[Every observation Cater makes has Idia sinking lower in his seat. Guys his age are supposed to brag about this sort of thing and Idia's always hated those guys. Now he's one of those guys and it's embarrassing!! The whine trapped in his throat is slooowly slipping out. The flames of his hair flicker increasingly more pink.]
You both have-- [Maybe they can say it but Idia can't seem to get the words "made out" to fall off his tongue.] Since when?
[Idia is suddenly very tuned in to Cater's arm around Leona's waist. See, that's the part he was missing. It's-- not an unwelcome image but it has him feeling insane. The thought of the two hottest people he knows (has kissed!!) swapping spit is going to make him combust. It's definitely jealousy he's feeling but he doesn't know which direction it's going. Everything's all tangled up, Cater was right about that much.
And then Cater says that and Idia's hair erupts in a brilliant pink flash.]
You can't just-- say that sort of thing right to my face!! You're jumping to crazy conclusions-- the numbers are off!! Your math makes no sense!!
...am I the only one that was actively imagining a threesome? No? Just me?
[Not everyone can be wildly and unabashedly horny, Cater. Take a cold damn shower and revisit reality.]
Yeah, uh...Leona and I were sorta kinda already...
[There's not really a label for it, so Cater just twists two of his fingers together. Like that totally paints the picture.]
But, I mean, obvi I've always had my eye on you, so when we happened I was kind of over the moon about it, and I had no idea that Leona went after you after that, too...until like, what, a half hour ago? What a day, am I right? #theendingwillshockyou
["Him, you, and me." It sounds so intimate that Idia's not sure he's going to hyperventilate or be sick. His heart is doing something crazy right now, though, so he'll probably be dead soon no matter what. Was bound to happen at some point.
He rolls his eyes.]
Geez, we get it. I'm a loser with a negative CHA stat and for some reason that does it for you. Haven't we been over this enough? If you wanna talk the transitive property, that makes you a loser, too.
[Leona's not the only one who's surprised, but Idia resents being told so.
He also resents having to talk about this. Not sorting out the particulars with either of them has been his saving grace. It's freed up some brainspace to devote to upping his head game (read: learning what to do with that crazy tongue of his).
And then there's Cater, who's seemingly trying to kill him with that "always had my eye on you" line. Idia swallows down that feeling.]
That was only "obvi" to you, actually. Am I on a dialogue loop, now?
[It's no small relief to Idia that they're clearly not mad that he's been fooling around with them both, but it's still a confrontation. Perhaps the most uncomfortable, anti-Idia confrontation imaginable. This could have been a DM....]
[Leona'd already been avoiding looking at either of the others since Cater started speaking again, pushing down his own feelings about it, too. putting words to the fact what was going on between him and Cater was undefined, the implication that perhaps Leona was opportunistic about it all, treating what was Cater's as if it was his as well— without ever calling Cater his, too. like the jealous, spiteful person he really is.
Idia's not wrong to call him a loser, for a lot of reasons. so Leona doesn't contest that bit.
but he has to roll his eyes when Idia mentions it wasn't obvi—]
Sure was obvious to me,
[he grumbles, shaking his head.]
All of it, by the way.
It's tougher than you morons make it out to be to get your scents off each other.
[which is why the convergence did seem smarter, before Leona realized how this conversation was actually going to go.]
Haha...ouch. It's like you're trying to hurt my feelings, or something. Really harshing my vibe.
[No, he should've really known. Idia didn't see himself the way that Cater saw him, and wasn't he always calling him a normie and grumbling about how he didn't get him at all, as if Cater couldn't hear him? As if he wasn't right there, expressing interests in his fandoms. Finding little things that reminded him of Idia and getting them for him. Trying, at every turn, to just spend time with him.
Cater absently draws his arms back to himself, fiddles with a lock of his hair. Man, he really fucked this whole thing up, didn't he? The method with Idia was typically just to brute force your way into his space if you wanted it, but now that they were here and this topic was the way that it was, he was feeling...well, pretty insecure.]
[Oh, so he knew all along. That's fine. That's great. Idia's just been sliding into Leona's lap and kissing him like he's dying and all the while Leona's inner monologue is about how he can smell Cater all over him. Yeah, that's no big deal at all.
... No, it's definitely a huge deal. Idia actively rejects conceptualizing that the people he's fucking (haha god what even is his life) recognize that he wants them. Like, talk about cringe. Now you tell him that Leona's been rotating around the idea of him fooling around with 1-5 versions of the hottest twink on campus... Is a memory wipe still possible?
