Archive of Our Own

       ~ I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour, but heaven knows I'm miserable now. ~

Summer. A season that many claimed as their favorite due to the lack of stress, homework, physical activity, and social interaction that came in the few months without school. Noah is one of these people. He finds it weird that people think he actually likes school. Just because he's been able to maintain straight A's since elementary school, doesn't mean he enjoys being there at all. A building full of miserable, rude, and smelly teenagers could never be a place that Noah would enjoy, never in a million years. But that's beside the point, it's summer and Noah does not want to be thinking about school right now. He turned his full attention to the book he was reading, the previously rapid thoughts in his mind slowing down. 

The sun drew closer to the horizon, and Noah finally closed his book. He turned to look out his window, deciding whether to go to bed a little early today since he didn't have much to do over the summer anyway.

Wait.

 A sudden feeling that he'd forgotten something struck his mind. He stared harshly at nothing, trying to retrieve whatever he had lost in his head.

Right, my job. 

Noah let out a sigh when he finally remembered. After weeks of doing practically nothing over the summer, his parents had suggested to Noah that he should get a job. He wanted to argue against them at that moment, yet he realized that he was, in fact, very broke, so he put aside his complaints and complied. He wasn't too happy about having to work over the summer, yet he did apply to work at the local bookstore, so at least he wouldn't be completely miserable there, right?

       ~ I was looking for a job and then I found a job, and heaven knows I'm miserable now. ~

One week into the job and Noah was already sick of it. The shifts were long and boring, and he only got about 10 customers every day. What really annoyed Noah was the fact that he wasn't allowed to take a break to read when there wasn't anyone in the store. He had tried to reason with his boss but that proved ineffective. 

Noah stood behind the cash register, his eyes glancing over the new magazines on the display. They had arrived this morning, Noah had skimmed through it as much as he could when he'd stocked up the display. Something about a new boy band hitting the charts in only a few days. He didn't care much for celebrities, much less musicians either. He jumped slightly as the door of the bookstore opened. 

A group of four boys, who looked to be around Noah's age, walked in. They looked relatively friendly, yet something about them seemed different. The way they dressed, the way they frequently glanced behind them, the way they held themselves as if they were so special and significant, told Noah that these people weren't so ordinary. Just then the original group split into groups of two, one going to the café and the other going to the comic book section.

The comic book section was located just to the left of Noah's workstation, and when they passed by, Noah was able to get a much better look at them. One of them had long-ish ginger hair and thick, square glasses. Sure, Noah was a bit of a nerd at times but this guy was the whole package. The other boy was shorter with soft looking features, he had light brown hair which settled in a fringe just above his eyebrows. Upon looking at the second boy, Noah realized something. He grabbed one of the magazines off the display and looked at the cover photo. Sure enough, Noah's suspicions were right, these boys were the Drama Brothers. 

I don't know if I'm more surprised that they showed up at some random local bookstore in the middle of Ontario, or the fact that they would even go to a bookstore in the first place. 

Noah's focus shifted back to his job as a few regular customers came in. 

About ten minutes later, the boy with the fringe came up to the register with a few comic books in his hand. 

"Hey, how's it going man?" The boy stated with a much too friendly tone. 

"Good. Will that be all today?" Noah responded.

"Yep!" The boy turned to look at the entrance, his friends seemingly waiting for him to finish up. 

The boy paid for his books and grabbed them off the counter. 

"This is a really nice place you got here, I've never seen such a large variety of comic books!" 

"Yeah, I guess this place isn't all too bad," Noah replied dryly.

The boy smiled at his sarcasm, a very rare occurrence for Noah, “Y’know, I never thought I’d see someone like you working at some dingy old bookstore.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Noah asked, squinting his eyes questioningly. 

The brunette looked around for a moment before he placed a hand on the side of his mouth, to make sure no one else could see what he was about to say. 

The boy smirked at him before whispering, “Someone so han-”

"Cody c'mon we don't have all day!" Shouted one of the group members waiting by the entrance, cutting off whatever Cody was about to say. 

Cody nodded to his group members and turned back to Noah, he smiled lightly and waved goodbye, then ran over to his group and walked out of the bookstore. 

Despite Noah's prior analysis of the group, his brief conversation with Cody intrigued him just a little bit.

      ~ In my life, why do I give valuable time to people who don't care if I live or die? ~

It had been about a week since he'd seen The Drama Brothers and all was peaceful in his quaint little bookstore. Noah was stocking bookshelves, and a new shipment of comic books had come in. He bent down, reaching into a cardboard box containing the books, and pulled out another comic. Spiderman, a classic. He was about to place it on its correct shelf before a thought struck him. He was immediately reminded of his brief conversation with that boy from The Drama Brothers, Cody, Noah let out an annoyed sigh.

Ever since his first interaction with the group, he has no idea why he can't get them out of his head. Noah rubbed the tiredness from his eyes and continued working. He heard the front door open and quickly stocked the rest of the comics on the shelf. He picked up the empty box and walked behind the checkout counter, tossing the box into the staff room. He walked back out to the checkout counter and snuck a glance at the new customer who'd just walked in. He was a couple of inches shorter than Noah, sporting dark blue jeans, a black hoodie, and thick black sunglasses. Noah could see just a glimpse of freckles and a few strands of light brown hair. The boy furtively glanced around for a moment, then headed to the comic book section. 

Brown hair, freckles, the height, comic books. The realization hit him half a second later. Cody? 

He wondered why the boy would need a disguise just to come back to the bookstore, hell, Noah could count the amount of people in the store on one hand. 

Noah watched Cody disappear behind a bookshelf, he turned his attention back to the checkout counter as he straightened up the display.

"Noah!" Hearing his own name come out of his boss's mouth always irritated him for some reason. 

"What is it this time, McLean?" Noah replied in a bored tone.  

"Listen. We just got another shipment of books, I need you to stock these dude." Noah also found it weird how he always tried to, in his own words, "talk like the kids", despite being in his mid-40s. 

To sum it up, there were a lot of things Noah hated about his boss.

Chris handed him a box, the weight practically unbearable for Noah's twig-like arms.

"Of course, stocking books. That's definitely why I applied for this job." Noah whispered under his breath as he walked away from Chris, his arms already starting to ache.  

