Everything About the Bromance ((Calix Kiril))

The boy paced back and forth in his room, something he wasn't totally unfamiliar with doing. Although it mostly happened late at night when Elijah couldn't sleep, he couldn't deny it...he was a pacer. Actually, at this point, he wasn't sure how there wasn't already a path burned into the floor. Because Elijah always walked the same path...back and forth, back and forth. It helped the boy to be moving when he really needed to think. And right now there was so much on his mind, the boy wasn't sure how his head hadn't exploded yet. Between his responsibilities as a Praetor, all those confusing thoughts about Jack, and the (ever present) worries about Lúth and Calix dating (because as much as Elijah liked and trusted his fellow Praetor, he didn't want to see his older sister get hurt. Even though he knew she could take care of herself). And of course, part of that was the son of Discordia's jealousy that the two had found each other and were happy together. He knew he shouldn't think about it as much as he did, but Elijah wanted to be that happy too. The problem was he didn't really see that happening for him. The boy figured he'd end up alone (although River had promised she'd never let him be alone, but that was different). Alone, with a million cats...he'd be a nerdy Latin teacher who wore sweater vests and bow ties and...

For as obsessively neat and (usually) well presented Elijah was, his head was almost always a chaotic mess. He supposed it kind of came with the territory of being a child of chaos herself, but it was pretty annoying most of the time. The best analogy Elijah had come up with (because he thought about these things) was that his head was kind of like a tangled ball of yarn. He started tugging on an end and with each tug, a new thought came to him. Sometimes there were knots or snags and Elijah would think about it for awhile (until he untangled the knot, of course), but most of the time it was just an endless stream of thoughts. And it was usually hard to focus on just one, but over the years, the boy had gotten better at it. Because it had always been this way. His teachers had always wanted him tested for ADHD (something his father had always refused he had...along with Bipolar and IED) but it all made a lot more sense now, knowing that his mother was Discordia. The chaotic thoughts especially...that tangled ball of yarn. Everything was utterly insane in Elijah's head. He just did a very good job of hiding it. But right now, his thoughts were jumping and there was nothing the boy could do about it.

Jack...oh Gods, Jack. Elijah could barely stop thinking about the older boy. It was getting a little crazy, too...especially keeping up the front that he was very much in hate. There was no way the boy could talk to River about these things...the tightening in his chest when he thought of Jack, the way he couldn't breathe right when he saw him walking around camp, the way he cried himself to sleep half the time thinking about how they could never be together...River was Elijah's best friend, but she wouldn't get it. She hated Jack too much...and thought Elijah hated Jack just as much. If Elijah went to River to talk, she would probably go nuts, get exasperated, maybe even angry. At any rate, the boy couldn't risk it. Maybe he would talk to Lúth about it...but his sister probably wouldn't be much help. She rarely was. Gods...there had to be someone Elijah could talk to about his strange changing feelings for Jack. The scar...But I don’t want to forget the man that changed me. It killed Elijah. At first he hadn't even believed it...but the more he had thought about it (and he had thought about it a lot), the more the boy actually did believe it. Somewhere along the way, Elijah had changed Jack...and there was no one he could talk to about how Jack had changed him. Except...then it hit him. Someone he liked and trusted...someone who would listen without judging...Calix.

The idea hit Elijah like a ton of bricks. Calix would listen without judging...hell, Calix barely talked...but when he did talk, it had meaning and thought. Not the random, weird bracchae that Elijah typically spewed. Well, Elijah could talk meaningfully and thoughtfully, but most of the time he just rambled. It probably had something to do with the way his brain worked. Although a lot of the time, the boy spent a lot of time thinking of hitting people and stuff. After much thought, he had figured out that he embodied the more angry side of Discordia. Maybe the side that started the Trojan War for no apparent reason, too. With a sigh, Elijah knew that he was awfully angry a lot. And violent. At least his "body count" was much lower at camp than it had ever been before. High school had been a nightmare. The boy had been beating people up almost daily. Okay, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, but Elijah was constantly beating people up in his high school. It was a small wonder he hadn't been expelled earlier (though the son of Discordia suspected that had quite a bit to do with his teachers...who were the only living beings in the school that actually liked him). Anyway...talking to Calix. With a soft sigh, Elijah left his room and walked over to Calix's. He stared at the door for a moment, unsure of what to say. Opening it and peeking inside, Elijah blurted out, "Calix, are you banging my sister yet?"...oops.

