Ronan smacks his arm and Declan breaks character. He hooks an arm around Ronan's shoulders and hauls him into an embrace. He doesn't think his heart has stopped pounding since he saw Ronan on the sidewalk. He lets go of a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. God.

It's not the best hug, it's awkward and unsure because it's been years, probably a decade or more, since he tried this. But it's also fierce, trying to make up for things Declan doesn't know how to say.

It doesn't last long. He lets Ronan go and steps back, giving them both space. Distance. It's almost effortless to button back down. He isn't the kind of person that has a brother that was nearly murdered for being a dreamer. He isn't the sort of person that has another brother that walks with purpose towards a riot of a river thundering between state lines. This apartment is as interesting as he gets.

"And... maybe I'll come by the Meadows after Sunday service."