A/N: I know Cody's an only child, but in this fic he has a sister. And this is my secret santa gift for RedEyedWarrior!
"Aw Cody, just eat some of this really good apple pie! I know you're full but, I need someone to tell me my cooking isn't mediocre!"
Cody's fifteen year old sister, Samantha, once again was trying to make Cody eat some of her horrible cooking. She did this every Thanksgiving and quite frankly, her cooking got worse each and every time. Cody didn't want to her hurt her feelings so he'd always say, "It gets better and better each year."
Cody smiled nervously and reluctantly cut a piece of the pie. He stuck it inside his mouth. Hmm, he thought. It's not so bad. It actually tastes good! Maybe Samantha did listen to mom!
"It gets better and better each year, Samantha," Cody truthfully told his sister, with a mouth full of pie in his mouth.
Cody always spent Thanksgiving with his family. It was one of the only times his family got to spend any time with him. He was always busy in College in Georgia while his family was at home in Adams, Massachusetts. An animation major was difficult, so Cody wasn't able to come home often. Thanksgiving was also the times when DJ and Cody could spend time together without having to worry about school.
Deej, Cody thought of DJ and grinned. Cody imagined his strong arms wrapped around him and grinned even wider. Samantha looked at him funny and snickered.
"Somebody's in love," She teased.
When he'd told his family he was gay at fifteen years old, they'd been distant towards him at first, but eventually began to accept who he was and his decision. Samantha had been the first to do so.
After high school, Cody and DJ ultimately decided that they'd stay together, no matter how hard it was. Cody's dream school had always been Georgia Tech while DJ always dreamed of going to college and playing football at Florida State. At least they weren't too far from each other.
This Black Friday Cody was determined to get DJ his dream gift: the Calphalon Simply Hard-Anodized Aluminum 14-Piece Cookware Set. It was an expensive cookware set, over 300 dollars. However, on Black Friday this year they were selling it for 150. DJ loved to cook, and it'd come in handy, especially in his college dorm. DJ had thought the cookware provided to them by the college was so mediocre.
Cody had been saving up to buy this for DJ. DJ deserved something nice. He always thinking of others all the time and sometimes even forgetting to think of himself. He'd always told all his friends and family to not stress themselves out with getting gifts because their love was gift enough.
But everyone desired to have something.
DJ was so vague in describing what he'd wanted for Christmas. But of course, he'd told Cody that his love was gift enough. Whenever they went shopping, Cody watched as DJ stared at the item in desire and longing. So, he made it a mission to purchase it.
The more he ate, the less likely was to wake up to get to the stores on time.
"No more food for me guys!" Cody told his family and they all shared a laugh.
"Cody," Samantha told him and grinned. "Thanks for coming."
Cody grinned back. It was always nice to spend time with the family. His parents were with him, his sister Samantha, his aunts and uncles, his grandparents. It was 9:00 P.M. and everyone had to get back home. Cody told all of them goodbye and promised to come back for Christmas. It wasn't like he had a choice anyway. No one's allowed to stay on the campus during Winter Break.
"I hope you didn't mess my room up, Samantha," Cody warned her, starting up the stairs to his room.
"I'm not making any promises," She said in a sing-songy voice. "Don't get your hopes up, Codemister."
Cody shook his head. He went up the stairs and down the hall to his room. He opened the door gingerly and slowly. He observed everything, seeing that it was exactly how he left it. Old video games scattered on the drawer next to his T.V. Bed messily made. Old clothes on the floor. Picture of DJ and Cody on the wall. Old game consoles tucked neatly away inside his closet.
It was too perfect. As if Samantha had went to his room, took note of what was in there and where, scattered everything, and fixed it back up.
Cody shook the thought out of his head. He had more important things to worry about. If Samantha had touched anything he'd deal with her later. He was so full and sleepy from all the food he ate so how the hell was he going to wake up at 11:30 P.M. to get to the stores? And who knows what mom's would fight him for that cookware. He changed to his pajamas, plopped on his bed, and set the alarm on his bed for 11:30 P.M.
And let the Black Friday Games begin, He thought. And may the odds be ever in my favor.
DJ always spent his Thanksgiving cooking with his mom, Beatrice, for everyone else in the family. Everyone in his mom's family knew Thanksgiving was their holiday. Beatrice and DJ always whipped up a Thanksgiving meal that was amazing and delicious.
"Mmm, Mmm, DJ and Beatrice have done it again," DJ's aunt Jessica said in a heavy Jamaican accent, taking another bite out of DJ's sweet potatoes. All of his mom's family was Jamaican. "It's so good but I can't eat anymore."
DJ and his mom laughed.
These were the best times, in DJ's opinion. Spending time with loved ones. He didn't need materialistic things. Love was all he needed, and he loved giving out love as well.
