[oc] Davis Hall
I have a thing for challenges, that's nothing new to anyone who knows me, or at least has heard me ramble about them. *g*
So, when picfor1000 had their Year Five Challenge, I had to get my hands there. *g* Ergo, story. *nods*
Title: Davis Hall
Author: M. F. Luder
Pairing: Ryan/Seth.
Rating: PG-13.
Word count: 1,000.
Category: First time. Future fic.
Spoilers: Up to "The Night Moves".
Challenge: From picfor1000 and my picture. *g* And for fanfic100 and 53. earth. The rest of the stories can be found at Big Damn Table.
Author's note: Betad by 60schic, who totally rocks, and all mistakes made after her thorough beta, are my fault.
Brown had never made sense, not like Berkeley.
Davis Hall
53. earth
Seth makes his way out of class, with Emily muttering about professors all thinking that their class is the only one they're taking, because they have one more book to read by Monday.
He checks his watch, five till one. Ryan has Construction Materials and they won't be leaving class for a good ten more minutes.
"I gotta go," Seth says, throwing his bookbag over his head, strap falling across his chest.
Emily gives him a small smile. "Of course. Picking Ryan up, right?"
Seth frowns, nodding as he does so. Emily's grin only widens. "Yeah, why--?"
Emily shrugs. "No, nothing. I gotta meet Lara anyway." She turns around, walking backwards. "Tell Ryan I say hi!"
Seth can hear her laughter even as he turns around and makes his way out of Wheeler Hall. Whatever.
He walks into Davis Hall, time breeding in familiarity , pausing outside classroom 203 and leaning against the wall. Minutes later, Seth looks up at the sound of students making their way out and tries to see if he can see civil engineering on their faces or if the craziness that must lead a person to study something so heavy with physics and mathematics isn't visible.
When Seth sees Ryan walking out, he waves, grin on his face.
"Hey," Ryan says on his way to Seth, one hand curled around the strap of his bag.
Seth smiles at him. "Hey." He blinks for a second before noticing Tatiana and Claire looking back at him. "Hey, how are you?"
Tatiana smirks, Claire nudging her. "Hey Seth."
He narrows his eyes, wondering if he's missing something. Tatiana lifts her eyebrow in a suggestive manner and Claire chuckles.
"Well, hmm. We gotta go," Ryan says, cutting Seth in mid thought.
Seth glances at Ryan, noticing the lines at the corners of Ryan's eyes, the grin on his lips that's not his smile, but the telltale sign that he's not saying something here.
Tatiana bounces on her feet, nodding as she does so. "Of course. Lunch date, right?"
Ryan looks over his shoulder and Seth can't see his face, but he can imagine Ryan glaring at Tatiana.
Tatiana giggles, Claire nudging her once again. "Whatever," Claire says, grabbing Tatiana's arm and pulling her down the hall, away from them. "We'll see you at Dynamics, Ryan. Bye Seth!"
"Bye!" Seth frowns, looking at Ryan. "Something wrong?"
Ryan shakes his head. "No, nothing. Lunch?" He asks with a quick grin.
Seth narrows his eyes, glancing at Ryan as they walk out of the building, silence comfortable and familiar . Making their way through the campus, high trees on either side of the path, leaves orange and brown in mid fall wind, Seth's reminded of Brown, two years ago. He had called Ryan when as he stood there, and Ryan here, in Berkeley. He had called Ryan, because Ryan was the one person he could always talk to.
It's better than perfect, Seth had said.
It had been. For him, then. But his life wasn't meant to be lived in Brown, and he hadn't understood that then.
Brown had never made sense, not like Berkeley. And Seth had been going on sheer hope when he asked his dad about applying here, around the time his mom had realized she was pregnant. He hadn't understood then.
"Seth?"
Seth blinks, noticing that he has stopped walking, leaves falling around him, Ryan by his side. Ryan smiles at him, a small soft smile, a smile Seth can't help but feel is only for him, for him alone.
