flameinthedarkness

gimme a moment to check, k?

Also to clean himself up. Since Idia had just fallen into bed once he got back. Ugh! Up! Change, brush teeth, all that while he taps away on a screen, checking paths for them both, where everyone is, if anyone. Really only ghosts around at this time.

Eventually,

it look all good. u want me to grab snacks or... no stomach for it?

Idia texting away as he finally takes the time to move his gem back to his computer, throwing the pen somewhere into a drawer, rarely needing it as he gets his skull back into working order.

When Idia gives him the all clear, Cater can't bring himself to outright admit how queasy he feels. The fact that Idia even asks...well, he must get it. You don't just stay up like this against your will and feel physically fine.

only snacc i'm after is u lol

It's stupid, but the joke helps center him as he changes quickly out of his pajamas and shoves his feet into his shoes.

meet u @ mirrors?

omg

The thing is... it makes Cater sound like he's doing better than he is, Idia starting to question just what is going on right now but... with what Cater said today, with how Idia handles his own issues... is he falling into CayCay to deal with this? And if so...

Actually it's fine. It feels... less annoying now Idia knows it's an act. Like he can tolerate it more if it gets shoved in his face.

Which is so weird.

ya k

With that Idia moves out of his room... after leaving a note for Ortho to not worry if he detects him gone from the room, even in Sleep mode. Plus he has his computer with him, so Ortho can contact him as needed. Back in his comfort zone hidden in his normal hoodie, Idia shoves his hands into the pockets of it, a glance as he notices a few still up around the dorm, late night projects or just making the most of the weekend. But they're also used to him being up this late, including going on snack runs, so it's not strange to see Idia leaving the dorm at this hour.

And arriving in the Hall of Mirrors, waiting for Cater...

It takes Cater just a bit longer to get there--he doesn't bother setting up a split card since expects to be back before too long, but he knows characters like Ace sometimes try their luck for a late night snack (and often need to pull all night cram sessions due to their grades) so he won't risk waltzing out the front door.

No, Cater opens his window quietly and makes use of the winding latticework to climb out into the back gardens and make his way around to the front path. Feeling tired, it winds him a bit more than it normally would but adrenaline still keeps him going. He can feel his hands shaking, so he keeps them tucked under his arms, hugging himself and his coat around him as he reaches the portal and steps out into the hub.

"Hey--sorry to keep you. It's a little tricky sneaking out of Heartslabyul."

Idia doesn't mind waiting. Just keeps an eye on security while he does. Again, he has the excuse he's getting a snack, could pop back into the mirror then back out again if he needed to make a show of 'leaving'. But everything stays clear, his eyes raising as Cater appears and...

"You look horrible." WTF? Like, seriously, wtf? Idia moving away from standing near Ignihyde's mirror to cross the space to Cater. A hand instantly goes up, pauses as Idia realizes he's doing that... then continues, coming to rest lightly on Cater's elbow.

"Wasn't that bad a date, was it?" Not sure what else to say, taking a jab at humor... but realizing after it's out it may not land well. Instead, "Come on." And if Cater allows it, sneaking his hand under Cater's arm, to hold it, giving him a little tug to come along with Idia.

"It isn't you, it's me," Cater replies, trying to land it as a joke but the sentiment is too close to the truth for it to really do anything other than fall flat. He groans, rubbing his face, but before he can think too hard about what to do and where to go from here, Idia's hand has a hold of his arm.

He follows with one hand splayed across his face, a total role reversal from just earlier that day. Now, Idia is the nighttime navigator and Cater the mess who can't get his act together. Quiet for awhile as they walk, he instinctively huddles a bit closer, heart racing. "Sorry," he murmurs. "I'm not really firing on all cylinders right now."

"Hmmm, that's fine." Idia mulls out, not making any comment towards... this. He's never seen Cater like this. That's not a surprise with how Cater likes to show himself, but still, it feels like he's invading something really private. And that Cater was sharing it with him. Idia giving his arm a squeeze as they walk.

And also pulling his hood up to try and cover his hair, a pause as if to reassure Cater, "Don't want another case of 'the mad scientist' rumor going around about me... something like 'he's stealing someone to take to his lab' or some bs like that." Ughhh, that rumor was such a pain. But saying it anyway, a little distraction for Cater to cling onto if he wants to.

At least the mention of the rumor does seem to distract him briefly. He gives a slight laugh. "That's you, huh? I should've known."

