WARNINGS: drug/alcohol use, abuse/violence, death/suicide mentions, nsfw text etc... be cautious if you are worried!
PRE-STORY
- Kodi is almost 6 when his father dies, and his mother Tallulah struggles to cope by herself, falling into a pattern of depression and drug use
- Cowboy dad Lee, who was close friends with Kodi’s parents, tries to help them while Kodi’s mother grieves, doing his best fill the gaps that were left behind
- Despite Lee’s help, Tallulah is unable to curb her addiction, and he has to convince her to go to rehab, leaving Kodi in his care
- After his father’s death and his mother’s lapse into drug use, Kodi grows cold and closed off from other people. Lee takes him to visit his mother once a week but Kodi is often reluctant to go at all
- Tallulah gets out of rehab and marries cowboy dad a few months later, though Kodi is not happy about it. Kodi isn’t happy about much anymore, though
- Kodi meets Uryu at school and they start spending most of their time together, both coming from broken homes. They skip class together to smoke cigarettes Uryu stole from his dad, and talk shit about how much they hate their lives :’) bonding
- Bitter but together, they even go so far as to make suicide pacts with each other after Kodi stops Uryu from killing himself. For a while, Uryu is Kodi’s only friend, and he lets Uryu convince him to do a lot of stupid things, doing whatever he needed to to keep them together through middle school
- Kodi grows aggressive and insolent towards his mother and stepfather, due to Uryu’s influence, and cowboy dad is at a loss as to what he can do, feeling like he’s a bad father and that he’s letting Tallulah down
- Uryu kisses him once, but Kodi’s not into it >m>;; upsetting for Uryu… Kodi avoids Uryu for a few days, trying to work through his feelings about it
- Uryu begins experimenting with drugs and hanging around with older kids and wayward adults outside of school, and when Kodi finds out about it he feels betrayed and deeply hurt. Kodi confronts Uryu about it, and they get into a big fight
- Their friendship dissolves rapidly, each of them too stubborn to change for the other.
- Eli’s family moves in on Kodi’s street and his mother asks if he can walk to school with him, as Kodi is 2 grades above Eli
- He is a little nervous meeting Kodi, but soon comes to admire him and eagerly jogs to his house to meet him in the mornings :’) KODI LET'S GO TO SCHOOL :D
- Kodi gets in more and more fights with Uryu after their friendship breaks up, and they are both suspended shortly before they start their final year of highschool
- Tallulah, who had been slowly relapsing into her addiction due to stress and depression, is arrested for buying drugs and imprisoned. Rather than letting Lee use his savings to bail her out, she decides to do her time and try to overcome her personal demons, wanting to be able to come home and be healthy, and a real mother to Kodi again
- Kodi is angry, shattered that she could let this happen, refusing to even go and see her after he ended up screaming at her during his last visit. Once he calms down, Kodi feels awful about what he did, and doesn’t feel like he has the right to go back and apologise
- Cowboy dad loses his job in the city after needing to leave work so often, and Kodi soon drops out of school before he starts his final year to start working at a factory, wanting to support himself and his stepfather
- Kodi loses touch with Eli once he starts working full-time. Eli meets Canaan, and they quickly become best friends :33c
- Eli also befriends Uryu, while trying to fit in with the Cool Kids ;3 Canaan is worried about him, but is unable to convince Eli to stop
- Uryu is expelled and runs away from home, finding shelter in Jericho’s halfway home, where he rises up the ranks and soon enough works directly under Jericho, keeping the other strays in line
- Jericho’s house acts as a home to runaways and delinquents, giving them a safe space to rest and relax, away from the streets and police :’)
- He doesn’t care who stays there, or what they do (as long as it isn’t murder/doesn’t make a mess), but for people who stay there regularly he asks that they help chip in with housework and his personal Jobs
- Cowboy dad relocates to work on a property a few hours away from town, but Kodi wants to stay living in the city and moves into a small apartment on his own. Lee helps pay for his rent
- Eli’s father, disappointed after finding out Eli has been skipping school and smoking, threatens to kick him out of the house
- Upset, Eli starts spending his free time with Uryu at Jericho’s house, to avoid going home himself
- Uryu is his #1 guard dog, making sure the riff-raff that come and go keep in line and obey the rules of the house, although Uryu often sees himself as being above those rules
- Dodger is brought to the house by Connor (???) after finding him on the streets, freezing and hungry. He sleeps for almost an entire day, thankful for the warmth and shelter
- Initially nervous and distrustful of Jericho, he mostly keeps to himself in the house and takes care of chores so he doesn’t feel like a burden, but slowly begins to warm up to the relaxed way Jericho runs the home
- Uryu encourages Eli to do nasty bad drugs with him, and Eli, desperate for approval and attention, easily gives in to him
- Eli stops going to school most days, and scuttles around with other junkies and runaways avoiding the police. Eli’s mum and Canaan are very worried about him -___-;;; he secretly sometimes sleeps over at Canaan’s house when Uryu kicks him out
AUTUMN
- One night on the way home from the factory, Kodi stops to buy some cigarettes and junk food for dinner at the gas station, and sees Eli with a group of junkies being gross >:/ um wtf
- Shocked and concerned, Kodi goes over to the group to try and talk to Eli, who is clearly high on something. The group curses at Kodi and tells him to leave
