A/N: Yup, it's Nikki's turn! Be warned-my style is totally different from Abby's. In fact, it's just plain better...

Chapter 2: We Looked Like Giants

"But I don't want to go to the party! I want to stay here and eat pudding! Pudding...puuudddddinnggg..." Seth lost track of his thoughts as he rolled the word around in his mouth.

Kirsten raised her eyebrow at Seth's half-complaint. Sometimes she seriously wondered if Sandy had dropped him as a child without telling her.

"If you go, I'll get you pudding," Kirsten inwardly laughed at how easy it was to coerce her son to do things he didn't want to do.

Seth considered this. "Promise?"

"I promise. Go get dressed or we'll be late."

"I just want you to know, mother, I'm just doing this for the pudding."

"Just go get ready, Seth," Kirsten sighed. "Or no pudding."

Seth bowed out of the kitchen and ran up the stairs. They were nice stairs, really, he thought. Nice and squishy beneath your feet; just perfect for running up. And the railing was just so shiny. It was smooth, too. A good railing to hang on to if you were walking up the stairs, but bad if you were falling down them. This Seth knew from experience. Seth had since decided not to use the handrail. One must be very skilled to walk down or up the stairs and use the hand rail. Seth didn't have such skills. This is why he fell down the stairs so often.

Upstairs, Ryan was waiting for Seth. He did that a lot, he knew. Seth could never sit still, or stay in one place for too long. He was constantly getting up and leaving with no explanation besides "I'll be back." Consequently, Ryan was often left to his devices, which usually meant staring at the ceiling or falling asleep. He had to admit, moving in with the Cohens had done great things for his sleep cycle.

Seth entered the room with a flourish.

"Did you talk Kirsten out of making us go to the party?" Ryan asked.

Seth was silent and looked guilty.

"Seth! What did you do?"

"She offered me pudding, man! She fights dirty! I am powerless against the power of the tapioca! It's not my fault..." Seth trailed off. "Really. The Kirsten has Jedi mind powers."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "I'm going to go get dressed. You know, for the party we weren't supposed to have to go to."

"Shut up, Ry. It was not my fault."

"Right. It was "The Kirsten's.""

"Exactly! Dude, you so get it now." Seth grinned widely at Ryan, who pushed him away from the door. "Oooooowwwwwww. Ryanryanryanryanryan, that was mean!"

Ryan didn't say anything. He smirked at Seth, who was inspecting his arm for injuries.

"I think you dislocated my shoulder," Seth whined. "How can you be so cruel?"

"Want me to relocate it for you? It won't be that hard," Ryan smiled somewhat evilly at Seth. Seth looked up and quickly walked backwards away from Ryan.

"Well, would you look at that! All better. Please don't hurt me."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you're sure you don't want me to fix it..."

"I'm sure. You can go now."

"I'm so pleased you're allowing me to leave," Ryan said sarcastically. "Does His Majesty require anything else?"

"Well, I'm sure I could-"

"Bye Seth," Ryan said, cutting him off.

"Bye Ryan. But it's not like you're really going all that far."

Ryan just smiled and shut the door. Seth could just barely hear him going down the stairs. He opened the door and looked down the hall to the stairs. His suspicions were confirmed. Ryan used the hand rail.

The party sucked. Seth wasn't sure what the party was for. Maybe it was someone's birthday. No, there weren't any presents. Job promotion, maybe. Or just one of those casual Newport get-togethers. Seth pondered this. How come casual get-togethers involve suits and gowns? Real casual get-togethers don't involve waltzing or 5 different forks. That's just not normal.

"Well, it is Newport, after all," Seth thought out loud.

"What?" the girl next to him asked. "What does that have to do with what I was saying?"

Oops. She had been talking? Seth wondered if his face had had that blank look Ryan said he got when he wasn't paying attention. Seth looked towards his companion. Who was this girl? She had on a purple dress and green nail polish. It was chipping. What kind of Newport girl can't match her dress and her nail polish? His mom always did. She always matched, in a way that was almost annoying. Seth knew he usually matched, but he always had to ask someone if he did. Seth shook his head when he realized he was drifting off again. The girl next to him sighed impatiently.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well, what?" Seth asked, confused.

"You haven't heard a word I've said, have you?"

"Not exactly."

"That's just like you stupid Newport guys. You don't care a thing about the person you're talking to. All you want to do is stare at her boobs and charm her enough so she'll sleep with you. Well, I'm not one of those girls, so take it somewhere else!" The girl turned on her heel and stomped away.

