#adam parrish looks good lying okay

[likeasecondself]

just cutesy adam parrish things, he’s our babygirl

[all-or-nothing-baby]

Every night you dream that you talk to a genie, when you wake up you can't remember what you wished for. One morning you wake up with a giant crab pincer replacing your right arm. What do you do?

I call Kafka on his mobile and ask how best to proceed. Only Kafka doesn't answer, the shit. He never answers.

So. I phone in sick to the garage—thanking Mexican baby Jesus and Philip K. Dick for the invention of the speaker phone because, you know, only one hand—and try to get dressed without hacking off any skin with the new serrated limb. But then it hits me: why on earth am I getting dressed? Am I really going to leave the house like this? No, I realise, I most certainly am not.

Instead, I call up my good buddy Cate Blanchett, because she gets the best dope. Cate is filming but I ask her assistant if they can drop me off some Salvia, pronto, which they do; I have to get high af if I'm to figure out what to do next.

Smoking with a pincer is actually easier and cooler than you might imagine.

While off by tits and talking to a chair, I realise that I'm talking to a chair, and it then tells me to get my damn shit together. Thinking really, really hard (honestly it almost hurts in this state), the solution to the issue of WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK DO I DO NOW?! hits me: dreamwalking. Obviously.

Humming like George Harrison playing a sitar, I manage to drift off...

"Nanu-Nanu!" says Mork of Mork & Mindy fame when I open my eyes.

I smile and answer, "Wrong Robin Williams character! Sorry, Dream Robin Williams!" and swim away through the dream to the next realm...

"Oh captain! My captain!"...

"To Live would be an awfully big adventure!"...

"Make your life spectacular!"...

Floating, floating.

Until, finally, "To be my own master..."

"Genie! It's me, Crab Dream boy!"

The genie sighs, deep and audible. How very out of character, you think.

"Oh, yay. You're back. What do you want this time, hmm? Knees of an ant? A snake's chin?" He laughs to himself, a little cruelly.

Something is very wrong.

"I don't remember how I remember but somehow, I know this: you tricked me into asking for the pincer, didn't you?"

"Why, watever do you mean, child?"

A sick feeling washes over me. "You're not him, are you? " but it's not really a question, and the so-called genie, they know it.

And it's at that moment that Thor, the God of Thunder (MCU version) arrives on the bifrost, wielding Stormbreaker which, yeah, is cool af and everything, but in all honesty you'd be lying through your perfectly straight teeth if you said you weren't just a little disappointed it isn't Mjolnir.

He looks at me. Looks at my pincer-hand. Looks at the 'genie'.

Then, like a lightning bolt slicing through the atmosphere, it clicks.

The genie tricked me. The genie is mean. The genie is blue (and yeah, okay, that last bit tracks but still).

"Loki!" both Thor and I exclaim simultaneously.

... and that's where I wake, the sound of maniacal yet loveable laughter already fading like the sound of ocean the crab pincer came from swooshing in an invisible seashell.

A dream within a dream. How very Inception of me.

Blinking furiously, the laptop comes into still blurry view.

"Back in the walking world I see, Parrish."

Ronan.

"Barely. Ego had mirabilem somnia..."

Ro looks at me like I'm a clown.

"You had the strangest of dreams. Really."

Ronan had up dreamed live crabs only last month, filled my dorm room with them. Along with my new motorbike. Being the boyfriend of a dreamer who actually brings back the objects he drabs shit does have its advantages, as well as the opposite.

"Do you think it's possible my dreams feel more real when I sleep next to you?"

Ronan scoffs. "If they are, that has to be the least weird thing about us, Adam."

I smile. "The least weird thing about us, Ronan Lynch, is the combined amount of time you spend on Tumblr while in a magical farm yard, and how many times I can half-consume the Marvel movies while studying for never ending tests and at the same time manage to low-key vibe with local leylines," I tell him.

"Touché."

As Ronan texts Gansey, Blue and Henry, I attempt to get back to my trifecta of unrelated tasks, trying my very best not to fall asleep again.

[ganseybois]

can we have some kind of domestic pynch prompt? i dont even care what haha just something fluffy!

here you go :) i hope you enjoy it!

Ronan had been awake for hours now, but he was in no hurry to move.

He was in bed with Adam, who was half over him asleep still, rising and falling with the breaths of Ronan’s chest. Sunlight was pouring through the white curtains, enough now to highlight the tones of Adam’s skin, the freckles across his shoulders. Ronan’s hand drifted up and down Adam’s spine, not concerned with waking him.

This was, to Ronan, as good as life could possibly get.

Adam had finished his last university term, and he had already been home for a full week, but Ronan was still living off the high of it all. He felt like he had walked into one of his dreams again, full of impossibly beautiful things that he never thought he could have outside of the dream (which was saying something for a Graywaren). But now the future was stretching before him, something real, something tangible, something that involved Adam. Ronan thanked God, again, for giving him a life that had turned out to be so worth having.

Adam stirred, stretching his legs out, moaning softly. Ronan took the opportunity to kiss the top of his head. “How bad is it if I don’t get up?”

The truth was: they had a lot of stuff to do today, so it would be pretty bad if they did nothing all day. But that was already hard to remember with Adam so warm on top of him.

“It’s my farm,” Ronan moved them so that they could look at one another, but Adam still kept himself close, “if I don’t want to fucking work, I don’t have to.”

“That seems like the appropriate response as a business owner.”

“It’s a farm.”

“Which is a business.”

Ronan pinched Adam’s nose, making him smile. Ronan, once again, realized that he would, without a doubt, commit a crime in the name of that smile.

“You gotta piss me off this early Parrish?”

Adam laughed softly, leaning forward to kiss him softly. Ronan took a little more for himself, swiping his tongue into Adam’s mouth for a moment before pulling back. He brushed his nose against Adam’s, swiping his thumb along his bottom lip.

“You’re home.”

Adam grinned. “It took you this long to notice?”

“Shithead.”

Adam kissed him again. “I’m in a good mood, it feels so good to be back. It’s a relief, actually. School started to feel longer the closer I got to the end.”

“You should have ditched school.”

“Well, luckily for me I don’t have the Lynch mentality.” he put his hand on hand on the side of Ronan’s face, caressing him lightly. “I know it was longer for you too.”

Ronan refrained from making a sexual joke and instead turned so he could kiss Adam’s hand, before taking it and holding it to his chest. “It doesn’t matter, you’re home now.” he said quietly.

Adam sighed. “It does matter. I know how hard you try to keep it all together while I’m gone.”

“But let me guess, you see right through me.”

“Always have.”

“Yeah, yeah...” Ronan rolled his eyes, trying to keep everything light. He didn’t want things to take a sour turn—he was so happy right now. Even if it was true, even if he had been sad, he didn’t want that to dictate how it was going to make him feel moving forward. “It doesn’t matter, okay? Don’t look at me like that Adam, believe it or not, I’m being serious. I have you here now.” he shrugged, an awkward movement since they were lying down. “I don’t need anything else.”

“Okay, okay.” When Adam tried to get out of bed, clearly content enough to start the day, Ronan held him back, making Adam laugh, but he didn’t try to fight it. He let Ronan maneuver his body so that Adam’s back was pressed against Ronan’s front, Ronan wrapping his arms and legs around Adam like a koala bear. “I can see this will be a productive day.”

Ronan kissed his shoulder. “We have very different ideas of what constitutes as productive.”

“Constitutes? When did you learn such a big word?”

“I got that word of the day toilet paper.”

Adam let out a loud laugh, turning as much as he could in Ronan’s arms so that he could at least look at him. “Hey, let’s go away this summer.”

“I thought you had to work 76 hours a week this summer.”

“Hey, if you want to get rid of me...”

“Where do you want to go?”

Adam shrugged. “I don’t know. Let’s go on a road trip, I think that could be fun.”

“Fun? Looks like we’re both learning new words.”

“Asshole.”

“A road trip sounds fucking great.” Ronan murmured. “So long as I’m driving and I get to fuck you in my car whenever I want.”

“The car is going to stink Ronan.”

“The only goal I have in life, Adam, is to make sure my car always smells like you.”

“That’s not as attractive as you think it is.”

“We all have our vices.”

Adam smiled. “Whatever you want Ronan.” he murmured, getting comfortable again, going back to his original position, sighing as he pressed himself firmly against Ronan, even closing his eyes again. “Whatever you want.”

Ronan smiled, pressing his nose into Adam’s hair, breathing him in. They put off their chores for another hour that morning, but quite frankly, neither one of them gave a damn. Just being with one another in peace would always be more important.

[pynches]

How to Seduce Ronan Lynch

a/n just a small idea that turned into a 3.7K fic... idk what happened either but ronan’s handkink is very apparent here so i’m not mad about it! thank you so much @hayleybot for beta-ing this fic for me and the little encouraging notes that made me feel a lot better about what i’ve written!

Adam should have seen it coming.

It felt inevitable now with the empty page in front of him, “How to Seduce Ronan Lynch” written at the top, but Adam, honestly, never thought he would fall for him. He figured that, after Blue, he would focus on school and fulfilling his life-long dream of getting out of Henrietta, but here he was, trying to come up with ways to make Ronan confess his feelings for him, if he had them that was.

He knew Ronan looked at him sometimes, always looking away when Adam gathered his courage to look back, but that didn’t mean he was actually attracted to him. Adam Parrish only dealt in certainties and Ronan Lynch wasn’t one. He couldn’t afford taking this risk and telling Ronan how he felt. Feelings were more Ronan’s forte even though he repressed them almost as much as Adam did. No, he couldn’t tell him, but he could try to push Ronan far enough to admit his possible feelings to which Adam could confess his own. It was foolproof, perfect, if only he could come up with seduction methods.

Adam gripped his pen a little tighter and tapped it against his lip, his mind working into overdrive. Maybe he was going about this wrong… Instead of focusing on how to seduce Ronan, maybe he had to tap into his core. His deepest desires. You would think Adam knew Ronan enough by now to know what those were, but he didn’t. Ronan was as much a mystery to him as Adam was to others.

He wished karma didn’t work as well as it did.

He could start simple, though. Maybe simple was enough. Maybe, trying to write down the entirety of Ronan onto a single paper was too ambitious, and he could start with the basics.

What did he know about Ronan Lynch?

1. Ronan likes the smell of gasoline.

Ronan’s car breaking down was bound to happen someday. Lucky enough for Adam, that day was sooner than later. He had set his sight on just fixing a car in Ronan’s presence, hoping it would awaken something in him, but the fact that it was his car he was fixing made it even better.

“How did you even manage to fuck up the motor this much?” Adam asked, staring at the mess that was the inside of Ronan’s dreamt up BMW. His father obviously knew nothing about cars, Adam couldn’t even find the brake fluid reservoir.

Ronan shrugged, watching him from the roll chair in the corner. “I was driving, and it started smoking.”

“Driving or racing?” Adam asked, a smirk pulling on his lips.

“Driving, you shit,” Ronan replied with a roll of his eyes though he didn’t sound angry. He hadn’t sounded angry in a while now that Adam thought about it.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Adam said, wiping his oil covered hands on a piece of cloth that he slung over his shoulder before he bent over the hood of the car again in a more exaggerated way than necessary. He had to force his features to remain neutral when he felt Ronan’s eyes follow the lines of his body.

He worked slower than was strictly necessary, liking how it felt when Ronan watched his every move. Adam decided to take it one step further and unzipped his coveralls a little, shrugging out of the sleeves before tying them round his waist, the white, tight t-shirt he wore sticking to his upper body with sweat. It was a little too small so his hip bones were on display. He knew Ronan was trying his hardest not to look.

Ronan still remained seated on the other end of the garage, only looking, never speaking up.

Adam sighed and with one more turn of the wrench he was done. He came to a standstill in front of Ronan, a little closer than he had to be, who kept his eyes on Adam’s face, never straying.

“I’m done, wanna test it out?” Adam asked, waiting for Ronan to nod and follow him to the BMW. “Start it for me?”

Ronan looked relieved but not surprised when the car started, sounding better than ever. “What do I owe you?” he asked, the only hint that he had been affected at all was the rough edge to his voice.

“Nothing,” Adam said with a half-smile. “It’s on the house.”

“Let me at least drive you home?” Ronan asked. Adam intended to decline, would have done so before he knew he liked Ronan’s company a bit too much for it being just platonic. He nodded instead. Even if Ronan wouldn’t speak up today, he could spend some precious hours in his company.

Ronan returned to his seat in the corner and watched Adam work, looking away every time Adam happened to look his way. It was the months old game they had been playing, forever captured in the feeling of longing and despair, waiting for the other to make the move. Adam was determined not to be the one to do it, and Ronan was too scared he was wrong to lay his own cards bare.

The car ride to St. Agnes church was loaded and silent, neither of them ready to speak up and break the palpable tension. Ronan took his place next to Adam’s bed as Adam worked on his homework for a few more hours before getting his much needed sleep; the next part of his plan culminating in his head as he drifted off.

2. Ronan likes cars a little too much (his own car in particular)

Adam closed his eyes against the burning sun, waiting for Ronan to finally finish with tennis practice and take him home. He had accepted Ronan’s ride to school in the morning, casually “forgetting” that Ronan had tennis practice that afternoon so he could work out his plan which involved him lying down on the hood of Ronan’s car, his shirt rucked up a little to reveal half of his stomach.

He knew it was a pretty cheap display but if it worked, it worked.

“I will rip your head off if there is a scratch on her,” Adam heard from beside him. He opened his eyes slowly, his eyelashes fluttering against the blinding light of the sun.

“No, you won’t,” Adam said with a shit-eating grin and sat up a little, leaning back on his forearms, squinting up at Ronan, knowing the sun had brought out the small freckles that littered his face. Ronan looked good, a little too good for Adam to handle. It was supposed to be him that seduced Ronan but it was starting to feel like Ronan was turning things around without knowing. He was still dressed in his tennis uniform that clung to his body sinfully, and it took Adam everything to not throw the whole plan away and speak up.

Ronan rolled his eyes but didn’t disagree just as Adam knew he wouldn’t. “I’m leaving, with you still on the hood or not.”

Adam laughed and stretched his arms above his head languidly. He could feel Ronan’s eyes zoom in on his flat stomach, undoubtedly tracing the pale scar that travelled beneath the waistband of his pants.

He slid himself off the car and looked up at Ronan who didn’t seem like he could look away, his eyes flickering from Adam’s to his freckles, following the line of his throat down to where Adam had loosened his tie and unbuttoned his dress shirt slightly. Adam swallowed and Ronan copied him unconsciously. “I thought you were leaving?” Adam asked, his tone light and teasing.

“I am,” Ronan said but made no move to actually get into his car and drive off. Adam daringly took a step forward, peering up at Ronan from underneath his eyelashes, a smirk pulling on his lips.

“Then what are you waiting for?” he asked, his voice purposefully low.

Ronan swallowed again and shook his head a little, taking himself out of his daze. “Nothing.”

He stepped away from Adam, leaving him standing with his mouth slightly agape, the moment broken. Adam felt the disappointment settle into every fibre of his being. Taking the hint, he got into Ronan’s car and didn’t say anything, letting him drive them to Nino’s, hoping some cheap pizza would at least get his mind off of this.

3. Ronan likes to be touched, even if he pretends he doesn’t.

Adam slid into the booth at Nino’s, actually trying to keep his distance from Ronan after the rejection from earlier, but Ronan was obviously not following the script and leaned in close, his thigh nearly touching Adam’s.

Two could play that game.

Adam let his leg fall and rest against Ronan’s, watching as Ronan dropped the menu, his cheeks flushed. He wasn’t sure if he was blushing because of Adam or because he dropped the menu, but he counted it as a win anyways.

“What are you ordering?” he asked, leaning in close to Ronan’s face so he could look at the menu even though he already knew exactly what he was going to order.

Ronan wordlessly pointed to something on the menu, and Adam silently cheered about the fact that he managed to get Ronan Lynch of all people speechless.

“I was thinking this one,” he whispered, gently taking Ronan’s hand in his own and shifting it so his finger pointed at something else.

Ronan cleared his throat and nodded. “You always get that.”

“You noticed.”

Ronan looked like he was going to say something but he was interrupted when a waiter came to take their orders. Adam shuffled back in his seat, annoyed with the interruption but always polite as he explained what he wanted. He kept his leg pressed against Ronan’s, and he didn’t move away which was a step in the right direction for sure.

He zoned out Gansey’s chattering about whatever he found that was somehow relevant to their quest and focused on Ronan and the new plan forming in his mind instead.

He placed his drink only a few inches from Ronan’s and waited until Ronan was about to take a sip to move forward as well, his hand brushing Ronan’s just like he had planned.

