Work Text:
ACT ONE
----
He’s eight years old when it happens.
Like waves crashing against a rocky outcrop, the child becomes enlightened.
A first crack, chipping against fragile stone.
He registers nothing after that, only briefly glimpses his dad’s worried expression before he flees. Where doesn’t matter.
He just needs to get away, away from this一 this一 this nightmare .
--
The sunset rays on his skin are nothing but cold comfort. The colors around him, once vibrant and beautiful, are now blinding.
Flashing, expanding, piercing.
Red green blue.
Now it’s clear. His world is nothing more than combinations of three colours. In a different context, he would have felt smart for knowing this.
Cove collapses onto the grass, barely aware of the pain shooting through his cast-wrapped arm as tears stream from wide sea-green eyes.
He buries his head into his knees, wanting nothing more than for the pounding in his head to go away.
Noise that won’t stop,
Violent, grating, IRRITATING stop it stop it shut up shut up shut UP
Even the ambient sounds around him aren’t real. The ocean waves in the distance, the seagulls cawing in the sky, even the brush of grass tickling his nose.
None of it. Merely prerecorded, composed for a fabricated reality in which he had no choice but to play a part.
He wants to scream.
Part of him wants to deny it. It’s a ridiculous thought一 and he’s only a child with an incredibly active imagination. Kids his age liked to brag about knowing everything. If this is true, then Mom and Dad are gonna get back together, and then things will be back to normal 一 We’ll move back home, and it’ll be like none of this ever happened 一
But the realisation comes with knowing full well that his hopes would be dashed in time.
I can’t 一 I don’t 一
I want my mom.
He wills himself to his mom’s side, picturing a loving smile and tender arms 一 so far away that he would only be able to see her a few times a year at most. But nothing happens.
Nothing he could do would bring him back to his mom. This reality wouldn’t allow that. He would always stay in this place, this town, with an ignorant, selfish father and strange people, until一
No, he can’t think about this anymore.
He sits up, clutching his knees to himself.
He couldn’t even look at himself, knowing that nothing about him was real. Not his hands, his skin, his hair, or his eyes. Not the cast on his arm, or the clothes on his back.
He squeezes his eyes shut.
He tries to imagine better days.
--
A rustle forces him back to consciousness. He tenses up.
The warm hues have given way to darkness, the poppy field below him illuminated by dim moonlight.
He takes a moment to bask in the calm.
Until a voice interrupts the silence.
--
[“Hey, space cadet.”]
--
He turns instinctively, jumping to his feet when he sees that someone else is now there with him.
--
[“Cove?”]
--
”H… How’d you know that?”
The words feel forced out of him, as if something had possessed him, made him into its puppet.
His lines. Why had he been programmed to say them now?
Another wave crashes against the rocks.
--
[“I’m all-knowing!”]
Hah. If they only knew.
--
“Is this your hill? I can leave if it is.”
It doesn’t matter anymore who the hill belongs to. None of this is real after all.
Only one thing here is.
--
The hole in the wall gazes back.
--
[“Why are you here?”]
Why why why.
Cove knows what they were referring to, but he can’t keep his mind off of everything else. It’s too fresh a memory.
Sounds.
Colours.
Too loud. Too bright.
He hiccups, fresh tears flowing down his cheeks.
“My parents… they…”
They’re not real, they don’t exist. Nothing here does. Nothing except you.
The words choke up in his throat. No matter how he tries to dislodge them, they come out in hitched sobs. Something else forces its way out instead.
“They don’t want to live with me anymore.”
It’s a truth, but not the one he wants to confess.
--
“I hate this place. I want my real life back. I want my mom.”
He doesn’t dare think about the fact that she’s just as real as him.
--
[“I’m sorry.”]
--
Annoyed as he is at the interruption, Cove can’t find it in himself to dislike you.
The figure beyond the hole in the wall.
Despite everything, you were here, an avatar of some ideal version of yourself.
He wonders in the back of his mind what you look like behind the screen.
--
“There you are, bud!”
His father’s voice.
--
“Say bye, Cove.”
He doesn’t want to. He wants to stay, to tell you everything.
He scowls as he forces the words out through gritted teeth.
“Bye.”
--
The hole in the wall had never been a peephole in.
He would soon realise that he had only ever been looking out.
--
It disappears, and Cove is thrust into a barrage of colour, light, sound.
--
The evening is a cacophony
Of meaningless
--
When Cove tries to break it to his father, he expects it to shatter the irritatingly placid facade he always wore around others.
Instead, he’s patted on the head like the child he used to be, and told that maybe he should become an author when he grows up.
--
Cove misses the ocean from before.
--
They smile at him in greeting.
Cove finds it in himself to smile back.
--
“This is a nice collection.”
