It's not a real answer, exactly, at least not a coherent one, and there's a rational part of Cater's brain that tells him get a real answer, but it's too much, he can't stop himself. His eyes, half lidded, catch that look on Idia's face, the sight of his tongue, and it's too much to resist when he's far from some kind of saint.
So he kisses Idia again, his own tongue pressing into Idia's before it can escape, desperate for the feel and the taste of it. He lifts his body slightly so he can adjust their position, lock their knees between each other's thighs and press in. Subconsciously remembering how Idia liked the feeling of his hands against his scalp, he drags his fingers back, sliding them through that flaming hair and against the skin hidden beneath it.
Cater's efforts are rewarded with a low groan in the back of Idia's throat. The foreign contact of a tongue against his, the warm proximity of a willing body, the hands on his scalp... oh, it's so much! Idia's left reeling, trying to follow with shy touches of his tongue when he barely understands but he craves. His mouth tastes like too-sweet coffee and the quiet but thrilling threat of sharp teeth might slow Cater down a bit, but Idia shows absolutely no signs of anything but wanting more.
He could've gone his entire lonely life without ever having known this. The thought might horrify him later, right before the equally terrifying thought that he might never have it again. Cater offered to teach him something, nothing more. For once in his life, Idia wants to be greedy.
Idia's enthusiasm is so far beyond his expectations. Really, he'd been expecting Idia to outright reject the offer, but this...it feels like a dream. Is he going to wake up from what turned out to be just another fantasy that only felt real?
Swept up in his own desire, he delicately tilts Idia's head back so he can kiss him deeper. The only thing that keeps him from getting too far ahead of himself is the contrast of his needs against Idia's. Even those questioning licks and those dangerous points only makes Cater hotter and harder, though. One of his hands trails away from Idia's hair and trails down the curve of his classmate's neck and all of a sudden he has to kiss him there, too.
His breath is hot as he pulls inexplicably away from their kiss and bends forward to plant his lips against Idia's Adam's apple instead, tongue and teeth grazing against the skin.
Idia shudders, biting back what surely would've been a loud moan if not for him sinking his teeth into his lip. Wh-- what is Cater doing now?! Aren't kisses supposed to be on the mouth or cheek or forehead? But it feels awesome, sending hot, shivery feelings down his neck and into his chest. He's suddenly aware that his pants are tight at the front, a pressure that's both pleasant and uncomfortable, something that's only happened to him when waking up on a rare morning or after reading those doujinshi.
Arousal. He's feeling actual arousal from someone kissing him. What bizarre secret route did he stumble into??
So good, Idia's voice sounds so good, even muffled. Cater can feel the vibrations through his throat and it makes him dizzy. He feels like he's losing all rationality--and it's when he realizes he's reaching for his waistband that he snaps back to reality. Stop it, stop!
Any farther and he's taking advantage. He's already pushing it, isn't he? Even though Idia hasn't protested, hasn't told him to stop, clearly seems like he wants it just as badly...
Cater swallows, breathing hard as he presses his forehead into Idia's shoulder. He lets his grip loosen in Idia's hair and finds his hands instead, grabbing onto both of them and squeezing. "It's time to cool off," he finally forces out between heavy breaths. "We...we're getting ahead of ourselves."
It takes enormous effort for Idia to pry his eyes open. Every inch of his body feels hot and tingly, his head ready to float off his neck. Cater's hands squeezing his help to ground him, almost like bringing him down from a panic attack. But that wasn't panic, that was... that was....
"C-- Cater, I...." Trailing off, not even sure what he wants to say, Idia simply squeezes back and tries to calm his breathing. There's a strange sort of disconnect in his brain, as if he's suddenly found himself playing someone else's save file in an unfamiliar game.
Cater doesn't know what to say either, a theme he finds is common around Idia. He knows all the things he wants to say, but has to slow his roll. Just because Idia liked being kissed, even being kissed by another guy, that doesn't suddenly mean that Idia wants him. As much as Cater is willing to offer to sleep with him as an experiment, he's not going to offer that so suddenly.
Once he's caught his breath a bit more, he raises his head to look up at Idia, for once the one with a sheepish expression. "So...how do you feel?"
"I...." Idia looks down at their joined hands, then up at Cater's face again. "I feel... warm."
And the softest, warmest little smile finds his lips, brightening his eyes in a way Cater has never seen before. For once, those yellow eyes look like sunshine.
