Chapter Text
Kalim and Silver should really stop teaming up for Alchemy.
…At least, that’s what Jamil said a few months ago.
And, okay, as they were standing there while Professor Crewel chewed them out once again for what felt like hours, Kalim had to admit yeah, maybe Jamil had a point.
They’d gotten into trouble so many times in this class already, Kalim had stopped keeping track a while ago. Not that he was ever really counting properly in the first place. But still! It had definitely been a lot. And now they had another remedial lesson to add to the pile.
And this time, like admittedly many others, was Kalim's fault. He was really good at some things when it came to Alchemy, he even got full marks on a theoretical test about telling apart different poisons without even having to study much for it. But when it came to brewing the potions himself Kalim more often than not had to rely on others to tell him what to do.
Which wasn't something Silver could do if he was falling asleep halfway through the process…
So when Kalim, ever the optimist, decided to just wing it and hope for the best, the potion blew up right in his face. Class was cut short and now Silver had to suffer with him through the lecture even though it was really not his fault at all.
Kalim seriously had to make it up to him later…
“Sorry, Silver! That was totally my fault!” he said the moment Professor Crewel finally dismissed them.
Silver shook his head. “No, it was mine… I’m the one who fell asleep.”
“You can’t help that, though!” Kalim said quickly. “I’ll study more! Then next time it'll go much better, I promise!”
“Me too. I’ll work hard and try my best to stay awake next time…”
“I know you always do!” Kalim beamed.
Silver just nodded, as serious as ever. He was such a nice guy, always willing to team up with Kalim no matter how many failing grades that resulted in. Kalim gave a silent apology to Jamil. Seemed like he wasn't planning on switching his lab partner any time soon.
“Will you be fine, though?” Silver suddenly dragged him out of his thoughts. “You got hit with quite the splash when the potion exploded…”
“Oh, I’m totally fine!” Kalim waved it off. “It was just a- uh…”
“…a mind-calming potion…?” Silver offered.
“Oh! Right, that!” Kalim perked up. “then it’s definitely fine! Even if I got the full dose of it, it wouldn’t be that bad, right? I’d just be really calm!”
Which didn't sound too bad. If Jamil were here, he’d probably say something like, ‘You could stand to be a little less energetic every once in a while.’
“…That’s true, I suppose,” Silver said slowly. “Professor Crewel did mention that some people even bathe in it, so the quantity shouldn’t be an issue, but…”
“See? Exactly!” Kalim nodded eagerly. “If people can bathe in it, it can’t be a big deal! And I feel completely fine, so there’s nothing to worry about!”
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
They had a free period before club activities would start, so Kalim decided to just hang out with Silver for the time being. In the past he'd just look for Jamil so they could spend as much time together as possible, but after winter break he tried to be a tiny bit less… clingy. It was something Jade suggested might help mend their relationship and Kalim was happy to take any advice he could get. And besides, Kalim enjoyed Silver's company a lot too! As long as he didn't have to be alone, everything was okay.
“Do you think horses get bored?” Kalim asked as they were strolling through the halls.
Silver blinked. “…I don’t think so.”
“Really? But they stay in the same place all day, right? Oh, but you take them out sometimes… hmm. Still! Maybe I should come visit sometime!"
“They would like that.”
“Okay, then I will!” Kalim said, already growing excited. "I’ll bring snacks too! Wait, can horses have sweets?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Silver said.
“Ahh… Nevermind then!" Kalim laughed, then perked up as they reached the split in the hallway. “Tell the horses I said hi!” he called, already walking backward. “Oh, and Sebek and Riddle too!”
Silver nodded. "I will. Have fun at your club Kalim.”
"You too!”
Kalim turned and headed off toward his clubroom, hands clasped behind his head. His mood had already fully bounced back. Alchemy was old news at this point, and there was no point worrying about it. Right now, he just wanted to think about all the fun he'd have at the pop music club! He'd study for alchemy later!
