“ his missing piece ” — cody aguilar x f!reader dating headcanons !!
cw: established relationship, fluff/comfort, a tablespoon of angst, suggestive implications, a half-cup of self-deprecating bartender, (nearly 2k words..)
he sticks to calling you “love/lovely” very often. (sometimes when he’s tired, his Filipino accent slips out when he says “love” hehe) however, if you’ve stayed by his side for long enough and reassured him that you love him unconditionally, it’ll only be a matter of time before his first “angel” slips out.
“say my name again, lovely… god, you sound perfect.”
he won’t typically initiate PDA around the hotel, but he REALLY REALLY likes it when you’re the one to make the move. give him a goodbye peck on the lips as you leave him by the bar and he’ll be thinking about you the whole day.
he’d prefer to keep PDA subtle, which is why he tends to kiss your temple when you guys are out in public <3 when he’s feeling tired, though, the gentlest of kisses on his lips will make his heart stutter. do that repeatedly while you lie on his chest and you’ve got yourself a half-asleep, half-melted bartender under you. BUT if he’s been missing you.. don’t be surprised when he has a hand on the side of your neck, his other hand on your hip as he leaves slow kisses over the pulse in your neck.
“stay a little longer.. i’ll take care of you, love.”
honestly, cody is one of the best people to ask for advice on nearly anything, from “which dress looks better on me?” to “does this person not like me?” even though he may seem too direct or awkward, he’s observant and picks up on tons of details, so he always has useful input.
because of that, he also has REALLY good instinct for some reason? he can recommend you a new drink you’ve literally never tried before and it’ll end up turning into your new favorite. every time you ask him how he knew, he just shrugs and says “i know your taste” (no, not that taste…)
he’s also one of the most honest people in the hotel. he will not bullshit you and will tell you in the way you prefer, while still being receptive about your feelings. if you ever feel hurt, don’t be afraid of telling it straight to his face because he’ll be so understanding.
he loves listening to you so much it’s so sweet 🥹 it doesn’t matter how good or bad you are at yapping, he’ll absorb everything you say. getting vv excited? he’ll grin and ask you questions to find out more. don’t know how to describe something? he’ll get context clues and help you form your words. subconciously, he also remembers these little quirks you have when you’re talking, such as if you use “like” a lot, or you break into song when something sounds like a lyric, or you use obscure references, he’ll catch it all.
him noticing your quirks don’t stop at your yapping either! he has your little habits ingrained in his brain sm that if anyone does the same thing, he’ll immediately think of you. (and then start to miss you..)
you know that he trusts you when he starts opening up about his interests and opinions <3 when you find out that he loves puzzles, reads mystery books, or likes philosophy, you’ll finally see more of the cody that not a lot of people see. you’ll get to see how he is under the nonchalant, easygoing “blank slate” so many people are familiar with.
on that topic, i hope you like mystery! because he WILL try to subtly hint at the fact that he’s interested in an escape room or solving one of those crime kits or the mysteries online with you (code word: TRY, he’s so awkwardly obvious that he wants to do them)
he’s been a motorcyclist for a few years now! so definitely expect him to take you on occasional late night motorcycle rides with you wearing your very own helmet that he bought for you :> he loves hearing your little squeals when he starts speeding up (and the tight hold your arms have around his waist) but it’s okay, you know he means well when you guys are waiting on a red light and he reaches behind him to squeeze and rub your thigh to check in on you
his love languages are acts of service (giving) and quality time (receiving)! his little workaholic ass will not hesitate to do any chore, errand, or task you’re too tired to deal with. and yes, he gives good massages for some reason and WILL offer it to you. all that drink mixing made him good w his hands 🤫 but actually, he kind of struggles with not being able to see you for long periods of time. he typically isn’t bothered if he has to go to the bar to do his shift, bc he knows he’ll come back to you :) but whenever you have to leave, he’s just waiting for you to return.
wanna know a little secret though? the key to cody’s heart may actually just be reassurance, the soft and gentle kind. tell him he’s so sweet for helping you, that you’ll be there for him, and that you’ll always come back to him at the end of the day. (just ignore the way his eyes get glossy and the way he’ll hide it by guiding your face to rest on his shoulder.)
