Chapter 2 – The Infection
AN: I'd just like to thank those people who started this story up from the start, reading the first chapter and reviewing. You guys are awesome and I hope you keep reading this. Thank you Twilight Archangel, JuTJuTJuT, and Waldojeffers
Zack raised his voice, louder, deafening. "What the hell is going on here?"
Cody and Eric shared a second of eye contact before they both reached for their shirts. Once, decent Eric spoke up, "Look Zack… Cody and I…"
Zack clinched his teeth together so hard he thought he'd start bleeding from his ears, "Cody, what's going on?"
Cody took a deep breath and clinched his eyes together tightly for a moment, "Zack, Eric and I are dating."
Zack felt his mouth drop open. Dating? Did he just say dating? I must have heard wrong. "You're what?"
Eric put his arm around Cody's shoulders, "We're dating."
Zack felt his throat go dry as he realized he had heard correctly, "So you… Cody you're… and Eric… you're… gay?" The world felt like a razor blade being dragged across his tongue. It was like the word itself didn't want to come out. The pain it caused was so immense it made Zack's ears ring. He thought it was his mind playing tricks on him, but he tasted blood in his mouth.
Cody nodded. He hoped desperately Zack would approve. His reaction wasn't negative so far. It was mostly disbelief. Cody thought perhaps they'd be okay; maybe they'd get out of it with all their limbs still attached. "Yes, Zack. We're gay."
Zack shook his head, "No. No!" He looked at them; from his confusion he could feel the beginning traces of anger rise, "My brother and my best friend? No. No." Out of self control, or self respect, or fear he turned around, left the room. He grabbed his car keys and walked out the door.
Cody called after Zack, but there was no response. He stood to follow him, but a strong hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Just let him go, Cody. He needs time to think."
Cody nodded, knowing what Eric said was right. Zack had just found out Cody's biggest secret. It wasn't the way he wanted it to happen. Cody wanted to be comfortable being with Eric first. He wanted everything to be going smoothly for a while before telling Zack. It was a big deal, coming out. It was a very big deal. Cody knew with a person like Zack, it'd have to be handled carefully. This was the most un-careful way he could find out.
Cody could feel tears rising. Maybe he thought it was stupid, but he wanted Zack's approval more than anything. Cody had always looked up to Zack. Sure, Cody was maybe smarter – at least, he got better grades – but Zack was better at everything deemed "cool". Zack was more athletic, he was better looking than he was, and he was smoother with girls than he was. The list went on and on. He knew it was childish to see Zack as his "big brother" because they were so close in age, but realistically Zack was – by ten minutes. But in Cody's mind Zack was his big brother because Zack stood up for him, and Zack taught him, and Zack helped him when he needed it. He was a good big brother. Cody just wanted him to be proud.
Maybe it was somewhat of a blind emotion, that desire for Zack to be proud of him. Maybe it was childish to want Zack to be proud of him in the first place. Maybe there was no hope of Zack ever being proud of him ever again. Very clearly, Zack had articulated that he didn't approve. Unless the word "no" suddenly meant something else, Cody's only sense of purpose had been destroyed. He was lost.
"It's okay Cody, he'll come around." Eric rubbed his back and pulled Cody into a hug. It was different, comforting him. He had never comforted a guy like this before. In fact, he couldn't remember ever seeing another guy cry. He felt bad thinking that it was a welcome change. It was enlightening. It was liberating. It felt nice to be able to hold Cody and tell him it'd be okay. It felt right. It was like their bodies were two puzzle pieces, snapping perfectly into place with one another. Even their breathing was perfectly synchronized.
"I just want him to approve, you know? He's my big brother. I just want him to be proud of me. Is that dumb, Eric? I feel so dumb."
Eric was now officially half of a single body, "It's okay, Cody. That's not dumb at all. That's perfectly normal. If I had a big brother I'd want the same thing."
"I never wanted him to figure out like this." Cody's tears made his voice slurred and hardtounderstand.
"It'll be okay. As long as we're together, it'll be okay."
Even though Zack had grabbed his car keys he knew he was in no condition to drive. His hands were shaking; his vision was filled with spots. His mind kept replaying replaying replaying the scene he had just walked into. With a disturbed sense of humor he recognized how that was not on his list of things he expected to see today. Not at all. In fact, he had never even considered the possibility of his baby brother or even his best friend being gay. And what made it even weirder: they were dating. Replay. Replay.
Replaying that same scene.
Every time his mind went through it the same thing happened: the horrifyingly exquisite detail of seeing his brother without a shirt and kissing his best friend, and the horrifyingly exquisite detail of seeing his best friend's hand on – not just on, but feeling, stimulating – Cody's manhood from the outside of his shorts. It was horrible. Zack hadn't ever dreamt of seeing something like that. And as a teenage boy, filled with testosterone like a wet sponge, he had endured some strange dreams.
