Birds die young

by Anonymous

Summary:

Cody was awfully familiar with the sensation of being completely alone in a barren room. The sensation of being deprived of something essential without even the chance for a fight, because there was just no moment for him to fight back. Everything that condemned him to this miserable life was decided a long time ago behind closed doors.

Cody was indifferent to what they thought of him at this point, believing it was worth less than nothing. He was finally rewarded for all his hard work and patience, he would finally leave this incomplete place full of mediocrity and find a place to call his own. Maybe a family, a proper school and no longer feeling like a spare piece of a puzzle as he would be finally recognized for his genius beyond little golden stars on his tattered notebook.

If only he knew what he would get into.

...

A experimental take on X-Virus background story + found family fuckery with your favorite gay parents.

Notes:

I'm pretty sure I fucked up some of the names on the tags, will correct later.

Chapter 1: All starts are cliche

Summary:

Cody was awfully familiar with the sensation of being completely alone in a barren room. The sensation of being deprived of something essential without even the chance for a fight, because there was just no moment for him to fight back. Everything that condemned him to this miserable life was decided a long time ago behind closed doors.

Cody was indifferent to what they thought of him at this point, believing it was worth less than nothing. He was finally rewarded for all his hard work and patience, he would finally leave this incomplete place full of mediocrity and find a place to call his own.

Maybe a family, a proper school and no longer feeling like a spare piece of a puzzle as he would be finally recognized for his genius beyond little golden stars on his tattered notebook.

If only he knew what he would get into.

...

A experimental take on X-Virus background story + found family fuckery with your favorite gay fucks.

Notes:

Lost in the sauce.

Cody was awfully familiar with the sensation of being completely alone in a barren room. The sensation of being deprived of something essential without even the chance for a fight, because there was just no moment for him to fight back. Everything that condemned him to this miserable life was decided a  long time ago behind closed doors. Well, what control could he have being barely eight years old? He was lucky he could complain to the orphanage's caretaker that he wasn't satisfied with the meal portions assigned to him before being shushed in a gentle but tone deaf voice.

He was always told he was mature for his age, quiet and reserved with a thoughtful mind. Capable of understanding complex situations and for that, he should be able to understand the accomodations he should do for others. He was supposed to understand why he had to concede, to be the bigger person even as he was constantly isolated and pushed away from the other children of the orphanage for his atypical behavior. He struggled to connect with them, seeing clearly as they quickly caught up to the fact he was just not the same as them in a subtle way the adults just couldn't see.

He was asked to understand. Asked to understand he was unworthy of love and still offer the other cheek.

Cody thought his main caretaker believed herself a nun and Cody the second coming of christ with how she spoke of this ideal of hers, when they were nothing more than an overexploited social worker and the child of a protitute in an underfunded social shelter.

That was his living hell. 

Yet, someone ought to be thankful of the little graces given to them. For that reason being the one Cody was able to pursue his interest of investigation with all the free time being excluded by the other kids gave him. He spent his days at the orphanage reading. Reading not only the books meant for his early education but as well the advanced ones for the teenagers that were just not present at this location. That was how he was able to quickly find a passion over biology. Cody eagerly devoured the contents of the meager books lent to the institution for the learning of basic biology and future careers. Reading over and over again the same passages and making educated guesses with the limited experiments he could perform.

He felt the hunger for more as he had become tired of mere observation tests with dirty data and growing tired of having his test subjects removed from his room after a scolding caretaker once more reprimanded him over the remains of dead rats under his bed. This frustration had grown further and further, seeing his progress impeded as not only the center's workers removed any useful thing from his environment; but as well seeing how the other kids now actively chased him away violently, hoping to get rid of the kid that would stare too long at them.

The situation had escalated into physical altercations and ended with Cody being punished with being sent to the thinking room for the rest of the week. He was not allowed outside and he had to write four apology letters acknowledging the bad things he had done. It was an underwhelming punishment considering he had permanently marred the face of another kid with the needle he kept for experiments, having no other cutting tool to delicately extract things from his test subjects. Still, he realized the full extent of his punishment when he was not only denied exit of the room he was in after the week was up, even slapped when he dared to complaint about the injustice of being forced to stay there after fulfilling the tasks he was assigned.

This was now his new normal.

Cody had new and new requirements to follow each time something happened in this youth center. He had specific times for his activites outside his room and a specific place to sit when communal lessons were taught. It was almost as if the adults wanted to single him out to the others as a freak. A defective child that had written on his face that something was not ok with him. He still excelled at his school work, having the best notes of the center and gaining the shallow praise of the assistant teachers that came to the institution to teach. Cody almost felt proud, if not for the mandatory meeting with the director where he was grilled once more over his inability to make lasting friendships with the other kids. Even if he tried so hard, there were limitations to what he could do when half the children were terrified of him and the other half would slowly distance themselves from him as he inevitably started devolving further into his interests. Was he too intense? Too weird? He really tried, but the director didn't believe him.

Regardless of these occurrences, Cody found a semblance of stability in the orphanage. Focused on what he really cared about and enjoying his solitude with his questions, he managed with the precarious conditions 

Until, well, he got visited by a living relative he never knew existed.

