riverviewlogs | The Secret Life of an Irish-American Nerd [Open]

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The Secret Life of an Irish-American Nerd [Open]

who: Ronan Lynch and Open
what: The Butterfly Effect strikes Ronan. He sprouts hair and loses his tattoo and PTSD. Now he can no longer hide the fact that he’s a nerd. Reading Virgil and playing bagpipes by a river happens. Ronan has no clear memories of his stay in Riverview but will remember how he feels about people he’s met here.
when: June 15th-24th
where: Communal floor one, Buttercup Farms, by a river like the magical creature he is, the library, and with his boyfriend
warnings: He’s rattled from almost being killed by a demon but nothing other than that.
Also as always, can switch to brackets

a. Library
No longer oozing black goo, Ronan needed a day to calm down. After a night spent listening to Gaelic music and struggling against nightmares, Ronan headed to the library. His predecessor-- him-- God, that was confusing, hadn’t left behind any books.

He grabbed some works by his favorites, Virgil and Seneca, adding Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations later. His last addition came as a surprise to him. Books on demons didn’t belong in the Lynch family household and certainly not at Aglionby. Ronan hesitated, running his fingers over the spine of one book before taking it. Just in case.

When he finally found a place to sit, he went back and forth between books, but the one on demons remained untouched for a good while.

If anyone who’d previously met him ran into Ronan, they could be forgiven for not recognizing him what with the curly dark hair, lack of tattoos, and the books.

b. Communal housing floor one

Ronan had lived with his parents and two brothers. He had also, basically lived with his best friend Gansey and a ghost, when he and either his father or Declan (or worse, both) kept butting heads. But this did not prepare him for sharing a whole floor with other people, even if one of them was Adam.

He moved as quietly as possible, worked even harder to keep control of his dreams, and did everything he could not to attract attention. Unfortunately, he was still Ronan Lynch, which meant that aside from being a messy eater, he radiated magical energy without even trying. But even if one didn’t notice that, the fact was that the angry eighteen year old with a shaved head and a tattoo was replaced by a amiable if anxious eighteen year old with dark curly hair without a tattoo in sight. Whatever his roommates thought of it, it unnerved his raven Chainsaw, who’d taken to flying away from Ronan and screeching at random intervals.

c. ~~In a van~~ Down by the River
Even without the trauma of his father’s death, Ronan was still different and, some would say, difficult. For instance, his hobbies could be considered incredibly annoying. In the case of bagpipes, Ronan had learned that the sound was something of an acquired taste. Back at Aglionby, he’d used that to his own advantage several times just to piss people off late at night. Here, he wasn’t keen on having his embarrassing hobby discovered.

Sitting by the river, tempting fate like all the heroes in the fairy tales his parents told him, Ronan serenaded anyone who came close with the unmistakable sound of the uilleann bagpipes. Even out of practice, he wasn’t bad. But not many people appreciated the music of his people, especially when he played “Mary Had a Little Lamb” just for kicks.

d. Wild Card!

[OOC: Ronan’s all over the place. Your character can find him checking out Riverview and also working at Buttercup Farm with a very distressed raven watching from a distance.]

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Adam knew Ronan would respond that way. Gansey seemed to think the old Ronan and the new Ronan were entirely different people, but Adam knew that there was a particular core of him that couldn't be changed.

That didn't mean he wouldn't feel guilty for it. It was awful to relive that particular day, and it weighed on him more to know that another Adam would have to go through those same feelings.

He nodded, and pulled himself away from Ronan. If this were his Ronan, he would give him a kiss or some other sort of affection. It didn't feel right with someone who was practically a stranger, though.

"Right. I'm going to work on homework." Which meant he was going to partially work on homework and partially map out this change in timelines to understand it better. "Just... yell if you change into someone else again?"

Ronan wouldn't know what to do if this Adam kissed him. He hadn't noticed any differences yet, but even if there weren't any, he wasn't his Adam. He didn't know if it would be cheating, but it didn't feel right. This Adam was like... actually, he didn't know that either. But he knew he wanted to be near him. That didn't stop Ronan from stepping away from as well.

"Yeah, sure." With the promise of a shower mere minutes away, Ronan slowly let himself begin to unravel. Currently, he had entered the process of not bothering with a joke about changelings.

He went right for the shower, stripped off as fast as he could, scrubbed his face and neck, and lost his God damn mind.

