Chapter Text
Adam huffs in frustration as he pulls the sweater off over his head, dumping it on the pile of clothes that lay discarded on the floor. He frowns as he continues to look through his closet, his inner omega seemingly unsatisfied with any of the last ten pieces of clothing he had tried on.
He didn’t know why he was so frustrated with his outfit, or lack thereof. He just knew that none of his clothes was working the way he wanted them to, and it was pissing him off.
“Adam? You ready to go?” He hears Blue call, he can faintly hear her keys clinking as she presumably takes the keys out the lock, but her sudden appearance only frustrates him more, to the point were tears are starting to brim.
“Adam?” She calls once more as she gets closer. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, but it’s fruitless because the moment he spots his worried friend the tears start to roll.
Blue’s eyes widen, she drops her bag on the floor and quickly pulls him into a hug as he cries silently into her shoulder. His face burns in embarrassment as his tears start to dry, and he suddenly feels really fucking stupid for crying over a dumb shirt.
“How can I help?” Blue asks as he pulls away, wiping his stray tears with a smile as he takes a breath ignoring his burning cheeks.
“Help me pick out a shirt.” Blue nods once as she spins towards his closet, thankfully ignoring the pile that lays on the floor. She pushes a few shirts around before pulling out a dark green sweatshirt and handing it to him.
It’s looser than the previous one, oversized and comfy, and he feels something in him settle as he adjusts it into place.
“Good?” Blue asks gently and he nods quickly as he runs his hands over the fabric.
He’s only eight weeks along, you can’t even see a bump yet, but all his tight-fitting clothes have felt suffocating. He wonders if it’s a normal pregnancy thing but the thought of someone being able to see him and know he’s pregnant makes him feel vulnerable and uncomfortable.
He takes a minute to wash his face, hoping the cold water helps disguise his crying sesh, before he and Blue head towards the restaurant the group had decided on the previous day.
He spots Ronan first, the tall Alpha sits next to Gansey and an unknown blonde, sipping a drink while somehow looking insanely attractive. Adam swallows dryly, lets Blue drag him to the table and crowd him into the booth catching all three men by surprise.
“You made it!” Gansey exclaims with a grin, eyes firmly on Blue who smiles back brightly. Adam snorts and looks up, finding Ronan’s eyes already on him and has to fight back the blush that wants to bloom.
“Noah, this is Blue and that’s Adam, we ran into them at a coffee shop yesterday.” Gansey introduces and the blonde smiles as he shakes each of their hands.
“I’m still annoyed about that.” Blue tells Gansey with narrowed eyes. Gansey winces at the reminder as Noah pushes two menus their way.
“We’ve ordered apps but waited on entrees.” He informs them. Adam looks over the menu absentmindedly, skipping over any seafood entrees as he does.
The waitress stops by to take their drink orders and while everyone in the table order mixed drinks Adam sticks to sweet tea. No one questions his drink choice which he is grateful for, he has kept his pregnancy under wraps and was hoping to do so for at least another month, at least until he made it through the first trimester.
“So, what do our two newest friends do for a living?” Noah asks them with an easy-going smile.
“Adam’s a doctor.” Blue states causing all three to turn his way.
“Last year of residency.” He tells them.
“Last month of residency.” Blue corrects, which was the main reason for his decision to go through with the insemination.
He had secured a job right away, a surgical clinic that had great flexible hours and who were allowing him to take a paid leave when the baby was born.
“Well now my job sounds dumb.” Noah mutters and Blue laughs as she raises her water glass.
“Tell me about it, he and Henry are all well-educated and all I do is sell pies.” Blue tells them.
“Henry?” Ronan asks, brows raised as he glances at Adam.
“He’s our friend, and our pack Alpha.” Ronan nods shoulders loosening at Adam’s words.
“He’s also walking towards us.” Blue states and sure enough the taller Alpha is walking their way, brows furrowed as he cuts towards them.
“Well fuck.” Adam mutters as Henry stops by their table arms crossed over his chest.
“You two are going to give me a God damn heart attack.” Henry tells them.
“What’d we do now?” Blue asks with a laugh earning them a view of Henry’s call history and the many outgoing calls to the two of them. Adam goes to pull out his phone only to realize he had forgot it earning him an annoyed look.
“Opps.”
“Henry, these are our new friends, Ronan, Noah and Gansey.” Blue introduces as she points out each man. Henry nods, eyes lingering on the two Alphas longer than they linger on the blond Beta. Blue smacks his arm lightly when she notices but neither Alpha seem to be bothered by the blatant stare down.
“Why don’t you join us Henry, the more the merrier.” Gansey offers Henry with a gentle smile. Henry nods and Blue scoots in, forcing Adam to move closer towards Ronan in the circular booth.
Adam forces himself not to take in a deep breath of Ronan’s scent now that he can smell it better, focuses on the menu in front of him and not the handsome Alpha at his side.
“Henry, are you also a Doctor?” Gansey asks his friend who nods.
