nerdzillaao3

[nerdzillaao3]

CHAPTER 5/TUESDAY PART 1: I’VE SEEN MYSELF IN YOU

Pairing: M/M

Content Rating: Explicit (18+)

Content Warning: (Tags)

Work: In Progress

Sunny hasn't been doing so well in art school. He's been lacking inspiration as of late, so, for Spring Break, he decides to go back to Faraway Town in the hopes of reigniting his creativity. He spends the week with Kel and makes him his muse, but he ends up getting more than he bargained for.

Not to mention the lucid dreams he keeps having about him...

OR

Sunny accompanies Kel on his day-to-day activities during Spring Break in order to get some ideas for his paintings.

After that, Omori quieted down. However, Sunny felt his presence slither back into the back of his mind. Now that he had broken his alter’s rule, the terms of their deal no longer applied. This meant that he would be free to interfere as much as he wanted, whether he liked it or not.

But Sunny wasn’t going to stop him this time around. He actually agreed with him, finding his words to be a reality check, no matter how hurtful they were. Besides, he knew that everything Omori did had his best interest in mind. Protecting him had always been Omori’s objective, and if this is what he had to do in order to fulfill that, then so be it.

Regardless, the dream still felt surreal as it lingered in his mind. He hadn’t had a lot of wet dreams in his lifetime, but none of them had ever involved another guy before, let alone one of his friends.

It must’ve not been half bad, judging by the fact that I fucking came.

But… he wasn’t gay, was he? He used to have a crush on Aubrey when they were kids. He was a straight man. Always has been, always will be. His parents made sure that he understood from a young age that being anything other than that was wrong and would tarnish the family name. For as long as he could remember, they had always been prideful about these kinds of things.

Time and time again, they would give him the cold shoulder whenever his grades weren’t up to par with their standards or whenever he wasn’t composed in public. It always stung whenever he would seek out their attention or try to hug them only for them to ignore him and push him away.

However, usually this type of behaviour would stop once he corrected himself. They always told him that they only wanted what was best for him and that emulating their own academic successes was what they considered to be the best way for him to live a prosperous life.

With that reasoning, it made sense why he couldn’t step out of line. He was confined to match them stride by stride.

Despite this, Sunny never spoke out against them, witnessing through his sister what would happen if he ever did. He remembered it like if it was yesterday. Mari was having a heated argument with their dad, regarding her feelings for Hero. Prior to the argument, Sunny had always assumed that his dad was aware of her feelings to a certain extent.

He vividly remembered each and every single threat his father had hurled at her. Ever since then, he’s never once tried to speak out against them. Even to this day.

After all, his mom was the only person he had left. He didn’t want to lose her too.

Even as he got up and headed towards the bathroom to take a shower, Sunny found himself adrift amidst a sea of thoughts. Once he arrived at the door, barely felt his hand touching the cold doorknob.

***

Sunny opened the door to the bedroom. It was dark outside. Owls were hooting and crickets were chirping. His parents had just gone out to get some groceries.

Mari was lying on her bed with the table lamp turned on next to her. She was reading one of the manga she had bought in Japan before they immigrated here, most likely one that had romance.

She had always been a big fan of the romance genre, which made sense given that she was a hopeless romantic. Romance was pretty much the only thing she read as far as Sunny knew. And he was well acquainted with most of her novels and manga.

But he had never seen her read that manga before.

You can read the rest of chapter 5 here:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/58422025/chapters/153873106

[nerdzillaao3]

CHAPTER 4/WELCOME TO DREAMSCAPE: MAYBE YOU’LL FIND WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR.

Pairing: M/M

Content Rating: Explicit (18+)

Content Warning: (Tags)

Work: In Progress

Sunny hasn't been doing so well in art school. He's been lacking inspiration as of late, so, for Spring Break, he decides to go back to Faraway Town in the hopes of reigniting his creativity. He spends the week with Kel and makes him his muse, but he ends up getting more than he bargained for.

Not to mention the lucid dreams he keeps having about him...

