on his tiptoes so that he
could see better as well.
Basil was beaming as he shook Kel and subsequently Aubrey off so he could face Hero. His
eyes were sparkling with his joy. “Yay…! Thanks, Hero! I love strawberries! You’ve put so
much on here too!”
Hero rubbed at the back of his head. “I’m glad you like it. It took me a while to decorate it,
which was why we were so late today.”
“It was worth it!” Mari nudged him with his arm. “It turned out perfect.”
“Hehe, thanks.”
“Basil, Basil!” Aubrey shook the birthday boy’s arm. “What wish are you going to make?”
“Hey, you can’t ask that, Aubrey!” Kel protested. “Or else it won’t come true.”
Aubrey looked confused by this information. “Huh? Is that how it works?” Kel nodded
eagerly. Hero noticed Sunny practicing with the camera. It looked bulky in his grip. If he
wasn’t careful, he was going to accidentally take a picture. “Then, in that case…” The girl
smiled with full mischief in her teasing tone, “I wish… that Kel would get straight A’s in
school!”
“Hey, you can’t do that!” Kel’s hands flew to his head as he grimaced at her. “Now you’re
gonna jinx me after all that hard work Hero’s been making me do!”
It was hardly ‘making him’, but rather encouraging Kel and tutoring him. Even so, “Don’t
worry, Kel. Even if you can’t get straight A’s, straight B’s would be amazing for you,” he
said.
Kel looked relieved as he grinned. “Oh yeah! That’s a lot more in my range, huh?”
“I still think you should try to aim high, though,” Mari said.
Basil giggled a little before looking thoughtful. “Hmm… a wish? Ahh… But what should I
wish for?” He looked like he was taking it seriously. “I have everything I could want right
here!”
Hero’s heart twisted painfully at that even as he saw how his friends brightened at the boy’s
words. Basil… had loved them all so much.
He could only hear Basil’s final words to him, apologizing for everything that had happened
before promising to never bother them again. Hero hadn’t had the strength to stop him from
walking away that day. He hadn’t known what to feel because he had been struck by Basil’s
confession.
He regretted that now.
“Oh! I know!” Hero blinked back to the present, breathing a little rougher, as Basil’s happy
voice pulled him back. The boy giggled a little, looking proud of himself as he turned back to
the cake. Hero was glad nobody was looking at him now. “I think… I’ll wish for…” He
paused for a long moment. Kel and Aubrey leaned forward expectantly. Mari held her hands
in front of herself, head tilting affectionately to the side. “…Just kidding,” he said. “It’s a
secret!”
“Aww…” Aubrey pouted, cheeks puffing a little. “I want to know though…”
A smile twitched onto Hero’s face before he noticed that the candles were beginning to ooze
wax. “Guys, if we don’t hurry, the candles are going to melt! Are we all ready to sing?”
“Yeah, you bet!” Kel cried as he tugged two of his many party hats down over his eyes,
grinning.
“Did you want to start us off, Mari?”
“Sure thing,” Mari said.
She cleared her throat then, and after a quick countdown everyone began to sing for Basil.
The words flowed from Hero’s lips while Kel spun around energetically, and Aubrey rocked
on her feet in a little dance. Sunny’s voice from across the table was positively swallowed up
by the raucous of Kel singing as loudly as he could. Basil, through it all, looked delighted if a
little embarrassed by all of the attention.
As soon as the song was done, they all cheered and popped their confetti poppers in
celebration. “Blow out your candles, Basil!” Kel called.
“Make a wish!” Aubrey added.
Sunny held up the camera in preparation. Hero posed, copying his brother’s peace signs, as
the light of the camera flashed. Basil blew out his candle then, and they all cheered once
more as they congratulated him for turning twelve. Sunny rejoined them as he held out the
developing picture for them all to look at when it was ready, but Hero was already moving to
pick up the plates and start cutting into the cake.
“Thank you for this, everyone,” Basil told them as he smiled shyly over the hug he was given
by Mari. His cheeks were bright pink, and it was the happiest Hero remembered ever seeing
Basil. He carefully took the candles from the cake to place them aside. “Seriously… This is
the best day ever.”
“We’ll do it again next year too!” Kel assured him.
“Yeah! And we’ll make that one even better!” Aubrey agreed.
“I hope that all of your wishes come true, Basil,” Mari told him.
“Congratulations again,” Sunny said as he picked up the discarded candles to put into his
mouth, sucking off the frosting and bit of cake on them.
“How many of the strawberries do you want, Basil?” Hero asked as he cut into the cake to
pull out the first slice. Basil held out his plate to accept it. “You can have up to all of them,
but you can’t have any less than three.”
“Th-Three? Then… Three’s fine!” Basil said. “I want you guys to have some too.”
“It’s your birthday, so you get to decide. You can be a little selfish.”
“Um…”
“Hero, you’re putting him on the spot!” Aubrey scolded him with a reprimanding pat to the
arm. Then she turned her smile on Basil. “Don’t worry, Basil. I’ll share mine with you!”
Basil blinked with surprise before he blushed a little darker. “Oh? You don’t have to! But…
Thank you.”
Hero quietly added some more strawberries to Basil’s plate before he started divvying out
everyone else’s slices. He had to say that he thought he had outdone himself this year as well.
Last time he had made a vanilla cake with strawberry frosting, but this time he had even
managed to layer in some strawberry compote and made it closer to a strawberry shortcake.
The first bite was utterly delicious and spongey and melted in his mouth. The compote had
been a great idea, even if the strawberry icing was a bit too much sweet-on-sweet for him.
Basil’s birthday wasn’t the grandest thing that they could’ve mustered, but it was perfect in
its simplicity. His birthday had fallen on a weekday this year, which meant that Mari and
Hero had had to figure out the right timing to actually throw the party. They had talked with
Basil’s grandmother in secret while the kids had distracted Basil, and she had agreed to set up
the very simplistic decorations before Basil even got home. Kel and Sunny blew up balloons
and tied them off, and the group had carried them with them after school to Basil’s house
with the plan to strew them across the living room and kitchen, since they wouldn’t float
without helium.
It hadn’t meant to be a surprise party, but because of the fact that they hadn’t been able to do
any kind of decorating until after school, everything had become a bit of a surprise party.
Hero had worked hard to bake and decorate the cake right after school, which had lost them
some time, but it had made the surprise on Basil’s face only more worth it when his friends
had shown up at his house carrying presents, balloons and cake.
The smiles from everyone were the brightest things in the room as sugar from dessert
blended with sugar from sodas. Presents were opened, and more photos were taken as Hero
beamed and watched it all. Even though he was fifteen now, it was a little hard for him as
someone much older to join in on the more childish conversations of his friends sometimes.
He was content to watch and occasionally join it while sitting with Basil’s grandmother at the
dining room table instead.
He gave a big yawn as Kel physically dragged Sunny, who had settled down after a game of
indoor-outdoor Tag to play on his Gameboy, off of the couch in order to play Twister with all
of them. He was feeling drowsy. Long nights spent more awake than asleep were taking a toll
on him, and this morning he had been up even earlier than usual so he could make sure to
have at least part of the cake preparation done for that afternoon when he had arrived home.
As much as Hero wanted to play more with his friends, he mostly just wanted to settle down
and sleep for a bit.
“Tired, dear?” Hero blinked quickly, realizing he had dozed off on his hand while watching
the Twister set-up. Mari was spinning the wheel while the four kids had taken up the playmat,
already partway into the game. He glanced over at Basil’s grandmother. She smiled softly at
him, still picking at some of the strawberries Basil had given to her that he hadn’t eaten.
“Oh, I’m okay,” Hero assured her quickly. “It’s just been a long day.”
She tutted, amused. “You’re too young to be talking like that. But if you want to take a nap,
you’re welcome to use Basil’s bed. I’m sure this party will be going on for a little while
longer, after all.”
That actually sounded really good. He felt bad going to nap in Basil’s bed without his
permission, but he also knew the boy enough that he would no doubt be okay with it. A short
nap seemed to be in order, at least.
He rubbed at his eyes. “I think I’ll do that. Can someone wake me up in an hour or
something, please?”
“I’ll do it. Don’t you mind anything.”
Hero gave her a thankful look before pushing away from the table. He yawned for a second
time, the weight of the day dragging on him harder now that he knew he was going to go take
a nap. He glanced to check his friends, but they didn’t seem to notice him heading into the
hallway. That was fine by him. He hoped that he actually would be woken up in time to hang
out more before they would have to go home. It was sad that tonight was a school night,
otherwise they could’ve stayed over.
The sounds of the playing faded a bit as Hero entered the dim hallway. Evening had fallen,
darkening the entire abode. The living room was bright with the lights on, but Hero hadn’t
bothered to hit to switch for the hallway. His bare feet tapped gently against the wooden floor
as he reached Basil’s room and grabbed the doorknob.
He opened the door as the sounds of Basil and Sunny crying out and bodies thumping filled
his ears. And inside the room he found Basil over a bloodied Sunny. The teen’s eyes seemed
to glow in the moonlight pooling into the room, illuminating the figures and the black blood
on them both. Basil’s face was covered with tears as the weapon in his hand clattered to the
floor, and he fell aside with eyes slipping shut.
Hero wavered on his feet, nose choked with the scent of blood and the gruesome sight in
front of him. His ears rang as he gripped the doorway, frozen with shock and unable to
process what he was seeing for a moment. The apprehension he had felt earlier from being
woken up by the noises of fighting had been replaced with visceral horror of seeing two of
his best friends possibly dead or dying. There was so much blood on Sunny’s face. What had
Basil done to him?
A hand on his arm. Hero turned his gaze to Aubrey as she called him with concern. Then she
was looking into the room too, and her hands flew to her mouth. Hero wanted to block her
vision. He needed to get in there and help. They needed to call 911 and stop the bleeding-
“-Hero? Hero!” The hand on his arm shook him, and the pink-haired vision of Aubrey
abruptly became a child with black hair and dark eyes. She looked a little scared now. Hero
blinked a few times, head cloudy and confused. “Hero, are you okay? You’re really pale.”
His eyes darted to Basil’s bedroom. The evening sunlight had it lit up with heavy golden
orange rays. There were no bodies. It wasn’t even nighttime. Hero was shorter, and he was in
a jacket rather than his college sweater. His body had broken out in a cold sweat and he was
trembling. The adrenaline of that night rushed through him.
He was at Basil’s birthday party. He was in the past.
He was going to be sick.
“I’m… okay…” he managed out. “I think… Excuse me!” He hurried past the girl and into the
bathroom, closing the door quickly without slamming it before rushing to the toilet. His
stomach heaved its contents as Hero’s nose still stung with the scent of iron. His ears were
ringing as he gripped the edge of the toilet, coughing the last of the contents. And tears
dripped from his eyes as he tried to get the images painted on his lids to flow away with
them.
He hated throwing up. He hated the way it felt like it came from everywhere and left him
feeling worse than before. He hated that he might be ruining his friend’s birthday party. He
hoped that Aubrey hadn’t alerted everyone. He hated that he hadn’t handled it better.
There was a knock on the door as Hero was wiping his face off with tissue. He grimaced at
himself and blew his nose. The door opened without waiting for a response and the light
flicked on. Hero was about to ask them to leave when he realized it was Basil’s grandmother
standing there. He spotted Aubrey peeking in nervously before the woman shooed her back
and closed the door. She hobbled over to Hero’s side and rubbed his back as Hero hurriedly
flushed the toilet, mortified to have been caught in this state.
“Are you ill, honey?” the woman asked as she tugged hand towel off of the towel rack to give
to him. Hero felt bad taking it even as he was relieved to cover his face. “Too many sweets?”
He took the offered excuse. “I-I think so. My stomach was bothering me anyway.”
“Come on then. Is it all out? Let me get you some water.” She moved to the sink and grabbed
the plastic rinse cup resting there. Hero felt awful for more reasons than one as he climbed to
his feet and joined her. He wanted to protest her taking care of him -he was a grown-up after
all. He could take care of himself just fine- but as soon as he opened his mouth to do so, she
simply talked over him, “I know what it’s like to have an upset stomach. You’ll want to let it
rest a little. Make sure you drink this in slow sips. I have some medicine that Basil uses when
his stomach is acting up as well.”
“I-”
“Here we are,” she said as she grabbed the medicine from the cabinet and poured him a dose
of it with the provided medicine cup. “Give yourself a minute or two, and then try to get this
down as well. I’m sorry for barging in, but Aubrey was worried about you.”
Hero gave up on apologizing. “It was kind of sudden. I’ll say sorry later.”
“No apologies needed, dear.”
She stepped away as Hero rinsed his face off. He really did look pale. He had gotten used to
seeing this look on his face a long time ago. As much as he was embarrassed that Basil’s
grandmother was seeing him like this, she was a significant distraction to his previous
thoughts. Her gentle and insistent presence reminded him a little of his own mother. She was
less pushy, though. He appreciated her help.
He sipped the water, swished it in his mouth, and cleaned the taste of sick from it. Then he
really did drink the water. The woman stayed by his side as a comforting presence.
“Perhaps you should head home a little early today,” she suggested after a few moments of
Hero gathering his bearings. The medicine was gentle too. It was easy to swallow down, and
it helped to settle his stomach a bit. He tried not to look at his trembling hands. At least he
was calming down. “You look like you might be coming down with something.”
“I think I’m okay,” he protested. “I think a nap would be good for me… I’ll go to sleep early
tonight when I’m home.”
He doubted he would get much sleep tonight, though. Kel’s snoring helped to relax him a
little bit over the sound of silence, but it didn’t keep the nightmares away.
God, the last time he’d seen Sunny had been-

He shook his head. A hand on his back startled him once more as the woman rubbed it. He
looked at her through the mirror. Her gaze was sympathetic.
“If you’re sure. Try to rest a bit after drinking that, alright? Come out when you’re ready.”
She left him alone then, giving Hero time to quickly utilize the toothpaste to help with his
breath. He splashed water on his face again. He was even more exhausted as the adrenaline
died down and his stomach began to settle. He gripped the edge of the sink, staring behind
him in the mirror. He thought he saw shadows shifting along the floor, sliding under the
bottom of the door and oozing like-
He blinked and it was gone. His knees felt like they may give out. He didn’t know if he had
the strength to go back out and join the party. He didn’t want to make it worse, but he
couldn’t bear to be alone either. He needed to see that everyone was alive and fine; that they
were happy, and unscarred, and young, and free. Hero carried this burden alone.
Sometimes he wondered if he was still dreaming. He wondered if this constituted as a

nightmare.
He blinked back to himself and realized he had been staring into his own eyes for so long his
face had practically dried on its own. He blinked a few more times before wiping his face off
with his towel. He left it in the hamper in the bathroom before reluctantly returning outside.
He started a little when he saw Mari leaning against the wall in the hallway waiting for him.
He clutched the doorframe as her worried gaze sharpened and she approached him.
“Hey,” she called gently, hands already reaching for his cheeks. “Oh, Hero… What
happened?” she whispered, sounding devastated. He must look even worse than he had
thought.
“Nothing. Nothing, just…” he avoided her gaze, hating that he was tearing up a little bit. He
squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed a few times. “N-Nothing.”
“I was told that you were sick,” Mari explained without prompting. “Though I can tell this is
more than just overeating, isn’t it? What happened to you, Hero?”
Hero didn’t know how to explain. He didn’t know exactly what had happened to him. He was
hesitant to call it what he believed it was. He’d rather not think about it at all, actually.
“I just… remembered something bad, is all. I can’t explain more than that, Mari.” His eyes
flicked to the hallway entryway and back to her. The kids were still playing in the other
room, but it sounded like they had switched to watching a movie or something. The lights
were turned off, and it was quieter than before. The house was fairly dark. The door to Basil’s
grandmother’s room was cracked open with light coming from it. He hated being in this
hallway.
Mari looked like she really wanted to press, but she thankfully didn’t. Hero couldn’t be
grateful enough that she was so patient and understanding with him. He couldn’t talk about
what happened here on a day like this. Not when they were supposed to be having fun.
“Okay,” she said to him. “Are you feeling better, at least?”
“As better as I can be, I think. I… was going to lay down for a bit.”
“You look tired,” she agreed, thumb stroking his cheekbone as her other hand slipped down
to his chest. He closed his eyes and tilted his face into her touch. He was so tired. “Come on;
everyone else is watching a movie right now. The couch is free. Come lay down with me.”
“That sounds great,” he murmured as she released him.
They walked together out into the living room as Hero forced a more relaxed expression onto
his face. It didn’t fit well, but it didn’t matter when the lights were off anyway. Only Aubrey
looked at them while Sunny was whispering something about the movie into Kel’s ear as Kel
laughed. They were watching a Disney movie. It was Basil’s favorite.
Aubrey’s mouth opened as if to ask after him, but Mari held a finger to her lips. Hero gave
her an OK sign with his hand as well while looking a little sheepish. The girl still didn’t seem
appeased, but she relaxed as little as both Hero and Mari climbed onto the couch together to
lay down. Mari pulled a blanket over them both. Hero vaguely remembered falling asleep on
this couch before and a picture being taken of it, but he no longer remembered if that had
happened today or at another time. He didn’t care anyway.
“Like this,” he said as he got in behind her and rolled them so that he was spooning her from
behind. He didn’t want her to risk smelling his breath, even if he had tried his best to clean it.
He pressed his face into the back of her neck as she lay stiff against his front. In the light of
the TV it seemed like her ears were a little red, but it was hard to tell. Hero was exhausted, so
he closed his eyes.
Her hand found his under the blanket. Her thumb rubbed against his slowly. The familiar
sounds of a movie he had seen plenty of times before washed over him, and Hero felt
something in him unwind. He was only planning on resting his eyes for a bit, but the day was
catching up quickly. He doubted he would really sleep, though.
He simply listened to everything around him and didn’t allow his thoughts to stray. He
focused on Mari breathing against his front as she slowly relaxed into his hold. She tried to
say something to him, but he didn’t respond. His head was hazy and his thoughts sluggish.
She shifted and glanced at him, but then returned to her previous position. Kel’s voice cut
through everything, sounding like he was teasing, but he was shushed by Mari and Aubrey
both. Whatever they said to him, though, was lost on Hero.
He slipped into a quiet sleep surrounded by the sounds and presences of his best friends.
He wondered if he would be back in his dorm room when he awoke again. And then his
thoughts were lost to him in a haze of images and dreams he wouldn’t remember when he
was woken up later on.
Chapter End Notes

I'd love to draw the changed and new pictures that would be added to this timeline's
Photo Album, but I can't. So, I'll describe them instead as well as what Basil's comment
would be.
I picture it like Basil taking it when Mari's drifted off to sleep. She's turned over in
Hero's arms and is probably snuggled close, happily smiling in her sleep while Hero
looks messy in a way that shows that Kel and Hero really are brothers in the end. Hero's
exhausted from the events of the chapter (and more), so he has some bags under his eyes
and he's drooling, completely conked out. Kel probably tried to get in the picture, but the
focus is more on Aubrey pulling the blanket up around Mari and Hero more. She was
worried for Hero after what she saw earlier, though she kept it to herself. She will
probably talk to Sunny about what she saw later since she wouldn't want to bring down
the mood of Basil's birthday party either.
EDIT: Inferno-SilentDragon was amazing and drew two of the pictures taken today! I
love the changes in the first one and showing the subtle differences between the last
timeline and this one! And the second one is based off of the above description! Thank
you so much again!
Basil's caption:
2/18 - My Birthday
Mari and Hero fell asleep on the couch together. Mari looks so comfy! Hero's looked
like he hasn't been sleeping well lately, so we'll let him rest. We all agreed not to
mention this photo around Mari's dad... He might not appreciate it...
An Okay Ending
Chapter Notes
If you haven't already, please check the Author's Notes at the end of the last chapter for
some amazing artwork with this timeline's changed photos! I also added that I will be
putting Basil's revised (or new) comments on the photographs when applicable!
Hero had always been a little bit jealous of Mari’s piano room. It was a place that evoked a
sense of focus in him. More than that, though, it was a place that was saturated in everything
that was Mari. More than any other room in this house, the piano room was Mari’s. The
bookcases had her books with sheet music in them. The piano bench was practically fitted to
her body. The keys were slightly worn from how much she had played it. And the imprint of
her back turned to her audience as she played was a permanent fixture in Hero’s mind.
The sound of a piano had always been associated with Mari in his mind. He couldn’t hear one
without thinking of her, which had made listening to some of his favorite music difficult for
him. He had always thought to himself “would Mari like this song? Would she want to play
this song? Could she play this song?” until his mind had drifted off picturing it. He would get
lost in the music to the point his heart would hurt, and then he could no longer listen to the
song.
Being back in this room was hard for him. It felt like being inside of a dream. Even with the
cloudy morning sunlight coming in through the large window at the rear of the room, Hero
could only think of that last night he had spent with Sunny at his house. He hadn’t been able
to sleep well that night either. He had thought he had heard music that night and had rushed
into this room, only to find Sunny standing alone with a lost expression barely seen through
the gloom of the night. Hero had felt the same.
Time was different now. Sunny sat beside him, four years younger, watching as his sister
played a concerto Hero remembered she had learned two years prior. He closed his eyes to
the melody, haunted by the memories the sounds evoked. It filled his chest like water, and it
poured from his body with a heavy, silent exhale. His fingers moved unconsciously, twitching
to play the notes alongside her. He could practically feel her presence at his side.
For a while, they stayed like that. But then Mari misplayed a note, and her smooth playing
jolted to a stop. Hero’s eyes popped open to see her sitting there, shoulders stiff, before a
frustrated sigh left her. It was a quiet mutter, but he still heard her say, “Stupid mistake,” to
herself.
He frowned a little. Was that something to get so upset over?

The silence was a little more tense now, but only a bit. Mari started the concerto over from
the beginning, which made Hero’s head tick a little to the side. Why start from the beginning
when she could’ve just backed up a few stanzas?
He glanced over at Sunny as the boy shifted to pull his knees up and hug them. His
expression was unreadable. Maybe it was just Hero who had thought it strange? He would let
it go, then.
He wanted to try to get a topic going, so he asked, “Are there any plans for Mari’s birthday
yet, Sunny?”
Sunny looked at him was a little surprise before he shook his head.
“Just the normal stuff? Are you guys going out to dinner this year as well?”
“Mom and Dad are taking me to try a restaurant Mom tried at one of her big business
meetings,” Mari said, answering for Sunny instead. Hero winced and gave a sheepish smile
hoping that his talking hadn’t disturbed her, but Mari didn’t seem to mind. She switched
music rather abruptly to a tune she’s played many, many times before. Her fingers must know
it by heart even without a thought. Hero admired that ability to multi-task. He’d never been
great at that no matter how hard he’d tried.
“Oh really? That sounds great. You get to eat well, huh?” he asked.
“I was kind of hoping for a birthday party this year, actually,” Mari smiled helplessly when
she glanced back over her shoulder to him. She seemed disappointed. Hero’s heart fell a little.
He didn’t remember Mari going to a fancy dinner before. He’d thought they’d had a get-
together with friends instead at the park? Maybe he was misremembering?
“We can celebrate on a different day instead. Maybe we can have a sleepover or something?”
Hero suggested.
Sunny perked up at that. “It’s getting warmer,” he added. “We could go outside and have a
picnic.”
“Yeah! That sounds fun to me!”
Mari didn’t respond for a bit, continuing to play. When the song ended, she just started it over
again. She really did enjoy playing the song a lot. “That does sound fun. We’ll have to figure
out a day, won’t we?”
“We can give your presents before you guys have to go.”
“Sounds great!”
Hero still felt that something wasn’t quite right, though. He shared a look with Sunny, who
returned it. He could tell it wasn’t just him this time. Mari was holding back, but she wasn’t
willing to open up about it. He had a feeling that he knew why it was, but he couldn’t ask her
yet. It was usually better to wait until she opened up whenever it came to her parents. She’d
always had such a complicated relationship with them that Hero had felt he couldn’t pry into
it. He wondered if Sunny felt the same way, or if he was just keeping silent because he
understood how she felt. Hero couldn’t remember if Sunny had been under the same kind of
pressure that Mari was. He should ask him sometime.
He frowned to himself. He didn’t know if he wanted to be content with waiting to see if Mari
would open up to him about her parents, though. His regrets from his first life and not being
there enough for her still lingered. Even if she hadn’t actually committed suicide and even
though she had told Hero she’d never had those thoughts before, that didn’t mean Hero didn’t
want to try to be more supportive for her. He wanted to be there more for all of his friends,
not just the younger ones.
A knock on the doorframe interrupted them, and Mari stopped playing. They all looked
towards the entryway where Mrs. Aki stood smiling proudly at Mari’s playing. “Sorry to
interrupt you all. Mari, your playing sounds absolutely wonderful! I’ve been listening from
upstairs. It’s been so long since you’ve played that concerto that it’s hard to get it perfect the
first time, right?” She chuckled to herself.
It was only because Hero was looking at Mari when her mom had said it that he spotted the
way Mari’s eyebrows twitched downwards, expression stiffening just a little.
“Anyway… Sunny, it’s time for your lessons. Come on, honey.”
Sunny hopped off of his stool and grabbed his violin case. It looked like he was practicing
fairly often on it, though Hero hadn’t been given the chance to hear it lately. He seemed a
little shy to play in front of everyone. He had said something about wanting to learn
something new for him to play for them first, so Hero hadn’t bothered him about it.
The two left with both of them giving twin waves. Hero waved back as Mari said goodbye.
He found it funny how Mrs. Aki never minded when Hero stayed alone with Mari compared
to her father. He didn’t know if it was because she trusted the two of them enough to not do
anything, or if it was because she didn’t mind nearly as much. Admittedly, it was for
precisely because she hadn’t stopped Mari and Hero from hanging out alone that one thing
had led to another and eventually he and Mari had gotten intimate.
No need to give her any reason to stop.
Hero pushed himself up from his chair and walked over to join Mari as they heard the front
door shut. His hand ran along the back of her shoulders, causing her to look up at him. “Scoot
over?” he requested.
“Joining me?” she asked curiously as she did so. They were both small enough now that they
could share the bench together. He trailed his fingers over the familiar keys.
“I thought maybe we could play a little together. I think I remember some stuff… but you’ll
have to go easy on me. I haven’t played in a long time. I’m rusty.”
“Which is always so funny to hear,” she said, eyes falling shut with her amusement,
“considering I remember taking lessons with you this time last year. You and Kel.”
“Yeah, well, Kel didn’t exactly take to piano lessons that great,” he muttered. Mari giggled.
She seemed a little better now.
He readied his hands over the keys on his half of the piano, and then began to plunk out a
tune. Mari listened for a little before she joined in as she recognized the song he was playing.
Their melody flowed together as four hands played, and Hero was brought back to being
thirteen with a fluttering heart hoping to impress the girl he was in love with by playing her
favorite instrument. It made him smile a little.
It was also what gave him the courage to ask softly, “You don’t actually want to have that
dinner, do you? You seemed upset.”
Mari’s playing slowed even while hitting the right notes. Then she picked the pace back up to
match his again. “I do want to go. Having a birthday dinner at such a lovely restaurant just
means I get to try wonderful new food.”
“But…?”
She didn’t respond for a long moment, continuing to play. The air of reluctance to follow
through on his prompting was clear. He was just about ready to give it up for a lost cause and
berate himself for being nosy where he shouldn’t be when Mari rewarded him by saying,
“But… I, um, actually wanted to ask Dad if I could go out with you instead… for something
special, maybe?”
Hero blinked at her with surprise. His cheeks warmed. That wasn’t an answer he had been
expecting. She tilted her head in a way that caused her hair to hide her face. But just like her
brother, she couldn’t hide the giveaway of her ears turning a little pink.
He was guessing that she couldn’t bring such a thing up to her parents and that was why she
was frustrated. Hero understood how impossible it would be to turn down such an offer. “I’m
guessing you guys have reservations?”
Mari sighed. “Yes. Along with some of Mom’s business partners.”
“Huh? Why?”
Mari shook her head and shrugged. “They have kids around mine and Sunny’s age too. I
think she wants us to be friends.”
“Oh. Networking.” Had her mom always been like that?
“’Networking’?” Mari paused in playing to tuck her hair behind her ear so she could see him
again. She looked confused.
“She’s trying to give you guys opportunities for your future, I think. Friends in high places
and such? It looks good for your entire family if everyone’s friends,” Hero explained.
“Though… using your birthday as an opportunity like that…” He had forgotten just how
well-off Mari’s family really was.
That only seemed to upset Mari more. “Great,” she muttered to herself.
“Hey,” Hero nudged her gently to bring her back to him. He wanted to cheer her up instead of
letting her ruminate on this, “it might not be on your birthday, but you and I can still have a
date before or after the day. What do you think?”
That seemed to cheer her up a little bit. “Really?”
“Really. I still have some money leftover. You pick it, and I’ll find a way to make it happen,”
he smiled.
She laughed a little. “See, this is how I know you’re not the same Hero.” She took his hand in
hers and held it, eyes soft with fondness. “You’re so mature. I feel like I’m talking to
someone older than me.”
“Is that bad?” he asked, bringing her hand to his lips to press a kiss to it.
“No, not bad at all. It’s different, but not bad. I’m getting used to it, I think.” She pulled her
hand away and began playing once more. Hero recognized this song as well. He began to
play with her. “Sometimes I wonder if I come off like a kid to you in comparison.”
“No, not really. You’re exactly as I’ve remembered you,” Hero murmured. “You’ve always
seemed so mature in my eyes. Even if I was the eldest, I felt like all of us looked up to you.
You always seemed to have everything so put-together. Everyone trusted you. I admired a lot
about you. I think I was always so wonderstruck that you managed to like me of all people.”
Mari giggled a little, cheeks a lovely rosy pink from the compliments. “You’re exaggerating!
I’m not nearly as perfect as you make me out to seem!”
“You were and still are always perfect to me just the way you are.”
Mari’s tempo was a little fast for this section. “I have flaws too. I’m still trying to fix those.”
Hero sensed a strange tone, but couldn’t figure out what it was. “That’s just part of growing
up. Nobody’s actually perfect, no matter how hard we try to be.” He paused and then added,
“I think realizing that is part of maturing.”
Mari didn’t respond to that. They kept playing together in silence for a bit. Hero wanted to
figure out where he had misstepped in this conversation that had caused the mood to shift a
little. He played and replayed the conversation in his mind over and over.
Maybe he had come on too strongly? Were those words overwhelming for a fourteen-year-
old?
Maybe she was still upset about her mom?
Maybe Mari didn’t like talking about perfection when she was a perfectionist herself?
Oh. Actually, that probably was-
“Hero,” Mari interrupted his thinking. Her tone was still strange. There was a serious frown
on her face, “if what you say about me is true…” She paused. Reconsidered what she had
been about to say. Then changed tactics, “I wish you would open up to me more, then.”
Hero’s playing stuttered on the keys. He fumbled the music, briefly forgot where they were,
and didn’t manage to pick it back up right away. When he did, though, he said, “…This is
about Basil’s party?”
“I want to be understanding of you,” she explained, “but… seeing you like that… I can’t help
you if I don’t know why that happened. You were fine earlier! Then you went into the
hallway, and the next thing I know Aubrey’s asking me to check on you because she’s
worried when you started throwing up. You weren’t just sick. You looked… You looked
really, really bad, Hero.”
“Gee, thanks,” Hero responded.
She gave him an exasperated look. “No, I’m sorry, you know I meant-”
“No, no, I’m sorry.” He shook his head. He shouldn’t have brushed off her concern like that.
He stopped playing the piano entirely, dropping his hands limply into his lap. “I get it. I do. I
looked terrible.”
There was a beat of silence as Mari waited for him to continue, but Hero didn’t know how to.
So, she said, “I don’t want to press you to talk about things that you don’t want to… but I
don’t think you should keep them bottled up either. If you’re worried for me, please don’t be.
I’m worried for you, Henry.”
That was because she didn’t know. She had taken the news of her death better than he had
expected, but that wasn’t the part that he had feared the most. He was afraid of confessing the
full weight of his failures. He was afraid of her judging him for it the way he judged himself.
What if she heard the truth and agreed that he had fucked up big time? Would she really
admire or like him anymore when she knew that he had failed everyone he had ever cared
about?
God… Why was he even here? Why not Kel, who deserved the second chance to be happy?
Why not Sunny? Why not Mari herself? Why was it him when he had done nothing to
deserve a second chance?
Her hand ran over his forehead and into his hair, pushing his bangs from his face before it
drifted down to cup the side of his head. She forced him to look at her as she commanded
gently, “Come back to me.”
He looked between her two concerned eyes. His fingers ran over each other, feeling the skin
there. His mouth opened, and then closed. Then it finally decided to say, “I had a little sister,
you know.”
“What?” Her eyebrows furrowed, not expecting that.
Hero huffed a laugh, amused that that’s what he started with of all things. His mouth really
did work without his input sometimes. “Yeah. Her name was Sally. She had only just learned
to walk. She doesn’t even exist anymore. I don’t know if she ever will.”
Mari’s shoulders slumped as she tentatively relaxed down. Her hand dropped to rest on his
arm. “I didn’t know your parents wanted another child. That’s… quite a big gap in age.”
“Yeah. She was a surprise. A happy one, though.”
“I’m sorry.”
Hero shook his head. He had gotten used to not seeing her anymore. She had been such a
small presence in his life at the time anyway. He had loved his baby sister, but she had still
been a baby. “There are little changes everywhere. So much can change in just four years. I
don’t think I really realized that as a kid. Time goes by faster when we don’t notice.” He
gazed unseeingly out the window to the outside world. “I kept myself busy for four years
after your death. One of those years was spent mostly in my bed. The other three, just away
from this part of town as much as I could manage. And then I went to college and only came
back during the holidays.
…I didn’t visit your grave one time. Not until near the end. I’m sorry for that, Mari.”
“You don’t need to apologize,” she assured him, rubbing his arm. He turned his hand to allow
her to take it. He couldn’t explain the deep sorrow that pulled at his stomach like a whirlpool
to the depths of a trench. He felt like he was going to sink forever. He had only truly started
swimming again when he had come back to the past, but sometimes even that was hard when
the tide was so powerful and the end never seemed near.
“During those years… I lost contact with Sunny, Basil, and Aubrey.” He was utterly ashamed
to say it. “Even before I knew what Sunny had done… I had abandoned him when he had
needed me the most. I abandoned everyone when we all needed each other. I… I couldn’t
even help my own brother. I…”
Mari squeezed his hand again. Her eyes never left him. “You were grieving,” she whispered,
trying to soothe him.
“We were all grieving,” Hero said vehemently, shaking off her excuses for him. “We all
loved you, Mari. And Basil and Sunny… I can’t even imagine what they were thinking, or
felt, but I wish I did. I wish I had been there for them. I wish…” he trailed off, not finishing
that sentence. His head hung heavy.
“…I think out of all of us, Kel was the only one who had coped in a healthy way. He bounced
back in that way I’ve always been jealous of. He was smiling and playing and originally tried
to get me to cheer up… But I lashed out at him instead. I really hurt him. I made him cry,
Mari. Bad.” He hated that he could barely remember that fight. He mostly remembered
screaming a lot. He remembered being so furious with Kel that screaming had been the only
way to bleed when it was all contained in his chest. And he had felt so vindicated in his
feelings because Kel thought it was just so easy for Hero to pull himself together. It had been
like Kel hadn’t even cared that Mari was dead and that he had just wanted to play. He had
been furious that Kel even thought he had the right to say how Mari would feel about Hero’s
state.
And then when the fire was gone, all that Hero had left was the flood drowning him once
more. Only then he realized he had caused damage to his little brother, who he saw had been
trying to help him in the only way he had understood. Hero had realized his mistake right
away as he had seen the shell-shocked and horrified tears rolling down his brother’s face.
And Hero had run to him to apologize. But he didn’t think his words had ever actually healed
all of Kel’s wounds. He had done some irreversible damage to his brother that day. It had
been his fault.
The tears gathered in his eyes now as he remembered it. “Kel had just wanted to help me. I’d
never yelled at him like that before. He forgave me, but… I don’t know. Seeing him now…
Seeing how we used to be… I wonder how much of the distance between us was because we
grew up, or was the grief… or was because of what I’d said.”
“But you apologized,” Mari told him, shifting on the bench so her leg was bent on it. She
reached forward to take his other hand as well. “You realized what you did was wrong, and
you apologized. You were hurting and angry. It was an accident, Hero. I’m sure Kel
understood that. I’ve never known Kel as someone who holds grudges against someone
who’s genuinely sorry.”
“Sorry doesn’t heal everything, though,” Hero protested.
“I’m sure Kel never blamed you.”
And the worst part was that he knew she was right. Kel had never held their fight against
him. At least, not to Hero’s knowledge. They had grown up more distant than they had been
in the past, but much of that had been Hero’s fault rather than Kel’s. Maybe he should’ve
talked to his brother more about that day. He had only mentioned it to him in passing. Hero
had thought Kel might’ve forgotten about it, but now he wasn’t so sure.
“It’s because of that fight that I was determined to get better. I just thought that… you really
wouldn’t have wanted me to waste away in my bed, y’know? So, I tried to get better. To, uh,
some success. I was functioning, at least, if lonely. I never stopped missing you.”
She nodded in understanding. It encouraged him to talk more.
“I missed a lot about what happened with our friends because of what I did. I didn’t talk with
anyone, though Aubrey told me later that she did try to reunite our group to some extent. She
had thought I was busy with studying, which is probably the excuse I gave back then. I can’t
even remember. It might have even been while I was depressed and my parents just told her
that. I don’t know.
I found out later that Sunny stopped going to school entirely. And Basil and Aubrey had a
falling out over the photo album because Basil had marked up all of the photos with a black
marker. Kel told me that Aubrey and her new group of friends had been picking on Basil ever
since then.”
“What?” Mari asked with disbelief. “Aubrey was… what, bullying Basil? Is that what you
heard?”
Hero nodded. “Kel said it was happening for a while. Aubrey… got in with a group of
neighborhood kids that liked to cause trouble, but they were actually pretty okay. I think they
were just kind of rough, but they genuinely cared about Aubrey.” He rubbed at his neck. “I
didn’t really get to know any of them, though.”
“What was this about the photo album, though? Back up a little for me, please.”
“Right.” Somehow, explaining all of these details were easier than talking about her death.
Maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised. “Aubrey told me that she had gone to try to reconnect
with Basil, looked through the photo album, and was angry when she saw he had scribbled
out the photographs. She had thought he was trying to erase the memories or something, so
she had started taking out her anger on him. I don’t know the extent of how she had harassed
him, but she had regretted it when she came to her senses.”
“I can’t even imagine that,” Mari whispered, confused and sad. “Basil and Aubrey are such
good friends. Aubrey’s a bit of a tomboy, but she wouldn’t hurt anyone on purpose.”
“I think there was more to it, but I didn’t get to find out everything. There… A lot happened
not long after I started talking to everyone again.” A wave of dread ran through him as they
tiptoed closer to the topic he was still trying to get brave enough to tell her about. He wanted
to tell her. But it made him ill to think about. “There had been a lot going on. Our friend
group was in tatters.”
“Right,” Mari nodded. “What about Basil, then?”
Hero hesitated, then he said, “Honestly… I don’t know. At that time… I had only just come
back from college for the summer. The first day I was there, Kel and Sunny had gone to try to
find Basil because his caretaker Polly couldn’t find him.”
“Caretaker? What?”
“Polly,” Hero said with a nod. “She was taking care of Basil and his grandmother. His
grandmother wasn’t in the best health. She… It was her time.”
“Oh… Oh no…” she whispered, looking devastated. “Then in four years…?”
“Yeah.”
She squeezed his hands tightly, but he had a feeling it was more for herself than for him this
time. They all liked Basil’s grandmother. On top of that, they had no idea about Basil’s
parents or what would happen to Basil after his grandmother passed. Hero never did find out.
Basil handled that himself.
“But… you said Sunny?” Mari sounded hopeful now. “He and Kel were hanging out still?”
“At least on that day, yeah. They found Basil with Aubrey and her friends at the lake, and I
guess some kind of argument occurred. Basil was pushed into the lake, and Sunny jumped in
after him. I had to pull them both out.”
“What lake? Where was this? Is this the place you said Sunny nearly drowned?”
“Yes. It’s our secret spot. Or, uh, will be.” He shook his head. They were getting off-track.
“After that, I didn’t really see Basil much. His grandmother was in the hospital the next day,
and I think something bad happened. And…” he sighed and fell quiet.
“And what?” Mari pressed, wanting to hear.
Hero decided to back up a little bit. “Before that… I need to talk about Sunny.” He glanced
up and met her eyes with a frown. “You… haven’t asked after him as much as I thought you
would.”
Mari smiled a sad, wry smile. “That’s because I know you’ve been avoiding talking about
him.” Her thumbs ran over his hands. “I really do want to know about Sunny… but I didn’t
want to push.”
Hero knew he hadn’t been exactly subtle. “Sunny… From what I heard, one day he went into
his house and simply never left it again.”
“…What?”
“He didn’t come outside even when Kel knocked. He didn’t go to school. He just stopped
leaving the house. For four years, that’s all he did.”
Mari’s body slumped with horror. She brought a hand to her mouth, eyes darting back and
forth unseeingly, and then she simply said, “Oh my god. He… He really never came out?
Never?”
“Not as far as I know,” Hero told her gently. “Kel, he… He tried to get Sunny to come out a
lot in the beginning. But I think he just stopped trying after a while. At least, until we heard
he was moving.” He looked around the room, eyes seeing the darkness of the night and the
shadows of boxes in a mostly-empty room. “He was moving to the city. I think that’s what
finally convinced him to come out. Maybe he wanted to say goodbye to everyone. But when I
saw him, he…”
“He, what?” Mari sounded a little more insistent now. Her eyes were wide with worry. “He
what, Hero?”
“He looked terrible,” Hero confessed. “He was pale, and too skinny, and… I don’t know how
to explain it, Mari. He barely seemed present half of the time. I only got to spend a day and a
half with him, and he barely said a single word. He only really started to come back to
himself on that last day.”
“Of course he was like that!” Mari cried. “He… God, Hero, he…!”
“I know.” Hero didn’t need her to say it. “I know that now.”
“He never came outside? Mom didn’t make him? Or Dad? They just let him stay home all the
time?”
“As far as I know, yes?”

“Oh, Sunny…!” She covered her face now. Hero felt wretched. Maybe he shouldn’t have said
anything at all. “I can’t even imagine… Hero, I…” She lowered her hands and swallowed a
few times. Hero wiped the tears from his own eyes. There was a revelation occurring on her
face, but he saw the moment she shoved it down and away. “But… But he came outside. He
got to see everyone again, right? A-And you guys reconnected?”
He knew that she needed this. She needed to hear that he was alright, and that was what made
everything even worse for him. He knew the end of Sunny’s story. It made his airways choke
up, and he blinked a few times. His mouth opened and closed before he nodded quickly.
“We-” his voice was cracking under the weight, “we reconnected. Me, Aubrey, Kel, and
Sunny spent his last day in town together. Just… Just hanging out like we used to. The whole
day. Sunny got to choose everything. It was… It was so much fun. It was more fun than I’d
had in a long time.”
Mari didn’t look reassured, though. She looked scared. “So… So why are you crying again?”
Hero covered his eyes and gave a sob. His heart was rattling in his chest. “We… We had been
waiting for Basil to come back from visiting his grandmother at the hospital. We-We went to
check on him that evening. He had locked himself in his bedroom. He wouldn’t come out,
even when Aubrey apologized to him. I was worried for him. We decided to spend the night
to support him. Sunny was going to be moving away in the morning, but we were just a short
walk from the house, you know?”
His hand fell. He watched his tears drop onto the piano bench. “S-Sunny and Basil… they…
They got in some kind of fight while we were sleeping. I just remember waking up to the
sound of their screaming and fighting. It wasn’t just me either. I went to go check and…
God!” He sobbed again. He didn’t want to say it. He could only see that scene in his mind’s
eye once more. He shook his head.
“What happened?” Mari pressed, terrified now. “What happened to them, Hero?”
“I don’t know!” he cried. “I don’t know why they were fighting! I can only guess now, but…
There was so much blood. And Basil, he…!” He swallowed. He was scared to tell her. “He
had plant clippers… in his hands. And Sunny’s face was just… He stabbed him, Mari. He
stabbed him in the eye.”
“No…!” Mari’s hands flew to her mouth. She was utterly pale, eyes so wide that her pupils
looked far too small.
“We got them both to the hospital,” Hero said. “Sunny lived. They were both covered in
injuries, but Sunny’s were…”
Mari’s eyes were watering now. She was too shocked to speak.
“I remembered it like I was experiencing it all over again. That day. On Basil’s birthday,” he
continued because it was easier. He sniffed and wiped at his face. “I just… I just saw that
night again. And them on the floor. It just hit me so suddenly that I…”
She hugged him abruptly. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she squeezed him too
tightly. Hero jolted, hesitated, and then hugged her back as well. His fingers buried into the
back of her cardigan as he pressed his face to her shoulder. She was trembling. Her nails dug
into his shoulder. She gave a single sob, but otherwise held herself together better than Hero
ever could.
And for the longest time, they stayed like that. Hero didn’t know what she was thinking, or if
she was simply comforting him. He couldn’t bring himself to talk any longer when he felt
like he would choke from his own emotions. He was drowning, and it was hard to breathe.
She pulled back after a few long minutes, hands lingering on his shoulders. Her eyes were red
from her sparse tears. Hero wanted to kiss her cheeks and eyes, but he was sure he looked
even worse. He doubted his comfort would help her in this moment. She hadn’t seen what he
had, but that was still her brother. It was a world she didn’t know. In a way, that made her
safter.
“…Do you think they fought because of me?” she asked in a whisper, lifting wet eyes to meet
his.
“I don’t know,” he told her truthfully. “Maybe. I… It’s possible there was more involved,
but…”
“But?” she looked confused. “Is there more? Tell me.”
“Henry.”
“I can’t,” he said to her, because he truly didn’t have the strength. Not like this. Not when he
had already hurt her so much. “I’m sorry, Mari. I really don’t know everything. And there’s
just… Please. Please don’t ask for more.”
“What more could there be?” Her voice broke a little as she understood that Hero still hadn’t
told her the full truth.
And Hero would rather she never found out. He would rather she look past the holes in his
story. He would rather her believe that Sunny lived, and he moved away, and Hero had
simply never seen him again. He would rather her believe that he had stayed reconnected
with Aubrey and maybe even Basil, and that his relationship with Kel had stayed as strong as
ever. He would rather her believe there was, if not a happy ending to this story, an okay
ending.
Anything was better than the truth.
“Nothing,” he lied with a broken heart. “That’s all there was.”
He didn’t know what kept her from pressing him for more. Maybe it was because she knew
he was doing it for her sake. Maybe it was because she couldn’t bear to find out anymore
right now either. In the end, it didn’t matter.
The conversation ended there, and Hero regretted every ounce of weight this burden had on
Mari’s shoulders. He wished that he had said nothing at all.
Chapter End Notes
We'll see if this really is the end of this conversation.

Worry
Chapter Notes
Please check out this beautiful fanart from Inferno Silent-Dragon from the last chapter!
Hero had always gotten a lot of fresh air as a kid. Their neighborhood was safe and big, and
the neighbors were friendly enough that they often talked and got together to share
information and stories. The neighborhood children had often played together, and it was
unusual not to see the kids running across sidewalks or racing bikes in the streets. Hero and
Kel had often had their run of the neighborhood right alongside Mari and Sunny, and
eventually Aubrey and Basil. That was why it was strange for Hero to think about how nice it
was that he was getting out as much as he did now.
He still went jogging every morning, but on top of that he was often walking the
neighborhood with Kel when he wasn’t playing with his friends or relaxing at home. Kel
seemed to have picked up on the fact that Hero liked to walk Hector more and more, and he
had started joining his brother on most of those outings. Which was nice since it gave him
time to just hang out with his little brother once in a while.
Kel was still far too wild at this age. He wasn’t like his older self that, while still active,
wasn’t nearly as hyper. This version of his brother often seemed like he had energy to spare,
and he had the scrapes and bandages on him to prove that he was always up to something.
Hero had noticed that he had some new ones on his knees as the two of them walked with
Hector’s leash in hand.
“How’d you get those ones?” Hero asked, grabbing the back of Kel’s shirt to stop him from
walking Hector straight into the road without checking both ways. A car zoomed past them
two seconds later.
“Scratched ‘em on the fence,” Kel explained as both boys looked both ways before crossing
the street to the park. “I hate being short! When am I gonna get tall too?”
“Uh… give it a year and a half,” Hero told him, tone joking but completely serious. “Maybe
sooner if you drink your milk more.”
“Ugh! Milk is so gross, though! Who just drinks straight milk?” He made a face, sticking his
tongue out.
“It’s because you’re such a picky eater that you’re still short. Look at me, after all,” he
grinned a bit smugly, teeth sparkling a little in the sunlight, “I eat properly, and I’m still
growing! I’ll probably be taller than you forever at this rate.”
“What! No way!” Kel pointed sharply at him as they stopped for Hector to pee. “I’m gonna
outgrow you and be the taller brother one day! Dad even said so!”
“Not at the rate you’re going. I’ll be even taller than dad.”
“Grr…! I’ll show you!” Kel stomped his foot before posing, hands on his hips, “I’ll get taller
than you even if it means I have to drink milk! Or… or eat pickles or something!”
Hero laughed a little. “You’ll need to eat everything on your plate, including your vegetables
and fruits.”
“I’ll drink a stupid glass of milk every night!”
Hector tugged on the leash to keep going, so the boys continued to walk around the park.
There were other people playing and enjoying the warming weather. It made Hero think of
the fact that they hadn’t managed to have a picnic on Mari’s birthday because of a sudden dip
in the temperature, but they’d had a fun day out at Gino’s instead. He hoped they could have
a picnic again soon.
“No, don’t go that far. You’ll be farting all night and stinking up our room,” he said, making a
face just imagining it. Kel’s stomach could handle dairy to an extent, but he’d never been
great with milk or a ton of cheese.
“Sacrifices have to be made for the greater good, bro!” Kel snickered.
“I’ll just throw you out in the middle of the night and lock the door,” Hero threatened back as
the three of them entered the forest around the park. Hector, still a puppy, struggled a little
over fallen branches, but that didn’t stop the pup from trying to race ahead of them. He was
still being trained to walk off of the leash, but Hero would leave that to Dad and Kel.
“I know how to break into it!”
“You do not.”
“I do! You just put a coin into it and turn it!”
He was right. That was the worst part. Someone had taught Kel how to unlock the doors in
the house, and it was gonna be the bane of his life for the next couple of months. It was only
coming back to him now that Kel had an obnoxious period of time with breaking into the
rooms in the house to harass his family. The number of times Kel had thrown the door to the
bathroom open and exposed Hero to their friends as a joke was just…
He covered his face with his hand, already gritting his teeth at the humiliation.
Maybe he could convince Dad to change the door locks. Hero would invest if he had to.
Kel laughed at Hero’s reaction, smug and proud. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Who even taught you that?” Hero demanded.

“I saw Mom do it.”
Mom, you had accidentally been the cause of so many of Hero’s embarrassing moments this
year, Hero lamented.
“Great…”
“Oh!” Kel suddenly perked up. “That reminds me! Hero, come over here!” The boy raced off
into the trees and through some bushes, bright orange shirt quickly fading into the distance.
Hero blinked, but then started running as well after him, helping Hector when the pup had
some difficulty keeping up.
The trees were green again with young leaves making it hard to see very far. The foliage of
the forest was growing back, and Kel was small enough that Hero had to jump to spot him.
The orange shirt alerted him to where his brother was. It didn’t take long for Hero to
recognize the area they were in, though, as he broke through the bushes and out into an open
area.
It was their secret spot. The lake was a clear green-blue as it reflected the sky above. The
sight of the old town statue out on the little island instantly brought back memories of leaping
off of it. The grass beneath their shoes was lush with the lack of people that came through
here. It was untouched territory, and Hero felt like for the first time he was truly back in his
childhood.
“Whoa…” he said, pretending this was his first time here. “We have a lake this close? What
is this place?”
“It’s cool, right?” Kel asked, spreading his arms wide as he spun on his heel for face Hero.
His hands landed on his hips as he beamed. “Me and Sunny found it yesterday! I don’t think
anybody knows about this! We should totally show everyone else, right?”
“For sure,” Hero nodded idly, impressed. Then Kel’s words hit him and he shot a suspicious
look at his brother. “Wait, when did you and Sunny come out here yesterday? You were both
home all day.”
“Oh! Ahaha… did I say yesterday? I meant, uh, the day before?” Kel avoided his eyes and
rubbed at the back of his head. He was definitely guilty of sneaking out of the house. When
the heck had he done it, though?
Well, Hero wasn’t going to snitch on him. He had snuck out of the house plenty of times
before as well, though he hadn’t usually gone this far when he did.
“It doesn’t really look like anyone comes back here. It’s practically hidden by the bushes and
stuff,” he said instead.
“Right?!” Kel leapt on the change of topic. “I had no idea this place was back here! There’s
so much room, and maybe we can even go swimming in the summer since Mom gets mad if
we use the hose too much!” He ran over to the edge of the pier as Hero and Hector followed
him. The little dog looked just as excited as his owner as his tail wagged like crazy.
“It must’ve been used before, otherwise why would this pier be here?” Hero said as Kel
dropped to his knees and ran his hand through the water. He cried out and shook it off with a
shudder.
“Ugh, it’s still really cold!”
“It’s still early Spring, bro.”
“But we could still swim here later! Imagine how much fun that’d be!” Kel wasn’t
discouraged as he just wiped his wet hand off on his pants and sat grinning at Hero.
“You’re right. I think everyone would love this. We could have some picnics here too. It’d be
perfect for it,” Hero said, eyes already drifting to where they had set up their picnic blanket
years ago. He could already picture them all there together once more.
“Oh yeaaaaaah! A picnic! This’ll be even better than in the park since everyone always
picnics there!” Kel nodded, folding his arms and legs. “This’ll be our secret spot, alright? We
won’t tell anyone!”
“That sounds good to me!”
The brothers returned to the grassy area, and Hero unleashed Hector. The pup immediately
began to dart around, stubby legs pumping as fast as they could as he explored the new area
without ever going into the forest. Kel laughed and chased after him, which made Hector’s
ears point before he dodged away from the boy to keep running. Hero watched, amazed, as he
remembered just how fast Kel could be when he was running at full speed. His hair flew
behind him as his parka stuck to his front from the wind speed. And all the while Hector kept
just out of reach.
The temptation to just sit and watch the two play was there, but Hero decided that he didn’t
want to do that. He wanted to have some exhausting fun as well before the sun went down
and they returned home, so he joined in. He darted out to cut Hector off as he ran towards
him. Hector’s feet scrambled briefly on the grass before he changed directions. Hero slipped
a little on the grass in his hurry to run after him. Kel laughed and dashed right ahead of him
on the dog’s tail.
The three chased each other for a bit. Hero felt his head clear as he enjoyed the play time that
he was trying to remember how to indulge in. It was hard to shuck the social stigmas of
maturity once he had them, and playing around like this was harder when he was so used to
being an adult. He didn’t have to worry so much about simply playing, and his little brother
wasn’t exactly going to judge him if he grabbed at his clothes to try to pull ahead. Hero had
forgotten how much fun it was to simply let loose.
He wanted to remember what it was like to climb trees just because he could. He wanted to
have the long afternoons spent exploring the woods around their neighborhood as if they
were in some children’s adventure novel. He wanted to run as fast and as hard as he could,
and he wanted to splay out in the sun simply because he could. He had the time. He had the
energy. And Hero had forgotten how to utilize both.
He ended up collapsing first, out of breath. He panted on the ground as Kel was slowing.
Hector stopped running so much and simply walked, but the pup was panting like crazy. Hero
was jealous that he could just walk over to the lake’s edge and drink the water there. He
wanted to do that too. He was parched, sweaty, and overheated now.
Kel joined him after Hector gave up on the game. He dropped to the ground, arms and legs
splayed, and he panted like he was a dog himself. His hair was sticking to his face. The sun
was somehow hot even if the temperature was just on this side of chilly. The brothers laid
there and baked in the sunlight, recovering.
Hero closed his eyes and listened to the wind and the distant sounds of children playing at
Faraway Park. He could almost smell the faint waft of pizza coming from Gino’s. His heart
rate slowed gradually in his chest, and his breathing evened out. He enjoyed the sound of
wind through the leaves, and the occasional splash from fish in the lake.
“Hey Hero?” Kel spoke up after a few minutes of this. It seemed the running had taken out a
chunk of Kel’s seemingly-boundless energy.
Hero hummed, eyes still closed.
“I, uh, wanted to say thanks.” Hero’s eyes opened and he turned his head to look at his
brother. Kel looked a little embarrassed when their eyes met before he looked away and back
towards the sky. “You’ve really helped me with school. I still hate it, but… It’s easier now to
understand it. And Mom even praised me the other day for my grades. So… thanks. For not
getting annoyed with me, I mean.”
It shocked Hero to hear this. He sounded just like his older self, rather than his twelve-year-
old little brother. It was surprisingly mature. Kel had his moments like this, but it always
threw him off to hear it. He definitely hadn’t expected him to say something like this.
“Oh… uh…” he cleared his throat. He recovered. “Yeah, of course man. I always knew you
could do it. And even if you get frustrated, that’s normal right? I’m proud of you, Kel.”
Kel’s cheeks turned bright red and he gave a grinning laugh. He kicked his legs against to
ground a few times before propping himself up on his elbows. “I think you’d be a pretty cool
teacher, bro. Do you think maybe we can convince Sunny to join us? He said his dad’s been
getting on him about his grades too. I think he’d get better if you helped!”
Sunny’s dad has been coming down on him? He supposed that he shouldn’t be surprised by
that. Mari’s parents were strict on her, so Sunny was probably going to get something similar.
If Hero could help take some of the pressure off of him, though, that would be good. Sunny
had never done well under a lot of pressure. He didn’t have the same backbone that Mari did.
He got discouraged easily. Hero would like to help.
However… “If you and Sunny are together, neither of you are gonna focus. I’ll tutor Sunny
separately.”
“Whaaaat?! That’s not true!” Kel cried. “We’ll totally focus! C’mon, you’ve seen me
studying!”
“And I know how much you try to find an excuse to slack off every time,” Hero countered
wryly. “How about we talk about maybe having some weekly study sessions with everyone?
We can try it out. But you guys would have to be serious about it!”
“Yeah! That sounds great too!”
“If you all do well, maybe we’ll really be able to convince our parents to take us to do some
stuff over the summer,” Hero added, pushing himself into a sitting position. Kel joined him.
Hector trotted over from where he had been recovering in the shade of a tree, pushing his
way into Kel’s lap to lay on him. Kel laughed and scrubbed at the pup’s furry ears. Hero
reached out and patted his side. His voice was softer as he said, “It would be nice to make as
many fun memories as we can while we’re still young.”
Kel gave him a weird look. “Why’re you talking like you’re old or something? You’ve only
just started high school.”
“High school’s the beginning of having to start being an adult,” he said as a cover up.
Kel blew a raspberry with his lips, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, right! You’re not that much older
than me. Growing up is dumb anyway. I’d rather be a kid forever.”
Hero gave him a fondly exasperated look. That was so Kel. “Well… you can always do that
too, I guess?” He pushed himself to his feet and brushed himself off before grabbing the
leash. He hooked it onto Hector’s collar. “Let’s head back.” Kel hopped up too and shook
himself off before the brothers started walking. Hero’s legs felt like lead from fatigue. He
wanted to take a soak in the bath when he got home. He would claim it first.
“Seriously, though,” Kel continued, tucking his arms behind his head, “you don’t need to
grow up so fast, bro. Sometimes you look like you’ve got a lot of problems for a guy who
just turned fifteen.” He glanced up at his brother as Hero’s feet stuttered while walking. “Is
having a girlfriend that hard or something? I’m glad you seem better but…” he paused,
hesitating, and then said, “you look tired. A lot.”
“I’m alright,” Hero assured him. “I’ve just been having trouble sleeping, is all. And I’m
training my body to wake up early for jogging and stuff.”
Kel didn’t look appeased. Hero was starting to feel guilty every time a person looked him like
that. He still hadn’t recovered from hurting Mari as he had even though it had been a couple
days already. His parents sometimes looked at him with worry. And now here was Kel even
doubting Hero’s words. Was he really just this bad at being happy?
“Maybe you should stop waking up so early so you can sleep more.”
“I’m okay, Kel. I promise.” He put a hand on Kel’s head and rubbed his hair, smiling a little
sadly. “You don’t need to worry about me.”
Kel rested his hand on top of Hero’s hand, giving him a serious look. “You’re my brother;
I’m going to worry about you.”
And Hero’s heart stopped briefly, because for a moment Kel looked far older than he was.
And he remembered that blur of a year when his depression had been at its worse. Kel had
checked on him often even if he hadn’t known what to do. This was the first time Hero was
seeing that version of Kel face-to-face like this. And he felt the love his little brother had for
him.
Hero swallowed thickly and paused in walking. Kel stopped with him. Hero’s mouth open
and closed, and then he gave up and simply hugged him instead.
Kel stiffened with confusion for a moment, but then he hugged him back tentatively. Hero
didn’t care if Kel didn’t understand as he just held him for a minute, squeezing him a little.
He was so small right now. He didn’t have any of that bulk to his frame from the last time
Hero had hugged him like this, and Hero was determined to tell and show his brother more
how much he appreciated him.
“Thank you, Kel. I love you,” he murmured.
“Uh… yeah. I love you too. What’s wrong with you?” Kel just sounded baffled. He patted
Hero’s back a bit.
Hero pulled away and smiled. “Nothing. Just wanted to hug you. And to let you know that
it’s my job to worry about you since you’re my little brother.” He wrapped an arm over his
shoulders and steered the boy to start walking again. “Thanks for caring, Kel.”
Kel must’ve at least noticed how sincere Hero was being, because he chose not to be his
usual bratty self. He just patted Hero’s back again and allowed the companionable touch. “No
problem, Hero. I’m glad you seem better lately. I’ve missed it.”
Hero wondered what he used to be like before he had come back in time. It was too far away
in his memory now to possibly recall. He would just have to have Kel and the others get used
to the him that he was now instead. He didn’t want people to worry about him anymore.
Chapter End Notes
Alright. Time to work on DBSG again finally.

3/9
Chapter Summary
(Cover art by @/PyricInferno)
Chapter Notes
If you really want the Omori feel, then please listen to "Where We Used to Play" or
"Let's Get Together Now!".
Other songs unrelated to this chapter but rather to this fic as a whole...
I don't really have a playlist going, but I know I've been asked about song
recommendations for this fic for atmosphere and such, so I thought I would provide
some. I like to find music whose atmosphere, rather than the words, match the kind of
mood I'm going for, so I'm going to give a couple examples.
I've mentioned Obstacles by Syd Matters as one of the "theme songs" for Hero in this
fic, but I have another from the Life is Strange soundtrack that fits him as well. While
"Obstacles" is great to match the nostalgic value I apply to Hero's thoughts, "Mountains"
by Message to Bears fits more the mood for when Hero's feeling tenser. I listened to this
🤔
one of repeat while writing "Weight". (Maybe I should add the link to that chapter as
well? )
Another song I've come to associate with Hero in this fic is Welcome Home, Son by
Radical Face.
If I have more, and if people are interested, I'll link more songs in the future for people
to try to match the moods of the chapters.
(Though, admittedly, more often than not I use Omori soundtrack songs for the lighter
chapters haha)
Anyway, enough rambling. Please enjoy the chapter.
The weather was absolutely gorgeous as Saturday morning dawned and breakfast was served.
Mari and Sunny’s house was loud with the voices of children and running water from dishes
being washed. Sugar flowed through their veins from a mixture of healthy and unhealthy
sources as Mari and Hero smiled and cleaned up from their cooking earlier. Hero glanced up
in time to see Basil right outside of the kitchen window as he held up his camera for a
picture, blinking at the click. Mari had just missed it, crying out about how unfair it was that
Basil hadn’t even given her a head’s up, but Basil was already laughing and hurrying back to
the sliding glass door.
It was the first time since Hero had come back in time that they were having one big group
sleepover. They had chosen Mari’s house this time around since both of her parents were
planning to be gone for most of the weekend. Mari had mentioned it was some kind of
business trip of her mother’s, and their father had joined in order to get some alone time with
her. Hero was just happy to have the house to themselves for a while. They were allowed to
go a little wild, and Hero’s parents were on alert in case the kids needed them at all.
It was nice to have this free time, he thought as he watched Basil rejoin their friends at the
counter to show them his picture. He smiled to himself before fumbling a dish as it slipped.
He winced as it hit the water, but it looked like nothing had broken. Mari laughed beside him
as he smiled sheepishly, picking the dish up again.
“I think a visit to the park is in order,” she said as he handed her a clean dish to hand-dry.
“Kel’s been asking about it for the past couple of days, after all.”
“He’s discovered our secret spot,” Hero told her in a lower voice so nobody would overhear
them. He liked the way his arm occasionally brushed with Mari. She looked particularly
beautiful in the lovely midmorning spring sunlight. Her hair was glossy. He wanted to run his
fingers through it. “He showed me it the other day. He wants to show all of you.”
“Secret spot?” Mari asked back in a soft voice as behind them footsteps pounded as Aubrey
and Kel rushed into the hallway and up the stairs. Hero’s head whipped to watch them go,
anxiety spiking briefly, before he checked on Sunny and Basil. The boys were sitting on the
stools where Hero and Mari liked to do their homework. Sunny’s eyes were sparkling as
Basil pointed at something in the photo he had just taken.
He was a bit distracted as he turned back to face the sink, shaking off his nerves. He would
have to warn Aubrey and Kel about being careful on the stairs just in case. “Yeah.”
“The one you told me about? With the lake?” Mari was watching him closely.
Hero wanted to keep things light as he gave her a reassuring smile. “That’s the one. You’ll
love it. It’s a great place to hang out.”
Mari frowned, though. “Despite the fact that Sunny almost drowned there?”
“That won’t happen this time,” he swore to her, soapy hand grabbing onto hers to squeeze it.
His gaze was serious. “I won’t let anything like that happen to him, Mari. I’ll keep him safe
this time around.”
Mari didn’t respond for a long moment. Her expression was unreadable. Then she simply
nodded before pulling her hand away to hold it out for the next item to dry.
They continued to do the dishes as Hero thought back. Sunny nearly drowned later on when
it was warm enough to start swimming. It was in the summer, though he didn’t have a
particular date that he remembered it happening on. He was sure it was one of the first days
they had swam there, though. He and Kel had been jumping off of that statue, and Sunny had
panicked and swallowed water when he had fallen off of it. After that, Mari didn’t want
Sunny swimming there anymore. Hero didn’t want that kind of fear to happen to any of them
ever again. That day had terrified him. He hadn’t known CPR back then, but luckily they
hadn’t needed it.
At least if anything similar happened again, Hero had much more medical expertise to back
him up. He was more prepared for emergencies. He just wished that he was old enough to
take more classes. He kind of hated that he was so young if only because it meant his options
for life were limited right now.
Aubrey and Kel came back down with Kel carrying Basil’s photo album before they slapped
it down on the counter and flipping open the pages. Kel tried to snatch Basil’s camera to play
with, but Basil held it close and shook him off. Hero sighed through his nose, happy that his
friends were so happy.
“Anyway, yeah. Definitely some park time when we’re done here,” he told Mari as he handed
her the last pan to rinse and dry off. “I think they’ll explode if they’re all trapped inside on
such a great day.”
“Should we prepare some snacks?” Mari asked.
“Nah, let’s just head out.”
It was unanimously agreed upon that the park was the best way to spend the day when it was
so nice out. Hero raced ahead along with Kel, Aubrey, and Sunny when the park was in sight.
He had to grab Sunny when the boy almost rushed out into the street without checking both
ways, but Kel slipped past his hands and barely made it across before a car arrived. Hero’s
heart nearly gave out at the sight, and his own scolding had blended with Aubrey’s as they
both told Kel off for not being careful. The boy at least looked repentant, but it was gone
soon after when he had grabbed Sunny’s hand and had rushed to the basketball court.
“He’s gonna get hurt if he does that!” Aubrey told Hero with puffed cheeks. She was more
worried than angry, though.
“I’m hoping one of these days he’ll take my words to heart,” Hero agreed with her as his
heart slowed. Kel was fast, but it was still so dangerous for him to cross the street like that. It
seemed like this time he had actually listened, but he won’t know for sure unless there was a
next time.
“I’m gonna be mad at him if he gets hurt…” she muttered. “I’ll beat him up if he does.”
Hero laughed and patted her head. She glanced up at him, pout melting away as he told her,
“He’ll deserve it, then. Make sure he doesn’t forget it when you do.”
She grinned and laughed. “You’re supposed to tell me I’m not supposed to hurt him,
dummy.”
Hero fixed her clip-on bow, which he had unsettled when he had patted her head. “I trust
you’ll know when to stop.”
She was thrilled to hear this. She gave him a playful tap of a punch to his side before she
dashed off into the park after Sunny and Kel, calling for them to let her join in using Kel’s
basketball.
It was moments like this that made Hero think just how unbelievable it was that Kel and
Aubrey’s relationship could’ve fallen apart the way that it had. Aubrey hadn’t been that much
different at her core when they had reunited as teenagers, but she was certainly changed from
how she was now. She was more reserved and withdrawn. He wondered if it was from years
of loneliness, or if there had been more to it. Maybe there was simply a side to Aubrey that
Hero didn’t know all that well.
It made him wonder.
He turned to glance back across the street as Basil and Mari turned the corner and walked
towards him. Basil held Mari’s hand as she swung their grip, talking animatedly to him and
listening in return. Hero felt a little bad about abandoning them, but he had been caught up in
the chase when he had seen his friends running off. He had expected Mari and Basil to have
come running after them. He was a little surprised they had taken their time. So, he waited for
them.
“Who won the race?” Basil asked when the two had crossed the street to join him.
“Kel, but only because he cut out into the street right before a car went by,” Hero responded,
making an annoyed face. “Sunny almost followed right after him.”
Basil gave a sympathetic grimace as Mari sighed. “He gets tunnel vision when he gets
wrapped up in Kel’s pace,” she said with a shake of her head.
“Me and Aubrey told him off. They’re over there now.” He motioned with his head to the
basketball court as the three of them entered the park. They weren’t the only kids enjoying
the day, Hero realized. He noticed Kim and Vance, and Hero’s next door neighbor Cris with
her parents. He recognized other faces as well, but he couldn’t remember everyone’s names.
He had been trying to get better at remembering the names of people in his neighborhood, but
he’d never been great at it. Maybe he should work on it more this time around.
“Here, Basil,” Mari offered, holding her hand out to him, “I’ll take your camera. We’ll find a
place to put our stuff down safely.”
“Thanks, Mari!” Basil handed over the camera before he hurried over to join the others. It
looked like they were setting up a Two or Four Square game based on how Sunny was
pointing at the ground and marking out lines. Hero wanted in on that action. He hadn’t played
that game in years.
“I’m surprised you didn’t run after us,” he said as he followed Mari to the tree line where
there was a free picnic table. Mari had brought some water bottles with her since the water
fountain in the park wasn’t great, and they didn’t want to waste money on the vending
machines. They placed their stuff down on the table.
“I can’t run for long, remember?” Mari said. “It hurts my leg.”
“It hurts-?” He started, but cut himself off as his eyes widened. “Oh. Shoot, I, uh, forgot.
Sorry.” He rubbed at the back of his head, frowning. How did he forget how Mari had injured
her knee about a year ago? She had stopped wearing the brace a long time ago, but he had
noticed she didn’t run around as much as she used to.
“It’s okay,” she told him, but her smile was a little strained. She was still unhappy about her
injury. Hero felt kind of bad for bringing it up. He knew she had loved playing softball before
that accident. If only he had gone back in time far enough that he could’ve prevented that too.
She changed the subject, “I saw you eying their game.” She nodded to where the group really
had set up a Four Square game. Basil looked unsure about it, though. Sunny called out
something before performing what looked like a mimic of a Captain Spaceboy move. The
ball flew past Basil. “Did you guys play that on Sunny’s last day before he moved?”
Hero hated the feeling that came from speaking of that time. “No,” he told her truthfully. “We
didn’t actually play too much on the playground, but we were all kind of too big anyway.
Sunny and Aubrey hung out on the swings.”
“There was always next time, then. I hope Sunny wanted to come back and visit at least Kel
sometime.”
Hero glanced at her, tense. Mari’s words were light as she smiled before moving to head
towards the free tetherball pole, motioning with her head for him to join her. He would take
her on. “I… guess? I… didn’t get to hang out again with Sunny again… before I came back
in time, I mean.”
Mari gave him a sympathetic look as she unwound the ball from the pole. “It’s gotta be hard
to find time to hang out in college. I’m sure Mom and Dad probably were busy too. When did
you actually come back in time?”
It was strange talking so freely about this. Mari knew enough about the future that Hero felt
more comfortable and less like he was dodging bullets, but that still didn’t mean it wasn’t a
little difficult for him to just talk about that time. “Um, in March. It was just before Spring
Break.”
Mari hefted the tetherball in her hand, eyes sparkling as she tossed and then smacked it. Hero
returned the fire a little harder than expected. She missed the first swing, but when he hit it
once more, she got it back around to his side. “Were you gonna come back to Faraway Town
for the break?”
“No.” He jumped, but didn’t quite manage to get that swing. She evened out the score,
hurrying to hit it again to make it swing faster. He was getting distracted by the conversation.
“I was gonna stay to get ahead in my work- HA!” After missing two more hits, he finally
countered her swing. Mari’s eyes were sparkling competitively. She always looked stunning
when she was challenging him.
“You guys didn’t make any plans to go to the beach or something? Surely your parents
would’ve been more willing to let you all travel?”
Hero scoffed with disbelief. His smile was bitter and sad. “It was hardly the time to have any
fun, even if any of us had wanted it.”
Mari’s eyes sharpened as she hit the ball. “How come?”
Hero realized too late about his slip-up. He froze, and the ball’s momentum allowed it to
wrap around the pole enough times in his hesitancy for her to win. Mari blinked at him in
confusion. Hero’s face fell into a frown, watching her. He didn’t know if this was intentional
or not, but he didn’t plan to have this conversation.
“We were all busy, is all,” he said, though his heart wasn’t exactly in the lie. He thought of
the bottle of pills that had been next to his bed, and the long nights he had spent avoiding
sleeping and instead staring at the harsh red of his alarm clock so that he wouldn’t have to see
the splash of blood red in his dreams instead.
Mari frowned back at him. “Hero-”
“Things weren’t exactly easy after what happened with Basil and Sunny,” he hurried to say in
hopes that it would stop her from digging deeper. “We were all busy with school. Kel was on
the basketball team. Aubrey had issues at home…”
He stopped then as he reached out to grab the tetherball. His hand gripped the hard rubber of
the toy. He felt guilty for using Aubrey’s troubles as a way to escape this conversation and
change the subject, but it was something he’d been meaning to bring up for a while anyway.
“That reminds me…” He looked up at Mari and began to unwind the ball once more from the
pole. “Mari, do you know anything about Aubrey’s home life?”
“Huh?” She asked, confused. “What about it?”
“Just… anything, really. I know our parents hang out with her dad, but like… does Aubrey
ever talk about her home? Or have we ever been inside of her house or anything?”
Mari seemed significantly distracted as she approached Hero. She grabbed onto the pole and
leaned on it, tilting her head to watch him. “Now that I think about it… no, I don’t think we
have! Aubrey usually comes to hang out with us.”
“Does she talk about her home or anything to you? I know you’re closer to her.” Aubrey had
always seen Mari like her big sister. Hero wanted to be able to give that kind of love and
support too instead of having it all rest on Mari’s shoulders.
“What brings this on? Is something wrong with Aubrey’s home life, Hero?” Mari asked,
looking more serious now.
“I don’t know, exactly,” he admitted. “I’ve only been in Aubrey’s house once… but it was a
wreck in there. It was really bad. I never really got the chance to ask Aubrey about it since
she kind of shut us down the few times any of us attempted to approach it the last time I hung
out with Sunny, Kel, and her.” His fingers drummed over the rubber ball. “I’m just kinda
worried, I guess. Considering they didn’t even buy her new gloves and such… I never really
thought about it before, but isn’t Aubrey kind of… poor?”
It felt almost rude to say it out loud, but there was no way to be careful about it. Everyone
knew that Aubrey lived in the poorer section of the neighborhood. The houses were cheaper
there, and smaller. Hero had always thought of it as the street where Aubrey lived, but he
recalled some of the other neighborhood kids calling it the ‘poor area’ more than once. He
had known people to look down on the people who had lived there, but he hadn’t questioned
it when he was younger. In his mind, “everyone” did it, so that was simply what it had been.
That was a fact of life.
But as an adult he realized how messed up it was that the people around him had looked
down on those with less money in the neighborhood. His parents had never said it
themselves, but Hero had heard it everywhere else. In retrospect, he could see how Aubrey
would’ve had a hard time making friends when the kids’ parents were like that. He hadn’t
thought about it until he was paying more attention, but Aubrey wore thrifted clothing. She
loved brand new things. Her house was maintained, but it still wasn’t great.
He worried about what the inside was like.
“Well… It’s not like we didn’t know that,” Mari responded carefully, glancing at Aubrey.
“But what does that have to do with anything? It can’t be helped if her parents don’t have
much money.”
“…I don’t know,” Hero finally said after a lingering moment. “I guess I’m just worried. She
fell in with the rougher kids when she was older, but…” he wasn’t sure how to describe it. He
shook his head instead. “Maybe I’m overthinking things. I just feel like Aubrey doesn’t
actually talk about her home life very much. I’d like her to open up more to me, maybe.”
Mari gave him a weird look, but then laughed to herself a little. “It’s cute that you’re so
worried about them,” she said. “You sound like an old man again. You’re going to be sixteen
going on thirty-five at this rate, Hero!”
Hero blinked and made a face at her. “Oh come on, I’m not that bad, am I?”
“You are! You need to learn to let loose again.” She swung a little around the pole until she
was right in his face, smiling teasingly as he flushed at her sudden close proximity. “I
understand why you’re like this… but you should have fun too, Hero. Life isn’t all work,
handsome boy.” She reached up, stroking his cheek once. He leaned closer to her, noses
brushing. Her voice dipped to say, “Enjoy your second chance a bit.”
Kissing her felt like the best way to enjoy his second chance he could get. He didn’t know if
he would be able to really ‘let loose’ like she wanted, but he could at least enjoy this moment.
She was right, he thought. He needed to take a break sometimes. He had been treating this
second life like a mission. And while he definitely did have certain goals in mind, he really
did want to enjoy the moments in between as well. He hoped that his friends would be able to
teach him.
He didn’t think it would be too hard on their parts. Just hanging out with them at the park was
enough to make him feel young again. Tense conversations aside, Hero had a great time. The
weather was fantastic after a long winter, and finally he felt like he could let loose with the
people he loved the most. Playing Four Square, basketball, and hide and seek were things he
felt like he had grown out of but had never truly stopped loving. And slipping into the forest
and bushes to break through to their secret spot had never felt more like he was stepping into
an adventure novel when he could take his shoes off and run through the grass.
It was still too cold to do any kind of swimming, and they didn’t have enough toys with them
to really hang out at their secret spot for long, but everyone had loved the little hideaway.
Hero knew that at least some people had to know of this place, but it wasn’t cared for, and the
dirt trails had become overgrown with weeds. That meant it was fair game for them to claim
as theirs without fear of people coming to steal their stuff. As Hero laid in the grass chatting
with Sunny and cloud-gazing, he was already daydreaming of the future memories they
would all make there. And it filled his heart with bittersweet nostalgia.
And like that, the day flew by. The sun was past its peak by the time their stomachs were
growling up a storm. They retreated back to Mari’s house with pleasant fatigue dragging at
almost all of their limbs. They all worked together to make lunch and to sit in front of the
television as they cooled off from their exciting hours of play, but Kel was still far too full of
energy to really settle down. Hero didn’t know where his brother got such boundless energy,
but when he had been challenged to an arm-wrestling match he felt all of his own energy
return to him.
There was no way for him to lose to his little brother in this kind of game. He’d be humiliated
as a big brother if he did. Kel was always so certain he was stronger than him just because he
had speed on his side, but his poor little brother didn’t realize that Hero had been working out
a little in his free time.
The picture proof of his win that was sure to go in Basil’s photo album made victory all the
sweeter. Kel had a long way to go before he thought he could defeat the reigning champion.
3/10
Chapter Notes
Why do I feel like these chapters are so long and then they end up not being long lol
When Hero was a child, he remembered that some of the most amazing times he’d had with
his friends had been when there were no parents around. There was a particular kind of thrill
to knowing that Hero was the one left in charge, usually with Mari by his side. His friends,
though rowdy, rarely caused enough problems to have to warrant adult intervention which
was why they were often trusted to have free reign of the house for a sleepover. The fact that
there were actual adults next door were of no concern, of course.
Hero had long since grown used to living without adult supervision, though. He’d moved out
of the house after graduation to go live in the dorms, so he’d had a good year of living alone
under his belt. But it was completely different when he was technically living alone for two
days with his best friends.
He had plenty of nights spent staying up far, far too late for both good and bad reasons, but
this was the first time in a very long time he had stayed up so late just talking. The blanket
fort that had been meticulously built between Mari and Sunny’s beds was too small for
everyone to fit, but that didn’t matter when Sunny gave up his bed because he would’ve
rather joined the others in the fort. Hero traded places with him when it got crowded, but
Sunny didn’t mind the heat and press of bodies to each other in the night. He’d looked so
content with the warm lantern on as Basil, Aubrey, and Kel had slept on without knowing of
the switch.
Hero had planned to sleep alone in Sunny’s bed since Mari had taken her own, but before he
had managed to doze off he had felt the bed dip and another body join his. He simply scooted
over in the bed, exhausted but feeling charged at the same time as he saw Mari’s teasing
smile and heard her giggle as her arms had wrapped around his waist. He wasn’t about to
complain about her joining him even though they had been strictly told that no funny
business was supposed to go on… but as Mari put it in between sleepy but insistent kisses,
there was nothing funny about having some alone time.
It was the closest either of them had gotten to any actual ‘funny business’, but Hero was
hardly about to do anything when his brother and his friends were two feet from their bed. No
matter how dead asleep they were.
Still, though, he couldn’t deny he had been tempted with her warm body pressed to his. She
was going to drive him crazy if his damned teenage hormones didn’t get him first.
It was the deepest sleep Hero had gotten since he had come back in time.
He was actually one of the last ones to awaken, and it had been to the sound of Sunny and
Aubrey fighting with Kel over Basil’s camera as Basil had fretted, unsure of how to intervene
to save his camera. After breaking up the fight, Hero balked to realize Sunny and Aubrey had
saved him from mortifying evidence of how he and Mari had broken the rules that Mari’s
parents had set down. Kel may have thought it had been a fun idea for a joke, but Hero only
felt his blood run cold at the thought of that photo ever reaching Mr. Aki’s eyes. He’d never
be allowed to come over again.
He gave Sunny and Aubrey special pancakes in thanks, along with extra eggs and bacon.
And for Kel, who was actively seeking revenge and still pouting over losing to Hero in the
arm-wrestling match yesterday, Hero gave him his favorite smothering kisses to his cheeks
and face as he hugged his beloved, protesting little brother.
Basil, for his part, claimed that he had taken a picture of the scene because it was a show of
brotherly love, but judging by the little smirk he had on his face as he gazed at the developed
photo, Hero felt like Basil had wanted to join in on messing with Kel as well.
They were all putting on their shoes with the plan to head back out to their secret spot to play
when a rumble of thunder interrupted them. Sunny opened the door and peeked out,
frowning, and pointed out the grey clouds that were quickly rolling in. A Spring storm was
arriving, much to the disappointment of everyone.
“Noooo!” Kel complained, gripping the door frame dramatically as he stared at the clouds.
“What the heck? Why does it have to rain now?”
“Looks like we’re gonna be stuck inside for a little while,” Mari said. She smiled at them.
“That won’t be too bad, though, right? There’s plenty to do inside!”
“Honestly, I don’t mind hanging out inside,” Hero said with a yawn and a stretch. Sleeping so
well had just made him tired again, but rainy days usually made him sleepy anyway. The first
drops of rain were beginning to come down as Sunny motioned Kel away and closed the
front door. “We can find something to do in here. And hopefully the rain passes quickly.”
“Let’s head upstairs, then,” Aubrey pointed back towards the hallway, tugging her sneakers
off again before she made her way back to the stairs. Sunny followed her lead. He used the
handrail as he climbed the stairs. Hero tried not to stare at the action.
“What should we do, then?” Kel asked, switching gears as the rest of them followed after the
pair. “We could bring the game system downstairs and use the living room.”
“I’m kinda okay with just hanging out for a bit,” Basil admitted. “I’m a little tired from
yesterday.”
“Boo! Man, you get tired too easily!”

“This rain’s probably going to be good for your plants though, huh Basil?” Mari asked as
they climbed the stairs and reentered Sunny and Mari’s bedroom. Aubrey was digging
through Sunny’s closet for toys while Sunny was looking though the desk for something.
“Yeah, you’re right! Hopefully Grandma hasn’t already watered them this morning,” Basil
said.
“Oh, did you already do the planting?” Hero asked with surprise. He had thought that he
would be joining Basil for that. Had he missed out?
“No, not yet. We just put out some of the stuff we kept in our house for the winter,” Basil
explained as he placed his camera on the bedside table and crawled into the blanket fort. He
stretched widely before curling into the fort, looking happy to be buried in the blankets and
pillows they had shoved into the fort. “But, um, did you decide what you wanted to try to
grow? We can plant tomorrow. I finished clearing that old planter and filled it with fresh
soil.”
It sounded like Basil had done a lot just for him. It made Hero feel good to hear. Before he
could respond, though, Kel asked, “Huh? Planting? You gonna grow plants, bro?” He joined
Aubrey in her hunt. She looked like she was pulling out Sunny’s old stuffed animals. Kel shot
them onto the bed like they were basketballs and the bed was a hoop.
“Yeah! Basil and I are gonna try to grow some veggies,” Hero said, rubbing at the back of his
head as he sat down on Mari’s bed beside her. He could see her smiling from the corner of his
eye. “I wanna use fresh ingredients instead of buying them when I can… could be useful in
the future?”
“Especially since Hero’s gonna become my personal chef, right?” Mari teased, eyes sparkling
as she leaned forward into his vision. “Having a healthy option is the best!”
Hero chuckled, fondly remembering how flustered he used to get when Mari would say stuff
like that. He had been so pressured by his mother (and still was being pressured by his
mother) to become a doctor that hearing Mari insist on another career for him had left him
floundering and unsure. He still didn’t know what route he planned to take in this lifetime,
but he was starting to rediscover his love for cooking. It might be fun…
Oh no. Now he really didn’t know what to do.
“Uh, yeah, we’ll see…” he smiled a little nervously.
God, what would he do if he didn’t actually try to become a doctor? His mindset had been so
different when he had graduated from high school last time. He couldn’t even imagine what
his mother would say if he went against her wishes. He had been interested in the classes he
had been taken, and he had met some really nice people during the courses. It wasn’t like
Hero was against becoming a doctor, but would he be disappointing Mari if he didn’t follow
her wishes? He had a lot of fun cooking, and it would be something completely different
from his last life.
Both possibilities were tantalizing in their own ways.

Ugh, he didn’t know what to do.
“Are you gonna grow some flowers too?” Mari asked instead, pulling Hero from his musings.
She was talking to Basil this time.
“Not in this planter,” the boy responded.
“Aww, so no roses for Hero?”
“Basil already took care of growing a rose bush for me,” Hero responded. “Along with all of
our other flowers, right?”
“Yeah!” Basil perked up. “They’re blooming now, if you guys want to come by again and
see.”
“Oh awesome! I finally get to see what a cactus looks like when it’s blooming!” Kel cheered
as the last of the stuffed animals were thrown onto the bed. He jumped on afterward, spread-
eagle, and laughed as Aubrey jumped too. Hero winced in sympathy for the bedframe, but it
held just fine.
Aubrey shoved one of the stuffed toys in Kel’s face, pressing him to the bed as she straddled
his chest with a triumphant grin. “Stupid! Cactuses aren’t flowers!” She looked to Basil as
Kel flailed. “Right, Basil- AH!” She shouted as Kel got his legs around her and rolled them.
She laughed as she was pelted with Sunny’s pillow, hair messy as Kel attempted to gain
dominance.
“Hey, careful!” Hero chided. “Not too rough, guys!”
“Is she right, though?” Kel asked as he calmed down enough that Aubrey grabbed him and
dragged him back down to the bed. She snatched the pillow from him and rested it on his
back as she laid on him, panting and red-faced with her black hair a mess. Hero relaxed a
little since it seemed like things wouldn’t escalate this time. “I thought you grew flowers for
all of us?”
“Some cacti grow flowers,” Basil explained as Sunny crawled into the blanket fort with him.
Mari joined them as well, but Basil was climbing out to go grab his backpack. He perked up
like he had just remembered something, “but the one I grew for you doesn’t, Kel. Sorry.”
“That sucks,” Kel pouted.
“Why don’t you try growing one, then?” Mari suggested.
“Yeah, I’m sure even you couldn’t kill a cactus, Kel,” Aubrey agreed with a smile that hid her
teasing behind a pleasant mask.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kel demanded, glancing at her over his shoulder.
“It means that cacti are very resilient!” Mari interrupted pleasantly.
“They survive in rough environments,” Basil added on.

“Really? Hm…” Kel thought it over before sticking his tongue out. “Nah! Sounds boring.”
“I’d probably end up taking care of it anyway,” Hero muttered under his breath. Sunny, who
seemed to have been the only one who had heard him, shrugged one shoulder and nodded in
agreement. Hero grinned and then said louder to Basil, “Anyway, I still need to run to the
store to find the seeds I need, but what do you say about planting tomorrow after school?”
“Sounds good to me!” Basil said.
“Cool. I’ll meet you at the bus stop when you guys get home.”
The rain started to really come down as the group of friends simply talked and hung out with
each other. Hero ended up staring out of the window at the occasional crack of thunder while
he listened to his friends talk. The blanket fort made it impossible to see any of the greenery
outside, but Hero could see the clouds just fine. The steady rain was relaxing. He’d always
liked rainy days even if they sometimes came off as dreary.
He was glad he couldn’t see the backyard. He had yet to go out there.
There was a day he recalled years ago when he had been trapped inside with Sunny and Kel
on a day when Mari’s parents had taken her on a shopping trip but hadn’t brought Sunny
along. The boy had asked to stay behind to play with Kel and Hero instead of going on a
boring trip. The clouds had opened and released a heavy rain that had darkened the sky and
had sent them all inside. Kel, who had been muddy from playing outside when Sunny and
Hero had retreated, had been sent off to take a bath.
Sunny had been scared of the storm. He had been a lot younger then, and he had curled into
the spot between Hero’s desk and his bed covering his ears and squeezing his eyes shut. Hero
had felt terrible for the poor boy. He hadn’t been used to handling scared children simply
because Kel had always been brave. But that didn’t mean Hero didn’t have big sibling
experience too.
He had coaxed Sunny out with a blanket, and had sat with him on the bed. Sunny had curled
into his chest as Hero had covered them both, sitting protectively with his arms and legs
around Sunny’s smaller body. He had told him stories to distract him, and he had held him
close when the thunder cracks were far too close for comfort.
Hero had spoken to him then about the storm, and why he had found them kind of beautiful.
They were scary, yes, but there had always been something fascinating about seeing the
lightning travel across the sky. They had been safe in the house, and Hero had promised that
nothing would happen to Sunny.
And the boy had slowly calmed down before peeking his head out of the blanket to look out
of the window. Hero had responded to each lightning bolt in the sky with wonder instead of
fear, and he had felt Sunny’s tension drop slowly. He had still been scared, but even he had
started pointing out how cool the clouds had looked, or how the rain moved. And Hero had
encouraged it all.
Hero didn’t remember Sunny being terribly afraid of storms after that.
He opened his eyes to stare outside once more. The rain had picked up. This was more of a
shower than the storm from his memory, though. He hadn’t thought about that far in the past
in a long time.
A hand touched his shoulder, and Hero’s head tilted back against the bedspread to look
upside down at Mari. She was grinning and had a finger to her lips, mischief in her eyes. He
pushed himself up onto his elbows to look at her right-side up, curious. She was holding
Basil’s camera as she pointed to the open doorway. She winked and slipped away through it.
What was she up to, he wondered. He had never been able to resist following her lead.
He climbed to his feet to check on his friends. He didn’t know how long he had zoned out
for, but everyone had calmed down and were doing their own things now. Sunny and Basil
were looking at a book together while Basil talked about the contents. He looked particularly
excited like he always got when he talked about his interests, and Sunny’s eyes were wide as
he listened closely. Kel and Aubrey were still on Sunny’s bed with their Gameboys connected
by the trading wire. It sounded like they were playing Pokémon. There was a photograph on
the bedside table, but Hero didn’t look at it yet.
Nobody was paying attention, so he followed after Mari.
She was waiting right outside of the bedroom fixing her hair with her brush from the
bathroom. She motioned him over quickly and beamed as her arm banded around his waist.
“Take some pictures with me,” she said.
Hero raised an eyebrow, amused. “But this is Basil’s. Should we be using it without his
permission?”
“It’s just two. And I’ll buy him more film. Please, Hero?”
How could he resist? He tucked her hair behind her ear, enjoying the press of her body to his.
“Alright. What should we take a picture of?”
“Us, duh!” She playfully rolled her eyes like he was being purposefully obtuse. “We can have
matching ones.”
Oh, that sounded kind of fun. He didn’t have anything like that last time around. He said as
much to her and added, “I wish I’d had more photos of you, to be honest. I think I got spoiled
by Basil doing all the picture-taking. Or I just didn’t really think of having those kinds of
memories for the future.”
“I thought as much,” she told him softly. “So, let’s be a little selfish this time. C’mon. You
take it since your arms are longer.”
“Huh? Oh, sure.” He took the camera and held it out, fingers finding the button. “How should
we-?”
He didn’t get to finish as Mari pressed her cheek to his, beaming and waiting. Hero’s cheeks
flushed with pleasure as he glanced at her, heart leaping. His finger spasmed and took the
picture without him meaning to, making him cry out in surprise when the snap went off. Mari
laughed as Hero grinned sheepishly. The photo printed, but they had to wait for it to develop.
“Do another,” she commanded. “That way both of us can have one!”
“Same pose?” he asked.
“How about…” the words rolled on her tongue as she gave him a sly look, “we do a kiss this
time? You’ll keep that one, though!”
“A-A kiss? Seriously?” he asked, flustered.
“Why not? Or we can do a cheek kiss if you’re shy~” She pressed a finger to his chest and
got into his face with a cunning smile. Hero felt like he was bright red. “Don’t tell me this
kind of stuff makes you flustered still even though you have ex...pe…ri…ence…” she
dragged out each syllable of the last word as her lips brushed his chin and jaw. He shuddered.
“Though,” she added in a husky whisper, “I like that that part of you hasn’t changed…”
“I-I’m just thinking about having picture proof of that, is all!” Hero stuttered out, but he had
already lost this argument. He glanced at the open doorway of the bedroom nervously and
then back at Mari, making an embarrassed face. “C’mon, Mari… Stop teasing me. This and
that are totally different things. I already told you don’t really have this kind of experience
outside of what I had with you.”
“You’re adorable,” she told him, cupping his cheeks as she pressed a peck to his lips. “You’re
acting like I have any experience with this. We’re just having some fun. And besides…” she
paused, considering her words. Her hands dropped to wrap loosely around his neck. He
blinked at the shift in her tone, “Even if I don’t expect anything to happen to me in this
timeline, hearing you talk about it just made me want more… proof of my existence, I
guess?” Her smile was a little sadder now, and strangely timid as if Hero would judge her for
it. “Is that weird?”
“No, not at all,” Hero assured her softly. His fingers skimmed her cheek and gently brushed a
strand of her hair from her face. Maybe she had been more affected by the news of her death
than he had thought. He wanted to learn to read her better in moments like these. “I like it.
Let’s save more proof of us for the future.”
Her smile was visibly relieved. “I already have one,” she said, wiggling her wrist to show off
her bracelet. “And this one too,” she said with a wiggle of the now-developed photograph.
She looked delighted at the results of it. It was surprisingly nice to look at, though only Mari
was actually facing the camera. Hero had been busy looking at her. “You’re so cute here.”
“You’re cuter,” he kissed her temple. “Alright, let’s do the second one then so I can have
something of my own.”
“Hehe, this is why I like you!”
Kel hadn’t managed to get any kind of damning proof of just how close Mari and Hero had
gotten in their relationship, but Hero had certainly managed to capture it. He thought both he
and Mari looked very happy together as they had kissed in this picture. He would be sure to
keep this someplace close and special to him so he would never lose it.
And the best part about sneaking pictures, he thought as the two of them returned to the
bedroom only to find their friends playing around on Sunny’s bed with his stuffed animals,
was that he didn’t need to say anything to anyone. A single picture of how cute his own
friends were as they snuggled close to each other and looked ready for a nap of their own on
the mound of Sunny’s stuffed toys was a significant enough distraction for all of them. Mari
and Hero were able to easily hide away their secret photos. Basil never did find out about
them.
Chapter End Notes
[It's in Mari's handwriting.] "He's so cute when he's flustered! Maybe I'll buy my own
camera just for us! Now I really want to go to do a couple's photo at a photobooth...!"
[It's in Hero's handwriting.] "Mari wants proof of her existence, huh...? I'd never
been able to forget her anyway."
"...I'll make sure this stays away from her house... at least until we're older... Her
dad won't get angry at this kind of thing if we're set to be married, right...?"
Flowers
Chapter Notes
Please check out the lovely photographs I added to the end of the last chapter made by
@/PyricInferno, as well as this fanart also made about the last chapter by them! Thank
you again for all the beautiful works you make!
Despite the fact that Basil had been part of their friend group for a while in his first life, Hero
had never really imagined that he would spend one-on-one time with the boy. They were
friends, but the age difference between them had made it hard for Hero to want to hang out
with him alone without their other friends there as some kind of buffer. It wasn’t that he had
disliked Basil, but rather that there hadn’t been a lot in common between them. It was the
same reason why Hero hadn’t really hung out alone with Aubrey either, and the only reason
he had gotten to be alone with Sunny often was because of circumstances.
All of this was to say, Hero didn’t really think he knew Basil all that well as a person. He
knew him as his friend and knew many things about him, but nothing really deeper than the
surface level. It was stuff that he hadn’t really thought about until this lifetime. Back when he
had been fifteen the first time around, their entire lives had stretched out endlessly in front of
them. There had been years to learn more about each other.
That was before Hero had learned how tragically life could change in an instant. And the
domino effect such tragedies could have in the years to follow.
He wouldn’t let such trivialities like an age difference stop him from getting closer to those
he deemed important. Mari said that Hero needed to relax more and enjoy life, but how was
this not enjoying life?
His hands were buried in soil as Basil spoke to him and they shifted some of the soil around
before planting. The Spring day was a little bit chilly from that morning’s shower, but the sun
helped to cut through it as both boys worked with gloves and sun hats on. Basil was wearing
his overalls today while Hero had grabbed some clothes he didn’t really mind getting dirty. A
layer of sweat was already building on the back of his neck as he grimaced and pulled a
worm out. It wasn’t a bug, but that didn’t mean Hero was a fan of squirmy, crawly things
anyway.
“Oh, you found one!” Basil said with a laugh when he saw Hero’s expression. He held his
hand out in offering, and Hero gladly handed it over. The boy released the worm away from
their planter. “Everything’s still kinda damp from earlier, so there’s still a few out. They’re
very helpful for the plants, though, so thanks for not tossing it around.”
“I don’t really like worms… but why would I toss it?” Hero asked, genuinely confused as
Basil came back over carrying the seed packets of the plants they were going to grow.
“Hehe… because that’s what Sunny did the last time he saw one?” Basil smiled with a shrug.
“He, uh, doesn’t really like worms either.”
Him and Hero both. Hero empathized greatly. “Sunny’s always been kind of afraid of a lot of
things. I’m not really surprised.”
“I was wondering about that…” Basil murmured thoughtfully as he directed Hero where to
start planting. He had some sticks available and scissors that he used to cut the pictures off of
the seed packets to mark where everything was. “I didn’t want to say anything, though. I
didn’t… want Sunny to think I was making fun of him or anything. I don’t mind that he’s a
bit of a scaredy-cat.” He paused and then hurried to say in a fluster, “D-Don’t tell him I said
that, though! Please!”
“I won’t, I won’t,” Hero laughed, carefully creating holes and dropping the seeds in to bury
them. “It’s true anyway. Sunny’s just timid. It takes a lot to get him to overcome his fears.
But I think it’s really brave of him when he does.”
“Yeah! It’s not easy, that’s for sure…”
Hero glanced at Basil from the corner of his eye. Basil himself was a bit of a timid boy in a
similar but different way from Sunny. He’d always seen him as someone who was mostly
nervous about social interaction, but seeing him again like he was now, Hero just wondered if
Basil stronger than he had remembered.
Maybe the tragedies had simply destroyed Basil too.
A chill ran through Hero’s body, pausing his hands. The knowledge that this child next to
him, smiling and carefreely talking about his best friend, killed himself haunted him.
It was a little harder to breathe now.
Basil’s words flowed over his ears without entering the static in his mind. Hero’s gaze was
faraway even as he stared at his hands. The desolate face of his teenage friend as he had
confessed the truth and had promised to never bother them again repeated over and over in
his mind.
Why hadn’t he stopped him?
What would he have said if he had tried?
Could he have even done it? Would Basil have listened to him?
What did Basil do after Sunny’s funeral?
The bloody sheen reflecting the moonlight off of garden clippers filled his vision.
A hand covered his. Sunlight beamed into his eye from the scissors in Basil’s hand. And Hero
jolted back to reality, jerking away from him a little harsher than he should’ve as his eyes
landed on the scissors.
Basil’s eyes widened, concerned. “Hero?” he asked, hand hovering between them where he
had pulled away.
The sweat on Hero’s face felt cold. A wind blew against his skin. The white noise in his ears
began to fade as he came back to himself and out of his head. He could feel the dirt under his
knees, and the sound of a car passing by on the street. He saw Basil’s young face, and
smelled the dirt and plants and the floral scent of the flowers.
And Hero was back in the present.
He blinked a few times rapidly. “Huh? Sorry, I…” His mood was dampened now. He
floundered to recover. “I got lost in my thoughts. What were you saying?”
Basil looked a little unnerved by Hero, so the teen tried to fix his expression with a smile. He
wasn’t sure if it worked. “I was just handing you the next seeds… Um. Are you… okay?”
“I’m fine,” Hero hurried to say. He cursed his inability to lie well. “Don’t worry, alright?”
Basil’s mouth opened, then closed. He let it go. “Here you go.” He handed him the seeds.
Hero began to plant them once more. He hated that he was hyper-aware of the gentle snip of
the scissors as Basil cut another picture out.
He sought for a topic change. Something easier. Anything to distract him from the sound of
the scissors. “Uh… H-Hey, Basil.” The boy glanced over at him, pausing as he pushed the
picture to the stick to adhere it. Hero didn’t look at him. “This is kinda weird to say but… I…
don’t actually know that much about you.”
Basil didn’t respond for a long moment. His tone was very confused but curious as he shifted
put the sign into the soil. He handed Hero the next seeds and showed him how to space them
out before saying, “You don’t know much about me? I don’t get it.”
“I just mean,” Hero waved his hand around in a circle, searching for the words. He had to
remember he was dealing with a child here. Basil wasn’t stupid, but Hero could probably get
away with a few more things than he would’ve if Basil was older, “we’ve been friends for a
while, but I don’t actually know much about your life. Like, where you lived before you
moved in with your grandma. Or why. Or even where your parents are, if you don’t mind
telling me.” He smiled at him, but the weight of his prying, personal questions pressed on his
conscience. He did know more about Basil than he was saying, but this Basil hadn’t told
them yet. He hoped he had his timeline straight enough that this didn’t seem like a weird line
of questioning. “I thought we could maybe get to know each other better while doing this?”
Basil chewed on his lip a little. His hand came up to adjust the flower clip in his hair. “I…
guess I’ve never really talked about it…”
“Sorry; is it painful to talk about?” He stopped what he was doing, frowning. He knew some
things were just sensitive to discuss.
“No! No, it’s nothing like that.” He shook his head and shifted to kneel in the dirt next to
Hero, leaning on the planter’s edge. He looked so small at this age. Hero wasn’t that much
taller than all of his younger friends, but they still looked small. They were young in a way
that he couldn’t have noticed at fifteen.
It made him sad to think that this child could possibly come up with the idea to hang Mari.
He wondered if he should find out where Basil could get such an idea. He wondered if he
would be able to stomach what he might learn.
“It’s not really an unusual story… I guess,” Basil continued, unaware of the direction Hero’s
thoughts had drifted in. “My dad is military, so we traveled a lot. It… didn’t make it easy to
make and keep friends… when we were moving around so much, you know?” He shrugged
his shoulders, but the sadness was still evident.
Basil is a lonely boy, Mari had once told Hero. He could see it clearly now. It didn’t look too
different from the sixteen-year-old Basil.
“I think Grandma took notice of it and offered to take me in when I broke down crying about
having to move again. I, uh, still needed to move here… but at least I could try to make
friends.” He smiled, but it was a little self-conscious. “I… wasn’t good at it. Grandma kept
me company a lot, and I got into gardening because of her. I like it a lot, but… plants aren’t
the same as people.”
“Yeah,” Hero agreed, nodding encouragingly.
“That is, until Aubrey found me out front and talked to me. Now the rest’s kinda history,
hehe!” He smiled brightly. Then it dimmed into something more sincere. “I’m… so grateful
to have you guys. I haven’t had friends like you. And… it’s nice knowing I’m not going to be
leaving any time soon, you know?”
Hero wondered what would happen to Basil when his grandmother died. He wondered if
there was a possible way to prolong her health. He wished that he had known more about
what had been wrong with the woman.
“We’re… lucky to have you as a friend, Basil,” Hero said, swallowing back the brief clench
to his throat. He reached out to pat Basil’s head, but realized he still had dirt on his hands. He
laughed sheepishly, and Basil smiled as he noticed what had been about to happen. His eyes
sparkled like he appreciated the thought. “So, where are your parents now?”
“Across the country,” he admitted. “I talk to them sometimes. They send me presents and
stuff.” He looked away and returned to his work. The snipping of scissors didn’t grate on
Hero’s mind as much anymore.
He frowned a bit. “They don’t come to visit?”
“Not often, no.”

