Even as Ronan curses through his pleasure, even as Adam feels that warm wet of his boyfriend's pleasure on his hand, he feels like he's floating, like he's hovering in that place where the world is nothing but an intense release of tension. Then Ronan is pulling him back down to Earth, or wherever this is, and he lies on top of Ronan, burrowing his face into the crook of Ronan's neck and shoulder so close that he can feel the warmth of his own heavy breathing bouncing back at him from Ronan's skin.

It's so rare that they actually say the words. It's something that Adam has assumed because Ronan is too much of a romantic to do this with someone he isn't in love with. Adam has known that Ronan loves him for a long while and sometimes he can't believe it. Sometimes, like now, it feels so palpable, so tangible that he knows it's real.

As for Adam, most of the time he wonders if he's capable of love. How can anything involving love come out of that place made for leaving? Robert Parrish had loved his mom. He would leave her face bruised and tell her he loved her in the same minute. His mom had loved him. But she'd never said anything to save him from his torment. Adam has horrible examples of love. Right now though, he thinks he likes Ronan more than he's ever liked anyone. And maybe in Adam Parrish's neck of the woods, that means he loves him too.

Love still scares him. It scares him because of those stupid examples he has where everything is wrong.

"Shut up." He whispers, then follows that up with a light kiss to the side of Adam's neck and wraps his arms around Ronan. It's the best he can do in the moment.