Time for more Fortunate Son!
Title: Fortunate Son (Part 5/?)
Authors: wrestlemanix and eric_idle_rules
Pairing: Ted DiBiase Jr./Cody Runnels
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Taking place in feudal England, Cody's family comes from a long line of farmers who work the land belonging to the DiBiase family. Despite the enormous class differences, Cody and Ted meet and form an instant connection with one another, both learning things from the other that they otherwise never would have known.
Word Count: 10439
A/N: I admit, I'm no expert on the life and times of feudal England, but I tried. Forgive any errors when it comes to time frames and whatnot... As usual, flocked in codiasi, so I'm posting it here too :)
Disclaimer: Neither of us own the WWE.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
Cody couldn’t help but wonder if Layla would make her presence known today. It was for the silliest reasons, too. “Oh, Cody, could you help me carry this water back to my house? It’s so heavy and you’re so strong,” or “I have some lettuce that we grew, and I was hoping that we could trade for some carrots.” God, it was driving him crazy. What he really wanted to hear was, “Cody, would you like to begin working at the castle today?” directly from Ted as he beamed his beautiful smile at him.
Certain that it would be a while yet before the carriages came rolling in, Cody tried to throw himself into his chores. It was a difficult task, though. He swore that he kept hearing the carriages, but when he glanced up to the dirt path, he saw nothing. The sun moved along in the sky, steadily warming as it rose higher. That thought comforted him some, knowing that when the weather was warmer, his father felt better. Being outside always seemed to help his father. He remembered when he had first fallen ill, the last thing he wanted to be was confined to his small bed in their little cabin.
“Come check on the calves with me,” Virgil suggested, heading into the barn. The calves had been growing, the bulls became steers and it was approaching the time to think about what they wanted to do with them. Virgil knew they’d get a good price at the market with such fine stock, as he had some of the best dairy cows in the county, and the females would produce good milk once they were old enough. He considered keeping one of them, the first calf that Ted had witnessed the birthing of, and asked, “What do you say we keep her around?”
Cody pet the large side of the animal, smiling. “I would love to keep her. She definitely had the best breeding of all our calves,” he said, though the real reason that he wanted her around was simply because it was the first calf birth that Ted witnessed. Of course he still knew his animal husbandry, knowing that was why his father suggested they keep her around.
“Hello? Mr. Runnels? Cody?” came a call from outside the barn.
God dammit, her again?! Cody stuck his head out the barn door and spotted the young woman carrying a heap of fabric and a wooden bucket. “Yes Miss Layla?”
“I was just walking to the river to do some washing, and would really like if you would accompany me. I’ve also got to get some water for my family’s meal tonight, and I need your help carrying it back. Please?”
He wanted to mutter something about carrying her own damn water, but he had to treat a lady with respect. “Of course I’ll help you.”
As Cody sat on the riverbank, Layla doing her wash and chatting away about heaven only knows what (it’s not as if he was actually paying any mind to her), he knew that this time he wasn’t imagining things. This time the carriages really were rumbling towards them. Ted was coming home.
Cody's heart immediately began to pick up tempo; Ted was back. Ted was actually, truthfully back. For one horrid moment he suddenly wondered whether Ted might have changed his mind about them in his absence-- but then another voice immediately quelled such a thought; Ted wasn't frivolous, that much Cody knew already. Layla seemed unbothered by, or didn't notice, the carriages and Cody wanted to chivvy her along. He wanted to go and see his Ted instead of standing there with her.
It was a small mercy in a sense that Layla lived on a parcel not too far away because it meant that it wouldn't take him long to carry her water back for her, but a bad thought (for a reason he didn't wholly understand, if he was honest) in that they were going to have to walk past the dirt-road... the road that Ted was going to be travelling down. So lost was he in his thoughts that Cody missed that Layla had stopped talking and was staring at him with an unpleasant pout on her face as she followed his gaze, mentally huffing.
"Cody... Cody!" her voice turned sharp and cut through his thoughts, making the young man blink before looking down at the older woman. "Yes?" forcing a smile onto her face Layla fluttered her lashes and said, "I've finished with the wash, will you help me get the water?" Knowing his father would backhand him if he was rude to a lady, Cody nodded his head. "Of course." as Cody moved with the bucket, bending and scooping some water up, Layla shamelessly admired Cody's surprisingly graceful movements. Regardless of their poor status she would be elevated most greatly if she could secure the hand of the most handsome man in the village. Everyone had the greatest of respect for his father too, which would also help. Soon, Cody was walking with Layla side-by-side back towards her home. She was once again chattering nineteen-to-the-dozen, and he was once again only slightly listening.
Ted just happened to be passing on the final stretch to his home when he noticed two people walking in the other direction. He had just been about to completely disregard them completely when he noticed just who they were. Even from the distance he could see how disinterested Cody seemed to be in Layla's company, but that didn't stop the alarm bells from ringing in his mind, hands subconsciously clenching atop his lap as the carriage continue to trundle along.
He could have sworn Cody was looking into the carriage but they passed by too soon for him to really tell. Ted took a breath to calm the irrational jealousy and anger within him; Cody wouldn't have gone back on his promises to him, surely? However, Ted knew his mind and heart wouldn't be at ease until he could see Cody and check for himself. He needed to see whether Cody was still his, and just his alone. Hey, just because he was better then his father didn't mean he couldn't get selfish himself on occasion, when it mattered to him.
“Father, when may Cody begin his work at the castle?” Ted asked, hoping that he would give him the answer he wanted.
“Whenever he may like.”
Wow, for once Ted actually approved of what his father said. The sooner he could get Cody to the castle, the better. Because that would mean that they would be able to be alone. “Really? May I ride down once we arrive home and let him know?”
“Sure, sure,” he replied. His mind was elsewhere, now thinking of who else he could find as a bride for his son. It seemed as though Brett and Kristen were serious, but that still left Theodore unmarried. If only he could find that student, and therefore, his sister...
The carriages arrived at the castle, Ted bounding out to get down to the stables. He really had missed riding and was grateful to be on the back of a horse once again. Looking to the side, he felt somewhat guilty as their servants carried bag after bag of their luggage to their respective rooms to unpack and hang everything up. But that didn’t deter him from getting down to Cody. He needed to see the other man again. Upon getting to the small house, he saw that Cody had yet to return. Was he still… with Layla? “Virgil?” he asked once his horse was tied up.
“Yes?” He walked out of the barn, bowing his head slightly when he saw Ted there.
“Is Cody around?” Maybe Cody had been in the barn with his dad tending to the cows. But then, wouldn’t he have come out with his dad at the sound of his voice?
“He should be back soon. He was just helping one of the neighbouring ladies bring some water back to their homestead. How was your vacation, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“It was fine, quite relaxing,” he said, now more anxious than ever for Cody’s return.
“Ted?” Cody shouted when he spotted the horse, then saw the profile of the man speaking with his father. Picking up his pace, he jogged back home with a smile on his face.
“Hello, Cody. I’ve come to tell you that you’re welcome to begin your work at the castle whenever you’re ready.”
“Dad, can I go now?” he asked. He felt bad about leaving his father here alone, but he knew that by working at the castle, he would be able to help out the older man so much.
“Go along now. No slacking,” Virgil teased.
“Thank you! I just have to go grab some things…” He quickly slipped into the house, grabbing the book and the set of clothing that Ted gave him. Once again outside, he bid goodbye to his father, giving him a hug and assuring him that things would get better once he began making some money.
“You ready to go?” Ted asked. When Cody nodded, he also said goodbye to Virgil, thanking him for allowing Cody to work for his family. Then, together, the two (and Mercury) walked back up towards the castle. The walk was a fair distance, and once they were out of earshot of Virgil, the two began talking.
"I'm pleased to see that you're back safe." Cody said, suddenly feeling a little shy and so therefore reverting to -probably- unnecessary and overt politeness in response. Ted's lips formed into a small smile at Cody's words, reaching his free hand out and turning the other's head to face him. "Cody... I'm so happy to see you. I missed you." This brought forth a blush to Cody's cheeks.
"I missed you too," Cody said, losing himself in Ted's eyes. It seemed his memories and fantasies hadn't done Ted justice, because it seemed as though Ted had gotten even more handsome and... just something in the time that they had been apart from one another.
"How was your holiday?" the ravenette asked when the contact between their eyes was momentarily dropped and Ted reluctantly released the light touch he had on Cody. It was nowhere near enough; he wanted to push the other down and kiss him until neither of them could breathe anymore. And even then he wanted to keep going. And... admittedly, he wanted to do something that would ensure to wipe whatever thoughts in Cody's mind might be lingering on Layla from them previously having been together whilst Ted had been miserably absent.
"So... I'll just need to be there to pretty much help you out with anything you need, right?" he didn't want to accidentally stand on any toes with regards to the other castle staff; many of them might have had families down on the parcels, but Cody knew that a lot of them had acquired rather sizable egos since their elevation of position to working in the castle. "Yes, that's about right." And, oh, Ted had many things that Cody would be able to help him with... that only Cody would be able to help him with. Preferably when night had fallen, the moon was high and both of them were tangled within the silken sheets that were lain out across his bed. Steady Teddy, he thought, steady...
"Right." Cody nodded his head, exhaling softly. Even though he knew Ted would probably not use him as strictly and as often as his father intended, but that didn't mean that Cody was going to be slacking around and doing nothing-- seriously. Working in the castle had to be nothing compared to working on the farm, so he should be fine.
When they reached the castle, Ted took his horse to the stable boy and Cody hung back for a moment before watching as Ted patted the animal fondly before they headed inside. "Oh, yeah, Ted, you know the calf that was born?" when Ted twitched Cody hastily went on, "We decided to keep that one rather than sell her."
Ted smiled, "It must be nice seeing them grow." Cody nodded. It had been hard when he was younger, knowing the fate of most of their animals, but he had learned to work through it as the years had gone by. "Come on in-- we'll go upstairs. Everyone will be pretty much doing their own thing today; we always do when we come home after being away."
Once in Ted’s room, behind closed doors, they were finally able to converse in peace, both figuring that they should talk about everything before doing the kinds of things they actually wanted to be doing. That could wait for later in the night when it was less likely for someone to walk in on them, anyway. For all Ted knew, there were still articles of clothing that needed to be hung back up in his room, and the last thing he needed was for them to be interrupted whilst kissing. “I thought about you all the time,” Ted began as he sat down next to his window, his favourite spot in his whole room.
Unsure of where to go, Cody stood, though he was smiling the whole time. “And I thought of you.”
“My dad actually invited Kristen’s family along,” Ted blurted out. “You know you can sit down, right?” he asked when he glanced up at Cody.
After taking a seat on Ted’s bed (he was actually on Ted’s bed, he thought, and this hopefully wouldn’t be the last time), he responded with a simple, “Oh.”
“Yeah. Every damn day our families were trying to force us together. It was so awful, Cody. ‘Why don’t you go with Kristen to the shops?’ ‘Could you accompany her to the beach?’ It wasn’t until she tried to kiss me that I had to-”
“She what?!” Cody asked, looking shocked and saddened at the same time.
“She tried to kiss me. But when she did, I had to walk away. Later I told her that I was in love with someone else, and she told me that she quite liked Brett. Now they’re courting and I’ve come to learn that she’s actually a nice young lady.”
“Wait,” Cody said, playing back the words Ted just said to him, needing to know that he heard correctly, “did you just say that you told her you were… in love with someone else? You told her that you were in love?”