He opened his mouth to ask why, but something about the atmosphere around Basil made
him rethink it. He didn’t want to pry anymore than this when he could take a guess at how the
boy was feeling. After all, Basil’s parents hadn’t even appeared when Basil had been in the
hospital. So, he said instead, “Thanks for telling me. It sounds like it had been kinda rough
for you.”
“A bit, but I’m happy now,” Basil smiled again.
“Helloooo? Basil? Hero? I can hear your voices!” A new voice called out to them, making
both boys pause.
“Aubrey?” Hero called back, surprised.
“Hi Hero!” Aubrey called back from the other side of the backyard fence. Through the thin
openings between the wooden fence slats, Hero could see the girl peeking through at them.
She jumped a few times, hand waving just above the fence. Hero smiled as he and Basil
climbed to their feet to brush themselves off and trot over to meet her.
“Hey, what’s up?” he asked.
“Hi Aubrey!” Basil looked quietly delighted as he peeked through the fence back at her.
“I just wanted to say hi! Are you guys gardening now? What’cha planting?” she asked.
Hero told her what he and Basil had agreed on when Basil suddenly said, “Oh! W-Wait,
Aubrey, stay there! I forgot I had something for you!”
“For me?” she asked, curious.
“Be right there!” He turned and hurried inside, face red in the afternoon sun as he brushed his
hands off on his overalls. Hero blinked curiously after him, but paid it no mind. Instead he
grabbed a nearby iron garden chair and pulled it over to the fence to stand on so he could see
Aubrey. He beamed down at her when she spotted him.
“Wow! So, you’re really gonna grow your own stuff, Hero?” Aubrey asked as she tucked her
hands behind her back and gazed up at him. She still had her backpack on from when he had
last seen her getting off at the bus stop.
“Yeah, I am! I’m gonna go to the library and look up recipes and stuff I can make with them
too. I, uh, wanna get better at cooking.”
“For Mari?” she asked slyly.
Hero rested his chin on his dirty hands on the spoke of the fence, smiling a little sheepishly.
“Only kinda! I’m… feeling out if maybe I really do wanna become a chef in the future.”
“Well, I think your food is always delicious, so I agree with Mari! You should become a chef!
But only if you want to. I’ve seen some of those shows my mom watches on the TV, and they
look tough!” she pooched her lips a bit, looking mildly worried.
Hero wondered what kind of cooking shows she meant. He was also curious hearing about
the girl’s mom. She wasn’t mentioned often. “It’s just something good to know anyway.” He
paused as an idea occurred to him. He remembered how much Aubrey had enjoyed baking
sweets with him and offering him ideas before Valentine’s Day. “Hey, do you wanna learn
some recipes with me?”
“What? Learn how to cook?” she asked, surprised. Her eyes lit up, and then she retreated
emotionally a bit. Her hands ran over each other nervously. “I’m… not really allowed to use
the stove much, though.”
“We’ll do it at my house. And we’ll learn some stuff that doesn’t always require the stove.”
“Hmm… maybe! I’ll… think about it,” she decided. She seemed hesitantly hopeful. Hero
would bring it up again later. He wanted to find an opening to be able to spend some one-on-
one time with Aubrey and get to know her better as well. It was hard finding excuses for it,
though. She didn’t seem like the type to open up about anything personal if anyone else was
around without some excessive circumstances. He couldn’t ask about her home life if it really
was troubled like Hero suspected that it was. He just didn’t have any proof other than what he
remembered from the future.
For now, he changed the subject, “Why are you still wearing your backpack? Headed
somewhere?”
“Oh…” her mood dropped suddenly, giving him pause. “Yeah, I…” she placed a smile on her
face and said, “I’m going to the park! To study a bit! I’m gonna maybe meet Sunny there!”
“Oh, really?” he asked. Why would she choose to study at the park, though? It was a nice day
out, but it was odd for her to hang out with Sunny alone. He felt like there was more to it, but
he didn’t get the chance to ask her.
Footsteps on the sidewalk alerted them to Basil arriving. He was slightly winded from his
rush, and held his hands behind his back. There was a nervous air about him as he said, “U-
Um, here! I… made you something, Aubrey.”
“Whoa, really?” she asked, eyes wide. Basil pulled the item out to reveal a hairband that had
what looked like real flower prints on it. It was a little messy and clearly handmade, but the
flowers on it were pretty. There was a real flower carefully tied onto it. Hero blinked with
shock as Aubrey gasped with astonishment. “Basil…! This is so pretty! Where did you get
this?!”
“Um, I-I made it! For you, I mean. As… As a thanks for the Valentine’s Day chocolate!” The
boy was clearly flustered, teal eyes glittering even in the shadow of his sunhat. His cheeks
were stained pink. Hero felt like he was watching something that he shouldn’t, but it was a
little awkward to just try and leave. So, he simply watched. “I wanted to give a return gift!”
“You didn’t have to!” Aubrey said as she put the headband on. She patted the flower bud and
beamed before twirling, thrilled. All signs of her strange mood earlier were gone. “It’s so
amazing! I love it! You even put real flowers on it!”
“I dyed it myself… with Grandma’s help. I tried to use the flowers you said you liked before
their blooms went away…” He shifted on his feet, pleased as he ducked his head. “You can
switch out the flowers on it when that one dies… and it’s nice even without the flower.”
Aubrey hugged Basil tightly, thrilled. “This is the best! Thank you so much, Basil!”
“You’re welcome…!”
Hero decided to dip then, quietly slipping down from the chair to let Basil and Aubrey talk
alone for a bit. He ducked inside the house to wash his hands and grab a drink of water to
wait things out, interested in what he had just witnessed.
He ruminated on it for a little until Basil came back inside. There was a glow of satisfaction
to him as he joined Hero, also grabbing a cup. Hero considered pursuing his line of thought
before deciding that yes, his curiosity was too much.
“That was a cute present, Basil,” he said with a smile around a sip of his water. Basil
stiffened before smiling shyly down at the sink. “It’s really cool that you made something just
for her.”
“She… uh… really likes the flowers in the garden,” the boy explained as he moved with
hurried motions to fill his cup with juice from the fridge. “So, I wanted to… give her
something with those flowers before Spring ended! It’s not as pretty as I wanted it, but…” his
smile turned softer, relieved, “I’m glad she liked it. She looked really cute with it, like I
thought.”
Ah, Hero thought. This was… an interesting situation. How had he failed to notice this
before? This could be complicated. There was a love square of sorts going on in their friend
group. Or, rather, a love triangle. The square would come later when poor Kel finally realized
his own feelings.
Hero sipped at his water, expression complicated. His poor friends had some troubles ahead
of them.
“This might be kinda weird for me to ask… but Basil… do you like Aubrey?” he asked,
keeping his tone light and curious even if he already knew the answer.
Basil turned bright red immediately as he stuttered out, “Wh-What?! N… No! No, I- I don’t!
I mean…!” His eyes darted back and forth unseeingly across the floor, avoiding Hero’s gaze.
He smiled awkwardly and rubbed at the back of his head. “I… I just think she’s… really
cute! Not in a like-like kinda way! Just… cute!”
Hero nodded. He could admit that Aubrey was cute.
“And…” Basil’s smile slipped a little. There was just a hint of sadness in his eyes before he
blinked it away. He shook his head. “And… yeah! No, I… It’s not like that. Haha…” He
shrugged one shoulder, letting the conversation end there awkwardly.
Hero thought Basil was protesting too hard, but he wasn’t going to press more on this matter
either. He didn’t know if maybe Basil knew that Sunny also had a crush on Aubrey.
Considering how close the two boys were, that would probably be troublesome for them
both. Basil seemed more perceptive than Sunny was… but it was hard to tell.
“…Ready to go back outside?” he said instead, changing the subject. “We can finish planting,
and then maybe I can help you with some of the other boxes?”
Basil nodded in agreement. “Yeah, sure!”
As they headed back outside to continue, Hero wondered who it was that Aubrey liked. He
wondered if Aubrey even liked any of the boys in their friend group. It was hard to tell.
Maybe Mari would know?
Oh jeez, now he was getting invested in their love lives. He hated that he was so curious.
…He wanted to gossip about this with Mari.

Rendezvous
Chapter Notes
Omocat's new picture made me feral for HeroMari, so I needed to write this. It's short,
but I needed this.
Inferno created another amazing piece of fanart from Hero helping Sunny get over his
fear of storms!
Bare feet pounded against soft grass as warm hands gripped each other while they ran. Mari’s
ponytail bounced as her skirt whipped around her thighs, her free hand on her hat the only
thing keeping it there. Sticks snapped under their feet as Hero ignored a bush whipping at his
bare arm as they slipped around tree trunks and to a clearing in the forest where a stream cut
a path. Mari didn’t even hesitate as she slowed before slipping down to step into the water.
She shivered at the chill, but her smile was bright and tempting. He couldn’t resist following
her down and joining her, so he rolled up the legs of his slacks and did just that.
“We’re gonna get in trouble,” he warned her even as he beamed as well. Her hands gathered
up the skirt of her church dress so that it wouldn’t get wet, exposing long, pale legs to the
morning sunlight filtering down through the tree leaves. “We gotta get back.”
“A few minutes,” she pleaded, uncaring as she tugged his head down and under the brim of
her hat. Hero’s hands slipped around her waist, meeting her lips as his veins thrummed with
the thrill of their rendezvous. Her lip gloss spread to him as lips moved together and cool
water danced over their exposed ankles. His heart raced in his chest as he pulled her in close,
the bare skin of their calves brushing tantalizingly.
How long had it been since he had felt like this? Here under the trees of the woods behind
their homes, and here in the grasp of his beautiful best friend, Hero reassured himself that he
had never felt love like this before. These stolen moments were only theirs, and Mari’s
giggling smile against his lips was the sweetest taste he’d ever sampled.
They had a little bit of time. Hero shimmied out of his nice suit jacket and laid it on the grass
near the bank of the stream. Her lips teased his cheek as he pulled away, hand sliding up her
ribs and down her arm, taking her hand and coaxing her to follow him. The trust in him was
implicit as he lowered her down to lay on his jacket, crawling over her to meet her in another
heated kiss as Mari gasped with scandalous delight.
His lips skimmed across her jaw and throat as she took her hat off to place in the grass. Her
bracelet flashed with sunlight as a beam danced across Mari’s face and chest. The frill of her
bodice was cute, complimenting the curves of her body. He wanted to touch, but kept his
hands to more appropriate places even as their chests met when her hand buried into his hair
and dragged his lips back to hers.
“Hero…” she murmured she gazed at him with eyes that were dazed and wondrous and
hungry for more. The fire in Hero’s veins begged him to go further, coaxing his mind with
images of exactly what they could do here all alone. His skin was electrified by her touch as
her fingernails trailed over his neck and hooked into his collar. The skirt of her dress had
fallen tantalizingly high, exposing far too much of her thighs to be appropriate. He could see
in her eyes that she knew just how tempted he was.
“Not this time,” he told her, voice rough with reluctance even as he kissed her once, twice,
three times in quick, desperate succession while he pumped the breaks before they were both
too far gone. “Not this time.”
“Ugh,” she gave a grunt of exasperation as she pushed herself up onto her elbow, free hand
hooking into the belt loop of his pants. “Now I get how we had our first time if you look like
this.”
“Like ‘this’?” he asked with a teasing smile, curious and amused at the same time. He
climbed off of her before he risked losing control once more, choosing to lay on his side with
his head propped on his hand as he gazed down at her instead. His fingers skimmed up and
down her ribs, eyes darting from her face to her panting chest and then back. Her expression
told him she hadn’t missed that. He gave a helpless smile. He was only so strong.
“Like you can’t wait to get me naked,” she told him with full, sultry confidence that had
Hero’s head exploding. The blush on his face was reactive in a way he couldn’t control. He
hadn’t expected her to be so blunt about it. She laughed, fingers walking up his chest to pet at
the bare skin between his collarbones. “The feeling’s mutual,” she murmured, eyes dropping
to his lips.
His mouth was dry with his desperation to kiss her again. “Even knowing my history?” he
asked instead, resisting the tiny tugs on his shirt to coax him closer. He would be good. In
these clothes with the time they had and in the place they were at, it would be so obvious if
they did anything close to what they both wanted to do. Besides, as much fun as it might be
to have a tryst out here in the woods, he’d much rather Mari be very comfortable in a bed for
her first time.
“Especially knowing your history,” she giggled, finally releasing him to just rest her hands on
her stomach instead after shifting her ponytail aside to lay her head down. “I fully expect an
interesting time!”
“I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to make it special for you,” he confessed, still
blushing a little.
“Only for me?”
“Well, I can still remember my actual first time. It, uh, I think-” he stuttered over his words,
embarrassed to admit this, but he had always been open with Mari, “I think… I probably had
a better time than you did.”
As expected, she gave a laugh, head rolling on his jacket as her arm came up to muffle her.
Hero just closed his eyes. His first time with Mari had been wonderful and amazing, but in
retrospect he was pretty sure he’d been pretty clumsy. It had ended well, but he would
certainly say that in terms of technique it hadn’t been his best work. Even if it was still his
favorite memory of that kind of activity.
“Now I want to know all of the details,” she teased, moving her arm away to gaze at him with
sparkling eyes. Her hair was fanned out beneath her. It glowed in the morning light. The birds
were singing around them. Hero’s feet tingled with the water drying on them. He wanted to
slide a leg between hers and pick up where they’d left off, but the pressure of the clock was
ticking over their heads.
His mom would kill him if he skipped church. Didn’t mean he wasn’t heavily tempted.
“There’s not much to say more than I’ve already told you.” This wasn’t the first time she had
pressed him for details of that lovely spring day he’d lost his virginity to the girl he wanted to
spend the rest of his life with.
“Tell me again.”
“Mari…”
She giggled and pushed herself up to give him a chaste kiss. “Kidding. Next time, I’d rather
you show me.” She moved to sit up properly this time, straightening her dress skirt around
her thighs. Hero felt his head clear a little now that so much temptation wasn’t scratching at
the door to his sanity.
Two could play at this game, though. Mari loved when he flirted back.
He rolled onto his back, tucking his arms behind his head as he grinned at her challengingly.
“Create an opportunity for us, then. With your parents gone as often as they are, your house is
the best bet.”
Now she did blush, surprised. Her confidence earlier wavered under genuine anticipation and
curiosity. “…Really?”
“Well, after you were not very subtle about being ready to have sex whenever… I kinda
already prepared for it?” His smile turned a little shy. He was nothing if not responsible, and
after mulling over his conversation with Mari in the lunchroom a few months ago, he knew
that it was inevitable. He couldn’t resist such a willing participant.
“Really?” she gasped. Then she beamed and laughed with disbelief. “Were you that excited?”
“Mari…” He pushed himself up to sit with her as well, trying to think of how to word this.
He wanted to be serious, but playful as well. He stared her down as he said, “I am only so
strong.”
Now she laughed for real, and Hero couldn’t help chuckling with her. She cupped his face
and kissed him, tasting his laughter for herself even as her shoulders shook with her
amusement. “That’s okay; I’m only so strong too. And I’ve been ready since we started
dating.”
“What?” This was news to him. “For real?”
“Really. Mom took me to the doctor pretty much as soon as she found out we were dating.
Dad, uh, wasn’t happy. He assumed…” she didn’t need to finish.
“Ay, dios mío,” Hero groaned, dropping his face into his hands. “Seriously? That’s why your
dad glared at me so much when he found out we were dating, Mari!”
“It wasn’t exactly fun for me either,” she huffed, pouting. “He didn’t really say it in so many
words, but he kept trying to imply how I shouldn’t be dating and stuff… He acts like we
haven’t known each other since forever! At least Mom was more supportive.”
“I didn’t really expect that from your mom.” Though, admittedly, Mrs. Aki had always liked
him. She and Hero’s mother had often talked about him and Mari eventually marrying. The
fact that Hero wanted to was besides the point.
“She wanted to be sure we would be safe for whenever we decided to go further in our
relationship. So, it works out.” Mari paused and then asked with an excited curiosity, “Did
you already buy… you know, condoms?”
“Yes,” he assured her. “That’s what I meant by preparing, honey.”
She tucked her hair behind her hair shyly. “Good. Good. I’ll… I’ll find us some alone time,
okay? Soon. I… I want to.”
Hero’s heart beat faster. “Yeah?”
Her eyes met his. “Yes.”
He reached forward, hand gently cupping her jaw as he kissed her lovingly. Her eyes fell shut
as Hero sank into the embrace. They’d never had a conversation like this last time. Some part
of him that -despite all of Mari’s green light signals- had been stressing and wondering if he
had been overstepping or moving too fast, settled. A wave of confidence at the knowledge
that they were both on the same page flooded through him. This time he was completely
certain of what was to come, when that time eventually came.
He was excited for it.
They pulled back slowly, lingering in each other’s space as Mari gazed at him with half-
lidded, loving eyes. “We should go back,” he murmured.
“We should,” she agreed, but her eyes were on his lips. She leaned in again. Hero dodged the
direct kiss to peck the corner of her mouth instead.
“C’mon,” he told her, standing and coaxing her to her feet. He flicked the leaves and dirt
from his jacket, snapping her back to reality as she patted her skirt and fixed her clothing. His
smile was all youth and bright with love as he slipped his jacket back on and took her hand in
his. “Let’s head back before we get in trouble.”
Mari smiled back, finally giving in. “Right. Let’s go before I can’t resist you anymore,
handsome boy.”
“Those should be my words.”
“Tease.”
“Right back at you.”
His giddy smile was going to get him in trouble when they returned back to their families, but
he could possibly hide it. He had forgotten just how much he loved being in love.
Chapter End Notes
Ay, dios mío = Oh my god
Edit: Despite the discussion in this chapter, the fic will stay rated T. If you're concerned
about the rating changing to involve smut, please rest assured that I will not be writing it
in this main fic.
Young
Chapter Notes
The end of the school year was coming. It was a strange sensation for Hero. He felt like he
was reaching a checkpoint in his new life, and it was a bit overwhelming. When he thought
back to how it had been half a year since he had come into the past, it made his head spin.
There were moments that he still felt far too disconnected from the reality he was living in,
but it was hard to stay grounded here. In his mind this was still ‘the past’ rather than ‘the
present’. He didn’t know if that would change any time soon.
He just had to keep living life day by day. His nightmares had at least died down a bit ever
since he had been able to casually talk with Mari about the future (so long as they avoided
talking about the end of Hero’s life in that timeline). He was sleeping better, and his body had
adjusted to waking up early. He felt more energized with his stamina increasing, and he
actually found himself enjoying his old hobbies once more. He liked being around his friends
again. He felt like he was making good progress.
Today he was with Kel, Sunny, Mari, and Aubrey at Hero’s dining room table. The promised
study session was occurring with Hero doing the tutoring and Mari chipping in when she
could. Basil unfortunately couldn’t join them, but Hero was already finding it difficult
enough to keep three kids focused and working.
Kel had gotten better at it over the past couple of months, but he was easily distracted when
he was with Sunny and Aubrey. Hero had already had to break up two separate arguments
over trivial things as he had kindly but firmly pointed them back to their notebooks and
textbooks. There was a lot to cover, and he wanted to make sure they got through a couple
subjects today.
“This sucks,” Kel grumbled, collapsing on the table when Hero corrected his math problem.
“Why are there letters in math? That should be illegal!”
“You’re telling me,” Aubrey agreed with a sigh, dropping her cheek into her palm, lips
pooched. “I feel like the more I learn, the less I actually learn.”
“It’ll get easier with time,” Hero told them, dropping a hand onto Aubrey’s head to pat it. She
glanced up at him. “Math’s never super fun, but it’s useful. If you go into a science field in
the future, you’ll definitely need it.”
“Ugh, now you’re sounding like our parents,” Kel whined. His eyes drifted over to where
Sunny was doodling on his notebook rather than actually studying. From Hero’s position, it
looked like Sunny was maybe trying to draw Aubrey. His eyes kept darting to her and away
before adding a few more lines. It was a cute doodle. “We’re only kids! We don’t need to
think that far ahead yet!”
“The earlier the better!” Mari told them cheerfully. “I know I was already thinking about
what I wanted to do in college by the time I was your age, Kel.”
“Yeah, but that’s because your parents wanted you to,” Kel stuck his tongue out. Hero was
surprised that Kel even knew that.
“Mm, parents can be strict… Do you think I really should start thinking about college?”
Aubrey asked, looking concerned now. She dropped her hands to fidget with her pencil,
tapping the eraser on the table. “It feels so far away, though…”
“There’s no harm in it,” Mari coaxed her.
“And there’s also no harm in not knowing what you want to do,” Hero added quickly, seeing
how Aubrey only seemed more troubled by the answer. “I’m still trying to figure it out
myself, you know? We’re still young! We’ve got time.”
That one seemed to alleviate her fears a little. “Yeah! We’ve still got time! I think maybe I
want to be a bunny vet or something. That might be fun!”
“Aww, that sounds like such a fun job!” Mari said.
“How can you be a vet for only bunnies?” Kel asked, baffled.
“Um, the same way you become a vet for any animal?” Aubrey smiled.
“You have to care for other animals!”
“Says who?”
“Says… vets!”
Hero rubbed at his eyes. Clearly they were all getting distracted all over again. They really
weren’t going to get through their homework at this rate, honestly. He had expected this, but
he’d been hopeful he would be wrong.
A hand landed on his arm. He dropped his hand to meet Mari’s gaze as she smiled at him.
“Maybe it’s time we take a break?” she suggested. “I think everyone could use a refresher.”
“Good idea,” he responded, smiling as well. They had been going at this for a while. They
didn’t need to exactly power through a study session, after all. A break would be nice.
“Yeah!” Kel cried, already throwing himself out of his seat to rush out into the living room
calling, “Break time!”
Sunny pushed himself back from the table as Aubrey rolled her eyes at Kel. But she got up to
follow. She waited until Sunny had grabbed his notebook and pencil before the two of them
walked together to join Kel. Hero just sighed and rubbed at his head as Mari laughed a bit.
“Lighten up,” she nudged him. “You have to remember they’re still kids.”
“You say that like we aren’t,” Hero said. “Or, uh, you, I guess.”
“That’s a different type of kid. I’m an older kid. They’re younger kids. They can get away
with more.” Her hand slipped into his, fingernails grazing his palm before she linked their
fingers. Hero would never get over the way his heart would beat just a little bit faster when
she touched him. It was nostalgic. It was his joy. “Besides, I think we’re making good
progress! Sunny’s getting better, and Kel understands a lot more than I had thought! You’re a
really good teacher, Hero!”
“Heh, thanks. It helps that I’ve gotten all this stuff down.” He met her in an affectionate kiss
before he asked, “And what about you? Are you still having trouble?”
“Hmm… not really? It’s just a lot. I understand it more now.” She glanced at the table where
she had left her stuff.
Hero followed her gaze. “Do you think your parents will still make you do cram school?”
She sighed. “Honestly? I don’t know. They haven’t mentioned it, at least. Maybe the other
me did badly on her finals?”
“No way!” Hero cried. “Your grades have always been great! You would’ve told me if you
had done badly.” After all, Hero had gone over in his head again and again any possible
events that would’ve led up to Mari eventually killing herself. He was certain he would’ve
remembered if she had done badly on her finals. That kind of stuff hurt Mari almost more
than anything. She could be so hard on herself.
“Then my only other guess is that they just want me to do better?” she gave a helpless shrug.
“Do you want to go to cram school?”
“I don’t mind, really. If it’ll make my parents happy and I can get better at school, then that
just means I’ll have a better chance of getting into the college I want.”
Sometimes Hero felt like Mari should slow down and enjoy life more too. She kept telling
him to live in the ‘now’, and yet here she was with her mind so far in the future with college.
He decided to tell her that.
He squeezed her hand and brought it up to press a kiss on the back of it. “Don’t push yourself
too hard, honey. Just like I told Aubrey, we have time as well. Your grades are great. You’re
doing amazing. Come have a fun summer with us and don’t worry about school for a bit.”
Mari’s eyes searched his. Her smile was complicated as she dropped her gaze to his
collarbones instead. “I… Maybe. I don’t know. I know I can do better, after all.”
He brushed his free hand across her cheek. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my
mistakes, it’s to appreciate the time I have with the ones I love. School will always be there.
We have plenty of time. Our childhood only lasts for a little while. And let me tell you: being
an adult isn’t nearly as fun.”
That got her to laugh a little. “I have noticed you’re more… reserved. And not just
emotionally. You’re very… stodgy.”
“Stodgy?!” Hero cried, laughing at such a silly word. He’d never been called that before!
“Yes, stodgy!” Mari giggled as well.
“Where did you even hear that kind of word? Who talks like that?” He continued to chuckle,
dropping his forehead to hers as her shoulders shook.
“I do!”
Their noses brushed. Hero moved to taste her laughter, intoxicated by the very thought of her
happiness, when he heard his name called.
They pulled away from each other just as Mom popped her head around the doorway from
the kitchen. “Oh, ahí estás. Come with me for a moment, hijo. Help me make some snacks
for everyone.” She motioned for him to follow.
“Sí, mamá,” Hero said. Then to Mari, “I’ll be back.”
“Okay!” she waved him off before she returned to the table to continue where she had left off
with her studying. Hero wished she would take a break too, but he understood that drive.
Maybe she just hadn’t reached a stopping point that she liked yet.
He walked into the kitchen to join his mother at the sink. He washed his hands as his mother
spoke to him in Spanish to ask, “How is your studying going?”
He easily switched languages as well. “Good. We’re taking a break right now.”
“I have good timing, then. I thought you all could use a snack. I was going to just reheat
some leftovers, but something fresh might be better.”
Hero nodded in agreement. He saw what she was pulling out and understood right away what
it was that she was making, so he began the preparations as well. Cooking would be a nice
break for his mind. It didn’t require nearly as much brainpower. And this kind of stuff was
easy to make. Too easy, really. He could tell that his mother more wanted his company than
his help. She could’ve easily done this on her own. He wondered if she was just lonely.
Sometimes she just called him over because she wanted to spend some time with him.
This didn’t seem to be entirely the case in this scenario, though. It was in her tone that there
was something more she wanted to speak about as she said, “You’ve been cooking much
more lately. You’re doing jobs, and studying, and helping your brother out… Hero, you’ve
become quite busy.”
He gave her a curious look. “Uh… yeah, I guess I am.”
“Good, good. I’m glad.” She smiled down at the chopping board, but her smile was a little
heavy. “You had me worried. I can tell there’s something on your mind, baby.”
“Ah, Mom, it’s… It’s just school.” They’d had this conversation before on more than one
occasion. He knew he’d worried his parents a couple months back. His behavior had been far
too different from his normal self. Of course they would notice. And unlike Kel, they were
old enough and nosy enough to push. Dad was a little more light on his touch, but Mom had
always been one to simply say whatever was on her mind. “I just needed some adjustment.”
“No, Hero, no,” she shook her head. “You say that, but I know it’s wrong. This was sudden.
You’ve never struggled with school before. You’re… You’re better now, but before you
were…” she paused, and then reached out to touch his cheek. Her thumb brushed the skin
under his eye. Her voice was soft as she said, “No, you still are so tired. I feel like something
happened to you. I wish you would tell me.”
Hero avoided her gaze, dropping his eyes to busy his hands more. No, he thought, this wasn’t
something to talk about with his parents. He wasn’t sure what he would even say to them. He
could tell them the truth too, but what could they do to help him? They had tried their best in
his first life, but it hadn’t helped him much. He’d rather not burden them with this strange
knowledge either.
“It’s really nothing, Mom. I’m over it. I, uh, I’m better. I’m getting better. I think everything
just kind of got to me. I just gotta adjust again.”
It was enough of the truth that she couldn’t fault him for lying. She was unconvinced, but at
least didn’t call him out on it. “If school is bothering you that much, then maybe we’re being
too hard on you. I’ve always known you to be someone who can handle his own
responsibilities. You’ve always been like that, Hero, ever since you were little. But you’re
still so young as well. I don’t want to see you like that again.”
It hurt his heart to hear. “I’ll… do better. I promise.”
“No! No, that’s not what I meant,” she cried before quieting down. “No, Hero, I meant that I
want you to be happy.”
“I am happy, Mom. I really am.”
“But you still look so tired.”
He couldn’t help that. He still had nightmares, even if they were better. He definitely felt that
at times he was pushing his younger body past certain limits. But he could hardly tell his
brain to ‘get better’. Unless something could erase the awful memories from his mind, he
would never fully be ‘better’. He wouldn’t be the same Hero he was. It was about coping. He
could and would be happy again. It just took time.
It had barely been a year since Sunny had died.
His hands clenched, and then relaxed. He forced a reassuring smile on his face as he reached
out to touch his mother’s hand. He could see the worry there. He felt her love. He wanted to
return it. “I’m a little tired, but I’ll be okay. I’ve just had some trouble sleeping. But I’m
having fun every day, and school isn’t as hard as I thought. Plus, it’ll be summer soon.”
Which gave him the perfect opportunity to change the subject, “Speaking of… Hey, Mom?
Can I ask you and Dad for a favor?”
“A favor?” she seemed surprised by the change in topic. “What is it?”
“Well, me and the others were talking about going to visit the butterfly garden at the museum
over in the city this summer. I was hoping one of you guys could drive us since the van can
fit all of us?”
She laughed. “Really? You want to take your brother to a museum?”
“He said he wanted to go. Besides, he’s been studying really hard to get good grades in hopes
he can have a lot of fun this summer.”
“Hm, that’s true… His grades are much better. Not great, but better.” She glanced out into the
living room where Kel was animatedly talking with Aubrey and Sunny both. “But I thought
you all wanted to go to the beach this summer?”
“That too. It won’t be too bad, right? The museum tickets aren’t very expensive.” He decided
to sweeten the deal a bit, “Me and Mari will watch over everyone. You and Dad can have a
date in the city.”
“Now that sounds nice,” she laughed a little. “It’s been so long since we’ve had a date… You
shouldn’t be bribing me with those kinds of things, Hero!” She shook her finger at him, but
Hero just grinned wider. “I’ll talk with your father about it and a possible date for when we
can go. If Kel passes all of his finals with a C+ or more, then that’ll be his reward.”
Hero mentally cheered at the win. This was something that definitely hadn’t happened in his
last life. It would be a new fun experience!
“Make sure you also get permission from everyone else’s parents as well. It would need to be
a day trip, after all.”
“Yes, Mom. Thank you!”
His mother only hummed, pleased. There was something content in her eyes now as they
continued to prepare the food. Hero could feel the tension relaxing among them.
He already couldn’t wait to tell everyone about their future excursion. He was sure that it
would give them all the motivation they needed to get through the rest of today’s study
session.
Chapter End Notes
ahí estás = There you are.

hijo = son
Sí, mamá = Yes, mom
3/31
Chapter Notes
Please listen to "Where We Used to Play" from the Omori soundtrack for this chapter if
you want some nice background ambience.
On the last day of March, the group of friends gathered at their secret spot by the lake and
decided to spend the day outdoors enjoying the gorgeous, warm spring weather. There wasn’t
a cloud in the sky as a picnic blanket was spread out and feet pounded against the ground as
everyone took the chance to stretch their legs. The final dredges of winter seemed to have
disappeared at last leaving only the teetering edge of summer in the distance waiting for
them. Flowers were really beginning to bloom now that the bitter chill had disappeared and
made way for consistently nice weather.
Hero felt alive once more as he tilted his head back towards the sun, letting the breeze blow
his hair around his face as he let his bare arms and legs soak up that precious Vitamin D.
There had been a couple of warmer days over the past months, but nothing like today. No
jackets were needed on a day like this. He could honestly waste the entire day away just
basking in this sunlight. This was his favorite weather, and his favorite time of year. The
bright greens of the trees and grass glittered like shadowed jewels while the bright blue sky
seemed so close yet so far away at the same time. When Hero reached upwards, he felt like
he could almost touch it.
He remembered this day in vague snippets from the previous timeline. Today was the day
that they officially made this spot ‘their’ secret spot. It was a declaration, and the beginning
of many fun days to come while playing here… at least until Sunny nearly drowned. After
that they still hung out here, but not as often as they used to. But by that time, autumn had
been coming and school had kept them busy.
He knew they would have plenty of busy days to come soon, so Hero appreciated that he got
this kind of freedom with his friends as they all played. Hide and Seek, Freeze Tag, and
jumping rope were the favorites of the day. Hero let himself go just this one time as his
sneakers crunched across grass as he fled from Aubrey’s tenacious hunt. He skidded to a stop
and ducked behind the tree Mari was standing in front of, barely out of breath despite how
much they’d been running.
“Have you gotten in better shape, Hero?” Mari asked curiously as she pretended nobody was
behind her. Aubrey had turned her sights on Sunny instead, who was trying his best to avoid
her and go for Basil, who was calling for him to unfreeze him from the silly position he’d
been caught in. Kel was halfway across the field screaming for Sunny to come to him instead,
practically shaking in his need to run and win.
“Haha, you noticed?” he asked, popping his head around the tree trunk to meet her smile. His
face was flushed with activity, and his hair was a wild mess around his head. But he felt
young again, and Mari’s eyes sparkled in a way that Hero was slowly becoming familiar with
once more. “I’ve been working out.”
“Oh, I’ve noticed,” she crooned, eyes darting up and down his chest appreciatively. Hero’s
smile went a little wobbly, flattered. “It’s very impressive.” She turned her gaze back to
watch the kids as Hero ducked to hide once more before Aubrey spotted him. He would
rejoin them in a moment. He was waiting for his chance to dart out and rescue all of his fallen
teammates. Sunny was holding out well after rescuing Basil. “It makes me miss playing
sports, honestly.”
“Part of me regrets that I couldn’t have appeared earlier in time, if only to spare you your
injury,” Hero confessed.
“Oh, don’t worry about that.”
“Does it still hurt you a lot?”
“Only sometimes. I could join in the game now, but it would make it hurt soon. I’ll save it for
other stuff.”
Hero hummed, thinking back to the texts he’d read about physical therapy when he had been
in college. He opened his mouth to maybe offer an idea to help Mari, but he heard, “THERE
YOU ARE!!” as Aubrey jumped out at him. Hero yelped and dodged around her before he
darted off with her on her heels.
“HERO!! HERO, OVER HERE!! HEREEEEEE!!!” Kel yelled, face twisted with desperation
as he wobbled, still frozen in place, on one foot. Hero decided to go rescue him if only to
save his little brother from the position.
And so, the games continued. Hero wanted to let himself try to be a kid once more, and today
he felt like he could. The pain of his past felt distant for the first time in months. His worries
were wispy clouds that were intangible to the touch and blew away with the wind in his hair.
The sun melted his age away as he laughed and smiled, rolling around in the grass with
Hector as the pup thrilled at all of the activity around him. He played catch with the
highlighter green and pink Velcro paddles along with Mari as the dog ran back and forth for a
chance to steal the tennis ball away. He wadded into the lake until it was up to his knees, and
he splashed Kel and Aubrey on the shore until Kel threatened to tackle him into the water. He
laid with Sunny on the dock and found shapes in the few clouds that appeared. And for once,
he felt at peace.
“Everyone!” Mari called then, pulling everyone’s attentions from whatever they were doing.
Hero and Sunny sat up on their elbows to glance over at her while Basil, Kel, and Aubrey
stopped jump-roping. Mari waved to them with her other hand full of brightly colored
pinwheels, her smile nearly brighter than the sun itself. There was already a pink one planted
in the ground near their picnic blanket; probably a spare. Sunny visibly perked up, eyes
widening before he scrambled to his feet. Hero followed a moment later as his cloudy
memory cleared, and he remembered.
Right. They had to make everything Official. It was time.
“Pinwheels!” Aubrey cried, delighted, when they’d all gathered. “Where’d you get these,
Mari?”
“I went and bought a bunch of them,” she responded.
“They’re all in our favorite colors! Aww,” Basil took the green pinwheel as he was offered it,
followed by everyone else getting theirs. Hero smiled before he blew on his, making the
pinwheel spin. It reflected some of the sunlight beautifully. He thought of the purple and blue
pinwheels that were in Mari’s backyard to mark where they had shared their first kiss and had
started dating. He wondered if they were there now. He still had yet to go into Mari’s
backyard since coming back in time.
“I thought that we could all mark this as our secret spot,” Mari went on to explain. “It doesn’t
seem like many people come here, so I think it should be safe.”
“That’s a great idea!” Aubrey said as she bounced on her feet. She dodged Kel as he and
Sunny held up their pinwheels to try to catch the breeze that blew by them. The boys both
smiled at the sight of their colors twirling. Hero joined them. “It’s proof of our friendship!”
“Why pinwheels, though?” Hero asked, because he admittedly never did find out the reason.
Pinwheels had become a central part of his childhood to the point just the sight of them
brought back wonderful memories. He started to walk to the corner of the lake where they
had placed their pinwheels in the last timeline, already knowing that that was where they
would end up.
“Sunny likes them, right Sunny?” Mari wrapped an arm around her little brother, bringing
him in for an affectionate hug as Sunny looked pleased. He nodded in agreement.
“Pinwheels are so pretty. They just seem like they’ll spin forever, huh?” Basil asked as he
took Sunny’s hand on his other side while they walked. Kel ran ahead a little just so the
pinwheel would spin rapidly with Hector bounding on his heels before he spun on his heel at
the dead end before they reached the forest.
“I think they’re cool! Check it out!” he dropped to his knees and stabbed the pinwheel into
the ground before he motioned everyone else to do the same. One by one they all made sure
their pinwheels were nice and steady and spaced out enough that all of them could spin
freely, but were close enough to show they were a group. Hero knew they would stay there
for years to come. He felt like he had just made a piece of their history become reality.
“Hey, Basil?” he called over the sounds of the others admiring their work.
“Yeah?” Basil asked.
“Can I borrow your camera for a moment? I want to take a picture.”
“Oh?” He looked surprised at the request but nodded. “Yeah, sure! It’s over at the picnic
blanket.”
“Got it.” To everyone else he said, “I’ll be right back!”
His heart was racing a little in his chest as he jogged over to the picnic blanket and scooped
up Basil’s camera. There was something exciting knowing he was about to contribute
something new. He was affecting the timeline. He was changing things. He was adding new
memories. But more than anything, he just didn’t want to forget this feeling.
It felt like hope and joy and the promise of a brighter future.
He hurried back to the others to find everyone laying on their stomachs, heads tilted against
the ground and gazing at the pinwheels as they talked. He gave them a curious smile.
“What… are you guys doing?”
“Look, Hero!” Aubrey cried, sitting up on her elbows before patting the ground next to her.
“Lay down and see for yourself!”
“It’s cool!” Kel added to further prompt him.
Now he was very curious. He did as they requested, dropping down to lay on his stomach
much like Aubrey was right beside him. He tilted his head this way and that, looking at the
pinwheels. They were very pretty and soothing to watch, especially since there was a nice
breeze blowing now, but he wasn’t sure what was so cool about it.
“What am I looking at?” he asked.
“It looks like a pinwheel forest,” Sunny said, his brown eyes sparkling with the imagination
Hero recalled him always having. Sunny had always found interesting ways to look at the
world, and his friends had always delighted in his ideas. And as he said it, Hero suddenly
could see it as well:
The pinwheels were tall and bright against the blue sky. Viewed with his face pressed to the
ground, the blades of grass almost looked like trees themselves. The pinwheels were
towering over everything, spinning brightly in the sky as they looked from the ground up at
them. And Hero found himself picturing being on the ground and seeing them like they were
windmills instead of simple pinwheels.
He held the camera then and tried to capture that angle with a little bit of success considering
how bulky the camera was and how short the pinwheels were. He could see Basil, Sunny, and
a bit of Kel in the picture as it developed, and he held it out for everyone to see. Not his best
work, but it was cute. He had managed to get all of the pinwheels in it, at least, though not in
all of their entireties.
“Pretty!” Aubrey declared as she smiled at it.
“With this, we claim this spot to be ours and ours only!” Kel declared, sitting up on his knees
and jabbing his thumb into his chest, beaming.
“I have a few more at home as well, so remind me to give everyone one before we go home
today please!” Mari said. “I think it would be cute if we put our pinwheels in our yards. It’ll
be ‘our thing’, you know?”
“Yeah!” The others cried.
“That sounds great,” Hero agreed. He hadn’t really thought about what was strangely missing
from his front yard, but now he remembered: his and Kel’s blue and orange pinwheels. They
had been put there years ago and they hadn’t taken them out since. It would feel good to put
them back there.
He patted the dog as he stood before clapping loose grass and dirt off of himself. “Alright,
I’m starving. I think now’s a good time for lunch, right?”
“Yes, you’re right!” Mari agreed, standing as well.
“Do you guys need any help?” Basil asked. But Mari waved him off.
“Hero and I can handle it. It’ll only take a few minutes! Come on, Hero!” she hooked her arm
through his and guided him away as he smiled and she tilted her head against his shoulder.
They kicked off their shoes to not dirty the blanket as they worked to set things up. And it
was peaceful to just let some silence fall between them. However, it didn’t last as Mari broke
the serenity to point out, “You seem happy today.”
“I am happy,” he told her, and meant it. “Like… really happy.”
“I’m glad!” she beamed at him. There was a hint of relief, but mostly joy, in her gaze as their
eyes met briefly while she handed him some plates to lay out. “Did this happen in the last
timeline?”
“Yes, actually. I just… I don’t know. It’s sweeter this time. Maybe I just have a better
appreciation for it.”
“Keep it that way.”
He would remember to do so. He wanted to remember to do so, so he would try.
His eyes drifted as he worked and noticed that Aubrey and Sunny had taken to sitting on the
dock together. Their shoulders were pressed together, and Aubrey looked like she was
holding Sunny’s hand and showing him something in it. Sunny was looking more at her than
at what she was showing him, though. Hero couldn’t tell what it was from where he was, but
he spotted an oddly shy expression on Aubrey’s face as well. It made his heart feel a little
warm to see.
“…Hey Mari,” he started, because he could no longer resist. She hummed questioningly.
“Have you noticed… well, that?” He nodded towards the couple.
Mari followed his gaze before a smile split across her face. She ducked her head again,
positively thrilled to bits. “Oh, I’ve noticed for sure! It’s so cute…! I’ve been trying to get
Sunny to talk to me about his crush so I can help him out, but he’s being really shy about it!”
“Yeah, he kinda confessed it to me before Valentine’s Day.”
Mari gasped, betrayed. “And you didn’t tell me?!”
“I thought it was obvious when he gave her those special cookies! Sorry.”
“Oh, I should’ve guessed you knew,” she huffed. “Well, I think he’s not sure what he wants
yet. It’s still puppy love,” she said as she glanced back over at them. “But I’m hopeful! What
do you think?”
Hero’s hesitation was a little too long before he said, “I think that I’ll support whatever
Sunny and Aubrey decide.” Mari gave him a curious and suspicious look. He blinked at her.
“What?”
“That’s just… such a careful answer! What do you mean by it?”
“I meant what I said.”
She leaned forward, hand resting on his when he lowered napkins to the blanket, and asked
softly and seriously, “Did they get together and break up in your timeline?”
Hero’s heart twinged with discomfort. “Ah, uh… no. Nothing like that. It… Well, if there
was anything between them before… it became irrelevant after… the accident.”
Mari realized her mistake right away and cringed. “Oh.” She had forgotten.
“Yeah…”
“But… afterwards? When you guys were all back together?” she asked it more carefully now,
keeping her tone light but treading just as lightly.
Hero didn’t really want to talk about it, but this was still safe enough territory. “No… Like I
said, it was irrelevant. At least… I don’t think Aubrey showed any signs.”
“And Sunny?”
“You know how hard he is to read sometimes,” he hedged. Mari accepted it, luckily. He tried
to steer the topic into a little safer waters. “Besides, I’d rather focus on the now. Especially
considering… well, I think Sunny’s not the only one crushing on Aubrey.”
“What?” This was news to her. The excited sparkle was back. “Who else?” Hero’s eyes
drifted to Basil where he and Kel were playing fetch with Hector, talking animatedly. Every
now and again Basil glanced in Aubrey and Sunny’s direction, but then looked away just as
quickly. Mari’s hand flew to her mouth. “No!”
“Yeah,” Hero nodded. “Though, I don’t know if he realizes it yet.”
“Oh, no… Someone’s going to get their heart broken.”
“I think it’ll be okay. It’s just some kid crushes, right?”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Our kid crushes became like this, didn’t they?”
“You got me there.”
She gave a sigh through her nose. “Now I feel bad… but I have to root for my little brother.
I’m sorry, Basil.”
“Yeah, well, it gets worse for me,” Hero admitted with a sigh of his own. “Just wait a year or
two because things will get even more complicated at this rate.”
“How so?” Mari finished laying out the last plate. They were ready to call everyone else over.
“Take a guess at who Kel falls in love with.”
Mari seemed confused. “Aubrey?”
And Hero realized that maybe it wouldn’t really occur to Mari that Kel might be gay. Now
that he thought about it, he hadn’t really thought a lot about sexuality at this age either,
though Mari would have more experience with stuff outside of heteronormativity than Hero
did at the time. Just a bit, though.
He shook his head and corrected, “Sunny.”
Now she looked even more shocked. “Are you serious?!” Hero nodded. “But…! No! That
can’t be!” She shook her head quickly, her eyes darting between Kel and Sunny.
“I mean, it might seem a little strange at first for two guys to be-”
“No, that’s not it!” she waved that off quickly, dismissive. “I just… I thought you said that
Kel’s love doesn’t work out. Are you saying it was for Sunny?”
Hero’s mouth opened and then closed. Then he admittedly a little slowly, “Yes.”
“Why?” she looked to him again. Hero avoided her gaze.
“It just… didn’t. That’s all.”
He hated lying.
Mari’s eyes searched him for a lingering moment, face twisting with some thought, but
before he could register what it was it seemed that she had accepted his answer. Instead she
said, “But… how can I accept that?! We could have a double wedding, Hero!”
Hero was startled. “That’s what you’re thinking about?”
“I’ve always wanted Sunny and Kel to get married! But I want to support Aubrey too! Oh,
but if Sunny and Kel get together, then I could get Aubrey and Basil together! But that would
mean breaking Sunny’s heart because Aubrey went with Basil instead and… Ah!!” Her hands
flew to her face, distressed. “This is so hard! Help! What do I do?”
Hero laughed and grabbed her wrists. “How about we… have a picnic?” he suggested,
grinning and relieved. This was what he had expected from her. He had a feeling she would
be very invested in this in the time to come. And instead of waiting for her answer, he called
for everyone to join them for the meal.
The picnic was a well-needed refueling. Hero hadn’t really thought about just how used to
picnics he had gotten until his mind was filled with the tactile memory of fingers and arms
brushing the wicker basket as he pulled food from it. The creak of the plastic cooler as they
pulled drinks and slices of watermelon from it was like the greeting of an old friend. The
snap of the camera as Mari took a group shot of them all had him smiling as the cloying
sweet and savory sauce on the little appetizer-sized wiener bites he’d made that morning
melted on his tongue. He was unbothered as he scolded Kel for tossing all kinds of food
Hector’s way, and basked in the sunlight and presences of his friends enjoying themselves
talking about nonsense.
He was caught up on funny stories that occurred in his friends’ school, as well as listened to
gossip and drama occurring in their grade. Basil brought up a nasty school lunch story that
had them all cringing in sympathy as Mari informed them all of the new comics that should
be coming out soon.
Hero wondered when the last time was that he had really felt this grounded in reality talking
about such, well, relatively pointless things. For once he wasn’t stressing about his classes, or
worrying about bills. He didn’t have essays to write or groceries to buy. He didn’t need to
worry about his finances, really, or think about what Cassandra who shared his desk thought
of him every time she sent him interested glances.
These stories were childish in comparison, and meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
He didn’t remember any of this stuff when he was older. But that’s why he loved it. He didn’t
feel like he was just constantly repeating day after day – he was experiencing life all over
again.
How had he not paid attention to this before?
With stomachs full, the younger kids began to drift off one by one. Mari’s hand was warm on
his as Kel passed out with his head in his lap and two different types of juices on his shirt
from both his spilled Kool-Aid and the watermelon still all over his mouth. Sunny laid curled
on his side as he rested on Mari’s legs, and Aubrey leaned against Mari’s side with her head
lulled on her shoulder. The only ones left awake were the two of them and Basil, along with
Hector who was sniffing around in the grass.
“Hmm…” Hero said when Kel’s gentle snores started to escape him in the middle of his and
Mari’s conversation, “It looks like everyone fell asleep.”
“I guess it’s just us three now,” Basil said with a soft smile on his face as he gazed at his
friends. They all looked so comfortable, Hero thought as he brushed Kel’s hair back from his
face. He was a little jealous. He was so full that he wanted to take a nap too, but he was
enjoying being awake too much to sleep right now.
“Everyone must be feeling sleepy after such a big meal,” Mari hummed as she adjusted
Aubrey’s head to a more comfortable position.
“Thank you for cooking for all of us, Hero.”
“Aww, you’re welcome. It was nothing,” Hero said, grateful for the thanks. “It’s great
practice. I’m glad I have such willing taste-testers for the recipes I’m trying out.”
“I’m always willing!”
“I am as well! One day you’re going to be a world-famous chef and you’re going to cook me
lots of yummy food!” Mari agreed, smiling at him with just a hint of a tease. Hero knew just
how serious she was being though.
“Whether or not I actually take a job in it, I promise to make you plenty of yummy food
anyway, Mari,” he said.
“Aww, you guys are cute,” Basil giggled, fingers fidgeting with his camera in his lap.
“No, Hero’s going to do amazing things, I just know it! I believe in you!” Mari insisted,
squeezing his hand.
Basil held up his camera Hero sighed through his nose, giving in, and the camera flashed as
the picture was taken. The printout buzzed as the photo was produced.
“I’m glad you’re using your camera more now, Basil,” Mari said, attention diverted. “You
seem to be enjoying your new hobby.”
“Yeah! It’s pretty fun now that I’ve gotten the hang of it. I’m glad I listened to Hero to keep
trying, you know? Though… I don’t have a lot of faith in my pictures,” the boy said.
“Aw, don’t feel like that. Everyone gets better at their hobby with time. And I, for one, like
your photos,” Hero told him.
“Me too! I think they’re charming. And Hero is right. After all, I didn’t become so good at
piano in only a couple months! It takes some time,” Mari said.
“Hm… I guess you’re right! I’ll keep at it. I think saving the pictures is nice. I want to put my
favorite ones of us in my photo album,” Basil said.
“I can’t wait to see it when it’s full!”
Basil beamed and looked down at the photo now that it was fully developed. Hero blinked a
little as the boy said, “W-Wait a minute…” because he started to smell something foul in the
air. He recognized it right away just as Basil cried out to Hector about ruining his shot. The
image of the dog pooping was right in the background of an otherwise sweet shot. He
laughed at it quietly as Basil sighed. “Maybe I can cover it up with tape later…”
He decided to lay down on the blanket instead, throwing an arm over his face in despair.
Hero suspected that he was full as well, so they fell silent to let the others rest. He was
content to simply sit there, eyes closed and mind drifting as he leaned a little against Mari.
But after a few minutes, Sunny shifted and his eyes blinked open. The boy yawned and sat up
looking drowsy. Hero wasn’t quite sure if he had fallen asleep for real or not, but he looked
ready for a proper nap.
“Hey Sunny,” he called, catching the boy’s attention. Sunny turned his sleepy gaze towards
him, “what do you think? Should I become a chef like Mari says? My mom’s been hoping I
would become a doctor, and I don’t mind, but I’m curious to know what you think.”
Sunny considered it as he laid back down in Mari’s lap. Mari said nothing as she waited to
hear his response as well. And eventually Sunny did come up with an answer as he said,
“Hero being a chef… would be kind of cool. Your food is good.”
“Haha, yeah. Being a chef is a lot more than just cooking, though. If I become world-famous
like Mari thinks, I’d have to travel a lot so I can try all kinds of cuisine!”
Sunny blinked at him. “You would?”
“Mmhm.”
“Ooh, then I want to come too! I want to try a whole bunch of new things and see all kinds of
sights,” Mari said.
“That sounds so fun, honestly… though the thought of eating anything more makes my
stomach hurt,” Basil murmured from where he was laying.
Sunny looked a little alarmed, eyebrows scrunching. “Then no. Hero should become a
doctor.”
That surprised him. “What? Really?” Hero asked.
Sunny nodded seriously.
He decided to take a guess. “…Is it because I’d be taking Mari with me?”
Sunny didn’t respond, but his cheeks turning pink answered for him.
“Awww!” Mari cooed. “Don’t worry, Sunny. No matter where I go, I promise I’ll always be
with you. You’ll never be alone.” Her hand landed on his forehead and stroked his hair.
Sunny closed his eyes and tilted his head into her touch.
Hero’s heart clenched at the sight. It was lovely and painful to see. Sunny really, truly did
love his big sister, and Mari adored Sunny so much. He just couldn’t imagine what could’ve
happened that could have resulted in the tragedy that had occurred.
I won’t let it happen, he promised himself once more as his gaze fell on the bracelet on Mari’s
wrist, her hand over his. He wouldn’t allow these beautiful memories to become bittersweet
with nostalgia. Not this time. He would keep Mari’s promise to Sunny, no matter what it
took.
Chapter End Notes
Basil's caption:
3/31
Our secret pinwheel forest hidden at our official secret spot! Hero took this picture, and
Sunny was the one who showed us this angle. He has such a dreamy way of viewing the
world...
(Adorable art by Inferno!)

Library
Chapter Notes
Short chapter.
The school library was one of Hero’s favorite places on the high school campus. It wasn’t
very big, but it was rarely used, unlike most other places in the school. People would come,
check out the book they needed for an assignment, and typically left. There were better places
on the campus to do some reading, but there was something special about hanging out in the
school library.
There was a corner where students liked to make out and get a little handsy that Hero had
made his home by quietly moving a set of beanbag chairs and a table over to it before
plopping his butt down into one of them to read. It was pouring rain outside, so most people
were finding other things to do. And Hero didn’t really feel like letting couples get a little too
wild in his favorite reading corner, so he had stolen it for the day to read during a study
period he had free right now. Besides, his own girlfriend would be joining him soon. And he
would probably become a hypocrite because he wouldn’t be able to resist a little bit of private
time with his feisty girlfriend either.
However, when Mari arrived she had a thoughtful frown on her face rather than her usual
cheerful smile. Hero had to be the one to greet her first, lowering the book he was reading as
she took a seat in the beanbag chair next to him. She greeted him back, setting her backpack
down before digging through it for one of her assigned reading books.
“What’s up?” he asked, stretching a long leg out to tap at her calf. There was a strange mood
about her.
“Hm… just… thinking about some stuff, I guess?” Mari hedged. “Hopefully nothing
important.”
“A penny for your thoughts?”
She gave him a short smile. “Aren’t we supposed to be doing some studying or quiet
reading?”
“We have all period for that. What’s troubling you?” She was more important to him than
some book he was rereading for class anyway.
Mari sighed through her nose, considering her words. “It’s just… I was thinking about what
you’ve told me before. About your past, I mean.”
“Ah.” Well, it wasn’t like she probably didn’t do it that often. Hero wondered just how much
she thought about it, though. “What about it?”
“About… the day I died. And things like that.”
Hero frowned. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, straightening a bit. “You shouldn’t
worry about that, Mari. It’s… Just leave that to me.”
“Oh, hush,” she scolded, giving his arm a gentle whack in reprimand. “Don’t you start that.
We’re in this together, alright?”
“You shouldn’t have to think about that. It’s… That can’t be healthy for you.”
“Not any more healthy than you suffering from your past alone.”
He didn’t have a response for that. He didn’t like it, though.
“I want to help you. You shouldn’t have to do this alone, and who else to keep an eye out
than the victim herself? Stop being silly; you’re too smart for that.”
Appropriately reprimanded, Hero caved, “You’re right. So, what is it you’re thinking about?”
“Well, you said that I died on the day of a concert?”
“A recital. And yes. You and Sunny were going to play a piano and violin duet together.” He
could still remember the song that she had played over and over as the music had drifted
from the open window in the piano room and over into Hero’s bedroom. He had sometimes
fallen asleep to the sound of that playing in the midafternoon sun on lazy days. Mari had
played it so endlessly that if he was given time, he could probably pluck it out himself on the
piano if he wanted to.
“That’s what I thought.” She looked troubled again as she brought her knuckle to her chin.
“My mom and dad have been trying to drop hints that they wanted me to play in a recital
again soon since it’s been a while since I’ve been in one.”
Hero was immediately on alert. “Just you? Not Sunny?”
“Yes, just me. Though, I’ve heard Mom mention more than once that Sunny and I should
play more duets together. I have a book of them already. And I’m not against it! But I just…
keep thinking about what you said.”
“You can’t do the recital,” he said as he reached over and held her wrist. His eyes were
serious as he said, “Please don’t do it.”
“I’m trying,” she said. “But… I don’t think I can fully stop it.” Her expression twisted with a
hint of bitterness that Hero knew he was the only one privy to. “You know how my parents
can be.”
And he did know. Mari’s parents usually could persuade her or guide her into a decision that
they liked without too much pressure. But that was because Mari found it easier to go along
with their wishes rather than go against them. They had her best interests in mind, usually,
and Mari was very filial to her parents’ wishes even when she would rather be doing
something else. She was hard on herself, and strict enough that Hero was starting to worry
that maybe she carried too much pressure on her shoulders. He was paying more attention in
this life to these details, but he was still unsure of how to get her to understand his view of
things.
This was going to be just another thing that Mari would eventually give into because she
wouldn’t have a choice. She wanted to become a musician and enjoyed playing the piano, so
doing recitals was necessary. On top of that, her mother often used Mari to gain more
notoriety in her work and get Mari connections. One way or another, Mari would end up in a
recital. Whether it was the same one as last time or a different one, Hero didn’t think it
mattered.
He was more worried about Sunny’s connection to it. Sunny was the one who pushed Mari
down the stairs while fighting with her. Hero knew enough about both of his friends and their
relationship to guess that it was probably a senseless act of anger than anything else. The
Sunny he knew now would absolutely never hurt Mari on purpose.
So, the real goal was to prevent that fight from occurring. If the siblings didn’t fight on that
day, Sunny wouldn’t get angry and push Mari down the stairs.
But what had the fight been about? What could’ve caused it? If Hero just knew the reason for
why they had fought, then he could absolutely prevent it. It took two people to fight, and
Mari could avoid the argument and the top of the stairs on that day.
The fight had happened on the day of the recital for Sunny and Mari, so maybe one of the
keys was making sure one or both of the siblings didn’t have a recital on that day. Perhaps
that would be enough to change things?
The date of the accident was still so far away. Anything between then and now could occur
that would incite what would be the worst fight of Mari and Sunny’s lives. Hero just had to
be on a lookout for that.
“…Do you know the date of the recital they’re pushing for?” he asked, grip loosening on
Mari’s wrist before he sat back once more in his chair.
“No, it’s nothing that solid of a plan yet,” she shook her head. “But I can tell by how much
they keep bringing up doing a recital that they really want me to do it.” She brushed her hair
behind her ear as she gazed down at her hands clasped between her knees. “Normally I would
agree to it right away… but I’ll hold out as long as I can if you think I should.”
“I…” he paused, having spoken without actually considering his next words, and then
adjusted what he wanted to say. “The issue is that… I don’t know the reason behind your
death. The cause, yes, but not… not why it happened.”
“It was because I fought with Sunny, wasn’t it?” she asked, looking to him.
He nodded. “According to Basil who witnessed the end of the fight, yes. But… Have you or
Sunny argued before?” It was a genuine question. He’d never seen Mari and Sunny fight
other than some scolding or mild bickering. It was possible they’d done more behind closed
doors, though.
“Like, fight fight?” she asked, and then shook her head, “No, not really. I mean, we’ve gotten
frustrated with each other sometimes, but nothing like an argument. Sunny usually runs off
and hides somewhere when he’s upset until he’s calmed down. By the time he’s calmer, I am
too, so things get resolved easily.”
Hero took note of that. So, they did argue, but not like he and Kel did. He’d had to deal with
some physical wrestling and brawls with Kel before, but never with malicious intent. Just
frustration building over into a physical altercation. And Kel was usually the one that yelled
when he was angry, though he grew out of that a little by the time he was older. He’d always
had a big mouth and talked a lot, but rarely did he actually want to hurt anyone even when he
was properly angry.
Sunny preferred to run away instead of fighting. So, the fact that he was actually fighting
back with Mari at the time of her death is surprising and out of character. Unless there had
been more to the scene that Basil simply hadn’t told them, which was possible. Basil’s
confession had been simple and to the point, skimping on many details, and they hadn’t
questioned him further before he was gone.
“Hero,” Mari said, reaching over and tapping her book once lightly against his wrist to get his
attention, “I’ll hold out on the recital for now just to see if maybe I can get into a later one
than the last timeline. And I’ll see if I can keep it as just my recital so that Sunny isn’t
involved at all. Do you think those two changes will be enough to change my fate?”
She said it with a lighthearted tone, but there was genuine concern in her eyes and smile. She
was trying to save herself too. It wasn’t just about helping Hero. And Hero would be her ally
for it.
“I think so,” he told her, shifting to his knees in front of her as he reached up to cup her face.
He didn’t want her to look like that. He didn’t want her to be afraid of anything. Mari was so
strong and brave in a way Hero never had been. He wanted to be the thing that stood between
her and whatever she feared. “Do your best, Mari, and we’ll figure out the rest. I’m working
on putting the pieces together from what I know, and I’ll make sure that accident doesn’t
happen.”
Mari’s smile was relieved and happy as she held his hand and tilted her cheek into it. “Worst
case scenario, I just don’t fight with Sunny, right?”
“Right.”
“Then I think that’s all we need for now.” She coaxed him closer until he was half-kneeling
on the beanbag chair with her, and met her in a soft kiss. “Everything will be okay, Hero,”
she murmured. “I know it.”
And Hero could only believe her. He felt confident when she spoke like that. His worries
weren’t gone, but she was right in that that was all they could do for now. He would keep an
eye on things, but they could only wait and see for now.
Hopefully it was enough.

Big Brothering
Chapter Notes
“Alright, so we’ll need to get some pork, some coconut milk, a fresh pineapple for Mom, and
some KitKats for Dad, and then if I start around four, the pork should have marinated long
enough to start dinner…” Hero murmured to himself with a hand on his chin and listing the
items on his fingers as he walked. His hair was glittering in the fluorescent lighting of
Othermart from the gentle rain that had started outside. He walked with a purpose up and
down the aisles with a shopping cart, but that didn’t stop Kel and Sunny from making
nuisances of themselves.
Kel had more energy than ever since he had been forced to stay at home while Hero was
babysitting both him and Sunny while their families were gone for different reasons. Hero
didn’t mind babysitting, but being trapped inside all day had made his little brother go stir-
crazy. It didn’t take much for Kel to get Sunny to match his pace, and soon the two of them
were having a race up and down the aisles and playing a game of trying to snatch coupons
from the little coupon dispensers in the aisles before the other could. Kel was quick, but that
didn’t stop Sunny from tugging at the boy’s clothes to try to get ahead of him.
“Slow down!” Hero called when Kel stumbled and nearly slammed into a card stand as
Sunny bumped him while they both turned the corner. There was a competitive gleam in
Sunny’s eyes that told Hero that he’d done it on purpose. Both boys naturally ignored him.
He sighed to himself.
He knew his brother and Sunny were old enough to be left home alone long enough for Hero
to run to the store and grab some of the groceries his parents had left a list for him to buy, but
Sunny’s parents didn’t think Sunny was old enough to be home alone. Hence why Hero was
babysitting in the first place. He didn’t want to disregard the Akis’ wishes, so he had brought
the kids with him while he shopped. He kind of regretted it now. At least Kel was getting out
of the house. Hopefully he didn’t break anything.
His cart was already full of snacks and candy since they’d stopped by the candy shop section
first. Hero had been intimidated into buying stuff even though he hadn’t wanted to, and now
he would have to deal with the two sugar-high pre-teens. Just his luck.
He supposed it wasn’t the worst thing, he thought as he turned the corner into the next aisle
and stopped by the frozen food. He eyed it with consideration for quick meals, remembering
some of the stuff he used to eat in college, but he knew Mari would scold him if she found
more than one item of this stuff in his freezer. “Why would you buy such unhealthy stuff
when the things you make are so much better?” she would say. It made Hero smile.
His heart warmed just at the memory of her, rather than being painfully bittersweet in flavor.
Mari was alive and healthy. He was still as in love with her as he had been when he had first
been this age. Possibly moreso now as he came to appreciate sides to her that he couldn’t
because of his own youth and immaturity. He was sure Mari was his soulmate. Maybe that
was why he’d been the one to come back in time. Maybe Mari had somehow pulled him
back.
He huffed a laugh to himself and moved on. Whimsical thoughts aside, he no longer cared
why he was the one chosen to be the one to come back in time. Or, at least, he tried not to
question it anymore. Maybe he truly was dead and this was the afterlife. Maybe he had
swallowed that bottle of pills and simply hadn’t remembered. He didn’t know. He tried not to
think about it. At least he wasn't craving cigarettes anymore, which was a good sign. That
had gone away after the first couple months back.
Think positive, Mari kept telling him, and he did try. His nightmares and the waves of nausea
he had, alongside with the occasional trauma flashback, were enough to damage his mentality
without him adding his own unnecessary worries on top of it. He was still working on how to
be positive, though. It came and went. Practice made perfect, though, so he kept practicing.
It only made him think of his conversation with Mari in the library a couple weeks ago. Not
much had changed since then. Hero had been trying to intuit the source of what could’ve
caused such a major fight between Sunny and Mari, but it was simply impossible. There were
too many factors that could be taken into account. The event was too far away, and arguments
could be brought on at random. Hero suspected that it had to do with the recital itself, but he
genuinely couldn’t remember if there were any other signs of strife before that. He just
remembered that Mari was much busier at the start of the new school year and that he hadn’t
seen much of Sunny or Mari during that time. If Sunny wasn’t in the house doing whatever -
probably practicing for the recital with Mari- or with their younger friends, than he was
simply out of Hero’s life during that time. Hero himself had been focused on supporting Mari
and just… whatever else he had been doing. He didn’t remember, so it couldn’t have been
anything too significant.
If there was one thing he could change, though, it was what he will be doing on the day of the
recital. Just in case the date of recital couldn’t be changed, Hero would make sure he was in
the Aki household before they were to leave for the event. He would see for himself what
would occur. If nothing else changed in this timeline, he would make sure that would be
different. He would not leave Mari’s side that day. Then if there was a fight, he could break it
up.
“Goal!” Kel cried as he skidded to a stop and grabbed the shopping cart. He had a fistful of
coupons as he beamed, not even out of breath. Sunny trailed behind as sweat dripped from
his face. He practically collapsed against the cart, dropping his coupons on top of all of the
items inside. Kel slam-dunked his before throwing his fists in the air, cheering. “The Mighty
Kel wins again!!”
“Quiet down, Kel,” Hero scolded gently as he raised an eyebrow at the mess that was his cart.
His shoulders dropped with exasperation. “Why did you guys grab all of these? I don’t need
them.”
“There’s stuff you can use in here, I’m sure! And Mom can use the rest!”
“Can I sit in the cart?” Sunny bemoaned, draping himself over the edge of the cart as he
caught his breath.
“You’re too big for that, sorry. You can hold on to the end, though. I’ll push.” He could do
that, at least. He didn’t mind pushing Sunny around. He was a small kid anyway.
“What? Me too!” Kel jumped onto the side as Sunny stood on the front spoke of the cart,
gratefully gripping the edge for the ride.
“Too heavy. If you want to be on the cart so much, you can push-” Hero stopped, predicting
exactly what would happen if he allowed that. “No wait, never mind. I’ll push.”
“Aw, no fun.” Kel hopped off to walk with a pout. He walked beside the cart as he dug
through the coupons, regathering them and looking through them. He tossed the ones that he
deemed useless back into the cart, which Hero would inevitably have to clean up before they
go. “Are we done in here yet?”
“Almost. I’m grabbing the last of the stuff, and then we can head back.”
“Great! I’m dying to sink my teeth into that jawbreaker!”
“Please don’t do that.”
“Hehe, nothing’s gonna stop me! D’ya think I can fit it in my cheek like in Ed, Edd, &
Eddy?”
“You can’t,” Sunny drawled, watching Kel as Hero stopped the cart to get the last item on his
list. “It’s too big.”
“I bet I can!”
“I bet you can’t.”
“If it gets stuck, don’t come crying to me, Kel,” Hero said.
“Oh ye of little faith! You’ll see how good the Mighty Kel is!” Kel declared, pointing at his
chest with his thumb.
Hero just shook his head with an amused smile. “Come on, Mighty Kel. Let’s get home
before the rain worsens, alright? And pick up all those coupons again.”
The rain was a steady drizzle by the time they had left with the skies threatening to stay that
way for a while. It wasn’t quite miserable enough to put a damper on Kel’s energy even
though they all had to walk back home without any protection from the rain. They were all
completely wet by the time they’d made it home, but the groceries weren’t too bad off as
they’d used their shirts to protect what they could of the cardboard boxes.
Hero sent the boys upstairs to go get changed and take a hot shower since it was kind of
chilly out and Sunny had already started sneezing. In the meantime, he put away the groceries
and started marinating the meat early since that would add more flavor. He was a little
surprised when he finished changing out of his own wet clothes and went out into the living
room only to find Sunny awake on the floor in front of the TV while Kel was sprawled on the
couch, snoozing.
Noticing Hero’s look, Sunny explained, “Sugar crash.”
“Ah.” That made sense. Kel’s sugar rushes never lasted long. At least he’d finally calmed
down.
He sat down with Sunny on the floor with a relaxed sigh. The spices from the marinade
drifted off of his clothes, causing Sunny to give him a curious sniff. Hero smiled at him. “Are
you staying for dinner?”
Sunny shrugged. His eyes drifted to the kitchen, which made Hero think that he probably
wanted to. Mari was the most vocal about liking Hero’s cooking, but the more he had
purposefully tried to cook for his friends (within budget constrictions, of course; he didn’t
have a job other than the side jobs he managed to do around the neighborhood sometimes,
after all) the more he was quickly learning that they all genuinely enjoyed his food. Sunny in
particular seemed very interested.
“Here, I’m gonna put something on,” Hero said as he grabbed the remote and switched the
channel over to something of interest. It was Animal Planet, which was significantly better
than the cartoons the kids usually watched. Not that Hero minded cartoons, but he was a little
old to enjoy some of the kinda childish stuff that his friends liked to watch. At least Captain
Spaceboy was more mature than he remembered it being.
Sunny shifted to lay against the front of the couch as he watched the documentary that was
on. He seemed interested in it, at least. Hero was glad they were all dry and warm now,
though Sunny hadn’t dried his hair properly before pulling on a pair of Kel’s clothes. They
were a little small on him, but they fit him better than Hero’s stuff did.
He resisted the urge to try to big-brother Sunny as he saw his hair drip onto the collar of his
shirt. He’d often helped Kel to dry his own hair and even encouraged him to wash his hands
before, but he had always respected Sunny’s boundaries as someone who was “like a brother,
but only a friend” to him. He usually left the big sibling urge to Mari when it came to Sunny.
But even as he thought that, he paused. He wanted to get closer to Sunny. He wanted to
change the relationship he’d had with him in the first life. Would Sunny be bothered if he
tried to treat him like a little brother? He could always shoo him off it if bothered him, but
Hero was tentative about crossing those boundaries.
If it was Mari, he thought, she wouldn’t hesitate to dry Kel’s hair for him. Maybe that was
just because it was Kel, or maybe that was because it was just Mari’s personality. She and
Hero both helped to take care of the younger kids, but Kel and Sunny weren’t exactly little
anymore.
He was a little frustrated with his confliction as he debated it. Then Sunny sneezed into his
elbow, and Hero’s decision was made. Sunny had a weaker constitution, and he didn’t want
his friend getting sick. If he was bothered by Hero, then Hero would just give him the towel
and ask him to do it instead.
He got up and went upstairs to grab a towel before coming back down. He sat on the edge of
the couch, hesitated, and then called, “Sunny.” Sunny glanced at him, and then noticed the
towel. Hero patted his thigh. “C’mere. Let me dry your hair for you so you don’t get sick.”
Sunny seemed surprised by the offer, then a little embarrassed. But before Hero could offer
the alternative of giving him the towel instead, Sunny shifted to sit on the floor between his
legs. It made the older boy smile as he carefully started to rub the towel over Sunny’s hair. He
was gentle with the circles he made, fluffing and drying without pressing too hard. He made
sure not to hit Sunny’s ears, and soon he noticed Sunny’s eyes falling shut, looking like he
was enjoying it. He was malleable to Hero’s touch, tilting his head forward when he needed
it.
It made him feel proud. All of his worrying was for nothing! Maybe Sunny was just used to
this kind of behavior from Mari? Or did Sunny just not mind that Hero was doing it for him?
Either way, it made his heart warm to be trusted like this. He felt like he had successfully pet
Mari’s kitten Mewo again for the first time when the kitten had still been skittish towards all
of the new people.
“So,” Hero started by way of conversation, “how’s your violin lessons been? We haven’t
heard you play in a while.”
Sunny kept his eyes closed and didn’t answer for a long moment as Hero tilted the boy’s head
to the side to better dry his ears when he saw water still on them. “Hm… It’s okay.”
“Not too hard?”
He shrugged.
“Mari told me that you guys were maybe going to do a recital sometime this year? Or, at
least, your parents want you to?”
Sunny’s eyes opened this time. He watched the TV as he spoke his usual neutral tone, “Yeah.
But nothing’s been decided.”
“Do you want to?” He couldn’t remember if Sunny had even wanted to do the recital. Could
that have been the cause of strife?
“Duet…” Sunny murmured thoughtfully. “It… would be fun. But a recital is a lot. I don’t
think…” he hesitated. Hero waited. When Sunny didn’t answer, he prompted him gently,
“You don’t think…?”
Sunny frowned. “…I don’t think I’m good enough. お姉ちゃん is a lot better than I am.”
“She just has more practice on you, is all,” he said, hoping to reassure Sunny.
It seemed to do the opposite. “My parents say that too.”
He tried a different method, “If you want my opinion, I think you shouldn’t pressure yourself
so much. Playing the violin is a hobby for you, right? Because you like it?”
Sunny glanced up at him. Hero smiled down at his upside-down face, waiting. He hummed
his question once more, prompting Sunny to say, “Yes.”
“But Mari wants to play the piano as a possible career. So, of course you two are going to
have different mindsets about it. There’s nothing wrong with you just wanting to play it for
fun with your sister. If you don’t want to do a recital, then you don’t have to. That doesn’t
mean you can’t still play private duets with Mari, you know? I’m sure she’d love to spend the
time with you.”
Sunny’s eyes were appreciative as he considered Hero’s words. He dropped his head once
more. Hero put aside the towel since Sunny’s hair was now mostly dry. The dampness would
go away soon. He grabbed the brush he’d brought with him and began to tidy Sunny’s hair.
He was pleasantly surprised when Sunny let him like it was a natural extension of what Hero
was already doing.
“…I want to play with お姉ちゃん,” Sunny declared.
“In the recital?”
He shrugged. He didn’t know either. Hero didn’t really like that answer, but he didn’t say
that. He wasn’t about to discourage Sunny when he felt like he had helped to smooth down a
worry the boy had been carrying.
“I hope you do. I’d love to hear you two play together one day. You’ll do amazing, Sunny.
Just know you’ve already got your biggest fans around you. And I hope you have fun with
the violin. Hobbies should be fun.”
Sunny relaxed back against the couch between Hero’s legs then as Hero finished brushing his
hair. His eyes closed as Hero patted his head. It was nice to see him so contented. Hero
wondered if the day where he heard Mari and Sunny playing together in a recital was coming
sometime in the near future. Only time would tell, he supposed.
Chapter End Notes

4/21
Hero hadn’t made flower crowns since… probably this time in the last timeline. The thin
stems were difficult to weave carefully, and he had to work hard not to accidentally knock off
the flower petals on every new flower he added into it. He honestly hadn’t been very good
the first time around, but that didn’t stop him from trying back then, and it didn’t stop him
now.
He wanted to make a nice present with his flower crown. He figured if they were going to
pluck so many of the wildflowers that grew naturally in the fields and meadows in the forest
around the town that he would at least utilize them. And honestly, (his eyes glanced up at
Mari, who was coaching Aubrey and Basil on their own weaves) he wanted to make a crown
that matched Mari. She was wearing one of her own, but that didn’t mean the thought
wouldn’t count.
Sunny and Kel had given up at some point while Hero had been focusing, choosing instead to
run off into the forest for some rowdy adventure or another. They would circle back around.
That was just what happened when the boys got bored. However, Basil and Aubrey seemed
to be having a lot of fun with theirs.
“Hero!” Aubrey called, causing him to look up. She waved as she put her crown on. “Come
take a picture of us!”
“Alright,” he said, placing his own creation down carefully as he scooped up Basil’s camera.
Mari and Aubrey gathered around with smiles as they placed a crown on Basil’s head. Hero
snapped the picture, getting a hit of déjà vu from it all. Had he done this before?
“The flower crown suits you so well, Basil!” Mari praised as she wrapped the boy in a hug,
beaming. “Isn’t he so handsome, Aubrey?”
“It really does suit you!” Aubrey agreed, missing the mischievous glint in Mari’s eyes as
Hero waited for the picture to develop. “Basil really is best suited for plants and flowers. It’s
like you belong together!”
“Haha… Yeah, maybe!” Basil agreed with a tone that said he didn’t totally agree. He touched
the crown. “I think it’s maybe a little…”
“A little…?”
“Hm… No, never mind. It’s nice!” He wisely abandoned what he had been about to say. Hero
could take a guess at what it might have been, though. He felt almost a little sorry for Basil
sometimes considering how the girls treated him. Basil was a guy too, after all, and Hero was
pretty sure there had to be some manly pride in Basil now that he was in middle school and
growing up. If he was noticing girls and developing crushes, Hero was sure he probably
wanted to be seen as a boy and not just another playmate.
From the looks of it, though, Aubrey didn’t seem quite at that level. Or, at least, she wasn’t
thinking of it then. Basil was pretty enough to be a girl with his crown on.
Now Hero felt a little bad as well for all the times he had eagerly agreed to dress Basil up in
dresses when they’d been younger. He probably had a small hand in the fact that Aubrey
wasn’t really seeing Basil as a potential love interest.
Sorry, Basil.
He handed over the photo for them to look at before he dropped back into his spot to return to
his own work. He focused on it even as he said, “You guys have really gotten the hang of it.
Your crowns look great.” He glanced over at the basket of flowers they had gathered earlier.
“There’s still a lot left, though.”
“I’m going to make another,” Mari announced as she sat down across from him. “I’m going
to make this one perfect this time!”
She said it cheerfully enough, but Hero still glanced up at her through his lashes. He had
taken more notice of the perfectionism that he had only noted in the previous timeline. It had
always just been another fact about Mari that he had known, though he hadn’t really put
much thought into how real that perfectionism seemed to be. He had taken it lightly in the
first timeline as a bit of an in-joke. Hero was a mama’s boy, and Mari was a perfectionist.
There had been an air of playfulness in these facts which, while both true, felt like they were
hand-waved instead of being treated with any kind of weight.
Now, though, Hero was reconsidering things. After all, he had been rethinking about the
events that had led up to Mari’s death in the first timeline while he had been searching for
causes. And one of the things he had remembered was just how little he had seen of Mari
during that time. Part of it had been because of school, but there had been other factors too.
Mari could spend hours upon hours playing the piano – and did! – trying to perfect whatever
she was doing. And she was doing it even now with just some flowers.
Hero frowned as he thought about some of the texts he had read in college about psychology
when he had been considering what kind of doctor he had wanted to be. Psychology had
caught his interest because of how suicide and mental health had affected his life. He had
read up on numerous things in his time of trying to figure out where he wanted to aim his
specialization while getting his doctorate. And he vaguely remembered stuff about
perfectionism.
But reading didn’t mean much when he could extrapolate how that could put even more
pressure on Mari’s shoulders. He could see it now in how she had a bit of intensity to her as
she weaved more flowers together.
A camera snap caught his attention, diverting him from his thoughts as he caught Basil
beaming as he lowered his camera. “Hehe, yours is coming along really well, Hero!” he
praised.
“Thanks,” Hero smiled back wryly. “It’s, uh, harder than I thought.”
“You just need more practice,” Mari teased him. “You’ll get it! It’s your first time doing it,
right?” Her eyes sparkled knowingly.
The quirk of Hero’s lips gave away his thoughts on that, highlighting the truth for those who
understood it. “Even so, I think I’m gonna need more time. I’ll finish this before sundown, at
least.”
The others laughed at that. “It won’t take you that long!” Aubrey said, waving her hand. She
pushed herself to stand. “I’m gonna go find Kel and Sunny. They’re still not back.”
“I’ll go with you!” Basil said, placing his camera down next to the pictures on the blanket
before slipping his shoes on. “We’ll have better luck with us both.”
“We’ll be back!” The two kids called before they ran off in search of their lost friends. Hero
didn’t doubt that Kel would be coming back with dirt all over his clothes.
He turned his attention back to Mari, though, as the two of them worked in silence for a few
minutes. She was having a much easier time weaving her own flowers, but there was a bit of
a frown on her lips as her eyebrows scrunched with focus. Hero didn’t really want to break it,
but he still wanted to say something.
“Are you making that for Sunny?”
“Hm?” she hummed, distracted. “Oh, no. This is mine. I just think I’ll be able to make it
better than the others.”
“Better?” Hero asked. “But the example one you made is so good!” he paused to hold up the
very first one she made. All of them had agreed it was amazing. Kel and Sunny had even
taken a picture with it earlier, which was sitting at the top of the picture pile. “How are you
planning to improve?”
“I’ll use prettier flowers!” she decided, smiling a bit to herself. She never took her eyes off of
her work. “Liiiike, this one!” She plucked one of the flowers from the basket, pleased. It was
a beautiful light pink bloom. “And I’ll be careful of the petals so they don’t end up like your
hair, silly.” She reached over and pinched one of the stray petals from Hero’s messy hair. He
had given up on trying to maintain it when he didn’t have the right product, leaving it to be
wild in the wind. He gave a sheepish grin.
“Whoops. At least the flowers look good on me, right?”
“You look good in everything, handsome boy.”
“Haha, thanks.” He patted his hair to find a stray leaf in it. He winked at her, kissing the leaf,
before flicking it in her face. She gave a laugh and flicked her own petal back at him before
they both returned to work. After a few minutes Hero said, “I think you might be too hard on
yourself sometimes, though.”
“Huh?” she startled. “What do you mean?”

