Chapter Text
Summer came and went in a flurry, and soon it was time for school again. The first few days of school were a confusing blur of waking at the crack of dawn to catch the bus only for the bus to be comically late, getting lost in endless hallways, learning dozens of new names only to forget them seconds later, and so on and so forth. It was incredibly disorienting and overwhelming, and it was made worse by the fact that Bee and Es barely had any classes together.
It was odd, being apart. For ten years of his life as “Sunny”, and roughly three years of his life as “Es”, Sunny was used to constantly being by Basil’s side. Especially during their ten years away from Faraway, all they had was each other. To not have someone who felt like an integral part of his identity by his side at all times… it was weird.
The stress of being apart seemed to be getting to Bee as well.
They were more clingy than usual and got upset when Es was late to the spot where the two would eat lunch together. Es had to text them when he left and arrived to classes as well as respond to the messages Bee would inevitably send periodically during class periods. They would spam him with messages, and if he didn’t respond within a short period of time, they’d grow upset and become convinced he hated them.
On the bus to and from school, the two of them sat together, shoulders pressed side-to-side and knees knocking together. Bee would grip Es’ hand almost painfully tight, knuckles white and fingernails digging into Es’ skin whenever they could spend time together. Any small twitches of discomfort were interpreted as offense, and Es had long trained himself to simply disconnect from any pain he may feel to keep his face perfectly balanced.
It was too stressful to try talking to new people - Es could vividly remember how distressed Bee had been while signing up for classes, how upset they got during middle school at the mere thought of him having any friends besides them. In the one class they had together, Chinese, Bee would glare at anyone who tried striking up a conversation with Es and would protest if the two weren’t allowed to sit next to each other.
Es spent most of his time observing the actions of others as if watching through a window - simply an observer, a parallel line never to intersect with the others. The constant anxiety and stress, as well as the need to reassure Bee, caused him to simply disconnect to cope, robotically going through the motions and pretenses of normality.
Sleep was his sole comfort. Dreams were perfect and endless, and no one could hurt him. He let his dreams seep into his waking life, living in an imaginary world within his head where everything was alright. In all honesty, this world had existed within him since he was a child, but especially during times of high stress, it became harder to tell where the boundaries between reality and dream lay.
These days, as the boundaries thinned, his imagination spilled over into everyday life. He often saw colorful creatures from his dreamscape wisping in and out of focus, and shadowy creatures from his nightmares often stood at the edge of his peripheral vision, causing a sense of dread to seep in and contaminate him.
Barely being able to pay attention in class from being under constant duress took its toll on Sunny. Although classes should’ve been easy, he kept making stupid mistakes, causing his grades to take a hit.
In summary, Sunny was having an absolutely awful time.
In the trials and tribulations, Basil remained by his side, soothing him through his breakdowns and helping him as much as they could. Aubrey and the others did what they could, but no one was quite as present and constant as Basil. There was no one else he could be completely honest with, no one else who simply knew him as much as they did.
Aubrey had suggested the two of them try to make new friends and branch out in high school, but Sunny knew better. There was truly no one who would ever bring him as much comfort, who would ever be as important to him as Basil. There could be no other aside from them.
He and Basil still hung out with Aubrey and the others every weekend and occasionally after school. They’d all gather at either Aubrey’s or Hero and Kel’s place, trading stories and having fun together. If Sunny allowed himself to be honest, having the others felt like a breath of fresh air from being constantly isolated with Basil.
Still, they couldn’t always make time for each other, and outside of that small time together, he truly had no one besides Basil.
It was fine, he reasoned. Sacrifices had to be made, and any discomfort he may have felt was simply unreasonable. After all, Basil was the one who always stayed with him through the thick and thin of it all, weren’t they? And they were only like this because of how much they cared about Sunny, right? How could he be so selfish to deny his only source of solace?
He was an awful person, but Basil stayed by his side. So he had to stay by their side, as well.