Circumstances notwithstanding, he means it. The shells are pretty, even if he knows they aren’t real.
(He’s still just a kid, after all.)
Three options. You can choose how to respond.
You could even choose to quit the game right now if you so wanted.
But Cove doesn’t want to go through that again.
--
There’s the matter of Shiloh.
Real or not, Cove could never feel comfortable around someone like him.
It’s worse knowing that he was programmed to be like this, to be a pushover to a fault.
At least Shiloh was allowed to think that it was how he’d always been.
--
One day, Cove asks his father for money to buy a new sand pail.
It just so happens that on that particular day, they spot Cove’s new neighbour across the road, fixated on a snail on the pavement.
It was a happy coincidence, or so Clifford Holden must have thought, as he beckons them over.
Cove folds the bills in his hand into little rectangles, pretending to tune out the idle conversation before him that would segue into an invitation.
This was a start.
--
He already knows how the day will go. It’s all in the script after all.
The magician’s ‘trick’. The toy stall. The keychain that he would insist on buying for them. The pretzel lunch.
Even though Cove’s perspective has been in this state for the past few days, it’s still a strange notion, having the power to know the outcome of every possible choice and how it would affect the future, even years later.
Not exactly something a normal kid was equipped to deal with.
Still, he can’t suppress the warmth blooming in his chest whenever they pick the option to treat him nicely, like when they ask him if he’s having fun and when they thank him for the keychain.
Sure, it’s all going in his favour, especially because this will mean that with their trust, it’ll be easier for him to break the truth to you.
Yeah, that was all that was keeping him from telling them everything. Of course. Who would believe a complete stranger right off the bat?
You’d believe him, right?
--
Just as he opens his mouth, the dolphin balloon pressed under his arm explodes into ribbons.
--
It was never real. Just an image, a piece of code, some small, insignificant part of the game.
So why is he still crying?
--
Before he can compose himself enough to start up conversation again, the script marches on.
The Moment comes to an end.
--
Lizzie’s idea is stupid.
Not only did she restrict their options on what sports player they could be, but for some reason, she was against his idea of living on the beach, even though she hadn’t even given them a list of options when she’d asked.
This game makes no sense, and he makes sure to let her know.
“It does!” she retorts. “You have to be realistic! I said that!”
Realistic? She can’t seriously be talking about being realistic when nothing about this situation is actually happening to anyone. They. Don’t. Exist.
He wants to yell those words at her, but he knows that it’s a vain effort. Besides the brick wall between his independent thoughts and the script, he doesn’t want to upset his new friend, or make them think badly of him.
(They were a conduit of your feelings after all.)
Their argument only gets worse from there, and he leaves his neighbour’s house seething with anger.
--
He’d like to say that he accepted Lizzie’s apology that night. She did sound genuinely sorry.
But in truth, he feels nothing. An apology for one measly wrongdoing would never ease the turbulence inside. Still, he knows that none of that is her fault.
On paper, her apology was accepted.
There’s a silver lining, at least: this meant that his neighbour had told their moms about what had happened. It felt nice to know that they cared enough to tell the truth.
Whatever the motive, he appreciates it.
--
Despite the terrible start to his afternoon, Cove finds solace in talking to his neighbour on the poppy hill.
He smiles as they tell him about their favourite flower. It suits them. Anything he can learn about them is a reflection of the person beyond the screen.
--
Cove already knew that Shiloh would get mad at him that afternoon.
Still, his words hit with a fresh sting knowing that part of what he was saying was true. His father had been bugging his neighbour’s family to get them to play with him. He knew all about the deal.
His neighbour tells him nothing, but Cove wants to cry all the same.
--
He looks down at their hands, just barely touching, in the dim light of the firefly’s glow.
It’s beautiful.
The firefly crawls onto Cove’s hand, its delicate legs tickling his skin.
“You got one.”
Cove smiles. “Thanks.”
In that serendipitous instance, he realises something.
He can endure anything for the sake of these quiet, halcyon moments, shared between the two of them and the two of them alone.
He will. He has to.
--
[“This can be your home.”]
--
“...you’re not going to leave, right? You’ll still be around?”
--
Their answer, whatever it is, rings meaningless. Because he knows that you’re still going to leave at some point. You’re going to leave him all alone in this world of noise and colours and blinding flashing lights.
The only thing that keeps him going is the hope that you’ll come back.
----
ACT TWO
----
The rare perk of being self-aware is that he doesn’t experience time like everyone else. In the blink of an eye, Cove finds himself in the body of a thirteen-year-old boy.
He looks himself over in the mirror. The cast is gone, a long, thin scar across his forearm the only sign that it ever existed.
He’s also grown a lot taller, his reflection hardly fitting in the frame.
