Ficlet - The O.C. - Guilty Conscience - Chapter 1 (Trey/Seth)
Title: Guilty Conscience
Author: Jewel21
Rating: Hard R for sexual situations
Show: The O.C.
Genre: Angst/Slash
Pairing: Seth/Trey
Type: WIP
Summary: An unforeseeable event sends Trey and Seth back to Orange County.
A/N: This story contains slash. If you are offended by such pairings, please don't read. This story also follows after my series ‘Guilty Pleasures.’ I would suggest reading that first to better understand this story. That fic is as follows: Guilty Pleasures, Seth Knows, Stolen Moments, Risky Games, Confrontations and The Commencement
Special thanks goes out to my betas, scarlet and black_london.
Oh, and reviews are very much appreciated. Seriously, they are like crack to me. Please don’t deny me my fix ;)
________________________________________________________________________
Disclaimer: I don't own The OC. It belongs to a bunch of people I don't know and Fox.
Chapter 1
It was the sound of Seth snuffling loudly in his sleep that woke Trey. Blinking, Trey twisted his head to squint at the alarm clock on the bedside table behind him, the blue numbers reading 5:35 AM. He groaned softly in protest. He had another hour before he needed to be up for work at the local garage a few blocks away from the apartment he shared with Seth in Rhode Island. Seth had class this morning and he had to be up in forty-five minutes. Trey knew he needed to take advantage of the few minutes he had left before Seth awoke and subjected Trey to his usual morning racket as he got ready. There was always some sort of drama surrounding Seth's departure. Missing assignments. Shoes that somehow managed to migrate during the night to some random room in the apartment. The occasional smoke alarm blaring in angry protest as a piece of toast, blackened beyond all recognition, got stuck in the toaster - something that happened far too often for Trey to fully comprehend.
Laying his head back down, Trey stared at Seth who had managed to once again plaster himself along his side. It didn't matter if Seth somehow managed to fall asleep on his side of the bed, sometime during the night he'd always migrate over to Trey's side. Arms and legs wrapped around Trey in a vice-like grip. It still amused him that for such a skinny kid, Seth could be freakishly strong when need be.
The room was mostly dark except for where a small beam of sunlight shone through the tiny gap in the heavy curtains, cutting a path across the bed and highlighting the smooth skin of Seth's back and sheet covered ass. Seth's moist breath tickled along his neck and shoulders and he could feel the heat from Seth's body where their skin touched. Trey shifted over a little to get a better glimpse noticing that Seth's eyes were closed. Long dark lashes framed his cheeks, his hair a mop of sleep-tousled dark curls that begged for someone to touch them. Trey swallowed heavily.
When he had gone briefly to stay with Ryan and the Cohen's over a year ago, he had never imagined that he would wind up falling for Seth of all people. Mostly because despite some indiscretions when he was behind bars, Trey had always considered himself straight. When he'd come out of jail those first few days, he had felt disoriented and overwhelmed. He had wanted nothing more than to go out, drink, fuck, maybe even race some cars. Except he knew that way led to nothing but trouble. He'd been in trouble before. Nothing huge but he'd had to do juvie a couple of times and both times he'd gone a little wild after being released, done some stupid things as a result of his new found freedom that almost landed him back in trouble again. He'd promised himself after the car incident that had landed his ass in jail and Ryan with the Cohens, that he wouldn't be that dumb again. That once released he'd actually be smart, turn his life around.
And he'd been trying ever since.
Seth was as much a distraction for him that summer as a fixation. At first he was merely bored and horny, too much time locked up in a cell with only his right hand for comfort. But that had quickly changed. Somehow Seth had managed to get under his skin and he had found himself genuinely liking him. He was cute, smart and funny in a self-deprecating way. And he hadn't expected or demanded anything of Trey which had been both a relief and a surprise.