He didn't even get to see the man properly at first. For it seemed the man had been arranging for his adoption for months in the background. Cody didn't even know the man was looking for him,  but the gushing caretakers would constantly remind him that he had to be in his best behavior if he wanted to be adopted soon. They tried to ply him into compliance with the threat of telling his future tutor of his little stunts, but Cody was mostly indifferent to their little tattletales.

Cody was indifferent to what they thought of him at this point, believing it was worth less than nothing. He was finally rewarded for all his hard work and patience, he would finally leave this incomplete place full of mediocrity and find a place to call his own. Maybe a family, a proper school and no longer feeling like a spare piece of a puzzle as he would be finally recognized for his genius beyond little golden stars on his tattered notebook. He almost felt elated when the so awaited day arrived and a man in a neat suit came for him a Wednesday's afternoon. Smiling from ear to ear, the caretakers cooed at his pleasant disposition when he was more than happy to finally free himself from their disgusting company.

As soon as he was holding onto the man's hand, he cleaned out of his mind the names and faces of the people of the orphanage, finding them now irrelevant even as they waved him goodbye with sincere feelings. He was looking forwards to his brilliant future, he had no space for such mediocrity like them. Boarding a nice sleek vehicle, the time blurred into a blob of colors and shapes outside the windows. His mind racing forth with so many ideas and asks he had for his new tutor, possibilities and wishes he had kept deeply buried during his life in the orphanage finally floating to the surface.

He was mesmerized in his thoughts, but not enough to miss the sudden change of posture of his new tutor on the driver's seat. The man had suddenly tensed, hands going rigid on the driving wheel as he took a sharp intake of air and then let it out slowly, as if he had realized something painful and tried to hide it away. Cody didn't miss it, and knowing outright asking normally freaked out other adults, he decided to blatantly showcase his curiosity by turning around inquisitively pretending childlike confusion.

'Is there something wrong mister Williams?,' he asked in a soft somewhat sweet tone, keeping his eyes innocent and not with that distasteful accusatory glance his caretakers would reprimand him for. 

'You can call me dad, father. You don't have to call me mister Williams' the adult replied with an awkward laugh as he tried to sound reassuring.

'Ok. Is there something wrong dad?,' Cody nodded with feigned enthusiasm, more interested in following up the interrogation than being placated as if he was a sensitive cry baby.

'I should have reached out earlier, I mean, about your mother.'

'What about my mother?' Cody had stiffened now, feeling defensive about the topic even if he tried to pretend it wasn't a sore spot of his. 

'I want to apologize to you Cody,' the man stated with sincerity. 'Had I known Diane still struggled with her situation, I could maybe have done something better' 

Cody didn't know what to reply, letting the man continue instead. He had to know first what the adult man was trying to achieve with this kind of talk. Was he watching for the child's reaction? Trying to get a rise out of him? Regardless of his intent, Cody knew that the correct response was to lower his head and pretend to be a meek melancholic kid when the topic of his mother was brought up.

'I'm glad though, that we were able to locate you.' The man continued, thankfully he didn't keep proding Cody directly about the subject of his mother. 

A small silence set between them, Cody felt compelled to reply just so it didn't turn awkward and the man decided to take him for an antisocial.

'I know.' Cody hated how he had to pretend a shaky voice, he felt almost like a puppet.

'It must have been hard to live that way.' the man shared his assumptions about the topic, Cody immediately latched onto the small details he was letting on to understand his thinking better. 'I mean, you are such a small child to be living in a drug den and then being shipped out to a child center.'

Cody didn't care to correct him. If he believed him to be a victim, it would help Cody to get further benefits in the future. The reality was that Cody arrived to the orphanage when he was very young, if he ever lived with his mother, he had no memories of it. 

'Diane died very young' the ramblings of the man continued, now focusing on his memories and bitter feelings rather than Cody's situation. 'she was a very broken person, but she still was family'

'Do you miss her? I mean, my mother? your sister?' Cody asked in perfect synch with the conversation's flow, playing his uncle's feelings perfectly the same way he would solve a simple math problem.

The man was blinking the surprise back as he still kept his sight laser pointed on the road stubbornly. He opened his mouth and closed it several times, as if he was trying to decide what to say next and not finding the words. It took him several moments to compose himself, only able to say something after he took a glance towards Cody.

'I promise you that I will make sure to make right by you.' The man declared with certainty, sitting upright as if he was at a very important event proselityizing to the people and not to the orphan he just picked up from the street. 'I will make you into something she would be proud of.'

'Thank you uncle' Cody said back, shrinking himself into a smaller shape to garner sympathy over how touched he felt by the man's words.

'I told you, you can call me dad' the man fell for it, letting out an amused sigh as he extended a hand to ruffle the kid's brown hair. 

Cody giggled in appreciation of the gesture, while inside he felt completely devoid of the real feelings he was supposed to feel in this situation.

'Understood... dad' even the words felt bland in his tongue.

