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Adam didn’t have a lot of time in his hands, let alone to take care of a bird. Ronan had teased him about getting him a bird for his birthday, so they could match. Not that this was new, since he announced his birthday date publicly to them Ronan had been giving him ideas on the perfect gift or some shit that he just came up with. Adam always replied that his schedule was too tiny to take care of a pet, it would probably die of loneliness.
Adam loved birds, ever since Ronan had presented Chainsaw to him, he had fallen for the thing. Even if it gripped tightly on his clothes to the point of ripping them, even if its singing was totally out of tune, even if it flew berries at them the whole time, Adam loved the little bastard.
He’d wanted to get a bird since he knew about bird being able to be pets, his father however… disagreed. When he moved out he promised himself to get a bird to not be so alone all the time with his homework, but since he met Gansey things started to look up and he forgot about getting one.
Plans took a turn when Ronan came in one day with a green cheek conure in his hand with a bow with the words “happy BIRD-day Adam”. In that moment Adam lost every sense of logic and picked the bird from Ronan’s hands ― totally not brushing hands in the process ―and petting the little feathers on its head like it was silk. After that Ronan left, saying that Chainsaw was a little bitter with him and the other bird together and he needed to make things right again.
“Why a green cheek though?” he’d asked him, the bird had ―ironically― green cheeks with a little spot on the chest that made it look like it had a little bow, it also had hazelnut colored hair like feathers on its head.
“I thought it looked a lot like you” Ronan had replied, and then left through the hall and down the stairs. Adam looked at the stairs of the church and back to the bird, and it was looking back. He wondered if Ronan had dreamt it up for him, since the resemblance with himself was very accurate, it looked cute. Adam got back into his apartment and immediately started googling for more info on green cheeks, but then again, if Ronan had dreamt it up, then it wouldn’t matter if the care was consistent with the one of say: “normal” green cheeks. Adam turned and looked back at the bird, it was resting on a tower of pencils beside his homework, chirping at the paper like it knew what Latin was. Then again, Ronan.
Adam realized he hadn’t given it a name yet, and quickly thought of something, something that represented the bird specifically. The little bow perhaps, or the puff of hair, or the neatly taken-care-of nails it had ―this bird had gone to a manicure or something, like damn―.
Then logic came back to him and he remembered that the little time he had inside his house was limited by work and studying, he just couldn’t take care of it even if he wanted to, and oh he wanted to. Adam didn’t want the poor thing to suffer hunger or neglecting, the thing was just so darn cute. He tried to think of something to make time for the bird in his life, maybe he could take other shifts at work and cut his bedtime. He wasn’t going to survive like this.
The bird looked up at him and took flight over him and rested on the top of his head, puffing his feathers as he leaned in. Adam was in a loss of something like this, something this comforting, the moment the bird lay on his head he knew they were bond to each other. Even when him and the gangsey hung out from time to time, he still felt lonesome at home. He caressed the little feathers on its head like a little kitty and ―oh my god did it just purr? Needless to say, he was falling all over his bird.
“Crossbow” he murmured, thinking of the little bow like puff of feathers on the little thing’s chest. Crossbow chirped as it flew down to clench on the hem of his shirt and rest there, then fell asleep. Adam smiled to himself as he cupped the little one in his hand like a blanket.
He didn’t do his homework that day.
Adam woke up to the sound of chirping and the feeling of grasps over his head. Crossbow was jumping on his head like a little kid on his birthday. Adam remembered that it was Monday and he had to get to school early that day. He jumped out of bed and reached for him alarm clock, unfortunately, the clock didn’t work, and the alarm wasn’t going to go off. Fortunately, he had his watch, he took it and checked the hour to see if he had slept in. It was the time that the alarm should’ve gone off, maybe it did but he didn’t hear it in time. He checked again if the clock was really broken, it still was.
Then he looked over to Crossbow and remembered how he’d waken up, the bird knew when to wake him. But he didn’t have time to get amazed, he needed to get ready for school. Crossbow followed him around curiously, but never getting in his way.