Cater's eyes widen as that expression settles in on Idia's face. His heart flutters, and a small giggle escapes him before his own face lights up. It feels like it's something he's been looking for since he got to the school: someone to smile like that at him. No, Idia to smile at that like him.
There's a small idea that makes itself known, a whisper in the back of his mind. What if this isn't about sex?
He gulps, not letting go of Idia's hands either. "Good--that's great!" Ducking his head, he looks up through his lashes. "You really don't have to thank me."
Idia huffs a quiet breath of air, almost a chuckle, when Cater giggles. Something about that sound brings a bubbly feeling to his chest, one he wants to chase almost as much as he chased Cater's lips earlier.
But then he remembers his earlier worry, that his friend was only helping him figure things out, and his smile fades somewhat. "Was this a limited side quest? Or can we... can we farm it for EXP?"
"Eh?" Cater actually startles slightly--Idia is full of surprises, today. He'd fully intended, of course, to pursue this from here, but wasn't altogether convinced that Idia would be willing to do more even if he was so enthusiastic this time around. The flush from his cheeks had started to fade, but it comes back readily. "Of course!"
Now he can breathe a big sigh of relief. "Y-- yeah. But only if you really want to. Not gonna force you to play what I want. Only toxic noobs do that."
There's plenty of people who'd love to make out with Cater, he's sure of that. Cater is popular, regardless of the fact that it's admittedly a mask the other boy wears. Idia doesn't want to keep him from someone he might actually want as his Player 2.
What I want, Idia said, and Cater can't stop himself from smiling. He might as well--he might as well say what he's been thinking, then, right?
"I do," he tells him with firm honesty. "I really want to."
But he knows he's only going to be able to stick to kissing for so long, so if that's as far as Idia's hoping to go...well, time to put all the cards out on the table. Just maybe he'll be a little more casual than fucking you is all I can think about these days.
Idia's never felt this warm and content before. He has a close friend who genuinely likes him and is happy to teach him things like kissing without being grossed out by his weird cursed features. He's about to thank Cater again, only to blink at the unfamiliar acronym.
Cater's a little surprised when Idia doesn't know the term, but then realizes that it actually probably isn't something he'd hear gamers casually tossing around. This is definitely a social-leaning acronym. "Oh, er, it means friends with benefits."
He hesitates. Just in case, just in case Idia doesn't get the full scope of "benefits", clarifies softly, "Friends who...have sex with each other."
The pink races through Idia's hair and his pale cheeks flush so strongly he looks feverish. His eyes are so wide, but there's no repulsion in them, only surprise and more than a little curiosity. He can hear his heart pounding in his ears.
"Y-- you w-- want t-- to...." He gulps. "W-- with m-- me...?"
Cater nods, his thumbs stroking the back of Idia's hands. "Yeah. Is that...too much? I wasn't sure how high of a level you wanted to rank up to." He knows he's springing ahead a little fast, and not wanting to totally overwhelm his friend assures, "I don't want to push you into something you aren't ready for, though, so even if you're okay with it, I thought we could work our way up to that at your own pace."
Is it too much? The idea is almost incomprehensible, far more than kissing was before they actually did it. But Idia's sure that if he passes up on this chance, there won't be another. Someone like Cater, who sees in Idia the ultimate rare item hidden within a joke weapon, only comes along once in a lifetime if at all. If Idia says no, sex will forever be an unknown, an unfinished path permanently locked.
So he nods shyly. "Y-- you'll have to teach me everything. I'm just a pathetic noob at this."
Cater beams, the last traces of worry that he pushed too hard wiped away. "You can count on me! And hey, you've already passed level 1, haven't you? We'll just go slow."
Everything feels...perfect, right now. Like he's walking on air. It's going to be a struggle to keep things from going too quickly, but for Idia's sake he'll work hard to be a patient and selfless teacher.
A slow level grind doesn't sound like a bad idea. There's a sense of accomplishment every time he dings a level and earns new skills in a game, and this is no different. Though is it really a grind when it feels that good? Cater's really kind, teaching him all this, calling him a friend, enjoying his company. His heart quiets at that, soaking in the lingering warmth of their kissing and this new promise.
"We'll set up a schedule, make a timeline? Gotta coordinate so the missions go smoothly."
