#trcfic

And okay, so maybe he’s being a little bit hypocritical, being so damn startled to see his own face in this new world they’ve landed on, especially since his entire current family has at least one double each that he’s either met or heard about (or started the journey with and lost along the way, but it still hurts to think about, even now). He knows it was bound to happen at some point. It’s just. Yeah, it’s weird.

“Who’s the blond?” the other Kurogane asks, raising a pointed eyebrow in Fai’s direction, eyes sparkling with interest in a way Kurogane hates to think his own have ever done. 

Fai chooses that moment to raise his gaze from where he’s been looking through a collection of crystals (“They’re perfect for casting spells, Kuro-pon, and as protection charms.”) a street vendor’s selling. His eyes widen when he sees Kurogane’s companion. (Fuck. Hell no.) “My husband,” he tells his other self, as pointedly as he can, turning away from Fai to look at the man straight on. “And I ain’t sharing, before you get any ideas.”

Sudden laughter from right next to him startles him. “Oh, that’s good to know,” Fai says (and just when the hell did he get here so fast?), leaning on Kurogane’s good shoulder, amusement clear on his face. “Though I’ll admit it would be interesting.”

“No.”

The other Kurogane laughs, hard. “Don’t worry, don’t worry. Stop looking like you’re gonna murder me. I have no interest in married men. As pretty as they might be.” 

“Aw,” Fai coos, and Kurogane’s forgotten how condescending he could sound when he wanted to. “Kuro-sama thinks I’m pretty.”

Kurogane rolls his eyes. “Shut the hell up. Did you finish looking at your sparkly rocks?”

Fai nods, and turns his most blinding smile at this world’s Kurogane. “Please excuse my husband, he’s a bit brutish when he feels threatened. (“The hell I am!”) I’m Fai.” He stretches out his hand in a polite introduction.

The other Kurogane raises his eyebrow again, before nodding and shaking Fai’s hand firmly. “Youou.” And ah, doesn’t that feel like a gut punch, hearing his own name so easily spoken out loud. “I’m guessing you guys aren’t from around here.”

Fai sways from side to side, hands clasped behind his back, lashes fluttering just so. The picture of innocence. Kurogane snorts just at the image. “You’re right, we’re not. Would You-chan (“You-chan?? What the fu-”) mind showing us around?”

So yeah, Kurogane’s headache is not going away anytime soon. 

~

(“Honestly, Kuro-sama, being jealous of your own self, how unbecoming.”

It didn’t take long for Ronan to lose what little interest he had managed to muster for grocery shopping and soon he was trailing Adam, knocking into the back of him with the cart complaining loudly (and colourfully) about how bored he was.

“If you would try to be just a little helpful, we would be done by now,” Adam griped, trying not to let his frustration show. Ronan had endless time to be bored, between Adam’s job at the garage and classes Adam spent most of the little time he had to spare in the library, a couple of hours to spend with Ronan, even if it was grocery shopping, was an exciting rarity.

Despite his best efforts, Ronan must have sensed Adam’s irritation because he reached out and snatched the shopping list that Blue had scrawled from his hand.

“What do we need all this for?” He asked scanning the list, “None of us can cook.”

This wasn’t strictly speaking true, Gansey couldn’t cook ⎼ Blue steamed broccoli and made pasta, Adam could cook anything that could be made in a microwave and Ronan was quite a good cook, but flat-out refused to do so.

Adam rolled his eyes, he more than the others knew the extent of Ronan’s culinary abilities. “We can’t afford to eat out all the time.”

Truthfully, Adam and Blue couldn’t afford to eat out all the time but refused to allow Ronan or Gansey to pay for them, but Adam was grateful that Ronan didn’t point out this fact.

“We need milk,” Adam observed. “And Blue wants some more yoghurts. I can get those and meet you in the dairy aisle.”

“Sure,” Ronan replied. “I’ll get…” he squinted at the list, “jammy tea?”

“Jasmine,” Adam said without looking up from the cuticle he was picking at.

“Shit, Blue’s handwriting is awful,” Ronan said.

He nudged Adam’s side with the shopping cart to indicate he was going to leave it with him and headed off in the direction of the hot drinks. He grabbed the brand of tea he knew Blue liked and, remembering they were nearly out, another tub of coffee. Adam was the only one of them who drank coffee with any regularity - sometimes two or three cups a day. Ronan, like Blue, favoured tea and Gansey drank both without preference.

