Work Text:
He hadn't meant for it to happen.
When Baxter proposed they date for the summer, Wyatt turned him down immediately, but he said he was definitely game for being friends. And they had had a fun summer, despite the hiccups and the bumps in the road. Wyatt really enjoyed getting to know Baxter better, and unwrap the different parts of himself that he used to hide away who he really was on the inside. They went well together as friends, Wyatt thought.
But it still happened. Wyatt still caught himself feeling something more for Baxter - and by the time he could think about bringing it up, it was already Baxter's last days in Sunset Bird. He'd missed his chance, but maybe... maybe they could stay in contact, and Wyatt would be able to nurture whatever this was, get to know it better, even with the distance between them.
Baxter wouldn't stand for that, of course. He was too devoted to his NPC life-style, and not even anything Wyatt could say could change his mind. It wasn't until Wyatt saw the back of Baxter's stupidly cool black and white eyeballs shirt that he realized - ah shit, it was love.
Not that it meant anything then.
And maybe their goodbye was something that could have gone better, with less tears on Wyatt's end and less biting remarks on Baxter’s. Wyatt couldn't be mad at him. He'd shot down the idea of dating and suggested a fun summer of being pals, just to turn around and go back on what he'd said. If anything, Baxter had kept his word better than him. And Wyatt thought it was only fair to honor their deal and cut things off there. So he let him go, Baxter leaving the neighborhood and the town behind. He let him leave without any more protests or questions.
But not without crying about it to Cove on the poppy hill the night after.
That morning had been brutal. Despite Baxter's absolute state he tended to be in during the mornings, the condo was empty, and there was no Sir Ward to be found.
" Which would suck more? Staying up all night to finish these, or waking up early and finishing them then?"
A grimace paired with the cute, disgusted wrinkle of a boyish nose. "Waking up early."
“When did you get to bed last night?
The silly gentlemanly chuckle. "To be honest, I never made it to bed. I knew I wouldn't get enough sleep before morning came, so I stayed awake and tidied up."
With a wry, humorless smile to himself and the empty condo, Wyatt realized that Baxter was probably so in a hurry to get away from the messy situation Wyatt had created the night before that he probably just stayed up until his cab came.
"You know something?" Wyatt asked, staring down at the far away shoreline.
In the corner of his eye, Cove looked up. His brow had been wrinkled for the entire time they'd been on the hill together. In an unexpected turn of events, Cove was the one who found Wyatt there first - staring down at the water like he was in the current moment. He hadn't said anything, and Cove didn't want to interrupt, so he plopped down in the grass next to his neighbor, laying there among the poppies.
He didn't interrupt now either. The air felt too heavy.
Wyatt's eyes flickered from the blurry reflection of the stars on the water, to the stars themselves. "I think I fell in love with him," he breathed out to the cosmos, the poppies, the water, and Cove.
With a start, Cove propped himself up on his elbows, a look of thorough concern on his face. "Wyatt..?" He had never heard Wyatt sound like that before, his voice so hollow and sad - but resigned. Like disappointment was just something that happened, and maybe even something he deserved.
Cove hated it.
And then Wyatt smiled, and Cove hated it even more. Because the smile didn't reach his eyes, and it wasn't happy. It looked completely foreign on someone like Wyatt's face.
"Isn’t that silly?" Wyatt asked, an amused lilt to his voice.
It wasn't a tone that was inviting an answer, not really. He wasn't asking for input, he was filling the air so there'd be no room for the regret he felt at letting Baxter leave without being honest. But the regret hung heavy, so heavy that it seemed like even the poppies were weighed under it.
Cove opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't get the chance. Wyatt looked away again, his eyes pointed in the direction of the water, but Cove could tell he wasn't seeing it.
"It is. I know it is." He scratched the scar on his chin absentmindedly, something he'd done since he'd gotten the thing when they were both 11. They were the same that way, and Cove nervously scratched at the scar on his left arm as he watched, torn on what he should do.
"We didn't even know each other for that long," Wyatt continued, his hand stilling. "We weren't dating either. 'Cause I said that wasn't my vibe, when he brought it up."
