[Baconwizard]

Zane's eyes widened slightly at Cody's offer and he stood there for a moment, a little unsure. Flush deepening, he ducked his head. "Thanks..." He took the mug and sipped at the contents. He winced, letting out a quiet laugh. "It's too hot." He held the mug out for Cody to take again, his eyes slipping to meet Cody's quiet blue eyes. Zane's expression flickered, and before he could think, he took a breath and blurted out, "I like you." His words hung in the air for a moment, surprising Zane. His hand trembled, some hot chocolate dripping down the sides. "Um, I-I mean... crap..."

[zapdragon555]

The note that resonated in the back of Cody's mind drowned out the hum of the heater, his brain slowing down for what felt like a long moment. Just a moment ago, things had been moving, he was sure. What... had Zane just said? Cody's lips parted, his mouth barely hanging open as he stared up at Zane, his heartbeat thudding in his chest and threatening to crawl up his throat. "W...w-what?" he whispered, his voice coming out in a high little noise. He jumped back to reality for a moment as he saw some of the hot chocolate spill, and he reached out to take the mug almost mechanically. "What... w-wait..." The mug gently tapped the counter as he set it down, never taking his eyes off of some part of Zane. "Sorry... D-did you say you..." He supposed it could've been a general phrase, like as a friend, but... the way Zane reacted to his own words... Did that mean...?

[Baconwizard]

Zane took a step back, one hand going to run over his overheated face, and he let out a ragged breath. "S-sorry, that kind of just... came right out, uh..." Zane looked at Cody, his entire demeanor radiating embarrassment and regret. He'd messed up. He read the signals wrong. "I-I... I really like you, Cody, a-and I know this is sudden, and we've only just met a few days ago, b-but... I like being around you, a-and, um, it's okay if you don't feel the same way. I totally understand that. I-I just don't want things to become awkward, b-but it looks like I'm digging my own grave with that, hah..."

[zapdragon555]

Oh. Oh, Zane... liked him. Zane... liked him...? As in...? Cody felt a small wave of lightheadedness come over him as his heart picked up speed in his chest. Zane's face was so red, and Cody could only imagine his was worse. Why couldn't he speak? Zane was obviously laying his heart bare, and Cody was just standing there like a slack-jawed statue. Finally, he closed his lips, his face flooding with color as he slowly processed Zane's words. "S-so..." he began, a tiny smile forming on his lips that grew, slowly, with each word. "S-so us holding hands wasn't a mistake?" he asked, bringing a hand to his chest, as if to keep his heart from bursting out of his chest. "You... y-you did it on purpose? And you... you wanted to...?"

[Baconwizard]

Zane paused, blinking at Cody with wide eyes. He nodded eagerly, his expression earnest. "I wanted to. I-I wasn't sure if you wanted to, though. I was a bit nervous..." Zane swallowed, then let out a sheepish laugh. "Um, we were gonna watch a movie, right? Why don't we do that?" It was a little unbearable, really, just standing there. Waiting for his friendship with Cody to break or to transform into something completely different. Zane wasn't sure which one scared him more.

[zapdragon555]

Cody blinked at the sudden change in subject. Oh, but... he needed to explain himself... but if Zane wanted to drop the subject, Cody would. Inwardly, he felt a rush of guilt over his heart, but it hardly compared to the happiness trickling into his chest. It still hadn't quite sunk in; right now, starting up a movie and ordering pizza were mundane tasks that he could handle. "S-sure, yeah," he breathed, glancing at the mug of hot chocolate, and the drying streak of spilled brown liquid over the edge. He blinked slowly, then smiled up at Zane. "W-why don't you, um... order the pizza? I'll get the movie set up... sh-should be on the internet somewhere, right?" he asked, already moving into the living room with the mug, his heart still pounding. Just drop it, for now. Drop it. Think about it. Take it all in, and then give Zane a proper answer.

[Baconwizard]

"Sure thing," Zane said with a nod. He pulled out his flip phone, his thumbs carefully pressing the worn buttons. His heart was pounding in his chest. He really said it! And... Cody hadn't said no, had he? Maybe... maybe things would be okay. Zane had the pizza delivery place in his contacts, and he pressed the button to call, turning his back to Cody as he listened to it ring. "Oh, cheese is good, right?" He asked, twisting around to call over to Cody.

[zapdragon555]

Cody had settled down on Zane's couch-bed and pulled an old-looking laptop into his lap, setting the mug on the table. "Hm?" Cody looked up at Zane, and for a moment it felt like nothing had changed at all. For the time being, he held onto that feeling. It was far less confusing. "Oh, o-of course! Yeah, cheese is good," he said with a smile and a nod, then settled back against the couch, his fingers typing away on the laptop to try to find a streaming website that had a decently high quality version of Inception. Eventually he came up with a rather sketchy-looking website, but the audio and video was good, despite the Russian subtitles. "Ah, I-I found the movie..."