He swallows, and he knows everything happened in order for him to be here, standing here, in the middle of the Berkeley campus, fifty feet from Davis Hall, seven minutes from Wheeler Hall, Ryan by his side, looking at him, smiling back at him. From meeting Ryan to dating Summer, applying to Brown and not getting in, getting in RISD and not going. Summer working for George, Seth telling Ryan he's going to Berkeley with him.
Seth had always believed in destiny, but even this feels like a bit too much for him. Because Berkeley fits because this is him, the life he wanted, only days after meeting Ryan. This is the way it's meant to be, with Ryan, the two of them, together. He just never understood it, until now.
"Hey," Seth whispers under his breath, Ryan taking another step forward, walking into Seth's personal space with no hesitation at all. There's no need for hesitation.
"Hey," Ryan says in answer, and that's all Seth needs.
He closes the distance in between them, hands going to either side of Ryan's face. He pauses for a second and Ryan blinks, looking back at Seth with fear and what Seth thinks is quiet longing in blue eyes.
Seth smiles, right thumb caressing Ryan's left cheekbone, hand cupping his face. Seth kisses him, not pulling him down but up, up and up, eyes closed, chest tight, hands shaking. Ryan's hands move to Seth's waist, bringing him closer, letting him in, brushing away any hesitation Seth ever had. Seth sighs into the kiss, his touch skin soft on Ryan's cheek, throat, collarbone. He breathes out, brushes his lips against Ryan's jaw, hears Ryan's breath quickening, pausing, then quickening again, and he kisses Ryan again, and again.
This is them, five years in the making, and it started with them sitting, controllers in hands, and it ends with them standing, their hands in each other's bodies, kisses that speak English and whisper words and promises.
And Seth will speak about perfection and home and fate and destiny in the middle of the night, when they share a bed, in between feather light kisses in the darkness of their room. He'll whisper about everything falling into place to draw destiny on their skins, but until then he'll kiss Ryan and let Ryan kiss him, standing on the campus in the middle of October, on the grass, under a tree, orange leaves falling around them.
January 10th, 5.03pm
Five years and four months in the making. I love you.
That done, I've got stories yet to write. *g*
So, when picfor1000 had their Year Five Challenge, I had to get my hands there. *g* Ergo, story. *nods*
Title: Davis Hall
Author: M. F. Luder
Pairing: Ryan/Seth.
Rating: PG-13.
Word count: 1,000.
Category: First time. Future fic.
Spoilers: Up to "The Night Moves".
Challenge: From picfor1000 and my picture. *g* And for fanfic100 and 53. earth. The rest of the stories can be found at Big Damn Table.
Author's note: Betad by 60schic, who totally rocks, and all mistakes made after her thorough beta, are my fault.
Brown had never made sense, not like Berkeley.
Davis Hall
53. earth
Seth makes his way out of class, with Emily muttering about professors all thinking that their class is the only one they're taking, because they have one more book to read by Monday.
He checks his watch, five till one. Ryan has Construction Materials and they won't be leaving class for a good ten more minutes.
"I gotta go," Seth says, throwing his bookbag over his head, strap falling across his chest.
Emily gives him a small smile. "Of course. Picking Ryan up, right?"
Seth frowns, nodding as he does so. Emily's grin only widens. "Yeah, why--?"
Emily shrugs. "No, nothing. I gotta meet Lara anyway." She turns around, walking backwards. "Tell Ryan I say hi!"
Seth can hear her laughter even as he turns around and makes his way out of Wheeler Hall. Whatever.
He walks into Davis Hall, time breeding in familiarity , pausing outside classroom 203 and leaning against the wall. Minutes later, Seth looks up at the sound of students making their way out and tries to see if he can see civil engineering on their faces or if the craziness that must lead a person to study something so heavy with physics and mathematics isn't visible.
When Seth sees Ryan walking out, he waves, grin on his face.
"Hey," Ryan says on his way to Seth, one hand curled around the strap of his bag.
Seth smiles at him. "Hey." He blinks for a second before noticing Tatiana and Claire looking back at him. "Hey, how are you?"