- Kodi is concerned that Eli is there against his will, and, after a short argument, one of them throws a punch at kodi
- He retaliates and knocks them out, causing the rest of them to scamper away while he drags a terrified Eli into his car, speeding off before the gas station attendant calls the cops
- Eli, after realising who Kodi is, begs Kodi not to take him home. Kodi isn’t sure what’s going on between Eli and his parents, but allows Eli to spend the night on his couch until he sobers up
- Kodi cleans up and puts some ice on his busted lip and goes to check if Eli’s alright, but he’s already fast asleep :’)
- In the morning, Kodi wakes Eli up and tries to talk to him about last night, but Eli is cagey and only asks if Kodi can drop him at a friends house instead of back at home
- Kodi declines, saying he’ll drop him off at school, where he should be. Eli pouts, but doesn’t fight him about it
- Kodi drops Eli outside the school and he hops out quietly, thanking Kodi for letting him stay over
- After driving back home from his factory shift, Kodi is surprised to see Eli asleep outside his door, waiting for him. Kodi thinks Eli has probably been there all day u__u;;;
- Kodi sighs and nudges him as he moves to unlock the door, asking if Eli’s been kicked out or something. Eli wakes up and laughs a little nervously, saying he just enjoyed seeing Kodi and wanted to talk to him a bit :’)
- Kodi lets him inside and goes to have a shower, and Eli makes him a sandwich from whatever he finds in the fridge while he waits. Kodi is surprised, but thanks Eli and quietly eats his dinner
- Eli sleeps on his couch for the next few nights, until Kodi starts asking about why he won’t go home. Eli hastily changes the subject, and isn’t there the next day when Kodi comes home from work
- Kodi worries about where Eli’s gone, but at the same time is grateful to have his couch back
- Eli misses Kodi’s birthday, but Kodi didn’t expect him to remember it anyway
- Eli shows up late on Halloween at Kodi’s flat with a big black eye, and Kodi quickly lets him inside. He won’t talk about who hit him, just cries quietly on Kodi’s shoulder, while he sits awkwardly
- Kodi lets Eli sleep in his bed, while he takes the couch for the night
- Eli had been skimming money from his dad’s wallet to buy weed from Uryu, until he found out and freaked, punching Eli and kicking him out of the house
- Kodi leaves Eli sleeping in his bed in the morning, and puts some money on the bench so Eli can get some food while he’s at work. Eli doesn’t message him at all during the day, so he’s very worried when he comes home and Eli’s missing again
- He curses and gets ready to head out and go looking for him, but runs into Eli and Canaan heading to the door with some groceries :’) Eli laughs, saying he hoped they were going to beat him back home and surprise him
- (but oops he also bought some weed)
- Kodi drives Canaan home after dinner, pausing before he asks if he’s dropping Eli home too or not
- Eli gently guilt trips Kodi… I’ll go if you want me to…. u___u Kodi relents, and drives them both back to his flat for the night
- The next day, Kodi tells Eli he needs to go back to school if he’s going to stay here, and Eli kicks up a big stink YOU’RE NOT MY DAD!! I didn’t come here to get another lecture!!!
- YEAH, NO SHIT >:( THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOU GET TO SKIP SCHOOL AND FUCKING DO DRUGS IN MY HOUSE
- KODI’S MAD… Eli immediately backs down
- Kodi points at Eli’s black eye and wants to know what happened. Not just drugs, you’ve been getting in fights, too? That’s not like you, Eli
- Kodi pesters him until he spills the beans about the fight with his dad, and Eli tries very hard not to cry while talking about it. Kodi says Eli can stay over whenever he needs to… Absolutely No drugs in the house, though. He confiscates the weeds
- He also makes a rule that if Eli wants to stay there, he has to go to school, no exceptions
- They get into a routine where Kodi picks Eli up from school after work, and stays up with him making sure Eli does his homework :’)
- Eli cooks dinner and cleans up around the house so Kodi can rest, and he uses the small amount of money his mum sends him to chip in for food
WINTER
- Eli starts to develop a small Crush on Kodi because Oh no, he’s really nice and also Strong, DAMN
- They have a talk about Love while Eli tries to suss out if Kodi’s straight or nah
- He starts feeling kinda awful about letting Uryu take his ~first kiss~ and his uh, ~first everything~ when he doesn’t have any real feelings for him, but he doesn’t wanna tell Kodi about any of that…
- Kodi doesn’t let slip whether he’s gay or straight or… Anything. He just says that he smooched Someone Important to him once, and hasn’t really bothered with anything romantic since then
- Eli thinks aw yea maybe I have a chance with him… But also why would Kodi want to date a gross idiot like me haha;;.... he doesn’t want to hit on Kodi and get kicked out, so Eli just crushes on him quietly u/////u
- Eli is struggling with going back to school full-time, and Uryu keeps texting him to come over every other day. He ends up skipping class, just for a day, to go and see Uryu and tell him he won’t be coming around much anymore
- When Eli’s not at school in the afternoon to get picked up, Kodi calls him and Eli admits that he didn’t go to class. Kodi hangs up on him and goes home, then angrily looks through Eli’s bag, finding his stash
- Eli comes home and Kodi berates him for skipping school and bringing drugs into his house, and Eli’s upset that he snooped through his things. Eli grabs his bag away from Kodi, and runs back outside
- Kodi yells at him to come back, but Eli storms off into the street >:’(
- A long day passes and Eli doesn’t come home, and Kodi starts getting worried about him. He’s not answering his phone and it’s cold as fuck outside, where is he…..
