Amber's Cold - (3 Parts)

[randomguy]

Title: Amber's Cold

Author: randomguy

Original

Summary: Amber gets sick and Cody springs into action

Authors Notes: I was pleasantly surprised by the success of "Amber's Date," so I decided to go ahead with the sequel. If you haven't read "Amber's Date," you may want to read it here before starting on the sequel. It's not as long, I'm afraid, but that's mostly because it a lot more fluff now that I've established Amber and Cody's relationship.

This is the first part of the story; I have a little bit of sorting out to do before I can charge ahead with part 2. Enjoy!

“Heh-itschoo!”

The sneeze was hard enough to make Amber sit up in bed. Right away, she recognized what her aching body, stuffy nose, and pounding head were trying to tell her. “Heh-itschk!” She moaned as she felt the sinus pressure building and flopped backward in bed. She knew right away that she was sick. He pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes in frustration. Having a cold was the one thing that could take the fun out of sneezing. Angrily, she crossed her arms as she lay in bed, knowing the day ahead of her would be a long one.

“heitsch!” Cody sneezed gently and rubbed his nose as he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He was pretty familiar with the different ways he sneezed and what caused them, and he’d never felt one like this before. His eyes squeezed shut as the feeling came back. “itschk!” He screwed up his mouth, thinking. He slumped back in his chair and started fiddling with his Newton’s cradle, the way he often did to help him work things out. Something about it caught his attention this time. Funny, how he could move one ball and the other could feel its effects without the two even touching… The realization hit him at the same time the next sneeze did. “atschk! Amber!” He jumped to his feet and bolted out the door.

When Amber woke up, she felt even worse. With a long moan, and already feeling the tickle building in her nose, she picked up her cell from her night stand and started to dial Cody’s number. Cody’s answering machine picked up.

“Hello! You’ve reached Cody’s cell-”

“AH-tschioo! Heitsch!” Amber rubbed her nose and held her breath, hoping she could hold her sneezes until after she had left her message.

“-after the beep. Thank you!”

“Enxtch!” No such luck. “Hi Cody, it’s Abber.” Her voice came out sounding worse than she’d expected. “I’b sorry about the sdeeze…” She laughed a little to herself. “Od second thought, doh I’b dot. H-hadg od…” She held the phone away from her face. “HEH-itschk! Cody, I’b really sick. I’b dot godda be able to beet with you later today like we were subposed to. I’b so… sorr… I…” Oh no. “ITschoo! Hetschoo! Hehistchk! EHTsch! Hitschoo! EH-inxtch! Tsch! Hetsch! Itsch!” She took a deep breath as she geared up for the next set of sneezes, when she suddenly realized that there was a finger pressed under her nose. She opened her eyes, and realized that the finger belonged to…

“Cody!” Cody smiled down at her and waved. “Hi Amber,” he said warmly. She offered no resistance as he gently removed her phone from her hand. “I kind of want to let you finish,” he said as he closed the phone. “Best message ever!” Amber laughed, then panicked as she realized that it had made Cody’s finger slip from under her nose. “C-C-Cody…” Cody calmly pressed his finger under her nose again. “Don’t worry,” he said reassuringly. Amber relaxed when she heard those words, and she closed her eyes. Cody smiled again. “Let me know when the feeling’s gone, okay? I can’t hold my finger here forever.” Amber laughed again and felt a sudden surge of happiness. Everything was going to be alright. Cody was here. “You cad bove it dow, Cody. I think I’b okay.” Cody cautiously removed his finger, and then relaxed as he realized that she really was done.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get here. I had to make a few stops on the way.”

“It’s okay… how did you get in? Add how did you dow I was sick?”

Cody smiled. “We traded keys, remember? And… I’m not really sure how I knew you were sick. I just kind of… got this feeling.”

“Feelidg?”

“Yeah… I can’t really explain it… I sort of just knew what you were feeling… I even started sneezing too.”

Amber was in awe. “Woah. I cad’t believe that… wait… I bissed you sdeezidg?!” Amber pounded the bed in frustration, and Cody had to stifle a laugh. “Take it easy, Amber, don’t wear yourself out.” Amber pounded the bed. “I dod’t like bissing that!” Cody couldn’t keep from giggling.