“I just mean that you should give yourself more credit. I understand wanting to get better and
do better, but you should… Well, you should stop and smell the roses!” He smiled at his joke,
but Mari wasn’t smiling back.
She seemed confused. There was a slightly defensive tone to her voice as she said, “I do give
myself credit. I just also know I can do better.”
“Me too, but-”
“But,” she stressed, “nothing. It’s fine, Hero. It’s just a flower crown anyway.”
Hero frowned back at her. That was exactly his point. “Yeah, exactly. It’s just a flower
crown.”
“Hero,” she lowered her half-made crown, “where is this coming from?”
“Nowhere! I mean, I just think you should be nicer to yourself, I guess? You’re always
working yourself so hard. I’m worried for you.”
“Worried about what? I’m hardly doing much. Is there something I need to be concerned
about in the future?”
“No, it’s more like…” he tried to figure out how to word his worry when she was already
putting her guard up. Mari didn’t usually get so defensive, but he knew this was a sore
subject for her. Just as he knew where her constant need to push herself came from. “I guess
what I’m trying to say is, I hope you see how good you are without always trying to go for
perfection.”
That didn’t please her at all. The mood turned a little chilly as she looked away from him.
“You’re taking it too seriously, Hero, honestly. I’m not trying to be perfect; I’m just trying to
do my best. I don’t understand why you find that to be a problem.”
He decided it was better to back down from this and to placate her. He didn’t want to fight.
“It’s not a problem, honey.” He reached out and placed a hand on her knee, scooting closer so
he could get her to look at him. She was still frowning, but at least she did look back at him.
Good; she wasn’t too upset then. “You’ve been looking out for me and trying to get me to
relax… so, I guess I’m just telling you the same thing. Okay?”
Mari considered him for a few moments before letting out a sigh and relaxing. This was
hardly a win, but at least the fight was over. “Yes, alright. Thank you, Hero.”
Hero squeezed her knee before he gathered his stuff and moved to sit right next to her, their
hips touching. Mari paused to lean her head on his shoulder. The scent of wildflowers filled
the air as the sounds of the other kids calling each other sounded. They would be returning
soon.
“Maybe you could show me again how to do mine?” Hero suggested as an olive branch. “I
was going to make it for you, but you only have one head and you’re on your third crown.”
“Oh, for me?” she teased. “Well, we can always give it to Sunny. Or your mom.”
“Kel would make fun of me again, even though I think Mom might like it.”
“Aww, do you still get sensitive over your baby brother teasing you? And here I thought you
were a grown up.”
“Shut up,” Hero told her without heat before he met her in a short kiss. Her arm linked with
his and all was forgiven.
This would have to be a topic to discuss again at a later date, maybe. He wasn’t sure how to
express his concerns for her mental health, but he supposed he would worry about it later if it
became a problem. Like Mari had said, she was hardly overburdened. He would keep an eye
out. High stress could be a cause for a fight. Sunny and Mari might not ever fight, but it
wasn’t like Mari didn’t get angry and lose her temper sometimes. It was possible that she
started it, and the less factors that attribute to the possibility, the better.
He sighed to himself quietly as he listened to Mari coach him in making a perfect flower
crown. No point in causing trouble between them. He would just enjoy the day. After all,
Mari looked so pretty in flowers. He had a feeling he would be dreaming of her in flower
fields tonight. He’d rather think about that than the future anyway.
Rain
Chapter Notes
Please check out these amazing pieces of fanart from Inferno! Thank you as always for
the work you do! It really brings the scenes to life to see them!
I've changed Faraway Park so it has more playground stuff on it because I thought it
should be cooler lol
CW: Panic attack
“April showers bring May flowers” was a phrase Hero heard a few times while growing up.
He couldn’t remember the source of it, but unsurprisingly it was very accurate with the way
spring storms would suddenly be upon them. Their April this year had been particularly wet,
so Mari had taken to carrying around a large umbrella with her. Which was lucky because
Hero had completely forgotten to bring one of his own.
It was pouring when school had let out for the day and the rain hadn’t slowed by the time
Hero and Mari had climbed off at their bus stop. Mari had just smiled at him and opened her
umbrella, motioning for him to join her as they shared the shelter and began their walk home.
Hero held the umbrella for the two of them since he was the taller one and he wanted to be
polite, thanking Mari for sharing with him. She had simply tucked herself close and walked,
eyes on the grey blanket of clouds and listening to the patter of the rain.
Despite the chill in the air because of the rain, he felt warm with Mari by his side. He wanted
to find a spot where they could be alone so he could kiss her. His mind drifted along various
romantic movies he had seen as he pictured the two of them soaked from the rainstorm as he
cupped her face and melted into each other’s embrace. The warmth between them would
counteract the chill of the water. But they would be soaked afterwards, and he was pretty sure
their schoolbooks and notebooks wouldn’t survive a soaking. Still, that didn’t stop him from
fantasizing about it. Mari looked so pretty when she was wet. He was looking forward to the
day they could all go swimming so he could see it again. Summer couldn’t come fast enough.
“You know,” he started after a few moments of companionable silence, “I used to have this
pretty set schedule of what I would do every day.”
“Oh?” Mari asked as she hooked her arm through his. They had to shift a bit to make sure the
umbrella was still safely covering them both. He was pleased to have her arms around him.
“Like how you jog every morning?”
“Well, there’s that, yeah. But also I would check the weather, watch the news while getting
ready… things like that.” He pulled them both aside as a couple of their schoolmates ran past
with their bags over their heads to try to protect themselves from the rain as much as
possible. Then they continued their leisurely walk. Hero was in no hurry to get home, and it
seemed Mari wasn’t either. “What I mean is, I can’t believe I forgot my umbrella today,
haha!”
“It happens to the best of us. And besides,” she tapped the side of her head to his arm,
squeezing, “it just means we can walk together like this, hm?”
He smiled down at her as she beamed back. “Certainly a benefit, yeah.”
His heart was full and he was content. It had been over half a year since he had come back in
time, and he had to say that he was certainly the happiest he had felt in a very long time.
Things were looking up for him. He wondered if it really would just get easier with time to
adjust to everything around him. He had bursts of déjà vu that would send his head spinning
sometimes, but he had grown to like being young again. He felt steadier and more connected
with the present.
If he was actually dead and this was heaven, then he was fine with being dead. Maybe this
was what Sunny had been seeking as well.
That errant thought caused his mood to drop like dead weight. He got goosebumps just
imagining it as he shook his head. It was better not to think about Sunny in that way. Sunny
was alive. He wasn’t… That hadn’t…
A tug on his arm cut his thoughts off as Mari pointed into Faraway Park. “Hero, come this
way!”
“The park?” he asked, surprised by the suggestion and grasping any distraction he could. “It’s
soaked, though.”
“Not under here! Let’s hang out for a bit!” Mari tugged him along, and Hero’s feet stumbled
to keep pace. He didn’t want her to get wet.
Their feet left grass and stepped onto sticky sand. They had to lift their feet a bit higher as
they walked so as to not fling the dirt onto each other before they hopped onto one of the
platforms of the playground equipment. They kicked the dirt off their feet the best that they
could before they climbed the stairs and found one of the areas with a roof. It was a little wet
from the wind blowing the water, but it was mostly protected. Hero put down the umbrella as
the two of them pressed their backs to the plastic of one of the tunnel slides, relaxing as they
sat down.
He took advantage, though, and didn’t give Mari a moment to settle before his hand took
hers. She glanced at him and must have seen the desire in his eyes because she just smiled as
he crawled over to her and cupped her cheek with one hand before he kissed her. There was a
pleasant cool dampness to her skin from the moisture in the air that just made him more
aware of the heat between them as she wrapped her arms around him and coaxed him closer.
With the curtain of rain to protect them from most outsiders, Hero felt like they were in their
own little world.
He smiled against her mouth as he pulled back and pressed loving pecks to her cheek, jaw,
and ear. She gave a breathless giggle, shivering delicately as he watched the goosebumps
bubble on her skin. But her hum was warm and encouraging even as she rolled down onto her
back to pull him over her.
Moments like these made Hero think he had surely died to reach this wonderful point. Her
fingers in his hair and trailing over his neck. The sound of her stuttering breath when he
kissed her in just the right spot. Her cheeky smile as her hand squeezed his bottom and made
him startle. The press of her chest to his with her heart racing and matching his own. They
were reminders of what he had now and what he had lost before. Hero could drown in the
sweet press of her lips to his and the sigh of his name upon her tongue.
A low rumble of thunder made them pause, passionate bubble popping as they both
remembered where they were. As secluded as they were, they were still plenty visible to
those who looked into the park. It wasn’t like Hero had been hoping for more anyway, but it
was a reminder they’d both needed to slow down a bit. As exciting as it was to have these
little trysts with Mari, they needed to keep a tight rein on themselves.
The heat cooled off as with one final kiss, Hero pushed himself off of her and assisted her
into sitting up. She had a little bit of an embarrassed air about her as she fixed her hair with
nervous hands, cheeks flushed and lips swollen with her tiny, pleased smile. It took all of
Hero’s strength not to dive right back in as hormones pulsed through him. Even in the grey
light of a rainy day, she was gorgeous. He didn’t understand how he kept falling deeper and
deeper in love with her, but he didn’t want it to ever stop.
Mari glanced at him demurely from the corner of her eye before looking away. She seemed to
have recovered from her shyness by the time she had glanced back at him once more, smile
turning into the bright one he was used to seeing. She reached out and playfully flicked a
strand of his messy hair out of his face. “Naughty boy,” she scolded without heat.
“Think of it like a thank you for the umbrella,” he teased back.
They settled themselves once again and gazed out into the rainstorm as they allowed their
hearts to slow. Her hand rested on his as their fingers loosely linked but otherwise didn’t
touch. The rumble of thunder continued to threaten bigger problems, but the lack of lightning
meant neither of them were chased off. Hero was content to simply sit there and exist, eyes
going soft and hazy with nostalgia as he watched the rain come down.
The muted greens of the grass and trees faded into the greys of sidewalks and buildings
before his eyes. The sound of a car passing in the street, its tires slick from the rain as it
splashed through a puddle, brought back the sight of taxis and buses picking up and dropping
people off. They passed by with dark umbrellas and hurried steps as raindrops decorated the
windows. The streetlamps turned on as the rainclouds made it seem later than it was. The
memory of a hot cup in his palms and the robust scent of coffee filtered like a ghost into his
nose, faded with time.
His mouth opened to speak, but words didn’t come out right away. He was almost hesitant to
break the peaceful moment. But he spoke nonetheless in a voice that was an intimate
murmur, “There’s a small coffee shop about three blocks from my dorm room.” He saw
Mari’s head turn to look at him curiously, but he kept his eyes on the rain. It was blissful
white noise that transported him to that time once more as he reminisced on the nostalgia of a
rainy day from another time. “It wasn’t one of those big-name stores or anything that most of
the college kids liked to stop by to grab a drink from. It was one of those little mom-and-pop
shops that looked like it had been in business since before the city had grown around it. I
liked it a lot. They had a lot of regular customers, and they came to know me by name. I
guess that meant I was a regular too.”
He glanced at her and gave a small smile and a shrug, head tilting with humor that said he
wasn’t sure why he was telling her this either. He just felt like talking about it. His mouth
moved without real purpose as he shared an intimate time with her, “I didn’t care much for
coffee until I was an upperclassman in high school. It started to grow on me after… Well, I
didn’t sleep a too much. Tried to find ways to keep my mind busy. And all the kids around
me were getting into it. I came to like it a lot over time. Liked it best when I was in college
and had to stay up late for exams and stuff, though.”
He turned his gaze back out into the distance. Mari kept quiet, simply enjoying the tale. She
scooted just a little closer, so he pulled her hand into his lap to play idly with her fingers as he
talked. His own fingers skimmed and touched the metal of her bracelet, tracing the gemstone
hearts on it. “Anyway, the coffee shop wasn’t super popular with the college crowd. I think it
was a little too old or boring for them. But that’s kind of what I liked about it. It was
peaceful. They were the type of owners that let you come in and sit for hours with one cup of
coffee if you wanted. They played soft jazz that never seemed to repeat. I could really focus
on my schoolwork there.
But sometimes it was just nice to go there and… get away. It was almost like a safe spot. This
little hole in reality. And as much as I liked it, being there never fully let me be at peace. I
just…” He paused, frowning, unsure of how to explain the yawning ache that would
sometimes overcome his heart and chest like a void opening its maw in him. It was
sometimes small and sometimes very large. It wasn’t painful enough to make him cry, but it
seemed to suck every bit of emotion out of him. It would leave only his thoughts, and
sometimes even those too would lose meaning. “I think maybe I was lonely.”
“Oh,” Mari murmured. He didn’t need to look at her to tell how her face had dropped with
sympathy.
He moved on. “I think Aubrey would have liked it. Not this Aubrey,” he corrected, head
unconsciously motioning in the direction of where Aubrey’s house was, “but the Aubrey I
knew from my time. She had changed in a lot of ways, but I just have this feeling she
would’ve understood what I liked about the place.” He thought back to what Aubrey had told
him how she would go to the church to gather her thoughts and pray for guidance. He thought
of the peace and ache that came from sitting in that place as well. It reminded him of that
same liminal space that the coffee shop provided him. Yes, he was sure she would’ve liked it.
“I wanted to invite her sometime. I had thought about it for if she ever chose to come visit.
We kind of discussed it on that last day we’d all hung out together, but…” his voice softened
with regret, “that never really happened. After everything that happened it just… didn’t feel
like the right time to do anything. I couldn’t have asked Aubrey even if I’d wanted to. That
time had passed. I didn’t go back to school for a semester, and I was more focused on Kel
and…”
He stopped. The hole in him gaped wider. He felt like he could barely breathe around it as his
eyes squeezed shut against the force. He had failed everyone back then. So much for staying
together, he told himself harshly. He couldn’t have even kept Kel from falling apart, let alone
Aubrey. They had both tried to stay together, but the pain of raw wounds slashed into them
both, along with Kel having just… stopped much like Hero had years before… had put too
much strain on them both.
The last time he had seen Aubrey had been at Christmas mass when he had brought her to sit
with him and his family. Kel had refused to come. Aubrey had started crying as she had
folded her hands together and prayed. Hero’s eyes had stared past the window to where he
knew the graves of Sunny and Mari were both at. He hadn’t paid attention to his own tears.
He opened his eyes slowly to a knot in his throat as he returned to reality. He felt Mari’s hand
– warm, real, alive, here – link with his own. He was trembling a little, he noticed. He was
reluctant to look at his best friend and see what she was thinking.
“The time had passed?” Mari prompted gently as Hero clawed his way back to the present,
slipping and skidding down while looking for a foot and handhold.
“Yeah,” he murmured.
“…Because you all were still grieving Sunny?”
Hero didn’t respond. He didn’t need to as he closed his eyes and remembered the last time he
had seen Sunny.
Mari’s hand pulled away from his then as he heard her breath catch. And Hero finally
managed to get his handhold only to realize how he had slipped up.
His head whipped to her with fearful eyes as he saw her hand press to her mouth. Her eyes
were wide with grief, staring at nothing, as she curled her legs closer to her. Hero felt his
heart sink into the void in his chest, his mouth opening and closing to get him to say
something, but he had already fucked this up.
“How…” he started but didn’t finish.
“I knew it,” she whispered instead, lowering her hands from her face but grasping them to her
chest instead. She bit her lip as her eyes shined with tears that built but didn’t fall. She
blinked quickly a few times. It pained her to speak, “I knew it, but… I didn’t- I had hoped…”
Her eyes darted to him, away, and back again with more desperation this time. Hero was
paralyzed. “It’s true then, right? Sunny… Sunny from your time, he…” Her jaw clenched.
Hero couldn’t speak. A tear slipped from her eye. “He did, didn’t he?”
“Mari, I…” And it was the way that she looked like a piece of her world had ended that
caused Hero’s heart to finally break. The tears were automatic as the painful void could no
longer hold back the guilt that surged through him. He gave a sob, head bowing as he
hunched in on himself, holding his head. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Mari. I’m sorry!” His
words were a bumbling mess as everything he had been holding back came out of him in the
darkness that came from hiding his eyes, too ashamed for her to see him. “I didn’t know! I
thought everything was… I thought we were all… I didn’t know Sunny was feeling that way!
He didn’t say anything! Not to me, not to Aubrey, not even to Kel, and then he just…!”
He whipped his head to her where she watched him still with tears slipping from her eyes. “I
don’t know what made him do it. But I’m so sorry, Mari. I should’ve… I should’ve been
there for him. I was the oldest. I should’ve done better. I knew he was hurting after what
happened to you. God, even before I knew the truth I knew he had to have been hurting even
more than me, but I was just so fucking caught up in myself that I just…!” He ran a hand into
his hair and gripped painfully. He didn’t have an excuse. He knew what he should’ve done,
and he just didn’t do it. He had been selfish, plain and simple.
“Four years,” Mari whispered, voice trembling. “You had… four years… and…” Her mouth
pinched. Her eyes blazed, and the accusation on her face hurt more than any of her words
ever could. Hero felt like he had been stabbed.
She was right, of course. She had the right to be angry. He had failed to protect what was left.
But hearing her confirm it just drained him. His frantic energy burst and he was left in pieces
on the playground equipment, a sinner bowing his head before the judge.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, because it was the only thing he could say.
“You said…” she shook a finger at him, her body trembling with the bit of heat in her
distraught voice, “you said that Sunny wasn’t okay. You knew. You can’t… Hero, you had to
know that he…”
“I didn’t,” he swore. “I knew he was still hurting, but I didn’t know the depth, Mari! How
could I… How could I guess at what he and Basil had done?!”
“But it’s not like you to have ignored that! Did you even try to talk to him at all about how he
felt?!” she cried.
“Of course I did! I mean, we were all talking about what happened! Me, Kel, Aubrey,
Sunny… we were together for his last day in Faraway Town! And he didn’t say anything to
us! He just kept quiet! I didn’t think-”
“Sunny’s quiet, but he still talks Hero! You should’ve noticed-!”
“I KNOW!” Hero screamed, shocking them both. But he couldn’t withstand her attacks. He
couldn’t bear to hear her be the one to say what he had already told himself again, and again,
and again into the long nights as he had seen Kel sobbing in the bed across from him. He had
blamed himself and knew of his sin. But he couldn’t hear her confirm it. He wouldn’t be able
to recover.
He shoved himself to his feet as he turned on her, “I know I should’ve noticed! I should’ve
done better! It’s my fault they’re dead! You think I don’t realize that? I can barely look at
Sunny anymore without thinking about what happened! For fuck’s sake Mari, I saw his body!
I saw his fucking remains after he jumped off the hospital roof!”
Her face was white now as he paced manically with harsh breathing as the panic fluttered in
his chest. He was sobbing, but he barely noticed as his words just poured from him, “We
were going to see him! He and Basil, they- they- they were both in the hospital! After the
fight! And w-we- we were going to see them! Check on them! Me and Kel and Aubrey! And
that’s when we… God, we saw the crowd. We heard it. We saw it. And Sunny, he… Oh god,
the screaming. Aubrey just screamed. And all I could think about was covering their eyes. I
couldn’t let them see-”
“Hero-” Mari tried, pushing herself to her feet too and reaching for him, but he couldn’t stop.
He kept moving back and forth in their small area. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, but he
couldn’t shut up. He had to get it out of his head. He had to get it out.
“But he was there. He was there and he- I could just see everything. Kel just stopped moving.
We had to get away and let the medics get to him. But he was gone. He was gone and it was
too late and I failed again. I lost another one. It’s all I can see at night, Mari. I- I- I- didn’t see
you. After what happened, I mean. I didn’t see your body. But Sunny-”
“Hero!” Mari called again, throwing her arms around him to get him to stop as he broke
down. He wept and gasped as he felt lightheaded. His legs gave out and he felt Mari struggle
to lower him down, holding him as he just tried to breathe but couldn’t. He couldn’t think. It
was all static. The rain was filling his ears, and he couldn’t stop crying. His hands were
shaking as he gripped Mari too tightly. She was speaking to him, but he couldn’t hear it. He
felt like he was going to throw up if he didn’t pass out first. He felt like he was dying. Maybe
this was the end of the dream. He was sure his heart would give out. He couldn’t stop the
sounds of sirens in his head and Aubrey’s scream replaying over and over again. Mari’s
accusations were a knife stabbing him furiously as her words just repeated in his mind.
He thought of Basil smiling without any joy while telling him the truth before leaving and
never returning.
He thought of Sunny and Kel and Aubrey and Basil all smiling and playing, unaware of their
wretched future.
He thought of his reflection in his morning coffee as he considered following in Sunny’s

footsteps.
He thought of sharing a smoke with Aubrey on the sidewalk curb, her hands shaking more
than Hero’s as she coughed from the foreign burn in her lungs.
He thought of his little brother with his light snuffed out while he gazed with dead eyes at
Hero as he asked, “Does it ever stop hurting, Hero?”
And Hero just wept because he could do nothing else. He was a child before a raging storm
set to obliterate him, and it was all he could do not to be destroyed right away.
He came back to himself sometime later with his mind fuzzy and his skull throbbing in a way
he hadn’t felt in a while. Everything ached. He felt like he had burnt every ounce of energy
he had left and found himself limp in the arms of someone. It took him a painfully long time
to process who it was.
Mari’s grip on him hadn’t loosened one bit. She cradled him in her lap even though he had
lost the strength in his body. She was rubbing his back and sniffling herself, clearly shaken by
everything. But nevertheless, she held onto him and waited.
A trickle of guilt dropped into the emptiness lingering inside of Hero. He had scared her, his
mind whispered. He needed to make her feel better. So, he fought to scrape together enough
energy to do just that.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice rough with his nose clogged.
Mari pulled back so that she could see him. Her own eyes were red from crying as she shook
her head quickly. She looked positively heartbroken. “No. No, I’m sorry, Henry. I’m so sorry.
I shouldn’t have said what I did.”
He shook his head and carefully pushed away from her. She looked distraught at that and
tried to get him to stay, but he kept moving until he was sitting free of her. He was still
struggling to get his bearings back. “Don’t apologize. It’s alright.”
“It’s not!” she cried softly, voice strained and repentant. “Oh, Hero, I know how it hurts you. I
was angry, but I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean it. You did everything you could.”
He just kept shaking his head. She was wrong. He could’ve done more. He should’ve done
more.
But he didn’t have the strength to fight about this. He just wanted to go home and sleep. “I’m
sorry you had to see that. That… That was a bad one. Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, please.” Her hand brushed over his face and pushed his sweaty hair back.
She cupped his cheeks to get him to look at her. He hated how pained she looked. She
shouldn’t look that way. “Are you okay? You… You weren’t responding to me. You were just
freaking out.”
“I’m okay,” he lied. “I just… I just really want to go home, Mari.”
She gave a sob then, head bowing as her hands came down to his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Hero.
I really am. I’m so, so sorry…!”
“It’s okay. It’s okay,” he murmured as he pushed himself to stand. He was starting to feel a
little more normal even if he was exhausted. “It’s okay.”
She followed him and hugged him, arms around his chest. She buried her face into his
shoulder and held onto him tightly. Hero hesitated before placing his arms around her as well.
He closed his eyes. He was so sore and tired.
“It wasn’t your fault what happened to Sunny. I… I can imagine what was going on in his
mind just knowing him. And you can’t… you can’t blame yourself, Hero. You couldn’t have
known,” she whispered to him.
“I could’ve done more,” he murmured back.
She shook her head. “I know. But… that’s in the past now. We’re going to change it. We’ll…
we’ll replace those memories, Hero. We won’t let it happen.”
Hero didn’t respond to that. Right now, that was his main goal. If he saved Mari’s life, he
could save Sunny and Basil’s too.
This conversation wasn’t over – there was too much that still needed to be said – but Hero
was flayed open and he couldn’t handle anything more that day. It would have to be saved for
another time when he had stitched himself back up again. Not today. Maybe not even
tomorrow. But sometime when he was ready.
He wanted to apologize again, but he knew she wouldn’t accept it. So instead he said, “Let’s
go home, Mari.”
She nodded and released him to grab the umbrella once more. The spring air chilled him to
the bone as they began their walk back to their houses. Her touch on him felt more like a
request for forgiveness than the flirty comforting touch from earlier. Just another regret to add
to the list.
Persist
Chapter Notes
I hadn't actually planned for this to be a chapter. I write little summaries of the
upcoming chapters on my Word doc so that I know what's next, and this one was totally
unplanned. But I thought of it as an opportunity, so I'll capitalize on it.
Swim Against the Tide is almost at 100k words. In less than a week, it'll be 2 months
old.
Really shows just how much I like writing Hero lol I genuinely hope you guys are
enjoying it as much as I am.
He went home. He changed into his pajamas. He went to sleep.
The wreckage left in his chest from the storm that had caused the hole in him weighed
heavily on his bones. His head throbbed with every pulse of his aching heart. He couldn’t
find the strength to even attempt to lift his hands. His eyes sank closed, and his brain was
blissfully empty. Not peaceful, but empty. It was the quiet when the tornado had come and
gone. It was the moment between one beat and the next when all the noise had ended and it
felt the cause of the disaster had stolen sound itself. And in that silence, Hero began to push
aside the debris to find a place for himself to settle.
Without the energy to begin to process what had happened, he simply fell asleep.
There were moments where he was awakened. He recognized them with a distant grogginess
as Kel burst into the room when he got home from school, realized Hero was trying to sleep,
and quickly hushed up with a little confusion. Then, later, there was his father calling him
and waking him to let him know dinner was ready. Hero dismissed him, not feeling the bite
of hunger, and told him he’d eat later. He went back to sleep. He didn’t eat dinner that night.
He woke up briefly to use the bathroom on autopilot. His brain felt like someone had taken a
pencil to a sheet of paper and was simply scribbling. That image was in his head, blocking
the occasional errant thought about Mari, or Sunny, or himself, and causing them to ricochet
away. The drip of acid of his past self tried to insert the bitter memories of blood and
screaming, but they were battered away.
Hero thought of the coffee shop near his dorm room and wished he was at it then, staring out
at the rain. He wanted a cigarette even if he didn’t crave it.
He went back to sleep.

Kel shook him awake next time. It was daylight out. Hero was ravenous and his body was
muggy with the telltale sign of dehydration. He felt like his head was spinning as he rolled
onto his back to look at Kel, who had called him a few times and was shaking his shoulder.
Whatever Kel saw gave him pause. His noisiness stopped as his pouting expression rapidly
shifted into concern. “Are you okay, Hero? You didn’t even set your alarm yesterday… I got
up before you.”
Hero blinked slowly at him. He felt a lot better today emotionally despite the physical
troubles. He would need to get some water into him and soon. He was still so tired despite
having slept for so long, though.
“I… No, I think I’m sick. I’m staying home.” The very thought of getting out of bed to face
his mother – to explain why he hadn’t gotten up on time, or to apologize and lie about being
sick – just wiped him of what little energy he had. Even if he knew he should get up to take
care of his needs, it all suddenly seemed like too massive of a hill to even start climbing.
Staying in bed seemed easier.
He rolled back onto his side as his stomach rumbled and his head gave a throb. “Have a good
day at school, Kel.”
Kel was silent behind him. Hero’s eyes gazed sightlessly at the wall by his bed. When he
finally heard Kel’s footsteps leave – a little more hurried than normal – he closed his eyes
once more.
This was all intimately familiar to him. He knew he couldn’t stay like this forever. He had
things he needed to do, and despite not wanting to do anything at all he knew that he couldn’t
let himself slide into the abyss that waited for him. He hated being miserable. He hated the
thought of doing anything but even doing something was more tolerable than doing nothing,
despite how he felt in the moment.
But just for a bit… just for a bit he would succumb.
Then he would get up and be a proper big brother again. He would stitch himself back up,
and he would boldly confront the issues that were drilling their way into his skull.
He would need to talk to Mari again. He would need to explain to her that he wasn’t upset
with her.
Why would he be angry at her for being right?
The door opened again while his thoughts had been drifting. It was his mother’s voice calling
gently, “Hero, have you eaten anything yet?”
It was like going back in time. A smile twitched on his face. It was too early in the year for
this to be occurring.
He wiped the smile. “Ah… no, I haven’t.”

He heard his mother say something to someone – it sounded like Kel – before the door closed
and his bed dipped. He rolled over to see his mom gazing at him with worry. He hadn’t seen
this in a while either.
“Did you eat anything since last night? You went right to bed yesterday, Kel said.” She
reached out and placed the back of her hand on his head, then cheek, then under his collar to
check his temperature. She was frowning. “You don’t have a fever.”
“I just don’t feel good,” Hero avoided her eyes, feeling bad for sort-of lying. “I just… can I
stay home today?”
“I haven’t seen you look like this in a while,” she murmured as the door opened once more.
This time Dad came in and joined her. Hero could cringe. Great; now they were both here.
“Talk to us, mijo. What happened?”
Hero pushed himself up to sit and felt his head spin for his effort. Talking felt like it was
bringing him back to life a bit. It was forcing his brain to work. He didn’t necessarily like it,
but at least he was feeling something. He just didn’t know how to explain to them about what
happened.
His mouth opened, and for a few moments he seriously considered telling them everything.
He thought about telling them how he was from the future, and how his life had fallen apart
at the seams. He thought about telling them about his sins and how he had seen horrific
things. He thought about explaining the agony and bliss of seeing dead people alive once
more. And he thought about telling them about what happened with Mari yesterday.
But he discarded the idea. That was so much to say. He couldn’t do it. He would probably
regret his decision when he was clearer-headed. There was a reason he hadn’t explained it to
them before, even if he couldn’t quite remember it right now.
He decided to say the closest thing he could right now, “I… had a fight with Mari, is all. And
I really just don’t feel good.” He brushed a hand through his hair. It was sweaty. He
grimaced. Maybe a shower would do him good too. When he felt like shit like this, a shower
was usually beneficial. “I’m sorry for worrying you guys.”
“There’s more to it than that, son,” Dad said, not buying it. He shook his head. “You were
like this last year as well. This… How can we help you? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
“Mijo,” Mom grasped his hand and squeezed, eyes watching him, “you’re hurting again. Are
you sure it’s Mari? Is she hurting you like this?”
“Huh?” That snapped Hero out of it enough. He shook his head quickly. “What? No! It’s
not… I mean, yes, I had a fight with Mari but not like… No, we’re fine, Mom. It’s just a
combination of things. I think I must have come down with something.” He had to reassure
them. “I think my appetite’s coming back anyway. I, uh, I’m sorry I didn’t go to school. I can
go late if you want to send me?”
“No,” she shook her head, glancing at Dad for confirmation. Dad nodded in agreement. She
looked back at Hero, “no, you’ll stay home today. You don’t seem sick… but I want you to
eat. You’re very pale, and I can hear your stomach growling from here.”
“There’s leftovers from last night in the fridge, but try to eat something fresh too,” Dad
added. “Do you need one of us to stay home with you?”
“No, I’m okay,” Hero assured them, relieved. He could tell that he wasn’t clear, but they were
letting it go for now. That was enough. “I’ll eat and just rest today. And do my homework I
didn’t do yesterday.”
“If you’re really sick, then don’t work too much. Rest,” Mom scolded as she brushed his hair
from his face and cupped his cheek. She stared at him for a few moments, waiting once more,
before pulling away. “We’ll be back this afternoon as always. Call if you need anything,
alright?”
“Yeah.” Hero knew the drill on that front. He had been left home plenty of times during the
deepest parts of his depression to fend for himself when his parents hadn’t been able to take
off of work for him anymore. Hero had hardly cared for himself then, but he was going to try
today. He didn’t want to fall back into it, no matter how tempting it was.
“Mari wouldn’t want you to do this to yourself,” Kel’s words from the first timeline echoed in
his head. It made his heart clench just as they had back when he had said them. He had lashed
out at Kel for daring to tell Hero what Mari would want – Him! The one who had failed her
and who had loved her the most! – but he had long since taken those words deep into his
heart. He had repeated them over and over again during some of his hardest days.
It was true that she wouldn’t want him to wallow. That didn’t change now that she was alive
again. If anything, it just meant he would have to face reality head-on even more than he had
back then.
God, Mari… He could just imagine how she felt when he hadn’t shown up at the bus stop. He
wondered if she had knocked on the door for him. He wondered if she was avoiding him
instead. They had never really been a couple who had fought with each other. They had
certainly never hurt each other as Mari had hurt Hero yesterday. But Hero didn’t want to stay
like this.
He would have to accept Mari’s apology and tell her that he wasn’t upset. He would need to
explain himself.
The thought exhausted him.
Kel came and went in the bedroom, unsure of how to talk to Hero but saying goodbye like
normal. Mom and Dad went to work, and Hero allowed himself twenty minutes of laying in
bed before he forced himself from it to take care of all of his needs.
A shower really did help. So did water. Food was harder to swallow and sat like a ball in his
stomach, but at least he had food in him.
That took all the energy he had. He collapsed on the couch and watched television for too
long. Then, he forced himself up once more and decided to keep his hands busy by cleaning
everything he could lay his hands on.
Busy hands quieted busy minds.
Before he knew it, it was afternoon. He had scrubbed the kitchen and the bathroom and had
dusted the house. He had taken a second shower because of how gross he had felt, and overall
he felt significantly more human than he had in the morning time. He felt like he had a grasp
on his sanity once more. His sadness and the aching lingered, but didn’t feel like they would
swallow him whole anymore. He had sutured his wounds closed again.
And with that thought, Hero left his house to go sit in Mari’s driveway and wait.
He didn’t have to wait long. Mari came up the street with a heaviness to her eyes and body.
She startled when she saw Hero, who had stood and brushed his bottom off. She took off
towards him. Hero expected her to throw herself at him, but she came to a slow stop in front
of him instead. Her face was wracked with guilt. He could see that she hadn’t slept well
either last night. That wouldn’t do at all.
“Hey,” he said before she could say anything. He bridged the gap between them first, taking
her hand in his. The effect of it was immediate as her burden seemed to lighten just a bit,
“let’s talk.”
“Let me go first,” she told him quickly, squeezing his hand.
“No, I should-”
“No,” she said, stubborn and insistent. She slipped her bag off of her shoulder and dropped it
to the ground before taking his other hand as well. She clasped them together before her,
holding them tightly. “No, please let me. I just… I can’t bear it if I can’t fix my mistake. Just
listen, please? Before you say anything to me, because I know what you’re going to say.”
Hero wanted to fight back and insist that he go first because he didn’t want to hear her
apologies anymore, but he knew it was a battle he wouldn’t win. Mari was too stubborn to
argue on little things like this. Besides, if it would relieve her, then he would listen. So, he
sighed and gave in. “Alright.”
“What I said to you yesterday was uncalled for,” she started without hesitation. There was a
force behind her words that told him she had thought and rethought exactly what she had
wanted to say to make sure it was perfect and could not be misunderstood. “For a while now
I’ve… suspected what happened to Sunny in your previous timeline. You weren’t very subtle
about how you avoided him,” she gave an apologetic grimace as he made a face, “and I
just… I remembered how you would look at him sometimes. I knew you weren’t angry with
him for what he did, so I knew the way you looked at him was for another reason. But no
matter what I had guessed, I had hoped I was wrong. When you confirmed it yesterday… it
was a shock. And I took it out on you when I knew how much you were already hurting.”
Hero tried to interrupt, but she clenched her hands around his in warning. He closed his
mouth.
“Just listen, please! I knew you were hurting… but I didn’t know about… about the other
stuff you said. I didn’t know.” Her eyes flicked back and forth between his. “I know you’re
going to tell me it’s okay that I got angry, but you’re wrong. It wasn’t your fault Sunny died.
You… You couldn’t have done anything. You can’t blame yourself for it. And I’m so, so
sorry you saw what you did. That… That more than anything is why I shouldn’t have taken
my anger out on you.” Her voice softened with her pain, her voice catching as she said, “You
didn’t deserve it. I’m sorry for my words. I didn’t mean them.”
They both waited a beat, waiting for the other to speak. Hero took it as his cue to say,
“Apology accepted.”
She looked reasonably doubtful.
“No matter what you say,” he started slowly, breathing through the way the world dragged his
lungs down and made it hard speak, “I will continue to blame myself.” This time it was Mari
who opened her mouth to interrupt, but Hero hurried to cover it with his hand. “No, stop. It’s
my turn.” She didn’t like that, but he felt her mouth close. He lowered his hand to hold hers
loosely, watching the way his fingers curled around hers. “I might not have been able to
prevent what happened… but I also might have been able to. If things were different… if I
had taken responsibility as I should have long before Sunny was set to move… maybe I
could’ve stopped it. There are a lot of things I could have done differently… so no, I won’t
believe that I couldn’t have done anything.” He shook his head. “Not when I could’ve done
something and instead chose to do nothing.”
He swallowed the saliva in his mouth as he struggled for his words. His mouth trembled a
little as he continued, “I ran away, Mari. I was a coward who only thought of himself. Kel
was… Kel was fine after you. After some time. So, I didn’t worry about him. And I just… I
was avoiding everything. I couldn’t even look at your house after you. I can only imagine
what Sunny had been suffering with in that place knowing what he had done to you. And if I
had been a bit stronger… maybe I could’ve made a difference. Maybe I could’ve saved him.”
He paused and then added with regret, “And saved Basil too.”
“No…” Mari whispered with despair. “No, not… Basil too?”
“I don’t know for sure,” he murmured with tears in his eyes. He couldn’t look at her face.
“But after he told us what happened… After he told us the truth about your death at Sunny’s
funeral… he left and promised never to come back. He was… I just think that he followed
after Sunny.”
“God…!” she dropped her head onto his shoulder, gripping his hands tightly. Her breathing
was a little ragged, but she didn’t cry. She lifted her head again to get him to look at her. One
of her hands found his neck. Her thumb brushed his cheek and jaw as their eyes met. Hero
blinked rapidly a couple times to clear the tears from it. He didn’t want to cry again. His
throat was still kind of sore from yesterday. “You’ve been through so much,” she whispered.
“I’m going to change it,” he said back. “I’m going to stop it from happening. I… God, Mari,
I just want us to be happy. I can’t go through it a second time. I won’t.”
“We won’t,” she swore to him, steady when he felt weak. Her gaze was determined now. He
could see the strength in her that he had always admired. “It won’t happen again. We will
have a happy life. All of us, you hear me? You too. You’re going to be happy, Hero, I
promise.”
He huffed a laugh, smiling wetly as he cupped her hand with his. His pinky caught her
bracelet and pulled it close. “We will,” he agreed, trying to absorb the strength from her. And
he could see that she knew how he was trying. He had never been one who could hide secrets
well from her. She read him easily and accepted whatever she could see. Even this broken,
stitched together failure in front of her was something she wanted. He had taken away the
Hero she knew and replaced him with whatever pieces of himself were left, but she was
determined to save that.
He was in love with her. His gratitude could not be expressed in mere words, so he kissed her
instead. And all he could really think was that if he failed again… if he couldn’t stop her
death… then he would follow after her this time. He simply wasn’t strong enough to continue
otherwise.
He wouldn’t tell her that, but he had a feeling she knew anyway.
Chapter End Notes
Mijo = Term of endearment for a child, like "buddy" or "sweetie".
EDIT: Inferno drew more art for this chapter! Thank you so much!
Cucumber
Chapter Notes
Aaaaaa please be sure to check out Inferno's art for this story! I also added a link to the
last chapter, for those who may have missed it.
The clinking of porcelain and the rush of water were loud in Hero’s ears, rivaled only by the
sounds of three kids full of good food and energized because of it. Hero stood next to Basil’s
grandmother as she washed the dishes from lunch. He was responsible for the drying and
putting away of the dishes, which he did with vigor. His own body thrummed with that same
energy that came from a good, healthy meal. The cool, sour flavors of vinegar and tomatoes
still lingered on his tongue from the delicious recipe he had already managed to snag from
the woman. He had written them on a piece of paper and had slipped it into his own pocket.
He liked Basil’s grandmother a lot. He would say that he liked her even more than he had
remembered liking her the first time around. She had a gentle wit about her that Hero
appreciated. She clearly paid attention to Basil and those around him, but she was more of a
guiding hand than any kind of commanding force. Hero was sure that if Basil wanted to, he
would be allowed to run wild all over the neighborhood with nothing but a casual word of
“be careful” from his grandmother. He wryly supposed that that was exactly what Basil did,
though he was with friends while doing it.
It made Hero wonder what the woman’s thoughts had been after Mari’s death. Hero regretted,
not for the first or the last time, that he had hidden himself away for so long after the funeral.
He didn’t know how things had changed. He hoped that the stress of that time hadn’t
contributed to the woman’s failing health.
And really, he thought as he took another dish to dry and put away, he wondered if anything
could prolong the woman’s time. Should she die, what would happen to Basil? Hero assumed
that Polly would come again, but Polly was a distant cousin of Basil’s. He doubted she would
take responsibility for a minor when his parents were still alive. As much as Hero didn’t want
Basil to leave when he seemed so happy here, he wasn’t sure what else he could do.
Well, no, he had some kind of idea at least. He didn’t know if it would help, but he would feel
bad if he didn’t at least try to plant the idea of maintaining her health in the old woman’s
head.
He tried to steer the conversation in that sort of direction, going from recipes to gardening, to
transitioning to discussions about hobbies and keeping active in the latter years of one’s life.
That’s when Hero took his chance.
“How is your health, by the way?” Hero asked with the appropriate amount of concern, easily
reaching to place a bowl onto the top shelf in the cabinet.
She gave him a look from the corner of her eye that, if she was perhaps younger and ruder,
would’ve been an eyeroll. “Oh, am I looking so unhealthy that you have to ask me that?”
“Wha-What?” Hero backtracked, flustered, “No! I mean, of course not! You look very
healthy and active-”
“I’m kidding,” she told him, patting his hand with her own wet one. Hero wiped the water off
on the dishtowel he was using as she handed him some silverware to dry. “Thank you for
worrying about me. Goodness knows that I’ve been hearing more and more about it each
year. I assure you that I’m healthy.” She gave a curious hum. “I didn’t expect one of Basil’s
friends to ask me something like that out of the blue.”
Hero ducked his head and scrambled for an excuse. “We-Well, my mom, uh, she wants me to
be a doctor… so, I’ve been doing some research? And I… well, you…”
“And you thought of my age,” the woman finished for him, tone light and unoffended. “Do
you have your grandparents still in your life, Hero?”
“Yes, I do. Though, they live kind of far. And the other set is in México.”
“So, you don’t get to see older people in your life as often. Well,” she gave a huff before
handing the last dish to Hero to dry before drying her own hands. “There’s no need to worry,
but I suppose it is about time I go for a check-up. Will that make you feel better?”
Hero’s cheeks burned. He was glad she was listening to him, but he felt like he was being
treated like a worried child more than anything. Maybe to her that was exactly what he was.
It was a little humiliating. It was like hearing a child come crying about a monster in the
closet, or fearing that the Easter Bunny would attack them. His worries were serious, though.
“Yes… Thank you. Um, sorry…”
She patted his shoulder then and thanked him both for his worry and for his help. Hero was
getting ready to leave and rejoin his friends, but she stopped him with a call of, “By the way,
how are you feeling? Do you still have stomach troubles?”
Hero paused and didn’t turn back to her as he considered his answer. He still did sometimes
have wretched nightmares. His stomach seemed to have grown stronger so that he wasn’t
puking as often as he used to when the visceral memories of his horrific past appeared in his
head. However, that didn’t mean he wasn’t still left nauseous and feeling ill. Mari digging her
fingers into unhealed wounds and forcing the truth from Hero had done more to set him back
than to help him. He had bags under his eyes once more from sleeping badly. He was still
working to establish equilibrium.
“Not really… Only sometimes.” He glanced back at her, almost nervous. “Is it that obvious?”
“You look pale and thin, dear,” she told him in a soft voice full of maternal sympathy that
Hero wasn’t used to. His mother had always had a strong personality that made her own love
feel like a weighted blanket that was both smothering and comforting all at once. Basil’s
grandmother felt more like the warmth of a fireplace after coming in from the cold. It
surrounded him and laid gentle hands on him but forced nothing upon him. “And you missed
coming around for your gardening time with Basil this week.”
Hero’s smile was a bit sad. He hadn’t been able to work up the energy to meet with Basil
again so soon after his talk with Mari. Even now it was hard to be around Basil and Sunny.
But he was pushing through it because he didn’t want to lose footing with the friendships he
was trying to grow as quickly as possible. He was on a time limit.
“I’m okay. Recovering, anyway. I was kind of sick recently is all.”
He doubted that his flimsy lie had convinced her, but she was nice enough to not say
anything. “If you need any natural remedies, I know a few. I should have some herbs still
available.”
“Thank you; I appreciate it.”
They left each other’s company then as Hero made his way back to Basil’s bedroom. He
didn’t feel very successful in his endeavors today, but most everything was weighing on him
harder than usual as he continued to beat back the impending drag of his depression over and
over. He felt like someone who hadn’t really been given time to nurse their wounds, but Hero
also didn’t want to stop long enough to do so. He didn’t want to think about it. He had to
keep busy.
Busy hands, busy minds.
He forced himself not to hesitate at Basil’s door as he pushed it open. He tensed in

preparation of smelling blood and the glint of a blade in moonlight. However, the room was
bright and sunny with the three boys sitting on the floor and chatting. Basil and Kel were
tossing the little rubber ball that Kel had found in the street back and forth as they spoke.
Sunny’s sock-clad feet were stretched out and pressing obnoxiously into Kel’s thigh, but Kel
was ignoring it. The room was warm in the afternoon sunlight since Basil’s window got
almost full sunlight around this time. It made it almost too hot to hang out in with all of the
bodies available as well, but the plants seemed to enjoy it. Sunny was the only one who
didn’t seem content with the heat as sweat beaded along his hairline.
They all paused and glanced at Hero when he came in before just smiling and continuing.
They seemed to be discussing Pet Rocks, which were the current fad among kids right now.
Hero had never been one to understand the appeal, but he knew it would only get more
popular in the next few months. Sunny was already showing good skill. He recalled how the
boy had gone around Faraway Town in the future defeating everyone who had challenged
him, eventually becoming Faraway Town’s champion. He remembered the proud expression
that had been on Sunny’s face.
He wondered now, as he had wondered about it before, if all of the fun Sunny had with them
on that last day had been because he had known his end was coming. The thought made him
ill.
He sat down on the bed not wanting to interrupt the conversation as Basil talked to Kel about
how using Rock wasn’t a be-all-end-all winning technique while Kel insisted that it was since
people didn’t expect it. Only Sunny glanced back at him. His dark eyes watched him for a
few moments. Hero blinked at him, and then gave a cheerful smile as he reached out to pat
Sunny’s head. He was trying to be more physically affectionate with his friend like he used to
be when Sunny had been little. He had stopped doing it as much when they had gotten older
thinking that Sunny didn’t like it (because Kel had grumbled and complained about Hero
treating him like he was ‘little’) but Sunny just preened under his touch. He had been wrong
to stop. He was glad he could show his affection through touch. It just felt right to him.
“What is it?” he asked when Sunny continued to stare at him. Sunny shifted away from his
hand to sit on the bed beside him, still watching him. He clearly wanted to say something, but
seemed to be struggling to find the words. Hero, who had been paying more attention to
Sunny’s moods and expressions on Mari’s recommendation of trying to get closer to him,
found that Sunny could be pretty easy to read if he just knew what to look for. The subtle
downward tilt of the boy’s eyebrows and lips told Hero that Sunny was troubled and thinking.
The confliction cleared leaving behind dissatisfaction only as Sunny came up short and just
said in a low voice, “You seem tired.”
Hero’s lips twitched. “I am tired. But that’s nothing unusual. I’m okay.”
“お姉ちゃん said you’ve got so many thoughts in your head that it was making it difficult
for you to sleep,” Sunny continued, almost surprising Hero. He had expected that to be the
end of the conversation. He opened his mouth to answer, but Sunny wasn’t done, “I
understand how that is. The nights feel really long when your brain won’t shut up.”
Sunny had always been scared of things since he was a little boy. He had dealt with
nightmares his whole life from these fears, even if he had grown out of them as he had gotten
older. Hero had first learned breathing techniques from Mari because she did them for Sunny
all of the time. He knew that, even at this age, Sunny really did understand his problem.
“It’s tough, huh?” he responded without trying to lie once more. He didn’t see a point. Basil
and Kel were bickering now, both of them getting kind of heated over Pokémon now. Hero
didn’t know when they had switched to it, though he could guess how they had segued into it.
It was interesting to see Basil so passionate about something. “You feel so tired, but your
mind just won’t shut up. Sometimes I go outside for fresh air when that happens. What do
you do?”
“I sleep in お姉ちゃん’s bed,” Sunny confessed.
“And if Mari isn’t there?” he asked gently.
Sunny frowned and had to think about it, as if he’d never needed another option. Mari had
always been there. Hero’s heart clenched too tight at that thought.
“…Warm milk?” Sunny tilted his head to the side a bit. The answer caught Hero by
surprised, and he huffed a laugh. Sunny shook his head. “Outside is nice too… but it’s scary
at night. I watch TV with Mewo instead.”
“That kitten actually stays for you?”
Sunny nodded. “Mewo is very good.”
Hero leaned back on his hands. His troubles felt a little lighter talking about it. “Well, I don’t
think your dad would appreciate if I tried your method. I guess I’ll have to find another way.”
Sunny eyed him before he told him in a confidential whisper, “I won’t tell if you do. I can
leave the window open. It’s not hard to climb into.”
Hero beamed now, greatly amused at the thought of Sunny being his little partner in crime.
While he was pretty sure Mari wouldn’t mind if Hero did sneak into her room at night, he had
far too much respect for her family to do such a daring thing. “And how would you know
how easy it is to climb in through your window, Sunny?” Sunny froze with wide eyes. Guilty.
“Has Kel been teaching you-”
“Whoa, you have so many!” Kel cried suddenly, interrupting their conversation. Basil had
brought his photo album out and had laid it next to the Pokémon strategy guidebook that he
had been showing Kel. There was a stack of photos kind of scattered around them. Sunny
took the opportunity to escape by slipping down to the floor besides his friends to pick up
some of the pictures and look at them.
“You haven’t put these away in here yet, Basil?” Hero asked curiously as he joined them as
well. They were all of the familiar pictures that he expected would be put in Basil’s photo
album, with a few new ones. He wondered if his pinwheel forest photo would be joining the
album, or if these were just part of Basil’s collection. He didn’t remember this from the first
timeline’s album.
“Haha… well, I’ve done a couple?” Basil confessed somewhat shyly as he flipped a page
back. As he had said, there were already a couple images in the album. Hero recognized
Sunny’s violin picture and the photos from Basil’s birthday. He frowned a little. Was that
picture of him sleeping with Mari different from last time…?
“Oh cool, you left comments?” Kel asked as Sunny tilted his head to read. His fingers traced
the words a bit.
“So I can remember context… Is that weird?”
“No way! I forget stuff all the time! This is cool!”
“Hehe, thanks. Do you guys want to help me put the rest in?” He looked around at his
friends. “It might be more fun with all of us. You can leave comments too?”
“It’s your album, Basil,” Hero told him. “I think it’s more special if it’s you.”
“Do you really think so?” He seemed doubtful. “I started doing it because I wasn’t sure if I
wanted to show you guys this… but…”
“It’s yours,” Sunny agreed with Hero. “I like hearing just your thoughts.”
Basil smiled softly, cheeks turning pink with his pleasure. “Okay then.”
They gathered the photos available and sorted through them. There were a few stray ones
unrelated to the group of friends that Basil had eventually decided didn’t want in his album.
He had wanted it to focus on his memories with his best friends while he could put the extra
stuff in another place. From there they sorted the album by dates that Basil still recalled
before Basil started thinking about the notes he wanted to write in.
Kel threatened to write his own comments despite Sunny and Hero’s protests, waving an
orange thin Sharpie near the album, but one good wet willy to his ear had the boy screaming
and squirming. The brothers shoved and wrestled in the room trying to pin the other while
Basil and Sunny pulled the stuff out of the way laughing. And only after Hero had straddled
Kel’s back to pin him down did Kel calm down.
The heat of the room coaxed sleepiness into them all as the energy from lunch burnt off. It
was fun looking through all of the pictures Basil had taken over his time with the camera.
Hero might be overthinking it, but he thought that maybe Basil was being more active in his
hobby compared to the first life. There were photos of his and Hero’s garden at various stages
as he kept track of the growth, and a picture of Aubrey with her flower headband (“Why
didn’t you add this one, Basil?” “N-No reason in particular…”). There was a blurry picture of
one of the many neighborhood cats and one of the lake at their secret spot as well. Hero
didn’t know when they were all taken, but he found the pictures to be pretty charming
overall. It felt good to look at them.
He felt his nerves and the weariness of recent days draining from him as he took in just how
alive both Basil and Sunny were. Their eyes were bright with youth and joy. There was a
closeness to them that seemed natural as they had sat shoulder to shoulder while talking. It
was good to see how Basil’s hand would tug at Sunny’s sleeve, or how Sunny would poke
Basil’s cheek playfully to annoy him too.
They both watched as Kel doodled a basketball in the corner of one of Basil’s pages, much to
Hero’s distress. He gave his brother a light slap to the head, which made Kel pout at him.
Sunny, always one to follow Kel’s lead, followed it up by drawing a little cat in another
corner. Hero sighed.
“It’s okay,” Basil assured him. “No harm, right?” He held out the pen then to Hero, bridging
the gap that had formed between Hero and the rest of the boys. The photo album was the only
thing between them as he had sat on the far side of them. He was surprised to realize this.
The pen reached across the gap. And Hero accepted it as the offering that it was.
He considered what he wanted to doodle before settling on a cucumber in a bottom corner. It

was a little phallic, unfortunately, but reasonably looked enough like a cucumber. He added
sunglasses just to enhance the effect.
“A pickle? Gross!” Kel grimaced.
“It’s a cucumber!” Hero corrected with offense. Okay, maybe he just wasn’t an artist.
“With sunglasses? Why didn’t you pick something that suited you, like Sunny’s cat and my
basketball?”
“I did, isn’t that obvious?” All three boys blinked at him with confusion. Hero’s mouth
trembled with repressing his amusement as he said, “It’s a cool cucumber. Get it? Because
I’m as cool as a cucumber?”
The groans he got in response made him feel better than he had in days as he was the only
one to laugh at his own joke.
Study Date
Chapter Notes
I really appreciate all the comments I get on this fic. Like, I cannot express it enough.
The ways you guys engage and talk about what you like in the chapters and so on just
really make my day. It's half of the reason I enjoy writing and posting this fic so much. I
never expected it to gain as much of an audience as it has right now, so thank you again!
The door opened after just a few knocks to reveal Mari. She was dressed in her cute black
and white polka dot dress together and a headband on that made her look particularly sweet
and suited the bright smile she gave him quite nicely as she said, “Hi Hero! Thanks for
coming.”
“It’s no trouble,” Hero said as he stepped through and took off his shoes to place on the shoe
rack. He adjusted his backpack. “I’m just a little surprised you called me on the housephone
for some studying.” She could’ve easily just have come to his place if she had wanted to
study.
Things had been a little awkward between them as of late, though they were starting to go
back to normalcy as time scooted on. The tension from what had occurred between them
lingered like a bruise despite how all had been forgiven. It couldn’t be denied that Mari had
unintentionally caused him harm, and he knew that she was still angry at herself for it and
didn’t know how to rectify her mistake. However, there wasn’t anything to rectify. The deed
was done, and all they could do was move on. That didn’t satisfy Mari, though. And the fact
that Hero had been… not quite avoiding her, but rather just didn’t want to be around her as
much had not helped. He was trying to fix that too. He didn’t want to waste his precious
second chance with her by avoiding her just because he couldn’t get over himself.
The numb ache of that bruise lingered still in how her hand reached out to brush his arm but
didn’t grab on. She was giving him space while still struggling to contain herself because she
wanted to touch. Hero felt like he should fix that, at least, today. It was a good opportunity.
“It’s not just for me, although I do plan to get some studying done myself. I have the study
guides I need. No, I was more hoping you could… be my back-up?”
“Back-up?” What did that mean? “Did you have some kind of plan?”
“Sort of!” she held a finger to her lips before pointing that finger towards the dining room.
There was only Aubrey and Sunny in it sitting right next to each other. They were both
focused on what they were doing as they scribbled on their notebooks and glanced at
textbooks, but an occasional question passed back and forth. They hadn’t yet seen Hero, so
they didn’t greet him. “I’m giving Sunny some alone time with Aubrey.”
He should’ve expected this. An amused smile played on his lips. “Is this a study date?”
“Yes!” Mari replied with suppressed glee, brown eyes glittering with her excitement. She
spoke in a low voice, “Though, they don’t know that! I told them I would help them study,
but I don’t want to be a third wheel! So, with you here…”
“It’ll be like a double date,” he concluded.
“Yes! Will you help me?”
He supposed it was only a matter of time before Mari had started interfering in the budding
love lives of their friends, though Hero hadn’t expected it to be quite so soon. A study date
was probably an easy way to start things off, but it was hardly romantic with Mari and Hero
there. His mind already considered ways that they could reasonably leave Aubrey and Sunny
alone, but he doubted anything particularly romantic would happen between them even if
they did. How, exactly, was Mari planning on making them realize what was going on? If
they figured it out at all.
While he wasn’t against encouraging Sunny’s love and helping his younger friend to obtain
happiness, Hero still felt kind of conflicted about getting involved whatsoever. The primary
reason being that it was none of his business and that he frankly had other things to do.
Sunny and Aubrey’s love lives didn’t really matter to him all that much. He was supportive,
but not especially invested like Mari was. He could tell that she wanted to see Sunny’s love
life blossom because of how she adored him, but Hero was content with just seeing the
results rather than the progress towards it.
And then there was the other issue he had. Although supportive of Sunny’s choices, Hero was
still very much on Kel’s side. Kel might not have realized his own feelings yet, but Hero
wanted to support his little brother when the time came. He had failed him last time by failing
to save Sunny, and Hero wanted to do his best to fix that in this life. Plus, he felt like as Kel’s
big brother he could meddle a little bit more. So, hooking Sunny up with Aubrey before Kel
inevitably fell for Sunny (as he knew that he would; the signs were already there) seemed
counterproductive.
He must have hesitated too long in his decision because Mari’s enthusiasm dimmed along
with her smile. The uncertainty he didn’t like seeing in her face came back, pricking him with
guilt. “Or… not…? It’s okay if you don’t want to! We can just study?”
“It’s not that I’m, uh, against it,” Hero hurried to say as he rubbed at the back of his head
awkwardly and dropped his gaze to the side. “It’s more complicated than that.”
“…Is it because it’s Sunny?” she asked softly with an edge of pain to it. Her fingers
unconsciously curled against the fabric of her skirt. Hero didn’t miss it.
He shook his head quickly. “No! No, it’s nothing like that.” He paused, frowning. He didn’t
like that she was stepping on eggshells around him. “Mari, look… About all of, um, that,” he
waved his hand to motion to the thing troubling them, “I’m okay. Really. You don’t need to
worry about that.”
“But-” Mari tried to protest, but Hero shook his head as he took her hands and squeezed
them. His smile was soft and hopefully reassuring.
“I mean it. It’s okay. That and this are two separate things. I don’t want you to have to
constantly worry about it.” It was the main reason why he hadn’t told her anything about
Sunny and Basil. The fact that it had come out in the worst way possible was just a tragedy in
and of itself.
Her fingers curled against his as she worried her lower lip. Then she took a breath and let it
go through her nose. “If not that, then what is it?”
“If I’m honest, it’s because… Well, it’s something that hasn’t happened yet. And I’m waiting
to see what happens with that first.” He smiled with a wry twist of his lips. It felt good to
hold her hands again. Her worry was clearing into something more curious. “But I don’t mind
helping a little. A double date, you said? How will we get them to start seeing it like a date?”
He could tell she wanted to hear more about what he was talking about, but she let it slide to
focus on the present. “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. I’m not really sure Aubrey is
thinking about Sunny in that way… yet. I want to give Sunny some opportunities to show her
his good side without Basil or Kel there for distraction. And…” she leaned a little closer to
whisper, “we’ll give them some time alone if it starts to feel like the right kind of mood,
okay?”
Hero highly doubted Sunny or Aubrey had the ability to even make that kind of mood, but he
nodded in agreement. He would help to give little nudges and see what happened. It was kind
of interesting to get himself involved in this, and he thought that maybe it would be a good
opportunity to get closer to both Aubrey and Sunny. And if Mari wanted to have a little fun,
then Hero wasn’t going to stand in her way.
With that settled, the two finally headed into the dining room to join the others. Hero greeted
them both cheerfully as he put his backpack down and started to place his own notebooks and
textbooks on the table next to Mari’s stuff. If their friends had noticed how long the two of
them had taken at the door, neither of them pointed it out.
They settled in to really get started on their own study group, but were stopped before they
started as Mr. Aki entered the room from the kitchen. He blinked in surprise at the sight of
Hero and greeted him. “Hero, hello. I was not expecting you today.”
“Good afternoon, sir,” Hero greeted back warmly. “Mari invited me over to help with
tutoring.”
“I am glad to hear it,” he said with genuine affection as he approached to glance over Sunny’s
notes. They were a bit messy and had doodles on them in the margins, but they were
organized and Hero knew from reading them that Sunny tried his best. Though, admittedly,
some of the ways he took notes were incomprehensible to Hero. He seemed to randomly
color-coordinate parts using colored pens, and some of his shorthand was difficult to
understand. He supposed that all that mattered was that Sunny understood it. “I have noticed
that both Mari and Sunny’s grades have become better after they have started semi-frequent
study sessions with you.”
Hero flushed with pleasure at the unexpected compliment while Mari beamed at him. “Th-
Thanks! I mean, I try my best. Mari and I have similar classes, so we can help each other.
She’s been doing a lot to get me to understand stuff I didn’t know. And I’ve already been
helping Kel, so including Sunny, Aubrey, and Basil hasn’t been an issue. I’m just glad it’s
working.”
Mr. Aki nodded approvingly. “Thank you again. You have been a great teacher. Mari,” he
turned to his daughter and abruptly switched to Japanese as he motioned with his head to the
hallway, “一緒に来て.”
“はい、お父さん,” Mari responded before telling the others, “I’ll be right back! Continue
without me.” The three of them watched as father and daughter departed into what sounded
like the rear of the house before they turned back to each other.
Hero wondered if maybe there was something wrong. Mr. Aki’s words had seemed a little bit
stern, but that could’ve just been his voice. He didn’t know Japanese.
He got up to move behind Aubrey and Sunny so that he could help them out with any
questions they might have. “Sunny, did that sound like everything was alright?”
Sunny glanced up from his notebook and blinked at him before nodding. Hero could tell that
everything really was fine. Sunny didn’t have that tenseness that usually came when your
sibling was getting in trouble around company.
Hero relaxed a little at that. Maybe he should learn Japanese. If he was going to be together
with Mari in the long-run (and, God-willing, he planned to be) then it might be nice to learn
her native tongue. It could be a fun challenge either way. It was something to consider for the
future.
“Mr. Aki is right, though!” Aubrey suddenly spoke up then, grinning. “You really are a great
teacher, Hero! I’ve learned a lot whenever I actually get to study with you! Do you want to be
a teacher in the future?”
“A teacher?” Hero laughed a little. “No, I haven’t really thought about that.”
“You totally could be, though!” Her eyes were sparkling with excitement as she clenched her
fists in front of her chest. “You could be both smart and handsome! You’d be that teacher that
all the girls have a crush on, like Mr. Goretti!”
Sunny startled beside Aubrey and gave her a wide-eyed look that she didn’t seem to notice.
There was some distress there. Hero could laugh, but politely did not.
“Mr. Goretti? The music teacher, right?” he asked.
“Yeah! You remember him?”
“I wasn’t in his class, but I definitely saw him around. I guess he’s still popular with girls.”
“How can he not? He’s so cool and nice, and he’s really good-looking! I like his smile a lot!”
From what Hero could tell, Aubrey seemed more on the ‘appreciation’ side of liking Mr.
Goretti rather any kind of crush or attraction to him, but clearly Sunny hadn’t picked up on
that. He was shifting in his seat nervously with a frown on his face.
“Is that your type of guy?” the boy asked, quite bravely in Hero’s opinion. He had a serious
expression on his face.
Aubrey blinked at Sunny and then considered his words. “My type? Um… Well, he’s really
handsome… so, I guess?”
Sunny looked struck. Hero was starting to feel bad for him now.
He tried to play it off by asking with a teasing lilt, “So, you’re only interested in looks?
Wouldn’t that mean you’re attracted to me, since you just called me handsome?” He smiled at
her charmingly.
Sunny shot him a betrayed look, but Aubrey just made a face. “Ew, no!”
“H-Huh? Ew?” That startled him.
“You’re like my big brother, Hero! Gross! I wouldn’t have a crush on my big brother!” she
shook her head quickly, dramatically disgusted with the idea. “Besides, you’re dating Mari,
who’s like my big sister. I would never steal my sister’s boyfriend!”
She said it so emphatically that Hero couldn’t resist a laugh this time. He rubbed Aubrey’s
hair affectionately as he said, “I’m sure Mari would appreciate that. Did you really have to
say ‘ew’, though?”
Aubrey just rolled her eyes. “Don’t be gross and I won’t say ‘ew’ then.”
Fair enough. Hero patted Sunny reassuringly on the shoulder when Sunny had recovered. He
had a contemplative frown on his face now. Hero thought it might be best to try to focus on
work once more and directed them back to the books as he said,
“I don’t know about becoming a teacher, but I don’t mind being a tutor. Now, what can I help
you guys out with?”
Mari returned not long later with an assurance that her parents had just wanted to talk to her
for a few minutes before they all returned to what they were doing. Hero thought that it had
been a rather productive study session, but it was clear that Mari wasn’t making much
progress in her other plan. Aubrey, whether through sheer ignorance or disinterest, hadn’t
fallen into any of Mari’s “traps” as she had brought up various topics to try to give Sunny
some opportunities. She brought up romance movies, ideal dates (which Hero took note of;
he wasn’t about to miss a clue for a future date), and even crushes. Sunny had grown pink
throughout the discussions as he gave his older sister a narrow-eyed look when he realized
what she was doing, but he didn’t protest anything. Hero felt a little guilty for his role in all
of this, but he was mostly a bystander in it all.
Aubrey liked romance and the idea of falling in love, but she talked about it like it was a
thing distant from her right now. There were moments her eyes darted to Sunny as if self-
conscious of his presence, but otherwise she spoke about crushes and whatnot with a casual
air about her. Hero thought that was a pretty clear indicator that she didn’t yet have a crush,
but the possibility was there. And it was that possibility that Mari pursued.
Her hard work bore some results about an hour and a half into the study session. With just a
little bit of verbal maneuvering, she had gotten Sunny and Aubrey close as Sunny had
explained about his method of remembering history facts for a class both he and Aubrey had.
Aubrey had listened, enraptured, and Sunny had preened under her attentiveness. She seemed
to genuinely enjoy his help. The two of them hadn’t even realized they had begun to lean into
each other’s space as a comfortable and warm atmosphere built between them. Sunny’s
naturally soft voice had coaxed Aubrey to lean in, and soon their shoulders were touching as
Sunny pointed to his notes and showed her what he had been talking about. He glanced at the
girl when Aubrey wasn’t looking and appeared happy. And Aubrey, when Sunny wasn’t
looking, glanced back at him with a lingering gaze before she seemed to get embarrassed.
Mari shared a glance with Hero, delighted as she squeezed his knee, before the two of them
quietly slipped away into the kitchen under the guise of preparing snacks. Hero found himself
smiling from the entertainment of such a show as Mari giggled to herself and bumped her
shoulder to his side. She leaned against him and said, “Gosh, they’re so cute Hero!”
“I’m glad you managed it. I was so sure Aubrey was going to get suspicious before long,”
Hero told her back, hugging her hip as he basked in this closeness. The tension from earlier
was completely gone in the wake of just spending time together like this. Hero had almost
forgotten about how it felt. He followed Mari’s lead as she began to pull out a plate to put
some healthy veggies on. Hero grabbed the potato chips since he liked to have some
munchies when he was studying hard.
“I wasn’t sure if it would work!” She sighed and placed a hand on her cheek thoughtfully. “I
wonder if she’s really unaware?”
“I think she just doesn’t have a crush on anyone, honey.”
“Still! I can’t even imagine it. She’s always had such romantic ideas, and she doesn’t even
notice when people have a crush on her?”
“Well… you hardly noticed my crush on you,” he reminded her, dumping the chips into a big
bowl. Mari was putting carrots on a plate along with some grapes. She got out the cutting
board and grabbed a few apples and peaches to start cutting.
“That was different! You’ve always been the same silly boy!”
He wasn’t sure if that should be an insult or not. “I felt like I was totally obvious.”
“I felt the same way about me,” she wiggled her eyebrows at him before nudging him with an
elbow. “Maybe that’s just what happens when you fall for someone long before really
knowing you did?”
“Hmm… Maybe.” He didn’t exactly have a lot of experience with this since Mari was his
first and only love he’d experienced. His passing attraction to other women aside, that is.
Sunny was acting differently around Aubrey than he did in the past, if his memory was
correct. So, he wasn’t sure if that kind of logic would work for him. Would Aubrey suddenly
act differently if she realized she had a crush on Basil or Sunny? He imagined that Aubrey
would be cute while she was in love. Mari was certainly even prettier when she had that soft,
lovely look in her eyes. He tried to picture Aubrey with it before he started to feel weird
about it.
He shook his head. Now he understood what Aubrey meant when she said it was weird to
consider him in a romantic light. Aubrey wasn’t quite like a little sister to him, but it was
close to it. He’d rather not think too deeply about her being in love. She was just a kid. This
was the part where he was beginning to feel uncomfortable being involved with this.
He decided to change the topic, “What did your parents want to talk about?”
“Hm?” Mari put her weight on knife and sliced into the apple. “Oh, nothing serious. They
were actually asking me about possibly doing cram school next semester, like you said.”
“Oh. And?”
Mari didn’t respond for a moment as she continued the apple slicing. Hero decided to assist
with doing the other fruits as he waited. “I don’t really know if I need it, if I’m honest. But
they said it would look good on college transcripts, and it would be good when I start doing
the SATs… So, I said yes.”
“Even though you don’t know if you need it?” Hero questioned with a glanced at her from
the corner of his eyes.
“What did you do when you got into college?” she asked instead suddenly. “You didn’t do
cram school, right?”
“No, nothing like that. I, uh, applied for a lot of scholarships. And I had a lot of different
extracurricular stuff under my belt.” He counted them off on his juice-sticky fingers, “I joined
the math team for a while, won a state spelling bee, debate team, volunteer work, a couple of
different smaller competitions that I think looked good for college… and I had my
certification in first aid, which I think helped too.” Mari stared at him long enough that he
started to feel a little self-conscious. “Wh-What?”
“It’s just… Wow. Hero, you’re so amazing,” she said sounding a mixture of awed, jealous,
and flirtatious all at the same time. Hero flushed. “You really did all of that in only a few
years?”
He opened and closed his mouth a couple times, debating on telling her the truth versus
retaining this flirty mood. He settled for somewhere in the middle, “There were a lot of things
I wanted to try. You really think it’s impressive?”
“Very,” she crooned, leaning into his space. “Maybe this time around I’ll be here to cheer you
on while you do all of it, hm?”
“I don’t think I’ll be going for all of them again,” he responded truthfully as he kept his tone
light. He planned to have other things he wanted to do in this life. “But I’ll probably do a
couple. Some of those things you might even enjoy.”
“You’ll have to tell me about them soon.” With that, she broke the spell. Hero was a little
disappointed. He missed that closeness already as she began to turn the apple slices into little
rabbits like Aubrey always loved. They were adorable. He wanted to kiss her, but resisted this
time. The idea of dates lingered in his mind.
He should take her on a date soon. They hadn’t been on a proper one since… Well, too long.
At-home dates were nice, but going places was better.
“So…” Mari pulled him from his thoughts with a light tone that suggested cautious verbal
stepping, “can I know what your… complicated reasons that you mentioned earlier are?”
He had to think back for a moment to figure out what she was talking about before he
remembered. He debated telling her, but decided it was okay to mention now. She already
knew the heavier half to the truth anyway. He didn’t like bringing up the past at all, but
maybe he could keep it short and simple for now. No point in diving too deep today.
“Like I said before, this little love triangle’s going to become a square. And… I wanna cheer
Kel on, you know? Especially since…” he placed aside the pit of the peach before putting the
peach slices on the plate, “especially since Kel’s love didn’t work out last time.”
He saw the moment the puzzle pieces clicked in her head. She had to put the knife and fruit
down as she clenched her fists against the counter. It was clear this was leaving her just as
shaken as Hero. “Oh… Oh… When you said it didn’t work out, you meant…”
She looked at him a little desperately. “Were Sunny and Kel…?”
“No.” He shook his head, voice soft. “No. Not when Sunny had never come out of the house.
Kel just… realized too late, is all.”
He didn’t understand what she said since it was in Japanese, but Hero recognized aggrieved
cursing when he heard it.
“Anyway,” he tried to lighten up the atmosphere, “I want to try to help Kel this time around. I
feel like I, um, at least owe that to him considering what happened.”
“Henry,” she shot a look at him, “it’s not your fault.”
He ignored her and went to wash his hands and their large knives now that Mari was just
using a smaller knife for her detail work. Her eyes bore into the side of his face. “But don’t
think I’m not going to support the others too. I’m rooting for Kel, but I want Sunny and
Aubrey both to choose for themselves. It feels weird to stick my nose in too deep anyway.”
She was still displeased, but she let it go for the sake of peace. “I’ll help you, then. Does Kel
know yet?”
“Oh no,” Hero shook his head, shoulders relaxing as they drifted into safer waters, “he’s
nowhere close. Though now that I know it’s there, I can see the beginnings of it. I don’t think
romance is in my twelve-year-old brother’s mind yet when it’s too full of games and having
fun.”
Mari laughed a little. “I can see that. Then, I’ll help when he does realize. Until then, I’ll
support Sunny.”
“Don’t stress yourself out over helping Kel.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I might get that double-wedding yet, hee hee!”
“I’d prefer a solo wedding, though,” he murmured to himself, cheeks a little warm.
Mari’s eyes danced with amusement when their gazes met. He knew she had heard him, but
she didn’t respond. Nevertheless, there were smiles on both of their faces. He didn’t know if
she knew just how serious he was about eventually marrying her, but he figured it would be
best to keep them as light ‘jokes’ for now. Maybe next year he can start sounding a little more
serious. It would be nice to see her get flustered a bit more often. She was so cute when she
had rosy cheeks.
Chapter End Notes
一緒に来て = Come with me.

はい、お父さん = Yes, father
Break Time
It seemed that no matter how familiar he was with the content he was working with, projects
and essays assigned to Hero as end-of-the-year requirements would still consume most of his
time. While he wasn’t the only one suffering from all of the last minute work, he certainly
felt the strain of that final push before they would all burst forth past the finish line and dive
head first into summer.
Playing and hanging out had been placed aside by everyone as they had needed to study and
prepare for their finals. Summer was right around the corner, but there was still enough
school left that they couldn’t slack off quite yet. Hero was actually rather proud of his
productivity having finished his stuff earlier than he expected, but that didn’t mean he was
free to do whatever he wanted. He had extra credit, and this damned art project to finish for
his portfolio. He didn’t mind drawing, but he wouldn’t say he was great at it. At least it was
recognizable for what it was?
His desk was covered with bits of construction paper, a drop of glue, and various crafting
supplies around him as he just tried to get his work done. He needed to turn this in by
tomorrow, but he had yet to settle on a design that he liked. It was the final piece of his
portfolio, though, so he just needed to finish it. He wished that he liked it more.
He glared dolefully at the tiny triangle of green construction paper stuck to the tip of his
finger from the glue. He felt like he had been stuck inside for an unbearably long time, which
was a newer experience for him. He was used to staying at home and working on projects,
and homework, and studying, and reading. He’d never had much of a problem with it before
but… Well, he had gotten used to going outside and exercising and hanging with his friends
again.
He still got to see Mari every day at school, of course, since they rode the bus together and
had a class and lunch together. But it wasn’t quite the same as going to the park or a walk
around the neighborhood. He hadn’t seen Sunny except from afar, and Aubrey and Basil have
been all but absent. He knew his younger friends sometimes got together to do homework,
but they all had their own individual projects to do too. School was simply keeping them too
busy.
Hero blew a strand of hair from his eyes as he peeled the paper from his finger only to get it
stuck on his thumb. The glue peeled off like a layer of dead skin. He started picking at it idly
as his thoughts drifted.
If he wasn’t busy with school, he was doing chores or jobs around the neighborhood. With
summer coming up and knowing that he’ll have a lot more free time on his hands, he had
wanted to start expanding his wallet while he could. He had already paid back his dad for the
Christmas gift he had given Mari and had even convinced him to start giving him a weekly
allowance for the work he did around the house. And outside of the chores around the house,
he was mowing lawns on Saturdays and Sundays, running errands for the Charlene’s mom
down the street since most of her children had moved out and Charlene was too painfully shy
to handle talking with people, and going around the neighborhood picking up trash as
volunteer work for the recycling people who had started to come to visit.
Hero liked to keep busy for various reasons, but even he was starting to get worn out from
working so much. He was daydreaming of laying in the grass with Mari like he used to. He
missed the treehouse where they all used to hang out. He was looking forward to the beach
trip that they all got the parents to agree to, pending everyone’s finals went well. He needed
it.
Until then, though, he would just have to power through. Just a bit longer, and then he would
be free of his freshman year. He had all summer to look forward to, including their beach trip,
the museum, the lake, watermelon, the treehouse…
He smiled to himself. So many sweet memories to remake. He wondered if he could make

them even better this year than they were the last time?
First, though, this stupid art project.
Hero bit his lip as he got back to work for the next fifteen minutes. He was making pretty
good progress and was kind of liking how this piece was turning out. His mood was getting a
bit better as his confidence grew as long as he didn’t think about how ugly the piece was
overall. He didn’t really understand what artists got out of these collages or how they put any
importance into them. Hero wished that he could just doodle and use a pencil for all of his
projects instead of using different mediums like the teacher insisted, but he had already
finished his drawings. All he had left was this construction paper monster, which was
preferable to the disaster that had been his attempt at stamp-making. He just needed another
half hour, and he would be done-
“AAAAAAAAAAARGH!” Kel’s growling yell of frustration made Hero jump, hitting his
knee on his desk and knocking over the bowl of his paper scraps. He yelped and scrambled to
catch and recover what he could of the damage before the papers could fly everywhere, but
the damage was done. Worse yet, some bits got into his glue. He could pull them off, but they
would just mess with the overall project. Dammit!
He spun around in his chair, irritated at the mess, to see Kel’s limbs flailing from where he
was at his own desk. It was covered with his books as he was writing his book report, but
clearly it wasn’t going well. The boy tilted and slipped boneless to the ground with a low
whining moan. Only his legs were left draped over his chair as he stretched out his arms over
his head and drummed at the bottom of his bed frame.
“I can’t take this anymore!” he announced loudly when he noticed that he had caught Hero’s
attention. He hit the wooden frame to punctuate his frustration. “I can’t! Take! This! Any!
MORE!”
“Go somewhere else and complain about it, Kel,” Hero told him shortly, unsympathetic.
Book reports were no fun, but that’s what Kel got for procrastinating. Hero didn’t have the
patience left to deal with his brother being a grump when Hero himself wasn’t in the best of
moods either. Ugh, how could he work around this stupid mistake to make this work…?
“Don’t be like that! Let’s go somewhere! I’m bored and need a break!” Kel hopped up from
his position and threw himself at Hero’s back, gripping his shoulders which he used as
support while he hopped up and down. Hero tried to wave him off, but Kel continued to
bother him more as he pinched Hero’s cheeks and tugged on them. “Come onnnnnnnn!!”
“Kel!” Hero complained, yanking himself from Kel’s grip and rubbing at his cheeks. “Just do
your work!”
“Noooo! I need a mental break!” He deftly dodged out of Hero’s reach when Hero made a
grab for him, fully prepared to get his revenge. The brothers circled each other, hands shaped
like claws in preparation of grabbing. “You told me yourself that sometimes you gotta take a
break so that your brain comes back refreshed! Well, I need a break! My brain’s fried!”
Hero lunged at him and caught his brother’s hands. The two of them struggled, though Hero
didn’t put his all into it like Kel was. He was giving his brother a fighting chance as they
pushed and pulled in an “even” match between them. Kel gritted his teeth and tried to use his
strength to walk Hero back and down onto the bed, but Hero dug his feet in against the
floorboards and kept them at a stalemate.
Kel had a point. Breaks were definitely necessary, and Kel had been going at his book project
for almost as long as Hero had been working today. It was still daylight out, though the sun
was starting to go down. The days lasted longer as they approached the summer, so they still
had about an hour and a half of daylight left. Maybe they actually could go out and do
something for a bit before they were stuck in the house for the rest of the night.
“...Alright, fine,” he said as he overpowered Kel and forced him to the floor as Kel screamed
and yelled. He sat triumphantly on his brother’s stomach, beaming and pinning him as he
straddled him. Kel kicked and tried to get him off, but Hero was a steel wall, proud of his
win. He would soak in this ability to overpower his little brother while he was still small
enough to easily do it. Once Kel’s puberty hit him in full force, it would be harder to wrestle
with him like this. “We can ask and see if we can go to the park for a little bit while the sun’s
still out.”
Kel stopped fussing immediately and beamed. “Heck yeah! Alright, bro, let’s go let’s go let’s
go!”
Hero gave Kel a playful pull of his own cheeks in revenge for earlier before finally letting
him up. Kel grumbled but was more focused on getting out of the house as he grabbed his
socks and basketball before dashing out of the room. Hero hadn’t even had the chance to pull
on his own socks before he was long gone.
It was a nice day out as the brothers exited the house bouncing the basketball back and forth
between the two of them. Hero felt a sense of relief come over him to finally be free and
know that he had a couple of hours to just… relax for a bit. Kel was right: they both needed
this.
His brother was yammering on about something or another, but Hero was only half-paying
attention as he felt his mind abruptly focus like a camera lens to bring an image into clear
view. Not all that long ago – or, rather, over half year now, right? Time seemed to go by so
fast while barely moving at all – Hero had dreaded walking around Faraway Town like this.
He had always liked his neighborhood and its familiar streets and sidewalks, but it was
exactly because they were so familiar that he had hated them. This neighborhood was painted
in the colors of his memories with his friends. While it had been nice to see those colors even
without Mari’s beautiful purple for his most recent memories, it had overall ended up
crushing his heart when his world had inevitably been painted in greyscale at the loss of
everyone he had loved so dearly.
When had those vivid colors returned? He distinctly remembered feeling sick of the greys
when he had first come back in time. When had that changed?
“You got that weird look on your face again, bro,” Kel pointed out, snapping Hero back to
what was going on in front of him as they entered the park. Kel held his ball on his head and
watched him with shrewd eyes that picked up more than most people assumed they did.
“What’cha thinking about?”
“Oh… Nothing in particular,” Hero lied as he glanced around Faraway Park with a new
appreciation. He could feel life in the air. He breathed in the nostalgic scents of fresh grass,
dirt, and water on the breeze. The sun had warmed the streets, which were damp from a
sudden rain that had hit a couple hours ago. He could smell the street because of it, and saw
the haze of water shifting in the air just above the end of the road in the distance – a mirage
brought on by the elements. He remembered being a little kid and running to try to catch the
“invisible water” from that mirage.
Kel lowered his ball as Hero’s gaze returned back to him. He had a serious expression on his
face, startling his older brother. “Are you sure? You’ve been better, but… I know something’s
wrong with you. Do you want to talk about it?”
Hero shook his head. “It’s not…” Lying wouldn’t work. Kel was oblivious sometimes, but he
wasn’t stupid. It was hard not to notice what had happened the other week. He had noticed
how strange Hero had been for a while now, but had brushed it aside as Hero changing as he
got older. This was too much, though. He was worrying everyone. He hated making people
worry for him. “It’s… complicated. For a lot of reasons. I can’t really talk about it.”
“Not even to Mom and Dad?” he asked. “Or to Mari? Though, Mom said that Mari was the
one who made you sad.”
He huffed a laugh and walked towards the basketball court. “That’s not, um, wrong. But it’s
not right either. It’s not Mari’s fault.”
“Well yeah, I got that. You two are still being gross together. So, what actually happened?”
They reached the court where Kel bounced the ball to Hero. Hero held it for a few moments,
contemplating his words. Then he began to bounce the ball in short, staccato drops. “I had a
nightmare,” he explained, staring at the ball. “And in that nightmare, everything was wrong. I
lost almost everyone I cared about because of my own actions. And I felt like I would never
be happy again.”
Kel’s eyebrows furrowed. “Huh?”

Hero turned to the basketball hoop and took a shot. It fell short. Kel ran to snatch the ball
before it got far, but he didn’t take a shot yet. He was watching Hero.
Hero wasn’t sure what kind of expression he was making. “We’re still kids,” he said, “so
things feel so far away from us. College, jobs, marriage… life after school… sickness…
death… They all don’t feel real. But there are some things that can’t be predicted or stopped.
And things I can’t change even now. It makes me wonder what it means that I’m here, and
that I survived.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “And sometimes things just get too hard
on me, Kel. That nightmare… was so real. I wish I could forget it and go back to being
ignorant. I wish I could go back to a time from before I had that nightmare. And sometimes I
almost feel like I do, but I can’t stop my brain from snapping right back to this moment right
now. And I’m forced to remember that I’m not the same even though it feels like everyone
else is. You know?”
Kel stared at him. Hero waited. Then Kel said, “I don’t get what you’re saying at all.”
He sighed. “Never mind,” he shook his head. “Like I said, it’s complicated.”
“I don’t really get what you’re talking about,” Kel said as he approached Hero and patted his
arm reassuringly, “but it sounds like you just had a really scary nightmare. Don’t worry,
man!” He beamed brightly. “Even nightmares fade away in time! You’ll forget all about it.
And if you don’t, the feelings will at least go away!”
He turned then and shot the ball. It hit the backboard and fell through the hoop. Hero caught
it as it bounced towards him. He passed it back to Kel for another shot. “Those things about
death and sickness and stuff might be able to hit us at any time, but that’s the truth for
everyone,” the boy continued, gauging where he wanted to shoot from. “Scary stuff happens
to people all the time, but thinking about it constantly will just get depressing. You gotta learn
to move on and accept things as they are. There’s no time like the present, right?” He shot the
ball again and landed it once more. The early evening sunlight made strands of his brown
hair burn red as he smiled at his brother. “You get so stuck in your head sometimes Hero that
you just forget how to live. Just live, bro! Isn’t it more fun than worrying about stuff all the
time? Like you said, we aren’t gonna be young forever!”
Hero had never particularly understood how Kel could be so positive like that. Mari was like
a light to him and their friend group, but Kel had always been so steadfastly straightforward
that it was hard to disagree with him in times like these. Was this the mentality that had
allowed Kel to accept Mari’s death and move on when everyone else had been bogged down
in their grief? Was it the right way to view the world? Was Hero’s the wrong way? He
supposed that was all just a matter of opinion. But he could appreciate Kel’s thinking, so he
would give his advice some consideration.
“I guess you’re right,” Hero agreed as he caught the ball before Kel could complete his shot.
He smiled as he twisted away from Kel grabbing at him to try to steal the ball back and took
the shot for himself. He barely made it in this time. “I think it’s about time I focus on kicking
your butt at HORSE anyway!”
“The heck you are!” Kel cried, rising to the challenge as he grinned. “You might have the
height, but I’m better than you at basketball! I bet I could make it from half-court if I wanted
to!”
“Put your money where your mouth is. Come on! We’re on a time limit!”
“Let’s go then!”
A break and playing around did much to help to clear Hero’s head after days, weeks, and
months of working so hard. Just a short break was nice before he had to get back to work. He
wondered if he would ever really be able to enjoy the world like Kel did. He wondered if he
even deserved to do so.
But that wondering was to be put aside for later. For now, Hero decided to just live in the
moment and forget everything else. Nothing like a fun game with his little brother to take his
mind off of things for a while.
5/25
Chapter Notes
Happy birthday, Sunny! I wish I could've made it to your birthday for this chapter, but
we're still a while away from it. Ah well :/ Another time!
Finals being over meant there was only one way to truly celebrate: a day out at the park! The
sun was shining brightly with barely a cloud in the sky when everyone had arrived and
promptly scattered to go play. They weren’t the only kids on the playground as the park was
full of fellow schoolmates getting out all of the energy that had been forced towards
academics. They had to dodge around balls being thrown, children running about playing tag,
and toddlers stumbling their ways on wobbly feet to playground equipment with their
parents.
The high mood of all of his friends was infectious, bringing a smile to Hero’s face as he
pulled his baseball cap on to help with some of the heat. They’d brought toys of their own to
play with, but it was abandoned in an impromptu game that started when Kel had snatched
Mr. Plantegg from Aubrey and proceeded to take off running. It became a game of trying to
catch the little fiend that had ended with Mari tackling him and tumbling in the dirt. The two
of them beamed as Kel tried to fight back, but Mari had the big sibling instinct in her as well.
Years of growing up with Kel meant she knew how to handle him almost as well as Hero did,
and a tickling could go a long way to get Kel to stop.
Despite his failure, Kel wasn’t one to be dissuaded or calmed easily. As soon as he had
caught his breath and was raring to go again, he was climbing a tree and calling for Basil to
snap a picture of him with the camera the boy had brought in anticipation of spending all day
outside with his friends. Hero didn’t know where Kel got the energy, but he was impressed
nonetheless as he collapsed on the bench and pulled his hat off to fan himself.
Sunny joined him a moment later, breathing more ragged than Hero’s was. Sunny hated
exercise as much as Hero used to hate exercise (and he still didn’t like it now; it was more of
a necessary evil that had sprouted as one of his coping mechanisms to fend off his
depression) but he had still participated in trying to catch Kel. He was sweating buckets now,
face practically melting from the exertion.
“Here,” Hero said with some alarm, genuinely worried that his poor friend was going to
collapse as he grabbed one of the water bottles from the cooler he and Mari had packed and
passed it to Sunny, “you should drink. It’s hot out today.”
“Thank you,” Sunny panted while he took the bottle and opened it to drink. Hero almost
warned him not to chug it too quickly, but it was already too late. He ended up choking and
needing Hero to pound on his back a bit as he coughed. It reminded Hero of too many
unwelcome near-drownings on Sunny’s part. “I’m okay,” the boy choked out after a moment.
“Drinking slower is better,” Hero scolded him lightly. “There’s more water if you need it.”
Sunny just nodded and drank a bit slower. His eyes were on Aubrey and Mari, who had
started throwing the softball back and forth. There was a bat laying nearby that told him they
were going to start practicing with it. It was good to see Mari playing the sport that she liked
again, even if she couldn’t fully participate in it. It was just a shame about her knee.
Hero startled then as a thought thunderbolted from the sky into his head. He stiffened with a
serious frown on his face. Mari’s bad knee… He remembered that even though the injury had
happened last year, she had gained her movement back over time. But the knee was still a
cause of struggle for her when overworked or if she moved the wrong way. He still
remembered climbing the stairs at school with her and her twisting in a way that had her
hissing and needing a moment to recover. Hero’d had to help her to the nurse’s office so she
could get some ice despite her insisting it just happened sometimes. He didn’t know why he
hadn’t thought about it until now, but… was that possibly one of the reasons she had gone
down the stairs?
He could easily picture it. Mari and Sunny were fighting at the top, and all it took was one
wrong movement from Mari and her knee would give out. Was it possible that Sunny hadn’t
pushed her? Had she just fallen because her knee had given out at the wrong time? Or had
Sunny pushed her and she couldn’t catch herself because of her knee?
It made him feel sick. Is it possible that Mari’s death was inevitable? Was it an event just
waiting to happen? One day her knee could give out on her and take her down the stairs no
matter what Hero did or how hard he tried-
A warm hand touched his arm. His skin was a little clammy from the cold sweat he had
broken out in. He looked at Sunny, who stared at him with worried eyes. The boy was
frowning, eyebrows pinched, as he looked Hero over. “Hero,” he said after a moment,
“what’s wrong?”
He couldn’t find his voice to speak. His fingers curled into a fist on his legs. White noise
buzzed in his ears as his mind played the image of Mari falling again and again.
God, what if Sunny really hadn’t pushed her? What if it had truly been accidental and Basil
had just assumed…? But then, why would they go through the effort to cover it up? It didn’t
make sense.
Maybe Mari’s knee had nothing to do with it. Maybe Hero was overthinking it.
He would warn Mari to be careful anyway.
The hand on his arm squeezed now to pull him back once more. Sunny had gotten up to stand
in front of Hero now. He had grabbed one of the water bottles and pressed it to Hero’s head
and neck, trying to cool him. He looked really worried now as he glanced over his shoulder,
no doubt considering if he needed to run and get Mari. Why was it that he could think in this
kind of situation?
Because he’s not panicking, Hero’s brain provided for him, medical knowledge kicking in.
Ah, right, right. Panic would cause anyone’s brain to scramble. Right.
“Hero, you’re pale. Are you overheated? What’s wrong?” Sunny asked again, starting to get
freaked out now.
Hero blinked a few times as alarms went off in his head. He was worrying his friend. He
couldn’t keep thinking about these things. He had to focus on the present.
“I’m okay,” Hero hurried to assure him, taking the water bottle. He ignored the fine tremors
in his hands as he opened the bottle and took a swift gulp. “I’m alright. Uh, I think the heat
was just getting to me too. It’s pretty hot for May, huh? Summer’s really right around the
corner.”
Sunny didn’t look totally reassured, but one of his good points was that he rarely pressed
about these kinds of things. He just looked relieved that Hero seemed to be alright. He still
grabbed Hero’s hat from the bench and used it to fan him just in case, though. Hero’s smile
was grateful and a little awkward in return.
He quickly tried to push past this subject, “With it getting so hot, maybe we can start
swimming over at our secret spot? I’m sure your dad will appreciate us not using the hose
this summer and running up the water bill, right?”
The topic switch worked. Sunny’s expression lightened and he nodded in agreement.
“Swimming sounds fun… I don’t think I’ve swam in a lake before.”
“You have! Though, I guess you and Kel were pretty small back then. You probably don’t
remember, right?” Which was surprising for Hero since Sunny’s memory was well-known
among their group for being great, but he could give him the benefit of the doubt. He’d just
been a little kid back then. Hero himself barely remembered it.
“We did?” he asked with a tilt of his head.
Hero nodded and grabbed Sunny’s wrist to stop the fanning. He thanked him before taking
the hat and putting it back on his head. Instead of just sitting around and talking, though, he
felt antsy. He had to keep his thoughts away from that past while he could. Movement would
help. Busy body, busy mind. So, he got up and started walking towards the jungle gym.
Sunny followed along automatically.
“Yeah! Remember when our families would sometimes go together to the mountains? I think
because of your mom’s connections or something? We went up with Aubrey, uh, a couple
years ago I think?” Sunny nodded. Hero grabbed the ladder of the jungle gym and climbed up
while waiting for Sunny. The boy followed a moment later. “Well, one time we took some
kind of car ride to this, like, lake beach thing. I don’t remember a lot about it since me and
Mari were little too, but I remembered playing with you guys there! Any of it ringing a bell?”
Sunny thought about it while Hero moved out of the way of some kids hurrying to use the
tunnel slide. He tried not to think about how the last time he had been here, he’d had that
terrible talk with Mari. He tried instead to focus on how pretty she’d looked with her hair
splayed below her, and the taste of her chapstick on his lips as the sound of rain had fallen
around them.
He grabbed onto the sliding pole and prepared to go down it to escape it all. Sunny wasn’t
responding, but he sometimes needed a minute. So, Hero slid down. And soon Sunny was
taking the baby slide down after him. They met back on the ground to continue their talk.
“I remember little fish,” Sunny finally said as they abandoned the jungle gym and headed for
the monkey bars. Kel had joined Aubrey and Mari’s batting practice as the one to grab the
ball that Aubrey hit after Mari threw it. Basil was nearby looking over his camera
thoughtfully. “And trying to catch one. I think they were minnows?”
“I think I remember that too,” Hero beamed as they reached the monkey bars. “We all tried to
get them. Mari ended up catching some in a cup. You and Kel both cried when we had to put
them back.”
“Did we really?” Sunny looked a bit embarrassed. His eyes were watching Hero closely,
though, as Hero grabbed onto the monkey bars, using his height to easily reach it. Sunny had
to climb the short ladder to join him. He swung on his bar as Hero hooked his legs over one
of the bars and hung. It brought a big smile to his face. He had grown too big to do this by the
time he was seventeen. He had forgotten the simple thrill of being able to just hang upside
down.
“Yeah,” he said as he pushed his shirt, which had pooled under his arms, out of his face. His
hat slipped from his head and landed in the sand. “It’s all coming back to me now. Kel threw
a tantrum over it. I remember thinking it was annoying.”
Sunny’s mouth quirked a bit in amusement. Hero beamed back, ready to tell a story about
another time Kel had annoyed him, when he heard Mari call out, “Whooooa! Hero, put those
things away~!” in a sing-song voice. He could see her smirk even from as far away as she
was. He rolled his eyes in response but pulled himself up and dropped back to the ground. He
blinked away the dizziness of the blood rushing through his body as he gave Mari a long
look. She just laughed at him and turned back to Aubrey when the girl called for her to throw
the ball again. Hero noticed that Basil had gotten up and was headed towards him and Sunny.
“Um,” Sunny started, catching Hero’s attention. He hesitated before saying, “Hero, I…”
Hero blinked at him. “What’s up?” Sunny sounded unsure. His cheeks were pink, but that
could be the heat. He wasn’t meeting Hero’s gaze as instead his eyes drifted over to Mari and
Aubrey again. Some kind of determination crossed his features before he faced Hero again
with some more courage.
“Hero, how can I be handsome too?”
The abrupt question smacked Hero so hard out nowhere with its silliness that Hero almost
laughed. But he managed to catch himself before he did. His amused and confused grin didn’t
manage to get restrained as easily, though. “H… Handsome? What do you, uh, mean?”
Sunny’s hand tightened on the bar of the monkey bars. He was clearly embarrassed but was
pushing through it. “Aubrey… She… said she likes…”
“Oh,” he said in understanding.
“Yeah,” Sunny’s cheeks turned redder. “So… How do I… I want to…”
He… admittedly wasn’t sure how to handle this kind of thing. He’d never been asked about
beauty tips, of all things. He didn’t think Sunny cared. Hell, Hero hadn’t even known that
Sunny had liked Aubrey in the previous timeline. He doubted that his changes had caused
Sunny to develop the crush, but why was he suddenly coming to Hero about this kind of
thing now? Was this because Hero had made changes? He had worked hard to try to become
closer to Sunny. There were a few events he could think of that weren’t the same as the last
timeline, he was pretty sure. If this really was the result of his actions, it made him feel rather
proud.
Fond affection hummed in his chest as his amusement changed into something a little more
sincere. Sunny was like his little brother, and his little brother was having relationship
troubles. There were only so many things he could go to his elder sister over. Hero could just
imagine how embarrassed he would’ve been if he’d had to go to Mari for advice on this.
Hero loved Mari a lot, but sometimes she wasn’t the best choice for this stuff. Sunny wanted
a guy’s advice.
He tried his hardest not to find this situation funny. He didn’t want Sunny to think he was
making fun of him. Hero himself used to be in Sunny’s position of wanting to impress the girl
he liked, after all. He could at least try to help.
He still said a quiet apology to Kel in his head, though.
“Well… I think whatever you’re doing now is fine in terms of becoming more ‘handsome’,”
he offered. “I think the ‘handsome’ that Aubrey was referring to… isn’t exactly something
you can just do to become like that?”
Sunny deflated a little, frowning. Hero hurried to continue,
“B-but you can try to do things to impress her! Looks are one thing, Sunny, but that’s not
what keeps girls around! You gotta focus on personality!”
“But,” Sunny protested as he looked Hero up and down. Hero wondered exactly how Sunny
saw him, “girls like hot guys… right? Is it your charm?”
“If it was my charm, then Mari would fall for it more. She tells me all the time she doesn’t
like me for my charm. And Aubrey said ‘ew’ last time to me.”
Sunny nodded in acquiesce, thoughtful. “Then… my body?”
“Your body?”
“Muscle, maybe. You work out.”
Hero didn’t think he was going to get very far with trying to reason with Sunny like this. He
was being oddly stubborn about this train of thought. Hero really wanted to explain that it
truly wasn’t all about looks and that forming a relationship just based on how attractive a
person was seemed really shallow, but he wasn’t sure if Sunny was mature enough to
understand that. His head seemed stuck on Aubrey’s kind of careless remark about liking
handsome people. He hadn’t understood that she wasn’t interested in romance with someone
at the moment.
So, Hero decided to just support Sunny’s decisions. The boy would learn on his own through
trial and error. That was how Hero did it, and that was honestly sometimes the best way to go
about it.
“Do you want to try working out with me, then? I can teach you some beginner stuff,” he
suggested as Basil finally joined them. The others weren’t far behind. None of them had
heard what they were talking about. “It’s not much, but you could get fit too. Though, don’t
follow after Kel. He’s a whole other level.”
Sunny shook his head quickly in understanding. “What about me?” Kel called as he ran and
jumped to grab one of the monkey bars. His leap was just high enough to manage it with his
height.
“Nothing, Kel. I’m going to show Sunny some exercises. Maybe you can try them too,” he
gave his brother a teasing tap of his fist to his bare stomach. Kel kicked at him, making Hero
grunt as he got his chest.
“Exercises?” Mari said with surprise and interest. “What kind?”
“Pull-ups,” Sunny declared, already eying the monkey bars.
“Pull-ups? Well… okay. I can do a couple of those,” Hero said, considering the bars as well.
He hadn’t done them in a long time, but he was sure he had the arm strength to do a few.
Mari watched him with sharper interest now, smile teasing on her lips.
“Whoa, can you really?” Basil asked. “I tried to do some in gym for the fitness exam, but I
couldn’t manage one.”
“There’s no way!” Kel said, sticking his tongue out as he hooked his legs on the bar and
pulled himself up to sit on the top of the monkey bars. “Hero could barely run five feet
before!”
“That’s an exaggeration!” Hero protested.
“And what does running have to do with pull-ups anyway, Kel?” Aubrey asked with some
exasperation.
“I’m saying he sucks at exercise!” Kel said.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Hero muttered under his breath. And then, louder, “Fine
then. Check this out!”
He had a point to prove now with his pride on the line. He grabbed the bar underhanded and
proceeded to manage three trembling pull-ups to the impressed cries of his friends. Inspired
by Hero’s success, everyone else then began to compete and give it their own shots.
However, only Mari managed even one as the younger kids were left hanging and kicking
their feet with frustration. Even with Sunny’s firm determination to prove himself, it simply
wasn’t enough to give him the upper body strength necessary to do a pull-up.
One thing led to another then as the kids began to show off in different ways just to show that
they were good at other things. Hero found himself to be the person of envy as he managed to
show off that his stamina had increased, even if he couldn’t keep up with Kel’s sheer speed.
In return for him showing off, though, he was forced into piggybacking Aubrey as Kel
insisted on carrying Sunny. It ended up with Kel and Sunny both faceplanting in the grass
when Kel tripped under Sunny’s weight, and the moment was caught by Basil on camera to
the delight of everyone. The boy really had become more enthusiastic about his pictures.
Hero was sure that the album in this lifetime would be even more vibrant.
The group continued to play for the rest of the day, stopping for a picnic before Mari offered
to buy them all popsicles to help them all cool off. Hero wouldn’t forget the flavor of the root
beer popsicle on his tongue as they hung out around the fountain at the Faraway Plaza and
tried not to let their rapidly-melting treats get all over their clothes.
Summer truly was in the air, and the flavor of popsicles only made them all think of it as they
talked about the end of school and what was to come. Basil seemed to find it an ideal time to
ask, “Are we going to try to go to the beach this summer? Um, I know we talked about it
before.”
“YEAH!” Kel cried. “The beach! We have to go! I’ve been dying to go for months now!”
“The beach sounds so fun! Do you think we could really go?” Aubrey asked, looking
between the two eldest children eagerly.
“I think we could!” Mari said. “I know our parents were already discussing it! We could ask
if they could take us?” She glanced at Hero to be sure.
“I don’t see why not. Though, we’ll have to figure out how we’ll all get there. I think Dad’s
been wanting to go anyway?” He remembered last time that it had ended up being a bit of a
group trip to the beach. Sunny and Mari’s parents, along with Kel and Hero’s parents, had
been the escorts that had left the kids to enjoy the beach while they went off on a double date
for a while. A few hours alone wasn’t any trouble that Hero could remember. He was sure the
same thing could happen in this lifetime too. If he needed to hint to Dad that it was a good
chance to romance Mom at the beach, then all the better. Hero had been wanting to go to the
beach for a while too.
“Wonderful!” Mari clapped her hands together in delight before squeaking as some popsicle
juice dripped onto her knee. She used her thumb to swipe it up and lick it clean. “We can talk
to the parents about an official date!”
“I’m so excited!!” Kel shoved his popsicle in his mouth and pumped his fists.
“The sand, the water, the sun…!” Aubrey’s eyes sparkled with her joy as she did a spin. “We
can build sandcastles, and search for shells, and it’ll be the perfect place to take pictures!”
“Watermelon too!” Basil added, sharing her smile.
“Yeah! Watermelon too! Ooh, I can’t wait!”
“Not only that,” Hero said, “but there’s the museum and butterfly garden to consider.”
The girl gasped. “That’s right! Are we still going?”
“Mom agreed to take us as a reward for if Kel did well on his exams.” Hero leaned back on
his hand as he smiled a little mischievously at Kel. “So, it’s all on him.”
“You’d better not have failed, Kel!” Aubrey immediately accused, pointing at him sharply.
“I’ll hit you if you do!”
“Why do you just assume I failed?!” Kel demanded with offense. “I totally passed my exams!
They were easy-peasy!”
“Easy-peasy?” Mari asked with a raised eyebrow. “Kel, that’s high confidence from you!”
Kel beamed proudly. “I’ve been working hard! Right Hero? Tell them!”
“It’s true,” Hero agreed, glowing with pride for his little brother. “Kel’s been doing great.”
“Good enough to pass?” Aubrey asked with some skepticism.
“Have some faith in me!” Kel demanded.
“You haven’t earned it!” she huffed.
“Aubrey, be nice,” Mari scolded gently. “Kel’s been working really hard. I’m sure he did
great!”
“THANK you, Mari!” Kel stuck his tongue out at Aubrey, who huffed. She did look a little
remorseful for her behavior, though, as she was properly chided.
“Butterfly garden… I’m looking forward to it,” Sunny said.
“Going to a museum sounds like a lot of fun too,” Basil agreed, looking to his best friend.
“Do you think there’s a space exhibit there?”
Sunny’s eyes widened at the possibility, straightening with interest. “Maybe?”
Hero caught onto it right away. “Are you interested in space, Sunny?”
Sunny looked down and away, a clear sign that he was but was holding back. “A bit.”
Basil rallied behind him to clarify, “Sunny was telling me about some cool space facts he
learned in his science class! And space itself is cool. Can you imagine an exhibit like it?”
“Maybe they’ll have gigantic planets!” Kel suggested.
“If we’re lucky, maybe even a star show?” Mari said thoughtfully.
“I don’t know if they have all of that, but we’ll find out when we go, right?” Hero said, filing
away this information. He hadn’t known that Sunny was interested in space before.
“Yeah!” The kids all agreed.
“Don’t worry, guys! I’ve totally got this!” Kel poked his chest with his thumb confidently.
“We’ll make all kinds of summer plans this year! We can go swimming at the secret spot
too!”
“Maybe-” Mari started, but then stopped. Hero blinked at her strange hesitancy. She met his
look and then darted to Sunny and back. His own eyes widened in understanding. He grabbed
her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
“The lake will be great,” he said as much to her as he said it to the others. “We can teach
Basil to swim too. Maybe even before the beach?”
“Wait, you don’t know how to swim, Basil?” Aubrey asked with surprise. “I didn’t know
that!”
Basil’s own eyes were wide as they darted from her to Hero, confused, “I… I didn’t tell
anyone. How did you know that, Hero?”
This time it was Mari who squeezed Hero’s hand as Hero froze. He scurried to find a way to
cover his mistake, but she covered for him instead to say, “Your grandma mentioned it to us
one time.” She lied so easily that Hero was rather jealous.
Basil, who would never expect Mari to lie to him, relaxed with understanding, “Oh, she did?
Haha… Well, she’s right. I, um, don’t know. Will you really teach me?”
“Absolutely!” Mari assured him.
“Swimming at the beach is totally different from a lake anyway. It’s a great place to learn,”
Kel told him.
Hero shot Mari a grateful smile as the conversation continued without them, discussing
summer plans. She just tapped her popsicle to his lips playfully with a wink. Hero licked his
lips and felt himself relax.
He was looking forward to summer.
Chapter End Notes

Basil's caption:
5/25
What a fun day at the park! Hero showed off how strong he is, and everyone felt
challenged to show off their skills too! Things didn't work out too well for Kel and
Sunny... This photo makes me laugh every time I look at it, but maybe I won't tell Kel
and Sunny that yet... hehe.
Amazing art by Inferno who consistently makes some of the cutest art for this fic!
Thank you as always!
Date
Chapter Notes
Be sure to check the end of the last chapter for fanart! Including one of Basil's newer
pictures <3
The Faraway Town mall hadn’t changed much since Hero had last been to it. The same
carousel with its pretty lights and somewhat-dated aesthetic still turned and entertained
everyone who rode it. The music was almost hard to hear over the sounds of so many voices
clamoring over each other in the food court where Hero and Mari entered. The crowds
weren’t so thick that they couldn’t walk through them, but it still reminded him a bit of high
school. He had to dodge around strollers that were left a little too far away from where they
were supposed to be parked as he steered Mari towards a safe path. From the food court, the
mall truly opened up into hallways with stores lining either side, high glass ceiling windows
to provide plenty of bright late-spring sunlight, and an attempt at some kind of theme that
painted and decorated the walls leading to the main food court area.
Hero let his eyes linger on the sunlight glittering off of the golden rails on the second floor as
he stayed quiet despite being the one to lead Mari by the hand. He hadn’t spoken since they
had left the car after being dropped off. The lingering burn of a blush was still on his cheeks
as he closed his eyes in a short grimace. Ugh.
“Hero,” Mari said with fond exasperation, “don’t tell me you’re still upset?”
“I’m not… upset,” he clarified as they were freed from the food court. The scents made his
stomach almost rumble despite the fact that he had eaten breakfast before coming out. It was
instinctive for him to crave the greasy foods available there. It sparked with brain with
nostalgia more than anything. “I’m just…”
“Embarrassed,” she finished for him, amused.
Hero didn’t respond. She was kind of right. “It’s just… I mean, I know I’m a kid again. I get
that. It’s just kind of… weird, okay? To have your mom drop us off like… well, like we’re
kids going on a first date.” He finished lamely, well aware that he was describing pretty much
exactly that.
“I thought you said you didn’t have a car in your time, though?” Mari asked, scooting in so
their shoulders bumped as they maneuvered around one of the various stalls in the middle of
the grand hallways. They at least had a kind of a plan in mind of where they wanted to go
here today, but they had all day to do it, so neither were in much of a hurry. Hero glanced
around to see if he could spy any interest in the stores around them.
“I didn’t, but only because I didn’t need one. I still had my license, though.”
“So, you would’ve driven us here if we had… say… stolen the car?” she asked playfully.
“Wha-what?! No, we couldn’t!” Hero stumbled, aghast. He calmed quickly as she giggled at
him. “But… I mean, I could drive it…”
“I’ll remember that next time. Oh! Maybe one day we can go go-karting and you can show
me your skills?”
“That’s a different kind of driving, but sure. That sounds pretty fun, actually.”
“It’s a date, then! And speaking of dates…” She dropped his hand to wrap her arms around
his. “Quit being silly, and let’s figure out where we want to go first! Remember that the
bathing suit is priority!”
Hero flushed a little at the thought of seeing Mari in her bathing suit. He vaguely
remembered the pictures from Basil’s photo album and that day. It had been a cute two-piece
with frills, if he was remembering right. It had looked cute on her. Mari had chosen well with
it, but she had obviously gone alone in the last life to pick it out since Hero didn’t remember
going clothes shopping with her before. But when she had mentioned needing to go to the
store to get a new suit anyway, Hero had pounced on the opportunity. A mall date sounded
nice in his mind.
“Daydreaming about it?” she teased.
“A bit,” he answered honestly with a curl of his own lips. He leaned over to give her temple a
kiss before murmuring, “You looked beautiful in your choice last time. I’m interested in what
you choose this time.”
“What did I choose last time?” she asked, pale cheeks turning a pleased pink.
“Not telling until you make your final pick.”
“That’s not fair! Now I’ll be wondering all day! You’re supposed to help me pick one out.”
“And I still will.” He spotted a good store to start first – well within their price ranges – and
led them both inside. The echoes of the mall were instantly muffled into the smaller quarters
as the scent of new clothing filtered in the air along with the perfumed bodies of mainly
women. It was a store more appealing to women than men. There were surely bathing suits in
here, right? “But I’ll do it in the normal way. Just go shopping, and I’ll give my opinions.”
Mari eyed him, but accepted it readily enough. “And what about you? Are you going to buy
anything?”
“Um… food, I guess?”
“Don’t be like that! You can’t come to the mall and not buy something for yourself at least!”
“Alright, alright. If I find something I like, I’ll buy it,” he acquiesced. Then another idea
came to him. “Or… why don’t you pick something for me?”
“Me?” Mari asked with wide eyes.
Hero beamed. “Yeah. Pick something you want to see me in. I’ll wear it on our next date.
How does that sound?”
The temptation was too much to pass up, and he could see it on her face. It made him nervous
and excited at the same time. He’d picked out his own clothes ever since he was a teenager
the first time around. Mari had bought him a shirt or two sometimes over the years as a
present, but he’d never let a girl just pick out a full outfit for him. Hero had the money for it,
though it would probably take up a good chunk of what he had saved. But the appealing
thought of wearing something Mari specifically found him attractive in would be worth it.
He had also been planning to finally buy those hair products he’d used when he was in high
school and college now that he had money, but Mari’s eager agreement to his suggestion
made him give in instantly. He would let her find an outfit first. If he had money left over,
then he would buy the hair products.
He didn’t anticipate how much fun he would have shopping for clothing. Mari eagerly
dragged him from store to store as one idea or another came to her. She would use him a
mannequin as she pressed clothes after clothes to him. She made him try stuff on at random,
and would give a considering nod before telling him to remove it and put it back. She never
made any clear decisions, which made Hero curious, but he didn’t complain. He was the one
who set up the challenge, so he would follow along with her.
Besides, he wasn’t the only one who was dressing up. While Mari occasionally idled in the
Men’s clothing sections, Hero would enter the Women’s section to maybe find something for
her. He fantasized about what kind of clothing he would like to see her wear. She usually
tended towards comfortable but cute clothes. And he loved them on her. But he wondered if
maybe he’d like to see her in something different.
Hero himself had a taste for trendy but practical clothes. He thought his taste matched up
well with Mari’s, but Hero had lived long enough to see all kinds of different styles. He
laughed a little to himself imagining Mari dressing in the emo fashion that was going around,
but he paused thoughtfully when another realization hit him. Mari wanted to dye her hair
purple with Aubrey, so wouldn’t black maybe look good on her?
It was strange, but not unappealing. However, he didn’t really want to go on a date with her
dressed like that.
Mari eventually found a place to try on swimsuits with Hero to give his opinions. She was a
little shy about it, always calling him into the dressing room to see rather than coming out,
but Hero felt it straining on his mentality. Mari almost always went for a two-piece rather
than a one-piece swimsuit, which exposed Hero to so much of her bare skin. His hands itched
to touch. His heart pounded with the desire to wrap his arms around her and get nice and
personal with the swimsuit she was wearing. He became aware of what panties she had worn
that day, and it didn’t leave his mind even as he minded the fact that they were in public.
He wondered if Mari knew exactly how much she affected him. He wondered if he should
ever tell her.
…Maybe when they were older. He could just imagine how she would utilize that
knowledge, and Hero was still trying to be good, even if he was sure Mari’s dad would be
furious to find out how many boundaries Hero had already crossed.
They still hadn’t bought any clothes for Hero by the time they stopped to eat lunch, but Mari
had chosen her swimsuit and they had purchased matching tote bags to help carry the clothes.
Hero had been left hot and bothered by the whole ordeal, but eating helped to calm him
down.
“You know,” he finally decided to confront the issue as they finished their meal and there was
a lull in their conversation, “most girls your age probably wouldn’t let their boyfriends see
the bathing suit they’re trying on.”
“Is that so?” Mari asked wryly. “But you’re here with me, so why wouldn’t I ask you?”
Hero could feel the burn in his cheeks as he grabbed their shopping bags. “Well…”
“Do you mind?”
Hero waited a beat too long to answer.
Mari laughed and linked her hand with his, getting in close to bump against him. “You’re
adorable, Hero.”
Sometimes he wondered who was the older one here. It stung his pride just a little bit, but he
loved her too much to hold it against her. He felt like he needed to regain some of his ground
as he said, “I really don’t mind. I liked seeing you in those different clothes. It made me want
to see you in the sunlight in them. I was daydreaming about the beach.”
“Heehee, and I rather liked seeing you in all of those clothes too. I wish I could’ve seen you
trying on a few bathing suits myself.”
He raised a wry eyebrow at her. “You told me to cover up the last time I showed off my
chest.”
“Oh really? I remember asking you to take your shirt off faster the last time you showed me
your chest.” Her eyes smoldered with the memory of it, expression sly. Hero’s brain flashed
with the exact scenario she was referring to. It had been a nice release of the tension from
studying so much. It made Hero wish yet again that he’d had Mari with him up through
college. Maybe he would’ve had a lot less sleepless nights.
He came back to the present to clarify, “I meant at the playground.”
“I know what you meant.”
“That actually reminds me… Why haven’t you picked any clothes for me? I feel like we’ve
gone everywhere at this point.”
“We almost have! I wanted to get a look at everything before I decided.” She lifted a finger
seriously. “What if I decided on clothes, and then I found something better for you? It would
be such a waste!”
“Then maybe you can give it to me as a gift sometime,” he suggested, smiling at how
seriously she was taking all of this. It was just supposed to be for fun, but he admittedly
found it flattering that Mari was that intent on finding something to her taste. He was excited
to see the results. He wanted to properly wine and dine her in whatever outfit she chose, even
if the wine part would probably be juice or something.
“Mmm, maybe,” she admitted with a thoughtful twist of her lips. Her thumb tapped against
the side of his hand in agitation. “But I wanted to choose something right now. Clothes
change all the time, after all, and it’s a while until Christmas. And by then it’ll be too cold.”
“I’ll wear whatever you give me. I like your taste.”
She laughed. “Well, that’s good to know.”
“I didn’t mean it like that!”
“I’ll take it anyway, handsome.”
They fell into an easy rhythm as they found a map of the mall and Mari started to track out
which shops they needed to return to. Hero thrived on the energy of being alone with her. He
had been feeling guilty about the lack of dates when in the previous life he and Mari had
found plenty of alone time together. But that alone time had been eaten up by a mixture of
Hero’s feelings, and his desire to spend more time with his friends. In his previous life he had
riding the high of finally dating the girl he had crushed on for so long that he had prioritized
alone time with her. He felt bad that he was taking that choice away from Mari, but she
wasn’t complaining.
Still, he wondered if she was unhappy with their relationship. He couldn’t imagine it, though,
seeing her as she was with him then.
They found a comfortable lull in conversation as they let their eyes wander the colorful and
varied storefronts around them. They passed by an accessory store, and a thought occurred to
Hero. He reached up and pinched his ear lobe thoughtfully. He didn’t feel the normal,
beadlike feeling of the hole there. He didn’t know why he had expected differently.
“You know,” he started, “I used to have pierced ears.”
“What! Really?” Mari gasped. “Hero, you’re so full of surprises!”
“Haha, I’ll take that as a compliment.” He rubbed at the back of his head before he fixed his
hair. “But, uh, yeah. I pierced my ears when I was in high school. I did it myself.”
“Oh? That’s… How come?” Mari seemed entirely thrown by the conversation, though she
marveled, nonetheless. She loved hearing about Hero’s other life, even if half the time it was
depressing. Hero really should try to tell her more fun things sometime.
He considered his words as he thought back to that day in the bathroom. He had been
spiraling that week. His mood had plummeted, and he had broken down more than once as he
lamented the life that he could’ve had. He had seen a girl who had looked like Mari from the
back, and his hopes had risen and had been dashed in one swell swoop, shattering the floor
beneath his feet and sending him tumbling down into a familiar pit of agony.
Though he hadn’t been thinking of the “whys” or “hows” at the time he had made his
decision and had started heating up the needle he would use, he knew that he had been
grasping for some form of control over his life and his feelings. He had told himself again
and again that he would be fine and that he would be better. He yelled at himself to get a grip,
but he had only collapsed under the weight of his grief. And so, with shaking hands, he
decided to do something only for him.
He had wanted earrings before. He had thought them to be cool, though his mother wouldn’t
have approved. She would’ve been horrified to see what Hero had done, and that was part of
the reason why Hero had done it.
Acting out, some would call it. Rebellion against his parents, maybe. But Hero felt more
rebellious against himself.
It'd hurt. Of course it had hurt. It'd hurt less than he'd thought, but it had still hurt. And Hero
had wondered to himself if that was why people hurt themselves. He could see the
temptation, but he hadn't had the stomach to follow through.
He had worn stud earrings pretty much every day afterwards. He didn’t care that his parents
had scolded him. It had helped him.
But telling all of that to Mari felt like… a lot. And he didn’t want to ruin the mood of their
date. So instead he said, “I just liked it. And I thought I would look cool.” He flashed her a
charming smile. “What do you think?” He’d always wondered what Mari would’ve said to
him having earrings. With a start he realized that he could finally have an answer to the
question.
She reached up to pinch his earlobe. She was pensive. The stones of her bracelet clinked
gently together. “I think you would look very handsome with some blue studs.” She smiled,
appreciative, before her sincerity transformed into teasing, “Though, seeing you with those
little spikey-ball earrings might be funny!”
“Oh man, those aren’t my style.”
“It’s all about the confidence, Hero! I’m sure you could pull them off!” They shared a laugh
together, heads tilted towards the other as they paused to steal a kiss. Mari’s eyes drifted over
towards the accessory store, then, and her face became thoughtful once more. She didn’t
move when Hero started to leave, so he gave her a questioning look.
“…Hey, Hero?” Mari glanced at him with a tilt of her head. Her hair fell out from where it
had been tucked behind her ear. “Do you want to go get your ears pierced with me?”
“Huh? Right now?” Hero gaped.