He pushed the door of their club room open and stepped inside only to find it… empty?
“That’s new,” Kalim muttered, glancing around. Usually one of the others beat him here.
His eyes landed on his drum set.
Sometimes he forgot they were a music club, considering they didn’t actually play most of the time.
…Oh! Maybe they should play something today! He arrived first so he'd have dibs on deciding what they'd do! That… was how it worked, right? He thought that over once more. “Hmmm…”
"What are we thinking about?” A voice right next to him suddenly said.
“Oh! Lilia!” Kalim turned immediately, seeing Lilia hanging upside down next to him. “Perfect timing! I was just thinking we should actually play something today!”
“How ambitious,” Lilia hummed. “And here I thought you preferred our usual routine.”
“That is our routine!” Kalim grinned. “But still! We are a music club!”
“Khehehe, so we are. Any idea what you'd have us play?"
“Hmmm… let's see…” Kalim thought for a moment. Truthfully he hasn't given it that much though. "Oh, I know! Let's ask Cater what's trendy when he gets here!"
“Good idea. Though if we are putting it on Magicam, I'll try to wear something cuter.” Then Lilia added, "Though I'd say I'm always cute. Wouldn't you agree, Kalim?”
"Sure I do!”
"Hm. How nice, you seem to be in a good mood.”
“Of course! I always am when I get to hang out here!"
"A very sweet sentiment.” Lilia said. “Then I was worried for nothing.”
“Oh you were worried?"
"Just a little. I ran into Silver earlier and he mentioned you two had a bit of a mishap in Alchemy.”
“Gah- yeah…” Kalim rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, I totally dragged him down…”
“Funnily enough, he also told me he was worried about him dragging you down.”
“Huh? No way!” Kalim straightened immediately. “Silver could never drag me down. It was my fault! But I’ll fix it next time, I promise!”
Kalim really should start taking his studies more seriously if he was making Silver feel guilty. Ahh. Now he felt a little bad again.
Lilia just smiled fondly, like he’d expected that answer. ‘My son sure is lucky to have a friend like him…’
Kalim blinked.
“…Huh?” He tilted his head. “You have a son?”
Lilia blinked back. “What? I didn’t say anything…?”
“Oh! Uh… okay!” Kalim nodded quickly. He must've imagined it. It made no sense anyway, Lilia was way too young to have kids already.
But then…
‘Did I actually let that slip…? I must be getting old.’
Kalim froze.
“Huh?” He leaned forward. “So you did say it!?”
Lilia didn’t answer him then. He just stared at him, wide-eyed, lips not moving.
‘I definitely didn’t say anything now! Does this kid actually read minds?!’
Kalim’s thoughts screeched to a halt.
The door swung open.
“Sorry I’m late-” Cater said but was swiftly interrupted by a panicked Kalim.
“What?! I can read minds?!”
Cater stopped mid-step.
“Uhm… huh? You guys seem to be having fun.” he laughed, looking between his two clubmates. “So, what did I miss?"
Kalim frantically pointed at Lilia. “He didn’t say anything, but I heard him!”
Cater raised an eyebrow. “Like… heard heard? Or like, ‘I have a feeling’ heard?”
“No, really heard!”
“…Okay,” Cater said slowly. “So you’re saying you can read minds now?”
“I think so?! Right Lilia?"
Kalim and Cater both turned to Lilia who still seemed quite bewildered himself, but then nodded.
“That's… how it seems, yes.”
Kalim turned back to Cater. “See!!"
Cater squinted, not entirely convinced. “…Alright. I’m calling fake. You two are pranking me, aren't you?"
“No, we’re not!” Kalim said immediately. “unless Lilia…”
Lilia shook his head. “For once little old me is entirely innocent…"
Cater tilted his head, studying Kalim more closely now.
“Ohhh, okay, I got it,” he said, snapping his fingers. “If you can read minds… then you should know what I’m thinking right now, right?”
