Okay. I'd say it probably won't be too late, but judging by the performance I just witnessed with that pill, I have no idea how the rest of the night will pan out.
I'll text you first.
[ In case she's gone to bed. He doesn't want to disrupt her sleep, after all. ]
[ He's suspicious, but he's also on a deadline, so he lets the matter go. For now.
Since Matthew actually enjoys his job, and the work he does for it, it's not like getting ready for his presentation is a hardship. He just hasn't gotten around to actually writing any of his thoughts down, which is a hassle, but once he gets going, he manages to knock it out quickly and even nips down to the hotel's office suite to print out all his notes and various paperwork.
Then he has his time up on stage presenting his thoughts to a room full of like-minded educators, and then there's dinner after, and then drinks with some of his colleagues from other schools he hasn't seen since last year...
It's late, by the time he gets up to his room, and he's had just enough whiskey to make him feel loose-limbed and lethargic, but not enough to make him want to go to bed. So he picks up his phone, just like he said he would, and texts Daisy to see if she's still awake. ]
[ she's... not asleep, technically. she's dozing, head resting on a pile of pillows with his sweater draped over top, eyes half-shut as a movie plays on netflix on her laptop. she's not asleep, but she's not totally awake either.
which is why there's a few minutes delay before her mind actually registers that, yes, the tritone chime of her phone was a thing in the real world and not just in her dreams, and yes, she should get up and answer it. ]
[ He frowns suspiciously down at his phone when it finally chimes with a response, his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth, but doesn't immediately call her a liar. ]
[ Spitting and rinsing, Matt finishes brushing his teeth and then quickly swipes one of the hotel wash cloths over his face before turning back to his room and moving back to his bed so he can flop down on it and pull up Daisy's contact details on his phone.
Smiling at the photo he took of her for her little icon, he hits dial and waits for her to pick up. ]
I'm a child of the nineties, honey, I know what watching Bob Ross tutorials will do to you.
[ Actually, he's more of a child of the eighties, but whatever. He was young enough to watch PBS growing up, he knows what The Joy of Painting is good for. Nap time. ]
It was good. I got some interesting feedback from some colleagues of mine that I need to work into the final product. How's your code coming along?
[ she doesn't respond to that dig, but she doesn't have to. the soft little yawn she gives as she shifts to sit upright, sweatshirt pulled into her lap for her hands to rest in, does all the talking for her on that front. ]
I finished it about an hour ago. All done.
[ earlier than expected, but she'd figured out a better way to do it than what was detailed in the assignment packet. no surprise there; the database administration course was taught by an adjunct as old as time. he probably wrote the SOP back when DOS was the way of the world. ]
You sound good. [ relaxed. happy. she likes that on him. ] You have fun with your nerd friends?
[ He can't see her, but he can hear a faint rustling on her end, and since he knows how much she likes to wear his clothes, he can imagine how she looks wrapped up in something she's stolen from him, oversized and cozy and sleep-warm.
Wow. He misses her. A lot. ]
Good for you.
[ He doesn't understand what she does at all, but there's still that warm glow of pride in his voice when she tells him she's already finished the project she was working on. He doesn't have to be able to understand the specifics of coding or software or cyber security to know that she's brilliant at it, and she'll make waves in that world long before she graduates. He can feel it. ]
Yeah, I had fun. I mean, I could think of more fun ways to spend an evening, but it was nice to catch up with everyone again and complain about our course loads. [ And students, but Matt is feeling pretty charitable to his students at the moment, chiefly thanks to one particular student. ]
Mm, [ a soft hum of approval, quiet in her throat, as daisy pulls the sweatshirt on. it takes a minute to adjust, to pull the sleeves up and tuck the hood behind her; if she leaves it full out, she won't be able to type or see, and neither are great options. even if he is on speaker phone. ]
You didn't miss much. It's been rainy.
[ everyone panics in the rain, scurrying inside as soon as the water starts to fall; from inside her room, daisy watched the rain pound against the windows, careful eyes tracking the path of the lightning as it struck in the distance. ]
But I miss you.
