(no subject)

[unguibusetrostro]

[This is a view from the bottom of a very tall hill - a small mountain, if you will - that is also very steep and has a small cart at the top. Standing next to the cart is Adam Parrish. He looks doubtful.]

This is for posterity, Parrish. In case we die.

[Running a hand over his face, Adam’s faint voice can be heard in all it’s horrifically accented glory.]

I should never have let you watch those Jackass reruns. It’s not the nineties anymore.

[Ronan makes a noise.]

Don’t pussy out on me now-

[Ronan sets the camera down and gets in the shot; the angle such as it can catch the entire length of the hill. He heads up, and there is a moment of bickering at the top that the camera doesn’t catch because that’s how far up they are. The bickering is good natured for all that - they’re not really fighting. They’re just arguing for the joy of arguing. Chainsaw is sitting at the front of the cart and she occasionally contributes her opinions in the form of cawing.

And then Adam scowls, gets in the cart, and Ronan gets in behind him. Apparently, Lynches celebrate birthdays with spectacular feats of stupidly racing down things, because Ronan pushes them. They’re both screaming after a moment, and Chainsaw opens her wings and flies away before they crash at the bottom.

Now they’re right in distance for the camera to catch them, a pile of boys at the bottom of the hill, with Ronan making a noise that’s laughing and Adam-

Adam Parrish, resident misanthropist, who has never been seen really smiling on the network (or anywhere the public can see) is smiling too, and pushing at Ronan.]

That was really fuckin’ stupid. [He’s still grinning though, far too fond as he untangles himself and moves to check out the pretty wicked scrape now on his arm. It’s then that he catches sight of their recording, moving to pick it up and hand it back to its owner when he gets a look at it properly.] Did you press something different?.

What? [He looks up. Ronan Lynch, who has never posted to the Network, didn’t realize that the red button for record and the green button for stream were different things. This is what you get when you hate phones. He gets up, and rolls his eyes, and switches it off.]

Comments

[unguibusetrostro]

[Oh, there's a slight worry from Ronan, so he squeezes Adam's hand, gently. So he knows.

So he knows it's not meant meanly.]

If you say yours is vanilla.

[The things is: Ronan already knows Adam's favorite.]

[aberth]

[ As ever, the fact that he loves Ronan slams hard into his chest and leaves him breathless. ]

Strawberry.

[ It's a simple flavour. He's never been complicated. ]

[unguibusetrostro]

[He knows, because he's watched Adam eat gelato; strawberry every time, he's pushes bowls of it Adam's way.]

Better than vanilla.

[aberth]

[ It's such a sweet gesture. It's easy to accept. He's glad that Ronan knows enough of him to make this gentle.

He takes a spoon, twirls it in between his fingers before digging in. Underneath the table, Adam presses his foot to Ronan's ankle. ] There's nothing wrong with vanilla.

[unguibusetrostro]

[It's a funny thing, to be here, in public, to be with Adam in public, to be-

With Adam, in public.]

It's fucking boring, that's what's wrong with it.

[aberth]

[ It's a date.

Adam thinks they should do it more often. ]

Some people would think chocolate is boring. Not when you can get all that weird shit now.

[unguibusetrostro]

[It's a real date, one where they can pretend like Ronan isn't setting fire to his friendship with Noah but letting his fight with him drag on.

But this is Adam's birthday.

He'll fix shit with Noah tomorrow.]

Yeah, don't start ordering that crap, either.

[aberth]

[ Adam laughs and then motions to Ronan with his spoon. ]

Y'want some of this?

[unguibusetrostro]

[He takes Adam's spoon and steals some, casually. It's not like he hasn't shared a spoon with Adam before.

Or had his tongue inside of Adam's mouth.]

[aberth]

[ He can have his tongue inside of Adam's mouth any time he likes. ]

I don't remember the last time I enjoyed my birthday.

[ He's not saying it to be self-pitying. It's just truth. And yet, here is he. Enjoying himself. ]

[unguibusetrostro]

God, and it was so much easier than the crap I had to pull for Matthew.

[He takes another bite, but really-

-but really, whenever he talks about Matthew there's a flicker of something. He's still.

Unhappy about it. About what Noah said about Matthew.]

[aberth]

Okay.

[ He lets out of breath but still continues to eat. It's better than to give his entire attention to Ronan. It makes the other boy close up. ]

Tell me what happened.

[ Because he's not stupid. ]

[unguibusetrostro]

There are rules, Parrish.

I'm not supposed to make it about me.

[He might be stalling a bit. But he's been weird the past few days. Spending more time in church. Coming home late.]

[aberth]

I get to make the rules on my birthday.

[ Scooping up more ice cream. Emotional trauma doesn't mean he'll let it go to waste. ]

Let me in, Lynch.

[unguibusetrostro]

[He looks at Adam a long minute.]

Matthew wonders if he's real.

[Like fucking Pinocchio, and Ronan is the fucked up version of the Blue Fairy.]

[aberth]

Oh.

[ He mulls this other for a minute. Part of him isn't sure which way to respond. There is an unreality about Matthew, the same way there's one to Aurora. Adam isn't sure they count as human beings, honestly. But then, they're real to Ronan. And that's what matters. ]

He'll be all right. He bounces back from a lot of shit.

[unguibusetrostro]

I didn't want him to feel that.

[He looks up at Adam.]

It' was already bad enough, wondering what the hell I am.

[aberth]

What does real matter anyway?

[ He shrugs his shoulders but holds Ronan's gaze. ] You're a Greywarren, Matthew's a dream, I'm a Magician. It doesn't stop anything. I didn't become less real when I gave myself up to Cabeswater. Matthew isn't any less real because he came from your head. He's still alive.

[unguibusetrostro]

It matters.

[He takes Adam's spoon again.]

I know that, but he doesn't. And it matters to him, if he thinks he's not, then it's my fucking fault.

[aberth]

[ Adam frowns. ]

Does he know about Aurora?

[unguibusetrostro]

Of course he knows about mom.

[They go to see her. Ronan told him. He told him all of their dad's secrets.]

[aberth]

Does he think she's any less because of that?

[ He's just trying to be reasonable. ]

[unguibusetrostro]

I don't know.

I don't know why it happened, or why I had to hear about it from Noah.

Fuck.

[He looks away, and then back at Adam.]

You know this is shitty, right? You shouldn't be doing this.

[He says it calmly so it's not that he's mad that Adam is asking. He's just.

He doesn't want Adam to feel obligated.]

[aberth]

[ He looks down at his bowl and then up again. ]

I care about you, you shitbag.

[ It's as close to love as they can get for now. ] You don't have to pretend to be okay just because it's my birthday. Fuck that. Why did Noah tell you?

[unguibusetrostro]

Because I told him he should have kept his mouth shut about being dead to my stupid kid brother.

[Matthew is dumb. But more importantly, Matthew is innocent, and Ronan needs that about Matthew. His utter innocence.]