"You know one of these years ya'll need to come to Jamaica and cook for all of them over there," DJ's uncle Samuel said.
"I'll tink about it," DJ's mom replied. "What chu tink, DJ?"
Going to Jamaica again wouldn't be so bad, as long as he didn't stay for too long. He had school!
"Sounds good." DJ agreed, nodding and everyone cheered, smiling. He'd love to make Cody smile right now. His goofy grin. His soft brown hair. His nerdy tech-talk. DJ couldn't wait to see his little geek again.
"Alright," Beatrice said. "Time to dance!"
It was a tradition of theirs. They'd eat and then dance to popular Jamaican songs. DJ's mom turned on "Bruk it Down" by Mr. Vegas and everyone in the living room cheered. They danced to beat of the song. Jamaican songs always had the best beats and tunes. DJ never really danced, it wasn't his thing.
"Come on DJ why don't ya come and join us right now," Rosa said while dancing. "You've cooked this wonderful food and it time for you to have some fun."
"That's alright, auntie," He replied and smiled.
"One day, one day, before I die, I'll make ya dance," Rosa said and pointed a finger at him. She always tried to get him to dance but she never succeeded.
DJ was sure everyone was done eating, so he started gathering the used plastic plates and putting them in the trash bag.
"Oh DJ boy," Rosa said. "Don't worry about the trash. We'll clean up this time."
He rose his eyebrows. They never cleaned up anything. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, yes! Don't worry!"
DJ shrugged and glanced at the clock. 10:00 P.M. They weren't going anytime soon. They'd dance their socks off for at least another hour, and then they'd remember the time and fall asleep. DJ tapped his foot and nodded his head to the song, enjoying the music.
"One day DJ you're going to dance!" Beatrice said. "Ohh one day!" She said in a sing-songy voice.
DJ eventually went upstairs to his room, exhausted from cooking all day. They could dance all night if they wanted too, but he was tired.
He glanced at the picture of him and Cody on his nightstand, dressed in Christmasy outfits. Then he remembered. He has to go into Black Friday again! Cody had talked about getting a new camera, his current one was old and not up to par. He had also talked about how the newest Call of Duty game had the best graphics and that it was coming out sometime around Thanksgiving. He deserved something nice.
Best-Buy opened at 12:00 A.M. His mom didn't like him going out into the mess that was Black Friday.
"Ain't nothing like that in Jamaica," She told him every Thanksgiving. "Those Americans are out of their damn minds."
Well, she was right about Americans. They put so much emphasis on being thankful but yet they deemed a whole holiday for buying things solely because they were on sale.
The nearest Best Buy was about 10 minutes from his house in Boston Massachusetts. DJ figured he'd get a little sleep before then. His relatives would be too tired from dancing to do any real shopping. In fact if time went by slower DJ was sure they'd dance all night. He changed into his pajamas and plopped unto his bed. He couldn't wait to see Cody on Saturday. That big goofy grin on his face. His arms wrapped around Cody's shoulders. His lips on his.
***
BEEP BEEP!
Cody's alarm practically shouted. What the fuck, He thought. What is that thing doing waking me up at 11:30?
DJ, he remembered and got up from his comfy bed immediately. He put on a college sweater and a pair of denim jeans.
"Psst, Cody," He heard Samantha whisper from her room across from his.
"Yes?" He answered.
"I'm coming with you," She insisted. "I wanna get dad a new Camera! He loves to take pictures after all."
Cody rose his eyebrows. "You have money?"
"Duh," She scoffed. "I don't work at Claire's for nothing!"
"It's dangerous out there," Cody laughed. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"
"Ready as I'll ever be!" She whispered back.
Cody brushed his teeth and washed his face. "Let's go." He picked up his keys from his desk and they headed down the stairs. Cody could tell by her sister's attire that she was indeed ready. Her long blond hair was tied up into a ponytail at the top of her head. She's wearing a high school sweater and pink sweatpants with Adida slippers. He should get some of those.
"Are mom and dad sleeping?" He asked while they're tiptoeing down the stairs.
"Yes, they are, in fact," Samantha replied. "Like babies. And dad won't even see his present until Christmas Day. I just hope that he doesn't think of buying a camera until then."
"So you're going to hide them," Cody stated.
"Yup."
Cody should do the same with DJ's present, it'd make the present special. And then DJ could whip them up a tasty Christmas meal.
"What are you getting, Cody?"
"Something special for Deej." He said dreamily.
"Aww you're so sweet! At least with him!"
Cody grinned. "Are you ready for the Black Friday Games?"
"Happy Black Friday," Samantha said in a capitol accident, alluding to the Hunger Games. "And may the odds be ever in our favor." Cody busted into laughter.
The two decided to go to Target. Target had the best deals for everything. Cody unlocked his car and sat in the driver's seat. Samantha sat in the passenger seat, shivering.
