Voicemail Hell 19.08
Title: Voicemail Hell
Fandom: RPS
Story: Highway: Rest Stops 19.08
Characters: Alan Davies and Robert Sean Leonard
Authors: michelleann68 + evila_elf = evila_ann
Prompt: none
Word Count: 1579
Rating: PG
Summary: Alan tries to get a hold of Robert.
Authors’ Notes: Feel free to friend us if you want to read a day ahead of the communities.
Click here for the timeline if you need to get caught up or relive the good old times.
Previous story:
Post Press Stress Syndrome
Alan walked into his quiet flat and set down his bag, shrugging off his coat. He pulled out his cell phone and closed his eyes, quickly calculating the time difference before making a call he doubted would be answered.
"Thanks for calling. Leave your information and I will call you back."
"Hey, love, I guess you are still out. It's about noon in LA, I believe? I just returned from a beautiful day out in London. Just wanted to hear your voice. I will try again in a bit."
Alan hung up the phone and walked into the kitchen to make a quick dinner.
***
Alan finished up the dinner dishes, as many as there could be for a grilled cheese. Only an hour had passed since his failed attempt at contacting his boyfriend and he still had an itch that needed to be satisfied. He decided to try Robert once more.
He listened to the short 'leave a message' message. "Hello, love. I know it's only been an hour and I am sure you are up to your neck in press today. I hope they give you sometime off to check your messages. I love you and really missed sharing today with you. Oh, that sounds a bit daft. Thinking of you and I will try again in a bit. Hope the press leaves something left of you for me."
Alan hung up the phone and he felt sadder than he should. He really wanted Robert near by. The distance was just too much sometimes. He pulled off his t-shirt and headed to the bathroom for a good soak and a little light reading to try to take his mind off the empty feeling he had all day.
***
Alan slipped into a pair of soft cotton pajama bottoms and an old t-shirt. He continued to scrub the water from his hair, bringing life back into his curls as the water was whisked away. He chuckled softly to himself as he reached for the phone again. He knew it was obsessive, but he just wanted to hear Robert's voice and catch up. These seemingly endless days of press coverage of House had to end soon. The last few times he had been able to catch a few words with Robert had been almost a week ago, and he only got the leftovers from the a long interview session that had left his boyfriend exhausted. Alan's eyes flickered over calendar for a moment. It was the end of April and Robert would be flying over soon. Just not soon enough for Alan's taste.
"Cheers, love. Me again. I hope you are surviving the press junket today. I just got out of the bath. Do you remember when you bathed me after me accident? That seems like an age and a half ago, maybe even a lifetime ago. Hopefully they are giving you enough time off to listen to voicemail, even if you can't call back. I thought I would make it worth your while. You would not believe the day I have had." Alan sat down in his chair and smiled into the phone. "I was going to head down to the pitch to play football, but I was meeting me agent for lunch and thought I would go to that little bookstore in Covenant Garden first. I wanted to look at the books and see if I could pick up something interesting. Another taping of QI is tomorrow and I need to brush up on me ‘G’ words." Alan laughed, hoping Robert would share the joke. "I hope the day is not too boring. I love you and will call you back later."
Alan smiled as he closed the phone and set it down. It was nearing 10 pm. He needed to check his e-mail and review his own voicemail.
........
Alan rubbed his eyes and pushed back from the computer and turned it off. He picked up his cup of tea and grimaced at the cold liquid in the bottom of the cup. He had taken care of all his business and even managed to pay his bills. It had been a productive night, to say the least. He glanced at the clock on the microwave as he started the tea kettle. He was surprised that it was already midnight; he had not realized time had flown by so quickly. He smiled when he thought of Robert listening to the last message. As he waited for the water to boil, he thought of what message he could leave next.
Warm cup of tea in his hand, Alan sat down in his chair in the living room, making himself comfortable. He picked up his cell and pressed re-dial.
"Evening love. Well it is about four pm in Los Angeles and as promised, I'm back. I'm going to read for a bit. Jo Brand asked me to help out with this reading contest that she is involved with, Comedic Romance, the same one I helped out with last year. When I returned home from lunch, there was a neatly wrapped package on me doorstep. Jo had dropped off the seven finalists. I need to get them all read in the next three weeks. Since you are stuck in the States for another six weeks, I'll try to put half of that time to good use. I think I am going to take a crack at the first one. Call me if you get a moment. If not, I will amuse you in a bit, unless I fall asleep. Give me a call when you get this message. I love you."
Alan shook his head, he stood and stretched, his tea had cooled down quite a bit, and he picked up the first book from the stack and started to read.
***
Alan was aware of a sharp pain in his neck, and he tried to uncurl his body from the chair where he had fallen asleep. He swiveled around and looked at the clock: it was two am. He looked down at his cell phone and noticed one missed call from Robert. He pressed redial on his phone as his sleep addled brain tried to figure out the time. Six pm, dinner time.
