Chapter 71 - Gabriel's Best Friend

For the umpteenth time, Misha looked around the house, making sure everything was clean and sparkling. The child held the feather duster as if it was a sword and moved about in the living room like a soldier on the battlefield, his eyes fierce and penetrating.

Sitting in her wheelchair, Masha watched her little brother's antics and couldn't help burst out laughing. Gabriel, who stood by her side, also couldn't restrain a smile. It slightly curved his lips as he shook his head, saying, "Even if there is a little bit of dust left, my friend won't mind it. I don't think he will even notice it."

"Who said I was cleaning up to please your friend!?" replied the boy as he straightened his back, glaring at the young man. "Don't you know that dust is bad for lungs? I don't want my sister to develop lung problems, that's all."

"Is that so," smiled the two, clearly not believing him.

"If you're so idle you don't know what to do, go study!" roared Misha, threatening them to beat them up with the feather duster if they didn't obey.

"Yes, sir!"

Gabriel quickly pushed Masha's wheelchair away, and they both disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the boy alone. They had wanted to offer a helping hand, but one couldn't move around, while the other one didn't know the most basic things about housework. Misha wanted to clean to house, not trash it, so of course, he refused their help.

As for Alexey, he had long understood that bothering his son while he was cleaning was akin to courting death. Therefore, he obediently stayed in his study, working on a few doc.u.ments he had brought home.

Misha took in a deep breath, trying to convince himself that he had done enough. Still, he couldn't help feeling nervous and flutter about. Although he would never say it aloud, he wanted to make a good impression on Gabriel's friend. After all, it was the first time the young man invited someone over, even though he had been living with them for a month.

Shaking his head, Misha told himself to stop thinking. Even if the said friend found their house dirty, why would it matter? He was a stranger, and as such, his opinions were none of his concern.

But despite all the rants he did in his head, the boy didn't stop for even a second. He kept on cleaning up the place until the bell rang. Only then did he reluctantly hide all the cleaning tools in the closet and went to open the door. Wearing a bright smile, he lifted his head, and his eyes met the teenager's.

The words that were about to leave his mouth were swallowed back almost instantly.

With a foolish expression on his face, the boy stood in the doorway without moving an inch.

A few seconds passed, and then Misha slammed the door and ran away, leaving a dumbstruck Stephan standing on the doorstep.

'My boss!? What is my freaking boss doing there, standing on my doorstep!?'

"Misha? What's wrong?" asked Masha when she saw her little brother flee as though he had just met the devil in person, climbing the stairs two steps at a time.

"I need to pee! Like, right now!" shouted back Misha before shutting himself in the bathroom and plastering his body against the door.

Meeting Stephan out of the blue had given him a huge fright, and his body reacted before his mind. It was a conditioned reflex. Whenever Misha could, he would avoid his boss like the plague, afraid to become a doll in his hands. That guy loved to dress up his employees a little too much, almost mistaken them for models. Sometimes, it made him wonder why he didn't simply become a designer instead of running a bar.

Although Stephan was presently ten years younger, Misha still recognized him at a glance; heterochromia wasn't common, after all. Stephan's right eye was dark brown, whereas his left eye was pale blue. It was a distinguishing characteristic hard to forget. Moreover, it seemed like he had liked to dye and keep his hair long since his teenage days. That silver, complicated hairstyle was almost as striking as his eyes. Apparently, his boss's eccentricity was nothing new.

'Wait. Stephan is just a teenager! He's not my boss right now!!' Once the thought crossed his mind, Misha facepalmed. As a ten-year-old boy, he couldn't work at a bar, especially if the said bar didn't even exist, to begin with. So how could Stephan be his boss? That was in their past life, and both of them were way older than now.

They didn't have an employee-to-boss relationship, and so, Misha didn't need to be careful with his words for fear of being fired. There was no need to hide, on the contrary. Venting his pent-up frustration was not a dream anymore. He could pay him back all the grievances he suffered, and so, Misha told himself that he would take revenge for each costume he had to wear over the months he worked for him.

