Chapter Text
Blue decided in the first days after Adam went back to school that she would learn to play the ukulele. No one seemed to know where the idea came from, but she was determined. And she firmly believed that somewhere out on the Lynch property there was a hidden stash of musical instruments and that Ronan knew where they were.
He did, of course. Years ago, there was a Lynch family band of half-tuned instruments and music all night. Niall could get by on piano, but couldn't sing and play at the same time. So Aurora and Matthew sang, Declan beat drumsticks against hollow drums that glowed when struck, and Ronan had a rusty harmonica. None of them were very good, but talent wasn't required.
An off-white ukulele was in a barn, and Ronan knew right where it was. It was among the other arts buried in dust, the texture turned waxy after the demon had nearly unmade everything. He hadn't gotten to cleaning this particular barn yet, but the asleep animals inside seemed to be doing ok.
Ronan told Blue to wait by the doors while he checked their status. It wasn't every day, but several times a month, one of the animals was actually dead - unable to be supported by Cabeswater, however weak it was. Usually there was a smell, but Ronan couldn't be too careful with scaring Blue with more death.
When it was safe, he picked up the smooth instrument and strummed a fingernail down all the strings. Blue rubbed her palms greedily and reached for it. Ronan shoved his free hand into her shoulder and held the other behind him. She pouted.
"What do you want?"
"Set up the video calls on my computer."
Blue lifted an eyebrow. "It's been six days since he left. He's texted Gansey every day, I can't believe he hasn't talked to you."
"I didn't say he wasn't talking to me. Sometimes I just want to see his fucking face."
Ronan shoved a splintery wooden desk aside and rubbed his fingers to check for slivers. He crowded her space until she moved back toward the faint green glow of a light outside.
"Fine. Is Opal asleep?"
"She better be. It's nearly midnight. You're lucky I was awake."
Blue huffed. She had seen the shadows under Ronan's eyes, the mug of coffee with too much sugar in it on the table, the half-finished flower box in the kitchen. If she had been brave enough to wander the house, she guessed she would have found the bed untouched. Gansey hadn't been sleeping much lately either.
She led the way back the house, managing to stick to the dirt path. Ronan had a laptop on a table in the living room. He brought it to her and traded her for her new instrument. She clicked a few things and typed a few things and put a headband into her hair. She clicked more and typed more and then a phone rang.
"You did make sure Adam was going to be awake, right?"
"He said he'd wake up for it if he wasn't." Ronan picked at his chapped lips, watching the black screen.
Three dots flashed across over and over again. Blue started drumming her fingers on the keyboard, waiting. Ronan picked up his overly sugared coffee and took a long drink.
There was a hum and then a moment of static and Adam's face appeared, leaning in close to his camera. His hair was wet and Trent was in the background of the view, lounging on his bed, reading a textbook.
"Blue!" Adam said, surprised. He backed away from the camera and sat down. Behind him, Trent waved and moved around, mumbling that he needed a break anyway and he'd be back in an hour.
"Adam!" She sat up straighter as if that would close the distance between them. Turning the computer to show Ronan, Adam wiggled his fingers.
"Hi, Ronan."
Ronan was watching carefully, suspiciously, still picking at his lips. "Hey, loser."
Blue rolled her eyes and turned back to Adam. "Gansey and Henry say hi and they want to visit you. My mom says she is sending you a package of cookies."
"Oh," Adam's mouth flexed and eventually he got to a smile. "Tell her she didn't have to do that. And tell the boys they can come whenever they want. I've got plenty of floor space."
There was a beat. Blue handed the laptop to Ronan. She said, "My phone is ringing I think Gansey is wondering where I am. I'll be back."
Ronan nearly dropped the laptop while Blue hurried out to the porch. Her phone, in her hand, was dark.
Setting the computer on the table, Ronan stood in front of it and Adam smiled at him. "So you caved."
"I was just thinking about you. It's not because I missed you."
"Oh no?" Adam chuckled. He combed through his hair with his fingers and rubbed his eyes. "Already got yourself a replacement boyfriend?"
Ronan shrugged a shoulder. "Maybe I did."
"What's his name - righty or lefty?"
"Shut the fuck up." Ronan snapped while Adam laughed. "You're not funny."
"I'm hilarious and you love it."
Ronan's lips curled and he took a drink of coffee, shaking his head. "How was the first week?"
Adam grinned. "It's great. I'm in three different bio classes and an abstract math. There's a meditation class on Fridays too."
"You're turning into a hippie I swear."
"Meditation doesn't make me a hippie. Don't look at me like that. It helps to relax and lowers blood pressure."
