Title: High Score
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Seth/Summer
Summary: What might happen if Summer got together with Seth…and got in the way of a video game.
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. Not even Ryan and Seth. [pause] Dammit.
A/N: I know this would be OOC for Seth. I have no doubt that in reality—or the show's reality—he wouldn't have done this. But the idea just wouldn't let go of me.
"Seth?" Summer called as she walked into the living room. She stopped in the doorway and stared at her boyfriend. "What are you doing?"
"Playing a video game," Seth said as he frantically worked the controller. "Oh, you think you're gonna do that, huh? Well, take that!"
Summer looked from him to the game. "Seth, who are you talking to?"
"The game," Seth said, as if this was a perfectly natural thing.
Summer closed her eyes and sighed. "Seth, what are you doing? We're supposed to go to the mall, remember?"
"We will," Seth reassured her. "After I beat Ryan's high score. He had the nerve to beat mine, can you believe that?" he asked.
Summer flopped down next to him on the couch. "And you forgot our plans," she muttered petulantly.
"I'm sorry," Seth said repentantly, although the effect was somewhat diminished by the fact that he had yet to take his eyes off the screen. "Look, I swear I'll be done soon—oh, no you don't!" he yelled at the screen. "Ryan, you are so dead!" he crowed.
Summer stared at him. "Seth, he's not here."
"Well, his score is dead," Seth amended.
"Seth, I want to go to the mall."
"Summer, I really need to focus here. I promise when I'm done, I'll get my dad's credit card and max it out on shoes just for you."
Summer leaned back, mollified. "All right," she sniffed.
~*~
An hour and twenty-three minutes later, Seth still wasn't finished and Summer was reaching her breaking point.
"Seth, I want to go to the mall," she repeated yet again.
Seth's eyes were still locked on the screen. "In a minute."
"Seth," Summer gritted out, "you've been saying that for over an hour. I want to go."
"I swear I'll be finished soon!" Seth told her. "And—another one bites the dust! Aw, too bad for you, anonymous virtual ninja dude."
"Do you want to make out?" she asked as a last-ditch effort.
Seth barely even looked at her. "Huh? We'll go to the mall after I get the high score, I promise."
Summer glared at her oblivious boyfriend. Just who did he think he was anyway, blowing her off like this? And for some stupid video game!
Summer got off the couch and stood in front of the TV, her hands placed on her hips. Seth stared up on her.
Finally, Summer thought, he's actually paying attention to me!
"What are you doing? Seth demanded. "Move out of the way!"
"No," Summer said, defiantly. "I am going to stay right here." She planted her feet firmly in the carpet, and waited to see what he would do next.
What he did was crane his head so that he could still see the screen. Summer, furious by this point, was forced to move around and block his vision. Finally, with a grunt of anger, she turned the game off.
Seth stared at her in horror. "What'd you do that for? I almost had the high score!"
Summer pinned him with her Death Glare. It seemed to be working, because Seth was finally looking properly afraid of her. "I am sick of this! God, all you've been doing today is playing that stupid game instead of paying attention to me."
Seth raised an eyebrow at this. "Well, you didn't pay attention to me for years, and you don't see me complaining. If this is about the mall, we can go right now—"
Summer stamped her Prada-encased feet. "Seth, I don't care about the mall, okay? All I want is for us to do something together. Okay? I don't care what it is, but all I know is that the whole idea of a date is to do stuff together."
Seth looked down at the floor.
"Besides," Summer muttered, "by the time we get to the mall, it'll be practically closing time."
"Do you want to take out the catamaran?" Seth asked.
"No, I get seasick, remember?" Summer told him. "Although I do like the fact that it's got my name on it."
Seth grinned. He looked back down at the controller in his hand, and when he looked back up at her, Summer grew a little nervous at the glint in his eyes.
He held the controller up. "You want me to teach you how to play?"
Summer just stared at him, disbelieving. He has got to be kidding…
Oh, what the hell, a little voice in her head said. You did say you wanted to do something together…
Before she could think better of this—or think what people would say if they saw her playing video games—Summer grabbed the other controller and sat down next to him. "Okay, who am I supposed to be killing here?"
Seth grinned as he re-started the game. "Hack away at anyone who isn't me."
Summer countered, "How about I hack away at everyone, including you? You deserve to lose, anyway."
"Summer," Seth said gently, "we're on the same side. I lose, you lose."
"Oh," Summer said. "Okay, I'll let you off. This time."
Seth grinned in a way that made her tingle—although she'd never admit it to him—then he frowned. "Wait, did you offer to make out with me?"
"Ah, too late," Summer told him. "Now teach me how to play."
"Wait, I think we should reconsider this—"
"No way. The offer's expired. Now show me how to do this already!"
"It's something we'd be doing together! Making out is a healthy part of any relationship! It's the glue that holds loving couples together!"
"Seth, the only making out you'll be doing tonight will be with the back of your hand. Let's get started."
"Fine," Seth mumbled. "I cannot believe I chose a video game over making out with you."
"Neither can I."