"Trick or Treat" (Out of the Dark, 2003)
Oct. 28th, 2009 09:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
riptide_asylumTitle: Trick or Treat
Rating: R
Summary: Cody's not a fan of Halloween.
"No."
"But Mom you promised!"
"No, Cody, and that's final. You're too old to go trick-or-treating. Go upstairs and change."
Nine-year-old Cody Allen stood in the middle of the kitchen, staring at his mother's back through a mist of tears. He'd been excited about Halloween for weeks, and it had taken him forever to come up with a costume his older sister approved of enough to let him tag along with her and her friends tonight.
He looked down at the old gray fisherman's sweater he'd managed to convince Vanessa was a knight's tunic. She'd come round to the idea eventually--Cody the knight protecting a herd of princesses from any dragons they'd encounter in the heart of Ventura County. She'd given him a pair of her old dance tights to wear underneath, along with a scuffed pair of ankle boots. The helmet he'd bartered away three cookies and two chocolate milks to borrow off of Jared, and for a lance he'd--
"What's he doing, Elizabeth?"
Cody spun. He hadn't expected his father to be home so soon. He stepped back towards the folding pantry doors, watching his father tug impatiently at the tie around his neck, his face already red and frowning.
"Are those Vanessa's tights? He's wearing tights now?"
Cody watched his mom fold in on herself, hunching her shoulders against his father's rage. He had the urge to run to her, to hug the legs of her corduroy slacks, pulling the wide bottoms around him like curtains. But that never worked. He stood up straight and tried to explain. "Vanessa's gonna be a princess so--"
Tyler's slap knocked him to the floor, and Cody watched his lance roll across the checkered linoleum, turned back into a violin bow once more.
"You thought you'd be a princess too?"
Tyler bent close to his son, and the second blow knocked Cody's head against the floor. He blinked rapidly against the red stars in his vision, and then Tyler was dragging him to the stairs. "Cody, I try and I try with you. I work every goddamn day to teach you what's right and this is what I get?"
Cody fought to get his feet under him, his father's hands digging into his arms. "Sorry dad, I just--"
Tyler shook him until his teeth knocked together. "A princess? What the hell is wrong with you? Huh? Huh? Answer me, dammit?"
Cody tried to make words come, but to his horror, tears took their place. "Sorry dad, but--"
Tyler smacked him again, and Cody knocked his head against the wall as he went down. "What have I told you about blubbering? Huh?"
Cody managed to keep his mouth shut, biting back the tears until his father was done with him. The blows had come in a quick fusillade, his back and shoulders, mostly, and now Cody lay against the rough carpet with ears and cheeks burning. His arm was sore, too, but he figured he'd gotten lucky that his father had let him go so quickly. He hadn't used his feet either.
Cody crawled up the remaining stairs, vision blurred and head hurting. As he made his way along the hallway to his room, he heard his father starting to yell downstairs. "You know whose fault this is, right Elizabeth? If he didn't spend so much time out there..." He heard a fist connecting with plaster and hoped his mom would be okay. He hoped too, he could figure out where 'out there' was, and stop making his father so angry.
The bed wasn't safe, the bed was never safe, so Cody pulled his Buck Rogers comforter down onto the floor next to the closet. He'd learned he couldn't pull it into the closet, that wasn't right, but next to the closet, that was safe. Mostly. Sometimes. Unless...
Cody's head swam, like someone was squeezing his skull. Despite it still being light outside and hours before bedtime, he burrowed into the comforter and slept, dreaming of a place that was dark and warm and safe.
Some time later, the giggling woke him.
He sat up with a gasp, fighting free of the heavy blanket, too hot, his head pounding. "Vanessa!" He had to explain before she left. Had to make her understand he'd tried to go. He had to tell her to be careful out there without him, that it wasn't the dragons she had to avoid, but the evil kings too. He burst out onto the landing just as Vanessa and her friends were at the front door. His mom was seeing them off, holding the tan phone against her chest as she held the door. The long cord spiralling back towards the kitchen was stretched to its limit.
"Vanessa!"
His big sister turned and waved up at him, her brown eyes large and sad. His mom turned too, but she was furious, and held a finger to her lips with a sharp, pinched-mouth grimace. Cody sank to the carpet, bent back on his knees, peering through the railing. His mom returned to her conversation as she shut the door. "No Dad, he's too old to go with them. Besides, he didn't seem all that interested." She walked back towards the kitchen. "Well he's asleep right now, Dad, but..."
Cody's throat tightened. "Dad"...Granddad! He would help, Cody knew he would. He'd loved the idea of the costume from the start. Cody got to his feet and raced down the hallway to the top of the stairs, just as Tyler came in from the den. "Elizabeth, have you seen my..."