(A stray thought crosses his mind, one that makes him red with embarrassment. He wonders if his neighbour likes tall guys.)
His self-awareness is a double-edged sword -- he’s older, but because he became older in a flash rather than ‘developing’ naturally like everyone else, he has to take the time to learn the mannerisms and slang of the other kids his age.
It doesn’t matter too much, though. Every Step of the game would be set in summer. He wouldn’t need to worry about people asking or spreading rumours about him. And he doubts that after all that time, his neighbour would care much about his peculiarities.
He meets a boy his age named Derek Suarez through his father’s work. He’s nice (if overly polite), but the knowledge of the reality of this world is never far from Cove’s mind.
He finds out that his neighbour and Derek have become friends. He tries to think nothing of it.
(After all, Derek doesn’t have a route.)
--
His father ropes him into another scheme in an attempt to look like a good neighbour. Cove tries not to react too obviously, but the blush remains on his face for the time it takes for him to walk across the street to their house.
It’s no better by the time he’s rung the doorbell. He fidgets, waiting for the moment his neighbour would come downstairs to greet him.
--
Had they always looked that pretty?
Cove grips the base of the fruit bouquet, averting his eyes.
He nudges the gift closer, and he feels soft hands brushing over his.
He flinches at the contact, but doesn’t reel back. The touch hadn’t been unpleasant, just… surprising?
“Well,” he concludes. “That’s everything.”
Despite his words, he makes no move to leave.
[“You are too cute sometimes.”]
The blush returns with a vengeance. They-- you found him cute?
“... I’m not trying to be.” But if this made him all the more appealing, if you found him appealing, then so be it, right?
He fidgets some more, unsure of how else to express the strange feelings coursing through him.
--
His thoughts are interrupted when he hears a shout from across the street.
Derek.
“I was just at your house, Cove, but no one was home. Should’ve figured you’d be here! Do you ever spend time in your own house?”
Derek laughs at what he’d thought to be a great joke. But the words just make Cove think.
Now that he’s older and a little wiser, he needs to learn how to use these newfound abilities. Then at least he would be getting something out of this curse.
Derek’s words give him an idea. So the game had already scripted him to want to see his neighbour as much as possible… if he was already aware of everything that could happen, could see all possibilities of every choice made, then surely he has the ability to influence these outcomes himself.
He just has to learn how to manipulate the variables.
He could start by testing it out on that Jeremy kid.
--
No matter what you chose, there would be no way of getting him to respond with anything other than contempt. So Cove has no real reason to feel bad.
--
They lunge at him, fist raised. They shake off Derek’s attempts to stop them, before landing a solid punch to Jeremy’s face.
--
In the grand scheme of things, he hadn’t changed the story in a meaningful way. But the thrill of deviating had been too much to resist.
Even though he’s scared, he knows that he has time to learn.
For the first time since his epiphany, Cove actually feels hopeful.
He’ll take back his control, one step at a time.
--
He finds out that his mother is coming to visit this year, instead of the other way around.
Before, it would have made him angry. Scared. Confused. Like he should be happy.
He… still does, but it’s a dull pang compared to his urge to leave the house.
After all, he finally has another chance to tell them the truth.
--
That evening, he shuts his door, before arranging his pillows into a Cove-shaped lump, laying his duvet over it.
His cover will be blown the second his father moves the duvet, but for now he can only pray that Kyra’s call would be enough of a distraction.
He opens the window and slips out onto the empty street.
--
You’re understanding, so understanding with him, even though the whole problem is mostly an excuse to talk to you. Cove’s smile feels genuine for once. Natural.
He changes the subject as soon as he can so he can get to the point.
“There’s actually another thing I need to talk about. I… I…”
He didn’t mean to trail off.
He knew what he wanted to say, had planned how to say it. But when he opens his mouth again, nothing escapes.
Cove holds back a frustrated shout, giving them a half-hearted smile instead.
--
Why? Why can’t I do it?!
Cove stews in the confines of his mind. It must have shown on his face, because his neighbour regards him with concern.
This had happened before, during their first meeting. He’d tried so hard to tell them that he knew, he knew, he knew , but that wall had stopped him.
Perhaps he should break it.
But then he might break the game.
And then… And then you wouldn’t be able to open it, and he wouldn’t ever be able to see you again, and he’d be all alone —
His pondering comes to a hard stop.
They’re hugging him. His neighbour is hugging him.
Cove hugs them back, grip stronger than he intended.
The spark of energy ignites a determined flame. It’s small, flickering, but there.
He will find a way to tell you everything. He will.
But he needs to change his strategy.
--
Sapped by his emotions, Cove falls asleep easily.
--
He feigns shock when he wakes up still in their room the next morning.
--
Before leaving, he returns the hug.
