Calixto couldn't help but perk up when Christopher mentioned a garden. He had indeed seen the playground but he didn't get a good look at it since it didn't intrest him. But a garden? That would probably be the best place here. Even though he hadn't seen it yet, he was sure it would be paradise compared to the stuffy insides of the orphanage.

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Normally Calixto would have taken Christopher's offer to be alone, but curiosity got the better of him once again and he ended up shaking his head. He didn't want to go blindly searching for the garden, because more than pesky little kids, Calix hated feeling confusion and awkwardness, so the only option was to ask Christopher. Calix turned away from the door to their shared room, a serious look on his face. Although it wasn't the best expression, it was, however, at the very least, an emotion on his otherwise emotionless face. "Take me to the garden." Calixto stated before realizing he might need to be a bit nicer in order to get what he wanted. "Please. And thank you for the tour." He added, rolling on the balls of his feet as he waited for the other boy to guide the way.

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As soon as they arrived at the garden, Calixto took off, inspecting every inch of the area. Which didn't take much time, considering the garden was relatively small. And besides that, alot of the plants were in poor shape. It was honestly a sad sight for a nature lover like he was, but Calix was ready to fix that. "This place is a disaster." He muttered as he squatted down, sticking his finger halfway into the soil. A second later he frowned and pulled his finger out. "They need watered."

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Calix stood up and went over to some weak looking kale plants. "It's no wonder these aren't doing well. They need more sun than what they're getting in their position." He murmured before moving on to a Peace Lily that seemed like it was meant to be a center piece of the garden but was now only a crippled mess. "And this is getting too much sun. This type of flower is really delicate." He then looked around at all the other surrounding plants. "The reason why alot of these guys aren't doing well is because you aren't giving them the right conditions they need to thrive."

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Calixto stood up and turned to look at Chris with a questioning gaze. "Who takes care of the garden? Do the little kids come back here often? Do you know all the things that are growing here?" Despite his voice still being monotone, the sparkle in Calixto's eyes was undeniable. He had always wanted a garden, but the dream wasn't feasible when he went from home to home. But now maybe he could, if the people in charge let him. "Do you think they would let me revamp this place? Plant new stuff? Is there anything that they on purposely harvest here? I see some tomato vines. I can always add what they need into the mix when I go to redo everything."

Calixto was pleased to hear that only certain ages got to come here. He had been planning to fix the walkway if the adults let him, but if that was the only thing keeping the younger kids away from this sacred space, he could afford to leave it. The only thing he was worried about was that if he fixed this place up, it would become infested with the other, older kids that could actually come. If he wasn't careful, they would steal this place from under his nose. Because he wasn't about to tolerate alot of others in his space. Which meant he couldn't let anyone find out, otherwise everyone would ruin this peaceful place.

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Calixto happened to glance up at Christopher, only to see him kick a poor plant and pick a leaf off of another. His expression darkened, not exactly thrilled at the other boy's actions. Hearing Christopher talk only made Calix angrier. The kid was getting ahead of himself. Yeah, Calix had made the mistake of talking more than he should've, but that didn't mean it was okay for Christopher to pretend like they were friends now. "I don't care about this place. I just want a space that isn't insufferable." Calix muttered, his voice cold as he stood up and brushed the dirt off of his pants. He turned his icy stare onto the other boy. "And if I catch you ever hurting the new plants I plant you will regret it. How would you like to get kicked and your hair pulled out?"

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Calixto then turned away, making his way over to the shed. There had to be some way to keep the other kids from finding out about the garden, right? But even if there was, the secret would always be at risk since Christopher and whichever adult he would seek permission from would be a liability. He couldn't do anything about the adult, but he needed to figure out a plan of action that would keep Christopher quiet. Unfortunately, he didn't know much about the other boy, so he wasn't sure which strings he should pull. Before Calix could reach the shed, a sigh escaped him as he suddenly turned to face Christopher again. While he didn't exactly appreciate the other boy, it would be good to have a helping hand, especially considering the garden's state.

