A/N: This takes place mid-season 1. For context, Summer and Seth are a couple, but Summer doesn't acknowledge him in public, and her reason for doing so is different from the one she eventually tells Anna. Ryan and Marissa are broken up, and are "friends." Oliver's gone, but Anna is still hanging around.

Chapter 1

Ryan was sitting at the counter eating Corn Flakes when Seth shuffled into the kitchen.

"You all right, man? You look rough," Ryan remarked, shoveling a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

Ryan, however tactless, was essentially correct.

Dark circles hugged Seth's eyes, his hair had gone from uncontrollable to obscene, and his face was a ghostly shade of white. That he was staggering into the kitchen in only a robe, t-shirt and boxers added to the portrait of someone who was not doing so hot that morning.

It also presented something of a problem, as they'd need to be out the door in a few minutes if they hoped to get to school on time.

"You're a real sweet talker, you know that, Atwood?" Seth grumbled, scooping a handful of cereal out of the box, then dropping it back in." Actually, I'm not feeling all that great today, but let's keep that between us, huh?"

"You pretend to be sick on a regular basis. The one day you're actually sick and you want to go to school?" Ryan squinted at him.

"That, my friend, was before Summer and I started having sex on a semi-regular basis." Seth slumped down onto the stool beside Ryan. "I suppose we're dating, but considering the fact that she does not acknowledge my existence in public, it's probably not the best idea to ditch school. You know…out of sight, out of mind?"

"Ah." Ryan nodded. "Gotcha buddy."

"Morning boys," Sandy hustled into the kitchen, eyes trained on his watch. "Seth, you need to get dressed. We've gotta go."

"I'll wait and have Mom take me. I can be late."

"No can do, kiddo. Mom's headed out of town, remember? Big business trip for Cal and Kiki."

"Oh right." Seth frowned. His mom had been talking about the trip for awhile; he guessed he hadn't placed that it was coming up so soon.

Sandy did a double take as he caught his first real glimpse of Seth that morning.

Had Seth looked that gaunt last night?

Sandy had to remind himself to keep his concern in check. Seth had a tendency to bristle when Sandy and Kirsten were too overprotective of him.

Unless, of course, he could use it to his advantage.

"You feeling okay, Seth?" Sandy asked cautiously. "You don't look so good."

"I'm really feeling the love this morning," Seth drummed his fingers on the counter, lips pressing into an annoyed smile. "I'm fine," he said.

"You sure?" Sandy placed the back of his hand on Seth's forehead. "You feel a little warm."

Seth ducked away from Sandy's hand. "I'm fine," he repeated.

"You could stay home today. I could ditch work…we'll make a day of it. Maybe play some video games." Sandy grinned, starting to enjoy the idea of letting go of work for the day to hang out with his younger son.

"Nah." Seth yawned. "I have an English test I can't afford to miss." He paused. "And I'm fine...just tired."

"Have you been having trouble sleeping again?"

"No." Seth stole a glance over at Ryan, trying to see if he was paying attention. In truth, he'd been sleeping like a baby as soon as his head hit the pillow these days. Or the desk, if he was in Calculus.

Ryan watched the whole exchange, amused. Sandy or Kirsten fussing over Seth and Seth trying to get them off his back was not a rare event, but it was always rather entertaining.

"Well run up and get dressed then. We'll wait for you."

After Seth retreated from the kitchen, Sandy leveled his gaze on Ryan.

"Any particular reason why Seth, who will grab any opportunity to miss a day of school, is insisting I let him go today?"

"Are you trying to pump me for information?" Ryan raised his eyebrows at Sandy.

"Thought I'd give it a try," Sandy admitted with a grin. "But hey, if he wants to go to school for once, who am I to question it?"

Ryan lifted his mug in a cheers of agreement.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

Loud pounding on the door awoke Seth with a start.

He groaned and rolled over, trying to reorient himself.

He must've fallen asleep.

He'd never been big on the after-school nap, but lately it seemed like all he ever did anymore was go to school, come home, and collapse on his bed.

Pre-unexpected nap, he'd also had a bit of a headache brewing, but it had now morphed into a full-blown hangover-esque brain pounder. He cursed himself for having been too lazy to hit up the kitchen for some Tylenol before passing out.

His eyes burned and he closed them, groaning once more.

"Seth?" More knocking. His dad's voice floated into the room. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah," Seth called, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He started to stand up.

The room started to spin.

"Whoa," Seth whispered, reaching a hand out to steady himself on the nightstand. He blinked a few times, trying to dispel the fuzziness from his vision as he plopped back down onto his bed.