[Baconwizard]

Zane hung up the phone and slid it into his pocket, making his way over to Cody. He smiled, trying not to give away anything by flushing, or something embarrassing like that. "Awesome. Let's get started! The pizza guy should be here in about fifteen minutes, they said." Zane flopped down on the couch next to Cody, then dragged a blanket around him, sighing. "I love this fuzzy blanket; it's so warm..."

[zapdragon555]

Cody blinked as Zane came over, trying to keep up an air of casual friendliness as he smiled. "Y-yeah, we can just pause it when it gets here." It was better than the other alternative, continuing to talk about inner feelings and dangerous things such as that for fifteen minutes. He smiled a little bigger, his eyes softening. "I-I'm glad you like it," he chuckled, lifting up a section of the blanket as well to draw around his shoulders, then picking up the mug of hot chocolate. He stared at it for a moment; he'd forgotten which side he'd drank out of. Oh well... Blinking out of his thoughts of what might be considered an indirect kiss, irritated at himself for straying into that territory again, Cody tapped the spacebar to play the movie, settling back against the couch. "I-if you want to use earbuds to hear better, i-if you have some, we could use those... unless the volume is fine..."

[Baconwizard]

"This volume is fine," Zane said, shuffling the covers over so that Cody would be covered by the blanket as well. He grinned at the smaller boy, then relaxed against the couch cushions, his eyes already glued to the screen. It was getting warm under the blanket, although that might have been because of Zane's thudding heart. He had really said it... And Cody didn't freak out. Well, he hasn't given Zane a response, but... Zane glanced over at Cody, then back at the screen. Zane didn't want to push. It'll be fine, no matter what happened. Just watch the movie and relax.

[zapdragon555]

Cody shifted a little under the blanket, silently sipping at his drink, which was still fairly hot, despite the time that had passed. Or had any time passed at all? It felt like a long time, but Cody was starting to wonder if it really had only been a few moments since Zane had dropped a bombshell on both of them. And it was a bombshell that Cody had been holding, as well, but now that it was out in the open, it was difficult to think about. What, truly, did he want, regarding Zane?

Cody liked being around Zane. He liked it when Zane smiled, and liked having Zane around. Zane was attractive--Cody wasn't about to deny that tidbit--and kind, and... held Cody's hand. Cody wasn't sure if he'd ever held someone's hand in that way. Strong, sure, but barely trembling with nervousness. A sudden affection rose in Cody's chest as his eyes flickered over the laptop screen, and after a moment he passed the mug to Zane without looking directly at him. "Want a little?" he asked softly, arm barely brushing Zane's as he offered it. Yes, he wanted to hold Zane's hand again. That was one thing he was absolutely sure of, and that was the one thing he held onto in his mind.

[Baconwizard]

"Oh--thanks," Zane said, taking hold of the  cup. He grinned at Cody, then sipped at the beverage, sighing. The perfect temperature. He gave it back to Cody, licking his lips. "It's good." He settled back on the couch, watching the movie. "This is really cool," he said, a little absently, trying to figure out what was going on. The door rang, and Zane got up, moving the blankets with difficulty. "I'll get the pizza." He paid the delivery guy, then returned with a warm box full of pizza, and he set it on the table next to the laptop. "Dig in!"

[zapdragon555]

Cody's mind was on anything but the movie, his blue eyes staring at the screen but not focusing on it. He was far too conscious of the feeling of Zane breathing next to him, barely shifting the blanket, and his own heartbeat loud in his ears. Part of him felt like running, like doing something physical to stop the nervous energy in his hands as he held the half-empty mug in his fingers. Oh, he hadn't even responded to Zane. He was an idiot, he was really an idiot! But how do you even respond to something like that...?

Cody jumped as the doorbell rang, then relaxed at Zane's words, smiling and nodding. "Thanks," he said softly, reaching for the pizza box, though he wasn't as hungry as he should've been. Cody pulled off a small slice of pizza, settling back against the couch. "Y-you didn't miss much," he murmured, a half lie. The movie was going so fast he hardly could keep up himself. "I-I don't think," he added with a small, sheepish chuckle.

[Baconwizard]

"Ah, at this point I'm just in it for the ride," Zane said with a laugh, situating himself on the couch again, a piece of pizza in hand. He took a bite, wincing at the hot cheese, then sighed, chewing slowly. "I like the acting, though. It's really cool. Though I'm not sure what's a dream or not. Maybe it's all actually a dream, wouldn't that be cool." Zane laughed, grinning at Cody, then turned back to the screen, enjoying himself. He liked this, just being around Cody.