[zapdragon555]

Cody's cheeks warmed slightly at Zane's words, a small smile hovering on his mouth. Falling asleep at the table didn't sound so bad if it meant Zane taking him to bed. He watched Zane for a moment, the way his throat moved when he swallowed, then glanced away, a redder color collecting on his face. Oh, he felt too warm... banishing all thoughts from his mind, Cody tucked his head and began eating steadily, wanting to distract himself from Zane's smile. "Mhm... it was a good idea you had," he chuckled softly, tucking some hair behind his ear so it wouldn't get in his soup. He glanced up for a moment, eyes flicking to the window in the room behind Zane, and his eyes widened. "O-oh... hey! I-is it snowing?" he asked, squinting to try to see properly.

[Baconwizard]

"Oh, is it?!" Zane gasped, getting up from the table. He rushed over to the sliding door, peering out into the deepening twilight. "It is! It's snowing! Ah, I hope it'll stick!" Zane looked over at Cody, his expression alight, like a kids. He bounced on his toes, hands pressed against the glass. "If it sticks, we should go play in it tomorrow! Make a snowman, or something."

[zapdragon555]

Cody's eyes lit up at Zane's reaction, and he laughed slightly, quickly finishing the rest of his food. He pushed the bowl away and stood up, shivering as a chill went through him, and padded to the window as well to see better. "Th-that sounds like a ton of fun... i-it rarely sticks in the city, especially after rain, but sometimes it surprises us," he chuckled, shifting so his shoulder barely brushed Zane's arm. "M-maybe on the roof... that seems like it would get covered pretty easily. Here's hoping."

[Baconwizard]

"Tomorrow morning, we should check it out," Zane replied with a chuckle, automatically moving to wrap his arm around Cody's shoulders. He smiled, looking down at Cody, his eyes softening. He sighed, looking back out the window at the flurries of white. "Even if it doesn't stick; it's still pretty to look at. Makes me glad I'm nice and warm in here."

[zapdragon555]

Cody's eyelashes fluttered in surprise as Zane wrapped an arm around him. He glanced up at the other boy, cheeks warming, then leaned against Zane with a small sigh, a smile curving up his mouth. "Yeah... definitely," he murmured, tucking his head under Zane's chin, his forehead brushing his neck slightly. "Oh--wait, d-don't you have class tomorrow?" he asked, blinking and looking up at Zane with a concerned tilt to his brow. "Y-you shouldn't be late for that..."

[Baconwizard]

Zane's smile grew as Cody leaned into him, a warmth rising up in his chest. He leaned his head against Cody's, contemplating how warm Cody was. Compared to other times they had hugged. He blinked, straightening slightly at Cody's last words. "Hmm? No, I'm on break. I took my last exam a few days ago. So I've got a couple weeks off until I go back to the grind." The words spilled out of him easily, but he was more concerned with lightly brushing his fingers over Cody's cheeks, then putting his palm against Cody's forehead. "You're pretty warm, there. Do you have a fever?"

[zapdragon555]

"Oh, r-really?" Cody gasped, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. "Ah, that's... th-that's great! You really deserve it," he chuckled, then blinked, growing very still as Zane began touching him. He flushed, which sent a small dizzying wave through his fuzzy-feeling brain, and blinked a few times. "Ah... mmn... I don't know?" he mumbled, then sniffed once, leaning into Zane's hand slightly. "Maybe... I mean, I do feel... a little out of sorts, b-but it's probably nothing to worry about..."

[Baconwizard]

"Hmm. I'll get you a thermometer. But first, you need to get in bed and sleep this off." Zane knelt down and scooped Cody up in his arms. He grinned, inwardly surprised at how light Cody was, then adjusted his grip on Cody's legs and shoulders. It was a quick trip into the bedroom, and Zane gently set Cody down on the bed. He glanced around the room for the first nice, liking the simple decorations and the plants. It felt very like Cody. He brought the blankets up around Cody, then gently patted them. "Okay, thermometer..." He moved into the other room, and began looking through the cabinets.

