[ The good news is that it's at least avoiding crushing Inigo emotionally or flirting.. for now?
The bad news is that Inigo is so focusing on this. Probably because he's not really used to people talking about him in ways that don't involve only discussing how much he sucks. So-- ]
Why were you?
[ Sorry for the ten thousand questions, Cat, but you truly can't expect to bring this up to Inigo and for him to just brush it off! ]
[He rolls his eyes and sighs loudly to himself. Inigo said he had one question! One!!
Ugh, what even were they talking about Inigo for? Fireflies... Ah. Flies and catching them with honey, and one that had been buzzing around Cat as of late.
...
Surely there was more to it than that (and there was, though if it was any kinder is left up to interpretation), but the finer details are escaping him for the moment. He doesn't care enough to think that much more about it.]
dont be ridiculous of course i do firefly i like you
[As unbelievable as that may seem, it's true. Friends, in the true spirit of the word, isn't easy to achieve, but Inigo is closer to it than Cat's actions toward him tend to show. He just...doesn't treat anyone well until his affections and loyalty have been bought for far more than their worth, and what he wants is only sometimes specified.
But still, he likes Inigo. The painful naïvety had a certain charm to it that cut through a large chunk of Cat's trust issues, as if the willingness to help him when he was confused and defenseless weren't enough. Not that he's too happy about it in this moment, feeling the sting of what feels like betrayal from someone even closer to being his friend than Inigo. Whatever.]
[ He's staring at the words for at least a full minute. And he's blushing.
Not even because he's reading anything romantic into it, mind you. It's just that the idea of someone saying something this simple to him, no matter how platonic, is absolutely mind-blowing to Inigo. His friends back home kind of came baked in, after all. Their parents were all friends, so of course they all had to be friends too. So they just.. were friends. Even without saying this. (If anything - most of his friends actually yelled at him more than they said I like you.)
He almost doesn't know how to respond. But he has to respond, right? Cat will think he's a weirdo if he just peaces out now, and then he can totally forget about I like you. ]
I like you too.
I'm sure you will think this sounds silly, but I am glad to have met you here.
[ Leave it to Inigo to pull out greater sappiness in the face of the slightest sappiness.. ]
I know you like teasing me and all, but.. I trust you.
[If he wanted to avoid being thought of as a weirdo, he failed. Trusting Cat?? What a mistake! Cat rolls his eyes rather than wonder about a future he could ever reciprocate.]
in that case will you finally answer what ive written in the profile? dont think ive forgotten
[His mind casts about, trying to remember if Inigo had been one of the few to check in on his previous survey, or if they'd chatted about any of the times Cat had made a wish before. He can't think of anything Inigo has presented as his, at least off the top of his head.]
do i? are you thinking of some other cat youre talking to?
[Unless...
...
Cat switches the conversation to private.]
unless theyre to do with that sister of yours i bet those wishes would be similar enough to mine my condolences truly
He didn't see that one coming. Mostly because Inigo has been trying so hard to avoid any talk of the dreams, but-- that had happened, huh? Cat had seen that. Similar enough to mine, he says, and suddenly it makes sense why Cat hadn't hesitated to jump straight into the bloody river.
It feels like someone has gripped Inigo's heart and is squeezing it way too tightly all of a sudden. ]
It's not like that.
I mean.
It could be like that. I'm afraid of it being like that. That is why my dream was that way. She isn't dead yet.
[ But when he's using words like yet, it's clear that he's very afraid of it. That he sees it as a real possibility. ]
She is the reason I have to go home as soon as I can. [ Hey - at least Inigo is being open now.. ]
[Yet. It's a small, dangerous word that gives him more relief than it should. There's no real reason for him to care about someone else's family, after all -- he never would have dreamed of it, before.]
glad to hear it then
its a damn good reason id just as soon bring mine here
[There must still be something to go back to, for Inigo. For him... Fox is all that's left to care about. It would be worth going back only for her, of that he's fiercely certain -- but even forgetting the issue of being able to decide on these things, the thought hurts.]
Yes. My sister is a few years older than me. It took me until my growth spurt to catch up with her in height. [ The very literal little brother until a while ago.. But still the baby brother all the same. There's no way Inigo will ever not feel like his sister's little brother. ]
Especially when Inigo is instead thinking of a question himself when he reads those words. ]
Doesn't it feel strange sometimes to have a large age gap with her?
[ He actually means something else with that question - but that something else is something he can't ask without giving a whole lot of his own feelings away, hence why the question is instead this. ]
cat - july sleepr;
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[ The good news is that it's at least avoiding crushing Inigo emotionally or flirting.. for now?