- He drives around the block looking for him, and then stops at Canaan’s house to see if he’s there. Canaan says he might be with Uryu??? and Kodi, WARNING SIGNS FLASHING, immediately demands to know where he is
- Kodi drives over to the house and finds out oh no, it’s a fucking weird party drug den, SASUGA URYU. He’s PISSED and storms inside to find Eli
- Kodi elbows his way through the house and finds Uryu’s room, door locked. He just about kicks it down trying to get in, and is shocked at how much Uryu has changed after so long apart
- Eli is lying up on the bed in a State of Undress, high on something, with Uryu on top of him. Uryu looks up at Kodi, pissed off that this guy thinks he can just barge right on in, hey u ever heard of knocking, asshole--
- Uryu realises who Kodi is after a moment and rolls off of Eli, jeering at him. Uryu knew that Eli was spending time at his place whenever Uryu kicked him out, but didn’t expect him to show up here~
- Kodi is disgusted and disappointed in the both of them… What the fuck do you think you’re doing Uryu, he’s fucking 15 YEARS OLD??? HOLY SHIT????? IT WASN’T ENOUGH THAT YOU HAD TO TRY AND SHIT ON MY LIFE, YOU WANT TO RUIN HIS TOO?????
- Uryu gets sick of Kodi preaching to him, and sucker punches him in the jaw. Stumbling backwards into the hall, Uryu laughs and exclaims that Kodi still can’t take a punch B)
- Kodi staggers back up and barrels into Uryu’s chest, pushing them both onto the floor before he starts wailing on Uryu. They roll around the carpet fighting while Eli freaks out, and a crowd of the other house guests start egging them on FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT
- Jeri comes downstairs after hearing the ruckus to try and break it up hEY WTF IS GOING ON DOWN HERE??? He pushes his way through the crowd and drags Kodi off of Uryu, shoving him back
- Jericho goes to help Uryu up off the ground, but Uryu grabs a bottle off the floor instead and rushes at Kodi, breaking it over the side of his head
- Swearing, Jericho orders Uryu to go outside to calm the fuck down before he stabs this guy with a broken glass- have a smoke or something, Christ. He gets everyone else to scatter while he finds out if Kodi’s died in his house or not
- Dodger makes sure Uryu leaves, before coming back to keep an eye on Jericho, making sure Kodi doesn’t try and start a fight with him too
- Kodi is dazed, staggering to hold himself up against the wall while Jericho asks if he’s ok. Eli skitters over to help him, concerned about the cuts and bruises on Kodi’s face, but before he can try to touch him at all Kodi grabs his arm to stop him
- Eli flinches and drops his hand away from him, and Jericho raises an eyebrow when Kodi says he’s only here to take Eli home, not to fight anyone. Sure doesn’t look that way to me, pal
- Jericho offers to kick Kodi out if Eli wants to stay here, but Eli says he’ll go with him :’C The fear and shock of the fight sobered him up real quick, and he wants to make sure Kodi’s alright
- Jeri tells both of them to stay away from here for a while, if they don’t want to start anything else with Uryu. He’s the type to hold a grudge u___u;;
- Kodi grunts an apology to Jericho for making a scene before he limps to the car. Eli quickly gathers his things and follows him outside, slipping into the car while Kodi leans his forehead on the steering wheel, hoping his head will stop pounding
- Eli frets and asks if Kodi is ok, but only gets the cold shoulder as he puts the car in drive and starts heading back to the apartment
- Eli shrinks down in his seat as they pass by Uryu smoking and sulking on the sidewalk, but he knows Uryu saw them both;;;
- They get home and Kodi silently heads to bed, pissed off and sore, and ready to just pass out for the next few hours. He’s surprised when he wakes up at a god-awful hour to find that Eli is still awake, shaking as he starts coming down from whatever high he was on
- As pissed off as Kodi is, he can’t bear seeing Eli like this by himself. He edges over and kneels in front of Eli, asking if he’s alright
- Eli’s teeth are chattering too hard for him to speak properly, and his pupils are so dilated they look completely black. Kodi slowly moves next to him on the couch and pulls Eli close, unsure how else he can help him
- He rubs Eli’s back gently until he finally falls asleep, and he can’t help being reminded about his mother. Biting back angry tears, Kodi stays sitting with Eli for a few hours, but moves away before he wakes up
- Eli doesn’t remember Kodi sitting with him at all, much to Kodi’s relief :’3
- After an awkward weekend of tiptoeing around Kodi at the apartment, Eli tries to appease him by going to school the next day, despite feeling like warmed up garbage. He surprises Kodi again when he’s doing his homework while waiting for Kodi to drive him home
- Kodi ushers Eli into the car for a drive to get some dinner together, and while they sit and eat their burgers Kodi asks if they can talk about what happened. He apologises for yelling at Eli in the first place, but wishes that he had respected the few rules that Kodi asked him to obey
- Eli feels horribly guilty for getting Kodi hurt, and apologises for making so much trouble for him all the time :’( He says it feels like he just... can’t seem to get anything right
- Kodi tells Eli he absolutely can’t go back to that house. He knows Uryu, all too well, and he’s worried that Eli could actually die if he keeps going back... Eli, touched by someone actually caring about him, promises he won’t. He wants to be better from now on ;__;
- He cries onto his burger while Kodi squeezes his shoulder gently. He’s very glad that Eli seems to really want to turn things around this time
SPRING
- The weather is getting warmer, and Kodi goes upstate to visit cowboy dad for the long weekend. He ends up taking Eli with him, worried about leaving him alone
- They drive together in Kodi’s car and he blasts his shitty music the entire trip. Eli tries to convince him to put on something else, but Kodi just turns the music up louder :)
- Kodi decides to teach Eli to drive a bit, since the roads are mostly empty. It’s only a few hours to get there, but Eli’s excited to get some practice (and put on some decent music)
- Cowboy dad is very surprised that Kodi brought a friend, but the more the merrier! Eli’s a little nervous finally meeting Kodi’s step dad, but he seems nice :')
- Eli and Lee get along well straight away, though Eli notes that Kodi is very reserved and quiet around him, more so than usual
- They teach Eli how to fish, and he takes selfies with everything he catches :3 Kodi has to put the worm on the hook for Eli every time because he thinks it’s gross
- Cowboy dad lends Eli his cowboy hat when his nose gets sunburned, and Eli takes more selfies. Gotta show Canaan when I get home!!