Cody and his father saw each other at the same time.
Cody fled, hearing heavy footsteps start up the stairs behind him.
"Baby? What's wrong? Come on back, Cody."
Cody blinked, and Nick's worried eyes swam into focus, and with them the rest of him and the salon of the Hightide too. Cody looked down at the tabletop, where his knuckles were white around a mug of cold coffee. Nick had a kitchen towel tossed over his shoulder, and a pan of something sweet sat steaming on the tabletop.
Cody hoped the pan wouldn't leave a mark. He'd likely get in trouble for that too.
Nick slid into the booth next to him, his strong arms pulling Cody close, tightening around him. Cody ducked his head into the cleft between Nick's neck and shoulder, breathing deeply. Old Spice and Nick. The combined scent cleared his head, anchored him to the present, and he put his arms around his partner, curling into the embrace, rubbing his head needily against Nick's shoulder. Digging in.
"I gotcha, Cody. Easy man, easy." Nick growled, his hands moving softly over Cody's skin as he pulled him even closer, until they were nearly on top of one another. "I gotcha, baby." Nick kissed the top of his head, firm and sweet, then pulled back to regard Cody with concern. "Hey. You looked like you were zoning out there for a second, you know?"
Cody didn't know what to say to that, couldn't find the words to begin to explain.
He didn't need to. Nick kissed his forehead, hard. "Whatever's going on in there, leave it for a bit, okay? I'm getting lonely out here."
Cody smiled, leaning up to claim Nick's lips, as full and soft now as they'd been the first time they'd kissed. As sweet and giving, too.
When they broke apart, Nick slid a hand along his jaw, thumb rubbing his cheek softly. "Baby? You okay?"
Cody closed his eyes with a sigh, leaning back into the safety of Nick's shoulder. He thought about being embarrassed, but let it go, feeling Nick's hands still moving on him, his arms still strong and sure. It was a long time ago. He sat back. "I guess I'm not much for Halloween, buddy."
Nick regarded him for a long moment, deep blue eyes searching him without prying, giving him everything without demanding explanation. "Yeah, I don't guess you are," he said eventually. "Hey, how 'bout we take the boat out for a bit, go sit out on the water and watch the stars? Nothing says we have to stick around here, and I bet if we hurry, we can still watch the sunset."
Cody smiled gratefully. "I thought you'd never ask."
Nick stood and tugged him from the booth, rescuing him once again from the dragons of his past.
Rating: R
Summary: Cody's not a fan of Halloween.
"No."
"But Mom you promised!"
"No, Cody, and that's final. You're too old to go trick-or-treating. Go upstairs and change."
Nine-year-old Cody Allen stood in the middle of the kitchen, staring at his mother's back through a mist of tears. He'd been excited about Halloween for weeks, and it had taken him forever to come up with a costume his older sister approved of enough to let him tag along with her and her friends tonight.
He looked down at the old gray fisherman's sweater he'd managed to convince Vanessa was a knight's tunic. She'd come round to the idea eventually--Cody the knight protecting a herd of princesses from any dragons they'd encounter in the heart of Ventura County. She'd given him a pair of her old dance tights to wear underneath, along with a scuffed pair of ankle boots. The helmet he'd bartered away three cookies and two chocolate milks to borrow off of Jared, and for a lance he'd--
"What's he doing, Elizabeth?"
Cody spun. He hadn't expected his father to be home so soon. He stepped back towards the folding pantry doors, watching his father tug impatiently at the tie around his neck, his face already red and frowning.
"Are those Vanessa's tights? He's wearing tights now?"
Cody watched his mom fold in on herself, hunching her shoulders against his father's rage. He had the urge to run to her, to hug the legs of her corduroy slacks, pulling the wide bottoms around him like curtains. But that never worked. He stood up straight and tried to explain. "Vanessa's gonna be a princess so--"
Tyler's slap knocked him to the floor, and Cody watched his lance roll across the checkered linoleum, turned back into a violin bow once more.
"You thought you'd be a princess too?"
Tyler bent close to his son, and the second blow knocked Cody's head against the floor. He blinked rapidly against the red stars in his vision, and then Tyler was dragging him to the stairs. "Cody, I try and I try with you. I work every goddamn day to teach you what's right and this is what I get?"
Cody fought to get his feet under him, his father's hands digging into his arms. "Sorry dad, I just--"
Tyler shook him until his teeth knocked together. "A princess? What the hell is wrong with you? Huh? Huh? Answer me, dammit?"
Cody tried to make words come, but to his horror, tears took their place. "Sorry dad, but--"
Tyler smacked him again, and Cody knocked his head against the wall as he went down. "What have I told you about blubbering? Huh?"
