Running on Fumes

by P3n9uin

Summary:

Sunny is studying hard. Maybe a little too hard.

It’s up to Aubrey to get him to go to bed.

Notes:

just a small oneshot with minimal editing cause i got stuck writing tpwa

technically a sequel to high and dry

Sunny runs his hand through his hair, yanking at it, anything to keep himself awake. His eyes struggle to stay open.

 

His laptop says it’s 3:00 AM. His eyes comb over the screen, over and over again, searching his work for the smallest of errors, his mind a whirlwind, wondering if he has time to start over entirely.

 

He’s lucky Basil isn’t sleeping here tonight. At least this time he can have the lights on.

 

His phone buzzes, and he already knows who it is. Maybe he can distract himself, just for a little bit.

 

[Aubrey]: Are you awake
[Sunny]: no
[Aubrey]: Go to bed
[Sunny]: can’t
[Aubrey]: Ok then I’m coming over
[Sunny]: why
[Aubrey]: This is a problem
[Aubrey]: You can’t keep doing this
[Sunny]: i’m fine

 

He puts the phone down, rolling his eyes. She’s probably on her way already.

 

She cares a lot about him. He knows that. She’s his girlfriend, after all. But right now, he feels pretty annoyed that she’s doing this. He probably just won’t let her in and deal with the consequences later. He can make his own decisions. He gets even angrier just thinking about it. Does she think he doesn’t know what he’s doing?

 

Some knocks at his door take him out of his fog. He doesn’t move from his chair.

 

He swears he can hear her sigh through the door. He can hear something being put into the lock, and now he knows that there’s nothing he can do.

 

Aubrey forces open the door, taking the key out of the lock.

 

“Really?” He stares at her, his vision blurry and unfocused. 

 

“Yes. I’m helping you.” She’s wearing bunny-themed pajamas. He might find it cute if he wasn’t so sleep deprived.

 

He just grunts, his eyes snapping back to the screen.

 

“...how did you get a key?”

 

“I, uh…” she looks away sheepishly. “I pickpocketed Basil once.”

 

“What?!” He turns around to face her. “Those things are expensive!”

 

She backs up a little, surprised at his outburst. “I-it’s not that bad! And Basil has plenty of money. He’ll be fine.” He’s paying for two tuitions…

 

“He was so mad at himself when that happened…” he mutters.

 

“Look, Kim’s lost her key like five times. It’s not a big deal.”

 

Sunny turns around, grumbling something to himself. Aubrey stands behind him, slinging her arms over his shoulders and resting her chin on his head.

 

“What’re you working on?”

 

“Essay.”

 

“Yeah, duh. What for?”

 

“English.”

 

“Oh, that thing. Maybe I should start that soon.”

 

“...”

 

“Wait, you’ve got a whole week! What the fuck are you doing?!”

 

“Working.”

 

“Why would you work now… when you could work later?”

 

“...” He continues scrolling. Aubrey sighs.

 

“You missed a comma,” she says, pointing it out with her finger.

“No I didn’t” he retorts.

 

“C’mon, Sunny. You really think you can think straight when you’re like… this?” She gestures to him before running her hands along his chest.

 

“I’m fine.”

 

She runs her fingers through his unkempt hair. “When was the last time you showered…?”

 

“Two days.”

 

“Ew! Come on.” She walks over to his dresser, looking for some clothes for him to change into.

 

“Have you been wearing the pajamas I got you?” They match with hers, of course. Cat-themed.

 

“Sometimes.”

 

“Why do you sleep in your clothes? I’ll never understand.” He told her once that it “saves time” since he doesn’t have to change in the morning. It just seems impractical. And pajamas are much better for cuddling with.

 

She sneaks a pair of underwear in between the shirt and pants, hoping he doesn’t think too much about what she just did. She drops the clothes on his desk, reassuming her position behind his chair.

 

“Go shower. And then we’re going to bed.” She strokes his hair again, pouting that it isn’t as silky and fluffy as it normally is.

 

“Hmph.”

