iwasmore | for Blue / Ronan

Noah existed in the grocery store, which didn't make much sense seeing as he couldn't eat. Sometimes he bought food for the ducks, or a surprise snack for Krem, but beyond that the grocery store was a useless place for him to visit. He felt the pull of a friend nearby, and maybe that had brought him there. He started searching the aisles, but got distracted by a display for Oreos - he missed Oreos - and nearly ran, bodily, right into someone. "Sorry!"

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From:

thedreamthief

Noah's been staring at a display of Oreos for the past two minutes and, not for the first time, Ronan wonders how they all could've been dumb enough not to realize for so long. Ronan generally likes to consider himself fairly observant, but he'd missed that one by a mile.

"At least death gave you-- whoa." Smirking, he stops Noah from crashing into him with a hand on his shoulder. "Since when do you hang out in grocery stores anyway?"

From:

iwasmore

Noah let out a little squeak, but smiled when he realized it was Ronan. He patted Ronan's hand.

"I wasn't. I must have been looking for you," he replied, and looked Ronan over for a hand basket or a cart. "I hope you're buying something healthy."

From:

thedreamthief

Ronan's basket currently holds a party-sized bag of Doritos, two dozen apples, one loaf of bread, and four-pack of toilet paper. He grabs a packet of Oreos off the display Noah's been eying and adds it to his basket.

"There. All well and balanced."

From:

iwasmore

Noah looks longingly at the Oreos and sighs. His attention is distracted by the giant pile of apples, though. He may not eat anymore, but he likes to think he remembers what an average amount of apples a person would need to buy to eat looks like.

"Are you shopping for you and Adam?"

From:

thedreamthief

He doesn't miss the way Noah tracks the Oreos and he wonders if ghosts can still taste even if they can't eat. And then finds himself wondering what would happen to the Oreo if Noah did try to eat it. Just crumble to the ground?

"They're for Verity," Ronan replies, eyebrow arched and tone final. He and Adam haven't really been keeping anything secret, but it's also not something they're both comfortable not talking about.

From:

iwasmore

Noah makes a face at Ronan. So he's going to be ridiculous about this, too?

"Seriously? Am I not allowed to talk to you, either? It's like you guys are conspiring murder, not dating."

He rolled his eyes and walked down the aisle, trailing his finger along colorful boxes of food he can't eat.

From:

thedreamthief

"There's nothing to talk about, fuckface," Ronan tosses back, scowling as Noah turns with a huff, fingers grazing along boxes of food as he goes.

Honestly, murder would probably be easier to talk about than... whatever it is going on with Parrish. Not that he expects Noah to understand that. For more than one reason.

From:

iwasmore

"Sure there is. How did it happen? How is it going? Is Adam a good kisser? Have you picked out wedding invitations yet?" Noah lists off, hiding a smile.

He picks out a box of chocolate Teddy Grahams and drops it into Ronan's basket. Teddy Grahams are so good.

Edited Date: 2015-09-30 11:19 pm (UTC)

From:

thedreamthief

"Can't you read minds and shit?" Ronan asks, glowering down at the latest addition to his basket though he notably doesn't remove it. As far as he could figure, Noah already knew all the answers, but hell if Ronan was going to say a damn word even if he didn't. It's not like any of it's Noah's business anyway.

From:

iwasmore

Noah just snorts. He stares at a box of crackers for a long moment before he turns and looks at Ronan, frowning.

"You really won't tell me anything?"

Edited Date: 2015-10-01 12:37 am (UTC)

From:

thedreamthief

Ronan doesn't like that look. It twists at something inside him, makes him feel like he's kicked a puppy. Fucking Noah.

"Why the hell do you need to know so badly?"

From:

iwasmore

Noah throws his hands up. "I don't know, because you're my friends? It's bad enough we can't even live together here, and now I can't even see if you're up with insomnia because I don't want to walk in on you having sex or whatever," he says, a sullen, brooding tone to his words. He won't meet Ronan's eyes at this point, and tips over the box of crackers because he can.

"It's just different, here."

From:

formicine

Blue's slowly, sort of, learning how to do the food thing. It had been so easy, at 300 Fox Way; there was always someone taking care of groceries, usually more than one someone responsible for obtaining ingredients and whirling them together into things that taste like dinner.

