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Ronan didn’t hear her when she came in. Foregoing a knock, she had barged into his room, breaking the well-established ‘closed door’ rule, and now stood silhouetted in his doorway. However, Ronan’s headphones had done a brilliant job at drowning out the sound of Blue's overly dramatic entrance, and he was violently surprised when they were unceremoniously ripped from his ears.
“What the fuck?!”
“I need a favour.”
Ronan was still somewhat bewildered from his headphone-loss and Blue breaking and entering, “Why are you- The door was closed!”
She huffed, “I know, it doesn’t matter. Can I borrow your phone?”
Ronan didn’t reply, electing to instead respond with a puzzled glare.
“It’s just- I need to text Gansey, okay?” her voice was exasperated, and higher than normal.
His glare lowered, “Why?” His tone was deep and accusatory.
“I just need him to pick something up for me on his way back home- I would go myself but you know- I don’t have a car, and I’m asking you cos- you know, I don’t have a phone.”
“Pick something up for you?” Ronan spoke the words slowly, pronouncing them individually, as if each one itself was a question.
“Yeah.”
“Pick what up?”
“Tampons.” She spoke, tone challenging him to antagonise her, fiercely confident. “And Ibuprofen,” she added at the end.
Ronan hauled himself up and out of bed with a deep sigh, “Why didn’t you say anything?” his voice was almost angry, more a sort of concerned frustration. He picked up the jacket that he had previously thrown on his chair, tugging it on over his shoulders, covering his sprawling back tattoo.
“What- what do you mean?” Now it was Blue’s turn to be bewildered, and she furrowed her brows trying to understand him.
“You need them now, right?” he glared back at her as he walked out his bedroom door into the open expanse of Monmouth.
“Uh, yeah, but Gansey can just get them on his way home-”
“Don’t be stupid, maggot. I’ll get some.” His tone was harsh, almost defensive, but Blue could hear the sympathy buried deep in his tone.
“Are you sure- I’m sure Gansey can get-”
“Look,” he sighed, “I’m already practically out the door already, Gansey will be out for ages, I don’t wanna have to call him, and it's really no trouble.” Despite his previous confidence, he faltered for a second, “Though I think you might have to point me in the right direction of what to get.”
Blue let out a laugh, “What, never bought a girl tampons before?” her tone was teasing, and she grinned boyishly at him as he grabbed his car keys.
“Considering the only other woman I’ve ever known was my mum, and my dad dreamed her into existence, which I’m pretty sure means she didn’t have periods, no.”
Blue shrugged. “Fair enough.”
“Are-” he looked her up and down, assessing her, “are you good to come with?”
She nodded, “Yeah, I’m using my last one, so I’m not gonna bleed all over your car, don’t worry.” Her tone was light-hearted.
“Thank god. Blood is really hard to get off of the leather,” he smirked back, though they both knew what, or rather who, he was truly worried about.
Blue laughed lightly, pulling on her boots and following him out the door and to his car.
The BMW sat awaiting them in the driveway, and they both hopped in their respective sides. Blue had never ridden shotgun in the Beemer before, that seat usually reserved for Adam or Gansey, and it felt like she was breaching an unspoken rule of their friendship. Not to mention, she had not spent much one-on-one time with Ronan, especially as he had spent most of their early relationship actively and vocally antagonising her, and she had somewhat matched him. So, she was uncertain of what a solo drive with Ronan would entail.
To break her ponderous silence, Ronan turns on the stereo as he pulls out of the drive, shifting gears up as easily as breathing. Thumping electronica music filters out of the speakers, very similar to what had been coming out of his headphones when Blue had interrupted him.
“Do you always listen to music this shitty?”
“Do you always complain when someone’s doing you a favour?” Ronan grumbled over the noise, driving over the speed limit, even though they weren’t in a rush. Old habits die hard, Blue supposed.
Blue shrugged with a quiet smile, shaking her head. She often wondered what the ‘old Ronan’ had been like. Gansey had sometimes described to her the way Ronan used to laugh and smile, so carefree, and how he’d joked and bantered. She saw the wistful look Gansey gave him sometimes, after a night at Nino's or a drive in the Pig, when he would catch a glimpse of the old Ronan peeking through this Ronan’s tough exterior. She liked to imagine what it must've been like to know them all years ago, when they were kids. Not having many friends growing up had never really been a problem for her, but now that she had them she wished she had known them forever.
They pull into the car-park of the small supermarket and Ronan shuts off the engine, and wordlessly gets out of the car. Blue jumps up, as best she can, and follows him.
It must have been a peculiar sight. Ronan, the most Raven of the raven boys, all sharp edges and glowering stares, the tendrils of his extensive tattoo peeking out beneath his leather jacket, stalking into the store, each step punctuated by the heavy thud of his combat boots. And, standing next to him, a five foot girl with spiky black hair pulled into a messy ponytail, adorned with a multitude of brightly coloured hair clips, wearing a hand-made crochet top with a long, flowing, frilly skirt, with big boots of her own.
“Lead the way,” Ronan’s gruff voice sounded as he made a hand gesture to Blue, signalling her to guide them both through the store.
They weaved through the numerous isles, Blue in front, peering round each corner in search of the period product section, and Ronan following diligently and compliantly behind her. Eventually, she found the isle she was looking for, and made a sharp turn as she strode towards the shelves. She assessed the selection for a moment, before grabbing the box of tampons she wanted.
Ronan was looking at her, and at the box, almost curiously. She responded by arching a brow, and he sighed, “Trying to make sure I remember.”
“Remember?”
“For next time.”
“Next time?”
“God, is there an echo in here? Yes, next time, maggot. I doubt this is the last time I’ll have to get them for you.”
“Oh.” She was pleasantly surprised, and sort of warmed, by Ronan’s words. “That’s nice of you.”
Ronan just shrugged, then stomped off in search of the painkillers.
Once the purchases had been made (Blue had paid, at her very stubborn insistence. Neither of them had wanted to cause a scene at the cash register, but they couldn't seem to help it nonetheless), they piled back into the car, and began the drive back to Monmouth.
“Thanks for doing this for me, by the way. I know we’re not all that close, and I’m not exactly your favourite person, so, uh, thanks.”
Ronan peeled his eyes away from the road to look at her incredulously, before replacing it with a much more smug expression, “You’re welcome, maggot.” He turned back to the road, still smirking, “You owe me one.”
“Oh yeah? What, you wanna make a deal?” Disbelief and amusement played on her smile as she turned to him.
“Yeah,” the grin on his face told Blue he had an idea of what he wanted, “Cos I drove you today, you owe me…” his face lit up with an idea, but he pushed it back slyly, “Something.”
She huffed, still smiling, “And what might that something be?”
“I don’t know…” he did, and they both knew it, “a bit of gossip, I guess,” his grin was too telling now, and Blue groaned, knowing exactly what he would ask.
“What?” she grumbled, crossing her arms, anticipating the dreaded question.
“Hmm.. A little birdie told me you have eyes for Ganseyboy now. Care to share?”
“What, You want permission to ask out Adam?" Her voice was teasing, "You know, I never expected you to break girl code, Lynch, how cou-”
“That is not part of the deal. I wanna know about you.” he glared, and she grinned proudly for a moment.
“Fine fine fine. There’s-” She cut herself off with a sigh, “Complications. But, uh, yeah.”
“Yeah, what? You like him? You’re dating? He’s proposed? C'mon, Blue, I want specifics here.”
“I like him. He likes me. We’ve only gotten that far.”
Ronan snorted a laugh, “Well, good luck, the guy’s a trainwreck.”
“Trust me, I know.” she laughed a little too, “Promise not to tell? We haven’t really talked about it yet, and I don’t wanna upset Adam-”
“Of course I promise, idiot.” Ronan interrupted, and she knew the promise went both ways. She would keep his second secret, too. If Blue had told herself from a year ago that she would not only have the trust of a raven boy, but the trust of this raven boy, she would have laughed in her own face.
She held out her pinky to him, smirking, “Make it official?”
He rolled his eyes, but interlocked pinkies with her without taking his eyes off of the road. His hands were rough and calloused, remnants from his time spent at the Barns, and she smiled gratefully for indulging in her jokes, “It’s a pact.”
“Guess you could call it a- um..” she glanced down at the box of tampons with an impish smile, “Blood pact..?”
“Jesus, maggot, that was bad, even for you.”
She laughed merrily, and leaned forward to switch on the stereo, letting the music play through the car. Ronan turned to her, smiling as he sped the car through the winding roads of Henrietta, past all the open fields and southern charm, back to Monmouth. Back home.
A blood pact it was.