Work Text:
One Week Earlier
“That’s the last bag, I think.” Gansey tossed his duffel into the back of the shiny new Suburban Ronan knew he despised. “Henry, are you ready?”
“All packed,” Henry said. “Let’s hit the road!”
Gansey turned to Ronan. They were standing in the parking lot of their apartment building, loading Gansey’s car for the trip back to Northern Virginia.
“I’ve already told my mother to add you to the guest list,” Gansey said. “You have to be there.”
“Gansey,” Ronan said. They’d already had this argument, at least a dozen times.
“Ronan,” Gansey said. “My mother is running for the Senate. The least you can do is show up the night before the election.”
“I don’t like your family’s politics,” Ronan said.
“You don’t care about politics.”
“It’ll still be a cold day in hell before I vote Republican, Dick.”
Gansey sighed and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “No one’s saying you have to vote for her. Just be there, be presentable, and find someone who will keep you civil.”
“What, like a date?” Ronan was temporarily thrown off course. “You want me to bring a date to a Republican party? I don’t lie, Gansey.”
Gansey knew exactly what Ronan meant. “You can if you want. It might be good for them. If you don’t want to deal with it, bring a… friendly plus-one.”
“Maggot,” Ronan said immediately. Blue’s head popped up on the other side of the car.
“I’m already Gansey’s date. I’m going to sabotage his mother’s chances before the election even starts.” She grinned wickedly.
Gansey, who didn’t love his mother’s politics any more than the rest of them did, didn’t say anything. He went around the car and kissed Blue goodbye.
“I still can’t believe I’m doing this,” he muttered. Then he handed Ronan the keys.
It was the deal they had made a week ago. Ronan showed up to the party, acted civil, and helped prove to Mrs. Gansey that her son wasn’t wasting his life in Henrietta. In exchange, Ronan drove the Pig for three weeks.
“Take care of my car,” Gansey said. “No street racing.”
Ronan didn’t lie, so he stayed quiet.
Present Day
Ronan dug frantically through the pockets of his jacket and jeans. “Fuck! Come on, come on…”
He finally found his phone, three feet away from him, face down on the asphalt. The screen was cracked, but when Ronan hit the power button, it turned on.
Ronan scrolled through his contacts and hit the call button next to the string of blue emojis that made up the contact’s first name. The phone rang only once before someone picked up.
“You’ve reached the Psychic Hotline at 300 Fox Way. What can I do for you?”
“Is Blue home?”
“Oh. Hello, Ronan.”
Ronan wasn’t in the mood to deal with Blue’s cousin today.
“Get Blue.”
“There’s no need to be rude—Blue! Phone for you! One of your boys.”
A moment later, there was a scuffle over the line as the phone changed hands. Ronan paced back and forth over the grass at the side of the road.
“Ronan? Are you using a phone?”
“Yes. I need your help.”
“And you just admitted to needing help. Where are you? I’m on my way.”
“I’m about a mile from Monmouth. Can you come pick me up?”
“You can’t walk a mile?” Blue’s tone changed from concerned to suspicious. “Ronan, what did you do?”
“I fucking destroyed the Pig.”
Blue pulled up in the passenger seat of Noah’s old red Mustang. Both Noah and Blue’s faces were some mix of anger, worry, and sadness as they took in the sight of the wreaked Pig.
“How?” Blue asked, climbing out of the car.
“How do you think? Racing,” Ronan snapped. “What, no I’m so glad you’re alive, Ronan, we’ll worry about the car later once we’ve made sure you’re not fucking dying?”
“You’ll be dead when Gansey hears about this,” Noah says. “God. Damn. Blue, wanna call him?”
“No!” Ronan cried. Both Blue and Noah turned to face him. He cleared his throat. “Don’t tell Gansey. I’ve got two weeks. I’ll have it fixed by the time we leave for DC.”
“You don’t know the first thing about fixing cars,” Blue said.
“There’s got to be a mechanic who can fix it.”
Blue sighed. “Look, I know a guy. But I’m only doing this because I love my boyfriend, and he’ll be crushed if he realizes you totaled his car. Alright? You are out of favors from me.”
Ronan nodded. Blue pulled out her phone.
“This is gonna be awkward,” she muttered. “Please don’t have blocked my number, please don’t have blocked my number…. Adam!”
Blue turned away, her phone pressed to her ear.
