splitmemory | riddle/cater shenanigans

Cater takes a breath, re-centering himself. Instead of answering the question he simply catches up to join Riddle, slipping their hands together, as well. "I'm sure we'll see a whole bunch of different flowers," he agrees. "But I think this one's going to be my favorite."

After all, it's the one that Riddle anointed him with.

He sticks close, arm to arm, feeling the cold nipping at his skin despite the warmth of his clothes. Fortunately, he sees a vendor up ahead selling hot drinks, so Cater points in that direction.

"Let's get some cocoa. That'll warm us both up while we go deeper into the park."

Their hands, once again clasped together, allows Riddle to step in line closer to Cater, using that hand to ground himself.

His favorite...?

Looking forward towards the vendor, Riddle nods slightly in agreement. "Cocoa..." Riddle murmurs, as if thinking it through. He'd... definitely heard the term before. Cocoa powder, that's what was used to make chocolate desserts, but it didn't taste good on its own. And, chocolate was derived from something similar, right?

Not wanting to admit his own lack of knowledge, the questioning on what it might taste like, Riddle continues on with Cater, towards the vendor.

Riddle doesn't disagree, which is good enough for Cater. He walks them toward the stall and orders two drinks--he could tolerate hot cocoa, it was more rich than sweet, after all. It only takes a moment before two to-go cups are handed over, and Cater smiles at his companion as he raises his own. "Cheers," he says. "To an unforgettable day."

He takes a sip, careful not to burn his tongue on the hot liquid. It's immediately warming, and Cater sighs as it seems through his body. Quickly, Cater glances over to Riddle, hoping that it's just as helpful for him.

The cup in hand was daunting. Similar to the first bite of a strawberry tart he'd ever had, the cup is held in an almost unnatural way after he'd been given it, as if it might bite him. Still, he lifts it with Cater, "To an unforgettable day." He copies.

Looking between it and Cater, he slowly brings it up, sipping carefully on the drink.
With wide eyes, Riddle stares down at the cup.

"..." This was... so delicious. What-- why had he never had anything like this before?! Taking another, longer sip, Riddle seems content, if not a little shocked. "... It's so good..." His admission brings the truth to light - this was the first taste of Hot Cocoa Riddle Rosehearts had ever had.

Edited 2024-04-21 07:14 (UTC)

Wait...that reaction. Did Riddle not know what it was going to taste like? Had Riddle never had hot cocoa before?! He can't help watching as the other teen gets really into his drink, the hand in his squeezing encouragingly. OMG...this was so cute! Cater wanted to say so, but made himself swallow the excitement, not wanting to make Riddle feel self-conscious about the lack of experience in this area.

"I'm glad you like it," he says instead, voice airy and casual. "There's nothing like a hot drink on a winter day!"

Once both of them are ready, they can start back down the trail again, snowy ground crunching under their feet as they carry on.

"Do you see anything else that you like?"

Which would be a horrible come-on if Cater didn't mean it literally.

It felt like he was a kid again, experiencing something sweet for the very first time. Riddle could feel the warmth of his cheeks, could feel the squeeze of the other boy's hand in his own, the cool air against his warm face. There has never been a day like this. How... was Cater able to drag him along on a day like this so easily, without planning even a little? It wasn't fair.

Starting back along the path, Riddle seems to shrink a little closer to Cater, further into the scarf around his neck to hide the lower half of his face from the cold.

Scanning their surroundings, it doesn't take much searching for Riddle to see something he likes. "There." Riddle takes a step forward quickly, tugging Cater by the hand again.

The area he tugs Cater towards is one that seems to be a small, more secluded area of the park. Two large willow trees stand there, forming almost an archway into a small winter escape. A simple little hanging bench sits in the middle of the small area, with different types of flower bushes and smaller ones blossomed around.

Riddle tugs Cater by the hand, seeming to finally be going off of his own instinct, for even a short moment.

As Riddle takes the lead again, Cater is happy to follow along. It becomes clear where they're going, and Cater lets out a small squeal of excitement. "Whoa, great choice! This place is totally cammable! We're definitely got to take some photos!"

But maybe...maybe first, they'll just enjoy it. Cater flops onto the bench once they get close enough, and he's definitely prepared to drag Riddle right down along with him if he needs to.

