flameinthedarkness

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."

Grinning, Cater pulls up his camera and slides over so they're sitting side by side, getting into position. "That's okay. You don't have to try and look any kind of way--I just want to preserve the moment."

Really, it feels kind of like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of a moment. Sure, they've already made other plans that are way bigger than this one. But the whole scene is so spontaneous. Even if Idia isn't smiling in the picture, Cater knows he'll be able to look at it and remember that he had been.

"Ready?"

Ok, deep breath, he can do this. Even if everything in him is screaming not to... reaching up to try and pull his hoodie higher, but stopping himself, not sure at all what to do, forcing him to drop his hands... but needing to bring his knees up instead. Some sort of shielding. Forcing himself not to cover his face too much either with his hands, even if he really wants to!

"Y-Yeah, yeah, I think so..." He can do this! Come on! You can! And yeah, Idia can't quite manage a smile... but he throws up V fingers at least. That counts?

So used to Idia hiding when Cater’s phone comes out for pictures, he isn’t exactly expecting all that much. He has an easy expression on his face—but when the V comes out, he can’t help the way his smile brightens.

Cater tosses up a V with his free hand as well before snapping the photo. Idia still looks obviously nervous, but it’s the clearest and most willing he’s ever been able to capture the Shroud on camera before. He can’t stop himself from admiring it a little.

“Hey, it looks great! No filter required. Want me to dm it to you?”

Ughhh, he hates photos. He hates anything with capturing his image. Ortho tries sometimes, and Idia's more willing to do it for Ortho, but he's more willing to do anything for Ortho... but it doesn't mean he likes it. He just... hates them.

With that offer Idia considers it for a moment, not really but... he guesses it would be good to have? Maybe? "Ah, yeah? Sure? I guess?"

“Hashtag no cloud in sight,” Cater says to himself as he shoots the photo over to Idia. From there, the phone goes away again and Cater reaches for his laptop.

“So,” he starts then as he boots things up, not making any move to sit elsewhere, “what kinda game’re we feelin?”

Idia startles a bit, eyes going wide as he looks to Cater, then lets that panic fade away with a huff, "Though you were about to post it when you said that..." Then again Cater always talks in hashtags.

Moving that candy around in his mouth to the other side, Idia leans over towards Cater to look at this screen. "Lets see what you got then. Pretty much up for anything."

Cater shoots him a cheeky grin before focusing on the screen. His desktop is pretty clean, streaming program icons and some folders, typical internet browser stuff. He opens his folder library and Idia will see some notable subfolder titles: “fandom” and “memes” and “streaming” mixed in with things like “NRC” and “projects” and “homework”.

Bypassing those to open the “games” folder, several titles are listed—-meager compared to gamers less dedicated than Idia alongside a folder labeled simply SPICY. There’s a couple SIM type games, some romance, adventure and fantasy crawlers, primarily one player. “We could always co-op something multi-route. Argue over which choices to make. Thoughts?”

...he may be silently judging you on your set up, Cater, but at least you're not the type to have files all over your desktop or something. Not that he's trying to pry too much, just see what Cater has to offer, eyes skipping over those game options, approving on quite a few of them but keeping that to himself. Though distracted from that question with his own,

"WTF is 'Spicy'?" Cater... don't tell him you don't hide your porn better... srsly?

With absolutely no indication that he has any shame, Cater answers the question. "Those are all hentai." And straight up clicks on the folder to open it. Naturally, there's no immediately NSFW content, just game titles and a lot of way-too-unassuming thumbnails. "Let's see if we share any kinks."

Cater sees your judgment, Idia, and he's raising the stakes.

Well that starts Idia spluttering a bunch of sounds, not prepared for how easily Cater admitted that, "WTF?! Really?" Then after a pause... "You don't even password lock it?!" Amateur.

"OMG, why are you like this..." Idia sighs out, looking at Cater with disdain... but also looking over the titles and, "Oh. Ah. Yeah... know some of those games..." ...fuck. He may have also 100%ed some of those games. Gotta get all endings and secrets after all.

Hold on... hold on... no... wait... "W-What's that one?" Pointing to a particular picture. Going by the thumbnail... oh no... oh no...

"Pfft, why bother? It's not like I downloaded these from a shady site or anything, and I don't generally toss around my laptop..."

Also, clearly, he isn't at all embarrassed about the contents of the folder, so if someone tried to get dirt on him he'd probably just laugh. Anyway. His incredibly worrisome security settings aside, Cater's grinning from ear-to-ear when Idia admits that he's familiar with the sin that's displayed on the screen before him. He's about to ask which ones when Idia points one out specifically...and the ginger is more than happy to gush.

"Oh, man, that's one of my favorites! I feel like I'm so picky with my BL, but the plot in Scandal + Promise is so good. It's intense but not in in the way that's just like, 'oh the sex is shocking' kind of way. Like, it's well written, has twists, and so many of the characters are designed so well it really makes you want to keep replaying it." Look who's totally gushing, now. "Something I really like about it is that you get completely different gameplay depending on what route you go down. If you pursue the detective, you get puzzle games. Also, I mean, obviously, it's super hot."

As if another thought hits him, he opens a new navigation window to go back to where he had his fandom folder. Sure enough, there's a folder with the title of the same game, which Cater opens. "There's this artist I found that's drawn some of my favorite fanart for it, actually. Not all NSFW."

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject