Reason Is Treason - EPILOGUE
Title: Reason is Treason - EPILOGUE
Fandom: The OC
Pairing: Seth/Ryan
Disclaimer etc on every other chapter, which you will find in my mems HERE
This is the last of 17 chapters, so make sure you read them before this!
REASON IS TREASON - EPILOGUE
Six months later…
“They’re here,” Seth announced, as if Ryan hadn’t heard their voices over the intercom or Seth buzzing them up from where Ryan stood in the kitchen, a mere ten feet away. “How’s lunch coming along?”
“The turkey’s good, but the roast potato and pumpkin are still ten minutes away from being ready,” Ryan informed him, wiping his palms on the bottom of his I heart coal apron - a thoughtful Christmas gift from his boyfriend.
“Wow, I’ve never had an actual home-cooked meal on Chrismukkah before. Mom’s a terrible cook so we always ordered in,” Seth babbled, cleaning away the wrapping paper scattered over the floor from the gifts they had unwrapped earlier.
“I did have that practice run on Thanksgiving,” Ryan reminded him. They had gotten together that day with other people on their floor who hadn’t returned home for the holiday. Ryan wasn’t normally into Thanksgiving, but Seth seemed to adopt any holiday with open enthusiasm. Ryan swore that he only claimed to be half-Christian and half-Jewish so that he had an excuse to celebrate double the occasions.
And this one found Seth the most excitable yet. Christmas; no Chrismukkah, with Seth was an interesting experience. Ryan really should have known this, but Seth was like a child on Christmas morning. He had woken up at seven, accidently nudging Ryan awake in the process of stretching. Seth refused Ryan’s pleas of ‘just five more minutes’ and bounced at the foot of their bed until he eventually relented and joined him in the living room. They exchanged gifts from under the tree. Ryan received some CD’s, a new leather wallet to replace his tattered old one, the apron, and two pairs of sinfully tight cotton boxer briefs, while Seth got a new Guitar Hero game, a set of very expensive pencils he loved to draw with, and a new satchel to carry his artwork in.
Ryan’s mind snapped back to the present, and he turned his attention back to the stove, carefully stirring the gravy so that it didn’t burn. When he heard the knock at the door, he turned the heat down to a low simmer and wiped his sweaty palms on his apron again.
“You ready?” Seth asked him, and Ryan gave a small nod in response.
Seth stepped forward to open the door.
“Merry Chrismukkah!” Sandy and Kirsten said in unison, stepping into the apartment. Sandy set down the large wrapped box he was carrying, Kirsten dropping her bag and another, smaller parcel on top of it, before they stepped forward to greet the boys.
“Merry Chrismukkah,” Seth returned, giving his Mom a kiss on the cheek and shaking his Dad’s hand while Ryan stood by awkwardly and watched.
“Merry Chrismukkah, Ryan,” Kirsten turned and spoke a lot more gently to him than she had to Seth, like he was a skittish horse. Ryan wasn’t too sure how to greet her other than mumbling the same greeting back, but then her face softened and she reached out to pull him into a hug.
The past six months had been up and down for Ryan and Seth. In the first few months since they left the hospital that day, they kept up with the happenings of their families via Summer and Dom, but neither of them had heard from anyone else.
The day after they had returned to Berkeley, Trey had been picked up by the police just outside of Nevada. With the number of eyewitnesses at the scene of the accident who could identify the car and the driver, his defense really didn’t have much to work with. His prior offences as well as Pete testifying against him (the police had agreed to drop the accessory charges as well as overlook the marijuana crop in his back yard) ensured that he was going to be in jail for a while.
In a way, Ryan was relieved. Trey had been slowly losing control for years, getting into a lot more fights and acting more reckless to the point where Ryan used to go along to places with him just to keep an eye on him. Now it was the state’s turn, and Ryan hoped against hope that his brother would come out of this rehabilitated.
And then classes had started, and between his contact hours, his shifts at the restaurant, and homework, Ryan barely had time for a quick handjob from Seth let alone time to worry about his estranged family.