“Hey, yeah. It has been a while, hasn’t it... Yeah, we should, actually. I’d love that... No, that was on me. Not your fault... Hey, any chance you still work at Boyd’s?”
There was some chatter over the line, and Blue nodded enthusiastically.
“Yeah! My friend managed to wreck a Pig. I don’t know anything about cars. It’s old. And orange. And dearly beloved by its owner. Any chance you could take a look at it?”
More chatter, and then— “You’re a lifesaver, Adam. Seriously. Nino’s tomorrow night? We should catch up… See you then.”
Blue lowered the phone and turned to glare at Ronan. “Okay. We’re going to call Boyd’s. It’s this mechanic’s place in town. You remember my ex-boyfriend? We were dating before he transferred to Aglionby.”
“No.”
“Okay, well, he’s going to fix the Pig. Not for free, so good thing you’re rich.”
“What’s his name?”
Blue was already on her way back to the Mustang. “Adam Parrish.”
A tow truck came for what was left of the Pig, and Ronan hitchhiked into town by himself. By the time he got to Boyd’s, the car was already installed in one of the garage berths. There was a pair of legs in oil-stained jeans sticking out from under it.
“This is gonna run you a lot,” the man behind the cash register said. “You sure it’s not worth just replacing it?”
“Do you know where I can find another one of those?” Ronan snapped. “Same make and model and all that shit? No? Then I’ll pay. I don’t care how much.”
The man ran Ronan’s credit card through the machine. Ronan took a cursory glance at the amount before he signed the receipt. It was a lot, but he’d spent more.
Ronan walked toward the back of the shop, ignoring the man’s warnings to keep his distance. The person under the car wheeled himself forward, hands still braced against the metal frame, and met Ronan’s gaze.
“You know, it’s usually a good idea to look at what you’re paying before you say you’ll pay anything,” Adam Parrish said.
Before that day, Ronan hadn’t stopped to consider whether or not he had a specific type. He hadn’t realized he was into the whole mechanic-who-just-got-back-from-the-shop look. Or maybe he would’ve been into Adam anywhere he met him.
Either way, Ronan was screwed.
“I did look,” he managed. “I just didn’t care.”
Adam’s face closed off. Ronan knew immediately he’d fucked that up.
“Well,” he said coolly. “Some of us can’t afford to just throw money down on stuff like this.”
“I don’t know how to fix cars,” Ronan said.
“Maybe you should learn.” Adam got back to his feet and pulled a rag out of his pocket. He wiped at a smear of grease on his cheek. It didn’t budge.
“Look,” Adam said. “I’m doing this as a favor to Blue, because I don’t like how we ended things, and because I could use the money for college. It doesn’t really have anything to do with you. So could you observe, or whatever it is you’re doing, from over there?” He gestured towards the front of the shop.
“Sure thing,” Ronan said. “Fucking whatever.”
“You could have warned me,” Ronan said.
It had been almost exactly twenty-four hours since Ronan had dropped the Pig off at Boyd’s. He was sitting on the edge of Blue’s bed, watching her glue more paper leaves onto the canvas trees she’d made for her walls.
“Warned you about what?” Blue asked. “I don’t think I owed you any warnings. I’m still pissed at you, remember?”
“You didn’t tell me you used to have decent taste in men.”
“You mean Adam?” Blue snorted as she stuck the last leaf to the wall. “I should have known he’d be your type.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“Hopelessly out of your league.”
“Go to hell, Sargent,” Ronan said. “I do not have a thing for boys who are out of my league.”
“You do, actually. First that crush on Gansey, now Adam.”
She had a point, but Ronan wasn’t going to admit it.
“Hey, Parrish.”
Ronan was leaning against the wall at Boyd’s, watching Adam mess around under the Pig’s crumpled hood.
“How’s the car?”
“You’re lucky it only got scraped up on the side,” Adam said. “If you’d hit something head on, there’s no way I’d have this done in two weeks.” He went back to work, and didn’t look at Ronan again.
It was better than yesterday. Ronan considered it a victory.
The next day, Ronan went back. He brought sandwiches.
“Are you just going to show up every day?” Adam asked.
“I was planning to,” Ronan said. “Unless there’s somewhere else you want me to be?”
“Anywhere,” Adam said. “Literally, anywhere else.”
Ronan didn’t have a lot of experience flirting, but he thought the conversation went alright. Adam refused to have a sandwich, though.