OR

Sunny accompanies Kel on his day-to-day activities during Spring Break in order to get some ideas for his paintings.

Welcome to Dreamscape, Dreamer.

Dreamscape is the natural evolution of Headspace. In Dreamscape, there are no rules. No one tells you how to think or how to feel, what you can or can’t do, and decide what is right and what is wrong.

Kel was nothing but a blur in front of him. Everything was in grey, black and white. Sunny could feel the tiles of a wall pressing against his back, a strong grip on his hips, and some pressure on his crotch. He took the time to scan his surroundings, always being both eyes accessible whenever he dreamed.

They were in a bathroom, a club bathroom; brought to life by hazy, white neon lights. One of the linear fluorescent lamps above them lazily flickered on and off. The floors had chequered tiles and the walls had eyes drawn onto them.

As everything starts to becomes clearer, Sunny realizes that the blue in front of him wasn’t Kel from his dreamworld. He still had his clothes from the real world, the only difference being that he was black and white just like everything else. Did that mean..?

Sunny looked at his shirt. He wasn’t wearing a tank top. He was wearing his usual outfit, in black and white of course.

Okay, so he wasn’t in Omori’s dream…

Once the blurriness completely vanished, Sunny met Kel’s eyes, only to immediately be pinned underneath his gaze. He shivered as Kel’s eyes devoured every inch of his body, like if there was something worth salivating, worth feasting, and worth savouring.

Sunny unconsciously licked his lips, intoxicated by their close proximity. His eyes trailed down to Kel’s enticing lips.

Oh god…

What would kissing Kel feel like?

No—you shouldn’t entertain that idea, a vague, distant voice in the back of his mind argues.

Would his lips be soft..?

No—thinking like that is bad.

Would it feel good..?

No—stop it. What’s wrong with you?

Sunny’s head hung low, feeling hot with shame. He shouldn’t want to kiss him.

That—That would be—

Suddenly, Sunny feels fingers under his chin. His head is tilted up and he’s reacquainted with Kel’s gaze and smile, their faces inches away from each other.

“You don’t have to be shy, y'know,” he whispers, his soft brown eyes brimming with affection. Oh, how Sunny would do anything to live within the warmth of Kel’s gaze. “It’s just me.”

Sunny’s heart skips a beat.

Those were the same words that Kel had said when they first met.

The warmth that those words brought were able to quell the voice, yet shame still weighed down on his shoulders. He really shouldn’t indulge in his curiosity, but it was more powerful than him.

For as long as he could remember, Sunny ruled his emotions with an iron fist, never allowing them to step out of line. He had to remain stoic and composed at all times. It’s what was expected from him. How he was raised.

To act otherwise would be “putting a stain on the family name.” His father used to hit him over the head with it as a kid. Even as an adult, his father’s words still had a chokehold on him:

“Suzukis don’t raise their tone, Sunny.

Suzukis don’t goof around, Sunny.

Suzukis don’t cry, Sunny.

Suzukis don’t get scared, Sunny.

Don’t get dragged around by your emotions, Sunny.

Shut them down before they get to you.”

For his entire life…

That’s all Sunny’s been doing.

All he’s ever done.

Run away from his feelings.

But what he felt for Kel…

What he had been feeling for the last few months…

While too profound to be expressed…

Was too significant to be silenced.

Feeling a burst of courage from the confession, Sunny captured his lips, eyes fluttering shut. Kel groaned and tightened his grip on his hips before starting to grind against him. With a rush of adrenaline sweeping him off his feet, Sunny gasped at the contact, allowing Kel to slip his tongue inside. Sunny’s thoughts melted into each other as Kel started to suck on his tongue, causing sparks of bliss to ignite a fire in his body. He couldn't breathe as his heart beat wildly, enthralled by a passion that could not be tamed.

The world spun around him, slowly crumbling apart, Sunny’s hands frantically scrambled up to grip onto Kel’s broad shoulders to keep from slipping away with it, unable to tell up from down and left from right. He starts to rock his hips against Kel’s bulge, seeking to chase the elusive sensation that came roaring to life inside of him.

