itinere | Open | So happy together

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Open | So happy together

Ronan had been trying for nearly a month to dream Opal and Adam had been fixing frayed ley lines every day for just as long. He was beginning to think that it wouldn’t work, that whatever deities oversaw Itinere wouldn’t allow it and that idea made him angry. Actually, the idea of never seeing Opal again scared him, which made him angry (as most things did). Ronan went on a destructive bent like he hadn’t in months. He punched people, drove far too fast on his motorcycle and accidentally brought hungry, desperate creatures out of his dreams that he ended up shooting with his father’s shotgun for fear they’d eat the deer he’d so patiently tamed. He was desperate and hurting the day he finally pulled Opal out of his dreams. He’d woken angry and prepared to be disappointed only to find Opal sitting at the foot of the bed staring at him. She looked precisely as he’d last seen her wearing a dress, her hair shaggy and blonde. He’s not sure if any time has passed for her or not, but she appeared to be well taken care of.

Ronan was not usually given to displays of affection (except where Adam was concerned) but he couldn’t help snatching Opal up in a hug and squeezing until she squirmed, squealed and demanded to be put down.

“I want to go see the deer,” she told him.

Ronan smirked in response and shook his head. “Better idea. Let’s go see Adam and maybe get some ice cream.”

A sunshiney smile lit up the little girl’s face at the mention of Adam. There were very few people she liked better in the world than Adam.

Adam, as usual lately, had the BMW which left Ronan and Opal with the motorcycle that Adam had built for him. Ronan rummaged around in one of the barns until he found a bright yellow helmet for Opal then he loaded her on the back of the bike, admonishing her to keep her arms tight around his waist. Honestly, he’d never driven so safely, so slowly in his life, but eventually they pulled the bike into one of the empty work bays at Adam’s shop where Opal scrambled off the bike, yelled for Adam and launched herself in his direction.

Later, Ronan, Opal and Adam can be found walking about town, happily showing the little girl with deer legs a place where she doesn’t have to hide her feet in tall boots and long dresses. Come say hi.

[ ooc: you may get Ronan, Adam or both. Both muns will be NPC'ing Opal]

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To be honest, seeing the way trying to get Opal here and failing was affecting Ronan worried Adam. When they'd discussed it, he'd never expected that they wouldn't be allowed to do it. People wish things here all the time. He'd never expected that Ronan wouldn't be able to do it. He's Ronan Lynch. He'd never expected it to take so many tries and drain the both of them in every way. But it has.

Ronan hasn't been himself. Adam has been bone deep tired again. He's close to telling Ronan to call it off and they'll think of something else when it happens. He probably won't ever admit how close he was to that.

His shop was a place to keep busy, to think about other things, to remind himself that he's still Adam Parrish no matter where he is and he needs to be accomplishing something. He needs to work. He's also extra tired today for some reason. He'll find out why in just a minute.

He can hear Ronan's motorcycle coming. The loud rumble of the engine echos in a place where there aren't very many engines that loud. Both garage doors are wide open, the BMW parked out front. Adam is on the concrete floor tinkering with something as the motorcycle rolls in.

Adam looks up and stares. On the back of the bike is Opal. He barely has time to register this before he has an armful of her and is holding her tight. He looks over her shoulder at Ronan. 'What? When? How?' his eyes ask his boyfriend. So many questions that both need answering and also don't really need an answer at all. Opal is here. Ronan got Opal here. They got her here together.

The corners of his lips pull into an almost smile. "Hey, Opal. Did Ronan bring you from the Barns?"

"Yes he did. This is where you work?"

"Yeah. I fix things here."

Opal reaches out to wipe at some grease on Adam's cheek. Adam lets her and looks up to Ronan. "Good job."

Ronan had hated putting Adam through all of this. He'd gotten used to an Adam that wasn't exhausted and it had been hard to see him return to exhaustion. Adam had admitted he wanted Opal here though and Ronan wasn't going to stop trying to get Opal here until he succeeded, or until Adam told him to stop. He's so incredibly grateful that it hadn't come to that.