In a dryly amused imitation of Baxter's funny cadence, Wyatt muttered. "A suitor for a season." He snickered. "I told him I don't mess around like that. 'Cause who dates for a season just to end things?"
Letting out a groan he let his head fall back and closed his eyes. His brow pinched in the middle and he let his hands fall into his lap. "And who falls in love in a season? Definitely not him!" a humorless laugh. "Me neither. Heh."
At this point, Cove had sat up completely, his body turned toward Wyatt, his hand itching to reach out. He was never sure how to comfort people when they were sad, but this was the first time he had ever tried to comfort someone experiencing heartbreak.
Shit... His mouth pressed into a thin line. Wyatt was someone who should experience heartbreak least of all.
"Ah, shit."
Cove's gaze narrowed in on Wyatt, hearing him curse. Usually Cove was childishly amused by his best friend's use of vulgar language, but the edge on his tone held no humor in it.
Wyatt was staring down at his hands, watching as a firefly lazily buzzed its way into his palms. He'd always been able to catch fireflies better than Cove, and Cove almost felt tickled that he'd caught one even when he didn't mean to.
"He probably thinks I'm crazy. Begging him to stay in touch like some loser who can't make up his mind. No, I won't date you but oh won't you text me after you leave? " Wyatt turned his hand over as the firefly crawled to the other side. "He said he'd never forget me, but now I'm kinda hoping he does."
Despite the firefly in his palm, there was no light in Wyatt's eyes, and Cove couldn't take it anymore.
"Wyatt!" Cove called out, his chest tight as he threw himself at his best friend and wrapped him into a bone-crushing hug. All the air in Wyatt's lungs made an express exit in the form of a sharp wheeze and he let himself be hugged as breathless, nervous laughter fell out of him.
After a moment of squeezing all his love into Wyatt, Cove pulled away, holding him at arm's length by the shoulders. Wyatt saw that his eyes were rimmed with fat tears. "I've never heard you talk about yourself like this, but it's the worst thing that's ever been spoken in the history of the world!" The tears bubbled over and streamed down his face.
Reflexively, Wyatt spoke to soothe Cove. "Hey, it's okay."
"It's not okay!"
Wyatt pressed his mouth into a line but didn't speak again.
"You are my best friend in this whole world. I'd rather die than let you think like that about yourself - that you're a loser for wanting to be close with someone. That you'd be better off forgotten in any capacity. You didn't do anything wrong, so you shouldn't punish yourself for feeling how you feel." He was breathing harder now, all the words escaping faster than his mouth was ready.
Cove was never one for being long-winded, and it was even more rare that he was so forward in such an abrupt way. Cove Holden was someone who needed to think things over before he spoke - unless it was something fueled by the youthful urge to make mistakes for fun's sake - so Wyatt was completely taken aback.
The firmness of his tone hadn't stopped the tears from rolling down Cove's cheeks, and Wyatt reflexively reached out to wipe them away, even as those turquoise eyes looked right into his soul and large hands grounded him on that hill.
"You..." Cove sniffled at the tender gesture of Wyatt wiping his tears even now, but he found his resolve. "Be sad if you're sad! You've always..." A deeper furrow of his brow. Wyatt was wrong, maybe this was something that Cove had mulled over in the past, the words falling off his tongue quickly now.
"You've always sidestepped anything that upsets you - but you don't have to. You can feel bad! That's life, you have to process what upsets you."
Panic shot through Wyatt like a jolt of cold, and he couldn't look into Cove's earnest eyes anymore. He looked away, cracking a smile. "C'mon man, it's not a big deal--"
"Yes it is!" Cove argued back immediately.
Wyatt frowned, irritated that Cove wasn't giving him his space physically and conversationally.
Cove's gaze softened at the same time his tone did, and Wyatt felt compelled to look at him again. "For years you've let me cry on your shoulder - even about silly shit that doesn't matter!"
Wyatt's eyebrows shot up, the curse a surprise when it was coming out of Cove's mouth.
