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hero-deserves-to-be-happy · 1 year ago

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When Sun Shines Again Chapter 4: "To Lead A Better Life:" Part 3

⛅CHAPTER 4⛅ "To Lead A Better Life" Part 3

Chapter Description: When Hero visits Basil one last time before returning to college for the fall semester, Basil gives him a letter that forces him to confront bittersweet memories, painful truths, and the complicated feelings that Hero had tried so hard to bury.

This Chapter is Hero & Basil's Friendship-Centric.

Chapter Word Count: 6700. Link to Chapter 4 on AO3.

Description (for the entire work): When tragedy struck, Hero lost not only his dearest friend but also his dreams for the future. Even years later, Hero doesn't know what his "forever" looks like without Mari in it, but somehow he finds the strength to carry on and build a new life for himself. With his family and friends both old and new by his side, Hero struggles through life's ups and downs--the joys and sorrows he faces in a world without Mari. In the beginning, he's only looking to survive it all, but somewhere along the way, he might find a purpose, a reason he's still here. Maybe there really is a way he can learn to be happy again, and maybe, just maybe, when he's least expecting it, he might even find himself slowly opening his heart to love again--he might even find himself believing that even the darkest, stormiest of times will eventually pass and the sun will shine again.

A Hero-Centric story spanning 15 years of his life post-good end. Focuses on Hero finding healing & building a life for himself after the loss of Mari. Eventually includes him learning to love again after an extremely slow burn. All pairings are tagged upfront. Rated T for heavy themes & some language. Reading the prequel is recommended.

⛅Tags For The Story As A Whole (So A Lot Of These Are "Eventual" Tags):

Romantic Relationships: Main Ships: (Past) Hero/Mari and (Eventual) Hero/OC. Side Ships: Brandi/OC and a brief mention of Mikhael/Bebe are the only side ships involving canon characters.

Platonic Relationships: Hero & Brandi Friendship, Hero & Original Characters Friendship. Some Hero & Kel Siblings Relationship & Brotherly Friendship. Hero & Aubrey Friendship. Hero & Basil Friendship. Hero & Sunny Friendship. Hero & His Family.

Characters: Major Canon Characters: Hero (POV Character), Brandi [Intimidating Girl], Mari and Mari's Memory, & Kel. Major Original Characters (Hero's college friends): Kyle, C.J., Zoey, Tamra, and Lorraine. Other Included Canon Characters: Sunny, Basil, Aubrey, Sally, Hero's Parents, Bebe (Short Haired Girl/Fountain Girl) & Mikhael (The Maverick).

Genre: Hero-Centric Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Slice of Life, College Life, Lost Love, Finding Love Again, Finding Healing After Grief, Slow Burn, Developing Friendship, Developing Relationship, Greiving, Catharsis, Heart-To-Heart Chats, Hopeful/Happy Ending, Post-Good Ending, Hero Needs A Hug, Hero Deserves To Be Happy

Rating: T for some heavy themes and thematic elements (i.e. grief & healing from grief and trauma. Implied/Referenced Canonical Character Death & Implied/Referenced Mental Health Issues including depression & suicide. Mentions of Underage Drinking & Partying). Some language.

Warnings: Major Spoilers for OMORI! Heavy themes and thematic elements (i.e. grief & healing from grief and trauma. Implied/Referenced Canonical Character Death & Implied/Referenced Mental Health Issues including depression & suicide. Mentions of Underage Drinking & Partying). Some Language.

Link to Entire work on AO3.

⛅ Link to the "When Sun Shines Again" Masterlist. ⛅

Full chapter text below the cut. Thank you for reading! ⛅

“Do you have any sevens?” asked Kel.

Twisting her mouth to one side, Aubrey frowned at her cards, but she shrugged her shoulders. “No. Go fish.”

Curiously, Hero glanced down at his own hand, then at a nearby clock on the wall. They had been playing Go Fish for nearly an hour, and Hero couldn’t for the life of him understand how no one had managed to win yet. Even thinking back on the many rounds of Go Fish he and his friends had played in their youth, he couldn’t remember a game that lasted more than half an hour, at the most, but it seemed that ever since they had started playing cards with Basil whenever they visited him in the hospital the games were growing longer and longer.

Hero wondered if that was on purpose—if his companions were somehow purposely dragging the games out so they would have something to do, something to keep Basil distracted so he wouldn’t start crying again. After all, their first couple of visits had mostly consisted of Basil weeping in tearful apologies, and Hero was certain he was not the only one who wanted to avoid that going forward.

Something ached in Hero’s chest whenever he thought of how emotional things had been in the beginning—how fragile Basil had been and that heartbreaking look on his face like he was always on the verge of tears. If Hero was being honest, it scared him, and though it made him feel overwhelmingly guilty to admit it, somehow he couldn’t help but wonder if that’s what his family had seen every time they had looked at him after Mari had died: a shaking, shivering shell of a person they had once known and loved. It was painful to watch, and as much as his heart ached seeing Basil suffer, he could only imagine that his family had suffered even more in watching Hero, himself, suffer in the same way. Knowing he had put his family through that… It was nearly enough to make Hero not want to get out of bed in the morning.

There was something surreal in being on this side of it all. Even having gone through a similar period of deep depression himself—even knowing firsthand how painful and hopeless that darkness and numbness could be, Hero felt completely helpless when it came to Basil and his suffering. He had no idea what to do—if there was even anything he could do to make Basil feel better. This feeling of helplessness coupled with the sickening, twisting feeling in his gut whenever Basil burst into tears at the mere sight of him had given Hero a new and incredibly painful appreciation for Kel and what his brother must have been through these last couple of years stuck on the periphery of his loved ones’ collapsing world. But maybe that was Kel’s strength. He could be so supportive and attentive to the needs of the other people around him, and he just had this way of knowing what might help someone, even someone at their lowest, feel better. It had been his idea to start playing cards to cheer up Basil, after all.

After a long and ongoing debate about whether or not the three of them should just stop visiting Basil altogether, Hero, Kel, and Aubrey had sat down with Polly to discuss whether or not their visits were actually helpful or were just hindering Basil’s recovery, which, Hero knew, was the last thing any of them wanted. When Polly had told them that she thought that it would be much more hurtful to Basil if his friends never came around, Kel had suggested that they try to think of activities to do when they visited so Basil would be too busy to think about being sad.

It turned out Kel was right. They soon found that their visits with Basil at the hospital went much more smoothly if they all did an activity together—sometimes a puzzle, other times arts and crafts. They quickly settled into playing board games or, more frequently, cards just like they used to when they were kids.

As time went on, Basil seemed much happier, especially when he was distracted. The color slowly returned to his face. He started tending some flowers in the hospital’s garden and even started taking some photos again. Most promising of all, the last time they had visited, Hero saw Basil laugh for the first time in possibly years at a silly joke Kel had told them about a pirate’s pet parrot of all things. It was good to see Basil beginning to heal and come back to his old self again. Still, they didn’t want to undo any progress so they kept playing infinite games of cards which, if Hero had to guess, they probably did drag out on purpose, at least on a subconscious level.

“Are you sure you don’t have any sevens?” asked Kel, pulling Hero out of his thoughts. His brow furrowed as he glanced over at Aubrey with narrowed eyes.

“No,” she huffed, growing more exasperated. “I don’t have any sevens, Kel.”

“I—I have sevens,” sniffled Basil “You—you can have my sevens…”

“Sweet!” exclaimed Kel, reaching across the table to take Basil’s cards, but Hero gently stopped him with a pat on the arm.

“Kel, that’s not fair. You can ask Basil for sevens on your next turn.”

Basil sniffled again, pulling his sweater tightly around his shoulders. “It…It’s okay. I don’t mind. Kel can—”

“You’re ruining the game!” Aubrey interrupted with a huff. “It’s just Go Fish. There’s no reason to get so competitive about it!”

“Competitive?” Kel repeated so loudly that Basil practically jumped. “If anyone’s getting competitive, it’s you!”

As Kel and Aubrey began to bicker, Hero looked over at Basil with a certain concern in his eyes. Hero had always known that Basil was almost as conflict avoidant as him, and it was obvious from the way he cowered at Kel and Aubrey’s bickering—twisting his hands and biting his lip—that he would give just about anything for this fight to be over, including an entire hand full of sevens, if he’d had them. If Hero was being honest, he felt the same way.

“C-c’mon now,” Hero gently interrupted, trying to keep the peace “This is just supposed to be fun. We’re here to visit Basil and spend time with him. There’s no reason to start fighting.”

Kel and Aubrey stopped—each letting out a heavy sigh as they stared down at their hands of cards. “Hero’s right,” said Kel “Who cares about this stupid card game—we’re just happy to see you Basil. We can even do something else if you want.”

Basil’s eyes widened, but a smile twitched in the corners of his mouth. “I don’t care what we do—I’m just glad you’re here. It’s really good to see you guys.” Basil paused and sighed. “It gets…kind of lonely here sometimes.”

Something ached in Hero’s chest, and his expression softened. He couldn’t help but feel sorry for Basil all alone in the hospital far away from his family and friends. Even if he knew it was the best thing for him and was glad that he was getting the help that he needed, it made Hero sad to think that Basil was going through such a difficult time alone.

Hero sighed. He supposed Basil had been suffering alone for a very, very long time, and regardless of the complicated feelings that Hero himself may have been feeling towards Basil and everything that had happened, it was more important to him that Basil wouldn’t have to suffer by himself anymore—that he would never have to suffer by himself again.

He supposed Aubrey had eventually realized she felt this way too. It wasn’t long after their conversation about Basil and her complicated feelings towards him a couple of weeks ago that Aubrey had started visiting Basil again. She had never talked to Hero about it, but he could only assume that, like him, ultimately the love, friendship, and concern she had for Basil far outweighed her own hurts and feelings.

It meant a lot to Hero to see Aubrey offer Basil forgiveness, even when it was hard, and he knew how much it meant to Basil that she was there for him—that they were all there for him, even after everything that had happened. These days, it felt like the only person who hadn’t forgiven Basil was Basil himself, but Hero knew that would be the hardest part of all.

“Don’t worry, Basil,” Kel reassured him, patting his arm. “I’m sure you’ll get to come home really soon.”

Basil bit his lip but nodded as he quietly admitted, “I hope so…I uh…I’ve been really worried…about my flowers.”

“Oh you don’t have to worry about those. Hero has been taking care of them for you!” Kel beamed at Basil, giving him a pat on the back.

Basil’s eyes widened, but his hands began to tremble as he turned towards Hero. “Oh…you didn’t have to do that.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Hero gently insisted with a slight smile. “Your house is on my way home from the pool, so I stop by on my way home from work. It barely takes any time at all, and it’s nice to have a hobby. Besides, Polly has been doing most of the work.”

“Aubrey and I have been helping out too,” added Kel. “But we’re not as good at gardening as you or Hero.”

Basil cleared his throat. “Well, thank you—all of you. I really appreciate it. I just…” He paused, biting his lip and staring at his twisting hands. “I just…hope it’s not ruining your summer or taking up too much of your time.”

Aubrey, Kel and Hero quickly glanced at each other with somewhat awkward smiles—silently agreeing not to tell Basil that this had probably been one of the worst summers of their entire lives even without having to look after his garden for him. Hero had spent most of it working long hours at the community pool, cleaning his house, tending Basil’s garden, going for runs around the neighborhood, and desperately looking for anything else that would take his mind off of things. He craved being busy, but more than that he craved a distraction from his crumbling world. Sunny had moved. Basil was in the hospital. Kel and Aubrey were struggling. Everything in Hero’s life seemed to fall apart again this summer—collapsing under the weight of the truth. He could only imagine that Aubrey and Kel felt the same way. They couldn’t wait for this summer to finally be over…but they could never say that to Basil who stared up at them with frightened but hopeful eyes.

“How—how are you all doing?” Basil stumbled, in what Hero could only guess was a desperate attempt to fill the silence. “Is there…anything new and exciting in Faraway Town?”

Hero wracked his brain, but he couldn’t think of even one piece of good news to tell Basil. From the look on Aubrey’s face, it seemed she couldn’t think of one either. They both turned to Kel, who twisted his mouth to one side—his brow furrowing thoughtfully as if he, too, was scrounging to think of something positive to say.

“Uhhh… Hero got a postcard all the way from Venice, Italy.”

“Well…that’s pretty cool” said Basil with a slight smile.

Hero shrugged his shoulders. He supposed it was kind of sad that the most exciting thing that had happened all summer was that he had gotten a postcard from Italy, but his family, Kel especially, had been very fascinated by it. They had never gotten something in the mail from somewhere so far away before.

“It was really cool!” exclaimed Kel “It had a bridge on it.”

“Who was it from?” asked Basil.

“My friend from college, Kyle, sent it to me while his family was on vacation there,” said Hero. “It has the Bridge of Sighs on it. Kyle said he always buys postcards with bridges on them because one of his best friends is a civil engineering major and wants to build bridges someday. He gets her postcards of local bridges from all of his vacation destinations, but he had an extra one this time so he sent it to me.”

Basil smiled. “That was really nice of him. I think my parents went to Venice once. I saw pictures of it, and it was really pretty. I’ve always wanted to go someday”

“Then you should!” interjected Kel “We should all go. Someday when you get out of this place and we’re all grown up and stuff, we should all go to Venice—and then we can ride on those cool boats they have there!”

“They’re called gondolas, Kel,” Aubrey corrected with a huff.

Kel rolled his eyes, but he beamed at Basil. “Sunny can come too. It’ll be an adventure!”

Aubrey sighed. “It’ll be years before we’ll be able to go to Venice, Kel. We might not ever be able to go there.”

“Well…” said Kel. “In the meantime, maybe Hero can bring his postcard to show Basil the next time we come to visit.”

“Oh wow!” Basil’s face seemed to light up as he smiled at his friends. “I’d love to see it.”

With a shrug of his shoulders, Hero tilted his head and gave Basil a bittersweet smile. “I’d love to show you my postcard, Basil. I’m sorry I didn’t bring it. I didn’t know that you wanted to see it. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be able to come visit you again because I have to go back to college next week.”

Basil’s face fell, but Hero could tell he tried his best to smile at him. “That’s okay” he said. “The doctor doesn’t think I’ll have to stay in the hospital for too much longer anyway. He hopes I’ll get to go home by the time school starts again.”

“That’s awesome Basil!” exclaimed Kel, and Aubrey nodded in agreement.

“I’m so happy to hear that,” said Hero. “I’m sure Kel and Aubrey will take really good care of you and help you get settled back in when school starts.”

“Yeah,” agreed Kel “And if anyone gives you weird looks or something, Aubrey will just beat them up with her nail bat.”

“Kel!” huffed Aubrey.

Before anybody could say anything more, however, the nurse came by to tell them that visiting hours were almost over and that they would have to leave soon. Aubrey and Kel both got up from the table to go to the bathroom before their long drive back to Faraway Town, leaving Hero and Basil alone.

“Are you excited—to be going back to college?” asked Basil.

Hero bit his lip. The honest answer was yes. In fact, he had never been happier to go back to anywhere in his entire life—though he supposed that wasn’t an entirely fair statement. It wasn’t going back to college that Hero was looking forward to—it was the idea of this long, horrible summer finally being over.

He didn’t want to upset Basil by telling him that, however, so he merely shrugged with half a smile and said “A little. It’ll be hard to leave my family again but…I missed school and my friends in the city. Plus, I made plans to see Sunny”

“Really?” asked Basil.

“Yeah. I called him last week and asked if I could take him to one of my favorite coffee places near campus. It’ll be nice to see him again and see how he’s settling in after the move.”

Basil’s expression softened, and he smiled. “I’m so glad to hear that. I’m sure it will mean a lot to Sunny that you want to visit him.” He paused, fumbling around for something in the pocket of his sweater. “That reminds me, I have a letter for Sunny. Do you think you could give it to him for me?”

Hero nodded. “Of course”

“I have one for you too,” Basil continued, handing Hero two envelopes. They were both heavy and lumpy like two small packages rather than letters. Whatever letters were inside must be several pages long.

Hero swallowed hard—trying his best to calm himself with a deep breath. He could only imagine what his letter said, but the truth was, he didn’t want to imagine it. He wasn’t sure he even wanted to read it.

For the entire summer, Hero had been trying his absolute best not to think about what Basil had done. He hadn’t lied to Aubrey when he told her he wasn’t angry with Basil, but he knew there were still complicated feelings, hurts, there under the surface. He supposed he had been running from them—pushing them aside like a kind of self-preservation or, perhaps more accurately, a somewhat desperate attempt at triage.

Triage, Hero thought. That certainly seemed like a good word for it.

In a medical ethics class he had taken last semester, Hero had learned about disaster triage or how to prioritize individual emergencies during a large-scale disaster. It was the best metaphor he could think of for how this summer had felt, especially as far as Basil was concerned. Whatever Hero may have felt or may have been dealing with on his own—it was small and inconsequential compared to Basil’s well-being when he was so fragile and such a danger to himself. Hero knew that he, himself, was hurting. He accepted that, but he couldn’t accept that that mattered, so he had buried his own complicated feelings so deep that he wasn’t even sure what he felt anymore. As he stared at the envelope in his hands, however, his stomach coiled and twisted with the sickening, sinking feeling that as soon as he opened that letter, he wouldn’t be able to run from it anymore.

“Do you…uh…want me to read this now?” Hero stumbled with a crack in his voice. He tried not to sigh too loudly in relief as Basil shook his head.

“It’s kind of long… You should probably read it when you get home. Or uh…”—his voice hitched—“you don’t have to read it at all, if you…”

As Basil’s voice tapered off, Hero reached out to gently pat his twisting hands. “No, um…I will. I’ll try to read it tonight. Thank you.”

“I have letters for Kel and Aubrey too, but I’ll see them when I get to come home so…” Basil’s voice trailed, but Hero nodded.

“I’m really glad that you’re going to get to come home soon, Basil. I’m sure Aubrey and Kel will look after you, but I’m always here too. If you need anything, just call” He reached for a nearby pad of paper and a pen, which Aubrey had been using to keep score during their card game and wrote down his phone number “This is my phone number at college. Feel free to call me anytime.”

As he handed the piece of paper to Basil, Basil smiled and muttered a quiet but grateful, “Thank you.”

Hero sighed. From the look on Basil’s face, he knew that Basil was never going to call him. If Hero had to guess, Basil was probably thinking that as soon as Hero read whatever he had written in that letter, he would regret giving him his phone number and would never want to speak to him again. Hero wished there was a way to reassure Basil that this wasn’t the case, that there was nothing that Basil could possibly say that would ever make Hero abandon him, especially when he needed him most. But as it was now, Hero just didn’t have the words…so he hugged Basil goodbye, wished him well and headed back home to Faraway Town, where he spent the rest of the evening staring at that thick envelope wondering when he would ever have the strength to open it.

When the clock at the bottom of the stairs chimed 8:00 PM, Hero, finally, tentatively reached towards the letter. He held his breath—biting his lip as he carefully opened the seal with trembling hands, bracing himself for whatever might be inside. He pulled out a dense stack of notebook paper which he slowly unfolded counting not two or three but ten pages filled with small, delicate script on both the front and back sides. Thankfully, the pages were numbered.

Hero swallowed hard and staring down at the paper in front of him, began to read.

Dear Hero,

This is the fourth time I have tried to write this letter. My doctor suggested that it would be good for me to be honest with you about my regrets to try to make amends and move forward. I don’t think I’ve been doing a very good job of that, and I’m really sorry if I, or this letter, am a burden to you.

I want to start by saying that I have always looked up to and admired you. I’m sure you know that my family wasn’t ever really around. For a long time, it was just me and my grandma. I never had any brothers or sisters, but I had you and the rest of our friends. You were all like a family to me, especially you, Hero. If I ever had a big brother, I imagine he would be a lot like you—always looking out for me.

You are one of the kindest people I have ever met in my whole life. You always think of everyone else before yourself and try to take care of everybody. Even now, when I know that you’re really hurting, you’ve still come to visit me. You still talk to me and take care of my garden. That really means a lot to me, more than I have the words to say, but I want you to know it’s okay if you’re angry with me. I know I would be. I really hurt you—hurt everybody with what I did, and I am so, so sorry.

I know there’s nothing I can say or do to make amends for what I’ve done, and I’m not writing you this letter to make any justifications or excuses. I only want you to know that you mean so much to me—that my whole life all I ever wanted was to be like you. I never meant to hurt you and knowing that what I did hurt you in ways that I can’t even imagine breaks my heart. But what hurts even more is knowing that even now, even after everything I did, you’re still trying to protect me like you always have.

But you don’t have to do that anymore, Hero. If after you read this letter, you never want to forgive me and never want to talk to me again, I completely understand. There are certain things that can’t be fixed with apologies and regrets. I have a lot of regrets—one of the biggest is hurting the one person in the world I knew would always be there for me. I am so, so sorry…

Hero’s breath got caught in his throat. His eyes burned. He couldn’t read anymore.

“I’m going on a run,” he choked out—frantically reaching for his running shoes. Kel looked up from the video game he had been playing with a confused tilt of his head.

“You’d better bring a jacket. It’s cold out there. I heard on the radio that there’s supposed to be a cold snap tonight.”

Hero nodded, but he couldn’t say Kel’s words really registered with him until he was running against the chilly wind. He wished he had listened to his brother and grabbed his jacket, but at the time he had just been so desperate to get out of there—or, he supposed, more accurately to get away from that letter. There was perhaps something poetic in literally running away from it, but Hero hadn’t really been thinking of that at the time. His jogs were his one lifeline—sometimes the only thing that kept him sane, kept him together when he was about to fall apart. It seemed like the only thing he could cling to now.

As Hero turned the corner out onto the main street again, a cold gust of wind blew past. He shivered. It was far too cold for this time of year. Cold snaps weren’t particularly common in Faraway Town, but they generally happened in the spring rather than the fall, at least as far as Hero could remember. He couldn’t recall a lot of cold snaps. As much as it pained him to admit it, a lot of his memories from before Mari had passed away were becoming hazier and hazier, but he could remember a particularly nasty cold snap from about five years ago…

*-*-*

“And watch out for that unexpected cold front,” said the disc jockey on the radio. “Temperatures will drop to the low 30s and below tonight, so you’ll want to get your coats and sweaters back out for the morning.”

“So much for that spring weather…” huffed Aubrey shaking her head as she stared at her hand of cards. “Also, go fish.”

Kel groaned seemingly upset about both the upcoming cold snap and the fact he was losing at cards. “I don’t even know where my coat is.”

“I’ll help you look for it,” said Hero patting his brother on the arm. “I think I just saw it hanging up in the closet.”

As Kel just shrugged and reached to draw some cards from the pile in the middle of the table, Hero felt a hand tugging at his shirt sleeve. Sunny blinked at him then motioned to his coat in the corner where he had left it weeks earlier, back when the weather had finally started warming up.

“That’s very nice, Sunny, but you don’t have to loan Kel your coat. He has one at home, and you’ll need it yourself tomorrow.”

Sunny nodded though his eyes widened in surprise as Mari snuck up behind him wearing his coat and wrapped her arms around him. She giggled as she playfully waved the sleeves around, and Hero stifled a laugh as she teased, “This coat is a little heavier than usual, isn’t it?”

A slight smile tugged at the corners of Sunny’s mouth, and he let out two quick, heavy breaths—which Hero knew meant he was laughing. Seemingly pleased with herself, Mari’s smile widened, and she ruffled her brother’s hair before slipping out of the coat and handing it to him.

“I already boxed up my coat,” said Basil, nervously twisting his hands. “I think it’s under my bed. I’ll have to go home and check.”

Hero tilted his head at him. Somehow Basil seemed more nervous than usual. Mari seemed to notice as well as her face softened, and she gave him a reassuring smile.

“How about I walk you home?” she suggested. “So I can help you look for your coat.”

“Thank you, but you don’t have to do that, Mari,” sniffled Basil. “I’m sure it’ll be okay.”

“I don’t mind at all. It’ll be easier to look for it with several people helping.”

“I can help too,” said Hero. “After I walk Aubrey home, I’ll stop by and help you look for your coat.”

Basil’s eyes widened, and he held up his hands. “Oh no. You don’t have to do that. It’s really not a big deal at all.”

“And you don’t have to walk me home either,” huffed Aubrey with a slight frown. “I just live a street away.”

“But it’s dark out. I just want to make sure you get home safely.”

Aubrey rolled her eyes, but her mouth twitched in the corners as she shrugged her shoulders. “Alright, fine, but we should probably get going, huh? It’s getting late.”

As they all started to say their goodbyes for the evening, Hero watched as Mari gave him a reassuring smile and a look that said, “Don’t worry. I’ll find out what’s bothering, Basil.”

Hero sighed. Of course she had noticed there was something bothering him beyond just his lost coat. Mari was so good at reading people. She always knew when something was wrong and what to do to make someone happy again. It meant a lot to Hero to know that Basil was in such good hands—though he was sure he would feel a lot better once Aubrey was home safely and Mari had helped Basil work through whatever was troubling him.

After dropping Aubrey off at her house, Hero headed to Basil’s house where he was surprised to see Mari and Basil, who was now wearing his winter coat, out in the yard.

“Basil is worried that his plants will get too cold overnight so we’re going to cover them with some tarps and old picnic blankets,” Mari explained. How she had managed to get Basil to tell her this in such a short amount of time amazed Hero, but he supposed that was just Mari’s way with people. He always admired that about her.

Hero reached for one of the tarps and covered a nearby flowerbed. The cold wind biting at them, loosening the coverings as soon as they had been placed, made the task more difficult than it needed to be, but eventually every flowerbed in Basil’s garden was properly covered, warm enough to survive the cold night.

As the three of them surveyed their work, Basil sniffled. “Thank you so much for helping me. You really didn’t have to do that, but it means a lot.”

Hero smiled as Mari threw her arms around Basil and hugged him tightly.

“It was no trouble, Basil,” she said. “We’re always happy to help. That’s what family’s for.”

Tears pooled in Basil’s eyes as he choked out, “Family?”

“Of course. You’re like our little brother.” Giggling, Mari beamed at him and gently ruffled her hand through his hair. “If you ever need anything, we’ll always be here to help you—no matter what.”

Hero nodded in agreement and patted Basil’s shoulder before giving him a hug himself. Wiping the tears from his eyes, Basil sniffled again before saying his final thanks and goodbyes and heading back into his house.

As Hero and Mari started to walk home, Mari reached for Hero’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Hero smiled at her, but watching her shiver in the wind, he immediately let go of her hand and tried to disentangle himself from his jacket.

“Here, you can take this…” he said holding out his coat to her.

Chuckling, Mari wrapped the jacket around her shoulders and playfully teased, “What a gentleman! Thank you.” She took his hand again—intertwining their fingers. “You’re always so sweet, Hero.”

Hero blushed. He watched his feet shuffling on the sidewalk as his face grew warm. “You’re sweeter,” he gently insisted. “What you said to Basil back there was so kind. I could tell it really meant a lot to him.”

Mari’s expression softened, and something bittersweet passed over her eyes. “I feel so sorry for Basil. It’s just him and his grandma. He must be so lonely…and he’s such a gentle-hearted person. I…” She paused. “I worry about him sometimes. He needs somebody to look out for him.”

Hero nodded solemnly, but he gave Mari’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Hero?” As Mari looked up with him with wide, kind eyes, Hero’s heart could have melted. A smile twitched in the corners of her mouth as she quietly continued, “Promise me…that we’ll always take care of Basil…?”

As Hero nodded, a bright smile once again spread across Mari’s face. “Of course, Mari. We’ll always take care of Basil…and his flowers too.”

*-*-*

Hero stopped. Basil’s flowers. What if it got too cold for them and they froze before Basil even got to come home and see them?

Rubbing his hands together for warmth, he took off running towards Basil’s house where he found Polly out in the yard putting tarps over some of Basil’s flowerbeds.

“Hi Polly. Can I help?” asked Hero with a slight smile. “I was out on a run when I remembered Basil’s flowers and…with this cold snap coming in…” His voice trailed, but Polly smiled.

“Oh that’s so sweet of you, Hero,” she replied. “I’m just about finished, but if you want to cover that flowerbed over there”—she paused, motioning to her left—“that would be a big help.”

Hero nodded, and he reached for a nearby tarp. His brow furrowed as he turned towards the flowerbed—his chest aching at the sight of the clusters of lilies. Lilies had been Mari’s favorite flower, and Basil had always used to say they reminded him of her. When they were kids, Basil had had flowers that reminded him of all of his friends. If Hero was remembering correctly, his flower had been roses—though he had never felt he deserved it.

Hero’s eyes narrowed, and he tilted his head. There were rose bushes in this flowerbed too. When had Basil planted these?

“This is one of Basil’s favorite flowerbeds, you know?” Polly said quietly. “When I first came to work here, I once found him curled up in it in the middle of the night during a cold snap like this. He had covered the plants but was worried they still weren’t going to be warm enough, so he took the blanket off of his bed and dragged it out here and curled up next to them himself.”

Polly sighed. “When I tried to tell him that they were probably warm enough now and he could come back inside, he wouldn’t. He said he planted these flowers for his big brother and sister, and he wasn’t going to leave them. I was so confused because Basil is an only child, but…after everything that happened this summer…I started thinking…”

Polly stopped and turned to look at Hero. She didn’t say anything more, but she didn’t have to—Hero knew what she was thinking. He was thinking the same thing.

With a heavy sigh, he sunk to the ground. Something coiled and twisted in his chest as he thought about what these last four years must have been like for Basil. Not only was he grieving the loss of Mari, blaming himself for her death and everything that had come after, but he was grieving the loss of his family too, worrying that as soon as they knew the truth, they would see him as he saw himself: unredeemable, unforgivable, and unlovable. Hero could picture him shivering in the garden, desperately clinging to his few remaining memories of the only family he had ever known—waiting for the other shoe to drop, for them to learn the truth and leave him behind forever.

As Hero stared at the flowerbed, the carefully tended roses and lilies that had always reminded Basil of him and Mari, Hero’s eyes burned and his vision grew blurred and misty. He could hear Mari’s words, “Promise me…that we’ll always take care of Basil…?”

Hero watched as Polly’s eyes widened in concern. As she leaned forward with an outstretched hand, his brow furrowed. He reached up and touched his cheek—cold from the chilly wind and damp from the tears that had finally struggled free.

*-*-*

“H—Hero?” stammered Basil in surprise as he walked into the hospital’s common area.

Hero gave him a slight smile. “Hey, Basil. How’s it going?”

“I…I thought you were going back to school.”

“Yeah…I…I leave Thursday, but I…” He paused—twisting his hands around the handles of the gift bag he had brought with him. “I wanted to see you one more time. I hope that’s okay…?”

As Hero’s voice trailed, Basil blinked at him with wide eyes, but he managed a brisk nod.

“I brought this for you,” Hero continued, handing Basil the bag. “They’re from your garden.”

Basil pulled out a jar filled with roses and lilies that Hero had carefully picked from his garden with Polly’s permission of course. Hero stared down at his hands and took a deep breath. “Polly told me that flowerbed was one of your favorites. It’s still in bloom and really pretty. I hope you’ll make it home in time to see it before the Fall.”

Basil nodded again but sniffled. “You…you didn’t have to do this. And you didn’t have to come either. I…I know you’re really busy.”

“I always have time for you,” said Hero with a smile. “And after I read your letter, I just…I wanted to come see you because…there’s…something really important that I have to tell you.” He swallowed hard with a slight shrug of his shoulders. “I tried writing it down, but I just couldn’t find the right words and I—”

“It’s okay,” Basil quietly interrupted him with a wavering voice. “You can…say whatever you need to say. I’m ready.”

“No. Uh…um…Basil…I—” Hero stopped abruptly. As he watched Basil tremble, watched the tears pooling in his eyes as he braced himself for the worst, his heart ached. He completely forgot all the words of reassurance he had planned to say and practically leapt forward, wrapping his arms around Basil and holding him tightly. He could feel Basil’s shoulders stiffen—could feel him gasp in surprise.

“He—Hero?” choked Basil—his voice cut off by a strangled, garbled sob in the back of his throat. As he started to shake, Hero knew he was crying, and it broke his heart but not as much as his whispered, “I’m so sorry…”

Hero pressed his chin to Basil’s shoulder as tears began to prickle in his own eyes. He hugged him tighter—hoping that simple gesture would say everything he didn’t have the words to until finally, at long last, he took a deep breath and said, “I forgive you.”

“What?”

“I forgive you, Basil,” Hero repeated in a trembling voice—taking a deep breath to brace himself for the next part, the hardest part, of what he knew he had to say. “I…what happened…it…it hurt me.” He paused—suddenly struck by the weight of those words and of finally saying them aloud. “But…but that doesn’t make you unforgiveable and that…that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you anymore. I forgive you, and I know it’s probably not my place to say this but…I think…Mari would forgive you too and…she’d want you to forgive yourself. It’s…it’s what I want too.”

Hero’s throat grew dry and burned, but he took a long, shaky breath and continued, “You’ve suffered enough, Basil—punished yourself enough. I know you think that’s what you deserve, but that’s not what Mari would want for you. She really loved you, and all she ever wanted was to take care of you. Beating yourself up about what happened, only hurts you…It’s not going to bring her back. I…I”—his voice hitched— “I know that better than anyone. Believe me…if it did, she’d be here.”

Hero stopped—a lump forming in the back of his throat as his eyes burned with tears. “Mari—Mari isn’t…here…anymore…” he stumbled over his words, until finally he pulled away from Basil, placed both hands on his shoulders and met his teary eyes. “But I am, and I will always be here for you.”

At these words, tears began to pour down Basil’s cheeks as if he had never needed to hear something more in his entire life. He threw his arms around Hero and broke down sobbing. Hero’s face softened, and he pulled Basil close. As he gently patted his back, as he often did whenever he comforted any of his siblings, he caught sight of the jar of flowers on the table: the much loved lilies and roses. Hero sniffled, wiping a tear from his eye, as he thought of Mari and her wish: “Promise me…that we’ll always take care of Basil…?”

“I will always take care of you,” Hero gently whispered. “For both of us…”

#omori hero #hero omori #basil omori #omori basil #hero and basil friendship #hero needs a hug #poor hero 🥺 we only want good things for him #hero deserves to be happy #omori spoilers #hero friendships #when sun shines again⛅#hero fic #our content #thanks for reading

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hero-deserves-to-be-happy · 6 months ago

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When Sun Shines Again⛅: Chapter 8 "Changing My Life:" Part 3

⛅Chapter 8 Description: Shivering and soaking wet, Hero drives Lorraine back to her sorority house, and as surprising as it is, what happens next might just have him thinking it was probably for the best he didn't skip out on this party after all...

The Party That Changed Hero's Life: Part 3 of 3

Chapter Word Count: 10,743. Link to Chapter 8 on AO3.

⛅Tags For The Story As A Whole (So A Lot Of These Are "Eventual" Tags):

Romantic Relationships: Main Ships: (Past) Hero/Mari and (Eventual) Hero/OC. Side Ships: Brandi/OC and a brief mention of Mikhael/Bebe are the only side ships involving canon characters.

Link to Entire work on AO3.

⛅ Link to the "When Sun Shines Again" Masterlist. ⛅

Full chapter text below the cut. Thank you for reading! ⛅

The inside of the Triple E sorority house looked fairly similar to Hero’s fraternity—old, mismatched furniture arranged around a large area rug and coffee table—though it was much tidier and more decorative with colorful blankets and throw pillows scattered about. The dim light and pleasant floral scent of some candles definitely helped the place feel much more inviting, and there was faint music.

Hero froze—something aching in his chest. He recognized this song—that distant, wistful melody. In an instant, he felt like he was that kid playing in his side yard—stunned into silence by the sound of Mari’s piano practice. How many times had he quietly listened by the window to her tinkly melodies?

Hero’s insides twisted. How deafening had that silence been after she was gone?

Tilting his head curiously, his dark eyes narrowed at a nearby piano with chipped wood. Someone in this house must play…Tamra perhaps? Most music majors had to pass a piano proficiency test, didn’t they? Or maybe she was already a pianist? He could hear Brandi’s words in his head again, “This is exactly why I didn’t mention her” and his stomach felt sick.

Regardless, she wasn’t playing now. No one was, and Hero rubbed his forehead wondering if the music was all in his imagination, some memory triggered by the sight of that old piano.

“Do you hear that?” he asked Lorraine.

“It sounds like Tamra’s practicing…” she replied with a shrug, and something twisted in Hero’s chest. No wonder she reminded him of Mari.

Lorraine paused, glancing over at the empty piano with a thoughtfully furrowed brow. “Or maybe it’s a CD?”

As Lorraine stumbled forward towards a nearby bookcase, Hero was thankfully pulled out of his thoughts. He reached out to steady her, but she gripped onto one of the shelves and began messily rifling through a stack of CDs.

“That’s okay, Lorraine,” he tried to insist as she started pulling CDs off the shelf, but his brow furrowed curiously at some of the more unexpected albums in their music collection. Sure there were several Backstreet Boys, New Kids on the Block, and *NSYNC albums, a lot of Spice Girls, No Doubt, and Britney Spears, and even some Alanis Morissette, which Hero was fairly certain belonged to Brandi. At first glance, it was all music he probably would have expected from a sorority house, but then Lorraine started pulling out Fleetwood Mac, Guns N’ Roses, The Rolling Stones, Carole King, and The Doors.

Curiosity getting the best of him, he glanced at the shelf where he saw a lot of his own music collection: The Mamas and The Papas, The Pretenders, Harry Nilsson, and Billy Joel. He swallowed hard—his breath caught in his throat as Lorraine pulled another CD off the shelf, and Hero caught sight of the familiar album cover of The Beatles’ Revolver.

“Lorraine…uh…are these yours?” he asked before he could stop himself. Lorraine set The Beatles’ album on the table with a thoughtful hum.

“Um…not this one, but some of them. Like this—” With a bright smile she held out the Backstreet Boys’ “Millenium” to him. “This is mine.”

Nodding at her, he smiled slightly, trying his best not to appear too disappointed as he answered kindly, “That’s a good one.”

Lorraine giggled but before she could say anything to him in response, she, seemingly, lost her balance—tripping over her feet until she caught herself on the arm of the sofa. As Hero reached out to steady her, supporting her once again against his side, he asked, “Is someone here who can help you, Lorraine?”

“Maybe my sister…” She hummed before she called, “Zoey? Zoey, are you home?”

There were faint noises coming from a nearby doorway which if Hero had to guess, probably led to the kitchen. Lorraine called again, “Zoey, you’re never going to believe who’s here!”

“If it’s Connor again, I swear Lorraine…” a voice called back. “We talked about this.”

The nearby door swung open and a girl with short, red hair stomped through with a huff, crossing her arms. If Lorraine hadn’t said they were sisters, Hero probably wouldn’t have been able to guess—the only traits they had in common were their high cheekbones and the dusting of freckles across their pale noses which were much heavier and much darker in the case of Lorraine’s sister. Zoey—had she said her name was?

Hero swallowed hard as Zoey met his gaze with warm and inquisitive eyes, nearly as bright green as her emerald sweater. He wondered if he had ever seen eyes that green before. Had Lorraine’s been the same shade? He supposed he hadn’t noticed and thought it would be rude or perhaps uncomfortable if he turned to look at her now to double check.

With a discerning quirk of an eyebrow in his general direction, Zoey tilted her head at him. Hero fidgeted. Something in her green eyes seemed to snap at him—clever, perceptive, as if she could see right through him.

He turned away from her with a flush of pink in his cheeks but not before he caught sight of the slightest twitch of a dry smile in the corners of her mouth as she quipped, “You’re not Connor.”

“No,” Hero chuckled lightly, somewhat awkwardly rubbing his hand across the nape of his neck, but Lorraine cut him off—stumbling forward, clutching onto her sister’s hands and excitedly, drunkenly rambling.

“No. No,” she insisted. “It’s him. It’s the prince. He came for me. He saved me! Isn’t he handsome?”

Hero’s face burned. He knew Lorraine was very intoxicated, but her voice was still far more swoony than he felt he deserved especially when he heard Zoey’s breathy, stifled snort of a laugh.

“The prince, huh?” she repeated—her voice deadpan. Hero stared intently at his feet, too embarrassed to see her expression, but he did hear her add in what seemed to be genuine confusion, “Why is he soaking wet?”

“He jumped in the pool to save me after I fell in,” explained Lorraine in an enthusiastically bubbly voice, seemingly suddenly forgetting about how much she hadn’t wanted her sister to know about that a mere fifteen minutes before.

“You fell in the pool?”

Lorraine conveniently sidestepped the question or perhaps it just didn’t register in the mental fog of drunkenness. “He jumped right into the pool after me even though the water was freezing cold and then he drove me all the way home. He’s the taxi prince too, Zoey.”

“Really? I was starting to think that was just a rumor.” She paused, then shot him a crooked smile. “You have quite the reputation, Mr. Prince.”

