By Beloved
Kinda Ryan/Seth
Spoilers for PILOT
Carries on from Ryan leaving (just after 'the hug')
Kinda indirectly inspired by Harry/Ron slash fic Sympathetic Magic
Seth drifts back down to bed in a haze. His head is just about to hit the pillow when he jumps up with a groan.
"Ryan's leaving?" he mumbles, groaning as he staggers upright.
He stands stock-still and ramrod straight for a second as that finally sinks in.
"Ryan's Leaving!" he shouts, running out of the room and dashing down the stairs, holding his pounding head as he races to the front door. Just in time to see his father drive off with Ryan.
Seth slumps against the doorframe, watching the car until he can't see it anymore.
He hears a round from the kitchen and spins round, mood spinning from upset and depressed to angry and pissed off – as he had someone to blame. Storming into the kitchen Seth rounds on his Mother, standing before the coffee-maker.
"This is your fault! You did this!" he accused, flinging a hand in her general dissection for emphasis.
"And it wasn't even Ryan's fault we got into that fight! It was mine!"
Kirsten looked at him in disbelief. This was Seth Cohen, he never got into fights!
"Yeah, Mom, it was! I outted Ryan to the entire party!"
Seth registered his Mom's blinking in shock, and was quick to explain that statement – "You know, as a kid from Chino who stole a car? And then I just stormed off and left him! And of course, being me, and being drunk, I stormed right into a group of jocks on the beach. When Ryan came along, 4 of them had me upside down Mom! Ryan saved me! Ok, we both ended up getting our asses kicked, but he totally had my back Mom. He totally cared what happened to me and tried to help! No-one's ever done that for me before – You and dad don't count" he added before she dared interrupt. "You have to look out for me. But Ryan…Mom, he's the first friend I've ever really had, and I really really like him! And now he's gone!"
At that, Seth flung both arms up in defeat, breathing deeply, as he'd said most of that in one breath, before storming off back to his room.
Meanwhile…
Ryan had thrown all of his stuff in the boot of the car, but as the Cohen house disappeared, Ryan pulled the map Seth had given out of his coat pocket.
Running his hands over it, Ryan remembers everything him and Seth have done together since they met.
Computer games, swimming, partying – fighting. Listening to Seth's incessant babbling the entire time.
Ryan had never been the unpopular kid – like Seth appeared to be in the OC, but Ryan had never just clicked with another guy like he had with Seth.
Theresa was the only thing that came close, but still, nothing like how he felt with Seth.
Ryan didn't really want to analyse how much he was gonna miss Seth, so he just continued to run his fingers over the map, still quite touched that Seth had given him such a treasured possession in the first place.
He kept a tight hold on his last link to Seth, as he grabbed his stuff out the boot, and walked with trepidation to the door of his former home.
Seth lay there, still half-heatedly punching the pillow he had been thumping since he returned to his room – preferring hitting the pillow to his other alternative – crying into it.
Seth did not really understand why he felt this way – why he felt quite this bad about losing Ryan.
All he knew is that he had never clicked with another person the way he had with Ryan.
He got that regular people had friends – something he had never had the luxury of, but this felt like more than that.
More important. Something he's lost before he could ever work out what is was.
When he heard his father's car pull to a stop outside the house, Seth just buried his head further in the pillow, knowing that his father had come back alone.
That is, until he heard the slam of a second car door.
Ryan let the car door slam shut, tightening his fingers around the map he was still clutching. Would him coming back be OK with Kirsten? Would he ever be able to call the Cohen house 'home'? And, most importantly; Would Seth be happy to see him? Ryan walked slowly up the rest of the drive, coming to a stop in front of the door, too nervous to just open it – until he registered the thumping of teenage, Seth feet on the stairs. At that sound, he relaxed slightly, happiness in his eyes as Sandy came up behind him and pushed the door open.
At the sound of that second car door, Seth was up and rushing down the stairs as fast as he possibly could, uncaring as to his slightly red eyes (even though he categorically not been crying – do you know how hard it is to hold in tears?). Dashing past his mother, a huge beaming smile on his face, Seth raced to the door, wished opened to reveal exactly what he was hoping for.
"Ryan!"
Without stopping, Seth opened his arms and flung himself at Ryan.
As the door opened slowly, Ryan saw a brown curly-headed blur heading his way, and his smile just widened. He only just registered that Seth was not going to stop, before his arms were full of Seth – the force of which knocked them both to the ground! Sandy moved out of the way just in time.
Seth blinked as he landed on top of Ryan, both of them falling with an 'oomph!' at the impact.
Looking directly into Ryan's eyes, seeing the happiness there, Seth's heart warmed.
"Hey Ryan"
Ryan brought a hand up to run through the riot of curls, as he whispered back "Hey Seth.
At that, Seth rolled off to sit beside him, dragged himself to his feet and put out his hand to his, his Ryan.
"You sticking around now Ry?" he asked, hope shining in his eyes.
Ryan accepted his hand and stood before him.
"You're stuck with me now Seth", smiling in response to the beam he received.
At that, he used their still joined hands to pull Seth into an embrace.
As Seth settled into Ryan's arms, he whispered into Ryan's ear "There's no-one else I'd rather be stuck with."
As they parted, Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Summer"
Seth blushed slightly as he shook his head. "You and me Ryan, we just"
"Click." They finished simultaneously.
Happiness shining in the faces of both boys, they turned, still hand in hand to go into the house.
In the doorway stood Kirsten and Sandy.
As the Cohen parents had watched this, they had come to a realisation.
They had never seen their son as happy as he was in the presence of this Chino boy.
"He's a good boy hun. He'll be good for Seth" Sandy whispered to his wife, placing an arm around her shoulder.
"He really cares about Seth doesn't he? He'll look after him." She replied, leaning into her husband's embrace.
They watched 'their' boys stiffen as they realised they had been watched.
Kirsten stepped out of her husband's arms, and walked towards Ryan.
Her husband already loved the boy, it was her he was still wary of. But she trusted her husband – and her son.
"Ryan," she said, coming to a stop before him.
Ryan went to drop Seth's hand, but Seth's grip on him just tightened.
"I have never seen my son happier than when you're with him. My son and Sandy both believe in you, and as Seth's happiness is one of the most important things in the world to me, that's more than enough"
Sandy's arm once again came round her shoulder, as she opened her arms and said, "Welcome to the family".
Ryan blinked in shock, before Seth pushed him forward into Kirsten's embrace. Soft, warm, safe. This was a true mother's embrace. Seth and Sandy quickly joined them in a family hug.
After a moment, they stepped away, Kirsten's arm around Ryan as he was led back through the front door.
As Sandy passed him, he tousled his sandy blonde locks and said, "Welcome home son.
Ryan's head shot up to meet Sandy's eyes, touched. "Thanks Mr – Sandy"
Sandy nodded, but before anything else could be said, Seth grabbed Ryan's hand once again and went to drag him upstairs.
As they reached the stairs, Ryan looked down at his hands, noticing that he still had the slightly crumpled map clutched in his fist.
Silently, he passed it back to Seth.
When Seth raised a questioning eyebrow, Ryan explained.
"I don't need it any more. I've got you back. You're stuck with me Seth"
Seth beamed, taking the map and placing it his back pocket as he replied "There's no-one else I'd rather be stuck with."