"Teamwork, I like it!" Even though it's kind of funny--things like this are supposed to be spontaneous, normally. There's so much excitement in capitalizing on unexpected moments. But this is just so Idia, and it's important that he feels comfortable and in control, so Cater's all for it.
"We can work around your raids and my Heartslaybul responsibilities." Won't want Riddle to blow a gasket because Cater was too busy making out to ready the hedgehogs for croquet. Of course, he's willing to use split card during tricky scheduling periods when necessary. "Wanna start mapping that out now?"
Nodding, Idia reaches for his phone. "Private calendar entries. We'll block out times we're both free. But I don't know the steps for this, you've gotta infodump. Can't go by what's in the doujinshi."
He's got an idea of what's involved, but Cater probably knows way more about easing a virgin into everything. Idia has no clue outside the most basic mechanics-- Tab A into Slot A or B, as it were-- so it's a very good thing that he trusts his new bestie.
Cater pulls his phone out of his own pocket so they can find the best times. Sticking to after school hours and weekends is going to be best so they don't feel pressed for time. They might have to do rainchecks on some evenings depending on what kind of assignments are due, along with school festivals, but overall it seems like a couple times a week they'll be free to take their time "questing" together.
It's gonna be tough hanging out during the non-scheduled times, but Cater's sure that it'll just build the anticipation for what comes next.
He rattles off different benchmarks for the two of them to aim for, from deeper kissing to touching that increases in intimacy with Idia feeling confident in reciprocating seeming to be the general requirement for leveling up. Er, well, at least up until oral, which Cater just decides they should tackle the specifics once they get there.
By the time they get everything worked out up to intercourse, it's nearly curfew.
The thought of Cater having to go back to his dorm has Idia falling quiet. Now he's realizing how terrible it is that they're in different houses, but there's not much to be done about it. They are who they are, and neither of them would be happy in the other dorm. Still, saying good night is hard, even more now with all these new facets of their friendship.
"Time to go back to your save point. But we have the calendar and the benchmarks, so it's something to look forward to." He offers Cater a shy little smile, an expression that's been living in some form on his face since their kiss. "Don't get caught after curfew, 'kay? Can't kiss me if Riddle takes your head off."
Cater finds himself not wanting to leave, either. The more time he spends with Idia, the more he wishes he could stay in Ignihyde--but as a student, he really wouldn't fit. As far as who he is as a person, the mirror knew exactly where to put him. It's late enough in their NRC run that it would just be too much trouble not to see it through where they are.
Somewhat on impulse, Cater stops before making his way to the door to kiss his cheek. One for the road. "Ha! Don't you worry, I know how to deal with Riddle almost as well as Trey. Try not to stay up all night thinking about me, okay?"
He's fully aware that he's a hypocrite for saying so--he's definitely going to be up all night thinking about Idia.
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So he kisses Idia again, his own tongue pressing into Idia's before it can escape, desperate for the feel and the taste of it. He lifts his body slightly so he can adjust their position, lock their knees between each other's thighs and press in. Subconsciously remembering how Idia liked the feeling of his hands against his scalp, he drags his fingers back, sliding them through that flaming hair and against the skin hidden beneath it.
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He could've gone his entire lonely life without ever having known this. The thought might horrify him later, right before the equally terrifying thought that he might never have it again. Cater offered to teach him something, nothing more. For once in his life, Idia wants to be greedy.
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Swept up in his own desire, he delicately tilts Idia's head back so he can kiss him deeper. The only thing that keeps him from getting too far ahead of himself is the contrast of his needs against Idia's. Even those questioning licks and those dangerous points only makes Cater hotter and harder, though. One of his hands trails away from Idia's hair and trails down the curve of his classmate's neck and all of a sudden he has to kiss him there, too.
His breath is hot as he pulls inexplicably away from their kiss and bends forward to plant his lips against Idia's Adam's apple instead, tongue and teeth grazing against the skin.
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Idia shudders, biting back what surely would've been a loud moan if not for him sinking his teeth into his lip. Wh-- what is Cater doing now?! Aren't kisses supposed to be on the mouth or cheek or forehead? But it feels awesome, sending hot, shivery feelings down his neck and into his chest. He's suddenly aware that his pants are tight at the front, a pressure that's both pleasant and uncomfortable, something that's only happened to him when waking up on a rare morning or after reading those doujinshi.
Arousal. He's feeling actual arousal from someone kissing him. What bizarre secret route did he stumble into??