Hero could feel the tips of his ears turn red. He wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to that. He was sure she wasn’t really making fun of him, but her delivery was so dry that he wasn’t sure how serious she was being either. Not to mention the fact that, before tonight, he hadn’t had the slightest idea that he had a reputation in the first place, and the very idea made him feel almost as uneasy as that knowing look Zoey was giving him now.

Before he could begin to explain himself, however, Zoey’s expression softened. A slight smile spread between her cheeks—warm and genuine. It reached her green eyes as she said, “Thank you for saving my sister. Can I get you anything? A warm cup of a tea?”—she quirked an eyebrow at him—“A towel maybe?”

Hero glanced down at his clothes—still dripping water all over the wood floors, and he buried his face in his hands. “I’m sorry, I—”

“He said he wanted sandwiches. He’s going to make me one,” Lorraine interrupted with a giggle.

Zoey sighed, rolling her eyes, though Hero could have sworn there was some affection in them. “He’s not going to make you a sandwich,”

There was a short lag in Lorraine’s reaction time. She blinked blankly at them before she pouted, “Why not?”

“Because I’m sure he has to go back to his castle,” quipped Zoey “Sign some royal proclamations, maybe slay a dragon later if he has time.” She paused, that sarcastic twitch of a smile curving in the corners of her mouth as she turned to him with a dry, “Or have you already done those things before you started saving damsels in distress?”

Hero laughed in spite of himself and his flushed cheeks. It was kind of impressive how quick witted she was, and, if he was being honest, he much preferred these ‘prince charming’ jokes when the punchline seemed to be that he wasn’t actually deserving of the title.

As he pursed his lips to stifle his laughter, Zoey met his eyes again and a smile tugged at her mouth, but before she could say anything, Lorraine sighed, “But couldn’t he add making sandwiches to his royal to-do list?”

Zoey’s eyes narrowed. “Are we sure he can even make a sandwich? Don’t you think he has a royal chef to do that?”

“Oh…” sighed Lorraine who, it seemed, was far too drunk to catch on to her sister’s sarcasm. “We don’t have a chef, Your Highness.”

“That’s—that’s okay,” Hero breathily reassured her, but his blush deepened as he turned towards Zoey. He looked away abruptly but gently began to insist, “I—I can make a sandwich…It’s really no trouble at all.”

“We’re good. Thanks,” answered Zoey curtly with a pointed stare, and Hero’s ears burned. Had he said the wrong thing?

“But—” Lorraine’s protest was promptly cut off by her sister patting her lightly on the head.

“Go change out of those wet clothes, then we’ll get you some water and a granola bar or something if you’re that hungry. I’m sure ‘prince charming’s’ royal carriage is waiting.”

Hero half-laughed, half-coughed in spite of himself. It was probably the only time his hunk of junk of a car, as Kel would probably call it, would ever be called a royal carriage.

Zoey tilted her head towards him—an expression he couldn’t quite place passing over her face until she dryly teased, “I’d offer you a change of clothes too, your majesty, but unless you want to wear a towel, I’m not sure we have anything that’ll fit you.”

“You can wear one of my towels,” swooned Lorraine before she hiccupped lightly and burst into inebriated giggling.

Hero choked—his face flushing scarlet. “Oh…uh—” His voice cracked, but luckily Zoey cut him off.

“Lorraine, he’s royalty—try to have some class.” Her delivery was so dry and snarky that Hero chuckled in spite of himself as he stared intently at the floor, his cheeks burning at the idea of waltzing around anywhere in a towel—let alone the sorority house of practical strangers. If Kyle was here, he’d likely say that was the college experience, but it wasn’t the experience Hero wanted.

“Right…I’m sorry, Your Highness,” Lorraine offered a slurred but sincere apology. “I’m sure you only wear royal towels.”

Snorting a laugh, Zoey rolled her eyes and playfully swatted at her sister. “Go on… Get out of those wet clothes before you embarrass yourself even more in front of the prince.”

As Lorraine nodded and stumbled her way down a hallway to the left of the entry way, Zoey shook her head and sighed. “Sorry about that. Lorraine gets aggressively flirty when she gets drunk. Just ignore her.”

“It’s…it’s okay…” choked Hero though his face was still bright red.

“I’m sure you’re used to getting flirted with all the time—seeing as you are royalty,” Zoey dryly teased.

As he rubbed the back of his neck, he somehow managed a quiet and breathy, “You’d be surprised…” He paused—twisting his hands as he quickly added, “Uh…what I mean is…I—I don’t think people really…I’m not very…uh—” He stopped abruptly realizing that his nervous fidgeting had been spraying water all over the ground. “Oh, I’m sorry. Let me help clean that up…”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll get it,” Zoey cut him off with a dismissive wave of her hand. “You should probably get out of those wet clothes too. Maybe head home or at least head back to whatever party you were at?”

Hero nodded. It didn’t sound like much of a question. “Yeah, sorry.”

“Thanks again for saving my sister,” said Zoey with a smile, and Hero could feel that warmth in his cheeks again.

“It was really nothing,” he insisted with a shrug of his shoulders. “And it was probably overkill. I just spent the summer as a lifeguard so I think I just went into autopilot when I saw her fall in.” Just like he had with Sunny and Basil in Faraway Park…But he didn’t tell her that, just pushed the thought away swallowing hard.

“You’re a lifeguard too, and modest…?” Zoey tilted her head at him. “You certainly are a man of many talents, Mr. Prince.”

“You really don’t have to call me that,” Hero chuckled awkwardly. ”You can just call me ‘Hero.’”

Zoey quirked an eyebrow at him. “Smooth.”

Hero’s face burned. He realized how that sounded only after he had said it, and he somewhat frantically began to stumble over his words of explanation. “No…uh…um…that’s just my nickname.”

“Can’t imagine why that is…” she quipped with the twitch of a smile. Hero’s blush deepened, and he ran his hand through his damp hair before he scratched the back of his neck.

“I really liked hero sandwiches as a kid. I wanted to eat them for every meal so everyone started calling me ‘Hero’ and…” He swallowed hard, turning away from the pointed look she was giving him. “My actual name is Henry—you can call me that if you want, but nobody ever really calls me that.”

“So you want me to call you something nobody else calls you?” she teased dryly, and Hero tried his best to take a deep breath. Oh gosh, did she think he was hitting on her…? He wanted to sink into the living room rug.

“Uh…um…I’m not really sure I have any other nicknames. My Mamá Alma calls me ‘cocinerito’ sometimes, and my roommate calls me ‘Mama’ and he’s got the rest of our fraternity doing it now so I guess you could call me that if you want,” he added in a panic, staring pleadingly at the floor hoping it would swallow him up. A look of recognition passed over Zoey’s eyes, followed by surprise.

“Wait…you’re ‘Mama’?”

Despite his brow furrowing, Hero nodded, and Zoey laughed. “Kyle will not shut up about you. Not that that means anything since Kyle won’t shut up about anything, but…you’re just not what I pictured I guess.”

“You…know Kyle?”

Zoey laughed. “Yeah. And he’s told me almost everything about you, but I guess he never mentioned me, huh?”—she rolled her eyes somewhat affectionately—“Calls himself my best friend…what a moron.”

Ignoring that blush in his face, Hero tilted his head, finally realizing what he should have put together ages ago. “You’re Zuzu…?”

“Oh gosh, no one calls me that except Kyle, and I have no idea why he does, especially after everything I do for him.” She shook her head lightly, but she smiled—meeting his eyes again with her bright green ones. “I’m Zoey—Zoey Park.”

She held out her hand, and he reached to shake it with a smile as he said, “Hero…or uh…Henry Padilla. Whatever you want to call me. I don’t mind.”

“Hero’s fine. It suits you,” she replied with a shrug and a twist of her mouth. “But I also like ‘Mr. Prince’ and ‘Mama’ even though I’m pretty sure you stole that nickname from me, you know?” she teased, and Hero sheepishly chuckled.

“Sorry…” he mumbled. “I’ll talk to Kyle if—” Zoey’s laughter cut him off, and Hero shuffled his feet with an almost inaudible, “What?”

“Nothing. It’s just…you really are just as sincere as Kyle said, huh?” She paused, but her expression softened. “It’s fine—really. I’m only kidding around. Sorry if I’ve been acerbic. Kyle says I’m too dry—it’s hard to tell if I’m joking or not.”

She shrugged her shoulders with a slight smile. “But I’m actually really glad Kyle has someone to look out for him. I can’t keep up with all his partying, and I think he got sick of me telling him off for binge drinking all the time, so it’s nice to know he still has a good influence around. He has nothing but nice things to say about you—thinks you’re a literal saint.”

Hero’s face blushed red. He could feel the tips of his ears burning again. He really should learn how to take a compliment one of these days.

Before he could even think of something to say in response, however, Zoey continued, “Which of course means that I definitely can’t send you back to that party soaking wet. Kyle will never let me hear the end of it.” She paused, chuckling before she sighed. “Do you have something you can change into? You’re welcome to use our bathroom before you head out, and we do have towels to help you dry off—but please don’t wear them. Nobody wants to see that.” She was deadpan, but Hero knew she was teasing him. His face burned. Somehow, despite his embarrassment, however, he found himself laughing—though he tried his best to stifle it.

“I…uh…actually think I have a change of clothes in my trunk. I just bought some for my brother on a clearance rack at Other Mart but Kyle wouldn’t let me unload all my groceries before we left for the party so…” His voice trailed with uncertainty, but he supposed that Kel’s clothes were probably better than these sopping wet ones and were definitely better than a towel.

It wasn’t until he was out in the street, digging through his car in the rain which had once again begun to sprinkle, that he realized how ridiculous this all was. He could just change clothes back at the party, instead of imposing on practical strangers, but he couldn’t deny that he would feel so much better if he didn’t have to spend another minute in these chaffing wet jeans and the heaviness of this soaked sweater dripping water everywhere. Even getting to dry his hair with a towel would be a great comfort. He would run inside, change quickly, thank Zoey and Lorraine again for letting him use their bathroom, apologize for any inconvenience and head back to the party.

Once he found the clothes, Zoey let him back into the house, showed him to the bathroom and gave him a stack of towels before she disappeared to help Lorraine and Hero headed into the bathroom. With a sigh of relief, he dried off and finally changed out of those uncomfortably soaked clothes. As much as he felt guilty for imposing of these women he barely knew, he would be eternally grateful to them for allowing him the respite of not having to spend one more minute in those chaffing jeans.

When he walked back into the living room to thank Zoey profusely one more time before heading out, however, he found her talking on the phone. He shuffled awkwardly in place not wanting to interrupt but also not wanting to eavesdrop as he heard her say, “You’re worse than, Lorraine. I swear I’m hanging up on y—” She stopped abruptly, covering her hand with her mouth in her best attempt to stifle a snorted laugh that reached her eyes at the sight of him.

Hero flushed. He supposed Kel’s clothes did not fit him nearly as well as he would have hoped, and he reached up to pat his damp, messy mop of hair which he was sure was even more unruly than usual.

“No. No, not you Brandi,” she said hurriedly into the receiver. “He just walked out. Do you want to talk to him?” There was a pause before she nodded and continued, “Okay. I’ll see you later. Bye.”

As she hung up the phone, she couldn’t seem to hide the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. “That is quite the look, Mr. Prince,” she quipped.

“My brother plays basketball,” Hero explained, though even he could admit he probably looked a little ridiculous with his slim frame practically swimming in the long shorts and jersey. Even if he and Kel were roughly the same height, his brother had far more muscle than he did and likely wouldn’t be so drowned by the loose-fitting athletic clothes.

Still stifling a laugh behind her hand, Zoey nodded, and Hero cleared his throat—trying his best to change the subject.

“Was that Brandi?”

“Yeah, she just wanted to give me a head’s up that you and Lorraine were headed over. I didn’t realize you knew her.”

Hero nodded. “We grew up in the same town—graduated from the same high school. She was the only person I knew in the city for a while.”

“Well she’s a much better character reference than Kyle. I would’ve led with that,” bantered Zoey, but her expression softened. “She said you were pretty heroic—no pun intended.”

As Hero chuckled lightly, Zoey reached out to take his wet clothes from him asking, “Do you want me to throw these in the dryer for you?”

Flushing, Hero held up his hands and insisted, “Oh you don’t have to do that.”

Zoey shrugged. “It doesn’t have to be a whole cycle just enough so they’re not dripping water anymore.”

“I’ve imposed enough already,” sighed Hero. “I don’t want to cause you any more trouble.”

“It’s no trouble—in fact you’d be kind of helping me out. Brandi said if I don’t at least offer, she’s never going to talk to me again, and Kyle will probably be mad too.” Hero couldn’t tell if she was completely joking or not, though the upturned corners of her mouth seemed to suggest she was teasing just a little. Still, he apologized, “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she waved her hand dismissively, but the expression in her eyes was kind. “They kind of have a point, I guess. You did save my sister…The least I can do is throw your clothes in the dryer.” She paused. “Unless you’re heading home.”

“I’m the designated driver so I’m stuck out for a while,” he sheepishly admitted. “But…I really don’t want to intrude…”

Zoey waved her hand at him. “The dryer it is. And you’re not intruding.” Her mouth twitched into a lopsided smile. “Believe me, if I didn’t want you here, you wouldn’t be, no matter what Kyle or Brandi had to say about it.”

As she shot him a half-smile, Hero somewhat awkwardly followed her through the doorway into a kitchen, dining, and laundry room combination where she quickly threw his wet clothes into the dryer which was loud and clanging—shaking and humming until Zoey gave it a good smack with her hand. It quieted a little after that but didn’t completely stop.

“You learn to ignore that,” she quipped before she made her way over to the kitchen counter. “Can I get you anything? Some water—a cup of coffee or tea?”

“Uh…” Hero stumbled unsurely—trying to decide whether it would be more rude to refuse her offer or to take her up on it, but Zoey met his eyes—giving him a reassuring smile and he said, “A cup of tea would be great, please. Thank you.”

“You’re so polite,” she chuckled as she turned to pick up the tea kettle and began to fill it with water. “Guess the royals really do take those manners seriously.”

As Zoey turned around, she caught him chuckling under his breath and her mouth twitched to one side in a lopsided smile. She didn’t say anything, however, just motioned to the barstools at the counter. “Please feel free to sit down. It’ll take a minute for the water to heat up. I’d let you sit at the table, but it’s kind of a mess right now.” Hero glanced over at the books and papers spread out over the kitchen table. Zoey or someone must have been studying. “I wasn’t expecting company.”

Before Hero could begin to apologize for intruding and offer to leave, he paused—growing suddenly aware of that faint piano music again. He rubbed his hand wearily across his forehead. It was much louder in this room and he was beginning to wonder if he was just hearing things when he realized there was a cd player on the hutch of a china cabinet.

“Is that Chopin?” he asked, and Zoey nodded. “Do you play?”

Chuckling, Zoey shook her head. “No. I probably couldn’t even pick out ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb to save my life,’ but my roommate Tamra is a double major: Music and Education and has a ton of these CDs. I got hooked on listening to them while I study.”

Hero sighed. So she was Tamra’s roommate Brandi had mentioned to him earlier. It really was a small world.

“What about you?” she asked. “Do you play?”

“I used to, a little. I was never good enough for Chopin though.” He chuckled. “But I knew somehow who was. He was her favorite composer. She loved his waltzes especially this one. It’s called ‘The Farewell.’”

“That’s beautiful. I didn’t know that. On the back of the CD, it just says ‘Waltz in Whatever’…” Her voice trailed, before she smiled. “I think Tamra loves this song too, but she says she has a love-hate relationship with Chopin right now. Apparently the chair of the music department keeps making her play his stuff, and she’s getting sick of it.”

Something coiled in the pit of Hero’s stomach, and he swallowed hard. Suddenly thinking of Mari. If she was still with them, would she be a music major now too? Spreading her love of classical music to her roommate? Growing frustrated with having to play Chopin over and over?

His chest ached, and he mentally kicked herself for bringing her up in the first place. It was his own fault, and he shouldn’t have done it—probably wouldn’t have in any other situation, but Zoey was so easy to talk to. He couldn’t explain why, but there was something comfortable about her that made him feel at ease, made him forget to think before he talked.

He swallowed hard. He'd have to be more careful before he ended up dumping on her or making himself miserable or both.

“Tamra’s great,” Zoey’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “You really should meet her sometime—especially if you’re a Chopin fan.”

“I think we actually met earlier at the party,” Hero replied, but he swallowed hard—suddenly thinking about Tamra’s earrings again. The way that her laughter had reminded him so much of Mari’s. And she was pianist now too… His chest ached, and he pushed the thought away. “We uh…didn’t talk about music though.”

“Well you should,” said Zoey with a smile. “Nobody around here knows anything about music, so I’m sure she’d love to talk to someone who really appreciated it.”

“Somebody here has good music taste,” Hero gently insisted, thankful for the opportunity to change the subject. “Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones, Billy Joel, The Beatles…”

“Do you usually make a habit of snooping through other people’s stuff when you visit them?” Zoey interrupted crossing her arms though there was something bantering in her eyes.

Hero’s face flushed. “Sorry,” he quickly apologized even though he knew she was only teasing him. “Lorraine was taking some of the CDs off the shelf in the living room, and I just…noticed, I guess. I wasn’t trying to pry.”

Zoey chuckled lightly. “I’m just teasing. It’s fine, especially since you have good taste.”

“Are those CDs yours?” he asked with the slightest twitch of a hopeful smile, and Zoey shrugged.

“A lot of them. I got sick of listening to bubblegum pop and boy bands all the time, so I thought maybe I’d get my sorority sisters to expand their horizons a little. But I keep most of my favorite CDs in my room.”

“What’s your favorite?”

Zoey tilted her head thoughtfully. “Right now or of all time?”

Hero’s brow furrowed, and he hummed, eventually deciding on, “All time?”

“Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? by The Cranberries.” Her answer was immediate, confident as if she didn’t even need to think about it, and as she continued, it was clear to Hero why. “It was the first album I ever bought myself. I couldn’t get enough of the song ‘Linger.’ I used to obsessively sit by the radio hoping they’d play it, and finally decided I should just buy the whole album so I could listen to it whenever I wanted. I loved the whole thing—fell in love with the band too. I even cut my hair in high school—had a pixie cut to look like Dolores O'Riordan. It’s grown out now.”

She chuckled ruffling her hand through her bobbed red hair. Hero tried to picture her with even shorter hair. He wondered how different she’d look.

“I have every Cranberries album now,” she continued. “but that one’s still my favorite. There’s just something special about that first album you ever buy, you know? But it’s funny— ‘Linger’ isn’t even my favorite song on it anymore.”

Hero smiled, somewhat sheepishly. He honestly wasn’t sure he had ever heard of that song or that album before—maybe he’d recognize it if he listened to it, but still he was curious. “What’s your favorite song now?”

“It’s called ‘Sunday.’ Very underrated.” She paused—her mouth curving into a lopsided smile. “Don’t tell me you’re a Cranberries fan too, Mr. Prince.”

Hero shook his head, though his face felt a little warm. “I’m sorry. I can’t say I’ve ever really listened to them before.”

“Well, it’s nice to know you have some flaws,” she teased dryly. “But this one’s fixable. Especially since I know Kyle has that album, believe it or not. I think he got curious about my hair so he bought it to see what all the fuss was about. I’m not sure if it was really for him though. He tends to stick to his Top 40 hits, and The Cranberries have had a couple, but they’re a little too alt-rock for Kyle’s taste, I think.”

The kettle whistled, and Zoey turned back to the stove, turning off the burner. “What kind of tea would you like? I’ve got black, green, herbal…”

“Anything is fine. Thank you,” he said as she started rifling through one of the cabinets.

“How about Earl Grey?” asked Zoey with a hum as she pulled out a box.

Hero’s smile widened. “That’s my favorite.”

“Mine too. Small world, huh?” As she pulled out two coffee mugs and began to prepare their tea, Zoey asked, “So uh…what was the first album you ever bought—if you don’t mind me asking?”

Hero swallowed hard. He was grateful she had her back to him so she wouldn’t see his face as he quietly answered, “The Beatles Revolver. I bought it on vinyl.”

“Ooh, fancy,” she teased with a laugh as she handed him his cup. “And good choice. Just don’t tell me you bought it for ‘Yellow Submarine.’”

Fidgeting, Hero turned away from her, staring down at his hands as he managed a breathy laugh and a shake of his head. “Uh…no, um…I mean it’s a good song but…there was a different one…”

There was a long pause, and Hero shifted in his seat. He could feel Zoey staring at him inquisitively, perceptively. He suddenly felt exposed—though he knew it was irrational. He hadn’t said anything all that personal, but…everything that was related to Mari felt so intimate now. He didn’t want to talk about any of it. He was almost afraid to.

Hero sighed—trying to push the thought away. Surely, she wouldn’t…

“Let me guess: ‘Here There and Everywhere?’”

Hero’s breath caught in his throat, and his chest twisted. “How did you know?” The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them.

Zoey shrugged, seemingly unphased as she took a sip of her tea. “Eh, you just seem like the type. If you had said it was ‘Abbey Road’ I would’ve guessed it was ‘Something.’”

Rubbing his hand across the nape of his neck, Hero chuckled lightly, awkwardly. He supposed he was pretty predictable. Still, he hadn’t realized he was so transparent. He certainly didn’t try to be. Quite the opposite usually.

“It’s a good song,” he admitted quietly. “But I don’t really listen to it anymore. It…brings up—” He stopped abruptly, hoping that had been enough explanation.

After a short pause, he finally looked up at Zoey again. Her expression had softened, and she tilted her head towards him—something sympathetic in her eyes. “It’s always a shame when good songs get tangled up with bad memories, isn’t it?”

With a sigh, she shrugged her shoulders, and Hero nodded. In the pause that followed, he pursed his lips together trying to push it all out of his mind by focusing on something else—anything else. It just so happened that that “something else” was the refrigerator which was covered in colorful magnets, notes in glitter pens and flowery handwriting, and pictures, including several of Lorraine.

Hero shook his head somewhat guiltily. He couldn’t believe he had forgotten. “Is…um…Lorraine, okay?”

“Oh yeah. Sorry, I forgot to tell you. She’s safe in bed now and wanted me to say goodbye to you for her,” Zoey replied with a smile. “She tried to stay awake for you, but she completely tuckered out—was practically falling asleep standing up so I helped her into bed while you were out at your car. Don’t worry I gave her something to eat and plenty of water too, but she was pretty tired.”

Zoey paused, chuckling. “She says thank you again for everything. Believe me, this is probably all she’ll talk about for the next month or so, and I’m sure she’d love to see you again if you wanted to actually take her out. You are her ‘prince charming’ after all.”

Hero blushed but bit his lip. “Oh uh…it’s…it’s not like that. I mean…Lorraine seems like a very sweet girl, but I—I’m not really looking for a relationship…I’m too busy with school. I was really only trying to help. I have a little sister myself, and I guess I was just kind of hoping that if she ever fell in a pool one day at a party that somebody would jump in after her.” Hero twisted his hands. He hadn’t meant to say all of that—especially not in such rambling panic, but Zoey just smiled.

“That’s sweet. How old’s your sister?”

“She’s one,” said Hero with a smile and a light chuckle. “Was born at the end of my senior year of high school. It was a big surprise and kind of a big age gap, but I always wanted a sister. I feel bad that I haven’t been able to be home that much with her, but she has Kel—that’s our brother. He’s 16.”

“And more athletic than you?” teased Zoey, her brow furrowing at the basketball clothes.

Hero chuckled. “Yeah, but that’s a low bar. I mean—besides being able to swim and my morning runs, I’m really not that athletic.”

“I ran track in high school so I’m a little insulted you don’t count running as a sport.” She clicked her tongue, but she chuckled banteringly.

“Believe me, it’s not a sport the way that I do it. It’s kind of pathetic actually,” quipped Hero with a somewhat self-deprecating laugh. “But I really just run to clear my head and for some exercise—not to be an Olympic sprinter. I’m honestly not very fast, but my brother Kel is super speedy—can run circles around me, around anybody really. And he’s a really talented athlete. His basketball team’s won all kinds of tournaments. He’s supposed to have one in the city later this year. I’ve been hoping he’ll get to stop by for a visit when he’s in town.”

“You miss him.” It wasn’t a question, and there was something warm in her expression that made Hero nod and answer her.

“Yeah. He was my best friend.” He paused. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud, and he hoped Zoey wouldn’t catch the hidden meaning in those words. Her brow furrowed, and the knowing look that passed over her face made Hero fidget.

Thankfully, she didn’t pry; instead, she said, “I miss my little brother too, but I don’t think he misses me all that much. Jared’s 15 and has been going through a misanthrope phase, but I guess he’s kinda been going through that forever. He tolerates me, I think, and talks to me sometimes, but he has very little patience for Lorraine. She says he’s been dodging her calls.”

“How…uh…” Hero paused, unsure of how exactly to word his question without it seeming rude. “How much of an age gap do you and Lorraine have?”

“3 minutes. I’m older,” laughed Zoey. “It was kind of a surprise for our parents, I think. Twins don’t run in our family. But apparently they do now. I keep telling Lorraine we need to be extra careful out there—the chances of a fraternal twin having twins herself is pretty high. I don’t know if she ever listens to me though”—she rolled her eyes—“siblings, right? You’re the oldest too, aren’t you? So you get it.”

Chuckling, Hero nodded. “Yeah. I’m the oldest—everywhere actually. Even with all my cousins on both sides of my family. At home, though, it’s just the three of us: me, Kel, and Sally. What about you?”

“We have a couple cousins on my dad’s side, but we were never very close. My mom’s an only child so no cousins there. She always wanted siblings so I think that’s why there’s three of us, but yeah, it’s just me, Lorraine, and Jared.” She paused, humming thoughtfully. “We sometimes throw William in there as an extra little brother. He’s Jared best friend and practically lives at our house so he’s always felt like one of the family.”

Hero’s face softened, and his lips curved into a bright, kind smile. “My brothers’ best friends—well, uh, they’re my friends too but um—I feel the same way about them. It’s like having a second family—all these other siblings.”

“Exactly.” Chuckling in agreement, Zoey took a sip of her tea. “I suppose I’d throw Kyle in there too. He’s always been like a brother to me, but that’s different.”

Hero tilted his head. He was curious about Zoey and Kyle’s friendship and about how they had become friends in the first place, but he didn’t think he knew her well enough to ask and he didn’t want to pry into her private business. Still, it seemed she gave him a half-answer to the question without him even needing to ask it.

“Kyle has this way of kind of adopting people—especially when they help him study. But that’s how you guys became friends too, right? Kyle says you guys met in chemistry.” She paused, and Hero nodded. “You’re a pre-med major, right?”

“Yeah. And you’re…engineering?”

“Civil Engineering.” Zoey stopped, and her face positively lit up when she said, “I want build bridges.”

“Have you always wanted to do that?” asked Hero though from the bright smile on her face when she talked about it, he could already guess the answer.

She nodded. “Yeah. Even when I was little and my sister was playing dolls or dress up, I was building bridges out of blocks and tinker toys. I even built one out of a gingerbread house kit one year.”

“How did you do that?”

Zoey shrugged. “Well, it was a while ago, but I think I used toothpicks and candies for the trusses. I was only 11 when I made it so, honestly, I’m not sure how well it would’ve held up if Jared started sending his toy cars across it.”

As she laughed, her smile reached her green eyes. There was so much passion in the way she talked about bridges. It was infectious. Hero didn’t want her to stop, but since he honestly didn’t know the first thing about bridges, he didn’t know what to ask as a follow up question so he stumbled his way through, “What’s your favorite kind of bridge?”

Zoey burst into laughter—though, for her credit, she tried to cover her mouth. “Did you just ask me my favorite kind of bridge?”

Hero’s face flushed, but he shrugged his shoulders. “There…are…multiple different kinds, right? I…uh…think I saw a Magic School Bus episode about that over the summer with Sally. My mom tries to put on educational shows for her.”

“Well you must be an expert then,” Zoey bantered, but her expression softened. “But yes, there are multiple different kinds of bridges, and I’ve never actually been asked this question before, so I don’t know…”

With a light laugh and a hum, she clicked her tongue. “I guess, suspension bridges are pretty cool, but they’re kind of overrated. I think I prefer truss bridges—especially a good bowstring truss or just any kind of bowstring bridge in general, I guess. That’s probably my favorite.” She smiled at him, but her grin widened—teasing and cheeky like she knew he didn’t understand anything she had just said. “What about you, Mr. Prince?” she bantered dryly. “What’s your favorite kind of bridge?”

“Well, uh…I like the Stanley Wilbertson Bridge.”

Zoey hummed, clearly trying her best not to laugh. “Good choice. That is actually a bowstring arch bridge so one of my favorites too. Though I’m guessing you picked it because it’s one of the only bridges you know.”

Hero blushed, but he nodded conceding, “Yeah. We didn’t have a lot of bridges in Faraway Town where I grew up. I know the big ones like Golden Gate Bridge or Brooklyn Bridge or London Bridge. Kyle sent me a post card from the Bridge of Sighs this summer.”

“Yeah, he sent me that one too,” chuckled Zoey. “He’s always sending me postcards of bridges. I think he’s teasing me—thinks it’s a strange interest, but I love them. I’ve never wanted to do anything else besides build one. It’s my dream.” Her expression softened. Something wistful passed over her eyes before she asked, “What about you? You always wanted to be a doctor?”

Hero shifted in his seat, staring down at his hands twisting around the handle of his cup. After listening to how passionate Zoey was about her career path, he honestly felt a little self-conscious about how unsure and somewhat apathetic he felt about his. Ever since his conversation with Sunny, he had started to consider the possibility of it becoming a real passion for him someday, but he wasn’t there yet. Right now the honest answer was, “No. I uh…well…I actually wanted to be a chef when I was a kid.”

“A chef, huh? Well that explains why Kyle thinks you’re Bobby Flay. I thought he was just impressed because he can’t make a pop tart, but hey, you’re probably making gourmet meals over there.”

Sheepishly scratching the back of his neck, Hero shrugged. “I dunno. I don’t really cook much anymore. I’m too busy with school, but…I still enjoy it when I can. I think I prefer it as a hobby though—having to cook as a job might take the fun out of it.” He chuckled lightly—running a hand through his unruly hair. “But I’m—I’m really out of practice.”

“I’m sure you’re better at it than most guys I know.” She twisted her mouth to one side. “Sorry, I teased you earlier about not being able to cook. I bet you make a mean sandwich.”

“Would you like me to make you one?” he asked with a slight smile. “It’s the least I can do to thank you for letting me borrow your dryer.” And for overstaying my welcome… Hero thought, but he didn’t add that part.

“Lorraine would never forgive me,” laughed Zoey. “Better take a raincheck on that.”

Hero nodded, and Zoey tilted her head curiously as she leaned on the kitchen counter. “Where did you learn to cook?”

“My grandma, Mamá Alma—she taught me when I was really young. She’s an amazing chef. Her family used to run a restaurant, and she worked there most of her life until she moved with my Papá Miguel to Faraway Town and settled down to raise a family. Cooking was always one of her passions though.” A gentle, affectionate smile spread across his face. “None of my cousins ever really took an interest, but I used to go over to visit her on Sunday afternoons and help her cook a big family dinner for everybody. She said I had a gift.”

“Is that why she calls you ‘Little Chef’?”

“Yeah. She always calls me her ‘cocinerito,’” chuckled Hero, impressed she had remembered. “You speak Spanish?”

With a modest chuckle, Zoey sighed. “Not very well, I’m afraid. I lived in Spain for three years, but it was from the time I was 6 to the time I was 9 so it’s all kind of rusty and I definitely wouldn’t consider myself fluent.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Most of what I remember is related to food, honestly.”

“Why did your family move to Spain?” Hero asked curiously.

“My dad’s in the navy. He’s an admiral now and has been stationed at the base in Seaport since I was about 13, but we used to move around a lot.” Zoey reached for her cup and took another drink of her tea. “By the time I was 12, I had lived in 5 different countries.”

“Wow, I uh…that’s amazing. I think the farthest I’ve ever really traveled is a family trip to Florida once. I’ve barely ever left Faraway Town which is where I’ve lived my whole life. It’s just this tiny suburban town in the middle of nowhere—about 3 hours from here, maybe 2 and a half if you don’t hit too much traffic. It’s about 2 hours from Seaport too, I think. It’s been a while since I’ve made the drive. My friends and I used to go on day trips to the beach there when we were younger.” He paused, chuckling lightly as he ran his hand through his hair. “But I’m sure that sounds pretty boring to a jetsetter like you.”

With a sigh, Zoey shook her head. “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. I always kind of wished I grew up in a small town—put down some roots close to family and friends without having to pick up and leave again.” She sighed again. “I’m sure it has its downsides too, though.”

Hero nodded, and the words slipped out without thinking. “There’s nowhere to run…”

Zoey tilted her head at him—her eyes narrowing inquisitively as she leaned her elbows on the counter, resting her chin against her hand. “Are you running from something?”

Hero blinked at her—swallowing hard and fidgeting under the weight of her gaze. He took a deep, shaky breath, but thankfully before he had to say anything the buzzer of the dryer interrupted them.

With a shrug of her shoulders, Zoey walked over to check the dryer then called, “Your clothes are still damp. Do you want me to run them again?”

“You don’t have to do that,” Hero insisted, but Zoey waved her hand.

“It’s no problem, and honestly, just between us, you probably don’t want to go back to the party dressed like this.”

Hero chuckled lightly but nodded, conceding that she was probably right.

After starting the dryer again, she pulled one of barstools around to other side of the counter so she could sit down and still face him. When he commented on how nice the furniture was, especially when compared to the barstools at his fraternity, Zoey went into a story about how Tamra and the president of their sorority, Karey, had stumbled on them at a flea market about a week ago and haggled over the price eventually purchasing them for next to nothing. Hero thought this was the perfect segue into his own story about how some of his fraternity brothers had recently dragged home a beanbag chair they had found thrown out on the curb in front of some apartment buildings near campus. It made Zoey laugh, and Hero smiled watching the way her laughter reached her eyes.

He wasn’t entirely sure what they talked about after that. It felt like a little bit of anything and everything: their favorite foods and movies, their laments about Kyle’s reckless antics, their stresses about professors and homework, even their favorite spots to visit in the city and favorite places to study. He was happy to hear that she was also a fan of Layla’s coffee shop.

Hero was halfway through a story about Hector when the phone rang. Zoey held up a hand to him with the twitch of a smile and a kind, “Hold that thought.” She clicked the receiver and held it to her ear. “Hello? Oh hey, Kyle.”

Hero’s eyes widened. Kyle. He had completely forgotten about him.

“Yeah, Lorraine’s okay. I put her to bed. You sound drunker than she is.” Zoey stopped and snorted a laugh before she rolled her eyes, “Hey, it’s your liver.”

She paused again then glanced at Hero with a slight twitch of a smile. “Yeah, he’s still here.” Pause. “No, I’ve definitely been playing nice. I gave him a cup of tea and threw his wet clothes in the dryer.” She listened, then scoffed followed by a bitingly sarcastic, “Oh yeah, you’re definitely interrupting something very heated. He asked me my favorite kind of bridge and everything.”

Hero’s face burned—flushing red to the tips of his ears, but Zoey just chuckled and shook her head as if reassuring him it was fine and not to worry about it. Still, he looked away from her, embarrassed, and his embarrassment only grew as he looked at the clock and realized how late it was now. How had he possibly been here for three hours? His blush deepened realizing he had completely lost track of time and had had no idea.

“Tell Kyle I’m so sorry and that I’ll come get him right away,” he quietly interrupted, and Zoey nodded.

“He’s heading out now. Should be back there in a few minutes to pick you up.” She paused, laughed with a roll of her eyes. “Yeah…that’s not happening. Goodbye Kyle.”

Hero’s cheeks burned, and he buried his face in his hands guiltily mumbling, “I am so sorry.”

“Don’t be,” chuckled Zoey as she pulled his now dry and toasty warm clothes out of the dryer for him.

“I had no idea how late it was. I completely overstayed my welcome.” He tripped over his words, but Zoey just shook her head at him as they made their way back to the entryway.

“It’s okay really. I would’ve kicked you out if I got sick of you.” She teased but offered him a kind, reassuring smile, and Hero fumbled with his folded clothes in his hands as she added, “But it was actually really nice talking to you, Mr. Prince.”

“It was really nice talking to you too.” He met her eyes just briefly before he looked away again. “Thank you so much again for letting me use your bathroom and your dryer and uh…also for the tea.”

“No problem.” Zoey chuckled as Hero ran a hand through his hair which was still a little bit damp.

“I feel terrible I stayed so late. And I completely forgot Kyle…” he sighed, rubbing his forehead. “I hope he hasn’t been waiting on me.”

“He’s fine,” Zoey insisted with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Knowing him, he only just called when he was ready to leave. He can wait a few minutes—it won’t kill him.”

Hero bit his lip. He hoped she was right, especially since he felt overwhelmingly guilty about it. He quickly but politely said his goodbyes to her, but when he opened the front door he stopped—staring despondently at the torrential downpour that awaited him outside.

“And after you just got dry,” sighed Zoey with a sympathetic shake her head. “You really can’t catch a break, huh?”

Hero sighed. She had no idea.

“It’s okay,” he gently reassured her with a conceding tilt of his head. “I’m used to the rain.”

“Sounds like you could use an umbrella,” she quipped, but her smile was kind. Hero shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ve got one. It’s in the back of my car.”

“Well that’s not going to do you any good is it?” Playfully rolling her eyes, Zoey chuckled, but she turned around and picked up a red umbrella from a coat rack by the door. “Why don’t you take mine?”

Hero shook his head insisting, “Oh no. I couldn’t.”

“I don’t need it. I’m not going out in this weather,” answered Zoey matter-of-factly. “And I trust you to give it back to me. If you don’t, I know where you live so I’ll just steal it back the next time I visit Kyle.” She teased with a snarky half-smile that made Hero chuckle in spite of himself. “Or the next time I see you. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other around.”

“I’d like that.” The words slipped out of his mouth without him even needing to think about them which made him feel suddenly self-conscious again, but Zoey just smiled as he finally took the red umbrella she had been holding out to him. “Thank you for letting me borrow this.”

“You’re welcome.”

They stood there for a moment—comfortable silence only made awkward by the thought that this might be an appropriate time to ask for her phone number and by Hero realizing he wanted to but didn’t think he could without her taking it the wrong way. The truth was he really only wanted to be her friend, and he hoped he had made that obvious enough, but the fact she had already mistakenly thought he was hitting on her once tonight made him feel hesitant and unsure. He didn’t want to repeat that so instead he cleared his throat—shaking his head slightly as if he could somehow shake away his thoughts, and said, “Thank you again for a wonderful evening. I had a really nice time tonight.” He somewhat playfully held up the umbrella she had lent him. “And I promise I’ll return this.”

“You’d better,” she bantered, but she smiled at him—her green eyes meeting his brown ones one last time before they said goodbye and he opened the umbrella as he stepped onto the front porch and walked out into the rain.

*-*-*

Luckily Zoey was right and Kyle didn’t seem all that put out that Hero had completely abandoned him at that party—though that could have been because he was too drunk to care. Still, Hero apologized profusely as he helped Kyle stagger out into the passenger seat of the car as C.J. who was not nearly as wasted but was clearly more exhausted, sprawled out in the backseat where he promptly fell asleep.

“Nah,” Kyle cut him off as Hero tried to apologize for the umpteenth time while starting the car and pulling out of his parking space. “I’m sorry I interrupted you, but after I threw up in that Ficus, I just thought I should probably get home.”

Hero stomach sunk—coiling guiltily. “I am so sorry, Kyle. I completely lost track of the time.”

“It’s okay. It happens,” Kyle insisted dismissively before a wide, smug smile spread across his face. “I’m glad you actually had a good time tonight.” His voice trailed, slurred and breathy but wistful as he mumbled, “She really is something isn’t she.”

“Yeah,” Hero agreed with a smile as he started off towards their fraternity house.

“And just gorgeous,” sighed Kyle. “The prettiest girl in our whole high school.”

Hero hummed. He was used to Kyle saying things like this especially when he was intoxicated, and he generally went into an autopilot of hums and nods of agreement—never really having much to add. But this time, to the shock of even himself he said, “She has beautiful eyes.”

He stopped abruptly. His cheeks burning as the words registered. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud and was honestly surprised at himself for even having thought it—for even having noticed. His swallowed hard and quickly added, “I mean, uh…I just…I’m not sure I’ve seen eyes that green before.”

Biting his lip, he secretly hoped that C.J. was still asleep and that Kyle was too drunk to have caught what he just said—or at the very least that neither of them would remember this in the morning. But just as Hero was beginning to feel relieved by the lack of response, Kyle sighed, “Yeah…” before adding confusedly “But…I always thought they were hazel...”

Hero’s face flushed. He didn’t really want to have this conversation, but he twisted his hands nervously around the steering wheel and conceded, “Oh yeah. Uh…maybe…I mean, she was wearing green so maybe they just looked more—”

“I thought she was wearing pink,” interrupted Kyle. “But I guess she got all wet so maybe she changed her clothes…?”

