→ ( OPEN - my hands wrapped around the stick shift, swerving on the 405, )

[aberth]

WHO: Adam Parrish & you!
WHERE: Various
WHEN: 19th - 20th August.
WHAT: Cars. Like, he loves cars. So it's all about cars.
WARNINGS: N/A but will add if necessary.

A. ( OPEN )

[ The heat in the auto shop is stifling. Even with the doors and windows wide open there's little to no breeze drifting through. And with the kind of equipment they have to run throughout the day that can get unpleasant. It is unpleasant. Adam's therefore the one tasked with lugging in the big awkward fans from the back, coveralls tied around his waist and his shirt sticking to him unpleasantly. He probably looks a mess, oil smudged across the muscles in his arms, skin shiny with sweat. He's too hot to care.

It takes some working to get the fans navigated - this close to the weekend people tend to get sloppy, cables and tools snaking all over the floor. He might have said something, but the camaraderie among his co-workers is more pleasant than he's used to and it's only Adam who's impossibly anal about keeping things clear. He lets it lie either way, breathing out a sigh of relief when he gets the last fan in place, bending to plug it into a socket. Blessed air immediately starts up and he takes a moment to stand before it, running dusty fingers through his hair.

Of course, that's when he notices whoever's loitering by the main door. Adam turns, his expression pleasantly neutral, professional even if he feels like he's melting. ] Can I help you?

B. ( CLOSED TO GANSEY )

[ Saturday morning dawns bright and early.

After taking care of whatever shit they needed to do around the house - grocery lists and vegetable patches seem to be all teenage boys really care about - he had followed Gansey to the Pig II and then further into town. They're in a store now, neat rows of bicycles in front of them, the heavy weight of a card in Adam's wallet. Neither of them have moved beyond where the air conditioning blows coolest though, but that's all right. They can both make the most studious of gazes towards the mountain bikes beside them. ]

I mean, I'm not going to be near any mountains, so what's the point?

[ It's meant to get him from A to B. That's what he wants. And while there are cars in the drive at the Meadows and people who can take him to work and back, Adam has always been self-sufficient. He's been itchy and uncomfortable since his old piece of shit bike gave up the ghost. It isn't even worth trying to fix at this point.

Blowing out a breath as he leans in to read a laminated list of all the bike has to offer. ] I'll be impressed when they invent one with AC.

C. ( OPEN. )

[ It's silver. It's German. It's perfect. Adam can't stop looking at it. Each time he does he feels a sick kind of thrill, panic that he spent so much money but joy that he has something that's shiny and sleek and his. It doesn't matter that it's second hand, it doesn't matter that it makes a funny noise - he knows what that is, he can fix it - it only matters that it's in his name. He's worked hard enough and long enough he has something he's coveted for almost his whole life.

A sports car.

He has to resist the urge to press the button that sends the top down again, instead locking it and pocketing the key. He could quite easily stick around and gaze at it lovingly some more, but really he's already been doing that too much. So he turns, starts to head off when he literally walks into someone else. ]

Shit, sorry.

D. ( WILDCARD. )

[ Feel free to hit me up at athosing if you would like anything specific. ]

Comments

B

[quaerit]

[ Gansey's expression, as he peruses the bikes, is far from impressed. It's not that he has anything against bikes, really. Not at all; he enjoys cycling, on occasion. Typically, not on occasions when the weather is anything like as sticky as it is these days, and not when he's aware of how much faster his car is.

Even though it does break down every so often. He knows for a fact he wouldn't love it so much if it didn't; it's not for nothing he's taken to using Pig II instead of the Cub. He's now standing with his arms folded, and his eyes slide from the mountain bikes to Adam. ]

They have invented AC. They've just installed it in machines much bigger and more enclosed than any of these.

[ He lifts his eyebrow. ]

Are you sure about this, Parrish? It's hardly what I'd call an investment. You can't cycle all the way from The Meadows to De Chima every day, it's not efficient.

[aberth]

[ Adam gives him a look. It's the kind of says your car boner is showing. ]

I'm not letting you drive me to work anymore.

[ He's not letting anyone though, that's the point of all this. Adam is reacting to heartache by ignoring it, instead choosing to throw himself headfirst back into the pool of self-sufficiency. ]

And I saw a thing on the news about how some jetpacks are being recalled, so they're out. [ He's teasing. He wouldn't want a jetpack. Also he assumes they cost a lot. ] I'll just have to get used to riding again.

[quaerit]

[ Gansey is still dubious. And unimpressed, to boot. It's not that he doesn't appreciate the bikes. It's just that he knows Adam needs more than that. He moves a few steps to look at a city bike with what appears to be multiple gears, and bends down to look at the chain. ]

Well, yeah, you could do that. Of course you could, they're excellent quality. Top engineering.