 

“Didn’t you pull an all-nighter yesterday?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Okay, come on.” She grabs his hand, pulling at him. “You can afford to get a B.”

 

“...and it’ll probably be an A anyways…” she mutters.

 

“No!” He pulls his hand away from her with surprising force. “It has to be perfect.”

 

It has to be perfect.

 

Perfect.

 

Try again.

 

Again.

 

Again.

 

Aubrey remembers one time, when she’d sat in on one of Sunny and Mari’s rehearsals. How Sunny kept staring at her, silently pleading for help. Eventually, Mari kicked her out because she was “distracting him.” 

 

After that, they only worked alone.

 

“Sunny…” she whispers, “...is it because of her?”

 

“...”

 

“I… hate to say this to you. But Mari wouldn’t want to see you like this.” She cringes at the irony.

 

Mari’s gone.

 

“...you don’t know that.” His hands clench into fists.

 

“...”

 

“I have to be perfect. To make up for everything.”

 

“You don’t…” she murmurs. “You’re already good enough.”

 

“I’m not!” he yells, standing up to face her. Even though they’re the same height, he looks taller somehow.

 

“Calm down…” She shrinks away from him, looking in concern as his eyes glaze over.

 

“You just don’t understand!”

 

Aubrey’s eye twitches. 

 

“I need to do this!”

 

“You don’t!” she yells, her voice dwarfing his. It takes all her willpower not to push him back, hit him. She can tell she’s losing control.

 

He glares at her, a crazed look in his eyes. “Mari wants me to.”

 

“She doesn’t!”

 

“You never saw her like I did.” His words are scathing. They pierce her to her core. 

 

“Don’t act like I didn’t know her!” she screams, “I cared about her! I care about you! Don’t you see that?!”

 

“Of course I,” he breathes, “see that.” Another breath, shallow and ragged.

 

“Then why are you being so fucking stupid?!” She brings her face right up to his, raw emotion coursing through her. Their shoulders move out of sync, their breaths heavy.

 

“BECAUSE I LOVED HER!” he screams at the top of his lungs, “and I wanted,” he inhales sharply, “to be like her.”

 

“Then- then maybe, you shouldn’t have FUCKING K-” Her hands snap over her mouth, eyes widening.

 

The room fills with silence. He backs away from her.

 

“S-Su… Sun…”

 

He can’t look her in the eyes.

 

“Sunny…”

 

He stands frozen, an ice sculpture.

 

“I-I didn’t… I didn’t mean to…” She holds her hands out to him. He flinches, moving away like a scared animal.

 

“P-please…”

 

He turns around, closing his laptop before taking his clothes and leaving the room.

 

“I’ll shower,” he mumbles on the way out.

 

“...God…” Aubrey whispers, tears streaking her face. “...why…”

 

She ends up curling up in his bed, sniffling as she faces the barren drywall. She doesn’t bother wiping away her tears.

 

I can’t believe… I said that. I’m heartless.

 

She let her temper get the better of her once again. She’d thought it was under control. Everything was running smoothly. Their relationship was perfect. And she’s ruined it, opening up all the wounds she thought were healed.

 

She always told herself that they wouldn’t end up like every other college couple. That there would never be any drama, not a single fight, that they’d make it through it all together. She’s seen the consequences of couples fighting in her own home.

 

Maybe I am like her.

 

She hugs her knees to her chest, staining his sheets with her snot and tears. She really should leave. Part of her wants him to kick her out himself. He deserves that much.

 

Her thoughts spiral as she prepares for the impending disaster, for when he comes back to find that she had the gall to stay, and in his bed, no less. When he tells Kel and Basil, they’ll abandon her too, look at her in disgust. Even Kim won’t see her in the same way.

 

She’ll be alone again. Alone like she should be. 

 

She breathes shakily, taking in his scent for what might be the last time. She sobs quietly, cradling her body, ashamed of herself. Mari would hate her. She knows it.