All of this amounts to a pained and weary groan crawling up Idia's throat.]
And now's when you say something? Does everyone know about my prospects but me? [Sighs.] Come on...
[Cater's wilting by the second but Idia can't imagine why. Although he's grown to recognize that Cater is a multifaceted person who might be more #relatable than previously thought, that doesn't mean he understands what's going on in there. If that was the case, he'd be all too aware that he's a harem protag.]
[Leona's pretty well known for not minding watching others squirm, but the vibe really is harsher than he'd like it to be for this. as it turns out, maybe he isn't so fond of the sight of an insecure Cater as one would think— and perhaps this isn't quite the misery he anticipated putting Idia through, either. he shifts his weight from one foot to the other, rubbing the back of his neck as these two punks wilt before him.]
You sure are bitching a lot for a guy who's gettin' so damn popular.
[This is getting out of control. It was already probably out of control from, like, the minute he dropped the whole "kissing each other" line, but now it was getting really out of hand. Between his own rapidly rising insecurity, Leona's frustration, and Idia's absolute lack of tact, they really needed to find a balance.]
It's fine if you were on a different page from us. I mean, it's not as if any of this we're not already 100% winging, right?
[He tugs on his hair a little harder. C'mon, Cater, choose your words carefully, here.]
The point is, we all need to figure out now that it's all out in the open where to go from here. I didn't know that the two of you had anything going on, either, until literally right before this--but as soon as Leona told me, I texted you to get this all sorted out, Idia.
[Would that soften the blow even a little bit, to know that Cater wasn't just conspiring about this the whole time, or something? He wasn't sure, but, Seven, he hated when he didn't know what the right thing to say was.]
So, what happens next really kind of depends on how you feel about both of us.
[Idia doesn't even have time to be spiteful about being told to lighten up (absolutely impossible advice for a Shroud to take, common sense I fear) before Cater cuts that off at the pass.
Honestly, being told that Cater wasted no time in telling Idia about this feels like being vagueposted about IRL but he's not gonna go down that road. They already veered off of it and he's not going back. Besides, he's got bigger things to be worried about, like--]
... Wait, like-- [hurriedly glancing between the both of them] Like right now?
[Are they.... are they gonna make him confess in front of them and each other???]
[Fuck! That thing hurt when it really nailed you! Cater jolts from the force of Leona's tail, and it absolutely cracks what was remaining of his composure.]
Just think about it! IDK! What would even the point be if we got this far just to waste the rest of the time we have before we graduate, huh? Unless you're totally cool with this just being mental fodder for future fanfic material, later, don't keep us waiting too long.
No! [Shit-- what an embarrassingly swift reply. He visibly cringes before moving on, retreating his hands further into his sleeves. Fussing with the hem is very interesting all of a sudden.] Quit making assumptions! It's just... just...
[He stares at the ground for a minute before whipping out his tablet. Before anyone thinks that he's avoiding the situation entirely by playing the mobage of the week, Idia turns the screen to face the two of them.]
you two literally Know me! i get stage fright in a room with one of you in the dark, how am i supposed to get through something that personal when you're both here? believe it or not, i find the confession scene to be sacred!
i'm not like you guys! i'm not a flirt and i can't just be cool about saying things like that with a straight face! if i was even a little bit like either of you this would be way easier!
[Cater's reaction actually helps to diffuse a little; Leona hadn't actually intended to do that, so the yell startles him out of his griping long enough for him to pump the brakes on the intimidation a little. when Idia's tablet makes an appearance, Leona does roll his eyes— but he also lets Idia use it, settling for leaning over the desk and resting his chin in his hand while he waits, tail unapologetically returning to its more gentle coil around Cater's bare ankle. in that position he consoles himself with the fact that at least the view isn't that bad— Idia Shroud's beautiful lips, the worried curve of his brow, the pink-tipped licks of flame casting a glow on his face.
and then— Idia's message. Leona raises a brow as he reads, quick as ever, and then exchanges a glance with Cater. were he not also at the devil's sacrament, he'd have to make fun of Cater for his taste in abysmally oblivious men.
which would not be ironic in any way.
regardless, Leona keeps his pose the same, waiting before acting this time, watching Cater's reaction closely.]