 Ronan located Adam in the dairy aisle, deliberating between two types of yoghurt - one with strawberries and one with peach in the bottom.

“She likes the plain,” Ronan said by way of greeting, tossing the tea and coffee he had picked up into the cart.

“Huh?” Adam replied.

“She doesn’t like the fruit,” Ronan repeated. “She doesn’t eat it.”

“Right,” Adam said, putting both yoghurts back and taking the pack of plain Ronan was offering him.

“Come on,” Ronan said reclaiming his place at the helm of the shopping cart. “What next?”

“You have the list,” Adam reminded him.

“Yeah?” Ronan said it didn’t sound like he was agreeing with Adam.

“Ronan,” Adam said warningly.

“Adam,” Ronan replied in an almost sing-song voice.

“Where is the list?”

Ronan shrugged, unable to suppress his grin.

“Christ, Ronan,” Adam groaned. “Why do you have to be such a dick sometimes?”

Ronan laughed, it had an edge to it. “Live a little, Parrish. Who needs the stupid list?”

“We do,” Adam replied, frustrated.

Ronan pantomimed patting down his pockets, “I’m sure it’s around here somewhere.”

Adam considered the boy in front of him, it was unlikely Ronan had actually thrown the list away, more likely he was trying to wind Adam up. Furthermore, Ronan wasn’t one for casual touching, but Adam reasoned that coming from him he may not protest too much.

Mind made up, Adam rounded the shopping cart to stand in front of Ronan and reaching out, slower than usual as to not startle him, he slipped his fingers into the front pocket of Ronan’s jeans.

Ronan jerked back, almost hitting his head on a cheese display, “What are you doing?” His voice was hoarse.

“Looking for the list,” Adam replied mildly.

It wasn’t in the right pocket so Adam moved to the left, hoping he wouldn’t have to resort to the back pockets ⎼ he really hadn’t thought this through.

“Aha!” Adam cried, triumphant extracting a piece of paper from Ronan’s pocket.

It was a crumpled receipt that had run through the washing machine too many times to be legible anymore. Ronan met Adam’s eyes and quirked his brow, daring him to continue.

Adam narrowed his eyes, trying to act braver than he felt. His throat was dry as he stepped closer to Ronan and reached around him to his back pocket.

It was empty. Before Adam could withdraw his hand Ronan’s flew out and gripped Adam’s arm. His gaze was hot when his eyes met Adam’s, holding eye contact for a long moment before his gaze dropped to Adam’s lips.

Instinctively, Adam’s tongue darted out and licked his bottom lip. Ronan lifted his eyes to Adam’s again and released his arm, his chin tilted up as if challenging Adam.

Without thinking Adam stepped forward again, his left hand sliding up to the small of Ronan’s back, the right reaching up to touch his jaw. Ronan’s eyelashes fluttered.

Kissing Ronan felt a little like fighting with Ronan, the taller boy pulled Adam roughly into him so that they were pressed together, legs entangled. Now Ronan really did hit his head on the cheese display but he either didn’t notice or didn’t care. After a few moments of lips and teeth and tongues, that shouldn’t have felt as good as it did, Ronan relaxed and let Adam kiss him, his fingers playing along the waistband of Adam’s jeans and sneaking under his faded t-shirt.

Adam’s hands trailed down Ronan’s back to his ass, fingers brushing his back pocket.

They broke apart and Adam stepped back, he blinked a few times before breaking into a slow grin, holding up a piece of paper clutched in his right hand. “Gotcha,” he said, his Henrietta drawl coming through thick.

Ronan gaped at him, his ears turning red. He began to turn back to the shopping cart, his defences snapping up.

Adam reached out a hand, placing it atop Ronan’s where it rested on the cart forcing Ronan to look at him. He stepped in and pressed another sweet kiss to the corner of Ronan’s mouth leaving him blinking in surprise.

‘’Jesus, Parrish- your feet are fucking freezing!’’ Ronan groans noisily but he stays put.

He feels Adam stir against his back and hears the lazy smile in his voice when he murmurs, ‘’Mornin’, Lynch.’’

Despite Ronan’s loud protests, Adam proceeds to simply hold his feet more snugly against Ronan’s legs. Adam laughs quietly as Ronan shoves his legs out of the comforter to leave them dangling over the side of the too-small bed.

‘’Really?’’

‘’Yes, really,’’ Ronan scoffs. ‘’You’re stealing my body heat.’’

