(no subject)

[thedreamthief]

The bed in Ronan's room on Cabeswater Farms was currently occupied by two boys. Two men, really. They were both in shorts, the taller bare-chested and flat on his back with one arm flung out and serving as a pillow to the smaller one who was curled on his side, a loose t-shirt hanging from his frame. The floor was covered in loose papers, each of them scribbled upon in ink and dirt and blood. A rock tablet was propped against the wall, bearing an ornate lemniscate that seemed burned into the stone.

A raven sat atop another, similar stone, her talons curled over the edges as she watched over the sleeping men.

The forest whispered around them and, deep, deep within its branches, within that nook reserved for dreaming, they were stretched upon a bed of moss on their bellies with flowers at their fingertips. They wore more clothing in this world though it was difficult to identify any material or any specifics at all. It was an unimportant detail in comparison to the rest, to the lines in the dirt and on the moss, the careful arrangement of flower petals and leaves and grass.

Ronan drew another long, sweeping line in the dirt and then sat up, wiping his hand across his thigh as he crossed his legs under him.

The air around them shimmered with designs, each of them exact copies of one another, the curves and angles glittering under the sun that peeked in through the trees. With that same finger, Ronan touched one. It shuddered slightly but remained hanging in the air and Ronan looked to Adam.

His voice was careful when he spoke, confident but not pushy. "Think you're ready?"

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[incognoscibilis]

"I'm never ready to wake up," Adam said, smiling over his shoulder again. In Darrow, that was less true and Adam's dark circles were less prominent, but he'd never stop being the kind of person who treasured sleep when he got the opportunity.

But he did want to see the final work, so he nodded. "Are you?"

[thedreamthief]

Ronan smirked at the comment, comforted that here in Darrow, Adam actually had time to sleep. It was still precious to him, but it didn't mean the same that it once had.

"Ready as I'll ever be," he said, giving Adam's side a light pat before stretching out alongside him in the grass. He stayed close, one leg hooked over Adam's, his hand spread wide over Adam's arm and their faces a breath away. "It looks badass," he said then, lips tugged in a wicked sort of grin, a secret between them that wouldn't stay a secret much longer.

[incognoscibilis]

Adam smiled and tilted his head, kissing that wicked, secretive smile. That smile was a secret they kept between themselves. The world saw plenty like it, but Adam was the only one who got this smile, this Ronan who was close enough to fill his vision.

"I'm ready," he said, eyes lingering on Ronan's for just a moment before he let them drift closed. Adam was never certain that leaving a dream was his own will or Ronan's, but he waited.

[thedreamthief]

Ronan took a moment to just look at him, admiring the slope of his nose and the scattering of freckles across his chin and wondered, not for the first time, why a boy like Adam wanted anything to do with a monster like Ronan. How he could trust so thoroughly, especially with something like this.

It was a trust Ronan would never take lightly.

He let his own eyes slip shut then as he pulled in a deep breath, his hand still lightly curled over Adam's arm. And then he let it happen.

There was no Orphan Girl in Darrow, no one to chase into consciousness. Here, he'd learned to do it on his own, the mossy ground disappearing beneath them little by little, replaced by a soft bedspread, rocks by pillows. Ronan remained hovering for a moment, outside himself as dream locked into reality, fingertips tingling with warmth.

When he opened his eyes, his ceiling was above him and he turned his head toward Adam, brow furrowed with anticipation.

[incognoscibilis]

Adam would disagree. He would always disagree. In his mind, Adam would always be the monstrous one and Ronan the gifted dreamer. He recognized in the back of his thoughts that Ronan might forever see their positions as reversed and that probably explained a great deal of what they saw in the other.

Ronan pulled them out gently, like Adam was at the bottom of a lake and Ronan was tugging them out, careful to avoid the pressure. Adam felt the worlds and textures shift, felt himself rising out of sleep. Instinct told him to nuzzle into Ronan's chest, try to avoid it at all costs even as his mind came further awake and he remembered this wasn't an ordinary sleep.

Eyes opening, he looked up to Ronan.

[thedreamthief]

Beside him, Adam shifted, slowly stirring awake against Ronan's chest.

His fingers still tingled, buzzing with a strange, muted sort of electricity and, once he was able, Ronan lifted it. Held it up as though he might see the remnants of ink he'd left on Adam's back in his dream.

Dropping it back to the bed, he pulled in a breath before nuzzling at Adam's hair. He slid his other hand up Adam's back, over where there should now be markings, though Ronan couldn't tell from his angle. His voice was groggy and saturated with sleep when he asked, 'Feel any different?'

