Chapter Text
Adam didn’t drink. Ever. It was a simple fact in his life, a product of watching alcohol turn his father into a monster.
Ronan pushed him about it once, cajoling and prodding until Adam got up and left Monmouth, door slamming behind him in a swirl of winter air.
After a good long lecture from father Gansey, Ronan apologised in his sideways Ronan way, and the incident was forgotten about.
Now, summer was creeping up on Henrietta with a single-minded intensity, the noonday sun beginning to feel a bit like the burning eyes of Satan himself. School was a day away from ending, leaving the gang with only a year to go, and Ronan really just wanted Adam to relax. Having got through another year of too many jobs and not enough sleep with a ridiculously high GPA, Ronan wanted to watch the stress melt out of Adam’s eyes completely, just for a few hours.
Stubborn as he was though, the stupid boy couldn’t let himself go unaided. So since booze was out of the question, Ronan would have to go a little farther afield for this.
He found Swan passed out on the hood of his car in the alley behind Nino’s, bleach blond hair splayed out like a halo behind his head. It was Jiang’s car, Swan’s body bent to fit on the aerodynamic Supra. Ronan took half a moment to admire how sleep smoothed away the sneer and left attractiveness in it’s wake, before he pushed the Russian off and onto the cement.
Swan landed on his feet, awake the second Ronan had touched him.
“You fucker. Long time no fucking see you prick. Did daddy Dick take away your car keys?” He stalked around to the same side of the car as Ronan, movements like that of a large cat, smooth and affronted.
“Good to see you too Swan. I see you’re still an absolute bundle of fucking sunshine.”
Swan smirked and fistbumped Ronan, cold features cut in half with mischief.
“So what can I help you with? I’m assuming you didn’t interrupt my nap just to chat.” He hooked his thumbs into the loops of his acid washed jeans and leaned against the car, hip bones jutting out like an invitation.
“I was actually hoping to snag some weed off you, just a 20 bag if you have any on you.” Ronan shot Swan a slightly less hostile smile now that the usual pleasantries were out of the way.
“Oh ho, naughty Lynch, that’s illegal dontcha know.” He adopted a shitty posh accent and shook his finger at Ronan. “What would daddy Dick say?”
“Shut the fuck up dickbag. Do you have any or not?”
“Only the best MJ in Henrietta and surrounding areas. Lucky for you I always carry a stash with me.”
Swan opened the door of the Supra and stuck his head in, rummaging around under the driver’s seat before pulling out a small ziplock bag. The earthy scent of quality pot clung to it, making Ronan’s nose tingle.
“This is a bit more than twenty bucks worth, but I’m too lazy to measure that shit out. Besides, corrupting Dick’s toys is almost a privilege.”
Ronan handed over the money, choosing to ignore the other boy’s words.
“What’s with the car? Where’s the Golf?” Ronan asked, appraising the Supra.
“Trashed it, so Jiang lent me this fucker while it get’s fixed. Sorry to cut this touching reunion short, but I’ve slept longer than I shoulda and now I’m gonna be late.” Swan glanced critically at his watch as he spoke.
“I’ll see you on the streets sometime then.” Ronan tossed him a sardonic salute and walked out of the alley, tucking the plastic bag into his jacket.
Finding his pipe was a whole other issue for Ronan. He’d gone through a heavy stoner phase when he’d started at Aglionby, but hadn’t smoked in almost a year. Digging through the catastrophe on his floor was exhausting.
It was Noah who eventually found the thing, phasing up out of a pile of Ronan’s dirty laundry with the dull metal in one ghostly hand. He didn’t say much, just dropped it on Ronan’s chest and faded away again.
Ronan ran his hands over the cool copper, the dragon design on it rough beneath his fingertips. It smelled faintly of smoke and old weed, the bowl black with tar. It had been a gift from his dad, more as a decorative piece than to actually be used. The copper was oxidizing and edging the dragon’s flames in green.
Ronan shook his head free of smoke hazed memories and the scent of his dad’s cologne, springing from the bed to find Adam.
Adam was sprawled on his bed in St. Agnes, trying vainly to escape the heat and thanking every god in existence that studying wasn’t necessary anymore. His shitbox of an apartment was a small oven, baking everything inside it, and Adam thought he might die.
Then the unmistakable screech of the BMW’s tires on the gravel outside his window called life once more into his sweaty limbs.
