Hey y’all this is my Pynch Present 2017 for @fingersnapchaos Hope you enjoy!
Ronan hated Christmas time. He loved Christmas day and Christmas Eve, but he hated the days leading up to it. The shoppers. Thinking about what to get his family. The relentless, pop music. It was terrible.
For someone who could make the impossible possible like himself, gifts could be endless. He hated the pressure of having to think of the best gift ever year. People expect since he can dream anything, he should give the best gifts, but they are always tremendously disappointed when all he gets them is socks and a candle. Ronan is more of a spontaneous gift giver than is holiday gift giver.
Considering how bad he is at holiday gift giving, he really hoped Adam liked his present.
He laid in bed staring at the specks of dust on the ceiling. He could hardly feel his fingertips of the back of Adams t-shirt and the puffs of breath against his cheek. It was Christmas morning, a morning that should feel magical and smell of pine. This morning; however, was nothing of that sort. Anxiety leapt up his throat; his heartbeat a complete mess. He couldn’t think straight, and his vision was blurry. This was not a good start to Christmas.
The smack of lips were a more present sound. They were louder and could be heard.
“Why are you thinking so loud?” Adam whispered, voice still husky from sleep.
Ronan sighed and turn to press a kiss on top of Adam’s head, “It’s Christmas.”
“Yeah, merry Christmas.” Said Adam.
Ronan sighed again and shuffled to look at Adam. He stared at Adam and was captivated by his bare, unguarded face. The bags under his eyes hadn’t changed; they were still deeper than the depths of hell. His freckles were still mixed into his sepia skin, but somehow this Adam was different. He was more open and had gallons of trust shown in his expression.
Ronan managed a small, genuine smile.
Adam had no choice but to return it, “There’s my beautiful boyfriend.”
“Don’t call me beautiful Parrish.” Ronan scoffed, pushing Adams face away, but keeping his hand of Adams cheekbone.
“Just calling it as it is, baby.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah,”
“How ‘bout you call this!”
The two boys jumped each other, kicking and tickling their way to the top. Adam was able to maintain a solid ground before Ronan took him by the middle and flipped him. The two settled laughing with Ronan on top of Adam, foreheads pressed together.
Adam bore into Ronan striking blue eyes, “I love you.”
All the tension had left Ronan’s body, “I love you too, baby.”
“Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas!” A voice shrieked.
The voice came with a small body knocking into the couple, tangling with them. Ronan locked into the Lynch blue eyes he shared with Opal. She was bouncing up and down on the bed, barely containing her excitement. She kept on chanting Christmas, Christmas, Christmas.
Adam smiled and kissed her on the cheek, “Merry Christmas, Opal.”
“Come on, Matthew and I made breakfast.” She said, dragging them downstairs.
“Then, it better not taste like nature shit.” Ronan complained.
“It doesn’t!”
The first person who Ronan saw in the kitchen was Declan. The two were really trying to have a good relationship, not just for Matthew anymore, but for each other. Their relationship was still strained, but they could be in a room together without getting into a fight.
Declan was on the phone with someone, probably one of his most recent conquests.
Conquests? G-d, Ronan was spending too much time with Gansey.
Declan gave a small, smile that quickly turned into a frown, “Helen, no! You could not defend someone like that. It’s too close to home…I know, I’m not trying to control you. You know what, do what you want.” Then he turned to them, “ugh, I’m gonna have to call her back aren’t I?”
Adam snickered, “You’re the one who is voluntarily dating Helen Gansey.”
“Poor, big brother with his relationship issues.” Matthew piped up from the kitchen. “You know I would feel bad but I’m there everyday when you come home and don’t see that I’m home because you’re attached to her face like a parasite.”
“You say that as if I wasn’t home two days ago when you were with Austin. I had to get earplugs.”
Matthew blushed as everyone laughed. Ronan clapped him on the shoulder and pulled Adam to the kitchen table. Declan followed them and sat down with his head in his hands.
“Damn, she’s really got a hold on you.” Ronan said.
He lifted his head, “I’ve never felt like this before.”
Maybe I should stop calling their relationship a conquest. Ronan said, “Then you’ll be fine.”
“I know,”
“Good,”
“I don’t mean to break up this very touching moment of my two eloquent brother, but I got a hot steamy breakfast and I doubt you’re gonna wanna miss it!” Matthew called.
@ @ @
“Presents!”
Adam laughed, “Okay, okay Opal.”
She continued to squeal looking at a small-ish box, “This one’s for me!”
She tore open the wrapping and looked inside the box, “A box of bark from Argentina from Aunt Blue and Gansey! It’s just what I wanted!”
Ronan’s family laughed together. They continued to watch Opal damaged that wrapping paper bit by bit.
“I can’t believe she calls Gansey Aunt Gansey.” Matthew giggled.
“Hey, can I give you your present?” Ronan said to Adam aside.
“As long as you let me give you yours first.” Adam smirked.
Ronan shakingly nodded. Adam reached behind him to the Christmas tree and picked up a neatly wrapped present. Adam grabbed one of Ronan’s hands as he opened it. Inside was a Yale sweatshirt and a necklace. Taking a closer look at the necklace, Ronan saw a tiny plant moving side to side. When Ronan touched the casing, it’s bud opened, releasing a scent. Gasoline. He gasped at the familiarity of it. He could never forget that smell that he missed so much. There was nothing like the fresh smell of gasoline on Adam’s skin after a hard shift at Boyd’s.
Adam cleared his voice, “Remember about three months ago when we were missing each other so much that we fell asleep on skype together. Somehow I ended up in your dream and watched you go through some of our favorite memories together. I remember smelling the air and thinking why would he love this smell, it’s terrible, but then it hit me. The smell of gasoline reminds you of me. I asked Cabeswater if there was something that you could have so you would always have the smell and it gave me a seed. I planted it and watched it grow into this tiny little plant and that’s when I thought of the necklace so you could always have it with you.”
Ronan gave him a watery smile, “You asshole. Put it on me?”
After the clasp was safely secured behind his neck, Ronan gave Adam a smaller box. Ronan watched as Adam opened it and as his eyes filled with tears. Adam laughed and touched gift. He lifted his head and stared right into Ronan’s eyes.
“Ronan, I love it.”