A month passes after their break up. Where are Sunny and Basil now? Continuation of the previous chapter.
Song: Unstoppable - Lianne La Havas
Unstoppable
Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11
I'll wait a little longer
While we are getting stronger.
I know it's taking the time to heal.
There is a time for everything.
It's what Sunny keeps telling himself the days following their breakup.
There's a season for everything, he tells himself late at night as the pained look on Basil's face flashes again and again. This too shall pass. This too shall pass.
We'll be unstoppable.
Don't know what I did it for.
I needed to know that it was always real.
"Where were you when I needed you?"
"...Are you leaving me alone again?"
It was for the better, Sunny tells himself as he heads to his next therapy appointment. An emergency one, he said during the call. They scheduled one the following morning.
The cool spring breeze hits his dry cheeks on the walk over. He swears at his choice of wearing a light cardigan instead of a jacket. All he has in his car is Basil's leftover jacket, and he dare not wear that in case he bumps into the blonde.
This is for the better. I need to become a better version of myself, for me and you. I don't want to hurt Basil again. If I return–
No. When I return to him, I want to make sure I stay indefinitely.
So Sunny works on himself. Therapy. Staying on top of his medication. Requesting his mom and Hero to be part of his support team for appointments and weekly progress. His therapist suggests exercising. He tries it. Hates it. Tries some yoga and stretching instead. More tolerable.
Early the next morning, when he fights himself to get up, fights to sleep the entire day in, he remembers what he's doing it all for. All in time.
Please wait for me, Basil.
Our heads held high when we walk down the line, honey
On and on through the clear night sky.
Let's be at peace, we'll fly…
It's like any regular Tuesday when Sunny sees Basil again. He stands in front of line at their favorite coffee shop, approaching the barista. Sunny has half a mind to call out the blonde's name, join him in line. Catch up.
But he remembers when they last spoke. He keeps his arm down and waits in the back of the line, thankful there are five people in between them to hide him.
"Basil!" The barista greets and walks up to the register after passing off the last cup. "The regular? A mocha latte and a cold brew?"
Basil's face flushes with a red, nearly breaking into a sweat at the mention. "U-Uh, no, actually. Just a medium mocha latte, please."
Sunny watches as Basil fidgets to take out his wallet. He considers staying in line as someone else opens the front door to enter. Sunny steps out of line and offers the spot to the stranger.
It's okay. He can get coffee later. He doesn't want to make Basil more uncomfortable than he already looks.
Our hearts collide.
Can't escape the magnetic side.
Sunny can't bring himself to take down their photos framed around his apartment. He stares at the photo of the two on his bedside table. The Basil from back then looks at Sunny with an adoring look, that cute blush the same as always. Sunny thinks of how he always feels undeserving of that pure look of love. But he's not looking at Sunny like that anymore.
He turns his body and lifts up his phone. No notifications on any of his social media apps. He hovers over his own account, thumb poised over his set relationship status.
'In a relationship with Basil Fey.'
Each account remains untouched. Their latest photo, when they went out on a sushi date, is still up on his Instagram. Who will change their status first?
He doesn't want to seem callous and be the first. If Basil already held anger for him, something like that would only hurt him more. It's probably best to wait for him to do it first.
He clicks on the photo and looks at the date. Three weeks have passed since their fall out. They had agreed to speak again in a month, as friends. Just one more week. One more week.
What will be the first thing he tells Basil?
I was like a satellite spinning away,
Almost lost forever and leaving no trace.
Floating through the darkest reaches of space
To another galaxy.
Our polarity shifted around.
There is nothing else left holding us down.
A week passes. Two weeks. Soon, it has been nearly two months since they last spoke.
Sunny is a nervous wreck. He tries to keep himself as busy as possible. At five weeks, he checks to see if he is blocked by Basil. Maybe he came to a realization that he didn't want Sunny as a friend at all, and didn't want him present in his life. But no, his profile shows up. Still following each other.
It's confusing. Sunny isn't sure to reach out, or to give him space. He doesn't want to cause more harm. Perhaps Basil changed his mind.
But it's just gravitational–
We are unstoppable.
The following week, Sunny is contacted by Kim about a get-together for Aubrey's upcoming birthday. They're planning a casual barbeque in the woods, a fun night out with friends. Something simple. Aubrey doesn't want anything too outrageous.
Sunny bites down on his lip, embarrassed as he sends out his message.
"Is Basil coming to the party too?"
The three dots appear before Kim sends back her response. "Yea ofc. We're hoping everyone will be there."