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Running a hand through his medium length black hair, Calixto spoke up. "Look, I'm not here to make friends and I don't want to. I just started talking so much because I'm fond of nature and I wasn't thinking. I'm here until I'm eighteen but then I'll disappear just like everyone does. Still, it'll be hard to do everything on my own. You can help. But don't think I'm going to be nice to you. And also, just don't tell the other kids about this if you know what's good for them and you. I don't want anyone ruining the work I put into this place. Got it?" Calixto asked, laying out the ground rules of the space he would be cultivating. After that he turned back to the shed and started rummaging through it, bringing out all the tools he thought would be useful for the work ahead.

Calixto rolled his eyes when Christopher brought up breathing too hard. As if he was that much of a control freak. But he quickly forgot about that when the boy agreed to his terms. Wow, he had thought Christopher would need alot more convincing than that. It's not like he was complaining, he was just surprised. Still, he would happily take it. So he tuned Chris out for a minute as he focused on getting the tools he needed. A shovel, gloves, watering can, rake... all the good stuff. He wasn't sure if the gloves would fit him - they seemed small. And all of the tools were rusted and no doubt old. It reminded him once more that this place was less than ideal. He was just grateful to have a chance at gardening in the first place though, so he dared not complain.

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Calixto came back to reality just in time to hear Christopher speak up once more. His expression darkened for a moment, bad memories filling his brain like weeds. It didn't help that Christopher was alike Aaron, his ex-best friend, always making jokes of some kind. Calixto's knuckles turned white as his grip around the spade he was currently holding tightened tenfold. He quickly shoved the plastic tool into Christopher's chest, silently telling him to take it. "Sorry, I forgot how to be a loser like you a long time ago." He muttered when Chris brought up not being grouchy. Calixto then handed him a few other items as he added, "Another rule. No making jokes. They are annoying." After Christopher couldn't carry anymore, Calix pointed towards the corner of the garden closest to the entrance. "Put everything there. Once we get permission we'll start working there."

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Calixto quickly grabbed the rest of the tools before following after Christopher. Once everything was sat down, Calix glanced around as he wondered how things ended up like this. Why did Christopher want to help when he was being so hostile to him? What was wrong with this boys head? "I'll go get permission. You stay here and just start pulling the weeds. Start right here and work your way down. Please try not to step or pull on any live plants. If they have a hint of green still then I might be able to save them." With that said, Calix put his hands in his pockets, turned and started his journey to find the old guy.

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Calixto didn't forget what Christopher had told him, and while he didn't exactly want to spill his guts to an old man, he figured he could try and get the man's pity and make him promise not to tell the other kids about the garden. It would be easy, he just needed to milk his story for all that it was worth. He would say something like, 'My best friend betrayed me and the whole school turned against me. And when my family finally moved to get away from all the toxicity, my mother got deathly sick. Her last words to me were 'please, Calixto, promise me you'll be happy'. After that my dad tried his very hardest to provide for me, but he never seemed to be able to make enough to give me and my sister a comfortable life. We struggled for years until my father was put out of his misery by a car crash. But then he left me and my sister all alone. My sister would cry every night and it hurt because all I could do was hold her. The only thing that brings me joy nowadays is nature and quiet solitude. So please keep the garden a secret. I promise I won't be completely alone. Christopher is really nice. Honestly, I'm starting... to feel loved again.' And then cue the tears.

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That, my friends, was the power of manipulation Calix had learned to use on adults to get what he wanted. But the only thing Calix wouldn't ever admit was the reason why his friend betrayed him - the fact that he was gay. No amount of convincing would make him tell a soul. Because he thought if he did, things would end up like they did last time.

Honestly, actually finding the old man was the hardest part of the operation. He had no idea where he had went to talk with Lauren. They weren't in his office or anywhere eles he looked. Finally he decided to check outside since he couldn't think of anywhere eles. Sure enough, they were there, and it seemed like Lauren was actually getting ready to leave. Once she had left, Calixto came out of hiding and asked to talk. As they settled into the man's office, Calix started his sob story. Like so many other times, he managed to get the pity he needed in order to manipulate the situation. It was a bit annoying because the old man asked alot of questions, but Calix managed to get through the 'interrogation' unharmed. More than that, he gained the approval to renovate the garden as well as a promise that no one would find out from the old man's lips. Mission successful.

