#burplewrites

“and you two are gonna grow up someday and i’m gonna grow up too, but that’s never gonna stop us from being the same age. cool.” that’s what they said, eight years ago, when they first met y/n and tamarack for the first time after the duo waltzed their way into their life.

ever since that fateful day, the three were friends, best friends. even with the little break of their friendship from ‘personal problems and moody feelings’ as y/n used to say, y/n brought them together again and reminded them why they were friends in the first place.

their friendship only got better from then on, and they committed to bettering themselves and each other, talking about problems, and about random thoughts that entered their minds. at least, that’s what qiu thought. he thought that they all told each other everything, all their stupid secrets, random thoughts in the middle of the night, things that would be considered too much information for other people. so why didn’t y/n tell them, not tamarack or him, anything about what they were going through? why didn’t they say anything at all?

they never expressed pain, or acted like they were suffering at all. they were always smiling, expressing their positive emotions with not a care in the world. qiu loved them for that. they had been crushing on each other for a while, qiu knew that, y/n knew that, and even tamarack, who had to watch the whole thing unfold in front of her, knew that. they just never got together, and now they would never get the chance to.

it was only a year ago when their life changed. when tamarack yelled in the middle of the night, alarming everyone out of their drowsy state, y/n was having trouble breathing, and was trying to get upstairs to their mother's room without disturbing their best friends on the couch. their limbs started giving out, making them fall to the floor. that whole night was a blur for qiu and tamarack alike. watching their best friend’s mom trying to help y/n take some breaths as they all cried, seeing the tiredness in y/n’s eyes, like they’ve been fighting this for years and was finally starting to give up, and opal’s sobs as she begged her only child to keep trying, to keep breathing. tamarack clutched hard onto qiu that day, the shock causing her to freeze up.

hearing their best friend's last words, being so weak, so quiet, yet so genuine. it was like y/n trying to fully get everything out like they knew this would be the end.

"hey its okay, you're okay… you're okay. i love you guys so much, more than you'll ever know."

that's what they whispered, as the paramedics took them away. a smile never left their face, even with the ventilator on their face and the paramedics checking their vitals on the way out the door. they died on the way to the hospital. even to the end, they were caring for others.

opal changed as a person after that. having to bury your only child, someone who you watched grow up, someone who you experienced their good days and bad days, and was just expected to keep moving. but that was impossible, how could she? her world stopped that day but everyone kept moving, the world kept spinning at the same speed it always did, no faster, no slower.

but y/n was gone.

tamarack put her whole being into her cello practice since y/n always seemed to like it when she played for them. she even played a song she wrote at the funeral; a song that was supposed to be for her best friend. one that they were somewhat writing together. she still tried being normal, helping opal with whatever she needed, but never trying to pressure her. it was tamarack's form of escape. if she could be in the house that y/n was in, surrounded by all the things that made them, them… that would be enough. it had to be enough. qiu simply regressed into themself. it was like they were back to when they were fourteen. they stayed outside sitting by their ‘hideout’; hiding away from the world. tamarack tried to stay with him some days, when qiu wanted the company and couldn’t deal with being alone without someone to talk to, someone who understood, but other times it was too overwhelming and they preferred to be alone.

life changed. golden grove moved on, and people found other things to talk about, but sometimes things brought them back to that day one year ago.

especially today, the one-year anniversary of y/n’s death. three hundred and sixty-five days without them. it was early morning, around five am, and qiu biked to the cemetery to just be with them alone. they knew tamarack would be coming in the morning after she woke up, and opal would be coming in the afternoon, so this was the best option. plus they couldn’t sleep.

qiu never knew they could cry that much. every time they came to visit, to talk about something exciting that happened, or something weird, or anything really, they would end up breaking into sobs each time, gasping for air by the time their tears ran out.