It's a little embarrassing, probably, that she's 17, didn't grow up with a silver spoon in her mouth, and still doesn't know much practically beyond microwave meals and breakfast foods. But that's what yogurt is for, ramen, eggs. Toast.

Also snacks. She's just rounded the aisle to grab herself something sweet and snackable, and someone nearly walks right into her. "Hey -- oh! Noah." Her face softens. "Hey." She furrows her brow. "Looking for something?"

From:

iwasmore

Oh. So that's why he's here, because Blue needs a mom.

Noah's bright smile at Blue goes a little judgmental. "No. Just wondering why I ended up in a grocery store, but...now I realize why." He eyes her shopping basket and the ten packets of ramen inside. "You can't live on instant noodles, Blue," he says, picking up Chicken Flavor and letting it drop back into the basket in distaste.

From:

formicine

"You'd be surprised," she deadpans, mostly joking, a little defensive. She's been doing okay on noodles. And she adores Noah, but as far as she knows, he's from the same sort of background that, with the exception of Adam, the rest of her Raven Boys are. She doubts he's ever had to live on instant noodles. He had a Mustang; she hates even thinking about that car now, but there's nothing to make her think Noah is in any way experienced with budgeting. "Anyway," she softens, "I'm not going to get -- scurvy -- or something. I've got tangerines," she offers, picking one up to toss into the air in one hand. "And eggs."

She misses real, homecooked food, misses 800 kinds of tea, casseroles, pie -- but she also misses her mom, and Persephone and both of them are as gone as each other, here, and it's not something she wants to think too hard about. It's better to take care of herself and have to focus on that.

"I mean, if you're offering to cook for me," she teases gently, bumping him with her hip.

From:

iwasmore

Noah, knowing Blue is thinking about her mother, takes her free hand in his. Instead of teasing her about her tangerines and eggs - because honestly, what sort of meal was that? - he bumped her back.

"Sure I will," he offered. But she wasn't wrong. He did grow up much like Gansey and Ronan, and he had no clue how to actually cook anything. It couldn't be too hard, though, right? People did it every day. He'd just need to look up a recipe. "What meal would you like me to make you? But pick one with vegetables."

From:

formicine

Blue links her fingers with his, glad for the offer and that she doesn't really have to say anything.

She smiles a little. "Really?" She raises an eyebrow. She's pretty sure she's never seen Noah cook anything. He doesn't eat, for one thing, and as far as she can tell there's a lot of living on pizza at Monmouth Manufacturing. It's a really cute offer, though, and maybe she's underestimating him. "Fried green tomatoes?" she offers. "That's all vegetable. Or pot pie..." she muses, which is more of its own self-contained meal, but she has no idea how to deal with making crust and making sure the chicken cooks without overdoing the vegetables. At home, Persephone would be responsible for making half the pie crust, and it'd be flaky and amazing, and her chest hurts a little.

"You really don't have to, though," she says. "What have you been up to, aside from tracking us down to mom us?"

From:

iwasmore

"But I want to. Come on, let's find the ingredients of whatever it is you want to eat," Noah says, giving Blue's hand a gentle tug, and heading for the produce section. He doesn't exactly like being around food, but he'd do anything to cheer Blue up. And she really does need to get better.

"I...haven't been up to much..." He lies, blushing. He doesn't mean to, and opens his mouth to tell her, but then he isn't sure how.

From:

formicine

"Excelsior," she jokes, following him toward the bright colors of produce. She's been buying mostly canned fruits and vegetables, with the exception of the tangerines which suckered her in both for their nice smell and their portable, meal-on-the-go factor. Fresh fruit seems too expensive. She has a job, and some part time dog walking on the side, and the free money from this weird place (which she's making certain not to touch) -- she's okay -- but she's still anxious about money and tends to redo her budget to make sure she's got enough for rent. Splurges are on fabric or things to make her place more of an oasis, not food.

She picks up a tomato, inspecting it without much seriousness, and gives Noah a look as he blushes himself nearly solid. "You are a shitty liar," she informs him. "When did we start keeping secrets from each other?"

The answer is a little bit, we always have, in this group, but Blue and Noah don't, really.