[And it's complicated, really, Cater's reaction. The spot on his leg that Leona's tail hit him still throbbed, but it was grounding, in a way. Something to keep him from spiraling too poorly as he felt himself beginning to overthink the situation more and more. The way it wraps around him now soothes over the worst of the sting, and Cater's lips pinch together as he reads Idia's text twice over.
Stupid, how big of a mess this all was. How tangled up and knotted all his feelings were. It felt like he was being pulled in too many directions at once--he had been expecting messy, but not at all like this. The kind of messy where they got weird and sexy was in the ballpark he was expecting.
Well, maybe that had been just wishful thinking. That was what was easy. Easy to get into it, easy to break back off again. You put the word confession into the mix, though, and suddenly everything feels a lot more important.]
Yeah, Idia, we know you.
[He could go on about how they know him well enough that this felt like the way it had to go. That it was like pulling teeth to get Idia to confront scary social situations like this so might as well force the issue in the most efficient way possible. That they all deserved to have this conversation together and not separately in three different configurations.
But...for some reason, that's not the part that needles him. And he'll probably walk this back, regret saying anything to express that he was this uncomfortable, himself.]
Do you know us at all? Have you even really tried to?
Something Idia has gotten accustomed to in the time he's spent with them both is learning to look back at different moments and realize what information he had been missing. After Cater had kissed him that first time, he looked at Idia with this same sort of uncertainty. Is this alright? Like Idia was some delicate thing that would break apart in his hands if he didn't hold it properly, gently.
A handful of little fleeting moments line themselves up in Idia's mind, the kinds that you'd miss if you blinked. Cater glancing away, changing a topic, talking about himself like he was testing the water. Moving on, moving on, moving on.
Now Idia's wondering if that fleeting look wasn't about him after all. This certainly feels like a delicate thing now.
... Would it be better if he just quit? Took Cater's joke to heart and contented himself on fanfic? Really, he has to be hand-held all the way through these conversations and probably always will. Burdensome is a kind word for what that is.
But, well... Maybe he really has become greedy.]
...
[He huffs a sigh, exhaling that terrible mess of nerves and exhaustion. Idia runs a hand through his hair as he turns his tablet to face Cater.]
what makes you think i don't?
[Geez, now he's not even sure. He's been a failure at this, honestly. Mind too wrapped up in where his hands should be and if he's doing things right. Idia never stopped to consider everything else around it.
Ah... should he say this part? He'll probably regret it. He purses his lips before slowly turning his tablet back again, angling it a bit more toward Cater out of some misguided shyness.]
i know that you try really hard. i've never seen someone try as hard as you just. all the time. with everybody.
...
i liked it when you stayed over and it felt like you weren't trying.
[He covers his face with his hand. Literal instant regret.]
[Cater can't be called shy by any stretch of the word--regardless of what his personality looks like beneath all the forced extroversion and people-pleasing and attention-seeking, he doesn't typically get nervous just at the idea of talking to someone.
But he hadn't at all been prepared for what Idia ends up responding with. He blinks, and his face starts turning a very cute shade of red.
Okay, so maybe Idia was really paying attention. Or started to, at some point. A part of him feels exposed in a way that makes him want to throw up walls, but another part, the better part of him, is less upset than he had been.]
No, you don't need to apologize.
[That didn't feel like enough, though. He hesitates.]
[it's surprising, at first, that Cater voices that feeling of not being known at all. the question gets Leona to lower his hand from his chin, brow raised, tail drawing away from Cater to start swinging in questioning arcs.
but... Idia's response gets such a strange feeling out of Leona, one he wouldn't want to put words to even if he could understand it.
Idia likes the same part of Cater Leona does. a part of Leona feels possessive about it, like a child afraid a special toy is going to be taken from him. but another part feels warm, affirmed, as though Idia is witnessing some great truth with Leona, as though he finally has someone to understand what he's been seeing.
Cater turns red, and Leona starts to smirk despite an almost wistful lift to his brows. it's still a strangely bittersweet feeling.]
[Cater's face blooms red and Idia's follows closely behind. In part because it's embarrassing to express this sort of thing but mostly because it's absolutely unfair how cute he looks. He's cute and Idia's kissed him (with mouth) and that's crazy-making in itself. Has he ever really seen him like this?
In spite of wanting to stare, Cater is a human person who registers and responds when you do so; Idia tugs his gaze away accordingly. Leona cutting in makes that act a lot easier. Being patronized brings his voice back online.]