When Ryan had found out about his relationship with Seth, and ordered him to leave Orange Country, Trey had been pissed. Not to mention hurt that Ryan didn't believe him when he told him he wasn't simply messing around with Seth but that he actually cared for him, something which had surprised him deeply. It wasn't that he had set out to fuck with Seth, not really. But he was surprised how quickly and easily it had been to develop feelings for him.
Ultimately, though, leaving had been the best thing for him. It had been hard and Seth had been hurt and mad at first, but it had allowed Trey to sort out his feelings and to realize that he truly did want to be in Seth's life. He'd drifted around for awhile, moved from state to state. Performing random odd jobs here and there. He'd finally settled in Rhode Island where, despite limited experience, he'd found a job at a local garage. Not only had he taken to the work quickly but it turned out he was actually good at something other than stealing cars. He could fix them too. His days had been spent at the garage and in the evenings he had been working on getting his GED. When Seth had called and told him about being accepted to Brown University, it wasn't hard for him to leave his cramped apartment and settle in with Seth in an off-housing apartment complex .
Running his fingers lightly down Seth's arm, Trey bit his lip, debating whether he should try and go back to sleep or attempt to wake Seth up with some awesome morning sex. He didn't take long to decide before he shifted, his lips brushing across Seth's temple and nudging at the dark curls there even as his other hand slid under the covers and beneath the waistband of Seth's boxers. He slid his hand lightly over the firm globes of Seth's ass before running his fingers lightly down the crack, smiling slightly when Seth squirmed in response. His breath hitched a little as though he were struggling for consciousness. Growing bolder, he inched his hand further, tickling the spot behind Seth's balls and was rewarded for his efforts when he felt Seth's cock start to swell and firm. "Seth," he whispered gently. Trey's lips lightly brushed along Seth's jaw, as he rubbed his dick against Seth's hip. God he was horny, his dick full and hard and Seth really needed to wake the fuck up now or he was just going to continue without him.
It took a few more seconds but finally Seth seemed to get with the program, his eyes fluttering open and he moaned softly before burrowing his face further into the crook of Trey's neck. He opened his legs wider, allowing Trey full access. "Good morning," Trey said, shifting them so that Seth lay on his back. He didn't wait for a response before he was tugging down Seth's boxers and wrapping his hand around Seth's cock. It was full and dark with blood and it seemed to fit perfectly in the palm of his hand as he jacked him off. Seth groaned and bit his lip, his hand wrapping around Trey's own as he helped to jerk himself off. Seth's eyes were dark with lust and Trey stared down at him before capturing his lips in a kiss, all teeth and tongue as he plundered the soft, sensitive cavern of Seth's mouth. He could tell Seth was close by the sounds he was making and the tensing of his body. He was about to finish him off when Seth pushed his hand away and reached for the lube on the nightstand.
"The alarm's going to go off in about ten minutes," Trey warned, even as he took the tube from Seth and squirted some on his fingers.
"Then you'd better hurry the hell up, dude," Seth snapped, voice rough with sleep. Trey smirked in response.
He rubbed the gel between his fingers to warm it before inserting first one finger and then a second one into Seth, twisting his fingers to open him up. Seth's pupils were blown, his face flushed as he writhed beneath Trey. Feeling that Seth wouldn't last much longer, Trey withdrew his fingers and reached for a condom. Quickly removing his own boxers, he tore at the wrapper before sliding it on. He felt pretty close himself as he wrapped his fist around his own erection, squeezing at the base to prevent himself from blowing his load all over Seth.
"Tick tock, dude," Seth said. God, he could be such a pushy little bottom, Trey thought as he lifted Seth's hips and aligned himself. Pushing in slowly, he watched Seth's face as he entered him inch by agonizing inch. Seth's eyes were squeezed shut, his face and neck flushing with blood.
It was fuckin' good, really good and Trey bit his lip when he finally sank in as deep as he could. Seth was insanely tight around him, amazingly so given the numbers of times they'd done this. He groaned before withdrawing only to push in once more. Bringing his head down he captured Seth's mouth in another kiss, fingers tangling in Seth's hair as they continued to move in tandem; their bodies a flurry of arms and legs.