"And for years I've let you get away with it when you tell me you're fine because you hate it when people are pushy. But I'm not gonna do that anymore, and you're gonna cry on my shoulder right now instead!" What turned into a demand was cushioned by a desperate: " Please. "
Feeling caught in numerous ways, Wyatt grit his teeth and looked away again. He did hate it when people wouldn't just leave him be when he was upset. He was fine, he could be fine if they just gave him space. If it was pushed far enough to the back of his mind, then it'd be forgotten entirely, and it'd be like it never happened in the first place.
He'd known Cove hated when he did that - calling him out on it every time. He'd tell him it was a lie, and ask how he was really feeling. It'd be a back and forth sometimes before Cove relented, or it'd be instant. Neither time was Cove satisfied with the answer he got.
How could he be when he knew his most treasured person was hurting and refusing his help?
Wyatt sighed, the sound quick and annoyed. "Ugh. Fuck off, Cove, it's not..."
Cove did not fuck off, in fact being told to just made him more determined to stay exactly where he was. Wyatt never swore at him like that, which meant that something was different this time.
And something was very different, because after a blink, Cove watched in slow motion as Wyatt's barbed defense crumbled, and he looked up at him with wet eyes.
When matching pairs of watery gazes met, a sniffle and a whimper left Wyatt - a precursor to a sob - and Cove's tears were put on maximum flow. A look of alarm donned his features - there had been some doubt that Wyatt would give in after all.
Without a second of hesitation, he pulled Wyatt into a suffocating hug. But instead of freezing, Wyatt fell into it, melting as sobs left him unbidden. They wracked his entire body, the sound coming from deep in his chest and his heart, and Cove held him through it all. He rubbed his back, like his dad would do, and rocked him slightly.
Wyatt shook and hiccuped as the sobs seemed to tear out of his chest.
At the same time, Cove wept his own tears, his heart hurting for his best friend.
The only sound for a while was matching sniffles and cries, Cove's incoherent mumbles, and the far off waves lending them both support in the form of a rhythmic whisper.
Cove found his voice first.
"Wyatt... I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." One of the hands that had been rubbing Wyatt's back tightened into a fist, gripping the material of Wyatt's shirt. "I'm sorry that Baxter treated your friendship like that, that he's made you feel like this . That you weren't given a chance to say how you feel. That..."
His chest squeezed again.
"That you... felt like you couldn't let me see you cry. Or know how you really felt. Not just now, about this, but all this time."
'Ah, I was right after all, * Wyatt thought to himself faintly. This was something that had been on Cove's mind. At least part of it was. He sniffled and hugged Cove back, not daring to speak yet, until he knew Cove was done. He'd always wait for Cove.
Not that any of the night had been what he expected, but the next thing Cove said sent Wyatt completely off-kilter.
"You can depend on me, promise," Cove whispered, his voice small and maybe even a little nervous, like he didn't think Wyatt would believe him.
Wyatt's eyes had been squeezed shut the entire time as he cried, but they snapped open.
He mirrored Cove's earlier actions and pulled away, holding Cove by his shoulders so he could look him in his eyes.
"Whoa whoa, hey. You've got something messed up," he said, frowning. His face was still wet with tears that had gone unwiped - after so long of wiping Cove's he almost forgot it was something he could also do for himself.
Cove's wavy eyebrows raised in surprise and confusion.
"Trusting you has never been my issue," Wyatt said, tone leaving no room for doubt, " I’ve been my issue."
He moved his hands upward and cradled Cove's face. Cove's eyes went wide with bewilderment. How had he gotten here??
"There is no one on this planet," Wyatt backtracked with a shake of his head, "In the UNIVERSE! That I trust more than you. I've never felt like I couldn't depend on you. I'm sorry I've ever made you feel otherwise."
Maybe Baxter didn't love him or even want to be friends with him, but that could never overshadow what Wyatt and Cove had. And he'd be damned if Cove doubted how much he cared for him, or felt cared for in return.
"I have told you things that I have never dreamt of telling anyone else, because you're my person. I trust you with my life."
In regular Cove Holden Crybaby fashion, eyebrows pulled together and wobbly lips struggled to put words together. Despite ten years of friendship, Cove had never gotten the hang of handling such forward and intense affections.
He laughed wetly and wiped his eyes. "Hey! I'm supposed to be comforting you right now. Not the other way around!"