Cool? [Rolls his eyes.] Yeah, sure, I get it. Now's the time to put me in my place, right? I'm too self-aware to fall for that.
[Cinema Sins Ding.]
A-and what are you doing peeking over at my PMs, huh?? Now that we're all making out, a well-angled tablet means nothing? [SMH] Geez, personal space really is dead...
[Cater gives Leona a slight, playful ribbing with an elbow as he tries to recover from how totally off-kilter Idia's little aside made him.]
Yeesh...you two keep having a back-and-forth like this one and I'm gonna start wondering if this yaoi's toxic.
[He is kidding, and his tone is playful--but really, he was shocked at the mashup. The current dynamic isn't exactly giving him any hints at how all of this might've gone down for them.]
[Leona's eyes narrow at Idia's comment, and he's ready to start choosing some Words for him— but Cater's input makes him grimace.]
Quit givin' him buzzwords. You're gonna set 'im off.
[said as though he hasn't been pulled off his own setting-off by the absurdity of it all. at a more even tone, he returns to his point and addresses Idia's request;]
You don't get to have this conversation without me.
[He was, in fact, on the verge of going off about seme/uke dynamics before Leona cuts in.
Idia shifts in his seat. It's not that he doesn't want to acknowledge Leona. If he didn't like him, he wouldn't be in this situation. Really, he's surprised at how comfortable he's felt around him these past weeks, lounging peacefully side-by-side. Existing in the same space is easier than he thought. No, it's the whole idea of being put on the spot to dredge up that part of himself he has yet to accept on his own. It feels like a nightmare where you're being shoved on stage when you dont know the lines yet.
He's not ready to talk about this. But what else is he supposed to do?]
... Okay, fine. We're talking. I just... don't know what to say.
[This was good! This was progress! Cater was going to make a little quip about how maybe he kind of wanted to let Idia start on a full monologue about the omegaverse--but now really wasn't the time. His body's losing some of that guarded tension, and he gives a thoughtful hum.]
Well...you don't have to lay out all of your thoughts and feelings right now, or anything. But, maybe just, like, are you cool with seeing both of us? I think a "yes" or "no" for that one is kind of the main thing we're looking for, with all this.
[He glances at Leona, then back to Idia again.]
Probably goes without saying, but it's a "yes" from me, fam.
[if Leona had a bit more awareness himself, he might not be being such a hypocrite right now. it's not as though he isn't being guarded himself, or as if he's volunteered any of his own feelings on the matter, as if he expects his very presence here to speak for itself. and he does.
why would he be here, if he didn't want a yes? why would he have bothered with any of this if it didn't matter? all the same, Leona huffs a sigh like he's not part of the problem, mumbling;]
And from me.
Obvs.
[what, like he's not going to make fun of Cater for that move earlier?]
[It's a palpable relief hearing that from Cater. The thought of laying out his feelings was the real difficult the part of this ambush, and knowing that he doesn't have to struggle his way through a sappy confession... Huge if true.
But... what is he supposed to say? Idia can't take his eyes off of them, the way their bodies seem to naturally angle toward each other in that way only people who have been well and truly tangled in each other can be. Real couple stuff. He feels a little stupid, a jealous and anxious mess. They must know that, too.
And they're just cool with him slotting into their puzzle? Encouraging, even?]
Doesn't that seem... too easy?
[He hates that he's the squeaky wheel, but they have to see how this is unrealistic, right? Like, they clearly haven't thought about this. They're perfect and beautiful and have a good thing going already. All well and good for them and bound to be the subject of several late-night fantasies, but Idia can't help but feel like he's spawned in to a high-level server-- completely out of his depth and all too aware of that.]
Maybe I'm just lagging, but I haven't even seen you-- [oh god. he stops talking. he jerks his head downward, ears burning red and staring at a stray thread on his pants.] I mean, it's a lot for a guy like me to wrap his head around!! Like, yeah, in theory, but--
[Oooooh he is theorizing something fierce right now.]
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effortaverse) wrote2026-01-15 08:34 pm
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You both have-- [Maybe they can say it but Idia can't seem to get the words "made out" to fall off his tongue.] Since when?
[Idia is suddenly very tuned in to Cater's arm around Leona's waist. See, that's the part he was missing. It's-- not an unwelcome image but it has him feeling insane. The thought of the two hottest people he knows (has kissed!!) swapping spit is going to make him combust. It's definitely jealousy he's feeling but he doesn't know which direction it's going. Everything's all tangled up, Cater was right about that much.