What he hadn’t planned was Ronan dropping his drink in shock spilling it all over the table and himself. “Shit!” he exclaimed, jumping back in his seat with a dismayed look on his face. Adam bit his lip and wordlessly handed him some napkins helping him to clean up the mess.

“Are you okay?” he asked, placing a tentative hand on Ronan’s thigh as he wiped some soda from his shirt. Ronan’s leg was warm under his palm but he didn’t want to overdo it so he let go and sat back again, avoiding the curious stares of the others.

4. Ronan likes guys???

Sunday came slower than usual.

Normally, Adam always thought the week was flying by too fast, time being his worst enemy with the amount of things he had to do in a day. Now, however, it seemed like the week lasted forever, filled with boring classes and jobs he didn’t even like doing.

But then it was Sunday, and time to initiate step four.

He knew Ronan would come up every Sunday after mass, it was a tradition between the two of them Adam wasn’t even sure the others knew about. They didn’t do much else than talk a little while Adam worked on his homework, and Ronan dreamed or listened to his god awful music Adam had come to appreciate.

This time however, Adam pretended that he had slept in, which was not common, but it wasn’t entirely unlikely either. He didn’t have work today for once, and he did try to get a few more precious hours of sleep every once in a while to fuel him.

Adam smiled when he heard the telltale knock of Ronan’s fist on the door and turned to check his reflection. Slightly mussed hair, sweatpants hanging low on his hips, no shirt in sight. It was perfect.

Ronan knocked again and Adam rolled his eyes. “I’m coming, chill!” he said before opening the door, taking in Ronan’s appearance with his mouth slightly agape.

He thought he would be the one seducing Ronan, but it looked like it was the other way around.

He was wearing a suit as usual but his buttons had been undone a bit further than usual, his tie hanging loose around his neck while the edges of his tattoo peeking out from his collar. His suit jacket was slung over his arm, the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up so it revealed his forearms, his skin silky and pale, soft enough to touch if Adam dared.

“Hi,” he said, his brain functioning just enough to let Ronan through.

“You okay, Parrish?” Ronan asked, and Adam swore he could see a glint of something in his eyes, but he was too enthralled by him to really think about it too much.

“Perfect,” he said and sat down in front of his makeshift desk, reopening his laptop. He had been too caught up in watching Ronan that he hadn’t noticed Ronan had been looking back, trailing his eyes down the wide expanse of Adam’s chest, following the freckles dusting his skin down to his stomach.

Ronan was still watching him sometimes, glancing his way every now and then. Adam could feel his eyes burning into his skin.

He felt rather hopeless. Ronan was still just looking instead of actually doing something about the tension between them in the exact same way he had before Adam had even come up with this plan.

Instead of focussing on Ronan, this time he turned his attention to his homework, hoping that school was at least one thing he wouldn’t fail.

5. Ronan probably definitely has a hand kink.

“You look like you’re in pain,” Adam said, watching as Ronan tried to get comfortable on his hard wooden floor.

“No shit, Parrish,” Ronan grumbled and shifted his weight again. “This floor is not exactly soft.”

“You’re looking more uncomfortable than usual,” Adam replied, abandoning his open text book to crouch down next to Ronan. “You okay?”

“Must’ve pulled something,” Ronan finally said with a sigh, unconsciously rubbing his back a little. “It’s fine, just do your homework.”

A brilliant plan started to form in Adam’s mind.

“I could give you a massage,” he said innocently, rubbing his hands a little. “I’m stronger than I look.”

Ronan’s eyes flickered from Adan’s hands to his face and back, swallowing hard before he spoke. “Why?”

“Because you’re in pain,” Adam said simply and motioned towards his bed. “You can just lie down and let me help you or you can be in pain for the next couple of hours.”

Ronan thought for a few moments longer while Adam waited in anticipation. “Fine,” he said and moved to lie on Adam’s bed.

“This would be more effective with your shirt off, you know,” Adam said smugly and moved to sit down next to him.

Ronan leaned up with a grimace and unbuttoned his shirt, pulling it off before lying back down.

Adam watched the muscles shift underneath his tattoo, staring in wonder at the black lines swirling around his back, the image seemingly changing every time he blinked.

He put a tentative hand on Ronan’s skin, relishing in the shiver Ronan let out before letting his other hand join, moving slowly up to his shoulders to rub the muscles there

He kept his hands light and gentle until he heard: “I’m not going to break,” and pushed harder, earning himself a small sound from Ronan. Adam balanced himself by leaning on Ronan’s back a little and swung his leg over Ronan’s hips, hovering above him. He leaned down so his mouth was right next to Ronan’s ear.

“Is this okay?” he asked softly. Ronan made a strangled sound and nodded his head, Adam could only smile and move back a little, letting his hands dance across Ronan’s back.

They stayed like that for a while, Adam rubbing Ronan’s sore muscles while Ronan shifted underneath him, sometimes letting out a sigh, even more rarely did he make a sound, but they were etched into Adam’s brain all the same.

Adam kept going until his hands were sore and kept going a little longer after that, not wanting to take his hands off of Ronan’s skin now that he had the chance. But his hands were starting to cramp up, and Ronan could feel that he wasn’t putting as much force into it as he did before.

“I think my back’s okay now,” Ronan mumbled and Adam got off his back after a moment of hesitation wherein he thought about kissing the centre of Ronan’s tattoo but refrained, knowing it would be a step too far.

Ronan rolled his shoulders and gave Adam one of his rare smiles, one that said thank you without Ronan having to say it out loud.

And that was it.

+1 step that wasn’t planned and oh my god why did Ronan choose this moment to confess his love what the actual fuck?

Or, so, Adam thought.

He quickly put a shirt on and drifted towards the bathroom, getting ready for bed. He cursed himself as he brushed his teeth for thinking that these stupid steps of trying to seduce Ronan were going to help at all. He probably made a fool out of himself more than anything.

Maybe Ronan didn’t even like him as much as Adam initially thought he did. It had never been a certainty, but something in the way Ronan looked at him or did things for him without taking credit for it made Adam believe there was more to them than just the friendship they had carefully crafted together. It was his apartment, after all, that Ronan seemed to be drawn to every night, though he was now questioning if it was because of him or because it was away from Gansey who Ronan didn’t want to harm.

Dejectedly, he stepped out of the bathroom and turned off the lights, letting the pale shine of the moon guide his steps forward, expertly avoiding the hanging nails in the floorboards.

Ronan had already turned his jacket into a makeshift pillow, his headphones on, though the music was turned down a little for Adam’s benefit, something Ronan would never admit.

“Goodnight,” Adam said quietly and climbed into bed, pulling his threadbare blanket around him tightly, hiding half of his face behind the fabric.

Ronan nodded at him and Adam closed his eyes but sleep didn’t come to him.

He could hear Ronan take his headphones off and place them next to him, rearranging his sleeping position with a soft groan.

Minutes ticked by, and Adam was still very much awake.

“Can you lie still?” He could hear from below him. Adam rolled his eyes and bent over so he could look at Ronan’s face.

“If it bothers you so much, go sleep somewhere else.”

Ronan grumbled and sat up. “Want me gone, Parrish?” he asked but Adam could see he wasn’t serious.

“Nah, if people break in, they will go for you first. I’m using you as my personal shield.”

Ronan huffed out a laugh. “Nobody would break into this shithole.”

“You’ve got a point,” Adam said and smiled, openly and freely, a present given to Ronan for sticking with him throughout this entire ordeal and beyond.

Ronan looked at him and Adam looked back, and Ronan didn’t look away.

The air between them suddenly felt loaded, filled with the months of yearning they had both been through, the tension that had built between them these past few days.

Ronan leaned in.

“Seriously, now?!” Adam exclaimed indignantly, unable to stop himself. He immediately regretted it when Ronan pulled away again, his eyes hard but his true feeling of embarrassment betrayed by the blush dusting his cheeks.

“A simple ‘no’ would have done,” Ronan said, his tone icy as he pulled away, snatching up his jacket in the process.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Adam scrambled to say, his hand wrapping around Ronan’s forearm. Ronan could rip his arm away easily if he wanted to but he didn’t. He stood frozen next to Adam’s bed, looking at him expectantly. “It’s just… These past few days I tried to… seduce you, and you didn’t react at all but you want to kiss me now?”

“You wanted to seduce me?” Ronan asked before laughing loudly, clutching his stomach a little as he sunk down next to Adam.

“Starting to regret that now,” Adam said, his lips pulling into a bit of a pout. He had half a mind to get up, run out of the door and catch the next plane to whatever country was available so he didn’t have to deal with the fallout of the mess he had created.

“Don’t be like that,” Ronan said and it sounded light and teasing rather than angry or disgusted like Adam had expected. He turned to Ronan and could see the hope in his eyes, the glee that had softened the edges a little.

This time when Ronan leaned in, Adam wisely kept his mouth shut besides opening it to welcome Ronan’s tongue into his mouth moments later when he was pushed against the bed, Ronan hovering over him with red, glistening lips that was all Adam’s doing.

“You could’ve just said something,” Ronan said but they both knew Adam couldn’t have. There had been too many risks, too many possibilities for failure.

“Didn’t have to apparently,” Adam shrugged and pulled Ronan down again for a kiss, the taste of him on his tongue addicting. “The plan worked.”

“The plan didn’t do shit, I thought you were messing with me half the time,” Ronan laughed but it wasn’t unkindly.

“But it led you to kissing me,” Adam said stubbornly. “It was a well thought out and perfectly executed plan.”

Ronan shook his head with a laugh and kissed him again and again until Adam was breathless, and his plan was the last thing on his mind.

[lynnchkn]

Protein, Parrish

Adam Parrish is the newest member of Aglionby University's men's hockey team and for the first time, he feels like he's a part of a family. But Adam's rec league hockey team didn't prepare him for the scariest part of college ice hockey. Checking.

If Adam's going to stay on the team, he's going to need help from the last person he wants to ask, his apathetic captain, Ronan Lynch.

*A TRC Check Please!AU.*

Read it on AO3!

Chapter One

Adam Parrish, a habitual skeptic, believed Cabeswater was magic. As the sun rose past the trees, they cast a haunting shadow over the ice. He’d been awestruck by it when he’d toured the rink, but he still couldn’t believe it was his home.

Technically his home was a 115-square-foot room in Dittley Hall, but he wasn’t interested in splitting hairs.

He hadn’t been on the ice since May, and he hadn’t been at all in his new skates, so he was a little shaky to start. He hovered near the wall to avoid suspicion.

Gansey, who had taken a liking to Adam for some undetermined reason, stuck close to him. It wasn’t that Adam minded. It was just that he was trying to break in new skates without announcing it to the whole team, and Gansey’s persistent hover wasn’t helping.

Gansey trailed off from the story he was telling. “You’re from Virginia too. Right?” Adam nodded. He didn’t want to talk about where he was from, but it wasn’t a secret. “Near Jonesville?”

“Henrietta.” He tried not to spit when he said it.

“Right,” Gansey said. “How could I forget? The cave systems near there are extraordinary. Have you ever had the chance to explore them?”

He could remember a cave on a field trip once when he was a kid, but nothing recreationally. Robert and Sarah Parrish didn’t do family outings.

“Only a little,” he said.

“I haven’t been in probably five or six years.” His enthusiasm was a quiet hum in Adam’s ear. He could see Gansey physically restrain himself from fidgeting. It would have been endearing if the conversation at hand was about anything other than Henrietta. “I’d love to go back sometime. The Welsh influence in the region is fascinating.”

“Gansey,” a voice called from across the ice. Ronan Lynch skated toward them. Adam didn’t let himself flinch, but it was a conscious choice, certainly not what his body’s first instinct would have been. His rigid stance threw off his balance, and he grasped the wall tighter to recover.

Ronan was taller than Adam had imagined, and there was a permanent sneer on his face that warned casual observers off. But after a moment of consideration, the fear relaxed. Not completely. Adam never wholly relaxed, especially not around new people. But Ronan couldn’t be too dangerous if he was going to so much trouble to look it. The people Adam actually feared hid their menace behind layers of polite conversation and neighborly handshakes.

The two fist-bumped casually and what a strange pair the two of them were. Gansey, encased in marble, trapped forever with the face of a teenage scholar, and Ronan, with rough stubble and bags under his eyes that made him look closer to his thirtieth birthday than his twentieth. “Ronan,” Gansey said, turning the attention to him. “This is Adam Parrish.”

Ronan’s stare was unwavering, but Adam was the most stubborn person he knew. He held his chin up and matched the larger, scarier man eye-to-eye. Adam wasn’t scared of some trust-fund legacy player. If he kept thinking that, maybe he could convince himself it was true.

“What’s wrong with your fucking skates?” he asked.

Adam didn’t have a good response. He thought he was hiding his discomfort pretty well.

“Jesus,” Gansey said. “Are those new?”

“Yeah,” he said. There was no point lying when the truth was so obvious.

“You didn’t have time to break them in this summer?” Ronan asked.

“No,” he said. “I promise you my old ones were beyond hope.” Persephone had offered to buy him new ones, but he didn’t feel comfortable with that. He liked his new ones. He could already tell they were going to speed him up. For what they cost him, he sure hoped so. “I’ll be alright. I’ve just gotta break them in.”

Ronan rolled his eyes, an irritating gesture that oozed indifference. Indifference was a privilege Adam had craved his entire life. If Adam didn’t give a shit, he didn’t get shit. He’d only stayed alive as long as he had by caring. By wanting so damn much, it leaked out of his pores. Ambition was a hell of a drug.

“We’ve got ourselves another Virginian on the team,” Gansey said, thumb rubbing anxiously at his lip. “Adam is from Henrietta. That’s near you, right?”

Ronan nodded. “Singer Falls.”

“Really?” Adam said. Another lie, of course. Everyone in the Shenandoah Valley knew the Lynch family.

“Yep,” Ronan said. There was nowhere else for this conversation to go without bringing up Ronan’s background, or worse, Adam’s, so the three of them stood in silence for way too long to be comfortable. Gansey glanced between the two of them like he was waiting for them to make some grand connection, but they continued to stare.

Ronan’s stare was a wild one, meant to scare off opponents. But Adam didn’t shy away from it. He didn’t like conflict, but he was good at it. He’d lived with it since he was born. This was his arena. A little staring competition was nothing.

“Well,” Gansey said, clapping his hands together. He rubbed them anxiously against one another. “Good talk. Ronan, I think Blue wanted to talk to you about something in the equipment room.”

Ronan took a moment to tear his gaze away from Adam, but Adam held it even as he turned to go.

“Sorry about him. He’s not always like this,” Gansey said.

Adam was willing to venture a guess that he probably was.

The first few rounds of warm-ups and drills went better than Adam expected. He was getting more comfortable in his new skates, and while he was struggling to keep up, he wasn’t the worst on the ice like he thought he’d be.

Then they started running plays.

They weren’t overly difficult or complicated. Adam was doing okay for the most part, but there was one thing he’d been dreading since he’d first signed his contract with the team.

Technically, Adam had never been checked before.

In Henrietta, the ice had been the safest place he could be. Persephone used to let him stay for hours after practice, running drills by himself or making penalty shots, or sometimes just sitting around, killing time before he had to go back home.

Here, in Cabeswater, it was going to get violent. He’d known that all along, but he’d hoped it wouldn’t happen during his first practice. He’d hoped he’d have a little time to adjust.

Henry Cheng was not a big guy, no bigger than Adam anyway. It shouldn’t have been scary watching him charge across the ice. But the second their pads collided, Adam went down hard.

His father was leaning over him. He had a tight grip on the front of his sweaty t-shirt. His breath smelled like cheap beer, and Adam couldn’t figure out why that of all things bothered him so much.

“Look at me when I talk to you,” he hissed.

Adam couldn’t get his eyes open. There was dust in them. Dust in his blood, pumping through his veins. It was who he was. It was where he came from, and when he died, he’d turned back to dust. He could only hope it was soon.

“Parrish,” a voice called, softer than his father’s, almost hesitant.

He peeled his eyes open.

He was at center ice. He was lying at center ice at Cabeswater, and the entire Aglionby Men’s Hockey Team was staring at him.

“I promise I didn’t hit him that hard,” Henry said.

“Shut up,” Ronan said. “You gonna survive, Parrish?”

Adam nodded. He pushed himself to his feet. Ronan reached out to help him, but he brushed it off.

“That was impressive,” Noah said. “Do you think we could make a play out of that?”

Adam watched the coaches, gathered at the wall, watching him, expressions concerned. He gathered himself, turning his expression to stone. It was fine. He was fine. He had to show them he was tough enough for this. He couldn’t freak out every time he got checked.

Except once a guy hits the ice in a full-blown panic attack, the team gets a little nervous about hitting him again. He watched them skate around him, slowing down to let him pass. They moved slower, more deliberately. But it wouldn’t work long-term. Other teams weren’t going to leave him alone just because he was scared. He hated them, their pitying looks, their tense smiles. Fuck all of them.