Then Seth got word that his grandfather had been convicted and sentenced to four years imprisonment, three of those non-parole. He had gotten quiet for a few weeks after that, and Ryan knew that he was worried about how his mother was handling the news. Ryan tried to play the supportive boyfriend, tried to get him to call and attempt to smooth things over with them, but Seth wasn’t really receptive to this advice. He was unreceptive and sensitive enough about the issue that they ended up having their biggest fight ever because of it, with Seth storming out and slamming the door behind him. Ryan had spent the rest of the evening fuming, he was only trying to look out for Seth after all. Then, when the clock ticked over to one o’clock in the morning and Seth still hadn’t come home, he started worrying until he received a text message from the couple they had befriended from down the hall, letting him know that Seth had crashed on their couch. He still wasn’t asleep an hour and a half later when he heard the door creak open and Seth’s soft footfalls on the carpet. And when he crawled under the covers and on top of Ryan, he let himself get lost in his hard kisses and powerful thrusts as they exchanged apologies physically.
Sandy and Kirsten had landed on their doorstep a week later with the kind of timing only parents had. Ryan and Seth had both just handed in major assignments the day before and were taking advantage of a rare Saturday off work. Seth’s lips were just about to enclose around Ryan’s cock when there was a knock at the door. Thinking it was their voyeuristic neighbor, Penny, Seth wrapped a towel around his waist and went to the door to get rid of her, but came back a few moments later with his face aflame and throwing clothes at Ryan while gathering his own from the floor.
Ryan had left the building while Seth spoke with his parents, and when he returned a few hours later, he was surprised to find them huddled behind Seth’s laptop viewing photos and school work, catching up on all that they had missed. He was even more surprised to find himself welcomed into their family reunion, Kirsten turning to him and asking him about his studies, what he was wanting to do, how he was finding college life. Ryan wasn’t quite sure to make of it all, but the look on Seth’s face as Ryan held an actual conversation with his parents, the hope in those big brown eyes that he might actually get his family back, was enough for Ryan to bite his tongue about his doubts and go along with it.
And to top it all off, before leaving, Sandy revealed that the feuding families had reached some sort of truce after Caleb had been put behind bars. Ryan’s uncle Eric had approached Kirsten about putting a stop to it for once and for all, and Eric and Kirsten each made sure their families knew that the stupid fight that had hurt so many people, and almost killed Summer and Dom, was over, and would be over forever.
But just because they had actually accepted Ryan as being a part of their son’s life, it didn’t mean that Ryan was any less nervous seeing them.
Back to the present, they sat down at their small table that Seth had festively decorated in green, gold, and red while Ryan served up the roast on the kitchen counter.
“Let me help carry it over,” Kirsten went to get up, but was held back by Seth.
“Mom, he’s a pro at this. This is what he does.” Seth told them, clearly enjoying showing him off. Ryan rolled his eyes out of their line of vision and balanced three plates on his hands and wrist as he would at the restaurant before returning to the counter to gather his own.
After saying grace, Sandy poured them all a lemonade (Kirsten had been doing much better since leaving rehab two months ago, but they weren’t taking any chances), and they raised their glasses in a toast.
“To a better new year,” Kirsten declared.
“To a better new year,” they all repeated and clinked their glasses in unison.
The turkey had come out of the oven perfectly, with just the right amount of moisture and not underdone. The roasted vegetables were crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside and Ryan couldn’t help but feel proud that he seemed to be getting this cooking thing down. The satisfied looks on the faces of the Cohen’s was enough for Ryan, but they all verbally praised his talents too.
“It’s why I’m keeping him around,” Seth announced cheekily, leaning over and planting a dry kiss on Ryan’s lips right in front of his parents. Ryan looked over to gauge their reaction, but neither were recoiling in horror.
“Did your father tell you that we’re buying a new car?” Kirsten asked conversationally.
“No, what are you getting this time?” Seth enquired, and Ryan fought back a snigger. The extent of knowledge Seth had about cars was limited to size and color.
“A Mercedes-Benz Sports Coupe. Silver with an all leather interior, drives like a dream.”
“Wow, sounds like a nice car.” Ryan nodded, pushing his empty plate away from himself a little and gripping his glass of lemonade.