‘why did you even have to come into my life if you were going to leave it partway?’

that was a question that they asked themselves multiple times and always felt bad for thinking about it after. they knew tamarack felt the same. tamarack was the first of the two to mention that thought out loud.

but it was true, wasn’t it? they never regretted having y/n in their life. everyone's life shone so much brighter with them there, like the sun on a summer day, but with the sun gone it gets darker. the sun always comes back, but y/n wouldn't. y/n was dead. they were gone, and they were going to stay gone.

no matter how much opal begged, how much they all hoped and dreamt, y/n was not coming back. they were never coming back. they had been gone for the last three hundred sixty-five days, they would be gone for the next year, and the years after that. and nothing could change that.

cove moved to sunset bird a few hours ago and he hated the place. he hated being without his mother, and he hated living without her. he hated how his dad brought him to this new place, and how he was just expected to start here all over again.

he missed his old room, his old house, his hill. he missed the things that made where he used to live, home.

as he found himself on a hill covered in these white poppies, he heard a sweet melody carried by the wind. a voice singing some unknown tune, coming from the beach. wiping his tears, he got up and walked down the hill, and followed the voice, his steps light and curious.

as he got to the beach, he saw a silhouette of a someone that looked his age, but they were in the water.

“…hello?” cove said, not too loud but loud enough for the person to hear him.

the person turned around, made eye contact with cove with a smile, and dived underwater. it was dark and the moon was out but cove swore he saw a tail as the person dived.

cove knew exactly what the person was. a mermaid. a real smile finally broke through his face as he got excited and ran across the shore and into the water. he got as deep as he could do the water wouldn’t touch his cast.

“are you a mermaid..?” cove asked, looking around. “my name is cove!”

a few meters away, a head popped up from underwater, looking at cove. they made eye contact again, before the mermaid smiled.

“i’m y/n. what are you doing out here?” they said, tilting their head to the side.

“i followed your voice.” cove said quietly. y/n swam closer to cove, as their tail started to touch the sandy floor.

y/n giggled, before smiling widely. “did i sound good? it’s a song that i heard when i was exploring, and i wanted to try singing it!”

“it sounded really good! you’re a really good singer.”

cove and y/n smiled at each other, before y/n dived underwater again, and came back up holding a seashell as an offering.

“cove… can we be friends?”

cove nodded repeatedly, making y/n laugh as they tossed him the seashell. cove caught it, clutching it on his chest.

“you’re my first ever human friend! this is going to be so much fun! we can go swimming together—“

“after i get my cast off.”

“yes, after you get your cast off. we can also talk all the time, and hang out, and do what friends do! i can tell you about the people that live here too! you gotta stay away from the grumpy old people in the neighbourhood over there! they’re kinda rude, or at least, that’s what lizzie said to shiloh.”

“who’s lizzie?” cove whispered, curiously.

“she’s this girl that lives here and she always plays at the park close to the beach, a little that way.” y/n pointed before continuing. “she says it’s her park but you can’t own a park! that’s so silly!”

“i owned a hill back home.”

“oh! well then, i guess you can own stuff!”

cove and y/n laughed together before cove trailed off.

“how do you know them? i thought that i was your first human friend.”

y/n’s face fell slightly, before they sighed and a small smile came on their face. “they don’t know i exist. honestly, no one is supposed to know. i just like listening to them talk, and watching them hang out together! shiloh and lizzie are best friends and i wanted to be a part of that… you know?”

cove nodded slightly, before cracking a smile.

“well, i promise i won’t tell anyone you’re a mermaid and that i’ll be the bestest human friend ever!”

y/n giggled softly. “i promise i’ll be the best mermaid friend ever! use that shell to contact me whenever! i’ll always answer! just like, talk in it!”

cove nodded, and as he said was about to say something, he heard his father calling his name. cove sighed before turning to y/n.