“He’s going on to specialize in Peds.” Blue butts in with a playful shove towards her friend.
“No screaming kids for you Adam?” Ronan asks him with a smile causing Blue to laugh and Henry to snort as he steals Blue’s drink.
“Don’t think I have the heart to stick them with needles all day.” Adam answers ignoring the irony of the question.
“Gansey is a Doctor in the boring way.” Noah states.
“English?”
“History.”
“He had a whole phase where he was obsessed over some Welsh guy.” Ronan tells the group. Gansey blushes and covers his face with his hands while Noah laughs.
“He had us hiking and exploring caves in Virginia all senior year.” Noah says in between fits of laughter. Gansey groans and drops his head on the table.
“Henrietta?” Henry asks with a raised brow as he leans forward.
“Please tell me you guys were the ones who had to get air lifted off the mountain after that landslide.” Blue pleads with her palms pressed together before either boy can respond. Ronan and Noah laugh loudly while Gansey groans all but confirming her nonquestion.
“You guys are from Henrietta?” He whines and Adam can’t hold in his laugh at the dejection in his tone.
Adam vaguely remembers sitting in a lunchroom with Blue as news broke of the three teens that were airlifted off a nearby mountain after a sudden landslide had left them stranded outdoors overnight. It was early on in the school year and all three boys had been underage, so their names were never released.
“We went to Mountain View, Henry here pissed off his mom before moving to Virginia, so he was sent to public school instead of the fancy one.” Adam tells them.
“You guys were thirty minutes from us and we never bumped into one another once.” Ronan states as his eyes meet Adams. Adams heart skips a beat from the intensity of his stare.
“Interesting.” Adam mused, earning himself a sharp grin from the Alpha.
“What do you do Ronan?” Henry asks, causing Ronan and Adam to both turn his way.
“I own a farm.” He states as he throws an arm over the booth behind Adam’s head.
“I also dabble in art.”
“His pieces go for thousands, don’t let him fool you.” Gansey states as he sits up, cheeks still pink but seemingly happy despite the brief embarrassment.
“Maybe you can help Adam decorate his apartment, it’s so boring.” Blue mutters.
“I was busy.” Adam defends himself. Henry raises his, Blue’s, glass in agreement before finishing off the drink and standing.
“Drinks?” He asks the table who all quickly agree.
“No thanks, but if you bring back some of the guac I’ll love you forever.” Adam tells his friend who snorts but nods before he walks away.
“So, I’m thinking cow print everywhere.” Ronan tells Adam who laughs.
“Ah yes, but it has to be classy, we can’t have cow print wallpaper unless it’s textured.”
“Well obviously, we’re not animals Adam.” Adam smiles as Ronan nudges him lightly.
“Though seriously I can help if you’d like.”
“I would love that.”
Ronan Lynch could be described in many, many was. He was an asshole, a bit cold, a bit morbid, he was also a hopeless romantic. It was something that few people knew about him, a trait that only those really close to him ever found out about.
The moment he had spotted Adam in his apartment building elevator, he had been ready to wax poetics, ready to write sonnets and perform ballads in the man’s honor. It was ridiculous, one look at he was a goner, and he didn’t even know Adam’s last name. Ronan was in deep at first sight, and it only got worse the more he learned about the man.
“I thought Gansey was exaggerating when he said you were infatuated with him, but you looked ready to propose on the spot.” Noah laughs as Ronan sighs, he’s currently trying to work up the nerve to knock on Adam’s apartment door, why he thought Noah would help ease his nerves he’s not sure.
“You’re not helping.” He reminds his friend who has spent the last ten minutes laughing at him.
“Dude just knock on the door and ask him out.” Noah states.
“What if he says no?”
“Then you leave it at that and continue to be his new friend.” Ronan groans but decides to follow his friend’s advice.
“Wish me luck.”
“You’ll be fine, maybe just show up with food? Everyone loves food.” Noah tells Ronan.
“This is why we’re friends.” Ronan reminds the Beta.
“You’re welcome.” Noah states before the line goes dead. Ronan quickly orders pizza and pasta from the local pizza shop, waits anxiously until it gets delivered before mustering up the nerve to head across the hall.
Ronan only waits momentarily before the door is swung open, Adam looks downright sinful in tight trousers and a navy button-down shirt. Adam smiles as he leans against his doorway eyes quickly looking him over.
“I was hoping you’d join me for dinner.” Ronan tells Adam.
“Well, it sure saves me from another cup of ramen soup.” Adam states.
“Glad to be of service.” Adam laughs and it’s a sound Ronan can easily find himself getting addicted to.
“Just get out of work?” Ronan asks Adam as he steps inside the apartment. The apartment is sparsely decorated but it looks lived in and cozy making Ronan believe that Adam’s packmates were just messing with him.
“Yeah, but I’m off the next three luckily.” Ronan sets the food down and turns to catch Adam pulling his long sleeve off, leaving him in a gray tshirt which he keeps tucked into his trousers. He swallows dryly and breathes slowly hoping his scent doesn’t give away how much he appreciates the sight.
