A/N My friend was playing Tony Hawk 4 on the computer and I, having no
idea what I was doing, began randomly mashing keys and repeatedly
slaughtering the skater. I was inspired. . . .
Also, the time line might be skewed, but that's really not the point - -
let's just call it AU.
Title: SHIFT Part 5: WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON by: calcium_yeah
When Seth arrived home he walked in on Ryan playing Pro Skater 4. Well, not so much playing as repeatedly mashing the little skater into the ground. Seth chose not to read into that.
Ryan didn't look up so Seth continued into the kitchen and drank some water directly from the faucet. He then returned and sat next to Ryan with his face dripping. Ryan glanced without cracking a smile; he just had this weird look on his face. Seth thought that maybe some things were just more odd to other people than they were funny. Ryan tilted his hand to the right, offering Seth the controller. Seth shook his head so Ryan shut off the game.
Seth felt something was a little more off than usual, but he couldn't tell because it wasn't so much a verbal thing as the mood of the room & the way Ryan was moving. It all seemed so distant. He didn't think it could it be about that little clash on Tuesday. Then again. . . .
"Dude, is everything. . . . you know. . . . okay?" Seth was slightly wide- eyed because something felt really off. "Of course." Ryan snapped on a smile then immediately dropped it and left the room.
Seth sat for a moment staring at the space previously occupied by Ryan. He then got up and followed the other boy out to the pool house.
*
Ryan was about to flop down on his bed, until he realized Seth had followed him out there. He was about two seconds from a confrontation, but he kept chanting to himself that it wasn't any of his business. He quickly hopped up and headed for the bathroom, shutting the door just as Seth entered the pool house.
"Ryan," Seth called, "You know I'm in here, right?"
"Mfhm. . . I had to take a shower." Ryan was grateful for the door between them because every conflicting emotion, all his doubt, it was written on his face.
"Oh, yeah, I had thought you were up you know."
"Yeah, I've been up." Ryan knew where this was leading. He prayed that Seth would just leave and let him 'take his shower' so he started the water. He could tell that Seth was still standing in the same place wondering what that meant and making no plans to leave. He couldn't stop himself; he barely masked his bitter tone with a hyperbolic amount of joy. "I came looking for you to play some Playstation, but you weren't there."
Ryan yanked off his wifebeater and threw it to the ground deciding he really did need a shower. . . he needed to do something or he was going to go insane.
"Yeah. . . I probably left maybe right before you got up. . ."Seth began his rambling and Ryan removed his pants and nodded as Seth fell deeper & deeper into the lie. "I probably should've checked on you. . .not 'on' you, I should've checked 'with' you."
Ryan stepped into the shower & leaned against the wall, directly under the water listening to Seth bumble through his story and wishing he could laugh about it. He couldn't laugh, but the water did release some of his tension. So he figured the fact that his hand was rubbing lower and lower on his stomach to the nonexistent rhythm of Seth's voice-that was just a relaxation thing.
"I figured it had been a while since I did some nice early morning skateboarding."
"You didn't have your skateboard." Ryan didn't know when he'd started the actual hand-on-crotch stroking action, he just knew that his hand was moving harder with every word-every lie out of Seth's mouth.
"Right, I mean. . . I decided to just not. . .I wasn't in a hurry or anything so I just walked. I kind of roamed around town. I was going to go sailing. . . but, I just went to the park and no one was there so I figured, I don't really have to be wandering around alone anymore so why stay here?" Ryan's skin was on fire for multiple reasons. Seth continued:
"I would have asked you. . . I'm not used to you up so early. Why were you up so early?"
Ryan blacked out, but he was pretty sure he'd stopped himself from making too much noise and he was relieved to be in the shower because he made a little bit of a mess on the tile. "Just. . . no reason, Seth." He returned to his previous position leaning against the wall and was finally able to laugh.
*
Seth could have sworn he heard a scream in there-and what sounded like orgasmic mumbling. He shifted uncomfortably. [i]Weirdest day ever.[/i] "Just. . . no reason, Seth." Ryan sounded let down and Seth was pretty sure that he didn't believe one word of the story he'd just told. The shower kept going for several minutes.
"You know I'm still here, right?" Seth stood with his hands on his hips waiting for Ryan to emerge because this through-the-door thing really wasn't working. Ryan could obviously tell he was lying without seeing him, but Seth couldn't tell if he suspected something specific or if he was just mad at Seth for lying (or both).
Ryan emerged loosely holding a towel around his waist with his right hand. Seth expected to see a distraught face to match the tone he'd heard just a moment ago. But, Ryan's face was extremely calm. "Why do you even bother with it?" Ryan stood in the bathroom door way looking Seth in the eyes.
"With what?"
"Lying." Ryan began walking towards a dresser across the room, turning his back to Seth.
"Lying?"
"You're no good at it. . .actually you are sometimes, but today you're not." Ryan pulled the drawer open.
"What?" Seth's defense started off somewhat lamely, "Dude, I'm so not lying to you. Why would you even think that? Hello, sir-talks-a lot over here. I tell you every bit of minutia from my life." Ryan turned to Seth with a raised eyebrow and grabbed a pair of sweatpants out of the drawer.
"Is this about yesterday?"
"No, it's about today actually." Seth heard the sarcasm, but didn't recognize the truth behind it.
"No, I'm serious, Ryan. Because it's nothing, you're overreacting and if it was something important you know I'd tell you."
"Of course." Ryan whipped off the towel & threw it on the floor. He kept his eyes locked on Seth while he quickly slid into the sweatpants. "I think I'll see how Marissa's doing today."
"Dude, you just totally flashed me."
