Chapter 69 - A New Day

At seven in the morning, Alexey was mercilessly kicked out of the house by his son. Still half-asleep, he stumbled on the snowy doorstep and almost fell face-first onto the asphalt.

It had the merit of scaring him awake.

Once Alexey managed to steady himself, he couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief and pat his body, making sure he was still in one piece. Reassured, he glanced over his shoulder at his son, feeling somewhat wronged.

Pretending not to notice his father's puppy eyes, Misha stood in the doorway, a stern expression plastered on his doll-like face.

They stared at each other for a while, until Misha lost patience and roared, "What are you doing!? Get moving, or else you're gonna be late for work!"

Upon hearing his son's words, Alexey's whole body seemed to jolt. Then, he dashed to the car like a madman. He knew perfectly well that if he were to be late for work, one of his colleagues would give Misha a call, using the landline phone, and tattle. Those traitors had long forgotten what camaraderie was, only knowing how to dot on his son.

Sometimes, Alexey felt deep regret, wanting to slap his past self for bringing Misha to the office. If Alexey had known his son would conquer everyone's heart and use his colleagues to spy on him, he would have left him at home, even if Misha had to be left alone for the whole day. Anyway, this child was m.a.t.u.r.e enough not to burn down the house in his absence.

Well, probably.

In any case, what was done was done.

A few weeks ago, Alexey had to go to the company for an important meeting. It required his skills and couldn't be put off. However, his wife had died only a few days ago, and his daughter was still lying on a hospital bed. In those conditions, the idea of leaving his son in an empty house put him ill at ease. The tragedy was too recent, and he was afraid his son would do something he shouldn't.

Of course, he thought of asking someone to babysit Misha, but he knew no one, and his deceased wife's family lived quite far away while his was in Russia. As for Gabriel, he was dealing with a matter at home, and thus he couldn't come to look after his son.

With no choice left, Alexey decided to bring Misha to the company.

Everyone knew what happened to him on Christmas Eve and was very considerate. No one complained about the child's presence and smiled gently instead, treating him with extra care.

While Alexey was busy presenting their new mining project to a few affiliates, his colleagues took care of his son. Little did he knew they would also exchange contacts because Misha said he was worried about his father. The boy wanted them to let him know how Alexey was doing and such. After all, his father tended to bottle up his emotions.

If only that were all.

Misha was indeed worried about his emotional state, but also everything else that concerned him; what he was doing at work, what he was doing outside work, and so forth. His son was worse than an overbearing wife.

Whenever Alexey was late to work, Misha would nag him all night, meaning he could say goodbye to his supper. Not only did his son supervise his schedule, but he also forbade him from drinking. The last time he bought a bottle of vodka, he was scolded until his ears were ringing.

Sometimes, Alexey wondered who was the father and who was the son.

"Wait! Don't forget your lunch!" reminded the boy as he ran to his father, stuffing a lunch box into his arms. "And don't cause problems for your colleagues."

"I won't." Alexey paused before adding, "Then, I'm off."

As an answer, Misha snorted and quickly went back inside, escaping the cold weather. Through the window, he watched his father's car leave the driveway before going into the kitchen.

The boy turned on the light and took his apron, putting it over his pajama. This morning, he woke up a little late, so he didn't have the time to change his clothes before storming into his father's bedroom. Alexey had turned off his alarm in his sleep, and Misha had to kick him out of bed and help him get ready for work.

His mother had pampered her husband too much, and now that man couldn't do anything by himself, exasperating Misha a little more every day.

While cooking his sister and Gabriel's breakfast, Misha couldn't help but grunt and complain, wondering if his father, who appeared very competent, wasn't actually an airhead. Sure, he was good at his job, but that was all! He couldn't do anything else!

Why the hell did his mother fell in love with such a helpless guy!? Misha had taken care of him for only a few weeks, and he was already having terrible headaches. Well, he wouldn't be surprised if he also ended up with a stomach ulcer.

Although his father was not drowning his sorrows in alcohol, Misha couldn't help but feel nervous all day long, afraid that Alexey would pick up his past life bad habits if he were to let him out of his sight for too long.

His father's mourning process was going well, mostly because of his constant pestering. But by doing so, Misha felt like a stalker, and it made him a little edgy. His temper flared more often, yet Alexey never said anything, only silently listening to his scolding. It was as if he had lost the ability to think for himself, becoming a child that needed to be led by the hand.

Misha sighed.

He had already taken his hand in his, and he couldn't let it go now.

With a swift movement of his wrist, the boy skillfully flipped the pancakes before putting them on a plate and setting the table for three. Satisfied with the food and its display, he walked to the stairs and screamed, "Breakfast is ready!"

Soon after, he heard the wooden floor crack, and his sister appeared in Gabriel's arms, lazily resting her head on his shoulder. Her puffy, red eyes and messy hair let the child know that she had just woken up.

Unlike Masha, Gabriel had changed his clothes and was wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, having finished his morning routine a short while ago.

Well, he was sharing Misha's room, and every morning, the boy made sure to disturb his roommate's sleep before waking up his father. Although Gabriel slept like the dead, it was still hard to keep sleeping after Misha had stomped on his stomach a few times. The child was thin and small, but not weightless.

