Flip Side Volume 2
[Repair]
It had already been about a week since Kalix had properly seen Alexander. That didn’t mean he hadn’t seen him at all. Around dawn, or very late at night, Alexander would often come into the room to take his things. And that was all.
Once they left the dormitory, there was no chance of running into each other at the Academy. Naturally, they had no classes together, and the building where military studies classes were mainly held was quite far from the building where preparatory courses were mainly conducted. Still, they had definitely run into each other often before.
Usually it was during lunch time, but sometimes they’d encounter each other while moving around. But during this past week when Alexander was nowhere to be seen, Kalix realized something. If Kalix and Alexander truly wanted to avoid meeting each other, they could do so indefinitely. They had no points of contact. Just like when someone else had occupied Kalix’s body.
Then he realized something else. He had come on purpose. To see Kalix. Kalix and Alexander lived in spheres where they could avoid each other indefinitely if they wanted to. In other words, if they didn’t make an effort to meet, they wouldn’t encounter each other. But despite that, Kalix had often run into Alexander until now. In places where Alexander didn’t particularly need to be. So someone had been making an effort.
Kalix stared at the closed door. Soon it would be morning training time for the military studies department. If Alexander was going to grab anything, now was his last chance, but the door didn’t open. So he hadn’t come into the room at all yesterday. Where on earth was Alexander sleeping, leaving his own room behind? Even if there were many empty rooms on weekends as Alexander had said, everyone would have roommates on weekdays.
Kalix gazed at that bed which hadn’t seen its owner for over a week, then looked at his own hands. It had also been about a week since he’d started always carrying around the fountain pen that had originally been on the desk. He felt anxious when it wasn’t visible. It felt like something he always needed to keep with him.
Kalix sat quietly like that, listening to the various sounds of people outside the door. But among them, no footsteps stopped in front of the door. In truth, Kalix didn’t particularly want to catch anything from those sounds either.
But suddenly, just as impulsively, Kalix opened that door and went outside the room. Without hesitation, he headed straight upstairs to the room that had been quite familiar to him until recently, the room that Dylan and Alexander should have been using originally.
Then, opening the door without even knocking, he saw Dylan.
“Oh, hello.”
He was awake but still in that ambiguous state of not being fully up yet. Only then did Kalix remember that Jasper was also using this room now. But fortunately, Jasper wasn’t there. Kalix asked without reserve.
“Hi. Where’s Alex?”
Dylan answered slowly to that question.
“Alex? He said he was going drinking yesterday, so he’ll probably be back soon.”
Did he know it was morning? Or was he saying this knowing it was morning? Kalix knew that sometimes people would drink all night and go straight to lectures. But Alexander had never done that since he’d started sharing a room with Kalix. In fact, Alexander hadn’t left the room after roll call even once since sharing a room with Kalix.
“You saw him at roll call yesterday, right?”
“Yeah. We have roll call every day. It gets troublesome if you don’t show up.”
“Got it. And Dylan, if you sleep any more now you won’t be able to get up.”
After briefly waking Dylan up again, Kalix immediately moved on. Then where was he? Could he really not have come back yet? Since he always went to training properly, maybe he’d go straight to the training ground. While walking without knowing where he was heading, someone suddenly caught his eye.
“Matt, do you know where Alex is?”
It was Matthew, Alexander’s friend whom he’d seen with Alexander several times. After reflexively calling out and asking, Matthew looked at Kalix and stopped for a moment. Judging by his appearance, he was clearly just coming back.
“Alex? Isn’t he at the department office?”
“Alex is a freshman.”
Kalix also knew about the military studies department office. But basically, the military studies department had a rather strict hierarchy compared to other departments, so it would be difficult for Alexander, who was essentially a freshman in the main program, to use it comfortably. But perhaps that was just Kalix’s thinking, as Matthew answered nonchalantly.
“His brother had everything set up there, so why would Alex need to be mindful of that?”
Kalix knew that Alexander’s brother was also from the military studies department, but he’d already graduated. So he thought the situation might have changed, but according to Matthew, it didn’t seem to be the case. Kalix was about to answer that he understood, but Matthew called out to someone passing by.
“Eddie, is Alex at the department office?”
“Why? I’m heading to training now so I don’t know.”
When Kalix checked his face, this was also one of Alexander’s friends. He also remembered that he was in the same department as Alexander, and Edwin was indeed dressed in workout clothes as he said he was going to training.
