Getting the ship out of the harbor was infinitely harder than Cody thought it would be. Asking Guy for help was a lost cause - that man was probably the most ancient soul Cody had ever gotten the chance to meet. Guy hardly knew how to work a cell phone, so having him pilot a goddamn ship would definitely not be an option.
But somehow, Cody did it. By some God-given miracle, Cody Travers - your average Joe, the notorious runaway prisoner of Metro City's Department of Corrections - managed to get a ship (a close to broken one, too) up and running. It was remarkable that he didn't just drive his fist through the control panel and destroy the thing even more. He even figured out how to get the heater working, which was a blessing considering how numbing the cold had become since they had gotten on the water and passed the horizon.
"I must say," Guy hummed, startling the ship's new pilot out of his pride-induced daze. "I'm very impressed, Cody."
Cody didn't turn from where he stood in front of one of the windows, frosted with the cold wet air outside and dust and filth from years of neglect. He noted the windows getting foggy as the heater did it's work, and wiped it with his sleeve so he could continue peering out at the vast water and endless gray that surrounded them in the middle of nowhere. Lately, Cody had only known how it felt to be alone, despite being surrounded by people upon people crammed into one place for the past few years. Now he knew what it truly looked like, to be completely isolated and have all surroundings void of life.
"Cody?"
He needed that reminder that he wasn't alone right now, though.
Which was ironic. He should have felt the most alone at this moment, looking out an aged and forgotten window and seeing nothing but blurs of the same dull color - not even a single bird in the sky. Cody gave a weary grunt and stretched his arms above his head, mindful of the extended chain that dangled in his face.
"But it ain't our ship, right?" Cody smirked in Guy's direction and chuckled to himself. "I'm impressed that you're impressed."
Guy crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, his annoyance made obvious when he grumbled, "My feelings on taking this ship haven't changed."
"Yeah, yeah." Cody easily dismissed him and waved his hand as he turned around, walking towards the exit to the pilothouse. The noble man's strong sense of morality was unbearably annoying. Leaving Guy back, Cody found the nearest berths and indulged in the well-deserved rest the rooms provided.
Minutes to an hour passed while Guy sat deep in thought, poised perfectly with his arms crossed in one of the captain's chairs as what he saw outside seemed to reflect how he felt inside. Not much stirring, the water was surprisingly calm for being so far out. However, gloom was the only word Guy could have thought to describe everything else.
How long it had been since Guy spent a few friendly hours with his since lost companion was past his knowledge. Days following Cody's arrest, Guy made it a point to go and see him as often as he was allowed. In the beginning, his presence didn't seem welcome but eventually Cody grew to appreciate his efforts. But like most good things, this too came to an end very quickly. Haggar still dropped by - it was his duty as Mayor and friend to make sure that he was alright - but even he came to despise Cody's surrender to indifference and apathy. And so, within mere weeks, Cody had successfully rejected every last human being that was on his side.
This didn't stop Guy from trying, though. As tiring as it was, he persisted and his attempts to catch Cody's attention at any time he could never ceased. It was disappointing to say the least, when these attempts ended in vain and the friend who very clearly needed help would just shrug the other off and completely disregard how it made him feel. The one thing Cody didn't seem to realize - and Guy didn't blame him - was that he wasn't the only one who was left alone as a result of this whole ordeal.
It wouldn't be untrue to admit that Guy thought he had lost him. He found himself guilty when he realized he wasn't grieving over his friend, or when the grieving was bad he wouldn't even want to leave his tiny home. There wasn't a place in Metro City he and Cody hadn't visited together, so every alley and every neon-lit sign and every brick in every building reminded him of the smiling eyes that used to warm everyone's hearts.
His sigh broke the silence as he stood, arms still folded and eyes still holding the sight of the sea. Who was he to sit and mope while he had all these hours, maybe days, to just him and the person he missed most? There were no interruptions as of yet, and Cody had a layer of ice surrounding his heart that Guy was willing to thaw.
Cody was just about to doze off, the exhaustion of recent events having worn him out so much that even a few minutes of shutting his eyes would have done him some sort of good. So he groaned when he heard footsteps against the metallic floor and a shallow, careful knock on the door. The beats were so gentle, it immediately made Cody feel a little regretful at getting upset.
After a sigh, he replied, "What?"
"I hope I'm not intruding," Guy muttered, his tone so calm and smooth that Cody just found it harder to stay awake when he spoke.
Despite this, he still responded with excessive snark. "When are you not intruding?"
Cody stayed laying on the top bunk in the berth, his hands beneath his head as he stared at the dingy ceiling from a couple feet away. It wasn't much different from what he had to deal with at the DOC, the beds here were actually a bit more easy on his back and he could hog the blankets from the other bunks. He was looking forward to being able to sleep somewhere different for once.