“i need to get back…” cove whispered, and y/n smiled.

cove’s dad was getting closer and closer, by the way his voice was getting louder. y/n waved goodbye, before swimming to deeper waters and diving underneath the calm waves.

cove smiled, and stepped out of the water, holding onto the shell, before walking towards his dad. maybe this new place wasn’t so bad.

from a young age, y/n has experienced happiness. they had loving parents, even though they were adopted. their older sister, who was a brat when they were younger, loved them unconditionally. they had amazing relatives and friends and were always surrounded by positivity since they were a child. although from a young age, they always felt like this feeling would be temporary.

their moms wouldn’t love them anymore, cove wouldn’t care, derek, terri, and miranda wouldn’t care, baxter…. well, they were right about baxter. but baxter left, making everything they thought would happen a reality… that terrified them.

normally when it was just thoughts, that’s all it was. thoughts. their mind was fucking with them, making them feel horrible for no reason. but it’s been those thoughts that have been brought into the world, that possibility was a real one. baxter had left three months ago and y/n was still stuck in that moment when he closed the door to their relationship.

no calls, no texts, no anything. y/n saw the signs, they were right in front of their face. baxter always thought of his stay here as temporary. but it didn’t have to be. they could have remained friends. but he chose to cut contact with everyone in sunset bird, with them.

maybe baxter was different, a messed up variable. they had only known each other for a summer, but if he could do it, what was holding everyone else from doing that too? what is everyone waiting for?

when was everyone going to leave them too?

it was a summer fling, just a short little thing. nothing too serious. that was said from the beginning. y/n felt hard though, which made it hurt even more. what was that whole relationship to him anyway? did he truthfully like it, did he like them as much as they liked him?

he had always been so distant, a barrier was always there, separating them from really getting to know the real baxter ward. if they knew the real him, would they still have been attracted to him? would everything be the same? would they still have entered that fling, would baxter be willing to ask them out, would they accept… what would be the outcome, the reactions, how would life be right now, three months after that summer?

y/n laid in bed, their mind taking all the energy that would otherwise be used to go do random stuff with their family and friends. their eyes were closed, with the cover over their head as they tried to control their breathing and get out of this spiral they were trapping themselves in. they didn't even notice when cove came into their room.

their window was always left unlocked due to cove's unwarranted but not unwanted visits, so he was never locked outside on the side of the building.

"y/n, it's like 1 pm." cove said gently before sitting on the side of their bed. y/n sat up, and faked a yawn, before smiling at cove. they didn't want to burden him with their thoughts again. they did that the day baxter left, and even though cove didn't seem to mind, they didn't want to put him through that again. "y/n, what's the matter? you can't lie to me with that fake yawn. i know you better than that, and i know you know that too."

"it's nothing, i was just thinking. don't worry." they got out of bed and stretched, not registering how upset they looked, or how their mannerisms were so drained. from the bed, cove was watching them do random things, like pick things up, and put them away in a completely different place, arrange their desk, all while trying to start a conversation with cove. they gave up midway though, and just started humming a song under their breath.

cove didn't know what to do. he realised that something was upsetting y/n, it was clear to see, but he didn't know what. he didn't know what he could say or do to help them feel better, since they weren't talking about it but cove could tell it was eating at them. so he did the only thing he thought of in that moment. he stood up and engulfed them in a hug. y/n's body tensed up in shock before relaxing. their back was to cove's chest, and cove was holding them tightly.

"ok space cadet, what's up with this?" y/n said with a chuckle. "you know back hugs barely count, right?"

cove sighed and loosened the hug, which gave y/n the chance to turn around and be engulfed in a normal hug. y/n knew cove wanted to say something, and was prepared to stay in this hug until he did. it was a thing they came up with that happened randomly.

"y/n, you're still upset about baxter, aren't you?" cove said softly. y/n's breath hitched, which was an answer in itself as they sighed.

"i- was it that obvious?"

"no, i just know you. we're kind of connected, remember?" cove chuckled before pulling away from the hug. he pulled y/n back to the bed before sitting beside them. they made eye contact, and cove began.

"talk to me y/n. let me lend an ear."