"This is the perfect place to stop and admire the scenery. It kind of feels like its own little world, doesn't it?"

"I thought you'd like it too," Riddle can't help but laugh at the way Cater squealed, hiding his laughter by taking another small sip of his cocoa, trying his best to be subtle in his laughter, in his enjoyment. It's still so new to feel things like this, to act like teenagers instead of small adults, trying to take on the world with their huge emotions.

As Cater flops onto the bench, Riddle does need a little extra tug, too distracted to actually sit himself down yet, his eyes focused on some of the flowers nearby.

"It's perfect." He continues looking around at all the little plants, the way the snow covered some of their leaves. "I think I like places like this one the most. A little hidden."

"Its own little world." He agrees.

Once Riddle is sitting down beside him, Cater leans against him, resting his head on top of those dark red locks. His eyes close halfway, seemingly more invested in the energy that's surrounding them than the overall beauty of the park. "When nobody else can look in on you, it kind of feels like you can really be yourself, doesn't it?"

Not that, you know, either of them would know anything about putting on a mask for the rest of the world.

Sitting there, hand in hand, Riddle could feel everything around them. The cool air, stinging his burning cheeks. The ache of his muscles, begging him to rest. The way that Cater leans in, resting his head atop his. Riddle's hand instinctively squeezes Cater's. "... Yeah..."

"It feels safe to be whoever you want, without worrying about anything. It's..." Riddle struggles to think of the word, shifting ever so slightly closer to Cater, keeping that cup held within his other hand.

"I wish I could always feel that safe. That free." The admission slips out before Riddle can stop it. With this closeness, the unnatural heat coming from Riddle would become a little more obvious. Maybe not obvious enough that it was worrying, but... it's definitely there.

Instead of continuing that train of thought, Riddle turns his head, hiding his face against Cater's arm, for just a second. No matter how gorgeous, how beautiful, their surroundings were... the only thing that mattered right now was the person he was with.

From this angle, Cater can't see Riddle's face, but the the sound of his voice, his words...they hit him in a way that he wishes they didn't. He has no words of comfort, no reassurances. Anything he could say would be hollow, hypocritical, because when does he ever feel safe to be himself? Cater always acted like whoever he wanted, a myriad of personalities at his disposal...but not a one of them felt safe. Felt right. Felt honest.

Sometimes, he wondered who he even was.

But this wasn't about him. This day wasn't about him. It was about Riddle, and he didn't want any intrusive thought ruining the energy they had going.

"Right now," he says slowly, "as long as you're here with me, you are that free."

Was that right? Could it really be that simple? Honesty, openness. It isn't something that Riddle is used to. Isn't something he's even sure Cater is used to, when he focuses on him for long enough. And yet, why do his eyes sting with emotions he wants to push down at all costs? Why does his hand squeeze Cater's harder, as if the other teen might let go and shove him away at any second?

"You're a fool."

Three words, spit out without a hint of malice.

"Words like those, said without even a second of hesitation. That's why, you know? Why you are my red camellia," Riddle huffs, turning his head away, as if annoyed that his own words couldn't describe the thoughts he had. "..."

"... I do..."
"Feel it. Feel safe. Here. With you."

Cater lets out a huff of a laugh. "Yeah," he agrees, "I am."

But he was happy to be a fool, to be Riddle's fool, if it made him happy. That was the role that he'd submitted to, when his last one had been stripped from him. It was comfortable, much more comfortable, to be the court jester, the dutiful soldier, than it had been to be anything higher on the totem pole. Riddle was much more suited for that level of responsibility, even if Cater worried for the pressure he clearly put upon himself.

Riddle's red camellia, huh?

"I'm glad. Let's stay here for awhile." They didn't need to rush. They had all day. Nobody was going to come chasing them down, and there weren't any duties they needed to attend to. There was just Riddle's hand in his, held so tightly. "You're so warm."

Let's stay here for awhile. Such a simple sentence, a simple statement. One that Riddle nods to, allowing more of his weight to fall against Cater. Touch, affection. It all felt so new, even if he'd felt it before, in passing. Even if, in more recent days, he'd felt more of it than he could ever say he had. His cup is brought up to his lips again, a soft sip of his cocoa being taken again, as he tries to refocus his attention on the world around them. On the boy he's with.