Seth looked around, dazed. "What the hell..." His brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what had just happened. He shrugged and went to get some food. He had skipped lunch and he was starving. He was about to attack the fois gras when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"I hear from Summer you just tried to hit on Holly's cousin."

Seth turned to face Ryan. Ryan looked very much like he was trying not to laugh.

"I did not! Well, I don't think I did. I didn't even know someone was talking to me."

"That's a boring version. Holly's cousin said you were gaping at her boobs and then you tried to get her to sleep with you."

"I was? I did?" Seth looked confused and then slightly smug. "I'm so suave; I can flirt without saying anything."

"If you're so suave, why is Holly telling Kirsten you sexually assaulted her cousin?"

"She's doing WHAT?" Seth exclaimed, jumping about a foot into the air.

"She's telling Kirsten you sexually assaulted her cousin."

Seth buried his face in his hands. "Oh God."

Ryan bit his lip to keep from laughing. "You're not talking to the right people, Seth. God's not big on sexual harassment, I hear."

"You are not helping, Ryan. And stop laughing. It's not funny," Seth moaned into his hands. "How do I manage to get into trouble when I don't even do anything?" Seth looked up. "And how come you don't get into trouble even when you do do stuff?"

"It's a gift. Wow, your mom looks pissed."

"The Kirsten in going to kill me."

"Does that mean we don't get pudding?"

"Shut up, Ryan."

"Seriously, Seth. If we don't get pudding, coming to this party was a serious waste of time."

"I hate you, Ryan."

"See, now I'm mad. You made me come to this stupid party and now I won't even get pudding."

"Ryan, you don't like pudding."

"That's beside the point."

"You're having fun basking in my misery, aren't you?"

"I don't see why you're miserable now. You haven't gotten into trouble yet," Ryan said thoughtfully. He looked towards Kirsten. "Um. I take that back. Kirsten's coming over here."

Seth looked up. "Do you think she has the "Seth Ezekiel Cohen you are going to die look" or the "Seth Cohen you're going to be grounded for the rest of your life look"?"

Ryan thought for a second. "The "Seth Ezekiel Cohen you are going to die and then I'm going to ground you for the rest of your life" look."

"That wasn't an option, dude."

"SETH COHEN!" Kirsten said loudly enough to be intimidating, but not loudly enough as to draw attention to herself.

"Ooooo...She didn't use my middle name," Seth said. "Do you think that's a good sign?" he asked, looking up at Ryan.

"Probably not. Look a t her face."

"Seth. Here. Now," Kirsten said, looking angry.

Seth stood miserably. "I don't think we're getting pudding, Ryan."

Ryan watched amused as Kirsten and Seth argued seriously. Ryan had to admit, Seth did know just what to say to his mother to get to her to back off and believe him. Judging from what Seth had told him earlier, it really had just been a misunderstanding. A very, very funny misunderstand. Well, it was funny for everyone besides Seth and Holly's cousin. Ryan looked around for her. He found her, and then he examined her closely. She was ugly. Frizzy hair, buck teeth, and her nail polish didn't match the hideous purple dress she was wearing. She walked closer, and Ryan could see a few dark hairs along her upper lip. Did Holly really think Seth would go for her?

Inwardly, Ryan hoped Seth wouldn't go for anyone else. He knew he felt something for Seth, something that had been missing with Marissa and Lindsay. He also knew that, for Seth, it was just sex. Nothing more. Ryan hated knowing that. Ryan wanted to think he meant something more to Seth, but he knew it was strictly a "friends with benefits" relationship, no matter how much he wanted it to be more.

Seth was oblivious. He didn't see the way that Ryan looked at him. He didn't realize Ryan touched him softer and with more compassion than he had ever touched anyone else. Sometimes Ryan didn't want sex, but it was the only way to get close to Seth. It was his only excuse to touch him. His skin was so soft and warm, and he always smelled so good; like Downey, shaving cream, and a soft sweet scent that was his own. Sometimes Ryan didn't want Seth to look at him with those eyes, lustful and full of wanting. Sometimes Ryan wanted Seth to look at him like he loved him and he needed him for something other than sex.

Ryan was dying inside. Ryan could feel his heart breaking little by little everytime Seth could have said something, but he didn't. Ryan had fallen, and had broken into millions of little pieces. Seth was the glue, and he just couldn't figure out how to put him back together again.