flameinthedarkness

omfg fuuucckkkk

i need to put a lock on my phone that i cant unlock when halfasleep orz

He may have his face in his hands right now...

so no chance I get to take advantage of sleepy Idia during future morning texts? LOL

He kids, of course. He'd never do anything aside from teasing--Cater's never been the kind of guy to actually take advantage of anyone. Sure, he hides a bit of a clever streak, but he tries to use his powers for good. Mostly good.

Had fun chatting with Ortho in class today btw :)

...im texting u at like 4 am and see how u like it

Brush retrieved, everything cleaned up, considering what he wants to eat and get away with having without Ortho telling him off for not meeting 'nutrient requirements'. Idia does pause and smile a little at that follow up text, fingers zipping over the keys to answer.

ya he did too. Oh, ah, he knows btw... that we been hanging out.

Welp! Told that finally. Sorry Cater.

oh lmao
well he was super discreet

Does explain, though, why he had kind of a sneaky look on his face when Cater asked about Idia. It's good to know going forward that he doesn't have to try and play coy or make excuses about why he's so interested in Idia going forward when Ortho's around.

anytime he wants to hang out too he's totally welcome
I wanna make sure he has a good time here at NRC too!

sorry. he noticed something since he monitors my lifesigns and stuff, heart rate and all, noticed i was happier than normal ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Idia even shows Ortho those last couple of texts, getting some words of joy at them, a smile to Ortho before he continues texting.

he likes that. thanks.

I gotta grab breakfast/lunch/whatever donno if wanna go to afternoon classes blegh

o/ hi Ortho!

Hearing Idia say he's been happier...it feels nice. Cater doesn't like seeing others so down on themselves, and Idia clearly has it bad. He's gotten hints as to why, but it's not something he's really been so sure he should pry about too hard. After all, it's one thing to cheer someone up and another to get involved in their personal issues.

He wants to keep his own to himself, too.

wanna skip class together?

Idia has not registered he basically just admitted that to Cater, just commenting on how Ortho found out.

really? sure u dont have rules against that? :P

Idia teasing him now over that. Hmmm, well, he was just going to hang in his room...

what u thinking? Not like we can hang in the main areas if we do

pls rules like that are meant to be broken
besides I do it all the time
nobody ever notices

Maybe he shouldn't admit that, but Idia rarely ever comes to class anyway, so it's not like he's going to tattle. Besides, when he can just send a split card in his place, all that's left to do is not get spotted by Riddle. What with his housewarden being practically illiterate to social media, all he has to do is wait to upload any pictures he takes to Magicam until after class hours to make sure Trey doesn't find him out.

But then, Trey's probably the only one who's actually noticed when Cater's skipped out of class and he hasn't let that slip yet. Good lookin' out, Clover.

I know a few spots pretty clear during afternoon classes.
There's this total dead zone in the west tower. Nice view of the forest, too.
I can bring my laptop and we can game
or just chill and I can catch up on my mobile gacha

lols

Hmmm, tempting... very tempting... if he can convince Ortho to keep going to class for him... which may take some pleading, and promises to make up by actually going to classes for the rest of the week... and no more late nights being added to that. And to eat better. Ehhh... but...

ok cool
u got co-op ones on your laptop? shared keyboard ones?

It's not exactly like Idia's speaking a different language...Cater knows what all those words mean, but it might as well be a foreign concept. After all, it's not like he's really much of a gamer outside of what Idia's seen already.

I have the kind of party games you can connect to on mobile like on my stream
and some otome games which I guess aren't technically multiplayer but that doesn't mean we can't make it work

ah k. not what i meant, but cool. I was thinking like one where you gotta share a keyboard with someone to play on same screen

It would mean having to sit next to each other to do so, in each others space... so maybe for the better. Also,

i'll have my computer with me nyways, so can see what i got on there if bored

west tower, ya? let me grab some stuff from vending machine first

I'm just a filthy casual there's only so much I have to offer! ;^;

It figures Idia would have better choices, anyway, so Cater doesn't lose any pep to his step as he excuses himself early from the table (Queen's rules, etc.) and heads back to Heartslabyul. He might run into Riddle there, but there are plenty of excuses why he'd need his laptop for class. In any case, he has something else there he wants to grab for Idia.

kk! getting my things and then I'll meet u there o7

XD u can stil learn
o/

Some more thanks to Ortho, and super promising to keep to those promises starting tomorrow, before Idia grabs his hoodie and heads out the dorm, slipping into it as he makes his way to the vending machines first, grabbing stuff for himself... and also those snacks Cater likes. Shoving them into his hoodie pockets, Idia makes his way towards the tower, glancing around for Cater as he went.