[ she's too sleepy to bite her tongue, too warm and cozy to care. maybe that's stupid to say out loud when they're not anything specific to each other, but she does. and she wants to tell him, so she does. ]
[ He lies there in his sterile hotel bed and listens to Daisy hum, the continued rustling from her end making him imagine her getting nice and cozy, maybe pulling up a blanket or snuggling into the couch cushions. If she were here, she could be making those rustling noises right up against him instead, curling in against his side, her head a sleepy weight on his shoulder.
He probably shouldn't be imagining that. It seems...too intimate. ]
Yeah, it's been raining here too. I think it's the tail end of some tropical storm or something, we've been inside all day so I haven't really paid attention. [ Trapped in the hotel's conference center, he hasn't really been too concerned with what the weather is like outside. It's cool and comfortable inside in the air conditioning, and that's what matters.
He sighs quietly when she confesses that she misses him, something twisting in his chest. ]
[ he tells her he misses her, and the bed suddenly spills out around her, too much space even with pillows and electronics sprawled out around. she's drowning in it. he misses her, and in that moment, all she wants is to be right where he's at, to trade the warmth of his sweatshirt for the heat of his skin, to press her cheek against his chest and hear his heartbeat thumping underneath instead of just the low echo of his breathing through the phone.
she wants, and the sharpness of that wanting is an ache she doesn't know what to do with; in its wake, she blows out a breath, fingertips curling into the sleeve of the sweater, her voice a little tight when she finally pipes back up again. ]
[ It may be selfish, but she's not alone in her wanting.
He's had this conference booked for a whole year, the long weekend marked off in his calendar in green highlighter, and they've only been doing...this thing for a few weeks. Long enough to settle into a comfortable rhythm of meeting up regularly, their awkward little edges smoothed out through a growing familiarity, and he's stunned to realize that he does miss her, and not just in the idle way you might miss a close friend (or casual romantic partner).
He wants her here beside him, so he can turn to her and see the edge of her smile, so he can lean in and whisper something to her, so he can touch her wrist and smell her hair and feel her warm weight beside him in this horrible hotel bed. ]
I'm going to Chicago to talk at NIU at the beginning of December. If you're not busy with finals...
[ She could come with him. They could get her a plane ticket, and she could come to the city with him, where nobody knows who they are, and he could hold her hand if he wanted to, could take her to art galleries, or out for dinner, and they could play at being tourists in someone else's city for a little while. ]
[ maybe that comes out too fast. maybe it's reckless and stupid and desperately, achingly familiar, but the words spill out the second the pause enters the conversation, and daisy doesn't take them back.
she isn't, though. unlike poetry analysis or history exams, her coursework ends in projects, submitted and reviewed a week prior to the end of the semester, with allowances for one digital revision if necessary. there's no in-person requirement, no awkwardly scheduled exams in large rooms. just the work that must be done, and if it isn't by then, a weekend in december wouldn't have saved her regardless. ]
My capstone's due end of November. [ she says it both to reassure him and to remind herself. ] I could probably hitch a ride.
[ it doesn't occur to her to think of buying a plane ticket. she is, logically speaking, aware that planes go between the city and chicago literally a dozen times a day, but that's an expense she would never justify for herself — and certainly not one she would think of asking him to justify on her behalf.
it also doesn't occur to her that it's not out of the ordinary for university funding of conferences to cover transportation for an attendant's plus one — but how would she know that. ]
[ Her response comes almost before he's finished speaking, and Matt can't help the relieved little exhalation that slips past his lips when he hears her agree almost instantly to his suggestion. ]
Good. That's...that's good.
[ He also speaks suspiciously fast, but it's out there now, it's too late to take it back.
Now that they're both in agreement, she'll come with him for his next conference, it's a little easier to bear the thought of staying in this featureless hotel room for another two nights. He'll be lonely — how funny, that he's aware of how lonely he feels now, when sleeping on his own hasn't bothered him for over a year, when they haven't even slept in the same bed together before now anyway — but he has coming back to her to look forward to. That'll help. ]
You should make a list of what you want to see and do while we're there.
It's your trip. [ why isn't he making a list? she's just going along for the ride, right? a plus one doesn't necessitate changing of plans or re-adjusting schedules, not when his speaking engagement is the point of the visit. ] What about your list?
