A Little Mentoring
Title: A Little Mentoring
'Verse: The Effect
Pairing: mention of Chris/Seth
Rating: slash - implied
Author's Note: Chris needs someone to talk to, and goes to Ethan for help. Set not long after Uncontrolled.
Seth and Ethan belong to guiltycross. Chris belongs to me.
Ethan sat at his desk in his study, typing up a report. He preferred to work from home as often as possible. It was more comfortable, without the fussing and the hustle at the office. He focused best at home, provided there weren't many interruptions.
It wasn't often the case.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the tall, confident figure of Chris stride outside the office, nonchalantly peeking in before disappearing. Ethan paused his fingers at the keyboard temporarily before continuing on, peering once more at the computer screen and wondering how best to phrase his next sentence.
Chris went by again, sneaking another look. Ethan frowned, and watched the door. When Chris passed by the third time, Ethan hit the save icon on the computer and turned away from the screen. "Chris?"
The young man poked his head in the door curiously, as though he hadn't just been pacing right outside Ethan's office. "Yeah?"
"Did you need something?" Ethan asked, his eyebrow arching.
Chris hovered uncertainly in the doorway. "No. Not really. I mean, need, no, I wouldn't say that."
Ethan suppressed his smile and gestured for him to come sit. "What's on your mind?"
As expected, Chris slumped into the nearest available armchair and sighed heavily. His fingers raked through his hair, tousling the coffee brown locks. "Something weird happened the other night. Between Seth and me," he began slowly. "We were watching a movie, and he kissed me. Out of the blue!" He shook his head, and Ethan knew not to interrupt, though he was dying to ask why Chris was coming to him with relationship problems. "And you know what? It was his damn empathy. Brooklyn and Keith were, well, you know. And so Seth was just acting on that, and he keeps swearing by it. But Ethan," he continued, a little hushed, "I felt something. I know I did. I mean, would Seth really kiss just anyone, all because of his empathy? Would he?"
Ethan hesitated before answering, just to make sure Chris was in fact actually asking him. "That's a difficult question, Chris. Thus far, we don't entirely know the extent of Seth's abilities, or the amount of control he has over them. His control seems to fluctuate, in all honesty, and so it's not easy to determine whether his empathy is coming into play at any given moment." He paused, biting the inside of his lip. "If I were to hazard a guess, judging by the way Seth normally treats you, I would conclude that it was indeed Seth's empathy playing out."
Chris nodded dully. "Thought so. Well, I mean, I figured as much right? No way Seth would voluntarily kiss a guy like me." Ethan opened his mouth, though he wasn't really sure what he was going to say. Chris ploughed ahead. "I mean, the guy hates me. Hates me. He's not exactly the friendliest guy around, but he actually hates me. And I've tried so many different methods of getting him to come around, I really have, Ethan. I've tried being nice, I've tried being smart, I've tried being sexy, but it's all the same to him."
"Have you tried just being honest?" Ethan asked, the words slipping out before he could stop himself.
Chris slouched further in his chair. "That's a lot harder than it sounds."
Ethan stood up and crossed the room, placing a comforting hand on Chris's shoulder. "No relationship can be built without trust and honesty, Chris. The sooner you realize that, and act on it, the better chance you stand with Seth." He crouched down to meet him at eye level. "You're not a bad person. You've just lost yourself a little somewhere. Seth, like most people, craves stability, I think, and that's not something that he believes you can give him."
"But I want to," he muttered.
Smiling, Ethan stood back up again. "Then show him that. Just don't push him. You'll only push him away."
Chris stood up too, nodding a little, looking suddenly determined. "Yeah, thanks Ethan." He turned to go, but paused in the doorway. "Hey, why didn't we ever have sex?" he asked Ethan over his shoulder.
Ethan raised an eyebrow. He didn't dignify that with a response.
'Verse: The Effect
Pairing: mention of Chris/Seth
Rating: slash - implied
Author's Note: Chris needs someone to talk to, and goes to Ethan for help. Set not long after Uncontrolled.
Seth and Ethan belong to guiltycross. Chris belongs to me.
Ethan sat at his desk in his study, typing up a report. He preferred to work from home as often as possible. It was more comfortable, without the fussing and the hustle at the office. He focused best at home, provided there weren't many interruptions.
It wasn't often the case.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the tall, confident figure of Chris stride outside the office, nonchalantly peeking in before disappearing. Ethan paused his fingers at the keyboard temporarily before continuing on, peering once more at the computer screen and wondering how best to phrase his next sentence.
Chris went by again, sneaking another look. Ethan frowned, and watched the door. When Chris passed by the third time, Ethan hit the save icon on the computer and turned away from the screen. "Chris?"
The young man poked his head in the door curiously, as though he hadn't just been pacing right outside Ethan's office. "Yeah?"
"Did you need something?" Ethan asked, his eyebrow arching.
Chris hovered uncertainly in the doorway. "No. Not really. I mean, need, no, I wouldn't say that."
Ethan suppressed his smile and gestured for him to come sit. "What's on your mind?"
As expected, Chris slumped into the nearest available armchair and sighed heavily. His fingers raked through his hair, tousling the coffee brown locks. "Something weird happened the other night. Between Seth and me," he began slowly. "We were watching a movie, and he kissed me. Out of the blue!" He shook his head, and Ethan knew not to interrupt, though he was dying to ask why Chris was coming to him with relationship problems. "And you know what? It was his damn empathy. Brooklyn and Keith were, well, you know. And so Seth was just acting on that, and he keeps swearing by it. But Ethan," he continued, a little hushed, "I felt something. I know I did. I mean, would Seth really kiss just anyone, all because of his empathy? Would he?"
Ethan hesitated before answering, just to make sure Chris was in fact actually asking him. "That's a difficult question, Chris. Thus far, we don't entirely know the extent of Seth's abilities, or the amount of control he has over them. His control seems to fluctuate, in all honesty, and so it's not easy to determine whether his empathy is coming into play at any given moment." He paused, biting the inside of his lip. "If I were to hazard a guess, judging by the way Seth normally treats you, I would conclude that it was indeed Seth's empathy playing out."
Chris nodded dully. "Thought so. Well, I mean, I figured as much right? No way Seth would voluntarily kiss a guy like me." Ethan opened his mouth, though he wasn't really sure what he was going to say. Chris ploughed ahead. "I mean, the guy hates me. Hates me. He's not exactly the friendliest guy around, but he actually hates me. And I've tried so many different methods of getting him to come around, I really have, Ethan. I've tried being nice, I've tried being smart, I've tried being sexy, but it's all the same to him."
"Have you tried just being honest?" Ethan asked, the words slipping out before he could stop himself.
Chris slouched further in his chair. "That's a lot harder than it sounds."
Ethan stood up and crossed the room, placing a comforting hand on Chris's shoulder. "No relationship can be built without trust and honesty, Chris. The sooner you realize that, and act on it, the better chance you stand with Seth." He crouched down to meet him at eye level. "You're not a bad person. You've just lost yourself a little somewhere. Seth, like most people, craves stability, I think, and that's not something that he believes you can give him."
"But I want to," he muttered.
Smiling, Ethan stood back up again. "Then show him that. Just don't push him. You'll only push him away."
Chris stood up too, nodding a little, looking suddenly determined. "Yeah, thanks Ethan." He turned to go, but paused in the doorway. "Hey, why didn't we ever have sex?" he asked Ethan over his shoulder.
Ethan raised an eyebrow. He didn't dignify that with a response.