“It was your cousin who convinced him to buy it,” Kirsten smiled fondly at Ryan, a reaction he still had trouble grappling with at times. She and Sandy had been nothing but pleasant to him since the day they had walked back into Seth’s life, but sometimes he found it hard to believe that the family he had been told to despise since birth were well on their way to accepting him. It felt even more strange that his own opinion of them had changed so much that he was even beginning to view them almost as potential adoptive parents, seeing as his own had abandoned him.
“Oh yeah?”
“Dom certainly knows what he’s talking about,” Sandy informed him, and Ryan nodded. No one knew cars like Dom.
When Dom was finally released from hospital three weeks after the accident, he was only at the beginning of his long and painful road to recovery. What the doctors had feared about his fine motor skills in his right arm had been accurate. Unfortunately that meant that Dom found it hard to hold and use his tools with the precision he required to work as a mechanic.
But then Summer (who Dom still insisted was only a good friend) introduced him to some of her Dad’s friends, one of whom owned a luxury car dealership. Having worked on the cars of the rich and famous in Newport, Dom displayed his extensive knowledge, and by the end of the conversation he had a job offer. Dom was finally able to use his skills and charm and rub shoulders with the Newport elite on a regular basis. And he was good at it. As he was still recovering from his injuries, he was only able to work part-time, but with his commissions and referred business, he was earning a lot more than he ever did working full time at the garage.
After lunch had been eaten and the dishes cleared from the table, they gathered under the small Christmas tree to exchange gifts.
“My budget isn’t what it used to be, but I hope you like it.” Seth said to his parents, handing over their gift. Seth was used to buying extravagant gifts for his parents, but not this year. Even though Kirsten and Sandy had offered to pay their rent so they wouldn’t have to work so much, Seth had refused. He explained to Ryan that it felt good to be independent, that he was happy with the life they were living, and he wanted to prove to himself as well as his parents that he could do it on his own. Ryan had felt both proud and relieved. He didn’t want to feel like he owed the Cohen’s anything, and apparently, Seth felt the same way.
Kirsten and Sandy tore at the paper together and gasped at the beauty of the handcrafted chess set.
“Seth, it’s amazing,” Kirsten said, crawling over on her knees and giving him a hug, then turning to Ryan to do the same. “It’s just like Mom’s old one.”
“I know you lost it when the office building burned down. So when I saw this, I knew I had to get it for you.”
Ryan knew that Seth had worked extra shifts at Barnes & Noble to be able to afford that particular chess set, and it filled him with a sense of pride that Sandy and Kirsten appreciated the gift so much.
“I’m going to have to brush up on my skills,” Sandy announced. “Your Mom’s a shark.”
He pretended to be wounded at the elbow to the ribs she gave, but his smile belied the expression.
“Okay Seth, your turn now,” she said, picking up the box Sandy had carried from the car and handing it over. Seth tore at the paper quickly which revealed an Apple iMac.
“Are you serious?” Seth exclaimed, looking over at Ryan with wide eyes.
“Well, if you’re going to be a graphic designer, you’re going to need the right equipment.” Kirsten told him, and Seth leaned across to envelop both of his parents in a hug at once.
“And don’t think we’ve forgotten about you, Ryan,” Sandy nodded, handing over a smaller, but still heavy, package to him.
Ryan wasn’t as eager to tear into the gift like Seth was. He hadn’t expected anything at all from them and he was touched that they even thought to get him something.
But this was way more than something.
“We know you’ve been sharing Seth’s laptop computer, but you really do need your own,” Kirsten explained. “Seth’s been telling us how well you’ve been doing, and if you’re serious about architecture, then you are going to need to learn several design software packages. And you need more memory than Seth’s allows, what with the ten thousand songs and videos he has on there.”
“Hey!” Seth protested, but it was true, so he couldn’t argue too much.
“I don’t know what to say,” Ryan said dumbly, turning the package over in his hands. The thought of not having to spend hours in the library using their computers, of waiting for Seth to be done with his fiction assignments to complete his own, it was too much. It was a relief. “Thank you.”