Tatiana smirks, Claire nudging her. "Hey Seth."
He narrows his eyes, wondering if he's missing something. Tatiana lifts her eyebrow in a suggestive manner and Claire chuckles.
"Well, hmm. We gotta go," Ryan says, cutting Seth in mid thought.
Seth glances at Ryan, noticing the lines at the corners of Ryan's eyes, the grin on his lips that's not his smile, but the telltale sign that he's not saying something here.
Tatiana bounces on her feet, nodding as she does so. "Of course. Lunch date, right?"
Ryan looks over his shoulder and Seth can't see his face, but he can imagine Ryan glaring at Tatiana.
Tatiana giggles, Claire nudging her once again. "Whatever," Claire says, grabbing Tatiana's arm and pulling her down the hall, away from them. "We'll see you at Dynamics, Ryan. Bye Seth!"
"Bye!" Seth frowns, looking at Ryan. "Something wrong?"
Ryan shakes his head. "No, nothing. Lunch?" He asks with a quick grin.
Seth narrows his eyes, glancing at Ryan as they walk out of the building, silence comfortable and familiar . Making their way through the campus, high trees on either side of the path, leaves orange and brown in mid fall wind, Seth's reminded of Brown, two years ago. He had called Ryan when as he stood there, and Ryan here, in Berkeley. He had called Ryan, because Ryan was the one person he could always talk to.
It's better than perfect, Seth had said.
It had been. For him, then. But his life wasn't meant to be lived in Brown, and he hadn't understood that then.
Brown had never made sense, not like Berkeley. And Seth had been going on sheer hope when he asked his dad about applying here, around the time his mom had realized she was pregnant. He hadn't understood then.
"Seth?"
Seth blinks, noticing that he has stopped walking, leaves falling around him, Ryan by his side. Ryan smiles at him, a small soft smile, a smile Seth can't help but feel is only for him, for him alone.
He swallows, and he knows everything happened in order for him to be here, standing here, in the middle of the Berkeley campus, fifty feet from Davis Hall, seven minutes from Wheeler Hall, Ryan by his side, looking at him, smiling back at him. From meeting Ryan to dating Summer, applying to Brown and not getting in, getting in RISD and not going. Summer working for George, Seth telling Ryan he's going to Berkeley with him.
Seth had always believed in destiny, but even this feels like a bit too much for him. Because Berkeley fits because this is him, the life he wanted, only days after meeting Ryan. This is the way it's meant to be, with Ryan, the two of them, together. He just never understood it, until now.
"Hey," Seth whispers under his breath, Ryan taking another step forward, walking into Seth's personal space with no hesitation at all. There's no need for hesitation.
"Hey," Ryan says in answer, and that's all Seth needs.
He closes the distance in between them, hands going to either side of Ryan's face. He pauses for a second and Ryan blinks, looking back at Seth with fear and what Seth thinks is quiet longing in blue eyes.
Seth smiles, right thumb caressing Ryan's left cheekbone, hand cupping his face. Seth kisses him, not pulling him down but up, up and up, eyes closed, chest tight, hands shaking. Ryan's hands move to Seth's waist, bringing him closer, letting him in, brushing away any hesitation Seth ever had. Seth sighs into the kiss, his touch skin soft on Ryan's cheek, throat, collarbone. He breathes out, brushes his lips against Ryan's jaw, hears Ryan's breath quickening, pausing, then quickening again, and he kisses Ryan again, and again.
This is them, five years in the making, and it started with them sitting, controllers in hands, and it ends with them standing, their hands in each other's bodies, kisses that speak English and whisper words and promises.
And Seth will speak about perfection and home and fate and destiny in the middle of the night, when they share a bed, in between feather light kisses in the darkness of their room. He'll whisper about everything falling into place to draw destiny on their skins, but until then he'll kiss Ryan and let Ryan kiss him, standing on the campus in the middle of October, on the grass, under a tree, orange leaves falling around them.
January 10th, 5.03pm
Five years and four months in the making. I love you.
That done, I've got stories yet to write. *g*