However, the haze lifts as Kel stops and pulls away. Sunny chooses to ignore the pathetic whine that leaves his throat.

His heart drops as Kel frowns. “You’re kinda stiff. And I’m not talking about your—”

“I get the idea!” Sunny huffs, hurt. Was the kiss bad? “Just tell me what I’m doing wrong. And don’t sugarcoat it.”

“What!?” Kel’s eyes widened. “You’re not doing anything wrong! It’s just…”

Kel lowered himself and started to nuzzle his neck. It wasn’t a flirtatious gesture; it was a soft, soothing, and loving gesture. It made Sunny’s heart melt. It’s only then that he realized that he was trembling.

“Relaax, Captain. I don’t bite. Unless you want me too,” Kel purrs, playfully nipping his neck before eagerly starting to grind against Sunny again, causing his breath to hitch.

Letting his words soothe him, Sunny eventually stopped trembling and mellowed out. Afterwards, Kel latched onto his neck and began to suck the tender flesh. Sunny threw his head back into the wall, letting out a long, loud moan, much to his embarrassment.

“Damn, you’re even louder than me,” Kel teases, chuckling.

“Please don’t point it out,” Sunny mumbles, understanding the irony.

“Why not? I’m into it!” Kel reassures enthusiastically. “Keep doing that.”

So, as Kel left more and more hickeys, Sunny’s thoughts became mud, slipping through his fingers before he could even grasp them. Words spluttered out of his lips, mostly composed of “oh fuck” and “fuck yes.” His babbling spurred Kel on, making him dig his fingers into his hips and pick up speed, increasing the friction. Arousal flooded his senses, drowning out everything else. The coil in his stomach got tighter as lazily began to grind his erection against him.

This felt good.

Kel felt good.

He felt good.

You can read the rest of chapter 4 here:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/58422025/chapters/152393395

[nerdzillaao3]

CHAPTER 3/MONDAY PART 2: YOU’RE MY SOFT SPOT

Pairing: M/M

Content Rating: Explicit (18+)

Content Warning: (Tags)

Work: In Progress

Sunny hasn't been doing so well in art school. He's been lacking inspiration as of late, so, for Spring Break, he decides to go back to Faraway Town in the hopes of reigniting his creativity. He spends the week with Kel and makes him his muse, but he ends up getting more than he bargained for.

Not to mention the lucid dreams he keeps having about him...

OR

Sunny accompanies Kel on his day-to-day activities during Spring Break in order to get some ideas for his paintings.

Sunny was sulking. His feet were sore after walking for what felt like hours. To make things worse, he had forgotten to grab his things after he stormed off. Luckily, Kel had grabbed them for him. However, Sunny didn’t thank him, let alone apologize for his actions when they reunited, giving him the cold shoulder. After that, Kel had a kicked puppy look and was much quieter than usual.

Currently, they were in Kel's room, which was much more spacey now that Hero had moved out, and Sunny had to quell his delight as he saw the pile of blank canvas lying on the floor on the other corner of the room. Right now, Sunny was lying down on the bed, reading one of Kel’s Captain Spaceboy comics while Kel was playing video games.

Even as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, Sunny still couldn’t let it go, rambling in his head.

Who does he think he is? I didn’t ask for a lecture. What am I, five years old? I can take care of myself.

What’s his deal anyway? And why was he looking at my cuts? Well, it was more like a glance, but did he really think that I wouldn’t notice? Look who’s underestimating who now.

Sunny clenched the comic. He had always been self conscious about his scars. At one point it had gotten to bad that started to get repulsed by his own reflection.

He remembered Kel saying that he thought that they look cool a couple of years back, but of course he’d say that. Since they were kids, Kel had accumulated tons of scars on the palm of his hands, arms, knees, and thighs because he kept falling down on the cement during his basketball practices.

“Well, I have a ton of scars and you don’t think I’m gross based on that do you?”