[incognoscibilis]

"Sleepy," Adam said, because he always was, even as he sank back into his own body and the world gained increasing clarity. Ronan stirred next to him and Adam took a moment to enjoy the sound that filled his good ear, the rustling of sheets and his arm falling back into the mattress. The nuzzling to his hair made Adam reluctant to move but he made himself, laying flat on his stomach, head turned to look at Ronan.

"How's it look?"

[thedreamthief]

For a moment, Ronan didn't answer. Didn't move. As many times as they'd experimented and tested this, as certain as Ronan had been that it would work, there was still a sliver of doubt.

At the very least, Adam wasn't in pain right now. Even if he'd made some kind of miscalculation, even if he'd fucked it up somehow, Adam was breathing and smiling. He was okay. They were okay.

So he pulled in a breath and sat up, skimming his hand over Adam's back once more as he pushed himself up enough to see.

It looked just exactly as they'd planned, dark lines winding and trailing over Adam's tanned skin, the design just exactly as it'd been in the dream, simple and intricate both at once. Ronan let out a breath of relief and admiration, his lips quirking into a grin as he touched again, lighter this time. "Like shit," he finally answered, the tease clear in his tone as he bent to replace his fingers with his lips at the high point of Adam's nape, right where the very edges of the tattoo crept to an end.

[incognoscibilis]

"Jerk," Adam said. He arched his back a little, trying to look over his shoulder as best he could. At best, he could see crisp lines sneaking over his shoulder but not the formation they made.

Still. He knew that Ronan dreamed amazing things. Even in that little sliver, Adam could see it and he turned back to Ronan, smiling.

"Thank you."

[thedreamthief]

There wasn't any way Adam could see much of the tattoo himself, of course, but his smile was still wide and bright when he turned it back on Ronan.

Something about it made Ronan's skin feel too tight and too warm and he slid off the bed as he curled a hand around Adam's wrist, lightly tugging him to his feet. The nearest mirror was in the other room, the bathroom, and Ronan led him in there, grabbing the small handheld he used for shaving his head out of a drawer.

"Here," he said when Adam was turned to face him, his back toward the wall mirror.

[incognoscibilis]

There was a strange, Christmas-morning sort of excitement as Ronan pulled him along and Adam laughed. He felt warm in his own skin, all of his mind quickly flickering back awake as anticipation overtook grogginess.

"Okay," he said, letting out a nervous breath. Taking the hand mirror, Adam held it up, taking a second to orient himself to the opposite motions of his reflection before he could see it. The tattoo sprawled over his upper back, elegant but also a little fierce, a little protective.

"It's perfect."

[thedreamthief]

He watched as Adam twisted slightly to position himself, watched his eyes rake over the reflection of the tattoo that crawled over his skin.

He held his breath.

And let it out when Adam spoke again. "It's fucking perfect," he agreed, stepping in closer then, something like adrenaline zinging through his veins as he slid a hand up Adam's bare side. Though it wasn't a branding, it was a product of Ronan's self etched forever into Adam's skin. And Adam had wanted it.

Ronan curled his other hand around Adam's wrist and leaned in that bit further, taking Adam's mouth in a kiss as he pressed close, pinning him to the edge of the sink.

[incognoscibilis]

Adam could see the exact moment when satisfaction turned into desire and he welcomed the kiss. The pressure of Ronan's body against his was perfect, practically all of it skin to skin. There was so much magic in the world that Adam knew now but none of it felt anything like the magic of being kissed, being loved and desired.

He slid a hand up Ronan's bare back, tracing the tattoo that was already there, fingers tangling at his nape.

[thedreamthief]

There was no hesitance in Adam's touch, no tensing of his muscles or pushing away. Instead, he slid his hands up Ronan's bare back to pull him closer, fingers tangling at the loose hairs of Ronan's nape.

And Ronan breathed into the kiss, hunger and affection pouring out of him in equal amounts, his heart tight in his chest and skin buzzing.

Slowly, he eased back after a moment, nerves still thrumming as he brushed another kiss and opened his eyes to meet Adam's. "Now you look as badass as your boyfriend," he said with a smirk, nudging his nose playfully.

[incognoscibilis]

"I don't think I'll ever be that badass," Adam said. "But thanks for the vote of confidence." Maybe not as badass, but he thought he'd gained several points. The mark was Ronan's doing but it expressed Adam, his identity, the things that had given him power when he was at his most powerless. It declared him, truly, the Magician.

