away with us he's going, the solemn-eyed.

[nightmarist]

Who: Residents of St. Monmouth & OPEN to their various guests
When: Throughout February
Where: St. Monmouth in Kauto R2
What: The Backstreet Boys move into their magical farm of dreams.
Warnings: Look to the subject headers.
Notes: This is a mingle/catch-all log. Start your own threads! Tag around!

[Ronan didn't hesitate. Almost as soon as they arrived, he was making arrangements and picking out a plot of land. No payment necessary as long as he agreed to feed the locals? Fine. Perfect. He'd signed whatever he had to and picked out his favorite place in the lot, then he'd laid down in the grass and dreamt.

When he closed his eyes, he wasn't sure what he would build. The idea of "home" conjured up so many images in his mind. He thought of the Barns, of course, but also of Henrietta as a whole. He thought of Monmouth Manufacturing and dusty old books and the scent of mint. He thought of St. Agnes and its magnificent stained glass and the cramped coziness of Adam's bedroom above the office. He found Cabeswater sprouting up in the strangest places as the landscape shifted around him, spilling out of the walls and claiming rooms all for its own. Corridors and staircases emerged out of his memories, leading him through a maze of rooms both familiar and not-quite. In the end, when Ronan stepped outside to take a look at his work, he found he'd made himself a palace of nostalgia. Then he imagined a set of house keys, turned the lock of the front door, and woke up.

Ronan woke with his head resting on the welcome mat, sprawled across the front steps, gazing up at the spire of what he would dub St. Monmouth. It would be the main building of several he'd end up creating. Their new home.

Like God, he didn't rest for several days. Every time he shut his eyes, he devoted himself to dreaming something new. A farm needed animals and crops and barns and feed and equipment. Home needed streams and fish and bridges and flower gardens and glittering lights. He let his imagination run wild, and this meant that his dream things often emerged strange and senseless, but that reminded him of his father, which made the place more beautiful.

When he was finally satisfied - although not completely finished - he invited the others to join him.]

Comments

[unaffluent]

[ Adam shrugs a little. He's not the best talker by any stretch of the imagination. His fingers continued to curl in the other's hair until Andyr shifted, feeling his nose against his hip. His fingertips traced the shape of his ear and then down the line of his jaw. Affection with Andyr is still a new thing, it feels fragile and strong at the same time. ]

You want me to teach you? [ It surprises him. Maybe Ronan had already said no... ]

[deconstruct]

[ a small smile plays on andyr's lips, clearly just as pleased with the light touch along his jaw as he had been with the hands in his hair. ]

Yeah. Why, are you a bad driver? [ he hadn't actually asked Ronan, not really formally, aside from when he was dying and calling him Adam. But he's also seen Ronan drive. And he drives like a crazy person. Besides, Andyr wants time to spend with Adam. He has plenty with Ronan. ]

[unaffluent]

[ Adam shakes his head. If nothing else he's a rather responsible driver, after all, he didn't have the luxury of maybe ruining his car because he would have another been able to afford another one and there's only so much suspension of belief that could fly when getting help from the Gansey family. ]

I could teach you, probably. [ In Ronan's car because hell if he's risking his little beater -- even if Ronan could just dream up another one. He likes the feeling of Andyr's jaw, his chin and then his fingers trail back up to trace along his cheekbone. ]

[deconstruct]

[ ronan's car is fancy and expensive looking and ronan's baby and andyr might have a heart attack if he so much as stops too fast in it. but they'll get to that point later, right now, he's just blinking up at adam, turning his face just enough to look up at him, with a small, sleepy smile. ]

I'd like that. [ andyr's eyes blink closed a moment, focusing on adam's fingers tracing along his cheek, and his head tilts again, pressing into the hand there, nose dipping to nuzzle at it. ] I like your hands.

[unaffluent]

[ Adam nods. He doesn't say it but he thinks he'd like it too. It'd probably be good for them... ]

You don't prefer soft hands? [ It's a reference to the way that Ronan's hands have always been softer than his, less calloused, though the farm work would probably start to change that soon. Adam's hands are hardened by years already spent doing manual labor.

He smiles at the way the other nuzzles his hand and after a few moments he slides his hand back into hsi hair. ]

[deconstruct]

[ another pleased hum leaves him, feeling Adam's fingers carding through his hair again, and his lips quirk at the question. Shuffling around some, Andyr pulls one of his hands free from the blanket, and offers it up to Adam, palm up.