The smirk on Ronan's face pulls a bit wider, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Eventually, he stops fighting it and smiles, teeth bared. It might look like some kind of snarl or something to anyone that doesn't know Ronan well. He sees all those questions in Adam's eyes. He tilts his chin up a little as he swaggers toward Adam and Opal. He's smug. He knows that he couldn't have done this without Adam and later, he'll thank him for that in his own way. Right now, they're both more focused on Opal.

"I went out to feed the deer this morning and it looked a little like Cabeswater. Felt like a lucky day. " It's not as if Opal isn't aware she's a dream thing so he doesn't have a problem talking about it in front of her.

He nods a little at Adam's compliment. "You too," he responds, his hand coming to rest on Opal's back.

"Ronan says you're coming for ice cream with us," Opal tells Adam. "And he says I don't have to wear shoes if I don't want to."

Today is definitely a day meant for ice cream. The ocean breeze keeps the sun from feeling too hot on her skin as she makes her way to the ice cream parlor. Blue's supposed to meet Gansey by the beach in a half hour or so. Surprising him with ice cream seems like a good way to start their date. Or whatever it is that their afternoon plans turn into.

The short strands of her hair are still decorated with beads, strings, and small elastic. Her tank top is decorated with purposefully-made slashes, revealing the tankini she wears underneath. It's clearly still the middle of summer here and Blue's embraced it completely.

She's almost at the shop when she notices Ronan's bike. More specifically, she notices how slow it's moving in comparison to the normal hellion speed she's used to seeing. Blue stops in her tracks, brow furrowing in confusion. "Ronan? Is that you on there?"

That smile is everything. There was a time when that smile frightened Adam. There was a time when he might have been intimidated by it. Now Adam knows Ronan well enough to know which smiles to worry about and which ones are good. This is a good one. Adam basks in the perfectness of the moment; Ronan's smile and Opal in his arms. This is family. It's family in the way that Adam has always wished his family could be.

Adam Parrish is fully awake. He's alive. He's wanted. Adam Parrish is loved. Adam loves.

He's a completely different person now than he remembers being. Not that he isn't himself. But he's a better version of himself. He has Gansey to thank for that, he supposes. Ronan and Noah too. Opal. Maybe even Blue in some ways. Adam has found the life he's supposed to live because of all of them for one reason or another.

He likes the smugness of Ronan's expression combined with the smile. "I like lucky days." He says. It might have been half flirting.

Opal leans back and cups either side of Adam's face. There's a light stubble on his cheeks and her nose wrinkles. "You have fur." She tells him.

Adam's brows lift. "Do you not like it? Should I shave?"

She nods and Adam grins up to Ronan. "I guess I better shave tonight... after ice cream." He looks back to Opal. "You don't have to wear shoes here. Only if you want to. This place is magic, just ask Ronan."

This is absolutely a good smile. In fact, it's probably the best smile that Adam has seen on Ronan's face possibly ever. With Opal here, their life and their family is pretty much perfect. This is family the way it ought to be and they'll make damn sure that Opal has a good family and a good childhood. They'll make sure that she's loved and never hit, that she knows she's loved.

Ronan could have told Adam that a long time ago and he'll keep telling him that in every way that he can.

They've all matured and become better versions of themselves, at least Ronan thinks they have. Ronan certainly isn't the same angry boy he had been when he'd first met Adam. Sure, he's still angry sometimes and he still likes being destructive, but he doesn't hate himself anymore. He isn't guilt ridden over not being able to save his father. It's good that they've grown and Ronan likes the person that Adam is.

Ronan smirks at that. "Yeah? Maybe it'll keep being a lucky day then." He cocks one eyebrow up at Adam and winks. That's definitely flirting. See what happens when Ronan is smug.

