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crack_van2005-09-30 09:37 am
ivorychopsticks.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2005-09-30 09:37 am
Temple Bar by Maudgonne (PG-13)
Fandom: THE OC
Pairing: Seth/Ryan
Author on LJ:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
maudgonne
Why this must be read:
I know I promised het this time, but it's suddenly the 30th I selfishly wanted to be the OC reccer that got to link y'all up with Temple Bar. It's a seven parter that started 6-7-04 and was finished 7-13-05, which is a long stretch, but it was worth it.
This fic is future fic, set in the summer between high school's end and college's beginning with Seth on study abroad. The story is about a surprise visit from Ryan and its aftermath.
What Maud portrays best, I think, is the ways that fear can affect us in all the small ways, the way we lie and avoid confrontation because we don't know what will happen. And that one of the hardest things about becoming an adult is understanding how to take responsibility for both what you do and what you don't do. And that relationships are a negotiation. Maud doesn't sentimentalize either character, she lets them be flawed and miserable and confused and happy. The perspective is Seth's, but he has an insight to Ryan (though it doesn't keep him from making mistakes).
Ryan had started to undress, but now he stood in the middle of the room, staring.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Packing,” Seth said. He bit his lower lip to keep from saying more.
“For what?”
“What do you care?”
Ryan’s sigh was harsh, just one quick expiration of breath.
“I’m leaving,” Seth told him.
Ryan’s eyebrows shot up. “Back to Newport?”
“No, not back to Newport,” Seth said, and he couldn’t help it, the words came pouring out of him in a rush. “I hate Newport; don’t you know that by now? It’s incestuous and shallow and ugly and too small. And it doesn’t even matter, because Newport hates me, too. Just like Dublin is about to hate me.”
“Newport doesn’t hate you,” Ryan said. “Newport is a town.”
“Stop being so goddamned literal about everything! Don’t you remember Luke’s dad? Do you think it’s going to be any different for us when they find out?”
“That was a long time ago. And it wasn’t as bad as you remember.”
“You don’t know what I remember.”
“I know,” Ryan said patiently, “how you go over and over everything in your mind until it changes. You make a story out of everything, and sometimes the story isn’t what really happened.”
“And I know,” Seth said, “how you pretend things aren’t true just because you don’t want to deal with them.”
Ryan looked taken aback; he folded his arms, his shoulders hunched. It was a low blow, Seth knew that, and it was only half true.
“You’re the one who’s running away, Seth.”
Seth exhaled. “You could come with me, you know.”
Ryan shook his head. “I have to work tomorrow night.”
“That’s not an excuse, and you know it. It’s not even a real job.”
“John is counting on me,” Ryan said. “Besides, I don’t want to do that. It happened, Seth. We can’t run away.”
“Yeah, well. The Atwoods may be all about confrontation, but it’s not really a Cohen trait.”
“You have classes,” Ryan pointed out.
“It’s pass/fail,” Seth said. “They’re not going to fail me for missing a week. Or whatever. I’m staying away until Mike and Claire forget what they saw. Preferably until they forget I exist.”
“Then you’re staying away for the rest of the summer.”
“If I have to,” Seth said. “Look, dude, you’re not going to change my mind. So you’re coming with me, or you’re not.”
Ryan looked at the ground and shook his head, in the way he did when he thought Seth was being ridiculous, or annoying, or acting like a child. Seth hated him a little bit when he did that. He hated that Ryan always had to be right, and how that always came before anything else. He hated that Ryan wouldn’t come with him, that he was going to have to run away, alone, again. But he was going.
“Fine,” he said. “Have fun in Dublin without me. Or Newport, or Chino, or wherever it is you decide to go instead of Berkeley. Have a nice life.”
Ryan’s mouth was open and he was blinking rapidly, but Seth just looked away. He dropped his keys on the desk, shouldered his backpack, and left the room. He thought he heard Ryan say something behind him, maybe even his name, but he told himself he didn’t care. He slammed the door behind him, not concerned anymore about waking anyone. He was gone.