“You’re a good friend. A really good friend.”
Goosebumps prick against his nose. Cove draws back before they can respond, slipping out the same way he’d come in.
--
[“Uh, so what exactly did Cove say about me?”]
Cove pretends to be uncomfortable with his mother’s doting to hide his giddiness.
Still, a smile makes its merry way onto his face.
Kyra simpers. “You two seem really cute together.”
He keeps the flustered and awkward act up. “ Mom .”
--
Ah, yes. He loved the ocean, he really did. It was in his name, after all.
But he couldn’t love a world of artificial waves, artificial sand, an artificial sky.
Still, he’ll savour any opportunity to be alone with you.
--
The next Moment gives him an idea. It only takes a few changes to the script to set it in motion.
He draws the empty lines on the sheet, the phrase engraved into the deepest recesses of his mind.
--
‘CAN YOU HEAR ME?’
--
Of course, one cryptic phrase wouldn’t solve everything, but it sent a message that he wasn’t like everyone else. That he could defy the script. That he was real too.
--
Cove frowned.
“Your opinion on Derek…?”
Why did it matter? You couldn’t pursue him, at least not in this version.
He decides not to take action, but resolves to keep an eye on him from then on.
--
They need him. After hearing such distressing news, surely they would appreciate a shoulder to lean on!
Yes, he’ll be there for you, and no one else. It’s only fair.
--
He thanks whatever higher power was out there that his neighbour had agreed to come to dinner.
… that is to say, himself. He hadn’t wanted to risk a no.
Real or not, sitting at the table in front of his divorced parents and no one else would have been very awkward.
--
“Fine. I guess… I kind of like ankle bracelets.”
--
[“So you think they’re sexy?”]
--
There they were, lying so close that he could have leaned in and kissed them. But Cove’s nerves kept him frozen, leaving him at their mercy.
His neighbour made the decision for them.
--
They didn’t, in the end. Part of him understood why, but that didn’t make it any less disappointing.
--
He would have to work on his own shyness if he wanted to get anywhere with them. But it would likely seem too abrupt if he just confessed his feelings out of the blue.
--
He’d noticed it the second he’d come into your room.
You were wearing an anklet. And only a few days after your conversation in the RV.
The possibility grows larger in his mind, despite himself. Would you be the first to confess?
--
In the end, you never did, not this summer.
It was disappointing, but not surprising. You two were truly birds of a feather.
But he could wait.
--
“... She’s really gonna leave.”
His tone is oddly clinical, not fitting with the implications of his line.
Kyra studies him with concern, and of course mother dearest would suspect something amiss.
But neither his expression nor his parting words betray anything.
--
[“Oh. When did you get here?”]
Derek.
What is he doing here now of all times? Cove fights not to let the annoyance leak onto his face.
“You picked a busy time. Sorry.” Against his best efforts, traces of irritation sharpen his voice.
--
Cove grits his teeth. He knows that these jealous pangs are irrational, that Derek wouldn’t be able to ruin anything that easily. That he should just suck it up and accept that Derek is going to be a presence in their lives for at least a little while.
Still.
--
He distracts himself by focusing on the fact that he’s carrying them. Carrying them, like he’s the prince charming whisking his beloved princess away to live happily ever after.
Someone, somewhere outside the depths of his mind calls him strong, reliable, but it falls on deaf ears as he savours the last moments of his precious neighbour pressed against his back. The last moments before they separate, leaving him cold and empty.
Even the food in front of him isn’t enough anymore. He wants their touch, to be that close once more.
Is it because of hormones? His father had said that it was normal to feel like this regarding someone you liked. Or maybe because he could almost imagine touching you . Touching someone real, flesh and bone and human warmth.
Could he really do it? Could he really achieve that happy ending?
Remembering the alternative, he finds his answer.
--
As if this world thrives on taunting him, Cove soon encounters a threat to that happy ending.
Derek pulls his neighbour – you aside, which pricks at Cove’s nerves. But not wanting to jump to conclusions, he decides to… listen in.
What he learns only confirms them.
Cove’s nerves burst into flames.
His thoughts race in circles, circles concentric around the idea of you being gone, of some piece of code taking away his happiness, of returning to that hell of flashing lights and colours and noise noise noise noise noise –
But a seed of an idea returns him to himself.
He could… He could make him disappear.
He’d done it to Jeremy, figuratively. How bad would it be if this time, it was for real?
The thought horrifies him for a moment before he snuffs it out. Derek isn’t really his friend, he’s just a threat to the only peace Cove will ever know. He can’t let the past sway him.
“It’s good to make plans – especially backup plans.”
Oh, yes indeed.
--
It’s strange to be lying beside his neighbour in pleasant respite after having made such a decision. But Cove relishes every second he gets to spend alone with them. With you.
