Don't Cry (Sunny/Mari fluff)

They were so happy in their little spot, nestled in the trees beyond the playground. Safe from all the problems and hardships of life, it was an escape where they could just be themselves, without a worry or care in the world and without any outside eyes peering upon their every action.

As the setting sun shone on the grass, it brought with it a fresh breeze which caressed the little friends’ hair. The rays danced passionately between the individual strands and casted magnificent shadows on the ground.

One of these children was Sunny. Although this dark-haired boy was easily the smallest and shyest of all his friends, it does not mean he didn’t have feelings and thoughts in his mind to speak about. Much the opposite, actually - he was quite intelligent and creative - but his colorful inner world was hidden beneath a thin blanket of quietness. It would take nothing for it to spur out and make him release his emotions like a bright rainbow.

Which, on this beautiful evening, did indeed happen.

The boy was running along the shore of the quiet lake, arms to the air. He was lost in his own thoughts as he reflected on the beauty of his surrounding environment. He lost count of how many times he visited this little nook of nature, but it just kept getting more and more wonderful.

Maybe that’s the reason why he didn’t notice: trapped in his own mind, how could he have? Sadly, when he snapped out of his trance, it was too late.

All of a sudden, Sunny heard a squish under his foot as it interacted with the sand. Confused, he nearly tripped over but regained his balance. He looked down to the yellow ground and gently raised his leg.

What he saw was… almost traumatizing, to his young brain.

Splattered on the ground, similar to a blotch on a clean canvas, was a dark red bloodstain, which also dirtied his bare foot. The corpse of a dead snail laid in the sand, eerie and motionless.

At that point, the boy felt his carelessness shattering. It only left sadness and even trauma, almost.

Sunny knelt to the ground, his eyes still locked on the small life he took. Unable to convey his emotions in any other way - not with words, or screams, or gestures - tears began welling up in his eyes, obscuring his view. Perhaps that was a good thing, as he didn’t want to look at the sin he committed for any longer.

His breathing got heavy, interrupted by loud sniffs and sobs. The tears escaped his eyes and fell onto the dry ground at every instant. He felt like he was being crushed by an immense weight, but that he deserved it because of the action he committed. It was his fault - he should’ve been more careful. This wouldn’t have happened otherwise.

It didn’t take long for someone to notice the small boy’s helpless crying. When his dear sister, Mari, saw him from her picnic blanket, her usual neutral smile instantly faded and devolved into a frown of concern.

Almost immediately, she bolted off from her spot and rushed towards Sunny, so quickly that the boy didn’t even notice her until she tightly clasped his two shoulders with her hands. He gasped out of shock and turned to face her, while he was still a tearful mess.

“SUNNY!! Sunny, what’s wrong?! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?” Mari yelped out; the strength that Sunny usually saw in her as a big sister was gone and replaced by worry, as if it was part of her instinct. She quickly looked around her surroundings, scanning them to see if there was anything out of place that harmed her dear little brother like an alerted animal.

The sobbing boy still couldn’t formulate a sentence. Doing something so evil and traumatic, immediately followed by a feeling of comfort? It was overwhelming. So instead, he tugged on Mari’s shirt to draw her attention and shakingly pointed to the little snail that he mercilessly killed.

The big sister looked past Sunny’s shoulders to see the snail’s desecrated corpse, and sighed. She was obviously disappointed that her brother was dumb enough to accidentally kill such a poor little being, but what she felt was much more sadness than anger. After all, Mari cared far more about her beloved brother’s feelings than some random, insignificant animal. When it came to him… it was hard for her to be the “perfect kind girl” that everyone thought of her as.

Sunny’s cold anguish was suddenly drowned out when he was pulled in close to Mari’s body, in a warm embrace that he couldn’t escape. Not that he tried to, anyways. Being in his sister’s arms, it was like his fragile heart was being mended, and his relentless sobbing was less melancholic than before.

Finally, the boy’s anxious breath stilled and the emotions that churned in his brain dissipated. There was no barrier between him and his mouth anymore, so he could speak as freely as he wanted.

“I… I’m s-so stupid… I-I’m bad! R-Really bad!” He cried out, only worrying Mari more like the dummy he was.

The already tight hold around his body got even stronger, almost suffocating. Even a child like him could see just how much he meant to her.

“Shh… It’s okay, it’s okay! You’re here now, don’t cry… C’mon, you’re strong!” Mari replied boomingly. She wouldn’t let his little brother beat himself up over this and she wouldn’t give up until he was happy again.

Mari unfurled her fingers and snuck them down to Sunny’s delicate eyes. She wiped his tears off with her index finger and cupped his soft cheek with her hand. As soothing as her grasp was, the boy simply couldn’t shake off what he did. He clutched his fist and aggressively punched the soft sand beneath him, embedding his hand into the ground.

The girl pouted and grabbed his arm, her hand glided down to his thin wrist and then to his hand, where the two affectionately interlocked their fingers. With her other arm, Mari gently caressed Sunny’s hair, before whispering:

“It’s okay, don’t be sad… Your big sister’s here… Uuh…” She looked around again, this time to think of what could cheer her brother up: simply cooing him and holding him close wasn’t going to help.

She looked over to the dead snail again.

There, lying lifeless on the ground, because of her brother. Mari breathed heavily, and looked back down to Sunny’s still sad, but also a bit comfortable figure. She grabbed his chin and muttered:

“Besides… err, look! M-Mr. Snail wouldn’t want to see you all down in the dumps like this, right? C’mon, it was a mistake! We all make mistakes, it’s fiiine! I make mistakes all the time!” Her constant smile was seared into the boy’s mind; he felt bad that she was trying so hard to make an idiot like him happy, even though it was so heartwarming.

“B-But… But, I…” He kept babbling on and on, seemingly without end.

To shut him up, Mari suddenly pinched his puffy cheek and gave him a delicate noogie, rubbing her knuckles across his head and grinning playfully at him.

“Come onnn, you idiot, smile! Hehe!” She breathed out. Sunny laughed too, he was clearly softening up, finally. He snuggled up and placed his head against Mari’s chest, nodding with a smile across his face.

Mari caressed Sunny’s shiny black hair and held him close. A small tear formed at the edge of her eye, the happiness she felt in that moment could not be described with words. It didn’t matter how many mistakes he made, or how stupid his actions could be. To her, he was perfect, he was her life and her whole universe. As long as they could be snuggled up in each other's arms like this forever, Mari could very well be the happiest girl in the entire world.

Then, Mari felt a light thump against her tummy, which brought her out of her thoughts and back into reality. She looked down, and saw that…

Sunny had fallen asleep, his head tucked in her belly, like a baby.

Her confusion made way for an intense feeling of love. "Awww…" she giggled under her breath, as she planted a kiss on his beautiful forehead. With her finger, she wiped off the last remaining tear from the boy's eye.

And so, there they stood. Alone but together, enjoying each other's warmth for what could have been minutes, or hours, or days. And Mari wouldn't have had it any other way.

She loved him so, so much. Nothing would ever take him from her.