“That’s stupid. Why would I think that?”

Kel grins. “Exactly! So why wouldn’t that apply to you too?”

The memory sweetened Sunny’s mood a little. Still, it didn’t have anything to do with what we were talking about. So why stare?

Frowning, Sunny sets the comic book down and lifts his arms in the air, observing the old scars. There were lots of them scattered across his pale skin; short ones, long ones, some shallow, and some deeper than others.

But they all had one thing in common.

They had been Sunny’s doings.

Does it have anything to do with how he was looking at me earlier? I’m probably just imagining things, but he looked kinda guilty.

Sunny hums, lowering his arms back down and picking the comic book back up. All he did was ask if I was lonely, and when I said no, he got all mushy and sentimental about it. Must’ve triggered something in him. Some kind of memory…

Add that with a glance at the cuts on my arms and you got one hell of a mystery. Nothing I can’t figure out though, Sunny muses somewhat smugly, gazing at his friend. He was laser focused on the game, sporting that big stupid grin of his. Kel’s easy to figure out most of the time.

As if he had heard his thoughts, Kel paused the game. As their eyes meet, Sunny feels a shock, giving his heart a jumpstart. He quickly hides his face behind the comic, his ears burning.

Anyway… my cuts, loneliness, guilt and the past. That’s what I’m working with. Logically, the only past that Kel could be remembering specifically was while I had hikikomori for four years.

But how do those four relate to each other? How do I connect the dots..?

Without a moment to spare, Sunny starts to dig deep into his memories. The ones from the moment he left his house and reconnected with his old friends.

Seeing Kel for the first time in years…

Kel apologizing to him and Aubrey…

Saying that he was a bad friend…

Wishing that he’d acted sooner….

Suddenly, realization struck Sunny like lightning.

Does he blame himself..?

Just like that, the fire fueling his anger gradually fizzed out, like a flame slowly dying out. As the red haze began to clear, the art student came back to his senses. At once, Sunny felt a stab of guilt; shame bleeding out from his heart.

Great, now I feel like an asshole. Looks like I owe him an apology. I might not be athletic, but I sure do love jumping to conclusions.

“—ny?” Kel says, pulling Sunny from his thoughts. “Are you even listening?”

“…”

“I said that it was getting late and that I’m gonna turn off the lights,” Kel repeated cautiously, averting his gaze. “Do you want to keep reading?”

“No.”

“Are you tired?” Kel sounded relieved.

“Yes.”

“Do you, uh, want me to leave?”

“No.”

“Can we sleep together? Y’know—in the bed?” Kel stammers.

“You can do whatever you want, I don’t care,” Sunny answers, and Kel knew that it was just his way of saying yes.

Kel’s expression brightens. He gets up before heading over to the light switch and turning the lights off. Sunny scoots over to the right to give him space as Kel lies down next to him, shoulder to shoulder, with a loud squeak of protest from his bed as it was forced to endure his weight.

“Hey, Kel?” Sunny whispers, glancing up at him.

Kel meets his gaze. “Yeah?”

“I’m sorry for lashing out at you earlier. What I said was definitely uncalled for. I don’t want you to think that I don’t value you, because I do. You mean a lot to me.”

Kel smiles, the moonlight lighting up his face. “It’s all good. I was definitely being too pushy. I’m sorry. I just wish you told me what’s going on in your head.

I’d never force you to tell me anything if you don’t want to, but, when the time comes, just know that I’ll always be there to hear you out.”

Sunny hums. “I’ll keep that in mind, but I don’t know if you can relate to any of my problems.

I’m not underestimating you or anything, but it always seems to be smooth sailing for you,” he says honestly.

“I wouldn’t say that, heh heh. To be honest, right now, I’m pretty scared,” Kel admits, his voice wavering.

“Really?” Sunny was in disbelief.

Kel sighs. “Yeah, about the game. It’s the finals, and as team captain, they’re all counting me. And there’s this little voice in my head that keeps telling me: What if I let them down? What if I can’t do this? What if I can’t do that?”