‘’Fine, I guess I’ll just...’’ Adam starts and he begins to remove his arm from Ronan’s waist but it’s quickly tugged back and pulled around Ronan’s body.

‘’Not yet,’’ Ronan says quietly.

They lie that way for a while and although Ronan feels like he should be uncomfortable in this position -with his feet hanging over the side of the bed-  he can’t seem to feel anything but happy. He gets to spend the holidays with Adam, gets to wake up in his arms and feel his steady heartbeat against his back. Gets to see him in all of his sleepy morning glory and bicker with him about his ice-cold feet.

Of course, his stomach drops slightly when he remembers what day it is and he tries not to grow more nervous than he already is. Although, initially, he’d been impatient about giving Adam his gift, now that the day was here, he began mulling over all the different ways in which Adam would react.

Would he hate it? Find it weird? Self-absorbed?

Ronan sighs inaudibly.

‘’What’s going on over there, hm?’’ Adam asks softly, recognizing the tension in his body.

Ronan is saved from answering thanks to the clumsy footsteps stomping down the hallway. He turns over on his back and stares at the door, waiting and soon, he hears a soft knock.

Adam sits up against the headboard and calls out, ‘’Come on in, Opal.’’

The door props open slightly and Opal’s face appears in the doorway, her face split in a toothy grin. It widens when Adam pats the space between him and Ronan. She leaps onto the bed and sternly looks down at them, hands on her hips.

‘’Come on, you guys! It’s Christmas!’’

Ronan groans playfully and flops over onto his stomach, face stuffed in his pillow. He peeks out with one eye to see Opal huffing and looking at Adam helplessly.

Adam stares down at him, amused. ‘’Where’s the Christmas spirit, Lynch?’’

‘’See, Adam gets it,’’ Opal says, managing to sound both annoyed and affectionate. She settles down beside Adam and plays with his fraying shirt sleeve. ‘’Are we opening presents yet?’’

‘’In a bit, Opal,’’ Adam promises, gently patting down her wild hair. Ronan props his head on his arms and watches as she practically preens under the attention. ‘’We’ll be downstairs in a sec. I’ll make us some breakfast.’’

‘’Okay!’’ she says, and jumps off the bed, clambering towards the door. Before she shuts it, she props her head in the gap and looks pointedly at Ronan. ‘’Oh, and Ronan?’’

‘’Mm?’’

‘’Don’t forget, okay?’’ she says and smiles her angelic smile that fools nobody before sealing their door shut.

Ronan’s stomach bottoms out at her words and he glances at Adam, who he finds is curiously looking down at him. Thankfully, he doesn’t say anything and instead chooses to shuck off their covers. Ronan watches him stretch and walk silently towards his suitcase to grab a fresh set of clothes.

Adam raises his eyebrows when he catches Ronan’s eye and he can see the question forming in Adam’s mind. So, he does the Ronan thing to do. He deflects.

‘’So, breakfast, huh? Didn’t know you could even boil water.’’

Adam stares at him for a moment and then rolls his eyes. ‘’I might’ve picked up a few things here and there while living on campus, you know.’’

‘’Wow. Four months and you’ve already nailed cooking.’’

‘’It’s a gift,’’ Adam replies dryly, walking towards the bathroom.

Before he can lose the nerve, Ronan turns on his back and stares at the ceiling. ‘’Speaking of gifts.’’

Adam pauses, his hand on the door frame to look over his shoulder. ‘’Yeah?’’

‘’I’ve got something. For you, I mean.’’

Adam’s got his full attention now and Ronan tries not to squirm under it. He can see Adam leaning on the doorframe in his peripheral vision, the way his arms are folded across his chest. ‘’Is that right?’’

Ronan’s ears feel hot at the tone of his voice.

It’s not like the don’t give each other gifts. Ronan loves the new leather bracelets that sometimes appear on his wrist after a nap from when he visits Adam’s dorm. He loves it when Harvard sweaters are ‘accidentally’ left behind in the Barns, still smelling of Adam’s hand lotion.

And of course, he’s seen the way Adam’s eyes light up when Ronan gives him a dream trinket or more magical hand lotion. He’s also teased Adam endlessly about the meticulous care he gave to the tiny potted plants that sat on his dorm windowsill. The plants that flourished beautifully, despite Adam’s nervous protests that he couldn’t take proper care of them when he’d first found them lying near his window during Ronan’s visits.

