hyperactive | ic contact || deerington.

[ ah, well, it's not important now - stiles laughs a little, making a note to himself to pick billy up without asking, next time, just so he has more of an opportunity to show off his car to someone who is at least pretending to appreciate her. he's about to make some stupid, sarcastic joke about walking that probably wouldn't make sense or even go anywhere when he gets distracted by billy's lesson in etymology.

stiles pauses. he pauses, and he pauses, and then very quietly, he says, with all the affection in the world: ]

Nerd.

[ what a nerd? oh my god, hold on. stiles sits up, getting excited. he's known billy was a nerd since they met in a fucking arcade, but that was some truly nerdy shit he just slammed down between them. stiles doubles down. speaks a little louder. ]

Neeeeeerd. Neeeeeeeeeeerd.

[ if there's one thing billy has been called other than his name, it's "nerd"- maybe even more than he's been called by his name, but his childhood was full of bullies (mostly one, though) who didn't appreciate his love for things like superheroes and comics and lord of the rings, among other things.

coming from stiles, it doesn't really bother him at all - he's past letting people push him around now that he's older, and it's pretty clear that stiles is just teasing him just to tease. pot calling the kettle black, considering all the stereotypically "nerdy" movies he has on his laptop alone.

still, billy groans and slaps his hand over his face, sighing into the phone and stiles needles it in that he's a big ol' dweeb. he laughs a little, but it's mostly muffled by the edge of is palm, which he moves so he can talk over stiles. ]

Oh my goddd, oh my godddddd, okay. Okay, shut up, I'm a nerd, we get iiiit.

[ he drags his hand down his chin to his chest, laughs again under his breath. ]

Anyway, you're one to talk. I've seen your movie collection, you have no room to be calling me a nerd.

[ oh, this is definitely a spiderman pointing at spiderman situation for sure. if billy wanted to rip on stiles for having a surplus of niche, unusable knowledge, he'd be more than well equipped to do just that. that doesn't stop stiles from teasing, though. that's just what friends do. ]

Woah, woah. We're not talking about me right now. We're talking about King of Nerds, the big, dorky dweebmeister himsef, Billy McDingus. You are a great, towering statue, representative of the heights one's nerdiness can reach. I'm just a guy who knows how to torrent.

[ it's hitting stiles somewhere in the back of his mind that it's getting pretty late, and that he should probably let billy go soon - but he completely squashes that thought down into the back of his mind, pretending he hadn't thought it. ]

Probably kind of weird that her name comes from doe, all things considered. [ you know - because of all the deer. anyway, though - ] I didn't really peg you for a name guy, but I could totally see you having a Nordic stage and spiraling out from there. Picking up knowledge, learning the language. Most middleschoolers have a Nordic stage, a Greek mythology phase, a dragon phase or an Egypt phase, I think.

[ or all four if you're like stiles, baby. ]

[ as stiles lists off title after title pertaining to his intelligence, thank you, billy just lays there sprawled on his back with one foot tangled up in the sheet, silently mocking stiles by opening and closing his free hand like a lobster claw, rolling his eyes while trying not to smile. blah, blah, blah, yack, yack, yack.

billy stretches his arm backwards over his head once stiles is done and lets it drape across the pillow tucked under his head. he probably shouldn't give stiles any more fuel to throw on this fire, but - well, who cares? stiles is a giant nerd too, from what billy can tell, and it's been a little while since he's been able to just - be his true, nerdy self without someone telling him to shut up. the last time was with— well. it doesn't matter. ]

It's... less of a name thing and more of a mythology thing - Norse more than Greek or Roman, but I know a lot about those, too. You just kind of pick up some language along the way, and then that spirals into wanting to know more of it, blah blah blah, you get it. [ billy pauses, drawing his knee up to try and untangle his foot. ] ... I actually had a, um. Lord of the Rings phase in middle school?

[ he clears his throat, breathes in— ]

Quetin Eldarin. Ma quetit Eldarin? Ma hanyat ni?

[ stiles is genuinely interested in this - learning more about billy's likes, learning more about the things he's interested in, that's something he's wanted to explore for a while now. he's relaxing into his bed again, laying down, one knee drawn up while the other leg splays outstretched, settling into the comfort of hearing billy's voice - when out of fucking nowhere, the bitch drops elvish. ]

Oh my god? Oh my god, oh my god. Oh my god.

[ if he thought he was interested in billy before, that's, like, nothing compared to now. he sits up, the loud thunk reverberating through his phone coming from the end table he just knocks and rattles with his shoulder. shit, ignore that. ]

Yé mána. Lóme sina nauva anda.

[ -- wait, okay, no, hold on, slightly sexually charged language there. stiles clears his throat, takes his second shot. ]

Nál as meldo. I lambe sirya lambenyallo.

[ at first, billy isn't entirely sure what part of anything he said that's stiles is reacting to, or if - something's happening to or around stiles that he just isn't aware of. for a moment, he feels the tiny ember of panic start to flare up near the bottom of his ribs, but he only gets as far as pushing up onto an elbow before stiles is shooting some elvish right back at him.

billy blinks, and then promptly drops back onto his back, letting out a loud, bright laugh, clapping his hand over his chest. there's nothing funny about what stiles has replied with - well, you're in for a long night is kind of questionable, though billy is mostly sure he means no harm by it - billy is just. he's happy.

of course stiles also speaks elvish. of course he does. billy tries to tame some of his laughter, clearing his throat again. ]

Yé! Okay. Okay, uhhh. Feanya ná alassea! Ma quetil acáriel, mellon.