'I'm sure you will be able to get along with your brothers, they always wanted a little brother like you' his uncle announced with interest, slowing down as they entered an upscale neighboorhood.

Cody felt a pang of panic to prickle him in the pit of his stomach. His mind racing over the possibility of having to live together with other children his age. It was one thing to fool the adults, but there was no way to hide his inhumanity from children. They always could pinpoint the monster he was with outstanding speed. There was no way to fake out perfectly with those that could easily see through his act.

'Cody, are you nervous?' the man asked concerned, seeing the kid being quiet suddenly.

'Yes, sorry. It's the first time I have a full family' Cody came up with a cheesy reply, but he is busier calculating the methods he would have to take for this change of plans.

'Don't worry, you are a Williams' the man patted Cody's back with reassurance, making an imaginary arc with his other hand as he pretended to show Cody the future.

'Liam. Cody. Williams.' the man accentuated each part of his full name as they slowly stopped in front of a glamorous residence. 

Cody then knew, that regardless of the unexpected setbacks presented he had finally made it. 

Chapter 2: I will land on my feet

Summary:

To have such a massive room all for himself almost left him in awe, with brand new bedsheets and a polished desk full of shiny books. It was the first time he ever saw such a clean and pristine place in such sleek design. He almost felt like he was in one of the movies his caretakers at the orphanage .

He was what other would consider eager. He was quite excited to figure out the dynamic to follow in this new place. After all, the sooner he introduced himself, the sooner they would be able to discuss the next steps for his goals.

Cody practiced the faces he would make to appear as normal and agreeable he could. Natural, he had to act natural and a bit excited around adults, for other age groups, he would take a more reserved shy nature to avoid unnecessary interactions. He tried to avoid not his own eyes when he accidentally caught himself regressing to that vacant look his face would return to by default

(He should avoid that, he was in a better place now).

Notes:

sorry for the delay, busy weeks.

To have such a massive room all for himself almost left him in awe, with brand new bedsheets and a polished desk full of shiny books. It was the first time he ever saw such a clean and pristine place in such sleek design. He almost felt like he was in one of the movies his caretakers at the orphanage .

He was what other would consider eager. He was quite excited to figure out the dynamic to follow in this new place. After all, the sooner he introduced himself, the sooner they would be able to discuss the next steps for his goals. The most pressing topic for him in this moment was knowing what options were available for his education. The idea of even having his personal laboratory was an idea he was entertaining, one he would make sure to make a compelling case about so he could have it granted quicker.

He prepared himself with the new change of clothes left in the bedside table, taking a quick shower and grooming his appearance to a proper standard. First impression were important, and he was going to make sure he set the perfect scenario for his future projects.

Cody practiced the faces he would make to appear as normal and agreeable he could. Natural, he had to act natural and a bit excited around adults, for other age groups, he would take a more reserved shy nature to avoid unnecessary interactions. He tried to avoid not his own eyes when he accidentally caught himself regressing to that vacant look his face would return to by default

(He should avoid that, he was in a better place now).

He went down the stairs, taking a quick look at the clock where he found it was already nine in the morning. The fantasy of a clean wide classroom fully stocked with the proper materials grazed his mind, he had to bury down the stupid smile in his face at the pleasure it brought him. He focused back in his search, ignoring his fingers following along the imaginary motions of handling lab equipment.

He found his two new parents in the dining room, he quickly went to where they were quietly discussing something. 

"Good morning father, good morning mother." Cody even bowed with the extreme show of politeness he learned to convey. He knew how to show his appreciation, only one had to be proven worthy for him to give it so freely. 

His new parents stopped talking, seemingly surprised -or better said, uncomfortable- with his sudden presence. Letting a few seconds of silence past, his dad took the lead to speak first after putting on a smile and shedding the awkward atmosphere from a moments ago.

'Liam, I'm glad to see you. Did you have a good night of sleep?' 

'I did, thank you. May I know what there would be for breakfast?' Cody was more interested in knowing what they were murmuring about before he arrived, but for now he would play dumb,

'Oh, right, please let me know what would you like for breakfast. I'm pretty sure we have anything you can come up with.' he went towards Cody giving him a half hearted squeeze and a fatherly pat on the back, his dad took the chance to escort him towards the kitchen in a welcoming manner. 

While father and son left, Cody's new stepmother stayed behind. An uncomfortable grimace on her face as she was lost in thought. Biting onto her carefully manicured nails, an unknown emotion boiling behind her eyes.

 

---

 

'These are the best sunny side up eggs I have ever had!' Cody praised the meal he was munching on, taking another bite into his mouth with gusto.

'I'm glad you liked it' the man mentioned, sitting next to him busy writing something on a small electronic while keeping his attention split on both tasks.

'Are you working?' Cody asked, passing a napkin over his mouth.

'Oh no no no. I'm just checking on something, work is until later' his father quickly dismissed his assistant tool, hiding it away in his pocket before putting his full attention on Cody.

'Oh, then I guess I will be going to school soon too?' Cody asked to the air unsure, inside, he was excited about the answer.