Kirsten gave him another warm smile. “You’re welcome. I know that we didn’t get the best of starts earlier this year. But Sandy and I can see that you’re a good guy. We can see how much you care about Seth, how much you care about each other. And we want a fresh start with the two of you. So what do you say? New year, new start?”
Ryan met Seth’s eyes, and the way they were gleaming, he knew he couldn’t deny them this. Besides, he really didn’t want to deny them. He was redefining everything he ever thought about the Nichol’s, and not just because it was where his boyfriend came from, but because they deserved it.
Seth’s parents left on happy terms that evening, and Ryan felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He always felt a little guilty that Seth had given up his parents for him. And now, having them back, seeing the sweet, tired, genuine smile on Seth’s face, it made Ryan grin in return.
“You’re amazing,” Seth told him, leaning against the door after he had closed and locked it.
“What did I do?” Ryan enquired, smiling shyly.
“You cooked a fabulous meal, and not only did you put up with my parents all day, you were nice to them.”
“They’re nice people, Seth,” Ryan responded.
“They can be,” Seth agreed, pulling Ryan towards him and wrapping his arms around him. “But you grew up hating them and six months ago they treated you like dirt,”
“They had issues. I get that,” Ryan told him, leaning forward to catch Seth’s lips in a kiss.
“Regardless,” Seth pressed another kiss to Ryan’s mouth. “You deserve reward sex.”
Ryan arched an eyebrow. “I do?”
“Uh-huh,” Seth murmured, and Ryan opened his mouth wider so Seth could lick into it. He loved getting lost in Seth’s kisses, and this was no exception. He loved the feel of their tongues entwining, of Seth’s nimble fingers raking under his tee shirt and finding skin, of running his own fingers through Seth’s soft hair.
Seth spun them around so that Ryan was slammed up against the door, and he pressed his thigh between Ryan’s legs. Ryan couldn’t help but grind against him.
“Feel like taking this to the bedroom?” he growled into Seth’s ear.
A smirk joined the look of lust on his boyfriend’s face, and he moved off of Ryan to make his way in that direction. “Last one in the bed has to bottom,” he called over his shoulder.
Ryan shook his head and smiled. That was one race he didn’t mind losing.
Afterwards, when they were sated and sticky and basking in the afterglow, he placed a hard kiss on Seth’s temple.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you too,” Seth sighed in contentment.
Ryan knew that this was it for him. This was his family now. No more fighting. No more hiding. He could be his own person. He could become a person he could be proud of.
And here, in Seth’s arms?
It was all he had ever wanted.
It was home.
THE END!
*******************************************************************************************
Authors Notes: Wow, a smidgeon over 80,000 words and it’s done. It’s finally finished.
I wrote the first chapter back in August of 2007, and first posted it in theoc_slash in February 2008. The idea was born of a prompt from knightdawn from well over a year ago, who wanted to see a road trip with a crash and angst. It may have taken 16 chapters to get to that road trip, but that was the prompt that became this fic.
A HUGE shout out and thank you to the absolutely fabulous 60schic , who has held my hand since chapter 2, who has provided great advice, let me know aussie-to-american translations, such as car park = parking lot; meant to = supposed to, not to mention her grammatical prowess! I couldn’t have done this without her and her spot-on advice. Thanks sweetie, I hope this chapter didn’t make you cringe too much with the lack of skillful editing! I wish I could wrap Ben up in a bow and hand him to you as a token of my gratitude!
Last, but not least, I’d like to thank you for reading! I know I wasn’t always the best at updating, so thanks to those who stuck with me. Thanks for your wonderful comments, thanks for your encouragement, and thanks for poking me in the butt a little and prodding me when I’ve been slow to update. Believe me when I say that it works, and I don’t mind it at all!
Thanks for coming on this journey with me! I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.
And remember, comments = ♥ - surely I deserve some after 80,000 words, right? :)
Oh, and one more thing… I’m taking a little break from writing The OC stuff so I can work on some J2 challenges, but I’m not sure that I’m done with this verse. So… for when I’m ready to come back, is there anything you want to read about these boys? Any deleted scenes or timestamps that you want to read about? Feel free to write so in the comments!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxox
Fandom: The OC
Pairing: Seth/Ryan
Disclaimer etc on every other chapter, which you will find in my mems HERE
This is the last of 17 chapters, so make sure you read them before this!