“Well… I like earrings! And you liked yours too. We can get matching jewelry!” She beamed
and tucked her arms behind her back. “I’ll pay for it as thanks for the Christmas gift!”
“That’s a little more serious than just a bracelet though, Mari. What would your parents say?”
“I don’t really care what they say,” she turned her head away a little too sharply. He blinked
at her. “Once it’s done, they can’t change it. And I want to. Besides, they’re going to be gone
for a couple of days on one of Mom’s business trips. They won’t even see.”
He didn’t answer her for a long moment. Did his words really inspire this idea? What was
this sudden rebelliousness? He wasn’t against the idea of getting his ears pierced again – a
professional would do a better job anyway – but Mari’s words were off-putting.
He reached forward and stepped into her space, fingers gently tucking her hair behind her ear
again before following the length down over her neck. She turned to look at him with a hint
of a challenge in her gaze, along with a slice of worry. Hero kept his tone neutral but curious.
Nonjudgmental. “Where is this coming from, Mari? It’s not like you to go against your
parents’ wishes.”
Mari’s defenses dropped. Her eyes fell to the bags in Hero’s hands as she spoke, “It’s just…
Mom and Dad are pushing harder for the recital now. And then there’s just how much they
want of me. I… I wanted to be a little naughty?” She gave an awkward smile and shrug,
embarrassed by her childish answer. Her cheeks pinkened with it.
So, it really was rebellion. “Are you sure about the earrings, though? That’s a decision that
affects your body, honey. I’ll do it with you, but I want you to be sure.” He gave her an
encouraging smile. “My parents won’t like it either, so we can get in trouble together.”
Mari’s smile turned grateful. But then it dropped into something more somber. “…If I’m
honest, I…” she hesitated. Hero waited her out, but she didn’t seem willing to continue.
“Here, follow me,” he murmured, taking her hand and guiding her over to a bench so they
weren’t standing in the middle of the crowd. They could talk a little more privately here.
Once seated, he took both of her hands in his, rubbing them with his thumbs. “What is it,
Mari?”
Mari hesitated a little bit longer, and then gave in, “It’s just… All of your talk about the
future has made me… nervous.” Hero stiffened. She squeezed his hands quickly, an apology
in her eyes. “I’m really okay! But… It’s not easy knowing that I’m kind of fated to die in a
couple of months.”
“You’re not fated-” Hero tried, but she pressed her fingers to his lips to quiet him. Her eyes
told him to let her speak. He stayed silent, and she continued,
“It’s just made me think about how things can change on us so quickly. Seeing how it
affected you… and hearing what it did to our friends… I don’t know. I guess you could say I
was confronted with my mortality?” She shrugged. “It makes me want to… maybe think a
little more for myself? Be a little selfish?” She hunched in a little on herself, waiting for his
judgement. “Is that… so bad?”
Hero was left a little breathless. Mari had always been so strong, but there were times he was
rather quickly reminded that she was so young. She was mature, yes, but she was still just
fifteen years old. Death came upon people rather abruptly, and Mari had been thinking about
the deadline for her life just as much as Hero had been. How much had that weighed on her?
“It’s not,” he swore softly, heart absolutely aching. He shouldn’t have told her anything. He
had burdened her. “I don’t think it’s bad at all to be a little selfish.”
“Yeah?” she asked, hopeful.
“Yeah. Mari, I… I’m sorry for telling you about my past. You don’t deserve-”
“No, no! You stop that now!” She scolded him with a light slap to his wrist. He grimaced.
“Don’t say that, okay? I’m happy you told me. I really am.”
“But…”
“No buts.” She cupped his face with both hands and forced him to look at her. Her eyes were
soft despite the smile she was trying to use to encourage him to return. “We’ve always been
open with each other long before we started dating or before this you returned, Hero,
remember? If nobody else, we have each other. I couldn’t bear to watch you shoulder your
burden alone. I’m happy I can help you, even if it’s just a little bit.”
Sometimes, Hero thought as he responded to her sincerity by pulling her in to kiss her, Mari
was simply too good for him. He didn’t deserve her after everything, but he had started
thanking God every day that he had her back. He still didn’t know what kind of strange twist
of fate had allowed him to return to the past, but he would greedily take every second with
her that he could.
“Alright,” he said as they finally parted, lips tingling as they had both gotten a little too
heated for a public space. But everyone outside of them didn’t matter right then. “I’ll let it go.
So… Why don’t we go see about getting those piercings?”
Mari smiled back. “Only if you choose my first pair of earrings.”
“You’ve got a deal.”

Photographs
Chapter Notes
If you're looking for sound recs, towards the end of the fic I think "Something, Alone"
fits well.
Four years felt like a long time for a child, but such a short time for an adult. For every year
that Hero had been alive, time had seemed to steadily pick up pace. What used to be long
summer evenings were suddenly over as a week had passed already. Last year felt like it was
just a couple months ago. And middle school had felt like it had been just two years ago.
(He supposed that “now” that was correct. But it was still strange from his perspective as a
twenty-year-old).
Time might affect humans more, but businesses didn’t change so easily. The stores of
Faraway Plaza had stayed consistent throughout Hero’s years of living there, and even the
insides looked much the same. Fix-It had some new tools, some new designs, and some new
things to sell, but it was still Fix-It. The scent of the place was the same: wood, the burn of
the lights, and metal and rubber. And then, passing all of the houseware stuff, there was the
greenhouse that was moist and humid with the lives of so many plants soaking in the heat and
the water. Even the feeling of pushing the plastic blocking the door out of the way felt the
same as he and Basil entered the greenhouse for their purchases.
It was time to replace some of their plants with something new. The end of the school year
marked a good time to start messing with the garden more, and Hero was ready to help out.
He still needed Basil to show him what to do and where to go, but he didn’t mind being the
one mostly just carrying the stuff around.
“I’m impressed,” Hero said, continuing their conversation from earlier. “You really have a
knack for plant care, Basil. I don’t really have much of a green thumb, I guess. Our poor
tomatoes…”
“It’s okay, Hero,” Basil reassured him with a smile as they stopped by the seed packets. “It’s
your first time. And, um, we all have something we’re not good at!”
Hero huffed a laugh at that. “I wonder what I did wrong, though?”
“Some plants just don’t produce,” the boy shrugged. “We can find something new.”
Hero considered the options of the seeds and pulled packets out to flip over and read the
information on the backs as he said, “Some people would be happy to hear I’m not good at
everything. Kel, probably.”
Basil didn’t respond right away. His brows scrunched together before his eyes regarded Hero
thoughtfully. “Why would you say that?”
“Hm?” Hero hummed with a bit of a delay as he finished his reading.
“Well…” Basil shifted on his feet, hesitant. Hero could see him visibly debating if he wanted
to speak his mind. Something Hero had realized about Basil was that even though he was a
shy boy, he was trying to overcome it. He had never been the most outspoken in their group
of friends, but as he had grown accustomed to them all he had started to be more vocal. And
Hero encouraged that. He wanted to hear Basil’s thoughts. Out of all of their friends, he
would say Basil was the one he had known the least in the previous timeline. Sunny and
Aubrey had been the closest to Basil back then. There were a lot of gaps in Hero’s knowledge
about Basil that simply felt strange to have for someone he had been friends with for so long.
Hero simply hadn’t tried to connect with his younger friends on a more personal level
because they had been just kids before. His friends, but mostly his little brother’s friends.
It was his fault that Basil and Sunny had thought they couldn’t come to him for help when
Mari had died. Maybe if he had been more available, things might have been different. It was
this hope that he was clinging onto for his own selfish reasons even as he genuinely enjoyed
getting to know his friends better.
Basil finally continued to say, “Well… I think that… it’s kind of mean to say that about
yourself. I’m surprised to hear it from you, Hero.”
“Mean?” Hero asked, coming back from his thoughts. “Oh, I wasn’t trying to be mean! It’s a
fact, I think.”
“Maybe? But– Actually, no, never mind.” The boy got flustered and turned away. “It’s not
my business. Sorry. I wasn’t trying to scold you!”
“No no, it’s okay!” Hero placed a hand on Basil’s shoulder to reassure him. “I don’t mind! I,
uh…” How did he word this? “Maybe I was being too hard on myself? But why do you think
so?”
Basil grimaced at himself. He glanced at Hero for assurance that he should speak, and then
said, “I-I just meant that… I think Kel would be proud of you no matter what. Um, yes,
nobody’s good at everything… but, I don’t know… It just kind of… sounded like you were
being mean to yourself? Sorry; it’s hard to explain out loud.”
“…I think I get it,” Hero said, reflecting on his words. He fought back and forth with himself
on if he thought it had been too mean. He was too evenly split on his opinion to lean one way
or the other, so he settled for a neutral answer. “Maybe that was a little mean. Thanks, Basil.
You’re a good friend, you know?”
Basil’s cheeks flared with color, eyes widening. Then he beamed. “Thanks, Hero! I’m glad
you think so. I’m… still kind of getting used to it.” He rubbed at the back of his head.
“I think you’re doing well. I know you were really nervous when you first made friends with
us, right?” Hero returned to the seed packets, mind still lingering a little on the earlier
conversation. “You’ve come to fit right in now. It’s hard to imagine our group of friends
without you.”
“Hehe… You think?”
He thought back to that final day that their friend group had existed. He remembered feeling
as close to the past as he had in years. He remembered thinking about Basil and his
grandmother throughout that day. They’d talked about it more than once, worrying and
hoping for the best despite how Hero had doubted Basil would come back with good news.
They’d had fun, but Basil had never really left their minds. With the near-drowning the day
before, and with all of the nostalgia they had been drinking both full and tentative sips of
throughout that day, Basil was certainly hard to forget anymore than Mari.
He had been part of their group. It was never clearer to Hero than it was now that he was
really focusing on these facts. The details of his life here that he had taken for granted the
first time around were clear now. The bitterness of the tragic future had sensitized his taste
buds for the sweeter present.
He supposed he should be grateful for it, but he was still far too stressed out to properly revel
in his gratitude most days. He would be grateful when he changed the future for good.
“Yes,” he said wholeheartedly, probably with more passion than Basil had been expecting
judging by Basil’s slightly-surprised blink. “I really do think that.” He considered the boy for
a moment. Well, if Basil was going to call Hero out on his thinking, maybe he should return
the favor. Honesty for honesty. “What do you think?”
“Me?” Basil hummed thoughtfully, but his movements had paused in the middle of reaching
for something on the shelf. His hand twitched to continue, then pull back, then finally
followed through on its original path. “I think I’m part of the group too!”
Hero waited for a beat. “...But…?”
His lips twitched nervously, and Hero saw a hint of the teenager he used to know. His
nervous expression wasn’t nearly as bleak, but it was still there. It made the hairs on the back
of his neck rise. “But… I’m just not… used to it, I guess?” His brows came together,
frowning. Then he straightened and looked to Hero with a strangely serious expression.
“That’s not really right. I am used to it. I think that I just…” he searched for the words,
nipping at the inside of his lips as he did so. “I think that I’m just expecting it to end one day.
Or that I’m just kind of… hanging out?”
He began to walk around the display of the plants around them, no longer looking for what
they came for and instead seeking solace in the familiar sights and smells of the greenhouse.
Hero followed after him as the boy continued, “I’ve spent a lot of my life moving from place
to place so I never really had a friend group. I wasn’t good at making friends, and when I did
then I was usually leaving sooner rather than later. And, like, those people were my friends
but… I doubt they even think of me now. I don’t really think of them that often either. Does
that mean we were really friends?”
He knew it was a rhetorical question, so he didn’t bother to answer it. Instead he asked, “Is
that how you feel about us?”
“Sometimes?” Basil looked up from where he was brushing his fingers across the dark green
leaf of a flowering plant. His gaze was troubled but earnest. “I’m not really used to being
around people for so long. It feels like it’s gonna end some day.” He looked away, face falling
at wherever his distant gaze had landed. Hero wondered if he was seeing the future. He
wondered how similar it was to the one Hero had experienced. “I wonder if one day you all
might forget me too, if I moved away tomorrow. It all just feels like I’m waiting for the other
shoe to drop.” He paused and then added softly, “I don’t want to be alone again.”
Once upon a time, Hero would’ve been terribly worried to hear his young friend say
something like that. He would’ve fretted about him, and reassured him that nothing would
ever happen that would cause Basil’s beliefs and fears to come true. They were all too close
for that. They all loved Basil too much for that. Even if Basil were to move away, they’d
never forget.
And possibly in another world, that might have been true. The bonds they had formed would
linger with them. It had been proven in Hero’s last life. Kel had never forgotten his friends,
and Sunny’s love for them had persisted. Aubrey had pretended to move on, but had never
truly been able to. And Hero had thought about Mari and their friends nearly every day like a
fever that followed after the infection that had never truly healed.
But that was a life where Mari’s death had kept a noose over their necks, and it was one that
had ended up hanging more than one life because of it.
If nobody else, Hero thought, Hero would remember Basil forever. He would never forget.
His words now, though, struck him silent. His worry was replaced with shock followed by the
gentle stream of blood pooling from the stab wound as he felt an empathetic connection with
Basil’s words instead.
So this was how Basil had felt when their friend group had fallen apart. His fear had come
true. And it had eventually killed him for it.
He wondered, then, why Basil had scribbled out their photographs in his album. A fit of
anger?
No matter.
“I know how that is,” Hero said before he could stop himself, his voice running from the
wound with his empathy. “Life changes so quickly. Anything could happen, really. Worrying
that people would forget you… I think that’s why your photos are so important.”
Basil gave him a curious look. Hero knew he should probably shut up, but the words were
flowing now.
“It’s easy to forget stuff with time. Memories fade whether we want them to or not. Things
that we’re certain we’ll remember will one day be gone and we won’t even notice its
absence.” He paused, fingers trailing along the wooden railing of one of the shelves. His
nostrils flared with the organic scent of the damp soil and earthy leaves. “I know I had friends
from elementary school that went to other middle schools, but I can barely remember them at
all. I never think about them.” He glanced at Basil. “That doesn’t mean I didn’t care about
them, though. It’s just that we’re all still so young. If we’re lucky, we’ll have more than fifty
years left of life to live.”
He dropped his hand and turned to his friend properly. “I don’t think any of us will ever
really forget you, Basil. Whether you’re here or if you move, we’ll think of you, even if it’s
only sometimes. You’re one of our best friends. And,” he smiled because he didn’t want to
allow his mind to drift down a darker path, “you won’t forget us either, right? The more
memories we make together, the more reasons we have to look back.”
Basil didn’t seem to know what to say in response to this. Hero didn’t need him to say
anything at all. He just patted the boy’s back to have him take the lead once more so that they
could continue gathering the supplies they had planned to buy today. “Besides, you’re not
going anywhere anytime soon, right?”
“Ah, uh, no. I don’t think so, anyway?”
“Good! Then focus on the present. And I’ll try to do that too.”
Basil considered him, pausing with furrowed brows. His eyes trailed over Hero’s face, which
he hoped wasn’t giving him away, and then down over his shoulders and chest. “Hero… Do
you…?”
Hero hummed his question. He couldn’t guess what Basil was trying to ask.
The boy’s bright blue eyes darkened a little with his thoughts. Then he asked, worried, “Is
there something bothering you too? You’ve… You’ve been kind of strange lately, I think.
We’ve been worried.”
“’We’?” Hero asked, feeling a cold sweat prickle on the back of his neck. A slight chill ran
down his spine as he turned away to try to busy himself with something else. His attempts to
look casual didn’t feel very casual.
“Sunny and Aubrey mostly. They’ve mentioned it to me. Kel says you’re okay, even if you’re
upset about stuff. But you get this look on your face sometimes that just…” he stopped. Hero
waited, still not looking at him. The boy continued, “You remind me of my dad sometimes.
When he’s thinking about something bad.”
That wasn’t a great comparison. Hero grimaced where Basil couldn’t see. “Do I really?
Nothing bad’s happened, though.” He shot a strained, wry look at his friend. “Maybe it’s just
me growing up?”
Basil looked unconvinced, “…Maybe.”
“Anyway,” he quickly pushed forward, “we’ve been talking about some heavy stuff, so why
don’t we focus on what we came here to do? Maybe we can grow some sunflowers since you
like them so much? Making roasted sunflower seeds will be fun to eat too!”
Basil took the bait, tactfully dropping their previous conversation. Hero was left troubled and
discontent with himself. He wished he was better at lying. He wondered if he would ever be
able to become good at it. Curse his glass face.
Still, though, he was left with much food for thought when it came to Basil. His own troubles
aside, he appreciated the new insight he was getting on his friend. It made him think of the
future Basil, and what his own thoughts were at the end of things.
He hadn’t considered Basil’s motivations when he had hung Mari. Or, rather, he had but
hadn’t been able to think on it long. His knowledge of the boy had told him that his actions
couldn’t have been malicious, but the simple explanation he gave of “I wanted to help
Sunny” didn’t seem sufficient either.
Maybe he had been trying to preserve what was left. Mari had been the heart of their group,
and that was proven as when she had died they had all fallen apart. What would Hero have
done if Basil and Sunny had told the truth of that day instead of hanging Mari’s body? What
would’ve changed? Would their friendship have been able to survive that?
Hero didn’t know. He wanted to say yes, but he had changed so much from the 15-year-old
that he was supposed to be that that boy was no longer someone he knew. Maybe Basil had
made the right decision.
He closed his eyes and thought of Sunny’s blood-splattered corpse on the pavement. He
thought of Basil’s retreating back and the quiet knowledge of what that boy’s fate would be.
He thought of his nightmares of Mari’s hung body, and her voice whispering in his ear as he
had cried over her piano.
No, he thought as his eyes opened to banish the memories with the bright daylight of the
greenhouse and Basil’s 12-year-old form in front of him, it wasn’t the right decision. But
maybe he could better understand Basil’s motivations.
There was a part of him that felt he would never forgive Basil or Sunny, mostly because he’d
never receive the closure he would need for it. But he would try his best not to hold it against
the boys in this life. They may not know of their sins, but they could repent for them in a
different way.
Hero wished the photographs of his own memories could be scribbled out. What a
complicated feeling it was to want to tear those memories shreds even while gripping and
crumpling them in his clenched fists.
He wondered what he will be like if he could one day let the past go. Maybe when it stopped
being his future too. He didn’t know.
He supposed he would find out one day. All he had was time.
Church
Hero came from a religious family. Every Sunday they went to church along with most of the
people in the neighborhood, they held service, and then more often than not groups would
travel to have lunch together. Hero had grown up in that kind of environment and had grown
used to the ritual of it all. He was used to hearing Kel complain about having to wake up
early on the weekends, and hear him grumbling as Mom fixed Hero and Kel’s messy hair.
The sights and scents of the church and the burning candles inside of it brought a sense of
tranquility and boredom.
Things had changed since that time, though. Hero would still consider himself religious, but
he didn’t particularly uphold the strict schedule that he had grown up in. After Mari’s death
the tranquil feeling of the church had been tainted. If he closed his eyes for too long in that
place, then he began to think back on times he didn’t wish to remember.
The graveyard outside no longer contained the bodies of two of his best friends, but the
ghosts still haunted him.
This Sunday Mari and Sunny were absent. Their family had gone on a weekend trip to the
city for work purposes, so it was just Hero and Kel here today with their family. Aubrey’s
black hair and bright pink church outfit were easy to spot a few pews away. She was sitting
with only her father today, Hero noticed. But then again, Aubrey’s mother hadn’t been
coming to service for a little while.
Kel was a ball of energy bound and gagged and tormented with having to sit and listen to the
kind pastor drone on and on. Already Hero’d had to nudge him to keep him awake, but Kel
was clearly suffering. He couldn’t stop shifting in his seat, and it was beginning to infect
Hero too. He had to distract himself in other ways.
Roughly five years felt like a long time, but in retrospect it really wasn’t, Hero thought. Time
had done little to change anything in Faraway Town, and least of all the church. The streets,
the houses, the playground, the church… it had all maintained the same image even as it had
been a little tinted with the brown of nostalgic age. Even the one stained glass window that
Kel had broken while they had been playing baseball too close to the church was still the
same off-color that Hero remembered it being from the last time he’d been there. The only
real change was that the old church pastor was preaching. The younger one wouldn’t replace
him until sometime in the years Hero hadn’t come to the church.
This place made his stomach churn with unease. He didn’t want to be here, but he still came
anyway because it was what his parents wanted. The door to the church’s graveyard felt
ominous. He could only see the dark greys of the day of Mari’s funeral. Even if the sun had
been shining brightly, Hero’s own light had been snuffed.
It was a strange sensation being in the body of the boy he had been on the day he had wept
bitterly over Mari’s open casket. He hadn’t been able to go up to see her at first. He had
wanted to try to stay strong, if only so he could support his grieving younger friends, but he
had broken down anyway.
She had looked wrong. Stiff. Not like she had been sleeping at all.
She had looked fake, and that had only made it worse for him.
It was almost a blessing when they had closed the casket. The scent of flowers had lingered
in the air.
(Hero had wanted to support his friends, but he barely even remembered anything but their
tears. What had Sunny looked like? What had Basil felt?)
He blinked rapidly to clear the grey from his eyes and tried to focus on the present where
Mari was living and smiling and vibrant, but she wasn’t there with him today. Instead his
vision switched to the rainy day of Sunny’s funeral.
The casket had stayed closed for his funeral, but the image of how Sunny had looked in his
last moments wasn’t one that would leave easily. Hero had cried then as well, but he had
mostly been tired. The tears had rolled from his eyes, but his heart had been so chaotic that
his body couldn’t produce enough tears to match it. Instead it had been Kel who had hunched
in on himself, clawed hands pressed to his eyes as he had trembled and shook, that had wept
the hardest. Hero remembered Aubrey pressed to his chest as he had hugged her in a vain
attempt to soothe her, but he had been a thousand miles away.
Sunny had been buried with his sister. Hero thought that they both would’ve been happy with
that. He hoped that Mari had scolded Sunny in Heaven.
The sky had wept for them, and to Hero they had felt like Mari’s tears.
Usually after church his family went out to lunch, but they’d gotten caught in the
congregation gathering out in front of the church. Hero nodded his greeting to the pastor as
he had stepped out, but his stomach was turning. He didn’t feel hungry. He just wanted to go
home and to distract himself. He had promised to try cooking a new recipe with Basil’s
grandmother. Familiar faces that normally felt welcoming were more overwhelming now. He
wondered if he could see if he could go home to do some chores instead to cleanse his mind
of his thoughts, but he didn’t have time to do so.
Arms wrapped around his own arm, and a smaller body slammed into him with a cry of his
name. Aubrey’s bright smile beamed up at him before she said, “Hi Hero!”
He smiled back, happy to see her smiling so much. “Hey Aubrey. I was wondering if we
would get to talk before we went home.”
“Were you looking for me?” she asked, dark eyes sparkling with curiosity. She looked around
them. “Did Sunny and Mari not come? Where’s Kel?”
“They’re on a weekend trip. And Kel’s over-” he began to point at where his little brother
was with their parents, but paused as he noticed who his parents were with. “-there. Actually,
your dad’s there too. Let’s go join them.”
“Oh. Okay,” she agreed, dimming slightly. Hero glanced down at her, but she wasn’t
noticeably different. There was just a hint of a change in her tone as they walked over to join
the others. She released his arm as Hero heard his father greet,
“Gary! Good to see you. How’ve you been?”
Gary – Aubrey’s father – turned at the call of his name. He was a man of average height and a
well-trimmed beard kept short, mottled with blondes, browns, and blacks that showed his
age. His skin was tanned and wrinkled from years of hard labor, but it didn’t take away from
his attraction. His hair was recently cut – also short – and was the brown-blond of someone
who worked often in the sun. Even in his best clothes, it was clear that he didn’t come from a
wealthy family. Hero had always known that Aubrey’s parents were blue-collar people, but
her father embodied it more than her mother did.
His smile transformed from a deep frown into a twist of a smile. Not quite happy, but
cheerful enough. Something seemed to be troubling him, Hero noticed. “There you are. It’s
been a while.” He clapped Dad on the back and nodded at Mom and Kel. “I’ve been busy as
usual.”
“Barb isn’t here today?” Mom asked as Hero and Aubrey joined them. Kel perked up from
his hunger-induced boredom at the sight of them. He grinned, and Aubrey raised an eyebrow
at him in greeting.
“Ah, no, she’s…” Aubrey’s dad waved his hand in a dismissive manner with a scoff. “Didn’t
feel like comin’ this week, just like last week and the week before. She’s sleepin’ at home.”
Hero tried to remember the last time that he had seen Aubrey’s mother. He was a little
shocked to realize that it had been a long while. They hadn’t seen her for Aubrey’s birthday
in May, but they had celebrated that at the park like they usually did when the weather was
nice. And Hero hadn’t exactly looked for the parents whenever he came to church. He was
pretty sure that the last time he had seen her, it had been on Christmas.
“Well, tell her we said hi,” Mom said with a tone that spoke about how she felt about that.
There was something unsaid, and it was something that Hero picked up on now that he was
older. His eyebrows dipped in a frown.
“Hey!” Kel pulled at Hero’s arm to get his attention. “Let’s go , Hero! I’m bored!”
“Shh, Kel. I’m trying to listen,” Hero scolded him, shaking Kel off as he tried to move closer
to hear more about what their families were discussing.
“Are things still going alright?” Dad asked, worried. “I was going to invite you guys for
lunch to maybe cheer you both up, if you want.”
“Lunch would be great, though I don’t know if inviting her will make much of a difference,
even if she came,” Aubrey’s dad grumbled.
“Hero!” Kel complained again.
“Let’s go back in the church,” Aubrey suggested, tugging on the jacket of Hero’s suit. Her
tone made him look at her. She seemed troubled as she watched her dad warily. She caught
Hero’s concerned look and quickly glanced away. “It’s hot out here.”
“It’s not much cooler in there,” Kel said.
“At least there’s shade.”
“Good point! Come on!” Hero yelped as he was dragged off by Kel with Aubrey pushing a
little with her fist to his back. Hero caught his dad’s eye as he noticed the kids leaving and
hoped he would help him, but he was just cheerfully waved off. And so, Hero was kidnapped.
The church really wasn’t much cooler since the central air conditioning was straining against
the combined heat of the candles, the mass of bodies that had been in the room for over an
hour, and now the doors being wide open allowing the outside air to invade. Hero felt a little
stifled in his jacket, but he didn’t take it off yet. He loosened his tie, though, as he followed
his brother and friend deeper into the church. It had a different feeling to it when it was so
empty. Only a few people lingered indoors, mostly talking or taking care of cleaning up after
the service.
“Is everything alright with your mom and dad, Aubrey?” Hero asked. The conversation
outside was concerning. Was this the beginning of the end of Aubrey’s parents being
together? He knew that they had divorced at some point during the four years Hero had been
absent from her life. But were the signs really here this early? He could only think of the
wretched home that Aubrey had lived in after her father had left. What could’ve caused it?
Aubrey’s feet stuttered a little causing even Kel to shoot her a curious glance as he looked
back and forth between her and Hero. The girl’s long hair fell to hide her face as she ducked
her head a bit. “Um… It’s… I’m not really sure?”
“Did something happen?” Kel asked, finally catching onto the strangeness. “Is that why your
mom isn’t here?”
Aubrey paused now. She didn’t say anything for a moment. And then she let out a loud sigh
before throwing herself down to sit in one of the pews. Her lips were pooched with her upset
and concern as she explained, “I think my mom might have… lost her job.”
“Lost her job?!” Kel cried. Hero and Aubrey both hurried to shush him as people looked in
their direction.
“Not too loud, Kel,” Hero scolded gently. Then to Aubrey he asked, “When did this happen?
That’s awful. I’m so sorry, Aubrey.”
Aubrey gave a narrowed look at Kel but released it as she turned back to Hero. She shook her
head. “I’m not sure. She’s been really sad lately! Dad says to leave her alone, though, and I
don’t want to make her sadder… I don’t know what to do.”
So, Aubrey’s mom had lost her job recently. That explained a lot about the possible
depression… or whatever she had been suffering with in the memories Hero had of her, but
that was years from now. He didn’t think the two would be related. Clearly there was some
strife going on in the family, though, since rather than sounding sympathetic Aubrey’s father
had sounded irritated with the situation.
It really wasn’t any of Hero’s business to know the going-ons of the adults, but he was
worried about the impact it would have on Aubrey. She hadn’t shown them any signs that
she’d been upset by anything. It was more than a little surprising.
“I don’t think there’s anything you can do,” Hero told her gently as he rested a hand on her
shoulder and rubbed it. “Sometimes these things happen.”
“But…” Aubrey protested, distressed.
“You know, when my mom’s sad, Hero picks flowers for her!” Kel suggested. “Or we make
her breakfast, or clean the house! Maybe you can do that stuff?”
“Hey, that’s not a bad idea,” Hero agreed, smiling at Kel’s suggestions. “If you want, we can
help you go pick some flowers?”
Aubrey gasped, sitting forward. “Do you think Mom might like a flower crown? She told me
how pretty mine was when I brought mine home!”
“You can put your skills to the test!”
“You actually want to make another one? You’re so weird,” Kel said, sticking his tongue out
a little.
“It’s not weird! It’s really fun!” Aubrey argued.
“People who find it fun are weird!”
“You’re calling Mari and Hero weird!”
“Well, if the shoe fits…”
“Hey,” Hero tweaked his little brother’s ear, making Kel duck and snicker. The boy threw
himself past his friends before spinning on his heel.
“Let’s head out to the graveyard! It’s super stuffy in here too!”
Hero froze, heart stopping in his chest, as he heard Aubrey say, “The graveyard isn’t for
playing, Kel!” But she was already hopping off of her seat to follow him.
Hero’s ears rung a little. He stared at the door, feeling ominous waves creep along the fine
hair behind his ears and down his neck and throat. The scent of funeral flowers filled his
nose, coated with a underlying layer of freshly turned dirt and iron. His fists clenched against
his sides, nails biting into his palm, as he didn’t move.
He didn’t want to go there. A long time ago he had been unable to step outside into the
graveyard after Mari’s funeral. He hadn’t ever been ready to do it. He hadn’t managed to
gather the strength to be able to confront reality and visit Mari again until he had his friends
by his side to support him. They’d had a picnic there. Things had seemed better. Easier. Hero
had thought he had been ready to maybe start to move forward.
Then Sunny died. And Basil probably followed soon after.
(He didn’t check the graveyard to see if Basil had been buried there. He wasn’t sure if Basil
would even be allowed to be buried there.)
He couldn’t do it again. Not yet.
He didn’t realize his name had been called a number of times before both of his hands were
being tugged on forcefully. He startled back to himself, tearing his eyes away from the
choking black waves emitting from that door, and felt a cold sweat on his jaw. The bead of
sweat dripped from him as he recognized he was breathing a little too fast. Aubrey and Kel
were giving him concerned looks.
“Hero? What’s wrong?” Kel asked, surprisingly a little serious. He had that same almost
nervous expression on his face as he’d had when he had seen his brother “sick” in bed.
Aubrey looked back and forth between the brothers.
“You’re really, really pale. Are you sick?” she asked.
“I-I, uh-” he cut himself off and cleared his throat. He was trembling a little. He pulled his
hands from their grips so they couldn’t feel it and squeezed them into fists. He forced a smile
on his face. “How about w-we rejoin our parents? I’m starving. I think… I think you’re
coming to lunch with us, Aubrey?”
Neither of the younger kids knew what to say in response to that. He had clearly not appeased
them, but there was nothing Hero could do. He felt overly-sensitive to reality again after Mari
had shaken him so entirely. Equilibrium was a little hard to manage. The place they were in,
along with his wretched thoughts from earlier, hadn’t helped him either. He was exposed. He
needed time to recover.
Some food would help, actually.
Unable to protest, the group returned to the parents. Just in time, it seemed, as they all walked
Aubrey and her father back to Aubrey’s house. It sounded like they were going to try to
convince Aubrey’s mother to join them for lunch, but in the end they were unsuccessful. The
two had returned, and Aubrey’s dad had seemed more upset than before. A dark look had
been in his eyes, and there was an edge to his voice as he tossed out a bag of recycling. The
sharp clink of glass bottles and aluminum cans clattered in the air, joining the other numerous
bottles and cans of alcohol already sitting in there.
Hero’s parents didn’t comment on it, and Dad proceeded to try to take the man’s mind off of
things. But Aubrey was frowning, and Hero gave the recycling a long look.
Maybe the signs of the future really were already there.

The Lake
Chapter Notes
Summer was upon them with all of the heat and humidity that was expected of that time of
year. The longer days were filled with bright sun, lush, dark green leaves on the trees, and the
taste of salty sweat that dripped from the skin. Hero could feel himself visibly becoming
darker as his skin absorbed more UV rays, giving him a nice golden look even as his brown
hair lightened from the sun exposure. He tried to go outside mostly during the mornings to do
his jogging before school, but even then the sun was already rising. He had gotten used to
greeting the sun first thing every morning. It wasn’t too bad most days.
The end of school was right around the corner, and with it was the tantalizing sight of warm
beach sands and the glitter of light off of ocean waves. The sweet taste of watermelon already
tingled on the back of Hero’s tongue just picturing their beach day that was to come right
after their last day at school. It was going to be quite the beginning of summer celebration,
but before that they had something else to deal with.
It was the first time they were all going to go swimming at the lake, and it had been an
impromptu choice. They had all gone there after Mari and Hero had picked the younger kids
up from the bus stop hoping to just hang out and decompress from another school day when
Kel’d had the sudden epiphany that it was finally warm enough to go swimming. And with
that realization came the loss of clothes as he had stripped to his shorts and had cannonballed
right off the pier. After a little bit of goading, Hero had followed him, shortly followed by
Aubrey and Sunny.
The first dive into the lake was cool nostalgia as the blue-brown waters swallowed him up
and he sank down until his bottom reached the silt-covered ground. The silt billowed out
around him as he squinted through the murk, seeing Kel and Aubrey’s legs kicking as they
splashed each other a couple feet above him. They weren’t far enough out for the waters to be
too deep, and it was perfect for the kids.
After another moment of enjoying the ethereal sight of being underwater, Hero kicked off of
the ground and resurfaced with a gasp. He shook his head to get the hair out of his eyes only
to sputter when he received two splashes to the face from his friends.
“Hey!” he cried.
“Hahaha, nice!” Kel and Aubrey high-fived before Kel kicked his way over to throw himself
onto Hero’s back, nearly dragging the two of them under in the process. Hero let him climb
on him as he instead looked around for the others. Mari and Basil were sitting on the dock
with Sunny hanging onto the end. Sunny’s white clothes were bright in the sunlight even
soaked as they were and clinging to his skin. Mari was smiling as she said something to the
boys before she caught his eye.
“You guys aren’t coming in?” Aubrey asked before Hero could say anything as she swam
over to join them. Hero wrestled with Kel, attempting to dunk his little brother as the boy
squirmed and tried to do the same to him, while listening in.
“No, these aren’t really the best clothes to swim in, sadly,” Mari said with a helpless smile.
Her long white dress flowed around her knees as her bare toes skimmed the water below. “I’ll
wait until we go to the beach to go swimming.”
“Aw, that’s sad,” the girl sighed. She turned expectant eyes to Basil instead.
Basil held up his hands in front of him. “I-I can’t. Um, I can’t… swim, remember?”
Aubrey gasped. “I forgot about that! Basil, why don’t we teach you how to swim?”
“That’s a lovely idea! What do you think, Basil?” Mari asked.
Hero cried out as Kel finally managed to trip him up, sending the two of them down into the
water before he could hear the reply. He glared at Kel through the dark waters and reached
out, clapping his hands on the boy’s puffed cheeks and forcing him to spit the air out. Kel
sputtered and scrambled for the surface, breaking it with a shout as Hero kicked away from
him, swimming underwater back to where the others were as Kel looked for his missing
target.
He popped up for air beside Sunny, startling the boy, before shaking the water from his hair
and blinking lake water from his eyes. “I can teach you how to swim, Basil,” he suggested.
“Uh, I mean, if you want to?”
“Thanks, but I don’t know…” Basil protested, hesitant. “I don’t even have my swimsuit.”
“Neither do we?” Aubrey motioned to herself and the others. Sunny ducked a little below the
water to blow bubbles, eyes falling shut with whatever he was thinking about.
“Well…”
“I could splash you, if it helps!” Kel suggested as he joined them.
“No,” Hero scolded right away. “If he doesn’t want to swim now, he doesn’t have to. Besides,
we can teach him at the beach. We can get an inner tube or something for him to use.”
“Ooh, an inner tube! I didn’t even think of that!” Mari clapped her hands together with
delight. “Excellent idea, Hero! I think we might have one at our house?”
“We don’t,” Sunny corrected.
“Really? Hm… I guess we’ll just have to buy one, then!”
“It’s really no hassle!” Basil protested.
“It’s not a hassle at all,” Mari assured him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling
him into a hug that had him blushing and smiling a little shyly, pleased but embarrassed. “If
you really don’t want to use it, then one of us can use it so that it’s not a waste and you don’t
have to worry!”
He couldn’t keep fighting when everyone was already nodding and smiling in agreement, so
Basil caved. “Alright… But let me help pay for it, at least.”
“In the meantime,” Kel cried as he kicked off of the dock and started swimming his way
towards the island in the middle of the lake. He called back as he did, “let’s enjoy TODAY!”
“He’s always so full of energy,” Aubrey bemoaned, dropping back to float in the water. Her
long black hair disappeared into the depths of the lake as Sunny turned his interested gaze
after Kel.
Hero frowned thoughtfully as he stood on his tiptoes in the silt and watched his brother. He
paid no attention to Mari playfully tapping her feet against his bare shoulders as Kel hauled
himself onto the island where the statue representing the town stood.
He didn’t have many memories of swimming in the lake because of how soon Sunny had
nearly drowned when they had been playing around, so he had to assume that today would be
the day. He would make sure not to let that terrible memory occur again. If he could spare
Mari and Sunny some suffering, then he absolutely would. Sunny was already so frightened
by many things that he couldn’t imagine that the near drowning had helped. There was
probably a reason Sunny had been hesitant to go too deep in the ocean water when they had
been at the beach, and now that Hero was older he was pretty sure the near-drowning was the
reason. He wanted Sunny to fully be able to enjoy the beach.
“What are you thinking about?” Mari’s voice said just above his head as Hero watched Kel
figure out how to climb up the statue. Given the boy’s monkey status, it was too tempting for
him not to climb. He had caught the younger kids’ attention with his actions, pulling them
away from the conversation that Basil and Aubrey had been having as all three of them also
watched Kel’s climb.
Hero glanced up at her as her long hair fell around him. She was laying on her stomach on
the dock gazing down at him. The dock was a little too high right now. He remembered that it
was shallower here now than it would be in a few years. The lake must’ve gotten plenty of
rain in the coming years since Hero remembered it being deeper than where he was standing
now.
“Just watching Kel,” he responded to her as Kel made it to the top successfully and cried out,
arms thrown in the air with triumph. Basil and Aubrey both ooh’d.
Mari had a thoughtful frown on her face that Hero didn’t see before she asked, “Do I need to
look out for something?” Realization hit her then, causing her voice to tense up, “Wait, is
today when Sunny–?”
“I don’t know,” Hero cut her off quickly. He reached up to touch her hand, giving her a
solemn look. “But it won’t happen anyway. I’ve got this, Mari.”
“We should get Sunny out of the water,” she said, not appeased as she pushed herself up onto
her hands.
Hero considered doing exactly that, but he was distracted by Kel calling out, “Check it out,
guys!! Dare me to jump?!”
“Be careful!” Basil called back, looking a little concerned.
“Whoa, is he actually going to jump?” Aubrey asked, watching Kel with wide eyes. “That’s
so scary… I don’t think I could do it.”
“He’s always been pretty brave, right?” Basil asked her, smiling.
“Yeah,” the girl huffed, twisting her hand around in her wet hair as Kel hopped up and down
waving his arms, still trying to get their attention. “It’s one of his good traits, I guess.”
Sunny looked between Basil, Kel, and then Aubrey. Hero could see the dots connecting in his
head.
“Oh no,” he murmured to himself. “Maybe we should–”
But whatever he was about to say was cut off as Kel yelled, “HERE I GO!!” and thoroughly
distracted everyone as he ran and did a cannonball off of the statue. Only a few seconds later
he came up beaming to the cheers of his friends. Even Mari had gotten caught up in it,
clapping at the impressive feat.
Kel was already swimming back in to go for another round when Sunny started swimming
over to join him. Hero made a noise to stop him, but the boy was already too far away before
he could stop him. There was no choice, then.
“Keep an eye out,” Hero commanded Mari before he started swimming after the two boys.
Kel was nearly on top of the statue when Sunny arrived at the island followed shortly by
Hero.
He could still remember the first time around when they had done this. It had been Kel who
had discovered the footholds on the statue, but Hero had been the first one to jump. He had
been just as excitable as Kel sometimes, and the thought of jumping from the statue had been
too exciting to pass up. The two of them had taken turns leaping off from the statue before
Sunny had made his attempt. He had come to his decision a lot faster this time around. He
wondered if that was Aubrey’s influence, judging by the determination on Sunny’s face.
“Are you going to try?” Hero asked as he climbed onto the island next to Sunny. Kel yelled
before doing a flip into the water this time. Hero had no worries about his little brother and
his abilities to swim, so he didn’t pay him any mind.
Sunny nodded, looking for how Kel had climbed the statue. However as the boy looked up,
his determination wavered. The statue was a lot bigger up close, towering at almost the
height of a single-storey house. Considering Hero had climbed taller this kind of height didn’t
bother him, but he could see how it would be daunting for Sunny, who didn’t do the best with
heights to begin with.
He debated with himself if he wanted to discourage Sunny from trying at all, wondering what
would be the best course of action to stop the potential near-drowning. Eventually he decided
it was better safe than sorry and said, “You don’t need to if it’s too much.”
Sunny frowned, looking a little frustrated. His gaze drifted from the statue to Hero, and then
over to Aubrey. She was still watching them. His determination hardened. Hero grimaced as
he realized his words were taken more as a challenge as Sunny began to feel for the
handholds on the statue.
He opened his mouth to try a second time to discourage him in a different way when Kel
came up behind them, hair weeping with lake water and shining like the sun from his
adrenaline. “Sunny! You’re gonna try too? Want me to show you how to get up?”
“Wait, Kel–” Hero tried, but Sunny stepped aside and nodded in agreement. Kel utterly
ignored his brother and said,
“Like this!” He showed Sunny how to get up as he climbed. Sunny followed after him, eyes
on his friend’s backside instead of looking down until both of them were on top. Hero felt
alarms go off in his head and dithered. He couldn’t climb up after them – there was just
enough room for the two small boys, but definitely not enough for a third person, let alone
someone Hero’s size – but he couldn’t stop them either. He had no choice but to dive in as
soon as Sunny hit the water.
If he was honest, he didn’t even know why the near-drowning had occurred. He hadn’t been
looking when Sunny had lept, and before he’d even had a chance to figure out what had
happened, Mari had already dived into the water after her little brother. He remembered
Aubrey and Basil both freaking out as Kel had called Sunny’s name, but Hero had been still
trying to figure out what had happened when Mari had come up with an unconscious Sunny
from the water. He had helped to drag the boy to shore where Mari had managed to get the
water out of Sunny’s lungs with rudimentary CPR she had learned from television while Kel,
Hero, and Aubrey had run as fast as they could to go get an adult’s help.
This time he would pay better attention. And Mari on the dock was waiting anxiously, her
eyes on her little brother even as Aubrey and Basil cheered the two boys on.
Sunny visibly froze, going pale as he realized just how high he was in the air. It was clear that
Kel’s words of excitement to his friend weren’t reaching his ears. Hero hated that fearful look
on his friend’s face. He needed to be calmed down. Could panic have caused the accident
before?
“Kel!” Hero called up to his brother to get his attention. When Kel looked at him, Hero
continued, “Sunny seems kind of nervous! Don’t push him or anything, alright?”
“I wasn’t going to push him!” Kel cried, offended, waving a fist at Hero. But he stopped
when he saw how stiff Sunny was next to him. He brushed something off of Sunny’s shoulder
before he took his hand and squeezed it with a confident grin. “Hey man, it’s alright! We can
jump together if you’re scared!”
Sunny gave him a confused look as he dragged his eyes away from the water far below him.
He still looked visibly shaken, but Kel’s grip on him had reassured him a little.
“Yeah! There’s enough room, see? We just go one, two, three, and then jump! How about it?”
It was moments like this that Hero appreciated the most in his little brother. Kel was a little
careless, but he was reliable for things like this. He’d never let Sunny be scared if he could
help it. And it seemed that it worked as Sunny loosened up just a bit. He still looked scared
and unsure, but he stepped up to the edge of the statue anyway.
“It’s not as scary after the first time,” Hero called up to Sunny, seeing as he was going to
follow through no matter what. Their eyes met and Hero gave him a reassuring thumbs up.
“It’s always scary the first time, but everything will be okay, Sunny!”
“You can do it!” Aubrey yelled from the dock where she was sitting next to Basil and Mari
instead of swimming. The sunlight reflected into Hero’s eyes from them, startling him as he
realized Basil was holding his camera up, waiting for the moment. Mari, beside the two of
them, was standing anxiously and waiting for action. She knew about the falling incident
because Hero had recounted it to her previously. She had tied her dress up around her thighs
in preparation. All eyes were on the two boys.
“Ready?” Kel asked, waiting for Sunny’s approval.
Sunny’s eyes squeezed shut. Hero watched him take one deep breath. Then a second one.
And a third. And then he opened his eyes, calmer, and nodded. Determination was blazing in
his fearful eyes now. His hand clenched around Kel’s before they took a synchronized step
backwards.
“One… two… three… GO! ” Kel cried, and the two ran forward before leaping together.
Sunny pinched his nose right before he hit the water. Hero jumped in right after them.
It was a flurry of bubbles and kicking legs as the boys sank deep into the water. Hero could
see them through cascade of the bubbles before the two figures kicked towards the surface.
He realized he wasn’t needed and surfaced shortly before Kel and then Sunny broke the
water. Kel was beaming as he patted his best friend on the back, and Sunny was glowing with
wonder and pride.
There wasn’t a single shadow on his face any longer.
Hero couldn’t help his own grin, proud of Sunny as well. “How was it?” he asked.
Sunny looked over at his friends cheering for him on the shore. Basil was waving a
photograph in the air. Aubrey was jumping up and down before she dove in to join them. And
Mari’s hands were clasped together, eyes shining brightly in the sunlight with relief and joy
in part.
Sunny glanced between Kel and Hero before he smiled at Hero and said, “I want to go
again.” It was the happiest he had seen Sunny in a while, and the tension drained from Hero’s
body as Kel encouraged Sunny’s excitement.
It was the first major change Hero had managed in this timeline. It gave him hope for the
future. If this could change, then he could be more confident about what was to come.
Chapter End Notes
Basil's caption:
6/17
We went swimming in our secret spot today. Look at that jump! Wow! Sunny and Kel
are so brave. I wanna try it too sometime.
(Art by Inferno)
6/22
Chapter Notes
Hero and Mari went shopping for a new swimsuit, and she certainly got one. Maromi
who draws the best HeroMari graciously drew Mari's new swimsuit that Hero picked out
for her! Thank you again, Maromi, because I can't stop staring at how pretty she is!
If you want background music, you can listen to Omori's "100 Sunny", or you can listen
to various indie songs to just get that nice pumped-up fun vibe haha.
Their beach day was the day after the last day of school. Their parents had been surprisingly
receptive to immediately celebrating the end of the school year when Mari and Hero had
suggested it, and it had caused all of the kids to become very excited. Too excited, really, as
Kel had stayed up way too late the night before they were to leave before proceeding to
collapse the moment he had actually let himself settle down. It had left Hero awake, though,
and groggy when dawn came and his parents woke the two of them up.
He had dozed in the car on the ride over, and they were at the beach well before midmorning.
The children were released to set up umbrellas, towels, and lounge chairs before everyone
had been gathered and given the ground rules for that day.
Mari and Sunny’s parents, and Hero and Kel’s parents – the chaperones of the day – left Hero
and Mari in charge while they went off on a date. They expected everyone to be responsible,
which Hero and Mari had promised to be. They weren’t to leave the area, and the parents
would return sometime closer to the evening where they would proceed to all have dinner
together before going home.
With the confirmation and agreements given, the kids were left to their own devices. They
proceeded to immediately start running around, much to Hero’s grinning pleasure.
The heat of the day was high, and the weather was gorgeous as they played in the water, built
sandcastles, and played beach games with each other with the toys they had brought. They ate
snacks, broke open watermelon to share, and forced each other to reapply lotion as needed.
Hero felt the ache of summer bearing down on him even as he spread his arms and accepted
the burn of salt in his eyes from the ocean and the grit of sand in his swim trunks when he
boogie-boarded back onto land. He swung his smaller friends by their arms to toss them into
the waves, and dove into the water with Aubrey to look through goggles at the tiny crabs they
saw crawling underwater. He flirted with Mari and got teased in return, and as the day wore
on he realized he hadn’t felt any troubles brewing in his chest at all that day.
He didn’t remember the first timeline’s beach trip well. It had been a blur of experiences and
colors: the splash of the ocean across his torso, the drag of fatigue from playing too hard, the
feeling of sand pushing and pulling from out from under his feet in the water, and the softness
of Mari’s stomach as he had fallen asleep on her giggling form. He could vaguely recall the
watermelon that he had enjoyed with his friends, but that had been overshadowed by today’s
fresher memories of the exact same thing. He could say for sure that he liked the fresher
memories better.
Though, he thought to himself as he sat in the sloping sands and felt the waves wash over
him, he wondered how he should feel about his disregard of those previous sweet memories.
They were being overwritten and blurred with the same pen done with newer strokes on the
same page. He couldn’t pull the two apart and separate them into two different times in his
head, with the exception of Mari who was wearing a new swimsuit that did not match the one
from the first timeline.
He tilted his head to gaze at his girlfriend then. She was building a sandcastle with Kel by her
side, though Kel was doing a majority of the work. Basil was blowing up the inner tube
beside them with ruddy cheeks from effort as Kel ran back and forth from the shore to grab
damp sand to bring back to help with the castle. Mari did the sculpting part while Sunny had
stepped into the hole that Kel had made from his digging efforts. He was examining the hole
thoughtfully.
Mari had worn a purple polka-dotted two-piece in the first timeline. This time around she had
replaced it with something just a little bit sexier. Just a bit, though, since Hero had chosen it
to both match his preferences but also to not make her feel uncomfortable in it. Her bottom
piece had a sheer skirt on her dark blue bottoms with a crescent moon-shaped plastic buckle
on either side while her top was rounded and used a similar buckle for the neck. Blue-silver
stars decorated the cups, causing her to glitter a little in the sunlight. Hero rather liked the
color on her, though it wasn’t her usual pastel purple that was her favorite. Mari had given
him a knowing look as she had agreed to the bathing suit citing that it was only fair she wore
something of his preference when she had chosen something for him to wear for her
preference.
Hero’s fingers came up to touch his earrings when he caught a matching glint of reflected
sunlight from Mari’s own earlobes. She still wore her jewelry even now, making a shiver of
possessive pleasure run down Hero’s back. He couldn’t tell if the Mari he knew now was
different from the one he knew, or if Mari had always been like this. If it was the former, he
was curious as to how he could’ve caused this. If it was the latter, then he regretted not
having enough time to get to know this side of Mari.
Her giggle reached him over the sounds of the waves and the many people around the
chatting as he watched her adjust her top and brush her hair behind her ear. He admired the
amount of skin she was showing as he sighed a little longingly to himself, wishing he could
get a little bit of alone time with her so he could tell her how beautiful she looked to him right
then.
He really liked this side of her.

“Hero!” Aubrey called as she trudged through the thigh-deep water to join him before
throwing herself down next to him. Her smile was brighter than the sun as the beginnings of a
sunburn appeared on her nose and the tops of her ears. He could smell the fresh lotion on her,
though, as he spotted a little bit of white around her eyebrow and the curve of her nostril
where she hadn’t rubbed it in enough. He was relieved she had reapplied more. “What are
you doing sitting here?”
“Just enjoying the moment,” he told her as another wave – pushed by a boat further out –
rocked against their chests. She spluttered as she got a faceful of the water and shook her
head, sticking her tongue out.
“Ugh! Salty. I just drank water too,” she complained mostly to herself. “Are you going back
out again?” she asked him.
“I will in a moment. I don’t have as much energy as you guys do.”
“You’re an old man!” she accused, giving him a playful shove. He caught himself before he
fell into the water and grimaced at the name-calling.
“High school takes it out of you.”
“Oh please,” she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “You’re Kel’s brother. There’s no way
you’re this weak.”
“You can’t compare me to Kel. He’s on a different level.” He paused and added as he looked
over at the grand sandcastle that was developing on the shore. Sunny had joined in the
creation. Basil had paused what he was doing to stare, wide-eyed, while his hand twitched
towards his camera, “And he’s full of sugar from the watermelon.”
Aubrey looked over as well. “Good point,” she agreed before pushing herself to stand. She
looked about ready to go join the others, but paused when she saw that Basil had started to
make his way towards them instead. He was carrying in his new inner tube with him. Aubrey
rushed over to join him, beaming as the two of them walked over to Hero. Hero stood when
they joined him.
“Wanna go out into the water?” he guessed, smiling as well.
Basil nodded a bit timidly. His smile was reserved as his eyes flicked towards just a couple
more feet deeper in the water where the waves were bigger. His hands gripped his inner tube
a little tightly. “You, um, mentioned teaching me how to swim? Maybe?”
“Did you want to learn today? The ocean’s different from swimming in, say, a pool.”
“I-Is it?” He looked more unsure now.
“Don’t worry, Basil! It’s not that bad! You can just feel the water moving a lot!” Aubrey tried
to encourage, holding onto the tube with him. She motioned to the water. “You can feel it
pushing and pulling on you! It’s kinda cool and only a little scary. But don’t worry because
me and Hero will be here to help you!”
“She’s right,” Hero added. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I’m a pretty good swimmer,
you know. And I know CPR just in case something happens.”
“You know CPR?” Basil asked with surprise, impressed. Hero blinked away the memory of
pushing air into Basil’s lungs and doing chest compressions on the shore of the lake, as well
as the vision of the dark bruises under that Basil’s eyes on his older face. The image was
replaced with this more youthful, infinitely less troubled version of his friend who looked at
him with warmth and genuine curiosity.
Despite his hesitation, Hero thought, Basil seemed… different from what he remembered.
Was that his influence as well? Or was he just misremembering what a younger Basil had
been like?
“I do,” he assured him. “But if you don’t want to learn how to swim now, we can just play
with the inner tube?”
“But what about boogie boarding?!” Aubrey cried. “I thought you were going to show me
how to do it! I can’t get it right!”
“I can do both,” he assured them. “Boogie boarding really isn’t hard. And Basil can hang out
while we do it.” He glanced at his friend with a smile. “What do you think?”
Basil seemed a little resigned, but not unhappy as he nodded. “That’s fine with me.”
“Let me go grab the board, then!” Aubrey said before rushing back to their little camp to do
so. Sunny had stopped digging his hole when he spotted her, and a brief conversation
occurred among the four on the beach before Sunny ran with Aubrey back towards Hero and
Basil while Mari gave an affectionate smile from the shore. She gave a wave when she
caught Hero’s eye, and Hero waved back. He unconsciously fingered his earring once more.
“Are your ears bothering you?” Basil asked, noticing the movement.
“Huh? Oh, no, nothing like that. It’s, uh, becoming a bit of a habit to mess with them,” he
explained.
His worry abated. “I was really surprised when you and Mari suddenly began to wear
earrings! Hehe, it’s kind of cute that you’re matching like that.”
Hero liked matching with Mari a lot. It made him feel loved to be able to share such a thing
with her. What’s his is hers and vice versa.
He dropped into the water and crouch-walked in the waves until the sand sloped beneath him
and allowed him to stand all while Basil followed him. He kept a hand on the boy’s inner
tube to keep them together when Basil could no longer touch the ground as he responded
over the swells of the waves, “Our parents were surprised too and weren’t too thrilled. But I
like them and so does she. She’s becoming kinda fashionable with the jewelry, huh?”
“Yeah! I think it makes her look really pretty and mature, though!” Basil agreed readily. Hero
just smiled back at him. It made him wonder what Sunny and the others thought of the
changes that Hero knew he had helped to bring about in terms of Mari’s appearance in this
timeline. Basil had known them for a while, but not as long as the others. He considered
asking Sunny about it as both he and Aubrey appeared beside them.
Sunny popped out of the water with a gasp of air before hauling himself up to hold onto the
other side of Basil’s inner tube to hang off of while Aubrey used her boogie board to help her
float. Her feet kicked behind her as she tried to maintain her balance. The bow in the hair
drooped from where it was soaked with water as Hero reached over and brushed some of the
hair away from her face.
“Can you teach me now?” she demanded with begging eyes. “Please Hero, please?”
“Let me make sure Basil’s settled first,” Hero told her.
“Are you done digging, Sunny?” Basil asked his friend, hands finding Sunny’s to hold as
they both shared the inner tube. Sunny looked completely comfortable even this far out in the
water. He seemed content to hang and swing his legs underwater, curling himself so his legs
came up to press against the underside of the inner tube. “You had looked like you were
going to build a home there, haha!”
“Later,” Sunny said. “Are you practicing swimming?”
“Oh, uh, no. I’m just going to use this for now. It’s kinda hard to learn to swim here.”
“Are you okay if I leave you here, Basil?” Hero asked. “I’ll be nearby, but I have to go out
deeper to help Aubrey get the waves she wants.”
“We won’t go too far!” Aubrey assured him.
Basil just smiled before glancing at Sunny and back to the others. “I think I’ll be okay. Sunny
will play with me, right Sunny?”
Sunny nodded in agreement as he ducked underwater and popped up in the center of the tube
as well. It was far too cramped for the two of them, causing the boys to be pressed together,
but Sunny looked happy as Basil yelped and the tube started to spin with the motions Sunny
was making. Soon they were twirling as Basil cried out with laughter and nerves even as the
waves began to push their bobbing, spinning forms to shore.
Aubrey and Hero laughed before Aubrey wrapped her arms around Hero’s neck to hang on
him. “Come on, Hero! I wanna prove to Kel I can boogie board just like you guys!”
“Okay, okay,” he assured her. “I’ll get you going in no time. Let’s head deeper, okay?”
“Alright!”
He might have been working on his stamina, but Hero admittedly still found himself flagging
long before his younger friends did. His body burned pleasantly with fatigue and burned
unpleasantly with too much sun. His eyes were painted with the reflections of bright lights on
waves, and his throat burned from having accidentally swallowed too much sea water. But he
was smiling tiredly as he dragged himself onto shore with everyone else as he suggested a
break. His stomach growled for something fresh to drink and something to munch on, but his
fatigue weighed on him more.
Mari was laying on one of the chair lounges where she had already dried off from the short
time she had played in the water with them all. The afternoon sun was drifting just west into
the beginnings of evening time as the four younger kids scattered among their picnic,
chattering with energy that Hero envied.
“You look very played out, Hero!” Mari commented cheerfully as he sat on the end of her
lounge between her spread feet. He was admittedly craving some shade away from the sun,
but Mari’s presence was worth waiting for it.
“I am,” he confessed, words trailing just a bit as he leaned on one hand next to her thigh. She
shifted to sit a little higher on her lounge with playful eyes watching him. “I didn’t expect to
play that long in the water. I’m pooped.”
There was something dancing in the depths of Mari’s gaze. Her eyes jumped to their friends
(Sunny had returned to the hole where he had been buried earlier. He was sharing it with Kel,
who was complaining about the hole being taller than him. Aubrey was talking with Basil as
they dug into the coolers and discussed drinks) before she returned to Hero and stretched her
arms out in offering. She tilted her head, silently asking Are you coming?
Hero crawled up over her and judged how he wanted to distribute his weight before lowering
himself onto her. He rested his head on her chest while feeling his heart rate picking up and
desperately prayed that his hormonal body wouldn’t betray him in his time of need. He took a
moment to register that even though he had done this before in the previous timeline, he
wasn’t quite as tired as he had been back then. And Mari’s outfit was more provocative from
this angle. He had to close his eyes to be respectful, but Mari’s nervous laughter stopped him
before he could settle in all of the way.
“Hero…” she murmured, “maybe, um… a little lower?”
His ears burned as he pushed away the initial mental image that brought. He lifted his head to
gaze at her face. She was a little shy, but not protesting their position. Hero was aware of
their public setting and how close their younger friends were, though he hadn’t been planning
on doing anything bad anyway.
“Stomach?” he guessed. Mari hummed in agreement, so Hero shifted. He rested his cheek
and head against her upper stomach so that he wasn’t quite laying on her chest. It was soft, he
thought, and her skin was sunbaked. She gave a laugh as he wrapped his arms under her and
settled in, closing his eyes as her hands came up to wrap over him. A wave of exhaustion
washed over him. He liked this position, he thought. He was comfy.
Her nails scraped gently along his neck, spreading the wet hair there, before trailing down his
spine and over his shoulder blades. Goosebumps bubbled along his skin pleasantly as he gave
a shiver and sank deeper into her embrace. He was ready to take a nap just like this, he
thought.
“Oh, he seems tired,” he heard Basil say from next to them. He didn’t bother to open his eyes
as he was content to simply listen. Mari smelled like coconut tanning oil. He could hear her
words vibrating through her body as she giggled and said,
“It seems like he played to his fullest today!”
There was the snap of a camera that finally had Hero opening his eyes. Basil gave a sheepish
smile as he collected the developing picture before he fled back to the shade. Hero could hear
Kel and Aubrey talking on their other side, but he ignored them. He lifted his head to rest his
chin on Mari’s stomach as he gazed up at her.
“You didn’t go swimming too much today,” he noted. He was getting her wet from laying on
her. He felt a little bad about it, but she didn’t seem to mind as she brushed her hair back
from his face again. He tilted his face into her touch.
“I was hoping to get a tan,” she admitted.
“Oh. Am I stopping you? I can move.”
“No, no, it’s alright. Rest a bit, Hero.”
He had a feeling she wanted to snuggle for a little bit, indulging while the parents weren’t
around. But he wouldn’t hold her back from her tanning for too long. He would just indulge
for himself a little longer.
They were quiet as Hero closed his eyes and went back to resting. His friends around him
talked and he listened without joining in. His eyes squeezed shut from the bright sunlight that
burned even through his eyelids, and in response a towel was thrown over his head. It was
instant relief from the unrelenting summer sunlight that made him sigh.
How long had it been since he had felt this good, he wondered. It was the official first day of
summer holidays, and he finally had time to really just enjoy being a kid again. He had no
obligations other than summer homework and the part-time jobs he did to earn money. He
would get to have many days just hanging out with his friends like this. He was excited for
Saturday morning cartoons and breakfasts cooked with his own hands. He daydreamed of
picnics in the park and more days at the lake.
But then his mind drifted to the memories he recalled from the past timeline. Most of that
summer had been a blur of joy and carefree days wiling away the hours just hanging out with
his best friends. But Basil’s photographs had exposed a particular fact that he had admittedly
forgotten about.
They were supposed to build a treehouse in Sunny and Mari’s backyard this summer. They
were going to start it sometime soon because he remembered spending most of the summer
slowly helping to build it. He didn’t remember who suggested it. He missed their treehouse
where they had all promised many hours of hanging out together in the future only to have
only used it for a couple months before the tragedy had occurred.
Hero wanted the treehouse, but he wasn’t sure he could go into Mari and Sunny’s backyard
yet. He hadn’t gone back there since he had come back in time. He was avoiding it, he knew,
but knowing what he did… knowing that tree was still there and probably had their messy
toys still sitting in that toybox under the branches… Hero didn’t know if he was strong
enough to face it yet.
He had done it before, he told himself, when he had been with his friends. He could do it
again.
But he really didn’t want to.
Hands captured the ends of his towel and tugged to get his attention. Hero lifted his head as
his pillow under him shifted, and soon Mari’s face was bent close to his. Her long hair helped
to curtain more of the light away as her knees drew up around him. He propped himself onto
his elbows as he unconsciously moved to be able to look at her more comfortably.
She had a little frown on her face as she searched him. Then she said softly, “You’re thinking
of sad things again, aren’t you?”
How did she even know that? “No, I’m not,” he half-lied because it wasn’t completely sad to
think about the treehouse. He was excited for it. But…
“Henry,” she murmured with a strangely serious voice that had him immediately paying
attention, “just for one day, why don’t you let yourself forget? You were doing so well
earlier.”
He felt oddly scolded. “It’s not- I mean, I don’t- It’s not that bad, Mari.”
She hummed, clearly disbelieving, but she didn’t voice it as she pulled him in for a kiss.
Their lips met while hidden under the towel, pulling Hero up to meet her rather than the other
way around. It helped to clear his head a little even if he was now troubled with worrying her.
The kiss broke with their noses brushing as she said, “Focus on the present, Hero. It’s
summer vacation. We’ll worry about problems starting tomorrow, okay?” She gave him one
more peck before she let go of the towel. Her hands skimmed his arms before they dropped
onto her stomach as she gazed up at him with a smile as he hovered over her. “I like seeing
you so happy and free. I’d almost forgotten what that had looked like.”
Hero didn’t respond to her for a long moment. His gaze dropped to her collarbones as his
eyes went a little unfocused, frowning. Then he met her eyes once more to ask, “Has it really
been that noticeable?”
“Oh Hero,” she crooned, just a tad pitying but infinitely patient, “you’ve never been good
about hiding when you’re troubled.”
That didn’t exactly make him feel better, though it certainly wasn’t news to him. He just
sighed out from his nose before he pushed himself up and off of her. She startled, eyes
widening with concern, but he just said, “I’ll let you go back to your sunbathing, Mari. I’m
gonna lay down.”
“Okay, Hero,” she responded, understanding.
“Hero!” Aubrey called when she noticed Hero was free from Mari. Aubrey, at least, was
polite enough not to disturb the couple, Hero noted with amusement. The girl held out a juice
box to him with a smile, “Thirsty?”
“Parched,” he agreed, taking it. “Thanks, Aubrey!” He sat down on his towel under the
umbrella with a sigh as he drank the entire juice box in a few seconds. His throat was
instantly relieved from the salty burn from earlier. He was still thirsty, but he was more tired
than anything and so he laid down on the towel. He was soon joined by Sunny, who seemed
to have the same idea as him as he stretched out on his towel with a flushed, sweaty face and
looking burnt out from all of the sunlight.
He looked good, Hero thought. The shadow of that boy he had seen two days before Sunny’s
death didn’t exist in this child before him. Sunny was happy, his body was filled out with his
youthful pre-teen face, and he hadn’t shown a single moment of fear or hesitation all day.
When his friends had reached for him, Sunny hadn’t hesitated to reach back. He spoke and
reacted to the things around him. He interacted with them all and eagerly played just like the
other kids. His footsteps were confident and unweighted.
Hero wondered when he would stop expecting to see those empty black eyes once more.
Sunny turned his head to meet Hero’s stare when it had lingered for too long. His half-mast,
sleepy eyes regarded him with idle curiosity, but Hero didn’t respond to it. A relieved,
pleased smile curled on his lips, and he was surprised when Sunny returned it. It made Hero’s
heart stutter, and he was rolling over to hug Sunny before he thought about it.
Sunny didn’t complain, used to Hero being a huggy person, but he did stiffen with surprise at
how tight Hero’s hug was as Hero buried his nose briefly in the boy’s hair.
“Sunny,” he asked quietly, “are you happy?”
Sunny shifted in his grip as his nose was squished to Hero’s throat briefly. A beat passed, and
then he said, “I’m really happy, Hero.”
“Good,” Hero said. “Good,” he repeated, a little softer. His grip loosened on Sunny as he
slowly released him, and he felt that his expression was back to normal now as he grinned.
“I’m glad.”
“Are you happy, Hero?” Sunny asked in return, clearly floundering at the strange moment.
“Haha, happier than I’ve been in a long time,” he assured him before he rolled away from
Sunny to lay on his towel again. He stretched before throwing a tired arm over his eyes. His
grin dimmed into just a small smile, but that smile lingered nonetheless. “I’m very happy.”
He drifted to sleep listening to his friends speak over the waves crashing on the shore and
many, many voices of beachgoers around them. Just a short nap, he told himself, and then
back to playing. He had a lot of time to make up for, after all, and finally time to do it all.
Anxiety
Chapter Notes
CW: Casual usage of drugs (marijuana/CBD/THC)
If Hero had to choose a favorite time of year, it probably wouldn’t be summer. As much as he
liked the freedom that came from summer time (at least for now, before he started doing
summer courses at university) he wasn’t as big of a fan of the heat. He didn’t like sweating,
even if he could put up with it. The sun was nice and it was great that he could expect clear
weather on most days, but the heat was sometimes intolerable. He wasn’t like Kel who didn’t
mind becoming a sweaty, dirty mess. There was a reason Hero didn’t actually like exercising,
and it wasn’t entirely because he didn’t have as much stamina as he would like at his age. It
was how disgusting he felt afterwards.
But still, he thought as he fanned himself with his baseball cap as he walked home, it wasn’t
so bad sometimes. There were a few blue-gray storm clouds on the horizon that rumbled with
the promise of an afternoon thunderstorm, but the wind had yet to pick up. They still had
some time yet before it would hit. He liked when it stormed. Sometimes he could sit outside
on their covered backyard patio and watch the rain come down around him.
He’d worked up a vicious sweat taking care of a couple of different lawns that he had mowed
that day. Even if the kids were off from school, that didn’t mean parents were. So, Hero had
made some decent money from his work today with the promise of more money tomorrow.
He felt a little proud of himself for keeping so busy. His wallet was looking kind of hefty
lately. He was sure he would be able to use it in the future.
He was musing about what kind of things he used to spend his money on in his first life when
a familiar scent hit his nose as the wind shifted. He paused, nostrils flaring, as his eyebrows
pinched together. That strangely sweet, smokey scent that reminded him sometimes of burnt
sage was one that was hard to forget, though he’d never expected to smell it here in this
neighborhood. It brought back images of smokey dorm rooms and soft alternative rock
strumming in the background. And curiouser yet, it was coming from Basil’s backyard.
There was no way though, right? Hero had to know, so he grabbed the edge of Basil’s fence
and jumped to see over it. He spotted Basil’s grandmother sitting under the shade of a tree
reading a book in one of the lawn chairs they had in the backyard. Even as Hero watched, the
woman brought the lit pipe to her mouth and breathed in deep before releasing it.
“Whoa…!” Hero said without his consent, absolutely stunned by what he was seeing. Basil’s
grandmother did weed? He knew, of course, about the medicinal qualities of it, but he’d
never known this! It was hard to wrap his mind around.
Basil’s grandmother glanced up from her book then and took a moment to focus on him. She
blinked with surprise before she raised a wry eyebrow at him. “Ah, it seems I’ve been caught.
Don’t you know you’re not supposed to peek into others’ yards, Hero?”
“Oh, uh, sorry!” He dropped down from the fence quickly, face burning at being caught
doing something shameful, but the woman’s voice drifted over the fence,
“It’s alright. Did you need something?”
He hesitated, unsure. “Um, not really? I just smelled… that… and got curious.”
“Do you know what it is?” He didn’t respond to that. It made her chuckle. “Why don’t you
come in, Hero? The front door is unlocked.”
He dithered, fighting between his politeness, his desire to sheepishly follow through on the
command given to him, and the urge to just go home and keep all of this a secret. But in the
end, it was his curiosity that won out. So, he went around to the front and entered Basil’s
house.
It was clear right away that the boy wasn’t home. It was possible he was out playing. He
hadn’t known that Basil’s grandmother had been taking this kind of drug in the past. It made
him very curious since he was pretty sure he would’ve remembered smelling the weed
before. After all, the scent was distinct. But he only recalled smelling it for the first time
around his high school and in college. Never here in this house which usually had the organic
smell of various plants and flowers.
He stepped out into the backyard with a sheepish smile before walking over to join the
woman. There was already a chair next to her, so he decided to take a seat upwind from her.
She had placed the pipe she was using to smoke onto the little table beside her as she placed a
pressed-flower bookmark into the fold of her book.
He didn’t know what to say to her, but luckily he didn’t need to start. He didn’t get the
chance to apologize before the woman was saying, “I was hoping none of Basil’s friends
would find out that I do this.”
“Are you ashamed of it?” Hero asked more on reflex than anything, frowning a little. He
didn’t see why she would be ashamed, and it seemed that she didn’t either as she gave a
chuckle and a dainty cough.
“No, no, nothing like that. It’s just that people question these things and assume the worst.
Especially since they started doing that D.A.R.E. program in your schools. Basil’s lectured
me on the ‘dangers’ of marijuana on more than one occasion.” She was more amused than
upset, though. She was smiling a lot more too. Hero thought that she looked pretty relaxed.
He didn’t blame her. He kinda liked the feeling that came from being high too.
“But it helps with your health, doesn’t it?”
“Is this medicinal, you mean?” She had a shrewd look in her eye, assessing him. At Hero’s
nod she said, “Yes, I take it mostly for my joints. I’m old, in case that wasn’t obvious, and
I’m not always in the best of health.”
“But you are seeing a doctor, right?”
She laughed. “I don’t think I’ve had someone so concerned with my health in a long time!”
“You’re Basil’s guardian,” Hero told her seriously. “If something happened to you, he’ll go
back to his parents, right? And he doesn’t want that.” He realized how he sounded and added,
“And we all like you a lot.”
“It’s okay,” she assured him, still quietly amused. “I understand if you’re more concerned
about Basil. That’s how children should be. Worrying about adult problems should be left for
adults, even if you might think you’re an adult.”
Hero couldn’t possibly explain that he really was an adult in every way but physical, so he
just said, “I really do care about you.”
She didn’t protest and continued on to say a little solemnly, “I plan on being around for a
while yet. Basil needs a stable home, and I’m happy to have so much life in my house once
more. Ever since you kids came around, the house has become quite the home.” She reached
over and grabbed her pipe and lighter before pausing. Her eyes sparkled with a hint of
mischief that Hero had seen a few times with Basil’s eyes as well as she asked wryly, “Would
you like to try?”
Hero hesitated a beat too long as he seriously considered it before he shook his head. “I
wouldn’t be able to get rid of the smell.”
“Ah, good point,” she said, placing the stuff back down. “It’s terribly hard to get out of
clothes. Edibles are better for that kind of thing.”
“Do you do this a lot?” Hero asked, watching her.
“This, no. But I do use other items. And give Basil a little as well.”
“R-Really?!” Hero cried.
“Just a little for his anxiety,” she explained. She watched him carefully. “And if you would
like some, you’re welcome to have some. It’s better than vomiting, isn’t it?”
Hero stiffened. His smile flickered on his face, and his eyes darted down and away. “That…
Doesn’t happen often.”
“Nonetheless,” the woman said, not insisting but merely offering. “You can ask me, as long
as you’re careful with it. And I know you will be, Hero. You’re a good boy.”
Silence descended on them. A couple beads of sweat rolled down his face when they weren’t
absorbed by the brim of his hat. He used his shoulder to wipe them off of his cheek.
He hadn’t done drugs since his college days, and he certainly hadn’t done any kind of heavy
stuff. Smoking cigarettes and weed, and drinking alcohol had been the limits of his
exploration. He’d never been interested in mind-altering substances, and he had been instilled
with enough responsibility and fear growing up to stay well away from that stuff.
But he liked marijuana other than the way it made him light-headed and gave him weird
thoughts. But the pleasant lightness that came from having his burdens temporarily removed
was exactly the kind of feeling he had chased for a little too long during the time he had been
experimenting. It had been one of the first times he had forgotten all of his problems. He
didn’t doubt Basil’s grandmother’s words about helping with his anxiety.
He had managed to stop smoking in this life because his addiction had left him, but that
didn’t stop the urge. He knew he wouldn’t be able to smoke anything without his family
catching onto it, but edibles…
“Maybe… just one? Something just for the anxiety,” Hero suggested, feeling nervous but a
little excited.
The woman smiled and grabbed her cane to help herself stand. Hero got up quickly to assist
before she gathered her stuff. “Follow me, then. And remember not to tell anyone.”
Hero returned home to the sound of music in the air and his fingers curiously playing with
the little bag in his pocket. Basil’s grandmother had indeed given him some things to take
home with him, and he felt unexpectedly nervous because of it. He felt like everyone around
him knew he was carrying drugs, even though he had been assured this stuff would hardly get
him high with how low the dosage was. He would have to make sure to hide it well away
from where Kel might accidentally find it, or his brother would definitely eat the treat.
He was lucky that his family was in the back of the house, so he had time to run upstairs and
do just that before returning back downstairs. The sounds of Hector’s barks could be heard
intermixed with Kel and Aubrey’s playful shouts. The smokey, mouth-watering scent of
burgers on the grill had his stomach growling loudly as he exited into the backyard to find his
mother talking in rapid Spanish on the phone with someone while his father was cheerfully
flipping burgers. Kel and Aubrey were shooting each other and Hector with water guns closer
to the back of the yard well away from the grill while Hector bounded after them. Hero found
himself smiling at the sight as he returned a greeting wave to his distracted mother and sat
down on one of the lawn chairs upwind from where his dad was cooking.
“Hero! There you are. You’re late today, son,” his dad heckled him playfully in Spanish.
“You’re usually faster than that!”
“Yeah, I got caught by Basil’s grandma on my way back and stopped by to talk for a bit,” he
said since lying would get him easily caught.
“You hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Hahaha, well, burgers will be done soon! You mind getting the salad ready and setting up
the table?” He motioned with his head to the big table they’d set out in the backyard.
“Sure,” Hero said as he began to heft himself out of his chair already. “Is Aubrey staying for
lunch?”
“Sure is! Prepare her a spot too, will ya? I’m gonna send her home with leftovers.”
Hero went inside to wash his hands first before returning to do as was asked. He allowed his
mind to drift, simply working while listening to his surroundings. It was easy to get lost in
the day-to-day simplicity when he just let his mind wander. It was getting easier with time, he
noted to himself, to let himself exist in the moment. He soaked in the sounds of meat sizzling
and his friends playing. He took in the scent of butter and the tang of the vinaigrette he added
to the salad. The tossing of the salad was automatic to his hands as his eyes fell to half-mast
at the summer wind that blew his hair around his face. He tilted his head away to stop a drop
of sweat from falling into the food.
Unconsciously, he began to hum a song to himself. He thought little of it and didn’t even
notice he was doing it. It lifted his spirits as he moved around and set the table, head and
body swaying ever so slightly to the tune.
“Wow Hero,” Aubrey’s voice caused Hero to blink out of the trance he had set himself in as
she stood with dripping hair in front of him. Kel had collapsed on the ground laughing and
squirming as Hector licked the water from his face, “you actually know this song?”
“Hey Aubrey. What song?” Hero asked, blinking at her as he placed a lid over the salad to
preserve it.
Aubrey blinked at him while brushing a loose strand of hair away from her face. “The song
you were humming. The one that Mari and Sunny are playing?”
Hero stared at her for another long moment, baffled as he processed her words, before it
finally clicked. The music he had been hearing was indeed piano music with the occasional
violin thrown in. Lately it wasn’t unusual to hear one or the other considering both of the
siblings practiced their instruments often, but this was different. This wasn’t them playing a
song together, but rather practicing something new. And worse, Hero recognized the song.
It was one that had haunted his dreams for years. He had heard Mari and Sunny practice it
over, and over, and over again through the open windows of their houses during the summer,
and then far more frequently as autumn had come and the world had started to change colors.
He could practically hum the entire thing by heart, though he hadn’t properly heard it in
years.
His heart dropped his stomach as bile choked him. His head whipped to the house next door
as his eyes widened.
This was the duet Mari and Sunny were supposed to play at the recital on the day of Mari’s
death. He could hear that it was still in the beginning stages now with stops and starts and
restarts, but the tune was one he couldn’t fully forget. He hadn’t fully thought about it in
years.
“Hero?” Aubrey called, sounding a little confused at Hero’s reaction. Whatever expression
that was on his face caused her to flinch a little, brows furrowing with confusion.
Hero stumbled back away from the table. He noticed his dad looking at him. He spun away
from their eyes quickly and stuttered out around the rapid pounding of his heart, “I’ll- I’ll be
right back! Bathroom!”
He rushed into the house and away from anyone who could follow him. His bare feet
stumbled in his hurry as he didn’t bother with shoes and burst out of the front door to run to
the house next door. His ears were ringing as his head buzzed with the sound of the duet that
filtered through the air like carbon monoxide.
He barely held himself back from pounding on the door in his haste, and softened it to a
quick knock. He shifted impatiently, head too busy to even think of what to do next but to
talk to Mari, when the door opened to reveal Mr. Aki.
“Ah, Hero. Hello,” the man said.
“Hi sir. Is Mari home? I have to ask her a question really quick,” he said, lips and tongue not
cooperating as well as he would like.
He shook his head. “She’s practicing right now. You two can talk later.”
“Please, sir, it’s important. I promise I won’t take long.” He couldn’t be rejected now. He
needed to talk to Mari immediately. He needed to hear from her that this was just a
coincidence.
Her father seemed a little annoyed, but he sighed and relented seeing Hero’s wide, pleading
eyes. “Just a question? Alright. She’s in the piano room.”
“Thank you!” Hero tried to contain himself even as he wiped his feet and hurried into the
house. The piano music was much louder now, though Mari was speaking over it as she gave
advice to Sunny. He found them both in the piano room where Sunny was standing in front of
a music stand with a focused frown on his face and Mari was sitting on the piano bench. She
was pointing at the sheer music in front of Sunny and playing an example on the piano for
how it should sound when she spotted Hero and paused. A look of guilt hit her face, and his
hopes plummeted.
Sunny spotted him and brightened a little, blinking with surprise as he lowered his violin.
Mari called, “Hi Hero. How… can we help you?”
Hero’s fingers were straining his shorts where his grip was far too tight. He was hyper aware
of the presence of Sunny and Mr. Aki not far from him, “Mari… I need to talk to you.”
She wasn’t always good at hiding her own feelings from Hero. He knew her too well from
too many years together. The guilt was clear as day to him as she nodded and stood, turning
to Sunny to say, “Keep practicing, little brother. I’ll be back in a moment.”
Sunny gave them curious looks, but did as he was told, continuing where he left off as Hero
led the way out of the piano room and upstairs. He gripped the top of the banister while
feeling a little dizzy and nauseous. The music, pretty as it was, was grating on his ears.
“Please tell me,” he began slowly with a trembling voice, “that I’m mistaken.”
She didn’t need him to clarify. They had discussed the recital possibility so many times at this
point. Mari had been putting it off as long as she could, but they had both known that it was
inevitable that a recital of some sort would appear. But he had been hoping desperately that
Mari would’ve been able to change the future with as hard as she had tried.
The girl dropped her eyes and gripped her hands in front of her. Her frown was sad.
“...You’re not.”
He whipped towards her and hissed with fear, “Mari, why?! You said-”
“I couldn’t stop it!” she cut him off before he could finish. Her hands found his, holding onto
Hero’s white-knuckled hand as their eyes locked. “I tried! I really did! But it was a losing
battle!”
“Is it the same recital?” he demanded. “You’re doing a duet with Sunny?”
“Yes. Same day.” He felt like his legs would give out at her confirmation. He nearly sank to
the floor, but her grip held him in place. “But it’s okay!” she hurried to reassure him. “Hero,
just because it’s on the same day doesn’t mean that the accident will occur!”
But Hero couldn’t fully believe that. He felt utterly ill. “We’ve changed nothing, though,” he
whispered with a weak voice. “Everything’s still the same.”
“It’s not,” Mari insisted. “We know what’s going to happen.”
“And that did nothing to change this!” he cried before lowering his voice. He heard Sunny’s
violin stop and cringed. He released the banister to hug Mari to him. She could feel him
trembling as he whispered, “Everything’s still the same, Mari. Even the song you’re playing
is the same!”
“I-It is?” she asked, stunned. Hero nodded against her shoulder.
What if everything so far had been for nothing? Was fate really set in stone? Had Hero been
kidding himself when he had thought he was making changes for the better? What good
would it mean to come back in time if the most important factor hadn’t changed?
“I can’t lose you again. I can’t let this happen,” Hero said in a desperate voice that bordered
on panic. His breathing was rough as his shoulders shook. Her hands rubbed at his back.
“Please don’t do this, Mari. Please.”
“I can’t stop it,” she told him, remorseful but steady. “Sunny was the one who agreed to a
duet… and Mom says we have to do it. I can’t change it now.”
“Then… Then something!” he pulled back and held her shoulders. She winced at his tight
grip, and he grimaced in apology before relaxing it. “We’ll pretend you got sick! Or we’ll
convince Sunny not to do it-”
“No, Hero!” She grabbed his hands and pulled them off, eyes imploring. “You need to listen.
We can’t stop this. Me and Sunny… We can’t go against our parents.”
“Mari, this is your life we’re talking about! Who cares if your parents get a little mad at
you?!”
“I do! There’s nothing set in stone about me dying, Hero! Please calm down!”
“How can I calm down?!” He paced back and forth, hands running into his hair and gripping
it with a manic energy that caused his heart to tremble in his chest. He felt like he was on the
edge of a breakdown as his mind filled with the sound of ambulance sirens. His vision was
obscured by red and blue lights flashing, and the creak of a gurney being wheeled out of the
house. The scent of blood coated his nose. Acid burned his tongue. “I thought I had changed
things, but it’s all the same! Everything’s still the same! The song, the date, the duet, this-”
Mari’s hands gripped his arms and pulled them from his hair, eyes blazing with determination
and comfort, “We’re different, Hero. You and me! We know what’s going to happen, right?
So we can stop it!”
“What if it’s all going to happen anyway?” he asked her, eyes watering a little from the stress
and panic. His breathing was far too fast. He was going to shake right out of his skin, he
thought. “What if it’s just fate? Am I really going to have to see you die again? Can I really
do nothing to stop this? What was the point of coming back in time if it was all meaningless?
I can’t do this again, Mari. I can’t do this a second time…!”
“Henry. Henry!” she cried, cupping his face. She smoothed her hands over his jaw and down
his neck. “Shhh! Shhhh, Hero, breathe. Breathe, okay? I’ll do it with you.”
“I don’t have time-”
“You have all of the time in the world,” she corrected before he could deny it. “I’m here with
you.” She took his hand and pressed it to her chest. He could feel her heart beating quickly as
well. She purposefully breathed so he could feel it. “Just follow my lead. We won’t go
anywhere until you do.”
He wanted to be angry. He almost was. He wanted to snap at her for doing this when they
should be working on a solution. But even thinking was too difficult for his brain when he
was fighting against the tide of horrific memories that threatened to knock his feet out from
under him and drown him far below the surface. He wanted to just break down.
But Mari was in front of him. And she was breathing in slowly and deeply. Breathing was
easy, kind of. It didn’t require thinking. In fact, Hero knew her method well. He had used it
on Sunny before, and on himself. His mind automatically started counting with her as he
breathed in and out. Her voice was soft as she murmured the numbers, and in between it she
would say gentle encouragement,
“Just focus on your breathing and the numbers. We’ll stay right here. Nothing else matters
right now. Just breathe and focus.”
He gave a single sob, but he listened. He breathed in while counting. He held it for a couple
seconds. Then he breathed out. Again. And again. He felt his heart slowing. He felt Mari’s
chest rising and falling. Her hands were steady on him. The buzzing in his ears faded. The
rush of blue, red, and black melted away bit by bit, though the chill never fully dissipated.
And finally, Hero felt much steadier.
Mari didn’t stop until Hero broke the trance between them when he was ready. The electric
current in his fingertips and bones calmed to an exhausted droop. He opened his eyes and met
Mari’s empathetic gaze.
He felt wretched. Calmed, but wretched nonetheless.
“Better?” she asked.
“Yeah. Thanks.” It was embarrassing how often she had to do this for him. Hero missed when
he had been one of the stronger ones of the group. He didn’t know when he had developed an
anxiety problem, but it probably not going to go away anytime soon. “But we still need to
talk about the recital.”
“We do,” Mari agreed, “but not now. We don’t have time now.” Her eyes darted down the
stairs and back to Hero. “I have to get back to practicing. We can talk about this another time,
I promise. We’ll figure this out together, Hero.”
It would be easier if she just listened to him. Nothing was more important than her life, and
certainly not some stupid recital. Her parents wouldn’t stay angry at her forever. At least she
would be alive for them to be angry at.
But he knew she wouldn’t appreciate hearing that. She was right in that they simply didn’t
have time for this right now. They needed alone time, and they needed it soon.
He squeezed her hand and said, “Promise me we’ll talk about this soon. Today, maybe. Or
tomorrow. As soon as possible.”
“I promise,” she agreed easily. She cupped his cheek and kissed him softly to seal the
promise. “As soon as possible.”
“...Okay. Okay,” he gave in. There was no helping it today. His shoulders slumped and he
pulled away from her. “Then… I’ll be at my house if you need me.” He turned to go down
the stairs first, gripping the banister as he did so as she followed him.
“Hero, we can change the song anytime, you know,” she said. “We only just picked it out.”
The song didn’t matter, he thought. He doubted changing it would mean much. “I think it
should be fine… It’s a pretty song anyway.”
“Did you ever hear the finished product?”
“No.”
Mari didn’t respond to that, and Hero had nothing left to say.
He parted with her reluctantly and went back through the living room right as it seemed Mr.
Aki was coming to fetch him. He said his goodbyes while avoiding looking at anyone
directly, certain that his face was still a terrible sight. He didn’t want the questions.
He went back to his house and instead went upstairs before going to rejoin his family outside.
He was going to take Basil’s grandmother up on her cure for anxiety sooner than expected.
Unsteady
Chapter Notes
Hero has a 'Poisoned' effect on his emotional state right now.