And like that, the air started to clear. The poppies sleepily danced in the night's breeze, and the life long best friends shared warbly laughter.
"Sorry," Wyatt said unapologetically, wiping away tears Cove had missed. "Old habits."
"Well, for the rest of this moment, see that it doesn't happen again," Cove said with a playful huff.
Even though Cove's eyes were closed as he composed himself, Wyatt regarded him with a look full of love. "Aye aye."
The planets orbited the sun, and the moon lured the waves closer, and Cove and Wyatt hugged again, sighs leaving both of them.
They stayed that way for a while, both of them content to hold each other. It was necessary, really. So much had been said, and Wyatt was going to oblige Cove's plea by being honest about how he felt, and he knew he wouldn't be able to do that without support. Physical support at that.
"I..." Wyatt's voice was quiet, rough around the edges from crying, but it rumbled familiarly against Cove's chest and in his ears. "I didn't mean to, you know? Fall in love with him."
Cove nodded. Wyatt settled his chin more comfortably on his shoulder.
"I told you what he said. Suitor for a season... Isn't that ridiculous?" Wyatt asked with a laugh, and it was a real one this time, even if it was kind of sad. "I mean... Not as ridiculous as falling in love in that same amount of time, but anyway." He hummed, finding his thoughts. "That guy. I'm pretty bad about not saying how I feel, but I got the vibe that if I was in an ignoring how I feel contest, and my opponent was Baxter? He'd be going home with gold and silver. Not bronze though, because he lets himself feel the bad stuff. I think he thinks he deserves it."
"It'd clash with his color scheme, too," Cove mumbled along.
Wyatt laughed.
At that, Cove hummed. Wyatt and Baxter had some similarities. "Sometimes it feels like..." Cove cleared his throat, his voice faltering from lack of use. "Sometimes it feels like you do that. Like, you feel like you deserve to be disappointed, and that's why you won't let anyone help you feel better."
"Oh." Was all Wyatt said in return. It was quiet for a moment, and then he snorted, "Fuck, you're probably not wrong. That feels about right."
Cove shook his head and started to absently trace shapes into Wyatt's back. He was wordlessly encouraging him to continue.
And continue Wyatt would. "I feel dumb. I told him I wouldn't date him. It felt... Disingenuine, you know? Like I don't value my heart, so I'm willing to just toss it over to some guy for a few months." He rolled his eyes. "Did it anyway." He sighed, frustrated with himself, and he squeezed Cove, the firmness of him there grounding him. "But like. Even if we were just friends, and I hadn't caught feelings... We were great. Like..." He chuckled and pulled away, ruffling Cove's hair. He was met with shocked protest.
"No one could ever compare to you, Cove. Don't get it twisted. But... I got along with Baxter surprisingly well. It's hard for me to make actual friends, you know? I can count my actual friends on two hands, and that's only 'cause one of my hands is completely reserved for holding yours." At that, Cove let out a bashful laugh. But Wyatt could tell that it touched him.
Cove nodded. "Yeah... I mean. Obviously I never got along with the guy, and I tried to avoid him when I could." Both of them laughed at that. "But when I was around, I could see how well you guys got along. I've never really seen you look at anyone else like that."
Wyatt looked at the poppy hill, smiling to himself. The corners weren't pulled up all the way, the light of his smile just as dim as the hill they sat on now that all the fireflies had gone to bed. He sniffled.
Cove nudged him, and Wyatt pulled his gaze over to his own.
"I also never saw Baxter look at anyone else the way he looked at you."
Wyatt's eyebrows shot up, and Cove watched in real time as freckled cheeks colored pink, and then pinker, and then red. He let slip a " Whoa! " and Wyatt's hands flew to cover his face, realizing now that the heat in his cheeks was visible even in the dark.
"Shut up! Don't look at me. It's whatever!"
Cove laughed and grabbed Wyatt's shoulder, pushing and pulling him as he cackled. "I've never seen your face do that before! I didn't even know you could change color like that!"
Wyatt groaned. "Dick!"
It just made Cove laugh more. Despite himself, Wyatt started to giggle, and the two of them laughed even as Wyatt shoved Cove away.