Noah turned the corner and set down his box as quietly as he could. He placed his hands on his knees, catching his breath after his 20ft trek from the counter to the bookshelves. He glanced up, wiping the sweat that started to form on his forehead. Unfortunately for Noah, Cody was still browsing the comic books. He sighed to himself and opened the box. 

Noah completely zoned in on his assigned task, sure he didn't like it but if he had to do it, he was gonna do it the right way. He made his way down the aisle, the box getting lighter and lighter, thankfully. Noah's hyper-focused trance broke after about 10 minutes when he accidentally bumped into a certain someone. 

Noah reached down to grab another book from his box, but when he reached up to place it on the shelf, his elbow connected with a shoulder. 

"Ah, sorry." He mumbled, wanting to get back to his task so he could get it done as soon as possible. 

"Oh it's fine, sorry, I was in your way!" Cody backed away from Noah, only for a split second. "Wait, can I see that?" He gestured to the comic Noah was about to put on the shelf. He shrugged, "Sure." 

Cody took the comic from his hands, Noah watched him, not sure what he was supposed to do. 

Cody let out a quiet, "Yes!" Before looking back up at Noah. "I've been looking for this one!" Noah nodded in response. "Heh, I was actually about to leave before you bumped into me. So...thank you!" 

"It's whatever, I mean, It's kind of my job to help you out." Noah shrugged again. 

Cody's shades had slipped down his nose a little, revealing his turquoise eyes that stared back at him for a moment.  

"Right, of course." Cody laughed to himself for a second. A beat of silence passed them. Noah turned back to the bookshelf and reached back into the box. 

"Just for future reference, what's your name?" 

"Future reference? I didn't think someone of your status would want to come back to this bookstore anymore." Noah replied teasingly. 

"Status? Pshh- what status? I don't know what you're talking about!" Cody pushed his shades up and readjusted his hood. 

Noah turned around and watched Cody's desperate attempt to hide his identity, it made him smile, just a little bit. 

"It's Noah by the way, and I know it's you, Cody." He crossed his arms and watched Cody's wide-eyed expression. 

Cody sighed and pulled off his hood and shades, fully revealing his mess of a fringe. "Was it really that obvious?" 

"Yeah. Maybe you should invest in a new disguise. If a guy you only talked to once could recognize you, I think your fans could too."

"I guess you're right."

Noah finished up with the comic books, Cody surprisingly sticking by him the whole time. He was practically talking Noah's ears off as he rambled on and on about Spiderman and all the other dumb superheroes in his comics. Noah quickly grew tired of this. 

        ~ Two lovers entwined pass me by, and heaven knows I'm miserable now. ~

Noah stood up after a painstaking 20 minutes of restocking books, 10 of which consisted of Cody's rambling. He heard the door open again and started walking towards the counter, Cody following him of course. Yet once they turned the corner and were in view of the front door, Cody let out a small gasp.

A girl around the boys' age had walked in, she had dark purple hair tied up in a bubble braid and was freakishly tall for a 16-year-old girl. Her eyes darted from aisle to aisle as if she were searching for something. 

"Cody! Codykins, I know you're in here!" The girl shouted despite literally being in a bookstore. She walked over to the café and kept searching. 

Cody quickly darted back behind the bookshelf they were previously at. Noah debated on following him back, but seeing how literally nothing interesting happens here, he decided to indulge in some drama. 

Noah walked back, empty box still in hand, and turned towards Cody.

"Told ya you needed a better disguise." He joked.

Cody's face was full of worry, he'd never seen a guy look so uncomfortable before.

Cody looked up at Noah, glanced around nervously, then sighed as if he had been holding his breath. "I should've known this wouldn't have worked." 

"What can I say, The Drama Brothers are a pretty popular band. You're bound to have some paparazzi." Noah shrugged and glanced back around the corner, checking if the girl was still at the café. 

"Oh no, she's nothing like the paparazzi, they're saints compared to her." Cody looked angrier now, Noah realized this actually might be a lot more serious than he originally thought. 

"Sierra's my stalker. She's been following me around ever since the band got popular! I'm so fed up with her." Cody crossed his arms and glared at the ground.

Noah's eyes widened, A stalker? Yeesh, the celebrity life might actually be a lot harder than it looks. Noah glanced back around the corner, Sierra had given up on searching the café and was now patrolling through the bookshelves.

"You should probably find a better hiding spot then." 

"Where else can I go?" Cody looked around frantically for a moment. 

  Noah shrugged, “Not my problem.” Whatever stalker drama Cody was involved in, he didn't want to be a part of it.

He took a step out into the open before a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back. 

“Dude c’mon, don’t be a dick about it. You seriously don’t know what she’ll do to me!” Cody shuddered.

Noah rolled his eyes, “Fine, but this is gonna be a one-time thing okay?”

Cody let go of his arm and nodded, a grateful smile now plastered on his face.

Noah watched Sierra go towards the back of the bookstore, away from where he and Cody were currently hiding. Perfect. Noah glanced around for a place to hide, he then remembered the empty box in his hand and got an idea. 

Noah reached over, grabbing Cody by the wrist. Cody opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Noah pulling him towards the check-out counter. Noah looked around one more time before bringing Cody behind the counter and into the staff room. He tossed the empty box aside and closed the door, resting his back against it. 

"There you go, perfect hiding spot. Feel free to thank me later." Noah let go of Cody's wrist and looked up at him. 

"Wow, no one's ever tried to help me with Sierra before. Thanks, man!" Cody's wary expression melted away to show a genuine smile, and Noah looked away. 

"I told you to thank me later," Noah opened the door slightly, looking out, "I should probably go back to my job now."

Noah gripped the handle, about to step out before he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

"Wait, don't go yet." Noah turned towards Cody and sighed before fully shutting the door.

"And why's that?" 

"Well, because.. y'know I don't know how long I'll be here. I might get lonely." Cody flashed him a nervous smile, Noah sent him an annoyed eye-roll. 

