Post Game True Ending, Basil's perspective. A story on finding beauty in the ordinary, inordinary.

This one is short and sweet! I've got plenty more ideas lined up after this one, but I'm making sure to take time to take breaks so I don't burn out. I do have a regular full time job and other priorities, but it's been so nice writing again.

Song: Inordinary - Hayley Williams

Inordinary

Basil read through the long afternoon that April while the soft pitter patter of the rain hit the treehouse roof above. The open window to his right brought in a chilling gust, rustling the plants on the edge and causing Basil to tug the sunflower blanket closer to himself.

The treehouse was oddly quiet today. Kel, Aubrey, and Sunny sat on the floor near the wooden table in the middle, Aubrey dealing out two stacks of cards. It had been Kel's idea to start a round of "Trash" and Sunny was the closest to winning with Aubrey a close second and Kel still on 7s.

Mari and Hero snuck off to the house around ten minutes ago, promising warm treats when they returned. Mari's chocolate chip cookies sounded good during this cold weather.

This was still the year before. An ordinary afternoon with his group of friends. Before… everything happened.

I don't want your concern

As some consolation prize

And I don't want to be your friend–

Basil sat listening to the rain, his eyes glossed over the words. The temperature rose a few degrees as he felt a body sit at his feet.

"What are you reading this time?"

He didn't need to look up to see who it was. Basil cracked a smile and closed his book, handing it over to Sunny. "Just another fantasy. The third in this series."

Sunny gingerly plucked the book from his hands and looked at the back. He touched the bookmark and ran his fingers through the pages. "Doesn't look like you've gotten that far."

"Yeah, high fantasy's kind of hard to get through sometimes," he answered, shyly rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. He didn't mention how many times he had to reread the depictions of settings before fully understanding what was going on.

Sunny just nodded and handed the book back. Basil sat the book on his lap and turned to his other friends. "Weren't you in the middle of a game?"

"Yeah, but it was getting boring," Sunny said, curling his legs up on the ledge and underneath Basil's blanket. It was much warmer there. He had made the mistake of wearing shorts that day and his white socks were still slightly damp from splashing in the rain puddles with his sneakers.

Basil stiffened and scooted his legs further back so as to not touch Sunny's.

"Oh, sorry," Sunny said, scooting back as well and tugging the blanket closer. "My feet are still cold."

Basil shook his head, trying to keep his blush down. "N-No, it's fine." As if the problem was his wet socks and not his nearness to the blonde.

But as soon as the feeling came, so did the drop in his stomach, remembering what happened with Sunny earlier that week.

"What is it, Sunny? Did you want to see the photo? …You always ask to look at my photo whenever I take any pictures of Aubrey. Do I… maybe… sense a little crush? Hehe… Don't worry, I won't say anything! My lips are sealed."

His lips settled into a thin line. It had been hard to keep a happy face while saying that. He stuck in the back, pleading that no one would wonder why his hoodie was on despite his use of his umbrella. It was something Sunny had hinted at before, but to get a confirmation… even if it was something as small as the blush that dusted Sunny's cheeks…

Basil withdrew from the conversation and picked up his book again. He needed to finish the story. Maybe this epic would have a better ending.

Or just one of the guys…

Going back home that day, the house was quiet. Over the last few months it was the norm. It seemed like his parents were getting busier and busier those days. And his grandmother, while still able to walk around and complete daily duties, preferred to settle in early and turn in to her soaps and knitting. The home smelled faintly of a stew simmering low on the stove.

He walked up to his room and dropped his backpack near the foot of the door. The lights stayed off. A soft sniffling sound is buried underneath the harsh rainfall against the window.

I am nobody's.

The next few years flew by. Well, for Sunny, they did. For Basil, each sunrise brought new torment. A new horror. There was no place to rest. No soft place to land. He had lost his friends in the matter of weeks, months, and in trying to protect his best friend's actions, created a new enemy. As the years passed, the cut didn't heal or scar. It was as raw as that November afternoon, open and bleeding.

At least the pain reminded him he was alive.