When he was ready, he stopped at the door frame and turned back to Crossbow, it moved his head to the side like he tried to understand something complicated.
“You. Here.” He told the bird, and left through the stairs and down to his bike. He peddled to Aglionby calmly and sure of him getting there in time for the first time this month.
When he got there, he chained his bike and got in, hoping that crossbow was going to be okay without him. He’d made some homemade bird food for it, so he guessed it was fine. Also, he’d left the window opened so it could get out whenever he needed to. It was going to be fine.
Adam made his way through the hallways and inside his classroom, getting his things ready for when first period started, then he checked that everything he needed was inside his backpack. It wasn’t.
He started taking apart his backpack looking for the homework assignment he was supposed to bring to his first class today. It wasn’t there, he was doomed. He swore loudly as Ronan entered the room followed by Gansey.
“Hey nerd” Ronan chanted as he made his way beside him on his bench, the way his collar was done made Adam even more nervous. He wanted to reach out and fix it for him.
“Hi Adam!” Gansey exclaimed, he looked at Adam for a time before slowly adding “You look nervous” then his sight made his way through his backpack and some papers that had fallen to the ground.
“Maybe his bird wouldn’t leave him alone” Ronan added, Gansey looked horrified, probably thinking that that had meant something else. That made Adam even more nervous.
“Ronan” Adam started as his composure painfully crumbled to the ground, he reached for Ronan’s collar to fix it as he added “I have a bone to pick with you actually”, when he touched his collar he felt Ronan flinch under the touch, Adam would’ve too if he weren’t so fricking adrenaline-full. After he fixed it he added again “leaving a bird in my door for my birthday, how nice” he growled, looking back at Gansey to notice his expression had relaxed a bit.
Ronan didn’t say anything for a moment after Adam retreated his hands away from him, then he tried to make sense of what just happened, ―holy shit― he had reached to fix his collar like it was the most normal thing to do between friends and absolutely flipped because it obviously wasn’t. Not only that, but he’d said, “I have a bone to pick with you” as he did it. He said bone after a dick joke. He had gotten inch close to Ronan as he said a dick joke.
He bit the inside of his cheek and let his thoughts wander for a moment trying to hide the obvious hot pink that was rising up his neck to the top of his ears.
“Lost my uh, assignment… yea” he mumbled, trying to forget that ever happened, he laughed awkwardly after that ―like a fucking weirdo.
“Oh!” Gansey said, apparently oblivious to the whole situation “You can copy mine if you-“then the bell rang, first period started, he was fucked.
Adam swore loudly and the under his breath as the teacher came in with some notes glued to his chest by his hands. He looked down at his hands clenching to his uniform as everyone got to their seats. Maybe he could say that he forgot it, he was a good student, the teacher would understand, totally. He was going to die.
He felt a little thud on his side, and then another, and another. Adam thought it was the rushing of his blood on his head or the beating of his hart on his head, then:
“Umm… Mr. Parrish?” the teacher said, looking over him and back at the window and back.
“Yes!” he failed to sound a bit normal and ended up voice cracking.
The teacher made a head motion to the window and looked back at Adam, he looked swiftly to the right and he saw Crossbow, with his fucking assignment in his claws.
“Crossbow?” he murmured, he also felt Ronan smirking, probably trying not to laugh.
Adam opened the window and Crossbow flew over to the teacher and laid the assignment on his desk like a little kid giving a paper to their third-grade teacher. It stood there like he was waiting for a response, then the teacher took the assignment and analyzed it.
“Great job Parrish, didn’t know you had a messenger bird, let alone one that brings you your homework” he said, petting the little bird, with a little bit of amusement in his voice. Adam was still glued to the floor in astonishment by the little ball of feathers. Crossbow chirped happily and went to rest on top of his head, picking at the little hairs on his head. Then it took flight and went out the window but not too far, he rested on top of a branch right next to his window.
Some of his classmates gasped in amusement while Ronan broke into laughing.