Hero tilted his head in confusion, and his brow furrowed. “Wait…are you talking about Lorraine?”

“Yeah,” answered Kyle as if it was obvious, and Hero’s blush deepened. Of course he was talking about Lorraine. Hero curled his toes in his shoes. He was so stupid…and now so mortified. And unfortunately, Kyle somehow put this all together despite his drunken haze, laughing smugly and teasingly, “But you’re not…” His voice was sing-songy like a juvenile taunt, and he playfully poked at him in the arm. “You’re talking about Zuzu…who does have the greenest eyes I’ve ever seen. I’m just surprised you noticed.”

Hero cleared his throat. Honestly he was surprised he had noticed too, but he didn’t want to have to explain that to Kyle and honestly felt too embarrassed to make it through much more of this conversation so instead of saying anything semi-intelligent he decided to ramble, “Well…uh…I don’t know. Like I said, she was wearing green and she has this beauty mark under her left eye so I guess I noticed that and—”

“Woah you noticed that too?”

Stop talking. Stop talking. He mentally begged himself.

“C.J.! Wake up!” yelled Kyle. “Hero actually thinks somebody’s hot stuff.”

C.J. groaned in half-asleep exhaustion, but he quipped under his breath, “So much for that lifelong vow of celibacy…”

Hero’s ears burned, and he gripped his hands around the steering wheel. “It’s—” his voice cracked in embarrassment “It’s not like that! I mean…I think she’s really great, but I just want us to be friends.”

“Please tell me you got her number,” said Kyle, and Hero bit his lip.

“Well…no,” he sheepishly admitted.

“Why the hell not?” Kyle scoffed—his voice shrill and cracking probably due to too much alcohol. “I know Zuzu. She would’ve totally given it to you if you asked.”

“Hopeless…” C.J. drowsily mumbled.

“I just didn’t want her to get the wrong idea,” Hero insisted. “She already thought I was hitting on her when I wasn’t so I thought if I asked for her number she’d take it the wrong way and…”

“Woah…why’d she think you were hitting on her? Were you?”

“No!” Hero insisted far more forcefully than he had intended as Kyle just laughed. His throat felt suddenly dry, and he swallowed hard. “Of course not. I…there was just a little misunderstanding when I tried to introduce myself. She was…kind of teasing me—calling me Mr. Prince and I told her she didn’t have to call me that she could just call me ‘Hero.’”

“Smooth!” declared Kyle followed by raucous, drunk laughter and applause and C.J. groaning about the noise. “That’s a great line, dude. I’m gonna have to try that.”

“It’s—it’s not a line. It’s just my name,” choked Hero. “But she didn’t know that and so…” His voice trailed, and he sighed. He had totally messed this up, hadn’t he?

“I don’t even really know if she likes me that much. I totally overstayed my welcome and dripped water all over her floor and”—he sighed again—“she gave me her umbrella.”

“Please tell me that means something steamy,” joked Kyle in a low voice before clearly cracking himself up. Hero couldn’t imagine how red his face was right now.

“No, she literally lent me her umbrella. It’s right there in the back seat of the car.” He motioned with his hand though he knew no one could see him in the dark. “I need you to return to it the next time you see her.”

“We’re supposed to meet up for coffee at Layla’s tomorrow, if I’m not too hungover.” Kyle laughed, but he gasped with an excited, “Hey why don’t you just tag along and give it back to her yourself.” He hummed in that low teasing voice again as if he still thought this umbrella thing was some sort of euphemism.

“It’s not—” Hero stopped. With a heavy sigh, he wearily rubbed his forehead. There was no use in trying to explain this. “Look, I really appreciate you inviting me, but I wouldn’t want to intrude. Honestly…I’m not really sure if she likes me that much. She probably doesn’t even want to be friends.”

“Listen man,” interjected Kyle. “I’ve known Zuzu forever. If she didn’t like you, she’d have kicked you out.”

“Yeah…you talked to this girl for hours,” agreed a sleepy C.J. “There’s no way you guys aren’t friends.”

Hero shrugged. He wasn’t sure about that, and he certainly didn’t want to be presumptuous and show up unannounced again. So the next day, when Kyle headed out for Riverfront Center, Hero merely sent him with Zoey’s red umbrella and with a post-it note stuck to its handle that read, “Thank you again for everything” just in case Kyle forgot his directions to thank her again for him. Hero tried his best to just push it out of his mind and forget about it—turning his attention instead to his Organic Chemistry homework which, he could now somewhat shyly admit to himself, he was glad he had put off until today instead of staying home and working on it last night.

It had certainly been eventful, but he liked to think it was worth it, especially when Kyle returned home with a ‘hero’ sandwich for him from one of the sandwich shops near Layla’s. He handed it to him with a wink and a smile as he said, “It’s from Zuzu.”

Hero’s eyes widened in surprise, and he felt the slightest flush in his cheeks which deepened as he saw the bright blue of his post-it note in the takeout bag with the sandwich.

It read in thoughtful script, small enough to fit on the tiny paper:

No, thank you for everything, Mr. Prince. And for returning my umbrella.

Given the circumstances and your, dare I say, ‘heroic’ actions saving my sister, I thought a hero sandwich was in order.

(At least, I hope that’s what this is… To be honest, I have absolutely no idea what is in a hero sandwich.)

-Zoey

Hero laughed, but his brow furrowed as he tilted his head at the post-script which read, “P.S. Kyle said you were really upset you didn’t get this�� followed by the drawing of an arrow. Curiously, Hero flipped the post-it note over to the other side where he had written his own short message of gratitude. Only this time there were also the circled 10 digits of Zoey’s phone number. Hero’s cheeks flushed, but he couldn’t hold back the smile the tugged at his lips at the words scribbled underneath, “Call me sometime.”

#omori hero #hero omori #omori ocs #omori oc: zoey #hero friendships #when sun shines again⛅#hero fic #our content #thanks for reading #omori spoilers

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hero-deserves-to-be-happy · 7 months ago

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When Sun Shines Again⛅: Chapter 7 "Changing My Life:" Part 2

⛅Chapter 7 Description: With his hopes for a lowkey evening of studying ruined, Hero finds himself searching for a quiet corner to wait out this party until he can finally go home. His friends, however, have other ideas.

The Party That Changed Hero's Life: Part 2 of 3

Chapter Word Count: 10,268. Link to Chapter 7 on AO3.

⛅Tags For The Story As A Whole (So A Lot Of These Are "Eventual" Tags):

Romantic Relationships: Main Ships: (Past) Hero/Mari and (Eventual) Hero/OC. Side Ships: Brandi/OC and a brief mention of Mikhael/Bebe are the only side ships involving canon characters.

Link to Entire work on AO3.

⛅ Link to the "When Sun Shines Again" Masterlist. ⛅

Full chapter text below the cut. Thank you for reading! ⛅

Rowdy. That was the best word Hero could think of to describe this party. Since the host, Kyle’s friend Sawyer, lived in the ritzier part of town near Riverfront Center, there was a lot more room in the house than Hero had originally been anticipating. Still there were far too many guests than space probably allowed for, and the bad weather meant they were crammed inside where it was unpleasantly loud and uncomfortably warm from the amount of body heat. Not to mention the fact that it reeked of beer, as if someone had poured an entire keg all over the floor, mingling with smell of sweat, puke, and hard-liquor—probably from Sawyer’s parents’ whisky collection which Hero had been hearing so much about.

Brandi had said it smelled like an armpit in here, but rather than bemoan this fact in a quiet corner somewhere, she hadn’t particularly cared and had disappeared into the crowd ages ago with C.J. following dutifully behind her. Hero had lost Kyle even more quickly than that. He was probably off getting plastered and making out with some girl he just met, and Hero probably wouldn’t see much of him until he was ready to go home.

Hero was used that by now. His friends were much more interested in partying and the “college experience” than Hero could ever be. He tried to be supportive and to keep them safe by making sure they drank plenty of water and didn’t drive drunk—even if that meant that Hero himself spent a lot of parties stalking out a quiet corner where he could hide out of the way and desperately watch the clock, waiting for the minute it would finally be over and they could go home again. In his freshman year, he purposely avoided parties and at the ones he, unfortunately, found himself attending, mainly clung to Brandi “like a sad, lost puppy” or so she often teased him, but since he had made the decision to join a fraternity against her advice to the contrary, she had unceremoniously told him he was now on his own and would have to learn to survive college parties without her.

She said this of course, but within an hour she had plopped down next to him on the couch—wrapping an arm around him and leaned against his side with a disgruntled huff. As she slammed her empty bottle on the end table, she nestled into the crook of his neck, and Hero gently patted the top of her head like a concerned and comforting parent. It was the same thing he would have done to Kel or Aubrey, Sunny, and Basil if they ever curled up next to him like this—but they wouldn’t, not anymore. And Brandi only did this when she was drunk. Otherwise, she didn’t need him.

“You okay?” asked Hero in a quiet, gentle voice as he ran a hand through her hair. He stopped abruptly and flushed as he realized what he was doing and how it must look to the outside world, and he frantically, pleadingly glanced over at C.J. who was perched on the curving leather arm of the sofa hoping he wouldn’t be bothered by it or get the wrong idea. He was grateful for Brandi’s friendship, but he didn’t see her in that way. He hoped C.J. knew that. Thankfully, like with most things, he didn’t seem too phased by it.

Brandi hummed with a crooked smile as she replied bluntly, sarcastically, “I’m peachy.”

“How was beer pong?” he asked. “Did you win?”

“Yeah, but then I got hit on by some gross, drunk guy so I don’t feel like a winner.” Brandi rolled her eyes—shaking her head. “That’s the last time I tell some stranger about my tattoo.”

Hero’s eyes widened. “You have a tattoo?” The question sounded more surprised than he had intended, and he hoped Brandi wouldn’t get the wrong idea.

She shifted away from him until she could look into his face with a crooked smile and a coquettish quirk of her eyebrows. “Yeah, you wanna know where it is?”

“Um…only if you want to tell me.”

Brandi burst into laughter followed by C.J. who tried and failed to stifle his. Hero flushed a little, honestly kind of unsure about what was so funny before Brandi playfully elbowed him in the arm. “Oh Hero” she sighed before a laugh interrupted her. “You really are one of a kind. Please tell me you’re here to meet girls.”

Hero’s face grew hot, but he swallowed hard—sheepishly running his hand across the nape of his neck. “I’m the designated driver.”

Brandi snorted a laugh before rolling her eyes again. “Of course you are.” Shaking her head, she sighed again. “I need a drink.”

“I can get it for you,” chimed C.J. with a shrug of his shoulders. Brandi blinked at him for a moment, but conceded, “Okay, but take Hero with you. He needs to get up off this couch at least once during this party.” Brandi shot him a pointed, intimidating glare, and Hero knew there was no arguing with her. With a dutiful nod, he took off after C.J. making his way to the kitchen where a bunch of beverages were haphazardly strewn across the counter.

“Have you seen Kyle at all?” asked C.J. as they waited their turn at the makeshift bar.

Hero shook his head. “You?”

“Last I saw him, he was being fawned over by some girl.” C.J. sighed shaking his head and muttering, “Some guys have all the luck.”

Hero’s brow furrowed thoughtfully. He wasn’t sure that was necessarily lucky. He had been rooming with Kyle for almost two months now and had noticed that even despite his excessive flirting, constant dates, and the many girls he had brought in and out of the house, there always came a point where Kyle was alone. And it seemed to Hero that none of these girls stuck around long enough to really get to know him—the actually kind of sweet and very generous guy he was under all that fun-loving goofiness and flirty bravado. Like Brandi, they tended to write him off as just another shallow and self-absorbed trust fund baby concerned with very little beyond just having a good time. And sure, Kyle could be those things, but when he stumbled drunkenly into their room alone at the end of the night and Hero tucked him into bed like a little kid, he couldn’t help but think he was more than that…He was lonely.

Hero would never say anything, would never be so presumptuous as to know what exactly went on in Kyle’s innermost world. It was possible he didn’t feel that way at all, but it seemed to Hero that getting fawned over by numerous beautiful women and having more flings than Hero could keep up with, never really made Kyle nearly as happy as Hero had been with Mari. That real, genuine companionship—being with someone who truly knew you and truly loved you was priceless and, at least to Hero, much more meaningful than the idea of turning the heads of every woman in the world. He’d give up the chance of ever being noticed by a woman again for just five more minutes with Mari—would give anything just to talk to her one more time, even if he never got to say his peace and they just talked about silly, mundane things like the terrible, stormy weather that had seemed to follow him around ever since she had died.

He and Mari had been able to talk for hours about anything. He had hung on every word she said—enthralled by her passion, the way her face lit up when she spoke. He could’ve listened to her talk for eternity and had loved being with her so much that he had often found himself completely losing track of time whenever he was with her. It was as if Mari could make time stop…

His chest ached—hollow and twisting until something bittersweet burned behind his eyes. Even if she couldn’t, her death certainly had—had frozen him in a never-ending nightmare where time moved on but he didn’t.

Even so, he was painfully aware of the passage of time now. Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes into hours, and hours into days as the world kept turning—reminding him that Mari hadn’t kept it in motion and he’d have to continue on without her. He could no longer lose track of time anymore—it loomed over him like a dark cloud. He didn’t have conversations like he had had with Mari anymore either. He doubted he ever would again.

He tried to push the thought away as quickly as he could, but he realized he had already zoned out and missed whatever had made C.J. transition into prattling about his “one good pickup line.”

Hero sighed. C.J.’s “one good pickup line” was that he had once been told, supposedly by his high school girlfriend, that he looked like Usher with glasses. As much as Hero would’ve never admitted it to C.J., it wasn’t actually a very good one.

“It works sometimes,” C.J. insisted, and Hero’s face flushed—suddenly and irrationally concerned C.J. had somehow read his mind. “I mean…I’m no Kyle, but I get by. Kinda wish I had his game though…” He sighed heavily—glancing back over at Brandi with an almost wistful look in his eyes.

Hero’s expression softened, and he placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “You don’t need that. You don’t need every girl in the world to like you. You only need one, and if she’s the right one, her love and being worthy of it…is so much better than being fawned over.”

C.J. blinked at him in wide-eyed disbelief—whether at the sentiment itself or the fact that those words had actually come out of Hero’s mouth, Hero wasn’t sure.

Before he could say anything in response, however, a lithe voice cut him off, “That’s so sweet—like something out of a movie.”

The girl who had just spoken let out a cheerful, tinkly giggle, and Hero caught sight of a wave of thick dark curls. Bright mauve lipstick popping against dark skin as her lips curved into a warm smile. As he turned away, he was suddenly struck by the glistening purple of her earrings.

Something panged in Hero’s chest. Music notes. He was sure he had given Mari the exact same ones once upon a time.

“Your girlfriend’s really lucky,” she giggled again, and that bittersweet ache permeated the hollowness inside him. He shut his eyes tightly. The way she laughed… It reminded him of…

He didn’t get to finish that thought—cut off instead by C.J.’s elbow nudging him in the ribs and the girl kindly asking, “Are you okay?”

“Uh…yeah…sorry. Thank you…” he mumbled apologetically, whether at the girl or at C.J. he wasn’t entirely sure. He could feel C.J.’s secondhand embarrassment oozing off of him as the girl laughed again. She took a deep breath as if she was about to say something but was interrupted by another girl patting her on the back but looking right at him when she said, “Tamra has a boyfriend, but I don’t.”

“Well I’m sure you’ll find one soon,” said Hero, in best his attempts to be reassuring.

C.J. smacked his hand against his forehead so loudly that Hero could hear it. Was he saying the wrong thing? He was so bad at this.

The taller girl didn’t seem too perturbed by that, however, instead she eyed him, deliberately and replied, “Maybe I just did.”

Hero’s face flushed red. He got it now. And he wanted to sink into the floor.

“Uh…um…” he stumbled over his words—his cheeks burning.

Unexpectedly, though thankfully, Tamra chimed in with gentle, “I think he’s taken, Madison.”

“What?” she huffed, whipping towards him accusatorily as if demanding an explanation. Hero swallowed hard, wondering how he was going to explain his way out of this and desperately wishing he didn’t have to when suddenly he felt a hand snaking around his back.

“Hey babe, what’s been taking you so long?” asked Brandi in a low almost seductive voice. She glared directly at Madison but wrapped her hand protectively around his arm like a child might grip onto her favorite toy.

After swooping in to save him from being hit on more times than Hero could count, Brandi had this down to a science. Hero however, did not and awkwardly stumbled his way through, “Sorry, uh…there was a line…” Luckily, it didn’t seem anyone heard him or at least didn’t care as Madison scoffed.

“This is your boyfriend? You really expect us to believe that.”

“I don’t really care what you believe,” said Brandi without even flinching. “But he’s mine so back off, Madison.”

Madison frowned. “How come you never mentioned him to us before?”

Hero took a deep breath—trying his best not to look pleadingly at Brandi despite putting all his hopes in her to be able to somehow get him out of this situation.

“I knew about him,” said Tamra quietly though a kind, knowing smile twitched in the corners of her mouth. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so many good things about you. I’m Brandi’s sorority sister, Tamra.” She held out her hand for him to shake, and Hero sighed. He felt bad that Brandi’s friends were getting involved now. Still, he politely introduced himself. “I’m Hero. It’s nice to meet you too.” He hoped the expression on his face would convey his gratitude. He’d have to ask Brandi to thank Tamra properly later, but she was a little too busy glowering at Madison at the moment.

With a huff, Madison, it seemed, finally conceded muttering bitterly about how “some girls have all the luck.”

“I’m pretty sure Cody’s available,” interjected C.J. with a shrug of his shoulders—motioning through two French doors to one of their fraternity brothers who was currently doing a keg stand on the back patio.

Madison just blinked for a minute but then shrugged with a resigned, “Okay” and took off onto the back porch.

“Thanks,” said Brandi sharing a knowing look with Tamra who merely waved her hand.

“No problem. I’ve actually got to head out here. They need me to fill in at work tonight, but I’ll be back to pick you up later.” She paused, then turned to Hero with a smile. “It was nice meeting you, Hero. Bye, C.J.”

“See ya,” C.J. called after her and Hero waved goodbye as she disappeared into the crowd with her drink. When she had gone, Brandi huffed—finally untangling herself from him and reaching for another beer.

“You’re welcome,” she said pointedly, through her teeth, and Hero’s face grew hot.

“I’m sorry…” he began to apologize, but Brandi just crossed her arms.

“You can’t even put your foot down with Madison? She’s dumber than a box of rocks and, I swear, talking to her for more than five minutes would make even you want to bang your head in a cabinet.”

C.J. snorted a half-stifled laugh, but Hero just shuffled his feet mumbling, “Sorry, Brandi.”

“Seriously,” she huffed. “We have got to get you a spine. I can’t keep stepping in as your fake girlfriend forever you know. I’m going to start demanding ‘real girlfriend’ perks—fancy dinners out, expensive gifts, maybe even a kiss.” She clicked her tongue, and Hero’s face grew hot. “And I don’t think you want that.”

“I’m really sorry, Brandi,” he apologized, sidestepping most of what she had said and hoping she wouldn’t notice or at least wouldn’t care. “Thank you for helping me. I appreciate it. I…uh…will try better next time.”

Brandi raised her eyebrows. “I don’t believe you, but I’ll let it slide because you’re so cute.” She pinched his blushing cheek and laughed as Hero glanced apologetically over at C.J. who this time, at least, seemed the tiniest bit rattled.

“Listen, I know it’s none of my business, but you guys aren’t…actually like…?” C.J.’s voice trailed, but his question was clear enough to make Hero’s blush deepen and Brandi snort a laugh.

“I’m honestly kind of flattered you think I could bag a guy like Hero. He’s sweet, cute—the perfect gentleman, and yeah, I’d date him—no woman wouldn’t. But…” Giving Hero a pat on the shoulder, she shot C.J. a bright, crooked smile. “He’s just a friend, and I’m just a tease.”

A smile curled in the corners of C.J.’s mouth. “So are you seeing anybody?”

“At the moment, no,” answered Brandi twisting her mouth to one side. “But you know I don’t date frat boys so don’t get any ideas.”

“You just said you’d date Hero.”

Brandi huffed. “Hero’s a den mother to a bunch of fraternity guys—that doesn’t count.”

“But I actually did join the fraternity,” Hero gently interjected. “So technically I am a—”

“How did that happen anyway?” Brandi cut him off before he could finish his sentence. “You hate drinking, partying, and being hit on. What in the world could you possibly want out of a frat?”

“Friends…” Hero mumbled, his face growing warm again. He hadn’t exactly meant to say that aloud though he didn’t exactly understand what the problem was. After all, Brandi herself had joined a sorority in the hopes of making friends and having a good time. If anything, he thought that was why most people joined—or at least, he liked to think that…regardless of evidence to the contrary.

“You’d have better luck making friends at a nursing home, grandpa,” she teased—snarky and sarcastic, but she shook her head. “I can’t believe you let Kyle talk you into this.”

“Kyle can be very persuasive,” Hero insisted.

Brandi scoffed—snorting a laugh before she took a sip of her beer. “Kyle couldn’t persuade his way out of a paper bag. You just couldn’t say ‘no’, admit it.”

Pursing his lips together, Hero stared down at his shuffling feet. He couldn’t really argue with that.

Still Brandi sighed, “If you’re so desperate for friends that you’re willingly going to room with Kyle, I’d be happy to introduce you to some of mine. They’re not all like Madison. Tamra’s pretty cool and so’s her roommate. She’s a real old person, just like you—only joined our sorority to keep her sister out of trouble.”

“Thanks Brandi, but uh…I wouldn’t want to give anybody the wrong idea.”

Brandi snorted. “Yeah…pretty sure you couldn’t do that even if you wanted to. But even if you could, she’s a ‘married to school’ type—wants to get a master’s degree or something. And Tamra actually does have a boyfriend, so no worries there.” Brandi paused and shrugged. “I’m actually kind of glad you finally met tonight. I’ve been thinking you would really get along but I didn’t want to say anything because she—”

Brandi stopped abruptly as she glanced from Hero to C.J. then back to Hero again. It wasn’t like Brandi to self-censor, but Hero appreciated it when it was for his sake and he knew exactly what Brandi was about to say because he had been thinking it too. Tamra reminded her of Mari…and reminded him of her too.

Rather than explain this to a confused looking C.J. however, Hero hurriedly said, “She’s a musician” hoping Brandi would crack the code without perplexing poor C.J. any further.

Brandi, however, just tilted her head at him. “Yeah…she’s a music major. How did you know?”

Something ached in Hero’s chest again as he mumbled, “Her earrings…um…” He stopped turning away from Brandi and the look she was giving him now. “They’re music notes.” He conveniently and purposefully left out the part about how Mari had had the same ones, how she had run around town showing them off after he had given them to her—how she had almost been buried in them but they were given back to him by her mother and were now locked away in a box in his closet at his parents house with the rest of the things that reminded him of her.

With a bittersweet sigh, he pushed the thought away as best he could. He didn’t like to talk about Mari. Didn’t like to think about her either, not just because it made him feel sad but because it made his friends look at him the way C.J. and Brandi were now—a strange mix of pity and confusion.

“Your ex was a musician?” asked C.J. It wasn’t much of a question, and despite the look of confusion passing over Brandi’s face, Hero thought it was best to just nod and hope that changed the subject. It didn’t.

“You’re as bad as Brandi, you know?” C.J. turned his attention back to her—shaking his head and bantering, “You’re such a bad influence.” Brandi frowned, but it seemed she couldn’t quite hold back the twitch of a smile in the corners of her mouth. “You do know it’s okay to have a type, right? And swearing off dating anyone with the same traits as your ex is kind of extreme—especially if they’re really superficial like being a musician or in a fraternity.” Despite his playfulness, he gave her a pointed stare. Brandi, however, side-stepped the point entirely.

“Since when do you know Hero has an ex?”

Hero grew suddenly interested in his twisting hands, but C.J. just shrugged. “A couple of hours ago—I dunno. It’s not some big secret, is it?” He chuckled awkwardly, perhaps even a little confused, but he half-teased, “It’s not you is it?”

“No,” Brandi snorted. “I can’t even play the triangle.”

“Well then how’d you know?”

Hero found himself holding his breath—praying that Brandi wouldn’t say ‘because I knew her’ opening up this conversation to a myriad of questions Hero did not want to answer. She must have seen this on his face or else sensed him pleading with her because she took a step forward—tilting her head at C.J. “He told me,” she flat-out lied like it was nothing, and her lips curved into a smile. “Unlike Kyle, I actually can be very persuasive.”

Winking at C.J., she wrapped her arms around his neck, and C.J. swallowed—that coral red seeping into the tip of his nose and ears again. “And now I’m gonna persuade you to go get us some chips and pretzels—just give us two minutes…” Her voice was low, flirty again, and she held up two fingers to him. Hero fidgeted as he watched C.J.’s hands find their way to her waist. He felt like he was intruding on something private.

“Will two minutes be enough? How about five?” whispered C.J. in a tone of voice which proved he was much more smooth than he had given himself credit for earlier, even if Hero knew the two of them were just playing around. “And what about Funyuns? I saw they had a bag of them over there, and I know they’re your favorite.”

Brandi’s smile widened—it seemed, almost in spite of herself, and she laughed, the words slipping out under her breathy, somewhat tipsy chuckling, “I love you.” Though she didn’t show it, Hero knew her well enough to know she hadn’t exactly meant to say that. Brandi was always honest—often to a fault, but that was just a little too sincere.

C.J. knew this too—or at least he seemed to. His eyes widened, but before he could recover from the compliment, Brandi pulled away from him, patted his cheek, and quipped, “But I’m still not dating you.”

And the moment was gone.

Laughing, C.J. gave her a thumbs up. “Got it. Friendship snacks only,” he teased, before turning to Hero with a smile that somehow seemed brighter than before. “You want anything Hero?”

“No thanks.” Hero shook his head and weakly insisted, “But you—you don’t…have to go.”

“Yes you do,” Brandi interrupted, grabbing Hero by the arm and dragging him back over towards the sofa. “Just give us a minute.”

C.J. just shrugged and headed off towards the snack table, and Brandi huffed, gritting her teeth. “I know what you’re thinking and we’re not wasting our five minutes talking about me and C.J.…”

“I wasn’t going to say anything, but uh…now that you mention it…” A smile twitched in Hero’s mouth. He was grateful for an escape from whatever conversation Brandi actually wanted to have. “He really is a nice guy you know? His little sister Cami is seven and she calls him almost every night so he’ll tell her a bedtime story. It’s really sweet.”

Brandi just blinked at him with a long and heavy sigh. “You’re a terrible wingman,” she said, shaking her head. “But we’re not talking about this right now. I don’t date fraternity guys. It’s not up for discussion.” Her pointed glare and the grit of her teeth made Hero swallow hard. He knew better than to argue with Brandi especially when she was in this kind of mood.

Brandi sighed again and changed the subject. “Did you really tell C.J. about Mari? Like…the whole story?”

Hero shook his head. He hadn’t really told C.J. about Mari at all, and barely anyone knew the whole story about her, even Brandi didn’t.

“Well it’s a start anyway…” Brandi sighed—taking another sip of her drink, but something softened in her expression, as she asked, “Are you okay, Hero? You’re thinking about her again—aren’t you?” When he didn’t answer, she added, “Don’t let it ruin your night, okay?”

“It’s okay. I wasn’t having much of a good time anyway…” He flushed, realizing how that sounded only after he had said it. He hurriedly added, “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant…I—I’m not much of a partier, you know?”

Brandi nodded but gave him a nudge with her elbow. “Yeah. Yeah. I know, grandpa. I just…I started to feel bad, I guess. I should’ve given you a heads up about Tamra, but this is exactly why I didn’t mention her.”

“It’s okay,” Hero insisted, something guilty twisting in his chest. “She seemed really nice. I’m glad you’re friends.”

“I knew there was something familiar about those earrings…” Brandi continued—whether she hadn’t heard what he said or just ignored him, however, Hero couldn’t be sure. “Mari had the same set, didn’t she?”

Hero nodded.

“Did you give them to her?” asked Brandi, and Hero nodded again. His eyes widened.

“Yeah…” he admitted. “How’d you know?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Brandi swallowed. “Tamra got those from her boyfriend too—some science guy she’s known forever named Andre.” She paused—the slightest twitch of a smile in her mouth. “You know you can always tell how much a girl likes you by how often she wears the jewelry you give her. Tamra never takes those off.”

Brandi let out a breathy chuckle—shaking her head almost in disbelief. “You should hear the way she talks about him…like he’s her soulmate and they’re going to be together forever. And it’s not that she’s goo-goo-eyed or infatuated or delusional…you know, like most girls when they talk about their boyfriends.” Brandi snorted but her face softened, “I—I really believe her…I don’t even think she sees other men, if you can believe that?”

“I can,” answered Hero though the surprised quirk of Brandi’s eyebrow seemed to imply she had only meant that as a rhetorical question.

Still, she tilted her head at him, the sharper edge in her tone of voice softening as she said, “I’ve only ever heard one other girl talk about her boyfriend like that, you know?”

She stopped and met Hero’s eyes, but she didn’t have to. Hero knew what she meant—knew who she was talking about. It made his heart ache.

Mari…

“She’s really lucky,” sighed Hero, deflecting the conversation away from him and back to Tamra. “A love like that is really special—only comes around once in a lifetime.”

“You’re never gonna date again with that attitude,” Brandi quipped, rolling her eyes, and Hero’s face grew hot. Something sickening coiled and twisted in the pit of his stomach, and his eyes burned. It was beyond his imagination, and he didn’t even want to think about it.

“I…I don’t want to,” he quietly, gently insisted.

Brandi frowned. “Ever?” Hero nodded, and Brandi sighed again.

“I understand,” she conceded though she didn’t sound particularly happy about it. “But you do know that’s like a giant middle finger to all the women of the world, right?”

Hero blushed and guiltily shuffled his feet. “I…I wouldn’t say that.”

“You’ve seen what we have to choose from. And yeah…you’re a one woman guy but that’s one woman who won’t have to end up with a Kyle or a Trent.”

Hero paused at the mention of Brandi’s ex—the one who had made her swear off fraternity guys forever, but he felt awkward mentioning anything about that so instead he said, “Kyle’s actually a pretty nice guy. There are a lot of nice guys out there. C.J.’s nice.”

“C.J.’s not a bona fide prince charming like you,” Brandi insisted—Hero noticed—conveniently withholding judgment on whether or not C.J. was, in fact, a nice guy.

“I—I’m not…” he began to protest, but Brandi cut him off.

“You know, there’s this rumor going around my sorority about this ‘prince’ who drives drunk girls home from parties and doesn’t hit on them, even though he totally could because he’s super cute.” She stopped, giving Hero a pointed look that made him fidget. “When I first heard that, I just knew they were talking about you. You’re the perfect gentleman—like something out a fairy tale.”

Hero choked—his face burning as he awkwardly twisted his hands. He didn’t think he deserved such high praise and had always considered himself kind of boring and awkward—much more of a dork or a “grandpa” as Brandi teasingly called him than a prince.

“You’re a catch, is all I’m saying. It’s a shame to think you’re gonna count yourself out when I know a ton of girls who would give up a limb just to have the chance to date someone like you.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I know I would.”

Hero swallowed hard—wringing his hands again. “Brandi, I uh…um…I’m really flattered but uh—”

She, thankfully, cut him off with a laugh. “Calm down. I didn’t mean it like that. Honestly, I think I’d get tired of your wet blanket, doormat shtick pretty quickly.” She winked at him before she swatted him in the arm. “But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t go for it if you actually wanted me. Graduate from ‘fake girlfriend.’”

Hero knew she was just teasing, but something twisted inside him all the same. “Brandi, I think you are amazing. You deserve to be someone’s ‘real girlfriend’—someone’s one and only. Everyone deserves that…to really be loved.” He took a deep breath. “I’m just…I’m not sure I can do that anymore. I”—a bittersweet smile tugged at his mouth—“I already had my ‘one.’”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be another one,” bantered Brandi, but she hummed thoughtfully. “Look, I’m not trying to be pushy. I get it—you’re not ready, but that doesn’t mean you won’t ever be, right? It’s a big world out there, Hero. There’s tons of people in it, and who knows, maybe someday—not necessarily today but maybe years from now when you’re like middle aged and picking out gray hair or something, you’ll meet somebody and you’ll realize it was silly to think you’d never be able to feel that way about someone again.” Brandi stopped shaking her head with a smile.

“And that girl is gonna be so lucky,” she teased in a low drawl before she winked at him again causing his face to flush an even deeper red. Before he could even begin to stumble his way through a response, however, C.J. returned with the snacks and handed a paper plate of potato chips, pretzels, and Funyuns to Brandi.

“You’re not gonna believe this, but I actually saw Kyle, you guys,” C.J. chuckled. “He’s out on the patio”

“Let me guess,” Brandi cut in. “Deep in lip-lock with some girl?”

C.J. nodded. “Yep. Honey-blond hair. Striped tube top. Big blue scrunchie. Totally Kyle’s type”

“That sounds like my roommate,” Brandi quipped, but she stopped suddenly, whipping around towards the windows to the outside. Sure enough, there was Kyle sloppily making out with a girl—except Hero actually vaguely recognized this one. He had driven her home from a party a couple of weekends ago while she and Kyle had drunkenly made out in the backseat of his car. He felt sorry for admitting it but he couldn’t really remember her name.

“Courtney!”

That was it, thought Hero, as he watched Brandi huffily stomp off through the double doors into the backyard. He wasn’t sure if he should follow her, but C.J. pulled him along, practically dragging him outside onto the patio, a decently-sized covered area filled with wicker furniture and a grill beside the inground pool Kyle had mentioned which was still open despite the autumn chill in the air and no one swimming in it.

There was even more furniture out in the yard arranged around a fire pit, and it seemed that now that the rain had let up, a lot of guests had congregated out there—mostly huddling around the keg where they had seen Cody earlier. He wasn’t out there anymore—maybe going off somewhere more private with Madison, unlike Kyle who had absolutely no problem making out with Courtney in front of everyone on one of the poolside lounge chairs.

“Courtney! Courtney!” huffed an irritated Brandi, tapping her repeatedly on the shoulder when her calls failed to get her attention.

Finally, she disentangled herself from Kyle with a disgruntled, “What?”

“Do you have any idea who this is?”

Courtney rolled her eyes. “Yeah. It’s Kyle Davenport—like the library.”

“Like the moron,” Brandi quipped. “And the library is ‘Carl Davenport’ after his grandpa.”

Courtney blinked at her—that drunken brain fog seemingly taking the words longer to register, but she eventually just shrugged with a matter-of-fact, “Look when you’re that rich, you don’t have to be smart.”

Hero immediately glanced over at Kyle whose expression was blank until, it seemed, he had finally caught his breath enough to laugh. “Hey. That’s what I always say!” he joked in a slurred voice.

Hero sighed. He was wasted—again. He shouldn’t have been too surprised about that.

“Don’t mind Brandi,” Kyle reassured Courtney with a wave of his hand before he tangled it into her hair and leaned towards her again.

“No,” scolded Brandi like a stern schoolteacher, and Kyle just turned to her with a smug, charismatic grin.

“Who knew you were so jealous?” he teased, clicking his tongue at her. “You should’ve just said something.”

Brandi rolled her eyes. “I’m not jealous. I just don’t want you to make out with my roommate—I see you way too much as it is.”

“You can’t tell me who to make out with,” scoffed Courtney. “You’re not my mom.” She practically lunged towards Kyle, but he swerved out of the way. C.J. shot Hero a bewildered look, and he knew his friend must have been thinking the same thing. They had never seen Kyle ever turn down a kiss with a beautiful girl before. Coutney pouted—looking somewhat outraged and embarrassed, but Kyle didn’t seem to notice.

“Wait…” he asked Brandi in a trailing voice. “Courtney’s your roommate?”

“Yes,” huffed Brandi again, clearly losing her patience.

Kyle’s brow furrowed and turned back to Courtney again. “You didn’t tell me you were one of those Triple E girls?”

“Yeah…” Courtney frowned, and Kyle cursed under his breath. “Is that a problem?”

“I can’t date Triple E girls.”

“Oh my gosh! Not you too,” exclaimed C.J., mostly playing up the melodramatic outrage. “What is wrong with you guys?”

Kyle blinked at him in confusion before turning to Hero. “What’s he talking about, Mama?”

Hero shrugged. “It’s kind of a long story…” he mumbled, but before he could say anything more, Brandi cut him off.

“Not that I’m upset about this but just what exactly do you have against Epsilon Epsilon Epsilon?” Brandi glowered at him. “And don’t give me some crap about how we’re not as hot as the other sororities because we totally are.”

“Nah, yeah”—he waved his hand at her—“you guys are total babes, but I promised Zuzu that her sorority sisters are off limits.”

“You have some crazy jealous ex in our sorority?” interjected Courtney shaking her head. “We don’t have to like…tell her, you know?”

Kyle burst out laughing. “Zuzu’s not my ex! She’d never, ever date me. I’m not her type at all.”

Hero squirmed. Had Kyle looked over at him when he said that or had he just imagined it? He tried not to think about it.

“We’re just friends,” Kyle insisted emphatically, and Brandi snorted.

“Somehow I find that harder to believe than her being your ex.”

Kyle laughed again, but asked, “Why?”

“Because she’d have to have multiple conversations with you sober and still want to talk to you after, and I don’t think any of my sorority sisters are that stupid.”

Kyle scoffed in mock offense—gripping his heart. “You’re so mean to me,” he whined. “And Zuzu’s not stupid. She’s like super smart. She was—what’s that thing called where it’s like not the valedictorian but like the runner up?”

“Salutatorian,” said Hero quietly, and Kyle clapped his hands.

“Thank you!” He pointed two fingers at him before he jumped into a semi-incoherent drunk ramble that Hero couldn’t quite keep up with, “Yeah! She was that for our whole fancy prep school. She probably would’ve been valedictorian too, but Gabe is an asshole and beat her by like 1% or something. But it’s fine ‘cause like she got a full ride scholarship and is gonna be an engineer and build bridges and stuff…”

Brandi stopped—a look of realization passing over her face. “No way. I think I know who you’re talking about. But there’s no way she actually talks to you.”

“She does to!” Kyle exclaimed, his face flushing whether from indignation or intoxication Hero wasn’t entirely sure. “She’s like my best friend. She bailed me out of jail and everything…”

Hero’s eyes widened, and C.J. stifled a disbelieving laugh. Courtney seemed disinterested or perhaps just dazedly drunk, but Brandi huffed, “What were you doing in jail?”

“It wasn’t a felony or anything just some underage drinking, destruction of public property, and drunk and disorderly conduct.”

“So basically your usual Friday night?” bantered C.J., and Kyle tried his best to frown even though he couldn’t stop laughing.

“You know, I don’t have to put up with this,” he tried and failed to huff. “You guys are supposed to be my friends.”

Brandi crossed her arms. “You’re not exactly the most believable person in the world, Kyle. You got any corroborating evidence?”

“Don’t go all lawyer on me,” he playfully whined. “You know I can’t keep up with that.”

“Hold on. Hold on. I’m confused,” interrupted Courtney. “Should I like go…? Are we like…not gonna make out?”

Kyle sighed bitterly, but shook his head. “We can’t. And if you could not tell Zuzu about how we kind of made out a little earlier tonight, that would be great.”

Hero’s brow furrowed. So he didn’t remember making out with Courtney in the back of his car. He supposed that was okay…since Courtney didn’t seem to remember it either.

With a shrug of shoulders, Courtney fixed her hair. She didn’t seem too upset about this, especially when Brandi quipped, “It’s really for the best believe me.”

“Yeah…whatever. What about him?” She turned her attention to Hero, batting her eyelashes and smiling at him in an undeniably flirtatious way that made him feel uncomfortable. He felt even worse knowing that Brandi couldn’t swoop in to save him this time.

Or so he thought anyway until she said, “That’s Hero. He told me earlier tonight that he’s taken a lifelong vow of celibacy.”

“You have?” gasped Kyle so stunned he actually rose to his feet losing his balance and tottering towards Hero who steadied him with his hand.

“Woah, easy there. Maybe we should get you some water.”

There was a slight delay as Kyle just blinked at him before his face relaxed into an easy, nonchalant grin. “Nah, I’m fine, Mama. Don’t worry. But…are you really gonna be a monk or something?”

“That’s such a shame,” sighed Courtney who seemed to be suffering from the same kind of alcohol-induced mental haziness.

“I know that’s what I said.” Brandi shook her head, and Courtney turned her attention to C.J. instead. “Well…what about him? He’s cute.”

“Thanks. Hi, I’m C.J.,” he said holding out his hand to her. “I’m a friend of Brandi’s—we have the same major. I think we’ve actually met before and—”

C.J. stopped abruptly. His eyes widening behind the rims of his glasses as Brandi snaked an arm around his back just like she had done to Hero earlier that evening. Only this time, she positively glowered at Courtney and she held onto C.J.’s arm so tightly that her long nails dug into the sleeve of his sweatshirt as if to say far louder than any words, “mine.”

“He’s not for you,” she said.

