Disclaimer: I still don't own them and I make no money.
Note: This story is slash. You have been warned. Takes place early in the first season.
With that out of the way, on with chapter 3. It's a shorty.
**************************************************************************** ****************
They wasted the rest of the day doing not much of anything. Ryan had indeed got sicker as the day progressed and by early evening he was crashed out in his bed in the pool house.
"Look, Seth, why don't you *sniffle* go out or something. You don't have to *cough* stay with me you know."
"Um, right, that's a good idea. I'll go call my big group of popular friends and go hang out. Oh, wait, that's right I don't HAVE a big group of popular friends to hang out with. Besides WE were gonna hang out all weekend, remember?"
"Yeah, but this wasn't *cough* what you had in mind now was it?" Ryan said with a wave around him. He was indicating all the used tissues balled up on the floor near the bed and himself sitting in the middle of the bed looking totally miserable. Ryan let out a huge sneeze and that caused a chain reaction of several coughs then another only slightly less powerful sneeze. When he was finally finished (for the moment anyway) he mournfully looked over to Seth who was sitting on the chair nearby.
Ryan looked just adorably pathetic. There was no better term Seth could come up with for it. Sad puppy expression, nose all red, hair still looking like an angry porcupine, Ryan had never looked more like he needed someone there for him. Except for when his Mom left after the casino night fiasco. Or that time he'd come back to the Cohen home after his place had been empty. Or that time... 'Huh,' thought Seth. 'I guess he looks like he needs people a lot. I wonder if he knows that? Maybe that's why he HAS that look. Like it just draws people to him. I wonder if he looked at my Dad like that, if that's what made him bring Ryan home.'
Seth was pulled from his thoughts when Ryan started coughing again. When he finally stopped, red faced and worn out looking Seth had an idea. "I'm gonna to grab some stuff from the house. Just stay here, okay?" he asked Ryan. He got only a nod in response from Ryan who was still trying to catch his breath.
After Seth left Ryan flopped back on the bed, lying on his back. He was starting to feel really weird about the way Seth refused to leave his side. It didn't normally bother him. He really liked having Seth around. His life had been so weird lately, so many changes. Somehow having Seth by his side, well, it had been the constant he had needed. And it wasn't just having somebody, it was Seth in particular. In the short time they'd known each other they'd become closer than Ryan had even been with his own brother Trey. And he was definitely having a lot of thoughts lately that were of the non-fraternal variety.
But right now Ryan just wanted Seth to leave him alone. His patience was wearing thin and he felt horrible, worse now than earlier and he really didn't want to snap at Seth for just being Seth. Ryan really wasn't used to having someone around when he was sick. His mother sure hadn't been one of stick around when he was having a problem.
He really didn't want to take it out on Seth. He'd been so nice to him all day. It was just a little too much right now. 'Okay, you don't want to tell him off and hurt his feelings so you really don't want him around right now. How are you going to fix this?'
******************
In the house Seth stood in the bathroom trying to figure if this would work. He had a plan and it wasn't going to be subtle. Just a few hours ago he'd been nearly panicking at the idea that Ryan had caught him stroking his hair. Now this was a lot more... 'intimate' his mind screamed the word. 'Admit it, this is pretty forward. But hey, you do have an excuse of sorts. If it goes really wrong you can just deny everything. Ryan seems pretty out of it, he'd probably believe it was his mistake, his confusion. Oh, God, what am I thinking? This is a really stupid idea. And yet I can't stop myself. Hmm, this must be what it's like to be like everyone else that lives around here. Huh. I wonder if it's something in the Newport water?'
Seth grabbed a couple things and headed back to the pool house.
Note: This story is slash. You have been warned. Takes place early in the first season.
With that out of the way, on with chapter 3. It's a shorty.
**************************************************************************** ****************
They wasted the rest of the day doing not much of anything. Ryan had indeed got sicker as the day progressed and by early evening he was crashed out in his bed in the pool house.
"Look, Seth, why don't you *sniffle* go out or something. You don't have to *cough* stay with me you know."
"Um, right, that's a good idea. I'll go call my big group of popular friends and go hang out. Oh, wait, that's right I don't HAVE a big group of popular friends to hang out with. Besides WE were gonna hang out all weekend, remember?"
"Yeah, but this wasn't *cough* what you had in mind now was it?" Ryan said with a wave around him. He was indicating all the used tissues balled up on the floor near the bed and himself sitting in the middle of the bed looking totally miserable. Ryan let out a huge sneeze and that caused a chain reaction of several coughs then another only slightly less powerful sneeze. When he was finally finished (for the moment anyway) he mournfully looked over to Seth who was sitting on the chair nearby.
Ryan looked just adorably pathetic. There was no better term Seth could come up with for it. Sad puppy expression, nose all red, hair still looking like an angry porcupine, Ryan had never looked more like he needed someone there for him. Except for when his Mom left after the casino night fiasco. Or that time he'd come back to the Cohen home after his place had been empty. Or that time... 'Huh,' thought Seth. 'I guess he looks like he needs people a lot. I wonder if he knows that? Maybe that's why he HAS that look. Like it just draws people to him. I wonder if he looked at my Dad like that, if that's what made him bring Ryan home.'
Seth was pulled from his thoughts when Ryan started coughing again. When he finally stopped, red faced and worn out looking Seth had an idea. "I'm gonna to grab some stuff from the house. Just stay here, okay?" he asked Ryan. He got only a nod in response from Ryan who was still trying to catch his breath.
After Seth left Ryan flopped back on the bed, lying on his back. He was starting to feel really weird about the way Seth refused to leave his side. It didn't normally bother him. He really liked having Seth around. His life had been so weird lately, so many changes. Somehow having Seth by his side, well, it had been the constant he had needed. And it wasn't just having somebody, it was Seth in particular. In the short time they'd known each other they'd become closer than Ryan had even been with his own brother Trey. And he was definitely having a lot of thoughts lately that were of the non-fraternal variety.
But right now Ryan just wanted Seth to leave him alone. His patience was wearing thin and he felt horrible, worse now than earlier and he really didn't want to snap at Seth for just being Seth. Ryan really wasn't used to having someone around when he was sick. His mother sure hadn't been one of stick around when he was having a problem.
He really didn't want to take it out on Seth. He'd been so nice to him all day. It was just a little too much right now. 'Okay, you don't want to tell him off and hurt his feelings so you really don't want him around right now. How are you going to fix this?'
******************
In the house Seth stood in the bathroom trying to figure if this would work. He had a plan and it wasn't going to be subtle. Just a few hours ago he'd been nearly panicking at the idea that Ryan had caught him stroking his hair. Now this was a lot more... 'intimate' his mind screamed the word. 'Admit it, this is pretty forward. But hey, you do have an excuse of sorts. If it goes really wrong you can just deny everything. Ryan seems pretty out of it, he'd probably believe it was his mistake, his confusion. Oh, God, what am I thinking? This is a really stupid idea. And yet I can't stop myself. Hmm, this must be what it's like to be like everyone else that lives around here. Huh. I wonder if it's something in the Newport water?'
Seth grabbed a couple things and headed back to the pool house.