Prodigal Son

chapter 27

(Quick Author's note: Props to Nellie_Sakura for guessing the Steven Universe inspiration XD)
-

"We'd need a few more sessions for a proper diagnosis, but off the top of my head, I think the issue is fairly obvious."
Charlie rubbed his neck, anxiety nagging at him as Doctor Oliver shared her notes.
"Please, how can we help him?"
"As of right now, it's looking like Cody has strong signs of PTSD, from multiple causes. I'd recommend regular therapy, and keeping a close eye on his mental health."
"Alright. Whatever he needs, I'll get it to him."
"Fowler can pull some strings up top, I think it's best if I take his sessions."
"If you think you're the best to cater to the... Unusual situation, then I trust you."
"Do you mind if I ask a couple questions about your brother? I understand that Cody has a positive relationship with his Uncle."
Charlie sighed, but smiled.
"Yeah... Woodrow and I have had a... Strained relationship. But the kids have always loved him."
"Do you mind telling me about your relationship with Woodrow?"
Charlie rubbed his neck, his eyes drooping down.
"... I guess... Since I was a kid, I had some resentment towards Woodrow. He rarely thinks before he acts, and I have to clean up the mess. He's harmless, and always means well, but... It's always caused problems. I've been working on a better relationship with him, honest."
Doctor Oliver nodded, smirking.
"And... According to my notes, you took this step in repairing that relationship, because of my patient."
Charlie cringed.
".... Crap."
"Mhm. Tell me, why exactly did two grown adults need a nine year old boy to break up a fight?"
".... I didn't mean... We didn't mean... Oh Christ..."
Despite her smile, the doctor's eyes were cold as ice.
"Seeing the problem yet?"
".... Yes..."
"Listen to me. I am a therapist. It's my profession, my career. I get paid to listen to people's problems, and help them work through them. You know who doesn't? CHILDREN."
Charlie physically took a step back, the soft nature she'd given Cody starting to fade.
"That boy is not a therapist, no matter how much he believes it. From what I've heard, he's spent his entire life helping everybody around him. From helping Aliens, breaking up fights between grown adults, helping his siblings, and so much more. That is NOT how a CHILD should be living!"
Charlie sighed, the smile draining from his face as his shoulders slumped, and he looked aside.
"I know... God..."
The doctor sighed, the ice in her eyes melting.
"... I know this isn't easy for a parent to go through. And... I do have plenty of evidence that he is shown genuine love and care in this environment."
".... But it's clearly not enough."
"But you're trying to help him, genuinely. That's what matters now."
She leaned over, looking into his eyes as she grabbed his shoulder.
"You can't change the past. But what happens now is directly up to you."
Charlie only sighed.
"... Woodrow has always gotten along well with the kids, but... He and Cody have always had a special bond. Truthfully... I think it's because... Well... Both of them feel like the family oddballs."
His stance slumped, his expression... Defeated.
"I failed them both. I failed my brother... And now I failed my son."
Doctor Oliver motioned to her notes, her eyes softer.
"There's... One more note."
"Please, tell me."
She looked up, her eyes softer.
".... According to my notes, it seems like there's an obvious lack of communication. I would highly recommend... A group session."
-
Cody stared at the heatwave toy, the session ringing in his ears.
He had to admit, it really did feel better to finally get everything out.
Like he was lighter.
"Hey...."
He looked up, seeing Kade in the doorway.
"... Hey..."
Kade had one arm tucked behind his back, and a nervous, conflicted expression.
".... That was... Some heavy stuff, you said."
Cody rubbed his neck.
He tried to avoid shivering, it was a bit chilly in the room. He missed his jacket, he'd always liked something covering his arms.
"... Are you mad?"
".... I should be the one asking you that."
Kade took another cautious step forward, his eyes wide, soft.
"Buddy... You said what we needed to hear. You said the truth. We hurt you. We broke you."
Cody sighed.
"But.... Maybe I was too harsh. I don't know."
"Did it feel good to say?"
"... Kinda..."
Kade slumped into the chair, rubbing his eyes, his hand still tucked behind his back.
"Cody.... I haven't been a good brother to you. Not really. But.... Things are going to be different. I swear."
Cody looked down, his hands absently squeezing together.
"... But... I don't think it's just you guys."
"... What?"
Cody sighed, trying to resist touching the bandages on his neck.
"... I don't stand up for myself, not really. Yeah, I was hurt by a lot of things. But... I never said anything. I thought... If i just went along with everything, eventually it would pay off? Like if I just toughed it out, eventually I'd be stronger? I... I don't know."
Kade slowly grabbed his hands.
"... You thought showing the pain would make you seen weak, didn't you?"
"... Yeah..."
Kade sighed, his hand moving to his shoulder, firmly squeezing him.
"And that's why I need to change. Because I taught you that."
He suddenly stood up, sighing.
"Scoot over."
Cody scooted over on the bed, and Kade plopped down beside him.
".... There's no sugarcoating it, kid. I fucked up."
Cody was quiet, then slowly grabbed Kade's hand, squeezing it.
"... Maybe we all did."
Kade cleared his throat, his face flushing.
He slowly moved his arm out from behind his back, revealing a small package wrapped in yellow paper.
"... I know this won't fix things. But... I hope it's a start."
Cody's eyes widened in surprise, as he slowly reached out to grab it.
He took it from Kade's hands, and pried open the wrappings.
Cody carefully peeled open the paper, revealing a bright splash of yellow fabric.
"... Woah..."