'Don't worry about either. Your new mom, Linda, is going to be taking care of that,' the man roughly brushed his hair with his hand, leaving it a mess, Cody followed along with a laugh.

'Really? What is it like? Does the school have a big laboratory?' Cody took the chance to acquire as much information as he could.

'Is good to know you like the hard sciences, it really runs in the family,' the man praised him for his interests, bringing a hand to his chin to rub it in self appreciation.

'My favorite subject is Biology,' Cody added

'Oh, you really are a Williams!' his father didn't contain himself, hugging Cody overflowed with joy.

This was the first time Cody felt like he had finally found someone like him.

 

---

 

The conversation with his new mother went completely different.

'Please call me mother,' she requested right off the bat, not leaving at the side her task of looking over some bank statements and other documents. She wouldn't even deign herself to look at him while Cody speak to her. 

'Understood, mother' Cody decided to take a more shy personality around her, she seemed to be of the strict kind of person. Maybe she would appreciate obedience and a soft spoken child than a independent one.

'If you have any other questions ask them now.' she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose with two fingers, adjusting them. 'If you don't have any, please return to your room. I have to arrange for your school inscription process'.

Cody took a few moments to organize the questions in his mind, mostly to word it in a way that wouldn't make her think of him as a dumb child.

'May I ask for details on the school selected?' He asked hopeful, but it seemed to backfire on him when the woman suddenly stopped what she was doing and turned around to look at him as if he asked what a school was.

'I thought it would be clear to you that it will be the same school as our other children,' she explained with a tired visage, 'You will be joining this upcoming week'.

Cody was stunned, for that was not at all the question he asked. He let it known clearly with his follow up comment.

'Yes, I know.' For his father explained that during breakfast. 'I wish to know what facilities they have.'

'That's irrelevant for you now. You will know when you enter,' she seemed even more pissed off that before, returning to her papers with a heavy gaze.

'But-' he tried to appeal, looking pitiful in purpose when he really wanted to snap her pen in half and smear all her papers in ink.

'Liam,' she stopped her work abruptly, sighing in exasperation as if he just started a tantrum. 'I know you may be worried, but trust me. You will know everything you need to know in due time'

She stood up, coming close to Cody but not too much. Keeping a decent distance between them and bending down to his eye level.

'I always invest what I see it's appropriate, I know your potential Liam.' Her smile was everything but reassuring, her eyes conveyed the exact same sensation Cody would feel when the children at the orphanage started hating him proactively. 'You will get what you need, I will make sure of it'

Cody soon became to understand the meaning behind investment. Becoming clear what his adoptive mother thought less of him and acted on it as soon as his new father was out of sight.

Of course, it wasn't blatantly obvious at first. 

 

---

 

Cody looked at the dish set on the table feeling a sense of whiplash as he could swear he had this served before in the orphanage. Even if it was plated in a fancy dish, it was unequivocally lacking. A mere drumstick with some veggies set on the side. Did his new mother really told him to wait for his meal this long?  He was internally debating on going to log a complain with his father, when the woman entered the room and caught him halfway standing up.

'Oh, are you done?' Her voice grated on his brain immediately, but he knew this wasn't the moment to let it be know.

He schooled his expression into something neutral and sit back down. The woman coming around the table and seeing the full plate. 

'You have to eat everything. It was prepared specifically for you,' she scolded him lightly in a soft voice that felt wrong in Cody's gut.

'Yes, thank you, mother.' Cody didn't even get to say something first, he had to resort to reply something that did not reflect the apprehension he felt by her words.

'You look sad, is there something wrong?,' she asked the next second, bending over her neck a little in an motion that seemed exaggerated for Cody. He couldn't suppress the distaste he felt for a fraction of a second and it showed on his face, for his 'Mother' immediately started talking again stopping him from even speaking up.

'I can understand if you don't like these dishes, but please don't forget to eat.' she pushed the plate towards him with a delicate and concerned gesture. 'The doctor recommends light meals after a long period of malnutrition, we need you to catch up on development with the others.'

Cody easily saw through the fake concern, but he was not sure what to make out her real intentions. Was she angry at him for his former orphan status? did she think he was lazy and would become a spoiled rich kid? He couldn't fully figure out her real motive yet.

'I know it will be hard, but make an effort to adjust,' his mother finalized with a patronizing tone. Hands crossed in front of her. 

'I will.' He decided to try compliance until he found a way to deal with this woman.

Notes:

The first chapters will be very focused on the family set up.

Chapter 3: Gifts come in pairs

Summary:

The first day of school arrived quickly. To say Cody was excited was an understatement, for he had been unable to sleep all night organizing an reorganizing his plans for that day. A carefully curated list of questions for different people he expected to meet in the school campus. He hoped to gather as much information as he could the very first day to plan the rest of his objectives. He had so much to catch up with if he wanted access to the best perks of a private school.

Notes:

My only private school experience was gaping at the absurd prices for such a subpar curriculum.

The first day of school arrived quickly. To say Cody was excited was an understatement, for he had been unable to sleep all night organizing an reorganizing his plans for that day. A carefully curated list of questions for different people he expected to meet in the school campus. He hoped to gather as much information as he could the very first day to plan the rest of his objectives. He had so much to catch up with if he wanted access to the best perks of a private school.