- Eli watches in horror as cowboy dad guts the fish, while Kodi sits in the shade reading a book
- They cook the fish on the fire and camp out in a tent under the stars, and Eli gets a little emotional because he’s having so much fun :’) He’s never done anything like this with his family before
- He can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy because Kodi’s step dad is so nice to him ~u~;;
- Eli sleeps all snuggled up to Kodi’s back for warmth and Kodi sweats about it a little, but doesn’t wanna ruin Eli’s good mood. Wants them all to have a nice weekend
- Eli gets to see Kodi shirtless in the river and he Scream Inside
- On their last night on the property Eli hits the hay early, while Kodi and cowboy dad have a quiet talk about money stuff and Eli eavesdrops a little… Cowboy dad’s pay is getting a cut soon, and he can’t afford to help Kodi with rent anymore
- He offers to let Kodi move up here and work with him on the property, there’s plenty of work to be done around here :)
- Kodi doesn’t want to leave the city, but… He says he’ll think about it. He has Eli to worry about now too, but he can’t really tell Lee about that without opening a big can of worms;;
- Eli pretends to be asleep nervously when Kodi finally comes into the tent to sleep, quietly hoping that Kodi isn’t gonna move away and leave him. He doesn’t snuggle Kodi that night
- They hike back to the cars together early the next morning, and Eli gives cowboy dad a big hug to say goodbye :’)
- Cowboy dad tells them to come back soon, then gives Kodi a big tentative dad hug before they start the long drive home
- It’s Eli’s sweet 16th and his life is a fucking mess already, but the last few weeks have actually been pretty fun!! Eli has been getting texts every few days from Uryu, but he’s been deleting them as soon as they arrive. He made a promise after all u___u
- Kodi surprises Eli with a pizza dinner (!!!!!), and Canaan brings over a homemade cake for them to share at the apartment :’)
- Eli’s mum drops off a card with some cash in it, and a nice letter about how she misses him and hopes he’s happy and safe, and Eli cries while he reads it
- Kodi busies himself with cutting up the cake, while Canaan coddles Eli. Everything’s going well, until there’s a knock on the door ;0
- Kodi goes to answer the door and what a surprise, it’s Uryu. Casually leaning on the doorframe just hey- came to see if my booty call died, or if he’s just been ignoring me B) Kodi bristles immediately upon seeing Uryu and tells him to leave, right now.
- Uryu tries to peer around Kodi to see if Eli’s there and Kodi shoves his chest, pushing him back outside, but Uryu sticks his boot in the door before Kodi can slam it shut
- Kodi starts raising his voice at him, trying to force Uryu back outside the doorframe, telling him to GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE, ELI’S NOT HERE
- Uryu just He~y, we’re all friends here! I know that he’s in there TwT I just wanna see my main squeeze, you feel me--
- Canaan is panicking from all the yelling, hiding back in the living room with Eli, but before Eli can say anything to stop Kodi, he slams his fist into Uryu’s nose :’3
- They start throwing punches at each other in the dirt outside Kodi's flat, and Canaan starts calling the police while Eli runs out to try and stop them fighting. He gets knocked away with a stray kick, winded and clutching at his stomach
- Uryu gives Kodi a dark black eye, and breaks his nose as well as some of his fingers, only seeing it as fair since Kodi threw the first punch ;3
- The police sirens start to get closer and Uryu steps off of Kodi, giving him one last good kick to the gut and spitting blood on the ground next to him
- He grins at Eli, showing off the blood all over his fists and face proudly. SEE U LATER SLUT~ he calls, before sprinting off. Kodi tries to stand up and go after Uryu while his adrenaline is still pumping, but Eli holds him back until Uryu’s out of sight
- Kodi throws a tantrum and starts kicking everything around his apartment, enraged that Uryu had the nerve to show up and ruin Eli’s fUCKING birthday and break Kodi’s fUCKING glasses and FUCK EVERYTHING UP, AS USUAL
- The police arrive and question them about the intruder and Eli lies, saying it’s someone they’ve never seen before. Kodi nods sullenly, knowing it’s for the best that they don’t fess up about him- they don’t need Uryu coming back after them for being snitches
- Canaan sticky tapes Kodi's glasses back together :’3
- After the police take their statements, Kodi drives Canaan home, broken fingers and all, before heading to the hospital. Eli works the stick when Kodi tells him what gear to put it in :’3 Just like they practiced
- Eli uses his birthday money from his mother to pay for Kodi’s hospital bills, and Kodi is mega pissed that Uryu ruined everything… He just wanted one nice day for them, for once
SUMMER
- Eli comes home from Canaan's house one night to find Kodi SMOKING THE WEED he confiscated from Eli to try and ease the pain of getting his ass kicked >:O Hey!! Those are my weeds
- Kodi starts slowly relaxing a little bit about his extreme hatred/fear of all drugs. Still doesn’t want Eli going out and getting fucked up though; but on occasion, smoking together in the apartment becomes okay
- Eli teases Kodi about getting a lil buzzed, and Kodi eats his pop-tarts as revenge
- Most of Kodi’s paycheck has started going towards rent now that cowboy dad isn’t able to chip in anymore, and Kodi has to talk to Eli about their money situation. He can’t really afford to feed two people, plus pay rent and bills by himself