"It's, so, cold," Samantha complained, holding herself for warmth. Cody turned on the heater and immediately felt the car warm up.
"Better?" He asked and she nodded.
"It's 12:10," Samantha stated. "The doors should be open as soon as we get there."
After a few more minutes of driving, the two arrive at their destination. The doors are already open and Cody can tell that inside the Target was overflowing with people. This is no place for a scrawny geek, Cody thought. They got out of their cars and ran to the entrance of the store. There was a vast crowd of people making their way into the entrance. Everything on Black Friday was sold on a first come, first serve basis so there was no time to waste. Samantha looked as if she was ready for battle, cracking her knuckles.
There were people everywhere, running around with video games, humongous televisions, catalogs, and various other items in their hands. Cody noticed that there were two kids fighting over a limited Aqua Edition 3DS. The store workers were running around the store as well trying to ease the chaos going on around them but they couldn't be everywhere.
"Alright," Cody said, snapping himself out of his thoughts. "You go to the electronic section and I go to the cooking products. Call me if anything goes wrong!" Samantha nods and they go their separate ways.
Samantha practically ran to the electronic section of Target, pushing people out of her way as she went. She'll get the camera she's looking for even if that section is swarming with people.
Cody briskly made his way over to the cooking section. This section of the store wasn't spared from the mess that was Black Friday. Pots and pans were everywhere. Angry looking women, probably angry at the fact that Target was opening even earlier this year, were everywhere too. The women spotted Cody and glared at him as if he was the devil in human form. Don't mind me, He thought. Just a geeky boy looking for an item for his boyfriend. I'll be of no trouble to you. Please do not kill me. I'm too young to die! If stares had the power to kill, Cody was sure he'd be dead right now.
All he needed was one box. One box and then he could get the hell out of here! Cody thought about whether he should go and ask a store worker for help. But by the time he'd come back, the item might be gone. But if he kept on looking for it he might never find it in time!
Cody continued down the aisle, it was one of the less busy sections on Black Friday, but it was still very busy. Calphalon Simply Hard-Anodized Aluminum 14-Piece Cookware Set, Cody quickly chanted to himself quietly. It had to be here somewhere. Cody immediately scolded himself for saying this aloud because one of the angry moms could make it their mission to eliminate him! Okay, maybe he was taking this a little too seriously.
"Out of the way, bitch," A girl with crimson hair snapped at Cody and pushes him out of her way.
"Great manners!" He yelled sarcastically at her. These people are crazy. Were some of them looking for the same set he was looking for? The catalog did say it was on sale for one hundred fifty dollars. The set must be somewhere. Once he got to the end of the aisle, he turned to his left and spotted the cooking set. Only five more left in stock. Other people must've spotted it too because they had already started running for it. Cody ran too, panting roughly. The girl with the crimson hair zoomed past him, and grabbed one of the boxes on the rail. She stuck her tongue out at Cody and happily put the box in her cart.
Four more left. Cody could feel several running mothers behind him and thought about diving for the box. What did he have to lose? The outcome of this wasn't going to be pretty anyway.
With his mind made up, Cody dived for the large box and landed roughly on his stomach. At least the box is in front of him. He picked up the box triumphantly only to find that six more ladies were running towards the other boxes beside him. He quickly got out of the way and the women fought for the box.
"It's mine!" One woman hissed.
"No fuck you it's mine," Another woman hissed and pushed one to the floor. "That stupid young boy! I wish I could dive like that!"
Cody leaped even farther away from the angry women. Now he had to find his sister. He decided to wait patiently by the cashiers because there was no way he was going into that section.
Cody waited twenty minutes before he sees his sister with a cart full of digital Nikon cameras.
"How you even… " He stuttered in surprise.
"I had to fight six people for these cameras," Samantha said, breathless. Her neat ponytail was now a messy one no longer at the top of her head. She was sweating. Was it really that bad? "A lot of them I had touched first, but some people don't know how to count! These people are crazy! Now which one of these do you think I should get?"
DJ's alarm woke him up at 11:45 and he yawned. He put on a sweater and grey sweatpants with green Nike tennis shoes.
His relatives were still dancing when he came downstairs.
"Where are you going?" Rosa asked, standing by the front door.
"Best-Buy," DJ replied.
"The boy's out of his damn mind!" Rosa exclaimed. "What chu doin' goin' out there in this holiday, Devonte?"
"I want to buy something nice for a special someone," DJ explained.
"Ahh," Rosa said. "Be careful! Those people are crazy!"
DJ grinned and asked for Rosa to not tell his mother. She promised she wouldn't.
DJ arrived at the Best-Buy a little bit after 12:00. There was a crowd of people making their way into the store. It looked crazy in there and DJ's wasn't even inside yet. DJ felt the anticipation in the crowds, ready to look for what was promised in those Black Friday ads. Once he was in the store he saw that it was complete chaos. No, he wasn't exaggerating! There weren't enough workers to handle the craziness.