Calix was having a quiet day. He rose well before the sun and settled himself in his chair, starting work early with the hopes that he'd finish before lunch. By ten in the morning it looked as if he'd accomplish that goal. The Legacy of Bellona rose and stretched, putting the folder he had open on his desk to the side for now. His eyes wandered instinctively to the doors of the Principia, more than a small part of him expecting someone to come bursting in with a problem to ruin his calm. After two minutes, no one came. Calix 'hmmed' under his breath. Odd. In a pleasantly surprising way. Calix moved his chair further back and took a step from behind his desk, testing to see if his luck would hold. And it did. Another 'hm' followed by a testing step. Funny. This had never happened before. So before Calix's luck found its usual path, the Praetor escaped into his room, closing the door quietly behind him. The Kiril genes that forever compelled him to do something productive caused him to press his ear to the door, just in case his luck was a little late in catching up. No sound. Third time was always the charm, right? Even without a problem to solve, Calix could find something to do.... his eyes found the three cardboard boxes stuffed under his desk and the increasingly taller stack of clean laundry he kept neglecting to put away neatly in his dresser...

Childishly, Calix wanted something to distract him from this responsibility. But he couldn't escape it. His desire to have his hands busy doing something, be it writing or with a gladius in his hand, overtook his desire to lay in bed and stare at the ceiling. So even when he wasn't supposed to be working, he worked. And what would have been mindless labor, Calix had to multi-task and think as he moved. Mostly about the one distraction that could pull him away from any job, no matter how important or how badly he had to finish it. All it took was one smile. One word. Or even better: no words, no eye contact, just a purposeful walk into his bedroom with a brief glance and smirk before Lúthien Anárion left the door open invitingly. Calix smirked to himself and thinking further about this distraction made the sorting of his clothing a lot easier. And Calix didn't just like it when Lúthien distracted him behind closed doors, the daughter of Discordia always seemed to find a way to worm her way into his everyday thoughts, causing him to blank out at the most inconvenient of times. But he didn't care. It was then that Calix realized he was doing just that and, in his thoughts, he'd finished putting everything away... so now what?

The cardboard boxes. The Praetor pulled one out. If he remembered correctly, they contained some old memorabilia from his old Villa in the original New Rome. He used a pocket-knife to open the box and peered inside. Yes. Old family photos, books from his father's study, wooden swords that Calix used to practice with as a child under the eyes of his father. The thought passed Calix's mind to write Joshua Kiril a letter. He hadn't done so in a few months... mainly because his father had yet to reply to his last one. Calix knew his father's busy schedule. Even not being a Senator any longer, the ex-Praetor always found a way to keep busy but always making time for his son when things calmed down even a smidge. He would like to hear that Calix found his childhood things. The Praetor looked at these things fondly and wondered why he never placed these around his quarters before. Then he looked at his newly cleared desk. Ah. That's why. But before he started to pull everything out and placing things every which where, he had to sort them out... So Calix bent his knees and lifted the large box, intending to carry it to his bed and lay out all the stuff...

But didn't get there. Just as Calix took one step, his door opened again. Mentally, Calix sighed. He glanced to the threshold. Oh, it was only Elijah. The Praetor gave the younger boy an inviting smile. What did he- "Calix, are you banging my sister yet?" "What?!" BANG! "OUCH!" The sudden and blunt question took Calix by surprise and, in his shock, the box slipped out of his hands and dropped on his foot. All forty or so pounds of it. Calix cursed and hopped around for a second. He ended up supporting himself by holding onto his bedframe. Through gritted teeth and throbbing pain, Calix tried to formulate a response. Oh no. Calix remembered Elijah's reaction when he saw Calix and Lúthien together in the same bed.... on complete accident. Elijah had given Calix the punch of a lifetime.... he'd surely die now. "Wh-why would you ask that?" He decided to ask, playing it safe. "You look nice today..." Killed it.