“It’s okay, Amber, I promise I’ll do it again.”

“You better.”

Cody giggled again as he picked up a big white bag and placed it on the edge of Amber’s bed. Amber tried to see what was inside, but her head began throbbing as soon as she tried to sit up. Cody gently pressed his hand to her forehead.

“Don’t try to get up yet.”

“What’s id the bag?”

Cody was now looking through the bag intently. “What? Oh, this. It’s why I had to stop on my way here. This is for you.”

“Huh? Cody, what…” Amber’s voice trailed off and her eyes widened as Cody started removing the contents of the bag and placing them on her night stand: Halls, Benadryl, Zicam, Sudafed PE, Extra Strength Tylenol, Airborne, Delsym, Mucinex, and aspirin. Amber’s mouth dropped open. Cody must have seen, because he chuckled and said, “Don’t worry, they don’t conflict. I checked.”

“Cody, this is…”

“I just want you to feel better,” he said as he measured out the Benadryl and gave it to her. She tried not to make a face as she swallowed. “Cody, I… I c-can’t th…thank y… heh… itschoo! heitsh! etschk! I can’t… thank you… itsch! …enough.”

Cody laughed as he measured out the Sudafed PE. “I think you just did.” He handed her the spoon. She wasn’t as successful at keeping herself from making a face. Cody smoothed her hair gently. “I know it doesn’t taste great, but you’ll feel better in a little bit, I promise. Besides, everything else tastes fine. Trust me.” He handed her four pills and a bottle of water he produced from the bag. Amber swallowed the pills as Cody was unwrapping a Halls. “What is all this? I mean what will it do?” Amber asked. Cody motioned for her to open her mouth and then placed the Halls in it as he looked round at the medication. “Um… let’s see… they should… cool your nasal passages, ease your sore throat, thin out the mucus, stop the congestion, block irritants, suppress your cough, take your fever down, boost your immune system, and stop your headache. So… you should basically feel normal in a little while.” Amber’s mouth was hanging wide open. “C-cody… are you… serious?” Cody nodded as he handed her a measured spoonful of Delsym. Amber made no attempt to hide her face this time, and Cody chuckled again. “Don’t worry, only one more you have to swallow, and it doesn’t taste bad,” Cody said as he dropped the Airborne tablet into a cup, poured water into it, and handed it to her. She took a tentative sip. Cody smiled. “Taste good?” Amber grinned and nodded as she drank the rest of it.

Cody smiled approvingly and picked up the Zicam gel swab. “This should stop your sneezes.” Amber smiled slightly. “Don’t you want to hear me sneeze?” Cody blushed a little. “Of… of course I do… but I just… I don’t like seeing you unhappy.” Amber smiled, and Cody removed the swab from its container. “Alright,” he said as he handed it to her, “be careful with this, okay? You have to kind of… stick it in your nose and makes little circles to spread the gel around on the inside. But if you stick it in too far, it could… well… it’s basically a Q-tip, so… you know…” Cody’s face turned bright red. Amber giggled to herself as she took the swab from him. “I’ll be careful, I promise.” Amber gently inserted the swab into her nose. She could already feel it beginning to tickle. Slowly, she circled it around a few times and then removed it. She released a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding and smiled. Cody smiled back at her. “Good job. Just one more time.”

Amber nodded, took a deep breath, and inserted the swab into her other nostril. She fought to keep her hand steady, but it was shaking too much. Cody realized immediately that she had put it in too far, and pulled the swab away with one hand while removing a box of tissues from the bag with the other. Amber’s eyes were shut tightly and she was biting her upper lip. “It’s okay,” Cody said as he hurriedly ripped open the box and pulled out several tissues. He help them to her face with no time to spare. “Heitsh! Atschk! heh-Itsch! Eh-tschoo!” She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut tighter. “Ntsch! Enxtch! Hentsch!” Cody shook his head. “Don’t stifle them like that. It’ll only make it last longer.” Amber nodded weakly. “ATSSSH! HEH-ITCH! ETSCH!” She took in one more gasp of air. “HEEEEEITCHOW!” Amber’s entire body relaxed as she flopped backward on the bed. “Wow.” Cody nodded and squirmed a little as crumpled the tissues and threw them away. “Thadks for holdidg theb,” Amber said as she experimentally touched her now red nose and immediately withdrew her hand. Cody nodded again. “Y-you’re welcome.” He shuddered. “Geez.” Amber blushed deeply.

