iwasmore | for Blue / Ronan

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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Ronan's grin slips into half a scowl as Noah floats backwards. Death comes with some unfair advantages, he thinks. Plus, he's not sure how he feels about what Noah's implying.

"Oh right, Teddy Grahams," he says, dodging slightly. "Your fixation seems a little unhealthy if you ask me."

"I'm not talking about eating," Noah says in a sing-song voice, traipsing ahead of Ronan, bogged down by the bags of food.

Noah's being a little shit which, honestly, Ronan can appreciate. If nothing else, it feels normal. Feels right in a way so much of Darrow feels irrevocably wrong.

His lips curl into a sneer. "I'm not dumb enough to take the fucking bait, man. You know that."

Noah waits and lets Ronan catch up with him, walking alongside him. His smile hasn't dimmed much. "Really? So what are you dumb enough for?" he teases.

There's a neverending list to answer that one, but Ronan only throws Noah a quick glare before shoving one of the bags into his chest. "Dumb enough to be friends with a shitweasel ghost, apparently," he says,

"You know you love me," Noah says, grudgingly taking the bag and carrying it.

"Guess someone has to," Ronan says, though there's the tiniest hint of affection in his tone. Noah's a little shit and Ronan is an asshole and somehow that works for them.

Fighting a smirk, he adds, "If you ever go creepy invisible ghost mode while I'm jerking off, you have no one to blame but yourself."

Noah laughs at both of his comments, but mostly the second. "Who says I already haven't?" he teases, and waggles his eyebrows at Ronan.

"Kidding!" he adds quickly, before Ronan tries to bodily throw him across the parking lot. "I seriously don't lurk in invisible mode. Um, if I am, it means I'm not really...myself." Which is mainly referring to when they'd moved his body off the ley line and he'd been a little more ghostly than usual.

Despite Noah's easy smile, something low in Ronan's gut coils at the idea of him being... less Noah. It should feel like just a part of him at this point, just a facet of who he is, but it's too easy to remember why he's this way, too easy to remember that cracked-in skull as explanation for the permanent smudge on Noah's cheek.

"Do you remember stuff when you're like that?" Ronan asks, though he weirdly isn't sure if he wants to know.

Noah gives his usual response to questions about how he works. He shrugs. In truth, he knows, but he'd rather not talk about it. His friends think he's creepy enough without him adding to it.

He tries to think of a change of subject instead.

"Hey. You know Cremisius-- Krem?" he asks, looking over at Ronan. "What did you say to him to like...upset him?"

Ronan's lips twist into a scowl as he glances over at Noah.

"The fuck? How the fuck do you know Krem?" It's a stupid question probably, but if Noah's going to ignore his question in favor of another one, so's Ronan.

Noah isn't expecting such a vehement reply, and he's taken aback for a moment. He figured whatever Ronan had said to Krem was Ronan being his usual offensive self, and Noah just wanted to make sure it hadn't been about his gender. He isn't prepared for Ronan's reaction, though, and he almost isn't sure how to answer.

"He's my boyfriend," Noah says, almost hesitantly.

Ronan stops in his tracks, bag of groceries hanging from his fingers as he turns to stare at Noah. Noah doesn't look like he's joking and Ronan squints, eying him sharply."

"Please tell me you're fucking around."

Noah stares back, unsure how to react yet. Ronan is volatile, but not with him. He's just about the only one who doesn't get full force Ronan. His face is blank, and his voice is similarly so.

"What's the problem?"

"What's the-- He's an asshole!"

Ronan is well aware that most people would slap the same adjective on him, including his friends. But at least Ronan isn't an asshole who lies.

The idea of Krem being an asshole was so uncharacteristic of everything Noah knew of him, that he stared at Ronan in disbelief. And then he realized that Ronan just insulted his boyfriend and his nostrils flared.

"No he isn't," Noah hissed. "Why would you say that?"

Jesus Christ, what is this guy feeding his friends? First Adam and now Noah? Next he'll be hearing that Gansey's fucking going to the Prom with him or some shit.

"Because he's a fucking liar, Noah! What shit is even telling you? You're a fucking ghost! How can you not see his bullshit?"

"What's he lying about?" Noah demanded, fingers curling into fists at his sides. The grocery bag dangled, forgotten, from one. He'd never caught Krem lying about anything.

Ronan can't remember ever fighting with Noah. Not in the way he's fought with Gansey and definitely not how he's fought with Adam. Anger is as easy as breathing for Ronan and often the easiest way of communicating. But with Noah, either because of the ghost thing or the mischief or the way he's never asked for Ronan to be anything than exactly what he is... it's never been that way.

The fact that it's Krem now making this happen makes Ronan hate the guy even more.

Ronan drops the grocery bag to the ground to step in closer to Noah before he can blink out of existence. "Fucking Parrish for one thing," he says, the words alone making his blood boil. "Don't ask me why, man, but for some fucked up reason, he wanted to make real sure I thought they were hooking up."

Noah flinched and dropped his bag, too, but not out of anger. He didn't know what to think, he didn't want to fight with Ronan, his loyalty was with Ronan. But his loyalty was with Cremisius now, too. He didn't want to have to choose between the two of them.

"Maybe you pissed him off, and he knew just how to get under your skin," Noah said in a low voice. It didn't sound like Krem, but then, he hadn't known him that long. Krem could be a lot of things he hadn't seen yet.

"It's not like you don't piss everyone off."

It's not untrue. Hell, some part of Ronan takes pride in the fact that he can piss off just about anyone. But it's still not the fucking point.

"Yeah, and how the fuck would he know that?" Ronan practically growls. "Is he a ghost, too? Does he fucking read minds?"

"Please, Ronan. Everyone knows you're in love with Adam!" Noah snaps, throwing his hands up. If the subject came up, it wasn't impossible that Krem had been able to guess.

Ronan's never used that word for Adam, not even in his dreams. He's fascinated by Adam. Cares for him, sure, in the way he cares for Gansey and Noah and Matthew. The way he wants is different. A little. It's manageable. But anything more than that isn't...

"You don't know shit," Ronan sneers, voice low and almost dangerously gentle suddenly. "What is it about this place that suddenly makes everyone gay? Since when do you like dick?"

Noah's face goes a little pinkish, more flesh-colored, and the temperature around him lowers. He can feel his short fingernails biting into his palms, his jaw clench.

"You don't know anything about me," he forces out through a suddenly tight throat, more upset than angry.

There's a pinch in Noah's voice, a tightness that makes Ronan's anger flare hot all over again, skin drawing thin. Breakable.

He doesn't fight with Noah, he reminds himself. He doesn't fight with Noah.

"Fuck this," he snarls, leg swinging to kick the nearest bag of groceries, sending a flurry of apples rolling before he's striding away, fingers itching at his sides.

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iwasmore - 2015-10-03 04:56 (UTC) - Expand

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