Perhaps part of Elijah's problem was that he was too impulsive. Actually, that was probably a big part of the problem. One thing was on his mind, but he jumped to something else simply because...well, there was just that impulse. And a crazy curiosity about things, most of which were none of his business. Seriously, the question he had posed to Calix had absolutely nothing to do with him (until he started trying to justify it by thinking...well, Lúth was his sister, and Calix was his friend and fellow Praetor, so it had a little to do with him...) And maybe it was a little rude to do all that...but Elijah hadn't been planning on that. Honestly, the boy wasn't planning on doing much more than sticking his head into Calix's room and asking if his fellow Praetor had some time to talk. As a friend though, not as a fellow official. But that ridiculous impulse and curiosity had taken over, turning it all into something else entirely. And the son of Discordia felt a little bad about that, but he couldn't really take it back now. The damage had already been done...and Calix had dropped a large and heavy looking box on his foot. Elijah cringed slightly, rushing forward into Calix's room.

"Sorry!" Elijah frowned slightly, trying to help Calix steady himself as he gripped the bedframe. "I didn't mean to...uh...surprise you like that. Is your foot okay?" there was no way the boy could back himself out of this corner. At least it was a tiny bit reassuring that Calix was probably thinking the same thing. Just as Lúth brought out the more human side to Calix, Elijah figured he kind of did the same thing. In a different way, of course. And for a second, the boy couldn't help but think of how his and Calix's relationship had changed...from the moment the younger boy had first stepped foot in the Principia to now. Things really were a lot different. Calix had changed a lot in general (though Elijah suspected that was largely due to his relationship with Lúth)...hell, Elijah had changed a lot in general. Aside from the whole thing where he still hit people and stuff (though it was a much less frequent occurrence), Elijah was just more mature. Or maybe people around here just angered him less. Better people. Not that it was too hard to beat his former peers on the 'better people' scale. Besides, the boy actually liked his fellow campers. Most of them, anyway. There were a few that bothered him, but being a Praetor and having to face things much more diplomatically made for a much more tolerant Elijah (on the outside, anyway...even if in his head he was imagining beating them to a pulp).

Elijah was so lost in his head that it took him a moment to process Calix's question. "Oh...just curious, I guess. I mean, isn't that what couples do after awhile?" thoughtfully, Elijah raised his eyebrow at his friend's statement. "Calix...I look the way I always look. I mean, I tried something new with my makeup that I think looks pretty good, but you never really struck me as the kind of guy who would really notice something like that...no offense." Knowing that wasn't the point and his fellow Praetor's tactic was more 'Keep Elijah's mind off me and Lúth so he doesn't murder me', Elijah figured he might as well try some friendly reassurance. Although he wasn't quite sure what to say. The boy had never been very reassuring, and he didn't want to say the wrong thing and really mess everything up. He just wanted to make sure Calix knew that the idea and all didn't make him angry and he wasn't going to hit his friend (again). It would just be nice to have a guy friend to talk to about all these things. In the way that they could feel comfortable with each other and all that. Elijah loved River to death and she was his best friend in the whole world, but despite being (hopelessly) gay, Elijah was still a guy with mostly girl friends. After a moment of trying to get all these thoughts in order, the boy figured he could say a lot of this to Calix. By means of an explanation and a reason why Elijah had actually come to Calix to try and sort out some of his feelings about Jack.

With a soft sigh, Elijah shrugged. "It doesn't make me angry, Calix. I'm not stupid, I know how things develop. I just want to be able to talk, you know? And I swear, I'm not going to lose my head and hit you or anything. Especially if you're just honest with me. And part of me just wants to be kept in the loop. You're my friend and Lúth is my sister...and we both know she's not going to be telling me anything..." shrugging again, Elijah looked down at the floor. Saying all this had made Elijah realize something new...he was completely jealous of Calix and Lúth. They made a stunning couple, and in some very odd way, made a lot of sense together. It was something the boy didn't think he'd ever find with anyone. That wasn't exactly something he wanted to admit to Calix right away, though. Of course, Elijah being Elijah, it would come out sooner or later. Probably sooner if he and Calix kept talking about this. The thought did weigh him down a little, though. With a humorless snort, Elijah looked back up. "And...you know, most of my friends are girls. Which is totally okay and all, but sometimes I just need to talk to a guy about...things. I have a lot to sort through and I would appreciate having someone non-judemental and level headed to talk to about it all..." with a deep breath, Elijah gave a guilty grin. "But I messed up the order a little. I guess. So are you and Lúth...um...you know...doing it?"