Kel curls his hand into a fist and starts to tremble. “Who am I kidding, I’ll probably screw things up like I always do. Maybe they’re better off without me.”

Sunny hadn’t even said anything. It’s almost like he wants me to agree with him. He must be really freaking out. I’m not really good at using my words to cheer people up, but…

Sunny gently brushed his hand against Kel’s to get his attention. Kel’s hands were rougher and enormous when compared to his own. The palms, battered with scars, showed off their resilience after surviving Kel’s many falls and his over-enthusiastic handshakes could definitely snap anyone’s wrist in two if they had weak bones.

It takes a bit of coaxing, but Kel slowly starts to uncurl his fist, starting to notice Sunny’s tender strokes. Once there’s enough room, Sunny slips his hand in Kel’s before intertwining their fingers together, feeling the heat radiating from his palm. He could feel Kel’s hand quivering like a leaf and he gently squeezed his hand in solidarity, before starting to run his thumb over it. It takes a while, but Kel’s trembling gradually fades away.

I don’t know anything about comforting people. But what I do know is that Kel likes holding my hand.

Kel gently squeezes Sunny’s hand. “Could you do me a favor?”

You can read the rest of chapter 3 here:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/58422025/chapters/150821656

[nerdzillaao3]

CHAPTER 2/MONDAY PART 1: YOU’RE A REAL PIZZA WORK

Pairing: M/M

Content Rating: Explicit (18+)

Content Warning: (Tags)

Work: In Progress

Sunny hasn't been doing so well in art school. He's been lacking inspiration as of late, so, for Spring Break, he decides to go back to Faraway Town in the hopes of reigniting his creativity. He spends the week with Kel and makes him his muse, but he ends up getting more than he bargained for.

Not to mention the lucid dreams he keeps having about him...

OR

Sunny accompanies Kel on his day-to-day activities during Spring Break in order to get some ideas for his paintings.

Sunny jolts awake in his seat as the bus stops with a loud screech. Stifling a yawn, he sluggishly wipes off the sleep from his eye and looks out of the window, instantly mesmerized by the orange evening sky, lit by the dazzling golden rays of the setting sun.

The art student briefly scans the decently crowded bus station, surprised that he hadn’t been dropped off on the side of the road or something.

Since when did Faraway Town have a bus station?

Looks nothing like the last time I visited…

The sound of shuffling feet and other people grabbing their bags sucked Sunny back into reality. He grabbed his backpack and suitcase, and eventually exited the bus.

Once outside, he only took about five steps away from the bus before a familiar shout stopped him in his tracks.

“Hey, Sunny! I’m over here!”

Sunny turns to his right and catches a glimpse of Kel through the crowd. He slowly makes his way towards his friend, each step sending a spark of excitement throughout his body. His anticipation surged like a tidal wave, and he was swept away by glee as he finally reached the other man.

Kel hadn’t changed that much since the last time he visited him, still rocking his orange basketball uniform, although in a larger size since he had outgrown the previous one, and the mullet he had grown out with a man bun at the back.

Regardless, something immediately caught Sunny’s eye. Kel’s right arm.

He still has it…

While he was visiting Faraway Town two years ago, Kel had asked Sunny to draw a sketch of a sick tattoo for him to wear. He drew the stars and constellations of Neighbor’s Room from his headspace, making the Big Yellow Cat the focal point since he knew that Kel loved animals.

Sunny was apprehensive about showing his sketch to Kel at first, thinking that it wasn’t up to par and whatnot, but as soon as he saw the wonder in his eyes, it filled his world with a burst of color, turning everything from gray to vivid. Kel’s had the design for over two years now. It covered up most of his right arm.

“I can’t believe you’re here! It’s—It’s just—” Kel takes a step forward but quickly stops himself. “Can I hug you?”

“Ye—”

In a flash, Kel pulled him into a bear hug, knocking the wind out of him. Sunny briefly takes notice of his strong build but is more preoccupied by how tight he was holding him, as if he never wanted to let him go. Kel didn’t even need to say anything, because the hug already told Sunny everything.