He didn’t stop to talk to anyone when practice was over, not even Gansey.

He let himself take far too long in the shower. He couldn’t remember ever showering without worrying about the water bill, so he let himself enjoy then warmth as it washed over him. Once he was sure everyone else had left, he scrambled for his towel and clothes, changing as quickly as he could before returning to the main part of the locker room. Several of the guys had already left, so it wasn’t hard to avoid stares and questions. He didn’t want to talk to any of them ever again. He’d never been so embarrassed.

In the parking lot, a small crowd had gathered around a shiny, orange Camaro. He wanted to walk away. He wanted to get ahead on the reading for his Sociology class, and he hoped to find time to call Persephone and lie to her about how his first practice went great, and it was going to be a great year. But something drew him in. Whether it be fate or intuition, he wasn’t sure. Persephone used to call him perceptive. Maybe that was it.

Gansey sat in the driver’s seat, hopelessly turning his key in the ignition. A guttural growl came forth, but no signs of actual life. Blue, the team manager, was leaning out the passenger side window, yelling unhelpful instructions at Ronan as he fiddled helpless under the hood. Noah, in the backseat, stretched over the center console, face concerned. “I don’t have a fucking clue, man,” Ronan said. “You’re going to have to call Triple-A.”

“Need any help?” Adam asked.

“That depends,” Gansey said. “Do you happen to know anything about cars?”

“I know a thing or two.”

It turned out to be a faulty spark plug, a stupidly easy fix. Adam finished quickly and soon found himself in the backseat, tucked between Noah and Ronan on his way to Nino’s.

They led Adam straight to a booth at the back of the restaurant. He rushed ahead of Gansey to put his left side against the wall. Gansey slid in beside him, and the other three piled onto the opposite booth.

They ordered a large deep-dish pizza—half avocado and half sausage. Adam didn’t order anything other than water. He had a meal plan and had been taking full advantage of it. But he still couldn’t afford to be blowing what little money he had on pizza.

“You play hockey. You fix cars,” Gansey said. “What can’t you do?”

“Take a hit,” Ronan said.

Blue smacked his shoulder. “Shut the fuck up.” She turned to Adam. “Ignore him. We’re thinking about getting him a shock collar.”

Adam had known this outing was a bad idea. He’d been distracted by the hope of it all, their closeness, the way these guys knew each other better than anyone else. These were uncharted waters for Adam. He’d let them draw him in. But he knew better, and he had to keep reminding himself. He was unknowable. Untouchable. He was a functional machine made of broken pieces, and one day it would all come to a grinding halt. It was better to keep everyone else out of the way of the inevitable crash.

Gansey turned a stern glare to Ronan like he was about to scold a toddler. He opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it in a silent huff. He turned back to Adam. “Any other hobbies?”

Adam knew how to do lots of things, just nothing he’d call a hobby. His father had taught him how to protect his face. His mother had taught him how to lie. But Persephone had taught him how to play hockey. When he’d showed up at the rink, scrawny and hungry, searching for a third job, she’d seen him for what he was. She gave him a job cleaning the stands after games. She’d paid him more than he was worth and bought his equipment. Hockey was his ticket out of Henrietta, but there was one more thing she’d taught him.

“I can bake a mean pie.”

“I beg your pardon?” Gansey’s grin broke through his marble features. It made him look less noble than his previous politician-perfect smile. “Pies?”

He nodded.

“You should come bake at Monmouth,” Noah said. He bounced in his seat, an impatient gesture that shook the whole table.

“That is not a bad idea,” Gansey said. “We never have baked goods.”

“I made brownies last year,” Noah said.

“Those do not count.” Gansey shook a stern finger at Noah. “And you know why.”

When their waitress came back with the pizza, she sat it in the middle of the table and handed plates to each of them. Adam gently pushed his away. He didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.

“I’m sorry, Adam,” Gansey said, eyebrows pulled up in a concerned crease. “We should’ve asked what you wanted. We can order something else if you’d like.” His words said I was wrong, but his eyes said you poor thing. Adam hated pity.

“I’m fine,” he snapped. “I’m just not hungry.”

Ronan leaned over the table, grabbing a slice with sausage on it. It slapped onto the plate, and Ronan slid it forward, just under his face.

“Eat it anyway,” Ronan said. “You could use the fucking protein.”

Fuck Ronan Lynch.

He ate it anyway.

[sargentr]

so i reread the dream thieves a while back and i wrote down some stuff i hadn’t really noticed/paid that much attention to. some of them are mere observations others are just me. Fangirling. as one does:

* ronan's first love was his family

* adam tried his best to make things work with blue, just like everything else he had tried in his life

* gansey is very well aware of his privilege and wealth 

* ronan has two weaknesses: niall lynch and adam parrish

* noah was there for ronan is ways not even ronan realized

* when ronan was filled with anger for a reason i cant remember, he relaxed a bit when gansey, beside him, answered his phone and said "hey" into it, meaning it was adam. (this is from ronans pov) like!!! theyre so comfortable around each other can i leave

* adam was so furious at gansey for thinking he had made the st agnes bill easier for him that he didnt realize that it had ronan written all over it

* gansey was such a light hearted and carefree person that there was not a single person in aglionby who did not know who he was. it is described that while others tried to fit in aglionby, aglionby fit perfectly in gansey. he was the type of person who the teachers would hold for a second after class to show him the article they thought he might like. HE’S BABY.

* gansey and ronan's relationship was not based on communication.

* adam always thought how beautiful all of gansey's things were.

* ronan lynch was one of those things

* gansey often reminded himself how niall lynch's death affected ronan

* ronan would rather die than kill adam

* the image of ronan trying (and lying) to take his life was scarred into gansey like ink

* gansey and ronan fought a night creature and fit perfectly as a team (gansey's pov)

* clue number two of non heterosexual ronan niall lynch: "(blue) wore a dress ronan thought looked like a lampshade. whatever sort of lamp it belonged on, gansey clearly wished he had one. ronan wasn't a fan of lamps."

* ronan lynch is completely and utterly himself the first time he steps foot in the barns

* RONAN REFERRING TO ADAM AS EINSTEIN

* ronan has no chill whatsoever omg when they're in the barns and checking to see if the animals are still alive blue asks ronan to check some of them and he replies to her and adam "you two poverty twins do it"

* confirmed: ronan lynch is a complete cupcake (eg: pressing the small mouse to his cheek to check the heartbeat)

* confirmed: richard gansey is a bigger cupcake for smiling ear to ear while doing the same

* !!!! "and it was his smile that buried ronan"!!!! (referring to gansey and the mouse)

* "... adam replied, his henrietta accent sneaking out, betraying his fatigue. it was something deeper." (ronan's pov)

* second confirm: ronan lynch is a Softie™ (eg: when they were about to leave the barns but ronan whispered so just gansey heard "can i go and see mom?" HE IS ALSO BABY

* OKAY BUT GANSEY AND RONAN THIS ENTIRE BOOK: "i remember when you used to smell like this" referring to when they enter the main house at the barns.

* "ronan loved it so much. he nearly couldn't bare it. he wanted to destroy something." (((this is about the barns. protect this sunshine)))

* when blue saw a picture of a bird in the barns and asked, "are these vultures or crows?" and adam and ronan replied at the same time, "vultures" "crows" NERDS

* "i am being perfectly fucking civil" still to this day, the best thing ronan lynch has ever said.

* "ronan looked at gansey. that look, blue thought. ronan lynch would do anything for gansey" claps slowly

* BONUS: "i probably would, too." thought blue

* matthew lynch was the only thing that made ronan come back himself

* niall left ronan (and only ronan) his entire property

* gansey shops when he's sad

* gansey and adam sharing a LOOK when orla comes in with skin showing

* blue had very few skin showing and gansey wanted to tell he how much he liked hers and not orlas, but then thinking "that's adam's job" what a bean

* how extra can ronan lynch get (a series): making a complete SCENE while opening his car door, sitting inside, closing the door, driving away

* gansey protesting so blue wouldnt go inside the water (bc baby boy probably couldnt handle blue seminaked) and using "you wont be able to see without your eyes getting irritated" as a point

* gansey getting all flustered and reminding himself he'd been looking at orla's naked body for so long but also: HER BIKINI IS SO ORANGE

* clue number two of non heterosexual ronan niall lynch: laughing his ass off about ganseys reaction of orla and said orange bikini

* jealous little blue being furious at gansey for just looking at her

* ronan's pulse fastening when thinking about kavinsky

* ronan smiling to himself and only doing so because there was no one to see it

* noah and blue holding hands at monmouth when gansey and ronan arent there okay look at those two

* "sometimes i pretend im him" "which part?" "alive" PROTECT NOAH CZERNY

* when blue was laying on ganseys bed she though "i have a crush on richard gansey" and the following "i dont have a crush on adam parrish"

* okay but the whole kissing scene is adorably cute and the best part of tdt

* BLUE THINKING "oh, this is what i can't have"

* MATTHEW AND RONAN VISITING THE BARNS AND BOTH OF THEM JUST BEING ADORABLE WITH AURORA AND EACH OTHER

* ronan racing kavinsky and having so many mixed feelings

* adam feeling misplaced in DC and constantly thinking of this fathers abuse and I Cried

* adam and gansey fighting and uhhh sorry dick but DAMN adam

* ronan dreaming he's in kavinskys car and not knowing if he loved it or hated it

* blue's voice over the phone taking gansey's mind off the fight he had with adam

* gansey listing the things ronan is inside his mind so he would be angry at him

* "ronan had charm. it was just buried deep. very deep."

* blue fucking sargent being the badass feminist she is when it didnt occur to adam that maybe blue was into politics

* "you wouldnt have gone someplace without gansey. you two make a grand couple. kiss him!" blue giving zero fucks to adam being douchely sexist

* okay first fuck you adam idiot parrish: "nice blue, gansey was right. you are a raging feminist" FUCK YOU

* okay adam losing his temper and literally thinking of hitting blue this is a matter of EMERGENCY

* ADAM STOP BEING A DICK OH MY GOD HE ALMOST FORCED BLUE INTO KISSING HIM THIS ISNDHDJDHDHD

* like ok i get Mans had a rough past n that violence is the only thing he knows but stief what was ur POINT with this part

* adams enemy being his anger. someone protect him from himself

* when blue and gansey are talking in the pig about adam and ganseys just full of hatred towards adam's parents, "who has he ever had to love him? ever?"

* okay but richard campbell gansey the third is a complete and utter SUNSHINE: when he's overwhelmed by blue and gets out of the pig and starts pacing and then realizing it was rudeish and APOLOGIZING like a fucking KING

* lmao gansey saying "i think he should come to terms with his sexuality" at kavinsky gift to ronan.

* "he wondered if kavinsky was gay. he wondered if she should go to the fourth of july party. he wondered where adam had gone" someone just. keep ronan close and hydrated and healthy and LET HIM BE GAY AND REST

* okay but ronan thinks about kavinsky in a matter that is completely and utterly non platonic

* "the grey man gently threw ronan across the breakfast table" nice maggie

* prepare for dialogue:

"theres nothing here k."

"theres only us. i know what you are"

"thats not enough"

"dont say dick gansey man. hes never gonna be with you. and dont tell me you dont swing that way. im in your head"

"thats not what gansey is to me"

"you didnt say you didnt swing that way"

RONAN SAID, "no, i didnt" ..... gay bitch

* ronan calling adam "adam" when he thinks they're in a dream and just then realizing he isnt

* "i know it was you. the rent, i figured it out" adam parrish just slipping information at the WRONG time

* "he was a brother to a liar and a bother to an angel, son of a dream and son of a dreamer" still to this day the prettiest thing ever

* HIS SECOND SECRET WAS ADAM PARRISH

* "adam furrowed his brows to ronan, as if sensing ronan's eyes on him. ronan looked away"

* im shook this book is so good

[lynnkn]

You can plan on me

Hey! Here’s my gift for @pastelle-pvnk for Pynch Secret Santa 2019 hosted by @pynchpromptweek. They wanted to see the boys happy, and in love, so I hope I delivered on that! 

Pairing: Adam Parrish/Ronan Lynch

Words: 2,878

Warnings: One Call Down the Hawk spoiler. It’s a super tiny spoiler, but if you want to go into CDTH knowing absolutely nothing, beware!

Summary: Ronan trusts Adam. He trusts that Adam's recent odd behavior has more to do with Christmas than anything bad. That doesn't mean he isn't curious. 

Read it on AO3!

The sun did nothing to warm the December chill sweeping through Henrietta and particularly the Aglionby parking lot. Ronan cranked up the heat in the BMW and pulled his jacket tighter around himself.

He urged the bell to ring sooner. The students were only moments away from Christmas break. Many of them would return to their families in D.C. or wherever the bourgeoisie gathered. But he was only interested in one particular Raven boy.

Okay, that was probably unfair to Gansey, but he was returning to Alexandria for two weeks of family stuff. Personally, Ronan would rather saw off his left arm and then pay someone to do the right than spend a week with the Gansey cult, but he understood…mostly. 

It was Adam he was waiting for. 

A bell rang throughout the campus, and the lot flooded with rowdy teenage boys, reveling in the first moments of freedom. Ronan slid down in his seat, hoping to avoid eye contact with his former peers. At one point, he probably would’ve sought them out to scare them off with an uncomfortable stare or a violent swing of his fist. But he was trying to fly under the radar as much as possible lately, especially when it came to Aglionby boys. 

He didn’t care what they thought of him, whether they knew he was gay, but Adam still had to talk to these people every day. They were his classmates, and if they knew he was dating Ronan, the next few months would be torture. 

A crowd of boys parted to reveal Henry, Gansey, and Adam, marching toward him. Adam’s hair was wind-swept, and the bags under his eyes were thicker and darker than usual. Gansey did nothing more than wave to him, unsurprisingly supportive of their choice to keep things quiet, as Adam stealthily broke away from the group to slip into the passenger seat. The sun bounced off the thin layer of snow outside and backlit Adam enough to make him look ethereal. He was all harsh angles and worn-out eyes. He’d been so busy over the past few weeks that Ronan had barely seen him, between finals and a few extra shifts he’d picked up at work. Ronan wasn’t ever sure if Adam had been sleeping, let alone when. 

But when the door was shut, and they turned to look at each other, Adam smiled. It was a rare and beautiful thing that smile, and Ronan still didn’t understand what provoked it. 

“Hi,” Adam said when Ronan remained hypnotized by the small sliver of teeth.

“Hi,” he said. 

He allowed himself another moment to stare before he started the car, tearing out of the parking lot. It was probably not as inconspicuous as Adam would have preferred, but he’d been so distracted he’d defaulted to his usual driving habits. 

But Adam didn’t say anything, and Ronan kept driving until they got to the Sheetz just outside of Henrietta. He whipped around the curve and into the lot, nearly taking out a flower bed in the process. And once the car was stopped, he leaned over the center console to kiss Adam. It was their first in nearly a week. 

It was nothing special, except that he was kissing Adam Parrish, which always felt a bit like a dream. Like at any moment, it could all go wrong. But no. They were safe. They were together. They were hungry. 

They got sandwiches, and fries, and mac and cheese bites, and Adam let Ronan pay without saying a word. It was odd but less so than it would have been before. They took their food back to the Barns and spread out across the couch, laying down a layer of napkins and unpacking all of the food in front of them. Opal bounced excited around them as she always did when Adam came over. 

Adam, with a face full of burger and a cautiously raised eyebrow, watched him, making Ronan realize he was staring. It was such a soft gesture he wanted to break something to release the tension. Instead, he leaned forward and stole a fistful of Adam’s fries and stuffed them in his mouth. 

Adam huffed. “Asshole.”

It was so beautiful, he knew it had to be temporary. “When do you have to leave for work?”

Adam took a bite of his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. “I have the day off.”

Something in Ronan’s chest burst and he took in a breath. “That’s awesome.” He’s caught off-guard by his own enthusiasm, but he’d missed his boyfriend. He’d spent most of the last two months terrified that Adam would wake up from whatever weird fugue state he was in, realize what he was doing, and run. 

“It is,” Adam said with a quiet laugh.

“How’d you fucking swing that?” Ronan said, overcome with suspicion. The warehouse had been busy for the past few weeks, which was why Adam had taken on extra shifts. 

Adam threw a wrapper on the floor, and Opal swooped in, shoving the paper in her mouth. “I made it work.” He flopped casually against Ronan’s side, pressed so close his hair brushed against Ronan’s collarbone. He suppressed a shiver. 

That night, lying in his bed, with Adam asleep beside him, he sent up a silent prayer. “Thank you,” he whispered into the dark and silence. 