"Fine." Noah wasn't sure why he agreed with this, I mean, he barely knew the guy. If this were any other stranger he wouldn't've even brought them here, so why was Cody so special? He really didn't know. There was just something about him that made Noah pity him just a little bit. Maybe it was how dumb his face looks when he's sad, or maybe it's because no stranger has ever willingly wanted to talk to Noah. Most people find him pretty intimidating to talk to, seeing how he tends to send sarcastic remarks to literally anyone in his path. Cody was never bothered by these remarks. Maybe that's what made him different. 

Noah and Cody sat down on the cold floor of the staff room, Cody immediately dragging him into another long conversation. Yet this time Noah paid attention for once. So much so that he didn't even notice Cody scooting ever so slightly closer to him until their legs were basically touching. Noah wasn't one to complain though, he hated admitting it, even in his head, but Cody was pretty cute for a guy. 

Noah learned a lot about The Drama Brothers, their rise to fame, and their almost-breakup, and he even learned a little about Cody's personal life. Learning about Cody was weirdly intriguing.

"So, what about you?" Cody finally questioned.

"Me? There's nothing interesting about me, especially compared to you Mr. Celebrity." Noah rolled his eyes.

"Really, there's nothing special about you?" Cody pulled his knees up to his chest, lying his head on them, his eyes now half-lidded. 

Noah laughed quietly, "Well if you count being above average at video games then.." Noah looked down to see Cody looking straight at him, listening intently. 

"You play video games too? We should play together sometime." Cody lifted his head and leaned against the cold metal door behind them, he extended a hand towards Noah and absentmindedly twirled a strand of Noah's hair around his finger. 

"Yeah. Maybe." Noah averted his gaze from Cody. 

What is he doing?

       ~ I was looking for a job and then I found a job, and heaven knows I'm miserable now. ~

30 minutes had passed by like nothing, and Noah finally got up to peek through the door. Sierra was waiting at the front entrance, she looked like she was on the verge of tears. She sent one last longing look into the bookstore before walking out. Noah let out a sigh, grateful to finally escape from the awkward atmosphere that had grown inside the staff room. Cody had gotten attached to Noah very quickly, and he had absolutely no idea how to respond to it.

Noah turned his head to find Cody already standing up behind him, trying to peek out of the staff room. His expression was still filled with worry and fear.

"The coast is clear." Noah stepped out and fully opened the door for Cody. 

Cody's face softened as he stepped out of the room, he stretched his arms above his head and let out a long sigh. "You've been such a big help today, really." Cody beamed. "And thank you," He paused anxiously for a moment, scratching the back of his head, "-for staying with me, I don't know what I would've done without you." 

Noah smiled, just for a moment. "You probably would've died of boredom." Noah crossed his arms and looked down at Cody. Cody laughed warmly at that. That's a sound I could get used to. Noah thought for a moment, surely that would be stupid. Right?

"Maybe you'd try talking to the cardboard boxes about The Drama Brothers origin story, but I doubt they'd listen as well as I did," Noah remarked slyly. 

"Heh, yeah I doubt that."

Noah glanced at the large clock sitting on the wall behind the checkout counter. It was 5:30, half an hour before closing time. Cody followed his gaze, his eyes widening when he too noticed the time. 

"Crap, I'm supposed to meet the guys at the recording studio in 15 minutes." Cody flipped his hood back on and pulled his shades back down. 

Noah rolled his eyes, "Try not to get caught by that stalker of yours on the way there." Noah smirked and waved Cody goodbye.

Cody hesitated, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at Noah's gesture. Confused, Noah slowly dropped his hand. "What?" 

"I spill my whole life story to you and all I get is a measly wave goodbye? You don't even know when I'll see you again!" Cody teased, walking closer to Noah. Noah looked down at Cody who was now only inches away, "What more do you want?" Noah pointed an accusatory finger at Cody, "I hope you know I put my job on the line sneaking you into the staff room." A stupid shit-eating grin was now plastered onto Cody's face, Noah glared back at him. 

Before he could even protest, Cody wrapped his arms around Noah, squeezing his midsection. Surprised was definitely one way to describe how Noah was feeling right about now. Cody, the guy he barely knew and, more importantly, the guy he was starting to find cute, was hugging him out of the blue? Noah wasn't sure what to do, so he just wrapped his arms around Cody in return. "Goodbye, dork," Cody whispered, his head resting on Noah's shoulder momentarily. 

After what felt like hours to Noah, which in reality were only a couple of seconds, Cody let go. He smirked up at Noah for a second, That bastard , and walked out of the bookstore. Noah snapped back into reality and racked his hand through his unkempt hair. 

Noah let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. 

      ~ In my life, oh, why do I give valuable time, to people who don't care if I live or die? ~

About two weeks had passed since Noah last saw Cody, and every single day of those two weeks, Noah silently hoped he would come waltzing through the oh-so-familiar double doors of the bookstore. It was strange, Noah never hoped for people to visit him, but then again, Noah had never connected with someone so well before. Noah knew that being a celebrity probably meant he was always busy and always bombarded by fans and such, this killed Noah's spirit just a little more. 

The days started to melt together in his mind, each day was practically the same; unlock the doors, tidy up the place, flip the open sign, serve maybe 10 customers, and then get ready to close up. Despite this mundane schedule, Noah was usually exhausted by the end of the day. 

Today was just like any other day, it was roughly 2:00 pm, about 3 hours and a half until closing. Noah was slouching at the checkout counter, his back bent uncomfortably and his head propped up on his arm. He didn't bother to readjust, he wished he were allowed to sit down at the checkout counter, but Chris always told him it was "unprofessional". Noah wondered if Chris also realized how "unprofessional" it was to pirate Canadian reality TV shows on the computer in the staff room, Noah had caught him watching them several times, something about living out his "glory days", Noah never understood that.  

So there he remained, standing at the checkout counter, moments before dozing off, before he was startled by the sound of the front doors opening. He glanced up, his overworked eyes squinting to see the figure walking into the store.

Black hoodie, sunglasses... the figure started to approach Noah with a warm smile, tooth gap.. wait. Cody? 

Noah lifted his head and stood up straight. It really was Cody. 

"Hey man, long time no see! Miss me much?" Cody teased, tipping his sunglasses down to look directly at Noah. 

"Just when I was starting to think you'd never show up again." He smirked, giving Cody a sarcastic sigh. "But here you are." 