It isn't too much longer before Cater can be seen jogging over, meeting Idia as they approach the entrance up to the tower's isolated peak. He has his laptop tucked under one arm and a smallish box cradled to his chest.

"Hey!" Cater waves with his free hand as he approaches, slowing down. "Awesome, glad I didn't keep you waiting."

Sure enough, there doesn't seem to be anyone really wandering around the area. The coast seems to be totally clear to head up and get settled in.

"Hey." Idia answers, then tilts his head in confusion at all Cater is carrying. The laptop he understands, the box though, "What's that?" Asking as they head through the tower.

"It's a surprise! Try to contain your excitement." Idia, of course, being one of the least emotive people he knows (about topics that don't immediately interest him) only serves to bolster the teasing. There's a bounce to his step as they make their way up the stairs--luckily for Idia, it isn't a steep climb, and before long they have plenty of space to sprawl out.

Cater puts his laptop down first and waits for Idia to get comfortable before almost conspiratorially setting the box down and sliding it toward him. "Open if you dare."

And if he does, indeed, dare, he'll discover a set of treats that completely scream adorbz.

Yeah, he's not for the most. Or... more he is, just... not emotions most people want to be around, Idia giving a raise brow to the claim as he follows along, confused but also... silently amused by Cater's joy over this all. Just WTF is this? Idia just... a little confused by this. This is something he would hate before, how much enthusiasm Cater had, and focusing it on him, but... honestly, it was... cute? Ehh, really? Really? Cater? Or more the fact, him? Him thinking that about anyone real? Ehhhh.

Getting settled, Idia moves to pull his and Cater's snacks out of his pockets, but is stopped as the box is tapped over to him, looking up to Cater, "Ok?" Then to the box, opening it and...

"W-What is this?" So... what? Stunned? Shocked? Both? To find such adorable snacks in there. But more... why. "Why? Why are you wasting this on me?" Unable to stop that second question automatically following the first. Why is Cater wasting this on him rather than someone more important? "S-Shouldn't you save this for... I donno... I guess not Trey, guessing he made this... I donno... s-someone in Heartslabyul?" Still clutching that box lid between his hands as he looks down at the treats.

Initially, Cater’s delighted at Idia’s surprised expression—but the self-deprecating turn it takes puts a knot in his throat. “Well, I mean…”

He plays with his hair, feeling a wave of heat rise to his cheeks. “Everyone in Heartslabyul gets sweets all the time. It’s not like they’re missing out on anything.” These were Cater’s, and he hadn’t had any intention of eating them. The photos he’d taken for Magicam were enough.

“It’s not a waste—I thought you’d like them, so I saved them for you.”

"Oh..." Idia taking that to mean they were just spares, left over from an Unbirthday party or something, not specially got for him, and... yeah, he can handle that better. It's better than having something just for him from someone. Doesn't deserve that. "Umm... thanks then, ah, for them... they, ah... look real good?" They super do! And yeah, better this way...

"Oh, I ah, eh, I guess pointless now... though you don't like sweets," Cater always got savory stuff, never sweet snacks, Idia pulling out those snacks he got for both of them, handing over a couple of bags of snacks Cater has got in the past. "Here."

"I hope they taste as good as they look--they cost me a pretty penny." Worth it for the Magicam likes, at least. They were definitely a hit on his feed. The reaction isn't really at all he was hoping for, but...ah, well. Surprisingly, he's the one with a startled reaction when Idia reveals what he brought.

"Wow...you noticed that, huh?" he gives a bit of an awkward laugh as he accepts them, admitting, "yeah, I'm really not a fan of sweet things at all. Don't tell anyone, though, okay?"