Smiling, Ted nodded. He had told her that he was in love. And that was the truth. He had come to realize that it was, indeed, love. “Still am. Very much so. But… When I was coming back home, I… I saw you with Layla…”
“Oh, her.” Cody stood from his seat, walking over to Ted, standing before him. “She’s been coming around quite often lately, claiming that she needs my help with all these chores she’s been doing by herself for years… I’m sick of her, but I won’t be rude to a lady, much as she may deserve it. I swear to you, Ted, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to her. Because I, too, am in love with another.”
Rising from his window seat, Ted came face to face with Cody. He rested his hands on Cody’s hips, pulling his muscular body in close as their lips met for the first time in a month.
more confidence when it came to their kissing; their technique and the situation was still rather new, but slowly and surely they were gaining a little more finesse in their actions. Not that they would ever be kissing before others but, you know, it was a personal triumph. Cody seemed to melt into his body and Ted welcomed it; arms sliding around Cody's waist after a few moments and pulling them flush together, and feeling Cody's arms going around his neck lightly. Immediately he mentally, physically and emotionally felt at peace.
Well, as peaceful as you could be when your libido was threatening to make itself known, and you knew you were powerless to stop the reaction. The kisses at first were gentle, chaste, as though they were relearning one another-- or adjusting to the fact that this was once again reality and not just some late-night fantasy they indulged in to combat their desire and loneliness. Ted shyly, but pointedly, licked at Cody's bottom lip, shivering at the small sound Cody did as he made and then returning one of his own when he was granted access to his mouth.
As Ted's taste flooded his mouth and the curious, flexible organ that was Ted's tongue began to caress his own, Cody's hands were forced to hold onto Ted's shoulders -and a little tightly- to keep himself from standing. No woman would ever make him feel like this, that much he knew. "Mhm~~" his lungs were screaming at him, demanding air, but Cody would have happily died kissing Ted and disregarding that crucial need; as far as he was concerned his need for Ted took precedence over everything else. Slowly, reluctantly, he broke the kiss.
Two sets of panting breaths mingled in the air, lips slightly swollen and saliva glittering almost decoratively across the appendages. Ted wished he could have the family painter there to make a portrait of Cody looking just like that-- even though the picture would never reflect even three-eights of Cody's real beauty. "Gods..." Ted murmured softly, at a loss for anything else to say, and too dazed to use any brainpower to come up with something that might seem much more elegant and befitting.
"Yeah..." Cody licked his lips, a completely subconscious gesture, and Ted's mind was immediately transported to other thoughts of just where on his body he would like that tongue, and where his own tongue wanted to taste on Cody. Suddenly remembering something Cody had said on the way to the castle Ted figured he should ask now before he made it so couldn't wouldn't be able to physically respond to him for a good long while. "You said something had happened whilst I was gone; what was it?" For a moment Cody seemed non-pulsed, but then he sent Ted a shy smile that looked wickedly seductive due to his flushed countenance and dark eyes, "I... I think I can read a whole paragraph of the book you gave me." Cody announced, suddenly feeling like a paragraph was an inadequate amount, when he knew in fact it was the opposite given that he couldn't read at all.
“Can you? That’s excellent, Cody. Can you read it for me now?” he asked, ready to hear what Cody had accomplished over the time of his absence.
Picking up the book, Cody opened it up to the first page. Suddenly he grew very nervous, not wanting to butcher the words in front of Ted, making a fool of himself. Why would Ted want anyone who can’t even read a simple word? he asked of himself. “Once… once upon a time,” he said, remembering those lines from the other book they read together.
A smile grew on Ted’s face as Cody read those words perfectly. “Wonderful. Keep going.”
“Once upon a time there wa… was,” he continued, stumbling slightly over the small word, but he kept going, “a cr-crow. The crow,” he said, having no problems with it the second time around, “fo-fond,” he read, voice questioning, unsure of what that word had been.
“Found,” Ted told him. “You’re doing so well, Cody. I’m very proud of you,” he said then, leaning over and kissing Cody’s lips. “You’ve done so much in this past month. You can keep going, right?”
“Yes.” He kept reading, stumbling a few times over the words, but Ted was always there for him, to guide him and help him when he needed it. Once he finished the paragraph, he found that Ted was beaming at him, and that’s when he knew he had done a good job.
“Amazing. Look at all the things that you can read now, when just a little while ago, you couldn’t read a single thing! You’re such a fast learner. This is just the beginning, too. You’ll get better, and soon you’ll be able to read even more, and I can teach you how to write. Would you like that?” he asked excitedly.
Cody nodded. He would love to learn how to write, and he’d love even more if Ted was the one teaching him how. “You’re so kind to me, Teddy,” he whispered.
“You only deserve the best in life, Cody. I don’t want you to go without anything,” he whispered back, placing his hand on Cody’s cheek, once more giving him a quick kiss. “Come on, I suppose we should find my father and tell him you’re here. He’s probably going to want you to stay in the servant’s quarters, but I can ask him if you could stay in here for tonight, at least,” he suggested, looking down at his feet, too shy to make eye contact with Cody.
Cody's heart thumped slightly at the thought of being alone with Ted for the night. Of course, this didn't automatically mean that they were going to do... things like that, but he couldn't stop himself from letting his mind wander in that direction. The ravenette exhaled softly and then nodded his head before saying, "Ok... Let's go." he said, wanting to get this over and done with so that they could be back together with one another alone.
They headed downstairs, hands brushing as they remained just a bit too close-- not that anyone else would pay much attention to them. No one would assume that Ted was interested in men, and especially not a man who was so below his station and all. They located Ted within his study, apparently talking to Brett about the etiquette of courting and everything along those lines. Ted mentally prayed that they were not going to be having that talk in his presence. He was struggling to keep such thoughts out of his mind with Cody nearby, and they both would probably like to avoid that.
"Ah, Ted, Cody, hello." Ted Sr. gave them both a smile, seemingly quite amicable with Cody's presence; something that Cody was most thankful for. "Hello sir." Cody bowed, as Virgil had always made him do, "Did you have a pleasant trip away?" he asked politely and Ted Sr. nodded his head, "A most excellent time." Ted almost laughed; that hadn't been what the man had been acting like when he had thought that Ted and Kristen were having nothing to do with one another and Brett's name hadn't been brought into the equation. "Glad to hear it." Cody smiled back.
Ted Sr. then turned his attention towards Ted, "Was there something that you wanted, my boy?" he queried and Ted shook himself slightly before nodding, "May I show Cody where the servant's quarters are tomorrow?" he said, "I'd prefer to keep him nearby today to get him used to going around the castle and letting him meet the other servants." It was apparently Ted Sr. wasn't exactly listening to him, but Cody couldn't deny that they were both probably pleased and relieved because it meant that the man's distracted, "Yes, yes, that's fine," meant that no one would be questioning as to why Cody was at Ted's side.
“Thank you, Father. I’ll start showing him around now.”
With a wave of his hand in dismissal, Ted Sr. picked up his conversation with Brett, and once he heard his father begin talking about children, Ted fought to keep his smile down as he imagined Brett’s face flushing bright red from embarrassment.
“C’mon, follow me. I’ll take you to the kitchens. It’s probably my favourite spot in this entire place. At least when I’m walking around late at night trying to find something to eat,” he added with a laugh. “The library is another one of my go-to spots. All those books… it’s nice to just sit back and read sometimes. But my absolute favourite place is up in my room, sitting on the ledge by my window.”
Cody had his head turned towards Ted, wide eyed as he talked about all these different rooms, each one of them larger than the cabin he and his father lived in. “How do you find your way around here?” he asked, giving Ted pause.
“What, do you think you’ll get lost? I mean, I grew up here. I know all the nooks and crannies and secret passages and-”
“There are secret passages?” Cody’s voice suddenly sounded very excited.
“There are. There are all these doors leading to the servant quarters, and halls that go from one part of the castle to another without going through all the rooms one would normally have to pass through. Really, they’re all for the servants, and my parents don’t like the thought of any of us using them, but when I was younger, I’d go off alone and wander around,” he reminisced. They had reached the kitchen, Cody not even paying attention along the way there so taken he was with listening to Ted. He kept going, too, loving to finally be able to tell someone the stories of when he was a child, “Often times people would see me, and I’d get scared they’d tell my father, but they never did. I think they liked the fact I had a little rebellious streak in me. I know one time my grandfather was sitting in the library and I had no idea that he was in there, so I came out the door and spotted him sitting there, book on his lap. He looked up at me and laughed, then pat his lap for me to go sit with him. He told me then that he did the same thing when he was little and that he always loved exploring the castle.”
“Can we go? Please, I really want to see everything.”
“Well… I imagine you have to learn them all anyway, right?” Ted said, eager to once again maneuver the many passageways the castle held. “Ok, let’s start here. This door here from the kitchen leads to the dining room. Nothing special about that one. But here’s a hall that will lead you straight into my dad’s study. The servants have to be able to get there quickly because sometimes guests are in there with my family and need a snack or a drink and we don’t want them waiting around while the servants have to walk throughout the entire castle. I’ll show you that one later, though, when my father isn’t talking to Brett about how one goes about making love to a lady.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” He glanced around the room, looking for other doors or staircases and found one on the opposite side. “Where does this one go?”
“That leads into the servant quarters. Now this one over here,” he said, taking the few step to the adjacent wall, “will actually lead you upstairs into that room that I was telling you about with all the formalwear. And this one… well, this one takes you into the hallway in which my room’s located,” he told Cody with a twinkle in his eye.
“I imagine that I’ll get to learn that one quite well if I’m going to be your personal footman.”
“Of course. You know, there are passage ways that break off of these passageways. The servants have their own network around the building. It’s quite impressive the way this castle was built. Let me show you to the library.” His mind was racing in all different direction, where he could show Cody next, what other stories he could tell for whichever room of the house they went to. All in all, he was just simply excited he could finally show Cody a little bit of his life.
To some degree it was overwhelming to consider how big Ted's castle was... and didn't that just bring to mind a whole load of things he should most certainly not be thinking about in the open, and during the day? A small consolation, however, was that he would probably not need to learn every passageway.
If his function within the castle was technically only to tend to Ted, then that was pretty much a given that he would only need to learn the places where Ted preferred going the most; something that was currently being explained to him, and so he was doing his darndest to focus. He kept getting distracted though by the excited little glimmer in Ted's eyes, and the almost child-like enthusiastic lilt in his already compelling voice.
"One time," Ted recounted as he showed Cody down a narrow passage that led towards another staircase which would eventually lead to the hallway where his parents' master bedroom was (unlike what Cody had heard of some high-up couples, Lord and Lady DiBiase shared a bed every night not just, ahem, on occasion) "I remember I actually got stuck in a passageway that someone had obviously intended to block up--"
Cody's eyes widened and he gasped slightly, a hand going to Ted's arm without thinking, "You got stuck? You poor thing." The warmth of Cody's hand permeated his shirt and Ted knew he ached for the day he'd feel that hand on his flesh, and vice versa. Shaking himself slightly he nodded and continued his story, "Oh yes... I was only about seven, but at the time I was small for my age--" Ted paused as he saw Cody's incredulous look and he chuckled slightly before jokingly gesturing to himself, "Yes, I was once small and scrawny." Lowering his voice slightly Cody leant into Ted to whisper, "I bet you were cute." and the apples of Ted's cheeks pinkened before he cleared his throat lightly and continued. "So, anyway, I was stuck for at least an hour, and because I knew I was probably going to get punished for going into the passages I didn't dare call out." Ted looked a little sheepish, "I must admit I did cry a little." his tone came out just a little too airy as he said that, stepping from the passageway to show Cody the hallway they had reached. He had almost expected Cody to laugh, but he saw nothing but compassion in those sapphire hues before him.