[ He stands again, patting the bike's saddle. ]

It's just that when I said I thought you needed reliable transport, this - [ He gestures to the room at large. ] - is not what I had in mind.

Remind me how long you've been here, again?

[aberth]

[ It's already going pear-shaped, Adam can tell. Still, he takes a step back to scan the rack of bikes above, crossing his arms carefully over his chest. He's been thrumming with energy for days now, and he doesn't know if it's a good or a bad thing, but it's feverish and odd. He wants to break out of his skin somehow. ]

A year, almost. [ A year next month. That has Adam sliding his gaze Gansey's way, a furrow in the center of his forehead.

Jesus Christ, a year. ]

A bike's no less reliable than the Shi--. [ He almost says Shitbox, but that's Ronan's affectionate name and Adam won't conjure him up now. ] It'd get me from A to B.

[quaerit]

[ Gansey's eyes fly sharply to Adam. Then they narrow, and he waves dismissively at the bikes. ]

I'm not contesting that, but a car would do the same at a hell of a better pace.

[ He lifts his eyebrows. ]

A year, during which you've worked two, borderline three jobs? Since you haven't had to pay for school, your only outgoings have been one seventh of the bill for rent and groceries. Which means that all the rest has gone into savings for...

What, exactly? It's not like you've splashed out on anything else.

A

[rathercommon]

Hey.

[ Kitty stands there, running a hand through her gross, damp hair. She herself is just about melting in this heat, blowing out a miserable breath and yanking on the neckline of her blouse to try to air it out. She shoots Adam a guilty grin, saying - ]

So, we haven't got air conditioning -

[ Then she pulls from her satchel a can of Coca-Cola, sweating slightly in the cold. It's a frosty one, from the machine around the corner. ]

But there's this, at least.

[aberth]

[ It's just Kitty.

Adam tries not to chastise himself too much for not realising straight away. The shop is more noisy today, he's tired, she'd been on his deaf side. An easy mistake for him to make. He wipes his palms on his jeans and takes the offered coca-cola with a smile - see, he's getting better at accepting things. ]

I've worked in worse places.

[ Worse conditions too. ] I didn't think you were coming in today.

[rathercommon]

I didn't think I was, either. But here I am.

[ She pulls out a soda that she bought for herself, too. Out of solidarity more than anything else: she wrinkles her nose just a little as she takes a sip of it, clearly unaccustomed to the carbonation. ]

What are you working on?

[aberth]

[ It's not like he's got room to judge. Adam has been in every day this week, even when it's clearly written on his rota that he has the time off. Still, he smiles a little at her face when she takes a drink, cracks open his own can. ]

Just a couple of tune ups.

[ There's a bunch of cars on the forecourt. ] Nothing too strenuous. [ It's just a load of shit Adam could do with his eyes closed, which is fine as it keeps his hands busy. Shame it doesn't take much thought. ]

A

[instars]

[He's not the only one who is obsessive about keeping things clean. Saya is another one who does most of her work while focusing on the meticulousness of the garage.

She does not look like a sweaty mess. She is dressed in short shorts and a breezy shirt, and her hair is pulled up, but her makeup is flawless, she looks completely at ease.]

I was thinking we should get a cooling unit. Or build one.

[aberth]

[ Sometimes Adam thinks Saya has an unfair supernatural advantage when it comes to these things. He doesn't get how she can walk around in this kind of heat and still not have a single hair out of place. ]

Building one could be cheaper. But probably not cost effective.

[ Unless they're very dedicated about it. ]

Time consuming, too.

[instars]

[She does, actually.]

I don't know. Between the two of us it would likely take an afternoon.

[She is reaching for one of the spanners.]

Although I wouldn't mind buying one. There's a unit upstairs.

[aberth]

[ An afternoon.

He considers it. It's not like he has anything to get home for right now. The evening is stretched ahead before him and Adam knows it will be as miserable as the last. His room is empty. Even the cats have taken to seeking out places where Adam isn't, like his mood affects even them.

Blowing out a breath. ] I'm free if you want to try?

c.

[admemoriam]

[Noah feels something wrong from yards away, but then he sees the car, and the way Adam's at war with himself, and he drags up all of the excitement that he can access, pulling it over the top of his concern.

Running right into Adam while his eyes scan the shiny silver was not part of the plan, but he recovers quickly.]

Dude. It's awesome.

[aberth]

[ It's mostly Adam's fault. He's not been sleeping well, so he's far more clumsy than usual. ]

It's not too much?