 

Time passes. It passes so, so, slowly. She’s there forever, stuck in limbo, sentenced to wallow in her mistakes, frozen completely in time.

 

The lights turn off.

 

And then, she feels a warmth thaw her.

 

“I’m sorry,” Sunny murmurs. “You’re right.” His arms clamp tightly around her, his hot breath on her neck.

 

“W-wha… But I…”

 

He holds her tighter, closing his eyes. “It’s okay.”

 

“I-it’s not! I…” She chokes on her words. “I-I said… I c-can’t… I’m a monster…”

 

His body fits snugly with hers, radiating heat from himself to her own body. He kisses the back of her neck. “I yelled at you. I’m sorry.”

 

“I… I…” She folds her arms on top of his, grasping his hands. “It’s fine. B-but I… don’t you care? What I said?”

 

“I do care. That’s why I forgive you.”

 

She turns in his arms to face him. He dabs her face with a tissue, lightly poking her in the eye.

 

“Sunny! W-watch it…” She can’t help but giggle a little.

 

“Sorry…”

 

She takes a moment to take out her contacts, reaching over him to place them on his nightstand.

 

“Ah…” She hugs him tightly, a vice grip around his body. “I can’t believe you…”

 

“A-Aub…”

 

“Oh! Sorry…” She loosens her grip a little.

 

She breathes in, calming down a bit. She tries to look him in the eyes.

 

“...don’t deserve you,” she mumbles.

 

“You do…” He brushes a couple strands of hair from her face, running his fingers down their full length, relishing in the texture and the feeling. “You deserve more.”

 

“You keep saying that, Sunny. And I’ll always tell you that there’s no one better.”

 

“Then, maybe you should start believing you deserve me.”

 

“Hmm…” She rubs his back, their bodies intertwined with each other.

 

“Just, tell me. Is it because of Mari?”

 

“A bit.”

 

“I remember… when she’d tell you things had to be perfect. When she’d complain to Hero that she got docked half a point or something.”

 

“Mhm.”

 

“Mari was… incredible. But that was… maybe the worst part of her.”

 

“...”

 

“Kinda hurts to say. But even she wasn’t perfect.”

 

“...yeah.”

 

“There’s another reason, too,” he murmurs.

 

“...”

 

“It’s compensation. And… part of me, um, hates me. Like it’s a punishment.”

 

“You’re… God, I don’t wanna say perfect. But you are perfect. I love everything about you. You know it doesn’t matter what you did before, right? I’d say I’ve done worse.”

 

“Sure…”

 

“I’m serious! Y-you’re so hard-working. And just… smart. You get stuff so much better than me. And you’re so… observant. And considerate. With all the stuff you get me.”

 

“You’re really brave. For admitting everything.”

“...”

 

“And really cute.” She pinches his cheek. It’s burning hot, to her surprise.

 

“Anyways, I just wanted you to care a little more about yourself. You know this isn’t good for you, staying up so late.”

 

“Then why were you up…”

 

“Um… I, uh… I hate myself too,” she says confidently(?). 

 

“...”

 

“I-I know you’re smiling! Stop it…”

 

The darkness lurches forward to kiss her on the nose.

 

“S-seriously, though… can we promise, not just to love each other, but to love ourselves?”

 

“Of course,” he whispers. “But I’ll always love you more than me.”

 

“Wow…” she sighs. “That was really good.”

 

“I know.”

 

“Asshole.” She tousles his hair. “Love you too.”

 

Her hand runs through his hair again while her other arm keeps his body close to hers. She continues playing with it, addicted to the feeling. Eventually, she realizes she’s probably pushing it.

 

“Sunny?” she whispers.

 

He snores softly in her arms.

 

“Oh… well…”

 

Her hand resumes its journey across his scalp, petting him like a cat.

 

"Goodnight..."

 

She falls asleep eventually, beyond thankful for everything that's led her into his arms.

Notes:

i'm kind of curious what people think about sunny having a short temper. i read something on the wiki about how the game implies it and i have to agree tbh (i mean, obviously he can get angry enough to... you know.)