"In the flesh!" Cody poked Noah's forehead playfully. "Don't worry you don't have to say it. I know you missed me." Cody stated confidently, crossing his arms. 

"As if." Noah scoffed. Cody was right, spot on actually. Noah did miss him, it's not like he would ever tell him that though. 

"Anyways, I'm finally free for a few days. The Drama Brothers and I are taking a little break before we start working on some new songs." Cody walked behind the checkout counter, despite not being given any sort of clearance. "So I was hoping we could, I don't know, play some video games at my house? Y'know, arrange that hangout we were talking about before?" Cody looked up at him with a longing expression, something Noah had never seen before. 

"As much as I'd love to hang out with you, I still have to finish my shift, grab groceries for my family, and I don't have a ride there." Noah was flattered that Cody chose to hang out with him on his only break from his celebrity life, curse his busy schedule and lack of a car. 

"Pshh, let me take care of the driving part Noah!" Cody waved a dismissive hand at Noah, "I have a car and I can help you grab those groceries." 

That feeling of hope Noah thought he'd lost forever came back at that moment, "Seriously?" 

"Of course!" Cody beamed. He glanced up at the clock high up on the wall, "So... I can pick you up after work, take you to my place.. then afterward we can swing by the grocery store!" He turned back to Noah, their close proximity just now registering in Noah's brain. "Does that sound good?" 

"Yeah, sure." Noah actually smiled this time, "Now we can finally know who's really better at Kosmic Kaos." 

Cody laughed heartily at this, "I'm gonna kick your butt at Kosmic Kaos, don't try me man." Cody walked back around to the correct side of the checkout counter and pointed a finger at Noah. 

"I highly doubt that." Noah leaned against the counter. 

Cody scoffed playfully, "Anyways... I don't wanna distract you from your work, I'll be back when your shift ends." Cody stepped away from the counter. "See you later!" 

Noah waved him goodbye and watched him walk away. He smiled to himself, Cody always seemed to lift his spirits; despite not knowing him for very long, Noah was growing fond of the guy. He sighed and turned back to the counter, glancing around to see if there was anything for him to do. Noah decided to clean up the magazine and book displays scattered around the store. That'll keep him occupied for a good 3 hours, right?

Noah was bored of this after 30 minutes, luckily his boss finally came back from wherever he went when he wasn't doing his job and gave Noah another mind-numbing task. How fun. 

Finally, 5:45. Noah began to close up the bookstore, he dusted the shelves (only the ones visible from the front of the store), swept the floors (not all the way, just the spots that needed it most), and finally when the clock struck 6, he turned down the lights and flipped the "closed" sign. Noah's very specific and particularly lazy closing routine was done, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and walked into the staff room.

Chris had already left, along with the few other employees who worked here, so Noah was alone in the staff room. He quickly changed out of his work uniform into a blue button-up, red sweater vest, and green cargo shorts. He opted not to wear the white long-sleeved undershirt he brought with him, as it was the peak of summer and far too warm for Noah. He walked out of the staff room, his black backpack lazily slung around his shoulder. He pulled his keys out of his front pocket and walked out the large double doors of the bookstore. 

Noah felt exhausted, he was really looking forward to passing out in his bed when he got home. He closed the doors behind him, locking them both and shoving the keys back in his pocket. He looked out at the road which ran just in front of the bookstore, and the parking lot just beyond it. He sighed, the sun was on the brink of setting and due to the exhausting day, his walk home might feel longer than usual. 

He stepped forward, ready to set out on his trek home, a sudden noise from beside Noah startled him. In front of the bookstore, there were a few tables along with a swinging chair. They were meant for customers to read outside if they liked, yet they hadn't been getting much use lately. The noise Noah had heard turned out to be someone snoring at one of these tables. He was resting his head on the table, his arms acting as a pillow. Noah sighed with relief when he realized who it was. 

"Cody? Why are you sleeping out here?" Noah had completely forgotten about his arrangement with Cody. Cody didn't stir, his shades were still on his face, yet they were uncomfortably wedged in his elbow.

Noah rolled his eyes, stepped closer, and pulled Cody's shades off, revealing his eyes which were shut oh-so-peacefully. Noah placed a hand on his shoulder and shook it roughly. "Cody." He stated again. 

Cody's eyes shot open and he immediately sat up straighter, "Huh, wh-what is it?" Cody looked frightened for a moment, frantically glancing around just before his eyes landed on Noah. His gaze softened, "Oh hey Noah! Sorry, I guess I fell asleep, heh." 

Noah crossed his arms, "Why were you waiting out here? I thought you went home." Had Cody been waiting out here all this time just for him?

Cody scratched the back of his head, "Well... you see, at first I went to the café to grab a coffee. After about half an hour I got bored of waiting there so I walked around town for a bit. I soon realized that I didn't really have anything better to do, I mean, I had only planned to hang out with you today." He paused and glanced up at Noah's annoyed expression. "Heh, anyways... I thought to myself: 'Two hours is nothing! The Codemeister can wait it out!', so I decided to wait here." He gestured to the tables behind him. "Guess I didn't realize how boring it'd be waiting out here." Cody stood up to stretch. 

"Your logic makes no sense to me." Noah pinched the bridge of his nose. He glanced back up to see Cody's sheepish smile. Cody wasn't dumb, Noah could tell the guy had some brains, but why in the world would he just wait out here for him instead of, y'know, doing anything else more important? 

"I don't see the big deal here, I invited you to hang out, so it makes sense I would wait for you." He walked closer to Noah. "Come on, let's just go to my house." Cody grabbed his hand and pulled Noah along with him toward his car.

Noah had never seen Cody's caring side before, well, he'd only really known the guy for a few weeks, but still. He could definitely start getting used to this kind of treatment. 

      ~ What she asked of me at the end of the day, Caligula would have blushed. ~

It took them about 30 minutes to get to Cody's house. Cody told him all about what he'd been doing with The Drama Brothers over the past few weeks, apparently they'd performed a few concerts at a venue over 3 hours away. A 3-hour road trip with Noah's friends would be torture for him, he shuddered a little just thinking about it.