Every day for the next four days, Ronan went back to Boyd’s.
Most of the time, Adam ignored him, which was just as well. Ronan was there to check on the car. He told himself that, because it was true, and didn’t think anything like I’m only there for the car, because that would have been lying.
Sometimes, though, Adam would talk to him. He clearly thought Ronan was a pretentious asshole, but Ronan didn’t mind that too much. Adam wasn’t far off.
“Do you do anything?” Adam asked. “Like, as a job? Or do you just sit around all day?”
“I’m a farmer,” Ronan said casually. He didn’t mention how his younger brother was doing all the farm work these days.
“You have a farm.”
“I do. With cows. Want to see pictures?”
Adam did, so Ronan spent an hour swiping through the photos of cows on his phone, trying to ignore the way Adam kept leaning against him to get a closer look at the screen.
The day after the cows, Ronan made sure he had some recent photos of his raven, Chainsaw, saved. Adam was quiet for the first part of the day, but when his lunch break rolled around, he sat down next to Ronan and pulled out a granola bar.
“What the fuck are you doing over here?” Ronan asked.
“I’ve gotten used to you, I guess,” Adam said.
Blue would not leave the DC thing alone.
“I swear, Ronan,” she said. “I will call Gansey. Please tell me you have a suit.”
“I didn’t realize this was a goddamn funeral.”
“Ronan Lynch.”
“Fine, yes, I’ll borrow one from Declan. Happy?”
Blue crossed her arms. “Uh huh. Anything else you’re supposed to be doing?”
Ronan racked his brain for anything Gansey had said that he might have forgotten. “I’m supposed to find a date, right? Fuck. I’ll ask someone. Don’t call Gansey.”
“Yeah, no—I mean, yes, please, someone who can keep an eye on you, but actually I meant you’re supposed to be getting the Pig fixed. Remember that?”
“Adam’s working as fast as he can.”
“I’m holding you responsible if it’s not done.”
Ronan sighed. He and Blue had been sitting on the front porch of 300 Fox Way, eating ice cream sandwiches. Ronan licked the last of the melting vanilla ice cream off his fingers and said, “Sargent, would it be weird if your ex was my fake date?”
“Were you planning on asking him to be your fake date? Isn’t that lying? I thought you didn’t do that.”
“It is not lying,” Ronan said. “We’re going to act in a certain way, and people will see what they want to see.”
“You’re very flexible about your morals.”
“I am not,” Ronan said. “And I was planning on asking him, unless he’s straight. In that case, tell me now so I can ask Noah instead.”
Blue said, “No comment.”
“So, Parrish,” Ronan said.
It was Ronan’s eighth day in the shop, watching Adam fix the Pig. It was coming along nicely, Ronan thought. The hood no longer looked like a giant had stomped on it.
“Yeah?” Adam was halfway under the car again, apparently unhappy with something under there.
“How do you feel about a bunch of rich political-type assholes, all gathered in the same place to talk about useless shit?”
“You mean a party?” Adam scooted himself out from under the car and sat up, interested. “Good oppourtunity to make an impression. Play your cards right and there could be an internship in it for you. Why do you ask? Aren’t those your people?”
“Oh, fuck no,” Ronan said. “My father made his money illegally. I guess these people do too, but at least Dad was honest about how he did it. Would you want to go to one of those things?”
“I’d be interested,” Adam said cautiously. He didn’t even ask how Ronan’s father had made his money.
“My friend Gansey—you know, the Pig’s owner—his mother is running for one of the Senate seats. There’s a party, and I have a ticket for a plus-one.”
“Please tell me this isn’t your idea of a thank-you for the car, or a pity handout.” Adam looked more than a little pissed.
“What? No. I told you, I need a plus-one for this fucking thing.”
“Why don’t you ask Blue?”
Ronan raised his eyebrows. “One, she’s going with Gansey. Two, she’s Gansey’s girlfriend. Three, I’m gay, and four, Blue’s like a sister to me. This is kind of a date situation.”
“So you’re asking me out,” Adam said slowly, “And also bribing me with political opportunities.”
“I’m not asking you to, like, jump into a committed relationship,” Ronan said. “And I don’t do casual. I’m asking you to act a certain way at one event and let people draw their own conclusions, so they’ll leave me the fuck alone.”
“Right.” Adam looked down at his old sneakers, then back up at Ronan. “I’ll do it, then.”