Ronan laughed, finally sitting down into the stool. It was not the same as having Adam right in front of him, but hearing his voice was good enough. He looked the same, a little bright in the eyes for the time of night, but it could have been the reflection of the computer. Adam grabbed a sweatshirt from his nearby dresser and slipped it on.
"Did you get my letter? There was a program for the freshman to make postcards to send home. Trent and I grabbed a bunch and sold them to families before they got to the bookstore."
"You're a maniac. But no, I haven't gotten anything. Unless Opal hid it in her room. She caught a fucking rabbit and tried to keep it in her closet."
"What?"
"A rabbit. She caught it in the yard apparently."
Opal had caught it in one of the barns when she was supposed to be feeding the goats. Sometime between Ronan mowing the lawn and digging around in the garden, she carried it up to a plastic tote in her closet and managed to get a few carrots from the windowsill in the kitchen to throw in as well. If it wasn't for the smell, she could have gotten away with it.
Adam covered his face with his hands, his shoulders shaking. He snorted and said, "Oh my god."
"I've been telling you forever, things are different when you're not here."
"She hasn't been acting out?"
Ronan's nose wrinkled and he tipped his head. "Not other than that. She's been feeding the chickens and she got a couple cows to wake up by singing to them."
There was a pause and Adam slowly exhaled. "The animals are waking up?"
Ronan blinked at Adam's image, searching for eye contact but not quite getting it. "For a few hours at a time, then they pass out. I've been trying to get the strays back into the barns but they keep wandering off."
"Get some rope and tie them to trees."
"I tried that but Opal chews through the ropes."
Adam's shoulders slumped. "Well damn."
Ronan shifted in his chair. He glanced at Blue standing on the porch, talking inaudibly. "I don't want to keep you up if you have early classes."
"I don't. Is this ok?"
"What? Talking to you?"
Adam's mouth quirked. "Video chat. Are you ok with it?"
Ronan's eyes flicked to each of the corners of the screen. "For now." He flashed his teeth and Adam grinned.
"Next step is getting you a snapchat."
"False."
No matter how much his friends pressed him, Ronan refused to subscribe to any social media. Unsurprising, but it didn't stop them from trying. Sometimes Adam would lay for hours in Ronan's lap and scroll through posts to show him what Matthew and Declan were up to, where Gansey and Blue and Henry decided to travel to when they took off in the middle of the night, what Calla was baking. Ronan watched curiously, asking Adam to slow down now and then. Beyond that, he showed no interest in an account for himself.
"Worth a shot." Adam said. He yawned.
"If you've got homework, go fucking do it before you pass out. I'm not important."
Adam's mouth dropped. "It can wait until tomorrow."
"But-"
"You're important too." Adam interrupted fiercely.
Blue's armed landed around Ronan's neck and she squished her face next to his. "Yeah."
"Ugh, get off me, maggot." Instead of letting go, she kissed his cheek and he scowled.
Adam pressed a button on his keyboard to screenshot the moment. It would be distributed via email to Gansey within an hour, which would lead to Gansey calling and talking for nearly two hours.
Now and then, Gansey did that. He couldn't maintain a sleep schedule and breaking the dependency on Ronan during those times was impossible. Too much history was shared that they couldn't help but think of each other when insomnia got the best of them.
Adam made a schedule. They would video chat once a week, on Thursdays after dinner so Opal could participate. It was unfair, Adam noted, that he had it figured out when she was conveniently asleep. There was a brief back and forth about selfishness which ultimately had Ronan admitting that he missed Adam more than he wanted to say.
"We'll still talk, and I'll write letters,"
"Is this the 1700s, Parrish?" Blue snorted from the couch at that. She was politely ignoring their conversation in favor of plucking strings of her ukulele, trying to figure out some chords.
"Yes it is. The wagon train better come pick me up in October."
"I hope you don't die of consumption before then."
"That was a serious problem. But I hope you don't die of that either. Or the plague."
"Good lord, the plague. Wash your hands." Ronan chuckled and watched Adam yawn again. "Go to bed."
"I will. I-" Adam shook his head and shuffled some papers on his desk. "I'll talk to you soon."
"Ok." Ronan paused. "I don't know how to stop this." He clicked a few wrong places on the screen and huffed. Blue approached him and said her goodbyes and closed the laptop.
Ronan took a long breath and rubbed his palms over his knees.
She put an arm over his shoulders and pulled his head into her side. He didn't resist, even when her hand smoothed over his short hair and held him for a moment.
This was rare.
But neither of them commented on it, shortly after they parted. Comforting touch was new between them.
Walking her to the door, Ronan switched on the lights. She didn't have much to say and he was suddenly ready to bury himself in a pile of blankets, knowing that he wouldn't be able to slow his heart rate soon enough. She slapped his back and drew him in for a final hug because she could.
"Go to bed, you."
"Thanks, maggot."