<Chapter 90>
#10. The Beginning of Change (2)
Unable to readily grasp Calix’s outstretched hand, Melty busily rubbed his eyes dry. Sighing briefly at his behavior, Calix took off the blanket he had been covered with and wrapped it around Melty. Then he pulled the hesitant Melty into his arms.
“Why do you keep making tears? Such a waste.”
Calix slightly lifted Melty’s chin and rubbed his lips against Melty’s eyes. With his eyes closed, accepting Calix’s lips, Melty spoke with a gloomy expression.
“It’s, it’s because I insisted on coming here, so…”
“You didn’t cause the landslide. This rocky mountain has naturally weak ground.”
Of course, even so, a few days of heavy rain wouldn’t normally cause a landslide. While comforting Melty, Calix recalled the explosive sound that had been loud enough to make the ground shake. There were many suspicious aspects, but he had no intention of mentioning them now.
“B-but…”
“Besides, my blessing is ‘immunity,’ so I don’t catch serious diseases. I heal quickly too, so you don’t need to worry so much.”
“Just because you have immunity doesn’t mean you don’t get hurt.”
At Melty’s sharply delivered words, Calix momentarily lost his response. Yet he couldn’t simply reply, “That’s true.” Instead of answering, he chose to avert his gaze, which Melty observed intently before suddenly remembering something and fiddling with the back of the family seal he was holding.
When he turned the circle in the opposite direction from lighting a fire, a pill dropped into his hand with a rattling sound. Without a word, Melty pushed the pill into Calix’s mouth.
“There’s no water, but swallow it anyway. It’s a painkiller.”
“…You carry these around too?”
After momentarily being surprised by the pill in his mouth, Calix swallowed it with some saliva and asked with narrowed eyes. In response, Melty just curled up tightly and fiddled with the seal in his hand. It was fortunate that he had painkillers, which his worrisome family had insisted were basic necessities.
“The Crosel family are hunters. It’s for emergencies. I heard it’s standard to carry these. But more importantly, I thought this place was where herb gatherers stay, so why aren’t there any medicines here?”
When he had approached Calix, who had moved inside, Melty had also thoroughly scanned the interior. He had expected to find something, but it was empty as if no one had used it for a long time. It was fortunate that there was even a blanket.
“People haven’t used it for a long time. It’s not the season for usable herbs to grow.”
Using the cold as an excuse, Calix pulled Melty closer into his arms and rested his cheek on Melty’s still damp head. He was dissatisfied that the usual fluffy texture was gone.
“…How do we get out now?”
Melty’s gaze fell on the tightly closed door. It was the door Calix had urgently closed when they had rushed in here. Simultaneously, they had heard the loud sound of debris hitting the door, so it was obvious without looking that the door wouldn’t open.
“There’s a path on the other side too. We’ll have to go that way once the rain stops.”
“It looked blocked though?”
“That’s how it appears to a first-time visitor.”
Calix chuckled and fixed his gaze on the closed door. The sound he had heard just before the landslide was definitely an explosion. It was natural that such a loud explosion in this area would cause a landslide.
“Then tell me. I’ll go out and call someone…”
“Where would you go when you can’t even climb a mountain properly? You’ll leave with me later.”
Calix cut off Melty’s words and let out a small yawn. The medicine Melty had given him seemed to be taking effect, as the pain was lessening compared to earlier. At the same time, a drowsiness washed over Calix. Watching Calix struggle to keep his drooping eyes open, Melty cautiously asked:
“…Is it really because I can’t climb mountains?”
“Yes.”
“Not because you’re worried someone might be out there?”
Calix’s eyes widened at Melty’s question. The drowsiness that had been creeping in suddenly vanished. Calix slowly lowered his gaze and met Melty’s eyes looking up at him.
“I’m not that oblivious.”
“…If you know, then stay put.”
The vibrations felt from the ground and the harsh explosive sound had been artificial. On this mountain, where few people came except for herb gatherers, if such a sound had occurred and a landslide had followed, it could only be explained as someone’s deliberate act. Calix didn’t bother denying Melty’s words.
“Do you have any idea who it might be?”
“The problem is there are too many possibilities.”
