Title: Baby-boy
Author: Emono
Rating: FRT
Fandom: Wrestling
Pairings: Ted DiBiase/Cody Rhodes (Codiasi)
Summary: Cody wants Ted to call him by his name, his real name, not a pet name.
Disclaimer: The WWE is not mine nor are any of it's child branches, it is the 96% property of the McMahon's and God bless the bastards that work for them. I respect the sexual preferences and identities of all the wrestlers on WWE roster, and who they share a bed with is really none of my business.
Warnings: Slash, but no real warnings for this
AN: I realized all the nicknames we had for Cody, all the ones us fan fiction writers use and the ones fiction!Ted uses for Cody. And this plot bunny decided to make itself known, raising it's little paw and decided Cody had had enough.
They had just won a house match against The Hart Dynasty when Cody realized something.
"We were awesome, Baby-boy" Ted wrapped an arm around him, putting his hand in that all-too-familiar spot at the curve of his neck "No tag-team is better than us!"
"Hell yeah!" Cody agreed happily, sweaty and panting, but oh-so-content.
Randy met up with them halfway back to the locker room, Cena at his side, "That's my Coddles. You two did awesome out there."
"I've never seen a Codfish fly!" John dramatically, waving his hand in the air to indicate a mimic of Cody's moonsault in the ring "You were floating out there!"
Cody blushed under the attention, "Guys! Come on!"
"They're just telling the truth, Codes" Ted assured him, dropping a chaste kiss on his temple "Come on, let's get showered and changed, okay?"
Cody nodded, and they left the other couple behind to get to their locker room.
Miz gave him a playful swat in the shoulder, "Hey there, Coddies. You guys kicked ass and took names."
"Thanks, man!" Ted called as they passed him "Good luck against Thwagger tonight!"
"I'm gonna need it!"
Cody's brow creased, a strange thought swimming in his mind.
They arrived at the locker room, both ready for a shower. Heavy thoughts plagued the young Rhodes, baby thoughts just starting to grow and flourish in his mind. They branched out and took roots, starting to develop themselves into a full-blown mess.
Priceless stripped down, tossing their gear into their gym bag.
Ted gave him a playful smack on the rear, waggling his eyebrows before he slipped into his own cubicle. Cody took his shampoo and soap for his own shower. He turned the water on as hot as he could get it, letting the spray wash over his skin.
The faint humming from the other cubicle told Cody his lover was content and worry free.
Cody, not so much.
He had never thought of it before, his name. Four simple letters, but they were his. It was a common name, so common that people had given him a dozen nicknames over his twenty four years. He wanted to think it was all out of affection.
Codes, Codeman, Coddies, Codfish, Agent P, Baby-boy, Baby Rhodes, Coddles…
The last dozen times he'd been called by his real name was by Lillian announcing him into the ring.
Cody started scrubbing at his skin on, knowing he had to get clean.
One thing bothered him above all else, something he had never thought of before. When was the last time Ted had called him anything other than 'Baby-boy' or just 'baby.' Even during sex…
"God, your so hot, baby."
"Mmmm…let me taste you, Baby-boy."
When was the last time Ted had called him Cody?
The water cut off beside him, Ted's happy sigh lingering in the steamy air. He listened to his lover dry off through the roar of his own shower, knowing any other time he'd jump on him and kiss him breathless. After-shower Ted was one of his favorite things, but not today.
He had know something.
Cody kept going on autopilot, thinking about how to go about this whole thing. He got out of the shower, dried off, and slowly dressed.
Ted waited impatiently by the door, both of their duffles over his shoulder, "Come on, Baby-boy! Let's get out of here, I'm hungry."
Cody winced at the endearment, but nodded and hurried all the same.
*~P~R~I~C~E~L~E~S~S~*
Cody waited as long as he could before he pounced.
Ted changed into his pajamas, yawning, ready to sleep. He didn't see the way his lover advanced on him, the fire in his eyes. He had just set aside his cellphone when he was grabbed, turned around roughly, and pinned against the wall.
Warm azure eyes went wide, "Baby?"
"No" Cody spat "Don't."
"Don't what?"
"Is there something wrong with my name, Ted?" Cody asked sincerely.
Ted's brow creased, "No, baby, there's nothing wrong with it."
"Then why don't you ever say it?" Cody tried not to pout, but the more he thought about it, the more it hurt "Even when we're…when we're having sex, I can't remember a time you called me by my actual name. Is it because I'm not the one you want, Teddy? Is it because you're trying to think of someone else?"
Ted shook his head, not sure where this was coming from.
"Does no one else call me by my name out of some joke? Because I'm young?" Cody kept the questions coming "Did I do something for that kind of disrespect?"
"No, ya got it wrong" Ted assured him "They do it 'cause they adore ya, Baby-boy. It's all out of love, I swear."
It made sense, but Cody still felt pain in his heart.
"Call me by my name" Cody demanded of his lover "Just once, let me hear you say it."
Ted nodded, opening his mouth to comply but getting cut off.
"B-but…say it like you mean it, like when you call me 'Baby-boy.' Say it only the way you can."
Ted gave him a sweet smile, reaching up and carding his hands through the younger man's dark hair. He leant in, stealing a lingering kiss from those tempting lips. It was chaste, honest, and it tasted of the pure passion that had always been between him.
"I love you, Cody" Ted whispered against his lips, Cody's heart fluttering like a bird in his chest at the honey-laden tone of it "My Cody."
"You mean it?" Cody mumbled, unsure.
"I always have" Ted took him in a hug, peppering more kisses down the younger man's cheek and throat "If you don't want me to call you petnames anymore, I won't. I just want to make you happy, Cody. I want to make you feel special."
"No, I like it" Cody admitted "It just bugged me a little bit."
They shared another kiss.
"Come on, Baby-boy" Ted tugged his hand, leading him towards the bed "I'll show you just how much I love you. I'll show you that it's you I'm thinking of, always."
I wrote this in about the length of a NUMB3RS episode, and it was a damn good one. The episode, not the story. It sounded and looked better in my head than it does on virtual paper. I was just realizing that there were about fifty nicknames for Cody. I love using them, especially Baby-boy, but it seemed fitting to write this little ficlet.
Not to mention Cody's happy that my muse!Randy has finally given up it's hold on my muse!Teddy, and everyone's getting along now. Cody won't let go of Ted, no matter how much I try to pry him away. I love Codiasi, and I'll happily give them all my attention.