"Just when I was beginning to think I was going to be stuck there forever," you know, the childish was that children exaggerate everything to the worst proportions, "Someone's voice sounded behind me. I turned around, scared about who it might be and it was a youngish man who startled me slightly because his hair was as white as my grandfather's-- anyway, the stranger seemed surprised to see me there, but when I thought he'd tell me off and tell my father he merely said, 'Now what's a fine chap like you doing stuck down here in the dark?' and he managed to free my leg from what it had been trapped in and he helped me out. He carried me to where my father was though and told him that I'd hurt my leg because I'd slipped on the stairs. Father seemed to know this man, though he was dressed like one of the villagers, and he actually thanked him for helping me." Ted chuckled.
"I don't think my father ever did find out the truth, and I made a point to avoid that passageway from then on. I think I'll go back down it one day and see that it's blocked up for good-- I was lucky." Cody had been quiet as he spoke and for a minute Ted thought he had bored the other and he had zoned out, but then Cody merely turned to him and said, "A youngish man with white hair?" It was probably a coincidence, but...
"Actually, when I met your father I did consider that it may have been him," Ted admitted, "Especially when I heard that your family has been on the parcels since my grandfather was around. I didn't want to ask though; it was so long ago that he's probably forgotten anyway." As Ted moved on from his story and began to talk about other things Cody found himself making a mental note to ask his father about it the next time he went home. It was just too neat to be coincidence. Seemed their families had been involved more than he had initially thought even outside their servitude on the land.
Before this one door at the end of the small hallway they were traveling in, Ted stopped, and Cody had still been thinking about whether or not that had been his father, causing him to walk straight into Ted. “Sorry,” he said automatically.
“It’s ok. I know this is a lot to take in. I’m actually surprised myself that I remember all these considering how long it’s been. But here we are: the library.”
“You have to go all that way just to get to the library?” Cody asked. That hadn’t been a quick trip from one spot to the next like this was supposed to be.
“Oh, no, of course not,” Ted laughed. “But if you didn’t tell, I did get a bit sidetracked. I just get so carried away with all my stories. I’ve never been able to tell them to anyone before. Except my grandfather, that is. He loved hearing about what kinds of things I got up to each day while I was little.” Ted opened the door, the same one that he had opened up years ago when he was found out by his grandfather, and both stepped through. “This was his favourite place, too. If he wasn’t out riding, he could be found in here, reading or writing,” he said fondly.
“Sounds like you really love him,” Cody said, placing a hand on Ted’s shoulder.
“I did. I still do. He passed away eight years ago, but every time that I come in here, I think of him and picture him sitting right here,” he said, moving over to the chair his grandfather always sat in, running his hands over the green fabric. “I always use his chair, too.” He sat, patting his leg much like his grandfather always did for him. Smiling, Cody walked over and sat himself down on Ted’s lap. “Every day my grandfather would sit here and listen to me tell all my stories. Anything I wanted to talk about, I could, and I knew that it would be our little secret.”
Cody wrapped his arms around Ted’s shoulders, cozying up to the other teen as he listened to him speak, taking in every word, wishing he had the same kind of stories to tell. “Your grandfather sounds like he was a great man.”
“He was, Cody. I miss him a lot. And I… I can’t help but wonder what he would think if he saw me today.”
“You mean with me?”
“Yes. With you. For some reason, I think… I think he wouldn’t mind it at all. If anything, it’s like he led us here today. There are other ways to get into the library from the passages, and I had been intending to take you there straight from the kitchens, but instead I went all around, just as I had that day that I walked in on him in here. I had been five at the time that happened, and for the first time since that day, I went the exact same way.” When he explored the hallways as a kid, he always changed up the ways that he went, going all across the castle, and as he aged, he explored them less and less. After that incident at the age of seven, he continued on, but it was rare. Plus, he had started his schooling, and had less time to run around with the work that he had to do.
Was that possible? Cody thought? For Ted’s grandfather to actually be bringing them here together? “You think so?”
“Yes, I do. I think he’d be quite proud of the man I’ve become. And the man I want to be with,” he added with a whisper, leaning forward to capture Cody’s mouth in a kiss.
Eyes slipping closed Cody leant into the other. Something told him that not many of Ted's other family members came into the library too often or something told him the other wouldn't have been quite so comfortable as to kiss him. Moving his hands to cup the back of Ted's neck and his cheek, Cody began to kiss the other back. He felt privileged and warm to consider that Ted truly believed that his grandfather would be happy for them and would support them; even if it was just romanticized dream, Cody knew the thought of the support meant the world to Ted... and to him too.
Ted sighed softly in bliss as Cody's lips parted for him when he brushed his tongue against the appendages, immediately taking the chance to taste Cody's mouth once more. One of his hands was curled around Cody's waist, the other resting on one of his thighs. It was amazing to consider how much Ted had missed having Cody in his arms even though he had yet to truly embrace him, and when he had only held the other a few times before when they had had chances like this to steal a little alone time with one another. If he could he would have happily spent the rest of the day with Cody right there atop his knee, unmoving.
Ok... maybe not completely unmoving-- he'd want the privacy of his bed-chambers should they progress past kissing, and he knew that should he indicate that he wanted to make such an advance then Cody wouldn't refuse him. That thought filled Ted with a strange wicked pleasure to consider that whereas others might think Ted was taking advantage, Cody would actually welcome his advances. They broke apart for air before too long, looking into one another's eyes as their foreheads rested together. At moments like this Ted loved the darkened hue of Cody's sapphire hues, and wondered whether that colour would change any further if Cody was in the throes of ecstasy... And he needed to stop thinking about things like that because an erection was not conducive to subtlety or walking around, and they still had a few places that he wanted to show Cody before dinner. Sadly, Ted knew the other wouldn't be able to join him, but he had a plan.
Cody would eat what their servants ate (and they ate much better than many people in the same condition under different masters, and certainly much better than the poor, hardworking villagers in the land by their castle) but Ted was going to have Cody's meal delivered to his room so that the other could eat whilst he was there to keep him company. Call him selfish, but he didn't want the chance for the other servants to get at Cody in any fashion at all, but most definitely not that first night. It was their night... And hopefully there would be many more nights where he would be able to hold Cody in his arms as he slept, and wake up to his face being the first thing he saw in the morning. It was risky, yes, and he knew he wouldn't be able to have Cody with him all the time... They'd manage. One way or another.
After exchanging a few more kisses Ted then reluctantly released Cody and showed the other a few more places before they retired back to Ted's room. It was already dark outside, and getting colder, and Ted noticed Cody casting a worried look down at the house on the field nearby where he officially resided, biting his bottom lip in obvious concern.
“What’s wrong, Cody?” Ted asked, moving behind Cody, resting his head on Cody’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around his waist. He glanced out the window, eyes falling upon the Runnels household.
“It’s… it’s my dad. He’s been sick for a while.”
“Sick? He didn’t seem sick when I saw him,” Ted mussed.
“Well, it really sets in when it starts getting colder. And when people are around, he really does try to hide it. It all started a couple years ago, an illness settled in in his lungs, and he hasn’t been the same since. I feel awful leaving him down there on his own. I mean, I’m the one that cooks for him, and here I am, up here with you, while he’s down there by himself in the cold shack.”
“It’s ok, Cody. You said yourself that the money you earn here will go to helping your father, right? You’ll be able to get him more blankets, better clothing… His life will be better because you’re here with me.”
“I don’t know, Teddy. I… I don’t know if it’s fair for it to be me here.”
“And have your father walking up and down all these sets of stairs? How would that be on his lungs? No, it has to be you here. You were so excited at the prospect of working here at first. Now what, do you not want to stay with me?”
Cody turned in Ted’s arms, locking eyes with him. “Of course I want to stay with you. But I wish my father could be here, too. I’m worried for him.”
“Naturally. He’s your father, after all. You want him to be strong and well. But he’s lived there his whole life. He knows how to get by, Cody. And the things you do here will truly help him in the long run. You know that. Don’t talk yourself out of helping the both of you.”
Sighing, Cody leaned his head forward, resting his head against Ted’s forehead. “I know. I really do. But that doesn’t stop me from at least feeling guilty.”
“I understand. And I really do wish there was more that I could do to help, but it’s not as though I’m in charge of anything around here.” When a knock came on the door, the two broke apart instantly. They simply couldn’t risk being seen by anyone. “Yes?”
“May I come in?” his mother’s voice sounded through the door.
“You may,” he answered, then smiled when his mother came into his room.
“Cody, so nice to see you again,” she greeted.
He bowed before her, saying, “Pleased to see you, Lady DiBiase.”
Caroline entered the room and closed the door behind her, smiling genially. Her eyes landed on him and Cody felt his cheeks pinkening; he always felt so slovenly before Ted's delicate mother. It was easy to see which features Ted had taken from her as opposed to his resemblance to his father.
When she looked between them Cody felt his stomach bottom out, did she know? No, no that wasn't possible. "You do make a handsome couple." These words were spoken so assuredly, so casually, that for a moment Cody thought he had misheard her entirely. Ted knew his mother wasn't overly subtle, but he hadn't been expecting her to say something like that... which was probably silly on his own part; he should have known.
Cody's face drained of colour so fast it was as though someone had just tipped him over, like a bucket full of water, and he had spilled out. Moving automatically Ted wrapped his arms around Cody's waist and held him against his body as Cody's legs seemed to give in. "Cody, Cody, sweet-one listen to me--" Ted immediately began to soothe, seeing the horror on Cody's face and knowing the other would be thinking that he had done something to get them caught, that they were in trouble... and he hastily had to let him know that wasn't true before he fainted.
"My mother knows about us." Cody's head whipped around to face him and Ted understood the shock in his eyes. "At the beach house," he said somewhat apologetically; maybe he should have warned Cody about this sooner instead of giving the younger man a heart-attack, "Mother and I came up with an excuse to keep father off my back about marriage-- I told her about us before we left though." Cody, obviously still in shock, couldn't say anything and could only make a vague noise in the back of his throat. "Cody..." the ravenette instantly straightened up as Ted's mother moved to them.
"Don't be angry at him, Cody dear," Caroline said, reaching a gentle hand and brushing it through Cody's hair. Immediately he seemed to relax and Ted adjusted his hold to be a little more intimate, but not overly so. "He needed to talk to someone about it all, and I... I want my children happy, regardless of whether they choose a path that is pre-ordained for them or not." Cody understood what she meant there: she was willing to accept her son's interest in him, so long as he was made happy in acceptance of it.
“So… So you don’t… I mean…” Cody stumbled over his words, trying to think of what to even say to that. He never expected that anyone in Ted’s family would be accepting of the relationship. Of course, he never expected anyone to actually find out about the relationship to begin with.
“When Michael ran off, well… I knew about it, about the girl that he was leaving us to marry. I can’t say that I wasn’t saddened by the fact that he would be leaving us to go live with her family, but on the same note, I had to let him be true to himself. The worst part is never getting to see him, or hear much news about how he is. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a child or two by now, and how I’d love to meet my grandchildren…” Her eyes grew far away, imagining how Michael was doing, wishing that she could see him again.
Letting go of Cody, Ted went to his mother and wrapped his comforting arms around her. When his father heard news that Michael was leaving, he showed no emotion when he said that he was not to return as he had soiled his name and family. Sometimes he wondered if his father missed him at all.
Straightening herself up and stepping out of Ted’s embrace, she put on her straight face as she spoke, “Enough of these sad thoughts, now. I imagine that dinner will be ready in a short time.” Her eyes moved over to Cody, not sure about what to do about him. “I don’t know if Theodore will be open to the idea of you dining with us considering you’re now employed with us,” she said.