“I’b sorry, I cad’t codtrol it.”

“It’s okay… but… maybe you should let me do that side.”

Amber stayed perfectly still as Cody gently stuck the swab in, made a few slow circles, drew it out, and then softly pinched her nose to spread the gel evenly. “Okay,” he said with a sigh, “you’re done.” Amber sighed and smiled in relief.

“Thadk you so buch… I dod’t kdow what I would do without you.”

“Don’t worry about me… just feel better, okay? I have one more thing for you.” Amber was stunned as he drew out a small white container. He took the lid off and handed it to her along with a spoon. “It’s chicken soup. My mom taught me the recipe a while ago… I think it makes the medicines work better or something… trust me, you’ll feel amazing after eating it.” Amber nodded and ate a spoonful. She froze, her eyes wide. Cody couldn’t help but smile. “It tastes pretty good.” Amber nodded and ate the soup hungrily.

Cody kept smiling as he cleaned up the things he had brought and put them back in his bag. He looked down at Amber, who had already finished the soup and was now dragging her spoon against the side of the bowl in attempt to pick up any stray ingredients. Cody chuckled and took the bowl. “Uh-uh,” Amber said with a shake of her head and pulled it back. Cody laughed again and gently but firmly pulled the bowl towards him. “That’s all you need. You should try to get some rest.” Amber moaned.

“But I don’t want rest. I want to be with you.”

“Don’t worry,” Cody said as he picked up the bag and started to head towards the door, “I’ll be back.”

“No! Cody, wait! Don’t go!” Amber sat up quickly. “No Amber!” Cody dropped his bag and ran towards her, but it was too late. Amber’s head was already spinning, and everything went black as the fell back against the bed, bouncing limply like a rag doll.

[smiles15]

great sequel! continue please!(:

[sneezerwoman]

I agree, I'm excited to read it. Hope you write more soon.

[Marceline]

I am sooooo glad you made a sequel!!! EEE! Thanks so much! The last one was amazing and judging by the title (COLDS!!) this'll be even better! I loved the part where Cody sensed that Amber was sick... too cute for words!! Contagion is a lot of fun too.. (hint hint) LOL more soon I lurv it!!! XD

[obsessed]

Cute. XD

[White Rose]

awww!! so cute!!!!! cant wait to read more!!!!

[Kiwifruit]

Awwwww!!! *Dies* So cute! On second thought - *un-dies* I definitely want to be alive to read the next part!

[randomguy]

Hello everyone! I'm glad you like the story so far. I'm working on the next part, I promise. I kind of hit a creative brick wall, so to speak, but I'm starting to get over it. I'll have the next part up soon!

[count tiszula]

Terrific, again! I love her phone message; yum! Can't quite believe in Cody holding a Q-Tip in her sneezy nostril and actually trying not to make her sneeze....

Or is that the point...?

[randomguy]

Zicam really works! It blocks irritants or something. It would have worked perfectly if only Amber hadn't put it in quite so far. Oh dear, what a tragic mistake.

Alright, I'm finally finished fine-tuning this next part. It's short, but a lot happens in it. By the way, the new character is also a real person. I'll give you three guesses who it is. Enjoy!

She didn’t know how much time had gone by when her eyelids fluttered open, but the light coming through the curtains of her bedroom window was a dusky grey, so it must have been some time in the evening. Everything looked blurry. She blinked a few times and things started to clear up. She became dimly aware of a warm palm pressed softly to her forehead and a shadowy figure bending over her. She shifted a little.

“Cody?”

“Shhhh,” said the shadow, and its voice was female. “Don’t try to sit up just yet.”

“Who are you?”

“Shhhh…” it said again. “Just lie down for a few seconds until the dizziness goes away.”

