WHO: Ronan Lynch & Adam Parrish WHAT: Ronan and Adam celebrate Adam's birthday WHEN: Backdated to July 3 WHERE: Their place WARNINGS: Some cursing and touching
Ronan had seriously joked about doing something extravagant for Adam’s birthday, but in the end it was this: Ronan, Adam, and Adam’s friends sitting around tables pushed together and sharing pizza and ice cream, with Ronan next to Adam and Ronan’s hand on Adam’s knee under the table. Simple, modest, and cozy. As much as Ronan’s passionate heart wanted Adam to have the wildest birthday of his dreams, he also didn’t want Adam to spend his birthday worrying about the money or feeling out of place. He just wanted Adam to enjoy himself, to see that he had people around him, even their closest friends from home weren’t here.
And he had Ronan, who loved him most out of everyone in the room combined.
When they got home, he cracked open a bottle of cold beer, handed it to Adam, and grinned wickedly. “Ready for your gift?”
--
Adam had been relieved when Ronan hadn’t tried to push him into something big and fancy. Pizza and ice cream were perfect, and he’d enjoyed the night immensely, even though it felt odd to say that he was 19 since he’d practically just turned 18 back at home, and turning 18 had been a long-awaited moment considering his upbringing.
But Ronan hadn’t gone overboard anyway, so it was all right. He accepted the beer that Ronan handed him once they were inside and raised an eyebrow.
“I think you already did, Lynch,” Adam answered.
…
“What, that?” Ronan looked at the beer. “No. I’ve got something wild and unreasonable for you.”
He grinned at Adam, and then disappeared into the living room, making a beckoning gesture over his shoulder. As soon as Adam had followed him in, he pressed a button to turn the music on, and booming music came on. And then the words: squash one, squash two…
And Ronan started to dance to the beat, lifting his feet and pumping his fists.
--
Perhaps Adam had been too hasty in his determination of this evening. But it seemed like they were alone now, so Adam figured he could handle most of whatever Ronan decided to throw at him. He took a sip of the beer and followed after Ronan.
At the sound of the song, though, Adam burst out laughing, and shooking his head. He actually took a step back from Ronan.
“Is this a gift?” Adam asked.
…
Ronan didn’t stop dancing, but he raised his eyebrows at Adam. “What, is something only a gift if it costs money? This took me a lot of time and energy to put together, Parrish. Just for you.”
He shook his hips a little as he moved around in a circle to the right, and started to sing along with the song. It really was the best song in the world.
--
“You ass,” Adam said, although not without fondness. “You know that it has nothing to do with money and everything to do with the fact that I can’t take you seriously dancing to this particular song.”
He was tempted to ask Ronan just how much time and energy this whole enterprise had taken, but then Ronan was singing and dancing again, so Adam just took another sip of his beer and watched Ronan’s hips move around in a ridiculous way.
…
Ronan did another hip-shake circle in the opposite direction, singing along, and then started to move in Adam’s direction, shifting from side to side with his shoulders leading the way, his upper arms close to his sides, his elbows bent so that his hands reached in Adam’s direction, fingers waving to beckon him in.
“The gift,” he said, after the verse had finished, timing his words with the beat, “Is that you are the only person, ever, to see me being ridiculous like this. It’s an enormous honor.”
--
“I am not dancing with you, Lynch,” Adam answered as Ronan started to come nearer; he was grinning from ear to ear all the same. “I’m here to watch.” And it was a beautiful side in that regard, because Ronan did move well even if it to something that had been the butt of so many of their jokes. (It could be argued that Murder Squash was the inception of their romantic relationship. Maybe.)
…
Ronan’s grin widened, and he stopped gesturing for Adam to come closer, but he kept moving closer to Adam all the same. He danced in front of him for a moment, putting his hands on Adam’s hips and moving against him, and then circled around him, letting one hand slide around in a circle of Adam’s waist from the front of his hip, over his belly, and to his back. Just because he was only watching didn’t mean touching him was off limits.
As he finished the circle and started to dance sideways in a line off to Adam’s right, Chainsaw swooped over his head and started to fly around him, joining in. Ronan cooed to her, lovingly, and moved even more enthusiastically to the beat.
When the song finished, he was back in front of Adam again, slightly out of breath, flushed, and his whole expression alight. “Happy birthday, Parrish.”
--
Adam flushed an even darker red when Ronan reached forward to touch him and then was moving around him; Adam couldn’t help but make a sexual connection because practically anytime they were touching in any way it was sexual.
He wasn’t exactly sure what to do, and was certain that he ended up making the whole thing more awkward than it was even though he was very much enjoying having Ronan dancing so near to him.
Adam laughed when Chainsaw flew down to join Ronan, because of course.
When Ronan was finished, Adam wrapped his arms around Ronan’s neck.
“Thank you, Lynch,” Adam answered.