The car came to a slow stop next to a very extravagant house with a long driveway paved in front of it. Cody put the car in park and unlocked the doors.

"Dude, you live here? I wouldn't exactly call this a house, it's more of a mansion." Noah crossed his arms and turned towards Cody. 

Cody glanced towards his house, "Yeah I guess you could say that." 

Noah wasn't the jealous type, but right now he was a little envious of the towering three-story building Cody called home. Noah shrugged the feeling off and stepped out of the car, Cody quickly following suit towards the house.

After Cody unlocked the door, the two took off their shoes and headed up to Cody's room. Noah couldn't help but notice that Cody's parents were nowhere to be seen. They finally reached the door to Cody's room after a somewhat (at least for Noah) exhausting walk up the stairs. 

"Sorry if it's a little messy, I just got back from that concert venue the other day so I'm still unpacking and stuff." Cody opened the door to reveal a large room filled with band posters and merchandise. A large king-sized bed was nestled in the corner of his room, on the adjacent wall was a large bay window displaying stacks of comic books. Across from the bed was a TV and a desk with a bunch of weird tech gadgets, he wasn't sure what those were about. In another corner lay his keyboard, speakers, microphone, and whatever else he used during The Drama Brothers' performances. Everything in that room just seemed so... Cody.

"If your room is messy then mine must be a nuclear wasteland." Noah walked into his room and continued to glance around. "Really? No offense but you've always seemed like a neat-freak type of guy to me." Cody sat down on his bed and watched Noah walk towards the bay window. Noah glanced down at the comics stacked near the window, "Well you thought wrong Codester." Noah picked up a few of the comics, examining them closer when he began to realize something. 

"Cody?" Noah turned to his left, Cody was now lying on his stomach, his head propped up by one arm. "Yeah?" 

"How come you have two copies of this comic?" He walked closer to Cody and held up the two duplicate Spiderman comics he had found. For some strange reason, Cody's eyes widened, just slightly. "Oh, heh, guess I didn't realize I bought two, must've been a mistake or something." Cody smiled nervously at Noah.

Noah looked a little closer at the comics, "Wait a second, this was the comic you bought the day we first saw each other when you were with the other Drama Brothers." Noah could see the sweat forming on Cody's forehead, why was he so nervous?

"Noah, come on.. the comics don't matter right now! It's time to get our game on!" Cody sat up straight and reached over to grab the TV remote. He quickly turned on the TV and booted up Kosmic Kaos. Noah decided to forget about the comic thing for now and just enjoy his time with Cody. 

Noah sat down on Cody's bed and grabbed the Xbox controller that was passed over to him. He looked up at Cody and was met with a warm smile. In the back of his mind, he worried that playing against Cody might mess up his game, only Noah would end up losing a game because he was playing against a cute boy. Of the few mental weaknesses that Noah had, this was probably one of his least favorite. Unconscious sleep cuddling and missing social cues came in a close second.

Noah laughed slightly and turned back to face the TV. The character selection screen glowed brightly in the dim room, he chose to play as Newton; out of his three favorite characters, he was by far the easiest to play and didn't require as much strategy as the Pythagoras or Kranthor. Choosing an easier character meant that if he did mess up because of a certain someone, it would be easy for him to come back from it. He glanced over at Cody's character and watched as he selected an equally as simple character, perfect.

The first round was a success, Noah was able to beat Cody by a landslide. The word "Victory!" appeared on the screen in large text, along with an animation sequence from Noah's character. He smugly glanced over at Cody, quirking an eyebrow. "Now who's getting their butt kicked?" Cody furrowed his brow and glared at Noah, "Hey, this was only the first round, I just need to get my head in the game." Cody sat up straighter and scooted closer to the TV, in doing so, he was now also sitting closer to Noah, their legs touching. Noah looked up at Cody's face, his eyes narrowed at the screen, his lips pressed thin, and his eyebrows scrunched in concentration. He quickly glanced away when the countdown to the second round started to play. 

The second round was slightly harder, although in the end, Noah won again. Cody scoffed and pointed at the screen, "Come on, that move was totally unfair, I was charging up my special attack!" He glared back at Noah in annoyance. "What can I say, I play to win, not to be fair to my opponent," Noah smirked. Cody rolled his eyes in response.

The third round was about to start, and Noah decided to play it risky and choose a different character. The last two rounds had gone pretty well for him anyway, so why not spice things up? Only ten seconds until the round began, so he snuck a small glance towards Cody. His opponent was still making the same face as before, except his hair was a little messier, Cute , he thought for a brief moment before he was interrupted by his character getting absolutely obliterated by Cody's. Okay, so he let Cody distract him a little, so what? He'd still use his superior video game skills, he had this in the bag. 

The round almost went into overtime, if Noah hadn't dodged Cody's last attack, he would've lost. Noah let go of the controller and racked his hand through his now sweaty hair, he let out a breath and looked at Cody. Cody looked dumbfounded, he sighed and looked over toward Noah. 

“What’s your secret?” Cody asked, more like pleaded actually. 

“My secret? Years of experience and a top-notch strategy, maybe it’s time you get one of those.” Noah teased. 

“You gotta teach me how you play like that man, it’s so… perfect!” Cody’s once annoyed expression had changed into one full of admiration. He placed a hand on Noah’s arm, “Please?”

Noah glanced down at the point of contact, his gaze slowly moving up to meet Cody’s. “You really wanna learn how I play?” No one had ever bothered to hear about the intricate details and fine tunings of his video game strategies before. Hell, he sounded real fucking dorky right about now. 

“Uh, duh, you just beat me like 3 times! I wanna know what’s going on in your head.” Cody removed his hand from his arm and tousled Noah’s hair for a second before reaching back to grab his controller. Cody scooted closer, their shoulders bumping, “Alright brainiac, teach me the ways of Kosmic Kaos.” He smiled up at Noah. 

Holy shit, this guy is gonna be the death of me.