“He sometimes goes to sleep at the department office when he thinks he won’t be able to get up for training if he sleeps in his room. Isn’t Alex there now too?”
“Alex is probably in Ben’s room? When he was moving spots yesterday, Ben took him along.”
“Ah, his roommate took a leave of absence.”
“Anyway, I’m going.”
Since it was getting close to a tight time, Edwin left with quick steps after saying that. Kalix immediately asked Matthew.
“Where is it?”
“Fourth floor?”
Judging by his words, Matthew seemed to know this Ben person too, but Matthew’s answer was only vague. Seeing that he barely remembered the floor, it was obvious he didn’t know exactly where it was. It would be lucky if even the floor was right.
“What’s that person’s full name?”
“Ben?”
When Kalix nodded, Matthew answered accordingly.
“Benjamin Miller.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
As a result of asking everyone he met while going up whether they knew Benjamin Miller, whether Benjamin Miller’s room was on this floor, Kalix found the room before too long. It was on the third floor. Thanks to that, Kalix had originally been on the third floor, went to the fourth floor, then came back down to the third floor again.
Anyway, since he had found the room, Kalix stood in front of it and knocked immediately. He waited for a moment, but there was no response. Even though it was something he would never have done at a stranger’s room normally, Kalix immediately opened the door.
He had known about it, but this dormitory had a weak concept of security. As expected, like most rooms, it wasn’t locked. Kalix just stood at the doorway and looked inside. And immediately, he found what he was looking for.
“What.”
One bed was empty, but someone was lying on the other one. A somewhat annoyed voice could be heard lowly, apparently knowing the door had opened. It was Alexander, still with his eyes closed. Whether he had pulled the blanket over himself or just thrown it on, only one leg was barely covered. And Alexander’s appearance revealed due to the lack of blanket was in a robe.
Whether the waist tie was loosely fastened, not only his firm chest was visible but also his well-defined abdomen. And the straight legs and thighs visible where the robe had fallen open. The blanket was really just precariously draped over him.
“What time is it.”
At the voice slightly hoarse with sleep, Kalix reflexively looked away from that body and looked at Alexander’s face. His sternocleidomastoid muscle stood out along his neckline as he buried his face in the pillow somewhat irritably. And the straight collarbone revealed by the loose robe and the precariously covered shoulder tips.
Alexander sighed once, then fumbled around the nightstand. But apparently not finding what he wanted, he finally opened his eyes hazily.
“Hey, fuck, what time—”
Alexander looked at Kalix while running his hand through his disheveled hair as if annoyed.
And then that voice didn’t continue and cut off abruptly. Kalix quietly looked at Alexander. This appearance was also a first. From what he’d experienced sharing a room until now, Alexander wasn’t particularly weak to sleep. He always slept well and woke up well. Moreover, as he’d already confirmed, even when he woke up because of Kalix, he’d always been nonchalant.
So he’d never seen him like now, unable to shake off sleepiness while showing his irritation so openly. The voice that seemed to throw words out was also new. Actually, Alexander’s tone itself had that aspect. He was characteristically nonchalant, always with a casual attitude. But he’d never used such crude language like some street thug.
Realizing these things made him increasingly annoyed. He’d thought Alexander had stopped fooling around for a while, but he was going out drinking again.
When Kalix just quietly looked at Alexander without saying anything, focus slowly returned to Alexander’s eyes.
“CC?”
He seemed to recognize Kalix now. Kalix stared at Alexander, then turned his back and left the room. The more he walked, the more his irritation rose. Kalix had been constantly looking at the door because of Alexander. He hadn’t even slept properly because Alexander might come in at dawn. Meanwhile, Alexander himself had been quite comfortable.
He was prepared to shake him off if he followed, but Alexander didn’t come even when Kalix crossed the corridor, went down a floor, and entered his room again.
* * *
“Good morning.”
Later, at the dining hall, faced with Alexander’s cheerful greeting, Kalix looked at Alexander without saying anything. He didn’t know if he’d been late for morning training or what, but he’d managed to make it to breakfast time.
He couldn’t understand what Alexander was trying to do. He kept not coming to the room, not seeing Kalix, and now suddenly came to greet him out of nowhere. It was absurd and annoying. Of course, he knew that Alexander didn’t care about Kalix’s gaze. He’d always been like that.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