It was really more than shock. It was a feeling of disappointment and a feeling of need to protect Cody. It was like a brotherly instinct. Their contact, more specifically Eric's hand on Cody, was a crime in his mind. He wanted to jump to Cody's aid, protect him from his assaulter. But, of course, Cody accepted it. He liked it.
But the worst part, worse than the realization that Cody was gay, was seeing how perfectly their bodies fit together. While Cody was taller than Zack, he was still relatively short. Eric was tall. But it didn't matter. They fit together perfectly and the color of their skin was the same, that pale, off-white. They looked so natural together, like they were made for each other.
But still, Zack was repressing his feelings. He didn't want to admit to himself that his brother was gay. The implications went on and on. Cody would be made fun of. He would be made fun of. From now on Zack would always be the one with a gay brother. That's how he'd be known. His reputation would be shattered, but that paled in comparison the real implication. Zack knew he'd never look at Cody the same ever again. Even if, somehow, he got over it – accepted it – even if he wanted to look at Cody the same, he'd never be able to.
Zack didn't come home that night until the late – or early – hours. It was past 2 AM. Carey had noticed. How could she not? But, as a mother, she could tell Cody was upset about something. She couldn't quite place her finger on it, but he seemed different. He was certainly more pensive than usual. Cody wasn't a naturally pensive person. Carey always imagined her younger son's brain as a giant spreadsheet. When he needed an answer he'd delve into it, find the appropriate row, column, and blurt out the answer effortlessly. He was smart, but not pensive. Now though, he was sitting on the couch, eyes dull and unfocused.
Carey had enough experience with her two boys to know when they were in the middle of a fight. Over the past few years they had developed a routine. They'd get in a fight, Zack would leave and he wouldn't come home until late at night. The first few times he was gone she was worried, but he always told her he was either down at the game room or walking. Those were the things he did to clear his mind.
When Carey went to bed just shy of midnight Cody was still in the same, unfocused position on the couch. Zack was still gone. She assumed it was a big fight. But, eyes tired and limbs heavy, she finally resolved to go to bed. Whatever it was they had fought about she knew they could work it out on their own. They were seventeen, easily old enough to handle personal problems themselves. There was no need for her to be a moderator. There was no need for her to even know what the fight was about. That was the hard thing about raising two twins. They grew up in the same ways. One minute she was changing their diapers. The next she was driving them to school and wishing them a good day. Now they were their own men: nearly, completely independent. It was hard, but Carey knew her hard work had paid off.
Her observation continued throughout the following day. When Zack and Cody woke up they didn't talk. They didn't make their sarcastic remarks and playful insults at each other. In fact, they didn't even make eye contact. A few times, she caught Cody looking hopeful at Zack, but when Zack would turn to look back Cody's eyes would snap to the ground. She could make a few assumptions about the nature of the argument, but she chose not to. Sometimes it was just better not to know. She had been a teenager once and the nature of some arguments were ether entirely, disgustingly personal, or ridiculous. She could only imagine teenage boys were worse – at least in one of those categories, but probably both.
Sunday passed without dialogue. Naturally, with Sunday being the chosen day for Zack to cram all of his homework in on, he was quiet. But Cody, just kept to himself. His one-word answers and reserved persona summoned an overcast sky, darkening downtown Boston into a world of cement and metal and people too busy to talk.
Dinner was equally awkward. The tension between her two boys was evident in everything from the way their eyes flicked back and forth to the way they shifted positions to their quiet chewing and respectable manners.
"Well aren't you two just saints today. It's nice to have a quiet day around here."
She had been trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work.
That same mood passed into Monday. Carey didn't know what had happened on Monday, but Zack and Cody were still sulking, living in their temporarily shattered reality. But neither of them knew if it was, in fact, temporary.
Classes passed, people came and went. It wasn't until lunch that Cody met up with Eric. Cody didn't know how he did it, but he had seemed to pass through half the day on the brink of tears. He hadn't raised his hand to answer questions – the teachers noticed, but they had fifteen or twenty other kids to deal with. Cody's normalness wasn't anything to write home about.
"Cody, how are you doing?" Eric approached unsure of how to act. Their dating was still secret. Neither of them had even come out. Everything was secret. It was depressing.
"Horrible. Zack's just ignoring me. I don't know what to do."
"Hey, it's okay. He'll come around. Just give him time."
"That's what you said before."
"I know. I know. Maybe talk to him about it tonight. I think that maybe that'd be better. You guys are best friends and if you keep this up, you'll be torn apart."
Cody's voice was barely more than a whisper, "I think we're already torn apart."
"Hey, don't talk like that."
Cody smiled slightly as Eric shook his head to clear his hair from his eyes. He thought it was so cute when he did that. He pulled him into a lesser-used hallway and talked in a quieter voice. "I think that maybe we should just take some time apart. Just until I get this thing resolved with Zack."
Eric looked hurt, but not surprised. "Yeah, maybe that'd be for the best."