-1
-1
-1
-1
There was nothing that Hero could do about the recital, causing tension to build between him
and Mari no matter how much either of them tried to fight against it. If it was for a reason
any more minor than this one, Hero would call it a couple’s fight. As it was, he felt more like
Mari was being unnecessarily stubborn at worst and childishly optimistic at best while Mari
thought he was working himself up too much for the situation at hand.
Mari couldn’t cancel the recital, she insisted, because her parents had already paid for their
place in it and were inviting people from their companies to come. Mari’s mother was using
it for connecting with others, and Mari’s father was expecting great things out of both of
them. There was no chance for them to change their minds now, and Mari abruptly
disagreeing with it all would put not only her but also Sunny in a bad position. Sunny wasn’t
used to the weight of his parents’ expectations, and he was looking forward to playing in a
recital with Mari. While Mari could change the recital position into a solo rather than a duet,
it would make it seem like Sunny wasn’t good enough to play with her. Taking Sunny’s
position away from him now would disappoint him when the idea for a duet had been his in
the first place.
All of that seemed so trivial and temporary in Hero’s eyes. Her parents’ disappointment and
anger, Sunny being hurt, and even the way her mother was making connections through Mari
was all unimportant to him. He understood Mari’s predicament, but her life was much more
important to him. Discarding the recital entirely would be the ideal way to ensure that
nothing bad could possibly happen, and barring that removing Sunny from the recital might
get rid of whatever argument caused Mari’s accident in the first place.
Mari disagreed, though. She insisted that they could work with what they had. All they had to
really prevent was a fight between her and Sunny on the day of the event, which should be
easy. Or, if a fight was to occur anyway, she just needed to not be in a place where she could
fall. She saw it as easy.
Hero wanted to scream. Why take that risk at all? Why did they have to cut it so close? If the
timeline was occurring the same as last time anyway, why would they risk it continuing down
the exact same path when they could make a more drastic change?
But in Mari’s eyes, playing it close to the line was the least risky and meant the most control
of the situation. If they changed things too much, the ripple effect could go wildly out of their
control.
They were at a stalemate with neither side wanting to give in. And with every day that passed
that Hero had to listen to them practice that same song while the deadline of the recital sat
just a few months away, Hero felt his sense of peace being shattered. The chilliness between
him and Mari had settled uncomfortably over the entire group of friends. Even when the two
elder siblings tried not to let it get between them too much, it was undeniable that the
affectionate couple wasn’t being as affectionate as of late.
Hero didn’t want to be in this situation, and he certainly didn’t want it affecting his time or
relationship with his friends. It was summer vacation and they should all be having fun, but
he felt more stressed out than ever. Mari was stubborn, but Hero didn’t want to back down on
this. He was certain they would have to have another repeat conversation about this in the
near future.
But today he was significantly distracted by an offhand comment from Kel while they were
watching Saturday morning cartoons together.
“Maaaaaan,” Kel sighed with his arms tucked under his head, “you know what we need? A
clubhouse.”
“Don’t we already have a secret hangout, though?” Basil asked, turning his eyes away from
the television where a bunch of boys in a treehouse were taunting some girls down below.
“That’s not the same!” He sat up in on arms with a frown, “That’s just a cool place to hang
out! We need, like, a place of our own! Like a treehouse! And we can keep all the girls out,
right Sunny?”
“No way! We’ll make one and keep you out, Kel!” Aubrey told him.
Kel stuck his tongue out at her. “Yeah, right!”
“Aw, but I’d want to play in the clubhouse as well,” Mari said. “You wouldn’t kick me out,
would you Kel?”
“Urk! I mean…” Kel grimaced before giving into Mari’s pleading pout, “I… guess not…”
“Pathetic,” Aubrey mumbled with a roll of her eyes before asking louder, “Where would we
even put a clubhouse?”
“Wouldn’t Sunny and Mari’s backyard be best?” Basil asked with a soft smile. “After all, it’s
really big!”
“Yeah! We can build one, right?” Kel asked, looking towards the siblings.
Sunny gave a thoughtful tilt of his head before looking towards his sister. His eyes were
sparkling with the idea, telling Hero that Sunny certainly was on board.
“I don’t know…” Mari murmured. “We’d have to ask our parents first… and figure out
where we’d build a clubhouse. And what it would look like and such…”
“How about a treehouse?” Hero suggested as he took his cue to speak up. Mari’s eyes met his
as he kept an easy smile on his face. “There’s a lot of pretty big trees in your backyard, and if
we’re going to build a hangout spot we could see about making it even cooler by putting it in
a tree.”
He could tell that she had immediately grasped what he had been putting down. He couldn’t
recall if he had ever told her about their treehouse, but she had come to recognize when Hero
knew for certain that something was doable. And the treehouse, he knew, was going to be
worth it. Some of his favorite memories involved the days of helping to build the treehouse
and hanging out in it on lazy summer days.
“A treehouse sounds amazing!” Aubrey cried, jumping to her feet. “We would be able to see
the whole town from the trees! And if it’s raining, we can still hang out outside!”
“We could have sleepovers in it!” Kel jumped up as well. The two of them gripped hands and
spun in a circle, so overcome with their excitement that they forgot to even complain about
the touchiness. “And can make a secret password and stuff!”
“I don’t know about sleeping over in it,” Hero interrupted their fun. “I think it might be a
little dangerous, don't you think?” He could just imagine all of the bugs that could and would
crawl into the exposed building. He didn’t want to think about the possibility of their
disturbing legs skittering across his sleeping body in the night. He shuddered.
“It would be more comfortable in our house anyway,” Mari agreed. “Although it might be
nice to try at least once!”
“See? Mari has a sense of adventure, Hero!” Kel stuck his tongue out at him.
“We could decorate it with flowers. It might be a good place to grow our potted plants too, if
there’s the right amount of sunlight,” Basil suggested, eyes a little distant just imagining it.
Then he blinked and smiled at Sunny. “What do you think, Sunny?”
“I want it,” Sunny said softly. “お姉ちゃん, can we?”
With four pairs of begging eyes pointed at her, Mari could hardly say no even if she was
against it. Hero understood that feeling.
Mari laughed a little. “Let’s ask our parents first and see. Building a treehouse isn’t easy or
cheap, you know! And we have to see if any of our trees would even be able to support one.”
Her head turned towards the hallway. “Let’s go ask!”
The group moved together up the stairs with Kel and Aubrey leading the way in a race. It was
times like these that Hero could really tell that the two were more similar than they liked to
pretend as they both jogged or hopped in place while waiting for everyone to join them. It
was nice to see, Hero thought to himself. It was much better than seeing the tentative bonds
that had been taped together shredded to pieces after Sunny and Basil’s suicides. He had
forgotten how much he had missed it.
It put him all in a tentative mood as he hung back from the others, feeling more like an
observer than a participant as Mari knocked on the door of the parents’ bedroom. It revealed
Mr. and Mrs. Aki looking to be in the middle of packing. Mr. Aki was on his computer that
Hero vaguely recalled had gotten moved to Sunny’s room later on.
“We have a question!” Mari said. “We were wondering if maybe we can build a treehouse in
the backyard?”
“A treehouse?” her mother asked, surprised. “Where, exactly, would you put it?”
“We don’t know yet!” Kel announced. “We have to look at the trees! But can we anyway?”
“This is a little sudden,” the woman murmured, glancing at her husband with some hesitance.
“That’s a rather big project.”
“Please?” Sunny asked. “It can be my birthday present.”
“Hey, yeah!” Kel cried. “Sunny’s birthday is coming up!” He slapped his friend on the back
in congratulations.
That one amused Mrs. Aki. “Are you certain about that, Sunny? After all, the cost of supplies
means that will be your only present from us this year.”
Sunny didn’t hesitate as he nodded right away. He looked calm on the outside, but Hero
could see how excited and hopeful he really was. Aubrey gripped the back of his shirt tightly
while Basil clasped his hands in front of him. If there was anybody’s family who could afford
to build a treehouse, it would be Sunny’s family.
“Who would build it?” Mr. Aki asked, glancing between the group and his wife. He looked
like he was okay with the idea, which followed along with Hero’s vague memory of it all.
Sunny and Mari’s parents could be strict, but they were still fairly gentle and loved both of
their children a lot. Hero wished that he had seen them again long before Sunny’s funeral had
occurred. He never did find out how they’d been doing after Mari’s death.
At that, the kids looked unsure. “Could we hire someone?” Mari asked, though she seemed
doubtful in the suggestion.
“We might have to, though that seems a little expensive. We will have to do some research, I
think.”
Hero figured this would be a good time for him to speak up. They had wasted a week looking
for answers when they had a pretty clear one right in front of them the whole time. He would
spare them this week of searching as he said, “Maybe we can ask my dad?”
“Dad?” Kel asked with surprise.

“Yeah, he does home improvement stuff, remember? He’d probably know how to build a
simple treehouse. Or, at least, have some idea, right?”
“Oh, that’s a good idea! I always forget how handy your dad is, Hero,” Mrs. Aki said.
“We can get him right now!” Kel said eagerly. “Should I go? He’s home right now!”
“Yes, go see if he can spare a few minutes. We’ll go to the backyard–” Mr. Aki started, but
Kel hardly had the self-control to wait. Wind blew their clothes and hair a little with how fast
Kel’s bare feet darted him across the floor and down the stairs. Hero’s heart jumped with
terror as he yelled,
“KEL! Don’t run on the stairs!”
But Kel ignored him as he had already reached the bottom and was gone. Hero scrubbed at
his hair a little in frustration, feeling the skin on the back of his neck prickle. The terrible
image of Kel tripping and tumbling made his hair stand on end. He would scold his brother
when he got back. He needed to learn to be careful, damn it!
“Hero,” Mari’s soft voice cut through the bustle in his head as she rested a hand on his arm.
He looked at her as the others left to go downstairs along with her parents, but Mari hung
back with him. Her eyes were concerned and a little hard, “it’s okay. That’s just Kel.”
“Mari,” he reprimanded with just her name, refusing to say more. He didn’t need to. It stung
that she was acting like this. So, he pulled away quickly to follow the others, but Mari
stopped him by grabbing his hand.
“Don’t be angry,” she said in a gentler tone looking to soothe rather than incite. It helped to
smooth down some of Hero’s ruffled feathers. He felt bad for being as on edge as he was with
her. He didn’t like fighting. “We can talk to Kel afterwards, okay? You’ll just confuse him if
you lash out at him. It’s not him you’re upset with, remember?”
Hero dropped his eyes, chagrined. She was right, of course. He needed to calm down. Today
was supposed to be a nice day. They were going to work on building a treehouse together. It
was still early July. There was plenty of time to figure things out, and snapping at everyone
wouldn’t help. Hero didn’t even like feeling angry.
He wished he had a cigarette.
“R-Right. Sorry…”
“Don’t apologize. And come on,” she smiled at him tentatively, extending an olive branch for
the meantime. They were a team on this, and just because they were at a disagreement didn’t
mean they needed to be at each other’s throats. Hero would take it for the meantime and calm
down. He wouldn’t let his anxiety get the best of him.
At least, that was what he thought until he was confronted with the realization that he would
need to go out into Sunny and Mari’s backyard.
He froze in front of the open glass door as dread made all of the blood run from his face. He
was sick with the understanding that he really, truly couldn’t go outside. Even looking out at
the unassuming backyard filled his mind with dreadful, wretched thoughts that churned his
insides and made his knees weak. He could only think of Sunny and Basil carrying Mari’s
body outside with the plans to hang up her corpse. Even from where he was standing he
could just see the tree that had been cut down in his time.
It was just a tree, he told himself. That tragedy had not occurred. It wasn’t real. His memories
weren’t true.
But they were true to him.
He had done this before, he told himself. He had gone back here with Aubrey, Kel, and
Sunny. They’d gone all the way to the treehouse that was further back. They’d stood together
in front of the tree where Mari had been found and had promised to be there for each other.
They had become friends again. They had reaffirmed their bond.
Had Sunny known he was going to kill himself at that time? Hero had pushed the teen into
the group hug, but Sunny hadn’t looked against it. What had his face looked like back then?
It was all a blur in Hero’s memories.
He hadn’t gone back since that day. It had been months since he had come back in time, and
yet he had never entered this yard. He had always found a reason or a way to avoid it. He felt
like this yard had been the beginning of the end for everything.
It had been where Mari had been found.
It had been where Sunny and Basil had solidified their sin.
It had been where their broken promises had been tossed into the grass like useless toys to
grow old and break from weathering over the years.
Hero stood staring blankly at the future as the summer wind felt cold against his skin. The
figures moving through the grass and talking had no faces or features. One of the trees's
images wavered in front of him between the full growth he saw now and the stump that it
would become. When he blinked dry eyes, the orange glow of the evening sun flickered to
the bright morning daylight before flickering back again. From the edge of his eye he could
see a blue and a purple pinwheel in the place where he and Mari had first kissed and
confirmed their romantic relationship a lifetime ago in a place and time that Hero felt like
was five years ago when in this timeline it hadn’t even been a year yet. Mari must have
placed them there in this timeline, because Hero certainly hadn’t.
They were still there in the future with a pink pinwheel in a stump not far away from them.
He felt like he might be sick.
“Are you coming, Hero?” Sunny asked through the muffle of cotton in Hero’s ears and a head
stuffed full of two very different summer days.
Hero’s eyes lingered on the tree before being pulled away with the effort of two magnets
being yanked apart as he looked to Sunny. “...What?” His voice felt weak.
Sunny’s eyes were concerned as his eyebrows scrunched down. He didn’t answer right away.
Hero scrambled to remember why he was here and now. He wanted to go home. Why was
Sunny alive? He was so young right now.
Sunny reached out and touched Hero’s cold hand, making the older teen start. That hand
slipped into his while never breaking eye contact with him. Hero felt like he was going to be
taken away by a ghost. “The treehouse,” Sunny clarified after a moment. “Are you coming?”
He wasn’t sure he could do this again. But “this” Hero didn’t have a reason not to go. He’d
gone into this backyard countless times before. Even now he could see some of the toys he
and Kel owned that had been left scattered around the toy chest sitting underneath the tree
nearby. He had been avoidant of certain places for a while now, but there was nothing to be
afraid of here. There was nothing there. It hadn’t happened. Mari was alive. That future
didn’t exist.
(Yet.)
He might cry.
Mari had gone on ahead with the others when they had met up with everyone else. She hadn’t
noticed Hero had stopped at the door.
He didn’t want to go.
Sunny’s hand squeezed his, still watching him with concerned but strangely knowing eyes.
He looked out to where the others had already gone and then back to Hero. Then he asked
after a moment, “...Are you seeing monsters, Hero?”
The question itself brought back childhood memories he had forgotten over time. They were
worn on the edges from age, but clear enough to picture as he heard that same question
repeated again in his own voice, Kel’s voice, and Mari’s voice. However, they were always
directed at Sunny, who had been susceptible to an overactive imagination ever since he was
small. The things that would go bump in the night would scare him, and the boy would
develop fears seemingly at random from some vivid nightmares that he got. If he was left to
sink too deep into his imagination – which would occasionally steal him away into his own
mind as he daydreamed no matter the situation they were in – then sometimes those monsters
appeared real to him.
A sardonic smile shivered onto his lips, and Hero gave an airy huff of a laugh. “Yeah… Yeah,
I think I am, Sunny,” he told him. His eyes softened before they lifted back to the backyard. It
wasn’t flickering with evening sunlight any longer. “I’m scared.”
Sunny looked into the backyard too as he never let go of Hero’s hand. “We can wait here, if
you want,” he suggested.
They still needed to wait for Kel and his dad to come back. They would no doubt come in
through the front door.
Hero needed those moments to gather himself as he was terribly shaken.
“Okay,” he said, swallowing a little thickly.
He didn’t apologize, and Sunny didn’t ask for one. The boy waited patiently with him while
never letting go of his hand as Hero purposefully breathed to calm himself down.
He wondered if Sunny had seen monsters that evening day they’d gone to the treehouse
together. Hero had been so caught up in himself that he hadn’t even thought to look back and
check.
The monsters had eaten Sunny when he hadn’t been looking.
He hoped Sunny didn’t notice his trembling hand or the way Hero’s breathing became a little
clogged from holding back his tears. But if he did, he didn’t comment on it.
His hand was surprisingly grounding.
By the time Kel and his dad had arrived, Hero felt about as steady as he could while walking
a tightrope of stress. He was at least able to enter the backyard, though.
It wasn’t as scary as he had expected it to be.
He supposed that was a step forward.
Chapter End Notes
You ever just have one of those days where no matter how good of a day it is, you feel
like you're slipping on ice with every step you take, sometimes falling flat on your face
and struggling just to get back up?
Yeah, that.
Nightmare
Chapter Notes
CW: Semi- to Graphic description of body horror (Sunny's suicide).
If you want to skip Hero's nightmare, you can scroll until the Single line break.
He was choking. His airways were constricted as sound faded rapidly from his ears. A
vacuum replaced everything, leaving Hero untethered and grasping for something, anything
to hold onto. His heart beated in his chest and up through the pulse in his throat. It was too
fast. It was far too fast, and it sounded far away. Every beat was a hum under the weight of
the crushing void sucking away every sound, noise, and existence around him. And as Hero
struggled to pull in a single breath of air, he felt sure he was going to die here.
A scream rang through the air, shocking him from the daze he had been in. His world
expanded into greyscale highlighted by reds that glittered in bright sunlight that didn’t match
the scene in front of him. Sensation came back to Hero’s fingers only for him to pull in a
desperately-needed gasp of air that allowed the scent of copper to fill his lungs. And Hero felt
that he was drowning once more.
Sunny’s body was crumpled and shattered, like a marionette dropped on the floor. His
bandages were soaked with blood that pooled out beneath him as his one good eye stared at
nothing any longer. That faraway look was not uncommon on Sunny’s face, but his gaze was
too far away for any of them to follow any longer. His arm was outstretched towards Hero, as
if grasping for a rope that he could not reach.
Aubrey’s screams reverberated again and again, bouncing around in Hero’s skull even as his
friends were missing from his sides. He knew he needed to hide this horror from Kel and
Aubrey. He couldn’t let them see. He couldn’t let them have this imprinted inside of their
minds as Hero turned as if to flee. But his legs were so heavy, and the copper in his lungs was
weighing him down. He felt like his bones would crumple beneath him even as his stomach
heaved.
He turned away–
He stood inside of a church. The sympathetic words of the priest were a blur, along with the
various shadows of people who had come to say their final goodbyes to Sunny. The sounds of
Kel’s shuddering, gasping cries were muffled by his hands as he tried not to cause a scene
even as the cracks in him rattled his pieces with every sob. Aubrey pressed herself to Hero’s
chest, clinging to the last person she had looked up to who was still alive. Her nails bit into
Hero’s back through his suit jacket.
Sunny’s casket was open. The while tulips and mourning lilies dripped with his blood that
was still fresh from his fall. Hero didn’t understand why they had to have an open casket, but
he couldn’t look away. His eye stared at Hero, looking through him and at him at the same
time. His bandage was skewed and tainted, exposing the wound where his other eye had been
as it seeped with tears that fell into his crushed skull.
“You knew,” Mari’s voice whispered in Hero’s ear. Her lips – normally warm and
comforting, but cold and airy now – brushed his ear as she pressed each accusation straight
into his heart where they made themselves at home. “You knew he wasn’t okay. He was just
like you, and you wanted to follow me.”
He hadn’t known. He hadn’t known for sure. He couldn’t have predicted this would happen.
He tried to protest it, but his words were nothing.
“He had nobody. He was alone. You should’ve protected him.” Her whispers became harsher.
They were angrier than Hero had ever heard her speak to him, but he took it nonetheless. He
deserved her fury for what he had done. Her nails dug into his shoulders as wisps of her black
hair blew past his shoulder into the corner of his vision. “You should’ve been there for him!
You PROMISED to be there for him! And you got him KILLED!”
He didn’t mean to. He hadn’t known. If he had known, he would’ve done everything he could
to-
“We were afraid you’d never forgive us,” Basil said. Rain pelted them where Hero had
dropped his umbrella from his slackened hand at Basil’s story. The teen was still wearing
bandages on his face. They were soaked through now as he stood across from his three jurors.
He held his elbows with a broken smile on his face, avoiding their eyes as his chest
shuddered with his repressed, pitiful sobs.
Hero didn’t know how he could smile like that.
He was angry.
“You’re lying,” Aubrey whispered, horror muffling her words. She looked back and forth
between the brothers and Basil as if expecting to be proven right. “You’ve got to be kidding
me.”
“I’m sorry,” Basil said, smile finally collapsing. He couldn’t even fake it any longer. He
looked exhausted. His eyes were sunken from lack of sleep, and he was paler than Hero
remembered seeing him. Whatever confidence he used to have as a twelve-year-old was
gone. “I’m just… so sorry. I only wanted to save what was left. And in the end… I just…”
His blue eyes darkened.
Hero’s shoes were muddy with the dirt of Sunny’s grave.
“Fix it?” Aubrey laughed once with disbelief before rage rapidly flooded into her words. “Fix
it?! You… You RUINED EVERYTHING! They’re both GONE because of you!” She jerked
forward, but Hero grabbed her arm before she could lash out at Basil, who flinched at the
very close miss of her fist being swung at him. That didn’t stop Aubrey’s screams, though.
“THEY’RE DEAD, BASIL! AND YOU FUCKING-- YOU AND SUNNY BOTH–-”
“STOP IT!” Kel screamed, voice straining as he jumped between Aubrey and Basil and
pushed the girl back. His eyes were red, and the rain did little to make him look better. The
droplets ran rivulets over his cheeks and eyebrows. “Stop yelling at him!”
“Why are you defending him?!” Aubrey shouted back, furious tears cutting across her
reddened cheeks. Hero had his hands clenched around her upper arms to stop her, but she
hardly noticed.
“Because this is all we have left!” Kel cried. He tried to stand up strong, but he was nothing
but a tree whose base had been chopped away bit by bit. He teetered, ready to topple at any
second. And Hero knew it would be soon as his brother began to break down. “B-Because…
Because he’s gone… They’re both gone… And it’s… It’s our fault just as much as it’s
Basil’s…!”
Aubrey looked like she had been slapped.
Hero would’ve preferred to have been stabbed than to see how Kel went down to his knees.
His hands went slack around Aubrey’s arms as he moved to help Kel instead, but Kel was
already too far gone as he wailed–
“Does it ever stop hurting, Hero?” Kel asked as he stood beside Hero in front of the glass
door to Mari and Sunny’s backyard. The sky was a horrendous red that cast shadows so
heavy that most of the world was silhouetted. Kel looked awful with his hair a mess and his
eyes lifelessly gazing out of the glass. He didn’t look at Hero as he blinked another tired tear
from his eyes.
“No,” Hero told him as his chest throbbed with the pain of his heart having been ripped from
him. “It never stops hurting. I’m scared it never will.”
Kel’s head dropped. A shadow swung across his eyes. The glass door slid open on its own,
drawing Hero’s eye to the horror of Mari’s body swinging slowly back and forth from
Sunny’s favorite tree. He was left paralyzed by the sight.
“I should’ve done more,” Kel whispered. “I knew something wasn’t right. Sunny’s never that
quiet. I just thought… I just thought he needed practice talking with people again. I thought
that everything was going to be okay.” His head lifted, gazing out at Mari’s body. “But
everything’s ruined now. I didn’t even have the chance to tell him how much he meant to me.
I shouldn’t have given up on knocking. I should’ve done more. I…” His shoulders trembled.
“Hero, I can’t even remember what he looks like when he smiles. I loved his smile. Why
can’t I remember it?”
Hero wanted to comfort Kel, but he didn’t know what he could say. The teen standing next to
him was a familiar figure as he looked at his own self, younger now and in striped pajamas.
His hair was greasy and a mess from not washing in four days. His bare feet took a shaky
step outside, arms reaching towards Mari as he heard his own voice echoing Kel’s words,
“Why wasn’t I good enough for you to confide in? I thought everything was okay. Why
didn’t you tell me?”
A hand slipped into his hand.
Hero tore his eyes from the swinging black shadow that hung in front of two small boys to
look at the figure next to him.
Sunny, twelve-years-old in a hospital gown and with a shattered, bandaged skull, gazed up at
him to ask, “Are you seeing monsters, Hero?”
His throat constricted. His airways weren’t working. Hero wanted to scream, but he couldn’t
breathe. He opened his mouth to gasp for air as his head swam–
Air rushed into his lungs through his mouth, and Hero’s eyes snapped open as he screamed.
Hands grabbed at his shoulders as he struggled. His feet were tangled and pinned as he
sobbed. Some part of his brain registered that there were already tears on his face and that his
nose was completely clogged. His throat was raw as he vocalized his agony without
recognizing what was happening around him.
But he heard his mother, and he felt the hands gripping his shoulders switch to his face. His
eyes focused to see his mother’s horrified face calling him again and again. Dad was just
above her as he held Hero’s wrist. It took a moment for Hero to really process what was in
front of him.
He was awake, he realized. And with that realization came the utter destruction of his
facilities as he began to weep in earnest. He reached for his mother much like he had done
many times before when he had been much smaller, and she hauled him in to clutch him
close to her chest. He shrunk against her, willing his mother to be able to protect him from
the horrors he had witnessed even as all he could do was shake and cry. He gasped for air
against her neck even as he choked while his lungs tripped over each other to pull and push at
the precious air he needed. He felt like he might pass out, but he couldn’t stop crying.
Her words were meaningless to his ears, merely sounds that couldn’t be processed while he
fell apart. Even so, that didn’t stop her from speaking and rocking with him, holding him
tightly while hands rubbed at his back. And Hero lost himself to it.
The wailing didn’t last as he wore himself out. His crying tapered off as his mind slowly
began to come back to him. The flashes of his dreams were censored by the cloudiness that
threatened to knock him out again if he weren’t too scared to fall asleep. And despite the
occasional hiccup of a sob that came from him, he felt like he was in control of himself again.
The comprehension of what had occurred sank in like a mammoth into a tar pit. He heard his
mother speaking to him now and asking him questions, but he had no idea where he could
even begin. It was only when he heard her bark at Dad to call a doctor of some sort did he
speak up.
“No,” he croaked.
“Mijo, hush. We’re taking you to see someone right now,” she told him sternly, voice laced
with the alarm she still clung to him with.
Hero shook his head, though. There was nothing a doctor could do for him. “Just a
nightmare,” he whispered.
“That was not just a nightmare!”
“She’s right, Hero. You need to see someone. You’ve never done anything like that before,”
Dad agreed, sounding uncharacteristically scared too. Hero had heard a similar tone from him
before a handful of times during the year Hero didn’t want to leave his room.
He shook his head again, pushing weakly away from his mother. She let him go, but the sight
of her did little to comfort Hero. Her face was streaked with a couple of tears. They had
clearly been woken up from their sleep as both of them were rumpled and harried. Kel stood
not far away looking very small as he watched them with wide eyes. Hero’s heart ached.
He had scared them.
“No, I… I don’t want to go,” he said a little more firmly. “I just…” His energy was
completely gone. He was so tired. He had to pee. “I just… want to use the bathroom.”
Despite their protests, he forced himself past them and out of the bed. He stumbled, but Dad
caught him. He couldn’t fight back as Dad helped him to the bathroom and let him go in
alone. The hushed, rapid talking outside of the door was something he ignored as he relieved
himself. He couldn’t bear to look in the mirror, but he took a moment to splash his face. Then
after another moment, he ducked his head to drink desperately from the faucet as he found
himself parched.
That was a little better.
The cold of the porcelain sink chilled him. He felt overheated and feverish.
He was glad he didn’t have school today.
He wondered if he could just wait in here for a while until his parents calmed down. He
didn’t want to have to face them.
But going to a doctor over this would be even worse.

He hated making people fret over him.
Kel… He had looked so scared. He needed to comfort him.
He was so small now.
Duty, if nothing else, finally pulled Hero from the bathroom to find his parents waiting for
him. They were both calmer, but their eyes were still serious and worried at the same time. It
was Dad who spoke first to say, “Hero, are you feeling any better?”
As better as he could be, he supposed. He nodded.
“Good. Then…” he faltered a bit, glancing for assurance from his wife.
Mom took up what he was going to say, “We need to talk, Hero. You need to tell us what’s
going on with you. If you don’t, we’re taking you to a doctor right now.”
The threat was weak at best, but Hero was too tired to fight back anymore. He didn’t care
anymore. Honestly, he needed to talk with someone else about his stress and his fears and his
nightmares and everything that haunted him. He needed to tell someone about the things that
he couldn’t possibly burden Mari with, and he needed someone who could side with him and
tell him what he was doing was right. He didn’t know anything anymore, and he was utterly
afraid.
It was how he found himself breaking down and telling his mom and dad about everything as
he sat in the living room with them. The single lamp next to them reflected off of the leftover
horchata that had been pushed into his hands for him to drink as he cried more. He told them
about how he had come back in time, and about the horrific events from the previous
timeline. He told them how he was trying to cope, and just trying to do better. He told them
about how he felt he hadn’t changed much of anything, and that he was terrified Mari was
going to suffer the same fate once more. And he told them about how he was sure people
would think he was crazy, but how he couldn’t keep it in any longer.
He couldn’t fail again. He couldn’t bear it.
By the time he had finished, his parents couldn’t say a word. Hero had finished his drink, but
he didn’t feel much better. There was a weight that had lifted a bit from his shoulders
knowing that someone else – someone older, and someone who could think of things better
than he could possibly – knew about him. But he also felt ill with the thought that it was all
for naught and that his parents wouldn’t believe him at all.
He lifted his eyes to check on them.
Their expressions were about what he had expected.
“You don’t believe me,” he slumped.
“No, no, it’s not that,” Dad hurried to say, gripping Hero’s knee. “It’s… It’s hard to believe.”
“I wouldn’t believe me either.”

“I don’t…” Dad cleared his throat and then continued with a little more certainty, “I don’t
know about believing… but I can tell how much this is affecting you. You’ve been so
different, Hero.”
“Why did you keep this to yourself?” Mom asked, distraught. “Did you have to suffer alone
like this? Hero, Mari is just a child herself! You can’t rely only on her!”
“But you don’t believe me,” Hero murmured.
“I believe you,” Mom said, which made Dad startle a little. She was firm in her resolve,
though. “I believe you because at this point I’ll take anything as an explanation for what is
hurting you so much, mijo! I haven’t been able to understand this sudden change, but with
this…” She looked at Dad and held his gaze above Hero’s head for a bit. Then she said, “We
need to get him help.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Dad agreed. “A psychologist?”
“Therapy, maybe.”
Hero could laugh. How would that help him right now?
Apparently, he hadn’t been able to hide his huff of a laugh. Mom said, “You need to see
someone who can help you, Hero.”
“Because I’m crazy?”
“No,” she insisted, squeezing his shoulder in reprimand. She sounded exhausted and stressed
out herself, but she was holding together better than Hero was. He felt bad for the way he was
acting, but he didn’t have the energy to do much else. “No, because you need someone who
can genuinely help you with your trauma. Going through all of that at such a young age…”
“Dear, it’s–” Dad started, doubting.
Mom hushed him. “It can only help him. And as for what you’ve told us…” She dropped her
hand to take his. She gripped it tightly before pulling him into a hug. “Everything will be
okay. You’re not alone, Hero. We’ll help you.”
It was surreal to consider. But, there was nothing else he could do about it that night.
“...Really?” he asked softly, hopefully.
“We will,” she swore.
“But we’ll talk about this when you’re feeling a bit better,” Dad said after a long moment.
“Right now, emotions are high. I think rest will help all of us.” He stood, and Hero took the
prompt to stand too. He did feel a little better. He felt like maybe things might be okay.
“Do you want to stay with me tonight?” Mom asked.
His cheeks flushed a little, embarrassed at the very thought. He was far too old to be crawling
into his mother’s bed like he was five-years-old again. “N-No, I’m okay. I’ll go back to
sleep.”
“Drink more water first,” she instructed him. “And go straight to bed.”
He had a raging headache, so sleeping was the only thing he could think of. Though,
admittedly, he felt more like he would pass out rather than sleep. If he hadn’t worn himself
out so much from crying, he doubted his mind would even let him sleep.
“Okay,” he said. He started to walk back towards the hallway, but noticed his parents weren’t
following. He paused, about to ask after it, and then realized they probably had plenty to talk
about as well. He grimaced where they couldn’t see and said his good nights before
continuing upstairs.
It was only when he opened the door to his bedroom did he remember his little brother, who
was sitting curled on his bed with wide eyes. His gaze snapped to Hero. Even in the dark,
Hero could tell his brother had been crying.
His need to help Kel overrode everything else as he walked over and sat down on Kel’s bed.
He didn’t hesitate to reach out, and for once Kel met him halfway as they hugged. His brother
felt a little cold.
And understanding resounded in Hero like the final hammer of the nail in the coffin. “...You
heard everything.”
Kel didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.
Hero’s long night would only get longer.
Chapter End Notes
Mijo: term of endearment for a son.

Belief
Chapter Notes
Wonderful (devastating) fanart from Inferno about the last chapter!
If he was in a better state of mind, Hero could’ve predicted that this would happen. He had
woken Kel with his night terrors, had proceeded to act abnormal, and then was forced to have
a talk with their parents in relative private. Of course Kel would snoop and listen in, if not
because he was worried for Hero, then because he was a nosy younger sibling. Hero and Kel
had both hovered at the top of the stairs knowing that if they were careful they could hear
everything that went on in the living room. They had eavesdropped on many family
gatherings where the adults had shooed the children off to bed.
But Hero hadn’t been in the best state of mind, and now Kel had overheard the terrible truth.
Kel rubbed his face against Hero’s chest, sniffling with a clogged nose as he clutched at his
brother. His voice was weak in a terribly familiar way when he finally spoke to ask, “Is all of
what you said… really true?”
He could lie, Hero thought. He could brush it off or play it off as truly just a nightmare. He
could pretend that he really did just make up something awful for his parents to get off of his
case of his growing mental and emotional problems. Kel was still young. He wasn’t stupid,
but he didn’t know much about the world. This Kel certainly didn’t understand how
damaging one’s life could be to people so young.
However, Hero was exhausted in every sense of the word. And he had never been a good liar.
Kel would figure out that he wasn’t being truthful even if he couldn’t exactly tell where the
lie was. Hero didn’t have a reason to make up such a story to their parents. ‘This’ Hero that
he was was a very different person from the Hero he used to be, and Kel knew both of them
by now. Or, at least, he was coming to recognize it in ‘this’ Hero.
“...Yes,” he admitted softly. His throat kind of hurt from screaming earlier. He swallowed
thickly. “It was real.”
“In the future?” Kel asked, eyes distraught as he pulled back to cling to Hero’s shirt. Even in
the low light of the bedroom, night time reflected off of the wetness of his face. “They die?”
He wanted to reassure him. “It was… It’s a future I won’t let happen, Kel. It happened to me,
and I won’t let it happen again.” He held the back of his brother’s neck and squeezed it,
attempting a weak smile. “It’s okay.”
“But you saw it,” Kel said with a shake of his head. His grip tightened. “You really came
back from the future?” There was still some shred of disbelief in his tone. Hero was just
surprised that Kel had believed him this much so easily.
“Yeah,” he murmured, eyes dropping. He felt like he might collapse. His eyelids were heavy
and sore. His face was far too hot.
Kel didn’t respond for a long time. Hero’s mind was filled with thoughts of his brother
around his own age, blanket up around his shoulders as he tried to cry as silently as possible.
But Kel’s sniffles had always echoed through the room. Nothing Hero had said could comfort
him. He didn’t remember when he had stopped trying to be anything but a supportive
presence. He’d been about as supportive as a single vine trying to hold up a crumbling wall,
though.
“Then…” the boy finally spoke after a period of silence, “we just have to stop Mari from
dying… right? Because… Because Sunny and Basil won’t die if Mari doesn’t die… right?”
“Right.”
Kel’s face hardened. He sniffed once and wiped away the tears on his face. Hero simply
stared, seeing the man that he knew his brother would become one day. There were only hints
of the maturity that had peeked through Kel’s goofiness in the future, but it was enough to
reassure a small part of Hero’s heart.
“I’ll help!” he declared, releasing Hero to clench his fists in front of him. “We’ll just have to
talk to Sunny and Mari so they don’t fight, right? And Mari already knows, so I’ll talk to
Sunny–”
“N-No! Kel!” Hero held up his hands, heart jolting at the very thought of Sunny ever finding
out about what happened. Sunny’s guilt over Mari’s death had driven him to his suicide. Out
of everyone, Sunny was the last person he ever wanted to find out about that awful future!
“You can’t tell Sunny! You can’t tell anyone about this! You weren’t even supposed to
know!”
“What?” Kel frowned, caught off-guard. “Doesn’t it make sense to tell Sunny, though? I
mean,” he backtracked quickly as his words caught up to him. “I don’t mean everything!
Just… We’ll just tell him not to fight with Mari at the top of the stairs! Easy!”
Hero sighed a little through his nose, exasperated. And then there were times like these where
Kel showed he really was just a kid. “How would that conversation even go? You don’t think
Sunny would question it?”
“Who cares if he does?”
“He might not even remember, especially if the argument is bad.”
“Sunny has a good memory!”
“Kel,” Hero’s voice tightened a bit, “how did you feel when you listened to everything I
said?”
That made Kel pause. He was following along, at least. His fists lowered to his lap. “Bad.
Like… really bad.”
“And how do you think Sunny would feel if he found out?”
There was a hesitant beat before Kel insisted, “I wouldn’t tell him.”
“Sunny can’t find out anything, Kel. I’m serious.” He ran a hand into his hair. “We can’t tell
him anything. I don’t want anyone else to know about that terrible future. I… I was planning
to keep it to myself. But Mari pushed and… I broke down. Like I did today.” He felt
miserable. His muttering was more to himself than Kel as he curled over, elbows on his legs
as he dropped his face into his hands. “Why am I so bad at this? Nobody else needed to
know. Mom and Dad probably don’t even believe me and are just pretending. These damn
nightmares…!”
“Hey,” Kel put a hand on Hero’s back and rubbed it only somewhat awkwardly. His sincerity
countered it, though, “Hero, you… You were really bad off. You should’ve told Mom and
Dad right away. They could’ve helped.”
“How?” Hero demanded, a little harsher than he meant it as he lifted his head. “They weren’t
really able to help me when I was actually living through that hell, Kel! What can they
possibly do now? Don’t be stupid, Kel!”
Kel shrunk back just a little, stunned, and Hero immediately felt wretched. All of his
frustration slipped out of him like a sieve. He cursed a little to himself. “N-No, I’m sorry.
That was uncalled for. I’m sorry, Kel.” He reached for him and pulled him into a hug, holding
him close. “I’m sorry I keep snapping at you.”
“It’s okay,” Kel told him. He sounded a little confused. He was clearly unsure of how to
proceed from here, but he pushed forward anyway. “I get it. And Mom and Dad can get you
help, right? Like… therapy?”
Hero was silent as he let his arms drop away and pulled back. The frown was heavy on his
face.
Kel watched him. He picked up on what Hero didn’t say. “Did you plan to go?”
“I don’t know,” Hero murmured, turning his head away.
“Did you do it before and it didn’t work?”
“It’s not that…”
His parents had tried to get him into therapy before. During the worst of his depression, they
had tried many things to help him out. But Hero had rejected them at every turn, cringing at
the very thought of speaking his thoughts and nightmares into existence. If he acknowledged
them, that made them real. He hadn’t wanted to relive and possibly get confirmation on his
failure to help Mari. And then, later on, with Sunny and Basil. Even Kel had turned away
from his parents’ desperate attempts to help their sons when they themselves didn’t know
how to deal with the suicides of so many children that they had known and loved. Mari and
Sunny had practically been family to them, even when Sunny had stopped coming over.
“I just… I don’t know. I sound like I’m insane for even thinking I came from the future. A
therapist would definitely think I’m making it up,” Hero finally finished.
“Yeah, probably,” Kel agreed with a grimace. “Especially since you don’t really have any
proof.”
“But you believe me even without proof?” Hero asked, genuinely curious. Mari and his
parents had believed him simply because of his changes in personality, but what about Kel?
“Well, yeah,” Kel said easily, meeting his brother’s eyes. “Why would you lie about that kind
of thing?”
“...That easily, though? Even Mari needed to think about it.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, man.” He gave a gusty sigh, “You’ve been weird for a long
time, and you’ve just had these, like… moments. I told you that you were worrying us,
yeah?” Hero nodded. Kel frowned down at his knees thoughtfully. “There were times where
you just seemed really different. Not like you weren’t you but… like you were seeing things.
Kinda like how Sunny got sometimes?”
Are you seeing monsters, Hero?
Hero shuddered. Goosebumps prickled along his arms. He rubbed at the raised hair there to
try to take the chill out of him.
“Well… it’s not wrong,” he admitted softly. “Being back in time like this to before everything
went so wrong… it’s hard for me sometimes.”
Kel waited, but Hero dithered. He wasn’t sure he wanted to get into this now. The words
pressed at his tongue and throat, but it burned like stomach acid. His stomach churned.
No, he didn’t want to do this now.
He pushed himself up from Kel’s bed. “Let’s… Let’s not talk about this right now. I’m
exhausted.”
“...Yeah,” Kel agreed, worry in his tone. Hero didn’t have to turn around to guess what kind
of expression he was wearing.
He moved over to his bed and crawled into it. There was a damp layer from his sweat earlier
that had cooled in the air conditioning. He grimaced with disgust, but laid down nonetheless.
He turned his back to Kel and curled closer to the wall. His eyes trembled with the ache from
his earlier crying, but his body was still charged with the dregs of adrenaline. He wasn’t sure
if he would be able to sleep well, but he didn’t have enough energy to try anything else.
He closed his eyes and simply breathed. He listened to the sounds of Kel tucking himself in.
The house creaked as the muffled murmurs of their parents slipped through the cracks in the
door before fading away as they entered their own room. The sky outside was just barely
beginning to lighten with the approaching dawn.
“Hero?” Kel called quietly from across the room.
Hero considered not responding, but decided against it. “Yeah?” he called back, just as
quietly.
Kel hesitated before he asked, “Will you tell me more about the future tomorrow?”
Hero opened his sore eyes to stare at the black wall in front of him. He thought back to
another time and place where Kel had reached his hand out again and again in an attempt to
reach his broken big brother, trying to help the best that he could at the time. He thought
about how the situation reversed later on when Kel was much he was bigger and his back was
turned away from every comfort that Hero had tried to provide. He thought about putting that
wall back up and keeping Kel sheltered even after he had heard some of the worst parts of
that storm. And he remembered how his little brother had felt helpless in the face of helping
those he had cared about.
I should’ve done more.
“...Sure, Kel,” he said as he closed his eyes. “We can talk about it later.”
He slept dreamlessly and uneasily. He hadn’t even realized he had fallen asleep until his eyes
snapped open at the sound of the doorbell ringing. The room was bright, illuminating the
colors that were vibrant enough to bury his face into his pillow. He felt grody and groggy, but
better than he had been last night. Peeking out of the pillow let him check to see just how
bright the world truly was.
Kel was missing. His bed was unmade as usual. The clock next to Hero’s bed said it was
midmorning already; much later than he had slept in a long time. Last night had really taken
it out of him. He was surprised he had managed to go back to sleep at all.
He slumped upward and rolled his shoulders out. He needed a shower badly, he thought, as
he climbed from the bed. The doorbell rang a second time, making him frown with
confusion. Where was everyone?
He had only just made it out of his bedroom door when he heard the front door open and his
mother greet whoever was there. He couldn’t see them from the top of the stairs, but he could
hear them well as Mari’s voice called a greeting back.
“We’re here to see if Kel and Hero can come play!” she announced.
“We can’t!” Kel’s voice answered before even Mom could. “We’re sick!”
“Huh?”
Hero’s face twisted with confusion as well. What was Kel talking about?
“We can’t play because we’re sick,” Kel said again. “Sorry guys! Go without us!”
Sunny’s voice was difficult to hear this far away, but Hero could just pick up his quiet
confusion as he said, “You don’t look sick.”
“Did something happen?” Mari asked, tone shifting a little into worried territory.
“What he means,” Mom cut in with a firm tone that indicated she was giving Kel a sharp
look, “is that Hero’s not feeling well, so we’re keeping him home. But Kel–”
“I’m sick too!” Kel insisted. “I pooped EVERYWHERE! And Hero’s been pooping all night
too!”
“Gross,” Sunny said.
“Kel…” Hero groaned to himself, dropping his head onto his hands. Why did he say that?
“Kel!” Mom scolded.
“Oh… Um…” Mari recovered from her surprise to ask, “Food poisoning?”
“It’s just a cold. Kel is being ridiculous,” Mom said. Hero silently thanked her for trying to
recover his dignity for him. “But yes, Hero’s sick.”
“And I’m sick too,” Kel insisted, though Hero didn’t understand why. “So, we can’t play
today! We’ll play with you guys tomorrow!”
“Is it bad?” Mari asked. “Can I see him?”
“He’s sleeping right now,” Mom told her. “We’re letting him sleep. He wasn’t sleeping well
last night.”
There was silence that followed her statement for a moment before Mari and Sunny agreed to
head out alone. As soon as the door was closed, Mom turned on Kel with exasperation to
demand, “What are you doing?”
“I wanted an excuse to stay home too,” Kel said. “Otherwise Aubrey will make fun of me for
staying home!”
“But why were you using those excuses? Are you actually not feeling well?”
“No! I’m fine!”
Hero gave up and decided if his parents wanted to keep him home, then so be it. He had
figured they would want to talk with him more about everything anyway, so he would get on
with his day.
A shower and caring for his needs did a lot to make him feel human again. He would love to
sleep a little longer, but the thought of staying in bed all day made him feel sick. He decided
to show his face to his family with an air of wariness as he finally entered the living room.
He found Dad sitting in his chair and watching the television while Mom was finishing a late
meal in the kitchen. Kel was helping her when he spotted his older brother. “Hero!” he called
before dashing out to meet him. Hero grunted as he got a stomachful of Kel’s weight as he
hugged him tightly.
“Ow,” he muttered to himself. “Good morning, Kel. Good morning, Mom, Dad,” he glanced
at his parents.
“Hero! How are you feeling?” Dad asked, turning the television down as Hero joined him on
the couch. He seemed normal enough at least, Hero thought.
“Tired,” he admitted. “But… better.” His gaze flickered to the kitchen again. “I, um, heard
Mari and Sunny stopped by?”
“Yes, and your brother proceeded to be ridiculous once more,” Mom huffed as she wiped her
hands on her kitchen towel with a frown. She put her hands on her hips. “Come eat, Hero.
You need food in you now.”
Eating right now sounded wretched, but he wasn’t one to turn his mother down. So, he
followed her instructions. He was unsurprised when the rest of his family joined him at the
table, even though only Kel ended up having something to eat. Hero smiled a little at the
horchata that had been placed in front of him. Something sweet sounded good right now.
He knew that this was going to be a conversation of some sort. He had prepared himself for
it. At least he could shove food in his mouth as he waited for the inevitable.
“...So,” Mom started after her and Dad had shared a few glances and silent conversation back
and forth, “we’ve been talking.” Hero waited as she hesitated for a beat. “And… Your story
is hard to believe, Hero, I’ll just be honest with you.”
“I know,” Hero said, having expected that.
“It’s not that hard to believe,” Kel argued.
“You shouldn’t have eavesdropped last night!” Mom pointed sharply at him.
Kel took the scolding like a champ and brushed it off. “Hero is from the future and saw bad
things, so we just need to focus on stopping it, right?”
“That’s one thing,” Dad said, “but we’re more worried about another thing. Hero,” he leaned
forward on his arms to meet Hero’s gaze with a serious expression Hero rarely saw on his
jovial father, “we want to know what we can do to help you with your troubles. We think you
should see a professional.”
Hero’s chewing slowed as he placed down his silverware. He swallowed what was in his
mouth.
Even now the thought voicing all of his fears aloud again rankled with him. He had broken
down just speaking of it with Mari. He had woken up screaming last night from his dreams.
But more than that, “...How could I possibly talk about this thing?” he asked a little bitterly.
“You guys don’t even believe me. They’ll just think I’m crazy.”
“I don’t know how psychologists or therapists or whatever handle these things,” Mom
explained, “but it’s not their job to judge you. They’re there to help you figure out your own
emotions and how to handle them.” She reached over and took his hand. She bit her lip as her
eyes watered. Her gaze trembled with repressed emotion. Hero’s heart clenched. “I don’t
want to see you like that ever again, Hero. I’ve never… seen you like that before. You’ve
never had nightmares like that.”
He still didn’t know. He didn’t really understand what talking about it with someone could
do. “I… I don’t know, Mom. It’s just… it’s a lot. And I want to focus on preventing Mari’s
death.”
“Think about it,” Mom insisted. “Just think about it, please. You said Mari’s accident isn’t
supposed to happen until… when?”
“The recital that’s coming up,” Dad answered instead of Hero. “That’s the one they’re
practicing for now, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Hero murmured. “I didn’t want Mari to do it, but she said that she had to. I wish that
she’d quit it. Or at least tell Sunny not to play with her.”
“Sunny’s really looking forward to it, though,” Kel cut in with a worried frown. “What you
said happened to him… Sunny wouldn’t get that mad at Mari. He’s never even yelled at her.”
“Kel,” Hero looked at his little brother with a hint of desperation, “Basil said they were
fighting that day. And he… he saw Sunny push her. No matter what caused it, Mari was…”
He shook his head, “I just need to prevent that fight from happening. That’s what I gotta
focus on.”
Kel still looked doubtful, but he didn’t argue. Hero’s hand felt sweaty in his mother’s hold.
“We want to help you somehow,” Mom said. “What can we do?”
“I don’t know,” Hero admitted. “I never planned to tell anyone other than Mari.”
“And you shouldn’t have just relied on her! Hero, she’s a child, and so are you!”
“I’m twenty years old,” Hero corrected. “Or… maybe twenty-one? I don’t know anymore at
this point. Somewhere around there. I’m not actually a kid anymore, Mom.”
“You’ll always be my child,” Mom insisted, squeezing his hand before releasing it. “And that
doesn’t change the fact that Mari is still just a child.”
“But she’s also the victim,” Hero tried to explain.

“I’m not saying you were wrong for telling someone; I just don’t think you should’ve only
relied on her. Not when you have adults in your life who can understand you better.”
Hero didn’t want to say that as much as he loved his parents, they simply hadn’t understood
him. He was mature enough to admit at least to himself that that was partially his own fault,
though. He wasn’t willing to concede to that point at the moment, however.
“Hero…” Dad interrupted after a moment, “do you have any proof that you’re from the
future?” He smiled a little and jested, “Lottery numbers, perhaps?”
That one cracked a smile on Hero’s lips. “No, nothing like that. I didn’t pay attention to any
of that.” But what proof could he possibly give? Mari had believed him with time and
because there was no point in arguing. Kel simply chose to believe him. So, what could he
say to prove he really was from the future. “...Uh, I guess if you need proof, I can tell you
about college? My teachers and stuff? Who the governor will be?”
“Hm, we couldn’t find out the truth of that last one for a couple years yet,” Dad stroked his
beard thoughtfully.
“I can drive?” Hero suggested with a shrug. “I’m shorter than I was, but I’ve been driving for
at least two years. I can still do it now.”
“Ooh, yeah! I wanna see that!” Kel cried, excited. “Let’s put Hero behind the wheel of the
car!”
“Driving isn’t really that difficult,” Mom said. “And he’s not old enough to drive right now.”
“When I first started driving, I was kinda bad at it actually,” Hero corrected. “I was afraid of
how fast it was going.”
“He has a point,” Dad said, brightening. “Let’s try it. I’d like to see!”
“Dear!” Mom cried.
But Dad was already standing. “What’s the harm? He can just go around the block. I did it
when I was his age.”
Mom continued to protest, but it seemed that Dad was standing firm. And Hero didn’t mind
giving proof as he stood up as well and went to go grab his shoes. A quick drive around the
block sounded a little fun. Kel’s excitement couldn’t be contained.
Naturally, he drove perfectly and had the car parked back in the driveway within only a few
minutes.
His parents believed him after that.

Kel
Chapter Notes
This was supposed to be a chapter for Kel's birthday... but it's already the end of the
month... my writing muse is not cooperating.
Anyway, have a very rare Kel POV chapter.
Kel was as quiet as he could be as he pulled on his shorts and tiptoed over to Hero’s side of
the room. He tucked his hair behind his ear as he leaned forward, chin tilting curiously
upwards as he tried to peek. Hero was on his side, mouth lax with sleep and a hint of drool on
his lips. His brow was soft. His hair was messy across his forehead and eyes as he slept
heavily. He was completely out.
Some of Kel’s tension left his shoulders as he straightened with a sigh of relief. He crossed
his arms over his chest as he watched Hero for a little longer just to make absolutely sure he
was totally asleep. The lamp on Kel’s side of the room was still on, casting shadows across
his brother’s body. The darkness under his eyes was obvious even now. It made something in
Kel’s chest twist.
Hero had been acting strangely for months. Kel had noticed it on and off when Hero
occasionally did something that caught his attention. He looked tired a lot, and he seemed
more reserved than he used to be. The things that Hero used to do easily before seemed more
forced, and Kel had noticed that he seemed uninterested in things that just a little while ago
he had enjoyed.
He had chalked it up to Hero’s tastes changing. His brother was dating Mari now (gross) and
Mom had said dating someone changed people. But the change hadn’t seemed positive
despite how Hero had insisted again and again he was fine. Kel wouldn’t say he was astute or
anything, but even he could tell there was something really wrong with his brother.
He knew what it was now after months of hearing his friends sometimes discuss it with each
other. And it was worse than anything Kel could’ve possibly anticipated. It was the stuff
straight out of a sci-fi movie, but it was awful.
Kel closed his eyes, brow furrowing as he remembered the tears that had rolled down his
cheeks at the utter dread he had felt as he had eavesdropped on Hero’s tragic story from a
future that was yet to come. Even now it made his heart clench so hard that it threatened to
choke him.
His eyes opened once more. He poked his brother. Hero didn’t even twitch. His breathing
remained even.
Just last night he had been screaming in a way Kel had never heard before in his life. It had
been visceral, heartbreaking terror. It sent a wash of icy water through Kel’s veins just to
remember the way his brother had gasped like he was dying before he had broken down in
their mom’s arms, clinging to her with so much fear and desperation that Kel was terrified
just to watch.
Hero had nightmares sometimes, but never like that. He’d never heard someone scream like
that before.
He never wanted to hear it again.
His fingers trembled. Kel swallowed thickly and shook his head. He didn’t want to ruminate
on that moment for too long. His heart was shaken from it all. Hero looked better now, at
least. He was sleeping soundly. He looked like there was a weight off of his shoulders.
He had borne this secret since Kel’s birthday. It was July now. That was nine months.
Hero had never been the bravest person Kel had known, but now he was starting to
reconsider that.
He hurried to his bedroom lamp and turned it off. He tucked a spare pillow under his blanket
and arranged it carefully until it looked reasonable enough. Then he went to the bedroom
window and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. It was late, but not extremely so. It
was a little past Kel’s usual bedtime, though Mom and Dad let him stay up later during
summer vacation. But Hero had gone to bed early after an understandably exhausting day,
and Kel had decided to call it early as well.
That didn’t mean he had planned to stay in bed the whole time.
When his eyes were adjusted, he carefully opened his bedroom window. He shimmied out the
screen on it before placing it inside of the bedroom. He tossed his shoes down to the grass
below. Then he climbed out of the window and hung from the sill, feet scraping the side of
the building, before he found the little foothold he had been looking for. He steadied himself
on the foothold until he was feeling confident, and then he released the sill to reach in and
grab the screen. It took a lot of careful maneuvering, but Kel had become a master of not only
popping the window screen back in, but also closing his bedroom window from the outside.
Hero may have been the one who had taught him how to do it, but Kel was much better at it.
It made him smile every time he did it correctly.
He was outside of the house. Now he just needed to get down into the backyard without
alerting his parents or setting Hector off with his barking. The little dog was his biggest threat
to sneaking out successfully.
He sidled along the wall until he could move no further. The drop always seemed so much
higher from where he was at in comparison to on the ground. He could probably jump and be
okay, but he wasn’t gonna risk hurting himself. Instead, he stood where there was no window
before him and took a deep breath. Then he dropped.
His fingers caught the little ledge he was on before he could plummet too far. His lips thinned
with determination as he wiggled to counteract his movement before allowing himself to fall
to the ground. His legs radiated the shock up his body as he ducked down and grimaced, but
overall he was unhurt. It took him a moment to recover before he was up and going. He
snatched up his shoes and ducked behind a tree to put them on, glancing back to make sure
nobody had seen him. He could see his parents in the living room. He grinned to himself at
his successful escape.
He dashed towards the back of his yard and into the forest before circling around to the back
of Sunny’s yard. It was a bigger property than Kel’s house with an actual fence to mark the
boundary between the property and the forest, but that didn’t stop Kel. He had discovered a
loose board in the fence years ago, and he was still small enough to wiggle it aside and slip
through into the rear yard of his best friend. He didn’t hesitate to run past the materials that
were being used on the partially-built treehouse to head back towards Sunny’s place.
Once he was in range, he hid behind a tree and glanced up at Sunny’s window. The light was
on. He could hear Mari playing the piano. It gave him pause as he swallowed. Hero’s haunted
words talking with dread about the upcoming performance sent a chill down Kel’s spine even
from just the memory of it. Mari was practicing this hard despite knowing Hero’s story. Kel
didn’t really understand it. Was the piano really that important to her? Maybe that was the
reason why Mari and Hero seemed less gross with each other recently. There was a tension
there that even Kel could pick up on, though he chose to pretend he hadn’t noticed it.
He shook off the memory. Now wasn’t the time.
He scooped up a few pebbles from the ground after searching for a little bit. Then he tossed
them one by one at Sunny’s window, pausing and waiting periodically before throwing
another one.
After the second one, Sunny appeared at the window. Kel waved him down, grinning. He saw
his best friend’s eyes widen briefly before he disappeared from view. Kel waited, knowing
the procedure. He watched as the light in Sunny’s room flicked off, though Kel could still
spot a shadow moving back and forth. He picked at the grass, listening to Mari’s piano, and
waited impatiently. He’d never been good at waiting.
Hearing Hero’s story had made Kel antsy. In that timeline, Sunny had died. Worse, he had
killed himself after locking himself in his house for four years. Kel couldn’t even imagine it.
Sunny, while more introverted than Kel, was someone who enjoyed being outside. He liked
playing on the playground and exploring the forests. He loved the beach and had a curiosity
that had taken them both on numerous wild adventures. There were plenty of people who
called his best friend emotionless since he didn’t emote too much or spoke his mind often,
but Kel knew that Sunny was full of more spirit than people could imagine. It was one of the
reasons they got along so well.
Sunny had been by Kel’s side for longer than Kel could remember. He didn’t know of a life
where Sunny hadn’t been his best friend. He could not – and did not want to – imagine four
years with him gone, let alone lose him forever.
His heart seized and his throat closed up as he stiffened. His fists clenched in the material of
his shorts as his eyes burned a little. He felt like he would choke. Just the thought of Sunny
ending his life over his accident just–
“Kel?” Kel nearly screamed at the quiet voice next to him. His head shot up, staring wide-
eyed at Sunny peeking at him from around the side of the tree. His head was tilted curiously.
When had he snuck down there? Kel hadn’t noticed at all.
“Jeez, Sunny! You nearly scared the life out of me!” Kel bared his teeth in a grimace as he
stood. He brushed his hands off on his shorts, shaking off the mental image of Sunny falling
from a building. He felt a little chilled despite the warm night. He tried not to let it show in
his voice. “Don’t sneak up on me, man.”
Sunny only gave him a bemused look and asked, “I thought you said you were sick?”
“That was a lie, duh.” That only confused Sunny more. Kel didn’t need to hear the question
to know what his friend wanted to ask, so he explained, “Hero, uh…” he faltered. Actually,
he wasn’t exactly sure how to explain anything. Hero didn’t want Kel to tell Sunny anything.
It was weird to keep secrets from Sunny, though. Especially since this was the biggest secret
of Kel’s life.
He shook his head. “Let’s just go! I’ll explain on the way. We gotta go to Hobbeez so we can
catch that Pokémon card tournament finale!”
Sunny perked up and didn’t argue as he followed after Kel when the two ran to the back of
the yard to slip out through the gap in the fence. It was second nature for the two of them to
make a run through the forest, cutting around the rear yards of the nearby houses before they
reached the street on the other side. Kel was grinning as their feet left grass and stepped onto
concrete, only slowing now that they were well away from their houses.
“What happened to Hero?” Sunny prompted now that they were walking at a slower pace.
“He’s sick?”
“Uh… Kind… of…?” Kel hedged as he slowed his pace a little with a frown. Sunny matched
him. His eyes always seemed to peer right through Kel. “He’s…” He didn’t know how to
explain it. The grimace on his face was amazing to see. He wanted to just tell Sunny about
everything relating to Hero so he could get his own feelings off of his chest, but he wasn’t
stupid enough to hurt his best friend that way. How did Hero deal with this? Maybe he just
needed to talk about this stuff with Hero again instead. They hadn’t had much of a chance to
talk about specifics. Mom and Dad had mostly filled Hero’s time with questions and
curiosities about the future.
“Was he seeing monsters again?” Sunny asked when Kel didn’t continue. He had an air of
worry about him.
“Yeah!” Kel cried. That was a perfect way to describe it! Leave it to Sunny to be able to solve
Kel’s problems! “Wait,” he paused, feet stuttering, “how do you know about that?”
Sunny wiped his forehead. It was damp from their run and the lingering humidity in the air.
“He gets that look on his face… like he’s scared of something. お姉ちゃん said that Hero’s
been having problems similar to mine… I wanted to ask him about it and help if I could…”
Kel bit his tongue, throat burning a little. The sounds of Hero’s sobbing as he confessed to
Sunny drowning in his own guilt and throwing himself from a hospital roof echoed in his
ears. His best friend was someone who had a big heart even if he couldn’t show it that well
sometimes. Sunny would never, ever, do anything cruel. He didn’t deserve the future that
Hero came from.
His body moved instinctively to throw his arms around his friend. Sunny startled, but caught
Kel as Kel squeezed him far too tightly. He called his name, patting his back to get him to
loosen up, but Kel didn’t listen. He just buried his face into Sunny’s shoulder and clung to
him. After a few moments, Sunny gave up on trying to push him away.
“Sunny,” he finally said, voice a little choked up as he tried to figure out exactly what he
wanted to say to him, “promise me that no matter what happens, we’ll always be there for
each other. You trust us, right? Me and Hero?”
Sunny’s confusion was clear as he responded, “Um… yes?”
Kel’s fingers dug harder into his friend’s back. “No matter what happens, I’ll be on your
side.” His eyes teared up, causing his nose to begin to clog. He sniffled and gritted his teeth,
pushing the feeling away. But his voice was still choked. “You can count on me, man.
Always.”
“Kel, what’s wrong?” Sunny tried to push him away, but Kel shook his head and refused to
move. The two boys just stood there on the sidewalk instead. Kel closed his eyes and pulled
back his tears. He pushed the feelings down and away. He didn’t have a reason to get upset
right now. He was just going to worry Sunny.
He took a deep breath, gathered himself, and then pulled away. A big smile replaced the
wobbly lips as he repressed his desire to cry. The looming shadow of a dark future where the
boy in front of him had died tragically haunted the edges of his mind. For now, he just had to
turn on the lights and pretend those shadows weren’t there. He shouldn’t worry about a future
that hadn’t happened yet. He trusted that he and Hero could change the future and protect the
ones they cared about so much. Kel would just need to try his best.
If Hero was going to work on Mari to figure out where things went wrong, then Kel was just
going to have to work on Sunny. After all, he couldn’t let Hero do all the hard work any
longer. His brother was good at a lot of things, but he wasn’t especially strong. And after
seeing just how hurt he truly was, Kel wanted to step up and carry some of that burden. It
was his responsibility to take care of his friends too.
And he never wanted to lose Sunny if he could help it.
Sunny was watching him with far more concern than he should. But Kel just kept smiling.
“What are we still waiting for here?” he demanded as he grabbed Sunny’s hand. “We’re
gonna miss everything if we don’t hurry! C’mon!”
Sunny’s feet stumbled a little as Kel ran and tugged his friend along behind him. If they ran
enough, Kel could escape those worrying thoughts that he could think about another time
when he wasn’t so emotional. He’d rather do something fun instead. He didn’t like worrying
people. Sunny always looked prettier when he smiled anyway. So, Kel would just make sure
he was always smiling. Happy people won’t accidentally push their sister down the stairs,
right?
Kel gave a determined look to the night sky above and nodded once to himself. He would
make sure to do a good job.
Summer
Saturday mid-afternoon found Hero and his friends circling back around to Sunny and Mari’s
house after they had spent a few hours in Basil’s garden helping to pull weeds, water, and
harvest a few of the plants carefully. Mari and Sunny had stayed behind after Sunny had been
taken away for tutoring on the violin, and Mari’d had to go shopping with her parents. The
heat of the day was rapidly becoming oppressive, so the group decided it would be more fun
to return to Mari and Sunny’s house to hang out since it was the biggest and had the most
stuff to do.
Hero was unsurprised when he heard the piano going, however. They were greeted at the
door by Mari’s mother, who allowed them to enter. The group of them hustled themselves to
the piano room just as Mari finished coaching Sunny on a part and getting him to start
playing with her once more.
The music was lovely. Hero hadn’t played an instrument in years, but he had listened to
plenty of classical and instrumental music enough to pick up on the nuances of the playing.
He could hear the dips and sways of the waltz as Mari’s body moved to the beat. Sunny’s
eyes were closed and his brow was furrowed with concentration as he played from memory
alone, which was impressive enough. But then his fingerings were a little too delayed, and
Sunny fell from the rhythm that Mari had set, bringing both of them to a grinding halt.
Mari’s sigh was a little too loud and disappointed. Sunny’s gaze dropped along with his arms.
A grimace of frustration crossed his features before they were hidden beneath the fringe of
his hair. Hero swallowed a little thickly.
“Aww, why’d you stop?” Aubrey asked, interrupting Mari as she turned to say something to
Sunny. The siblings’ gazes jumped to their friends, startled. They hadn’t heard them come in.
“It sounded so good!”
“Sunny slipped up a little, so we’re still going over this part,” Mari explained. There was a
smile on her face now, but a tension around her eyes that denoted the stress that Hero had
been trying to pay attention to. Mari needed a break, he thought.
“I didn’t hear anything wrong, though?” Aubrey’s head tilted, confused.
“When you practice it as often as we have, you start to notice it, haha!”
She was brushing it off, but Hero felt uneasy. His eyes drifted over to Sunny, who had yet to
say anything. The boy was rubbing his thumb along his fingers. His gaze was still downward.
He didn’t feel good about this.
He wasn’t the only one who thought so as well. Kel stepped forward to lean against the
piano, tucking his arms under his head with a frown. “Does it really matter all that much?
You’ve got a while until the recital, right?”
“Yes, but that’s why it’s better to perfect it now while we can,” Mari explained.
“Ehhh…?” Kel groaned. “That just means there’s more time to slack off. C’mon!” He popped
up with an excited grin. “Let’s go do something fun! You guys have been practicing for
hours! It’s break time!”
“Let’s go get some ice cream,” Basil suggested. His head was facing Sunny, so Hero couldn’t
see his expression. But the boy’s hand was resting on Sunny’s forearm. “Sugar always helps
to perk me right up after studying for so long.”
“Not yet,” Mari insisted. “We’re so close to mastering this one part.”
Hero could see the tension in her shoulders, but he could also recognize that the crowd was
against her at the moment. She could see it too. Sunny had yet to say anything either way. He
felt bad for interrupting their play time, but he agreed with Kel and Basil. Sunny had been
practicing now for over three hours. A break would do everyone good, he thought.
“What do you think, Sunny?” He addressed the boy directly rather than taking a side in this.
He and Mari were still a little at odds and he didn’t want to cause more problems between the
two of them.
Sunny glanced up at him for the first time, and Hero startled a little. There was a pinch of
frustration to Sunny’s features. He had that slow blink that Hero recognized came from
fatigue. He had yet to lift his own arms. Sunny, he realized, was spent. Did Mari not see that?
“...Ice cream…” Sunny murmured.
“Ice cream in this weather sounds so good!” Aubrey agreed cheerfully. “Please, Mari, can we
go?”
“Yeah pleeeeeeease? ” Kel insisted, leaning into Mari’s face as Aubrey joined his side. Both
kids put their hands together in front of them and asked, “Please please please please please
please?”
Mari gave up. She sighed, knowing a lost cause when she saw one. She was reluctant, but
smiled nonetheless as she gave in. “Alright.”
“YEAH!!” The kids cheered. Sunny perked up right away. Hero didn’t miss the relief on his
face as Sunny went right away to put his violin away.
He walked over to his girlfriend and placed his hands on her shoulders. His thumbs massaged
the muscle there, catching her attention. He smiled down at her gratefully. “You guys deserve
a well-earned break. I’ll pay this time, okay?”
“Oh, Hero, you don’t need to do that…” Mari protested gently.
“I insist.”
Mari melted into his touch. She leaned back a little against him as he continued to massage
her shoulders. They seemed pretty tense. But she had been holding herself upright while
playing for a while now. She was probably a little tired too. How many times had he heard
her practicing over the past few days?
“Okay,” she said, enjoying the moment a bit longer before pulling away from him to stand.
“Shall we go, then?”
The kids cheered once more, excited at the prospect of a sweet treat, and darted out of the
room before Hero and Mari could follow behind. Mari spent a few moments tidying her sheet
music and packing it away before closing the lid on the piano keys. Once the room was tidier,
she joined Hero to walk with him.
It felt like it had been ages since the two of them weren’t at odds. This felt like a bit of an
olive branch, though he didn’t exactly understand what had caused it. He was a little nervous
that Mari might still be angry with him. After his exhausting breakdown, his emotions felt all
but reset. He didn’t want to be angry with Mari anymore. They needed a new solution.
It wasn’t until they were outside and headed to Faraway Plaza did Hero realize the shift
between them. Mari wrapped her arm through his and squeezed his bicep as she leaned
forward to gaze into his face. He gave her a confused blink. She studied him a bit longer
before she relaxed. However, the worried frown didn’t quite leave her lips.
“You’re really feeling better?” she asked finally.
He was confused about what she meant for a second. He had to backtrack and recall what she
was referring to. And when he did, a blush split across his cheeks. “O-Oh, do you mean a few
days ago? I, uh, that sickness–”
“You weren’t really sick, were you?” she interrupted. “It wasn’t food poisoning.”
He grimaced a little. Well, he’d rather her know the truth than to think he had been
evacuating his bowels all night like Kel had said. Seriously, couldn’t his brother have come
up with a less gross way to claim Hero was sick?
“Um… no…” he rubbed at his hair. That night terror still lingered in the back of his mind.
Mari’s voice whispering all of the accusations Hero felt in his heart had left his soul shaken.
He had to remind himself that Mari had never said those things, but it didn’t make things
much easier. “It… I…”
She squeezed his arm more and reached down to link their fingers. “Oh, Hero… Why didn’t
you come say something to me? I…” Then she hesitated. She bit her lip. Her eyes darted to
the kids in front of them. They were close enough to possibly overhear, but they were all
deep enough into their own conversations that it was doubtful that they would. She turned
back to him. “Is this because we’re still in a disagreement? I don’t want you to think I won’t
still be there for you even if we’re fighting, Hero!”
“No, no, it’s nothing like that,” Hero shook his head quickly. It warmed his heart to know
that, though. Mari’s love for him persisted even when they were at odds. Well, it wasn’t like
he wasn’t the same. Still, verbal confirmation lifted his spirits quite a bit. “It’s more
complicated than that. Um, I’ve been meaning to talk with you about it, actually… But I
haven’t really found the chance these past few days since you’ve been so busy.”
“You should’ve told me!” she scolded him. “I would’ve made time for you.”
Hero shook his head. His ongoing mental troubles were not something to burden Mari with.
His parents’ words of warning about remembering that Mari was still young stuck in his
head. As mature as Mari was, this was something that no kid should have to deal with. And it
wasn’t like Hero could tell her about his nightmares anyway. Not right now. Not while they
still had a possibility of becoming reality.
“I’m okay,” he assured her, smiling in an attempt to not alert the others to anything being
wrong in case they looked back at them. He doubted it was a convincing smile, though. He
could feel how unnatural it felt. Ugh, the curse of a glass face. “It was just… Just a bad
nightmare. Those things happen to me, uh, more than I care to admit.”
Mari’s eyes were pained and sympathetic as her lips pinched.
He hurried to reassure her more, “I’m really okay now, honey! Don’t look at me that way,
please?”
“How can I not? I knew something was wrong right away when Kel didn’t even want to play
with us that day. You must have been hurting so badly…!”
“Shh,” he hushed her, dropping his head to tap against the top of hers briefly before lifting it
again. It was too awkward to hold that kind of position while walking. “I ended up worrying
my family a lot, that’s all. I just needed to rest that day. It’s better to just think of it as me
being sick.” It wouldn’t be wrong, of course. It was just an illness of the heart, rather than of
the body. And confiding in his parents had helped to lift some of that burden off of him. Even
now his pain felt a little lighter knowing he could rely on his parents. They might be a little
clumsy, but it was reassuring to have proper adults with more life experience helping him.
Mari looked like she had more to say in response to that, but Hero pressed on as he crossed
the road with everyone. “Anyway, let’s put this conversation on pause. We can talk more later
when we’re alone.”
His eye caught Kel’s where Kel was clinging to Sunny. His brother had become more handsy
with Sunny after learning about the terrible future. He didn’t show his worry often, but Hero
caught the way his expression occasionally faltered into something more serious before
returning to his carefree attitude. It was getting easier to hide by the day, but it still worried
Hero. His friends didn’t need both of the brothers acting strangely. It was a little frustrating
that Kel was better at it than he was.
Kel glanced between him and Mari before he broke away from his friends to push into their
space. “Hey Mari!” he called abruptly, “What’s so important about your recital anyway?”
Hero stiffened. “Kel–” he tried to warn as alarm bells went off in his head. What happened to
subtlety?!
“Huh?” Mari asked, caught off-guard. The others shot Kel baffled looks too as they came to a
stop outside of the pack. “Why the sudden question, Kel?”
“Well,” Kel explained as he crossed his arms, “you and Sunny are just practicing a ton!
Doesn’t that get boring, doing that over and over and over again? I know you like the piano
and stuff, but it’s summer vacation! You guys are stuck inside all of the time!”
“Kel!” Aubrey scolded. “It’s really important to the both of them! It’s a big show, right
Sunny?” She looked at him.
Sunny blinked before nodding in agreement. He had a wide-eyed, startled look on his face as
he stared at Kel with befuddlement.
Kel just tucked his arms behind his head, pooching his lips. “So? That’s, like, forever from
now! We should be enjoying the summer more now that school is out!”
“Well Kel,” Mari explained with a smile, “Aubrey’s right. It’s a very important event for me
and Sunny. I want to become a musician in the future, and Sunny wanted to play in a show
with me. That’s why we’re practicing very hard to make sure it’s the best performance we can
give.”
Kel made a face. “I get that, but doesn’t that get tiring?”
“Hm?” she didn’t seem to understand. Hero frowned too, wondering where Kel was going
with this. What was his brother up to?
“Like, I get that you and Sunny like playing your instruments, but doesn’t that suck after a
while? I mean, I love playing basketball, but even I get bored of playing if I do it too much!”
He looked back at Sunny with a grin. “Which is why you should change it up sometimes,
y’know? That’s what Hero taught me when we were doing homework!”
“More like you taught me,” Hero reminded him a little wryly, thinking about all of the times
Kel complained until they took periodic breaks and how they genuinely did help to clear his
mood.
Then he startled with realization.
Wait, was that what Kel was getting at? Was he seeing something that Hero hadn’t seen
before? Hero understood the stress of working too hard for too long and getting overtaxed.
That would explain Sunny’s expressions from earlier. If Hero could see it, then there was no
doubt that Kel could recognize it too being that he had always been able to read Sunny like a
book.
Was that a possible reason for the fight in the future?
“We don’t practice that much,” Mari corrected. “A few hours a day isn’t abnormal, you know.
And we’re only learning one song.”
“Um, aren’t you guys also doing solo practices too?” Basil cut in. It was surprisingly bold of
him, though he appeared slightly nervous to point this out. “Sunny has tutoring and stuff
too… You guys are doing a lot of activities with your family too…”
“Is that really such a big deal, though?” Aubrey countered. “It’s great that Mari and Sunny
get to spend so much time with their parents! Honestly, I’m a little jealous.” She poofed her
cheeks in a pout, though her face showed more honesty than she probably meant to show.
That jealousy was clear in her dark eyes. Hero felt a little bad for her. “And keeping busy is a
good thing! I remember…” she hesitated and then confessed, “I remember how long the
summers are when you don’t have anything to do…”
Hero’s fist clenched, remembering a future Aubrey admitting to not having friends before
them, and not having friends for a period of time after them. This was a girl who knew
loneliness in a way Hero hadn’t learned until much later.
Sunny watched Aubrey silently. He then reached forward and touched her shoulder. She
glanced at him, startled, and her frown turned into a smile. There was some gratitude there.
Sunny seemed relieved. Hero had a feeling that he probably shouldn’t have seen that. Sunny
and Aubrey were closer than he had first anticipated.
“Yes, exactly,” Mari nodded in agreement to Aubrey’s words as she cupped the girl’s cheek
briefly and affectionately. Her own smile was bright and seemed to cheer the other girl up
right away. Mari’s smile was truly infectious. “We’re lucky to be able to have the things we
do. I’m sure Sunny doesn’t mind having to do some extra work during the summer. After all,
we spend plenty of time playing around too!”
Sunny didn’t respond to that. Hero waited to see if he would agree or disagree, but instead
Sunny just watched his sister with that cliff-faced expression that he sometimes got that was
simply impossible for Hero to read. Whatever he was feeling, it was blocked off from any
interpretation Hero could give it.
“Hmmmmm…” Kel finally hummed. His expression twisted before immediately clearing.
Basil blinked at him with confusion as Hero mentally winced. That time he had been caught
by someone else. “If you’re sure… Though, I think that’s boring! I’d rather play all the time
and do no homework!”
“Is that you confessing you haven’t done your summer assignments yet, Kel?” Aubrey asked,
crossing her arms with a huff.
“Gah!” Kel bared his teeth at her. “D-Don’t remind me! That can wait until later! We’ve got
plenty of time! Besides, I bet you haven’t done yours yet either!” He pointed an accusatory
finger at her.
Aubrey jerked back, blushing a little. “I-I at least looked at my homework! That’s better than
you!”
Kel just laughed. “That’s not any better at all!”
She glared at him, shoulders going up with offense. “Is so!”
“Is not!”
“Is so! ”
“Is not! ”
“Okay, okay,” Hero stepped in to put an end to it, waving his hands to scoot them along. “It
looks like the summer heat is getting to your heads. How about that ice cream to cool off
now?”
“Oh right!” Both of them cried, turning on him with sparkling eyes.
“Let’s hurry!” Basil suggested before Kel and Aubrey took off running. Sunny and Basil
weren’t far behind, both of their expressions brighter.
Hero gave them all an exasperated look before glancing over at Mari. She appeared a little
thoughtful. “Don’t mind him too much,” he told her, catching her attention once more. “I
think he’s been a little lonely since Sunny’s been dividing his time more.”
That got Mari to laugh. “Aww, is he getting jealous?”
Hero laughed a little too. “I don’t think he even understands that. But maybe!”
“That’s adorable. I feel a little bad for stealing Sunny away so much, but that’s just what
growing up is. Responsibilities come first, after all.” She flipped her hair away from her face
and held her hand out to him. Hero gladly took it as they both began to walk quickly after the
others. It wouldn’t do to make them wait for too long.
“Good luck teaching that to Kel. I think even at sixteen he didn’t learn the meaning of
responsibility.” He made a playfully exasperated face. “On the day I was coming home from
college for the summer, my parents were trying to throw me a dinner party and Kel was
responsible for picking up some of the food orders. Apparently, he completely slacked off all
day and didn’t come back with the food until hours after he was supposed to. At least, that’s
what Mom told me.”
Mari just laughed. “That sounds like him! Easily distracted.”
“And a procrastinator.”
“You’re going easy on him by not making him do his summer work yet,” she teased with a
lilting tone.
“It’s still early,” Hero argued with a smile as he watched his brother and friends disappear
into the food store through the sliding doors. “There’s plenty of time. I want him to enjoy his
summer vacation.”
Mari didn’t respond to that and just squeezed his hand once more. It felt reassuring.
He was just relieved to have managed to move past that conversation from earlier. He wasn’t
sure what exactly Kel had been trying to achieve, but he had succeeded in giving Hero
another angle to consider the upcoming problems with. However, he had closed off Hero’s
chance of explaining what had happened between him and his family. If Mari knew now that
Kel was aware of the future, he was sure she would get a little offended at Kel trying to
interfere with their practicing. The two of them still hadn’t made up over their disagreement
and having Kel siding with Hero would only look bad.
It was unfortunate, but telling her about what happened was going to have to wait for another
day.
Reconciliation
Chapter Notes
This went totally different than I had planned.
The lake never felt better than when it was the height of summer. The cool waters were
refreshing to plunge into as the world was silenced and tiny fish flittered past his face. Hero’s
eyes opened underwater as he heard the muffled plunge of another body joining him under
the surface. He saw Mari’s dark hair billowing up around her as the skirt of her bathing suit
bottoms fluttered around her pale thighs and over her bare stomach. The sunlight filtered in
and coated them both in its bright rays as Mari’s hand pulled away from where she had been
plugging her nose before she kicked off the ground and swam upwards. Hero smiled to
himself before he followed after her, breaching the surface with a gasp of air before he shook
his head to clear his vision.
He caught Mari brushing her own hair up and out of her face as they both treaded water. He
slipped closer, allowing his hand to brush over her hip as he yanked her after him as he made
his way to shallower water. She gave a squeal of surprise before she laughed. She spun
around in his arms so that her back was pressed to his front and pinched his wrist as she cried
out his name.
Hero just laughed to himself, pressing his lips to her shoulder as he found solid ground to
stand on. Mari was left floating, legs coming up to curve her body so he was holding her, as
she giggled as well at the slew of kisses he playfully pecked into her shoulder and across her
neck and ear. The tickling got to her after a few moments, so she pushed his face away. He
just kissed her palm instead as he captured her wrist, eyes sparkling as he gazed upon her.
God, she was beautiful.
A sigh escaped her after a beat passed and the two calmed from the frenzy. She sank into his
arms, head tilting against his as she said, “It’s nice to have you alone today.”
That had been his intention when he had told her they were going to go swimming today.
They’d both needed to sneak away after their younger friends had decided to spend the day in
Mari’s backyard, but they had managed it in the end. Mari had escaped her house without
anyone knowing, and Hero got to have some well-earned alone time with Mari.
“It’s a good day to go swimming,” Hero agreed, nosing her neck before he released her from
his hold. She dove back under the water to cool off before coming back up a few feet closer
to the dock. Her eyes called for him to follow, so he did.
Spending time alone with Mari was rarer than it was even back in his original timeline. Mari
was busy between her various activities, her duty to her parents, and the fun that she liked to
have with her friends and Sunny. Their dates were usually interrupted by one sibling or
another when they did get alone time, and most of what they got to do alone was chaste at
best. Not that Hero was pressing for anything more serious regularly, but more than one night
when he wasn’t stressing about the future he had been wondering when he would get more
actual alone time with Mari. Ideally in a comfortable place without risk of interruption.
Even seeing her now was testing his patience considering how little she was wearing, but he
was well-practiced in keeping his hands to himself. But if Mari tempted him, he doubted he
would be able to turn her away.
He needed a distraction before the touches of hands on bare skin ate away at his sanity like it
was doing as he and Mari teased and played with each other. Soon enough the stolen kisses
would turn into something hotter under the summer sun, and the grass was looking
particularly soft and tempting.
“Hero,” Mari’s voice cut through the haziness of arousal that was spreading from his head
down his neck and into his chest and stomach as she pulled away from his wandering hands
to pull herself up onto the island in the middle of the lake. He followed after her instinctively,
drawn in like a fish on a hook.
“Yeah?” Ah, would he be forgiven by her if he really did give into his desires? She was so
pretty. He was jealous of the water trailing over her skin. Why was he holding back again?
He was starting to forget.
She laughed at the breathiness in his tone. Her foot pressed to his collarbones as he hovered
in the water in front of her. There was a knowing expression on her face that didn’t hide her
pleased blush as she gazed at him. Seriously, maybe this date was going to go in a different
direction than he had originally planned…?
“Focus, handsome boy,” she teased him, pressing her foot a little harder to him. “As, um,
flattering as it is to have you look at me in that way… we had other things to discuss, didn’t
we?”
Did they? Hero wasn’t sure what was so important that it needed to interrupt this–
Oh.
Oh, right.
“One sec,” he told her with a raised finger before he threw himself backwards into the water
to cool his head. He scrubbed his face and blew air bubbles of frustration out at himself. Now
wasn’t the time for this. He had been the one to tell Mari that he wanted to talk to her about a
few things. Sex was not on the agenda. He didn’t think Mari would be interested in that kind
of, uh, adventure anyway. And Hero didn’t want to find out. That would open too many
possibilities for his horny teenage brain to handle.
There would be much more time later for that kind of thing after he had saved the future.
With good luck he would have many, many years left with Mari.
He resurfaced with a gasp and a better grip on himself. He pulled himself up onto the island
beside her with a sigh. She watched him with a curious tilt of her head as her hands stroked
and played a little nervously with her hair.
“Are you worried?” he asked with a small frown as he noticed the behavior.
“Um,” she dropped her hands quickly, “a bit?” The smile was definitely a little nervous. “The
way you sounded earlier… It just concerned me. We haven’t really had the chance to talk
about your nightmares or anything.” She dropped her gaze. “That’s my fault. I’m sorry,
Hero.”
“Don’t be,” he shook his head. “I know your plate is full.”
“I guess it’s my turn to be the bad girlfriend, huh?”
“Not at all!” He paused, though. “Wait, so you really did think I was being a bad boyfriend
back then?”
“Only a bit,” she held her thumb and forefinger close together with a helpless shrug and
smile. “Not that I don’t understand.”
“Then that’s how I feel now,” he told her, bumping his shoulder to hers. “I’ve seen your
calendar, after all.” He frowned with concern. “How are you doing? That has got to be really
stressful for you. Especially since you’ve got cram school in the fall.”
She groaned and pulled her knees up to lean on. “It’s so stressful! But… I kind of like it? I
can’t really imagine having as much free time as you do.”
“I don’t know if I should feel insulted by that or not.”
“You shouldn’t because from what you’ve told me about your future, you were as busy – if
not busier – than I am now.”
She was right, of course. Hero remembered months of keeping his own schedule so packed
that he was hardly at home and doing nothing. Even when he was watching television it was
usually for documentaries. The books he read were for advanced classes, and his after school
activities were filled to the brim with working. As soon as he’d had his license, he was
borrowing the family car whenever he could so that he didn’t have to stay home.
That was different, though. For as great as that had looked on his resumé and on his academic
record, it had been because Hero had been avoiding the reality of his dreary life. His happiest
moments were spent with his family, and the pressure in his heart had only relaxed when he
was no longer seeing Mari’s house next door every day when he left his front door.
He pushed off of the ground to slide back into the water, splashing his face and shoulders to
cool off once more. “Then take it from someone who has experienced it to say that it’s not as
fun as it seems. It’s not for everyone.” He glanced back at her to find her watching him. He
held his hand out in offering. She didn’t hesitate to follow, taking his hand and slipping into
the water with him. Her arms wrapped loosely around his neck as they drifted deeper until
they were floating together once more. Her lips brushed over his cheek once affectionately.
“I’ll keep it in mind. What did you want to talk about, though?”
Hero’s toes dug into the loose silt at the bottom of the lake as bits of water weeds twirled
around their ankles. The presence of Mari’s body against him was keeping him grounded in
the present instead of letting his mind float away to a future where the taste of the lake water
brought back images of boys drowning.
“It’s about a couple weeks ago… when I was, um, sick,” he started.
“When you had a bad nightmare, you mean,” Mari corrected gently. Her nails skimmed his
shoulders soothingly. It tickled a little. It made Hero relax just a bit. “You said you would talk
to me about it.”
“It’s hard to put into words,” he protested. “And… it’s irrelevant anyway. The nightmare’s
not what I want to talk about.”
“Your struggles aren’t irrelevant, Hero.”
He kissed her for that one. “It’s not what I want to talk about,” he repeated with appreciation
and insistence in his voice. He didn’t like talking about his nightmares. It made him relive
them when he did. “It’s about what happened that night. Will you listen?”
Mari nodded and stayed silent, recognizing his need for her to be a listening ear. The two of
them shifted down in the water as they moved closer to the island once more, sitting on the
slope while staying in the water. Hero’s hands tugged at the water weeds nervously.
“The nightmare was… really bad. I have nightmares sometimes anyway… more often than I
care to admit… but that was a really bad one,” he explained. “I woke up, uh, screaming. And
scared my family.”
“ Screaming ? Oh my gosh, Hero!” Mari’s hands flew to her mouth before they landed on his
arm. She gripped it as she leaned in with worry. “It was that bad? Do those happen a lot too?
I’ve never heard you wake up from a nightmare like that!”
“No, that was a first for me.” The heat of the day did little to stop the chilled shiver that went
through him as he remembered the choking sensation he’d experienced. He didn’t want to
think about it.
“What was it about? I’m here to listen, if you need it.”
There was no way he could tell her. He didn’t want to describe it whatsoever. His mother was
right in saying that he shouldn’t put these kinds of things onto Mari. Besides, words couldn’t
properly describe the acidic, blood-curdling feeling that came from experiencing such a
nightmare. He was still haunted by the visions of it on occasion.
He pushed on instead and ignored her question, “My parents, uh, demanded I explain what
was going on with me after that. And… I did. I told them everything.” He glanced at her
from the corner of his eye and then down at the water again. The water weeds in his hands
tore from his grip. “They know the truth now.”
“Everything?” Mari asked softly, stunned. Hero nodded. He didn’t know why he was so
nervous telling her. Maybe he expected to be judged? Instead she said, “That’s… a good
thing, though!”
“Do you think?” he asked hesitantly.
“Of course!” She gripped her hands in front of her with determination before hugging him.
“Hero, I’m so proud of you. I know how hard it’s been for you since you came back in time.
I’m glad you can tell your parents!”
Hero didn’t know what to say to that. He was left shocked. But he hugged her back
nonetheless as his brows pinched with confusion.
She pulled away after a moment to ask, “And how did they take it? Do they believe you?”
“Uh, yeah. Better than I had expected, actually.” A smile started to tentatively form on his
face. He was more relieved than he thought he would be to tell her this finally. He shouldn’t
have waited for so long. “They didn’t fully believe me at first… but I managed to convince
them.”
“That’s great!”
“Yeah… Yeah, it is great,” he agreed quietly to himself as he started to believe it. He had
been unsure this entire time how to feel about his parents knowing he was from the future. He
had thought that if he had told anyone else the truth, they wouldn’t believe him. And at worst
would think he was crazy. However, his parents had been taking Hero’s reality in stride. In
fact, they had been asking him many things as they got him to open up about the future.
It was interesting conversing with other adults about what they could do to help prevent the
future. They were naturally horrified to hear what had happened between Mari, Sunny, and
Basil, but more minds allowed for more rational decision-making. It was his parents that had
settled the tension in Hero’s heart as they came to a decision about what to do about the
upcoming recital. It was why Hero felt a little easier about hanging out with Mari again
without feeling like they were still fighting.
“I talked to them about what we’ve been disagreeing about as well,” he said. His hand found
hers as he pulled it into his lap to stroke her fingers. “And… I think you’re right.”
“Oh? About what?” Mari asked.
“I don’t like the idea of trying to keep the timeline as similar as possible so we can predict
everything up until the date of the recital… but that might be the best case for us considering
I don’t know why caused yours and Sunny’s fight. So… I won’t argue about it with you
anymore. The recital is only a couple months away. I’m going to keep doing what I’ve been
doing so maybe I can cut off the source of your fight before it happens, but if it doesn’t…
then my parents figured we should just plan for what to do on the day of the recital.”
She squeezed his hand, grateful. It felt good that they weren’t fighting anymore. Hero didn’t
like being at odds with her. “Of course that’s what I want to do as well. I did try to put off the
recital as long as I could–”
“I know that–!” he hurried to assure her, but she pressed on,
“–but it ended up like this anyway. And my family is happy for it. The recital doesn’t have to
be a disaster, Hero. We just need to be wary of what happens before it. What did your parents
think?”
Hero sighed to himself as his head fell back to gaze at the bright blue sky. “I told them about
how the accident had occurred with nobody around but the three of you… so, they said we
can easily fix that.” He straightened again and met her gaze. “I’m going to stay with you as
much as possible before the recital. I don’t know why your parents weren’t home at that time,
but I do know why my parents were home. And they said that they’ll make sure at least one
of them is around. We can’t exactly just hang out at your house while you all are preparing
for the recital since your parents would take issue with it, but if it’s just me for a little
while… it should be fine, right?”
“Yes, of course!” She nodded quickly. “There shouldn’t be a problem with that! You said that
everyone was planning to gather at our house before we all headed over to the recital anyway,
right? You’ll just have to be the first to arrive.”
“Exactly,” he grinned. “Basil came the earliest before since he didn’t have a lot to do to get
ready. I’ll be sure to be there even earlier. And either my mom or my dad will stay at home so
just in case the worst case scenario does happen, maybe the boys will think to go grab an
adult instead of… of that .”
Mari nodded seriously, but her gaze was troubled as it dropped to the water. “I… still don’t
understand how Basil could come up with such an idea, though. It doesn’t make any sense to
me.”
Hero was silent. He could still barely wrap his mind around it. Basil wasn’t the type of person
to think to cover up a murder, let alone in such a gruesome way. He at least understood how
the boy had learned to tie knots – he’d seen the book of knots in his bedroom that he said had
been given to him by his father – but the idea to cover up a murder at the age of twelve… He
didn’t understand it either. He hadn’t known Basil or Sunny as the type of people who could
have the stomach to do something like that to someone they both loved so much.
No wonder they had been haunted by it.
“Panic… makes people do crazy things,” he finally said after a few moments. “I can’t claim
to understand either of their mentalities that day… but, Basil insisted he had only done it to
protect Sunny. That’s all I know. He didn’t explain much else.”
“I know,” Mari agreed with another squeeze of her hand in his. “I think we’ll just have to
reinforce what to do in an emergency situation to them.”
Hero huffed a laugh. “Yeah. It’s worth a shot.”
This kind of conversation was too heavy for a date. He was growing weary of it, so he stood
up with a loud stretch before pulling her up with him. She smiled as he wrapped his arms
around her and kissed her forehead.
“What is it?” she asked.
“There’s so much that happened in the past couple of weeks… but is it so bad that I just want
to be with you for a little while before I have to face that stuff again?” His head tipped to tap
their foreheads together. He just wanted this moment alone with her gazing into her lovely
brown eyes. He could dissolve here. He wished his dreams were just this: him with her in his
arms, cool water on heated skin, and the only witnesses to their love being the trees, sky, and
the colorful pinwheels that watched from a distance.
Mari’s warm gaze was melted sugar and honey as a wet palm skimmed up his cheek and
tucked his hair behind his ear. Her other palm captured the way his heartbeat kicked into a
trot as she leaned closer. Her nails scraped against his scalp as their lips brushed. A drop of
water fluttered on her eyebrow, glittering in the sunlight. Her voice was a mere murmur as
she told him, “Not at all. We have plenty of time, Henry… Let’s waste some of it away
before we have to go back.”
He hummed in agreement as their lips met once more, sinking into each other. He would tell
her about Kel and about therapy and about everything else later, he thought. He could
imagine what her reaction would be as she would support him. But it was summer vacation
and it was after church and they were finally, blessedly, alone. He wanted to be a little selfish
since reality would bring back the stressors. That could come later.
The press of her body was warm and tantalizing as the sounds of her pleased sighs between
kisses electrified his blood. The taste of lake water along her jaw and in the dip of her
collarbone had never been more delicious. The scrape of her teeth against his neck marked
where a bruise was bound to form, but he didn’t mind it as he accepted her with a shudder
and a tilt of his head. The burn of lust was secondary as his hand cupped her back and waist
to hold her closer, closer, and closer still as if he could only hold her there then nothing
would be able to touch her or take her away from him. The sweet whisper of his name into
his ear replaced the wretched hisses from his nightmare as Hero fought back the tidal wave of
grief that floated like a layer of grease over the water of their skin.
“I love you,” he told her as later they fell against the sun-warmed dock and dried together.
She hovered over him with her long hair falling around them. His hands skimmed up her
arms to cup her neck, pulling her down once more to kiss her.
“I love you too,” she swore back, and Hero absorbed the weight and sound of it so that it
would be all he would be able to hear. He took it and stored it in the secret place in his heart
where he’d heard her tell him that in different ways before. This one felt heavier, but that
wasn’t a bad thing. It was grounding. “Now, come here, handsome boy.”
“Gladly,” he laughed as she came to him instead. Yes, everything else could wait for a little
while longer. Everyone needs a break from work sometimes, after all.
7/20
Chapter Notes
His family knowing the truth about Hero’s previous life actually didn’t change a lot about
how Hero was living his current life. There were questions, of course, and curiosities
seemingly unending, but otherwise he was still Hero to them. He wasn’t sure why he had
expected a dramatic difference after the reveal, but he was relieved that life continued on as
normal. And he could say that he found it nice to be able to talk to his parents like he used to
and that they had adjusted to start seeing him for the adult that he was. The changes were
slow to impart, though, but they still occurred.
It started with a discussion about Hero possibly getting his license early by starting on his
driver’s permit. It was something he eagerly agreed to, excited at the thought of being able to
have a proper, unsupervised date with Mari that wasn’t within walking distance. The
embarrassment of her parents dropping them off wouldn’t have to happen again. So, he was
set to get started as soon as he was ready for that.
From there he noticed it in a few other ways. He wasn’t questioned when he started making
coffee in the morning for himself, or when he would have long discussions about the current
news and politics he hadn’t been interested in in the past. He could stay up later if he wanted
(and he did, though more because he still wasn’t sleeping as well as he could), and the
restrictions he used to have became more lax. If he was out late or up earlier than normal, he
was no longer questioned. However, this came with the understanding that he would be
honest about his reasons. Hero might mentally be an adult, but he was still a teenager and he
needed to take care of himself.
He was given sad and worried looks sometimes. He was pressured to get therapy, and he was
nagged to get more sleep and rest up. But these were things that Hero could and would
handle because he could feel the love behind them.
It made him think of that first timeline and how he had only managed to recover as well as he
had because he had his loving family there to support him. They were clumsy and not perfect,
but they had been there and supportive. It was more than his other friends had in the wake of
the accident.
(He wondered to himself sometimes how Sunny’s parents had reacted to Mari’s death. He
already knew Aubrey hadn’t received much support from her parents from her own words.
And Basil’s grandmother… he couldn’t help but worry about her and how she handled Basil
who had to have been wracked with his grief. Not for the first time he regretted not seeing his
friends after Mari’s funeral. Maybe he would’ve understood them more. He felt like he was
relearning them all over again, so he was starting to imagine a picture in his head of what was
possibly the truth).
The car jolting lightly to a stop popped him out of his musing as Hero heard his father say,
“Alright, we’re here!”
The cheers from Kel, Aubrey, and Mari brought a smile to Hero’s face as the doors for the
van were slid open and the kids piled out. He stretched his legs with a groan of relief and
popped his back. The six of them had been crammed into the back two rows of the van
together for nearly an hour, and finally they were all free. He watched as Basil stumbled and
nearly fell before he was caught by Aubrey and pushed back up. He smiled at her in thanks
before Kel was practically leaping over him from the van in his rush to charge onto the
median in the parking lot.
“WHOOOOOOAAA!!” he cried with his usual amounts of far-too-much energy. “It’s

HUGE!! I didn’t know museums were this big!”
“What did you think they looked like?” Dad asked as he grabbed Mom’s purse out from
behind the passenger seat to hand to her.
“I expected, like, those Roman buildings!”
“This one’s a bit more modern than that more classic historic look,” Basil said, lifting his
camera to peer through the viewfinder at the building. He seemed to consider taking a picture
of Kel’s back while he was gazing at the museum, but then Kel turned and posed with a
beaming smile, and Basil seemed to decide against his choice. He lowered the camera again.
“But it’s definitely really big.”
“It seems bigger than I remember,” Mari noted. “But they need a lot of room to fit
everything! I remember there are a lot of nice exhibits.”
“They change some of them up sometimes, so it might be different than what you remember,”
Hero said.
“But the butterfly garden is still there, right?” Aubrey asked with a little worry. “That’s the
MAIN reason we’re here!”
“Haha, I thought you were all here for Sunny’s birthday! Are you that interested in
butterflies, Sunny?” Dad asked as he patted Sunny’s head affectionately when Sunny had
joined them out of the car.
“Kind of,” Sunny responded with distracted indifference as he looked around them. He
studied the large banners that displayed an advertisement for the galaxy display that was
temporarily going on.
Hero found it to be good luck that this kind of exhibit was available during Sunny’s birthday.
Basil had hinted that Sunny was into space and such, but it wasn’t until a couple of days ago
did Hero come to realize how much. They had spent the sunset outside at the park watching
the sun fall and the stars come out before they had stargazed together. None of them had had
telescopes, but that hadn’t stopped them all from laying in the grass and pointing out the
objects they could see in the sky nonetheless. Sunny had been surprisingly knowledgeable
about the few constellations that they could see as he had pointed them out. It was the closest
Hero had ever heard Sunny ramble about anything that wasn’t about a video game.
They hadn’t originally planned to come to the museum for Sunny’s birthday, but after Mari
had done some research on the exhibits and had pointed out the space one to Hero being
around for this week, Hero had known they’d need to do it today.
“Can we get going already?” Aubrey whined a little, shifting impatiently on her feet as Mom
called Kel back over. Once the group was gathered and Hero and Mari had their backpacks
on (no picnic basket today; the backpack would carry their picnic supplies for this trip), they
exited the parking lot to stand on the sidewalk outside of the museum entrance. Everyone’s
moods were high with excitement as they ooh’d and pointed out some of the statues that
decorated the walkway leading into the grand building. It was the weekend so there were
plenty of other people along with them.
“Why are we stopping?” Kel demanded when the back of his shirt was grabbed by Hero to
pull him from a stop before his short brother was swept away by the crowds. “Let’s go before
it’s too crowded!”
“Just wait, Kel,” Mom scolded him mildly. “Don’t run off ahead of everyone else. Mari, can
you take them to get in line? We’ll be just a moment.”
“Yes, of course!” Mari responded cheerfully before waving her arms to direct their younger
friends. “Follow me, everyone! Be sure to stick together!”
Sunny and Basil gave Hero and his parents curious looks before the five of them left, leaving
Hero behind.
“Is everything alright?” Hero asked, a little confused as to why they were separating. Instead
of responding, Mom nodded to Dad, who reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet before
he removed his credit card. Hero’s eyes widened with surprise as it was handed to him. “H-
huh?” he stuttered out.
“That’s for you,” Dad said with a smile. “I trust you can use it responsibly and not go
overboard, right?”
Hero felt the trust and responsibility placed on him as his heart thudded with how pleased he
was. Wow! Free reign to his parents’ money? He had only expected them to pay for the
tickets for him, Kel, and Sunny. Hero had brought money to pay for Aubrey, Mari had
brought her own money, and Basil had been provided with funds from his grandma.
“Yeah, sure. But are you sure this is alright? Aren’t you and Mom going out on a date?” He
was appreciative but a little worried as he looked between the two of them and pulled out his
wallet to tuck the card safely into. It wasn’t the first time he had been allowed to borrow his
parents’ cards.
“We have plenty of funds between us,” Mom assured him. “You can use this to pay for
everything today, but don’t go too far with it. It’s Sunny’s birthday, so make appropriate
decisions!” She paused and crossed her arms. A dash of darkness skittered across her eyes. It
had appeared there more and more, Hero noticed, when she was thinking about the bad future
to come. “We want you all to have a good day today as well… Especially if…”
“Mom…” Hero murmured, expression falling a little. “I get it, but…”
“You know the pin number for the card?” Dad interrupted, refusing to let either of them feel
down with his cheer as he patted Hero’s shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
Hero let himself go along with it as he smiled. “Yeah, I know it. Mine and Kel’s birthdays,
right?” That made it ridiculously easy to remember. Hero had personally thought his parents
needed a more secure pin number, but it wasn’t his choice.
His dad guffawed. “No matter how much you’ve already proven it, it still surprises me to
know you really are from the future! When did you even learn my pin, Hero?”
“It’s not the first time I’ve borrowed this card, though usually you only gave me it for
groceries.”
“You’ve got it! The less I food shop, the better.”
“You just don’t know what to get,” Mom accused with a roll of her eyes. “Anyway, Hero, go
join the others. We’ll meet up with you around 4 so we’re back in time for Sunny’s party. His
parents said dinner should be ready by around 6, so we’ll have to leave by about 4:30 to
make it in time.”
“Got it,” Hero nodded. “Thanks again.”
“We’ll see you soon. Have a good day, champ!” They turned to leave when Dad paused and
called back over his shoulder, “And Hero!” Hero glanced at him. “Be sure you take the kids
to the special exhibits. It’ll be good for them!”
Hero gave him a thumbs up before they separated. He jogged back to join his friends in line
with a grin on his face as pleasure coursed through him. He liked when people trusted and
relied on him knowing he could live up to their expectations. This was just another example
of his parents showing that they truly did see him as an adult now. If this was before he had
told them the truth, they would’ve been much more hesitant about leaving only Hero and
Mari to care for their friends for the day. Fifteen was a little young, and his parents would be
far away, unlike when they were just playing in the neighborhood.
But Hero was an adult, and he was very experienced with helping to take care of his younger
friends. It would be a lot more fun with just them instead of having their parents hang over
their shoulders. Hero decided he would get a gift for them as thanks using his own money. It
was only right that he showed his appreciation.
“There you are, Hero!” Aubrey called, waving him over to pull him into the line with them.
“What was that all about?”
“Ah, well, Mom and Dad are letting me borrow their card to pay for today’s tickets,” Hero
explained with a grin. “So, save your money for gifts at the gift shop, alright?”
“Whoa!!” The kids all cried, thrilled and stunned.
“I-Is that really alright?” Basil asked.