The alarm clock was blaring, shrill and loud and Trey ignored it as he reached down to wrap his hand around Seth's dick. He pumped him a few more times fast and steady before flicking his wrist around the head just so and was rewarded by Seth coming, a hoarse cry escaping from his lips. The feel of Seth's come, warm and thick on his chest and hand, along with the sensation of Seth convulsing around his cock was enough to trigger Trey's own release and he exploded inside of Seth. He continued to thrust a few more times, his movements erratic before finally stilling on top of Seth.
The alarm was still ringing and annoyed, Trey managed to muster the strength to withdraw from Seth, before reaching over and shutting it off. Removing the condom, he threw it away, before flopping back down beside Seth, who was practically comatose.
"You're gonna be late," he managed to say, voice hoarse and then he had to physically push Seth out of bed when he failed to respond because the last thing he needed was for Seth to be late. Because that in turn would mean Trey would be late for work. Again. And he had already been late once earlier this week for exactly this very reason. Maybe morning sex isn't such a great idea, he thought to himself before shaking his head. God, who the fuck was he kidding? Morning sex was the best thing ever, right up there with afternoon sex and late night sex.
His eyes followed Seth as he stumbled to the bathroom, the door closing behind him. Hearing the shower start up, he glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost time for him to be up. He debated joining Seth in the shower to help… speed things along, but ultimately decided against it. He really, really couldn't be late. Getting up, he reached for a Kleenex and wiped himself off before putting on his boxers. Rummaging around the room he found his uniform buried under one of Seth's poster boards and he placed it on the bed. He grabbed a pair of socks, a fresh pair of boxers and a wife beater from the bedside table placing them on the bed as well. He glanced at the clock and was about to bitch Seth out for taking so long and using up all the hot water when he heard the shower turn off.
Seconds later, Seth emerged from the bathroom, a cloud of steam billowing out behind him. The shower seemed to have woken him from his stupor, Trey noted as he watched Seth frantically searching for his shoes and clothes and he shook his head before grabbing his own clothes and making a dash for the bathroom.
Stripping down, he stepped into the shower and shivered a little as the lukewarm water rained down on him. Turning off the cold completely, he reached for the shampoo and washed his hair before reaching for the bar of soap. He lathered himself quickly and managed to finish his shower just as the water was turning from room temperature to frigid. Turning off the tap he grabbed a towel from the rack and used it to dry off.
He heard the sound of the phone ringing in the other room as he was reaching for the toothpaste and he ignored it in favor of brushing his teeth. Finally done, he opened the door ready to bitch at Seth for using up all the hot water again, only to have to halt to a sudden stop or risk knocking Seth down.
"Dude, what the fuck?" he asked, annoyed at being startled. It was Seth's expression and the way he was gripping the phone in his hand, his knuckles white with tension; that had Trey going from irritated to freaked out. It had to be bad and his stomach did a somersault in anticipation. "What's wrong?" he asked, reaching for the phone and gently prying it out of Seth's death grip.
"It's Ryan," Seth said and Trey tensed at his brother's name.
Ryan and he hadn't spoken since Ryan had told him to leave Orange County. It was almost five months after he moved in with Seth that Ryan had even learned that he and Seth were living together. If it were up to him, Ryan would never know, but Seth didn't understand why Trey didn't want his brother to know they were sharing an apartment. He kept arguing that he wasn't going to tell Ryan they were dating, his words, just that they were sharing a place and why was it such a big deal? Trey didn't have the heart to tell Seth that Ryan was the reason he'd decided to leave all those months ago. Leaving might have been the right thing to do at the time, but he still resented his brother for it.