No his foot was not ok. Compared to other injuries he had had in the past, the slowly pulsating pain starting from his toes was ranked as a half on a scale of one to ten. It was the panic induced by Elijah's question that packed the most punch. His hand on the bedframe steadied himself from falling back and hurting himself even further, but when he saw Elijah come running in out of the corner of his eyes, he nearly let go. The same panicked and instinctive side of Calix that didn't involve much thought assumed that Elijah took his surprise as a 'yes' and was now going in for the kill. The Praetor braced himself for a kick or a punch or a stab but all that came from the younger boy was worry. Calix opened the eye he scrunched shut and saw Elijah with his hands outstretched, trying to help in any which way he could. Calix felt the not unfamiliar wave of relief wash over him when became certain that Elijah didn't have him in his crosshairs. Calix had to admit (something he didn't do often) that the son of Discordia always kept him on his toes. In a good way. It kept Calix in line. Funny how Calix thought this to be a good thing.... had it been a few months ago, he would have been offended at the thought. A Kiril needing to be kept in line?!

And what was funnier: he only allowed Elijah to get away with that. It might have been the fact that Elijah was also a Praetor and his equal, but Calix knew that his respect for the younger boy's opinion and concern for his well-being stemmed from something much deeper than that. It started when Calix walked into Elijah's room when the latter was completely distraught over a boy. Usually not one for advice, Calix actually tried to assist Elijah in his problem. And he thought he did rather well. From then on, the two had this mutual... relationship. A friendship. They talked a lot more often... and of stuff other than work. But never before had they talked about... erm... his and Lúthien's.... relationship-past-the-fact-that-they-actually-had-a-relationship. Calix looked at Elijah and set his foot down. It hurt to but weight on it, but other than that. "Fine," he answered curtly but not rudely, wanting badly to drop the subject and, more importantly, what led up to that subject. He racked his mind for ways to divert the conversation, but Elijah had already plowed on, and Calix had no choice (at the moment) but to go with it.

Calix froze at Elijah's explanation and shrugged non-chalantly. Is that what couples did after a while? Calix didn't know. He didn't know anything! Why would anyone else think any different? Calix took a deep breath, aware that his panic was running away again. Elijah didn't hit him the first time. Hopefully that meant that he wouldn't be hit at all? One could never be too careful. It seemed that all Calix was capable of doing was shrugging because that's how he responded yet again. He sort of got away with his attempt at changing the topic, but Elijah was right: Calix usually didn't notice things like that... "It's... ah... slightly noticeable," he said pathetically. Someone really needed to teach Calix how to lie. Though he didn't think his father, forever the traditional value Roman, would appreciate that. For a second, as the silence stretched, Calix wondered if he had succeeded.... but of course not. Elijah wasn't stupid. One of the many things the older boy admired about him.

And evidently, Elijah wasn't angry. He addressed Calix's fear, assuring him of his safety if his question proved to be true. The Praetor tried to smile. As long as he was honest with him. Keeping him in the loop. Lúthien wouldn't tell him anything. Now that made the smile a bit easier. Lúthien would sooner fight hellhounds than talk about their relationship with her brother... especially in that sense. Something after that, however, caught Calix's attention: the way Elijah broke eye contact and decided to be come interested in Calix's floor. It was sudden. And, from this angle, Calix thought he saw whatever facial expression Elijah had fade away. Only for a second, though because Elijah immediately went back to dominating the conversation. Now Calix didn't have to force anything. The Legacy of Bellona chuckled slightly, standing now comfortably on his feet and ran a hand through his hair. "At least you have friends," he countered, smiling. So Elijah did come for another reason... a non-judgmental and level-headed person. Well. He was flattered. Ah," Calix began. "No, no, this order is good. We can always come back to your question later...."