"it's fine cove, i'm getting through it. you don't have to listen to this." y/n said with a smile, betraying the tears building up in their eyes.

cove stared at y/n softly, before holding their hands. "i know i don't have to, but i want to. i want to be there for you y/n, because you're someone that i truly about and that's never going to change, so let me be there. let me carry some of your worries."

at those words, the dam opened. tears started dropping from y/n's glossy eyes, and more came as they tried wiping them. their breathing shallowed as they sobbed on the side of their bed, cove holding them, offering the comfort he could at that moment.

"it's not supposed to hurt that hard. we barely knew each other cove. we dated for the summer, i'm supposed to be focusing on the future, not remembering this!" y/n started, more tears bubbling up with a pause in their words. "but he left. he didn't even care, he just dismissed it, and i'm trying to understand but it hurts so much."

y/n cried in cove's arms a little, not caring how messed they looked. cove was one of their rocks. a constant. yes, they doubted it sometimes, but it was hard to find even the smallest part of cove wanting to abandon them. cove was always there, cove was family. y/n always felt the safest when he was there by their side.

"i knew it wouldn't last forever, but it set everything in stone, that everyone is going to leave and i'm just going to be stuck here, without anyone. miranda and terri, derek and you… moms, liz.. everyone is just going to leave. they wouldn't need a reason to stick by me anymore. i wouldn't mean much to them anymore, and i-"

y/n was spiralling, and cove squeezed them hard in the hug to get them to snap out of it, without 'interrupting' them. y/n turned to look at cove with a confused look and cove looked at them wiping his own tears from his aquamarine eyes.

"we aren't going to leave you behind. we never would do that. we love you, i love you. i can confidently speak for miranda, and terri, and elizabeth, and your moms, as well as myself. we would never even think of abandoning you. you have such an important effect on out lives y/n, and we wouldn't change it for anything."

"so why did he leave, cove? why didn't he want to stay friends, why didn't he want to keep in contact with me? am i that unlikable and unlovable-"

cove shook his head, making y/n's face wrench with more tears, as their head faced the ground.

"i don't know what was going through his head, but him leaving does not make you unlovable and unlikable. he liked you enough to want to be your friend, he liked you enough to want to start dating you, he liked you enough to help you out, to form memories with you, and to be there with you for as long as he could. i couldn't tell you why he couldn't stay friends, but i can tell you that he's probably going to regret losing someone like you in his life." y/n smiled a little and leaned their head against their best friend.

"thank you cove.. i love you too."

"i know." cove said gently, reaching over and passing y/n some tissues. "y/n anytime you need to talk, anytime you have doubts about anything.. you have to tell me about it. or your moms, or liz, or our friends, but don't just keep it locked inside. isn't that what you taught me?"

y/n chuckled.

"yeah, i guess i'm just not good at following my own advice."

cove and y/n have been best friends ever since that day on poppy hill. they always spent their days together, always basking in each other's presence, even if they weren't actively having a conversation. now eighteen years old, cove and y/n were at the beach where they always hung out, but with a new agenda.

cove loved surfing, so much so that y/n joked that he had a surfer gene activated in his cells somewhere. so when y/n randomly said they wanted to try surfing with him a few days ago, cove was elated. ever since he was younger, he tried to get y/n to go surfing with him, or at least, try surfing, but y/n would either want to stay on shore or swim.

y/n knew they weren't a surfer, it was genetically impossible for them to take on the waves and look as free as cove looked, but they had to admit, it seemed fun and cove had been begging for years, so they caved. the look on cove's face was 100% worth it, but now standing on the beach, their stomach dropped.

"cove, what if i drown? what if the waves just decide to swallow me up, and i get lost underneath the waves!?" y/n exclaimed, looking at the ocean in front of them. cove looked at y/n with an unamused look before cracking a smile.

"you know how to swim y/n." cove retorted, making y/n sigh and kick him in the shin lightly.

"swimming is way different from surfing."

cove laughed before stretching his arms a little bit, his surfboard lying on the sandy floor next to y/n's.