He had told Seth to keep quiet about their living arrangement but Seth had finally broken down one night and told Ryan. Once the cat was out of the bag, Trey had expected Ryan to bitch him out, but surprisingly enough Ryan hadn't said anything to him about the situation. Not that they spoke, but he'd been half expecting to receive an angry phone call when Seth was at school one day, but it had never come.
Seth had told his parents next. He left out the part about him and Trey fucking one another, because even Seth wasn't sure how the hell his family would take that bit of news and he wasn't quite ready to find out. Which suited Trey just fine, thank you very much.
Now though, hearing Ryan's name, Trey's stomach did that weird flipping thing again and he felt a mixture of fear and annoyance. While he may have issues with Ryan he was still his brother, his flesh and blood, and he didn't want anything bad to happen to him regardless of his current feelings. "What about Ryan," he asked warily. "Is--" he began, but Seth cut him off.
"No, no he's fine. He's fine. He's on the phone."
He was vaguely aware of Ryan's voice, sounding small and strange as it emerged from the phone that he was now gripping between bone-white fingers. Lifting the receiver to his ears he said hello, his voice strained.
"Trey," Ryan said. Trey could hear the emotion in Ryan's voice even over the long-distance connection. Ryan only sounded that way when he was upset, Trey stilled his eyes never leaving Seth's stricken face. "Trey, are you there?" Ryan asked and Trey nodded dumbly before realizing that there was no way Ryan could see him over the phone.
"Yeah, Ry, I'm here," he managed to say, his voice sounding strange even to his own ears. He cleared his throat a little.
"Trey, it's mom," Ryan said, his voice lightly cracking.
"What about mom," Trey asked, sharper than he had intended.
There was a pause before Ryan continued. "There was an accident. And she'd been drinking. She ran a light and hit another car. Trey, she died." Trey froze at Ryan's words.
"Trey? Are you there?" Ryan asked again, and the sound of his brother's voice shook him from his stupor.
"Yeah, yeah I'm still here," he said weakly. Shifting the cordless to his other ear, he quickly squeezed Seth's hand before stepping onto the small balcony overlooking the street below, closing the sliding glass door behind him.
Author: Jewel21
Rating: Hard R for sexual situations
Show: The O.C.
Genre: Angst/Slash
Pairing: Seth/Trey
Type: WIP
Summary: An unforeseeable event sends Trey and Seth back to Orange County.
A/N: This story contains slash. If you are offended by such pairings, please don't read. This story also follows after my series ‘Guilty Pleasures.’ I would suggest reading that first to better understand this story. That fic is as follows: Guilty Pleasures, Seth Knows, Stolen Moments, Risky Games, Confrontations and The Commencement
Special thanks goes out to my betas, scarlet and black_london.
Oh, and reviews are very much appreciated. Seriously, they are like crack to me. Please don’t deny me my fix ;)
________________________________________________________________________
Disclaimer: I don't own The OC. It belongs to a bunch of people I don't know and Fox.
Chapter 1
It was the sound of Seth snuffling loudly in his sleep that woke Trey. Blinking, Trey twisted his head to squint at the alarm clock on the bedside table behind him, the blue numbers reading 5:35 AM. He groaned softly in protest. He had another hour before he needed to be up for work at the local garage a few blocks away from the apartment he shared with Seth in Rhode Island. Seth had class this morning and he had to be up in forty-five minutes. Trey knew he needed to take advantage of the few minutes he had left before Seth awoke and subjected Trey to his usual morning racket as he got ready. There was always some sort of drama surrounding Seth's departure. Missing assignments. Shoes that somehow managed to migrate during the night to some random room in the apartment. The occasional smoke alarm blaring in angry protest as a piece of toast, blackened beyond all recognition, got stuck in the toaster - something that happened far too often for Trey to fully comprehend.
Laying his head back down, Trey stared at Seth who had managed to once again plaster himself along his side. It didn't matter if Seth somehow managed to fall asleep on his side of the bed, sometime during the night he'd always migrate over to Trey's side. Arms and legs wrapped around Trey in a vice-like grip. It still amused him that for such a skinny kid, Seth could be freakishly strong when need be.