[ she'd be happy to do anything with him. just being in the city with him, actually with him, not having to lock doors behind them or walk appropriately apart, is enough for her. she doesn't need a special expedition or earmarked destinations to enjoy her time. hell, she'd be satisfied just hanging around in his hotel room, surfing free wifi, and waiting for him to come back after a day of very important speaking engagements to rapt audiences in the windy city. ]
If you tell me when you're supposed to fly in, I can meet you somewhere.
[ like, the parking lot of the airport or wherever his hotel is or just under the ... sign?? does chicago have a sign? maybe she should google that. she's never been there. ]
I've been to Chicago before. You should make a list, we'll do the things you want to do.
[ Honestly, he'll be busy with work stuff for a large chunk of the trip, which is why Julie doesn't go with him any more. She's busy with her own life, and she often found being left to her own devices while he sequesters himself in a room with other nerds to talk about metaphor usage in turn of the century literature incredibly boring. If Daisy wants to come with him, she's more than welcome to, but she might as well decide what she wants to do and go do it. He'll come along when he's able.
He frowns at the darkened hotel room at large for a moment before turning on his bed to frown at his phone in particular. ]
I mean, I know December tends to be a peak traveling month, but I'm pretty sure we can get you a ticket on the same flight as me... [ It might be expensive, since it's sort of last minute, but better now than in December. He's got a rewards card, he can probably scrape together the miles to take care of it. ] I don't think we'll be sitting together, but it's a short flight. I think we'll survive.
[ for a brief snippet of time, there is only quiet on daisy's end of the line. or, rather, there's no talking, but there's enough noise to ensure no one assumes the call was dropped. it's just the noise of daisy shuffling, picking up her laptop and beginning to tap on the keys and the touchpad, slow at first and then more enthusiastically as she picks up steam. ]
Matt... [ she blows out a breath, but it's not annoyance or irritation that colors her voice. it's a nervous, anxious energy as she peers at a flight pricing graph. he hadn't told her the dates, but she does know when finals are — and knowing the type of conference he'd be attending makes it a lot easier to cross-reference the topic and the destination to find the right one. ] Jesus, this is highway robbery.
[ who on earth would pay two hundred dollars to sit on a plane? ]
You know I was just gonna hitch a ride, right? Like, there's an app for that and everything, I can be there in two days at the most.
[ He's not worried the call has dropped; while Matt may be something of a Luddite — at least, as much as any millennial can claim to be a Luddite in this day and age — he knows Daisy is on the cutting edge of tech in a way he could never hope to be, so he assumes her phones are always up to the task of maintaining a connection. He is a little curious as to why she's suddenly stopped talking to him, but the clack of computer keys is a familiar sound to someone in academia, so he assumes she's researching stuff to do in Chicago.
He doesn't mind sitting on the phone with her in silence for a little while.
When she starts talking again, he realizes maybe she was researching something else. He's about to open his mouth to ask her how much it's displaying for when she continues, and his thoughts screech to a halt. ]
What? [ He knows ride-sharing is a thing, he's not stupid. But there's a difference between Ubering somewhere, where drivers have ratings and presumably some sort of oversight, and just...getting into someone's car. ] You can't hitch hike to Chicago!
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[ Daisy, that's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to him. ]
no subject
[ and not even just to sit in the front row and distract him! what a sweetheart. ]
no subject
[ It's a good thing she can't see him smiling all stupid down at his phone. ]
I'll give you the highlights when I get home.
no subject
[ maybe she misses the sound of his voice. ]
no subject
I'll text you first.
[ In case she's gone to bed. He doesn't want to disrupt her sleep, after all. ]
no subject
[ she's gonna stay up on purpose now. ]
no subject
[ He will not be moved from this, Daisy. ]
no subject
[ she's... definitely gonna be something. maybe that something is startled awake by the buzz of her phone after she drops it on her face, though. ]
no subject
[ He's suspicious, but he's also on a deadline, so he lets the matter go. For now.
Since Matthew actually enjoys his job, and the work he does for it, it's not like getting ready for his presentation is a hardship. He just hasn't gotten around to actually writing any of his thoughts down, which is a hassle, but once he gets going, he manages to knock it out quickly and even nips down to the hotel's office suite to print out all his notes and various paperwork.