Kalim blinked. Cater had a point. “…Uh…”
Wait, what is he thinking right now?! Did this happen automatically or…? He has only been a mind reader for like a minute! Maybe it wasn't something he could do on command?
Cater leaned in slightly, clearly enjoying this now.
“Go on,” he said, smiling. “What am I thinking?”
Kalim simply looked at him.
‘Magicam, Magicam, Magicam, I'm thinking about Magicam…’
Oh, yea, that was a very clear thought, spoken… or thought… in Caters voice no less. “Uh, Magicam?” Kalim said.
Cater froze. “Ah… well that was a little obvious on my part. Good guess!”
"No I swear, I heard-”
"Let's just do it again!”
Once again, Cater stared at him, dead silent. It took another moment until Kalim's thoughts connected with Caters but when they did, it was super obvious.
‘That was just beginner's luck, right? It had to be. What should I think of next… ah, I know-’
Cater's thoughts drifted off and were instead replaced with… colors. But Kalim only saw them at the back of his mind. It was different from when he could hear Lilia's and Cater's thoughts earlier. While those could be mistaken as speech, the images were different. They were clearly in Kalim's head, similar to when he'd imagine things on his own, like how the Scarabia common room would look if he added more carpets or lanterns or gold or jewels.
Kalim hesitated for a moment before responding. “Blue?” He said but then the colors suddenly changed. "Now red! Black! Uh, green!"
Cater took a step back, eyes widening.
‘No way-’
“Finally convinced?" Lilia asked.
“…Haha… okay…” Cater laughed, but it sounded a little strained now. “Wow. Cool. Super cool.”
Kalim smiled, relieved. “Right? It’s kinda amaz-”
“Yeah, I’m outta here.”
“Eh?”
And just like that, Cater turned and walked straight back out, the door clicking shut behind him.
“…Aww.” Kalim stared at it. “That was fast.”
“Guess he doesn’t want you reading his mind,” Lilia said lightly.
Kalim nodded slowly, but his thoughts were already racing again.
Reading minds? Since when could he do that?! That wasn’t his signature spell… and he definitely hadn’t practiced anything like it either! And Cater seemed upset about it too… at least Lilia didn't seem to mind…
“And neither do I!” Lilia added sharply.
Kalim jumped. “Ah- sorry!”
“Ever heard of invasion of privacy?” Lilia asked. “It’s quite rude, you know.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Kalim waved his hands quickly. “I didn’t mean to! I don’t even know how I’m- wait- so you do have a son?!”
“Invasion. Of. Privacy.”
“Oh! Right! Sorry! Um… just don’t think about anything!”
“That’s hardly possible,” Lilia said, though smiling. “But no matter. I’ll forgive you, since you don’t seem to be doing it on purpose.”
“Ahh, thanks, Lilia! I swear I’m not!”
“I know… but it is curious.” Lilia tilted his head. “Tell me, Kalim, since when can you do that?”
“Uh… I don’t know! It just happened now with you! And… um… Cater, I guess?”
“Hmm… Silver mentioned you were hit by your potion earlier. Could that be related?”
Kalim perked up immediately, clapping his hands together once “Oh! Yeah, that must be it!” he said. “But everything felt normal before! I was with Silver the whole time, and I couldn’t read his mind at all!”
“There was probably not much to read,” Lilia said.
Kalim gasped in shared offense for his buddy.
Lilia chuckled. “I mean that Silver is honest, the type who says exactly what he thinks. Much like you.”
“Oh… yeah, that’s true,” Kalim agreed. “…But what do I do now?”
“Best to consult Professor Crewel,” Lilia said. “Unless you’d like to keep this little ability. It could be useful…”
“No way!” Kalim said immediately. “If I don’t fix this, Cater might not come back to club!”
Lilia smiled.
“I thought you’d say that.”
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
He found Professor Crewel in the lab and almost ran straight into him.
