Phoebe

"I miss you."

Phoebe slouched deeper into the hotel room armchair, lodging her elbow against the arm at the kind of angle that's only really comfortable if you're propping a phone against your ear and not thinking about it too much. "I miss you too." As she said it, she felt a prickle of heat across her cheeks and the back of her neck. Was it true? She couldn't tell.

"Really?" No mistaking the plaintive undertone in Thessaly's hopefulness.

Unbidden, memories of Thessaly's hand in hers rose under Phoebe's skin. She lifted her arm in front of her face then reached up towards the light fitting. "I really do. I don't talk like this with anyone else anymore."

"Really?" Thessaly said again, brighter this time. "What about your other friends?"

"They're my team manager and head vet now, Thessaly, we only talk about the team."

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"Oh." There was a moment of silence on the line. "You don't have any other friends?"

"Not really." Phoebe put her free hand up on her own shoulder, half-heartedly attempting to hug herself. "Dragon-racing is my life, Thessaly, it always has been. I think maybe I shouldn't have got Adelie and Petunia involved."

"You did what you had to, though, right?" The mermaid was trying to be reassuring, Phoebe could tell. She couldn't tell if it was working. Thessaly continued, "And they're growing so much, right? You said all the other teams are scared of Petunia."

Phoebe laughed gently. "Yeah, they really underestimated her, it's pretty funny. She's actually incredible. I don't know if I deserve any of this. I don't know if I deserve any of them, Thessaly, even you."

After another pause, Thessaly said, "I like the way you say my name. You say it a lot."

"Do I?"

"Yeah."

"Thessaly." Phoebe chuckled. "Thessaly Thessaly Thessaly."

There was a giggle from the other end of the line. "Stop! No, wait, don't."

"Thessaly, Thess-"

"Okay, okay," the mermaid was still laughing. "You're funny."

"I- Thank you."

"You're welcome," Thessaly said, in a tone of deliberate cuteness. "I hope we can hang out again soon."

"Well, hopefully now Brynna's my manager too she can book us both in the same place somewhere."

"Brynna's so tight, she'll probably book us into the same hotel room just to save on costs."

Phoebe made a strangled noise, her cheeks suddenly burning. Thessaly's laughter fluttered from the phone speaker.