REASON IS TREASON - EPILOGUE
Six months later…
“They’re here,” Seth announced, as if Ryan hadn’t heard their voices over the intercom or Seth buzzing them up from where Ryan stood in the kitchen, a mere ten feet away. “How’s lunch coming along?”
“The turkey’s good, but the roast potato and pumpkin are still ten minutes away from being ready,” Ryan informed him, wiping his palms on the bottom of his I heart coal apron - a thoughtful Christmas gift from his boyfriend.
“Wow, I’ve never had an actual home-cooked meal on Chrismukkah before. Mom’s a terrible cook so we always ordered in,” Seth babbled, cleaning away the wrapping paper scattered over the floor from the gifts they had unwrapped earlier.
“I did have that practice run on Thanksgiving,” Ryan reminded him. They had gotten together that day with other people on their floor who hadn’t returned home for the holiday. Ryan wasn’t normally into Thanksgiving, but Seth seemed to adopt any holiday with open enthusiasm. Ryan swore that he only claimed to be half-Christian and half-Jewish so that he had an excuse to celebrate double the occasions.
And this one found Seth the most excitable yet. Christmas; no Chrismukkah, with Seth was an interesting experience. Ryan really should have known this, but Seth was like a child on Christmas morning. He had woken up at seven, accidently nudging Ryan awake in the process of stretching. Seth refused Ryan’s pleas of ‘just five more minutes’ and bounced at the foot of their bed until he eventually relented and joined him in the living room. They exchanged gifts from under the tree. Ryan received some CD’s, a new leather wallet to replace his tattered old one, the apron, and two pairs of sinfully tight cotton boxer briefs, while Seth got a new Guitar Hero game, a set of very expensive pencils he loved to draw with, and a new satchel to carry his artwork in.
Ryan’s mind snapped back to the present, and he turned his attention back to the stove, carefully stirring the gravy so that it didn’t burn. When he heard the knock at the door, he turned the heat down to a low simmer and wiped his sweaty palms on his apron again.
“You ready?” Seth asked him, and Ryan gave a small nod in response.
Seth stepped forward to open the door.
“Merry Chrismukkah!” Sandy and Kirsten said in unison, stepping into the apartment. Sandy set down the large wrapped box he was carrying, Kirsten dropping her bag and another, smaller parcel on top of it, before they stepped forward to greet the boys.
“Merry Chrismukkah,” Seth returned, giving his Mom a kiss on the cheek and shaking his Dad’s hand while Ryan stood by awkwardly and watched.
“Merry Chrismukkah, Ryan,” Kirsten turned and spoke a lot more gently to him than she had to Seth, like he was a skittish horse. Ryan wasn’t too sure how to greet her other than mumbling the same greeting back, but then her face softened and she reached out to pull him into a hug.
The past six months had been up and down for Ryan and Seth. In the first few months since they left the hospital that day, they kept up with the happenings of their families via Summer and Dom, but neither of them had heard from anyone else.
The day after they had returned to Berkeley, Trey had been picked up by the police just outside of Nevada. With the number of eyewitnesses at the scene of the accident who could identify the car and the driver, his defense really didn’t have much to work with. His prior offences as well as Pete testifying against him (the police had agreed to drop the accessory charges as well as overlook the marijuana crop in his back yard) ensured that he was going to be in jail for a while.
In a way, Ryan was relieved. Trey had been slowly losing control for years, getting into a lot more fights and acting more reckless to the point where Ryan used to go along to places with him just to keep an eye on him. Now it was the state’s turn, and Ryan hoped against hope that his brother would come out of this rehabilitated.
And then classes had started, and between his contact hours, his shifts at the restaurant, and homework, Ryan barely had time for a quick handjob from Seth let alone time to worry about his estranged family.
