With All The Odds Against Us

Ch 1

*I will put the russian translations at the end of each chapter if necessary*
-----------------------------------------------------------------

    Calixte sat in their chair reading a book. It Calixte sat in their chair reading a book. It was a book that was so often read that the edges of the pages had one from hard points to soft and rounded. There was a fire burning softly in the firepit, and a mug of hot chocolate sat on a small table beside the chair. 

    Calixte had been sitting at the chair for hours, and the book they were reading was the third book in a series that they had started to read again that day. Calixte went to grab their hot chocolate, somehow getting a drink of the liquid through the layers of marshmallows that had been dumped in the cup.

    Calixte took a deep drink, letting out a content sigh when they felt warmth seemingly trail down their insides, warming their body. They then started to just spoon the marshmallows into their mouth, letting the sugar melt on their tongue.

    Calixte usually wouldn’t be spending a day reading (though they would not be opposed to it), but they just didn’t feel like doing anything today. They had woken up and immediately wanted to go back to bed. So they had picked up their phone and had clicked on Aria’s contact, texting one word. 

The word in question was “перемирe” or truce in Calixte’s first language. Aria hadn’t known what the word had ment the first time that he was texted that, but had had the decency to look it up before responding with a simple, “kk”. Calixte had lain in bed that day, and Aria had gone around the neighborhood he lived by and helped out with some small things. The next day they were back to fighting each other.

    Fighting was kind of a stretch for what they did. Calixte would have a plan that would not hurt anyone if they happened to fail, and Aria always found the loopholes that Calixte had left for him. 

    Calixte always made loopholes in their plans. They might be considered evil in their world, but Calixte knew what true evil really was, and could safely say that with all the caution they made their plans with, that they were not evil. Maybe a bit crazy, but not evil.

    Calixte heard a knock at their door and groaned, not wanting to get up from their curled up position on the chair.

    Maybe if I ignore it, it’ll go away, they thought.

    No luck. The knock sounded again, and Calixte swore under their breath before bookmarking their book and setting it to the side.

    The knock sounded again, and Calixte rolled their eyes.

    “Give me a second, I’m coming! ,” they said, walking towards the door.

    They were already making a list of people that would be knocking at their door at eleven at night, but none of the options they came up with sounded very likely to them.

    So imagine their surprise when they opened the door and found none other than Aria, who was clenching a cloak around his shoulders tight, his teeth chattering. Aria’s eyes snapped up to Calixte, and they could instantly tell something was wrong. Aria’s eyes never looked that dark. They always had a twinkle, always alert. Not tired like the eyes that looked at Calixte now. Aria took a deep breath, and Calixte could practically hear the exhaustion in his voice when he spoke.

    “Can-may I come inside?”

    Calixte just stared for a second, processing. When they realized what Aria was asking, they nodded, stepping aside for Aria to come through the door. He walked in, taking in the parts of the house he could see before being led to the living room. Calixte watched Aria scan his environment, taking in every item and how everything around him was set up before turning back to Calixte. Calixte started, just now noticing how pale Aria looked.

    “Um, are you okay?” Calixte asked softly.

    Aria nodded. “I- I just didn’t know-didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

    And with that, Aria fell, asleep the instant his body hit the soft carpet of Calixte’s living room.

    Calixte let out a noise, and they weren’t completely sure that it wasn’t a small scream. They rushed over to Aria, scanning for any wounds or growing red stains on their white carpet. There were none, and Calixte wondered why Aria would have passed out. As far as Calixte was aware, people didn’t just fall unconscious. Unless that was a thing that the people were doing now. Calixte wouldn’t know, they never left the sanctuary of their house unless it was to try yet again to overthrow the government of their town.

    After a bit longer, Calixte noted Aria’s steady breathing and almost content looking face and chalked the fall up to fatigue. Calixte relaxed, letting out a sigh once they knew that Aria was fine. The sigh turned into a groan as they realized that Aria was asleep. On their carpet. And the groan turned into a squeal as they realized that Aria was dirty, sweating, and asleep on their clean whit carpet. And the squeal turned back into a groan when they realized that if they wanted Aria off their carpet, they would have to pick him up. And while Calixte had the muscles to do that, they weren't so sure they had the will to.

    But they picked Aria up anyway, after a long internal battle that ended with Calixte feeling bad about the neck pains that Aria would get if he was left the way he was. Calixte took Aria to the couch and laid him down, covering him with a blanket.

    “сейчас было бы хорошее время иметь свободную спальню,” Calixte said to themself before taking one last look at Aria and retreating back to their chair, picking up the book and getting comfortable. They sat in their chair like that for hours, glancing occasionally at Aria on the couch across from the chair, just to make sure he was still breathing.

    Calixte felt their eyes get heavy, but pushed on with their book. And though they tried not to, Calixte fell asleep, the book laying in their lap and Aria snoring softly across the room.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
*перемирe means truce, and сейчас было бы хорошее время иметь свободную спальню means now would be a good time to have a spare bedroom*