He tilted his head forward, nuzzling at Ronan before stealing another kiss. "We'll look pretty good together on the beach."

[thedreamthief]

It was true in a sense. Adam didn't have Ronan's sharp edges and prickly barbs. He never would despite his parents attempts to whittle them into him. Adam was kind and good in a way no tattoo would ever tarnish.

Humming lightly into the kiss, Ronan grinned and nodded. "And you'll look like a fucking proper Lynch. Prepared for that?"

[incognoscibilis]

"Who said I'm taking your last name?" he teased. It wasn't the first time they'd alluded to marriage, though it still felt a little far off for them. Right now, Adam saw no reason that it wouldn't happen, just not yet.

He definitely hadn't gotten as far as considering changing their names.

"But who wants to be a Parrish anyway?" It was self-deprecating but true enough, from his point of view.

[thedreamthief]

"You don't have to take the name to become part of the family, fuckface," he replied, his tone and smile both warm despite the harshness of his words.

They were still pressed close, hip to hip with Adam's ass against the edge of the vanity. Ronan smoothed his hand over Adam's back, gaze flicking to the reflection in the mirror to get another brief look at the dark lines etched into his skin before he met Adam's eyes again.

"And fuck it, maybe I'll be Ronan Parrish-Lynch. Don't fucking limit me."

[incognoscibilis]

"Asshole," he said, just as affectionate. Going on tiptoe, Adam let Ronan push him onto the vanity, seating himself on the edge of the sink so that he could swing his legs forward and wrap them around Ronan. There was warmth to this, comfort, familiarity, but also more than a fair share of desire because Ronan was beautiful in a way Adam never would be.

"Adam Lynch-Parrish?" he suggested in reply.

[thedreamthief]

There was an undeniable fondness in Adam's tone and Ronan growled at the sound of it, pressing closer still while sliding his hands down Adam's back and over the curve of his ass. Adam's legs were wrapped around his middle and they were pressed chest to chest, nothing between them but the fabric of their shorts and Ronan stole another kiss.

"Has a nice ring to it," he said with a grin.

They weren't there yet, Ronan thought. Both of them too young to be ready to make that big of a leap, but Ronan also knew Adam was it for him. Whatever he'd once felt for Gansey, whatever burned in his chest for Noah, Adam was always the constant, the fire that never diminished. So long as he had Adam, he could endure anything and everything this strange world or any other might throw at him.

[incognoscibilis]

They weren't there yet but Adam was sure they were both on that road. The destination was far off but certain. It was what allowed them to joke about it as they kissed and laughed. His stomach thrilled with heat and his heart with love and combined it made him want to hold Ronan ever tighter, proof that there was at least one good thing to all he was.

"Does it?" he asked, leaning his head down and kissing Ronan again, languid and slow but with undeniable wanting. "You like the sound of it?"

[thedreamthief]

It was a slow kiss, the slide of Adam's tongue slick along his bottom lip before it slipped between his lips. Ronan chased after it, heat sliding down his own spine as he pressed closer, feeling the heat of Adam against him through their shorts.

"Fucking love it," he growled against Adam's lips before pressing in for another kiss. He couldn't say just how much he loved it, how the sound of it set his blood on fire in ways that excited and terrified him in equal amounts. Couldn't explain any of that even if he tried. Not in words.

[incognoscibilis]

Adam smiled, didn't try to qualify the bad parts of it, how 'Parrish' wasn't exactly an honorable name. He was realizing how little that mattered to Ronan, who saw so much more good in Adam than Adam saw in himself. Maybe someday, under Ronan's care, Adam would come to see it too.

But today wasn't someday and what Adam could see in front of him, most of all, was the heat in Ronan's gaze. It flowed over his skin, through his blood.

"Want to admire your work more?" It was a line. Such a bad line. But if Ronan wanted him facedown in the mattress, it was worth it.

[thedreamthief]

The intent in that one question was clear and Ronan pulled back with a grin, dragging Adam off the edge of the vanity along with him.

"Mmm," he said, gaze flicking between Adam's eyes and his mouth. "You got something in mind?"

[incognoscibilis]

"Like you don't already," Adam said, saving Ronan from having to choose where to look by kissing him properly. Every inch of them was warm and relaxed, the closest either of them came to real happiness. This world wasn't quite the one they had envisioned but at least they'd made it their own.

"Just don't carry me."