And then Cater says that and Idia's hair erupts in a brilliant pink flash.]
You can't just-- say that sort of thing right to my face!! You're jumping to crazy conclusions-- the numbers are off!! Your math makes no sense!!
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yeah, no, he's the biggest idiot here.]
Alright, alright. The conclusion's a few steps shy of that, actually.
[Leona sighs, lowering his hand to his hip.]
The numbers are just what he said, though. Him, you, and me.
[Leona can sooo salvage his own comfort here by being a smug shithead. so he does.]
You're not the only one who's been busy, Shroud. Still surprised you have it in you.
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[Not everyone can be wildly and unabashedly horny, Cater. Take a cold damn shower and revisit reality.]
Yeah, uh...Leona and I were sorta kinda already...
[There's not really a label for it, so Cater just twists two of his fingers together. Like that totally paints the picture.]
But, I mean, obvi I've always had my eye on you, so when we happened I was kind of over the moon about it, and I had no idea that Leona went after you after that, too...until like, what, a half hour ago? What a day, am I right? #theendingwillshockyou
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He rolls his eyes.]
Geez, we get it. I'm a loser with a negative CHA stat and for some reason that does it for you. Haven't we been over this enough? If you wanna talk the transitive property, that makes you a loser, too.
[Leona's not the only one who's surprised, but Idia resents being told so.
He also resents having to talk about this. Not sorting out the particulars with either of them has been his saving grace. It's freed up some brainspace to devote to upping his head game (read: learning what to do with that crazy tongue of his).
And then there's Cater, who's seemingly trying to kill him with that "always had my eye on you" line. Idia swallows down that feeling.]
That was only "obvi" to you, actually. Am I on a dialogue loop, now?
[It's no small relief to Idia that they're clearly not mad that he's been fooling around with them both, but it's still a confrontation. Perhaps the most uncomfortable, anti-Idia confrontation imaginable. This could have been a DM....]
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Idia's not wrong to call him a loser, for a lot of reasons. so Leona doesn't contest that bit.
but he has to roll his eyes when Idia mentions it wasn't obvi—]
Sure was obvious to me,
[he grumbles, shaking his head.]
All of it, by the way.
It's tougher than you morons make it out to be to get your scents off each other.
[which is why the convergence did seem smarter, before Leona realized how this conversation was actually going to go.]
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[No, he should've really known. Idia didn't see himself the way that Cater saw him, and wasn't he always calling him a normie and grumbling about how he didn't get him at all, as if Cater couldn't hear him? As if he wasn't right there, expressing interests in his fandoms. Finding little things that reminded him of Idia and getting them for him. Trying, at every turn, to just spend time with him.
Cater absently draws his arms back to himself, fiddles with a lock of his hair. Man, he really fucked this whole thing up, didn't he? The method with Idia was typically just to brute force your way into his space if you wanted it, but now that they were here and this topic was the way that it was, he was feeling...well, pretty insecure.]
This is hard for me, too, you know?
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... No, it's definitely a huge deal. Idia actively rejects conceptualizing that the people he's fucking
(haha god what even is his life)recognize that he wants them. Like, talk about cringe. Now you tell him that Leona's been rotating around the idea of him fooling around with 1-5 versions of the hottest twink on campus... Is a memory wipe still possible?All of this amounts to a pained and weary groan crawling up Idia's throat.]
And now's when you say something? Does everyone know about my prospects but me? [Sighs.] Come on...
[Cater's wilting by the second but Idia can't imagine why. Although he's grown to recognize that Cater is a multifaceted person who might be more #relatable than previously thought, that doesn't mean he understands what's going on in there. If that was the case, he'd be all too aware that he's a harem protag.]
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You sure are bitching a lot for a guy who's gettin' so damn popular.
Lighten up.
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[This is getting out of control. It was already probably out of control from, like, the minute he dropped the whole "kissing each other" line, but now it was getting really out of hand. Between his own rapidly rising insecurity, Leona's frustration, and Idia's absolute lack of tact, they really needed to find a balance.]
It's fine if you were on a different page from us. I mean, it's not as if any of this we're not already 100% winging, right?
[He tugs on his hair a little harder. C'mon, Cater, choose your words carefully, here.]
The point is, we all need to figure out now that it's all out in the open where to go from here. I didn't know that the two of you had anything going on, either, until literally right before this--but as soon as Leona told me, I texted you to get this all sorted out, Idia.
