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Mystik,
It's been a slow and trying time, and the one potential lead with the news of a vault key lead nowhere. It only took us to a room underground with high tier loot. The two idiots I was stuck with spent more time taking pictures and talking about bragging in being the first there.
This place has a more expansive area than expected, and it's taking much longer to find the information I need. With the distance between each spot, it takes time for squads to run into each other. It just means though that fights break-out immediately when we do, and I am too busy trying not to get shot at to search. Sorry. You must be seeing that happen a lot and don't need the reminder.
Though as for what else has been shown from the matches, it is taken out of context. There is nothing going on between that fool and I. He's can't resist staying out of danger for five minutes like that other one and he enjoys the sound of his voice too much.
With the amount of the other competitors who seclude themselves away, it's not so unusual that I am able to keep my distance from everyone and keep any interactions minimal. Remaining safe. Write more when I can. Family forever.
-TJP
There was a knock at the door, and Crypto's hand slipped on the 'P', smudging it into a slight 'R' instead. He frowned, and slipped the letter into his drawer with a reminder to fix it later. He left his bedroom just as a voice called out,
"Crypto, you in there?"
He opened the door just a sliver, and found Mirage outside with his arms crossed. "What do you want?"
Mirage huffed. "Oh, so you'll answer the door but ig-inore-not your phone? I've been texting about what you wanted for dinner tonight." his shoulders hunched, and he glanced away. "Just thought I'd be nice and let you choose this time."
It took a second for Crypto to remember his phone was turned off, and in his drawer with his letter. He'd spent much of the night trying to search through the compound for anything of use, but it was a dead end and cost him hours of sleep deprivation. "It will have to wait. I am not hungry."
His stomach chose that moment to grumble. Traitor.
A slow grin stretched across Mirage's lips. "Oh, yeah, I can see you're not hungry at all. I mean, it's not like you don't got someone," he gestured to himself, "who can make you food and it won't cost anything-well, if you don't want to leave your room it'll cost you my amazing company."
Crypto learned the quickest way so far to counter Mirage's babbling was to ignore it. "Fine. It doesn't matter. Make what you want."
Mirage laughed and clapped his hands togethers. "Oh, feeling adve-ade-adeve-really going out there, huh? Alright, I'll be back soon." he winked at him before departing.
"No need to rush." Crypto muttered as he closed the door. He went for his phone and the second he unlocked it, his inbox was flooded with missed texts.
4:05 Hey, just wanted to know what you'd like to eat.
4:30 You there? Crypto?
5:00 If you don't answer, I'm just gonna make pork chops again. You can deny it, but I know you liked them the last time.
5:10 Okay, I won't make pork chops. It was just a joke.
5:34 Seriously, did I do something wrong? Are you alright?
6:00 If you don't want me to check on you, call me an idiot again.
6:12 Alright, I'm taking that as a 'come save me, Elliott'.
Crypto glanced at the time in the corner of the inbox. 6:18. 'That idiot.' he thought. He wasn't sure if this was genuine concern or just Mirage being clingy. The latter was easier to rationalize, so that's the option he was choosing.
Just as with his initial assumption about Mirage being correct, the quick turnaround in the man's attitude toward him was suspicious enough to search him out. Perhaps if he hadn't, Crypto wouldn't have learned...all that. Or whether Mirage remembered everything he told him. The 'friends' idea clearly stuck in his head, and this whole thing was a bad idea he should have stopped in its tracks.
Why hadn't he? It was something he'd been trying to figure out since the first match here. Were he petty, Crypto would blame this on Lifeline for telling Mirage to carry him. But no, they both went along with it, and he didn't tell Mirage to put him down when it became clear no one else was in the area. Or why he hadn't shoved Mirage away when the man fell alseep on him, let alone accept the rhetorical offer for dinner.
It was the weather. That had to be it. It clearly snowed earlier, and so the air was colder. The extra warmth offered by sticking close lessened the chill. And must have slowed his ability to process thoughts properly and avoid this whole thing.
Although, if Mirage did develope some form of attraction towards him, Crypto likely would have been subjected to whatever the former considered flirting.
On second thought, perhaps it was for the best to just have skipped that altogether.
-
Little under an hour later, the smell caught his attention before the knock did. Crypto waited just a beat for his stomach to quit rumbling again before he opened the door. Mirage held out a covered plate like he was offering flowers, his other hand clenched at his side.
"How great is it you got someone who can make you a meal in just forty minutes?" he grinned.
"I did not know Gibraltar made this." Crypto said.
Mirage's cheeks flushed and his mouth turned downward. "What? N-no, I meant me. I was talking about me."
"Just as you often are." he retorted, and grabbed the plate. It was warm through the ceramic, and he peered under the plastic cover. "You made me breakfast for dinner?"
"Yeah, perfect time for it." Mirage said. His shoulders hunched, and he raised his other hand to drop two syrup packets onto the plate. "And I found these, so enjoy, I guess." he shrugged. Perhaps he assumed he was being nonchalant, but the gesture still looked nervous.
For a moment, Crypto considered just ending the conversation there. It would be for the best. He opened the door a little more. "Come in." This was a bad idea.
Mirage's eyes widened, before he quickly covered it with a smug smile. "You're actually letting me inside the cave?"
"I can always slam this door in your face." he muttered.
Mirage touched his cheek reflexively, wincing. "Just kidding! This is great, really. I mean, you've already seen the inside of my apa-aprt-room."
Yet another mistake Crypto hadn't realized until it was too late. There was a mess hall everyone could use, why hadn't he just told Mirage to bring the food there? Going into the man's apartment was no different than his space on the dropship. Lots of loud colors and memorabilia of himself decorating the place.
Crypto kept his eye on Mirage as the man stepped inside, glancing around. Disappointment crossed his features. "I thought you just kept your space on the ship empty because you didn't bring it all yet. This place is kinda..." he trailed off, likely because he caught the expression on Crypto's face.
"It's Spartan." he said curtly.
Mirage blinked. "Oh, I didn't know you liked Greek stuff."
Crypto stared at him. "Idiot." he muttered, and Mirage puffed up indignantly so he added, "You can sit on the couch, don't touch anything." he waited for his drone to leave it's docking station before even thinking of turning his back on Mirage.
The man was a fool to lower his guard in an unfamiliar setting. He sat on the sofa and leaned back against it as he put his hands behind his head. The drone hovered just out of his reach, optic trained on him. "Your drone followed me around my dorm when you were there too, I think it likes me." he tilted his head and grinned at him.
Crypto took a bite of the pancake to avoid answering.
"I mean, it is kinda cute when it follows you around. Like a puppy, a robot, flying puppy. That blasts out an EMP. Though, I don't get something; does it sur-survl-record everything on its own, or do you have to tell it to? Also, can you see what it does without that screen-thing or did you just like me carrying you?"
"I believe in that match, I was carrying you." Crypto glossed over much of Mirage's ramblings as background noise, but getting a dig in was too good to pass up.
The other man crossed his arms. "Of course you'd hear that part." he muttered, before he abruptly changed from sullen to cheerful. "At least I know you're listening."
"Hard not to." he said, and Mirage beamed as though it were meant as a compliment.
"Huh, you like X-Files too?" he asked.
Crypto's shoulders tensed. "I said not to-" he stopped, because upon inspection, Mirage was staring at the coffee table in front of the couch, where he'd left the DVD case open. It was a good thing the other man wasn't looking at him, because Crypto could feel his cheeks heating up with something he wouldn't call embarrassment.
Mirage leaned closer to the table, the drone drifting a little with the movement. "Where did you find this? I didn't think they made DVD's anymore." he leaned back, and gave a soft chuckle. "My brothers and I would spend hours watching each season late into the night that Mom always had to remind us to get to bed and-and-" he stuttered, the dreamy tone in his voice abruptly shifting, "and I'd have the worst circles under my eyes. And the lack of sleep was bad for my skin."
Ah, right. Mirage was so open and so easy to find information on, it wasn't even a challenge. Getting rid of it had been only just a little harder, and it was easier to believe Mirage was here for the money and fame. The times he slipped up, that his persona faltered and Elliott came through made his motives just a little less shallow.
Crypto stopped that train of thought before it even began. It was a bad idea to get lost in his memories. This whole thing with Mirage was a bad idea. A distraction. "I'm done, you can have your plate back."
Mirage blinked. "That's why you let me in? Just so you didn't have to wash it after you got done?" he glanced towards the cupboards above the sink. "Do you even have real ute-utn-dishes or just containers?"
"Of course I do. I'm just too busy to cook, so be glad I didn't poison your soup." And the morbid thought came just as swift; how easy it could have been. How easy it could be to do a lot with Mirage's back to him and the fool thinking he's actually safe.
How...trusting he was. It was either arrogance, or naivety. Maybe both.
"What do you sur-srv-live on? Energy drinks and coffee?"
Yes, but Crypto was not admitting anything to let this man know he was right about something.
"You can leave now." he stood by the door, and opened it to get the point across.
Mirage huffed and dragged himself off the couch. He took the plate back, and paused for a moment in the doorway. "You know, maybe we can watch the X-Files sometime-or you can lend it to me. Or-or something. I'm fine with whatever." he glanced away, shrugging.
It was not quick enough to hide the flush on his face.
This had to stop, draw a line neither of them could cross. A line Crypto couldn't cross. Mirage was a naive fool to want-whatever it was from him, but he wasn't that far behind either.
"I'll think about it." And he closed the door just as Mirage's face lit up.