      ~ “Oh, you’ve been in the house too long”, she said, and I naturally fled. ~

For the next hour, Noah tried his best to teach Cody his strategies. Cody was surprisingly a good listener, always making eye contact whenever he wasn’t looking at the TV screen. Noah’s understanding of Cody as a person was growing, he had seen how kind he could be, how generous and understanding he was. Despite the little quirks he had, i.e. his corny jokes and weird tendency to be overly touchy (which didn’t bother Noah one bit), he was starting to become a really close friend of Noah’s. Even though they hadn’t known each other for too long, Noah could tell that Cody was a pretty amazing guy. Plus he was pretty damn cute which is also a bonus. 

But were close friends enough for him? Noah glanced at Cody, his eyes focused on the TV as he fought against one of the practice bots, trying to perfect Noah’s strategy. Did he want something more? Would it even be possible? 

“Yes!” Cody exclaimed, victory music emitted from the TV speakers as he landed a final hit on the bot, winning the round. He turned to Noah, a gap-toothed smile on display for all to see, “You’re a genius man, I’ve never seen a strategy like yours before.” 

“It’s whatever, you needed the help anyway.” He smiled back at Cody. 

Cody lightly punched his arm, “Hey! I compliment you on your brilliant strategy and all I get is your insults in return? I thought you were better than this Noah.” He teased in response. Noah let out a hearty laugh before something soft hit his shoulder. 

Noah turned to look at the culprit, Cody had his head resting on Noah’s shoulder. Noah turned away in an attempt to hide the blush growing on his face. He thought back to his previous internal dilemma, could he really be something more to Cody? 

“We should do this more often y’know, just wish all my time wasn’t taken up by The Drama Brothers stuff.”

Yes, yes he could be something more to Cody, he wanted him to stay in his life. He set aside his sarcastic façade, just for a moment, and rested his head on top of Cody’s. 

“Yeah, we definitely should.”

For about 20 minutes after that, they talked a bit more about video games and other nerd stuff, only this time in closer proximity.

Noah picked up his phone to check the time, “Shit, I should probably go get those groceries,” He stood up off of Cody’s bed and stretched. 

“Ah right, sorry I forgot about that, heh.” Cody sent him an innocent smile and got off his bed as well. He walked past Noah and opened the door for him, “Ladies first!” Cody sent him a smirk, Noah just rolled his eyes and walked out the bedroom door. 

The two boys made their way outside and hopped into Cody's car. Cody started the engine and started backing out of the driveway, meanwhile, Noah was searching for the grocery list his mom had sent him earlier that day. The drive was short, Noah read off the supplies he needed on the way there and Cody nodded in response. After about 10 minutes they made it to the store, Cody parked the car and they both stepped out. It was now dark and gloomy outside, the streetlights in the parking lot were on and the store emitted an eerie glow of warm light. Noah patted his pocket to make sure he brought his wallet, then followed Cody as he made his way into the store. 

When they entered the store, Cody wandered off towards the back while Noah walked through each aisle, carefully searching for what was on his list. 

After about 5 minutes, Noah had most of the stuff on his list checked off, and the shopping basket in his hand was growing unbearably heavy. He started walking towards the snack aisle to see if they had anything good, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Noah turned around to see Cody smiling at him while holding something behind his back. 

"Heyyy Noah, you wouldn't mind if I got one of these would you?" Cody pulled out a large party-size candy bag from behind him.

Noah stared back at him wildly, "Dude, are you planning on eating that whole bag?"  

"So what?" He looked genuinely confused. 

" So you're gonna get a cavity if you eat all those sweets." Noah reached for the candy bag but Cody jerked his arm backwards and away from Noah. 

"What's the big deal? I'm paying for all this stuff anyways." Cody hugged the candy bag close to his chest in an attempt to stop Noah from retaking it. 

"Woah, you're not paying for my groceries, I got that covered." He pointed a finger at Cody. 

"Uhhh yeah. I am." Cody stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

"I don't wanna be in debt to you man, just let me pay for my stuff." 

"You wouldn't be in debt to me, why would I do that to you?" Cody paused and held out a hand, gesturing for Noah to give him the basket. Noah rolled his eyes, he only passed it over to Cody because his arms were starting to get sore. "Go find anything else you want, my treat." Cody placed the candy bag in the basket and then looked up at Noah with a warm smile. 

Noah met his gaze, "Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to spend all your money on me." He joked, chuckling lightly. 

This time Cody was the one to roll his eyes, "What if I want to spend my money on you, ever thought of that smartass?" Noah didn't expect this response from him, his eyes widened. Cody chuckled and stepped closer, placing his free hand on Noah's shoulder. "Who said I wouldn't be okay with spoiling you a bit? My pockets are basically overflowing because of The Drama Brothers stuff."  

Noah blushed, yeah, Noah blushed, over something as stupid as Cody offering to pay for him. Maybe it was the fact he was so insistent on it, commanding even, or maybe it was because Cody explicitly said he "wanted to spoil him" that caused his face to turn a deep shade of red. The warm hand currently resting on his shoulder, practically burning through his shirt, as well as Cody's face being a few inches away from his own made him go silent. 

After a moment, Noah nodded and let out a measly, "Thanks." Cody grinned, that bastard knew exactly what he was doing. 

Cody removed his hand and followed Noah around the store for the rest of the time they were there. Noah picked up a few extra snacks for his siblings as well as himself. Cody insisted he buy more but he was content with what he had. 

They walked over to the checkout counter and Cody graciously pulled out his debit card to pay. 

Noah and Cody walked out of the grocery store, bags in hand. He was pretty damn thankful that Cody had offered to come with him, if he hadn't, Noah would've probably passed out on his way home trying to carry all the grocery bags. The two heaved the bags into the backseat of the car and drove off towards Noah's house. 

They finally arrived in front of Noah's house, and Cody insisted on helping him carry the bags inside. After all the bags were piled onto the kitchen table, Noah walked Cody back toward the front door. 

"Thanks again, really." Noah let his façade slip once more. 

"Of course!" Cody smiled, "I like spending time with you, I hope you know that." Cody pointed at Noah with a playful expression. 

Cody turned to open the front door. Noah pondered for a second, when is the next time he'll see Cody? A week, 2 weeks, a month? The thought saddened him, he liked hanging out with that stupid geek, he made him laugh, he made him feel cared for, he made him feel loved. Yet knowing him only as a friend means that he'll never truly have an excuse to see him, or talk to him all the time. Noah thought back to Cody's house, an extravagant yet empty place. That was what Cody was returning to? No, he wanted to spend as much time with him as he could before he left with The Drama Brothers again. 