It was a bright yellow turtleneck, with soft, slightly fuzzy material.
Cody ran his hand over it, his eyes wide.
Kade sighed, rubbing the bandages on his forehead, as his eyes drifted to the ones around Cody's neck.
"... This isn't an apology. I can't buy your forgiveness. But I am asking for a second chance. I don't really deserve one. But... If you give me another chance... I promise you. I won't let you down. Never again."
Cody was stunned, going silent.
"... Cody.... You don't have to-"
He was cut off, letting out a small "Oof" as Cody suddenly slammed into his side, his arms wrapping around Kade's torso.
"Woah!"
Cody buried his head in Kade's chest, the sweater swinging around and flapping in the air as he wrapped his arms around Kade.
".... I want things to be better. And... It means a lot to me that you took the first step, like this."
"I should've done this a long time ago."
Kade sighed, his tone shuddering as he wrapped his arms around his brother.
"I should've done it so, so much sooner."
Cody stared at the sweater, smiling, but a tiny bit confused.
"So... What's with the sweater?"
"Oh... Well, I noticed you were cold. Miss your jacket, don't you?"
".. oh."
He didn't think anybody had noticed.
Truth was, he did miss his jacket. He'd just always preferred to wear one.
He pulled away, pulling the sweater closer. 
Kade felt his nerves spiking, glancing away.
"I... I hope yellow's okay. It used to be your favorite, right?"
Cody nodded, smiling softly.
"Yeah... It still is."
"Y'know... Can I ask why yellow?"
"What do you mean?"
Kade watched him examine the sweater, just... Observing.
"I mean... I'm just kinda curious. Is it because of your hair? Bumblebee? When you were a kid, didn't it used to be green?"
Cody paused, then laughed.
"Well... heh.... It's because of you."
Kade only paused.
"What?"
Cody couldn't help an awkward giggle, but a pained darkness clouded him. 
"I... I wanted to be like you, since I was little. Your gear is yellow, so, it just kinda stuck with me."
Kade was speechless.
"... You....wanted to be like me?"
Cody only shrugged, absently fiddling with the sweater.
"Well... Yeah. You, Dani, Graham, Dad, for as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be like you guys. But... I just... Wasn't. I was never as smart as Graham, as brave as Dani, as good a leader as dad, or as strong as you."
He sighed, his hand twitching, fighting the urge to go to his neck.
"... I've never been like you guys."
"... Cody..."
Kade grasped his shoulder, his eyes watering.
"Cody.... You're the strongest of all of us. You want to be like me? I've always wished I was more like you!"
"... You... Wanted to be like me?! Why?!"
"... Cody... My whole life, I've been this angry, hotheaded, cocky, and short-sighted jerk. But you? You were always so good at just... Talking to people. Understanding people. Me? I've always struggled to just hold a conversation. People have complained about my ego for as long as I can remember. But you? You can befriend literal aliens in a matter of minutes! You... you're so kind and empathetic... You have the biggest heart of all of us... And... I'm sorry... I'm sorry we broke it."
Cody was stunned, the sweater slipping from his grasp as his eyes went wide, a small gasp escaping him.
"... Kade... I... I never knew..."
Kade sighed, and it was then that the mask dropped.
For the first time, Cody took in the irritation in his eyes, the dark bags under them, the defeated expression.
"... Kid... When we were searching for you, I told Heatwave that I didn't know if we could find you, because you were always the positive one. I told Heatwave that I was worried we couldn't rescue you, because it was you who always kept us going, no matter how bad things got. But... I never even realized, how bad that actually was. Because that was Killing you, wasn't it?"
"... Kinda..."
Cody glanced down at the floor, seeing the sweater sprawled in a heap.
"... I guess it was killing both of us, huh? .... How's that saying go? The grass is always greener on the other side?"
"Heh... Not sure if that's the one I'd use, but, basically."
Cody shifted his position on the bed, leaning over the side to grab the fallen sweater. 
"But... It kinda is? I mean... I guess I'm not as good with people as you though."
Kade sighed, then slid his arm around his shoulder.
"And I guess I'm not as strong as you thought."
Cody leaned into Kade, lightly grasping the hand that wrapped around his shoulder.
"So... What do we do now?"
Kade watched him run the yellow fabric with his free hand, then pulled Cody closer.
"... I... I don't know. But... Buddy.... You're stronger than you think. In fact... I think you're the strongest of us all."
"... And you're more empathetic than you give yourself credit for. After all, you took the first step in talking to me, didn't you?"
"... Maybe..."
Kade looked down, meeting Cody's eyes.
"... Listen. I know this isn't something we can fix imedianty. All of us, we hurt you. Badly. This kind of damage isn't something an apology or sweater can magically fix. But... I promise you. I am going to be better. I can't promise you that we'll never be on bad terms again, after all, we're only human. And humans screw up. A lot. But I can promise, I will try to be better. I'm not promising that I'll never hurt you again, because honestly, that's impossible to guarantee. But....I can promise you... Things will be different."
Cody's eyes went wide from bewilderment, unable to believe what he was hearing.
"... Kade... Thank you..."
Kade pulled him close, his shoulders slumping as exhaustion and relief seeped into him.
He was tired.
But he also felt lighter.
From just outside the door, Frankie listened, before slowly turning away, a smile on her face.
She hadn't seen Cody smile like that since.... before.
She walked down the hall.
Clearly, they needed some time.
And she couldn't be happier for him.