Taking Back What's Ours || Cookie Run AU

Chapter 2

♧CLOVER'S POV♧

Clover wakes up from his slumber, feeling more refreshed than ever. He sits up and stretches his body by raising his arms in the air. While he's doing that, he ponders about what journey will lie ahead of him today.

Now that he has no nightmare to worry about, he reassures himself that it was just a typical nightmare stemming from one of his deepest fears that he probably has no idea about.

With a big sigh of relief, he gets out of bed to open the balcony door. Once he reaches it, he swings it open and takes in the air coming into his room.

Like always, he hears faint cookie chatters, waves of laughter, and sometimes chirping birds. But there's one particular thing, different than other days that Clover took notice of; the wind current is slightly stronger and it smells more leafy than usual.

Clover giggles to himself before taking the watering can from the corner and starting to water the potted plants on his balcony. From his observation, it seems like his brother is nearby.

Just as he waters the last potted plant on the balcony, Clover hears the room door swing open. He looks over to see Herb slightly surprised but drops it into a smile. Clover smiles back before looking at the potted plant that he's watering.

"I already watered the rest, don't worry," Clover says as Herb approaches him. "I'm surprised that you woke up early. You're usually still asleep when I was done watering your balcony." Herb teases him and in turn, both of them laugh.

"Maybe there's something about today that got me up early," Clover says as he looks away to make it look like he's thinking. Herb perks up his head curiously.

"Like what?" They stare at each other for a minute before Clover looks at the plant he's watering, again, trying to make it seem like he's thinking when in reality he has no clue whatsoever.

Is it about Licorice? No that's not it. He meets him at noon, so it doesn't matter if he's up early. Maybe it's the fact that Wind Archer is nearby and that he's excited to catch up with him. Or maybe it's something else that his mind can't grasp.

The thought of the nightmare creeps back, maybe deep down, a part of him doesn't want to let go of what that nightmare could mean. He subconsciously tightens the grip on the watering can out of.. fear? He can't tell.

His train of thought is interrupted when he feels a tap on his right shoulder. "Don't accidentally overwater it." Herb points to the potted plant that Clover was watering that's practically spilling from the pot.

Flustered after realizing what he did, Clover immediately tilts the watering can away and puts it back to the corner of the balcony before looking back at Herb, awkwardly giggling it off. This raises a confused and worried look on Herb's face.

"Are you sure you're okay? Do you want to tell me anything?" Herb says worryingly, and Clover can only stare back. It took him a moment before speaking up.

"Yeah, it's nothing you should worry about," Clover says, trying to reassure Herb while walking back to his room, hearing Herb following behind and closing the balcony doors.

Clover knows that he isn't convincing enough to get Herb off the hook on the subject. The awkward and tense silence doesn't help him feel better at all. All he can do is keep telling himself that the nightmare means nothing and hope that Herb doesn't tug on it.

Herb lets out a sigh, taking Clover's attention back to reality. "Alright then, just tell me when you can." To his luck, Herb avoids tugging on him, which Clover could practically thank the witches. Clover lets out a sigh of relief before putting on his cloak and hat and grabbing his beloved grass lute.