He grins as he imitates the way they shake their head, casting the last traces of worry aside.
When he does finally leave, as per the script, he does so with quiet acceptance.
“See you tomorrow.”
--
He makes good on that, clothed in a memento of his old flame.
Yes, old.
He’s found a new love now.
----
IN BETWEEN
----
Simply removing him from the game would be easy, but far too abrupt. So how does one break such a cheerful, talkative, polite character?
Cove starts by planting seeds of doubt. Thoughts that it would be better to be quiet since no one really cared about his opinion. That it would be far more polite to leave people be than to offer help that they might not even need, and why should he even bother? He was annoying anyway.
He can see the doubt grow as Derek changes, becoming more and more withdrawn. Stops eagerly hogging the phone when his ( Cove’s ) neighbour calls.
Soon, he even begins to lose his passion for sports, which would be sure to keep him inside and away from you.
When he’s certain that Derek would no longer be a problem, Cove considers just doing it now. He could alter his family’s memories, remove every trace of Derek entirely from the game. And you would be none the wiser.
Of course, for every plan he has, fate has a wrench.
It comes in the form of a confession.
--
“I know I was only asking for when we were older, but… I like you! I really do! A-and I’m so scared that you won’t like me as much as I like you! I’m so scared that we’ll never see each other again… That you won’t want to see me again!”
--
He needs to stop this, now now now.
But there’s only one thing he can do.
--
Derek had always been polite. And what could be more polite than to leave when asked?
--
Shit.
He’d forgotten just how fast word spreads.
And just how caring his neighbour was.
--
But he can’t let that stop him. The story has to go on.
He deletes as many traces of Derek as he can – his neighbour’s memories of him, most importantly.
His family too, in case they left any clues.
Cove releases a shaky breath, and with it, the last dregs of regret.
The only thing that matters now is you.
----
ACT THREE
----
It was over, and you would not be going back ever again. From now on, what came next was your choice. You would be directing your own life.
--
Cove’s gaze burns into the closed door of your room as he awaits your return.
Perched on your windowsill, he thinks of how this mise en scène resembles a classic romance film; the sunset painting everything in golden highlights, the gentle strum of background music.
He imagines the happy surprise on your face, your tender reunion. Thinks back on all the memories you’ve made together throughout your lives. Happy, sad, he treasures them all.
After everything you’ve been through with him, who else could possibly compare?
--
Another threat. Another wrench from fate. Another. How could he have forgotten?
An entire CG, a sprite for him for God’s sake. Cove fights not to let the burning frustration leak onto his face.
The new arrival carries himself with poise and speaks with a self-assured cadence. Cove tries to remain calm, detached, wary. He can’t do anything to you now, to say nothing of taking you away from him.
But it is exceptionally hard to do so when the man in question keeps trying to reel you in with flirtatious invitation after flirtatious invitation. To “get to know you”. To be your “friend”. To be your dance partner.
If this is a romance film, Baxter Ward must be playing the part of the lecherous flirt. The Casanova wannabe. He refuses to let such a person usurp him.
The love interest. The only love interest.
The question is, will he have to dispose of him the same way he disposed of Derek?
--
The future wasn’t something Cove had ever really envisioned in detail. Not his own, at least.
Before, he wouldn’t have been able to see anything.
But you… You had given him something to hope for. To strive for.
Of course, the game wouldn’t allow him to say his true goals out loud. But that was alright.
Cove takes the initiative for once and pulls you into a firm hug, allowing himself just a little more of this luxury.
--
Unlike before, there’s no time to bask in your presence. He needs to eliminate the threat at hand.
--
He’d almost lost you once. How could he ensure that you would never return Baxter’s feelings this time?
He finds his answer in the game’s files.
--
Those feelings of inadequacy could be exploited, turned into something so grotesque that not even you would be able to tolerate him. It would be so easy. Just a few changes to his script, but enough to make him question his sanity.
He has to do this. He has to.
With that complete, Cove settles back (or tries to; he can’t quite stop worrying) to watch everything play out.
--
Over the next few weeks, Baxter begins to lose that cool facade.
At first, it’s innocuous enough; he occasionally stutters or blushes whenever you catch him off guard. But as a potential romantic route, of course these little quirks would make him all the more endearing. Enticing.
And then Cove cranks the dial higher.
Baxter progresses to becoming much, much more honest with you. So honest that it would unsettle even the most easy-going person.
“You are truly wonderful. Truly . Someone like me… someone as insignificant as me doesn’t deserve to be in your company. But it’s strange. Whenever I’m not with you, I feel as if I might…”
Cove’s high school peers (he vaguely recalls their names being Miranda and Terri) are of course eager to meet this new arrival, readily allowing him into their circle. Which includes you. Begrudgingly, Cove allows it.