Then Seth got word that his grandfather had been convicted and sentenced to four years imprisonment, three of those non-parole. He had gotten quiet for a few weeks after that, and Ryan knew that he was worried about how his mother was handling the news. Ryan tried to play the supportive boyfriend, tried to get him to call and attempt to smooth things over with them, but Seth wasn’t really receptive to this advice. He was unreceptive and sensitive enough about the issue that they ended up having their biggest fight ever because of it, with Seth storming out and slamming the door behind him. Ryan had spent the rest of the evening fuming, he was only trying to look out for Seth after all. Then, when the clock ticked over to one o’clock in the morning and Seth still hadn’t come home, he started worrying until he received a text message from the couple they had befriended from down the hall, letting him know that Seth had crashed on their couch. He still wasn’t asleep an hour and a half later when he heard the door creak open and Seth’s soft footfalls on the carpet. And when he crawled under the covers and on top of Ryan, he let himself get lost in his hard kisses and powerful thrusts as they exchanged apologies physically.
Sandy and Kirsten had landed on their doorstep a week later with the kind of timing only parents had. Ryan and Seth had both just handed in major assignments the day before and were taking advantage of a rare Saturday off work. Seth’s lips were just about to enclose around Ryan’s cock when there was a knock at the door. Thinking it was their voyeuristic neighbor, Penny, Seth wrapped a towel around his waist and went to the door to get rid of her, but came back a few moments later with his face aflame and throwing clothes at Ryan while gathering his own from the floor.
Ryan had left the building while Seth spoke with his parents, and when he returned a few hours later, he was surprised to find them huddled behind Seth’s laptop viewing photos and school work, catching up on all that they had missed. He was even more surprised to find himself welcomed into their family reunion, Kirsten turning to him and asking him about his studies, what he was wanting to do, how he was finding college life. Ryan wasn’t quite sure to make of it all, but the look on Seth’s face as Ryan held an actual conversation with his parents, the hope in those big brown eyes that he might actually get his family back, was enough for Ryan to bite his tongue about his doubts and go along with it.
And to top it all off, before leaving, Sandy revealed that the feuding families had reached some sort of truce after Caleb had been put behind bars. Ryan’s uncle Eric had approached Kirsten about putting a stop to it for once and for all, and Eric and Kirsten each made sure their families knew that the stupid fight that had hurt so many people, and almost killed Summer and Dom, was over, and would be over forever.
But just because they had actually accepted Ryan as being a part of their son’s life, it didn’t mean that Ryan was any less nervous seeing them.
Back to the present, they sat down at their small table that Seth had festively decorated in green, gold, and red while Ryan served up the roast on the kitchen counter.
“Let me help carry it over,” Kirsten went to get up, but was held back by Seth.
“Mom, he’s a pro at this. This is what he does.” Seth told them, clearly enjoying showing him off. Ryan rolled his eyes out of their line of vision and balanced three plates on his hands and wrist as he would at the restaurant before returning to the counter to gather his own.
After saying grace, Sandy poured them all a lemonade (Kirsten had been doing much better since leaving rehab two months ago, but they weren’t taking any chances), and they raised their glasses in a toast.
“To a better new year,” Kirsten declared.
“To a better new year,” they all repeated and clinked their glasses in unison.
The turkey had come out of the oven perfectly, with just the right amount of moisture and not underdone. The roasted vegetables were crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside and Ryan couldn’t help but feel proud that he seemed to be getting this cooking thing down. The satisfied looks on the faces of the Cohen’s was enough for Ryan, but they all verbally praised his talents too.
“It’s why I’m keeping him around,” Seth announced cheekily, leaning over and planting a dry kiss on Ryan’s lips right in front of his parents. Ryan looked over to gauge their reaction, but neither were recoiling in horror.
“Did your father tell you that we’re buying a new car?” Kirsten asked conversationally.
“No, what are you getting this time?” Seth enquired, and Ryan fought back a snigger. The extent of knowledge Seth had about cars was limited to size and color.
“A Mercedes-Benz Sports Coupe. Silver with an all leather interior, drives like a dream.”
“Wow, sounds like a nice car.” Ryan nodded, pushing his empty plate away from himself a little and gripping his glass of lemonade.
