Calixto's eyes widened. "No. No I didn't," he replied honestly. Which was odd. Normally he would have assumed a person was only polite only to gain something. But his brain had dismissed this thought almost immediately for Cameron. But why?
"I had mostly assumed it was to unsettle me as a joke. Until you asked again in more of a timid manner. Like you were genuinely asking this time…"
(bruh im rereading this and imma maybe write some shorts about these two)
(uwu)
(if you do, you should totally send them to me!)
Cameron chewed on his lip, and ducked his head in a nod. "Well…I figured that…I don't know. I just…last time I didn't exactly ask, and I figured it was a better idea to ask this time? Y'know? No matter whether or not you said yes or no and what that entailed. Asking is…usually always better."
(Oh heck yeah I will)
Calixto paused a moment before turning to look up at the night sky. Where he was supposedly from… "My kind mates for life, Cameron. Not that I dislike you or anything, but to suggest… that… implies making ties that cannot be broken. I've known you just under twenty four hours," he explained simply. It wasn't something to take lightly. Were he to seriously "sleep" with Cameron it would be similar to making a vow in addition to marriage. Even if two men could not reproduce, it was similar considering the relationship.
He blinked rapidly. "You…oh." he said slowly. "That…oh. I understand now." he let out a faint laugh. "Sorry. I…was not aware of that." he ran his fingers through his hair anxiously. "That's…" he didn't know how to respond to that, because he…he had never seen it that way. Sure, he and Roshan had waited, but it had never been a…well. They had thought they would be "for life". Obviously that didn't happen. But sex had been…sex had been because they loved each other, not because they thought it would be forever, even if the possibility of wanting forever had come later.
Cal's cheeks were a light pink. "You're not expected to know," he stated plainly, hoping that it would give Cameron a bit of reassurance. If one didn't already know, it wasn't likely they would ever know. Not many considered pairings with other species. Especially not now. "Just… maybe we move on to something else to talk about…?"
Cameron nodded quickly, clearing his throat softly. "Right, right. Uhm." he shook his head slightly, trying to clear it of his thoughts. "So. What…would you prefer to talk about?" he asked slowly, looking over at Cal with a quick smile. He shifted, almost fidgeting as he moved.
(hecc im sorry, I was groundedddd)
Calixto blinked in silence for a moment. He really wasn't normally the chatty type. It wasn't a part of who he was. Hell, he didn't know a lot of what he liked in order to talk about it. After a few seconds, he just shrugged. "Anything, I suppose."
(it's okay!)
Cameron snorted. "Well." he replied, thinking for a moment. "That's a very broad term." he shook his head slightly, smiling as he looked over at Calixto. "No talking about sex or sleeping with people, which leaves most things else, though you have no idea what you'd prefer to talk about."
Calixto only grumbled to himself in reply. He both wanted to leave the rooftop but also wanted to stay where he was. It wasn't his fault that he didn't know what he liked. Well, aside from tea and the stars, but there wasn't anything he wished to say about them. There wasn't a whole lot of things he exactly knew about the stars anyways.
He almost thought about talking about the stories of his homeland, but that wasn't anything to discuss with a near stranger.
Cameron smiled, laying down on his back. "The stars are beautiful tonight." he commented, folding his hands over his stomach and letting out a soft breath. "Really, they are." he gestured. "Oh, right there is…among my people we called it Ikhtaneye. I believe that would translate to…something about claws?" he frowned slightly. "Oh! Cat claws." he smiled slightly.
("Ihktaneye" is pronounced Ick-tawn-eye)
Calixto stayed seated as he was, back straight, but looked towards where the other male had pointed. He knew what constellations were, but didn't know any of them. He never had time to really sit and observe them until recently. Cal nodded like he understood how the stars resembled a cat's claws, but he was still entirely clueless.
Cameron gave a soft smile, still looking up at the stars, his eyes tracing each constellation. He didn't say anything more, just remembered as many names as he could, looking up at them. He liked the stars, had memorized the constellations over time. Roshan had taught a lot of them to him.
