ty @narrativefoiltrope for the tag !! and also tags from @lavampira @galadae @impossible-rat-babies and @lilas over the past month that i did not share anything for </3 i will tag @scionshtola @morocosmos and @kittlesandbugs but no pressure!! here's a little modern au <:
“Could you just…” he trails off. “Could you keep talking?”
Leofard blinks at the ceiling. “About what?”
“I don’t know—anything. How are your classes?”
It takes a moment for Leofard to realize what Emile is asking, and when he does, he finds himself grinning into the dark room. He moves under the blanket with his phone pressed to his ear as he begins to tell Emile about the first few days of the semester, curling up as he tells him about senior year, about V'kebbe constantly at their apartment, about Cori and the way their friendship has changed over the years. He hears his own voice grow softer, slower, and Emile keeps up at first, asking questions and making comments, but then after a while he doesn't say anything at all.
Leofard pauses, listening to the silence.
"Are you still there?" he asks, but there's no answer. He imagines Emile in his dorm, asleep in that too small bed with his phone still next to his ear. If Leofard was there, he’d curl up against his broad back, finding that place where it feels like he’s hidden away from the world. He presses his lips together at the memory.
“Goodnight,” he murmurs; soft, pointless, but still... “I missed you, too.”
It doesn’t make a difference at all.