(no subject)

[iwasmore]

One perk to being dead is that when you leave someone's apartment after sleeping with them, you don't have to take public transportation home in the clothes you wore the night before. Of course, Noah does have to at least leave Freddie's apartment under the guise of being a regular person since he hasn't fessed up to what he is yet, but from there he simply leave-leaves and re-manifests into his bedroom at Hywel.

His hair is a glittery mess and he needs a shower, but he hears a loud noise from the other room. Without thinking too much on it he opens his bedroom door to find out what's going on. "Everything okay?" he asks, looking toward the kitchen.

Comments

[thedreamthief]

"Yeah," Ronan replies with a half-assed sort of shrug. "Hywel was only supposed to be temporary for the kids, just something to get them through the spring. What we're building out in Cabeswater is mostly for them."

He pushes away from the counter then to grab another mug from the cupboard, glancing over at Noah as he does. "We don't have to live there, but there's space in case we wanna be out there for a few days or a week or whatever. If we don't want to go back and forth between there and here." It sounds stupid, maybe. Probably. Even Adam had seemed a little confused by the prospect, a little like he was just humoring Ronan at the start.

[iwasmore]

Noah is about to point out that animals probably need someone there every day for them, like Ronan wouldn't know that already. That was his whole childhood. But he realizes, also, that Ronan doesn't have a job. Of course not, what does he need one for? So it's like the animals are his job, and he can just come home to Hywel at the end of the day if he wants.

"Do the walls go all the way to the ceiling?" Noah asks with a tilted smile, watching Ronan.

[thedreamthief]

Ronan's lips twitch into a smirk then as he reaches for the coffee pot, pouring what remains into the mug before offering it to Noah.

"Abso-fucking-lutely." As much as he likes Hywel, as much as it's the closest thing to Monmouth they could get here, Ronan fucking misses having walls. Even Adam's room does have them, the walls themselves aren't the thickest. Ronan's positive Gansey, Noah, and Blue have all heard far more than they'd like.

Sometimes that doesn't bother Ronan in the slightest. Sometimes.

"Hell, maybe they'll be dream walls, even. Soundproof 'em or some shit. That enough to convince you?"

[iwasmore]

"Thanks," Noah says, taking the unexpected gift of a mug of coffee. He's pretty sure the original cup was for Ronan before Chainsaw broke it.

"Sounds good," he adds with a grin. "I mean, sometimes when it's three in the morning I wanna listen to my rap music and play along on my new set of bagpipes. A man has needs, you know?"

Noah doesn't actually mind the lack of full walls between most of the bedrooms. He hasn't got anything going on that would keep anyone up or disturb anyone, and sure, sometimes he hears what other people are doing, but as long as he's been a ghost he's always heard too much. It's really no different.

[thedreamthief]

"If you think I won't dream you some bagpipes now, I've got a fuckin' surprise for you," Ronan says with a brighter grin.

It's easier in that moment, with Noah relaxed enough to make jokes like normal. Easier to believe that he really isn't afraid, that the other Noah had just been full of shit.

Still grinning he adds, "I'll make it so only Gansey can hear them, though."

[iwasmore]

Noah bursts out laughing, genuine, head-thrown-back laughter. Judging from how annoyed Gansey gets from the Murder Squash song, Noah can't imagine how insane he'd be driven from late night bagpipes.

"How would you even manage that? I don't even think you could dream that, how would it work?" he asks, still laughing.

[thedreamthief]

A grin spreads wide across Ronan's face, something warm lodging in his chest and expanding outward, at the force of Noah's laughter.

"Fuck if I know," he admits with an easy shrug, resting comfortably now, arms crossed loosely over his chest. "Dream things just work. Pretty sure there isn't any actual science behind it." And Ronan stopped asking questions awhile back.

[iwasmore]

"Okay, good point. Who am I to try and bring logic to all this, right?" Noah adds with a small giggle, smiling as he sips the hot coffee. He's the last one who should be worried about scientific explanations.

He nudges Ronan's arm again with his elbow. "So why haven't you dreamed me ten cats yet?"

[thedreamthief]

"Jesus, ten?" Ronan replies with a rough laugh.

It isn't the first time Noah's mentioned wanting a cat and, while Ronan's definitely thought about it, he hasn't dreamt anything living since before he'd been taken to that facility. There's a first time for everything, though, and he's managed to keep the nightmares at bay for weeks now.

"Don't you work with dozens of them? How many fucking cats do you need in your life?"

[iwasmore]

"I know, I know, I'm kidding. I volunteer at the shelter, I should just adopt one," Noah says, turning his smile to his cup of coffee as it dims to something less happy.

"I think..." He pauses, trying to come up with the most coherent explanation for why he's been wanting one, but putting it off. Especially when there are always so many he falls in love with up for adoption. "I think maybe I've been holding out for another ghost cat. Prunam was special. Nuriko and I were the only ones who could see her, and then Krem, of course. I always felt like we had a special connection."

[thedreamthief]

Ronan remembers Prunam, but only from Noah talking about her, not because he could ever see her.

This feels like something he should have known, something he should have been able to provide without question. Maybe it'll feel disingenuous now, but Ronan only nods, his decision made. Whatever he dreams tonight may not exactly be a ghost cat, but it'll be special regardless. Ronan will make sure of it.

"Still don't understand why that shitstick got your cat," he says, voice a low grumble though there's not too much heat in his tone. His issues with Krem are a tired argument by now, one he knows Noah isn't eager to participate in. "You still want a car, too?"

[iwasmore]

"She always lived there, even before I did. It made sense to let her stay in her home," Noah answers, even if Ronan doesn't technically want one. It was a decision that was no less gutting to make just because it was logical, but she was as much of Krem's cat as she was his.

Noah laughs, but it comes out more like a sigh. "Don't dream me a car, Ronan," he says, tipping his head against Ronan's shoulder. "I'd rather you just had nice dreams."