A bark of laughter bubbles up out of Ronan at the conversation between Opal and Adam. He shrugs, still grinning, at Adam. "I've been searching for a way to tell you to shave it anyway." Which is hypocritical coming from Ronan. Half the time he looks like someone who can and will rob you. He nods in agreement. "Sort of like Cabeswater, but all over the town." There's no point in telling Opal about some people being able to leave and others who can't. He dreamed Opal here. She's stuck here and Ronan has no desire to be any other place. He thinks Adam feels the same way, at least now that they have Opal here.

He hadn't ever actually discussed that with Adam and now it worries him a little. Maybe they'll talk about it a little tonight.

Ronan, for one, is really fucking glad that she and Gansey are no longer dancing around each other. Of course, he's also really fucking glad that there's no longer the danger of Gansey dying from kissing Blue. He doesn't understand the desire to kiss Blue, but he thinks everyone should be able to kiss the person they love and Gansey seems happy since they've shown up. Blue is good for Gansey.

He never understands the way Blue dresses, but then he doesn't understand the way Gansey dresses either. He is rarely seen in anything other than his black tank top and jeans. He'll trade it out for sweatshirts and sweaters when it gets cold.

Yeah, it's definitely not how Ronan usually drives. She probably also notices the little girl in a bright yellow helmet behind him. He circles the bike around when he sees Blue, pulling it to a stop and engaging the kick stand. Opal hops off and Ronan follows. She's a little shy, peeking around Ronan's legs. She's met Blue before, of course, but it's been a little while since she's seen her. Ronan looks completely pleased with himself because he is pleased with himself. "Blue, you remember Opal."

More peeking out from Ronan's legs.

That flirtation makes Adam's stomach turn over, and not in a bad way. Ronan has a habit of doing that to Adam in the most ordinary and public of situations. Whether it's a look, a glancing touch, or not so subtle innuendo, Ronan seems to have made this an art form, a hobby, something he's perfecting like dreams, driving too fast or drawing.

Adam gives Ronan the look he always gives him when that happens. It isn't uncertainty. It's Adam's being caught off guard by the sudden surge of emotion or feeling that bulldozes its way through him. It's a pause where the world stops so Adam can adjust and then redirect depending on the circumstances.

"You could've told me." Or Ronan could have set Adam down and shaved it himself. That mental image only compounds whatever Ronan had just done to him.

It's better, Adam decides, to focus on Opal and only Opal for a minute. "Just let me close up and we'll go get ice cream. Sound good?"

Opal nods, circles her arms around Adam's neck and kisses his cheek before going back to Ronan. Adam waits for Ronan to take Opal outside before closing the garage doors. He pauses in the bathroom to wash his hands, arms and face to get the grease and grime off. He changes into a clean t-shirt and jeans, he always keeps a clean change of clothes at the garage. Then he goes through the offices and out the door and locks that up too.

He finds Ronan and Opal out on the sidewalk. "Ready?"

Ronan relishes being able to do that to Adam, possibly, particularly in a public place. It makes him feel on top of the world knowing that he can do that to Adam. He's already drunk on power from having dreamed Opal here. Adam may have his hands full for a little while with Ronan as smug and cocky as he is. ~~There may be lots of sex~~.

He loves that look.

Now that's exactly what Ronan wants. He smirks a little at Adam's words. "Maybe I'll hold you down and shave you myself," he says like a challenge. Cocky and smug. There it is again.

Ronan takes Opal's hand and leads her outside, telling her about the city they live in now.

"Is Cabeswater here?" Opal asks as they walk out onto the sidewalk.

"Not yet," Ronan responds. He's been so busy trying to dream Opal here he hasn't thought about bringing a new place here, trying to find something like Cabeswater.

Opal holds out her free hand to Adam when he walks out with them. "I want to get strawberry," Opal announces.

He's not the only one that feels this way. Life is a lot easier now that she and Gansey are trying to keep secrets from their friends. It's also a lot easier knowing that she won't kill her true love just because she wants to kiss him. Given that they're both teenagers (albeit with a surprising amount of impulse control), that last part is a very good thing.

