all for love | cody christian

fifty-six | in love

"We can stay as long as we need to, squirt," he says, smiling softly at her.

This time, the snort isn't as muffled as she says, "You know, now that we're having sex, that nickname is a little weird."

"That ain't gonna stop me, perv," he laughs, but then sobers up. "But really, princess. We're staying here for as long as we need to. You need to be here with Averi and I need to be here with you. So we're here until that changes, okay?"

She sighs, becoming serious once again, "Cody, you don't have to stay with me. I'm sure your agent wants you to get back to work and you'll have stuff to do with the end of Teen Wolf."

"I don't care about any of that," he responds, shaking his head at her.

"But-" she starts, but he cuts her off before she can finish her sentence.

"No, listen, I'm so goddamn in love with you," he tells her, gently grasping her face in his hands so that she has no choice but to look into his eyes. "When my mom was diagnosed with cancer, you were there for me every step of the way. I want to be here for you the way you were for me. If I went back to work right now, I'd spend all my time FaceTiming you or Liam or Caroline just to stay updated. I wouldn't be focused. So I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

She smiles at him, tears gathering in her eyes, as she says, "I'm kinda deeply, madly, fiercely in love with you, too. Please never go anywhere."

"I won't," he tells her just seconds before connecting their lips in a kiss.

It's been awhile since they've had an honest-to-goodness moment of alone time, of privacy. Sure, the zoo still isn't as private or secluded as they'd like, but it's good enough for a kiss that lasts longer than the pecks that they share in the kitchen or on the beach or at the park. This is them and they're here, together, and it feels like enough. When they part, she snuggles closer to him as he wraps an arm around her shoulders and they both keep eating, her head resting on his chest as they watch the wolves wander around their grassy area.

Once they've finished there and moved on to the lion exhibit, their fingers laced together, they're approached by a couple of fans. The girls are in their late teens and obviously a bit nervous about disturbing the couple, but Reyna grins at them and welcomes them with ease.

"Hi, guys!" she says, genuine kindness in her voice as she greets the three girls.

"Hi, Reyna," the one with dark hair and a thick Australian accent says in return, smiling widely. "And Cody."

"Cody comes first," the tall, blonde says, the American accent rolling off her lips. "Cody always comes first. Love you too, though, Reyna."

"Hey," the actress says, smiling jovially and throwing up her hands. "I definitely agree with you on that one."

"No, you definitely come first," Cody whispers into her ear, making her let out a laugh and gently smack him.

"Ignore him," she tells the girls. "What are your names?"

"I'm Sam," the shorter blonde says, grinning.

"And I'm Danielle," the Australian girls says.

"Which would make me Alice," the American says.

"And obviously you guys know we're Cody and Reyna," he says, squeezing her hand and grinning at the fans.

Sam laughs and nods, "Obviously."

"How is Averi doing?" Alice asks, pouting her lips a bit and nervously fidgeting with her hair. "I know how scary this is and I'm sure you're all just getting in as much as you can now."