#Chapter4
There was more, but as he stared down at the dozens of missed notifications, texts, missed calls and game pop-ups, he almost locked the thing and shoved it right back in his pocket.
He didn't. He forced himself to scroll through them, filtering them out. . Five years now and still going strong, Sylvester was among one of his oldest friends. He'd sent a few messages, gushing about how amazing his Daddy was, and how he'd written him a song just for him. It was adorable and had a smile working his mouth, but it faded.
He loved Sly. He was like the little brother he'd never had. And he wanted more than anything to spend an afternoon with iced tea, butterfly cakes and the baring of their souls, but he knew he couldn't. It wouldn't be fair on Sly to drag him down with all that negativity, and he was scared it would cost him his friend in the process.
Not because Sly wouldn't understand, but because his Daddy, Jackson, was Adam's best friend. He'd been my friend and had been for nearly two and a half years now, but he was still only just my friend. He was Adam's best friend. And while Sly was mine, I didn't want to put them in that awkward position where it felt like they had to choose sides.
And quite frankly, he was simply terrified that Jackson would have chosen Adam's side and he would have tried to stop me from seeing Sly. It didn't sound like the kind of thing that Jackson would do, but six months ago, being cold and dismissive wasn't the type of thing that Adam would have done.
He sent a quick text back, ignored the one from Angel, because the bastard seemed to have a spidey-sense for when he was on the verge of breakdown, and he'd already been too much of a burden on him, and ignored Lucien's by default because he knew that Angel would know something was wrong if he responded to Luci and not him.
He wanted to call Raven. More than anything, he needed to hear his voice. He was a walking comfort blanket, and one of the few people capable of dragging him up out of a crappy mood. But he didn't. It was Monday night and he knew he'd be working. Instead, he scrolled down to Isaac's message.
Isaac Reid was, in Ronan's opinion, a riot. They'd met on Connex, an app-based community that allowed you to talk and connect with other members of the community, almost five months ago. He had obnoxiously replied to a post Ronan had made. He'd sent something snarky back. They'd gotten along charmingly ever since.
He answered after the third ring. /"What do you want? You're interrupting the part where the Indominus Rex eats the fat guy who goes in her cage./"
It should have been his Daddy's voice soothing him, but he found solace in Isaac's instead.
/"You're gonna have nightmares,/" Ronan told him, fighting off the feeling that tried to swamp him. Isaac was a brat sometimes, and had a way of triggering his Daddy side. He hoped that was the case today. Hoped it would balance out the slipping falling sensation that gripped him.
/"Deacon, pause it./" Ronan heard him say, his voice muffling as the receiver was pulled away. Then it rang back with amplified clarity. /"I won't. Deek made me a super cool dream catcher! He actually made it for me! He made the centre look like Jason's hockey mask. How cool is that?/"
Snorting, Ronan curled in on himself. The hard bottom of the wardrobe was rough beneath him, and something jabbed into his back, but he ignored it. Setting his phone on speaker and placing it on his lap, his right hand took hold of his left; as his thumb swept small circles over the flesh, he imagined somebody was there with him, that they were the ones holding his hand. Imagained Isaac's voice was theirs, and everything was going to be alright.
/"Super cool,/" he agreed at last. Jurassic World seemed quite tame, and more the kind of thing Asa would have watched than Isaac, who was a die-hard horror fanatic. But it had violence, blood and terror, so he supposed that covered it. They'd only met twice in person, but it had been amazing. Ronan had made the trip up for Isaac's twentieth birthday, and the look on his new friend's face when he'd handed him a Freddy and Jason POP doll, along with a hand knitted version of Freddy, who he had an unhealthy obsession with, it had been magical. The other time was last week at Sly's birthday party. It had been an overall great time. He'd met Isaac's little brother Oz, who'd coincidentally been good friends with Sly and Lucien through the same app he'd met Isaac on.
The memory had him smiling. It'd been fancy dress and he'd gone as a fairy princess because he was the most fabulous bitch there was. But Adam had ruined that too, and an argument while they were there had him being yanked from Little space, and his tiara being snapped into pieces.
/"I can call back if you're busy watching your show,/" he offered, his mind skirting back to Isaac's greeting. There was a time he would have laughed it off. It was just the way Isaac was. But feeling as Little as he did, and as shaken as he was, paranoia set in; he felt like nobody actually wanted him around.
/"No, don't. I wanna talk to you,/" Isaac dismissed. /"It was time for Deacon to get up and make me dessert anyway — yes that was a hint, you lazy git. Get me some ice cream./"
And just like that, a smile curved his lips. He adored Isaac and his Daddy's, Deacon, relationship. It was screwy and wild, nothing at all like the pretty, bow wrapped thing that was Lucien and Angel's relationship. It was chaotic at times. Isaac was a fucking terror when he wanted to be or when he couldn't get his own way.
Issac' relationship, or the aspects that he'd seen and heard, reminded him of how his and Adam's had once been. It had that same wild and unruly feel. Ronan had loved to be a brat and his Daddy had loved to put him in his place.
He didn't remember falling asleep. Must have happened mid call because he didn't remember how his conversation ended with Isaac, or any goodnights being exchanged. He woke to light poking at his face and strong arms pulling him to my feet.
/"Daddy?/" Ronan said sleepily, stumbling and almost tripping as he was directed out of the wardrobe. Hands caught him, and Adam pulled him close, the sweet scent of his aftershave confirming his presence. His eyes were too blurry to have been sure it was him.
/"Shh,/" he said. /"Go back to sleep, Ro. Here, get into bed./" He didn't fight. Let his body be moved towards the king-sized mattress. Muttered a thank you as he began to pull his shoes and socks off.
/"I'm scared, Daddy,/" Ronan whimpered once he was left in his underwear, the covers being pulled over him. /"I wanna —/"
He cut himself off. His mind was a groggy battleground, but he was dimly aware that he wasn't supposta call his Daddy, but he couldn't remember why. Cept he was bad, and he didn't want to be bad, and now he was scared he would be naughty forever and not know why.
/"Shh, Ro. Shush, hun./" He settled as his Daddy's body slid in behind him, arms pulling him close and a soft kiss being placed on the corner of his temple. /"I'm here. Just go to sleep./"
He did. For the first time in a long time, he fell asleep feeling warm and safe, and like just maybe things were going to be okay after all.