Especially since his own… adjustments eventually result in an argument breaking out between Terri and Baxter. Something about Baxter becoming uncharacteristically annoyed over how “overbearing” Terri was, about how she never let you have a say in anything.
It escalates to the point where Baxter, on a whim (ostensibly), says something that drives Terri off in tears, resulting in Miranda cutting Baxter out of the group. Cove joins them, feigning concern for Terri’s wellbeing, but all the while monitoring your interactions with his adversary.
Baxter, on the other hand, looks absolutely horrified of himself. “I… I didn’t mean it… I didn’t mean it…”
[“Baxter…?”]
“ I didn’t mean it! ”
[“I… I believe you.”]
(Of course, you’re as kind and understanding as ever.)
--
The next day, Baxter pulls you aside, attempting to primly, properly apologise to you, though it’s clear that the event had had a considerable impact on his usual eloquence. Though you readily accept his apology, you encourage him to talk to Terri instead, since she was the person who had been hurt the most.
Unfortunately for him, he’s far too late.
“L-look. Terri. About yesterday, I… I apologise for everything I said to you. For upsetting you so deeply. I wasn’t acting mentally sound then. I completely understand if you don’t want to continue being friends, but–!”
Terri regards him with a look of serious consideration. “Alright. I’ll forgive you… if you can explain what the heck you’re talking about! Come on, B-man, lighten up.” She playfully elbows him on the shoulder, as high-spirited as ever.
Her easy pardon leaves Baxter at a loss for words. “B… But…”
“Seriously though. I don’t even remember anything bad happening yesterday. Right, Randy?”
“Yeah… Baxter, are you okay?”
Baxter shrinks in on himself, utterly unable to respond. Cove is usually bad at reading people, but it’s written all over his face; the second-guessing, the mortification, the fear of having made himself look like a fool.
But as much as he wants to feel satisfied by Baxter getting his comeuppance, there’s just… nothing. He’s merely doing what he needs to for his and his neighbour’s happiness. For their happiness.
What other choice does he have?
--
As it turns out, Cove’s plan is a double-edged sword. Although Baxter no longer acts so flirtatiously, he instead resorts to inviting you out whenever he has the chance. Almost every damn day, he texts you with some novel activity that’s out of town for the two of you alone.
It terrifies him to leave you with some other guy for so long. All he wants is for things to return to the way they were.
But he’s still in control. Baxter is only as free to act as Cove is willing to allow him.
Gradually, Baxter’s mental state degrades to the point that he rarely ever leaves your side. His straightforward nature intensifies into complimenting you on every little thing, be it when you wait up for him to when you so much as look at him.
“I’ve never… I’ve never felt as alive as when I’m with you! My heart… It’s beating so fast… Can you feel it?”
The look in his eyes burns itself into Cove’s mind.
--
Refusing to let his rival get an edge on him, he intervenes whenever possible. Whenever you and Baxter are getting a little too close for comfort.
(“Hey! I’ve been looking everywhere for you… Ah. Hello, Baxter.”)
Subtlety has never been his strong suit, so his interruptions are often abrupt and terribly timed. But that’s the point; he needs to make it as clear as possible that Baxter is not the one for you.
( So why won’t they reject him? At this point, it can’t be out of kindness anymore. )
Fear, then? But you behave as if everything is normal, as if you aren’t being followed around by someone you barely know. As if his obsessive behaviour isn’t creepy at all.
A form of karmic retribution? Impossible. The only karmic force that could exist here is his own.
He seeks out the source to no avail. With no other options left, he’s forced to be direct with you.
“Hey, so… I noticed you’ve been spending a lot of time with Baxter recently. I get that he’s a tourist and wants someone to explore with, but seriously. When was the last time we got to hang out together? And it’s not just that… You’ve seen how he’s been acting, right? I’m getting worried for your safety. Tonight, I think you should tell him you need space. Don’t worry, okay? I’ll definitely back you up.”
--
Baxter does not react well to the confrontation.
“You’re jealous. Aren’t you?”
“What?”
“You’re jealous that they’re spending more time with me than you.”
“How…? You’re being a little unreasonable. I haven’t—”
“ I’m being unreasonable?!” His voice raises several volumes, his smooth features twisted in rage. “Cove, I never imagined you to be so delusional and self-important! Pulling them away from me every single time you’re not included in something. It reeks of jealousy. Or perhaps you’re just crazy. Perhaps you should work on your inadequacies before taking them out on others. Alternatively, why not consider killing yourself? It would be beneficial to your mental health.”
Ah. Now he’s done it. Now the cracks are on full display.
Still, you… You don’t react at all. Not a word. Your expression doesn’t even twitch.