“Oh,” shrugged Courtney. “Is this the guy from your legal research class you called dibs on? Because you’re totally wrong, he actually does look like Usher with glasses.”

“Thank you!” exclaimed C.J. his face lighting up, but Brandi rolled her eyes.

“And I suppose you think Kyle looks like a Backstreet Boy.”

Courtney tilted her head discerningly at Kyle before she said nonchalantly, “Yeah. He kinda looks like Nick Carter.”

Kyle groaned—burying his face his hands and bitterly muttering something along the lines of “Zuzu! Why did you do this to me?”

But he was promptly cut off by C.J. who seemed to have finally caught onto the truth behind Courtney’s words, “Wait a second…you called dibs on me?” He turned to Brandi his face beaming with that 100-watt smile even though it curved into a teasing grin.

Indignantly, Brandi frowned. “I did not call dib on you,” she insisted but that slight flush of pink in her cheeks implied otherwise, and C.J. knew it.

“You did! You called dibs on me.”

“I did not,” she huffed, but it was no use.

C.J.’s face was as bright as a little kid’s on Christmas morning, and he playfully poked her in the arm, repeating in a playfully juvenile sing-songy voices, “You called dibs on me.”

“I still don’t want to date you,” she declared as C.J. just smiled and Kyle practically doubled-over with laughter in the background.

“She does. She totally does,” chimed Courtney rolling her eyes again.

“Thank you, Courtney,” said C.J. turning towards Brandi with a teasing smile. “Let me help you out, too. Have you met Lance? He’s available.”

As he headed towards the double doors and led Courtney back into the house, C.J. looked over his shoulder and teasingly winked at Brandi with a, “You comin’?”

Brandi huffed, but eventually rolled her eyes and took off after them—a cackling Kyle stumbling behind.

“Mama?” he called to Hero before he disappeared back into the house, and Hero lurched forward to catch him as he lost his balance in the doorway. Hero helped Kyle over to the kitchen and gave him a cup of water from the makeshift bar, then a plate of potato chips from the snack table. It was a shame there wasn’t anything more substantial to eat here, but he hoped that would hold Kyle over and prevent him from falling on his face.

“Thanks, Mama,” he said with a kind smile as Hero refilled his water cup.

“I’m sorry about Courtney,” Hero said awkwardly but trying to be sympathetic.

“It’s okay, man. Zuzu’s way more important.” A genuine smile twitched in the corners of his mouth. “There’s nobody else like her. You’ve got to meet her one of these days.”

Hero nodded. “I’m sure I will.” If he was being honest, he kind of hoped he would get to meet her at least once someday. He was kind of curious about the girl who could get Kyle to set any kind of limitations on his flirtations. Truthfully, it was probably kind of good for him. She was probably kind of good for him, and it was interesting to think that she brought out a different side of Kyle he hadn’t gotten to see before. Most of what Hero saw of Kyle was what he assumed Kyle wanted him to see—airheaded, shallow party boy and charismatic flirt, but he was still generous, kind, and devoted to his friends. It was nice to see that beyond all that binge-drinking. That reminded him…

“You’re not ready to go home, are you? If you’re feeling tired, I can take you back to the house…” Hero glanced down at Kyle’s bad knee. From the way he was shifting his weight, he could tell it was bothering him again, but it wasn’t something they ever talked about and Hero didn’t feel it was his place to bring it up especially when Kyle just laughed and shrugged him off with a, “What do you mean? The night’s still young! We’ve barely been here at all.” Kyle downed his water before determinedly whipping around towards the dining room. “I think I’m gonna go play beer pong. You wanna come?”

Hero sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, but he tried his best to manage a, “no thanks. I…uh…I think I’m gonna get some fresh air.”

With a shrug of his shoulders, Kyle nodded. “Suit yourself. See ya later.” He waved at him before disappearing once again into the crowd.

Hero poured himself another cup of water and decided it actually would be good to get some fresh air, plus it would likely alleviate his guilt in having had to say no to Kyle’s request.

As Hero made his way back outside, he was just lucky enough to find an empty bench removed from the rest of the guests, and he took a seat on its weathered, floral seat cushion. This was as good a place as any to wait for Kyle until he was finally ready to leave—the unfortunate consequence of being the designated driver, he supposed. He should have brought organic chemistry textbook with him to pass the time since he would probably be better off studying for his upcoming exam than sitting in a friend-of-a-friend’s backyard.

Hero sighed. There was that MCAT book he had recently purchased too. He was pretty sure it was still in the back of his car with the other non-perishables he had bought earlier today which Kyle had not deemed important enough to bring into the house and put away before the party. Maybe he could run out really quickly and get that before anyone realized he was gone. On the other hand, it might be rude to start studying in the middle of somebody else’s party, but it might be even ruder to sit off alone. Maybe…

“Eeek!”

Splash.

That yelp followed by a squishy, wet noise pulled Hero out of his thoughts immediately. All of those summers he had spent working as a lifeguard, suddenly flooded back to him—just like they had when Sunny had fallen into the lake in Faraway Park, or Hero supposed, jumped in after Basil, even if he couldn’t swim very well.

Splish. Splash.

The next thing he knew he had ripped off his jacket and stood to his feet rushing over to the side of the pool. Some of the spectators had turned to stare at the girl struggling in the deepest part of the water. Hero thought about Sunny sinking under the surface of the lake, about Basil floating amongst the seaweed—both of them lifeless until Hero had managed to fish them out.

Something coiled in his stomach, bile burning the back of his throat as he thought about what would have happened if he hadn’t been there.

Splish. Splash. Splosh.

When the girl didn’t immediately swim to the surface, Hero’s stomach dropped. What if she also couldn’t swim? His heart pounded, once again thinking of Sunny and Basil floating in that lake in Faraway Park, and without a second thought, he jumped in after her.

Splash.

The water was frigid. It prickled against his skin and the added weight of his soaked sweater made it difficult to swim freely. Still, he managed to reach her fairly quickly and help her back up to the surface.

By the time he pulled her out of the pool, a whole hoard of concerned bystanders had gathered. He could hear them murmuring about calling for an ambulance. Hero pushed the girl’s sopping blonde hair out of her face and leaned close enough to her to determine whether or not she was still breathing. He sighed in relief to discover she was. She coughed, then spluttered—staring up with him with wide, eyes as her pale cheeks flushed a bright red.

“Where…? What…?” she stumbled shifting and rubbing her head.

“Easy…” he said softly, and he gently held her shoulder as she tried to stir. “Are you okay? Does anything hurt?”

She shook her head. “No…”

“Do you remember what happened?”

She merely blinked at him, and Hero’s brow furrowed in concern. “Do you know where you are?” he asked to only more blinking. “Or who you are? Your name I mean.”

She blinked again but finally said, “Lorraine. What’s your name?”

“Um…it’s Hero.”

“My hero,” she repeated with a smile, and his face flushed. Though he was embarrassed and perhaps a little flattered, he didn’t think now was the proper time to correct her, especially since that certain distant dreaminess in her voice concerned him. Had she hit her head on her way into the pool? Was she concussed?

When she tried to sit up again, he helped her the best that he could; then asked, “Did you hit your head when you fell in? Do you remember?”

Lorraine tilted her head at him as if she was confused by the question, but she shook her head. “No, I didn’t hit my head. I…I just tripped and…” The poor girl shivered and then tears began to well up in her eyes. “I…I fell in. Oh my gosh! I’m so embarrassed!” She buried her face in her hands as her shoulders began to shake with sobs. Hero awkwardly tried to pat her back to comfort her as his friends pushed through the crowd of spectators.

“What the hell happened?” exclaimed C.J. as Brandi followed quickly behind him with a stack of towels. Hero had no idea where she found those, but he didn’t think it was the proper time to ask.

“She fell in the pool. I’m not sure if she was hurt or…” Hero’s voice trailed as Brandi handed him a towel, wrapping the other around Lorraine’s shoulder.

“Are you okay?” asked Brandi. Nodding, Lorraine sniffled as Brandi patted her shoulder comfortingly, then turned to the nosy crowd. “What are you all looking at? She’s fine. Get on with the party and mind your own business.”

At Brandi’s intimidating glare, the rest of the party guests began to fan out, and she looked fairly pleased with herself before she turned to Hero with a concerned expression.

“What do you think, Hero? Should we call an ambulance? Or maybe someone should take her to the hospital?”

Hero sighed. Since Lorraine was clearly drunk, it would be difficult to tell for certain if she had suffered any kind of head injury—though it was promising to hear that she didn’t have any headaches or pains and she didn’t seem to have any other signs of head trauma. He tried to think back to his first aid training—trying to remember the questions you were supposed to ask someone who may have suffered a concussion.

“Can you count backward from ten?” Lorainne just blinked though Hero wasn’t sure if she was confused by the question or just intoxicated.

“Yeah?” she answered unsurely, and Hero chuckled. It was probably on him that she had misunderstood question.

“Do you know what day it is? Or who the president is?”

“It’s Friday,” answered Lorraine though her brow furrowed. “And um…oh…it’s—it’s that guy…um…what’s his name?” She sighed. “You know I’m not very political…”

“Ask her who her favorite Backstreet Boy is,” suggested C.J. earning him a scowl from Brandi.

Lorraine however quickly chimed in, “I like AJ. He’s a bad boy, but Nick’s pretty cute. I like his bangs.”

Hero thought Kyle would probably be happy to hear that, but it was probably an inappropriate time to be thinking that now.

“What about *NSYNC?” quipped C.J. with a lopsided smile.

Brandi, however, was unamused and glowered at him with a pointed, “Knock it off.” She turned to Lorraine. “Don’t answer that.”

Lorraine blinked at her with wide, confused eyes, and C.J. huffed but was luckily cut off by Kyle letting out a string of curses before he could put his foot in mouth even further.

“Lorraine! Lorraine!” exclaimed Kyle, catching his breath from his sprint up to them. Hero’s brow furrowed. He wondered if he had ever seen Kyle look so genuinely concerned before as he practically fumbled over himself, kneeling down on his knees next to Brandi and Lorraine. “Are you okay?”

“Hold on…you know two each other?” asked Brandi, and Kyle nodded.

“Since high school.” He tilted his head. “Do you?”

“Yeah she’s in my sorority.”

“Oh that’s right…I almost forgot about that…” Kyle mumbled distractedly. He reached out his hand to Lorraine—comfortingly pushing her hair out of her face. “Are you okay, Lorraine?” he asked again—his voice low, gentle.

Lorraine sniffled but whined in a voice slurred probably from too much alcohol, “What are you doing here, Kyle?”

“Checking on you. What the heck happened?”

Lorraine groaned. “I fell in the pool because I’m drunk. Don’t tell my sister. She’d kill me.”

Kyle’s expression softened and something genuinely kind passed over his eyes. “Don’t worry. I’m actually pretty good at keeping a secret, believe it or not.”

Whether Lorraine actually agreed with him on this point, Hero could not be sure, since she pulled her hands away from her teary face and turned to look at the rest of them. “I’m really sorry for all the trouble. I’m okay. I think I was just so drunk that I tripped and fell in, but I didn’t hit my head or anything.” She turned to Hero. “Thank you so much for jumping in and saving me.”

As she smiled at him, Hero felt his cheeks grow warm. He fidgeted. He never had learned how to take a compliment or gratitude.

“It’s no problem. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks, man. I really owe you one.” Kyle patted his shoulder and sighed with genuine relief. “You um…you think you can get her home? I’d do it myself but uh…”—he scratched the nape of his neck sheepishly—“I…uh…can’t um…”

“Gotcha,” whispered Hero with an understanding nod. “And sure. I’d be happy to give her a ride, as long as that’s okay with her…We don’t really know each other so…” Hero knew it was extenuating circumstance but they were still strangers and he wouldn’t really want to climb into the car of someone he didn’t know.

“I can vouch for him,” quipped Brandi with a smile. “You remember those stories about that guy who drives drunk girls home but doesn’t hit on them?”

“The taxi prince?” asked Lorraine, and Brandi chuckled.

“Yeah…that’s him.”

Lorraine gasped, then nodded towards him solemnly. “Your majesty!”

Hero’s face burned, but he cleared his throat. “I…uh…I’m not actually a prince, but I uh…I’m still happy to give you a ride, if someone will give me directions?”

“Uh…yeah!” interjected Kyle, even though Hero had really been looking to Brandi who actually lived there. “You know…it’s just like down the road and to the right…or maybe the left…”—he rubbed the back of his neck—“Sorry, I can’t think right now. Um…maybe I can call Zuzu…”

“No!” cried Lorraine, actual tears in her eyes again. She practically lunged forward, gripping onto Kyle’s arms as the slightest hint of pink flushed in his cheeks. Hero’s eyes widened. Until this moment he honestly hadn’t thought it was possible to make Kyle blush. “Please, Kyle. Don’t tell her. You promised.”

“I was just going to ask for directions…” Kyle insisted though his voice cracked as she burrowed into his chest. He would probably be soaked himself soon, but he didn’t seem to mind. “But okay, okay.” He somewhat awkwardly patted her on the back. “Mama’s really good with directions so I’m sure he’ll find it.”

As Lorraine nodded, Kyle turned to him with a somewhat helpless, pleading smile, and Hero, never one to argue, simply sighed with a stumbling, “Yeah…”

“Or I can just give him directions…” Brandi shook her head with a sigh as she mumbled with a certain affection, “Idiots…”

After Brandi had given him directions back to her sorority house, Hero grabbed his keys and wallet from his jacket pocket, then draped his coat over Lorraine’s shivering shoulders—helping her up to her feet and out to his car with her leaning on his side the entire way, her long, wet hair splayed across his cheek. Kyle staggered behind them, but he did manage to open the passenger door and help Lorraine into the car. For a moment, it was almost as if he had completely forgotten that Hero was there with them as he gently stroked a hand through her wet hair and kissed her forehead with a soft, “Take care of yourself, okay, Lorraine?”

Hero had never seen Kyle like this before—so gentle with such a tenderness in his expression. From all accounts, including the ones from Kyle himself, he was a shameless flirt and a serial dater with a trail of short-lived, failed relationships in his wake, and Hero had never thought it was any of his business to speculate about why that was. But the way he had jumped to Lorraine’s rescue, the genuine care and concern he had shown to her, and the look he was giving her now, certainly made him wonder.

In an instant, however, the moment was gone, and goofy Kyle was back with a final sigh of relief and the return of his lopsided grin as he closed the passenger door. He gave a big wave and mouthed an emphatic “thank you” to Hero before taking off back to the party.

As Hero climbed into the driver’s seat, Lorraine mumbled words of thanks and protest. “You really don’t have to do this…Kyle worries about me. I don’t know why. But I’m okay really…”

“It’s no problem…” Hero gently insisted as he started the car. “I’m happy to help, and any friend of Kyle’s is a friend of mine.”

Lorraine leaned back into her seat, and her expression relaxed into a bright smile. As he drove through some of the residential streets back towards their campus, he was sure that she had drifted off to sleep, until she asked drowsily. “Is there anything you want right now?”

“Uh…why? Do you need me to stop and get you some food?”

Lorraine hummed. “Do you want any food?”

“I’m okay,” Hero reassured her, but his stomach rumbled. As Lorraine giggled, Hero sheepishly admitted. “I guess I could really go for a sandwich right now…”

“Me too!”

Hero nodded, but his brow furrowed. “I don’t know if there’s anywhere open right now—at least not that we’ll pass on our way back to your house, but if you have ingredients, I’d be happy to make you a sandwich when I get you home.”

“I’d like that,” said Lorraine. “Thank you, your highness.”

“I’m really…uh…not a prince. I’m just a guy…” he tried to explain again, but Lorraine just shook her head.

“I don’t think so,” she insisted, and Hero sighed. There would be no convincing Lorraine of this while she was this drunk and tired. Truthfully, she might not even remember this conversation tomorrow so Hero supposed it didn’t matter much.

Still…he thought back to what Brandi had said earlier about him being a ‘bona fide prince charming’ and swallowed hard—his cheeks burning. He had never really felt like much of a prince and didn’t feel he deserved that kind of praise. The truth was he was just kind of ordinary. It surprised him that nobody really saw that in him…at least not anymore.

But maybe that was for the best. Getting put up on a pedestal he didn’t deserve at least kept him away from people—prevented him from hurting them and from letting them down. It would be far worse to actually be seen—to have people know he wasn’t anything special.

He wasn’t a prince or a hero or perfect… He was just a guy. And he was sure that if people really knew that, they’d only be disappointed.

#omori hero #hero omori #omori brandi #brandi omori #omori ocs #omori spoilers #hero friendships #when sun shines again⛅#hero fic #our content #thanks for reading

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hero-deserves-to-be-happy · 7 months ago

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When Sun Shines Again⛅: Chapter 6 "Changing My Life:" Part 1

⛅Chapter 6 Description: People never seemed to think of the impact of their smallest decisions. Hero certainly hadn’t before, and even now, he wasn’t really thinking of it, wasn’t really expecting Kyle’s assertions that he was about to "change his life" to be anything more than impassioned attempts to get him out of the house and to play ‘designated driver.’ But maybe Kyle had a point…maybe a party could change your life.

The Party That Changed Hero's Life: Part 1 of 3

Chapter Word Count: 4142. Link to Chapter 6 on AO3.

⛅Tags For The Story As A Whole (So A Lot Of These Are "Eventual" Tags):

Romantic Relationships: Main Ships: (Past) Hero/Mari and (Eventual) Hero/OC. Side Ships: Brandi/OC and a brief mention of Mikhael/Bebe are the only side ships involving canon characters.

Link to Entire work on AO3.

⛅ Link to the "When Sun Shines Again" Masterlist. ⛅

Full chapter text below the cut. Thank you for reading! ⛅

“Mama! Mama!” It took the words a bit too long for Hero to register them. It wasn’t that he hadn’t gotten used to the nickname. After all, Kyle had had their entire fraternity calling him “Mama” almost exclusively from the minute he had, somewhat tentatively, requested to pledge for it a little over a month ago. He wouldn’t be surprised if some of his fraternity brothers still didn’t know his actual name or, at the very least, his usual nickname. In a way, he supposed this nickname suited him better than his other one. He had never really felt like much of a hero, but he certainly felt like a mom—especially now that he was spending most of his spare time cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, and grocery shopping for a group of rowdy fraternity guys.

Brandi often huffily told him off for his lack of boundaries, continuing to insist that he never should have joined in the first place, even though he felt guilted into it after Kyle’s father had purchased high-density viscoelastic polyurethane mattresses for the entire house. He knew Brandi was right in that a mattress, even an extremely expensive one, did not give them the right to take advantage of him and make him their den mother, but Hero couldn’t find it in himself to say, “no”—not just for Kyle’s sake or because of Mr. Davenport’s generous donation, but more for the heartbreaking look in Sunny’s face when he had told him he didn’t want him to be lonely. The tears in Basil’s eyes that told Hero he was convinced he had ruined his life. How Aubrey had broken down and begged him to find someone to talk to, someone he didn’t feel he had to protect. How when his parents had asked him to “Say hi to your friends for us” their expressions had pleaded with him to actually have friends to say ‘hi’ to. How tightly Kel how held onto him when they said their final goodbyes before he had headed back to the University of Somewhere City for the new term and how his parting words had been, “I know you’re really busy studying and stuff, but try to make time to make some friends, too okay?”

It made his stomach twist—bile tickling the back of his throat just thinking about it. He couldn’t stand when people worried about him. And if him joining a fraternity put his friends and family at ease, it was worth any amount of household chores imaginable.

The truth was Hero didn’t really mind the housekeeping anyway, and if him stepping in to sweep floors, do dishes, cook dinner, or go grocery shopping prevented the house from turning into the pigsty it had been when he had first moved in, he felt it was worth it. He didn’t mind being “Mama” for his fraternity if that’s what they needed. And, if Hero was being honest with himself, it was nice to be useful, to be needed again.

In a way, he supposed it was kind of selfish—especially seeing as he, personally, didn’t want to live in a disgusting, disaster zone. What Brandi didn’t understand from her sorority house full of girls who, from Hero’s experience, tended to be a bit cleaner in general, if Hero didn’t do the household chores, they just wouldn’t get done and they’d all be stuck living in squalor again and eating nothing but instant ramen noodles with only a case of cheap beer and a half-empty bottle of mustard in the refrigerator.

Before Hero had moved in, they hadn’t had one vegetable in the entire house. Now, the backseat of his car was filled with them and with other groceries too: a couple gallons of milk, a few loaves of bread, nonperishable snacks, and ingredients for the soup he wanted to make. He had even picked up some athletic clothes for Kel—a pair of shorts and a jersey modeled after the uniform of his favorite basketball team in the city which had been majorly marked down on clearance now that the weather was cooling off and they were headed into Fall.

The change of season certainly explained the intermittent torrential downpour and the deluge of water currently crashing into his windshield, fighting with the violent swipes of his windshield wipers, which thankfully were working today. His old clunker of a car had been giving him a lot of trouble ever since he had gotten back to the city, but none of it was serious enough for him to feel it warranted taking it into the shop. With a certain homesick sadness, he often thought that his dad or maybe even Kel would have been able to fix whatever was wrong with it, so he was hoping his car would manage to hold on until his next weekend in Faraway Town. He had promised Kel, Aubrey, and Basil that he would try to make more visits this year—but over a month later, he hadn’t been home yet—too busy with schoolwork and now, Greek life and, unfortunately, the partying that came along with it.

As Kyle came running out into the driveway in the pouring rain waving at him with a beaming smile and calling, “Mama! Where have you been?” Hero just knew he was going to ask him to be the designated driver…again.

“What are you doing out in the rain, Kyle?” he asked stepping out of his car into the storm. The rain soaked his clothes and was cold against his skin. Hero sighed. He should’ve been used to it by now.

Kyle merely shrugged his shoulders—pushing his sopping, curtain bangs out of his face. “I’ve been waiting for you to come home. What took you so long?”

“Sorry. The grocery store was kind of busy, I guess,” Hero mumbled, scurrying around to the backseat of his car to grab some bags of groceries.

“Forget about those,” Kyle interrupted with a dismissive wave of his hand. “We can take ‘em in later. We got a party to go to.”

Despite Kyle’s enthusiasm, Hero merely sighed. He had wanted to make his soup, get a head start on some homework, and maybe if there was time leftover crack open that book he had recently gotten about studying for the MCAT, but he should have known better than to think his roommate would let him get away with having a quiet evening at home on a Friday night.

“My friend Sawyer’s invited a bunch of people over. His parents are professors and at some symposium or something so he has the house to himself. I heard they have a pool.”

Glancing up at the dark, cloudy sky, Hero shivered from the cold. “I don’t think this is the best weather for swimming, Kyle…and even if it was, some of these groceries are perishable and have to go in the refrigerator so we need to take them in before we go anywhere.”

“Let me help,” said a voice from the other side of the car, startling Hero. C.J., who had also just joined their fraternity in the most recent pledge term, was opening the other door to the backseat and grabbing bags of groceries to take inside without being asked.

“You really don’t have to do that,” Hero insisted. Though he was grateful for the help, watching C.J. pause to wipe raindrops off the lenses of his glasses made Hero feel guilty. He didn’t want his friends out in the rain, but C.J. just shrugged with an easy smile spreading across his face.

His hand ruffled through the tight, dark curls of his hair—seemingly unperturbed by the water splashing onto his forehead as he replied, “No problem. It’ll go faster this way.” He paused, a bright, 100-watt smile spreading between his wide, dark cheeks. “Then you can make it to the party with us.”

Hero sighed. Of course, C.J. was in on it too. He should just kiss any dreams of that quiet evening at home goodbye.

Before he could say anything however, Kyle, pushed past him, rummaging around in the backseat of the car until he found a grocery bag filled with only a gallon of milk. “There’s not a lot a time. Just grab whatever has to go into the refrigerator and let’s get out of here!” He turned to him with a playful, whining frown. “We’ve been waiting on you forever.”

“You really didn’t have to do that,” stumbled Hero apologetically. He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. It was damp and clammy from the rain. He wasn’t sure he wanted to go back out in this weather especially to a house party. In Hero’s experience, which was much more extensive than he would have liked, college parties were generally wildly crowded, even when the overflow could spill out into the yard, but with bad weather like this, they’d all be crammed into Sawyer’s house like drunk sardines. It didn’t sound particularly fun.

“I don’t know, Kyle…Maybe you and C.J. should just go this time and I’ll sit this one out.”

“Oh come on,” Kyle whined. “It’ll be fun.”

“I’m sure it will be, but I’ve got homework and—”

“Brandi’s right—you’re such a grandpa,” interrupted C.J. giving him a light, teasing tap on the back of the head. “You’ve got all weekend to do your homework.”

“And you don’t even have to drink,” added Kyle as they scurried back into the house with the groceries. “You can be the designated driver, and then do that thing where you drive beautiful drunk girls home and don’t hit on them.”

Hero’s face flushed as he closed the front door behind them and headed back to the kitchen. That had only happened a handful of times, and he wished Kyle would stop bringing it up.

“What?” laughed C.J. and Kyle, seemingly cracking himself up, laughed along with him.

“It’s unbelievable. Mama’s all charming like ‘hey, do you need a ride home?’ and then when they get there and these gorgeous girls are like ‘thanks for the ride—wanna make out in the back of the car?’ He turns all red and starts mumbling about how he’s flattered but ‘no thanks. Would you like a water bottle and a granola bar instead?’”

Hero buried his blushing face in his hands at Kyle’s impression of him as C.J. tried and failed to stifle a laugh and Kyle rolled his eyes, shaking his head in melodramatic disbelief as he set the grocery bags on the kitchen counter.

“It’s crazy,” snorted Kyle. “I mean they’re just speechless and I feel kind of bad for ‘em so usually I’m like ‘Well I’ll make out with you’ and sometimes that works but other times they’ve only got eyes for Mama. The poor things…”

“I’m”—Hero’s voice cracked—“I’m not trying to give them the wrong idea. I just want them to get home safely. It—it can be dangerous out there…I’m just trying to help. I don’t want to…! That’s not why I—” Hero tripped over his words—his face growing hot. He wasn’t sure what he was trying to say. “Plus they’re drunk and I’m sober…I just don’t feel right about that…”

“Well that’s fixable,” teased Kyle with a click of his tongue. “We just get you drunk too.”

“Or find you a sober girl, then the two of you can be sober together,” chimed C.J. with a playful smile as he put some of the vegetables in the crisper drawer of their fridge.

Hero flushed as Kyle clicked his tongue again and patted him on the back. He fidgeted. “That’s—that’s not the problem.”

Hero stopped abruptly realizing he couldn’t really explain to them exactly what the problem was unless he wanted to unceremoniously announce in the middle of their kitchen ‘the love of my life died when we were 15 and I don’t think I’m ever going to love again, so thanks but no thanks.’

He swallowed hard. He couldn’t even imagine being that honest—sharing something so personal and vulnerable with anyone, even his friends. He had no idea how Kyle or C.J. would even react to that information, and he didn’t want to find out, so instead he started rambling, hoping to eventually say something semi-coherent, “I…I know these girls are very lovely, but I barely know them. Drunk or not, I—I wouldn’t want to kiss them. I—I think that should be special.”

C.J. blinked at him. Kyle did too, before he let out a disbelieving chuckle, “Woah, Mama, don’t tell us you’re about to go into some sob story about how you’ve never kissed anyone before and are waiting for that ‘special someone.’ I mean, even Zuzu’s been kissed.”

Hero’s mouth grew suddenly dry, and his cheeks burned as he found himself too embarrassed to even begin to formulate a response. Thankfully, he didn’t have to as C.J. scolded, “Kyle” with a tut and a shake of his head before he turned towards Hero with a sympathetic smile. “There’s no shame in that. You’ll kiss somebody someday.”

C.J.’s reassurances were kind and well-meaning, if a little confused and misguided, but Hero wasn’t sure he wanted to correct him and explain that the problem wasn’t that he hadn’t kissed someone before but rather that he had. He had kissed just one girl and had wanted to kiss only her for the rest of his life, but—something panged in his chest at the thought—he would never get to kiss her again. And no matter how much time passed, even now, even all these years later he couldn’t imagine kissing anyone else. He couldn’t imagine even wanting to.

Hero knew his friends saw his rejection of the advances of these, from all accounts, beautiful women as some sort of superhuman feat, a masterclass in self-restraint, but the truth was it really wasn’t that difficult for him. As guilty as it made him feel to admit it, he didn’t feel attracted to these women. He didn’t really even notice them, didn’t see them. It had been that way for as long he could remember—as if he couldn’t see anyone else in the world except Mari. And now that she was gone, he couldn’t even see her, couldn’t see anyone. Not like that. Not anymore. But he could barely make sense of that himself. He’d never be able to explain it to C.J. or Kyle. It would be best to just let them misunderstand…

Or so he thought until Kyle interjected well-meaning though staunchly determined to ‘solve his problem.’ “Don’t worry, I’m sure we can find lots of girls who would kiss you! Heck I’d kiss you, but I’m not sure you’d want that,” he teased bursting into raucous laughter before adding, “I’ll ask Zuzu. She hasn’t been kissed in a long time. It would do you both a lot of good—you could use a good kiss!”

“That’s…that’s okay, Kyle,” choked Hero—bright red in the face. “Please—please don’t do that. I uh…I have kissed someone before…”

His face grew hot, and he became suddenly interested in his hands. He hadn’t meant to say that. It was private, personal—even a little painful now. But—Hero sighed—with any luck, it would convince his friends to finally put this uncomfortable topic to rest. As C.J. and Kyle merely blinked at him with wide eyes, however, Hero fidgeted and hurriedly added, “Or uh…I guess I’ve been kissed…”

He wasn’t sure if the distinction of who had kissed whom actually mattered, but he thought maybe explaining that he hadn’t been the one to initiate it would make the story more believable. After all it was no secret that he could be particularly shy about physical affection, especially these days, whereas Mari had been so cuddly. Despite his wanting to kiss her, they probably wouldn’t have if it hadn’t been from her initiating it, but he was glad she had—glad he had that precious memory of her to hold onto even if he had been stunned, awkward, and confused about what to do. He couldn’t imagine he was a very good kisser at all, so perhaps it was for the best he was never going to kiss anyone ever again.

His chest ached—that all-too-familiar bittersweet sadness seeping into the empty space in his heart Mari had left behind, and his eyes prickled, burned. Even the thought of kissing anyone else made him want to cry.

He must not have done a very good job of hiding that because the expression on C.J.’s face softened, and he gave him a sympathetic smile and gentle tilt of his head as he closed the refrigerator door and began scooping the empty grocery bags off the counter. “Hey, man. It’s okay,” he said reassuringly. “We believe you.”

“Yeah. Yeah,” agreed Kyle with an emphatic nod. “I’m sure it was great! Was there tong—OW!” Kyle yelped, a much more dramatic shriek than the light smack on the arm C.J. had given him likely warranted. “Okay. Okay. Geez…” he muttered defensively. “No details—got it. You’re as bad as Zuzu.”

“I like her already,” quipped C.J. who, it seemed, had also never met Kyle’s mysterious and, supposedly, actually-responsible friend but, unlike Brandi, believed she actually existed. Hero was inclined to believe this too—if only because the things he had heard about her had become far too detailed to be a lie or, at least, to be a lie that Kyle could have come up with, though he felt guilty for thinking that. Kyle was a lot smarter than he was often given credit for, after all, but he wasn’t particularly deceptive and would likely get bored of a long con. There was probably a girl named Zuzu out there…and she wasn’t Kyle’s “girlfriend from camp” or “Canada.” She just had the good sense not to hang around with any of Kyle’s fraternity brothers, and Hero really couldn’t blame her for that.

Kyle’s mouth curved into a lopsided grin, and the burning in Hero’s face quickly spread to his ears as he could have sworn he glanced over at him for a split-second before he decisively told C.J., “You’re not her type.”

“I didn’t say I wanted to date her,” C.J. replied with a roll of his eyes, and Kyle’s smile widened—something knowingly playful glistening in his rolling eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, you’ve only got eyes for Brandi—we know,” he bantered, and Hero’s own mouth curved in the corners as he watched the slightest tint of deep, coral red seep into the tip of C.J.’s nose.

C.J.’s attraction to Brandi was no secret to anyone—least of all to Brandi herself who, unfortunately for C.J., had sworn off dating fraternity guys after a particularly rocky relationship with one her freshman year. This did not stop him from sincerely pining after her, however, and putting in a genuine effort to become friends, especially now that he had learned they had a mutual one in Hero.

While Hero didn’t think it was his place to get involved, he couldn’t deny that he thought they were well-suited, and even if they never dated each other, could be good friends. To that end, Hero had been trying to subtly talk C.J. up to Brandi and convince her that, unlike Kyle, he was not the stereotypical frat boy. Even though he was pretty much up for anything, it was because he was easy-going—never phased, rattled, or bothered by much. He took care of himself and was responsible, got decent grades, and took pride in his work and his dreams of becoming an attorney, which was something he and Brandi had in common. Most of all he thought that Brandi was absolutely wonderful. Hero often saw himself in the way he looked at her. It reminded him of how he had looked at Mari which made something pang in his chest and worried him that he was, perhaps, a little bit biased.

Fidgeting, C.J. cleared his throat, but knowing he couldn’t really deny this fact or, perhaps, not wanting to, he simply shrugged his shoulders and insisted, “Hey, she’s cool.”

“She’s Brandi”—Kyle rolled his eyes—“she’ll chew you up and spit you back out without batting an eye.”

A smile curved in the corners of C.J.’s mouth as he quipped in a low voice, “I don’t mind that.”

“Whatever,” huffed Kyle. “We’re wasting time. The party’s already started.” He turned to Hero who was putting away the last of the perishables. “You are coming right, Mama? You can’t leave me alone with C.J.—he’s hopeless.”

C.J. shook his head. “You just want a designated driver so you can get sloshed. Leave me out of it.”

“Hey, I want Mama to have a good time too!” Kyle wrapped his arm around Hero’s shoulders. “All he ever does is study. If I didn’t drag him out of the house, he’d never leave except to go to class and the grocery store.” He clicked his tongue, then laughed, seemingly amused with himself before he begged, “Come on, Mama, please?”

As Kyle dragged that final ‘please’ out into a long, nasally whine, Hero sighed, but before he could begin to protest Kyle added, “You never know what you’re missing out on. ‘Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.’”

“Did you just quote ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’?” laughed C.J. “You’re getting desperate.”

“No. It’s just because Hero’s being such a Cameron.” Kyle crossed his arms with a huff, turning to Hero with a stern shake of his head. “Don’t be a Cameron. Go out and live a little. Tonight could be the best night of your life, and you’d have no idea if you just stayed home studying at your desk.”

“I dunno…” Hero began unsurely. Despite knowing his conflict avoidance would eventually win out and he would ultimately end up at this party tonight, he tried his best at a feeble protest or at the very least, an expression of uncertainty, but Kyle wouldn’t even hear that.

He began pushing him towards the door with a teasingly smarmy, “Come on. Let’s go change your life!”

Hero stifled a somewhat awkward chuckle in spite of himself. This was one of Kyle’s most outlandish attempts to convince him to go to some party. Hero had been to enough of them by now to know that there wasn’t anything ‘life changing’ in a group a sweaty, plastered college students playing beer pong, dancing the Cotton Eyed Joe on someone’s dining room table until they threw up, or sloppily making out while Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” blasted deafeningly loud in the background.

That said, after everything that had happened in his life up until this point, there was no way that Hero would ever be able to deny that the smallest, seemingly insignificant things could, in fact, change the course of somebody’s life. He thought about Mari planning to have that recital. He thought about Basil deciding to watch her and Sunny’s final practice. Thought about Sunny storming out—throwing down his violin. Thought about Mari running after him—following him up those stairs…

His chest ached—hollow and panging with a pain that would never really go away. He almost wanted to say that all of his experiences with the butterfly effect had been negative, painful…but then he thought about Kel…thought about him knocking on Sunny’s door three days before he was supposed to move away. He thought about Sunny opening it for him and venturing outside for the first time in four years. He thought about Aubrey suggesting they all stay at Basil’s house on Sunny’s last night in Faraway Town. And venturing deep into his memories of that long, distant past that often felt like nothing but a dream now, Hero thought about Mari again—her insistence that they help Aubrey when she was just a crying little girl who lost her shoe or that they take care of Basil and his garden. Or long, long before that…he thought about his dad buying a potted cactus and suggesting they take it over to their new neighbors.

People never seemed to think of the impact of their smallest decisions. Hero certainly hadn’t before, and even now, he wasn’t really thinking of it, wasn’t really expecting Kyle’s assertions to be anything more than impassioned attempts to get him out of the house and to play ‘designated driver.’

But as it turned out, years later, whenever Hero would mentally list those seemingly insignificant but life-altering decisions, he would always throw in this moment when his mouth twitched into a conceding smile and he sighed, “Alright, Kyle. Just let me go change my clothes first; then we’ll head out.”

#omori hero #hero omori #omori ocs #omori spoilers #hero friendships #when sun shines again⛅#hero fic #our content #thanks for reading

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hero-deserves-to-be-happy · 1 year ago

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When Sun Shines Again: Prologue "Hoping I'm Always There"

⛅CHAPTER 1⛅

PROLOGUE: "HOPING I'M ALWAYS THERE"

Description: When tragedy struck, Hero lost not only his dearest friend but also his dreams for the future. Even years later, Hero doesn't know what his "forever" looks like without Mari in it, but somehow he finds the strength to carry on and build a new life for himself. With his family and friends both old and new by his side, Hero struggles through life's ups and downs--the joys and sorrows he faces in a world without Mari. In the beginning, he's only looking to survive it all, but somewhere along the way, he might find a purpose, a reason he's still here. Maybe there really is a way he can learn to be happy again, and maybe, just maybe, when he's least expecting it, he might even find himself slowly opening his heart to love again--he might even find himself believing that even the darkest, stormiest of times will eventually pass and the sun will shine again.

Chapter Specific Notes: The prologue is HeroMari-Centric and Mari actually appears in this chapter.

⛅Tags For The Story As A Whole (So A Lot Of These Are "Eventual" Tags):

Romantic Relationships: Main Ships: (Past) Hero/Mari and (Eventual) Hero/OC. Side Ships: Brandi/OC and a brief mention of Mikhael/Bebe are the only side ships involving canon characters.

Platonic Relationships: Hero & Brandi Friendship, Hero & Original Characters Friendship. Some Hero & Kel Siblings Relationship & Brotherly Friendship.

Characters: Major Canon Characters: Hero (POV Character), Brandi [Intimidating Girl], Mari and Mari's Memory, & Kel. Major Original Characters (Hero's college friends): Kyle, C.J., Zoey, Tamra, and Lorraine. Mentioned Canon Characters: Sunny, Basil, Aubrey, Sally, Hero's Parents, Bebe (Short Haired Girl/Fountain Girl) & Mikhael (The Maverick).

Chapter Word Count: 2731

Link to Original Post on AO3.

Full chapter text below the cut. Thank you for reading! ⛅

“Can I open my eyes now?” giggled Mari—one hand over her eyes. The other held tightly onto Hero’s hand as he led her into the backyard.

“Almost,” he replied with a somewhat sheepish chuckle, and Mari laughed again.

“Okay…but can you tell me where we’re going?”

Hero bit his lip before he accidentally spoiled the surprise. He knew that Mari had always loved surprises, but he also knew that he himself was not much of a surprise kind of person. While he was trustworthy and could keep a secret if asked, he found it too difficult to keep things from his friends and family for too long, especially if they were good things that he was excited about. He had been planning this surprise for Mari for weeks now, and, he was sorry to say, had nearly slipped up and told her about it a couple of times already. Truthfully, a part of him even wanted to go ahead and tell her now, but they were almost there so he promised himself he’d manage to keep it a surprise for just a few more minutes.

“Almost,” he repeated, laughing a little at his repetition.

“Ooh…”Mari chuckled before she donned a frown and began her best impression of a serious commanding officer in one of the war drama films they sometimes watched with his dad. “It’ll be hard to break this one, general. His lips are sealed.”

Mari teasingly saluted at him, before covering her eyes again. For Mari’s credit she had kept her eyes firmly closed shut so the hand covering was merely a formality. “Bet I know a way to unseal those,” she giggled—her tone playful not sultry, though she did blow a kiss at him and Hero suspected she would have winked in his general direction if her eyes had been open.

“Mari—” His voice cracked, and Hero’s face flushed red as he shook his head.

“What? I just meant I bet you’d tell my pet tarantula.”

Hero’s face blanched. “That’s not funny,” he tried to insist though his breathy laugh seemed to imply otherwise. “Don’t even joke about having a pet tarantula.”

“Aww…” Mari pouted teasingly. “But I’ve really been thinking about getting one.” She paused, then added, “Just kidding. You know I’d never do that to you.”

