open | i heard that you make old things new; so I give these pieces all to you

[adamparrish]

Since the arrival of the other three members of their group, Adam had been scarce. He purposefully stayed at work at the garage extra late. The sickness had kind of made it an easy excuse for him to bow out of sleeping in the same bed as Ronan. His erratic presence at the apartment made it easy to avoid actually talking. On June 1st though, after hyposprays and everyone being magically healed, it was the first true test for him and Ronan and Adam failed.

Instead of going home, he stayed at the garage until he couldn't stand the same four walls anymore. Then he went out to the forests of Itinere where the ley lines were. He worked on repairing them for Ronan. At least he could do one thing right, one thing to help. Maybe Ronan would notice he had done this for him. Maybe he wouldn't.

Adam would stay out in the forests way past dark, taking his time, doing what he thought needed to be done. Then he would head back in town to walk through the park, sit on a merry-go-round and push at it with his feet to move it around. The metal squeaked and after a quick trip to the garage, he came back to dismantle and oil the merry-go-round to keep it from squeaking so loudly.

Probably another thing no one would notice. Productive, though. Adam Parrish felt productive and useful... busy, even now at some god awful time in the night or morning. And he supposed that was the point.

Comments

[adamparrish]

"Yep. Really." He says, twisting the wrench around in his hand a few times. There are plenty of cool things about this place, he guesses. It was just hard to full appreciate them until Gansey, Noah and Blue were here too. Now he can see things in a different light. Maybe Ronan can too.

Whether or not that new and different light's a good thing, remains to be seen.

[deathbysk8board]

Noah will follow the others on this good-or-bad-thing debate. He often doesn't have opinions of his own. Well liked that about him.

Or maybe he didn't after all. Hrm.

Anyway. "Where's the bookstore?" Not that he'd go now, of course.

[adamparrish]

"It's on the opposite corner of the end of the block from where my garage is." Noah had been in his garage before. Maybe that would give him a reference point. It was a massive building, although not as tall as the apartment building.

"There's also a rec center. Lots of shops. Nothing costs anything, people just... live life without money, I guess." He speaks as he works. Not having to pay for anything isn't something Adam is used to. Or probably will ever be used to.

[deathbysk8board]

"So ... I don't need to get a job." Is that what Adam is saying? "If I want new clothes, I just ... take them?"

That seems very strange. Why work if one doesn't have to? Noah scratches through his hair. He needs to get in the habit of brushing it.

[adamparrish]

"You don't have to if you don't want to. Ronan doesn't." Ronan didn't work because he didn't have to. But then Ronan was used to having money and not working. Gansey would probably do the same. Noah could do that too, if he wanted. Mostly, Ronan came and bothered Adam at his job. Adam, on the other hand, needed to work. If not to keep busy then because it was just something Adam had always had to do and needed to do still.

He shrugs. "It's weird. Almost too perfect. But... there doesn't seem to be any crime either. Honor system, I guess."

[deathbysk8board]

When Noah was alive, he was like Gansey, more like Gansey than Ronan. He was, when he was alive, used to having access to everything he needed, not because of the honor code, but because he could buy it. He's not used to working, but he's willing to give it a try. Now that he's alive again, he's less like Gansey, he realizes.

"Too perfect," he echoes. Huh. "If I go to the bookstore, I'll come by and see you," he tells Adam.

[adamparrish]

Adam presses his lips together to quell any semblance of a smile at Noah's promise. Noah would come by and see him? For no reason other than just to see him? That shouldn't feel good. Adam doesn't want to feel good right now, not until he knows where he stands with Ronan.

And that's why he fights it. Really, it shouldn't surprise anyone who knows Adam even a tiny bit, least of all Noah. "You don't have to if you don't want to." In other words, don't feel obligated. He doesn't want to be an obligation.

[deathbysk8board]

"I know." Noah's smile at that is nearly beatific. It's kind of art and parcel to being alive. He can go wherever he wants and do what he wants and people will see him. "I want to."