“You named it Crossbow? That’s genius Parrish wow!” he chuckled while Adam slowly got back to his seat, now completely flushed by his words.
The class was much more interesting after that, for the first time, Adam didn’t get bored in school that Monday.
After the bell rang everyone stormed out of their classes and out the front yard to the parking lot, Adam moved to his bike chained to one of the school’s pillars and freed it from the chains. As he did this, Ronan came beside him in his BMW and rolled down the window to look at him.
“Get in nerd we’re going for a ride” he announced, looking at Adam with a challenging expression.
“Can’t, got to take care of homework and Crossbow” and as he said this, Crossbow came flying in and clenched to his back “speaking on the devil” he murmured letting Crossbow rub it’s face all over his Aglionby sweater “I missed you too buddy” Crossbow came to rest on top of his head again, the bird literally melted on top of him.
Adam then considered his options, he was ahead one week of homework, and he could bring Crossbow with him and by some seed for it on the go, he could do this. Adam looked back to Ronan to find him looking away to the front of the car, his knuckles were white because of the tight grip on the steering wheel. He was biting his lip, hard. He looked embarrassed, for some reason. He looked… cute.
Adam shook his head and looked at Crossbow to see if he hadn’t shooed her away. But no, she was still gripping on his hair.
“Actually… maybe I can hang around a bit today” he was in a good mood, he wasn’t going to waste this, he got this happy too little to waste this. Ronan quickly looked up from where he was sitting and made the car roar in response.
Ronan got out and helped Adam put his bike in the back and they went to their seats. They slowly turned to the streets of Henrietta and they picked up speed as they went far out into the road.
“Where are we going exactly? Adam asked, since they were leaving the outskirts of the town into the road close to woods, he couldn’t guess where they were headed other than the Barns.
“To mate” Ronan announced cheerfully, Adam took this in and then his stomach flipped upside down and up and down again. He almost coughed on his own saliva, Ronan must’ve noticed his reaction and added “shit, no, Parrish, shit, not like that, fuck. I mean…” he babbled, then took a breath in and added “your bird needs a girlfriend or boyfriend or whatever, right? I was thinking maybe we could get it close to Cabeswater and find him/her/whatever someone to, you know the drill”
Adam felt himself relax a bit and laughed hysterically at what just happened “We’re not good with words, are we Lynch?” he extolled.
He felt Crossbow lean in on him and then look up franticly as another bird came in from the back and laid itself over Adam too.
“Hey, Chainsaw” Ronan said, looking at the bird and pointing at his own head, Chainsaw stood there with Adam ignoring him completely. “Fucking- whatever” he looked back at the road growling to himself while Adam still laughed about what just happened.
The car swept into silence and Adam took a moment to stare a t the window, dawn was hitting on the landscape like a warm lightbulb over a professional painting in a museum, it really made the little patched of trees to his right stand out, suddenly he wanted to draw them. He took out of his backpack a notebook and a pencil and started sketching the trees on the thin paper.
He felt Ronan’s gaze on him as he started coloring the trees, Adam looked up and he swiftly looked back at the road. Blushing, he noted. Then Adam had an idea, he positioned himself sideways focusing on Ronan and started sketching. Ronan looked back and forth in between the road and him skeptical. When Adam was finished he took the sketchbook up and showed Chainsaw and Crossbow the drawing murmuring “What do you think?” Crossbow lay on the drawing and rubbed his face on the paper chirping happily, Chainsaw cawed “Kerah Kerah” while fluttering her wings.
Adam smiled to himself and took the time to look at the drawing and back at Ronan, he could see some mistakes, but he corrected them without a care in the world. The drawing and Ronan looked exactly the same now. Adam took the notebook and hugged it.
“What is that?” Ronan pondered, looking at him all sharp, but Adam could see some interest and curiosity sweeping from his voice.
“Nothing” he took the notebook and tried to hide it, but Ronan took it and looked for the drawing, Adam went berserk and fought with him to get the notes back. Ronan had to pull over the side of the road to keep them from dying.