“Ah!” Kalim stumbled back. “Sorry, Professor!”
“Be more careful, pup,” Crewel snapped.
“I will! I mean- I’ll try!” Kalim straightened quickly. “Um, actually, I was looking for you! I have a problem! Well, kind of a big one…”
“Get to the point.”
“Right! Okay, so the potion from earlier might’ve kinda, well, I think I messed up more than I thought, because now I can read minds…”
“Yes. I told you as such.”
Kalim blinked. “…You did? When?”
“When?” Crewel’s glare sharpened. “Earlier today. Were you not listening when I was scolding you?”
“I was!” Kalim said immediately. “...just not that part… apparently. S-Sorry, I just… uh… got a little distracted.”
And that was the truth. He really had tried to listen, but when he noticed that Silver next to him was nodding off mid lecture his focus sort of shifted on keeping his friend awake. He'd tried to nudge him carefully and thankfully professor Crewel was so enraged with them he didn't even notice.
“That is not an excuse for ignoring instructions.” Said Professor Crewel.
“I know, I know!” Kalim nodded quickly. “I did hear some of it! There was stuff about measurements and safety and… um…”
He paused. “…important things?”
Crewel pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Seriously.”
“Sorry…”
Crewel let out a slow breath. “Fine, Asim. I will repeat myself just this once. This is merely a side effect. One that should wear off on its own within a couple of days at most-”
“Oh! Just a few days?” Kalim brightened. “That’s not bad at all!”
“That’s relative. I instructed you to return to your dorm and remain there immediately after class, but I suppose you missed that part as well.”
“Ah… yeah,” Kalim admitted, shoulders dropping a little. “I definitely missed that part… sorry…”
“of course…” Professor Crewel sighed. “I trust you at least had the sense not to tell anyone about this.”
“Sorry…” Kalim said again.
Crewel’s expression darkened.
“I should've known. Alright, listen up Asim. Those who attend this school do not appreciate having their thoughts pried into. No, people in general do not appreciate it,” he said sharply. “So be a good boy and do not make matters worse. Keep it to yourself from now on, and try not to pry. It is a matter of respect.”
Kalim straightened immediately. “Y-Yes, Professor! I won’t do it again!”
“See that you don’t.”
Crewel sighed, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. ‘At least it was this pup and not one of the others. He has a good heart…’
Kalim lit up. “Oh! Thanks, Professor!”
Crewel’s glare snapped right back.
“What did I just tell you about not prying?!”
Kalim jumped.
“SORRY!”
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
Kalim did exactly as he was told. He headed straight back to Scarabia and made his way to his room—though avoiding people along the way turned out to be a lot harder than he’d hoped.
A few students passed him in the hallway.
“Housewarden!”
Kalim perked up right away. “Hey! How are you guys?” he asked, smiling brightly as he slowed to a stop.
“Doing well,” one of them said.
Kalim was just about to excuse himself when he heard his dorm members' voices again.
‘What should I eat later? … man I'm hungry…’
The thought slipped in so easily it took Kalim a second to even realize what he was hearing.
“Ah… well then, uhm, I'll be in my room if you need me!" he said quickly, still smiling, even as he took a small step back.
"Of course, Housewarden.”
Kalim waved, turning and continuing down the hallway—just a little faster this time.
Even though the thought had been harmless, he still felt a small twist of guilt settle in his chest. He hadn’t meant to hear it, it just… happened. He didn't get a say in it at all, it was kind of like overhearing two people talk, except he couldn't ignore it since it was, in a way, happening in his head.
But that didn’t really make it better. He was still intruding and Kalim really really didn't want to do that.
His steps slowed again as that thought settled.
“…Sorry,” Kalim murmured under his breath, even though they were already out of earshot.
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
By the time he reached his room, the quiet hit almost immediately. Kalim let himself fall onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling.
…What a weird day.