Changing into the provided uniform and keeping a neat appearance, he was then taken by his father to school exactly at eight in the morning. Cody could barely contain his awe when he saw the massive building in a sleek architectural style. He could see students walking towards their classes surrounded by a beautifully kept garden and communal areas that exalted the sophistication of the place with their memorials and neat notice boards that were nothing but perfectly organized.

"Are you forgetting anything?" his father asked, taking Cody out from his wonderment.

Cody turns around to look at him, genuine amazement making his features actually look like the one"s of a kid his age. Realizing what he has been asked, he instinctually reached a hand towards his breast pocket, tapping a fountain pen he has tucked in there making sure it hasn"t been displaced.

"If you have that, I"m sure you will do great" the man bragged to the kid, ruffling his hair before pulling the kid"s bag from the back and handing it to him. "If you need anything, reach out to admin and they will call me"

"Thank you! I will bring great results today" Cody bowed his head a little as if the man was his boss, 

"Easy tiger, it"s just the first day!"

Laughter was shared between them before Cody finally left the car and closed the door behind him. He waved his father goodbye, seeing him waving back before turning on the car and leaving. Cody adjusted once more his backpack taking a deep breath in the process, he finally took a step forwards toward the main building.

 

---

 

It was a massive school. At least three buildings each surrounded by the most manicured shrubs he has ever seen in his life. It took him less than a ten minute walk to find the administration building and approach the directions desk. He was left in almost awe with how proactive the teaching body was, for his assigned homeroom teacher was already waiting for him to introduce him to everything he needed to know.

"If you prefer to reschedule the diagnostic tests for another day, please let me know." She offered, handing him over a small sheet of paper with the available schedule for him to take them.

"I can take them right now." Cody almost interrupted her, but she nodded appreciatively at his enthusiasm.

"It"s a set of three tests, twenty questions each," She explained clearly, "You have two hours per test, but you can submit each test when done and move onto the next one."

"If you feel it"s too much, you can do one today and the others along the week," she finished explaining and looked at him expectantly.

"I"m capable to handle that" Cody assured.

The teacher nodded once more understanding, proceeding to take him to the place where he could take the assesments. 

 

---

 

In less than three hours Cody was out of the library, a very extensive and beautiful building he was sure he would be spending a lot of time inside in the future. He went over where the teacher was and handed over the answer keys.

"I have to say that you have a lot of energy Liam." The homeroom teacher complimented him while accepting the sheets of paper.

They went to her office.

Cody was handed a bundle of plastic wrapped books, a single look and he already knew these were extra expensive (and not to say heavy, his poor arms).

"Just as mister Williams requested, you have been enrolled in the advanced sciences course."

The woman allowed him a moment of silent appreciation as she occupied herself verifying the assesment results. Her smile turned more energetic when she finished reviewing the results in the visualizing software.

The printer spit out a colorful sheet full of graphs and numbers that ranked in the 90 points and higher. The teacher gingerly took it and handed it over to Liam not before quickly going over what each part of the paper was meant to represent.

"Your initial test results were outstanding Cody, you will go to great places if you keep it up." She said, encouraging him with a nice smile.

Cody felt the flutter in his chest again. 

They continued the conversation in the rest of the campus guided tour. Cody absorbing as much information as he could and following up with questions of his own. He felt so energized after such a positive experience he felt the need to take in as much of his surroundings as he could.

Appreciating the interior design and imagining the future instances where he would stand here. It was the rightful place for someone like him after all. The endless doors, the tall ceilings and the top to bottom windows that faced the extensive greenery and depth of the forest.

He saw it there.

Cody blinked his eyes several times, trying to make sense of what he saw. After all, that was some strange... figure. Could it be called a figure? It looked more like a mannequin, a very long and odd mannequin some sort of art department had put there to work on some sort of project.

"Your art department does projects outside the building?," Cody asked puzzled, trying to ignore the odd prickling looking at that figure provoked him.

"No, we don"t have an art department dedicated to that in this campus," the woman explained, not even turning around, busier continuing her explanation of other topic about their specialized equipment.

Cody swallowed the hard bump in his throat when the woman explained that. They turned around the corner to go down some stairs, and Cody decided to let that observation pass by him.

He felt odd enough already.

 

---

 

Cody was back home, slowly unwrapping the pristine pages still not believing all of this was for him. The glossy covers felt like silk under his fingers. When he opened the books, an smell that reminded him of all good things in life would hit him in the face. Landing on any page would have him gaping his mouth for it sounded so promising. He had to restrain himself, fearing spoiling the future chapters for himself.

Letting all the tension dissolve from his shoulders, he allowed himself the respite of taking in the moment. This really was what he was made for, he had earned it. Nobody could take this away from him. 

That night, his dreams were quiet, but he felt observed in them.

Notes:

I always wondered, is Slenderman ruining people's lives by just appearing or are their lives just fated to be ruined and he is just there to make it worse. Like a noisy neighbor attracted to gossip.