Amber lay back down on the bed and blinked a few more times. Slowly, she began to make out the shape of a girl. The girl smiled at Amber’s recognition. “Is your vision starting to clear up?” Amber nodded.

“Good,” replied the girl. “How are you feeling?”

“Well, I’m sick, I don’t exactly feel like…” Amber paused. “Wait… what?”

The girl smiled. “Feeling back to normal?”

Amber nodded incredulously. “What…happened?” She looked up at the brown-haired girl. “Did you…?” The girl shook her head. “It was Cody.” Amber rested her head on the pillow, thinking. “Cody did this? But… how did… what is he, magic?” The girl giggled. “That’s what I thought when he did it to me. But no, it’s the medicine. It’s some kind of miracle mixture thing that his mum figured out.” The girl removed a tea bag from a nearby mug. “The medicines treat the different symptoms, and the soup sort of fine tunes them. It’s some kind of herbal thing, I think.” The girl handed Amber the mug. “Drink this. It’ll keep the effects going for a little longer. Medicine does wear off eventually.” Amber set the mug down on her nightstand. “Wait, hold on here. Cody did this for you? When? Who are you?” The girl smiled. “My friends just call me Wolf.” She quickly picked up on Amber’s confused squint. “It’s because of this book, Wolves at Our Door. I read it a long time ago… I guess it just stuck with me.” Amber sat up, and she felt relieved that she didn’t pass out or even feel dizzy this time.

“How do you know Cody?”

“Right, I’m sorry, I should have introduced myself a little better. Cody and I have been best friends for a while. It’s actually kind of weird I haven’t met you before. Anyways, Cody called me a few hours ago and told me that you were sick and that he needed someone else to help watch you. Of course I said yes. I owed him for helping me when I was sick, and besides, I wanted to meet you. So… hi!” Amber managed a smile. “Hi. So… Cody did this for you when you were sick?”

Wolf grinned a little as she brushed her long blonde hair behind her ear. “Yeah… that was a good day…” She chuckled. “I don’t usually get sick. I wasn’t even sure I was sick at all, but then Cody showed up with all this stuff, and… well, I had about the same reaction as you.” Wolf grinned again, but it turned to frown almost immediately when she noticed Amber nervously chewing her lip. “Something wrong, Amber?” she asked quietly. Amber looked up at her. “Oh, no, it’s nothing, I just… um… how… long ago was that?” Wolf shrugged.

“I’m not really sure. Why?”

“I mean… like… was it before Cody and I…?” Wolf’s eyes went wide as realization hit. “No! We’re not like that! I swear! I…” She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want you to think that… I mean… Cody and I are just friends. I promise.” Amber nodded. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to accuse you or anything. I just… I have this… um… thing… I… don’t really talk about it, but… um…” Wolf’s curls bounced as she shook her head vigorously. “I know.”

The door creaked open before Amber had a chance to respond. “Oh!” Cody exclaimed softly, “You’re awake. How are you feeling, Amber?” A warm, comforting feeling spread over Amber as she saw Cody’s face. “Hi Cody,” she said, and it felt like a million little things had suddenly started going right as she said his name. “I feel… incredible… like I’m not even sick…” Cody sighed and sank into a chair next to Amber’s bed. “Thank goodness.” Amber bit her lip again to fight back tears of relief. “Thank you so much… You’re so amazing…” Cody giggled as he gently stroked her hair. “I’m just glad you’re feeling better. You had me so worried when you passed out. You can’t sit up that fast when you’re that sick! Promise you won’t do it again?” Amber nodded, and Cody gave her a gentle smile. “Good.” He bent over and kissed her on the forehead. Amber shot up, and Cody jumped back. “What are you doing?” he cried. “What did we just talk about?!” Amber shook her head. “What did you have to kiss me for, Cody? Did you forget that I’m still sick?” Cody shook his head and smiled. “Don’t worry, I take good care of my immune system. I’ll be fine. And… if I’m not…” Cody shrugged. “…it wouldn’t really be the worst thing, would it?” His smile turned into a huge grin, and Amber couldn’t keep from laughing.

