[Ronan had been cruel. He'd tossed Kavinsky aside like- like he didn't matter. Would he have done the same to Adam if things had been different? It wasn't an idea that sat well with him, but there were also vast differences between Adam and Kavinsky. And yet, in some ways, they really weren't that different. Adam didn't know the other dreamer very well but he knew the rumors. Kavinsky had a shitty father too, a shitty family. With that logic, it wasn't hard to imagine they'd never supported his dreaming, if he'd been open with them about it at all. Adam hadn't let his own family know. His father would have never accepted him or forced him to try and dream them a better life. Stacks of money to pay the bills, enough for a bigger house, enough that their life would have been built on lies that could have crumbled down around them at a moment's notice.
After a long moment, he turned his gaze away from the direction Ronan had disappeared in, looking over at Kavinsky. He might have been tough but even he couldn't completely hide the cracks in his expression. Adam knew what hurt looked like. It made him ache, knowing Ronan had hurt another dreamer like this. Who knew how many of them there were (he was sure there were more than three, but-)? The point was, spurning an offer of friendship felt foolish and limiting for everyone involved.
When Kavinsky touched his hand, Adam scrubbed his palm on his pants, because it was unbelievably hot out and he wanted to make sure he wasn't all sweaty, and then tentatively slid his hand into Kavinsky's. He didn't know what he was doing, he just knew he couldn't abandon the other boy.]
Ronan's an asshole. I'm not. I try not to be. [He amended.] He might come around, though.
There's so much more I want to learn.
[And Kavinsky seemed to know more about the mechanics of dreaming than either Ronan or Adam.]
But that's not why I stayed. You said we could be-
[He gestured vaguely with his free hand, unsure of how to word it. Was it an offer of friendship or something more, really?]
no subject
After a long moment, he turned his gaze away from the direction Ronan had disappeared in, looking over at Kavinsky. He might have been tough but even he couldn't completely hide the cracks in his expression. Adam knew what hurt looked like. It made him ache, knowing Ronan had hurt another dreamer like this. Who knew how many of them there were (he was sure there were more than three, but-)? The point was, spurning an offer of friendship felt foolish and limiting for everyone involved.
When Kavinsky touched his hand, Adam scrubbed his palm on his pants, because it was unbelievably hot out and he wanted to make sure he wasn't all sweaty, and then tentatively slid his hand into Kavinsky's. He didn't know what he was doing, he just knew he couldn't abandon the other boy.]
Ronan's an asshole. I'm not. I try not to be. [He amended.] He might come around, though.
There's so much more I want to learn.
[And Kavinsky seemed to know more about the mechanics of dreaming than either Ronan or Adam.]
But that's not why I stayed. You said we could be-
[He gestured vaguely with his free hand, unsure of how to word it. Was it an offer of friendship or something more, really?]
And I'm not saying no.