“Hey, Blue.” Ronan waved from the curb outside 300 Fox Way. Blue jogged down the driveway to join him.
“Hi, Ronan.”
“So Adam said yes,” Ronan said. “To the whole fake date thing.”
“Oh really?” Blue asked. “You’re actually interested in him, though.”
Ronan didn’t dignify that with a response.
“I’m going out to my farm today,” Ronan said.
It was three days before they were all supposed to leave for DC. Adam was crawling around underneath the Pig again. He’d brought an entire toolbelt this time.
“That’s great,” Adam said. “Have fun.”
“I’m asking if you want to come with me, asshole,” Ronan said. “If you’re going to be my fake boyfriend, you should see the farm. Meet my brother. All that nonsense.”
“I’m not bringing you to my place.”
“Your choice. Want to come to mine?”
Adam pushed himself out from under the car and smiled.
Ronan parked the car in front of the Barns and slammed the driver’s side door behind himself. Adam closed the passenger door a little more carefully, and followed Ronan to the house.
Ronan glanced back at Adam as he unlocked the front door. Adam’s face was perfectly composed.
“Matthew?” Ronan called, stepping into the house. “Matthew!”
Ronan’s younger brother came storming down the stairs. “Ronan!”
“Hey.” Ronan hugged his brother and ruffled his curls. “Is Declan here?”
“No,” Matthew said. “He had something in DC. He’ll be back tonight.”
“I’ll be gone by tonight,” Ronan said. “Hey, do me a favor. I need to borrow one of Declan’s suits. Does he have one that’ll fit?”
“He should.” Matthew turned and started back up the stairs.
“We’ll be out back!” Ronan called after him.
“So these are the cows,” Adam said.
The cows were wandering all over the Barns property, contained only by the fence that surrounded the entire yard.
“Yep,” Ronan said. “The little shits do what they want. Crap all over the yard, too, so watch out.”
Adam glanced down at the grass.
“Come on,” Ronan said. “I’ll introduce you to this one.”
Ronan approached the closest cow. She turned to face him, huffing softly, and put her large, wet nostrils right in his face.
Ronan pushed her head down slightly and stroked her nose, humming softly. The cow closed her eyes, and Ronan smiled.
When he glanced back, Adam was watching him. Ronan didn’t know what that expression meant, but the moment Adam realized he was looking, it was gone.
“Here,” Ronan said. “You can pet her.”
Adam walked over and rested his hand gently against the cow’s shoulder. The cow twisted her head away from Ronan, looked at Adam, and closed her eyes again.
Ronan didn’t use his phone, but right then, he wished he did, just so he could take a picture of this moment.
Adam finished the Pig, and Ronan paid Boyd’s more than the car was worth. Adam grimaced when he saw the bill, but he said nothing.
Adam drove, because Blue said he had to. Ronan sat in the passenger seat. Noah and Blue packed themselves into the back, and somehow, the car held together all the way to DC.
Gansey greeted them at the door, exchanged fist bumps with Noah and Ronan, kissed Blue, and said, “At least my car is in one piece.” He cast the Pig a longing look.
Adam coughed. Ronan elbowed him in the side.
“Who’s this?” Gansey asked.
“My date,” Ronan said. “Well. Sort of. Adam, Gansey. Gansey, Adam.”
Gansey and Adam shook hands, and Gansey said, “It’s nice to meet you, Adam. I’ve heard a lot from Blue.” It was a mark of the kind of person Gansey was that he didn’t sound jealous at all. “The party starts in a few hours. I’ll take you all upstairs to get ready.”
Ronan had never been so miserable in his life.
The Gansey’s living room was crowded with people in fancy ballgowns and black suits. All of Ronan’s friends had disappeared into the crowd; Gansey and Adam were making their way around the room, shaking hands. Blue was already arguing with someone, and Ronan was sure that not only was Blue right, but that she would win easily. Noah and Henry had disappeared.
“You’re a friend of Richard’s, aren’t you?” someone asked. Ronan turned. There was an older woman next to him, smiling gently.
Ronan didn’t like old people. They made him nervous, but Gansey had told him to be civil.
“Yes,” he said.
“How wonderful,” the woman said. “I knew his grandmother, back in the day. Are you here with friends?”
“Something like that,” Ronan said.
“Well,” the woman said. “The young lady over there is quite a spitfire. You know her?”