Anyways, we are still going slow, but we are going to get more development in the following chapters. Please let me know if you enjoyed it.

I love comments.

Chapter 4: Lines are made of chalk, but these include your blood too

Summary:

"Father told me to notify you, since today I had to see my home teacher after class," the boy explained, leaving vague if it was a clarification or a rather a warning to not expect this kind of contact to be common place between them.

"I understand." Cody assured, biting the inside of his cheek. He hated the air between them, whatever course of action was just doomed to flop like a fish on land.

"Good," his brother replied mostly in inertia, returning back to the uncomfortable silence as soon as he could.

Notes:

Extremely long week, time to start a new one.

...

For whatever reason every single chapter has a paragrahp missing some words at the end. Is it my attention span at fault or the slendersickness?

 

As expected, the relationship with his new siblings was less than ideal. 

 

---

 

It was raining buckets. It was the middle of September and the weather was doing the expected transition to winter. Cody found himself falling more into thought in those rainy afternoons where he was to take remedial classes. It was something obligatory, for his knowledge in secondary subjects other than the core ones was lacking. 

The classrooms were always pristine, a reflection of the school's reputation and pride over their education model. The amount of neutral hues that would assault one's eyes were almost identical. The variations of white, gray and a sleek navy blue enveloped Cody as if they were trying to melt him into the room. No sounds could be heard other than the rain outside the pristine windows and the drone of the professor's voice. He had finished the exercise sheet a long time ago, an impeccable essay done above the minimum words required. 

Cody always brought in results, that was always a constant with his work ethic. He was an efficient little drone when he knew there was someone to impress, specifically someone he actually cared about their opinion. Being goal focused, his current interest in that moment was getting enough good rapport with his father to put in a request for a personal laboratory.

Smiling and nodding with enthusiasm was something he could do for any old fart if it meant things would move along quicker. Going through the motions, he would finish his remedial lessons before their expected deadline and he would be showered in praise by the teachers. He couldn't wait for this tedious transition to end soon, wasting precious time of his life this way made him more and more angsty.

Currently he was a bit worried about the class extending for longer, if the teacher insisted on having a monologue about his life story Cody would end up missing dinner. He kept a big smile as big as he could while the old teacher with thick rimmed glasses continued rambling over what career paths Cody could take in the future. Cody standing in front of the desk, hands locked in front of his lap, zoned the teacher's voice out while carefully counting the seconds in the clock. 

The words were slowly turning into muffled dribble and static that lulled his brain, he had to make an active effort to not fall asleep. His mind starting to fantasize about the idea of how he could shut up this fastidious old man. The images in his mind slowly turning more violent the longer this went on, Cody's green eyes twinkling with each new idea that grazes the front of his mind.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I have taken so much of your time." The old man interrupted himself.

Cody returned back to reality, almost left reeling with how sudden the word vomit stopped.

"You don't have to worry sir, I appreciate the stories you share with me," Cody replied automatically with a polite voice. He hoped it sounded kind enough to not give away how close he was dying of boredom. 

"Oh Liam, you really are too kind," the man was pleased with his answer, keeping up with the flattery and whatever social ramblings Cody had to endure another five minutes until he was allowed to finally go.

 

---

 

When he arrived to the pick up point, he noted an extra presence in the car that normally picked him up after school. Normally, the assigned driver to him would pick him up after school and bring him home alone. His siblings had different schedules, so it wouldn't make sense for them to share rides, but it seemed this time it would be different. Cody took a moment to think before pulling open the door. He entered the vehicle quietly and waited a few moments before uttering a polite greeting. 

At the opposite side of the backseat, his supposedly older brother sat looking occupied with the phone in his hand. He had an uncanny resemblance to their father, looking more like a younger copy of him than his own person. Cody hadn't had the chance to speak with him, since this brother had a packed schedule as the future heir of father's company. Being at least four years older than Cody, the young man was more occupied with different expectations set for him.

"You are late," the young man said in reply to Cody's greeting. He didn't even lift his gaze from the screen of his phone, all his words were always dry and to the point. 

"I apologize." Cody chose to not devolve further into conversation, seeing it wouldn't be welcome in this case.

He hugged his backpack close to his chest, keeping himself wary but taking the chance to rest his mind from the day's events. He noted his head still ached slightly, he blamed it on the temperature change but he still felt shitty about it. He would try an find an aspirin once arriving home, of course after taking a warm shower.

Cody lulled himself with the fantasies of what would be soon to come. 

"Father is going to take you to the company next week," His older bother suddenly spoke.

Cody took a few seconds to think, surprised by the fact the older boy actually addressed him without being prompted to. He opened his mouth to ask a question, but he didn't get the chance.

"Father told me to notify you, since today I had to see my home teacher after class," the boy explained, leaving vague if it was a clarification or a rather a warning to not expect this kind of contact to be common place between them.

"I understand." Cody assured, biting the inside of his cheek. He hated the air between them, whatever course of action was just doomed to flop like a fish on land.

"Good," his brother replied mostly in inertia, returning back to the uncomfortable silence as soon as he could.