I leave for two years and he misses me that much? Glad I’m not the only one who feels that way…

A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips as Sunny quietly hugged him back, gently nuzzling into his shoulder. Ever since he had his growth spurt a few years ago, nuzzling had become his new favourite way of expressing his affection towards Kel, especially when they were cuddling. Sunny had always been a cuddle bug. Ever since he was a kid. Not that he would ever admit it, of course.

The hug lingers on for a while before Kel slowly pulls away.

He grins. “C’mon! Let’s catch up at Gino’s! There’s so much stuff that’s happened since you visited a while back. I’ll explain it to you on the way there, Captain!”

Sunny’s heart skips a beat. Ever since a few years ago, for whatever reason, Kel had given him that nickname. He didn’t mind, though. He found it to be endearing.

Even though Sunny didn’t know why Kel called him Captain, he guessed that it had something to do with the fact that Kel often confided in him about his problems over the phone and seeked out his advice and input, which apparently mattered to him a lot as Sunny would soon come to realize.

One day, too curious to resist any longer, Sunny asked Kel why he called him that. His friend simply told him that whenever he had a problem, Sunny was the first person he would turn to.

Because he was one of the only people who would bother listening to him.

Now that he thought about it, they did talk to each other on the phone a lot. It happened so often that, despite trying to isolate himself from his friends, Sunny looked forward to Kel’s calls every day.

Often, their conversations would result in a greater understanding of themselves, each other or the world around them.

Consequently, their bond deepened, even though Sunny strongly denied it.

But the main reason why Kel called him Captain was because whenever things got tough, he knew that he could count on Sunny to help him. Sunny was his anchor, keeping him grounded in reality and preventing him from going off course towards his anxieties.

“You always know how to steer me in the right direction, Captain!” Kel’s old words echo in his mind, making his heart soar.

As they walked towards Gino’s through a new street on a sidewalk, Kel delivered on his words and talked Sunny’s ear off about how practically everyone they once knew had moved on to other places.

Additionally, the town had been expanding over the four years that Sunny had moved away, with the placement of new schools, streets and neighborhoods as the population steadily increased over time, alongside the development of new businesses and infrastructures in order to attract tourists in the hopes of growing the town’s economy. Even the plaza had seen a major expansion and was more like a giant mall now.

Sunny couldn’t believe his ears. It was basically a whole new world. How could so much change in so few years?

Before long, they arrive at one of Gino’s diners, the one closest to the bus station. Kel had also informed him that ever since the business had transitioned from a restaurant to a diner, the brand had grown popular among tourists and locals alike and became Faraway Town’s flagship fast food joint. So, naturally, a couple of them were scattered around the increasingly bustling little town.

Immediately, the diner logo's striking red and blue neon sign captivates the artist. Sunny stops abruptly, causing Kel to stop shortly after. His friend takes a couple of steps back to stand back next to him as Sunny puts down his backpack, takes out a pencil and sketchbook, and starts sketching the logo.

Kel doesn’t say anything as Sunny sketches out the logo, which Sunny’s thankful for. As much as likes to talk, Kel knows when to stay quiet. However, Sunny still feels his gaze on him, which makes him more jittery than he’d like to admit. He sketches faster as a result.

“Take your time. We’re not in a hurry or anything,” Kel reassures him.

Sunny lets his words soothe him. He slows down and eventually finishes his sketch. Kel catches a glimpse of it.

His jaw dropped. “It’s…”

“It’s okay, I guess.”

“Okay!? Dude, it’s fucking amazing! You gotta give yourself credit where credit is due!”

“You’re only saying that because we’re friends.”

“No, I really meant it! I mean, to draw that in like one minute is super hard. And I would know, because I tried doing it a bunch of times.”

Sunny doesn’t know if he should believe him. After all, Kel was really easy to impress. And it wasn’t that incredible or anything. The longer he looked at it, the more he could spot the imperfections.