"c'mon y/n, you got this! i won't let you drown. you trust me, right?"

"mmm..."

"y/n!"

"yeah, ok, i trust you." they said with a teasing smile, picking up their surfboard from beside them.

cove led y/n to a spot on the shore where the waves were just right for beginners. with their board in hand, y/n listened as cove passionately explained the basics of surfing. he taught them how to position themself on the board, how to paddle, and how to find a good wave.

with an unhealthy mix of excitement and nervousness, y/n followed cove's instructions, positioned themself on the board, and followed cove as he paddled into the ocean. as the perfect wave approached, cove looked at y/n with a wide smile and shouted, "this is it, y/n! time to catch your first wave!"

y/n could feel their heart racing as they paddled towards the wave. it was like the world was slowing down, and they were filled with a sense of exhilaration. they would hear cove encouraging them, as they pushed up, letting their feet find their place on the board.

as the wave carried them, y/n felt nothing but joy. they did it, they were riding their first wave. until they weren't. in their moment of unfocus, they slipped off and fell into the water.

the wave washed over, leaving just the board floating. cove's smiling face quickly fell, and he slid off his board and started swimming to find y/n.

"y/n?!"

"y/n, where are you?!"

cove's heart dropped further and further as he was getting no response. as he swam closer to y/n's board, y/n popped up from underwater and grabbed the board with a wide smile.

cove blinked in surprise, before sighing in relief, letting himself sink under the waves for a moment. when he came back up, y/n was right in front of him with a wicked smile.

"i didn't die!"

cove just stared at y/n before breaking into laughter.

"you didn't die."

"you were worried as fuck, weren't you."

cove looked to the side, his face dusted with red. he nodded slightly, having y/n cackle.

"thanks for worrying cove. you're so sweet." y/n chuckled while pulling their board over and flopping on it. "can we try again?! that shit was so much fun?? like why didn't i try this before?"

cove laughed and nodded before swimming back towards his board. y/n paddled after him, and they waited for the next wave together.

throughout the rest of the day, cove patiently guided y/n, helping them catch more waves, laughing with them when they fell, and building more memories with them. he knew that this day would forever last in their memories, and he felt ecstatic that he got to share this day with them.

as the sun began to set, painting the sky with hues of pink and orange, cove and y/n sat on the swings at the park near the beach, exhausted but content. they watched as the waves continued to crash against the shore as they swung tiredly, talking about everything and nothing.

with a smile, y/n turned to cove and said, "thanks for teaching me how to surf. it was fun!"

"no need to thank me, you only caught like three waves. you fell off most of the time!" cove chuckled, earning a swat on the back of the head. "but... i'm glad we did this. from now on, we'll be exploring the waves together."

"that was cringe."

five years ago

as y/n and cove's families arrived at the big park, y/n's eyes filled with joy. this park was much bigger than the small playground back in their neighbourhood. there was so much to see, so much grass to run around in, and an extra bonus, more kids to play with.

since there was a community get-together, even more people were there, some regulars that y/n always saw when their moms would bring them, and some new faces. y/n wanted to meet them all.

y/n locked hands with cove as they bounced in place, matching the excitement of their older sister lizzie. cove looked... nervous to say the least but cracked a smile at y/n's excitement.

after everyone got drinks, and quenched their thirst, the kids were sent off to play in the sea of green. lizzie led the way, of course, having cove follow her with a frown and y/n skip along happily. lizzie introduced herself, y/n and cove, already making friends with the new people at the park.

lizzie, y/n and cove were introduced to hayden, lisa, and some other kids. as they were deciding what to play, a girl with braids raced over, a wild look in her eyes. she sprayed water all over them, hitting lizzie the most.

y/n brushed the water from their ear and neck, giggling at how absurd the situation was, but also how their sister got soaked. cove looked at y/n with an unamused face before sighing and shaking his head, which made y/n chuckle even more.

soon, with the help of lisa, hayden and some other kids who had been victims of the water gun girl, they started to chase her around the park.

a boy with brown spikey hair and green eyes appeared beside y/n and cove with a huge toothy smile.