They’d never spent the holidays together as an official couple and for the past few weeks, Ronan definitely felt the pressure of giving Adam the perfect gift, despite Opal’s constant reassuring - ‘’Adam loves anything you give him.’’

Still.

It had to be something good. Because Adam Parrish in himself was a fucking miracle and deserved as much.

Ronan finally untangles himself from the sheets and sits up. He shifts his gaze to Adam who he finds is already grinning knowingly at him.

‘’I want to give it to you now,’’ Ronan states, watching Adam’s grin deepen. ‘’So, are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna hurry up and shower already?’’

‘’Dunno.’’ A dimple appears in both of his cheeks. ‘’View’s pretty nice out here.’’

In reply, he gets a pillow thrown in his face. Ronan scowls without any real malice, trying to ignore the heat that seeps into his face. ‘’Just. Hurry up, will you.’’

Adam’s quiet laughter can be heard even as he shuts the bathroom door but Ronan can’t really take offence. He loves it when Adam’s like this. Beautiful and playful, enjoying the effect he has on Ronan.

When Ronan hears the showerhead turn on, he runs to the bathroom and hurriedly brushes his teeth. He swears unceremoniously when he knocks over one of the plastic soap dispensers in his haste.

‘’Someone’s in a hurry,’’ Adam says, amused, from behind the curtain.

‘’Someone better mind their own fucking business or they might not get their gift.’’

Adam’s effortless laughter forces a grin out of Ronan, despite his nervousness. The butterflies return, however, as he walks to his closet, pawing for the small cardboard box that he’d kept tucked away in the corner. He returns to the bed and tries to wait patiently, tries to ignore his nerves.

After weeks of carefully dreaming up Adam’s gift, and spending several more weeks ensuring that it actually worked, he’d told Opal. His fingers drift over the box’s slightly rough surface as he remembers her reaction- ‘’Oh, Adam will love it!’’- and her insistence that they both decorate the box in red and gold. He remembers when she recognized his eventual uncertainty and how she quipped that he ‘’better not stall or else’’.

Ronan sighs and decides to take one final look at the gift- despite the way he’d memorized its shape, colour and texture- before Adam showed up.

He nudges open the lid, eyeing the small golden doorknob that’s carefully arranged in the center, surrounded by loads of red tissue paper.

Before he can find something to scrutinize and fix, he sees the bathroom door being prodded open and Adam peering up at him, with something that almost resembles shyness. His gaze snags on the box in Ronan’s palm and he raises an eyebrow when Ronan hides it behind his back.

‘’Well, don’t just stand there,’’ Ronan teases, but his voice betrays his nerves.

Pushing off the doorframe, Adam starts towards the bed but pauses to kneel in front of his suitcase, his back to Ronan. Ronan barely hears him as he says, ‘’I’ve got something for you, too.’’

He stands and shuffles towards the bed, trying to hide the gift but Ronan catches a glimpse of red wrapping paper around something that resembles a book. His heart thunders.

He’d completely forgotten about the fact that while he’d been deliberating Adam’s gift, Adam was probably doing the same thing. As he seats himself in front of Ronan, Ronan wonders if Adam, too, was nervous. He gets his answer as he notices the way Adam eyes shift from Ronan and then, away.

Well, at least he’s not the only one.

‘’Okay,’’ Adam says and holds his arms out, palms up, his smile tentative.

Ronan raises a brow and grins. ‘’What makes you think I’m going first?’’

‘’Ronan.’’

‘’What?’’

‘’You-’’ he struggles for a bit, his mouth hilariously caught between pouting and grinning alongside Ronan. ‘’You’re the one who brought this whole thing up! Quit stalling.’’

‘’I’m not stalling-’’

‘’Here,’’ Adam straightens and puts one hand over his eyes, the other one held palm up between both of them. ‘’I’ll even cover my eyes.’’

Ronan blinks, slightly thrown at the change in direction. He swallows and brings out the small box from behind his back, staring down at it.

Sensing Ronan’s hesitation, a line appears between Adam’s brows. He blindly reaches out to squeeze Ronan’s forearm. ‘’Hey. Relax, would you? It’s just me.’’

Ronan inhales and takes Adam’s hand to place the small box in it. Steeling himself, he watches as Adam slowly opens his eyes, his lashes fluttering along his cheekbones. Ronan rests his elbows on his thighs and bites his thumbnail, peering up at Adam through his lashes.