Giving Hero’s hand a reassuring squeeze, Mari giggled again—her laugh light and tinkly like a music box. Hero had often thought it was a far prettier melody than even the most beautiful songs she played for him on her piano, but like any usual teenage boy, he was far too nervous and shy to even begin to tell her that. Still, seeing as Mari was his closest friend and knew him better than probably anyone else in the world, Hero had always suspected she already knew how he felt—how his heart raced whenever she met his eyes, how his chest ached whenever she called his name or how his stomach fluttered whenever she patted his back or held his hand or leaned her head on his shoulder. Mari had to know that whenever he was with her, he felt like they were in their own little world, had to know that he couldn’t see anyone else but her and that he could laugh or sing or just combust from how positively and completely happy he was to even be close to her, listening to what she had to say and trying his best to be supportive and make her smile.

With a sigh, Hero’s face softened as he watched Mari smile now—giggling as she stumbled with her eyes closed. Mari had the most beautiful smile—bright, beaming, and so warm that Hero could have sworn it made even the sun shine brighter.

He would do just about anything in the world just to see that smile—though the truth was he would do just about anything in the world for her, no matter what it was. He’d even spend all weekend cleaning off his patio just to plan a special afternoon for her before they headed back to school for the new term. And if she didn’t know that already, she’d probably know it as soon as she opened her eyes.

“But uh…oh, watch your step.” Hero reached out to steady her before she stumbled onto the uneven pavement of the patio, and his face flushed scarlet as she tripped a little—practically twirling into his chest as she clutched onto his arm. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, though I’d be better if you’d let me open my eyes so I could see where I was going,” she teased as a playful smile tugged at her mouth. “It’d be nice to see your pretty face too.”

“Mari,” choked Hero—his face blushing an even deeper shade of red. He looked away from her, even though he knew she couldn’t see him as long as she was respecting his wish that she keep her eyes closed, but she squeezed his hand and intertwined their fingers.

“You didn’t have to surprise me, you know? It’s not even a special day or anything.”

Hero shrugged his shoulders. “I know, but I wanted to. We’ll be going back to school soon so I wanted to plan something special for the end of the summer, and there’s”—his cheeks grew warm as he shuffled his feet on the pavement—“there’s something I want to show you.”

“Ooh…mysterious,” giggled Mari, but her smile widened.

“Not really…” Hero shrugged. “But I hope you’ll still like it.” With a long sigh, Hero took one final glance around the yard before finally saying, “Alright. You can open your eyes now if you want.”

As Mari dropped her hand from her face, her eyes fluttered opened—blinking in the bright sun. She gasped. “It’s beautiful.”

Hero smiled but shuffled his feet as his face flushed. He had been hoping she would say that. He had spent hours working on building that canopy out of plywood with his dad, and while it was somewhat crude, basic work, even Hero could admit that it did look very pretty when covered in the garlands of flowers he had made with Basil. Sunny and Aubrey had helped too—and Kel, for a little while before he got distracted and Hero asked him to move all the outdoor furniture to the perimeter of the patio leaving a big, empty square in the middle.

“What is all this, Hero?” Mari asked, turning to him with wide, smiling eyes.

Hero shrugged his shoulders and twisted his hands. “Well…I was thinking about how you had to miss the Spring Formal…”

“I told you that’s okay. I can always go next year,” Mari insisted giving him a reassuring pat on his arm.

Hero’s expression softened. He wouldn’t tell her but he knew she was putting on a brave face and had been genuinely disappointed when her bad knee had started acting up again back in April and her doctor had urged her not to put any weight on it for a while, meaning she had ended up back on crutches for the week of the dance and about a week and a half after that. Mari had insisted that Hero should go on without her, but he hadn’t wanted to and instead had gone over to her house where they baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies together and curled up next to each other on the couch to watch old black-and-white movies. Hero thought it had been a much more fun evening, especially seeing as he couldn’t dance, but he had been hoping to make it up to her for a while.

“I know,” he said with a gentle nod. “But I still felt bad that we never got to dance together so I thought…” As his face flushed, his voice trailed. He looked away from Mari instead glancing over at his suitcase record player which he had set on the patio table under the big sun umbrella. “There’s also a song I’ve really been wanting to play for you…”

Hero opened the record player suitcase and carefully took his vinyl copy of The Beatles’ Revolver out of its jacket and sleeve. Knowing that it was the first record he had ever purchased for himself filled him with a sense of pride. After wearing out his parents’ cassette of the album listening to a particular song over and over again for his own enjoyment and “Yellow Submarine” which was Kel’s favorite, Hero decided that he’d like to own the record and hear what it sounded like in vinyl. Hero had a small but growing collection of vinyl records—most of which he had gotten as gifts for his most recent birthday after having gotten his portable, suitcase record player for Christmas, but he had only recently started adding to it himself. Most of the money he made at his summer job cleaning pools and mowing lawns was being put away to help him pay for college when the time came a couple years from now and the rest was going towards having enough money to buy gifts for his friends and family for birthdays and the holidays when they rolled around, but he allowed him a little bit of money for himself and saved up most of to buy a vintage copy of Revolver that their local record store had proudly displayed in their window. He could have sworn he was walking on air when he had finally purchased it and though he had added several other records to his collection since then, this was by far his favorite and the most special to him.

Smiling brightly, Hero gently set the needle to his favorite song, the reason he had been so eager to purchase the record in the first place. At the sound of the opening chord and the first line, “To lead a better life, I need my love to be here…”, he held out his hand to Mari and asked with a somewhat shy shrug of his shoulders, “Would you like to dance?”

Mari beamed at him. “I’d love to.”

Hero flushed as Mari wrapped her arms around his neck, but somehow he fumbled his way to placing his hands on her waist. He took a deep breath trying to remember back to the dancing practice he had been trying out in his room for the past few weeks, much to Kel’s giggly confusion. Hero sighed. He wasn’t sure if his attempts at practice had helped much and he apologized, “I’m sorry. I’m not a very good dancer.”

“That’s alright. I’m not very good either so we can muddle through together.” Mari’s smile widened, and she tilted her head. “This is a beautiful song. I’m not sure I’ve heard it before.”

“It’s called ‘Here There and Everywhere’, it’s”—Hero’s voice cracked and he stared off intently over Mari’s shoulder as his face blushed red—“it’s my favorite love song. I actually bought this record because I couldn’t stop listening to it.”

“I’m glad to hear it’s your favorite because it’s our song now so we’ll probably be listening to it a lot,” she teased, winking at him.

Hero chuckled lightly, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck before remembering he was still supposed to be holding onto Mari’s waist. “Our song?”

Mari nodded. “Everyone knows that the first song that you ever slow dance to is special. That’s why a lot of people dance to it at their weddings.” Mari giggled behind her hand, and Hero’s heart raced as he took a deep breath hoping his face wasn’t as red as he feared. “But no pressure,” she added teasingly. “All I meant was that you’ll have to start thinking about us and about me when you listen to it from now on.”

Hero bit his lip shuffling his feet as he danced with her. “I…I don’t think I’ll have to start doing that…” he admitted, his face growing suddenly hot. Mari’s brow furrowed.

“What do you mean, silly? You can’t just not make this our song—it’s our song forever now. You should have thought of that before you played it for me.” Giggling, she winked at him playfully. “Or were you planning to go around playing it for all the other girls?”

“No,” Hero insisted with an awkward, breathy chuckle—his face crimson as he tripped over his words. “There’s…there aren’t any other girls…that’s…that’s what I was trying to…” His voice hitched, and he swallowed hard. “I…I always…only think about you whenever I listen to this song. It’s…it’s your song.”

He bravely met Mari’s eyes, and she smiled at him—that beautiful smile that made the sun shine brighter. She reached out and pressed her palm to his cheek.

“Our song,” she gently insisted, and Hero nodded at her as she ruffled the tips of her fingers through his hair. Hero froze—his hands beginning to tremble as Mari’s eyes fluttered closed and she leaned forward. His heart pounded. Was she…? He swallowed hard. Was she going to kiss him?

“You guys are so gross and mushy!” exclaimed Kel jumping out from behind a nearby tool shed. “Why don’t you listen to a good song next like ‘Yellow Submarine’?”

“Kel!” scolded Aubrey’s voice though Hero couldn’t see her apart from her arm tugging on Kel to come back to his hiding place, but Kel shrugged her off.

“What? It’s a better song than this!”

“I think it’s sweet,” Basil’s voice gently interjected.

Hero was too busy blushing at the unexpected audience to say much of anything in response, but Mari just laughed returning to her best impression of a character in a military drama, “Looks like we have a few covert operatives on our hands.”

“You’ve been watching too many movies with my dad,” chuckled Kel as Mari motioned to him.

“Why don’t you come on out and dance too?”

Kel practically sprinted over the patio. “Awesome! I think ‘Yellow Submarine’s’ next right, Hero?”

Hero nodded as Aubrey, Basil, and Sunny followed quietly and somewhat apologetically behind.

“Sorry, we didn’t mean to interrupt,” Basil insisted nervously twisting his hands as Sunny nodded in emphatic agreement.

“Kel is such a moron,” huffed Aubrey shaking her head at him. “Sorry Mari. Sorry Hero.”

“It’s okay,” Hero finally managed, patting Aubrey’s head reassuringly as Mari gave both Sunny and Basil comforting pats on the back.

“It’ll be more fun with everyone anyway,” Mari added before she turned to Hero with a kind, affectionate smile. “Besides that’s our song now so we’ll have plenty of time to finish our dance.”

Hero nodded at her, but before he could say anything he stumbled backwards, startled by Mari’s suddenly hug. Basil and Aubrey both giggled behind their hands—probably at Hero’s bright red face as Sunny watched with wide eyes and Kel was, naturally, far too distracted by his own prattling about “Yellow Submarine.”

Taking a deep albeit shaky breath and trying to calm his racing heartbeat and trembling hands, Hero wrapped his arms around Mari. “You’re right,” he said. “We have plenty of time.” Mari hummed, nestling her chin into his shoulder as Hero pulled her close—holding her tightly as if he never wanted to let go.

It was hard enough to manage that given the shy, awkwardness of his youth. In his mind, Hero thought of a day years down the road when he would be older and more confident, when hopefully it wouldn’t be so hard to tell her how he really felt. He had no way of knowing that that day would never come—that for years later he would think back on this moment—desperately wishing he had restarted the song, had finished that dance, had been brave enough to tell her how much she really meant to him. Hindsight really was 20/20. Hero knew that possibly better than anyone, but it didn’t stop him from wishing that he just held onto her tighter because someday the day would come when he was left alone with only a song and the memories of a wonderful girl he had always thought of when he listened to it. He still thought of her and probably always would, but she wasn’t there to dance with him anymore.

#omori hero #hero omori #(past) heromari 💙💜#hero needs a hug #poor hero 🥺 I only want good things for him #hero deserves to be happy #this prologue is ALL HeroMari #but this story tracks Hero's life post-good ending and is eventually hero/oc after the slowest of slow burns #but it is also *heavily* past heromari angst #cries in heromari #omori spoilers #when sun shines again⛅#hero fic #hero songs #our content #thanks for reading

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hero-deserves-to-be-happy · 10 months ago

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Meet the Cast of "When Sun Shines Again" [Hero's Life After Mari]⛅: Kyle Davenport (OMORI OC)

Kyle Davenport

KYLE is an exuberant sports medicine major who is always up for a good time. He’s charming, outgoing, adventurous, talkative, and enthusiastic with a big personality and penchant for being the center of attention. The fact that he’d do almost anything for a laugh can get him into trouble from time to time, but even though he can often be reckless and impulsive and usually has absolutely no filter whatsoever, he has a heart of gold underneath all his charisma and truly loves his friends (even though he swears he’d love them more if they weren’t such wet blankets).

Birthday: February 3rd

Likes: Parties, Football, Meeting New People, Listening to Himself Talk, Nicknames, Flirting, Video Games, TV Sitcoms, Making People Laugh & Vacationing (particularly at the beach)

Dislikes: Studying, Housework, Being Lectured to by “Boring People,” Pros & Cons Lists, & Lime Jello

Bonus fun facts below the cut!

⛅You can read about Kyle and all of Hero's college friends in the "When Sun Shines Again" series. He just had his proper introduction in Chapter 5! ^^

Kyle would be the first to tell anyone that he’s a “trust-fund baby.” His family is extraordinarily wealthy—having made a fortune selling mouthwash and other dental care products. They live on a private beach in Seaport, four hours away from the city, and have numerous vacation homes. Needless to say, nearly everything Kyle owns is expensive. He often jokes that his parents buy him luxury items to make up for the fact they’re never around. Given the opulent and spoiled way he was raised, Kyle is particularly naïve about money and has very little concept of what constitutes “expensive,” which his friends often tease him about. He has to be given specific parameters about how much he can spend on presents for them. Zoey has made him promise that he won’t ever buy her anything that he couldn’t purchase at Other Mart, for instance.

While Kyle might come off as shallow sometimes, there isn’t an air of arrogance to him. He is extremely charming but genuinely likable, and he tends to be very generous with his money and his time. He, occasionally, purposely flaunts his wealth in an attempt to make friends or get dates, but he knows a lot of his relationships are surface-level and disingenuous for this reason, which is why he values his closest friendships so much. He knows that Hero, Zoey, Lorraine, Brandi, C.J. and Tamra genuinely like him and want to be around him, not just his family’s money which only makes him want to spoil his friends with expensive gifts. He also gives incredible tips for service industry workers.

There’s nothing Kyle loves more than a good party! He is always up for a good time and prides himself on coming up with wilder and wilder antics (like doing line dances on tables or singing Spice Girls karaoke). He is also a binge drinker and has several “levels of drunkenness” including “Karaoke Drunk,” “Touchy-Feely Drunk,” and “Will-Flirt-With-A-Floor-Lamp Drunk.” His friends, particularly Hero and Zoey, try to intervene before he reaches the final stage which is a serious and vulnerably honest drunk clarity which is very dark for the usually happy-go-lucky Kyle.

Kyle has always loved T.V. Sitcoms, especially “Saved By The Bell” which was very formative to him in his preteen years. He has often (drunkenly) told Zoey that she the “Jessie” to his “Zack” though Zoey often jokes that Hero’s the “Jessie” now seeing as Kyle has named him “Mama” (no one knows for sure if this was actually, intentionally, a “Saved By The Bell” reference). He is unfortunately, still waiting on his “Kelly”

Kyle was a big football star in high school (granted his private prep school was known more for its rigorous academics than its athletics but they did fairly well for themselves), but he suffered a terrible injury to his knee in his final season which required countless hours of physical therapy, a lot of mobility aids, and multiple surgeries, including finally a full knee replacement at the age of 18 when doctors were reasonably assured he had stopped growing. He missed a ton of school due to his injury and recovery, so his parents arranged to have Zoey tutor him in his math and science classes so he wouldn’t fall too far behind and that’s how they became friends. With Zoey’s encouragement that he was actually a lot smarter than he gave himself credit for (if he’d actually put in some effort) , Kyle decided to become a physical therapist to give back, grateful for everyone who had helped with his own recovery. His bad knee still bothers him sometimes, and he has to wear a brace if he overexerts himself. He also owns a very expensive, high-quality cane, but it makes him feel self-conscious so he purposely avoids using it (even when he probably should) and only relies on it as a last resort.

Kyle joined his fraternity as a freshman and is a legacy since his father joined the same one when he was in school. Greek Life was something he was most excited about when going to college, and he was thrilled when his charisma (and probably his family’s money) got him into a frat right away as a freshman. He moved into the frat house in the spring semester of his freshman year and after his previous roommate moved out into off-campus housing, he tried his best to convince Hero to join and become his new roommate.

Kyle loves traveling and loves to send his friends postcards from his vacation destinations. He always tries to find postcards with bridges on them for Zoey and ones with food on them for Hero.

Kyle is a terrible cook. He swears he could burn water and can barely even make a Pop-Tart. This is one of the reasons why he is so impressed by Hero and his culinary skills. Hero has tried to teach Kyle some basics of cooking on several occasions, but he is beyond help.

#when sun shines again⛅#omori oc #omori oc: kyle #omori oc art #omori aus #our content

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hero-deserves-to-be-happy · 1 year ago

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When Sun Shines Again [Hero's Life After Mari] Series Masterlist ⛅

"When Sun Shines Again" is a Post-Good Ending Hero-Centric series focusing on Hero finding healing and building a life for himself after the loss of Mari. Eventually includes him learning to love again after an extremely slow burn.

Romantic Relationships: Main Ships: (Past) Hero/Mari and (Eventual) Hero/OC. Side Ships: Brandi/OC and a brief mention of Mikhael/Bebe are the only side ships involving canon characters.

Platonic Relationships: Hero & Brandi Friendship, Hero & Original Characters Friendship. Some Hero & Kel Siblings Relationship & Brotherly Friendship.

Characters: Major Canon Characters: Hero (POV Character), Brandi [Intimidating Girl], Mari and Mari's Memory, & Kel. Major Original Characters (Hero's college friends): Kyle, C.J., Zoey, Tamra, and Lorraine. Mentioned Canon Characters: Sunny, Basil, Aubrey, Sally, Hero's Parents, Bebe (Short Haired Girl/Fountain Girl) & Mikhael (The Maverick).

⛅WORKS:

PREQUEL: "Am I Ready For Love? Or Maybe Just A Best Friend" [Tumblr Link]

**This story is intended to be read prior to "When Sun Shines Again" & is recommended**

Description: While playing "Mom Friend" to his college buddies' shenanigans, Hero is shocked to learn that he is widely considered the "Prince" of their campus. Though flattered, he doesn't feel he deserves the praise, especially seeing as his heart still missed the best friend and childhood love he had lost far too soon. He would always miss her and simply couldn't imagine being with anyone else...but that didn't mean he wasn't lonely. Even self-imposed loneliness wasn't free from sadness.

When an unexpected conversation drudges up bittersweet memories for him, however, Hero begins to wonder if he doesn't have to be nearly as lonely anymore. He might not be ready for love, but a best friend didn't sound too bad...

Hero Centric Hurt/Comfort, Angst, & Slice of Life; Post-Good Ending. Special emphasis on Past Hero/Mari (Angst) and Hero's platonic friendships with his college friends (Brandi & OCs) in the present. Could be Hero/OC if you really wanted to see it, but this story is focused on their platonic friendship.

MAIN STORY: "When Sun Shines Again" [AO3 Link; Tumblr Links Below]

A Hero-Centric story spanning 15 years of his life post-good end. Focuses on Hero finding healing & building a life for himself after the loss of Mari. Eventually includes him learning to love again after an extremely slow burn. All pairings are tagged on AO3 upfront. Rated T for heavy themes & some language. Reading the prequel is recommended.

Prologue: “Hoping I'm Always There” [HeroMari-centric]

Chapter 1 (HeroMari Centric)

Part 1: “To Lead A Better Life” [Hero's Platonic Relationships with Canon Characters (his friends & family from the game)-Centric]

Chapter 2 (Hero & Kel-Centric)

Chapter 3 (Hero & Aubrey-Centric)

Chapter 4 (Hero & Basil-Centric)

Chapter 5 (Hero & Sunny-Centric)

Part 2: "Changing My Life" [Hero's Platonic Relationships at University-centric]

Chapter 6 (The Party That Changed Hero's Life: Part 1 of 3)

Chapter 7 (The Party That Changed Hero's Life: Part 2 of 3)

Chapter 8 (The Party That Changed Hero's Life: Part 3 of 3)

Part 3: “Believing That Love Never Dies”

Part 4: “Everywhere”

Part 5: “She's Got A Way”

Epilogue: "A Million Dreams Of Love"

ABRIDGED VERSION/EPILOGUE: "The Hero You Loved" [Tumblr Link]

**This story includes specific references to the other stories in this series (particularly "Am I Ready For Love Or Maybe Just A Best Friend?"), but it should stand alone and work as a sort of abridged version and epilogue to everything else so reading the other stories is unnecessary.**

Description: 12 years after the good ending of OMORI, Hero reflects on the unexpected turns his life has taken. He wasn't the same person he used to be and would never be that person again. After such a devastating loss, he had truly believed he could never be happy again, but things were different now…

Hero finds healing and loves again (the abridged version). Past Hero/Mari and Current Hero/Zoey (OC) Slice of Life, Romance, and Hurt/Comfort. Rated G.

SIDE STORIES:

Under The Weather - A (Self-Indulgent) Hero-Centric Sick Fic with a Side of Hurt/Comfort and Slice of Life Post Good-Ending feat. Hero and Kel's Brotherly Bond & both Kel and Hero's relationships with one of Hero's friends from college, Zoey (OC). Rated G.

⛅Cast Profiles:

C.J. Watkins [OMORI OC]

Kyle Davenport [OMORI OC]

Lorraine Park [OMORI OC]

Tamra Lamarre [OMORI OC]

Zoey Park [OMORI OC]

⛅Art:

Old Friends and New Friends

Scene from "Am I Ready For Love? Or Maybe Just A Best Friend"

"The Gang's All Here" [Hero & His College Friends Art]

⛅Hero & His Friends Art by @shine-n-bright

#when sun shines again⛅#when sun shines again masterlist #our content

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hero-deserves-to-be-happy · 10 months ago

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When Sun Shines Again Chapter 5: "To Lead A Better Life:" Part 4

⛅CHAPTER 5⛅ "To Lead A Better Life" Part 4

Chapter Description: After returning to the city for his new college semester, Hero spends the day with Sunny, showing him around town and taking him to one of his favorite coffee shops. Though Sunny may be surprised that Hero still wants to spend time with him after everything that has happened, Hero knows that Sunny will always be a brother to him, and Hero will always take care of him...

This Chapter is Hero & Sunny's Friendship-Centric.

Chapter Word Count: 11,600. Link to Chapter 5 on AO3.

⛅Tags For The Story As A Whole (So A Lot Of These Are "Eventual" Tags):

Romantic Relationships: Main Ships: (Past) Hero/Mari and (Eventual) Hero/OC. Side Ships: Brandi/OC and a brief mention of Mikhael/Bebe are the only side ships involving canon characters.

Link to Entire work on AO3.

⛅ Link to the "When Sun Shines Again" Masterlist. ⛅

Full chapter text below the cut. Thank you for reading! ⛅

Hero shifted his weight from one foot to the other, balancing the box he was holding against his side as he walked up the stone steps to Sunny’s apartment building. The buildings in this part of town were different than the modern, minimalist high rises downtown or the streamlined, boxy apartments near Hero’s university. This part of the city was quaint, historical—full of craftsman and art deco buildings and brownstone townhouses turned into apartments, like the one where Sunny and his mother were currently living. Hero had never really been to this part of the city before. With traffic, it was nearly an hour away from his university and half-an-hour from the hustle and bustle of downtown. It was quiet here. Hero thought Sunny would like that.

After Hero was buzzed in, he walked up three flights of stairs until he reached the door marked “3B” in shiny silver letters. Shifting the box again, he knocked on the door. He could hear rustling behind it—the sounds of turning locks and twisting doorknobs. Finally, the door opened, and there was Sunny, blankly blinking at him with his dark eye—the other or what was left of it still covered by an eyepatch.

Hero sighed in relief. He had color in his cheeks again, appeared far less pale and less frail than the last time Hero had seen him, more like the Sunny he remembered, the Sunny he had been before…

Hero stopped, and cleared his throat, pushing the thought away. “Hey, Sunny,” he said with a smile. Sunny nodded, blinking at him again.

“You came…” he mumbled. Hero’s face flushed. It was true he had gotten stuck in traffic on account of a football game downtown today, but was he really that late?

“Sorry. I didn’t know how long it would take me to get here. I’ll plan ahead better next time.”

Sunny nodded before tilting his head slightly towards the box in Hero’s hands. “Oh uh…this is for you,” he said. “Kel and I went through all this old stuff at home this summer, and we thought some of this was actually yours or that maybe you’d want it. There’s some grape soda in there for you too, from Aubrey, and I have a letter for you from Basil…”

He paused, handing Sunny the box and fumbling around in his pocket for Basil’s letter. Sunny set the box on the kitchen counter—rifling through its contents with the slightest twitch in the corners of his mouth, but he held onto the letter, staring at it for a long time. When he flipped the envelope over in his hands, presumably to open it, however, Hero gently suggested, “Uh…maybe you should read that later…when you have some privacy.”

He stumbled over his words, fidgety and awkward as he thought back to his own letter from Basil—how guilty, heart-wrenching, and utterly tortured it had been. He could only imagine what Sunny’s letter had in it…But whatever it was Hero didn’t feel it was any of his business and the idea of being there when Sunny read it made him feel intrusive and uncomfortable. There were some things that should be kept private.

He hadn’t even wanted to know what was in Kel’s letter, though he had listened when Kel talked through it a little with him, if only to share his worries about Basil. Aubrey hadn’t even opened hers yet, but she promised him that she would eventually, whenever she was ready. Hero had assured her that she could call him when she did, if she needed support or someone to talk to—in fact he had assured her she could call him any time, for any reason, just like he had reassured Kel and Basil of the same thing. But he knew they wouldn’t. It was one of the reasons it had been so painful to leave them behind to go back to school again.

While he had been looking forward to coming back to college and finally leaving this horrible summer behind him, he hadn’t wanted to leave Kel, Aubrey, or Basil, even after they assured him they were okay. It was only when Kel had confessed that it was a big comfort to him to know Hero would be in the city with Sunny that he had started to feel better about things. They worried about Sunny too—if their care-package was any indication, but now that he had moved away, it was only Hero who could check in on him and take care of him. Kel, Aubrey, and Basil would have each other now, but Sunny only had him.

No amount of phone calls from Kel, even though there had been many, or mailed newspaper articles about the upcoming Captain Spaceboy movie from Aubrey or novels of letters from Basil could ever have the impact of being physically present. They all knew this. So they had put their hopes in Hero—trusted him to keep an eye on Sunny, to be there for him, and to make sure he was okay. If Hero was being honest, it was nice to be trusted again—to be needed. He had been looking forward to showing Sunny around the city, to taking him to his favorite restaurants, museums, parks, or coffee shops—anywhere he wanted to go. Kel had specifically asked if he could help Sunny make some new friends so he wouldn’t be so lonely, but Hero thought that would probably be much easier for his more outgoing and sociable younger brother and suggested Kel lend a hand with that himself the next time he came to visit, which Hero was hoping would be soon. For now, however, he fully intended to try to spend a lot of time with Sunny as long as he didn’t mind the company. Truthfully, Hero was glad to have an old friend in the city now. After all, he had been a little lonely here too. He wondered if Kel knew that, just like Aubrey had, and that’s why he had been so insistent on Hero hanging out with Sunny just like the old days.

Hero sighed. Whatever the reason, he was glad to be here—glad to see Sunny looking so well, especially given everything he had been through.

As Sunny set Basil’s unopened letter on the box, Hero asked, “Do you…uh…want to go out somewhere or just stay in and play games or something? I know we talked about going to the park, but it looks like rain.”

Sunny pursed his lips together, then glanced over his shoulder out the window at the gray and gloomy weather—stormy and overcast as if it would start raining at any minute. He frowned, but Hero gave him a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry. We can just do something inside like go to a museum or a restaurant or—”

“That coffee shop?” Sunny mumbled, quietly interrupting him. Hero’s brow furrowed. It took him a minute to remember that he had mentioned his favorite coffee shop to Sunny the last time he had talked to him on the phone. He hadn’t realized that Sunny was so interested in going there. After all, he had always seemed so much more interested in grape soda than coffee or tea.

“Sure. I can take you to a coffee shop,” Hero answered. “But uh…Layla’s is on the other side of town—way up by my school. I’m sure there’s a closer one.”

Blinking at him, Sunny frowned again, and Hero felt strangely guilty. He quickly added, “But of course, it’s no trouble to drive up there. It’s actually a really nice place. It’s in this shopping center by the river and you can walk down by the water and see the Wilbertson bridge, but it won’t be the best view today since it’s so stormy and overcast.” He paused, sighed. “But I guess we could go shopping there a little too, if there were any stores you wanted to go to. Honestly…wherever you want to go, Sunny—I’m up for anything.”

Sunny’s head tilted, almost imperceptibly. “Layla’s is your favorite, right?” he asked in his quiet, matter-of-fact way, and Hero nodded.

“Yeah, I go there all the time—mostly to study and have tea. They have great coffee too, of course, and really delicious muffins and cookies.”

“I’d like to go there,” Sunny quietly interrupted, a subtle sign of his enthusiasm for the idea. A smile tugged at Hero’s mouth, and his expression softened.

“Okay. Sounds good to me! You about ready to head out, then?”

Sunny nodded again. Then followed Hero through the front door, locking it behind him. He didn’t need to tell Hero that his mother was at work. His mother was always at work. Hero couldn’t help but wonder if that’s what he would become if left to his own devices. When he was Sunny’s mother’s age, would he be throwing himself into his job to desperately avoid his grief? He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.

Hero shook his head, as if he could literally shake the thought away, and he fumbled with his car keys in his pocket as he and Sunny made their way out onto the street. As Sunny climbed into the passenger seat of his car, he glanced around with a thoughtful tilt of his head. “Nice car,” he mumbled.

“Thanks,” replied Hero, stifling a chuckle. It was probably the nicest compliment his old, beaten-up station wagon had ever gotten. Kel often referred to it as a “grandpa car” or, when it gave them any sort of trouble, a hunk of junk, though Hero liked to think his brother was just kidding about that. Truthfully, he was grateful to have a car. His dad and Papá Miguel had helped him fix it up, and though it had given him a little bit of trouble every now and again, it had run pretty well for the most part, probably impressively well considering how old it was. Hero’s brow furrowed, realizing it was very possible that Sunny had never actually seen his car before. He hadn’t had his license when Sunny had isolated himself in his home four years ago and during his last few days in Faraway Town they had just walked everywhere. Hero’s brow furrowed as he started the engine. Was this really the first time he had driven Sunny anywhere?

It was a strange thought to have—given how often he had driven Kel and, more recently, Aubrey around, but he supposed he had never really had the opportunity to drive Sunny anywhere. Now that they were both living in the city, however, that might change in the near future. This drive to Layla’s was a decent start, after all, even if they ended up getting stuck in traffic.

When Hero agreed to drive Sunny across town, it hadn’t really occurred to him to take traffic into account. After barely inching along through the streets downtown trying to make his way onto the highway, however, he realized he probably should’ve given it more thought and perhaps, tried to find an alternate route. Hero sighed. He supposed it was too late for that now.

While stopped a red light, he glanced at Sunny who was staring almost wistfully out of the window. He didn’t seem to mind. If anything, he seemed content, peaceful even, so Hero didn’t want to disturb him with his apologies for traffic outside of his control. Instead, apart from a few small talk niceties about how Sunny had been settling in and about the stormy weather they’d been having, their drive was mostly a comfortable silence. If Hero was being honest, he found it kind of refreshing—especially after all those drives with Kel who often talked faster than Hero could keep up with. Sunny had always been a very quiet person, and Hero himself generally preferred to listen, so it made sense they wouldn’t be talking for hours like he might have with Kel or with Mari, when she had been alive. Sunny had always preferred to do things with his friends rather than sit around talking to them. The group of them had spent hours upon hours playing at the park, having picnics, building sandcastles, jumping in puddles, making crafts and flower crowns, watching cartoons, and cooking and baking delicious food together. Even though he didn’t talk much, Sunny always seemed happiest when he was spending time with his friends. It was one of the main reasons Hero wanted to visit him today. He hoped they could spend time together again—even if they were just riding in silence in his car, listening to the low hum of the radio.

Hero paused. No, he thought, his brow furrowing. It wasn’t just the hum of the radio. Sunny was humming along to the song, so quietly Hero almost couldn’t hear him. He tilted his ear towards him, trying to make sure he wasn’t just hearing things. But no, he was sure that was Sunny—humming along warmly if a bit inaudibly.

Curiously, Hero turned up the volume to the radio. But he stopped—recoiling his hand as the other gripped even more tightly around the steering wheel.

Something ached in his chest as he suddenly remembered driving in the car with Mari, Sunny, and Kel what felt like a lifetime ago. He could hear Mari’s warm tinkly voice singing along, “Sweet dreams 'til sun beams find you. Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you. But in your dreams, whatever they be, dream a little dream of me.” He could hear her teasing her little brother that this was one of his favorite songs, could see her poking him in the arm until he joined in, finally humming along with the music.

When was the last time Sunny had hummed? Hero didn’t know, but, as his chest panged. He knew Mari would be happy to see him humming again, to see him enjoying music, enjoying life again. It made Hero happy too. Honestly, he wasn’t even really aware of how much until he caught himself quietly singing along to the song, “Dream a little dream of me…”

He was truthfully a little embarrassed when he caught Sunny staring at him, blinking up at him with an unreadable expression as the song ended. He scratched the back of his neck with a light chuckle. “Sorry, I’m not the best singer.”

“That was nice,” mumbled Sunny. “I like that song.”

“Oh yeah?” Hero replied with a smile. “I didn’t realize you were such a big Mama Cass fan. You know I have a few The Mamas & The Papas records you’re welcome to borrow. They’re all back home, but next time I’m in Faraway Town, I’ll pick them up for you or, you know, maybe you can come back to visit with me. I’m sure my parents would be happy to let you stay with us, and I know Kel, Aubrey, and Basil would love to see you.”

Sunny sighed. “You really think so?” His delivery was monotone, unreadable, but something twisted in Hero’s chest all the same. It was no secret that ever since Sunny had told them the truth, he had been worried that his friends would never forgive him and would never talk to him again, and unlike with Basil who they could just visit in the hospital to reinforce the idea that they weren’t going anywhere, Sunny had moved away and was isolated from them again—alone with his thoughts and his fears that they weren’t ever coming back.

“You came…” The words Sunny had first said to him when he arrived at the apartment echoed in Hero’s head, and they broke his heart. Had that really been what he meant? Had he really been worried that Hero wouldn’t come? Hero sighed heavily, running his hand through his unruly hair. He was truly at a loss here, just as he had been with Basil. He cared about Sunny and Basil as if they were his own little brothers, and truly there was nothing either of them could do that could ever change that. No matter how intense, painful, and complicated the feelings he had towards the truth were, there were some things in life that were and would always be stronger.

Hero just wasn’t sure what he could possibly say that would convince them of that, besides reassuring them time and time again that, “Of course, Sunny. Everyone cares about you—misses you. They’d love to see you.”

Sunny pursed his lips together and stared down at his hands, but he nodded curtly. “Okay.” He paused. “I should have a fall break, I think.”

Hero’s smile brightened. “Me too. We’ll have to see if they line up or maybe we can just go for a three-day weekend sometime. And I talked to Kel about maybe coming to visit here too. He said he might have a tournament in the city when basketball season starts up again—you’d like to see that wouldn’t you, Sunny?”

Sunny nodded with an almost inaudible hum, and Hero chuckled. He supposed Sunny had never really gotten to see Kel play basketball before—at least not in an organized league or anything. A few times in Faraway Park of course, or playing around with the hoop that had once been in their yard and now was in the street in front of their parents’ house, but Kel had gotten so much better since then and was truly an impressive athlete, though Hero supposed that may just be his biased opinion seeing as he was his proud older brother who, himself, had the coordination and athletic prowess of a brick wall.

Hero sighed. If he didn’t need his morning jogs to stay sane, he probably wouldn’t be very physically active at all—choosing instead to lock himself in his room and study, but it had actually been Kel who had inspired him to take up running in the first place, after insisting that exercise always helped him feel better. At the time, Hero had been so desperate for any relief that he likely would have tried anything, even though he was certainly skeptical at first. Still, Kel had been right. He felt his best after a run—felt a mental clarity, an increase of energy, and almost a sense of ease as if that storm of negative emotions and misery inside of him somehow lost part of its edge. And, of course, the more he learned about endorphins, the more this started to make actual, scientific sense. He craved those runs—clung to them like a lifeline. At his worst, he'd go on several a day—convinced they were the only thing standing between him and complete mental collapse. He was so desperate that he’d often even run in inclement weather—snow, sleet, and, more often than not, rainy days just like this. It was just one of the many reasons he didn’t care for them very much.

Hero sighed as raindrops began to beat against his windshield—spit out of the sky in random bursts before stopping again. Even though it wasn’t a steady downpour yet, it surely would be soon. He’d have to dig out his umbrella from under the seat when he parked the car so Sunny wouldn’t have to walk around in the rain.

By the time they crossed the Stanley Wilbertson Bridge, however, the spurts of rain had let up again—leaving the sky damp and overcast and shallow puddles around the Riverfront Center parking lot. Despite the rain, it was surprisingly busy today. Hero wondered if some of the shops were having end of summer sales events.

Whatever the reason for it, there was no parking in front of Layla’s, and Hero turned to Sunny with an apologetic shrug of his shoulders. “We’re going to have to park farther away. Is that okay?”

Sunny nodded. He didn’t seem to mind too much when Hero finally found a parking space in front of a mattress store several shops away from the coffee place they were headed. “Hold on, Sunny,” Hero gently insisted as he turned off the engine. “I have an umbrella.” Hero got out of the car and crawled into the backseat, digging under the driver’s seat for his umbrella which he eventually held out to Sunny with a somewhat triumphant smile.

Sunny tilted his head at it almost curiously, and Hero’s brow furrowed. Was there something wrong with it? It was just a boring old umbrella. Nothing fun or exciting about it like the bright pink one Aubrey had had when they were kids or Basil’s green one or Kel’s orange one or—Hero’s chest panged—Mari’s purple umbrella, the one that matched her beloved rainboots. Now that he was thinking of it, he had never actually had a colorful umbrella before. His parents had offered to get him a blue one when they had gotten Kel’s orange umbrella, since it was his favorite color, but Sunny had had a blue umbrella at the time and Hero was worried they would get mixed up or confused somehow and he didn’t want to cause any sort of trouble or confusion, so he had opted for a standard black one. It had held up pretty well, he supposed, considering he still carried it around in his car after all these years. He honestly had no idea where Kel’s orange umbrella was. They had been wondering if they’d stumble upon it again while going through all those old boxes over the summer, but it was nowhere to be found. He wondered if Aubrey had her pink one or Basil had his green one. Did Sunny still have his blue umbrella? And what had happened to Mari’s purple one after she had passed away…? Hero shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He’d give anything to see it again—to hear her squeaky rainboots clip-clopping along the sidewalk, splashing him with water as she giggled and jumped in puddles. Mari had loved rainy days. Hero wished he did. After all, every day without her was rainy and there was no umbrella—colorful or not—that could ever weather that storm.

With a heavy sigh, Hero pushed the thought away then turned to Sunny with a smile. “Can you hold onto that, Sunny? It’ll probably start raining again pretty soon, and we parked so far away—I don’t want you to have to get drenched walking all the way back here.”

Sunny nodded, slipping his wrist through the loop at the end of the umbrella’s handle. He swung it a little as they walked through the parking lot, up onto the cobble-stoned walkways of the shopping center. The riverfront area, where the University of Somewhere City was located, was a particularly ritzy part of town, and Riverfront Center certainly reflected that—with fancy stone facades on the shops and patterned pathways. There was even a large fountain in the middle of the shopping center, near a small amphitheater where they sometimes had live music when the weather was nice. There were also walkways down by the river which couldn’t really be seen in this fog, and the glistening steel and bright lights on the nearby Wilbertson bridge. The shopping center was always pristinely clean and bustling with people skittering in and out of fancy boutique shops for brands Hero had never even heard of before, having grown up modestly in the suburbs. He sometimes felt a little out of place amongst the opulence, but he had never been made to feel unwelcomed. His favorite place in the whole shopping center was, of course, Layla’s: a small, privately-owned coffee house that, at least in his experience, was much quieter and, therefore, more conducive to studying than the more chaotic and rowdy coffee shops closer to campus. He hoped Sunny would like it—would find it a pleasant and peaceful place as he had.

As he turned to head towards the coffee shop, however, he felt a light tug on his sleeve. Curiously, he turned to Sunny who pointed to the large shop to their right and the sign above the doorway that read “Sweet Dreams” in swirly, cloud letters followed by much smaller cursive “Mattresses and Bedding, Co.”

Hero’s brow furrowed. “You…want to go in the mattress store?” he asked somewhat confusedly. Sunny nodded emphatically.

Hero stifled a light chuckle, but he scratched the back of his neck with a shrug. “Okay…”

Sunny practically sprinted into the store, leaving Hero whirling a little before he finally got his bearings and followed him through the jingly doorway. Hero blinked. It was just like any other mattress store, he supposed with beds made up all over the shop. He supposed the fact they had a few made beds against the far wall was a little different, but the sign had read “mattresses and bedding, co.” so he supposed it made sense. His brow furrowed as he looked for Sunny amidst the shoppers, mattresses, and aisles of sheets, blankets, duvets, and throw pillows. It was a relatively large store compared to the boutique shops in this shopping center, but Hero could still see the back wall in the distance. There’s no way Sunny could have possibly disappeared in here…right?

Hero’s hands began to tremble. He could hear Mari’s warnings about Sunny’s tendency to wander off echoing in his head—though that had been back when Sunny was five. He was sixteen now. Surely, he wasn’t going to get lost in a mattress store…

After combing through aisles with no sign of him, however, Hero began to get worried. “Sunny…” he quietly whispered, trying not to draw too much attention to himself or disrupt any shoppers. “Sunny, where are you?”

