[hunger, stuffing, emotional anguish, tummy rubs]
"Gray?"
"Hm?" Gray looked down at Sunny and was immediately concerned. He looked like he'd been through the wringer, sad and exhausted and limp, far from his usual energetic self. Even his voice was much softer than usual.
"Can I have a hug?" Sunny looked up at him with big wet eyes.
"Of course," said Gray, gently embracing his friend. Sunny wrapped his arms tightly around him and buried his face in his chest. He held himself together for a moment, then, in spite of his efforts, he wept. Gray held him close, rubbing his back as he cried. Finally, the tears began to slow, and Sunny pulled away, wiping his eyes.
"Sorry," he hiccupped, drying his face with his sleeve. "I didn't mean to do all that."
"You don't have to be sorry," said Gray. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know. Everything. I pissed off Laurie, and I dropped Wendy's mug, and then I burned the lasagna I was supposed to make for tonight, and I spilled Dave's paint all over the place, and…" he trailed off, his voice cracking. Gray nodded understandingly and hugged him again. Sunny clung weakly to him, resting his head against Gray's chest once more. His stomach growled loudly, and he winced. Gray looked down, surprised.
"Did you eat today?"
"I don't know. No, I was busy."
"Why don't we go have a snack?" Gray suggested.
"What's the point," Sunny mumbled.
"You know you always feel worse when you're hungry," said Gray. "I could use a snack too. Come on, we'll eat something together."
"Alright," Sunny agreed reluctantly.
Gray led Sunny to the kitchen with an arm around his shoulders, contemplating what to make. Sunny's stomach growled pitifully, and he hugged his arms around his aching tummy. Gray looked sympathetically at him. He had a feeling his friend hadn't completely forgotten to eat. Of course, there were plenty of times when he really was too busy or distracted to do so, but once in a while, if he was really feeling awful about himself, he simply wouldn't. Gray knew better than anybody about the darker parts of Sunny's mind; it didn't take much for him to spiral into self destruction.
Sunny dropped himself into a chair and put his head down on the table. His belly rumbled again and he ignored it. Gray watched him for a moment, then opened up the fridge, thinking.
"I'm so sick of fucking things up," Sunny mumbled. "Gray, sometimes I think it'd be better if I just went away." Gray froze for a moment, feeling a quick bolt of panic. He knew Sunny well enough to know that he wasn't exaggerating.
"Hey, that's not true," said Gray, turning to face him. "Everybody messes things up sometimes, but you do a lot for all of us too. And even if you didn't, we still like having you around." Sunny didn't argue, but Gray could tell he wasn't convinced. He pulled up a chair beside him and sat, placing a hand on his back.
"Listen, Sunny. If anything ever happened to you, I would be devastated. So would Laurie and everybody else. You're our friend, and we care about you, and we love you, and we're glad you're in our lives. I can't think of one single thing we do that would be better without you." Sunny looked up, wet-eyed.
"Thanks, Gray," he said quietly. He sat upright and hugged him, and Gray hugged him back.
"I'm gonna make you something to eat, okay?" Sunny nodded, and Gray stood up, gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze, and returned to the fridge. Sunny sat for a moment, watching Gray, then quietly joined him.
Together, they made blueberry pancakes. Gray always made excellent pancakes; they were a favorite of his friends and his younger siblings, and fresh blueberries were his personal favorite addition. Just helping Gray cook made Sunny feel a little bit better, and Gray even managed to get a smile out of him while they worked. Finally, the two friends sat down together at the table, each with a plate of pancakes. Gray, who had already had lunch not long ago, had one, while Sunny had a nice stack of three. His starved tummy growled impatiently at the smell of them.
Despite his stomach's aches and complaints, Sunny didn't realize just how hungry he'd been until he started eating. Ordinarily, he was very chatty while eating with a friend--particularly with Gray, who may very well have been his closest friend--but right now he was too busy eating to speak. The pancakes were big and fluffy, and it didn't take long for them to fill him up. He was so full by the time he was nearly done that he had to push himself to finish them. Still, he finished successfully, and he leaned back in his seat, resting his hands on his puffed-up pancake-filled belly.
"You're the best, Gray," he said, idly rubbing his full belly. He felt absolutely stuffed, but comfortable, and eating had helped his mood after all, as did Gray's company.
"So are you," said Gray. "Thanks for helping."
They worked together to clean up the kitchen, then sat together on the couch. Gray pulled Sunny into his arms and rested his hands on his full tummy. It was round and tight, and it let out a soft gurgle as it worked to digest the big stack of pancakes. Sunny relaxed immediately in his arms. Gray's hands were big and warm, and the feeling of them covering his belly was comforting.
"I owe you one, Gray," Sunny said sleepily. "I feel a lot better." He paused for a moment, then spoke again, more quietly. "I'm sorry if I've been a lot lately."
"Don't be sorry," said Gray. "We all have our bad days. I'm just glad you're feeling better." He gently rubbed Sunny's bloated tummy, enjoying the soft rise and fall of it under his hands. Sunny sighed softly, melting completely under the warm touch, and Gray smiled.
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