crack_van | Some Days These Maps Collide by k. (PG)

Fandom: THE OC
Pairing: Ryan/Seth
Author on LJ:

callmesandy
Author's Website: lowercase k collected.
Why this must be read:

I just wanted to give a story by k. as an excuse for everyone to visit her site and read all her fic in any fandom (Gilmore Girls, Sports Night, Everwood, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, Buffy, Harry Potter, CSI, Without a Trace, etc.). (Her shorter ficlets are linked on her lj account, not on her main web site, and she's been prolific this summer in many fandoms).

K. does that thing that Lorrie Moore is so good at--capturing the unexpected weight and undercurrents of ordinary moments. She gives glimpses of the emotional depth of characters and events, without getting bogged down in the drama.

This is a happy story, without being treacley. It's a futurefic with Ryan and Seth as adults, and a Marissa who is as reactive as ever. The plot is a standard one--meeting the ex in the future, but the characters are nicely drawn. Hey, it's a theme with my recs! Next rec will be all about the plot, maybe.

Ryan drives. He gets that Marissa was surprised, that Linton wasn't expecting to meet his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend and his boyfriend. He says, "It's boring."

"Linton? Me?" Seth sounds concerned.

"Not you. You're only boring when you try to convince me to reread Faulkner."

"I think you should give him another chance." Seth taps Ryan's shoulder. "What's boring?"

"Linton, Marissa, all of this, you have a boyfriend? I've been out since we started going out and you before that and it just never ends, does it?"

Seth sighs. "Coming out is a lengthy process. Some people say it never really ends."

"They've had dinner with Linton?"

Seth laughs. "Whatever."

"You said it."

Some Days These Maps Collide.