Chapter Text
The final bell had rung, but Basil didn’t rush. He took his time at his locker, fingers brushing over the edge of his bag as he worked up the courage to leave and push through the crowd of students. Sunny would be waiting outside, as he always was, and the thought alone made Basil smile. They planned to hang out after school today at Basil’s house.
Sunny was leaning on a tree, and it looked like he was waiting for him. Basil quickly rushes over to Sunny. “Sunny! Hi!” As basil finishes speaking, he realized that he might have seemed a bit to enthusiastic, god he was such an idiot. Sunny gives him a small weak smile, making Basil look way in embarrassment.
“Cmon, let’s go.” Sunny says, grabbing Basil’s hand. They always held hands, but for some reason, this time it made Basil feel weird inside. Basil had started rambling about plants without even noticing, and Sunny was listening to him intently. Basil realized he was rambling and went quiet. Sunny never really had to talk, it was always comfortable silence with them.
Basil’s house came into view sooner than he expected. He slowed without thinking, glancing at Sunny as if to make sure he was really there. Sunny was still beside him, still holding his hand, calm as ever. Basil pushed open the gate to his yard, already thinking about the garden out back and how he couldn’t wait to show Sunny what he was growing in his garden!
Basil guided Sunny toward the back of the yard, the grass brushing against their shoes as they walked. He crouched down beside one of the flower beds, carefully pointing out the new sprouts he’d been tending to all week, his voice slowly growing more animated. Sunny stood just behind him, watching quietly, nodding along as if every word mattered.
“They’re growing really well,” Sunny said softly after a moment.
Basil froze. Compliments always hit him harder when they came from Sunny.
“R-Really?”
Sunny nodded, and for some reason, that was enough.
Basil let out a small breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, a shy smile tugging at his lips. He reached for his gloves, slipping them on before moving to the next row of plants. “I’ve been spending a lot of time out here,” he admitted quietly. Sunny stepped closer, kneeling beside him this time, carefully holding a leaf of one of the plants. “They’re cool.” Sunny says bluntly.
Basil straightened slightly and stood up from his crouching position. “These are my favourites,” he said softly, pointing to a row of sunflowers that had grown taller than the rest.
“That’s cool.” Sunny murmurs.
Basil felt his cheeks warm at the quiet compliment, but he couldn’t stop the small smile spreading across his face. Sunny stepped closer, standing by Basil. For a moment, they didn’t need to say anything. Just standing there, side by side, with the golden light casting soft shadows over the garden, felt like enough.