To be fair, Blue doesn't understand the way Gansey tends to dress either. His wardrobe is comprised of a rainbow of polo shirts and more topsiders than anyone ever needs in their lives. She can, however, understand why Ronan dresses like he does. It's simple and easy, but still holds that hint of edge.

Blue's definitely noticed Opal by now. In that yellow helmet, she's kind of hard to miss. She offers the girl a tentative smile, then looks up at Ronan for a split second. The look she flashes him is of utmost happiness; she knew how worried he had been about the girl. Blue then turns her attention back to Opal. "Gansey and I have been collecting things for you on our trip. Unfortunately, we didn't know we'd be coming here."

"You wouldn't have to hold me down." Adam mutters teasingly to Ronan's retreating back as he leads Opal out of the garage. Yes, he's flirting. Yes, he's being careful so that Opal doesn't really catch on to the underlying innuendo in their conversation. Yes, it's fun to flirt with Ronan sometimes.

Once their little trio is outside walking sown the sidewalk, him and Ronan on either side of Opal and each of them with her hand in theirs, Adam has a moment to truly think about what Ronan has done here. He's brought a whole living thing into Itinere. Adam can feel it on the fringes of his mind, but he doesn't care. Opal is here.

"I want vanilla." He says to Opal and Ronan.

Then he looks at Ronan and counts to three before they heft her up and let her swing her feet between them and set her back down. Opal giggles and says 'do it again!' Adam counts to three...

Ronan hears that mutter and smirks . He's pretty sure that Opal just thinks her dads are weird. "We'll make sure Adam never has fur again," Ronan tells Opal with a grin.

He'd known there'd be blowback to dreaming Opal here, but he also knows that Adam wanted Opal here. He'd made certain of that before he'd tried. He'll help Adam with repairing the ley lines. He and Opal both will. They'll make a day of it.

Adam's choice of ice cream gets a smirk out of Ronan. He lifts his scarred eyebrow at that. "You sure about that, Parrish?"

"You could have sprinkles with it," Opal suggests, though Ronan isn't sure how Opal knows about sprinkles, feedback from his brain, he'd guess.

That look says plenty and Ronan is ready to heft Opal up when Adam gets to three. They do it again and again. This may be a new favorite game for Opal.

Ronan's question gets a flush of heat to Adam's cheeks. He smirks and rolls his eyes. "Do they make snake flavored ice cream?" He jokes, because obviously that's what Ronan will get.

They do it again and again, Opal's hooves lifting up off the ground as she swings each time they heft her up together. It's silly. It's ridiculous. It's also perfect, like something straight out of a book or a movie. It's something Adam wishes his parents had ever done with him.

Of course, then that leads him to the reality that he and Ronan are effectively Opal's parents. His brow furrows. That's a lot of responsibility.

The ice cream parlor is in front of them and Adam pulls open the door so the other two can go in before him. There are so many flavors, more flavors than Adam knew existed. He supposes his vanilla seems pretty silly. "Wow. Lots of flavors. They just might have snake."

Seriously, Ronan does not want to hear about their impulse control. He doesn't need that image in his head. He is glad that they're both happier, that life has been easier and that Blue won't kill Gansey in any fashion.

Honestly, he and Blue are more alike than either of them probably want to admit, and it's not just their ideas about wardrobe.

Ronan nods a little in response to that look. Adam will probably be a little crazy from the blowback of this, but he and Adam had agreed weeks ago that getting Opal here was worth it. Opal edges out from behind Ronan a little more, approaching Blue a bit. She looks a little skeptical because presents are kind of a vague concept to her. "Really?" She reaches up to take her helmet off and hand it back to Ronan. "What sort of things? Like flowers and pine cones?"

"Yeah," Ronan smirks, "but they don't sell it in any store." He's thinking something horrible and dirty that he can't say in front of Opal. Honestly, Adam has his hands full with Ronan today. Hopefully, he'll calm down and not be so cocky later.