It was a little funny, how much Elijah had come to respect and admire Calix. In all honesty, the older boy was a lot of the things Elijah had always wished he could be. Especially during the roughest times back in high school...dignified, level headed, a lot, really. Of course, it was all before the boy knew his mother was Discordia (or a Roman Goddess at all) and at this point, Elijah knew he could never really be what Calix was. But that was kind of a good thing when it came to them leading Camp Jupiter together...although the boy was pretty hot-headed, outspoken and rather volatile, the two really kept each other in check. It was actually a really nice balance, when Elijah thought about it. The funniest part...to the son of Discordia, anyway, was how wary and hesitant he had been towards Calix at first. Truly, Elijah hadn't trusted him and had little regard for who he was and how decent he really was. Then again, the boy had always been pretty defiant and never had too much respect for authority figures. His teachers back in school he could handle...they taught him things and Elijah did like to learn...but his principal (who was a jerk anyway...or so Elijah perceived him as such) was nothing but an annoyance to Elijah. It had taken Elijah a little after meeting Calix as his fellow Praetor and all that for the boy to realize he had become something of an authority figure himself. It had truly been a slightly horrifying revelation.

But Elijah really had a lot of tools that most of them, including Calix, didn't have. The way he thought through things and came to more...outside the box conclusions had proved very useful in some cases. Although the boy was learning, and doing pretty well at, to keep a calm and dignified outwards appearance, his head was still...well, pretty chaotic. Sometimes it was easy for him to sit and go through papers and come up with solutions when conflict arose, even if at other times he could barely keep his mind on the task at hand. And it was pretty easy for the boy's mind to just...wander. And usually quite pointlessly. Truly, as much as Elijah wasn't sure he wanted to admit it, he had learned a lot in his time working with Calix. And most of all, the boy felt like he had a friend in Calix. After he had poured his guts out to his fellow Praetor after his first run in with Jack, the whole dynamic of their relationship had changed. Even small things, like talking about things other than work. It really was quite nice. As Calix put weight on his foot, Elijah rolled his eyes. Something like that had to hurt. "Stop being so stubborn and sit down," the boy half commanded. The son of Discordia had sustained some injuries in his time...like any great fighter did, and although he was stubborn and downplayed the smaller ones as well, Elijah did know when it was time to give it a rest. "And keep your weight off it. I'm going to hazard a guess and say that'll only make it worse."

This whole affair would make an interesting case study if anyone had been watching, Elijah thought comically. Calix was clearly uncomfortable with everything that was going on and Elijah, being who he was, just wanted to keep pushing and pushing to see what would happen. It was definitely one of those things that the boy had clearly gotten from his mother. And although Elijah knew he would never get as far as, say, starting the Trojan War (or anything like it) just for the hell of it, there was very little he enjoyed more than bringing chaos into the mixture. And just the fact that he was able to influence chaos to a certain degree had proved for some very interesting times. Especially back in high school, even though he didn't know he was doing it then. And although he got a lot more of his mother's angry, violent and volatile side, Elijah knew he was capable of so much more than that. "Slightly noticeable?" Elijah chuckled at Calix's words. "I'm calling this one the 'swoon look'," the boy smiled widely. "Are you swooning yet?" he teased. Just pushing and pushing. Although it was fun, it was kind of a jerk move...but Elijah was like that at times. Besides, he had just burst into Calix's room rather crudely asking if Calix and Lúth were sleeping together. Boundaries usually were something of an issue for the boy. His brain just worked very differently from most. That was something he had kind of come to accept. "Even if you're not swooning, do you think this could help?" Elijah half teased, half mused. "Because I really want to get that down."

Sometimes it was a bit hard for Elijah to be this brutally honest...even with himself. He knew that he couldn't just attack Calix if the answer was 'yes'...after all, he was the one who had asked in the first place. And although the idea did scare him and make him worry...not to mention he was sure the answer would make him a little mad either way. Which didn't make much sense, but a good amount of what went through Elijah's head really didn't make sense. Well, it made sense to him, in his weirdly chaotic and justifiable ways, but it wouldn't make sense to many other people. Lúth, maybe, but there were just some subjects the boy wouldn't touch with his sister (such as this one). Although he felt he could address these things with Calix, Elijah knew he couldn't go into the details of everything that ran through his head. "Don't be ridiculous, Calix," Elijah rolled his eyes at the legacy's statement. "You have friends. You have me. Even more importantly, you have Lúth. And that's something special and important right there," he snorted humorlessly. "And really, that's a lot more than most of us have," with a shrug, Elijah looked back down at the floor for a moment before looking back to Calix and smiling wickedly. "Okay, so the order is good, but you still haven't answered my question. You know I won't fly into a rage...so let's hear it."