The pain tended to wake him up after a while. Then, rubbing his stomach, Gabriel would reluctantly leave his futon, search for his glasses that the boy had hidden, and quickly wash his face with cold water before wakening up Masha.

This had been their daily routine for the past few weeks, and Gabriel had become used to it, although the faint pain in his stomach was still a little annoying. Nevertheless, he didn't show any disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e on his face and instead smiled at Misha, saying:

"Good morning."

To which the boy responded with a sneer. Since Gabriel had started living with them, he never hid his dissatisfaction, always making sure to give him trouble whenever it was possible.

Even if Misha had started to accept Gabriel, he had always been the stubborn one. As such, the boy refused to ask for his help, even though it was obvious he needed it. Taking care of the house, the cooking, the groceries, and so forth, while also looking after his crippled sister was no easy task. Yet, Misha insisted on doing it alone.

So in response, Gabriel played deaf and helped with what he could. No matter how many times Misha chewed him out, he didn't change his mind, even moving in to nurse Masha around the clock.

Thus, Misha was in a foul mood all day long, feeling like his opinions were not needed nor wanted. Well, he didn't pay any heed to Gabriel's arguments either, not listening to anything he said. If he had, he would have realized that Gabriel and his sister were simply worried about his body.

It seemed like Misha had forgotten how bad his own health had become. Who exactly had been plagued by fatigue and fever lately? Who also ended up in the hospital a few months ago, scaring the hell out of them?

Without her little brother's knowledge, Masha had mandated Gabriel to look after him, whether he liked it or not. Of course, Alexey also approved such conduct. No one wanted to see the little boy collapse; if it were to happen, they didn't know if their heart could handle it.

As a result, Gabriel was now sharing Misha's room for an indefinite time, quietly keeping an eye on him. By sleeping in the child's bedroom instead of the living room, he knew he would be subject to the brat's pranks again, but what else could he do? That kid didn't seem to know how to rest and stay still.

After arguing back and forth, Gabriel and Misha finally agreed on their respective chores and such. Since he had a driver license, Gabriel would do the groceries and look after Masha while Misha was in school. As for the boy, he would cook and do the housework.

Misha had also formally prohibited the young man from entering the kitchen and doing anything related to house chores. The child even threatening to kick him out of the house if he dared to disobey.

It was as if a disaster would befall them if Gabriel ever tried to cook or clean the house. In the end, he could only yield, knowing that the boy could very well put his threats into action. He didn't want to become homeless at such a young age, after all.

In short, Misha had been pouting and giving the cold shoulder to Gabriel for a few weeks now, and this morning wasn't any different than the previous one.

Gabriel didn't mind, though. Instead of squabbling with the kid, he gently put Masha on the stairlift, fastening her belt. Then, the young man watched her be lifted down the stairs before following behind her. Without a word, he helped her transfer into her wheelchair, which was left beside the stairs.

"It's smell so good," said Masha in a drowsy voice, sniffing the air.

"Guess what's for breakfast?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

"Not telling!"

"Stingy!"

"Isn't it pancakes?" said Gabriel, interrupting their bickering.

"No one asked you!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the boy turned his heels and disappeared into the kitchen with a pout, stomping and frowning, making the two left behind shook their head and sigh.

"Look like you're being hated again," chuckled Masha, throwing her head backward to look into Gabriel's eyes.

"Hm? Isn't he only shy?" winked the young man, making the teenage girl laugh louder.

Author's note

Author: I've got something to say! After so long, I finally decided to make a ******* (WTF, censuring [email protected]éon!?)! And you know what? By becoming a patron, you will gain access to exclusive content, the kind that is not in the book! OAO

Misha: Like what?

Author: You see, the first tier is like an interview with the characters of Sweet Devil. Four times a week, you and Gabriel will answer a question. It will allow the patrons to learn more about you and kill time while waiting for the next chapter.

Gabriel: Just by curiosity, what kind of questions?

Author: You know, basic questions? For example, what's the dumbest thing you've done thinking it would go down well? For what are you most likely to be arrested according to your friends and family? And so on. Oh yeah, for the curious, I've made public the questions of this month.

Gabriel: … That's not basic questions…

Author: Don't sweat the small stuff! Anyway, it's a bit like the author's note. Since you two always end up bickering.

Gabriel: *coughs* You said 'first tier', then there is a second one?

Author: Yup! In addition to the interview, people who choose the second tier will also receive a small spin-off at the end of the month! It's around 5,000 words, and it can be considered to be Misha's dream.

Misha: I bet I hate those dreams.

Gabriel: I've got a bad feeling about this.

Misha: Don't jinx it!

Author: The first spin-off is based on Alice in wonderland, by the way.

Misha: … I'm gonna kill you one day, author.

Gabriel: …

Author: Haha.

If you are interested, check out my Patréon! Links don't work on , so I can't really put one. But if you write RS Vaesen in the search bar on Patr*on, you should be able to find me fairly easily. Well, I will also put the link for those who want to copy it manually: www + *******.com/rsvaesen

Also, I made a Twitter so I can let you know if I'm alive or dead. And share pictures of my dog. 'Cause I love my dog. Ahem. My user name is VaesenRs. /o/