unconscious spill - OMORI

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in which SUBJECT 🌵 nurtures plants and meets an angel...

KEL spritzed the plants in SUNNY's hospital room with a little spray bottle. he liked how the water collected in the little ruts of the dirt and the curves of the leaves. it was the late afternoon, and small but heavy clouds filtered hazy light throughout the room. SUNNY looked asleep, and KEL wondered what was going on behind his eyes. was he dreaming? seeing nothing? could they even think? 

the flowers filled the room with a nice smell. light, floral, and dreamy... smells like BASIL's old greenhouse. KEL had already done BASIL's room, and it smelled a little different there. more heavy and sweet. the two boys had talked over flowers and plush toys and hospital ice cream in the afternoon light... it was really fun to actually talk to him again. he had missed him.

KEL wished he had a bit more time to talk to SUNNY before he shut off again. four years and only three days together... before losing him again. KEL really liked talking to SUNNY, even if he didn't talk back. they were a great listener. KEL was so tired of being alone. he missed his old friends. he missed HERO and AUBREY and BASIL and SUNNY and- and MARI. KEL sunk in his seat a little. he missed her so bad, still.

he didn't know why... she would. she seemed so happy. it was terrifying to think that anyone would... 

KEL dropped his spray bottle, hitting a few leaves of a tulip on the way. "oh- shoot-" KEL stumbled downwards to catch the bottle, missing it seconds before his hand would have reached it. it shattered on the floor, noisily. the sound woke SUNNY up-

the sound did what. SUNNY faced him calmly, staring straight at him from his hospital bed. "uh- oh hi! s- sunny!!!" his hair was tangled and dark, partially obscuring his face. his skin was... really pale. poor guy. wait... on closer inspection... his skin was actually white. like, not a touch of melanin anywhere. his frame was smaller, as if he had gone four or five years back. his eyes were... they were red. this... wasn't SUNNY.

the boy stared at KEL, bearing an eerie resemblance to SUNNY but he was wrong just enough to make KEL nauseous. SUNNY was gone. what had happened to them? the IV that was hooked up to SUNNY just a moment before was now attached to this boy's arm, but he wasn't in a proper hospital gown. he wore plain red flannel pajamas, and he held a small plush cat. he looked both younger and older than SUNNY, as he seemed to be just a little kid... but his eyes held knowledge beyond mortal years. like the wise mentor character in captain spaceboy. or something.

the boy began to sign. <hi, kel. it's me.> "uhhhhhhh- hi!! sunny? uhh... where's sunny anyways-" KEL stumbled before being quieted by another sentence. <sunny is fine. this is your friend omori speaking. listen, i have-> "who's omori anyways?? i- i don't remember an omori. isn't that just a piano brand??" KEL blurted, nervous as heck about SUNNY despite the child's reassurance. <omori is my name. it is also the name of a piano. understand."

omori signed in a plaintive way, almost seeming stuck-up. it reminded him of SUNNY, when he talked more. <listen. kel. i know you have hurt so much. everyone did. listen. are you listening. come on, kel. you have to listen.> KEL was listening. he had no idea why omori was so insistent. he was maybe a little sleepy, but that didn't mean he couldn't listen. jeez. the boy opened his mouth and spoke for the first time.

"kel, i'm going to fix everything. i will bring everyone back. nobody will ever have to be sad or scared again because i'm here to save you all."

SUNNY fell back onto their bed with a thump as someone opened the door. HERO stood in the doorway, takeout bags slung off his arms. "did someone order some BURGERS?" he grinned, oblivious to the whole scene that had happened moments before. he smiled at KEL for a second, before the corners of his mouth tilted down. "are you alright? you normally get so excited when  i come for a visit. and when i get burgers. burgers on your mind, right? ha ha...?"

"oh! hey, hero... yeah, i was just... worried... about SUNNY?" KEL beamed at him, with the perfect concocted mix of apology, joy, and i'm-fine-hero-i-swear-don't-tell-mom-and-dad. he had had a lot of tries to perfect it over the last four years. a lot. "alright then buddy. have you taken your meds yet today? you know you get gloomy when you don't." HERO ruffled his hair. "mhm... yep. i think so!"

"alright then, i got everyone's favorite! except for SUNNY... honestly? i barely remember what order he likes." "he always gets the kids meal, remember, HERO? because they have the little coloring sheets he likes! he gets a six piece nugget with mega fries and regular milk." "ohh yeah! have... have you guys been getting fast food or something while i was gone? you didn't forget to get the chicken scraps to feed all the stray cats by the church, did you?" "nope!"

it was nice to talk to HERO again. it would have been helpful if he was there when BASIL was pushed into the lake... KEL shouldn't be so ungrateful. HERO got him burgers and soda and fries and stuff... and talked to him. nobody seemed to be talking to KEL except for BASIL these days. it was like SUNNY being asleep was an infectious disease... he had gotten a lot of the same when MARI died.

he made sure to run his mouth on autopilot while his mind wandered back to omori. what... was he? was he hallucinating? would that make him a crazy person...? was omori real and was he... like an angel of sorts? or a dream. or a demon. or... maybe it was just SUNNY waking up. maybe neither of them were in their right mind, and SUNNY was mumbling mumbo jumbo while KEL saw angel eyes and kid's pajamas over his best friend. maybe that was just it. KEL almost wanted to wait and see.