Finally, as he turned out of an aisle of king-sized sheet sets, he sighed in relief, finding Sunny lying down with his eye closed on one of the made beds pressed up against a wall. Hero’s face flushed. Could he do that? He wasn’t really sure you were supposed to.

“Uh…Sunny…?” he awkwardly stumbled.

Sunny’s eye fluttered open, and he blinked at him before he mumbled, “6 out of 10.”

“Wh—what?”

“This is a 6 out of 10,” he repeated, patting the floral duvet with his hand. Then he pointed to another bed nearby with striped bedding. “That one’s a 6 out of 10 too.” Then at another covered in messy throw pillows. “But that one’s only a 5 out of 10—it’s too soft.”

Hero tilted his head in confusion. “Are you…uh…rating the beds in the mattress store?”

Sunny nodded. “It’s one of my hobbies.”

“Oh well…uh…” Hero stumbled. He wasn’t entirely sure what to say to that, but he supposed it was good Sunny had hobbies again so he somehow managed a smile. “That’s nice, but uh…” He bit his lip as he caught one of the store employees staring at them in blinking confusion. “I really don’t think you’re supposed to lay on these beds. They’re just for show.”

“But it’s a mattress store,” Sunny insisted—dry, matter-of-fact. “How will you know the quality if you don’t test it out?”

“Well…I think you can probably test the mattresses over there”—he pointed to the unmade beds—”But this is for bedding, so I think these mattresses are kind of like mannequins.”

Sunny blinked at him. “Don’t you want to test bedding before you buy it too?”

Hero shrugged. He supposed he couldn’t argue with that logic, but he decided it would probably be best to change the subject. “Are you looking for new bedding, Sunny?”

Sunny’s shoulders twitched. “Maybe, but my bed is a 10 out of 10.” He paused, then turned to Hero. “You? What’d your bed at college like?”

“Uh…You mean what would I rate it?” Sunny nodded, and Hero ran his hand through his hair. He had never really thought about it before, but truthfully, it was pretty uncomfortable. He supposed his university had more important things to spend money on than mattresses in student housing, so it had never really bothered him. He generously rated it, “Um…I guess a four or five maybe?”

Frowning, Sunny shook his head slightly. “That’s awful. You deserve at least an 8 out of 10.”

Hero chuckled awkwardly, but he shrugged. “I’m not sure that’s possible in on-campus housing. Maybe if I got an apartment or joined a fraternity or something…”

“Can you do that?” asked Sunny, cutting him off. “Your sleep is important.”

Hero’s expression softened. “Don’t worry Sunny. I get plenty of sleep,” he gently insisted. He decided it was probably best not to mention to Sunny that his friend, Kyle, had been pestering him all summer to join his fraternity in the new pledge term. He wasn’t sure what their mattresses were like there, but it wouldn’t surprise him if they were more comfortable than the ones they had in the dorms. But of course, Hero thought with a sigh, that was a very low bar.

Sunny simply blinked at him, but he didn’t say anything more. Hero wondered if he had used up all of his words, but as Sunny strolled through the store aisles, reaching out his hands to pat the mattresses, pillows, or beddings, he would mumble quietly, “5 out of 10,” “7 out of 10,” or “3 out of 10.” Hero had listened curiously—trying to figure out what rating criteria Sunny had been using. When he finally declared a mattress was a “9 out of 10,” Hero had impulsively reached out to touch it himself—not even really realizing what he had done until he watched his hand sinking into the soft foam.

“It’s polyurethane,” muttered Sunny with a twitch of an impressed smile.

“Wow. You really know a lot about this, Sunny.” Hero chuckled tilting his head towards the ‘Help Wanted’ sign in the front window near the door to the store. “Looks like they’re hiring. Maybe you can come work here someday.”

Sunny stared at him then at the window thoughtfully before he nodded.

“Are you ready to go?” asked Hero before he opened the door for Sunny. He didn’t want to rush him, but he was pretty sure he had rated everything in the store at this point so he wasn’t sure there was much left to do there. Sunny, it seemed, agreed with him—nodding his head and following him back outside.

As they made their way, once again, across the cobbled-stone walkway towards the coffee shop, Hero looked up at the sky. It was much darker than it had been before they had gone into the mattress store, but the rain seemed to be holding off—at least for now. It must’ve been perfect timing, however, because as soon as they shuffled through the jingly door into Layla’s the sky started spitting water again. The sprinkling rain beat against the coffee shop windows, making the place seem even more cozy and warm with its bright yellow walls and plush, mismatched furniture. As they walked up to the counter, a friendly barista took their order—earl grey tea for Hero and a caramel latte for Sunny, who had always had a bit of sweet tooth.

“There’s not a tea shop you can go to…?” Sunny teased—dry and deadpan, but Hero laughed as he took his cup of tea from the counter.

“I haven’t found one yet,” he answered with a shrug. “And I don’t mind coffee. I don’t love it as much as Kel but…”

“Nobody loves coffee as much as Kel,” Sunny interrupted, the slightest twitch of a smile in the corners of his mouth before he took a sip of his latte.

Hero shrugged his shoulders again. “You’re probably right about that. We’ll have to come back here with him someday. He’ll love it.”

“Do they have Orange Joe?”

Hero laughed. “I don’t think so. Not a lot of places carry Orange Joe anymore.”

“Good,” Sunny mumbled into his coffee, and Hero snorted a laugh behind his hand—feeling somewhat guilty for poking fun at Kel’s favorite drink of all-time.

As they took their seats at a nearby table, Hero asked, “So what do you think of your coffee?”

Sunny shrugged. “It’s okay—better than Orange Joe.”

A smile tugged at Hero’s mouth. He supposed that wasn’t all that difficult of an achievement. He stifled another laugh thinking of what Aubrey might have said if she was here—some dry quip about how even pond scum would taste better than Orange Joe. And then, of course, she and Kel would probably bicker like the old days and Basil would start fidgeting and kindly ask them not to fight and Sunny would thoughtfully watch everything unfold with blinking eyes until he started zoning out again. And Mari…

Hero stopped himself before he could even finish that thought. His insides twisted. He supposed there was really no point in thinking of what Mari would have done. Kel and Aubrey might bicker with each other again. Basil might stress over his friends’ conflict again. And Sunny might observe and might zone out into his own little world again. But Mari…Mari would never get to do anything again. Even if they all stuck together—starting hanging out again like the old days, there would always be something missing, something palpably different than before. Even now, just sitting in the coffee shop, Hero’s eyes lingered on the empty seat at their table. He could imagine Mari sitting there—giggling as she sipped her cup of coffee or tea, playfully nudging Sunny in the arm or shyly reaching for Hero’s hand under the table. His chest ached, and he looked away abruptly, staring intently at the clouds in his cup of tea.

He supposed he should have prepared for this—prepared to have been so reminded of her. After all, Sunny was her brother. He could see her in the way he tilted his head when he was thinking, in the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth, in the wistful, dreamlike innocence in his eyes. Hero supposed he had never really noticed or appreciated their similarities until after Mari was gone. He wondered if that was something Sunny noticed about himself—something that made it painful for him to look into the mirror, but he would never want to cross any boundaries and ask.

The truth was Sunny was his own person, and he was and had always been his friend—another little brother, just like Kel, in his mind. Mari had always used to say that was good thing—teased him that he wouldn’t have to adjust to having Sunny as a brother if they married one day when they grew up. But even now when that could never happen, even now when Mari was gone, they were still family. Sunny would always be a brother to him, and Hero would always take care of him.

But he never imagined there would come a day when it would be just the two of them sitting alone in a coffee shop with a painfully empty space between them…And the truth of that was hard to accept.

Hero cleared his throat—trying his best to pull himself out of his deep introspection, but before he could say anything, he felt Sunny tugging on his sleeve. His brow furrowed. “Yeah, Sunny?”

Sunny tilted his head towards the giggling barista and the tall, blonde man who was leaning over the counter on his elbows, presumably, to chat with her as she handed him his coffee. He winked at her but waved at Sunny and Hero.

“Do you know that guy? He’s been waving at us,” mumbled Sunny, and Hero nodded.

“Yeah, that’s Kyle. He’s a sports medicine major so we have a lot of classes together.”

“Hey, Mama!” Kyle exclaimed with a warm laugh and a wide smile as he headed over towards their table with his coffee. “What are you doing here?”

Hero chuckled, a little in spite of himself at the nickname Kyle had given him months ago. He really hadn’t expected it to stick as long as it had. “Hi Kyle. How are you?”

“Living the dream,” he chuckled as his grin widened and he leaned his elbows on their table, pushing his curtain bangs out of his eyes. It seemed like every time Hero saw Kyle, he looked more and more like he belonged in a boyband—with his preppy clothes, curtain-bangs haircut, and a watch Hero was pretty sure was more expensive than his parents’ TV. He supposed it was a look that suited Kyle given the fact that he was extraordinarily wealthy, very charismatic, and, as Hero had been told by many drunk girls, “conventionally attractive” given his broad-shoulders, high-cheekbones, and somewhat playfully boyish smile which seemed almost excessively bright today in contrast to the tan he must have gotten over the Summer spent on private beaches in Italy.

Hero stifled a laugh as he could have almost sworn he heard Sunny mumble, “Shiny…”

Kyle must’ve heard something too as he turned to him with a curious tilt of his head and held out his hand for a handshake. “Oh hey. I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Kyle.”

“Sunny.”

Sunny answered so quietly that Hero wasn’t sure Kyle had heard him, so he politely added, “Sunny’s an old friend of mine from back home in Faraway Town where I grew up. He just moved to the city, so I’ve been showing him around.”

Shaking his head, Kyle snorted a laugh before he teased, “You’re showing him around, and you bring him to Layla’s? You’re such a grandpa.” He paused, laughing again, and Hero sighed with a somewhat helpless shrug of his shoulders before Kyle patted him on the back. “I’m just messin’ with you,” he chuckled before turning to Sunny with a smile. “It’s nice to meet ya, Sunny. You know, I’ve never met any friends of Mama’s from back home, except Brandi, and she’s—”

“Intimidating,” mumbled Sunny. Kyle must’ve caught that at least, because he burst into raucous laughter.

“Exactly! See you get it,” he laughed, motioning to Sunny with his hand. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, Brandi’s gorgeous, wicked smart, and if I’m ever arrested I really hope she’ll be my lawyer, but she’s got teeth, man.”

Sunny nodded emphatically in agreement, but Hero just shook his head—pressing his palm to his forehead.

Kyle’s laugh wavered a little. “She’s not right behind me, is she? You know I love you, Brandi,” he teasingly declared to the universe, before he laughed again. “Real talk, Brandi’s great—a fine girl…what a good wife she would be.” He paused with a cheeky smile, seemingly amused by his own jokes and references to old songs that, before this moment, Hero wouldn’t have guessed Kyle even knew, before he quickly added, “Not for me though ‘cause I don’t wanna die. But totally for someone else—like Mama maybe, if he ever decides he doesn’t want to be a monk anymore.”

Hero’s face flushed. He and Brandi were just friends, and he was not interested in a relationship with anyone. He couldn’t be—wouldn’t be, not anymore, not since Mari… He stopped and swallowed hard. He supposed there was no way Kyle would know that, and given how important his relationships were to him, he doubted he would understand why Hero didn’t want one, even if he tried his best to explain. He knew Kyle’s teasing stemmed from a good place—it was fun, good-natured, and non-malicious. He also knew, or at least liked to think he’d stop if he told him the whole story, but it wasn’t something he was particularly comfortable talking about with even the people closest to him, he couldn’t imagine ever telling an acquaintance from school about it.

After all, he barely even knew Kyle and was sure Kyle knew even less about him. He liked him well enough when they had quite a few classes together seeing as he was a sports medicine major and Hero was pre-med, and he thought he was friendly, funny, and personable. They had studied together a few times, and Kyle had invited him to some of his frat parties and sent him a postcard all the way from Italy. Hero supposed that, of course, he considered him a friend, just not a close one. The fact he had thrown up in the back of his car a couple of times while plastered didn’t quite make them “share-about-the-time-your girlfriend-died-in-an-accident-when-you-were-15-and-now-you’re-convinced-you’re-never-gonna-love-again” kind of friends. Hero sighed. He wasn’t sure those type of friends even existed, and even if he did, knowing himself and how worried he was about dumping his problems onto other people, he probably wouldn’t tell them about Mari anyway.

“Tell me, Sunny,” teased Kyle. “Has Hero ever actually had a girlfriend or has he always been like this?”

Sunny turned to him—blinking at him with an unreadable expression that made Hero’s stomach coil guilty and uncomfortable. His face flushed. He had no idea what Sunny was thinking—if he was worrying he had been purposely trying to forget Mari or treating his relationship with her like some big secret. Biting his lip, he swallowed hard, realizing he couldn’t really address this right now.

“Kyle…” he began, hoping he’d think of something to say to change the subject when he paused, noticing the way Kyle shifted his weight to one side, how he tightened his grip on the edge of table, how his leg wobbled ever so slightly. “Is your knee bothering you?”

Kyle quirked an eyebrow at him, before he chuckled. “How do you always know that?”

That question had an easy answer, but it wasn’t one Kyle would ever get to know. Sunny knew, however, and he turned to Kyle immediately, blinking at him intently as he waited for him to actually answer the question.

“You’re gonna be a great doctor, Mama,” Kyle teased with a good-natured smile. “But you worry way too much about that. It’s fine. I was at this crazy party last night, and it kinda gave out on me when I was doing the electric slide. It hurt something awful this morning and I couldn’t find my brace”—he huffed—”I can never find that freaking thing when I need it, but it’s no big deal—nothing compared to this hangover.”

“You have a bad knee…” Sunny observed quietly. His tone was so flat as usual that it was impossible to tell if he meant it as a question or not.

Kyle sighed, rolling his eyes at Hero. “Now you’ve gone and worried, Sunny. It’s okay,” he insisted with a pointed look at Hero, but his face softened when he met Sunny’s wide, blinking eye, and he gave him a reassuring smile. “I got injured playing football a few years ago—had a bunch of surgeries, was on crutches forever, but after a ton of physical therapy, it’s fine now. I mean, I won’t ever play again, but I can walk and stuff.” Kyle sighed, ruffling his hand through his hair. “I mean, it gives out on me sometimes, but it’s fine. Mama acts like it’s gonna kill me.”

Hero’s face flushed red. He bit his lip, staring down at the table, unable to look at the expression on Sunny’s face. He could only imagine…

He swallowed hard. Trying not to think about it.

“You should still be careful,” Sunny said—quiet but emphatic, before he motioned to the empty chair at their table. “Do you want to sit down?”

“Oh, I don’t want to impose or anything.”

“It’s okay,” Hero gently insisted, after Sunny gave him a pointed tilt of his head and an emphatic nod. “Why don’t you just rest a little bit—get the weight off that knee?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Kyle playfully rolled his eyes then let out a breathy laugh, “If you insist, I guess…” he teased though Hero could tell he was kind of relieved to be able to sit down. “You know, you should consider sports medicine too, if you’re that interested. It’s why I wanna be a physical therapist, but you wouldn’t have to do that—you could do PM&R or something and still be a M.D., if you’re so set on being a doctor.” He paused, glancing over at Sunny. “What do you want to do, Sunny? You in college yet?”

Sunny shook his head. “No. But I think I’d like to work at the mattress store. Hero suggested it.”

“Oh yeah? That sounds cool. I don’t know much about mattresses, honestly, but I just got one of those Swedish memory foam ones and—”

“You have a high-density viscoelastic polyurethane mattress?” Sunny interrupted—swiftly and at a normal volume as his face seemed to light up. Hero could only blink at him, wondering when he had last seen Sunny so excited. Kyle, it seemed, could only blink at him too, though he seemed confused.

“Uh…I don’t know what any of that means,” he admitted with a light chuckle and somewhat sheepish grin. “But it’s pretty cool, I guess—really soft.”

“Is it an 11 out of 10? I’ve always thought it would be an 11 out of 10, but I’ve never actually seen one in person.”

Kyle shrugged. “Well I guess you can see mine sometime. I don’t mind.” Kyle’s smile widened. “If you help me convince Mama to join my fraternity, you can come over to visit him.”

Thoughtfully pursing his lips, Sunny blinked at him before he asked, “If Hero joins your fraternity, will he get a high-density viscoelastic polyurethane mattress?”

“Sunny,” Hero gently interrupted, his face flushing in embarrassment, but Kyle didn’t seem to mind and Sunny didn’t seem to notice as he continued.

“He says the bed in his dorm is only a 4 out of 10. He deserves at least an 8 out of 10.”

“Well yeah, of course. Those dorm beds suck,” agreed Kyle with a nod, but he tilted his head to the side. “Honestly, I dunno how I’d rate the beds at the fraternity house, but they’re definitely better. If one of those Swedish mattresses will get Hero to join, though, then he can totally have mine or maybe I can ask my dad to get him one or something.”

“You really don’t have to do that,” Hero insisted somewhat flustered, but Kyle just waved his hand at him dismissively.

“It’s no problem. I’m a trust-fund baby. My parents buy me stuff to make up for the fact they’re never around, and they love it when I make responsible friends.” Kyle laughed, practically beamed at them with a bright teasing smile. Hero sighed. He made jokes like this all the time, but Hero had never thought they were funny. “They did not like my old roommate at all. He was a fun guy—really knew how to party, but he partied a little too hard I guess, got a girl pregnant and now lives in off-campus housing with her. My parents have really been on me to find a new roommate that won’t do that, and I immediately thought of you.” Chuckling, he patted Hero on the back. “Not that I wouldn’t be totally on board if you wanted to get a girlfriend or something, just…I think you’d be more responsible and Brandi says you’re not even gonna hold hands ‘til you’re married so…”

Hero’s cheeks grew warm, and he buried his face in his hands. He honestly kind of took it as a compliment, but he was mortified Sunny had to hear all of this. “Kyle…” he sighed heavily, though he wasn’t even sure what to say. Ultimately, he decided on a dry, “I think I’ll leave the relationship stuff to you.”

Kyle laughed. “Thanks. Not sure I could compete with you really. I swear girls think you’re some kind of prince charming or something.”

“He’s universally loved,” mumbled Sunny, and Hero’s face flushed. He never could take a good compliment.

“You can say that again,” chuckled Kyle with a nod of agreement. “If you ever change your mind about the whole monk thing, I can totally set you up.”

Hero sighed, but he somehow managed, “Thanks, Kyle, but I’m good.”

“Suit yourself,” he replied with a shrug before taking a drink of his coffee. As he twisted the cup around in his hands, his smile widened. “Well I’m glad I’m not a monk ‘cause it looks like I’ve got a date this weekend with a barista.” He pointed to the phone number carefully scrawled across the sleeve of his coffee cup before glancing over his shoulder and winking at the giggly barista again. “Her name’s Kristin. She likes dogs and macchiatos, goes to our school, and is an English major.”

Hero tilted his head. He was honestly kind of impressed Kyle had managed to learn so much about the barista in such a short conversation.

“And she’s super cute too, don’t you think?” Kyle asked with a playful click of his tongue.

Sunny nodded in agreement. “She has pretty eyes.”

Hero’s brow furrowed, and he bit his lip—wracking his brain, trying to remember what color eyes the barista had even had. As he stared awkwardly at his hands, he was forced to accept that he just honestly didn’t know and, truthfully, he could barely even call to mind a vague image of how she looked. He fidgeted in his seat—guilty and awkward, fighting the temptation to glance at her over his shoulder to remind himself what she had looked like. But the truth was…it wouldn’t make a difference. He hadn’t noticed—honestly, he never really noticed anyone’s attractiveness anymore. He struggled to call to mind the features of their faces, their physical attributes, or even the color of their eyes. It wasn’t a conscious thing or something he specifically avoided, but it just didn’t register with him—almost as if, even now, he just couldn’t see anyone but Mari.

It truthfully made him feel a bit guilty, especially in cases like these when he was sure the barista truly was lovely. It seemed wrong not to have noticed or appreciated how pretty she was. But the more he thought about it, the more he thought it was probably a good thing. After all, he was terrified if he looked at someone else too long, he’d just start wishing she was Mari instead. And that wouldn’t be fair, to any of them.

For Kyle’s sake, however, he managed a slight twitch of a smile and a quiet, “Yeah, she seems really nice.”

Kyle laughed again, but his bright, toothy grin widened. Before he could say anything more, however, there was a repetitive, melodious beeping noise. Sunny perked up in surprise—blinking as Kyle pulled a cellphone out of his pocket. They weren’t particularly common in Faraway Town to begin with, and with Sunny having been isolated in his house for four years, Hero wasn’t entirely sure if he had ever actually seen one in person before. He didn’t want to embarrass Sunny by drawing attention to that, however, so he just sat back quietly and watched as Sunny’s eye widened while Kyle quickly and somewhat apologetically waved his hand at them with a swift, “Hold on, just a sec—I’ve got to take this” and pressed the phone to his ear.

“Hello—” He paused, then huffed. “Zuzu, where the hell are you?” There was another pause, followed by Kyle rolling his eyes and shaking his head. Hero turned away, trying his best not to eavesdrop on Kyle’s conversation, but that was easier said than done when Kyle loudly exclaimed, “I thought they broke up…!” He ran his hand through his hair. “Well tell her if she’s that desperate for a boyfriend, I’ll date her.”

Kyle stopped, trying and failing to stifle a laugh that came out as more of snort, before he scolded, “That’s not funny.” He twisted his mouth to the side. “I don’t care if it’s true—it’s not funny.”

Hero tried his best to turn to his attention back to his cup of tea, but it was empty now. He fidgeted in his seat—feeling awkward as if he had intruded on something he shouldn’t have. Sunny, however, was positively enraptured—curiously watching Kyle as he continued his conversation. Kyle didn’t seem to mind this—turning to smile at them with a light chuckle.

“It’s fine,” he finally said to the person on the other line. “I actually ran into some friends. You remember Mama, right—the guy I told you about? He’s basically a grandpa, like you—boring, responsible, studies all the time. He’s gonna be a doctor… And he can cook and he uses fabric softener—”

Hero twisted his hands. It was strange and somewhat embarrassing to think of Kyle talking about him to strangers, even if what he was saying was nice. It certainly wasn’t something he thought he should be listening to.

“That’s so mean!” Kyle exclaimed with scoff. “You know, if you ever do meet, you’re gonna feel so bad about saying that because, I’m tellin’ you, he’s like a literal saint.” He paused—his nose wrinkling as his frowned, but he emphatically insisted, “I am not trying to set you up! But it would totally do both of you some good…” As Kyle teasingly shook his head, Hero could have sworn he shot him a playfully pointed look. His face flushed—blushing even more red when he realized Sunny was sitting right there. “When was the last time that you—hey! Don’t hang up on me!” He paused, pouting, and Hero sighed in relief. “Well tell the Admiral, I’ll pay for more minutes”—he sighed with a conceding shake of his head—”Fine. I’ll see you soon... Ciao!”

Shaking his head, Kyle clicked the phone off then turned to Hero and Sunny with a shrug of his shoulders. “Sorry about that. My friends are parking. They’ll be here in a few minutes.”

“Oh well…we should probably get going. We wouldn’t want to intrude,” said Hero, but Kyle just waved his hand.

“You’re welcome to stick around,” Kyle insisted. “You’ve never gotten to meet Zuzu before, ‘cause, you know, she’s boring and doesn’t party.” He chuckled before he poked Hero in the arm. “Kinda like you actually. You know, you guys have a lot in common—I bet you would be friends.”

Hero sighed. Kyle had been telling him this for months now and, just like the girl on the other end of his phone call, Hero had also suspected that he was trying to set them up which was definitely not something he wanted. Truthfully, he had been avoiding meeting her on purpose, for this reason, because he didn’t want to make things awkward or give her the wrong impression or, he supposed, encourage Kyle to keep doing things like this. He’d be better off with Kyle thinking he actually wanted to be a monk, just so he could avoid the discomfort and awkwardness of him trying to set him up with his friends.

Hero sighed. He knew Kyle was well-meaning, and to be perfectly fair, from all accounts, his friend Zuzu sounded like a lovely and very accomplished person. She was the salutatorian of their extremely competitive private high school and was now studying civil engineering on a full-ride scholarship. Kyle said she was witty, spunky, responsible, and self-assured. He joked he couldn’t understand what she was saying half the time and she had absolutely no patience for any of his antics, but he swore she was often the only thing standing between him and an extremely stupid and reckless decision that could ruin his life. As guilty as Hero felt thinking about it, he had always wondered how such wildly different people could have become friends in the first place. But he supposed it was none of his business.

“Why don’t you stick around—just for a little while?” Kyle asked, pulling Hero out of his thoughts. He sighed heavily. He didn’t want to argue. In any other scenario, he’d likely acquiesce, but Sunny… Hero glanced over at him now—blinking with his usual blank expression. He didn’t want Sunny to have to have to see that. It was bad enough that he had to sit there and listen to Kyle make all those jokes about Hero’s love life or lack thereof. He didn’t even want to imagine what he’d think if Kyle actually tried to set him up with a girl in front of him—how disrespectful that would be to Mari, as if she was in any way replaceable.

Hero’s chest ached, and he swallowed hard. He steeled himself with a shaky breath and tried his best to be nonchalant as he forced a smile. “Thanks, Kyle, but Sunny lives across town, and I really need to be getting him home. His mom will be worried.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Kyle chuckled, but he threw up his hands and conceded, “Alright fine. Next time then.” He turned to Sunny with a smile. “It was nice meeting you, Sunny. Help me get Hero to join my frat, so we can see each other again. I’ll look into that mattress stuff too—what’s it called again?”

“A high-density viscoelastic polyurethane mattress,” Sunny answered with a emphatic nod.

“Gotcha.” Kyle laughed, then patted Hero on the back as he stood up from his seat at the table. “If I get you one of these, you’re gonna join, right?”

Hero’s sighed—sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. “Kyle…I—I’ll think about it.”

“Sweet!” exclaimed Kyle waving his fist excitedly in the air. “Pledge week is coming up. I’ll send you the details, okay?”

“Okay,” sighed Hero, but a slight smile tugged at his mouth. “See you around, Kyle.”

As Kyle waved goodbye to them, Sunny and Hero stacked their dishes on the designated counter, threw away their trash, then made their way to the door of the coffee shop. Hero felt Sunny tugging on his sleeve—stopping him before he walked out into the now pouring rain. Glancing out at the rain pelting against the windows, Hero sighed heavily. What had been light sprinkles when they had arrived had somehow quickly become a torrential downpour. Sunny held up the black umbrella Hero had given him earlier, and Hero nodded at him with a smile.

“Good idea, Sunny,” he said. Sunny began to fidget with the umbrella in his hands, but since there was very little room in Layla’s cramped and crowded entryway, Hero stepped out into the rain, holding the door for Sunny so he could open the umbrella as he walked out onto the sidewalk. Within moments, he could feel the rainwater seeping into his shirt and his hair—dripping down into his face. He wiped his hand across his eyes—trying to clear away at least some of the excess water before he closed the door. When he looked up, he caught sight of two young ladies scurrying towards the coffee shop under a red umbrella. He shifted behind the door again, holding it open for them. It was the polite thing to do and besides, he was already wet.

One of the girls giggled a bubbly, “Thank you” as she ducked inside.

While the other quipped dryly, “What do you know—chivalry isn’t dead.”

Hero chuckled lightly, before he could stop himself, and tried to stifle his laugh with his hand since the delivery was so dry and deadpan, he wasn’t sure she was trying to be funny. Even so, it must have caught her attention. She shifted the red umbrella in her hands so she could look over her shoulder, smiling at him with bright green eyes.

“Thank you,” she said with a tilt of her head before she waved her hand, closed her dripping umbrella, and gave it a few shakes on the sidewalk for good measure.

“You’re welcome,” he answered as she finally disappeared through the doorway,

Hero could have sworn he heard her companion excitedly whispering between bursts of giggles, “Who is that? He’s so cute. We should talk to him.”

“Lorraine,” scolded the girl with the red umbrella, sounding thoroughly unamused. “He’s leaving, and he can probably hear you.”

“Oh let him,” huffed the other girl. “If he’s that good looking, he has to know it already.”

Hero blushed. He could feel the tips of his ears begin to burn. It was only then that he realized he was still standing there—eavesdropping on strangers’ conversations. Ruffling his hand through his damp hair, he looked up above his head, noticing the black umbrella Sunny was holding out to him.

“Thanks, Sunny,” mumbled Hero, his cheeks warm as he watched his shuffling feet on the sidewalk. He finally closed the door to Layla’s which jingled shut behind him and scratched the back of his neck with an awkward chuckle, “Sorry. Guess I zoned out there for a second.”

“That’s okay,” Sunny gently insisted with a nod. “You can stay with your friends if you want.”

Hero shook his head quickly, huddling next to Sunny under the umbrella as they took off down the walkway towards the mattress store and the place they had parked. “You know, Sunny, it’s fine. I don’t really know Kyle’s friends, and even if I did, I wouldn’t want to intrude.” He paused, smiled. “Besides, today is about me spending time with you.”

Sunny blinked at him. “But if you met Kyle’s friends, they could be your friends too, right?”

His face flushing, Hero pursed his lips together, but he managed a hum. “Yeah…I’m sure they would be.”

“Kel says that if you make friends with someone who’s really friendly then they can introduce you to all their friends and then you’ll have a lot of friends.”

“That’s really good advice,” Hero replied with a slight smile, but he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, feeling suddenly self-conscious. Had he worried Sunny somehow? His face flushed. He couldn’t stand the idea of people worrying about him. “Look, uh…Sunny…is this about what I said at Basil’s house about how I’ve been so busy studying that I haven’t made a lot of friends at school yet?”

Sunny blinked at him blankly—his expression as unreadable as usual, but the fact that he didn’t say ‘no’ made Hero fidget with his hands. “If you joined Kyle’s fraternity, you could study and make friends at the same time because your friends would live in your house.”

“I uh…suppose that’s true, but um…”

“Kyle is nice. I bet his friends are nice too,” Sunny quietly interrupted. “He wants you to meet his one friend, Zuzu, but you haven’t yet.”

Hero nervously fumbled around in his pocket for his car keys. He wished he could sink into the sidewalk. He did not want to have to explain this to anyone, but least of all to Sunny. He scrambled to think of another excuse. “Right well uh…I’ve been really busy and um…Kyle says she’s an engineering major so she’s really busy too, and neither of us really go to parties that much and—”

“Is it because he’s trying to set you up?” Sunny asked—monotone, matter-of-fact.

Hero’s trembling hands dropped his keys. Bending to the ground, he picked them up and unlocked his car. He left Sunny with the umbrella then ran to the driver’s seat—climbing inside the car and shaking off the excess water. When he turned towards Sunny again, he was still blinking at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.

Biting his lip, Hero sighed heavily. “I’m sorry you had to hear that, Sunny” he said. “Kyle means well, but uh…he doesn’t know about Mari.” He paused sighing again as something ached in his chest. “It’s not because it’s some big secret or I’m trying to forget about her or I don’t think about her anymore. I just…it’s actually kind of the opposite really… I think about her all time—miss her every day. I’m sure you do too. It’s just…hard to talk about—hard to explain. I don’t know if Kyle or anyone would really understand and then I’d just make them sad or worried. I don’t want them to feel bad for me, you know? But uh”—his voice hitched, got caught in the back of his throat—“I’m not trying to pretend or forget or replace her. I could never replace her…would never even want to try.”

“Not replace,” Sunny quietly interrupted. “If you make new friends, you can still keep your old ones.”

Sunny paused, and Hero could have almost sworn he heard him sniffle but he couldn’t bring himself to look at him as Sunny continued, “Mari wouldn’t want you to be lonely.”

Something panged and twisted in Hero’s chest. Tears prickled behind his eyes. He shut them tightly as Sunny’s voice hitched, something breaking in it as he said, “I don’t want you to be lonely either. I’m so sorry…”

Hero turned towards Sunny, watching the tear that struggled free from his good eye. He lunged forward over the center console of his car and hugged him tightly.

“No, Sunny. It’s okay,” he insisted, but he could feel Sunny shake his head.

“It’s all my fault,” he mumbled into his shoulder.

Hero cleared his throat, his eyes burning as he desperately stumbled over his words. “No—it’s…it’s not. I know it isn’t. It was an accident, and it’s not all your fault.”

Hero took a long, shaky breath, trying his best to comfortingly run his hand across Sunny’s back. The words started tumbling out of his mouth—whether as comfort for Sunny or for himself he wasn’t entirely sure. “Didn’t you hear what Kyle said earlier about his bad knee giving out on him? There’s a name for that. It’s called ‘patellar instability,’ and it’s a real medical condition, a complication that happens after someone seriously injures their knee. The joint’s weakened—just can’t support their weight sometimes. It’ll buckle, and the person will fall.”

He paused, trying to catch his wavering breath. “That’s how Kyle and I really became friends actually. We were at a party, and Kyle’s knee gave out when he was dancing on a table and he fell on the floor, really hurt himself. I helped patch him up and took him home.” Hero swallowed hard but admitted, “I’ve been thinking about that a lot over the past couple of months—ever since you told us the truth. I’ve been reading about it too—got a bunch of books from the library. And Sunny…” He pulled away from him—placing his hands firmly on his shoulders, waiting until he finally met his eyes. “You know that I forgive you, no matter what—even if I’m all wrong about this. I know I’m just a nobody—not a doctor or anything, at least not yet, but…I am telling you, I really think that’s what happened to Mari. Her bad knee that just never healed right—it gave out on her.”

“But…Hero…” choked Sunny, cutting him off. “I pushed her.”

His heart ached, and he shut his misty eyes tightly. “I know,” he admitted. “But I also know you didn’t mean to push her down the stairs—you loved Mari and didn’t want to hurt her. I know that we can’t ever really know for sure, but Sunny, I promise I know—I just…I’m not sure I can even really explain how, but I can feel it. I just know that if it wasn’t for that bad knee, she wouldn’t have fallen the way she did. It was a tragic accident.”

Hero could feel Sunny tighten his grip around him, could feel his fingers digging into the shirt on his back. He didn’t say anything—just hugged him in silence for a long, long time.

Hero honestly wasn’t sure how long it was until Sunny finally broke away from him—wiping his hand across his eye. “Thanks…” he quietly mumbled, though Hero knew the words meant infinitely more.

With a gentle smile, he reached out a hand to pat Sunny on the head. “Any time, Sunny. I’m always here for you, okay?”

Sunny nodded, and Hero’s expression softened. Something warm spread through his chest as he watched the smallest hint of a smile curve in the corners of Sunny’s mouth.

After another long pause, Sunny pursed his lips together, and his eyebrows twitched as he asked, “Is Kyle gonna be okay, you think?”

A slight smile tugged at the corners of Hero’s mouth. It was an unexpected question but very kind. Sunny had always been so thoughtful. “Yes, I’m sure Kyle is gonna be just fine.” Truthfully, Kyle’s excessive partying and underage binge drinking were probably much bigger problems than his bad knee could ever be, but he didn’t think it would be right to tell Sunny that.

“Can you join his fraternity and keep an eye on him?”

Hero rubbed his hand across the nape of his neck. “You really want me to do that, huh?”

Sunny shrugged, but he nodded. “You might get to sleep on a high-density viscoelastic polyurethane mattress. That’s an 11 out of 10.” A smile twitched in the corners of his mouth. “You deserve an 11 out of 10.”

Hero’s smile widened, just barely. “Thanks, Sunny.”

“And Kyle needs a babysitter—who knows what’ll happen to him without you,” he said matter-of-factly, with that deadpan humor he didn’t hear from Sunny as much as anymore. Hero chuckled in spite of himself. It was nice to hear Sunny joke again.

“I really think Kyle can take care of himself,” he reassured him. “He’s actually much smarter than people give him credit for. He’s in all kinds of difficult science classes with me because he wants to be a physical therapist.”

“So he can help other people recover when they hurt their knees?” Sunny quietly interrupted, and Hero nodded.

Sunny blinked at him, the lingering ghosts of tears in his good eye. “Is that what you want to do too?” he asked. “When you become a doctor, will you help other kids with bad knees—make sure they get better and nothing bad happens to them?”

Something in panged Hero’s chest, but his brow furrowed. He honestly hadn’t thought about that before. Truthfully, when he thought about becoming a physician one day he mainly just thought about the long hours of school and work it would require and figured that when the time came, he would just choose a specialty that would keep him exceptionally busy for the rest of his life. That was the goal, after all, but… Maybe Sunny had a point. Maybe like Kyle, he could choose a career path that was personally meaningful to him—could honor Mari by dedicating the rest of his life to trying to prevent another tragedy. His heart ached. He couldn’t save her, but maybe he could save someone else.

“Do you…do you really think I could do that…?” Hero hadn’t realized he had asked the question aloud until he heard Sunny hum and nod at him.

“You’re Hero,” he said matter-of-factly as if it was the easiest, simplest explanation in the world. “I think you can do anything.”

Sniffling, Hero wrapped his arms around Sunny’s shoulders and hugged him again. “Thank you,” he mumbled as he pressed his chin to his shoulder. With a deep breath, he pulled away from him to start the car. “We should probably head home, huh?”

Sunny nodded, and Hero turned the key in the ignition, starting the car and the low hum of the radio again. He stopped suddenly—the familiar chord progression making his breath catch in his throat. He hadn’t heard this song in ages—hadn’t let himself listen to it, but he’d recognize it anywhere, could feel the words “To lead a better life, I need my love to be here…” aching in his bones.

Instinctively, Hero reached out his hand to shut off the radio, but he heard Sunny’s breath hitch as he whispered, “Mari…Mari loved this song…”

Hero sniffled. He glanced over at Sunny almost pleadingly as his hand hovered in front of the radio dial. As he shut his eyes tightly, he felt a tear finally struggle free. “I’m so sorry, Sunny…I just…I haven’t been able to listen to it since—”

With a click, the music stopped. Sunny had tapped the button. “It’s okay,” he mumbled—something soft, something reassuring in his voice. “Maybe you will again someday.”

#omori hero #hero omori #sunny omori #omori sunny #sunny and hero friendship #hero deserves to be happy #sunny also deserves to be happy #and deserves a high-density viscoelastic polyurethane mattress #it's an 11 out of 10 😁#omori spoilers #hero friendships #when sun shines again⛅#hero fic #our content #thanks for reading #hero month 💙#excited to be wrapping up hero month with our passion project 'when sun shines again'

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hero-deserves-to-be-happy · 1 year ago

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When Sun Shines Again: Chapter 2 "To Lead A Better Life" Part 1

⛅CHAPTER 2⛅ "To Lead A Better Life" Part 1

Chapter Description: Sorting through boxes of all odds and ends with Kel brings up bittersweet memories for Hero and causes him to reflect on the state of his life and his relationship with his brother. Is it possible for things to ever go back to the way they were before?

This Chapter is Kel & Hero's Brotherly Relationship-Centric.

Chapter Word Count: 9540. Link to Chapter 2 on AO3.

⛅Tags For The Story As A Whole (So A Lot Of These Are "Eventual" Tags):

Romantic Relationships: Main Ships: (Past) Hero/Mari and (Eventual) Hero/OC. Side Ships: Brandi/OC and a brief mention of Mikhael/Bebe are the only side ships involving canon characters.

Link to Entire work on AO3.

⛅ Link to the "When Sun Shines Again" Masterlist. ⛅

Full chapter text below the cut. Thank you for reading! ⛅

It was raining again. Hero supposed he should probably expect it by now. After all, rain seemed to follow him wherever he went. It had hovered over him, drowned him in constant stormy weather ever since Mari…

He stopped abruptly—listening to the sound of distant thunder rumbling outside of his bedroom window. It had been four years now, but there was still that familiar ache in his chest whenever he thought of it—thought of her, and he knew there always would be. No matter how many years went by he still missed her, still felt the loss of her like a storm cloud overhead leaving his whole world a little darker, drearier, and dimmer than it had been before.

With a heavy sigh, he pushed the thought away, distracting himself by narrowing his dark eyes intently at the boxes of odds and ends his mother had asked him to go through when Hero had asked if there was anything he could do to help out around the house on his unexpected day off. The public pool where he was working for the summer as a lifeguard had unexpectedly shut down due to all-day thunderstorms leaving Hero with an unanticipated day off and too much idleness for his own liking. These days, there was nothing Hero disliked more than having nothing to do and having to be alone with his thoughts. His go-to method of coping had always been to stay too busy to fall apart—to drown his feelings in the responsibilities and obligations of high school, college, extra curriculars, part-time jobs, and any menial task he could find in a pinch. He had once spent four hours organizing his sock drawer on a particularly difficult day, but luckily, his pre-med track usually kept him exceptionally busy between difficult classes, honors seminars, studying for the MCAT, volunteer hours at the local hospital, CPR and first aid training, and anything else he could think of that might look good on a med school application.