Temple Bar--link is to memories pages which has all seven chapters.
Pairing: Seth/Ryan
Author on LJ:
maudgonneWhy this must be read:
I know I promised het this time, but it's suddenly the 30th I selfishly wanted to be the OC reccer that got to link y'all up with Temple Bar. It's a seven parter that started 6-7-04 and was finished 7-13-05, which is a long stretch, but it was worth it.
This fic is future fic, set in the summer between high school's end and college's beginning with Seth on study abroad. The story is about a surprise visit from Ryan and its aftermath.
What Maud portrays best, I think, is the ways that fear can affect us in all the small ways, the way we lie and avoid confrontation because we don't know what will happen. And that one of the hardest things about becoming an adult is understanding how to take responsibility for both what you do and what you don't do. And that relationships are a negotiation. Maud doesn't sentimentalize either character, she lets them be flawed and miserable and confused and happy. The perspective is Seth's, but he has an insight to Ryan (though it doesn't keep him from making mistakes).
Ryan had started to undress, but now he stood in the middle of the room, staring.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Packing,” Seth said. He bit his lower lip to keep from saying more.
“For what?”
“What do you care?”
Ryan’s sigh was harsh, just one quick expiration of breath.
“I’m leaving,” Seth told him.
Ryan’s eyebrows shot up. “Back to Newport?”
“No, not back to Newport,” Seth said, and he couldn’t help it, the words came pouring out of him in a rush. “I hate Newport; don’t you know that by now? It’s incestuous and shallow and ugly and too small. And it doesn’t even matter, because Newport hates me, too. Just like Dublin is about to hate me.”
“Newport doesn’t hate you,” Ryan said. “Newport is a town.”
“Stop being so goddamned literal about everything! Don’t you remember Luke’s dad? Do you think it’s going to be any different for us when they find out?”
“That was a long time ago. And it wasn’t as bad as you remember.”
“You don’t know what I remember.”
“I know,” Ryan said patiently, “how you go over and over everything in your mind until it changes. You make a story out of everything, and sometimes the story isn’t what really happened.”
“And I know,” Seth said, “how you pretend things aren’t true just because you don’t want to deal with them.”
Ryan looked taken aback; he folded his arms, his shoulders hunched. It was a low blow, Seth knew that, and it was only half true.
“You’re the one who’s running away, Seth.”
Seth exhaled. “You could come with me, you know.”
Ryan shook his head. “I have to work tomorrow night.”
“That’s not an excuse, and you know it. It’s not even a real job.”
“John is counting on me,” Ryan said. “Besides, I don’t want to do that. It happened, Seth. We can’t run away.”
“Yeah, well. The Atwoods may be all about confrontation, but it’s not really a Cohen trait.”
“You have classes,” Ryan pointed out.
“It’s pass/fail,” Seth said. “They’re not going to fail me for missing a week. Or whatever. I’m staying away until Mike and Claire forget what they saw. Preferably until they forget I exist.”
“Then you’re staying away for the rest of the summer.”
“If I have to,” Seth said. “Look, dude, you’re not going to change my mind. So you’re coming with me, or you’re not.”
Ryan looked at the ground and shook his head, in the way he did when he thought Seth was being ridiculous, or annoying, or acting like a child. Seth hated him a little bit when he did that. He hated that Ryan always had to be right, and how that always came before anything else. He hated that Ryan wouldn’t come with him, that he was going to have to run away, alone, again. But he was going.
“Fine,” he said. “Have fun in Dublin without me. Or Newport, or Chino, or wherever it is you decide to go instead of Berkeley. Have a nice life.”
Ryan’s mouth was open and he was blinking rapidly, but Seth just looked away. He dropped his keys on the desk, shouldered his backpack, and left the room. He thought he heard Ryan say something behind him, maybe even his name, but he told himself he didn’t care. He slammed the door behind him, not concerned anymore about waking anyone. He was gone.
Temple Bar--link is to memories pages which has all seven chapters.