The room was mostly dark except for where a small beam of sunlight shone through the tiny gap in the heavy curtains, cutting a path across the bed and highlighting the smooth skin of Seth's back and sheet covered ass. Seth's moist breath tickled along his neck and shoulders and he could feel the heat from Seth's body where their skin touched. Trey shifted over a little to get a better glimpse noticing that Seth's eyes were closed. Long dark lashes framed his cheeks, his hair a mop of sleep-tousled dark curls that begged for someone to touch them. Trey swallowed heavily.
When he had gone briefly to stay with Ryan and the Cohen's over a year ago, he had never imagined that he would wind up falling for Seth of all people. Mostly because despite some indiscretions when he was behind bars, Trey had always considered himself straight. When he'd come out of jail those first few days, he had felt disoriented and overwhelmed. He had wanted nothing more than to go out, drink, fuck, maybe even race some cars. Except he knew that way led to nothing but trouble. He'd been in trouble before. Nothing huge but he'd had to do juvie a couple of times and both times he'd gone a little wild after being released, done some stupid things as a result of his new found freedom that almost landed him back in trouble again. He'd promised himself after the car incident that had landed his ass in jail and Ryan with the Cohens, that he wouldn't be that dumb again. That once released he'd actually be smart, turn his life around.
And he'd been trying ever since.
Seth was as much a distraction for him that summer as a fixation. At first he was merely bored and horny, too much time locked up in a cell with only his right hand for comfort. But that had quickly changed. Somehow Seth had managed to get under his skin and he had found himself genuinely liking him. He was cute, smart and funny in a self-deprecating way. And he hadn't expected or demanded anything of Trey which had been both a relief and a surprise.
When Ryan had found out about his relationship with Seth, and ordered him to leave Orange Country, Trey had been pissed. Not to mention hurt that Ryan didn't believe him when he told him he wasn't simply messing around with Seth but that he actually cared for him, something which had surprised him deeply. It wasn't that he had set out to fuck with Seth, not really. But he was surprised how quickly and easily it had been to develop feelings for him.
Ultimately, though, leaving had been the best thing for him. It had been hard and Seth had been hurt and mad at first, but it had allowed Trey to sort out his feelings and to realize that he truly did want to be in Seth's life. He'd drifted around for awhile, moved from state to state. Performing random odd jobs here and there. He'd finally settled in Rhode Island where, despite limited experience, he'd found a job at a local garage. Not only had he taken to the work quickly but it turned out he was actually good at something other than stealing cars. He could fix them too. His days had been spent at the garage and in the evenings he had been working on getting his GED. When Seth had called and told him about being accepted to Brown University, it wasn't hard for him to leave his cramped apartment and settle in with Seth in an off-housing apartment complex .
Running his fingers lightly down Seth's arm, Trey bit his lip, debating whether he should try and go back to sleep or attempt to wake Seth up with some awesome morning sex. He didn't take long to decide before he shifted, his lips brushing across Seth's temple and nudging at the dark curls there even as his other hand slid under the covers and beneath the waistband of Seth's boxers. He slid his hand lightly over the firm globes of Seth's ass before running his fingers lightly down the crack, smiling slightly when Seth squirmed in response. His breath hitched a little as though he were struggling for consciousness. Growing bolder, he inched his hand further, tickling the spot behind Seth's balls and was rewarded for his efforts when he felt Seth's cock start to swell and firm. "Seth," he whispered gently. Trey's lips lightly brushed along Seth's jaw, as he rubbed his dick against Seth's hip. God he was horny, his dick full and hard and Seth really needed to wake the fuck up now or he was just going to continue without him.