“Actually, Ma, I was hoping that I’d be able to have his meal brought up here for tonight. That way he doesn’t have to be thrown into meeting all the servants at once while they dine, as well. Is that ok?”
“Of course. Will he be staying in your room while we’re dining?”
“Can I?” Cody asked, eyes lighting up.
“If you’d like. Feel free to walk around up here, as well.”
“Thank you.” He knew he wouldn’t go too far in any direction, though, as he was still new to the layout of the castle and didn’t want to get lost. Which seemed easy enough to do.
“Do enjoy your time here with us, Cody. I know I’ll enjoy having you around,” Caroline told him with a smile before she left the couple alone once more.
“Your mother is an amazing woman,” he said once she closed the door.
“She really is. I don’t know if I told you this, but my parents had an arranged marriage, and were married by the time they were my age. Anyway, my father’s father went to school with my mother’s father and remained friends for their entire lives. My paternal grandfather, the one I was telling you about earlier, absolutely adored my mother from the time that she was a young child, and knew from very early on that he wanted her to be his daughter-in-law. So, even though my mother and my father have so little in common, I believe she accepted this marriage arrangement simply because she liked my grandfather so much.”
“There’s so much that I don’t know about you, Teddy,” Cody said right then. It was true, he realized, there was just so little he actually knew about Ted.
“But you’re learning about me as time goes by. And the same can be said about you. You’ve got so many stories to tell, I’m sure.”
“Not like you do. My life is built around that farm. My life is the way it is only because of your family.” He moved away from Ted, suddenly feeling extremely inadequate next to the wealthy young man. How could such a man want anything to do with him?
What was he going to do? Cody knew, knew that nothing was ever truly going to come between them (it wasn't as though they were ever going to be able to go public) but he couldn't bring himself to end it. He didn't want to end it. He'd never had the chance to be selfish in life, and Ted was his first selfish choice.
Ted noticed Cody's face falling slightly once more and wondered what was wrong this time. Not that he was angry that Cody suddenly seemed to be upset about things, but he was just... He was just bothered about it. He didn't want Cody upset. He was bothered because he had invited Cody to the castle as a means to make things better for him, not worse. Truthfully he was scared that Cody was just suddenly going to want to go back home. Running a hand through his hair, Ted went to reach a hand to the other-- but a sudden knocking on the door had him freezing. "Young Master? Dinner is ready." Ted blinked, thrown for the loop momentarily. Was it dinner time already? It seemed that he and Cody had been standing there in silence a lot longer than he had anticipated, each being worried about their own things.
Cupping Cody's cheek Ted turned the other's head so he'd look at him, "I'll be back up soon, and someone will be along shortly with your dinner, Ok?" Cody nodded mutely and Ted felt his heart crumple slightly in concern. "I'll be back as soon as I've finished, Ok?" Once again Cody was silent and Ted suddenly wanted to shake him, to beg him not to leave the castle and return home. Selfish and out of proportion as it might be, Ted couldn't help thinking that Cody leaving the castle was equate to Cody leaving him completely. He forced himself to let go, to back off and go and have dinner lest someone come looking for him.
"Cody... I love you." Ted murmured softly before the bedroom door closed behind him. Cody's statuesque stance broke down at those words, sagging against the wall. Damn it! Why was he thinking thoughts like this? They had hardly crossed his mind in all their time apart, and now they wouldn't let him be. Cody sank down onto the window seat, head dropping onto his hands. He had been alone barely a few minutes though before someone else was knocking on the door. "Excuse me? May I come in?" Cody was momentarily confused about being asked, but then figured he should answer, "Sure."
The door opened to reveal a youngish man (but who seemed older than him) who was surprisingly built, a plate in hand. Cody blushed, suddenly feeling more out of place and uncomfortable than ever; officially he was a lower-status than this guy, and he was serving him. "You must be the new valet for Young Ted that we've heard about." the bright blue eyed brunette smiled, and Cody found he had dimples. "My name's John Cena, pleased to meet ya." John set Cody's plate on Ted's table and then held a hand out to him. Cody shook back a bit coyly, "Cody Runnels. Thanks for bringing the food for me," he mumbled.
John's smile didn't waver, "Easy kid, I ain't gonna bite ya. I'm one of the stable-boys officially, though I'm more of a... do whatever sort of labourious work needs doing to." Cody could see that-- he hadn't seen shoulders that big before. "I'll be keepin' an eye on you until you settle in-- Young Ted asked me as he made his way to dinner, caught me comin' in." Cody swallowed, "I don't want to be a bother--" John shook his head and waved a hand, chuckling, "Easy, it's no bother. We haven't had anyone new for a while, and I've heard-tell you're a good hardworking kid, so we should get on great."
“I hope… At least I know I’ll have you to talk with if no one else takes to me…”
“Quit thinkin’ like that, kid. Some of my family is down on the parcels, way on the far end, so I know where you’re comin’ from. My dad was a stable boy here, though, and raised me up to do the same. Lots of people here have or had family working for either this Lord or another one in a different city. They all know where you’re coming from.”
“You never saw them the day I came here as Ted’s guest. No one liked me then, I can promise you that.”
That smile was still glued on John’s face. “Don’t worry about ‘em. They were all just jealous you got to go dine with the family, that’s all. Where you stayin’ tonight, anyway? I don’t remember seeing anyone fixing up a new bed in the servant’s quarters.”
Cody flushed, speaking now to the floor as he answered, “I’m staying in here tonight.”
“My, my, aren’t we a special one? Why you lookin’ so embarrassed, Cody?”
“Because… well, I mean… I should be staying with the rest of the servants, yet here I am… Dining and sleeping in Ted’s room.” Of course he couldn’t say everything to John, but he did seem like a nice guy. “But tomorrow I should be joining you all.”
“Lookin’ forward to getting to know you.” He stuck out his hand, and Cody shook it, returning the sentiment. Once John left and he was alone in the room, he glanced around at everything. But his eyes stopped on the bed. It looked so… comfortable. He had sat upon it the other day and it had been quite nice. What would it be like to lay upon it? Walking closer, he ran the palm of his hand across the silken sheets. He then sat down before lying back, head resting on the pillow. Wow. Ted got to sleep on this every night? It was just as, if not more comfortable than it looked. And it was so big, just like everything else in this room. Certainly enough room for two people…
Letting his eyes fall shut, Cody slowly drifted off to sleep.
Once dinner was finished, Ted rushed up to his room and opened the door only to find Cody asleep on his bed. It was easily the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.
Slowly, as though the slightest noise would disturb Cody, Ted moved towards the bed. Gently, he lowered himself to be sitting down at the side of Cody's sleeping body. A light hand reached out and traced over Cody's finely-boned cheek, a slight frown suddenly twisting the slightly adoring and awestruck smile that had been on Ted's face: Cody had such large bags of exhaustion under his eyes, how had he not noticed sooner?
There was a part of him that was a bit saddened that Cody was asleep, but he made no move to wake him. He had grabbed his favourite stable-boy John on the way to delivering Cody's meal and quietly pleaded him to keep an eye out on Cody; jealousy was an ugly thing, and Cody was young and emotionally sheltered, so he probably wouldn't know how to fend the horrible comments that he might get, away.
As Ted moved to look for some sleepwear (he would have to be settling down soon, because otherwise he'd tip someone off to something not being right) and then paused as he wondered what Cody slept it-- he hadn't seen the younger man in anything more than two very shabby, very similar outfits before, and had yet to see him in the one that he had gifted him with again. It appeared to be in Cody's little bag though, he noted after a sheepish inspection.
Would Cody sleep naked? No... No that wasn't right; he wouldn't do such a thing considering that he shared such an enclosed home with his father and all. The thought gave Ted a little illicit thrill despite himself. However, the cheeky thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt when Ted noticed the meal upon his dresser desk. That had to be Cody's... And it didn't look as though it had been touched at all. That sent concern crashing over Ted, like the waves he had been larking about in on the family holiday when he had had to keep up a happy front; was Cody really so concerned about his father? Did he truly not want to be in the castle and had only agreed for his sake?
A soft moan sounded to his side and Ted's eyes immediately snapped to the source-- Cody. The ravenette was arching slightly, and then shifted to curl onto his side somewhat. A hand rested on his stomach, his shirt having ridden up slightly.
“Oh my God,” Ted whispered as he saw Cody’s rough, worn hand fall upon that unbelievably smooth, toned stomach. How could he look upon such a sight and not touch? Nervously, he moved closer, sleepwear forgotten, as he stood over Cody’s stomach. Kneeling down on the edge of the bed, he placed his hands right before Cody’s body and bent forward, pressing his lips to the soft skin.
With fluttering eyelids, Cody slowly awoke from his slumber when he felt what he could have sworn were lips against his abdomen. At first he thought he was still dreaming, but when he moved his hands, his fingertips found Ted’s face. Sitting up quickly, he looked and saw that Ted was… was kissing his stomach. His other hand ran through the messy blonde hair, a smile on his face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“And I didn’t intend to wake you,” Ted admitted, blushing as his eyes locked with Cody’s. “You can go back to sleep.”
“No, no, I’m fine for now.” He heard his stomach grumble; now his turn to blush as Ted was right there, and he was sure the older teen could hear it. “Although I guess I am a bit hungry.”
“Well, that’s not a problem.” Quickly rising from the bed, Ted grabbed the plate of food and brought it back to Cody. Cutting up the piece of beef, he picked up a small cube on the fork and held it before Cody’s face.
“Ted, what are you doing?” This really wasn’t happening, was it? Surely Ted wasn’t about to…
“I’m feeding you.”
“I’m perfectly capable of feeding myself,” Cody said. Wouldn’t it seem degrading to have someone else feed him?
“I know you are. And you’re perfectly capable of making food for yourself, as well. But I want to do this. Please?”
Parting his lips, Cody accepted the food, eyes falling shut as the juices from the meat filled his mouth. “This is delicious,” he said once he chewed and swallowed. Ted then fed him another piece, and he found that maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.
Where Ted's lips had been upon his skin seemed aflame; the warm tingles spreading out and across his body until the entirety of his body was tingling and covered in goosebumps. In a way he couldn't believe Ted had done such a thing, and in a way he wanted the other to have kept going. Food would have been completely wiped from his mind had Ted been on offer instead.
A continued blush covered Cody's cheeks as Ted continued to feed him. It was rather embarrassing, considering that he was a grown man and more than capable of doing such things for himself, but it was also strangely nice in a way. Intimate. Cody pushed aside the lingering personal discomfort, knowing that the least he could do for Ted was to indulge his little desires like this after everything the man had done for him. When the food was eventually finished another servant was called to take the plate away, this one not even looking at him as he was in, and then out.
"I have a spare sleep shirt you can use." Ted told Cody as he got up and moved to close the shutters and curtains over his window. The shutters kept the wind and elements out, and the curtains preserved the heat in. He thought it was rather chilly that night, but if anything Cody thought it was hot. "Thank you." he accepted the soft material of the longish loose shirt, then disappearing into the bathroom when Ted gave him leave to. He wondered suddenly what John had thought about the fact that no little cot had been set up or anything.
The shirt fell about midway down his thigh, and Cody kept his undergarments on out of politeness more than anything; he felt rather exposed in the shirt, the material somewhat loose on him as Ted had a stronger torso. Ted had already changed into a shirt too, but he had a pair of sleep pants on underneath. "Is it alright?" Ted asked, mouth running dry at the sight of those long, golden legs on display for him. "Yes." Cody's eyes lowered shyly, "Um... Where am I sleeping?" Ted swallowed, exhaling slightly before meeting Cody's eyes, "If you don't object, you can share with me."