Only Idia had the sort of look about him that could really make that kind impression by getting caught roaming around campus in the dead of night. Sadly, it's a brief reprieve from his spiral of thought. Cater grows quiet again, trying to focus on his breathing, keep from choking.

It's strange. Idia's presence both comforts him and makes him more acutely aware of how fucked up he is. Stupid. Pathetic. Look at you. If he wasn't already going to regret everything he is now.

Maybe the thoughts are irrational, especially after having to calm Idia down, himself, but he can't stop the barbs from digging into his brain. Cater bites down on the inside of his lower lip when he feels his eyes water. Stop it.

"I mean it," he says then with a warble to his voice, "this isn't because the date was bad."

"I thought Grim was a cat!" Idia whines. "I just wanted to pet him! Then realize, well, it was him... then he fainted... donno why." Sigh, they need more cats on campus.

Idia glances Cater's way as he quiets down again, not pushing on it, but when he speaks about that date... Idia pulls his hand back.

But it's only to unzip then shrug his hoodie off, dropping it over Cater's shoulders and the hood over his head. Giving him something to hide in. Before replacing his hand back under Cater's arm. When Idia's like this, yeah, he likes having a hoodie to hide in, so... Cater would too? To feel more hidden? Surrounded? Able to block out the world? Or... maybe Idia's overstepping and it's a horrible idea... but... whatever, done now.

"I know. You said so already." He answers back softly. Then adding, "Guessing it's more the 'what next' stuff, huh?" Because Idia had it as well, but... he coped with it another way. Took a step back, analyzed it, turned it over as a problem, then tried to put the best solution he had towards it.

Now this, this is a much bigger distraction. Cater doesn't notice Idia taking off his hoodie, only processing the change when he moves his hand away and then the fabric comes swaddling down around him. He startles slightly, but then relaxes, hesitating. A part of him wants to ask if Idia's sure, but...he wouldn't have done it if he wasn't, right? Feeling warmth spread through his body, Cater zips the hoodie up, adjusting his arms through the sleeves and hiding his face inside of that massive hood before pressing himself closer to where Idia holds him by the arm.

"I thought this was a user-locked cosmetic," he remarks, before more softly adding, "it feels safe. It's warm."

Even more quietly, a small "thank you" is whispered. Cater takes a breath. The incoming tears pull back again and he feels momentarily more steady. He can see why Idia does this--it helps, feeling hidden. Maybe now he can put himself more into words.

"Do you ever feel like...like you're just...drowning?"

Idia waits as Cater sorts himself out before his hand going back into place on Cater's arm, but holding him closer, his grip firmer on his arm. A soft 'pfft' at that, "Special event item. Limited time offer. May come back around again." Then, even softer, "Good..."

Oh... Idia quiet, hesitant to answer, if he should at all... but eventually, "I feel like I'm not allowed to. That I just gotta get past it and keep going." There's no room, no time for that in his life. No time for break downs. Just get over them, carry on, always work to do. What emotions he has have to get out of the way fast. Explosive and immediate. So even if he is drowning... he still has to keep going. "More just... walking along the bottom of the ocean once I hit it."

Having someone be able to take his thoughts and lay them out like that is...well, it's surprisingly relaxing. Cater nods slowly from inside the hood. He can see the faint glow from Idia's hair even from within it, another sort of comfort. "Like you're the only thing keeping everything from falling apart? So you just hold your breath and keep going no matter how impossible it feels?"

Without really processing it, his arm shifts in Idia's, hand searching for the other boy's. The sleeves are a bit long on him, only the tips of his fingers poking out.

Considering those sleeves were long on Idia, Cater really was swamped in them, Idia slipping his fingers up under that sleeve edge so he could fully hold Cater's hand. Those concerns and plans for their 'what the hell are we?' talk just... vanishing right now. All unimportant.

Idia lets out a sigh, his other hand running through his hair, not realizing he was standing a little straighter as he spoke, shoulders less curved in, unaware his mask was slipping as he spoke. He... always wanted to be able to talk about stuff like this but... couldn't. Still can't really, not fully, but... a little. "Yeah. Yeah. My first memories were of learning how to do the family business. How to deal with everything. Even coming here I still had to work on stuff for it. It just..." He stopping and frowning to himself, swallowing a lump that was forming in his throat. Knowing he shouldn't speak about this. "It just... is. Whether I like it or not." Dwelling in those feelings for a moment... before brushing them off again. "But doesn't matter 'cause I gotta do it."