[ laughing again, billy sighs into the phone. ]

... God, I can't believe you really sat there and called me a nerd.

[ stiles just lights up when billy laughs, the excitement and the recognition and the joy of sharing this with someone else all rolling through him at once. he's never had a friend like this - someone willing to sit down and talk to him in some stupid fucking fantasy language that he spent months memorizing and practicing and learning all so he could write notes to himself that nobody would understand and talk on forums with people who lose interest within weeks of signing up. this is just - nice. ]

I sure did. Á apsene ni.

[ stiles drops back into bed, another thud heard through the receiver of his fluid as the mattress bounces beneath him. he's grinning, now, well and truly distracted from any - unpleasantness, from earlier. it's the rain, really, that makes it so much easier for him to just feel better. stiles doesn't think that, though. stiles thinks it's all billy.

he swallows, going quiet. just for a moment. ]

Hey, uh - you're pretty great. I just wanna say - you've totally made getting stuck out here with all the cultists and the killers almost worth it. I like you a lot.

[ stiles isn't the first person here that billy's been able to converse with in elvish, but he is the first he's actually been able to speak it with. he'd gone back and forth a little with quentin not too long ago, but there's quite a difference between writing and speaking in billy's opinion, and it's been way too long since he's been able to toss out a little quenya like it's nothing.

billy already thought stiles was a pretty good friend, but this? this just shot him pretty much all the way to the top. billy's... happy. he feels lucky to have met someone he can just be nerdy with and not feel stupid or lowkey judged, or humored. next, he'll have to see if stiles can read and write aurebesh.

stiles gets a little sentimental, and billy goes quiet too, a little touched if he's honest. he closes his eyes and smiles faintly to himself, finally starting to feel sleep pulling at his edges. he's not about to fall asleep, but he'll probably start to get there soon. when he answers, his voice is a little quieter, skirting the edges of mumbling. ]

... Yeah? I wouldn't say I'm great, but - I'm glad. That I can help things suck a little less, I mean. But - I like you a lot too. You're pretty great. Nán alassea omenita tye, Stiles.

Ugh, shut up.

[ another laugh, quieter than the last. he kind of wants to head out now, put today to bed - dinner with logan was A Lot, and dwelling on turning eighteen an entire planar fucking universe away from his dad has been weighing on him for the past few days, too. he just needs a good night's sleep to wash away all this heavy, sentimental stirring in his chest, and now that they're heading towards a lull in the conversation, he feels like he could probably sign off pretty easily. ]

Thanks again for the cupcakes. And...

[ but he still doesn't really want to. stiles darts his tongue between his lips and casts around for words to fill the silence, an excuse to stretch talking to billy out a little while longer. he comes up empty, and it's obvious he's coming up empty, from the quiet ums and uhs to the gentle stretches of nothing between them. ]

And, um. Yeah. I....

[ another pause, until stiles lands on something that works. ]

What's, um - oh! We could watch another movie together? If you want to. Not now, but - soon, maybe?

[ listening to the sound of stiles' voice and the gentle, distant sound of his breathing over the phone is, for whatever reason, very soothing to billy, who finds himself relaxing rather quickly, slowly approaching that hazy space between being awake and asleep. he doesn't laugh so much as he hums when stiles tells him to shut up, but it's still fairly evident in just the one note that he's at least a little bit amused.

billy's mostly aware that he should probably let stiles go now that the conversation seems to be winding down, but it's just... a lot easier to listen to him kind of stumble his way through trying to find something else they could talk about. he breathes in through his nose, forcing his eyes open a little to keep himself from crossing that threshold between alert and asleep so he can answer stiles. ]

Mn, no, yeah. Definitely. Another movie sounds good. You can pick. I'll, um. I'll bring the... chicken tenders. Or whatever you want. On me. Or you can come here and I'll have 'em here for you. Bring Frogger's boyfriend.

[ stiles still wants to drag this out, but he's starting to hear the sleepiness in billy's voice, and it starts to feel like something of a dick move to drag his feet on hanging up. there's more jokes in his head, stupid little comments about chicken tenders and frogger's boyfriend all lined up and ready to spring out, but he loses his battle of wills against himself. he's gotta let billy go. ]

We can plan it out later. I'll text you?

[ if i can read the letters, ha ha, he almost says, just barely, barely, barely managing to stop himself but genuinely wincing all the same. jesus. he shakes his head, even though billy can't see it. ]

Night, Billy.

[ with whatever energy he's got left, billy wriggles to get himself under his covers, pulling his comforter up to his chin while he keeps the phone to his ear with his other hand. despite the rough start to the evening, it's actually been a pretty good night. billy feels... content. he hums his agreement over the phone again and nods his head slightly, like that'll some how make his response more clear. ]

Mmkay. ... Or call. Whatever's easier. [ billy breathes out, then tilts onto his side, cracking his eyes open a little and stretching an arm out for he lamp by his bed so he can switch it off. ] ... Night, Stiles.

ic contact || deerington.

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