Standing up would perhaps take a bit more strategizing than usual.

Sandy appeared around the corner, thankfully too late to catch the wobbly act.

"Were you asleep?" He asked, incredulous.

"Yeah." Seth yawned. "We ran laps in gym today. Needed to recover a little." He yawned again, feeling his eyes water.

"Uh-huh." Sandy gave Seth an appraising look, probably weighing whether or not to launch into the whole parental interrogation thing. "Well, sorry to wake you, but the chicken's here."

Oh right, fried chicken for dinner. Seth's stomach turned over just thinking about all the grease.

"I'll uh, be right down," Seth said. "Just want to put on my face and all."

"Don't be long, huh?" Sandy said. "There's only so long I can keep Ryan from all the drumsticks."

ooooooooooooooooo

Seth took a deep breath as he approached the top of the stairs.

He'd taken a few minutes to regroup and make himself more or less presentable.

It had been something of an uphill battle.

Maybe Summer had a point, not wanting to associate with him in public.

"Well, look who finally decided to make an appearance," Sandy greeted him.

Seth snatched a thigh from the box and dumped it onto his plate.

"Here, have some potatoes; they're good for you," Sandy instructed, already scooping some onto his plate.

Seth grunted in reply, absentmindedly picking some skin off his chicken. His stomach clenched.

"So boys, how was school?"

Ryan shot Sandy a meaningful look.

Sandy shrugged. "With Kirsten away, someone has to ask these obligatory questions."

"It was Monday," Ryan answered, wiping some grease off his chin.

"I feel like I was there," Sandy said. He glanced over at Seth and narrowed his eyes.

Seth's head listed forward, his eyelids slowly drooping.

Sandy jostled his arm. "Hey!"

Seth's eyes snapped open and he straightened up. "Hmm?"

"You were about to do a face-plant into your mashed potatoes there, kiddo," Sandy explained. "So tell me again that you're feeling just fine?"

Seth rubbed his face with his hands. "I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"I don't buy that, Seth," Sandy replied sternly.

"I've got a headache, okay?" Seth snapped.

"Okay then." Sandy nodded. "Once you finish up with dinner, I want you to go right back up to bed. No comics. No video games. No Internet."

"Yes, Your Dictatorship," Seth grumbled, feeling his face flush slightly.

Ryan acted pretty unfazed when his parents got all parental on him, but it was still embarrassing, having him witness Seth being sent up to bed at all of 7pm.

That Ryan was too polite to make fun of him for it didn't change the fact that he certainly noticed it, so the damage was done, as far as Seth's pride was concerned.

He could only feel grateful that his dad hadn't further insisted that he go lie down in his parents' bed, "so I can keep a closer eye on this thing." That was distinctly in the realm of possibility, so Seth felt it was better to agree to his dad's terms and not push his luck.

"You know, maybe you should go lie down in-"

"Right up to bed after dinner, got it," Seth interjected quickly.

Being a Cohen required constant vigilance.

"Okay. And if you're still feeling sick tomorrow, you're not going to school," Sandy added, gesturing with his chicken wing for emphasis.

"Hey, Summer might come over to comfort you," Ryan offered, looking up from his plate with a smirk.

"Ryan, continuing with the hilarity I see." Seth stared medium sharp daggers at Ryan. "And I guess that wouldn't be so bad. Summer would probably talk to me here, in the privacy of my own home, when nobody's around to see us together."

Sandy frowned. "She won't talk to you if other people are around?"

Seth waved his dad off. "She just doesn't want to hurt my reputation by hanging all over me. You know how girls are." Seth pointedly avoided his father's gaze.

Things with Summer continued to be awkward.

He seemed to have an open invitation to her bedroom, but when he'd tried to approach her at lunch that day, she'd very politely explained that she had somewhere she had to be and scurried off.

"Done," Seth announced a few minutes later, choking down one last spoonful of mashed potatoes. "And before you say anything, I'm gonna go upstairs, brush my teeth in light, circular strokes, and get right into bed." He paused, batting his eyelashes. "I assume someone will be up to tuck me in shortly?"

"What do you think, Ryan: let him get a face full of potatoes next time?" Sandy waggled his eyebrows at Ryan.

"Definitely," Ryan agreed, nodding solemnly.

"Your concern for your fellow man is touching," Seth called over his shoulder as he headed for the stairs.

oooooooooooooooooooo

Sandy pressed his ear up against Seth's door.