“Want a beer? I don’t drink much but Henry left some here.” Adam asks Ronan who nods and watches as Adam grabs plates from the cabinet before grabbing two cans from the fridge.
“Ginger ale?”
“It’s good.” Adam states defensively though his lips are quirked up in amusement.
“Uh huh, the only time I’ve seen someone drink ginger ale willingly is when they’re sick.” Ronan mused.
“It’s an acquired taste.” Adam defends and Ronan smiles. They make light conversation; Ronan loves the way Adam snorts at his dark jokes instead of taking them offensively.
Ronan’s on his second beer when Adam goes pale. He puts his can down quickly as Adam covers his mouth and gags. Ronan moves on autopilot, grabbing the small trash can and lifting it towards Adam in time for him to empty his stomach. Ronan feels his heart clench at the violent sounds of Adams retching, heart twisting as he watches the man’s body shake with from the force of it. He moves on his own accord, running a hand over Adam’s back in a soothing gesture as Adam continues to heave into the trash can.
“I am so sorry.” Adam gasps out the minute he catches his breath.
“I should be apologizing, I got you sick.” Adam laughs at Ronan’s words, relaxes into Ronan’s touch for a bit before he’s puking again. Ronan winces in sympathy, he’s trying to figure out how to help him when the apartment door clicks open.
“I got you some apples and caramel though you should-“ Ronan looks up and meets eyes with Henry whose eyes flash red quickly before he steps forward, anger evident in his scent.
“Don’t.” Adam snaps as he looks up at his pack Alpha. Ronan can feel the moment Henry pulls back his anger, watches the Alpha take a breath before and visibly relaxes, his shoulders loosening as he places the grocery bags down and takes the trash can from Adam’s hands.
“Ready to brush?” Henry asks the Omega softly, Adam nods and grabs onto Ronan’s arm as he straightens up. Ronan watches Adam disappear down the hall before turning to Henry who watches him with calculating eyes. He has no doubt that Henry has caught on to his attraction towards the Omega, meets Henry’s challenging gaze with one of his own.
“Whatever Alpha thing is going on out there better be done by the time I get back!” Adam shouts, Ronan can hear that the man still has toothpaste in his mouth and his lips quirk up as he looks away from the Alpha in front of him, letting him have his victory. Henry moves towards Adam’s kitchen, navigating around it with ease as he replaces the trash bag. Henry double bags the vomit filled one with a scrunched nose before throwing it down the trash chute all the apartment in the building had.
Ronan knows it’s dumb, but he feels a sting of jealousy as he continues to watch Henry move around the kitchen, washing his hands before filling an old-looking kettle with water and setting it on the stove.
Adam reappears while Henry is pulling mugs out of the cupboard, shoots him a pointed look when the man only pulls out two mugs causing him to grab a third one as he grumbles under his breath.
“Didn’t know you two were such good friends.” Henry states casually as he pulls out some tea packets from a small aluminum can with a poorly drawn animal on the tin. The tea packets themselves look to be homemade, but Ronan doesn’t question their origin when all three cups get the same tea bags placed in them.
“He just moved in next door.” Adam answers his friend who frowns as he leans back.
“Who moved?”
“The Santiagos.” Henry hums and glances at Ronan, eyes narrowed slightly.
“So Ronan-“
“No.” Adam snaps causing the man to frown.
“Bu-“
“Would you prefer to come back tomorrow once you’ve gotten your head out of your ass?” Adam asks the Alpha who glares back his way before the kettle starts to whistle loudly. Adam shoots Ronan an apologetic look as the Alpha turns away from them and Ronan grins back, squeezing his arm quickly before turning back in time for Henry to push a mug his way.
“Thank you.” Ronan states, Henry’s eyes narrow slightly but he nods in acknowledgement while Adam rolls his eyes and leans forward to grab the grocery bag Henry had brought over.
Adam pulls out an apple with a smile, taking the knife Henry hands over and slicing into the apple before dropping a dollop of caramel on it and taking a bite. Adam’s smile grows and it’s a blinding thing that Ronan can’t look away from. He blinks when Adam offers him a slice and takes it despite having a mild allergy to apples.
Henry huffs out a breath causing both Adam and Ronan to turn his way.
“We’ll talk later.” Henry tells Adam with a pointed look.
“-And you should avoid giving him dairy, he can’t stomach it now.” Henry addresses Ronan as he places his now empty mug in the sink. He drops a kiss on Adam’s forehead, steals the slice of apple from Adam’s hands and leaves the apartment. They both stay silent, the apartment quiet except for Adam’s snacking.
“Big Bang Theory?” Adam asks after a few seconds and Ronan smiles.
“I’ll take your drink.” Ronan says as he stands, taking both mugs carefully as Adam grabs another apple and the tub of caramel and heads to his living room.
Ronan sits next to the Adam on the couch and can’t find himself wanting to be anywhere else and knows he’ll do whatever he can to stick by Adam’s side.