[adamparrish]

Adam is still and quiet for a minute, tugging the squeaking merry-go-round this way and that for a bit. Then he looks over to Noah.

"You wanna swing?" He hadn't been on a swing set since he was a tiny kid... before kids were old enough to differentiate who to hang out with and who not to.

[deathbysk8board]

Looking to where the swings are, Noah then looks back, smiling still. "Okay. Just ... not jumping off or something stupid, right?"

He likes being alive.

[adamparrish]

"You don't have to jump off. I mean... we don't even have to swing at all, just..." Just, he's had a visit from a woman earlier in the night who had sort of inspired him to do something silly. Venus, her name was. But maybe it was stupid. A stupid idea. Stupid all around.

"It was just a suggestion, really." He looks back down to his work on the merry-go-round.

[deathbysk8board]

"God, Adam," Noah says, doing a passable Gansey impression. "Live a little."

He nudges Adam's shoulder and urges him toward the swings, then he starts to run, getting to the swings first and sitting.

[adamparrish]

His features briefly scrunch up as he gets to his feet and jogs after Noah. Live a little? That's rich coming from a former ghost. "You're the one who doesn't wanna jump."

Adam takes the swing next to Noah and pushes off. It's really been forever since he did this, since he had fun just to have fun.

[deathbysk8board]

"I'm alive and I want to stay that way," Noah snickers as he starts to swing. "Maybe I won't come back as a ghost if I die again."

[adamparrish]

"Ronan wouldn't let anything happen to you." Adam assures him. "Neither will I." God, he's taken the roll of Ronan, urging Noah to do something potentially dangerous. He'll stop that here and now. If Noah doesn't want to jump he doesn't have to.

For Adam's part, he swings higher and higher. And he will probably jump in a bit.

[deathbysk8board]

Noah has his head back when they swing forward, leaning into it as they go back. Higher and higher, his stomach jumping a little with the sensation. He's grinning, feet kicking out and back.

"I forgot," he tells Adam, a little bit breathless, "What it's like." To do things like this.

[adamparrish]

Adam felt just a little bit ridiculous at first. But when he saw how excited Noah was, he relaxes into it. The higher he went, the more the thrill of it. And yeah, it was fun.

Ronan should be here, he thinks.

And with that thought of Ronan and his death-defying stunts, Adam leaps out of the swing to land in the soft grass in a crouch and roll before lying back in it. He did it. And only Noah saw it. But in some strange way, Ronan was here too.

[deathbysk8board]

"Holy cow," Noah laughs. "You did it. That was cool." His voice goes in and out with where he is on the swing. He still swings, though, fear getting the best of him. "You made it look easy."

[adamparrish]

Ronan was good for Adam in more ways than he could even fully understand. He gave Adam confidence. He reminded him not to be so serious all the time, to live a little and to have fun. Adam wants to say these things to Noah, but again, something stops him. Fear, the very thing that was keeping him away from Ronan right now. He's afraid.

Instead, he just smirks and nods. "I did it."

After a moment, he gets back up and moves to the swing again to sit down. His swinging this time is more subdued, just for fun and not to see how high he can get. He can enjoy this with Noah just fine. A former ghost and a magician, united in their two completely different fears.

[deathbysk8board]

If Ronan were here, he could probably talk Noah into jumping. But Ronan isn't here, so Noah just swings for a long while before he starts to slow, go lower and lower and slower and slower.

He actually feels a little tired. "Do you want to walk back with me?"

[adamparrish]

Adam's feet bring him almost to a complete stop, just barely pushing himself back and forth. He shakes his head, looking down into the grass. He still has to figure out what to do about himself and Ronan. He still has no idea where they stand. He just... needs space to think.

"I'm gonna stay here." He says. "You go ahead."

[deathbysk8board]

As his feet scuff and bring his swing to a stop, Noah looks at Adam. "Are you sure?" he asks. He gets to his feet, still rumbled and smudged, but alive.

"I could stay with you. If you want."