A little over an hour later, he gathered himself, found clothes that weren't dusty or covered in demon-ooze, and went to Adam.

"Does your Ronan have any actual shirts?" he asked by way of hello. He tugged on the black muscle t shirt left to him. He made no complaint about the leather bands around his wrist.

The redness of his eyes was no longer terribly obvious, but it was there. Evidently, one of the core parts of Ronan was refusing to mention any sort of trauma in his life.

Adam was at his desk by the time Ronan was out of the shower. He'd made an entire timeline of events that would have changed with Niall being alive, though it was difficult without this Ronan to clarify some things. That was tucked away in his notebook and now he was actually looking at homework.

As always, Ronan was a distraction.

"No. He likes to show off," Adam said, though his tone suggested he didn't really mind it. He turned to look over, noting the light redness around his eyes because he always looked very closely at Ronan. He wasn't sure what to do about it, though. It probably wasn't because he'd found himself in a new place, but most likely because he'd almost just died.

He suspected Ronan had gone to shower so he could be alone, and didn't want to talk about the subject. So Adam didn't.

"What do you wear, then? Don't tell me you dress like Gansey."

Ronan knew that Adam could tell what had happened. He'd already experienced this before. How had that Ronan taken almost dying? Better or worse?

Ronan reminded himself not to think about it. He'd already decided not to. This was his break before going back into the demonic frying pan. He was going to make the most of it.

"Don't insult me." Ronan sat down on top of the desk though he was careful not to crush any of Adam's things. In order to do this, he was mostly off of the desk, but Ronan was always fond of dangling precariously from various surfaces. "Shirts with sleeves. Jeans." He picked at the fabric of his current shirt, making no comment on the leather bands on his wrist. "This isn't bad but does he drown himself in sunscreen?"

Oh, Ronan had no idea what he'd stepped into there.

"Is this where he has tattoos?" He flexed his arms because he also didn't mind showing off.

Adam watched him, trying to pick up small differences in Ronan's movements and analyze them. He wasn't suspicious, just curious. "You can try going out without the sunscreen. See what happens." He hoped that this Ronan was smart enough to not take that challenge. Sometimes it was hard to tell.

He watched Ronan flex, then reached out to touch at his back gently. "No, it's across his entire back." He traced a pattern and then pulled his hand away. It was disappointing to see Ronan without the tattoo. He wondered what the other Adam would trace in bed... but that wasn't exactly a question he could ask his boyfriend's alternate universe self.

"Couldn't tell you what it is. Unguibus et rostro, that's all I can see. It cost nine-hundred dollars." The last sentence was said flatly enough that it contrasted with how Adam seemed to feel about the tattoo.

"By the way, for however long this lasts, you're going to have to do the other Ronan's job at the farm. I don't want him getting fired."

Ronan held his breath while Adam touched him.

Claws and beak.

No wonder Adam didn't seem to know what to do with him. It sounded like they weren't day and night, but perhaps twilight and night. Perhaps they were the same but the one lived in a far darker world. That's what Ronan's gut told him, anyway and Ronan himself could be considered a reliable expert in the subject of himself.

"It must not be bad if you're still dating me." Ronan wanted that on the record even now.

Ronan twisted his fingers beneath the leather bands on his other wrist. "If it's a farm, no problem. I grew up with that."

Ronan waited for Adam's reaction. He wasn't the only one now trying to feel the other out.

Adam didn't answer, but there was a quirk of his lips that suggested it wasn't that bad. His casual affection was enough to show that Adam was comfortable with Ronan, even one not his own. They'd come a long way from their "accidental" brushes against each other before they were dating. It was tiresome to think of another Ronan and Adam having to go through that again.

His eyes caught on Ronan's leather bands and his expression tightened. Ronan seemed unused to them, which meant he didn't have the scars. He wondered if this Ronan had never dreamed up a nighthorror.

"I'll introduce you to the cows tomorrow. They probably won't react like Chainsaw." He shifted in his seat and looked back down to his homework. He hoped his next question would come out casually.

"Do you know anyone named Greenmantle?"

"Assuming I didn't dream them." Ronan guessed that was why Chainsaw had flipped out on him. He wasn't her Ronan either.

Ronan grabbed the leather bands tightly at Greenmantle's name. There were no scars to hide from, but he'd quickly discovered the other reason his alternate wore them. They were excellent for distraction and restless energy.