Messing up a potion was one thing, but messing it up so badly it turned into something completely different? Yeah… no wonder Professor Crewel had been so furious with him. Kalim probably should study.
He sighed and pushed himself up, his gaze drifting toward his desk. He didn’t really want to… but there wasn’t much else to do in his room by himself.
And besides… he had to. He’d promised Silver and Kalim liked keeping his promises. Even the hard ones. The sheer thought of messing up at their remedial lessons too and causing Silver to get a failing grade was enough to motivate him to get to his feet and head over. Swiftly he pulled his notebook out of his bag, flipped it open, and skimmed over the experiment again.
So where did they mess up?
His eyes moved over the page, line by line, but nothing really stood out. Maybe he had messed up at the ingredients then…? Professor Crewel had explained it. Very thoroughly, probably. Kalim just… hadn’t quite kept up. And he didn't remember enough of the experiment to know when exactly he had messed it up.
He huffed quietly, tapping his pen against the paper as he hoped the answer would just get to him. He needed to focus, Silver was counting on him after all.
But studying alone was just so…
Ugh.
His shoulders slumped, as the short-lived motivation evaporated into thin air.
No surprises there. Usually he wasn’t doing this by himself. Actually, Kalim couldn't remember a single instance where Kalim had successfully studied a subject alone.
Before winter break, it had mostly been Jamil who walked him through everything step by step until it finally clicked. And after Kalim had started studying with tons of other people, mostly his dorm members or Silver, sometimes Cater and Lilia even though they were in different grades. And occasionally he even got some help from Riddle and Azul.
All of that had been really fun! But… that was kind of the point. The fun part had never really been the studying.
It was the people. It was having someone there trying to either study with or teach him whatever he was struggling with.
Kalim glanced back down at his notebook and tried again, but every time he read a paragraph, it slipped right out of his head, and he had to start over.
Again.
And again.
And again!
Until, with a frustrated groan, he dropped his head straight onto the page.
“…This is impossible…” he sighed as the paper crinkled under him.
He really wasn’t good at this on his own. He never had been.
Kalim just… liked people.
Being around them, laughing, dancing, talking, even just sitting together, it made everything better.
Doing things alone…
Yeah, no. That just felt wrong. It was weird and uncomfortable and so incredibly lonely. He hated the silence. Even the sheer thought of eating by himself made his skin crawl. Kalim needed people around, that much was certain.
Cater had said something like that once, hadn’t he?
During one of their pop music club meetings, Cater Diamond had called him “the definition of an extrovert—like, a total ENFP.”
Kalim had no idea what that meant.
And apparently neither did Lilia, and that somehow turned into Cater going on a whole rant about their “chronic offlineness” before making both of them take a personality test right there on the spot.
Kalim couldn’t remember exactly what result he got.
It wasn’t ENFP but it did start with an “E.”
Cater had explained that it stood for “extrovert”, and that he and Lilia had also gotten Es in their results. Lilia then commented it made sense since like tends to attract like, to which Cater mentioned that Kalim was also pretty good friends with Silver and Jamil, who'd definitely be “I"s. After that, they’d spent the rest of the club meeting discussing which of their classmates would get which letter combinations. Kalim hadn't fully understood what each letter stood for, so they had to explain it to him a couple more times until he finally got it.
That was basically what their meetings were like.
Just hanging out, chatting, occasionally playing some instruments before they'd get bored and start sharing snacks..
Kalim lifted his head, the page of his notebook sticking to his cheek for a second before peeling off.
Snacks! He still had snacks!
He quickly reached into his bag and pulled out the qatayef Jamil had made him earlier.
“Ahh, yes!” he said, brightening a little. He hadn't eaten anything since lunchtime and that had been quite a few hours ago. He could already feel his own mouth watering in anticipation as he finally took his first bite and…
…Yeah.