…
Adam’s reaction to him didn’t make Ronan feel awkward, it made him feel alive. He grinned when Adam’s arms went around his neck, and put his hands on Adam’s hips, swaying slightly from side to side as if they were dancing together. He rested his forehead against Adam’s, watching him with warm, dark eyes.
“Was there anything missing from your birthday?” he asked, quietly, still smiling. “Because there’s still time to make it happen.”
--
With the Murder Squash song absent, Adam swayed back and forth a little with Ronan. He had never danced with another man before (not that there had been a lot of dancing in his life up until this point), but Adam was aware of all of the differences Ronan presented: taller, with broader shoulders, firmer hips. All things that Adam had learned he was deeply attracted to in Ronan.
“It was good,” Adam answered, because it had been. His birthdays had barely been noteworthy before Ronan and Gansey. And he knew that was because they were an expression of love, of appreciation for having someone in your life. And, put simply, Ronan and Gansey loved him in a way that no one had before.
…
Ronan smiled at him. “That’s not what I asked.”
He was glad it had been a good birthday, but he knew Adam’s previous birthdays had not set a high bar for Adam’s standards. The romantic in Ronan wanted Adam to have a birthday that was wonderful, amazing - better than just good. He wanted it especially because even good was so much better than Adam’s previous birthdays. It had been really hard to restrain himself to just pizza and ice cream.
--
Adam ran a hand across Ronan’s cheek and the back of his head. (He had grown unmistakably fond of feeling Ronan’s buzzed head beneath his touch, and he hoped that wasn’t weird. It was just such a distinct sensation and one that he innately connected with being close to Ronan.)
“No, Ronan,” Adam answered, his smile turning a bit softer, because now he was close and alone with Ronan, and that was the only thing that had been missing from the overall day. “It was everything. Thank you.”
...
Ronan’s heart squeezed and then swelled in a very pleasant way. It meant a great deal to him that Adam’s birthday had been what Adam wanted it to be. He had worked hard to make it that way, too, so it was nice to be thanked, although he would have done it a million times over again, happily, without recognition. Just for the smile on Adam’s face.
He tightened his arms around Adam’s waist and kissed him, gently. “Good.”
--
Adam sank in against Ronan, happy to just be so near him. It was strange that, even with all the problems here, how happy Ronan could make him. He hadn’t thought that he was a person made for happiness, to be honest. He was an ambitious person. He had wanted success, and that had always been driven solely by him. But there was a whole new dynamic to happiness that came solely from Ronan. It was terrifying and exhilarating for it to be so out of his control.
“Love you,” Adam murmured quietly against Ronan’s lips.
…
Ronan gently started to sway both of them back and forth as Adam melted against him. It warmed him to be able to tell that Adam was so happy; he knew that happiness was a new concept for Adam. It felt new for Ronan - who had felt happiness before - because he had been so unhappy for so long. He could only imagine that, never having felt happiness, this would be at least as intense for Adam as it was for him.
He nipped affectionately at Adam’s lower lip. “Love you too, birthday boy.”
--
Adam was amused when Ronan started to gently move again, but he had to admit that he liked the feeling. Being held like this made him feel safe, and the subtle motion of Ronan’s body reminded him of all the incredible power of it.
Something warm unspooled inside of him at the feeling of Ronan’s teeth playing at his lower lip. He leaned in to kiss Ronan again.
…
Ronan was still in the mood for dancing, and especially in the mood to get Adam to enjoy something a little unreasonable and spontaneous for his birthday. He reached up, intending to take one of Adam’s hands and get them into a real dancing position, but Adam kissed him harder and his fingers ended up just curling around Adam’s forearm where it rested against his shoulder.
He kissed Adam back, his body slowly growing still, but at the same time warmer and full of kinetic energy. He pressed closer against Adam, his arm tightening around Adam’s waist.
--
Adam wasn’t sure what Ronan had been intending to accomplish with his hold, but he somehow doubted that he had intended to just grasp Adam’s forearm. Adam couldn’t hide the slight smile the curved his lips.
His body warmed even more when Ronan pulled him even more tightly against him; Adam was relatively certain that it wasn’t possible for them to get even the slightest bit closer while standing like this.
“So,” Adam murmured, breaking the kiss, “What do you call this type of dancing, Lynch?”
…
“Slow dancing,” Ronan said, grinning. He finally slid his hand up Adam’s forearm and grabbed his hand, holding it out to the side in a dancing position, and started to move a little bit more. Shifting his hips against Adam’s felt extremely pleasant. “But we’re doing it wrong and not leaving any room for Jesus.”
--
Adam felt a bit silly when Ronan grabbed his hand and put it into a proper position, but he wasn’t going to pull away when Ronan was this close and everything felt far better than he had imagined.
“What kind of Southern gentleman are you, Ronan?” Adam asked with a wry smile.
…
Ronan’s grin was audible in his voice. “The kind that buys you pizza before trying to get into your pants.”
He nipped at Adam’s ear, and then soothed the skin with his tongue. “That’s the worst kind, right?”