"Yeah. He didn't take it well after I told my dad give Cabeswater some damn room to breathe. Fucking crazy-ass collectors," he said darkly though with nowhere near the level of hate Adam was accustomed to. "Cabeswater let Dad make whatever he needed to take care of him. Then his wife permanently took care of him and set a demon loose on everyone. Sound familiar? ...Fuck the Greenmantles." Ronan's tone was not overly warm when it came to his father either though Ronan was also to blame for the situation, in his opinion.

Adam looked over once Ronan affirmed it. He wasn't sure Greenmantle would go to Henrietta, but someone needed to wake up the sleeper. He nodded slowly.

"Sounds about right." As right as it could be. So Adam wasn't involved and he didn't put Ronan through dreaming up blackmail and a dead version of himself. And with both Greenmantles gone, there was presumably no one to send out a hit on Niall. Yet.

"It should be over now. Things have been peaceful ever since. I don't know if I should give you spoilers." He smiled a little, but his expression suggested he was thinking about a lot at the moment.

"So... your Adam. Is he any different than me? What's your relationship like?"

"If it's not going to stop anyone from dying or being maimed, I'm cool without them." Ronan said in regard to the spoilers. If it was over, and thank God, then he'd remain satisfied with that answer.

As for Adam... "Unless you're always this cagey, I haven't noticed any real differences yet."

Ronan should ask more questions of his own, but the pieces of this puzzle were ugly even when disassembled. That had nothing to do with Adam. But Ronan's drastic transformation combined with a question about Greenmantle...

No, he was going along with whatever Adam wanted. He liked that more, as usual.

He drummed his fingers on the desk. He abruptly stopped and shrugged. "I don't know. It's not like we've been on an actual date yet. We talked and made out and it was awesome. I don't know how long you were into me before that, just that it took me a while to figure out. We spent most of our time trying to get Cabeswater from slipping back into some magical coma. And after Persephone--" Ronan hesitated. He hadn't been as close to Persephone as Adam, since he was nothing more than an observer when they broke out tarot cards. But he wasn't unfeeling. All the same, it was a part of their lives. "After that and it was just us, that's when I started to feel something more. I can't believe I'm telling you this." Ronan's face was a lovely pink a shade shy of red.

Adam shrugged. Cagey was a natural state of his, but Ronan and Gansey saw it the least. With this Ronan, he had to be on his guard to not let anything slip out.

It was nicer to talk about their relationship. His expression only fell a bit at the mention of Persephone, though it was weird to hear Ronan use that as a point of reference. He gave Ronan a strange look and tilted his head.

"You were into me way before that, man," he said with a laugh. He'd never actually asked Ronan how long he'd had the crush, but Adam had noticed its existence after he figured out the rent issue. "I'm pretty sure your Adam would have noticed it earlier too. You weren't subtle."

Ronan laughed. "What, really?" Not that it was an unpleasant surprise. "How long before? Wait-- what do you mean I wasn't subtle?" Considering his expertise in secrets, Ronan figured he would have been able to pull that off. By the time he started liking Adam, there wasn't any point in hiding it.

Ronan shoved himself off the desk, clearly more excited about this divergence in their timelines.

Adam raised an eyebrow at his surprise and excitement. "Wait, you really... weren't into me until that recently?" Why would that change? It wasn't like them getting close changed Ronan's feelings about him much, at least that he could tell.

"Uh, I guess I noticed not long after I moved into St. Agnes. When you paid the rent, I started paying more attention to you and it made sense. You looked at me a lot." He seemed slightly uncomfortable now, working his brain to figure out where the difference had come in.

"Why didn't you... I mean, was it something about me?" He didn't really know how Ronan would answer the question why didn't you like me sooner?

Moved into-- ohhhh.

Ronan began to look uncomfortable now too. He thought he knew where the problem was, at least part of it. The rest was conjecture. Ronan wasn't about to come out and say 'I had trouble figuring you out cause our families are so different, do you think that's part of it?' As tactless as he could be, he was not that far gone. Fortunately he had one solid reason pinned down already and it was just waiting to take the blame.

"I dated someone. It was awful." To emphasize that fact, Ronan gave the whole relationship a thumbs down and stuck out his tongue. Which meant that it wasn't as awful as any of the other break ups their group had experienced. Well, maybe one or two of Gansey's were better. "Your Ronan's smarter if he avoided that."

