i find the map and draw a straight line

[alphafemale]

i'm miles from where you are

Comments

[hypercompetent]

[ It takes a long time for Stiles to respond--in fact, he doesn't, really. He taps at the keyboard a couple times, jitters, and grumbles: ]

Fuck it.

[ And then hits call. ]

[alphafemale]

[ Oh.

Oh that's not a text. ]

[alphafemale]

[ Oh god does she answer it? ]

[alphafemale]

[ Why is she not prepared for this?

Diana hesitates for a moment, staring at the red and green options, thumb hovering over her screen before she bites the corner of her lip and finally hits one of them. ]

[alphafemale]

... hi, Stiles.

[hypercompetent]

[ Oh. Oh shit, she's not answering. ]

[hypercompetent]

[ shit shit shit shit why did he do that oh my god why did he call her he should just hang up now--]

[hypercompetent]

[ OH GOD SHE ANSWERED. ]

[hypercompetent]

[ ................... ]

jk one more after this

[hypercompetent]

Uh. [ Wow, nailed it. ]

Wow, you sound exactly the same. [ totally nailed it. ]

I mean--

[hypercompetent]

....hi, Diana.

[alphafemale]

[ Definitely nailed it.

She goes quiet as she listens to him fumble, sitting up to tuck her legs to her chest and wrapping her arm around them. He doesn't sound the same at all, and she's not quite sure what she was expecting. His voice suits him, that's for sure, and she sort of wants to get him on a tangent like he used to go on when they were younger just to hear how he shapes the words now.

Chewing at her lip a little, she chuffs faintly. ]

Happy birthday.

[hypercompetent]

You're totally not gonna believe me. [ Holy god, they're talking on the phone. This is so surreal, Stiles isn't even sure what to do. He leans back against the wall behind his bed and cradles the phone with his shoulder, trying not to drop it everywhere--his hands are shaking. What the hell. ] But I'm like actually speechless.

[ Wait. ] Not in a you should hang up way, but just speechless in a, like, wow way. Yeah. This really isn't making it any better, is it.

[alphafemale]

I actually don't believe it. Stiles, speechless?

[ Her voice is a little quiet, almost like she's uncertain, but she's definitely not hanging up the phone. The only person she really talks to on the phone is Laura, and occasionally the contractors she works with, but it's never for long and this is...

This is Stiles.

She curls up even tighter against the arm rest, holding the phone steady as she can. ]

Is this the calm before the rambling storm?

[hypercompetent]

Rambling hurricane. [ It's amazing, though. All things considered, this is going really easily--really well. It's as natural as it was before things went to hell. It's amazing how badly he missed this, and his grin is something to be seen. ]


It's kind of like the eye. You're surrounded by a bunch of really useless shit, it suddenly stops, all's quiet on the Western Front, and then, bam round two.

[alphafemale]

I remember.

[ Of course she does. Laura was his sitter, first, before the job mostly fell to Diana. And while at first it had been a little annoying, she'd gotten used to it and actually started listening to what Stiles said instead of just hearing asinine chatter.

The fact that hasn't changed-- the fact they can talk like this still-- is a relief. ]

So that sounds about right.