And in the kitchen the next morning, when Adam said he had the rest of the week off, he allowed himself to enjoy it instead of asking questions. Adam would tell him if there was something wrong. He was almost sure of it.

Declan and Matthew arrived on the 23rd, and it began to properly feel like Christmas. Their last Christmas had been a disaster, but that probably had to do with their recently buried father and their mother in a magical coma. Declan had been more tolerable than usual during their last few phone calls.

He also didn’t technically know Ronan and Adam were dating. Ronan was sure he had his suspicions, but he’d refused to outright confirm or deny anything. 

Adam didn’t seem to mind playing the role of casual dude friend. He was even good at it, which was both very annoying and very attractive. Ronan made sure to tell him that as they kissed, both of them pressed against the wall of Ronan’s bedroom. 

“It’s cause we were friends first, jackass,” Adam said. 

Ronan was quite sure his feelings for Adam had never been platonic, but he didn’t mention that. “Still,” he said. “They should give you a fucking Oscar for that.” He traced the vein the ran along the side of Adam’s temple with his finger. “I thought the fist bump was particularly sexy.”

“Don’t say that. I fist bump Gansey.”

Ronan went in for another kiss, and Adam gracefully glided the door shut, taking care to avoid slamming it. 

As Ronan got dressed for Mass, he thought about Adam alone at the house and briefly considered staying behind with him. It seemed like a dick-move to leave Adam alone on Christmas Eve, but Matthew had been excited for all three Lynch bothers to attend Christmas Eve Mass together again. Considering Ronan was the one missing the previous year, as he was passed out drunk in the back of the BMW, he felt he owed it to his younger brother. 

He went downstairs to find Opal sitting on the kitchen counter, chewing a can of Coke. Ronan took it from her to pop it open before handing it back. She promptly dumped the soda into the sink beside her and continued to chew on the can. Ronan gave an indignant huff, more for show than anything. 

Footsteps drew his attention to the staircase. Adam stood at the top, hair neatly combed back, and Ronan’s tie hanging loosely around his neck. 

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going with you.”

“You are?”

 “What? You worried I’m going to burn if I walk in the front door?” His face drooped, and he pulled back, suddenly shy. “Is it okay if I come?”

Ronan’s skepticism grew. Adam had never shown any interest in attending service with them. He usually worked on Sundays, and Ronan had assumed that was intentional. He’d always thought Adam’s aversion to the church wasn’t just a product of his work schedule. 

He fought to keep the curious look off his face. “I guess,” he said. His face split into a wicked grin. “But only if you’re willing to take the chance.” 

“Hasn’t happened to you yet,” Adam said. 

“Whatever you say, sinner.” 

Declan thankfully didn’t comment as Adam followed them out to the Volvo. He caught Ronan’s eyes across the top of the vehicle and raised his eyebrow. Ronan made a point of not looking. He’d come out to both Declan and Matthew earlier in the month, as casually and cooly as he could. They took it well. Although Declan took it too far, going into a speech about how proud he was of Ronan for sharing. It had been so disgusting, Ronan had been forced to give him a wet willy to end the torture. 

He didn’t care what Declan thought of him or of Adam for that matter. Still, he wasn’t ready to tell him yet. It felt like the kind of conversation that would end in a fight, and Ronan was trying to keep the peace for Matthew’s sake. 

The four of them piled into the Volvo. Ronan let Matthew have shotgun and slipped into the backseat, across from Adam, who was wringing his hands into an anxious knot. Once Declan started the car and had his eyes locked on the road in front of them, Ronan reached over to place his palm over them. He felt the tension drain from Adam’s muscles. He never thought such pleasures were even an option for someone like him. He was so happy, he didn’t complain about Declan’s speed once. 

“I’ve gotta grab something upstairs, Adam said as he climbed from the car. “I’ll meet you in the sanctuary in a minute.” He vanished upstairs, leaving the Lynch brothers gathered in a small semi-circle in the gravel lot. 

Ronan pushed past his brothers, hoping to avoid any questions. They found their usual seats, and Ronan left a space next to him. Adam slipped into it when he came back downstairs. “What’d you need to get?”

Adam shrugged and turned his attention forward as the service began. He casually stuffed his hands into his pockets. “It’s the time of year for secrets.”

Ronan turned as well, letting his gaze linger. 

After Mass, they returned to the Barns where they dug into some Christmas cookies Declan bought for Matthew on their way into town. Soon Declan and Matthew went to bed, and Opal lept out the door in pursuit of a rabbit she saw run past the window. 

Adam and Ronan settled into the living room and spent some time flipping through various Christmas specials. Adam had seen most of them, to Ronan’s surprise. “This is all we did at school the week before Christmas,” he said. “You haven’t seen all of these?”

“Dad used to tell us stories,” he said. “But with a lot more swords and a lot less holiday spirit.”

“Sure,” Adam said sarcastically. “Did the heroes kill Santa?”

“Only sometimes,” he said. “Sometimes, they slayed snow monsters or demons.” He looked up and caught Adam grinning at him, fighting back laughter. “Don’t stare at me like that, Parrish. I had a perfectly fucking normal childhood.”

“You did?” Adam said through a laugh. “Sure. I believe that.”

“I did. I saw all the Veggie Tales Christmas specials.”

That was apparently too much for Adam, who threw himself backward on the couch, howling and smiling. Ronan couldn’t help but lean forward to kiss him. He took more pride in that damn smile than in any dream he’d ever dreamt. Dreaming was easy. Making Adam Parrish smile was not. 

As their lips touched, something beeped below them. Ronan brushed it off. He had no reason to answer his phone with Declan and Matthew upstairs and Adam right next to him. He considered Gansey or Blue, but they were both with their families, and they knew to leave him a message if he didn’t answer right away. 

Then Adam flinched below him, pulling himself out and stumbling to the kitchen with a mumbled, “I need a drink.”

Ronan followed him, watching as he patted his pockets and shuffled out of the room. 

The kitchen was dark, and Ronan could only barely make out the silhouette standing by the counter. Even if he hadn’t known though, hunched shoulders and wiry arms would have given him away.

“What are you doing?” 

His head snapped up meerkat-like and panicked. Guilt twinged in his gut and approached cautiously. He stepped forward but left a large space between them, trying to leave room for Adam to close the gap, trying to give him the chance to control the situation. 

Even in the dark, he could make out the illuminated glow of a cell phone in his hand. For a moment, Ronan thought Adam had grabbed his phone from the coffee table, but it was easy to tell this was a new phone. There was a default background on the screen, and there wasn’t a single scratch or crack on it. 

“I didn’t steal it,” Adam said, which was stupid because he wasn’t about to fucking accuse him of stealing it. Ronan let him continue talking anyway. “I just thought I might need one when I start school, and I had a little money leftover last month.”

Last month. Had Adam really had a cell phone for a whole month and not brought it up to Ronan at all? 

“It’s prepaid, and I don’t have service in many places, but it’s something.”

“Yeah. It’s something,” Ronan said, tentative and nervous. Were there other secrets? “Why’d you take the whole week off?” he asked before he could reign in his words.

“I wanted to spend time with you. Was that not okay?” Adam said in a tight, panicked voice that made Ronan hate himself. He never wanted Adam to sound like that again. More than that, he never wanted to be the reason Adam sounded like that.

“No,” he interjected quickly. “I have to know, man,” he said panting. He leaned his forehead against Adam’s. “Did you get fired or something?”

 “Don’t call me man while we’re doing this,” Adam said, gesturing to their proximity and the way Ronan’s hand cupped the back of his neck. It was fair, but also a diversion. 

“Adam,” he pleaded. “What’s going on with you?”

“Merry Christmas.” 

Ronan waited for a punch line or further elaboration, but Adam remained locked in position, eyes forward and posture straight. When Ronan continued to stare, confused and sleepy, Adam rolled his eyes and pulled the phone back out. He swiped away a text from Gansey to show Ronan a calendar. It was color-coded and meticulously labeled. His work schedule was marked with green, and classes and homework were blue. Unlabeled red boxes covered the screen. Everything was perfectly mapped out until mid-February. 

“I don’t have money, and even if I did…” Adam paused, sucking in a nervous breath. “You can make anything you want, so I had to find something you couldn’t create yourself.” He took Ronan’s hand in his, pressing his thumb to Ronan’s palm. “I realized the best thing I could give you was my time. I’m ready to do this. I’m not half-assing this.”

This was the Adam Parrish Ronan knew, full of ambition and pride. A chip on his shoulder and a fire in his belly. God, Ronan missed him, and he hadn’t even left yet. 

“You’ve never half-assed anything in your life.”

“When I leave, I’m coming back. When I’m at school or work, just wait until I’m done cause I promise I’ll be back.” He held the phone up again, gesturing to the red boxes on the calendar. “These are yours. And all this empty space is yours too, if you need it.”

Ronan pulled him forward, hands grasping the collar of his shirt and kissed him again, pausing to remember what it felt like when Adam Parrish’s lips pressed against his. Adam was going to leave, and it was going to hurt, but sometimes after a drought, came a flood and Ronan was comfortable waiting. 

The light flicked on over them, startling them both back against the counter. Declan stood in the doorway, with a tired expression and a deep sigh. “Saw that coming,” he said, flicking the light back off. “Merry Christmas, Ronan,” he called over his shoulder. 

“Merry Christmas, asshole,” Ronan yelled back, wiping his lips on his shirt sleeve. 

Declan stuck his head back into the kitchen. “Merry Christmas, Parrish,” he said. “Welcome to the family.” 

Ronan worried that would be enough to scare Adam off, but instead, he let out an anxious laugh. “Merry Christmas, Declan.”

In the morning, they’d open presents, and Adam would get to see the watch Ronan had dreamt for him. Because they’d always have time for one another. Because no matter what, they’d make it work. This was going to work, goddamnit. 

[emmerrr]

em!!! idk if you’re still taking prompts but: 18 (or 23 if you prefer) for pynch? i’ve missed ur writing sm!! 💞

julia!!! it took me ages to decide which one i wanted to do but in the end i’ve gone with 18: “In my defense, it seemed like a brilliant idea at the time.” hope you like it!💞

-

It was no secret that Ronan didn’t do particularly well in the heat.

Adam was fine in any temperature, too used to being uncomfortable whilst working in the summer to really notice it anymore. But there was usually a point every summer when Ronan had had enough of the heat, and would cease to function.

Currently, he was lying flat on the tiles in the kitchen wearing nothing but his boxers, four different fans pointing at him. Every so often he’d let out a little groan, which Adam had been valiantly ignoring all morning from where he was stationed at the kitchen table, getting a head-start on some summer reading for college.

However, even he had his limits.

After Ronan made yet another mournful sound, Adam slammed his book shut.

“Do you not think you’re being just a little bit dramatic?”

Ronan shifted his gaze so that he could see Adam, because clearly moving his whole head was too much effort.

“I think I’m being the exact right amount of dramatic, so if you don’t mind–” he groaned again, pointedly.

Adam shook his head and got up. He retrieved a bag of frozen peas from the freezer and dropped them unceremoniously onto Ronan’s stomach.

Ronan yelped and sat up, tossing them aside, then he glared at Adam, who valiantly refrained from smiling.

“Very funny, Parrish.”

“What? I was being helpful.”

“I’ll keep that in mind next time you’re dying from extreme heat exhaustion.”

“I’m glad to see you’re not blowing this out of proportion,” Adam said, picking up the peas to return them to the freezer.

“I’m not,” Ronan said, settling himself back down. “Global warming will kill us all.”

Adam paused. “I mean…probably.” He frowned; the conversation was taking a turn for the morbid and summer wasn’t the time for morbid. Summer was for fun and frolicking, and so far this morning Ronan seemed up for neither.

Adam knelt down beside him and pressed a kiss to Ronan’s sweaty forehead. “Are you really just going to lie here all day?”

“I am going to lie here until the sun dies,” Ronan confirmed.

“Okay,” Adam said. “Have fun with that.”

He headed outside in search of something to do.

It really was relentlessly hot, but there was still something nice about being outside, listening to the sounds of nature. They were far enough from the road that there was no lingering traffic noises, making the Barns truly feel like a world of its own.

Adam loved it here.

He walked the grounds and considered watering the plants, but he knew it really was better to leave that until the evening. Right now it would dry up too fast to do much good, even though they looked like they needed it.

He spotted Opal asleep in a hammock, nicely shaded from the sun by the trees it was hanging from. Chainsaw was nowhere to be seen, but Adam figured she’d be hiding out somewhere too, out of the sun’s rays. No doubt she’d turn up later looking for food.

Adam eventually found himself in one of the smaller barns. It was more of an oversized shed than anything, and it just housed a lot of stuff. Half-empty tins of paint, the lids crusty with how old they were, chicken-feed, plant-pots which were mostly broken, an ancient looking lawn-mower, and any number of other things that had fallen into disuse or disrepair.

In the corner, Adam spied an ancient beat-up skateboard, and next to it, a homemade wooden ramp, reminiscent of another one he had once seen Ronan make in the Monmouth parking lot.

Adam had an idea.

A couple of hours later, he traipsed back to the farmhouse, hot and sweaty but pleased with his morning’s graft. He tip-toed past a napping Ronan to get upstairs and quickly rinse off in the shower, then he dressed in swimming trunks.

Back downstairs, he woke Ronan by nudging his toe into his ribs.

Ronan lazily swatted him away. “Leave me alone unless you’ve come bearing ice-cream,” he mumbled.

“Get up. I have a surprise for you.”

Ronan opened one eye. “Is it ice-cream?”

“No, but I’ll get you some later if you come with me now.”

Ronan heaved himself to his feet. “Fiiiiiine,” he said, with the air of someone who was being forced to go to the dentist.

He followed Adam outside in a huffy silence, but when they approached the back fields, Adam felt Ronan’s hand creep into his. Both their hands were clammy, but neither of them minded.

Ronan appraised Adam. “Are you wearing swimming trunks?”

“Never you mind,” Adam said.

“Are we going to the spring? Because that’s not a surprise; I’ve been to the spring before. I basically built the spring.”

“It’s not the spring,” Adam said. “Well, it is and it isn’t.”

Ronan mulled that over. “Okaaaay. You’ve piqued my curiosity, Parrish.”

“Lucky me.”

The spring was conveniently located near the bottom of a slope, and when they finally reached their destination, Adam stopped, letting Ronan take it all in.

He didn’t want to be the person that studies someone else for the reaction they want, but he couldn’t help himself. He watched Ronan’s face transform from vague heat-related annoyance, to surprise, awe, and finally, delight.

“Adam,” he said, “you built me a slip ‘n slide.”

Adam grinned. “I built you a slip ‘n slide.”

It hadn’t been that hard really. There was an abundance of plastic sheeting in the shed which he’d taken out and hosed down, enlisting Opal to help him carry it over to the field. He’d folded it in half and used anchor pins to hold it in place. The end of it, he’d pinned to the ramp (which Opal had also helped him move) at the bottom of the slope. 

He’d used dish soap to lubricate the centre of the plastic sheeting and he had the dreamt hosepipe spraying water down the whole thing. If all went to plan, when they slid down the slope, they would pick up enough speed that they’d go shooting off the ramp and into the spring.

He had been pretty confident the trajectory would work, but looking at it now, he wasn’t so sure.

“Parrish, this is awesome,” Ronan said. “Will that work, with the ramp?”

“I, uh, haven’t actually tried it yet.” He frowned. “I don’t know.”

Ronan laughed. “So it could send us flying to a painful landing, is that what you’re saying?”

“Technically?” Adam said, and Ronan laughed harder. “In my defence, it was a brilliant idea at the time.”

“It’s still a brilliant idea.” His smile turned sharp and mischievous. “We’ll throw Opal down there and see what happens.”

Adam was glad Opal had disappeared because no doubt she’d have been only too up for playing crash test dummy. 

“Maybe not,” Adam said.

“Course not, Parrish. I’ll test it myself,” Ronan said, and before Adam could stop him, Ronan hurtled himself headfirst down the slip ‘n slide.

Adam’s heart was in his throat as Ronan soared off the end of the ramp, but he landed exactly where Adam had intended him to; right in the middle of the spring.

He submerged, then resurfaced a moment later, spitting out water.

“It works!” he yelled.

“I can see that,” Adam shouted back. He waited for his heartbeat to calm down as Ronan did a lazy backstroke across the spring.

“Are you coming?”

“Give me a minute.” Adam paced back and forth before the slip ‘n slide, building his nerve. He peered down towards the spring to see Ronan grinning up at him, arms outstretched.

“C’mon, babe,” he called. “Slip ‘n slide into my arms.”

“You are so annoying,” Adam replied, and launched himself down.