“Blue? She’s Gansey’s girlfriend,” Ronan said shortly. “Look, I need to—”
Ronan glanced back over his shoulder, into the crowd. Adam was gone.
Ronan searched through most of the crowd. Adam was nowhere to be found.
Eventually, Ronan made his way out of the party. The rest of the house was quiet, and Ronan made his way down fancy hallways lined with expensive art. Ronan didn’t understand why you would buy art when you could just make it yourself.
He turned another corner at random and climbed a staircase to the second floor. Adam was sitting at the top, watching Ronan.
“Hi,” Ronan said. He sat down next to Adam on the top step. “Nice to see you, too. Were you planning to just peace out halfway through this shitshow?”
“I wasn’t planning to,” Adam said. “I used to think I wanted this, you know?” Adam gestured to the house and the art and the money all around them. “And I still do. But I was talking to those people, and they don’t care. They didn’t work for what they have, and they’re not doing any good with it. They just hoard it. I don’t want to be like that.”
Ronan nodded. He wasn’t sure what to say, so he went with, “I hate this shit too.”
“I know,” Adam said.
“And I don’t know why I’m here or what I’m doing.”
“I know.”
“And…” Ronan cleared his throat. Blue had been right. The fake date had been a lie, but not just to the people at this party. He’d lied to Adam. “And I like you.”
Adam turned to face Ronan. “I know.”
“Oh, no you don’t,” Ronan grumbled. “You do not get to be the Han Solo in this relationship—”
Adam leaned over and kissed Ronan.
When he pulled away, he said, “I’m honestly surprised you’ve seen Star Wars.”
Ronan laughed and reached for Adam’s hand. Adam let him take it.
“So,” Ronan said. “There’s this really shitty grocery store a few miles from here. I always go there when Gansey invites me here and I want orange juice at 3 in the goddamn morning. Wanna go there?”
“Sure.”
A Week Later
Ronan paced back and forth across the bottom floor of Monmouth Manufacturing, kicking pieces of plywood out of his way as he went. Most of Ronan’s friends were gathered in the apartment upstairs.
Ronan needed to just bite the bullet.
He marched up the stairs and opened the door before he could change his mind.
“Ronan,” Gansey said. “What took you so long?”
“I’ve been here for almost half an hour,” Ronan admitted.
Blue and Gansey were sitting squished together in Gansey’s favorite padded leather chair. Noah was in the bathroom/kitchen/laundry room, swearing (as much as Noah ever swore, anyway) at the top of his voice. Ronan wasn’t sure why, but he assumed they were out of whipped cream for Noah’s Eggo waffles. Henry was sprawled out on Gansey’s bed, looking at something on his phone.
“I crashed the car,” Ronan announced.
The swearing in the back stopped. Noah poked his head through the door, half a waffle in his hand, mouth hanging open. Blue literally facepalmed. Henry didn’t look up; Noah must have told him. Gansey stood, adjusting his glasses.
“Excuse me?”
“I took the Pig racing and I fucking totaled it. A couple weeks ago,” Ronan said. “I got it fixed and shit, but I wanted you to know.”
“Oh,” Gansey said. “Ronan, I thought you meant just now. Blue told me about the Pig the day it happened. Please try not to give me a heart attack like that again.” Gansey sat back down next to Blue, who looked extremely pleased with herself—like the cat that caught the canary.
“What the fuck,” Ronan said.
“Blue assured me that the best mechanic in town was working on it, and that this would cure you of your street racing once and for all,” Gansey said. “Ronan, I knew you’d race with the car when I gave it to you. I didn’t think you’d crash it, but if it gets you to break the habit, well, then I suppose all’s well that ends well.”
“I can’t believe you,” Ronan began. Then his phone buzzed with a text. “We’ll finish this later.”
He crossed the apartment and let Adam in.
“Hey, Adam,” Blue said. “May I be the first to judge you for your life choices.”
“No,” Adam said. He set his bag down on the floor and kissed Ronan on the cheek. Henry looked up from his phone.
“Ah, young love. Parrish, you could probably do better.”
Ronan flipped him off.
“So you guys are, like, actually a thing?” Noah asked. He was hanging out the door to the kitchen/bath/laundry, still holding his half of a waffle. “I thought that was just a temporary date for the party.”
Adam shrugged.
Ronan said, “Yeah.”
“To which?” Noah asked.
Ronan said, “Both.”