For a moment it seemed he wanted to add something else, like he regretted shutting down the conversation too soon. Looking everywhere except at Cody, it took him several moments before his half pondering grunts become proper words.

"I hope... you enjoy it." The younger boy finally spit out with efforts, as if he was unsure on how much kindness he should inject in his words. It ended up being a pretty pitiful attempt in Cody's opinion. 

"Thank you." Cody almost whispered, only able to hope they arrived home fast enough before he cracked his teeth irreparably with the uncomfortable cringing sensation he was experiencing in that moment.

 

---

 

Of course, nothing went the way he wanted.

When they arrived, the lights were still on. The house should have looked inviting to him a safe haven where one should feel safe, instead Cody felt an odd sense of eeriness in that moment. His dread was confirmed when the first person to receive them was his stepmother. The woman, without sparing a moment, started a flood of questions, accusations and even remarks trying to find a culprit.

"Liam, please make sure to remind your teachers you cannot come back home late," the woman said in a considerate gentle voice, setting a soft touch of her hand on Cody's shoulder. Her white tipped nails slightly tapping over the fabric before gripping him firmly, barely restrained.

"Go to you rooms and wash up, I'll send dinner to your rooms."

He did just as we was told, no retort to be found in him at this point.

That's how he found himself sipping on a cup of milk and carefully eating whole grain cookies after taking the hottest shower he could endure. Processing the events of that day and trying to scrub off his mind the poor social interactions he had to survive like one threads water with numb legs. He could only lull himself to a sense of happiness over the prospect of finally being allowed into his father's company. 

Cody filled his mind with the future questions and exciting conversations they would have, to finally be able to see a professional laboratory and all the equipment it entailed. He even entertained the fantasy of handling the equipment and being allowed to conduct his own experiments. 

Of course, if everything went well.

A drop of blood fell down to the rim of the glass. Cody instinctively raised a hand to touch his face, finding a wetness around his mouth. His nose was bleeding. It felt warm and thin, quickly staining his fingertips as the blood becomes copious in amount.

Cody was taken by surprise by this discovery, he hastily put the almost empty glass of milk on his bedside and rushed to the bathroom. Aggressively rinsing his face with cold water and then shoving enough toilet paper up his nose to absorb the blood. The headache laid dormant behind his ears even after taking an aspirin.

It was odd, maybe the cold weather was getting to him. Even possibly a side effect of the of the headaches he was having lately. After all, the change to the colder airs of this area of the town, living in a stuffy place for too long must have made his nose sensitive. The ringing of tinnitus followed him to the bed in a concerning development, but he didn't want to acknowledge it yet.

Cody had more important things to care about..

Notes:

Ironically, I got a bloody nose while writing this.

Slenderman, pay my bills!

...

Anyways thank you so much for commenting, it really makes me feel so motivated to continue this story. I have been writing as much as possible to offer more continous updates.

...

Gracias Noha! Realmente me da felicidad que te guste esta historia q w q

Chapter 5: The rewards of difficulty

Summary:

The company was in fact a little different from what he had expected. They arrived to a somewhat mundane building, a three story modern build with windows that looked tinted black against the light. Even the logo etched on the very top was a very minimalistic one. 

Well, Cody was never one to complain about that kind of things. The most important things were inside, after all and Cody always had a healthy level of optimism for a place like this. He kept his enthusiasm under control as his father led them inside holding him by the hand, he gave Cody a reassuring squeeze he reciprocated. 

The sliding doors opened and the first sensation he felt was the air conditioner blast him in the face and subsequently the stale taste in his mouth of recycled air in the building. It seemed to be a constant of all buildings in this state, regardless of where he goes it reminded him of the youth center he spent a considerable amount of his life.

Notes:

Extremely slow updates, I'm sorry.

The company was in fact a little different from what he had expected. They arrived to a somewhat mundane building, a three story modern build with windows that looked tinted black against the light. Even the logo etched on the very top was a very minimalistic one. 

Well, Cody was never one to complain about that kind of things. The most important things were inside, after all and Cody always had a healthy level of optimism for a place like this. He kept his enthusiasm under control as his father led them inside holding him by the hand, he gave Cody a reassuring squeeze he reciprocated. 

The sliding doors opened and the first sensation he felt was the air conditioner blast him in the face and subsequently the stale taste in his mouth of recycled air in the building. It seemed to be a constant of all buildings in this state, regardless of where he goes it reminded him of the youth center he spent a considerable amount of his life.

He scrunched up his nose in distaste, trying to bury the negativity into the back of his mind while his father had a light conversation with the receptionist of the lobby. Thankfully it was a short wait, because after a few more pleasantries the woman handed him over some items along with a file full of documents. Cody perked up in interest, hoping he could finally get some sort of information. He extended his hands, offering to help his father carry the package he received.

Cody's father shook his head instead, assuring Cody that he didn't need to worry about it. He turned around, bending over slightly as he presents with reverence a neat metallic badge in a blue lanyard. It had Cody's engraved on it, the full name of the biotech company right below it in neat small writing. Cody was breathless, shyly reaching his hand to touch the cold metal before his father takes him by surprise putting the lanyard over his head and settling it in place on his neck.