Later, when they’d each had plenty of turns, and when they’d gone down together, toboggan style, they both lay on their backs floating in the spring. Their fingers were getting pruny but neither made a move to get out. They were quiet.

Adam had spent a lot of time trying to define love, or at least to define what it meant to him. Sometimes he could put it into words; sometimes not.

He smiled. Today, love was building a slip ‘n slide for his grumpy boyfriend just to make him smile.

Tomorrow, it would be something else.

“Hey, Adam?”

“Yeah?”

“…Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

[exyjunkies]

Pynch + 12

yay i’m back

p.s. yes, ronan is in college for this one HAHAHA

fic meme 1-100: pynch + 12. “I think we need to talk.”

send me a ship and a number and i’ll write you a drabble (1-50) (51-100)

~*~

The way Gansey explained it was logical, almost common sense. But they were still in college, and Ronan believed that no one was supposed to have their life completely figured out at the age of 22. That was strictly an Adam Parrish thing, and Ronan sometimes made fun of him for it. Because Ronan and Gansey had the same two-hour break, Gansey had taken the liberty of schooling Ronan on how people operated, relationships-wise.

“So I take this to mean that your date did not go as planned?” Gansey prompted, sipping from his coffee. Ronan was frowning down at his own cup, the swirls in his cappuccino already far from pretty.

“No man, it went,” Ronan leaned backward, crossing his arms, “really fucking well. Like, I never would’ve dreamed it would go that well. And you know me with dreaming.”

“Mhm.”

“Nate and I talked more than we touched our food. It was that kind of connection, and I honestly felt like the whole thing lasted half an hour. Even if we closed down the burger joint. And left each other’s company at 2 in the morning.”

Gansey cocked his head to one side. “And then you asked if he’d wanna go out again.”

“And then I asked if he’d wanna go out again. To dinner again and maybe a movie. Then, he drops the bomb on me by saying he just sees me as a friend. Through text. Can you believe that?”

“Again, Ro’, as I’ve said, yes I can. If you knew how dating worked, you would know that people can drop out any point.”

“But why can’t we just try.” Ronan closed his eyes, feeling the urge to whine come up again. He felt heroic for being able to quash it. “We had so much fun.”

“You guys just don’t have the same priorities. Differing philosophies and all. You care about the effort, he cares about the sparks.”

Ronan did care about the effort. He believed in how the work it takes to keep a relationship going was always going to be more important than the emotions. With Nate, he really felt the potential - they had so much in common, and they vibed well enough that Ronan actually didn’t employ his exit strategy. He even found the guy attractive enough to want to kiss after the first date.

Too bad Nate wanted to stay celibate until after marriage. That was probably the kicker for Ronan, but still. It’s not like he couldn’t have adjusted.

“Fine.” Ronan broke off a piece of his pastry. “I’ll delete his number.”

“Atta boy.” Gansey nodded approvingly, typing out something on his phone. “I’ll ask Adam if he has other people he would want to set you up with.”

Putting a hand up, Ronan shook his head. “I’m going to have to pass on that. Thanks though. But maybe the dating thing should be put on-hold for now.”

“Suit yourself. Hey, wanna see this cool thing Blue sent me?”

~*~

The dorm room Adam stayed in was the only tidy one on his floor, and Ronan was oddly grateful for it. His last class ended with someone vomiting all over the teacher’s table (read: student drinking before class), so it was a relief for him to smell the clean air in Adam’s room.

“So what brings you here? If it’s your dating stint, it’s gonna have to wait,” Adam said, stacking books on top of one another. “I do have a guy in mind already though, but exams take precedence.”

“Actually, well, it’s about that, but it’s also not about that,” Ronan replied, flopping unceremoniously down on Adam’s bed. The sheets smelled fresh and flowery.

“Vague, but continue.”

“I might’ve overheard something, and… well, I think we need to talk.”

And Ronan was glad that he was lying down and looking at the ceiling, because if he were looking anywhere around where Adam actually was, the tension would’ve been bigger than he actually felt it was. The silence, though, was thick enough that Ronan blinked a few times, then sat up to face Adam.

Adam was leaning back on his table, studying Ronan with slightly narrowed eyes.

Then, his eyes went a little wide. “Oh no–”

“Oh yeah, that,” Ronan nodded, suddenly very conscious of the space around him. He was also mildly impressed that Adam got it immediately. “And I would’ve told him I heard, but–”

“Please, can you,” Adam took a small step forward, then took a deep breath. With his eyes closed, he continued, “Can you say exactly what you overheard?”

It wasn’t like Ronan planned on eavesdropping. He really just needed Gansey’s help with calculus, and the door had been ajar.

Stumbling over his words, Ronan struggled to form a coherent sentence. “Ah, well– he said something– huh, well, it was along the lines of… how do I say this– he said, “Adam, why not set yourself up with Ronan? You know you’ve been wanting to–”

“Ahhhhhhhhh oh God Gansey really did say that–”

“No– I mean, yes, he did, but,” Ronan sighed, looking at the way Adam hid behind his hands, “there’s no need to be embarrassed about it–”

“What do you mean there’s no need to be embarrassed, Gansey was literally the only person who knew and–”

“Adam.” Ronan said, standing up and reaching out to hold Adam by the arm. “It’s okay. I do not mind it at all.”

Breathing heavily, Adam shook his head. As Ronan squeezed his arm, Adam put his hands away from his face, and continued, “Sorry if it’s weird now, knowing what you know. Like, the whole I-set-you-up-with-guys-thing. It’s a friend thing, you know? I’ve known you for so long, I figured it’d be fine if you went out on dates so long as the guys I knew were the ones you were going out with. And I was fine, because I had all these other things to focus on, and Gansey always told me you had fun. The fact that I had good taste helped kill the teeny bit of jealousy I felt whenever Gansey would report back to me. And, okay, on my part, I never shot my shot because I was always so–”

“Freakishly studious?”

“I prefer future-oriented, thanks very much,” Adam replied, rolling his eyes. “Anyway, I already knew you were the long-term type of guy, and all my views of the future don’t include an idea of how my significant other could be, so when I got to establish that I did like you, it sort of just… threw me off-course.”

They were both standing a foot apart, and Ronan could hear nothing but the sound of his heart beating. One thought roared through Ronan’s brain: don’t fuck up don’t fuck up don’t fuck up–

“Parrish, if it’s not too much to ask,” Ronan said slowly, holding out his hand, “how do you feel about actually going out? Just once. Just to see what it feels like.”

Before Adam could open his mouth, Ronan put up a finger to signal that he wasn’t done. “And if the date ends and we don’t see eye-to-eye on seeing each other again, it’ll be fine. You’ll still hang out with Gansey and me and Noah. This is just so… y’know. Just so we both know. How it would feel like.

“Besides,” Ronan said, putting his hands in his pockets, “I am a little into you too.” He smirked a little, finding that the admission was not actually a lie.

Adam laughed softly, the amused creases around his eyes reassuring Ronan that all the tension was gone. “You know what? Fine. One date. But I pick the place. And I’ll have you know that I’m so kickass to be around.”

“Oh yeah?” Ronan said, reaching out to hold Adam’s hand. “Am I going to have trouble turning down a second date?”

“Not just that, dude,” Adam replied, reaching for his jacket, “You are so going to fall in love with me.”

[catboynecromancy]

Kissing prompts day 3, given to me by the wonderful @creativefiend19. Thank you so much for this one, I loved writing about their first date. 💕 Do I get the extra points for making it in canon verse? 😊

Pynch — An awkward kiss given after a first date.

-

So, how about a date night, Parrish?

This is the question that started it all. Adam had been in the middle of homework for his Interpretation and Application of Mathematics course, unable to hold back his groans and sighs of frustration, while Ronan bounced a Spongebob ball against the wall. At one point in time, Adam would have found this distracting, but now it’s become so commonplace it melts into the background along with the buzzing of his miniature fridge and the ticking of a clock on the wall.

“So,” Ronan says after a while, pausing his incessant fidgeting. “How about a date night, Parrish?”

Adam takes a moment to glare down at the paper, his overworked brain screaming for something to break the monotony and stress building with each passing minute. He’s been at this for hours now and he thinks, if he keeps going, it’ll probably be counterintuitive to getting anything else done.

So.

Date night.

“You want to go on a date? With me?” Adam asks, turning in his old, wobbly wooden chair to glance back at Ronan where he sits on the bed, black, ripped-up jean-covered legs spread out in front of him.

Ronan shrugs, an attempt at being nonchalant but failing miserably. “It’s been weeks since we started dating,” there’s a weird bite to the word when he replies, wiggling his Doc Martens. “We haven’t even been on a real date.”

His mouth opens to respond but Ronan quickly interrupts, “And making out in the BMW doesn’t count, ya horny bastard.”

And promptly snaps shut with an audible click. “Okay,” Adam says, giving a slight nod. “What were you thinking?”

“Dinner. A movie. Taking a long, romantic drive through the countryside,” he continues in a teasing tone, “Promise I’ll get you back at a decent time.”

It doesn’t sound like the most remarkable of ideas, no different from things they would normally do, but something about it changes when the word date is attached. All of a sudden, what they’re doing is too real, no longer just two horny teenagers giving into each other’s visceral desires, and Adam isn’t certain how he feels about this when it crosses the line between physical vulnerability into the emotional side.

But it’s Ronan and there’s no one Adam trusts to hold his heart in their hands more than him, even if he’s loath to admit it.

So he leaves his grueling coursework and they go on a date. Ronan takes him to Nino’s (Really, Lynch?), where they toss fries into each other’s mouths, laughing maniacally every time they miss (which is more often than not, admittedly). They find a dumb action movie to watch at the theater a town over, stuffing their faces with the plethora of sugary snacks Ronan purchases at the concessions stand, laughing more at how inane the film is.

Then, they climb into the BMW, and Ronan puts on an impossibly dark and sultry beat, the bass throbbing in time with Adam’s pulse. The whole atmosphere changes, the creature of wants and needs inside of Adam clawing to get out. He wants Ronan to pull over on the side of the empty street; he needs to crawl on Ronan’s lap and claim every part of him mercilessly, with abandon, until there’s nothing left to give.

Instead, when Ronan pulls over, he hops out before Adam can do anything and demands that he drive them back to St. Agnes. Adam thinks of protesting but, if he can’t have Ronan, the next best thing is getting to drive the BMW. So he does this, making sure to shift gears with careful consideration and intimacy, treating her like he would a lover. Or, well, maybe not, since the way he handles Ronan is often not so cautious with his touch.

They get back after midnight and park in the church lot, climbing out of the car. “Decent time my ass, Lynch,” Adam says. “Wanna come up?”

Ronan shakes his head, stepping around the BMW, edging nearer until they’re so close, Adam feels the warmth pulsing off of him in great contrast to the chilly, autumn air. “Nah. I don’t put out on the first date.”

Adam rolls his eyes but leans in for a kiss. His parted lips hit Ronan’s cheek and he pulls away, blinking, to look at Ronan. He’s turned, dark eyebrows drawn in, uncharacteristically nervous in a moment that should be simple and easy, like all the other times their mouths have met.

What’s so different about this?

“Uh…” It’s Ronan’s turn to try, but Adam’s taken a step back and he misses.

They hesitate, mumble excuses, attempting at the same time only to make it inches away before they both pull back. Adam feels a hot, anxious flush build in his cheeks that crawls up to his ears, and Ronan’s pale features have darkened as well, apparent even with just the flickering streetlight illuminating them in bursts.

“Fuck,” Ronan mutters, “Try again.”

Adam gives himself a moment to consider what is so dissimilar about this from every other time. Maybe, he thinks, it’s more real than the rest. It’s weird, how things change, when feelings are laid bare and actual romance is involved.

This Ronan isn’t the one who just wants to make out endlessly, this is the Ronan who cares, who Adam is pretty sure is in love with him. Who Adam, although still not wholly convinced, thinks he can fall in love with, too. Soon. Maybe sooner than he intends.

“Okay.”

He cups his hands around the sides of Ronan’s throat, brushing a thumb along the very faintly risen skin where pointed, black imagery has been etched in. Ronan takes a hitching, shaky breath, all nerves in the shape of a teenage boy, and Adam pauses to allow them both a second to bask in a rare instance of shared weakness.

When he bridges the distance, pressing chapped lips together in an awkward, chaste kiss, there’s a spark of something that Adam recognizes from the first time they did this in Ronan’s childhood bedroom. The gesture is returned, but just so. Ronan is shaking, or Adam is, or maybe it’s both of them. Heat spills from Ronan’s mouth into his own, lightning courses through Adam’s pumping blood, sending dangerous shocks straight to his heart. All that anchors him to this miniscule, human form is the boy before him.

Adam wants, he needs, and yet he realizes it might be okay to take things slow for both their sakes. He pulls away but not far, jittery with equal parts apprehension and excitement. “Sure you don’t want to come up?”

It’s Ronan who breaks their connection, stepping back to look at the pavement beneath their feet, it's cracks brimming with slowly dying plants. He palms his buzzed scalp, shifting back and forth. “Not tonight,” Ronan says. “I...got some shit I gotta do in the morning.”

He recognizes a Lynch not-lie-not-truth when it's given. Carefully skirting the truth but not outright lying, a compromise that doesn’t betray his earnestness.

“Okay, I’ll seeya later.” Adam doesn’t push, even if a part of him wants to.

“Yeah, later.”

Ronan is almost at the driver’s side door when Adam finally gets the nerve to say what he should have much earlier. “Ronan?”

“Hm?”

“Thanks. For the date. I really needed a break.”

Deep-set, ice blue eyes shift towards Adam, an intensity to them that is quickly broken by a wide and goofy grin. It’s one for Adam’s eyes only, more defenseless than anything else they’ve done this night. “No problem, Parrish. Someone’s gotta keep you from melting your magnificent brain with all that boring homework.”

Adam nods. They leave it at that because there’s nothing left to say. He watches Ronan effortlessly drop into his M6, watches as he caresses the steering wheel in a way Adam wishes was him, watches the red tail lights as they speed out of the St. Agnes lot and down the street, and he watches even once Ronan is long gone and only the memory of him remains painted there, an afterimage of his wants and needs personified.

With a sigh, Adam runs his hand over his face, letting a few curses learned from Ronan spill from his lips.

It had been almost too good of a night.

Maybe love isn’t as far away of a concept as Adam had assumed.

[muslimronanlynch]

oh god, can you imagine his uni friends compiling a last minute video in which each one of them explain the importance of adam parrish in their lives?? and Ronan finds it corny AF but begrudgingly approves bc, hello, they're expressing their love for adam, he can Relate, k? and their friends don't think that that is Enough so they pack their bags and by night they're in virginia and they just text adam "hey so where do you live again??" and yeah. that could lead to angst, but lets ignore that rn

Oh god, this please. For the video they all take turns saying what they love abt Adam’s friendship and how much he’s helped them and always makes them feel listened to and understood. It’s a messy one minute bc they’re obviously gay disasters, but it’s a Lovely Mess ans and a Sincere one and Adam spends the whole time smiling and doesn’t stop for at least a half hour afterwards bc he appreciates these dumbasses sm

Ronan pokes his cheek and kisses his smile and lightly makes fun of the video, but it’s all okay cause they’ve all grown on him too and anyone that can make Adam smile like that is automatically in his good books.

His friends don’t arrive in Virginia until the early hours of the next day technically, but obviously Adam isn’t sleeping yet. He’s out in the garden somewhere with Ronan who prepared him a whole romantic midnight picnic that eventually lead to ~other things and when he gets the text he’s lying next to Ronan looking at the stars and talking sometimes; but mostly enjoying the silence after the wonderful day he’s had and yeah let’s ignore the angst cause he doesn’t deserve that today

Do his friends even know where he lives, are sarchengsey still on their road trip, who knows and let’s just forget abt all that for the sake of fluff

[swimmingwolf59]

Trying It Again

When Adam had said he’d wanted something unique for their first date, this was not what he’d meant.

Adam had done it all before. He’d bought flowers for girls, had them delivered to their doorsteps. He’d gone to movies, kissed them in the back of the movie theater. He’d gone out to dinner, shared secret touches under the table, walked them home and kissed them on their front porch. He’d done it all, and while he certainly wouldn’t mind doing it again, it didn’t sit right with him.

Because this was Ronan. Magical, incredible Ronan who Adam had never spent a dull moment with. Ever. Their entire lives were wrapped up in magic and craziness and it felt wrong, untruthful even, to have a mundane first date. Especially since so much was hanging on it.

After everything with Gansey and Glendower went down, both Adam and Ronan had relapsed into some kind of angry, mourning state. They were glad to be together and there for each other, they were glad Gansey was alive, but underneath everything was the profound sense of loss. Ronan had lost his mother, one of the only people who still mattered, and Adam had lost Cabeswater, one of the few beings that thought he mattered. They’d taken it out on each other, sometimes, in bad fights that neither of them wanted to be having but couldn’t seem to figure out how to stop. Sometimes it just hurt too much, and the need to lash out was too great.