Over in his apartment, Basil stares at his own phone, sending a similar message to Aubrey. It's not a surprise party, so Aubrey knows about the planning.
"Hey… just wondering, and it's totally okay if he's coming! But I just wanted to know, is Sunny coming to your bday party this weekend?"
Aubrey isn't as quick of a responder as Kim is. Eventually, he receives back a message. He swallows hard and locks his phone again. Should he really go?
I just can't escape the pull.
We are unstoppable.
It's just gravitational.
The night of Aubrey's birthday bash is a chilly one. The days have begun to elongate, preparing for the summer season ahead of them. The days are warming up to the hotter temperatures, but the nights haven't quite caught up.
The smell of hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, and freshly cut watermelon wafts around the campspot. Vance mans the grill, flipping the patties just in time as Angel and Mikhael fidget with the wireless sound system. Mincy sits on a log beside them, looking at her phone and trying to find the name for the bluetooth device.
Kel is on the phone with Hero, asking if he needs any help with transporting the cake. No, Hero insists, he doesn't think the cake will do well in Kel's open Jeep. He'll be there any moment with Bowen and Daphne. Kim is still setting up the area, counting down the time until Aubrey arrives.
He's a little late, but he arrives. Sunny pulls up beside Hero's car, looking at all his friend's cars. He doesn't see Basil's Volkswagen. Did he change his mind?
Is that relief that he feels? No, it's disappointment. It's been almost two months since they last spoke, and Sunny was hoping tonight would be the time for them to settle their dispute. He locks his car behind him and continues walking down the path, following the noise from the speaker.
Oh well. Maybe he can leave the party a little early and try to contact Basil, if he was still awake by then. If he's missing Aubrey's party, there's probably a big reason as to why.
The sun is barely beginning to set as he walks down to the group circled around a small fire. Sunny pauses as he sees Basil, bundled up in his sunflower blanket, talking to Daphne and laughing. The breath is knocked out of his chest. It's as if he's seeing Basil for the first time again. It's as if he's taking a deep breath after being held underwater for days.
He looks perfect. His blonde locks frame his face perfectly, the flower clip Sunny got him for his past birthday holding up his bangs from his eyes. He shares a smile with Daphne as she leans down to quickly swat away a mosquito. His smile is gentle and true. He seems at ease. Is this how he's been doing these past two months? His eyesight stays glued to his ex-boyfriend.
Ex-boyfriend.
"Hey, Sunny! We were wondering when you'd arrive!"
Hero pulls him out of his trance as he sets an arm around him and pulls him into an open hug. He's as tall as ever and nearly knocks down the scrawny boy with his strength.
"O-Oh, sorry, there was traffic," he mumbled, taking another quick look at Basil. Basil looks up at the familiar voice. He tries to decipher the expression on his face, but is pulled away into a conversation with Hero and Bowen.
Our heads held high when we walk down the line, honey,
On and on through the clear night sky.
Let's be at peace, we'll fly…
Our hearts collide.
Can't escape the magnetic side.
The night progresses. The sun is beyond the horizon as the festivities continue. Everyone munches on the food while it is still warm. Angel brings out a bag of marshmallows. Kel grabs the boardgames from behind his car. A few of them give a try at a karaoke machine, embarrassing themselves in order to bring a laugh out of Aubrey. She's kicking her legs with laughter at the sight of Kel and Kim singing (or at least, attempting to) "I'll Make a Man Out of You."
Somewhere in the middle of it all, Sunny walks out for a breather. Shortly after, Basil follows.
He finds Sunny sitting against the hood of his own car, staring up at the night sky. The front driver side window is open with a song playing faintly in the background. As he walks closer, he's able to decipher the lyrics apart from the music coming from the party.
Sunny turns from the sound of the rustling. He has to turn his body further to see with his other eye.
"Oh. Basil."
"S-Sorry."
Basil pulls the blanket closer to himself and stops beside Sunny. "I didn't know you were out here too."
Sunny turns away from him and looks back up. "Yeah. Just needed a little breather. You know how it gets."
Basil nods. There's a silence between them, the sound of loud laughter and the passing of it. Basil halfway turns to leave, but… doesn't.
He leans against the other side of the car hood, lifting his chin up to the sky.
A new song plays from the radio of the car. Basil looks behind and spots his jacket still draped on the passenger side of the car. He remembers when they were still together, Sunny and him would sneak out of events together at times like this. Just to catch a quiet moment together. Sometimes–usually–leading to a quick makeout session too.