[zapdragon555]

Cody's initial bewilderment of Zane suddenly lifting him up hardly faded by the time he was laid in bed and covered up. He stared at the ceiling in shock, then at Zane's retreating figure, his mind sluggish. Even so... his face was very warm. Zane had just picked him up and... carried him to bed, just like that. What a bold thing, even if Zane was only trying to help, it made Cody flush all the same. "Check the... left drawer, I think, under the sink..." he mumbled after Zane, closing his eyes for a moment. "Thanks..." he added, tucking his nose under the blankets and relaxing for a moment.

[Baconwizard]

"Left drawer, left drawer," Zane muttered to himself, beginning to rifle through a cabinet. He paused, pulling out a dusty frame that had a picture of three people, presumably a family photo when Cody was very young. Round glasses that were slightly too big for his face perched on his nose as he smiled shyly at the camera. Zane smiled, his expression warming, and he put it on the counter. He shifted to the next cabinet, which was the one under the sink, then pulled out a little first aid kit. "Aha!" He exclaimed, holding the thermometer aloft. He put the frame under his arm and brought the thermometer into the bedroom. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Zane held it out for Cody. "Here you go."

[zapdragon555]

Cody opened his eyes as Zane sat down on the bed, making it creak softly. He blinked at the thermometer, then smiled and reached out to take it, pressed the button on it and stuck it under his tongue with a sigh through his nose."Thankth," he said, a sheepish smile curving his lips as he tried not to laugh at himself. His eye's flicked to Zane's face, his cheeks warming slightly, before glancing at the frame tucked under Zane's arm with a quizzical look. "Whath that?" he asked, then decided he should shut up until the thermometer finished its slow climb upwards.

[Baconwizard]

Zane blinked, then looked under his arm at the frame. He smiled, letting out a small chuckle. "Oh, I found it rummaging through your stuff. I hope you don't mind." He held out the picture, putting it in Cody's lap. "You used to be so cute when you were little. I love baby pictures, sorry. Though you weren't a baby. But it's about the same thing." Zane was rambling, needing to fill up the quietness with, since Cody's mouth was occupied from the thermometer.

[zapdragon555]

Cody stared as Zane laid the photograph in his lap, his expression blank as he gazed down at it. Something in his chest twinged. He'd forgotten he had that old thing... He guessed Zane must have found it in that drawer that Cody usually squirreled things away in that he didn't feel like dealing with. He listened to Zane ramble, only half aware, when suddenly the thermometer beeped. Cody squinted at the number. "Hundred and... one, maybe," Cody murmured, sounding subdued. Slowly he laid the thermometer down and picked up the frame delicately, as if it might burn him, his eyes lidded and expression unreadable. "You... found this in the drawer?" he asked softly, raising a hand to run through his hair, pushing it out of his face to keep his hands busy. As tired as he was, the sight of the old thing sent an old fearful bad taste to the back of his throat.

[Baconwizard]

Zane watched Cody's face as the boy stared at the picture, wondering what was going on inside his head. The redhead jumped at the beep, and he picked up the thermometer from where Cody had laid it down. "Oh, crap, that's a fever," he said, squinting down at it just to make sure. Zane set it on the bedside table, sighing. Zane hoped it was just a cold, and not a virus. He blinked at Cody's next words, a little caught off guard by it, and he nodded his head, a little distracted by the more pressing matter of Cody's fever. "Yeah, it was just stashed in there. Um, do you need me to run by the store to get you some medicine?"

[zapdragon555]

Zane's words sounded fuzzy in Cody's head as he stared at the photograph. Cody had been... what, nine years old when this was taken? Eight? He ran a hand through his hair again, feeling a kind of strange unease creep into his chest. He didn't quite catch Zane's question, instead slowly holding the frame out to him. "Put it back," he said softly, not looking at Zane, his eyes on the tent his knees made beneath the covers. "P-please..." He blinked slowly as he finally processed Zane's question, and he swallowed, his voice coming out rough when he spoke again. "There's... medicine in the cabinet over the sink. Check... check there, on your way."