Cody learns to love

The one chapter where Fox and Cody talk again

  "Fox?" Cody called with a soft knock on the door.

  "Yeah?" Fox called back. That was good, at least he wasn't too upset to stop talking.

  "Can I come in?"

  "Yeah."

  Cody opened the door. He was greeted with the sight of Fox sitting on his bed with a screaming Boba held safely in his arms. It would make a cute picture if there wasn't for Fox's hollow eyes staring at the wall in front of him.

  "Thank you for taking care of Boba while I was gone. I will take him now, okay?"

  Fox handed Boba over without hesitation. The baby didn't seem to notice the exchange as he was still crying the same way he was before. Out of all of his siblings, Boba was the loudest one so far. Wolffe also used to cry a lot but he would also smile when Cody rocked him or threw him in the air - he later learned that it could have negative effects for the baby and stopped doing it - but Boba smiled just about two times since Cody got him. What a grumpy little child.

  "I will leave Boba with Bly for a moment and then we can talk, what do you think?"

  "We don't need to talk," Fox protested.

  "I think we do."

  Fox sighed. "Okay."

  "I will be back in a few moments," Cody promised.

  About two minutes later, Cody was back in Fox's room. He asked Fox for permission before he sat down next to the boy and then just sat there without saying anything because honestly, he didn't really know what to say.

  "I'm sorry," Fox eventually decided to start. Cody didn't know what he was apologizing for but Fox has been doing it a lot. Even when he didn't have to apologize. Even when nothing happened or it wasn't his fault. Should he ask what was Fox sorry for this time? Or would that just make it sound like an interrogation?

  "Fox-"

  "I didn't want to- I didn't want to be mean to her! But she is- she is so annoying and I hate her and she wants to talk to me and to hug me and I don't want her to, I want her gone," Fox cut him off. He wasn't crying but Cody could tell it was a near thing. He knew that Fox will have a hard time getting used to Emerie's presence but he had no idea that it will upset him this much.

  "Fox-"

  "I swear I didn't want to be mean to Emerie. I swear I- I'm trying. I'm trying, I-"

  "Fox," this time it was Cody who cut Fox off and not the other way around. "Listen to me, okay? Listen to me, Fox'ika. It's fine, it's okay."

  "But you- you told me to be nice to her and I wasn't nice to her."

  "Oh Fox... Why don't you tell me what have you done to Emerie that you consider it so mean?" Cody suggested. He knew that while Fox was a good boy, he was capable of a lot of things. On the other hand, Emerie didn't complain about anything. But then again, she was used to getting punished for little things like walking too fast. It was hard to tell if Fox was overreacting or if something really happened between him and Emerie.

  "I lied to her so I didn't have to be with her."

  "Why didn't you just tell her you didn't want to spend time with her?"

  "Because you told me to be nice to her."

  "Fox-"

  "I really wanted to be nice to her. I swear I did, I just- I'm sorry, I just can't help it, I hate her! I hate her so much, Cody," Fox admitted. For a moment, Cody thought that Fox will move closer to him, close enough that they could touch, but instead, Fox moved further away and pulled his knees to his chest.