The bad news is that Inigo is so focusing on this. Probably because he's not really used to people talking about him in ways that don't involve only discussing how much he sucks. So-- ]
Why were you?
[ Sorry for the ten thousand questions, Cat, but you truly can't expect to bring this up to Inigo and for him to just brush it off! ]
no subject
Ugh, what even were they talking about Inigo for? Fireflies... Ah. Flies and catching them with honey, and one that had been buzzing around Cat as of late.
...
Surely there was more to it than that (and there was, though if it was any kinder is left up to interpretation), but the finer details are escaping him for the moment. He doesn't care enough to think that much more about it.]
who can remember? it was a while ago
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[ The indication that Inigo is typing blinks. And blinks. ]
It's just
[ It blinks some more. ]
I'm glad. I didn't know people thought about me.
No, more than that, I didn't even know you thought of me. Thank you for that.
no subject
of course i do firefly
i like you
[As unbelievable as that may seem, it's true. Friends, in the true spirit of the word, isn't easy to achieve, but Inigo is closer to it than Cat's actions toward him tend to show. He just...doesn't treat anyone well until his affections and loyalty have been bought for far more than their worth, and what he wants is only sometimes specified.
But still, he likes Inigo. The painful naïvety had a certain charm to it that cut through a large chunk of Cat's trust issues, as if the willingness to help him when he was confused and defenseless weren't enough. Not that he's too happy about it in this moment, feeling the sting of what feels like betrayal from someone even closer to being his friend than Inigo. Whatever.]
no subject
Not even because he's reading anything romantic into it, mind you. It's just that the idea of someone saying something this simple to him, no matter how platonic, is absolutely mind-blowing to Inigo. His friends back home kind of came baked in, after all. Their parents were all friends, so of course they all had to be friends too. So they just.. were friends. Even without saying this. (If anything - most of his friends actually yelled at him more than they said I like you.)
He almost doesn't know how to respond. But he has to respond, right? Cat will think he's a weirdo if he just peaces out now, and then he can totally forget about I like you. ]
I like you too.
I'm sure you will think this sounds silly, but I am glad to have met you here.
[ Leave it to Inigo to pull out greater sappiness in the face of the slightest sappiness.. ]
I know you like teasing me and all, but.. I trust you.
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in that case will you finally answer what ive written in the profile?
dont think ive forgotten
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Tell me which one I should answer, so I know what you are still curious about.
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do i? are you thinking of some other cat youre talking to?
[Unless...
...
Cat switches the conversation to private.]
unless theyre to do with that sister of yours
i bet those wishes would be similar enough to mine
my condolences
truly
no subject
He didn't see that one coming. Mostly because Inigo has been trying so hard to avoid any talk of the dreams, but-- that had happened, huh? Cat had seen that. Similar enough to mine, he says, and suddenly it makes sense why Cat hadn't hesitated to jump straight into the bloody river.
It feels like someone has gripped Inigo's heart and is squeezing it way too tightly all of a sudden. ]
It's not like that.
I mean.
It could be like that. I'm afraid of it being like that. That is why my dream was that way. She isn't dead yet.
[ But when he's using words like yet, it's clear that he's very afraid of it. That he sees it as a real possibility. ]
She is the reason I have to go home as soon as I can. [ Hey - at least Inigo is being open now.. ]
no subject
glad to hear it then
its a damn good reason
id just as soon bring mine here
[There must still be something to go back to, for Inigo. For him... Fox is all that's left to care about. It would be worth going back only for her, of that he's fiercely certain -- but even forgetting the issue of being able to decide on these things, the thought hurts.]
youre the little brother yeah?
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How about you?
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[Perhaps that's why he's so small!! Or acts with such abandon.]
bigger gap between us though
im unwanted consequences haha
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Wait.
What do you mean, unwanted?
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fox and i got different moms
shes a legitimate noble while im a slums stray
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Your sister must love you. You are wanted to her. And of course you are wanted to me as well!
[ Sorry, Cat.
But these are the consequences of saying offhand things like that around Inigo. ]
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of course! im a hot commodity now for people with the right idea
just meant to explain the age gap by saying i wasnt planned for or expected
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Especially when Inigo is instead thinking of a question himself when he reads those words. ]
Doesn't it feel strange sometimes to have a large age gap with her?
[ He actually means something else with that question - but that something else is something he can't ask without giving a whole lot of his own feelings away, hence why the question is instead this. ]
no subject
not at all
shes my big sister
nothing could change that, least of all a number
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You seem really fond of her.
I'm glad to hear it.