A/N: I don't own The O.C. or the characters, but I'm thinking I should marry and divorce Josh Schwartz so I can have half.
I should be updating pretty regularly for the next couple of weeks (pesky unemployment), so enjoy! More thanks than I could ever give to my incomparable TVW+SFWSM. Love you more than my luggage, punkin!
But early this evening
I wanted to be with you
I got on the blower
The next thing I know you're speaking
Now I'm gonna tell you what I"ve been thinking
And I got a hunch that you're thinking the same thing
And with some luck
We'll be lying together tonight
--"Happy," Travis
_____________________________________________________________________________
Ryan could hear Summer laughing in the background before Seth says hello, and the knot in his stomach tightened. He could hear the smile in Seth's voice.
"Ryan, dude, what's up? Ryan?" Seth checked the phone to make sure he didn't get disconnected. "Ry?"
"Yeah, man, sorry. I'm here." Ryan cleared his throat. "What's up?"
"Nothing. What's up with you?" There was something strange in Ryan's voice, but he couldn't quite place it.
"I—I ended it." Ryan's voice was low.
"I'm guessing it didn't go very well, then, hey?"
"Yeah, not so well. So, um, did you talk to Summer?" Ryan's voice sounded forced.
"Yes, actually, I did. And I lived to tell the tale. I'll tell you all about it when we get home. Where are you right now?"
"On my way there now, actually." Ryan opened his mouth to speak again, but no words would come out.
Seth knew Ryan would never ask him to come home, even if he wanted to, or needed to. "Yeah, Summer was just about to cue up some Valley DVDs, which is my cue to leave. I'll meet you at home in a few minutes, okay?"
Ryan smiled a small, corner of the mouth smile. "Okay. See you in a few." He clicked his cell phone closed, replacing it in his pocket, and started to pedal in the direction of home.
"So, you're going home?" Summer looked disappointed.
"Um, yes. Ryan sounded upset—well, as upset as one can sound when one has very little vocal inflection, but upset nonetheless, and I want to—"
"Fine!" Summer cut Seth off dramatically. "Abandon me for Chino. How very Marissa of you. Next thing you know, you'll be passed out in my guest bedroom." Seth started to say something, but Summer held up a hand. "Kidding, Cohen. Kidding. It's cool, I understand. Just call me later okay?"
Seth stood up, kissed Summer on the top of the head, and sprinted out the door. "Will do!"
Summer watched him leave and giggled. Chino and Cohen. It was too much.
------------------------------
Seth knocked tentatively on the door of the poolhouse.
"Come in."
Ryan was laying across the bed, an arm stretched across his eyes. Seth's first impulse was to sit next to him, close to him, but then he thought for a minute that maybe he should give Ryan some space, let him make the first move, and so he should sit on the chair, but that was really far away from the bed and what the hell was Ryan listening to??
"Dude, is this more Journey?" Seth asked, still standing by the door.
Ryan lifted his head slightly and looked at Seth. "Are you coming in?"
"Are we listening to Journey?"
"Yes."
"Then I'm still thinking about it."
Ryan sighed and plopped his head back on the bed, but Seth could see the beginnings of a smile.
Seth walked over and sat beside Ryan's legs on the bed. "So, I'm guessing things didn't go well with Marissa?"
Silence. Seth cleared his throat.
"You can change the music if you want to." Ryan's voice was slightly muffled by the arm over his face. Ryan's damn arms.
"No, man, it doesn't matter. What happened with Marissa?"
Ryan sat up. Seth didn't want to change the music. Seth, who had a soundtrack for every single life event, including the mundane things like "Shower Mix 2003" and "Songs To Listen To While Avoiding Homework," didn't want to change the music, and that was serious. Ryan looked at Seth, who was waiting patiently.
"I went over there. I told her it was over. She cried, and begged me. I said no, she cried some more, and I left. And…that's it. It's over." Ryan took a deep breath.