That... was the problem. His attention was taken so easily by Cater. His focus stolen by the previous Housewarden, whether that be from how their hands were clasped together or the words he'd spoken.

"Am I...?" Riddle murmurs in questioning, allowing his eyes to close part way. "Must be the cocoa." Riddle pushes the blame onto the drink.

If Cater worried, if Cater caught on... they might have to end this day early. Riddle doesn't want that.

"Yeah, that would do it," Cater agrees, sipping from his own hot drink. It doesn't seem like he's suspecting anything. Hasn't yet put the dots together that Riddle might not be doing so well. As far as he concerned, this has just been a nice day...maybe even a perfect one, so far.

From there, he's content to let them fall into silence. It's unusual, especially considering how chatty he'd been on the way into the park, to find Cater so quiet. Because Riddle can't see his face from the angle they're sitting together at, he allows his plastered smile to fall into a more neutral expression, feeling just as safe as Riddle seems to. For once, he just enjoys the natural sounds of the park around them. The occasional sound of an animal chirping, the rustling of the trees, the distant murmuring of another couple walking along or a vendor working.

"It's going to be hard to leave," he thinks aloud.

The silence was comfortable. The only noises around them were the sounds of nature, the sounds of people around them, not that they could really see the other people. It really was as if they'd vanished into their own little work, safe from any prying eyes. From any gaze that might peer for too long, might demand something of them, to ask them to pretend for a little longer, to put their masks back on and play the part like a puppet in a play.

A small thought aloud, the same thought that Riddle had begun to have-- Cater and him were thinking much of the same, weren't they?

"Not if we make plans to return." Riddle suggests. "We have a little under two weeks left of break. I don't see the harm in coming out here again at least once... Next time, I could bring something to read, you could scroll through Magicam. We could sit here for hours together."

Cater nods against Riddle's hair as he makes his suggestion. It puts a soft smile on his face. "Yeah," he agrees. "Let's come back."

It's not like they couldn't come back on a weekend after break, either, but...it felt different. Like something private would be intruded upon when there were more students around to witness it. Why? It shouldn't matter, really. Cater decides what he's really worried about is that Riddle will be too reluctant to come out when he'd rather be studying.

Yeah, that was definitely all it was.

Falling into silence again, Cater's quiet for awhile as he polishes off more of his cocoa. Even with the warmth of the drink and the warmth of Riddle's body heat, the chill from sitting still is starting to sink in a little too uncomfortably.

"Ready to get going?"

The only worry that made sense was that this spot could be taken up by someone else, another pair of students who found it, given that it wasn't all that hidden or hard to find. Sure, Riddle knew he'd love to make this a regular affair, to come to this spot every week, to spend hours upon hours sitting in each other's company in silence.... but that wasn't reasonable.

There's so many reasons why that wouldn't work. Why they wouldn't be able to do that, what would keep them from coming back when break was over.

Riddle works on drinking more of his own cocoa, a soft smile resting on his face, impossible to wipe away, even with the chill in the air.

By the time Cater asks, he's nearly finished with his drink. "In a moment." His hand pulls back from Cater's, despite his own internal protests. Taking off his glove for a second, he slips his small hand into Cater's pocket, snatching his phone before he can realize what he's doing. Pressing the button to turn the screen on, he swipes with his thumb to open the camera.

Holding the phone out in front of them, he sits up more properly, leaning up to let himself press closer to Cater, posing for once, purposefully. He seems to be capturing the background nicely in the photograph, as well as showing off the back of the small wooden swing bench they're on.

"You said you wanted a picture here. I'll take this one."

This is definitely a normal day filled with normal concerns by two very normal teenage boys. Nothing to overanalyze. Nothing to see here!

Cater's startled when Riddle reaches into his pocket, but then laughs as it becomes clear what he's doing. A grin spreads back across his face again as he gets in close, leaning in so that Riddle will be able to get a good photo with his shorter vantage point.

"Okay, I'm ready!"

Once the photo it taken, he laughs happily at how it looks on the screen. It's a whole different side of the two of them, isn't it? Nobody on Magicam would believe it to see Riddle in such a light. And speaking of Magicam...

"This is a good one. I think I'll keep it for myself."

Absolutely nothing to overanalyze, for if they did, maybe they'd realize how silly the both of them were being. Silly and dense, unable to see even a hint of the truth between them.

Riddle takes the photo once they're both ready, doing his absolute best to pose nicely against Cater, with a smile of his own that was so bright that he's sure only a few people had seen it.

Once it's taken, he moves the phone down to look at the photo with Cater, nodding in silent approval of his own photography skills, amateur as they were in comparison to Cater's.

"You will?" Riddle seems surprised, before letting out a small laugh, bringing his hand up as if to hide it. "Do whatever you want with it. I only ask one thing, regarding that photo."

"Send it to me."

With those four words, he pulls his glove back on, quickly drinking the last bit of his own cocoa. Then, he shifts to stand back up, preparing to continue on with Cater.

"Of course!" With the agreement to send Riddle the picture, Cater stashes his phone and stands, all but snatching Riddle's hand again to help pull him up. It wasn't like he needed the help, but Cater couldn't seem to help himself, as if he just wanted an excuse to hold onto the other boy's hand.

Weird!

Anyway, as to not think about that too much, he polishes off his own drink and starts to guide them first to the closest trash can so they can do away with the empty cups.

"Have you ever tried ice skating? There's a pond deeper into the park that freezes over around this time, and they usually have someone supplying skates. We could do that, if it sounds like fun."

Riddle allows his hand to be taken, almost feeling lost without the hand in his own. He's not going to question that whatsoever, deciding it wasn't anything he needed to worry about right this second. It's only due to how they'd been holding hands this whole day, obviously.

It wasn't like Riddle wanted to hold hands. No way. Not even if it felt nice, comfortable.

As soon as they get to the trash bin, Riddle tosses his cup away, his eyes widening and his smile turning a little nervous.

Ice skating...
"I've never done it," There's a brief hesitation in his tone, before he offers a firm nod. "We can try. You have to promise to help me. If I fall it'll be your fault! Got it?"

"Hey, what kind of loyal card soldier would I be if I let you fall?"

Squeezing Riddle's hand, Cater can't help the pep in his step as he leads them forward, toward the frozen pond. It doesn't take too long before it comes into view, and like Cater said, there's a stand nearby advertising skates. Like the rest of the park, it seems like they have it pretty much to themselves--they definitely picked a good time to come and check things out.

"I'll help you lace them up and everything. Now, let's get you fitted with a pair."

There's a slight nervous energy practically radiating from Riddle as they head for the pond. A new experience was one thing when it came to sweets. A new experience with physical activity? That's a whole other issue, something that Riddle might actually have trouble with. More so than he was trying to let on.

"Oh-- alright." He moves towards the stand. It only takes a few moments of chatting with the person working at the stand to figure out which pair might fit Riddle the best. He waits for Cater to get his too before moving over to a nearby bench, sitting himself down.

Leaning down, he starts to work on getting his heels off first. Why oh why did he have to wear such complicated shoes?!

"Have you gone ice skating before?" He thinks to ask finally, wondering how experienced Cater was with it.

Once they reach the bench, Cater has no trouble slipping off his sneakers and getting into his skates. It seems like he knows what he's doing, considering how easily he gets the laces snugly tied. He gives Riddle a moment, letting him get his own shoes off and put his feet into the skates, before he kneels down into the snow to help with lacing them up.

"Yeah, I've gone a handful of times. Both here during the season and at home, depending on where we're living at the time. Most of the places we've lived in have snowy winters, but there have been a couple where it doesn't get cold enough to go ice skating outdoors." There were indoor skating rinks, of course, but Cater wasn't interested enough in the activity to seek it out to that extent. That required having enough friends you cared about going out with, after all. Most of the people Cater was friendly with, he wouldn't necessarily want to spend an extended amount of time with--it would be too tiring to stay "on" for them that long. Doing so between classes was tiring enough.

As he explains his ice skating experience, Cater's fingers make quick work of Riddle's laces. He explains, "I have to make them a bit tight, so you don't hurt your ankles if you lose balance--not that I'll let you fall, just like I promised."

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