"Your official first day in Biotech." his father sighs with a proud smile that settles on his lips. His hands settling on Cody's shoulders "Excited?"

"Of course!," Cody answered with genuine sincerity, his eyes almost twinkling as he nodded energetically 

 

---

 

It had been some interesting weeks, almost a month by now, Cody had finished his remedial classes with stellar marks and was now the owner of his afterschool time. He was invited to join a sports club or a club activity, but Cody declined joining the lacrosse team or their swimming team. He had more important projects after all, his goal of going above and beyond the expectations for his education was something he was more invested into.

He was in his element and showing it off. High marks, immaculate notes and even the recognition of his peers. He was slowly bridging the gap between them and him, that difference born out of inequal circumstances. It somewhat gave him a sick feel of glee to soar above them when they had oh so many different advantages. Them and their fancy extra curriculars, their private tutors that were nothing against him, a lowborn rat from social services. 

Their expressions of surprise when he was not only literate but as well knowing way above their standard education knowledge. Cody was experiencing difficulty to suppress the grin when he saw the looks full of curiosity and even envy directed at him. Each successful test score was as sweet as a standing ovation in his hands, he should probably deeply thank his mother for enrolling him in the middle of the evaluation period. 

He couldn't stop the sweet tone his words would come out with when some classmates curiously approached him and asked more about him. Somewhat wanting to know more about him or just figure out how the hell was doing it to score above even the brightest student in the class. It was quite simple really, everything had a way to be done and he just had to find it. His specialty was to figure out things solely on his own with little to no help. Here, he had found fertile ground to fully exploit it in his favor with little to no difficulty. How sad his little mediocre classmates could never understand something as simple as that. It was becoming addicting, to experience this praise that was technically shallow. 

The only thing he would complain about, was the presence of unwanted sights. White featureless faces and long spindly suits in a black that hurt his eyes. One glance and one would become dizzy, staring for long would assure an uncomfortable headache and worse if one was too reckless. Cody wouldn't get the chance to study this phenomena in detail, for it compromised the researcher himself.

He wiped his nose again with a clean tissue, bloody noses becoming a new normal in his life.

 

---

 

The laboratories were small, but full of important insights. Clean and full of so many different work equipment. Wood tables littered with plastic trays and sample tubes was the first thing Cody noted, big machines to centrifuge the sample tubes and incubators that would almost reach to the roof. Two or three microbiologists per each room each worked at their own rhythm, some of them working at computers making graphs of their results while others prepared media and executed their experiments with different virus and antibodies.

Everything was color coded, from print outs to notebooks littered in post its to every single tube cap. Cody found it extremely pleasing to his own compulsions, keeping track of things in efficient methods made his heart flutter.

As well, everything was quiet by now. It was Friday night after all, a majority of the people were on their way home or preparing to go home at this point. Some places were tidy and cleaned up for the day, while others were haphazardly left there as if the owners got suddenly snapped out of existence.

It was easy for Cody, in these conditions, to oddly fixate on how easy it would be to snatch something. Not things like pens or stationary, but outright samples or vials, but the things his father was blatantly showing him that were literally centimeters away from his grasp. 

By the time it was late afternoon, his father was knee deep into another of his spiels about his company goals. Cody was keeping an ear out for it, but most of his attention was on the vials left unattended in the hallway. Small little plastic containers used for an antibody test that were left discarded in a transportation cart because of unwanted contamination.

He wondered if anyone would notice. If his father's employees kept tight count of every single thing... Only the idea of possible consequences making the idea a little unattractive, but not enough to disuade him. It felt as if the world was encouraging him to do it, just stretch out his hand and-

"Are you listening Liam?" His father suddenly called out, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Cody's body stiffened, feeling as if he was caught on the act of pocketing things thta weren't his even if he didn't even move his hands in the first place.

He stopped looking at the very tempting container on the metal tray and turned his gaze towards his father. It was barely a second, but he caught a glance of something at the end of the hallway they came from that made his brain feel like he scrapped it against sandpaper.

Cody shook his head slightly, trying to alleviate the pressure behind his eyesockets. A familiar warmth starting to trickle down his nose and fall in little drops betweem his hands and the floor. Words died in his throath, overwhelmed by the hot sensation of his brains against the skull.

"Are you ok?" His father asked, producing from his blazer's pocket a pack of tissues and offering it to Cody.

"It's nothing, just a minor bleeding" Cody replied to his father's concern. 

Closing his eyes, he tilted his head down and stuffed the paper into his nose. Hoping the bleeding would stop and the migraine would banish along with it.

That thing kept appearing while he was in school, so Cody had precautions in place to avoid getting in contact with it. He was not sure yet how exactly this phenomenon started happening, but it started to worry him that it now appeared in other places without warning.

Notes:

I miss my people, literally no fics have been updated and I'm slowly keeling over. Ahhhh

Notes:

Lost in the sauce.

Please comment if you liked it.

Thanks for reading.