"What?" He hadn't meant for that to come out so loud and shocked. He leaned back as if Ronan had set off an explosion in his face and he blinked to try to get his bearings back. The thought of Ronan dating anyone except him was so strange. And, honestly, he was a little jealous despite them not even being from the same universe.

"Who?" That also came out more demanding than intended, so he glanced off and looked apologetic. "That... didn't happen. Ronan was never with anyone before me."

Which he had thought was because of Ronan's nature and how he viewed relationships, but now he wasn't so sure.

Oh, Ronan caught the jealousy. So he held up his hands. "I don't want you to hold it against him when you get home. He's not terrible but terrible for me. You know." He assumed Adam knew. Then again, maybe this Adam hadn't dated Blue.

God, this was confusing.

"If you really want to know, I'll tell you. It wasn't a big deal. He was nice and I thought it would work but I should have listened to myself and not Gansey. 'Your standards are too high' my ass."

That was more dismissive than how it'd really been. Ronan had cared about his then boyfriend but he usually ignored crushes, waiting for something more on top of it. In the end, Ronan was as susceptible to peer pressure as the rest of them. This Ronan's lesson in resisting it had involved a lot less car wrecks, drugs, and general self-destruction. Figuring out not to compromise on his ideals hadn't ended in hostage and suicide-by-dream. Some of that had happened anyway but at the very least, it was this time unrelated to Ronan's fuck ups.

Adam glared a little at Ronan's resistance, but it was true. He would absolutely hold it against whoever it was, and he supposed that was irrational. So he shook his head, deciding it was best to not know and imagine his boyfriend with someone else.

"I like your standards," he decided, turning back to his homework. At least it didn't seem like the reason Ronan hadn't liked him sooner was because he was happier. He was beginning to worry that somehow Ronan's trauma was related to how much he liked Adam.

"So... what about Opal? Orphan Girl?" He wanted to change the subject and that had been a mystery in his timeline.

Ronan stared at Adam, silently working over what to say. Nothing came to him. He hadn't expected Adam to be this put out about Ronan dating someone. It only reaffirmed his view that dating sucked. The alternate of his present company excluded.

Adam gave him a way out without tripping over any words. In the end, Ronan wasn't comfortable assuring someone who wasn't his boyfriend that he loved him, no matter if they were different versions of the same person.

It still took time to adjust for Ronan, an almost sheepish look carrying over as he began to talk. "Opal hitched a ride back before shit hit the fan. My parents are going to adopt her. Is she's alright where you're from?"

Adam did the easier equations in his homework, the ones that he could do while also thinking about Ronan. The edge in his expression did seem to soften when he thought about Opal, at least.

"Yeah, she's good. We―" He cleared his throat, realizing that it would be strange to talk about Opal as if he and Ronan were the ones taking care of her. "Well, she likes to spend time with us. So I've been helping her with English and she takes me exploring." He glanced over to Ronan.

"Ronan pretends that he doesn't like it, but he―you―like kids, don't you?"

"Sounds about right," Ronan said though his voice softened. His brow furrowed slightly, his mind once again running up against things he'd rather not learn. Kind of like those equations that he glanced at.

"I like Opal and I liked baby brothers enough to-- make Matthew." Which was still hard to wrap his mind around. "I've brought them on myself. I can't whine about kids too much. Except those screeching little tyrants running round grocery stores. I don't like those."

What did Adam expect? Ronan to come right out and say he liked kids. He always thought he was largely neutral on the subject. It seemed his subconscious proved him wrong.

Adam thought this Ronan might be more forthcoming, but that was enough confirmation for him. He'd always been a little scared and worried when it came to children, but the smiles Ronan gave to Matthew and the way he took care of Opal tended to ease that concern.

"Opal's probably going to be one of those screeching tyrants when she gets out in the world," he noted. He tapped his pencil on his homework a few more times, thinking of more questions. At the same time, he was fatigued by having to hide things from Ronan.

"I still have this and some reading to get done. Maybe if you explore and try to remember more about this place, it'll kick the other Ronan back into this reality. Or something."

Ronan rather visibly deflated at the dismissal, but he recognized the many reasons Adam would rather be alone-- including the homework.

"Yeah, sure. Good luck." Ronan tapped the piece of notebook once with his finger. He lingered for a moment, unsure if he was supposed to say anything else, in case he was about to pop out of this world at any moment.

He decided it was too late for it to be anything but awkward and headed out, keeping his distance from Chainsaw as he left.

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The Secret Life of an Irish-American Nerd [Open]

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