"Thanks for calling, leave your information and I will call you back."
Damn, Alan cursed his bad timing.
"Love, I fell asleep in this damn chair and I missed your call. I wish I could tell you more about me day, but I am still waking up, and I really just want to hear your voice. Call back anytime. Hope you are done with your day and finally home."
Alan hung up the phone and slid out of the chair, stretching his sore muscles, and yawned. He took his cup to the kitchen and rinsed it out. Back in the living room, he picked up his book and cell phone, checked the display for missed calls, and wandered down the hall, stopping by the bathroom to brush his teeth. Finally he wandered into his room, still half asleep. Setting the cell and book on the night stand, he crawled into bed and shivered as his body took its time warming up the cold sheets. He checked his phone one more time, paranoid about missing another call, then finally checked the settings. The ringer was off. He groaned, realizing that this was how he had managed to miss Robert's last call. He turned the ringer on and the lights off.
***
Alan was swimming across the ocean, his hair short so it would not get in his eyes. He had on a full body dry suit on to protect him from the cold. He kept focused on the wide expanse of ocean in front of him and heard a high pitched noise behind him. He slowed, treading water, and turned. A few meters away he saw a phone, floating across the surface of the ocean. It was ringing, its blue light display twittering with each ring.
Alan shot up and grabbed his phone, hoping he had woken in time. His "Hi" came out forcefully as he was still trying to find his voice.
"Alan?"
Alan's whole body relaxed and he sunk back into bed. "Yes, love. You have no idea how good it feels to finally hear your voice."
"I hated thinking I would wake you, but you really sounded like you wanted to talk to me."
"Oh? What gave it away?" Alan asked innocently.
"Let me see...the 20-odd messages you left?"
"I didn't leave that many did I?"
Robert laughed, amused that Alan sounded unsure about how many times he actually did call. "Your messages were the only bright spot in the day."
"Home for the night?" Alan tried to hold back a yawn.
"Close to heading to bed, but I thought I would try one more time before I did. You had been so diligent, I thought, with trying to get a hold of me, and I just had to thank you for making my day." Robert waited for a response from Alan, but he only heard light breathing. "Alan, did you fall asleep?" Still nothing. Robert smiled at their poor luck. "Alan, I love you, sleep well," he whispered, hoping that somewhere in his brain Alan got the message.
Alan was back in the ocean, the phone slipping from his grip. He heard Robert's voice and focused on getting to him. Stroke by stroke.
19.09 Juice Break
Fandom: RPS
Story: Highway: Rest Stops 19.08
Characters: Alan Davies and Robert Sean Leonard
Authors: michelleann68 + evila_elf = evila_ann
Prompt: none
Word Count: 1579
Rating: PG
Summary: Alan tries to get a hold of Robert.
Authors’ Notes: Feel free to friend us if you want to read a day ahead of the communities.
Click here for the timeline if you need to get caught up or relive the good old times.
Previous story:
Post Press Stress Syndrome
Alan walked into his quiet flat and set down his bag, shrugging off his coat. He pulled out his cell phone and closed his eyes, quickly calculating the time difference before making a call he doubted would be answered.
"Thanks for calling. Leave your information and I will call you back."
"Hey, love, I guess you are still out. It's about noon in LA, I believe? I just returned from a beautiful day out in London. Just wanted to hear your voice. I will try again in a bit."
Alan hung up the phone and walked into the kitchen to make a quick dinner.
***
Alan finished up the dinner dishes, as many as there could be for a grilled cheese. Only an hour had passed since his failed attempt at contacting his boyfriend and he still had an itch that needed to be satisfied. He decided to try Robert once more.
He listened to the short 'leave a message' message. "Hello, love. I know it's only been an hour and I am sure you are up to your neck in press today. I hope they give you sometime off to check your messages. I love you and really missed sharing today with you. Oh, that sounds a bit daft. Thinking of you and I will try again in a bit. Hope the press leaves something left of you for me."
Alan hung up the phone and he felt sadder than he should. He really wanted Robert near by. The distance was just too much sometimes. He pulled off his t-shirt and headed to the bathroom for a good soak and a little light reading to try to take his mind off the empty feeling he had all day.
***
Alan slipped into a pair of soft cotton pajama bottoms and an old t-shirt. He continued to scrub the water from his hair, bringing life back into his curls as the water was whisked away. He chuckled softly to himself as he reached for the phone again. He knew it was obsessive, but he just wanted to hear Robert's voice and catch up. These seemingly endless days of press coverage of House had to end soon. The last few times he had been able to catch a few words with Robert had been almost a week ago, and he only got the leftovers from the a long interview session that had left his boyfriend exhausted. Alan's eyes flickered over calendar for a moment. It was the end of April and Robert would be flying over soon. Just not soon enough for Alan's taste.