From:

iwasmore

It's a double edged sword. On one hand, Blue is the one who he talks to about everything. On the other hand, it's difficult for him because it's Blue. Because he'd liked Blue like that, and they'd kissed, and he honestly couldn't help it, but god some part of him had wanted...

And maybe still does.

Which makes him feel awful, because he loves Krem, and Krem is enough. More than enough. But it somehow hasn't replaced his old feelings, and he still can't shake them.

"We haven't." He sighs. "Though, you never tell me about Gansey," he pointed out. It was probably rude of him to bring up something she hadn't voluntarily shared with him, but he knew and it was kind of silly to pretend otherwise.

"I have a boyfriend."

From:

formicine

She can feel her face go hot, and Blue stares fixedly at the tomatoes, contemplating a green one that's gone a little pink around the round sides. "That's because there isn't anything to say about Gansey," she says, and makes a face at the reddish glow to the tomato before putting it back. Her chest feels too full to think about food. "Nothing real, anyway. There -- can't be anything," she admits, which is fairer. For a whole host of reasons, only one of which is that she'd kill him if they kissed.

It feels shitty, though, to say to Noah, because she likes him, in a complicated way, because they have kissed, because she doesn't want anyone to feel bad.

She glances up though, surprised. "Wait, a boyfriend, boyfriend?" It surprises a smile to her face and she swings her basket to bump him. There's a very tiny part of her that feels like she's lost out on something, but much more that's warm and happy that Noah likes someone, that someone likes him. "You never told me you liked anyone. Who? Do I know him?"

From:

iwasmore

Noah can only handle one relationship topic at a time, so he doesn't push about Gansey. About how Ronan and Adam are together, about how you can be with someone without kissing them, about how life is short and Gansey's might be even shorter, so why are they wasting their time?

He'll bring it up later. Another less public time.

His smile is a little wobbly. It's strange to want a positive reaction, but at the same time not want the excitement. He's being stupid, though, and he knows he is as soon as he thinks about Krem.

"His name is Cremisius, or Krem for short," he says, pretending to be interested in the Gala apples to hide the way his cheeks go more flesh colored. "Sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I just wasn't sure..." He looks back over at Blue and shrugs a little, smiling. "But he said we're boyfriends. For real."

From:

formicine

"Cremisius," she says carefully. It sounds like a Roman soldier. "How did you two meet?"

If Noah had pushed about Gansey, Blue's not even sure what she'd say. It's mostly Gansey's idea that they not say anything to the others, though she's reluctantly agreed long enough for it to feel like her own. Ronan and Adam aren't calling themselves anything, but they obviously are, and there's a restless, urgent part of her that wants to push Gansey about it, wants to unsettle his careful planning.

But maybe things are better left unsaid. Neither Ronan nor Adam are cool and unvolatile, and she feels like she has only a tentative grip on everyone.

Even Noah, it seems like. She's truly happy for him, knows she is from the way she feels when he goes a little pinker looking at the apples. It just also makes her feel a little -- something. Left behind. Wistful. But Noah deserves -- more. To get more. To be more. To not be the person people kiss because they can, she thinks shamefully at herself, regardless of whose idea it was.

Then she frowns, thinking about that. "Wait, so. Have you always liked guys?" That sounds awful. "I mean --" She blushes under her freckles. "Let's forget I said that."

From:

iwasmore

Noah can't help but smile when Blue says Cremisius' name, and quickly puts some bananas in the basket to hide his bashfulness. They aren't part of the recipe, but she should make sure to get some potassium.

"I met him when I first got here. We just ran into each other. He was actually really freaked out. Spirits are different where he's from. They're like, demons, or something." He still isn't entirely sure how it works. He moves on to the broccoli. "Then we met again at the cat cafe, and he ended up adopting Prunam-- the ghost cat, remember? I, uh...didn't tell anyone, though. So shh." He puts his finger to his lips with a smile. He feels kind of guilty about just taking a cat, but no one else seemed to be able to see her but him, Krem, and Nuriko, and he thought Prunam deserved a home.

He smirks at her question. "It's okay if you assumed, since you and I..." He shrugs, because he remembers it's not supposed to be a big deal. Even if it still kind of is, to him. But he doesn't want to make things weird between them, so he pokes her side, tickles it. "I've always liked guys, too. Both. I just like...people."

Edited Date: 2015-10-07 01:16 pm (UTC)