He recalls their clothes on the bottom of Sunny's car floor, the backseat dark, hearing Sunny's vulnerable voice as he breathed his name out–
"There's a new moon today."
Basil turns to where Sunny points. The sky hasn't completely darkened, but he's right. There's no moon tonight.
"The stars should be even brighter tonight," he remarks.
I was like a satellite spinning away,
Almost lost forever and leaving no trace
Floating through the darkest reaches of space,
To another galaxy.
What are they?
The two wonder this as they continue to speak about the stars. Sunny points out the north star, helping them track down the rest of the visible constellations. He can feel the tension in the air dissipate.
As Basil stares longingly at the stars, Sunny comes out with it.
"Basil, I'm sorry."
Basil pauses, confused. He waits for him to continue. His heart skips a beat, hoping.
"I'm sorry I didn't reach out to you at the end of April," he continues. "I was afraid… afraid you hated me. But I can also see how me leaving you again can look like.. Especially since a month has come and gone."
Basil shakes his head. He's not innocent either. "No, that door was open for both of us. I should have reached out too. I'm sorry. I wanted to give you more space, in case you needed it. I wasn't in a good place after everything went down."
Sunny can see the pain reflected once again in Basil's eyes. He wants to take it away. The distance between their hands on the car is electrifying. He swears he can feel a pull.
He drops his voice to a whisper. "How are you doing now?"
Basil holds his gaze. "Better. Right now, okay," he lies. He holds back so much. He wants to be honest. But can he be?
Sunny nods and drops his eye back down. Is Basil doing better now that they have less contact? Is he going to tell him what he feared tonight?
No regrets. Not if it's going to all end tonight. Sunny pushes forward. "You know, I thought about what you said that night. And everything from before. I spoke to Hero and Aubrey about it, actually. Aubrey told me she had been talking to you for some time too. Don't worry, she didn't tell me what you said."
Basil just stays quiet.
"I brought up your concerns about Ana. I also told Hero what's been going on recently and asked him for help."
Basil's ears perked up at the mention of her voice. There is still a bitter feeling attached. "Something happened between you two? Are you two–"
"No, never," Sunny cuts him off. "We were actually never even close friends, or much of friends anyways. All those times I gamed with coworkers? Those were the others I was talking to. I only ever brought her up because she was making me feel uncomfortable at work. I did want to be her friend, at first. She kind of reminded me of Aubrey, younger Aubrey, in her peppy attitude."
"So… did you have a crush on her, then?" Basil asks, frowning.
"What?" Sunny asks in confusion, turning to be closer to Basil. "No, she's annoying. She's nothing like Aubrey."
"So then do you like–"
"Oh my god, Basil, no. After what happened at that store, I realized just how homophobic and gross she was. I reported her to HR and her time for shifts got switched. I never told you about how she asked me out because I felt grossed out by it. I didn't think it was something to worry you about. But now I see that I still should have informed you. I understand how you felt to barely learn the news that day, like I was hiding something from you. I promise I wasn't."
Basil is relieved to hear this. "Sorry," he says. "I didn't know it was affecting you that way either."
Sunny shakes his head. "Don't be. In some ways, you were right. I wasn't open about our relationship with others. I never lied about it, but I felt too awkward to bring it up around others. I was afraid I was going to somehow jinx it. Trust me, if I could talk about how often I think of you, I fear I'd never stop talking."
The silence fills the air again at the confession. Basil is blushing a dark red, thankful for the darkness.
"S-Sorry, I realize that might be awkward to hear now–"
"N-No, I'm sorry too. Since you said that, I honestly should have trusted you more. I can't control how others feel about you, but I should have trusted that you would set up boundaries with people. I never thought you were actually cheating. I was afraid you'd find someone better. It was all just projected insecurities."
"Well, if we ever decide to try again…"
"...if…"
"I-If we do, I'd have to work on that."
"Definitely. And me too."
Sunny looks back over at Basil. It's now or never. He reaches out to hold the blonde's hand.
"If we do this again, and that's up to you, I want you to know how much I love you, Basil Fey. I want to be an unshakable truth that you can cling to when you're unsure. I want to prove to you every day that I love you. Even when we're at our lowest, it's not you versus me, it's you and I versus the issue."
His words set Basil's heart back on fire. There again goes the beating. The pounding of his heartbeat in his ears. How clammy his hand must feel in Sunny's. He leans in, closing his eyes–
"Suuuuuuuuunnnyyyyyyy! Baaaaaaaaaaaaassillllllllllll!"