Seth frowned. "And how do you feel about that?" I'm sorry, I'm a therapist now? Seth thinks as he cringes internally. But if Ryan noticed, he didn't say anything, and Seth said another silent thank you to the god of Keeping Seth From Embarrassing Himself. Ryan just took another breath.
"Relieved. And…sad, a little, I guess. I mean, it's been pretty shitty, but two years is a long time. But mostly, relieved." Ryan closed his eyes and lay back down. "So, what about Summer?" Ryan asked, trying not to let the fear in his stomach leak out through his mouth.
Ooh. Summer. Seth wasn't exactly sure how to tell Ryan that he totally told Summer everything. He began slowly. "Yeah, see, Ryan, that's the thing…with Summer…"
Ryan sat up quickly. "You didn't tell her?" Ryan looked crestfallen.
"No, no, I told her." Seth shifted uncomfortably. "I told her, um, a lot. Like, maybe the whole thing." Seth winces, expecting Ryan to be mad, or surprised, or...
"Really? How did she react?"
…perfectly fine with it.
Seth opens one eye, looking at Ryan. "You're not mad?"
"That you told? Not really. A little uncomfortable, maybe, but not mad."
"I'm sorry, I just really needed to tell someone, and I honestly believe Summer would never saw a word to anyone, and it all just came out. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told her without talking to you about it first."
"No, really, it's cool. So, she wasn't upset?"
"Actually, she broke up with me before I ever told her about us. Something about college and new beginnings and long distance relationships sucking. And then I started agreeing with her, and from that she deduced that something was up. Apparently I talk too much when I'm nervous." Seth shrugged.
Ryan narrowed his eyes. "Just when you're nervous?"
"Ha. Everyone is so funny today, I just can't stand it." Seth rolled his eyes.
Ryan smiled. "So, what did she say?"
"Um, she laughed. A lot. She was kinda thrown, obviously, but she didn't freak out. She had apparently been planning the break up for a few weeks, I think, and I think she was so relieved I wasn't, like, rending my garments or whatever she kinda took everything else in stride. And then she made fun of me, and then there was a really weird moment where she was imagining us kissing, and then we were just okay. I feel completely okay about Summer. Things are good. Different, but good." Seth started playing absentmindedly with a loose thread on the hem of his shorts.
Ryan's face scrunched up a little. "Imagining us kissing?"
"Yeah, I don't know, dude. Girls are weird," Seth pulled the thread out and wound it around his finger. "We also briefly discussed the status of this…this," Seth said, waving his hand back and forth between his and Ryan's chest.
"Status?"
"Yeah, status. Like, are we dating? Is it a thing, or a thing? Are we just playing around, or—"
"I'm not playing, Seth," Ryan's tone was a little uneven.
"No, no, I mean, neither am I, I'm just saying." Seth said quickly. "So, are we? Dating, I mean?"
"In the sense that I'm picking you up at seven and bringing you flowers? No, probably not. But in the sense that we both care about each other, and want to be together, and there's kissing? Yeah, I would say so." Ryan looked up to gauge Seth's response. The grin made his heart flicker.
"So, cool. Dating." Seth was still smiling, but Ryan could see another question behind his eyes.
"What?"
"What do you mean, what?"
"Your poker face sucks. What?"
Seth frowned slightly. He felt like he was asking too many questions, making too many requests, but there was still one thing that was bugging him.
"So, okay, just to clarify, make sure everyone's on the same page here, by 'dating' do you mean, you and me, boyfriend/gir-um, boyfriend, like an exclusive thing? Cos I don't really have good luck with the romantic geometrical figures, if you'll recall, and I know the Marissa thing is over, but, still, there's—"
Seth found it impossible to finish that sentence with Ryan's lips on his own. He visibly relaxed and leaned into Ryan's hand on his cheek.
When Ryan moved away slightly, Seth found he couldn't open his eyes for a few seconds. When he did, Ryan's face was only inches from his, eyes serious.
"There's Seth and Ryan. No one else."
Seth smiled. "Good." And he didn't need to say anything else, because Ryan's lips had already found their way back to his, and he sighed into the kiss.