Authors: wrestlemanix and eric_idle_rules
Pairing: Ted DiBiase Jr./Cody Runnels
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Taking place in feudal England, Cody's family comes from a long line of farmers who work the land belonging to the DiBiase family. Despite the enormous class differences, Cody and Ted meet and form an instant connection with one another, both learning things from the other that they otherwise never would have known.
Word Count: 10439
A/N: I admit, I'm no expert on the life and times of feudal England, but I tried. Forgive any errors when it comes to time frames and whatnot... As usual, flocked in codiasi, so I'm posting it here too :)
Disclaimer: Neither of us own the WWE.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
Cody couldn’t help but wonder if Layla would make her presence known today. It was for the silliest reasons, too. “Oh, Cody, could you help me carry this water back to my house? It’s so heavy and you’re so strong,” or “I have some lettuce that we grew, and I was hoping that we could trade for some carrots.” God, it was driving him crazy. What he really wanted to hear was, “Cody, would you like to begin working at the castle today?” directly from Ted as he beamed his beautiful smile at him.
Certain that it would be a while yet before the carriages came rolling in, Cody tried to throw himself into his chores. It was a difficult task, though. He swore that he kept hearing the carriages, but when he glanced up to the dirt path, he saw nothing. The sun moved along in the sky, steadily warming as it rose higher. That thought comforted him some, knowing that when the weather was warmer, his father felt better. Being outside always seemed to help his father. He remembered when he had first fallen ill, the last thing he wanted to be was confined to his small bed in their little cabin.
“Come check on the calves with me,” Virgil suggested, heading into the barn. The calves had been growing, the bulls became steers and it was approaching the time to think about what they wanted to do with them. Virgil knew they’d get a good price at the market with such fine stock, as he had some of the best dairy cows in the county, and the females would produce good milk once they were old enough. He considered keeping one of them, the first calf that Ted had witnessed the birthing of, and asked, “What do you say we keep her around?”
Cody pet the large side of the animal, smiling. “I would love to keep her. She definitely had the best breeding of all our calves,” he said, though the real reason that he wanted her around was simply because it was the first calf birth that Ted witnessed. Of course he still knew his animal husbandry, knowing that was why his father suggested they keep her around.
“Hello? Mr. Runnels? Cody?” came a call from outside the barn.
God dammit, her again?! Cody stuck his head out the barn door and spotted the young woman carrying a heap of fabric and a wooden bucket. “Yes Miss Layla?”
“I was just walking to the river to do some washing, and would really like if you would accompany me. I’ve also got to get some water for my family’s meal tonight, and I need your help carrying it back. Please?”
He wanted to mutter something about carrying her own damn water, but he had to treat a lady with respect. “Of course I’ll help you.”
As Cody sat on the riverbank, Layla doing her wash and chatting away about heaven only knows what (it’s not as if he was actually paying any mind to her), he knew that this time he wasn’t imagining things. This time the carriages really were rumbling towards them. Ted was coming home.
Cody's heart immediately began to pick up tempo; Ted was back. Ted was actually, truthfully back. For one horrid moment he suddenly wondered whether Ted might have changed his mind about them in his absence-- but then another voice immediately quelled such a thought; Ted wasn't frivolous, that much Cody knew already. Layla seemed unbothered by, or didn't notice, the carriages and Cody wanted to chivvy her along. He wanted to go and see his Ted instead of standing there with her.
It was a small mercy in a sense that Layla lived on a parcel not too far away because it meant that it wouldn't take him long to carry her water back for her, but a bad thought (for a reason he didn't wholly understand, if he was honest) in that they were going to have to walk past the dirt-road... the road that Ted was going to be travelling down. So lost was he in his thoughts that Cody missed that Layla had stopped talking and was staring at him with an unpleasant pout on her face as she followed his gaze, mentally huffing.
"Cody... Cody!" her voice turned sharp and cut through his thoughts, making the young man blink before looking down at the older woman. "Yes?" forcing a smile onto her face Layla fluttered her lashes and said, "I've finished with the wash, will you help me get the water?" Knowing his father would backhand him if he was rude to a lady, Cody nodded his head. "Of course." as Cody moved with the bucket, bending and scooping some water up, Layla shamelessly admired Cody's surprisingly graceful movements. Regardless of their poor status she would be elevated most greatly if she could secure the hand of the most handsome man in the village. Everyone had the greatest of respect for his father too, which would also help. Soon, Cody was walking with Layla side-by-side back towards her home. She was once again chattering nineteen-to-the-dozen, and he was once again only slightly listening.
Ted just happened to be passing on the final stretch to his home when he noticed two people walking in the other direction. He had just been about to completely disregard them completely when he noticed just who they were. Even from the distance he could see how disinterested Cody seemed to be in Layla's company, but that didn't stop the alarm bells from ringing in his mind, hands subconsciously clenching atop his lap as the carriage continue to trundle along.
He could have sworn Cody was looking into the carriage but they passed by too soon for him to really tell. Ted took a breath to calm the irrational jealousy and anger within him; Cody wouldn't have gone back on his promises to him, surely? However, Ted knew his mind and heart wouldn't be at ease until he could see Cody and check for himself. He needed to see whether Cody was still his, and just his alone. Hey, just because he was better then his father didn't mean he couldn't get selfish himself on occasion, when it mattered to him.
“Father, when may Cody begin his work at the castle?” Ted asked, hoping that he would give him the answer he wanted.
“Whenever he may like.”
Wow, for once Ted actually approved of what his father said. The sooner he could get Cody to the castle, the better. Because that would mean that they would be able to be alone. “Really? May I ride down once we arrive home and let him know?”
“Sure, sure,” he replied. His mind was elsewhere, now thinking of who else he could find as a bride for his son. It seemed as though Brett and Kristen were serious, but that still left Theodore unmarried. If only he could find that student, and therefore, his sister...
The carriages arrived at the castle, Ted bounding out to get down to the stables. He really had missed riding and was grateful to be on the back of a horse once again. Looking to the side, he felt somewhat guilty as their servants carried bag after bag of their luggage to their respective rooms to unpack and hang everything up. But that didn’t deter him from getting down to Cody. He needed to see the other man again. Upon getting to the small house, he saw that Cody had yet to return. Was he still… with Layla? “Virgil?” he asked once his horse was tied up.
“Yes?” He walked out of the barn, bowing his head slightly when he saw Ted there.
“Is Cody around?” Maybe Cody had been in the barn with his dad tending to the cows. But then, wouldn’t he have come out with his dad at the sound of his voice?
“He should be back soon. He was just helping one of the neighbouring ladies bring some water back to their homestead. How was your vacation, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“It was fine, quite relaxing,” he said, now more anxious than ever for Cody’s return.
“Ted?” Cody shouted when he spotted the horse, then saw the profile of the man speaking with his father. Picking up his pace, he jogged back home with a smile on his face.
“Hello, Cody. I’ve come to tell you that you’re welcome to begin your work at the castle whenever you’re ready.”
“Dad, can I go now?” he asked. He felt bad about leaving his father here alone, but he knew that by working at the castle, he would be able to help out the older man so much.
“Go along now. No slacking,” Virgil teased.
“Thank you! I just have to go grab some things…” He quickly slipped into the house, grabbing the book and the set of clothing that Ted gave him. Once again outside, he bid goodbye to his father, giving him a hug and assuring him that things would get better once he began making some money.
“You ready to go?” Ted asked. When Cody nodded, he also said goodbye to Virgil, thanking him for allowing Cody to work for his family. Then, together, the two (and Mercury) walked back up towards the castle. The walk was a fair distance, and once they were out of earshot of Virgil, the two began talking.
"I'm pleased to see that you're back safe." Cody said, suddenly feeling a little shy and so therefore reverting to -probably- unnecessary and overt politeness in response. Ted's lips formed into a small smile at Cody's words, reaching his free hand out and turning the other's head to face him. "Cody... I'm so happy to see you. I missed you." This brought forth a blush to Cody's cheeks.
"I missed you too," Cody said, losing himself in Ted's eyes. It seemed his memories and fantasies hadn't done Ted justice, because it seemed as though Ted had gotten even more handsome and... just something in the time that they had been apart from one another.
"How was your holiday?" the ravenette asked when the contact between their eyes was momentarily dropped and Ted reluctantly released the light touch he had on Cody. It was nowhere near enough; he wanted to push the other down and kiss him until neither of them could breathe anymore. And even then he wanted to keep going. And... admittedly, he wanted to do something that would ensure to wipe whatever thoughts in Cody's mind might be lingering on Layla from them previously having been together whilst Ted had been miserably absent.
"So... I'll just need to be there to pretty much help you out with anything you need, right?" he didn't want to accidentally stand on any toes with regards to the other castle staff; many of them might have had families down on the parcels, but Cody knew that a lot of them had acquired rather sizable egos since their elevation of position to working in the castle. "Yes, that's about right." And, oh, Ted had many things that Cody would be able to help him with... that only Cody would be able to help him with. Preferably when night had fallen, the moon was high and both of them were tangled within the silken sheets that were lain out across his bed. Steady Teddy, he thought, steady...
"Right." Cody nodded his head, exhaling softly. Even though he knew Ted would probably not use him as strictly and as often as his father intended, but that didn't mean that Cody was going to be slacking around and doing nothing-- seriously. Working in the castle had to be nothing compared to working on the farm, so he should be fine.
When they reached the castle, Ted took his horse to the stable boy and Cody hung back for a moment before watching as Ted patted the animal fondly before they headed inside. "Oh, yeah, Ted, you know the calf that was born?" when Ted twitched Cody hastily went on, "We decided to keep that one rather than sell her."
Ted smiled, "It must be nice seeing them grow." Cody nodded. It had been hard when he was younger, knowing the fate of most of their animals, but he had learned to work through it as the years had gone by. "Come on in-- we'll go upstairs. Everyone will be pretty much doing their own thing today; we always do when we come home after being away."
Once in Ted’s room, behind closed doors, they were finally able to converse in peace, both figuring that they should talk about everything before doing the kinds of things they actually wanted to be doing. That could wait for later in the night when it was less likely for someone to walk in on them, anyway. For all Ted knew, there were still articles of clothing that needed to be hung back up in his room, and the last thing he needed was for them to be interrupted whilst kissing. “I thought about you all the time,” Ted began as he sat down next to his window, his favourite spot in his whole room.
Unsure of where to go, Cody stood, though he was smiling the whole time. “And I thought of you.”
“My dad actually invited Kristen’s family along,” Ted blurted out. “You know you can sit down, right?” he asked when he glanced up at Cody.
After taking a seat on Ted’s bed (he was actually on Ted’s bed, he thought, and this hopefully wouldn’t be the last time), he responded with a simple, “Oh.”
“Yeah. Every damn day our families were trying to force us together. It was so awful, Cody. ‘Why don’t you go with Kristen to the shops?’ ‘Could you accompany her to the beach?’ It wasn’t until she tried to kiss me that I had to-”
“She what?!” Cody asked, looking shocked and saddened at the same time.
“She tried to kiss me. But when she did, I had to walk away. Later I told her that I was in love with someone else, and she told me that she quite liked Brett. Now they’re courting and I’ve come to learn that she’s actually a nice young lady.”
“Wait,” Cody said, playing back the words Ted just said to him, needing to know that he heard correctly, “did you just say that you told her you were… in love with someone else? You told her that you were in love?”