- Eli freaks out thinking Kodi’s gonna send him home, and says he can drop out and get a job too, which Kodi is completely opposed to, shutting down the idea immediately
- Kodi signs up to work double shifts at the factory to cover the costs, but he’s exhausted all the time and Eli feels awful
- Canaan helps Eli get a part-time job after school, which Kodi still isn’t happy about >:/ he appreciates the help paying for groceries, but is worried about it impacting on Eli's grades
- Eli works most days during the summer school holidays with Canaan- he enjoys paying Kodi back for his hospitality, even if only a bit
- Kodi is happy that they can finally afford to eat some decent food :’3 They’ve been living off cup noodles and instant mac n cheese for weeks… Plus, it keeps Eli out of trouble
AUTUMN
- After a few weeks of helping out with rent, Eli asks if Kodi would mind if he actually, properly moved in? If it’s ok with him… He needs his help getting some stuff back from his old house
- Kodi drives Eli over to his parents house on his day off, assured by Eli’s mum that his father had stepped out for the rest of the afternoon
- Eli rushes out of the car to greet his mother, before reintroducing Kodi to her as she hasn’t seen him for a few years. She’s amazed at how big he’s grown, and insists he come inside for a snack!!! Don’t be shy, come on :3
- While Eli’s mum pours Kodi some tea, Eli rummages through what’s left of his belongings to pack up what he wants to take. She thanks him for taking care of Eli, commenting on how much healthier and happier he looks compared to how she saw him on his birthday
- Kodi sips at his drink nervously, unsure how much she actually knows about what Eli was doing while he was out of home… Eli starts putting boxes into the back of Kodi’s car, and Kodi goes outside to help him after thanking momther for the tea
- Just as they’re about to load the last few things into the car, Eli’s father returns home, parking next to Kodi in the driveway. Kodi is almost certain this isn’t going to end well >__>;;
- Dad gets out of the car to see what’s going on with this white boy in his driveway, and Eli’s mum comes outside at the sound of the car pulling up. Eli pokes his head out to see who Kodi is talking to, and instantly ducks back inside. He really didn’t want to see his dad today, especially after their last encounter, and does his best to stay out of sight
- Mum introduces Kodi as Eli’s housemate, the one she told him about, and he immediately starts questioning Kodi about his job, family and lifestyle
- After finding out Kodi works in a factory and isn’t dating Eli, he decides Kodi is sufficiently masculine enough to be a good role model for his horribly gay son. He stands out in the yard with Kodi, while Eli quietly waits in the garage, hoping he’ll go inside soon
- Kodi asks if dad minds him smoking, which he doesn’t, before lighting up a cigarette. He listens half-heartedly to him comment that Kodi seems mature for his age, and shrugs noncommittally to most of the things Eli's dad says
- While he continues to talk derisively about Eli, Kodi is getting more and more frustrated. He doesn’t want to start a fight with Eli’s dad, but it’s starting to seem really appealing right now >://
- Kodi finally snaps when Eli’s dad starts to comment about how he wishes Eli was more like him, someone who can take charge instead of begging for help like a child (also, straight,)
- Turning on his heel suddenly, Kodi grinds out his cigarette butt under his shoe and stalks over to the garage to grab the last box from Eli. Get in the car.
- Eli’s dad calls out to him, confused. Hey, I’m talking to you- Kodi slams the boot of the car shut and stares at him spitefully. You should probably pull your head out of your ass sometime, Mr. Qureshi >:((
- Eli stares wide-eyed at Kodi as he gets into the car, pulling out of the driveway before Eli’s father has time to process what he just said. He yells at Kodi as they tear away down the road, and Eli turns quickly from shock to hysterical laughter
- I can’t believe you said that to him-- Holy shit!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kodi laughs along with him, but notices Eli’s hands are trembling as they hold onto the box on his lap
- Kodi helps Eli take the boxes inside, setting them up for him on the side of the living room where he used to keep his books. Eli is quiet for the rest of the evening, and Kodi comes to sit next to him on the couch while he watches tv
- Kodi starts getting drowsy, and leans his head back to rest his eyes. Eli leans over and softly kisses Kodi on the forehead, mumbling thank you to him for standing up to his father u////u;;
- He feigns being asleep, but soon ends up shuffling back to his bedroom. Tries not to think about being kissed;;///
- Eli surprises Kodi with a large stack of books for his birthday. Canaan comes over to help him bake a cake, and they make a big dinner for all of them
- Kodi didn’t think Eli even knew when his birthday was (truthfully he peeked at Kodi’s driver's license while he was having a shower, and saved up as much as he could to make up for missing his birthday last year)
- He knows Kodi likes reading weird fantasy books, so when he finds a huge novel with an illustration on the cover of a Sexy knight kissing a Saucy dragon he just can’t resist buying it for him
- Kodi stares deadpan at the book. I’m not reading this.
