the lines got easier to cross

“ you’re going to kaliningrad. ” it’s no way to start a normal conversation but then again, the conversations they have are never too mundane. “ should i be worried ? ” for her. for whatever plan she had in mind. ( @elysefz )

“ i think it’s unfair that you got off without major injuries even though you were bigger a risk than i am. ” he gestures towards the yellow tinted skin around his eye. the reminder of the black eye he had sported a few weeks ago. “ how the hell did you find a gun ? ” ( @vnncli )

“ so how’s your vacation going ? ” such a nice and breezy question --- only delivered in a dry and unfriendly tone. he had had to work his ass off to sort out the situation in greece while the king --- he wanted to laugh --- had been looking after the little princess. ( @andresmxncada )

“ good, then i can sleep well, ” calix replied, already feeling a bit better with her around. at ease. he studied her face from the corner of his eye but kept his face directed at the door. he wasn’t sure what or who he was waiting for. “ three of the worst things to be, i’m realizing that right now. ” because what was he if not afraid, angry and tired ? “ i’m glad to see you too. ” he paused for a short moment. “ and that you’re unharmed. ”

he believes in the cause, he believes in everything he says: andrés is nothing but bad news for calix’s country. but the minute he starts scheming against anyone, even andrés, he feels a bit uncomfortable. not uncomfortable enough to stop whatever he was doing but uncomfortable enough keep him from feeling very passionate about it. “ i haven’t thought this through, ” he admits --- there’s no lying to johanne glücksburg. “ after the catalonia thing it’s... i don’t think i can just let him hold that much power over greece. ” he lets out a sigh and picks up a glass. it’s easier to keep his eyes trained on it than on the queen. “ i think that’d be too cruel, after maia... i think she needs stability. i don’t think andrés would be stupid enough to try to reclaim the regency. ”

“ and they say romance is dead. ” he let the words slip past his lips before he had time to reconsider them. he looked at her lips for a brief moment before looking up into her eyes. “ it’d be alright, ” he replied with a nod, softly gripping her by the waist. he leaned forward, not towards her lips but to whisper into her ear. “ but just remember actions have consequences ”  

he couldn’t help but to smile: they were so predictable it was almost amusing. he enjoyed her soft touch but it only made him more convinced that he would not make the first move. she seemed to be confident, there shouldn’t have been anything stopping her. “ sure why not. ” perhaps a little space could only do them good. he should have had bigger things on his mind than one terribly tantalizing duchess. “ already made it your favourite spot ? ”

a more solemn look made its way onto his way. he was often told that his casual attitude did him more harm than good, especially when it came to politics. the dead serious tone the queen was using reminded him that he would have to learn to watch his tongue in a completely different way than before. “ you’re asking if i plan to steal my niece’s birthright. ” he knew what it looked like and he knew he shouldn’t have taken it personally but he liked to consider himself as a good person, not as a person who plotted against toddlers. “ the regency. i misspoke. andrés isn’t fit to be a ruler. ” never was. “ he has already caused too much damage, i don’t think greece can handle many more misconducts from him. ”

in a way there was absolutely nothing stopping him from leaning down and whispering something into her ear. the problem was that once you crossed a line, once you said something that changed the status quo, there was no coming back. he wasn’t sure if it’d be fair of him to do that to them. now that he’d be seeing more of her, he was sure he’d get an answer at one point. “ you’ll have to prove it. ”

“ sweet or just truthful ? ” his problem was that he didn’t know how to tone it down. it was easy to come up with cheap lines, the real challenge was finding the right words for each situation. every now and then he wondered if the debonair air was only a carefully crafted facade or if it was really possible for people, such as queen johanne, to truly be so perfect. “ news are just rumours at first, ” he pointed out and followed her lead and sat down. “ i want the throne. ” there was no sugarcoating it. she wanted the truth, he wanted to get to the point. “ andrés is a joke that is my unbiased opinion on him. my biased opinion is not one i’d dare to voice in your presence. ”

he still hadn’t decided if their little game was something he loved or something that just got him frustrated. he liked when she paid him attention, made a move but then she’d pull back a bit and create distance. it was part of the fun but it was also the part that left him without a reward every single time. “ ah i see... ” he tilted his head and couldn’t keep a grin off his face. “ so you’re just too afraid to take part. i’m sure your university would be disappointed in you. ” 

“ don’t ever let anyone tell you that you aren’t confident. ” he wondered how much of the statement was a joke and if there was just a tiny seed of truth. calix had had time to follow sérgio’s life for quite some time and it seemed like he enjoyed attention and the glory that came with it. in his own funny way at least. he liked to be the topic of discussions. “ now she’s learning catalan too ? ” calix asked, her jaw tensing. there was nothing wrong with the teaching part, the language just represented something --- someone --- he would have preferred to forget. “ she should learn to speak greek properly before she picks up another language. ”

“ let’s... let’s not give him too much credit, he isn’t part of my family. ” not since maia wasn’t there to bind them together. he knew he couldn’t just erase the connection to the man, not when calix’s niece existed, but he could always exaggerate his distance from the catalonian. his grin grew wider at her delicate touch: she was feeling a little friskier than usual. he took a tentative step closer to her and tilted his head slightly. “ is that a challenge, your grace ? ”