He watches as Adam looks at him, then at the box, then him again- and his heart just about melts when Adam lets loose one of his rare shy grins. The tips of his ears turn pink as he clears his throat and says, ‘’Okay. Well.’’

Ronan’s pretty sure he doesn’t exhale for the next thirty seconds but it doesn’t matter. He smiles widely behind his thumbnail when Adam’s hasty fumbling eventually dissolves into uncontained excitement, as he sets aside the box’s lid and ruffles through the tissue paper.

Adam’s hand slightly freeze when he sees the small knob. Ronan’s pretty sure his heart does the exact same thing as Adam slowly lifts it out of the box and cradles it in both hands.

He turns it over once, twice and Ronan can practically see the cogs turning in his mind, as Adam inspects it. Ronan knows he can’t figure it out when he pauses and tentatively, without looking up, says, ‘’Explain’’.

It sounds more like a suggestion than a demand, like Adam’s trying to wind the answer of him, bit by bit. Ronan feels some part of him breathe out in relief because Adam knows. He knows that this isn’t merely junk and he knows that this is something.

Ronan’s throat feels raw as he answers, ‘’You’ve been saying how you wish you could see me- and Opal and Gansey and Blue.’’

Adam glances up at him, nodding slowly.

‘’And that calling and shit isn’t nearly as amazing as seeing me in person,’’ he continues.

‘’Oh, yeah, Ronan. That is exactly what I said,’’ Adam says sarcastically, his lips twitching into a grin.

A corner of his mouth lifting, Ronan plucks the doorknob out of Adam’s hands and examines it. ‘’Sucks because the only way you’d be able to use it is by removing your dorm doorknobs on both sides and putting this one in place. That way nobody can open it from the other end. You need to make sure of that.’’

Adam nods repeatedly at the methodic explanations, his eyes boring into Ronan’s. He motions for Ronan to give the knob back.

‘’Then what?’’ he prompts casually, his fingers imperceptibly tightening on it.

Ronan watches him carefully and exhales. ‘’Then, you’d step through your dorm door and end up here. Through the Barns’ front door.’’   

Awe slowly transforms Adam’s face. ‘’And you call me ‘magician’.’’

‘’I just thought maybe…. I want you to know that I’m here whenever you need me, Adam.’’

He keeps his eyes locked on Adam’s hands and prays it doesn’t sound as conceited as he feels it is. Hopes that Adam doesn’t think that Ronan sees him as helpless when it comes to handling his new life at college. He knows that Adam is more than capable of dealing with all of this.

But he also knows that after all those late-night talks of both of them whispering- in raw and aching voices- how much they missed each other, that he had to do something.

So when the idea was planted in his mind, Ronan had immediately gone to work. At first, he didn’t really know what he was supposed to be dreaming of.

But after weeks of simply dreaming of Adam stepping through the front door of the Barns’, wearing one of his threadbare college sweaters and a crooked grin that made Ronan’s head spin, Ronan was drawn to the idea of a door.

An idea he’d shot down after waking up exhausted time after time, without anything to show for it. So instead, he’d decided to go for something smaller and simpler- a doorknob. He’d figured that it would be easy enough. But there was a significant difference between dreaming up a normal doorknob and one that allowed the user to travel from one place to another.

Despite all this work, Ronan was still apprehensive of what Adam’s reaction would be.

He starts a bit when he feels Adam’s calloused hand cradling the side of his face, his thumb brushing lightly across his cheeks. Ronan’s breath catches as sees the soft wonder in Adam’s eyes.

‘’You dreamt me a fucking portal,’’ he murmurs, his eyes alight with happiness.

‘’Well, since you’d never sleep without first telling me how much you fuckin’ missed me,’’ Ronan mimics, a wicked smile curling his mouth when Adam pushes him away, face red.

‘’I thought I’d save us both the trouble,’’ Ronan finishes, his voice softer.

Adam considers him with a small smile. ‘’How kind of you, Lynch.’’

‘’I take it that you like it, then,’’ Ronan says, sitting back against the headboard. Satisfaction blooms widely in his chest.

‘’Like is an understatement. And besides, did you really think I wouldn’t?’’

‘’No. It’s just… I didn’t know if it was… too much.’’

‘’Ronan, we have a hooved child. Most of our belongings are either dreamt up or from a magical forest. Oh, and we’re also friends with Richard Campbell Gansey III.’’

Ronan throws his head back and laughs, wild and relieved. ‘’Good point, Parrish.’’