He's worked most of his life as well, either at the martial arts school, or various odds and ends jobs to help with bills. Even in Hapsburg, he'd still been fighting every day, and working out in between, callouses from the bars worn into his hands, over his knuckles from training and fighting, on his finger pads. ]

I like Ronan's hands too, but yours are familiar. [ more like his, more like his dad's, more like the people in his life, before it was taken from him. like home. there's something comforting and cozy in that. ]

[unaffluent]

[ Adam looks at his hand and his free hand moves to trace along the outline of his palm, the lines of it. He hesitantly lines his hand up palm to palm with Andyr's after that initial exploration. Rougher hands, don't hold such kind and pleasant memories for him. Calloused hands are ones that hit him. There'd been a point in time he had coveted soft hands.

He slowly presses his fingers in between Andyr's to interlock them, holding his hand while his other hand is still in his hair. Andyr's hands might be familiar to him too but they weren't the same. ]

[deconstruct]

[ the sources of their abuse had come from such different places. andyr's father had adored him, and given up everything for him and his sister, would never lay a hand on them in aggression or anger. but the rest of the world bad been what made him a victim, tore him apart, convinced him that he'd been born worthless and would die the same. ]

Ronan's the first rich person I've ever liked, I think. [ andyr muses, as he watches his hand slip into adam's, memorizing the texture and shape of his fingers, watching how they fit together. ]

I hate the ones at home. All they do is consume. [ in some cases, far more literally than one would ever like to know about. ]

[unaffluent]

[ The corner of Adam's lip quirks in amusement at that statement, both of them actually. He remembers his initial thoughts of Ronan, so many before he got to where he is now.

He certainly hadn't liked Ronan at first. ]

Gansey was the first rich person I liked. [ There's a bit of melancholy at the thought. ]

I don't think Gansey or Ronan are very normal rich people, though. [ He squeezes Andyr's hand gently, shrugging a shoulder. ]

[deconstruct]

[ andyr hadn't know ronan was rich when he'd met him, just dangerous, and that'd been what he was looking for at the time. he wonders about gansey, figures if ronan likes him so much, he must be something good. it seems like having enough wealth to be able to buy your way out of most troubles does something to people. the lack of desperation.

he wonders, absently, if he'll like gansey too. it's hard for him to imagine the circle of them extending farther than just ronan and adam. thinking of the world they'd come from. andyr's hand squeezes back, pulling their tangled fingers to lay over his chest, breathing deep. ]

Not like the normal ones I've seen. [ and ronan's far from anyone normal to begin with. ] How'd you meet them?

[unaffluent]

[ Gansey's different from all of them. Gansey is definitely something more. He's like a king. He'd ruled them all benevolently and somehow had brought together an unlikely band of friends. Adam loves him. Everyone loves Gansey, though, and surely Andyr would too if he ever got the chance to meet him.

He feels the way Andyr's chest moves with each breath as their hands rest against his chest and he smiles. It's a small thing, but a comforting intimate one. ]

Gansey has this stupid car that's always breaking down. I fixed it. We went to the same school.

[deconstruct]

[ smiles look softer, sweeter, on adam's lips, andyr decides. he wants to lean up and kiss him, but he's too comfortable where he is, so instead, andyr squeezes the hand against his chest, watching the boy above him fondly. ]

You went to rich kid school? [ his brows arc, impressed. ] Must be smart.

[ andyr'd gone to simple, cheap, public school, and on top of that, never finished it. though that was less his fault and more so hapsburg's. ]

[unaffluent]

[ Adam shrugs. ] Only smart enough for a partial scholarship.

[ He worked three jobs to pay for the rest himself since his parents couldn't have cared less to help him. His thumb runs along the side of Andyr's hand. Adam doesn't think he's that smart. Gansey's smarter, Ronan's probably smarter in a way too. Adam's always been normal, always had to fight for each little bit. ]

[deconstruct]

Still a hell of a lot smarter than me.

[ andyr was an alright student. he made Bs, mostly. but it was public school, in a poor district. nothing terribly special. his attention span never held well for academics. adam seems like someone who'd excel in it, thrive on it, make something more with it. ]

I never even finished high school.

[unaffluent]

[ Adam shrugs because he's not sure he believes that he's smarter than Andyr. Maybe their smarts are just not the type that are even comparable. ]

I'm sure you could have.