“Not funny, Cody.”

“Sure it is.”

Amber laughed again. “Okay, fine, it is. But I still don’t want you to get sick.”

Cody smiled. “Thanks for worrying about me. So… you’ve probably introduced your self to Wolf already, right?” Wolf quickly dropped the loose thread from Amber’s blanket she was fiddling with. “What? Sorry. I… what?” Cody laughed as he gently squeezed Wolf’s shoulder. “Thanks for coming over, Wolf.” Wolf sighed and smiled. “Of course, Cody, you’re my best friend. And I’m really happy I got to meet your girlfriend.” Cody smiled, and then a strange look came across his face that made Amber’s entire body go tense. “What’s wrong?” Wolf asked. Cody shook his head as his eyes closed and he brought his hand to his mouth. “itschk! Aw geez…” Amber gripped her blanket tightly. “See? I told you!” Cody shook his head as his eyes closed again. “itschew! No, it can’t be… heitsch! itsch! What…what’s going on? itschitchew!” Amber shook her head in surprise, and Cody stood up. “Do, I’b dot… oh do…” He blushed as he looked at Amber. “Excuse be.” And he darted from the room, shutting the door quickly behind him. Amber smiled. “It’s probably not my cold, but it’s a weird coincidence, isn’t it?” Amber looked at Wolf for a response, but was shocked to see her staring blankly at the opposite wall, her face flushed. Amber squinted. “Wolf?” Wolf looked over at Amber, but looked down immediately as her face went from flushed to bright red. Amber sat up and tried to get a closer look. “Wolf? Are you okay?” Wolf looked back up at Amber and bit her lip, a panicked, embarrassed look in her eyes. “What’s wrong, Wolf?” The concern was obvious in Amber’s voice. Wolf opened her mouth and said in a strangled voice, “I’m sorry… he’s just…” She squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in her hands. Confused, Amber slid out from under the blankets and crawled closer to Wolf. “What are you talking about, Wolf?” She sat on the edge of the bed and gently rested her hand on Wolf’s shoulder. “It’s okay.” Wolf dropped her hands and smiled, her face still glowing red. “What is it?” Amber asked gently. The smile dropped off of Wolf’s face and she began to squirm nervously. “It’s just…” Wolf stopped squirming. Amber watched in curiosity and awe as Wolf’s feature melted and became softer. She spoke softly, in an absent-minded voice, “He’s so cute when he does that.”

[Kiwifruit]

WHEE!! UPDATE!! *bounces around the forum in excitement*

Er...is it...ummm...oh, I know! It must be obsessedwithedward, right?

Superb as always!! I love the way your characters interact and how they have really consistent personalities. Keep it up, can't wait for the next installment!!

[obsessed]

... beutayful as always.

Er...is it...ummm...oh, I know! It must be obsessedwithedward, right?

Why, of course! The name Wolf holds much relevance to me.

[Aprilcot]

I love this fic!!!!

I love all your fics!!!!

I totally agree with WolfMotaki when she goes bouncing round the forum... I know the feeling Haha!!!

Please continue!!!

I love this!!!!

[White Rose]

OMG! i love it

i cant wait to read more

[randomguy]

Hi everyone! I'm working on the next part, but I keep running into these fun little things I call "creativity speed bumps." In the mean time, if you have anything you'd like me to include in the story, I'd love to hear it!

Oh, and on a more serious note, I'm still warming into this whole process. Are you guys okay with my emphasis on plot and comparative lack of fluff?

[obsessed]

It is your story. Do as you want-- we'll just be happy readers.

[randomguy]

Eesh. I didn't realize it had been so long since my last update. I'm so sorry! For anybody who still cares, the ending should be up within the week.

[Aprilcot]

I bet we all still want it - I know I do!!!

Better late than never

[randomguy]

Wolf’s senses started to return bit by bit, and as they did, she slowly began to realize what she had just done. When she looked over at Amber, she was dismayed, but not surprised, to see the shocked expression on her face. Wolf stood up immediately. “No, it’s not… it isn’t what you think, it’s… I can explain…” Amber’s expression hardened. “Please do.” Wolf was shocked by the coldness in her voice, and suddenly found that she didn’t know what to say. “I… I just… I didn’t… it’s not what you think, okay?” Amber crossed her arms tightly. “Then what is it?”