When Guy walked further into the room, he was able to see over the bunk Cody was resting on. Seeing him like this, his arms stretched in such a lovely way and his hair falling back with that sleepy look on his face, was enough to make Guy question if it was a good idea to be alone with him. Overlooking these thoughts, he leaned his back against the wall and folded his arms while looking at Cody, who wouldn't look at him back.
Finally, Cody rolled his eyes and sat up, hanging his legs over the bed and looking down at Guy while rubbing his head. He threw his hands up and his handcuffs clattered loudly at the motion.
"So whaddaya here for?" he asked, gesturing towards Guy. He tried to make it look like he wanted to be left alone. He hoped it didn't work.
Guy had to tilt his chin upwards to meet eyes with him. "I just wanted to converse with you. We haven't had much time to do anything but discuss the mission at hand, and argue of course." Guy almost smiled at that last bit. He relaxed his shoulders and hoped his own loosened tension calmed the atmosphere a little.
Cody narrowed his eyes and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "Huh. Okay."
He would rather jump off that ship than admit it, but being reassured that someone was still interested in how he was doing rather than just what he was doing made Cody feel something that he hadn't felt in a long time. It wouldn't surprise him if Guy could tell, so he just tried his very best to conceal it.
"I've been curious," Guy started, "what is prison life like? Clearly you must enjoy it, you choose to go back regardless of your ability to leave whenever you please." He actually did smile this time, before continuing. "I've seen you on the news for every time you break out. You've gained a sort of celebrity status, wouldn't you agree?"
Cody couldn't help but smile back, a sly crook in his lips that showed his amusement in being recognized in such a way. "You'd think they'd learn after the first couple times, eh?" He chuckled and rubbed his neck. "It's not like livin' there is all that great, though. Got its ups and downs. I'm just used to it now is all."
The part Cody left unsaid was that he must have belonged there if it's where he ended up, even though he tried so hard to protect the city from every person who should end up there too.
"I… see." Guy fell silent and looked down at the floor. "You underestimate how valuable your company is, Cody."
Cody gave no reply and just let himself fall back again. The bunk creaked loudly, Guy honestly thought it would break, as Cody landed and sighed, stretching his arms to the ceiling before folding them under his blond mess again. It was easy to assume that Guy poked at a sensitive subject, so he tried desperately to close the conversation by asking where each person would sleep and hinting that being in the same room was the smarter idea in case an enemy found them. Cody reluctantly agreed.
The ship's interior had striking similarities to the prison Cody was used to. He wasn't surprised, and he wasn't exactly complaining either. He didn't mind prison to begin with; it was just the tedious people that got on his nerves and since there were none of those here, he was as comfortable as he could have wanted. The most pleasing difference was that the showers actually offered a bit of privacy, with walls between each shower head to separate every person. Cody never had any issues in the showers at the DOC, but when another wet body bumps into you when you don't expect it, it's rather unsettling.
So when Cody gave up on resisting that nagging want for attention and walked to Guy's stall while they showered, both men wearing nothing but the water on their backs, he knew exactly how Guy must have felt.
The heavy and careless sounds of watery footsteps were enough to alert Guy of what was to come, but as he turned around he was too late to react. Cody had already caught his waist in his hands and Guy had to slap his soapy palm against the wall to keep himself from falling over while he tried to jerk away. Guy was barely able to turn his head before he felt the rest of Cody's body against the back of him. Immediately, his pulse raced and he hoped that Cody couldn't feel the pounding of his heart through the wet contact their bodies currently made.
"What do you think you're doing?" Guy gasped, surprised that his entire question came out in one stream.
In response, Cody lifted his hands off of the speaker's body and reached for what he held in one of his hands.
"Mind if I borrow this?" Cody asked, the nonchalant tone in his voice even further confusing his friend beneath the water with him.
The bars of soap they found looked cheap and smelled of nothing, and there were definitely more than enough for two people. When Cody took it from between his fingers, Guy was left standing in confusion, his vision blurred with overwhelming disorientation. The water continued to fall on him, his nerves numb to anything but the memory of Cody's chest against his back. He heard his companion return to the shower that was still on somewhere else in the room, but all of his senses seemed so impaired that he couldn't quite tell where the noise of the light falling of the water and footsteps were coming from.
Nobody said anything the rest of the time they were in the showers. Guy left as soon as possible; the rush in his quick footsteps was clear to pick up as Cody took his time leisurely rinsing off. Noticing his haste, Cody smirked to himself as he rubbed the remaining suds off his body, and turned the handle to stop the water.