After a moment, Calixto let himself relax, the muscles in his back loosening. Pursing his lips, he turned to Cameron. "Are there… any more that your people knew?" he asked tentatively. He longed to see the shapes just as easily as the other could. Or at least more about them.
He blinked. "Oh? Yeah, there are a bunch. Here, lay down, it'll be easier to see." he patted the roof beside him, smiling up at Calixto. "Here, I'll point them out." he thought for a moment. "Let's see…that one there, that's Seris, which would translate to…Horse." he laughed a little bit. "I think."
Calixto bit his lower lip, staring at the spot Cameron had gestured to. After a few seconds, he gave in and did as he was told. Though, he had the choice to do so. Cal had to remind himself of that every day. Watching the other male point at the sky, he continued to pretend he could see the shapes too. He turned his head at the last comment though, raising a brow. "You think?" he asked. Did his language not translate well or was he really unsure?
(SORRY, SCHOOL IS EATING AWAY MY LIFE)
(haha, it's fine!)
"Yes." he replied, running a hand through his hair. "There is not direct translations sometimes." he shook his head slightly. "Such as, that "horse" is a Kelpie, a water horse, and a creature from our legends that may or may not really exist. But it translates best to Horse, not water horse or Kelpie or anything." he shrugged his shoulders slightly.
"Ah," Calixto said simply. He imagined a horse swimming around under the water, before shaking the thought away. No way was that correct. While he had no idea what Cameron was talking about, it was quite nice to have company like this. Cameron's was a warm presence that made him feel equal to a human being. Not in the sense of their past, but in the sense that… everyone needed to be cared about.
"Yes." Cameron said simply. "That is why sometimes the translations do not come across very well. Many of the Kevran constellations are linked to our old stories and tales, many of which would be difficult to tell you, as some are in poetry. And I may be fluent in both the common tongue and Kevran, but I cannot translate poetry."
"That's okay," Calixto said, just enjoying the night as it was. Cameron might have expected him to say something about how poetry was uninteresting, but the Mirro honestly had no idea if he liked it or not. It wasn't as if he hadn't listened to it, but it wasn't as if his mind had been taught about the brilliant works of Shakespeare.
Cameron nodded a little bit. "I could tell them in Kevran, but…you would not understand them, and it might not go very well." he shrugged his shoulders, still looking up at the sky and identifying constellations as best he could.
Calixto shrugged back indifferently. He had never heard the Kevran tongue, so it would be another new experience for him. "It's entirely up to you," he commented simply. It sounded like Cameron longed to recite the poems of his kind by poorly using reverse psychology. And if he was wrong, then it wasn't as if he was forcing him to speak.
(I'm just imagining later while they're in bed:
Cal: Hey, Cam?
Cameron: Mhm?
Cal: Tell me something in Kevran. Please?
Cameron: Okay. Mmm… says I love you while grinning mischeviously
Cal: What's that mean?
Cameron: Take a guess.
and then they kiss lol)
Cameron laughed a little bit, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "I…don't know if I remember them well enough." he said quietly, shaking his head. "Maybe later, though."
(hahahaaa. I mean…that probably wouldn't happen quite yet, but it would definitely be entertaining)
(I know, I mean in the future.)
Cal nearly grinned to himself. Cameron really did want to share a bit of his culture with him. It was odd, but he wanted to listen. Usually he would be very hesitant about making too much interaction. Being on the rooftop like this though… made him feel more at ease than he'd ever been. He may not fully trust Cameron in the sense to be friends, but there was certainly progress in knowing a piece of each other.
(yes it's perfect)
Cameron was smiling a little bit, resting his hands behind his head. He wished he didn't have to use the dye, didn't have to color everything so differently than he had been born with.
Calixto continued to stare up at the sky, suddenly remembering how small he really was. It wasn't the type of feeling that made one feel lonely, but something akin to wonder. There was so much world out there that existed. He wanted to see it.
Cameron glanced over at Calixto for a moment, then closed his eyes, face tipped to the sky. He wished he could have more times like this, of laying under a star painted sky, just looking up at those constellations that had been there for what felt like forever.
(Do we wanna skip or keep going?)