With his answer, Calix clicked his tongue lightly. It was literally a problem because there were too many suspects. However, he wasn’t unable to deduce, so he selected a few suspicious candidates in his mind. But his feverish, clouded mind prevented him from thinking clearly.
“…It’s not urgent, so I’ll look into it more later.”
With a sigh of “Whew,” Calix buried his face in Melty’s hair. At the faint groaning sound that escaped through Calix’s lips, Melty’s eyes stung again. Melty bit his lip tightly, and at his sniffling sound, Calix moved his head.
“You were fine just a moment ago, why again?”
“…Because I’m sorry. You got hurt trying to save me.”
“I was trying to save us both.”
Despite Calix’s gentle words as he tenderly stroked Melty’s eyes, Melty couldn’t simply nod and let it go. Slowly raising his head, Melty looked into Calix’s golden eyes, which gazed at him warmly and affectionately even through his feverish, hazy vision.
“I’m just a burden to Calix-ssi, aren’t you annoyed?”
“I’d have to have something to dislike about you to be annoyed. Who said you’re a burden?”
Chuckling, Calix weakly pinched Melty’s nose and let go.
“Look at you. Did all my earnest confessions fly off to dreamland? I told you I like you. How could I dislike someone I like?”
“…If Calix-ssi hadn’t tried to save me, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt like this.”
That wasn’t a guess but a certainty. Melty hung his head low and spoke gloomily while holding Calix’s deeply cut hand. It was Calix who had led the sluggishly moving Melty. If he hadn’t made a quick decision to throw the leather strap from his waist to pull Melty up and jump down from the rock, he wouldn’t have survived the landslide.
Even when Calix jumped down, he wrapped Melty while turning his own back toward the ground. Melty knew very well that Calix’s hands, which had firmly protected his head and back, were meant to shield him. Even in a sudden, urgent, life-threatening situation, Calix had worried about him and acted accordingly.
“It would be the same in any situation. What’s the point of surviving alone, leaving behind someone I care about?”
“Do you realize you could have died?”
“But I didn’t die. I didn’t die.”
At Calix’s response, Melty tightly closed his mouth. Melty gazed into his eyes again. At such a close proximity, where their lips seemed as if they might touch at any moment, the two of them took in each other’s presence.
“…Do you like me that much?”
At Melty’s question, Calix smiled slightly. It was just like him to throw a direct pitch without knowing how to beat around the bush. Although he had already conveyed his feelings of affection several times, there was a different weight in Melty’s returned question. Whether it was due to the spatial characteristic of the narrow space or due to a change in Melty’s feelings, Calix instinctively recognized that this question was clearly different from usual.
“Yes. Very much. I think I love you.”
After finishing his words, Calix smiled brightly. Modifiers such as ‘since when’ or ‘why’ weren’t necessary. Just suddenly, from some point, without reason, Melty had become precious to him. Although he had never given form to the intangible emotion of ‘love’ in his life before, his feelings for Melty were clear. Especially after going through this situation, it hit him even more vividly.
In the moment the accident happened, what filled his mind entirely was concern for Melty’s safety. While examining Melty’s startled face and receiving the sound of his rapidly beating heart through their touching skin, all his nerves were focused on Melty. Even though he was in the exact same situation, he didn’t think about himself at all.
At Calix’s answer, Melty slightly opened his mouth and steadied his breath. Completely captivated by Calix’s eyes, Melty reached out and cupped Calix’s cheeks. Melty’s slowly moving thumbs wiped away the dirty marks on both his cheeks.
“Me too.”
Melty carefully, yet earnestly, confessed his feelings. Hearing his words, Calix’s eyes widened greatly. Although he had confessed to Melty countless times, it was only a means to convey his own feelings.
Seeing Calix’s clearly surprised eyes, Melty laughed softly. How could he not like him? In fact, the tea time with Amelia had become an opportunity to reconsider his feelings for Calix. Strangely, Calix, who had once been the furthest from his ideal type, had somehow become his ‘ideal type’ at some point.
“So, now…”
Melty, pulling Calix’s cheeks that showed uncharacteristic confusion, smiled brightly. And instead of providing a detailed explanation, he stamped his lips on Calix’s.