Cody nodded, closer to tears than he had been all day. "I like you, I just don't want anything to go wrong."
Eric nodded, but didn't say anything. A horrible thought kept ripping through his head. What if Zack didn't approve. What if it made Cody have second thoughts about his sexuality? What if Cody gave in to his brother's pressure and went back to being straight, reserved as ever? But Eric knew Cody was stronger than that. Cody had a mind of his own. That had been the thing that had made him so attractive when they first met.
Anticipation and nerves made the rest of the day fade away until the twins found themselves, back at home. It wasn't until Carey left for her evening performance in the lounge that Cody actually confronted his brother. He waited fifteen minutes after his mother left, just to be sure. He was done taking chances.
"Zack, we have to talk about this."
Zack just looked at him and mumbled something.
"Come on, please."
Like a bullet, out of nowhere, "So you thought you could just go behind my back with this, huh?"
Cody was surprised for an instant but found his reply shortly after, "I wasn't going behind your back. Since when has my personal life been your concern?"
Zack shrugged angrily, "Oh I don't know, maybe because it involves my little brother and my best fucking friend!"
"I know what this is about. If he were a girl you wouldn't care at all. It'd be perfectly normal to you. That's what this is about, isn't it?"
Zack wanted to deny it. He opened his mouth right away but the lie couldn't come out. He simply closed his mouth and lowered his eyes, if only slightly.
"I can't believe you, Zack. Why can't you just realize-"
"No, Cody. Why did you lie to me? Huh? Why'd you lie to me?"
"I didn't lie to you about anything!"
"Well why didn't you tell me?" Zack noticed the sound of his voice was more hurt than it was angry. He needed to readjust.
"I just wanted to be sure of everything first. Zack, all I want is your approval. I just want you to be okay with this."
Zack laughed dryly, "Oh, so you think I'm just going to be okay with it? How do you think it feels walking in on your best friend and your brother? Hell, you were half naked, Cody and he was touching you!"
Cody shook his head. In reality he thought Zack had a fair and valid point. It would be a little strange coming across that, but it was Zack's fault for coming home early. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, Zack. I am. But Eric and I love each other. I just want you to be okay with that. Please."
Zack stood silent for the longest moment in history. Then, all-to-confidently, "I'm just not sure what to think anymore, Cody. I just don't know." He reached for his car keys and left the suite.
Cody watched him go and felt hot tears running down his face and into his mouth. They dripped off his chin like a small cascading waterfall and with every passing second his vision grew more and more blurred.
All it took was one sobbing phone call and fifteen minutes for Eric to show up at their door. Immediately he pulled Cody into a hug and kissed the top of his head over and over, whispering, "It's okay. It'll be okay. I'm here."
But Cody knew only one of those three statements were true.
Without warning Cody crashed his salt-covered lips on Eric's and together they pulled each other into the bedroom.
As clothes were strewn about, covering blotches of floor and skin pressed against skin and moans echoed in the holes of the universe, neither Eric, nor Cody expected their first time to be so unprovoked, so unromantic. But in place of romance was raw, pure passion. Desire of the strongest variety.
After the most unforgettable and remarkably unlike-what-they-thought experience, they both found themselves lying underneath a sheet, panting. Cody lay half on top of Eric and Eric rubbed his back. He felt Cody's chest start pulsating uncontrollably before he heard his words.
"Shit! We need to get dressed. What if Zack comes home, or mom. Come on."
They both jumped out of bed, admiring each other's nakedness for a minute or two, before picking up the here-and-there clothes lying about.
It didn't take them more than ninety seconds to fully don their clothes and rearrange the pillows and sheets on the bed. Quickly, they shared a few kisses and went back out into the living room.
"Eric that was…" Cody couldn't find the words to finish the sentence. It was too new of an experience to describe it. It had been completely different than imagined. It had hurt a little even, but still the hum of their hearts, singing a song of unity and love, dulled the pain. The dopamine and adrenaline coursing through his body dulled everything else.
"Yeah. It was."
"You know. I want to get back together. And I think we should come out. Only if you think so, though."
Eric nodded slowly, unsure, "What about Zack?"
Cody scrunched up his face like a young child, "Screw Zack. This isn't about him. I love you, Eric, and I want to be with you. I want to be able to be with you, publically. It's hard keeping this a secret."
"Okay. If you're ready for that, then, so am I. But, aren't you worried about what other people will say?"
Cody smiled and leaned his head on his boyfriend's shoulder, "No. Some will make fun of us, some will be proud of us. Most won't care. But no matter what happens. We'll have each other and we'll make it through this."
"No matter what?"
Cody nodded and kissed the side of his mouth where his reddish lips turned to whitish skin, "No matter what."
Thanks for reading the second chapter. I guess if you're reading this then you'll probably be reading the rest of the story... I really don't have anything to say, I'm just rambling because it's a force of habit. Right now, go read these authors: S.K. Millz and the-lovely-anomaly