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Calixto headed back to Christopher and the garden in a relatively good mood. But that quickly changed when he saw Chris not only messing around but also destroying one of the few semi healthy plants. Anger bubbled up in his stomach but he tamped it down, deciding instead of just blowing up, he would scare Christopher a bit to hopefully get him to behave from now on. Because it was obvious by now that he wasn't capable of listening to verbal directions. Did this boy have ADHD or something? Whatever the case, Calix quietly grabbed the plastic spade, making sure to stay absolutely quiet so Christopher wouldn't notice him. Then, with a lunge forward and using the spade, Calix stopped Chris from hitting the snap pea plant with his stake. Using Chris's shock as an advantage, Calix knocked the stake out of his hand, grabbed the other boy's collar and then gently pressed the plastic spade against Chris's neck.

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"I told you not to harm any of the still green plants. And you were supposed to be pulling weeds. Are you deaf or something? Do you need me to spell everything out for you?" Calixto growled before shoving Christopher away. He then pointed to a particularly dead area of the garden. "If you must destroy something, go do it over there. Clear everything out of that spot. And for heaven's sake, do as I tell you this time. I swear, if you blatantly ignore my rules again you will be thrown out of here. I'm not going to tolerate you're unruly behavior any longer." Calix then picked up the metal stake that Christopher had been using a moment ago and gave it back to him with a 'I mean business' glare.

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Calixto turned away and went to inspect the damage Christopher had done to the snap pea plant. "Tch. This is why I hate orphanages. They don't teach kids basic manners. Just because you don't have parents doesn't mean you can just do whatever you want. I bet he has been a orphan his whole life." Calix muttered to himself, letting his anger out verbally like he so often did. He had thought Christopher had already left to the other side of the garden and therefore didn't hold back with his harsh words. Although Calix's words are never really nice, he usually does his best to not go overboard like he had just done. But thinking the other boy was already gone, he let himself let loose.

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After muttering his heart piercing words, Calixto went to work on his portion, unaware the other boy had heard him. He didn't bother with the gloves, instead going at it bare handed. He knew the idea wasn't exactly smart and it was a good way to hurt his hands, but he couldn't be bothered with trying to squeeze his hands into the gloves. Sure enough, he pricked his finger against particularly sharp remains of a plant. He hissed through his teeth, bringing his pricked finger to his lips. It was then that he heard Christopher's words and first started to wonder if something was wrong. Glancing over at the other boy, Calix tilted his head, temporarily distracted from his work. Somehow, despite just meeting, Calix could tell that something was wrong just from the tone of Chris's voice. Yet he quickly shook his head, mentally reminding himself that he wasn't here to make friends.

~

After hours of working in the hot sun, Calixto had managed to rid the whole right side of the garden - aka his side - of weeds. As for the left side - Christopher's side - Calix had no idea what he had managed to get done because the two had worked in tense silence for basically the whole time and he didn't want to micromanage Chris's work since it would only have just exhausted both boys to the point of irritation. In about an hour it would be noon, but Calix was already about to pass out. He had multiple small wounds on his hands and he was starving because he hadn't really eaten breakfast. So he got to his feet and wiped the sweat from his brow before turning to adress Christopher. "Hey, we should take a break. Come on."

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As the two headed to the orphanage's kitchen to get a much needed drink, Calixto was once again suspicious of Christopher. What had he done to make him like this besides threaten him a little to do his work? And it couldn't have been because of the threats because they always just bounced off of Christopher before. What was wrong to make him so mopey all of a sudden? No matter how hard Calix thought, he couldn't find a reason for Christopher's decline in mood. While he didn't want to admit it, the change was starting to bug him. He was used to people feeling uncomfortable or unpleasant in his presence, but seeing a jokester become quiet worried him, no matter who it was. Be it a stranger or a rival, he hated seeing an otherwise joyful person suddenly cave in on themselves. Because it reminded him of who he used to be and what he was now. Deep down he never wanted that to happen to anyone eles, even his worst enemy.