It tasted good, great even, this was Jamil's cooking after all, but all he could think of was how much better this would taste if he could've shared it with Cater and Lilia. Eating alone was just the worst. Food and snacks were meant to be eaten in company, and shared amongst friends. Kalim decided he had enough of it! He closed his notebook and grabbed his phone instead.
He knew how this looked, but really, he wasn’t going to break his promise to Silver. He’d just… start studying properly once the potion wore off! Yeah! Then he could actually get someone to study with and everything would go smoothly!
Yeah, that sounded like a way better plan.
Satisfied, Kalim opened their pop music club group chat and started a video call.
He just needed to talk to someone before he went completely out of his mind.
And after a few seconds, Lilia picked up.
“Oh, hello, Kalim,” Lilia said. “I hope you managed to clear things up with Professor Crewel.”
Kalim felt himself relax almost immediately, a smile spreading across his face.
“Hi! And yeah, I did! Basically, I have to stay in my room until it wears off…” he said, flopping back onto his bed and propping himself up against his pillows, phone held up in front of him.
“Aww, knowing you, that must be quite difficult, hm?”
“I’ll manage!” Kalim said quickly. “It’s my fault anyway, since I didn't pay attention, buuut it does kinda suck.” He paused for half a second, then brightened right back up. “Once it’s over, I’m throwing a huge party to make up for all the lost time!”
“What a lovely idea! I’ll bring my special stew! You simply must try it.”
“Ahh, thanks, Lilia, but don’t bother,” Kalim laughed. “You know I’m not allowed to eat anything that isn’t made by Jamil.”
"Especially not Lilia's." Jamil's voice rang inside his head.
“Oh, right… well, your loss then,” Lilia said, pouting just enough to make it obvious he wasn’t serious. “So? Do you know how long it will take until we can celebrate?”
“Hmmm… Professor Crewel said a couple of days…” Kalim admitted, sighing as he sank a little deeper into his pillows. “I can’t even imagine staying in here that long…”
“Ah, I see,” Lilia hummed thoughtfully, then smiled. “On the bright side, a couple of days isn’t a very precise estimate. It may all be over by tomorrow morning.”
Kalim perked up immediately. “You think?”
“Why, it’s entirely possible, is it not?”
“Then we could have the party tomorrow evening already!!” Kalim sat up a little straighter. “Or the day after? I should check with Jamil first!”
“Either way, I’ll be there.”
“AHH, I can’t wait!! Make sure to drag Silver with you! And the others from Diasomnia too! And Cater has to bring the Heartslabyul guys-” He stopped, glancing at his screen. “…Dang, I wanna tell him, but he’s not picking up.”
“Hm?” Lilia tilted his head slightly. “Oh! You called the group chat. I didn’t even notice.”
“Yup!” Kalim said. “I felt kinda bad about club getting cancelled because of me… and I got a little lonely too.” He reached over to his desk, grabbing the qatayef and holding them up to the camera with a bright grin. “Plus I wanted to show you guys these! They’re sweets popular in the Scalding Sands! See?”
“Ah, how intriguing. I wish I could have a taste.”
“I’ll make sure we have them at the party!” Kalim promised, taking a bite. It still wasn’t quite the same as sharing, but talking to Lilia already made it way better. “I think you’ll like them! They're super tasty and sweet!”
“I’m sure I will. Though they may be a bit too sweet for Cater's taste.”
“Probably…” Kalim hummed, still eyeing Cater’s icon on the call. “…I still wanna show him, though. Should I start the call again?”
“I wouldn’t bother. I suspect our dear friend might be a little nervous about you reading his mind.”
“Oh! Yeah, maybe!” Kalim nodded quickly. “Maybe he’s hiding some huge secret no one’s supposed to know about!”
“Most certainly,” Lilia said, his tone turning dramatically ominous. “Perhaps he’s secretly a schemer, plotting something dangerous.”
Kalim blinked, sitting up straighter. “Wait! D-do you really think that?”