He debated putting on a shirt before Ronan inevitably slammed his door open and demanded his energy, but forgoed the option in favour of letting out a long sigh and rolling over to face the wall. Maybe Ronan would just go away and let Adam sleep away the heat.
“PARRISH!” The shout began right outside his door, and continued through the process of said door slamming open and vibrating the doorframe with the force of it hitting the wall.
“Fucking hell it's hot in here. Get your sad sweaty ass of that bed right now, I’m kidnapping you.”
Adam rolled over, affronted yet amused. Ronan’s voice was humming with excitement, and Adam could tell it was the contagious kind.
“Fuck off Lynch, I’m tired.” It was mostly for show. He was already lifting himself from the bed, ignoring how Ronan’s eyes slid across his bare chest.
Ronan seemed disinclined to leave the door frame, leaning against it while he waited for Adam.
“School just ended, and you’re tired? It’s time to celebrate!”
“Oh god. I dread to think about what your idea of celebration is like.” Adam ran a hand over his face in exasperation but grabbed a shirt anyway, the brown cotton sticking to his skin on it’s way over his head.
“Oh fuck off. We’re just going to the Barns.” Something about his tone made Adam think that wasn’t exactly the only thing Ronan had planned.
But more and more recently, Adam had been finding himself going along with Ronan’s hairbrained schemes. Ronan was a magnet, and he’d finally managed to pull Adam into his orbit, slipping into his thoughts more and more often.
Shirt on, he followed Ronan out the door, locking it behind him and slipping his keys into his pocket.
The drive to the barns was heavenly. All the windows were down, and summer air rushed past them, stealing away the heat. Ronan’s EDM trailed out the windows behind them like streamers heralding the promise of freedom.
The shaded drive up the Barns was cool, as if the whole place was too magical for the sun to hit very hard. When the engine of the BMW shut off, taking the music with it, the boys were plunged into a deep silence, the sounds of summer bugs the only thing to hear. The slamming of the car doors was almost painfully loud.
Adam followed Ronan to one of the smaller barns, watching as he shoved the sliding doors wide open, back muscles bunching and straining beneath his thin tank top. The inside of the old barn was suddenly flooded with dusty, warm sunlight, revealing what appeared to be something like a painting studio. There was a smooth, wooden, paint stained floor, several old couches, some color splattered tables, and several large canvases attached to three of the walls. A climbing vine of some kind seemed to be taking over one corner of the room, growing up along the walls and sprouting purplish flowers. Bathed in the summer sunlight, with piles of drop cloths and a few beanbag chairs, it looked more like a college art student’s neglected dorm room.
The bonus was the new looking mini fridge in one corner, not attached to a wall, quite obviously a dream object. Ronan obviously planned to provide for for this foray into summer mischief.
“So you dragged me to the Barns to paint? I’m a bit artistically challenged Lynch.” Adam followed him into the barn, running his fingers across the wooden walls, noting that they appeared to be growing crystals in some places. It seemed as if the Barns birthed wonders without a thought, Ronan just one more child of an impossibility, right at home in a place that breathed magic.
“We’re not here to paint, I just really like this barn. It’s a good place to hang out, with the big doors open like this it’s really nice.”
Adam turned to stare. An entire, logical sentence without a single swear word had just come out of Ronan Lynch’s mouth. The other boy wasn’t looking at Adam, instead examining the ground with his arms crossed.
“Okay what is going on. You’re being nice, but also evasive, and I wanna know what you’re up to.” Adam decided the direct approach was ideal in this situation. Ronan seemed to be in a good mood so maybe he’d actually answer.
“I’ll tell you, but you have to hear me out, and you have to trust me. Okay?” Ronan still wasn’t looking at Adam.
Adam nodded, then followed as Ronan sprawled on one of the blue couches. Adam settled on the one opposite him, lacing his fingers on the back of his head and leaning back.
“I know you don’t drink. I understand your reasons for not drinking. But fuck, we just finished another year of hell, and we only have one more to go. You deserve to fucking relax and let all your shit go for a while. You, Mr. Work Til You Drop, don’t know how to do that without help. So I tried to think of some other options. I know you’re rather against mind altering substances, but, well, this is a natural substance, and great for relaxing, so I was hoping you’d be willing to try it, and it’s pretty low key….” Ronan trailed off, his speech exhausted and evident uncertainty beginning to creep in. Adam laughed on the inside. He’d rarely seen Ronan so sincere and earnest.