“Yeah, they said it themselves,” Hero assured him. “It’s for Sunny’s birthday as a gift, so
we’re gonna get the good tickets to the limited exhibits and the movie too.”
“That’s wonderful!” Mari clapped her hands together once, delighted. “That was so nice of
them! Sunny, make sure you thank them when we all meet up again, got it?”
Sunny nodded quickly, eyes sparkling with his wonder as he clenched his fists with
excitement in front of him. It was the most passionate Hero had seen his youngest friend in a
long time. He could already tell today would be a great day.
The museum had glorious modern hallways that were filled with cases displaying
technological and natural wonders as the group of kids took their time exploring everything.
Hero personally loved museums for the atmosphere of learning and wonder that they
provided. He could always count on learning something new as he watched displays, touched
interactive exhibits, and helped to read out placards with words on them that his younger
friends might not have understood. Towering dinosaur skeletons could be found in one
section of the building before the very decoration would shift from ancient history into more
modern machinery that showed off advancements that went over even Hero’s head at his age.
It was as mystifying as it was gratifying.
It was easy to get caught up in the moment as his friends showed a range of extreme interest
to little interest. Kel was at least on good behavior and wasn’t running off even when he was
getting bored, and it was pretty easy to find topics to talk about. Overall, Hero felt like this
museum trip really was a good choice.
He glanced over his shoulder as he and Mari examined a model of the different life stages of
a star to find Sunny and Aubrey gazing up at the ceiling with wide, wondrous eyes. The room
was a bit darker to allow for the hanging light displays to appear like the cosmos themselves
as they exited a hallway and entered the main section of the space exhibit. Their skin glowed
with the shaped lights that danced across the floor. Aubrey gripped Sunny’s hand tightly as
she pointed something out and Sunny’s free hand reached up as if he could touch what was
above him.
Hero felt his heart melt with the warmth of his affection. He’d never seen Sunny look that
way before. It was a stark contrast from the empty, stoic expression he had seen on his
teenage self’s face back in their first life.
Sometimes Hero forgot just how full of life Sunny was.
A flash of light startled them as Basil let out a squeak and Sunny and Aubrey spun around to
face him. Basil cringed at the stares he got from more than one person. Hero could already
see one of the museum people coming to say something, but Mari intercepted with a call of,
“Basil!” She touched his arm and lowered his camera, gaze stern but gentle as she scolded,
“No flash photography is allowed in this area.”
“I-I’m sorry!” Basil hurried to apologize, appropriately apologetic even as he gathered the
photo that developed from his camera. Kel was already behind him and snatching the photo
away, ignoring Hero's reprimand as he tried to see the image that was developing. “I forgot it
had a flash on it. I’m so used to using it in the day time…”
“It’s okay as long as you don’t do it again,” Mari told him, patting his head with forgiveness.
Hero shot the museum worker an apologetic look as Basil actively closed up his camera to
show he wasn’t going to use it in this area again.
“Did you take a picture of us?” Aubrey asked as she and Sunny rejoined them.
“Oh gross,” Kel made a face as he held the picture away from him with a grimace. “It looks
like a date!” He passed the photo to Aubrey as Sunny’s cheeks and ears turned red. “Are you
guys trying to be like Hero and Mari? Get a room!”
“Oh, stop being such a little kid, Kel!” Aubrey rolled her eyes, ignoring his teasing as she
looked at the photo with a smile. “I think it’s great! Sunny, come see!”
Sunny hesitated, clearly a little embarrassed, before he snuck closer. Hero glanced at Basil,
who gave the two a smile that was twisted with just a hint of complicated emotions. He felt a
little bad for his friend, but the love triangle between the three of them was none of Hero’s
business. Besides, he had to agree it was a good photo. The flash hadn’t managed to reach
Sunny and Aubrey well, but the camera had managed to capture at least enough of the kids to
be able to tell it was them. The light reflecting off of the other people in the photo was a little
distracting but also served to frame Sunny and Aubrey’s figures in. Basil had managed to get
both of their expressions as some of the star-shaped lights glanced off of their skin.
“Put this one in the photo album too,” Hero told Basil as he passed the photo back to him. “I
think it’s really good too. You’re getting better at composition, Basil.”
Basil flushed, pleased and shy. “D-Do you think so? I think this one might be a little…”
“It’s perfect,” Hero assured him. This was a photo that was never in the original photo album.
He would love to see more from this trip in there. It was proof of a changed timeline.
Basil considered it a moment longer before safely storing the photograph away before they
continued on.
They took their time wandering the area as the kids talked about the things that fascinated
them. On any other occasion Hero was sure that his little brother would complain about an
educational day out, but it seemed that even he was having plenty of fun as he got into a
heated debate with Aubrey and Sunny both about pluto. The topic of a specific episode of
The Magic School Bus came up as Kel motioned with his hands to represent the character
Arnold’s head freezing because he took off his helmet. Aubrey scolded Kel for trying to scare
them, but she only got a laugh for her efforts.
Hero was considering correcting them all about the reality of what would occur in space if
one took off their spacesuit when he was interrupted by Mari’s hand slipping into his. He was
guided over to a display case with actual pieces of meteorites and models of comets as Mari
leaned into him. It only took a moment for him to understand that this was just an excuse to
be a little alone.
“What’s up?” he asked her softly as she leaned her head on his shoulder.
“Thank you for today, Hero,” she told him with a voice warm with her affection. Even in the
low light her eyes seemed to sparkle. One of the star-shaped lights danced over her long hair
and down her arm. He wanted to kiss her. “This might be the best birthday Sunny’s ever had.
Look how happy he is!”
He did look, and he had to agree with Mari. Sunny was, oddly enough, leading the charge to
the different sections of the exhibit as he actively pointed out things. Hero could see his
mouth moving, and his arms spreading wide as Basil nodded eagerly along. It was rare to see
the quiet boy so passionate about anything, and it made Hero beam.
This was how Sunny should look.
“Basil told me that Sunny seems interested in space and stuff, but I didn’t realize just how big
that interest was,” he told her as their eyes met once more. She had been watching the others
as well. “I had no idea about it the first time around.”
She blinked, tilting her head a little in confusion. “We didn’t come here last time?”
“No, not at all,” Hero shook his head. “It didn’t even cross our minds back then. Your parents
took you guys out for brunch on Sunny’s birthday that time, and then we ended the day with
the same birthday party we’re gonna have when we go back today.”
“Oh.” Mari’s tone was strangely surprised as her expression twisted with some curious
thought. Hero waited her out before giving a questioning hum to prompt her to speak her
mind. “Well,” she and Hero wandered after the others as they started to go too far away. Her
gaze was on the large planetary bodies above them that decorated the room, “I guess… I
never really thought about what kind of changes you’ve been making to this timeline, Hero!
Other than the ones you’ve been trying to prevent… what other big changes have occurred?”
She glanced at him.
Hero hummed again, this time thoughtfully. “Hm… Not a lot, really. I mean, there’s probably
a lot of different things we’ve done in this timeline compared to my last one. But I can’t
remember everything, you know? It was a long time ago from my perspective. I think this
might be the biggest one, though. This, and Sunny not nearly drowning at the lake, I mean.”
“I’m glad you prevented that!” she huffed, her hand squeezing his hand.
“More like Kel prevented it.” Which actually reminded him as he tacked on, “It just shows
that I can rely on him to help me out now that, uh, he knows.”
“Wait,” Mari pulled them to a stop, stunned. “He knows? Like, how your parents know?”
Hero nodded. “Hero! You didn’t tell me this!”
“I’m sorry! I forgot I hadn’t,” Hero confessed, rubbing the back of his head with a grimace.
“He found out when my parents did because he overheard everything.”
“I can’t believe I had no idea!” She was almost a little impressed. “Kel is better at keeping it
a secret than I had thought. He reacted… well?” She gave him a worried glance.
“Uh, well, kind of. He wanted to tell Sunny… but I convinced him against it.” He frowned.
“But he did promise to help in any way that he could. I think he’ll be good at keeping an eye
on Sunny’s emotional state, you know? He’s always been a lot better at reading Sunny than I
have.”
Mari didn’t look too pleased, but she nodded a little in agreement. “After me, Kel’s the best
at understanding my little brother.”
He sensed that she was mildly offended, and he could guess as to why. Mari prided herself in
her strong bond with Sunny. “Whatever you might miss, maybe Kel will pick up on,” Hero
told her, hoping to soothe any ruffled feathers. “And… since you’re going to be a lot busier in
the fall, it’ll be good to have him as a back-up.”
“But he won’t tell Sunny anything, right? I don’t want my little brother knowing anything
about that awful future, Hero.”
“He said that he wouldn’t, and I’m keeping an eye on him. He understands the risks. He…”
Hero hesitated before finishing, “he knows that it’s not a good feeling to know the truth.”
And he’s seen what it’s done to me, was left unsaid. Mari picked up on it anyway as she
leaned into him once more, this time to comfort him.
“Come on,” she told him after a moment. “The next movie should be starting soon, right?
Let’s get everyone together and go before we miss it.”
“Right,” Hero nodded once. He wanted to focus back once more on the present. And so, he
followed her lead once more.
The space exhibit came with a movie on the biggest screen Hero had seen in his life, and in
chairs that allowed them to lean back to see everything. Sunny wasn’t the only one who had
been enraptured with everything as they learned new things and moved onto new exhibits.
Space wasn’t something Hero was particularly interested in, but that didn’t mean there
weren’t cool things to learn about it.
But despite how enjoyable the museum was, there was one goal that had been in mind for all
of them since the beginning: the butterfly garden. It was on the way to the doors that would
take them to the grassy courtyard where they had planned to take lunch, so they agreed to
stop into the exhibit first.
“It’s a lot smaller than I’d thought!” Aubrey pointed out from where she leaned around the
people in line ahead of them. They were allowed into the garden in numbered groups of
people so the garden wouldn’t become too crowded and the butterflies wouldn’t have a
chance to escape. They had to wait before they could go inside. “But look! There’re a lot of
flowers! And a waterfall!”
“I wouldn’t call that a waterfall,” Kel protested with crossed arms. “It’s just a little bit of
water over rock!”
“Oh, have some imagination, Kel!” she scolded with a glare.
Kel just huffed. “It’s a boring waterfall.”
“I can see butterflies,” Sunny pointed out with his soft voice, watching the area above the
foliage as butterflies fluttered to and fro. They were bright with various colors and shapes to
them.
“Try not to get scared, bro,” Kel teased, bumping Hero with his elbow.
Hero gave him an exasperated look. “I’m not scared of butterflies, Kel. Stop saying that I
am.”
“It looks like there’s a few other insects in there as well,” Mari said cheerfully as she looked
over the pamphlet in her hands along with Basil. “There are some beetles that we can find on
the trees if we look! And see? Some of these we can’t even find around our neighborhood!”
Hero stiffened as he heard this. A chill ran from the base of his neck down his spine as he
imagined all of those legs touching him. They weren’t spiders, but he didn’t like most insects.
The only reason he tolerated butterflies was because they usually didn’t touch him and he
saw more of their pretty wings than the creepy little thorax of their ugly bodies. He didn’t get
that benefit with other insects.
“We can find beetles in our neighborhood?” Aubrey asked with a gasp.
“We can! Do you want to go hunting for them sometime? Sunny and I used to go at least
once a year with Kel and Hero!”
“You get to have a net and everything!” Kel agreed, throwing his arms up with excitement.
“That sounds fun,” Basil agreed. “I didn’t know you guys did that. Maybe we can look
together?”
“Sure!” Mari chirped.
Hero’s stomach dropped as he closed his eyes with pain. He hated the bug hunting that Mari
and Sunny liked to do. He didn’t understand the fascination with finding a big beetle. The
bigger, the worse, right?! But he would still go anyway because he enjoyed the time out with
his friends. Now that he was older he felt even less inclined to go.
He didn’t really understand his friends’ fascination with bugs. He didn’t think he ever really
would. Sunny used to be a partner in his very rational dislike of insects and creepy crawlers,
but it looks like he had been spared that particular fear. Hero would be mad if he was pettier.
Quietly, to himself, he remembered Kel’s words about how he thought Hero’s fear of spiders
had gotten worse. He was overwhelmed briefly with sorrow as he missed the older version of
his little brother. Looking at Kel’s small back now just made him poignantly aware of the
separation between that reality and this reality.
It was strange to miss someone who was right in front of him.
The group entered the small glass room that separated the guests from the garden along with
a few others in their group. The temperature change from the cool air from the air
conditioned museum to the humid, muggy warmth of the enclosure was sudden. It clung to
Hero’s skin and made him blink as Sunny beside him grimaced with dislike. Their guide
explained the rules of the enclosure, as well as when it would be time to leave, before
releasing them all into the garden.
The sunlight filtered in from the glass above them, warming the room more as the thick scent
of foliage made the air pungent. Voices echoed in the closed space, but right away their group
split into their smaller family units as they walked along the paved walkways between the
bunches of plants available.
“WHOOOAAAA!!!” Kel cried.
“Not too loud, Kel,” Basil warned, giving a nervous glance at the other group. “It echoes in
here.”
He didn’t seem to be listening as he stretched his hands up and he jumped, attempting to

catch a butterfly. Hero grabbed the back of his brother’s shirt and scolded, “Weren’t you
listening? We’re not supposed to try to touch them.”
“But… I want to,” Kel frowned, but he at least put his hands down.
“That’s what the little food cups are for,” Mari explained as she motioned to the little cup in
her hands. She had paid for each of the kids to have a cup, which had a sugary liquid in it
meant to be used to feed the butterflies, if the creatures cared to partake. Hero had chosen not
to have his own cup. He would leave that kind of experience for everyone else. “If you hold it
and walk around, the smell might bring some butterflies to you. Just remember not to try to
pet or touch them, okay?”
“Their wings are sensitive and covered in a fine dust,” Basil explained as he and Sunny stood
next to one of the standing signs that had descriptions of various nearby plants. There was
another sign further along that listed all of the butterflies in the exhibit with pictures next to
them so that the visitors would be able to point them out. “If you touch them, it could damage
or hurt them.”
“Kel, I won’t forgive you if you kill a butterfly!” Aubrey pointed sharply at him.
“I’m not gonna!” Kel stuck his tongue out at her.
“Let’s go further in,” Hero suggested, motioning them along. There was plenty to explore
while they were in there. “We might have better luck with coaxing some of the butterflies to
come over then.”
The earthy, humid scent of the soil filled Hero’s lungs with every breath as he and his friends
wandered the enclosure. There were leafy trees and bushes, and sadly not as many flowering
plants as they had expected. Basil had to explain that since it was the height of summer it
might be a little hot for too many flowers, but that didn’t mean the butterflies had a problem
with it.
If listening to Sunny ramble about space trivia had been interesting, hearing Basil happily tell
them all about the plants they came across was even more fun. Hero liked how Basil was
feeling the height of life as he pointed out some plants or read out signs for them all. He was
less interested in the butterflies as he was in the garden around them, but that didn’t mean he
didn’t find great fun in how the others reacted to their flying companions.
Especially when, after being left alone for a bit, the group realized they had lost Sunny
somewhere along the way. After some back-tracking, they discovered him standing alone
with wide, vaguely nervous eyes as at least six butterflies crawled on him. The dark stain on
his shirt and his wet hand told the story of an accident, and the butterflies were, quite literally,
lapping it up.
Basil took a picture right as one of the butterflies climbed onto Sunny’s cheek, and Aubrey
and Kel burst into laughter at Sunny’s expression.
“Butterfly boy!” Mari cooed, thrilled and amused, as she approached Sunny. “Aw, little
brother, did you spill it all over you?”
“Help,” Sunny mumbled around the insect crawling across his lips to his other cheek. Hero
shuddered just imagining the sensation.
“Don’t worry, Sunny! Help’s on the way!” Aubrey assured him as they firmly but carefully
shooed the creatures away. Sunny sighed and dropped his arms once he was free and wiped
his mouth across his sleeve.
“How did you like that?” Basil joked as he shook his photograph to clear it.
“Are you okay, Sunny? That couldn’t have been fun,” Hero asked as well, a little worried.
“It was weird,” was all Sunny said. He handed his mostly-empty cup to his big sister and
wiped his hands on his shorts. He didn’t seem to have developed any new fear, but he did
warily glance at some of the butterflies that still hovered around him. He stuck close to Kel –
no doubt confident that Kel’s boisterous behavior would turn-off the butterflies even from a
sweet treat – as they continued back on the path.
From there the exhibit passed quickly. Since he was able to take more pictures in this area,
Basil was a little freer about snapping a few shots. He took a shot of Aubrey and Kel in the
middle of a conversation where Kel was daring Aubrey to try the nectar as she protested (but
looked, admittedly, curious) while Mari watched with amusement, and he took another when
they finally found their way to the wisteria that Mari had mentioned before. Hero hadn’t
noticed when it was taken until later when he saw it was him and Aubrey under the flowers
together as Hero had reached up to pluck one of the blooms sneakily. He had been caught,
much to his embarrassment. There were also a few other practice shots of the butterflies and
surroundings as well. When questioned if all the photos were all going in the photo album,
Basil had shrugged and confessed that he would look them over and think about it.
The museum trip went by quickly after that once they had finished their picnic outside and
had finished traveling the rest of the building. One final trip to the souvenir shop ended their
day where the kids picked out stuff for themselves, and Hero bought a gift for his mother and
father as a thank you for the use of the credit card (with his own money, of course). It had
been well-appreciated when he had given it to them as the day drifted into evening and it was
time for them all to head back to town for Sunny’s birthday party and dinner back at his
house.
It was a well-needed mental break, Hero thought as he gazed out of the car window for the
trip home. His friends were drifting off to sleep around him after an exhausting and
enthusiastic day out, and he wasn’t too far behind as he yawned as well. He was sure this
would bring him good dreams for a while.
After all, today was proof that he really could change the future. They’d never come here in
the previous timeline. The photos that Basil had that might make it into the photo album
hadn’t existed before. Hero had made that change happen with his suggestion for the
museum.
The future wasn’t set in stone. He had to believe in that. It was nice to have physical proof.
Chapter End Notes
I'll add Basil's photo descriptions later for some of the pictures he took.
EDIT:
7/20 - Sunny's Birthday

Sunny's teaching us about space at the museum today! I snuck this shot because it was
cute... but I kinda got in trouble for it.

The museum had a butterfly exhibit full of cool plants and, you guessed it, butterflies!
Sunny got to have some "butterfly kisses" as a birthday present, hehe!
Kel daring Aubrey to drink the butterfly nectar. She should probably save it for the
butterflies, though.

I caught Hero sneaking some wisteria flowers! I wanted to take some home too. He gave
them to me afterwards, so I pressed them into the photo album next to this picture. So
pretty!
(Images by Inferno! Thank you so much for the beautiful pictures!)

A Steady Drizzle
Chapter Notes
Be sure to check out the previous chapter for a new photograph by Inferno!
I listened to A Home for Flowers (Empty) for a majority of this chapter.
There was a steady summer dawn drizzle coming down as Hero’s breaths panted out of him.
His blood pounded in his ears as the rhythmic thump of his feet hitting the sidewalk sparked
a cozy, mind numbing comfort in him. He paid little attention to the light crowning slowly
around him through the muggy grey clouds in the sky as he focused only on keeping his pace
and minding the world around him. He paused briefly at a crosswalk as a car passed by
clipping a puddle and almost splashing his shoes. He jumped backwards to avoid the splash
as it snapped him out of his daze, blinking the droplets from his eyelashes. Then he continued
his run once more.
Once upon a time he had hated exercise with a pretty violent passion for someone so mild-
mannered. He had hated the burn in his lungs and the fatigue of his muscles. He had hated the
ache the day after a hard workout, and he had loathed the weight-lifting class he had been
dropped into during his senior year of high school. It had felt like the second he had hit his
teen years, all of his youthful stamina had been drained and absorbed by his energetic little
brother Kel, and he had never really recovered it.
However, times had changed since then. The weight-lifting class that he had been forced to
do simply because his school had run out of required extracurricular classes to fill his
schedule had actually given him a new appreciation for physical activity. Once he had been
forced to steadily work out consistently for a semester, he had found himself rather enjoying
the burn. He’d never gotten particularly muscular, but he had found a sort-of catharsis in
being able to simply count his reps, make sure he was lifting correctly, and cheering on those
around him. Once he had left that class, he had explored other ways to fill that gap. That was
when he had started jogging in the mornings.
He could focus on his pacing. He could adjust his breathing. He could let himself lose his
mind to the jolting of his feet pounding against the pavement and the fresh air he would get in
comparison to the stagnant A/C of his dorm or classroom or even the hospital. It was a
healthier coping mechanism, he told himself. His body was getting exercise, he was escaping
his mind for a while, and everything was fine.
He didn’t need to think about Basil’s words at Sunny’s funeral, or the way sometimes a car
screeching to a stop would make him think of Aubrey’s scream at the hospital. The fresh
foliage of the local park smelled nothing like the flowers by Mari’s grave, and the sight of
picnickers did not bring back memories of a childhood long lost. He could just run, run, run
and–
But he’d always run away from his problems. Was running really the right coping mechanism
anymore?
Nope.
Nope, nope, nope.
No time to think about that.
Just
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
A quiet sob.
Hero blinked rapidly a few times, coming back to himself once more as his feet slowed to a
stop. He wasn’t far from Aubrey’s house. His panting was loud in his ears as his heart
thudded and deafened him a little, but he listened, nonetheless.
This early in the morning on a weekday, most people were still asleep or getting ready for
work. Very few people around here went to work at dawn, from what Hero had noticed after
he had started jogging daily. And that sound was familiar.
His eyes found their way to Aubrey’s house, which he stood across the street from. Her father
was one of the few people who did go to work so early. Hero had waved to him a couple of
times during his rounds and thought he’d developed quite the friendly hand-waving
relationship with the man. But today he saw the man’s truck without its owner, and judging
by the lights being on in the windows of Aubrey’s house he was still inside. But Hero was
certain he had heard–
Another quiet sob, this time followed by a bit of a noisy sniffle. It was coming from the
couple of trees that divided the yards between Aubrey’s property and her neighbor’s. Hero
frowned and glanced both ways before crossing the street.
“...Hello?” he called softly, wondering if maybe he had been hearing things. He had been
having vivid memories of not-so-happy things in his past for a while now, so at this point he
wouldn’t be surprised if now he was starting to hallucinate. But he’d rather check for his
sanity’s sake before giving up the ghost and just deciding it was another symptom of his
failing mental health under recent stress.
He wasn’t wrong to check as with a gasp he saw familiar face. Aubrey’s eyes were red from
crying, and her long black hair sparkled with the rain that had been falling around her. It was
only damp, not soaked, which let him know that she hadn’t been there for very long.
However, she was only dressed in a nightgown where she was hiding.
“H-Hero?” she sniffled, wiping her running nose on the back of her arm quickly. Her
movements stuttered with her surprise, utterly defenseless to have been caught by someone
she knew. She tried to clean herself up as Hero crouched down next to her with concern.
“Aubrey! What are you doing out here?” he asked, a little distraught to see his friend crying.
Aubrey always had looked younger when she cried – and when she was little (or, rather, the
age she was right now; Aubrey was hardly the 16-year-old he remembered) she looked even
younger – so seeing her like this just made Hero’s heart hurt.
For just a moment the girl tried to be strong. Hero saw the familiar way her jaw clenched, and
her bottom lip trembled with repressed emotion. He had seen it countless times over the
years, and unfortunately too many times on an older version of her face. But within just a few
seconds that effort came to naught as tears flooded her eyes unwillingly, and a small sob left
her as she buried her face in her knees again and began to cry.
Hero’s shoulders slumped. Sometimes she just needed to cry it out, so he would wait with
her. He took off the rainproof coat he had been wearing in preparation for a run in this
weather and draped it over her shoulders before he scooted to sit down next to her against the
tree. She didn’t even react to him throwing an arm over her shoulders to pull her against him,
rubbing his hand over her chilled skin. It might be summertime, but the morning rain wasn’t
warm. Her clothes were too thin to be out here like this.
Her cry didn’t last long. Aubrey might be someone who cried quickly when her emotions
overwhelmed her, but they usually faded just as quickly as the wave of her emotions ebbed
once more. Her crying tapered off to just sniffles once more as she lifted her head and
cleaned her face. A few morning droplets clung to the fringe of her hair before dropping off
onto her nose, causing her to blink from it.
Hero waited patiently, and he was rewarded when Aubrey started talking on her own, “...My
mom and dad were fighting again.”
Oh, Hero realized as he unconsciously tensed.
Aubrey stared at the grass between her bare feet as she spoke, leaning against Hero’s side for
support. “It woke me up… and I didn’t want to hear it. So I, um, came out here.”
“...How long have you been out here?” Hero asked, shifting to hold her a little tighter. He
wanted to fully embrace her to warm her up, but he didn’t know if she would want that right
now.
“I don’t know,” she murmured. Then she lifted her head to frown at him. Her eyes were red,
and her nose was still running. “What are you doing out here? The sun’s not even up.”
Hero shifted to pull out the handkerchief he kept on him to give to her. He started to wipe at
her nose – he was used to doing it for Kel – but she made a face and shook him off. He
smiled sheepishly, apologetic, and offered the handkerchief instead. She took it and wiped
her own face, hesitating just a moment before blowing her nose in it.
“I jog in the mornings, don’t you know that?” He was surprised when she didn’t. She shook
her head curiously. Hero felt a little bad that she didn’t know. Had he been neglecting her?
They hung out all of the time, but…
Maybe he wasn’t doing as much to help her as he had thought. He was determined to become
closer with all of his childhood friends, but maybe he really had been slacking. He certainly
felt closer to almost everyone (after all, he was often over at Basil’s house for gardening and
having tea with him and grandma, and Sunny had frequented him for advice more often
recently even when he was hanging out with Kel) but now that he thought about it maybe he
hadn’t been focusing enough on Aubrey.
It was easy to let her fall on the wayside comparatively. Basil and Sunny were a lot of Hero’s
focus as he tried to figure out why they had acted the way that they had in the first timeline,
Kel was just always around since they were brothers, and Mari was his girlfriend. Aubrey
was his friend, but she was simply always there and not someone he needed to worry about.
But…
His eyes drifted to her house. It was faint, but he could hear some raised voices and see
figures moving around behind the windows. Not screaming, but certainly not happy. That had
to be stressful for anyone. How long had this been going on?
Aubrey didn’t even know that Hero jogged in the mornings. That was simple information
about himself. If she didn’t know that, what else didn’t she know? And what was Hero
missing about her?
He needed to do better. He couldn’t fail her too.
His smile was just a bit strained as he mentally chided himself for his failures and explained,
“I go jogging every morning. I just happened to hear you over here.” His smile fell. “Do
your… um… parents fight a lot?”
Aubrey tensed, eyes darting away. She didn’t like talking about her family troubles. This was
something Hero had realized from that day at church, and how for years none of his friends
had even known how her family life was. He hadn’t been inside of her house in this lifetime,
but right now the place looked at least cared for. Aubrey didn’t smell of stale alcohol and
trash like her house did in the first life. He could only assume things were at least better right
now. But for how long?
When she didn’t respond right away, Hero said, “You don’t need to talk about it if you don’t
want to. That’s gotta be hard, though. I’m here to listen if you need someone to talk to. Or if
not me, then Mari will listen.”
Aubrey’s eyes fell again as she slumped. “I’ve… talked about it a little before… with
Sunny…” she confessed slowly. The shame was clear in her quiet voice. Hero rubbed her arm
to soothe her. He wouldn’t judge her, and she seemed to pick up on this as she pressed
forward, “But it’s just… I don’t like to listen to them fight. I… I don’t know what to do to
help.”
“What are they fighting about?” he asked softly.
Aubrey’s legs began to relax downwards causing her to uncurl a little. She shifted to adjust to
the position. She bundled her long hair up and tossed it over her shoulder to get it out of the
way. It wasn’t usually this messy. She hadn’t brushed it.
“It’s always about money. My mom, she… hasn’t found a new job yet. And dad is getting
mad about it…” She paused. Her shoulders trembled a little, and when she looked up at him
Hero noticed that her lip was too. Her eyes threatened to water again. “Are our money
problems m-my fault? I complained about not having new toys recently and… and…!”
“No, no!” Hero hurried to reassure her. “Aubrey, no, don’t think like that! It’s not your fault.”
“But I was asking for stuff when we don’t have money!”
“That’s what kids are supposed to do,” he explained as his mind tripped over itself to find the
words to reassure her. Money issues were a complicated situation, but he didn’t want Aubrey
to blame herself for them. He didn’t know the story of what was going on in her family, but
he was grateful in this moment to have experienced adulthood for the time that he had. He
had a perspective on jobs, bills, and maintaining a household better than he would’ve if he
really was just fifteen and running into this situation.
“Listen,” he told her as he let go enough to wipe some of the tears from her face with his
thumb, “sometimes adults run into these kinds of problems, and there’s nothing we can really
do to help it. Parents have troubles sometimes, and the best we can do as children is to just be
happy. Does that make sense?”
Aubrey made a face, totally uncomprehending. “What? Just be happy? How does that make
any sense?”
Hero scrubbed at the back of his head as he tried to figure out how to word a lesson he had
learned back when he had been younger. “...Did me or Kel ever tell you that our family used
to have financial troubles too when we were little? I mean, Kel might not remember, but I
do.” Though, admittedly, he was only able to recognize it in retrospect.
Aubrey’s eyes widened and she shook her head. “You did? But you have such a big house!”
“That’s thanks to our family giving us help when we needed it. Most of our money went
towards just kinda keeping a roof over our heads. See, my dad wasn’t able to get a steady job
for a while, and Mom couldn’t work constantly because she was watching me and Kel since
we were so little.” He shifted and rested his back against the tree behind him, head tilting up
to watch the rain pitter-patter against the tree leaves that mostly protected them as he thought
back to a long time ago. “I don’t remember that time very well, but I do remember not having
much. We had a couple of toys, but no TV or video games or anything. We ate the same
cheap food a lot, and there were nights I grew so tired of the same stuff. But, well, I was
never much of a complainer, so we kinda put up with it.”
He glanced at her and then away. She was watching him attentively. “Mom and Dad didn’t
fight, as far as I know, but I think that’s because they kept as much of our money issues away
from mine and Kel’s ears as much as possible. I didn’t even really notice until I looked back
on that time, you know? It was around that time that Mari and Sunny moved here, and after
that I just remember spending most of my time at their place or at our tía y tío’s house. That’s
when things started to get better since Dad found more work, and Mom was able to get a job
as well now that she had more time.
When I got a bit older and realized that we weren’t actually that okay back then, I asked my
mom and dad about it. I was like you, Aubrey. I was scared me and Kel had made things
worse for them. Raising kids is expensive, after all, and I had felt bad that I hadn’t done
anything to try to make their lives easier. And you know what they said?”
Aubrey shook her head, eyes wide. Hero gave her a soft smile. “They told me that me and
Kel smiling was all the reward they needed for their hard work. Yeah, we were struggling,
but they hadn’t wanted me or Kel to notice. They wanted us to just keep being happy because
otherwise… well, that’s when parents start to feel like they’re failing.”
He wrapped his arm around her tighter and pulled her into a hug. “I don’t know how it is with
your parents, but I’m sure they feel the same way about you too, Aubrey. I know it can be
scary, but the best thing you can do to help is to just keep being a kid for a little while longer.
Things will get better. You just need to give it time.”
“...But what if they keep fighting?” she asked quietly. She seemed more reassured and
steadier, but her worries weren’t completely gone. Hero doubted just a little pep talk would
be enough anyway.
“That’s gotta be scary. But… if you want… you can always come to my place when you’re
scared.” He smiled at her when she startled a bit at his words. “I’m almost always up super
early anyway, so you won’t be bothering me if you come knocking at my door.”
She made a face. “But then I have to deal with Kel.”
Hero laughed, “Well, yeah, there’s that too. But Kel’s pretty good at cheering people up too.
Or at least distracting you.”
“He is distracting…” Aubrey agreed thoughtfully. She looked off into the distance as she
pondered something. Before she could respond, the front door to her house opened. Both kids
startled and instinctively hid a bit more. They watched as Aubrey’s father left the house with
his lunchbox and a frown on his face. He seemed irritated, but more troubled as he stormed
over to his truck and got in to start it up. He didn’t notice either of them hiding as the truck
rumbled to life before he pulled out and away to go to work. Aubrey’s mother stood in the
doorway with her arms crossed over her chest and watching. She was in much better shape
than when Hero had seen her in the previous timeline, but it was clear that stress had worn on
her recently since the job loss. Her hair was messy, and her pajamas seemed very used from
numerous days of wear. She turned and went back inside, closing the door.
Something in Hero’s gut churned with the same feeling of helplessness he felt when he
remembered Basil’s grandmother and her impending health issues. The problem in front of
him was something far, far too big for just him to handle, and he was sure he wouldn’t be
able to do much even if he did try. However, that didn’t mean he didn’t want to help in some
way.
The best he could do was to be there for Aubrey as well. She was his focus. He had failed to
be by her side when her family had fallen apart. If that was inevitable again, then he wanted
to be there to support her this time. He would show her that he would be. She wouldn’t be left
alone again. He didn’t want to see his friend crying her eyes out from her loneliness again.
“Hero…” Aubrey caught his attention as she stood and took off the rain jacket to hand back
to him. He stood as well and took it as she rubbed at her arms. Her expression was
complicated, but better than it was as she smiled. “Thanks for cheering me up. Now that
they’re done, I think I should go back to my bedroom.”
“Okay,” he told her. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. But know I meant what I said, okay?
Don’t be afraid to come visit whenever. My mom and dad won’t mind.”
Her smile was a little brighter now as she nodded, clenching her fists in front of her. “Uhm!”
she hummed in agreement. They walked together over to her door where she peeked in. “My
mom went back to her room… I’m gonna sneak back in.” She pulled the door shut again and
looked back to Hero. “You should go home too. And sleep!” She pointed at his face. “You’ve
got bags under your eyes again! Mari told me I should get mad at you if you don’t sleep,
okay? It’s summer vacation! Take a break already!”
Hero laughed. Of course Mari was using the kids to gang up on him. “Don’t worry, don’t
worry. I’m getting more sleep, I promise.” And he truly had now that some of his worries
about the future had been taken off of his shoulders. He felt a little more secure and steady
now that he had people to talk to about his troubles. It had done wonders for him, even if they
didn’t totally keep away the nightmares. “I’m gonna go home right after this.”
He paused then and asked, “Uh, wait, how did you get out here anyway?”
“I climbed out of my window and jumped down.” She pointed to her attic window, making
Hero blanch. He had forgotten Aubrey could be just as reckless as Kel was. Was Basil the
only one of their younger friends who didn’t do stupid stuff like that? Because he knew for a
fact that Sunny climbed out of his own window sometimes too.
“...Don’t do that when it’s raining, alright?”
“Okaaaay,” she rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Good night, Hero.” She waved and entered
her house as Hero said his goodbye. Only when he knew she was safely inside did he start to
walk home.
The sun had risen enough that it was officially morning by the time Hero had returned home.
The fresh smell of breakfast filled the air along with the telltale sizzle of Dad at the stove
today. Hero took off his shoes and jacket and shuddered, chilled, and rubbed his arms to
warm them as he entered the kitchen. He found both of his parents in there, though his
mother was relaxing against the counter nursing a cup of coffee. She looked barely awake.
“Good morning,” he told them as he naturally switched to Spanish. He went to grab his own
cup of coffee and a bottle of water to rehydrate and warm up.
“Welcome back,” Dad said. “You’re later than usual.”
Hero didn’t know when his dad had figured out his schedule like this, but he wasn’t about to
complain. “I, uh, ran into Aubrey.”
“Aubrey?” Both of his parents asked, equally confused.
“This early in the morning?” Mom followed up.
Hero nodded, frowning, and fixed his cup to his preference. “She… Well, her parents were
fighting this morning. I found her outside and upset.”
“Oh…” Mom’s face melted with sympathy and worry. Dad pushed some bacon around in his
pan and glanced at Hero and away. “Poor girl.”
“Yeah, um…” Hero paused and sipped his coffee. It instantly made him feel a little better.
“Uh, I was wondering if there’s maybe any way I can help them? Like…”
“No,” Mom cut him off with a shake of her head. “No, mijo, no. I understand you want to
help, but that’s not something you can get involved with.”
“I know I can’t really help with money problems, but maybe something else–?”
“Unfortunately, Aubrey’s parents have been in a rough patch in their relationship for a
while,” Dad explained as Mom sighed and looked at her husband with a frown,
“But to hear they’re arguing now so that Aubrey’s noticed…”
“I know,” he answered.
“They’re going to divorce sometime in the next few years,” Hero told them after a beat of
silence. “And Aubrey’s mom… When I saw their house, it wasn’t exactly in a good state.
Like, it was really bad.”
“And we didn’t try to help?” Mom asked.
Hero shook his head and shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t have any idea. But I wasn’t, um,
attentive to that.” He had avoided everything that had reminded him of Mari, including
Aubrey herself, in his selfishness. “I was wondering if maybe you guys can help somehow,
then? You’re closer to them. And I can focus on Aubrey.”
“We’ll try,” Mom assured him, pushing away from the counter to pat his arm as she passed
by to grab a plate for breakfast. “That’s all we can do.”
“You might be an adult mentally, Hero, but leave this to the actual adults,” Dad told him with
a smile. “Do what you can do. I’ll see if I can get Gary to come with me to Gino’s sometime
after work if he wants to talk.”
“I’ll try Barb,” Mom agreed with a smile at him.
It felt good knowing that his parents were willing to help him out. They were correct about it
being utterly out of his range to do anything. It was something, at least, rather than him doing
nothing. That was enough. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now, go get ready! Don’t forget you and Kel have your hair appointments
early today.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ll be back down to eat soon!” He hurried upstairs so that he could take a
quick shower and really start his day. His heart was lighter after everything even as his mind
was troubled with the new information.
What could he do to help Aubrey more? Maybe Mari would have an idea. Or maybe even
Sunny would, since Aubrey had said she had talked to him about her troubles. It might be a
good opportunity to start setting up a bit of a safety net to support Aubrey when and if the
inevitable divorce came. He would just have to be gentle in how he went about it. No need to
be spreading Aubrey’s business everywhere when she clearly didn’t want people to know
about it.
He was grateful she had confided in him. He hoped to reward her for her faith somehow. She
deserved a happy future too.
Chapter End Notes
tía y tío = Aunt and Uncle

Anger
Chapter Notes
Time to start a series of calmer chapters as we get near back-to-back Photo Album
chapters as the last month of summer vacation arrives.
The end of July brought with it a heatwave that was sweltering enough to drive most people
indoors to seek shelter with the air conditioner. The mornings had become muggy and humid
with the late afternoons burning off all water in the air to leave beautiful, cloudless and hot
days. As much as Hero and his friends enjoyed being outside, there were times that even they
needed a break from the sun. And days of working on the treehouse had left them thirsty for
homemade fruit juice and a cool floor to lay on.
They were in Hero’s house today chilling out and playing some video games while nursing
some sunburns on the palest of the group. Today had been a busy one where they had used
some of Dad’s leftover paint to draw on the door to the treehouse that would be added in the
coming days once Dad had time to help Hero do it. The treehouse already had some toys
scattered inside of it since a majority of the woodwork was finished. It just needed a little
more work done, and soon it would be complete.
Hero didn’t remember exactly when they had finished the treehouse in the first timeline, but
he knew that the project was done sooner this time around. It made sense, of course,
considering they had gotten started a good couple weeks earlier by Hero’s suggestion to just
ask his dad for help instead of trying to hire an actual contractor. It had saved them money,
and it had been a lot more hands-on as Hero had a little more experience with helping out
with this kind of thing. He had to say that he was even prouder of this version of the
treehouse than he was the first time around.
But even he was getting burnt out from all of the sunlight he was getting, and he was relieved
to just spend some time indoors and relaxing. Running around and having plenty of activity
in his life was nice, but he was coming to appreciate these lazy afternoons doing nothing in
particular.
Basil was brushing Aubrey’s hair for her as he sat on the edge of Hero’s bed with Aubrey
between his legs. The girl’s eyes were closed, utterly at peace, as Basil meticulously brushed
her hair until it was tidy and shiny. He was smiling all the while. Aubrey’s hair was so nice
that everyone (except Kel) admired it in one way or another. However, Aubrey only really
allowed for Mari and Basil to touch it. Mari had always been better at braiding and stuff than
Hero anyway, so she was usually left in charge of that. And Aubrey just liked how Basil
brushed her hair.
Mari was nearby talking to the pair about hair techniques as her lap cradled a girl-focused
magazine that she had been reading. Just a few moments ago they had been taking one of the
quizzes inside of it, but it seemed that they had switched topics. On the other side of the room
was Kel and Sunny deep in a game of Melee . Sunny’s eyes were focused while Kel was
moving all over the place, crying out as Donkey Kong was getting beaten by Link. Sunny
really had no mercy when it came to games like those. It was fun to watch.
Hero looked down at the napping dog whose head was resting on his knee and then to the
book he was reading. It was a fascinating book about psychology that had caught his
attention the last time he had gone to the library for driving practice (well, actually, it was just
to really show just how good of a driver he was in a decent parking lot) with his family. He’d
never really been interested in the brain before, but reading about it made him feel like he
could understand his own problems a bit better. Maybe if he figured his own issues out, he
wouldn’t need to see a therapist?
(He was only half-serious about that thought. A guy could dream.)
He stroked Hector’s soft ear and tuned in to what his friends were discussing as Basil’s voice
rose with surprise to ask, “Wow, are you two really going to be dyeing your hair? Aubrey told
us a while ago that you would, but…”
“Mmhm!” Mari nodded once, pleased. “I think I would look good with purple hair! And
Aubrey would look so cute with pink!”
Hero tried to remember if he had ever told Mari that Aubrey did, actually, dye her hair pink.
He was pretty sure he did. They had talked about the future casually so many times that it
seemed unlikely that he hadn’t told her that particular detail.
“Who in their right minds would want pink hair?” Kel demanded, barging into the
conversation with a scowl of frustration as his character was sent flying off to explode
offscreen. The word “GAME” spread itself across the screen in a big font as Sunny sat back
looking smug. Kel tossed his controller on the ground.
“I would!” Aubrey retorted with a huff.
“I said people in their right minds.”
“Hey!” She jerked forward to possibly assault Kel, startling Basil at her abrupt movement.
“Kel!” Mari crossed her arms, interrupting the fight before it could start. “That wasn’t very
nice!”
“Don’t be a sore loser and take it out on Aubrey,” Hero agreed. “You should apologize.”
“I’m not taking anything out on her!” Kel protested. But the twin stern looks from the older
siblings were enough to make him back down. “Alright… I guess that was kinda mean…
Sorry, Aubrey. Pink’s alright for girls even in their hair.”
“Somehow I don’t feel like that was really an apology,” Aubrey muttered with a dubious
expression, but Hero could tell she had been defused.
Hero thought it would be prudent to move the conversation on as he asked, “Did you guys
decide when you would dye it? If you’re going to go fully pink, Aubrey, you’ll need to bleach
your hair first.”
“Oh, uh,” Aubrey relaxed back between Basil’s legs to allow him to continue. He started to
separate the hair out to work around the flower headband she was wearing that day, adding a
simple braid that he took his time doing, “not… for a while, I think?” She glanced at Mari to
confirm before going back to Hero. “My dad probably wouldn’t let me any time soon.”
“And I don’t think Mom and Dad will be happy if I dyed my hair too close to the recital,”
Mari agreed with a put-upon sigh. Her hand came up to cup her cheek. “Dad still hasn’t
forgiven me for piercing my ears.”
Hero grimaced. Yeah, he knew that for sure. Mari’s dad blamed Hero for it since they’d been
on a date when it had happened. He couldn’t imagine his perfect daughter having been the
one to act out. Hero hadn’t minded taking the blame for the idea, though. His parents hadn’t
been too pleased either, but they had forgiven him a lot faster.
“So, what about next year? You’ll be thirteen then, Aubrey. Maybe your dad will let you
when you’re a teenager?” Basil suggested.
“Ooh, maybe! I could ask for it like a birthday present!” Aubrey clapped her hands, excited.
Her eyes sparkled. “Good idea, Basil!”
Basil flushed a little, a small smile pulling on his lips at the praise. Hero was happy for him.
Mari shot Hero a sly look, glancing quickly back and forth between Basil and Hero to let him
know she hadn’t missed it. “Then we can both ask our parents around that time! You want a
bright pink, right?”
“She’s gonna have bubblegum hair,” Kel mock-whispered to Sunny, who looked like he was
trying to imagine it. The boy’s head tilted a little to the side thoughtfully.
“I don’t want bubblegum pink! But…” Aubrey tapped her leg as she frowned in
consideration, “I don’t really want a hot pink either… That feels too much like Malibu
Barbie.”
“Bahahahaha!!” Kel cackled, rolling onto his back at the thought. “You’ll have Barbie hair!!
That’s so lame!”
“Shut up! I said I don’t want that color!” Aubrey argued.
“ Ooh, I can’t wait to be such a girly-girl!”
Aubrey leaped to her feet, face turning red as she stomped her foot and yelled, “Argh! You’re
such an idiot!”
“Hey! No, I’m not!” Kel jumped up now too, bristling at the insult despite how he had started
it. “I’m just telling the truth!”
“So what if I like cute things?” She picked up one of Sunny’s stuffed animals that he had
brought over and tossed it at Kel, who blocked his face from the hit. “At least it’s better than
you who is so obsessed with video games and sports and stuff!”
“Pfft, at least I’m honest about it!”
“Guys, c’mon–” Hero tried to interrupt, but it was already too late. Aubrey was worked into a
froth, and she shoved Kel. Kel stumbled but caught himself as Basil and Mari both cried out,
attempting to stop the fight as well. However, Kel wasn’t one to not return shots fired. He
lunged at Aubrey in an attempt to grab her, but she dodged away. Her eyes widened, realizing
this was going to get rough, and stuck her tongue out before dashing towards the open door to
the bedroom.
“Hey!” Mari called after them as everyone climbed to their feet in a rush. Kel was already on
Aubrey’s heels as he swung himself around the doorframe to chase her out into the hallway.
Something about this was triggering déjà vu for Hero as the pounding of Aubrey and Kel’s
feet went outside. There was a yell as Kel – always faster than the others – easily caught the
girl and yanked her to a stop. The two tumbled, momentum slamming them into each other,
and they toppled as their friends yelped. Kel’s back hit the corner table set up with various
pictures of their relatives, and Hero saw the moment Abuela Rosa’s fate was sealed.
The shattering of glass brought everyone to a stop, blood freezing at the sight of the picture
frame broke as it hit the floor. Aubrey and Kel, still in a tangle, stared at the accident with
wide eyes as Hero needed a moment to recover from this happening a second time to him.
Mari, however, had no reservations. “Kel! Aubrey!” All the kids flinched at Mari’s raised
voice. It was never a good thing when Mari did that. She didn’t like to get angry, after all.
“Look at what you’ve done!”
Aubrey scrambled off of Kel and jumped to her feet, tears already forming in her eyes. “I’m
so sorry! We didn’t mean to!”
“I’ll clean it up!” Kel hurried to assure.
“No, don’t touch it,” Hero ordered, holding his hand out before anyone could get too close.
“The glass is dangerous.” He pointed towards the stairs instead. “Both of you go get a plastic
bag from the kitchen and the vacuum. Basil, Sunny, stay back.”
“This is what happens when you rough-house too much,” Mari told them as Aubrey and Kel
jumped to follow orders. She corralled them to the stairs as Hero sighed and dropped to his
knees to start picking at some of the bigger broken pieces. “I thought you would’ve learned
your lesson from when you and Sunny broke our lamp, Kel.”
“I’m sorry…” Kel murmured, repentant. The two children were sent down the stairs to gather
the items.
“That was an important photo, wasn’t it?” Basil asked with worry while Hero picked up the
photograph. Poor Abuela Rosa.
“Yes, but it’s nothing that can’t be salvaged,” he assured his friend.
“Hero, be careful too. Don’t cut your fingers,” Mari warned. She still seemed agitated.
“I’ll be alright. Just watch your bare feet.”
“We’ll have to go get a new frame.”
“We will. Kel will have to pay for it out of his allowance.” It was the least he could do. They
could probably get a new picture frame from Fix-It. If not, Hero would just take the bus a few
stops away to the nearest general store.
“What about Aubrey?” Sunny asked.
“She’ll have to help pay it off too.” Though Hero felt a little bad about that. He wasn’t sure if
Aubrey had an allowance, but she probably had some money left. If not, he was sure she
would find a way to make it up to them. She was good about trying to right her mistakes.
The two kids returned shortly after, gazes still repentant. Hero put the big pieces of the
broken frame into the bag before standing up and shooing everyone away. Aubrey vacuumed
the area thoroughly to gather any possible missed shards that were too tiny to pick up with
their hands.
“Now then!” Mari turned to the two troublemakers with crossed arms and an angry frown.
Kel and Aubrey ducked their heads, eyes avoiding her gaze. “You two are going to pay for a
new frame. And if you don’t have the money, then you’ll have to work it off. Got it?”
“Yes, Mari…” They chorused.
“Good!” She held out her hand to Hero. Her expression was much lighter as she gazed at
him. “Let me have the photo, Hero. I’ll take them to Fix-It to get the frame.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind–”
“No, no, I’ve got it.”
“Alright.” He handed over the photo. The trio gathered what they needed and left soon after,
leaving Hero, Sunny, and Basil alone to handle putting everything away.
“Mari’s kinda scary when she’s mad, huh?” Basil broke the tense silence among them all as
he tossed out the bag of clinking glass and frame. “I never really see her like that.”
“She doesn’t get mad often,” Hero agreed, grabbing a container of juice out of the fridge.
After all that, they deserved a little bit of a sweet pick-me-up. “It never feels good when it’s
directed at you.”
“Has she gotten mad at you before, Hero?”

A smile pulled at Hero’s lips as he was brought back to a different time. “Yeah, but not like
that. I don’t think I’ve done anything to make her that kind of angry with me. She’s more of
the ‘I’m disappointed in you’ type.”
Basil laughed. “I can see that.” His eyes drifted to Sunny as Sunny accepted the glass of juice
offered to him. “What about you, Sunny? Has she gotten angry at you before?”
Hero could specifically remember a time Mari had been genuinely angry with Sunny, though
it had mostly been out of concern. The day Sunny had almost drowned, for example, was the
first time Hero had ever really heard her shout at her brother.
But that didn’t happen in this timeline. He wondered what Sunny would say instead.
The boy thought about it, sipping at his drink. He made a few bubbles in the liquid before
taking a proper gulp and lowering the glass as he made a decision. “Yes, she’s been mad at
me before. I don’t like it when she yells, though.”
“I can imagine,” Basil agreed, sympathetic. “It’s not pleasant.”
“Does she get mad a lot?” Hero asked as he realized that this was an opportunity. It had never
really occurred to him to ask this kind of question to Sunny. Mari was someone who was
sweet and perfect in his mind, even with the occasional flaw that she had. He never really
thought about how Mari was with Sunny when they were alone, but that was mostly because
he had been almost certain about what to expect.
Mari and Sunny fighting and her resulting death, however, was not anything he could’ve
expected. So, Hero had paid much closer attention to the siblings in this lifetime as he often
asked after Sunny’s well-being, as well as how the relationship was between brother and
sister. Their answers were always positive with the occasional dip expected.
But now was the time to see if anything had changed. The recital was inching closer every
day.
“Hm? No,” Sunny shook his head right away. But then he paused. The pause made Hero stop
as well, eying him. Sunny didn’t look troubled, but there was a hint of doubt that crossed his
eyes. “Uh, well…” he started a little slowly, “she’s not angry. Just… a little strict
sometimes.”
“Strict?” Hero prompted.
“Oh, with the music practice,” Basil said with understanding.
Hero shot him a confused look. Wait, how much did Basil know? He knew that Sunny was
Basil’s best friend, but he hadn’t realized Sunny had discussed those problems with him.
“Has she gotten stricter?” Hero asked, eyes dragging from Basil to jump over to Sunny.
“A bit…” Sunny admitted. He didn’t look entirely comfortable discussing it. “I haven’t been
doing too great with the duet.”
It wasn’t substantial enough to draw conclusions from, but it was something worth noting.
Hero had already put together a plausible reason as to Mari and Sunny’s fight in the previous
timeline, but it still seemed extreme to him. Mari getting stressed and taking some of her
frustrations out on Sunny was a possibility, but he couldn’t imagine her shouting at her
brother over it. And Sunny, as well, wasn’t someone who got physically violent. Hero still
wasn’t certain as to what had happened, but keeping an eye on the siblings’ stress and
relationship levels would be important.
Sunny and Mari actually fighting had to have been caused by something rather important.
“Don’t worry too much,” Hero assured him as he rubbed Sunny’s head. “Mari loves you, and
if she’s being strict then it’s probably just because she expects the best from you.”
“I agree!” Basil nodded quickly, grabbing Sunny’s hand to squeeze it. “You can do it, Sunny,
and Mari knows it too. You guys sound amazing when we hear you practicing!”
Sunny still seemed a little unsure. “お姉ちゃん can already sight-read everything, though.”
“Mari’s also been playing the piano a lot longer. You’ve got plenty of time to memorize it!”
“You had a break for a long time between your old violin and this one,” Hero said. “You just
need more time to get back into the groove. We all believe in you, okay?”
Sunny was silent for a moment, and then his expression lightened. He seemed reassured
finally. It brought broad smiles to both Basil and Hero’s faces as they shared in their victory.
“So! While they’re all out shopping, how about we all make a late lunch?” he suggested to
them. “I could use a few helping hands, and I’m sure it would cheer Kel and Aubrey up once
Mari’s done chewing them out, huh?”
“Yeah!” Both boys agreed, looking cheered at the thought.
“Great! Then let’s make some cookies and get those going, and then we’ll start on lunch
while it’s baking. C’mon, gang, let’s go wash our hands!”
He couldn’t have prevented this accident, Hero thought as the three of them threw themselves
into their work, but it got the gears in his head going. It was the end of July already. It
wouldn’t be long before summer ended, and once autumn came then the countdown would
really start.
Honestly, he wished that he could just look forward to his friends playing a wonderful recital.
It would be so much less stressful than this nonsense.
If only his life was that easy.
Chapter End Notes

Abuela = Spanish for Grandmother
お姉ちゃん (read: oneechan) = Japanese for Big Sister
8/3
Chapter Notes
I'm only adding dates to the title when an OG Photo Album scene occurs, but I'm
playing with the August timeline here. You'll see what I mean haha, so the dates will be
a little weird for these particular "photo album days".
Edit: BEAUTIFUL fanart of Sunny on his birthday from Sugarbiscuit! Thank you so so
much! I butterfly kiss Sunny's adorable cheeks!
“Hold it steady, Hero,” Dad said as he squinted at the final piece of wood with a critical eye.
Hero adjusted the position a little, and then pressed his weight to the board to keep it still as
his dad lined up the power drill. The whir of the machine blocked out the chattering below
and around him as the final screw was put into place. Both of them checked to make sure the
leg of the table they were working with was steady before sharing twin grins. They flipped
the table to place it on the old rug that had been brought in for decoration before standing
back to admire their handiwork.
Their movement caught Mari and Aubrey’s attention from where they were organizing the
paper plants on the window sill at the front of the treehouse. “Is it done?” Mari asked, eyes
shining with excitement. “It’s complete?”
“We’re done!” Dad told her, crossing his arms with pride as he looked around. It was a great
place, if Hero did say so himself. They had worked hard on it. “Looking great, guys! Good
job!”
“Yay!!” Aubrey cheered before shoving her head out of the window to call down to the boys
below, “Guys!! It’s done!” Hero joined her to peek out from above her and Mari’s heads just
in time to hear Kel cry,
“YEAH!!! Let’s hurry inside!” He was on the ladder and starting to climb the next moment as
Basil and Sunny looked from below. Instead of following him, though, Basil raised his
camera to capture the moment. Hero didn’t notice right away as he ducked over to the
entrance of the treehouse to help Kel up. The flash was barely seen in the bright sunlight,
startling Hero with the sound it made, before the camera began to develop the new photo. Kel
was in the treehouse shortly after while grabbing Hero’s hand to haul himself up.
“It’s so cool! You guys made a table too?!” he yelled as he threw himself onto the low table
and rolled on it. It luckily held under his weight as the boy laughed.
“We sure did!” Dad guffawed at Kel’s legs kicking with his excitement. “We’ll give you all a
quick tour once the others are in here.”
“It’s amazing that it can really fit all of us in it like this!” Mari sat down on the cabinets as
Sunny and Basil managed to wiggle their way up the rope ladder and into the treehouse
proper.
“It’s so big…” Sunny breathed as he took it in with wide eyes.
The treehouse was a bit bigger than it had been in the first timeline, Hero agreed as he looked
around. It was one thing to have been working on it, but the completed project was a whole
different story. Even with four kids, two teens, and an adult, it didn’t feel especially crowded.
The tree had been able to support a pretty decent creation that had allowed for plenty of room
for its owners to grow with age. Hero could lay down and easily stretch out in it.
He didn’t pay attention as Dad pointed out a few things to everyone as he was already
picturing how it would appear when it was decorated. He sat on the rug and let his eyes go
distant as his memory drifted back to that summer day so long ago (in the future). Their
treehouse had become worn from nobody to take care of it, but it had still been in great
condition. The paper plants that sat on the window sill now had been a bit corroded, and the
toys that had been left behind had been colored with age. There had been a calendar that had
been put up in here for decoration by Sunny since he had wanted to use it. The big yellow cat
mascot had watched over all of them on those gentle summer days they had spent lounging
and playing games here.
It filled him with a nostalgia tainted with just a hint of bitterness. They had looked at the
completed photo album in here together when Sunny had discovered the missing photograph.
And Aubrey had run off, only to confess all of her sins. They had reunited properly as friends
at that moment. And yet…
Hero frowned. Now that he thought about it, how did that final photograph get in here?
Hadn’t Sunny been locked in his house for years? Did Basil leave it here?
“Hero!” Kel threw himself into Hero’s lap, knocking his big brother over as he cried out in
shock. He grunted as he hit the floor.
“Ow! Hey, Kel–!”
But Kel cut him off with a complaint and a tug on his shirt, “C’moooooon, Hero! We gotta
follow everyone else to decorate! I need help with the TV!”
“Huh?” Hero looked around and realized that everyone had already left the treehouse while
he had been zoning out. Even Dad had disappeared at some point. How long had he been
reminiscing? “Oh, shoot, I totally zoned out. What all are we bringing in?”
Kel watched him for a long moment, eyes scanning him thoughtfully. He had that rare serious
expression on his face that Hero was becoming used to. “...You alright? You had that… look
on your face.”
“‘Look’?”
“Yeah. You get this…” He failed to find the word to describe it, so he tried to replicate the
expression instead. It seemed like a far off look that was just a bit sad. It was hard to grasp if
that was accurate, though, since Kel wasn’t the best at showing that kind of thing. Still, Hero
got the point.
“I’m okay,” he assured his little brother as he pushed him off gently and stood up. “I was
just… Well, I was remembering stuff. That’s all.”
“Okay.” Kel hopped up and crossed his arms in a fashion that he had definitely picked up
from Mom. “Well, stop it, man. If you’re always thinking of that time, you’re gonna totally
miss out on all the fun stuff happening right in front of you! What if we say something funny
and you don’t notice? Get your head together, Hero!”
It felt weird to be scolded by Kel of all things, but it still brought a laugh to Hero’s mouth.
Wasn’t that just like him, though? Kel was someone who lived in the moment. Hero was still
trying to take that advice.
“Alright, alright… I get it. Now, what did you say about a TV?”
The two brothers climbed down from the treehouse and hurried back through the trees to
Mari’s backyard. There was a radio playing that got louder the closer they got to the rear of
the house where the sliding glass door was wide open. Hero still felt a chill sometimes as he
passed by the tree where Mari had been hung, but he had been back in this yard enough that it
didn’t bother him nearly as much. He instead focused on Basil’s grandmother relaxing at the
small table that had been bought out so her tea could be enjoyed with the kids. Mari’s dad
was there as well as he enjoyed a glass of the lemonade that had been prepared, his sunhat
helping to block out most of the heat despite the sweat on his face. Hero could hear his
friends’ voices calling from inside since most of the windows of the house were open despite
the heavy heat of the hottest day of the summer so far, but it was the only way to keep the
house cool with the A/C having been turned off.
“All finished?” Basil’s grandmother asked as Kel rushed ahead to join the others. Hero’s
running feet came to a stop as he shot her a smile.
“Almost. We’re decorating it now. But the treehouse is built.”
“Good job,” Mari’s dad said, nodding to where the treehouse was. “It looks good.”
“Hehe, thanks!”
He ran inside as well, hastily kicking off his shoes as Aubrey and Basil were already placing
some of the plants they planned to bring into the treehouse aside to be carried up. Mari and
Sunny came downstairs carrying a backpack each filled with miscellaneous things as Dad
slipped past Hero back into the back yard to join Basil’s grandmother.
“Kel’s insisting on bringing a TV into the treehouse,” Mari informed Hero as the younger
kids pulled their shoes back on and went back to the treehouse carrying their items.
“Though… I’m not really sure why?”
“I think he thinks there’s electricity in there or something,” Hero said with a shrug. They had
added a few lights that could be used at night in the treehouse, but they were all battery-
powered. Maybe that was where the confusion had come from.
“Does… Does he know?” she asked, baffled.
“He’ll figure it out once we bring it up there.”
It was more amusing to go along with Kel’s suggestion than it was to talk him out of it, and
soon enough they had managed to get a small TV up into the treehouse. Kel’s wail of
disappointment to discover it wouldn’t work was covered by the sounds of everyone
chattering with excitement as they all talked about exactly what things they planned to do in
this treehouse.
“We should have a small party!” Aubrey insisted as she and Basil finished setting up the
plants that would be able to survive in the treehouse. It had been Hero’s suggestion that they
bring a couple in, and Mari and Sunny had agreed. Sunny had seemed a little interested in
trying to keep the plants alive, though Hero had mostly suggested it so that they would all
have more reason to frequent the treehouse. Plus, they really added some nice color to the
place.
“With watermelon!” Kel agreed, finally over his distress.
“And cookies,” Sunny added.
“Ooh, maybe those cheese cracker things you made too, Hero?” Basil suggested.
“And the toasted peanut butter and banana sandwiches!” Aubrey cried, eyes sparkling with
excitement. “Those are sooo good!”
“A house-warming party for the treehouse,” Mari clapped her hands together, delighted.
“That sounds like a wonderful idea! We can make some onigiri and a healthy salad as well.”
“Maybe we should do it tomorrow or Monday, though,” Hero suggested. “It’s pretty hot
today, and I think your mom is preparing something for us.”
“Wait, really?” Kel asked. “What’s she doing?”
“I don’t know. Basil?” He looked to the younger boy since Basil had been the one who had
brought it to his attention.
“Oh, uh, I didn’t see! But I know she was trying to hide something and shooed me away
when she saw I noticed,” Basil explained.
“I wanna see the surprise!” Aubrey cried. “Let’s go look!”
“Wait, shouldn’t we finish here–?” Hero tried, but Kel and Aubrey were already scrambling
over each other to leave the treehouse, too excited at the prospect of a cool thing. Mari and
Sunny’s parents were the wealthiest of all of them, so it was usually something nice
whenever the parents planned anything. They always had the coolest toys.
“Let’s go see,” Sunny suggested with a wave of his hand before he followed after the two.
Basil sighed good-naturedly. “I hope they don’t fall on the rope ladder in their hurry… But
let’s go!” The two of them departed next, leaving Hero and Mari alone.
Hero moved to follow, but Mari ducked in front of him. Her eyes glittered with a familiar
flirtatious mischief that always put Hero on guard even while he waited with breathless
anticipation of what she would say or do. Her hair swirled around her with her movement as
she tucked her arms behind her back and got in close to his face to say,
“Looks like we’re finally alone, He~ro~”
“Wha-What are you implying?!” Hero couldn’t help but stutter, a wobbly smile appearing on
his face despite his reservations. His mind was already bubbling with possibilities.
Her lips were close to his as their noses brushed… but she pulled back to laugh before
completing the movement. Hero blinked a few times rapidly as he was thrown off by the
change. Mari wiped a tear from her eye as she spun and grabbed the doorway only to glance
back over her shoulder at him.
“Naughty boy!”
“Hey!” he cried, gaping. “But you–”
She only laughed more, escaping down the ladder as Hero rushed over to join. She hopped
the last foot before dashing off back towards the house. The energy oozed out of Hero as he
slumped a little against the doorway, watching her figure disappear, and he sighed a little
longingly.
She drove him crazy. Now all he could think about was what she had been playfully
implying. It made him think about how secluded the treehouse was, and how there was plenty
of room for the two of them to lay down and maybe make out a little. But one thought led to
another, and he had to rapidly grab his self-control and tie the fraying edges back together to
snap himself out of it.
No, he thought with a shake of his head. Fantasy aside, this wasn’t just his and Mari’s
treehouse. Those kinds of thoughts (and moments) were meant for other places and times.
…Didn’t mean he couldn’t think about this later, though.
The sounds of barking and his friends yelling drifted over the wind and to his ears. Right; he
needed to follow after the others! He was getting caught up in his own musing. Dang it,
Mari! She had such a way of messing with his head!
He dropped down to the rope ladder and climbed down quickly to hurry across the lawn.
Mom had joined Mari’s dad and Basil’s grandmother in the backyard now, but it looked like
the latter two were getting up to go somewhere. Mr. Aki handed the older woman her cane
before he spotted Hero and pointed towards the open side gate of the backyard fence.
“They went that way,” he explained.

“Hurry up, Hero! There’s a surprise out front,” Mom added with a smirking playing on her
lips. It was a familiar expression, and one that Kel had picked up from her. He could
recognize her holding back amusement, which put him on guard even as he said,
“Oh, okay. Thanks!” and headed through the gate.
The yelling of his friends got louder and more recognizable as words as he saw Hector dash
back and forth from around the building. The dog was soaked, he realized with surprise, as
Hector disappeared around the building again. A splash of water flew past him. Hero hurried
to see what all of the fuss was about.
“Hero–!” Basil cried in warning, and it was all Hero got before four separate water balloons
exploded against his body. He yelled with surprise, stumbling backwards, as laughter burst
from around him. He gaped at his soaked clothes and hair, stunned, before looking at the
culprits. His friends were beaming, also soaked, and the ground was covered with bits of
balloon already. A washing basin was full of even more balloons with Sunny’s mom nearby
grinning and filming it all.
“HAHAHAHA!!” Kel laughed so hard he had to hunch over. “Look at his face!”
“We got you good, Hero!” Aubrey added, lifting the running hose she had in her hand and
turning it on him, spraying Hero down even more.
“Hey!” Hero cried and dashed towards the protection of the family car as his dad’s laughing
was covered by the pursuit of his friends. Hero had to duck and weave to avoid another
balloon and hit before he slid to a stop before the water balloon bin. There was no time to
think; he needed to attack.
He gathered a couple into his arm and threw a wild one at Mari as she got too close to him.
She shrieked as it exploded against her chest before she crushed one against his head. It
shattered, dousing him quickly. Within moments, Sunny was behind him, but he went for
Mari instead. And soon the others had joined.
Balloons flew everywhere, though they avoided the parents as much as possible. Hero was
breathless from it all as the heat of the summer day was cut through by the cool water and the
rush of wind from running. The grass turned muddy as the kids splattered each other and
sprayed each other down with the hose. There was little attention to be paid to the world
around them as they enjoyed the moment, breathless with their joy.
And even as they ran out of water balloons and were forced to end their water fun, Hero
found himself smiling wider than ever. The party was taken back to the backyard where a
small party had been set up already. Without their notice, the guardians had decided to throw
a bit of a barbeque in Sunny and Mari’s backyard. With all of the activity, Hero and his
friends were left ravenous as they waited and looked over all of the new pictures that had
been added to Basil’s photo album. The treehouse picture, alongside a picture of them having
the water balloon fight (courtesy of Basil’s grandmother) had been added in after they’d dried
off.
Despite the heat of the day they all stayed outside and ran around, though at one point Hector
had escaped inside and had tracked mud due to having spotted Mewo, who had come to
investigate all of the noise. Nothing that couldn’t be cleaned up, but it had been a wild chase
to fix things up.
It was hectic, and insane, and Hero had had so much fun that the day had disappeared long
before he had noticed.
He slept effortlessly that night having collapsed onto the floor of Mari’s living room with
Basil’s head on his thigh and Sunny squeezed in between Hero and Mari. None of them had
any memory of falling asleep, or even being okayed to have the impromptu sleepover.
Personally, Hero thought that was the best kind of memory of summer time. He would not
forget this day for a very long time.
Chapter End Notes
Do you guys think it would be better if I put the other parts of this story (part 2 focusing
on the high school life and part 3 as a bit of a oneshot epilogue) as their own fics in a
series for Swim, or should I leave it all on this one fic?
8/14
Chapter Notes
If you haven't seen it already, check out this amazing comic that Inferno did of Hero's
nightmare from chapter 39! Be aware of the gore and horror that will be visualized in it,
though! Be sure to leave amazing comments on it if you liked it!
The forests that Faraway Town was built around and in were well-explored by the residents
that lived in the various small neighborhoods around it. The tall conifer trees evoked scenes
from movies and books alike that teased and tugged at the imaginations of the children who
grew up there. If one paid close attention they could find secret paths, litter left by some teens
sneaking around, and hidden areas where toys were left for secret bases similar to the one
Hero and his friends had. Lonely children could pretend to be in an adventure novel
reminiscent of Bridge to Terabithia like they’d read in class, and groups of children could be
the Lost Boys from Peter Pan.
Hero had countless memories of playing in these woods from long before even his friend
group was fully formed. He’d first broken his arm in these trees, and he had lost more than
one ball to the depths of the undergrowth. He’d learned about ticks the hard way, and had
gone on wild chases after Hector with Kel from before the pup had been fully trained (more
than once, actually, since it had happened again in this second lifetime). He held a fondness
for the place that someone his physical age probably shouldn’t have.
However, there was a part of the forest that Hero tended to avoid whenever possible, and that
was some of the deeper parts away from homes and businesses. Faraway Town’s residential
area could be found in between spurts of trees and meadows since their town was further
away from big cities and bordered just inside of being a suburb, so there were plenty of open
wild areas once one went past the rows of homes. The nearest highway was far out, and the
noise of the lazy streets of the residential areas faded away the deeper into the forest one
went. The only thing that kids needed to do was to not wander too far, and to just keep one
ear open for suburban noises that would lead them home. It was almost impossible to get
completely lost as one would eventually find their way to a road if they walked long enough.
This was the area that Hero and his friends were visiting on this late Wednesday morning.
The trees grew just a bit closer together here where sunbeams had to cut through the gaps in
branches in order to reach the floors. Morning cicadas chirped their songs over the hum of
bees and flying insects as birds called to each other. The very world felt busy with life as the
crunch of six pairs of feet resounded through the plant growth on the floor. Parts of it were
more overgrown than others, and a few fallen trees and particularly large tree branches
caused them to either climb over or diverge their paths. If Hero listened closely, he could still
pick up on the sounds of the stream that could guide them back home should they get lost.
“I’ve never been back here before,” Basil said with some awe in his voice as he looked
around. He kept pausing on occasion to examine some of the flowering plants and leaves. His
cheeks were flushed with pleasure as he clearly enjoyed the adventure. Sunny beside him
seemed a little less enthused as he yawned, sleepy in the heat of the day that was gradually
getting stronger as time went by. “I didn’t realize the forest went this far back.”
“Oh, yeah!” Mari said as Hero climbed onto a fallen tree and held his hands out to help
Aubrey up. They walked along the length of it beside their friends. “The forest is bigger than
you might think, but it also gets wilder. It’s not safe to be out here too late. Who knows what
kind of things we might find?”
“What do you mean?” Basil shot her an alarmed look.
A mischievous smile curled onto her lips before she hid it under a cheerful grin, “Like
bears… ghosts… zombies, maybe?”
“Wh… What?”
“Pfft, no way!” Aubrey jumped off of the tree and shook her head with determination,
causing her ponytail to swish behind her. “Mari’s making things up! Right?”
“Oh, I’m being very serious, Aubrey!” Mari insisted.
“Ghosts aren’t real, though…” But she sounded a little unsure now.
“Who cares about ghosts? I’m more worried about the zombies!” Kel growled, mimicking a
zombie, before trying to make a grab for Aubrey. She shrieked and jumped away, swinging
the bug net she’d brought with her, but he dodged that. Kel the zombie moaned and spun
around, arms out, and grabbed Sunny as his victim instead. He sank his teeth into Sunny’s
shoulder as Sunny just allowed it. The boy only made a face at the not-deep teeth marks on
his bare shoulder now.
“Kel, stop that,” Hero scolded as he grabbed the back of Kel’s shirt to pull him off. Kel
gnashed his teeth a few times at his brother before grinning like the goofball that he was.
Sunny just wiped the saliva from his shoulder, giving his friend a long look.
“It’s the zombies you gotta worry about! Ghosts can’t do anything to you, but zombies?
They’ll bite you and rip you to shreds!” Kel cried.
“Ghosts can possess you and throw things around,” Aubrey pointed out. “And you can’t
touch them. I think they’re worse. Zombies aren’t even real.”
“You don’t know that! You just haven’t seen one!”
“You haven’t seen a ghost either! So why would zombies be scarier?” Aubrey spun on Sunny.
“Sunny, which do you think is scarier?”
Sunny was quiet as he thought about the answer rather seriously. His eyebrows scrunched. He
brought his knuckle to his mouth. There was such an intense air about him that the group of
friends instinctively waited to hear his response.
He lifted his head after a few more long moments of contemplation before answering with
conviction, “The bears.”
Hero and Mari both laughed as Basil hid his smile behind his hand at Sunny’s answer. Kel
and Aubrey looked equally displeased and understanding as it dawned on them both that yes,
bears were the more immediate threat.
“Luckily we won’t have to worry about most of those… and hopefully none of them,” Hero
finally said. “We’ll be back home long enough before it gets dark, and let’s just hope we
don’t run into any bears.”
“Zombies can come out during the day!” Kel protested.
“Then why is it called NIGHT of the Living Dead , Kel?” Aubrey demanded, sounding a little
snide as she crossed her arms.
Mari shot her a shocked look. “Aubrey, how do you know that movie?”
“Huh? My dad watched it with me,” she responded with a bit of surprise at Mari’s reaction.
“That’s…” she seemed at a loss for words. Hero could understand. It was an older scary
movie, but it was still a horror movie. When, exactly, had Aubrey seen it?
Kel was not going to be dissuaded from his argument, though. He soldiered on to insist,
“That’s just because it took place at night or something! But zombies can travel in the
daylight! They’re just humans but dead, right?”
“You don’t even know?” Aubrey asked.
Kel’s cheeks turned a bit red. “W-Well, what about you? Ghosts come out at night as well!”
“Guys,” Basil decided to interrupt, carefully stepping between them as he brandished the bug
net in his hands with a smile that appeared to be trying to mimic Mari’s disarmingly sweet
one, “if we’re too loud, we’ll scare off the beetles… Didn’t we want to try to catch some?”
Aubrey and Kel glared at each other for a bit longer, staring the other down and challenging
the other to continue their bickering. However, neither of them said another word to rise to
that challenge, so they broke the stare-off and separated.
Kel’s lips pooched as he tucked his arms behind his head, skewing his straw hat a bit. “Yeah,
alright. Let’s get back to it!” He dropped his arms and beamed, back to being excited. “Where
can we look for them, Mari?”
“Hmm, here might be a good spot! Let’s put down our stuff and start searching, okay?” Mari
threw her fist in the air, and the others copied her in solidarity.
Hero placed the drinks cooler down in the shade of a tree before patting Basil on the shoulder
and smiled proudly at him as he murmured, “Good job.”
Basil smiled back a little sheepishly. “Hehe… Thanks, Hero. Glad I could help.”
Mari placed her picnic basket on top of the cooler before putting her hands on her hips. “Well
then! Shall we go, guys? We’ll make this an adventure, but don’t go too far from us!”
And so the group spread out in search of beetles. Hero wasn’t enthused in the least to do this
as he wandered half-heartedly keeping an eye out for insects. The thought of holding or
catching any made his skin crawl. Even when he had actually been this age the first time he
hadn’t been a big fan of this particular activity. He had mostly followed Mari and chatted
with her rather than trying to find his own bugs.
The only ones who actually seemed the most into it were Mari and Kel, who eagerly searched
around logs, up trees, and even pushed aside bushes. Mari happily coached Kel – who was
the monkey of the group and good at climbing trees – up some trees nearby to look in the
higher branches while Sunny watched on. Basil seemed far more interested in studying the
plants they found than to search for bugs, though he did find a few to show off. Aubrey had
borrowed Basil’s camera instead and was using it to try to find the perfect shot, though she
had yet to actually take a picture. Hero just stayed well away from Mari and Kel’s hunt and
allowed his mind to drift a bit.
There was a good breeze blowing, making the trees sound like ocean waves as the branches
and leaves rustled. Hero closed his eyes as he leaned against a tree and listened. It was nice to
simply breathe and enjoy the moment, which was something that he had rarely gotten to do in
the latter years of his previous life. He had kept himself busy on purpose, and that had
infected this life as well.
Lately, though, he had been trying to take Kel’s advice. He had to ground himself in the
moment sometimes to keep his mind from sprinting away from him and dragging him by the
heels through his worries and fears for the terrible future that was creeping closer on silent
hands and knees. It prowled and growled menacingly once in a while, usually in the dark
when Hero was attempting to sleep. Those nights were harder to rest on than others.
On those nights he found himself wandering the house exhausted but unable to rest. His
fingers would tingle on the bannister of the second floor landing, and what-ifs and thoughts
and thoughts of planning for the day of the recital tripped over each other in his mind. He
was plagued by nightmares that nipped at his heels. And in the dark of the night his mind
would play tricks on him with shadows of Sunny’s figure with trailing bandages from his
misshapen head and outline of what Hero knew to be a hospital gown. It made him terrified
to think about as it always brought with it Mari’s poisonous words of accusation. Sometimes
(as shameful as it was) he would break down silently about it.
He tried not to be found when that happened to him, but he wasn’t always lucky. His parents
– whether in response to noticing how little Hero slept after he had confessed the truth of his
reality to them or because they were becoming a little more restless as well – would
occasionally catch him alone on the couch with the television on. On those nights one of
them would sit with him and either distract him or try to have him talk it out with them.
Airing his worries tended to help, though it was only a temporary measure. Hero was pretty
sure they did it as a way to convince him to see a therapist. He still had yet to give them a
response to that.
On rarer occasions, Kel would find him. It was almost always if Hero had just woken from a
nightmare and cried in his bed. He would hear Kel’s snores stop, but he could barely muffle
himself to keep Kel from hearing him. Kel wouldn’t say anything and would just crawl into
bed with him and hug him. And really, sometimes that was all Hero needed. It was the only
time Kel never complained about how tightly Hero would hold him. And they wouldn’t talk
about it in the morning when they both eventually woke up in a tangled mess because Kel
was a messy sleeper. Kel would just brush off Hero’s embarrassed apologies and comment on
how Hero looked better before moving on, never one to let negativity linger if he could help
it.
Things were better than they were in the beginning, Hero reflected, but that didn’t mean he
was okay. He worried about who he was and what his mind was like, and he worried about
how it would continue to affect his future. He had kind of thought that maybe his life would
be better once he had saved Mari’s life, but there was a part of him that was terrified he
would always be like this.
He didn’t want to burden others with his problems. Especially since those things have
technically never existed. The trauma he bore was caused by something that never happened,
and hopefully would never happen.
It made him ashamed.
He opened his eyes again and took a deep breath to bring himself back to reality and to this
moment. His friends’ voices were a little further away, and Mari’s laugh was echoing
between the trees.
Now wasn’t the time to think about this. This is why he didn’t like letting himself be idle.
Ugh, how did Kel manage it in the past? He wished he had actually talked with his brother
before…
Just… Before.
“You know–” Basil’s voice came from next to Hero, and Hero startled so badly that he leaped
away from the boy with a gasp. Basil gave him a wide-eyed look from where he was kneeling
nearby Hero, startled that Hero had been startled. “Oh! S-Sorry, Hero! I didn’t mean to scare
you!”
Hero just hunched over, clutching his chest as his heart raced and he panted a little. “It’s…
It’s okay. Jeez, you’re pretty quiet when you want to be.” He gave his friend a wry smile.
Basil’s own expression was a little complicated, and even a little bit sad. “You seemed lost in
thought. Um…” he hesitated before pursuing what he wanted to say, “Sunny said you see
monsters sometimes like he does… Are you okay right now?”
Hero grimaced. “It’s… It’s not exactly, um…”
“...It’s okay,” Basil reassured him when Hero failed to find the words. He stood up and
reached over to squeeze Hero’s wrist. “You don’t need to talk about it. But I’m here if you
want to have someone to talk to. I’m not as good of a listener as Sunny is, but I’m willing to
just listen if you need a friendly ear.”
I’m sorry, but I never want to tell you anything about that, Hero thought. He was chilled even
imagining it. He doubted Basil would believe him even if he did tell him. It would be an
unnecessary weight to add onto his friend.
“...Thanks, Basil. I really appreciate that,” he said. He dropped his hands to balance on his
knees, giving whatever Basil had been doing a curious look. “What’cha looking at? Did, uh,
you find…?” He didn’t finish as his throat seized with disgust, realizing that maybe Basil had
found a beetle that the kids were looking for.
“Oh, no, I’m looking at the plants,” Basil explained with a sympathetic expression shot in
Hero’s direction before he looked back down. “I like these kinds of leaves. See how soft they
are?” He reached down and trailed his fingers over what looked to be a fern. Its leaves were
long and a luscious green that came from the height of summer. There was a little ladybug
that crawled across it before taking off in flight.
“It looks pretty healthy,” Hero responded, unsure of how to make conversation despite his
desire to do so. He simply didn’t know enough about plants. “Do you like them because
they’re soft?”
“No, nothing like that. They remind me of this plant that grew in my backyard when I lived
with my parents in the south,” Basil explained. “There was a plant whose leaves would close
when you gently touched them. Just,” The boy used his fingers to demonstrate, running one
finger across his palm and up to his fingertips before slowly curling his fingers closed. His
smile seemed brighter as his passion shined through him, and he laughed a little. “I thought it
was so neat!”
“It sounds pretty cool! I’ve only heard of Venus Flytraps closing up like that. I didn’t know
other plants do that too.”
“There’s a lot! I mean, it’s more common for car… carni… carn…” His words stuttered as he
struggled to pronounce the word. His eyebrows furrowed with confusion.
“Carnivorous?”
“Yeah! Carnivorous! It’s more common for carnivorous plants to move like that. But for that
plant, I think it was a protection thing.”
Hero found himself smiling as Basil’s face flushed with the passion that filled his voice as he
went on to talk about the plant in front of them. It was good to see him so full of life as unlike
even a few months ago, he didn’t hold back on his rambling. Hero was used to it by now,
though, from the days he had spent hanging out alone with Basil while they were gardening.
It was something he didn’t know about his friend in his past life. Basil was usually shy, but
when he found a topic that he was really interested in, he dove right in. Whether it was
gardening, botany, photography, or, even more recently, young adult adventure novels, Basil
always had something new that he’d learned and wanted to chat about. He liked to pick up
books on his favorite topics, and it wasn’t uncommon for Basil to be seen carrying at least
one book with him when he wasn’t playing outside. It was a hobby that Hero had shared with
him. He was a frequent companion as he rode with Basil and his grandmother to the library
many times over the past few months.
Plants weren’t something Hero was super invested in, but he was always interested in trivia
and learning new stuff nonetheless. He was so caught up in Basil’s words that at first he
didn’t notice the tickle against his neck. But when it came again with a more solid sensation,
he jerked and stiffened with a gasp. His hand flew to his neck and instinctively grabbed
whatever it was.
To his horror, he didn’t manage to close his hand completely around what was on him.
Instead it skittered across his hand and onto his wrist. The many legs of the spider moved
quickly, and soon disappeared up Hero’s arm.
He couldn’t even scream as absolute terror caused a lightning bolt to crash through him and
paralyze his entire body. His brain shut down as it only registered the spider darting up his
arm. He could feel his whole life shattering beneath the rock that formed in his chest,
crushing his lungs and threatening to suffocate him. He was sure he was going to be bitten
and it would swell up and he would die from the venom as he writhed on the ground while a
web formed over him and–
Hands closed around the spider in a swift move, capturing the creature in cupped palms as
Hero was freed. His eyes darted to where Basil breathed a sigh of relief and then gave Hero a
reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry, Hero! Spiders are friends. It’s probably just scared. I’ll go put it somewhere
else, okay?”
Hero still felt like he couldn’t breathe. He could only sit there, still paralyzed, as Basil carried
the spider far away and released it. Hero could only hope that he would be killing the
disgusting thing, but he doubted that he would. As long as that thing came nowhere near him
again, then Hero would be fine.
Basil returned after a moment then, brushing his hands off on his shorts. “There! All gone!
No need to be scared anymore, okay?”
Hero still didn’t move for a long moment. And then, he forced himself to breathe.
It was like life came back into him as the rock in his chest was abruptly gone and his lungs
inflated. His senses returned, letting him know that a cold sweat had formed on his face, and
the tickling, ghostly sensation of the spider remained. He spastically wiped at his arms to rid
himself of the sensation as he shuddered with an, admittedly, embarrassing noise while
goosebumps bloomed over his skin.
“I-It’s really gone?” he asked after a moment, just to be sure.
Basil nodded, showing his empty hands.

Hero ran a hand through his hair, shuddering again. “Th-Thank god. You really sa-saved me
there, Basil. I owe you one.” He shoved himself to his feet to back away from the tree, eying
it warily for any spiderwebs. “I don’t know how you can touch those things!”
“Spiders are helpful in the garden. Wow, Hero, you really made an amazing face when it
landed on you,” Basil told him. It was clear he was trying to lighten the mood. “I thought Kel
was maybe kidding about your fear of bugs.”
“I just don’t like them!” Hero cried.
Something appeared in his periphery. “What don’t you like?” Mari asked, prompting Hero to
turn his head to see her. Only instead his vision was full of clicking pinsers and wiggling legs
as a horrendous beetle greeted him.
This time Hero did scream, tripping backwards and falling on his bottom from the monster.
Mari’s eyes were wide with surprise where she was holding the bug, but then she started
laughing, hunching over and holding her stomach at whatever expression Hero had on his
face.
“M- M- Mari!” Hero yelled, mortified, before screaming again as she released the beetle. Its
gross wings extended as it flew off, getting way too close to Hero in the process, before Kel
was after it with his net waving in the air.
“Oh, Hero, your face…!” Mari giggled even as she leaned over to help him up. She wiped a
tear from her eye as Hero’s cheeks burned. “Has your fear of bugs gotten worse now that
you’re older?”
“Sh-Shut up,” he dropped his face into his hands to hide in his shame rather than accept her
hand. He couldn’t help that he found bugs to be so disgusting. He lifted his head to give her a
sulky, somewhat-betrayed look. “You’re messing with me again…” he mumbled.
“Aww, I’m sorry. I just wanted to tease you a little,” Mari crooned, starting to look genuinely
apologetic as she realized she had actually hurt Hero’s feelings. She dropped to her knees and
held out her arms, and Hero didn’t hesitate to throw himself into them and hug her tightly.
“I was so scared…!” he complained, sniffling as his eyes watered a bit. He could feel his
fingers trembling from the back-to-back terror.
“You’ll have to grow out of it eventually,” Mari said as she rubbed her back.
“I managed to catch Hero’s weird look on his face when he was talking with Basil!” Aubrey
abruptly announced, interrupting the comforting couple as she waved around a picture from
where she stood next to Basil. She looked extremely proud as she beamed before holding out
the image. Hero grimaced at the stoney, terror-induced expression of revulsion on his face as
Basil was caught mid-action trying to capture the spider on Hero’s arm.
Basil had the heart to actually give Hero a sympathetic look while Mari and Aubrey both
giggled over the picture.
Pride stinging, Hero said, “I’m… gonna go hang out in the field nearby rather than catch
bugs.” He grabbed the picnic stuff with another grimace. He’d had his fill of ‘adventure’
today. There was a pretty flower meadow not too far from the stream that they’d planned to
eat a late lunch in. He would just wait there and maybe sunbathe or something. “I’ll meet you
guys there.”
“Oh, Hero, don’t be like that! I’m sorry, okay?” Mari tried, but Hero shook his head. He was
admittedly a little upset, but he gave her a quirk of a smile to show he wouldn’t have any
hard feelings.
“I’ll get the picnic all set up for when you guys are ready,” he promised.
The kids seemed a little unsure, but after Hero patted Basil on his sunhat in reassurance, they
seemed more comfortable. He was almost surprised when the crunch of footsteps signified
Sunny joining them as Kel’s voice still echoed through the trees as he chased the beetle.
“I’ll join him,” Sunny said, yawning.
It seemed like it was nap time for him, Hero thought. He would make sure his poor friend
didn’t get too sunburnt. “Alright! We’ll see you guys soon,” Hero said.
The two of them parted from their friends as everyone waved. Hero only felt a sigh of relief
to be free. He would be happy if he never saw another spider ever again. He would need to
make sure Kel released every single stupid bug he caught today.
He glanced down at his friend, though, as Sunny trekked next to him. “How come you’re
coming with me? I thought you wanted to bug hunt, Sunny?”
Sunny blinked at him before making a little face. “I hate bugs,” he announced firmly enough
that Hero barked a laugh.
“Oh, really?”
“They’re gross.”
“They sure are. I just thought you didn’t mind them as much as me.”
Sunny thought about it for a moment before nodding. “I can’t make that weird face.”
Hero sighed loudly. This was going to be something he wasn’t going to live down, it seemed.
Knowing his friends, it was even going to be immortalized in Basil’s photo album.
He made a disgruntled face at the treeline. Well… he would just need to try to get over his
dislike of bugs. One day.
8/16
The cries of late afternoon insects buzzed through the air as the muggy heat of the day came
back with a vengeance after an abrupt summer storm. The humidity clung to Hero’s skin even
as the wind blew in through the open windows of the treehouse while lazy lips tasted
satisfaction between him and his girlfriend. Mari shifted in his arms as the oppressing heat
was made worse by the heat of her body pressed to his, but he didn’t yet see a reason to break
away from her. It wasn’t until a silly giggle stole across his lips did they part as he laughed to
himself at the novel moment.
“What are you laughing about, silly?” Mari demanded playfully with her own eyes sparkling.
Her face was still flushed as she sat up on her elbow before brushing sweaty fringe from her
face.
“It’s just funny,” Hero explained, still laughing a little. “Making out in a treehouse. The secret
getaway of it all. Very teenager-y.”
“Teenager-y,” she mouthed with a roll of her eyes as she gave a sticky pat onto Hero’s bare
chest. She then sat up fully, shifting her legs under her to get more comfortable, before she
said, “Kel is right; you do sound like you’re an old man sometimes!”
“Hey, I’m being serious over here!” Hero complained even while grinning as he pushed
himself up onto his own elbows. “I just think this wasn’t exactly what Sunny and the others
were thinking of when we made this place.”
“Good. They don’t need to be thinking of this stuff at their age,” she huffed, nose in the air.
Hero watched her, and his stare caused her to break and giggle as well. “Okay, it’s a little
funny. You didn’t do this with me before?”
“Mm, not really.”
“That just means I’m making special memories with you.” She leaned over him and gave him
another slow, lingering kiss. His hand found its way to the back of her head as he dropped
them back to lay down once more, but they were disturbed as the familiar sounds of their
friends’ voices cut through the air. The two of them startled, heads snapping to the door of
the treehouse and back to each other, before they moved into a less intimate position. Hero
grabbed his shirt and pulled it back on. It might be hot enough to warrant not wearing a shirt,
but he didn’t really want to freak out his friends when they saw him half-dressed
unexpectedly.
The creak of the rope ladder and the jeers of Kel down to Aubrey sounded as they were all
scrambling up to be upon the teens in just a few moments. Mari laughed to herself again,
leaning into Hero’s space to try to sneak one final kiss, but unfortunately could not beat Kel’s
speed as a loud, “EW!! GROSS!!” was cried.
Kel looked appalled as he grimaced at the sight of them. Sunny was still crawling into the
treehouse, but Kel was half-blocking the doorway as he pointed at Mari and Hero and yelled,
“AAAAAHHH!! Stop KISSING in our treehouse!! You’re gonna spread your cooties
everywhere!!”
“Cooties?” Mari asked, giggling. “Why, Kel–”
But Hero wasn’t going to let his little brother get away with that. After all, they had been
having a perfectly fun time alone before they had been disturbed. And if Kel was afraid of the
‘cooties’ then… “Hmmm, Kel’s right. I guess I do have cooties…” A predatory smile broke
across his lips as he shifted to hands and knees. Kel’s eyes widened. “And… Now so will
you!”
He pounced, grappling his little brother as the boy screamed and squirmed. But Hero was
nothing if not good about wrangling Kel when he was still this small. It was a bit of a wrestle
as the two rolled across the floor of the treehouse, but soon Hero had Kel pinned as he
smothered his face in wet, sloppy kisses as Kel shrieked and kicked in agony. Hero refused to
let him go until he felt that he had gotten significant enough revenge and had been nearly
kneed in the stomach. And only then he let Kel go only to sit on him and pin him down as
Kel spluttered and wiped at his face and complained about how he was infested with diseases
now.
While the two brothers had been wrestling, the rest of the kids had crawled up the ladder to
join them. Aubrey just shook her head and crossed her arms while Basil was smiling and
laughing. Hero noticed that the boy was carrying a watermelon in his arms, though Sunny
was claiming it for himself as he took it from him. He carried it over to their table and placed
it down with a pat.
“Stop messing around so much, guys!” Aubrey scolded. “Come look at what Basil grew!”
“Oh, is that from the garden?” Mari asked, delighted. She was still sitting where Hero had
left her.
“Yeah! This is from one of the vines Hero helped me grow!” Basil bragged, beaming. “It’s
pretty big and ripe, so I thought we could eat it!”
“That’s awesome!” Hero said as he finally released his brother from the prison under his butt
and let him up. Kel kicked out at him to get one final hit in as Hero grunted in pain. He let
that one go since Kel was sulking over his loss anyway. Honestly, if Kel didn’t want Hero to
give him a loving attack then he shouldn’t mess with him. Big brother superiority still filled
Hero’s veins even if he was usually nice about it. There was just something that hit different
about irritating his little brother.
“It looks delicious, right?” Aubrey clapped her hands a little. “We should totally eat it!”
“We should!” Mari agreed as she finally stood. “I’ll go grab some plates and a knife, okay?
I’ll be right back.”
“Do you need any help?” Sunny asked, but Mari waved him off.
“Maybe when it’s time for me to climb back up, but otherwise, I’ve got it!” She exited the
treehouse with Hero watching her. A fresh breeze blew in through the open doorway and
window, clearing out some of the stagnant air that clung to the wood of the enclosure. He
tugged at his shirt to get some of that air flowing. He should’ve worn a tank top or
something. It was cooler inside of the treehouse, but it was awfully sticky today. He needed a
shower.
“Are you hot, Hero?” Basil asked as he placed the watermelon down on the table along with
his camera. It seemed he was taking that thing everywhere with him now. It was good to see
it getting so much usage. Hero was pretty sure Basil hadn’t used his camera as much in the
past. Maybe encouraging the hobby had made him more active with it? It was strange to see
him without it nowadays.
“Yeah. I’m looking forward to the watermelon. It’ll be a thirst-quencher,” he said as he

moved to sit down on the floor near the window instead to get more air. It was more
comfortable here. He eyed some of the comic books that Kel had brought up into the
treehouse with Sunny the other day as he continued, “Maybe we should’ve asked Mari for
some drinks too.”
“I can go get some,” Aubrey volunteered as she plopped down at the table with Kel,
smoothing the skirt of her dress as she did so. The boy had sprawled across the table, fingers
rolling the melon back and forth a little.
Hero shook his head. “It’ll be alright.”
“Hey. Hero,” Kel suddenly said as he sat up on his elbows. He gave his brother a stern look.
“No doing any dumb couple stuff in our treehouse, got it?”
Hero blinked at him, shocked. “Wha-What?”
“This is our treehouse! You can’t just hog it to kiss Mari all the time!”
Hero couldn’t believe the accusation he was facing right now. He felt more betrayed when
Sunny nodded in agreement with Kel, copying his friend’s crossed arms. A blush bloomed on
Hero’s cheeks as he protested, “We don’t come up here to… to… do anything! It was one
kiss, Kel!”
“Uh-huh, sure,” Aubrey, also a traitor, said dubiously. Hero stretched his arms out with
disbelief and looked to Basil for help. Surely he would be on his side, right?
Basil straightened at Hero’s silent cry for assistance before smiling helplessly. But still, being
the loyal friend he was, he turned to the others to say, “I’m sure it really was just the one kiss,
guys… Let’s leave him alone, okay?”
That only made Hero feel a little guilty. He had admittedly kissed Mari more than a few times
in the treehouse. But what they had been doing before their friends had shown up was really
none of their business.
“I’m just saying!” Kel huffed. “I don’t wanna see that stuff!”
“Kel…” Hero started, about to warn his brother off and how he wouldn’t stop Mari from
teasing him for when Kel started having his own romantic pursuits, but decided against it. He
just sighed. “Alright. I’m sorry, guys. It won’t happen again.” Though, honestly, it wasn’t
Hero who had prompted the rendezvous today. But he doubted his friends would give Mari
the third degree like they were doing to him.
With that out of the way, they ended up drifting into separate topics. Hero was feeling just a
little put out, so he decided to take advantage and read the comic books available to him
rather than join in on the conversation about something that had happened at the park before
the kids had arrived. The comic book was obviously an edition that Hero had read, but it had
been a long time since he had done so. It brought back fond memories to indulge in the world
of this particular superhero adventure.
It wasn’t long before Sunny had joined him, though he had climbed up to sit on the cubbies
with his back to the wall. He had a book with him that Hero vaguely recognized as something
from Basil’s place. That was something he hadn’t paid much attention to in the first timeline
either. Sunny liked books just like Basil did, though Sunny leaned towards fantasy and sci-fi
novels. He didn’t seem to be a fan of nonfiction unless it was a science book. He made a
mental note about possible suggestions for his friend. What kind of books would be at his
reading level right now…?
He was still thinking about it as he read his own comic book when Mari had returned. Basil
went to assist her in carrying up the paper plates and knife. After that the books were
abandoned for slicing up the melon, cleaning up the mess from it, and gorging themselves on
the delicious treat. It really did quench his thirst as he laid back against the wood floor and
relaxed, full and content.
A photograph was snapped at some point, but he had long since stopped paying as much
attention to Basil’s random snapshots. Sometimes they ended up in the photo album, and
other times they weren’t. Basil had even given photos as gifts to Hero and Kel when he felt
like it, so now a part of the boys’ bedroom had been dedicated to some nice photos from
Basil. Hero was appreciative of every single one of them. Especially if it was one of him and
Mari.
“Hero! Pay attention!” Mari called, snapping him out of the doze he had started to fall into
because of the heat.
“Huh?” he pushed himself up onto his elbows with a yawn. “What’s up?”
“Haha, were you falling asleep?” Kel laughed.
“Herooooo!” Aubrey whined. “We’re trying to figure out what to do with the rest of our
summer! Help us think of ideas!” She slumped on the table with a long, world-weary sigh. “I
feel like we’ve wasted most of our summer doing the same stuff we always do…”
“That’s not true, Aubrey,” Mari corrected her. “We’ve done plenty of fun things! I think
Basil’s photo album is proof of that.”
“True, but what’s our next big thing?”