ANYWAY, do you know he’s obsessed with holding your waist and hips? he doesn’t know why but his hands always find themselves slotted there, rubbing comforting circles into your skin. maybe he’s had a long day, or he’s convincing you to stay a little longer, or.. something else.
he loves reading crime, mystery, and thriller books! he doesn't actually read romance books that much, and yet that still won't stop him from thinking of you whenever a couple is even slightly mentioned in any of his books. and if you insist, yes, he can definitely read you to sleep. (it’s one of the only ways he chooses to talk for so long, i just hope you don’t mind falling asleep to Silence of The Lambs…?)
he gets so protective over you it’s really cute :,) won’t hesitate to let you borrow his jacket if your top is too revealing, will guide you by your waist as you navigate through a crowd, and will stand behind you and keep adjusting your dress if it’s a little short. ALSO, i’m so sorry but if you’re with another guy, he will try SO HARD to act like he isn’t bothered when all he wants to do is hear you say he’s yours in front of him.
if you ever find out about dinah and bring it up to him, he will talk about their history if you ask (but he’ll hate every second of it. he feels like he’s reliving through all the neglect again). even though it isn’t his fault, he would feel guilty for making you jealous or worried. don’t worry, he would 100% reassure you that he’d choose to love you over ever choosing dinah again.
“if i wanted to be with her, i would have stayed. i’m with you because i want you, angel. only you.”
i’m so sorry but cody had such low standards (which he tried hard to work on) when he got into a relationship, which is why he literally treasures every sweet gesture you do. he’s scared it won’t last, so he’ll reciprocate it to give you a reason to stay. (dinah messed him up bad..)
IF you’re filipino as well, he’d be caught off-guard bc of being friends with hayden for so long (legit a primarily english-speaking japanese man) but you bet he’d start being more comfortable since he’s relieved someone else can finally understand him. his tagalog WILL slip out when he’s exhausted and his raspy sleepy voice is a bonus hehe
“love, lumapit ka dito.. please. pahinga muna tayo.”
it’s actually pretty hard to make cody blush. whenever you try, he just breaks into a relaxed smirk and asks you some variation of “what’s got you so riled up, hm?” BUT the easiest way to fluster him is to catch him completely off-guard. is he complaining about a particularly difficult customer at the bar? let him see your eyes glance at his lips. did you drop something in front of him? put a hand on his thigh to stabilize yourself when you pick it back up. did he phrase something a little weird? twist his words to suggest something else. look back at him innocently and pretend nothing ever happened, just admire the sight of your boyfriend tripping over his words and needing to clear his throat, convincing himself you didn’t mean anything else.
CODY’S BIGGEST GREEN FLAG IS THAT HE’S NOT AFRAID OF COMMITMENT!! stay with him long enough and prove that you love all of him, and honestly? it doesn’t take him long to consider always staying by your side. of course, he’ll have certain doubts, mostly questioning if he’s really the best option for you to stay with. but he’d be absolutely lying if he said he wished you would choose him regardless :’)
this doesn’t mean he doesn’t have flaws, however. one thing he struggles a lot with is that he was taught to be incredibly self-sufficient, so if there’s something bothering him, he’ll spend days and days trying to solve it on his own because the thought of asking you for help would never occur until he’s exhausted. he might hyperfixate on solutions to your relationship problems, asking “what happened?” “why do you feel bad?” and “how can we fix this?” first before actually comforting you. he’s also very used to directness so he might not pick up on social cues like whether you need space or you need him.
but one thing he loves is when you act so unapologetically you. when you run out of breath from rambling about something you love so much, when you wake up in the morning with frizzy hair and don’t bother to fix it, when you sing without a care in the shower, when you still feel the courage to tell him “i don’t know what to do” during a rough time, you’ve caught his heart.
cody hopes that you know he tries. yes, he’s quiet, and at first, it felt like he didn’t care about anything, like he was an unfinished draft no one’s picked back up for years. but he does care, about many things, about you. he doesn’t understand why you choose to stay when he feels like he has nothing to stay for. call him selfish for this, but he still wants you to choose him. whatever happens in the future, just know that when his fingers tremble around a cold glass of old fashioned and he feels a burn in his throat that he never thought he'd feel again, he loves you.
