Disclaimer: I still don't own them and I make no $. Still a slash story – actually this chapter is more slashy than the others – you've been warned.

Reviewers: You guys rock my socks! (

************************************************************************

Seth woke up to a very new sensation. Okay, so it wasn't exactly like he'd never had a wet dream before but he certainly hadn't ever woken up in the middle of one before. 'And come to think of it I've never felt someone else pressing back,' he thought. Realizing just what he was doing and who he was doing it with, Seth found himself unable (not to mention totally unwilling) to stop.

Ryan was pressed up against him, actually had his arm wrapped around, holding Seth close and they were rocking together, their erections rubbing through their shorts. Seth wondered how long they'd been doing this while he'd been asleep. Looking at Ryan's face in the moonlight Seth was amazed and pretty sure Ryan was still asleep. His eyes were squeezed closed and he was sweating just a bit. He was breathing fast in little pants and when he made one particularly dead on thrust Seth pushed back hard and came with a strangled yelp. Ryan wasn't far behind and after a few more thrusts he finished with a deep groan that Seth instantly decided was the sexiest noise he'd ever heard, an honor previously held by Summer when she'd sang solo in grade school choir.

He felt Ryan snuggle up against him, still breathing a little hard from the orgasm and what sounded like congestion from his cold.

"Mmm, love you, Seth,' he heard Ryan murmur.

"I um, I think I love you too," Seth whispered back though he knew Ryan was still asleep.

*************

Seth woke up in the morning when his pillow started bouncing. There was this terrible dog barking too, and it sounded very loud, very close. Suddenly his pillow was yanked out from under him. He opened his eyes to see Ryan sitting up and just about hacking his lungs out. He sat up and began rubbing Ryan's back. He kept doing that until the fit subsided and Ryan sank back onto the bed. He looked totally exhausted and not at all like someone who'd slept last night.

Seth curled up against Ryan, his head resting on his shoulder as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do. 'Hmm, something seems wrong here. Wait a second...' he thought.

Seth jerked away from Ryan and was off the bed in about half a second.

"What? What's the matter," Ryan said, his voice deep and rough from all the coughing. He looked worried.

"Um, yeah, okay, see this is the part where I have to wrap my brain around what's going on here. Not really used to waking up with somebody else. Especially not a guy somebody else."

"Whoa, relax, Seth," Ryan said soothingly. "It's not like *sniff sniff* we had sex or something. Look, if you've changed you mind that's fine. *cough cough* We can just make like we never kissed or *sniffle* slept in the same bed or whatever."

Pacing back and forward around the bed Seth was trying to figure what to say, figure what he felt. When Ryan started coughing again he said, "I'm going to grab you some more pills from the house. Back in a few."

When Seth flew out the door, Ryan sighed deeply. Well, he tried to anyway but that just made him start coughing again. He definitely felt a lot worse today than yesterday. What he couldn't figure was if that was because of the cold or Seth's reaction to them waking up together.

Ryan clearly remembered Seth making the first move last night. But maybe he'd changed his mind since. Ryan had tried to sound as cool about it as he could but after the dream he'd had last night about having sex with Seth he knew he'd have a damn hard time (no pun intended) just being brothers, or friends, or whatever they were.

That didn't mean he wouldn't try though, if that was what Seth really wanted. Ryan decided when Seth came back he'd have to get some answers. 'That's assuming he comes back. What if you scared him off? What if he leaves? What of you go look for him and there's nothing but an empty house and a note on the kitchen counter? Okay, no, relax, man. He has to come back. Yeah, but not until his parents get home and then just to kick your sorry ass out.'

Ryan continued to worry as he lay in bed coughing and sneezing.

Meanwhile, in the main house, Seth was trying to figure out just what part of this was bothering him. 'The kissing was fine. No, scratch that, it was amazing. The fact that it was Ryan? Nope that was kick ass too. And it wasn't like he'd just gone along for the ride. He'd initiated too. Okay, so, yeah, that part was good too. Last night had been, well, it had been amazing. Although Seth wasn't really sure what to tell Ryan about their little middle of the night... 'What do you all that anyway? It wasn't exactly sex, but there was two people and we both came so...'

Seth sighed aloud as he grabbed some stuff from the cupboard. So why was he not all happy about the situation? Each part seemed cool but something about it was bothering him.

'Okay, what have I missed here? Oh, right, the fact that in the space of one day I went from quiet, almost denied lusting to sleeping with Ryan. What about Summer? What about girls? What about- '

Seth's rapid thoughts were interrupted when Ryan came charging into the kitchen only to skid to a stop nearly slamming into the counter. It was a move Seth would expect from himself but not from Ryan. It was almost amusing the way he had to slam on the brakes at the last moment if not for the fact that he saw a look of terror on Ryan's face.

"Oh, you're here," Ryan said sounding very relieved. He was out of breath and looked like he was about to pass out.

"Yeah, fancy that. Me here standing in the kitchen. Pretty wacky stuff, huh? What's the matter, Ryan?"

Ryan shakily sunk into one of the chairs still looking riled. "Um, nothing. I just *cough* got worried."

"I wasn't gone that long. What is it?" Seth asked.

Ryan looked like he was about to answer when the look of panic returned to his face and he jumped up from the chair and went tearing into the hallway. Before Seth made it two steps out of the kitchen he heard the bathroom door slam shut then the very recognizable sounds of someone puking.

'Okay, ew. Now what am I supposed to do?' he thought. 'Where the hell is my mom when I need her. Oh, no, I did NOT just think that. Okay, just call them, that's why they leave a number when they go away.'