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Ryan wakes up slowly. It's rare, as usually Seth's in his room talking before he's even awake. He's gone so far as to set his alarm just to see if there's ever a time when he can wake up and not have Seth be there and, so far, at least until today, he's never actually managed it. Which makes him a little nervous. He rolls over and sits up and looks around the pool house. The sky outside is a blue that he only thought existed in movies and the pool is a reflection of it. It's 80 degrees in Newport. "Merry Christmas." The sheet falls to his waist and he shivers despite the promise of heat. Sandy and Kirsten are in New York with Sandy's mom but he knows that if he goes inside there'll be a stack of presents with his name on them. They invited him along, but it felt strange. As much as he is a Cohen - and Sandy, Kirsten and Seth are more family to him now than his own - he's their family. He doesn't belong to Caleb or Hailey or anyone else beyond their immediate scope. Which makes today all the more depression. "Merry fucking Christmas." He tries the words out and they feel wrong because, even alone, he's got a hell of a lot to be happy about. More than he could ever have imagined. More than he ever would have let himself dream. So, Merry Christmas it'll have to be. "You kiss your mother with that mouth?" "Depends. My real mother would not have been fazed." He smiles at Seth, standing in the doorway in sweat pants and a faded, too-small t-shirt. "Your mom, on the other hand…" "Yeah, well, it may not show on the outside, but my mom's a hard-ass." Seth walked in and sank down on the edge of the bed, sighing before stretching out, looking up at Ryan. "Nana's gone." "I'm sorry, Seth." "Yeah. Me too." He sighed again and rolled onto his side, his eyes wide and sad. "Mom and Dad are staying. Arranging things. They sent me home." His smile trembled. "Merry Christmas." Ryan nodded and lay next to him, tugging the sheet up over them both. Seth's eyes darted to Ryan's bare chest then back up to his eyes. "Are you going to take advantage of my in my grief?" Ryan smiled as Seth's fingers splayed against his chest. "Not if you don't want me to." "Can you think of a single time I haven't wanted you to take advantage of me?" "No." Seth nodded, tears leaking, tangling in his long lashes. "Merry fucking Christmas." Ryan pulled Seth close and held him. "Merry Christmas, Seth."
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