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Any farther and he's taking advantage. He's already pushing it, isn't he? Even though Idia hasn't protested, hasn't told him to stop, clearly seems like he wants it just as badly...
Cater swallows, breathing hard as he presses his forehead into Idia's shoulder. He lets his grip loosen in Idia's hair and finds his hands instead, grabbing onto both of them and squeezing. "It's time to cool off," he finally forces out between heavy breaths. "We...we're getting ahead of ourselves."
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"C-- Cater, I...." Trailing off, not even sure what he wants to say, Idia simply squeezes back and tries to calm his breathing. There's a strange sort of disconnect in his brain, as if he's suddenly found himself playing someone else's save file in an unfamiliar game.
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Once he's caught his breath a bit more, he raises his head to look up at Idia, for once the one with a sheepish expression. "So...how do you feel?"
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And the softest, warmest little smile finds his lips, brightening his eyes in a way Cater has never seen before. For once, those yellow eyes look like sunshine.
"Thank you."
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There's a small idea that makes itself known, a whisper in the back of his mind. What if this isn't about sex?
He gulps, not letting go of Idia's hands either. "Good--that's great!" Ducking his head, he looks up through his lashes. "You really don't have to thank me."
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But then he remembers his earlier worry, that his friend was only helping him figure things out, and his smile fades somewhat. "Was this a limited side quest? Or can we... can we farm it for EXP?"
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Wait, too excited. Dial it back, Cater.
"I, I mean--you really want to? With me?"
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There's plenty of people who'd love to make out with Cater, he's sure of that. Cater is popular, regardless of the fact that it's admittedly a mask the other boy wears. Idia doesn't want to keep him from someone he might actually want as his Player 2.
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"I do," he tells him with firm honesty. "I really want to."
But he knows he's only going to be able to stick to kissing for so long, so if that's as far as Idia's hoping to go...well, time to put all the cards out on the table. Just maybe he'll be a little more casual than fucking you is all I can think about these days.
"So, FWB? Does that sound good to you?"
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"FWB? What's that?"
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He hesitates. Just in case, just in case Idia doesn't get the full scope of "benefits", clarifies softly, "Friends who...have sex with each other."
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The pink races through Idia's hair and his pale cheeks flush so strongly he looks feverish. His eyes are so wide, but there's no repulsion in them, only surprise and more than a little curiosity. He can hear his heart pounding in his ears.
"Y-- you w-- want t-- to...." He gulps. "W-- with m-- me...?"
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So he nods shyly. "Y-- you'll have to teach me everything. I'm just a pathetic noob at this."
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Everything feels...perfect, right now. Like he's walking on air. It's going to be a struggle to keep things from going too quickly, but for Idia's sake he'll work hard to be a patient and selfless teacher.
I'll show you how beautiful you are, he thinks.
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"We'll set up a schedule, make a timeline? Gotta coordinate so the missions go smoothly."
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"We can work around your raids and my Heartslaybul responsibilities." Won't want Riddle to blow a gasket because Cater was too busy making out to ready the hedgehogs for croquet. Of course, he's willing to use split card during tricky scheduling periods when necessary. "Wanna start mapping that out now?"
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He's got an idea of what's involved, but Cater probably knows way more about easing a virgin into everything. Idia has no clue outside the most basic mechanics-- Tab A into Slot A or B, as it were-- so it's a very good thing that he trusts his new bestie.
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It's gonna be tough hanging out during the non-scheduled times, but Cater's sure that it'll just build the anticipation for what comes next.
He rattles off different benchmarks for the two of them to aim for, from deeper kissing to touching that increases in intimacy with Idia feeling confident in reciprocating seeming to be the general requirement for leveling up. Er, well, at least up until oral, which Cater just decides they should tackle the specifics once they get there.
By the time they get everything worked out up to intercourse, it's nearly curfew.
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"Time to go back to your save point. But we have the calendar and the benchmarks, so it's something to look forward to." He offers Cater a shy little smile, an expression that's been living in some form on his face since their kiss. "Don't get caught after curfew, 'kay? Can't kiss me if Riddle takes your head off."
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Somewhat on impulse, Cater stops before making his way to the door to kiss his cheek. One for the road. "Ha! Don't you worry, I know how to deal with Riddle almost as well as Trey. Try not to stay up all night thinking about me, okay?"
He's fully aware that he's a hypocrite for saying so--he's definitely going to be up all night thinking about Idia.