"Wait," Noah reached out and grabbed Cody's hand.

Cody turned, and a small spark of what looked to be hope glimmered in his eyes. “Yeah?” 

“Did you wanna… stay over tonight?” Noah muttered, his confidence ebbing away after each word. “Just thought you might be lonely back at home, I know how much you value my company-” Noah began to tease, yet he was cut off by Cody grabbing his other hand, interlocking their fingers, and squeezing the bookworm's hand. “Sure, it’s not like I have much to return to at home anyway.” Cody smiled up at him. 

 Noah smiled back at him, all the stress from the past few days of work melted away. Being with Cody made him happy, plain and simple. 

      ~ In my life, why do I smile, at people who I’d much rather kick in the eye? ~

With Noah still grasping one of Cody’s hands, he pulled Cody towards the stairs and up into his room. Noah’s room was icy and cold, just how he liked it. Luckily for him, Cody hated sleeping cold.

Both boys leaned against the headrest of Noah’s queen-sized bed, Noah was rambling on about stories from work, and he could tell Cody had started paying less and less attention to these, as his eyelids started to get all droopy. Cody shivered, which seemed to wake him up a little more, “Dude, why’s your thermostat set to like zero degrees?” He removed a hand that was buried deep in his pants pocket and held it in front of his face. “I feel like I have frostbite,”

“Stop being dramatic, it’s not my fault you’re too weak to handle the cold.” Noah shrugged and smirked in Cody’s direction. 

“I’m weak? You struggled to carry more than 2 grocery bags at a time earlier today, my strength is leagues ahead of yours.” 

Noah rolled his eyes, “That’s different.” 

“Sure it is.” 

A comfortable silence came between them for a few moments, Cody rubbed his hands together in an attempt to generate heat. 

“No wonder your hands are always so cold, you practically live in the Arctic Circle,” Cody stated, still focused on warming up his hands. 

Noah sighed, he was tired of Cody’s complaining, “Fine, come here.” Noah pulled up the blanket, which had been lying at the edge of his bed, and stretched out an arm towards Cody. Cody blinked at him for a second before smiling. 

Cody grabbed the blanket and pulled it over himself, making sure not to take up too much of it. Cody leaned into him, and he allowed his outstretched arm to wrap around Cody’s shoulder, slightly pulling the boy closer to him. Cody rested his head on Noah’s chest and wrapped his arms around Noah’s waist. The feeling of Cody’s icy hands around his back sent a shiver down his spine, Cody noticed this and let out a hushed apology. 

Despite being the one to initiate whatever circumstance they were in right now, Noah was clueless about what to do next. He had just expected Cody to lean onto his shoulder, not practically lay on top of him.

Noah stared down at the boy, his face buried in Noah’s red vest, it was a deep red color that reminded Noah of the blush that was likely growing on his face. He turned to the clock on his nightstand. 

“It’s getting pretty late, probably time we hit the sack.” Noah looked back down at the mess of brown hair in front of him. Cody hummed in acknowledgment.

“Wow, I have a whole queen-sized bed and you still choose to take up my personal space, how Cody of you.” 

Cody drowsily lifted his head from Noah’s chest, his eyes half-lidded. “Is there a problem with that, pretty boy?”

Yep, he was fucked.

“Uh. No,” Noah responded, Cody smiled at him and returned to his previous position, squeezing Noah’s midsection once before drifting off into sleep. 

Noah let out a breath and stared at the ceiling. That day took a toll on Noah’s emotions, he was once again left speechless after another one of Cody’s comments, he really needed to pull himself together. He looked back down at Cody’s sleeping figure. Noah liked him, he’d figured out that much, but how long could he take these comments from Cody before he slipped up and spilled his feelings? 

   ~ I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour, but heaven knows I'm miserable now. ~

It had been about a month since that sleepover, Cody had started visiting Noah at the bookstore at least once every week, usually on Fridays. The two also talked over the phone pretty frequently, although the other Drama Brothers were starting to get annoyed as Cody kept “taking breaks” during rehearsal, yet in reality he was checking up on Noah. 

Today was Friday, which meant that Cody was likely to pay a visit to Noah’s work. Noah was working extra hard at the moment so he wouldn’t waste any of his time with Cody. Noah was standing by the register, his foot tapping the ground anxiously. 

The front doors opened, that same old creaking sound had become so familiar to him. He turned his head sharply and was met with exactly who he was expecting. 

Cody smiled and waved, walking up to the register. Cody opened his mouth to speak but Noah interrupted him, “Staff room?” He interjected. Cody laughed and nodded. 

Oh right, the staff room had become one of their main hang-out spots whenever Cody visited. Noah peeked his head in the staff room, and after spotting no other employees there, motioned for Cody to enter. Noah held open the door and glanced around for a second before finally closing it quietly. He turned his body towards Cody and was instantly met with a face full of brown hair, along with Cody’s arms wrapped around his shoulders. 

“Hey Cody, miss me much?” Noah smirked and wrapped his arms loosely around Cody’s waist. Cody loosened his arms, his face now in front of Noah’s. “Not at all, who could miss such a snarky asshole like yourself!” Cody chuckled, teasing Noah back.

“Wow, rude much?” 

“Sorry not sorry!” Cody shrugged playfully. They were both used to this type of banter. 

The two instantly jumped into a conversation about all their recent whereabouts. The Drama Brothers only continued to rise in fame and Noah’s job was just as boring as ever.

   ~ “Oh, you’ve been in the house too long”, she said, and I naturally fled. ~

Cody had just finished telling a story about how packed their last concert was. Deep down, Noah wished his life was just a little more interesting, or at the least a little less miserable . 

“You’re so lucky.” Noah blurted out, he was originally thinking about it in his mind but his mouth decided to betray him and say it out loud anyway. 

Cody looked confused, “How so?” 

“Well…your life just seems so much more interesting than mine. For starters, you’re a celebrity. You have fans across the country just hoping that you’ll someday notice them. You perform at concerts every week and hang out with so many other people like yourself. You’re living the teenage dream, I’m out here working my ass off for minimum wage.” Noah hadn’t meant to push out so many of his feelings in such a lengthy monologue, yet his own body had betrayed him once again. He watched as Cody’s face turned from confused to sympathetic. 