Cody managed to keep his mouth shut, biting back the tears until his father was done with him. The blows had come in a quick fusillade, his back and shoulders, mostly, and now Cody lay against the rough carpet with ears and cheeks burning. His arm was sore, too, but he figured he'd gotten lucky that his father had let him go so quickly. He hadn't used his feet either.
Cody crawled up the remaining stairs, vision blurred and head hurting. As he made his way along the hallway to his room, he heard his father starting to yell downstairs. "You know whose fault this is, right Elizabeth? If he didn't spend so much time out there..." He heard a fist connecting with plaster and hoped his mom would be okay. He hoped too, he could figure out where 'out there' was, and stop making his father so angry.
The bed wasn't safe, the bed was never safe, so Cody pulled his Buck Rogers comforter down onto the floor next to the closet. He'd learned he couldn't pull it into the closet, that wasn't right, but next to the closet, that was safe. Mostly. Sometimes. Unless...
Cody's head swam, like someone was squeezing his skull. Despite it still being light outside and hours before bedtime, he burrowed into the comforter and slept, dreaming of a place that was dark and warm and safe.
Some time later, the giggling woke him.
He sat up with a gasp, fighting free of the heavy blanket, too hot, his head pounding. "Vanessa!" He had to explain before she left. Had to make her understand he'd tried to go. He had to tell her to be careful out there without him, that it wasn't the dragons she had to avoid, but the evil kings too. He burst out onto the landing just as Vanessa and her friends were at the front door. His mom was seeing them off, holding the tan phone against her chest as she held the door. The long cord spiralling back towards the kitchen was stretched to its limit.
"Vanessa!"
His big sister turned and waved up at him, her brown eyes large and sad. His mom turned too, but she was furious, and held a finger to her lips with a sharp, pinched-mouth grimace. Cody sank to the carpet, bent back on his knees, peering through the railing. His mom returned to her conversation as she shut the door. "No Dad, he's too old to go with them. Besides, he didn't seem all that interested." She walked back towards the kitchen. "Well he's asleep right now, Dad, but..."
Cody's throat tightened. "Dad"...Granddad! He would help, Cody knew he would. He'd loved the idea of the costume from the start. Cody got to his feet and raced down the hallway to the top of the stairs, just as Tyler came in from the den. "Elizabeth, have you seen my..."
Cody and his father saw each other at the same time.
Cody fled, hearing heavy footsteps start up the stairs behind him.
"Baby? What's wrong? Come on back, Cody."
Cody blinked, and Nick's worried eyes swam into focus, and with them the rest of him and the salon of the Hightide too. Cody looked down at the tabletop, where his knuckles were white around a mug of cold coffee. Nick had a kitchen towel tossed over his shoulder, and a pan of something sweet sat steaming on the tabletop.
Cody hoped the pan wouldn't leave a mark. He'd likely get in trouble for that too.
Nick slid into the booth next to him, his strong arms pulling Cody close, tightening around him. Cody ducked his head into the cleft between Nick's neck and shoulder, breathing deeply. Old Spice and Nick. The combined scent cleared his head, anchored him to the present, and he put his arms around his partner, curling into the embrace, rubbing his head needily against Nick's shoulder. Digging in.
"I gotcha, Cody. Easy man, easy." Nick growled, his hands moving softly over Cody's skin as he pulled him even closer, until they were nearly on top of one another. "I gotcha, baby." Nick kissed the top of his head, firm and sweet, then pulled back to regard Cody with concern. "Hey. You looked like you were zoning out there for a second, you know?"
Cody didn't know what to say to that, couldn't find the words to begin to explain.
He didn't need to. Nick kissed his forehead, hard. "Whatever's going on in there, leave it for a bit, okay? I'm getting lonely out here."
Cody smiled, leaning up to claim Nick's lips, as full and soft now as they'd been the first time they'd kissed. As sweet and giving, too.
When they broke apart, Nick slid a hand along his jaw, thumb rubbing his cheek softly. "Baby? You okay?"
Cody closed his eyes with a sigh, leaning back into the safety of Nick's shoulder. He thought about being embarrassed, but let it go, feeling Nick's hands still moving on him, his arms still strong and sure. It was a long time ago. He sat back. "I guess I'm not much for Halloween, buddy."
Nick regarded him for a long moment, deep blue eyes searching him without prying, giving him everything without demanding explanation. "Yeah, I don't guess you are," he said eventually. "Hey, how 'bout we take the boat out for a bit, go sit out on the water and watch the stars? Nothing says we have to stick around here, and I bet if we hurry, we can still watch the sunset."
Cody smiled gratefully. "I thought you'd never ask."
Nick stood and tugged him from the booth, rescuing him once again from the dragons of his past.