Becoming a doctor was probably more of his parents’ dream for him than his own, but, if Hero was being honest with himself, he wasn’t sure he even really had a dream of his own anymore. That said, in a way, he supposed he was sort of looking forward to it—looking forward to losing himself in the long hours of school and work his new career path required. He hoped that as a doctor he’d stay so busy for the rest of his life that he just wouldn’t feel it anymore.

He wasn’t busy enough yet. This past summer had made that abundantly clear.

Hero pushed the thought away with a sigh—unwilling to unpack those feelings which had been bubbling under the surface ever since he had learned the truth nearly a month and a half ago. He had thought about Mari more in the past six weeks than he had allowed himself to think of her for the past three years. He supposed it was a rather dramatic swing from thinking of her always in that first year after she had died to not really allowing himself to think of her much at all, but it was all he could think of to do to save himself from repeating the worst year of his life.

Looking back on it now, all he could really remember was the feeling of drowning in a pitch-black room filled with dark, murky water and that feeling of wanting to scream but not having the voice to. He would say he never wanted to feel that way again, but the truth was he didn’t care much what happened to him. He did care that his deep depression had hurt his family, however—had hurt his brother especially and he didn’t want to hurt them again, so he gathered up all of his feelings: his grief, guilt, sadness, even his memories and locked them away—too afraid that if he even tried to open the door to it all, he would never be able to close it again, that it would spill out and drown him. He sometimes wondered if someday in the future when he was older, wiser, and, hopefully, stronger he might get some professional help and start slowly opening that door and working through what had happened, but he didn’t get that option anymore. Sunny and his confession had ripped that door off its hinges like yanking a bandage off an open wound, though Hero supposed that probably wasn’t the best comparison. Ripping off a bandage probably would have hurt less.

It would be an understatement to say that he was still reeling from the whole thing, but after letting himself cry off and on for a whole weekend, he had picked the door back up, forcibly wedged it back into the doorframe, then called the pool to ask if he could pick up more hours per week than he had originally planned. He knew it wasn’t the best solution, but it had been working fine until this day of storms removed his distraction and left him alone with his thoughts and feelings and only a broken door to hold them back.

“Hey! I remember this!” Kel exclaimed, reminding Hero that he wasn’t nearly as alone as he thought. Even though Hero had assured Kel that he didn’t have to give up his whole afternoon to help him sort through odds and ends, Kel had insisted saying the process would go faster if they worked together. Hero couldn’t argue with his brother’s logic on this point, but there was something in Kel’s expression as he said it, a sort of distant concern in his eyes that made Hero wonder if his brother just didn’t want him to be left alone.

After rummaging through the box in front of him, Kel held up a small, square picture book with the title Hungry Humphrey on the cover. “Sunny used to love this book. Remember how he used to carry it around everywhere and read it over and over?”

Hero’s mouth twitched in the corners, and he managed a brisk nod.

“I wonder if Sally would like it…” hummed Kel, and Hero nodded again.

“We should put that in the keep pile. Maybe we can read it to her later.”

Kel practically threw the book over to Hero’s side of the room upsetting a stack of cassette tapes, Hero’s trophy from the scholastic decathlon, and a bin of old pictures they had set aside to “keep.” “Oops,” he muttered, scratching the back of his neck with a somewhat sheepish smile.

“Here. Let me help,” Hero insisted picking up some of the photos. He paused—his hands shaking as he stared down at one of them: he and Kel with all of their friends at the beach before Mari… He swallowed hard.

“It’s okay. I’ve got it,” Kel insisted quickly, meeting Hero’s eyes almost frantically, and Hero looked away, guilty to have worried his brother and embarrassed that Kel thought he was so…broken.

His chest ached. He couldn’t stand this expression of Kel’s—the one that looked like he was watching a trainwreck, heartbroken and worried but too far away or perhaps too afraid of making things worse to do anything about it. He couldn’t stand the way Kel awkwardly twisted his hands or tripped over his words, the way his voice trailed off when he talked to him about anything that even hinted at the less-than-happy, as if he felt like he had to walk on eggshells around him. That awkwardness didn’t suit him, and it made Hero’s stomach twist until he felt sick watching Kel stumble his way through trying to talk to him about anything deeper than school or the weather or silly stories from home Hero had missed out on while he was at college. It broke his heart that there was such a distance between them now, that Kel looked at him like he was fragile, maybe even dangerous—looked at him like he was scared he would break if he didn’t say the perfect thing.

Hero loved his brother, and in times like these, he wanted nothing more than to throw his arms around him and cry, hold him and tell him how sorry he was—how much he just wanted his brother back, wanted to talk and laugh and tell each other everything like old times without Kel being so afraid of breaking him. But he didn’t think he had the right to even wish for that anymore. He was the one who had lashed out at Kel, had pushed him away when he was only trying to help. It was the only time he and his brother had ever fought, and there were very few things in Hero’s life that he looked back on with as much regret. He wished he could go back and do things differently, better—that he could somehow stop his younger self before he did something he would regret for the rest of his life, before he hurt one of the most important people in the world to him and permanently damaged their relationship, before he had to confront that pained expression in Kel’s eyes knowing that he was the reason it was there in the first place. If Hero was being perfectly honest, he didn’t know Kel would ever really talk to him again, and he honestly wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t.

After a long, awkward pause, Kel just changed the subject, “You know I actually talked to Sunny recently…” He paused, playing with the photos in his hands and chuckled lightly. “Well…uh…I talked, and Sunny listened. They’re almost all moved in now, but Sunny hasn’t made any new friends yet. I said he’ll probably make friends when school starts or I told him he could try to make friends with some of the other teenagers in his apartment building. Sunny said there are some so I told him he should try to say hi and introduce himself the next time he sees them.”

“Well not everyone’s as friendly as you are, Kel,” Hero teased with a light chuckle, patting his brother on the back of the head. “Some of us are a little more shy.”

Kel shrugged. “Yeah well…that doesn’t mean you can’t make friends though, right? I mean you have lots of friends in college—how’d you make those?”

Hero’s brow furrowed. The honest answer was that he wasn’t entirely sure. The truth was he felt he had a lot of acquaintances at university—people he saw around in classes or at events, and though there were a handful of people he might call his “friends,” he wasn’t sure if they’d refer to him in the same way. His two best friends at college were probably Brandi who he had already known from Faraway Town, and Kyle, an outgoing sports medicine major who happened to share a lot of classes with him.

“You do have friends at college, don’t you?” chuckled Kel half-jokingly though he was sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. Hero’s face flushed. He had gotten caught up in his own thoughts again.

“Yeah, I have friends. I just…I’m not sure how I made them.” He let out a somewhat self-deprecating laugh and shrugged his shoulders. “I mean…I knew Brandi from before, and I guess Kyle kind of just adopted me after I offered to study with him and then kept taking me to all these parties and introducing me to his friends… I’m not sure why though.”

“What do you mean? You’re super cool—of course everyone wants to hang out with you,” Kel insisted with a smile, but Hero shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m not sure about that…” Hero sighed. He was flattered that Kel still thought of him as a “cool” older brother, so he couldn’t quite find the words to explain to him that he was actually kind of a dork and an academic who was shy and uncomfortable around new people and often worried he was a wet blanket since he’d much rather spend an evening studying alone than going out partying. “I’m usually just the ‘mom’ or the designated driver.”

“Moms are cool!” Kel insisted patting him on the back, and Hero laughed.

“Not really in college, Kel.”

“There’s got to be some other moms around you can be friends with though, right? Or is it really like the movies where everyone in college just parties all the time?”

Hero’s brow furrowed, and his shoulders twitched. “I don’t think everyone parties, but I haven’t really met another ‘mom friend’ like me yet. Kyle has one from high school that he talks about a lot, but I’ve never actually met her. Brandi’s convinced it’s because she doesn’t exist, but Kyle says she’s just never around because she just hates parties and people”—Hero laughed—“but I think he’s just kidding about that.”

“I hope so,” bantered Kel. “Imagine hating parties and people—it’s like hating puppies. You can’t hate puppies!”

Chuckling lightly to himself, Hero scratched the back of his neck, but his shoulders twitched. “Says the posterchild extrovert,” he teased. “There are lots of people who get kind of overwhelmed at big parties.”

Thoughtfully, Kel tilted his head. “Like Sunny?”

With an affirming hum, Hero nodded. “Yeah. I think Sunny’s always been shy, but hopefully he’ll find someone at his new school like you or Kyle who’s really friendly and can introduce him to everyone.”

“You think so? I’ll try to tell him to look out for someone friendly next time I talk to him.”

Kel’s shoulders twitched before he stacked a bunch of photos back into their bin, and Hero reached out for another box filled with old notebooks and papers. ”You know, the university is pretty close to where Sunny lives, right?” Kel continued while fiddling with the photos in his hands. “So maybe you could visit him when you go back to school sometime if you want.”

Hero paused. He managed a nod though he didn’t look up from the stack of papers he was sifting through.

“You know, I mean…if you’re not still…” Kel began to stumble hurriedly before his voice trailed and he bit his lip—that awkward, tense expression returning to his face again making Hero’s insides twist. Kel added hurriedly, “It’s okay if you are still—” He stopped. “Or if you don’t want to…I just meant, if you’re still friends, then maybe…”

Hero took a long deep breath as Kel met his eyes—worried and almost pleading. “It’s okay, Kel. We’re still friends.”

Even if Hero didn’t know exactly how he felt about Sunny right now and hadn’t known how he felt ever since he had learned the truth, he did know that Sunny was his friend and no matter what had happened, Hero would always consider him a friend. Even in that hospital, even when his heart was breaking all over again, the pull he felt to comfort Sunny and to reassure him that he understood it was an accident and that Mari wouldn’t want him to blame himself was far stronger than anything else. He knew what that kind of suffering felt like—how painful it was to feel responsible for the death of someone you loved, to mentally beat yourself with the guilt of it all wondering if you had just done the smallest thing differently could it have all been avoided. After all, that’s exactly how he had felt about Mari for the past four years. He didn’t want her brother—no, more than that, he didn’t want his friend who had always been like a brother to him too, to feel the same way no matter what the circumstances were. He had wiped his eyes, then come back into that room—pulled Sunny into his arms and hugged him tightly telling him he was sorry, he was so, so sorry.

That said, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t grateful for the space Sunny moving away had afforded him to work through his complicated emotions, however. Kel probably knew this—had watched him silently wrestle with it over the past month when he had forgiven and forgotten as quickly as Hero would have expected from him. Kel had always been a much stronger person than he was.

Hero watched as Kel sighed in relief, and he could have sworn he even heard his brother mumbled a sincere, “Oh good” before turning back to the photos he was still cleaning up.

As extra reassurance, Hero added, “Does Sunny like coffee now? There’s a great coffee shop near campus called ‘Layla’s’ that I go to study at sometimes. Maybe I can take him there.”

“Yeah, that would be cool,” Kel replied with a bright smile. “I don’t know if Sunny likes coffee, but I can ask him. He never really liked Orange Joe, but Aubrey says that can’t really be called coffee anyway so maybe he likes other kinds of coffee. I think he’ll just be glad to see you. I think he’s been worried that like…” Kel’s voice grew soft and trailed off as he quietly added, “Well…you know…”

Hero’s expression softened, and something twisted in his chest. Sunny had suffered enough. He didn’t want to add to that. “I’ll try to call him this week—ask if he likes coffee.”

Kel nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah or I can ask him whenever I talk to him again. I try to call once a week when I remember.”

“That’s nice of you, Kel,” said Hero with a kind smile. “I’m sure Sunny could use a friend right now.”

Whether Kel actually heard this or not, however, Hero couldn’t be sure as he just continued talking a mile a minute as normal. “I try to call Basil when I remember too, but they’re pretty strict at the hospital about when he can get phone calls. It’s a visitors’ weekend this weekend though, if you want to go back up there. I know it’s kind of a trek.”

That was a bit of an understatement. The psychiatric hospital where Basil had been spending the summer was nearly an hour away without taking traffic into account. When Hero had driven there with Aubrey and Kel for the last visitors’ weekend a couple of weeks back, they had gotten stuck in a construction zone for nearly an extra hour and a half—which felt four times as long given Kel’s insistence on singing every verse of “99 Bottles Of Pop On The Wall” until Aubrey had finally thrown her empty bottle of pop at him in exasperation at around “27 bottles.”

Hero stifled a chuckle. He had to hand it to her for waiting that long, but she and Kel had been making their best efforts to try to get along with each other again which Hero definitely appreciated as the self-appointed peacekeeper of their group. It was perhaps a selfish role on his part seeing as he had no patience for conflict and was at his happiest personally when everyone just got along with each other, but he liked to think it helped his friends to have someone there to mediate problems and help them reconcile. A few months ago, even Hero would have had to admit that Kel and Aubrey reconciling with each other had seemed like a lost cause. He still shuddered when he thought of how they had, allegedly, had it out with each other before Aubrey pushed Basil into the lake, but after that heart-to-heart chat Aubrey had had with them on Sunny’s last day in Faraway Town, they had found some common ground or at least come to understand each other a little bit better.

Hero would say that learning the Truth had probably helped with that too—forced them to bond in a way, even though they had reacted differently. Despite being hurt, Kel had forgiven Sunny and Basil almost immediately which is exactly what Hero would have expected from him. His brother was always the strong one—always the bigger person. Aubrey reacted just the Hero would have expected as well—anger masking the fact she was undeniably wounded. To her credit, however, she hadn’t lashed out at Sunny or Basil—just sort of stormed out of the room, and when Hero had returned after quietly excusing himself to go cry alone somewhere, Kel had chased after her to try to convince her to come back. According to Kel, they had some sort of confrontation in the hospital’s garden and outdoor seating area. Hero wasn’t sure what they had talked about—and truthfully it was none of his business—but whatever it was had not only convinced Aubrey to return and patch things up with Sunny and Basil but also permanently repaired her and Kel’s friendship with each other. Up until that point, Hero had really just been praying they’d eventually make amends enough to agree not to pick fights with each other in church anymore, so the fact that they were actually considering each other friends again was more than he could have hoped for—and Hero was beyond grateful for it.

It had certainly been a blessing for the three of them to have each other this difficult summer, and they spent quite a bit of it together when they weren’t all busy with their summer jobs. Even Aubrey had one now which, Hero hoped, signaled the end of her era of delinquency and terrorizing the neighborhood with her nail bat. But he didn’t want to push his luck and didn’t think it was his place to ask her too many questions about it. That did remind him though…

“I have Sunday off so I’d be up for visiting Basil then, but Aubrey might have to work so we’ll have to ask her.”

“Aubrey doesn’t work on Sundays,” Kel interjected. “She worked it out with Gino to always work Saturdays instead so she can still go to church.”

“Oh.” Hero shrugged—trying not to feel too guilty that Kel had known this but he hadn’t. Before he could say anything more on the matter, however, the cassette tape that had been playing in the background ended with a click. In a swift motion, Kel scrambled over to his new boombox to rewind the tape.

“Do you want to listen to it again or…maybe something else instead?” he asked with a slight chuckle. Hero’s brow furrowed.

He had always been the type of person to try to drown his feelings in music—desperately clutching onto background melodies as a necessary distraction, a sort of life preserver in an otherwise tumultuous storm of negative emotions. In that way, he supposed he was grateful for Kel’s boombox. On the other hand, they had listened to that particular tape three times already.

“Maybe…” Hero’s voice cracked. While he was less than enthused at the prospect of listening to Kel’s favorite tape for the fourth time today, he didn’t want to upset his brother. He stumbled over his words. “Or…maybe something we haven’t listened to in a while?”

“Yeah okay,” shrugged Kel with an easy, nonchalant smile.

Hero sighed in relief as he began rifling through a nearby box filled with a bunch of old cassette tapes most of which were kids songs or soundtracks for cartoons he and Kel had used to know every word to. Somewhere between “Kids’ Songs From Around The World” and the original soundtrack recording for “The Adventures of Captain Spaceboy: The Animated Series,” Hero noticed a record jacket in the box. His brow furrowed, and he tilted his head curiously. How had that ended up in there?

When he pulled the record out from under a lopsided stack of cassettes, he knew exactly how it had ended up in there. His hands tightened around the record until his fingers turned white. His throat grew parched, and his insides twisted—constricting until he couldn’t breathe.

The Beatles’ Revolver.

The record he had once loved so much that he had saved every penny he had just to buy a copy so he could listen to one song over and over again. He hadn’t listened to it in years—couldn’t listen to it anymore, not when it shined a light on the hollow, empty space in his heart that losing Mari—that losing his “forever” with her had left behind. They may have only been fifteen when he lost her, but he had known that he had wanted to be with her forever, that he wanted to be by her side always—here, there, and everywhere. It was their song after all.

Sniffling, Hero shut his eyes tightly—willing himself not to start crying and worrying Kel again, but he should have given his brother more credit. Before Hero knew it, Kel was right next to him—staring wide-eyed at the record as if it was some kind of timebomb. His gaze shifted quickly from Hero to the record in his hands, and Hero’s breath caught in his throat, almost waiting for Kel to make some kind of joke about “Yellow Submarine”—almost hoping he would. Maybe even Hero himself could have made one if he could only find the words, but even Kel couldn’t find his words now. The look on his face made that abundantly clear.

“You…you know I…I’m kinda hungry. Maybe that’s enough sorting for now…You…wanna get outta here?” Kel finally asked, shy and stumbly as if he could think of anything else to stay. “Maybe we could get pizza or sandwiches or something…”

Hero’s hands trembled, but he stared intently out the window at the storm, anywhere that wasn’t that record in his hands. “You really want to go out in this storm?”

Kel shrugged. “It’s just water.”

“Maybe we could order a pizza if you really want—”

“But then someone would have to deliver it,” Kel interrupted with wide, earnest eyes. He was probably thinking of Aubrey, worrying about her running around in the rain. Hero’s face flushed. He should have been thinking of that himself.

“Yeah…you’re right. Well, I guess we can take a short break and run up to Gino’s then. My treat.”

With a sigh, Kel’s shoulders visibly relaxed, but he insisted, “No way. I’ve got it. It was my idea.”

“No, Kel. Let me get it. Consider it a thank you for helping me sort through all this old junk.” Hero took a deep breath, then carefully pried his fingers from that old record before setting it in the “keep” pile. There was a part of him that wanted to throw it out or donate it, but he couldn’t part with it. Even memories that were painful were worth keeping.

When Hero and Kel made their way downstairs, they were gently shushed by their mother who reminded them that Sally was taking an afternoon nap.

“Sorry,” Hero quickly apologized shuffling his feet, but Mom just smiled and gave him a reassuring pat on the arm as he walked by.

“It’s alright,” she said before returning to her knitting. Hero stifled a chuckle. Even though it was the middle of the summer, it seemed that Mom was already getting a head start on knitting the Christmas sweaters she made every year. Well…every year except one that is.

The year that Mari had died, Mom didn’t give them any sweaters, even though Hero knew she had had most, if not all of them finished. Mari’s death in October was reason enough—no one really felt much like celebrating, Hero least of all, but he had never really been able to shake his suspicions that the reason she had skipped out on her sweater tradition that year was because she had knitted matching ones for him and Mari just like she had the year before when she had surprised them both with sweaters with an “M” and “H” on the front, respectively. The following year, she had knitted him a sweater with a snowflake pattern in blue, his favorite color. Hero’s chest ached. She had never given him a sweater with his initials on it ever again.

“Are you boys going out somewhere?”

Kel nodded. “Yeah, we’re planning to go get some pizza.”

“Do you want us to pick up anything for you?” asked Hero, and Mom’s brow furrowed.

“No, thank you, but I have a roast in the oven so we have plenty of food if you’re hungry.” Mom sighed and rubbed her hand across her forehead. “Your dad just called and said he’s going to have to work late tonight so he’ll probably miss dinner. I don’t know what I’m going to do with all of this food…”

“We’ll still have plenty of room for dinner, Mom,” insisted Kel with a bright smile. “This is just lunch. We’ve been stuck inside all day because of the rain so we just wanted to go out somewhere.”

Hero could have sworn Mom glanced over at him with a concerned tilt of her head, but her shoulder twitched into a slight shrug, “Alright, but please be home in time for supper.”

“We will, Mom,” Kel promised.

“And we won’t eat that much, either,” added Hero. “So we’ll still have plenty of room. It’s really just a little trip. We can even swing by Other Mart if you need groceries or anything.”

“I was planning to go shopping this weekend, but I do have a little list going if you don’t mind swinging by to pick up a couple of things.”

When Kel and Hero nodded, Mom disappeared into the kitchen to grab the running grocery list she kept on the refrigerator, and Kel called after her with a curious, “What happened to Dad? Did something go wrong with the flooring—maybe I could swing by and help later?”

“That’s very sweet of you, Kel,” said Mom ruffling his hair as she returned from the kitchen with the shopping list. “But your dad wouldn’t want you to have to work on your day off. Besides, if you went over there, you’d probably both end up missing dinner.”

Kel shrugged. “Maybe. Or we’d wrap up faster and both get to come home.”

Hero chuckled. He certainly admired Kel’s optimism and his go-getting work ethic. Kel had been spending the summer working for their dad’s home remodeling business and seemed to have a real knack and talent for it. Kel had told him that, at first, he was just excited to have a little bit of extra money, but he really enjoyed having an active job where he got to work with his hands and got to spend so much time with their dad and beloved grandfather, Papá Miguel, who, according to Kel, was around much more than someone who was supposed to be retired—unable to leave the business he had started decades ago, Hero supposed. Dad couldn’t have been happier at Kel’s interest in the family business and was already joking that they’d need to rename it “Padilla and Son and Grandson” while teasingly kicking himself for not thinking of taking Kel to work sooner. Whenever he swore Kel had “the gift” and could fix anything just like Papá Miguel, Kel’s whole face would just light up.

Though to be absolutely fair, Kel just beamed every time he talked about fixing things. Hero felt he had spent most of his off-days this summer listening attentively to Kel excitedly rambling a mile a minute about how to fix broken dishwashers or refrigerators that froze milk but left vegetables lukewarm or about the best tricks for installing cabinetry or lazy-susans that always stayed on its track, and Hero could only wish he had even half of his brother’s passion. He was happy for Kel and encouraged him to pursue his talents, maybe even go to trade school after graduation, but he would be lying if he said it didn’t make him feel a bit lost and listless about his own life sometimes. Kel knew what he wanted—to build things, to fix things. Hero, on the other hand, just wanted to be busy and even that was being generous. The truth was he hadn’t really wanted anything for a long time.

“You don’t have to worry about everything on this list, alright?” said Mom, pulling Hero out of his thoughts. “I can always go out shopping later, just if you happen to be out…”

“It’s alright, Mom. We’ll pick it up,” Hero gently interrupted placing a hand on his mom’s shoulder as Kel nodded enthusiastically.

“Yeah! Other Mart is right next door to Gino’s so it’s not even like we have to go too far or anything.”

“Okay…” Mom sighed before a concerned look passed over her eyes. “Well please don’t stay out too long and drive carefully in the rain.”

“We’ll be careful,” Hero reassured her before giving her a hug and a peck on the cheek.

“Yeah, Hero’s always careful,” teased Kel before he also hugged Mom and headed out to Hero’s car which thankfully ran better than it looked. Hero tried to keep it tidy on the inside at least, but it was, in the most generous terms, old—with a few dents in the fender and an uneven, peeling paint job. Kyle had once joked it looked like a “grandpa car,” and Hero supposed it probably was but it was also what he could afford and what got him from point A to point B which was all that really mattered. It did tend to make odd, rickety noises especially when it rained, however, which when combined with the low roar of the local classic rock radio station would likely provide quite the soundtrack for their drive to Gino’s. In any other weather, they would have just walked there, but Mom worried enough about them strolling through the busy intersections near Faraway Plaza on the best day—she’d be a nervous wreck if they insisted on walking there in inclement weather. Not that she didn’t worry about Hero driving in a thunderstorm…but he supposed it had to be better than walking.

“Shotgun!” exclaimed Kel as he ran towards the car.

Hero laughed. “You don’t need to call shotgun when you’re the only passenger.”

“I know, but it’s good practice,” Kel teased with a lopsided grin. Hero chuckled lightly to himself. He didn’t know exactly what it was practice for seeing as Kel was generally the only passenger—or at the very least the only passenger who could sit in the front seat seeing as Sally was still an infant. Hero hadn’t driven with Sally in his car since it was too much of a hassle to move her car seat, but he had driven her in his parents’ minivan a couple of times, particularly when neither he nor Sally could sleep. His parents often resorted to driving his little sister around the neighborhood in circles until she finally drifted off, and Hero had offered to step in and take a few shifts of this himself on the nights when he was too wound up to get much sleep of his own. There was something soothing about driving around the quiet and empty Faraway Town at night that helped Hero calm down almost as much as his sister.

Kel did not need Hero to drive him around until he was finally lulled to sleep, but he did need him to drive him other places that he couldn’t walk or run to on his own. Hero enjoyed this. He liked feeling useful and helpful and especially liked getting to spend time with his brother. He offered to drive Aubrey places too for similar reasons, but she took him up on the offer much more rarely than Kel did, always insisting she had her bicycle and didn’t want him to feel like a chauffer. Occasionally, she would tag along on a trip to somewhere he and Kel were already going anyway, however, like when they drove up to visit Basil. In these instances, Hero always insisted she sit up front since she was a lady, and Kel always backed him up on this point though Hero could never be sure if it was because his brother knew that he was old-fashioned and polite or if he just respected that it was “his car; his rules” or perhaps he thought offering her the much coveted front seat would help extend the olive branch of good will to Aubrey and further mend their friendship. As expected, Aubrey found the gesture kind but unnecessary, but she generally just quirked an eyebrow at them then mumbled, “Well if you insist, I guess…”

“I think Aubrey’s working today,” said Kel, as if he somehow knew Hero had been thinking of her. “We should say hi.”

Hero nodded before he doublechecked that both he and Kel were strapped in properly then pulled his car out of the driveway. “Do you know how late she has to work? Maybe we can drop her off on her way home so she doesn’t have to ride her bike in the rain.”

“You’re starting to sound like Mom,” Kel teased, but Hero just shrugged.

“I told you I was a mom…”

“But a cool mom,” Kel corrected. “Not that our mom’s not cool just…she’s an actual mom—you’re just like a mom so you can be cooler than that.”

Hero laughed. He couldn’t always follow Kel’s logic, but before he could ask for clarification, Kel exclaimed, “Hey! It’s ‘Yellow Submarine’!” then turned the volume dial for the radio and began singing along, loudly and—Hero felt guilty even thinking it—a little off-pitch. If Hero was being honest, however, he was almost relieved to see Kel not even give a second thought to turning up the music and singing along. After seeing how Kel had reacted to finding the record earlier, Hero had been a little afraid he would make the connection and get that look in his eyes again—would be too afraid of enjoying a song he loved on his account. It was the last thing Hero would have wanted—especially he had no problem whatsoever with “Yellow Submarine.” Kel could listen to it a thousand times if it made him happy.

“Man, this is such a great song! Really takes me back too,” chuckled Kel with a wide smile. “Remember when we used to listen to it all the time because it was—” He stopped abruptly, and Hero’s chest ached as he imagined that smile fading immediately from Kel’s face. He had thought too soon and should have known better. “Oh uh…we can turn it off…”

As he reached out his hand for the volume dial, Hero gently patted his hand to stop him then started singing along to whimsical lyrics he couldn’t forget even if he wanted to. When Kel laughed then joined in again himself, Hero felt part of that weight leave his chest, but part of it lingered—that secret wish he could never really let go of, that hope that someday he and Kel could just go back to the way things were before back when there was nothing stopping them from singing along to “Yellow Submarine” at the top of their lungs, when there was no reason to think that it might hurt—no reason to worry it that might drudge up painful memories. Even more than that, Hero wished they had no painful memories to drudge up in the first place.

The final chords of the song faded as they pulled into the parking lot at Faraway Plaza, and Kel laughed, “Perfect timing” before bounding out of the car towards Gino’s. Unable to ask him to wait until he fished his umbrella out from under the seat, however, Hero took off after him getting just as soaked as he probably would have expected. Kel was somehow even wetter than he was, but he seemed thoroughly unperturbed by it as he turned to Hero saying, “The sign says we can sit down anywhere, so where do you want to sit or do you want to get take out?”

“You can sit over here.”

Hero’s mouth twitched into a smile as he turned towards the familiar voice with a wave and a “Hi Brandi.”

Brandi smiled back, waving him and Kel over towards the table where she was sitting with her younger sister, Bebe. Hero glanced over at Kel, trying to communicate that it was okay if Kel would rather sit at their own table seeing as he didn’t know Brandi or Bebe very well. Even though Hero considered Brandi to be a good friend of his now, he hadn’t really become friends with her until they had both attended the same university in Somewhere City and sought each other out at parties and events as a familiar face that made them feel less homesick.

Kel hadn’t really talked to her much at all except for that one time they sort of barged into her family’s house uninvited with Sunny. Hero supposed her mom had said they could stop by any time for coffee after they had picked up that floor lamp for her, but he was still kind of embarrassed thinking about how they had just walked right in the next day when Brandi’s family was waiting for their Chinese takeout. In true Brandi fashion, she had teased him about his eagerness to meet her family, but Hero was genuinely surprised she hadn’t once mentioned the fact they sort of just let themselves in through the front door unannounced.

Come to think of it, Sunny had done that to a lot of their neighbors on his final days in Faraway Town, but Hero had assumed he had their permission or something. In the case of the Bertiers though, maybe Sunny just really liked coffee…? Hero shrugged. Maybe he’d enjoy a trip to Layla’s after all. He really should call him later this week.

“Earth to Hero—are you there?” teased Brandi, pulling him out of his thoughts. His face flushed an embarrassed rose when he realized that in the time he had zoned out and started worrying about his past of breaking-and-entering, Kel had already taken a seat at their table across from Bebe.

“Yeah…I…” Hero stumbled. “I was just…uh…”

“Zoning out again?” Brandi bantered, cutting him off, but Hero shook his head and gently corrected her.

“Wanting to apologize for barging into your house that time.” His blush deepened. “We sort of just let ourselves in, and I feel horrible.”

Brandi waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. It’s fine. I was just giving you a hard time”—she chuckled—“honestly, I think you had to suffer enough since my mom sent you on that shopping trip. Why Billy can’t even buy a lamp is completely beyond me. I swear that Recycultist garbage has rotted his brain.” Rolling her eyes, she shook her head with a sigh. “And it’s probably contagious. I mean, ever since Billy got wrapped up in that Recycultist gobbledygook, Bebe’s been lovesick over that moron who wears that blonde wig and thinks he’s in Top Gun.”

“His name is The Maverick, and he’s not a moron,” Bebe interjected with a dreamy sigh.

Brandi rolled her eyes again. “His name is Mikhael, and he is a moron—textbook moron.” She huffed before turning back to Hero. “She keeps begging me to bring her here so she might run into him.”

“I’ve seen him here before,” Bebe explained before her face flushed and she stared down at her twisted hands. “I…I just was too shy to talk to him.”

“Why?” huffed Brandi—rubbing her temples. “You’re totally out of his league.”

“I agree,” chimed in Kel, and Hero’s face flushed.

“Kel…” He gently tried to stop him, but Kel just continued.

“Nah, I mean, Brandi’s right. Mikhael’s a bozo. He pays girls to pretend to like him and picked a fight with me and Sunny for no reason.”

Brandi turned towards Bebe with a pointed tilt of her head. “See Kel agrees with me.”

Bebe, however, just hummed. “Of course Kel does—he’s The Maverick’s nemesis.”

“His nemesis?” Kel repeated incredulously. “What? Why? What did I ever do to him? He just hates me for no reason—writes ‘Kel Smells’ on my driveway. Seriously what did I do?”

With a long and heavy sigh, Brandi shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. “Don’t try to make sense of it. You can’t explain stupid.”

“The Maverick is a visionary,” Bebe insisted—lights in her eyes as she spoke of him. Hero honestly thought it was kind of sweet that she thought so highly of Mikhael of all people, but Brandi, it seemed, did not.

She pressed her hand to her forehead and muttering “Oh my gosh,” under her breath before she finally said, “I finally relented because it beats staying at home and listening to another one of Billy’s rants about how landfills are a government conspiracy and how everything is actually recyclable, they just don’t want us to know about it.”—she shook her head—“But honestly, I’m starting to think I should’ve taken my chances over there.”

Kel snickered though he did his best to hide it, but before anyone could actually respond to Brandi’s quip, however, Aubrey walked over saying, “Hi. Are you all ready to order?” She paused—glancing up from her notepad with a look of realization and a slight smile. “Oh, hey Hero. Hi Kel.”

“Hi Aubrey!” said Kel, and Hero waved at her.

“Aubrey?” Bebe sheepishly interjected. “You’re friends with The Maverick, right?”

Aubrey’s eyebrow furrowed. “Mikhael? Yeah, unfortunately, I know him. What did he do this time?”

“Nothing, I just…um…” Bebe paused, nervously twisting her hands again. “I was wondering…Do you…um…well…could you tell him that I said ‘hi’?” She ended her sentence very quickly—her face blushing a pale rose. Brandi pressed her palm to her forehead again, and Aubrey just blinked at her.

“Uh…I can, but are you sure you want me to?” she quipped dryly.

Brandi and Kel both snorted in stifled laughter, and even Hero had to hide that twitch in the corners of his mouth behind his hands. Bebe, however, just nodded earnestly. Aubrey shrugged.

“Alright. It’s Bebe, right?”

Bebe hummed in agreement. “He sometimes calls me fountain girl.”

“He doesn’t even know your name,” sighed Brandi shaking her head.

“It’s a term of endearment,” Bebe insisted. “Like I’m his ‘fountain girl.’”

Hero turned away abruptly—covering his mouth with his hand trying not to laugh at the expression on Aubrey’s face which said far louder than any words that Mikhael definitely didn’t know her name. However, Aubrey just shrugged her shoulders and said, “I’ll put in a good word.”

As she paused, Bebe beamed at her with a grateful, “Thank you!”

“Please don’t encourage her,” sighed Brandi. “I was hoping one of you might be able to convince her to have taste.”

Kel laughed, but quickly stopped when Hero gave him a pointed look. Even if Brandi was just teasing her sister, it wasn’t their place to get involved. No sooner had he thought this, however, than Bebe said, “I do too have taste You just don’t understand The Maverick’s vision. You agree with me, don’t you, Hero? You think he’s a nice guy.”

“Hero thinks everyone is nice,” Brandi, thankfully, interrupted before Hero had to say anything. “He doesn’t count.”

“Well Kel doesn’t count either because he’s his nemesis,” Pausing, Bebe turned towards Aubrey. “Aubrey?”

“Listen, I’m just here to take your order.” Holding up her hands in a somewhat bantering helplessness, she chuckled lightly then glanced over at Hero with a smile. “Would you like something to drink, Hero?”

Hero sighed in relief—resisting the urge to mouth “Thank you” at her, but he could tell she knew how grateful he was that she had saved him from this awkward conversation. Aubrey really did know him so well—though he supposed everyone knew he was probably the most conflict-avoidant person on the planet. Even Brandi knew this—affectionately teased him about growing a spine one of these days, but as an aspiring future lawyer, her tolerance for arguing and discord was particularly high. Hero was certain that she hadn’t even batted at eye at pulling Hero and Kel into her and Bebe’s conversation about her sister’s, albeit somewhat questionable, taste in men.

Not wanting to return to that topic after Aubrey’s rescue after she took off to bring their orders back to the kitchen, Hero gently steered the conversation into asking about everyone’s summer and plans for the next school term. When Aubrey returned with his and Kel’s drinks, Hero was, thankfully, listening to Brandi talk about whether or not she might try to pledge for a sorority in the Fall instead of Bebe’s swooning over Mikhael.

“I’m still thinking it over though. I’ve got a busy course load this semester, but I think it might be fun and a good way to make friends.” Brandi shrugged her shoulders before swirling her straw around in her drink. “What about you? I can’t really picture you as a frat boy.”

Hero chuckled—scratching the back of his neck. “Yeah…I’m not sure it’s for me. Kyle has been begging me to pledge for his fraternity though. He even called me a couple of weeks back to ask me about it.”

Brandi rolled her eyes. “All the more reason not to do it. Kyle doesn’t have two brain cells to rub together and that level of stupid is probably contagious.”

“Brandi…” Hero sighed with a tilt of his head. Brandi and Kyle had never gotten along. They fought even worse than Aubrey and Kel used to—which was really saying a lot—but whereas it had always been clear to Hero that Kel and Aubrey were friends who just happened to banter and disagree, Hero was often left wondering if there was any friendship between Brandi and Kyle at all or just a genuine dislike, at least from Brandi’s side. He had very little doubt that if it wasn’t for having him as a mutual friend, they probably would have never associated with each other in the first place.

“Alright. Alright,” Brandi conceded. “But you know the only reason he wants you in his fraternity is that they need someone to cook and clean for them, right?”

Hero sighed again. The honest answer was yes, but he liked to think that Kyle was his friend and wanted him around in addition to wanting a “mom” for his frat house. He nodded in a somewhat weary concession. “I really think I’m going to have to turn him down…but I might need a little practice saying ‘no,’” he joked with a somewhat self-deprecating chuckle.

Brandi laughed. “It’s okay. I can teach you—I say ‘no’ all the time. Kel can help too.”

“Huh?” asked Kel—the sound of his name seemingly pulling him out of the conversation he was having with Bebe about Top Gun.

“You have to help me teach your brother to be less of a doormat,” teased Brandi. Laughing, Kel shrugged his shoulders.

“Don’t hold your breath, Brandi. Hero’s too nice. We’ve been trying to teach him how to say ‘no’ for years now—it’s just not going to happen,” he bantered but there was a certain kind of familial affection in his smile. “That’s just Hero.”

“Yes, I know. Hero’s better than the rest of us,” sighed Brandi, but she smiled at him too. Her expression softened. “I just don’t want to see someone take advantage of that.”

Hero’s face flushed. “You guys…” he stumbled. “It’s okay, really. I’m fine. I can take care of myself. And I do say ‘no’—when I really want to.”

The sideways glance shared by Brandi and Kel was not lost on him, but before he could say anything more, Aubrey returned with their pizzas and the sandwich Hero had ordered for himself. When they had finished eating and Aubrey came with the check, however, Brandi promptly proved him wrong as Hero acquiesced to her request that she pay for their food—somewhat pathetically exhausted after only a brief back and forth about who would pick up the tab. Hero insisted on covering the tip at least, and he tipped Aubrey generously—the amount he was planning on paying the meal—then insisted they should all meet up again and he would pay next time.

Brandi and Bebe left, and Kel ran to bathroom before they headed to Other Mart leaving Hero alone at their table.

“Do you mind if I go ahead and clean up?” asked Aubrey appearing next to him with a rag.

“Oh, of course. Let me help,” Hero insisted, gathering up some of the dishes, but Aubrey reached out a hand to stop him.

“This is my job, Hero. If everyone starts cleaning up after themselves, they’ll start wondering why they need me around here,” she quipped dryly, and Hero chuckled. That reminded him.

“What time do you get off?”

Glancing over at the clock on the wall, Aubrey shrugged. “About two hours from now.”

“Do you need a ride home?”

“Hero…” sighed Aubrey crossing her arms. Her face said, ‘we’ve talked about this…a lot,’ but that didn’t stop him from continuing.

“The weather is really bad out there. It could be dangerous biking home in the rain and you’ll get all wet.”

Aubrey’s eyes narrowed at the dampness of Hero’s hair and clothes, and Hero bit his lip. “I couldn’t find an umbrella,” he admitted somewhat sheepishly. “But I was dry when I was driving here.”

Aubrey laughed, but insisted, “Look, I appreciate the offer, but I’m okay. There’s no reason for you to just hang around here doing nothing for two hours when I have a perfectly good bike and it’s just a little water out there.”

“Oh, I have errands so I’m out anyway,” said Hero in his best attempt to sound nonchalant. “We’re picking up some groceries and I might be driving Kel to meet up with our dad. It’ll probably time out perfectly.”

“Hero,” Aubrey protested again, a little more forcefully.

“Really, it would be doing me a favor, so then I don’t have to worry about you riding your bike in the rain.”

With a heavy sigh, Aubrey rubbed her temples. “Your excuses are getting worse, you know?”

With a sigh of his own, Hero’s shoulders twitched. “Yeah, I know…but will you please let me give you a ride?”

Aubrey paused, blinking at him before reaching out for a stack of dishes. “Fine. If it really means that much to you. I’m off at 6.”

Hero’s smile brightened. Kel was a little confused when he returned from the bathroom, but he agreed it was a great idea to give Aubrey a ride home in this nasty weather. As Hero expected, however, he was a little too excited at Hero’s offer to drive him to meet up with Dad, so Hero knew he wouldn’t be joining them this time.

“Are you sure you’re okay to drive all the way out there?” Kel doublechecked for the third or fourth time as they got back into the car. “And what about Mom’s shopping?”

“Kel, it’s fine,” Hero reassured him. “I’m fine. I’m happy to drive you, and I’m sure Dad will be grateful to have your help.”

“Okay…but…what about you? Are you…?” His voice trailed, and Hero swallowed hard but nodded.