“Ronan for the love of Jesus give me that right now!” Adam warned, letting his accent slip a bit. Ronan found the page eventually and Adan gave up. He hugged his legs and hid his face in anticipation and embarrassment. He left hot pink again rising to his face not willing to go away.
“Didn’t know you…” he paused as he saw the drawing “you were actually catholic…” his voice deepened at that part of the sentence. Adam saw him look at the drawing amusingly like he found the remains of the Titanic, he caressed the paper and took his time before lending the notebook back to Adam as he looked at his window “n-nice uh, drawing, you’re really good!” he stuttered.
“Thanks” Adam said reaching for the notebook, as he took it, he noticed something moving in his peripheral and noticed Crossbow and Chainsaw leaning into each other like a fucking lovey dovey couple. Ronan looked at them too just rubbing each other’s faces into one another.
“Wow a raven and a green cheek, who could’ve guessed” he said, then both of them looked at each other, Adam did not notice they were that close, his hands were still brushing by both of them still grabbing the notebook.
Adam felt as his heart went to fifty to a fucking hundred miles a second, having Ronan this close to him was making him feel more nervous than when he lost his assignment, then he noticed Ronan’s ears were turning pink, fuck, then noticed the sharp breaths over his mouth, fuck, then remembered his own blush started rising up again under his neck, fuck, and now Ronan was leaning in.
FUCK
They didn’t drop the notebook as their lips brushed, and then it fell to the floor of the BMW as Ronan went to cup Adam’s face and he went to surround the other boy in his arms, they kissed, and kissed. Adam felt his head spin as Ronan slowly drew back, but he already leaned in again and Ronan didn’t seem to object. They were a mess of tangled limbs as Adam leaned over him on his seat to sink deeper into the kiss. He couldn’t tell if this was a dream but god he hoped it was not. Their mouths parted and now tongue wrestling came into the picture. He couldn’t read his own thoughts anymore, his mind filled up with Ronan.
He slid his hands under Ronan’s shirt, feeling the muscle there and tracing the now well-known tattoo that creeped up from his collar. He felt himself moan, or maybe it was Ronan, or maybe the both of them. Ronan held him even closer until there weren’t any parts of their bodies that they weren’t touching. He felt Ronan’s hand clenching at his shirt trying to pull it up.
Then the birds started cawing and chirping at them like they were watching a romance novel. Adam was the first to pull back and took the situation in, they were both panting on each other’s mouths like they ran a hundred-mile marathon.
“Fuck” he murmured, Ronan smirked and nodded at him, he looked like a total wreck. His hands went to cup Adam’s cheek and the other went to hold at his hips. They touched their foreheads and Ronan went to sloppily nip at his lips. Adam leaned in and gave him another sweet kiss, but pulled away quickly this time trying not to suffocate both of them.
He felt something pressing on his crotch and immediately the pink on his face turned hot red. Ronan noticed this and let go of Adam in surprise. He moved back to his seat and looked at Ronan re-accommodate himself back in his seat, grunting sadly for the loss of touch.
Adam took the time to take all Ronan in, they he had when he made the drawing, looking from his face to his chest and back all over again, then noticed Ronan was doing the same with him.
“Fuck indeed” Ronan laughed, his sharp edges had turned into soft ones as his sight wandered to Adam, his voice hoarse. Then he looked back at Chainsaw and Crossbow, both resting on the backseat asleep “the little shits broke the moment” to that Adam chuckled.
“Do I have to wait to get back home for that?” He implied and waited for Ronan to get the indirect.
“Sadly yes, these fuckers would ruin it again” he said, taking back the keys and starting the car again. The looked at each other for a while and Ronan put the BMW in motion back to the town, or so he thought “Back to the Barns?” he suggested.
“Fuck yes” Adam challenged, leaning into Ronan to rest his head on his shoulder.
“It’ll be a fucking pleasure beautiful” he said speeding down the road to the little barns, Adam couldn’t think of anything that would give him as much adrenaline as kissing Ronan, not even his speeding rides.