Forgive or die trying

Some suntanning

(A/N: I realized I haven't really added much 'ship' content yet despite promising it, I promise more is coming soon! For now, have some suntan)

Kel could tell something was off today.

Sure, Sunny didn't really talk much but he was never usually this quiet.

And he noticed how Sunny would look at his hands, fidgeting with them nervously every couple minutes before realizing what he was doing and stopping.

After a while of this, Kel gently took his hands and looked at him,

"Hey sunshine, what's wrong? I can tell somethings up, what's bothering you?" The nickname was one Kel had given Sunny years ago and it just stuck, it always made Sunny smile so it's just what he called him now. He looked up at Kel before slowly sighing,

"I miss our friends. I miss them so much." Kel smiled sadly and hugged him close while running his hands gently through his soft black hair,

"I know sunshine, but Hero's coming back tomorrow! And maybe we can even go see if Basil is up to leaving his house after he gets back! How's that sound?" To that, the raven haired boy smiled softly and nodded, content at that idea and gently holding one of Kel's hands as they continued their walk to Othermart.

It was no secret that the two boys were, as most would say, closer than friends. They had been dating for a while now, Kel's hyperactive nature pairing very well with Sunny's calming energy.

Kel remembered how nervous he was to first tell his parents, how worried he was that they wouldn't accept him and Sunny's relationship. Hero had to reassure him over the phone multiple times that his mom and dad wouldn't be mad about it at all. And now, looking back on that, he doesn't know why he was ever scared. His parents accepted it with open arms and it made Sunny the happiest he's ever seen him.

Reminiscing on the past some more, Kel told stories of when he and Hero would go camping to Sunny as they got to the market. It wasn't too busy inside which helped calm Sunny's growing anxiety around being around people.

"Ok, just got to get some bread, some baby food for Sally, and some vegetables! Ugh, gross, vegetables!", Kel made an exaggerated gross out face which Sunny laughed at, the taller boy beaming with pride at the sight.

He swore all the lights in the building brightened just from that one single smile.

Quickly, he paid for the groceries and helped guide Sunny out of the store as a young woman rushed by them, apologizing quickly before hurrying to the pharmacy area. Both boys looked at each other in confusion before shrugging and beginning the long walk back to Kel's place.

"Do you want me to see if my Ma is cool with you spending the night?", Kel looked at his shorter boyfriend and smiled at the small nod, ruffling his hair and laughing as the boy whined and tried desperately to fix it back up.

As soon as they entered the house, they were greeted by the sound of Sally's excited babbling as Kel's mom came to the door. The baby girl reached for her brother happily, cooing adorably when he held her in his arms.

"Awww! Hi Sally! Did ya miss me!", he tickled her playfully, smiling even brighter at her small giggles and babbling as he played with her. Sunny watched curiously, far too scared to hold the fragile baby, but that didn't stop Sally from squealing at the sight of him and immediately gripping on to his sweater vest.

He tried to gently pry her tiny hands off but she just refused to let go, Kel laughing at the predicament as he noticed his mom capture a photo of the moment before gently lifting Sally from Kel's arms and holding her in her own,

"Sallyyyy! You can't be terrorizing your older brother's boyfriend! He's going to be your uncle someday you know!", she playfully scolded the baby who responded with another fit of laughter, his mom noticing the two beet red faces in front of her at the mention of marriage.

She let the two go to Kel's room to play games until dinner, Sunny sitting on Kel's bed which was rather uncomfortable compared to Hero's. With how often he slept over, it became common for him to sleep in Hero's bed since the boy hadn't been home in 4 years since starting college.

He frowned to himself a bit. Four years. That's how long he's been deceiving everyone.

Suddenly that happiness from earlier was dropped.

He had been deceiving his boyfriend for four years.

How the hell would he ever be able to come clean about it at this point? It's not like he could just say 'hey babe remember when I said my sister killed herself? Funny story, I actually killed her then hung her body'

God, even just thinking of that made his stomach churn.

"Sunshine? You ok?", Kel's attention was now directed to the saddened boy, his game paused in between rounds. Silently, Sunny sat beside Kel and leaned into him, a way of asking for a hug that the touch starved boy used often. As he was brought into a tight and comforting hug, he felt that worry melt away.

Sure, Kel may get mad at him once he finds out the truth. But he would never leave him. Kel promised many times he wouldn't. And even when Basil and Hero abandoned him, Kel never did.

He felt a pit in his stomach.

Why couldn't he add Aubrey to the list of people that abandoned him?

He knew she saw what he did that day, and he hated that she had to live with the knowledge. He hated that he attacked her, turned the town against her, and made her into what she is now. He wished he could turn back time, reverse his actions, and make everyone happy again.

But here, in Kel's arms, he didn't have to worry about that right now. Right now, he was safe and loved. Right now, he was cared about. And that's all that mattered.

As Kel's mom called the boys down for dinner, he kept replaying his actions when he attacked Aubrey in his head and just wished he'd let her say the truth. He badly wanted to apologize but lord knows the Hooligans wouldn't let him anywhere close to her. He just hoped that someday, somehow, he could apologize to her and be her friend again