Chapter 100 - We Need to Talk

Peeking at Misha, who had fallen asleep against his arm, Gabriel couldn't help but inwardly chuckle, a faint smile curling up the corner of his lips. No matter the timeline, that child's behavior was still as contradictory as ever. On the one hand, he could be grumpy and cold, seemingly wishing for his demise, and on the other, clingy and affectionate, apparently delighted to have him by his side. His facial expression said it all, but even so, it was hard to figure out what was truly going through his head. Why was he so happy one day and so angry the next? It was a mystery.

The one thing Gabriel was sure of, though, was that Misha turned into a little angel once asleep, and it was impossible to hold any grudges after seeing that peaceful face of his, regardless of what he had said or done during the day. Or at least, that was how he felt.

After observing the child for a bit longer, Gabriel turned his head and gazed out the car window, looking at the scenery shrouded in darkness. It was just past midnight, and they were on their way home. Misha had been overly excited all evening, fluttering about for hours, and as a result, he was dead tired. It didn't take long before the swaying motion of the car rocked him to sleep. His head fell on Gabriel's arm at one point, but the man didn't protest, pretending he hadn't noticed. It was better to let the devil sleep in peace.

However, Misha didn't wake up after they reached home and instead continued to snore, making Gabriel c.o.c.k an eyebrow. Over the past few months, Gabriel had noticed Misha was a light sleeper, but this time, his eyelids didn't even twitch after he not-so-gently shook his shoulders. Well, the boy had probably built too much stress over time, and now that his mother was safe and sound, he could finally relax both his body and mind, resulting in a deep slumber.

"Looks like he's very tired," smiled Masha, gently stroking her brother's cheek. "Do you mind bringing him inside? We have a lot of gifts to unload."

"Sure," responded Gabriel, getting out of the car before bending over to pull Misha in his arms. "Where am I sleeping tonight, by the way?"

If his memory served him right, the living room was currently full of unpacked gifts and Christmas decorations. Before Mrs. Brown's death, he usually slept downstairs to avoid Misha's pranks, but today, it seemed impossible to lay down a futon in the living room unless they pushed everything on the side to make some space. Everyone was tired, and Gabriel knew they all wished to climb into their beds right away. Besides, he had been sleeping in Misha's bedroom for almost a year, and now, the idea of sleeping alone in the living room seemed a little odd. He had grown accustomed to having someone near him as he slept.

"How about sleeping on the sofa? I know it's a bit small for you, but…" mumbled Masha, awkwardly rubbing her neck.

Somehow, Masha and her parents had forgotten to arrange something for Gabriel, too busy preparing their relatives' Christmas gifts. The Lesskov family was the kind to give a small but thoughtful present to everyone on Christmas Eve, meaning that they had a lot to do, so much so that their feet hadn't touched the ground for the past few days. Preparing Gabriel's bed was thus tossed at the back of their minds, and ultimately, it was forgotten until now.

"Well, I can sleep in Misha's bedroom tonight."

"…Are you sure?"

"He's too tired to pull any pranks, anyway," winked Gabriel as he brought the boy inside the house.

"Pfft, you have a point!" laughed Masha before focusing back her attention on the trunk, helping her parents unload it.

***

Putting the child on the chair in the entrance, Gabriel couldn't help but let out a sigh, massaging his forearms. His body was still aching because of the transmigration, and Misha wasn't exactly weightless. Gabriel's arms felt incredibly heavy, a bit as if they were made out of iron instead of bones and flesh. Well, at the very least, it was a lot better than how Misha ended up, plagued with fevers and sore muscles. As such thoughts went and came, Gabriel stared at the sleeping kid, silently sizing him up, before shaking his head and crouching to untie his winter boots. Afterward, he battled with the said boots to get them off his feet, then fought once more with the child's coat.

Once Gabriel had thrown their boots in the shoe rack and their coats in the closet, he carried Misha upstairs, but he didn't tuck him in bed, only laying him on the mattress. He knew Mrs. Brown would want to change his clothes since Misha had sweated quite a lot, being as lively as he had been during the evening. While she did so, Gabriel prepared what he needed downstairs, laying his futon in the child's room after Mrs. Brown was done changing her son in his pajama. After everyone wished each other good night, Masha and her parents went to their respective rooms, quickly climbing into their beds and pulling up their blankets.