It took a few more seconds but finally Seth seemed to get with the program, his eyes fluttering open and he moaned softly before burrowing his face further into the crook of Trey's neck. He opened his legs wider, allowing Trey full access. "Good morning," Trey said, shifting them so that Seth lay on his back. He didn't wait for a response before he was tugging down Seth's boxers and wrapping his hand around Seth's cock. It was full and dark with blood and it seemed to fit perfectly in the palm of his hand as he jacked him off. Seth groaned and bit his lip, his hand wrapping around Trey's own as he helped to jerk himself off. Seth's eyes were dark with lust and Trey stared down at him before capturing his lips in a kiss, all teeth and tongue as he plundered the soft, sensitive cavern of Seth's mouth. He could tell Seth was close by the sounds he was making and the tensing of his body. He was about to finish him off when Seth pushed his hand away and reached for the lube on the nightstand.
"The alarm's going to go off in about ten minutes," Trey warned, even as he took the tube from Seth and squirted some on his fingers.
"Then you'd better hurry the hell up, dude," Seth snapped, voice rough with sleep. Trey smirked in response.
He rubbed the gel between his fingers to warm it before inserting first one finger and then a second one into Seth, twisting his fingers to open him up. Seth's pupils were blown, his face flushed as he writhed beneath Trey. Feeling that Seth wouldn't last much longer, Trey withdrew his fingers and reached for a condom. Quickly removing his own boxers, he tore at the wrapper before sliding it on. He felt pretty close himself as he wrapped his fist around his own erection, squeezing at the base to prevent himself from blowing his load all over Seth.
"Tick tock, dude," Seth said. God, he could be such a pushy little bottom, Trey thought as he lifted Seth's hips and aligned himself. Pushing in slowly, he watched Seth's face as he entered him inch by agonizing inch. Seth's eyes were squeezed shut, his face and neck flushing with blood.
It was fuckin' good, really good and Trey bit his lip when he finally sank in as deep as he could. Seth was insanely tight around him, amazingly so given the numbers of times they'd done this. He groaned before withdrawing only to push in once more. Bringing his head down he captured Seth's mouth in another kiss, fingers tangling in Seth's hair as they continued to move in tandem; their bodies a flurry of arms and legs.
The alarm clock was blaring, shrill and loud and Trey ignored it as he reached down to wrap his hand around Seth's dick. He pumped him a few more times fast and steady before flicking his wrist around the head just so and was rewarded by Seth coming, a hoarse cry escaping from his lips. The feel of Seth's come, warm and thick on his chest and hand, along with the sensation of Seth convulsing around his cock was enough to trigger Trey's own release and he exploded inside of Seth. He continued to thrust a few more times, his movements erratic before finally stilling on top of Seth.
The alarm was still ringing and annoyed, Trey managed to muster the strength to withdraw from Seth, before reaching over and shutting it off. Removing the condom, he threw it away, before flopping back down beside Seth, who was practically comatose.
"You're gonna be late," he managed to say, voice hoarse and then he had to physically push Seth out of bed when he failed to respond because the last thing he needed was for Seth to be late. Because that in turn would mean Trey would be late for work. Again. And he had already been late once earlier this week for exactly this very reason. Maybe morning sex isn't such a great idea, he thought to himself before shaking his head. God, who the fuck was he kidding? Morning sex was the best thing ever, right up there with afternoon sex and late night sex.
His eyes followed Seth as he stumbled to the bathroom, the door closing behind him. Hearing the shower start up, he glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost time for him to be up. He debated joining Seth in the shower to help… speed things along, but ultimately decided against it. He really, really couldn't be late. Getting up, he reached for a Kleenex and wiped himself off before putting on his boxers. Rummaging around the room he found his uniform buried under one of Seth's poster boards and he placed it on the bed. He grabbed a pair of socks, a fresh pair of boxers and a wife beater from the bedside table placing them on the bed as well. He glanced at the clock and was about to bitch Seth out for taking so long and using up all the hot water when he heard the shower turn off.