He looks back at Adam to see him slowly pull out the red parcel from behind his back and place it in his lap. ‘’My turn,’’ he says, his lips quirked to one side.

He appears to be the epitome of ease but Ronan knows what nervousness looks like on Adam. He sees it in his slightly hunched shoulders and the way his fingers curl tightly around the edge of the gift.

‘’I mean, it’s no frickin’ magical portal, but-’’ he starts lightly and then quiets when Ronan wordlessly reaches out.

He gently pries Adam’s fingers off the gift and lifts them to his mouth to leave a light kiss on each fingertip, watching as Adam’s eyelids droop slightly.

‘’It’s just me, right?’’ Ronan says, echoing Adam’s earlier words.

‘’Yeah,’’ Adam whispers breathily, his mouth curling in a smile. ‘’Here.’’

Ronan takes his gift, feeling a bit flustered with excitement. Experimentally, and just to see the nervousness leave Adam’s body, he holds it up beside his ear and gives it a little shake.

‘’Better not be another Harvard sweater, Parrish.’’

‘’Shut up. You love those.’’

Ronan grins widely- which meant that he certainly did- and begins to remove the little pieces of tape holding the wrapping paper together.

‘’Will you just rip it already?’’ Adam huffs, crossing his arms.

‘’No, I’m saving it.’’

‘’For what?’’

He’s about to respond with something cheeky, when he catches sight of something deep green in colour under the wrapping paper. He shucks of the remaining paper and holds the book- an album, really- in his lap.

The beautiful, shimmery colour reminded him of Cabeswater and knowing Adam, he knew it was intentional.

He stares at Adam through his lashes, smiling slightly. ‘’I already love it.’’

‘’Just open it,’’ Adam says, rolling his eyes but he can’t help his answering grin.

Ronan obliges him and opens the first page. He hears Adam inhale sharply and feels his own breath as it releases all at once. Right then, Ronan knew his face had melted into what probably resembled a goofy, love-sick smile, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

His eyes glaze over the first photograph- it was one of him and Adam before they’d gotten together, both of them seated at one of Nino’s booths. They were both wearing obnoxious Christmas sweaters, given to them by Gansey and they had their shoulders pressed tightly against each other.

The photo was most likely taken by Gansey or Blue. It shows Adam mid-laugh, his head thrown back slightly, his gorgeous freckles just barely visible under the booth’s light. Next to him, Ronan sipped a beer but his eyes unsubtly peeked at Adam. The corner of his lips were turned up and it was obvious that he’d been trying to make Adam laugh, and had taken pride in doing so.

He glances up at Adam, who slowly breathe out. They both wear identical shy smiles.

‘’It was probably a dirty Latin joke,’’ Adam says.

‘’Hey, my Latin jokes are perfectly fucking classy,’’ Ronan argues.

He pats the space beside him and moves over to make more room as Adam crawls over and settles himself beside Ronan.

Together, they peruse through the album.

They laugh over the pages that hold Ronan’s brothers. When Matthew’s birthday had sprung up during Adam’s school year and after Matthew’s relentless insistence that he at least try to come to the party, he’d surprised all of them- especially Ronan- by showing up.

Adam had asked someone to take a picture of all four of them- Matthew, smiling brightly, his golden hair flopping around his forehead. And Adam, Ronan and Declan, all sporting amused looks at Matthew’s delight.

Another page displays their inclinations of stealing the other one’s clothes.

‘’You still have that, don’t you?’’ Ronan grins, pointing to one of the pictures.

Adam glances at it over Ronan’s shoulder and laughs. It shows Adam wearing one of Ronan’s snapbacks backward while Ronan pressed an obnoxiously messy kiss to his temple. Although Adam had tried to look exasperated, he had his wide, unshielded smile on full display.

‘’Yeah,’’ Adam confesses. ‘’You want it back?’’

‘’Nope.’’

They fondly run their fingers over the next few picture of Gansey teaching Opal how to play chess. Adam was tucked warmly into Ronan’s side as they watched Opal and Gansey on the ground in front of them.

While Adam hid a smile in the crook of Ronan’s neck as Opal had slowly begun to destroy Gansey, Ronan had thrown his head back, laughing unashamedly.

Some of the photographs are also of nature-  lichen-covered trees, naked forests surrounded by a hazy fog and rays of sunlight peeking through branches. Ronan can see the careful and almost, loving way that the pictures were taken. He looks over at Adam in surprise.

