Alec's teeth ground against each other, and he gripped the white sheets tight enough to make his knuckles blend in with them.
"You—!"
"Ah-ah," Benjamin stopped Alec with a raised finger.
"I didn't come here to provoke you."
"Why the fuck are you here, then?!" Alec growled, aware that he shouldn't make too much noise. There were other patients, visitors, and nurses around.
He had no proof of Benjamin's actions. Even if he did, he couldn't be sure he could do anything to Benjamin with them.
"To warn you."
"To warn me?" Alec echoed in disbelief.
"Seeing as how you made it back from the forest alive, you must be incredibly lucky. If you leave the Academy and stay far away from me to the point where I never have to lay my eyes on you or smell your commoner smell again, I'll let you live."
Alec stared at Benjamin for a few moments in silence. Benjamin took that as Alec considering it. He was wrong.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Alec asked with a frown.
Benjamin's eyes widened, and his lips parted slightly in shock. Before he could question Alec's question, Alec continued.
"Why are you going this far just because I bumped into you? Sure, I'll admit it, I could have been a little more apologetic. But did I injure you? Did I even get your uniform dirty? No and no.
"Still, you somehow carry such a heavy grudge that you want me dead, or at the very least, as good as dead to you. Something must be seriously wrong with your brain if this is how you deal with your petty emotions."
"Words like those are the reason I want you gone, Alec!" Benjamin hissed.
"You're right, I may not have personally contributed to the wealth and standing of the Mason family. But I am its heir. I represent the Mason family's honor and influence."
"That's why you're acting like this."
"That's why I can't tolerate disrespect! The disrespect you show me, you show my house! And that is a crime worthy of death."
"Then, kill me."
"What…?" Benjamin stiffened, the anger on his face fading. Those were the last words he had expected from Alec.
"I said, 'Kill me.' If my crime is a sin worthy of death, kill me."
"I…" Benjamin stuttered before falling into silence for a beat.
"I can't do that. I don't have the authority."
"Oho? You don't have the authority, you say? Doesn't that mean that you are not your house's representative? Surely, you would have the authority to execute people who tarnish the family's honor if you represent it?"
Benjamin's face darkened, and he pointed a sharp finger at Alec. But Alec continued before Benjamin could protest.
"Face it, Benjamin. I was disrespectful to you and only you. It had nothing to do with your house. I would have done it regardless of the house that gave birth to you. Well, realistically, I probably wouldn't have if your family were even greater. If you had been royalty or peak nobility, I would have probably fallen to my knees and kowtowed." Alec tilted his head and smiled brightly.
"..." Benjamin wasn't looking at Alec's expression. He stared at the floor in a daze.
"Speaking of which, your family is subordinate to the Fosra Ducal Family, right? How close are you to Victoria?"
Benjamin slowly looked up at Alec.
"Screw you." Benjamin left the infirmary.
'Fleeing once again, just because he can't handle a verbal exchange.' Alec sighed and looked at his hands.
They were still wound in cramping fists around sheets now with red spots from where his nails dug into his skin.
'I definitely need to find a way to deal with my Sins.'
An almost insurpassable tsunami of emotion had filled Alec during his conversation with Benjamin. It had pushed him toward lashing out physically and turning the fear, rage, and hunger he felt when he was in the forest into violence directed at Benjamin.
No matter what happened, Alec could not let that happen.
His six remaining Sins had yet to awaken. He could barely control Gluttony as it was. He could not indulge them and let them bloom.
He also could not let his anger decide how he dealt with Benjamin.
Alec hadn't forgotten what world he was in. It was one written by his brother.
Even without seeing it for himself, he could guess that people and life in general were brutal.
Benjamin's actions might not even be considered extreme.
In other words, Benjamin was a misguided youth.
He needed guidance, not more violence and rejection.
Alec was a senior in life with more experience. For both his own sake and Benjamin's, he needed to be the bigger person.
Hopefully, Benjamin didn't kill him first.
Still deep in thought, Alec caught the attention of a passing nurse.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"I think so."
"Good. I heard what happened to you. It must have been so scary to wake up in the middle of the forest. Make sure to tell your roommate to keep the door and window locked so that you can't sleepwalk outside your room again. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like there is anything we can do about it.
"Do you have a history of sleepwalking?"
Alec slowly shook his head as he pieced together what was happening. The reality of the situation was being covered up. The truth didn't matter. Alec's expression darkened.
"Then it might be homesickness. Make sure you rest properly. Our Scan didn't reveal any lasting trauma, but you've still been through a lot. Okay?"
Alec nodded absentmindedly. He had hoped that he would be able to make Benjamin reflect on his actions by exposing them.
But it seemed he would have to deal with it on a private level.
Maybe it was for the best, considering the difference in status and lack of support.
Alec also didn't have time to get dragged into what he could only imagine was a time-consuming justice process. He really needed to get started on figuring out how monsterification worked.
His hunger had returned, after all. And his appetite was guiding him toward the brain-dead monsters and their delicious meat.