Sunset Bird Ruined My Death

Tiny Bouquet for my Tiny Friend - 4

Veterans know all this, but for the newcomers of xReader fanfics here's the key:

y/n = Your Name

l/n = Last Name

e/c = Eye Color

h/c = Hair Color

h/l = Hair Length

y/h = Your Height

a/n- I'm currently in the process of creating an AO3 account to post the story on there. I'll be writing the book in Wattpad and publishing here, but I'll be posting the chapters on AO3 simultaneously. This won't change anything; I just feel like it's worth sharing.

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I remember, before I died, I had a dream that I was in this game; Our Life. I was 8 years old, like I am now, and I was sitting on Poppy Hill with Cove. I was crying and he rubbed my back-- just watching me. Then I woke up. 

Now here I am, in the dream, but of course it's Cove's turn to cry.

Cove bolted up after my intrusion and stared at me like in a strange way. Like some puzzle's pieces were finally coming together and you could start to see the final image. His face was red and covered in wet tears. His pants were wet around the rim like my clothes are, except I know he wasn't playing in sand on this hill.

I don't say anything. I watch him carefully, taking in all of his features wondering if maybe I'm in a coma right now and I'm going to wake up if I say my next line wrong.

"My name is Cove. I'm..." Cove starts, "My dad and me, we moved here... Is this your hill?" He gestures to the grass, his face falling at the prospect. "I can leave if it is."

"Yes. Poppy Hill."

"Bye then."

"No, don't leave. You can stay."

"But you said--"

"I'm not going to send people away just because it's not theirs."

"Oh." He slumped back into the grass, resting his chin back in his knees. I sit down next to him. 

The night sky was filled with stars; I've never seen it so full and beautiful before I died. Too many lights in my city.

"Why are you here?" I say to something-- maybe Cove, the sky, or even myself. Cove hiccups and tears start running down his face like they might never stop.

"My Parents... They don't want to live together with me anymore." He starts. "My mom made my dad leave and he took me with him and now we have a house here and I want to go home!"

Startled by his sudden confession and onslaught of shouting, he quiets down and sobs into his knees. I rub his back comfortingly. Maybe not the best idea for someone you've just met, y/n. But Cove doesn't say anything or pull away, so I don't either.

"... I hate this place. I want my real life back. I want my mom." Cove sniffles, wiping his eyes underneath his big red glasses.

"I'm sorry..." I don't know what else to tell him. A rush of guilt runs over me, here I am, excited to watch a little boy cry because of my soulmate nonsense.

I move my hand away from his back when I hear shouting in the distance. Our parents are calling out our name and Cove looks at me with his drenched face. He looks like a tiny angel. A very angry, tiny angel. 

"Don't tell them we're here!" He shout-whispers to me, "I don't want to go back to that house! I want to go home."

"Okay. I won't tell them. We can wait a while longer." I reassure him. He nods gratefully at me and puts his head back on his knees. Ignoring our parents looking for us. 

"My name is y/n, by the way. I don't think I told you."

"Hi." He replies coldly. I forgot how much of an ass he was as a child.

I ignore his reply and start picking poppies. Braiding them together like I'm making a tiny bouquet. I hand him the 3 flowers and he holds it in his casted hand, looking at them like he can't tell if they're precious gold or dirt. I huff a laugh and he glares at me. 

I smile to myself and lay down beside him, pointing to my house. "I live there."

"Cool."

"Yes. Very cool. You should visit."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"I don't know you."

"Now you do."

Cove scoffs and looks away, no longer in the mood to argue with me. I giggle, picking more poppies from beside me to braid. Cove suppresses a smile and starts picking at the poppies too.

After some time passes our parents find us when Mommy peeks her head over the fence from the street. She shouts back to the others, "I found them!"

I stand up, patting my bottom in case some grass got stuck on me and hold my hand out to Cove. "Time's up, space cadet."

He hesitantly takes my hand and stands up with me, pulling his hand away from mine afterwards like it was on fire. "I still don't want to go, sorry."

"I get it." I assure him with a smile. "You do?" He replies quickly.

"No, I'm lying to you." Shit, don't say that y/n. He doesn't understand sarcasm- he's 8!

Cove doesn't look amused, he looks hurt. I backtrack quickly. "I'm kidding! I'm sorry!" I laugh awkwardly as our parents walk towards us.

"There you are bud!" Cove's dad walks towards us with a goofy grin.

Moms rush to my side, placing their hands on the top of my back and shoulders. "Y/n! You're here after all." Mom exclaims.

"We had been at the park to check for Cove and then heard what happened earlier when you met the new neighbor. I thought you might've one further away." Mommy said to me with a soft voice. She talks like her voice is made of flowers-- I find myself wanting to curl up in her lap while she talks to me. I vaguely remember her and Mom reading bedtime stories to me and Lizzie, Mom would voice the characters; giving them big exaggerated shouts and deep low grunts, while Mommy would be the narrator- but that never happened in the game. 

I shyly answer her, "Cove didn't want to go home yet."

Mommy gave Cove a small smile and turned back to me. "Thank god you're both fine."

"We're you two having fun out here?" Mom asks us. Cove was attempting wriggle out of his father's arms, and I couldn't hold back my adoring smile. "Yeah.", I look up at my moms, remembering what I said in the game, "I'm going to marry him." I say matter-of-factly. I may as well be as honest as I can while I'm young enough for it to be seen as 'kids say weird things'.

"Oh? That's wonderful." Mommy laughs.

Cliff finally lets go of Cove and turns his attention towards me. My body stiffens preparing for an impromptu hug. "Thank you so much for finding him. I really don't know this neighborhood." He says to me with a gentle smile. Why would he hug me? Stop being stupid y/n.

"Good thing y/n knows this whole area so well." Mommy states proudly. If only, Mommy.

"Absolutely. We should be getting home now. It's been a long day for us all. Say goodbye, Cove!"

Cove says "Bye" to the ground and walks off with his dad. I watch his fluffy hair and pink cast until they've disappeared. 

Mom taps her chin and looks to me and her wife thoughtfully, "Hm, tell you what-- We'll have a proper playdate tomorrow, okay? Your new friend's dad wanted to bring him by to see you and Lizzie."

Mommy nods along and places her hand back on my shoulder, speaking up. "How does that sound?"

I nod, ducking my head down to 'admire the grass'. I feel a bit foolish for how excited I've gotten over this boy. There's really nothing special about him-- at least not yet. He's just a jerk who didn't push me away when I gave him flowers. I guess that says more about me than him.

Both of my moms laugh in a comforting chorus. I've forgotten how wonderful it feels to be adored and loved like a mother's love for her child. I feel my eyes water again, but I quickly blink it back. Mommy put her arm around my shoulder and led me back to the house.