Smiling, Ted nodded. He had told her that he was in love. And that was the truth. He had come to realize that it was, indeed, love. “Still am. Very much so. But… When I was coming back home, I… I saw you with Layla…”
“Oh, her.” Cody stood from his seat, walking over to Ted, standing before him. “She’s been coming around quite often lately, claiming that she needs my help with all these chores she’s been doing by herself for years… I’m sick of her, but I won’t be rude to a lady, much as she may deserve it. I swear to you, Ted, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to her. Because I, too, am in love with another.”
Rising from his window seat, Ted came face to face with Cody. He rested his hands on Cody’s hips, pulling his muscular body in close as their lips met for the first time in a month.
more confidence when it came to their kissing; their technique and the situation was still rather new, but slowly and surely they were gaining a little more finesse in their actions. Not that they would ever be kissing before others but, you know, it was a personal triumph. Cody seemed to melt into his body and Ted welcomed it; arms sliding around Cody's waist after a few moments and pulling them flush together, and feeling Cody's arms going around his neck lightly. Immediately he mentally, physically and emotionally felt at peace.
Well, as peaceful as you could be when your libido was threatening to make itself known, and you knew you were powerless to stop the reaction. The kisses at first were gentle, chaste, as though they were relearning one another-- or adjusting to the fact that this was once again reality and not just some late-night fantasy they indulged in to combat their desire and loneliness. Ted shyly, but pointedly, licked at Cody's bottom lip, shivering at the small sound Cody did as he made and then returning one of his own when he was granted access to his mouth.
As Ted's taste flooded his mouth and the curious, flexible organ that was Ted's tongue began to caress his own, Cody's hands were forced to hold onto Ted's shoulders -and a little tightly- to keep himself from standing. No woman would ever make him feel like this, that much he knew. "Mhm~~" his lungs were screaming at him, demanding air, but Cody would have happily died kissing Ted and disregarding that crucial need; as far as he was concerned his need for Ted took precedence over everything else. Slowly, reluctantly, he broke the kiss.
Two sets of panting breaths mingled in the air, lips slightly swollen and saliva glittering almost decoratively across the appendages. Ted wished he could have the family painter there to make a portrait of Cody looking just like that-- even though the picture would never reflect even three-eights of Cody's real beauty. "Gods..." Ted murmured softly, at a loss for anything else to say, and too dazed to use any brainpower to come up with something that might seem much more elegant and befitting.
"Yeah..." Cody licked his lips, a completely subconscious gesture, and Ted's mind was immediately transported to other thoughts of just where on his body he would like that tongue, and where his own tongue wanted to taste on Cody. Suddenly remembering something Cody had said on the way to the castle Ted figured he should ask now before he made it so couldn't wouldn't be able to physically respond to him for a good long while. "You said something had happened whilst I was gone; what was it?" For a moment Cody seemed non-pulsed, but then he sent Ted a shy smile that looked wickedly seductive due to his flushed countenance and dark eyes, "I... I think I can read a whole paragraph of the book you gave me." Cody announced, suddenly feeling like a paragraph was an inadequate amount, when he knew in fact it was the opposite given that he couldn't read at all.
“Can you? That’s excellent, Cody. Can you read it for me now?” he asked, ready to hear what Cody had accomplished over the time of his absence.
Picking up the book, Cody opened it up to the first page. Suddenly he grew very nervous, not wanting to butcher the words in front of Ted, making a fool of himself. Why would Ted want anyone who can’t even read a simple word? he asked of himself. “Once… once upon a time,” he said, remembering those lines from the other book they read together.
A smile grew on Ted’s face as Cody read those words perfectly. “Wonderful. Keep going.”
“Once upon a time there wa… was,” he continued, stumbling slightly over the small word, but he kept going, “a cr-crow. The crow,” he said, having no problems with it the second time around, “fo-fond,” he read, voice questioning, unsure of what that word had been.
“Found,” Ted told him. “You’re doing so well, Cody. I’m very proud of you,” he said then, leaning over and kissing Cody’s lips. “You’ve done so much in this past month. You can keep going, right?”
“Yes.” He kept reading, stumbling a few times over the words, but Ted was always there for him, to guide him and help him when he needed it. Once he finished the paragraph, he found that Ted was beaming at him, and that’s when he knew he had done a good job.
“Amazing. Look at all the things that you can read now, when just a little while ago, you couldn’t read a single thing! You’re such a fast learner. This is just the beginning, too. You’ll get better, and soon you’ll be able to read even more, and I can teach you how to write. Would you like that?” he asked excitedly.
Cody nodded. He would love to learn how to write, and he’d love even more if Ted was the one teaching him how. “You’re so kind to me, Teddy,” he whispered.
“You only deserve the best in life, Cody. I don’t want you to go without anything,” he whispered back, placing his hand on Cody’s cheek, once more giving him a quick kiss. “Come on, I suppose we should find my father and tell him you’re here. He’s probably going to want you to stay in the servant’s quarters, but I can ask him if you could stay in here for tonight, at least,” he suggested, looking down at his feet, too shy to make eye contact with Cody.
Cody's heart thumped slightly at the thought of being alone with Ted for the night. Of course, this didn't automatically mean that they were going to do... things like that, but he couldn't stop himself from letting his mind wander in that direction. The ravenette exhaled softly and then nodded his head before saying, "Ok... Let's go." he said, wanting to get this over and done with so that they could be back together with one another alone.
They headed downstairs, hands brushing as they remained just a bit too close-- not that anyone else would pay much attention to them. No one would assume that Ted was interested in men, and especially not a man who was so below his station and all. They located Ted within his study, apparently talking to Brett about the etiquette of courting and everything along those lines. Ted mentally prayed that they were not going to be having that talk in his presence. He was struggling to keep such thoughts out of his mind with Cody nearby, and they both would probably like to avoid that.
"Ah, Ted, Cody, hello." Ted Sr. gave them both a smile, seemingly quite amicable with Cody's presence; something that Cody was most thankful for. "Hello sir." Cody bowed, as Virgil had always made him do, "Did you have a pleasant trip away?" he asked politely and Ted Sr. nodded his head, "A most excellent time." Ted almost laughed; that hadn't been what the man had been acting like when he had thought that Ted and Kristen were having nothing to do with one another and Brett's name hadn't been brought into the equation. "Glad to hear it." Cody smiled back.
Ted Sr. then turned his attention towards Ted, "Was there something that you wanted, my boy?" he queried and Ted shook himself slightly before nodding, "May I show Cody where the servant's quarters are tomorrow?" he said, "I'd prefer to keep him nearby today to get him used to going around the castle and letting him meet the other servants." It was apparently Ted Sr. wasn't exactly listening to him, but Cody couldn't deny that they were both probably pleased and relieved because it meant that the man's distracted, "Yes, yes, that's fine," meant that no one would be questioning as to why Cody was at Ted's side.
“Thank you, Father. I’ll start showing him around now.”
With a wave of his hand in dismissal, Ted Sr. picked up his conversation with Brett, and once he heard his father begin talking about children, Ted fought to keep his smile down as he imagined Brett’s face flushing bright red from embarrassment.
“C’mon, follow me. I’ll take you to the kitchens. It’s probably my favourite spot in this entire place. At least when I’m walking around late at night trying to find something to eat,” he added with a laugh. “The library is another one of my go-to spots. All those books… it’s nice to just sit back and read sometimes. But my absolute favourite place is up in my room, sitting on the ledge by my window.”
Cody had his head turned towards Ted, wide eyed as he talked about all these different rooms, each one of them larger than the cabin he and his father lived in. “How do you find your way around here?” he asked, giving Ted pause.
“What, do you think you’ll get lost? I mean, I grew up here. I know all the nooks and crannies and secret passages and-”
“There are secret passages?” Cody’s voice suddenly sounded very excited.
“There are. There are all these doors leading to the servant quarters, and halls that go from one part of the castle to another without going through all the rooms one would normally have to pass through. Really, they’re all for the servants, and my parents don’t like the thought of any of us using them, but when I was younger, I’d go off alone and wander around,” he reminisced. They had reached the kitchen, Cody not even paying attention along the way there so taken he was with listening to Ted. He kept going, too, loving to finally be able to tell someone the stories of when he was a child, “Often times people would see me, and I’d get scared they’d tell my father, but they never did. I think they liked the fact I had a little rebellious streak in me. I know one time my grandfather was sitting in the library and I had no idea that he was in there, so I came out the door and spotted him sitting there, book on his lap. He looked up at me and laughed, then pat his lap for me to go sit with him. He told me then that he did the same thing when he was little and that he always loved exploring the castle.”
“Can we go? Please, I really want to see everything.”
“Well… I imagine you have to learn them all anyway, right?” Ted said, eager to once again maneuver the many passageways the castle held. “Ok, let’s start here. This door here from the kitchen leads to the dining room. Nothing special about that one. But here’s a hall that will lead you straight into my dad’s study. The servants have to be able to get there quickly because sometimes guests are in there with my family and need a snack or a drink and we don’t want them waiting around while the servants have to walk throughout the entire castle. I’ll show you that one later, though, when my father isn’t talking to Brett about how one goes about making love to a lady.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” He glanced around the room, looking for other doors or staircases and found one on the opposite side. “Where does this one go?”
“That leads into the servant quarters. Now this one over here,” he said, taking the few step to the adjacent wall, “will actually lead you upstairs into that room that I was telling you about with all the formalwear. And this one… well, this one takes you into the hallway in which my room’s located,” he told Cody with a twinkle in his eye.
“I imagine that I’ll get to learn that one quite well if I’m going to be your personal footman.”
“Of course. You know, there are passage ways that break off of these passageways. The servants have their own network around the building. It’s quite impressive the way this castle was built. Let me show you to the library.” His mind was racing in all different direction, where he could show Cody next, what other stories he could tell for whichever room of the house they went to. All in all, he was just simply excited he could finally show Cody a little bit of his life.
To some degree it was overwhelming to consider how big Ted's castle was... and didn't that just bring to mind a whole load of things he should most certainly not be thinking about in the open, and during the day? A small consolation, however, was that he would probably not need to learn every passageway.
If his function within the castle was technically only to tend to Ted, then that was pretty much a given that he would only need to learn the places where Ted preferred going the most; something that was currently being explained to him, and so he was doing his darndest to focus. He kept getting distracted though by the excited little glimmer in Ted's eyes, and the almost child-like enthusiastic lilt in his already compelling voice.
"One time," Ted recounted as he showed Cody down a narrow passage that led towards another staircase which would eventually lead to the hallway where his parents' master bedroom was (unlike what Cody had heard of some high-up couples, Lord and Lady DiBiase shared a bed every night not just, ahem, on occasion) "I remember I actually got stuck in a passageway that someone had obviously intended to block up--"
Cody's eyes widened and he gasped slightly, a hand going to Ted's arm without thinking, "You got stuck? You poor thing." The warmth of Cody's hand permeated his shirt and Ted knew he ached for the day he'd feel that hand on his flesh, and vice versa. Shaking himself slightly he nodded and continued his story, "Oh yes... I was only about seven, but at the time I was small for my age--" Ted paused as he saw Cody's incredulous look and he chuckled slightly before jokingly gesturing to himself, "Yes, I was once small and scrawny." Lowering his voice slightly Cody leant into Ted to whisper, "I bet you were cute." and the apples of Ted's cheeks pinkened before he cleared his throat lightly and continued. "So, anyway, I was stuck for at least an hour, and because I knew I was probably going to get punished for going into the passages I didn't dare call out." Ted looked a little sheepish, "I must admit I did cry a little." his tone came out just a little too airy as he said that, stepping from the passageway to show Cody the hallway they had reached. He had almost expected Cody to laugh, but he saw nothing but compassion in those sapphire hues before him.