"Cheers, love. Me again. I hope you are surviving the press junket today. I just got out of the bath. Do you remember when you bathed me after me accident? That seems like an age and a half ago, maybe even a lifetime ago. Hopefully they are giving you enough time off to listen to voicemail, even if you can't call back. I thought I would make it worth your while. You would not believe the day I have had." Alan sat down in his chair and smiled into the phone. "I was going to head down to the pitch to play football, but I was meeting me agent for lunch and thought I would go to that little bookstore in Covenant Garden first. I wanted to look at the books and see if I could pick up something interesting. Another taping of QI is tomorrow and I need to brush up on me ‘G’ words." Alan laughed, hoping Robert would share the joke. "I hope the day is not too boring. I love you and will call you back later."
Alan smiled as he closed the phone and set it down. It was nearing 10 pm. He needed to check his e-mail and review his own voicemail.
........
Alan rubbed his eyes and pushed back from the computer and turned it off. He picked up his cup of tea and grimaced at the cold liquid in the bottom of the cup. He had taken care of all his business and even managed to pay his bills. It had been a productive night, to say the least. He glanced at the clock on the microwave as he started the tea kettle. He was surprised that it was already midnight; he had not realized time had flown by so quickly. He smiled when he thought of Robert listening to the last message. As he waited for the water to boil, he thought of what message he could leave next.
Warm cup of tea in his hand, Alan sat down in his chair in the living room, making himself comfortable. He picked up his cell and pressed re-dial.
"Evening love. Well it is about four pm in Los Angeles and as promised, I'm back. I'm going to read for a bit. Jo Brand asked me to help out with this reading contest that she is involved with, Comedic Romance, the same one I helped out with last year. When I returned home from lunch, there was a neatly wrapped package on me doorstep. Jo had dropped off the seven finalists. I need to get them all read in the next three weeks. Since you are stuck in the States for another six weeks, I'll try to put half of that time to good use. I think I am going to take a crack at the first one. Call me if you get a moment. If not, I will amuse you in a bit, unless I fall asleep. Give me a call when you get this message. I love you."
Alan shook his head, he stood and stretched, his tea had cooled down quite a bit, and he picked up the first book from the stack and started to read.
***
Alan was aware of a sharp pain in his neck, and he tried to uncurl his body from the chair where he had fallen asleep. He swiveled around and looked at the clock: it was two am. He looked down at his cell phone and noticed one missed call from Robert. He pressed redial on his phone as his sleep addled brain tried to figure out the time. Six pm, dinner time.
"Thanks for calling, leave your information and I will call you back."
Damn, Alan cursed his bad timing.
"Love, I fell asleep in this damn chair and I missed your call. I wish I could tell you more about me day, but I am still waking up, and I really just want to hear your voice. Call back anytime. Hope you are done with your day and finally home."
Alan hung up the phone and slid out of the chair, stretching his sore muscles, and yawned. He took his cup to the kitchen and rinsed it out. Back in the living room, he picked up his book and cell phone, checked the display for missed calls, and wandered down the hall, stopping by the bathroom to brush his teeth. Finally he wandered into his room, still half asleep. Setting the cell and book on the night stand, he crawled into bed and shivered as his body took its time warming up the cold sheets. He checked his phone one more time, paranoid about missing another call, then finally checked the settings. The ringer was off. He groaned, realizing that this was how he had managed to miss Robert's last call. He turned the ringer on and the lights off.
***
Alan was swimming across the ocean, his hair short so it would not get in his eyes. He had on a full body dry suit on to protect him from the cold. He kept focused on the wide expanse of ocean in front of him and heard a high pitched noise behind him. He slowed, treading water, and turned. A few meters away he saw a phone, floating across the surface of the ocean. It was ringing, its blue light display twittering with each ring.
Alan shot up and grabbed his phone, hoping he had woken in time. His "Hi" came out forcefully as he was still trying to find his voice.
"Alan?"
Alan's whole body relaxed and he sunk back into bed. "Yes, love. You have no idea how good it feels to finally hear your voice."
"I hated thinking I would wake you, but you really sounded like you wanted to talk to me."
"Oh? What gave it away?" Alan asked innocently.
"Let me see...the 20-odd messages you left?"
"I didn't leave that many did I?"
Robert laughed, amused that Alan sounded unsure about how many times he actually did call. "Your messages were the only bright spot in the day."
"Home for the night?" Alan tried to hold back a yawn.
"Close to heading to bed, but I thought I would try one more time before I did. You had been so diligent, I thought, with trying to get a hold of me, and I just had to thank you for making my day." Robert waited for a response from Alan, but he only heard light breathing. "Alan, did you fall asleep?" Still nothing. Robert smiled at their poor luck. "Alan, I love you, sleep well," he whispered, hoping that somewhere in his brain Alan got the message.
Alan was back in the ocean, the phone slipping from his grip. He heard Robert's voice and focused on getting to him. Stroke by stroke.
19.09 Juice Break