Lilia burst into laughter. “Of course not! Knowing him, he simply values his privacy.”
“…Yeah, that makes more sense,” Kalim said, relaxing again with a small laugh. “I’m just glad you’re not-uh- wait.”
He paused.
Then blinked.
“…Huh?”
“Hm? What is it, Kalim?”
“I… uh…” Kalim frowned slightly, looking at the screen. “I can’t hear your thoughts at all right now.”
Lilia raised a brow. “You can’t?”
“No! Or—wait—are you just not thinking anything?”
“How cheeky,” Lilia said, narrowing his eyes slightly. “Of course I’m thinking.”
For just a moment Kalim was silent, going over this information in his head again and again until…
“Kali-"
“THEN I’M HEALED!”
He shot upright, nearly dropping his phone as he clutched it tighter instead and hopping around like a bunny loose in an orchard.
“It wore off already?! That was so fast!” he beamed. “I thought it’d take, like, days! Oh, this is great! I can finally-”
“Wait, Kalim-” Lilia started, his tone shifting, but before he could finish, there was a knock at the door.
“Kalim?” It was Jamil on the other side.
Kalim immediately tossed his phone onto the bed and hurried over, opening the door with the brightest grin he could manage.
“Hi, Jamil!”
Jamil seemed taken aback by the expression on his face. “You seem… as chipper as usual… everything okay?”
“Yup! Pretty much!” Kalim said, like he had no care in the world.
Jamil raised his brow like he always did when he thought Kalim was up to something. “Some of the Scarabia students mentioned you skipped your club today, went straight to your room, and haven’t come out since… Are you planning something?”
“Not at all! Well, a party maybe, but I didn’t mean to worry anyone,” Kalim said quickly, waving his hand as if to brush the concern away. “I’m all good, especially now, Jamil!"
“Is that so?"
"Yup! Really! You don't know how relieved I am Ahahah!” He said and couldn't stop smiling at all. “Anyway, how was basketball club? Did you have fun?”
“It was fine,” Jamil replied simply, still seeming suspicious of Kalim.
“Ah, that’s good! Pop music Club kind of got cancelled… it’s a bit of a long story! It really sucks I couldn't share the Qatayef you made with the others. Oh, do you want some?”
“No thanks. I'm not really in the mood for sweets…”
"Aw, that's okay. I'll share them with the dorm later, and I still wanna show Cater! Now that everything’s okay, maybe he will pick up the-”Kalim suddenly froze mid-sentence. “…Oh.”
His expression turned a little panicked as he turned quickly, glancing back at his bed. “Oh dang, I totally forgot I was talking to Lilia!”
He hurried back to his bed, bent across the mattress to grab his phone, but when he picked it up, he saw that the screen had already darkened.
“Aww… he already hung up…”
Kalim sighed softly, momentarily dropping his head on the mattress before turning his head back toward Jamil, his expression tinged with a pout.
But his eyes met Jamil's and suddenly… without any control of his own, an image formed in the back of Kalim's mind.
He saw himself. Bent over the bed, just like he was right now but it was a bit weird. His face was flushed and sweaty, like he'd just run a marathon and his eyes were glossy, tearing up just a little as he wore a pained expression. The image slowly zoomed out and then Kalim could tell the most dawning thing of all.
He wasn’t wearing any clothes.
“AHHHHH WHAT?!” Kalim screamed, his face immediately burning just as red as the image he had just seen.
“K-Kalim?!” Jamil stepped forward, startled. “What’s wrong?”
“J-J-J-Jamil!!” Kalim stammered, pointing at him like that somehow explained anything. “What was that?!”
“What was what?!” Jamil frowned. “What are you yelling about? Calm down!”
Kalim tried to. He really did. It had only lasted a second. Maybe… maybe it wasn’t what he thought it was. Maybe it was just some weird side effect of the potion, or his own imagination, or…
He forced himself to take a breath “…Sorry. I just- sorry, I need a second.”