[Would that soften the blow even a little bit, to know that Cater wasn't just conspiring about this the whole time, or something? He wasn't sure, but, Seven, he hated when he didn't know what the right thing to say was.]
So, what happens next really kind of depends on how you feel about both of us.
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Honestly, being told that Cater wasted no time in telling Idia about this feels like being vagueposted about IRL but he's not gonna go down that road. They already veered off of it and he's not going back. Besides, he's got bigger things to be worried about, like--]
... Wait, like-- [hurriedly glancing between the both of them] Like right now?
[Are they.... are they gonna make him confess in front of them and each other???]
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[unfortunately, Leona is frustrated, and his words are starting to reflect it— alongside of the way his tail smacks against Cater's leg.]
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[Fuck! That thing hurt when it really nailed you! Cater jolts from the force of Leona's tail, and it absolutely cracks what was remaining of his composure.]
Just think about it! IDK! What would even the point be if we got this far just to waste the rest of the time we have before we graduate, huh? Unless you're totally cool with this just being mental fodder for future fanfic material, later, don't keep us waiting too long.
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[He stares at the ground for a minute before whipping out his tablet. Before anyone thinks that he's avoiding the situation entirely by playing the mobage of the week, Idia turns the screen to face the two of them.]
you two literally Know me! i get stage fright in a room with one of you in the dark, how am i supposed to get through something that personal when you're both here? believe it or not, i find the confession scene to be sacred!
i'm not like you guys! i'm not a flirt and i can't just be cool about saying things like that with a straight face! if i was even a little bit like either of you this would be way easier!
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and then— Idia's message. Leona raises a brow as he reads, quick as ever, and then exchanges a glance with Cater. were he not also at the devil's sacrament, he'd have to make fun of Cater for his taste in abysmally oblivious men.
which would not be ironic in any way.
regardless, Leona keeps his pose the same, waiting before acting this time, watching Cater's reaction closely.]
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Stupid, how big of a mess this all was. How tangled up and knotted all his feelings were. It felt like he was being pulled in too many directions at once--he had been expecting messy, but not at all like this. The kind of messy where they got weird and sexy was in the ballpark he was expecting.
Well, maybe that had been just wishful thinking. That was what was easy. Easy to get into it, easy to break back off again. You put the word confession into the mix, though, and suddenly everything feels a lot more important.]
Yeah, Idia, we know you.
[He could go on about how they know him well enough that this felt like the way it had to go. That it was like pulling teeth to get Idia to confront scary social situations like this so might as well force the issue in the most efficient way possible. That they all deserved to have this conversation together and not separately in three different configurations.
But...for some reason, that's not the part that needles him. And he'll probably walk this back, regret saying anything to express that he was this uncomfortable, himself.]
Do you know us at all? Have you even really tried to?
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Something Idia has gotten accustomed to in the time he's spent with them both is learning to look back at different moments and realize what information he had been missing. After Cater had kissed him that first time, he looked at Idia with this same sort of uncertainty. Is this alright? Like Idia was some delicate thing that would break apart in his hands if he didn't hold it properly, gently.
A handful of little fleeting moments line themselves up in Idia's mind, the kinds that you'd miss if you blinked. Cater glancing away, changing a topic, talking about himself like he was testing the water. Moving on, moving on, moving on.
Now Idia's wondering if that fleeting look wasn't about him after all. This certainly feels like a delicate thing now.
... Would it be better if he just quit? Took Cater's joke to heart and contented himself on fanfic? Really, he has to be hand-held all the way through these conversations and probably always will. Burdensome is a kind word for what that is.
But, well... Maybe he really has become greedy.]
...
[He huffs a sigh, exhaling that terrible mess of nerves and exhaustion. Idia runs a hand through his hair as he turns his tablet to face Cater.]
what makes you think i don't?
[Geez, now he's not even sure. He's been a failure at this, honestly. Mind too wrapped up in where his hands should be and if he's doing things right. Idia never stopped to consider everything else around it.
Ah... should he say this part? He'll probably regret it. He purses his lips before slowly turning his tablet back again, angling it a bit more toward Cater out of some misguided shyness.]
i know that you try really hard. i've never seen someone try as hard as you just. all the time. with everybody.
...
i liked it when you stayed over and it felt like you weren't trying.
[He covers his face with his hand. Literal instant regret.]