“So what you’re saying, is that I’m shit at relaxing so you want me to get high with you to celebrate the end of school?” Adam couldn’t quite keep a smile off his face. It was such a Ronan idea.
“Jesus. Yes. I don’t know, it was just an idea. We could just go yell at cows instead if you prefer.” A bit of venom had crept into Ronan’s voice.
“Ah fuck it, it’s the beginning of summer, I can afford to kill a few brain cells.” Adam grinned, feeling the reckless freedom of summer take root in his bones.
The matching grin that spread across Ronan’s face was delicious to see. Adam’s heart did a strange little dance when he saw it.
“I like it when you swear. It’s been awhile since I’ve gotten baked, so my tolerance level should be similar to yours.” Ronan spoke quickly past the compliment, and Adam pretended not to notice his slip.
Ronan stood and grabbed something from one of the tables, then gestured for Adam to follow him out of the barn. He led him into the soft grass right out front, sitting down and pulling Adam down next to him.
Cicadas buzzed, the fading afternoon sun was turning the sky a faded blue, the air smelled like warm earth, and Adam felt incredibly comfortable, with soft grass beneath him and Ronan leaning into his shoulder.
Ronan, who was busy packing an intricately carved copper pipe with weed. The musky, earthy scent of marijuana filled the air around the boys, mixing with the scents of the summer day like a contradictory cocktail.
A lighter appeared out of a pocket, and Ronan patiently explained the process of taking a pipe toke. Then he demonstrated, putting the pipe to his lips, flicking the lighter, and breathing deeply and evenly. Adam watched the bud burn, turning from green to glowing orange, to black.
Ronan passed the pipe carefully to Adam, smoke pouring from his mouth and nose in a greyish cloud.
Adam fit his lips to the pipe, ignoring how the metal was warm from Ronan’s skin. He took the lighter as well, and copied Ronan’s actions, but inhaled too quickly. He had to quickly pass the pipe off to Ronan so he could lean forward, coughing and laughing and breathing smoke. His eyes ran, his throat burned, and all he could taste or smell was the thick smoke.
“Hey there. Go slower on your next one, you noob.” Ronan’s voice was slow, filled with suppressed laughter. Adam looked up to watch him blow a white cloud from his lips, eyes closed in pleasure.
Coughing subsided, Adam accepted the pipe a second time, and took a second hit, inhaling slowly, holding for a moment, then watching in fascination at his exhale. He felt a bit like a dragon. He giggled at the thought, allowing Ronan to take the pipe from him. He watched in fascination as Ronan deftly packed a second bowl, hands quick and steady. He watched in fascination as well at the way Ronan smiled around the pipe stem, and met Adam’s eyes as he inhaled, then lidded them as he breathed out across Adam’s face. Adam breathed in the second hand smoke, then took one more toke, Ronan lighting it for him this time.
“Okay let's save the rest for later, you’ll probably be nicely ripped off that much, since it’s your first time.”
Adam nodded, smiling at Ronan. His eyes didn’t seem to want to stay all the way open. He felt loose, giddy almost. The world felt distant, as if there was only this moment, this place, this boy. Ronan stood, reaching out a hand to Adam. He took it, but the change in altitude from sitting to standing was to quick for his slow brain, and he found himself pressed against Ronan’s shoulder.
“Steady there Parrish. I know I’m irresistible but control yourself.” Ronan slipped an arm around Adam’s waist to steady him.
Adam laughed and dragged Ronan into a hug. His arms slid around his neck, and he pressed his face into Ronan’s collarbone. Ronan tensed for a moment, before laughing too and wrapping his other arm around Adam’s waist.
“You’re way too baked.” He said into Adam’s hair.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I feel wonderful.” Adam pulled away, steadier on his feet. For some reason his skin was hot, pulse stuttery from the close contact he’d just left.
“That’s what I mean.” Ronan laughed, a full laugh, maybe to hide the red on his cheeks, and turned to the barn. “I need water, so let’s go inside, yeah?”
Adam bumped shoulders with Ronan, then ran in front of him and into the barn, smiling at the world.
Now that Ronan mentioned it, his mouth was incredibly dry. He’d kill for some juice, or maybe chips and juice.
“It’s all in the mini fridge, go for it.” Ronan’s voice sounded from behind him.
Adam did go for it, with much relish.