He sat back down on the bed, pressing a hand to his forehead. Jamil didn’t move, just watched him, clearly thrown off by the outburst.
‘He’s always acting ridiculous, but this is even worse than usual. Something’s definitely going on.’
Yeah those were clearly Jamil's thoughts. So the potion definitely hadn’t worn off. And that was… bad. Very bad.
Kalim swallowed, his stomach twisting. He wasn’t supposed to hear that. Professor Crewel had been very clear, it was a matter of respect. And if Jamil found out… he’d be furious.
He needed to fix this. Now.
“…Sorry, but, c-can you please leave?” Kalim asked, the words coming out faster than he intended.
Jamil blinked. “What? Why? What happened, Kalim?”
“Nothing! Everything’s fine!” Kalim said a little too quickly.
“It’s obviously not,” Jamil shot back. “If you’re going to lie to me, at least be better at it.”
‘He’s being annoying… seriously… I can’t stand him.’
Kalim knew this was coming, and yet, the words hit him a little harder than he had expected. Somehow hearing him think it was even worse than being told straight up. Kalim didn’t mean to pout, but his expression faltered anyway, the hurt slipping through before he could hide it.
He looked up at Jamil, their eyes met, and then… It happened again. Another image, though this time it was much clearer and… in motion. Once again, he saw himself, face flushed, eyes teary, his breathing uneven, he couldn't see his body fully, only his bare shoulders, and his wrists tied together by a string right above his head. He seemed to be looking up at someone. The sound of his own voice rang in his ears, strained, almost pleading… “J-Jamil…”
“STOOOP!” Kalim shrieked, scrambling to his feet so fast the bed creaked behind him.
Jamil stared at him, completely lost. “What are-?!”
But Kalim didn’t give him time to finish.
He rushed forward, grabbing Jamil by the shoulders and pushing him toward the door. “Get out, get out, get out!!”
“Kalim! What are you doing?!” Jamil protested, stumbling back as he was forced into the hallway.
Kalim shoved him out and slammed the door shut behind him.
“What the hell, Kalim?!” Jamil’s voice came from the other side, sharp with irritation.
“S-Sorry, Jamil!! We’ll talk later!”
“What? Kalim, what’s even going on?”
“Just leave!! I swear, I'm not in danger! There's nothing bad going on, I-I just really need you to go!” Kalim insisted, pressing his hands flat against the door just in case Jamil would try to get in anyway.
Jamil sighed. "Fine."
There was a brief pause, then a muttered complaint, too quiet to fully make out, followed by retreating footsteps.
Kalim slumped against the door in relief, but it didn’t last.
What the hell was that?
He pushed himself upright almost immediately, beginning to pace as his thoughts spiraled, tugging at the edges of his sanity. Why had Jamil imagined him… like that?! Didn't he hate Kalim?! He did! He literally thought about how much he couldn't stand him right in-between those two… Ugh! The memory appeared in his head once more.
Kalim's steps came to a halt and he threw himself onto his bed instead, burying his head in his pillow as he groaned, face burning up in all shades of red. He was probably even rivaling Riddle during their study sessions right now. But who could blame him?! This was super weird! Weird and embarrassing! Seeing himself like that through the eyes of… what? His ex best friend who had turned out to have secretly hated him all along?
Maybe picturing things like that was just normal between Ex besties and Kalim once again failed to get the memo…? Kalim turned to his back, letting go of the pillow and staring up at the ceiling in contemplation. Even he knew that couldn't be it… but then what did it mean? Why was it even possible for him to see in Jamil's head like that? Wasn't he healed? He had been so excited about it too… He couldn't read Lilia's thoughts anymore but Jamil's were fine? He didn't get it.
Kalim frowned as he sat up, his hands found his phone laying forgotten on the bed. Right. He had been pretty rude to Lilia earlier. He should definitely call him and apologise… he could still think about his other conundrum later.
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