In other circumstances, Calix would have regarded Elijah's reprimand with a sharp accusation of his own. Calix knew the extent of his own wound! He didn't need to be told what to do! Those were the thoughts that would have passed Calix's mind if he had been only a few months younger. Those months have increased Calix's outlook and knowledge, wisdom and respect. Especially for the other boy. Cringing but nodding, Calix heeded Elijah's advice and lifted his foot a tad, hopping toward his bed and sitting down once he got there. Calix took off his shoe and started to gently touch around his foot where the box had made impact. He felt the inflamed warmth from the gigantic bruise no doubt forming near his toes. The Praetor sighed and looked up at his friend. "Just need ice," he said in a non-chalant way. 'And maybe a crutch for a day or two,' but of course he didn't mention that out loud. A great warrior like him having to slink around on a crutch because of a cardboard box? Disgraceful! Calix might have had his eyes opened to the value of other people and their opinion... but that didn't mean his perception of himself had changed. Of course, Calix didn't go around flaunting his position. He did, however, hold himself to a high standard. And that standard didn't involve being out of action for more than a few hours.

Calix had gotten himself assimilated to most aspects of being sociable but jokes and teasing was never one of them. He always took things much too seriously.... like what Elijah said right then. For a second, Calix actually thought that he had gotten away with that one when Elijah explained this... 'swoon look' as he called it. Calix tried to smile and nod like those words meant things to him but he honestly had no idea what his friend spoke of. Swoon look? Was that somehow related to a swan? The black around Elijah's eyes sort of made him look like the elegant bird. Calix 'hmm'ed' to himself. Did he just make a joke? Finally registering the slightly sarcastic/mostly joking undertone to Elijah's words, Calix caught himself before he said yes, he was swooning. The Legacy of Bellona smiled instead. As forementioned it all looked the same to Calix. In this case, it all looked good. Yes, Calix thought that Elijah had a remarkable skill with the eyeliner (or whatever he used) brush... sometimes skill that rivaled most of the girls in the Legion. He knew how much worked for him and how much was too much. An interesting balance. And skill. "It's definitely working," Calix chuckled, the pain in his foot numbing further.

Another insult was thrown at him then. Elijah called him ridiculous. Calix knew better (after taking that time to figure out the 'swooning' thing) than to take that to heart. He only retained his smile. True. He had Elijah. The person he considered to be his best friend. How could he not after what they'd been through with the whole breaking-of-the-jaw and heart-to-heart talks? No, only true friends went through that sort of thing together. But honestly, he's all that Calix had in terms of... a brother. Calix always wanted siblings as childish as it was to admit now. A younger brother... or a sister to help raise. To teach in the ways of the Legion. He saw the way his father interacted with his uncle... before... the attack on New Rome. They seemed to have this special bond that his father shared with no one else, not even some of the other Senators. That bond where his father could look at Uncle Will and they'd both start laughing or say the same thing at the same time. And not just a strange form of telekinesis, a strange form of affection as well. Nicknames, play wrestling (even in their 30s Calix's uncle could turn his father into a teenager once more). Calix always wanted a deep friendship like that. And obviously deep friendships similar to brotherhood involved asking the other about their sexual exploits.

Elijah made yet another point. He had Lúthien. Something special and important as he said. Very special and very important. At the mention of the daughter of Discordia, Calix found himself sinking into this trance-like state. Very special indeed. That bond, that friendship was definitely special and important in its own sense. He couldn't imagine one day without her, her smile, her eyes. He loved her. So deeply. So horribly. And.. hopefully Elijah knew that. That Calix loved his sister. Truly, properly loved her. So when he answered his friend's question.... he wouldn't be killed? Elijah assured him that he'd keep his temper, but Calix still kept the sense of uncertainty. He trusted Elijah... but when it came to Lúthien? Calix's trust for his friend eventually weighed out the fear (either way, if he divulged this information, it should have been Lúthien he had to look out for) and he responded. "Not using your terminology..." Because 'banging'? Honestly? "Ah.... I am... sleeping with Lúthien."