"Oh, I'm sure I'm not the first guy you've seen naked." Ryan didn't finish dressing; he grabbed a t-shirt and sneakers and exited with them in hand.
Title: SHIFT Part 5: WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON by: calcium_yeah
When Seth arrived home he walked in on Ryan playing Pro Skater 4. Well, not so much playing as repeatedly mashing the little skater into the ground. Seth chose not to read into that.
Ryan didn't look up so Seth continued into the kitchen and drank some water directly from the faucet. He then returned and sat next to Ryan with his face dripping. Ryan glanced without cracking a smile; he just had this weird look on his face. Seth thought that maybe some things were just more odd to other people than they were funny. Ryan tilted his hand to the right, offering Seth the controller. Seth shook his head so Ryan shut off the game.
Seth felt something was a little more off than usual, but he couldn't tell because it wasn't so much a verbal thing as the mood of the room & the way Ryan was moving. It all seemed so distant. He didn't think it could it be about that little clash on Tuesday. Then again. . . .
"Dude, is everything. . . . you know. . . . okay?" Seth was slightly wide- eyed because something felt really off. "Of course." Ryan snapped on a smile then immediately dropped it and left the room.
Seth sat for a moment staring at the space previously occupied by Ryan. He then got up and followed the other boy out to the pool house.
*
Ryan was about to flop down on his bed, until he realized Seth had followed him out there. He was about two seconds from a confrontation, but he kept chanting to himself that it wasn't any of his business. He quickly hopped up and headed for the bathroom, shutting the door just as Seth entered the pool house.
"Ryan," Seth called, "You know I'm in here, right?"
"Mfhm. . . I had to take a shower." Ryan was grateful for the door between them because every conflicting emotion, all his doubt, it was written on his face.
"Oh, yeah, I had thought you were up you know."
"Yeah, I've been up." Ryan knew where this was leading. He prayed that Seth would just leave and let him 'take his shower' so he started the water. He could tell that Seth was still standing in the same place wondering what that meant and making no plans to leave. He couldn't stop himself; he barely masked his bitter tone with a hyperbolic amount of joy. "I came looking for you to play some Playstation, but you weren't there."
Ryan yanked off his wifebeater and threw it to the ground deciding he really did need a shower. . . he needed to do something or he was going to go insane.
"Yeah. . . I probably left maybe right before you got up. . ."Seth began his rambling and Ryan removed his pants and nodded as Seth fell deeper & deeper into the lie. "I probably should've checked on you. . .not 'on' you, I should've checked 'with' you."
Ryan stepped into the shower & leaned against the wall, directly under the water listening to Seth bumble through his story and wishing he could laugh about it. He couldn't laugh, but the water did release some of his tension. So he figured the fact that his hand was rubbing lower and lower on his stomach to the nonexistent rhythm of Seth's voice-that was just a relaxation thing.
"I figured it had been a while since I did some nice early morning skateboarding."
"You didn't have your skateboard." Ryan didn't know when he'd started the actual hand-on-crotch stroking action, he just knew that his hand was moving harder with every word-every lie out of Seth's mouth.
"Right, I mean. . . I decided to just not. . .I wasn't in a hurry or anything so I just walked. I kind of roamed around town. I was going to go sailing. . . but, I just went to the park and no one was there so I figured, I don't really have to be wandering around alone anymore so why stay here?" Ryan's skin was on fire for multiple reasons. Seth continued:
"I would have asked you. . . I'm not used to you up so early. Why were you up so early?"
Ryan blacked out, but he was pretty sure he'd stopped himself from making too much noise and he was relieved to be in the shower because he made a little bit of a mess on the tile. "Just. . . no reason, Seth." He returned to his previous position leaning against the wall and was finally able to laugh.
*
Seth could have sworn he heard a scream in there-and what sounded like orgasmic mumbling. He shifted uncomfortably. [i]Weirdest day ever.[/i] "Just. . . no reason, Seth." Ryan sounded let down and Seth was pretty sure that he didn't believe one word of the story he'd just told. The shower kept going for several minutes.
"You know I'm still here, right?" Seth stood with his hands on his hips waiting for Ryan to emerge because this through-the-door thing really wasn't working. Ryan could obviously tell he was lying without seeing him, but Seth couldn't tell if he suspected something specific or if he was just mad at Seth for lying (or both).
Ryan emerged loosely holding a towel around his waist with his right hand. Seth expected to see a distraught face to match the tone he'd heard just a moment ago. But, Ryan's face was extremely calm. "Why do you even bother with it?" Ryan stood in the bathroom door way looking Seth in the eyes.
"With what?"
"Lying." Ryan began walking towards a dresser across the room, turning his back to Seth.
"Lying?"
"You're no good at it. . .actually you are sometimes, but today you're not." Ryan pulled the drawer open.
"What?" Seth's defense started off somewhat lamely, "Dude, I'm so not lying to you. Why would you even think that? Hello, sir-talks-a lot over here. I tell you every bit of minutia from my life." Ryan turned to Seth with a raised eyebrow and grabbed a pair of sweatpants out of the drawer.
"Is this about yesterday?"
"No, it's about today actually." Seth heard the sarcasm, but didn't recognize the truth behind it.
"No, I'm serious, Ryan. Because it's nothing, you're overreacting and if it was something important you know I'd tell you."
"Of course." Ryan whipped off the towel & threw it on the floor. He kept his eyes locked on Seth while he quickly slid into the sweatpants. "I think I'll see how Marissa's doing today."
"Dude, you just totally flashed me."
"Oh, I'm sure I'm not the first guy you've seen naked." Ryan didn't finish dressing; he grabbed a t-shirt and sneakers and exited with them in hand.