They’d talked it out, and decided they needed to start over. Go on a date, since they hadn’t yet. Spend a day together that wasn’t about mourning or near-death experiences and was just about them. They needed to figure out who they were together before their grief tore them apart.

Adam went back to St. Agnes for the night, so that Ronan could do the whole ‘picking up my date in my fancy car’ thing and so that they could both take a breather and be excited about tomorrow. And Adam was excited – he was excited to see what Ronan had in store for them.

He just hadn’t been expecting this.

For Ronan picked him up, just as expected, in the hottest pair of jeans Adam had ever seen on another person, and drove them to the grocery store.

At first, Adam thought that it was a joke, so he remained in the car even when Ronan pulled into a parking spot. It was only when Ronan got out and grabbed fucking grocery bags that he had stored in the trunk of his fucking car that Adam realized he was serious.

Furious, Adam cranked down the window and glared at Ronan. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

Ronan grinned and hooked his elbows on the window. “You said you wanted something unique.”

“This is not what I meant.”

But Ronan was still smirking as he leaned in to leave a kiss on Adam’s nose. “Just come into the damn store, Parrish, I swear you’ll like it.”

And really, Adam had no choice but to follow him. He wasn’t happy about it, though. He’d been so looking forward to this day, and it didn’t even seem like Ronan was taking it seriously, even though it had seemed like such a big deal to both of them when they’d talked about it before. He wondered with a sinking heart if maybe they’d lost something else when all of the shit had gone down, if they’d both forgotten how to have magic together.

When they stepped into the store, the cheap, ‘everything in one convenient stop!’ type of store that made Adam nervous he wound run into his parents, Ronan shoved one of the shopping bags into Adam’s hands. “Alright, here’s the game: you have to go through this store and pick out a picnic spread you think I’d really like. I’m going to do the same for you, and whoever gets done the slowest has to make breakfast for a week. Oh, and you can only spend $20 total.”

Adam was bewildered. “Wha—?”

“Go!” Ronan shouted cheerfully and ran off deeper into the store.

Adam lost ten precious seconds standing there like an idiot, trying to process what had just happened. It was only when his brain caught up to the losing terms that it kicked into action – he was decent in the kitchen, but he should not be allowed anywhere near a stove before he had his morning coffee.

So he couldn’t afford to lose.

A plan in his mind, he sprinted off down the aisles, nearly knocking shelves over in his haste. Even with his delay, he felt that he had the upper hand – he’d been bargain shopping literally his entire life and could find the cheapest combination of food items in his sleep. Ronan, who no doubt had never looked at a price tag in his life, wouldn’t stand a chance against that, even if he had a knack for instantly thinking of and being able to make food that Adam liked.

And as the game progressed, Adam actually found himself enjoying the challenge. Whenever he ran into Ronan he would shout taunts at him, laughing as Ronan merely cursed at him and shook a full basket that could in no way be under the money constraint in his face. One time, he and Ronan actually ran into each other as they both reached for a box of Pop-Tarts, an all-around family favorite. Though of course, neither of them grabbed it after seeing the other wanted it. They were both stubborn, after all.

When Adam was sure of his selections, he ran for the cash register, only to find Ronan running from it too from the opposite direction.

As they locked eyes, they both sped up, running and crashing through the crowds to reach the only open cash register first. Ronan had played tennis once upon a time, and worked on a farm, but Adam had spent a better portion of his life biking to school every day, and so it was with one second that Adam slammed into the counter before Ronan. It was so close that Ronan couldn’t stop in time and crashed into Adam, nearly causing them both to fall over.

Laughing, Adam triumphantly began unloading his cart onto the conveyer belt. “Too bad, Lynch – guess you’re making breakfast for a week.”

“Dammit,” Ronan panted out, but he was grinning as he slid his arms around Adam’s waist and leaned his chin on his shoulder. “I bet what I picked out for you is better, anyway.”

“Well, you should’ve bet on that then,” Adam retorted, shooting him a teasing glance over his shoulder. “Though I think I’ll win that too.”

“Oh, fuck you,” Ronan said joyfully as he leaned back and started haphazardly tossing his things onto the belt behind Adam’s.

They each paid for their own baskets before heading back out to the car, hand in hand. Adam was in a significantly better mood than when he’d gone into the store – this challenge had felt exactly like something they would’ve done together when they’d first met. It was just the kind of stupid boy thing that Adam secretly loved doing and secretly loved watching Ronan do. It felt like them, and it was a relief.

“So, are we heading back to the Barns, or what?” Adam asked as he buckled in his seat belt.

Ronan switched on his pulsing EDM and revved out of the parking lot. “Nope, I told you – this is for a picnic.”

Adam’s mouth twitched into a smile. “How domestic.”

“You know, you’re a snarky little shit considering how close you came to losing today,” Ronan sniped.

Adam couldn’t help but laugh. “You could not possibly sound more bitter right now. Did you think you would win?”

“I honestly thought you would take so long worrying about prices that it’d be easy.”

Adam shoved him. “I’ve been doing that all my life – it takes no time at all now. I know the cheapest brands. When was the last time you looked at a price tag?”

Ronan curled his lip but didn’t answer. Adam took it as a win, rolled down his window, and settled back for the drive. As it was with most of their drives, he was content to let Ronan take them wherever his pounding emotions and music took him.

Today, though, he was purposeful in his wild turns, sure in his accelerations on the straights. It didn’t take long for Adam to find out why.

Ronan took him up into the mountains, climbing climbing, the engine purring under their feet and thighs, and pulled over at a lookout that Adam knew like the back of his hand. This was where the adventures started; this was where the magic happened. This was where Gansey had taken Blue on one of the first nights they’d went out together, as he’d told Adam later. This was where Adam and Ronan had gone when they’d first gotten back after shit went down, where they’d escaped to when everywhere they called home felt too suppressing and choked with memories. This was where they could see the entirety of Henrietta spread out before them, where they could see every star, where they could feel like kings.

This was one of the only places not tainted by bad memories.

It made sense Ronan had thought of this place. They’d needed to get away from the bad memories.

After haphazardly parking the car, Ronan threw himself out and went around back to grab their groceries. Adam settled himself on the hood of the BMW, lying back and watching as the sun began to sink below the horizon.

“Alright, Parrish, let’s see what we’ve got here,” Ronan said as he practically leaped onto the hood, nearly knocking Adam right off.

Adam pushed at him playfully before sinking into his side and grabbing his grocery bag. Ronan gestured for him to go first so Adam began taking out each item one by one. “Deli ham, potato salad, gouda and crackers, and, of course, IPA.”

“Not bad, Parrish, not bad,” Ronan said, licking his lips. Adam watched every second of it. “Alright, my turn: string cheese, ingredients for PB&J, black olives, Cheerios, and, of course—” Ronan pulled out a can and held it to Adam’s chest playfully, where it matched perfectly with his shirt, “—Coca fucking Cola.”

“…Okay, Lynch, I admit, that’s pretty damn good,” Adam said as he took the coke from Ronan. “I think we both won the selection category.”

“Whatever makes you feel better about yourself,” Ronan replied and popped his beer.

Adam stuck his tongue out at him and started digging into his meal. He had to admit, it had been fun picking out food that he thought Ronan would like, and it made him feel warm all over realizing that Ronan knew enough about him to know what he would like, too. Adam had always thought himself unknowable, but each moment he spent with Ronan made him feel just a little bit more known. He liked to think he was getting to know Ronan better each moment, too.

They ate dinner and cracked jokes and talked and kissed until the sun finally went down. Warm and happier than they had been in days, they laid back on the hood of the car, tangled up in each other as they watched the stars emerge, each one blinking to life slowly across the sky.

It was, as always, breathtaking.

“I actually had a lot of fun today,” Adam admitted after they’d laid there quietly for what felt like hours. He could feel Ronan’s heart beating hard where his deaf ear was pressed against his chest. “Thank you.”

Ronan hummed and kissed the top of his head. “I figured out what we are together, you know.”

Adam pushed himself up on his elbows to turn and look at him. “…Oh yeah? What’s that?”

Smirking, Ronan reached up to swipe his thumb across Adam’s cheek. “Little shits who want nothing more than to wreak havoc on the world.”

Adam laughed and leaned down to kiss him, enjoying the warmth of their bodies pressed together. Just then, he couldn’t remember why he’d ever been worried about them. They’d always fought, and they most likely would again, but it wouldn’t break them. After all, they’d already known who they were together; they’d known for years. They’d just needed a reminder. “I think we’re quite good at that, then.”

Ronan grinned, the light of the universe in his eyes, and ran his hands up Adam’s back. “Yeah, I think we are.”

[pynches]

tell me (we’ll never get used to it)

a/n based on the domestic kisses prompt requested by three people @oldkingyounggod, @peoniesandsmiles, and an anon. i hope i did it justice.

word count: 1333

warnings: none this is literally the fluffiest thing you’ll ever read

ao3

“You two act like a married couple,” Blue had said matter-of-factly. Ronan, like the adult that he is, had stuck out his tongue at her while Adam’s back was still turned to them.

“Real mature,” Blue had mumbled and that’s when Adam returned with the iced-tea, so that was the end of it.

Later, when Adam was snoozing in the crook of his arm, Ronan was wondering what had prompted Blue to say that. He and Adam had been together for a while, counting up to one year in autumn, but Ronan had never seen them as a married couple, still too wrapped up in each other to conform to what society usually portrays marriage as, something boring and too comfortable.

He suddenly wondered if that was how Adam saw their relationship too, as unexciting. They were napping on the comfortable couch at the Barns on a Friday evening instead of going out and doing what normal young adults were doing. But Ronan was never one for mindless clubbing, he’d rather get drunk somewhere comfortable and alone. And now with Adam here, he didn’t feel the need to mingle with other people, not when they were still running on borrowed time.

Ronan wished long-distance relationships were easier but it was well worth it to keep Adam in his life. However, it did become quite repetitive; the talking over face-time at designated hours and falling asleep on the phone just to feel closer to the other. Ronan didn’t mind it, anything to keep talking to Adam, to keep him close.

What if Adam found it too predictable, though.

What if Adam found him too predictable.

Adam was still sleeping soundly, unaware of the inner turmoil raging inside Ronan. Without meaning to, Ronan stared at him, committing every single detail of him to memory, just in case one day Adam would wake up and realise this is not the life he wanted and leave him.

“I can feel you staring, you know,” Adam said, his eyes still closed but there was a smile forming on his thin lips.

Ronan scoffed to hide his embarrassment. “Am I not allowed to look at my boyfriend anymore?”

Boyfriend.

It’s still absurd he gets to call Adam that, something he always dreamed of but was never able to turn into reality.

Adam laughed softly then, a vulnerable thing only Ronan every got to see. Ronan couldn’t help but smile back, something unfurling in his chest.

“What’s going on?” Adam asked, his voice still thick from sleep but his eyes were alert as ever. The thing, besides Adam’s hands, Ronan had fallen immediately for; his intelligence. Now, when he wanted to put this true worry of him away and never look at again, he cursed Adam for his ability to know about everything around him, including Ronan.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” Ronan replied. It wasn’t the truth but it wasn’t a lie either. The half-lies were Ronan’s speciality, something he dealt in, even in his now adult life, even with Adam lying next to him, eyes open and comforting.

Adam traced the contours of his face with a single finger, his touch featherlight. “You can talk to me.”

“I know,” Ronan said, taking Adam’s hand in his own and kissing it softly.

“You do know that I love you right,” Adam asked, his voice sure and confident. “We don’t say it as much but… I do.”

“I know,” Ronan answered again, turning his head to finally look at Adam. There was a frown above his eyebrows, Ronan smoothed it down.

They stayed quiet for a bit, listening to the chirping of crickets in the background. Despite the peace the Barns wanted him to feel, he still felt uneasy, restless, it came out before he could stop it.

“Are you tired of me?”

Adam turned his head sharply from where he had been dozing off again. “What? Why would you ask that?”

“Just answer the question, Parrish,” Ronan said, his voice now tense and tight.

Adam looked at him incredulously for a few more seconds before worry settled in. “No, of course not? Why would I?”

“The maggot said something-”

“Since when do you listen to Blue?”

“Since the maggot raised a good point. Do you want to hear it or not?”

Adam made a ‘locking my mouth and throwing away the key’ motion. Ronan rolled his eyes and called him a loser to hide his fondness.

“She said we act like a married couple.”

Adam smiled. “We do.”

“You don’t mind it?” Ronan asked casually, not knowing if Adam knew how high the stakes were behind this question.

Adam raised an eyebrow. “Again, Ronan, why would I?”

“Maybe you think it’s boring,” Ronan mumbled, staring at the ceiling as if it could give him the answers he was looking for.

“It’s comfortable.”

“That means boring.”

Adam wiped a hand down his face. “No, Ronan it doesn’t.”

Adam was silent for a while and Ronan didn’t dare speak, too afraid he would ruin it with his clumsy words.

“I’m not familiar with love,” Adam started, his breath hitching slightly like he had great trouble getting it out. “My parents never told me they loved me and they never told each other either. For the longest time, I thought that was what marriage looked like, being stuck in some loveless prison until you died and that was it. But this,” Adam gestured between them. “What we have? If this is what marriage looks like, I wouldn’t mind having it.”

“Did you just ask me to marry you,” Ronan asked with a teasing grin.

“Of course that’s what you picked up from this.” Adam sighed deeply. “I’m 19, Lynch, no I don’t want to marry you.”

“You wound me, Parrish,” Ronan groaned, putting a hand over his heart as if Adam had personally shot him.

“You’re being an idiot,” Adam laughed, settling his head on the other side of Ronan’s chest, mumbling happily when Ronan ran a hand through his hair.

“You wouldn’t marry me?” Ronan asked, more seriously than he intended to.

Adam turned to look at him. “Not now at least,” he said thoughtfully. “Maybe in a few years if we can still stand each other.”

Ronan smiled and didn’t reply, letting the silence overtake them. They fell asleep like that, resting side by side, always touching.

Ronan woke up early the next day to tend to the cows who, despite being dreamt up, for some reason still had to eat. He didn’t mind the task, though, he liked the cows and how they often came up to him to snuggle.

He got back inside just in time to watch Adam walking down the stairs, sleepily rubbing his eyes. He took the steps without even looking, avoiding the dream things scattered on them with practised ease.

Adam came up to Ronan and held his cheek out for a kiss that Ronan enthusiastically delivered and went to the kitchen without a word making breakfast for them both since he knew Ronan wouldn’t eat otherwise.

Ronan watched him work, opening cupboards and taking out pans without even thinking. He had become such a vital part of this house that it almost felt as if he took the warmth with him whenever he left for university again. That same warmth was now unfurling in Ronan’s chest.

“What are you smiling at?” Adam asked when Ronan came up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist as he pressed a smiling kiss on his neck.

“You look like you belong here,” he whispered into Adam’s skin.

“I feel like I belong here,” Adam admitted.

Both stayed silent after, Adam finished cooking and they ate breakfast together, just because they still could. Neither of them talked about the softly spoken words again, the truth too raw to relive. But they would both think about it when they were parted by distance again, smiling to themselves because they knew that despite everything, they’d be okay.

[spiltscribbles]

combo of 7 & 8 for pynch hehe :)

Notes: Thank you so much love!!!  |   Send Me A Prompt 

.-

“It’s the last straw! I’m done! I’m over it!” Blue stabs the spoon into her yogurt, teeth clenched, and knuckles white. Adam, like the good friend he is, just calmly slides it out of her hand and gives her a banana instead.

“She’s not that bad of a roommate,” he tells her with a one armed shrug. The look she shoots him can only be described as the personification of betrayal. Adam can’t believe it’s the third time he’s rolled his eyes at her and it hasn’t hit nine in the morning yet.

“They were naked Adam! Nude! Birthday suits!”

“The biblical state,” Henry tacks on and Blue nods along graciously.

Make it four times before nine in the morning.

“It’s Orla…. She’s eccentric

“It was on the couch! I sit on that couch Adam!” blue hits her hand against the table, fully indignant now.

“I really would recommend having it at the very least steam cleaned before partaking in that activity  again,” Henry advises sagely as he takes a sip of his coffee.

“Oh no! No way! I will never sit on that couch another day of my life!”

“Glad to see you’re taking this reasonably,” Adam says, voice blithe, as he brings their cereal bowls to the sink.

“Don’t start with me Adam! You haven’t seen the things I have! The freckles and birthmarks— The hair.” Blue shutters and henry slings an arm around her slim shoulders in comfort, clucking his tongue all the while.