A somewhat sinister smile slowly made its way on the child's lips.

***

Downstairs, Stephan rang the bell a second time, and Gabriel went to open the door.

"For a second, I thought I had the address wrong," chuckled the teenager as he stepped in the house. "Why did the boy run away? Did I do something I shouldn't have?"

"No, you did nothing wrong. Your face is just scary," replied Gabriel with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"My face is beautiful, thank you."

"Narcissist."

"I'm not a narcissist. I'm telling the truth," snorted Stephan before adding. "Don't you agree with me, Masha? I'm beautiful, right?"

"Sure. When you shut your mouth," grinned the teenage girl.

"Why are you both being so mean today? You're going to break my li'l heart."

"You need a heart for that," answered back Masha and Gabriel, both in a deadpan tone.

"…"

Stephan wisely decided to shut up. When those two started to collude, it was impossible to win a verbal joust. He wouldn't lift the iron plate just to drop it on his foot, and so he silently took off his coat and his boots, a small pout on his lips.

When the teenager lifted his head after sullenly putting his boots on the shoe rack, he saw the shadow of a child upstairs. The entrance was facing the stairs, and the kitchen was on the left, whereas the living room was on the right, making it so that it was impossible to walk down the stairs incognito. Of course, Misha wasn't planning to hide, but he would have liked to observe Stephan a little more.

"Hi there. Sorry for scaring you earlier. My eyes are a bit out of the ordinary, I know, but I swear I'm human!"

Misha's mouth twitched, and he replied matter-of-factly, "Well, you don't look like one."

"…" Stephan pursed his lips and glared at Gabriel. "Did you invite me just so everyone could bash me? What did I do to anger you?"

"Nothing. Being yourself is more than enough."

"I hate you."

"I know."

"… Can you pretend to be heartbroken? Just a little?"

"Why should I?"

"I really hate you!"

Sitting on the stairs, Misha curiously observed them bicker back and forth. It was quite a novel sight that made him feel strange. He had never seen such a lively Gabriel, and his sister was also smiling from ear to ear. The atmosphere between the three was harmonious and intimate, even though they were squabbling like little children.

One thing bothered him, though. If the three of them were so close, how come he had never met Stephan in their previous life? What made him appear in this timeline? Misha had no idea, and it left him with a bitter taste in his mouth.

'Really, I knew nothing of their personal life,' inwardly sighed Misha before getting up and running down the stairs. He stopped abruptly before Stephan, almost knocking into his stomach. With a sweet smile that made Gabriel and Masha shudder, he introduced himself politely, "Hello. I'm Misha, Masha's brother. Are you thirsty? I was just planning to make something to drink. Would you like some juice?"

"Oh, yes, please! I'm dying of thirst!"

Nodding to let him know he had heard him, Misha happily ran off to the kitchen, making Gabriel and Masha frown slightly. They had a bad feeling about this; Misha was too cheerful, and that smile of his looked very much like the one he showed whenever he wanted to prank someone. They couldn't help but glance at each other, but neither say anything to prevent the incoming disaster. Gabriel only patted his friend's shoulder, a sympathetic expression on his face.

They had no idea how Stephan had incurred Misha's wrath. However, as long as it wasn't them, they wouldn't try to stop the child at the risk of becoming his next target. Simply put, Stephan was their sacrificial lamb, and they were innocent bystanders.

_______________

Mini theater

Stephan: Misha is as cute as an angel. I'm sure he would look adorable with little wings.

MC: … NO!

ML: What's wrong?

MC: That guy is definitely thinking of buying some weird angel costume and make me wear it! I refuse!

ML: But I'm sure it would suit you.

MC: No. Shut up. It won't.

Masha: I would like to see it too!

MC: … Fine… But just for a few minutes!

ML: …

Author: Siscon.

MC: Die.

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