He's done a pretty good job of keeping it a secret, fawning over all the treats at their constant Heartslabyul teaparties. Trey's goodies. Cafes that he gets dragged too because they're just so cute and totally his style. Blegh.

"Anyway, thanks! I really like these. Guess we both scored with loot today."

Wait... what? Idia's head snapping back up to Cater again, that all shoving his assumption right out the window and... "Y-You... bought these?" Idia stunned by that, just a look at them told him they weren't just super cheap mass produced sweets, so however much Cater spent on them... "Y-You didn't have to..." But he did... right? Was saying this just insulting then? Idia's not sure, the confusion showing on his face, brows furrowed and eyes slightly narrowed... before, "T-Thanks... they, ah, they look great."

He still doesn't understand why though.

"Ah, you always get them... never sweet stuff, even when you get sweet stuff for me..." Even managing a light 'heh' at Cater's wording. "Yeah... guess so..."

Why does he feel like he's being totally stared at right now? Cater tries to play it cool, but his nervous habit pops out as he starts fiddling with his hair. "It's not weird, right? I mean...friends just do stuff like that. Just like how you noticed what I like and don't like, too."

He could tell Idia that he bought them for views and the gift giving was more of an afterthought...but somehow it feels like the wrong thing to do. Even if it would be an easy way to keep that careful distance between them. Instead, Cater tears in to one of the snack pouches.

"Oh! So, how'd it go last night, after I logged off?"

...oh. Ah... yeah... he guesses? But... "I... haven't... had friends before." Eyes looking off to the side as he says this, fingers tightening on the lid of the box he's still holding. "Well, some online ones, but... not really? T-They give me stuff for my birthday? Game items?"

Ok, that helped. That helped. Distractions, right? ...always distractions. "Oh, um, yeah. Yeah, ah," Ok, yes, he can do this, this is easier. "I got everything updated, yeah. Oh, I also posted your stream link to it, since you gave me the item." He hopes that's ok. Then hesitant but reaching for one of those sweets, hmmm, which one, which one... grabbing one of the flower ones to try and, "Oh! These are good!" The fact it was sweets it means he doesn't have to chew too much too, since they were on the softer side, just let it dissolve in his mouth. "So good!"

When Idia so painfully states that he's never had friends, Cater can't help his expression softening. In comparison, Cater's had more friends than he can count. Sometimes it seems like he's friendly with the entire student body, at least to some degree. Online, he has more acquaintances than he can count. In a way, he really can't relate to living such a lonely life, and it makes him sad to think what it must be like.

But deeper, beneath all of that, Cater does understand that loneliness--at least to a degree.

Underneath that easygoing, party boy façade, where none of his fair-weather friends know anything about him. No, because he is the fair-weather friend. Only ever around for fun, never to be depended on. No one to trust or lean on. Everyone oblivious to his honest feelings.

The way that Idia locks himself up in his room and hides away from the rest of the world. That, Cater feels. Keep everyone out. There's safety in the isolation.

But it's so...empty.

Cater smiles more widely. "Yeah? Ha, well, I guess if I go viral all of a sudden I'll know who to thank." Doesn't that also mean that he kind of has to commit to this new character he's inventing? Anyone who knows his blog will be able to see the past stream. Hear his "voice" and all that.

As Idia tries one of the sweets and enjoys it with the enthusiasm that Cater had been initially hoping for, an impulse comes over him and he reaches for his phone. Normally, he'd just go for it, but--

"Hey, Idia, would you take a selfie with me? I won't post it on Magicam or share it with anyone."

Yeah, yeah, it did, RIP his game account, but... whatever. It seemed right considering how important that piece was. And hey, Idia can deal with trolls, nothing new... maybe an issue if Crimson Muscle finds out... but Idia doesn't think he goes to his page. Plus he could explain it as a joke to him, Crimson would get it.

The question shocks him, so ready to fall back onto instinct and try and get away, even moving to do so; hands up and leaning off to the side when... well... "...um... ok? Yeah... ok." All the times Cater tried to catch them both like this... is too much to count. But, well... "...I'm not good at them though. IRL wise."

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