What a year it had been. Normally when one says that sort of thing, they mean it in jubilant celebration, or in angry bitterness. Not so, this year. Cody acknowledged the ending of the year with quiet reflection--a year full of ups, downs, and most importantly, growth. Cody had felt growing pains of his own, from admitting to needing therapy and going, to seeking out a job to help support Zane and himself, to the pride and nervousness that was Zane graduating from college--the signaling of a lifechange.
New apartment, new setting, new job, new them, and it all felt so utterly... settling. All of the anxious lead-up to all of it, all of the feelings bubbling up uncontrollably in his chest, it all amounted to a kind of metaphorical sighing-out of relief that a change, for once, felt like the natural progression of things. Not an uprooting, but an off-shooting. A new branch. New leaves. Wider roots. Zane loving his job, Cody loving his, both of them able to come home to each other without Zane having to stress away at studies and homework and tests--
"Can I help you, sir?"
"Wha?" Cody looked up with a startled noise, blue eyes flickering with recognition behind his glasses. He stared for a beat, then reached into his pocket with a small smile, pulling out a small envelope. "Y-yes... ah, I just need to put in an order... it's a special occasion." He held out the envelope, then set it down on the counter with a small step back and a nod of thanks. "I trust you with it."
The blonde boy wrote:Totem Garudor
Valkyrie Yonyuu
Chow Sleepyheart
Eastern Zodiac Dog [Fellox]
{Gifts shipped}