"what are you doing?" the boy said, keeping up with the pace that y/n and cove were running with. y/n wouldn't be surprised if the boy could run even faster, like a cheetah.

"running," cove said, his focus now directed back to the girl. they were getting closer to her, but she was very fast and wouldn't allow herself to be cornered.

"it's a very long story-" y/n said with a sigh before continuing. "that girl with the braids sprayed water at us, and now we're trying to stop her!"

the boy gasped before talking. "can i help you guys catch her?"

cove and y/n looked at each other before nodding at the boy. the boy quickly caught up to the girl, and then ran in front of her, blocking her path to escape. a swarm of children all swarmed around the girl, and y/n pounced on her, tackling her to the ground.

with no hard feelings, and smiles all around, the chase turned into a game of tag, which kept them entertained. the atmosphere was more playful, filled with laughs and joy.

serveal rounds later, after the sun started going down and everyone had been 'it' at least once, kids started going back with their families.

cove was hanging around y/n, standing behind them, but smiling at the brown-haired boy in front of them. they had only known each other for a few hours but all three of them felt closer, like they were already good friends.

"so! we've been playing this whole time but i didn't even get to know your name!" y/n said, brushing the dirt off their clothes.

"i'm derek!"

"i'm y/n and this is cove! we should hang out some more, after we go eat and stuff!"

cove nodded with a smile, and derek laughed softly, smiling back at the duo.

"sure, i'll see you guys later!"

present day

I still think colander isn't a real word derek." y/n sighed as they brought out the sugar for the lemonade.

"y/n… it is a real word, I wouldn't lie to you, you know that!" derek explains, laughing a little. cove rolled his eyes at his two best friends, before fiddling with his bandage a little.

"you know, we're like really good friends." cove starts with a smile, making y/n look at him weirdly, and derek smile in return.

"obviously! like, it's us cove. the amazing trio, the three musketeers, the three amigos, yknow, whatever amazing trio that's famous." y/n replied smugly, watching the faces of the two boys in front of them turn into frowns.

the boys looked at each other and sighed as they continued cleaning up and just dismissed y/n's words with a smirk.

"as i was saying, before i got interrupted~" cove said, looking at y/n with a smile, before continuing. "its weird that we never met before this, like i know that you live in a different city derek, but you aren't that far from us, we could have met before."

y/n and derek looked at cove with blank stares before y/n started nodding.

"cove's actually right for once!"

"hey-"

"we probably already have met, and our amazing connection just brought us back together!"

"it was mr. holden and my dad's business actually-"

"hush! it was our connection i tell you, connection! we probably met at the park near your house derek, the one i helped babysit your siblings at."

derek looked to the side like he was in deep thought. y/n was mostly joking about the fact that they knew each other in the past, and even the obvilious cove had started to pick up on it, but for derek to be taking it so seriously threw y/n off.

"derek, you know y/n is just teasing… right?" cove said with a smile, looking at both of his friends. y/n left the sugar and came towards where derek and cove were on the other side of the counter.

"yea but they might be right, cause now that i really think about it… i think we actually did meet before."

cove and y/n looked at each other, both faces covered in disbelief before cove spoke up.

"where- or i mean how do you know? but also where..?"

"did you guys ever go to this community get-together in my city, at the big park, about five-ish years ago..?"

y/n nodded repeatedly, with a huge smile, like they were being transported back to that simple time.

"yea. it was the summer cove moved into this neighbourhood, that grumpy little kid."

"you act like i'm 4 years old." cove pouted, making derek rub his back to comfort him. y/n stifled a laugh, stroking their chin like they were a wise old wizard.

"its cause you are much younger than me, my dear cove. anyways! we were at this get-together and this girl i forget her name-"

"she had brown hair, if im remembering correctly.."