- (He’s finished it by the end of the week)
- Eli convinces Kodi to decorate the flat for Halloween, and Kodi reluctantly agrees to help him make some spooky things
- They end up making a hideous nightmare scarecrow and Kodi absolutely hates it. Eli loves it, he’s just happy that it pisses Kodi off so much
- He starts putting it around the house in different places to scare him, even after Halloween, and the final straw is Eli putting it directly outside the bathroom door while Kodi’s having a shower
- Kodi screams and punches the scarecrows head clean off, while Eli tries not to pee himself laughing. He tosses it into the garbage, hoping he’s seen the last of it >:(
- A week later he opens the front door to go smoke and locks eyes with the scarecrow, watching him from the window across the street. Kodi hastily goes back inside, sweating
WINTER
- Kodi only has one shitty little heater in his flat, and Kodi initially lets Eli use it in the living room since it gets so cold out there. Eli appreciates it, but feels bad taking it from Kodi
- Despite not hearing anything from Uryu for weeks, Eli is constantly worried that he’ll come back and hurt them again, leading to him having nightmares almost every night
- It gets so bad that Eli can hardly sleep at all, and one night after a particularly bad dream about Uryu breaking in, Eli picks up the heater and takes it into Kodi’s room
- Hoping he can just sleep on the floor and not disturb Kodi, Eli plugs in the heater and it makes a shrill BEEP, causing a groggy Kodi to wake up in alarm WHO'S THERE
- Realising it’s just him, Kodi asks what’s wrong and Eli explains that he had a bad dream… Kodi deflates a little, is that all? Eli feels embarrassed that he got so scared u//x//u;;;
- Sighing, Kodi says that Eli shouldn’t just sleep on the floor… He doesn’t want to kick him out but its. Weird…
- Eli shrinks sadly, but nods and apologizes for waking Kodi up. He shuffles back to the couch wrapped in his blanket, and Kodi immediately feels horribly guilty. After mulling it over in his head, he walks out to the living room and tries not to sound as embarrassed as he feels, telling Eli he can. Come in here if he wants to-- to the bed///////;;;;
- Eli perks up instantly, and follows Kodi back into the bedroom. Kodi burritos himself up in his comforter and faces the wall, leaving as much space between them as he can. He feels Eli crawl into the bed next to him, and tries to go back to sleep
- He has to admit, sharing the bed with Eli is really warm… And he’s very thankful to have the heater back in his room u//////u
- Eli tries to make himself as small as possible, so he doesn’t bump into Kodi and upset him. It’s so much easier for him to fall asleep in here…
- He ends up nuzzling into Kodi’s back before he passes out and Kodi SWEATS… Listening to Kodi snore quietly beside him makes Eli feel safe <3
- Kodi and Eli end up sharing the bed to stay warm in winter ;3 Eli plays possum one day and watches Kodi change into his work uniform early in the morning. GAY
- When Kodi goes to work early and Eli sleeps in, he gets to roll all over the bed and sniff Kodi’s sheets like a creep. Feels a sickly sweet pang in his heart getting to lay in Kodi’s bed, but tells himself it’s just a crush >////>;;
- They share the occasional joint together now, and on weekends stay up and talk long into the night, just to see the sunrise and people-watch from Kodi’s flat in the morning
- One night, Kodi finds himself reminiscing about the way he and Uryu used to talk like this, and becomes wistful seeing Eli stare out the window as he talks, much like Uryu used to
- Eli finds himself talking about his father and starts putting himself down, wondering out loud about everything his dad must dislike about him so much that he won’t talk to him anymore
- Kodi, distressed at hearing Eli talk about himself so negatively, pulls him away from the window into a tight, wordless hug
- Eli knows Kodi has trouble getting the right words out to express himself, but it means a lot to him that he’s trying to cheer Eli up. He thanks Kodi quietly, and resists the urge to cry
- Kodi holds him for a while, which is cathartic for the both of them, until Kodi gets a little too embarrassed and asks if Eli wants a snack, pulling away and heading into the kitchen
- They stay up together on the cold Saturday morning and watch cartoons in the living room, until Eli dozes off on the couch
- Kodi carries him bridal style back to the much warmer bedroom, thinking he’s already fallen asleep, and Eli’s gay heart explodes when he realizes he mAYBE LOVES KODI…
- Kodi gets an unexpected phone call from Uryu, asking for help. He’s been arrested, and has nobody else he can turn to after getting kicked out of Jericho’s halfway house. He begs Kodi to help him pay bail, swearing he’s changed
- Even if Kodi wanted to help Uryu right now, he doesn’t have the funds or the will to do so. Uryu was once his best friend, but after everything that’s happened…
- He apologises, thinking maybe this will actually be good for him. Uryu laughs bitterly, of course not. Thanks for nothing
- Uryu hangs up on him, and Kodi isn’t sure if he’s done the right thing. One thing he is grateful for at least, is being able to tell Eli he doesn’t have to worry anymore :’)
TIME SKIP
- Kodi turns 21 and buys a bunch of booze to celebrate. Eli and him spend the weekend trying out different cocktails and watching Lord of the Rings (Kodi’s choice)
- Eli thinks they’re boring and way too long, but he knows Kodi loves this kinda stuff and sits through all of them over the course of the day. He gets surprisingly into them by the last movie
- Kodi’s workmates tease him for getting puppy dog eyes every time he checks his phone, haha did you finally get a girlfriend Kodi? ;DD NO!!!!!!///;;;
- One weekend they go out shopping together, and the barista at a cafe writes his phone number on Eli’s coffee cup. Kodi notices and Eli gets embarrassed, laughing about how he can’t go anywhere without all these silly boys hitting on him haha~/// just kidding;;;;
- Kodi starts secretly eyeballing Eli a bit, noticing how much he’s matured since they met. When did he get… Cute??? He was just a baby last time Kodi looked at him wtf
- Eli has long since accepted that Kodi probably sees him more like a kid brother than a potential boyfriend, but he starts catching Kodi looking at him more and more often ;3c
- Kodi organises another trip out to cowboy dad’s property in the summer. He’s excited, commenting on how much they’ve grown since he last saw the two of them
- Lee runs the property now, and things have been getting better for everyone :’3
- Eli catches up on fishing practice and they go horse riding maybe… Kodi spends a lot of the weekend just. Watching Eli;;//
- Kodi and Cowboy dad have a big D&M one night about how Kodi acted when he was younger, and what Kodi’s dad was like, because Kodi doesn’t remember him very well. Lee tells Kodi they were both pretty similar at this age
- During their talk Kodi says some pretty gay things (TTLY NOT ABT ELI, NOT AT ALL,)
- On their last night at the property, Kodi and Eli go for a walk out to the nearby lake to watch the fireflies. Both of them walk closer together than normal, blaming it on the wind being a bit chilly ;3 (it’s not)
- Kodi helps Eli climb up some rocks that are still warm from the sun beating down on them all day, and they lay next to each other looking at the stars
- Eli has more or less figured out Kodi took him here to do something romantic ;3 and keeps making little hints towards it; Sooo, did you bring me here for a reason~?