Fifth…. It’s been the fifth time now.

“So how do you reckon you’ll live in there without sitting on the couch ever again?” He needles with a quirked brow, fully having decided to just fall into the dramatics. It’s always easier for him at the end of the day  when just excepting it.

“I’m moving out! Duh.”

“Oo, My Blueberry is becoming her very own American woman!” Henry preens. “Let me get you a chic new outfit Sabrina style!”

“That movie is sexist and culturally appropriates middle eastern garb.” Blue sniffs.

“Good to know that the new Blue has still got all her old spunk.”

“You’re both ridiculous,” Adam tells them, lips pinched.

“We bring bursts of color into your otherwise stale existence,” Blue argues loftily.

“Ridiculous,” Adam repeats with feeling.

“Lying doesn’t become you my dear Henrietta Prince,” Henry tells him far too frankly before turning his attention back to Blue. “You know you’ve got a place here if you want it.”

“Where?” Blue snorts. “In your living room?”

“Our couch doesn’t have naked Orla germs,” Adam offers halfheartedly. 

Blue just levels him with a unimpressed look, and Adam’s got flashbacks to junior year when Maura caught the pair of them getting drunk off Persephone’s peach wine coolers.

It’s terrifying.

“Charming. But no need, I’ve already begun sifting around for places nearby that are looking for a new roommate.”

Adam takes the papers she’s already printed off and begins shuffling through them.

“This one has like five cats,” he tells her with a curled lip.

“It sounds homey.”

“You’re allergic,” Adam rebukes. 

“I’m desperate Adam!” Blue reminds him.

“This one has a picture of him wearing a MAGA hat on his facebook profile pic,” Henry informs her, holding a second listing.

“Okay not that desperate,” Blue crumples it up and tosses it to the side. Adam would tell her to throw it in the trash like an adult but reasons she’s having a moment. 

“Mmm, what about this one,” she waves around the paper and Henry takes it to look over himself.

“It’s with three random dudes.”

“Three normal looking dudes,” Blue presses. “And so to reiterate, I’m desperate.”

“Ted Bundy was a normal looking dude,” Adam charges, making Blue glare at him menacingly.

“Adam I can still see flesh in my nightmares!”

Sixth, sixth time he’s rolled his eyes. Jesus fucking Christ Adam is gonna be sent to an early grave because of  an aneurism from them.

.-

The problem is that when Blue sets her mind on something, not even the angels above can dissuade  her from it, so that’s why Adam spends his Saturday afternoon— the only one he’s had off from a shoot in literally three months— driving to some sketch apartment with her and Henry, in the latter’s abrasively flashy sports car. 

He feels like a fraud.

“Blueberry are you sure you put in the right address?” Henry asks, face scrunched in confusion once they cruise into the open parking spot in front of a dilapidated looking  manufacturing building.

Blue flickers her eyes back down towards her phone before glancing up with a sure nod. 

“Look it says Monmouth right over there on the sign near the front door. This’s the right place.” 

“Right place to get murdered,” Adam intones darkly. 

Blue only tosses him a glare before slipping out.

“Are we bad people for going along with this?” Henry asks Adam, his mouth downturned in concern.

“Nah, we were bad people long before this.” Adam assures him wryly  before following suit.

.-

“I don’t want a new roommate,” Ronan tells Gansey for the third time in the past hour. In turn, Gansey only rolls his eyes before trying to stuff the old pizza boxes into the trash can. God fucking damn it, Helen’s right, they do live like pigs.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Noah contends. “It’ll bring some new energy in this place.”

“Oy, what did I tell you about saying shit like energy and chakras.”

“That’s it’s something a douche hipster would say and you’d throw me out a window if you heard it again.”

“And yet.”

“All I can say to that is dude you need to clear your chakras.” Noah says, fully goading, and making it so an unexpected laugh tears out of Ronan, the total prick.

“For the love that is all holy and right, will you two please just attempt to act normal when she gets here.”

“It’s a girl?”

“A girl with models as friends,” Noah perks, completely beaming. “And you know what that means,” Noah winks and Ronan, for the good of the public, cuffs him on the back of the head. Hard.

“You fucking sly dog, how do you even know that?”

“Preliminary interview through the phone,” Noah shrugs. “She sounds nice, better than living with that guy with a pet snake.”

“That snake was fucking cool.” Ronan argues.

“There’s a one pet limit here, and your raven has taken the slot.” Gansey huffs, hand on his hip like Aurora would do if Ronan and Declan were being especially rowdy. “And Noah don’t ask about her model friends, that’s creepy.”

“That’s kind of my shtick man.” Noah points out, wide eyed.

“Less horror film creepy and more loser from Revenge of the Nerds creepy,” Gansey clarifies scoldingly.

Noah swallows down a lump, properly cowed.

It’s right then when the doorbell rings and Gansey frantically puts in the last of the empty cups into the dishwasher from the sink before scurrying to the doorway, Noah and Ronan on his heals.

Ronan knows he lost the battle and the war the moment the door swings open and the first thing the pixie sized, colorfully dressed girl says is a glowing “Blank 182?” While gesturing towards Noah’s… Well Noah’s everything.

Noah looks like the cat who’s gotten into the cream, Gansey looks more glowing than usual, and Ronan can’t take his eyes off the sandy haired boy she’s brought along with her.

.-

Living with Blue is a beast that Ronan can’t quite figure out how to defeat.

She, probably like any sane person, expects the house to be in some sort of semblance— aka no more jackets and other innocuous articles of clothing thrown about the shared living space, and for dishes to be rinsed after use and put into the dishwasher accordingly. 

“Your rooms can be as trashy as you want, but can we please not make the whole place a pigsty,” she had sniffed with a cocked head and jut out hip. Gansey of course nodded giddily— on account to his staring at her all moony ever since meeting her— Noah had shrugged, indifferent. But Ronan held out as long as possible, sneer on his lips. But alas, she met his every zig with a zag and he found himself in a stalemate.

But Ronan could deal with the tidiness and even the impromptu yoga sessions she holds with randoms from her classes at university. Hell he could deal with her weird obsession with Yogurt too, and can actually listen to her rants about the patriarchy and institutional blocks that keeps the impoverished and people of color and women down from being able to achieve feats once only meant for wealthy white men. Fuck, Ronan’s come to think her particular brand of spitfire humor is actually hilarious.

So yes all of this is fine. But with Blue comes them. Henry Cheng, best friend she met at some art class her freshman year. And fucking Adam Parrish, apparently someone she’s known for so long and so intimately that she refers to him as family more often than not.

And yeah. Ronan is not jealous and Noah needs to take that fucking sneer off his face.

“You’re jealous!”

“I am not jealous!” Ronan yells emphatically for the fifth time.

“Ronan has a crush!”

“Noah God so help me!” He threatens, totally venomous.

“You’re in loveee!” 

“Noah I will destroy you!”

.-

Okay so Ronan might be sorta, kinda, not jealous…. But bothered. Yes Bothered. He’s bothered because he can’t fucking figure out Blue and Adam’s deal. One second they’re sniping at one another about the economy and the next she’s lying her head in his lap while he’s carding a hand through her hair.

Fucking salacious shit.

But occasionally, on especially good days, Blue falls asleep early and instead of going back home right away, Adam stays. He stays and he shares a drink with Ronan on the porch and they talk about nothing really, but also a lot of things. Ronan find’s out he basically grew up with Blue, that she was his first everything. He’s deaf in his left ear and he didn’t mean to fall into modeling but he didn’t have enough money to finish the semester at MIT and instead of giving up he took up some side gigs which eventually culminated into a career of his own. 

Ronan finds out that Adam’s favorite flavor of ice cream is cow tracks and his front tooth is chipped from behind.  Adam has a small, crooked smile and when he laughs its more breath than sound and its absolutely lovely.

Ronan finds this all out but still has no idea whether he has a shot.

And again, he’s bothered.

.-

“I vote on something classic,” Blue tells them with a sip of her shake. (Read the shake Adam bought but Blue somehow still always drinks half of even while she complains about being on a diet, which then leads her to grouse about how Adam stays narrow and lithe even if he eats four quarter pounders back to back).

Sadly, this happened once and only once when Adam was especially stressed over a finals week and hadn’t eaten for literally three straight days. 

She really has seen him at his worst.

“Ooo, let’s watch some singing in the rain! I’m ready to belt out some toons.” Henry crows.

“Oh well if it includes your perfectly pitched singing,” Adam says flatly. Blue promptly elbow checks him and Henry waggles his tongue out.

“Sounds good to me Henry, so where?”

“Your place?” Adam says, brow kinked and trying to smother down the hopefulness in his voice. Of course, it doesn’t work. They know him better than anyone else, and they immediately stick him with matching smirks.

“Pray tell Parrish, me and you have the better entertainment system by far, and yet you’ve been insistent on heading to Blueberry’s place for our weekly movie nights for the past two months…. Hah, I wonder what two months signify?”

“Ooo ooo! I know Henry, I know!” Blue teases swinging her arm up high like an excited school girl. “I just moved into Monmouth and Then Adam over here got all slack jawed and goofily eyed over my scary roommate!”

“Blueberry gets the point!” Henry squawks, giving her a makeshift bracelet out of the straw wrapper.

Adam looks at them both with as much fury as he could muster, cheeks infused red, and jaw locked.

In retort, they only laugh ebulliently.

Adam is so tempted to make new friends.

.-

Ronan opens the door on a random Thursday afternoon a week later and Adam steels his nerves, not about to back down.

“Oh, ah Parrish.” His prominent brows furrow together, suspicious. “Maggot isn’t here yet.”

“I know,” Adam says, head tipped high. “Can I come in?”

Ronan only shrugs as he moves aside to give him the room to enter.

“You look like you have something squirming up your ass,” Ronan tells him, as blunt and as crass as ever.

Adam silently questions to the universe why is it that he’s so resoundingly attracted to him for that.

“You’re so eloquent with your words Lynch, you know that?” Adam tells him, completely flat, and making it so Ronan’s answering grin is something feral and amused.

“So you gonna just stand there looking pretty or actually get it out?”

“Jesus Christ, do you have an ounce of patience in your entire body?”

“I sweat it out at the gym, you wouldn’t know that skinny.” Ronan barbs, hip checking him while he struts to the kitchen.

Adam just glares after his form… His well built and deliciously broad shoulders.

“Still got enough muscle to beat your ass,” Adam teases and Ronan leers, impressed. Adam walks closer, magnetized. 

“So Blue’s enlightened me about something.”

Ronan hikes up a brow, betraying his mask of indifference.

“Is that right. What? Did Maggot make you understand that the hand holding and lovey-dovey looks are getting abrasive?”

Adam is utterly confused to what he’s talking about— Did he find out about the crush, and if so does that mean he’s already, wordlessly rejected Adam. Is Ronan completely uncomfortable right now.

Adam shakes off the questions, is determined to just plunge in for once in his life without beating a situation to death with analysis.

“She’s enlightened me that my crush on you is getting to ridiculous levels of yearning and i should just ask you out like an adult.”

A thousand different expressions pull at Ronan’s face until finding landing at something Adam can only call aw.

“Oh— Ah, wait. Wait do you like me?”

Adam rolls his eyes heavenwards. God he really is going to get an aneurysm.

“You are such a doofus,” Adam sighs before inkling his head forwards and kissing Ronan senseless.

Ronan grabs his head and presses impossibly closer.

.-

Later that night, when Henry and Blue march in with the decided upon movie they both begin to preen at the sight of them, exchange bills with Noah and Gansey too.

Again, Adam is going to be sent to an early grave. But hey, if in the meanwhile Ronan does that thing with his tongue, Adam will at least enjoy his final earthly days.

[singt0me]

ok for that ask game do all the prime numbers xoxo

jamie i swear to god 

2: What is your full name? Angelica Macris. I wish i had a middle name but greeks don’t believe in them for some damn reason.

3: How old are you and how old do you get mistaken for? I’m 23 umm. idk like 18-21? I look little with no make up it’s a struggle.

5: What’s your eye color? Brown.

7: Do you have any tattoos or piercings? I don’t have any tattoos yet!! but i have four piercings, two on each ear. boring ik. 

11: Are you nice to everyone? Unfortunately.

13: Things you like/dislike about yourself. I like that I have a strong imagination and i’m able to translate that into creative things reasonably well. I don’t like my voice/accent sometimes abhdj I’m working on it adam parrish relate

17: Would you ever smile at a stranger? I smile at everyone.

19: Are you lying about anything right now? Don’t think so?

23: Are looks important? Everyone who says no either deeply means it or they’re lying. I would say I’m in between. Obviously you could be the hottest person on the planet but have a shit personality and that’ll send your attractiveness level through the floor and straight down the satan. 

29: Have you ever liked someone who your friends hated? I’ve usually hated people my friends liked.

31: How does someone win your heart? Be a decent person. have a good personality. be kind and caring. also be really fucking weird because i can’t be the only weirdo in this relationship 

37: Have you ever been cheated on? Nope.

41: Last movie you watched. How It Ends on netflix. It was okay.

43: Is there something that happened in your past that you hate talking about? Yup.

47: What’s your favorite holiday? Halloween but we don’t celebrate it here so rip. 

ask me questions!

[ronanolynch]

A Love Like Ours

this is my @trc-exchange gift for the lovely @askybison! i hope you like it and i’m sorry i couldn’t post this on christmas day sakjhfkfljg... anyways, here’s some fluffy/a little angsty? pynch on christmas morning in which neither of them have any chill and are easily flustered by each other :3 ((rated pg-13 for swearing)) enjoy!! 

Ronan wakes up to the sight of snow slowly drifting down around the Barns. As he continues to face the window, eyes squinting against the bright light, he becomes aware of several things- the warm arm slung over his waist,  the soft hair tickling his shoulder blades.

And the fucking cold feet pressed against his bare calves.

‘’Jesus, Parrish- your feet are fucking freezing!’’ Ronan groans noisily but he stays put.

He feels Adam stir against his back and hears the lazy smile in his voice when he murmurs, ‘’Mornin’, Lynch.’’

Despite Ronan’s loud protests, Adam proceeds to simply hold his feet more snugly against Ronan’s legs. Adam laughs quietly as Ronan shoves his legs out of the comforter to leave them dangling over the side of the too-small bed.

‘’Really?’’

‘’Yes, really,’’ Ronan scoffs. ‘’You’re stealing my body heat.’’

‘’Fine, I guess I’ll just...’’ Adam starts and he begins to remove his arm from Ronan’s waist but it’s quickly tugged back and pulled around Ronan’s body.

‘’Not yet,’’ Ronan says quietly.

They lie that way for a while and although Ronan feels like he should be uncomfortable in this position -with his feet hanging over the side of the bed-  he can’t seem to feel anything but happy. He gets to spend the holidays with Adam, gets to wake up in his arms and feel his steady heartbeat against his back. Gets to see him in all of his sleepy morning glory and bicker with him about his ice-cold feet.

Of course, his stomach drops slightly when he remembers what day it is and he tries not to grow more nervous than he already is. Although, initially, he’d been impatient about giving Adam his gift, now that the day was here, he began mulling over all the different ways in which Adam would react.

Would he hate it? Find it weird? Self-absorbed?

Ronan sighs inaudibly.

‘’What’s going on over there, hm?’’ Adam asks softly, recognizing the tension in his body.

Ronan is saved from answering thanks to the clumsy footsteps stomping down the hallway. He turns over on his back and stares at the door, waiting and soon, he hears a soft knock.

Adam sits up against the headboard and calls out, ‘’Come on in, Opal.’’

The door props open slightly and Opal’s face appears in the doorway, her face split in a toothy grin. It widens when Adam pats the space between him and Ronan. She leaps onto the bed and sternly looks down at them, hands on her hips.

‘’Come on, you guys! It’s Christmas!’’

Ronan groans playfully and flops over onto his stomach, face stuffed in his pillow. He peeks out with one eye to see Opal huffing and looking at Adam helplessly.

Adam stares down at him, amused. ‘’Where’s the Christmas spirit, Lynch?’’

‘’See, Adam gets it,’’ Opal says, managing to sound both annoyed and affectionate. She settles down beside Adam and plays with his fraying shirt sleeve. ‘’Are we opening presents yet?’’

‘’In a bit, Opal,’’ Adam promises, gently patting down her wild hair. Ronan props his head on his arms and watches as she practically preens under the attention. ‘’We’ll be downstairs in a sec. I’ll make us some breakfast.’’

‘’Okay!’’ she says, and jumps off the bed, clambering towards the door. Before she shuts it, she props her head in the gap and looks pointedly at Ronan. ‘’Oh, and Ronan?’’

‘’Mm?’’

‘’Don’t forget, okay?’’ she says and smiles her angelic smile that fools nobody before sealing their door shut.