Then he has his time up on stage presenting his thoughts to a room full of like-minded educators, and then there's dinner after, and then drinks with some of his colleagues from other schools he hasn't seen since last year...
It's late, by the time he gets up to his room, and he's had just enough whiskey to make him feel loose-limbed and lethargic, but not enough to make him want to go to bed. So he picks up his phone, just like he said he would, and texts Daisy to see if she's still awake. ]
Hey babe. You up?
no subject
which is why there's a few minutes delay before her mind actually registers that, yes, the tritone chime of her phone was a thing in the real world and not just in her dreams, and yes, she should get up and answer it. ]
hi 😊
[ totally drowsy, if nothing else ]
no subject
Are you actually up or did I just wake you?
no subject
[ she didn't go to bed, so technically, she's not lying. she was just in bed, and very comfortable, and daydreaming a little. night dreaming?
not asleep. that's her story, and she's sticking to it. ]
how was your presentation?
no subject
Smiling at the photo he took of her for her little icon, he hits dial and waits for her to pick up. ]
I'm a child of the nineties, honey, I know what watching Bob Ross tutorials will do to you.
[ Actually, he's more of a child of the eighties, but whatever. He was young enough to watch PBS growing up, he knows what The Joy of Painting is good for. Nap time. ]
It was good. I got some interesting feedback from some colleagues of mine that I need to work into the final product. How's your code coming along?
no subject
I finished it about an hour ago. All done.
[ earlier than expected, but she'd figured out a better way to do it than what was detailed in the assignment packet. no surprise there; the database administration course was taught by an adjunct as old as time. he probably wrote the SOP back when DOS was the way of the world. ]
You sound good. [ relaxed. happy. she likes that on him. ] You have fun with your nerd friends?
no subject
Wow. He misses her. A lot. ]
Good for you.
[ He doesn't understand what she does at all, but there's still that warm glow of pride in his voice when she tells him she's already finished the project she was working on. He doesn't have to be able to understand the specifics of coding or software or cyber security to know that she's brilliant at it, and she'll make waves in that world long before she graduates. He can feel it. ]
Yeah, I had fun. I mean, I could think of more fun ways to spend an evening, but it was nice to catch up with everyone again and complain about our course loads. [ And students, but Matt is feeling pretty charitable to his students at the moment, chiefly thanks to one particular student. ]
no subject
You didn't miss much. It's been rainy.
[ everyone panics in the rain, scurrying inside as soon as the water starts to fall; from inside her room, daisy watched the rain pound against the windows, careful eyes tracking the path of the lightning as it struck in the distance. ]
But I miss you.
[ she's too sleepy to bite her tongue, too warm and cozy to care. maybe that's stupid to say out loud when they're not anything specific to each other, but she does. and she wants to tell him, so she does. ]
no subject
He probably shouldn't be imagining that. It seems...too intimate. ]
Yeah, it's been raining here too. I think it's the tail end of some tropical storm or something, we've been inside all day so I haven't really paid attention. [ Trapped in the hotel's conference center, he hasn't really been too concerned with what the weather is like outside. It's cool and comfortable inside in the air conditioning, and that's what matters.
He sighs quietly when she confesses that she misses him, something twisting in his chest. ]
I miss you too.
no subject
she wants, and the sharpness of that wanting is an ache she doesn't know what to do with; in its wake, she blows out a breath, fingertips curling into the sleeve of the sweater, her voice a little tight when she finally pipes back up again. ]
I wish I could have come with you.
[ and that's selfish, and she knows it. ]
no subject
He's had this conference booked for a whole year, the long weekend marked off in his calendar in green highlighter, and they've only been doing...this thing for a few weeks. Long enough to settle into a comfortable rhythm of meeting up regularly, their awkward little edges smoothed out through a growing familiarity, and he's stunned to realize that he does miss her, and not just in the idle way you might miss a close friend (or casual romantic partner).
He wants her here beside him, so he can turn to her and see the edge of her smile, so he can lean in and whisper something to her, so he can touch her wrist and smell her hair and feel her warm weight beside him in this horrible hotel bed. ]
I'm going to Chicago to talk at NIU at the beginning of December. If you're not busy with finals...