“Noah, don’t ever say anything like that ever again.” He stepped closer and placed a hand on Noah’s shoulder. His face flushed, yet he still maintained eye contact with Cody. “I worry every day whether I’ll be good enough for my fans, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.” Cody paused, seemingly trying to collect his thoughts. “Just because I’m all famous and stuff, doesn’t mean I’m any more lucky than you are. Hell, I’m even a little jealous of you sometimes, heh.” He laughed a little, his seriousness returning in seconds. 

“You’ve got a great family, a routine that suits all your needs, and a private life that only your closest friends get to know about,” Cody smiled up at him, he got just a glimpse of that adorable gap in his teeth. “Everyone's life is different, what matters is whether you're enjoying your own, not if others have a ‘more interesting’ life.” 

A rare and genuine smile crept onto Noah’s face. God damn, Cody had a way with words, Noah never would’ve expected that out of him. 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Noah remarked. “I think I just need something a little new in my life, everything as of recent has been so mundane.” Cody grinned at him, and Noah returned the gesture.

“Well, what do you want to try?” 

“I’m not really sure.”

“I think I have an idea…” 

Cody smirked up at him, he raised his hand to touch Noah’s cheek. Noah stared back at him with wide eyes, not sure what to expect next. 

“Noah, you’re a great guy. You’re smart, funny, caring, a bit of an asshole too but I think I’m used to that by now.” Noah scoffed, Cody rubbed his thumb along Noah’s cheek and continued. “You’re also super handsome.” Cody watched the blush grow on Noah’s face, the latter rolled his eyes and chuckled. 

“What I’m trying to say is that-” Cody paused, his flirtatious façade slowly fading out. The Codemeister charm doesn’t last forever. 

Cody exhaled shakily, the warm atmosphere of the staff room finally registering in Noah’s head. 

“I like you, a lot. The whole dynamic we have going on right now is perfect, but I know we can be more than just friends, don’t you feel it too?” Cody gazed at him with an almost desperate expression. 

His shoulders felt lighter than ever, Cody really did like him back. All those sweet words and passing touches meant something, he’d always suspected this but now it was finally true. 

“I like you too.” Cody’s face softened, his eyes gazing lovingly back into Noah’s. With a small nod of approval from the latter, Cody leaned in, his hand caressing Noah’s cheek. 

As their lips met, Noah felt true bliss. This all happened because a cute customer wandered into his workplace one day, all because his parents forced him to go get a job. Cody’s free hand trailed down to Noah’s waist, Noah in turn wrapped both of his arms around him, bringing Cody as close to him as he physically could get. Cody pressed on, his lips had a certain irresistible sweetness to them, this only made Noah crave them even more. Noah’s back was pressed against the cold metal door of the staff room, he was so occupied with Cody that he didn’t hear the rattle of the door handle. It was only when Cody broke away from the kiss and glanced nervously behind Noah that he finally realized it. 

“Noah! What on earth are you doing back here?” 

His boss. The last person he wanted to see in this circumstance, Cody backed away from Noah, a sheepish grin displayed on his face. Noah didn’t respond, instead, he turned around and glared at his boss.

“Listen, I don’t care about whatever boy-toy you bring back here. Just at least do your job for crying out loud!” He turned away from Noah and stormed off to the cafe mumbling to himself, “We’ve got customers to serve here!” He turned to make one final jab at Noah before finally walking out of sight.

Noah let out the breath he’d been holding in, he fully closed the staff door and turned back to Cody. “Once again my boss ruining something I love, first it was organizing the books and now it's…” Noah trailed off and smiled at Cody. 

“Me?” Cody asked tauntingly, walking back over to Noah and crossing his arms. 

“Nah, I was going to say something else but good guess.” He smirked and gave Cody a weak thumbs-up. Cody scoffed and turned away from Noah.

“Whatever, dork.” 

Noah walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to turn around. 

"Hey, let's organize a real date sometime soon." 

“Of course.” Cody grinned. 

This, this new feeling was exactly what Noah needed in his life. He no longer felt miserable, he hoped to never have that feeling again. 

Noah stepped back from Cody, just to look at the perfection in front of him, he was everything Noah needed. 

Cody’s phone buzzed, because of course it did, he went to check it. 

“Ah, Harolds here to pick me up.” Cody glanced back up at Noah.

“See you next time.” Noah waved him goodbye, yet Cody just glared back at him in return.

“Is that how you say goodbye to your new boyfriend?” Cody smirked, Noah felt a rush of deja vu. 

He rolled his eyes and grabbed Cody’s waist, pulling him in by surprise, and rested his chin on the other’s shoulder. Cody reciprocated, letting out a little laugh. Noah held on for a moment longer, cherishing it for as long as he could.

Noah removed his chin from Cody’s shoulder and gazed at him, the latter stared back with a glint of mischief in his eyes. Noah smirked back, he was tired of Cody’s whole suave tough guy act.

So as a little bit of revenge, Noah moved a hand to rest on the back of Cody’s head and immediately pulled him into a sweet kiss. Their lips crashed into each other, a mixed taste of candy and chapstick invading their senses. Cody was once again taken by surprise. This kiss wasn't as passionate, but it was sweeter and slower. Cody was a pretty good kisser, he would've never thought that before, then again he probably wouldn't have imagined himself making out with Cody before either. Cody pulled away, unable to resist giving Noah a gap-toothed smile. 

“There, you happy now Casanova?” 

“Yes, sir!” Cody exclaimed confidently despite his reddened face, giving Noah a two-finger salute. 

The two finally said their goodbyes, and Cody walked out the back exit door of the staff room. 

 Noah’s eyes lingered on the back door for a few seconds, deep down he wished Cody would walk back through those doors, but he knew he wouldn’t. Just then Noah was reminded he was, in fact, still at work and should definitely be doing his job right now. Noah smiled because even though he had to work, he knew there was someone out there thinking about him, caring about him. 

 ~ In my life, oh, why do I give valuable time to people who don't care if I live or die? ~