"Just when I was beginning to think I was going to be stuck there forever," you know, the childish was that children exaggerate everything to the worst proportions, "Someone's voice sounded behind me. I turned around, scared about who it might be and it was a youngish man who startled me slightly because his hair was as white as my grandfather's-- anyway, the stranger seemed surprised to see me there, but when I thought he'd tell me off and tell my father he merely said, 'Now what's a fine chap like you doing stuck down here in the dark?' and he managed to free my leg from what it had been trapped in and he helped me out. He carried me to where my father was though and told him that I'd hurt my leg because I'd slipped on the stairs. Father seemed to know this man, though he was dressed like one of the villagers, and he actually thanked him for helping me." Ted chuckled.
"I don't think my father ever did find out the truth, and I made a point to avoid that passageway from then on. I think I'll go back down it one day and see that it's blocked up for good-- I was lucky." Cody had been quiet as he spoke and for a minute Ted thought he had bored the other and he had zoned out, but then Cody merely turned to him and said, "A youngish man with white hair?" It was probably a coincidence, but...
"Actually, when I met your father I did consider that it may have been him," Ted admitted, "Especially when I heard that your family has been on the parcels since my grandfather was around. I didn't want to ask though; it was so long ago that he's probably forgotten anyway." As Ted moved on from his story and began to talk about other things Cody found himself making a mental note to ask his father about it the next time he went home. It was just too neat to be coincidence. Seemed their families had been involved more than he had initially thought even outside their servitude on the land.
Before this one door at the end of the small hallway they were traveling in, Ted stopped, and Cody had still been thinking about whether or not that had been his father, causing him to walk straight into Ted. “Sorry,” he said automatically.
“It’s ok. I know this is a lot to take in. I’m actually surprised myself that I remember all these considering how long it’s been. But here we are: the library.”
“You have to go all that way just to get to the library?” Cody asked. That hadn’t been a quick trip from one spot to the next like this was supposed to be.
“Oh, no, of course not,” Ted laughed. “But if you didn’t tell, I did get a bit sidetracked. I just get so carried away with all my stories. I’ve never been able to tell them to anyone before. Except my grandfather, that is. He loved hearing about what kinds of things I got up to each day while I was little.” Ted opened the door, the same one that he had opened up years ago when he was found out by his grandfather, and both stepped through. “This was his favourite place, too. If he wasn’t out riding, he could be found in here, reading or writing,” he said fondly.
“Sounds like you really love him,” Cody said, placing a hand on Ted’s shoulder.
“I did. I still do. He passed away eight years ago, but every time that I come in here, I think of him and picture him sitting right here,” he said, moving over to the chair his grandfather always sat in, running his hands over the green fabric. “I always use his chair, too.” He sat, patting his leg much like his grandfather always did for him. Smiling, Cody walked over and sat himself down on Ted’s lap. “Every day my grandfather would sit here and listen to me tell all my stories. Anything I wanted to talk about, I could, and I knew that it would be our little secret.”
Cody wrapped his arms around Ted’s shoulders, cozying up to the other teen as he listened to him speak, taking in every word, wishing he had the same kind of stories to tell. “Your grandfather sounds like he was a great man.”
“He was, Cody. I miss him a lot. And I… I can’t help but wonder what he would think if he saw me today.”
“You mean with me?”
“Yes. With you. For some reason, I think… I think he wouldn’t mind it at all. If anything, it’s like he led us here today. There are other ways to get into the library from the passages, and I had been intending to take you there straight from the kitchens, but instead I went all around, just as I had that day that I walked in on him in here. I had been five at the time that happened, and for the first time since that day, I went the exact same way.” When he explored the hallways as a kid, he always changed up the ways that he went, going all across the castle, and as he aged, he explored them less and less. After that incident at the age of seven, he continued on, but it was rare. Plus, he had started his schooling, and had less time to run around with the work that he had to do.
Was that possible? Cody thought? For Ted’s grandfather to actually be bringing them here together? “You think so?”
“Yes, I do. I think he’d be quite proud of the man I’ve become. And the man I want to be with,” he added with a whisper, leaning forward to capture Cody’s mouth in a kiss.
Eyes slipping closed Cody leant into the other. Something told him that not many of Ted's other family members came into the library too often or something told him the other wouldn't have been quite so comfortable as to kiss him. Moving his hands to cup the back of Ted's neck and his cheek, Cody began to kiss the other back. He felt privileged and warm to consider that Ted truly believed that his grandfather would be happy for them and would support them; even if it was just romanticized dream, Cody knew the thought of the support meant the world to Ted... and to him too.
Ted sighed softly in bliss as Cody's lips parted for him when he brushed his tongue against the appendages, immediately taking the chance to taste Cody's mouth once more. One of his hands was curled around Cody's waist, the other resting on one of his thighs. It was amazing to consider how much Ted had missed having Cody in his arms even though he had yet to truly embrace him, and when he had only held the other a few times before when they had had chances like this to steal a little alone time with one another. If he could he would have happily spent the rest of the day with Cody right there atop his knee, unmoving.
Ok... maybe not completely unmoving-- he'd want the privacy of his bed-chambers should they progress past kissing, and he knew that should he indicate that he wanted to make such an advance then Cody wouldn't refuse him. That thought filled Ted with a strange wicked pleasure to consider that whereas others might think Ted was taking advantage, Cody would actually welcome his advances. They broke apart for air before too long, looking into one another's eyes as their foreheads rested together. At moments like this Ted loved the darkened hue of Cody's sapphire hues, and wondered whether that colour would change any further if Cody was in the throes of ecstasy... And he needed to stop thinking about things like that because an erection was not conducive to subtlety or walking around, and they still had a few places that he wanted to show Cody before dinner. Sadly, Ted knew the other wouldn't be able to join him, but he had a plan.
Cody would eat what their servants ate (and they ate much better than many people in the same condition under different masters, and certainly much better than the poor, hardworking villagers in the land by their castle) but Ted was going to have Cody's meal delivered to his room so that the other could eat whilst he was there to keep him company. Call him selfish, but he didn't want the chance for the other servants to get at Cody in any fashion at all, but most definitely not that first night. It was their night... And hopefully there would be many more nights where he would be able to hold Cody in his arms as he slept, and wake up to his face being the first thing he saw in the morning. It was risky, yes, and he knew he wouldn't be able to have Cody with him all the time... They'd manage. One way or another.
After exchanging a few more kisses Ted then reluctantly released Cody and showed the other a few more places before they retired back to Ted's room. It was already dark outside, and getting colder, and Ted noticed Cody casting a worried look down at the house on the field nearby where he officially resided, biting his bottom lip in obvious concern.
“What’s wrong, Cody?” Ted asked, moving behind Cody, resting his head on Cody’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around his waist. He glanced out the window, eyes falling upon the Runnels household.
“It’s… it’s my dad. He’s been sick for a while.”
“Sick? He didn’t seem sick when I saw him,” Ted mussed.
“Well, it really sets in when it starts getting colder. And when people are around, he really does try to hide it. It all started a couple years ago, an illness settled in in his lungs, and he hasn’t been the same since. I feel awful leaving him down there on his own. I mean, I’m the one that cooks for him, and here I am, up here with you, while he’s down there by himself in the cold shack.”
“It’s ok, Cody. You said yourself that the money you earn here will go to helping your father, right? You’ll be able to get him more blankets, better clothing… His life will be better because you’re here with me.”
“I don’t know, Teddy. I… I don’t know if it’s fair for it to be me here.”
“And have your father walking up and down all these sets of stairs? How would that be on his lungs? No, it has to be you here. You were so excited at the prospect of working here at first. Now what, do you not want to stay with me?”
Cody turned in Ted’s arms, locking eyes with him. “Of course I want to stay with you. But I wish my father could be here, too. I’m worried for him.”
“Naturally. He’s your father, after all. You want him to be strong and well. But he’s lived there his whole life. He knows how to get by, Cody. And the things you do here will truly help him in the long run. You know that. Don’t talk yourself out of helping the both of you.”
Sighing, Cody leaned his head forward, resting his head against Ted’s forehead. “I know. I really do. But that doesn’t stop me from at least feeling guilty.”
“I understand. And I really do wish there was more that I could do to help, but it’s not as though I’m in charge of anything around here.” When a knock came on the door, the two broke apart instantly. They simply couldn’t risk being seen by anyone. “Yes?”
“May I come in?” his mother’s voice sounded through the door.
“You may,” he answered, then smiled when his mother came into his room.
“Cody, so nice to see you again,” she greeted.
He bowed before her, saying, “Pleased to see you, Lady DiBiase.”
Caroline entered the room and closed the door behind her, smiling genially. Her eyes landed on him and Cody felt his cheeks pinkening; he always felt so slovenly before Ted's delicate mother. It was easy to see which features Ted had taken from her as opposed to his resemblance to his father.
When she looked between them Cody felt his stomach bottom out, did she know? No, no that wasn't possible. "You do make a handsome couple." These words were spoken so assuredly, so casually, that for a moment Cody thought he had misheard her entirely. Ted knew his mother wasn't overly subtle, but he hadn't been expecting her to say something like that... which was probably silly on his own part; he should have known.
Cody's face drained of colour so fast it was as though someone had just tipped him over, like a bucket full of water, and he had spilled out. Moving automatically Ted wrapped his arms around Cody's waist and held him against his body as Cody's legs seemed to give in. "Cody, Cody, sweet-one listen to me--" Ted immediately began to soothe, seeing the horror on Cody's face and knowing the other would be thinking that he had done something to get them caught, that they were in trouble... and he hastily had to let him know that wasn't true before he fainted.
"My mother knows about us." Cody's head whipped around to face him and Ted understood the shock in his eyes. "At the beach house," he said somewhat apologetically; maybe he should have warned Cody about this sooner instead of giving the younger man a heart-attack, "Mother and I came up with an excuse to keep father off my back about marriage-- I told her about us before we left though." Cody, obviously still in shock, couldn't say anything and could only make a vague noise in the back of his throat. "Cody..." the ravenette instantly straightened up as Ted's mother moved to them.
"Don't be angry at him, Cody dear," Caroline said, reaching a gentle hand and brushing it through Cody's hair. Immediately he seemed to relax and Ted adjusted his hold to be a little more intimate, but not overly so. "He needed to talk to someone about it all, and I... I want my children happy, regardless of whether they choose a path that is pre-ordained for them or not." Cody understood what she meant there: she was willing to accept her son's interest in him, so long as he was made happy in acceptance of it.
“So… So you don’t… I mean…” Cody stumbled over his words, trying to think of what to even say to that. He never expected that anyone in Ted’s family would be accepting of the relationship. Of course, he never expected anyone to actually find out about the relationship to begin with.
“When Michael ran off, well… I knew about it, about the girl that he was leaving us to marry. I can’t say that I wasn’t saddened by the fact that he would be leaving us to go live with her family, but on the same note, I had to let him be true to himself. The worst part is never getting to see him, or hear much news about how he is. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a child or two by now, and how I’d love to meet my grandchildren…” Her eyes grew far away, imagining how Michael was doing, wishing that she could see him again.
Letting go of Cody, Ted went to his mother and wrapped his comforting arms around her. When his father heard news that Michael was leaving, he showed no emotion when he said that he was not to return as he had soiled his name and family. Sometimes he wondered if his father missed him at all.
Straightening herself up and stepping out of Ted’s embrace, she put on her straight face as she spoke, “Enough of these sad thoughts, now. I imagine that dinner will be ready in a short time.” Her eyes moved over to Cody, not sure about what to do about him. “I don’t know if Theodore will be open to the idea of you dining with us considering you’re now employed with us,” she said.