The two break apart, letting go of each other's hands and sitting on further opposite ends of the car hood. The voice comes closer from the bushes, a Kel emerging from the dark..
"Ah! There you two are! We've been looking for you guys! Come on, we're about to sing Aubrey happy birthday and cut the cake!"
Their conversation will have to wait until later. For now, their friends are waiting for them.
Our polarity shifted around.
There is nothing else left holding us down.
Cut to everyone in a circle around Aubrey, singing happy birthday. Aubrey sits by her cake, illuminated by the bright "22" in the center. She is surrounded by people who love her. She wouldn't trade this night for anything in the world.
She tears up and laughs as Mikhael breaks into a high note at the end and gives the biggest smile. She isn't alone anymore.
Basil and Sunny stand by each other. As Aubrey leans in to blow the candle to make a wish, Basil slowly wraps his hand around Sunny's. He looks up at him–is this okay? Sunny blushes and gives his hand a tight squeeze. He's never letting go again.
Time for presents! The group brings over the gifts, having her open them one by one. Basil gifts her a set of hair accessories to go with her lighter shade of pink hair. Sunny bought her a light up bunny lamp. Kel starts with a card that explodes into a song at an annoying pitch when opened, but then quickly hands her a pair of shoes at her glare. Hero baked the cake, and she insisted that was all he had to do, but he hands her a small box of jewelry. Her friends continue to bring over the gifts. Kim wants to save hers for last, for some reason. She pulls Aubrey aside to the woods for it and everyone hoots and hollers, much to their chagrin.
As they wait, the games continue and the night cools. The fire slowly begins to dim more and more. Kim and Aubrey return with red faces, now holding hands, a ring on both of their fingers.
"You're engaged?!" Kell yells, standing up and about to start screaming.
"No, you dumbass!" Aubrey yells, "This is a promise ring!"
"What the fuck's a promise ring?!"
As the two bicker and Kim tries to explain the significance of their promise rings, the group settles back to their games. Sunny sits in a trio with Hero and Basil, enjoying a game of Uno. He sets down a red four.
"Uno," he says, one card in hand now.
"Uh-oh, looks like Sunny's got this in the bag." Hero sets down a card. The card continues red.
"Not so fast," Basil smirks and sets down his secret weapon. A red plus four.
Sunny mimics a hurt face, slowly grabbing four cards from the draw pile. "How could you do this to me, Basil?"
"Oh shush, you know I love you," Basil says without thinking, giving his boyfriend's cheek a pinch. They pause as Hero gives them a look before breaking into a laugh.
"I'm glad you two worked it out. We were all cheering for you guys."
Basil and Sunny blush as the game continues. They have the support of their friends as well. They've gone through so much together in the span of a decade, who was to say this was where this story ended? In each of them, they contain multitudes. They can continue to change for the better, as long as they don't give up.
The stars will guide the way
In the dead of space.
You will be my one and only.
Sunny waits inside his car with the windows open as Basil lets Kel know he'll be riding back with Sunny. Kel nods and climbs into his Jeep as others begin to peel out.
"Alright! Don't stay up too late, now!" he jokes, laughing at the blonde's shocked and red face. "See you two lovebirds later!"
Sunny pretends he did not hear. He unlocks his car as Basil walks over and opens up the passenger side door. He notes the blanket and offers him his jacket from behind his seat.
"Are you really that cold?" he asks, rolling up the windows and changing the air to heat.
"You know me, I get cold easily," Basil responds, leaving the blanket on his lap and sliding the jacket on.
"Let's get you back home and warm, then."
"No."
Sunny turns, raising an eyebrow. There's a different look to Basil.
"Let's go to your place."
Basil is firm with his voice. It's dark, save for the headlights of the car, but Sunny can make out the expression on his boyfriend's eyes. A familiar look. A look full of want.
Sunny just nods and swallows hard. "M-My place it is, then."
As the car warms up, the bluetooth connects to Sunny's phone and continues the last song from earlier.
We are unstoppable.
You guys didn't think I'd let a fic end with a sad ending, did you? As cheesy as it is, I think Basil x Sunny is one of those pairings that will always work itself out. It's hard work, but work worth doing. Call me a romantic or a sap. You can thank my husband for enabling this idea.
This song is personal to me and my own relationship, so I brought it out for this two-parter. If you listen, look up the Tiny Desk version on Youtube. Lianne's voice is heavenly, as are her other songs too.
See you in the next fic!