Work Text:
Adam had his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was one of skepticism. His fine mouth turned down in a bit of a frown, fair brows furrowed.
It didn't make him look any less handsome as he stared at Ronan, who was straddling the elegant, rough-and-ready motorcycle he'd dreamt for Adam what felt like ages ago. The expression looked at home on Adam's face.
While Ronan preferred Adam smiling, his concentrated expression was just as appealing.
"You're sure you're ready?" Adam asked, dubious.
He'd been showing Ronan how to operate and ride the bike nearly all afternoon. It was the first nice spring day and after waking up late and fooling around, Ronan had dragged Adam out of the house for lessons.
Adam had said he'd teach Ronan, returning the favor from when Ronan had taught him how to drive stick. Ronan was going to make sure that Adam made good on his word. Not to mention the added benefits to all of this.
Ronan got to watch Adam ride the motorcycle, which was a beautiful sight to behold, and then he got the chance to ride said motorcycle. Ronan had been thinking about it on and off since they'd gotten back to Virginia. They'd needed some time to just recover but now that things felt like they were finally on solid ground, everyone's ships righted, Ronan's attention had turned back to the bike.
Adam had been willing to show him the ropes and he was an excellent teacher. He was thorough and surprisingly patient. He gave as good as he got when Ronan teased him but kept them on track.
He showed Ronan the breaks and throttle, the clutch, shifting. He explained that the bike wasn't as complicated as real world bikes because Ronan had dreamt it and since Ronan wasn't completely familiar with how real world bikes worked because he'd never ridden one, the dreamt one was Ronan's best approximation.
Ronan had only been paying half a mind to what Adam was saying though because he kept getting distracted.
Adam's hands resting over Ronan's, showing him how much pressure to apply to the throttle. They were elegant and lovely as always, warm, calloused, veins standing out prominently, healing scars from being chapped across his knuckles. The closeness of Adam, how warm he was as he leaned against Ronan a little, guiding him. The scent of his hair as Adam leaned close, instructing him. The instructions themselves (Ronan liked when Adam told him what to do).
Their eyes met more than once. Adam's eyebrow arching at Ronan, a knowing smile on his face.
"Are you paying attention, Ronan?"
"Sure."
And Adam would blush a little, shake his head, a knowing smile on his face, and go back to his instruction.
It couldn't be that hard though, right? Ronan had gotten at least the gist of things. It would be fine.
"Yeah. This'll be easy," Ronan replied and Adam's brows furrowed deeper.
"Keep telling yourself that, Lynch."
Ronan waved Adam off, calling him a 'Doubting Thomas', and Adam raised his arms in surrender.
Ronan concentrated, summoning up what he had heard of what Adam had told him. He eased up on the brakes, engaged the clutch into first, worked the throttle, and rolled forward on the bike.
"See!" Ronan called to Adam, looking at him. Adam looked alarmed.
"Watch where you're going, shithead!" he called back and Ronan snapped his head forward because Adam was right. The last thing he needed was to drive into a tree.
It was happening. He was doing it. He was riding the bike. He was mostly balanced, his hands gripping to the bars. Now how to stop...
Ronan squeezed the brake on the handlebar for the front tire, forgetting about the back tire. The bike stopped and Ronan was lurched forward. He didn't fly over the handlebars but he hit them pretty hard, right in the solar plexus.
"Ronan!"
"I'm fine!" he replied and then promptly dumped the bike. "Fuck. Ow."
He heard Adam's hurried footsteps in the gravel and then the motorcycle was pulled off of him.
"Are you okay?" Adam asked, his accent thicker in his concern.
"Shit. Yeah. Jesus."
Adam kicked down the kickstand of the bike and offered his hands to help Ronan to his feet.
"Don't say it," Ronan growled. Adam's lips twitched briefly.
"Say what?" Adam's eyebrows raised, his face looking surprisingly innocent and boyish but Ronan wasn't falling for it.
"I'm going again."
This continued for several minutes, Ronan trying to remember balancing and clutching and the gears and braking for both front and back tires.
He knew he was going to be as bruised and banged up as Adam had been when he'd first ridden the bike from Massachusetts to Virginia. He was determined and stubborn, he was going to nail this.
And he did. Eventually. Just as the sun was lowering in the sky, Adam pulling on Ronan's Carhartt jacket to keep warm as the temperature dropped. Ronan very intentionally did not look at Adam in his jacket because seeing Adam in his jacket was a sure fire way for him to crash.
Ronan guided the bike down the driveway, whooping despite himself, and he could hear Adam's surprised laugh over the sound of the motorcycle's engine.
Ronan managed to turn around before the tree line, a little wobbly, but he kept himself upright. He drove the bike all the way back to Adam, stopping a little jerkily, right next to him. He planted his foot into the gravel, the bike staying upright.
Adam was smiling and shaking his head and Ronan grinned at him.
"Hey, doll," he purred and Adam laughed, curving his fingers around Ronan's chin, squeezing his cheek just a little, and kissed him.
"That wasn't half bad. The bike suits you," Adam murmured against Ronan's mouth, kissing him again. "But you need a lot more practice."