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When Pete and Sofi had made their way back to Pete and Cody’s apartment, of course they found him bundled up in his (no, Josh’s) sheet in the living room. His sword was leaned up against the wall and other than that the room was completely bare.
Pete looked down at him, with pity he assumed (he couldn’t meet his eyes).
“Cody, why don't you come upstairs? Sofi’s staying the night so we can all hang out together.”
“I’m fine.” He said.
Sofi and Pete exchanged an indecipherable glance.
“I’m going to make some tea.” Pete said.
After he had left for the kitchen, Sofia crouched down next to him.
“Hey, Cody, come on. I know this sucks but… we’re here for you.”
Cody stared vacantly at the ceiling. It was a plain as usual, but it was supposed to be. He didn’t want to look at the bare walls or the bare floor of his room. He couldn’t remember a time when his walls weren’t plastered with his posters and mounted with his replica swords. But now that was gone.
“Come on.” Sofia urged.
She helped him extricate himself from the sheet, and walked with him to the kitchen where Pete had just finished boiling the water. He poured it into the waiting teapot, filling the air with a herbal scent.
The tea steeped in silence but soon a very warm cup was pressed into Cody’s cold hands. He could hear Pete and Sofia talking, but it felt muffled to his ears. His mind felt foggy, and nothing felt real to him.
Then they were all upstairs, and Pete was handing him a small pile of clothes. He saw a similar pile in Sofia’s hands as she left to change in the bathroom.
“Here, you can wear them. I don’t mind.” Pete said.
His smile was kind. Pete was… really something. It seemed like even when everyone else didn’t know what to do about him, or didn’t seem to like him, Pete always was there for him, on his side, watching out for him.
A drop of water landed on the cloth, and then another. He looked up at Pete, who was still right there, a concerned expression on his face. He cares.
Then Pete’s arms were around him, holding him close. Pete was a fair amount shorter than him but Cody leaned into him, bury his head in Pete’s shoulder. He had lost everything. Everything. Well, not everything. He still had Pete. And the others. He felt himself fully lose it, he started to sob. He let out all of the tears he had held in since he drew that card in Nod.
Pete didn’t say anything, just held him as he cried. Rubbing soothing circles on his back as his sobs turned into hiccups. After what felt like an eternity, his eyes dried and he stopped shaking so much. Pete gently pulled away from him and looked up into his tear stained eyes.
“Hey, I’m here for you. I’m happy to share all of my stuff with you. I get it, I mean I don’t get it, but you know what I mean. I’ve got you dude.”
Cody looked down at him and felt the sincerity radiating off of every word.
“Really?” He croaked.
“Yeah, dude. I mean it.”
Cody didn’t know what to say or how to express his gratitude. He almost leaned in for another hug when there was a knock on the door.
“Pete, Cody, can I come in?” Sofia said.
“One second!”
Pete turned away from him and started to pull his shirt off. Cody immediately turned around and followed suit, ignoring the heat he felt rushing to his cheeks.
Sofia came back in and all three of them were dressed in some of Pete’s cosiest pyjamas. They settled down on Pete’s bed and watched a movie. Pete insisted that Cody be in between him and Sofia, and it was incredibly cozy, more than Cody would like to admit.
He fell asleep before the movie was done. He was exhausted.
The next morning, Sofia was gone but Pete was sitting at the kitchen table. Cody handed him back the bundle of clothing from last night, but Pete simply pushed it back. Then Pete realized that Cody had put the acid wash jeans and sweaty t-shirt from the construction worker back on and he dragged Cody back to the attic.
Pete opened his closet and his dresser drawers.
“Seriously Cody, you’re welcome to wear this.”
“But, dude, I can’t—”
“I know you don’t have anything right now. I don’t expect you to pay me back either. You should have some clothes that you didn’t just grab off a random person. At least wash them first.”
When Cody refused to look through the clothes, Pete gave an exasperated sigh before diving into it himself. He handed Cody a pair of dark jeans, a black t-shirt and a grey sweater, along with some socks, underwear, and a pair of beat up converse.
“Here.”
“Pete, I—”
Pete’s face was set in determination and stubbornness. His eyes had a glint of something that let Cody know he was not going to back down any time soon.
Cody wiped a tear from his face.
“Thanks, man.” He choked out.
———
Cody had eventually accumulated enough stuff to return to a similar lifestyle as he had before. He got a bed, and clothes, and a goddamn toothbrush, and even posters to cover his walls. But, when he had tried to return what Pete had given him (lended to him), Pete would often brush it off.
Pete had managed to convince Cody to take some more of his clothes that fateful week but wouldn’t let Cody return them now that he didn’t need them.
But Cody didn’t mind it too much, because as weird as it was, he liked wearing Pete’s clothes. All of his stuff was so cozy, and he loved the sweaters especially. He had gotten used to Pete’s spaces back then, when Cody had nothing and so Pete welcomed him into what he had. And sometimes, not often, Cody would head up to the attic and look through Pete’s clothes.
Cody pulled out a sweater that was a muted purple with yellow abstract designs on it. He pulled it over his head and then freed his hair from where it had become trapped by the shirt.
He examined himself in front of Pete’s mirror. It was so different from his usual style but it also just felt right on him. There was a softness that he usually tried to cover up in himself with his clothes and his attitude that was accentuated with Pete’s sweater. Maybe it was the colours or the fit, or maybe it was because Pete saw through to that part of him.
Cody sat down on the side of Pete’s bed to rest for a minute, feeling more comfortable than he had in a while. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep on top of Pete’s covers. When he woke up, the sky was dark, and he felt the most well rested he had in ages.
He yawned and looked around the room, freeing up when he noticed Pete sitting at his desk, his head turned in Cody’s direction.
“Shit, dude, I can explain.”
“No worries. I didn’t wake you up ‘cause you looked so peaceful.”
“I’m sorry.”
Pete just smiled kindly at him.
“Nice sweater.”
Cody looked down and felt his cheeks burn as he realized he was still wearing Pete’s clothing.
He started stammering and tried to throw the sweater off as quickly as possible, but was stopped by a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, Cody, it’s okay. It looks cute on you.”
Cute? Like hot cute?
“Um, thanks.”
That blush was not going down anytime soon. Pete sat down next to him.
“I’m happy you like wearing my stuff.”
Cody shifted awkwardly, trying to figure out how to voice any of the shit going on in his head.
“Do you mean that?”
“Yeah.”
Cody studied Pete’s face, and noticed that his cheeks were a little flushed as well. His eyes drifted down to Pete’s lips for a moment, then back to his eyes which were intensely focused on him as well.
“I always like to see you in my stuff.” Pete confessed.
“Really.” Cody inched closer, eyes drifting to Pete’s pink lips.
“Yeah. You look crazy good right now.”
They breathed for a moment, until Cody found the courage he didn’t know he had in him.
“Pete, can I kiss you?”
He sounded breathless to his own ears.
“Fuck yeah.”
And they closed the distance.