“I can hear you thinking, dude,” Kel teases, chuckling. “It’s kinda funny.”

Sunny snaps his head up and opens his mouth, about to retort.

But Kel speaks first before he gets a chance, eyes gleaming. “Captain?”

“What?” he huffs, irked.

“Remember me when you’re famous, okay?” Kel says sweetly, his gaze full of warmth, catching his friend by surprise.

Sunny isn’t sure whether Kel was oblivious to his annoyance, or had intended to say that all along.

The worst part is that it’s working.

You can read the rest of chapter 2 here:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/58422025/chapters/148831897

[nerdzillaao3]

CHAPTER 1/THE CALL: WITHOUT YOU IN MY WORLD, THE SUN FORGETS TO SHINE.

Pairing: M/M

Content Rating: Explicit (18+)

Content Warning: (Tags)

Work: In Progress

Sunny hasn’t been doing so well in art school. He’s been lacking inspiration as of late, so, for Spring Break, he decides to go back to Faraway Town in the hopes of reigniting his creativity. He spends the week with Kel and makes him his muse, but he ends up getting more than he bargained for.

Not to mention the lucid dreams he keeps having about him…

OR

Sunny accompanies Kel on his day-to-day activities during Spring Break in order to get some ideas for his paintings.

Laying down on his bed, Sunny stares at the clock. It was currently 5:00 pm.

He had finished his last class two days ago on Friday. He remembered his classmates chatting enthusiastically about what they were going to do during Spring Break as the class neared its end. Some talked about traveling with their friends while others talked about visiting their relatives.

All of these conversations made him feel lonely to say the least. He wished he had a family to go back to…

And it’s not that he couldn't visit his old friends or anything, he just didn’t see any reason too when calling them was much more convenient. Living far away from them didn’t help his case either.

Plus, the twenty year old hadn’t made any new friends since the three years he’d attended the art school. It’s not like no one ever tried to approach him, or that he hates everybody per se, but his shyness did make it difficult at times. Actually, the few times that people did start to get close to him, he was the one that ended things before anything could happen.

He didn’t want to get too attached.

He had already been burned once and he refused to put himself through that agony again, to expose himself on a silver platter, only to be devoured by the harsh, cruel world.

He would do anything if it meant that his heart wouldn’t get ripped to shreds like so many years ago.

And that’s partly why he didn’t talk to his old friends as much as he used to.

In the end, his actions had resulted in isolation once more.

Nevertheless, he didn’t let that saddening reality bother him. He had bigger fish to fry. Ever since a couple of weeks ago, his motivation and ideas have been steadily reaching a decline, and so have been his grades.

He didn’t understand what he was doing wrong. He was working himself to the bone yet his efforts were fruitless.

Maybe that’s part of the problem…

He didn’t remember the last time he ever left his dorm, except to buy food and necessities, or when he needed to go to class, which always freaked out his roommate. So, perhaps a change of scenery would do the trick.

Sunny contemplates this for a bit. Would that be enough? He’s been outside plenty of times before and it never felt that spectacular. He’d heard many times that nature was a great way to generate ideas, but he personally didn’t see the appeal. He found it boring.

A change of scenery alone wouldn’t be enough to jumpstart his creativity.

He wasn’t fond of the outdoors…

Sunny’s gaze drifted over to his desk. There was a little black wooden cat standing on the edge.

But he knew someone who was.

Someone that’s boisterous….

Always had sun-kissed skin…

And could find beauty in unexpected places.

Sunny turns towards his iphone, lying on the bed next to him, staring at it for a couple of heartbeats. Slowly, he grabs his cellphone, unlocks the screen and dials a phone number. The phone rings for a few seconds.

“Hey, Sunny!” Kel’s cheery voice answers. “What’s up?”

“Can I stay with you for Spring Break?” Sunny blurts out.

Read the rest of the chapter here:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/58422025/chapters/148812139

[nerdzillaao3]

First Ao3, then the world!