“It was your cousin who convinced him to buy it,” Kirsten smiled fondly at Ryan, a reaction he still had trouble grappling with at times. She and Sandy had been nothing but pleasant to him since the day they had walked back into Seth’s life, but sometimes he found it hard to believe that the family he had been told to despise since birth were well on their way to accepting him. It felt even more strange that his own opinion of them had changed so much that he was even beginning to view them almost as potential adoptive parents, seeing as his own had abandoned him.
“Oh yeah?”
“Dom certainly knows what he’s talking about,” Sandy informed him, and Ryan nodded. No one knew cars like Dom.
When Dom was finally released from hospital three weeks after the accident, he was only at the beginning of his long and painful road to recovery. What the doctors had feared about his fine motor skills in his right arm had been accurate. Unfortunately that meant that Dom found it hard to hold and use his tools with the precision he required to work as a mechanic.
But then Summer (who Dom still insisted was only a good friend) introduced him to some of her Dad’s friends, one of whom owned a luxury car dealership. Having worked on the cars of the rich and famous in Newport, Dom displayed his extensive knowledge, and by the end of the conversation he had a job offer. Dom was finally able to use his skills and charm and rub shoulders with the Newport elite on a regular basis. And he was good at it. As he was still recovering from his injuries, he was only able to work part-time, but with his commissions and referred business, he was earning a lot more than he ever did working full time at the garage.
After lunch had been eaten and the dishes cleared from the table, they gathered under the small Christmas tree to exchange gifts.
“My budget isn’t what it used to be, but I hope you like it.” Seth said to his parents, handing over their gift. Seth was used to buying extravagant gifts for his parents, but not this year. Even though Kirsten and Sandy had offered to pay their rent so they wouldn’t have to work so much, Seth had refused. He explained to Ryan that it felt good to be independent, that he was happy with the life they were living, and he wanted to prove to himself as well as his parents that he could do it on his own. Ryan had felt both proud and relieved. He didn’t want to feel like he owed the Cohen’s anything, and apparently, Seth felt the same way.
Kirsten and Sandy tore at the paper together and gasped at the beauty of the handcrafted chess set.
“Seth, it’s amazing,” Kirsten said, crawling over on her knees and giving him a hug, then turning to Ryan to do the same. “It’s just like Mom’s old one.”
“I know you lost it when the office building burned down. So when I saw this, I knew I had to get it for you.”
Ryan knew that Seth had worked extra shifts at Barnes & Noble to be able to afford that particular chess set, and it filled him with a sense of pride that Sandy and Kirsten appreciated the gift so much.
“I’m going to have to brush up on my skills,” Sandy announced. “Your Mom’s a shark.”
He pretended to be wounded at the elbow to the ribs she gave, but his smile belied the expression.
“Okay Seth, your turn now,” she said, picking up the box Sandy had carried from the car and handing it over. Seth tore at the paper quickly which revealed an Apple iMac.
“Are you serious?” Seth exclaimed, looking over at Ryan with wide eyes.
“Well, if you’re going to be a graphic designer, you’re going to need the right equipment.” Kirsten told him, and Seth leaned across to envelop both of his parents in a hug at once.
“And don’t think we’ve forgotten about you, Ryan,” Sandy nodded, handing over a smaller, but still heavy, package to him.
Ryan wasn’t as eager to tear into the gift like Seth was. He hadn’t expected anything at all from them and he was touched that they even thought to get him something.
But this was way more than something.
“We know you’ve been sharing Seth’s laptop computer, but you really do need your own,” Kirsten explained. “Seth’s been telling us how well you’ve been doing, and if you’re serious about architecture, then you are going to need to learn several design software packages. And you need more memory than Seth’s allows, what with the ten thousand songs and videos he has on there.”
“Hey!” Seth protested, but it was true, so he couldn’t argue too much.
“I don’t know what to say,” Ryan said dumbly, turning the package over in his hands. The thought of not having to spend hours in the library using their computers, of waiting for Seth to be done with his fiction assignments to complete his own, it was too much. It was a relief. “Thank you.”