Sitting cross-legged in his futon, Gabriel fiddled with the wristwatch he had taken out of his coat pocket—he had brought it upstairs when no one paid attention to him. He sat still for a while, waiting for everyone to fall asleep. Then, Gabriel stood up and shook Misha's shoulders again, trying to wake him up. They had to talk tonight as tomorrow, he would need to go back home and who knows when would be the next time they could meet each other. At any rate, it wouldn't be any time soon. It was already a miracle his stepmother allowed him to spend Christmas Eve with Masha's family, but sadly, such miracles weren't bound to happen often.

Also, time-traveling wasn't something they could talk about on the phone, not with Angela eavesdropping on Gabriel whenever he called someone, be it Masha, Misha, or even Stephan. Being seen as a mental case by his stepmother and sent to an asylum wasn't on his agenda. In short, today was the only day they could discuss and decide what to do. There were many things Gabriel wasn't aware of, and only Misha could clarify what happened in the very first timeline. He had to know those events so as not to repeat them.

It took a few minutes before Misha started to grunt, visibly not happy at being disturbed in his sleep. He tossed about in his bed, yet he still refused to wake up, keeping his eyes tightly shut. It made Gabriel's mouth twitch a little. With a bit of schadenfreude, he bent over and pinched his cheeks, stretching them to their limits. That had the merit of startling Misha awake. Noticing he had finally emerged from his slumbers, Gabriel let go of his cheeks, and Misha rubbed them, glaring at the man with misty eyes. Gosh, that hurt!

"Why did you do that for?!"

"Because you didn't want to wake up with gentler methods."

"Ah? Then why not let me sleep?! What's wrong with you!"

"Well, we need to talk."

"And about what?! Couldn't you have waited—"

The words Misha was about to say were swallowed back when Gabriel lifted a golden wristwatch, shaking it under his nose. Although the light in the room was dim, Misha could never mistake that watch. It was too peculiar. Holding his breath, he instinctively sat up straight before glancing at the head of his bed, where the time travel device should have been. How come it was in Gabriel's hands now?!

"Don't make that face. It's not yours, it's mine."

"…What? What are you talking about?" spluttered Misha, even more confused.

Letting out a tired sigh, Gabriel sat on the bed, staring at Misha with unfathomable eyes. For a second, he said nothing while the boy took the opportunity to scurry closer to the wall, putting some distance between them. Suspicion was written all over his face, and his tense body and clenched fists told everyone how nervous he was, making Gabriel feel a little hurt deep down. Why was that child so cautious? It wasn't that bad before his transmigration.

"…It's been a while since I have last seen you look at me with so much distrust. It seems like I've forgotten how wary of me you were before."

Frowning, Misha tilted his head, seemingly not understand what he meant.

"I won't beat around the bush. Misha, I'm not from this timeline."

"W-what…?"

"Things didn't go well, it's… Well, you didn't manage to save your mother, but you also couldn't go back in time a second time because of your weak body. It's a little complicated. Anyway, you left a message for yourself. I think it's better to start with it, or else you won't believe anything I say, right?"

"…"

Misha couldn't deny it. Right now, nothing made sense, and something seemed off about Gabriel. Not only because of the words he spoke but also because his overall behavior appeared to have somehow changed, being a lot more sincere and gentler despite the cold expression he wore. For once, it didn't feel like he was faking anything. Or at least, that was what his guts were telling him.

As Misha tried to organize his disorderly thoughts, Gabriel pressed on one of the boutons on the left of the watch case, and a holographic image appeared before them. It was a bit fussy at first, but it soon became clearer. The boy's eyes grew wide as he saw his older self standing in front of him; it was him, and at the same time, it wasn't. His hair was a bit longer, and his complexion seemed healthier. His face wasn't sickly pale. No, instead, his skin had a rosy hue to it, unlike his current self.

"…Is it recording? It should be, right?" mumbled Misha with a slight frown. He seemed to fiddle with the watch before nodding, satisfied with something his spectators couldn't see. Then, he smiled a little awkwardly, saying with a hollow laugh, "Well, hi me."

__________________________

Author has something to say: I wanted to make a double update today to celebrate the 100th chapter (and also because I feel mean to leave the story at this point, with that kind of cliffhanger), but I'm not sure I'll be able to. During the week, I had to pull another all-nighter at the hospital with the TFW, and I still have to go to the clinic with him this afternoon. Who knows when I'll be able to go home (still had to go to work soon too). So maybe there will be a second chapter later, maybe not. We'll see! x'D

Also, don't forget the giveaway! You can enter it until June 6! It's on my Twitter, just here twitter.com/VaesenRs/status/1387517281895333889?s=20.

Aaaand I changed the F*cking dreams tier on my *******! It's now a 10 early chapters access tier!!! /o/

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