answering machine

[rivalappeared]

"Hey, you've reached Green Oak. If this is League business, leave a message. If not, I've got caller ID. What are you, 70? Whatever.

BEEP."

[Feel free to leave Green a voice message or a text message here, with date and time.]

Comments

[travelingbelle]

Her eyes opened slightly as the thunder boomed once more.

Blue took a deep, audible breath as it passed, easing it out as she whispered, "Yes. Just like always."

[rivalappeared]

There was silence on his end, as his own breathing hitched.

"... You don't have to say things like that. But I'm glad you're starting to calm down."

[travelingbelle]

Oh. Right. Those kind of things just made more trouble, didn't they?

"...Sorry..." She frowned. Apologizing for it was kind of stupid. "It's true though. You've always helped..." She didn't feel completely calm yet this time though. Her heart was still skipping and her face felt a bit hot. That was just the tail ends of her panic though, she assumed. Probably. That's what made sense.

"Um. Thank you."

[rivalappeared]

It came through in the tone of her voice-- and he immediately felt guilt about turning the conversation into one about that.

"It's fine. You don't sound calm, though."

[travelingbelle]

She didn't want to talk about how she didn't sound calm. She didn't want to confront the fact that even if she assumed it was her own panic, it didn't feel like it was entirely due to that and that kind of confused her at a level she didn't know how to piece together.

So her response was a breathy, slightly nervous bout of quiet laughter at first.

"One does not simply calm down," she said, trying to make light of it.

[rivalappeared]

Unaware of Blue's constantly running internal monologue, there was a smile in his voice as he replied,

"You want me to sing you a lullaby?"

Sardonic as ever, even in the middle of the night.

[travelingbelle]

The suggestion struck her oddly. Lullabies were something she used to do. For him, anyway. There were still plenty of times she would sing them to her Pokemon. But for him... When had the last time he let her been...?

"Oh goodness," she said in actual surprise. "Be careful, I might take you up on that."

[rivalappeared]

"You wouldn't," he chuckled, "I don't even know the last time you've heard me sing."

[travelingbelle]

"Were you not already indulging me too much, I would have to do it just because," she replied with a very small giggle.

[rivalappeared]

He quieted down, as if contemplating something, and then started to softly hum psyching himself up to quietly sing.

""I'm so tired, I haven't slept a wink... I'm so tired... My mind..."

He stuffed his face into his pillow.

"Haha. Nevermind."

[travelingbelle]

He had done it anyway. Blue pressed her lips together firmly for a moment as he sang his nasally little song, focusing more on the familiar melody than the strange warmth she felt. She couldn't really help the little smile that followed.

Probably she should have teased him a little. There was another soft giggle.

"...My is on the blink... I wonder should I get up and fix myself a drink..." she picked up after him instead, still more concentrated on the sound than the words that were supposed to follow.

[rivalappeared]

"No, no, no," Green replied, very firmly not singing, but a smile in his voice. But, before long the melody drifted back in.

"I'm so tired," he sighed, "I don't know what to do. I'm so tired, my mind is set on you... I wonder should I call you..."

The song drifted away, and he cast a glance over at the phone in silence.

[travelingbelle]

"... But I know what you would do..." she ended up whispering before her voice drifted into quiet as well.

The song resonated a bit more strongly than probably either of them would have liked, she realized. Her hold on her phone increased slightly. I wonder should I call you. There was a nervous tightening in her chest as she shifted against her pillow, the sound filling the silence as she moved.

"You've gotten a lot better," Blue chose to say instead of anything else she might have said, trying to sound light hearted.

[rivalappeared]

Green's speech was muffled by his pillow, as he tried to ignore the sinking feeling that had suddenly developed in his stomach.

"You've always been a good singer," he replied, thoroughly embarrassed that he had just done that.

[travelingbelle]

And honestly Blue was just touched.

"The only witnesses are very biased parties," the girl rebutted disbelievingly. It wasn't like any of her team or the boys would have told her to shut up. Well, asides from the few times that someone might have actually done so. An awfully embarrassed someone.

[rivalappeared]

"Biased doesn't mean wrong," Green sighed, completely not noticing how they were tumbling into familiar speech patterns. It hadn't even been that long since their last talk, but it had felt like about a million years.

"Especially when that biased opinion is mine."

[travelingbelle]

If she noticed, Blue wasn't going to make a comment on it. Considering how often they usually talked otherwise, it really had seemed like forever since they had simply chattered. She had been beginning to miss it. That was probably part of why everything seemed so confusing.

"Oh, right, of course," she said with a soft laugh, though it was somewhat cut short by the rumble outside her window. Blue took a breath and kept talking however, more distracted from it and sounding less nervous this time as she spoke.

"I forgot I was talking to a world-class expert in everything."

[rivalappeared]

"Nonsense. Impossible to forget," he scoffed. "I'll remind you any chance I get."

And he already had been. And wanted to continue to, for as long as she would let him.

He had missed it, too.

[travelingbelle]

"Well I know I can count on you for that."

Despite the fact that the rain was still hammering on the window panes and a bright flash was filling the room with light, Blue finally yawned against the phone receiver, finishing with a little, "mm." The hand tangled in her hair eased, and she let her eyes drift closed.

"I'd be worried otherwise."

Though if it was her own fault he stopped, she mused somewhat half-heartedly to herself, then she'd probably lose the privilege of being able to worry about it, wouldn't she?

[rivalappeared]

Green grinned at the sound of Blue's yawn, letting his own eyes drift closed.

"You're yawning," he said, stating the obvious. "I guess I helped."

[travelingbelle]

"I already said as much," she mumbled as the sleepiness began to descend much more heavily.

"... Thank you. For putting up with me."

[rivalappeared]

"It doesn't hurt to hear it again."

There was a yawn of his own, and yet another rustle of sheets as he adjusted.

"Blue, I'm not putting up with anything. You know how I feel about that."

[travelingbelle]

"At least let me apologize for keeping you up."

What she really wanted to apologize for was for being completely unfair, but she had a sleepy suspicion that he wouldn't have let that one fly.

[rivalappeared]

"If you have to," he replied.

Really, it's not like he minded. Just the chance to speak to her again, like this. Her voice on the other end of the line answering in soft, familiar tones rather than stilted awkward ones. It didn't deserve an apology of any kind.

[travelingbelle]

"Then I'm sorry," she answered for him.

There was a pause, in which there was only the sound of her breathing that was coming slow and even as it should have been. There was no room to doubt that he had in fact helped. For a moment, it was almost as though she had already fallen asleep on him.

"... but I liked talking to you like this," Blue spoke up again slowly.