“Well… There’s still summer homework,” Hero pointed out a little wryly. He received boos
all around for that.
“Forget that! We can do that on the last week of summer or something!” Kel cried, throwing
his arms up as Aubrey nodded fervently. “Besides, I wanna play more games if I wanna get
on the basketball team next year!”
“They’re not gonna let someone as short as you on it, Kel,” Aubrey said.
“Hey! I’m gonna get taller! And I’m not even that short!”
“You’re shorter than me.”
“So?!”
“If Hero’s any indicator, Kel will be big and tall before we know it,” Mari laughed, patting
Kel’s head as he glared sulkily at Aubrey. “But practicing isn’t too bad. Didn’t you say you
wanted to try out softball, Aubrey?”
“Really?” Sunny asked with a little surprise.
“Hey, that might be pretty fun! Following in Mari’s tracks?” Hero asked with a smile.
Aubrey blushed a bit and muttered, “It was just an idea… But it might be kinda fun–”
“WAIT!” Kel shot up abruptly, nearly upturning the table as he jumped to his feet with a cry
of, “THAT’S IT!!”
“What’s it?” Basil asked as Sunny helped to stabilize the table.
“WE SHOULD HAVE A BASEBALL GAME!” Kel jumped in place before beaming with
his fists on his hips. “We can totally get a bunch of the neighborhood kids together and form
two teams and play a game! And it’ll be good practice for Aubrey too!”
“Oh, that sounds like a lot of fun!” Mari said with delight.
“Hey yeah, that does sound like a lot of fun. There are so many kids around here to play with,
after all,” Hero agreed.
“But how will we let everyone know? That’s a lot of people we would have to gather,” Basil
asked.
“Flyers,” Sunny suggested, holding a finger up. He had that sparkle in his eye that showed
his excitement when his face didn’t fully capture it. It made Hero smile a bit wider.
“Flyers sounds like a lot of fun. We have plenty of paper and stuff. But when should we do
it?”
The group of them discussed the idea for a bit. The game couldn’t be too soon, or it might
interfere with other stuff. However, there were only a couple weeks left before school started.
They didn’t want to wait until it was too late either! But usually people were busy on the
weekends since parents typically weren’t working. Which only really left them with one
choice.
“This Thursday? That’s a little under a week!” Kel said. “We gotta get started on putting up
flyers right away!”
“How about we make them tonight?” Mari suggested. “Just in time too! I was going to
suggest a sleepover for tonight!” Her eyes sparkled as she caught everyone’s attention, and
smiled as she leaned on her elbows. “Why don’t we have the gender-split sleepover? Boys
and girls.”
“Where did this idea come from?” Hero asked, startled by the sudden suggestion. Judging by
his friends’ reactions, this wasn’t totally unexpected. Was this something they had discussed
before?
“If you were paying attention earlier instead of sleeping, you would’ve heard it,” Aubrey told
him with a roll of her eyes. Then she explained, “Mari and I don’t get to hang out alone and
have girl time because of you guys, so we’re gonna have a sleepover without you!”
“Yeah, and so we’ll have an even cooler, no-girls-allowed sleepover!” Kel stuck his tongue
out at them. “We don’t need you guys anyway, right guys?” He looked to his friends for
encouragement.
Basil just gave a neutral shrug, smiling. “Sounds fun. I just need to let Grandma know.”
Sunny nodded in agreement. “I’ll bring my controllers.”
“Mom and Dad should be fine with it… So, alright. And we’ll be making the flyers too?”
Hero asked.
“As long as the information is correct on all of them, then it doesn’t matter who makes
them,” Mari agreed. “Let’s clean up and head back inside so we can write everything down
and get ready for tonight, okay?”
“Alright!” The kids all agreed.
Hero had to admit that he had kind of missed this ability to just think of stuff to do on the fly.
It didn’t work that easily as an adult. It made him laugh as he watched his friends all climb
down from the treehouse. Looked like they were having a sleepover tonight. Just him, Kel,
Basil, and Sunny, huh?
He paused as he followed the others back through the backyard and to Mari’s house. His eyes
drifted towards the tree that, just a few weeks ago, he’d been unable to even look at.
Kel was aware of the future. And they would have Basil and Sunny alone without Mari
around or any interruptions…
Maybe it was time to get a status report on how Sunny was doing. And maybe try to figure
out if Basil had any clues for why Sunny might fight with Mari. With Kel assisting, maybe he
would have an easier time.
It’s worth a shot, Hero thought as he kept walking. He was looking forward to tonight.
Boys Night
Chapter Notes
Inferno made some new pictures for Sunny's birthday trip to the museum! I added them
to chapter 44 where you can find Basil's notes in the photo album. Thank you so much
for the beautiful pictures!
And please check out this GORGEOUS art that Mozzaremi did as part of an art trade
with me! I also added it to the very first chapter so people could see so many wonderful
scenes that would come in the story. (See if you can name them all!)
That night the boys worked hard to make plenty of fliers for the neighborhood baseball game
with the plan to hang them up around the area the next day. It hadn’t taken long between the
four of them, but Hero had made sure to double-check all of the information to make sure it
was accurate. After that it was just a matter of putting them in plastic page protectors, and
then they were ready to tape and staple the fliers. It wasn’t bad work. There were even little
drawings all over the pages encouraging kids and teens of various ages to join, and everyone
else who wanted to watch could come as well. It was planned to be at the big field not far
from the church since there wasn’t a proper baseball field for them to use.
It took up a good portion of the evening right after dinner, but it had been great fun and
occupation for all of them. Afterwards they all had to take turns using the bath before bed, so
Hero, Sunny, and Kel set to getting the sleeping area set up for Basil and Sunny while Basil
was first to take his bath. It wouldn’t have taken as long as it did if Sunny and Kel hadn’t
started an impromptu pillow fight that dissolved into grappling each other playfully on the
mess of blankets and sleeping bags. Hero stayed well out of the way and simply watched
until they tuckered themselves out and switched topics.
It wasn’t easy for Hero to think of a way to broach the topic he was really looking to get into.
Finding an opening wasn’t as simple as it seemed, though it really should be. Asking Sunny
about how his lessons and practice with Mari shouldn’t be so difficult. This was why he
really needed Kel’s help. Kel asking a random question out of nowhere wasn’t unusual for
him. If it came from Hero, it might be a little suspicious. Especially so since he wasn’t very
good about hiding his own discomfort with the topic. It was really frustrating for him.
He watched as Sunny started to doodle when Kel and Basil switched out for the shower. Kel
would be in and out in only a couple minutes as he would probably just rinse off and not
bother properly washing when he had company over. Hero could see Sunny concentrating on
his sketchbook drawing what looked to be Kel holding a lemon, except that he wrote Kel
declaring the fruit to be an orange, though spelled incorrectly. Hero frowned with confusion
at that. He knew that Sunny could spell orange, so what was up with that?
“What are you drawing, Sunny?” he asked as his curiosity got the best of him. Basil finished
pulling on his pajama shirt and kneeled next to Sunny to give the drawing a curious glance
too. He giggled at what he saw. Other than the Kel drawing, there were a few other random
pieces of art. There was a bright purple looking world with cats, stars, toys, and fruits
scattered about. There were some figures that seemed like Sunny’s stuffed animals, and there
were long snakes that traveled across the page. It seemed like a mish-mash of ideas without
much of a coherent thread, which Hero wasn’t surprised to see. Sunny had always drawn
whatever came to mind, though he didn’t draw quite as much as he used to.
“It’s Kel,” Sunny pointed out simply.
“But he’s holding a…” What should he call it? “A… lemon?”
“Oragne,” he corrected. Okay, so he hadn’t spelled it incorrectly. He had pronounced it wrong

too.
“Huh?”
“It’s a joke,” Basil explained, seeing Hero’s utter confusion. “Sunny calls lemons ‘oragnes’
because he’s teasing Kel.”
“How so?” Hero had never heard Sunny call them that before. But then again it wasn’t like
lemons came up often in conversation, and when they did (like when they’d had lemonade)
he’d never heard Sunny actually say the word.
“Back in elementary school, Kel thought lemons were oranges,” Sunny explained as he
colored in the lemon with a bright yellow crayon. “But he spelled it wrong.”
Hero laughed now. “So you call them oragnes to mess with him?”
Sunny nodded with a tiny smirk and a mischievous sparkle in his eyes that looked just like
Mari’s.
“He gets embarrassed if you remind him of it,” Basil said as hid his laughter behind his hand.
“But Sunny hasn’t let it go.”
“I’m surprised you knew before me,” Hero pointed out to his friend.
Basil shrugged. “We’re around each other more. Sunny’s my best friend, after all!”
Right. Hero had gotten so used to thinking that Sunny and Kel were best friends (and they
were, Kel insisted) that he forgot that Sunny was Basil’s closest friend in the group. The two
of them had bonded over similar quiet personalities, and it was just as common to see them
hanging out talking about whatever while their wilder friends were running around together.
And then there was Mari and Hero, who were the eldests and were best friends as well as
lovers. It would make sense that they would be drawn to the other.
It only hurt Hero’s heart to remember this fact. The devastation that was caused because of
Basil and Sunny’s bond with each other had destroyed his life and everyone else’s lives with
it. It was still difficult for Hero to look at how Basil and Sunny were now as Basil laid down
next to Sunny, pressed to his side as he asked questions about Sunny’s drawings, to think of
what they had became in Hero’s timeline.
Sunny hadn’t said a word the entire two days Hero had hung out with him. He wondered if he
had said anything to Basil the night they had fought, and what words were exchanged that
had caused Basil to stab Sunny’s eye out.
He thought about it sometimes as he replayed that night over and over in his head with the
little bit of information that he had and what he could intuit now that so much time had
passed. Basil and Sunny had both been struggling with their own trauma, and Hero knew
better than anyone what it meant to see monsters. If Hero sometimes saw horrific images of
Sunny’s death when he had only seen the aftermath… what kind of visions did someone so
imaginative like Sunny and as empathetic as Basil have?
It was probably better not to think of this now while his friends were in the room. Kel would
be finishing with his rinse soon enough, so Hero gathered his clothes and got up while
informing his friends he was headed to the shower next.
Kel was in the middle of fighting with a tangled knot in his hair with a brush when Hero
walked into the bathroom. His brother hadn’t even bothered with a shirt, and his hair wasn’t
very dry. It was barely helping in the war against the knot. No wonder Kel had been taking so
long.
“Here, you’re going to hurt yourself,” Hero told him as he took the brush from his brother.
Kel huffed. “I know I know! It’s because I didn’t wash, right?”
“If you already knew, you should’ve actually used some shampoo.” Kel ignored him, but
didn’t fight him as Hero worked the knot apart and carefully brushed out Kel’s hair. It was
always a little funny that Kel still let him do this. His teenage self refused to let Hero
anywhere near his hair. In fact, his little brother had fought with him about it even at this age
in the last timeline. Why was Kel being so compliant in this lifetime? It made Hero wonder if
maybe he was closer to his little brother as well, or if something about this Kel had changed
over the course of time Hero had been here. He couldn’t really imagine what or why, though.
“Hey…” he started after he finally got the knot out and smoothed the brush through his hair,
switching to Spanish just in case Sunny or Basil might happen to overhear, “I need your help
with something.”
“Is it gonna take long?” Kel whined, switching languages as well. He was fidgeting in that
way that told Hero he was going to burst from his skin if he was kept away from the fun stuff
much longer.
The brushing stopped, and Hero met Kel’s eyes in the mirror. His expression said it all,
displaying his concern and discomforting feelings. “I’m serious, Kel.”
Kel frowned and stopped fidgeting so much. He could pick up on these kinds of cues. “What
is it?” he asked. “Did something happen while I was washing?”
“No… nothing like that. But…” He finally put the brush down and held onto Kel’s shoulders.
He gripped them a little tightly, then released him with a sigh as he moved to stand next to
him instead. Kel just watched him. “I’m… still trying to figure out why Sunny did what he
did in my timeline. I need help finding out what caused him to get so angry. So,” he looked to
his brother, “can you help me try to… I don’t know, ask questions and figure out how
Sunny’s feeling? Or see if you notice anything weird about him or Basil? Hell, just…
anything. Clues. Something.”
He couldn’t explain the desperation in his chest. The deadline for discovering the truth hung
over his head like a swinging pendulum ax that was slowly descending upon him. He knew
he had changed the timeline in certain ways, but was it enough to stop history from repeating
itself? He was closer to Sunny and Basil, but he didn’t yet feel like he could pry into any
possible insecurities Sunny might have without first having some kind of catalyst for the
conversation. He didn’t even know how to bring it up!
But with Kel helping to smooth any weird or rough edges in his typical Kel fashion, maybe
he could get some information tonight. His brother was more perceptive than people
believed, and Kel had been keeping an eye on Sunny ever since he had found out the truth.
However, he had yet to come back with any significant results.
If Sunny got angry enough to fight with Mari, then that probably meant the core reason for
the fighting would get stronger the closer they got to the date of the recital. Hero had
theories, but nothing solid yet.
“Like what?” Kel asked, turning to lean against the counter as he faced his brother. “What
can we ask?”
“Let’s find out more about his thoughts on the recital and how he feels playing with Mari,”
Hero suggested after a moment of thought. “He isn’t really as open with me alone… but if
Basil knows anything, maybe he’ll say it if we’re all on the topic.”
“Doesn’t he like playing with Mari?” Kel asked with confusion scrunching his face. “After
all, he wanted the violin!”
But did he, Hero wondered. Not once did Sunny actually say he wanted the violin. He
seemed to enjoy playing it, but he didn’t seem nearly as passionate as Basil made him out to
be when he had made the suggestion about buying a violin in the first place. Sunny seemed to
like it as a hobby at best, and not one that he chose to partake in too often either judging by
how little he ever talked about it. Mari was always talking with Hero about a new
composition or praise she had gotten from her parents during her own practice times. And she
talked about Sunny a lot too and how he was improving but how she wished he would
practice more often too.
“I think he likes playing with Mari, but… I don’t know. Maybe there’s more to it.” Hero
rubbed at the back of his neck. “Basil said that Sunny broke the violin that day. I can see that
being the cause of a fight between him and Mari, but why would Sunny break his violin? Was
it on purpose? It sounded like it, but Basil’s explanation was… bare bones, at best…” He
trailed off to the sound of rain in his ears and Basil’s weak confession fogging his memories.
“Hey,” Kel clapped his brother on the arm to bring him back to the present. He gave him a
reassuring smile and a thumbs up. “Don’t stress about it, bro! We’ll figure it out!” He tucked
his arms behind his head. “Sunny’s not really that complicated! He’s just quiet! Just leave it
to me, alright?” He pointed his thumb at himself with confidence.
Hero admittedly felt reassured. Having to do all this stuff on his own had been crushing him
slowly but surely; especially since Mari was trying to play everything by ear to keep the
timelines as similar as possible. Hero still didn’t think that was the way to go, but he had
been tired of fighting with his best friend. Kel on his side, and knowing he had his parents’
support too when he would need it, did a lot to take the burden off of him a little.
He smiled back. “Thanks, Kel. I’m glad I can count on you.”
“Hehe, anytime!” Kel ran over to the bathroom door, and then paused. He glanced back at
Hero with a little bit of a softer, sadder smile now. “After all… It wasn’t just you who didn’t
manage to help Sunny and Basil back then, yeah? I don’t want to lose my best friends
anymore than you do.”
“...Yeah,” Hero murmured in agreement.
Kel gave one more nod and then left, shutting the door behind him. Hero had complicated
feelings over Kel having that pressure on him too… but he couldn’t deny his brother’s words.
Hero might know about the future, but his friends wouldn’t want to lose each other either.
Hero would consider himself grateful as long as he could keep that smile on his brother’s
face. He never wanted to see those hopeless eyes on him ever again. Smiling suited Kel.
He took his shower quickly and returned to find that the boys had started doing their own
individual things. Kel and Basil had their GameBoys hooked up through a trading cord and
seemed to be in a focused Pokemon battle while Sunny sat on the floor near a lamp to read. It
seemed like he had really gotten into the novel that Basil had recommended. So, Hero left
them to it.
He instead went to the bedroom window and opened it wide to feel the summer breeze come
in. It blew his hair from his face as he closed his eyes, using it to cool off and dry off at the
same time. He kneeled as he leaned on the window sill and laid his head on his arms, looking
at what bit of Mari’s house that he could see. The light was on in her bedroom still, though he
couldn’t tell anymore than that. He wondered what the two of them might be doing at their
sleepover.
None of them were particularly tired, but the whole reason the showers had started was
because Mom had told them to start winding down when they had gotten too loud. So,
gaming was out of it. However, the living room opened up as soon as his parents had
retreated upstairs for the night, and that was when the party really started.
There was nothing better than snacks snuck from the fridge at close to midnight when you
were a kid, and the boys did just that before they threw themselves in front of the television.
Kel had laughed as Basil and Sunny teased Hector, who had joined them for the boys night,
by tossing a piece of ham back and forth. The pup got riled up and jumped right on top of
Sunny as his jaws snapped at the ham, making Sunny yelp when he got a faceful of dog
tummy.
They kept the television turned down low and muffled their laughter, though Sunny had to
smack Kel in the face with a pillow at one point because he was too loud. And only after they
were crunching on chips and were getting into the late-night movie that, honestly, Hero didn’t
think 12-year-olds should watch (and he didn’t want to watch it either because of the
violence) did he finally ask under the guise of purposefully avoiding the movie,
“Hey Sunny?” Sunny tilted his head to show he was listening, but didn’t turn his eyes from
the screen. Hero grimaced. Jurassic Park had never been his cup of tea. “Um… How’s the
recital practice been going?”
This time Sunny just gave him a look that said that he didn’t know why Hero was asking that
now of all times.
Kel rolled his eyes where only Hero could see it. Well, sorry Kel! He wasn’t good at this
stuff!
But Kel was nothing if not a good brother, and he was quick to help with the recovery as he
added, “Yeah! It’s only a couple months from now! I’ve only been hearing some of the stuff
through the window. You and Mari sound real good, man.”
Sunny wrapped his arms around the pillow he was laying on. “...Thank you.”
Kel was not to be dissuaded, “Howzit feel knowing you’ll be playing in front of so many
people?”
“Kel,” Hero warned, frowning. He didn’t want Kel to psych Sunny out!
“What? It’s a crazy thing! I’d be super nervous!”
Basil glanced down at Sunny, who had yet to respond, and answered for him to say, “It’s
definitely kind of scary… but it’s good to try new things. And Sunny won’t be alone, right?”
Sunny hummed in agreement.
Hero tried to redirect as he asked, “Has practice been going well? I know it’s not easy playing
a duet with someone. How do you feel about it?”
That seemed to be a better answer as Sunny thought it over. His eyes glanced at all of his
friends, and Hero saw the moment he understood that he had made a good decision to try to
talk about this when there was no risk of Mari being around. Sunny seemed visibly more
comfortable as he hesitantly said, “It’s… hard. お姉ちゃん is…” he sought out a charitable
word, “really serious.”
Hero sat forward just a bit. Finally, some information. “Serious how?”
“She…” Sunny rubbed at his neck, brows pinching as he frowned. “She’s always been more
into practice than me… and I feel… a lot of pressure.” His shoulders hunched as if he was
confessing something sinful as he admitted, “I… don’t like practicing as much as her. She’s
really serious about the piano but… I just… like playing the violin with her… But…”
He didn’t finish even as the boys waited. Hero thought over what he was saying and tried to
connect it with what he knew.
Sunny had started playing the violin again because Mari was practicing a lot with the piano.
And Basil had been the one to suggest that they get him a new violin after they had all seen
how Sunny had wanted to play with Mari. Even by the boy’s own admission, he just enjoyed
playing with Mari. It sounded more to Hero that Sunny saw playing the violin like a hobby in
comparison to Mari who wanted to pursue music as a career. She had always put her heart
and soul into stuff she really cared about.
He remembered how messy the shelves in the music room were in Sunny’s house. They were
full of compositions that Mari had made notes in and studied. She almost always had a book
on her even at school, and it wasn’t uncommon for Hero to see her practicing fingerings to
herself.
Meanwhile, Sunny never even talked about his violin outside of when he was forced to take
his lessons on Saturdays or when he and Mari had to go practice. He played for them if
asked, but there was a distinct lack of passion that Mari had.
Hero realized, then, that Sunny was probably only doing this recital because his family
wanted to. Did Sunny even want to do the recital?
Hero brought a thoughtful knuckle to his mouth as Basil told Sunny, “You and Mari sound
great together. I know she can be… tough… but it’ll all be worth it for the recital!” He was
trying to be positive for his friend, and it worked a little.
Sunny shrugged and nodded. “I know. お姉ちゃん wants it to be perfect… so I’ll do my
best.”
“Ugh, I can’t even imagine being in your place,” Kel grumbled. “The recital sounds so
boring. Playing the same song over and over and over and over and over again! I don’t know
how you guys haven’t perfected it yet!”
Sunny grimaced and didn’t respond to that. Hero made a note to ask Mari about her point of
view about the situation. He wouldn’t give away Sunny’s clear hold-ups about the recital to
her, though. Not unless it became a problem. He was starting to get a clearer picture about the
future.
“Your parents were the ones who really wanted this too, right? They’ve always been really
encouraging with Mari’s piano practice,” Hero asked, suspecting what the next bout of
pressure was coming from. Mari might be pushing Sunny to play perfectly, but her parents
were the ones who were pushing her, so Hero didn’t doubt they were pressuring Sunny as
well.
Sunny nodded. “They said there will be important people there that day. And they don’t want
me to waste my lessons… even though I don’t really want to do them anymore.”
“What?” Basil asked, surprised. “You don’t like the lessons?”
Sunny seemed ashamed as he shook his head a tiny bit, as if scared to admit it.
“Oh man, tell them you wanna quit then!” Kel suggested with a wave of his hand. “It’s
annoying that they always happen on Saturdays anyway! What will happen when school
starts again? That’s, like, an hour out of your weekend!”
“It’s not that easy, Kel,” Basil protested. “His parents paid for them. And he can’t quit now
when the recital is only in a couple of months…” He glanced at Sunny and gave him a
reassuring smile, “But maybe you can ask to quit after the recital…?”
Sunny just gave a shrug. He didn’t know.
Hero placed a hand on his friend’s head and rubbed it. “You can do it, Sunny. It must be hard
and a bit scary, but you and Mari will do great. And if you ever need a break or a person to
complain to, we’re here for you. We won’t even tell Mari, right boys?”
“Yeah!” Basil and Kel hurried to agree with nods and smiles. Hero beamed when he saw how
Sunny – whether he knew it or not – seemed relieved that his secret was being kept. Clearly
he didn’t want Mari to know about his complaints. Sunny had never been one to complain
anyway. He’d always kept his feelings inside, which was something Hero had only realized
as he had actively sought out Sunny’s thoughts on different things.
His desire to get fit to impress Aubrey, his lack of passion in the violin, his insecurities in his
manliness, his interest in outer space, and even the little secret about ‘oragnes’... These were
all things that Hero had not known about in the past. There were sides to Sunny that he didn’t
know, and he was understanding his friend more and more as he tried to get the quiet boy to
speak his mind more often.
Hero had a strong theory about what might have happened on the day of the recital now
because he had made this effort. And now he wanted to be sure that he could put the safety
nets up to maybe prevent any risk from happening.
The hardest part, he understood, was not going to be Sunny. It was going to be Mari.
8/18
Chapter Notes
Edit: I have decided that I will not be writing parts 2 and 3 of this fanfic and that it will
end once the main problem is resolved. As such, I will be removing all of the
unnecessary tags. If I do change my mind at a later point, I will be posting part 2 and
maybe 3 as a separate fic that I will then add as a series to this one. Part one is a
complete story in and of itself, so I promise I'll wrap this up well. However, the plans to
have the High School Romance and the HeroMari Wedding won't be featured here
anymore. Any relationships outside of HeroMari in this fic will just be cute nods to the
possible future, but there's not enough for them to have a tag anymore.
I'm sorry for anyone who was looking forward to that, but I hope you enjoy the cute
stuff of the younger friends and the HeroMari that is still to come.
Thank you.
The one good thing about their small neighborhood was that on Sundays Hobbeez was still
open. This meant that they could easily enjoy the new set of wares and comics that had come
in and meant that it was a common hangout spot for the younger kids in their group. Hero
trusted them to behave themselves in Hobbeez if only because the store clerk knew them well
and seemed to be entertained by them. He was the type of man who liked to show off his
knowledge to the wide-eyed “students” of the “geek craft” that he liked to share. And he was
more than willing to discuss all kinds of board and video games, as well as comics and
collectors’ items, with them.
It was here that Hero and Mari left their younger friends as the group had gotten caught up in
the new Captain Spaceboy comic and had started talking excitedly with each other. Hero
enjoyed Captain Spaceboy, but he wasn’t as into it now that he was older. And besides, this
wasn’t new for him. So instead, he decided to head over to the store to go buy some snacks
for them to eat once their friends were done with their Pokémon games and Sunny finished
challenging the store clerk to his Pet Rock battle.
Mari’s hair was done up in loose pigtails today that were distracting Hero as they swung
rhythmically to her movements. She was just a little bit in front of him as she held his hand
and guided him as she said, “So, my extra classes are going to start right after school,
according to my parents. I’m going to be there for a semester. I know we talked about me
possibly being able to avoid it, but I really don’t think it will be so bad! Dad says that it will
look good on my college transcripts since it’s a pretty reputable place. But I’ll have to take a
bus a few blocks from our school.” She looked back at him as they entered the grocery store.
Hero basked in the wave of air conditioner that washed over him. Only a few moments
outside had been enough for a sweat to build along his hairline.
“You’ll be busy again in the evenings, huh?” he asked as he grabbed a hand basket to carry
for shopping instead of getting a cart. This time Mari followed him as he guided them to the
produce section to go grab some fruit since Mari preferred them over other sweet snacks.
“Yes! But try not to miss me too much, okay?” she gave him a cheeky wink before she
beamed. “We’ll still see each other plenty of times at school and on the weekends!” Her smile
dropped away into something more thoughtful as she admitted, “I guess my plate’s getting
pretty full. Between the recital practice, school, extra lessons, and now my mom thinking
maybe we should do a flower-arranging class, I feel like such a busy girl!”
These were all things that Mari had done in the first timeline too. It made his stomach bubble,
sour with the anxiety for the future. He had to believe that he had made significant enough
changes, but… he truly wasn’t sure. He didn’t like having to wait. At the rate things were
going, very little had actually changed the course of Mari’s abrupt death.
He wanted to insert himself more into the lives of his loved ones. It didn’t seem like Mari
was going to work with him on anything that involved her parents since nothing had changed
in regards to the extra burdens on her time. So, he would try more subtle things.
“Actually,” he said as Mari grabbed a bag of grapes to put into the basket, “depending on my
parents’ schedules, I might be able to drive you to your lessons sometime.”
“What?” she spun on him, startled by this news. “Driving? You?”
He couldn’t help the way he stood a little straighter, puffing up with pride as he grinned.
“Yeah! I haven’t told the others yet, but I’m actually going to go get my driving permit on
Tuesday. We have an appointment and everything.”
“Driving permit?!” Mari gasped. “Hero! When was this decided? I didn’t even know you
wanted to drive.”
“I’ve told you before how I had my license in my first life, right? Well, my parents agreed to
let me get my permit sooner rather than later. That way once I meet the requirements in a few
months, I can get my license and I can take you on a nicer date.” He wrapped an arm around
her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her hair. “We still haven’t found an excuse to wear those
nice outfits we picked for each other. And, well, Faraway Town feels really small once
you’ve gotten the freedom of a license, haha.”
“That’s so exciting!” Her eyes sparkled as she smiled up at him. “But you still need to drive
with your parents, right? Doesn’t that mean they’ll just be driving me to my lessons?”
“Well… I’ll be driving, but yeah.” He gave a shrug. He couldn’t help that factor. “But hey,
it’ll be more fun than taking the bus all the time, right? And we can at least hang out a little
bit.” They finished grabbing their fruit, so it was time for the actual snack section. Aubrey
wouldn’t forgive him if he didn’t at least grab her some pretzel sticks to munch on. “Last
time… you were usually so busy we didn’t actually get much time to hang out outside of
school. I mean, there were the weekends and you had some free time, but I know you were
really focused on all of your stuff. I didn’t want to bother you too much. Though, we did talk
to each other on the phone some nights when both of us should’ve been in bed.”
“Was it really that bad?” Mari asked with a concerned frown.
“When you weren’t busy, we were all typically hanging out as a group. There wasn’t really
time for alone time, you know? Though…” he paused while reaching for a bag to take off of
the shelf. His brow scrunched as he tried to remember those days. Reliving this last year had
done a lot to bring back memories of those days, but that last month leading up to the day of
the recital were a blur. “I still think we hung out more than we did hang out with our
friends… but that’s because of me rather than you.”
“What do you mean?” she took the bag from Hero’s hand and put it back before grabbing a
different bag with a raised eyebrow. He accepted the new option as he offered his basket.
“I mean that I was the one who was asking you for more of your time. We kinda prioritized
our alone time over our friends.”
Mari was silent for a long moment as she considered this. Then she confessed, “Hm… I kind
of wish we would do that more, actually.”
“More?”
She huffed with a hint of exasperation. “Yes. Just a bit more, maybe. I feel like lately you’ve
been tied at the hip with Kel, or Basil. I know they’re our friends, but sometimes I want some
time away from our kid siblings. Maybe we can spend more time with people our age too?”
Hero grinned and scratched at his cheek. “Ah, uh, has it really been that bad?”
“Yes. It has,” she said with her fists on her hips disapprovingly. But her glare wasn’t so stern
as to do more than reprimand Hero lightly, and Hero wasn’t one to ignore a warning from his
girlfriend about the state of their relationship.
“Just for a little while longer, honey,” he promised. He reached out and took her hand from
her hip and squeezed it imploringly. “I just… Just until we’re past the date of the recital.”
She frowned, but her shoulders relaxed. “Are you finding anything that’s helping? I know
you want to be closer with everyone… but is it working out like you’ve hoped?”
Hero’s eyes skittered away from her. The mascot on one of the boxes of gummy snacks
reminded him of Kel. “Not exactly. It’s… I mean, of course it’s great learning more about our
friends. It’s been amazing. But…” He paused and then said, “Actually, Mari, I do need to talk
to you about some stuff. How about we buy these and go sit at the fountain for a bit before
going to pick everyone up?”
“That’s a little foreboding.” But she didn’t protest as they decided to end their shopping
rather quickly and head out to the fountain. There was no point in holding off on discussing
this. Hero hadn’t had the chance to do it yesterday after the sleepover, so he would do it today
instead. The sooner it was on Mari’s radar, the better. Besides, he had a feeling she would just
be hurt if he hid anything that could help her little brother from her. Hero was pretty sure he
was going to be the one getting the flack for it, though.
The fountain itself was a favorite hangout spot for the locals in the area, and Hero was
unsurprised when he found a couple people loitering on the benches or on the edge of the
fountain itself. He didn’t really care if people overheard them, but as he and Mari sat down
on the emptier side of the fountain, he decided to keep his voice lower so they could talk
privately.
“I was talking with Sunny and Basil during the sleepover,” he started right away as he held
her hand in his. He used his foot to scoot their bag of snacks over a little on the ground so
they wouldn’t be hit by their legs moving as they swung them a little. “And I think maybe
I’ve put together what probably happened that day… or at least the causes of it.”
“Why me and Sunny fought? It’s because of the violin, right?” Mari asked.
“Yeah. I’ve been trying to figure out why Sunny broke his violin in the first place since he
really loved our present. It wasn’t like him to do something like that.”
“I was thinking maybe it was an accident,” she said thoughtfully. “And maybe I was arguing
with him because of it.”
Hero frowned at her. “Do you think you would get angry enough at him for that that he
would push you?”
“No, of course not!” She shook her head quickly, squeezing his hand. “I mean, it’s not like I
don’t get frustrated with Sunny sometimes. All siblings bicker. I think if I saw Sunny had
broken his violin, I would definitely be upset! But fighting… hm…” she hummed to herself,
looking troubled.
“Unless… you thought he did it on purpose?” Hero suggested. “That’s what I’ve been
assuming, anyway.”
“But why would Sunny break it, if that’s the case?” Mari turned to him with a serious frown,
almost offended at the thought.
“Basil told us that you two were fighting at the top of the stairs. I don’t think he would’ve
said that if you were scolding Sunny,” he reasoned with her. “So… let’s assume Sunny did it
on purpose. The only thing I can think of as to why Sunny would purposefully break his
present is… probably so he doesn’t have to do the recital.”
“But on the day of?”
“That’s what I was trying to figure out. And…” Honestly, there was no real easy way to say
this. Hero wanted to be tactful, though. So, he was careful as he said, “I think maybe the
pressure got to him. And he snapped.”
Mari considered him for a moment, still frowning. Her worried gaze was tinged with
frustration. “Then we run the risk of him breaking his violin on the day of the recital no
matter what.” Her hand clenched around his. “We have to stop that.”
Hero wanted to point out that this would’ve been resolved if Mari had listened to him about
the recital in the first place, but he wasn’t nearly brave (or petty) enough to do so. He allowed
that thought to go. “I don’t think he suddenly decided on that on the day of. I mean, that’s
kind of drastic, isn’t it? Sunny’s never really been the type to break his stuff.”
“Well… no, you’re right.” She sighed a little. “Are you saying that you think it had built up
to that point?”
“Yeah. Mari, have your parents been kinda hard on Sunny about this?”
“No more than they usually are.”
“Are you sure?” He gazed at her earnestly, still stepping carefully. “I might be
misremembering but… did you tell me before that they put more pressure on you than on
him?”
“That’s because I’m the eldest,” she said a little shortly. “Of course I have more
responsibilities.”
“And what about now? Are they putting more pressure on Sunny? …Or, are you?”
He didn’t know if maybe Mari was sensitive to anything relating to her parents because of
her age, but she always got annoyed with him whenever he would try to interfere between
them. She had her own issues with her parents, but she saw it as her burden to bear and deal
with and didn’t appreciate Hero thinking he could help her decide otherwise. That
stubbornness was a feature about his girlfriend he didn’t always like.
She hadn’t appreciated his words. “What are you asking, Hero?”
He didn’t want to fight. His shoulders slumped a bit as he admitted, “I’m just trying to
consider all of the factors, Mari. And Sunny—”
“And Sunny what?” she demanded. “Has he told you I’ve been hard on him?”
“Not in so many words. But he mentioned how you want the recital to be perfect—”
“Hero,” she cut him off sternly. Hero internally grimaced. “I want the recital to be perfect
because this is an amazing opportunity not just for myself, but for my family and for Sunny
as well. Sunny has the talent to be wonderful at the violin if he just puts more effort into it.
He wanted to do this, so stop acting like this was forced on him, please.”
“I don’t think it was forced on him,” Hero insisted, “but I don’t think Sunny is nearly as
passionate about music as you are. And I think trying to make him match your energy is just
going to hurt rather than help him.”
“Sunny with his violin is like Kel with his grades,” she tried to reason. “Sunny needs that
push in order to better himself because he doesn’t want to do it himself. It’s no different than
you tutoring Kel so that he gets better in school!”
“But unlike with Sunny, I’m not setting the bar too high, Mari!”
“I’m not setting the bar too high, Hero!” She released his hand to slap her own onto her thigh
in frustration. “It’s just one song! Sunny keeps putting off practicing when this is important to
me! Do you think it’s unfair that he signed up for this and then he doesn’t put his part in?”
“Yes! Of course I think it’s unfair, Mari, but your standards—”
“My standards are what, Hero?” she asked with a suspicious level of calm. Hero could feel
the storm brewing behind her voice and in her eyes. The irritation he was feeling at her not
compromising with him was tempting to utilize to fight back. However, he knew it would
only get worse if he actually fought with her.
He wanted understanding, not another silent war between the two of them.
He took a deep breath. He released it slowly. And then he tried again, “I want you both to do
well at this recital. But right now my main priority is your life, Mari. And you… You are
seriously not helping me here.” He squeezed his eyes shut as bitterness clawed at his throat.
He turned away from her and down at his lap as he gritted out, “I’ve been trying to change
the future… but you want things to stay as similar to the original timeline as possible. Up to
and even including this. And I… Mari, I thought you wanted to help me. Do I really have to
go against you on this?” He peeked at her.
He didn’t understand why she was like this. Her stubbornness was going to literally get her
killed all over again. He could see her argument of trying to keep things as close to the same
as before, but they only had a few weeks left before the recital. Hero was sure that Sunny
lashing out was going to cause Mari’s death. And yes, Hero knew that logically he could just
make sure that he was in the household on the day of the recital to physically be a barrier to
any possible fighting. He could follow Mari’s plan and just coast through these days and then
make dramatic changes on the day of the recital.
And he did plan to do that. He had been discussing it with his parents and with Kel already.
Hero would not let anything stand in his way between being there if there’s a worst-case
scenario.
However, he had grown to know Sunny more. And he didn’t want two of his best friends to
fight at all. Mari was so determined with this recital and helping Sunny’s future that she was
missing about how her little brother actually felt. And it was because of that
misunderstanding and tension that Sunny, instead of finding a verbal resolution with Mari,
must have thrown his violin in a fit of childish anger instead which had incited Mari’s death.
He needed to make up for his failure to save Sunny and Basil too. If Mari lived, that was the
best thing Hero could ask for. But if he could, he wanted to ease Sunny’s burden more as
well. Sunny deserved to have this recital as a happy memory, if at all possible. Hero didn’t
want to sit around and let life happen to him.
Mari’s anger cracked and she jerked back a little. “What? Why would you be going against
me on this?” She reached for his hand and grabbed it. “We’re on the same side. I don’t want
to die either, Hero.”
“Then please… Just consider what I’m saying, okay?” he implored. “I’m not doing this to
upset you. But I know you sometimes get caught up juggling your life so much that you
just… you miss things sometimes, Mari. And I want to help you carry some of that weight.”
His words were working. Her anger melted away into something that was stinging. “What do
you want me to do, then? I can’t stop this recital. I need Sunny to do his best, so I can’t stop
that either.”
“I don’t know what’s going on in Sunny’s head. And I don’t know completely how he feels
about everything. But Sunny… I don’t think he sees the violin as more than a hobby, and I
don’t think he likes playing it as much as we thought when we gifted him the violin. I think
he likes it for you, Mari. And maybe constantly telling him he has to be perfect at it isn’t
helping him.”
“I’m not telling him to be perfect,” Mari argued.
“But you want the recital to be perfect.”
That one made her stop. It seemed like maybe his words were getting through to her a little
bit as she considered them. Then she asked, “You think the pressure from… me and our
parents are what pushed Sunny to break his violin?”
“I think… I think maybe you should talk with Sunny more about how he’s feeling. Because I
don’t think he’ll tell you by himself.”
Whatever Mari was about to say in response to Hero’s suggestion, though, was cut off before
she could say anything as Hobbeez’s door burst open and the gaggle of kids came pouring out
chattering to themselves. They started to go towards the grocery store, but instead Mari called
them over to the fountain with a wave. Hero frowned at her as she didn’t respond to him, but
he could tell at least it was something to consider.
He hoped that Sunny would open up to Mari for everyone’s sake since Mari didn’t seem to
want to hear it from Hero.
Baseball
Thursday’s neighborhood softball game proved to be a cloudy day, but that didn’t stop the
excitement as everyone gathered for the game. The empty lot near the church had a couple of
annoying trees in the way, but it was a big enough field for a makeshift game. The
neighborhood kids of varying ages had gathered, and picnic blankets were set up by a couple
families to watch. Even the apple and orange vendors had come out in support with cheap
juice for those who wanted to purchase it.
These were all familiar faces for Hero as he put down the last frisbee that would be used to
mark third base. The kids that were planning to join the game were already gathering in the
middle so that teams could be formed. Though Hero wasn’t the best at remembering names,
he could easily recognize Aubrey’s group of friends. Kel knew them better than Hero did. It
was almost a little strange to see how Aubrey was only acquainted with them now judging by
the way she clung closer to Kel, Sunny, and Mari’s sides than to Kim’s. He wondered if
somehow they would all become friends again even without Mari’s death as a factor since he
remembered seeing the picture of Kim and Aubrey together in Aubrey’s room in the future.
He took his time going to join the others as he spotted Basil chatting with Vance on the
sidelines. Vance appeared to have a grocery bag with him and had set up some kind of shop.
An exchange of money resulted in Basil cheerfully getting a bottle of water before he went to
join the others gathering for the teams. Hero just gave Vance a curious look when he didn’t
join. Looks like he wasn’t planning on playing today. Were he and his sister trying to make
some money on the side?
The teams were still being discussed and divided, causing a little bit of bickering on each
side. Hero stayed out of it as he joined Mari near the fringes of the group. She had her hair
pulled back into a ponytail today under her baseball cap, but there was a bit of a wistful
expression on her face. He nudged her when he got close enough.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Hm?” she hummed, distracted. Her eyes lingered on the group before pulling to him. Her
wistful smile turned into something a little warmer, but the cooled edges did not completely
dissipate. “Nothing.”
Hero glanced at the group of kids as he racked his brain for why she might be like this. Was it
related to Sunny, maybe? It had been a few days since their conversation, but he hadn’t heard
of any updates to that. But if that was true, he wondered why Mari would be thinking of that
now? It was probably something else.
He hazarded a guess, “Are you going to be joining us? You’re great at this.”
Her eyebrows twitched downwards with annoyance before relaxing again. There was a tiny
frown on her face. “You know that I can’t, Hero. Or have you forgotten again?”
He knew she hadn’t meant to sound a little mean while saying that, but it had still hurt a bit
anyway. He knew her knee was a sensitive subject for her. He wasn’t going to let it get to
him, though. “I haven’t forgotten. But that doesn’t mean you can’t play.”
“I can’t run for long or risk twisting the wrong way.” She glared a little at her knees before
swinging the injured leg back and forth. She took a deep breath to calm herself before putting
a smile back on. “It’s okay. I’m okay. I’ll just watch from the sidelines. It’s fun to watch the
game too, right?”
“How about this,” he suggested as he took her hand and squeezed it. “You might not be able
to play all the way, but you can at least throw, right? How about you be our pitcher when
we’re in the outfield? That won’t be too hard on you, will it?”
She blinked at him. “What? The pitcher?”
“Yeah! And maybe once in a while you can even swing, if you feel up to it. We’ll ask
someone to run for you. You know that Sunny or Basil would gladly do it. It’s just for fun
anyway. It’s not like it’s a real game like the ones you used to play in middle school.”
That got her thinking as she considered it, bringing a thoughtful finger to her chin. “Hmm… I
don’t know if I can bat at all since the twisting motion will probably hurt… but pitching
might not be so bad!”
“And if your knee starts to hurt, I’ll give you a massage after we get home,” he added in. “I
took some classes for that in my last life. It might not be the best, but…” he shrugged. He
knew the muscles of the body well enough that he could probably figure it out.
“Ooh~” She looked delighted, and the clouds that had been lingering on her face cleared
away with her radiant smile. “A massage? Now I’m really in! Hopefully there’s enough room
left!”
“Let’s ask.”
She led the way to the others as it looks like the teams were finally chosen. Kel waved Hero
down right away to call, “Hero! You’re over here with us!”
“Is there room for one more?” Mari asked as she stepped in with a tilt of her head. “I can only
help in the outfield, though!”
“Oh, you’re playing Mari?” Aubrey cried with delight. She ran over to grab the older girl’s
arm and cling to it, thrilled. “Yes! There’s room! You’re on our team!”
“Hey! You can’t just have an extra player!” Hero glanced back and saw a much younger
Angel glaring at them. He had already been younger than Kel by a couple years, but Hero
was pretty sure he hadn’t even hit the double-digits yet judging by the roundness of his
cheeks. He was part of the youngest people here, and to make up for it there were a few
bigger kids on his team. Hero recognized a junior and senior from his high school that he’d
talked to at the bus stop a few times, as well as the twins from down the street. “It’ll be
unfair!”
“I won’t be able to play much,” Mari explained. “I’ll only be the pitcher, if that’s alright. I
can’t bat.”
“Just the pitcher is fine!” Kel insisted. “What matters is the batter anyway, right?”
“Hm… Weren’t you on the baseball team in middle school, though?” One of the girls on the
other team pointed out.
“I was,” Mari nodded.
“Hey, just be happy I ain’t throwing!” Kel pointed at himself with a wink and a cheeky grin.
“I’ve got a mean throwing arm!
“That’s a pretty good point,” Hero heard Basil murmur to Sunny, who nodded to himself in
agreement. Kel could throw infamous fastballs, though he wasn’t always the most accurate.
Mari would be a more steady pitcher, at least.
“We’ll just get Vance to join!” Kim finally decided, shoving into the circle of bigger kids
around her. Even as young as she was, Hero could see the brashness that had been there in the
short time he’d known her. Though she seemed even more outspoken now. Kim liked to push
people around to get them to play with her on the playground, but nobody really disliked her
for it. She could just be a little gruff, just like she was now. “VANCE!” she yelled. “GET
OVER HERE AND JOIN US!!! YOU’RE PLAYING!!!”
Her older brother seemed a little surprised, but he packed his stuff up to leave in the grass
before walking over. He scratched at the back of his head. “I’m playing? Kim, I thought I was
gonna sell food…”
“Nuh-uh! We need even teams, so now you’re with me!” It seemed that whatever kind of
scheme they’d both been doing, Kim must have forgotten it for the sake of the game. Well,
Hero wasn’t about to correct her.
“Oh great,” Aubrey muttered under her breath next to Hero. “He’s gonna be tough to get
out…”
“Ugh, I wish we were playing kickball instead…” Mikhael grumbled to himself, kicking a
foot in the dirt. He looked like didn’t particularly want to be there, but his siblings had
dragged him in. They each just wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
“It’ll be fun, little brother,” they said in tandem. The shudder was clear as Mikhael grimaced.
“Uh…” Cris finally spoke up, interrupting all of the talking, “Are we ready to play, then?”
“Yeah! Let’s get started already!” Kim demanded. “Why’re we taking so long? We’ve got a
bunch of losers to beat!”
“YEAH!!” Angel cried with a few of the other kids on their team.
“Let’s do a coin flip real quick to see which team is batting first, and then we’ll start,” the
senior from the school suggested. He stepped up and pulled a quarter out of his pocket. After
each team chose a side, he flipped it. And then the two teams scattered to their different
posts.
Hero and his team were in the outfield first, much to Mari’s excitement. Hero was glad that
he had convinced her to play. She had always liked playing baseball long before her injury,
and seeing that competitive sparkle in her eyes always made him a little excited. She
deserved to have a break like this too. It encouraged him to win this for her, if nobody else.
She took to the center of the field, and Hero grabbed first base. He was a little surprised to
see that Sunny of all people had chosen to be the catcher, though he was a little further back
than he normally would be to avoid being hit by Kim, who looked ready to start swinging
wildly. His own baseball cap was on backwards as he patted his glove and met his sister’s
eyes. Something passed between them.
Oh right, Hero remembered, Sunny had gone to all of Mari’s games. He’d even practiced
with her in the past. He might not be a player himself, but he knew his sister well. This would
be a dangerous combination.
The crowd cheered as the game officially began, and Hero watched Mari playing one of her
favorite games for the first time in a very long time. She was careful of her knee, but
otherwise he could see the enjoyment in her eyes as she pitched. And soon everyone fell into
the rush of a challenging game. With less people on each team than there would be in a
normal baseball game, it made it harder to really keep up with any of the flying balls that
went pretty far into the outfield. However, Kel easily made up for it with his speed and was
the star of the farthest parts of the outfield. It didn’t take long before the sides were switched
and it was time for their team to go up to bat.
The score was already 2-1 by the first half hour of the game as Hero stood behind Aubrey in
line. Basil was at second base, and Brandi was looking impatient at third when Sunny’s fly
ball had been caught, much to his disappointment. He slunk to Mari’s side and sat down with
a frown as his sister consoled him on a good effort while Aubrey straightened in preparation.
“You’re up,” Hero encouraged with a pat to her head. She seemed strangely serious about
what was supposed to be just a fun game. “Try to get our people back home, alright?”
Aubrey grinned at him, determination seeping from her every pore. “I’m gonna send that ball
flying!” She spun back to move forward to the home base as she adjusted the headband in her
hair. “I’m going to play in Mari’s stead.”
That was interesting, Hero thought as he watched with expectation. He couldn’t remember
Aubrey ever being into baseball, but now he was wondering how he had missed the fact that
Aubrey seemed to really enjoy the sport. The entire time they had been playing she had been
calling out advice and commands to their teammates. She had been practicing her swings off
to the side, and had even talked with Mari to get a little help as well. The way she held her
bat spoke of a planned expertise.
Hero considered that maybe Aubrey would do well going into a sport in the future as the bat
connected with the ball and sent it flying. Everyone screamed and gasped at the first true
home run that none of the kids could possibly keep up with, and cheers rang out as Hero’s
teammates ran the bases and got home. He rushed with everyone else to high-five Aubrey’s
great hit as the girl soaked up the praise, looking for all the world like she had won the
lottery. There was nothing quite as exciting as seeing a home run in real life, and Aubrey
really had the arm to land it!
“Since when could you hit like THAT?!” Kel cried to her, but he was ignored as Aubrey
called overtop of him,
“MARI, MARI!! Did you see it?! Did you see that hit?” The girl rushed into Mari’s arms,
causing Mari to laugh.
“Yes! That was wonderful, Aubrey!” She hugged her tightly as Aubrey beamed. Her cheeks
were flushed with her joy. Hero had a feeling that nothing would be able to top the pride she
felt from that hit.
“I practiced really hard with my swings with my dad yesterday so that I could get better!” she
bragged as the opposite team jeered to get Hero to go up to home again so he could swing
next. He was a little more focused on praising his friend, though.
“You should consider being on the team at school,” Basil suggested. “I think you’d be really
good?”
“You really think so?” She spun on him, surprised and pleased. There was a bit of hesitancy
to her, though. “Well, I mean… I was thinking about–”
“Stop talking and get back to the game!!” Kim yelled as she rushed over to them. She hopped
up and down impatiently. “Yeah, yeah, you got a good hit, okay?! But we’re in the middle of
playing! Who’s next already?!”
“Jeez, you’re so pushy…” Aubrey grumbled, but their team did separate to get back to the
game. Hero had to go up to bat, after all.
Despite his time being up to swing, his thoughts lingered on Aubrey. He knew that the bat she
used now and had kept was Mari’s. She had given it to her on Aubrey’s request after Mari’s
injury. He had never really thought about what his friends might get into after Hero would
save Mari from dying. Did Aubrey actually want to go into baseball? She was an admirer of
Mari, and Hero thought maybe that would be a good outlet for her.
There was a day after Sunny’s funeral and Hero’s last day in town that the two of them had
sat together on the sidewalk curb of Aubrey’s street. Kel hadn’t left his room in nearly a week
despite Hero’s careful prompting and Aubrey breaking down about failed promises to the two
of them. They were the only ones left, and Hero was leaving. So, that day, he sat with her on
the curb.
Aubrey’s fingers had trembled around a cigarette that she had gotten from Hero himself. The
pack of the cigarettes was half-empty as it sat between the two of them. Hero was careful
about how much he smoked, but he felt like in this case he could allow himself to indulge in
his bad habit. He needed it, and he knew that she did too. They had passed the cigarette back
and forth between the two of them with Aubrey only coughing occasionally. Despite the
beautiful day, her face was streaked with tears and her eyes were puffy from crying not long
ago. She just sniffled as she took another hit and passed it back to Hero.
“It’s over, then,” is what she said, eyes distant and looking at nothing at all even with a bitter,
unhappy smile on her face. “You’re not gonna come back, are you?”
That wasn’t true. Hero still planned to return from college on breaks. But his parents were
already discussing if their family should move too due to all of the bad memories. They
didn’t know if escaping Sunny and Mari’s grave would help or hurt Kel. And Hero couldn’t
bring himself to take another semester off from school when he felt like clawing his skin off
the longer he stayed in Faraway Town.
“I’ll be back,” he promised, only half-truthful as he took a deep inhale of the cigarette before
putting out the bud.
She ignored him to instead pull out a fresh one. He didn’t hesitate to light it up for her. She
looked like she might cry again, though it seemed that her tears had run out. “I’ve always had
a hard time making friends,” she explained. “Now I wonder if that’s a good thing.”
“You’re not alone here.”
“Shut up.” There was only a little heat to her tone. It was a candle flame in a rising flood.
“They’re not… I mean…” she hesitated, struggling, and her voice choked a bit as she asked
with an expression as lost as she sounded, “How can I possibly talk to them about all of
this?”
Hero didn’t know. He didn’t understand anything at all. He only knew how to keep trudging
forward because there was no other choice.
They had sat in silence for a while longer to finish up the cigarette, and then she stood up.
Hero moved to follow her, but her body language told him not to. She took a few steps from
the curb and then paused with her back to him. “I guess this is goodbye, then. I… Maybe I’ll
see you around, Hero. Thanks for…” she trailed off, unsure of how to finish. And in the end
she never did as instead she walked away and back into her house.
Hero had sat on the curb alone after that for a long time.
He blinked himself back into the present to find that the game had continued while he had
been functioning on auto-pilot. He didn’t have his head in the game as much as he had
wanted, but he didn’t mind so much. Seeing the Aubrey in front of him now calling out and
with that competitive gleam to her face was such a change from the girl who had closed the
door to her house as if it was the door to her heart, locking it one final time. He had never
really considered what life would’ve been like if Mari had lived outside of his own bubble of
wishing she had been beside him on his walk in life. Now, though, he thought of his younger
friends and what they wanted to do with their future.
Hero had been someone whose head was always in the future or in the past. Kel’s advice
from months ago telling him to live in the moment echoed in his heart. Maybe this time
around he could actually help his friends. He wanted to see what would become of their lives
without the series of tragedies that had plagued them. He could already imagine Kel on the
basketball team working hard instead of playing it leisurely like his older self had lamented
to him before. And now he pictured Aubrey dressed in the same baseball uniform that Mari
used to wear.
It would be nice if Aubrey could make friends playing sports, he thought to himself, before
he shook off all of the thoughts and went back to focusing on the present.
The game went on with the score sticking pretty close together. Despite the fact that Mari
was a great pitcher and Aubrey could hit home runs (though it didn’t happen every time she
went to bat), their team was average at best. Considering that it was all meant to be for fun
anyway, though, that didn’t matter. But that also didn’t stop both teams from getting pretty
competitive to the point that some fights had even broken out. Most were from the typical
playful jeering from each side meant to rile each other up, but Aubrey and Kel were a hot-
headed duo and they didn’t take to it well.
The older kids had to break up a minor scuffle that had occurred when Angel had pushed
Aubrey, and Kel had pushed him back in a retort. From there, Kim and Mikhael and Aubrey
had all jumped into the mix (and Sunny even looked like he was going to throw himself in as
well if Basil wasn’t holding his arm to keep him back) causing some hits to be made before it
was quickly broken up. The younger kids were scolded and sent back to their places, but
judging by Angel’s sister and her stormy expression it seemed like Angel wasn’t out of
trouble yet.
He would’ve scolded Kel more as well, but the fight had resulted in him losing the loose
tooth he had been talking about for the past couple of days, so that was enough blood for
Hero to let it go. At least Kel had seemed proud of his lost tooth in a fight.
With tensions flaring and people getting tired from the heat and the long day of a fun game,
things began to wind down. They were in the final couple rounds when a pitch from Mari
connected with the bat on the opposite team and sent the ball wide. Hero ran to get it, but
paused when it went far over his head and straight into a foul ball. He was fine to let it go,
but the heart-plummeting sound of shattering glass reached their ears.
Every kid froze with wide-eyed horror. Hero hoped that he had maybe misheard, but he
wasn’t so lucky. An older man’s voice rose up from beyond the trees where the ball had
flown, crying, “WHAT IN TARNATION?!”
“Uh oh,” Hero heard Cris say as she ran up beside him.
“Sc…” Kim stuttered out before yelling, “SCATTER!” Her and her brother were already
booking it away from the scene of the crime even before she had fully finished what she had
been saying, and a handful of other kids actually followed her lead.
“What? Oh my god,” Cris said as she spun around to see people quickly trying to figure out
what to do. “We can’t just pretend it wasn’t us!”
“Us?!” Kel cried as those remaining began to gather. Some of the older people who had been
watching the game had already gone to investigate. Hero could tell from the trajectory what
had probably been hit, and he grimaced. “That wasn’t our fault! The kid who did it already
ran off!”
“It’s still our responsibility to talk to the church, though,” Hero told him with a sigh. He
remembered something like this happening before, though he hadn’t been there for it. Kel
had broken the window of the church by accident when he had been playing with some
buddies in this field near the church. They had angled the baseball diamond so that a ball
shouldn’t have been able to go in that direction, but luck had been against them. “After all,
we planned the game.”
“Hero’s right,” Mari agreed with a serious nod. She addressed the others there to say, “We’ll
take responsibility for this one since it was our game.”
“You sure?” Brandi asked with a concerned frown, crossing her arms. “You might need to
pay for it.”
“We’ll do what we have to.”
“Aw man, this sucks ,” Kel grumbled, but it was already agreed upon. Hero and Mari led their
younger friends down the path to the church. “That wasn’t even us and now we gotta pay for
it?”
“It should be okay,” Basil tried to reassure him. “If we work together, I think we can pay off a
broken window!”
“Hero,” Aubrey called as she grabbed the side of his shirt. She had a fearful expression on
her face that had Hero stiffening a bit with worry, “We’re not going to go to hell for breaking
a church window, right?”
“What? Uh, no, of course not Aubrey,” Hero patted her head. “It was an accident.”
“I don’t think they teach sins like that in church anyway,” Basil added.
That seemed to relieve her. “Okay… Okay, good.” There was still a bit of a troubled look to
her eyes though. Hero didn’t blame her. It was never easy to own up to mistakes.
It turned out that discussion about the window was already going when they had arrived.
Hero and Mari explained the situation to the groundskeeper, who had been the one who had
been there to see the disaster. He was an older man who seemed pretty jolly as he laughed off
what happened and the explanation of it all. With some of the audience from the game
backing up their story, it looked like things were taken well.
“Well, we’ll need to at least block off the window and clean the glass,” the groundskeeper
explained as he pushed open the door to the empty church. Nobody had been there that
Thursday afternoon. The sight of the shattered stained glass window and the shards on the
floor were clear, reflecting colorful patterns from the sunlight beaming in. “We’ll have to talk
to your folks later, but as punishment for now you can help me with this. So,” he turned back
to them, “I need some of you youngin’s outside, and the rest in here. I’ll go get some cleaning
tools and gloves. Should have enough garden gloves for a few’a ya.”
“Thanks, sir,” Hero said, and the man went off. He sighed and glanced at Mari, who rubbed
her hands over her face. They shared rueful expressions before looking to their friends.
“Okay… So, we should probably split up. There’s probably glass inside and outside, so Hero
why don’t you take Kel and Sunny out back and me, Basil, and Aubrey will clean in here?”
“What?” Kel complained. “Why do we gotta go back out in the heat?”
“We all need to do our part,” Mari scolded gently.
“C’mon, Kel. It’ll be faster with all of us helping,” Hero said. “I won’t even tell mom and
dad about you fighting if you don’t complain the rest of the time.”
“You’re such a snitch!” Kel bared his teeth at him, but it was clear Hero had won.
“Shared punishment…” Sunny mumbled to himself, and started walking with Kel towards
the graveyard door.
It was only then that Hero understood what Mari had meant by “going out back”. The
window was one that faced the graveyard, which meant Hero would need to go through the
back door. It was enough to make his legs freeze up and his blood stop flowing as he stared at
the door. His ears rang with the church bells from Sunny’s funeral, and the bright world
around him felt like it was darkening. His stomach twisted with anxiety at the very thought of
going outside again, and he felt his face rapidly drain of blood.
He couldn’t breathe.
“Hero?” Someone called his name, but Hero couldn’t get his air back enough to talk yet. He
didn’t want to go out there. He wasn’t ready. What used to be an avoidance back when it was
just Mari’s grave out there had become an outright fear. He didn’t want to retrace his steps.
He never wanted to visit that graveyard again if he could. He couldn’t go back there.
“M…” he started, mouth weak and the smile on his face so off-kilter that it looked more like
a grimace than anything as he glanced at Mari, “Ma-Maybe I’ll… um, I’ll stay… I mean…”
His insides were fighting with him. It was pathetic that he couldn’t go into the graveyard.
Mari and Sunny weren’t dead and there was nothing there but some gravestones and flowers.
He shouldn’t be scared of such a place. He didn’t like to show this bad side of himself in
front of his friends.
But at the same time, Hero felt like he might pass out if he forced himself to go back there.
He was terrified of stepping through that door as if it was a portal to the future. What if what
happened at Basil’s birthday party happened again to him? He felt like he would throw up
just from the thought. Even now his breathing was already picking up. His ears rang a little.
He gripped a nearby pew tightly to steady himself.
Mari’s eyes were wide with concern. He could see her lips moving, but his brain was slow to
process what was said. Aubrey even waved a hand in his face. He saw her say his name.
A sharp slap on his back snapped him back to reality, and the buzzing was washed away
under the stinging sensation. He saw Kel there beside him with a serious look before he
grinned to cover it up.
“Don’t worry, bro! You can stay in here! Me and Sunny can do outside alone!”
Mari caught on quickly, realizing now what had gotten to Hero. She hadn’t seen him react
like this before, but Kel had. She seemed a little confused, but mostly concerned as she said,
“O-Oh. No, wait, I’ll come out with you guys. It’ll be dangerous if you’re alone. Um…” she
stepped up to Hero and tried not to be obvious about something being wrong so as not to
worry their friends more. But even in Hero’s state he could tell that they knew something was
up. “Hero, you stay with Basil and Aubrey… okay?” She smiled a little reassuringly. “I think
maybe the heat’s gotten to you. Rest a bit, alright? I think I still have some water in my bag.”
“I’ll grab it,” Sunny offered quickly before hurrying to go do just that.
“Heatstroke is dangerous,” Basil added as he helped Hero sit down in a pew. “Rest up a bit,
Hero. You don’t look so good.”
“R…Right. I’ll just… Just a bit,” Hero said, taking the opportunity presented to him. He
squeezed his eyes shut as he was given the rest of Mari’s water. The groundskeeper returned
with the supplies and spoke with Mari while Hero recovered. He silently berated his own
weakness. He couldn’t believe the physical reactions he had just from this place. There were
too many bad memories.
He wished that he could say that the graveyard was the only concern for him, but…
His eyes drifted to the broken window. It was the same one that had been broken by Kel
before around this time as well. Last time Kel had simply run off only for Mom to force him
to come back and confess. There was something about this situation that just made him feel
more ill.
The story behind the broken window was different, but the results were ultimately the same.
Hero had been changing the future, and yet there were still plenty of moments that were still
the same as last time. Even Basil’s photo album had a lot of similarities.
He could change the future, but were certain things set in stone? He didn’t know.
Hero was becoming more and more afraid of the recital day.
9/6
Chapter Notes
Although I try to make photo album picture days focused on that exact scene, I feel like
the game covered that situation enough that we didn't need to go through it all again.
After all, Basil had 3 photos for 9/6 (the card game day) lmao. So, we did something
else that happens before they go to the treehouse later.
We're officially in September now. School is starting soon. One more month until the
recital. I finally have an endgame number of chapters. We're reaching the end, everyone!
Thank you Inferno for this cute art of the baseball game last chapter!
The first time that Hero had gotten his driver’s permit was back when he was seventeen, and
he had his license soon after turning eighteen. School hadn’t been easy to return to after he
had begun to finally pull himself out of the haze of deep depression that he had fallen into the
year before, and he had been struggling to make actual connections with his classmates. Hero
had never particularly had trouble with talking with people or becoming acquaintances, but
he had never been good at forming the deeper bonds that Kel seemed to make naturally. He
didn’t know if it was just because his heart had been too hurt and hadn’t healed properly or if
it was simply the kind of person that he was. Either way, he had been listening to some of his
schoolmates talk at lunch one day, and he had heard them talk about becoming drivers. And
Hero had thought that might be a good thing to focus on if only to feel like he was actually
progressing in life rather than feeling like he was stagnating.
(Though, anything he could put his mind to that didn’t remind him of Mari was enough for
him to desperately cling to anyway).
Hero liked driving, though he hadn’t gotten to do it often after he had moved into his college
dorm room. He hadn’t been able to afford a car on his college savings and pocket money
from the odd jobs he’d helped out with in his free time. He liked the sensation of knowing he
could go pretty much anywhere as long as he was behind the wheel, and the knowledge that
as long as his parents weren’t using the family vehicles that they would let him borrow it. On
top of everything, it had been his escape away from the familiar sights of his neighborhood
and it had allowed him to finally feel like he was breathing fresh air away from the thick haze
that seemed to emanate from the house next door to his own.
At fifteen years old again, Hero was lucky that he was able to get his permit. And he was
grateful to have it, even if it meant he had to go around with one of his parents in the car with
him. It had taken him some time to adjust to a smaller body since he was used to adjusting
the car seat and mirrors in a particular way to suit him, but he had figured it out. And now his
parents often called upon him when one of them wanted to travel somewhere.
Hero didn’t mind it. After all, he enjoyed driving and he enjoyed helping people out.
Whenever one of his parents would call his name and say they were headed out, he jumped to
join them. It was just him being a good son, even if Kel would tease him for being such a
pushover. That part of Hero had never really changed. Besides, he didn’t like telling his mom
no anyway.
Today he was out with his dad simply practicing driving. It was nice to take a morning drive
since it had been raining since earlier. He needed practice in different types of weather to be
able to go for his license later even if Hero was already completely comfortable with it all.
The patter of rain and the churn of the windshield wipers were a hum of familiarity in his ears
and in his veins as they contrasted the upbeat guitars and soulful singing of his dad’s favorite
hits from the 80s.
“Hey Dad?” he called as he slowed to a stop at a stop sign. A couple passed in front of them
huddling under two umbrellas. The sight of them brought an idea to mind. “Do you mind if
we go to the garden center in town?”
“What for?” Dad asked with a curious brow.
He was just a little embarrassed to say it out loud, but he’d never been particularly ashamed
of these kinds of ideas when he had them. “Mari’s doing flower-arranging classes, so I
wanted to buy her some flowers to practice with.”
His dad guffawed. His loud voice echoed through the car over the radio. “Always the
romantic! It’s one of the only good things about you that you got from me!” He patted Hero’s
shoulder roughly as Hero smiled back at his father. “Alright, that should be fine. That’s the
one next to the Home Depot, right? I’ve been meaning to stop in there and take a look at the
pricing on some of their tools anyway. I’ll go with you.”
“Thanks, dad. Mind if I see if Basil wants to come along? We’ve been needing to talk about
new seeds to plant since it’s about that time anyway,” he asked as he turned on the turn signal
and changed course to go to Basil’s place.
“Only if his grandmother lets him.”
It was only a short drive to Basil’s house. Hero parked the car by the curb and left it running
before hopping out to go knock on the door. He could hear the sounds of familiar cartoons on
television through the open window before the door in front of him opened.
Basil blinked in surprise to see him before he smiled widely, “Oh, hi Hero!”
“Hey Basil,” he greeted back. “Me and my dad were about to head to the garden center, and I
wanted to know if you wanted to come along?”
“The garden center? That sounds fun! Oh…” then he paused and glanced back beside him.
That was when Sunny poked his head out from around the corner of the doorway. He gave a
little wave to Hero.
Hero was a little surprised to see him. Usually his younger friends all liked to hang out in
bigger groups together. It wasn’t common to see just two of them alone. Maybe he had just
gotten used to the fact that summer had given them all excessive free time. “Sunny? Hi!” he
called.
“Sunny’s hanging out with me today,” Basil explained to him before looking at Sunny. “Do
you think you can come with us? Will your parents mind? I can stay here if you can’t go.”
“You’re welcome to come too,” Hero added as he pointed at his car with his thumb. “My
dad’s coming with us, so we’ll have an adult around.”
Sunny just shook his head. “My parents won’t mind as long as I’m home before dinner,” he
said. He had a curious expression on his face and seemed pretty cheerful. Hero had come to
really appreciate the healthy flush of life to him considering his nightmares were still plagued
with pale skin and hopeless faces.
“Let me just go ask my grandma! I’ll be right back,” Basil said before he hurried inside.
Sunny stepped outside and closed the door so that the A/C wouldn’t leak out too much into
the late summer air. Even though it was September it definitely didn’t feel like autumn yet.
Hero waved to his dad and pointed to Sunny questioningly, which got him a thumbs up in
return. Pleased that his dad had approved two passengers, Hero turned back to his friend to
ask, “Not hanging with Kel today?” He knew his little brother had been down with a summer
cold yesterday, but he was better today. He wouldn’t be surprised if Kel was out and about in
the neighborhood.
Sunny shook his head. “I’ll see him later,” he explained. His gaze lingered thoughtfully on
Hero. “Are you coming to the treehouse later?”
“Oh yeah, of course! I’m just getting some practice driving in.”
Sunny seemed interested in the fact that Hero was driving. There was an excited sparkle to
his eyes. Hero felt a little proud of himself. He must be pretty impressive in his young
friend’s eyes to be driving from such a young age.
Basil exited the house a moment later while shoving some cash into his pocket. He had a big
smile on his face as he joined them with a cheerful, “She said it was okay! I have some
money too so we can buy some seeds, Hero.”
“Thanks a lot,” Hero ruffled Basil’s hair as the three walked back to the car. “It’ll be hitting
two birds with one stone now.”
“Two birds?” he asked as the three climbed in with greetings to Hero’s father before they all
buckled themselves in. Sunny leaned past the driver’s seat to watch Hero with wide eyes
while Hero effortlessly shifted the car into gear and started driving, utterly at ease.
“Yeah. I’m gonna get some flowers for Mari too.”
“Oh, her class? That’s so sweet of you.”