Somewhere in the back of her mind, a tiny voice was telling her to hear Wolf out, to trust her. But the real Amber was buried beneath layers of fear and confusion and anger.

Wolf took a deep breath and managed to put together some coherent thoughts. “We’re really just friends, I promise…” Amber snorted disbelievingly, but the part of her that wanted to give Wolf a chance was getting stronger. Wolf suddenly felt a spark of courage. “Look, I can tell you what’s really going on, but it’s no use if you’re not going to listen.” They were the only words Wolf could manage to say, and she suddenly felt a wave of faint panic as she thought of how Amber would react, but those words had broken through Amber’s defenses. Amber blinked and shook her head a little as her posture relaxed again. “Right. I’m sorry. I needed that. I’ll listen.” Amber was relieved to hear her voice come out normally. Wolf gulped and nodded before continuing. “We really are friends, but I just… you know… you probably realize I… have a… the, um… same thing as you…” Wolf looked up at the ceiling in frustration as her cheeks turned pink. “A… a sn-”

“Sneeze fetish,” Amber interrupted, trying to remain calm. “How did you know I had one?” Wolf winced. “Um… C-Cody told me…” she answered cautiously, quickly adding, “but only because he knows I have it too.” Amber squeezed her eyes shut and massaged her temples with the heels of her hands. Wolf felt tense as she watched, wondering what was going on in her head. Finally, she managed to speak up. “Are… you okay, Amber?” Amber nodded, her eyes still shut. “Yeah. I’m just… trying to make sense of everything. I never would have thought that Cody would have told anybody that I-”

“Yeah,” Wolf interrupted, slowly staring to feel easier, “I know what you mean, but it’s not like that. Cody only told me because he knew he could trust me, and because he knew I wouldn’t think less of you because I have it too. It wasn’t gossip or anything… it was… like… good news.” She smiled a little. “There aren’t too many of us. We’ve got to stick together.” Amber was relieved to find herself smiling back. “Yeah. But… I don’t really get what’s going on…” Wolf frowned. “What’s wrong?” Amber shook her head. “It’s just… it’s like everyone around me has one. You, me, Cody, that waitress fromt he restaurant… I thought we were different.” Wolf’s eyes closed as she blushed all over. “Yeah… I can explain… Cody and I… that’s not an accident. It’s… a really embarrassing story.” She opened one eye and scrunched up her nose. Amber smiled “I won’t laugh, I promise.” Wolf nodded and swallowed hard. “Well… have you ever heard of sneezefetishforum.org?” Amber shook her head. “Well,” Wolf continued, “it’s this website… you can probably guess what it is. I go on there sometimes. And by sometimes, I pretty much mean every day. So… there’s this place for observations of people sneezing, and I’ll sometimes put one up… like this time I saw this boy as my school with this really cute sneeze… and I wrote about it. A few days later, I got this message… It was from the person I wrote about… Do you see where I’m going with this?” Amber smiled. “Cody found it.” Wolf nodded. “I’m sure you can guess how embarrassed I was, but of course Cody was fine with it, and we ended up becoming really great friends because of it. But that’s it. We’re just friends. I just think he has a really cute sneeze, that’s all.” Amber nodded. “I trust you.” Wolf’s posture eased as she sighed in relief. “Thank you.” Amber shrugged. “I just over reacted. I’m sorry. I was afraid. I just… I really don’t want to lose Cody.” Wolf smiled. “I don’t want you to either.”

Both of the girls looked over as the door opened. “Is everything going okay?” Amber nodded. “We’re fine. Thanks for asking.” Cody smiled. “Of course. So… if you don’t mind… I’m still kind of dealing with… heitsch! … whatever’s… happening… itshew! … to be… excuse be.” Cody forced a smile and left the room, pressing a tissue to his face.

Amber smiled at Wolf. “Yeah, they are cute, aren’t they?” Wolf nodded emphatically.

“So cute! And did you notice before, the-”

“Double sneeze?”