[ She could come with him. They could get her a plane ticket, and she could come to the city with him, where nobody knows who they are, and he could hold her hand if he wanted to, could take her to art galleries, or out for dinner, and they could play at being tourists in someone else's city for a little while. ]
no subject
[ maybe that comes out too fast. maybe it's reckless and stupid and desperately, achingly familiar, but the words spill out the second the pause enters the conversation, and daisy doesn't take them back.
she isn't, though. unlike poetry analysis or history exams, her coursework ends in projects, submitted and reviewed a week prior to the end of the semester, with allowances for one digital revision if necessary. there's no in-person requirement, no awkwardly scheduled exams in large rooms. just the work that must be done, and if it isn't by then, a weekend in december wouldn't have saved her regardless. ]
My capstone's due end of November. [ she says it both to reassure him and to remind herself. ] I could probably hitch a ride.
[ it doesn't occur to her to think of buying a plane ticket. she is, logically speaking, aware that planes go between the city and chicago literally a dozen times a day, but that's an expense she would never justify for herself — and certainly not one she would think of asking him to justify on her behalf.
it also doesn't occur to her that it's not out of the ordinary for university funding of conferences to cover transportation for an attendant's plus one — but how would she know that. ]
no subject
Good. That's...that's good.
[ He also speaks suspiciously fast, but it's out there now, it's too late to take it back.
Now that they're both in agreement, she'll come with him for his next conference, it's a little easier to bear the thought of staying in this featureless hotel room for another two nights. He'll be lonely — how funny, that he's aware of how lonely he feels now, when sleeping on his own hasn't bothered him for over a year, when they haven't even slept in the same bed together before now anyway — but he has coming back to her to look forward to. That'll help. ]
You should make a list of what you want to see and do while we're there.
no subject
[ she'd be happy to do anything with him. just being in the city with him, actually with him, not having to lock doors behind them or walk appropriately apart, is enough for her. she doesn't need a special expedition or earmarked destinations to enjoy her time. hell, she'd be satisfied just hanging around in his hotel room, surfing free wifi, and waiting for him to come back after a day of very important speaking engagements to rapt audiences in the windy city. ]
If you tell me when you're supposed to fly in, I can meet you somewhere.
[ like, the parking lot of the airport or wherever his hotel is or just under the ... sign?? does chicago have a sign? maybe she should google that. she's never been there. ]
no subject
[ Honestly, he'll be busy with work stuff for a large chunk of the trip, which is why Julie doesn't go with him any more. She's busy with her own life, and she often found being left to her own devices while he sequesters himself in a room with other nerds to talk about metaphor usage in turn of the century literature incredibly boring. If Daisy wants to come with him, she's more than welcome to, but she might as well decide what she wants to do and go do it. He'll come along when he's able.
He frowns at the darkened hotel room at large for a moment before turning on his bed to frown at his phone in particular. ]
I mean, I know December tends to be a peak traveling month, but I'm pretty sure we can get you a ticket on the same flight as me... [ It might be expensive, since it's sort of last minute, but better now than in December. He's got a rewards card, he can probably scrape together the miles to take care of it. ] I don't think we'll be sitting together, but it's a short flight. I think we'll survive.
no subject
Matt... [ she blows out a breath, but it's not annoyance or irritation that colors her voice. it's a nervous, anxious energy as she peers at a flight pricing graph. he hadn't told her the dates, but she does know when finals are — and knowing the type of conference he'd be attending makes it a lot easier to cross-reference the topic and the destination to find the right one. ] Jesus, this is highway robbery.
[ who on earth would pay two hundred dollars to sit on a plane? ]
You know I was just gonna hitch a ride, right? Like, there's an app for that and everything, I can be there in two days at the most.
no subject
He doesn't mind sitting on the phone with her in silence for a little while.
When she starts talking again, he realizes maybe she was researching something else. He's about to open his mouth to ask her how much it's displaying for when she continues, and his thoughts screech to a halt. ]
What? [ He knows ride-sharing is a thing, he's not stupid. But there's a difference between Ubering somewhere, where drivers have ratings and presumably some sort of oversight, and just...getting into someone's car. ] You can't hitch hike to Chicago!
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
i use this icon so rarely, can you believe
i cannot believe she is so pretty
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)