- Kodi stammers and says he just thought Eli might. Think it was pretty… Eli says it’s beautiful, but hasn’t taken his eyes off Kodi for a while ;333333333
- Panicking a little bit that he doesn’t know how to kiss someone while laying down, Kodi jerks up suddenly and startles Eli, who slips off the rock and scrapes his elbow
- Kodi yELPS and scrambles over to help him up, oH FUCK I FUCKED UP I FUCKED U P
- Eli just laughs and accepts Kodi’s help back up onto the rock with him :’3 You didn’t choose a very safe place for this, huh?
- Both of them are sitting and staring at each other, and Kodi’s just thinking Oh h my god I completely screwed this up-- Wait, what- before Eli leans over to smooch him gently <3
- You did bring me here to kiss me, didn’t you~?
- Kodi just falls backwards, defeated by gayness. Eli hovers over him, giggling nervously, hoping he didn’t fry Kodi’s brain with just a kiss… Kodi yanks Eli down onto his chest into a headlock, both of them flustered and laughing as they wrestle and roll around onto the grass together
- Rolling on top of Eli, Kodi pins Eli’s arms above his head and smiles sneakily at him ;3 Leans down and kisses him again, the way he planned on doing it to start with
- The skin explodes off Eli’s berries with joy
- Neither of them have kissed anyone for a long time, so it’s a little hard for them to stop ;0 They ease away from one another slowly, and lay snuggled up together until it gets too chilly to stay out any longer
- They walk back to the cabin holding hands, and Eli wonders aloud if he should tell Lee about this, expecting Kodi to shove him into some bushes, but Kodi just goes red and mutters that he probably already suspects it u//////u Eli’s gay heart breaks
- Once they get home, Kodi is worried that Eli will try and Do The Do with him;;; but Eli (having lived with Kodi for the last like 3 years), knows he’s very shy... He mostly just wants to cuddle all the time
- Eli also really doesn’t want to rush things after his last ‘relationship’, but, he would also like to touch Kodi’s weenie. Dilemma
- They manage to abstain from touching wieners for a few weeks, but their smooch sessions get pretty intense ;33 Kodi has to go and stick his head in the freezer to cool down
- Kodi lets Eli sleep in the bed with him all the time and Eli can’t keep his hands to himself, eventually just can’t resist giving Kodi some good morning handies ;9
- Eli invites Kodi to go to prom with him, since Kodi never got to go to his own senior dance. Kodi agrees if only to chaperon him and Canaan and make sure they don’t do anything stupid
- Kodi spends most of the night next to the snack table sweating because he doesn’t like wearing a suit, but Eli manages to drag him out to dance for a while ;) nobody recognises Kodi, so he doesn’t mind too much
- Eli smooches Kodi during the last dance of the night and Kodi is EMBARRASSED//////
- They go home and attempt to get nasty >//o//>
- But it goes horribly and they have to stop. They’re both too nervous and Eli keeps getting spooky flashbacks… They end up cuddling until they fall asleep instead
- Eli graduates, and Kodi and Eli’s families attend :’3 Eli’s father makes a brief appearance to shake Kodi’s hand, and nod firmly at Eli -___- He still isn’t happy about them, but isn’t actively aggressive towards them, either
- At his graduation dinner, Kodi goes outside with cowboy dad for a cigarette and confesses to him about dating Eli. Cowboy dad cries because he’s so happy for them :’3
- Eli works on getting a full-time job so Kodi can cut down his hours, and finally having some proper time off feels like a huge weight being lifted off Kodi’s shoulders
- They actually get to go on dates on the weekend, instead of Kodi sleeping for 2 days straight. Incredible
- Kodi signs up for night classes to get his high school certificate, and Eli always picks him up so they can go and get drive-through dinner together
- Mama Tallulah finally gets out of jail and moves back in with Lee on the property. Kodi says he’s too busy with work to visit her for the first week or so, but in reality he’s just incredibly nervous to see her
- He smokes almost an entire pack of cigarettes on the way out to the country with Eli. Eli holds his sweaty hand on the gear stick for support :’3
- Tallulah greets them as they pull up to the property, and Kodi is overwhelmed with feelios. He gives her a big teary hug and she cries about how big he’s grown :’333
- Kodi introduces Eli as ~his partner~ and momther cries even more and gives Eli a big hug too
- They move out of Kodi’s tiny flat and into a nice little apartment in the city
- Kodi’s parents drive up and help them move all their things over, and their first night in the new apartment is a Nice One ;)
- A few months after they move, Kodi gets a phonecall out of nowhere from Uryu, asking if they can meet. He’s been released on a good behaviour bond, and wants to make amends with Kodi
- Kodi tentatively agrees. He wants to believe that Uryu has changed, but still isn’t planning on letting him anywhere near Eli;;
- They arrange to meet somewhere quiet and Kodi is nervous, lighting up a cigarette while he waits for Uryu
- Uryu is friendly with him, and Kodi is unsure how to break the ice between them. He couldn’t refuse the chance to help Uryu after all these years, but he doesn’t know what he can do
- After getting kicked out of Jericho’s place after a long dispute with Connor got violent, Uryu was arrested for drug possession and imprisoned. With nobody to turn to, Kodi was his last resort, and the only one Uryu thought he could count on
- Uryu apologises for putting Kodi on the spot to help him back then, and says that he’s different now… Kodi says that he’s different too, and starts to reminisce about when they were young
- They joke together for a while about how awful they were, until Uryu mentions The Kiss, and Kodi goes quiet. Uryu asks if they could start over, forget everything that happened and… maybe try again sometime…?