It was part of his nighttime routine to check on each of the boys.

"Seth?" He whispered as he opened the door, on the off chance that Seth was still awake.

"Unnnn…stop…no…" Seth writhed and kicked in his bed.

Sandy strode over quickly, perching himself on the edge of the bed.

"Shhhh…Seth..it's okay. Dad's here." Sandy stroked Seth's hair tenderly. He frowned.

Seth was soaked in sweat.

Seth's body jerked, then stopped. His eyes flickered open, but they didn't seem to focus.

"D-Dad?" Seth's voice was thick and confused.

"Yeah Setheleh, it's me," Sandy said softly.

"Weird dream," Seth explained, licking his lips. "Don't need to talk about it." He sniffed. "Ducks everywhere."

"Do you want a glass of water?" Sandy asked.

"No." Seth paused, exhaling a ragged breath. "Yeah, okay."

Sandy left and returned with a glass of water.

Seth took a few sips, barely lifting his head off the pillow, and then returned the glass to Sandy.

"Want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?" Sandy asked, carding his fingers through Seth's hair.

Seth mumbled something unintelligible.

"Okay. I'll be right back."

Sandy returned a minute later with a damp washcloth. He applied it to Seth's forehead, and began gently mopping the sweat from his face.

Seth grunted a guttural noise that Sandy chose to take as a thanks.

Sandy leaned forward and kissed the top of Seth's head.

"That's what I'm here for."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Seth, hey, Seth."

Seth groaned, eyes peeking open.

He must have left his shades open the night before, because impossibly bright shafts of sunlight attacked his eyes. He rolled over, burying his face into his pillow.

"My retinas," he groaned.

"C'mon kiddo, wake up," Sandy ordered gently.

"No thanks, Dad-o," Seth half-yelled into his pillow.

"Just for a minute, okay? I just want to let you know what's happening, and then you can go right back to sleep." Sandy sat down on the edge of Seth's bed. "So, considering recent events, you're staying home today. No arguments. Cuz Daddy said so." Sandy mussed up Seth's hair affectionately.

Seth batted his hand away. "Don't call yourself Daddy; it's creepy." He rubbed his eyes. "And I feel better," he lied. "But fine, you've worn me down. I'll stay home."

Sandy placed a hand on Seth's forehead. "You feel pretty warm, but I'll take your temperature so we know what we're dealing with."

Seth groaned. Something about having his mom or dad jam a thermometer in his ear always felt infantilizing. It was already a struggle to maintain as much masculine dignity as he could, which-admittedly-wasn't much.

At least Ryan wouldn't witness this particular indignity.

"I'll call us in sick and take Ryan to school. Then I'll come back so we can hang out."

"You don't have to stay home with me," Seth insisted. "I can handle myself."

"Hey, without me you'd have had a face full of potatoes last night." Sandy glanced at his watch. "And anyway, I need a day off as much as you do. We'll call it a mental health day, huh?" He paused. "Plus, it'll give us a chance to discuss this thing with Summer."

"Oh god." Seth's mouth twisted into a pained grimace. "I'm going back to sleep," he grumbled.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

When Sandy got home, Seth was sitting on the couch playing Playstation, Nana Cohen's quilt draped over his shoulders.

"Couldn't get back to sleep, huh?"

"I didn't wanna miss out on prime video game time," Seth admitted sheepishly. In truth, he could've easily fallen back to sleep, but the siren song of the Playstation was too much for him.

"I see. Making good choices as ever." Sandy crossed into the kitchen and started digging through the cabinets for the thermometer and a bottle of Motrin. He grabbed each and settled himself on the couch next to Seth.

"You're messing up my game here, man," Seth protested, as Sandy gently inserted the thermometer into Seth's ear.

Sandy ignored him. He glanced at the readout, satisfied that Seth's fever was in decidedly mild territory at 101.2. He handed Seth a cup of Motrin.

Seth's eyes narrowed to annoyed slits, but he downed the liquid obediently, cringing and smacking his lips in disgust.

"Foul substance," he declared, shivering. He tapped a few buttons on his controller.

"I know, and you've been very brave."

"Songs will be sung of my valor." Seth's eyes never left the tv screen.

"What are you playing?"

"Grand Theft Auto. I try not to play it when Ryan's around."

"Got any two player excitement for me?" Sandy asked hopefully.

Seth finally tore his eyes away from the screen and gave Sandy a look. He seemed to be considering something. Finally, he sighed.