It is perfect and Ronan is having as much fun with it as Opal. She's nearly breathless with laughter, but still wants them to do it over and over again. Ronan thinks he remembers Aurora and Niall doing something like this with him when he was very young, but he was too young to really remember.

Yeah, Ronan is starting to grasp that as well. It's scary as hell, but he doesn't think that changes anything about wanting Opal here, not as long as Adam is okay with being Opal's parents.

Ronan's bark of a laughter echos in the ice cream shop and he turns Opal's hand loose so she can look at all the flavors. He stuffs his hands in pockets and side eyes Adam. "Still want vanilla?"

Oh, Adam gets that double meaning only in the aftermath of Ronan's comment and only in thanks to the look that Ronan gives him after said comment. He flushes a deep rose color and presses his lips together, around a hint of a smile, and shakes his head. Yes, his hands are very full with Ronan right now, a part of him likes it. Because that cocky, self-assured guy, is his.

Who would have ever thought? Not Adam. Not until recently. Not until now.

The inside is chilly in that way that all ice cream parlors are. Adam takes off his sweater and puts it on Opal while she peruses the flavors. There really are a lot of different kinds. But when Adam gets that side-eye from Ronan, he nods out of spite if nothing else. Yes, he's standing his ground in spite of the surprising number of choices.

"Yeah. Vanilla." He says. And when he looks through the glass and finds the vanilla, Itinere has done that strange thing that Itinere does and there's a tub right next to the vanilla with an unexpected label on it. "Uh... there's a snake flavor."

"Ohhhh I want oak leaves then!" Opal proclaims. "Is there an oak leaf flavor?"

Hey, when it comes down to impulse control, Blue would be willing to bet that she and Gansey have it more figured out than Ronan and Adam. She really doesn't want to think about what they get up to when not around the rest of them. That's an image she doesn't need in her head, either.

Anything that she can do to help Adam, Blue is more than willing to volunteer. She's certain Gansey would say likewise. Getting Opal here is worth a lot and it isn't fair that Ronan and Adam make all the sacrifices alone when they have friends to lean on.

Blue smiles as Opal comes closer and nods. "We've been pressing flowers in a book for you. And collecting small trinkets from all the places we've been to decorate your room. They're all back home though."

Ronan is absolutely, completely pleased with the way Adam goes so red, but he particularly likes that hint of a smile that Adam tries to suppress. That had been his intention. Ronan really isn't terribly good at flirting, but when he gets that sort of reaction out of Adam, he knows he's at least successful with Adam, and that's all he cares about. Yes, Ronan is definitely his. He's got absolutely no desire to be anyone else's. Whether Adam realizes it or not, he is the love of Ronan's life.

He can't help but smile at the way Adam puts his sweater on Opal. He's going to be such a good dad. His decision to stand by vanilla gets a chuckle out of Ronan. He knows what he's doing.

The unexpected snake flavor gets a bark of laughter out of Ronan. "Guess that's what I"m having then."

At Opal's request, Ronan looks to the ice cream guy who looks bewildered a moment then points to a deep green tub of ice cream.

"Two scoops," Ronan tells the guy. "In a sprinkle cone." Because if they're going to spoil Opal, they ought to start right now.

Strangely enough, both Adam and Ronan make good dads for Opal. No one ever would have thought it, to be honest. But there are no other people who could be half the parents to Opal that Ronan and Adam can be, not even Gansey or the others. This is Adam's family, a bit unorthodox, but still, strangely enough, the family that Adam has always wanted.

They all get their ice cream on sprinkle cones and walk back outside. Across the street and a block down there's a park. Adam points in that direction and they start walking that way, the trio of them together. That way Opal can play after she's eaten her ice cream.

"So what does snake taste like?" He asks Ronan, glancing over at him across Opal between them.

