Once the wave of sensation had loosened its grip on Seth's body, he opened his eyes reluctantly, not at all sure about what to expect. He blinked a few times, the overhead light in the room suddenly seeming unbearably bright. Through his haze, he saw Roman, still leaning over him, a most peculiar look on his face.
"What was...did you just..." Roman blurted. Although unable at that moment to completely process what had just occurred in front of him, the second Seth turned his head and those dark, plaintive eyes met his, he knew. However, he still couldn't think quickly enough to stop the next thing that entered his mind from exiting directly out of his mouth. "DID you?!" he said again, his voice raised in disbelief.
Seth cringed, mortified. He immediately started to tear up, and covered his face with his hands to try to conceal it. "I'm sorry...I...oh god, I'm sooo sorry," he groaned, utterly disgusted with himself. He scrambled off the bed, awkwardly falling down in the process, then stood up and ran to the doorway. He paused for a brief moment and glanced back at a very confused Roman, who was still sitting on the bed in a towel that was now barely clinging to him.
In that moment Seth wanted to say so many things, but the only thing that came out was another "I'm sorry", his voice thick with emotion. He turned and ran, flying out of the house even faster than he came in. He didn't stop running until he was several blocks away, only finally slowing when his lungs began to burn and he felt like he was going to throw up.
He hadn't managed to outrun the utter humiliation of knowing what he did, however, and even worse, knowing Roman had seen the whole thing. A sudden wave of nausea hit and he doubled over, dry-heaving at the ground as he realized he was never going to be able to look Roman in the eye again.
Meanwhile, back at the house, Roman paced the floor in his room, trying to figure out what to do.
He saw Seth's coat hanging on the bedpost and a pang of guilt seized his chest.
I have to go get him, he thought. He looked out the window to see the beginnings of sleet bouncing off the sill. He's out there somewhere, and he's probably cold.
Roman quickly got dressed and rushed out of the house, hoping to catch Seth before he got too far. Unfortunately he didn't know which way he went, so he started by tracing the route Seth usually took to and from his house in his car, scanning the roadside for any sign of the younger boy.
As he drove, his mind kept replaying the incident over and over as he tried to somehow make sense of it. At first he assumed it had simply been a rather unfortunate physical response to stimulation; after all, he himself had gone through puberty not that many years earlier and remembered how easily he would have been stimulated at that age by the slightest provocation. Poor kid...probably needs to get laid, he thought to himself, chuckling inwardly.
No matter how hard Roman tried to rationalize it though, he couldn't shake the thought of Seth moaning and trembling, back arched in surrender as he climaxed beneath him. Ro had had his share of sexual experiences with girls, but never had he made someone come that easily...or that beautifully. The more he thought about it, the more the image burned itself indelibly into his mind.
Those fucking puppy-dog eyes...
"Stop it," he said aloud, trying to cease his train of thought.
It throbbed against my hand. I felt it...
"STOP it."
Could he really...want me...like that?
"STOP IT!" he growled, smacking himself in the forehead with the heel of his hand. "You're not a fucking pervert...just stop."
Just then, he drove past Seth's house and realized he wasn't home. He sighed heavily as he turned around and started to drive back along the same route, assuming he wasn't going to find him. Much to his surprise, after only a few minutes he came upon a stooped figure shuffling along the roadside, going in the opposite direction.
That little shit. He hid from me when I drove by the first time.
Roman screeched to a halt next to Seth and rolled down the car window. He was going to ask if he wanted a ride, but as soon as he saw him with ice-crusted hair and chattering teeth, he threw the vehicle in park and got out, running over to Seth's aid. Without a word, he gathered the younger boy up in his arms and put him gently into the passenger seat, then ran back to the driver's side, jumped in, and peeled out, the rear end of the car fish-tailing down the street as he raced back to his house.
As he drove, Roman kept looking over at Seth, trying to assess the damage. He reached over and squeezed Seth's thigh, asking, "Hey, you ok? Stay with me here."
With freezing hands, Seth grabbed Roman's hand and shoved it away. "You d-d-didn't...h-h-h-have t-to.." he stuttered, attempting to protest even though he was shivering badly and nearly hypothermic.
"Sethie, shush," Roman interrupted, taking Seth's icy hand into his own to warm it. "We'll talk about it later. But right now, you're gonna let me take care of you. Ok?"
Seth nodded and let his head fall back against the seat, exhausted. "K...Romie," he mumbled before slipping into unconsciousness.