“That’s what I said!” Dad agreed with a laugh.
“Maybe I should get grandma some flowers too…” Basil murmured thoughtfully.
The drive was pleasant with the windows down and music blasting. Hero couldn’t remember
the last time he had driven with actual friends in his car. Back when he had been an adult, it
was usually his college acquaintances that were the drivers since he hadn’t owned his own
car. He couldn’t explain how the experience was different. There was a strong bond he felt
with everyone in the car in comparison to the polite friendliness he’d had with those friends.
Sometimes he missed those people. But just as he had told Kel before, he hadn’t really
considered them friends in the same way he considered these people friends.
Some part of him was quietly amused at the fact that he was best friends with people who
were children in comparison to him, but that same part of him had grown used to being
fifteen again. Even if in his mind he remembered being twenty, it was growing more and
more distant as he became more attached to the reality he was in now. He hoped that after he
saved Mari’s life he would finally be able to settle comfortably into his skin. There wasn’t
much time left now.
“Alright, boys,” Dad said once they were all parked and walking through the big Home
Depot parking lot to the sidewalk, “I’ll be in here for a bit. If you all get done first, come find
me in either the power tools or paint sections. If I get done first, I’ll meet you at the garden
center. Got it?”
“Got it!” they all agreed with nods.
Dad just patted Hero on the shoulder and departed then, fully trusting that Hero could easily
take care of his younger friends. Then the three of them went their own way to the garden
center across the street.
It was a bigger place than Fix-It in their neighborhood with plenty of different types of plants
and garden decorations everywhere. There was an actual flower section located towards the
right of the store, but Hero figured they could go there after exploring a bit. Both Basil and
Sunny looked excited to be there as Basil quickly took Sunny’s hand and guided him towards
the interesting plants in the humid greenhouse section. Hero followed after them as he
glanced at all of the things around them. He still didn’t really understand Basil’s excitement
over plants, but he felt more knowledgeable about them than he had a few months back.
Besides, it was always fun to listen to Basil talk about one of the things he was most
enthusiastic about. Over the course of the time Hero had been back and actively trying to
change his relationship with his friends, he had noticed that Basil had become much more
outspoken. That shyness, though not fully gone, was not nearly as present with their friend
group. His confidence looked good on him. But even Hero could tell that Basil was at his
most comfortable with Sunny by his side.
They looked good together, Hero thought as the two boys crouched to look at one of the
small running water features. Sunny’s fingers dipped into the stream before he flicked the
water at Basil, causing the boy to cry out before returning fire. A smile played on Sunny’s
lips before Basil was up and walking to the next section.
It was what spurred Hero to finally say, “You guys have been hanging out a lot more,” as he
realized that it was true. Sunny and Basil were just as close as all the other kids were with
each other, but he was starting to notice that Sunny was often with Basil lately. When did that
start happening? He recalled that Basil had referred to Sunny as his best friend in the past (in
this life? In the last life? He supposed it didn’t really matter) but he was only really now
starting to see it.
“Hehe, yeah.” Basil rubbed at his arm while Sunny paused to gaze at the orchids they had
come across. Some of them were in full bloom while others were closed up. “Kel and Aubrey
have been doing more sporty stuff lately so… Well, me and Sunny aren’t really as active as
that.”
Hero tilted his head thoughtfully. Yeah, he supposed that was true. Kel had always been the
sporty one of them all, but it did seem like Aubrey had been following in his steps a bit more.
Just last weekend they had all gone to the bigger park where Hero and Aubrey had practiced
baseball swinging. Kel was always at the park more often than not anyway. Had the two of
them been hanging out more and he hadn’t noticed? Maybe he had been busy lately with
finishing his summer jobs before school started.
“So we’ve been hanging out a lot more since Sunny gets a little lonely lately. Right, Sunny?”
He looked to his best friend.
Sunny glanced at them and away. His expression was too difficult for Hero to read whenever
he had that blank look on. He didn’t know how Kel was able to effortlessly understand him
even though they’d both known Sunny for the same amount of time.
“It’s because Mari’s getting busier, right?” Hero guessed with a sad smile. “I know it feels a
little lonely now, but you know that your sister will always make time for you, right Sunny?”
Sunny didn’t respond again. Instead his fingers reached up to brush the feathery petals of a
white orchid. Hero blinked at it, and then did a double-take as he recognized this orchid. It
was hard to mistake the sight of it as he was immediately brought back to that same flower by
Mari’s grave.
Goosebumps skittered across his skin as his hair stood on end with the sudden chill. He
shuddered and rubbed the sensation away, unable to look away now. His mouth opened and
then closed. Basil said something to Sunny as the topic seemingly moved forward, and the
two started to walk away before Hero finally spoke up to ask,
“Hey Basil?” The boy paused with a curious look. Hero glanced at the placard that said what
the orchid was. He still asked, “What… flower is this? Is there a meaning to it?”
“Oh,” Basil returned to Hero’s side as he frowned with thought. “That’s a white egret orchid.
They’re pretty, right? They don’t bloom easily, though.” He reached out and touched the
flower as well. “In the language of flowers it means ‘my thoughts will follow you into your
dreams’.”
Hero frowned. Why would Basil put this type of flower at Mari’s grave? He was the only one
he would think would do that. He knew this exact flower was also in Basil’s grandmother’s
room during that one time he had spotted it in the previous life. Clearly Basil had been trying
to leave a message for her and for Mari. But why?
“That’s…” He cleared his throat and tried again, “That’s an interesting phrase. Why do you
think people would use that?”
“You mean speak to people with this flower?” Basil asked with a tilt of his head. Sunny
watched the both of them, listening carefully. “I’m not sure.” He turned back to the flower
and tucked his arms behind his back, thinking. Hero was used to this now. Basil had some
deep thoughts for a twelve-year-old. He always liked to hear what Basil had to say. “Hmm…
I think that flowers say things that people have a hard time saying out loud. But I think
they’re good to use as a reminder.” He looked back and forth between his two friends and
smiled. “That’s why I like keeping the flowers that remind me of all of you guys in my
house!”
“But what about this flower?” Hero pressed. Why would Basil leave this at Mari’s grave?
What was he trying to say to her? It didn’t sound like an apology or anything. And with Mari
dead, she couldn’t dream. It didn’t make sense to him.
“Um… I don’t know.” The boy shrugged. “Maybe to remind people that we care about them
so much that we’ll see them in dreams? I could ask my grandma. She knows more about this
kind of stuff than me.”
The frustration in his heart was real. Hero couldn’t help the way his face crumpled with his
disappointment.
Sunny saw it. Surprisingly, he spoke up to offer, “Strong feelings can reach people in ways
they don’t expect. Maybe it’s a reminder to people that we’re thinking of them?”
“That’s a nice thought!” Basil agreed with a nod. “I think I would give this to someone in a
hospital so that even if I’m not there, they know I’m thinking of them all the time. Even
while they’re dreaming!”
Hero considered that possibility. He could understand why he would give that to his
grandmother when she was weak and in bed, but he still didn’t really see why he would give
that to Mari. Maybe it hadn’t been Basil at all, but it was all too coincidental. Who else
would’ve possibly visited Mari other than Aubrey? And Aubrey had commented that she
hadn’t been the one to leave that orchid.
His own voice sounded distant as he stared at the soft white shade of the orchid and thought
back to that evening summer sun and the picnic blanket under his legs in front of a grave,
“Do you think it would be appropriate to put at a graveside?”
Now both Basil and Sunny were watching him curiously. Basil’s mouth twisted into slight
concern. “Do you have someone who died that you want to give flowers to?”
“Huh?” Hero blinked quickly and jerked to look at him. “What? No! Uh, I was just thinking
out loud. I… Feel like I saw this at a grave before.” It was a weak lie, but there was enough
truth in it that hopefully neither boy had noticed.
“Hmm. Maybe they just thought it was pretty?” Basil suggested. He changed the topic to say,
“But… Anyway, Hero, why… don’t we go to the seeds now? We need to buy some, right?”
Hero could tell Basil was not-so-subtly trying to pull him away from this. He wasn’t so
ignorant as to think that his friends hadn’t noticed his weird reactions. Basil thought he saw
monsters too just like Sunny. His face must have been showing something on it. Hero wished
that his thoughts weren’t so clear in his expressions, but he had no real reason to hide them
right now. Nobody would be able to possibly guess his problems, and Sunny and Basil were
too young to think too deeply on it. If they could accept that Sunny saw things sometimes,
maybe they didn’t think it was strange that Hero did as well.
“You’re right,” Hero agreed after a moment. He smiled to reassure them before he started
walking. They followed on his steps. “I guess I was overthinking it.”
Basil laughed a little. “Flower language is interesting, right?”
“Yeah, it sure is.”
Maybe those flowers had been for Mari. But maybe, just maybe, Hero started to think that the
message wasn’t necessarily for Mari. Maybe instead it was a sign of guilt from Basil. Or
maybe it was a message to Sunny, who Basil thought might be visiting his sister.
He didn’t know. There were a lot of things Hero knew he would never figure out. It was just
another thing to keep him up at night at this point.
Jealousy
The start of school had been a relief for Hero ever since he had been this age the first time
around. He loved summer vacation and all of the time that he spent doing anything that he
wanted, but he enjoyed school as well and liked the structure that came with it. He found
pleasure in both having no expectations for the day and with having a rhythm he needed to
follow such as going from class to class. If he talked about his issues with someone (like, say,
the therapist that his parents still mentioned whenever they saw that he looked more and
more sleepless lately) then they might say that Hero was just using school as another escape.
They might be right. Hero chose to think of it in lighter terms, though.
It was almost a relief to be back in high school again after the long summer. It was nice to
have something to focus on and waste most of his day on as his stress about the future just
continued to crank up higher and higher. The school day made each day pass faster, and Hero
could feel the day of the recital rapidly approaching. He just wanted it over and done with at
this point. He wanted to ensure the future of the girl walking next to him, and he wanted to be
sure that she would be by his side to finally step into a new day alive with him.
He tried not to think about it, but it was difficult not to. As much as he wished that he could
just push his worries aside, they were only getting worse. And he knew it was showing on his
face as he caught Mari giving him a concerned look as she squeezed his hand to bring him
back to her. She didn’t even need to say anything.
“You know,” she started anyway since she wasn’t one to avoid the topic, “talking it out is
better than getting lost in your own head, Hero.”
“I know, I know…” He just didn’t want to sound like a broken record all of the time. He
didn’t want his every alone moment with Mari to be about her possible fate. She had agreed
to put more intimate plans like going on dates on pause since she was busier and because he
was doing last-minute planning for the recital day, so he didn’t want to use up all of her
patience by filling their every moment of alone time with stress. She was already stressed out
enough herself. Even now they were stealing time as they walked hand-in-hand to the bus
stop she would need to take to go to her after school lessons before Hero would go back to
the campus and wait for some of his school friends to take him home.
But she wasn’t going to let it go as she nudged him in encouragement, eyebrows waiting for
him to continue.
He grimaced and shot her an apologetic look as he finally gave in. “I just… want to make
sure we’re on the same page for the day of your recital. Like, everything is good to go, you
know?”
“Mm-hm,” she hummed. He could sense both her understanding and her exasperation of
having to hear this once more. He felt guilty about it. It was just a bit longer, he told himself,
and then they wouldn’t have to worry about this ever again. “Then let’s go over it one more
time, okay? You’re going to get your haircut a few days beforehand, right?”
“Right,” Hero nodded once with a serious frown. “Last time my mom booked my hair
appointment for that day, but just to be absolutely certain I’ll get it done early. I know I’ll
need it by then. And instead, I’ll just hang out with you for the day. That way if you and
Sunny do fight, I can be there to help mediate. And stop Sunny from breaking his violin too,
if need be. I don’t think he’s been as stressed out anyway… but I’ll keep an eye on it.” He
glanced at her. “Your parents will be okay with me staying at your place for the day?”
“As long as you’re not in the way, I think it should be fine. I can make up the excuse of
wanting you there, and that you’re just supporting me,” she agreed.
“It’s the truth, you know,” he squeezed her hand, aiming for a little teasing. “I will be there to
support you. I never got to see your recital, and I’m looking forward to seeing you and Sunny
play together.”
Mari waited a beat too long to respond, and her smile was troubled when she did finally give
him one. His heart dropped a little. They came to stand at the bus stop. They were alone for
now, so Hero grabbed both of her hands and held them tight.
“Mari,” he prompted. It was his turn to push her to talk now.
Her face crumpled. Her shoulders slumped. And Mari gave a weighty sigh as she spoke like a
woman who had held her tongue for too long: kind of heated and defensive, but with the hurt
laced through it all, “I feel like I’m being seen as the villain in this situation.”
“Huh?”
“This! You and what you’re doing, your past, and Sunny’s stress! I feel like… like I’m just…
completely to blame for my own death!” She yanked her hands away, spinning to pace a few
steps. Hero made an aborted motion to follow her, but she circled back. The pain was clear in
her eyes. “And that I’m being treated like I’m just hurting Sunny all the time! Like I’m doing
this on purpose or something!”
“That wasn’t my intention–” Hero started, but she cut him off with a frustrated,
“I know! I know that! I just–” She stopped herself and dropped her face into her hands. Hero
recognized her “I just want to scream” body language. He stayed quiet so she could gather
herself like she no doubt wanted to. She rarely had tantrums or lost her composure like this,
but it did happen on occasion. It reminded Hero that Mari might be mature, but she was still a
teenager with all the same wild emotions he also had. It was something he sympathized with
only now that he was reexperiencing the whiplash of his own gale storm of being a teen the
second time around. He knew her anger and irritation at not being able to handle this with
more composure. Her frustration was layered with the original problem and her inability to
express it well.
“It’s okay,” Hero told her, stepping over to rest his hands on her forearms to stroke them
gently. “I’m listening, Mari. Take your time.”
She let out a scoff of a laugh that could’ve been a sob. But she listened. She took a deep
breath. Then two. She sniffled once. Then she straightened as her hands dropped. She hadn’t
cried, but her face was red with her own repressed feelings. Hero released her to give her that
little space, but didn’t step away. Close but not too close.
Her mouth opened and words trembled there. She didn’t succeed this time around. Her eyes
skittered away with renewed anger with herself and an air of defeat because of it. Then she
tried again. Her voice was rough, but she wasn’t as heated as she admitted, “I know that you
don’t mean to… but I feel like I’m being treated like a villain who will hurt Sunny. And in
return Sunny accidentally kills me. And I… I’m not trying to do things to hurt Sunny! I love
him. I want Sunny to enjoy the recital too, but I feel like… like all you care about is how he
feels.” Her voice broke a little, eyes shining with her hurt as she asked, “What about me,
Hero?”
He threw his arms around her without hesitation, eyes wide as his heart broke a little. She
clutched herself to him as he teared up a little. He shook it off, but his voice still choked as he
said, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Mari. That– I didn’t know you felt like that.”
“I know… I know…” she murmured, rubbing her face into his shoulder as she hid. “I know
I’m just being… being dumb and–”
“You’re not being dumb,” he hurried to say. He didn’t want her talking down about herself.
“If you feel like this, it’s because I made you feel this way. That’s my fault. I’m sorry I hurt
you, honey.”
“I just…” She gritted her teeth and then pushed herself away enough to look at him, “ Am I
wrong, Hero? Have I really just been a problem this whole time? To you? To Sunny?”
“What you have been doing is doing what you think is right,” he corrected her a little firmly.
He brushed his palm along her cheek before cupping it, pulling her in to kiss her forehead. “I
won’t deny you’ve made things harder… but you did it because you’re also struggling, aren’t
you?”
Mari didn’t respond. She was tense in his arms.
And Hero… Hero really did understand. He knew of the pressure of his parents. Mari loved
her brother dearly, and he knew that she loved him too. But he also knew well of the struggle
to fight against a parent’s wishes. Mari teased him about being a pushover (and she wasn’t
wrong) but she was just as helpless against her own parents’ desires. He knew that she
wanted to please them, but him understanding her didn’t make it any easier for him to
swallow the decisions that she made when Hero so desperately wished she would just listen
to him for now.
But he wasn’t so cruel as to push that issue now. Mari was clearly suffering from it. He knew
she wouldn’t accept anything less than the truth from him since she could see so easily
through his lies, but he wasn’t going to try to hurt her either just because there was an
opening in her armor. Mari had always been stubborn, but Hero wasn’t someone who got
pleasure from when she would buckle.
So, he tried to find a way to word his feelings on the matter. “I’m… scared about how set in
stone the future might be, Mari. I don’t like our decision to try to keep the future as similar as
possible. I’m terrified we didn’t change enough. But I also don’t think it’s too late to just…
be more careful. I don’t see you like a villain in this story. And I’m sorry I made you feel that
way. But…”
His troubled eyes met hers. “What I don’t get is why you’ve pushed back against me so hard.
I’ve been focusing so much on Sunny because I just… I got this impression that anything
relating to you was something that you wanted to handle. The pressure from your parents, the
recital, your interactions with your brother… I just kinda felt like you didn’t want me to be
involved with any of it.” He paused and then asked carefully, “Am I wrong?”
Mari looked down and away. Her dark eyes were stormy as her arms dropped and she
clenched them together in front of her. She bit her lip before sighing through her nose.
“You’re not wrong,” she finally said after a long moment of consideration. “I… My
parents…” She struggled to figure out exactly what she wanted to say. She tucked a strand of
her loose hair nervously behind her ear. Then she started,
“You already know how my parents expect a lot out of me. And how I… I just don’t want to
disappoint them. Because I know I can do it. But it’s just… it’s so hard sometimes. I’m not
you, Hero. Things don’t come that easily to me.” She smiled with just a twinge of bitterness
as she met his eyes and looked away again. “...I’m jealous when I hear how much you
accomplished in such a short time… I know you work hard, but sometimes it just seems like
it comes so much easier for you. And… I don’t know if you knew this, but my parents…
sometimes compare us.”
“What?” This was news to him. The shock was palpable. “Us? Why? Because we’re the same
age?”
“Mm-hm…” she nodded. “I’ve… heard them talking with your parents… and other parents.
They praise both of us, but… It also just feels like we’re competing sometimes. That’s why I
was… kind of happy you stopped doing piano lessons… so I could have it for myself…” She
cringed with guilt.
Hero wouldn’t dare condemn her, though. How long had this gone on? He felt terrible for his
part in this even while knowing it wasn’t his fault. “...Why did you never tell me this?”
“I’m not exactly proud of myself for feeling jealous of my best friend,” she confessed sadly.
Her hands ran over each other and clenched once more. They felt like a shield between his
body and hers. “And I just… I wanted to show my parents that I could be great at anything I
set my mind to as well. Piano was… It’s my hobby. I love playing the piano. So… it felt
really good to have them focus and praise me for that knowing that it was just… it was all
me.” She paused and then asked a little desperately, “Is that selfish?”
“No! No, honey, no,” he shook his head quickly and finally bridged that gap between them.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and stroked the skin there, pressing a reassuring kiss
to her temple. He guided her over to the bench at the bus stop and lowered them onto it. “I
get it. I really do.”
“Have you been jealous of me?” she asked, looking just a little bit relieved to see his lack of
judgment.
He shook his head though. “I can’t say I have. I’ve just… I’ve always admired you for who
you are, Mari.” He took her hand in his and squeezed it. “You’ve always been my equal in
my eyes academically. If I was jealous of anything, it was just how effortlessly wonderful
you were and are. You have everything that I don’t. And I love you for that.”
He saw she wasn’t content with that, so he gave her a helpless smile a shrug. “People feel
things differently from each other. It’s okay to be jealous. But I also don’t think you should
have to compare yourself to me. Everything I accomplished in the future… that was because
it was all I had left. That wasn’t a balanced or healthy life. I doubt I could do it a second time,
if I’m honest. I’d rather pace myself with you.”
Mari considered his words. He could see how she rolled the thoughts around in her head, and
he waited her out. Then she said, “I guess… I’ve been so worked up about this recital
because I wanted to really show off. I love that I’m doing this with Sunny but… I admit I’m
frustrated that he won’t work harder at it. I don’t want to admit it, but…”
“...But?” he prompted.
“But… I think you were right. I might have been… ignoring Sunny’s feelings.” She dropped
her gaze. “It’s not like I haven’t noticed he seems more and more reluctant to practice. He’s a
little hard to read sometimes, but I know my little brother. He doesn’t enjoy playing the violin
all that much. The happiest I see him is when we just play fun songs together on a break. And
even though I know he works hard, I don’t really see him improving.” She stopped again.
Hero waited her out, but she didn’t continue.
He took a breath and let it out in a soft rush as he gazed out across the street. The bus should
be arriving sometime soon. She would have to leave soon, and Hero would have to make it
back to school to catch a ride home with some of his neighborhood schoolmates. He hated
that they were on a time limit for this conversation when Mari was finally opening up like
this to him.
“If you don’t mind my thoughts…” he started and waited. She looked at him expectantly, so
he continued, “I don’t think you’re wrong for wanting to do really well in the recital;
especially since your mom will be bringing some connections for you to watch as well. But
talking to Sunny about your expectations might be good.”
“I already did. I talked to him after we had that discussion at the fountain square,” she
explained in a bit of a rush. “I told him how I want it to go well and everything, but I don’t
know if it did much. He didn’t really tell me he was stressed or anything. He just nodded and
has been working harder. That’s… good?”
Hero frowned. Maybe it was good, and maybe it wasn’t. It didn’t sound like Sunny had
actually voiced any complaints, but was that fine? Hero couldn’t tell either sibling how to
handle this scenario. Mari didn’t want to concede defeat and have a less than perfect recital.
But was Sunny willing to step up to the plate and meet her expectations?
“...I don’t know,” he admitted with a shrug and a hopeful smile. “Maybe it is? You know him
better than I do.”
“Right.” She squeezed his hand once more with worry. So, he leaned over and kissed her
head once more. She closed her eyes. “Hero… Can you just… keep an eye on him? I’m
going to be so busy now.”
“I will. And maybe see if you and him can have a heart-to-heart anyway. You’ve both always
been so close. I just…” he dropped his head on hers and closed his eyes as he murmured, “I
just know how devastated he was to no longer have you with him. He loves you a lot, Mari,
you know that, right?”
“Of course I do.”
That was all he could say, then. He could only wish good luck to his best friends. He would
do his part to be there for them both if they needed him. But now he thought perhaps it was
time to see where the dice fell. The recital was only a few weeks away. He was prepared to be
there on the day of.
At this point, Hero just wanted Mari and Sunny to be alive long enough to reconcile in case
their relationship did sour due to the circumstances. He couldn’t imagine them ever hating
each other. The future was right there.
Hero just needed to make sure Mari made it there.
He pulled back from her and smiled. “Everything will be okay, Mari. We’ll get through this.
Your recital will be wonderful. You and Sunny will play your song beautifully, everyone will
love it, and then anything that happens in between will be resolved with time. I promise.”
“Tell yourself that, silly,” she laughed a little wetly before she grabbed his face and pulled
him into a kiss. “I promised that you would be happy, Henry. I meant it.”
“I mean it too,” he swore as he held her wrist. Her bracelet warmed against his palm, holding
their promise between them. “I’m here for you. Don’t forget that either.”
“Okay.” The bus was arriving, and Mari pulled away from him to stand. He stood as well.
“Just make sure you get more sleep. Your eye bags look worse lately.”
“I’ll get plenty of sleep later,” he promised with a smile as she climbed onto the bus. He
didn’t think that ‘later’ would be until after the recital, but he would keep that to himself. He
just waved as she found her seat and departed alone. He was left standing there thinking back
on their conversation. And a part of him felt a little steadier.
The future seemed like a boulder he just couldn’t push aside enough. Even now he knew that
very little had changed. But he was confident that Mari and Sunny would recover from
anything. And Hero was feeling more confident than ever that he was finally walking the
right trail.
They had one month left. All he had was to look forward to the happy ending.
Ripples
Chapter Notes
Kind of a longer chapter to make up for the somewhat shorter recent chapters.
School starting up again meant that Hero had started tutoring his friends during some of their
free time now. Although he really didn’t have a problem with it, he was a little exasperated
that it had become a group activity. He had meant to just focus on Kel to help his brother
push himself just a bit harder and support him in a way he knew would work because he had
knowledge of the future. But Sunny had started joining them more and more when his parents
had heard the bragging of Kel’s parents at both of their sons’ achievements, and soon enough
Aubrey had started to join as well. Kel had apparently challenged her to a competition on
who could get the better grade on a test in the history class they both shared. Aubrey, thinking
that it would be an easy win, had been horrified to lose to Kel by five whole points. Since
then, she had begged Hero to let her join in more on the tutoring, and so his study group had
grown.
Basil was the only one who had just shrugged off Sunny and Aubrey encouraging him to join
them as well since they were all doing it. He did well in school, and had never had a problem
with studying, so he had turned down the offer. But that didn’t stop him from coming over
anyway to hang out and do his own homework, or to just read while they worked.
That was where they were at once again on Saturday night after an early dinner. The dining
room table was full of the children scribbling studiously in their notebooks with textbooks
laid out in front of them. Basil was the only one missing as he instead lounged on the more
comfortable couch, deep into silent reading for his English class.
Hero’s head was hurting as he leaned on the table watching his friends. He was impressed
with all of their progress, if he was honest. Especially Kel. He could still recall how Kel
would more often than not skimp out on his homework every chance that he got. He would
rather play or mess around than sit down for long periods of time to do homework. That
much still hadn’t really changed, but there was a certain drive to Kel now. And Hero knew he
had himself to thank, because Kel himself had openly confessed to it.
Kel liked when Hero taught him things. He still didn’t like homework, he had said, but Hero
had gotten down how to teach him things in a way he actually understood. The patience Hero
had exerted in the beginning had paid off with Kel generally being able to sit down and
comprehend his work with minimal effort once he got going. All Hero really had to do was
maintain Kel’s course, help him overcome road bumps where he got stuck, and otherwise just
be a supportive force Kel knew he could come to when he had questions. He didn’t get
frustrated as easily, and Hero had learned that Kel’s complaining and slacking off in the
middle of his work didn’t always mean that he was quitting it. He needed breaks sometimes.
The brothers had found a rhythm with each other.
Hero was proud of his little brother. Kel had never been dumb, despite what Aubrey liked to
say. He could be kind of stupid in how he acted, but he could do anything he put actual effort
into. And now that he wasn’t struggling so much in class, he found that he had even more
time to slack off. He could occasionally speed through his homework even faster than Hero
could. It was amazing.
The funny part, Hero thought as his eyes drifted from Kel over to Sunny, was that Kel hadn’t
even noticed how Sunny had started following his lead. Like his sister, Sunny excelled in
academics. His main problem was zoning out in class and getting bored. Hero had seen his
notes with their doodles all over them featuring all kinds of strange things like spider
bunnies, his friends, and Princess Sweetheart and Captain Spaceboy. But in between all of the
doodles would be Sunny’s actual notes, and they were pretty thorough too. He was a smart
enough kid to know what he probably wouldn’t remember, and to write that down along with
a detailed explanation for context. It was impressive stuff.
But with how studious Kel could be sometimes, Sunny had clearly wanted to do the same. He
had always been a boy who would follow his friends’ leads, and with Mari gone more often
than not lately Sunny had all the more reason to join in on anything Kel or Basil was doing.
He was working harder than ever, and from what Hero’s mom had said, Sunny’s parents had
taken notice of his better grades.
Hero wondered if Sunny was as pressured as Mari was to do well. He didn’t really get that
same kind of feeling from him, though Sunny had told him that he still wanted to do well too.
He didn’t want to disappoint his family, and he didn’t want Mari to be sad that her brother
wasn’t working hard at school. Considering that Sunny had never really had a lot of
difficulties with school, though, he didn’t need to work as hard as Mari did. Sunny never tried
to outdo himself in school now or in the first timeline. Where was that kind of drive?
He shook it off. He was glad that Sunny wasn’t pressured as much. The fact that seeing Kel
do so well was encouraging Sunny to do his best as well was a net positive. And despite what
they were doing, Hero could see that Sunny was genuinely happy to be with them.
Aubrey was the one who needed most of Hero’s attention. She didn’t struggle in the same
way as Kel, who got frustrated easily when he didn’t understand stuff and preferred to say
‘forget it’, and she wasn’t able to remember things as easily as Sunny did, so she had to work
harder with Hero’s help. She wasn’t the best and she wasn’t the worst at most of her classes.
She didn’t really do well with math, and her current health science class had been grossing
her out. Luckily, Hero excelled in both of them. So when they were studying, he took up his
seat next to her and happily helped her out.
There was something amusing about the scrunch on Aubrey's face as she had to label the
parts of both the male and female anatomy figures on her page. Hero had been waist-deep in
so many anatomy and physiology classes since his senior year of high school that he had
forgotten how gross and embarrassing it had been back when he had been Aubrey’s age. He
was just glad she was being mature about it, unlike Kel and Sunny who had snickered
together about it last semester. Aubrey might have gotten to escape the class for her second
year of middle school since Kel, Sunny, and Basil had all already taken it, but now she
suffered alone in that class.
“There’s really all this stuff in there…?” she mumbled to herself, half in disbelief and half in
disgust, as she tried to figure out which one to label as “ovaries”.
“Yeah. It’s amazing what all the human body can hold,” Hero said. He resisted the urge to
give her an encouraging pat on the back. He didn’t think it would be appreciated right now.
“Ugh! I don’t think I can look at a boy the same way again!”
He warned himself not to laugh and instead turned his attention to check on Sunny and Kel.
He had expected them to still be doing their worksheets, but they had clearly lost interest.
They were not-so-subtly sneaking glances at each other while they drew their own version of
their friend. Sunny kept making a new face every time he caught Kel looking at him. Kel
hissed at him to stop it. Both of the pictures looked equally bad, though Sunny’s at least
looked more human.
His headache only got worse. Lack of sleep piled on with essentially babysitting three kids
had taken a toll. He loved his friends, but he needed some alone time. And to maybe try to
turn in early tonight. He was hesitant to kick them out yet, though. The night was still young.
“How about we take a break?” he suggested as he rubbed at his eyes with his fingers. “We’ve
been working for a while.”
“Finally!” Kel threw his hands up, thrilled, and shoved himself back from the table. Sunny’s
mouth opened to protest. He was holding his picture of Kel and his pencil like he wanted to
finish, but Kel had already dashed out of the room. He threw himself over the back of the
couch to flip down onto the seat, landing partially on Basil who yelped and complained.
“Thank god,” Aubrey bemoaned, slipping down onto the table and stretching her arms out.
“I’m so tired of these stupid science-y words. I’m not gonna be having kids for a long time,
so why should I care about pregnancy and how it happens? This is so dumb.”
“It’s good knowledge to have,” Hero reminded her as he stood as well and stretched. He
needed the bathroom. “We’ll come back to this in ten minutes, okay? Kel! You’re finishing
your homework tonight!”
“Okay!” Kel just waved a hand of acknowledgement, already flipping channels to Cartoon
Network. That quickly dragged Sunny and Aubrey out to watch as well.
It was nice to get a break as the noise of the television and the chatter of his friends became
muffled with distance. He climbed the stairs and paused to stare longingly into the open door
of his bedroom. His bed looked so tempting. He had tossed and turned most of last night, and
had eventually sighed and given up to go for a run. Getting too caught up in his own worries
made it difficult to sleep even without the bad dreams.
He brushed it aside, though. Once he walked his friends back home, then he would be able to
go to bed early. He wanted to at least have a relaxing weekend before he went back to school
on Monday.
He entered the bathroom in order to relieve himself. A yawn broke his lips as he finished up
and went to wash his hands. He grabbed a tissue to blow his nose as well since the chill in the
air was causing it to run a little. And as he went to toss the tissue in the small covered trash
can, a box caught his eye. He paused, watching the flap of the trash can cover rock back and
forth giving him only a couple glances of the box. Curiosity got the best of him wondering if
he should recycle it and lifted the lid off, only to freeze.
He needed a moment to process what he was looking at. And when the processing had
occurred, he felt his heart jump with shock. Not only was the box for a pregnancy test, but
there was actually a used pregnancy test half-covered by some loose trash. He couldn’t read
the results of it without moving stuff, but he didn’t bother to do it. Just the sight was enough
to leave him completely stunned.
Why would there be a pregnancy test in his trash can? His first irrational thought went to
Mari, but that made absolutely no sense, so he quickly dismissed it. His second more rational
thought was just as shocking, though. Was his mother testing herself for pregnancy? But
why?
And what’s more… was it a positive result?
He wasn’t about to go reaching in to find out. He didn’t think that the test would still be valid
even if he looked because he had no idea how long ago his mother would’ve taken it.
Besides, he didn’t want to touch it. So, he returned the lid to the trash can and exited the
bathroom instead in a daze.
He very nearly bumped into Sunny on his way out. “Whoa!” he gripped his chest as his heart
slammed against his ribcage. “You scared me, Sunny!”
“Sorry,” he apologized.
“Haha… it’s okay.” He took a deep breath to steady himself and gave his friend a bit of a
shaky smile. Were his parents trying for another kid right now? Or was this just a one-off
thing and Hero had accidentally found it? It wasn’t exactly a comfortable feeling knowing his
parents were actively having sex, but he was old enough to just push that aside. They were
out for an evening walk with Hector at the moment, so Hero couldn’t talk to them about this.
Should he even bring it up? Was that any of his business? What if it really was a one-off and
now he would embarrass both himself and his parents?
Sunny watched him as Hero’s eyes fell to the ground in conflicted contemplation. He was
starting to head back downstairs when Sunny asked, “Are you okay?”
“Huh?” He stopped and looked at his friend. Sunny had a neutral but curious expression on
his face. Just slightly worried. Hero felt like most of his friends gave him worried looks more
and more lately. Obviously he hadn’t been subtle about the fact that he had issues. It didn’t
help that both Sunny and Basil thought he saw nightmares like Sunny’s active imagination
did.
“Are you okay?” he repeated.
Hero attempted a reassuring smile. “I’m fine, Sunny! I was just thinking about something.”
Sunny didn’t respond. He waited, silently encouraging Hero to open up. It was one of the
things that Hero had come to appreciate more about his young friend in this life: he was a
good listener. Hero was sure that if he really wanted to, he could just sit with Sunny on the
stairs and let out all of his worries and Sunny would listen with as much attention as he
would for any kind of story.
But this kind of topic would be kind of weird to bring up with an unrelated twelve-year-old.
He couldn’t even really explain to him why this mystery was weighing on him. He had no
problem with getting another younger sibling. But anything past that initial worry was
something he couldn’t explain to Sunny.
“I’m really fine,” he said again, turning down Sunny’s offer once more as he rubbed at the
boy’s head. “Did you need the bathroom?”
Sunny seemed only slightly disappointed at the rejection. He nodded to Hero’s question.
Hero moved out of his way and walked back downstairs as his smile fell away once more
into a worried frown.
His parents were allowed to have a sex life. He didn’t want to and didn’t need to know
anything about what they did in their bedroom. But he knew that this felt out of place. Had he
really just happened to miss any signs that his parents were trying for a third child, or was
this really just a pregnancy scare? The medical student in him found it strange that his mother
wasn’t on birth control of some type after over twelve years of not getting pregnant again, but
the thought process made him uncomfortable to follow. He really didn’t want to think about
that.
Instead he tried to remember when his mother got pregnant in the past. He could still
remember her happy announcement to him when he had come home to visit on a weekend
from college. The news that she had been pregnant was a shock just because of the sheer age
gap between the baby and Kel. He had been sure that his parents were done with children.
But Sally had apparently been planned ever since Hero had gone off to college. The empty
nest syndrome had been real, so his parents had decided to go for it once again before mom
became too old. The results had come surprisingly quickly.
Hero, of course, had been thrilled. And he had been even happier to learn he was having a
little sister since he’d had his fill of having a younger brother. Kel was plenty enough. And
Kel, too, had been just as excited to have a younger sibling. He had bragged about how he
would take over the big brother role since Hero would be gone all of the time and make her
favor him more, which had only amused Hero.
His memories of Sally were kinda scant. He had only known her on and off for about two
years. She had only been crawling when Sunny had died. And Hero had been too deep into
his grief and wanting to help Kel knowing his little brother’s pain viscerally to really care
about his little sister’s development. She had been just another person in his peripheral
vision: never ignored, but never in the spotlight of his life either. Her presence removed from
the house had barely left a blip in him. The baby supplies were simply gone, and Hero hardly
ever thought about her.
It sat like a rock in his stomach, sick with guilt and disgust with himself as he walked his
younger friends back home before it got too dark. Kel noticed Hero’s silence, but Hero had
shook his head and decided it was better to keep to himself as Kel took over keeping his
friends distracted and not paying attention to him.
How many people would Hero selfishly fail?
It wasn’t until just him and Kel were walking back after dropping Sunny off last that Kel
pushed Hero’s arm to get his attention. He frowned. “What’s with you, man? Did something
happen?”
Hero opened his mouth about to bumble over his frustrations with himself and his worries
over what the pregnancy test meant, hesitated, and then decided against saying anything like
that. Instead he said, “I found something earlier. And I think I should ask mom and dad about
it, but I don’t know if it’s not really my business.”
“What did you see?” he asked.
“Something that’s kinda private to them both. It could be nothing that’s a big deal, but…” he
trailed off and didn’t finish as they walked up their driveway and came to a stop at their door.
Neither brother attempted to open it at first. They could hear the television going and their
parents occasionally talking. They had returned from their own walk a while ago.
Kel waited for Hero to continue, but when he didn’t he just tucked his arms behind his head
and said, “If it’s bothering you that much, just ask them! Who cares if it’s private?”
Hero shot him an exasperated look. “Kel, you’re not really supposed to ask about someone
else’s private affairs.”
“Pffft, whatever. They’re our parents! Why can’t we ask them stuff?” He burst into the house
before Hero could respond and called, “Mom! Dad! Hero’s worrying about stuff again and
needs to talk to you!”
“K-Kel!” Hero cried, but stopped as his parents turned around with surprise from their spots
on the couch. Kel kicked off his shoes and hurried into the room. Hero followed his lead with
a sigh.
“Something wrong?” Dad asked.
“Did something happen, mijo ?” Mom was already starting to push herself up from the couch.
Their worry for him was only made worse knowing the problems he dealt with. Hero felt
immense pressure to talk now. He knew there would be no escaping unless he told them
something, and he couldn’t think of a lie quick enough to run away. He was trapped. Thanks
a lot, Kel.
“It’s okay, mom. You don’t need to get up.” He took her hand and touched her shoulder,
guiding her to sit once more before he sat down on the armchair. Kel took the seat on the
other side of Mom, waiting as well. He refused to be left out of these conversations anymore
even if he wasn’t always helpful. Hero appreciated his support even if he was annoyed that
Kel dragged him into this mess in the first place. “It’s… uh… well, it’s hard to ask. And I
wasn’t sure if I should but…”
“Hero said it’s private to you two!” Kel said unhelpfully.
“Private?” Dad asked, but Mom sighed.
“Wait. I think I know what this is,” she said.
Hero cringed. “I’m sorry. I really wasn’t going to ask–”
“You don’t need to apologize!” she huffed at him. And then, surprisingly, she smiled. “We
were going to wait to tell you boys anyway, but…” She shared a look with her husband, who
perked up as he finally caught on.
The man laughed. “Oh! Found out already, huh?”
“Found out what?” Kel demanded, confused.
“Well… Kel, Hero, we’re pregnant,” Mom said, glowing with pride and anticipation of their
reactions. Hero felt his stomach drop from shock at the confirmation, and Kel succinctly
summed it up by yelling, “WHAT?!” which resulted in Mom hushing him sharply. Hector
came over to investigate, tail wagging excitedly and sniffing at Kel’s knees.
“Pregnant?!” Kel cried. “We’re gonna have a little brother?!”
“Or sister,” Mom corrected. Dad placed his hand on her stomach, and she smiled as she
rested her own hand over his. Kel stared at it. “We won’t find out for a little while yet.”
“When…” Hero cleared his throat. His mind was still spinning a little. “When did you guys
decide on this? Was it… an accident or something?”
“No, it’s something we’ve been thinking about for a bit,” Dad explained. “It’s always been in
the back of our minds now that you boys are growing up so quickly, so we decided to try it
out and see what happened.”
“And then poof! The stork came to visit,” Mom finished.
“Mooooom! We’re not five. I’ve taken sex ed,” Kel said with all of his inappropriate
openness. “I know it’s not a stork who brings babies.”
“Okay then fine,” Mom huffed, “We conceived a child then.”
“Yeah, through–”
Hero slapped a hand over Kel’s mouth and pushed him down to the couch to shut him up.
“That’s amazing, though! Congrats. Uh, it’s just a surprise.”
“Is it?” Dad asked while Kel squirmed, trying to get Hero’s hand off of him.
“Yeah.” He hesitated to tell them about Sally. He hadn’t mentioned her to anyone but Mari.
There didn’t seem to be a reason to do so.
When he didn’t continue, Dad just chuckled again. “Guess we didn’t come to the same
decision.”
“That makes sense considering why we did this,” Mom said thoughtfully as she sat back on
the couch. Hero finally released Kel when his brother started licking his hand. He grimaced
and pulled away, wiping his hand on his jeans. He was more interested in what his parents
were saying, though. “Hero’s even more grown up than we had expected, and Kel’s going to
be in high school soon… I’ve missed having a baby around the house.”
“What, like Hector isn’t enough?” Kel asked as he grabbed the dog and hauled him up into
his arms and lap. Hector squirmed and gave a happy bark, and Kel laughed as he gave him
pets.
“A human baby,” Mom said with an exasperated roll of her eyes. “What do you boys think,
then? Are you excited?”
“Heck yeah! I get to be the big brother now! I wanna have a little brother that I can play
with!” Kel beamed, squeezing Hector.
“Yeah, it’ll be nice. It’d be fun to have another sibling,” Hero agreed neutrally. He was happy
for his parents, but he couldn’t say he was super excited. His stomach was twisting. “Any
ideas for names yet?”
“Not yet,” Dad said. “It’s a little soon for that. You two already took the ideas we had
before.”
“I hope it’s a girl, personally. I want a little girl,” Mom said, rubbing her stomach. “It’d be
just my luck to have three boys, though.”
Dad laughed again. “That just means we can save Kel’s old clothes for the baby!” Mom just
sighed at that.
Learning this news was a shock. His parents hadn’t expected to be caught so early into the
pregnancy, obviously, but it made Hero wonder about his role in this change. Did they come
to this decision after hearing that Hero was from the future? He didn’t want to ask since they
had all but confirmed it. Was it really so simple as such a small change causing such a ripple
effect? Sally hadn’t been born until he was already away at college. If the baby now went to
term, he would have a new sibling by the time he was sixteen. That was an entire three years
early.
He felt conflicted over everything as he got ready to go to bed, and he was still awake in his
bed when Kel eventually came to sleep as well a couple hours after Hero had tried to sleep.
Would this baby have been conceived if Hero had never told his parents the truth? Had he
really changed the timeline that much? And was this a positive sign or not? It made his head
spin.
“Go to sleep already, bro,” Kel grumbled from his bed, rolling onto his side. Hero looked
over at him. He could see the slight shine of his brother’s eyes in the pale night light coming
in through the window blinds. “You haven’t really been sleeping, right? Are you scared or
something?”
“It’s not that,” Hero confessed softly. The night encouraged honesty. “It’s just… Mom and
Dad…”
“The baby?” he guessed.
“Yeah.”
“I think it’ll be fun to have a baby around. What’re you worried about?”
He wondered if he should tell Kel about Sally. Hero would honestly rather talk to Mari about
it. He missed her by his side. She was so easy to talk to about his troubles. He felt the ache of
her absence heavily tonight. He knew he would see her again tomorrow morning to watch
Sunday morning cartoons like they usually did with their friends, but that would hardly be the
time to bring up his stress. He didn’t want to add to her own problems when he knew she had
enough on her plate. And in the end, really, this wasn’t that big of a deal. Probably.
He didn’t have Mari to talk to, but he knew Kel would listen. Kel was the only other person
he could possibly talk about this with. And he didn’t mind confiding in Kel. He could see the
teenager his brother would become in just a few years even if he was a lot more childish now.
He knew Kel loved him. And he knew Kel wanted to be there for him. He could still
remember Kel’s confession about not knowing how to help anyone. And if… If Mari
somehow died… Maybe Kel could at least save Sunny and Basil if he had more experience
with this stuff.
It was a dark thought; a whisper from the back of his mind in a place where Hero would
rather not acknowledge. It was the part of him that spoke in his dreams and nightmares. And
Hero swallowed thickly, worried about what kind of dreams he would have that night.
He rolled over to face Kel, actively gripping his mentality to focus on the here and now.
“This didn’t happen before…”
Kel read between the lines. “Is it a problem?”
“Um… I don’t know…”
He tucked his arms under his pillow and rolled onto his front, still looking at Hero. “Then
just see it as proof you’re doing good, bro. Changes are a good thing, right?” He grinned.
“You keep stressing about how the recital will go, but you know what I think? I think that any
change is a good thing! You’re changing the future. Isn’t that good?” He sat up onto his
elbows. “It means you can change the recital too since you couldn’t stop Sunny and Mari
from playing!”
He supposed that was one way to look at it. In fact, that was probably the optimistic way of
looking at it. And Hero’s heart lightened as he took the idea in and allowed it to settle in his
chest.
Kel was right. He had been terribly worried because despite his efforts very little felt like it
had changed. Events from his first life kept coming around a second time even if the set up
was a little different. And this was another example of it… but it was just happening
extremely early. And it was once again a direct (or indirect) result of Hero’s interference.
If his assumptions were correct then his confession to his parents were what had given them
the push to start trying for another child earlier than they did before. That wouldn’t have
happened if Hero specifically hadn’t come back to the past. His existence and memories and
his choices had changed the course of the future.
Finally he had solid proof that he could change the future.
He smiled back at Kel. “You know what? You’re right. This is… probably good.”
“Hehe, there you go!” Kel flipped over on his bed, still grinning. “Just gotta look at the good
stuff, Hero! And now we can look forward to having a little brother!”
“Or sister,” he corrected, but Kel had already fallen asleep. He was caught wrong-footed as
Kel immediately started snoring, but he just sighed. That part about his brother never would
change. He just closed his eyes too, listening to the sound of Kel’s snores.
It was impossible that whatever child was growing in his mother would be Sally. Hero knew
enough biology to know that it would be ridiculous that his mother would somehow have the
exact same child that she did in the future. The sibling that would be born would be a new
life to Hero as well.
Sally would never exist. Even if he did have another sister and she was named Sally, she
wouldn’t be the Sally that Hero had known. And despite the happiness that came with proof
of his effect on the timeline, Hero didn’t know if that knowledge would ever sit right with
him.
His restless thoughts rolled over and over each other until he fell into a somewhat uneasy
sleep thinking about cause and effect, and the consequences of the changes he had caused.
Reassurance
Sunny had been hanging out with Hero more recently. Hero didn’t know if it was a direct
result of his actions or if Sunny had done this in the first life, but it was a noticeable change
from how he was acting a few months ago.
If he was remembering his first life correctly, Hero didn’t actually spend a lot of alone time
with Sunny. During the period of time between the end of summer and the dreadful day of the
recital, Hero had been pretty focused on his own studies. As a sophomore, he’d considered
himself a little old to be hanging out with a bunch of kids without at least another person his
age there as well. He loved his friends, but he was usually someone they chose to seek out
rather than him going to them. And he remembered during this time that Sunny had primarily
hung out with Basil.
That much hadn’t really changed. Sunny was a continuous presence around Basil to the point
that if Hero went to go check on the garden at Basil’s house, or to simply hang out with him
or his grandmother (their house was very soothing. And he secretly enjoyed occasionally
getting a little high with the older woman when he could get away with it), Sunny was often
there. And if he wasn’t there, it was usually because he was at home.
That was why it surprised Hero when Sunny had started to frequent his house more on his
own accord. It had started with coming over to visit Kel primarily, and then it was to do some
studying. As time had passed, he and Hero had started steadily working out together once in a
while. But most of that had been put on pause during the summer when their group of friends
had hung out together more often than not.
Now Sunny would visit alone and ask for him. And rather than asking for help with
homework or requesting to do some exercise together, he would simply hang around him.
They’d watched some movies and shows together. He had chatted with Hero as Hero had
done some baking or cleaning in the kitchen. He would lay on Hero’s bed and read while
Hero was doing some homework. He never asked if he was bothering Hero and seemed to
genuinely just like being around him, which Hero…
Well, Hero was confused but not unhappy. If he was to be honest with himself, it felt like he
had truly gained a second younger brother. Sunny was almost but not quite treating Hero’s
house as his second home, but nobody particularly minded. If anything, Hero was just happy
to see that Sunny felt comfortable enough with him to want to hang out one-on-one. He
couldn’t remember that ever happening in the past unless it was with a goal in mind.
He wondered to himself if Sunny saw him as a sibling as well and if he was being used as a
replacement for Mari now that Mari has been so busy. Hero only really got to see her at
school as well, so he understood that loneliness. Sunny probably missed hanging out with
her, though he never really showed it. Hero just knew his friend well enough at this point to
know. That, and Basil had confirmed it.
Hero hadn’t really had anyone to hang out with other than Sunny or Basil and sometimes
Aubrey lately as well. Kel had been practicing basketball with more focus recently and
seemed determined to get onto the team next year. He had missed the sign up for this time
around, but that hadn’t deterred him. And Hero wasn’t going to stop Kel from getting excited
about extracurricular activities. As much as playing around while they were still kids was
fun, having a more focused outlet would be better for Kel overall. It was nice for him to have
a hobby after years of casually shooting the ball around with him.
So that was why it was just a little surprising when Kel came home early from the
playground instead of playing a few rounds of basketball with the neighborhood kids and
caught Hero in the middle of scrounging around in the fridge for a snack. Hero very nearly
hit his head inside of the fridge when Kel called a loud “HERO!” making Hero jump.
“Kel…” he tried to scold, grimacing as he pulled away from the fridge. He frowned at his
brother. “I’m right here. You don’t need to yell.”
“Hehe, sorry!” his brother apologized, grinning with just a little bit of repentance. However,
that quickly dropped away into a concerned frown as he asked, “Are you busy right now?”
“Um…” his eyes drifted back to the fridge before he slowly closed the door. He didn’t need
to be wasting the cold air. “Not particularly.” He had some plans to hopefully hang out with
Mari later on that night if they could both sneak out and weren’t too tired, but he didn’t really
have any priorities at the moment.
“Good!” he grabbed Hero’s wrist with an oddly serious expression. “I think you should hang
out with Sunny.”
This was sudden. It raised some alarms in Hero’s head. “How come? Is something wrong?”
“He’s been acting weird today.”
Hero thought that Sunny sometimes acted strange anyway. He wasn’t the most normal kid. It
only took seeing him completely zone out into his own little worlds and fall asleep in various
places to think that. “Weird how?
Kel thought about it for just a moment as he tried to find the words. “It’s not… I mean, it’s
kinda obvious to me, but that’s because I’ve been keeping an eye on him for the mission,
y’know? And he’s just… I think something’s bothering him. Like, more than normal.” He
was trying his best, but Hero didn’t really understand what Kel meant all of the time. His
twelve-year-old little brother wasn’t the more articulate person. And he seemed to realize he
wasn’t really getting through to Hero, so he just dropped the explanation and tugged on his
arm while saying, “Whatever! I think you should go big-brother him or something!”
“‘Big-brother’?” He was as confused as he was amused by the term. He didn’t fight as Kel
began to drag him from the kitchen to the living room to encourage him to put his shoes on.
“Yeah! When I’m feeling down, you have stuff you say that makes me feel better. Really
makes you feel like my big bro, you know?” He beamed at him. Hero huffed a laugh. “And
you said that you think one of the reasons Sunny got upset in that last timeline is because
Mari’s super busy, right? Then you should step in for her in the meantime!”
“I get what you’re saying, Kel, but I don’t think I can be a replacement for his sister.”
“You don’t need to replace her! Just… do your big brother thing!” He pushed at Hero’s back
a bit to hurry him up while he put on his shoes. He was antsy and ready to go as he threw
open the door and jumped onto the doorstep. If Hector wasn’t out at the vet’s office with Dad,
Hero was sure that the pup would’ve dashed out after him. Kel had to fix that problem before
Hector ran off like he did in the last timeline before he’d been trained.
“I can talk with him,” Hero conceded since Kel was so insistent. His little brother could be a
little ridiculous at times, but he trusted him to recognize Sunny’s moods. He’d always been
better at it. Hero could still remember how Kel had been the one to tell Hero in the last
timeline how Sunny had definitely not been okay and reclusive even after hanging out with
him for a day and a half. He might act oblivious to how his friends felt, but that was because
Kel understood it more instinctively rather than logically. “But in what way is he being
weird? I mean, Sunny clams up if you press him too much. He’s got that stubborn side just
like Mari.”
“Mari’s stubborn?” Kel asked, genuinely surprised.
He huffed a laugh. “Both of them are. You haven’t noticed?”
Kel thought about it for a moment. “I guess sometimes I’ve seen Sunny refuse to do some
stuff…” He trailed off, and then shook off the conversation. He jumped back on topic, “I
can’t really explain how he’s being weird. He’s just… quiet. And doesn’t really wanna play
even though he’s hanging out with us. We went to the park after school and he’s just mostly
been sitting on the bench and reading even though this is his favorite kind of weather. It’s not
right!”
None of that really sounded like a problem to Hero. It mostly sounded like Sunny was just
enjoying the tranquility of a beautiful day and just wanted to read instead of play. But again,
he trusted Kel’s instinct. If he thought Sunny was being odd, he most likely was. He wasn’t
exactly sure what he could do to help his friend out, but he wasn’t going to pass up an
opportunity to help. He refused to play ignorant to any of his friends’ troubles if he could
help.
“I do appreciate you helping me out, Kel, but not everything’s a warning sign either,” he said
as the two of them walked back to the park at a brisk pace due to Kel’s hurry.
His brother shook his head. “It’s not just today he’s been like this. Basil said Sunny wouldn’t
talk to him either, and Aubrey just thinks that Sunny’s just being Sunny.”
He wasn’t talking to Basil either? That was surprising. “Don’t worry too much. I’ll see if he
wants to talk. I can’t make him if he doesn’t want to, though.”
“Just do your big brother thing and it’ll be alright!”

Hero still wasn’t exactly sure what Kel meant by that but he would give it a shot.
The park was bustling with families enjoying the beautiful afternoon sunlight and cool
weather when they arrived. It didn’t take long to spot Sunny on one of the benches watching
Basil and Aubrey swinging together as Aubrey talked excitedly about something. They
weren’t alone as a few other kids their age were playing with them. They were faces that
Hero recognized but couldn’t remember the names of. Sunny looked particularly alone as he
sat by himself. And suddenly Hero understood a little of what Kel had been talking about.
Sunny didn’t like to be alone. He got scared and withdrawn when he was by himself. It had
been more prevalent when he had been little, but he hadn’t quite grown out of it at the age of
twelve. Sunny himself had expressed to Hero how he got lonely pretty quickly, and that was
why he was always quick to just go along with anything any of his friends wanted to do. For
Sunny, he just enjoyed being with those he cared about no matter what they were doing. That
was part of the reason why he kept coming around to hang out with Hero even if they were
doing their own thing.
Mari had joked that it was cat behavior, having compared him to Mewo, who had a similar
personality. She thought it was cute. Hero wondered just how badly it affected him during the
days he had locked himself away from everyone. Had he been punishing himself?
He shook off the thought as Kel gave him a pat on the back and said, “I’ll keep the others
busy,” before shooting him a supportive thumbs up and running to join the others.
Hero sighed a little through his nose, mouth quirking with amusement. And then he went to
go join Sunny. The boy looked at him, startling from the daze he’d been in, and blinked. He
seemed just a little surprised to see him there.
“Hey Sunny,” he greeted with a friendly smile.
“Hi,” Sunny responded.
“It’s a nice day out and Kel said you guys were all at the park, so I thought that I’d join.” He
sat down and glanced at the book in Sunny’s lap. “You’re just reading?”
Sunny shrugged and didn’t respond. He slid his hands down by his thighs and tucked them
under a bit. “I finished the book I borrowed from Basil.”
“Oh? Is this a new one?”
He nodded.
Hero could see this wasn’t really going anywhere even as he made the small talk about
Sunny’s new book. It was easy enough to chat with him about whatever (even if Hero did
most of the talking) but that wasn’t his purpose for coming here. Just talking with him didn’t
really give Hero any clues into what might be wrong. Sunny did seem tired, though. A little
deflated, perhaps. There was a roundness to his shoulders that wasn’t usually there, and his
gaze kept drifting. It was only really noticeable because Hero was actually paying attention
and looking for it.
He wanted to get Sunny talking. The only things Hero could think would be troubling the boy
would be the recital and possibly just everyday life. But jumping straight into the discussion
of the recital would probably make him clam up more. Sunny wasn’t exactly forthcoming
with his worries, which was something Hero had related to a little too well recently. But he
wanted to encourage Sunny to be more open rather than bottle his emotions up.
So, he could only think to start on easier problems the boy could have.
His eyes drifted over to Aubrey. She seemed to be in a heated conversation with one of the
other kids whose name Hero didn’t know, motioning to her shoes and flipping her hair. Hero
sat forward with his elbows on his knees and asked casually, “Any luck with Aubrey?”
Sunny’s head whipped to him, wide-eyed. His pale cheeks turned a little pink before his eyes
dropped down and away. He didn’t respond. He didn’t really need to.
Hero grinned and laughed a little bit. “Hey, no rush! And no pressure either. I was just
curious. Trust me when I say I know how scary it is to ask a girl out.”
Sunny tucked his legs up, placing his book aside. His eyebrows scrunched. “...It was obvious
お姉ちゃん liked you, though.”
“Maybe to you,” Hero countered, “but it wasn’t so easy for me.” Sunny gave him a curious
and doubtful look. “It’s true!” He sighed and sat back again. “I was nervous about asking
Mari out for years. You see how she likes to, uh, mess around and joke and stuff, but I
couldn’t tell if she was being serious about the flirting or not. I thought that was just Mari
being Mari. I kept getting my hopes up and kept telling myself not to look too hard into it at
the same time.” His lips quirked at the memories playing through his mind. “In retrospect she
doesn’t act like that towards anyone else. I really was just getting stressed about nothing. But
that’s just what it’s like, I guess. It’s hard to judge when I haven’t really had a crush on
anyone else before.” His head rolled on his shoulders to look at his friend. “Sorry for not
having much advice.”
Sunny shook his head, brushing off the apology. His eyes drifted back to Aubrey and he was
quiet for a moment before saying, “I can’t tell if she likes me back.”
If it was only a few months ago, even getting this out of Sunny would’ve taken effort. Now
he freely told Hero. It was hard to believe now that Hero had never even known that Sunny
had feelings for Aubrey. He really hadn’t been paying attention. Either that, or Mari had told
him and he’d forgotten since it wasn’t really interesting to him.
“Is that why you haven’t said anything?”
The stress that crossed his face triggered empathetic pain in Hero that made him laugh. He
knew exactly how it felt to be twelve and worried his crush didn’t like him back. “What if she
says no?” Sunny whispered.
“Well… You guys stay friends, right?” Sunny looked at him, concerned. He didn’t know.
Hero stressed, “A confession won’t ruin your friendship, Sunny.” He placed a hand on the
boy’s shoulder and squeezed it a little. “Aubrey isn’t the type of person you’re worrying
about, okay?”
Sunny considered that for a moment, and then ultimately agreed as he relaxed again. Hero
didn’t think this was what was on Sunny’s mind that had him out of sorts like Kel said, but it
was a starting point. He wasn’t going to push Sunny into confessing to Aubrey (that was
something he could figure out on his own time and at his own pace) so he was about to
switch the topic when Sunny suddenly beat him to it,
“You listen to me a lot.”
“Huh?” That caught him wrong-footed.
So Sunny repeated himself, “You listen to me a lot. But you don’t talk about your own
problems…” The ‘with me’ was left unsaid, but Hero heard it anyway in the tiny frown on
the boy’s face.
He wondered how Sunny saw him and what he expected out of him as friends. Hero didn’t
want to open up about all of his problems. It was hard enough talking to his family or Mari
about it, let alone someone like Sunny who he never wanted to know the truth. There was
enough pressure on his shoulders without Hero warning of a tragedy to come.
He tried to play it off, “There’s nothing to really talk about, Sunny.”
Sunny didn’t respond, but the look in his eyes told Hero how he doubted that. He wasn’t
fooled in the least. But Sunny wasn’t confrontational either and instead said, “You look tired
a lot. Like you don’t sleep.” He paused and then added, “You didn’t used to look like that. お
姉ちゃん said you see monsters too… but why? Are you scared of something?”
He was a terrible liar. He was sure at this point that all of his friends were aware of this, but
the keen Sunny would absolutely know. He paid attention and watched his friends and knew
more than he usually said. Hero had no doubt that lying wouldn’t get him anywhere. But
telling the truth made him ill. He had a bad feeling lying to Sunny right now would damage
their relationship. He loved Sunny too, but these problems… they were far too big for a
twelve-year-old. It was bad enough that Kel knew them.
He had no choice but to hedge the truth instead. “I’m… worried about your recital with
Mari.” That one surprised him. His eyes widened and his brows furrowed with confusion.
That hadn’t been an answer he had expected, clearly. “It’s… I know it’s silly for me to be the
one worrying about it, but I do. I know it’s a big deal for you guys. But I keep seeing how
you and Mari are both getting stressed out and… well, it’s stressing me out too, haha!” He
rubbed at the back of his head, smiling awkwardly. It was close enough to the truth, right?
Sunny didn’t respond for a few long moments, simply staring at him. His expression made it
impossible for Hero to read what was going on in his head. He could feel a nervous sweat
start to break out along his hairline from the intense staring. He almost asked Sunny why he
was staring so much when the boy finally spoke up and said, “The recital is scary for you?”
“Is that weird?” he asked back.

“Yes.” His head turned away to gaze across the playground at his friends once more before
his eyes dropped to his knees. “It’s scarier for me.”
Hero rolled his words around on his tongue. “...Do you want to talk about it? Talking about
these things helps me when I’m worried.”
Sunny didn’t say anything. Hero waited an appropriate amount of time, then felt his heart
drop with disappointment. He had failed on this angle.
“...You always help me,” the boy said instead, “but I can’t help you.”
Hero frowned at him, confused.
Sunny’s blank expression finally broke with some frustration twisting his features. It
reminded Hero of the other day outside of the bathroom. “I want to help you too. I want–” his
fists clenched against the bench, “–you to– ow!” Hero jumped at the sudden hiss of pain, and
Sunny’s hands snapped to his chest. He clutched them there, grimacing as he instinctively
looked at his palms.
All of Hero’s thoughts about their conversation instantly dissipated at the sight of Sunny’s
injured fingers. They were reddened and broken in places around the pads of them. One of
them had a band-aid wrapped around it, but the others were still open or close to it. It was a
shocking thing to see.
“What happened?” he asked with a gasp, grabbing Sunny’s wrists. Sunny’s face dropped with
horror and he tried to yank his hands away, but Hero held firm. There was shame in his
movements, and defensiveness that Hero recognized that both of the siblings shared. He was
more careful with his words. “Sunny,” he prodded, concerned but a little stern as well.
Sunny’s fingers curled to hide the damage. He looked away and didn’t respond.
He waited a beat, but Sunny continued to not be forthcoming, so he tried again, “Have you
treated these at all? How long have you had them?”
Again, Sunny refused to say anything. Hero never knew what to do in this kind of situation. It
brought him back to the last timeline when Sunny wouldn’t say a single word. The
discomfort left him on edge.
He could take some guesses even without Sunny telling him where his injuries came from.
He had practiced the guitar for a few weeks with a high school friend back in senior year. He
knew the pain of pressing on strings and the callouses that could build up with enough
practice from seeing his friend’s fingers. The violin couldn’t be too different. But the fact that
Sunny hadn’t treated the wounds was more concerning to him.
He took Sunny’s hand gently despite the boy’s initial resistance and examined the injuries.
They weren’t too bad, but they had to hurt. He could only imagine they would hurt even more
while continuing to practice. “...You’ve been working hard, haven’t you?” he asked while he
reached into his pocket. Thanks to his friends (but mostly Kel), Hero had a habit of carrying
around a tiny med-kit with him. It was mostly band-aids and some spray-on alcohol along
with some tissues, but it was enough to get the job done most of the time. It was a habit he
had developed a few months back, and his kit had gotten a lot of use. It seemed it would do
so now as well.
Sunny still didn’t say anything, but his expression crumpled a little. He watched silently and
only winced a couple times as Hero cleaned and bandaged the worst of injuries. They weren’t
the colorful cartoon band-aids that he knew his friend preferred, but the cloth ones would
stick to his fingers better.
“It’s gotta be tiring,” Hero continued. “I’m sure you and Mari have both worked hard, but I
hope you take breaks too. I hope you don’t hurt your fingers anymore.”
Finally, Sunny said, “...They said this is part of practicing…”
Hero frowned. “Your family?” Sunny nodded. “Even Mari?” He couldn’t imagine that Mari
would ever be okay with Sunny injuring himself. Getting some damage to the fingers as the
body adjusted to practicing such an instrument might not be unusual, but to continue playing
so hard with open wounds on the fingertips seemed excessive.
This time the boy hesitated. Then he said, “...She doesn’t know how bad they are.”
“Then why haven’t you taken a break?” Hero asked gently.
“Because I can’t.” He pulled his hand away from Hero and clenched them in his lap.
Frustration was clear on his face now. “The recital is soon. お姉ちゃん wants to practice as
much as possible. And my parents… they agree with her.”
Hero waited. He knew all of this, of course. But this was the first time Sunny was really
speaking out with the frustration that he had expected.
And he was rewarded as Sunny glanced at him and away. It was almost as if he thought Hero
was going to judge or scold him, but upon seeing Hero’s expression he changed his mind.
And the words began to bubble out, “I don’t want to do this recital anymore.” His words
thumped to the ground like the dropping of the world from Atlas’s shoulders. His body curled
inwards a little, ashamed. “My parents want… They want this recital to be perfect. And
they’ve brought all these people. And お姉ちゃん just wants to practice and that’s it. I just…
I just want this recital to be over. I don’t want to play like how お姉ちゃん plays. I don’t… I
just…!”
He couldn’t bring himself to finish it. But Hero didn’t need to hear anymore.
He scooted over on the bench and wrapped an arm around Sunny’s shoulders, pulling him in
to lean against him. Then he decided there needed to be more and hugged him properly,
hoping to convey the comfort he so sincerely wanted the boy to feel. “I get it,” he soothed
him. “I know, Sunny.”
Sunny’s eyes teared up. He was trembling a little from holding his emotions back, but he
wasn’t letting them out. Hero didn’t know if it was just because he was trying to be strong or
if it was because there were too many people around them.
His voice was cracked as he said, “I don’t want to do this anymore. But I can’t quit either.”
Hero nodded in agreement, encouraging. “I’m… I’m not good enough to play with お姉ちゃ
ん. She keeps wanting me to get better but… But I can’t. I’m not good enough. And she’ll
hate me…”
“Mari will never hate you, Sunny,” Hero protested, squeezing him a little tighter. He pulled
back only when Sunny’s grip on him relaxed so that they could look at each other. He took
Sunny’s hand in his, meeting his eyes. “The recital is important, but it’s not more important
than you. I know you can’t just pull out of it now, but… But I think maybe you should talk to
your parents or your sister about how you feel. They, uh, have a tendency to set their
expectations high.” He cringed a little already hearing Mari getting annoyed with him for
butting into her family life. But Sunny didn’t have that reaction.
He looked down instead. “...I can’t talk to them,” he said. “This is the first time… my parents
have wanted something from me… like this.” Hero was quiet for a moment, thinking that
over. And Sunny continued in that time, “I don’t want to disappoint them… or disappoint my
sister… I can do this but… I feel like no matter what I do I’ll disappoint them… since I’m
not good at playing.”
“You are good at playing,” Hero corrected him. “I’ve heard you play, after all. Don’t beat
yourself up so much.”
Sunny looked away. His expression said it all.
“I’m not lying to you!” Hero insisted. “I really do think your playing is good. And even if
you do slip up a little at the recital, I promise it’s not the end of the world. Everyone will love
your playing no matter what.”
Sunny still seemed unsure. “But…”
“Sunny.” He put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, “You’ll do great. I know it’s funny coming
from me, but you’re overthinking it. The recital will be over before you know it, and you can
stop playing the violin if that’s what you really want. None of us will mind.”
“...But you guys paid so much for my gift…”
“That doesn’t mean you have to play it all the time. You like playing the violin, right? But not
like how Mari likes playing the piano?” Sunny nodded. Hero smiled. “Then that’s enough,
right? It’ll be there for whenever you want to play it! We got it for you because we love you,
Sunny. None of us will be upset about you not playing that much, just like how we wouldn’t
be upset if Kel never used the basketball I got him or if we all just stopped using the
treehouse.” He shrugged. “That’s just how things are. So, don’t worry so much, okay?”
Sunny looked reassured now. His expression lightened with appreciation, and Hero beamed
before rubbing his hair affectionately. Then he stood up and said, “But I think having a good
talk with your family would be good for you too. And maybe practicing a little less while
your fingers heal. The recital is in a couple of weeks, but you’ve still got time, okay? I hope
you have fun with it, Sunny.”
He didn’t know for sure if his words alone would be enough to change the course of events,
but at that time Hero didn’t really care. Sunny seemed happier now that some of the weight
had been taken off of his shoulders. And that’s all Hero really needed as he joined his friend
in playing at the park instead.
Waiting
Chapter Notes
Hi guys, I'm back from my unwanted vacation. Sorry it took so long to post stuff. I was
in AO3 jail for a while, hence the delay.
Couple of things to note: I've decided to make the final chapter count 59 instead of 60 as
I felt the one chapter was extraneous.
That also means after this chapter, the finale is occurring. I hope you guys like it!
I'll be posting the final two chapters in the next few days during the holidays, so keep an
eye out.
The chill in the air that came on the heels of the turning of the leaves left Hero shivering a bit
in his hoodie. He wasn’t usually so affected by the cold, but everything seemed to be hitting
him harder lately. He had a feeling it was from the downturn in his own health. The elements
always felt worse when he was exhausted, and he felt like he was almost always in a state of
exhaustion at this point.
He rubbed at his sore eyes as he walked away from Mari’s house, stopping on the sidewalk
with a yawn. It was hard to keep his eyes open most days, but it was harder still to sleep. He
felt like he was dealing with finals in college all over again while he was juggling volunteer
work and his part-time tutoring job, although the stress was incomparable.
He lifted his head and gazed across the street. He took a deep breath through his nose, and
then he let it out.
Today was the first day of October. Mari and Sunny’s recital was a stone’s throw away. And
Hero’s dreams were haunted by the sounds of their practice and Aubrey’s screams.
His nightmares were sporadic the past few months. Talking with his family and being able to
lessen his internal burden had done a lot to help him, but now the anticipation was leaving
him a mess. He was lucky when he could sleep through the night, and he was often running
on little sleep. His friends had commented on it, worried, but there was nothing he could say.
Sunny would give him long looks like he was guilty some days, but like he was trying to
finish a puzzle without all of the pieces on other days. Hero didn’t want to avoid the boy, but
he was tempted to.
Lately, though, he didn’t need to even try to avoid Sunny. Something had happened in his
neighbors’ household, and just like the lifetime before both siblings had become busier than
ever.
He glanced back at the house where he had been turned down by Mari’s father, who had
informed Hero that both of his children were busy. Mari must have just come home from her
extra studies since the sun was setting, and yet she was already too busy to even come to say
hi. Hero recognized this from the previous timeline as well, and the loneliness he felt was
much the same. He missed Mari even though he at least got to see her at school. These days
didn’t leave much room for dates or any kind of alone time.
Sunny had been a face he was seeing less and less frequently as well. Although, knowing
Sunny, it wasn’t exactly by his own choice. Or, possibly, this was a sign that he was also
working harder at practicing. It was hard to tell from the outside. Both options brought
different concerns to Hero. He worried about Sunny’s bleeding fingers, and he wondered if
any kind of real compromise had been made between the siblings. He had avoided the topic
with Mari, and he’d only recently spent time with Sunny for Saturday morning cartoons.
Kel would know better since Kel had been sticking to Sunny like glue in recent days – clearly
sensing the shift in Sunny’s behavior even if he couldn’t quite figure out how to cheer him up
– but there was only so much his little brother could do. Even now Kel was off at the park
playing with some neighborhood kids and had been ever since he’d gotten home from school
as he avoided coming home to do chores or homework. Hero had done Kel’s chores in his
place since cleaning was soothing for him (and Kel could repay him later). Now, though, he
needed to find something else to do with himself.
Hero shook his head and finally started down the sidewalk. He couldn’t shake the ghosts off
his back that clung to his neck and shoulders whispering terrible what-ifs for the future.
Seeing Sunny locking himself away more and more wasn’t helping him. Hero tried to
reassure himself that this was simply temporary, but his anxiety couldn’t leave him.
If Mari died again… if all of this was for nothing… Hero wasn’t sure if he was strong enough
to keep going forward.
He wondered if that was quitter’s talk. What would happen then to Sunny, Kel, Aubrey, Basil,
and his parents?
Hero had never been a selfish person. And he had regretted the times that he was selfish.
His stomach churned. His head ached.
He was so tired.
He took a deep breath to steady himself and squeezed his eyes shut against the pounding in
his skull. You know what was good for not thinking about this stuff? Going somewhere
soothing.
His house wasn’t ideal right now. Mari and Sunny were busy. Next stop was the only other
place he could think to relax: Basil’s house. So, he set off.
It had become something of a haven in the past few months. He wasn’t quite sure how to
explain it, but he felt like he’d developed a nice relationship with Basil’s grandmother. He
had always been good at getting along with people and talking, but his casual and passing
acquaintance with his friend’s guardian had become a true friendship. She was kind and
relaxed and very different from his own grandparents. She was quick to offer him something
to eat or to just relax, and sometimes she listened to him when he felt like talking. He sensed
that she suspected something about him – whether it was related to his anxiety or whether she
was just that empathetic to his distress – but she never did press him. Hero was more than
happy to listen to her tell stories about her life instead.
He would miss her when she was gone. He tried not to think about that.
His mood lifted a bit as he approached the end of the street where he would have to turn
towards Basil’s house. It was then that he started to pick up the voices of some kids. He gave
a curious glance towards Aubrey’s house and smiled a little to himself to see some children
playing on the street, but he stopped when he realized that Aubrey was actually among them.
She was on a pink bicycle that was just a little too big for her, balancing on one leg with a
look of concentration as she attempted to get on the bike and get going. It took only a
moment for Hero to recognize the ones around her as Van, Kim, and even Charlene. Van held
onto the bars of the bicycle to keep it upright, smiling broadly and encouragingly.
Hero blinked at the sight. He couldn’t stop himself from approaching. He heard Kim as he
got close enough saying in her loud voice, “It ain’t really that difficult! You just keep
pedaling and don’t stop!”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Aubrey grunted, face scrunched as she finally got on with her
feet on the pedals of the bike. If it wasn’t for Van holding her steady, it would’ve already
fallen over. She looked uncomfortable with the height, but determined. “I didn’t even learn
with training wheels.”
“Hehe, you could always give us your bike and I’ll give you my razor scooter,” Kim
bargained.
“Me too,” Van offered.
“Two scooters for a bike? That’s a steal!”
“What would I even need two scooters for?” Aubrey asked, baffled, when she spotted Hero.
She perked up right away and called out, “Hero, hi!”
He waved once, smiling. “Hey Aubrey. What’s going on here?”
“Kim and Van are teaching me and Charlie to ride my bike!” Aubrey hopped off the bicycle
and left Van leaning on it before she ran over to Hero to grab his hand with excitement. “My
dad bought it for me yesterday!”
“Did he? That’s awesome!” He watched Charlie approach the bike curiously, though she
didn’t get on. She rang the little bell that was attached to the handle. She was already very
nearly taller than Van despite Hero being pretty sure she was Aubrey’s age. Kim looked a
little annoyed at the interruption.
It warmed his heart and surprised him at the same time to see Aubrey with this group. From
what he could remember, Aubrey had almost only hung out with his group of friends up until
Mari’s death. She never talked about making friends outside of them, and the older Aubrey
had admitted to having trouble befriending others in the first place. Hero had learned through
his older friend how she had been absorbed into the Hooligans over time because she had
seemed lonely, but now it looked like she was naturally making friends with them.
He couldn’t help it. He needed to know. “When did you guys all become such good friends?”
“Good friends? Ha!” Kim scoffed, but her cheeks were just a little red as she pouted. “We
just want her bike.”
“Don’t mind her,” Van said. “C’mon, Kim, she’s our friend, right?”
Kim just looked away harder but did admit, “Of course we’re friends! I don’t hang out with
uncool dorks!”
“You said that, but you only started to say hi after we almost fought again!” Aubrey pointed
out with a huff. Then she said to Hero, “We, um, became friends after I yelled at them about
what happened at the baseball game. We’ve been… hanging out more since school started.”
It was to the point that even now Aubrey was accepting to learn how to ride a bike from them
instead of coming to Hero or Mari? That was interesting. He was happy for his friend.
“That’s great! I’m sure you guys’ll be great friends. You’ll have to show us what you learned
later.”
“Do you think Kel will be jealous?” She asked with eagerness. “Kim said that Kel never
learned how to ride a bike since he never goes around the neighborhood. Is that true?”
“It’s true! He tried to ride Sam’s bike over at the park and totally crashed!” Kim snickered.
Charlene nodded in corroboration.
She really shouldn’t be so excited to hear this, but Aubrey’s eyes were sparkling with a
mischief that Hero had only ever seen in teal eyes instead of brown. It seemed that her
kindred spirit with the people Kel had dubbed the Hooligans was something that had always
been present as long as Kim and her friends weren’t being bullies. Hero had played with the
neighborhood kids in the past as well, but there was a new level of friendship here.
Part of him had a feeling that Kel would be dealing with this group more and more soon.
“He can ride a bike,” Hero corrected, “but, uh, he never really learned how to stop on big kid
bikes. He still tries to pedal backwards to stop and it leads to… crashing.”
The younger kids laughed hearing that, quick to rib on Kel as Kim jumped to recount that
exact thing happening. Hero found amusement hearing about Kel’s failed attempts to look
cool, but as he noted the dipping of the sun and how late it was beginning to get, he made to
say his goodbyes. He wanted to let Aubrey develop her own friends outside of their core
group, and he had places he wanted to go. So, he waved his goodbye and headed over to
Basil’s house instead with a lighter heart than the complicated mess he had felt earlier. He
wouldn’t tell Kel about what he had learned today, but he wanted to express his joy to Mari
over what he had seen with Aubrey.
Basil opened the door quickly after Hero knocked. He didn’t seem surprised at all to see him,
and beamed brightly in greeting. The smell of fresh vegetables was in the air, and Hero could
see some of them over by the cutting board on the kitchen counter. It looked like he had
interrupted something.
“Oh, are you guys making dinner?” he asked his friend after saying hello back. “Sorry. I can
come back another day.”
“Is that you, Hero?” Basil’s grandmother called as she walked into the room with her cane.
“Come on in.”
“Yeah, please come in! I’m just making a pasta salad for Grandma.” Basil moved aside to let
Hero step inside. He started to unzip his jacket as Basil closed the door.
“Hey Basil, did you see that Aubrey’s become friends with Kim, Vance, and Charlene?” he
asked as he hung up his jacket.
“Yeah! Kim and her friends have been coming to eat with us in the cafeteria at school once in
a while,” he responded as he headed back into the kitchen. “They’re kinda nice once you get
to know them more. Though… they’re a little rough around the edges.”
It was a relief to hear. Hero wasn’t completely sure about how much Basil in the previous
timeline had been bullied. Kel could exaggerate when he didn’t know all of the details, and
Hero knew Aubrey too well to think she would purposefully help people hurt Basil.
Although, remembering Aubrey’s confession of guilt made him understand that there were
certainly some hurtful things that were done because of the photo album. Hero hadn’t known
how much of that influence had been because of her new friends, but now he was more
reassured. In this case, it seemed that they had been backing Aubrey up due to her perceived
hurt.
That didn’t make the bullying okay, but Hero could tell they were good friends to her. The
matching photographs in both Aubrey and Kim’s rooms were enough to tell him just how
close they had gotten. He hoped Aubrey would be a good influence on them in this timeline.
“It would be cool if you guys all got along,” Hero told him as he patted the boy’s head once
on his way to the living room. “We’ve all lived in this area for so long, but we haven’t
actually hung out much. Maybe we’ll have more friends in the future?”
“Hehe, maybe! Though… I kinda like the size of our group now.”
“Nothing wrong with other groups of people to hang out with.” He sat down on the couch as
Basil’s grandmother sat in her rocking chair. Hero smiled brightly at her. It was good to see
she was in good health. He always felt the urge to check on her every time. He felt like
maybe his anxiety would decrease if he knew what she had died of so he could keep an eye
out for him.
He was unsurprised when her kind but critical eye caught his. “You stop that,” she scolded,
hitting his leg gently with her cane. “I don’t need your worrying, Hero.”
She always caught him when he was thinking that way. He was starting to think she and Mari
were trading secrets about him with her accuracy in reading him. It was scary. “Sorry,” he
said.
“You should worry about yourself. You look… Hm.” Hero cringed. So much was said in that
little hum. She didn’t even need to finish it. She spared him from description by continuing,
“Are you here for some medicine?”
Honestly, sitting and getting a little blazed with Basil’s grandmother sounded like a lot of fun,
but he couldn’t today. He couldn’t risk the smell on him when his parents were home, and he
had been indulging a little too often. The calming effects were great, but Hero didn’t want to
become reliant. He was still trying to find a coping mechanism for himself while he
continued to reject therapy.
However… “Um… maybe just something to help me sleep, if you have anything?” He
rubbed at the back of his neck, eyes darting to Basil and away. This was a bit of a secret from
all of his friends. Only Mari was aware he did this stuff, and even Basil’s grandmother didn’t
know that Mari knew. She was good at keeping secrets.
The woman nodded and motioned with her hand to her bedroom. “Go grab my purse for me,
please. You know where I like to keep it.”
“Of course.” He hurried to do as told and came back with her purse. She only had to dig into
it for a few moments before she found a tin of mints. She handed them over to him. Both of
them knew there weren’t any mints inside of it.
“Thanks,” he said, grateful and guilty. “I can pay–”
“Dear, I’m not a dealer,” she interrupted firmly but softly. “You do so much for me and for
Basil that I don’t mind handing these over. I can just get some more. Besides, you look as if
you need them much more.” She shifted in her chair to get more comfortable. Hero
recognized when she was settling in for her form of a grilling. He didn’t have the power to
resist her concern for him. “What’s bothering you so much to have your handsome face so
tragic? I’ve seen better expressions on war veterans.”
He wondered if she would laugh if he told her that sometimes he felt like that wasn’t too far
off from his troubles. It wasn’t the first time she had asked after him, but she was more
upfront about it today. Considering how much he had been worrying everyone around him,
someone was bound to dig deeper. Sunny had done it, his parents had done it, and Basil and
Aubrey had both tried to express their worries, but Hero had brushed them all off or narrowly
dodged their attempts. He couldn’t tell his parents anymore than they already knew since it
was all the same stuff, but there was nobody else he could really confide in.
Some days he wished that he could just lay with Mari in her bed and hold her there until the
recital had passed. Just knowing he could bodily protect her from the world would do
wonders for him.
But that wasn’t possible. And now all Hero had left was to wait.
Still, though, he couldn’t deny just how much everything had weighed on him. Even crying
felt pointless when some nights all he could do was clutch his pillow to muffle the whimpers
that would escape him, trying to quiet himself so he wouldn’t wake Kel. He felt like he was
troubling everyone around him. This situation wasn’t even about him . It was about helping
Mari. She was the important one, not him. Everything would be better once Mari lived to see
another day.
Hero was quiet for too long, and he failed to respond to the woman. His eyes fell to the tin in
his hand. He tilted it back and forth slowly, listening to the items inside roll and thump
against the inside. The only sounds were the chopping in the kitchen and Basil occasionally
mixing stuff. Every now and again he would glance over at the living room, but Hero missed
how his friend was eavesdropping.
“...Whatever it is,” the grandmother continued gently when Hero did not speak, “I’m certain
it will pass, Hero.”
“I tell myself that,” he said, eyes darting to hers and down to the tin once more, “but it
doesn’t make it easier to deal with now.”
“Is it that hard on you?”
“Some days I just…” He paused and swallowed his words to muffle them more. He didn’t
want Basil to hear too much. He wasn’t sure how his voice carried in this quiet house. It was
always so much quieter than his own home. Peaceful, yet unnerving for someone used to
plenty of noise. “I feel paralyzed. I can’t do anything more, but I’m not reassured anything
has really changed.”
He didn’t know how he was coming off. He couldn’t go into more details, but his throat was
aching with the force of the words pushing from his lungs. They bubbled and spilled out
without his regard for his listener to interpret as she wished.
The woman rocked a few times in her chair meditatively, simply listening. And Hero couldn’t
help but speak,
“Some things have changed. I mean… I can’t tell every little ripple, but even I can notice
some big changes. And I keep trying to focus on those so that I can tell myself that I can… I
can do what I’ve been trying to do for so long. But at the same time so much is the same too.
And I’m worried that the one thing I wish to change the most might still end up in the worst
way. Or, if not the worst way, then in a similar way. But I can’t do anything to stop it at this
point. I know I just have to wait, but my nightmares are making me so tired. I can’t stop
thinking about it.” It was hard to grasp the reins of his words enough to censor anything that
would give context as he spoke in a rush, heart racing and hands trembling. His ears rang a
little as his mind was a scramble. His jaw hurt from keeping his emotions in check. He felt
like he was going to fall apart as visions of his past flitted before his eyes.
The church window had still been broken, even if not in the same situation as last time. What
if Mari still ended up falling and she still got broken as well, but just a bit differently from
before? Even if Hero is at the house, did that mean he could stop her from falling? What if
because she lived, she died in a car crash instead? Would he have to live his life constantly
wondering if death was out to get her? What kind of future would even unravel for them if he
did let her live?
Even his little sister was not going to be born. He would have an entirely new sibling. His
future was not set in stone. But his parents were still having another child nonetheless.
He was better friends and closer with his friends than before, but would that really matter in
the grand scheme of things? He still didn’t even know why Basil had hung Mari to begin with
other than to cover for Sunny’s accident. Hero had tried to develop fail-safes that would
hopefully have Sunny and Basil act more responsibly should the worst come to pass, but that
was guaranteed.
What more could Hero change? What more could he do?
He resented Mari for fighting him every step of the way and forcing him to concede onto a
path he was struggling down now. He felt guilty for his anger towards her. He hoped he
didn’t hold onto those feelings. He had to focus on his task.
He couldn’t do this again. He couldn’t lose her again.
Having grown so much closer to everyone this time around, the ghosts of Mari, Basil, and
Sunny haunted the shadows of his nightmare harder than before. And Hero was ready to
buckle from it.
He was just… so tired.
“I can’t sleep,” he said. “I just want to sleep.”
He wasn’t an active person. Yes, he kept himself busy because his depression had hit him
hard and had paralyzed him. And it was becoming harder not to succumb to the pitiful siren
song of a year he never wished to revisit. His mind swirled with darkness and exhaustion. He
couldn’t remember the last time he had slept more than a couple hours at a time. His eyes
constantly hurt.
His body was shaking. His grip on the tin in his hand was too tight. He didn’t know when he
had started hunching in on himself, but he jolted back to awareness by the touch to his
shoulder. His head jerked up to see Basil in front of him, gaze heartbroken and concerned.
His bright blue eyes shined with a wet sheen. And before Hero could say anything or gather
himself, the boy pulled him into a tight hug.
“I don’t know what is scaring you so much, Hero,” he said quietly, breath hitching with
repressed tears, “but everything will be okay. We’ll protect you. The monsters aren’t real.”
He didn’t understand. He didn’t know for sure what Basil even took from Hero’s words, but
the hug was enough for now. He just needed something, and Basil gave nice hugs, so Hero
held him back and squeezed his eyes shut.
It was his fault too that this kind boy had died in his future. He didn’t have a malicious bone
in his body. But Hero had failed to recognize that back then, and he had let the darkness
consume Basil along with Sunny. He hadn’t been there to protect him, and yet here he was
trying to protect Hero from unknown horrors.
It was enough to pull a rueful smile from him that none of them could see.
He was holding Basil too tightly, but the boy didn’t complain. He was surprised when he
heard his grandmother stand only to rest a hand on Hero’s head and smooth his hair
soothingly. The ticking of the clock was interspersed with the occasional sniffle from Basil,
though Hero didn’t think any of them were really crying.
He decided, then, that he liked this family very much. It would be easy to relax here for a
little bit if the haunting memories of that final night before Sunny’s death would leave his
mind. He tried to ground himself in the present, but it was difficult. So, he would just stay
like this for a while. It would be just a bit longer.
Effects
Chapter Notes
Actually, I may add an epilogue after the next chapter if I feel like the next chapter's
ending isn't enough. Or if people want it.
Hero had the distinct and pointed feeling that if Mari’s parents didn’t like him so much, he
would’ve been firmly but politely asked to leave the house. He didn’t know if it was just him,
but there was a tense atmosphere in the house that left him feeling more ill than usual when
he came to Mari’s house on the day of the recital. His nerves already felt alight with his
anxiety, but he maintained a pleasant smile as he made polite conversation about how he was
there to morally support Mari and was just planning to hang out. He had his suit on a hanger
that he brought right away to Mari’s room, hanging it up next to her white dress and Sunny’s
black suit.
He was far too early having come by mid-morning, but he hadn’t wanted to wait any longer.
He hadn’t slept the past two nights. He was just ready to get this wretched day over with and
hopefully enjoy a lovely recital. Though, if he was honest with himself, he was probably
going to fall asleep from sheer relief the moment his butt hit his seat. He hoped nobody could
blame him.
Despite being slightly unwelcome, things had been going fine during the morning time. Mari
was more on edge than ever, though Hero was sure part of that was his fault. However, he
couldn’t tell if she was worried about the danger of that day or just the recital itself. Either
way, her smiles were strained and she seemed distracted most of the time. She had checked to
make sure Mewo’s hair wasn’t on her dress, and had confirmed the schedule for that day with
her parents twice. Hero was feeling more stressed just from how she was acting, and he
wasn’t the only one.
Sunny had been silent for most of the day. It wasn’t unusual for him to not talk, but there was
a different texture to his silence. His shoulders were tense and he hadn’t looked directly at
anyone that day. Hero had attempted to chat with him and relax him, but Sunny clearly
wasn’t having any of it when Hero was in just as bad of a state as he was. Nothing could be
said to help him, though he did try to stick close to Mari at times. He kept looking for his
sister with his mouth opening as if to say something, but he ended up not doing it, instead
pinching his lips and moving on.
Hero had watched as more than one time one or both siblings were stopped by one of their
parents to discuss that night. From what Hero could gather, their mother was on and off the
phone today talking to many people, and she had been reiterating to her children about how
important that night would be for all of them. When Mari had told him that her mother was
using this recital for networking, he hadn’t realized it was to this extent. It was no wonder
Mari was so pressured to do well. It sounded like tonight would have a direct result on her
future as friends from a college with a great music program would be coming and they had
their eyes on her.
“Mari, that’s amazing!” Hero told her when they had a moment alone in her living room. The
sun was starting to set and her parents had left to get some last-minute items that Hero
suspected with gifts for their kids. The orange rays from outside weren’t deep enough yet to
cast dark shadows, but forewarned Hero about just how close the recital was. They were
almost there. They would all need to leave in about an hour.
“I know!” Mari cried, hands fluttering as she paced with anticipation and nerves. “I could get
a full scholarship if I impress them!”
“And you will,” he assured her, grabbing her hands and squeezing them. “You and Sunny
have sounded amazing every time that I’ve heard you. They’re going to love your song
choice.”
“It’s not even about the song choice,” Mari denied with a shake of her head as she stepped
into Hero’s space. The grip on his hands tightened, grounding herself with his touch. “It’s
about technical ability. I still sometimes slip up at that same part that I was struggling with
last month. And Sunny keeps missing the timing too. I think I can land it but…”
“Mari,” Hero interrupted her gently but firmly, “it’ll be alright. I’m sure they will judge both
of you separately. It sounds like they’re more focused on you anyway, right?”
“A duet can’t only be judged separately. They’re going to take note of both of us. I want this
to go perfectly, Hero. We’ve been practicing for so long, and this means a lot to me.”
“And you know that Sunny knows that. It will be fine, Mari. I believe in you.”
Her eyes softened a little, but his words didn’t seem to do much to relieve her. He recognized
this state in her as well. She was the type to get stressed before a big event, and then be fine
as soon as it was time for the show. She was like that when they rode roller coasters too as
she would be anxious before the ride itself, but be perfectly fine once the ride was going. He
knew she could do it. She just had to get there first.
She reached up and pulled him into an appreciative peck of a kiss before letting go and
turning to the hallway, “Where is Sunny? I want to do one final run-through before our
parents come back.”
“I think he’s in the bedroom,” he told her as he followed her. “But maybe you guys should
just relax first? Sunny seems really nervous.”
“We’re both nervous, Hero,” she snapped. “But that’s just going to be how it is. One more
time won’t hurt either of us, and the show is almost here.”
She must have caught his expression because she paused on the stairs. She came to her senses
a bit and looked a little annoyed with herself at her snippiness, but she didn’t apologize.
Instead, her tone softened as she touched his arm. “It’s just a little longer, Hero. What you’re
worried about won’t happen.”
He wanted to believe her, but at this point all he wanted to do was throw up. He was running
on about an hour’s sleep from an impromptu power nap he’d had earlier, and he hadn’t eaten
much that day because his stomach had been rolling. He had been on edge waiting for
calamity to strike. Every little chance of a problem was making him feel even worse. Mari
snapping at him made him want to snap back, but he feared he would have an utter meltdown
if he let go of his control over his emotions for even just a moment.
He didn’t respond to her, and she sighed. She hadn’t expected much of a response as she
rejoined him at the bottom of the stairs and hugged him. “You won’t fall asleep in the middle
of the recital, right?” she attempted to joke.
“I’ll try my best not to,” he promised. The relief of making it there might be enough to take
him out, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. “I really want to see the final product of your
hard work on that stage.”
She pulled back and smiled at him. “Just a little longer,” she repeated once more before
nodding and going up to find Sunny.
Hero sighed through his nose and rubbed at his eyes. He should’ve known she wouldn’t listen
to him, and he silently apologized to Sunny. Mari was probably right anyway in that one final
practice would be good for them. At this point, things were going well. He felt more on edge
than ever because of his knowledge of the other timeline, but that didn’t mean it would
happen the same way this time.
He heard some violin music coming from the open door upstairs and briefly spotted Mari
moving as she coached Sunny through something. Hero decided against joining them and
returned to the living room to wait instead. Basil was going to be over soon since he had
wanted to give moral support to his best friend before the recital as well. Hero didn’t doubt
that Basil had put two and two together to realize how Hero was distressed over the recital
but had yet to understand why, so he wanted to be by his friends’ sides. Hero thought having
Basil might help to mediate things as well, so he was grateful for the early arrival.
Hero sat on the arm of the couch and closed his aching eyes. He’d had a headache for the past
few days, and he felt ill from lack of rest and anxiety. He took slow, deep breaths and tried to
reassure and calm himself. He was prepared for today.
Dad was right next door. His family had promised to be nearby just in case, and Hero knew
that they would keep that promise. He had seen Kel and his mother run out to go buy a new
pair of pants for Kel after had spilled Orange Joe on them earlier, but Dad was still home. If a
worse case scenario happened, he was right there.
It wouldn't be much help, though, if Mari fell and died on impact. But Hero didn’t know the
details of that day. He didn’t know what, exactly, caused Sunny to throw his violin. He didn’t
know how Mari had died other than by falling, but falling didn’t necessarily mean a person
was killed on impact. Hero had almost obsessively researched various possibilities, and now
he was haunted by it. However, if Mari did fall at least he had some medical skills. He knew
first-aid and knew how to respond to an emergency. He had worked in a hospital as a
volunteer during his college years and while getting his degree. He could do this.
He squeezed his eyes shut tighter and clenched his shaking fists.
A knock on the front door distracted him from his racing thoughts just as Basil let himself in.
He looked a little surprised to see Hero right there, but he smiled broadly at the sight of him
as he greeted, “Hi, Hero! I’m here a little early.”
Hero put on a somewhat-forced smile. “Just by a little bit.” He glanced at the suit jacket that
Basil was hanging up on the coat rack next to his actual coat so that it wouldn’t be wrinkled.
“Have you been here all day? Sunny told me that you were planning to hang out for moral
support,” the boy asked as he joined Hero at the couch. A frown twitched onto his face.
“...Have you slept at all? Your eyes are… Um… really dark today…”
Hero looked away quickly. “Uh–”
But whatever excuse he had been about to make never made it out as he heard Sunny’s name
called particularly loudly. It was enough to make him start and for Basil to look towards the
hallway with surprise before both of them were on their feet and hurrying to check things out.
Hero’s stomach swooped and plummeted as he took in what was before him.
Even with the early evening sunlight streaming in through the upstairs window and casting
Sunny into shadows, Hero was able to see the flush of anger and upset on the boy’s face. His
fist was clenched around the neck of his violin as he stomped out to the top of the stairs only
to have been stopped when Mari called his name a second time. She was quickly after him,
throwing the bedroom door open. Hero saw the way her eyes dropped from her brother’s face
to the violin.
“Sunny! Don’t you dare!” she scolded, voice harsher in her rush to get ahead of what both
her and Hero suspected would happen next. “Give me your violin right now!”
Sunny just looked baffled for a split second as he glanced down at the violin in his hand. He
didn’t seem like he was going to throw it. But a fit of childish anger crossed his face, and
Sunny took another step back. His grip tightened on the violin, and he shook his head.
“Give me it!” Mari commanded again, storming over to Sunny and grabbing for it. Sunny
yanked it away. “You’re going to damage it!”
“Hey!” Hero called, alarmed. They were far too close to the stairs. What the hell was Mari
doing?! All he could see in his mind’s eye was one little slip, and then his whole world would
come crashing down again.“Hey, stop that! Both of you!” He ran up the stairs, heart in his
ears and his headache pounding more than before as terror filled his veins. He needed to stop
this.
Mari managed to grab the end of the violin, but Sunny yanked on it. His mouth was a little
agape, betrayal darkening his features more. He gritted his teeth as his voice, louder than
Hero had heard it before, cut through the struggle the two of them were having, “You… All
you care about is this. Why–”
“This was a gift, Sunny! And if you break it–” Mari argued over him.
“Leave it alone!” Hero snapped at them both, cutting between them. He was more worried
about getting them away from the top of the stairs as he used his body. His arms cut between
them and pressed their chests in an attempt to physically separate them, but the siblings
refused to budge. Neither one of them were paying him any mind.
“Let go!” Sunny tried again, yanking once on it hard. Mari jolted forward as Hero yelped and
teetered. Mari managed to catch herself, but it didn’t matter. Her body twisted to balance
herself, and her knee abruptly buckled as she gasped with pain.
The next moment was one that Hero couldn’t remember properly. He only had it in his mind
to catch her, so he threw his arm out to wrap around her as his other went for the banister
near him. He didn’t know if his exhaustion had slowed his reaction time or what, but his
attempt failed. He wasn’t close enough to grab it, though, and as her weight fell into him, he
tipped backwards. Her grip on the violin didn’t loosen, and Sunny pitched forward with them.
There was the weight and sensation of falling, and something cracked against the stairs. And
Hero blacked out.
He didn’t think he was out for long as he heard his name being screamed repeatedly. It took
too long for his brain to focus. His head was spinning and aching so hard he felt like he might
pass out. His stomach churned, and his body felt like it was on fire. He blinked his eyes open
and his eyeballs spun in their sockets unseeingly as he tried to clear his vision of the fog in
his brain. He couldn’t think. Who was calling him?
He opened his mouth to try to respond, only for his hearing to fade in and out. There was
pressure on his head, and the sharp fire whip of agony had him gasping and pulling back to
awareness briefly.
Tears dripped onto his face as Mari’s face swam into his vision. She was paler than he’d ever
seen her. Her lips moved and her hair whipped around her as she called out something
nearby. It was then Hero heard sobbing, and finally his brain began to process what was
happening.
Everything hurt. His lungs felt like they were fighting to expand against the pressure of the
red alarms blaring in his mind that something was terribly wrong. He couldn’t think easily,
and that was when he recognized what had happened.
“Co… concussion…” he muttered, hoping the information might be helpful to Mari. His
stomach pitched a little at his attempt to speak. He was glad he hadn’t eaten much that day or
he might have vomited right there.
“HERO!” Mari sobbed, relief and panic painting her voice in ways Hero had never wanted to
hear. “You’re alive! Oh thank god! I-I-I thought–”
He would worry about that later. He was alive? Mari was alive. She was so alive, in fact, that
she was able to cry and was touching him. She hadn’t died.
Hero stared at her, lost in this fact as his mind drifted again. Black fuzzed at the edges. She
spoke quickly, and then pressure on his pain lanced more agony through him. He snapped
back to awareness.
Right! He was concussed. He couldn’t pass out.
How did he get concussed?
The fall. He fell.
All three of them had fallen. He remembered that much. He didn’t remember hitting the stairs
or the ground, though.
His hands were shaking from the leftover adrenaline still in his system as he reached up to
touch her hand on his head. He cringed. Injured, of course. The wet feeling he was
recognizing around his ears and hair must be blood. Head wounds bled a lot. He remembered
this in class.
Shit, his head was bleeding. This was bad. They needed help.
Was Mari and Sunny okay? He tried to lift his head, but it only made the pain worse.
“Don’t move!” Mari snapped at him. “Y-You’re hurt! Hero, you’re hurt and…” Her eyes
darted down Hero’s body. His vision wavered again. What was she looking at? She turned
back to him. “Just don’t move!”
“Wha-what do we do?” That was Basil’s voice. He sounded more terrified than ever. Where
was Sunny? Hero tried to look for him. “There’s–”
Help. Right. Hero had planned for this. What was the plan?
“Get the phone, please!” Mari instructed. “I can’t move. It’s over there on the– Sunny! Call
9-1-1!”
Tears boiled unwillingly in Hero’s eyes as he attempted to move again and realized his back
was in pain as well. He wasn’t lying on anything flat. What the hell was beneath him and
could he get off of it? But he didn’t have the strength to even roll over. The very thought of it
made his mind and stomach flip.
Wait, he remembered the plan now.
“Dad,” he said. He gripped Mari’s hand. He felt the blood soaking through her fingers onto
his as he tried to get her attention. “Dad,” he tried again.
Mari knew his plan. He had told her and they had gone over it so many times. She had to
know what he was talking about, right? Mari had to keep her head on for this because Hero
couldn’t think straight.
He was so glad they had talked this out because her eyes widened with clarity right as she
was handed the phone by a tear-ridden Sunny. He’d never seen his friend look like that either,
Hero thought. His arm didn’t look right.
“Basil!” Mari said as she pressed the phone to her ear. Her eyes kept darting around the room
and her breathing was too harsh. Hero wanted to hold her. “Go next door! Hurry! Mr.
Montoya should be there!”
“Dad,” Hero agreed weakly.
“O-Okay!” Basil didn’t even hesitate. Somehow, he seemed the most grounded even in his
own panic.
Hero could feel his mind drifting in and out as he tried to stay awake. It was harder than he
thought because he never noticed when he started to shut down until Mari would shake him
or call his name to wake him again. He saw his dad briefly, horrified eyes meeting his, before
his vision faded again. He couldn’t keep this up. The drifting feeling was getting harder to
fight.
He wondered if maybe this was it for him. He didn’t know what dying actually felt like. He
didn’t think it would be bad if it meant Mari lived, but he also knew Mari would hate him if
she knew he’d thought that. His life wasn’t a replacement for hers. He never wanted Kel to
go through the loss of a sibling. He couldn’t imagine Sunny’s guilt would be any less
knowing he had caused someone else’s death. The thought of Mari ruining her life like Hero
nearly did to his own kept him clinging and away from the temptation of sleep for just a little
longer.
It was hard, though, and made harder still when he screamed as he was lifted onto a stretcher.
It was only when they were moving him did Hero finally see the gruesome object sticking up
and tenting his shirt, painting him in more blood. He understood why his side felt like it was
numb and yet radiating fire at the same time. And he knew, then, what he had been laying on.
He only really had enough consciousness left to think, Oh, that’s not good, before he
succumbed to the darkness once more.
Chapter End Notes
Stressed Out + lack of sleep (x how many days?) + no food = ???

Free
Chapter Notes
I will add that epilogue in.
Waves roared in quiet rushes as they broke upon the shore and crawled up Hero’s bare ankles.
The sand shifted around and slipped out from under his feet with every step as the ocean
waves retreated. The sky was painted in colors with names he didn’t know and blended with
ones that he did as the sun sank just below the horizon. He felt the wind on his face and
blowing his hair around him, but he couldn’t exactly feel it. He wasn’t sure when he had
started walking or where he was going, but he followed the beach as it curved and flowed
forever onwards, ignoring the trees on his opposite side.
The legs of his jeans were getting wet. He hadn’t rolled them up even though he was carrying
his shoes. Hero felt a melancholic peace about him as if he was forgetting something but
couldn’t find the strength to look too deeply to figure out what. He was content to just keep
walking, occasionally kicking the ocean waves and watching clear water particles glisten as
they hit the light.
He was pretty sure he was dreaming. It was hard to imagine it was anything otherwise, but it
had been a while since he’d had such a vivid dream that hadn’t involved something terrible.
He basked in it while he could. His vague awareness of this being a dream did little to affect
anything around him. He couldn’t wake up, and he couldn’t sink any deeper into it. So, he
rode out what his body wanted to do and let his feet carry him where they wanted.
It took some time before he came across another person. He knew them immediately. He
stopped just short of Sunny where the boy sat in the sand just out of reach of the water. He
was watching the sunset with his one good eye, still in his hospital gown. His bandages were
still a pristine white and free of any blood. He looked tired, if calm, as he brought his knees
up and wrapped his arms around them.
Hero stood still in the water as he watched his friend. Sunny didn’t acknowledge him at first
as Hero was in his blindspot. He wasn’t sure the boy even knew he was there. But then he
found himself speaking up to announce himself,
“Hey.”
Sunny didn’t move to acknowledge him. Hero looked him over. This wasn’t the Sunny from
when he was awake. This was the older Sunny. He looked down at his own hands and his
clothes. It was only then that he noticed he was bigger and wider in the shoulders. This was
his older body.
Maybe he wasn’t dreaming, he wondered. After all, didn’t he fall down the stairs? Maybe he
had taken Mari’s place.
Was Sunny waiting for him?
Had Sunny died too? Or Mari?
Mari wasn’t here, though.
A drop of cold water rolled down Hero’s spine at the thought.
“I wanted to go back to a time when nothing had changed,” Sunny abruptly spoke, making
Hero blink. The teen still hadn’t looked away from the horizon where more purples were
starting to bleed through the sky. “It was the best year of my life.”
He didn’t have to specify what year he was talking about.
“I did,” Hero responded, lungs heavy with questions that he simply hadn’t asked in place of
his response.
Sunny finally looked at him. His good eye looked like it was a different color than its usual
dark brown. “Was it fun?”
Hero's eyes dropped. Then they lifted once more, “...Yeah.”
A small smile twitched on Sunny’s face, and he turned away again. Hero could feel himself
sinking deeper into the sand as the ocean waves tugged more and more grains out from under
his feet.
“It was fun,” Sunny murmured, almost to himself. He sounded happy, but just a little bit
jealous. Hero couldn’t understand it
He drifted away, vision dissipating like mist as everything faded to black. His awareness
became sharper, and the sounds of the ocean were replaced with the abrupt recognition of
unmistakable electronic beeping. His eyelids felt heavier than ever. His body was aching and
felt overly dry as he breathed in sterile air. All of this was familiar. He knew where he was
even before he opened his eyes.
Hero had never liked working at the hospital. It wasn’t that he disliked the work itself or
helping people, but it had been a constant toll on his sanity. The sights and smells evoked
tragic memories in him like he was taking damage the entire time he was in the building. It
wasn’t much better now as his mind swam with the memory of Sunny in that bed and Basil
fast asleep. His body hummed with internal and external pain. He was reluctant to open his
eyes to face reality.
Now that he thought about it, why was he in the hospital? Would he open his eyes to find
himself sitting at Sunny or Basil’s bedside?
No, he was the one laying down. Why was he…?

Only one way to find out, he thought as he finally worked up the energy to open his eyes. He
cringed and blinked his way through his eyes adjusting to the lighting of the room. It was
early morning, he recognized after staring at the clock on the wall for a little too long while
he waited for his brain to process. The ache in his body felt muffled by cotton, and it was
making his head feel a little floaty.
He was drugged with painkillers. He probably needed them after falling down the stairs. He
couldn’t remember what happened after the fall, though. It was a blur of memory that he
didn’t have the capacity to try to piece together right now. He’d rather focus on where he was
now and what was going on with him.
Despite it being morning, the curtains were still drawn to keep the light to a minimum in the
room. He could hear activity outside of the door to his room. He wanted to read his own
medical sheet to find out what happened to him, but it was at the foot of the bed where he
couldn’t reach. Even moving evoked muffled pain in him.
He touched his head and felt bandages there. Very gentle prodding let him know where the
wound was. Right; he remembered bleeding on the floor. When did he hit his forehead? That
would almost certainly leave a scar. His arms had bruises and minor scratches too. Nothing
too big, at least until he started gently prodding at his own chest and stomach. More bandages
and a sharp, blistering pain when he pressed too hard on his side. He gasped loudly and
grimaced.
What was this?
The door to his room opened quietly and let in a male nurse. They both were surprised to see
each other, though the nurse was quick to smile in greeting before joining him. He was
carrying another chart in his hand.
“Good morning,” the nurse greeted. “It seemed like you were starting to wake up around this
time. How are you feeling?”
“Um…” His mouth was dry. He swallowed a couple of times to wet it. “I’m okay… Just kind
of hurting.”
The nurse took note of it. Hero expected he’d get more pain meds from that. It was then that
the nurse ran through the questions Hero expected asking after his health and checking his
vitals. It was only when his blanket was removed and his shirt lifted did Hero get to see just
how bandaged up he really was. There was blood peeking through some of the padding, so
the nurse assured him they would change in soon.
Hero felt tired just from the check, but he had to ask, “Have I been here long?”
“It’s been about two days since you came here,” he said as he typed some things on the
computer in the room and wrote on Hero’s bed chart. “You were in surgery for a bit, and
you’ve been in recovery since.” The man stopped and turned to face him. “Do you remember
anything?”
“I remember falling down the stairs,” he admitted, “but not much else. I had a concussion, I
think.”
The nurse nodded. “You had a concussion, and you’ll probably feel that for a while yet. Be
gentle with yourself. You also had some injuries on your back, and…” He motioned to Hero’s
stomach, “you were impaled on some wood. Your family explained you fell on a violin.”
Hero needed a moment to process that. He had fallen on Sunny’s violin? He thought he might
have seen something sticking out of his stomach at one point, but he didn’t know if he was
imagining it. The injury was on the far side of his stomach. Considering the lack of concern,
Hero had a feeling he had luckily missed anything vital. That explained the terrible pain,
though. He had a hole through his body. He grimaced at the thought of splinters.
“You’ll be okay,” the nurse assured him when he saw Hero’s expression. “The surgery went
very well. And your family said they would be here in a few hours.”
His family. Right; he hadn’t even thought about the fact neither of his parents were there. He
wanted to ask them about what had happened in more detail. His dad had been there, hadn’t
he? He needed to know about Mari and about Sunny. The memories of that event were
coming back in scattered bits. They had been alive. But that didn’t mean they didn’t get
injured too.
Hero needed to see that Mari was alive with his own eyes. The very thought of anything
otherwise was–
“Thank you,” he told the nurse as he choked up a little. He blinked tears quickly from his
eyes and tried to take deep breaths. He didn’t know how he would wait for his family to
arrive. It would be torture.
Luckily for him, though, he didn’t need to wait long. The drugs were very good and quick
about assisting him to catch up on the sleep he had missed over the past few weeks.
The overwhelming love he received from his parents upon their visit was almost enough to
knock Hero out again. They couldn’t hug him as tightly or as thoroughly as he could tell they
wanted to due to his injuries, but that didn’t stop Kel from throwing himself onto Hero’s legs
and hugging them enthusiastically instead. His brother grinned through the entire thing, but
the genuine relief in his eyes matched their parents’.
It took a long time for his mother to be calmed down and reassured that Hero was, in fact,
fine and healing. He wasn’t in great shape, but he wasn’t on death’s door like his father had
thought when he had found his son on the floor. Hero’s heart ached at the haunted look in his
dad’s eyes as he explained what had happened that day.
Basil had been quick to grab him after Mari had sent him off. It was the most panicked Dad
had ever seen the boy. He had thought originally Mari had ended up falling like Hero had
predicted, but he had run even faster when he heard it was Hero instead.
The room had been in chaos when the two had come back. There had been blood on Mari’s
hands as she had attempted to stem the flow from Hero’s head wound while she cried and
talked on the phone with emergency services. Hero had been pale from the blood loss and
unmoving. The blood was the worst part as it had soaked quickly through Hero’s shirt. Sunny
had been standing in a state of shock, clutching his broken arm with tears on his face. Dad
had rushed to help Hero and take over talking on the phone as soon as possible since he
wasn’t in shock.
Hero had been right in that when he had fallen, he had landed on Sunny’s violin. In the mess
of falling down the stairs, he had taken the brunt of the injuries. The specifics were lost in the
tumble, but he had cracked his forehead on the steps when he had rolled. Mari and Sunny had
both landed on top of him, which had only added to his injuries. Sunny had broken his ulna
and had battered his hips, but Mari had gotten away with mostly superficial injuries other
than tearing her bad knee once more.
Hero had been in surgery to seal his wounds but to also ensure none of the wood would be
left inside of him. His back was apparently a much bigger mess than his front, but nobody
except the doctors had really seen it. His ribs were cracked and it had been a close call with
his spine. But other than the scarring, he was expected to not have lasting injuries as long as
he was careful.
He wasn’t sure how to feel about everything. Despite hearing all of this and seeing just how
distressed his family was, he couldn’t bring himself to really care about his own injuries. He
was alive. He would be fine. He could deal with being hurt. He only really cared about one
thing.
“But Mari’s alive?” he asked softly, needing to hear it directly. His heart thudded painfully in
his chest with his hope. There was a knot in his throat. His fist clenched in his blanket.
“You should be worried more about yourself!” Mom snapped.
“Dear,” Dad said, placing a placating hand on her arm. He had done his best to keep her calm
for the baby’s sake the whole time. So it was Kel who gripped the bed and beamed at Hero to
say,
“Mari’s alive! Everyone’s okay, Hero!”
Something broke in Hero then. Even as his mom tried once again to insist on being upset
about the situation (“You saved her, but you shouldn’t have to cost yourself your own life for
it, Henry!”) Hero was awash with relief so powerful that nothing could stop him from
breaking down into tears. He cried despite his smiles the only kind of crying children really
experienced. He cried until his lungs ached and he was sweaty from being held by his family
through it.
Mari was alive. It had been two days since the accident, and Mari was alive. He had saved
her. She was already living days she hadn’t gotten to see last time. Hero didn’t care about
anything other than that. How could he ask for a better ending than the fact that he had
actually succeeded? He had gone back in time and had stopped the tragedy from repeating
itself. He would get to see her again. He wouldn’t have to see her at that funeral again.
The shackles of what felt like his fate were gone.
He napped for another two hours after crying himself out. Even though he didn’t think Kel
would want to hang around a hospital, he was surprised to learn that his entire family was
still in his room when he woke up again. It was later on in the afternoon at that point and he
was eating his lunch when Kel sat next to him. He reached over to try to steal Hero’s ice
cream only for Mom to smack his hand away. Kel stuck his tongue playfully out to let Hero
know he was just joking anyway.
“Everyone said they wanted to visit you as soon as they can,” he informed his big brother.
“They’re really worried.”
“I’m not surprised,” Hero agreed. “I want to see Mari and Sunny as soon as possible too.”
“I’d rather you wait, mijo,” Mom huffed. She was holding a grudge, it seemed. Hero didn’t
blame her for it. It wasn’t like his parents weren’t well aware of what Hero’s fears were this
entire time only for Mari to fail to be of any help whatsoever. Hero couldn’t be mad at Mari,
though. Both siblings were tragically stubborn, and he had seen for himself how it had come
to a head. He’d like an apology from Mari, but otherwise he wouldn’t hold this against her.
He could only imagine her guilt. Her face as she had hovered over him covered in tears
would haunt him. He had so rarely seen her cry that it was still a shock.
“Mom…” he sighed, “I’m not mad about what happened.”
“Well, I am! Mari knew better!”
“She’s just a child,” Dad attempted to mediate.
“It’s not fair to tell them they can’t come!” Kel agreed. “It was an accident, Mom!”
“On top of that, their family has agreed to pay for Hero’s medical expenses.”
“They have?” Hero asked, surprised by this information.
His dad nodded while Mom crossed her arms and set her jaw. She would be holding this
grudge for a bit, it seemed. It always took Mom a while to calm down when she was slighted,
and Hero couldn’t blame her for her anger either. “They feel awful about what happened after
the kids explained the situation, so they offered to cover everything.”
Hero was grateful to hear that, but he was still troubled. Once again the recital was missed.
He wondered how their family was reacting to everything. He was almost nervous to meet
Mari’s parents again. Would he somehow be blamed for this? He didn’t think so, but the
anxiety was still there.
“Mom, please,” he tried to appeal. “I need to see Mari and to talk with her. I want to check on
her and Sunny.”
Mom still looked frustrated with her face scrunching. But one peek at her son’s pleading face
and her resolve was crumbling a bit. She was still unhappy as she sighed loudly and said,
“They already said they would come by in a little while anyway. I’m not going to stop you
when I know how much this means to you, Hero.”
“There we go,” Dad beamed while Kel squeezed Hero’s hand excitedly.
“But they were okay overall, right? Sunny and Mari? And how about Basil too? What
happened was…” Hero asked.
“Other than their injuries, I think they’re just worried about you, son.”
“Sunny was crying a lot,” Kel told him. “It was really tearing him up. I think he’ll feel a lot
better when he sees you.”
Hero agreed with it. He wasn’t going to let his friends live with guilt any longer than
necessary when Hero himself was fine. He was hurt, but he would live. That was enough for
him. He was too elated to possibly feel any negativity towards his friends. He just wanted to
make sure that they were okay.
He honestly didn’t expect Basil and Aubrey to be with Mari and Sunny when they arrived. It
was a bit chaotic when all of them came to check on him, talking over each other as he
reassured them about everything. His family had to help figure out how many guests could be
in at one time, and after calming down a tearful Aubrey and making sure Basil was okay,
eventually the only ones left were Mari and Sunny. It had taken some convincing to get just
the three of them alone for a bit.
Mari was beside herself as she sat beside her boyfriend. She had to put aside her crutches
before she grabbed his hand and clung to it. Whatever strength she had seemed to have
shattered as she pressed their linked hands to her face, and she started crying again. Hero
could see that she must have been crying a lot recently judging by her red eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Hero,” she sobbed. “I’m so so so sorry.”
“Hey, hey… It’s okay,” he promised, flustered and heartbroken at the sight of her. This was a
side of Mari he had never seen before. “I’m okay, Mari.”
“It’s my fault! You almost… Oh god, Hero, I almost lost you!” She hid her face against his
hand, body trembling as she clung to him as if he would disappear on her at any moment. “I
thought… I thought that you were… I thought you were going to… Instead of me and I…!
I…!”
He couldn’t twist enough to reassure her in the way he wanted. He wished he could hold her
close and just hug her, but moving too much pulled at his wounds. He just squeezed her hand
back and swallowed. It was taking everything in him to not say similar words of relief to her.
She was alive and she was here with him. She was in distress, but Hero was on Cloud 9. He
wouldn’t have changed a single thing just knowing that he got to see her for even one day
more.
But he couldn’t tell her this when Sunny was also in the room. His eyes drifted to the boy,
who had been standing silently watching them. His eyes were red as well and he looked
positively wretched as he gripped the front of his shirt with both his good hand and the one in
a cast. He hadn’t attempted to get closer. He flinched when he noticed Hero looking at him,
and his eyes dropped to the floor where his hair hid his expression.
It was too much like the boy Hero remembered from a past life.
“Sunny,” he called and held his free hand out. Mari lifted her head to look at her brother as
well. She sniffled and wiped at her face.
“Come over here, little brother,” she coaxed softly.
Sunny still hesitated.
“I can’t forgive you until you apologize,” Hero told him kindly, smiling at him. And that was
what broke Sunny as he took a stumbling step forward and then another. He nearly collapsed
into Hero as he managed to put him in a semi-awkward hug around the shoulders where he
buried his face.
“I’m sorry,” Sunny whimpered, shoulders trembling. “I’m sorry, Hero.”
“I forgive you,” Hero assured him, bringing his hand up to rub the boy’s back. “Both of you,”
he added as his eyes dropped back to Mari. He hoped his expression said more than he could
actually voice out loud in that moment. “I’m just glad you two are okay too. I… don’t
remember a lot of what happened when I fell.”
“We’re okay,” Mari said with another sniff before she reached for a tissue from a nearby box.
She refused to let go of Hero’s hand and cleared her nose with one hand. “You got it the
worst.”
“I fell on the violin, right? I’m sorry for breaking your present, Sunny.”
Sunny shook his head. He refused to accept the apology and just clung a little harder to Hero.
He was shaken up too.
“It was our fault for the fight,” Mari said. “We were careless and I… I was too harsh. And
you…”
“Oh right, the fight,” Hero interrupted in hopes to cut off this pity party. He had gotten his
apologies, so he was content now. He didn’t want his friends to feel guilty forever. “Did you
guys make up?”
That made the siblings pause. Sunny lifted his head to look at his sister, and Mari met his
gaze. Neither of them said anything.
That more than anything made him sigh. “As much as falling didn’t, um, feel great… I’m
more sad you guys haven’t talked about what happened. It seemed really important.”
“It… wasn’t important. Not anymore,” Mari said as she dropped her gaze. “I was too harsh.
Sunny, I’m sorry too… I should’ve listened to you both more.”
Sunny struggled with his words for a moment. He was careful as he chose how to express
himself, and Hero encouraged him to speak up with a hand on his head. Finally the boy
admitted weakly, “I thought that all you cared about was the recital.”
“It’s not true,” Mari denied with a shake of her head. “I just… I wanted it to be perfect. And I
know it was important for me, but I knew it was important for you too. I pushed you too hard
even though I knew better. It’s my fault this all happened.”
“I should’ve… said something earlier,” Sunny said. “I didn’t try hard enough to tell you.”
“I do wish you did… but we can talk about it later,” Mari agreed with a little sad smile. She
reached over to squeeze Sunny’s good arm gently. Her eyes met Hero’s, and he knew she
appreciated what he was doing even without saying it. “Today, I just want to be happy that
Hero is okay.” She hesitated a moment and then asked, “Why don’t you go see if Basil and
Aubrey will be allowed in with us? I know they want to actually talk with Hero too.”
Sunny checked on Hero one more time, but with Hero’s nod of agreement the boy left. As
soon as he was far enough away, Mari hefted herself to her feet the best that she could as that
she could lean in to kiss Hero. Her lips were salty from her tears, and he could feel the heat
from her reassuring him.
She was alive.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Hero whispered as he caught her cheek and kissed her once
more a little desperately. They only had seconds before the others would come in. He just
wanted to pull Mari into his arms and hold her for the rest of the night. He wanted to
physically feel for himself how alive and here she really was.
“That’s my line, silly,” she told him.
“No,” he denied as his eyes fell closed. He pressed his forehead to hers, “it’s mine.”
Mari couldn’t argue back there. Hero was still coming to accept the reality in front of him. It
was hard for him to feel like he wasn’t dreaming. It was almost like he was back in the
beginning again unable to ground himself in the reality he was living in. He had really, truly
changed the future. The sight of his friends in the room with him instead of devastated and
shocked from Mari’s sudden “suicide” would always be much more preferred. He could still
see Basil’s proper smile. Aubrey had her friends surrounding her instead of isolating. Kel was
still as bright as ever, quick to latch onto the wonderful fact his big brother would be fine.
Sunny’s guilt was lightening with every minute he saw how Hero didn’t hold a grudge. And
Mari stayed right beside Hero without letting go of his hand. Her bracelet was warm against
Hero’s skin where the light caught the little jewel hearts.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as his thumb stroked the back of her hand.
From this point on, he no longer knew what the future held for him.
It felt like freedom.

End Notes
Please drop me a like and comment if you enjoyed! I'd love to hear your thoughts. Feedback
really helps to motivate writers to write more.
If you want to chat with me, you can find me on my tumblr! or my twitter!
Also, if you ever make fanart (which I would always, always love to see) and want me to link
it in my story, just let me know!
Works inspired by this one
Regrets and Mistakes by DestroAGTLO
Please drop by the Archive and comment to let the creator know if you enjoyed their work!

Swim Against The Tide

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Swim Against the Tide

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/38952870.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

(Now with art and new photo album pictures!)

(Cover by @/PyricInferno. Second picture done by @/mozzaremi)

See the end of the work for more notes

Hero was fourteen years old again, and he was scared.

He wasn’t supposed to be fourteen. He wasn’t even supposed to be a teenager. He was

It was the tree where Mari had been hung.

Hero swallowed back bile, vision swimming a bit.

“Please… Please, just… just let me hold you for a bit.”

Mari had still watched him with concerned eyes.

Sunny had once asked him if he was okay.

It left him in a daze and unsure how to process it.

Okay, last post for today. Gonna slow it down now.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

It was better not to think about that.

“Like…?” he prompted even though he could take a guess.

“Life. Being a teenager. That kinda thing.”

The recital. The violin. The duet.

Mari, pushed down the stairs in an argument.

Mari’s body strung up in a tree.

Sunny’s corpse on the hospital pavement.

Hero was going to be sick.

The violin. The violin. The violin. The violin.

He didn’t know if he wanted to change that. He didn’t know if he could anyway.

His fingers twitched. His mouth tasted of sick.

He wished he had a cigarette.

Chapter End Notes

Let me know what you think in the comments, if you enjoyed!

The remains of their friend group broke apart.

That left Mari.

How did he progress, then?

“I’m sorry, Mari, I-”

Hero dropped his gaze between them.

CW: Brief descriptions of what can be considered an anxiety/panic attack.

I binge-listen to this song and it makes me think of this fic.

“Right.” He couldn’t possibly explain why he was stressed. “I’ll… try.”

His mood sobered more, gaze dropping.

“Keep the door open,” the man responded quickly.

This was where Mari died.

Was this feeling why Sunny had killed himself?

Don’t think about it.

Life was cruel.

“I can tell,” she responded, not unkindly.

Mari continued, “I was prepared to be pretty annoyed with you, actually.”

“Huh? What for?” He looked to her with utter confusion.

“You missed our date the day before.”

“I had no idea,” Hero said. “I’m so sorry.”

The sun shined brighter when she was here.

“Wow! They must look like babies to you now, haha!”

Hero didn’t respond.

He didn’t respond. He couldn’t look at her.

His mouth opened. It closed.

“I’m scared, Mari,” he whispered shamefully.

He felt like he was hugging a ghost.

That being said, I'll CW it anyway.