Ronan’s stomach bottoms out at her words and he glances at Adam, who he finds is curiously looking down at him. Thankfully, he doesn’t say anything and instead chooses to shuck off their covers. Ronan watches him stretch and walk silently towards his suitcase to grab a fresh set of clothes.

Adam raises his eyebrows when he catches Ronan’s eye and he can see the question forming in Adam’s mind. So, he does the Ronan thing to do. He deflects.

‘’So, breakfast, huh? Didn’t know you could even boil water.’’

Adam stares at him for a moment and then rolls his eyes. ‘’I might’ve picked up a few things here and there while living on campus, you know.’’

‘’Wow. Four months and you’ve already nailed cooking.’’

‘’It’s a gift,’’ Adam replies dryly, walking towards the bathroom.

Before he can lose the nerve, Ronan turns on his back and stares at the ceiling. ‘’Speaking of gifts.’’

Adam pauses, his hand on the door frame to look over his shoulder. ‘’Yeah?’’

‘’I’ve got something. For you, I mean.’’

Adam’s got his full attention now and Ronan tries not to squirm under it. He can see Adam leaning on the doorframe in his peripheral vision, the way his arms are folded across his chest. ‘’Is that right?’’

Ronan’s ears feel hot at the tone of his voice.

It’s not like the don’t give each other gifts. Ronan loves the new leather bracelets that sometimes appear on his wrist after a nap from when he visits Adam’s dorm. He loves it when Harvard sweaters are ‘accidentally’ left behind in the Barns, still smelling of Adam’s hand lotion.

And of course, he’s seen the way Adam’s eyes light up when Ronan gives him a dream trinket or more magical hand lotion. He’s also teased Adam endlessly about the meticulous care he gave to the tiny potted plants that sat on his dorm windowsill. The plants that flourished beautifully, despite Adam’s nervous protests that he couldn’t take proper care of them when he’d first found them lying near his window during Ronan’s visits.

They’d never spent the holidays together as an official couple and for the past few weeks, Ronan definitely felt the pressure of giving Adam the perfect gift, despite Opal’s constant reassuring - ‘’Adam loves anything you give him.’’

Still.

It had to be something good. Because Adam Parrish in himself was a fucking miracle and deserved as much.

Ronan finally untangles himself from the sheets and sits up. He shifts his gaze to Adam who he finds is already grinning knowingly at him.

‘’I want to give it to you now,’’ Ronan states, watching Adam’s grin deepen. ‘’So, are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna hurry up and shower already?’’

‘’Dunno.’’ A dimple appears in both of his cheeks. ‘’View’s pretty nice out here.’’

In reply, he gets a pillow thrown in his face. Ronan scowls without any real malice, trying to ignore the heat that seeps into his face. ‘’Just. Hurry up, will you.’’

Adam’s quiet laughter can be heard even as he shuts the bathroom door but Ronan can’t really take offence. He loves it when Adam’s like this. Beautiful and playful, enjoying the effect he has on Ronan.

When Ronan hears the showerhead turn on, he runs to the bathroom and hurriedly brushes his teeth. He swears unceremoniously when he knocks over one of the plastic soap dispensers in his haste.

‘’Someone’s in a hurry,’’ Adam says, amused, from behind the curtain.

‘’Someone better mind their own fucking business or they might not get their gift.’’

Adam’s effortless laughter forces a grin out of Ronan, despite his nervousness. The butterflies return, however, as he walks to his closet, pawing for the small cardboard box that he’d kept tucked away in the corner. He returns to the bed and tries to wait patiently, tries to ignore his nerves.

After weeks of carefully dreaming up Adam’s gift, and spending several more weeks ensuring that it actually worked, he’d told Opal. His fingers drift over the box’s slightly rough surface as he remembers her reaction- ‘’Oh, Adam will love it!’’- and her insistence that they both decorate the box in red and gold. He remembers when she recognized his eventual uncertainty and how she quipped that he ‘’better not stall or else’’.

Ronan sighs and decides to take one final look at the gift- despite the way he’d memorized its shape, colour and texture- before Adam showed up.

He nudges open the lid, eyeing the small golden doorknob that’s carefully arranged in the center, surrounded by loads of red tissue paper.

Before he can find something to scrutinize and fix, he sees the bathroom door being prodded open and Adam peering up at him, with something that almost resembles shyness. His gaze snags on the box in Ronan’s palm and he raises an eyebrow when Ronan hides it behind his back.

‘’Well, don’t just stand there,’’ Ronan teases, but his voice betrays his nerves.

Pushing off the doorframe, Adam starts towards the bed but pauses to kneel in front of his suitcase, his back to Ronan. Ronan barely hears him as he says, ‘’I’ve got something for you, too.’’

He stands and shuffles towards the bed, trying to hide the gift but Ronan catches a glimpse of red wrapping paper around something that resembles a book. His heart thunders.

He’d completely forgotten about the fact that while he’d been deliberating Adam’s gift, Adam was probably doing the same thing. As he seats himself in front of Ronan, Ronan wonders if Adam, too, was nervous. He gets his answer as he notices the way Adam eyes shift from Ronan and then, away.

Well, at least he’s not the only one.

‘’Okay,’’ Adam says and holds his arms out, palms up, his smile tentative.

Ronan raises a brow and grins. ‘’What makes you think I’m going first?’’

‘’Ronan.’’

‘’What?’’

‘’You-’’ he struggles for a bit, his mouth hilariously caught between pouting and grinning alongside Ronan. ‘’You’re the one who brought this whole thing up! Quit stalling.’’

‘’I’m not stalling-’’

‘’Here,’’ Adam straightens and puts one hand over his eyes, the other one held palm up between both of them. ‘’I’ll even cover my eyes.’’

Ronan blinks, slightly thrown at the change in direction. He swallows and brings out the small box from behind his back, staring down at it.

Sensing Ronan’s hesitation, a line appears between Adam’s brows. He blindly reaches out to squeeze Ronan’s forearm. ‘’Hey. Relax, would you? It’s just me.’’

Ronan inhales and takes Adam’s hand to place the small box in it. Steeling himself, he watches as Adam slowly opens his eyes, his lashes fluttering along his cheekbones. Ronan rests his elbows on his thighs and bites his thumbnail, peering up at Adam through his lashes.

He watches as Adam looks at him, then at the box, then him again- and his heart just about melts when Adam lets loose one of his rare shy grins. The tips of his ears turn pink as he clears his throat and says, ‘’Okay. Well.’’

Ronan’s pretty sure he doesn’t exhale for the next thirty seconds but it doesn’t matter. He smiles widely behind his thumbnail when Adam’s hasty fumbling eventually dissolves into uncontained excitement, as he sets aside the box’s lid and ruffles through the tissue paper.

Adam’s hand slightly freeze when he sees the small knob. Ronan’s pretty sure his heart does the exact same thing as Adam slowly lifts it out of the box and cradles it in both hands.

He turns it over once, twice and Ronan can practically see the cogs turning in his mind, as Adam inspects it. Ronan knows he can’t figure it out when he pauses and tentatively, without looking up, says, ‘’Explain’’.

It sounds more like a suggestion than a demand, like Adam’s trying to wind the answer of him, bit by bit. Ronan feels some part of him breathe out in relief because Adam knows. He knows that this isn’t merely junk and he knows that this is something.

Ronan’s throat feels raw as he answers, ‘’You’ve been saying how you wish you could see me- and Opal and Gansey and Blue.’’

Adam glances up at him, nodding slowly.

‘’And that calling and shit isn’t nearly as amazing as seeing me in person,’’ he continues.

‘’Oh, yeah, Ronan. That is exactly what I said,’’ Adam says sarcastically, his lips twitching into a grin.

A corner of his mouth lifting, Ronan plucks the doorknob out of Adam’s hands and examines it. ‘’Sucks because the only way you’d be able to use it is by removing your dorm doorknobs on both sides and putting this one in place. That way nobody can open it from the other end. You need to make sure of that.’’

Adam nods repeatedly at the methodic explanations, his eyes boring into Ronan’s. He motions for Ronan to give the knob back.

‘’Then what?’’ he prompts casually, his fingers imperceptibly tightening on it.

Ronan watches him carefully and exhales. ‘’Then, you’d step through your dorm door and end up here. Through the Barns’ front door.’’   

Awe slowly transforms Adam’s face. ‘’And you call me ‘magician’.’’

‘’I just thought maybe…. I want you to know that I’m here whenever you need me, Adam.’’

He keeps his eyes locked on Adam’s hands and prays it doesn’t sound as conceited as he feels it is. Hopes that Adam doesn’t think that Ronan sees him as helpless when it comes to handling his new life at college. He knows that Adam is more than capable of dealing with all of this.

But he also knows that after all those late-night talks of both of them whispering- in raw and aching voices- how much they missed each other, that he had to do something.

So when the idea was planted in his mind, Ronan had immediately gone to work. At first, he didn’t really know what he was supposed to be dreaming of.

But after weeks of simply dreaming of Adam stepping through the front door of the Barns’, wearing one of his threadbare college sweaters and a crooked grin that made Ronan’s head spin, Ronan was drawn to the idea of a door.

An idea he’d shot down after waking up exhausted time after time, without anything to show for it. So instead, he’d decided to go for something smaller and simpler- a doorknob. He’d figured that it would be easy enough. But there was a significant difference between dreaming up a normal doorknob and one that allowed the user to travel from one place to another.

Despite all this work, Ronan was still apprehensive of what Adam’s reaction would be.

He starts a bit when he feels Adam’s calloused hand cradling the side of his face, his thumb brushing lightly across his cheeks. Ronan’s breath catches as sees the soft wonder in Adam’s eyes.

‘’You dreamt me a fucking portal,’’ he murmurs, his eyes alight with happiness.

‘’Well, since you’d never sleep without first telling me how much you fuckin’ missed me,’’ Ronan mimics, a wicked smile curling his mouth when Adam pushes him away, face red.

‘’I thought I’d save us both the trouble,’’ Ronan finishes, his voice softer.

Adam considers him with a small smile. ‘’How kind of you, Lynch.’’

‘’I take it that you like it, then,’’ Ronan says, sitting back against the headboard. Satisfaction blooms widely in his chest.

‘’Like is an understatement. And besides, did you really think I wouldn’t?’’

‘’No. It’s just… I didn’t know if it was… too much.’’

‘’Ronan, we have a hooved child. Most of our belongings are either dreamt up or from a magical forest. Oh, and we’re also friends with Richard Campbell Gansey III.’’

Ronan throws his head back and laughs, wild and relieved. ‘’Good point, Parrish.’’

He looks back at Adam to see him slowly pull out the red parcel from behind his back and place it in his lap. ‘’My turn,’’ he says, his lips quirked to one side.

He appears to be the epitome of ease but Ronan knows what nervousness looks like on Adam. He sees it in his slightly hunched shoulders and the way his fingers curl tightly around the edge of the gift.

‘’I mean, it’s no frickin’ magical portal, but-’’ he starts lightly and then quiets when Ronan wordlessly reaches out.

He gently pries Adam’s fingers off the gift and lifts them to his mouth to leave a light kiss on each fingertip, watching as Adam’s eyelids droop slightly.

‘’It’s just me, right?’’ Ronan says, echoing Adam’s earlier words.

‘’Yeah,’’ Adam whispers breathily, his mouth curling in a smile. ‘’Here.’’

Ronan takes his gift, feeling a bit flustered with excitement. Experimentally, and just to see the nervousness leave Adam’s body, he holds it up beside his ear and gives it a little shake.

‘’Better not be another Harvard sweater, Parrish.’’

‘’Shut up. You love those.’’

Ronan grins widely- which meant that he certainly did- and begins to remove the little pieces of tape holding the wrapping paper together.

‘’Will you just rip it already?’’ Adam huffs, crossing his arms.

‘’No, I’m saving it.’’

‘’For what?’’

He’s about to respond with something cheeky, when he catches sight of something deep green in colour under the wrapping paper. He shucks of the remaining paper and holds the book- an album, really- in his lap.

The beautiful, shimmery colour reminded him of Cabeswater and knowing Adam, he knew it was intentional.

He stares at Adam through his lashes, smiling slightly. ‘’I already love it.’’

‘’Just open it,’’ Adam says, rolling his eyes but he can’t help his answering grin.

Ronan obliges him and opens the first page. He hears Adam inhale sharply and feels his own breath as it releases all at once. Right then, Ronan knew his face had melted into what probably resembled a goofy, love-sick smile, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

His eyes glaze over the first photograph- it was one of him and Adam before they’d gotten together, both of them seated at one of Nino’s booths. They were both wearing obnoxious Christmas sweaters, given to them by Gansey and they had their shoulders pressed tightly against each other.

The photo was most likely taken by Gansey or Blue. It shows Adam mid-laugh, his head thrown back slightly, his gorgeous freckles just barely visible under the booth’s light. Next to him, Ronan sipped a beer but his eyes unsubtly peeked at Adam. The corner of his lips were turned up and it was obvious that he’d been trying to make Adam laugh, and had taken pride in doing so.

He glances up at Adam, who slowly breathe out. They both wear identical shy smiles.

‘’It was probably a dirty Latin joke,’’ Adam says.

‘’Hey, my Latin jokes are perfectly fucking classy,’’ Ronan argues.

He pats the space beside him and moves over to make more room as Adam crawls over and settles himself beside Ronan.

Together, they peruse through the album.

They laugh over the pages that hold Ronan’s brothers. When Matthew’s birthday had sprung up during Adam’s school year and after Matthew’s relentless insistence that he at least try to come to the party, he’d surprised all of them- especially Ronan- by showing up.

Adam had asked someone to take a picture of all four of them- Matthew, smiling brightly, his golden hair flopping around his forehead. And Adam, Ronan and Declan, all sporting amused looks at Matthew’s delight.

Another page displays their inclinations of stealing the other one’s clothes.

‘’You still have that, don’t you?’’ Ronan grins, pointing to one of the pictures.

Adam glances at it over Ronan’s shoulder and laughs. It shows Adam wearing one of Ronan’s snapbacks backward while Ronan pressed an obnoxiously messy kiss to his temple. Although Adam had tried to look exasperated, he had his wide, unshielded smile on full display.

‘’Yeah,’’ Adam confesses. ‘’You want it back?’’

‘’Nope.’’

They fondly run their fingers over the next few picture of Gansey teaching Opal how to play chess. Adam was tucked warmly into Ronan’s side as they watched Opal and Gansey on the ground in front of them.

While Adam hid a smile in the crook of Ronan’s neck as Opal had slowly begun to destroy Gansey, Ronan had thrown his head back, laughing unashamedly.

Some of the photographs are also of nature-  lichen-covered trees, naked forests surrounded by a hazy fog and rays of sunlight peeking through branches. Ronan can see the careful and almost, loving way that the pictures were taken. He looks over at Adam in surprise.

‘’Didn’t know you were a photographer, Parrish,’’ he notes, eyebrows raised.

Adam rubs the back of his neck, a flush creeping up his neck. ‘’It’s relaxing, okay?’’

Ronan grins and bumps their shoulders together. ‘’They’re beautiful.’’

It was amazing, really- the amount of time and effort that had gone into putting the album together. Ronan’s chest tightens as he realizes that despite the fact that Adam barely had any spare time anymore, he’d done it.  He’d gone ahead and painstakingly created an album of their relationship, each of the photos showing their love for each other.

There are a dozen other pages to look through but he places the album aside and turns to Adam.

‘’Do you like it?’’ Adam asks quietly, his face holding traces of that initial shyness.

Ronan stares at him. ‘’No. I hate it.’’

Although Adam calls his bluff, he begins to get up. ‘’Right, I’ll just-’’

He is pulled back as Ronan laughs and slings an arm around his waist. Adam settles back down and looks at him, eyebrows raised. He bites his lip as he tries not to smile.

‘’Of course I like it,’’ Ronan said, cradling Adam’s face between his hands and watching as his smile deepened. ‘’I love it, asshole.’’

Satisfied, Adam grins and leans forward to press their lips together. Ronan immediately reacts and tugs at Adam’s shirt. He remembers the first time they’d kissed, in this very spot, how he’d been afraid that Adam would disappear beneath his fingers.

Before he can stop himself, he murmurs, ‘’Never even imagined that we’d ever spend Christmas together like this.’’

Adam leans back to smile at him softly, his lips red. ‘’This is the best one I’ve ever had.’’

Burying his fingers in Adam’s still-damp hair, Ronan tugs until Adam relents. Impossibly close, he places a kiss at the crown of Adam’s head and then returns to his mouth.

‘’Merry Christmas, Parrish’’ he whispers.

‘’Merry Christmas,’’ Adam returns, smiling widely against Ronan’s lips.

Best Christmas, indeed.