They get to the bottom of the tower as Idia starts to explain a bit more about himself--his importance to the family business. Cater reaches out to open the door with his free hand, quiet as he listens and they walk up the stairs. He understands part of it. His father's job set the whole course of Cater's life, built the basis of his insecurities before his sisters cemented the cracks between the bricks he put around himself.

But he isn't beholden to his father's job. Doesn't have anything to inherit or be responsible for. Just a big fat void of avoidance laid out in front of him. It doesn't feel right saying he relates, to put their lives on an equal level when what Idia's going through is undoubtedly more of a struggle than his own. I dug my own hole, he has to admit. I can't blame anyone but myself if I get buried in it.

"I haven't forgotten what you said," he confesses. "About only having a year left before you take it over. You meant graduation, didn't you?"

Edited 2023-03-08 02:54 (UTC)

Idia actually stops in his place on the stairs, maybe even jolting Cater to a stop with that question. And Cater will get to see that coping mechanism of his at work; that emotion of reality hitting him, brows curving up more, eyes narrowing... before Idia closes them, a deep breath in... out, and when he opens his eyes again it's like a shield is put in front of his face, all emotions vanishing from his expression. Drowning but still moving forward.

And Idia does, moving again up those stairs as he answers, "I mean, fourth year is internships and... no point in me going anywhere else but home. I'll just end up there anyways so why bother doing anything else?" There was no point. He may as well just get on with work, devote all his time to it rather than... wasting it doing something that wouldn't matter anyway.

As Idia stops, Cater watches him with an unchanging sort of melancholy. He looks different like this--put together, standing tall, but not with a trace of passion for life. At least the shy Idia got excited about his hobbies. It's like seeing himself, seeing Cay-Cay, but if Cay-Cay was the uber-mysterious type.

It's not cringe, but it's hard to watch in a different kind of way. It's painful.

So he waits until they get to the top of the tower, back to the spot where this whole dating mess began, before he says anything else.

"This whole NRC thing is just a temporary distraction...and I guess I forgot just how close it is to ending."

"...yeah." Idia answers, realizes his tone is mirroring his lack of expression but... not trusting himself to let it drop right now. Yet his grip on Cater's hand is firm, like using the other to ground him during this. "Never wanted to come here in the first place but..." A sigh. "I really did waste my time here..." He had been scared. So scared. And defeated. What was the point? It was just going to end.

But maybe if he had made the most of it...

What? He would just have to lose it in the end anyway. Another sigh, more running his hand through his hair, head down and eyes closed. Fighting to control it all.

Eventually, "Fucking sucks, huh?" For both of them. It's so easy to get lost in NRC and see it as it's own world but... it would be over for them both by the end of this year. Not officially, but may as well be. They won't be on campus for the most, be off doing their own thing. Just... it's a real wake up call.

"I've been scared," Cater admits, soft and quiet, as they stand there. "About this, about us. Even before I asked for a date--just being friends with you. Afraid I'll like you too much and I won't be able to handle all of it ending."

He moves to be in front of Idia fully, reaching to take Idia's other hand in his, head bowed and leaning in slightly, like he could tip over at any moment. It's hard...hard to say this, but the best he thinks he can do right now is be upfront. If it were anyone else, he could just lie. Sweep his feelings under the rug.

But not Idia. Not after all he's shared. All that Cater's learned.

"So what if we make sure you haven't wasted your time?"

A sigh, but... not as empty as those before, one of those where it's got a bit of a laugh laced in with it, an exhale of amusement. "Still don't get why you even tried in the first place with me... considering I always ran from you." Idia really doesn't get it, what he has to offer to anyone at all.

"So what?" Idia asks, looking to their hands, shifting them so their fingers linked lightly, Idia's thumbs brushing over the sides of Cater's hands. "You saying just go 'fuck it' and just... do whatever? Gonna end anyways so... why not?" That... hmmm. Well, "Guess gonna suck no matter when it ends, huh?" As Idia had really liked this. All of this. From finding Cinder, to getting to understand it was Cater, to their gaming... to their date.

Then... "Sure. Sure. Donno, ah, how good I'll be at... this all, but... sure." A huff out again, "Not the most enthusiastic answer, sorry." Shouldn't be getting a boyfriend be more cheerful than this?