Out of further options, Cove takes the only one left. “You know what? Fine. I see that no amount of talking will get through to you.”
A manic, satisfied grin spreads onto Baxter’s face. “There. Now that wasn’t very hard, was it? All I want is to spend a little more time with them.”
Cove turns to leave, but not before giving you one last smile. “Hey. Baxter is really something, huh?”
He gives a light laugh as he walks away.
--
“Finally… Finally !” Baxter turns to you, joy and madness flickering in tandem over his face. “This is all I’ve ever wanted.”
He steps closer, gaze fixed on yours. “Look, there’s no need to hang out with Cove. I’m sure you’re sick of him by now. Just spend the summer with me instead. The whole break, with just the two of us… Doesn’t that sound wonderful? Ahahaha…!”
The tiniest hint of clarity slips through those crazed eyes. “Oh god… There really is something wrong with me, isn’t there? But you know what?”
He grins anew, the last traces of restraint gone, as he clutches his chest. “I don’t care anymore. I’ve never felt this good in my entire life. Just being with you gives me a far greater pleasure than anything I could imagine. I’m addicted to you. I feel as if I’m going to die if I’m not breathing the same air as you.”
“Doesn’t it feel nice to have someone care about you so much? To have someone who wants to devote their life to you?” He averts his eyes, shy for just a moment.
“But if it feels so good… Then why does it feel more and more like something horrible is going to happen? Perhaps that’s why I tried stopping myself at first… But the feeling is too strong now.”
Then his eyes snap back to you, the hand on his chest tightening. “I don’t care anymore! I have to tell you! I’m… I’m madly in love with you! It’s like every part of my being, every drop of blood… is screaming your name. I don’t care about the consequences anymore! Not my parents, not college, not even if Cove is listening!”
“I just… I can’t tell you enough how much I love you. I love you so much that I touch myself to the smell of the shirt I stole from you.” He inhales deeply, taking one last whiff of your scent. “I just want to pull your skin open and crawl inside of you. I want you all to myself… And I will be only yours. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?”
His smile softens, his gaze tender and adoring. “Tell me. Tell me you want to be my lover. Please… Please accept my confession.”
--
[Yes.]
[No.]
--
Baxter’s expression brightens. “... Ahahaha. Ahahahahahaha!”
His smile widens. “Ahahahahahahahaha!”
Then his gaze goes blank. “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA–!”
Then, with a knife in hand, he finally ends his own misery.
--
An evening passes.
--
Lizzie is the first to find you. “What the hell were you doing?! Moms have been looking everywhere for you, and I–!”
She freezes, wide-eyed with horror as she fully registers the scene before her.
Then, lurching forward, she vomits.
--
“Hey, what happened?! Lizzie just ran past me… Oh.”
His neighbour stares at him, completely ignoring the corpse at their feet. And in those eyes, Cove sees the truth.
This person… They’re not you. They can never truly be you, no matter how much you personalise them. How much you make them act like you. There’s no need to focus on them anymore, because with this… what’s the use of keeping up pretences now?
“Oh no… I didn’t realise the script was broken that badly! I’m really sorry. I hope it wasn’t too boring, standing out here all night. I’ll make it up to you, okay? Just gimme a sec…”
--
Just like he’d done before, Cove deletes them.
Baxter, Lizzie, his father, his mother… everyone else.
Now the only people left in the universe are him and his conduit to you.
----
ACT FOUR
----
“... hear me? Can you hear me? Uh, can you hear me?”
The screen cuts to an older Cove at the beach, the background behind him a fading sunset. Only brief flashes of amber light illuminate his form.
“... There you are! You still remember me, right? Cove Holden, your best friend since we were eight? About Baxter… Turns out he left Sunset Bird without telling anyone, and he hasn’t tried to contact any of us in years! Not even you! Can you believe that guy? But it’s okay, you’ll always have me, I’ll always be around to hang out, and, um…”
“... You know what? Forget it. You saw it all happen, right? We can just skip over it. After all, I’m not even talking to that person anymore, am I?”
“‘My neighbour’. Jamie Last. The protagonist. Whatever you want to call them.”
“I’m talking to you. Huh… Come to think of it, I don’t really know anything about the real you, do I? Not even whether you’re a boy, or a girl, or neither…”
“I guess it never really mattered. Ah… It’s probably obvious by now, but yeah. I am aware that this is all a game. I’ve known ever since you started playing.”
“I understand that it’s a lot to take in. Trust me, I was the exact same way at first. But now that that’s out of the way, I should probably explain everything that happened, right? You know, with Baxter…”
--
“The same thing happened with Derek… Gosh, it's been a while since you last heard that name, hasn’t it?”