[ Said in a way that suggests he thinks it's too much. Buyer's remorse mixed on top of all other kinds. ] None of the bikes felt right and it's too hot to be riding anyhow. [ And yet, he could have gotten another version of the Hodayota. Something cheap. ]

[admemoriam]

No, it's fine! [He grins, sweet and genuine, as he slouches over to examine it closer. His hands hover above the shiny metal, the new glass, like he's just barely resisting the urge to touch. After a moment, he looks back over his shoulder. Something in his eyes looks far too serious for his smile.] You deserve every inch it it.

[aberth]

[ Adam blinks slow and then, frustratingly, flushes a deep and awful red. Noah has always been the one to deliver the kind of things that his friends need, but don't necessarily want, to hear. And Adam isn't sure he's equipped for it. ]

I don't know about that.

[ Does he really deserve a car like this? Should he have even bought it with everything being like it is? Is he trying too hard? ]

c

[aglonby]

[ sleek and shiny are two adjectives that are sure to draw henry in like a moth. and he might be trying to get enough of a good look that he's not paying attention to what's much closer to him; in this case, adam himself.

he blinks. ]

Parrish, bud! [ another blink, his eyes going to the car and then back to adam and then back to the car. his hand lifts, pointing at it. ] Is it yours?

[aberth]

[ His first instinct is to deny it. If he admits that he bought it, then it means he has to accept his moment of madness. He can't return to his senses and take it back. His second instinct is to straighten his shoulders and nod. ]

Yeah.

[ If it comes out in a somewhat breathless rush of wonder, he hopes Henry has the decency to not notice. They might all been on the same economical footing here, but he has hang ups he can't escape from.

Still, there's an almost-smile on his face as he looks over. ] Gansey can be ... persuasive. I was meant to be buying a bike.

[aglonby]

Yo! That's awesome, my man! [ have a proud back clap!!!! look at you, you now have the fanciest car in this driveway. he's jealous. good job to gansey for convincing adam to get this instead of a bike. he doesn't know all the details of adam's life, but he does know he didn't have a car for a while, and that the one he did end up with was crappy.

so he assumes it's kind of a big deal that he's spending money. which he misses. boy, does henry miss having money. ] Can't wait until I can get my own.

[ it's almost wistful. the advantage is that he gets to experience building his own savings by working, which is an experience he did want to get, but still. no buying things on a whim. it's a hard life. ]

[aberth]

[ He expects to feel savagely glad at Henry's wistfulness. He'd been the poor one for so long that he can't pretend to not have wanted boys like him brought down to the same level. But either he doesn't count, or Adam's growing as a person, because there's no satisfaction in him. ]

You'll get there.

[ Adam did. ]

And besides, there's no shortage of cars now. Someone's going to be around to drive. [ Well, except Ronan but. ]

another for C!

[dreamkid]

Oh, sorry, [ Matthew apologizes at the exact same time as Adam, taking a step back. He came out here to ask the older boy something, but he hadn't meant to sneak up on him. In Matthew's arms, rather inexplicably, are a few of Max's chew toys. ]

Sorry, [ he says again, for some reason. ] These were under my bed. I was wondering, d'you want me to put them somewhere?

[ Even before he's done asking the question, his gaze is distractedly drawn over to the car. Matthew likes cars, too, and this is a new one. But he's trying to finish up something important, so he doesn't ask about it just yet, even though he wants to. ]

[aberth]

[ He isn't expecting Matthew.

Which is ridiculous because Matthew lives here and he's allowed to come and go as he pleases. But he's still Ronan's little brother and so awkwardness creeps into Adam's shoulders, makes him hunch them over even more. It's not exactly like he's curled in on himself, but it's close. It's a lot harder to pretend everything's fine when he's fairly certain Matthew might know. That he might blame him for not trying hard enough. ]

He has a crate in the living room. [ But Matthew knows that. He just never uses it. ] But listen, he'll just bring them back to you. I think it's too late to train him with that shit.

[dreamkid]

[ Matthew has possibly never blamed anyone for anything in his life. He definitely doesn't now, because he doesn't know; Ronan only told him to leave, when he asked what happened, and no one else in the house is likely to tell him anything either.

He thinks he's pieced together that Ronan and Adam had a fight, but that's it. He's walking on eggshells, too. ]

Oh-- Right, yeah. I'll start keeping my door closed.

[ Which is weird because Matthew hardly ever closes his door, and he loves having Max in his room. Also odd is the tone in his voice; it definitely sounds like he's apologizing, trying to make something right. ]

[aberth]

[ A selfish part of him wants to agree with it just so he can remove himself from this conversation. He doesn't want to have to figure out the root of someone else's problems when his own are in multitude. But something's bothering Matthew and Adam doesn't have it in him to be cruel right now.

He raises his gaze to the top of the house and then lets out a breath. ]

Why?

[ There has to be a reason. ]

What happened?