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The boy appeared at school on a random Tuesday. One day he wasn’t there, the next day he was. Ronan would be lying if he said he didn’t catch his eye, of course he did. Tan skin contrasting with the crisp white uniform shirts, dirty blonde hair strewn over his blue eyes. And he was in all his classes. Wherever this boy came from, it was like he was placed here to distract Ronan.
He saw him around school all the time, always looking so perfect, although he also looked constantly tired. He assumed that was part of his perfect mystery boy persona. Ronan was so curious, so fascinated by this boy who suddenly appeared and quickly rose to the top of every single class he was in.
They would sometimes make eye contact, and the boy - Adam Parrish, his name was - would always smile at him before returning to his work.
Another thing to add to the list: handsome, smart and kind.
♤ ♡ ♧ ♢
Almost a month after he joined, Ronan and Gansey are sat in the library when he approaches. “Um, hi. Ronan Lynch, right? You’re in my Latin class?”
“Yeah. Yeah, that’s me.” He tries to look intimidating, but this boy makes his body less tense and his heart feel like it’s on fire.
“Adam Parrish,” the boy smiles, a wide smile. “Do you know where I could find a book on Latin? I’ve been looking everywhere and haven’t been able to find one.”
Ronan looks up at him, skeptical. He’s the top of the class in everything, Latin being no exception. “What do you need that for?”
Adam laughs. His laugh sounds warm, it makes Ronan feel warm. He didn’t know that was something laughs could do.
“So I can study for the test next week. I’m not too great on verbs…”
“Verbs aren’t important, you just need to memorise all the quotes Whelk has told us. He just makes us fill in the gaps.” Gansey chimes in, of course. Adam smiles quickly at him before his attention is back on Ronan.
“Ah, okay. Thank you. See you in math next period?” He looks so hopeful, Ronan can’t help but smile back.
“Yeah. Okay.”
♤ ♡ ♧ ♢
Over the next few months, Adam sits with them more and more, slowly becoming part of their little group. Ronan starts to call him Parrish as a little sign of affection and trust - last names have always seemed more special to Ronan.
Gansey has exhausted his Glendower talk and begins to look for other topics of conversation.
“Adam, what’s your life like? You’ve never told us much. You look like you spend all your time studying.”
Adam shuffles in his seat a little, looking to Ronan for help like always. But Ronan’s curious too, he’s not heard anything about Parrish’s life either, even though they’ve told each other all manner of secrets. For example, Ronan now knows that Parrish
“I’d prefer not to talk about it,” he mumbles, looking down.
Gansey and Ronan look at each curiously before looking back at Adam.
“We’re here if you ever do.” Gansey smiles.
Adam looks up at both of them, taking longer to look at Ronan.
“I live in a tiny trailer in the park in the poor, crappy part of town. I’m here on scholarship and I am always studying because I have to work my ass off to even have the chance to stay here, unlike you two who can skip classes whenever you feel like it, and I have two jobs to afford tuition because I’m dirt poor. My dad beats me a lot, and my mom just kind of watches and looks at me like it’s my fault. Having you two as my friends is literally the only part of my life that makes it worth living at the moment. So yeah, my life’s pretty shitty. Next topic?”
Is what Adam wanted to say.
Instead, he simply smiled awkwardly and nodded. “Thank you.”
♤ ♡ ♧ ♢
Adam eventually does tell them about his home life and his father in what turns out to be a rather dramatic night of shouting and confessions. And god, if it doesn’t make one thing abundantly clear to Ronan - he is in love with Adam Parrish.
Every time they hang out, he finds himself longing to hold his hand or touch his chapped, cut lips against the other boys own soft ones, even if only for just a second. Ronan had never thought about anyone like this before, but Parrish makes him feel soft, warm and comfortable in a way he never thought possible.
Adam looks at him from his seat in the front, leaning his head over his seat to talk to him.
“You alright there?” Adam asks, looking worried.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine, don’t worry.” He finds Adam’s so-deep-you-could-drown-in-them ocean blue eyes and melts completely under his gaze. He feels Parrish gently pat his knee and his heart flutters again. It needs to stop doing that…
♤ ♡ ♧ ♢
He kissed him. He kissed him and he kissed back and it was over too fast, Ronan needed more…
It was too dark, too loud in his mind to even process what was happening and what he was saying, it was too much and not enough all at the same time. He just knew he wanted Adam’s lips on his again.
♤ ♡ ♧ ♢
“I can’t believe I get to have this.” Ronan whispers into the dark. It’s later, years since their first meeting and Ronan’s first time seeing clearly. They’re curled together in their bed - their bed - late at night, looking into each other’s eyes although it’s too dark to truly see.
“You should. I’m here, you’re here, Opal and Chainsaw are… somewhere. It’s all we’ll ever need.”
Ronan smiles, wishing it was light enough for him to trace the freckles that litter Parrish’s nose and cheeks, to see the little scars on his hands, to kiss the exact spot between his eyes he knows he loves…
“What if I dreamt this? What… what if I dreamt you and all the horrible things you had to deal with?”
“Then you dreamt me and all the horrible things I had to deal with. But you also dreamt me to be yours, to be smart, to be kind, to be determined, to be handsome… or so I’ve been told.”
“You’re such an idiot, Parrish. Where are you?” Ronan mumbles, his hands reaching out to find the others lips before kissing him, pouring all his love and affection and every word he can’t say into it.
“I’m right here, Ronan. I’m right here.”