Kirsten gave him another warm smile. “You’re welcome. I know that we didn’t get the best of starts earlier this year. But Sandy and I can see that you’re a good guy. We can see how much you care about Seth, how much you care about each other. And we want a fresh start with the two of you. So what do you say? New year, new start?”
Ryan met Seth’s eyes, and the way they were gleaming, he knew he couldn’t deny them this. Besides, he really didn’t want to deny them. He was redefining everything he ever thought about the Nichol’s, and not just because it was where his boyfriend came from, but because they deserved it.
Seth’s parents left on happy terms that evening, and Ryan felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He always felt a little guilty that Seth had given up his parents for him. And now, having them back, seeing the sweet, tired, genuine smile on Seth’s face, it made Ryan grin in return.
“You’re amazing,” Seth told him, leaning against the door after he had closed and locked it.
“What did I do?” Ryan enquired, smiling shyly.
“You cooked a fabulous meal, and not only did you put up with my parents all day, you were nice to them.”
“They’re nice people, Seth,” Ryan responded.
“They can be,” Seth agreed, pulling Ryan towards him and wrapping his arms around him. “But you grew up hating them and six months ago they treated you like dirt,”
“They had issues. I get that,” Ryan told him, leaning forward to catch Seth’s lips in a kiss.
“Regardless,” Seth pressed another kiss to Ryan’s mouth. “You deserve reward sex.”
Ryan arched an eyebrow. “I do?”
“Uh-huh,” Seth murmured, and Ryan opened his mouth wider so Seth could lick into it. He loved getting lost in Seth’s kisses, and this was no exception. He loved the feel of their tongues entwining, of Seth’s nimble fingers raking under his tee shirt and finding skin, of running his own fingers through Seth’s soft hair.
Seth spun them around so that Ryan was slammed up against the door, and he pressed his thigh between Ryan’s legs. Ryan couldn’t help but grind against him.
“Feel like taking this to the bedroom?” he growled into Seth’s ear.
A smirk joined the look of lust on his boyfriend’s face, and he moved off of Ryan to make his way in that direction. “Last one in the bed has to bottom,” he called over his shoulder.
Ryan shook his head and smiled. That was one race he didn’t mind losing.
Afterwards, when they were sated and sticky and basking in the afterglow, he placed a hard kiss on Seth’s temple.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you too,” Seth sighed in contentment.
Ryan knew that this was it for him. This was his family now. No more fighting. No more hiding. He could be his own person. He could become a person he could be proud of.
And here, in Seth’s arms?
It was all he had ever wanted.
It was home.
THE END!
*******************************************************************************************
Authors Notes: Wow, a smidgeon over 80,000 words and it’s done. It’s finally finished.
I wrote the first chapter back in August of 2007, and first posted it in theoc_slash in February 2008. The idea was born of a prompt from knightdawn from well over a year ago, who wanted to see a road trip with a crash and angst. It may have taken 16 chapters to get to that road trip, but that was the prompt that became this fic.
A HUGE shout out and thank you to the absolutely fabulous 60schic , who has held my hand since chapter 2, who has provided great advice, let me know aussie-to-american translations, such as car park = parking lot; meant to = supposed to, not to mention her grammatical prowess! I couldn’t have done this without her and her spot-on advice. Thanks sweetie, I hope this chapter didn’t make you cringe too much with the lack of skillful editing! I wish I could wrap Ben up in a bow and hand him to you as a token of my gratitude!
Last, but not least, I’d like to thank you for reading! I know I wasn’t always the best at updating, so thanks to those who stuck with me. Thanks for your wonderful comments, thanks for your encouragement, and thanks for poking me in the butt a little and prodding me when I’ve been slow to update. Believe me when I say that it works, and I don’t mind it at all!
Thanks for coming on this journey with me! I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.
And remember, comments = ♥ - surely I deserve some after 80,000 words, right? :)
Oh, and one more thing… I’m taking a little break from writing The OC stuff so I can work on some J2 challenges, but I’m not sure that I’m done with this verse. So… for when I’m ready to come back, is there anything you want to read about these boys? Any deleted scenes or timestamps that you want to read about? Feel free to write so in the comments!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxox