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"See, that's smart right there. Combine what you like all into one thing. If I could, I'd combine Botany with Forensic Science. There's a little bit of overlap, but not a whole lot. So Gotta go with the one I like more." Nothing more amusing than watching Investigation Discovery when bored... Though it was all old crimes from before the 2000s. Everything after that was probably Negaverse related and wiped clean from any report channels.

Go figure.

As a little bit of the chill got to him, he snuggled in closer to Chip, who let out a minorly annoyed 'mew' sound.

"Hmm... I eat anything, and I used to love cinnamon and stuff like that, but all of a sudden, I started hating it... So these days I just really love those thick udon noodles in anything. Chip really likes gummy things. Just gnaws on it for days. Churu bites, gummy sharks if he can steal them, Crocs, he loves crocs." Was it a joke? Based on that big a** grin Theo had, who knows? What he did know was that the frost was creeping up on the car fast, and whatever warmth the car had couldn't seem to keep up with it.

"... It's really ******** cold, and it's icing over. You sure you don't want to come inside for a bit?I'd feel really guilty if you just ate s**t while you were driving back home because you dropped me off."

"That sounds like both time, and money, and I like being decently lazy." The only reason he was in college any way was because someone had to be a NAG. He had no desire to get into forensics when it would ultimately just be going "oh, it's the Negaverse again." and having to cover s**t up.

Luckily for both of them, a good ol' shove managed to get Theo's door open, though he immediately drew in a sharp breath at just how cold it was. "Come on, climb over the seat and let's go inside. I think my nose is going to fall off my face if we're out here any longer!"

"Who knew you'd be out like this? Hell, who knew it was going to ice up like that?" It only took a second to get into his apartment. Originally a typically key lock to get into the room, Chip had updated it to work with his phone, a quick scan of the RFID reader onto it had it popping open no problem. Had it been anything other than Mauvian tech, he wouldn't have trusted it, but it worked great as it was!

Inside was warm, almost *too* warm, to keep all the plants thriving. Humid, damp, that was the best way to describe the main entrance area, like stepping into the jungle. But past that, into the living room, it was a pleasantly warm space.

Again, thank Chip for all the regulator stuff, otherwise his hobbies wouldn't be able to keep up with his need to live comfortably. Who the hell could sleep in that 78 degree heat?!

"Uh... Thanks." Theo's smile was sheepish, awkward... He took pride in his plants and how they flourished here, but this was the first time in nearly a year someone had been able to actually compliment him on them. And back then, they weren't nearly so vast.

A small redness came to his cheeks at the praise, but it hardly lasted as he whipped out his phone to check.

"s**t, sorry! I know I saw it, and thought I gave it a heart emote or something, but it might have been when I dropped my phone in the snow. Took me a good 10 minutes to find it..." Despite the kinda person he was, his house was hardly barren. It almost looked cozy, if you ignored the fact that the walls were bare except for the occasional dangling plant.

"Charlie looks really, really great! I think you're doing a great job taking care of him. I knew you had Plant-dad vibes!"

"That's fine. Let me get you some PJs or something. You're about my size, so it should fit." It didn't seem a problem at all even thinking about someone else wearing his clothes. Partially because he had no shame or shyness when it came to it. As long as he didn't cut holes in it or something, he was fine with it all.

At the mention of Chip though, Theo pulled the meowing kitten from his coat, and put him right onto Holland's lap. And for a long while, Chip just stared at Holland, eyes have squinted as if sizing him up... Then put on the whole perfect kitten act for him. Because of course he was absolutely perfect in any way.

Seeing that Chip was settled, for lack of a better word, Theo disappeared around the corner, though didn't stop talking. "I don't think you panicked all that much! And you're well on your way already! You care about what you do. And that's like, 90% of the battle for plant dominance. If you care, they will try. But when you don't, they will die. People are like that too, as far as I can tell."

Chip had so many thoughts all at once, but not one could be demanded as he was held gently as the boy before him didn't radiate the chaos energy he needed to be comfortable speaking. So instead he showered Holland with a series of rapid fire mews and a pat with his paw as a confirmation that yes, he did in fact want toys, treats, AND that extra croc he was talking about.

"Yeah, plant dominance. They all want to bend over and die super easily unless the world is perfect for them. SO you need to assert dominance! They can spread like a disease, and hurt the rest around them, so some need to just be contained. It's a battle in its own right, I think." Theo came back around with a pair of warm, gingerbread themed pajama pants, and a green t-shirt. Basic, but comfy, as promised.

"Here, you can wear these, and if you want to shower, it's right through that door." He gave a point towards the hallway, then took a seat right beside Holland. Yes, he was terribly iffy about the idea of anyone being so close to him, but if Chip thought they were decent enough not to flee from, then being like this... It wouldn't be so bad.

"... I really didn't expect anyone over, like ever, but if you get hungry, I got hot cocoa and a few frozen pizzas. Nothing fancy like your cafe, but it'll do. Uh... I also got some games, and all the streaming stuff, so if you just wanna vibe, that works too." Was he awkward? Yes, terribly so, since how the ******** was he supposed to treat someone nicely? It made little sense to him, but he couldn't exactly start blabbing about the Negaverse and School, could he?

... Could he?

Nah, probably not like this. He couldn't imagine Holland being anything but a simple civ. He was way too nice.

"He likes Genshum Impact." Theo said this as normal as anything, as if he was telling a true fact. Chip, in response, did look towards him, but then went back to doing the play fighting with Holland. This one, yes, he could like this one alot! Shame he didn't have that little spark he was always keeping an eye out for.

Theo himself didn't seem bothered at all by the changing, though he did leave the room to get the oven to pre-heat, so whatever show there was, he just happened to conveniently miss it. What a shame! Maybe he would have seen something he liked, or maybe he would have lamented just how scrawny he was himself. Oh well!

"Perfect then, I got them both. Wifi is "ChipsAhoy", and the password is "NoYouCannotEatTheCrocsAgain!", All one word, but each actual word is caps, with an Exclamation point at the end. Once you connect, youshould be able to control the TV with your phone, no sweat! I haven't watched Anime since "That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime" was new! Lil doopy pretty boy kinda looked like me, if I was like, 30% more baby." Came his voice echoing down the hall again.

Had he admitted it, Theo... Well, he found this nice. A home with another person in it. Sure, it was awkward as hell to keep his presence in mind but... There was a warmth to it. A familiarity that he didn't realize he lacked. Maybe he should invite Holland over more often, if this all went well... "Milk or water in your Cocoa? Uh, I got regular milk and Cashew milk."

"Honestly, I don't know. I guess he likes that one of the characters looks like him in Genshin?" There was one particular character, Bebbet or something, that did look awfully close to Chips chosen people attire... But who came first, the Chip or the other kid, who's to say? Probably Chip because he was older than 15. Probably. Mauvians were weird.

The kitten looked plenty pleased with all of this, moving to sit up ontop of Holland's head after winning the fight. The head or shoulder was his preferred spot after all, especially if someone had a hat on!

"Milk it is! But... I don't know if I should be Slime Kid Rimiru. I think he's more pretty boy. You'd suit him better. I'm more like his weird fat-nosed goblin friend." Him? A baby? Nonsense! He couldn't imagine it one bit, but it did have him smiling a bit... Just a little. A vague memory poked at his mind, someone calling him these things before. He wondered if he accepted it, or swatted at them.

It was far too far away to remember, so he didn't bother.

"Chip can be a slime. Just put him in a hampster ball that looks like one."