Cater shrugs. "Maybe I'm just that stubborn. When someone runs away from me, I just wanna chase them down even more." But then, a bit more seriously, he says, "or maybe there's a part of me that kind of...got it. Why you ran, I mean. But I just...I didn't have a chance to show you until now. Or...well, until Cinder."

He takes a breath, still uncertain. Still scared. "Yeah, that's what I'm saying. It's kind of what I do--why I take so many pictures for Magicam. If I take a snapshot of a moment, I'll always be able to keep it." Another breath, hands holding Idia even more tightly, and he squeezes his eyes shut. "I'm already past the point where I'm going to feel awful when this year's over...so...yeah, fuck it. If it's going to hurt no matter what, I wanna live it up with you."

"Ah..." A pause. "...that first one makes you sound like Floyd. Or Rook. Rather the other... even if more depressing... I think." Not that it's a good choice either. Whatever. It had resulted in this so, "Guess can't complain now... with what it resulted in..."

Feeling that squeeze, seeing that tension in Cater's form, Idia questions himself before doing it but... leans his head down to rest his forehead against Cater's head. Frowning to himself at just... how similar this feels. But also really different. Idia chose not to record stuff. The idea of looking back on the outside world... the idea of that hurts. To be able to see it but not be part of it. But... maybe he's been doing it wrong the entire time. Would it hurt less to do stuff despite knowing he would have to give it up? He's not sure.

"So... ah, guess this makes us... officially boyfriends then?" A brief, if little dark, laugh. "Real fucked up ones but... still..." Returning that squeeze of Cater's fingers. "At least both get it?" To forget reality and live in distractions. For however long it lasted.

Cater lets out a puff of a laugh similar to the one that Idia had made, accepting it when Idia leans in, shaking his hands out of the larger ones just so he can reach around and pull Idia closer by the waist, instead.

"Official, third-year NRC boyfriends," he agrees. Emotions are complicated. He knows he hasn't let it all out and neither has Idia--it's too much for right now. But they've revealed enough, and now Cater's ready to switch gears and lose himself in his preferred method of escapism. "Now kiss me, otaku, before I do it for you."

Oh, oh... oh, no... this is ok. Idia going still as Cater wraps his arms around him but... relaxing again as Cater settles against him. He's... going to have to get used to this, isn't he? Be patient with him, Cater! He'll get there!

Then spluttering at that demand. "WTF? Ughhh!" A sigh as Idia leans back so he can look at Cater, but not far enough to break that hug. "I'm gonna have to get used to you like this... aren't I?" How can he just drop lines like that?! Even now? Ehhhhh!

But... no, no, this is... this is part of it and... Idia had liked those kisses earlier in the day. And Cater had helped him through with those, so... he can do the same. Hand coming up to Cater's cheek, softly resting against it as he ducks his head down to Cater's. Hesitation, for a moment, before brushing his lips against Cater's, mind racing to question if he is doing this right, if Cater likes it, if it was ok. But... he'll try! He will!

Despite still looking exhausted, red-eyed and tired and messy haired, Cater manages a cheeky, lopsided grin when Idia gives his exasperated observation. "Ooooh yeah. Things are gonna get wild and wacky with me," he promises threateningly.

And then Idia's hand touches his face. Instinctively, he presses into it, eyes half-lidding. His palm is cool on his flushed cheek and he watches Idia with a mix of patience and anticipation. For all his teasing, the sweet, nervous softness is like a soothing balm on his aching heart.

Like earlier in the day, the kiss blows away his worries. The fear that it's all too much, that they'll regret it...as soon as he feels those lips on his, Cater lets out a sigh that seems to exorcise his demons all at once. It's such an uncertain kiss, and there's really nothing elegant about it, but the fact that Idia gave it to him is just what he needed. His stomach explodes with butterflies and he reciprocates right away, chasing that kiss with another, much more steady one.

Honestly... it's kind of cute. Not the reason Cater looked a mess, but the fact even while looking like that a smile fully transformed his face. Not that Cay-Cay smile, but a real one, those ones Idia had been seeing throughout the day.

And those worries? Yeah, instantly gone as Cater kisses him back. Like earlier. The world just going blank around them. Idia lifting his other hand to cup the other side of Cater's face, holding him there as Idia's touch became more confident. Those kisses earlier today had been Cater's doing, he had initiated them. Well, other than that failed joke they tried to pull on each other... but now... Idia can see how much fun it could be the other way around. To try and catch Cater off guard with them. Or... like this, and totally switching the mood away from something horrible. A distraction. What the both wanted.

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