Seth is miserable. There's nowhere he can go --the kitchen, the living room, the pool house, the pool (god, the fucking pool, with Ryan near-naked and dripping wet) - without seeing him. Which means that there's hardly a minute that goes by that Seth doesn't feel the frustration of wanting to be with Ryan.

Goddamnit, he had a plan - to ignore his feelings for Ryan and never act on them - but that got foiled when Ryan pressed his phenomenally strong, warm body and mouth against Seth's. So Seth modified his plan to a much more enticing one - have lots of hot make-out sessions (and possibly more) in Ryan's pool house or Seth's room late at night - or, hell, the kitchen table when his parents were out. The possibilities were endless and so very, very alluring.

But then Ryan foiled that plan too with his little speech last week. It took Seth days just to get over the shock and pain of it, as he wandered around like a zombie - or rather, the Seth version of a zombie, which meant he was talking more and more frantically than usual. Even his parents were getting visibly annoyed with him for a while there.

But then Seth came up with another plan. This plan was based on Anna's advice to him at Cotillion. Seth laughs at the realization that he had completely forgotten about Anna's existence - just a few weeks ago, she seemed the perfect person for him. Now he has to stretch to conjure up image in his mind, and even then it is only to thank her for providing him with the key to luring Ryan back: confidence.

Seth knows that Ryan is right - they shouldn't have a romantic relationship - sexual, whatever. He can't imagine his parents would approve of Seth making out with *anyone* in their home, let alone someone who is living there as his brother. He knows it is going to be really difficult to not get caught. But Seth can't live with the frustration of Ryan being just out of reach the whole time. Ryan is so . compelling, and smart, and funny, and, truly, unspeakably handsome. He's never felt this way about anyone - in fact his crush on Summer that once seemed so enormous and overpowering now seems like a joke. Seth can't live with himself if he doesn't at least try to make it work.

So Seth's new plan is to seduce Ryan back. To be so sexy and alluring that Ryan can't say no, despite his fears of getting caught. Seth has to be so seductive that he erases Ryan's fears and insecurities. A tall order, sure, but think of how satisfying it would be if he pulls it off. Seth knows it's a stretch - he's never been irresistible to anyone in his entire life. That's why he's been preparing. He's spent the last few evenings imagining - in great detail - dozens of different scenarios. Seth grabs Ryan and kisses him. Seth delivers a killer back-rub that melts Ryan into a puddle. Hell, he even cooks up a scene where he ties Ryan's wrists to his bed and has his way with him, although Seth knows he doesn't have quite the balls to go through with THAT one. But anyway, all those high school counselors were really onto something with their inspirational "if your mind can perceive it, and your heart can believe it, than you can achieve it" crap, because all his perceiving and believing has definitely put a little strut in Seth's stride, put a smirk on his face. Seth is feeling better than he has since that first night with Ryan. He is ready to achieve it. And his parents are gone for the whole evening, so it's show time.

He walks out to the pool house but is stopped short by Ryan, damp and dozing, on a float in the pool, the evening sun skirting across his muscled body, highlighting every curve and line.

He's standing there, gape-mouthed and staring -not exactly the picture of confident seducer, he knows - when Ryan opens his eyes and sees him there. There is a flash of happiness on his face, and of enjoyment of Seth's gaze, but it is quickly replaced by a nervous glance around Seth's shoulders and into the house.

"They're gone." Seth says simply. "All night."

Ryan sighs a little and uses his legs to paddle over to the side of the pool. He hoists himself up out of the pool and reaches for his towel, but Seth steps forward and snatches it away. Ryan looks at him, beleaguered.

"Seth." He starts. "Give me the towel."

"No," Seth replies, doing everything he can to keep the smile off his face. "I like you wet. Not to mention half-naked."

Ryan blinks in surprise at Seth's forwardness but quickly recovers. "We can't Seth. You know that." He holds Seth's eyes for a long minute, and then turns to walk into the pool house, toward the stack of towels in there.

Seth follows him inside, closing the door behind him. His parents are gone, but he still likes the feeling of privacy. Ryan is drying himself off with a towel, his back to Seth.

"Please just leave," Ryan says, his voice a little tight.

"Nope," Seth answers. "Not until I run my hands and tongue all over your now dry, but still gorgeous, body." Seth says, talking slowly for once. After all, he's rehearsed this enough times, there's no reason for nervousness. In fact, Seth feels like all his usual jitteriness and spazziness has just oozed right out of his body.

Ryan finally turns around to face Seth, and this time Ryan's the one stammering and sputtering. "Seth, god, don't do this to me, you know I want to, but I can't risk-WE can't risk -"

But Seth is crossing the room and closing the distance between him and Ryan quickly, and before Ryan can finish the sentence, Seth catches his mouth in a passionate kiss. Ryan responds desperately, energetically, before pulling away just as desperately.

"Holy shit that was hot," Ryan pants.

Seth once again bites back a giddy grin, and instead backs Ryan up against the wall. He hovers an inch away from Ryan before sliding his thigh in between Ryan's legs, pressing his erection against Ryan's. Ryan lets out an even deeper moan than he did that first night when Seth did the same thing. Yeah, this move really works for me Seth thinks, in the tiny part of his brain still capable of thought. The rest of his brain is running on autopilot, drawing on details from every fantasy he's imagined over the past few days: he's rocking his hips against Ryan's, kissing the side of his neck, then the front, and then dropping down to his miraculous, naked chest. Then Seth improvises a move he hadn't thought about before - lightly biting Ryan's nipple - and the dramatic twitch he gets in response is so encouraging it is once again difficult to suppress his grin. But he does, because there is more kissing and licking to be done. Seth places his hands on Ryan's hips as he trails his mouth down Ryan's chest, and then stomach, as then he drops to his knees in front of Ryan. He finally allows himself a look at Ryan's crotch, and is rewarded by the sight of his hard cock pressing against the thin fabric of his bathing suit.

"Seth." Ryan says. "Seth."

Seth's face is as close as it can be to Ryan's pulsing hard-on without actually touching it. He holds his mouth still in front of Ryan's crotch as he looks up, and borrowing Ryan's own line from that first night, Seth asks "Do you want me to stop?" But there's no fear or hopefulness in his voice, like there was in Ryan's that night. Seth sounds 100% sure of the answer, and - Anna was right -- this confidence thing is working because Ryan moans out a low "no" as Seth finally allows himself to smile before pressing his lips and tongue to Ryan's cock, wrapping his lips around the head through the fabric. Ryan sinks back into the wall and lets his fingers slide into Seth's hair.