It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now, Adam wasn't so sure...
"Adam...?" Ronan said, still half asleep and squinting to shield his eyes from the light. "What... what's going on? Are you okay? Did something happen?" He sat up on the bed and rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"
"Uh, it's 3:15 AM." Adam said slowly, already starting to regret his decision. "I, um, I'm hungry. And I wanted someone to eat cereal with me." he said hesitantly, not knowing how Ronan would react.
"You woke me up at three in the morning so you wouldn't have to eat your cereal alone?" Ronan asked, still not completely sure if Adam was serious or not.
"Well, yeah. But it seems stupid now. I don't know why I woke you up. I'm sorry, you can just go back to sleep." Adam said, starting to turn away and hating himself for waking Ronan up, especially knowing how hard it is for him to fall asleep.
"Woah, hold up, Parish." Ronan caught Adam by the arm. "I'm already up, so I might as well accompany you." he said, getting up and stretching. He stood up and started looking for a shirt to wear.
Adam caught a look at his back as he was scrummaging around his clothes on the floor. They had only been dating for a few weeks, but he was still fascinated by Ronan; the way he moved, the curves of his back, the way his tattoo seemed as much a part of him as Chainsaw was.
"Stop blushing, Parish. It's not like you've never seen me shirtless before." Adam quickly turned his head and tried to cover his face, but it was too late; Ronan had already seen him. He walked over to him and kissed his cheek, which only made Adam blush even more. "Come on. Let's go get your cereal."
Adam followed Ronan to the kitchen.
"What cereal do you want?" Ronan asked, opening the cereal cabinet. "We've got Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Frosted Flakes, Fruit Loops, Cheerios, Rice Crispies..."
"Frosted Flakes, please." Adam said.
"Okay." Ronan said, grabbing the milk and a box of Cocoa Puffs for himself. Adam got the bowls and spoons. They both set them on the table at the same time, and sat down awkwardly; they had just started living together, and still weren't completely used to each other and all the new arrangements. They poured their cereal, and had a few minutes of silence as they started eating, with only the sound of their chewing to fill the room.
"So, Parish. I know you're a big fan of cereal, but I'm pretty sure that's not why you woke me up in the middle of the night." Ronan noted with a little smirk on his face.
"Well, no. I..." Adam was avoiding his gaze. He couldn't bring himself to say it; it was too embarrassing.
"Come on, Parish, spit it out." Ronan said as he put a spoonful of cereal in his mouth. He couldn't wait to hear what Adam was about to say.
Adam sighed. It was no use hiding his feelings for Ronan, so he might as well just tell him the truth; they were dating now, and it would only be harder for him to keep it in. "I just wanted an excuse to be with you, that's all." Adam said, quite matter of factly.
"Oh..." was all Ronan said. It was his turn to blush. He was not expecting that, and if he was being honest with himself, which he usually wasn't, it had thrown him off guard.
Adam, on the other hand, felt pretty satisfied with his response. Simple, honest, and straightforward. He continued eating his cereal.
Ronan was still trying to process his emotions for what Adam had just said. He finished eating his cereal. So did Adam.
"Come on, Ronan, let's go back to bed." Adam got up and took his hand, leading him back to the bedroom. They lay back down on the bed, holding hands and looking at each other. Ronan still hadn't said anything else since Adam told him he wanted an excuse to be with him.
After a few minutes, Adam yawned, and his eyes started to close.
"Adam?" Ronan whispered, after a while.
"Hmm?" he mumbled.
Ronan waited a few seconds before answering. "I really like you." He couldn't believe he'd just said that, but something about that boy made him feel so safe and happy. Adam was definitely going to be the end of him, and he absolutely didn't mind.
"I know." Adam said, with his eyes still closed, and smiled. Just seeing Adam smile sent Ronan's heart into a flutter, and he smiled too.
When Ronan was almost asleep, he heard Adam whisper "I really like you too.", and he fell asleep with a smile as big as the sun on his face.