“I’m okay, really. I think I was just hungry. I…skipped breakfast this morning because I slept through my alarm and…you know I always feel a little bit off on days I can’t go for my morning run.” That was the truth at least. It definitely ranked in his top methods of coping, and by the relieved sigh Kel let out, he was sure his brother knew it.

“Yeah, okay, but if you need anything, just call okay?”

Hero nodded—assured him he would, even though they both knew he wouldn’t. They didn’t have that kind of relationship—not anymore. On days like this, however, when they got to spend time together chatting, sorting through old odds and ends, eating pizza, and laughing together almost like old times, Hero actually started to hope that maybe it wasn’t lost forever. On days like this, he knew that no matter what had happened and no matter what regrets haunted their past, Kel was still his brother and still loved him and he would always be there to try to make him smile whenever he was feeling down.

Hero felt the same way—loved his brother with everything he had and knew he would be there for Kel in an instant if he ever needed him, but he wasn’t sure if Kel knew this anymore. With a heaviness in his heart, Hero had to admit he could never really find the words to tell him. As he glanced over at him now before turning out of the parking lot at Faraway Plaza, however, and saw Kel smiling brightly at him, Hero felt a warmth spreading through the cracks and empty spaces in his heart, and he couldn’t help but smile back.

#omori hero #hero omori #kel omori #omori kel #hero and kel's brotherly bond #it's the brothers 💙🧡#hero needs a hug #poor hero 🥺 I only want good things for him #hero deserves to be happy #omori spoilers #when sun shines again⛅#hero fic #hero songs #our content #thanks for reading

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hero-deserves-to-be-happy · 1 year ago

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When Sun Shines Again: Chapter 3 "To Lead A Better Life" Part 2

⛅CHAPTER 3⛅ "To Lead A Better Life" Part 2

Chapter Description: While driving Aubrey home from work, Hero realizes that something is really bothering her, but he isn’t sure how he can convince her that she can open up to him about it. Hero thinks it’s probably just as well—no matter how much he might want to help Aubrey, how much good could he really do when he can’t even help himself?

This Chapter is Hero & Aubrey's Friendship-Centric.

Chapter Word Count: 8390. Link to Chapter 3 on AO3.

⛅Tags For The Story As A Whole (So A Lot Of These Are "Eventual" Tags):

Romantic Relationships: Main Ships: (Past) Hero/Mari and (Eventual) Hero/OC. Side Ships: Brandi/OC and a brief mention of Mikhael/Bebe are the only side ships involving canon characters.

Link to Entire work on AO3.

⛅ Link to the "When Sun Shines Again" Masterlist. ⛅

Full chapter text below the cut. Thank you for reading! ⛅

“You know I was kind of hoping you weren’t going to show up,” Aubrey teased, shaking her head with a half-affectionate, half-exasperated smile as Hero helped her load her bicycle into the back of his car.

“You know I wouldn’t do that,” he said with a smile, and Aubrey sighed with a roll of her eyes. Wiping off a little excess water, she climbed into the passenger seat of his car.

“Yeah, I know…” she sighed again as he backed out of his parking space. “But you really didn’t have to do this. The storm is letting up a little bit anyway.”

Hero’s brow furrowed. The parking lot at Faraway Plaza was still slick and wet from the rain—shimmering through Hero’s windshield which was obscured by frantic swishes of windshield wipers. Though he supposed the storm had let up a little bit in the last few hours since he had been here with Kel, it was still pouring in a consistent drizzle, and he found himself ruffling water out of his hair before he turned out of the parking lot.

He didn’t say any of this to Aubrey, however, and instead gently insisted, “I really don’t mind. It’s practically on my way home—you just live a street over.”

“Hero—” Aubrey began to protest again, and though Hero hesitated, he eventually somewhat sheepishly cut her off.

“Besides this is really for me, remember? So I don’t have to worry about you.” As he smiled, he could feel Aubrey fidget beside him.

“I wish you wouldn’t do that. I can take care of myself, you know?” She paused, letting out a long and heavy exhale before her voice began to taper off, “I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time now...”

Hero’s chest twisted. He would never admit it to Aubrey, but that was the problem. She shouldn’t have had to take care of herself, not when he should have been there to look out for her—to take care of her and support her like the older brother he had always felt he had been to her. If he had, maybe then she wouldn’t have pushed Basil into that lake or started terrorizing the neighborhood with that nail bat. As it was now, however, Hero had been so wrapped up in his own problems that he hadn’t been there when she needed him, and he couldn’t help but feel guilty about it—couldn’t help but wonder if things would have been different if he had been a better friend for her because now Aubrey had been hurting, suffering alone for such a long time that she didn’t even know how to accept help anymore. She pushed everyone away—hid behind locked doors and impenetrable walls. Hero could never bring it up to her, knowing it was none of his business and that even mentioning it would make him a hypocrite, but his heart ached with an empathetic sadness whenever he thought about it. He knew how painful and how lonely it was to live that way, and he wanted more for the girl who had been his younger sister long before he had had one by blood.

Unsure of what exactly to say, Hero merely nodded, and after a short pause, the sharp edges of Aubrey’s voice softened. “Listen, Hero, I appreciate it—I really do. But I’m okay. I don’t need charity.”

Aubrey shuffled then shoved something into the cupholder in the center console of his car. Hero tilted his head curiously, but unwilling to take his eyes off the road during the storm, he could only speculate about what it was until he finally parked safely in front of Aubrey’s house and caught sight of a wad of cash.

Face flushing, Hero frantically insisted, “No, you don’t need to pay for a ride home. It really wasn’t out of my way at all.”

Aubrey’s shoulders twitched, but she wouldn’t look at him. “This is your money. You way over tipped me today—I can’t take it.”

Hero’s blush deepened, and he sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. Of course, she had noticed. Still, he stumbled his way through, “Keep it. You earned it. It was great service.”

“Hero…” She pointedly tilted her head at him then at the money he was holding out to her again. “This is almost more than your whole check.”

“Brandi wouldn’t let me pay,” Hero explained with a sigh. “And I had already set aside this money for the meal so I just…”

“Then give it to her,” Aubrey insisted, shoving the money back at him.

Hero sighed again. He was almost certain that Brandi wouldn’t take it, but it seemed that Aubrey wouldn’t take it either even though he was sure she needed it. He tried to laugh it off, play at a generous nonchalance. “I used to wait tables myself, you know? I know how much you depend on tips. Just take it.”

“Tips are great and I really appreciate it, but this is extreme, Hero, and I know you don’t have this kind of money. You’ll be going back to school soon and need to pay for your books and stuff.”

Before Hero could even begin to pluck up the courage to protest and insist that Aubrey needed the money more, however, Aubrey cut him off, “And don’t give me some bull—” She stopped abruptly, a faint tint of pink in her cheeks like one might if they almost cursed in front of a child, before she continued, “about me needing the money more. I don’t, okay? I didn’t get this job because I can’t feed myself or something.”

“Why did you get it?” Hero asked partly curious and partly desperately latching on to an ‘out’ from this argument. His brow furrowed as Aubrey’s face flushed an unexpectedly deep red. Though she tried to shrug it all off, she stared down at her twisting hands, pursing her lips.

“I dunno…” she mumbled. “I guess I’ve just been…kind of thinking about the future. I’m not gonna be in high school forever, you know?”

“You’re thinking about what you’re going to do after graduation…?” It wasn’t really a question, but Aubrey nodded.

“I guess.”

Hero leaned forward with a reassuring smile. “What have you been thinking?”

“I dunno,” Aubrey mumbled again, but the look on her face said otherwise. She shrugged her shoulders. “Nothing big or exciting like you, the future doctor, but I guess…we’ve just been spending so much time in all these hospitals this summer and I keep seeing all these nurses and thinking ‘well maybe I could do that one day…’”

“That would be awesome!” Hero replied, a bright smile spreading across his face. “You’d be an amazing nurse.”

Aubrey’s cheeks flushed, but she wouldn’t look at him. “Yeah, well…it’s probably just a pipedream. College is way too expensive and with my grades who knows if I’d even get in,” she chuckled derisively, self-deprecatingly shrugging her shoulders as if she didn’t care, but Hero knew that she did. Like with most things, Aubrey cared a lot more than she let on.

“Aubrey, there are lots of scholarships out there,” he reassured her, reaching out to pat her arm. “I wouldn’t have been able to pay for school without one.”

“But you’re smart, Hero. You’re probably the smartest person I know.”

Hero flushed. He never could take a compliment, but he quickly shoved the thought away knowing this wasn’t about him. “They have scholarships for everything, Aubrey. I know someone who has one for Lacrosse and—”

“Do I look athletic to you, Hero?” she quipped dryly, and Hero twisted his mouth.

“I just meant you have lots of options, and you’re plenty smart. Those standardized tests are just hard and there are some tough classes in high school too, but I know you can do it.” He paused, patting her on the back and smiling reassuringly at her. “If you don’t go to college, that’s okay. It’s not for everybody, but it’s going to be your choice—not because you couldn’t get in.”

“Hero…” Aubrey rolled her eyes, but the affection and gratitude in them was not lost on him.

“I can even help you study, if you want. If you ever want help prepping for your SATs or help with a class or something, I’m just a call away, and I’m always happy to help.” He pushed the money back into Aubrey’s hand. “And why don’t you go ahead and keep this, use it to buy some books or something?”

“Alright fine. You win,” she conceded though her mouth twitched in the corners. Her expression softened as she shrugged her shoulders slightly, “Thanks.”

Hero wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her. It was a little awkward trying to hug her over the center console of his car, but it was all he could think of to do to tell her that he believed in her and was always on her side if she ever needed him. He didn’t know if Aubrey would ever bring herself to ask for his help, but even if she never reached out, he wanted her to know he was always there for her even if he didn’t really have the words to say it.

“You know, speaking of the hospital, Kel and I were talking about going to visit Basil on Sunday and wanted to know if you—” Hero stopped as he watched Aubrey’s shoulders grow rigid and her face twist—something sad, pained crossing over her eyes.

“Thanks but uh…maybe not this time,” she mumbled, and Hero’s brow furrowed. The growing distance between them was palpable again, and his hands started to shake—worried for her but more worried about crossing a line and sticking his nose in where it didn’t belong.

He barely managed, “Is everything okay?”

Aubrey shrugged, quietly staring down at her hands. “Yeah…I’m just…I think I need some space for a while.”

“Oh.” Hero could understand that. After all, the Truth was a lot to take in, and Aubrey had forgiven Basil and Sunny much faster than anyone was expecting, especially Sunny and Basil themselves. She was more than justified in still having some complex feelings about the whole situation—Hero knew he still had them. He wanted to reassure her that that was okay, but he wasn’t even sure how to reassure himself of that. All he could really manage was a gentle, if a bit stumbly, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really with you.”

Hero flushed, but Aubrey stopped abruptly as if she hadn’t meant to say that out loud. “Sorry…that’s not what I meant,” she added hurriedly. “I just…I meant…I don’t really want to talk about it with anyone.”

Nodding, Hero pursed his lips together, but before he could even scramble to think of something more to say, Aubrey had gathered her things and opened the passenger-side door with a wave of her hand and a “Thanks again for the ride.”

“No problem,” replied Hero. “Anytime.” A slight smile twitched in the corners of her mouth as Hero watched her run through the storm and disappear through the front door of her house, but there was a deep sadness in her eyes that Hero knew she didn’t want him to see.

After several moments of staring at her front door and debating whether or not he should chase after her, Hero ultimately decided that it really wasn’t his place. No matter how worried he was about Aubrey, she had specifically told him that she didn’t want to talk to him about it, so it was probably for the best that he leave her alone for a while and hope that she knew that if things changed and she did want someone to talk to, he was always there.

As he turned around and drove home, Hero tried and failed not to worry. He pushed his thoughts of Aubrey away, focusing instead on the upcoming dinner with his family and his surprise at finding his father’s truck in the driveway.

With a curious tilt of his head, Hero gathered the few bags of groceries he had picked up for his mom and headed in through the front door. His brow furrowed when he heard his dad and Kel’s boisterous laughter coming from the dining room.

“Oh good! You’re home and just in time for dinner,” called Mom with a smile, peeking her head out of the doorway and motioning for Hero to follow her. “Kel and your father made it home in time for dinner too.”

“Thanks to Kel’s quick thinking with that dishwasher,” chimed Dad, beaming at Kel as Hero sat down at the table.

Kel shrugged, but his smile widened. “Eh, it was nothing.”

“Getting your father home before the middle of the night was definitely something,” insisted Mom patting Kel on the head then taking her seat. She tilted her head towards Dad with a pointed, somewhat playfully pouty look. “You’ve been working late all month, Ramón.”

Chuckling lightly, Dad held up his hands in a somewhat bantering defeat. “I’m sorry, Mi Estrella. I’ve said a thousand times I’m sorry. How can I make it up to you?” He playfully but affectionately kissed her cheek several times in succession causing Kel to grimace with a quiet “Ew” as Hero stifled a chuckle.

Mom’s face scrunched up as she laughed, patting Dad’s arm before she pulled away insisting, “Not in front of the children.”

“They’re hardly children anymore, Dolores. Look at them”—Dad motioned across the table to him and Kel—“They’re taller than me. And soon enough Kel will be running my business and Hero will be a doctor. We’ll only have little Sally to help us regain our youth,” he teased, leaning over and giving Sally a kiss on the head as she giggled in her highchair, seemingly, incredibly pleased with smearing her sweet potatoes across her cheeks.

Kel sat up in his chair, straightening his back and shoulders with pride as if showing off the height his father had just praised. Hero blushed a little himself, but his mouth twitched in the corners. He certainly felt old, far older than he actually was, but it wasn’t often he thought of that as a good thing. It made him think of Aubrey—practically raising herself after her father left—younger than him but perhaps, in a way, even older than he was. That weathered, weary sadness that had passed over her face as she had run into her house wasn’t one a sixteen-year-old should ever have in her eyes. Hero swallowed hard, staring down at his food. He suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore.

Kel’s brow furrowed at him, and Hero watched him mouth, “Are you okay?”

Somehow managing a quick nod, Hero tried to give Kel a reassuring smile, but unable to push his conversation with Aubrey out of his mind, he found all he could manage was a twitch of his lips in the corners. Was she going to be okay? The truth was a lot to take in. Hero knew this possibly better than anyone, but Aubrey had looked so sad, so defeated. Was it all hitting her at once after the fact? Had he done or said something to trigger her painful memories?

He couldn’t stop thinking about it—couldn’t stop worrying. Even though he knew she wouldn’t want him to, he wasn’t strong enough to stop himself, just like grieving Mari. Even in the darkest time, he had known she wouldn’t want him to throw his whole life away on her account—that she would want him to keep living instead of wasting away in his bed for over a year, but the sadness was unbearable. He wasn’t strong enough to weather it, wasn’t strong enough to respect her wishes or rather what he knew they would have been. He wasn’t strong enough for that even now—not really. He was just strong enough to fake it. After all, no matter what it may have looked like from the outside, what he had been doing for the past three years couldn’t be called living.

And now, he couldn’t help but wonder if Aubrey felt the same way.

*-*-*

Hero didn’t hear from Aubrey for several days after that, and if anything, he got the impression that she was purposefully avoiding him—though he supposed it was possible she just didn’t see him when they had both been in the parking lot at Faraway Plaza at the same time or when he had waved to her as he jogged past her house when she was mowing the lawn.

She was not out of sight and out of mind, however, as Hero spent the next week thinking about—no, worrying about her more than he would ever be able to express with his words. Though he tried his best not to speculate about what was troubling her and if she was okay, his concern for her only grew with each passing day leaving him feeling uneasy and pensive.

On Saturday, the day before they had planned to visit Basil, Hero almost called her just to see if she had maybe changed her mind, but all he really did was stare at the receiver for nearly twenty minutes until Kel had walked in with confused questions about what he was doing staring at their telephone. It was all he could really bring himself to do, despite the fact that, like a loving, honorary big brother, he would have dropped everything at a moment’s notice if Aubrey needed him. If she called him up at two in the morning and tearfully wanted to open up about what was bothering her, he would have taken the phone down to the coat closet on their first floor so he wouldn’t wake anyone else in the house up and talk to her all night if that’s what she needed. But reaching out to her was a different story.

Whenever Hero thought of trying to check in on her to see if she was okay, he always reasoned himself out of it—too scared of prying into Aubrey’s business and convinced it wasn’t his place. Aubrey was so private about her struggles and feelings. Hero didn’t feel he had the right to ask her to share them, and he didn’t want to put her on the spot and make her feel obligated to talk to him. In this situation in particular, she had told him flat out that she didn’t want to talk to him. He couldn’t and wouldn’t forget that, and he couldn’t shake this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that when she had said she wanted space from Basil, it had actually extended to him too.

He tried his best to push it all out of his mind and keep her secret from Basil and Kel who would likely be hurt and worried if they knew she was upset and purposefully distant again. Kel, at least, believed him when Hero told him that Aubrey was too busy to tag along with them on their trip to visit Basil in the hospital, but when he had had to tell Basil the same thing, it was obvious that he didn’t believe him in the slightest—his entire face lighting up with panic like a movie screen despite his polite insistences that that was okay and he understood.

As always, Hero tried his best to keep the peace and lighten the mood though he knew he wasn’t much of a liar himself and trying to keep Aubrey’s discontentment a secret was proving much more burdensome and exhausting than he would have expected. He was grateful when Kel suggested they play Crazy Eights, but even as Basil agreed, Hero watched the anxiety growing in his eyes over several rounds of cards. He could tell Basil’s thoughts were spiraling to worst case scenarios in which Aubrey despised him and probably would forever, and when the time finally came to leave, the words Hero could only imagine Basil had desperately wanted to say for the past two hours finally tumbled out of his mouth.

“Do—do you think…Aubrey…is upset?” Basil stammered as Hero and Kel began to say their goodbyes. Hero blanched—his stomach twisting at the prospect of having to lie again, this time blatantly.

Shaking his head, Hero offered a “No” in as reassuring a tone as he could manage despite his wavering voice and sudden interest in the ceiling.

He sighed in audible relief as Kel chimed in with an actually reassuring, “She’s just really busy. I mean I haven’t even talked to her in almost a week since she’s been so busy. Maybe she’ll be able to come next time.”

As Hero’s brow furrowed, he swallowed hard. Kel hadn’t talked to Aubrey either? Was she avoiding him too? Was she avoiding everyone? Maybe this was more serious than he thought.

While Kel’s words only served to make Hero more anxious, they actually did seem to have a comforting effect on Basil whose shoulders relaxed as he nodded and said, “Okay. Well tell her I said hi then, please, the next time you see her.”

Kel’s smile widened, and he nodded before draping an arm around Basil’s shoulders. “I will. See you later.”

“Take care, Basil,” said Hero—trying and failing to push thoughts of Aubrey out of his mind as he gave Basil a short hug goodbye.

“Thank you for coming,” Basil sniffled into his shoulder, and Hero patted his back. “I’m sorry for all the trouble.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Hero gently insisted before Kel interjected.

“Yeah, you’re our friend. Of course we’re gonna come visit you!”

Nodding in agreement, Hero pulled back from Basil so he could see the earnestness in his face. “If ever you need anything, you just let us know, okay?”

Basil sniffled again, and his face flushed before he stared intently at his twisting hands. “Would you—” Basil’s voice cracked before he quickly stumbled, “Well…um…I mean if it isn’t too much trouble…could you check on my flowers, please? I know Polly is taking care of them, but it’s a lot of work for just one person and I’ve been worrying about her having to take care of the whole garden alone.”

Hero’s expression softened. “Absolutely. It’s no trouble at all. I’d be happy to help out.”

“Me too,” chimed Kel who hugged Basil one more time before they said their final goodbyes. As he waved them off, a real smile twitched in the corners of Basil’s mouth. It was only a small smile but a genuine one that reached his eyes, and it warmed Hero’s heart all the same. He smiled at Kel—grateful his brother was there to help though struggling to find the words to say it without inadvertently revealing his concerns about Aubrey. Kel smiled back, but strangely enough it faded quickly.

Hero’s brow furrowed, but he tried not to read too much into it. This was, of course, easier said than done when their car ride home from the hospital was oddly quiet with very little of Kel’s usual stream of consciousness prattling. After nearly an hour of driving filled with the low roar of the radio and a few comments from the uncharacteristically quiet Kel, Hero found himself switching immediately from worrying about Aubrey to worrying about his brother again. Scrambling to think of something he could say to cheer Kel up, he decided to try a compliment. “Thanks for reassuring Basil back there. That was really nice of you. You’re a good friend.”

Kel shrugged his shoulders, but he bit his lip. “Yeah, he looked pretty upset, but I…” His voice trailed, and Hero’s brow furrowed, frustrated with having to keep his eyes on the road and being forced to speculate what kind of expression was crossing over Kel’s face. His brother took a deep breath. “I just feel kind of bad for lying to him, you know?”

“Lying?”

Kel shifted in his seat but admitted, “Yeah. I know Aubrey’s upset…or at least I think she is. She…won’t really talk to me about it.”

Yeah she won’t really talk to me about it either, thought Hero with a heavy sigh, but he didn’t think it would be fair to say that aloud. Instead he asked, “Why do you think she’s upset?”

“Just a feeling, I guess and the fact she’s been avoiding us. Ever since that conversation we had when we were driving home from the hospital the last time, I just—” Kel stopped. “She looked so upset…and she’s been acting weird ever since then.”

With a slight twitch of his shoulders, Hero twisted his hands around the steering wheel. He hadn’t thought about that, but he supposed Kel had a point. Somewhere after Kel’s rendition of “99 Bottles of Pop On the Wall,” Hero had steered the conversation into another topic before Aubrey and Kel started bickering again—going stir-crazy from being stuck in wall-to-wall traffic. He had picked something he felt was innocuous enough: talking about how much better Basil seemed to be doing and his hopes that he would get to come home soon. Honestly, he had never imagined the conversation would quickly turn to a discussion about Mari and about the truth again—though he supposed he should have expected that it was on all of their minds. After all, Hero himself had hardly stopped thinking about it.

“You know, Aubrey said it was so hard to wrap her head around the fact that Mari wasn’t actually depressed…” Kel continued, seemingly taking Hero’s silence as evidence that he didn’t remember. “And I understand that, but I mean…it’s a good thing that she wasn’t so tortured and miserable like Basil, right?”

Hero’s chest panged, but he somehow managed a nod. If he was being honest, he kind of felt the same way.

“You said something kind of like that at the time right? About how it’s kind of a relief to know that she didn’t…you know…”—he bit his lip— “And now you don’t have to blame yourself for not knowing she was depressed because she actually wasn’t all along…”

Hero let out a long and heavy sigh. That wasn’t exactly how he remembered it. He had barely said anything about himself—maybe an offhand comment about how difficult Mari’s death had been to accept when they hadn’t known she was struggling but certainly not enough to warrant such a big chunk of Kel’s account. While it was undeniably true that Hero had blamed himself for Mari’s death and for the fact that he hadn’t known she was depressed, he couldn’t imagine saying much about that to anyone, especially not to Aubrey or Kel. In his mind, all he could remember was trying to comfort Aubrey and tell her he understood that it was hard and that the truth was a lot to take in.

“She just looked so upset…” Kel sighed. “Do you think she’s angry again?”

“I don’t know…” He wasn’t sure if angry was the right word—maybe it was, but hurt and confused came to mind first. On the other hand, this was Aubrey they were talking about. “Maybe…But can you blame her?”

Hero could feel Kel fidgeting in his seat before he finally, quietly admitted, “No. The whole thing’s just really sucky…” He paused. “But you and me—we didn’t do anything so I don’t know what she’s mad at us for.”

“I’m not sure she is mad at us, Kel. I think she probably just wants to be alone, you know?”

As Kel shifted, Hero could feel his feel mood stiffen—growing frosty and worried. Hero swallowed hard—his stomach coiling as he worried he had said something wrong. Kel’s voice softened and he barely choked out a stumbly, concerned, “You don’t…you don’t think she’s…depressed…do you?”

Biting down hard on his lower lip, Hero tried his best not to picture the expression on Kel’s face—tried his best not to imagine his brother was thinking about him and worrying he was going to lose Aubrey just like he had lost him in that year after Mari had died, scared to death of having to go through that again. Most of all, Hero tried his best not to think about how that was all his fault.

“I think Aubrey’s okay, Kel. She’s just dealing with a lot right now, but she’s going to be okay.” His reassurances were weak, but it was all he could manage.

Kel nodded with a slight, “Okay,” followed by a thick and heavy silence. It was so deafening that Hero frantically reached for his radio dials and asked if Kel would like to listen to some music to much the same response.

After a handful of songs that Hero barely listened to—far too worried about Aubrey and Kel to pay much attention, Kel asked, “Is this The Pretenders?”

Hero’s brow furrowed, trying his best to focus on the song on the radio. When he finally caught a full line: “Kid, my only kid, you look so small. You've gone so quiet,” he couldn’t help but shake his head with a sigh. Sometimes the radio had a certain intuition—playing the perfect song for a moment, and as much as Hero’s heart might have broken at the angst of it all, “Kid” by The Pretenders was certainly the song of the moment. How could it be anything else with an opening line like, “Kid, what changed your mood? You got all sad so I feel sad too.”

“Yeah, it is,” Hero answered, pushing his thoughts away. “Do you like them?”

“They’re pretty cool, I guess. I was just thinking about them since we just found one of their cassettes while we were going through those boxes the other day. Haven’t listened to anything by them for a while though.”

“Yeah, me neither,” sighed Hero. Truthfully, besides the occasional song on the radio, it had been years since he had actually listened to a song by The Pretenders. Mari had been the one who really loved them and was the whole reason he even had the cassette Kel had mentioned in the first place. Hero had always liked this particular song well enough, but now, in this context after everything that had happened, it absolutely gutted him. He felt lines like “You've turned your head. You've dropped my hand” in his bones, making his chest ache the more he thought about Kel and about Aubrey.

Especially Aubrey. That closing stanza could’ve been written about her. “Kid, precious kid. Your eyes are blue, but you won't cry, I know—angry tears are too dear. You won't let them go…”

Hero’s eyes widened. That actually gave him an idea. “Hey, Kel?” he asked. “Do you know if Aubrey has a way to play cassettes?”

*-*-*

While it had seemed like a good idea at the time, Hero started to worry that he had overstepped or upset Aubrey by the gesture after she didn’t talk to him for several days after that. He wasn’t sure she had even found the cassette he had left in her mailbox on his morning jog that Monday, and by Thursday, he was trying to hold himself back from calling to apologize to her for it. Luckily, he had a busy week of work to keep him plenty distracted, but even that could only do so much to temper Hero’s concern. He tried to tell himself that if Aubrey needed him or wanted to talk, she would call and that he already had made it obvious that he was thinking of her and was there for her if she needed him and, in that respect, Hero wasn’t sure what else he could do.

He would be lying if he didn’t say he practically jumped whenever the phone rang, hoping it was Aubrey calling to reassure him she was okay, even though it never was. It didn’t stop him from hoping though, and when he got back from his afternoon of work at the pool that Friday, he let out a long sigh of relief when his mom told him he had missed a call while he was out. Taking a deep breath and trying to convince himself not to get his hopes up, he asked, “Really? From who?”

“Someone named Kyle. He said he’s a friend of yours from school.”

Despite his best efforts not to appear too disappointed, Hero felt his face fall and his shoulders begin to slump. Still, he managed a slight shrug and the twitch of a half-smile. “Oh uh…yeah…we had a few classes together. Did he say why he was calling?”

“He’s having a bunch of people over next weekend before he leaves on vacation with his family and wanted to invite you,” said Mom, handing Hero a piece of paper on which she had written Kyle’s phone number. “He lives in Seaport which is just a couple hours away, and he says a lot of your friends will be there like Brandi and…there’s someone named Zuzu he said he really wants to introduce you to.”

Hero sighed. It was nice of Kyle to think of inviting him, but after the summer he had been having, the absolute last place he wanted to go was a college party filled with strangers and people he barely knew. He’d have plenty of that when he returned to campus for the fall semester, and despite Kyle’s kindness, Hero just didn’t think he had it in him to fake his way through a party right now.

Luckily, he knew that he had to work next weekend so he had a reasonable and polite “out” despite Mom’s gentle insistence, “It would be nice if you could go. You probably miss your friends, right?”

“Yeah, but unfortunately, I have to work next weekend, so I don’t think I’ll be able to make it. Maybe next time.” He tried to give Mom a reassuring smile, but she tilted her head questioningly at him as if she didn’t fully believe him. Hero didn’t blame her. He probably wouldn’t fully believe him either. Turning away from Mom, he held up the piece of paper with Kyle’s phone number on it. “I’ll have to call Kyle and thank him for inviting me though. That was very nice. Thanks for taking the message.”

He gave his mom a quick hug before taking the paper and the phone up to his room, but he hesitated before dialing the number, thinking he should probably call Sunny instead. After all, he had been planning to call him for nearly two weeks now but had just been too busy. It was only fair that he call Sunny first. Before he could even do that, however, the phone rang in Hero’s hands.

He answered it with “Hello. Padilla residence. This is Hero—” but the voice on the other line started talking at the same time.

“Hey, it’s Aubrey.”

Hero stopped—his hands trembling so much he nearly dropped the receiver. “Au—Aubrey? How are you?” Hero stumbled, trying his best not to sound too surprised.

There was a pause and some muffled noises on the other line, but Aubrey finally mumbled, “Fine. How are you?”

“I’m…doing alright…”

“I just got off the phone with Kim. She says you talked to her today at the pool.” She huffed. “Is that what you’re doing now—hunting down my friends to ask them about me?”

Hero’s face flushed. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to—I mean I saw Kim was there with Vance and Charlie, and when my shift was over, I was just saying ‘hi’ and asked if they had seen you recently.”

“I wish you wouldn’t do that, but...” Aubrey let out a long sigh. “I know that you’re worried about me.”

“Sorry,” he apologized again, his face burning.

Aubrey sighed again. “You know I was kind of thinking about you…” Her voice started to trail. “It looks like rain.”

Glancing out the window at the dark storm clouds and overcast weather, Hero swallowed hard. Had he worried Aubrey somehow—been too obvious about the fact that idle, rainy days were difficult for him? If he wasn’t so upset by the idea that he had burdened Aubrey with his own issues despite his best attempts to bury them, he would have been kind of impressed that she knew him so well. Aubrey really was a lot more perceptive than everyone gave her credit for.

Hero twisted his fingers around the phone—struggling to think of what to say in response, but, just luckily, Aubrey cut him off. “Are you doing anything right now?”

“Nope.”

“Do you want to meet up? I can return that tape.”

“Yeah, that would be great,” Hero replied, trying his best not to sound too relieved. “Do you want to come over or I can come pick you up and we could go out somewhere or…? You know Kel’s still at work actually, so we could wait for him if you’d rather…”

“I can come over in about 15 minutes,” Aubrey interrupted. “Is that okay?”

“Absolutely.” Hero was going to ask if there was anything special she wanted him to get or make for her when she came over, but she quickly cut him off.

“Okay. See you soon. Bye.”

Somewhat frantically, Hero hurriedly tried to clean up Kel’s side of their room. He felt bad for going through his brother’s things, but he didn’t want Aubrey to have to wade through the mess. Then, he ran downstairs to put the kettle on the stove and doublechecked with Mom that it was alright if Aubrey stopped by to which his mom merely smiled and said of course and asked if she was planning on staying for dinner.

When Aubrey arrived fifteen minutes later on the dot, she was greeted by kind smiles from Hero and his mother and a warm cup of tea.

“You really didn’t have to make tea or anything,” Aubrey insisted as she followed Hero upstairs—taking a seat on the rug by his bed.

“I was making it anyway,” Hero lied, ineffectively. “You know I love tea.”

Aubrey’s brow furrowed, but she just blinked at him before turning her attention to the several stacks of cassette tapes on Kel’s desk. “Wow. That’s a lot of tapes.”

Sheepishly scratching the back of his neck, Hero shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah…we’ve been going through some boxes of old stuff recently and found tons of cassettes.”

“Well, you can add this one back to your collection.” She handed him the tape he had left in her mailbox. It even had his little sticky note on the cover where he had written the first line of “Kid”, “Kid, what changed your mood? You got all sad so I feel sad too” along with the track number. He wondered if Aubrey had listened to it, but he thought it would be best to let her tell him that.

“You can keep it,” Hero gently insisted, pushing the tape back towards her. “We clearly have plenty, and honestly, I haven’t listened to that one in a long time.”

Aubrey blinked at him before she turned away—something misty and bittersweet in her eyes as she mumbled, “Mari loved The Pretenders, didn’t she? There was that one song of theirs…“I’ll Stand By You” or something like that…that she listened to all the time. She used to sing lines of it to me when she was worried about me—wanted me to know I could talk to her.”

Something panged in Hero’s chest, but he nodded. “Yeah she used to sing some of it to me too…” He paused before he tried his best rendition of the little bit he remembered, “When the night falls on you, you don't know what to do. Nothing you confess could make me love you less—I'll stand by you.” His voice hitched. Something burned in the back of his eyes as he could almost hear her singing now.

“Yeah, that’s the one…” said Aubrey in a wavering voice. “Though she also sang those lines about getting mad and not being ashamed to cry and stuff too. I guess the whole song is kind of like that—encouraging someone that they really can open up to you even if it’s hard for them.” With a sigh, Aubrey stared down at her hands. “It was…always kind of hard for me, I guess. But I guess it’s hard for you too, huh?”

Hero fidgeted under the weight of her gaze as Aubrey looked up at him. With a slight nod, he swallowed hard, silently praying that she wouldn’t try to make this about him. Aubrey’s next statement made it abundantly clear that it hadn’t worked.

“I can’t imagine how hard this has been for you.”

“I’m okay, Aubrey. This isn’t about me.” His face flushed. The words were a little more forceful than he had been intending. He hurriedly added a stumbly, “Unless…I mean…unless you’re angry with me.”

Aubrey shook her head. “I was angry with the world, Hero, but I was never angry with you. I knew—we all knew you loved Mari so much and you took her death so hard. I knew you were hurting—probably even more than me—but I didn’t know until that day in the car when we were driving back from the hospital last time…I didn’t know you had thought it was all your fault.” Her voice cracked, and Hero’s insides twisted. So Kel had been right after all? He felt so stupid for not realizing it before and so guilty for bringing up whatever it was he had said that had brought his friends so much grief.

“Aubrey, I’m sorry…” he began to apologize, but she cut him off.

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the one who’s sorry. I should’ve known…” She shook her head bitterly, then clenched her hands into fists.

“You know, I just can’t get over it, Hero. I really thought that I was,” she shakily confessed. “Sure, I was furious with Basil and Sunny at first, but I knew it was an accident—they hadn’t meant to hurt Mari. But then I just kept thinking about it…” She stopped—something pained passing over her eyes. “What you said about how you blamed yourself for Mari’s death and felt so guilty because you hadn’t even known she was depressed, when really she wasn’t—” Aubrey’s voice hitched. “I just couldn’t stop thinking about how that’s all Basil’s fault, because of what he did, how he tried to cover it up, and I just get so…”

As frustrated tears started to glisten in the corners of Aubrey’s eyes, she shook her head, her voice trailing. She didn’t need to finish that sentence. Hero’s chest twisted. He knew how she felt—though he didn’t feel angry, just a deep, bitter sadness.

“You have every right to be angry,” he gently reassured her, running his hand across her back. “But please don’t be angry at Basil on my account.”

“Someone has to be,” Aubrey insisted, jerking away from him with a huff. Hero pursed his lips as his chest ached.

“I don’t think so. I’m not angry with him or with Sunny,” Hero admitted though he gently reassured her. “If you are, that’s okay, you feel what you feel, but for me…if I’m angry at anything, it’s Mari’s bad knee. It just never healed right—if it had, maybe she wouldn’t have fallen.”

“But that’s the thing, Hero, she fell. Don’t you think it would’ve been better if we all knew that? If you knew that?” Running a hand through her hair, Aubrey shut her eyes tightly. “I just can’t understand why he would do that—why anyone would do that? What Sunny did was an accident, I can see that, but Basil…why? Why would someone do something like that on purpose?” Her voice cracked—tears beginning to struggle free from her eyes. “What kind of heartless person could just stand there—not only not call 911 but then turn around and cover the whole thing up? Could see how much everyone was suffering and never tell us the truth?”

Placing a gentle hand on Aubrey’s shoulder, Hero sighed. He would be lying if he said he didn’t struggle with the same questions, but he tried his best to comfort her—to tell her the things that he told himself. He wasn’t sure if they’d make her feel better, but it was worth a try.

“Aubrey, we’re never going to know why Basil did what he did. I don’t even know if Basil knows why. He was just a kid and he panicked—wanted to protect Sunny probably…” He paused—his expression softening and something burning behind his eyes as he continued, “But what I do know is that Basil and Sunny loved Mari and never wanted to hurt her. And they never wanted to hurt us either.” He swallowed hard—blinking back the tears in the corners of his eyes. “It’s just a horrible, horrible situation with a lot of collateral damage that we all got caught up in. I don’t think anyone intended or could’ve foreseen any of this—it was all a tragic accident.”

Pausing, Hero took a deep breath before he placed a hand on Aubrey’s shoulder. “But no one blames you for being angry.”

With a heavy sigh, Hero turned away from her, staring out of the dark and gloomy window. “You know, I’ve…never really had a lot of fight in me…” he admitted quietly, a faint flush in his cheeks before he let out a light, somewhat self-deprecating chuckle. “It’s something I’ve always thought I should probably get a little more of. But you…” His expression softened, and he smiled at her as he met her eyes. “You’ve always been a fighter, and I’ve always admired that about you. You want to protect everyone—fight for your friends even when they can’t or won’t fight for themselves. But I’m your big brother…”—he took a shaky breath and patted the top of her head—“I’m supposed to be the one protecting you, so you don’t need to protect me, okay?”

“But that’s the thing, Hero—you’re everybody’s big brother. Without Mari, you don’t have anybody to protect you anymore. And as long as you feel like you have to protect me and Kel and Sunny and Basil—as long as you feel like you have to take care of us, you’re never going to tell us what’s wrong, so you’re just going to suffer alone and none of us want that. We all worry about you too.” Aubrey paused, wiping her eyes. Hero froze. His hands trembled. He didn’t know what to say—didn’t even know how he felt. To see Aubrey so broken up and worried about him was like a wrench to his heart. First, Kel. Now, Aubrey. Could he do anything without hurting the people he cared for most in the world?

“Aubrey, I…” he began to stumble as tears pooled in his eyes.

“No, I—” she cut him off. “I didn’t say this to make you feel bad or feel guilty. I just…I know you, Hero. I know the way that things are—the way you always push aside how you feel to take care of everyone else, and I guess that’s part of the reason why I was so upset—because I knew how much you were suffering all alone and how you didn’t have anyone you felt like you could talk to. I know you’re never really going to be able to talk to us about what’s wrong—but I just…I think we all want you to have someone you can talk to. Someone you feel like you don’t have to protect. I know that’s never going to be me or Kel or even Basil or Sunny—you’re always going to be our big brother, but I want to believe there’s somebody out there—maybe even several people—maybe Brandi or your friends from school or I don’t know just anybody…somebody who you feel like you can tell these things to, somebody you can always go to who’ll try to understand and will comfort you and support you no matter what. I want you to find that person, Hero—because you’ve always been that person for me.”

As tears struggled free from Aubrey’s eyes, Hero wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Sniffling, Hero wiped his own eyes, but he hugged her tightly—like she was that little girl he and Mari had found crying on the side of the road after she had lost her shoe. He knew she wasn’t that little girl anymore—that she was jaded and wounded by a life much harder than it needed to be and much more difficult than she deserved, but Hero always knew that to him, at least of a part of her would always be that little girl who needed a big brother to look after her.

Before Hero could say anything more, however, there was the clattering sound of footsteps bounding up the stairs and through the hallway.

“Woah, group hug!” exclaimed Kel’s voice as his brother appeared in the doorway. He rushed over, sliding across the rug until he wrapped his arms around both Hero and Aubrey. They chuckled lightly at Kel’s enthusiasm, but Hero watched as Kel’s expression softened as he patted Aubrey on the back.

“Are you feeling better now?” he asked.

Aubrey nodded and smiled slightly at Hero as she replied, “Yeah, I’m feeling a lot better now.”

As she leaned against Hero’s side, Hero patted her head again and pulled both her and Kel close. With his brother by blood on one side and his sister by something possibly even stronger than that on the other, he closed his eyes and a genuine smile tugged at his mouth at the thought that no matter what had come before or what might come after, for this moment at least, Hero was holding the whole world, and for once, for possibly the first in a long time, everything was right in it.

#omori hero #hero omori #omori aubrey #aubrey omori #hero and aubrey friendship #hero and aubrey friendship is so criminally underrated #hero needs a hug #poor hero 🥺 we only want good things for him #hero deserves to be happy #omori spoilers #hero friendships #when sun shines again⛅#hero fic #hero songs #our content #thanks for reading

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