"All right, Dad. You can plug in the N64." Seth rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"All right!" A huge grin spread across Sandy's face. "It's been a long time since we've played Mario Kart." He went toward the cabinet for the older game system. "I'm sure I'll be a little rusty..."

"Making excuses in advance, as ever," Seth shot back.

"How did I raise a kid with such a smart mouth?" Sandy set to work plugging in the Nintendo 64 console.

"I'm a product of my environment?" Seth ventured.

"Now who's making excuses?" Sandy handed Seth the green controller. "You can't take the short-cut on Koopa Beach," he informed him solemnly.

"You're just jealous because you can't do it," Seth pointed out.

"I can so do it..I just choose not to." Sandy grabbed the red controller and sat down beside Seth. "And it's unethical; none of the other drivers know about it."

"Of course. Your only objection is on moral grounds." Seth's eyebrows went up. "It has nothing to do with your wildly erratic driving style."

"Exactly, son." Sandy hit the 'power' button. "Now you're getting it." He smiled fondly at his son.

It was nice, the easy way they could joke and talk with each other.

It hadn't always been like that.

Somewhere in his early middle school years, Seth had started to go quiet on his parents, spending most of his time hidden up in his room with his comic books and his drawings and his video games.

Drawing Seth out of his room and out of his own world was no easy feat. It started with Sandy and Kirsten insisting that Seth move his video games to the living room, pointing out that there were days where they were only seeing him at mealtimes. Seth had whined and sulked and ranted about his loss of privacy and everyone constantly being in his business, but he'd gradually come to accept the new routine. He could play video games, but it was going to be in the high traffic area of the living room.

And then it was Mario Kart that had started to reopen the lines of communication between father and son. Seth never advertised that he was looking for someone to play with, but Sandy had asked if he could join him once or twice, and then once or twice more, until they'd developed something of a routine, for a time.

Sandy was not so gifted with the video games, but he was willing to swallow his pride and pick up a controller if it meant getting closer to his son. And it had worked. While they battled it out on Rainbow Road, Sandy managed to gently delve into parts of Seth's life that had become off-limits: girls and school and his social life and how he felt about himself. Seth didn't always give much away, but Sandy felt like he started to get more regular glimpses into his son's life.

"Yo, Dad. You with me?"

"Yeah..just thinking about stuff." Sandy cleared his throat. "I love this game," he said wistfully.

"Yeah, yeah." Seth, armed with the sneaking suspicion that his dad was getting all nostalgic on him, rolled his eyes. "Me too," he added, only a little grudgingly.

ooooooooooooooooo

After several heated rounds and some healthy trash talking, Sandy was ready for a break.

"Are you up for some lunch?"

"Sure." Seth snickered. "I can't believe you couldn't even place in one race. You got the lightning bolt like eight thousand times."

"That was only in Toad's Turnpike, and I would've won but all those trucks kept swerving into me."

"Yeah, Dad..they were really gunning for you." Seth stood up, again without thought or strategy.

This turned out to be a bad idea.

Which, to be fair, standing used to be a thing he could do without thought or strategy.

His head suddenly felt light, and the room was gently tilting and rocking around him. He couldn't recall that being the case earlier. Just as he felt his knees give way, he grabbed onto his dad's shoulder.

Sandy managed to awkwardly catch Seth in his arms before he could fall to the floor. He carefully maneuvered Seth back onto the couch.

"Seth? Seth? Can you hear me?" Sandy swatted lightly at Seth's face.

Seth's eyes were glazed over and out of focus. He blinked a few times, the image in front of him gradually becoming sharper. His dad's face hovered in front of him, his eyes filled with worry, concern and love, and it was all a bit much, if he was honest. He pushed Sandy's hand away.

"Ow, yes. Not sure how slapping me in the face is supposed to help." He pushed himself up a little straighter on the couch. "I just lost my balance for a second there...sorry." Seth averted his eyes from his dad's stare.

"No, you didn't just lose your balance. You fainted." Sandy's voice was getting indignant, which was never a good sign. He was clearly headed into Lawyer Mode. "And you're shaking."

"Am I?" Seth felt woozy.

Sandy put a hand to Seth's forehead. "And you're burning up." His jaw set stubbornly. "We need to get you checked out."

"Aw c'mon, Dad," Seth whined. "You're making a big deal out of nothing."

"If it hadn't been for me, you would be on the floor right now. It's a good thing I took off work today."

"Great, I get to spend my day off at the doctor's office," Seth muttered. He rubbed his face with his hands, defeated, and resigned himself to letting his dad help him to the car.