"yea!" cove and y/n said at the same time, looking at each other with wide smiles.

cove, y/n and derek spent the rest of the time filling in the gaps of their first meeting, talking about what type of kebab they ate, and if they got the desert from that box and how they enjoyed the firework show.

"i.. i tried looking for you guys."

silence filled the room as the two stared at derek.

"..what?"

derek fiddled with his thumbs, a small blush tinting his cheeks. he looked hesitant, but he knew from experience that he had two people probably definitely staring at him with puppy dog eyes wanting to hear the rest of the story.

"i said, see you later, and i meant that. i remember after eating, i ran off again to look for you guys but i couldn't find you. it didnt help that it was darker, and people were setting up the fireworks display. i was so bummed that i couldn't find my new friends since i thought we formed a… connection… but i guess fate brought us back together!!"

y/n sniffled, then grabbed cove and derek, shocking both of the boys and wrapped them both in a big hug.

"i'm so glad we're friends. honest. even if it took us like 5 years to meet you again derek, we'll be best friends forever."

derek chuckled, and wrapped his short arms around cove and y/n as much as he could. cove did the same, glad he was in the awkward embrace of his two best friends.

" wait guys, not meaning to ruin this moment-"

"youre ruining it by saying that cove."

"y/n…" cove sighed with a smile, knowing that y/n lived to tease. "shouldn't we finish the lemonade?"

derek and y/n looked at each other, their eyes wide before letting go of the hug.

"oh shoot!"

it was interesting to say the least, having christmas with an ex who broke their heart (which was totally in the past now) and their now current boyfriend. even with the apology and everything being alright between the three of them, y/n couldn't help but think it was a little awkward. not for them of course, but for the two boys.

baxter was sitting in their living room, across from cove who was awakwardly looking around. y/n chuckled to themselves as they were setting the table, since cove hadn't looked this in a while…. since that summer. even at the wedding, it wasn't this bad.

"hm romeo, can you get the stuff from the fridge?" y/n said, finally freeing cove from the awkward tension in the living room. cove's demeanour lifted as he got up and walked over to the fridge. y/n looked over at baxter as he sighed with a smile and made eye contact with y/n.

"this is awkward isn't it?" y/n said, walking over with plates in their hands. baxter nodded, with a small chuckle.

"honestly, it reminds me of that summer, when cove was so wary of me, so its okay."

cove quickly came by, stealing the plates from y/n's hands. then he looked at baxter and looked down. y/n always found it so funny how even with his tall stature, cove also looked so small when he was building the courage to say something.

"uh- sorry baxter."

y/n looked at cove, holding in their laugh then looked at baxter who looked at cove with a geniune smile.

when y/n realised that they were the only one who found this awkwardness between these two grown men hilarious, they frowned. "booo, you guys aren't fun. i wanted some christmas entertainment. cove why do you have to be so kind, and baxter why do you have to be so understanding?!"

cove and baxter looked at each other and laughed with confused looks on their face.

"did you want us to… fight?"

"or did you want cove and i to stay awkward for the whole day?"

y/n face felt warm as they shooed off the boys, and walked off to check the food in the oven. honestly, y/n was glad that her boyfriend and friend seemed to be getting along. but, that tension brought back the kid in them.

"you know, liz would enjoy this very much. be glad im not her, always teasing, basically borderline bullying."

"y/n… i love you so i have to tell you the truth, but you're basically doing that right now."

"i'm going to have to side with cove on this one y/n."

y/n peeked out of the kitchen with a shocked look before laughing. their laugh made baxter chuckle a little, which in turn made cove start laughing. the tension was still there, but it was lessened, so much so that baxter got up from his semi-permanent space on the couch and took some plates from cove and started placing them on the table.

y/n went back to the kitchen, draping cove's apron over themselves and started to bake some extra treats for their celebration. cove and baxter decided to help out as much as they could, but got distracted having a conversation. it was shocking to y/n but they blamed the new development on the christmas spirit and the joy that was all around them.