“Actually, Ma, I was hoping that I’d be able to have his meal brought up here for tonight. That way he doesn’t have to be thrown into meeting all the servants at once while they dine, as well. Is that ok?”
“Of course. Will he be staying in your room while we’re dining?”
“Can I?” Cody asked, eyes lighting up.
“If you’d like. Feel free to walk around up here, as well.”
“Thank you.” He knew he wouldn’t go too far in any direction, though, as he was still new to the layout of the castle and didn’t want to get lost. Which seemed easy enough to do.
“Do enjoy your time here with us, Cody. I know I’ll enjoy having you around,” Caroline told him with a smile before she left the couple alone once more.
“Your mother is an amazing woman,” he said once she closed the door.
“She really is. I don’t know if I told you this, but my parents had an arranged marriage, and were married by the time they were my age. Anyway, my father’s father went to school with my mother’s father and remained friends for their entire lives. My paternal grandfather, the one I was telling you about earlier, absolutely adored my mother from the time that she was a young child, and knew from very early on that he wanted her to be his daughter-in-law. So, even though my mother and my father have so little in common, I believe she accepted this marriage arrangement simply because she liked my grandfather so much.”
“There’s so much that I don’t know about you, Teddy,” Cody said right then. It was true, he realized, there was just so little he actually knew about Ted.
“But you’re learning about me as time goes by. And the same can be said about you. You’ve got so many stories to tell, I’m sure.”
“Not like you do. My life is built around that farm. My life is the way it is only because of your family.” He moved away from Ted, suddenly feeling extremely inadequate next to the wealthy young man. How could such a man want anything to do with him?
What was he going to do? Cody knew, knew that nothing was ever truly going to come between them (it wasn't as though they were ever going to be able to go public) but he couldn't bring himself to end it. He didn't want to end it. He'd never had the chance to be selfish in life, and Ted was his first selfish choice.
Ted noticed Cody's face falling slightly once more and wondered what was wrong this time. Not that he was angry that Cody suddenly seemed to be upset about things, but he was just... He was just bothered about it. He didn't want Cody upset. He was bothered because he had invited Cody to the castle as a means to make things better for him, not worse. Truthfully he was scared that Cody was just suddenly going to want to go back home. Running a hand through his hair, Ted went to reach a hand to the other-- but a sudden knocking on the door had him freezing. "Young Master? Dinner is ready." Ted blinked, thrown for the loop momentarily. Was it dinner time already? It seemed that he and Cody had been standing there in silence a lot longer than he had anticipated, each being worried about their own things.
Cupping Cody's cheek Ted turned the other's head so he'd look at him, "I'll be back up soon, and someone will be along shortly with your dinner, Ok?" Cody nodded mutely and Ted felt his heart crumple slightly in concern. "I'll be back as soon as I've finished, Ok?" Once again Cody was silent and Ted suddenly wanted to shake him, to beg him not to leave the castle and return home. Selfish and out of proportion as it might be, Ted couldn't help thinking that Cody leaving the castle was equate to Cody leaving him completely. He forced himself to let go, to back off and go and have dinner lest someone come looking for him.
"Cody... I love you." Ted murmured softly before the bedroom door closed behind him. Cody's statuesque stance broke down at those words, sagging against the wall. Damn it! Why was he thinking thoughts like this? They had hardly crossed his mind in all their time apart, and now they wouldn't let him be. Cody sank down onto the window seat, head dropping onto his hands. He had been alone barely a few minutes though before someone else was knocking on the door. "Excuse me? May I come in?" Cody was momentarily confused about being asked, but then figured he should answer, "Sure."
The door opened to reveal a youngish man (but who seemed older than him) who was surprisingly built, a plate in hand. Cody blushed, suddenly feeling more out of place and uncomfortable than ever; officially he was a lower-status than this guy, and he was serving him. "You must be the new valet for Young Ted that we've heard about." the bright blue eyed brunette smiled, and Cody found he had dimples. "My name's John Cena, pleased to meet ya." John set Cody's plate on Ted's table and then held a hand out to him. Cody shook back a bit coyly, "Cody Runnels. Thanks for bringing the food for me," he mumbled.
John's smile didn't waver, "Easy kid, I ain't gonna bite ya. I'm one of the stable-boys officially, though I'm more of a... do whatever sort of labourious work needs doing to." Cody could see that-- he hadn't seen shoulders that big before. "I'll be keepin' an eye on you until you settle in-- Young Ted asked me as he made his way to dinner, caught me comin' in." Cody swallowed, "I don't want to be a bother--" John shook his head and waved a hand, chuckling, "Easy, it's no bother. We haven't had anyone new for a while, and I've heard-tell you're a good hardworking kid, so we should get on great."
“I hope… At least I know I’ll have you to talk with if no one else takes to me…”
“Quit thinkin’ like that, kid. Some of my family is down on the parcels, way on the far end, so I know where you’re comin’ from. My dad was a stable boy here, though, and raised me up to do the same. Lots of people here have or had family working for either this Lord or another one in a different city. They all know where you’re coming from.”
“You never saw them the day I came here as Ted’s guest. No one liked me then, I can promise you that.”
That smile was still glued on John’s face. “Don’t worry about ‘em. They were all just jealous you got to go dine with the family, that’s all. Where you stayin’ tonight, anyway? I don’t remember seeing anyone fixing up a new bed in the servant’s quarters.”
Cody flushed, speaking now to the floor as he answered, “I’m staying in here tonight.”
“My, my, aren’t we a special one? Why you lookin’ so embarrassed, Cody?”
“Because… well, I mean… I should be staying with the rest of the servants, yet here I am… Dining and sleeping in Ted’s room.” Of course he couldn’t say everything to John, but he did seem like a nice guy. “But tomorrow I should be joining you all.”
“Lookin’ forward to getting to know you.” He stuck out his hand, and Cody shook it, returning the sentiment. Once John left and he was alone in the room, he glanced around at everything. But his eyes stopped on the bed. It looked so… comfortable. He had sat upon it the other day and it had been quite nice. What would it be like to lay upon it? Walking closer, he ran the palm of his hand across the silken sheets. He then sat down before lying back, head resting on the pillow. Wow. Ted got to sleep on this every night? It was just as, if not more comfortable than it looked. And it was so big, just like everything else in this room. Certainly enough room for two people…
Letting his eyes fall shut, Cody slowly drifted off to sleep.
Once dinner was finished, Ted rushed up to his room and opened the door only to find Cody asleep on his bed. It was easily the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.
Slowly, as though the slightest noise would disturb Cody, Ted moved towards the bed. Gently, he lowered himself to be sitting down at the side of Cody's sleeping body. A light hand reached out and traced over Cody's finely-boned cheek, a slight frown suddenly twisting the slightly adoring and awestruck smile that had been on Ted's face: Cody had such large bags of exhaustion under his eyes, how had he not noticed sooner?
There was a part of him that was a bit saddened that Cody was asleep, but he made no move to wake him. He had grabbed his favourite stable-boy John on the way to delivering Cody's meal and quietly pleaded him to keep an eye out on Cody; jealousy was an ugly thing, and Cody was young and emotionally sheltered, so he probably wouldn't know how to fend the horrible comments that he might get, away.
As Ted moved to look for some sleepwear (he would have to be settling down soon, because otherwise he'd tip someone off to something not being right) and then paused as he wondered what Cody slept it-- he hadn't seen the younger man in anything more than two very shabby, very similar outfits before, and had yet to see him in the one that he had gifted him with again. It appeared to be in Cody's little bag though, he noted after a sheepish inspection.
Would Cody sleep naked? No... No that wasn't right; he wouldn't do such a thing considering that he shared such an enclosed home with his father and all. The thought gave Ted a little illicit thrill despite himself. However, the cheeky thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt when Ted noticed the meal upon his dresser desk. That had to be Cody's... And it didn't look as though it had been touched at all. That sent concern crashing over Ted, like the waves he had been larking about in on the family holiday when he had had to keep up a happy front; was Cody really so concerned about his father? Did he truly not want to be in the castle and had only agreed for his sake?
A soft moan sounded to his side and Ted's eyes immediately snapped to the source-- Cody. The ravenette was arching slightly, and then shifted to curl onto his side somewhat. A hand rested on his stomach, his shirt having ridden up slightly.
“Oh my God,” Ted whispered as he saw Cody’s rough, worn hand fall upon that unbelievably smooth, toned stomach. How could he look upon such a sight and not touch? Nervously, he moved closer, sleepwear forgotten, as he stood over Cody’s stomach. Kneeling down on the edge of the bed, he placed his hands right before Cody’s body and bent forward, pressing his lips to the soft skin.
With fluttering eyelids, Cody slowly awoke from his slumber when he felt what he could have sworn were lips against his abdomen. At first he thought he was still dreaming, but when he moved his hands, his fingertips found Ted’s face. Sitting up quickly, he looked and saw that Ted was… was kissing his stomach. His other hand ran through the messy blonde hair, a smile on his face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“And I didn’t intend to wake you,” Ted admitted, blushing as his eyes locked with Cody’s. “You can go back to sleep.”
“No, no, I’m fine for now.” He heard his stomach grumble; now his turn to blush as Ted was right there, and he was sure the older teen could hear it. “Although I guess I am a bit hungry.”
“Well, that’s not a problem.” Quickly rising from the bed, Ted grabbed the plate of food and brought it back to Cody. Cutting up the piece of beef, he picked up a small cube on the fork and held it before Cody’s face.
“Ted, what are you doing?” This really wasn’t happening, was it? Surely Ted wasn’t about to…
“I’m feeding you.”
“I’m perfectly capable of feeding myself,” Cody said. Wouldn’t it seem degrading to have someone else feed him?
“I know you are. And you’re perfectly capable of making food for yourself, as well. But I want to do this. Please?”
Parting his lips, Cody accepted the food, eyes falling shut as the juices from the meat filled his mouth. “This is delicious,” he said once he chewed and swallowed. Ted then fed him another piece, and he found that maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.
Where Ted's lips had been upon his skin seemed aflame; the warm tingles spreading out and across his body until the entirety of his body was tingling and covered in goosebumps. In a way he couldn't believe Ted had done such a thing, and in a way he wanted the other to have kept going. Food would have been completely wiped from his mind had Ted been on offer instead.
A continued blush covered Cody's cheeks as Ted continued to feed him. It was rather embarrassing, considering that he was a grown man and more than capable of doing such things for himself, but it was also strangely nice in a way. Intimate. Cody pushed aside the lingering personal discomfort, knowing that the least he could do for Ted was to indulge his little desires like this after everything the man had done for him. When the food was eventually finished another servant was called to take the plate away, this one not even looking at him as he was in, and then out.
"I have a spare sleep shirt you can use." Ted told Cody as he got up and moved to close the shutters and curtains over his window. The shutters kept the wind and elements out, and the curtains preserved the heat in. He thought it was rather chilly that night, but if anything Cody thought it was hot. "Thank you." he accepted the soft material of the longish loose shirt, then disappearing into the bathroom when Ted gave him leave to. He wondered suddenly what John had thought about the fact that no little cot had been set up or anything.
The shirt fell about midway down his thigh, and Cody kept his undergarments on out of politeness more than anything; he felt rather exposed in the shirt, the material somewhat loose on him as Ted had a stronger torso. Ted had already changed into a shirt too, but he had a pair of sleep pants on underneath. "Is it alright?" Ted asked, mouth running dry at the sight of those long, golden legs on display for him. "Yes." Cody's eyes lowered shyly, "Um... Where am I sleeping?" Ted swallowed, exhaling slightly before meeting Cody's eyes, "If you don't object, you can share with me."