"Haa..." Wyatt sighed out the rest of his laughter, his shoulders falling. "Mm. That's kind of validating to hear, in a way. 'Cause I kind of got the feeling that maybe Baxter liked me. But that bastard is too good at talking circles around me."
"Baxterd..." Cove echoed.
Wyatt looked at him. "Huh?"
"Oh. It's uh." Cove faltered, his smile pulling wryly to one side as he looked away, his hands gesturing to help get across what his words failed to. "It's like, bastard . But also Baxter."
Wyatt laughed, the sound bright and abrupt, like he was completely taken off guard. "Yeah! That's him for sure. If I ever see him, do I have your permission to use that?"
Cove grinned, "Yeah, but you gotta pay me royalties."
"Oh yeah? How much?" Wyatt asked, raising an eyebrow.
With a satisfied smirk, like Wyatt should have seen it coming, Cove responded, "$20."
Yeah, Wyatt should have seen that coming.
In the time that they'd been out on the hill, the moon had traveled across the sky, the stars waltzing alongside it. By then, both Cove and Wyatt had laid in the grass, staring up at the night sky. Neither of them wanted to go inside yet. It felt premature to leave each other's company at this point, even more than usual. If the two had it their way, they'd be joined together surgically. At least, that's what Lee liked to joke. Once, Cove had joined in, rubbing his chin as if he was thinking about it, which had made Lee fall into a fit of laughter.
In the present, Wyatt's hand found Cove's, and their fingers locked together in sync, the motion being second nature by now.
"Thanks, Cove."
Cove turned his head, grass tickling his cheek as he blinked sleepily at Wyatt.
Wyatt's profile faced him, his eyes closed. He hummed when he heard the rustle of movement, knowing that Cove was giving him his attention, and silently asking for him to continue. "Mm, for everything. Listening about this Baxter thing, not letting me be a shit head. For being here for me for so long. I never took that $20, but by now I'd say our friendship is worth infinite times that amount."
Cove grinned, the smile pushing his cheeks up. "We're rich in best friend money."
Wyatt snickered. "High rollers."
Sunset Bird was a sleepy town by nature, even the name calling out for the end of the day, but morning came regardless. As the sky began to turn pink and the seagulls started to laugh amongst themselves, Cove sat up. Pretty soon their parents were going to wake up and wonder where they were, and Cove was sure Wyatt had had enough of being honest by force for now.
Wyatt was asleep by now, having been wrung out by sobbing for so long earlier in the night. Cove reached over and poked his cheek, his finger squishing in for a moment before Wyatt batted the annoyance away in his sleep. So he switched tactics, and nudged his shoulder, gently rocking him until he woke up.
"Wyatt. Hey. We should head home."
Pale gold eyes blinked open, bleary and unseeing, until Wyatt yawned and sat up. "Huh?"
"We stayed out a long time," Cove said, gesturing to the sky.
Wyatt's eyebrows shot up. "Oh! Oops."
Cove stood to his feet and didn't bother to brush the grass off his clothes. He held a hand out to Wyatt, lifting him up once they had a secure grip on each other. Wyatt did brush his clothes off, and gave Cove a thumbs up once he was ready to head back to the neighborhood.
They walked quietly, neither of them speaking. Both from the worry of getting caught sneaking in after being out all night, and also because they were really just too tired to say anything. It was a quick walk, not leaving time to have to fill the silence even if they wanted to. In the distance, the sound of cars rolled by in the busier part of town. Sunset Bird was waking up in honest, the sunrise mocking it good-naturedly.
Soon Wyatt was greeted by the familiar sight of their street, and they both stopped in the middle of their houses. He turned to Cove and shot him a sleepy smile.
Cove mirrored him before pulling him into another hug. Despite how many hugs they'd traded through the night, Wyatt had no complaints and squeezed Cove, pressing all the love he could into his friend with his arms.
They split, turning to their houses, before Wyatt turned back and grabbed Cove's hand. Wavy green eyebrows tilted upwards in question.
"Thanks for tonight, Cove." Wyatt gave Cove's hand a squeeze.
Cove grinned. "Always, Wyatt." He squeezed Wyatt's hand in return. "See you tomorrow."