Sorry...
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But he hadn't at all been prepared for what Idia ends up responding with. He blinks, and his face starts turning a very cute shade of red.
Okay, so maybe Idia was really paying attention. Or started to, at some point. A part of him feels exposed in a way that makes him want to throw up walls, but another part, the better part of him, is less upset than he had been.]
No, you don't need to apologize.
[That didn't feel like enough, though. He hesitates.]
I liked that, too.
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but... Idia's response gets such a strange feeling out of Leona, one he wouldn't want to put words to even if he could understand it.
Idia likes the same part of Cater Leona does. a part of Leona feels possessive about it, like a child afraid a special toy is going to be taken from him. but another part feels warm, affirmed, as though Idia is witnessing some great truth with Leona, as though he finally has someone to understand what he's been seeing.
Cater turns red, and Leona starts to smirk despite an almost wistful lift to his brows. it's still a strangely bittersweet feeling.]
Thought you said you couldn't say somethin' cool.
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[Cater's face blooms red and Idia's follows closely behind. In part because it's embarrassing to express this sort of thing but mostly because it's absolutely unfair how cute he looks. He's cute and Idia's kissed him (with mouth) and that's crazy-making in itself. Has he ever really seen him like this?
In spite of wanting to stare, Cater is a human person who registers and responds when you do so; Idia tugs his gaze away accordingly. Leona cutting in makes that act a lot easier. Being patronized brings his voice back online.]
Cool? [Rolls his eyes.] Yeah, sure, I get it. Now's the time to put me in my place, right? I'm too self-aware to fall for that.
[
Cinema Sins Ding.]A-and what are you doing peeking over at my PMs, huh?? Now that we're all making out, a well-angled tablet means nothing? [SMH] Geez, personal space really is dead...
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Yeesh...you two keep having a back-and-forth like this one and I'm gonna start wondering if this yaoi's toxic.
[He is kidding, and his tone is playful--but really, he was shocked at the mashup. The current dynamic isn't exactly giving him any hints at how all of this might've gone down for them.]
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Quit givin' him buzzwords. You're gonna set 'im off.
[said as though he hasn't been pulled off his own setting-off by the absurdity of it all. at a more even tone, he returns to his point and addresses Idia's request;]
You don't get to have this conversation without me.
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Idia shifts in his seat. It's not that he doesn't want to acknowledge Leona. If he didn't like him, he wouldn't be in this situation. Really, he's surprised at how comfortable he's felt around him these past weeks, lounging peacefully side-by-side. Existing in the same space is easier than he thought. No, it's the whole idea of being put on the spot to dredge up that part of himself he has yet to accept on his own. It feels like a nightmare where you're being shoved on stage when you dont know the lines yet.
He's not ready to talk about this. But what else is he supposed to do?]
... Okay, fine. We're talking. I just... don't know what to say.
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Well...you don't have to lay out all of your thoughts and feelings right now, or anything. But, maybe just, like, are you cool with seeing both of us? I think a "yes" or "no" for that one is kind of the main thing we're looking for, with all this.
[He glances at Leona, then back to Idia again.]
Probably goes without saying, but it's a "yes" from me, fam.
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why would he be here, if he didn't want a yes? why would he have bothered with any of this if it didn't matter? all the same, Leona huffs a sigh like he's not part of the problem, mumbling;]
And from me.
Obvs.
[what, like he's not going to make fun of Cater for that move earlier?]
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But... what is he supposed to say? Idia can't take his eyes off of them, the way their bodies seem to naturally angle toward each other in that way only people who have been well and truly tangled in each other can be. Real couple stuff. He feels a little stupid, a jealous and anxious mess. They must know that, too.
And they're just cool with him slotting into their puzzle? Encouraging, even?]
Doesn't that seem... too easy?
[He hates that he's the squeaky wheel, but they have to see how this is unrealistic, right? Like, they clearly haven't thought about this. They're perfect and beautiful and have a good thing going already. All well and good for them and bound to be the subject of several late-night fantasies, but Idia can't help but feel like he's spawned in to a high-level server-- completely out of his depth and all too aware of that.]
Maybe I'm just lagging, but I haven't even seen you-- [oh god. he stops talking. he jerks his head downward, ears burning red and staring at a stray thread on his pants.] I mean, it's a lot for a guy like me to wrap his head around!! Like, yeah, in theory, but--
[Oooooh he is theorizing something fierce right now.]
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