He switched back from wanting everything back to normal to hating the fact that it seemed like all of his friends had abandoned him. Aubrey didn't even try to speak to him about the misunderstanding. Not like he would tell the truth, but still. He had seen Kel knocking on Sunny's house door often, mostly on the first days when Basil wondered if that would be a good idea as well. Why didn't they come to his door? And Hero… he was unavailable for the year following Mari's death and swept off to university as soon as possible. He felt a pang of guilt whenever he tried to attack his friends and their ways of coping. After all, wasn't he the one that had caused them this pain?

And Sunny.

Where was Sunny?

Basil didn't know what he felt about Sunny anymore. The first year, he let it overwhelm him every night, tossing every question around, every 'what if', every possibility of what Sunny could be thinking and feeling. The second year, he felt comfortable enough to label the emotions as anger and rage. The following years, it was a blur. Nothing made sense anymore. It felt like his feelings from years ago were lightyears more simple than what he held for the black-haired boy now.

So after everything that happened before and after Sunny confessed, he was confused. Why did his heart still pang when he came to view? But what was this new suffocating feeling that came with being in a room alone with Sunny? Why did he want him to stay, why did Basil want to reach out? But why did Sunny continue to stare at him blankly? And why did he still want to protect him after all these years? And why did he want to dig in the garden shears–

Were they still all friends?

Really?

Could they still make new memories together?

Was it possible?

We left home when we were teens.

I grew bored of simple things.

The problem with Faraway Town, Basil thought, was that it held too much history. The town sat quiet the last day of summer break, the day before classes began again.

Sunny had gone and left after his recovery.

Basil set down his watering can and looked up as he watched Polly's silhouette back away from the window. The lights inside were on. She made sure to check on him more after his hospital visit, and he was grateful for it. He couldn't hold any annoyance for her tiptoeing around him, he had caused her great concern.

With his plants glistening with fresh water, Basil dropped his gardening gloves and walked over to the backdoor. Time to prepare to reenter society.

Forgiveness from his friends was awkward, messy. Slow. Kel was the quickest to reach out again. The first times he came to his door, he could feel how forced the conversation was. But over time, it grew more natural. With Aubrey, it was more complicated. Yes, she was angry, but there was something else, something that overshadowed the anger. Regret? Shame?

She had apologized before, but the most she gave Basil was a small passing smile in the hallway. The hooligans didn't bother him again. They mainly steered clear of any room or space he was in. That was the most he could ask for out of that situation.

As for Hero, he had rushed off to his university again right afterward. Professors and tests wouldn't wait for anything. To date, Basil received a lengthy email from Hero's personal account, apologizing. It felt like he wrote his heart out and pressed send immediately, not take time to edit his typos or fix his tone like the normal Hero would. At the very end, he asked for time to process.

Life began in xxth grade.

When me and [Polly] got away.

Came home one afternoon

She was waiting in the car for me

She said, "Don't worry."

Perhaps that was what influenced Polly to reach out to Basil's parents and request for them to move. Sure, he was healing, but there weren't proper resources in Faraway Town. In a bigger city, Basil could get a fresh start. Access to more mental health professionals and more often. A bigger high school, more people to blend in with. Even a club or activity to get involved in and distract himself.

He missed his friends. Hero. Kel. Aubrey. Sunny. Mari. He rested his last pair of white egret orchids on her grave before they left. It was their last stop before making their hours-long drive to the city.

Started over, xxxxx

Rent was cheap and we were free.

I wish that feeling stuck around.

Even in this new place, it was just a state of mind. Basil left his friends back in Faraway Town, but kept himself. That was both a blessing and a curse for the blonde. Despite his anxious tendencies, he was able to make new friends in the city. Joined his school's photography club. Took care of his plants again. Made progress in therapy. Started new medication, upped the dosage, and dealt with the side effects. Spoke to Kel through weekly calls. Friended Aubrey on the Instagram he made to post his photos. Kept up to date with Hero's life and exchanged pleasantries online.

Basil was still Basil. Exhausted whenever he arrived back home. Social battery drained after each event. Coming to roadblock after roadblock, blowing it out of proportion, before moving on. Venting to Polly. Trying to see the bright side to each situation.

And still in unequivocally, entirely, unconditionally in love with Sunny.

They chatted the most of his other friends. Yes, he was terrified of that being ripped out from underneath him again. He was angry for the betrayal and mad for the years of silence, but he was done letting fear and past pains be the reason to keep him from what he wanted for his future. Happiness. Through communication, guided activities led by his therapist, and just by listening, the two began to heal.