‘’Didn’t know you were a photographer, Parrish,’’ he notes, eyebrows raised.

Adam rubs the back of his neck, a flush creeping up his neck. ‘’It’s relaxing, okay?’’

Ronan grins and bumps their shoulders together. ‘’They’re beautiful.’’

It was amazing, really- the amount of time and effort that had gone into putting the album together. Ronan’s chest tightens as he realizes that despite the fact that Adam barely had any spare time anymore, he’d done it.  He’d gone ahead and painstakingly created an album of their relationship, each of the photos showing their love for each other.

There are a dozen other pages to look through but he places the album aside and turns to Adam.

‘’Do you like it?’’ Adam asks quietly, his face holding traces of that initial shyness.

Ronan stares at him. ‘’No. I hate it.’’

Although Adam calls his bluff, he begins to get up. ‘’Right, I’ll just-’’

He is pulled back as Ronan laughs and slings an arm around his waist. Adam settles back down and looks at him, eyebrows raised. He bites his lip as he tries not to smile.

‘’Of course I like it,’’ Ronan said, cradling Adam’s face between his hands and watching as his smile deepened. ‘’I love it, asshole.’’

Satisfied, Adam grins and leans forward to press their lips together. Ronan immediately reacts and tugs at Adam’s shirt. He remembers the first time they’d kissed, in this very spot, how he’d been afraid that Adam would disappear beneath his fingers.

Before he can stop himself, he murmurs, ‘’Never even imagined that we’d ever spend Christmas together like this.’’

Adam leans back to smile at him softly, his lips red. ‘’This is the best one I’ve ever had.’’

Burying his fingers in Adam’s still-damp hair, Ronan tugs until Adam relents. Impossibly close, he places a kiss at the crown of Adam’s head and then returns to his mouth.

‘’Merry Christmas, Parrish’’ he whispers.

‘’Merry Christmas,’’ Adam returns, smiling widely against Ronan’s lips.

Or at least, that’s what Kurogane thinks as he watches the shaky, twitchy way the mage sharpens his arrows and his daggers, polishes his bow and then his armour. Not being able to talk to anyone must really be driving him up the wall. And honestly, Kurogane gets it, for all that he enjoys his peace and quiet, gets that it’s not for everyone. Especially when one is used to talking and talking and talking, spinning tales and laughing out loud and socialising.

And Fai has been able to do none of it since they landed in this war-torn country. 

Well, mostly none of it.

The mage talks to himself (or maybe to Kurogane, but it’s never anything the ninja can understand, despite the handful of words he’s managed to pick up through trial and error), usually when they’re in their living quarters (they’ve received a tent of their own upon joining), or more rarely, when they’re out walking or training and it’s just the two of them with little to no risk of anyone else hearing. Fai never makes a sound when someone else is around.

Honestly, Kurogane feels kind of sorry for the man, though he doesn't miss the constant teasing. (He does miss the nicknames, maybe, but he'll be damned twice over before he'd ever admit to it.)

Fai sighs, loud and frustrated, and shoves his shoulder guards (shiny now) to the foot of the bed. He mutters something under his breath, then shakes his head. Mutters some more. 

Kurogane looks at him, eyebrow raised just a bit. "What is it, mage?"

Fai lifts his gaze at that, meets Kurogane's own (and there's another thing Kurogane will never admit to missing, the sky-blue shade of the mage's eyes, now black as night, like Kurogane's own also currently are). He says something, voice low, consonants running together in his frustration. 

How lonely must it be, to not be able to communicate at all? When all you have is vague gestures and the pain in your eyes you can't do anything to hide? 

Kurogane shakes his head, points at his own ear, and shakes his head again. 

And Fai just. Deflates, head hanging low, blond hair hiding his face from view. Yeah, it's definitely lonely, Kurogane decides. 

He breathes in deep and lets it out in a steady exhale, before he stands up and goes to sit next to Fai on the mage's bunk. Wraps his arm around Fai's shoulders just in time to feel them shudder. "This isn't like you," he says in the softest voice he can manage. "The kids'll show up soon, and we'll leave this place. Hang on until then." Kurogane knows Fai can't understand him, but he hopes at least the tone of it is soothing enough for the man's frayed nerves.

And it seems to work.

Fai slumps against his shoulder, a quiet mumble leaving his lips that sounds tinged with tired gratitude. 

He's asleep before Kurogane knows it. 

It takes Kurogane a while to follow.

~