Seconds later, Seth emerged from the bathroom, a cloud of steam billowing out behind him. The shower seemed to have woken him from his stupor, Trey noted as he watched Seth frantically searching for his shoes and clothes and he shook his head before grabbing his own clothes and making a dash for the bathroom.
Stripping down, he stepped into the shower and shivered a little as the lukewarm water rained down on him. Turning off the cold completely, he reached for the shampoo and washed his hair before reaching for the bar of soap. He lathered himself quickly and managed to finish his shower just as the water was turning from room temperature to frigid. Turning off the tap he grabbed a towel from the rack and used it to dry off.
He heard the sound of the phone ringing in the other room as he was reaching for the toothpaste and he ignored it in favor of brushing his teeth. Finally done, he opened the door ready to bitch at Seth for using up all the hot water again, only to have to halt to a sudden stop or risk knocking Seth down.
"Dude, what the fuck?" he asked, annoyed at being startled. It was Seth's expression and the way he was gripping the phone in his hand, his knuckles white with tension; that had Trey going from irritated to freaked out. It had to be bad and his stomach did a somersault in anticipation. "What's wrong?" he asked, reaching for the phone and gently prying it out of Seth's death grip.
"It's Ryan," Seth said and Trey tensed at his brother's name.
Ryan and he hadn't spoken since Ryan had told him to leave Orange County. It was almost five months after he moved in with Seth that Ryan had even learned that he and Seth were living together. If it were up to him, Ryan would never know, but Seth didn't understand why Trey didn't want his brother to know they were sharing an apartment. He kept arguing that he wasn't going to tell Ryan they were dating, his words, just that they were sharing a place and why was it such a big deal? Trey didn't have the heart to tell Seth that Ryan was the reason he'd decided to leave all those months ago. Leaving might have been the right thing to do at the time, but he still resented his brother for it.
He had told Seth to keep quiet about their living arrangement but Seth had finally broken down one night and told Ryan. Once the cat was out of the bag, Trey had expected Ryan to bitch him out, but surprisingly enough Ryan hadn't said anything to him about the situation. Not that they spoke, but he'd been half expecting to receive an angry phone call when Seth was at school one day, but it had never come.
Seth had told his parents next. He left out the part about him and Trey fucking one another, because even Seth wasn't sure how the hell his family would take that bit of news and he wasn't quite ready to find out. Which suited Trey just fine, thank you very much.
Now though, hearing Ryan's name, Trey's stomach did that weird flipping thing again and he felt a mixture of fear and annoyance. While he may have issues with Ryan he was still his brother, his flesh and blood, and he didn't want anything bad to happen to him regardless of his current feelings. "What about Ryan," he asked warily. "Is--" he began, but Seth cut him off.
"No, no he's fine. He's fine. He's on the phone."
He was vaguely aware of Ryan's voice, sounding small and strange as it emerged from the phone that he was now gripping between bone-white fingers. Lifting the receiver to his ears he said hello, his voice strained.
"Trey," Ryan said. Trey could hear the emotion in Ryan's voice even over the long-distance connection. Ryan only sounded that way when he was upset, Trey stilled his eyes never leaving Seth's stricken face. "Trey, are you there?" Ryan asked and Trey nodded dumbly before realizing that there was no way Ryan could see him over the phone.
"Yeah, Ry, I'm here," he managed to say, his voice sounding strange even to his own ears. He cleared his throat a little.
"Trey, it's mom," Ryan said, his voice lightly cracking.
"What about mom," Trey asked, sharper than he had intended.
There was a pause before Ryan continued. "There was an accident. And she'd been drinking. She ran a light and hit another car. Trey, she died." Trey froze at Ryan's words.
"Trey? Are you there?" Ryan asked again, and the sound of his brother's voice shook him from his stupor.
"Yeah, yeah I'm still here," he said weakly. Shifting the cordless to his other ear, he quickly squeezed Seth's hand before stepping onto the small balcony overlooking the street below, closing the sliding glass door behind him.