- Kodi butts out his cigarette and mumbles that he can’t do that… He has someone important to him now;; Uryu goes quiet himself for a while, before laughing a little. Of course you do~
- After a moment of awkward silence, Uryu starts talking about how Kodi saved his life more than once with their pacts when they were kids… Jokingly, he asks if Kodi would really have killed himself if Uryu did, haha :)
- Kodi is sweating. He pauses, before apologising for leaving Uryu alone for so long. He was a bad friend… But, we were just kids, Uryu. I didn’t know how to help you :( Uryu won’t look him in the eye, and Kodi goes quiet… Suicide was never the answer to our problems u___u;;;
- Uryu says nothing, and Kodi looks away quietly. The next thing he knows is a sharp pain, before everything goes black
- When he wakes up, Kodi is back in the apartment, his head throbbing. The lights are off, and he sits up slowly from the floor, confused;; What the fuck happened…
- Uryu’s voice calls to him from across the room and Kodi freezes, suddenly very worried. How did Uryu get into their house?? Where is Eli?? Holy Fuck????
- Finding his glasses on the floor next to him, his eyes adjust to see Uryu holding Eli with a knife to his throat. He tells Kodi that they’re going to fulfill their pact tonight :’3
- Uryu gestures to the gun, wanting Kodi to shoot himself, so Uryu can do it too. If Kodi doesn’t do it, he’ll kill Eli :’3 Easy decision, right?
- Uryu doesn’t want to kill Kodi, of course- he wants Kodi to kill himself, like he promised he would.
- Kodi tries to reason with him, Holy shit, put the knife down, I don’t want you to do this-
- Eli is a sobbing panicky mess, begging Kodi not to listen @m@;;;
- Kodi is desperate to try and reason with Uryu without Eli getting hurt, but before either of them can make a move, there’s a knock on the door.
- Uryu swears as the lock starts to turn, and he covers Eli’s mouth with his hand to muffle his screams for help
- Canaan, who was coming to pick up a jacket he had left behind, sees the mess inside and runs, yelling for Connor to call the police. Uryu tells Kodi not to go anywhere ;9 OH BOY, EVERYONE'S HERE TO SEE ME~
- Uryu slams a struggling Eli’s head into the wall, knocking him out, before running outside to pursue Connor and Canaan. Kodi drops the gun, bounding over to see if Eli’s hurt;;
- While attempting to call the police, Uryu rounds on Connor while Canaan hides behind him, and stabs him for getting him thrown in prison. Canaan screams, trying to pull Connor away from him
- Before Uryu can stick him again, Kodi tackles him off of Connor, and they roll over one another
- Uryu grabs the bloody knife off the floor and makes a run for it up the fire escape stairs, with Kodi hot on his heels
- Making it to the roof, Uryu screams at Kodi that they can still end this together, just the two of them!!!!! The way it was meant to be!!!!!
- Kodi doesn’t want this, but Uryu won’t take no for an answer. We’re both going to die, one way or another ❤
- They duke it out on the rooftop (raining?? nice, who knows) and Kodi manages to keep on his toes around Uryu without either of them getting hurt- trying to buy time so the police can get there and stop all this;;;
- Eli stumbles his way onto the roof, desperate to see if Kodi is ok-- being further from him, Kodi yells at him to go back inside, but Uryu grabs Eli and throws him onto the cement, pinning his back down with his foot and lifting Eli’s head up by his hair
- Holding him at knifepoint, Uryu asks what Eli’s fucking problem is??? You can’t leave us alone for 5 fUCKING MINUTES?????
- Kodi begs Uryu not to hurt him, and Eli pleads with him to let them go, please, the police are coming-- sneering, Uryu spits at him; oh no, did u feel left out???? Maybe u should go first >B(
- Sprinting over the wet cement, Kodi body slams Uryu off of him and Eli screams, getting a nice chunk of hair ripped out of his head
- Skidding over the wet floor together, Uryu is about to kick Kodi off before he notices that, oh no, oh god, oh nnno,
- Kodi staggers away from him, clutching the wound from Uryu’s knife, and collapses onto his knees as blood pours over his hands :’3 Eli sCREAMS and scrambles off the floor, running to Kodi’s side
- Uryu is in shock; the knife in his hand is covered in blood, and he drops it shakily. This wasn’t meant to happen;;;.....
- The roof doors slam open again and the police apprehend Uryu, though he hardly notices- as they move to cuff him, he starts struggling and screaming. IS HE OK!?! I CAN’T LEAVE HIM-;;;;
- Eli holds Kodi up as he slumps over, trying to stop the blood pumping out of his side;;; ohh god please don’t go… don’t leave me :’CCCC i love u
- Uryu gets dragged away before he can see if Kodi's alive or not :'3c was in hospital during the court trial... eli just sobbing n holding pressure on kodis wound until the medics take over 8___8 bruised n bloody n wont let go of kodis hand w e h..,, wails happily when kodi opens his eyes in the ambulance to squint at Eli :'33
- kodi ends up very tired of this city....... ;3 mayb moves onto cowboy dad property or to another town closer by w eli MMM......
- cowboy dad found him a better job opp there too mayb ;3 A GOOD END........
- HAPPY END..... they get married on the farm n its Nice