It was hard. It sucked most of the time. But Basil made do.

You gave me another chance:

A renegade,

holding your hand.

One late afternoon, Basil stood in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen. The sun was setting, creating a red cast through their open windows and lightening up the living space. Polly walked back and forth between shopping bags, putting away fresh foods and snacks in the pantry.

"That's a lot of food," Basil remarked, resting his hand on the wood. He glanced at the line he had marked a few months ago–he had already grown 1/4th of an inch more in that time. "Are you sure we'll be able to eat all of it?"

Polly gave out an uneasy laugh. "A-Actually, yes! I think we'll all be able to eat it!"

"We?

As if on cue, a knock comes from the front door. Basil and Polly shared a look.

"No."

"Yes!"

"Polly, no-!"

"Yes, Basil!"

Polly leapt up from the last bag, ushering it into his hands so he could help with the last of the goods. "I wish I had told you earlier, but I knew what your response would be. I worked it out with his mother, and we thought, well, one weekend wouldn't hurt anyone. You two haven't seen each other in so long and talk nearly every day, so why not hang out in person too?"

Polly continued as Basil shakily tried to put away the items left inside. "The drive isn't all that long, honestly. And you should have seen how eagerly Sunny agreed to this! His mother said he lit up like a–"

"W-Wait, Sunny wanted this?" Basil asked, setting down a container with dip and meeting eyes with Polly again. He was sure they had mutually agreed they wanted to keep distance from each other. Or had that been a while back ago? Did his opinion change? Did he feel comfortable enough to spend a day, no, an entire weekend together?

Polly's face broke into a big smile at the boy standing before her. There he stood, terrified of what stood at the door, but she could make out the glimmer of hope in his eyes, the small upturn of a smile. She nodded. "Yes. He really wants to see you, Basil."

The knocking from the door came again.

"Shoot, don't want him to think we forgot about him or that we're bad hosts," Polly said, grabbing a hold of Basil's waist and pushing him over to the door. "Go over and greet your best friend!"

Basil stumbled to the front door, stopping at the indoor rug. In white font, it read, "Just so you know, there's like, a whole lot of plants in here." He had picked it out one day while out with Polly, wanting this new place to feel more like a home to them.

And now, here was Sunny. At his home.

The blonde twisted the doorknob and opened the front door, allowing the final rays of the setting sun inside. Sunny stood by the door, holding onto his suitcase in one hand and a small black bag in another. His frame was still small, petite. His pale skin contrasted with his gray band tee and dark wash jeans. His eyepatch sat snugly against his eye, dark and trying to blend in with his dark hair. He looked… different. But just like the Sunny he loved.

Sunny looked at Basil with his eye. Basil tried to find the words, beginning to stutter and redden just like long ago.

"S-S-Sunny-"

"Hi, Basil," he answered, watching as his friend teared up. Strangely, he felt his eye moisten too.

"Y-You're actually here."

"I'm finally here."

I was somebody's.

I wasn't ordinary.

I was inordinary.

They spent the night talking about everything and nothing all at once. In the morning, Polly was quiet as she stirred around the kitchen, preparing a big breakfast for the three. Up above, the two slept in Basil's bed, unaware of the day's activities planned ahead for them. Perhaps they would awaken soon and quickly eat breakfast beforehand to watch some shows together, or so Sunny could show Basil the latest game he was obsessed with. Maybe they would sleep in and reheat the pancakes and bacon when it came time, laughing about how it was almost noon, but how that was the best sleep they had gotten in years. Maybe Basil would notice the new look Sunny would give him as they sat close to each other in their pjs, messy hair and all. Maybe Sunny would be brave enough to compliment Basil on his outfit for the day before they set out, and maybe he'd make it less obvious how much was checking out his friend's new muscles. They'd share the day together, just like old times, but with something new between them.

There would be plenty of time for all of that.

For now, the morning sunlight streamed into Basil's cozy room, the old sunflower blanket lazily covering the two boys on the bed. Basil nuzzled his head in closer to the crook of Sunny's neck, placing his arm over his stomach. Sunny exhaled and adjusted on his back, lightly holding onto Basil's hand above the blanket. In the ordinary moments-

There's a beauty to be found.