Fragments of His Being | ✓

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The next morning Cody had woken up alone on the bed. He sat up, looking down to see that someone had cleaned him up. He narrowed his eyes at his thighs, only putting two and two together when the door to the bedroom creaked open and Quinn walked in.

"Sorry, we woke up late," Quinn trailed, tossing the towel on his shoulder on his drawer before kneeling to look through it for clothes. "The bathroom is empty. You should go take a shower before someone else gets in," Quinn muttered.

Cody nodded. "Yeah, I'll do that," he muttered, getting out of bed before grabbing Quinn's towel and leaving for the bathroom. He brushed his teeth at the sink with the toothbrush Quin had given him one of the nights he'd slept over. Since then the brush hadn't left the family cup. Four brushes, and the weird cheap one that Quinn had managed to fish out for Quinn. Cody smiled at the thought. It felt like this was his home now in a sense. He slept over a lot, and he ate more food here than he did when he was at home.

What if I lived here? He wondered, looking at himself in the mirror. He shook his head before rinsing his mouth. No, he couldn't. That would be taking Quinn and his family's kindness for granted.

When he got back to Quinn's bedroom there were already clothes laid out for him. He wore them and followed the smell of toast and bacon to the Kitchen/living room where Quinn was waiting for him on the small dining table. They didn't talk much, but they gave each other looks. Quinn helped Cody butter his toast, and Cody helped Quinn finish off his mug of hot chocolate when he couldn't. It was still early in the morning, so the rest of the family wasn't up yet.

"What my mum said," Quinn started, looking over at Cody as they both took care of the dishes at the sink. "About what you'll do after graduation..." Quinn trailed and Cody looked away.

"I don't know what I'll do," Cody mumbled. He would be eighteen soon, and Charles would use that as a reason to kick him out that's for sure. His anxiety and general battered look hadn't made it easy to get a part-time job of any sort. He didn't have experience. Going to school was even worse. He had nothing he liked about it.

"That's okay, we'll figure it out together," Quinn said, drying off the last bowl before putting it away.

The two left the apartment complex together. Quinn wasn't with his school supplies because it was still early in the morning, he just wanted to escort Cody home so that he could get his stuff. They had woken up late, so Quinn couldn't drop him off just before the break of dawn like they had planned.

The sound of dogs barking and birds singing filled the streets. The sun peeked from the horizon, shining rays of yellow light on the dirt floor. Cody and Quinn's hands separated when they reached the flat Cody lived in with his family. They were both anxious about what they knew would happen when Cody went in.

"I'm sorry..." Quinn trailed when Cody reached out to tug at his shirt. The smaller boy was afraid to go in. The reality had only hit him when the house had come in full view of them as they approached it. However, it seemed quiet. The lights were off and there was no one hanging around the compound, although Charles' motorcycle was parked by the stairs.

"It's not your fault we woke up late," Cody said, smiling at his boyfriend. He didn't regret it. He waved Quinn off before heading to the front door.

The boy slipped into the living room of the home he shared with his brother and mother, his heartbeat picked up as he looked about for any sign of his brother or mother. He let out a sigh of relief when he didn't either of them before taking a seat on the couch.

The relief was short-lived because a door in the hallway creaked open, and Cody's eyes widened as he turned towards the hall to see his brother walk out of the entrance.