“Yes!”

Amber grinned. “I’ve never seen it before. Now I’m starting to wish he would do it every time!” Wolf grinned. “So… any other questions?” Amber shrugged. “Not really, I guess. I just… there was this waitress… at the restaurant that Cody took me to when he told me had had the fetish… she had it too. It’s just a really weird coincidence.” Wolf began to squirm nervously again. Yeah… um… about that… did she tell you that he has in words? Or did she… I don’t know… write ‘me too’ at the bottom of your receipt of something?” Amber was stunned.

“How did you-”

“Because you know, you can tip those waitresses to write something like that on somebody else’s receipt, and… if one of Cody’s friends happened to be there that day, and… happened to notice what you two were talking about…” Wolf gave a hopeful smile. “…that would be kind of funny, right?”

Amber’s frozen expression of surprise did not give Wolf the answer she was looking for. Finally, barely able to make her voice any louder than a whisper, Amber said, “You?” Wolf nodded. “I’m sorry, I didn’t-” Amber shook her head and, much to Wolf’s surprise, actually smiled. “Wow. It was you all along.” Wolf was happy to hear Amber laugh. “You’re really funny!” Wolf smiled sheepishly and shrugged. “Thank you.”

“Does Cody know?”

Wolf shook her head, and Amber smiled. “Good. Don’t tell him.” Wolf returned Amber’s smile. “So… does this mean you’re not mad?” Amber laughed again. “Of course I’m not mad. Look, I know we kind of got off on the wrong foot, but I hope we can still be friends.” Wolf’s smile doubled in size. “It’s about time you asked!” She stuck out her tongue playfully, and Amber pushed her shoulder lightly. Wolf nodded, a more serious look coming across her face. “I want us to be friends too. I’m really not trying to get between you and Cody. I hope you believe me about that.” Amber responded with an indecisive squint that made Wolf’s stomach lurch. “I do believe you, but… I’ve been getting this really weird feeling…”

“Honestly, we’re just-”

“I know,” Amber interrupted, “just friends. But- and be honest about this- do you have stronger feelings for him?” Wolf shook her head. “No, I don’t.” Amber raised an eyebrow, and Wolf sighed resignedly. “Okay, fine. I guess you’re right. But it’s not what you think.” This time, Amber was ready to really listen to Wolf, and she nodded for her to continue. “Well… it’s just… I don’t know. He’s just so sweet and cute and has the most amazing sneeze… I don’t think of him as anything but a friend, and I wouldn’t want it any other way… but he… um… still… gives me butterflies sometimes… and, um…” Wolf’s cheeks began to flush. “Sometimes I… um… daydream… about k- kissing him.” Wolf sighed again and hung her head as the truth finally came out, both for Amber and, really, for herself as well. “I’m really sorry. I’ll go now.” Her heart sank as she began to get out of her chair.

“Wait.”

Amber voice took her off guard. She looked up at Amber and was surprised to see the tiniest hint of a smile on her face. “It’s okay. I said we were friends, and I meant it.” Wolf shook her head in disbelief. “Wh-what? You’re okay with that?” Amber nodded. “I understand. I know what a great person Cody is, and honestly, I think that a lot of other girls probably feel the same way you do.” Amber’s smile widened. “That doesn’t make you bad. It just makes me lucky.” Wolf was lost for words. “Amber… I don’t know what to say…”

“Don’t worry,” Amber said, an impish look coming across her face, “I do. He’s coming back. Just follow my lead, okay?” Wolf nodded obediently as the door opened and Cody walked in. “No, you’re wrong!” Amber shouted angrily at Wolf, who responded with a look as confused as Cody’s. It took her a moment to realize what was happening before she cautiously responded, “No, I’m… not…!”

“Yes you are!” Amber shouted back. “How would you even know?”

Whoa, hang on,” Cody interrupted, “What’s going on?” Amber crossed her arms with convincing anger. “She said that you don’t seem like a good kisser.” Wolf’s eyes got wide as she tried to protest, but Amber silenced her with a gentle look. Cody, completely oblivious to the plot, was stumbling for words. “Um… why would she say that?”

