Explanations.
I DO NOT OWN SETH or RYAN or SOPHIE or THE OC because life is unfair.
Summery: Sophie finds out people can be cruel and Seth and Ryan explain a few things about their relationship. Slash.
Sophie Rose Cohen comes home one day from school crying. She is six years old and lives in Berkley with her mom and dad. Her daddy is a lawyer, he helps young people in trouble. Her mommy is a matchmaker and helps people find love. Sophie loves them both dearly. And she loves her brothers too. Seth, who has dark hair like daddy but without the eyebrows and makes her laugh, draws comic books or 'graphic novels' as he insists on calling them, for a living. He loves his job. Ryan, who is blond (like mommy, Sophie thinks) and very serious although mommy says he laughs more now than he did before but Sophie doesn't really understand what 'before' means. Ryan is an architect and works for mommy's old company, the Newport Group, which is in California. He and Seth both live there and Sophie misses them but loves it when they visit and bring lots of presents and laughter and smiles. Everyone smiles when they come home.
No one ever thought to explain to Sophie why they live together, why neither of them are married, why they always visit together, why they sometimes hold hands and share secret smiles. They were her brothers and it had always been that way.
But now Sophie was wondering why the kids at school had called her brother's 'fags' and 'queers' and said what they were doing was against god and the law and that they weren't her brothers.
Seth and Ryan were visiting from the OC. They were joking and laughing when they found Sophie crying on the futon in her bedroom. In Ryan's left hand was a new video game they'd just brought and in his right was Seth's hand. When they saw their little sister upset they rushed over.
"What's up Soph?" Seth asked, drawing her away from the corner to sit on his lap but she jumped away. She looked at them both, angry with tears pouring from her Kirsten-like eyes.
"You aren't my brothers!" she yelled.
The boys were shocked and hurt. "What, Sophie that's not true! Where did you get that idea from?" Ryan asked, kneeling down to her level. She crossed her arms over her chest.
"The kids at school said you weren't my brother and that you and Seth were fags and queers and god hates you." she explained as if reciting a perfectly reasonable mantra. Then she burst into tears again.
"No, no sweetie." Ryan hugged her and Seth joined them on the floor.
"We are your brothers. Just, different types of brothers. See, when I was fifteen dad brought home a sixteen year old boy who needed a family because his own couldn't look after him. He was blond and serious and hurting but eventually he became part of the family and mom and dad saw him as a son." Seth said calmly like telling a bed time story. Sophie listened, wary but accepting.
Ryan picked it up. "Yes, but Seth didn't think of him as a brother. He tried to ignore this but one day while they were both at university Seth got very drunk and confessed to the blond boy who wasn't so hurt but still serious that he was in love with him-"
"In a Big Gay way." cut in Seth, earning him a glare which softened into a smile when Seth laced his fingers through Ryan's.
"In a Big Gay way. And luckily for the family, the blond boy felt the same way and they kissed and decided to tell their parents."
"Nice editing out there." Seth whispered behind his hand, winking. They both remembered that night and coming out to Kirsten and Sandy was not on their minds, finding out where to buy lube from was a much more pressing issue. Sophie was starting to relax.
"Anyway, they were both worried but luckily Mom and dad lovedthe boys very much and although they were a little bit worried, they accepted them." Seth finished.
"Ryan... you're the blond-not-angry-anymore-but-still-serious-boy, right?" Sophie said, falling asleep in her brothers' arms.
"Uh-huh." he agreed, helping Seth pick her up and tuck her in.
"I'm glad." she whispered.
"So am I." he said, kissing her on her forehead.
"Sweet dreams." Seth murmured as he pushed the door to, leaving a gap for the light to shine though, Sophie had inherited Seth's fear of the dark.
They left the game on her bedside table and returned to their own room which was at the end of the hall next to the bathroom. They went to sleep hours later and Kirsten and Sandy had a romantic dinner for two (minus the alcohol and home cooking). The next day at school Sophie made a new friend called Benjay and they read a comic book by Seth Cohen and after school they went back to Sophie's house and played the new game her brother's had brought her.
People occasionally said something offensive to her about her brothers but she ignored them and learned with Seth's quick wit how to silence them. Besides, what did it matter what people said as long as she knew they loved her and they loved each other.
Sophie never cried because someone said the word 'queer' ever again.