Oh, there's no doubt that they do. Ronan is crap with impulse control anyway. They're really going to have to start watching themselves with Opal running around.

If Adam will allow it, it might be beneficial for Blue to go with Adam when he starts repairing the ley lines. Though, Adam is still Adam when it comes to accepting and asking for help.

Opal considers that a moment. "That's okay. We can start doing things like that here."

Ronan wouldn't have thought it and he will still spend a decent amount of his time being afraid that he's screwing Opal up in some way. Ronan doesn't care if their family is unorthodox. All he cares about is that Adam is happy, that Opal is happy.

Ronan nods and they start that way. He licks his ice cream cone as they walk, glancing over at Adam's question. "A little salty, little sour. Tart. Want to try?" he offers his ice cream cone to Adam.

It's really a beautiful day for the park. Adam pauses at a wooden picnic table under the shade of a rather large tree. Adam thinks he can hear the tree hum, or cry, he can't tell which right now. He'll need to eventually look at the ley lines. Right now he just sends a thoughtful apology and promise to repair it for later.

Once Opal gets settled in her seat, Adam sits next to her on the table with his feet in the seat next to Opal. He takes the offered cone from Ronan and tastes it. Not bad, really. "Almost like sour patch kids... minus the fruit."

"Oh I wanna taste! I like sour kids." Opal says.

"Sour patch kids." Adam says, then looks to Ronan. "We'll have to get her a box of them now, so she knows what they are."

At least they have two babysitters in Itinere that they trust. Blue hadn't gotten to spend too much time around Opal before she and Gansey left with Henry. The time she had gotten to spend with the dream girl had left a lasting impression though. She wouldn't mind babysitting if asked.

Adam is Adam and by now, Blue is used to that. But Blue can be equally stubborn as well. He doesn't have to ask for help for Blue to be willing to give it. If she has to, she'll just show up when he's working.

"I can teach you how," Blue offers, referring to flowers in the book. "This might not be the best season for it, but we can still look for flowers."

Ronan knows they'll spend at least a day, maybe more, with Adam tending to the ley lines. He says 'they' because he won't let Adam go scrying by himself. He doesn't want to take the chance of him getting lost in the ley lines.

Ronan sits on the other side of Opal, content to be here with his little family. He never imagined this sort of domestic life, but he's pretty sure that he can get used to it; he wants to get used to it.

Opal's comment gets a bark of laughter out of Ronan because he can just imagine Opal licking kids to see if they taste sour or not.

"Yeah, we'll stop by the candy store before we head back to the Barns," Ronan answers, that laugh still teasing at the corners of his mouth.

"Can we get chocolate too?" Opal asks and Ronan nods then responds "Hells yeah."

He'll have to talk to Adam about that, of course. Because they all know how Adam doesn't like asking for or accepting help if he doesn't think he has to. He'll try to go it alone because he's Adam. Ronan doesn't have to let him though.

Ronan's laughter gets a small smile from Adam. "She's gonna be hyped up on sugar and we'll never sleep. We have to get some vegetables and fruit in the house too. One or both of us is gonna have to learn how to cook actual food."

"We can all learn." Opal says. "People learn new things every day. You can learn together."

Adam smirks, because the idea of him and Ronan in a kitchen together just begs for disaster. Right? Maybe not. It's just a funny idea to him.

That will be nice because despite how pleased Ronan is to have Opal here, he and Adam are not accustomed to being parents. They'll probably need a break sooner or later even though Opal is reasonably independent considering her beginnings. Ronan will probably do some asking, or at least ask Blue and Gansey to come out to the Barns so that if Opal needs someone, she's got someone she knows there.

That might not be a bad idea.

Ronan stands back, a smirk on his lips as he watches Opal and Blue interacting. "We can look in the woods near the Barns. They're not exactly like the ones back home. Those had flowers no matter what the season, but they're nice."

Those had had flowers regardless of the season because Ronan likes flowers. Shhhh, don't tell anyone.

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