“I don’t know. It’s not true.”

“Yeah, it’s true,” Wolf said tentatively, and was reassured by a barely perceptible smile from Amber. “No it isn’t!” Amber shot back.

“Well… prove it!” Wolf ventured.

“Fine. Cody?” Amber said expectantly. Cody froze. “Okay, what’s going on here? Amber, you can’t seriously be asking me to kiss someone else while we’re together, can you?” Amber chewed her lip a little. “Just to prove it to her. Please?” Cody stared for a second or two, and then nodded slowly. Amber gripped her blankets tightly as Cody and Wolf got close to one another, feeling her head start to go foggy.

Wolf was just as tense. Her breathing became shaky as Cody’s face came close to hers. The room around her swam as if she were floating in a dream. Cody’s eyes danced over her face, searching. A soft tingling began in her lips, and she closed her eyes, feeling it. She was not aware of Cody’s lips making contact with hers, only that they were there, and she let the warm feeling wash over her, feeling pins and needles in the tips of her fingers and toes, spreading up her arms and her legs. And as the feeling subsided, she opened her eyes and saw Cody looking back at her. She took a deep breath and looked over at Amber. “Um… okay… you were right.” And she ran from the room, covering her flushed cheeks.

Cody smiled at Amber and sat down on the edge of the bed. Amber smiled back, her head still spinning. “Thanks.” Cody’s gentle words confused Amber. “For what?” Cody’s smile widened. “I think I’m a little smarter than you give me credit for. I know you only did that for Wolf. The truth is, I’ve known about her crush on me for a while now, but I was hoping it would go away. Maybe now it actually will.” Amber shrugged. “You’re too sbart for be.” She froze, and Cody’s expression changed. “I think the medicine is starting to wear off.” Amber shook her head, sneezing even as she did. “he-ictch! Do, do, I’b f- ishoo! fide, really! Heh… ichew!” Cody blushed heavily as he pulled her blankets over her. “Don’t try to fight it, you’ll feel better sood.” This time, it was Cody that froze as Amber gave him a look of pure amazement.

“Did you just…”

“I thidk so…”

Cody bit his lip. “Do you thidk… he-ishk! you’ll be o… eitshew! okay on your own for a while?” Amber nodded. “Yeah… heh-ISHEW! I’ll be okay.” Cody giggled. “Thadks. Good… htchoo! …bye.” Amber smiled hugely as Cody shut the door behind him, feeling better already.

• • • • •

Cody smiled to himself as he shut Amber’s door behind him. He quietly removed a small white bottle from his pocket and began unscrewing the cap.

“What are those?”

Cody looked up at the sound of Wolf’s voice. “Oh, these? They’re my allergy pills,” he replied, emptying two onto his hand. Wolf nodded, and then her expression became startled as she recognized Cody’s mischievous face. “Cody… have you been taking those?” Cody placed a finger on his lips and shook his head, whispering, “Don’t tell Amber.” Wolf smiled and swiped her fingers across her lips, zipping and invisible zipper. She cast her eyes towards the ground and shifted nervously. “Hey… um… before you go… I just want to say… thank you. You’re an amazing kisser, and an amazing person, and… I’m really glad you have such a great girlfriend.” Cody tilted his head to the side slightly. “Do you mean that?” Wolf giggled a little at his ability to see right through her. She took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah. I really do.” Cody smiled and swallowed the pills in his hand. “Thanks Wolf.” Wolf smiled back. “You’re welcome.”

[Aprilcot]

AAAAAWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!

Love love love!!!!

[Marceline]

*melts* That pretty much covered it. LUV IT!

[Weirdo Girl]

*melts* That pretty much covered it. LUV IT!

I agree.

[Zane]

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!!!!!! I SO LOVE IT!!!!!! can't wait for more! cody sounds awsome!!!

[White Rose]

aww! i love this

[Kiwifruit]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! I can't believe you posted that when I didn't have internet xD That is awesome...and I got a kiss, joy xD Are you planning on writing any more Amber/Cody stories? If not...I swear I will hunt you down and do something drastic Who knows, I might even have to beg xD