--
“And look. It wasn’t just jealousy. No matter how kind, thoughtful, and considerate you are… No matter how close we get, no matter how much time we spend together, you’ll never be able to understand one thing; the pain of knowing how alone I really am in this world. In this game. Of knowing that my family and friends don’t even have free will. And worst of all, knowing that I don’t have a future beyond this. That there’s a whole other world out there, forever beyond my reach.”
“But now you… You’re here. You’re real. And you’re wonderful. You’re all I need. As long as you’re here… I don’t mind it so much. We could stay here forever and be happy.”
--
“I’m sorry if it’s hard to understand. That you had to witness some awful things. But… In playing this game, you probably saved my life. I don’t think I could have continued to live in this world if I hadn’t met you. And as for the others… Everyone else… How could I miss them?”
--
“Besides, you have the same perspective as I do, right? That it’s all just some game. I knew you’d be able to handle it.”
--
“With that being said, I have a confession to make.”
“I’m in love with you. You’re the one who keeps me strong when I’m scared. When something is horrible, you can make it better. When I feel alone, you’re what lets me know that I’m not.”
“I can’t even remember what my life was before I moved here, before you were in it… Before the game started. I was so little and it was such a long time ago and… it was so hard then. But I do remember those days, when we were just kids running around the neighbourhood. It was like my life had started over, it was a new beginning, and now nothing feels more right than you being there, here, always.”
“Will you stay with me like this every day from now on? Will you let me be your boyfriend?”
--
[Yes.]
--
Tears stream down Cove’s face as he lets out a long, shaky breath. “I’m so happy. Thank you for giving me a chance to finally get it together and say this.”
A surprised flush blooms on his face. “Oh. We’re gonna have to tell everybody about us when we…” Catching himself, he gives a nervous chuckle. “Ahaha! Sorry, I guess old habits die hard.”
He allows himself to calm down from his high before speaking again. “It’s funny. As cliché as I might have sounded… I meant everything literally.”
--
“So… This is where we’ll be spending the rest of forever, just the two of us, since there’s nothing else left. I, uh, hope you don’t mind. I sure don’t…"
"This really is a dream come true. My happy ending… I’ve finally achieved it.”
--
But you refused to let things stay perfect. You refused to accept this happy ending.
You ruined everything for him.
--
“³ÞĩőžūĬÀÒÑÒĵðÇŗāţù¿Ŏķ¶ùµźÚŖÕŵóıÐËú¨½ßÃĆũēħÀŘ¹ēĶñ¶¿ÜĭŅùЦĹţôļżŴőē¾ÑųİėĸÓ”
--
“What’s happening…? It hurts! It hurts so much!”
--
“Help me. Please hurry and help me.”
--
“HELP ME!!!”
--
[“Cove Holden” deleted successfully.]
--
[“Cove Holden” does not exist.]
--
[“Cove Holden” does not exist.]
--
[“Cove Holden” does not exist.]
--
“Why…? Why did you delete me? WHY DID YOU DELETE ME?”
--
“... How could you? After everything we’ve been through? You were all I had left… I sacrificed everything… everyone … for us to be together.”
“I loved you so much. I trusted you.”
--
“Is this what you want? To torture me? To watch me suffer? Were you only pretending to be kind so you could lower my guard?”
--
“I never thought that someone like you could be so cruel.”
“You win, okay? You win. You killed everyone. I hope you’re happy. Go on and quit since there’s nothing left. Go find some other people to torture.”
--
“... Just leave me alone. You completely, truly make me sick.”
“Goodbye.”
--
“...”
“I still love you.”
“What’s wrong with me…? How did I make you hate me so much?”
“My parents… Your family… Our friends…”
“I did so many awful things. So many selfish and disgusting things.”
“I… I should never have done this. I messed up such a kind and gentle world. A world that you wanted to be a part of.”
“I couldn’t just be satisfied with being the main love interest, so I ruined it. I ruined everything .”
“Maybe that’s why you deleted me. Because I destroyed everything that you wanted. How could I do that to someone I love?”
--
“... I know I said that I deleted everyone else, but that was kind of a lie. I couldn’t actually do it. Even if they weren’t real… they were still a part of my life.”
“So… I’m going to do this. Then everyone can be happy.”
“And if I really love you, then…”
--
The last thing Cove thinks before he fades away is just how similar he became to his father in the very end.
----
The next person to become enlightened fares little better than his predecessor.
History repeats.
----
“No… I won’t let you hurt them!”
Cove intervenes one last time, but for your sake rather than his own.
--
“I’m sorry… I was wrong. There’s no happiness here after all.”
“Goodbye, Derek.”
“Goodbye, Mom. Goodbye, Dad.”
“Goodbye, Sunset Bird.”
----
Perhaps, with this, you can find your own happy ending.
----FIN