"Attention shoppers," The person on the overhead said. "Thank you for shopping today. Please be respectful of the workers and others around you so we can have an excellent shopping day. Thank you."
Of course, no one was actually going to listen to the person on the loudspeaker. Best-Buy has got to be the craziest store on Black Friday because they mostly sell electronics. In the Apple Products section there were people struggling to get the last available IPhones and cheapest Macbooks. The supply of flat-screen T.V's was dwindling as more people found them.
The video game console section was even crazier. DJ gulped. That's where he was heading. He had one mission: and that was to retrieve one 30 dollar copy of Call of Duty: Ghosts. Sounds simple, right? It was only one game case. Wrong.
DJ walked quickly to the video game section and it was a mess. People everywhere. Video games scattered on the floor along with small portable consoles. It might be already gone. Don't tell me it's gone, DJ thought bashfully. It's still door busters. There had to be copies left somewhere. Don't mind me, DJ thinks. Just a guy looking for a game for his gamer boyfriend. Please do not hurt me.
"Out of the way, brickhouse," A man about the same height as DJ pushed him out of the way.
"Watch it man," DJ yelled to him. Why did people have to be so rude? Even if it was on sale, it was just a game.
"The Call of Duty Ghosts game will be mine!" Another person said and smiled crazily. DJ rolled his eyes.
DJ started rummaging through the stacks of Xbox 360 games looking for just one case. It has to be here. It has to. He spotted the "new releases" section and rantoward it, only to find that there's people, rummaging through the games as well. He began checking hastily through the games. He smiled once he found the game hidden underneath a load of game cases. He decided to run before the others noticed he found a copy.
"He's got it!" One man yelled and ran towards DJ but he has already left the premises.
DJ thinks about the camera Cody said he wanted and then glanced at the camera section of the store and how crazy it looked. It's crazy over there as well, but Cody's worth it so why not? After he successfully retrieved the camera he can purchase his items and leave. With his mind made up, he walked quickly over to the digital camera section while feeling the stares of angry video gamers glaring at him for finding something they weren't able to. Well, all's fair in love and war.
He looked for the Nikon Coolpix 420 and suspected it might be gone. He spotted it at the far end of the section and briskly walkrf to retrieve it. After he does get his hands on it, he finds that another hand is on it as well. Didn't he have it first? Couldn't people see when another person has the item they want? Was this person really going to fight him for a camera?
He looked up and found that the person holding the camera is the same man who shoved DJ out of the way in the game section. Did this guy follow him over here? The man smirked at DJ and DJ looked angrily at him.
"I had it first," DJ proudly said. "Now if we could just settle this like men I'm sure there are other-" DJ was taken aback when the man tried to shove him to the ground and failed. DJ ended up shoving him instead.
"We could've settled it like men!" DJ repeated while running away and the man shook his head in shame.
Cody's worth it.
Christmas Day, 2:00 P.M.
Cody decided to leave the cooking set on the stove of DJ's house. DJ always left a key under the mattress so Cody was able to get inside the house. Luckily, DJ's mom was not home. She would've freaked if she saw Cody in the house without permission. He put a red bow on top of one of the pots for the finishing touches. His body was no longer sore from diving for the cooking set, thank goodness. Cody couldn't wait to see the smile on DJ's face when he walked into the kitchen. DJ would be coming back from getting a few groceries, as he did every Christmas Day.
Cody heard keys trying to unlock the door in the living room and knew that it must be DJ. He hid in a closet. Rosa had forget her keys inside. DJ walked into to the kitchen, saw the set, and beamed happily. Cody had thought of him and gotten the cooking set he wanted! It was so very heartwarming.
"Cody?" He asked. "I know you're in here!"
Cody came out from the closet he'd been hiding in and beamed at DJ back. DJ motioned for Cody to wait and ran upstairs to retrieve Cody's gift which are both neatly wrapped. He came downstairs with the game and the camera wrapped.
"It feels like a game," Cody felt the game case. "And what's this?"
"Unwrap and find out," DJ teased.
Cody unwrapped the the first present and found that it was the Call of Duty Ghosts game.
"Wow! Thank you Deej!" He said and unwrapped the camera, widening his eyes. "Woah! This must've cost alot DJ!"
"You're worth it," DJ smiled. "Those people at the Black Friday sales are crazy!"
"Tell me about it," Cody agreed. "I dived for that set! And landed on my stomach! But you are worth it, Deej!"
"Thank you, Cody. I love you."
"Thank you, DJ, I love you too."
And the two shared a kiss.
They'd both survived the Black Friday Games with each other. And in the end, it wasn't the gifts, but their love for each other that made this holiday so special.