#YAY SUNKEL!!

[mitano-omori]

SUNKEL WEEK: Day 1

For SunKel week (on Twitter and Instagram), I'll be posting some oneshots for our Mitaño Mod!! These writing snippets are canon events for our mod, it's just typically behind the scenes! Eventually, I'll be posting these oneshots to an ao3 fic to keep them all together, but for now... They're here!!

Anyway, Day 1: Ignore / Answer.

The "For Sale" sign has sat in the driveway for a few months now, but only recently did it have the "Sold" addition. Seeing it there made Sunny's stomach twist, an unfortunate happenstance as he passed by this house every time he had to go anywhere in town.

Soon, Kel would be gone...for good. That brought a different feeling than the one Sunny has felt these past four years. At least back then Sunny knew that Kel was right next door. He--and eventually Mari too--could go up to the door, knock, and know that Kel was still inside even as his mom told them that he "wasn't feeling well". But once the Cardozos are gone...they will really be gone.

Sunny wanted to do something about it, to try and make one final stand. But what else was there to do? Their old group of friends has crumbled away, each of them going on a different path. Kel never left his house anymore. Aubrey pushed everyone away. Mari went off to college. Basil was...Basil, and Hero... Sunny swallowed, trying to manage the emotions that formed at the mere thought.

Regardless, they were all separated now. Perhaps Sunny should have made more of an effort in the beginning to keep them all together, but he had been affected as well. They were all grieving. But by the time he was stable enough to try and help the others, they were all gone. Still, he knew he shouldn’t blame himself for that. He was mourning, just as they all were. There was nothing that could be done to fix it except to make an effort now.

Sunny refocused on his surroundings and found himself standing right in front of Kel’s door, his feet having carried him there while he was lost in thought. Kel must be struggling the most out of all of them. For years, he kept himself locked inside. It wasn’t like Kel to isolate himself. It was scary… Sunny used to see these same symptoms in Mari, shutting herself in their room and barely interacting with anyone around her.

He was able to help her. Maybe he could help Kel too.

Sunny took a deep breath as if he was calming his nerves before a concert, fist raised at the door. He couldn't chase away the irony of the situation. Kel must've stood at Sunny's door hundreds of times like this when they were kids, a few knocks and a hope that he would see his friend's face on the other side. It suited Kel, taking matters into his own hands to see his friends every day. But Sunny felt nervous, somehow.

He was never the talkative one in the group--Kel was. Sunny had always been a quiet kid, and now that he's grown, he has gotten better at managing his preference for silence. But that didn't mean it was easy, especially not when rejection was so likely. Even so, because he spoke up, he was able to help Mari recover from her grief-ridden depression. He had to take this chance to help Kel too, before it was too late.

Sunny took another deep breath with his knuckle pressed lightly against the wood of the door. Kel's family car wasn't even in the driveway, so for all Sunny knew, no one was home. No, don't talk yourself out of it. You'll never know unless you try.

Before he could allow himself to hesitate again, he brought his fist down on the door, not too loud yet not too quiet either.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Just like Kel used to do.

The teen exhaled, his arm falling back at his side. Back then, Kel would knock repeatedly until someone answered the door, but that seemed a bit too excessive for this circumstance. Or...perhaps Sunny should knock again. He couldn't hear anything inside, so maybe no one heard him? Or maybe no one was even there.

Sunny had half the mind to leave it be. This wasn't the first time he stopped by to try and see Kel, but it had been a long time since he was last here at this door. There was the possibility that something had changed, that even Kel himself would open the door, but Sunny was getting less and less sure with every second of silence. He almost turned and walked away, but... He didn't want to give up too easily.

Another deep breath. How ironic that he was the one to try and incite a conversation for once.

"Kel?" Silence, but Sunny didn't expect to hear an answer. He took another deep breath. He didn't even know why he was so nervous when there was a good chance he wouldn't get a response at all. Still, this felt like his last chance to reach Kel, and if he messed it up... He would never see him again. Take another deep breath... Just like you do before a concert. Calm down and overcome.

"I...keep seeing the 'for sale' sign outside your house. I thought...maybe we could spend some time together before you moved away." Nothing. He felt his throat grow tighter. "Like back then..." It felt like he was standing beside Mari's bed again, reaching for nothing as he tried and failed to get any sort of response.

Another breath.

"It's me, Sunny."

His hands trembled, he felt that fear all over again. Once, he had been afraid of losing Mari like they lost Hero. And now, Kel... Sunny had never been good at any sort of direct confrontation, especially when it mattered as much as this. He wanted to give up, but he knew he would give anything to see Kel's smile again. It always felt like sunlight, chasing away any dark clouds Sunny had over his head... The image in his mind allowed him one last attempt.

"I miss you, Kel...Please..."

If Kel was on the other side of that door, maybe he would open up for once and let Sunny in. Maybe Sunny would be able to fix what was wrong, or at least try to rekindle their friendship before Kel was gone for good. He had been able to go on by being level-headed and calm, but standing here like this... Sunny realized just how much he missed Kel. He lowered his gaze. Maybe he was too late after all.

But the teen's eyes shot back open the moment he heard the lock shift, the door slowly creaking open. Sunny didn't say a word--he didn't even think. He simply watched wide-eyed as the door inched open, a tall man staring back at him from the other side.

His gaze slowly rose up to meet the man's face as he took a small step backward. No, it wasn't just some stranger. Was that Kel..?? His hair was a bit longer, messily pulled back into a low ponytail. He wore a baggy sweater with orange plaid pajama pants. He was so tall, standing at least a head taller than Sunny even while slouching like he was. His eyes looked heavy, dark, and his skin almost looked grey. But Sunny could see some of his own surprise reflected in the other's gaze.

The two were silent for a few moments, taking each other in with equal measures of shock. Despite all of the changes in his appearance, there was one thing that surprised Sunny the most--he actually opened the door.

Silence.

"It's...you."

Kel smiled, a hollow grin absent of his usual light. The darkness in his eyes only seemed to worsen. Sunny felt sick.

"...Hey, Sunny."

[foxett]

No caption needed.

[ilikefrogsss]

caprisun having some caprisun

[foxett]

I FINALLY DREW MORE SUNTAN GUYS