[Adam almost laughed but he knew it would have seemed cruel. He rubbed his hand in a circle across Ronan's back, instead.]
Ronan, you are a smart and fascinating person.
[Just because he'd chosen to drop out of high school didn't make him an idiot. Contrary to what Adam might have said and thought in the past, it didn't make Ronan a loser. He'd had time to reflect on that and think about how he was wrong, how getting what you wanted or needed out of life looked different to everybody.]
Everybody wants something out of life. You just have to figure out what that is- and there's time.
[Ronan wasn't lazy; he was a doer, just a different sort than Adam. There was nothing wrong with that. He didn't feel the burning need to prove himself to the world like Adam did. A lot of people probably didn't.]
I'll come back, because I love you.
[And then Ronan brought up the Fourth of July and Kavinsky, and Adam went still for a moment. I loved Kavinsky back then explained so much. It made everything Adam knew about how Ronan and Kavinsky had interacted rearrange itself with this new information.
Honestly, he'd never thought to be worried about Ronan having told Kavinsky, but knowing that he never had-]
Oh.
[A quiet little oh, as he wrapped his arms a little tighter around Ronan. Adam might not have been Kavinsky's biggest fan, but he understood the hurt of losing someone you cared about, having never gotten the chance to tell them you cared about them. It must have been tearing Ronan to pieces.]
I'm so sorry. I'd never realized-
[He kissed Ronan softly, more an attempt at comfort than anything.]
It wasn't your fault, though. He was self-destructive.
[There was no jealousy in his voice or his expression. How could he possibly be jealous in this position? He wanted to make Ronan feel better, but he wasn't sure he knew how.]
no subject
Ronan, you are a smart and fascinating person.
[Just because he'd chosen to drop out of high school didn't make him an idiot. Contrary to what Adam might have said and thought in the past, it didn't make Ronan a loser. He'd had time to reflect on that and think about how he was wrong, how getting what you wanted or needed out of life looked different to everybody.]
Everybody wants something out of life. You just have to figure out what that is- and there's time.
[Ronan wasn't lazy; he was a doer, just a different sort than Adam. There was nothing wrong with that. He didn't feel the burning need to prove himself to the world like Adam did. A lot of people probably didn't.]
I'll come back, because I love you.
[And then Ronan brought up the Fourth of July and Kavinsky, and Adam went still for a moment. I loved Kavinsky back then explained so much. It made everything Adam knew about how Ronan and Kavinsky had interacted rearrange itself with this new information.
Honestly, he'd never thought to be worried about Ronan having told Kavinsky, but knowing that he never had-]
Oh.
[A quiet little oh, as he wrapped his arms a little tighter around Ronan. Adam might not have been Kavinsky's biggest fan, but he understood the hurt of losing someone you cared about, having never gotten the chance to tell them you cared about them. It must have been tearing Ronan to pieces.]
I'm so sorry. I'd never realized-
[He kissed Ronan softly, more an attempt at comfort than anything.]
It wasn't your fault, though. He was self-destructive.
[There was no jealousy in his voice or his expression. How could he possibly be jealous in this position? He wanted to make Ronan feel better, but he wasn't sure he knew how.]